Trading with the Tlingit at Lituya Bay

Pendant notre séjour forcé à l'entrée de la baie, nous avions sans cesse été entourés de pirogues de sauvages. Ils nous proposaient, en échange de notre fer, du poisson, des peaux de loutre ou d'autres animaux, ainsi que différens petits meubles de leur costume ; ils avaient l'air, à notre grand étonnement, d'être très-accoutumés au trafic, et ils faisaient aussi-bien leur marché que les plus habiles acheteurs d'Europe.

During our forced stay at the entrance of the bay, we had constantly been surrounded by canoes of savages. They offered us, in exchange for our iron, fish, skins of otter or of other animals, as well as various small articles of their costume; they had the air, to our great astonishment, of being very accustomed to trade, and they made their bargain as well as the most skilful buyers of Europe.

While we were held at the entrance of the bay, we were constantly surrounded by the savages' canoes.1 They offered us fish, the skins of sea otters and other animals, and various small items of their dress, in exchange for our iron. To our great surprise, they seemed very used to trading, and they drove as good a bargain as the shrewdest buyers in Europe.

1. The Tlingit, whose lands run along the coast of southeast Alaska. The French ships had been caught by wind and tide at the narrow entrance to the bay on arriving in early July 1786.

De tous les articles de commerce, ils ne désiraient ardemment que le fer ; ils acceptèrent aussi quelques rassades ; mais elles servaient plutôt à conclure un marché qu'à former la base de l'échange. Nous parvînmes dans la suite à leur faire recevoir des assiettes et des pots d'étain ; mais ces articles n'eurent qu'un succès passager, et le fer prévalut sur tout.

Of all the articles of trade, they ardently desired only iron; they also accepted some glass beads; but these served rather to conclude a bargain than to form the basis of the exchange. We succeeded afterwards in making them accept plates and pots of pewter; but these articles had only a passing success, and iron prevailed over all.

Of all our trade goods, the only thing they really wanted was iron. They also took a few glass beads, but these served more to close a deal than as the main payment. Later we got them to accept pewter plates and pots, but these were only briefly popular, and iron won out over everything.

Ce métal ne leur était pas inconnu ; ils en avaient tous un poignard pendu au cou : la forme de cet instrument ressemblait à celle du cry des Indiens ; mais il n'y avait aucun rapport dans le manche, qui n'était que le prolongement de la lame, arrondie et sans tranchant : cette arme était enfermée dans un fourreau de peau tannée, et elle paraissait être leur meuble le plus précieux. Comme nous examinions très-attentivement tous ces poignards, ils nous firent signe qu'ils n'en faisaient usage que contre les ours et les autres bêtes des forêts.

This metal was not unknown to them; they all had a dagger of it hung at the neck: the shape of this instrument resembled that of the kris of the Indians; but there was no resemblance in the handle, which was only the prolongation of the blade, rounded and without edge: this weapon was enclosed in a sheath of tanned skin, and it appeared to be their most precious possession. As we were examining all these daggers very attentively, they made us a sign that they used them only against bears and the other beasts of the forests.

Iron was not new to them. Each of them wore an iron dagger hung around his neck. In shape it was like the kris of the East Indies,2 but the handle was different: it was just the blade drawn out, rounded and without an edge. The dagger was kept in a sheath of tanned hide, and it seemed to be their most precious possession. When we looked very closely at these daggers, they made signs to us that they used them only against bears and other forest animals.3

2. A wavy-bladed dagger of the Malay world, which La Pérouse's readers would know from the East Indies.
3. The two sides had no common language, so this is La Pérouse's reading of their signs.

Dès le jour de notre arrivée, nous fûmes visités par le chef du principal village. Avant de monter à bord, il parut adresser une prière au soleil ; il nous fit ensuite une longue harangue qui fut terminée par des chants assez agréables, et qui ont beaucoup de rapport avec le plein-chant de nos églises ; les Indiens de sa pirogue l'accompagnaient, en répétant en chœur le même air. Après cette cérémonie, ils montèrent presque tous à bord, et dansèrent pendant une heure au son de la voix qu'ils ont très-juste. Je fis à ce chef plusieurs présens qui le rendirent tellement incommode, qu'il passait, chaque jour, cinq ou six heures à bord, et que j'étais obligé de les renouveler très-fréquemment, ou de le voir s'en aller mécontent et menaçant ; ce qui cependant n'était pas très-dangereux.

