"It is for you, my dear," said her nurse, "open it, and see what is in
it." Lady Mary lifted one of the lids, and took out another small basket,
of a different shape and pattern. It had a top, which was sewn down with
coarse-looking thread, which her nurse told her was nothing but the sinews
of the deer, dried and beaten fine, and drawn out like thread. Then,
taking an end of it in her hand, she made Lady Mary observe that these
coarse threads could be separated into a great number of finer ones,
sufficiently delicate to pass through the eye of a fine needle, or to
string tiny beads.

"The Indians, my lady, sew with the sinews of the wild animals they kill.
These sinews are much stronger and tougher than thread, and therefore are
well adapted to sew together such things as moccasins, leggings, and
garments made of the skins of wild animals. The finer threads are used for
sewing the beads and quill ornaments on moccasins, sheaths, and pouches,
besides other things that I cannot now think of.

"They sew some things with the roots of the tamarack, of larch; such as
coarse birch-baskets, bark canoes, and the covering of their wigwams. They
call this 'wah-tap,' [Footnote: Asclepia paviflora.] (wood-thread,) and
they prepare it by pulling off the outer rind and steeping it in water. It
is the larger fibres which have the appearance of small cordage when
coiled up and fit for use. This 'wah-tap' is very valuable to these poor
Indians. There is also another plant, called Indian hemp, which is a small
shrubby kind of milk-weed, that grows on gravelly islands. It bears white
flowers, and the branches are long and slender; under the bark there is a
fine silky thread covering the wood; this is tough, and can be twisted and
spun into cloth. It is very white and fine, and does not easily break.
There are other plants of the same family, with pods full of fine shining