Travelers judged the trustworthy and the thieving alike by hard calculation

Evidence

Two pedlars, who were peddling their way down from the mines, came in for a night’s shelter soon after I arrivedill-looking fellows enough. They admired Birdie in a suspicious fashion, and offered to “swop” their pack horse for her. I went out the last thing at night and the first thing in the morning to see that “the powny” was safe, for they were very importunate on the subject of the “swop.” — Isabella L. Bird, A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains, 189

Categorization

• CANDY: Ill-looking pedlars pester to ‘swop’ your horse and your watch — a perfect elevator story of frontier haggling.