Bittersweet HWYL 01 001

"Those that have any life seeketh out for roots, which could not be done without great difficulty, the earth being frozen 2 or 3 feet deep, and the snow 5 or 6 above it. The greatest subsistence that we can have is of rind tree which grows like ivy about the trees; but to swallow it, we cut the stick some 2 foot long, tying it in fagot, and boil it, and when it boils one hour or two the rind or skin comes off with ease, we take and dry it in the smoke and then reduce it into powder betwixt two grain stones, and putting the kettle with the same water upon the fire, we make it a kind of broth which nourishes us, but become thirstier and drier than the wood we ate" (p. 204).

Radisson, Pierre Espirit. Voyages of P. E. Radisson, being an account [written by himself] of his travels and experiences among the North American Indians, from 1652 to 1684. Transcribed from original manuscripts ... with historical illustrations and an introduction, by G.D. Scull. Prince Society Edition, Boston, 1885.