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THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
V>. r\
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THE AUTHOR "TAGGED," JUNE, 1913, BY LADY
COLLECTORS FOR NINETTE SANITARIUM.
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
A NARRATIVE OF SEVEN YEARS IN THE SERVICE OF THE
HUDSON'S BAY COMPANY DURING 1867-1874
ON THE GREAT BUFFALO PLAINS
WITH HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES AND COMMENTS
BY
ISAAC COWIE
WINNIPEG
Illustrated by Black and White Copies of Water-color Sketches made by a Swiss Settler
on his journey from Europe, via Hudson Bay. to Red River Settlement
in 1821, throufjh the courtesy of Dr. Doughty, O.M.G., Dominion
Archivist, and other hitherto unpublished pictures
TORONTO
WILLIAM BRIGGS
1913
F
ObO
■9
Copyright, Canada, 1913, by
WILLIAM BRIGGS
RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED
TO
THE PIONEERS OF PRINCE RUPERT'S LAND
AND OF WESTERN CANADA
PAST AND PRESENT
F^ 8798
PREFACE
To preserve in print some of the recollections of personal ^
experiences and oral history of the West, which are so quickly
perishing by the departure of old pioneers and frontiersmen
on the last lone trail, I was asked by Mr. W. Sanford Evans,
Editor of The Winnipeg Telegram, in 1902, and by Mr. J. W.
Dafoe, Editor of The Manitoba Free Press, in 1912, to contri-
bute a series of articles to their Saturday issues. As other
older-timers, who were much better qualified, refrained from
taking up their pens in the good cause, I was happy to avail
myself of the opportunities so liberally accorded me by these
influential periodicals. While I felt sure of finding, for my
simple narrative of things as they were, indulgent apprecia-
tion by the old-timers generally, I was not prepared for the
interest shown in the parts already published by so many of
the newcomers, who are the pioneers of the present in this land
of yet untouched — perhaps undreamt — natural resources. To
meet a demand, often kindly expressed to me by those inter-
ested in the past, to have these published articles put in a col-
lected form, and to bring down my recollections to a definite
period, arrangements were made to bring out this book, ending
with the time I left Fort Qu'Appelle, before the Mounted
Police took effective possession of the plains, in June, 1874.
Herein are republished from The Manitoba Free Press, with
slight corrections, mainly of typographical errors, the articles
which I proposed in the Foreword thereto, down to " Summer
Journey to Cypress Hills, 1868." Then, the estimated space ^
3
PREFACE
for the whole of the proposed series of articles having been
exceeded, further publication ceased. When Dr. William
Briggs undertook to bring out this book it was estimated that
one of 316 pages would cover the period from the summer of
1868 to the spring of 1874, it being impossible to include in
a book of ordinary size as well what might have been written
of Lake Manitoba, He a la Crosse, Portage la Loche and
Athabasca; but the 316 pages have been exceeded beyond
expectation, and I have learned the wisdom of first completing
the manuscript of a book ere making a contract for its pub-
lication. As a consequence of this and the rush of other
work on the publisher, the issue of the book has been delayed
far beyond the time at which I hoped it might appear.
The arrangement with the publisher having been- contingent
upon my obtaining a sufficient number of subscribers, I now
have the pleasure of thanking those whose kindness enabled
me to guarantee him against loss; and I take pride in
appending the list, which contains so many eminent and
respected names.
For the illustrations I here record my grateful obligations
to Dr. Doughty, Dominion Archivist, for the sketches by a
Swiss Selkirk settler in 1821-2; to Mrs. Cowan, the widow
of Dr. William Cowan (who was in charge of Fort Garry
when it was seized by Riel in 1869), for many photographs of
Hudson's Bay officials ; to Mr. J. G. M. Christie for the pic-
ture of his grandfather. Governor Christie; to Mr. W. J.
McLean for that of York Factory, by his father-in-law. Chief
Trader Murray ; and to retired Chief Factor William Clark
for the view of Norway House so beautifully taken by Chief
Factor James McDougall. My special acknowledgments are
4
PBEFACE
due to Mr. Edward Lawson, artist on the staff of The Mani-
toba Free Press, for touching up the Swiss artistes sketches
for printing, and for drawing from my rude diagrams the
bird's-eye view of Fort Qu'Appelle in 1867.
The country in which the Qu'Appelle Indians hunted and
fought lay south and west from the great Saskatchewan trail
which, passing north of Touchwood Hills to the North Sas-
katchewan at Carlton, followed the course of that river to
Edmonton and terminated in pack trails through the Eocky
Mountains. Distinguished travellers took that route, and
wrote a;hout the Saskatchewan country as the scene of their
hunting exploits. The British and Canadian exploring expe-
ditions of 1858-9, under Captain Palliser and Professor Hind,
respectively, failed to cross the Couteau de Missouri to the
south-west, and their farthest point west was only a few miles
along the South Saskatchewan beyond the Elbow. Beyond
the Couteau and the Elbow their native guides and men
refused to proceed ; for these marked, at that period, the limit
of the hunting-grounds won by the Crees and their allies from
the Blackfeet and other hostile tribes. To reach the Cypre
(erroneously now called "Cypress") Hills, Palliser was
obliged to go round by Edmonton, where he obtained Blackfoot
guides and men acquainted with that tribe to accompany him
in suflficient force to ensure tolerance on the journey south to
the hills. Even under these circumstances his followers made
the journey with fear and reluctance.
In 1859 the Eight Honourable Henry Chaplin and the late
Sir Frederick Johnstone made a buffalo-hunting dash across
the Couteau to the Old Wives' Lakes, to which Mr. Archibald
McDonald gave their names, that now appear on maps; but
5
PEEFACE
they published no record of their intrusion into the country
lying west of the Couteau and stretching to the Cypre Hills,
which continued to be the battleground between the Qu'Ap-
pelle Indians and the Blackfoot Confederacy during my seven
years on the plains. The scene of my story is largely in this
region, whose records, up to the spring of 1874, have never
before been written.
The limits of an ordinary book have rendered the mention
of many interesting persons and incidents impossible, but, I
hope, the facts herein derived from my own experience and
from the credible information of others may prove of some
historical value in the future and also be of interest to people
of the present day. The only apology I have to make for
" rushing into print '^ is already given in the Foreword — none
of those who were better qualified seemed willing to take up
the task. These, however, may have the goodness to correct
and amplify the statements herein contairied. Indeed, I
hope, in view of a possible second edition, that anyone noting
any error or omission will have the kindness to point it
out to me; for I am anxious that the book may furnish
reliable data of history for future reference.
Isaac Cowie.
Winnipeg,
Thanksgiving Day, 20th October, 1913.
LIST OF SUBSCEIBERS FOE "THE
COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS"
Arrived in
Western Canada
E. D. Adams, broker, Calgary 1884
Robert Adamson, Dominion Immigration OflBce, Winnipeg. 1880
Adanac Club, Winnipeg
Alberta Government Library, Edmonton
W. G. Alcock, fruit grower, Collingwood East, B.C 1869
W. C. Alderson, retired C.P.R. service, Winnipeg (2 copies) 1878
Montague Aldous, D.T.S., Winnipeg
J. W. Anderson, late H.B.C., Winnipeg 1882
Heber Archibald, K.C., Winnipeg (2 copies)
Robert Asham, farmer, Kinosoto, Manitoba
J. H, Ashdown, merchant, Winnipeg 1868
A. Bain, financial agent, Winnipeg 1880
G. W. Baker, barrister, Winnipeg
Reginald Beatty, general agent, Melfort, Saskatchewan... 1872
Hon. Justice N. D. Beck, Edmonton
Charles N. Bell, F.R.G.S., Secretary Board of Trade, Win-
nipeg 1870
Joseph Bell, C.A., Winnipeg 1908
T. D. Bell, land agent, Vancouver, B.C
R. B. Bennett, K.C., M.P., Calgary
James R. Bird, M.D., Whitewood, Saskatchewan ... Born in 1863
George Black, Provincial Auditor, Winnipeg 1870
Thomas Black, merchant, Winnipeg 1872
R. J. Blanchard, M.D., surgeon, Winnipeg 1879
Rev. S. G. Bland, D.D., Winnipeg
J. T. Blowey, retired merchant, Vancouver, B.C. (2 copies) ....
Charles B. Booth, grocer, Winnipeg
H. N. Bowman, law clerk, Winnipeg 1898
John C. F, Bown, K.C., Edmonton
J. W. Briggs, real estate agent, Winnipeg 1883
Alfred Brown, retired, Edmonton
Edward Brown, broker, Winnipeg 1888
Thomas Bruce, insurance manager, Winnipeg 1889
Robert Bullock, retired merchant, Selkirk, Manitoba
7
LIST OF SUBSCEIBEES
Arrived in
Western Canada
W. J. Bulman, lithographer, Winnipeg. Born in W. Canada
John R. Bunn, Inspector of Indian Agencies, Winnipeg.
Born in Western Canada
Acton Burrows, publisher, Toronto 1879
Theodore A. Burrows, ex-M.P., Winnipeg (3 copies) 1875
Lawrence Burpee, Secretary International Joint Commis-
sion, Ottawa
Donald Cameron, farmer, Headingly, Manitoba Born in 1838
Henry Cameron, manufacturers' agent, Winnipeg 1883
John Cameron, mine owner, Edmonton 1876
W. G. Campbell, M.D., Winnipeg
Canadian Bank of Commerce, Toronto
Captain G. P. Carruthers, Winnipeg 1871
Hugo Carstens, German Consul, Winnipeg 1884
J. F. Caldwell, retired, Winnipeg
Horace Chevrier, merchant, Winnipeg
J. G. M. Christie, H. B. officer, Winnipeg (2 copies) .Born in 1857
C. T. Christie, H. B. officer, Mackenzie River Born in 1864
William Clark, retired Chief Factor, H.B.C., Winnipeg (2
copies) 1861
A. C. Clare, farmer, St. Andrews, Manitoba Born in 1866
Sir Thomas Clouston, M.D., Edinburgh
Alfred A. Codd, real estate agent, Victoria, B.C
M. C. Colcleugh, druggist, Winnipeg (5 copies)
Very Rev. Dean Coombs, The Deanery, Winnipeg
Captain Copland Cowlard, Raeburn, Manitoba
J. K. Cornwall, M.L.A., Edmonton
J. W. Dafoe, editor Manitoba Free Press, Winnipeg
A. R. Davidson, capitalist, Winnipeg (5 copies) 1902
Judge Dawson, Winnipeg 1881
W. T. Devlin, merchant, Winnipeg 1882
Dominion Government Public Printing Department,
Ottawa (2 copies)
Dr. A. G. Doughty, Dominion Archivist, Ottawa
George Drever, retired H. B. officer, Cupar, Saskatchewan. 1870
Frederick W. Drewery, Redwood Factories, Winnipeg
R. C. Edwards, journalist, Calgary '
J. L. Elvin, business broker, Winnipeg
E. C. Emery, barrister, Edmonton
C. H. Enderton, real estate agent, Winnipeg (2 copies)
John Erzinger, Swiss Consul, Winnipeg
W. J. Finucan, manager Merchants Bank, Winnipeg 1911
8
LIST OF SUBSCEIBERS
Arrived in
Western Canada
E. Bailey Fisher, barrister, Winnipeg 1889
W. M. Fisher, retired financial agent, Winnipeg
Joseph Fletcher, distributor of stamps, P. 0., Winnipeg
Senator Forget, Banff, Alberta
William Frank, real estate agent, Winnipeg
John Freeman, conductor, C.P.R., Winnipeg
J. H. Gariepy, retired merchant, Edmonton (2 copies)
W. L. Gariepy, barrister, Edmonton
W. Scott Garrioch, real estate agent. Portage la Prairie
William T. Gibbins, real estate agent, Winnipeg 1872
E. F. Gigot, manager H.B.C., Nelson, B.C 1872
G. A. Glines, broker, Winnipeg (2 copies)
L. A. Goodridge, hotelkeeper, Edmonton
Rev. Charles W. Gordon, D.D., Winnipeg
James Ogden Grahame, retired Chief Trader H.B.C., Vic-
toria, B.C. (2 copies). Born in Western Canada
Donald Grant, insurance agent, Winnipeg
Captain William Grassie, 79th Highlanders, Winnipeg (3
copies)
Lieut.-Colonel W. A. Griesbach, Edmonton. Born in
Western Canada
John A. Gray, clerk, St. Andrews, Manitoba 1907
F. T. Griffin, Land Commissioner C.P.R., Winnipeg 1883
C. S. Gunn, broker, Winnipeg
Rev. H. G. Gunn, Lockport, Manitoba. Born in W. Canada
John Gunn, LL.D., editor, Edinburgh
Peter Gunn, M.L.A., Lac Ste. Anne, Alberta 1883
R. E. Gunn, real estate agent, Winnipeg 1875
John Haffner, real estate agent, Winnipeg 1882
John Holroyde, manager Commercial Union Assurance
Co., Winnipeg
George Ham, Literature Manager, C.P.R., Montreal
Basil G. Hamilton, land agent, Invermere, B.C 1890
James Hargrave, rancher. Medicine Hat, Alberta 1867
Charles Hay, ex-M.L.A., Manitoba; now Vancouver, B.C.
(2 copies) 1862
Thomas Hay, Reeve of St. Clements, Manitoba. Born in
Western Canada
Robert Hockley, agent, Edmonton (2 copies)
J. T. Huggard, barrister, Winnipeg 1872
E. F: Hutchings, manufacturer, Winnipeg 1876
W, J. Healy, journalist, Winnipeg
9
LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS
Arrived in
Western Canada
Harry Heap, broker, Selkirk, Manitoba 1900
Hon. William Hespler, Winnipeg 1873
Frank C. Ingrams, Secretary, Hudson's Bay Co., London
Hon. Colin Inkster, Sheriff, Winnipeg. Born in W. Canada
Lieut.-Colonel Jamieson, Edmonton 1893
St. George Jellett, insurance agent, Edmonton
Edwin Johnstone, accountant, Winnipeg
Miss M. L. Kennedy, The Terrace, Virden, Manitoba (2
copies) . Born in Western Canada
R. W. Kenny, M.D., surgeon, Winnipeg
George J. Kinnaird, accountant, Edmonton (3 copies) 1876
Senator Kirchoffer, Brandon
Dr. Otto Klotz, astronomer, Ottawa
Senator A. A. C. LaRiviere, Ottawa
Mrs. J. E. LaRoque, Punnichy, Saskatchewan
Rt. Hon. Sir Wilfrid Laurier, Ottawa
Miss Agnes C. Laut, authoress, Wassaic, Duchess County,
New York
L. C. Lawrence, contractor, Winnipeg
Very Rev. Vicar General Leduc, O.M.I., St. Albert, Alberta. 1866
Legislative Library of Saskatchewan, Regina (2 copies)
Captain John Leslie, 100th Grenadiers, Winnipeg (6 copies)
N. G. Leslie, manager Imperial Bank, Winnipeg
W. Rowe Lewis, real estate broker, Winnipeg 1881
Philip C. Locke, barrister, Winnipeg
Senator Lougheed, Calgary
Victor Mager, President, Pioneers of Rupert's Land, St.
Boniface (3 copies) 1858
C. A. Magrath, C.E., ex-M.P., International Joint Commis-
sion, Ottawa
Charles Mair, poet and author, Fort Steele, B.C. (2 copies) 1868
Chester Martin, Professor of History, University of Mani-
toba, Winnipeg
Duncan Matheson, retired Factor, H.B.C., Inverness, Scot-
land 1864
Lieut.-Colonel J. B. Mitchell, Winnipeg
H. J. Moberly, retired Chief Trader, H.B.C., Duck Lake,
Saskatchewan 1854
Hon. W. H. Montague, M.D., Winnipeg
John Mooney, clerk, Kirkwall, Orkney
John G. Morgan, insurance agent, Winnipeg 1880
Rev. A. G. Morice, historian, St. Boniface
10
LIST OF SUBSCEIBERS
Arrived in
Western Canada
John G. Mowat, clerk H.B.C., Moose Factory. Born in
Western Canada
W. Redford Mulock, K.C., barrister, Winnipeg
Alexander Munro, retired clerk H.B.C., Minitonas, Manitoba 1860
James Munroe, Lord Selkirk Settlers' Association, Winni-
peg. Born in Western Canada
J. H. Munson, K.C., barrister, Winnipeg 1881 .
W. W. Musgrove, M.D., Winnipeg. Born in W. Canada
D. W. MacDonald, druggist, Edmonton
R. MacFarlane, retired Chief Factor H.B.C., Winnipeg (2
copies) 1852
Venerable Archdeacon J. A. MacKay, Prince Albert, Sas-
katchewan. Born in Western Canada
Hugh MacKenzie, barrister, Winnipeg
Rev. Dr. John MacLean, author, Winnipeg
George Stewart MacRae, prospector, Selkirk, Manitoba... 1873
A. McAllister, wholesale stationer, Winnipeg
Archibald McDonald, retired Chief Factor H.B.C., Fort
Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan 1854
Donald H. McDonald, private banker, Fort Qu'Appelle,
Winnipeg 1867
Donald McDonald, fur trader (late H. B. Co.), Fairford,
Manitoba (2 copies) 1862
E. C. McDonald, farmer, Lockport, Man. Born in W. Canada
James H. McDonald, broker, Strathcona, Alberta
James McDougall, retired Chief Factor H.B.C., Victoria,
B.C 1860
Rev. John McDougall, D.D., Calgary 1860
John McDougald, Commissioner of Customs, Ottawa
M. W. N. McElheran, Stovel Co., Winnipeg
D. A. Mclvor, fur trader, Norway House, Manitoba 1877
J. D. Mcintosh, librarian, Winnipeg 1882
Daniel Mclntyre, LL.D., Superintendent of Schools, Win-
nipeg
James McKay, K.C., M.P., Prince Albert, Saskatchewan (5
copies) . Born in Western Canada
Hon. Thomas McKay, farmer. Prince Albert, Saskatchewan
(2 copies) . Born in Western Canada
W. C. McKay, M.L.A., farmer, Prince Albert, Saskatche-
wan Born in 1858
N. E. McKechnie, salesman. Prince Albert, Saskatchewan
Greorge McKenzie, retired H.B.C. officer, Winnipeg, Born in
Western Canada
XI
LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS
Arrived in
Western Canada
Lieut.-Colonel Archibald McLean, Ottawa
W. J. McLean, ex-H. B. officer. President Old Timers' Asso-
ciation, Winnipeg 1859
H. C. McLeod, fur trader, Cross Lake, Nelson River 1874
J. A. McLeod, farmer, Armstrong, B.C
John W. McLeod, Clerk Executive Council, Regina 1878
Lendrum McMeans, K.C., M.L.A., Winnipeg 1872
Hon. Sir Daniel H. McMillan, Winnipeg 1870
Donald C. McTavish, retired Chief Factor H.B.C., Colborne,
. Ontario 1864
Gordon C. McTavish, barrister, Winnipeg
Major W. Hill Nash, Winnipeg 1870
William Nimmons, retired farmer, Victoria, B.C 1869
Alexander Norquay, Dominion Lands Agent, Edmon-
ton. Born in Western Canada
Andrew J. Norquay, broker, Winnipeg. Born in W. Canada
Hon. Frank Oliver, M.P., Edmonton (12 copies) 1873
F. H. Paget, Indian Office, Ottawa
S. K. Parson, retired Chief Factor H.B.C., Montreal 1862
W. F. Payne, journalist, Winnipeg ;
J. H. Pickard, retired merchant, Edmonton
O. H. Pollard, printer, Winnipeg
T. J. Porte, jeweller, Winnipeg 1897
Mrs. C. A. Pritchard, Prince Albert
R. A. Pritchard, banker. Prince Albert
Provincial Library of British Columbia, Victoria, B.C
Provincial Library of Manitoba, Winnipeg (2 copies)
William Pruden, farmer, Talbot, Alberta Born in 1869
W. J. Ptolemy, Deputy Provincial Treasurer, Winnipeg
Rt. Rev. Bishop Reeve, D.D., Toronto 1869
Captain Hugh Richardson, Department of Indian Affairs,
Winnipeg
Hon. W. J. Roche, M.D., M.P., Minister of the Interior,
Ottawa
W. D. Rogers, farmer, Prince Albert
Hon. W. R. Ross, Minister of Lands, Victoria, B.C. Born in
Western Canada
Hon. Philippe Roy, M.D., General Commissioner for Can-
ada, Paris, France
Arthur Robertson, retired broker, Victoria, B.C 1883
W. Scott Robertson, sheriff, Edmonton
W. J. Robinson, real estate agent, Winnipeg 1880
12
LIST OF SUBSCRIBEES
Arrived in
Western Canada
Edgar W. Rugg, publisher, Winnipeg 1882
Most Reverend Archbishop of Rupert's Land, Winni-
peg. Born in Western Canada
P. W. Russell, land agent C.P.R., Winnipeg 1885
Hon. A. C. Rutherford, LL.D., ex-Premier of Alberta,
Strathcona
Colonel H. N. Ruttan, C.E., Winnipeg
George H. Saults, printer, Winnipeg
James Scott, real estate agent, Winnipeg (2 copies) 1879
Osborne Scott, passenger agent C.N.R., Winnipeg. Born in
Western Canada
Lieut.-Colonel Thomas Scott, ex-Collector of Customs, Win-
nipeg 1870
Hon. Walter Scott, Premier of Saskatchewan, Regina
E. C. Scythes, broker, Winnipeg
Richard Secord, capitalist, Edmonton
Rt. Hon. the Countess of Selkirk, London
George H. Shaw, General Traffic Manager, C. N. Ry., Toronto
C. D. Shepard, real estate broker, Winnipeg
William Short, K.C., Mayor of Edmonton
Adam Shortt, M.A., C.M.G., Civil Service Commission,
Ottawa
Mrs. J. B. Simpson, Secretary Women's Canadian Histori-
cal Society, Ottawa
W. Scott Simpson, Indian Agent, Telegraph Creek, B.C. (3
copies) . Born in Western Canada
C. C. Sinclair, manager. Peace River Land & Trading Co.,
Edmonton (2 copies). Born in Western Canada
John E. Sinclair, Dominion Fisheries Commissioner, Prince
Albert (2 copies). Born in Western Canada
Captain John M. Smith, late H.B.C., Birds' Hill, Manitoba. . 1871
J. Obed Smith, Dominion Commissioner of Immigration,
London, S.W 1882
Richard W. Smith, accountant, Winnipeg 1884
Robert Russell Smith, pioneer rancher. Devil's Lake, Sas-
katchewan (2 copies) 1868
R. W. Smith, farmer, Dauphin, Manitoba 1865
Thomas H. Smith, ex-M.L.A., Springfield, Manitoba 1865
William Thomson Smith, financial agent, London, Ont. . . . 1858
F. R. Sproule, barrister-at-law, Winnipeg
W. J. Squires, Winnipeg Cab Co., Winnipeg 1874
G. S, Sutherland, farmer, Kipiegun, Manitoba. Born in
Western Canada
13
LIST OF SUBSCEIBERS
Arrived in
Western Canada
R. Ross Sutherland, barrister-at-law, Victoria, B.C. (Lord
Selkirk's Settlers Association) Born in 1862
Hay Stead, journalist, Winnipeg
Colonel S. B. Steele, C.B., M.V.O., D.O.C., Military District
10, Fort Osborne, Winnipeg (2 copies) 1870
Herbert C. Stevenson, farmer, St. Louis Guilbert, Manitoba
Andrew Strang, Collector of Customs, Winnipeg 1868
W. E. Strang, merchant, Winnipeg. Born in W. Canada
Strathcona Public Library, South Edmonton (2 copies)
R. D. Stratton, barrister, Winnipeg 1902
E. A. Struthers, Western Agent, Dr. Barnardo's Homes,
Winnipeg
Magnus Tait, farmer, Mervin, Saskatchewan
Alexander Taylor, Clerk of Supreme Court, Edmonton
Judge H. C. Taylor, Edmonton
Thomas W. Taylor, M.L.A., Winnipeg 1877
Joseph M. Tees, Secretary Army and Navy Veteran Asso-
ciation, Winnipeg 1880
D. M. Telford, H. M. Customs, Winnipeg
J. A. Thompson, real estate agent, Winnipeg 1882
James Thomson, Land Commissioner, Hudson's Bay Co.,
Winnipeg (2 copies)
Capel Tilt, broker, Grain Exchange, Winnipeg
James H. Tofield, M.D., Tofield, Alberta
W. E. Traill, retired Chief Trader H.B.C., Meskanaw, Sas-
katchewan 1864
Thomas Turnbull, C.E., Winnipeg
T. M. Turnbull, Canadian Bank of Commerce, Edmonton
J. P. Turner, insurance agent, Winnipeg
Charles Vokes, financial agent, Winnipeg
A. E. Voyer, telegraphist, Edmonton
L. A. Walch, real estate dealer, Winnipeg
Robety C. Wallace, D.Sc, Professor of Geology and Miner-
alogy, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg
J. Bruce Walker, Commissioner of Immigration, Winnipeg 1903
Arthur Wickson, retired banker, Winnipeg 1882
John Williams, retired insurance agent, Winnipeg 1882
H. F. Willson, Willson Stationery Co., Winnipeg 1900
David Wilson, accountant. Fort Qu'Appelle, Sask 1904
J. A. Wilson, Manitoba Civil Service, Winnipeg
Winnipeg Public Library, Winnipeg (2 copies)
C. A. Whipple, artist. New York
Sir William Whyte, Winnipeg 1886
David Young, M.D., Winnipeg
Henry Young, solicitor, Winnipeg
Walter B. Young, C.E., Winnipeg
14
CONTENTS
PAGE
Foreword to the Articles which were Published in Satur-
day Issues of the " Manitoba Free Press " from Feb-
ruary 17th to December 14th, 1912 . . . .27
Introduction 31
CHAPTER I.
The Orkney Islanders and Rupert's Land.
The Orkney Pioneers of Red River — York Factory versus
Montreal— The Origins of the Halfbreeds ... 61
CHAPTER II.
The " Prince Rupert," Her Crew, Cargo and Passengers.
Form of Contract Between the Employees and the Company
— Neither Board nor Lodging — Land Grants Promised —
Many Still Withheld— The "Prince Rupert" Described
— The Crew — Passengers — The Cargo — Cabin Fare and
the Mate 67
CHAPTER III.
"Across the Western Ocean."
All Aboard — Hoist Blue Peter — Upon the Atlantic — Dog
Watch Entertainments — The Bo'sun Bold — Spun Yarns
— Exercise Below and Aloft — Sail Ho — Off Cape Fare-
well — Greenland's Icy Mountains — Crossing Davis
Straits 79
CHAPTER IV.
Through Straits and Bay.
Off Cape Resolution — Savage Islands — Meet Yankee Whaler
— Capes Wolstenholme and Digges — Storm and Fog —
Round Mansfield Island — Anchor in York Roads — Cruise
in the Gig — Our Mentor the Mate — The Hudson's Bay
Route 88
2 15
CONTENTS
CHAPTER V.
YOEK Factoby. page
York Roads and Five Fathom Hole — " Ocean Nymph," a
Yankee Whaler — We Disembark — Officers' Quarters —
Bellicose Bachelors — The Commercial Capital of Rupert's
Land — Far-sighted Business Methods — The Manufactures
of York — Packing Goods for Portage — Eggs Not in One
Basket — Description of the Factory — Valuable Library —
Outside the Pickets — ^The Graveyards — Governor Sin-
clair's Descendants — OflScials of the Factory — Passengers
to England— The Officers' Mess— Get Billets and Set to
Work — The Minutes of Council — A Wedding — Kindness
and Hospitality . . . 100
CHAPTER VI.
Feom Inland Sea to Lake Inland — ^Yobk Factory to Norway
House.
Our Chums at York — Prepare to Start — ^Voyaging Outfit and
Rations — The Red River Brigade — The Hayes' River
Route — Tracking Up Stream — The Spur of Rivalry — By
Strength and Skill — " Fortitude in Distress " — The
Voyageurs' Food — The Black Cup that Cheers — Muscle
Driven Transport — The Highland Laddies — Our First
Camp — " 'Leve 'Leve " — The Scenery Improves — ^Ab-
sence of Game — Picturesque Hill River — "With a Long,
Strong Pull" — Sailing Race on Knee Lake — The "Long"
Portage Brigade — Oxford House — Through Hell Gates —
Tournaments of the Tripmen — ^The Height of Land —
Norway House 115
CHAPTER VII.
Norway House and Across Lake Winnipeg.
Norway House — Norwegians — "Divide and Rule" — Important
Base — The First Hudson's Bay Road — Where East and
West Meet — Manning the Boats — The "Bucking"
Brigades — The Old York Boat Freight Rates — Wintering
and Training Recruits — Place Well Kept, With Fine
Garden — Chief Factor James Green Stewart — The Swan
River Boats — Other Good Fellows — On Lake Winnipeg —
A " Whoop Up " on Board— Mouth of Red River . . 132
16
CONTENTS
CHAPTER VIII.
In the Red Rivee Settlement. page
St. Peters — At Lower Port Garry — Prom Lower to Upper
Port Garry — Demerara Rum and Red River Whiskey —
Invisible Winnipeg — At Port Garry — J. J. Hargrave —
Other Notables — Predisposing Causes of the Red River
Troubles — ^A Contented Community — Governed by Con-
sent of the Governed — A Benevolent Despotism Tem-
pered by Riot — The Stone Ports and Their Builder —
Governor Christie 147
CHAPTER IX.
The Rise of Poet Garey and the Decline of Yoek Factoby.
Increasing Traffic with the U.S. — ^York Sidetracked — Cuthbert
Grant — Metis Warlike Virtues — A Burden of a Beast —
My French Chef — Poplar Point — Portage la Prairie —
Its Honoured Founders — " Governor " Spence, His Reign
— Bill Watt, O'Donoghue's Captor — Join Swan River
Men 166
CHAPTER X.
Swan Rivee Disteict.
Brandon — Chief Factor Colin Robertson — Fort Ellice —
Walter Traill— " Billy " McKay, Chief Trader— Rev.
Thomas Cook— The Buffalo "Go West"— The Sioux—
Pazzyotah, Buffoon or Fiend? — A Good Time — The
Officers Stationed in Swan River, Outfit 1867 — Gaelic
Predominates— Old Highland Feuds . . . .178
CHAPTER XI.
Qu'Appelle.
Leave Fort Ellice — Indians Against Bi-lingualism— Tom
Lamack — Wooded Country — The Indian Gun — Long
Barrels — Elk Antler Hill — The Calling River — Pavel a
Fisherman — About the Ponies — ^At the Fort — The Mc-
Donalds — The Assiniboines or Stonies — The Black-
feet — Religion and Rum — A Post of Danger and of
Honour 194
17
CONTENTS
CHAPTER XII.
A Buffalo "Pbovision Post." page
La Belle Qu'Appelle — The Lovely Lakes — Fort Qu'Appelle —
The People of the Fort — " Jerry " McKay, Interpreter —
Alick Fisher, Horseguard and Counsellor — The Rest of
the Garrison . . .209
CHAPTER XIIL
My Initiation.
Experientia Docet — Good Reading — Lynx and Whitefish —
The Account Books — Post Accounts — The Journal of
Daily Occurrences — Perished Historical Records — The
Indian Debt Book — My First Temporary Charge — A Real
Greenhand — ^A Native Dandy — ^Attempt to " Play Over "
a Moonyass — A Real Indian Missionary — A Traveller
from New Caledonia — An Imperialist Free Trader —
Fooled on a Silver Fox — Kanocees 223
CHAPTER XIV.
A Winter Trip to the Plains.
Jack Frost — " Tender Feet " and Native Born-Chief, " Grow-
ing Thunder" — The Misinhygan Amulet — Heliographic
Signals — Tayputinum Perishes in a Blizzard — On the
First Ice — Christmas and New Year — First Trip with a
Dog Train — Blizzard on the Prairie — At the Pile of
Bones — At the Turn — Buffalo Bulls — Prairie Wolves . 240
CHAPTER XV.
Wood Mountain, Old Wives' Creek, and Return Trip to
Qu'Appelle.
Crossing the Couteau — Safety Beneath the Snow — Arrive at
Wood Mountain — Henry Jordan — ^The Americans on the
Missouri — Furs, etc., on Hand at Wood Mountain — The
Assiniboines — My Friend Flemmand — Old Wives' Creek
— Start for the Fort — In Terror of the Old Wives —
Again Cross the Grande Couteau — The Fury of Flem-
mand — It Abates — Another Flare-Up Extinguished — The
Pile of Bones and their Ghosts — The Driver Driven . 253
18
CONTENTS
CHAPTER XVI.
The Close of the Fub Trade Yeab. page
Winter Packets — Spring the Busy Season — Indian Debts —
Arrival of Cree Chief — Pipe of Peace — Packing the Furs
— ^Athletics — Trading in Sterling and Skins — Closing the
Outfit 271
CHAPTER XVII.
A New Teade Yeab Begins — Cast Tbip to Indian Camp.
Accounts and " Returns " Sent to York — Mr. and Mrs. Joseph
Finlayson — The Robes go to Fort Garry — Early Summer
— Newsmongers — Prowling Sioux Spies — My First Sum-
mer Trip to the Plains — Surprised by Indians — Defeated
Warriors — Scouting Ahead — Fresh Buffalo Meat — Indian
Legends 283
CHAPTER XVIII.
The Camp of the Allied Tbibes.
Woeful Wasite — Escort to Camp — Peter LaPierre — A Pur-
veyor of Pemmican to the Queen — Big Camp of the
Allies — " Cypress " Hills should be " Cypre " — A Neutral
Ground — Blackfeet Massacre of Sixty Young Warriors —
Cause of Conflict — Warriors' Council Lodge — Tariff for
Revenue — Traders resist the Impost — Smouldering
Enmities — Destruction of a Prairie Sodom and Gom-
morah 297
CHAPTER XIX.
A Camp in Tubmoil.
The Young Dogs Demand Tribute — I Knock Out Yellowhead
— Led to Judgment — From Prisoner to Dictator — Great
Slaughter of Blackfeet — The Company's Peaceful Policy
— A Grand Whoop-Up — Female Police — ^All Traders Close
— The Serenaders 310
19
CONTENTS
CHAPTER XX.
In the Midst of Alaems — A Grand Buffalo Hunt. page
Shift Camp— The Travois— The Pack Dog— Bad Water-
Marching Order — The Fear of the Enemy — Bear Bait-
ing — The Shadow Passes — Tempted of Conspirators —
Charging the Buffalo— The Spoils of the Chase— A Night
Attack — ^Yellowhead Begs a Solatium — ^We Plan to
Depart 322
CHAPTER XXI.
The Retubn Teip to the Fobt.
Prepare to Break Bounds — ^The Camp Moves On — Stony
Refugees Follow Us — Humphrey Favel, Renegade —
Scout After Scout — ^A Forced March — A Natural Strong-
hold — Asleep on Guard — The Blackfeet Let Up — Wood
Mountaineers Elope — The Party Disperses — Jerry and
Traill Held Up 335
CHAPTER XXII.
The Late Summeb of 1868 and Winteb of 1868-9.
An Explanation — A Thunderous Summer — Sioux Stampede
U.S. Army Cattle — Police Duty — Flemmand as a Walk-
ing Advertisement — His Business Methods — Snowed
Down in a Blizzard — Old Wives' Creek — Jacob Bear
"Courte Oreille" 344
CHAPTER XXIII.
Histoey of Foet Pelly and Visit to it in Winteb of 1868-9.
Fort Pelly — Dr. William Todd — Touchwood Hills — Qu'Appelle
— James McKay — Edward Cyr — " Big " William Daniel —
Archibald McDonald — Peter Hourie — History of Fort
Pelly Resumed — It Becomes Capital of North-West Ter-
ritories, under the Hon. David Laird — ^Adam McBeth —
On Government Telegraph and Original Survey of
Canada Pacific Railway — Closed for Business, June,
1912— A Visit to Fort Pelly, February, 1869— Opposing
the Free Traders — Indians With a Little White Blood
Surpass Real Indian as Trappers and Hunters — Tom
CONTENTS
PAGB
McKay, Second in Command — ^William Thomson Smith,
Accountant — Native Apprentices to Trades — Master
Mechanics Generally Orkneymen — The Rev. Luke Cold-
well — The Horseguard — Imported Stallions, "Fireaway"
and " Melbourne " — Thomas Manitou Keesick, Horse-
guard and Long Distance Runner — ^Astride Two Re-
ligions — Runs Down Wolves 356
CHAPTER XXIV.
The Summee of 1869.
Attempt to Use Boats on the Upper Qu'Appelle — Touchwood
Hills Becomes an Outpost of Qu'Appelle — Failure of the
Boating Experiment — Deserting Boatmen — Buffalo Come
Close — Moving Millions — A Lone Hunt — A Camp of
Plenty — Total Eclipse of Sun — Blackskin, Eclipse-
Breaker — My First Buffalo Bull — Smallpox on the
Missouri — Messrs. Pascal Breland and Salomon Amlin —
Vaccinate Qu'Appelle Indians — Prevention Better Than
Cure — Heroic Devotion of the Missionaries and Traill —
W. E. Traill Nearly Decapitated 370
CHAPTER XXV.
Last Mountain Winteb, 1869-70.
Built by Postmaster Joseph McKay — He Looks After the
Indian Trade — I Take Charge — Native Antiseptic Sur-
gery — On the Trail — A Blizzard — Indian Hospitality — ^At
Last Mountain Post — Whisky Raises Hell Among the
Indians — Piapot, " Lord of Heaven and Earth " — Black-
skin, the Brute — Metis Festivities — " The New Nation "
—The Red River Rebellion— Frozen Feet— Wood Saul-
teaux on Warpath — One Attempts to Break Into Store —
McNab Kicks Him Off the Premises . . . .384
CHAPTER XXVI.
Spring and Eaely Summee of 1870.
Gathering of the Clans — Crees Resent Intrusion of Metis —
Daily Discussions — Great Meeting of Metis — The Queen's
Proclamation Promulgated — Riel, a Man Inspired —
Breland and Amlin Denounce the Killing of Scott and
21
CONTENTS
PAGE
Advise Non-Participation with Riel — Fort Qu'Appelle
Saved from Attack Thereby — Means to Prevent Pillage
of Other Posts — Bwan McDonald at Manitoba Post —
Swan River Pur Returns Sent Across Plains to St.
Paul, Minnesota — We Hold the Fort with the Crees —
The Coming of Wolseley — Spurn "the Protection" of
the Provisional Government — Brown Bess Bellows . . 401
CHAPTER XXVII.
Fall, 1870, and Winter, 1870-1.
The Hunters Return — Louison the Loyal — Failure of Sum-
mer Hunt — Dry, Lean, " Pounded Meat " — Hunters Come
to Fish in the Lakes — McDonald Rewards and Punishes
— ^All Pemmican Required for Northern Transport — My
Post-Mates at Last Mountain — ^A Metis Medicine Man —
Civilized Society — A Spring Trip to Dirt Hills — Flem-
mand Transmuted — Sitting Bull Robs a Company's
Trader— A Man With a Buffalo Tooth— A Hard Trip to
Qu'Appelle 414
CHAPTER XXVIII.
The Stjmmeb and Fall of 1871 — Staevation and Quarantine.
Starvation on the Plains — Starvation a " Frivolous Excuse "
— A Surprise Package of Pemmican — Short Commons on
the Assiniboine — Held up in Quarantine — ^At Fort Garry
Ride Back to Fort Ellice— The Fall of 1871 . . .425
CHAPTER XXIX.
Winter at Cypre Hills, 1871-2.
Bob Jackson for Blackfeet Interpreter — The Hills as a Pre-
serve of Grizzlies and Elk — A Blackfeet War Party — ^An
American Metis Whiskey Trader — Our Indians Retreat —
Blackfeet Hovering About — Metis Also Retire — Nine
Assiniboines Killed— A Jarring Ride to Qu'Appelle—
Numerous Grizzly and Elk Skins — Prairie Hunters are
Poor Woodsmen — Many Metis Migrate from Manitoba —
They Encourage American Traders to Cyprd Hills . . 432
CONTENTS
CHAPTER XXX.
In Full Charge of Qu'Appelle, Summer, 1872. page
My Apprenticeship Ends — Colonel Robertson-Ross Slays a
Sacred Ox — Factor McKay is Transferred to Fort Pitt —
A New Plan for Trade — Returns Valued at Prices Cur-
rent Forty Years Before — Insuflacient Supply of Goods
for New Demand — Advances to Indians Autocratically
Forbidden — They Determine to Help Themselves — Wiser
Counsels — ^A Widespread Conspiracy to Raid Manitoba —
Crees and Saulteaux Refuse to Join It — The Teton Sioux
Send Delegates — Our Indians Resent Their Intrusion —
We Employ Metis to Escort and Protect Them — They
Profess Friendship to British — Advised to Make Peace
With Americans — At Peace in Patches — Other Sioux
Swear Vengeance Against Forts Garry and Ellice — The
Notorious Shaman — Rev. Father Lestanc and the Red
River Rebellion — When Everyone Blundered — Americans
at Cypre Hills "Clean Out" a Stony Camp— A Bloody
Lesson to Them — The Fall of 1872 — Inspecting Chief
Factor the Hon. W. J. Christie ...... 438
CHAPTER XXXI.
Spring and Summer of 1873.
The Spring Rush — Hon. Pascal Breland Again Peacemaker —
A Canadian Geological Survey Party — Need of New
Posts on South Saskatchewan — In Their Absence
Americans Occupy the Territory — General State of
Qu'Appelle Country in 1873 — Chief Commissioner Hon.
D. A. Smith— " Merit, Not Seniority" . . . .455
CHAPTER XXXII.
Winter on the Plains, 1873-4.
Winter Near Elbow of South Saskatchewan — Too Dangerous
Farther West — Deluged With Whiskey by Americans —
Buffalo Scarce — A Badger at Bay — A Ball Attended by
the First Agricultural Settlers at Qu'Appelle — How
Refreshments Were Furnished — A German Noble
Apprentice Clerk — Relinquish My Charge, June, 1874 —
To Fort Garry Again — My Old Shipmate Christie — Mr.
Grahame Succeeds Mr. Smith as Chief Commissioner . 462
23
CONTENTS
APPENDIX A. P^QE
The HTji/;30N's Bay Company's Exploeees, 1830 to 1856 . . 469
APPENDIX B.
Repobt on the Tbade of Foet Qu'Appelue .... 479
APPENDIX C.
SUMMAEY OF REPOET ON THE BUFFALO PLAINS TEIBUTABY TO
FoET Qu'Appelle 482
24
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
The Author "Tagged," June, 1913 . . . Frontispiece
Types of Lord Selkirk's Settlers in 1822 53
Red River Settlers' Dwellings near Fort Douglas in 1822 . 56
Earl Grey on the Nelson River en Route for Hudson Bay . 56
" The Old Man of Hoy," 1813 . 63
Launching a York Boat at Portage on Nelson River . . 78
A Sailing Race of York Boats 78
Stromness, with Fishing Boats 81
Lerwick, from North Ness 81
Cape Chidley, South-east Entrance of Hudson Straits . . 92
Southern Coast of Hudson Straits 92
The Late Miss Mary Wilson 115
Emmerling's Hotel, Winnipeg, 1866 115
Tracking Upstream 122
Norway House 133
A York Boat— Sailing 136
A York Boat— Rowing 136
Archibald McDonald . 163
Chief Factor Archibald McDonald 163
Inspecting Chief Factor the Hon. William J. Christie . . 163
Chief Commissioner James Allan Grahame .... 163
A Hudson's Bay Company's Train of Ox Carts . . .170
Dr. William Cowan 195
Walter J. S. Traill 195
Count William BernstorfO 195
Captain Henry Bishop 195
Fort Qu'Appelle in 1867 202
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
" La Belle Qu'Appelle " Looking to South-east Across Valley. 209
"La Belle Qu'Appelle." Lake Above Fort Qu'Appelle, Look-
ing North-west 209
Forts Pembina and Daer in 1822 220
Dog Trains Crossing a Lake . . . . . . . 246
Cape Digges and Island 246
Prairie Indian Travois 322
Red River Carts and Ponies .322
The Late W. F. Gardiner, of Fort Chipewyan . . . .399
Henry J. Moberly, of Fort Vermilion 399
The Late John Wilson, of Fort McPherson . . . .399
Isaac Cowie, of Fort McMurray . . ... . . 399
Chief Factor Robert Campbell 414
Chief Factor Wilson, of York Factory 414
Governor McTavish 414
Judge Black 414
26
FOREWORD
TO THE ARTICLES WHICH WERE PUBLISHED IN SATURDAY
ISSUES OF THE MANITOBA FREE PRESS FROM
FEBRUARY 17th TO DECEMBER Uth, 1912.
Listening to many a splendid story of adventure in the
wilderness, around camp fires, and during the long winter
nights before a blazing open chimney of the quarters in an
isolated post, I have often urged the narrators to preserve in
writing such interesting and valuable material. A few said
they might take that trouble if it did not look like boasting,
and others, who could tell the best of stories, were incapable
of putting them on paper. But nearly all thought that there
was nothing in their lives and adventures of interest to any-
one outside of the Company's people and their friends and
companions — the missionaries in the wilds. There was also
an understanding, amounting to the effect of an unwritten
law, that the Company's employees should publish nothing,
and above all, when they occasionally visited parts civilized
enough to have newspapers, to avoid reporters as they would
his Satanic majesty himself, lest some of the trade secrets of
the solitudes might be revealed to rivals and other possible
invaders of the fur preserves.
Since I ceased to be connected with the Company all this
old policy of secrecy as to the Indian country has become a
thing of the past in those parts in which I was stationed ; and
as those much better able and experienced than myself still
refrain from recording their memories of life in the Hudson's
Bay service, under many conditions which have passed away,
never to return, and the few survivors of those participants in
the past are rapidly, one by one, leaving on the last lone trail,
27
FOEEWOED
I shall attempt in the papers which follow to record such
typical experiences and incidents as may serve to give new-
comers to this country some idea of the life of their pre-
decessors — the pioneers of Eupert's Land.
At the time of my coming to the country, in 1867, it was
as much in the state of nature, outside the Eed Eiver Settle-
ment and the pickets of the posts and mission stations, as it
was when originally discovered and explored. Only nature's
highways through the webs of interlocking waterways were
in use, except where the Eed Eiver cart roved complainingly
o'er the plains. But great changes to come were already cast-
ing their shadows before, and eighteen years after my arrival
the prairies had been swept of their buffalo, and the great
transcontinental railway had invaded the domain of the cart
and cayuse, leaving only picturesque memories of a wild and
romantic past. The prairie Indians, when I first saw them,
were monarchs of all they surveyed, living like princes on the
fat of abundant game, hunting their sport, and war their
glorious pastime; for they were
"Free as the day when nature first made man,
Ere the base laws of servitude began,
When wild in woods the noble savage ran."
No more pitiful result of the coming of civilization into
the North- West can be seen than the contrast between "the
chief his warriors leading," in barbaric splendor arrayed, when
buffalo covered the plains, and the poor, ragged outcasts who
now pick up the leavings of the people who are now lords of
the land. To a less unfortunate extent have the circumstances
of the bold and the free Metis hunters, the freighters of the
plains and the traders been affected, but they, too, when all
things became new, found their old happy days were over,
and many of them were too old ever to become reconciled
to the civilization which had eclipsed the things of the past.
Yet these are the men who were the forerunners of and blazed
FOREWOED
the trail and beat the path for the newcomers, and who, recom-
mending them to the friendship of the Indians, gave freely
also the benefit of their long experience and acquaintance of
the country. Their successors owe them a debt which can
never be repaid ; but at least we should try to keep their mem-
ory green, and this writing is my mite towards that object.
The space, so kindly accorded me by the Free Press,
will permit only of such matters as may serve as samples
of things as they were in the days when the silent West
had neither newspapers (except one in Red River) nor tele-
graphs nor railways; before the buffalo king of the prairies
had been superseded by the cereal king, No. 1 hard. These
papers will allude to the long and intimate connection of the
men of the Orkney Islands with the Hudson's Bay Company
and territories ; the recruits annually engaged in the northern
and western isles of Scotland for the service, and the terms
of their contracts; the voyage from Orkney to Hudson Bay;
York Factory, the seaport of Rupert's Land ; the boat voyage
from York Factory to Red River ; the Red River Settlement ;
journey to Fort Qu'Appelle; Swan River district; winter trip
to Wood Mountain; summer journey to Cypress Hills, 1868;
the Red River troubles of 1869-70; smallpox on the plains;
winter, 1871-2, at Cypress Hills; American whiskey traders,
and plotted Indian raid on Manitoba, 1873; Lake Manitoba;
He a la Crosse; Portage la Loche; and the opening of the
Edmonton route to Athabasca. The articles, under some such
headings, will appear serially in weekly instalments of two or
three columns until completed.
Some ten years ago I wrote for the Winnipeg Telegram,
from memory only, without the aid of the few notes which
1 have lately found in an old cassette, an account of my jour-
ney through Hudson Bay and Red River to Qu'Appelle. Part
of these papers will present the same facts in different manner,
which I hope may prove as true to life as my former effort,
which was pronounced by many who had gone through similar
29
\
FOREWOED
experiences to be a faithfully simple record of things as they
were in the old days. With the addition of some rather thrill-
ing experiences among the wild Indians of the prairies, these
papers may prove interesting to anyone connected with the
" days of auld lang syne " in Western Canada, and perhaps to
a few of the numerous newcomers who have come to build an
empire of infinite possibilities therein.
Isaac Cov^ie.
^ Winnipeg, February 1, 1912.
80
INTRODUCTION
A COMPREHENSIVE, ancient and modern history of the Hud-
son's Bay Company has yet to be written. It will probably
be the work of many minds, each dealing with different aspects
of its vast and varied operations, and tinged with the personal-
ity and prejudices of each writer. In the Dominion of the
Fur Trade, extending far beyond the far-flung frontiers of
the present Dominion of Canada, the fur-traders were the
pioneers of the British Empire, and, if that Empire to-da)
does not include all the regions they explored and exploited
in the grand old days of yore, the glory of their deeds of
daring should not be forgotten, nor should it be diminished,
because the British Government and the Company's directors
from time to time suffered the North-Western States, Oregon
and California and the interior of Alaska, to fall into the
hands of American rivals.
In a vast territory where history was made at every import-
ant fur-trading post, by men who seldom attempted to leave
written records which have been allowed to see the light of
day in print, it is to-day a task of as great difficulty to exhume
the buried remains of the human and personal history of
individual pioneers as it is to find in the buried cities of the
ancient Orient the material by which men of science of the
present day try to interpret the past and depict it. True,
many, in fact a surprisingly great number of books have been
written by eminent explorers of the highest merits, as well as
many by very able authors as the result of their studies of
books and documents to which they had access — often denied
the public ; but these latter writers are all more or less special
pleaders for views, more or less distorted by race and religion,
and other circumstances over which they had as little control.
Every one of the books written has recorded occurrences
and the names of those who participated in these events, which,
3 31
INTRODUCTION
l»v the mastej'.han^ of the great historian, who may yet arise,
will ,be gathered and assorted and reconstructed into a pro-
pBxly .proportioned historical body inspired by the soul of the
past. Gathering together the dead bones of history, he will
clothe them with flesh, infuse blood into the flesh, and into
the reincarnation breathe the breath of life. But we may
have long to wait for the advent of this great historian, and
within the compass of a short sketch it is impossible to give
even a list of the probable titles of the volumes upon volumes
which such a history would fill. However, what follows is
an attempt to give some data of the history of the Hudson's
Bay Company from the fur-traders' point of view.
A French Idea Adopted by Prince Rupert.
In Old Quebec, even as in the old Red River Settlement
later, while a few small farmers had been established and
found a market in the home consumption for their produce,
the trading and trapping in furs afforded the first and chief
motives of the early French, their source of personal profit
and sole source of public revenue. That revenue had not
only to provide for local expenditures but also tribute to the
French Crown or its resident or non-resident favorites. Heavy
license fees and duties were levied for permission to trade in
furs and on the furs themselves, which, as in the case of the
Hudson's Bay Territories later, were the only articles export-
able with profit from the colony.
The laborious occupation of farming was regarded with
contempt by the gentlemen of old feudal France who had
come to try their fortune in the new country and to fight for
it in their genteel profession of arms. They had souls above
any kind of trade — except that in furs, which afforded rich
prizes in profits, and demanded in the wilds the best qualities
of the courageous soldier in its prosecution.
The results of the adventures of these daring soldier fur-
traders were enviably lucrative, as a monopoly guarded by
h* censes only given to favorites. Hence there arose "free
INTEODUCTION
traders" even in those days, who took the liberty, without
having the license, to try their fortunes in the alluring depths
of the unexplored forests of New France and the regions un-
known beyond. And two of these "free traders,'^ who were
detested by the colonial governors as smugglers and criminals
as such, became, through the persecutions to which they were
subjected in that regard, the founders of that "Last Great
Monopoly" — "The Governor and Company of Adventurers
of England trading into Hudson's Bay."
Radisson and Groseillers.
These two great worthies were Pierre Esprit Radisson and
Medard Chouart Groseillers, both of whom were born in
France. The latter was first married to a daughter of Abra-
ham Martin, who gave his name to the historic Plains of
Abraham, the field of Wolfe's conquest and death, and whose
second wife was Radisson's sister. Groseillers had been a lay
helper to the Jesuit missionaries while a youth, but Radisson
appears to have never allowed any religious leanings to inter-
fere with his secular objects, and is sometimes said to have
incurred animosity on the part of the priests for his suspectea
Protestantism. The yoke of his allegiance to France, and
when he changed it to England, sat as lightly on Radisson as
did the ties of religion.
The histories of Radisson and the diverse estimates of his
almost incomprehensible character and almost incredible
adventures and achievements have been told in many books,
which, with others, no doubt to follow, will be read with
intense interest in this truly remarkable man, and with
admiration of his unique exploits, if not of the methods he
often adopted to achieve them. In this place, however, only
a brief synopsis of his romantic career may be given, prin-
cipally taken from Miss Laut's fascinating book, " The Path-
finders of the West."
Radisson was born at St. Malo, in Normandy, in 1632. At
the age of seventeen he sallied out from the shelter of tlie
33
INTRODUCTION
settlement of Three Rivers, Quebec, for sport in the woods,
and was captured by the Iroquois Indians. With character-
istic adaptability he took to the Indian life and was adopted
into the tribe, from whom he escaped to the Dutch Fort
Orange, and found his way by sea, via Europe, back to Three
Rivers, in 1654, after two years' absence, and was welcomed
home as one back from the dead. Three years afterwards he
joined the Onondaga expedition, was besieged with it and
saved it from the Iroquois. In 1658 he started on a trapping
and exploring expedition, and passing by Lakes Nipissing and
Huron wintered at Green Bay; then by way of modern Wis-
consin he reached and discovered the Upper Mississippi, and
explored in the present Minnesota and Manitoba. On his
return he had an encounter with the Iroquois on the Ottawa,
and arrived at Montreal in 1660. Next year, eluding the
authorities, he set out with Groseillers again, hoping to reach
Hudson Bay, and built a wintering post near the present
Duluth, from which he visited the Sioux camps, and is sup-
posed to have reached Lake Winnipeg. From this expedition
he returned to Quebec in 1663. Says Miss Laut: " England
and France alike conspired to crush the man while he lived;
and when he died they quarrelled over the glory of his dis-
coveries.'' The point is not whether he reached Hudson or
James Bay or not, but that he found where the bay lay and
the watershed sloping towards it. The cargo of furs brought
back, from the wilderness they had discovered, was worth
$300,000 in modern money. Of this, after being mulcted by
the governor of New France for leaving without his permis-
sion, and for royalties and revenue, Radisson and Oroseillers
had less than $20,000 left.
The Tipping of the Scales — From New France to
Old England.
" Had the governors of New France encouraged instead of
persecuted the discoverers," says Miss Laut, " France could
Iia^'e claimed all North America but the narrow strip of New
34
INTRODUCTION
England on the east and the Spanish settlements on the
south. Having repudiated Radisson and Groseillers, France
could not claim the fruits of deeds which she punished/'
Groseillers spent his time and money in a vain attempt to
obtain justice and restitution in Paris. The influence of the
licensed trading company, to whom the monopoly in fur trade
was given as favorites at court, was too strong against him.
Radisson and he then determined to find their way into Hud-
son Bay by sea, without asking French leave, but by taking it
from Canada. In Boston they met Captain Zechariah Gillam,
and set out in his ship for the voyage, but had to turn back
owing to the lateness of the season. Next spring, 1665, one
of the two ships contracted for with their owners in Boston
was wrecked on Sable Island, which resulted in a lawsuit
which exhausted all their resources, but brought their exploits
to the ear of a British Commissioner in New England, who
urged them to renounce their allegiance to ungrateful France
and go to England, where they arrived in 1666. The plague
was then raging in London, and there was war with the Dutch
during which nothing could be done. But the court favored
the plan to trade in Hudson Bay laid before King Charles
II., who meanwhile allowed the adventurers forty shillings
per week.
Prince Rupert.
"A fellow-feeling makes one wondrous kind.'' To the
equally adventurous, dashing cavalry leader and free rover
of the seas, Prince Rupert, these free rovers of
the wilds appealed as kindred spirits. His own needs as
well as his quick intelligence also urged his sympathies into
taking up their promising project as his own. So, the Dutch
war being over, in the spring of 1668, two vessels were
despatched with the first trading outfit for Hudson Bay. The
Eagle, in which went Radisson, was driven back to London,
badly damaged, but the Nonsuch, Captain Gillam, with Gros-
seillers on board, anchored at the mouth of Rupert's River
35
INTRODUCTION
on the 29th of September, after -a voyage of three months
from Gravesend, of which two were occupied in reaching
Eesolution Island at the mouth of Hudson Straits.
The First Hudson's Bay Company's Foet.
Near the mouth of Rupert's River Groseillers built a pali-
saded fort which was named by him after King Charles (but
the modern successor has long been called Rupert's House
instead), and in the summer of 1669 the Nonsuch returned
to London with a full cargo of furs, and Groseillers received
honor and reward.
The Royal Charter.
Although Radisson had been baffled in making the voyage
in the Eagle, like a good general he turned the defeat into
victory; for on his return to London he allied himself to the
daughter of Sir John Kirke and assisted Prince Rupert in
organizing the fur company, to which the success of the voyage
of the Nonsuch assured the royal charter granted in May,
1670, to Prince Rupert, as Governor, and his Company of
Adventurers of England, consisting of a duke, an earl, two
barons, three baronets, four knights, five esquires, " and John
Portman, citizen and goldsmith of London.''
Prince Rupert actively directed the operations of the Com-
pany till the time of his death. Had he lived longer no doubt
his schemes of activity and enterprise would have been carried
out and left as a legacy of success for his successors to follow.
He was succeeded by the Duke of York, afterwards James II,
the last of the Stuart kings. The great general, John
Churchill, Duke of Marlborough, followed the Duke of York
as governor ; and the office and that of director has ever after
been filled by men of title and station, with strong influence
at court and with the government of the day, as well as others
of established business ability and standing.
INTRODUCTION
A CeNTUEY ON" THE COAST.
Till 1674 the two great French explorers and traders
remained on the Bay, having, in addition to Fort Charles,
established a post at Moose, in 1671, and made a trading
voyage to the mouth of the Nelson. After the first three
years of most successful trade with the Indians at Fort
Charles it began to fall off on account of the increased activity
of the French from the south. Groseillers counselled moving
inland and driving off such competition, but the English
factor (Bailey) objected, and proposed moving to the west
coast of the Bay, where there would be no rivalry. Divided
counsels, intensified by the Englishman's suspicion of for-
eigners and his ignorance of a trade in which his French
associates were past masters, led to quarrels, and Eadisson
was recalled home by the ship in 1674. After six years,
which he spent in the service of France, from which he had
received pardon and a commission in the navy, Eadisson
returned to Quebec in 1681, and set out with his nephew,
Baptiste Groseillers, in two small vessels, which entered Hayes
River, and, ascending it fifteen miles from salt water, anch-
ored. While Groseillers built a trading post, Radisson paddled
up stream towards Lake Winnipeg to notify the Indians of
their presence. The post was named Fort Bourbon and the
river was named Ste. Therese, and York Fort, which became
the great emporium of the Hudson's Bay Company, was
afterwards established in the vicinity, within easier reach of
the sea.
It is impossible to follow the romantic and varied career of
this prince of explorers further than to say that a ship under
Captain Gillam's son from Boston and a Hudson's Bay ship
from London both entered the Nelson River while the French
were on the Hayes, that Radisson outwitted and captured both,
and on returning to Quebec was again assailed with similar
ill-treatment by his fellow-countrymen there. Again he was
driven by French injustice to the English side, and, returning
37
INTRODITCTIOlSr
with the Compan/s ship to Hayes Eiver, in 1684, he secured
from his nephew the transfer of his fort and his furs to the
English, between whom and the Indians he then arranged a
peace treaty, which has endured to this day. It will well
repay all interested readers to look up his detailed history in
"The Pathfinders of the West'' and other hooks. The last
trace of this wonderful onan, the actual originator of the
great Company, is to be found merely in the final entry of
the payment of an annual allowance of £50 in their books
in 1710.
Space also forbids anything but a mere mention of the
capture by the French of the posts on the Bay, and their
restoration, generally by negotiation in treaties between the
two countries on the termination of their frequently recurring
wars. The necessity of attempting to defend the Bay posts
while they remained in their own hands, and the impossi-
bility of attempting to extend their trade into the interior
when these were in the hands of the French, are very good
reasons why the Company made no very great effort to reach
the interior. Again, it was much more profitable to allow
the Indians to bring the furs to the Bay than for the traders
to go to the expense and privation, not to speak of the risk,
of penetrating into the vast unknown regions of the interior.
Neither was the class of officers and men of the English com-
pany suitable, or rendered suitable by training, to encounter
the dexterous and daring coureur de hois in his chosen ground
and occupation. It was not until the cession of Canada by
France in 1763 that it became possible for British fur-traders
to employ the French- Canadians, with complete confidence
in their reliability, in the fur-trading operations in the Indian
countries for which they were so admirably adapted by nature
and training, qualities of which the North- West Company
made such great use subsequently.
In spite of these adverse considerations, the directors in
London frequently urged their factors on the Bay to at least
send men to the up-country to attract new tribes to resort to
38
INTRODUCTION
the factories of the coast. Beckles Wilson, in his book on
" The Great Company," after dwelling upon the unsuitable
character of the servants for such service, says that the factors
dreaded equally the prospect of leading an expedition into the
interior themselves, and the prestige which might be gained
by a subordinate in doing so. The inducements offered by
the Company do not appear either to have been adequate to
induce men to volunteer for such unusual and dangerous
service, and Mr. Wilson only mentions three young men as
exceptions to the general rule. These were William Bond,
who was drowned in the Bay some years later, and Thomas
Moore and George G^yer, who continued for some years to
set an example which was not followed by others, and of
which they finally got tired, before subsequently attaining the
rank of governors.
Forty Years Before Verandrye.
" Indeed," says Mr. Wilson, " almost without exception, ^
once a fort was built the servants seem to have clung closely
to it, and it was not till the year 1688 that a really brave,
adventurous figure, bearing considerable resemblance to the
bushrangers of the past and the explorers of the future,
emerges into the light of history. Henry Kelsey, a lad of
barely eighteen years of age, was the forerunner of all the
hardy British pioneers of the ensuing century. He is described
as active, ' delighting much in Indians^ company, being never
better pleased than when he is travelling among them.' Young
as he was, Kelsey volunteered to find out a site for a fort on
Churchill River. No record exists of this voyage; but a
couple of years later he repeated it, and himself kept a diary
of his tour.'' ^
He set out in July, 1691, and penetrated to the country of
the Assiniboines, the buffalo and the grizzly bear, forty years
before Verandrye's voyages of discovery ; " and in behalf of
the Hudson's Bay Company had taken possession of the
lands he traversed, and had secured for his masters the trade
39
INTRODUCTION
of Indians hitherto considered hostile." That the success
of Kelsey was as much due to his adapting himseK to ways
suited to the circumstances of the country at that time, and
long afterwards, as well as to his other qualities, is shown by
this next quotation : "He returned to York Factory after
this first expedition, apparelled after the manner of his Indian
companions, while at his side trudged a young woman with
whom he had gone through the ceremony of marriage after
the Indian fashion. It was his desire that Mistress Kelsey
should enter with her husband into the court, but this desire
quickly found an opponent in the Governor, whose scruples,
however, were soon undermined when the explorer flatly de-
clined to resume his place and duties in the establishment
\^ unless his Indian wife were admitted with him."
