294 THE ESKIMO ABOUT BERING STRAIT [ETH. ANN 13 



followed theft at various times, the property of white meu ; s tolerably 

 safe in most places. 



The only feeling of conscience or moral duty that I noted among the 

 Eskimo seemed to be an instinctive desire to do that which was most 

 conducive to the general good of the community, as looked at from their 

 point of view. Whatever experience has taught them to be best is 

 done, guided by superstitious usages and customs. If asked why they 

 do certain things, they would almost invariably reply, &quot;We have 

 always done so.&quot; But in most cases an underlying reason could be 

 obtained if they were questioned further, and if they had sufficient 

 confidence in the questioner to express themselves to him freely regard 

 ing their deepest beliefs. 



A curious innate distrust of strangers, or of people apart from them 

 selves, was shown by the common demand for pay in advance when 

 they were asked to do anything for white men. This was seen repeat 

 edly among the Unalit, yet I do not suppose that in all their dealings 

 with white men during recent years they had known of an instance in 

 which one was employed without being paid in full. 



In the same way they would hesitate and even refuse to give white 

 men any articles of value to be paid for at another time. On the other 

 hand, it was a constant practice among them to obtain credit at the 

 trading stations, to be paid when they should have procured the neces 

 sary skins. In this, however, they were very honest, paying all debts 

 contracted in this manner. 



During my residence at St Michael I saw men trusted for goods who 

 came from distant villages and were scarcely known by sight to the 

 traders. This would often happen when the man lived in a village 100 

 or 200 miles away. 



On one occasion an Eskimo came to St Michael in midwinter from 

 near Kotzebue sound, bringing a mink skin to settle a debt which he 

 had contracted with the trader the previous year. If this man had 

 desired to do so, he need not have come and the trader would have 

 had no means of obtaining his pay. This was but one of many such 

 cases that came to my notice. 



A curious part of this custom was that very often the same Eskimo 

 who would be perfectly honest and go to great trouble and exertion to 

 settle a debt would not hesitate to steal from the same trader. Among 

 themselves this feeling is not generally so strong, and if a man borrows 

 from another and fails to return the article he is not held to account 

 for it. This is done under the general feeling that if a person has 

 enough property to enable him to lend some of it, he has more than he 

 needs. The one who makes the loan under these circumstances does 

 not even feel justified in asking a return of the article, and waits for it 

 to be given back voluntarily. 



My interpreter, a full-blood Eskimo, once told me that he had loaned 

 an old pistol the season before and the borrower had never returned 



