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 22 THE FUR COUNTRY. of Captain Robert Lade," on what terms exchanges were formerly made with those Indians who have since become the best hunters of the Company. Beavers' skins were then the currency employed in buying and selling. The Indians paid — skins. ^ov one gun. . 10 beavers' ii half a pound of powder, »i four pounds of shot,, » one axe, tt six knives, . f> one pound of glass beadfl, . one laced coat, . , 6 !! it one coat not laced, 5 n one laced female dress. 6 t* one pound of tobacco. 1 ft one box of powder. 1 «« one comb and one looking-j 2 But a few years ago beaver-skins became so scarce that the cur- rency had to be changed. Bison-furs are now the medium of trade. When an Indian presents himself at the fort, the agents of the Company give him as many pieces of wood as he brings skins, and he exchanges these pieces of wood for manufactured articles on the premises ; and as the Company fix the price of the articles they buy and sell, they cannot fail to realise large profits. Such was the mode of proceeding in Fort Reliance and other factories ; so that Mrs Paulina Barnett was able to watch the work- ing of the system during her stay, which extended until the 16th April. Many a long talk did she have with Lieutenant Hobson, many were the projects they formed, and firmly were they both determined to allow no obstacle to check their advance. As for Thomas Black, he never opened his lips except when his own special mission was discussed. He was wrapped up in the subject of the luminous corona and red prominences of the moon ; he lived but to solve the problem, and in the end made Mrs Paulina Barnett nearly as enthusiastic as himself. How eager the two were to cross the Arctic Circle, and how far off the 18th July 1860 appeared to both, but especially to the impatient Greenwich astronomer, can easily be imagined. The preparations for departure could not be commenced until the middle of March, and 'a month passed before they w^ere completed. In fact, it was a formidable undertaking to organise such an ex-
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