The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1879-05-29
Indian Trappers, Hudson Bay.

tiIc animals nave got Cn0lr WINTER coats,
and fur is "in season." the Indian
trapper lays out his trapping walk for
the winter, along which he places a
line of traps from ten to fifteen miles in
length. Once or twice a week he makes
the round of this walk, and gathers
such furs as 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 journey to the
forts with the produce of their winters
toll. Here they come, moving through
the forest; motley throDg. The
braves march in front, too proud and
lazy to carry anything but their guns,
and not always doing even that. After
them come the squaws, bending under
loads, driving dogs, or hauling hand
sleds laden with meat, ftlrs, tanned
deer-skins and infants. The puppy
dog and inevitable baby never fail in
Indian lodge or procession. The cheer
full spectacle of tie two packed to-
gether upon the back of d woman is
not of inftequent occurrence. Day
after day the mongrel 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 informs the
trapper that he has got sixty or seventy
"skins." At the same time he hands
his customer sixty or seventy little bits
of wood, SO that the latter may know,
by returning these in payment for the
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 upon the bales of cloth, blankets,
etc., and after long while concludes
to have small white cap0te 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. Everything is
carefully examined, and with each pur-
chase there is contest over the appar-
ent inequality between the amount re-
ceived and that given. In the Indians
opinion, one skin should pay for one
article of merchandise, no matter what
the value of the latter may be. And he
insists, too, upon selecting the skin.
The steelyard and weighing balance
are his especial objects of dislike. He
does not know what medicine that is.
That his tea and sugar should be bal
anced against bit Of iron, conveys 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 new light is thrown upon
the question Of steelyards and scales by
the acceptance of his proposition. 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
own way; for it is clear that the steel
yard is very great medicine, which no
brave can understand.
When the trapper has spent all his
little pieces of wood, and asks for
further advances, 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 the
Indian: He may change his place of
abode hundreds Of miles, but he still
has only a company's post at which to
trade. The company has always been
a good friend to him and his, and he
pays when he can. He knows that
when he liquidates his old debt, he can
contract new one just as big. No at
tempt was ever made to cheat him, and
there never will be. When he is ill he
goes to the nearest fort, and is cared
for and attended until he RECEIVERS.
When he does his duty well he gets
present, and he never performs any
labor without receiving fair comrensa-
ton. Such humane treatment strong
ly binds the Indian and balf-breed to
the company.-H. M. Robinson, IN
Harper's Magazine for June.