rader.
After such a present no man can possibly enter tain for a moment a doubt
upon the subject of the big-heartedness of the donor, but if, in the
trade which ensues: after this present has been made, it should happen
that fifty horses are bought by the Company, not one of all the band will
cost so dear as that which demonstrates the large heartedness of the
brave.

Money-values are entirely unknown in these trades. The values of articles
are computed by "skins;" for instance, a horse will be reckoned at 60
skins; and these 60 skins will be given thus: a gun, 15 skins; a capote,
10 skins; a blanket, 10 skins; ball and powder, 10 skins; tobacco, 15
skins total, 60 skins. The Bull Ermine, or the Four Bears, or the Red
Daybreak, or whatever may be the brave's name, hands over the horse, and
gets in return a blanket, a gun, a capote, ball and powder, and tobacco.
The term "skin" is a very old one in the fur trade; the original
standard, the beaver skin or, as it was called, "the made beaver" was
the medium of exchange, and every other skin and article of trade was
graduated upon the scale of the beaver; thus a beaver, or a skin, was
reckoned equivalent to 1 mink skin, one marten was equal to 2 skins, one
black fox 20 skins, and so on; in the same manner, a blanket, a capote, a
gun, or a kettle had their different values in skins. This being
explained, we will now proceed with the trade.

Sapoomaxica, or the Big Crow's Foot, having demonstrated the bigness of
his heart, and received in return a tangible proof of the corresponding
size of the trader's, addresses his braves, cautioning them against
violence or rough behaviour. The braves, standing ready with their
peltries, are in a high state of excitement to begin the trade. Within
the fort all the preparations have been completed, communication cut off
between the Indian room and the rest of the buildings, guns placed up in
the loft overhead, and men all get ready for any thing that might turn
up; then the outer gate is thrown open, and a large throng enters the
Indian room. Three or four of the first-comers are now admitted through
a narrow passage into the trading-shop, from the shelves of which most
of the blankets, red cloth, and beads have been removed, for the red man
brought into the presence of so much finery would unfortunately behave
very much after the manner of a hungry boy put in immediate
juxtaposition to bath-buns, cream-cakes, and jam-fritters, to the
co