Hearne, the Great Explorer.
While the exploits of Radisson, and those less dazzling of
Kelsey, may be comparatively unknown to the general public,
the name of Samuel Hearne, the discoverer of the Coppermine
River to the Arctic Ocean and the Athabasca Lake in his voy-
ages alone with Indians, which ended successfully in 1772,
those who have studied geography have often read. In the
Athabasca he preceded the grand explorers of the North- West
Company, who completed the work on the Mackenzie which
he had begun to the eastward.
That Hearne was a man of intrepid courage his wonderful
journeys testify. His horror at the massacre of the poor
Esquimaux by his Indians at the Bloody Fall of the Copper-
mine also bore witness to his humanity, and he showed moral
courage of the highest order when, to prevent the needless
slaughter of his garrison of forty men in Fort Prince of
Wales, he surrendered that great stronghold — impregnable
had it been manned by its complement of four hundred men —
to the overwhelming force of the famous French admiral,
La Perouse, in three great ships of war, by whom he was
surprised.
40
INTEODUCTION
Hearne was originally of the Compan/s sea service and
had taken part in several of the many expeditions fitted out
by the Company for the discovery of the North- West Passage
from Hudson Bay, to which this passing allusion only can
be made here.
The Daring Enterprise of the North- West Company.
The very important fact may be news to many that the
present Hudson^s Bay Company is the lineal successor to the
honor and glory acquired by the old North- West Company
of Montreal, in its discoveries in and occupation of the coun-
tries which are now Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Co-
lumbia. It is well to recall to the recollection of Canadians
that the union of the North- West with the old Hudson's Bay
Company was effected upon equal terms, each supplying an
equal amount of capital and the Canadian company putting
in their rights of discovery and occupancy of the country as a
set-oS to the claims of the English company under their
royal charter, to retain the benefit of which the proud Nor'-
Westers consented to the elimination of their name in the
united concern.
Not only did the Nor'- Westers merge their claims and
their capital with those of the old Hudson's Bay Company,
but they also furnished the coalition with the men and
methods by whose means their business had been conducted
with such marvellous success and enterprise.
But before this mutually beneficial arrangement had been
arrived at the old English company had been roused from
its passive policy of waiting on the coast for its customers to
come down from the far interior, by the traders from Canada
cutting the line of communications and intercepting the
Indians in the interior on their way to the Bay. New blood
was introduced in the class of employees at the same time as
the new policy of adopting that of its competitors. Hearne
was sent up and chose as the site of the central inland estab-
lishment the passage between the main Saskatchewan and the
41
INTRODUCTION
Upper Churchill River, near which, at Portage la Traite,
Frobisher had intercepted the Chipewyans bound for the bay
with such a quantity of furs as to render him independent for
life by the profit thereon.
Many of the North- West officers were Highland Jacobites
themselves or sons of those who had fought at Culloden, or
were related by blood to those who had been defeated and
butchered after the fight by the orders of the Duke of Cumber-
land. So when Hearne, in 1774, gave to the new Hudson's
Bay house at this strategic point on the route of the Nor'-
Westers the detested name of " Cumberland," the English
company appeared to intend to add insult as well as injury
to the clansmen.
The Struggle Between the Rival Companies Begins.
The gage of battle was thus thrown down by the Hudson's
Bay Company by the planting of " that settlement which Mr.
Hearne hath called Cumberland House, which is twenty-six
feet broad, thirty-eight feet long and twenty-one and one-half
feet in height," says Mr. H. Marten, chief of York Fort, in
a letter to Mr. William Falconer, master of Severn House,
January 1st, 1776. The Hudson's Bay Company in any big
enterprise has always been slow to begin, but once started. Its
determination and enterprise in pursuing the path set before
it have usually aroused alarm in the camp of its opponents
and the admiration of its friends.
The pin-pricks inflicted by the cursory excursions of the
petty traders from New France inland on its trade coming
to the coast, while annoying to Moose and Albany, had not
been sufficiently injurious to cause any general movement to
establish posts in the up-country, except one on the Moose
and several on the Albany River. But the great bulk of the
furs came to York and Churchill, and were brought down
from the far interior by the Indians themselves, and the
cutting of this line of communication by the British Canadian
traders, after the conquest of Canada, was a tail-twisting ex-
42
INTEODUCTION
ploit which roused the British lion from his slumbers in
security on the sea-coast.
Like a lion in his wrath the Bay Company took the field
aggressively and reached the Indians of the interior, from
their coign of vantage on the coast of the Bay long before the
earliest canoes of the Canadians could arrive from Montreal.
The Englishmen brought, too, a superior quality of goods
(a traditional policy continued to this day) ; fixed prices — the
same to chief or child — ^for goods and furs; and inflexible
honesty in word and deed in their dealings with the Indians.
Their goods were not only better in general quality, but they
also took in exchange the heavier and less valuable furs, while
the canoemen from Montreal only wanted the lighter and more
valuable peltries owing to the handicap of their long and
difiicult journey to the base at Montreal. Moreover, the
familiar and friendly French employees of the Canadian
traders, while they might be better liked by the natives, did
not command the same respect and trust which the English
and Orkney servants of the Hudson's Bay Company received
from the Indians.
The North-West Company Formed.
To meet the policy of the Hudson's Bay Company, no
longer defensive but offensive, the private unassociated Mont-
real traders banded together and in 1783 united in the splendid
organization of the North-West Company. Many books have
been written of the deeds of the daring officers and men of
this wonderful company, and probably many more will be
written ere the fascination and historical interest of the sub-
ject are exhausted. Briefly as it must be merely mentioned
herein, the personnel in officers and men was a rare combina-
tion of the most efficient races. The officers were chiefly
men of Scottish Highland blood and of the lineage of the
chiefs of their clans, who had come to Canada as soldiers of
fortune to retrieve fortunes shattered by espousing the cause
of the Stuart kings. The men were of a race renowned in old
43
INTRODUCTION
France for its warlike virtues, which coming to Canada and
taking to the woods as hunters and to the waters as voyagenrs
had become pre-eminently the best qualified for service in the
fur trade. Behind this fighting force were the brains and the
money of far-seeing, shrewd merchants in Montreal, who on
the cession of Canada had come to exploit its resources, and
its chief resource up to that time, and long after, was the
richness of the country in furs.
Strong as was this combination of forces the company was
also bound together and vivified by the co-operative alliance
between capital and labor, in which the youngest apprentice
clerk in the wilds was animated to feats of zeal and devotion
to the interests of the company by the assured prospect of
promotion to the rank of wintering partner in a business
of which the profits were immense. In a vast wilderness
where employees could neither be reached by swift commands
nor watched by the eye of a master, every partner and every
subordinate aspiring to such office gave every energy to the
benefit of the business which they regarded as their own. And
when in the fulness of time the company with the Royal
Charter and that with the co-operative principle laid down
their arms through exhaustion, and coalesced in the union
under the chartered company's name, this principle, essential
to preserve the esprit de corps which had distinguished the
operations of the North- West Company, was retained as part
and parcel of the terms of union. This was the more readily
arranged because the Hudson's Bay Company had been accus-
tomed to allow their factors and captains a certain bonus on
the profits of individual commands, and the system of the
Nor'- Westers was an amplified and extended improvement
thereon.
In the year after the establishment of Cumberland House
by the Hudson's Bay Company, the Canadian traders, who
were later to form the North- West Company, proceeded to
connect the discoveries of the early French explorers on the
Saskatchewan with that of the Hudson's Bay discoverer,
44
INTEODUCTION
Hearne, on Lake Athabasca, and in doing so established a
chain of posts by the Upper Churchill — called by them the
English River — Portage la Loche, and the Clearwater and
Athabasca Rivers. On Lake Athabasca was founded Fort
Chipewyan, which, as the centre of waterways radiating there-
from to every point of the compass, remains to this day the
fur capital of the Great North Land.
From this strategic base Alexander Mackenzie started on his
magnificent career by discovering the mighty river which
bears his name, and following it to the Arctic Ocean. Next,
departing from Fort Chipewyan, he ascended the Peace River
to McLeod^s Fort, in the vicinity of the present Dunvegan,
and plunged into the great unknown Peace River gorge of
the Rocky Mountains, and the land of the mountain and the
flood — well named New Caledonia — to emerge triumphant
over every danger and distress on the shore of the vast Pacific
— the first civilized man to cross by land, 22nd of July, 1783,
the country which is now Canada. These marvellous voy-
ages were made possible by Mackenzie's French-Canadian
voyageurs, who were there at the finish of the course set by
Cartier, La Salle and La Yerandrye to La Chine, although
between them and China there rolled the immensilry of the
waterway across the Pacific.
The lead given by Mackenzie was followed by the establish-
ment of posts along the routes explored by him, and, on the
Pacific slope, by his fellow companymen and countrymen,
Stuart, Fraser and Thompson, on the Fraser and the Colum-
bia and their feeders to the sea.
The Oommeecial Wae in the Wilderness.
From the time of the cession of Canada down to the treaty
of peace and union between the rival fur traders in 1821, a
period of some sixt}^ years, a war in trade and traffic continued
with increasing intensity between the British subjects from
Canada and those from Hudson Bay in the fur country.
While the Nor'- Westers increased their traffic by ever fresh
45
INTRODUCTION
discoveries, the men from the Bay followed the paths so
opened up, always excepting those beyond the Rocky Moun-
tains, into which country their royal charter was not claimed
to extend. Neither did it, contended the Nor'-Westers — even
if it might be valid, — extend to the Athabasca and Mackenzie
country, which drained into the Arctic Ocean, unlike the
country of Rupert's Land which sent its waters into Hudson
Bay according to the wording of the gift of King Charles II.,
to his entirely-beloved cousin. Prince Rupert, and his Adven-
turers of England.
The scope of this book does not allow any attempt at detail
of the intricate and innumerable petty feuds and forays be-
tween the rival fur-traders, which enlivened the otherwise dull
monotony of their existence. These were perhaps provoked
more frequently and even joyfully by the brave dunniewassal
from Scotland and the fighting French of the Nor'- Westers
than by the staider Englishmen and Orkneymen of the Hud-
son's Bay service.
These minor collisions were very frequently caused by the
Indians, outfitted by the Nor'-Westers, giving the furs secured
by their means and at their risk of loss, to their opponents.
As an Indian could no more produce furs in any quantity
without the equipment, which, by the necessities of his improvi-
dent nature, had to be advanced by a trader, than the unsown
field of a farmer a crop, it was very annoying for the trader
who had taken the risk to see his opponent reap where he had
not sown. From my own more modern experience in this
way with "free traders" I can fully sympathize with the
Nor'-Westers, who, exasperated in that way, used force to right
the wrong, in a wilderness where writs did not run and
" The good old rule, the simple plan
That those should take who have the power,
And those should keep who can "
prevailed, and was practised by the stronger trading party,
whether its flag flew on its fly the letters " N.W.C." or
"H.B.C."
46
INTEODTJCTION
Those Canadians, who had succeeded to the rights of dis-
covery, exploration and trade acquired by the early French
pioneers, and who, not content with following paths previously
made plain by these, had made the furthest points reached
by their predecessors their own points of fresh departure
for the discovery of the richer fur countries which lay beyond
the basin draining into the Hudson Bay, to be followed and
harassed by traders who had "slumbered on the Bay" till
this great and notable work had been accomplished, would
not have been ordinary men had they not deeply resented the
intrusion of the Hudson^s Bay Company to reap where they
had not sown. But the Nor^- Westers were extraordinary men,
both in brawn and brain, and they fought with both, and
would have beaten the Bay Company, too, had it not been a
Company with a convenient base on Hudson Bay, whilst that
of the North- West Company was at the end of the long canoe
route at the distant port of Montreal.
The Schemes of Selkirk.
The causes and the class of the minor troubles between the
rival traders resided in the nature of the business, and they
prevailed between the Canadian individual traders and differ-
ent companies before they united as a measure of defence
against the common foe — the Hudson's Bay Company. The
causes of conflict were not, therefore, between the Hudson's
Bay Company as an old country concern and the North- West
Company as a colonial combination. In fact, despite the
natural resentment of the 'Canadians against the intruding
English, for mutual comfort and protection their posts were
often placed side by side in dangerous Indian districts. Prob-
ably they disliked each other less, being whites in a savage
country, than rival storekeepers in Winnipeg do to-day — only
the old fur trader had to administer the law himself, according
to his light and power, and the city merchant is constrained
to resort to the " courts of justice."
Matters were in this state when the then Earl of Selkirk
4 47
INTRODUCTION-
conceived the idea of forming an utterly isolated settlement
on the Eed River. In this invasion of the wilds he went
contrary to the teaching of all ancient and modern military
art as well as the dictates of common sense, which, had the
latter heen used, would have clearly shown him that the inva-
sion of a country to be permanent and successful must be
sustained by an easily travelled line of communication with
its base. This the old sailing craft coming once a year to
Hudson Bay did not provide, much less the route for row
boats and over rapids and portages which had been used by
the boatmen of the fur traders, inured to superhuman toil,
but was in the state in which the hand of nature had left it.
It is but fair to say, however, that he had seen the need of
a port on the Bay and of the right to improve the route
between it and his projected colony, which the grant he
secured from the Hudson's Bay Company provided for. But
instead of first protecting his line of communication — to still
use the military terms — ^he hurled a flying column of his
invading colonists into the heart of an Indian country, with-
out the consent of the natives, and against the advice of the
only whites who knew the territory. Neither were these set-
tlers, who had thus been thrust into danger, in sufficient
numbers to have been capable of self-defence against the
warlike tribes of the Red River valley. The vanguard should
have been a sufficient force of soldiers — not untrained settlers
with helpless and innocent women and children alike to be
defended and to hamper the defence.
Selkirk had been for years meditating this project, and had
ample control over the Hudson's Bay Company to have seen
that such food as the country afforded and some shelter should
have been provided in advance for his settlers. The want of
these drove them into the degradation and danger of having
to find them, away from the site of proposed farming opera-
tions, amongst the Indians on the buffalo plains. In a coun-
try where the safety of the whites, among an overwhelming
number of natives, depended so much on their racial prestige,
48
INTKODUCTION
this was a fatal error. Even an experienced fur trader,
left by himself in most friendly Indian camps on the
plains, and unhampered by wife or child of his race, had an
unenviable duty which could only be performed if he were
nerved by " courage and fidelity." Fortunately the Indians
treated the unfortunate refugees with kindness and humanity ;
but amongst Indians as well as in every other community
there are always ^' bad men " who must have been an ever-
present cause of anxiety to the settlers and their families.
If a monument is to be erected to Lord Selkirk, another
one one hundred times as impressive should be made to the
memory of the brave white women who came with their men-
folk to undergo all the dangers and hardships both inherent
in the adventure and others to which they were subjected
through the incomprehensible and censurable want of fore-
sight of the originator and managers of the scheme.
The Nor'- Westers could not consistently pretend that the
country had no agricultural possibilities; for indeed it was
through their own eulogies of these, as the result of the cultiva-
tion round many of their posts to eke out food supplies, that
the Earl of Selkirk had his attention drawn thereto. But the
fur traders contended, with reason, that until civilized means
of commercial communication could be established, the
attempt to establish an agricultural community was prema-
ture, and it was also dangerous alike to the settlers and the
fur trade, of which the light and valuable product alone could
stand the enormous cost of export to outside markets.
Conscientiously entertaining these convictions, inspired
with sympathetic good feeling towards the settlers of their
own Scottish race, as undoubtedly the Highlanders of the
North- West Company were as individuals, it is slanderous to
accuse them of being actuated by merely mercenary motives
and the protection of the fur trade, and to say that they
seduced and intentionally deceived more than half of their
countrymen into deserting the colony, and from only selfish
motives provided them with a free passage to Canadian settle-
ments.
49
INTBODUCTION
The Eael's Gamekeepers vs. The Native and North-
west Poachers.
However sympathetic the Nor'- Westers might feel towards
the actual settlers themselves, their leaders had from the very
first more than suspected that Selkirk, who had acquired a
controlling interest in the Hudson's Bay Company's shares,
intended to use his scheme of settlement as a means to, or a
mere blind for, the destruction of their hitherto enormously
profitable trade. If the settlers could be coerced into becom-
ing soldiers, and the Hudson's Bay Company be supplied by
Selkirk's undertaking to furnish them with a suitable class
of servants in sufficient numbers to overawe the force of the
Canadian company at Eed Eiver, the long line of communica-
tion between Montreal and Athabasca might be cut at that
vital point — vital to the route itself as well as for providing
the preserved provisions from the prairies required by the
canoemen passing to and from the north and Fort William.
On January the 8th, 1814, Lord Selkirk's agent. Miles
McDonnell, under his commission from the Hudson's Bay
Company, as Governor of Assiniboia, issued a proclamation
prohibiting the export of all such provisions, stating all these
were required by the settlers. An edict was also issued com-
manding the natives to cease hunting buffalo on horseback,
as the animals were thereby scared away from the Settlement.
Not content with putting these rules on paper, Selkirk's
agents proceded to put them in practice by seizing pemmican
belonging to the North- West Company in transit, and by
breaking into their posts, while the guns of Fort Douglas
commanded the route on the river so that boats might not
pass.
The Tragedy of Seven Oaks.
On June 19th, 1816, a party of North-West Company's
men, numbering sixty-five, and composed of French-Canadian,
English, Scotch and Metis engaged servants, besides a larger
number of Metis and Indians hired for the occasion, while
60
mTRODUCTION
conveying provisions from a point above the fort to one below
it on the river, in making this portage, out on the prairie to
avoid the cannon of Fort Douglas, were pursued by Governor
Semple, with a following of twenty men. The historian of
Red River, Hargrave, says (page 487) : " The party, under
Governor Semple, were provided with guns, but they were in
an unserviceable state, some being destitute of locks and all
more or less useless/' (It is also said by another authority
that they went without any ammunition to recharge their
guns.) "This fact,'' continues Hargrave, "was, of course,
unknown to their opponents, who were apparently sincere in
the belief that the governor was prepared to offer serious
resistance to them before the carnage commenced, after which
their entire want of order and discipline rendered them
incapable of reason or consideration. The infatuation which
led the governor's party to attempt by a vain exhibition of
useless weapons to intimidate nearly three times their num-
ber of men to whom the saddle and their gun were instru-
ments of their daily occupation, is almost incomprehensible."
The native levies of the Nor'- Westers had a superstitious
horror of cannon. But as soon as they had drawn their pur-
suers out of range of the fort, choosing their own time and
ground, they faced about. Opening out into skirmishing
order, at which they were experts, they then confronted the
compact body under Semple, with an equally strong opposing
force, and threatened his flanks simultaneously with treble
his numbers.
While thus outnumbered and unsupported and nearly sur-
rounded by his already incensed adversaries, the unfortunate
governor lost his temper with the North-West clerk, Mr.
Boucher, who had advanced to parley, and seized the bridle
of the latter's horse. On this, the first shot was fired on the
governor's side, by a woeful accident, it is said, and was fol-
lowed by an exchange of volleys. One account says that on
delivering their fire the natives threw themselves backwards
on the ground to reload, which was mistaken by the governor's
51
INTEODUCTION
men as the deadly result of their fire, and they raised a cheer
of triumph, bringing their opponents quickly to their
feet with recharged weapons, which poured in a volley and
converted the cheer into the shrieks of the dying and the
groans of the wounded.
Up to this point the affair had been a fight, forced upon
a well-armed, skilful and superior body by a very inferior
force, which can scarcely be said to have been armed, blindly
led into the jaws of death by their incompetent governor. But
from this point on it became a brutal butchery of the
wounded and a fiendish mutilation of the dead also, which
revealed in all its horrors the danger of emplo5ring savages in
disputes between the whites.
The Surrender of Fort Douglas.
Months before, the veteran Oolin Robertson had received
warning of the preparations being made in the west by the
Nor'-Westers to avenge the pillage and capture of their pro-
perty and posts by the Hudson's Bay people. Robertson, as an
experienced fur-trader, had been appointed chief adviser to
the inexperienced governor, and he was a man of tested
courage. When his solemn counsel and advice was rejected
by Semple, Robertson washed his hands of the business
in indignation and betook himself to the Bay. Other warn-
ings of the storm brewing in the west were given to the gov-
ernor, and so unheeded that he did not even see that the flint-
locks of his men were in order.
When natives brought sure news of the near approach of
the North- West brigade, if his desire were to protect the
settlers he had ample time to bring them into the fort, and,
with their aid, hold it secure from attack, for the settlers
numbered, at that time, two hundred, including their families.
He might then have relied on their fighting in their own
defence in the fort; although the policy of the settlers, living
on their defenceless farms, had always been one of non-inter-
vention in the conflicts between the rival fur traders, and
52
-^ . :?
0^ tc jg
:li
COrO
^^ fo
INTRODUCTION
they wisely desired to give the wild partisans of the Canadian
company no additional cause for animosity and incur their
vengeance by taking part in quarrels of which they had been,
and were likely to be, the innocent and greatest sufferers. But
after the defeat and slaughter of Semple and his followers had
inspired their opponents with victory, and had had the reverse
effect upon the settlers, who had by that time taken refuge in
the fort, Mr. John Pritchard (the only one of Semple's fol-
lowers who had been given quarter and taken prisoner) was
sent by the North- West warriors to inform the settlers that
they must save themselves from their fury by immediate sur-
render, and, if so, a safe escort to Lake Winnipeg would be
given them, and they would be allowed to take with them all
their personal effects. "At first," says Mr. Beckles Wilson,
" the colonists refused to listen to those terms. Sheriff Mc-
Donnell, who was now in charge of the settlement, resolved to
hold the fort as long as there were men to guard it. But they
were not long of this courageous temper. After fully consider-
ing the situation the settlers concluded to depart, and after
several conferences between the sheriff and Cuthbert Grant,
a capitulation was arranged."
The Nameless Brave.
The lives thus uselessly sacrificed by Semple's unmitigated
mismanagement were his own, those of his officers — Doctor
White, Secretary Wilkinson, Captain Rodgers and Lieutenant
Holte, and the only comparatively wealthy colonist, Mr. Alex-
ander McLean, besides those of three other colonists and fif-
teen Hudson's Bay servants, whose names are not to be found
in any of the histories mentioning the massacre. Only one
of the North- West levies, Batoche, was killed, and one,
Trottier, wounded. Could not the names of those who per-
ished with him be discovered and graven with that of Gover-
nor Semple on the monument which has been erected at Seven
Oaks? That neat, but inconspicuous, monument is about a
53
INTRODUCTION
quarter of a mile outside the city limits on the east side of
the old "King^s Road/' between old Fort Garry and the
existing Lower Fort Garry — in fact on Main Street North.
It is just south of Inkster's Creek, and reads thus :
SEVEN OAKS.
Erected in 1891 by
The Manitoba Historical Societt
Through the generosity of
The Countess of Selkirk
On the site of Seven Oaks,
where fell
GOVERNOR ROBERT SEMPLE
and
Twenty of his Officers and Men,
June 19, 1816.
The simple monument marks the site 'of the shambles into
which the Governor of Ruperf s Land led the Hudson^s Bay
Compan/s officers and men, who followed him to death and
butchery " with courage and fidelity.^' Small as were they in
numbers and so lowly in rank that their names have not even
found a place on the inscription, their blood was not shed in
vain. For their slaughter aroused the British and the Cana-
dian Governments to intervene and enforce the policy which
caused the union of the rival fur companies, and thereby
made possible the permanent and peaceful establishment of
the Red River Settlement.
Upon the monument proposed to be erected to the memory
of the fifth Earl of Selkirk, as the " Founder of the Colony of
Assiniboia," might most appropriately be inscribed with his
54
INTRODUCTION
name and titles the names of the noble little army of martyrs
whose death gave life to the Eed Eiver Settlement.
No punishment was meted out to those engaged in the
affair by the courts of justice in Canada before which 'they
were tried; but Mr. Alexander Ross, in his "Red River
Settlement/' records that the ends of poetic justice were
fulfilled by the violent or sudden deaths which befel the
twenty-six of the North- West party who alone took part in
the massacre of the wounded.
War Still in the North.
Although, at Fort William, and on the Red River, the Com-
missioner appointed by the British and Canadian Govern-
ments, Colonel Coltman, had restored peace and property, the
war in the interior still went on. In 1818, under Colin Rob-
ertson and another former North- West officer, Mr. Clarke,
a big expedition of canoes, manned by Canadian voyageurs,
had carried the strife for trade into the Nor'-Westers' great
preserve on the Peace River and Athabasca. This was de-
feated and its leader made prisoner, all of which will be found
in " The Conquest of the Great North- West." In 1819 Mr.
Williams, the fur trader, who had succeeded the unfortunate
Semple as Governor of Rupert's Land, however, with the
Hudson's Bay Company's armed schooner Cathulin, on Lake
Winnipeg, had transported a force of the De Meuron soldiers
to Grand Rapids portage at the outlet of the Saskatchewan
River. There he laid in wait for the fur brigades of the
Nor'- Westers, and as each arrived, all unconscious of danger,
their officers were taken by surprise and made prisoners, and
their furs seized. In the Athabasca brigade Colin Robertson
had been brought out, still a prisoner, but effected his escape
at Cumberland House before reaching the Grand Rapids,
where Governor Williams was waiting to rescue him. Wil-
liams took his prisoners to Norway House, and sent them on
55
INTRODUCTION
to York Factory. This was the last of what may be called
the military contests of the sixty years' war for the fur trade.
The Union of the Companies.
The contests between the partisans of the contending
traders had been conducted in the remote obscurity of the
wilderness, and this state of things might have continued
much longer without the rumors and reports, more or less
unreliable, which reached the Canadian and British Gov-
ernments, rousing them into action. But from the moment
that Lord Selkirk had secured the grant, which he had
engineered from the Hudson's Bay Company, giving him
" an empire of infinite possibilities," and he attempted aggres-
sively to take possession of it and exploit it, whether he
designed it or was merely the unconscious instrument, build-
ing better than he knew, it was inevitable that a contest
would arise on a scale big and important enough to force
itself on the notice of both governments. The fur traders of
both companies could no longer, in their mutual interest to
envelop their trade in the secrecy of solitude, " wash their
dirty linen at home." To the eyes of prudes and puritans,
whose actions and vices were masked and cloaked by the
concealment of cities and civilized society much more effect-
ively than were the lives of men who lived in the open on
the rivers and lakes, the forests and prairies, of the wilder-
ness, whenever the doings in that wilderness should be re-
ported officially and put in print, the state of affairs so
revealed of the fur countries may have appeared appalling
and something to hold up their hands at in holy horror.
In England the sympathies of such were with those devout
officers of the " castles, forts and fortifications, settlements,
and plantations," on the coasts of Hudson Bay, who gathered
the monk-like members of their garrisons to "perform the
service of Almighty God" every Sunday and holy day, in
the wanton attacks made upon them by the fierce and licen-
56
RED RIVER SETTLERS' DWELLINGS NEAR FORT DOUGLAS
IN 1822.
From a reproduction in black and white, by Mr. Lawson, artist of the Manitoba
Frei: PreMn, of a Avater-color by a Swiss Colonist, in the Dominion
Archives, Ottawa.
EARL GREY ON THE NELSON RIVER EN
ROUTE FOR HUDSON BAY.
INTRODUCTION
tious freebooters and free-traders from Canada, led by escaped
rebel Highlanders from Scotland.
In Canada the pays d'en haut, discovered and exploited by
their voyageurs under renowned leaders, who carried the Cross
as well as commerce into the territories of the heathen, was
considered the patrimony and heritage of their French-Cana-
dian representatives and descendants, who were glad to find
congenial employment with a company largely officered by
their Gaelic kindred and co-religionists from Scotland, who
were engaged in defending their territorial rights against the
greedy and unjust invasion of the perfidious English of the
Bay of Hudson.
But neither the British nor the Canadian Government had
any wish to assume the expensive task of establishing, under
the protection of scattered and expensive military forces, a
government independent of the fur traders to preserve the
peace between them only; for the fur traders had proved
themselves fully competent — by art when not by force — to
protect themselves among Indians and in their invasion of
their hunting grounds. The policy of planting such garrisons
of troops instead of traders amongst the warlike tribes of the
prairies would probably lead to interminable wars, and, in
the vindication of British honor, to endless expense, for which
the exportable resources of the country, in its trackless condi-
tion and in its " splendid isolation " at that period, could
provide no adequate return.
Only Lord Selkirk professed, at that day and date, to pre-
dict the great future of the country for agricultural coloniza-
tion. But his predictions, when they were not considered
those of a philanthropic dreamer or the optimistic promises
of the proprietor of an estate he wished to dispose of, were
regarded as a mere veil to conceal the real and ultimate end
he had in view, which was, in the opinion of Canadians, the
destruction of the fur trade of the North- West Company in
order to monopolize it himself. Be that as it may, the British
Government preferred, for a more opportune time to come,
57
INTEODUCTION
that British interests and possession should be left to be
maintained by the fur traders, their only subjects who could
make profitable use of it, in that part of the interior of North
America which was described by Jeremy Bentham to consist
of " frightful solitude, impenetrable forests or barren tracts.
. . . The barbarous hordes who traverse those deserts, without
fixed habitation, always occupied with pursuit of their prey,
and always filled with implacable rivalry, only meet to attack
and destroy each other ; so that the wild beast is not so danger-
ous to man as man himself.'^
The Fae-Eeaching Effect of the Union.
How in compliance with the wise advice of the Government
— amounting to a warning, if not a command — 'Messrs. Wil-
liam McGillivray and Edward Ellice, the capitalists and
agents of the North- West Company, managed to reconcile
their fiery and indignant " wintering partners " and employees
to the coalition, in which the proud name of their company
was submerged, would require a tome to itself. They acted
with wonderful wisdom and diplomacy, and the genius of
the man, called forth by the occasion, who presided over the
council of old warriors of the belligerent companies to make
arrangements for conducting the trade of the united company,
must have been tasked to the utmost to maintain even the
semblance of peace and concord. But George Simpson was
of the kind of which great generals, ambassadors and cour-
tiers, and captains of industry are made, and he succeeded.
He has never had a successor fit to fill the place he left vacant
forty years after.
The great and notable effect of the union has been that
peaceable possession and occupancy of the whole of the char-
tered territory of the Hudson's Bay Company (officially called
Rupert's Land) and the Indian Territories beyond in the
north and the Pacific slope under royal license, by the Com-
pany's resident officers and men, which held them for the
British Crown against foreign encroachment, until they were
58
INTRODUCTION
united to the Dominion of Canada. It was these pioneers and
frontiersmen in the wilderness — not the gentlemen of England
who lived at home in ease and drew profits on the trade eon-
ducted by their resident officers and men — ^who performed this
immense service to the Crown and to Canada. For their par-
ticipation in finding the money (for which they received full
return in profits of trade) the shareholders in London received
one-twentieth of the arable lands of the prairie provinces. But
the officers and the men who actually held the country by pos-
session have never received one acre either from the Crown or
the Company. It is said that the Company's men received
their pay, which, like that of a soldier, was a paltry pittance,
but, unlike the volunteer soldiers, who received grants for a
few months' duty, the men who spent the best of their lives in
the wilderness have received neither thanks nor any such
acknowledgment of their services to this day.
The Eed Kiver Settlement Rendered Permanent.
The union also had a secondary consequence, but it was of
vital importance to the oft-harassed Selkirk colonists, for it
secured peace between the rival traders, between whom they
had become as pawns in the warlike game they had been play-
ing. And it not only gave them peace, but protection also
through the forces, disbanded as supernumeraries by the two
companies on their coalition, coming in numbers ten times as
great as that of all Lord Selkirk's settlers. Sir George Simp-
son says : " Red River Settlement, therefore, ought really to
date its origin from 1821, the year in which the coalition
. . . left only physical impediments to be surmounted."
No longer was the colony looked upon as the vanguard of
an invading enemy by the fur traders; it became instead a
quiet haven in which the wanderers, weary with the wilder-
ness, might find rest in the evening of their days, surrounded
by their children of native blood and birth, who, amid con-
genial society, would receive the advantage of churches and
59
INTEODUCTION
schools, denied to them in the lonely places of their birth.
With the number of accessible books and the general informa-
tion existing of the early history of Manitoba it would be
mere repetition to attempt to give here such a summary of
the history of Bed Eiver Colony as I have attempted to give,
in these introductory remarks, of the less accessible and quite
generally misunderstood history of the North- West and Hud-
son's Bay Companies, which were so wisely and advantageously
united in 1821. .
60
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS.
CHAPTEE I.
THE ORKNEY ISLANDERS AND RUPERT'S LAND—
THE HALF CASTES.
" And much of wild and wonderful
In these rude isles might fancy cull,
For thither came in times afar
Stern Lochlin's sons of roving war —
Kings of the main, their leaders brave.
Their barks, the dragons of the wave."
—Sir Walter Scott.
The Orkney Islands, lying off the north of Scotland, have
a romantic history of great antiquity. Peopled originally by
the Picts, who have left in their Standing Stones of Stennis
and their Brochs, scattered over the islands, evidence of their
primeval occupation, the islands were conquered by the Norse-
men, who made them the base of their forays by sea on the
coasts of Britain and Ireland. From Orkney sallied forth
Hollo to the conquest of Normandy; and the Earl of Orkney,
though under the nominal sovereignty of the king of Norway,
became, as lord of the northern and western isles, by virtue
of his sea power, a greater lord than the king of Scotland.
According to tradition, the Picts were exterminated by
these rovers of the seas, and in the eighteenth century
although the islands had long before passed as a dowry of a
Norse princess to the king of Scotland, the inhabitants still
remained of purely Norse blood, taking naturally by instinct
and environment to a life on the ocean wave.
61
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUBERS
During the continually recurring wars with France, British
shipping bound for North America from all ports on the
east coast avoided the English Channel, infested at such
times by the cruisers and privateers of the enemy, and took
their course north through the German Ocean, and west
through the Pentland Firth to the North Atlantic. Lying
north of the Pentland Firth, protected by sheltering islands,
the Cairstone Roads afford fine anchorage off the town of
Stromness, between which and the grand Hills of Hoy runs the
Sound of that name — a gate to the west. In times of war
fleets of merchantmen would assemble in Stromness Harbor
and Cairstone Roads to be taken in convoy by the Royal Navy.
At Stromness, too, whalers and sealers on the way to Green-
land gathered to complete their crews with Orkneymen and
together take their departure. So did many arctic exploring
expeditions, including the Erebus and Terror of Sir John
Franklin's last voyage.
The first record we have of the long connection which has
existed to this day between the English Hudson's Bay Com-
pany and the men of Orkney occurred in 1707, and again in
1712, when fourteen and forty able-bodied seamen respectively
were engaged by special agents sent from London, for service
in the Bay. But it was not till 1740 that the Hudson's Bay
ships began to make Stromness regularly their last port of
call and rendezvous for the outward voyage — a practice which
they continued for over a century and a half.
The Orkney seamen proved themselves handy men ashore
as well as at sea. They were good fishermen, splendid boat-
men, strong, hardy and obedient, and models of fidelity to
the Company. So they came to be sought for not only for
sea service, but for that ashore and inland. The pay given
looks ridiculously small compared with the nominal wages
of the present day, if the relative purchasing power of a
pound then and now be not considered. Small as the wages
appear, they soon accumulated, for there were no ways of
spending them in the wilds; and often these men, after a
62
"PEEKIE (LITTLE^, LAIKDS 0' HARRAY''
few years' service, returned home with savings sufficient to
buy a small croft, and settle down as independent crofters
and fishermen, to be envied and emulated by less fortunate
neighbors. In the island of Harray a number of these re-
turned fur traders formed a large colony, known as the
" Peerie (little) lairds o' Harray," whose comparative opulence
induced many a young Orcadian to enlist for a long exile in
the Bay to attain the same happy result.
Life in the Company's service was stern and wild in any
case; and it became more dangerous during the wars with
France ; and still more adventurous and exciting on occasional
expeditions sent into the interior to prevent the depredations
of the French- Canadian wood runners from cutting off their
trade with the Indians, who were wont to come down to the
coast with their furs.
Upon the formation of the British Canadian fur companies,
the Hudson's Bay Company was compelled to establish regu-
lar posts in the interior, where their men, adopting the
habit of the French in this respect, to foster more friendly
intercourse with the Indians, and to supply some solace in the
solitudes, took to themselves the daughters of the land. Many
of the offspring of these connections were sent home to Orkney
to be educated. A splendid school was endowed at St. Mar-
garet's Hope, in South Ronaldshay, by a Hudson's Bay officer
for the sons of his fellows, to which many other Orkney gen-
tlemen's sons were sent, turning out such pupils as the
Sinclairs, Isbisters, Kennedys, Cloustons, Ballendens and
Raes, and others of well-known repute.
The Orkney Pioneers of Red River.
Prior to the firm establishment of the Red River Settlement
on the union of the rival companies, in 1821, many of the
Orkneymen, retiring from the Company's service, took their
native wives and offspring home with them to Orkney. But
after the union these and their fellow employees from the
Highlands were encouraged to resort to the Red River, where
5 63
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEERS
in numbers they soon exceeded all Lord Selkirk's own settlers.
And many of these old fur traders, while seamen and fisher-
men by profession, had also some knowledge of tilling the
soil, both as practised in their native islands and in the
gardens and fields attached, wherever practicable, to the trad-
ing posts, to eke out the uncertain supply of food from forest
and fishery. And it was these Orkneymen, with other vet-
erans of the fur trade from their neighboring highlands and
islands, and the French-Canadians of the North- West Com-
pany, who, coming in sufficient numbers to defend it, made
permanent the settlement on the Eed River, and permitted
the long harassed settlers brought out by Lord Selkirk to
abide in peace.
York Factory versiLs Montreal.
While the discovery of the interior was due to the dexterous
and daring French-Canadian canoemen, and that ancestor
of our present railways, the venerable Red River cart, was
evolved by the North- Westers at Pembina in 1801, the greatest
improvement in transportation, namely, that from the Bay
to the interior, was effected by the inland ^^York" boats.
These were designed on the model of the ancient Norse galley,
manned by Orkney boatmen, and by their greater freight-
carrying capacity, with smaller crews, enabled the Hudson's
Bay Company to take such full advantage of the Hudson Bay
route as to compete advantageously with their abler and more
energetic rivals of the North- West, handicapped as these were
by the distance from their base at Montreal, and the small
cargo capacity of their heavily manned canoes.
The Origins of the Halfbreeds.*
The so-called " English halfbreeds " of Rupert's Land are
very largely of Orkney and Swampy Cree origin. The
* The North- West offers a rich and important yet unexplored
field for the Ethnologist. The pedigrees of many families of
mixed origin may still be traced; but the opportunity will not
long remain.
64
ORIGINS OF THE HALFBREEDS
Swampies were the first Indians with whom the Hudson's
Bay people came in contact on the coast of the Bay. They
are described by an authority who knew every tribe in
the territory — Sir George Simpson — as a people the
most comely in appearance and most amenable to
civilization of all the natives in it. Years of friendly inter-
course on the coast pf Hudson Bay had loyally inclined
them to the English, and when the Company's men began to
take and keep permanently their daughters as wives, a friend-
ship was established which has remained unbroken to this
day. New-coming recruits from Scotland intermarried with
the mixed offspring of their predecessors, and the prepotency
of the strong Scottish strain soon tended to make the term
" half breed " a misnomer in the case of those who were
chiefly of British extraction. In the case of the French
Metis, although the French original discoverers, who visited
the country and left woodrangers and traders in it, had freely
mingled their blood with the Indians, after the union of the
Hudson's Bay and North-West companies, and the trade was
diverted from Montreal to York Factory exclusively, there
was much less fresh French blood brought in, and their
Indian ancestry was composed of many varieties of Indians,
much less susceptible of being influenced by the whites than
the Swampies had been.
Under these stronger Indian influences the descendants of
the insouciant French-Canadian voyageurs and rovers
of the woods and prairies became further removed
from their European ancestry; while the steadier
" English halfbreeds " reverted more and more to the
British type, and so became a power for peace and progress
in the land of their birth. Rupert's Land owes much to these
English natives, as they properly prefer to be called. In
common with the better class of their countrymen of French
extraction they have been the mediators, peacemakers, inter-
preters, and guides in the opening up of the country. Those
educated in the good old Red River schools and in Britain
65
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
have taken good place in all trades and professions. They
became most eminent and successful missionaries; they have
supplied many of the 'best officers and men the Hudson's Bay
Company ever had; and a long list of eminent names might
be made of such talented native gentlemen of Rupert's Land.
Still it is due to this class and to their progenitors to make
this passing mention, for little has been written about them,
while the literature of the North- West abounds with the
records of the daring French explorers, and full meed of
praise has been published regarding the Selkirk settlers,
neither of which classes, meritorious as they undoubtedly are,
have exercised so large and beneficial an influence over the
North- West as a whole as the settlers who came from the
British Isles as fur traders and their descendants of partly
Indian ancestry. Occasional unions were formed between the
British and those of French descent, resulting in a progeny
distinguished by the number of magnificently formed men
and lovely women among them.
GG
CHAPTEE II.
THE PRINCE RUPERT— HER GREW, CARGO AND
PASSENGERS.
" Old Blowhard was our captain's name.
Our ship the Lion Bold,
And we were bound for the northern main
To face the frost and cold."
On a bright afternoon in the end of June, 1867, three
barque-rigged vessels were riding at anchor in Cairstone
Eoads. At a distance the barques appeared like ordinary
sailing-ships of their kind, but upon nearer approach
their iron-plated bows and oak-sheathed water-lines showed
that they were fortified for encountering the ice of the north-
ern seas, like those in the whaling and sealing trade. But the
string of whaleboats, from foreshrouds to stern, carried by
whalers, did not hang from the davits of these three barques,
which carried only two quarter-boats and dinghies at the
stern, while the longboats rested on chucks on deck between
the main and foremasts.
The smallest of the three vessels was the Moravian mission-
ary barque Harmony, bound for mission stations on the bleak
coast of Labrador with supplies, and to return with a cargo of
furs and skins which the missionaries had traded from their
native proselytes during the previous year. Such a mixture of
trade and religion being viewed with displeasure by the Hud-
son's Bay Company, to whom the other two ships belonged,
there was no exchange of such courtesies as are customary
between ships meeting in the same port outward-bound. In
fact, the stout old Hudson's Bay captains — Bishop of the
Prince Rupert and James of the Lady Head — seemed to regard
67
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUREES
the missionary barque as a pirate, which by rights ought to
be blown out of the water; but that being impracticable, the
fur-trade skippers ignored and had no dealings with the fur-
trading missionaries.
A great event in social and business circles at Stromness
was the annual visit of the Hudson's Bay Company's ships.
The highly respected agent of the Company there for half a
century had been Mr. Edward Clouston, a fine old gentleman
of the Orkneys, who annually picked out good men for the
service, and had given two of his own sons as officers to it.
Full of years and with a highly honored record, he had shortly
before retired from the agency, leaving the prestige of the
Company higher than ever in Orkney.
While the merchants were selling outfits of clothing to the
recruits and filling orders for people already at the far-off
posts of Rupert's Land, friends came in to send parcels away
on the ships to their kinsmen across the sea, and others had
come to the old town to see their relatives off on their long
journey to exile.
The event was celebrated by the gentry and the officers of
the ships in dinners and dances ashore and afloat, and every
kindly attention was paid by the hospitable and kind ladies
of Stromness to the young lads who, like many a young
Orcadian before, were going out as gentlemen apprentices to
the fur trade.
Fresh provisions of all kinds were taken aboard. Huge
quarters of prime Orkney beef were lashed up at the topmost
shrouds, where, under a surface hardened by exposure to
wind and sun, the meat kept perfectly fresh throughout the
voyage. Live pigs, sheep and fowls, also for cabin use, were
lodged in pens and coops under the longboat.
As the detachments of recruits from Stornoway, in the
Hebrides, and Lerwick, in the Shetlands, and other parts of
Orkney arrived, they were immediately sent aboard the ships
and given no leave to visit the shore again. For they had
received a half year's pay in advance, and had embarked at
68
"LEAVING THE OLD SOD''
the landing amid the howls of lamentation of groups of old
wives, weeping and wailing over the departure of a set of
bonnie young lads who, they prophesied, would meet nought
but frost and cold and starvation and " black women " in the
wilderness and return no more to the land of their birth.
The majority of the old wives making this outcry probably
had never seen any of the young men before; but they up-
roared on general principles, and possibly as much with the
object of attracting notice to themselves as of being in any
actual distress over the lads going away. The real mourners
— the mothers, wives, sisters and sweethearts — wept and
sighed less obtrusively; and many a longing glance was cast
over the bulwarks of the Prince Rupert towards the shore,
while the ships lay waiting for the last letters from London
by mail, and for a fair wind out of Hoy Sound to the Atlantic.
Form of Contract Between the Employees and the
Company.
Each of these recruits for service in North America had
signed the following form:
" An agremeent made this day of in the
year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven,
between of the parish of in
the county of in Scotland, of the one part, and Gov-
ernor and Company of Adventurers of England, trading into Hud-
son Bay, by their agent, of the other part, as follows:
Five Yeab Teem.
" The said hereby contracts and agrees to enter
Imto the service and employment of the said Company in North
America, in the capacity of and that he will embark
when thereunto required on board such ship or vessel as shall
be appointed by or on behalf of the said Company and proceed to
Hudson Bay, and for the term of five years to be computed from
the said embarkation, and for such term as hereinafter mentioned
and faithfully serve the said Company as their hired servant in
the capacity of
69
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
Duty by Day oe Night.
and devote the whole of his time and labor in their service and
for their sole benefit, and that he will do his duty as such and
perform all such work and service by day or by night for the
said Company las he shall be required to do and obey all the orders
which he shall receive from the Governors of the Company in
North America, or others their oflEicers or agents for the time
being.
MiLiTAEY Duties.
and that he will with courage and fidelity in his said station in
the said service defend the property of the said Company, their
factories and territories, and will not absent himself from the
said service nor engage or be concerned in any trade or employ-
ment whatsoever, except for the benefit of the said Company, and
according to their orders.
FuBs Saceed.
"And that all goods obtained by barter with the Indians, or
otherwise, which shall come to the hands or possession of the
said shall be held by him for the said Company only,
and shall be duly delivered up to the said Governors or other
officers at their factory or trading post, without any waste, spoil,
or injury thereto. And in case of any wilful neglect or default
herein he shall make good to the said Company all such loss as
they shall sustain thereby to be deducted out of his wages.
To WoBK Passage.
" And the said further agrees that he is to work
his passage or passages when proceeding to his destination, and
from post to post in the event of its being found necessary to
move him in the country.
Absolute Obedience.
and that the said will faithfully obey all laws,
orders and regulations established or made by the Company for
good governimenit of their settlements and territories, and at all
times during the residence of the said in North
America he will defend the rights and privileges of the said
Company and aid and support their officers and agents to the
utmost of his power.
70
FOEM OF CONTEACT
A Yeab's Notice to Quit.
" And the said further engages and agrees that in
case he should omit to give notice to the Governor or oflBcers of
the said Company in North America one year or upwards before
the expiration of the said term of years, of his
intention to quit their service and return to Europe, then he
hereby promises and agrees to remain one year longer and also
until the next ship in the service of the said Company shall sail
from thence to Europe as their hired servant in North America,
upon the like terms as are contained in this contract.
And the said also engages and agrees that in case
the said Company shall not have any ship which will sail from
North America for Europe immeditely after the expiration of
the said term of years, or of such further term as
hereinbefore mentioned, then he hereby promises and engages
to remain in the service as a hired servant of the said Company
in North America until the next ship of the said Company or
some ship provided by them shall sail from thence to Europe
upon the like terms as are contained in this contract.
To WoBK Way on Ship.
" Provided always that the said further agrees to
keep watch and ward and perform such other work in the navi-
gation of the ship of the said Company in which he shall be
embarked on the outward and homeward voyages as he shall be
required to perform by the commanding officer of the said vessel.
The Company's Only Liabilitt.
" And the said on behalf of the said Company
hereby engages that upon condition of the due and faithful service
of the said in like manner as aforesaid but not other-
wise the said shall receive from the said Company
after the rate of pounds per annum to commence on
the day of his embarkation for Hudson Bay as aforesaid, and up
to the day of his embarkation from thence to Europe on one of
the ships of the said Company's service, or in any ship provided
by them, or in the event of his determining to settle in the «oun-
try up to the day of his quitting the service.
Summary Dismissal.
" Provided always and it is hereby expressly agreed between
the said parties thereto that it shall be lawful for the Governor
71
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
or Governors or other officers of the said Company in North
America at any time during the said term of years
or such additional term as aforesaid to dismiss the said
from their service and direct his return from thence to Europe
in one of the ships in their employment or in some ship pro-
vided by them; and in such case his wages are to cease from the
day of his embarkation for Europe.
Forfeiture of Wages.
" And further, that in the case the said shall at
any time during this contract desert the service of the said
Company or otherwise neglect or refuse duly to discharge his
duty as such hired servant as aforesaid then he shall forfeit and
lose all his wages, for the recovery whereof there shall be no
relief either in law or equity, and shall pay for his passage to
Europe in one of the Company's ships the rate of passage money
usually charged by the Company to persons who have not been
in their service.
" In witness whereof the said parties have hereunto set their
hands.
Signed in the presence of
Such were the rather one-sided terms of contract of the
" recruits from Europe " on board the Prince Rupert and
Lady Head. Therein the Company had fully guarded them-
selves against every contingency which might give the right
to legal action against them. The sub-headings, of course, do
not appear in the lithographed written forms.
Neither Board nor Lodging.
Owing to the nature of their service in the wilds, the
Company neither could nor would make any promises of
board and lodging to their servants; for after leaving the
chief factories and " The Settlement " the men would often
be merely employed in providing themselves with food and
shelter according to circumstances, and would have to rustle
for themselves, the spacious heavens for their canopy, and
mother earth for their couch. In lieu of rations they might
72
CONDITIONS OF SERVICE
be served out with powder and shot to hunt, twine to snare
and fish, and some seed and a hoe to provide food for the
present and future. But besides the wages specified in their
contracts (£22 for laborers, £24 for sloopers, £35 for
mechanics per annum), each was entitled to receive a " gratu-
ity " of £2 a year in lieu of rations of tea and sugar.
Land Grants Promised.
Many years before, the contracts had also entitled such
servants as did not avail themselves of the privilege of the
return passage to Europe, and desired to remain in the
country after gaining their freedom, to a land grant up to
one hundred acres out of the Company's possessions in North
America, the precise locality not being given in the document,
but later, in order to augment Lord Selkirk's Settlement, the
land was given in the Eed River Settlement. Some time after
the above stipulation ceased to appear in the regular contracts,
but about 1858, when the London board seemed anxious
to appear active in colonizing, and up to, I think, 1862,
mechanics and laborers electing to remain in the territories
were guaranteed free grants of land in the Red River Settle-
ment of fifty and twenty-five acres respectively, instead of
their passage to Europe.
Many Grants Still Withheld.
I am credibly informed that a number of these retired ser-
vants, last mentioned, having lost, in their many journeys in
the wilderness, their copies of the contract, have been unable
to obtain these grants from the Company, although, the con-
tracts having been all in triplicate, they must have either the
two copies retained by them or registers thereof in their
archives.
The "Prince Rupert" Described.
The barque Prince Rupert was about five hundred tons
burden. She had double, patent-reefing topsails, which had
at that time not come into general use, but were such an
73
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
obvious improvement and such a saving to life and limb as
to be universally approved of by seamen, who, as a class,
scorned all innovations. But here the march of improve-
ment ceased, for, unlike the whalers and sealers going to
Greenland, which some years before had adopted auxiliary
steam propellers, to enable them to thread the winding open-
ings in the ice and make headway against head winds, the
Prince Rupert still depended on her sails alone.
She had a raised poop aft and a topgallant forecastle for-
ward, where the officers aft and the boatswain and carpenter
forward were accommodated. There were also berths for
the second mate, a midshipman, and a passenger in the " half
deck,'' immediately in front of the poop, while the crew and
steerage passengers had quarters in the steerage forward.
The cook's galley was a little deckhouse before the mainmast.
The Crew.
The vessel was commanded by a splendid British sailor,
who had made as mate and master over twenty voyages to
the Bay — Captain Henry Bishop. The chief mate was Mr.
MacPherson, who afterwards made many voyages as captain
to the Bay. Mr. Campbell was the second mate. The boat-
swain, named Aitchison, was a ^ne old tar, and, next to the
captain, the best seaman on board. He, too, had made many
voyages in the Company's ships, besides all over the globe.
The carpenter was an Orkneyman called Eunson, a fine, quiet
and intelligent man. The apprentice or midshipman was
Sidney Reynell, a refined English youth, who had already
voyaged round the world on the Green Company's ships out
of London. A cook and a steward and twelve able seamen
completed the crew. Of these latter one was a Corsican and
another a deserter from the French navy. This crew was
ample to bring the ship from London to Stromness, and for
the rest of the voyage all the steerage passengers were bound
74
CREW AND PASSENGERS
to assist on deck, while those engaged as " sloopers '^ — seamen
— for the service on the Bay, and the Shetlanders, who are
supposed to be born sailors, were, as a matter of course,
berthed with the crew and sent aloft.
Passengeks.
That year all the "sloopers," twelve fine-looking young
Shetland seamen, had been drafted for service at Moose Fac-
tory, and embarked on the Lady Head for the southern depart-
ment. For service in the northern department bound for
York Factory on the Prince Rupert, there were two black-
smiths, a boatbuilder, and a cooper — nominated " tradesmen "
— and twenty-four laborers, the majority of the latter coming
from the Hebrides ; and a fine, healthy, hardy set of men they
were. The recruits for service in the wilds had no weaklings
among them, all such being at once rejected by the medical
examiners; and only applicants having certificates of good
character from the ministers of their church were accepted.
The cabin passengers were Miss Mason and maid, and
three apprentice clerks, Alexander Christie, David Armit and
myself. Miss Mason was returning home to her father, the
Reverend William Mason, of the English Church Missionary
Society, at York Factory. After receiving a good education
in Scotland, to which his grandfather. Chief Factor Alexander
Christie, twice Governor of Assiniboia, had retired, Christie
was also returning to his native land, where his father was
a chief trader and his uncle, William Christie, was the leading
chief factor. Maternally, also, he was well connected, for his
mother was sister of the distinguished scholar and patriotic
native of Rupert's Land, Dr. A. K. Isbister. Armit was the
grandson of a minister of Kirkwall, and son of a gentleman
farmer near that place, the family being connections of Mr.
William Armit, of the Hudson's Bay office in London, and
afterwards secretary. My own connection with the Company
•75
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEEES
arose through my father, Dr. John Cowie,* of Lerwick, hav-
ing made several voyages as surgeon to Hudson Bay, and
afterwards becoming the Company's agent in Shetland. We
three had been taken out of a long list of applicants, mostly
English lads inspired by such books as E. M. Ballantyne's
" Young Fur Traders," to seek sport and travel in the wilds
of North America. But very few such applicants were
accepted, and the appointments were generally given those
who had some connection already with the Company, and to
the proteges of its directors, such as Mr. Edward EUice and
Mr. Matheson, of Ardross, who found the patronage useful
in the constituencies which they represented in Parliament.
The Caego.
The cargo of the ship consisted of sixty tons of gunpowder,
necessitating great caution against fire, with bullets and shot
in proportion for large and small game; hundreds of cases
of flintlock Indian guns, with a few hundred flintlock single
and double-barreled guns of better quality, and only a small
number, comparatively, of percussion guns — all being muzzle
loaders. The next most important article was twine for fish-
ing nets, upon which the food supply of most of the people
of the country depended; for no food for daily consumption
was imported, such as flour, biscuit and salt meats, except
for occasional use at the posts on the coast, and a small annual
allowance of flour for those in the interior. The annual
allowance of flourf being three hundredweight for chief fac-
tors and traders, two hundredweight for clerks, one hundred-
weight for postmasters, one-half hundredweight for interpre-
• He was M.D. of St. Andrews and Licentiate of the Royal
College of Surgeons of Edinburgh; and held besides other public
appointments those of Admiralty Surgeon and Agent, and Surgeon
to the Royal Naval Reserve.
t Owing to the generally poor quality of Red River flour at
that time the quantity required for those small " winter allow-
ances " to officers and men was imported by the ship. The Red
River article was used by the boatmen plying between the settle-
ment and York Factory.
76
OUR BAGGAGE
ters and mechanics, and one-quarter hundredweight for thfe
other yearly servants. There was also a large quantity of tea
and tobacco, but never enough of the former to supply all
the natives would consume. Sugar was another limited
luxury in the interior. Other luxuries of civilization were
a number of puncheons of rum, and smaller quantities of
brandy and wines, forming altogether a considerable portion
of the freight.
In hardware, axes, files, traps, knives, needles and awls,
frying-pans, pots and copper kettles, flints and fire-steels,
were all essentials. Blankets and clothing came in huge
bales, but while desirable, their place could be taken by furs
and skins, and they therefore could not be considered absolute
necessities.
A good proportion of the cargo consisted of supplies being
imported by the Red River settlers and the missionaries
throughout the country; and a few cases, many containing
books, and parcels of home-made clothing for individual offi-
cers and men, who were allowed so to import special articles
for their own use. Some of the clerks stationed at the factory,
to the envy of their brethren in the interior, availed them-
selves of this privilege by importing barrels of beer and pre-
served dainties for supper parties in the long winter nights.
Cabin Fare and the Mate.
The Prince Rupert was well found in food and grog for
crew and passengers, also in lime juice to guard against
scurvy. The cabin was supplied from the same source, with
the addition of the live stock before mentioned, and beer,
stout, and wine. So in the cabin we fared sumptuously every
day, and the sea air increased our relish for these good things,
which the ship's officers were fond of telling us would be the
last chance of getting civilized food until we again took ship
from Hudson Bay. In the wilds our fare would be bear and
blubber, fish without bread or salt or vegetables in times of
plenty, and leather and lichen off the rocks in time of want.
77
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUREBS
The mate,' Mac Pherson, was the chief prophet of the evils we
were going to encounter, becoming more particularly pessi-
mistic whenever we got hold of his entries in the logbook and
made fun of his writing, spelling and grammar. In the
course of his sailings over many seas he had acquired tales
of horror of all descriptions, the scenes of which he tried to
adapt to the Hudson Bay territories, with the most laughable
results. The Indian, according to him, was a cannibal who
preferred tender young clerks to buffalo boss ; lions and tigers
hunted in packs with the timber wolves; crocodiles would
devour us, serpents would add their stings to those of the
mosquitoes, and if we ever reached the coast again we would
take the first ship home and be glad to get salt junk instead
of the dainty cabin fare upon which we were being pampered.
Although not much of a penman, and, as we afterwards
saw, a poor hand at conning the ship through the ice, he was
a smart man going aloft to reef topsails in a storm when his
help was needed; but, with a terrific squint, he certainly did
not seem to be quite the ladies' man he used to brag that he
was. His attempts to catch the eye of the lady's-maid as she
passed through the cabin, while they filled us, before whom
he was showing off, with laughter, brought forth only a frown
on the countenance of that demure and seasick damsel; but
to make up for his failure in this case he went on to boast
of the number of women who had fallen in love with him
at first sight in every port he visited. Be that as it may,
MacPherson provided us with plenty of merriment during
the wearisome voyage, and I am sure that besides amusing
himself he also desired to amuse us, and really pitied us as
" young bears with all our troubles before us " — a favorite
expression of his.
LAUNCHING A YORK BOAT AT PORTAGE ON NELSON RIVER.
A SAILING RACE OF YORK BOATS.
Courtesy of Hudson Bay Railway.
CHAPTEE III.
ACROSS THE WESTERN OCEAN.
"We seek a wild and distant shore
Beyond the Atlantic main;
We leave thee to return no more
Nor view thy cliffs again."
— The Emigrants' Farewell.
All Aboard.
Everything being now ready, the ships only waiting for a
fair wind to carry them through Hoy Sound to an offing at
sea, on June 28th Christie and I, who had been making the
best of the hospitalities and attractions of Stromness, were
ordered to embark. Our fine-looking chum, Eeynell, who with
his attractive address and midshipmite's uniform, had become
a general favorite while on shore leave, went aboard that even-
ing, and next morning at 5.30, after bidding a long farewell
to my brothers, Eobert and James, * and my cousin, Gordon
Heddell, who had come from Lerwick to see me off, I got on
a small sailboat with Christie, and a gale from the west soon
put us alongside the Prince Rupert. It was only then I
seemed to feel the wrench of parting from home and friends
in all its intensity, and realized that I was bound for a long
exile from all one holds most dear. But we set to work to fix
up our stateroom for the voyage, hoping to get ashore for
church next day, which was Sunday.
♦Robert Oowie, M.A. of Aberdeen, M.D. of Edinburgh, who
succeeded to my father in Lerwick, and died in 1874; and James,
who, after sailing the seven seas, entered the H.B.C. as clerk in
1876, and after serving in the Northern, Southern and Western
Departments, retired with a pension in 1911.
6 79
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEEES
However, no one was allowed to go ashore on Sunday, but
in the evening the Eev. Mr. Brand (brother-in-law of the
Bishop of Eupert's Land), and Dr. Ballenden came aboard,
the former holding service and the latter looking into the bill
of health. The wind continuing unfavorable, though the
weather was beautiful, we still lay at anchor in Cairstone
Eoads on Monday, and Captain Herd, a veteran dandy, and
Hudson Bay skipper, who acted as ^^ ship's husband " in Lon-
don for the Company's Bay and Columbia ships, came off
with a party of ladies and gentlemen. In such company we
soon cheered up; and Captain Herd, as an old shipmate of
my father, did me the special honor of parading the quarter-
deck with me, giving good advice and best wishes for my wel-
fare. At the same time he duly impressed me with his import-
ance by snubbing Captain Bishop and expatiating on his
titled acquaintances in London.
In the evening, the wind being now favorable, though light,
from the north, the Moravian missionary barque Harmony,
bound for Labrador, set all sail from royals down, presenting
a beautiful sight as she weighed anchor and glided out past
the rugged hills of Hoy, firing a salute of six guns as she
went, which, however, was not returned by the battery of
Stromness on the Sound.
Hoist " Blue-Peter.""
On Tuesday, July 2nd, at eight bells in the morning watch,
our consort, the Lady Head, fired a gun and ran up " Blue-
Peter " to her foremast head as the signal to sail. Immedi-
ately the Prince Rupert followed suit, both ships also flying
the British red ensign at the mizzen peak and the Compan/s
arms — " the house flag " — at the mainmast head. The friends
we had made at Stromness were kind and mindful to the last.
While canvas was being loosened and the cable hove short, a
pretty cutter with a party of gay picnickers passed us on their
way to a neighboring islet. The ladies of the party fluttered
their handkerchiefs and the men their hats in farewell, and
80
STROMNBSS, WITH PISHING BOATS.
Courtesy of Mr. G. W. Baker, Barrister, Winnipeg.
LERWICK. FROM NORTH NESS.
Courtesy of Mr. G. W. Baker, Barrister, "Winnipeg
"WILL YE NO COME BACK AGAIN?"
raising their voices in a melody wafted over the waters sang,
" Will ye no come back again/' succeeded, as they sailed away
in the distance, by "Auld Lang Syne," of which faint and
intermittent strains were borne o'er the breeze till they faintly
died away.
