The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1901-08-23

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fused only tor medical pun ~.
81 In the summer time ths indians move
to the forts onhigh ground 10 live, while
lin the winter time they g. Is the swamps
Ito trap. s .@, n. IS. 3.s.
Along the Saskatchewan there are lots
of moose, bear and wolves, Up at Lac
du Brocket the supply. Of caribou seems
almost exhahstless; while they are travel
ing back and forth from the Barren Land
the Indian, hunter lies in wait and without
any trouble gets from Is to 20 in a day.
The Huskies get the musk-ox and other
Arctic animals.
The Hudson's Bay Co. was started in
1870, and extends all through the UNI
settled country around Hudson's Bay,
Great Slave Lake and Mackenzie River.
One ofthe first things noticed in H. B.
Co. store is the absence of stove, and
every key that l saw for store was of
the same pattern. In the summer time
the H. B. Co. traders are busy getting
ready for the treaty time when the In
dams are paid $500 each for land the
government took away, and in the winter
time they are busy trading for furs. A
II. b. Co. trader gets from rs to ,s15O
year, also his mess, while clerk gets
from 10 to $50 a year and mess. Nearly
all the forts to the forth have cannon
with which to bluff the Indians. In the
winter time the Indians buy little stock
Of provisions and go to the swamps to
trap; they trap until their supplies are
gone, then they go to the forts to trade
their furs for more provisions. To the
north the H. B. Co. traders go by the
motto of the H. B. Co., "pro pelle
cutem,' Glide for skin" When an In
dian brings in his furs he is given value
OF so many Skins" thus an otter hide
would be worth 25 to 30 Skins" The
trader will count out that number of
splints Of wood. These spiints are
called "skins" so when the Indian wants
anything-such as pound of tea-he
pays for it with two splints or two skins,
yard OF print one ''skin." A skins"
value ranges from 80 to so cents. This
is done just among the Chippewains and
Huskies. Among the Crees they give
"debt' that is, if the Indian has more
fur than he wishes to buy supplies for,
the company give credit for the balance
but never give money. Sometimes the
| Indians will form small village in the
swamps, then the traders take two or
three dog trains and visit the village
with supplies and bring back the fu1s.
! OF course all travel is done with dogs,
and the neanest cur is worth 10 10 S15.
1 AS to the amount of furs taken out of
the Saskatchewan district l could make
only a guess as the H. B. Co. officers do
not tell how much is really taken out.
There were at Grand Rapids at one time
500, 600 musk rat skins, besides bear,
otter, mink, martin, beaver, fisher, red,
white and blue foxes, musk OK, skunk,
etc. l saw 800 martin and 200 beaver
packed in one pack and there were
several packs like this. "A martin is
worth from So to $40 and beaver is
worth from SIS to So there.
These furs are sent directly to London
where they are sold i'll lots to the highest
bidder.
To take this trip would advise any
one to go to Prince Albert and thence
down the Saskatchewan in canoe, and
then to the Nelson river; and come back
to civilization by steamer.
MAYO ASHLEY,