THE GEORGE CATLIN INDIAN GALLERY. 437 



" Du Rochers, I suppose ? " 



"Oui, monsieur, de Rock Montaigne." 



" You live here, I suppose ? " 



" Non, monsieur ; I comes fair from de West." 



" What, from the West ! Where under the heavens is that ? " 



"Wat, diable! de West? Well, you shall see, monsieur, he is putty fair off, sup- 

 pose. Monsieur Pierre Choteau can give you de histoire de ma vie — il bien sait que 

 jo prends les castors, very fair in de West.". 



" You carry goods, I suppose, to trade with the Suake Indians beyond the mount- 

 ains, and trap beaver also ? 



"Oui, monsieur." 



"Do you see anything of the 'Flatheads' in your country ? " 



" Non, monsieur, ils demeurent very, very fair to de West." 



"Well, Ba'tiste, I'll lay my course back again for the present, and at some future 

 period endeavor to go to the West. But you say you trade with the Indians and trap 

 beavers ; you are in the employment of the American Fur Company, I suppose ? " 



"Non, monsieur, not quite 6xact ; mais, suppose, I am 'free trappare;' free, mon- 

 sieur, free." 



" Free trapper — what's that ? I don't understand you, Ba'tiste." 



"Well, monsieur, suppose he is easy pour understand — you shall know all. In de 

 first place, I am enlist for tree year in de Fur Comp in Saint Louis — for bounte" — pour 

 bounte", eighty dollare (understand, ha?), den I am go for wages, et I ave come de 

 Missouri up, et I am trap castors putty much for six years, you see, until I am learn 

 very much ; and den you see, Monsieur McKenzie is give me tree horse j one pour ride, 

 et two pour pack (mais he is not buy, him not give, he is lend), and he is lend twelve 

 trap ; and I ave make start into de Rocky Montaigne, et I am live all alone on de 

 leet rivares pour prendre les castors. Sometime six months — sometime five month, 

 and I come back to Yel Stone, et Monsieur McKenzie is give me coot price pour all." 



"So Mr. McKenzie fits you out, and takes your beaver of you at a certain price ?" 



"Oui, Monsieur, oui." 



" What price does he pay you for your beaver, Ba'tiste ? " 



" Ha ! suppose one dollare pour one beavare." 



" A dollar per skin, ah?" 



" Oui." 



"Well, you must live a lonesome and hazardous sort of life ; can you make any- 

 thing by it ? " 



" Oh ! oui, monsieur, putty coot, mais if it is not pour for de dam rascalit6 Riccaree, 

 et de dam Pieds noris, de Blackfoot Ingin, I am make very much mounair, mais (sacre"), 

 I am rob — rob — rob too much ! " 



" What ! do the Blackfeet rob you of your furs ?" 



" Oui, monsieur, rob, suppose, five time ! I am been free trappare seven year, ot I 

 am rob five time — I am someting left not at all — ho is take all ; ho is take all de 

 horse — he is take my gun — ho is take all my clothes — he is takee de castors — et I am 

 come back with foot. So in de fort, some cloths is cost putty much mounair, et some 

 whiskey is give sixteen dollares pour gall ; so you see I am owe de Fur Comp six 

 hundred dollare, by gar ! " 



"Well, Ba'tiste, this then is what you call being a free trapper, is it ? " 



" Oui, monsieur, ' free trappare' — free ! " 



" You seem to be going down towards the Yellowstone, and probably have been out 

 on a trapping excursion." 



"Oui, monsieur, c'est vrai." 



" Have you been robbed this time, Ba'tiste ? " 



" Oui, monsieur, by de dam Pieds noirs — lam loose much ; I am loose all — very 



all eh bien — pour le dernier — c'est le dernier fois, monsieur. I am go to Yel 



Stone — I am go le Missouri down, I am go to Saint Louis." 



