The men
bought a number of corlitangs and kummings (native boots), as well as
other articles of apparel, and gave in exchange small pieces of
tobacco, a few cases of matches, and articles of clothing that were not
worth keeping. Captain Barry got a quantity of whalebone, reindeer and
fox skins, walrus ivory, a bear-skin, and about a hundred and fifty
pounds of fresh reindeer meat. We also bought three dogs for about a
pound of powder, and a kyack for Joe, for which the captain gave an old
broken double-barrelled gun and a handful of powder and shot. The owner
was in ecstasy over the bargain and Joe was more than happy.
I could not help, however, feeling mortified that such advantage should
be taken of their childish ignorance of values. I was not surprised,
then, when Joe, who has been long enough in civilized lands to know
what values are, came to me and said he thought it was wrong to rob
these people. They were his own people, and from the same tribe, in
fact, so that his interest was naturally with them. His own uncle was
one of the chief men of this tribe, but at the time we arrived had gone
inland with most of the men on a hunting expedition. Joe sent him his
pocket-knife as a present, and also was liberal with needles among the
women, who were very grateful for his generosity. The whalers seriously
object to giving things away to the natives, as it renders their system
of barter more difficult.
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