Then, immediately after breakfast, to the inspiring strain
of the chanties, " Haul Away the Bowline " and " Across the
Western Ocean," the crew, led by the bosun, sheeted home
the canvas and tripped anchor, and the ships headed for
Hoy Sound. The Lady Head led and saluted the battery
with five guns, which were replied to as the Prince Rupert
ran by, and we answered with another five. Then we dipped
our ensign in good-bye to Scotland, from which a fine east
wind swiftly bore us away at the rate of nine and one-half
knots.
Next day the fair wind moderated, lessening the rate to
about seven knots. On the 4th, in the morning, a whale
showed himself near us, during a calm with a heavy swell.
By midday a gale from the north with a heavy sea arose, and
the water got into our bunks.
Upon the Atlantic.
During the night the gale abated, and next morning the
Lady Head was on our lee bow, within half a mile. She
signalled that Captain James was ill and had not been on
deck for two days. Having assisted my father and brother
in their practice and taken a session at the Edinburgh Uni-
versity and Eoyal Infirmary, Captain Bishop told me to be
ready to do what I could for our jovial friend. Captain James,
as soon as the sea went down enough to allow a boat to board
his ship. The occasion and necessity did not arise, but that
day I commenced my " experientia medica" in the service, by
prescribing pills composed of ca3'enne pepper and bread for
the seasickness of the lady's maid, who derived some physical
and, probably, more mental relief therefrom. On July 6th
there was a fine breeze from the east, the ship going eight
81
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUREES
knots. The Lady Head was on our starboard quarter, hull
down. Captain Bishop said we were about quarter of the
way to York Factory now, and he had never before been so
far on the way at this date. The 7th being Sunday was
signalized only by a much better dinner than usual for all
on board, and no unnecessary work. The weather was soft
and calm, and our consort was seen ahead for the last time
on the voyage, much to our regret, for she was something to
look at on this otherwise tenantless ocean, and there was
always the element of interest as to which ship were the better
sailer in different winds and on various courses. Besides it
was desirable, for mutual assistance, that the vessels should
keep company till their ways diverged on Hudson Bay for
Moose and York Factories respectively.
During the next three days we slipped along slowly with
light beam and fair winds, enjoying fine weather, which
encouraged all hands forward, off duty in the dog watch, to
divert themselves by skylarking, dancing and music on deck.
The Dog Watch Entertainments,
The three leading characters in these diversions were a
young Orkney recruit, who played on a fiddle, by ear, almost
anything asked for; Jean, the French naval deserter; and
Aitchison, the bold bosun, who was the manager of the show.
The professor of the violin was always ready to oblige ;
Jean was a tall, strapping and agile Frenchman, with a hand-
some, jovial and expressive countenance, black eyes, hair and
moustache, always neat and tidy in dress. He was the boss
dancer, executing pas seul, besides many acrobatic tricks and
feats. His vis-a-vis in the hornpipe or break-down jig was
the painted wooden figure of a nigger with jointed legs and
arms, carved by the boatswain and operated by him by drum-
ming in time to the fiddle on a thin springy board, over
which " Sambo " was suspended so that his feet barely touched
it. The skilful tapping of the boatswain on this board threw
" Sambo '' into gentle or rapid motion, or violent contortion
LIFE ON BOARD
at will. Opposite Sambo, Jean would perform, mimicking
his steps, antics and contortions, always commencing to do
so with the highest good hnmor, but as the fun grew fast
and furious and Sambo became inimitable Jean would get
excited and frantically furious, both physically and vocally.
This was the climax to which the fiddler and boatswain led
up, and it was ever tumultuously applauded. Jean could
sing, too, in French, but the Marseillaise was the only song
which was much appreciated.
Then one of the Highlanders from the Hebrides would be
called upon, and render a song that reached the hearts of
those who knew Gaelic. The bosun^s mate, Agnew, had a
fine voice, and many fine old English songs. The midship-
mite, Reynell, had a beautifully trained voice, and all the latest
popular London airs. But the bosun, the manipulator of
Sambo, was the star performer, whether crooning a nigger
minstrel air, which was apparently coming from Sambo, who
was gesticulating or jigging to suit tune and time, or rolling
out a song of the sea, and finally winding up in a strain
carrying our thoughts back to bonnie Scotland, where
" Shrined among their crystal seas
Thus I saw the Orcades —
Rifted crag and snowy beach,
Where the seagulls swoop and screech;
While around its lonely shore
Wild waves rave and breakers roar.
Gone the isle, and distant far
All its loves and glories are."
The Bosun Bold.
The boatswain was a big, powerful man, black haired,
bearded and eyed, with a ruddy, bronzed complexion, and
handsome countenance. He had been educated in George
Heriof s Hospital in Edinburgh, and had roved the seas
from his youth up. For several years he had been in the
83
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
coasting trade in the West Indies, where he had acquired
such experiences as are related in " The Cruise of the Midge '^
and innumerable diverting stories of the colored people there
and their dialect, and the art of mimicking both. He was
in every way a splendid specimen of the British sailor, and
as he was then about fifty years of age, I feel sure that, like
his friend of whom he often sang, " Old Tom Bowling,"
Aitchison has long ere this " gone aloft " for ever.
Spun Yarns.
These amusements, under the boatswain's auspices, with
the many well, fine-spun yarns of his life and experiences,
and the long and interesting accounts given by Christie of
the land of his birth, to which he was returning with fond
anticipations, form my most pleasant memories of that long,
monotonous and dreary voyage across the Atlantic. Of course
we had our good young appetites sharpened by the sea, and a
fine bill of fare to satisfy them; books and cards; sometimes
little chats with Miss Mason; and occasionally the honor of
listening to some of the captain's anecdotes ; while the prophet
Jeremiah — McPherson, chief mate — was ever ready to remind
us of the blessings we were enjoying in the Paradise afloat,
which he made out the Prince Rupert to be as compared with
the Arctic inferno ashore to which we were journeying, im-
patient to enter on our career as voyagers and hunters of bear
and buffalo.
Exercise Below and Aloft.
The cook's caboose on deck was the only place where a fire
was allowed, except a miserable infrequent apology in the
saloon — the danger of fire, with so much gunpowder aboard,
being the risk always present in the captain's mind. So, per-
force, we were obliged to tramp up and down the deck to keep
warm, and always seized with alacrity every occasion to tail
on to the end of a rope, which it was our privilege to do at
84
FROLICS ON BOARD
the break of the poop in handling the main topgallant and
royal sails. The skipper kept a fatherly eye on us, frowning
on our going forward and mixing with those there, except
during the frolics of the dog watch and in occasionally visiting
his friend the bosun. When the captain was below I began
to go aloft, a favorite amusement of all Lerwick boys from
infancy, and the mate kindly cast his glance the other way.
Christie Joined me in these gymnastics, and soon could shin
up a rope and the royal mast to touch the main-truck equally
well. When the captain found out we had already "paid
our footing " to the sailors, he never stopped us going up the
rigging, except during very bad weather. So the setting and
furling of the main royal, during the daytime, always were
left for us to exercise ourselves upon.
Sail Ho!
Having now given an idea of the life we led aboard, I must
continue the narrative of the voyage. We encountered light,
baffling head winds on the 11th and 12th. On the evening
of the latter we sighted a barque heading in our direction,
S.W., homeward bound. We hoped she might be the Com-
pany's Ocean Nymph, which had wintered in the Bay on a
whaling and trading trip with the Esquimaux. I immediately
went below to write letters for home, but while so engaged
the captain came down, saying it was not the Ocean Nymph,
but probably a Danish craft from Greenland, which did not
care to swerve a bit from her course to speak to us. Neither
did she; but she gave us some pleasurable excitement for a
while on that solitary sea.
Off 'Cape Farewell.
The 13th was a beautiful but calm day. Towards even-
ing a freshening breeze favored us from the east, and increas-
ing sent us along next day under full sail at the rate of eight
knots till we rounded Cape Farewell, Greenland. We now
began to maintain a bright lookout for icebergs. The next
85
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
day was our second Sunday at sea. The wind had veered
round dead against us during the night, and we stood in for
the coast of Greenland till dinner time. The ship was then
put about and the wind fell so that the sails no longer steadied
her in the terrific cross swells, caused by the meeting of the
three different currents, setting along the east and west coasts
of Greenland and from the Atlantic respectively. These,
crashing together, threw up pyramids of water composed of
the opposing swells. The Prince Rupert wallowed, dipped her
yardarms and pitched and tossed, helplessly becalmed, in this
meeting of aqueous mountains, while every moment the strain-
ing threatened to dismast her.
Gkeenland's Icy Mountains.
Next morning (the 16th) the ship was slipping along at
one and a-half knots with a light air from the north, accom-
panied by mist and drizzly rain. We shot at a number of
" whale birds," of which large flocks were to be seen during
the last three days, and great numbers of " Mother Carey's
Chickens " (the sign of coming storm) had been flying around
us the previous evening. The monotony of the voyage was
still further broken upon at one o'clock, when two big whales
appeared playing within a hundred yards of us, affording a
sight alone worth making the voyage to see. Then, just be-
fore dinner, at four o'clock, as we were taking our seats, the
mate rushed down, reporting it had cleared and icebergs and
land in sight to the nor'ard. The bergs were far off and the
land still farther, but both were plainly visible, and were
sights we had been longing to see as samples of the rest of the
voyage. The land was supposed to be Cape Farewell, which
is on an island lying north-westerly from Staten Hook, the
most southerly point of the continent of Greenland. Seen
through the glass the land showed, on the west, a compara-
tively low rounded outline, followed by a succession of four
lofty, sharp peaks, the western sides rising perpendicularly
from the water, and the eastern slopes running down at a
86
CROSSING THE STRAITS
sharp angle thereto, like the teeth of a saw. The color
appeared black, flecked with snow, and a big berg, shaped like
a corn stack floating in front, completed our view of Green-
land's icy mountains. There was a beautiful rainbow and a
lovely sunset this evening.
Crossing Davis Straits.
During the next few days we made hardly any progress,
being either becalmed or favored with very light airs; and
nothing but one solitary seal and the whale birds, still numer-
ous, were to be seen in crossing Davis Straits. On the 21st,
however, we got a good fair wind at last, and with all sail set
were making six knots an hour steering north-west for Resolu-
tion Island, which lies north of the eastern entrance of Hud-
son Straits. Next day (Sunday) was damp, but the wind
had fallen, though still favorable. On the 23rd the weather
was beautiful, the sea as smooth as a mill-pond, and we were
doing four knots, the captain expecting to reach Resolution
in two days more. In anticipation of getting some shooting
when we reached the ice in the straits, the gunners among
us began casting bullets.
During the passage across Davis Straits, the crew hoisted
the crow's nest to the mainmast head, in which to accommo-
date the lookout when the ship got into the ice. The arrange-
ment, always used by whalers, consisted of a large cask, with
a trapdoor in the bottom, and open above. Then a temporary
bridge was rigged up, athwart ship, near the mainmast, and
projecting a few feet outside the bulwarks, to enable the officer
of the watch to con the vessel through the ice. Fenders and
long spiked poles to protect the vessel's sides and push aside
the floes, were also got ready, as well as ice anchors to moor
her to the ice, if necessary.
CHAPTEE IV.
THROUGH STRAITS AND BAY— THE HUDSON BAY
ROUTE.
Off €ape Resolution.
On Thursday, July 25th, with a heavy swell from the east
and a strong breeze from the W.N.W., the ship, under top-
gallant sails, was about seventy-eight miles off Resolution
Island at noon. At six o'clock in the afternoon sighted Cape
Resolution on starboard quarter, ship standing on to S.W.S.
Sighted at the same time a large iceberg about five points of!
our weather bow, and were abreast of it two hours later. This
was the first ice seen since that off Greenland.
July 26th. — At five o'clock in the morning an immense and
ugly iceberg was seen about five miles off. It was flat-topped,
stratified, and of a dirty bluish grey color. A fair wind
sprang up after breakfast, accompanied by fog, compelling a
bright lookout. About noon it cleared. Passed another berg
on entering the straits, which appeared a mile long and its
wavy pinnacles resembled a king's crown in shape. Next
came a tall spire-like berg, which as we sailed by capsized,
raising enormous rings of billows all round, into which our
yardarms dipped. These and another smaller berg were all
of beautiful variegated sheen to which neither artist's brush
nor poet's pen could do justice. Open water ahead this
evening.
27th. — In the morning the ship was surrounded by loose,
brashy ice on every side. Stood out to the north-east, where
it was least, and doubled round the northmost edge of the
floes. Foggy most of the day, and cold, the braces being
coated with ice. Towards evening it cleared up and I went
88
ICE CLOSING IN
aloft with a glass, seeing ice as far as the eye could reach,
extending from south-west to north-east, with open water
ahead.
28th. — ^A beautiful day. Ship slipping along through wide
lanes of loose decaying ice, at three knots, over a smooth sea.
Several icebergs in the distance. The ice gathered closer and
stuck us up for about an hour in the afternoon until the tide
turned. Saw several seals and a walrus, but being Sunday
they were not molested by the gunners.
Savage Islands.
29th. — As there was more wind and the floes were more
compact than yesterday, we were banging into big pieces
every now and again, and finding plenty of exercise threading
the lanes and dodging the heavier floes. This was quite an
enjoyable change from the monotony of the open ocean.
Lower Savage Islands, about fourteen miles abeam this morn-
ing.
30th. — 'Still slipping along in the right direction. About
half way through the straits now. Anchors being shackled
on to cables, ready for mooring at York. A long month at
sea to-day.
31st. — Fine, strong breeze sending us at a great rate, bang-
ing into the floes, especially when the mates are on watch.
The captain and bosun, being fine seamen, scarcely ever touch
the ice when they are conning her. MacPherson seems to
ram big floes for the fun of the thing, bringing us up " all
standing" — on our aheads almost, occasionally. While we
were at table, it being a fresh wind with frequent squalls he
kept on sail till we were nearly on our beam ends several
times and crashed into heavy ice that once brought the ship
to a sudden dead stop, throwing Christie right over the dinner
table with his plate of pea soup into Miss Mason's lap.
Whereupon the skipper rushed on deck, shortened sail, backed
the ship out of the ice, and gave the " false prophet " a dress-
ing down. In the evening we reached altogether open water,
89
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
with a slight swell on, which sent our seasickly passengers
back to their sad state on the ocean. One poor young Orkney-
man (an apprentice blacksmith) had been troubled that way
from Stromness till we reached smooth water in the straits.
August 1st. — ^Sighted Upper Savage Islands.
2nd. — Between North Bluff and Prince of Wales Land.
Fine weather, but the wind is light and contrary. Here we
had hoped to be visited by the Esquimaux, but were disap-
pointed, the more so as we wished ocular demonstration of
some of the appearances and customs ascribed by the romantic-
minded mate and other old voyageurs to these strange people.
From North Bluff we crossed from the north side of the
straits, which we had so far followed, to the southern shore
and followed it thereafter, but always giving the land a wide
berth, to avoid dangerous currents.
Meet a Yankee Whaler.
3rd. — ^With a fair wind this morning the ship slipped
along at four knots among loose ice, with land about twelve
miles off on port beam. The weather was beautiful and warm.
At about half -past eleven this morning we sighted a barque
on the port bow close under the land. Thinking it might
be the Ocean Nymph I again wrote letters for home. We
stood in for the barque and fired two cannon to attract her
attention, empty beer bottles being put next the wad to in-
crease the noise. At two o'clock she hove to on our weather
bow, and sent a whale boat, manned by a smart crew, with a
very tall, thin and supple man at the steering oar. He came
on board, leaving his crew strictly in their own boat alongside,
and went down to the cabin with Captain Bishop, who gave
him a glass of grog and sent him back to his vessel, bearing
a nice present of beef, beer and wine for his captain. Our
visitor was chief mate of the St Andrews of New Bedford,
returning from a short and unsuccessful whaling cruise in
the Hudson Bay, and they were now bound out Hudson
Straits up to Cumberland Straits in search of better luck.
90
A SEA MIRAGE
So we were again disappointed about getting letters sent
home.
While the Yankee mate was on board, the mirage of a
vessel upside down appeared high in the western sky, which
our captain thought might be our consort, the Lady Head,
and perhaps several hundred miles away. When the mate
returned, the St. Andrews bore down in the direction of the
phantom ship for about half an hour, and then, changing his
mind, her skipper hauled up to the wind again, and the ships
exchanging courtesies by dipping their ensigns soon parted
company.
Capes Wolstenholme and Digges.
August 4th (Sunday). — ^With a strong breeze from the
south, coming off the land in heavy squalls occasionally, we
ran for the first time pretty close along the land, which here,
as on the north shore, rose steeply from deep water to high
hills. But while every depression between barren black hills
on the north side was filled with snow or ice, the brown,
apparently heath-clad hills of Labrador presented a much
warmer and more homelike aspect, much resembling the last
land we had seen across the Atlantic — the Island of Hoy.
We doubled Cape Wolstenholme at two o'clock in the after-
noon, and passed Cape Digges at four o'clock, having passed
through the straits proper and reached the vestibule, between
them and the main bay, extending from Cape Digges to Mans-
field Island.
Stokm and Fog.
Into this neutral zone, destitute of the protection afforded
by the deep land-locked straits and of the free sea-room of
the Bay, we shaped a course north of Mansfield Island, which
was dreaded as the scene of the wreck of the Prince Arthur
and the stranding of the Prince of Wales in 1864, through
the inexperience of their commanders on a first voyage to the
Bay. While on this precarious course making for the island
towards dusk a dense fog enveloped us, and a storm with a
91
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUREES
heavy short sea arose from the south. The storm struck us
suddenly, and it was fine to see the masterly manner in which
Captain Bishop handled his crew and ship. He gave his com-
mands in a clear trumpet-toned voice, which rang above the
roar of the tempest, the rattle of rigging and clatter of can-
vas, and soon had her snugly under close reefed topsails
and the foretopmast staysail.
August 5th. — The ship had been laid to during the night.
In the morning it was still blowing hard, with a heavy sea,
and the fog still continuing it was impossible to make Mans-
field Island. So we kept sounding with the lead and pitched
and tossed about all that day and the following night, during
which the poor passengers who were liable to seasickness had
a recurrence of its ghastly horrors, and were battened down
below; while we all had an anxious time.
Round Mansfield Island.
Next day — the 6th — ^being now five weeks out from Strom-
ness — the fog abated, and the wind fell and changed to the
west, which was dead ahead, our course being north of Mans-
field Island, to avoid the shoals which lie to the southward
of it.
Got the anchors over the bows. Just before dinner a nice
breeze from the north-east sprang up and carried us round
the north of Mansfield, into the Bay proper. Still misty.
In Hudson Bay.
7th. — We are now fairly out of narrow waters into the open
Hudson Bay itself, favored by wind and weather. As we are
ahead of the usual time the captain intends to make for
Churchill first and fire cannon to notify the schooner, which
may be there, of her services as tender being required at York.
We are 550 miles from the factory.
8th. — Got a splendid wind this morning at one o'clock,
which kept on freshening and driving us along at nine knots.
92
CAPE CHIDLEY, SOUTH-EAST ENTRANCE OF HUDSON STKAiTS.
Courtesy of Hudson Bay Railway.
SOUTHERN COAST OF HUDSON STRAITS.
Courtesy of Hudson Bay Railway.
NEAKING CHUKCHILL
" The fair breeze blew,
The white foam flew.
The furrow followed free."
We were now on the last lap of the voyage and were favored
by gentle hreezes, a smooth summer sea, and bright balmy
weather to its end. The nights, too, were exquisitely lovely,
the full moon blending her radiance with the silvery crests
of the wavelets playing around, and blending her sheen with
the phosphorescent, whirling wake left by the ship as an
evanescent trace of her path across the deep.
Off Churchill.
On August 11th we were fifty miles east of Churchill and
one hundred and twenty north of York. A couple of cannon
were fired off Churchill on the faint chance of the reports
reaching the schooner and fort and intimating the safe
arrival of the Prince Rupert in the offing.
Next morning, by soundings, which had been taken regu-
larly as we approached the coast, we were in twenty fathoms,
and by reckoning twenty miles from York Roads. The ship
was running at six knots, in smooth bright green water, with
the wind off the — still invisible — land. Though the low shore
was invisible, the wind wafted off a faint aroma of spruce, and
at the same time a few languid representatives of the most
numerous inhabitants of Rupert's Land — my bloody enemies,
the mosquitoes. These, after a little rest, proceeded to intro-
duce themselves to us, and we submitted with curiosity to
these preliminaries to an acquaintance with the family of
ubiquitous and untiring tormentors, which became so intimate,
unendurable and infernal during all my summer Journeyings
in the wilds.
Anchor in York Roads.
In the afternoon the anchor, last weighed in Cairstone
Roads, was cast in York Roads in the turbid estuary of the
93
THE COMPANY OF ADYENTUREBS
Nelson River, twenty miles from the Factory, and out of sight
of land, the high beacon, twelve miles off on the Point of
Marsh, between the Nelson and Hayes rivers, only being
visible from aloft. For the last time I ran aloft and stowed
the main royal, and my voluntary services on the ocean wave
were over.
To convey the glad tidings of our unusually early arrival
to the people of the Factory, a cannon was fired at intervals
during the day, and rockets and blue lights were set off after
dusk, a lantern being also hoisted to the mizzen peak.
Ceuise IN" THE Gig.
After the ship had been moored and tidied up that after-
noon the captain lent the apprentice clerks his gig for a sail.
With slack of the tide we tacked to windward towards shore,
and upon the turn of the ebb to seaward, on a signal from
the ship, we raced back before wind and current, and, catch-
ing a line thrown from the forechains, brought up smartly
at the companion ladder. Armit, our most ardent gunner,
then proudly passed up the sea fowl which had fallen to
his aim; Christie, in exuberant spirits on nearing his native
shore, had handled the foresheet; and I had been in my
element steering. We had all enjoyed our little cruise
so much that MacPherson must needs follow suit. So he
set off, heading for the south, with a beam wind and free
sheet, and an ebb tide carrying him to leeward and sea-
ward. When dusk set in without his return the captain
became quite anxious for the safety of the gig and its pas-
sengers. We were all relieved when they returned early next
morning, after having run aground on shoals, and having
passed a miserable night on the beach, somewhere between
Hayes River and Cape Tatnam. The skipper gave MacPher-
son a dressing-down, and Christie, who was an expert at
teasing, took occasion to contrast the lubberly conduct of the
mate and his men, with the fine style in which the apprentice
clerks had handled the gig.
94
THS HUDSON BAY ROUTE
Our Mentor the Mate.
Apart from the amusement afforded by the mate the object
in mentioning the occasions on which he came to grief is to
show the manner of man, who, when he obtained command
of the Ocean Nymph a year or two after, made voyage after
voyage to Hudson Bay without accident. The Nymph, too,
was an abominable old flat-bottomed tub, which made about as
much leeway as headway with the wind abeam. Her only
redeeming qualities were that with a fair wind she made fine
time, and her light draft also enabled her to ascend the
Hayes River and anchor in front of the Factory, instead of,
like vessels of deeper draft, discharging cargo into a tender
at " Five Fathom Hole " out in the open roads.
The Hudson Bay Route.
Being eager and impatient to reach the new world, and
begin our lives and adventures there, the non-eventful trip
across the Atlantic appeared tedious. But from the time
we got among the icebergs at the eastern entrance of the
Straits till we reached the open Bay the voyage was full of
interest and excitement, although we had missed two of the
entertainments we had been led to expect. The first of these
was football between the larboard and starboard watches on
the icefields, the non-detention of the ship having afforded no
opportunity for the annual match. The second was the graver
disappointment in not having fallen in with the Esquimaux,
For all that, every day we had passed some high cape or
island marking our progress; and the tacking, backing and
filling, the threading our way among the floes, and occasion-
ally ramming into them, gave us plenty of joyous excitement
and exercise. In the last lap over the summer seas of the Bay
we were happy in the hope of soon reaching port.
Since then I have passed thrice through the Straits of
Belle Isle, where the shores are as forbidding in appearance
7 95
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEEES
as those of Hudson Straits, and where, later in the season,
I saw quite as many, in fact more, icebergs near its eastern
entrance than we saw when entering Hudson Straits.
Most of the ice in Hudson Straits was rapidly decomposing,
smashing in " candles '^ on contact with the ship. A steam-
ship could have avoided the floes, or forced her way through
any we saw with ease. There was a little fresh, clear, and
heavy ice, also broken in floes, occasionally seen, which must
have come from some other source than the main body of
the floes.
We saw no ice in Hudson Bay, where ships have occa-
sionally been beset for weeks by a stream of heavy ice flowing
from Fox Channel towards the south-east end of the Bay.
This ice sometimes draws so much water as to ground in six
fathoms along the coast between Churchill and Chesterfield
Inlet, my authority being a friend, Mr. John George Mowat,
who made several boat voyages in as many years from
Churchill to Marble Island. He also informed me that the
ships manage to pass this heavy ice stream on the outward
and homeward voyages by going round it or through it on
a northerly, never a southerly, course.
I have selected the dates and calculated the averages here-
under from the appendix to Dr. Eobert Bell's " Geological
Survey Eeport on Hudson Bay, 1879-80,'' giving the dates
on which the ships arrived at and departed from York Fac-
tory during the ninety-two years between 1789 and 1880 in-
clusive :
•Arrivals — Earliest, August 2nd, 1850, the Prince Rupert;
latest, September 27th, 1811, the Eddystone; average, August
24th; exception, October 7th, 1836, the Eagle, wintered at
York.
Departures — Earliest, August 27th, 1804, the King George;
latest, October 7th, 1811, the Eddystone; average, September
18th.
Mr. Tuttle, in his book, " Our North Land," gives a list
furnished by the Hudson's Bay Company, from their vessels'
96
FOURTEEN DAYS FROM YORK TO LAND'S END
log books, for the years 1870 to 1883, of the dates on the
outward voyage upon which their ships entered the Straits
and upon which they passed out into the Bay, from which I
derive the following averages: —
Entered July 31st; passed out August 13th ; average passage
through the Straits, fourteen days; exception, the Ocean
Nymph once ran through in four days. Of the eighteen logs,
six report " ice," eight report " no detention," and four report
''no ice" in the Straits.
A comparison between the dates given by Dr. Bell and by
Mr. Tuttle, of the time the ships passed through the Straits
and of their arrival at York, shows an average passage of
eleven days across the Bay, outward bound.
On the homeward passage to London, owing to the Straits
being generally clear of ice, and the prevalence of the equinoc-
tial gales from the north-west during that time of year, the
ships make a much quicker run than when outward bound.
A run of fourteen days from York to Land's End was not
uncommon, and I have even heard of its being done in ten
days. The vessels, of course, went straight for the English
Channel, not calling at Orkney, and besides only carried a
light cargo of furs, supplemented by ballast.
The immunity from frequent disaster on the voyage to and
from Hudson Bay enjoyed by the Company's ships was very
largely due to their being well built, well manned, and under
able commanders of long experience. In former times not
only the captains and mates but the seamen also were retained
on pay all the year round, and the passengers always helped
materially in handling the ships. The wreck on Mansfield
Island in 1864 was due to a new captain, making his first
voyage, paying no attention to the warning of his experienced
chief mate, afterwards captain. Bishop. But it is remarkable
that ever since the opening of the Hudson Bay route has been
advocated in Western Canada an unusual number of wrecks
have occurred on the Bay. While some of these must
97
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
be merely accidental coincidences, others must be ascribed to
the inexperience of the officers in uncharted waters.
I have read the arguments for and against the Hudson Bay
route. I made the voyage related in these chapters. I was
brought up among a seafaring people, many of whom made
annual voyages to the Greenland and Davis Straits' sealing
and whaling grounds, and others to Archangel and the Baltic;
for twenty-five years in this country my companions were men
who had come and gone by Hudson Bay, sometimes on several
occasions; and having witnessed in my boyhood the revolu-
tionary improvement effected in the sealing and whaling
trade by the addition of steam power to the old sailing craft,
I feel assured that properly equipped vessels, under com-
petent officers may make, during at least four months of the
year, the voyage through the deep waterways of Hudson
Straits and Bay with even greater safety than they can that
by the foggy banks of Newfoundland and through the danger-
ous Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Those who go down to the sea in ships and have business
on mighty waters have ever taken the risk, and taking that
risk the seamen of our race have carried our commerce and
our conquests all round the globe. Are we, then, through
fear of the dangers of the deep, so minimized by modern
improvements, to leave unused the natural outlet for our
products, explored " in tiny pinnace " four hundred years
ago by Henry Hudson,?
Of the heroic Hudson, to whom the united West should
erect her first monument in bronze or sculptured stone, our
western pioneer and poet, Charles Mair, in the oft-quoted
lines of " Open the Bay," nobly says :
"Open the Bay! What cared that seaman grim
For towering iceberg or for crashing floe?
He sped at noonday or at midnight dim
A man, and hence there was a way for him,
And where he went a thousand ships can go."
98
OPEN THE BAT
Of the influences antagonistic to its opening the poet pro-
ceeds to say:
" Open the Bay! Who are they that say * No ?'
Who locks the portals? Nature? She resigned
Her ley reign, her stubborn frost and snow,
Her sovereign sway and sceptre, long ago,
To sturdy manhood and the master mind.
"Not these the foe! Not Nature who is fain
When earnest hearts an earnest end pursue;
But man's old selfishness and greed of gain;
These ancient breeders of earth's sin and pain —
These are the thieves that steal the Nation's due."
99
CHAPTEE V.
YORK FACTORY.
York Roads and " Five Fathom Hole."
August 13th^ 1867. — At nine o'clock the schooner Marten
and the packet boat hove in sight, coming off from the Factory.
The boat was of the model used on the coast, built to row and
sail, rigged with two lugs and a jib, and with grip enough
to tack against the wind, the last being the essential difference
between the "coast" and the "inland" boats. She was
manned by a crew of different races, the Scottish islesmen dis-
tinguished
" By the tall form, blue eye, proportion fair,
The limbs athletic, and the long light hair "
of their Norse ancestors, in striking contrast with the bronzed
visages, brown eyes and long black hair of the North American
Indians. The boat's crew of both races, all tanned by the
fierce American sun, and arrayed with bright-colored sashes
(L'Assomption belts) round their hips, beautifully silk worked
yellow moccasins on their feet, and gaudy garters below the
knee, showed a striking contrast to the fresh, rosy-cheeked
recruits, who were generally well and plainly clothed in blue
pilot cloth pea jackets and trousers, with well blackened
boots.
Captain Bishop greeted at the gangway, as old friends, the
chaplain of the Factory, the Rev. "William Mason, who came
to meet his daughter; and the chief accountant, Mr. Parson,
and the surgeon. Dr. MacKay, who immediately had the crew
and passengers mustered for inspection, with the most satis-
100
MUSTERED FOR INSPECTION .
factory result. We had had no illness on the voyage, but sea-
sickness in three or four cases, and the recruits were a splendid
lot of picked men from one of the hardiest races of Europe.
The inspection over, Mr. Parson quickly took his departure
with "the ship packet," that being the mail and documents
from Britain. The doctor also returned in the packet boat,
eager to get the letters from home when the seals of the packet
were broken at the Factory.
Captain Tuckee, of the Marten, and a pilot had come
aboard to take the ship from her anchorage in York Roads,
in the channel of the Nelson to " Five Fathom Hole,"* in the
channel of the Hayes River, over a course marked by buoys
and bearings known only to those who take them each season.
After lightening the ship of the dangerous cargo of sixty tons
of gunpowder, by discharging it into the Marten and two
sloop-rigged lighters, with a high tide and fair wind we set
sail and hove anchor and were taken by Captain Tuckee and
the pilot into " Five Fathom Hole " that afternoon. We were
still seven miles from the Factory, but, after mooring and
firing a salute, we could distinctly hear the thunder of tlie
answering guns booming to leeward.
When the tide fell at low water we appeared to lie in a
basin completely surrounded by mud flats and sand bars, and
secure from every wind except a storm at high tide from the
east.
August 14th. — The Marten returned from the Factory for
more cargo, and to take the passengers ashore.
" Ocean Nymph " and Yankee Whaler.
During the day we sighted a sail in the oflfing, which, on
nearer approach, was made out to be the Ocean Nymph, Cap-
tain Taylor, returning from a whaling and trading cruise and
wintering at Marble Island, near Chesterfield Inlet. She
anchored not far from us and lay rolling frightfully, while
* A recent visitor to York was informed by the Indians there
that "Five Fathom Hole" no longer exists.
101
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEEES
the Prince Rupert's motion was hardly noticeable. This I
have learned from indignant passengers was one of the
Nymph's specialties — she was wholly a roller.
Captain Taylor had had no luck whaling, and about five
hundred white foxes were all the returns of his yearns voyage.
Some American whalers had wintered at the same place and
not only spoilt his trade with the Esquimaux, but, after having
helped themselves to all they needed of a cache of coal placed
there by the British Admiralty, and before Captain Taylor,
who had planned to help himself from time to time to the coal,
knew, our American cousins had set fire to and destroyed the
pile in wanton malice. After having suffered from want of
fuel through this outrage. Captain Taylor's sentiments
towards his Yankee rivals cannot well be reproduced in type,
and they certainly were not calculated to cement the Anglo-
American entente.
We Disembark.
We now were ready to leave our good home upon the deep
and the fleshpots of the Prince Rupert. We bade a long fare-
well to our good friends the boatswain and others of the crew,
and embarking on the Marten, slowly sailed up the Hayes
estuary and river to the Factory, arriving there late in the
evening.
The first thing that impressed me was the smell of the
spruce, which seemed all-pervading and as characteristic of
the country as peat-reek is in country places in Scotland. We
were met with an enthusiastic welcome at the landing by Mr.
James S. Eamsay, apprentice clerk of three years' service,
who, at the request of Chief Factor Wilson, convoyed us to
the " Summer House," the quarters provided for visitors of
our grade. There were bedsteads but no bedding in the
rooms given us, so Mr. Eamsay sent the steward for a bale
«€ new blankets, which served as mattresses and covering till
we got our own bedding.
102
BELLICOSE BACHELORS
Officers' Quarters.
The rooms were bare and the furniture plain and scanty,
for the quarters were only temporary " camping ground ^' for
wayfarers. They may have seemed still more uninviting than
they really were from the contrast afforded by the blaze of
barbaric decorations on the walls of the rooms of the clerks
in " Bachelors' Hall." These consisted of Indian silk and
bead and wool work of every hue, which adorned the attire of
these " veterans " from head to foot, also their gun-coats, shot
pouches, firebags and snowshoes, all of which were hung up
round the room, alongside of colored prints of prize fighters,
race horses, hunting scenes, ships and yachts, and photo-
graphs of all kinds. Each of the bachelors seemed to be a
performer on a different musical instrument — one had a
violin, another a flute, a third an accordion, and a fourth a
concertina, and I think they could all play the Jews' harp, a
very cheap and easily portable instrument, and whether single
or double or quadruple-tongued was much in vogue in those
days in the wilderness.
Bellicose Bachelors.
Perhaps because rival musical performers, or maybe afflicted
by the malarial atmosphere of the marshes, there was not
among the York bachelors the same cheerful comradeship and
good feeling as prevailed throughout the interior among the
officers and clerks. Some of the stern, strict discipline and
formality of the old coast-dwelling Hudson Bay men, before
the union with the more free and easy and affable Celts of
the North-West Company, still lingered at York. Whatever
the cause, York Factory was notorious for the clerks and
others stationed there making themselves disagreeable to each
other in a way we, who keenly appreciated the companionship
of the few of our own tongue and kind with whom we met in
the wilderness of the interior, could not understand.
But however much the old residents might " scrap " among
103
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUREES
themselves, they vied with each other in showing ns every
attention and kindness, even as they did to every other visitor.
The Commekcial Capital of Rupert's Land.
Although Fort Garry was the residence of the Governor-in-
Chief of Rupert's Land (if an official whose duties demanded
constant travel through the length and breadth of the vast
Hudson Bay territories could be said to have any fixed
abode), and also the headquarters of the government of the
district of Assiniboia, commonly known as " The Red River
Settlement,'' yet in the year 1867 and for four or five years
afterwards the ancient York Factory still retained its pre-
eminence as the seaport and storehouse for the imports and
exports of the northern department of the territories, except-
ing only supplies brought from St. Paul, Minnesota, chiefly
for the Red River Settlement, and the buffalo robes which
were also sent via St. Paul to Montreal for the American
market.
Fae-Sighted Business Methods.
To guard against shipwreck and other accidents by flood,
field and fire, two years' full supplies for the whole Northern
Department (now Keewatin, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and
Alberta and North- West and Yukon Territories) were stored
in the ample warehouses of York. There also were received
and repacked for shipment to London, the only exportable
products of the country — furs and skins from the interior,
and feathers, goose quills and whale oil from the coast.
The business accounts of every district in the Department
were kept at York, and the personal accounts of every officer
and man, excepting freemen and Indians therein. Copies of
these accounts were sent each district and person by the
winter packet annually.
But by far the most important duty devolving upon the
officer in charge and the accountant of the depot at York was
that of making out in advance the lists of supplies required
104
PEEPARING REQUISITIONS
and likely to be required by the various districts and posts
for several years to come. To facilitate and make reference
accurate these lists were all made out in alphabetical order
under the general headings of " general goods/' " provisions/'
" medicines/' and " stationery/' for imported articles ; and
" country produce " for the manufactures and products of the
country. In the inventories taken at every post in the country
on the 31st day of May, annually, being the close of the Com-
pany's business year, known by them as an "outfit" (for
instance, "outfit 1867"), to the headings above given there
were added " articles in use " and " live stock," and " area
in cultivation." To the number of each article on the inven-
tory were added the numbers received in invoices from York
and transfers from other posts. These added together
showed the receipts, from which the transfers to other posts
and the inventory for the following spring were deducted to
show the expenditure, upon which the indents or requisitions
for the supplies for the coming year or years were based.
Allowance for all kinds of contingencies had also to be made,
such as good or bad years for furs, and possible competition,
involving increased expense in procuring and purchasing the
furs.
The work of preparing these requisitions, upon which
depended the well-being of the trade and the lives of the
employees and the Indians frequenting the posts, which could
only be supplied once a year and afterwards had to be as self-
sufficient as a ship at sea for a whole year, was one requiring
great experience and good judgment, and it was generally
performed with almost prophetic foresight.
The Manufactures of York.
The "country-made articles" consisted chiefly of articles
made at the Factory, such as small and large " Indian axes,"
ice-chisels, fish and muskrat spears, ironwork for boats, and
even nails and tacks, which when they reached the far interior
were worth more than their weight in gold. Everything made
105
THE COMPANY OF ADVEISTTURERS
of tin for service and trade was turned out by the tinsmith
at York, such as half and one pint drinking pots (known as
"porringers"), round and oval pans, open and covered ket-
tles of various sizes, all so made that the smaller sizes "nested"
within those larger, to economize space. The few earthenware
cups and bowls taken into the interior were also without
handles and "nested." There was also a cooper who made the
kegs for the allowances of liquor, rice, raisins, currants, etc.,
and also firkins for butter. So York was really a factory in
these senses of the term.
Packing Goods for Portage.
Only some of the merchandise was packed in London in
packages of convenient size and weight to be carried on men's
backs over the portages. These were called "whole pieces,"
and consisted principally of bales of blankets and cloth with
tarred inside wrappers and tin-lined cases of small hardware ;
kegs of gunpowder (sixty-six and two-third pounds net) and
sugar, chests of tea (of one hundredweight and half a hundred-
weight net) ; rolls and " serons " of tobacco, done up in red-
painted canvas, and weighing one hundredweight; double
canvas bags of ball and shot, each one hundredweight; cases
of yellow soap and long cases of Indian flintlock guns.
Most other articles which came in larger packages from
England were unpacked at the depot and made up in mixed
and assorted bales and cases of the proper kind for inland
transport. The chief danger being damage by water, wreck
and weather, to provide against the whole supply of one
article being so lost or damaged the articles would be divided
among a number of packages, so that an outfit for a post,
which might be fifty white blankets, fifty capotes and one
hundred shirts, etc., would be made up into, say, five bales,
each containing the fifth part of the total supply, and includ-
ing other articles, similarly assorted, to make up the required
bulk or weight. Hardware and breakable things were, of
course, packed in cases or casks, and, no paper or other waste
106
PACKING FURS FOR THE INTERIOR
weight or bulk being allowable, these were wrapped up or
separated by " dry " goods — a bottle of castor oil (one of the
few medicines supplied) was generally enfolded in the coil
of a woollen sash, and so on.
All Eggs Not in One Basket.
The same precautions against having all the eggs in one
basket were taken in packing the furs in the interior. If a
post had, for example, ten silver foxes, one hundred red foxes,
thirty common (unprime) bears, five hundred martens, etc.,
then in ten " packs " of ninety or one hundred pounds each,
there would be in each pack, wrapped up in three bundles
protected by the common bearskins, one silver fox, ten red
foxes, and fifty martens, etc. Likewise in loading a " brigade "
(a number) of boats the cargoes would be assorted, for it
would have been fatal to have the whole supply of gunpowder
sunk in one boat, nor would unassorted ladings be fair to the
crews, for some *^ pieces " could be stowed and handled with
far greater ease than others, and the trim and capacity of the
craft had also to be considered.
Tinware was largely used about the stations, but the strong
and less easily damaged copper kettles, open and covered, were
preferred for travelling. These were of different sizes, the
smaller fitting inside the larger, and, as cargo, were generally
put up in casks.
The unpacking and repacking employed a large number
of the people of the establishment, and the clerks had plenty
employment making out packing accounts and invoices of the
" outfits," the clerical work being done with the greatest neat-
ness and accuracy and checked and rechecked to avoid error,
which would be irremediable in the interior.
Description of the Factory.
The site is five miles from the mouth of Hayes River, and
on its northern or left bank, and the pickets enclosed about
five acres. On the open space between the river bank and the
107
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
high wooden railing on the south side of the enclosure, stood
two twelve-pounder and four smaller brass field pieces on
wooden platforms on each side of the front gate. These guns
and the tall flagstaff, with its topmast, were the only outward
signs of anything military in the place, for the day had long
passed since the French and English had captured and re-
captured the old forts on the Hayes River. The bald facts
have been told by many writers, but never by a pen which has
taken full advantage of the abundant romantic material of
the history of the stirring strife between our gallant and dar-
ing former enemies and present friends, the French — ^aye,
" f oemen worthy of our steel '^ — and the English on the Bay.
They fought for furs, perhaps but dimly conscious that the
battle was for the whole North- West, to which he who held
the Bay held the master-key.
The site of the Factory was a mossy bog originally, and the
" gardens '' within its pickets were artificially formed by plac-
ing thick layers of willows on the moss and covering them
with a layer of soil brought from upstream. Frequent chilly
winds off the Bay checked the growth of the few hardy plants
tried in the gardens. But in a sheltered spot on Ten Shilling
Creek, about three miles further up the river, and nearly a
mile up the creek, there is good soil, where the Company
formerly raised good potatoes, onions, carrots and turnips,
small "peas, and large rhubarb and cabbage. The wild fruits
of the country near the factory consist of cranberries, moss
and gooseberries, red and black currants.
The sides and rear of the enclosure were formed of high
pointed pickets. Inside, running parallel with these, were
rows of buildings, used as stores, dwellings, offices and work-
shops. The whole enclosure was divided into a front and
back quadrangle by the large depot — two hundred feet square
— which faced the front gate. This warehouse was built
with a hollow square or court in the middle, and was
flanked by long low buildings on the right and left, used
108
A HUDSON BAY FORT
as the officers' mess and summer quarters for visitors respec-
tively.
All the buildings were of logs, clapboarded, nicely painted,
and plank walks led to and past them. The whole establish-
ment was beautifully clean and neat; but since then, with the
fallen importance of the place, many of the buildings have
been demolished or have become out of repair.
A Valuable Library.
The library held many valuable old books of travel, with
special reference to those on the Bay and North- West. It was
kept up by subscription, ten shillings a year being contributed
by each clerk, and a smaller sum by such of the men as
patronized it.*
Outside the Pickets.
Outside the pickets, a few paces to the east and near the
river bank, there was a large boat-building and repairing shed.
About half a mile further down along the bank stands the
Indian church of log and clapboard construction. And at
the same distance past the church there was a large powder
magazine — the only stone structure in the place.
The Graveyards.
Across " Schooner Creek," where the schooner was laid up
for the winter, was the old Indian graveyard, upon which the
Hayes River was encroaching and eating away the banks,
while outside of that enclosure, within iron railings set on
stone, arose the tombstone of an old governor of York Fac-
tory, before the union of the North- West and Hudson's Bay
companies. The inscription reads:
* I am informed that although many hooks have heen spoilt
or lost, this lihrary still contains many rare and valuable
volumes. Could not the survivors of the old subscribers ask for
its removal to the custody lof the Provincial Library at Win-
nipeg?
109
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
Sacred
To the Memory of
WILLIAM SINCLAIR, ESQUIRE,
Chief Factor,
Honourable Hudson's Bay Company's Service,
Who Died 20th April, 1818,
Aged 52 Years.
" Behold Thou hast made mine years as an handbreadth, and
my age is as nothing before Thee. Verily, every man at his best
estate is altogether vanity."
Erected as a token of affection by his son.
GovEENOR Sinclair's Descendants.
This old Governor Sinclair is said to have descended from
the old Earls of Orkney. He left a numerous family of sons
and daughters, who married and intermarried with other
Hudson's Bay Company's officers and others throughout the
territories, Canada and Columbia, so that go where one may
in all these regions the ubiquitous descendants of his family
may be found, many occupying leading and influential posi-
tions. Generation after generation of his descendants have
served the Company " with courage and fidelity " till the
present day.
The son who raised the monument was another chief factor,
William Sinclair, whose grandson, John George McTavish
Christie (son of Inspecting Chief Factor William J. Christie,
and grandson of Governor Alexander Christie, of Assiniboia)
is assistant to the fur trade commissioner of the Hudson's
Bay Company in Winnipeg to-day.
The ramifications of old Governor Sinclair's descendants
are wide and varied, but the one who attained the greatest
public eminence was his grandson, the late Sir Edward
Clouston, Bart., of the Bank of Montreal.
110
OFFICIALS OF THE FACTOBY
Officials of the Factory.
Those stationed at York Factory in 1867 were, as I remem-
ber: Joseph W. Wilson, chief factor; Joseph Fortescne, chief
trader; William M. MacKay (1), surgeon and clerk; George
Mowat, clerk, " the second," in charge of the men ; Samuel K.
Parson (2), clerk, accountant; Thomas M. Anderson (3),
clerk, in depot; James S. Eamsay, apprentice clerk; Captain
Tuckee, of the schooner Marten. To these were added my fel-
low-passenger, Alexander Christie, apprentice clerk, and
shortly afterwards Doctor Yarrow and James Hargrave
(4), apprentice clerk, who came from Canada via
Eed Eiver, to York.* Mr. Fortescue had been chief
accountant for years, but had now been promoted
to chief tradership, and appointed to the charge of
Oxford House. Dr. MacKay had volunteered for special
service in Mackenzie Eiver and was about to start on his
long journey.
Passengers to England.
The missionary of the Church of England stationed at
York, the Eev. William Mason, has been already mentioned.
While I was there two of his brethren from the interior
arrived to take passage with their families by the ship to
London, the Eev. Messrs. Taylor and T. T. Smith. Mr. and
Mrs. Alexander Dahl, of Eed Eiver, also arrived to go home
on a visit to Mrs. DahFs relations in England.
In charge of the missionaries on his way to be educated in
Scotland, Christie's little brother, Duncan, had arrived, bring-
ing the sad intelligence of the death of his mother, a lady
whose virtues and high talents had endeared her to every one
having the privilege of knowing her throughout the country.
I grieved for my chum, whose fond anticipations of a happy
* Those surviving 1st May, 1913, are: (1) Dr. McKay, retired
factor, Edmonton; (2) Mr. Parson, retired chief factor, Montreal;
(3) Mr. Anderson, St. Laurent, Manitoba; and (4) Mr. Har-
grave, Medicine Hat.
8 111
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
return home had been so direly disappointed, and for the
little motherless boy going away from his native land. How-
ever, it was for his own good, and he would find a new home
with his grandfather, old Grovernor Christie, in Edinburgh,
and with his uncle, Dr. Isbister, and aunts in London.
The Officers' Mess.
Captain Bishop came and stayed ashore several times, and
so did Mr. MacPherson once, looking quite sheepish when he
beheld the fine fare of fish, ducks, geese and venison spread
on the mess table, at which all the gentlemen mentioned
assembled three times a day. The table was well supplied
with milk from the dairy of the post, and rhubarb, lettuce and
radish raised in the garden. At lunch we had beer or stout,
and at dinner, port and sherry, partaking only of the latter
in responding to a toast, or as sauce for the plum pudding, no
other sauce being provided.
On the walls of the mess-room hung a life-sized oil painting
of the famous Go vernor-in- Chief of Rupert's Land, Sir
George Simpson, and a very large one of the battle of the Nile.
All were placed at the table in order of seniority, we appren-
tice clerks being, of course, near the foot, where the kindly
" second '' Mr. Mowat presided and saw we wanted for nothing
eatable or drinkable, while we listened to the conversation of
our seniors and the missionaries' yarns of the interior, at the
head of the table.
Get Billets and Set to Work.
All the way out we had been eagerly speculating upon the
posts to which we might be allotted by the minutes of council.
We were not long in hearing from Chief Factor Wilson that
Christie was to remain — much to his disgust — at York ; Armit
was down for White Horse Plains in the Red River district,
and esteemed himself lucky; while I was delighted to find
that my main desire in entering the service would be gratified
by my appointment to the buffalo hunting post at the Qu'-
112
A VALUABLE RECORD
Appelle Lakes, in Swan River district, among the wild tribes
of the prairies.
Christie . was at once permanently installed in Bachelors'
Hall, and all three of us were set to work in the office the day
after our arrival, for during ship-time no idlers were suffered
at York. We did not at all relish thus being cooped up in
an office instead of being allowed to get into birch bark
canoes and go in pursuit of game in the marsh. I especially
resented the rule prohibiting any " green hand " to get into
a canoe, of which there were numbers belonging to the
Swampy Cree Indians on the shore.
Minutes of Council.
I don't think our services in the office were of much help
to the regular staff, who took great pains to initiate us into
the style of work. When it was found that I then wrote a
good hand and could copy accurately, as a great honor I was
entrusted with engrossing the minutes of the council of the
Northern Department, 1867, in an immensely strong leather
and brass-bound book, with clasps and a padlock. The min-
utes of many years previous were therein engrossed in beau-
tiful penmanship by various hands, and there was ample
room for the transactions of many years to come. So it was
not only with pride but also with awe that I commenced
operations on this venerable and venerated volume. The mat-
ter, too, was most interesting and instructive, giving the
names, rank, capacity, and stations of every chief factor and
chief trader, clerk, apprentice clerk, and postmaster in the
Department, and all the arrangements for the transportation,
etc., of supplies to each district. The names of those officers
" permitted to retire," and of those to be re-engaged, with
their salaries, were also recorded in the minutes. Grants in
aid of schools and churches, general orders and new regula-
tions, in fact, everything of importance about the future con-
duct of the business had a place in the minutes.
113
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUREES
A Wedding.
A few days after our arrival we were invited to the wedding
of our cheery fellow-passenger, Miss Mason, to the chief
accountant, Mr. Samuel K. Parson, to whom she had been
engaged before her last visit to England. The ceremony was
performed in the Indian church, and a warm reception fol-
lowed in her father's parsonage in the fort. Mr. James S.
Ramsay was best man, and the bridesmaids were Mr. Wilson's
two beautiful girls, Mary and her younger sister.
Kindness and Hospitality.
We were invited to evening parties by Mr. and Mrs. Wilson
and Mr. and Mrs. Mowat, who all did whatever kindness could
suggest to render our stay at York pleasant. In fact, from
the highest to the lowest hand everyone was good to us there.
Chief Trader Fortescue, a very clever man, taking great pains
to instruct us in the office, and Chief Factor Wilson giving
us the benefit of his advice and experience on our conduct in
the interior.
114
THE LATE MISS MARY WILSON.
EMMERLING'S HOTEL. WINNIPEG, 11
CHAPTER VI.
FROM INLAND SEA TO LAKE INLAND— YORK
FACTORY TO NORWAY HOUSE.
Our Chums at York.
We continued in the office and amused ourselves in the even-
ings at York for a fortnight, during which I fraternized with
Anderson and Ramsay in Bachelors' Hall. Anderson was a
son of Chief Trader William Anderson (who had preceded
Mr. Wilson in the charge of the Factory), and had been
educated in Orkney. He retired from the Company's service
many years ago and took up farming at St. Laurent, Lake
Manitoba, where he still resides. One of his brothers is a
farmer at St. Andrews, and another is the Anglican Bishop
of Moosonee — all worthy sons of a worthy sire.
James S. Ramsay was a son of a former minister of Strom-
ness, and another victim of reading the tales of Fenimore
Cooper and R. M. Ballantyne. With Dr. MacKay and my
friend Duncan Matheson, of Swan River, he had been in the
Prince of Wales when she was stranded in 1864 on Mansfield
Island, and her consort, Prince Arthur, was wrecked. The
flatbcttomed Ocean Nymph was in the same squadron at the
time, but escaped injury owing to her light draft, and
assisted in salving.
Subsequently Mr. Ramsay was transferred to the Fort
Garry office, and resigned to take the office of city chamber-
lain, in the newly formed city of Winnipeg, where he died,
a few years later, leaving many friends. He had the distinc-
tion of being the only one who showed his head above the
ramparts of Fort Garry when the 60th Rifles under Wolseley
appeared before them. He was joyfully greeting his deliverers,
116
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURESS
but, being mistaken by the troops for an enemy, he immedi-
ately dropped under the shelter of the parapet.
Shortly before our departure a Red River boat brigade
brought Dr. Yarrow to relieve Dr. MacKay and Mr. James
Hargrave, apprentice clerk, to serve his time at the Factory.
Yarrow was a Scotch M.B. and CM.; Hargrave was from
Ontario, and cousin of Joseph James Hargrave, the historian
of Red River. Mr. Hargrave became a pioneer rancher at
Medicine Hat, where he still lives.
Prepare to Start.
After the arrival of this brigade, under old Guide Kennedy,
Armit and I were told to get ready to take passage in it for
inland. We had bought some heavy blankets during cold
weather on the ship when the captain opened a bale, and we
now bought green ones as counterpanes and pillows in highly-
colored slips ("not to show the dirt"), and were provided
with an oilskin to wrap the bedding in, and another to serve
as a ground sheet in the tent, also provided by the Company.
We had been advised at home not to bring great coats as the
capotes universally worn were much better adapted to the
country. It appeared the approved uniform for clerks on the
boat journey was a greyish blue cloth " Illinois " oapote with
silverplated buttons, and a broad scarlet worsted sash, the
regulation headgear being a fine navy blue cloth cap with
leather peak. We had already been presented with several
pairs of beautiful silk-worked yellow tanned moccasins, in
which we took great pride; so when we had donned the sky-
blue capotes and wrapped the red sashes round our waists
we felt transformed into real voyageurs at last.
Voyaging Outfit and Rations.
Besides the oilcloths and tent, the Company supplied us
with camp cooking and eating utensils, of tin, tinned iron,
and iron. The smaller articles were stowed conveni-
ently in a well-arranged box fitted with tin sugar
116
THE RED RIVEE BRIGADE
and tea cans, etc., called a " canteen ^' as it had
square flagons for wine also. Besides the canteen there was
a keg with a hinged and padlocked top, and a large water-
proof canvas-covered basket, divided into several compart-
ments, in which the provisions for the voyage were also under
lock and key. These consisted of sixteen pounds corned beef,
sixty pounds ship's biscuit, eight loaves of bread, ten pounds
butter, two pounds tallow candles, six pounds cheese, two pork
hams, half-pound mustard, quarter-pound pepper, fifteen
pounds salt pork, twenty pounds loaf sugar, three pounds
Hyson and two pounds Souchong tea, ten salted smoked buf-
falo tongues, ten pounds buffalo dried meat, forty-five pounds
fine buffalo pemmican, and two gallons port wine for each of
us. One of us took sherry instead of port, and the doctor,
as a senior, had brandy and shrub in addition. Out of this
our cook was fed, and both guide and steersman expected a
big share.
The Red River Brigade.
On September 4th, 1867, at two o'clock the brigade of four
inland boats, manned mainly by Swampy Cree Indian trip-
men from Red River Settlement, started for Lower Fort
G-arry from York. The guide, Baptiste Kennedy, a quiet and
pious old man, who held worship with his men throughout
the voyage, having for the steersman of his own boat a big
powerful fellow, named Cameron, while the other boats were
steered by William Prince (afterwards chief of St. Peters),
and men named Spence and Cunningham. The boats were
laden with some private property for the Company's people
and missionaries, and an assorted cargo for the Company,
partly gunpowder and rum. The passengers, obliged to work
their way, were a number of the Highland recruits who had
been our shipmates in the Prince Rupert, and were going
to winter at Norway House, preparatory to being sent further
into the interior next season. These were sent with the Crees
117
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUREES
rather than with the Metis voyageurs in other brigades,
because those Indians were always kinder to the green hands.
Dr. MacKay had volunteered for particular service in the
Mackenzie River district where a number of Indians were suf-
fering from a constitutional disease. He was to winter at
Norway House. He embarked in Prince's boat and had
chosen for his fellow-passenger in the sternsheets James A.
Lang, who, having served five years as tinsmith at the Fac-
tory, was now on his way to settle in Red River, where he
was entitled to a free land grant of fifty acres, in lieu of his
return passage to Scotland.
Mr. Armit (now a retired chief trader, farming at Elphin-
stone, Manitoba) and I were billeted in the guide's boat, in
which Edward Scott, apprentice blacksmith from Orkney
(now living at Fort Frances) and James Thomson, a fisher-
man from the Hebrides, were also passengers. Armit and
I were fortunate in securing as cook for the voyage a fine
active Swampy named Thomas Sandison, who pulled the
stroke oar in our boat.
The Hayes River Route.
Although very much larger streams, neither the Churchill
nor the Nelson afford such a comparatively easy boat and canoe
route into the interior as the Hayes and its affluents. That
pioneer pathfinder of genius, Radisson, therefore selected the
mouth of the Hayes River for the original fur post. Fort
Bourbon, which preceded York Factory. The distance from
York to Norway House on Lake Winnipeg is about four
hundred miles, the ascent seven hundred feet, in which there
are thirty-four portages of from 16 to 1,760, averaging 175,
yards, over which cargoes are carried on men's backs, and
across many of which the boats themselves have to be
dragged. The route lies up the Hayes to its forks, the Sham-
attawa and the Steel; up the Steel to its forks, the Fox and
Hill Rivers, and up the Hill River through Knee and Oxford
Lakes and Franklin River and Echemamis to the height of
118
TEACKIXG UP STEEAM
land at Painted Stone. A short passage over the Painted
Stone is made into the western Echemamis and through Hairy-
Lake and Blackwater Creek into the Nelson Eiver below Sea
Eiver Falls; thence up the Nelson to Little Playgreen Lake,
upon which Norway House is situated.
Tracking Up Stream.
Unless they are favored by a fair wind the boats are towed
up the Hayes by the crew scrambling along the shore through
mud and brush and all kinds of obstacles, the oars being chiefly
used to cross the stream to the side affording the best footing,
which is seldom, if ever, good. Whilst thus " tracking " one-
half of the crew remains aboard, while the other half tracks
ashore, and they relieve each other every half hour. The men
go at a quick pace, and even at a trot whenever the footing
and the current favors them, attaching their portage straps
to the towline and passing the browbands over their "inshore"
shoulders. It takes a good ordinary walker going light to
keep up with them, and the men require strong legs and
lungs and good hearts to keep it up as they do, always seem-
ing in good spirits and ready to laugh at every mishap of
their comrades or themselves. In the long serpentine proces-
sion strung out ashore in advance of the boats the fresh-faced
Highland laddies were harnessed with the brown boatmen,
with whom they gamely kept up in speed and spirit. When-
ever it was cold or rainy these recruits could always be dis-
tinguished by the white blanketing capotes, faced with blue
and piped with scarlet, which was their regulation costume.
Generally they were in high glee, attempting to teach Graelic
words to the Crees and learning scraps of Indian in exchange,
with laughable results on both sides.
The Spur op Eivalry.
Of course, in this work, as in all other operations of the
voyageur, there is keen competition between the men, and
especially between the crews of different boats. This spirit
119
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
of emulation leads them to perform wonders, and in the
absence of another boat or boats, a single boat's crew will
never make so smart a voyage as when in company and com-
petition with others. An ordinary boat's crew are also unable
to haul their boat over land across a portage by themselves,
so as a rule, a single boat with a single crew is never sent on
a voyage where these obstacles occur.
By Strength and Skill.
Whether tracking up against an ordinary current with a
codline or slowly hauling, inch by inch, against the force of a
rapid or fall with a whale or " main " line, the labor requires
strength; and both strength and skill are required in rowing
and poling up stream, and in running, at a trot, with two
" pieces " — two hundred pounds — across a portage. Besides
the activity, strength, spirit, and endurance required by these
duties, the men had to be as hardy as a water-dog and as
ready to plunge in, whether tracking, embarking, or disem-
barking, or to lift and push the barge over shallows and up
rapids.
Fortitude in Distress.
Added to this strenuous toil, wet or dry, in heat or cold,
and tormented most of the time by mosquitoes and black-
flies, these hardy voyageurs endured, unflinchingly and with
fortitude, agonies from hands blistered by the» oar and feet
lacerated by rough and sharp stones on land and in water.
Despite these wounds and bruises the men made it a point
of honor to keep on working when absolute rest and removal
of the cause were the remedies imperatively indicated by the
symptoms.
Their Food.
From dawn tx) dusk the toil continued, day after day, on a
diet which ordinary laborers to-day might consider not fit for
dogs. The dried and partially pulverized beef of the buffalo
mixed with its melted tallow composed the highly nutritious
120
THE CUP THAT CHEERS
pemmican, which, plain or mixed with flour in " rouchou ^' or
"mbabou/' appeased their splendid appetites and was con-
verted by their vigorous stomachs into the energy required for
their mighty exertions. Flour bannocks, baked with water
and a little pemmican grease, without any rising, and, gen-
erally, only half " done," by exposing them on twigs and
frying pans before the camp fire, were a luxury attained by
the boatmen starting from Red River and York Factory
which was denied to their fellows in the interior, where the
flour of wheat was as scarce and more valuable than flour gold,
and animal food, generally dried, was the only sustenance
afforded by the country, and their sole reliance.
The Black Cup That Cheers.
But the thing which restored their strength and^ spirits
more rapidly than eatables was " the cup that cheers " in the
form of immense draughts of strong black tea. The first quaff
of this beverage, seldom with sugar, worked marvels, and
toil and fatigue seemed at once forgotten. They were conse-
quently lavishly fond of the beverage, and so generally im-
provident of their allowance as to run short before reaching
the next available source of supply.
Muscle-Driven Transport.
The force supplied by steam to-day in transportation was
in those days furnished by the muscles of the men as just
described. Tribute has been paid to their almost superhuman
exertions and endurance by such famous travellers as Sir
John Franklin and Sir George Simpson, and lest we forget
these pioneers of railways and of nations — ^the grand old
voyageurs — the testimony of those two authorities is quoted :
On his voyage up from York Factory, in 1819, Franklin
writes : " It is not easy for any but an eye-witness to form
an adequate idea of the exertions of the Orkney boatmen in
the navigation of this river. The necessity they are under of
121
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUREES
frequently jumping into the water, to lift the boats over the
rocks, compels them to remain the whole day in wet clothes,
at a season when the temperature is far below the freezing
point. The immense loads, too, which they carry over the
portages, is not more a matter of surprise than the alacrity
with which they perform these laborious duties."
