426 DUMB BARTER. 



long as the tribes could migrate from one region to 

 another, agriculture was merely a secondary occupa- 

 tion, and was left, for the most part, in female hands. 

 It was when a tribe was imprisoned in a valley with 

 mountains or deserts all around, that agriculture be- 

 became their main pursuit, as breeding was that of 

 the shepherd wanderers, and fishing that of the people 

 on the shore. 



The pastoral tribes had a surplus supply of meat, 

 milk, wool, and the rude products of the ancient 

 loom. The marine tribes had salt and smoked fish. 

 The agricultural tribes had garden-roots and grain. 

 Here, then, a division of labour had arisen among the 

 tribes ; and if only they could be blended together, 

 a complete nation would be formed. But the butcher 

 tribes, the fishmonger tribes, and the baker tribes, 

 lived apart from one another; they were timid, ferocious, 

 and distrustful ; their languages were entirely distinct. 

 They did not dare to communicate with one another, 

 except to carry on dumb barter, as it is called. A 

 certain tribe, for example, who desired salt, approached 

 the frontier of the sea-coast people, lighted a fire as a 

 signal, and laid down some meat or flour. They then 

 retired ; the coast tribe came up, laid down salt, and 

 also retired. The meat or flour tribe again went to 

 the spot ; and if the salt was sufficient, they took 

 it away ; if not, they left it untouched, to indi- 

 cate that they required more; and so they chaffered 

 a considerable time, each bid consisting of a pro- 

 menade. 



It is evident that such a system of trade might go 

 on for ages without the respective tribes becoming 

 better acquainted with each other. It is only by 

 means of war and of religion that the tribes can be 