From the day of our arrival, we were visited by the chief of the principal village. Before coming on board, he appeared to address a prayer to the sun; he then made us a long harangue, which was ended by rather pleasant songs, which have much resemblance to the plainchant of our churches; the Indians of his canoe accompanied him, repeating the same air in chorus. After this ceremony, almost all of them came on board and danced for an hour to the sound of the voice, which they have very true. I gave this chief several presents, which made him so troublesome that he spent five or six hours on board each day, and that I was obliged to renew them very frequently, or see him go away discontented and threatening; which, however, was not very dangerous.

On the very day we arrived, the chief of the main village came to visit us. Before coming aboard, he seemed to offer a prayer to the sun.4 Then he made us a long speech, which ended with rather pleasant songs, very like the plainchant of our churches. The Indians in his canoe joined in, singing the same tune as a chorus. After this ceremony almost all of them came aboard and danced for an hour, keeping time with their voices, which are very true. I gave this chief several presents. That made him such a nuisance that he spent five or six hours aboard every day. I had to keep giving him more, or else watch him leave unhappy and making threats, though that was not very dangerous.

4. This is La Pérouse's reading of what he saw; he did not understand the words.

Dès que nous fûmes établis derrière l'île, presque tous les sauvages de la baie s'y rendirent. Le bruit de notre arrivée se répandit bientôt aux environs ; nous vîmes arriver plusieurs pirogues chargées d'une quantité très-considérable de peaux de loutres, que ces Indiens échangèrent contre des haches, des herminettes et du fer en barre. Ils nous donnaient leurs saumons pour des morceaux de vieux cercles ; mais bientôt ils devinrent plus difficiles, et nous ne pûmes nous procurer ce poisson, qu'avec des clous ou quelques petits instrumens de fer. Je crois qu'il n'est aucune contrée où la loutre de mer soit plus commune que dans cette partie de l'Amérique ; et je serais peu surpris qu'une factorerie qui étendrait son commerce seulement à quarante ou cinquante lieues sur le bord de la mer, rassemblât chaque année dix mille peaux de cet animal.

As soon as we were established behind the island, almost all the savages of the bay went there. The noise of our arrival soon spread round about; we saw several canoes arrive laden with a very considerable quantity of otter skins, which these Indians exchanged for axes, adzes and bar iron. They gave us their salmon for pieces of old hoops; but soon they became more difficult, and we could procure this fish only with nails or some small instruments of iron. I believe there is no country where the sea otter is more common than in this part of America; and I would be little surprised if a trading post that extended its commerce only forty or fifty leagues along the seashore gathered ten thousand skins of this animal each year.

As soon as we had settled in behind the island, nearly all the savages of the bay came there. News of our arrival soon spread through the area. Several canoes arrived loaded with a great many sea otter skins, which these Indians traded for axes, adzes, and bar iron. At first they gave us their salmon for pieces of old barrel hoops. But they soon became harder to please, and we could only get salmon for nails or small iron tools. I believe there is no country where the sea otter is more common than this part of America. I would not be surprised if a trading post that dealt along only forty or fifty leagues of coast5 collected ten thousand skins a year.

5. The league was an old French measure of distance, roughly three miles.

Nous avions déjà éprouvé que les Indiens étaient très-voleurs ; mais nous ne leur supposions pas une activité et une opiniâtreté capables d'exécuter les projets les plus longs et les plus difficiles : nous apprîmes bientôt à les mieux connaître. Ils passaient toutes les nuits à épier le moment favorable pour nous voler ; mais nous faisions bonne garde à bord de nos vaisseaux, et ils ont rarement trompé notre vigilance. J'avais d'ailleurs établi la loi de Sparte : le volé était puni ; et si nous n'applaudissions pas au voleur, du moins nous ne réclamions rien, afin d'éviter toute rixe qui aurait pu avoir des suites funestes.

We had already found that the Indians were great thieves; but we did not suppose in them an activity and an obstinacy capable of carrying out the longest and most difficult projects: we soon learned to know them better. They spent every night watching for the favorable moment to rob us; but we kept good guard on board our vessels, and they rarely deceived our vigilance. I had moreover established the law of Sparta: the one robbed was punished; and if we did not applaud the thief, at least we claimed nothing back, so as to avoid any brawl that could have had fatal consequences.

We had already found that the Indians were great thieves. But we had not imagined them energetic and stubborn enough to carry out the longest and hardest plans. We soon came to know them better. They spent every night watching for the right moment to rob us. But we kept a good watch aboard our ships, and they rarely got past us. Besides, I had laid down the law of Sparta: the man who was robbed was punished.6 We did not applaud the thief, but at least we asked for nothing back, so as to avoid any quarrel that might have ended in bloodshed.