Sir George Simpson, who urged the French- Canadian voy-
ageurs of his flying canoe from York Factory to the Pacific
Ocean in thirty-eight days, says : " Such was the routine of
our journey, the day, generally speaking, being divided into
six hours^ rest and eighteen hours' labor. This almost incred-
ible toil the voyageurs bore without a murmur, and almost
invariably with such hilarity of spirit as few men could sus-
tain for a single afternoon. But the quality of the work even
more decidedly than the quantity requires operatives of iron
mould."
The Swampy Crees who manned our brigade were cast in
like mould to the Orkneymen praised by Franklin and the
French-Canadians extolled by Simpson. There were no bet-
ter boatmen, none more amenable to orders, and their good
nature was shown in their treatment of the young Scotsmen
who were working their passage in the brigade and being
initiated into the new labors and hardships of the life they
were entering upon in the interior.
The Highland Laddies.
It was pleasing to see how soon the Scottish mountaineers
and the American Muskagoes got on good terms with each
other. Some of the former had not the two talks, while all
the Swampies knew more or less English, generally the Orkney
dialect. Their attempts to make themselves mutually under-
stood were, therefore, very amusing. The finding of a few
words in Gaelic and Cree, which sounded somewhat alike but
had entirely different meanings, afforded great delight as
exquisite jokes, which time could not wither nor custom
stale by infinite repetition. Perhaps in a moment of fierce
122
> 3 '>:>■)■>
^ I
< I
3 d
OUR FIRST CAMP
"forcing" (a common tripper's term), such as when a
heavy boat is being dragged uphill came to a standstill in
spite of all efforts, one of the Crees would suddenly shout his
rendering of the amusing Gaelic word, and instantly, in
response, there would be a simultaneous yell from both
races, and with it the boat would be dragged exultingly over
the obstacle. The Highlanders were lively and active and
seemed to adapt themselves to their new conditions and pick
up both the Indian and French languages more readily than
their staider brethren from the Orkneys.
OuB First Camp.
We pushed off into the stream and set our square dipping
lug sail to a fair breeze which carried us slowly along till
evening, when we camped near Ten Shilling Creek, on the
bare stones and boulders of the beach, in a downpour of rain,
which lasted all night, and rendered our first night under
canvas, unprepared as we were, very uncomfortable. The
campfire was a miserable little one of driftwood, and we were
glad to accept the invitation of the doctor to his tent to have
supper. As a campaigner of three years' experience, the
doctor had everything comfortably arranged in his tent, and
had had a fine ham and some delicious cured buffalo tongues
cooked before leaving the Factory. After disposing of these
and fortifying ourselves with wine, Lang brought forth a
concertina, upon which he was no mean performer, and we all
joined in a sing-song till about ten o'clock, when we were
surprised by Chief Trader Fortescue suddenly arriving in a
canoe with papers to be placed in the packet box for Red
River. We sat at the feet of Mr. Fortescue for hours there-
after listening to his clever and entertaining descriptions of
life in the interior.
Yelling " 'Leve, 'Leve.''
At an unearthly hour next morning, Sandison rattled the
cold, wet tent down about our ears, and startled us from
1^3
THE COMPAISrY OF ADVENTUEEES
rosy sleep to the shivering realities of getting up and dressing
in the open air of a chill, damp dawn. We scrambled aboard,
where we found in the sternsheets a steaming kettle of tea
and some biscuits which he had provided for our early break-
fast. The boats started under oars, but the crews soon com-
menced the long and laborious job of tracking up the Hayes.
The river was about half a mile wide, with a current too
strong to make headway rowing against it. The banks were
of clay and got steeper and higher as we advanced, with
sometimes a wet, muddy beach and often none, when the poor
fellows were obliged to scramble as best they could along the
steep slopes in mud and through brush, driftwood, and land-
slips, while we on board took our ease as the boat slipped
smoothly along.
The Scenery Improves*
The tamarack, spruce, poplar and willows growing along
the bank became of larger growth as we proceeded up stream.
The scenery changed to beauty and variety. All vegetation
had begun to put on the glorious hues of autumn. The
weather, improving day by day and continuing delightful,
with scarcely a break throughout the journey, rendered the
travelling to us as mere passengers most enjoyable. The
Steel Eiver is three hundred yards wide where we left the
Hayes, and its banks are, though higher, less steep than
those of the latter, rendering the tracking ground easier, but
the stream is more obstructed by rapids and shoals.
Absence of Game.
The Steel winds its serpentine course through a lovely
valley, then adorned with the varying shades of the season
of the fall of the leaf in North America. The novel experi-
ence of this new country and mode of travel, and the ease
and comfort we had now attained afloat and ashore in camp
fulfilled all our fond anticipations of life in the wilderness.
But to our intense disappointment there appeared to be a
124
ABSENCE OF GAME
total absence of the game, the pursuit of which had been our
chief lure into exile. The noise of the boatmen shouting and
laughing as they went along tracking, and the rattling of our
oars in the tholes and their splashing in the water, scared all
game away. Ducks in the river ahead would take flight as
the string of noisy boatmen marching in advance of the boats
approached, and other game in the woods were equally
alarmed by the unwonted noise of our intrusion; so it was
only that mass of nothing but feathers and impudence, the
ubiquitous " Whiskey Jack," which, presuming on its being
no good and unworthy of powder and shot, ever gave us a
chance to shoot, while under way.
Arm it was a very ardent sportsman, however, and kept keen
watch and ward for a shot in spite of continual disappoint-
ment. So he succeeded in bagging about four ducks and one
mink between York and Norway House. We both missed
a red fox, and were successful in trolling for pike, which
furnished a welcome and much appreciated addition to our
usual bill of fare. As we passed through the narrow grassy
channels of the Echemamis, near the watershed at Painted
Stone, the rabbits were numerous and in good condition too,
and we had some satisfactory sport there.
Picturesque Hill Eiver.
We made good progress, reaching the mouth of the Steel on
the second day from York, and entering the Hill River two
days afterwards. The Hill was shallow and rapid, the men
often having to jump out and lift and push the boat over
the shallows, and pole and warp up the rapids. The banks
are higher than those of the Steel and more broken in outline,
the clay cliffs some ninety feet high, surmounted by hills two
hundred feet higher, but the woods were too thick to give
any view further back. At Rock Portage the river is pent up
by islands, between which it rushes down in many cascades
of rare beauty. On the 8th we arrived at the site of the old
depot for the Selkirk Settlement, Rock House, long since
125
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUREBS
abandoned, which was in charge of Mr. Bunn, the ancestor of
the well-known Red River family, in 1819, when Franklin
passed it and stored some of his supplies there.
The "Tracking Grounds^' being now passed, we entered
into the fight with the rushing river by poling, warping and
portaging up and over the many rapids and cascades formed
by the rocky nature of the country. At Morgan's Portage
the Hill River expands to three-quarters of a mile, and its
low, flat, rocky banks permit of a wide and extensive view for
the first time since leaving the sea coast. Among a multitude
of conical hills scattered about, one of six hundred feet towers
over the rest, and has given name to the river. From its
summit over thirty lakes can be seen. The low-lying islands
covered with spruce, birch, poplar and willow right to the
water's edge, in their green, yellow and russet foliage, with
babbling brooks and dancing cascades between, entranced the
eye. We landed for dinner on one of these islet gems of the
wilderness. Under an azure sky we lounged luxuriously on
velvety couches of emerald moss, and I fain would have had
the friends we had left behind in Scotland there to admire
the perfect picture and partake of our picnic.
"With a Long, Strong Pull.'"
So day after day the crews rowed, poled, pushed, warped
and carried upstream, in all which laborious operations we
delighted to assist whenever a long, long pull and a strong,
strong pull was required. Our best assistance was in rowing,
when our oar, aft of that of the stroke in the stern, used to
send our boat ahead of her competitors. At poling and warp-
ing up a rapid we were of some service, too, but at carrying,
after almost wringing our necks in trying to imitate the
voyageurs, we limited ourselves to shouldering the oars (which
the tripmen considered the worst load) over the portages. In
all these ways, too, " the recruits from Europe " assisted, and
willingly worked their passage to the best of their skill, the
mastery of the portage strap being the hardest to acquire.
1^6
MEET A PORTAGE BRIGADE
A Sailing Race on Knee Lake.
We had a fine, long stretch under sail on Knee Lake, where
we enjoyed all the excitement of a regatta with the boats
competing in a sailing race to the head of the lake. The
crews, except the steersmen, all went to sleep, a well-merited
repose, while the passengers tried every expedient in trim-
ming the sails and the cargo of our rival crafts to outsail
each other. After a while one of the Indians fished out a
battered violin, which had seen much service and had evidently
travelled considerably. This tuning up soon roused several
of his companions from their slumbers, and they started to
pound out the Red River jig on the bowsman's stand in the
bow. The shaking spoilt the way of the boat, the wind being
light, and we dropped astern of our rivals whilst the dance
went on. I wished my friends, the bosun and the Frenchman
of the Prince Rupert, had been .there to get some fresh ideas
in tripping the light fantastic toe.
The "Long'' Portage Brigade Passes.
On the 17th of September we made a portage past Trout
Falls, a sixteen-foot drop, and while at dinner above it we
heard the regular rattling of oars at a distance, heralding the
coming of a brigade down stream. Very soon the Portage la
Loche brigade of four boats flashed past, and taking the
cascade at full speed, disappeared one after the other over
the brink, with a final flourish of the steering oar. The boats
were under the veteran Red River guide, Baptiste Bruce, and
manned by Metis, all gaily decorated in fancy shirts and
feathers, just as they had embarked that morning at Oxford,
after a ball, attended by the beauty and fashion of that vicin-
ity, which had been kept up till daylight. As the crews
swung to their oars in dashing style, they seemed as able to
row all day as to dance all night. I subsequently found that
dog-drivers were equally able to run all day and to dance all
night, taking great pride in the double performance.
a 127
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEERS
Oxford House.
We reached Oxford House on Holey (not Holy as it is often
spelt) Lake* that evening, and spent the next day there,
refitting. The post stands on high ground at some distance
from the water's edge, and commands a lovely view of the
lake and its varied islands. There were fields off which fine
crops of barley and potatoes had heen taken, and a garden
which produced all common vegetables of first-rate quality.
We were most hospitably received by Mr. Outhbert Sinclair
— who was holding the fort till Mr. Fortescue's arrival from
York — and Mr. William Isbister, of Island Lake post ; and the
table was laden with game and fruit from the forest, vegetables
from the garden, and delicious trout from the lake, besides
fresh butter, cream and milk from the dairy. Of course our
boatmen took advantage of their stay there to invite the
belles from the bush to an all-night dance, and the thumping
of their jigging feet reached our camp on the lakeside all
through the stilly night.
Through Hell Gates.
Bidding adieu to our kind entertainers, we left Oxford
House on the 19th, under sail, and crossed the lake. Next
day we entered the narrow chasm, bounded by sheer cliffs of
eighty feet, for three-quarters of a mile, and called by the
terrible name of Hell Gates. Whilst quietly pushing through
this wild and gloomy defile, where it was too narrow for row-
ing, the sudden shriek of a Cree catchword, with a Gaelic
twang, aroused its echoes, and being at once received with
ringing and resounding laughter by the whole brigade, caused
an aerial tumult fit for pandemonium proper. Crossing the
Upper and Lower Hell Portages, we camped at the foot of the
White Fall, or Robinson's Portage, on the 21st. The portage,
over which all cargo is carried, is a mile long, over a level but
slippery path, along which we noted the wrecks of several of
♦ Named because of a deep place in it, said to be bottomless!
128
TOURNAMENTS OF THE TRIPMEN
the quaint Red River carts, with which I was soon to make
long and intimate acquaintance. It was said these vehicles
had been put on the portage in 1846 to help Colonel Crof ton's
troops, and those who succeeded them, over the carrying-place.
Another tradition was that they were the relics of an attempt
(which came to grief) made in the 1830's to improve the
transportation between Norway House and York Factory by
a road overland part of the way.
Tournaments of the Tripmen.
In those days the measure of a man was his courage,
strength and skill as boatman on the river or hunter on the
plain, and men were always ready to prove these qualities by
vying with their fellows.
While the fierce conflict raged between the great rival com-
panies, champion prize-fighters were kept in the train of the
opposing ofiicers, and when these met, a battle of giants was
witnessed by the partisans of the opposite sides. Marvellous
traditions of these encounters were handed down from genera-
tion to generation of voyageurs, but these had become so dis-
torted by racial leanings by the time the legends reached my
ears, that the French and English versions were entirely at
variance as to victor and vanquished.
Even after the union of the Nor'-Westers and the Hudson's
Bays the custom lingered, the rivalry between different dis-
tricts succeeding that between the warring companies. More-
over, long after the plumed and pampered professional " bull-
yars " had disappeared from the lists the desire to emulate
their performances would crop up, and the old ceremony would
be revived by some aggrieved or perhaps merely vain voy-
ageur defying all enemies and competitors.
At some encampment, portage or post, arrayed in all his
finery with a plume of colored cocktail feathers on his head,
the challenger would parade, "chanting the cock '' {chantant
le coq), in defiance of the best man {le meilleur) within hear-
ing. But the challenge was generally addressed to " le meil-
129
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEERS
leur " of the offending district, the men of which were known
by such nicknames as "Les Blaireaux," or badgers of Sas-
katchewan ; " Les Cygnes," or Swans of Swan River ; " Les
Rabisca/' of Athabasca ; or " Les Gens de la Grande Riviere,"
of Mackenzie River.
But in the year of grace, 1867, of which I am writing, the
days of these ancient Homeric struggles were nearly over, and
the race of the swift and the battle of the strong and many
a quarrel during the year was left to be decided at the White
Fall on the annual voyage to York Factory. So the slippery
trail, stretching for a mile over that portage, became the arena
on which bets, challenges and quarrels were settled, by com-
peting in carrying the biggest loads in the shortest time. It
was also the track upon which a novice had to undergo the
ordeal to qualify as a first-class tripping man, by running
without a stop, with a load of two hundred pounds on his
back, from one end of it to the other, and repeating the
round till his share of the boat-load — twelve hundred pounds
—had been carried across.
The Height of Land.
The boats had to be dragged overland at this place, where
we spent a whole day. Leaving the White Fall, passing
through the river where Franklin was nearly drowned, and
since named after him, through several lakes connected by
narrow streams winding through a grassy marshland, being
the eastern part of Echemamis ("a stream running two ways,^')
we reached the divide between the head waters of the Hayes
and the Upper Nelson River at Painted Stone Portage during
the 23rd. The portage here is short, over an even rock, and
then we began to descend the Echemamis, which is a narrow
and winding stream through a great grassy marsh, with tall
reeds and rushes and willows on each side, the latter some-
times forming an arch over it. Here and there were rude
dams, which we opened and closed as we passed through.
Some of these were the works of beaver originally, but the
130
ANCIENT BEAVEK DAMS
Indians could not be restrained from slaughtering these
engineering animals, and the dams had to be kept in repair
by the Company.
The Echemamis took ns to Hairy (Bulrush) Lake, the out-
let of which, Blackwater Creek, led us to the Sea Eiver branch
of the great Nelson Eiver, here four hundred yards wide, with
muddy white water. Sailing up the Nelson * with a good
breeze, we portaged at Sea Eiver Falls, and, continuing under
sail up stream to Little Playgreen Lake, we arrived at Nor-
way House on the 24th of September, three weeks' journey
from York Factory.
* From Knee Lake to Nelson River we passed through a
Huronian formation in which great mineral wealth may yet be
discovered.
131
CHAPTER VII.
NORWAY HOUSE AND ACROSS LAKE WINNIPEG.
Norway House.
Norway House is beautifully situated upon one of the
rocky islands of Little Playgreen Lake, near the mouth of the
Jack River, so often resorted to in times of distress by the
persecuted people of Lord Selkirk's colony at Red River. The
first post of the Hudson's Bay Company in the vicinity had
been opposite Mossy Point, where the great outlet of Lake
Winnipeg, Nelson River, begins to send the mighty waters of
the Saskatchewan, the Red and the Winnipeg Rivers into the
North American Mediterranean — Hudson Bay.
The fishery of the old fort was at Jack River, and finding
it more convenient for the fort to move to the fishery than for
the fish — the staple food — to be moved to the fort, Norway
House was established in its present site. The island is now
overgrown with white clover, which, originating in the square
of the fort from some hay in which crockery had been packed
in England, was spread by the cows eating it to the native
pastures, and has now very largely taken their place. There
is a story, too, of a Norway rat having been transplanted in
the same manner, but this pioneer perished, unwept, while
the growth of clover persisted and gave to the milk and butter
and beef of the establishment a fine flavor.
Norwegians.
The name of the post was first '^ Jack River " and is said
to have received its present designation in honor of a large
number of Norwegian recruits for the Company's service hav-
ing been for some time stationed there. Many years after-
132
NORWEGIAN CONVICTS AS RECRUITS
ward — in the 1850's and early 1860's sometime — a mutiny,
which occurred among other Norwegians there, is one of the
historic events told round Hudson Bay men's campfires. Many
of the men engaged in Norway were splendid fellows and
well adapted for the service, but the agent employed to procure
the recruits there appeared to have thought more of the head
money allowed for his service by the Company than the moral
character of the men he engaged. Tradition avers that the
Norwegian authorities got rid of many of their able-bodied
convicts by permitting them to be deported as recruits for the
Hudson's Bay Company's service. On one occasion fifty or
sixty of them refused to disembark at York Factory, and
compelled the ship's company to take them back to Europe.
On another occasion others deserted from Moose Factory, and
of these the majority perished in the wilds in an effort to
reach civilization in Canada.
"Divide and Rule.^'
In a wild country, where the personality of the master of
a post, frequently entirely unsupported by any subordinate
officer, alone maintained discipline and order, it had become
a general rule, in view of possible mutiny, to man every post
by men of different nationalities and races, as affording less
liability to combined strikes or actions. Even a large num-
ber of the usually obedient Orkneymen at one post was unde-
sirable for this reason, and the more impulsive and clannish
Highlanders were more apt to " buck against the boss " when
more than two or three were gathered together. The Indians
engaged were generally chosen for exceptional docility, but the
French^Canadian and Metis voyageurs, who were nearly
always in the majority, were often difficult to manage suc-
cessfully.
The same rule — " divide to govern " — was that adopted in
the management, by the Company, of the Indian tribes. By
diplomatic favors of various kinds full advantage was taken
of the mutual jealousies between different tribes, between
133
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
septs and families in these tribes, and by setting up Com-
pany's chiefs and headmen in opposition to the natural lead-
ers amongst them, to prevent any united action which the
few whites would have been utterly unable to successfully
combat by force of arms.
Important Base.
From the place of an ordinary post on the Hudson's Bay
Company's line of communication between York Factory and
the inland districts, after the coalition of the companies had
diverted the traffic of the North- West partners from the
canoe route by Lake Superior to the boat route from Hudson
Bay, the post at Jack River grew to be the great inland depot
and assumed the official name of Norway House. In its ware-
house was stored the outfit for Mackenzie River District,
which, after being received from London in August and re-
packed during the winter at York Factory, was freighted to
Norway House during the following season of navigation
and stored there for the winter, in readiness to be forwarded
during the succeeding summer to Portage la Loche by the Red
River Brigade, which brought farm and other country pro-
duce from Fort Garry for use and distribution at Norway
House.
At Portage la Loche the merchandise brought there, about
the first of August, was exchanged for the returns of furs of
the Mackenzie River District, which had been traded during
the preceding winter at the posts east of the Rocky Moun-
tains, and those of the posts beyond them, in the Yukon,
which had been secured two years before, and had been
hauled by dog trains over the divide to Fort McPherson
during the winter. As the trading supplies, " the outfit " for
the Yukon posts were sent over the mountains from Fort
McPherson during the winter, and, if no delay occurred the
furs reached York Factory by the Red River brigade, on its
return, and were shipped to London in September, to be sold
there in January and March, it will be seen that from four
134
FIRST HUDSON^S BAY ROAD
to seven years intervened between the purchase of the sup-
plies in London and the conversion of the resulting furs into
cash.
Until the Council of 1831 directed that Norway House
should become the depot for Athabasca as well as Mackenzie
River, men coming from and returning to posts on the Upper
Peace River served in the Athabasca Brigade, going to York
Factory with the furs and returning with " the outfit.'^ At
first their boats were drawn back and forth across the twelve
miles of muskeg and sand and the eight hundred feet hill of
Portage la Loche ; but subsequently two sets of boats, one on
each side of this really "Long^' portage, were provided, and
the voyageurs who had dragged the boats across the divide
and made the longer journey to York Factory, considered
carrying cargo only over it and going merely to Norway
House child's play compared with their former labors.
The First Hudson's Bay Road.
Freighting between Norway House and York Factory for
the benefit of these districts was carried on by brigades
equipped at both depots, and manned principally by Swampy
Indian tripmen ; while the transport of supplies to and from
Red River was largely performed by two-decked sailing crafts,
of light draft and twelve tons burden, manned by crews who
wintered at Norway House. These were employed for some
years in cutting out a winter road, between Oxford House
and the head of the tracking ground on the Hayes River, to
avoid the multitude of rapids and portages intervening in
summer. After a number of winters' work on this overland
road, superintended by Chief Factor Lewis at Oxford, and
assisted by men and material from York and Norway House,
this project, which at first appeared to promise a great reduc-
tion in freight charges and a general benefit to the country,
was abandoned; but the straight clearing made through the
thick bush is still visible in many places to this time. It will
be unusual if this old trail be not yet followed by some rail-
135
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
way en route for the Bay, just as the old Red River cart
trails have been so often succeeded by the railways on the
prairies, in following the line of least resistance.
Besides being a receiving and distributing depot, the estab-
lishment built boats for other districts ; and other boats built
at* Rocky Mountain House at the head waters of the Sas-
katchewan and coming down laden with leather and with
pemmican and dried meat, to be given at Norway House to
districts where the buffalo were not, and to the boats' crews as
rations, were turned over for general service at Norway House.
These Saskatchewan boats were floated down with half crews,
which on their return upstream, assisted by the European
recruits for the Columbia department, provided full crews for
the other boats, retained by the Saskatchewan district.
Where East and West Meet.
Norway House continued to grow in importance as the
inland centre from which the whole boat transportation system
of the Northern Department was controlled and at which it
focussed. It advanced a big stride when it, instead of the
distant York Factory, became the regular annual meeting-
place of the officers coming from and returning to such
immense distances as Fort Vancouver at the mouth of the
Columbia River, New Caledonia, and Mackenzie River.
To the inland depot on Playgreen Lake there came in state
by flying express canoes manned by mighty French- Canadian
and Iroquois voyageurs, bearing the great Governor Simpson
from Montreal. Other great voyageurs coming from Colum-
bia, New Caledonia, Mackenzie River, Athabasca, Saskatch-
ewan, Swan River, Red River, and Lac la Pluie, brought their
bourgeois to Norway House, and were welcomed with
regales of rum on arrival.
While the grandees were holding solemn conclave in the
council hall, and sealing the fates and fortunes of the fur
trade and its engages for the year, the voyageurs in the
encampments outside the stockades held high festival, frater-
136
A YORK BOAT— SAILING.
A YORK BOAT— ROWING.
MANNING THE BOATS
nized with old long-separated comrades, related and discussed
the news of the uttermost parts of the wilderness from which
they had here converged, engaged in friendly trials of strength
and skill, boat and canoe races, and the great annual fair
nearly always ended in a battle between the rival prize-fighters
of the different brigades.
The Old Transportation Problem.
The officer in charge of Norway House as chief of inland
transport occupied an arduous position. The movements of
the brigades had to be so regulated that those starting from
points as far^ apart as Norway House on Lake Winnipeg, and
Fort McPherson on the Mackenzie, should meet within a day
or two of each other at Portage la Loche. People who have
never been without the convenience of regular mails and tele-
graphs in the civilized world can form little conception of
the skill and care required to conduct such transport opera-
tions in a wild country where communication between the
officers at each end of the long line of travel only took place
twice a year. The operations were very similar to those
planned by a great military commander in the days before
electric messages.
Manning the Boats.
Besides these complications there was always the difficulty
of finding men willing to man the boats. The expense of
keeping men with big families all the year round for the
purpose of freighting in the open season only, was ruinous,
except at such places as buffalo and whitefish abounded. The
chief supply of voyageurs for general service during the sum-
mer was derived from the Metis of the Eed Eiver colony,
whose ambition was to be counted as good a boatman on the
river as he had proved hunter on the plain. Unless one had
made the trip creditably to " the Long Portage " he was not
counted and could not without challenge have the right and
title to proclaim himself on festive occasions to be a man —
137
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
" Je suis un homme." To earn this eclat he was willing,
after the proceeds of the fall buffalo hunt had been wasted
away in more or less riotous living, to engage during the
winter for the trip to Long Portage and thence to York
Factory to catch the ship. Besides the desire for glory as a
voyageur, the temptation of procuring a large advance on his
wages, in the shape of decorative raiment and rum from Fort
Garry, was not to be resisted. When the time to start had come
such a man would have managed, by continual coming to the
store, to draw nearly all the wages which he was yet to earn.
The Bucking Brigades.
Then the trouble began. The Red River officials had the
time of their lives every June to coax, persuade and tljireaten
those who wished to back out of their engagement and betake
themselves to the buffalo plains. The people of Fort Garry
would heave a deep sigh of relief as the last boat of the brigade
disappeared round Point Douglas, but trouble travelled with
the brigade to torment the master at the Lower Fort, and so
on at every post along the line, where supplies w^hich these
improvident men desired could be had. The climax, however,
was always reached at Norway House, both on the outward
and the downward voyage, and never a season passed — in later
years they got worse and worse — without a rebellion of the
" Long Portage brigade " at Norway House. The officer in
charge had then to use his best wits and diplomacy to prevent
a general collapse of the transport system through these
strikes. Sometimes they were persuaded or bribed to complete
their voyage. On more than one occasion they refused to wait
for the Mackenzie River boats at the Long Portage and
returned light, or else refused to take the furs down to York
Factory from Norway House.
When the strike was general, of course the officials were
powerless to resist. But when only a few malcontents started
and tried to incite the others to join, it was sometimes quickly
settled by giving the ringleaders a good licking, and such
138
OLD YORK BOAT FREIGHT RATES
fellows were less likely to start trouble when they knew that
they had a fearless officer, handy with his fists, like Chief
Factor Stewart, to face.
The Old York Boat Freight Rates.
It will be of interest to compare these with the much-com-
plained-of railway rates of the present day.
The freight rates authorized by the minutes of the Council
of 1831, chargeable by the district performing the service
against another, and subsequently adopted for the payment
of the Red River settlers who engaged as contractors in the
business were:
For " piece ^' of ninety pounds, from York Factory to Red
River, 18s., or $4.50; from York Factory to Xorway House,
14s., or $3.50 ; from York Factory to Oxford House, 10s., or
$2.50 ; from Oxford House to Norway House, 4s., or $1 ; from
Norway House to Red River, 4s., or $1; from Red River to
Norway House, Is., or 25 cents; from Norway House to
Oxford House, 2s., or 50 cents; from Oxford House to York
Factory, 3s., or 75 cents.
By the standing regulations the lading of a boat was not
less than seventy "pieces" cargo, exclusive of the allowance
for passengers and their effects. The allowance for chief
factors and chief traders was ten pieces, for chief clerks five
pieces, for junior clerks and postmasters three pieces.
The annual equipments of clothing, etc., supplied from the
depot to the officers and employees in the interior, at cost or
a little over, were limited in weight to one-half the above
number of pieces, that of the employees under the rank of
postmaster being one piece. Anything over these limits was
charged to their private accounts as follows:
Per " piece " of ninety pounds, from York Factory to
Mackenzie River, 50s., or $12.50; to Athabasca, 40s., or $10;
to Saskatchewan (Edmonton House), English River (He a la
Crosse), Lac la Pluie (Fort Frances), Upper Red River
(Brandon House), 30s., or $7.50; to Swan River (Lakes
139
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
Manitoba, Winnipegosis and Fort Pelly), and to Red River
Settlement, 18s., or $4.50; to Lake Winnipeg posts, 18s., or
$4.50; to Norway House, 14s., or $3.50; to Oxford House,
10s., or $2.50; to Nelson River, 10s., or $2.50; to Churchill
and Severn, 2s., or 50 cents.
The rates of pay given to the boatmen for the whole season
were: £16 ($80) for steersmen, £14 ($70) for bowsmen, and
£12 ($60) for middlemen. For the trip from Red River to
York Factory and return the rates were, respectively, $40, $35
and $30 for these classes. These were the wages of men hired
for these limited periods only, and they were paid partly in
cash, but chiefly in goods priced much higher than those sold
once a year to the regular yearly servants as "private orders
for equipments." As the rates of annual pay to the regular
servants employed as boatmen were at about the same rate
for the time, and they largely occupied themselves during the
rest of the year in providing food and fuel for themselves, and
their large families, maintained all the year round at the
Company's expense, their position was much better than that
of the temporary servants, or tripmen.
Wintering and Training Recruits.*
Most of the green hands, or, in the language of the
minutes of Council, " the recruits from Europe," intended for
service in the remoter interior were sent inland to pass their
first winter. A few of these were sent to Swan River district,
but the majority wintered at Norway House, where they were
initiated into the work for which they individually might
appear best fitted. A number went to the sawyers' shanty to
* Before 1840, instead of those required for service on the
Columbia and New Caledonia being sent by the Pacific, they
were selected on landing at York and worked their way up to
the Saskatchewan, in a boat with two experienced men left an-
nually for the purpose. After wintering in the Saskatchewan,
next summer they accompanied the party taking the leather
supplied yearly to New Caledonia, and the otter skins to pay
the rent of the strip of Russian America IcEised by the Hudson's
Bay Company.
140
DEAFTIXG THE BEIGADES
provide plank for boat building, etc. Others assisted the fish-
ermen, and so on. After passing through this course of
setting-up drill they were drafted into the brigades as voy-
ageurs and expected to perform full duty as such, portaging
or otherwise. The majority of those who wintered at Norway
House were drafted into Athabasca and Mackenzie Eiver,
where they were preferred to the French-Canadians because
these only enlisted for three years instead of five, and when
leaving seldom got out to Norway House in time to obtain
a return passage in the canoes going by Lake Superior to
Montreal.
The drill sergeant of these recruits was the " second " at
Norway House, and during the time of trial of both drilled
and driller while Mr. Cuthbert Sinclair (a native of Ked
Eiver, whom we passed at Oxford, where he was then in
temporary charge till Mr. Fortescue's arrival) was the
" second " everyone of the Scottish lads who served under
him had a good word to say of his impartial kindness and
good treatment of them, which was received the more grate-
fully because so many others were wont to make fun of the
green hands and their ignorance of new work and conditions,
some of their own countrymen being often the worst in that
way.
Place Well-kept, with Fine Gakden.
The place was in apple-pie order in 1867, and I believe it
is still decently preserved, unlike York Factory, which is now
the mere wreck of its former self. The photograph herewith
is a good one, and beyond the buildings shown there was a
very fine vegetable garden, which Chief Factor James Green
Stewart took pride in showing us. There were many berry
bushes in it, too, and a sundial, erected by one of the Arctic
explorers, in passing.
The large summer-house for visiting officers and the Coun-
cil chamber of the Northern Department were under one roof
but at opposite ends of the building. After York Factory
141
THE COMPANY OF ADYENTUKEES
had ceased to be the regular meeting-place, the Council came
to be held usually at this place and only occasionally in Eed
River Settlement at Lower Fort Garry. We were lodged for
the time in the summer-house, and were invited to the chief
factor's own bungalow that evening for music and bagatelle
and refreshments. He was the soul of hospitality, looking
every inch of his tall stature the officer and the gentleman.
Mr. Stewart came of one of the best old families of Quebec.
He had served in the rebellion there in 1837 and was full of
military spirit. He was a splendid snowshoe walker and
traveller, and as such had been accepted as second on the
Arctic expedition in search of Franklin under Chief Factor
James Anderson, of Mackenzie River, for which he bore Queen
Victoria's (octagonal) medal " For Arctic Exploration, 1818-
1852."
To anticipate in my narrative: During the Red River
trouble of 1860-70, furious at the surrender of Fort Garry
and determined that no such thing should occur at Norway
House, Mr. Stewart felt in his element in putting it into a
state of defence under military law, and in drilling his men,
of whom he had a goodly number of Scotsmen to arm.
Every precaution was taken to guard the fort, and the large
quantity of supplies for the northern districts stored therein.
He soon had the whole garrison as full of warlike ardor as
himself, and when he got tired of waiting to be attacked in
his stronghold he sallied forth with several barges, manned
by his well drilled levies. Highland Scots and Swampy Crees,
to join in the recapture of Fort Garry. Reaching Red River
in time to accompany Colonel Wolseley's Rifles on the march
from Point Douglas, mounted on a steed as fiery as himself,
and eluding the restraints of discipline, he raced full speed
ahead of the troops into the square of Fort Garry in time
to utter shouts of wild defiance at Riel and O'Donoghue as
they were making their hasty retreat.
Mr. Stewart was rewarded for his warlike ardor and loyal
spirit by being — in the euphemistic formula of the Hudson's
142
PARADISE OF THE FUR-TEADERS
Bay Company in such cases — " permitted to retire from the
service." Upon his retirement he took up residence down
the Red River at Marchmont, where for years he kept open
house and dispensed unbounded hospitality to his numerous
friends, of whom the officers of the Canadian garrisons at the
forts were not the least welcome. In return he was always
a welcome guest at the forts, the soldiers competing with each
other in their eagerness to attend to his horseflesh, for with
lavish hand Colonel Stewart always dispensed something pour
hoire.
Later, having become financially embarrassed, he received
the appointment of Indian agent at Edmonton, where shortly
afterwards he died, leaving behind him that good name which
is better than riches.
The Swan River Boats.
Chief Factor Stewart told me that he had held, awaiting
my arrival for a week, the brigade of boats which came every
fall from Swan River district to meet the private freight and
passengers which came out in the ship ; but he had sent them
away without me a day or two before, for which I was very
glad, because had I gone by the Little Saskatchewan and
through lakes Manitoba and Winnipegosis, and then up the
Swan River to the landing near Fort Pelly, it might have
been years ere I should have had a glimpse of the far-famed
paradise of the fur-traders on the Red River.
Mr. Stewart had been for a time in charge of the post at
Touchwood Hills, quite near to Fort Qu'Appelle, for which I
was booked, and he spoke of the country and the people I
should meet there. He asked if we had everything we required
for the rest of our journey, across Lake Winnipeg, and gave
us much more than we asked or expected.
Other Good Fellows.
Besides being so well received by Mr. Stewart^ we found
other good folks at Norway House, in the persons of the
10 1-13
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
clerks, Messrs. Anderson, Alexander Sinclair, and Donald C.
McTavisii.*
I had a long talk with Mr. Anderson, who was a native of
the Island of Bressay, opposite the town of Lerwick, where
I was born. His people had all died of consumption since he
left home, twenty years before, and it spoke well of the
climate that he enjoyed splendid health.
On Lake Winnipeg.
Norway House was altogether a nice place to live in, and
seemed to combine the advantages of a good outpost with
many of those of York, and we were glad that our fellow
passengers. Doctor MacKay and the jolly Hielan' laddies,
were to pass the winter in such pleasant quarters. Armit and
I set out again on the 25th of September, on the voyage over
Lake "Winnipeg. The next day, after a fine run under sail,
we put ashore to boil the kettle where we espied the Swan
River boats lying windbound, as they had to cross to the west
side of the lake at that point. The guide, who I think was
a son of our old guide, good old Kennedy, urged me very
earnestly to embark with him, as he had waited so long for
me at Norway House. I excused myself by saying that I had
been shipped as a passenger to Red River by Chief Factors
Wilson at York and Stewart at Norway House, and that it
would be as much as my high position as apprentice clerk
were worth were I, in defiance of these officers and the bill
of lading, to take it upon myself to embrace the opportunity
of joining the brigade of the district to which I had had the
privilege of being appointed by minutes of Council. Apart
from these considerations which I stated to the now indignant
guide, I was determined to see Red River, and I also feared
that Chief Factor Campbell might keep me at Fort Pelly,
*Mr. Anderson died suddenly, in 1869; Mr. Sinclair met his
end, like so many Hudson's Bay men, by drowning, twenty years
after, near La Cloche, Lake Huron. Mr. McTavish, as a retired
Chief Factor, Is now living in well-earned leisure at Colborne,
Ontario.
144
AlSr INTERESTING REPORT
where the prospects of adventure amid buffalo and wild
Indians were more remote than away out on the plains at
Qu'Appelle.
So after having a good meal ashore, we again embarked
with a splendid wind on our quarter, leaving the wind-bound
brigade of Swan River to kick their heels in the sands of the
lake shore for a few days longer. I forget when they reached
Fort Pelly, but I had been at Qu'Appelle some days, after a
leisurely journey, and taking in the Red River Settlement,
the Republic of Portage la Prairie, and Fort EUice, before
the fall carts with the green hands and freight, coming by
Fort Pelly, reached Fort Qu'Appelle, with the intimation
from Chief Factor Campbell that Apprentice Clerk Cowie
had offended by going in to Red River, where he might be
kept for good by Governor McTavish, and Mr. McDonald
would have to do without an assistant.
The wind did not continue to favor us, and we lay wind-
bound on an exposed beach, where we had been obliged to
unload and haul up the boats, for twenty-four hours. On
Sunday, the 30th, we passed a Hudson's Bay trader, named
Chatelaine, from whom the crew obtained rum in some quan-
tity in exchange for furs, which they had got hold of from
Indians along the route, and we had our first opportunity of
witnessing what was described in a report of a literary clerk
at Touchwood Hills, as " the variegated and diversified effect
of alcohol upon the natives."
We were now sailing along with a light fair wind for the
mouth of the Red River. With the exception of the guide
who was steering, and some decent fellows who were sleeping,
all the rest of the crew had imbibed for better or worse. The
merry boys chanted and kept time on the tom-tom — a bat-
tered tin pan — the fiddler got out his severely sprung instru-
ment, and some tried a jig on the thwarts. The Swampies
were all good-naturedly full, but in the crew there were two
Bungles, partly of French extraction, as may be inferred from
their names — ^Sergent and Richelieu. The former was a tall,
145
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEEES
snaky-looking fellow, who cast malignant eyes at me, because
in Hill Eiver I had hit him under the chin and landed him
on the small of his back on a sharp stump for stealing ducks
and then calling out insulting names to us when remonstrated
with. The other was the bowsman of the boat, and on imag-
ining himself in his cups to be entitled as an officer to come
on that one occasion and sit in the stern-sheets, he made
himself ridiculous by shouting at intervals in admiration of
the sound of his name and all the glory it appeared to imply
" Eichelieu ! Eichelieu !" Then he would hug himself in self-
satisfaction and glorification. At first we were amused and
took sufficient notice to satisfy him, but the thing became
tiresome. He deserved to have been heaved overboard and
ducked to sober him. But very soon the rum overcame him,
and he went forward and slept.
We slept that night, as we had done on many previous
occasions, very comfortably in the stern-sheets. When we
awoke next morning the boats were lying along the rushes
in the mouth of the Eed Eiver. The crews were ashore, boil-
ing the kettle in high glee and dressing up for their arrival,
with eclat, in the St. Peter's Settlement.
146
CHAPTER VIII.
IN THE RED RIVER SETTLEMENT.
St. Peter's.
We landed in the marsh at the mouth of the Red River on
the 1st of October. It was a glorious morning, in fact after
we left the Hayes River till my arrival at Qu'Appelle, and
long after, the weather was without a flaw, and I do not
remember to have since enjoyed a more prolonged and beau-
tiful autumn. Ducks were flying about, and the pot hunters
were busy at their harvest, but we had no time for sport,
everyone being eager to reach the end of the journey at Lower
Fort Garry.
We started under oars, boat racing against boat. When we
got out of the marshland and reached the dry banks of the
river, the men strung out on the line ahead, and went lightly
as if the St. Peter's girls had got hold of the towline too.
Joyful cries of greeting were exchanged as we sighted and
passed the comfortable cabins of the Indian settlers along the
river, and we could see that a procession was following us to
the fort by the road further back.
The men were not long unloading the boats and carr3ring
the cargo uphill to the warehouse in the fort. And then,
being now united with their families and friends, they eagerly
entered the shop to be paid off. We gladdened Sandison with
a suitable reward for his kind attention to us on the voyage,
and I am sorry that I never saw him again. In fact, the only
one of the crew I have since seen has been William Prince,
the late chief of St. Peter's.
147
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUREES
At Lowek Fort Garry.
The Company's officers stationed there were Mr. George
Davis, in charge, Mr. Alexander S. Watt,* accountant, and
Mr. E. R. Abell, engineer of the steamboat International, and
of a mill outside the fort. Staying there, preparing to start
for Montreal, were two gentlemen who had lately arrived by
the Portage la Loche brigade from Mackenzie River, Messrs.
C. P. Gaudetf and Thomas Hardisty. Mr. Gaudet was on
leave for a year, after sixteen years' service in the north, and
was taking his family to see his friends in Quebec. Mr.
Hardisty was being transferred to the Company's office in
Montreal.
Besides these we saw at the lower fort retired Chief Trader
A. H. Murray, J a fine, genial and accomplished Scot, Mr.
Thomas Sinclair, a very popular native magistrate and coun-
sellor of the colony; and the Rev. J. P. Gardiner,§ of the
English Church at St. Andrew's. My friend Hardisty got a
buggy and we went up to the rapids to call on Chief Trader
Alexander Christie, father of my shipmate. On the way we
met two young ladies going to the fort, the daughter and the
niece of Mr. Christie, then attending Miss Davis' admirable
seminary at St. Andrew's, and qualifying for the positions
they afterwards so well filled as wives of chief factors.
The clerks stationed at the fort were assisted by several
shopmen and storekeepers, there being a considerable trade
with the settlers, of whom at that time some of the best
farmers resided in the parish of St. Andrew's. There were
shops dependent on the fort at St. Andrew's and St. Peter's,
and of course there was the general Indian and fur trade.
* Now living in Stroimness, Orkney.
t Living as a retired Chief Trader at his station for a life-
time — Fort Good Hope.
t Builder of Fort Yukon. Designed that relic of Fort Garry —
§ Resided for many years as a beneficed clengyman in England
and died 1913.
148
A TEADER^S RUSE
A few years before the large farm attached to the establish-
ment had been under a very able agriculturist from Scot-
land, Mr. A. R. Lillie, but he had forsaken the plough to
follow the fur trade and become a chief trader. The farm
was still carried on in a way to provide employment to a
number of temporary servants, but the intensive methods of
Mr. Lillie had been largely abandoned.
The place was also important as the residence of high
officials when visiting the settlement, and until 1910 was used
in that way by those seeking rural seclusion. The general
store and grog-shop in it were closed 'at about the same
time.
From Lower to Upper Fort Garry.
We remained next day about the lower fort, and on the
forenoon of the 3rd of October Mr. Davis, as a great favor,
provided us with one of the rather few American buggies
thereabouts to take us to the upper fort, supplying also a
native driver who was to bring the precious vehicle back at
once, lest it should be annexed at Fort Garry. This was a
precaution quite generally taken throughout the service to
prevent useful horses, dogs and other things used in travel,
from being retained or exchanged for inferior animals or
articles by the post from which they were supposed to be
returned " in good order and condition as per bill of lading.^^
I was as yet not aware of the prevalence of these tricks of
the trade, so when Mr. Davis told me to leave all travelling
kit, which had been provided for Armit and myself, at York
Factory, as I would get a fresh outfit at Fort Garry, I thought
it was all right, and did not discover that it was all wrong
until leaving Fort Garry.
I do not remember the driver's name, but he was one of
the hangers-on about the place, and evidently a fav-
ored one, for he smelt strongly of rum when we
took our places on the one seat at his side. He
looked and spoke as if he regarded us with disdain as green
149
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEEES
hands, and spoke of himself as our ''guide" — ^not a mere driver
— on the perfectly plain beaten road between the two forts.
Armit, being a crack whip, asked for the reins, but was
refused with contempt at such presumption. Then the
" guide " began to brag of feats by flood and field, of his
mastery of all useful arts of the country, and the general
inferiority of all other races to that to which he belonged.
The Hudson's Bay Company's rum had evidently been given
in a horn of plenty, for he kept up steam in this way till we
got what, he said, was about half-way, where there was a
house of entertainment kept by a gentleman with the sugges-
tive name of "Whiskey Jack." And there he decided to tarry
"to give the poor horse a drink." We found that Jack lived
up to his name, and not only consumed but made and sold
whiskey on the premises, in defiance of the Governor and
Company of Adventurers of England. On hospitable thoughts
intent Jack asked us to sample his barley bree. The smell
was about all that Armit and I could stand, but " the guide "
had no hesitation in mixing the Eed Eiver with the Demerara
brand of firewater which had preceded it. Fearing dire re-
sults, we told him to get into the buggy and start, which he
regarded as an impertinence and took another swig. Then
we started again, but very shortly he began to show that
Demerara and Eed Eiver had gone to war in his interior.
So Armit took the helm, while the "guide" alternately
bragged incoherently, swore at the pony, and gave the war-
whoop as the spirits moved him. Next he began to sway
about in the seat and required to be held to prevent his upset-
ting himself and the rig. We soon decided that we might
manage to find our way on the well-marked road without his
valuable services and pleasant company; also I was getting
tired of holding on to him; so, seeing a fine large and invit-
ingly soft mud hole in the wheel rut ahead, I prepared to
let him go full swing as we passed through it. Just at the
spot the rig and the " guide " gave a simultaneous lurch, I let
go, and away he went right into a fine sanitary mixture of
150
FINDING FOET GAERY
mud and water. The pony took fright at the sudden splash
and let out as if he were after buffalo. Just as we were
rounding a woody bend in the road I looked back and saw
the guide in his shirt, waving his capote frantically and yell-
ing for us to stop. I made him a polite bow as we flew
round the bend, and we set out as full-fledged explorers to
find Fort Garry for ourselves.
We had no difficulty in keeping to " the King's road," as
that on which the electric line between Winnipeg and Selkirk
now runs was then called. There were very few, and far
between, houses along the road at that time, but along the
river these were closer together, so that when we were told
that we would first come to "the town" and then to Fort
Garry, we, expecting to see the buildings in "town" much
nearer together than those on the river bank, were surprised
to find ourselves at Fort Garry without having recognized in
the straggling buildings scattered about the prairie on each
side of the track the germs of the future metropolis of the
great West.
At Fort Garry.
Upon reporting ourselves to Dr. William Cowan, the chief
trader in charge, he handed us over to the attention of Mr.
A. E. McKenzie, the accountant in the shop, and Mr. Joseph
James Hargrave, the Governor's private secretary, the only
member of the general office staff on duty at the time. Mr.
John H. McTavish, chief accountant, and Mr. John Balsillie,
cashier, were both off on their fall shooting holidays at Lake
Manitoba, along with Mr. Alexander Matheson, the clerk in
charge of Pembina.
Governor McTavish and Chief Trader Magnus Linklater,
who was in charge of the shop and all outside work, and Chief
Trader William Anderson, in charge of the Eed Eiver depot,
were the other officials at the time in fort, besides Mr. James
Anderson, foreman, and Color-Sergeant James Eickards, pen-
161
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
sioner of the Royal Marines, who guarded the fort as night
watchman.
McKenzie and Hargrave installed ns in the clerk's quar-
ters over the general office, and made us feel at home. Mr.
Linklater introduced us to his wife (a Kildonan lady) and
their two pretty little daughters. Governor McTavish came
to see us, and enquired about his old friends, whom Armit
and I knew in Scotland, and examined the shot guns we had
brought with us.
The day after the arrival we were summoned into the
presence of Doctor Cowan to answer the complaint laid
against us by the " guide '' for non-support in the buggy and
desertion, also for running away with the buggy and pony
entrusted to his special care by the officer in charge of Lower
Fort Garry, without his consent having been first asked and
obtained. Our accuser looked seedy in countenance and
muddy in costume from the effects of the late mix-up between
Demerara and Red River, and the mud and water along the
King's highway. He desired a solatium in the shape of an
order on the Fort G^rry shop " for some things " — ^probably
imported from Demerara — which he required very urgently.
The doctor heard the charge and our defence with well-
assumed judicial gravity, and said that while withholding
judgment on us, he could not presume to interfere with the
unknown financial arrangements entered into between the
" guide " and the authorities at the lower fort, by giving him
any supplies other than food for his return.
I had a letter from the Rev. Mr. Brand to his brother-in-
law, the Bishop of Rupert's Land, and Hargrave kindly under-
took to be my " guide " to Bishop's Court. The Bishop spoke
of experiments he was making with crab apples in his garden,
and of parasites which had been observed on, and which were
hoped would be the destroyers of the locusts, which had
already done much damage to the crops of Red River and
threatened more — a threat which was most direly fulfilled.
On the way back Hargrave pointed out the famous hotel of
152
HAEGKAVE'S HISTOEY OF THE EED EIYEE
" Dutch George," and the buildings of other leading inhabi-
tants of the town, but the only place we entered was that of
Doctor Schultz, with whom we had some conversation.
Hargrave had been educated at St. Andrew's and Edin-
burgh in Scotland, where we knew many people in common,
so we had plenty to talk of as we walked along. He was
known to be one of the wealthiest men, by inheritance, in the
service, but he was a man of method and had confined his
annual expenditure within the limit of his first year's salary
as apprentice clerk, which was twenty pounds, and had not
exceeded that amount ever since, although his pay had
advanced yearly thereafter. During Balsillie's absence he
had been taking his place as cashier, and in three weeks had
lost unaccountably the sum of two shillings and sixpence.
" I wish," said Hargrave, earnestly, " Balsillie were back, for
if such loss continues, the consequences will be perfectly ruin-
ous to me." Curiously the loss Hargrave deplored was not
due to love of money itself, for he was most generous and
liberal in spending it on his friends afterwards, but from his
love of methodically following a rule once adopted. Even at
table this characteristic exhibited itself in the precise and
orderly manner in which he arranged the fish bones on the
edge of his plate.
Joseph James Hargrave was a man remarkable as the most
painstakingly accurate historian of Eed Eiver. The book,
brought out at his own expense, was never pushed on the
public, and he lost £600, it is said, in the venture. Copies
of it are now rare. But everyone writing on the history of
the country, since its publication in 1869, has made use of
it, often without the slightest acknowledgment to its mine
of officially acquired information. He was the son of Chief
Factor James Hargrave, who served principally in command
of York Factory. His mother, the daughter of the Sheriff
of Argyleshire, and a laird there, was sister of Governor
McTavish, to whom he became private secretary. As such
he had access to all fur-trade and colonial records, and came
153
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
into personal contact, at Fort Garry, and in attending the
Council of the Northern Department, with all the notables
and veteran officers in the country. Consequently he had
unique facilities for acquiring information, which he had the
natural ability and education to make use of, and the moral
courage and love of truth to state without fear or favor.
He had the absent-minded simplicity of a student non-observ-
ant of common affairs, which made him the butt of lesser wits
in the service, who failed to understand that he had written
a magnum opus to outlive them all.
Few people ever passed through Red River at that time
without experiencing the kindness and hospitality of Mr.
Andrew G. B. Bannatyne, the leading merchant of the ^^ town.''
We were no exception, and were most pleasantly entertained
at his comfortable abode, which was furnished in a manner
surprising to see after the plain furnishings provided by the
Hudson's Bay Company for the quarters of their officers. Mr.
Bannatyne's and my father's people had been old friends in
Orkney, and I had met several of his relatives in Stromness,
so from that time on, whenever I got leave to visit the settle-
ment, I always went to see Mr. Bannatyne. Under Mr.
Bannatyne's roof I had the privilege of meeting Mrs. Ken-
nedy, the accomplished wife of Captain William Kennedy,
commander of the Arctic expedition in search of Franklin in
the Prince' Albert. The captain and my father had been
schoolmates at St. Margaret's Hope in Orkney, and great
friends, and my cousin, Robert Cowie (afterwards of the
United States navy), had been surgeon of the Prince Albert.
Besides the Hudson's Bay people of the fort the only others
whom I recollect having seen around it were the Rev. C3rprian
Pinkham, of St. James, now Bishop of Calgary, and Mr.
James Murray (son of the highly respected pioneer of Kil-
donan, Donald Murray) and the lady he was about to marry.
Miss Christy McBeth, daughter of Mr. Adam McBeth, then
in charge of the Shoal River post in the Swan River district.
154
DAN DEVLIN
The Company had a store * in the town also, of which an
American, Mr. Burbank, assisted by Mr. Henry Moncrieff, had
charge. I spent much of my time visiting Mr. Moncrieff on
that occasion, and on every subsequent visit to Eed Kiver,
while he remained there, as he came from Scalloway, the
ancient capital of the Shetlands, where our people were well
acquainted. During a visit to Moncrieff a young man, with
a jaunty and genial air, came into the store and introduced
himself as Dan Devlin, clerk for Mr. Bannatyne, and son of
Bryan Devlin, an army pensioner, who had taken his dis-
charge from the Eoyal Canadian Regiment when they left Fort
Garry in 1861. Dan was very communicative and said he
had been born on the Rock of Gibraltar. He talked about the
"town'' as if it were already a city of renown. He agreed
with an English halfbreed pedlar, who had forced himself on
our notice at the mouth of the Red River, and with the news-
paper. The Nor' -Wester, that the Hudson's Bay Company's
days were numbered, that in their opinion the Company had
been weighed in the balance and found wanting. Knight, Dan
and the editors of The Nor -Wester have long ago gone the
way of all flesh, but the venerable Hudson's Bay Company
still exists and amasses riches from the people who were going
to overwhelm it, according to the seers of the sixties of the
last century.
Dan was cheerful and obliging, and told me where I might
buy an unrestricted supply of American-made matches, of
which the supply was very limited in the interior, flint
and steel and touchwood being universally in use, and
burning glasses much in vogue. In sunshine the burning
glass quickly sets fire to touchwood or tinder, but for general
service the flint and steel was the main reliance, and the
natives were wonderfully expert in their use, making the
sparks fly like a blacksmith's forge. But till the art is
* The building, about the best in town in 1867, is now dilapi-
dated, and used as a blacksmith's forge on Fort Street.
156
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEERS
acquired the novice often uses up a lot of skin and fiery
language before getting a light.
McTavish, Balsillie, and Matheson returned from their out-
ing laden with ducks and wavies, of which the officers' mess
got a share, and on the occasion of the first dinner after their
holiday Judge Black had come to mess from his place down
the river. There were several clever and well-informed men
at table, and their conversation was brilliant and interesting.
The rule that an apprentice clerk should not speak at mess
unless spoken to, which was observed at York Factory, was
not so much in evidence at Fort Garry, and I ventured to tell
of certain negotiations going on for the transfer of the govern-
ment of Rupert's Land to the new Dominion of Canada,
reported in the newspapers at home in June. Neither Judge
Black nor Doctor Cowan had seen these reports and they were
quite interested; but they did not seem surprised that the
London board of the Company were making arrangements,
which though leaking out in the old country, were being
officially withheld from their " wintering partners " in North
America, whose lives were much more vitally affected by the
reports than were the merely financially interested English
stockholders.
Pkedisposing Causes of the Red River Troubles.
In the secrecy of these negotiations and the withholding of
confidence from their own officers and men and the people of
the North- West at large lay the root of the Red River troubles
of 1869 and 1870. On two historically and legally most
important occasions previously had the London board acted
in the same stealthy fashion, and the people in and of the
country only discovered these transactions of great magnitude
from outside sources, while they were still officially concealed
from them by the London committee. The first occasion was
that of the transfer of the whole estate of the heirs of Thomas,
Earl of Selkirk, in the district of Assiniboia, an area of
116,000 square miles (which included the smaller municipal
156
PROPRIETORS OF THE SOIL
^^ District of Assiniboia," better known as the Red River Set-
tlement), from these heirs back to the original grantors, the
Hudson's Bay Company, in the year 1834 (which may have
been ratified by " the wintering partners " when a new deed
poll between them and the London shareholders was also made
in 1835), but without the knowledge and consent of the col-
onists generally. In the original grant from the Hudson's
Bay Company to Lord Selkirk one-tenth of the 116,000
square miles, had been granted in trust to him for
such employees of the Company as, after three years'
service, should retire therefrom and settle in the country.
This transaction was concealed from the colonists until
the year 1845, when the secretary in London, in
reply to the Kildonan settlers' request for the fulfilment of
Lord Selkirk's promise to them of a Presbyterian Gaelic-
speaking minister, wrote inadvertently that such was not one
of the obligations mentioned when the Selkirk property was
relinquished to the Company.
As soon as " the wintering partners " had become party to
this, which Judge Martin calls " a transaction of great magni-
tude," in 1835, the Northern Department Council of that year
passed a resolution for the purpose of depriving their ser-
vants, who had not yet reached Red River, which they
could not do without the Company providing passages,
of their right to claim and obtain their free grants
under the Trust created as above mentioned in their
favor, which resolution reads as follows : ^^ Resolved,
(84) that no servants be permitted to settle at Red River
Colony unless they become purchasers from the proprietors of
the soil of at least fifty acres of land at 7s. 6d. ($1.87) per
acre, pa3nnent thereof to be deposited with the gentlemen in
charge of the depots to which they have been attached previous
to their departure for the settlement." Note the words, " pro-
prietors of the soil." Who were they supposed to be?
Hargrave, in his book, "Red River," page 81, says "the
repurchase by the Company from Selkirk's heirs was without
157
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEEES
prejudice to the rights of all the colonists." Perhaps because
the deed of reconveyance safeguarded these " rights of all the
colonists" (and colonists all -Company's servants of three
years' service certainly were) its terms have never been
made public, and even its existence had been denied. If
it be non-existent then the right of the retiring employees
to share in the one-tenth put in trust for them by the original
grant remains unquestionably. And if it exist, concealed in
the law archives of the Company or of Canada, for the
benefit of the non-resident absentee stockholders of the Com-
pany, but to the injury of the Company's retired servants who
were colonists of the country, it should be produced and the
public made acquainted with its terms. That the deed or a
copy of it existed and was accessible to Hargrave, when he
wrote as above, is a fair inference. If there be nothing to
conceal, why this silence?
The second "transaction of great magnitude," completed
without proper consultation with and the consent of the people
of the country, was when the old proprietors of the Company
in London sold out in 1863 to " The International Financial
Association/^ under circumstances related by Hargrave, pages
298, 299, and on the other hand by Sir E. W. Watkin, in his
" Canada and the States, Eecollections, 1851 to 1886."
The " wintering partners " were first stupefied and then
filled with indignation, when the news of this deal reached
them. The Nor -Wester gleefully jeered at them, saying,
"the hardy, active and intelligent factors," which the new
Company called them in their prospectus, " had been sold like
dumb, driven ca'ttle." But the deed poll gave these gentle-
men certain legal rights which could not be disposed of
without their consent, and these were not quite adjusted when
the coming of confederation began to cast its shadow before.
A Contented Community.
But, however important these transactions might be to the
Company's employees and the wintering partners — the chief
158
A CONTENTED COMMUNITY
factors and chief traders — ^by the majority of the people of the
colony and the vast country outside of the Settlement the
changes were either unknown or unnoted. To read The
Nor -Wester, and the declarations of some gentlemen of repute
and lovers of their native country, one at a distance would be
apt to think that the country was seething with discontent
and groaning under the iron despotism of the fur-trading
monopolist government.
The very opposite was the case. I do not think there could
be a more contented community anjrwhere than that of the
old Eed Eiver Settlement. By comparison with the poor
cottars and crofters in the old country, with the poor in the
slums of the big cities, the lot of the Eed Eiver people was
cast in very pleasant places. Each lived, so to speak, " under
his own vine and fig tree " on his own land, rent free. He
could hunt, fish, and shoot without restriction ; he had build-
ing material and firewood for the cutting and hauling; his
animals roamed on free pastures, and there was hay in abund-
ance. Even their churches and schools were largely supported
by contributions raised in the old country, from many classes
of people, some of whom were in much less prosperous circum-
stances than themselves.
The good substantial clothing they wore never got out of
fashion, for they did not follow those of the outer world. In
a community where exchanges were made by barter more than
in money, and where a man was measured more by his physical,
mental and moral qualities than by the mere possession of
money, people did not sacrifice their time and health and
character to its pursuit. Everyone could get clothing, shelter
and plenty of good substantial food, and a rich man could buy
little that his poorer neighbor might envy. There was very
little class distinction outside the Hudson's Bay semi-military
service.
As to the want of a market for all the farmers could have
raised, they had deprived themselves of that advantage by
planting themselves away from all facilities for freighting
11 159
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUREKS
anjrfching heavier and less valuable than furs. The same
handicap was on the merchandise imported for their use,
and those of the settlers who became importers and
opened stores as merchants did not undersell the Company,
rather the reverse.
GOVEKNED BY CONSENT OF THE GOVERNED.
The opponent of the Hudson's Bay Company, The Nor'-
W ester newspaper, would one day represent them as a grind-
ing and merciless and mighty monopoly, and next describe
them as a contemptible lot of impotent and cowardly old
wives to be laughed at and defied with impunity. The truth
was that without military force in the Settlement the Com-
pany had to govern it just as they did the Indian country, by
the consent of the governed. While there were no such things
as elections, of the approved pattern, which are now so pure
and expressive of the sovereign will of the political bosses of
the people, the counsellors were selected for well-known and
respected qualities, from among the natural leaders and elders
of the different classes composing the population. Among
them were the bishops of St. Boniface and of Ruperfs Land ;
such men as Sutherland and Eraser representing Kildonan;
McDermot, Bannatyne, Inkster and Sinclair for other British ;
and Pascal Breland, Solomon Amlin, and other good men and
true for the French element. Every one of these would have
been elected by popular vote, had that machinery existed. The
enterprise of the petitioners, who asked this Council to appoint
Doctor Schultz to a vacancy in it, might be paralleled nowa-
days by a similar effort to induce the Hon. Sir Rodmond
Roblin to give the leader of the Opposition a seat in his
Cabinet.
A Benevolent Despotism Tempered by Riot.
But even the rule of these benevolent despots, appointed
by the governor and committee in London, was tempered by
riot, whenever anything done by the Council or the legal
160
COMMISSIONER COLTMAN'S EXPEDITION
authorities was sufficiently displeasing to any considerable
section of the population. Without an imperial military force
which might be considered impartial, it was impossible, in
cases of trouble when the British and French as a whole took
opposite sides, to call upon one side to support the govern-
ment without plunging the Settlement into all the horrors of
a civil and religious war, which, like a prairie fire, would have
spread throughout the length and breadth of Rupert's Land,
and involved the Indian tribes as well. Possibly the British
element in the Red River Settlement might have held their
own against the skilled hunter-warriors of the Metis, but every
post and Christian mission station from Red River to the
Rocky Mountains and from the boundary line to the Arctic
Ocean might have been swept out of existence. And it was
that consideration, I believe, which dictated the " peace at any
price " policy for which the good Governor McTavish was so
severely criticized in the troubles of 1869-70.
The Stone Forts and Their Builder.
To the forty men of the 39th Regiment, who accompanied
Commissioner Coltman to Red River, in 1817, to enforce the
Prince Regent's orders for the restoration of peace and pro-
perty between the great rival fur companies, belongs the honor
of being the very first expedition of British regular troops to
the Red River. *
When peace was restored, and subsequently, in 1821, the
union of the companies effected, the memory of old feuds did
not die out immediately, so instead of retaining the old North-
West Company's name of Fort Gibraltar for the new union
fort on its site, the name of the deputy-governor, Garry, who
came to Red River to complete the arrangements of the coali-
tion, was given to the new establishment. It was damaged
by the flood of 1826 and rebuilt as before of wood.
