the settlers did not
promptly pay for their lands, and there were some minor disputes from
this cause; but in general the whites regularly purchased the land upon
which they intended to make their homes, and in time all were obliged to
do so. As may be supposed, very large prices were not paid for these
lands; but the transactions were strictly honorable, because the parties
on each side gave what they had, and all were satisfied with what they
got.

The payments for land frequently consisted partly of ready-made coats,
kettles, and in some cases of jew's-harps. Tracts of land large enough
for a town were sometimes sold for a barrel of cider. Now, this might
appear rather a hard bargain for the Indians; but it must be considered
that they had more land than they wanted, and no ready-made coats, or
kettles, or jew's-harps, or cider.

But it was not to be expected that the Indians would always be satisfied
with their treatment; and in fact they had a good many grievances. As
has been said, a settler sometimes established himself on a good piece
of land without consulting the Indians of the neighborhood, or offering
them payment, and in such cases there would be remonstrances from the
red men. Then, again, the whites could not always understand the nature
of Indian bargains. A man would buy a piece of land, and think that he
owned not only the ground, but all that grew upon it, all that flew in
the air above it, and everything that swam in its waters; and when the
Indians, after having received payment for the farm, came there to hunt
and fish, and strip the bark off the trees, the purchaser was apt to
object.

A notable difficulty of this kind occurred on Sandy Hook, where a man
named Hartshorne had bought a tract of land from the Indians, and
afterwards found, that, according to their ideas, he had no exclusive
right to the fish, game, and timber of his new purchase; and he was
especially made to understand that he had not bought the wild plums.
This matter of the ownership of the plums afterwards became a source of
considerable trouble, and was settled by Hartshorne paying to the chief
of the neighboring tribe the sum of thirteen shillings, by which he
acquired the entire right to the plums and all the other things on his
land.

The Indians had also a grievance of a different kind. There was a
conference held in Burlington, between the Indians and the whites, in
1678, which was convened on account of a complaint b