76 INDIAN TRADERS. 



mend them, such as great strength and wonderful 

 patience ; but, on the other hand, they are very 

 slow. 



As the lives of the Indian traders are constantly 

 exposed to danger from the attacks of hostile or 

 avaricious tribes, they are always well armed, and a 

 mitigated system of military discipline is in constant 

 use among them. At night the waggons are drawn 

 together so as to form a stockade and enclosure 

 for their cattle, and sentries are posted around them. 

 Hunters and teamsters are all detailed to their re- 

 spective duties, generally those they engage for, and 

 the authority of the chief man is absolute. As really 

 brave men are seldom quarrelsome, and these people 

 are the essence of pluck, squabbles and disputes are 

 not frequent among them. Moreover, there is in 

 their dealings a kind of bonhomie, which goes so far 

 as to make each welcome to the tobacco and per- 

 sonals of the other. 



When, however, they do quarrel, they certainly 

 ' go the whole hog/ for a duel to the death is 

 often the result. As at home, a dusky fair one is 

 generally the cause of these contretemps. O woman, 

 woman ! all over the earth you have much to answer 

 for. Ages past it was so, and it is the same now : 

 Delilahs and Samsons are as common as spiders and 

 flies. 



I had reason to consider myself in great luck, for 

 it is a very unusual occurrence to find traders so far 

 to the west thus early in the season. Formerly 