6. A joke drawn from Plutarch's account of Sparta, where boys were said to be punished only if they were caught stealing. La Pérouse turns it around: his men were punished for being robbed.

Je ne me dissimulais pas que cette extrême douceur les rendrait insolens ; j'avais cependant tâché de les convaincre de la supériorité de nos armes : on avait tiré devant eux un coup de canon à boulet, afin de leur faire voir qu'on pouvait les atteindre de loin ; et un coup de fusil à balle avait traversé, en présence d'un grand nombre de ces Indiens, plusieurs doubles d'une cuirasse qu'ils nous avaient vendue, après nous avoir fait comprendre par signes qu'elle était impénétrable aux flèches et aux poignards ; enfin, nos chasseurs qui étaient adroits, tuaient les oiseaux sur leur tête. Je suis bien certain qu'ils n'ont jamais cru nous inspirer des sentimens de crainte ; mais leur conduite m'a prouvé qu'ils n'ont pas douté que notre patience ne fût à toute épreuve.

I did not hide from myself that this extreme gentleness would make them insolent; I had nevertheless tried to convince them of the superiority of our arms: a cannon shot with ball had been fired before them, in order to make them see that they could be reached from afar; and a musket ball had gone through, in the presence of a great number of these Indians, several layers of a cuirass that they had sold us, after making us understand by signs that it was impenetrable to arrows and daggers; finally, our hunters, who were skilful, killed birds over their heads. I am quite certain that they never believed they inspired feelings of fear in us; but their conduct proved to me that they did not doubt that our patience was proof against anything.

I knew perfectly well that such extreme mildness would make them insolent. Still, I had tried to convince them that our weapons were superior. We fired a cannonball in front of them, to show that we could reach them from far away. In front of a large crowd of these Indians, a musket ball went through several layers of an armor vest7 they had sold us, after telling us by signs that arrows and daggers could not pierce it. And our hunters, who were good shots, killed birds over their heads. I am quite sure they never thought they made us afraid. But their behavior showed me they never doubted that our patience would hold out against anything.

7. Cuirasse, body armor. La Pérouse does not say what it was made of.

Bientôt ils m'obligèrent à lever l'établissement que j'avais sur l'île ; ils y débarquaient la nuit, du côté du large ; ils traversaient un bois très-fourré, dans lequel il nous était impossible de pénétrer le jour ; et, se glissant sur le ventre comme des couleuvres, sans remuer presque une feuille, ils parvenaient, malgré nos sentinelles, à dérober quelques-uns de nos effets : enfin ils eurent l'adresse d'entrer de nuit dans la tente où couchaient MM. de Lauriston et Darbaud, qui étaient de garde à l'observatoire ; ils enlevèrent un fusil garni d'argent, ainsi que les habits de ces deux officiers, qui les avaient placés par précaution sous leur chevet : une garde de douze hommes ne les aperçut pas, et les deux officiers ne furent point éveillés. Ce dernier vol nous eût peu inquiétés, sans la perte du cahier original sur lequel étaient écrites toutes nos observations astronomiques depuis notre arrivée dans le Port des Français.

Soon they obliged me to raise the establishment I had on the island; they landed there at night, on the seaward side; they crossed a very thick wood, into which it was impossible for us to penetrate by day; and, slipping on their bellies like snakes, almost without stirring a leaf, they succeeded, in spite of our sentries, in stealing some of our effects: finally they had the skill to enter at night the tent where Messrs. de Lauriston and Darbaud slept, who were on guard at the observatory; they carried off a silver-mounted musket, as well as the clothes of these two officers, who had placed them as a precaution under their pillow: a guard of twelve men did not see them, and the two officers were not woken. This last theft would have troubled us little, but for the loss of the original notebook on which were written all our astronomical observations since our arrival in the Port des Français.

Soon they forced me to take down the camp I had on the island [in the bay]. They landed there at night on the seaward side and crossed a very thick wood that we could not get through even by day. Then, sliding on their bellies like snakes and hardly moving a leaf, they managed to steal some of our things in spite of our sentries. In the end they were bold enough to slip at night into the tent where Monsieur de Lauriston and Monsieur Darbaud were sleeping while on guard at the observatory. They took a silver-mounted musket and the two officers' clothes, which the officers had put under their pillows to be safe. A guard of twelve men did not see them, and the two officers did not wake up. This last theft would not have bothered us much, except that we lost the original notebook with all our astronomical observations since we arrived at the Port des Français.8

8. The tent stood on the island where the French had set up their observatory to fix the bay's latitude and longitude by the stars.