258 CAMP-FIRES OF A NATURALIST. 



men, for their experience with traders had taught 

 them that white men were not all honest. 



Dyche used every argument that he could bring to 

 bear, but with no apparent success. He even offered 

 to pay full price for the game that he killed, as well as 

 that killed by the Indians. He was willing to buy 

 everything killed during the trip, and in order that 

 there might be no doubt about it he offered to leave the 

 money with any trader whom the red hunters knew. 

 All his talk seemingly had no effect. The Indians 

 were shy and made many signs to each other, grunt- 

 ing out their monosyllables and evidently not con- 

 vinced that they could accommodate the naturalist. 

 Finally the interpreter told Dyche that they were dry. 

 "Too much talk, too little firewater." The savages 

 puffed hard at their stone pipes when told that the 

 hunters did not have any and. did not use any. 



As soon as Dyche and Brown finished their supper 

 they began preparations for sleeping, as they were 

 both tired from the day's exertions. The Indians 

 took the hint and silently filed out of the cabin. By 

 daylight the Chippewas were prowling around the 

 cabin, and at the first sign that the hunters were 

 awake, the red men crowded in and sat around the 

 fire watching the preparations for breakfast. 



Dyche spent the entire day in an attempt to reach an 

 agreement with the Indians, but made little progress. 

 The Chippewas were perfectly willing to hunt for 

 him and sell him their game, but did not like the idea 

 of his being with them on the trail. They could not 

 understand why he desired to go along. The natu- 

 ralist patiently explained over and over again that it 



