The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1879-06-10

1870 @fEAh A@ssAaATa- @NNN NsS4 x # T$@ al
4. N. Robinson. in Harper's Magazine for June
About the first Of November, when the ami J
malls have got their winter coats, and fur il
{ in season, /" the Indian trapper lays out his
walk for the winter, along which he ]
a line Of traps from ten to fftt til niles
length. iOnce or twice a week he makes
The round Of this walk, and gathers such fur
may be caught. Most of the finer furs are
taken by means of the wooden dead-fall and
steel-traps Of various sizes, the larger fur
bearing animals being either shot, caught in
snares, Or killed by the poisoned bait.
Toward the latter end Of March the Indian
trappers leave their hunting grounds, and
make a journey to the forts with the produce
OF their winters toll. Here they come, NOV
ing through the forest, a motley throng. The
braves march IN front, too proud and lazy to
carry anything but their guns. and not al
ways doing even that. After them come the
squaws, bending under loads, driving dogs,
or hauling hand -sleds laden with meat, furs,
tanned deer-skins, and infants. The puppy
dog and inevitable baby never fail in Indian
lodge or procession. The cheerful spectacle
of the two packed together upon the back of
a woman is not Of infrequent occurrence.
Day, after day the mongrei party journeys on,
until the fort is reached. Then comes the
trade. The trader separates the furs into lots,
placing the standard valuation upon each.
Then he adds the amounts together, and in
forms the trapper that he has got sixty or
seventy /" skins" At the same time he hands
his customer sixty Oh seventy little bits of
wood, so that the latter may know, by re-
turning these in payment for goods for which
he really barters his furs, just how fast his
funds decrease. The first act Of the Indian is
to cancel the debt contracted for advances at
the beginning of the season then he looks
round on the bales of cloth, blankets, ETC.,
and after a long while concludes to have a
small white capote for his toddling boy. The
price is told him, and he hands back ten of
his little pieces of wood, then looks about
him for something else. Every thing is care
fully examined, and with each purchase there
is a contest over the apparent inequality be-
tween the amount received at that given. In
the Indians opinion, one skin should pay for
one article of merchandise, no matter what
the value Of that latter may be. And he in
sists, too, upon selecting the skin. The steel
yard and weighing balance are his special OBJ
jects kof dislike. He does not know what
medicine that is. That his tea and sugar
should be balanced against a bit of iron, con-
veys no idea of the relative values of peltries
and merchandise to him. He insists upon
making the balance swing even between the
traders goods and his own furs, until a new
light is thrown upon the question OF steel
yards and scales by the acceptance OF his pro-
position. Then, when he finds his fine furs
balanced against heavy blankets, he concludes
to abide by the old method of letting the
white trader decide the weight in his owl
, way ; for it is clear that the steelyard is a very
great medicine, which no brave can under
stand. '5rt-- '.
When the trapper has spent all his littl,
pieces of wood, and asks for further advance
he is allowed to draw any reasonable amount
for, contrary to the rule in civilized life,
debt is seldom lost save by the death Of tn
Indian. He may change his place of abod
hundreds of miles, but he still has only
Company's post at which to trade. The Com
pany has always been a good friend to hin
and his, and he pays when he can. He know
that when he liquidates his old debt, he ca
contract a new one just as big. No attemp
was ever made to cheat him, and there neve
will. When he is ill he goes to the neares
fort, and 10 cared for and attended until b
RECEIVERS. When he does his duty well h
gets a present, and he never performs any Ia
Dor without receiving fair compensation
Such humane treatment strongly binds til
Indian and halfbreed to the Company.