unsmith and armorer,
their lives were preserved and they had been made slaves, escaping long
after.

Every ship which entered the Sound thereafter did so with the full
knowledge of the savage and treacherous nature of the Indians, and the
trading was carried on with the utmost circumspection. There had been
no violent catastrophes for several years, until another ship _Boston_
made further trouble. Her captain had shipped twelve Indian hunters,
promising to return them to their people on Nootka Sound when he was
finished with them. Instead of bringing them back, he marooned them on
a barren coast hundreds of miles away from their destination. When
they heard of his cruel action, the Nootkas swore to be revenged on the
next ship that entered the Sound. The next ship happened to be the
ill-fated _Tonquin_.

Now, no Indians that ever lived could seize a ship like the _Tonquin_
if proper precautions were taken by her crew. Mr. Astor, knowing the
record of the bleak north-western shores, had especially cautioned
Thorn that constant watchfulness should be exercised in trading. Thorn
felt the serenest contempt for the Indians, and took no precautions of
any sort. Indeed, the demeanor of the savages lulled even the
suspicions of McKay, who had had a wide experience with the aborigines.
McKay even went ashore at the invitation of one of the chiefs and spent
the first night of his arrival in his lodge.

{273}

The next day the Indians came aboard to trade. They asked exorbitant
prices for their skins, and conducted themselves in a very obnoxious
way. Thorn was not a trader; he was a sailor. He offered them what he
considered a fair price, and if that was not satisfactory, why, the
vendor could go hang, for all he cared. One old chief was especially
persistent and offensive in his bargaining for a high price. He
followed Thorn back and forth on the deck, thrusting a roll of skins in
front of him, until the irascible captain at last lost the little
control of his temper he ordinarily retained. He suddenly grabbed the
skins and shoved them--not to say rubbed them--in the face of the
indignant and astonished Indian. Then he took the Indian by the back
of the neck and summarily rushed him along the deck to the gangway. It
is more than likely that he assisted him in his progress by kicking him
overboard.

The other Indians left the ship immediately. The interpreter warned
McKay that they would never forgive such