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Fourth. The Indians are almost unbounded in their desire to please their fellows, and their own people generally. They study and practice among themselves the rules of native politeness to an unexampled degree. Therefore you cannot by any means persuade an Indian, not influenced by the christian religion, to say anything which will tend to render him unpopular among his people.
And suppose he commences conversation on most important subjects, yet on perceiving a sneer or look of contempt, his mouth is perfectly closed, and all attempts afterwards to open it are vain. Fifth. Indians not only hate white men in contempt but consider them irreligious, unprincipled & cruel; and therefore all intimate connection with them is interdicted by common consent, and is unpopular. Of course a white man must be clothed with extraordinary credentials indeed, who would not be himself a a reproach among the Indians, and a disgrace to such as he might gain over to his friendship. True Indians of dissipated habits, will associate with white men of the same character in order to obtain a portion of the
inebriating cup, yet in their sober moments hold them in contempt.
Sixth. There is yet another difficulty arising not only from the disposition of Indians to tantalize but also from the principle that they are not bound always to tell the truth to white men. Of course the narrator may invent his own story as he proceeds, offering it to his inquisitive white guest, as among their important antiquities.