§98 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : 
speak a word of English or French ; Thomas, 
however, could himself speak both languages. 
English he spoke with some little hesitation, 
and not correctly ; but French seemed as fa¬ 
miliar to him as his native tongue. His prin¬ 
cipal attention seemed to be directed towards 
trade, which he had pursued with great suc¬ 
cess, so much so, indeed, that, as we after¬ 
wards heard, he could get credit in any store in 
Montreal for five hundred pounds. He had 
along with him at Chimney Point thirty horses, 
and a quantity of furs in the canoe, 'which he 
was taking for sale to Albany. His people, 
lie told us, had but very few wants; lie took * 
care to have these always supplied; in return 
they brought him furs, taken in hunting; they 
attended his horses, and voluntarily accom¬ 
panied him when he went on a trading expe¬ 
dition : his profits therefore must be immense. 
During the course of conversation he told us, 
that if we came to see him he would make us 
very happy ; that there were some very hand¬ 
some squaws * in his village, and that each of 
us should have a wife; we promised to visit 
him if it was in our power, and parted very 
good friends. Thomas, as we afterwards found, 
is not a man respected among the Indians in ge¬ 
neral , who think' much more of a chief that is 
a good warrior and hunter, and that retains the 
* Female Indians. 
