THE NORTHWEST PASSES TO THE YUKON 107 



more than one hundred per cent profit on the goods they gave 

 the Chilkats in exchange for furs, and the Chilkats realized a 

 still greater profit when they dealt with the Tinnehs. 



For the half century that the H. B. Co.'s ships regularly visited 

 Chilkat inlet the traders never dealt directly with the Tinnehs. 

 The Chilkats were relentless monopolists, meeting the Tinnehs 

 at established camping grounds, at Tagish houses, and other 

 points beyond the range each year, and packing the furs back 

 over the Chilkat or the Shaseki (Chilkoot) pass. Occasionally 

 they brought a Tinneh chief down under escort as a great re- 

 ward and honor, to allow him to look at the fire-ship of the white 

 traders. Mr Robert Campbell, of the H. B. Co., who crossed 

 from the Mackenzie river to the Pelly in 1842-'43, wrote : " The 

 rascally Chilkat Indians from the Pacific coast were in the habit 

 of making trading excursions to Pelly. They ascended by Lynn 

 canal, thence crossed over the mountains to the head of Lewes 

 river. Descending this river they came to the Pelly, where 

 oftentimes, when strong enough, they pillaged and massacred the 

 Pelly Indians, than whom there could be no more honest men." 



In 1849 the H. B. Co. built Fort Selkirk, at the junction of 

 the Lewes river and the Pelly, buying furs directly from the 

 Tinnehs and sending them out by the chain of H. B. Co. forts 

 connecting with the Mackenzie river and Hudson bay. The 

 difficulty of getting supplies into Fort Selkirk had induced the 

 H. B. Co. to consider abandoning it, when the Chilkat chief, 

 incensed at this interference with his fur trade, led a war party 

 across the mountains and plundered and burned the fort. The 

 blockade of the passes was more strictly maintained than ever 

 against Tinnehs and whites. 



The first white man to cross the range, according to local Chil- 

 kat and common Alaskan tradition, is said to have been a red- 

 headed Scotchman in the employ of the H. B. Co., who, reach- 

 ing the ruins of Fort Selkirk in 1864, started alone over the old 

 " grease-trail " to the sea. He hid from Indians all the way, but 

 was captured near the coast and held until ransomed by Capt. 

 Swanson, of the H. B. Co.'s Labouchere, on its regular visit to 

 Pyramid Harbor. Because of his red hair he was regarded as a 

 shaman and treated with distinction during his stay. Dr Daw- 

 son discredits this story of the Scotch pioneer, as Fort Selkirk 

 was in ruins at that time, and he believes the whole story arose 

 from the fact that certain articles belonging to the traders at Fort 

 Selkirk were brought to the trading ship on the coast. 



