Like genuine traders, the Omawhaws endeavour, by various subterfuges, to make the best of their market. An artful fellow 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 another 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 {201} 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 deservedly 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, vermilion, verdigrise, mockasin-awls, fire-steels, looking-glasses, knives, chiefs' coats, calico, ornamented brass finger-rings, arm-bands of silver, wristbands of the same metal, ear-wheels and bobs, small cylinders for the hair, breast brooches, 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. Each nation of Indians practises every art they can devise, to prevent white traders from trafficking with their neighbours, in order to engross as much as possible of the trade themselves, and to be the carriers at second hand to the others. For this purpose they sometimes intrigue deeply, and resort to artful expedients. "You do not treat your traders as we do," said a cunning Oto to some Pawnees; "we dictate to them the rate of exchanges; and if they persist in refusing to comply, we use force to compel them; we flog them, and by these means we obtain our articles at a much lower rate than you do:"--thus endeavouring to induce those people {202} to banish traders from their village by ill treatment.