50 CANADIAN WILDS. 



So that the Indian might know the amount 

 of his means of trade the furs were taken in 

 first and valued at a certain well-known curren- 

 cy of that particular part of the country in 

 which he resided, i. e., "Made Beaver" or so 

 many "Martens." In some places he was given 

 the gross amount in certain quills and about 

 the Bay in brass tokens. Of this latter coinage 

 the Company had quarters, halves and whole 

 M. B. (Made Beaver). Once this was mutu- 

 ally adjusted, trade commenced. The Indian 

 would call for a gun and pay so many Made 

 Beaver, a scalp knife, powder, shot and so on, 

 paying for each article as he received it in either 

 quills or tokens. 



The outposts or "flying posts" were more in 

 the bush country, where the Indians, as a rule, 

 lived peaceably with one another and the whites. 

 The smaller of these trading places were only 

 kept open during the winter months and were 

 generally built for the accommodation of tlio 

 Indians and supplied with absolute necessities 

 only. This enabled the hunter to keep closer to 

 his work and not travel long distances, when 

 furs were prime, for some positive requirement, 

 such as the replacing of a broken gun. The 

 keepers of these small posts were in most cases 

 guides or deserving and trustworthy servants 

 of long standing in the employ. With their 