In 1830 the Northern Department Council, held at York
Factory, passed this resolution:
161
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUKERS
" The establis'liinent of Fort Garry being in a very dilapidated
state, its situation not suflBciently central, much exposed to the
spring floods, and very inconvenient in regard to the navigation
of the river and in other points of view, it is resolved (51) that
a new establishment to bear the same name be formed on a site
to be selected near the lower end of the rapids; for which pur-
pose tradesmen be ©miployed or the work done by contract, as may
be found most expedient; and as stones and lime are on the
spot, these materials be used, being cheaper and more durable
than wood."
The reference to the site being inconvenient to navigation
is accounted for by decked vessels being used between Norway
House and Eed Eiver, which could not ascend the St. Andrew's
Rapids. Another reason is said to have been to remove the
chief fort to a site less exposed to hostile attack from the
plains.
The work at the lower fort seems to have gone on slowly so
that it was not completely surrounded by a wall till 1837 or
1838 But while the lower fort was slowly being added to
from year to year, there came a master builder from the
charge of York Factory to take command of Red River dis-
trict as chief factor, and of the colony of Assiniboia as its
governor, in the person of Alexander Christie, in 1834. Dur-
ing 1835 and 1836, instead of abandoning the commanding
site at the forks of the Red River, he erected thereon a fort
of stone with a frontage of two hundred and eighty feet on
the Assiniboine River and a depth of two hundred and forty
feet, with high bastions at each corner, loopholed for mus-
ketry and pierced for cannon, with neat and substantial
stores, dwellings, offices and barracks therein. Afterwards, to
this stone fort, he added, during his second term as governor,
a square of about equal size in the rear of the stone part, the
walls being of big squared oak logs laid horizontally, and
pinned together. The only remaining part of old Fort Garry
now in existence is the old stone back gate of this otherwise
wooden addition to the stono part built in 1835-6.
162
• i to
Archibald McDoxald,
Clerk in charge of Fort Qu'Appelle,
1867.
Chief Factor Archibald
McDonald,
At Fort Qu'Appelle, 1911.
Courtesy of Grand Trunk Pacific R'y.
Inspecting Chief Factor the
Hon. William J. Christie.
Courtesv of Mr. .T. G. M. Christie.
Chief Commissioner James Allan
Graham E.
Courtesy of Mrs. Cowan.
MONUMENTS TO GOVERNOR CHRISTIE
Governor Christie.
In the old Fort Garry gate in Winnipeg and Lower Fort
Garry, Mr. Christie has left two monuments to his skill and
ability as a builder as well as to the memory of the old fur-
trading rulers of Rupert's Land. To the courtesy of retired
Chief Factor MacFarlane, whose good wife is a granddaughter
of the old governor, I am indebted for the following notes,
and to his grandson, Mr. John G. M. Christie, assistant to the
Hudson's Bay Company's fur trade commissioner, Winnipeg,
for the use of the governor's photograph, from which the
picture herewith has been copied.
Chief Factor MacFarlane writes: —
"At the coalition of the North- West Company, of Montreal,
with the Hudson's Bay Company, of England, in 1821, Mr.
Alexander Christie (a native of Aberdeenshire) was one of the
twenty-five senior officers of both fur-trading concerns to receive a
chief factor's commission under the deed i)oll of the united com-
panies.
"Mr. Christie had much to do with the rebuilding of Moose
and York Factories on Hudson Bay, and also with the erection
of both Upper and Lower Fort Garry on the Red River, while
he was chief factor in charge of the fur trade in Red River dis-
trict, from June, 1833, to June, 1839, and from June, 1844, to
June, 1849.
" During these periods in which he superintended the fur trade
of Red River he held the commission of governor of the colony
of Assiniboia — that is the Red River Settlement. Mr. Alexander
Ross, in his history of Red River Settlement, erroneously stated
that Colonel Crofton was governor of the colony from
June, 1846, to 1847, and Major Griffith from June, 1847, to 1848,
and this error has been repeated by writers copying him. But
according to. these officers' own evidence they merely had seats
in the council of the colony, ex-officio, as commanders of the
British troops then in garrison there. The Minutes of the Coun-
cil of Assiniboia also show these military officers attending as
members at meetings presided over by Governor Christie. Mr.
Christie was succeeded, as governor, however, by Colonel Cald-
well, commander of the enrolled pensioners, who relieved the
Imperial troops under Major Griffiths, in 1848."
163
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
Mr. MacFarlane continues : —
"In 1849 Mr. Christie retired from the Hudson's Bay Com-
pany's service and settled in Minto Street, Edinburgh, Scotland,
where he died in 1874, at the age of eighty-two years. He was
probably the most Influential and respected chief factor of his
time, and in proof of this it may be stated that, in addition to
the seven years' retiring interest in the profits of the fur trade
to which he was entitled, Mr. Christie was accorded by the
Company, with the ajpprobation of his brother officers and Sir
George Simpson, governor-in-chief, two years' additional shares
in the profits.
" In 1833, Mr. Thomas Simpson, afterwards celebrated as an
Arctic explorer, wrote to his brother, Alexander, of Mr. Chrd&tie,
to this effect: 'Chief Factor Christie, you will have heard, is
now governor of Red River, and has, besides, the summer man-
agement of York Factory; so that he is now, in fact, the second
man in Rupert's Land. And well does he merit such a situation,
for a worthier or a more honorable man I believe never existed.
I feel particularly happy in acting under him. . . . His sound
judgment, his integrity, his liberal and enlarged views, entitle
him to my res(peot, while his genuine kindness of heart and man-
ner ensure my esteem.' "*
There was an old saying of the great Governor Simpson
that with three good officers stationed each respectively at
York Factory, to make out the requisitions ; at Norway House,
to superintend the transport ; and at Red River, to manage the
Settlement, it did not much matter if the rest of the officers in
the Northern Department were of mediocre calibre. Mr.
Christie was for years in charge of York Factory before being
appointed to Red River, and certainly filled every position he
occupied with credit to himself and advantage to the Company.
Of his family, his daughter married the highly respected
Chief Trader, John Black, afterwards Judge. His elder son.
Chief Trader Alexander, a man of gigantic physique, has been
already noticed. His second son, William Joseph, was edu-
♦ Strong votes of thanks passed by meetings of the Council of
Asslniboia, in 1839 and 1849, presided over by his successors, also
show the high esteem in which he was held by that body. — /. C.
164
MR. CHRISTIE BECOMES AN " HONORABLE "
cated splendidly in Aberdeen, and after many years as the
leading chief factor in charge of Saskatchewan district, be-
came, under the reorganization, inspecting chief factor, and
retired in 1873. Upon the formation of the North-West
Council, by Canada, he, with Donald A. Smith and other
gentlemen of high standing in the country, was appointed a
member, and as such became entitled to the courtesy prefix of
" honorable " to the already honored name of Christie.
165
CHAPTER IX.
THE RISE OF FORT GARRY AND THE DECLINE OF
YORK FACTORY,
Increasing Traffic with United States.
The gradual advance of settlement in Minnesota and of
the railway system of the United States nearer to the Eed
River Settlement ; the placing of a steamboat on the river ; and
the generally increased business relations consequent thereon,
had already, in 1867, raised Fort Garry into a port of entry
which was rapidly overtaking York Factory in importance.
The increasing " luxury of the age,'^ as compared with the
bare necessities of existence originally imported for the fur
trade and the fur traders ; the forsaking of the simple life of
the original settlers by their descendants, who plied with the
carts to St. Paul, Minnesota, and set American fashions on
their return; the larger supplies of trading goods required
by the Company to meet increasing competition in the trade
of which they no longer retained the monopoly ; and the ever-
increasing difficulty of manning the boats for the voyage to
York Factory, all gave evidence of a time when, by the nearer
approach of American railroads to the boundary, the old
Hudson Bay route, handicapped by the absence of a railway
from the bay to the interior, would cease to become the main
inlet and outlet of the commerce of the Company.
So in the log stockaded enclosure, which had been added to
the back of the stone walls of Fort Garry, there was a large
warehouse known as the Fort Garry depot, under the manage-
ment of Chief Trader William Anderson, who had behind him
long experience of similar duty at York Factory. In this
depot were stored the " Canadian and American goods " which
166
YOEK FACTORY SIDE-TRACKED
always appeared separately in the alphabetically arranged
requisitions, invoices, and inventories of the Company^s ac-
count books. At that time the principal articles under the
heading were axes, L'Assomption belts, American matches.
Perry Davis' Painkiller, steel traps and tobacco.
York Factory Side-tracked.
But the warehouse also contained large supplies of the
regular English goods required, not only for the settlers but
to outfit the " commercants," generally Metis, owning a large
number of ponies and carts, who traded all over the plains
west of the Red River, between the Missouri and the Sas-
katchewan, following the buffalo and buffalo hunters in their
migrations. Besides such supplies, increasing portions of the
regular English outfit for the Settlement, the Saskatchewan
and part of that for the Swan River district had begun to find
their way by St. Paul, Minnesota, to Fort Garry, instead of
by York Factory; and these supplies were freighted by carts
over the plains as far as Edmonton.
While this traffic grew in successive years that by way of
York Factory diminished proportionately. Year after year
district after district in the interior ceased to send boat bri-
gades to the Factory on the Bay, and began to receive all their
supplies, with the exception of gunpowder, through Fort
Garry. When at last the iron horse reached the waters of
the Red River which were navigable by steamboats, shortly
after the transfer of the North- West to Canada, the old his-
toric seaport on the Bay became merely the depot for posts
on the coast or much nearer the coast than to Lake Winnipeg.
The Steamboat Age.
With the advent of the American railway to and of lines
of steamboats and strings of flatboats on the Red River, the
York boat as well as York itself ceased to be the foremost
factors in the traffic of the country at large. The steamboat
age succeeded, the Hudson's Bay Company placing steamers
167
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEEES
on Lake Winnipeg, and several stern wheelers on the Sas-
katchewan, running from the head of Grand Eapids to
Edmonton, whereby the old reliable Eed Eiver cart, which
had taken the place of the York boat in Saskatchewan freight-
ing, was also rendered, on the Saskatchewan trail, relatively
a thing of the past.
Next, as we all know, the age of steamboats was succeeded
by the present railway age, and it again will probably be
succeeded by a time when waterways, improved by modern
science, will resume much of their ancient importance for the
carriage of bulky produce to market.
Journey Eesumed.
After a few days spent pleasantly and profitably at Fort
Garry, I was ordered to put my baggage on a cart driven by
a French-Canadian voyageur, named Dufresne, who was re-
turning to Carlton on the Saskatchewan. Dufresne had for
fellow travellers two Saskatchewan Crees, who had been hired
for the trip with a boat taking the remains of Chief Trader
Arthur Pruden, from Carlton, for burial in Eed Eiver Settle-
ment. I was to travel in their company as far as Fort Ellice,
and Dufresne, who had been for many years a "master's man,"
stationary and travelling, was to act in that capacity for me
on the way.
Armit and I had left, at Lower Fort Garry, the complete
camp outfit and tent with which we had been supplied at York,
on my being assured that " everything " would be furnished
me again at Upper Fort. Dufresne, who knew " everything "
about travelling, assured me that he had it on the cart, and
Chief Trader Magnus Linklater gave the following order on
the provision store for my trip from Fort Garry to Fort
Ellice : Twelve pounds " biscuits," four cured buffalo tongues,
eight pounds salt pork, ten pounds dried buffalo meat, six
pounds fresh beef, one pound Congou tea, four pounds loaf
sugar, half pint country salt, half gallon port wine. Besides
168
TRIP ON A "BUFFALO RUNNER''
this, Dufresne and the two Indians received full rations for
themselves.
An Attractive Start.
Dufresne drove out of the fort, with as much style as he
could forcibly persuade the ca3riise to put in his paces. What
the pony lacked in energy the driver made up for in gesticula-
tion and profanity, and the pace kept up when they hit the
prairie trail showed that Dufresne was determined to make a
record journey, and that I should have to lose no time in
starting for our rendezvous at White Horse Plain.
Deserters, Mormons and "Rouge."'
On the 7th of October, 1867, Armit and I started in a buggy
driven by him, for the last lap of our long voyage together, on
his way to the post to which he had been appointed at White
Horse Plain. On the way we met a large party of American
cavalrymen, who had deserted from DeviFs Lake with horses
and accoutrements, and, shortly afterwards, a party, said to
be Mormons from Salt Lake, who were distinguished by the
men wearing immensely wide-brimmed felt hats and having
a number of mules in train. Mr. W. D. Lane, who was in
charge of the post, was ordered from Fort Garry to supply
me with a saddle horse, and picked out of the band one which
he alleged to be a " buffalo runner " for the purpose, and as
a special mark of favor, for which upon further acquaintance
with " Rouge," the beast's name, I did not fail to express my
full appreciation. " Rouge," said Lane, being a buffalo run-
ner par excellence, was too proud a pony to put up with the
degradation of hauling a cart, but would make a fine saddle
horse.
Cuthbert Grant.
At White Horse Plain post the Company raised cattle and
did some farming, besides supplying the northern band of
Metis buffalo hunters, who made it their winter quarters.
THE COMPANY OF ADVBNTUEERS
Formerly for many years it had been the station of the " War-
den of the Plains," Mr. Cuthbert Grant, whose name is so
well known as the clerk of the North- West Company, who
was in charge of the provision brigade of Metis when attacked
by the greenhorn, G-overnor Semple, with a force of Hudson's
Bay servants, greatly inferior in number, untrained, almost
unarmed, but animated by " courage and fidelity." That Grant
was able to restrain his wild warriors from massacring the
defenceless Kildonan settlers, after the slaughter of the poor
Hudson's Bay employees who followed the fatuous Semple,
showed the future warden of the plains to be a born leader, a
humane and merciful man, and well worthy of the position of
authority he gained as chief of the Metis hunters of Red
River, and as their recognized leader and representative in the
Council of the colony of Assiniboia.
^ Metis' Warlike Yietues.
Under Grant, the Metis of the buffalo hunting brigades
were organized as a disciplined force which repelled every
hostile Indian attack so successfully as to win renown as the
most skilful and bravest warriors of the prairies. Recogniz-
ing no boundary to their hunting grounds, save the range of
the buffalo they pursued, they roamed at will, protecting them-
selves from overwhelming numbers of Sioux by barricades of
carts round their camp, and by the fame of their prowess
guarding the agricultural settlers of the Red River colony
from molestation by the bloodthirsty " Tigers of the Plains '"
and other warlike tribes.
The warlike qualities of the Metis often were most favor-
ably commented upon by military men who hunted and tra-
velled with them in the old days. All alike expressed surprise
at the excellent discipline they maintained among themselves
when on the grand annual buffalo hunt, and British officers
mention them in their reports as magnificent horsemen, and
splendid marksmen, whose services would be invaluable in
war on the frontier. At the time when Lord Selkirk's agents
170
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HSI^IBhk ' '^ii^^l^^^^^^^l^^'^<^^^^''^j'&'^^!£j^^^^^^^^^Hl
A BURDEN^ OF A BEAST i
were proclaiming such game laws in the Wild West as were
enforced in Europe, even decreeing that the natives of the
country should not hunt buffalo on horseback, it seems won-
derful that these bold and freeborn plainsmen were not pro-
voked to attack the feudal lord's colony, without any incite-
ment by the North- West Company.
A Burden of a Beast.
Dufresne and the Twin Wolves — so the Cree brothers were
named — arrived in the afternoon of the 8th, and we set out
for Fort Ellice. I at once found that " Rouge '^ was absolutely
no good for anything. At a walk he constantly stumbled and
fell behind the cart, and to compel him into a trot to catch
it up was violent exercise. Neither would he lead light nor
follow. Instead of being useful as a beast of burden he
became a burden of a beast, for we could not leave a pony,
which had been charged at full tariff price by Red River dis-
trict against Swan River district, loose on the prairie, and
I had to take him to be exchanged at the next post for an
animal which could be used.
My French Chef.
That night I made my bed for the first time under the body
of a cart, a canopy with which I became accustomed during
many a following year. With a tent or paulin thrown over
its shafts, wheels and body, and opening on a camp fire in
front, one has good lodging in wind and rain ; but I had only
the bare cart and an oil cloth under my blankets, and the
night was keen and windy. While I fixed up my bedding my
new French chef was busy and noisy about the fire, and I
expected some fine French cooking for supper; but when
Dufresne came to set the meal before me and, spreading a
piece of dirty bale cover for a cloth on the ground, put down
on it a flake of uncooked dried meat and lumps that looked
like the limestone of which Fort Garry was built, and said
they were "biscuits," I was quite disgusted. The meat was
171
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
of the look and texture of rawhide, not a speck of fat, and
the hardness of the biscuits was in exact keeping with their
appearance. I had asked for bread and the Company had
given me a stone. Moreover, on asking Dufresne what had
become of " everything " in the way of cooking and eating
utensils, he said that these consisted of a frying pan, a tea
kettle, and a cooking kettle, with three tin drinking pots all
belonging to him and the Indians, and each of them had a
scalping knife in his scabbard. Dufresne lent me his drinking
pot, in which we soaked the " biscuits " after crumbling them
with the axe, and cutting up the dried meat with my pocket
knife as one shaves a plug of tobacco, I managed to make a
kind of a meal.
However, Dufresne was a lively and interesting talker, and
had lots to tell of his travels and his general prowess and
adventures and hairbreadth escapes on flood and field. His
conversation was voluble, but, of course, Frenchy English and
full of strange oaths as well as incidents. And he, too, was
pious, crossing himself before eating and kneeling down to
pray before lying down to sleep. He was a thin, wiry, little
man, as active as a cat, and so hardy that all he wore, without
underclothing or hose, was a pair of moleskin trousers, a
coarse cotton shirt, and moccasins, adding a cloth cap and a
capote occasionally.
Poplar Point.
The Indians were constantly visiting any place they saw
people camping or dwelling along the way, but they did noc
appear to see anyone who appreciated their company till we
reached Poplar Point, where they found the father and bro-
ther of a halfbreed they knew on the Saskatchewan, by whom
they were well received, and I was made welcome. The old
man had been sent from a post on Hudson Bay, by his Orkney
father, to be educated in Stromness, and he was delighted to
talk about that place with me. I let Dufresne and the Indians
depart, towing " Rouge " with them, and remained with the
172
A FINE GALLOP ON THE PEAIBIES
Taits for some time, and then the son lent me a nice saddle
horse and came on another with me to catch up the cart. I
enjoyed on that occasion the first fine gallop I had yet had
on the prairies, and more than ever disgusted with " Eouge,"
I did the rest of the trip to Portage la Prairie on foot, to my
great relief and pleasure, for there is nothing more trying to
a man^s patience, and even his body, than sitting on a lazy,
stumbling pony following a slow-going cart on the plains.
Portage la Prairie.
On the 10th of October we reached the Hudson's Bay post
at Portage la Prairie. The place derived its name as the
portage over which the early French traders, coming up the
Assiniboine, carried their cargoes to Lake Manitoba, a dis-
tance of nine miles, and forwarded them up the lake to Fort
Dauphin and their other posts beyond. In seasons of high
water the floods of the Assiniboine find their way by the
course of Rat Creek (River Champignons) into Lake Mani-
toba.
In 1737 the intrepid Verandrye established a post here
named Fort la Reine, which he made his base for exploration
to the Missouri. The British Canadians who followed his
footsteps towards the end of that century had three rival posts
here, which were attacked by the Assiniboines, and only the
men of one post succeeded in defending themselves and mak-
ing their escape. The route by Portage la Prairie seems to
have been preferred over that by Lake Winnipeg by the early
traders to reach the Saskatchewan, and of course it was more
convenient to their posts on Lakes Manitoba and Winnipegosis,
as well as those on the Swan River. For some time before
1832 there does not appear to have been any post bet«^een
White Horse Plain and Brandon House; but the Northern
Department 'Council of that year appointed John Richards
McKay, P.M., to the charge of the " new Post of Portage la
Prairie," and the Company has had a store here ever since.
173
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
r-
r
The Honored Foundees.
Shortly before 1857 the venerated and Venerable Arch-
deacon William Cochran established an Indian mission at the
Portage to endeavor to repeat in the case of the savage Indians
surrounding it the success which his untiring and zealous
labors had attained in the Indian settlement of St. Peters,
with the further object of pioneering the way for agricultur-
ists from other parts of the Red River Settlement who might
wish to take advantage of the splendid soil of the Portage
plains. A number of native families, numbering in 1858 some
one hundred and twenty people, took advantage of the oppor-
tunity, among whom may be named with honor the Garriochs,
Birds, Cummings and Oaddies. To these later on were added
the first Canadian farmers, the McLeans, and others from
Ontario, who were the vanguard of the mighty host who have
brought the whole western prairies beyond under the plow
— the conquerors of the wilderness.
The Hudson's Bay Company and the Council of Assiniboia
tried to discourage this western advance of settlement into a
district beyond the municipal limits of the latter body, which
only extended fifty miles in a circle of which Fort Garry was
the centre. But none of the dire consequences apprehended
by the Council of Assiniboia followed the settlement, which
persisted and increased under the wise direction of the
patriarchal Archdeacon until the time of his death in 1865.
" Governor " Spence — His Reign.
^ After the death of the great and good missionary, Hargrave,
in his history of "Red River" (page 109), relates:
" With regard to the political aspect of affairs at Portage la
Prairie, I regret to have to record that the evil forebodings of
the secular authorities have been fully justified by the event.
. . . The petty colony has been a source of much disquietude
to the magistracy in the Red River Settlement of late years;*
that two instances of murder have already occurred in its his-
* Written in March, 1869.
174
FIND A FRIEND
tory, and that, after an abortive attempt to organize a private
government of their own and to force an oath of allegiance and
a customs duty on the general public the Imperial government
was memorialized on the subject by the so-called ' Governor.'*
The result was an intimation from the colonial secretary advis-
ing him (Governor Spence) that the courae he was pursuing was
illegal, and that he and his abettors were incurring what might
become a grave responsibility, seeing the British Government
could not recognize their authority whioh might be legally
resisted by any person so minded."
Bill Watt, O'Donoghue's Captor.
At the Portage post I was heartily welcomed and well
entertained by Mr. William H. Watt, an Orkney gentleman,
who was in charge. Mr. Watt was an ardent sportsman and
had lost an arm in pursuit of game some years previously,
but its loss did not prevent his seizing the Fenian O'Donoghue
when he made the raid on Pembina in 1871, and holding him
till arrested by the American troops who intervened so oppor-
tunely on that occasion. The Twin Wolves had succeeded in
making away with all their own rations for the voyage from
Fort Grarry to Fort Ellice, and besides had devoured all my
share also by the time we reached Portage. They declared
that they also required to be supplied with other " things
from the store ^' on account of their wages for the trip. In
Watt they thought they had found a " Moonias " (the Indian
contemptuous term for a white newcomer), but they soon dis-
covered they had met a Tartar whom they could neither fool
nor bully. He gave them, of course, some pemmican and
ammunition to find them on their way to Fort Ellice, but
nothing more than a dressing down for their waste of food
on the way from Fort Garry.
In Mr. Watt I found a friend whose people at home had
been well acquainted with my father's family there. So I
passed a very pleasant time in his hospitable quarters and
we sat up long into the night exchanging information, in
* Thomas Spence.
12 175
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUKEES
which I was greatly the gainer, for he was a chief clerk shortly
expecting promotion, and had seen service all over the south-
ern and Montreal departments of the Company. With him
I exchanged Mr. Lane's alleged "buJffalo runner," the aggra-
vating "Rouge," for a pony of a different kind and color —
noir this time, and he supplied me with plenty of flour
and other food for the trip to replace that devoured by the
Twin Wolves of Saskatchewan.
Next day — ^the 11th — I bade my kind host farewell, and
we never chanced, in our roving over the plains which fol-
lowed for years after, to meet again; but I rejoice to know
that Mr. Watt is still hale and hearty in the enjoyment of a
liberal pension as a retired factor and resides in his native
and beloved Isles.
Join Sv^an River Men.
I only travelled with Dufresne and his tripmates till noon,
when I joined two men belonging to Swan River district who
were returning after obtaining medical aid at Fort Garry.
They were two fine young Metis named Antoine Genaille and
Henri Hibert, and had a horse and cart with their baggage.
I was sorry to leave Dufresne, who was lively and amusing,
with his laggard fellow-travellers, but both Antoine and Henri
spoke good English and were smart and obliging. Next day
we caught up a brigade of Company's carts belonging to Fort
Pelly, under a guide named William Johnstone, taking flour
and American goods to the district. Two of Johnstone's cart
drivers had deserted him on the way, so he kept Genaille,
and Hibert and I pushed on ahead, after we had remained
long enough with the brigade to use their frying pans in
cooking enough bannock to serve us to Fort Ellice.
The magnificent monotony of the level plain was now
relieved and varied by wooded vale and hill, over which we
moved at a pace which was exhilarating after the dull lagging
behind the Saskatchewan men's cart. We had good shooting,
too, and the tough dried meat disappeared from the bill of
176
GOOD SHOOTING
fare and was replaced by fine prairie chicken and ducks, which
Henri cooked in woodland style to perfection.
At first Henri was very polite, but also very silent; but
when he saw that I was glad to fall into the ways of the
voyageurs and to be fond of fun, he completely unbent, and
before we reached Fort Ellice he and I had formed a friend-
ship which lasted till his death many years afterwards. It
was from him that I first learnt the many good qualities,
generally unsuspected by strangers, of this kindhearted, hos-
pitable people, so ignorant of books other than the great book
of nature, and such splendid travellers and hunters.
177
CHAPTER X.
SWAN RIVER DISTRICT.
Brandon.
We crossed to the south side of the Assiniboine River by-
fording it above the " Grand Rapids," below what is now the
city of Brandon, which has perpetuated the name of the old
fur trade post, "Brandon House." This famous post was,
according to Doctor Bryce (who gives an interesting descrip-
tion of its site, seventeen miles below the city), established by
the Hudson's Bay Company in 1794, and remained their chief
business centre for twenty years, when it was burnt.
Probably the Hudson's Bay Company reached Brandon by
crossing from Lake Manitoba to the Assiniboine at Portage
la Prairie, in which vicinity another post was begun two
years later, and — to quote Doctor Bryce again — ^" the Red
River proper was taken possession of by the Hudson's Bay
Company in 1799."
As an illustration of the immense distances travelled over
by the early fur traders in the ordinary pursuit of their busi-
ness, I may cite the fact that Governor Vincent, of Albany,
was wont to visit Brandon to obtain buffalo products for his
district, and married a wife born there, from whom the highly
respected Truthwaite family of St. Andrews is descended.
The Brandon House was resorted to by a number of dif-
ferent tribes, but principally depended upon the Assiniboines
and Crees for its fur trade. To it also came the Mandans of
the Missouri, bringing, besides the skins and meat of the
buffalo, their Indian corn for sale. These interesting Indians
were painted and described by the famous artist, Catlin, and
believed by him to be descended from the Welsh, who hun-
178
THE BRANDON^ POST
dreds of years before sailed out into the western ocean and
never more were heard of.
Brandon continued to be a post of importance and the only
one of the Hudson's Bay Company's " Upper Red River Dis-
trict" till 1831, when the Northern Department Council held
at York Factory directed, " in order to protect the trade of
the Assiniboines and Crees from American opposition on the
Missouri, a new post be established at or in the neighborhood
of Beaver Creek, to be called Fort Ellice." At the same time
Doctor Todd was transferred from Brandon to the new post,
and old Brandon was left under the charge of a veteran
North-West partner, Mr. James Hughes. This old gentleman
had been well known in the struggle between the rival com-
panies at Edmonton, and, having retired with a competency,
had lost all his money, so that in his old age he was obliged
to ask re-employment in the fur trade, which had been granted
in the capacity of clerk, on the understanding that he should
have no expectation of regaining his old status as a " winter-
ing partner " in the united company.
The names of " Upper Red River District " and Brandon
disappeared off the minutes in 1832, when Mr. Hughes suc-
ceeded Doctor Todd at Fort Ellice, and that establishment
was added to Swan River district, in command of which
Doctor Todd succeeded Chief Factor Colin Robertson, with
headquarters at Fort Pelly.
Chief Factor Colin Robertson.
This gentleman at the time of his taking furlough in 1832,
in anticipation of his retirement from the service, was the
senior officer who sat next Governor Simpson in Council,
Northern Department, and signed its minutes immediately
after the governor. His name appears sixth on the seniority
list of chief factors created in 1821 in the United Hudson's
Bay and North- West Companies. Originally he had been a
Nor'-Wester, but he was won over by Lord Selkirk and became
his guide and counsellor, at the same time joining the Hud-
179
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUKEES
son's Bay service. By the North- West partisans he was hated
accordingly, and feared too, for he was a man of great physical
and mental power and experience. Under Eobertson the
Hudson's Bay Company adopted the Nor'-West Company
system of emplojdng French- Canadian voyageurs to carry the
war into the northern preserves discovered by his former
associates. The best account given of his deeds and his cap-
tivity in the hands of the Nor'-Westers is that of Miss Laut,
who has made splendid use of his hitherto unpublished writ-
ings in her " Conquest of the Great North- West." There also
will be found how the able and experienced Eobertson, who
(by the stupidity which has too often characterized the Hud-
son's Bay home authorities in such appointments) was merely
adviser and " wet nurse " for the ill-chosen greenhorn. Gov-
ernor Semple, had unavailingly warned him of the prepara-
tions being made by the Nor'- Westers to prevent any further
pillage of their posts and property. Like that of many an-
other of these old-time worthies, the life of Colin Eobertson
and the prominent part he took in the strife would make a
large and interesting book of itself.
John Eichaeds McKay^ P.M.
In 1833 Mr. Hughes yielded the charge of Fort Ellice to
Mr. John Eichards McKay, postmaster, under whom the
trade was extended greatly, and among so many tribes as to
require the service of interpreters speaking seven different
languages. The remnant of the Mandans came to it at peril
of their lives, and it was resorted to by natives from a wide
tract of country quite regardless of the international boun-
dary, with no posts nearer than Portage la Prairie on the east,
Fort Pelly on the north, and Carlton House on the north-
west, and none on British territory to the west.
Over this wide domain Mr. McKay held sway as chief for
a generation. The admiration of the many tribes who re-
sorted to Fort Ellice was aroused by feats in which he dis-
played his skill and dexterity as a horseman, a swordsman,
180
CHIEF FOR A GENEEATION
and a sure shot, and by other sprightly and spectacular
accomplishments. His friendliness and fair-dealing, his
courage and cordiality, combined with his knowledge of
Indian character (he was, I think, born at Moose Factory),
and his tact in managing the natives established an influence
over the tribes which descended with the name of " Little Bear
Skin" to his sons and grandsons, who were, and still are,
worthy scions of this worthy sire. One of these is Mr.
Thomas McKay, who took so brave and loyal a leading part
during the Saskatchewan rebellion of 1885, and who ably
represented Prince Albert in the North- West Assembly for
many years. Another is the talented James McKay, K.C.,
M.P. for that constituency in the Dominion House.
Fort Ellice.
Henri and I journeyed on pleasantly, following the well-
marked wheel ruts of the cart track which branched off the
broader road which led the buffalo hunters to the Turtle and
Moose Mountains. We met and saw no other people on the
way, and no notable sight was seen until the 16th, when big
prairie fires arose ahead, in which we were soon enveloped.
That sight alone was worth making the long voyage to see,
and one of my boyish objects in persisting, against the wishes
of my people, in coming to Rupert's Land, was accomplished.
That night the grandeur and magnificence of the display of
fireworks extending on every side over the rolling prairies far
exceeded the conception formed from the printed descriptions
which I had so often devoured.
Next morning early we put on a spurt and dashed to the
front gate of Fort Ellice, in the style which Henri informed
me was the fashion of the country. No one coming out of
the master's house to meet us, as was also the fashion of the
country, I was looking round for a hitching post before dis-
mounting, when in there galloped in hot haste a dashing
horseman, clad in buckskin shirt and leggings, carrying a gun
erossways in front in the bend of his left arm, and a quirt
181
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
dangling from the wrist of his right. His hlackened face
proclaimed that he had passed through the fires raging around
the fort. Approaching me he jumped off his restive steed,
and I followed suit, each advanced vrith outstretched right
hand while we led our steeds with the left. " Mr. Cowie, I
presume," said the horseman, and just as our hands came
within grasping reach his horse reared backward and dragged
him back. So did mine with me. We made some other
attempts, indulging at the same time in some far from com-
plimentary language to our respective steeds for their lack
of manners, ere completing the greeting. We then had a
laugh at the not unusual interruption of a ceremony strictly
enjoined by "the fashion of the country," and intended to
be observed with dignity proper to the occasion. I often after-
wards enjoyed the ludicrous sight of two polite Metis, with
their respective steeds attached to their left hands, eagerly
advancing with " Bon jour, mon ami," checked back and pour-
ing out a succession of " Sacres " and " Diahles " the moment
thereafter.
In this manner I made the acquaintance of my good friend
Walter J. Strickland Traill, apprentice clerk of one year's
seniority to me in that grade. He had been out since the day
before with Chief Trader William McKay and men fighting
the prairie fire, and saving the haystacks, not yet hauled in
to the yard at the fort, where a large herd of cattle was kept.
In former times, ere the buffalo had been gradually driven
further west, they were frequently so numerous right at Fort
Ellice, as to require watchmen round the hay-yard to keep
and drive them out of it, in winter when the snow was deep.
Fort Ellice was beautifully situated at a point on the
level of the prairie where the deep and picturesque val-
ley of the Beaver Creek joined the broad valley of the
Assiniboine River, which could be seen wending its wind-
ing way for miles to and fro in the parklike bottom lands
to join the Red River at " The Forks," by which name,
182
PORT ELLICE
or its equivalent in French and Indian, Fort Garry
was known throughout the great plains. Pointed pickets
of round spruce, about "fifteen feet high and eight inches to
nine inches in diameter, surrounded a square in the rear of
which, facing the front gate, stood a large and commodious
two-storey house, occupied as officers' quarters, and containing
a large Indian reception hall, and an office off which the clerk
had his bedroom. On the west side of the square there was a
row of one-storey houses occupied by the men and their fami-
lies, with a workshop next the front pickets. Facing these on
the opposite side of the square was a similar row of stores,
for provisions, harness, furs, and trading goods. In the
middle was a fur-press and a tall flagstaff, on which the
British red ensign, with *' H.B.C." on the fly, was hoisted
on Sundays, holidays and in honor of visitors. On this occa-
sion I was the recipient of that honor for the first time.
Waltek Traill.
Traill ushered me into his quarters, where I met a warm
welcome and enjoyed a long talk, the precursor of many more
I had in that same room with his successors in after years.
And here again there was evidence of the breed of the Orkney
Isles in Rupert's Land, for the name Traill had been for ages
an honored one there and borne by leading lairds, one of
whom as the Magnus Troil of " The Pirate " had been immor-
talized by Sir Walter Scott. But Traill could not claim the
complete distinction of coming from Orkney, for his father,
with other army officers who had fought the French at Water-
loo, had settled near Lakefield, Ontario, with his English lady,
whose sister, Mrs. Moody, also the wife of a member of a very
old Orcadian family, and herself were the talented authoresses
of well known books on settling in the backwoods of Canada.
Literary talent ran in his mother's family, for their maiden
name was Strickland, and their sister, Agnes, the celebrated
authoress of " The Lives of the Queens of England." Traill
183
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUREES
was a tall, restlessly active fellow, who inherited the maternal
talent, as our later correspondence amply showed. He had
preceded me as clerk at Qu^Appelle — " Cape Hell," he said,
was the English halfbreed pronunciation. His elder brother,
William Edward, had joined the service two years before him,
had preceded him at Fort Ellice, and was that fall placed in
charge of the wintering post of Egg Lake, north of Touch-
wood Hill post, but subject to Fort Pelly.
TrailFs talk was of swift hunting horses, on which he had
chased the red deer, assisted by train dogs, for hours, till
they were brought to bay. This was splendid sport. Lynxes
were also hunted in the same way in the fall, and were fine
eating — like mutton, he said. I thought that a cat, wild or
tame, could not possibly be good to eat, but he assured me
that only greenhorns thought so. But Traill's talk was not all
of sport. He was a clever, energetic young fellow, full of
progressive ideas for the reformation of the Hudson's Bay
antiquated methods of doing many things, which he had seen
better ways of doing in Canada, or thought theoretically
might be done in a new way. But the whole force of public
opinion in that day and generation was extremely conserva-
tive, and one venting such radical ideas was regarded as a
presumptuous greenhorn to be quizzed out of them by the
older officials. Moreover, such innovations were regarded
with utter contempt and abhorrence by the men and natives
especially, who, when he tried to get them to do something
in some style they had never seen, opposed either the most
provoking passive resistance, or inertia or stupidity — real or
assumed — thereto. So his own everlasting activity and impa-
tience of sloth and slowness in others, while they gained the
esteem of his superiors, led to his having lots of trouble with
those under his orders. I never met a Company's man who
was so tirelessly and zealously devoted to their business.
Of course I did not discover all about Traill during the
first few hours after the beginning of our friendship, whicih,
184
A MODEL INDIAN TEADEE
although we have wandered many a weary foot since those
days of auld lang syne, has continued to this day.*
"Billy" McKay, Chief Teadee.
Before dinner time at noon, the Chief Trader, accompanied
by his good wife, who loved life in the open, returned with his
fire-fighters, and successful. William McKay, if not born at
Fort Ellice, had been brought up there in the great days when
half of the whole business of trading in the famous Swan
Eiver district was done under his father, the Mr. John
Eichards McKay before mentioned. " Billy," as the Indians,
who had known him from boyhood, fondly called him, had
inherited the popularity of his father, with his tact and talent
as a trader, but the fiery blood of his dashing father had been
tempered by that of a gentle mother of the old Hudson^s Bay
family of Ballenden. Struck by his character and conduct,
a British nobleman, who had penetrated into these distant
wilds for buffalo hunting, described him as one of nature's
gentlemen, in which opinion all who knew him concurred.
In his family he was a good husband and a fond father. Ever,
with devotion to his duty to the Company, he was just and
kind to the Indians, into whose affairs he brought the sym-
pathy of knowledge, while his well-known courage prevented
their attempting to impose upon him. He was the model of
what a really good Indian trader should be. The only guile
I ever heard him accused of by anyone was in his horse-
trading operations, which were most extensive, for these
were not only in the way of everyday business with the
Indians, but also, as the Fort was a half-way house between
Fort Garry and Carlton on the main route, with passing trad-
ers, freighters and other travellers who resorted to him to buy
or exchange horses to enable them to pursue their journey.
* After leaving Fort Ellice in the summer of 1870, Traill was
placed in charge of the Comipany's business in the American por-
tion of the Red River, with headquarters at Grand Forks. He
has sdnoe, for many years, resided in the KaJispel Valley.
186
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
Horses, too, like furs, formed the currency of the country.
The tricks of the horse trade are universally practised through-
out the equine world; and men in it look on it and enjoy it
as a game of skill, a contest of wits in which the wittiest
wins, without much regard to the quality of the animal
he may succeed in palming off on his opponent. In this
game " Billy " had the wonderful advantage of always
being able to recognize any horse he had ever seen, no matter
how altered by change in condition, season, or age. * So he
was always ready for and keenly enjoyed a horse trade. Of
course he only exercised his art in this line when engaged
with a foeman worthy of his steel, and there were many who
were great experts, or considered themselves so, amongst the
traders and hunters passing and frequenting Fort Ellice. He
was fond of a joke, too, and of quizzing those who had come
to shear and had got shorn, when he met them again.
Rev. Thomas Cook.
Outside the fort, but near at hand, there was a Church of
England mission, under the Rev. Thomas Cook, who was Mrs.
McKay's brother. The wandering habits of the Indians, who
had to follow the roaming buffalo for their living, must have
been a great hindrance to this good old missionary at Fort
Ellice, and he was moved to "Whitemud River, not far from
Portage la Prairie, within a year or so after, to minister to
a settled congregation. At Fort Ellice he certainly was fav-
ored by the assistance of Mr. and Mrs. McKay, and had it
been possible to keep the Indians for any time around the
fort, another instance of the power of the trader, when so
minded, to influence the Indians to accept Christianity might
have occurred. Many of the successful missions throughout
the Indian country seemed to owe quite as much to the assist-
ance of a Hudson's Bay trader of the same persuasion as to
the devotion of the missionary himself.
186
TEIBAL MIGRATIONS
Buffalo " Gk) West."
Just as old Brandon House in 1830 had become too far from
the general habitat of the buffalo for the convenience of the
hunters, so had Fort Ellice become to a large extent already in
1867. The first step in diminishing its supremacy was taken
when the post at Big Touchwood Hills, on the Saskatchewan
trail, was established about fifteen years before. This was
followed by an outpost from Fort Ellice, on the prairie,
south of the site at the fishing lakes upon which Fort Qu'-
Appelle was built by Mr. Peter Hourie, postmaster, about
1863. Fort Ellice, too, had its regular fur-trading outpost
in the wooded Eiding Mountains, from which it derived large
quantities of fine furs trapped by the splendid hunters of the
Saulteaux tribe, of whom the family of the Little Bones
(Ouk-an-nay-sic) was the most expert. The buffalo hunters
were provided for by trading parties sent out after them in
the summer, and wintering at Turtle or Moose Mountain,
near the herds. But the many tribes, which had resorted to
the fort when its trade was at its zenith under Mr. McKay's
father, had become customers to Fort Union on the Missouri,
and to the posts at Touchwood Hills and Qu'Appelle, leaving
appertaining to it only the Wood Indians before mentioned
and other Saulteaux who followed the buffalo on the plains.
The Mandans, who first occasionally frequented Fort Ellice
after Brandon House ceased to exist, had long since become a
tradition, and tales were told of the attacks made on them
by the other tribes when visiting the place.
The Sioux.
To make up for these lost tribes, a band of Sioux- Yanktons,
who declared that they, while trying to farm in peace, had
been forced by the hostiles to rise against the Americans
during the massacre of the whites in Minnesota, had taken
refuge from the vengeance of the Americans by coming to
187
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
Fort Ellice when others of their tribe came to Portage la
Prairie.
These Sioux were very different from the other Indians
about the place, in their active and thrifty habits. Instead
of taking contracts to make hay and cut cordwood and expend-
ing all their art in trying to secure advances in full before
the work was even begun, far less done, the Sioux went to
work first and saved their earnings for a time of need. My
own experience with them subsequently was that they secured
in time of abundance of buffalo provision for the winter and
for other times of scarcity, while our own Crees, Assini-
boines and Saulteaux were eager to sell every bit of provisions
to us or other traders with no thought for the morrow. One
of the most industrious among these Sioux at Fort Ellice was
one named Enoch, who spoke good English and sang the
hymns he had learnt from the Methodist missionaries in Min-
nesota, and practised the Christian religion too. He was the
leader of several such among them and was a really good and
respectable man.
Paz-zy-o-tah — Buffoon or Fiend f
Another wa^ most amusing fellow, named " Paz-zy-o-tah,"
who m'ade the Indian hall of the fort his lounging place.
He seemed to be simply a lounger and fond of doing and
saying things to make people laugh, regardless of the personal
dignity assumed by most Indians. Of course he could not
read English, but whenever he saw a newspaper lying on the
table he would take it up, and, solemnly holding it upside
down, would sit for long pretending to be deeply engrossed
in its contents. If he thought he had, by these means,
imposed upon or impressed any envious and jealous Saulteaux
with his erudition, he would look round behind the paper and
give one of us a wink with a merry eye. He always acted, as
far as we ever saw or heard at Fort Ellice, the lazy, though
innocent, good-natured and amusing fellow; but it was whis-
188
A GOOD TIME
pered in secret subsequently that he had distinguished himself
by the active part he had taken in roasting the Minnesota
settlers' babies in cookstoves, and in tying pairs of babies
together by the legs and leaving them hanging by these on a
washline to die. I sincerely hope that this accusation was
untrue, for he was apparently one of the merriest and most
good-natured Indians I ever had the rather unusual pleasure
of knowing.
A Good Time.
My good fellow-traveller, Henri Hibert, belonged to Fort
Pelly, to which he had to proceed direct. Mr. McKay's men
were all required for the regular duties of the place and busy
preparing for the winter, the parties to winter at Eiding and
Turtle Mountains having been already despatched. So he had
to detain me till some Indian suitable to guide me to Qu'-
Appelle should chance to visit the place. The weather still
continued perfect, and the Indians' meteorological predictions
by observations of the flora and fauna, all indicated its long
continuance. Mr. and Mrs. McKay were hospitality itself.
The mess table was laden with all kinds of wild flesh and fowl,
and gold-eyes from the river. There was also a variety of
preserved wild fruit put up by the skilful hands of the good
housewife, and the vegetable garden had supplied everything
in that line excellently. A large number of cows furnished
delicious cream, milk and butter. Traill's company was good,
and the chief trader was old and deep in the lore and legend
of the fur trade, and everything connected with it. So I had
a really good time at Fort Ellice, and I do not remember
feeling very anxious to continue my voyage to the station to
which I was appointed by the minutes of the Council of that
year, which I had copied into the ponderous tome at York
Factory, from which I may now give the appointments and
those of the interpreters whose names do not appear in the
minutes.
189
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
Appointments for Swan Rivee District Outfit, 1867:
(Note. — Those marked (♦) are still living.)
Commissioned Officers.
Chief Factor Robert Campbell, Fort Pelly, in charge of district
Chief Trader William McKay (c), Fort Ellice.
FoBT Pelly.
Robert Campbell, chief factor.
♦William Thomson Smith, clerk, accountant of district, (now
London, Ontario).
♦Thomas McKay, postmaster (now of Prince Albert).
William Daniel, district guide and interpreter.
FoBT Ellice.
William McKay (c), chief trader.
♦Walter J. S. Traill, apprentice clerk (now Kalispel, Montana).
Fort Qu*Appelle.
^Archibald McDonald, clerk (now retired chief factor near Van-
couver).
♦Isaac Cowie, apprentice clerk (Winnipeg).
John McNab Ballenden McKay, interpreter.
♦William Kennedy, apprentice interpreter (Prince Albert).
Touchwood Hnxs.
Joseph Finlayson, clerk.
Peter La Pierre, interpreter.
Egg Lake.
♦William Edward Traill, apprentice clerk (now a retired chief
trader, Meskanaw, Sask.).
Shoal Riveb.
Adam McBeath, clerk.
♦Angus McBeath, postmaster (now a pensioned clerk), Kildonan.
Waterhen River.
♦Alexander Munro, interpreter (now a pensioned clerk, Mini-
tonas).
Fairford.
♦Donald McDonald, interpreter (now clerk in charge there).
190
SWAX RIVER DISTRICT, 1867
Manitobah Post.
Ewan MacDonald, clerk.
♦Duncan Matheson, apprentice clerk (now a retired "real" fac-
tor, Inverness, Scotland).
Angus Murray, interpreter.
Of the above some were only wintering posts, abandoned
for the summer. For instance. Egg Lake was an outpost of
Fort Pelly, and Waterhen of Manitobah Post. There was an
outpost of Shoal River at Duck Bay, on Lake Winnipegosis ;
while under Manitobah Post salt was manufactured for Swan
River and other districts at Salt Springs, Lake Winnipegosis.
Fort Ellice had a regular winter outpost at Riding Mountain,
besides flying posts wherever the buffalo were numerous, at
such places as Turtle and Moose Mountains. The district
in which the city of Brandon stands to-day was also in a fur-
trade sense tributary to Fort Ellice. Similarly, buffalo hunt-
ing and trading parties were sent out from Qu'Appelle and
Touchwood Hills, following the migrations of the herds in
summer, and wintering at the nearest points to the herds,
provided with wood.
The missionaries in Swan River district in the winter of
1867-8, were : Church of England — Rev. Thomas Cook, Fort
Ellice ; Rev. George Bruce, Fairf ord ; Mr. Charles Pratt, cate-
chist, Touchwod Hills; Rev. Luke Caldwell, Fort Pelly, and,
I think, possibly. Rev. James Settee, at Manitobah Post. The
Roman €atholic Church had missionaries on Lakes Manitoba
and Winnipegosis; but the Rev. Father Decorby did not re-
establish the mission at Qu'Appelle till 1868. Both he and
the Rev. George Bruce are still on active service.
Gaelic Predominates.
Of the twenty Company's servants above named, all were
of Scottish descent except Daniel and La Pierre, the one being
an Irish and the other a French Metis. Other natives
of the country of partly mixed origin were the chief trader,
13 191
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
McKay, Ms son Thomas, and his brother John (alias
" Jerry '^), also Mr. Finlayson and young Kennedy. The
two Traills were born in Oanada, and, like myself, proud of
the old Norse strain in their blood. Smith was a Lowlander
from St. Andrews, Fifeshire; about all the rest were pure
Highlanders, whose mother tongue was Gaelic, and all born
in the land of the mist and the mountains, except Mr. McBeth
and his nephew, Angus, who hailed from that transplanted
parish of Sutherlandshire — Kildonan, on the Red River. The
two McDonalds were brofthers of the G-lenooe branch, while
the chief of the district was a descendant of that Campbell
of Glenlyon who almost extirpated their clan in the infamous
Massacre of Glencoe. Of course all of these Highlanders
" talked the two talks,'' and the interpreters, McDonald,
Munro and Murray, with the facility in acquiring a language
in which the Celt so excels the Saxon, all spoke the Indian
language fluently as their employment indicates. The McKays
and Mr. Finlayson had a smattering of Gaelic, too, in addition
to the Indian dialects, and French, which they all spoke
fluently, and in which the latter wrote as well.
It had been my lot to have never heard Gaelic in the North
Isles nor even in Aberdeen and Edinburgh, except a chance
expression. My mother, whose people had lived for two
centuries in Shetland, and who loved me to read Sir Walter
Scott's novels and to explain every word I did not understand
to me would sometimes talk of her people, the Greigs, who
came originally from Perthshire, and belonged to the clan
McGregor. Occasionally my father talked of his grand-
father — my namesake — as a gigantic Highlander of Huntly,
who wielded his claymore for Bonnie Prince Charlie at Cul-
loden ; but as a boy I had been imbued with the idea prevalent
in the old Norse archipelago that the Scots of the mainland
were not our kin, although we all belonged to Britain, for
which the Islesmen had fought as fiercely on the sea as ever
did Highlander or Lowlander on land. In Shetland, the
Scots, too, as a rule, were not nearly so well liked as were the
192
OLD HIGHLAND FEUDS
English, in whose ships the Shetlanders always preferred to
sail, for the Islesmen had about the same reason as the Irish
to dislike " foreigners '^ from the mainland, who came to con-
vert their commons into enclosed sheepfarms, and to collect
tithes and taxes. Besides, Scots officials tried to interfere
with the right to smuggle, inherited from the freebooting
rovers of the seas by the Shetlanders, and considered a profit-
able and meritorious means of spoiling the Egyptians who
oppressed them.
Old Highland Feuds.
So when these Gaelic-speaking gentry got together and
began bragging about the Highlanders and saying that a
Shetlander was not even to be classed with the common Low-
landers whom the Gael despised, I felt all the humiliation
of an oppressed minority, and that too in a strange land. But
I soon had my revenge, and it was sweet, for in their excite-
ment and boastings the member of one clan would say some-
thing to revive the slumbering memories of hereditary feuds,
and then each clan gave the other its far from complimentary
character to me in English as referee. In such exciting
moments the hereditary hatred of the McDonalds of Glencoe
against the Campbells of Glenlyon was only tempered by the
consideration that the representative of Glenlyon was the
Company's chief factor in command of Swan Kiver district,
whom all good and true Company's men were dutifully bound
to honor and obey. For the moment the cause of the Com-
pany called, every ancestral and personal feud and ill-feeling
was forgotten, the war of words ceased, and every clansman
was ready to unite with his comrades in the Company with
as much loyalty and devotion as ever his forebears had shown
in following their chiefs to the field in their own and every
other country where Highlanders had won renown.
193
CHAPTER XI.
QU'APPELLE.
Leave Fort Ellice.
After six pleasant days spent at Fort Ellice, on October
23rd, 1867, I set out for Fort Qu'Appelle, on horseback, with
my baggage, consisting of two cassettes of the regulation
pattern, made in Lerwick though, and containing a good out-
fit of clothes, and a few first-class books, several being on
medicine and surgery, also a few surgical instruments. As
the weight allowed an apprentice clerk was only two hundred
pounds baggage, nothing but the most useful articles was in
my outfit. Mr. McKay had kindly added to my bedding the
buffalo robe which the Company supplied to everyone in the
district. With provisions for three days besides, the cart was
light and its driver. Old Lamack, rode in it.
Lamack was counted among the Saulteaux Indians fre-
quenting the post. On the Bay he would have been called one
of the " Homeguards," for he never went far from it, and
was available for odd trips or work which haughtier, or lazier,
hunters would not condescend to perform. I rather think
from his appearance and genial character that he had some
European blood in him, probably French, as his name would
indicate. Mr. McKay informed me that although Lamack
understood enough English to catch the meaning of anything
I might require of him on the trip, he could not be induced
to speak it except when, after he had been treated to a dram,
he wanted another so much as to ask for it in English.
Indians Against Bi-lingualism.
In this respect Lamack followed the custom of his country-
men, who considered it bad form to appear to comprehend
194
> J > :
Dr. William Cowan.
Walter J. S. Traill.
A Gei-man Noble Apprentice Clerk,
Count William Bkrnstorff,
Lieutenant l(5th Hussars, Schleswig-
Holstein.
Captain Henry Bishop, of n
Prince Rupert,
A splendid British Sailor.
A WILD VOYAGEUR
any language but their own, and — being exceedingly sensitive
to ridicule themselves and prone to ridicule others — they con-
sidered it undignified to speak in a strange tongue, even when
they were quite competent to make themselves understood in
it. Besides, an Indian who had the gift of speech in French
and English and used it freely was very frequently a worth-
less fellow upon whom neither the Indians nor the whites
placed confidence. But of course this did not apply to the
halfbreeds, who generally took pride in the number of differ-
ent languages and dialects in which they could make them-
selves more or less understood.
Tom Lamack.
My guide and guardian on the trip was accompanied by his
little son, Tom, a lad of ten, who, proudly carrying the pater-
nal flintlock in the fore front of our procession, showed
wonderful skill in laying low rabbits and prairie chickens
along the w^ay. He was a smart, active boy, of the true hunt-
ing breed. But, instead of later on taking to the bush or the
prairie and following the paths of his ancestors, Tom came
to be employed by the Company as a cart-driver in summer
and a dog-driver in winter. In this capacity he made voyages
to the seats of civilization in the Red River and Minnesota,
and casting away the breech-clout as the sign of his emancipa-
tion from Indian customs and pursuits, and easily acquiring
and using English, he became a wild voyageur instead of a
respectable trapper and hunter. The coming of the white
settlers was bad for such men as poor Tom, and in a drinking
bout with a fellow Saulteau, Josiah Matoney, near Fort
Qu'Appelle, in the fall of 1894, Tom shot and killed Matoney.
Making a daring and successful escape from the Mounted
Police, Tom took refuge amongst his kind, who harbored him
until finally, after many hairbreadth escapes, he sought con-
cealment in Montana. Eight years after shooting Matoney —
very probably in self-defence — he was arrested at Butte and
195
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUREES
brought to Regina. After a trial before Judge Richardson,
in which the Crown provided Mr. James Balfour as counsel
for the defence, Tom was found guilty of murder and
sentenced to be hanged in six weeks. But before the date
(June 27, 1902), arrived, the Governor-General commuted
the sentence to imprisonment for life, which Tom Lamack
began to undergo at Stony Mountain Penitentiary, and con-
ducted himself as a model prisoner. For so wild a bird to be
cooped up in such a cage must have been worse than the bitter-
ness of death. After suffering imprisonment for seven years
and being reduced thereby to a decrepit old man, the authori-
ties mercifully released him. But the confinement had been
too long, and after lingering for about a year on Pasqua's
Reserve, near Qu'Appelle, poor Tom departed on his last long
voyage.
Wooded Country.
The cart trail from the fort led first through what might
be called — comparatively speaking — a wooded country, in
which among the prevailing poplar a stray oak and a chance
spruce might be seen. Soon the woods were gathered into
groves, like islands in an undulating sea of grass. All these
wore the glorious hues of autumn, under a bright sun and
azure sky flecked with fleecy clouds. The bracing breeze by
day and the comfort of the blazing fire of our bivouac, night
and morning, and the shortening day alone betokened the late-
ness of the season. Lamack wished to make a quick trip to
get out to his trapping grounds, and I was anxious to see the
end of my long and slow Journey, although I was thoroughly
enjoying it. So we did not waste time in shooting, merely
firing at anything that came in our way, of which we got an
abundance which might soon have laden the cart had not the
splendid appetites of the party disposed of it otherwise. In
these feasting feats, mine, though grand, fell far short of
those of my companions.
196
THE INDIAN GUN
An Ancieitt Fieeaem.
I was also outclassed as far in the getting of game as in
the " getting away with if The Lamacks led the way, sit-
ting in the oart, and keeping the pony at a steady jog^ot,
while I followed behind, falling back at a walk and then com-
ing np at a canter. Nothing in the way of fur or feather
a;head and along the trail escaped the keen eyes of the
Lamacks. I think they scented as well as saw the game, for
Tom would leap out of the cart (their pony would not stand
fire) and bang away at objects quite invisible to me and then
rush into the brush or long grass to retrieve the rabbit or bird
he had shot. When we unhitched and unsaddled, while the
old man made fire and cooked, Tom and I would set out to
shoot, but, even on ponds where the ducks were quite visible,
the little lad with the flintlock, longer than himself, always
did better than I with my double barrel percussion gun,
loaded with four times the quantity of shot. I had won a
marksman's badge, and had been officially gazetted as one of
the best shots in the rifle corps, and, besides, had shot lots
of wildfowl at home, so I wondered if my own gun were not
to blame, and if Tom's long gun were the better. Anyhow
I wanted to see how the flintlock went, and so I tried the
family weapon at a mark. The sight was coarse, the stock
straight, and the trigger very hard. At last when the flint
struck the steel, sparks as from an anvil flew in every
direction, followed at what appeared a long interval by a flash
in the pan, and then by a kick like a horse, for while the
native did spare shot he did not spare powder, and wadded it
hard, too. Of course the strong pull, and the startling flare-
up quite spoilt my aim, and I never did get up to the
use of the " Indian gun," nor get over my surprise at the fine
shooting the natives did with it.
Long Barrels.
These guns came in three lengths, three and one-half feet
barrel being the longest I ever saw or heard of, although
197
X
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
there still lingers a legend, which has descended from
old detractors of the fur traders, that beaver skins
were exchanged by the Indians for guns lengthened
enormously so that the pile of beaver skins to reach from the
ground to the muzzle — which was the measure — ^would be so
much higher. The shorter ones, two and one-half feet, were
those most in use on the prairies, and these were usually still
further shortened by the Indians, for lightness as well as con-
cealment under the robes or blankets they wore, and because
in running buffalo with a good horse the hunter got so close
as to singe the buffalo when he fired.
The wooden stock of these guns ran out under the barrel
to within an inch or so of the muzzle. The groove for the
ramrod had brass clasps at intervals and two brazen serpents
decorated the grip of the stock. To these " Brummagem "
decorations the Indians added others of their own device, in
brass-headed tacks, without which the weapon seemed uncon-
^ secrated in their eyes.
Elk Antler Hill.
As we went on the poplar groves became more sparsely
scattered over " the parklands," the ponds shrank in size and
were less frequent and of these many had been dried up
during the long lasting fine weather. So for our second
night's camp we had to reach Elk Antler hill, along-
side of which a pond generally yielded in such times a
certain water supply, just as the trail passed on to the
bare, dry prairie through which Ay-cap-pow's Creek runs into
the Qu'Appelle. Expecting ix) find water as usual we un-
hitched on the knoll, and prepared for the night, while Tom
went down to the old pond to fill the kettles. Suddenly he
liailed his father and they exchanged some mournful and com-
plaining sounds. Tom came back with the kettles, driving
the ponies, which had been hobbled, back from the watering-
place. The old man began loading the cart again and turned
to me, saying, " Cawin gaycou nepe," which, of course, I did
198
" XOXE WATER, BOY "
not understand, so, impatiently bursting the barrier of his
dignity, he said, " None water, boy," and signed that we
would have to go on till we found it.
Calling Eiver.
We had made a good day's journey for the time of year
already, but we had to travel far into the night before reach-
ing the banks of the Qu'Appelle valley, into which, by a steep
trail in a coulee, we descended, and were soon camped on the
Calling River.
Next morning — October 26th — we forded the river a little
above our camp, at a place where a cart had evidently been
hauled up the short steep bank before. Lamack's pony found
the place too steep, and both he and his boy waxed wroth at
the poor animal's inability to haul up the cart with its load.
They began to unmercifully belabor the pony, when I inter-
vened and made them take the little trouble of unloading and
carrying the stuff up the bank. Then the little "plug"
eagerly and easily hauled up the cart. The old chap looked
sulky, and some not very complimentary remarks about me
appeared to pass between him and his son, but they were not
translated into English, so neither my bones nor those of the
faithful pony were broken.
We followed up the wide and beautiful valley on a good,
well-beaten trail, till afternoon, when Lamack, now all smiles,
managed to make me understand that if I pushed on ahead
on horseback I might reach the fort before bedtime. He drew
on the ground a line representing the river, which expanded
into a lake, followed by another line to another lake, at the
end of which, he said, " McDonald," meaning my future boss.
As I could not very easily get lost with such a clear course in
the deep valley before me, I was only too glad to set off ahead
at a gallop to reach my station at last. At that time, how-
ever, I did not know the marvellous powder of endurance of the
Indian pony, and as the one I bestrode was very willing, and
I did not like to impose on him, it was dark before we had
199
THE COMPANY OF ADYENTUREES
passed the first lake. Eiding on a little beyond I saw a light
across the valley for which I made, the pony following a path
which took ns to a ford, through which we splashed and
shortly after stopped before a little shanty from which the
light of a blazing fire shone through the open door, before
which stood the occupant, Thomas Favel, dit Mango.
Favel a Fisherman.
Favel was making his fall fishery and preserving the fine
whitefish he was catching in the usual way, by spitting them
with willow wands above the tail in tens, and hanging them
up, heads down, on a stage to drain and dry. Although it
was his busy season he at once offered to show me " a short
cut^' to the fort. The night was dark a;S he led me up the
steep south side of the valley on to the prairie above. He
was surprised that I should get off and lead my good pony
up the hill, saying it was no use having a horse if you did not
ride him, and I afterwards discovered that dismounting to
spare the horse in a steep place, going up or down, was gen-
erally considered undignified and even cowardly by the bold,
hard riders of the plains. I also found by later experience
that at the end of a long, quick journey my mount, by being
eased at hard places, would remain comparatively fresh, while
those who stuck to their saddles everywhere often had to get
off and run behind, driving their ponies, which could no
longer bear them. Another despised custom, imported from
home, was that of rising in the stirrups at a trot whenever I
found my pony beginning to fag. This immediately eased
and put fresh life into the animal. And I was abundantly
rewarded for my care and consideration, too, for the relief
from using a tired steed enabled me to come off a long journey
" fresh as paint " and in ^od humor, whilst my companions
were often in the opposite state of body and mind.
About the Ponies.
Although I had the advantage from childhood of being
used to the pet ponies for which my native isles are famous,
200
PONIES OF THE PEAIRIES
of course, I had much to learn about the ponies of the prairies
and the wonderful things they and their masters could per-
form. Such a brute as Mr. Lane had given me at White
Horse Plain, in " Eouge," would have tried the patience of the
most saintly member of the Societ}' for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals; but he had probably been the victim of
a course of brutal treatment and so trained as to do nothing
except under the most violent compulsion. A great many
Indians were horribly cruel to their ponies, but the Metis
were much more humane, especially caring for their splendidly
trained buffalo runners. Owing to their style of riding most
of the Indians' ponies had sore backs, and too many of those
of the Metis and the Company likewise suffered in that way,
but not to the same extent. Collar galls on the carters were
also strongly in evidence, and their prevention and alleviation
was a chief duty of those in charge of a train.
