Page:An account of a savage girl.djvu/90

 of seals skins sewed together, nearly in the shape of a weaver's shuttle, having a hole in the middle in which they fasten themselves with a cord, sitting on their hams. In this position they row with paddles, never leaning to either side, for fear of overturning. Upon their arrival they display their skins on the end of an oar, signifying at the same time time what they desire in exchange, whether knives, powder, ball, fire-locks, hatchets, kettles, &c. Every one in a word shews his merchandise, and intimates what he would have in return. The bargain being struck, they interchange their commodities by means of a pole. If, on the one hand, these savages have the precaution not to come aboard our ships, we, on the other hand, are as careful not to suffer ourselves to be surrounded by too great a number of their canoes; for they have often made themselves masters of small ships, while the sailors were employed in handling and examining the skins and merchandise. It is necessary to watch them narrowly at night; for they have boats that sail as swiftly as the wind, into which they enter in companies of thirty or forty men at a time: On this account the Normans, who fish for cod about Newfoundland, and the Spaniards at Portochoua, are obliged to arm light swift sailing merchant ships to pursue and clear the coast of them; for seldom a year passes that they don't surprise