THE BEST POLICY. 163 



picture-writing — so many skins in return for 

 a gun, so many for a blanket, so many for a 

 flask of powder, and so forth ; and the rehitive 

 worth of the different kinds of furs is also regu- 

 lated by a fixed convention, well known by repute 

 to all the neighboring Indians. When an Indian 

 in tlie district requires any article from this singular 

 store, he enters and takes for himself whatever he 

 wants, leaving behind the requisite number of 

 skins in barter, together with some little personal 

 mark, which forms, as it were, his crest or cogni- 

 zance, so tlutt the company may be able to recog- 

 nize the name and standing of their customer. 

 This arrangement has existed for many years, and 

 in no case, says Mr. Sandford Fleming, has an in- 

 stance been noted of the stores being fraudulently 

 entered, or of the least dishonesty taking place on 

 the part of the Indians. When the agent comes 

 to visit the stores twice a year, he invariably finds 

 everything in order, and the proper number of 

 skins for each purchase duly stacked in the middle 

 of the shanty. 



How is it that such mere savages have attained 

 so higli and apparently so difficult a standard of 

 personal honesty? Clearly because they all feel 

 strongly the obvious truth that in their peculiar 

 circumstances, at least, honesty is decidedly the 

 best policy. If in any one case an Indian were to 

 break into and rob the store, he would know per- 