But to return to my journey, after this lapse into talking
horse, which was a perennial subject with the people who
lived and moved and had their being among horses and
buffalo, with whom I was about to sojourn for seven long years.
After ascending the wooded slope from the valley to the up-
land prairie. Mango led me over it for a mile or two and
then plunged down into a deep and steep ravine, by a
path through the bush, to the borders of the lake, then
across low ridges and shallow intervening vaUeys, till
we emerged upon the flat bottom land between the second and
third lake, on which the Qu'Appelle Post is situated — I use
the present tense, for the lineal successor of the old post, in
the shape of a modern shop, stands on the same old site in
this instance.
At the Foet.
It was a beautiful, calm, starlit night. The occasional
neighing of a pony to his fellows, and the frequent barking
and howling of dogs echoed from afar in the stilly night of
the valley. Jets of sparks flying straight upwards, from fires
201
THE COMPANY OP ADVENTURERS
being replenished for the night in the big open chimneys of
the men's quarters, showed how near the fort lay before us.
The night was clear, but in the shadow of the vale I could
see no other indication of its existence. Not so the ever-
watchful train dog, and while we were about a mile off one
of these videttes, ever skirmishing round and seeking what
he might devour, gave a warning bark, which he kept up at
quickly increasing intervals as we advanced. By the time
we got near, the whole pack in and about the place had taken
the alarm and was in full cry, blending bark and yelp in a
canine chorus which resounded and awoke all the echoes of
the well-named " Echoing Valley.'^ The next customary sign
of the coming of strangers to a fort was the banging of doors
as the inmates rushed out to see the cause of the loud clamor
of the dogs. As some of these doors were made of parchment
stretched tightly on a light wood frame, their banging resem-
bled that of drums, and each person following at intervals —
until the whole male, female and child population emerged —
banged the doors behind them, so that we approached the front
gate and entered it amid a chorus of the canine band now
escorting us (punctuated by some snapping and snarling at
myself, in whom they scented a stranger, while at Mango
they barked not), and the intermittent banging of these door
drums.
" Where is the master ?" asked Mango of George Sandison,
the watchman who had entrusted his function to the dogs.
" He is off spearing fish with Harper ; but the mistress is
in the big house."
So Mango led me to the door of the "big house," which
faced the gate from the back of the square. In the Indian
reception hall and office, on which the front door opened, the
lady of the Qu'Appelle lakes gave me kindly welcome, and sent
a messenger to Mr. McDonald to tell of my arrival. He soon
came, accompanied by Harper, his man, bearing carefully the
first coal oil lamp which had found its way into those regions,
where candles made of buffalo tallow had been, and were, with
202
2 o
AN EXPERT SPEARMAN
this one brilliant exception, the illuminating medium. The
lamp was Mrs. McDonald's own property, as well as the oil,
for the Company had not yet come to supply such modern
luxuries to its frontier establishments. So Harper had been
very particular not to damage the lamp of his good mistress,
which her husband had taken, as he had no birch bark or
pine knots to lure the fish within reach of his trident, in the
use of which he was an expert from the time he was a boy
spearing salmon in the streams of his old home in the High-
lands.
The McDonalds.
I was not only well welcomed as the new clerk, but also as
the bearer of a packet of letters and other mail from Red
River and the great world beyond. It was pretty late, but
Harper soon had a good supper for me, and after a chat the
master ushered me into my future quarters — a bedroom off
the office, which the good Mrs. McDonald had beforehand
made comfortable for the newcomer who had been expected
for some time. Next morning I was introduced to the family
of my new-found friends — ^John Archibald, who trotted about
on his own little legs, and Donald Hogarth, who was still
a baby in arms. I had always been fond of children, and soon
made friends with these two, and passed in pleasure in their
company many an hour which would have been weary other-
wise in the time that followed. I am glad to say that both
these little chaps are now big men, the elder still living at
Qu'Appelle, and a member of the Saskatchewan Legislature,
and the other a capitalist and president and director of sev-
eral large financial companies in Winnipeg.
Mrs. McDonald came of the best of 'old Hudson's Bay
people, her grandfather being the Grovernor Sinclair of York
Factory, whose monument there was noticed in a previous
chapter, and her father, another Orkneyman, widely respected
as John Inkster, of iSeven Oaks, and a councillor of the colony
of Assiniboia. She had been well educated at Miss Mills'
303
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
academy for young ladies in Red River, and as a devout
member and active worker of the Church of England, at St.
John's, and afterwards as the mistress at Manitobah Post,
had been highly spoken of by the Bishop of Rupert's Land,
when I told him that I was on my way to Qu'Appelle. To
the wisdom and good counsel of such ladies of old Ruperf s
Land many a gentleman of the Hudson's Bay Company, be-
sides Mr. McDonald, owed much of their success in overcom-
ing difficulties, and in maintaining the Company's influence
over the natives.
Mr. Archibald McDonald, chief clerk — as he then was — ^was
already a man of mark on the plains of Swan River district,
in which he served the Company " with courage and fidelity "
from the time he came to the country on the ship Prince of
Wales, in 1854, up to that of his retirement as their oldest
chief factor on 31st May, 1911 ; and for the most of that long
period with Qu'Appelle as his headquarters. It has been
already said that he was of the clan McDonald, of Glencoe,
and of course he was proud of it. He was also naturally proud
of having been mentioned by the Right Hon. Edward Ellice,
in repljdng to a question of the Select Committee on the
Hudson's Bay 'Company, at London, in 1857, as one of the
carefully selected young men sent out to be trained to the
important position of Company's officers in Rupert's Land.
From the time that Mr. McG-illivray and he arranged the
union of their North- West Company with that of Hudson's
Bay, Mr. Ellice had been the leading director. His reply to
the question was : " I took great care to send out the best men
we oould find, principally from the north of Scotland, sons of
country gentlemen, clergymen and of farmers, who had been
educated at the schools and colleges of Scotland." He stated
that the appointments were not made by individual directors,
but by the Board on recommendation of one of them, and
went on to say : " My son recommended a boy, the son of
our forester in Scotland, brought up at our own school where
he turned out a quick, clever boy; that boy has never seen a
204
A^ EXEMPLARY FACTOR
town, nor known anything of the vice and habits of towns;
he has gone out as an apprentice, and will rise, if his merits
justify the council in promoting him, to be one of our chief
men/^ The steps by which this boy, Archibald McDonald,
rose in fulfilment of the promise of his youth and of the pre-
diction of the right honorable director are too many and too
interesting for me to attempt to do justice to in these cursory
memoirs. The details should come from the fountain-head
himself, but, like the majority of makers of history, he may
never be prevailed upon to write it.
The Assiniboines oe ^^Stonies."
Already in 1867 Mr. McDonald's absolute fearlessness and
vehement energy had conferred upon him the post of honor
on the frontier, back from which the Crees and Saulteaux
were pushing the Blackfeet as they followed the buffalo into
the country of the latter further west, while the Assiniboines of
Wood Mountain and along the Missouri to the south, although
nominally friendly, were a greater source of anxious uncer-
tainty than the Blackfeet, who were open and certain enemies.
These Stonies were of the hereditary caste of professional
horse thieves from friend or foe, dexterous sneak thieves and
pilferers from strong parties and open plunderers of weak
ones, on the members of which they were wont to inflict the
most beastly and degrading ill-usage, only letting them
escape with their lives. The Assiniboines were also false
friends of the Americans at the posts on the Missouri, and
made it a practice to murder the haycutters and woodchoppers
employed to provide for those establishments; and then they
would take the mutilated bodies of their victims to the Ameri-
cans and claim the reward (fifteen dollars I think was the
amount) offered for such as had been killed by the Sioux,
who were generally more or less at open war with the whites
on the Missouri. The Stonies considered this a very smart
thing to do, and boasted to our Indians of the base perform-
ance.
205
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
The Blackfeet.
Although the Blackfeet and their allies were friendly to
the whites at Edmonton and Rocky Mountain House, they
considered Fort Pitt, Carlton House, and the Touchwood Hills
and Qu'Appelle posts and the trading and hunting parties
belonging to all of them as allies of their enemies, the Crees,
and objects" of attack as such, because supplying with arms
and ammunition these aggressive invaders of the hunting-
grounds of the Blackfeet, the daring lifters, too, of their
scalps and live stock.
Religion and Rum.
Liquor from the American side of the line could be and
was brought in amongst our Indians by " free " traders with-
out hindrance, for when the Company passed their self-deny-
ing ordinances against its use in their business in Swan
River and ^Saskatchewan districts, the Indians besought other
traders to bring it to them. To quote Professor Youle Hind,
of the Canadian exploring expedition of 1858, on this sub-
ject : — " When the Rev. James Settee arrived at the
(Qu'Appelle) mission last autumn, the Crees of the Sandy
Hills having received intelligence that the bishop had sent
' a praying man ' to teach them the truths of Christianity,
directed messengers to enquire whether ^ the great praying
father had sent plenty of rum ; if so, they would soon become
followers of the Whiteman's Manitou.' The messengers re-
turned with the intelligence that the great praying father had
not only omitted to send rum, but he hoped that the Plain
Crees would soon abandon the practice of demanding rum in
exchange for their pemmican and robes. The messengers
were directed to return to the missionary with the announce-
ment that ' if the great praying father did not intend to send
any rum, the sooner he took his praying man away from the
Qu'Appelle Lakes the better for him.' "
All the old hands who had been in the Company's service on
20G
HUDSON^S BAY COMPANY AND LIQUOE
the plains when liquor was still given, chiefly as a treat on
state occasions or as a present, in parts where the Indians
might get it from across the line, united in saying that whilft
the liquor trade was in their own hands it was regulated so
that comparatively little damage was done. For when a band
came in to receive their semi-annual regale of rum, all their
weapons were first delivered up for safe-keeping in the fort.
Then the bravest and ablest men were selected to keep order
among their fellows while the latter were drinking; and these
keepers of the peace only had their turn after the genera]
spree was ended. Then, too, if one became too annoying an(i
clamorous for more rum, and could not be kept quiet by any
other means, a good big knock-out drink was given him to put
him to sleep. So, said my informants, they never had the
same trouble as with the Indians, who, getting all the drink
they could buy with their furs or horses from the " free "
traders, immediately came over to torment the Company^s
people and rake up all their past grievances, while the teetotal
Company's men had none of the former medicine wherewith
to soothe the savage breast.
A Post of Dangek and of Honok.
Even among the friendly tribes themselves there were many
dangerous characters thirsting for glory in 'battle, tribal or
personal, and their thirst for blood became acute when that
for rum had been first indulged.
But wild man was not the only danger. The trading and
hunting parties sent out over these treeless prairies had many
a battle with the blizzard in crossing them in winter by
" traverses " occupying days between the infrequent patches
where wood was to be found. In summer, too, there was the
great dearth of water, and when it was to be had at all it was
often horribly alkali, or, if the buffalo were numerous, tainted
with the foul excretions of the wallowing herd. In every
other part of the prairies, save those tributary to Qu'Appelle,
over which the Company's men travelled in winter, there were
14 207
THE COMPANY OF ADYENTUREES
clumps 5f wood to be reached within comparatively short dis-
tances. True, dry buffalo dung lay almost everywhere be-
neath the snow, but it only made, even when heaped up like
a haycock, a smouldering " smudge," on which the kettle
boiled and the frying pan served its purpose; but without
shelter from the cold blast sweeping the bare plain the
" buffalo chips '^ were a very poor apology for a wood camp
fire. Anything in the shape of a tent or lodge was considered
too great an impediment on a trip performed with already
heavy laden dog trains, carrying, besides the regular load, a
few sticks of dry wood to make the shavings necessary to start
the buffalo dung to burn.
208
LA BELLE QU'APPELLE,'
VALLEY. THE SITE
BY LOW
' LOOKING TO SOUTH-EAST ACROSS
OF OLD FORT, SURROUNDED
TREES, TO RIGHT.
Courtesy of Grand Trunk Pacific Railway.
LA BELLE QU'APPELLE." LAKE ABOVE FORT QU'APPELLE,
LOOKING NORTH-WEST. BUILDINGS TO RIGHT ON
SITE OF OLD FORT. ENGINEER'S GRAVE
IN FOREGROUND.
Courtesy of Grand Trunk Pacific Railway.
CHAPTER XII.
A BUFFALO ''PROVISION POST/'
La Belle Qu'Appelle.
The valley of the Qu'Appelle is of ideal beauty throughout.
When the earth was ages of years younger a mighty river, the
continuation then of the South Saskatchewan, swept down
through it to join the Assiniboine. A great geologic disloca-
tion at the elbow of the South Saskatchewan diverted its
waters at a right angle to its old course and sent it to unite
with the Forth Saskatchewan at the Forks. The drift of the
great sand dunes in the vicinity also partially filled up at its
head the old river valley of the Qu'Appelle, which then became
the beautiful stream which winds about and in and out in the
broad flat bottom land of its mile wide and magnificent valley,
which the ancient river had scooped out for its course and
deepened from two hundred to three hundred feet below the
level of the great plains on its borders.
Rills and brooks, bearing the drainage of the upland
prairies, have fretted the banks of the valley into gentle dales
and deep ravines, which, fringed with flower and shrub and
aspen, hurry down to the verdant lowlands, through which
they bend their still fringed courses to mingle with the willow-
bordered river. The bold spurs and ridges of the southern
slopes of the valley are also adorned by the white stems and
trembling leaves of the aspen, with here and there the beau-
tiful bark and lovely foliage of the birch, mingled lower down
with scattered maple, ash and elm. But across the valley the
ridges, though covered with short grass, are bald of brush or
bush, and only in the intervening hollows and coulees, shel-
tered from the scorching sun and succeeding frosts of spring,
is tree or shrub to be seen.
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUREES
The LfOVELY Lakes.
Framed 'between the graceful, curving slopes of the long
reaches of the deep and wide valley, the Qu'Appelle River
sweeps through its prairie lowlands in endless bends from
slope to slope, glinting in silvern sheen through the greenery
of its borders. Lovely as is this shining river in the valley
while alone in its beauty, it is when the stream expands into
its rosary of lakes and links them together that the full glory
of the scenery is revealed. Each lake, a limpid gem of azure,
fills the valley from bank to bank, which, embowered in
verdure, sweep in the stately curves whereby they and the
lakes in their embrace are finally concealed in the distance.
Upon the prairies between the second and third lakes stood
Fort Qu'Appelle, in the middle of the valley, and within a
hundred feet of the right bank of the river, some few hundred
yards east of the upper lake. There were no fixed habitations
of man, on British territory, between the fort and the Rocky
Mountains to the west, while on the east the cabins of Favel,
Parisien and Denomie, between the next two lakes, and those
of Alick and John Fisher on the lower lake, were the only
buildings between Fort Qu'Appelle and Fort Ellice.
Fort Qu'Appelle.
The fort was an enclosure of about one hundred and fifty
feet square, the stockades were framed of squared poplar logs,
serving as foundations and plating, supported by posts every
fifteen feet. These posts were grooved on each side, and into
these grooves were inserted thick slabs and planks, with the
sawn surface outside. The height of the stockade was about
twelve feet. The fort faced north; and in the middle was a
gate amply wide for laden carts to enter between its double
doors. The stockade was well whitewashed, as were all the
buildings within it.
At the rear of the square, facing the front gate, was the
master's house, forty by thirty feet, one story, with light high
210
FORT QU'APPELLE
loft above, built like the stockade, but with squared logs
instead of slabs, and thickly thatched with beautiful yellow
straw — the best roof to keep in heat as well as to keep it out
that I have ever lived under. This and the interpreter's house
were the only buildings in the place which had glass windows,
which consisted each of an upper and lower sash, with six
panes of eight and one-half by seven and one-half inch glass,
all the other windows in the establishment being of buffalo
parchment.
The west end of this building was used as the office and
hall for the reception of Indians transacting business and
making speeches. My bedroom opened off this. The east
end contained the messroom and the master's apartments.
Behind and connected by a short passage with " the big
house " was another building, divided by log partitions into
a kitchen and cook's bedroom, and into a nursery for Mr.
McDonald's children and their nurse.
The rooms were all floored, lined and ceiled with white
poplar, tongued and grooved and planed plank and boards —
all hand-work. The furniture was also all made on the spot
out of white poplar, which is a fine wood for inside work, and
makes beautifully white flooring. The Company only sup-
plied a few one-pound tins of paint to adorn the head of a
dogsled or carriole, or perhaps to cover the folding board used
by grandees in camp in place of a dining table, or maybe the
wooden frame for the beaded mossbag, which so beneficially
served the purpose of the rocking cradle of civilization. So,
Mr. McDonald had painted his own quarters at his own ex-
pense, and the rest of the house, which represented in the
eyes of nearly all the Indians who visited it the last word
in European architectural art, was left in the unadorned
beauty of the native wood.
On the west side of the square there was a long and con-
nected row of dwelling houses of the same construction as
the master's, divided into five houses by log walls carried up
to the ridge pole, and each with an open chimney of its own
211
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
for cooking and heating. In the officers' quarters only were
there any iron stoves. The Company had provided a large
sheet-iron one, made at Fort Pelly, for the office, and Mr.
McDonald had bought a small Carron stove for his apart-
ments, while Mrs. McDonald owned the American cook stove,
imported from St. Paul, Minnesota, in the kitchen. The
immense open fireplaces and chimneys were all made of mud.
They provided a splendid system of ventilation and made a
cheerful blaze. In fact, the blaze was required for lighting
purposes, for tallow was too much in demand in the making
of pemmican to permit of its being used luxuriously in making
candles merely to light " the men's houses."
Each of these five houses in the row was about thirty by
thirty feet. The floors were of planed tongued and grooved
plank ; the walls were smoothly plastered with clay and white-
washed, and except in the interpreter's house, which was
ceiled and had two bedrooms partitioned off with boards, the
beams were open or covered by poles, on which rested buffalo
parchments or dry rawhides to form a ceiling. The doors
were sometimes of parchment, stretched on a wooden frame,
but those of the interpreter's house and the workshop, at each
end of the row, were of wood, and had big iron latches and
locks, the others having only long, heavy wooden latches
which opened by a thong through a hole in the door. The
door was in the middle of the wall with a window on each
side of it facing the square ; there was none in the rear of the
buildings. Although the parchment, if a good one, afforded
a fair enough light, it hid from the inquisitive eyes of the
women of the establishment what was going on in the middle
of the fort, so that the peepholes in the parchment, left by
the bullets which brought down the buffalo, were the coigns
of vantage where, unseen themselves, the gossips of the post
could observe everything going on in the square.
Directly opposite the row of men's houses, on the other
side of the square, was a row of similar construction and size,
used as trading, fur and provision stores, with, at the south
212
COLD DUTIES
end, a room for the dairy, and at the north end a large one
for dog, horse and ox harness and the equipments — called
agrets — required for sleds and carts on the voyage. All
these buildings had, of course, strong doors and locks, but
none had a chimney, for the fear of fire in a fort where
gunpowder was the chief article kept for trade was too great
to permit of even the trading shop being heated in the coldest
day in winter. This was the rule all over the country, and
the men who defied the intense cold when travelling in the
open used to dread the more intense cold which seemed to
accumulate in the trading store, where one had to spend hours
at a stretch writing down each item as the band of Indians
brought in their credit slips from the master's office.
To the right of the front gate stood the flagstaff, on which
the British red ensign, with the white letters H.B.C. on its
fly, was hoisted on Sundays and holidays, and in honor of
the arrival and departure of visitors of importance and the
brigades ; and in the middle of the square was the fur-packing
press with its long beam lever and huge slotted post into which
it was inserted.
The duty of scrubbing their own and the big house and
keeping the square clean, making a certain number of track-
ing shoes for the voyageurs, and of planting and harvesting
potatoes, was all that was required of the women of the fort
in exchange for the board and lodging furnished by the Com-
pany. At least once a week they turned out with brooms
and raked the stuff or snow up in heaps, which were hauled
outside by an ox hitched to a rawhide instead of a cart or sled,
and which served the purpose better. The place was the abode
of the numerous train-dogs, which wandered about loose;
the square served as a corral in which to round up the horses
and oxen required for a brigade; in it the sleds and carts
were laden and unloaded, and big snowdrifts were often
formed during the winter, so the women of the place were
sometimes kept quite busy and furnished with plenty of good
exercise. After a snowfall it was a pleasant sight to see them
213
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
all, arrayed in bright colors, with cheerful faces and active
limbs, enjoying themselves, assisted by their children, large
and small, sweeping up the snow in piles for half-witted
Geordie Gills to draw out, if some one did not, while his back
was turned to another teasing him, tip Geordie's load over
to have the fun of hearing him denounce the perpetrator in
phrases peculiar to himself.
Behind the stockades was a kitchen garden of the same
size as the fort, protected by pointed pickets set in the ground
and about ten feet high. Again, behind the garden was a
field, fenced with rails, about ten acres in area, one-half of
which was used for potatoes and the other half for barley.
To the west of the garden there was the hay-yard, and,
facing the yard, a row of old log buildings on a ridge of a few
feet elevation, which had first been used as store and dwellings,
but had been converted into a stable and cattle byres.
Outside, within a few feet of the north-east corner of the
stockade, stood a log ice-house, with a deep cellar, in which
were preserved fresh meat and fish in summer, and where
frozen fish was stored in winter.
The People of the Fort.
The regular complement of engaged servants of the Com-
pany in the winter of 1867-68 were:
Archibald McDonald, clerk (of thirteen years' service).
Isaac Cowie, apprentice clerk.
John McNab Ballanden McKay, interpreter.
William Kennedy, apprentice intenpreter.
Nepapeness (Night Bird) Steersman, a Saulteau.
Jacob Bear, bowsman. (A Swampy Cree.)
George Sandison, watchman.
George Sandison, jun., middHeman.
William Sandison, carpenter, at Wood Mountain.
George Thorne, cattlekeerper and woodcutter.
Olivier Flemmand, voyageur.
(All these, except Mr. McDonald and myself were natives.)
Gowdie Harper, laborer, from Shetland, in 1864.
214
EMPLOYEES OF FOET QU'APPELLE
John Dyer, laborer, from Orkney, in 1866.
Alexander McAuley, laborer, from Lews Island, in 1867.
Alaister McLean, laborer, from Lews Island, in 1867.
The monthly employees were :
Alexander Fisher, horse guard, at the east end of the lakes.
Joseph Robillard, cartwright and carpenter.
Charles Bird, Cree, voyageur.
Henry Jordan, laborer.
Charles Davis, laborer.
The two latter were deserters from the American troops at
Fort Buford, Missouri Eiver.
Besides these there were a number of natives hired as " tem-
porary servants " and others occasionally by the trip or by
the day, as the occasion required.
The families of those having rations and quarters from the
Company were, as far as I can remember :
Mrs. Archibald McDonald, and sons, John A. and Donald H., with
their nursemaid, Mary Adams.
Mrs. McKay, with children Sarah, George and Archie.
Nepapeness' wife, Necanapeek (the leading woman), with son,
Kenowas, and a baby daughter.
Jacob Bear's wife, Nancy (an English-speaking Swampy like him-
self), and two children.
G. Sandison's wife, Mary Whitford, with daughter, Mary Jane,
and son, William.
W. Sandison's wife, Nancy Finlayson (no children).
G. Thome's three children — Julie and two boys.
O. Flemmand's wife, Helen Brule, and two sons.
J. Robillard's wife, LaLouise (no children).
C. Bird's wife, Caroline Sandison, and child.
Cree widow, " Curly Head," with three children.
Alexander Fisher's allowance, two rations.
Thirty train dogs, each two-thirds of a man's rations.
At the fort the daily allowance for each child was one-
quarter and for a woman one-half that for a man, which was
twelve pounds fresh buffalo meat, or six pounds dried buffalo
meat, or three pounds pemmican, or six rabbits, or six prairie
215
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUREES
chickens, or three large white fish, or three large or six small
ducks, besides potatoes and some milk for the children, and
occasionally dried berries, with a weekly allowance of tallow
or fat. Rough barley was also given to those who cared to
prepare it for themselves.
Daily to feed the establishment required, in the form of
fresh buffalo meat, the tongues, bosses, ribs and fore and hind
quarters of three animals, for the head, neck, shanks and
inside were not considered worth freighting from the plains
to the fort. The product of three buffalo in the concentrated
form of pemmican was equivalent to the daily issue of fresh
meat.
Jerry McKay, Interpreter.
In a previous chapter the commander of the fort, Mr.
McDonald, and his family have been introduced, and I cannot
tell my tale without introducing myself perhaps too often in
its course. So the other people of this place, of importance
in the days when the fur traders were the forerunners of the
police and the pioneers with the plough who followed them,
may be described here.
Interpreter John McNab Ballanden McKay was a younger
son of the famous trader, John Richards McKay, of Fort
EUice. His mother was a fine and fair daughter of Chief
Factor John Ballanden, whose father and grandfather had
been masters of Forts Severn and York, on Hudson Bay dur-
ing the previous century. The name McNab, I think,
descended on his father's side from John McNab, chief of
Albany Fort in 1789-90. Except in formal contracts the
Christian and hereditary names of our interpreter were never
used, for he was known by all, including his very wide circle
of Indian acquaintances, affectionately by the name he had
given himself as an infant — " Jerry." He wore his hair long,
according to the prevailing fashion of the place and time, and
it, like his beard and moustache and complexion, was fair,
216
AN ATHLETIC INTEEPEBTER
which, with his clear blue eyes, showed that, if a Celt in name,
he was also of the Orkney blood of the Norsemen.
He was under the middle stature, because his well-built
body was on relatively short legs, which, however, more than
made up for that by their marvellous activity. He could run
foot and snowshoe races and with dog-trains for days and
nights in succession with the best in that land of runners.
From his father he had acquired all the athletic feats which
had astonished the natives frequenting Fort Ellice of old ; the
art of dancing the sailor's hornpipe, the Highland fling and
the sword dance; also the equestrian skill to suddenly spring
from the stirrup to his feet on the saddle of any horse he
happened to be riding and balance himself on one foot
whether the animal were going at trot or gallop. Then,
resuming the saddle, he could pick up any small object on
the ground as he passed it at a gallop, or imitate the Indian
warriors of the southern plains by throwing himself on one
side of the pony and shooting at an imaginary foe under the
animaFs neck as he circled round at full speed.
I don't know if there were any better buffalo hunter on the
plains, for, mounted on an ordinary runner, and armed with
a common Indian single barrel flint-lock (such as that used
by Lamack), he would commence firing as soon as he came
within range, often killing two selected buffalo before his
companions considered it worth while to waste ammunition
at such a distance, and continue the race till his mount was
blown and he had slain thirteen choice animals in all. As the
Indian average in such a run was only two, and that of the
better mounted and armed Metis about five, Jerry's repeated
record of thirteen under these circumstances was hard to beat.
With a double-barrel cap gun he did better, and when he and
his brother Joe procured Henry repeating carbines a few years
after, I was told they each killed twenty-eight buffalo in a run.
Besides being good with the gun, Jerry had been from
infancy familiar with the bow and arrow, which from time
immemorial had been the chief plaything of every man-child
217
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
in the country. Arrows used for such play and practice were
called " bluffies/' because the business end was bluff — the full
size of the willow instead of being pared down to that of the
shaft — not pointed. There was great competition in daily
contests with these bluffies between all the boys in the fort
or camp, in which everyone else were interested spectators;
and Jerry's father used to get the boys at Fort Ellice to
shower bluffies at him while he warded them off with his
sword twirling around in the moulinette, so as to keep him-
self in practice to astonish the Indians when he challenged
them to a similar friendly contest. Another child's play was
\ that of throwing the lasso, at which many natives became very
expert.
Even in Red River Settlement itself in those days nearly
every man was a jack-of -all- trades, while in the wilds a man
who could not do everything and make anything required by
the mode of life with his own hands was considered no good.
So, of course, Jerry could chop cordwood or square logs,
repair carts, make horse and dog sleds with an axe and a
crooked knife only. With a tree, these tools and rawhide, such
plainsmen worked marvels in travelling gear of all sorts ; and,
when the Metis hunters were overtaken by winter, making
for the first convenient woods, they would with equal dexterity
and rapidity knock up a shanty, plaster it and provide it with
a chimney of clay, and be warmly housed for the winter in
a few days. And here may I say that very few of these winter-
ing cabins were ever occupied again, for the Indians made it
an invariable practice to burn all such buildings after they
had been left by the traders and hunters in the spring, to
prevent any permanent possession being secured by those
invading their hunting grounds.
But to return to Jerry. That fine type of the old native
frontiersmen, while highly learned in the book of nature and
skilled in all the arts and crafts of the voyageur and hunter,
also knew enough of "the three R's " to do all the clerical
work pertaining to his business as a trader, but lacked the
218
QU'APPELLE HEADQUARTEES FOR "BAD MEN"
inclination and practice to become able to keep the general
accounts of a regular post. His business there was to inter-
pret between the tribes speaking Cree, Saulteaux or Assini-
boine, or the Metis speaking Indian or French, and the master
or clerk of the fort. Not only was he required on important
occasions simply as interpreter, for his sympathetic knowledge
of the diverse ideas and interests between natives and the
European officers of the Company enabled him to act the
delicate and diplomatic part of the mediator, in the not
uncommon event of the Indians making unreasonable de-
mands and the master refusing reasonable concessions. Too
little credit entirely has been given to such really good inter-
preters in so preventing trouble between the Indians and the
whites; while many an Indian war has been occasioned by
incompetent or wilfully malicious ones. Under the head of
the incompetent I include a large number who, while speak-
ing both languages well, were afraid to give offence to either
side by translating what was said. These fellows are entirely
too polite to be of use in time of trouble, unless the principals
or either of them happened to understand the general mean-
ing of what was said, although unable or unwilling to speak
the language themselves.
Qu'Appelle was frequented by different tribes of warlike
Indians, and amongst them many professional " bad men,'^
so that my being able to write this to-day is owing to the kind
and skilful mediation of Jerry McKay, peacemaker, on more
than one occasion. The ability and desire to use it bene-
ficially resided in numerous members of the McKay family
with whom it was my good fortune to come in contact, and I
must say that the great West owes such men a big debt of
gratitude for good service alike under the old regime of the
Company and the new rule of Canada.
As Jerry was at the head of all the hunting, trading and
wintering parties which went to the plains, and the trading
done at the fort itself was of minor volume, it is due to
the memory of this worthy man to take up space in telling of
3iy
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEEES
him, more especially as he was of that fine type of Hudson's
Bay employees, with just enough Indian blood to give the
sympathetic insight into the native mind and inspire reciprocal
good understanding in them, who enabled the isolated Euro-
pean servants of the Company to hold without regular mili-
tary forces and garrisons the Great Lone Land, until the
advance of American settlement and modern means of trans-
portation rendered it available for the pioneers with the
ploughshare, who have converted the once happy buffalo
hunting grounds of the red man into the great granaries and
cities of the white man which we see to-day.
Alick Fisher, Horse Guard and Counsellor.
Another person of great influence, in what might be termed
the political relations between the Company and the natives,
was Alexander Fisher. He was son of Chief Trader Henry
Fisher, who had succeeded Mr. John Eichards McKay in the
charge of Fort Ellice, and who had been a North- West Com-
pan/s man originally. Alick's mother was a Metis, and
French was his mother tongue, although he talked good
English. " Alick," as he was so popularly called, had the tall
form and fine figure so characteristic of the English-French
blend, and most gentlemanly manners and instincts, while his
uprightness, intelligence and geniality commanded the respect
and liking of his fellow Metis ; and his " loyalty to the Com-
pany,'' in whose posts he had been brought up, was always in
evidence whenever occasion demanded.
Although Alick was paid for his services in guarding the
band of several hundred horses belonging to the fort, which
found safer range in the valley below his place at the end of
the lakes, his remuneration was for that special service only,
and did not put him under the orders and discipline to which
regular and temporary servants were subject. So Alick was
important to the business as a frank, outspoken friend and
counsellor of experience, and in touch with the Metis com-
munity, and knowing the character and reputation of each of
220
1
•■1/ klJ'|.:'^#
^ 9
5fi
So
c8
i
A GOOD JUDGE OF HOESEFLESH
these who came as strangers to the place. In fact his assist-
ance in these ways with his own people was on a par with
the services of Jerry among the Indians.
Besides seeing that the horses were properly herded on well-
watered pasture and protecting them from prowling Indian
horsethieves, who infested the plains, Alick was a good horse-
doctor and judge of horseflesh, who knew every animal he
had seen once whenever he saw him again. In those times,
next to the scarcity or plenty, the nearness or remoteness of
the buffalo, the greatest subject of conversation and argument
was the horse, especially as a buffalo runner. Mr. McDonald
and Alick would talk for hours on this absorbing topic of
universal and never-ending interest. Wherever two or three
were gathered together it was always the same, and nearly
all the quarrels I ever saw among the Metis originated in dis-
putes about the relative merits of their favorite ponies. Be-
sides, the wealth and influence of a person depended on the
number and quality of his horses; and as they were always
in demand they served in exchange and barter the same
purpose as furs and preserved provisions, in a land where
money was of no use except in the form of orders on Fort
Garry.
The Eest of the Gaeeison.
Next in the roll of the fort comes William Kennedy, appren-
tice interpreter, a boy of about twelve years old at that time,
now an elderly settler of many years and good standing, near
Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. He also came of good old
Hudson's Bay officers' stock, his grandfathers being Chief
Factors Alexander Kennedy and Eoderick McKenzie, and his
name father and uncle. Captain William Kennedy, the well-
known Arctic explorer.
Space cannot be given to all I would like to say about my
other friends and comrades at Fort Qu'Appelle, and as their
names will come up in course of the narrative I shall only
mention them briefly here. The three Sandisons and Thorne
221
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUKEKS
were English halfbreeds and so were their wives, and Mrs.
McKay; Flemmand and Eobillard and their wives were
French halfbreeds, although the latter looked a very fair
Frenchman and the former a pure Indian. Of the Europeans,
besides Mr. McDonald and myself, Gowdie Harper was the
only one permanently attached to the fort, the others being
only sent there to pass the winter where provisions were
plentiful, and to be drilled to their duty by Mr. McDonald
(who had a reputation for breaking in green hands as well as
bronchos) preparatory to being sent elsewhere — Dyer to Lake
Manitoba and the other two to Athabasca, next summer. Of
the two Americans, Jordan, who remained in the country, will
be mentioned again, and Davis returned to the States after
a year or so. Nepapeness was a tall, splendid-looking fellow.
Neither he nor his wife was a Christian. On the other hand,
Jacob Bear and his wife were well instructed Christians from
St. Peter's, both speaking, reading and writing Engli^sh, aLso
syllabic.
222
CHAPTER XIII.
MY INITIATION.
Oral Instruction.
The day following my arrival was Sunday, on which Mr.
McDonald took me for a walk around the premises and intro-
duced me to the people about. He wanted to hear all about
my voyage and the people I had seen and the news I had
picked up on it ; and then he began giving me his own experi-
ences on coming to the country and afterwards. This was
only the beginning of many a long talk in the evenings, in
which he took pains and pleasure in initiating me into the
customs of the country and the rules and policies of the Com-
pany, exemplifying the same from the stores of his own
experience and those of the older officers under whom he had
served. In this respect he had been most fortunate in having
been a pupil of such able and educated men as Chief Trader
Alexander Hunter Murray and Chief Factor William Joseph
Christie, and they had had an apt pupil, for he was gifted
with a marvellous memory.
Good Reading.
Then, turning from matters of business and his own long
and often exciting experiences in the country, he would show
that his heart was still in the Highlands, by the pleasure he
took in telling of his doings among the deer and the salmon
in his native land of the mountain and the flood, during the
happy days of his boyhood. Letters from his relatives and
from his patron, Mr. Edward Ellice, M.P., still kept him in
touch with his native glen, and subscriptions to those fine old
newspapers, the Inverness Courier and the Scottish American
Journal, afforded him full intelligence of public affairs. Nor
did the periodicals, to which he freely gave me the benefit,
15 223
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURBES
end with these newspapers, for he subscribed also to the
Leonard Scott American re-publications of Blackwood's Maga-
zine and " the three Reviews." Besides all this good reading
he had the, also familiar, red leather-bound thick volume of
Oliver and Boyd^s Edinburgh Almanac sent out to him
yearly, and, as he either knew personally or through friends
of a number of the celebrities and others mentioned in it, he
searched that almanac as one devout might search the Scrip-
tures, and with such effect that he could quote the pedigrees
of all those given in it as quickly from memory as he could
do that of any horse in the band of hundreds attached to
the fort.
He had, too, the history of every Highland clan and regi-
ment at the tip of his tongue, and similarly knew that of
every Hudson's Bay officer and family of importance in the
Northern Department.
Lynx and Whitefish.
On Monday Mr. McDonald ordered ponies to be brought
round and we set out to visit the fishery up the lake. Of
course several of the train dogs followed us, and among them
his steering dog, " Beaver," who, running ahead of us, started
a lynx from his lair along the trail. "We at once dashed after
him, but after taking first one long leap, next a shorter, and
then one quite short, as is the nature of the beast, the lynx
took refuge from the dogs in pursuit by scrambling up a
tree, from which Mr. McDonald brought him down dead with
a shot from his double barrel. Now at last, I thought, I had
reached the happy hunting grounds of my dreams, for he
treated the matter as one quite common in a sally from the
post.
We found Jacob Bear with a big stage laden with white-
fish, hung, in tens by the tail, to freeze for winter's use, and
although those caught up to that time were a little gamey, on
account of the fine warm weather still continuing during the
day, that would only make them more palatable than quite
224
ROAST LYNX A GREAT DELICACY
fresh fish as an article of frequent diet. Jacob had also split,
slightly salted and smoked some of the finest of his catch, like
finnan haddies, for the mess. He gave us a few ducks, caught
while diving in the net, to take back with the smoked fish
and the lynx, to the fort, all being equally good to eat; for
roast lynx was thought to be a great delicacy.
The Account Books.
I was soon set to work to open a new set of books. These
were a day book, copied in ink from the pencilled blotter
which was carried round in the stores, an Indian debt book, a
fur receipt book, and one for the receipts and expenditures
of provisions. In all these the money and other columns had
to be ruled, for the books were all plain horizontally ruled
only. At the head of each coluron in the fur book the names
of each kind of skin and whether large or small, prime or
common, were written alphabetically across the double page,
beginning with badgers and ending with wolves; and at the
end of the year the totals of these columns had to tally with
the totals of the " returns of trade " packed for shipment, and
if they did not correspond there was a strict investigation.
Similarly the receipts and expenditures of provisions were
supposed to balance, after allowing a large margin for waste
and weighing, but I seldom saw any such accuracy in this
book as was so strictly required in the fur receipts. The
expenditures of provisions were under the headings of " Offi-
cers' Mess," "Servants," "Temporary Servants," "Labor,"
"Voyaging," "Visitors," "Charity," "Dogs," and "Trans-
fers to Other Posts." The columns also showed separately
the rations issued to the families of each class of people under
the headings; and under these general heads there were the
descriptions of provisions, each with a column for itself
headed : " Meat — fresh and dried," " Pemmican — common
and fine," etc.
In the Indian debt book every article had to be strictly
itemized, whether debtor or creditor; and even in what was
225
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUREKS
called " prompt trade," in which the customer simply ex-
changed his hunt for its exact value in goods, it was better
to make a balancing entry in his current account, for reference
in case of dispute, as well as to show the total amount of his
yearly earnings and ability as a hunter. But although the
Company had to have a written record, the Indians were
endowed with such extraordinary memories as to recall each
item they had given and received during the year, and in
many cases for many years, if not for life. Both Mr. McDon-
ald and Jerry had a good deal of the same faculty, and relied
very largely, as did most of the free traders, on their good
memories and did not often require to look at a book to tell
exactly how an Indian's account stood.
Of course everyone knew the prices of each kind of goods
which never varied in the trade, although those for furs fluctu-
ated from year to year according as competition compelled;
and the price of provisions rose and fell according to the
distance from the fort at which they were bought and their
abundance or scarcity. But I had been used to putting things
in writing and depended on that almost entirely for prices
and everything else, while new to such work. So I wrote
out the tariff for goods and furs in the alphabetical order
used in the " Post Accounts."
Post Accounts.
These " Post Accounts " were those between the Post and
the Company to exhibit the profit and loss, as far as that could
be ascertained by returns of trade in furs and provisions,
valued at an arbitrary rate which had been established in 1834
and had never been altered to suit the times. For instance,
the post only received credit for ten shillings for each prime
buffalo robe, when they were being purchased for as many
dollars in cash by the Company at Fort Garry from the
traders who competed with us at Qu'Appelle. Pemmican also
rose and fell with the plentifulness or scarcity of the buffalo,
and yet the post only got credit for it at an old, out-of-date
226
VARIATION IN PRICE OF FURS
valuation. Again, at some posts in the woods the valuation
price was much higher than that to which unfashionable furs
had fallen in many cases, so that such places exhibited gains
which were only apparent. Of course it was impossible to tell
exactly how a post paid until its furs were auctioned off a
year or so after in London ; and I don't think the manage-
ment there was ever anxious to let the men on the spot know
when their individual charges were making a big profit,
although when a loss obviously occurred the gentleman in
charge was sure to hear all about it.
The Jouknal of Daily Occurrences.
This was, like the log of a ship, supposed to contain a com-
plete record of everything taking place at the post. The
weather occupied the first place, as upon it depended the
general business which was all done out in the open by the
hunters and travellers of the establishment. Notable
weather often had an important bearing in fixing dates on
which particular events had occurred at places far apart
and at a period when the natives generally reckoned time
vaguely by moons. Arrivals and departures of all " comers
and goers,'' the employments of the servants, the state of the
crops, the receipts of furs and provisions, and births, deaths
and marriages were all fully noted, with occasional grave or
gay comments thereon.
To a new man coming to take charge of a post the old
journals provided a mine of most useful information for his
guidance in the management of the routine work as well as the
insight it, along with the Indian debt book, gave him of the
character and capabilities of the people. To a young appren-
tice clerk whose penmanship and spelling were not up to the
proper standard old journals were given to copy for his
improvement in the arts he should have learned at school, as
well as to enlighten him about the business in which he might
qualify to take a part. Those who received their education
in this way at the Company's expense were never more than
227
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEEES
a favored few, foisted into the service by family influence, for
the greater number of the apprentice clerks were young men
of sufficient education and ability to require to serve no
apprenticeship in anything but the mysteries of the fur trade,
the customs of the country and the lone miseries of the life
into which their longing for adventure had plunged them.
Many of these journals were kept by " a summer master,"
who was quite often a very illiterate laborer, who could barely
scrawl phonetics in the book during the real master's absence
on the annual voyage to and from headquarters with the furs
and for the outfit. And some of these made most funny
reading, not because of the writing and spelling being uncon-
ventional, for the efforts were most praiseworthy under the
circumstances and served the purpose, but because of the
quaint remarks and reflections at odd times committed to
paper, and occasionally by the man's boastful record of his
own skill and good works and the disparaging references he
made to those of his companions " summering inland." I
remember seeing a record at Touchwood Hills where the
writer, in recording the only employment of himself and one
companion "summerer" was shooting ducks for food daily and
making hay, says : " Myself killed six large and ten small
ducks, but Thomas only killed three very small ones." And
"Myself cut eight big loads of good hay, and Thomas only
four small ones of poor grass." And so on through the sum-
mer about everything else. As no mention was made of there
being any other human beings about the place to consume
the enormous number of ducks which "Myself," in the huge
bag he records daily, must have slaughtered, it is to be pre-
sumed that his capacity to devour was equal to that to kill,
and he seemed to have neither sympathy nor compassion for
" Thomas " and to have allowed that poor fellow the meagre
returns of his own shooting only.
Occasionally a journal afforded the only outlet its keeper
could find for feelings which it might not have been to his
advantage to give vent to in any other manner. For instance,
2'28
IMPOETANT ARCHIVES DISFIGURED
his private opinion of some influential and unbearable Indian
on whom it would be bad policy for the Company to use the
rod; or maybe of the master of another post who had
encroached on his rights to furs and hunters. The comment
might even throw out hints against that high potentate, the
chief factor of the district himself, yea even cast doubts upon
the supreme wisdom of the infallible Council and the august
governor and committee at home.
Even the unspoken enmity between officers living at the
same board and under the same roof burst out now and again
in the form of derogatory and belligerent remarks written in
turn by each party to the quarrel in the other's absence, both
having access to the book.
Perished Histoeical Records.
As these complaints were more plain than pleasant, reveal-
ing opinions and a state of affairs which it was impolitic as
well as impolite to leave lying around, I am sure that many
an old journal which contained other most valuable records,
having been disfigured by such spiteful entries, was purposely
destroyed by individuals from motives of concealment apart
from the gross carelessness shown by the Company in no effort
being made to preserve records whose historical value would
now be so great. Through the destruction of these ancient
and interesting records by such carelessness or of set purpose,
much of the material which gives life to history has been
lost forever, unless what may be contained in those deemed
worthy of preservation in the archives of the venerable Com-
pany in London.
The interesting and valuable data furnished in the chron-
icles of Severn Fort on Hudson Bay for the years 1788 to
1790, which were recently, with such commendable enterprise,
given space in the magazine section of the Manitoba Free
Press, are mere vestiges of a history that seemingly has been
allowed to perish in a connected form. Though day after day
the one may be but a repetition of the other, embedded in this
229
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUREES
monotony every now and again some important item is to be
found and extracted for historical purposes, by eyes that see
and minds that understand its value. Evidently the journal
of Severn House at that time was written to be sent home for
the information of " Their Honours ^^ in London, where it is
to be hoped many such records are still preserved and which
may yet be presented by the Company to the archives of
Canada.
The Indian Debt Book.
In this record, too, uninviting as its name would appear,
occasionally between the lines might be found elements of
history and romance. For apart from the number of buffalo
and grizzly bear which had fallen to the bow and spear of the
hunter, his wanderings in pursuit of game all over the wide
plains might be traced by entries of supplies charged and furs
and provisions credited him in the course of a year at places
as far apart as Qu'Appelle, Wood Mountain, Milk Rirer,
Elbow of South Saskatchewan, and Last Mountain. The man
might so be shown to have been a mighty hunter by the furs
he had given, or a man of many wives by the amount of pem-
mican and dried meat, buffalo robes and dressed leather, which
were the result of their labors, for their lord and master
stooped not to such laborious industries. Among the items,
if he were credited with the value of a good buffalo runner,
the probability was that the animal was the result of a suc-
cessful raid on the Blackfeet herds and incidentally on their
scalps, or possibly one won in a gambling game from an
original owner, who, especially if he were an Assiniboine,
might be expected to lift it on the first favorable opportunity,
and so it was well to sell it to the traders to be lost sight of
in that way. Finally, the account might be and very often
was closed thus : '^ By balance to profit and loss, £23 10s.,''
followed by the explanation (" Killed in battle with Blackfeet
at Belly River, August, 1871 ").
230
DIFFICULTY OF CHARACTERIZING INDIANS
Besides getting a glimpse of his life in the way just
described, at the head of the page opposite his name the officer
previously in charge of a post, upon being transferred, was in
duty bound to leave his experience and opinion of the Indian,
for the guidance of his successor in office. The idea of those
unacquainted with Indians, that all of them are alike, would
be confounded by the various characters given in these debt
books. And another thing I not infrequently found was, that
a man with the character of an utterly unreliable rascal from
my predecessor, or another with a first-class certificate from
him, turned out in my experience to be each the reverse. So
I came to the conclusion that many Indians in their conduct
towards the traders were very much what the conduct of the
traders made them. There is a great deal of real human
nature in an Indian, and they vary individually nearly as
much as every other race and nation.
My First Tempoeary Charge.
Mr. McDonald continued to initiate me into my duties,
taking me on his regular rounds to see the men at work, to
which he roused them at dim dawn in the morning — a hateful
job to me, for once I had settled down off a voyage, I fell at
once into my old habit at home of reading, or working to all
hours of the night. He was anxious to make a trip to the
plains to see how Jerry had succeeded with the fall hunt for
fresh meat, and the best sites at which to post the winter trad-
ing parties. So, as soon as the fall fishery was over, and he
had everything arranged, so that (if I had the sense to act
well my part as figurehead over the experienced hands, who
each knew his work) all would go well during his absence, he
took Jacob and Harper with him and left for the plains about
a fortnight after my arrival. Instead of Harper he put into
the kitchen Alaister McLean, who, with John Dyer and
Alexander McAuley, had arrived from Fort Pelly a few days
after me, with a letter from Chief Factor Campbell, saying
that he had sent Dyer in charge of the two others who had
231
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEERS
come out in the ship, but that the clerk expected had not
come with them by the Swan River fall boats from Norway
House.
The men thus left under my nominal charge were George
Sandison, a very decent, quiet fellow; Thome, another of the
same and a splendid worker, and Robillard, a competent cart-
wright, but rather consequential. Besides these were the
newcomers, Dyer, McAulay and Alaister, and, of course, my
assistant, Kennedy. I had to do the abominable duty of
going round to rouse up the men in early morn, and to make
the regular rounds several times a day, although none of them
except Alaister required the supervision, which none resented
except Robillard.
A Real Greenhand.
Alaister had been a general favorite on board the Prince
Rupert for his abounding good nature and desire to take an
active part in every work going on on deck. Unfortunately
he "had no English^' and very little intelligence to direct
his ever active and willing bodily power. He was a short, well-
built man, with fine, rosy complexion and an ever-cheerful
countenance, most willing and obedient to do anything he
could be made to understand and to keep doing it till further
orders. As a man for the kitchen — I can't call him a cook —
he was entirely out of place, for he had no previous experience
except in the herds of the Hebrides and the herring fishery,
and neither Mrs. McDonald nor I "talked the two talks."
So we had to employ his friend and compatriot, McAulay, to
interpret whenever we wanted him to do anything — for he
would never budge without orders — and then again to tell
him to stop. As it was very inconvenient to get McAulay
every time a fresh order to give him a fresh start had to be
given, I took lessons from McAulay in how to say in Gaelic,
" Get up out of bed," "Go to bed," " Go and milk the cows,"
" Get in wood," " Go for water," " Eat this," and so on, for
he would sit up all night if he were not told to go to bed, and
232
A BIG MEAL
so on with everything else. One day we had a big buffalo boss
on the table which Mrs. McDonald and her maid had seen
roasted, and in the evening as he was taking it — we had hardly
eaten any of it — out of the mess room, the mistress told him
in some way that he understood to eat it. It was a very big
boss, and next morning McAulay came to see me before break-
fast to say that Alaistar had gone to him in great trouble,
fearing Mrs. McDonald would be annoyed at his not having
obeyed her orders by eating the whole of the boss, although
he had sat up all night trying to do so, and had sickened him-
self in the attempt. When I told Mrs. McDonald of this
gross act of disobedience, we joined in one of the many hearty
laughs everyone had at Alaister, who, when he found out his
mistake, was just as ready to enjoy the laugh as anyone else.
He was the most good-humored and willing fellow, and a
favorite on that account with all, and when he got routine
work outside which he understood, he was none of the Com-
pany's bad bargains.
A Native Dandy.
Shortly after Mr. McDonald had left for the plains, one
afternoon Kennedy came in to report that a free trader's man,
named Donald Sinclair, with liquor, was visiting the men's
quarters, which was strictly prohibited by the rules. I met
the man just as he was going from one house to another, and
he at once greeted me in good English and by name, although
an utter stranger to me. He was a smart, good-looking,
medium-sized fellow, and evidently self-satisfied as a dude of
that day. He wore his black hair in long oily ringlets reach-
ing his shoulders, under a low crowned, broad brimmed, soft
black felt hat, adorned with a " black foxtail feather," which
was an article of trade at the time and resembled a small
ostrich plume. He wore a new navy blue cloth capote, with
double rows of flat gilt buttons in front; trousers of the same
material, over which, of the same cloth, were leggings reach-
ing half-way up the thigh, heavily decorated by broad stripes
233
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUREES
of beadwork on the outer sides and fastened below the knee
by broad garters completely covered with beaded patterns of
flowers and leaves. Beautifully made, yellowish brown moose
moccasins, topped with fine silkwork, embellished his finely
formed feet. To support his trousers was a broad, vari-colored
L'Assomption belt, under which was tucked a profusely orna-
mented firebag, in which flint and steel and tinder were always
carried with the ubiquitous pipe and tobacco. Waistcoats were
not usually worn, and he was strictly in the mode by exhibit-
ing a fancy colored flannel shirt — of the " Crimean " variety
of the time — ^with a big black silk handkerchief tied in a
sailor's knot round his neck. On his left hand was a finely
silkworked buckskin glove, and in it he held its mate while
greeting me with the right.
Attempt to "Play Over a Moonyass.''
As mentioned before, the self-denying ordinance of the
Company prohibiting the importation of liquor into Swan
River and some other districts, while affording the Company
none of the profits, had subjected their people to great annoy-
ance by Indians made drunk by free traders. Another trouble
was the habit the traders had of upsetting the Company's
business by treating the employees to too much. This was
generally done on the sly, but occasionally in open defiance
of the Company's rule against bringing it into their premises.
A case of the kind a few months before had involved Mr.
McDonald in a fight with a trader. Donald would have taken
particular care to avoid the fort had the master been at home,
but when he heard of his departure leaving a young new clerk
in charge, he thought he would have a fine chance of strutting
about in gorgeous attire, proudly bearing, in a big tin flask
slung by a strap over his shoulder, enough over-proof spirits
to intoxicate all the Company's people who would accept his
"treat."
I asked him what he was doing in the fort and he answered
saucily that he was visiting his friends and treating them
234
AN INTERESTING THEORY
with liquor from Sousie Thomas, a big trader by whom he
was employed. The people had all come out to see what would
happen. I ordered him to get out immediately, which he did
promptly, amid the jeers of the people before whom he had
been bragging how he could '^ play over a Moonyass " a minute
before. The next time I had the fun of seeing him his actions,
which will be related, were as good as a play.
A Real Indian Missionary.
Our next visitor was both very different and very welcome,
in the person of Mr. Charles Pratt, Catechist of the Church
of England Missionary Society, stationed at Touchwood Hills.
Mr. Pratt told me that he was a pure Indian of the mixed
Assiniboine and Cree blood of the sept known as " Young
Dogs" or "Puppies," in the Cree equivalent. He had been
born at the fish-barrier, about a quarter of a mile bek-w
the fort, about fifty years before, when that part of the
country was considered well within the recognized hunting
grounds of the Blackfeet. He was a man of pleasing appear-
ance, strong and hardy, a good hunter and tireless traveller,
and a modest, sincere and unworldly Christian. In searching
the Scriptures of the Old Testament he had recognized so
many traits and customs of the Israelites to be so entirely like
those of the Indians of the prairie, as to have become con-
vinced that these Indians were the Lost Tribes. This was his
favorite subject of conversation, and very interesting it was,
as well as plausible. Such was the faith of this single-minded
missionary, and upon it he founded original ideas for the
conversion of his countrymen, which met with little encour-
agement from his clerical superiors. As far as I can recollect
it was his idea to begin by ingrafting the religion of the old
dispensation as more suitable to the understanding and condi-
tions of the Indian than the higher truths of Christianity,
which, I understood, would be taught in due time after they,
like the Jews, had been prepared to receive and comprehend
them.
235
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUREES
Mr. Pratt held services on Sunday, which were attended by
all the Protestants in, and a few Indians around, the establish-
ment. He returned after a day or two to his station at
Touchwood Hills whence it had been shifted from the site of
Fort Qu'Appelle, on which the first mission had been founded
by the Eev. Mr. Hillier, of the same society, in 1853.
A Tbaveller From New Caledonia.
During Mr. McDonald's absence, an American, who stated
that he was an engineer employed by the Western Union Tele-
graph Company, then connecting Alaska with the States by a
wire through British Columbia, arrived bearing a letter from
Chief Trader Peter S. Ogden, of Fort St. James, Stuart's
Lake, directing '^ Officers in charge of posts on the route to
Fort Garry to provide the bearer, Mr. Schovil, with trans-
portation and requisite supplies, to be endorsed on the letter "
Mr. Schovil also had a like letter from Chief Factor Christie,
at Edmonton, saying that, as Mr. Schovil had been forwarded
so far, it would be expedient to continue to speed him on his
way to Fort Garry. I entered copies of both these letters of
credit in the Journal and, after a day or two to allow Mr.
Schovil a welcome rest and to procure the means of sending
him to Fort Ellice, sped him on his way. During his stay he
was a most entertaining guest, full of news about New Cale-
donia and Saskatchewan districts, so I was sorry when he left.
But afterwards there was an indignant enquiry from Gov-
ernor McTavish as to the authority upon which the adven-
turous gentleman had secured passage, for he had neither
reported at Fort Garry, where the account was to have been
settled by draft on the Western Union Telegraph Company,
nor had he paid his board bill to " Dutch George," the Win-
nipeg village hotelkeeper, before slipping away secretly to the
States. It was fortunate that I had taken copies of his
credentials, by means of which the governor was able to fix the
responsibility for them on the proper authorities, and he was
so good as to write to Mr. McDonald in acknowledging the
236
BEITISH CONTINENTAL EAILWAY FORESEEN
receipt of the extracts from the Journal, that " it speaks well
of that young fellow to have been the only one along the route
who thought it worth while to take a copy of the letters."
An Imperialist Free Trader.
The Assiniboine Indians had a pre-eminence, of which they
were proud, in the way of horse-stealing and plundering weak
parties of traders, also for their beastly treatment of those
they pillaged. On one of the first dark, blustering days
(which ended the exceptionally long and beautiful Indian
summer of 1867) there stopped near the fort two men, who
came over to buy provisions. One was a Metis, surnamed
Eacette, who went by the name of Pa-pe-nay, and the other
a white man, who introduced himself as Mr. Farquharson.
father-in-law of Doctor Schultz. He said they had gone out
trading on the plains and had been plundered by the Assini-
boines, who only left them with the clothes on their backs,
and they had found their way back to Qu'Appelle in a starving
condition. Mr. Farquharson was boiling over with rage at
the loss of the property and the indignities to which he had
been subjected, and had been compelled by overwhelming
force to submit to escape with his life.
His wintering shanty was about six miles from the fort on
the upland prairie north of the valley, alongside of the place
of old George Eacette, the trader, who was Papenay's father.
I was glad to get Mr. Farquharson to stay till next day with
me, and to hear him discourse, from his point of view, on the
state and problems of the country, and on things in general
also; for he was a clever, well-informed man, who had tra-
velled extensively since leaving Aberdeen. He spoke of
Demerara, where the inferior brand of Hudson's Bay rum
came from, also of Jamaica, from which came the best, and
then went on to his favorite subject — the development of the
great West by a British transcontinental railway, which he
predicted would be built in a few years by the Imperial Gov-
ernment itself, in spite of the opposition of the Hudson's Bay
237
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
Company. I was quite interested in hearing the other side
of the question, for, of course, I had had little opportunity of
hearing anything adverse to the Company, for the Nor'-W ester
newspaper, being tabooed, was not among the periodicals
which reached Mr. McDonald.
Mr. Farquharson, before leaving, gave me a pressing invita-
tion to visit him and to partake of a feast of curried chicken
and plum-pudding, the anticipation of which had cheered
him on his famishing trip in from the plains. I was only
too glad to accept, and a few days after enjoyed the feast and
his most interesting conversation accompanying it.
Fooled on a Silver Fox.
The only other occurrence, during my first charge of a post,
which may be of interest to relate, was how Kan-o-cees fooled
me about a silver fox. He was a very " cute and interesting
ne'er-do-well " by reputation, which neither Kennedy nor I
had as yet heard of, and I did not become acquainted with
his redeeming qualities till making his intimate acquaintance
some years after. He came in at this time and told us that
he had found the burrow of a fine silver fox, which was very
rare on the plains, and so I was eager to make my brief
*^ reign " remarkable by securing one. He required, he said,
provisions and some other supplies to enable him to keep
watch and ward over the burrow with certainty of capturing
the valuable prize, which was worth £10 according to the fur
tariff of the post.
He wanted these supplies in advance on account of the fox,
which could not possibly escape him, if so provided. I at
once referred to the Indian debt book, where I found he was
already in debt, but there was nothing otherwise to show his
character and standing. Thinking that he must be good for
a little more, I let him have what he asked, and waited
expectantly till he came back to say he had run out of pro-
visions and now intended to smoke the fox out of his hole, if
he could get some more supplies. After luring me into giving
these also, he departed, and I did not see him again till he
238
A LOYAL CUSTOMER
turned up drunk the following summer, again in the absence of
both Mr. McDonald and Jerry, demanding tribute for the use
of the site on which the fort stood. But I had been chaffed so
much about his fooling me on the imaginary fox that I met
his demand for tribute in forcible English only, for, like other
" bad " Indians, he understood that kind of language, and
could use it, too, on occasion.
Ka-no-cees.
Ka-no-cees was a brother of "Poor Man," the Cree chief
of Touchwood Hills post. He was of a roving nature and
travelled about far outside the confines of his band — down to
Eed Eiver, up to Edmonton, and south to the Missouri. Being
an inveterate gambler he never kept horses or wives any time,
and consequently was of no account as a hunter for the Com-
pany. To retrieve his losses and to satisfy his inordinate
craving for adventure his chief occupation was horse-stealing
from the Blackfeet and the Indians along the Missouri. On
such errands he generally went alone, and never came back
empty-handed. With the proceeds he would then purchase
a wife or two, although occasionally he stole these from friend
or foe, and set up in style till he lost all in gambling again.
Such I found to be his record, and, although his brother, the
chief, who was a much-respected man of known bravery, often
said Ka-no-cees was a braver and more intelligent man than
he himself, none of us thought of him as other than a worth-
less, wandering ne'er-do-well, till at the big battle on Belly
River, in 1871, Ka-no-cees, by his skill and courage, saved the
defeated Crees, flying before the victorious Blackfeet, from
the fate of the one hundred and thirty-five of their fellows
who fell in the fight.
' It was after that that I became well acquainted with him,
and discovered that he was full of fun and fond of a joke,
besides being quite a diplomat in influencing the Indians,
apart from his reputation for courage. So, during the latter
years of my stay at Qu'Appelle, I found him often a useful
ally, who became a respectable and loyal customer.
16 239
CHAPTER XIV.
A WINTER TRIP TO THE PLAINS,
Enter Jack Frost.
By the time Mr. McDonald returned from his tour of
observation winter had set in, and I had begun to experience
the effect of a degree of frost I had never before witnessed;
for although the Shetlands are as far north as the south end
of Greenland, they lie in the track of the warm Gulf Stream,
so that we thought ourselves lucky when the ice on the lakes
allowed us skating for a whole week in a whole winter. In
the Northern Isles the short winter day is gloomy with drip-
ping clouds, frequently borne on storm, with few glimpses of
sunshine to lighten the peaks of the heather-clad hills and the
crests of the rolling waves, which roar without ceasing on the
rock-bound shore. North-easterly winds then changed the
rain into snow and sleet, and these the children were told
were the feathers of the Christmas geese they were plucking
in Norway. There we did not need a glass to tell us it was
cold, for we felt it in good earnest, while on the sunlit, snowy
prairies. Jack Frost had to bite nose-tips to make us feel his
presence, although the glittering snowfields and glistening
gems bedecking each blade of grass and crystallizing every
twig bore eyewitness to his transforming presence.
" Tender Feet " and Native-born.
Like every vigorous person fresh from the old country, none
of us green hands felt the cold during the first year as did the
natives. While the native-born were going about wrapped
in big capotes, with huge mittens on their hands, the new-
comer Scots went about in their blue serge shirts and bare-
handed at work round the fort. As the cold increased they
also had to put on coats and mittens, also moccasins — espe-
240
EUROPEANS AND TENDER FEET
cially moccasins. Even after longer residence had made the
Europeans more susceptible to cold, my experience showed
that they were able to stand it with the hardiest of their
native fellow-servants ; but how almost naked Indians endured
it was marvellous.
