ll6 DANGERS OF THE LIQUOR TlADK 



son more manifest in man himself than any other creature or thing. 

 Their enemies they esteem as tlie more special incarnation of this prin- 

 ciple, and next to them they regard a v\ orthless, mean, and cowardly indi- 

 vidual of tlieir own people. They also look upon creatures of an uijuiioua 

 and hurtful nature, as the greater or less impersonation of evil. 



Their notions of right and wrong are equally simple. 



It is right to be brave, to do good to friends, to relieve the needy, to feed 

 the hungry, and to worship the Great Spirit, — ^these are acts of general 

 morality. There are various other duties taught by their code relative to 

 intercourse v/ith each other, — to children and parents, husbands and wives 

 deference to age, chastity etc., the performance of which is essential to 

 virtue. 



The line of demarkation between virtue and vice is yet more simple and 

 tomprehensive ; — every thing derelict of right is wrong. 



I shall recur to several points, connected with the foregoing subjects, in 

 anotlier place. 



CHAPTER IX. 



Dangers connected with the liquor trade. — Difficulty with Bull Eagle. — Scenes of 

 ..Jbodshed and horror.— Cheating in the fur trade.— How the red man becomes 

 tutored in \'ice. — A cliief's daughter offered in exchange for liquor. — Indian mode 

 of courtship and marriage.— Squaws an article of traffic. — Divorce. — Pluraliiy oi 

 wives. 



The difficulty and danger, not to say crime and bloodshed, connected 

 with the illicit trade in alcohol, as conducted among our western Indians, 

 is great and imminent. To illustrate this point, I need only to place before 

 the reader a summary of facts which occurred, many of them under my 

 own observation, during the winter of 1 842. 



Soon after our arrival at White river a man was sent to a neighboring 

 village witli a keg of diluted alcohol, for the purpose of barter. The 

 Indians, feeling more disposed to drink than pay for it, demanded the keg 

 as a gift " on the prairie." This was refused. They threatened — a fight 

 ensued, (the soldiers and trader defending the keg and the Indians trying 

 lo take it.) Weapons were used, and the result was, both soldiers and 

 trader were beaten off, — the latter, after being dragged through the lodge- 

 fire three or four times, narrowly escaped with his life. 



A party of Indians under the excitement of strong drink, attacked ard 

 took a trading house of the American Fur Company, near by, — robbing ii 

 of both liquor and goods. 



Two parties in the Fur Company's employ, from different posts, met at 

 a neighboring village, — one having goods and the other alcohol. The 

 Indians, as usual, got drunk, and commenced a fight among themselves ; — 

 because the goods-trader happened to be in the lodge of one of the weaker 

 party, they attacked him. He was compelled to flee, and barely escaped 

 with his hfe through the friendly interference of the squaws. His goods 



