The feast distributed, if it is an eat-all, each one eats in silence, although some do not fail to say a word or two from time to time. In the other feasts, although they are usually permitted to speak, they speak very little, and are astonished at the French who talk as much and more at the table than at any other time, so they call us cackling Geese. Their mouths are almost as large as eggs, and it is the delight they have in tasting and relishing what they eat that closes their mouths, and not politeness. You would take genuine pleasure in seeing them attack, in their great bark dishes, a boiled or roasted Beaver, especially when they have just come from the chase, or in seeing them tackle a bone. I have seen them hold the foot of a Moose in their two hands by one end, the mouth and the teeth doing duty at the other, so that they seem to me to be playing on those long German flutes, except that they go at it with a little too much force to hold their wind long. [147] When they are eating something that they are very fond of, you will hear them say from time to time, as I have already remarked, _tapoué nimitison_, "I am really eating," as if any one doubted it. This is the great proof that they offer of the pleasure they experience at your feast. Now having sucked, gnawed, and broken the bones which fall to them, to get out the grease and marrow, they throw them back into the kettle of broth which they are to drink afterward. It is true that at the eat-all banquets this unmannerly trick is not practiced, for there are no bones. Ayans mangé les mets qu'on a presenté, on distribue le boüillon de la chaudiere, dont chacun boit selon sa soif, si c'est vn banquet de deuotion, c'est à dire, à ne rien laisser, quelquefois il faut aussi boire tout le boüillon; d'autrefois il suffit qu'on mãge toute la viande, estant libre de boire ce qu'on voudra du boüillon. Quand le Maistre du festin void qu'on cesse de mãger, il dit les paroles qui terminent le banquet, qui sont celles-cy, ou autres semblables, _Egou_ K_hé_ _Khiouiecou_; or vous vous en irez, supplé, quand il vous plairra: le festin conclud, quelques vns demeurent vn peu de temps pour discourir, d'autres s'en vont aussi tost délogeans sans trompette; c'est à [148] dire, qu'ils sortent sans dire mot, par fois ils disent, _Ni_k_hiouan_, ie m'en vay, on leur respond _Niagouté_, allez à la bonne-heure, voila le grand excez de leurs compliments.