The Indians call everything medicine that seems to them learned and wise.
Mr. De Brunier tried to explain the use of his scales, and took up his steelyard to see if it would find more favour.
"Be fair," pursued the chief; "make one side as big as the other. Try bag of pemmican against your blankets and tea, then when the thing stops swinging you take pemmican, we blankets and tea—that fair!"
His companions echoed their chief's sentiments.
"As you like," smiled the trader. "We only want to make a fair exchange."
So the heavy bag of pemmican was put in the place of the weight, and a nice heap of tea was poured upon the blanket to make the balance true. The Indians were delighted.
"Now," continued Mr. De Brunier, "we must weigh the shot and the gun against your skins, according to your plan."
But when the red men saw their beautiful marten and otter and fisher skins piling higher and higher, and the heavy bag of shot still refusing to rise, a grave doubt as to the correctness of their own view of the matter arose in the Indians' minds. The first served took up his scarlet cloth and blanket and went out quickly, whilst the others deliberated.
The trader waited with good-humoured patience and a quiet gleam of amusement in the corner of his eye, when they told him at last to do it his own way, for the steel swing was a great medicine warriors could not understand. It was plain it could only be worked by some great medicine man like himself.
This decision had been reached so slowly, the impatience of the crowd in the waiting-room was at spirit-boil.