Anecdotes of Indians.

751

deceived. He said nothing; but some time after, when the white trader had forgotten the trick, the same Indian succeeded in getting credit of him to a large amount. The time set for payment having expired, he sought out the Indian at his residence and demanded payment for his goods. The Indian heard his demand with great complaisance; then looking him shrewdly in the eye, said, " Me pay you when my powder grow." This was enough. The guilty white man quickly retraced his steps, satisfied, we apprehend, to balance his account with the chagrin he had received.

   An Indian came into Bethlehem, Penn'a., to dispose of his peltry. " Well, Thomas," said a trader who happened to be there, to him, " I believe you have turned Moravian." "Moravian !" answered the Indian, "what makes you think so?" "Because," replied the trader, "you used to come to us to sell your skins and peltry, and now you trade them away to the Moravians." " So 1" rejoined the Indian, " now I understand you well, and I know what you mean to say. Now, hear me. See, my friend ! when I come to this place with my skins and peltry to trade, the people are kind; they give me plenty of good victuals to eat, and pay me in money or whatever I want, and no one says a word to me about drinking rum, neither do I ask for it ! When I come to your place with my peltry, all call to me, ' Come, Thomas ! here's rum; drink heartily, drink! it will not hurt you!' All this is done for the purpose of cheating me. When you have obtained from me all you want, you call me a drunken dog, and kick me out of the room."

   An aged Indian, who, for many years, had spent much time among the white people, both in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, one day, about the year 1770, observed that the Indians had not only a much easier way of getting a wife than the whites, but also a more certain way of getting a good one. "For," said he, in broken English, "white man court    court   may be one whole year! may be two years before he marry: Well, may be then he get very good wife   but may be not   may be very cross ! Well, now, suppose cross! scold so soon as get awake in morning! scold all day ! scold until sleep !   all one   he must keep him   white people have law forbidding throw away wife if he be ever so cross   must keep him always ! Well, how does Indian do ? Indian, when he see industrious squaw, he go to him, place his two forefingers close aside each other, make two like one   then look squaw in the face

,_see him smile   this is all   he say, yes !   so he take him home   no

danger he be cross ! No, no   squaw know too well what Indian do if he cross ! throw him away and take another !   Squaw love to eat meat

_no husband no meat.   Squaw do everything to please husband, he do

everything to please squaw   live happy."