PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 397 



CHAP. 

 XL 



When the dance was over, they presented ns with 

 dried salmon, and each person brought his bag of 

 goods, which produced a brisk barter, with great J^jf 

 fairness on all sides, and with a more than ordinary 

 sense of propriety on theirs, in never raising or low- 

 ering their prices ; and by their testifying their disap- 

 probation of it by a groan, when it was attempted by 

 one of our party. But though so strict in this par- 

 ticular, they were not exempt from that failing so 

 unaccountably innate in all uncivilized people, which 

 they endeavoured to gratify in various ways, by 

 engaging our attention at a moment when some of 

 our trinkets were exposed to them for the purpose 

 of selection. Suspecting their designs, however, we 

 generally detected their thefts, and immediately 

 received back our goods, with a hearty laugh in 

 addition. They understood making a good bargain 

 quite as well as ourselves, and were very wary how 

 they received our knives and hatchets, putting their 

 metal to the test by hacking at them with their 

 own. If they stood the blow, they were accepted ; 

 but if, on the contrary, they were notched, they 

 were refused. A singular method of deciding a 

 bargain was resorted to by one of their party, almost 

 equivalent to that of tossing up a coin. We had 

 offered an adze for a bundle of skins ; but the owner, 

 who at first seemed satisfied with the bargain, upon 

 reflection became doubtful whether he would not be 

 the loser by it ; and to decide the doubtful point he 

 caught a small beetle, and set it at liberty upon the 

 palm of his hand, anxiously watching which direc- 

 tion the insect should take. Finding it run towards 

 him, he concluded the bargain to be disadvantageous 

 to him, and took back his goods. 