The weakness of the European was in his tender feet, which,
stunted and cramped in boots, had become partially atrophied,
so that the circulation was too poor to keep them warm in
contrast with the free circulation and free play afforded by
the yielding moccasin. Until continual use of moccasins had
revived the dormant circulation and spring of the feet, and
practice had also developed the legs, the green hand was
inferior to the native-born as a traveller. The latter came of a
race of walkers, while the Islesmen came of a race of oars-
men, so by inheritance one was strong in the legs and the
other strong in the arms and back, also notably in the hands.
As a rule the picked natives engaged by the Company were
taller and bigger men than the Europeans, but not generally
so healthy.
Chief '^ Growing Thunder."
The first Indian of distinction to come in for an outfit on
credit was the Assiniboine chief. Growing Thunder, who
looked as if he had stepped out of Fenimore Cooper, with
every frill and feature of the nobility of the red men. He
was tall, finely formed, with aquiline features, of stately gait
and dignified manners, looking every inch the daring leader
of warriors. Besides gun, tomahawk, and scalping knife, he
carried a long bow and quiver of arrows on his back ever
ready to let loose on the instant.
He belonged to the Assiniboines frequenting Wood Moun-
tain and the Missouri River, where he as often traded with
the Americans as he did with the Company on our side. Very
few of his tribe were worthy of trust with an outfit, and he
himself was doubtful in that way. After several unsuccessful
attempts to intimidate the Company's traders, he had become
24:1
\
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEEES
friendly and had shown both his friendship to them and the
respectful awe he exacted from his brethren by falling upon a
mob who were about to pillage Big William Daniel, when on
a trading trip to the plains, and driving them off, helter-
skelter, using his long bow as a rod of correction. This affair
occurred before liquor had ceased to be given by the Company
to the Indians. Daniel was renowned for giant strength as
well as daredevil courage, and guarded the keg with double-
barrel at the ready, but he would have had no chance of escape
had not the Indians so closely surrounded him that they were
afraid to shoot lest the missile passing through or by him
might kill one of their own people. Before a clear chance to
shoot him occurred Growing Thunder appeared in wrath and
saved Daniel and the firewater.
As a matter of course, every man who gained influence and
respect by such feats as this and by having killed more than
one of his rivals in single combat, had to maintain the prestige
by being ever ready to fight all who dared question it. Within
a year after I first saw him Growing Thunder was slain in
such an affair of honor.
The chief had come in unattended except by two of his ten
wives, and there was no one who could talk Assiniboine well
enough to interpret speechifying. So he and Mr. McDonald
managed to do the necessary business in broken Cree, which
the chief ably supplemented by the sign language, in which
the Stonies were the most proficient. He exchanged his " fall
robes " and leather for the strong cloth called " Hudson's Bay
strouds '' — taking dark blue for gowns and red cloth for leg-
gings for his wives. Also he '^ took debt,'' to be paid to Jerry
during the winter, consisting of guns and ammunition, tea
and tobacco principally; and then he received his gratuities
as a leading man in his tribe. He was not regarded as a
regular chief, duly appointed by the Company and recognized
by the Assiniboines, such as " Loud Voice " was for the Crees
and " Oukima " was for the Saulteaux of Qu'Appelle. Each
of these had a scarlet, gold-laced and epauletted frock coat
PROUD OF HIS SILK HAT
sent for him in the outfit yearly, besides a tall black silk hat
with colored cocktail feathers. Growing Thunder wanted the
red coat very much, but it could not be given him. He also
desired the high hat, and the Company had none. However,
I had one, which in its case had been an object of derision on
the voyage. Christie had said that I had better keep it and
give it to a chief rather than throw it overboard; and now it
just suited the Assiniboine chief, who gave me a fall buffalo
robe for it. Having decorated it with broad gold-lace and a
couple of colored plumes from the store he seemed to be quite
proud of these marks of distinction, topping the blue cloth
capote and trousers, shirt, belt and handkerchief with which
Mr. McDonald had transformed a magnificent, robed and leg-
gined savage into a most uncomfortable looking voyageur.
However he only endured this penalty of greatness until he
got out of the fort, and took his ease in his lodge with nought
about him but his painted robe, his leather breechclout, leg-
gings and moccasins, and perhaps the shirt. The European
raiment was too uncomfortably stylish.
The Mis-ny-gan Amulet.
Besides these " gratuities," the chief was insistent on obtain-
ing a little bit of writing (" mis-ny-gan " in Cree) from Mr.
McDonald, certifying that " The bearer. Growing Thunder,
is an influential warrior among the Assiniboines of Wood
Mountain, who has always been friendly to the whites, and
deserves a piece of tobacco from any of the Compan/s people
when they meet him," or something to that effect. Such a
scrap of the written word was considered very precious and of
occult value apart from the material benefit in tobacco and
the good introduction it gave the bearer to strange white
people. " These presents " were highly prized, not only for
the distinction and privilege they conferred on the bearers
above their fellows, but also as amulets to ward off the terrors
of the unknown. They were placed between two thin sheets
of wood, hinged at one corner so that they slid over each
243
THE COMPANY 0¥ -ADVENTURERS
other. On one of these sheets a three-inch round mirror was
neatly embedded, and the whole outfit was placed in a beaded
or quilled buckskin bag, which was suspended in front from
the necklace, often of bear's claws, always worn by a warrior.
In the little bag might also be some other " big medicine " and
also vermilion to decorate the face.
Heliographed Signals.
The little mirror was used for signalling purposes as well
as for the toilet, for the Indians had long anticipated the art
of heliography in that respect. Besides being useful for sig-
nals to friends engaged in hunting or in war, the mirror was
used as a "joker " very often by hos tiles who did not intend
to attack, but merely to annoy their foes by playing the flash
on them to keep them on 'the alert and guessing what might
be the next move. The Blackfeet often would let us know of
their invisible presence by flashing at us as we passed over
the plains on our trading or hunting expeditions, in mockery
as much as for wanton annoyance, for by so revealing their
being in the vicinity we were put doubly on guard against a
raid on our camp or cattle.
Tay-put-ah-um Perished in a Blizzard.
This was a Cree who came with his son to get " debt " at
the fort, for it was against the usual policy to give any sup-
plies on credit to Indians away from it. He had left his two
wives and children at " The Turn," a bend of one of the
branches of the Souris River where the last woods occurred
on the route between the Pile of Bones Creek and the Old
Wives' Lakes. There was nothing particularly striking about
Tay-put-ah-um, and I only recollect that he got £10 worth
of supplies ; but on his way back, in making the traverse from
the last point of woods which fringed the valley of the Qu'-
Appelle to those on the Pile of Bones Creek, he was overtaken
by one of those frightful blizzards so frequent in that country,
244
A greenhor:^^
and he and his poor boy perished within a short distance of
the woods in the valley.
On the First Ice.
It did not take much time to exhaust the interest derived
from the novelty of life at the fort, and I was eager to experi-
ence that of winter travel. Meanwhile, shortly after the lakes
froze fast, old George Sandison made me a pair of skates out
of two six inch fiat files let into wood. It was too cold to use
boots and the tight strapping over moccasins was torture.
However, one Sunday forenoon I set off for the end of the
lake, about five miles below the fort, to see a very sick man,
Joseph Parisian, who had asked for my services.
My next outing was on Company^s business to John Fisher
on the lower lake, and I went on horseback half way down
that lake on the north side, where I discovered that his place
was on the other side, and so I set off across the smooth, newly
frozen lake. The ice was not yet very strong, it cracked all
around, in the calm air making a great noise.
On fore feet only the pony had flat shoes, without calks,
made of the copper hoop off powder kegs, and with difficulty he
managed to keep his feet, as I led him across the cracking and
undulating surface of the lake. Fisher had seen me taking
the ice, and had tried to signal by firing his gun that he did
not consider it safe. I did not understand the intended warn-
ing, and went on, while he anxiously watched, expecting the
pony and myself to break through every moment. " Well,^^ he
said, " you are a greenhorn to do such a thing," when I landed
safely. He had never seen the thin ice on which skaters in
the old country venture, on the infrequent occasions for such
sport occurring during the generally rainy winters there. I
returned to the fort by land.
€hristmas and Nevt Year.
On Christmas Day Mr. McDonald read the Church of Eng-
land service in the morning, and we had roast buffalo boss and
245
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEEES
plum-pudding for dinner. There was no midnight mass for
the Eoman Catholics at the lake that winter, for no successor
had come to take the place of the Eeverend Father Eichot,
who had been there the previous year, and of whom Mr.
McDonald spoke very highly, although he had objected to
have the mission planted alongside of the fort, and advised
its being placed between the third and fourth lakes.
"Christmas Eegales" in the shape of some flour, rice,
raisins, sugar, chocolate and extra rations had been issued to
all the people of the fort, and I don't recollect anything spe-
cial, except that they were all in holiday attire and temper.
New Year's Day was ushered in at daylight by a volley, and
the men all came crowding into the hall to shake hands and
wish the master and all " A Happy New Year." They were
immediately served with clay pipes and tobacco, and after a
little conversation, sat down to a feast of buffalo tongue and
boss, cakes and plum-pudding, accompanied by chocolate and
tea. After they had trooped out, their places were taken by
the women and children of the fort, and each lady greeted us
with a smacking kiss, according to the custom of that day and
generation. Some of the elderly ones expected pipes and
tobacco, but the others were happy with cakes and chocolate
and tea, with some suitable sweets for the children.
Next came the Indians, who had flocked to the fort for the
occasion from far and near, bringing in their furs to trade at
the same time. The number of these was not large and was
composed of the few who trapped in the wooded country
thereabout, for the rest of the Indians were far out on the
buffalo plains for the winter.
The proceedings on both days terminated with dances in the
men's quarters, and these went off merrily despite the absence
of anything stronger than tea.
My First Trip With Dog Train.
During all that long lasting fall of fine weather I had been
anticipating the joys of snowshoeing and dog driving as soon
246
DOG TRAINS CROSSING A LAKE.
Coui-tpsy of Hudson Bay Railway.
CAPE DIGGES AND ISLAND.
Courtesy of Hudson Bay Railway.
A TEERIFIC BLIZZAED
as the snow fell; and the moment it did fall, with Kennedy
as my instructor, I commenced to practice these arts of travel.
After amusing himself by watching my efforts with a scratch
team, Mr. McDonald began to allow me to use his splendid
train occasionally. They were four big yellow dogs with some
collie in them. The beautiful and benevolent Beaver was the
steering dog (next the sled) ; the leader or foregoer was
Seresto; next the proud Tiger, always with high-cocked tail;
and then Saquilla, who hauled too hard if in front. They
were a most powerful, willing, and splendidly trained team.
Beaver alone could race along the smooth tracks about the fort
with Mrs. McDonald and the boys in the cariole and her
husband standing on behind; and the other dogs were little
less powerful.
After New Year, Jerry came in with four men and their
dog trains to fetch supplies for his winter post at Wood
Mountain, and I was delighted when Mr. McDonald told me
I could go with him and take a load out on this fine team.
I slept little, with excitement, the night before, starting early
on the morning of January 10.
A Blizzard on the Prairie.
The first day's journey was through the parklike country
which bordered the valley, following the big cart track to the
plains. At the last point of woods we took on a few billets
of wood on each sled, to kindle and augment the dried buffalo
dung, which was to be dug up everywhere from under the
snow, when stopping to eat or camp on the bare prairie. While
making the traverse across the treeless plains between the last
woods and a place in the valley of the Pile of Bones where
there was some bush, we were overtaken by one of the terrific
blizzards for which the winter travelling grounds of the Qu'-
Appelle traders were notorious. Fortunately, on this occasion
we did not have to resort to the usual plan of safety, which
consisted in scooping a hole in the snow and spreading robes
and blankets under and over one, and lying down to let the
247
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEERS
snow drift over and protect one from freezing to death from
exposure. We had six sleds with large lodge leather wrappers,
and these the clever hands of Jerry and his men soon converted
to serve the purpose of tent poles and their covering. Arrang-
ing the loads of the sleds as a barrier outside of the lodge so
formed and taking inside all eatables and the harness to
protect them from the dogs, we got inside, and made ourselves
secure against the piercing blast, covering the ground with
buffalo robes and ourselves with blankets and robes. Then a
smoky smudge was started to boil the kettle for tea and to
melt snow to drink.
We spent the next twenty-four hours huddled together in
this rough refuge from the cold blast of the blizzard, passing
the time mostly in sleep, with intervals of eating and smoking,
and considered ourselves fortunate in such shelter near where
Tay-put-ah-um and his son had perished a short time before.
At Pile of Bones.
On the evening following we were to camp in the woods of
the valley of the Pile of Bones, and I was coming behind the
long train of sleds, following the brow of the bank, when
my leader, Seresto, catching sight of Nepapeness, who had
gone ahead to start a fire in the bottom of the valley, swerved,
in spite of my yelling " Choo," to the right, off the trail he
had been following, and heading straight for lAe fire led his
team and sled to the brink of a big snowbank overhanging the
slope, and the snowbank breaking off crashed down, an
avalanche of snow, dogs and sled to the bottom of the valley.
The dogs were all twisted and twined up in the harness and
the load lashings were loosened in the spectacular descent, but
nothing worse came of it ; so it was witnessed and commented
on, in Indian, with much laughter at my expense.
At The Turn.
On our fourth day out from Qu'Appelle we reached The
Turn, and got lodgings in little wintering cabins of Paul and
248
A WELCOME CHAI^GE OF DIET
Xavier Denomie in its wooded valley. A Saulteaux Indian
rejoicing in the name of Tep-is-couch-kees-cou- win-in, which
being interpreted, means approximately " Man in the Zenith,"
had arrived the evening before with loads of freshly killed
buffalo meat, and we and our dogs procured from him a very
welcome change of diet. Jerry had some trading to do, and
he also required to buy some more dogs to take the place of
several useless brutes in his men^s trains, so we did not leave
our warm and comfortable shelter in the Hotel Denomie
(16x12) till the 16th.
During all our stay there there arose, night and day, the
monotonous wail of woe of the wives of poor Tay-put-ah-um,
for him and his son. In token of grief they went about with
dishevelled hair, in garments rent, and seemingly willing
martyrs to the custom by which all the property of their dead
husband had been parted among relatives of his own blood,
leaving them destitute.
Buffalo Bulls.
Jerry had a smart, swift train of grade deerhounds, and
they were always on the lookout, whether loose or in harness,
for any game along the way. The day after we left The Turn
we sighted a few buffalo bulls ahead, and Jerry at once threw
off his load and set after them on the light sled, with Nepape-
ness running on snowshoes after him. The younger bulls
took the alarm and to their heels before Jerry came near
enough for a shot, but one old veteran faced about and stood
his ground. Jerry fired twice, but the bull, already mad-
dened by the dogs let loose upon him, although mortally
wounded, still kept his feet and showed fight, till Nepapeness
ran up, and while his attention was held by the hounds,
plunged a long hunting knife into the old hero's heart, and
pushed him over, as he died fighting.
His meat was too poor for anything but dog feed, and we
camped on the spot to give them the full benefit, after the
carcase had been cut up with the marvellous speed of these
249
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEERS
skilled hunters. The dogs held high carnival that night, and
held off the wolves, which had soon gathered about, till we
broke camp in the morning, when there was little left for the
wolves, which soon began to lope after ns on the trail. As
we went on that day we started a band of buffalo again, and
wolves became more numerous, sitting on every knoll, but
always out of range of our guns. Then as we passed them,
they, too, would follow on and take advantage of our beaten
track in the snow, till one could see a long string of them
behind, always keeping at a respectful distance.
Prairie Wolves.
There were two kinds of wolves, the smaller being those
known to-day by the familiar name of coyote, and then called
'^togony,^' an abbreviation of the longer Cree word. The
others were the real big prairie wolf, " Me-hin-gen " in Cree,
which, fattening on the bison and as scavengers on the field of
slaughter, often attained an immense size. These were of
various shades, from white to grey, with occasional patches
of black, and were esteemed good eating by the Indians. They
were generally fat, and yielded a large proportion of the
grease eaten by the Indians and made into the finer kind of
pemmican by them. These big brutes took the lions' share
of the prey, while the coyotes acted the part of the jackals.
I had, of course, read many a terrible tale of travellers in
the snow being pursued by packs of ferocious wolves, and
when I saw them abounding along our route I was surprised
to see the perfect indifference of my companions. Instead
of men being afraid of wolves, the wolves were afraid of men.
I was told of their wonderful intelligence in keeping out of
the range of gunshot, and afterwards when repeating long
range rifles came into use they soon learnt to keep out of
range of them, too. During after years several different
Indians at different times and places assured me that wolves
could count up to seven, and the way it was proven was this :
They have a habit of following in a trail beaten by travellers,
260
CAN WOLVES COUNT?
and on a rolling prairie or mounting a rise over which the
party they were following had disappeared, the wolves would
halt till they got a clear sight of them again. Then, if one
of a party of seven men had forked off to watch the trail to
get a shot at the wolves following it, as they passed the
place he had concealed himself, the animals would stop and
follow no further on that trail. But if the number exceeded
seven men, then one might detach himself from the party and
not be missed by the wolves.
I am sure that my informants believed this story of the
wolf's ability to count, and I know that a band following us
would stand for a while on the top of a knoll before coming
on again after us. As to both wolves and other wild animals
and birds wonderfully soon discovering the longer range of
newly introduced guns there is no doubt whatever.
The only time the wolves were ever considered dangerous on
the plains was in the month of March, when an occasional old
male went mad, so mad in fact, as to come within range or
striking distance of hunting people, who courted the oppor-
tunity to get the hide. It may be said the wolves on the
prairie of which I am speaking were not the same animals
as those found in the woods. But they were exactly the
same, and I have seen thousands of them alive, and
handled thousands of their skins, and in the very much
smaller number of timber wolves I have seen, " on the
hoof " or in the hide, I have noticed no difference except that
those reared in the woods were darker in color and on an
average not so large as those who feasted on the buffalo. The
difference between them in any desire to attack mankind or
to leave him severely alone was occasioned by the one in the
woods being famished and the other on the buffalo plains
being well fed as a class ; while the latter's greater familiarity
with the power of hunting men inspired him and his with
a wholesome dread not experienced by his kind beyond the
seas in Europe and Asia, and even in the forests of North
America.
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
Even when the buffalo had migrated afar and food could
not have been plentiful, the wolves never plucked up courage
to attack people in the way described in tales of other coun-
tries. On the contrary, they then became more the prey than
ever of man, who found his chief resource for food, in the
absence of the buffalo, in the wolves he poisoned with baits
of strychnine. The only part not eaten in such cases, was
the stomach containing the bait, and our own men often were
compelled to live on poisoned wolves, and glad to get them.
252
CHAPTEKXV.
WOOD MOUNTAIN, OLD WIVES' CREEK, AND
RETURN TRIP TO QU'APPELLE.
Crossing the Couteau.
So we travelled on, as described in the last chapter, day by
day, seeing a few scattered buffalo, which went off at a seem-
ingly slow and ungainly gallop at our near approach. Some-
times one was either stalked on foot or Jerry threw off his
sled load and let loose his hounds after them; but this was
only done about " camping " time (if our hole in the snow
around a buffalo-dung smudge be worthy of that word of
comfort), so that no time might be lost on the journey nor
the meat of the animal wasted by merely taking the tit-bits
on the march and leaving the rest for a feast of following
wolves. Our route crossed ridge after ridge and valley after
valley of the Couteau Missouri, frequently requiring us to
pull uphill with the dogs, and break the rush down the slopes.
That was hard work, but the worst was along the slope of the
ridges, where the utmost exertions of the steering dog and the
driver with his tail line were required to keep the sled on the
beaten course and prevent an upset.
We were making that night for a spot where there were a
few small willows, a sort of oasis in that treeless desert, where
something resembling a camp fire instead of a smudge could
be made in those wind-swept hills. So we travelled after dark,
guided by the instinct of Jerry's foregoer on an old track
which had been travelled that winter but was now obliterated
by drift so as to be imperceptible to the most experienced
voyageur except by feeling it with his feet, divested of snow-
shoes. The leading dog lost the trace often and the men had
253
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
to beat about in moccasined feet repeatedly to find it; while
Jerry lamented the death of a very wise old dog named Fox,
which was never known to have lost a trail, however old and
obliterated. The crossing of the Couteau was the most
dreaded part of winter journeys, for the region was peculiarly
subject to sudden storms and blizzards, which neither nian
nor dog could face. So that part of the route was always got
over as quickly as possible and advantage was taken of fine
weather to cross it during the night.
There was the double danger of losing the trail in a storm
as well as of the travellers losing each other, and perishing
as had a Canadian named D' Amour, a year or two before,
when out for a trip from Touchwood Hills Post.
Safety Beneath the Snow.
In such a storm of snow and drift one could not see the
foremost dog in his train, and shouts could not be heard above
the roar of the tempest. The expedient of connecting each
train with the next by life-lines to keep them together was
then resorted to, if the party expected to find some kind of
fuel and shelter ahead. But if there were no prospect of
reaching these before man and dog became exhausted, the
party immediately shovelled out a hole in the snow down to
the grass, and with robes and blankets under and over them
found shelter and warmth by being soon deeply buried under
the snow-drift. Under this snowy shelter one could eat pem-
mican and perhaps quench his thirst by taking a covered cop-
per teakettle into his bosom to melt the snow it contained.
But, however thankful a traveller might be for this safeguard
from the fury of the storm, it was distinctly uncomfortable,
unsanitary, and malodorous, and I know what I am talking
about, for I spent two days and two nights in such a shelter
on the Couteau in the following winter. Jerry and Harper
had had three days and three nights of it on a previous occa-
sion about the same place.
254
A LICK AND A PEOMISE
Aerive at Wood Mountain.
We reached the clump of wolf willows, and had a fire that
night, which, after finishing cooking, we raked to one side,
and spreading our bedding on its site, previously covered with
willow twigs, we lay down and enjoyed a good warm bed, for
it is from the ground more than from the air in ordinary
winter weather, that the cold comes to the couch of the winter
traveller in the open.
On our last day we made good time and then travelled long
into the night over the foot hills and a lake at the base of
Wood Mountain, where our arrival was hailed with joy by
Harper, who had been left in charge, and his companions in
the big log hut, the common abode of Jerry and his men for
the winter. We were all eager to hear the news of that world
of magnificent distances in which our lots were then cast. So
amid a torrent of tongues, Cree, Saulteau, French and Eng-
lish, we sat down to a comfortable "square" meal, accom-
panied by that rare and costly dainty of the time and place —
bannocks, made with lots of buffalo fat and baked before an
open fire in a frying pan. To say a man is hungry as a
hunter is comparatively mild, for the appetite of a driver
of dogs, after a winter trip when the term " camp '^ did not
signify warmth nor any cookery save a lick and a promise and
the boiling tea in the drinking pot was often frozen before one
could drink it, would put any hunter but an Indian to
shame.
Henry Jordan.
Besides Harper there were at the wintering house two
American army deserters, Henry Jordan and Charles Davis.
Another American of the same kind was at Fort Ellice, named
Miron. These poor fellows must have had powerful reasons
to take the risk of deserting from posts surrounded by hostile
Sioux, ever ready to slay and scalp any stray Americans.
Miron and Davis were able-bodied men, and willing and
17 255
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEEES
obedient. But my friend Henry Jordan at that time was
almost a skeleton. He appeared to have been brought up
from infancy in such perfect terror of all Indians that during
the seven years subsequently in which I had the happiness of
knowing him, and in which he became thoroughly familiar
with our Indians and their language, he never lost this dread
when trouble was brewing or brewed. He had started as a
drummer boy, had been some years with a circus, and had
acquired a number of the " catches," songs and dances used in
such shows. So Jordan was the great entertainer and quite
an acquisition in that line to Jerry's brigade. Besides he was
always in good humor and obliging and willing to do any-
thing he was at that time physically fit for. In another year
he had developed into a strong and athletic man, and a first-
rate traveller and dog driver.
He was always well liked by everyone, and deservedly so,
and latterly when I succeeded Mr. McDonald in the charge
of Fort Qu'Appelle, he became most useful in the trading
store there. After I left Qu'Appelle, in June, 1874, Jordan
drifted away from the Company and found employment with
the firm of I. G. Baker & Co., who had established them-
selves near my old wintering post at Cypress Hills, where
he received in a month as much as the Hudson's Bay Com-
pany had been paying him for eight months' wages. He did
not live very long afterwards, and his bones lie somewhere
about Medicine Hat.
The AMERICAN'S on the Missouri.
I record this bit of the biography of Jordan, in whose
cheery company I passed many a happy hour, for it is his
due, also to show what manner of man it was from whom I
derived information concerning the Americans on the Upper
Missouri in those days. From Jordan, and Dick Niven, a
wolf hunter, both highly American in sentiment, and from
Edward McKay, the elder brother of Jerry, and other reliable
Metis, who had been employed at the trading posts on the
256
LIQUOE ILLEGALLY BUT FEEELY USED
Missouri, it appeared that the life and conduct of the Hud-
son's Bay men in the wilds were saintly in comparison with
those of their fellows on the Missouri.
Jordan said that the colonel in command of the post from
which he deserted, crimped his men and sold the liberal sup-
plies of food provided by the government to the traders ; also,
the reason for the stationing of the military under him being
to check the hostile Sioux and prevent arms and ammunition
being supplied to them, that he actually sold these arms and
ammunition to them himself or through traders in collusion
with him. This story was corroborated by his fellow deserters,
as well as by other parties.
The men who had been employed by the Missouri fur
traders said they all got big wages, especially if they were
much addicted to gambling, in which their master took a part
and kept the bank. Consequently they never could save a
cent, while the Hudson's Bay servants at smaller wages always
did so in the interior. Assiniboine women were openly bought,
sold and exchanged as an everyday occurrence ; and liquor was
illegally but freely used in the trade. The Americans were
continually being killed and scalped by the ^Sioux, and many
fatal fights occurred among themselves, for which no one was
punished, although there were military posts planted at inter-
vals all the way up to Benton.
These were our next door — civilized ( ?) — ^neighbors, imme-
diately across the international line, which no man knew, for
it was not surveyed for years afterwards. And to them was
due the trouble we were always having with drunken savages,
who obtained their supply from French halfbreed and Indian
traders fitted out at the posts along the Missouri.
At Wood Mountain.
My instructions having been to take a list of the furs, robes
and provisions purchased, and the goods on hand, besides
those we had just brought out, at Wood Mountain, I fou:id
257
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
the following on hand, and detail it as shedding light on
the trade of ancient days.
List of furs, etc., at Wood Mountain, 23rd January, 1868 —
485 prime buffalo robes, 22 buffalo bosses, 79 buffalo tongues,
21 prime badgers, 1 grizzly bear, 21 red foxes, 132 kitt
foxes, 16 hares (Jackrabbits), 3 skunks, 1 wolverine, 59
wolves.
List of Goods — ^Blankets, 1 red, 12 green, 13 white, 3 points;
cloth (" H.B. Strouds^'), 34 yards red, 13 yards white, and
20 yards blue ; cloth, green, 4 yards ; Capotes, 30 Indian white
from 1 to 4 Ell size; 53 yards printed cotton; 40 yards red
woollen Tartan ; 2 Tartan shawls ; 2 pairs moleskin trousers ;
Belts, 1 narrow L^ Assomption, 8 colored worsted, 2 to 4 inches ;
1 roll striped gartering; 16 yards half -inch colored ribbon;
1 gross gilt ball buttons; 2 pounds white and 1 pound blue
beads ; 23 scalping knives ; 14 fire steels ; 5 small tooth combs ;
2 large combs; 26 gun flints; 1 gunworm; 1 keg Tower-proof
gunpowder, 66 pounds net; 122 pounds ball, 28s; 110 pounds
plug tobacco ; 2 carrots tobacco ; 9 Indian awls ; 1 pound linen
thread.
To supplement this outfit we had brought out more gun-
powder and ball, two rolls Canada twist tobacco, each about
one hundred pounds, and last but not least in the Indians'
estimation, several half chests Congou tea, each half a hun-
dredweight, and two cases of Indian trading flintlock guns.
Besides these were blankets and clothing, also hardware, such
as files, copper kettles and needles, axes, and a few traps. I
have no memorandum of these, but certainly vermilion for
painting their faces, and brass wire to twist around the ends
of their hair, and hawk bells to jingle as they walked, would
be part of the outfit, and Jerry may have secured, to sell
to specially favored Indians, in not greater quantity than one
pint each, a keg of crushed loaf sugar — sixty-six pounds. The
bag of that precious commodity — flour — which he brought
out was for his own use only, but he was too open-handed and
good-hearted to keep it for himself.
268
EPIDEMICS OF SMALLPOX
The Assiniboines.
The Indians wintering in the wooded valleys of the moun-
tains were principally Assiniboines, and amongst them the
Chieftain, Growing Thunder. They were living in abundance,
making occasional raids out to the open plains after buffalo.
Their leaders vied with each other in proffering breakfasts,
dinners and suppers, and other intervening meals, to Jerry,
to a number of which I had to accompany him. Fine *' back
fats " of the rump, and bosses and tongues were the chief
items in these feasts, with frequently a calf, unborn and
cooked in its own juice, as a special delicacy, for declining to
partake of which I should have given offence, had not my
hosts kindly excused me on account of my " greenness."
These Assiniboines, as a body, when unadorned with ver-
milion, had the palest faces of all the Indians I ever remem-
ber seeing. Although they often traded with the Americans
on the Missouri, they spoke of them bitterly as supplying an
inferior quality of goods at higher prices than ours, although
they had the advantages of steamboat freight up the Missouri,
and we had to carry everything on men's backs from the
Hudson Bay. These steamboats also conveyed epidemics of
smallpox to the Assiniboines, and through them the infection
spread to the north. The Missouri was also the source from
which came among our Indians occasional cases of unclean
complaints.
The notoriety of the men as horse-thieves incarnate has
been mentioned before; and the women were equally adept
at pilfering any stray article they could squat down on. Har-
per, the zealous and honest, was particularly furious against
these women, and gave as an instance that of one who had
walked off slowly, and to all appearances innocently, but with
the helve of the axe, which had been thrown down for a
moment, protruding an inch or two below her short skirt. He
declared the squaws had some concealed device which enabled
them to carry away anything that they could squat down on.
\
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
The women of this tribe of Assiniboines were an exception
to the modesty of demeanor which distinguishes those of all
other tribes on the east of the Rockies, including, I believe,
those down the Mackenzie and the Loucheaux, on the Yukon.
A Stony squaw appeared to have as little self -consciousness,
while standing around trading, as a cow.
It was amusing to see the entirely naked little boys, stuffed
full with such plenty that their stomachs would have done
credit to an alderman, running about barefooted on the hard-
beaten snow around the lodge, whipping up their tops, which,
like everything else of native make, were of some part of
their universal provider, the buffalo. In this case the tip of
the horn was the boy's top. After perhaps ten or twenty
minutes playing barefooted in a temperature several degrees
below zero the little chaps would come in and thrust their
calloused soles against the fire, which seemed to have as little
effect on them as had the frost outside.
My Friend Flemmand.
I spent a few pleasant days under Jerry's hospitable roof,
and with Jordan's aid we had several sing-songs, Jerry's con-
tribution being, " The North Counteree " and mine " The
Jolly Dogs," which latter charmed the ear or fancy of Olivier
Flemmand, who was a jolly dog himself. The chorus was
" Slap, bang, here we are again," in which Flemmand turned
the " slap " into " frappe " in his rendering. Flemmand was
a tall, lithe, active fellow, who justly prided himself on his
prowess as a runner, for on one occasion he had run the dis-
tance of one hundred and thirty-five miles from Fort Qu'-
Appelle to Fort Ellice within twenty-four hours in the heat of
summer, carrying an urgent letter. He was polite, good-
natured, full of fun, and talkative. He was a good-looking
fellow, although as dark skinned as most Indians, but inside
he seemed to be all French with one exception, for he was an
artant coward. This he sought to conceal by brag and bluster,
and bullying young fellows under him with most savage
260
FORCED GRATUITIES
threats. He talked French, Saulteau and Cree, and spoke
English amusingly.
Flemmand wanted to get a trip in to the fort to see his
family, so Mr. McKay sent him with me, via Old Wives'
Creek, where Jacob Bear was wintering in the lodge of
Ookemah, the recognized chief of the Qu'Appelle Saulteaux.
The American, Charles Davis, and William Sandison, with
a train of dogs each, came with us on the homeward journey.
Old Wives^ Creek.
On the 27th of January I note that Jacob Bear had on hand
ninety buffalo robes, seventy buffalo tongues, five badgers, five
red foxes, twenty kitt foxes, one lynx and twenty wolves as
the result of his trade up to that time. My visit afforded old
Ookemah the unusual opportunity of putting his grievances
in writing. The old fellow was in a sulky mood, probably
arising from disturbance of his liver from overeating, for he
was living on the fat of the land, and he was far too fat him-
sejf anyhow to be healthy. Obesity is not common among male
Indians, but it is, I think, more frequently found among the
Saulteaux than the other tribes. He and his son. White Bear,
appeared to be conjoint chiefs in some way, which Flemmand
failed to make me understand. Neither could I understand
and get any comprehensible explanation of the chiefs bitter
complaint that he had not been paid in full for the " present '^
to the Company with which he had celebrated, according to
custom, his arrival in state at the fort in the fall. The
alleged present consisted of two horses and some furs and
provisions, and all those who contributed towards it had been
paid in full but he himself, said he. He also grumbled that
his gratuities as a chief had been forced upon him against
his will, and for these he might be called upon to pay when
he was unable. Bewildered between what he regarded as my
childish questions for an explanation, and the inadequacy of
Flemmand's interpretation in such a case of delicate diplo-
macy, I finally simply wrote down what Flemmand said the
261
THE COMPAlSnr OF ADYENTUREES
chief had said, leaving Mr. McDonald to solve the problem
himself.
Start for the Fort.
We passed a day with Jacob, and on the 30th of January,
1868, set out for the fort, the trail to which, after reaching
the Hotel Denomie, at the River that Turns, would be that
followed on the outward voyage. Although Jacob had plenty
of carts to carry in to the fort all he was likely to trade by
spring, we loaded up our sleds with robes, or rather Jacob and
Flemmand loaded mine, saying that my dogs were strong and
well able to draw forty large prime robes. While the stuff I
had taken to Wood Mountain on my sled probably weighed as
much, yet in bulk it was not half as high as the load of loose,
unpacked robes they piled on it. Flemmand, having no
dog-train to drive, set off ahead, on an old trail hard enough
to hold up a man without snowshoes. He seemed to be in a
great hurry and kept us busy attempting to keep up with
him. But the roadway was over rolling ground and side
slopes where my sled was continually swinging off the narrow
track and upsetting in the soft, deep snow alongside. The
ground seemed to be honeycombed with badger holes, and
nearly every time I got off the track to right my sled down
one of my legs would go full length in one of the holes.
Sandison and Davis, having lighter and well-snugged loads,
did not have so much difficulty and were more experienced in
the work; but they, too, had had enough of Flemmand's
furious rush at the start and were glad when he halted at my
signal. I came up to him hot in body and in temper, for I
suspected he had done as he did " to play over a greenhand."
I said:
" We will stop and make tea, and then you and I, Flem-
mand, will go back to Jacob's while the others go on. We
will catch them up in the morning.''
" What for, m'sieu, you want to go back ?" asked Flemmand,
with feigned surprise.
A SPLENDID TRAIN"
" Because I did not come out here to do the work
of a cart-horse, with a sled that you have loaded
as high as a haystack," I answered, hotly. ^^We will make
a cariole at Jacob's and you will drive me in, in style, to the
fort/'
Terror of the Old Wives.
Next morning we caught up to the men within a mile of
where we had left them the day before, going slowly along at
a walk. Flemmand was delighted and proud of the splendid
train he was driving, and we passed on ahead to give them
a lead and encouragement. Before us lay the Old Wives'
Lake, with the high rolling ridges of the western slopes of the
Couteau on its farther side. Flemmand pointed out the direc-
tion we had to go, which towards evening I saw lay almost
directly over the willow-clad island in the middle of the lake,
which was supposed to be frequented by the spirits of the
old wives from which the lake derives its legendary name.*
There was no wood anywhere on the way, except the willows
on the isle of the spirits, which we could have reached just
about the right time to stop for the night. I told him to
make for the island, and he at once declared that no living
man had ever dared to go there, and it would be a terrible
thing to rouse the wrath of the ghosts of the old wives.
" Nonsense," I said, " there is no such thing as a ghost."
'^ Ah, m'sieu, maybe dare be none in de old country, but
dare is plenty en oe pays sauvage. Day not baptime and le
diable help dem."
We had now got on the lake, and the track had disappeared,
so I told him to go ahead and give a lead for the dogs to
follow. But the swift and joyous runner of yesterday now
went forward with slow and saddened step, wavering in his
line of march and always edging away from the isle he
♦ There are two Old Wives' Lakes, connected by a creek. These
were named on maps, respectively, after the Rt. Hon. Henry
Chaplin and Sir Frederick Johnstone, who hunted buffalo near
them in 1861.
263
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUREES
dreaded. I tried over and over again to keep him on the
course, but he always edged off, and I suppose I must have
fallen asleep for a while, for when I awoke we were far from
the island and in the middle of the lake, where we were obliged
to stop for the night, after a cup of tea boiled over a little
kindling wood which we each carried at the tail of our sleds.
I slept in the cariole quite comfortably, but was aroused
every now and again by the cracking, rumbling and thunder-
ous resounding of the ice as the cold took a firmer grip on it
and upheaved it into pressure ridges. I daresay Flemmand,
who belonged to a family of fishermen, and had heard other
lakes make an equally noisy disturbance, fully imagined that
those that night were caused by some devilish cantrip slight
of the Old Wives, aroused to wrath at our approach to their
abode of terror.
^ Again Cross the Grande Couteau.
We got off the lake bright and early, Flemmand requiring
no urging to keep a straight course,- and we found the trail
again, which took us to the foot of the main slope that fore-
noon. After stopping to boil the tea kettle, the track getting
better, Flemmand proposed that we should go ahead of Sandi-
son and Davis and try to reach Denomie's, at the River that
Turns, for the night. The hills were often steep and the
dogs "required Flemmand to assist them in parts, so he pro-
posed that I should get out and walk up hill, if we were to
reach Denomie's that night.
" I only weigh one hundred and sixty-four pounds," I
answered, " and yet you expected me to take four hundred
pounds of loose robes, piled up high, over these hills. I won't
walk."
When we came to the next hill he said:
" M'sieu, take pity to de poor dogs. Day force, an' me, too,
I force very hard."
" All right," said I, " but if I get out once I will stay out
and run all the way to the Turn."
264
THE FURY OF FLEMMAXD
"No, no, jump on going down hill/*
" 'No, I shan^t/' and I did not either till we had crossed all
the hills and had come quite a way on the plain. There we
found the two lodges of Cowesess, one of the very best hunters
of the Qu'Appelle Saulteaux, whose brawny wives insisted on
our stopping for something to eat with them before making
the few more miles to Denomie's. The two wives were sisters,
and good, steady housekeepers and workers.
The Fury of Flemmand.
So, after a well-served meal of buffalo tongue and tea, I was
glad to get into the cariole to enjoy a smoke, while Flem-
mand, delighted at the chance of showing off, started the dogs
with a furious, but quite unnecessary, flourish, for they now
knew where they were going to camp. He was soon glad to
jump on the tail of the sled, for it took a mighty good runner,
when that train "took the bit in their teeth," to keep up with
them. Standing on the tail end of the cariole, he began
wrathfully to tell that the Cowesess women had reported the
arrival of Donald Sinclair (the native dude mentioned in a
previous chapter) with alcohol for trading purposes at The
Turn. Between Flemmand and Donald, the dude, there was
personal animosity and rivalry, and now Flemmand was
aroused to fury at Donald's intrusion among the people whose
furs, by reason of the outfits given them by the Company,
belonged to Fort Qu'Appelle. Moreover, the attempt of
Donald to introduce the seductive beverage amongst the
women of the fort, which has already been related, filled
Flemmand with virtuous and warlike wrath.
" Let me catch dat leetle trash, and you'll see what a proper
pounding I been give him," exclaimed Flemmand. " I been
waiting de chance for long time now."
He continued to rant and rave as we sped along the well-
beaten path, and urged on the dogs to still greater speed in
his eagerness to give Donald the thrashing, to wipe off old
265
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEEES
scores and to show me that although he was afraid of the
ghosts of old women he dreaded nothing in the shape of mortal
man.
We were, with the customary kindness and hospitality of
the Metis, warmly welcomed by Paul Denomie and his wife,
and invited to remain over the night in their snug little cabin.
The door was of clear parchment and gave a good light, so
that only one little window " glazed " with a piece of cotton,
was cut in the log wall. Under this was a cassette — a wooden
trunk — which was used as a seat by visitors, and there were
two bedsteads made of poles and covered with several soft and
downy robes, one of which was kindly given to me to sit and
recline on.
The Fury Abated.
We had a good supper, during which Flemmand anxiously
enquired where he could find Donald, the transgressor, and in
French and Indian proceeded to repeat much more fluently
than he had in English the terrific consequences to Donald,
which would result when he got within arm's length. After
a little in came Paul's brother, Xavier, evidently laboring
under a big dose of Donald's fire-water, although he remained
perfectly mute, squatted down in a corner. In the midst of
one of Flemmand's most blood-curdling threats against him,
the door quietly opened and in stepped Donald, looking as
cool as a cucumber and impudent as a "Whiskey Jack."
Flemmand's tirade at once was cut short, and to my astonish-
ment he sprang up and grasping the hand of Donald, warmly
greeted him as " Mon cer ami, mon associe," and expressed
his delight at meeting him. Probably Donald had been eaves-
dropping before he quietly slipped in, but the only sign he
gave was to immediately begin:
" Flemmand, you are a liar and a boaster and a coward.
I can beat you travelling in the boats and with dogs; I can
outrun you on foot, and beat you running buffalo, and I can
wrestle you down and pound you with fists."
266
AN EXCITING QUABBEL
" Oh," replied Flemmand, " my friend and comrade, you
are joking; we always been friends/'
" You are a liar," coolly answered Donald. " We never
were friends. I never would make friends with such a brag-
ging liar and coward as you."
'' Ah," said poor Flemmand, soothingly, and looking round
to us for sympathy, "my friend and comrade, you joke too
hard."
"If it is too hard," tauntingly replied Donald, "take up
my challenge like a man and come outside."
" Oh, my friend, my comrade, don't carry your fun so
far," besought Flemmand.
The reply was voluble and abusive, in Indian this time,
which being understood by Xavier, who had remained during
the English portion of the debate still and silent, aroused
him to instant action on behalf of his fellow Metis, just as I,
at first thoroughly amused at the instantaneous collapse of
Flemmand's fury, was about to take the part of my amiable
and amusing travelling companion. With a ^' 8acrS diahle!"
Xavier sprang to his feet, and Donald, who was sitting on
the casette under the cotton window, seeing him coming, with
amazing nimbleness sprang up, turned round, and took a
header right through the window, his heels just disappearing
as Xavier reached the cassette. Xavier instantly made for the
door to pursue, his pent-up feelings and the firewater bursting
out in French and Indian execrations. But his brother Paul
was too quick for him, and blocked the doorway, whereupon
Xavier became more enraged ^than ever; so that, with the
assistance of his wife and Xavier's, who had rushed in from
her cabin next door, Paul was obliged to tie his brother hand
and foot with buffalo cords, and lay him in bed.
Another Flare-up Extinguished.
No sooner had Xavier been subdued than up sprang Flem-
mand, full of renewed fury against Donald.
267
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUREES
" First I tink he been joking, and I not want to make troube
in nodder man's house, but now, me properly mad at dat
Donal," he declared. " Just let me see him again !"
Just as he was uttering the words the door again opened
quietly, and Donald reappeared, unabashed, and with as much
effrontery as ever.
^^ Here I am again, you bragging coward,'' he said.
Poor Flemmand at once wilted, tried to assume an ingrati-
ating smile, and was beginning, " Oh, mon ami," when Paul
sprang up, opened the door and kicked the presumptuous
Donald out without resistance ; for in boasting and cowardice
Donald and his " camarade, Flemmand," were equal and well
met.
Pile of Bones and Their Ghosts.
We departed in peace next morning to make the little clump
of wood in the valley of the Pile of Bones Creek. Every now
and again Flemmand would jump on behind and make excuses
and explanations and express his regret at not having smashed
Donald. Still he was hopeful of getting another chance, when
the indignities which he had borne with Christian patience
would be wiped out in gore and glory. The decisive action
of Paul in kicking the fellow out had evidently aroused again
in Flemmand the hope which springs eternal in the human
breast. So the delinquencies of Donald and the frightful
vengeance which he, Flemmand, had every intention of taking
upon him " next time " were uppermost in his talk as we went
along. At first when we started and had gone a mile or
so that morning, I said that as he felt so bad about it we
might turn back and have the affair of honor over and done
with. But Flemmand would not hear of such a sacrifice of
the Company's time. Yet as we put mile after mile between
us and his "friend" and enemy, his fury against him in-
creased instead of abated.
We arrived that evening at the Pile of Bones Creek in time
to make a good camp. We started a fire and Flemmand was
268
PARTNERS OF THE DEVIL
busy getting wood for the night, when I began to talk about
the poor Cree who had perished with his son, in the attempt
to reach these woods that winter — Tay-put-ah-um. Flemmand
had talked of merely making fire and having something to
eat at the Pile of Bones, and then going on through the night
across the traverse over the bare plain to the last wooded
point out from Qu'Appelle. But I was not in such a hurry
as to pass a rare wooded oasis in that treeless snowy plain,
from which we could easily make the next woods in a day's
run with four fine dogs.
" Don't say dat name," cried Flemmand in alarm.
" Why should I not ?" I exclaimed in surprise.
Pausing in his wood chopping and coming to the fire he
warned me:
"You not know how bad dese Indians are. Dey partners
of le diable, and if you speak about him his ghost will come
and bodder us."
I was amused at the poor fellow's superstitious dread,
and after he resumed his chopping, suddenly called out:
"Hello, Flemmand, whafs that?" pointing to a rabbit that
was just disappearing in a thicket.
With a yell of terror the poor chap rushed to the fire, and
throwing himself down on the brush by it, enveloped himself
from heel to head in his green blanket. There he lay till next
morning without stirring, for neither reasoning nor per-
suasion could elicit a word out of him; and I was but too
slightly punished for my folly and cruelty in playing on his
terrors by having to pack the wood into camp and cook my
own supper, to which he treated the invitation to join in
silence. Presumably after dawn the spirits of the departed
took a rest, in Flemmand's opinion, so at broad daylight he
got up briskly, but in haste to make breakfast and resume
our journey. He was in a desperate hurry to get away from
that haunted ground, and we were soon bowling away on a
good hard trail for the woods bordering the valley of the
Qu'Appelle.
'469
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUREES
The Driver Driven.
His spirits rose as we left the place behind and he began
to think that if the track kept good we might make the fort
that night. Every stride took ns farther away from Donald
and the cold shade of Tay-put-ah-um, and before long he
desired me to add to his various accomplishments by teaching
him " properly " that fascinating ditty " The Jolly Dogs."
As "by special request" I trolled out the air, the dogs, who
knew quite well they were nearing home, increased their
speed and gave him hard work to keep up, holding on
to the tail line. Every once and a while he jumped on
behind, but finally he asked me to make no more noise as
the dogs might over-exert themselves early in the day and
become too tired to reach the fort that night.
We made the first woods early and had tea and something
to eat, and went on till, towards evening, we came to Duck
Lake, where we stopped again for a meal. It had become
warmer^apd on starting again I noticed the dogs were get-
ting a bit fagged, as Flemmand more frequently and for
longer spells got on and rode behind. We went on for a few
miles, and as it was getting dark he jumped on and the dogs
slowed down, when he said:
" Bien m'sieu, I not tired, mais I sick."
" Oh, then, get in the cariole and I will drive you to the
fort," I replied.
The poor chap gladly got in and lay there contented while
I drove the remaining ten miles to the fort; but when we
got near he asked me to stop and change places with him, so
that he might enter the gate with ^clat instead of ignominy.
But I had him *^ properly " secured in the cariole so that he
could not get out, and I had the pleasure of driving into the
square the man who had set out with a rush from Old Wives'
Creek with the object of showing his superiority and my
inferiority as a winter voyageur.
270
CHAPTEE XVI.
THE CLOSE OF THE FUR TRADE YEAR.
The Winter Packets.
The winter packets from York Factory and Fort Garry,
which had met at Norway House, and went on from there
to Carlton House, where the packet from Mackenzie Eiver
and other northern districts met them, returned south-easterly
by Touchwood Hills and Qu^Appelle en route to Fort Garry
by way of Fort Pelly and Lakes Winnipegosis and Manitoba.
With this packet Mr. McDonald went in March to Fort Pelly,
to attend the annual council of the officers in charge of posts
in Swan River district, presided over by Chief Factor Camp-
bell.
Spring the Busy Season.
Spring did not linger in the lap of the winter of 1867-8,
coming on with a rush and quickly merging into summer.
As soon as the snow had uncovered the southern plains around
Wood Mountain and Old Wives' Creek, Jerry and Jacob
loaded up their carts with the buffalo robes, furs, provisions
and leather which they had traded during the winter, and
followed the thaw into Fort Qu'Appelle. The rate at which
the thaw advanced northward was generally about the same
rate as that which the carts travelled in a day — some
twenty miles. Indians and the few Metis hunters, who then
regularly resorted to the fort, also made their way to it to
pay their debts and trade the balance of their hunts.
Day after day these arrivals took place and the fort pre-
sented a busy scene. Each arrival first reported to the officer
in charge, who sat, in clouds of tobacco smoke, in the com-
18 271
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEERS
bined office and Indian hall, to receive them and hear an
account of their doings during the winter, and the news of
different places of the plains from which they had come or
heard. In return he would, with the assistance of an inter-
preter in particular cases, give them the news of the world,
at large and of the country in particular, for the first question
a visiting Indian would ask was : " What is the news ? Tell
it truthfully, my friend."
Indian Debts.
Then the Indian's fur packs would be opened and sorted
out according to value, in the office, and his robes, leather and
pemmican similarly dealt with in the fur and provision store.
When these were reckoned up and placed to his credit, any
credit balance he might have was settled by an order on the
trading store, which would specify if any amount of such
limited supplies as tea and sugar should be given the Indian
over the regulation limit. In case the hunt did not come up
to or exceed the amount of the hunter's debts, the master
arranged with him how much should be paid on account and
how much he would be allowed to exchange for his present
needs.
Any officer who neglected to personally meet and talk with
the Indians, and arrange for their requirements in accordance
with their needs and abilities, and consider the prospects of
the grounds upon which they hunted or planned to hunt, in
fact, to acquire a sympathetic knowledge of the Indian, his
character and capabilities, was no good as an Indian trader.
For to be a successful one he had to Judiciously furnish in
advance the outfit required by the Indian if he were to be
successful in his winter and summer hunting. The trader
having arranged how much of the vital essentials — such as
ammunition, guns, axes, and traps, and such luxuries as
blankets, tea and tobacco — without which he would be miser-
able, — the Indian should get on credit, he was allowed to take
a few other things for his personal adornment. All these
272
GOODS ON CREDIT LIMITED
were marked down in the order on the trading store, otherwise
the Indian would most likely take all the nnnecessaries and,
the amount of the advance agreed upon having been made
up in these, try to have it increased by the addition of the
absolute necessities which he pretended that he had forgotten.
The Indian generally was as void of any care for the future
as is the field of a farmer, and even as a skilful farmer had to
cultivate and take the risk of seeding his land in anticipation
of remunerative returns, so had a well trained fur trader to
cultivate a knowledge of each Indian and take the risk, after
duly weighing his capabilities and prospects, of advancing to
the hunter an outfit adequate to his needs and ability. In
this way alone could the trade be conducted with Indians
whose hunting grounds lay hundreds of miles from the trad-
ing post, and whose visits thereto were limited to once or
twice a year.
From the time the fort gates opened at sunrise till they
closed at sunset the Indians thronged the hall, singly and in
family groups, and Mr. McDonald listened and talked to them
with admirable patience, and managed them with tact and
firmness. The natives were no fools, and quick to notice any
flaw or inconsistency in an argument against them. More-
over they were all intensely jealous of each other, and strove
to have similar favors, in the shape of debt and gratuities,
bestowed upon each as had been given to those more deserving
in the opinion of the master. No such favors could be given
without being publicly proclaimed and boasted, about by the
recipients and their families; so it taxed all the diplomatic
ability of the trader to smooth over and explain such matters.
Arrival of Cree Chief.
The chief of the Qu'Appelle Crees was Kaw-keesh-e-way,
which was rendered in English as Loud Voice, and his voice
was used always in the cause of peace and good-will between
the different people and the tribes frequenting the post.
There were a number of his band who had won greater names
273
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEEES
in war, but Loud Voice added to his reputation in the
arts of Medicine Man, in which the more straightforward
and simpler-minded Crees were much behind the more cun-
ning and intelligent Saulteaux.
When the chief and his followers had reached a camp about
a day's journey from the fort he sent in two runners to
announce his intended visit, and to receive the usual present
of tea, sugar and tobacco. On the day appointed, his band
of mounted warriors, all painted and plumed in battle array,
suddenly appeared careering on the plain to the east of
the fort, performing various evolutions as they gradually
approached. These became more exciting on nearing it, as
they delivered charge after charge, accompanied with wild
whoops, volleys from their guns an^ frantic brandishing of
bow and spear. Each charge just before being driven home
on the line formed by Mr. McDonald and all hands, who had
turned out with arms to salute and receive them outside the
pickets, was suddenly diverted from the centre into a right
and left half wheel of the wings, which then swept at a furious
gallop in a semicircle to the rear, where they again united
and forming line again charged furiously towards us.
After a number of these feints, in their last charge they
came to an abrupt halt within a few yards of us, and dis-
mounted. Loud Voice at once advanced, leading a fine pony,
by a line which he held in his right hand, and on Mr. Mc-
Donald advancing to meet him and shake hands in that process
he slipped the leading line into the hand of the latter, thereby
making him a present of the pony. Immediately following
the chief came two warriors, each leading a pack-horse laden
with presents of robes, furs, pemmican and buffalo marrow.
Jerry and I shook hands with the chief and his immediate
followers and, the ponies with their presents being handed
over to four men, we followed the chief and Mr. McDonald
as they marched together into the fort. At its gate the
rest of our men and a number of visitors, who had
previously arrived, opened up a narrow lane for us to pass
2U
A PEACE CELEBRATION
through, as they delivered volley after volley in salute, and
they took special pains to let our ear-drums get the full shock
by letting off close to them. They followed us to the door
of the " reception " hall, and let off several feux de joie after
we had entered.
Pipe of Peace.
Amongst the things sent out to meet Loud Voice was his
great ceremonial calumet and decorated stem, which, wrapped
up with much mysterious medicine, in coil after coil of differ-
ent colored cloth, and trappings of leather, decorated with quill
and bead, had been hung conspicuously in the hall, as a token
of friendship between the Crees and the Company, ever since
his last visit to the post. And while all his followers came
armed to the teeth, with bow and quiver on back, flintlock in
hand, and knife and tomahawk in belt. Loud Voice met the
master and entered the fort bearing only his long, and highly
decorated, stem and pipe of peace.
He was given a chair of honor, and his band disposed them-
selves on the forms around three sides of the room, or squatted
in front of these in a manner more comfortable to them on
the floor. At the inner end of the room Mr. McDonald sat,
with Jerry and myself on each side. The ceremonies opened
by Loud Voice taking the pipe from the functionary, who
filled and lit it according to the Cree rules of etiquette, and
offering the mouthpiece to deities presiding over the four
quarters of the compass and zenith on high and depths below.
Then he took a whiff or two, exhaling the smoke through his
nose, and handed the pipe to Mr. McDonald, who took a whiff
and passed it on, with the sun, to the next man, and so on till
all had taken a draw. Then followed the speeches of the chief
and other headmen, which were duly responded to by Mr.
McDonald. Next a feast was spread on the floor before them,
consisting of bannocks, tea, chocolate, sugar, and a sort of
hasty pudding containing raisins and currants. At the con-
clusion of the feast Loud Voice was taken into another room
275
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEEES
and clothed in a shirt, trousers, a chiefs scarlet, gold-laced
snrtout, and a black silk high — very high — hat, adorned with
three big plumes of coloured cockstail feathers. Upon return-
ing, so arrayed, to the hall, he was presented with the semi-
annual gratuities — tea, tobacco, ammunition, etc. — which his
written and carefully wrapped up certificate as a Company's
chief specified.
Meanwhile the "presents,'' except the pony, made by the
chief and his followers, having been piled in the hall in front
of Mr. McDonald, were removed to the store and appraised
at market value, to which was added about twenty-five per
cent. Quantities of tea, tobacco, sugar, and perhaps some
other rare and expensive luxuries, such as flour, rice and
raisins, were then brought in and presented to the band for a
general feast, preliminary to the individual payment in full
to each of those who had contributed to the "presents" strictly
according to his proportion.
Loud Voice only wore his uniform for a few days, and
immediately after his departure from the fort he parted these
garments amongst his followers ; for he would have been con-
sidered unworthy of being considered a chief and too stingy
for the office had he kept anything he obtained in virtue
thereof for himself. How different a disposition is made of
" the spoils of office " amongst civilized 'Christians ; but Loud
Voice was only a simple heathen Cree chief, who retained as
the only insignia of his office the long-stemmed pipe of peace
before mentioned and a very big lowland Scotch blue bonnet,
which deserves to be described. It was similar ,to those worn
by curlers, with a red knob on the top, and red and white
checks round the band. All around the broad rim were little
brass hawk bells and round gilt ball buttons alternately, with
bows of vari-colored narrow ribbon at intervals. Attached to
the top knob there were either colored plumes from the store
or three eagle quills, decorated with heraldic devices of his
own.
276
LOTS OF FIJN
Packing the Furs.
While Mr. McDonald was busy in the hall, outside we were
all equally busy. When the trading parties from Wood Moun-
tain and Old Wives' Creek arrived I had to take account of
the goods returned and the robes and furs for which the rest
of the outfits had been expended, also the Indian debts paid
and the supplies given to servants there. And then com-
menced the lively scene of packing the robes and furs in the
big lever fur press in the middle of the square. Before being
pressed into packs, each containing ten, folded hair side in,
the robes had to be beaten of the dust and mud clinging to
them, in the same way as carpets are beaten wi1;h sticks. The
men worked in pairs, one catching the head and the other
the tail end of the robe, which was folded in the middle with
the hair out. Day after day the resounding whacks of the
beaters kept up from morn till eve, accompanied by the merry
shouts of laughter of the men at some catchword which served
its purpose as a provoker of mirth whenever uttered and which
never seemed to lose by repetition. Original and new mirth-
making phrases and antics were, however, frequently put on
the stage by that gifted burlesque actor and farceur, my friend
Flemmand, who was as active in keeping up the spirits of his
camarades as he was in the work of beating and packing the
robes.
Each pack had attached to it a wooden stave on which were
branded its consecutive number, weight and " '67 — H.B.
F.Q." meaning Outfit 1867, Hudson Bay, (F) Swan River
district, (Q) Fort Qu'Appelle. The furs were also hung up
on lines like a wash to get rid of the dust in the wind, and
the larger and stronger hides beaten like the robes. The finer
and weaker-skinned furs were parcelled up in strong-hided
summer bearskins, and several bundles of these made up the
pack to about ninety pounds weight. Each of these fur-packs
was of assorted skins, and as many packs as possible made
up of a uniform number of assorted skins. This was done
277
THE COMPAJSTY OF ADVENTURERS .
for the same reason as assorted bales of " dry-goods ^' were
made up at York Factory and assorted cargoes shipped into
the interior from there by boats — to avoid the risk of all the
articles or furs of one kind being lost in case of accident.
Into each of these packs was put a slip of paper with an
unpriced list of its contents and the marks and numbers
before mentioned. This slip served to identify the pack or
bale if the branded stave became detached, and also it enabled
the person in charge of a shipmrent, which had got wet on the
voyage and required to be opened and dried, to replace the
furs belonging to different packs in rebaling them after being
dried. The priced packing account of the furs, at the valua-
tion allowed the post in general accounts, was not for the
eyes of the men on the voyage with them.
Outdoor Athletics.
The fur-packing season was one of mirth and jocundity, for
the men were all glad, after a winter of many hardships, to
be enjoying all the good things provided by the fort, which
seemed by comparison with their life on the plains to be the
acme of luxurious civilization. For the first time since fall
they had all met together, and could, in the admiring pre-
sence of the women and children of the fort and groups of
Indians, exhibit their favorite feats of strength and agility, in
which, to encourage them, Jerry took part, and as I passed
from office to the stores, back and forth, he always invited
me to join. In the evening, too, these games would be con-
tinued outside, while I was busy posting up the long entries,
made in pencil in the stores, into the regular pen and ink
books of the post. In these labors he was always coming in
and interrupting me by urging me to have another trial of a
short footrace, in which I always beat him. But Jerry was
a man who never gave in in any sport or feat at which he
had been worsted — he went on to try and try again, and
nearly always succeeded in the end in besting all competitors.
278
SOMETHING FOR NOTHING
The best wrestler and about the best long distance runner was
Gowdie Harper, who entered into the sports with impetuous
alacrity. Others were of gigantic strength, but these, by
practice and perseverance and agility, Jerry nearly always
contrived to beat.
Trading in Sterling and Skins.
I was kept continually on the move attending to the pack-
ing account, telling the men whose provisions were weighed
how much they came to at so many pence per pound, and
then marking down each article they got in exchange, with
frequent pauses to tell the Indian how much in pounds, shil-
lings and pence he had left. The same with furs, merely
exchanged for their value in goods; for our traders and
interpreters found it difficult to calculate in the complicated
pounds, shillings and pence standard which had recently been
introduced, instead of the well and easily understood Made
Beaver standard. Whoever was the Hudson's Bay official who
superseded the simple " skin way " for the " money way " of
trading with Indians, he certainly gave us no end of torment
and trouble. It was alleged that the object of the change was
to meet competition by paying the Indians full value for their
products and do away with the old established system of giv-
ing them gratuities in the way of ammunition and other
articles, including, I think, " regales " of rum before Swan
River was put on the Hudson's Bay Company's list of teetotal
districts. Now an Indian was never satisfied with a trade
which was a fair and exact exchange at the fixed prices of the
time, until he had received " something for nothing " on the
top of the transaction. It did not matter if a trader raised
the prices of furs and lowered the price of goods to him on
the distinct understanding that no present was to be expected
or given, the Indian always insisted on that "something for
nothing," so dear to all man and womankind, at the end of
the barter. So what between the elaborate lecture on the
279
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
mysteries of British sterling currency, without the aid of
the never visible actual coin for demonstration purposes, which
I had to deliver on nearly every important trade in which I
took part, and the absolute failure of the exposition to en-
lighten the Indian on it, I had many a vexing hour, and
in explaining too that it was beyond my power to alter the
new and odious system. ' All our o^her accounts were kept, of
course, in sterling, and I often Wonder why they cling to it in
the old country, when the decimal system is so entirely simple
and easy.
The standard of exchange throughout the Hudson's Bay
territories generally was the well known Beaver Skin, but in
some localities and circumstances other mediums of exchange
were used. For instance, among the Blackfeet a buffalo robe
took the place of the beaver skin, and a common pony and a
buffalo runner were mediums most frequently used to obtain
wives, and to pay gambling stakes or bets on races. And
what is known in commercial language as the financial stand-
ing of a man was measured in those days on the plains by
the number of his horses, also in the case of Indians, by the
abundance of his wives.
Closing the Outfit.
