290 
1772. 
U—— every degree of reafon, and raife their dena 
May. 
‘was ten days, he begged feven liewtenents” coats, fifteen common coats, 
chiefs, &c. befides numberlefs fmall articles, fuch as awls, needles, paint, 
- way of trade, to give away.among his followers. This was exclufive “at 
“A JOURNEY TO THE 
be at other times, are immediately diveited of 
to fo exorbitant a pitch, that after they have re.” 
ceived to the amount of five times the value of - 
all the furrs they themfelves have brought, they 
never ceafe begging during their ftay at the Fac. 
tory; and, afterall, few of them go away tho. i 
roughly fatisfied*. ; 
After : 
* As a proof of this affertion I take the liberty, though a little foreign 
to the narrative of my journey, to infert one inftance, ont of many hune | 
dreds of the kind that happen at the different Fa@tories in Hudfon’s Bay, 
but perhaps no where fo frequently as at Churchill. In OGober 1776, 
my old guide, Matonabbee, came at the head of a large gang of Northern — 
‘Indians, to trade at Prince of Wales’s Fort; at which time 1 had the ho- 
nour to command it. When the ufual ceremonies had paffed, I drefled him — 
out as a Captain of the firft rank, and alfo clothed his fix wives from top 
to toe: after which, that is to fay, during his ftay at the Fadtory, which » 
eighteen hats, eighteen fhirts, eight guns, one hundred and forty pounds 
weight of gunpowder, with fhot, ball, and flints in proportion ; together 
with many hatchets, ice-chiffels, files, bayonets, knives, and a great quane 
tity of tobacco, cloth, blankets, combs, looking,-glaffes, ftockings, handkers 
fteels, &c. in all to the amount of upwards of feven hundred beaver in the 
own prefent, which confifted of a variety of goods to the value of four 
red beaver more. But the moft extraordinary of his demands was twelve. 
pounds of powder, twenty-eight pounds of thot and ball, four pout 
of tobacco, fome articles of clothing, and feveral pieces of ironwork, 
to give to two men who had hauled his tent and other lumber the + 
ing Winter. This demand was fo very unreafonable, that I made fome 
feruple, or at leat hefitated to comply with it, hinting that he was the pere 
jon who.ought to fatisfy thofe men for their fervices; but I was foon an= 
fwered, That he did not expeét to have been denied fuch a trifle as that was; 
and for the future he would carry his goods where he could get his own 
price for them. Ona my afking him where that was? he replied, in a ve- 
ry infolent tone, “ To the Canadian Traders.” Twasglad to eomply with 
his demands; and There infert the anecdote, asa fpecimen of an Indian’s 
confcience. 
