BEAVER AND CANADIAN HISTORY 191 



mitted. The white traders, in their eagerness to 

 procure the skins from the Indians, supplied them 

 with arms which were far more deadly than the 

 primitive bows and arrows, with the inevitable 

 result of increasing the casualties in the wars, and 

 as one tribe was often more favoured than another 

 in the way of arms, the ill feeling between them 

 was fostered to a terrible extent. In 1659 the 

 Dutch traders supplied the Algonquins with fire- 

 arms, and this led to the practical annihilation of 

 the Agnieronnons and others. But their triumph 

 was not long-lived, for in the following year there 

 is a statement that " the skin of the latter (beaver) 

 is of so little value to them (the Algonquins), 

 since the Iroquois has prevented its sale that they 

 broil the beaver over the fire as is done with swine 

 in France." 



At this time the Algonquins settled in the 

 Hudson Bay region, driven there apparently by 

 the unceasing attacks made upon them by the 

 Iroquois. So the beaver was to the Indian what 

 gold has so often been to the white man a rich 

 gift of nature converted into a cause of bloodshed. 

 Not only did this apply to the Indians, but through 

 the jealousies of the rival trading companies the 

 enmity of the tribes was incited against their 

 rivals with terribly disastrous results. Still further 

 was bloodshed caused by the innocent beaver, for 

 the vessels carrying the valuable cargoes of furs 

 from Canada were regarded as treasure ships, and 



