Rocky Mountains. 219 



degree of punctuality in making their returns to cancel their 

 debts. Many obtain credit from one trader, and barter their 

 peltries with another, to the great injury of the first. 



Like genuine traders, the Omavvhaws, endeavour, by various 

 subterfuges, to make the best of their market. An artful fel- 

 low will assure a trader that he has a number of skins, but 

 that he does not wish to bring them forward, until he assembles 

 a still greater number; but, in the meantime he must have a 

 keg of whiskey, otherwise he will barter his skins with ano- 

 ther trader. Another knave owes his trader, perhaps, twenty 

 skins; but in consequence of the unlucky occurrence of many 

 circumstances, which he proceeds to particularize, he can at 

 present pay but half that number, and the other ten, which 

 he brings with him, he wishes to trade for other articles of 

 merchandize. The trader submits to the imposition thus 

 practised, rather than lose their custom, and is thus deserv- 

 edly punished, for his own deceptive proceedings with respect 

 to his rivals, and for the habit of practising on the ignorance 

 of the natives, in which many of them freely indulge. 



Thus the Missouri traders are repaid for hardly more than 

 half the value of the merchandize which they credit, but 

 should they obtain peltries for one third of the amount, they 

 clear their cost and charges. 



After having discharged their debts wholly, or in part, the 

 Indians exchange the remainder of their skins, for strouding 

 for breech clouts and petticoats, blankets, wampum, guns, 

 powder and ball, kettles, Vermillion, verdigris, mockasin awls, 

 fire steels, looking glasses, knives, chiefs' coats, calico, orna- 

 mented brass finger rings, arm bands of silver, wristbands 

 of the same metal, ear-wheels and bobs, small cylinders for 

 the hair, breast broaches, and other silver ornaments for the 

 head; black and blue handkerchiefs, buttons, tin cups, pans 

 and dishes, scarlet cloth, &c. 



The man is the active agent in this barter, but he avails 

 himself of the advice of his squaw, and often submits to her 

 dictation. 



