BOURGEOIS - Toronto Public Library

382 CHARLES MACKENZIE
"through camp haranguing that you would pay high prices
" for their beaver, and those who had some in their hands to
"throw on my pipe turned on their heels and went to you
" with them and since that time I got only few robes. So," continued
be, " for my gun, cloth, ammunition and horse I got an
" inferior horse to the one I had given, three beaver skins and six
" buffaloe robes." " Had I placed myself in their power as you
" wished me to have done, I would not have a fourth of what I
" have at present," said I, "and I told you all along that you
" would be the loser." But he said. " It {aut {aire comme cela
" pour etre considi1'e par tes Sauvages. "
The Gros Vent1'es were much caressed by t.he Shawyens and
we all agreed to remain six days with them on condition that
they would come and camp half way to the Missurie, and that
a free intercollrse should be between them and the Missurie
Indians for the remainder of the season. These six days I past
with the greatest pleasure that Savage life could afford .......... ..
........ .............................................. At length we took our
departure accompanied by some of the Shawyens, who were to
in vite the Gros Ventres and the Mandans and especially the
Borgne, for whom they had the skin of a white buffaloe, which,
to a Gros Ventre, is too tempting an article to refuse, for when a
man has a white buffaloe robe, his fortune is made.
On the third day, we got to the village where I found Mr.
Caldwell very anxious for my return. The time fixed for our
return having expired, they thought we had been all destroyed.
After many councils held, the Borgne consented to go to the
Shawyens with some of his young men and, if he found that
they were not fond of their horses-to use his own expressionthat
he would send for the Gros Venires to trade horses for European
goods.
I gave a few articles to the Borgne to trade a horse for me,
having already the load of the six horses I brought from the