The salubrity of the climate, however, renders disease of every kind extremely rare, except such as are caused by the excesses of the natives themselves.  The venereal is very common, and appears to have been indigenous.  At their feasts they gorge themselves to such a degree as to endanger their lives; after a feast many of the guests continue ill for a considerable time, yet this does not prevent them from gormandizing again whenever an opportunity presents itself.  Old and young, male and female, are subject to severe inflammation in the eyes, chiefly, I believe, from their passing the winter in hovels underground, which have no outlet for the smoke, and passing from them into the glare of sunshine upon the snow.  What with the confined smoke and tainted atmosphere of these abominable burrows, I found it painful to remain even for a few minutes in them.

It has been remarked by those who first settled in the district, that the Indians are rapidly decreasing in numbers since their arrival—­a fact which does not admit of a doubt:  I myself have seen many villages and encampments without an inhabitant.  But what can be the cause of it?  Here there has been neither rum nor small-pox—­the scourges of this doomed race in other parts.  Yet, on the banks of the Columbia, which, when first visited by the whites a few years ago, literally swarmed with Indians, a disease broke out which nearly exterminated them.  Has the fiat, then, gone forth, that the aboriginal inhabitants of America shall make way for another race of men?  To my mind, at least, the question presents not the shadow of a doubt.  The existence of the present race of Indians at some future, and by no means distant period, will only be known through the historical records of their successors.

The Takellies do not use canoes on their hunting excursions, so that they are necessitated to carry all their conveniences on their backs; and it is astonishing to see what heavy loads they can carry, especially the women, on whom the transport duty generally devolves.  Among this tribe, however, the women are held in much higher consideration than among other Indians:  they assist at the councils, and some ladies of distinction are even admitted to the feasts.  This consideration they doubtless owe to the efficient aid they afford in procuring the means of subsistence.  The one sex is as actively employed during the fishing season as the other.  The men construct the weirs, repair them when necessary, and capture the fish; the women split them up—­a most laborious operation when salmon is plentiful—­suspend them on the scaffolds, attend to the drying, &c.  They also collect berries, and dig up the edible roots that are found in the country, and which are of great service in years of scarcity.  Thus the labour of the women contributes as much to the support of the community as that of the men.