CHAPTER II. 



THE "FREE TRADER.-" 



The origin of the term "Free Trader" dates 

 back considerably over three-quarters of a cen- 

 tury and was first used as a distinction by the 

 Hudson's Bay Company between their own 

 traders, who traded directly from their posts 

 and others who in most cases had been formerly 

 in their employ, but had turned "Free Traders." 

 Men with a small outfit, who roamed amongst 

 the Indians on their hunting grounds and bar- 

 tered necessary articles that the hunters were 

 generally short of. 



The outfit mostly consisted of tobacco, pow- 

 der, ball, flints, possibly one or two nor' west 

 guns, white, blue and red strands for the men's 

 leggings, sky blue second cloth for the squaw's 

 skirts, flannel of several bright colors, mole skin 

 for trousers, a few H. B. cloth capots, fancy 

 worsted sashes, beads, ribbons, knives, scissors, 

 fire steels, etc. Some of the foregoing articles 

 may not be considered necessary requirements, 

 but to the Indian of those days they were so 

 looked upon and a "Free Trader" coming to an 



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