The Travels of David Thompson 1784-1812

On the west side of the mountains, both the Kootanaes and the Saleesh Indians have men among them who are excellent gelders of horses, but they have a superstition that the men who gelds a horse, for the first five nights after, must not come [near] his wife or any other women. If he does, the horse he has gelded will surely die. For this cause, if there are more horses, he gelds all in the same day, as the penalty is all the same for one or for more, provided that it is the same day. Boys of 6 years mount on horseback alone by legs and mane, catch the horse and ride every where without a saddle or stirrups. The Saleesh Indians were a fine race of moral Indians, the finest I had seen, and set a high value on the chastity of their women; adultery is death to both parties. Big Nose found one of his wives with a young man, but [this was] not the fact. He sent a ball at the young man, which only missed his head by a hair's breadth. He fired a load of powder in his wife's face and was to have cut off his nose, but she denying any thing of connection, he only cut off an ear. In general, punishments for this are not so severe. In the course of the winter we became well acquainted with these Indians, a camp of them always being near the post, partly for hunting the chevruil, which was here of a large species, and partly leaving the aged men and women in security when they made hunting excursions.) The tribe was under the influence of two chiefs, the principal we named Cartier, from his resemblance to a Canadian of that name; the other the Orator; both very friendly to us, and of mild manners; and frequently camped near the fort; or post, sometime in February; they both as usual, with a few Indians in the evening, entered the hall to smoke, but now with grave faces. I supposed they had heard of some chance of war: they soon broke silence and Cartier mildly said, “You know our law is that a man that seduces a woman must be killed.” I said, “I have no objection to your law, to what purpose to you tell me this?” The Orator then spoke, “My daughter with her mother has always sat quietly in my tent, until these few days past, when one of your men has been every day, while we are hunting, to my tent with beads and rings to seduce my daughter.” Looking round on my men, he said, “He is not here,” (on entering, my servant had gone into my room, I knew it must be him; the men and myself were every day too much fatigued to think of women.) “But wherever he is, we hope you will give him to us that he may die by our law.” I told them I had no inclination to screen the man, but as they were much in want of guns and ammunition for hunting and to protect themselves from their enemies, if they wished me to return with those articles, and various others, they must give me a man to take his place, otherwise I could not return; they looked at each other and said, “We cannot find a man capable, besides his going among strange people where he may be killed.” “Very well then, if you kill my man, I cannot return to you, but shall stay with the Peagans, your enemies.” “Then what is to be done?” exclaimed the Orator. I replied, “Let him live this time, and as you are noted for being a good gelder of horses; if this man ever again enters your tent, geld him, but let him live.” At this proposition they laughed and said, “We'll let him live, but so sure as he comes to seduce our women, we shall geld him.” After smoking, they retired in good humour. But my men, all young and in the prime of life, did not at all relish the punishment.