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 
