The greeting was cordial and noisy, everybody shaking hands with the
new arrivals, talking in the high key characteristic of them, and
laughing a great deal. Two of the men embraced Sishetakushin and
Mookoomahn and shed copious tears of joy over them. These two men it
appeared were Mookoomahn's brothers. The women were not so
demonstrative, but showed their delight in a ceaseless flow of words.
When the first greetings were over Sishetakushin told the assembled
Indians how Bob had been found sleeping in the snow, and that the
Great Spirit had sent the White Snow Brother to dwell in their lodges
as one of them. After this introduction and a rather magnified
description of his accomplishments as a hunter they all shook Bob's
hand and welcomed him as one of the tribe.
A few caribou had been killed, and the travellers received gifts of
the frozen meat with a good proportion of fat, and that night a great
feast was held in their behalf.
With plenty to eat there was no occasion to hunt and the Indians were
living in idleness during the intensely cold months of January and
February, rarely venturing out of the wigwams. This was not only for
their comfort, but because the fur bearing animals lie quiet during
this cold period of the winter and the hunt would therefore yield
small reward for the exposure and suffering it would entail.
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