PACIFIC AND BEERING’S STRAIT. 
289 
approbation, he withdrew, and the performance having been wrought CHAP, 
to its highest pitch of noise and animation, ceased. 
Such is the rude dance of these people, in which, as may be seen 
from the above description, there was neither elegance nor grace ; but 
on the contrary it was noisy, violent, and as barbarous as themselves. 
The dancers were dressed for the occasion in their best clothes, which 
they considered indispensable, as they would not sell them to us until 
the performance was over. In addition to their usual costume, some had 
a kind of tippet of ermine and sable skins thrown over their shoulders, 
and others wore a band on their heads, with strips of skin suspended 
to it at every two inches, to the end of which were attached the nails of 
seals. 
When the dance was over, they presented us with dried salmon, 
and each person brought his bag of goods, which produced a brisk bar- 
ter, with great fairness on all sides, and with a more than ordinary 
sense of propriety on theirs, in never raising or lowering their prices ; 
and by their testifying their disapprobation of it by a groan, when it 
was attempted by one of our party. But though so strict in this par- 
ticular, they were not exempt from that failing so unaccountably innate ^ 
in all uncivilized people, which they endeavoured to gratify in various 
ways, by engaging our attention at a moment when some of our trinkets 
were exposed to them for the purpose of selection. Suspecting their 
designs, however, we generally detected their thefts, and immediately 
received back our goods, with a hearty laugh in addition. They under- 
stood making a good bargain quite as well as ourselves, and were very 
wary how they received our knives and hatchets, putting their metal to 
the test by hacking at them with their own. If they stood the blow they 
were accepted ; but if, on the contrary, they were notched, they were 
refused. A singular method of deciding a bargain was resorted to by 
one of their party, almost equivalent to that of tossing up a coin. We 
had offered an adze for a bundle of skins ; but the owner, who at first 
seemed satisfied with the bargain, upon reflection became doubtful 
whether he would not be the loser by it ; and to decide the doubtful 
point, he caught a small beetle, and set it at liberty upon the palm of 
his hand, anxiously watching which direction the insect should take. 
p p 