The end of each business year — called ^' Outfit " — was May
31, upon which date the inventory of everything belonging to
the Company at the fort was taken. At this Jerry, Kennedy,
Jacob, Harper, and I worked from dawn to dark till every-
thing was weighed, measured and counted, both outside and
inside the establishment. The live stock, cattle and horses
were each enumerated and described, the list of horses com-
prising several hundred, known by their colors, and the names
of those who had sold them to the Company or the post at
which they had been reared. The colors were all named
in French, and a large proportion had also French surnames,
such as Nez Blanc Paranteau, Rouge LaRoque, Noir Denomie,
280
HORSE TEADING
and Blanc Peltier. Also Brun Fort Ellice and Pinto Port
Pelly, and Nez Blanc Lord March, the latter being an expert
buffalo runner, which had been used by the present Duke of
Richmond, in 1866. Each of these was branded H.B.F.Q. ; and
as horse-trading and exchanging was a very frequent occur-
rence, many were stamped with many other brands. We only
put the number of horses, mares and colts on the inventory,
but had a great list on several huge sheets of cartridge paper
posted up on the office wall, with the name of each animal, and
space for pencilled remarks, such as, " Sent to such and such a
place," with date, so as to keep track of them. But Alick
Fisher, the horseguard, Jerry and Mr. McDonald required
no such artificial aid to memory.
Once the list of merchandise, etc., and articles in use had
been made in pencil it became my task, day and night, to
recapitulate them in alphabetical order under the various
headings, and enter the result duly priced in the post account
book for Outfit 1867. To get that book complete so as to find
out the apparent gain or loss on the year's trade before the
time came for the boatmen to start for the annual voyage to
York Factory took up all my time.
Lastly came the private orders of the regular yearly ser-
vants for their year's supply of clothing, etc., from York
Factory, which were sold them there at very low prices,
brought up freight free and supposed to last them for the
whole of the coming year; for the goods brought back for
the Company were intended for trade alone and the payment
of temporary laborers and voyageurs. The enlisted men got
a half-holiday to make up these lists, and derived much
pleasure and some excitement in doing so. The articles sup-
plied from York Factory were all strong and suitable to the
country, and a man, careful in making out his order, seldom
required to ask the favor of being permitted to buy, at a price
fifty per cent, higher than at York, anything out of the trad-
ing supplies in the interior, unless his order had suffered
281
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUREES
" waste, spoil or injury " on the boat voyage, and those were
frequent; while the damage to outgoing furs and incoming
supplies for the Company itself was of yearly occurrence. The
annual loss in tea, sugar, tobacco and gunpowder, damaged
by water, to Fort Qu'Appelle was always considerable, and
occasionally three-quarters^f the outfit, for these articles
came as whole pieces not specially packed and marked for any
particular post in the district, and Qu'Appelle being the last
post got the rejections of those on the line of route.
282
CHAPTER XVII.
OUTFIT 1868 B:E GINS— WITH CART 8 TO
INDIAN CAMP,
The Brigade to York Factory.
The post accounts had to be made out in duplicate for the
purpose of sending one copy to district headquarters and
retaining one at the post. The copy for hea'dquarters from
each post was handed there to the officer in charge of the
Swan River brigade of boats yearly going with the furs to
York Factory. The boats also took out to Norway House the
pemmican, dried meat, salted and smoked buffalo tongues,
tallow and marrow fat, also the dressed leather, parchments,
specially prepared pack cords, common rawhide lines — known
as shaganappi, the sinews — used in sewing leather articles,
and the moccasins for the boatmen's tracking shoes, also well-
smoked leather lodges for covering the boats' cargoes. After
landing the quantity of these, called for by the requisition, at
Norway House, the rest and the furs for shipment to London
were taken on to York Factory, where the brigade was laden
with the return cargo of " Sundry Merchandise for the Trade
of Swan River District, Outfit 1868," and the private orders
of the servants.
The chief factor in command of the district accompanied
the brigade to Norway House, where he remained to attend
the annual council of the Northern Department of Rupert's
Land, while the officer in charge of the brigade went on to
York Factory. Besides the gentleman in charge, a good
junior clerk travelled in the boats to assist him in making
up the General Accounts of the District, which were made up
from the post accounts before mentioned, and handed in at
York Factory to be embodied in the General Accounts of the
Northern Department. These two clerks had certainly no
283
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUREKS
sinecure, for the work could only be done while the boats
were stopping for the night, and amidst the clouds of pestifer-
ous mosquitoes which infested the route from end to end.
Although the brigade was under a guide, and Big William
Daniel was a good one, still Joseph Finlayson, as officer in
charge, had many other duties, besides his nightly labors with
the district accounts, to perform. But Mr. Finlayson was an
able and accomplished all-round officer, and he was fortunate
in having as his assistant Duncan Matheson, apprentice clerk,
who was to join the brigade at Fairford — ^the outlet of Lake
Manitoba — and could wield beautifully a rapid pen.
Joseph Finlayson.
Mr. Finlayson was descended from old North- West and
Hudson's Bay officers on both sides. His uncle had been one
of the best of the chief factors governing the Red River
Settlement, and his father was Chief Factor Nichol Finlayson.
He had passed through an apprenticeship in all grades and
risen by his talents to that of chief clerk, justly expecting a
chief tradership as his reward. He was a man who could
do everything himself that any Company's servant, interpreter
or accountant, could be expected to do; he did everything
excellently, and took pains and pleasure in training others
to their duties. His geniality and kindness endeared him to
everyone with whom he came in contact, and he was univer-
sally known, not as Mr. Finlayson, but by the popular name
of " Joe."
Mr. Finlayson was in charge of the neighboring post at
Touchwood Hills, only forty-five miles north of Qu'Appelle
by a beautiful cart trail. When he had finished the business
of Outfit 1867 at Touchwood Hills, where the trade was not
so large as at Qu'Appelle, he came with his good wife and
family on a visit to Mr. and Mrs. McDonald, and with his
usual kindness at once gave his efficient aid to Mr. McDonald
and me in winding up accounts and requisitions for Qu'-
Appelle.
284
JOHN BELL'S EXPLOKATIONS
My father, on one of his three voyages as surgeon on the
Hudson's Bay ships, had acquired the friendship of Mr. Fin-
layson's father at York Factory, and the retired chief factor
had oome in 1866 from Nairn to visit him during his last ill-
ness. The old gentleman on that occasion took much interest
in me as I eagerly listened to his reminiscences of the T^dlds of
Rupert's Land and Ungava. So the Finlaysons and I became
great friends at once, and forever. And they were both inter-
esting and instructive in conversation, for they had been in
the great Mackenzie River District, and were still in touch
through correspondence with friends there.
Mrs. (Flora Bell) Finlayson was a beautiful daughter of
Chief Trader John Bell, well known as the able Hudson's
Bay officer who rendered so material aid to the British
Government's Arctic exploring expeditions. Mr. Bell was
also a notable explorer himself. In 1839, he explored the
Peel River ; in 1840, leaving the " Fort McPherson " which
he had built thereon, he crossed the Rocky Mountains and
descended the " Bell " to the Porcupine River. Yearly ex-
tending his excursions down stream, he reached the mouth
of the Porcupine in 1844, at its junction with the Yukon
whose head waters had been named the Pelly-Lewes by their
discoverer, Robert Campbell, whose name often occurs in
this narrative as chief factor in command of Swan River Dis-
trict. Rather curiously, in that charge, one of Mr. Camp-
bell's predecessors. Chief Trader Alexander Hunter Murray,
was the officer sent in 1847 to utilize Mr. Bell's discoveries
by establishing the old Fort Yukon at the great forks of that
grand river. Mrs. Finlayson's mother was a daughter of
Chief Factor Peter Warren Dease, who, with Chief Trader
Thomas Simpson, commanded the highly successful expedi-
tion of the Hudson's Bay Company, to connect the dis-
coveries of previous explorers, from Point Barrow to Cape
Britannia on the Arctic coast.
285
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEEES
Shipping Out the^^Eetuens op Trade/'
Mr. Finlayson had already sent to Fort Pelly his servants
and the voyageurs engaged for the trip to York Factory with
the furs and other supplies from Touchwood Hills. But he
had brought the buffalo robes to Qu'Appelle, to go with ours
and other products of the buffalo by cart to Fort Ellice,
whence they were annually taken by batteaux down the As-
siniboine Eiver to Fort Garry. Thence the robes were sent
to St. Paul, Minnesota, for transhipment to Montreal for
sale. Mr. McDonald was usually in charge of the batteaux
to Fort Garry, and returned overland with a supply of new
Eed Eiver carts and flour, also American goods for the dis-
trict; a band of ponies from the plain posts being driven
light to Fort Garry to meet him there.
The expiring contracts of servants, considered worthy,
were renewed; voyageurs for the voyages to York Factory
and Fort Garry were engaged and advanced necessary clothing
and other supplies ; and the carts destined for Port Pelly and
Fort Ellice respectively were laden and started, thus com-
pleting the yearly round of the trade.
Early Summer.
The new year or outfit now began. Messrs. Finlayson
and McDonald each followed the carts after giving them a
few days' start, leaving the ladies to pass the summer at
Qu'Appelle in company. Jerry and I equipped the remain-
ing Indians and a few Metis for the summer campaign
against the wild cattle of the plains. The women of the fort
and some of the bigger children were employed from time
to time in weeding the garden and hoeing the potatoes. The
fisherman attended the nets, and the fort hunter went gun-
ning after ducks, geese and chickens and an occasional cabri
or antelope. We had many mouths to feed, for we had to
provide for the families of most of the voyageurs, as well as
those of the regular servants.
2«6
LOTS OF GOSSIP
As soon as Jerry thought the hunters had had sufficient
start to have provisions on hand by the time he reached their
camps, he took all the remaining ponies, carts and men and
set out for the summer provision trade on the plains. He
also took with him two or three good buffalo hunters, who,
with himself, well mounted on the best ponies belonging to
the fort, would largely add to the provisions to be purchased
from the Indians and ^^ free-men."
Newsmongers.
After Jerry's departure, there remained in the fort, besides
the women and children, only the watchman, George Sandi-
son, Eobillard, the cartwright, Kennedy, and myself, for Geo.
Thome had, on Alick Fisher's going for a hunt on his own
account on the plains, been appointed horse and cattle guard.
Amongst the women folk at the post, there were always all
kinds of gossip and stories in circulation, mostly originating
in the idle imagination of people having nothing else to exer-
cise their minds upon. Amongst those at Qu'Appelle, the
leading spirit and circulating medium of evil omens and
malicious scandal was a middle-aged woman descended from
one of the old Hudson's Bay English governors of York Fac-
tory. Her activities in these lines could not find full scope
in the fort, so she marched from one end of the lakes to
the other in search of news and in the dissemination of
gossip. It being impossible to answer the ever-recurrent
question, " What is truth ? " in the case of these old wives'
tales, we came to act on the principle of believing nothing
we heard, of hearing as little as possible, and letting it go
ftt that.
And the women were not the only sensational news-
mongers by any means, for Indians would come in with
rumors of bloody battles and successful horse-stealing raids,
which they alleged had occurred so short a time before and
at such a great distance away that it seemed impossible for
19 287
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEERS
the news to have travelkd sc quickly to Qu'Appelle. And
the unaccx)unitable thing a^bomt these rumors was, not that
the majority were the baseless fabrics of a dream, but that
they, in not a few cases, turned out to be more or less
distorted accounts of events that had actually occurred, the
intelligence of which, in the absence of telegraphs, had been
conveyed in some mysterious way known only to the Indians.
PiiowLiNG Sioux Spies.
George Sandison closed the gates and patrolled the fort
all night, and the train dogs kept up keen watch and ward,
ever ready to give the alarm on the approach of strangers.
The women began to complain that strangers were prowling
about and even inside the pickets at night, but I only laughed
at their fears, for neither did Sandison report anything un-
usual nor did the dogs make any noticeable outcry. At last,
Mrs. Finlayson, who was no coward, told me that an Indian
had peered into her window during the night, and that she
had heard the dogs barking at someone. I often sat up late
writing by a window in the office, but never heard anything
alarming myself, although occasionally there would be a little
outcry among the dogs, which I attributed to one of their
frequent quarrels over a stray bone and thought nothing
more about it. Sandison was sure there were no prowlers,
although we were not too far off for Blackfeet spies to reach
us by getting in behind our hunters on the plains, and the
Assiniboines, of Wood Mountain, were quite near enough.
Having no apprehension myself, I tried to laugh the women-
folk out of their alarm, but it continued until Mr. McDonald
returned with his men from Fort Garry.
It was only in 1873 that I discovered that these alarms
had not been baseless, for that summer there came to me a
delegation of the Sitting Bull band of Teton Sioux warriors
to try to make arrangments to become customers at the fort
and occupy part of our Indians' hunting grounds. One of
288
SIGNIFICANT STATEMENTS
their spokesmen, in an effort to persuade me that their in-
tentions were peaceful and friendly, pointed to the window
and desk at which I used to sit at night in the summer of
1868, and said, " If we had any bad intentions, I could have
killed you many a time when five years ago you used to sit
at night writing there." I was never afraid of Indians, but
when this ferocious eagle-faced warrior said the words a thrill
ran through me, and I would have rejoiced had it been per-
missible to shoot him on the spot. He went on to say that,
night after night, they used to get into the fort while they
were on a scouting expedition to find a country where they
would be safe from the pursuit of the American troops. I
saw this same most savage-looking warrior in the fall of
1884 at Carlton just before the Saskatchewan rebellion of
1885, in which he and others of his tribe joined, and he him-
self was killed.
My First Summer Trip to the Plains.
Mr. McDonald having returned from Fort Garry on horse-
back ahead of the carts, and the supply of provisions for
rations having run low, there being no word of Jerry nor of
any of the hunters from the plains, I was ordered to go out
to meet him with a fresh supply of trading goods, and, after
exchanging them with him for loads of provisions, return to
the fort. Six ox carts and an English half-breed, named
William Francis Whitford, and a Bungie Indian, named Me-
tas-we-" Ten," were given me, with a brute of a cart pony to
ride ; while as rations we were provided with lots of ammuni-
tion for shooting game and a few layers of dried meat, which
was covered with a growth of half an inch of white mould.
Mrs. McDonald, with her usual kindness, augmented this
supply by a don'ation of a dozen buns from her own private
store of flour.
We started on the forenoon of the 17th of June, 1868, on
the cart trail which I had followed from Old Wives' Creek
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEEES
in January. While going through the park-like country bor-
dering the Qu'Appelle valley, we shot plenty of ducks and
prairie chicken to keep the pot boiling, and at the last point
of the woods I killed an antelope — better known by the local
name of " cabri." We saw no sign of our own or any other
hunters returning, nor of buffalo, but after crossing the
Grande Couteau de Missouri, we fell in with free-traders,
who, like ourselves, were in search of the camps of the Qu'-
Appelle Indians.
There were three traders — Augustin Brabant, St. Pierre
Poitras, and rfche Saulteau Indian •dandy, Tip-is-couch-kes-
cou-win-in, or " The Man in the Zenith." Brabant and Poi-
tras were from Eed Eiver with ordinary trading outfits, but
the Saulteau, who was a splendid hunter, had attained the
zenith of his ambition by having bought at St. Joe, on the
American side, a puncheon of over-proof alcohol to trade.
Each of these traders had a couple of men, the two Metis
each ten or twelve carts, and the proud proprietor of the
puncheon three. As we were then in the country of which
the Blackfeet had not yet been dispossessed by the Qu'Ap-
pelle Indians, it was fortunate for us all to join forces.
Surprised by Indians.
We struck an old trail of the Qu'Appelle Indians, going
westerly and not far from the South Saskatchewan. In
the forenoon, as the long line of carts was following a long
valley, in which there was no sign of either buffalo or
man, suddenly there sprang from concealment in the grass
a number of Indians, scattered at long intervals in skirmish-
ing order to our left. St. Pierre at once yelled out in alarm,
" Les Assiniboines, make a ring with the carts." But before
this could be done, the Indians began running swiftly to-
wards us, converging at the same time together and soon
forming a " thin red line," which advanced with whoops and
yells, apparently of the most threatening kind, and brand-
290
A WAR PARTY
ishing their arms. None of us had rifles, but, just as
the Indians were coming within range of our shot guns and
we were about to give them a volley, they yelled that they
were Crees and friends, and, ceasing to run and to yell, they
walked up quietly to the carts.
They were a war party of North Saskatchewan Crees and
they were delighted to fall in with us in the nick of time, for
they were b^ing pursued by Blackfeet, who had just defeated
them, and had killed five of their number. Moreover, they
were starving, and the howl they had set up when they
sprang out of the grass was one of joy at being delivered
from the fear of their enemies by the sudden arrival of our
brigade of carts on the scene. They said the Blackfeet were
near at hand and were evidently very much scared of an im-
mediate attack. But we went on till we found a good water-
ing place along a little lake before unhitching for mid-day.
Meanwhile, seeing that I was only a young " greenhead,''
that the Company's carts were not overloaded, and the
drivers offered no objections, the braves of the North Sas-
katchewan began to jump into my carts to ride. I asked
Whitford if they had asked leave to do so, and he said they
had not, so I told him to order th«m to get out. This he did
not care to do, so I made signs to them to dismount, to which
they responded with smiles of disdain, thereby raising my
temper and my voice in good strong English, of which they
understood the general meaning, and its being further
enforced by poking the foremost one in the ribs with the
muzzle of my gun had the desired effect.
Defeated Wakrioes.
We were quite out of decent food, except what we shot on the
way and had been living from hand to mouth, but had never
got so low as to tackle the mouldy dried meat we got at the fort.
We had gathered some saskatoons (service berries) on our
way and Brabant sold me a few pounds out of the single sack
291
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUREES
of flour in his outfit. With these berries and flour and the
dried meat, with the mould washed off and cut up small,
Whitford made a big kettle of soup, which the defeated
warriors ate with great gusto and wound up the meal with
the tea and tobacco presented according to custom on first
meeting the Indians. So scared were these fellows of the
Blackfeet that they at first protested against our party
making a fire lest the smoke should attract th-eir enemies.
Next, while Louis Racette and I were shooting black gulls,
which hovered about the lake shore, they came to him and
implored us to quit firing, as the sound might be heard by
their dreaded pursuers. As Louis and I were more afraid of
going without something to eat than of the enemies of the
Crees, we continued our profitable sport. No sooner had
they finished the "feast" prepared by Whitford, and what
the other traders had fed to th^e rest of them, than everyone
of these valiant warriors disappeared from what they con-
sidered the dangerous vicinity of our camp-fire and firing.
Scouting Ahead.
From Gull Lake onward, the trail of the hunters ahead
became fresher and more easily followed. I was
eager to co/tch them up or to meet Jerry return-
ing, but the abominable brute of a saddle horse
was too lazy and slow to go on ahead. Brabant, how-
ever, was a very obliging fellow and lent me his fine buffalo
runner, cautioning me at the same time to peep over every
ridge before crossing it, and, if I saw sign of Indians or
buffalo, to ride back and forth across the trail on a spot
where I could be seen from the carts, till he and other
men galloped up to me. Being now well mounted and
armed with a shot gun and a heavy revolver, I set off in glad
anticipation of long-sought adventure, ^ther in running
buffalo for the first time, in scouting against Blackfeet, or
in meeting my friend, Jerry. It was a beautiful afternoon,
BUFFALO HUNTING AT A DISADVANTAGE
and I went at a swinging lope over the rolling ridges and
across intervening valleys till the decaying remnants of
buffalo carcasses scattered profusely on every side showed
that an old encampment could not be far off. On reaching
a stream, the poles of a Sun Dance lodge and hundreds of
old lodge fires and other discarded evidences showed the site
of a very large camp, with cart tracks running away from it
in every direction. Being too inexperienced to circle round \
at a distance to find the main trail on which the people had
pitched off, I wasted some time following different tracks
which led out to the open and branched off here and there
to each side till I was following the track of a single cart
only. While I was still hunting in this labyrinth for the
main trail, I caught sight of three buffalo, which disappeared
behind one of the sandy knolls. I at once rode up to the
nearest knoll, and, dismounting, crawled up to the top and
peered over, when I saw one of the objects I had taken for a
buffalo transforming itself into an Indian, covered with a
huge buffalo robe, raising himself erect on the back of the
pony, over which he had been stooping. He was looking in
another direction from which he was apparently expecting
me to come. Fortunately, the knoll up which I had ridden
was high enough to be seen from the carts, several miles
away, so I made the signals as instructed, and soon saw by
the dust flying up ahead of the carts that Brabant and others y
were galloping up to my assistance.
I was always suffering the disadvantage of the want of
that long sight whereby the natives could see things at a dis-
tance without field glasses far better than I could with them.
Very likely, a keen-eyed Indian would have at once seen that
the animals which I had taken for buffalo bulls were
mounted Indians in disguise. But the smooth slopes of the
sharp-peaked knoll on which I took my stand were covered
with short buffalo grass only and no one could get within
gunshot of me without being plainly seen; so when I saw
293
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
Brabant was coming, I went to the top and looked around
continually for a possible attack. By the time Brabant and
Racette came galloping up, the Blackfeet-Buffalo had slunk
entirely away; and, after making a sweep about the old camp-
ing ground, Brabant hit the trail and set me out again on it.
Fresh Buffalo Meat.
The route which the Indians had followed was now marked
by four tracks running, with little spaces between, parallel to
one another, for in the enemy's country the long line of
such a big party travelling in single file would have extended
for miles from front to rear and been exposed to attack in
detail. The route was marked here and there by the re-
mains of buffalo, but not a live one was to be seen. Towards
sunset, as I was riding up the long slope of a high ridge, two
wolves, one after — but at a considerable distance behind —
the other, passed me at a quick lope, and every now and
again looking back, as if something were coming after them.
Before getting on the skyline, I jumped off horseback, and
with the end of the long line always attached to the pony's
neck in my hand, I peered over the crest. The sun was
setting, and the great valley which I beheld in front was
darkened in shadow, but at its bottom I could make out a
dark moving mass of animals flowing like a black stream.
My sight could not show me whether this stream were buffalo
or mounted men, but anyway it was time to signal the party
again.
lit was dusk before Brabant, Louis Racette and The Zenith
dashed up with panting ponies. They peeped over into the
valley and at once exclaimed : " Les animaux." Brabant
then quickly said to me : " Let Louis have my horse, his is
blown, and let him run to make sure of fresh buffalo for
supper." Racette was by this time on the pony, and off he
went, followed by Zenith. In a short time, we heard the
rattle of firing, as Racette, with the last glimmer of light,
294
UNPRINTABLE FOLKLORE
killed a fine, fat young bull, alongside of which the carts on
coming up were unhitched. Racette, Brabant and Zenith took
no time to skin and cut up the animal ready for the kettle, the
frying pan and the roast. By the time the camp had been
made and the animals attended to, a splendid and long-
looked-for supper was ready, and we had all sat down to
enjoy it, when, out of the darkness, like thieves in the night,
into the circle of the firelight, noiselessly slunk the warriors
who had vanished after being fed at mid-day. They were,
of course, made welcome to share in the feast, but no sooner
had they eaten than they again quitted our dangerously
attractive company, and disappeared in the night, during
which, I afterwards found, several of them reached the big
camp of the party whose trail we were following. «
Indian Legends.
Regarding these panic-stricken horse-thieves, who had gone
out for wool and had got themselves shorn, in 1892 I was
employed by the celebrated ethnologist. Dr. Franz Boas, of
the American Museum of Natural History, to make an eth-
nological collection from and take physical measurements of
the Indians of the North Saskatchewan. I was also asked
to write down some of their unprintable folk-lore and
legends. At Bear's Hills, near Wetaskiwin, I had met with
some obstruction in the attempt and was only able by the
liberal dispensation of flour, bacon, tea and tobacco to make
any progress, when I made the acquaintance of a big, fine-
looking Cree, named, he said, " Head Man," and christened
Edmund. He was one of the obstructionists, and, in the ex-
pressive old phrase of the fur-country, " was making himself
awkward," in order to show his importance as a warrior of
former renown and gain thereby an extra allowance in con-
sequence. Upon my asking him to tell some of the ancient
legends of his people, he instead began to boast of the mighty
deeds of valor which he had performed in war and in horse-
W6
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEEES
stealing, both being equally honorable in his eyes. I listened,
in the hope that, after blowing his own horn, he might be in
good humor to relate the traditions handed down by the
ancients. At last he began to tell of one of the most brilli-
ant victories in which he had taken the leading part away
beyond the South Branch, near Swift Current Creek. I
asked him how long ago that was, and he answered twenty-
four years ago in July. Then I knew I had him and en-
couraged him to go on lying to his heart's content. When
he had exhausted the stores of his imagination and was ex-
pecting to be highly complimented and admired for his
heroism, I said : " Do you remember meeting a party of
traders after that fight with the Blackf eet ? " He looked
rather surprised and said: "Yes, we did." "There was," I
said, "a young clerk of the Company in that party." ''Yes,"
he replied, " quite a young fellow, with no hair on his face
yet." " Well," said I, " I am that fellow, and I remember
how you fellows came running away from the Blackfeet,
scared to death. I am glad to see you did not die after all."
From that time on, " Head Man " was foremost in all
good work to assist me, in fact, my own headman, ever
willing to divulge his secrets as an alleged medicine man,
and yielding up unto me as samples thereof some common
pepper, isalt, bluestone, cinnamon buds, cloves, and brimstone,
to which he ascribed all kinds of wonderful properties as yet
unknown to the scientific world. He also gave me some bits
of bark, roots, and leaves possessed of magic virtue. As I
had as little faith in his virtue in the profession of medicine
as I did in that in the profession of arms, I did not send his
materia medica to Dr. Boaz; but I did not tell any of his
fellows at Bear's Hill how I had witnessed his retreat, in
bad order, from Blackfeet who did not know they had been
licked.
296
CHAPTEE XVIII.
THE CAMP OF THE ALLIED TRIBES.
A Field of Slaughter.
Next morning, the four lines of cart and travois tracks
were fresher, and on every side the bones of the buffalo, off
which the hides and flesh had been stripped by the hunters,
were scattered over the undulating plain. Mixed with these
were the bloated and blown-out carcasses of hundreds of the
noble animals wantonly slain in the sheer love of slaughter,
and left untouched by the young bucks to provide a festering
feast for the flocks of villainous vultures, which, slimy with
filthy gore, hovered over the field and disputed with the
ravening wolves for the disgusting prey. For miles, the air
stank with the foul odors of this wilful waste, so soon to be
followed by woeful want involving the innocent with the
guilty. Neither warning nor entreaty of their elders could
restrain the young men from the senseless massacre of the
innocent herds of the universal purveyor of the prairie
Indian.
Escort into Camp.
Eassing at intervals through such sickening scenes, in the
afternoon we approached the big camp for which we had
been so long in search. When within a mile of it a hundred
horsemen sallied out to meet us and escort us into their be-
leaguered encampment, for it was surrounded by hovering
bands of Blackfeet, and the escort came forth to protect the
needful supplies, which we were bringing, from being cut off
before reaching them. The valiant refugees, whom we had
297
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
fed on the previous day, had heralded our approach when
they had sneaked into cam^ during the night.
Under the tumultuous escort of these bronze-bodied war-
riors, stripped to the breech-clout and prepared for fight,
surrounding us on front, flank and rear, we reached and en-
tered the camp, where an excited crowd of men, women and
children greeted us. But the whole camp was in mourning
for the loss of sixty of the finest young men, who had been
slain by the Blackfeet, two days previously, and its popula-
tion were living in the midst of alarms. The supply of
arms and ammunition, sorely wanted for defence, and that
of tea and tobacco, craved for solace in their grief, which we
brought, were gladly welcomed; while the puncheon of fire-
water, imported by Zenith, was hailed with joyful anticipa-
tion of a grand spree to come.
Unfortunately for me, Jerry had been permitted to depart
with his carts, all heavily laden, about a week before, and
had taken a different route to the wavering one we had fol-
lowed. However, after we had passed through the outer
lines, amidst the seething mob of black-haired, brown-bodied
men, women and children, some in gorgeously colored rai-
ment and many divested and dishevelled, I descried the dig-
nified and dandified figure of a gentleman arrayed in the
height of the mode prevalent amongst Les Metis Francaise.
The crowd cleared the way for him, and he came up to my
horse's side and introduced himself politely as the Company's
interpreter from Touchwood Hills. I was well acquainted
with him by reputation, especially for that of putting on
style, which was an amusing trait of an otherwise sterling
character disguised by it. La Pierre laid me under the first
of the many friendly obligations which I owe to him and his
memory by telling me that Loud Voice wished me to put all
my outfit for safe keeping in the Qu'Appelle Crees' " warriors'
lodge," and, after that had been done, by inviting me to his
298
PEOUD OF HIS EDUCATION
own comfortable lodge to have a wash (which I sadly needed)
and something to eat with him.
Accordingly, my carts were unloaded and the goods put
into the tent of the Qu'Appelle Cree warriors to be guarded
by them; and, after making them a suitable present in tea
and tobacco, I accepted La Pierre's kind invitation.
Petek La Pierre.
His father was the French-Canadian postmaster after
whom La Pierre's House, on the Porcupine branch of the
Yukon Eiver, was named, and who had died before giving
his son any schooling. But the lad had ambition to become
something above a mere vo3^ageur, and, despite every diffi-
culty and the sneers and ridicule of his fellows, he took every
chance to learn, or rather to teach himself, reading and writ-
ing in English and arithmetic. Mastering these in a very
creditable manner, considering the want of willing helpers,
he had risen to the grade of interpreter, and could write an
intelligible letter and keep the accounts of his trading busi-
ness quite well. Of these accomplishments, so unusual at
that time amongst his countrymen, in which he had so per-
severingly educated himself, he was naturally proud, and this,
combined with his love of display, made him the envy of
many detractors. He was a brave, well set-up, medium-sized
man, who loved the glorious sport of charging after buffalo,
in which he informed me that he took even greater delight
than " in reading and writing and keeping accounts." In
this, he took me much by surprise, for I had never dreamed
that " keeping accounts " could be a fascinating delight to
any normal being.
He led to a large lodge, highly decorated outside with
Indian totems and devices, supposed to represent, in colors,
hunting, horse-stealing, and battle scenes. Inside, all around
the sides were, similarly decorated in native art, curtains of
dressed buffalo skins, and spread on the grass and rushes
299
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
covering the floor were couches of many folds of robes, over
which, in his own place, were a number of bright, various-
colored and striped blankets, besides many downy pillows
covered with brilliant chintz, or turkey red cotton.
Divesting himself of his fine blue cloth, brass-buttoned
capote, he ordered a wash basin, iscented soap and towel to
be set before him. After using these and dressing his long
curly hair carefully, he put on a light linen jacket, and ordered
the table to be laid. The table was without legs, being
merely a board, about four by four feet, hinged in the middle
so as to fold up, and nicely painted in different colors, with
rays from the centre representing the sun. The handsome
wife of Baptiste Bourassa, his second in command, managed
the menage, and set before us dainty dishes of luscious buffalo
meat and friend doughnuts, to which I did full justice, and we
washed all down with tea and the luxury of sugar. I felt,
in my travel-stained flannel shirt and trousers, quite out of
place amid such elegant surroundings, but none the less did
I enjoy the change from the unpretentious cookery of "Whit-
ford and The Ten, and the contrast between the soft couches
of the mosquito-free lodge and my lay-out on the journey on
mother earth under the tail-end of a cart, with venomous
mosquitoes rushing in the moment the smoke of the smudge
was wafted to one side. The number of fires and smudges
freed that camp from the pestilential mosquitoes, ubiquitous
outside.
Pee-wa-kay-vtin-in, Pemmican Purveyor to the Queen.
We were exchanging information and enjoying a smoke
after the repast, when an Indian, who had evidently already
visited The Man in the Zenith, and whose hair and paint
showed that he was in mourning, came in and began harangu-
ing La Pierre in tones of irritation.' La Pierre evidently
tried to soothe the savage breast, but did not succeed until
he had given Pee-wa-kay-win-in a striped cotton shirt and
300
INDIANS' LARGE IDEAS
some tea and tobacco " as a present." This satisfied the
beggar for a very short time only, and he came back and
made a speech to me, which La Pierre interpreted, that, in
order to feed the few white people in the world, whom the
Indians vastly exceeded in numbers, the allied tribes in camp
had been compelled to follow the buffalo here far inside the
hunting grounds of the Blackfeet and their allies. In con-
sequence, two of the sons of Pee-wa-kay-win-in had been
slain, with the other fifty-eight young men, in the recent
battle, therefore he demanded of me a large present in am-
munition, tea and tobacco. I told him that I was very sorry
for the poor young men who had been killed and for their
relatives, but I thought the supplies I had brought to sell to
them, not to give away, were fair exchange for the provisions
we might buy and for which they required to follow the
buffalo to feed themselves, anyhow. At this he became angry
and said : " What would become of the Great White Queen
and her people if we did not send them our pemmican? Of
course, they would all starve to death," he conclusively re-
plied to himself. I told him he was quite mistaken, that
Queen Victoria had probably never seen pemmican, no more
than most of her numberless people. '^ That is a lie," he said,
" We Indians are the most numerous people on earth. Why,
in all this big camp of three hundred and fifty tents, you
are the only European, and we never see, even at the forts,
more than five or six of you." Then he was told that, as he
did not belong to the Qu'Appelle, but to Touchwood Hills
post, I could only exchange goods for anything he sold me,
and he must make his complaints to the master at Touch-
wood Hills. He went away in bad humor, and La Pierre
said he expected more trouble as soon as Zenith's grog began
to circulate generally; for Pee-wa-kay-win-in had a spite at
him for giving him a thrashing when trying, with some
others, who had got drunk on " free-traders' " liquor, to break
in the gale of the post at Touchwood Hills.
301
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUREKS
Big Camp of the Allies.
The annual northern migration of the buffalo herds from
across the Missouri River had been deflected from the old
hunting grounds of the Qu'Appelle and Touchwood Hills
Indians, and the country from which they had pushed the
Blackfeet back, lying to the east of a north and south line
running approximately along the west side of the Old Wives
Lake. I forget whether the alteration of the course of the
herds was at that time ascribed to prairie fires or the com-
bined action of the Indians along the Missouri. But what-
ever the cause, our Indians had been compelled to seek their
prey farther west, well within the lands of the Blackfeet and
their allies.
To collect all their friends and allies together in one camp,
a big Sun Dance had been proclaimed by runners, and, as
they gathered together in strength for the purpose, they ex-
tended the programme by deoiding to keep together, so as to
allow the buffalo to return to the east without being scared
and driven back to hostile territory by small parties of
hunters scattered all over the plains, and only caring for the
success of their own individual hunts without thought of the
general weal. Parties of braves — " soldiers " they were
called in the language of our interpreters — were, therefore,
sent out to search for and to compel all such stragglers to
come into the big camp, and at the same time strengthen it
sufficiently to penetrate farther into the enemies' country to
hunt, while their own fields were being replenished.
So it had come about that the allied Crees and Saulteaux,
the semi-Stony and Cree " Young Dogs," of Qu'Appelle and
Touchwood Hills, a few English and French Metis belonging
to these places and Fort Pelly, also some Assiniboines from
Wood Mountain and a few from the North Sasatchewan, were
all gathered together in a camp consisting of three hundred
and fifty large leather lodges, containing a mixed population
302
CREES AND SAULTEAUX VERY FRIENDLY
of probably two thousand five hundred or three thousand
people, of whom about five hundred were men and lads cap-
able of waging war. Unfortunately, the inhabitants of the
camp, while united in the common purpose of attack or de-
fence on or from the Blackfeet and their allies, were very
far from agreeing on other matters among themselves. The
Crees and Saulteaux were all very friendly and took common '
cause against their ill-behaved allies of Assiniboine or semi-
Assiniboine origin, and every one of the Indians resented
the intrusion of the half-breed whites on the plains for hunt-
ing purposes. To prevent the latter from uniting for mutual
help, which might end in their deserting the camp in a small,
but formidable, body, the Metis were compelled to pitch their
tents at wide intervals apart, separated from their fellows by
many an Indian lodge, whose occupants kept them under con-
tinual supervision and espionage, besides subjecting them to
many other annoyances.
Cypress Hills.
The camp was pitched in the Big Sandy Hills, which lie
about twenty miles north-east of the north-east end of Cy-
press Hills. These hills from the level of the plain to the
east rise four hundred feet, and the treeless plateau at their
top is rent by numerous ravines, fringed with trees, running
down to the surrounding prairie. Owing to the prevalence
in these woods of the jack pine, the range — for it is a long
hill — received the French name Montaigne de Cypre, which
has been erroneously translated into English as " Cypress."
As far back as the memory and traditions of the Crees
then living extended, these Cypress Hills — " Me-nach-tah-
kak " in Crec — had been neutral ground bettween many differ-
ent warring tribes, south of the now marked international
boundary, as well as the Crees and the Blackfeet and their
friends. No Indian for hunting purposes ever set foot on
the hills, whose wooded coulees and ravines became the un-
20 303
THE COMPAlSrY OF ADVENTUREES
disturbed haunt of all kinds of game, and especially
abounded in grizzly bears and the beautifully antlered and
magnificent was-cay-sou, known variously by the English as
red deer and elk. Only wary and watchful war parties of
any tribe ever visited the hills, and so dangerous was it to
camp in them that it was customary for such parties to put
up barricades about the spots on which they stayed over
night.
Blackfeet Massacre Sixty Young Warriors.
A few days before we arrived at the camp, sixty of the most
esteemed young men of it had sallied forth on an excursion
to the dreaded hills to procure chewing gum for their lady
loves and for general use as dentifrice. The act was one of
bravado, for ever since the camp had crossed the frontiers that
summer the Blackfeet in large numbers had hovered around
it as an army of observation, prepared to take advantage of
any opportunity of successful attack. The young Cree
braves and their companions of other tribes were coming
back rejoicing in the success of their dangerous venture, when,
they, being on foot (the Crees did not go on horseback to war,
although they always hoped to return thereon), were sur-
rounded by overwhelming numbers of Blackfeet horsemen
on an open level plain, which afforded no protection. Mounted
on swift, well-trained ponies, the Blackfeet circled round the
fated band, out of range generally, but with occasional swoops
near enough to shoot under their ponies' necks, while they lay
on the far side of their mounts, protected and concealed from
the Crees. What feats of valor these performed have never
been told, for not one of the sixty escaped to tell the tale.
They were found by a party, sent out next day to get tidings
to account for their non-arrival at the expected time, lying
all dead on the plain, scalped and " with their bodies as full
of Blackfeet arrows as a porcupine is full of quills."
When we came into the camp Rachel was weeping for her
children and would not be comforted, and the fathers were
304
PLANS OF EEVENGE
full of plans of revenge on the Blackfeet, and also ripe and
ready to demand atonement from the people whom they
alleged were responsible for the calamity by coming from
afar to live on buffalo and by encouraging the Indians to
risk their lives in the enemies' country to procure the pem-
mican upon which, they believed, the whole British nation
relied for subsistence.
Causes of Conflict.
Amongst these Indians ihere were no all-powerful nor any
hereditary chiefs. The Sioux and Blackfeet called them the
people without chiefs. This state of affairs was very largely
the result of the Company's policy of " dividing to govern."
The chiefs recognized and subsidized by the Company were
influential men as peacemakers rather than as warriors, whose
operations against other tribes who were customers of the
Company at other posts, such as the Blackfeet, trading at
Eocky Mountain House and Edmonton, were always dis-
couraged by the traders. But the Indians belonging to the
plain posts of Swan Kiver district were comparatively poor in
horses, while the Blackfeet were rich; and, moreover, the
buffalo were ever receding from the eastern to the western
plains, and for self-preservation the Crees and Saulteaux
of the east were obliged to encroach every year farther into
the realms of the Blackfeet. And these regarded the traders,
whose posts supplied their enemies, as enemies also, so that
while the Blackfeet confederacy was at peace with the Com-
pany at "the mountain fort" and Edmonton, they were
hostile to the employees of the same Company at Carlton
and in Swan River. The same rule applied to the freemen
hailing from these vicinities.
Under these circumstances the Indians of Swan River dis-
trict, from the time they were first supplied with firearms by
the traders, had been the aggressors and the invaders of the
305
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUREES
Blackfeet country, and the diminution of the buffalo in gen-
eral intensified the strife.
Wakriors' Council Lodge.
Even when there were mighty chiefs amongst the Indians,
all important legislative and executive functions were vested
in Councils of Warriors, w'ho, as <the defenders of the tribe,
alone had the right iio take part in its councils, to the exclusion
of those who had not performed and did not perform military
duties. (This reasonable rule might well be "taken into con-
sideration " by our politicians in limiting the franchise to
those citizens only who have been trained to arms.)
The matters of pressing moment coming before the council
on ithis occasion were ithe maintenance of a united camp of
all the allies for protection against the common foe, and to
prevent straggling parties from leaving the camp and fright-
ening the buffalo herds from moving from hostile ground to
their own hunting territory in the east. Oenerally the men
most gifted in speech or in spirit as warriors carried the
council with them; but their motions could be upset by any-
one opposing them making presents of sufficient magnitude
to buy over the councillors, in the most frankly open manner,
to his views.
Revenue Tariff.
Apart from such objects of tribal importance as are above
outlined, the personal objects of the councillors were largely
what is known to civilized communities as " private graf t.^'
True the Warriors' Lodge had to be supported by contribu-
tions, voluntary and otherwise, from the camp at large, but
that the warriors should have unlimited tea to drink in suffi-
cient quantities (mixed with a little tobacco to inebriate as
well as to cheer) and an equally unstinted measure of tobacco
to smoke, a system of import and export duties was devised
to compel all traders to render tribute on entering and leav-
ing camp. This impost was intended also as a special punish-
306
MADE BEAVEE
ment to the Company for ceasing to give them the old and
highly appreciated presents of rum as " regales " on state
occasions, and also for changing the old, well-understood
system of trading on the " Made Beaver," or skin standard,
with the presents, called **^ gratuities," of ammunition and
other necessaries which went with that way of barter, and for
adopting instead the " money way " with its complicated and
incomprehensible pounds, shillings and pence and avoirdupois
weight in valuing pemmican and other provisions, instead of
so many skins for a bag or bale of provisions of ordinary
size.
Traders Resist the Impost.
To this impost the traders, especially those under the sway
of Archibald McDonald, invariably offered resistance, com-
plaining that it was an imposition and a breach of the bargain
whereby prices of goods had been lowered and that of Indian
produce raised upon the adoption of the "money way" of
trading, under which the old gratuities were abrogated in
exchange for better values. Mr. McDonald was particularly
indignant whenever he heard that the rules against gratuities
had been transgressed by traders belonging to other Com-
pany's posts. And as for the "blackmail," as he considered
the import and export tribute which the Indians imposed
whenever they were strong enough and the traders weak
enough, he ordered us all never to submit to it unless com-
pelled by a force which it was hopeless to resist. In such a
case Mr. McDonald admonished me never to allow the Indians
to go that length, but always seek to anticipate their demands
by granting them as an apparent favor what they could other-
wise exact by force, and by so doing preserve the prestige of
the whites. In the general absence of reliable interpreters
and spies on such occasions, a trader had to rely on his own
ability to read the signs of the times and the countenances of
the Indians in coming to a decision.
307
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEERS
Smouldering Enmities.
In this camp of the allies each tribe had set up a Warriors'
Lodge of its own. Only one common bond, the dread of their
common enemies, united these in action. Apart from that the
jealousies and enmi/ties between the Assiniboines and the semi-
Assiniboine Young Dogs on the one side, and the Crees and
Saulteaux, who freely intermarried, on the other, smouldered
as fires ready to burst into flames of war on any inciting
occasion. In previous chapters the evil repute of the Wood
Mountain Stonies (the traders' common name for Assini-
boines) has been referred to. That of their offspring of
partly Cree or Saulteaux blood, "The Young Dogs," might
be most fittingly expressed by calling them the sons of the
female canine, in the vernacular meaning thereof.
Destruction of a Prairie Sodom and Gommorah.
In the fall of 1873 I was at the Sandy Hills near the Elbow
of the South Saskatchewan and took the occasion to visit the
site of a camp which had been destroyed by fire from heaven
some time in the middle 1860's, which I had often heard
about from different Cree Indians, who witnessed the tragedy.
My old good friend and brother officer, Mr. William Edward
Traill, now a retired chief trader living at Mackinaw, Sas-
katchewan, first told the tragic tale to me, and I am sure he
could amplify the brief account of what I recollect of it.
The Crees, among whom white slavery did not exist, ex-
tended their hospitality to strangers to a height at which
prudes would be shocked, but which the Cree children of
nature regarded as a virtue instead of a vice, and a bond of
peace and good-will. But liberal-minded as they were, the
Crees witnessed with disgust and abhorrence the crimes of
incest and bestiality, of robbery and murder, practised by the
Young Dogs. So dreadful were these in their eyes that, on
the occasion now referred to, although on the dangerous
frontier of the Blackfeet, they would not allow fifty or sixty
Young Dog lodges to be pitched in their camp.
308
A VITRIOLIC DOWNPOUR
So it happened that the Young Dog camp was pitched
about a mile from that of the Crees in the Sandy Hills that
summer day. In the afternoon a cloud no bigger than a
man^s hand arose in the north-west, came on swiftly and
enlarging till it burst in roaring thunder and forked light-
ning, with a torrential downpour over the site of the doomed
camp of the Young Dogs. That downpour was not of water,
but of a liquid acid, which quickly reduced to ashes everything
On which it fell. A few, near the shores of a small lake on
which the camp stood, sought refuge from the burning rain
in its waters, but while their bodies were protected by the
water their heads above it were reduced to ashes.
When the storm ceased, the Crees, who then ventured to
the scene, found the forms of men lying under covers of robes
and skins, and the moment these were touched they crumbled
into dust and ashes. Carts, lodges and poles left standing
also crumbled away at a touch or breath of wind. The grass,
turf and soil, down to the clay subsoil beneath, were also
consumed, and when I visited the site in 1873, the circle in
which the camp had stood could still be distinguished by the
barren clay supporting scattered growths of weeds in a depres-
sion which was surrounded by an open and grass-grown
prairie.
The miraculous nature of the occurrence is heightened by
the statement that every living creature in that camp miser-
ably perished, except a young and beautiful Cree maiden, who
had a day or two before been kidnapped and taken into his
harem by one of the Dogs. She is said to have escaped by
diving till she crossed the lake.
Such, then, were the people and the state of affairs when
I, young and inexperienced, and without any idea of the
combustible elements in it, came to that big camp near
Cypress Hills where I was to undergo the ordeal of initiation
as a fur trader.
309
CHAPTER XIX.
A CAMP IN TURMOIL.
The Dogs Demand Tribute.
Up to our arrival there had been a famine in tea, tobacco,
and ammunition, so next morning there was a general rush
to trade, which kept Whitford, The Ten and myself busy,
with no sign of slackening till the middle of the afternoon.
We were then attending to the wants of importunate cus-
tomers when an interruption occurred and these suddenly
cleared out of the lodge without finishing their business.
The stampede was caused by the intrusion of two " braves "
who, under the inspiration of the firewater of The Zenith,
and at the instigation of the Warrior's Lodge of the Young
Dogs, had come to demand tribute of me, as an attribute to
their lodge, which they deemed to have been slighted by my
taking up quarters in that of the Qu'Appelle Crees, to whom
they were well aware presents had been made for the accom-
modation. A party of forty-two Young Dogs had therefore
been sent to exact the tribute, headed by one of their chief
men, named Yellow Head, with Big Beak, one of their loudest
speechmakers, as his second, while the rest surrounded the
lodge outside. But all this I did not learn until the trouble,
which is about to be told, was over.
The Ten disappeared with the other stampeders. Loud
Voice's men squatted stolidly in a circle within the eaves of the
lodge and made no sign of disapproval of the interruption.
Usually an Indian shook hands with a trader on meeting him
for the first time, but these fellows did not, and squatted down
near the middle of the lodge, which was large and made up
of several lodges put together. Whitford told me they had
not come to trade but wanted tea and tobacco " for nothing."
Seeing that they were evidently under the influence of liquor
310
A STRENUOUS EXCOUNTER
and knowing the number of people who were waiting to trade,
I thought it better to let the pair have a little tea and
tobacco. Accordingly Whitford placed on the dressed buffalo
skin which they had placed on the ground before them, two
pint measures of tea and a yard of thick Canadian roll
tobacco.
At first when these gifts were placed at his feet Yellow
Head said nothing, but upon being incited by the reptilian
Big Beak, who sat in his usual place — behind — he scattered
the tea off the skin on to the ground and into the fire; and
then, standing up, he threw the tobacco back to us with a
gesture of contempt, growling out something in an angry tone
at the same time. I was astonished and looked towards Whit-
ford for an explanation, but only to see his heels as he dived
under the eaves out of the lodge, leaving me without any means
of knowing what Yellow Head continued to say, although I
could see that its purport was far from friendly. The hasty
retreat of my sole interpreter and the continued impassive-
ness of mine hosts, the Crees, and the intoxication of his own
eloquence, emboldened Yellow Head to advance up to me,
and before I realized that the gesture was not merely a waving
of the orator's hands, he slapped me on the cheek. He made
a second attempt to do so which I fended off, and said, in
the only English he was likely to understand, " Damn you,
don't try that again." He did, and the next moment, virtuous
wrath adding might to the blow, I sent him sprawling across
the fireplace to the feet of the reptile, with his two front teeth
knocked out and a bloody nose. " Get up, you brute, if you
want more," I cried, striding up. But in an instant he was
dragged out of the lodge and it was just as quickly cut up
in ribbons by his band outside. Down came the leather cover-
ing, leaving the bare lodge poles, between which forty Young
Dogs with guns and arrows were pointing ready to shoot.
I quickly caught the butt of my revolver and was drawing it,
determined to die fighting, when up sprang all the Crees, who
had remained so long passive spectators, and three of them
311
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEEKS
seized me, and bore me, struggling desperately, to the earth.
There they struggled with and held me down till I was utterly
exhausted.
Led to Judgment.
Then they suffered me to sit up, but closely guarded, and
the Crees were again seated, under bare lodge poles, round
their council fire, but all the raiders outside had disappeared.
In a little while a big procession of warriors marched up and
surrounded the lodge and I was taken out and marched, sur-
rounded by them, to another big Warrior's Lodge, in which
I was received in solemn silence by the occupants, amongst
whom, with a gleam of satisfaction, I saw La Pierre. One
warrior got up and in an angry voice made a short speech,
the only part of which La Pierre interpreted being, " White
man, what have you got to say for yourself?" Thinking the
whole Indians in the camp, including my late hosts of the
Cree lodge, were all against me, I told them white men always
defended themselves when attacked, that I would do the same
again if I got the chance even if it were against Indian ideas.
Whereupon, this being interpreted by La Pierre, up sprang
" The Broken Sword " and coming to me, he shook me heartily
by the hand and warmly uttered a few words. Then going
back to his place in the circle of the council he made quite
a speech, the purport of which La Pierre informed me was:
" White man, the Young Dogs are very bad people, they have
tried to rob and murder you to-day. The Whites are our
friends and the Young Dogs are people whom we detest. We
have seen to-day that your arm is strong and your heart is
strong — and if you will say the word we — ^the Crees and
Saulteaux of Qu'Appelle and Touchwood Hills — will fall upon
them and kill the whole odious and villainous tribe of them.
We have held and surrounded you to prevent your being killed
by these rascals. Now you are free to do as you like, and we
will do as you say.''
312
FROM PRISONER TO DICTATOR
From Peisoner to Dictator.
So to spring at once from the position of what had appeared
to have been a prisoner into that of a dictator of war or peace,
was certainly a most agreeable surprise and relief to me, for
I had made up my mind to die like a man, fighting, if I got
a chance. Da Pierre now for the first time spoke his own
mind instead of interpreting only, and advised.
He said that Yellow Head was a warrior of high standing,
chief of a harem of eight or ten wives, by whose industry and
that of his sons-in-law, who by Indian custom were bound to
hunt for him, he was able to sell to the Company at Touch-
wood Hills many bags of pemmican and bales of dried meat,
and several hundred buffalo skins and robes yearly. He was an
important customer, and, for a Young Dog, was considered
a good Indian. Consequently La Pierre was sorry that he
had been incited by others and by firewater to lead the raid
upon me. La Pierre reminded me that the Company's policy
was always to try to keep the peace among the Indians, and
that it would be against that policy to start a fight between
the Crees and Saulteaux on the one side and the Young Dogs
and their relatives, the Assiniboines, on the other, which
would endanger the property of the 'Company and the lives
of its people for years to come. Moreover, the two friendly
tribes would be continually demanding compensation for the
lives of warriors who might fall fighting, as they would
claim, for the Company. The Company's determination
never to show fear of the Indians and to defend themselves
had been carried out, said La Pierre, in giving Yellow Head
the smashing blow he deserved ; so, he pleaded, "Don't set them
to fight. They will play hell, and we will never be able to
stop them once they begin."
Great Slaughter of Blackfeet.
La Pierre was a man of experience, and he had taken part
in the big battle between our Indians and the Blackfeet in
313
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
March, 1866, at Red Ochre Hills, on the South Saskatchewan,
when no less than six hundred Blackfeet were slain. He had
been in the Cree camp at the time it was attacked, and had
supplied them with fresh arms and ammunition, besides
taking a leading part in the fight. On that occasion a very
large war party of Blackfeet had set forth to repel the invasion
of their hunting-grounds by an inferior force of the Cree and
other Swan River Indians. The Blackfeet, who generally
fought on horseback, came down the South Saskatchewan
valley on foot on this occasion. The snow had already
melted, except in the shelter of the ravines, and they had no
snowshoes. From the valley they descried two Cree lodges on
the skyline of the hills, and they heard the chopping of axes
in a ravine which led down from the hills to the valley. They
at once knew the Cree women were getting firewood in the
ravine, and had no idea that the two solitary lodges on the
top of the bank were outliers of a big camp beyond and out of
sight. Accordingly they proceeded up the snow-filled ravine
and shot the two old Cree women who were chopping wood
there. Then, following up the woodchoppers' trail, they
proceeded up the ravine to attack the two lodges seen from
the valley. All were eager to get there, and they crowded
into the deep and melting snow on each side of the track in
their eagerness. Stumbling and falling in the wet snow the
powder in the pans of their flintlocks got wet also.
Meanwhile the Crees in camp behind the brow of the Red
Ochre hills, hearing the volley echoing through the ravine, had
taken alarm, and the warriors rushed to the brink command-
ing a full view of the ravine, now filled with a helpless crowd
of enemies who had failed to keep their powder dry and were
expecting an easy victory over the people in the two lodges
to be attacked. That was a black morning for the Blackfeet,
as, floundering in the deep, rapidly thawing snowdrifts of the
ravine, and unable to use their guns, the well-armed Crees
lined its brink on each side, and, firing in front, on left and
314
A PERFECT GOLGOTHA
right of them, slaughtered them as they were wont to slay
unarmed herds of impounded buffalo.
In the fall of 1871 I camped for some time, when on a trad-
ing trip, alongside this ravine. It was still full of the grim
skeletons of those who fe'll in Mardh, 1866; and I followed,
from the mouth of that death trap of the Blackfeet, for miles
up /the flat bottom lands of the South Saskatchewan valley a
trail of bleached bones of the Blackfeet who had fallen, in the
panic-stricken retreat, to the fury of the pursuing Crees. The
ravine was a perfect Golgotha, and that trail of dead bones
could be plainly seen, from a height, stretching for miles along
the burnt surface of the bottom lands of the valley.
Most Indian accounts of their victories are, like the pre-
maturely reported death of Mark Twain, apt to be highly
exaggerated;* but this defeat and massacre of the Blackfeet,
I had the evidence of my own eyes, was not and did not re-
quire to be exaggerated — " it was a glorious victory." Curi-
ously, for very seldom did such reports reach British news-
papers from Rupert's Land in those days, an account of this
defeat of the Blackfeet appeared in the Edinburgh Scotsman
in the summer of 1866, and was read witji great interest by
myself.
The Company's Peaceful Policy.
But to return to the problem of peace or war set before me,
as the representative of the Company of Adventurers of Eng-
land, who then had the chartered right of making war upon
any non-'Christian prince or nation. After listening to the
good counsel of my friend. Interpreter La Pierre, I decided
that it would not be in the interest of the Company to precipi-
tate by any further action of mine a war between the different
sets of Kilkenny cats of which that camp was composed.
Moreover, as far as I was personally concerned, the smashing
blow I had given Yellow Head was ample satisfaction for the
slap in the face he had given me.
315
THE COMPAlSrY OF ADVENTUREES
So I got up and thanked my new found friends for their
compliments and the tempting offer to clean out the " Young
Dogs " they had made ; but they all knew that the Company,
which I had the honor to represent, had always tried to pre-
serve peace and prevent war — except in self-defence — amongst
them. Therefore I begged them accept, in token of apprecia-
tion of itheir friendship and the protection they had afforded
me and the Company's property, also, some tobacco to smoke
in the pipe of peace, along with tea to cheer them in their
councils. They appeared to be very much disappointed at
my not giving them the word for war, but the proffer of the
present met with warm approval and applause.
So, under their voluntary escort. La Pierre and I went over
to the lodge of Loud Voice, and the tea was measured out by
the pint pot and the tobacco by fathoms, and with these the
escort returned xejoicing to their fellows. While this was
taking place Loud Voice and his braves were looking on in
solemn silence, but as soon as the bearers of presents to the
other Warriors' Lodge had gone. Loud Voice got up and
made a speech explaining that they, while feeling grossly
insulted by the conduct of the Young Dogs in invading their
lodge and surrounding it in so hostile a manner, had abstained
from resenting the affront put upon them as hosts and to me
as their guest lest a fight should start, which, involving inter-
necine war in that combined camp, would lay it open to its
common and powerful enemies of the Blackfeet Confederacy.
So they had put up with the bad conduct of Yellow Head and
his band till the latter aijded injury to insult and, ripping
up the lodge, were about to shoot me to avenge my blow, when
he, Loud Voice, and his men, to save my life, had thrown me
down on the ground and jumped up to their feet to surround
me, so that the Young Dogs could not shoot at me without
shooting them also. Then they had turned on the Dogs and
ordered them off with their bleeding leader. So the said Loud
Voice, together with his fellow tribesmen of the Touchwood
Hills Lodge, had rendered the Company good service in pro-
316
A GEAND WHOOP-UP
tecting their merchandise and in defending me, and they
equally deserved such presents as they had seen given to the
others.
Although I had thought they had looked on with undue
apathy, if not with approval, when the fracas occurred, I was
not in a position to refuse this explanation and the accom-
panying request. But for all that I still think that, if I had
shown any fear of Yellow Head, they might not have pre-
vented the outfit of which I had charge from being pillaged
by his band. However, making a virtue of necessity, I
thanked them for their assurance of continued friendship to
the Company, and for continuing to guard my outfit in their
lodge. The tea and .tobacco which La Pierre and I measured
out to them was received with many a " How How " of thanks.
A Grand Whoop-up.
Some years later, Kan-o-cees, who had by that time
become quite a chum of mine, in relating the battle between
the Crees and Blackfeet at Belly River in the summer of
1871, complained that the defeat and pursuit of the Crees and
their allies by the Blackfeet had been quite unfair to the
former, because the Blackfeet had been inspired by the fire-
water of which each swigged off a whole " min-ne-quag-i-kun,"
just before the battle, while the poor Crees had had none.
It was perhaps to prevent the Young Dogs, who had already
begun to tipple, from gaining any advantage in this way
of Dutch courage that my friends in the camp started in on
a grand spree also. They had all been preparing to take
advantage of the " skoot-e-wah-bo," which Zenith had been
mixing with swamp water into the state of dilution most
profitable to him since his arrival. The Yellow Head incident
brought this general desire seemingly to a head, and
the warriors and chiefs who were the only consti-
tuted guardians and constables of the peace, divesting
themselves of the robes of office, and everything else but the
breech clout, joined in the common throng of boozers and
317
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUREES
" whooped it up " in every sense of the expression. As the
spree grew fast and furious, the camp became a very pande-
monium of red raging demons.
" Hell broke loose " alone conveys the impression it made
on me at the time, and the end would have been that of the
Kilkenny cats for every full-grown buck in that camp had it
not been for the restraining influence of the brave and brawny
women. These, denied the privilege, the glorious privilege,
of partaking the highly-priced and rare vintage of Zenith,
took up the neglected duty of their lords and masters in pre-
serving life and property. Every one of the obstreperous bucks
carried weapons and each was ready and anxious to use them
at a moment^s notice. They danced, they sang, they shouted,
and they yelled shouts of joy and of anger as the spirit moved
them. They embraced and wept over each other; they
marched proudly boasting of their feats, and they challenged
the best to meet in single fight or mixed affray.
. Female Police.
But whenever combatants proceeded to actual blows, out
rushed the women of the haxem from the surging throng,
and, their muscles hardened by continual exercise in all the
hard work and drudgery of their lives, they would seize their
spindle-armed sultans, bear them to their lodges, where,
trussed up in many plies of shaganappi (rawhide lines) they
were placed on their couches of rohes to sleep oif their fury.
Even man to man, or rather woman to man, these mighty
strong females often mastered their males. Ministering
angels of peace they were, not such as are depicted in art
galleries, but brawny squaws whose services to-day mig'ht be
welcomed to the ranks of militant suffragettes. To these
latter these simple Indian women might have appeared mere
down-trodden slaves of man, but the able-bodied squaw
despised any woman who allowed her men to do any work of
the order ordained for women, and if the work so ordained
for the Indian woman might be considered by the new women
318
POLYGAMY PREVALENT
of civilization as shameful, the redskinned wife gloried in the
shame.
Nevertheless the Indian^s wife or wives (the irreducible
minimum at that time and place was two, for any respected
family) were far from being mute mates. They always had
their say in men's affairs, private and public, too, as is the
wont of women the whole world o'er. And they had a right
to do so, for although the man killed the buffalo, it was the
woman who prepared its meat and skin for use and trade.
So that, with the buffalo hunting Indians, the more wives a
hunter had, the wealthier was he, and, I was often told by
the men, the less trouble he had in keeping them in order, for
they vied with each other for his favor. Anyhow, in that day,
owing 'to their frequent loss in war and by oither causes (seven
hundred braves were killed in battle, by murder and by sudden
death, in the circle of our acquaintance at Fort Qu'Appelle
between 1867 and 1874), the number of females largely
exceeded that of males, and had polygamy not been the custom
these surplus women would have had no one to hunt for
them, and would have perished from starvation.
All Traders Eetire.
As soon as the general " whoop up " began all the traders,
excepting, of course. The Zenith, packed up their outfits
snugly and retired from business, seeking such little seclusion
as their tents afforded. All the Metis hunters did likewise,
for it was unsafe to be seen outside during the grand drunk.
Alick Fisher, whose tent was pitched next that of the lodge
in which my goods were stored, very kindly invited me to
board with him during my stay in camp. Whitford and I took
watch about over the outfit in the council lodge. On the third
day the carousal ceased with the supply of firewater, and we
resumed trading till we received more than we could carry
away as cargo, although there was still plenty of goods left.
After closing the trade and packing up the outfit, I left
them for the night in the care of the now sober warriors and
21 319
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
went to sleep in Fisher's tent. Everything in it was beauti-
fully clean and tidy, the meals well cooked and served; the
family were good Catholics and had family worship morning
and evening, and were truly kind, hospitable and courteous.
Fisher was a most cheerful and entertaining companion, and
took pleasure in teaching me the French language in use in
the country. In fact, I feel bound to say here that wherever
I travelled among this class of hunters and traders of the
Metis on the plains I ever found the same conditions and met
with kindness and hospitality that I can never forget.
The Serenaders.
After we had gone to bed our rest was interrupted by a
sudden wailing of many voices around our lodge. Alick
announced that " Les Sauvages " had oome to serenade us,
expecting to be rewarded for their vocal music and dancing in
our honor by largess of tea and tobacco. The choir attempt-
ing the carol was composed of a ring of young men and
maidens alternately surrounding the lodge, and bobbing up
and down to some monotonous composition of " Hi Hi Ha Ha
Ya Ya,'' ad libitum. We stood it for a little while in token
of appreciation of the honor, and then gave the expected tea
and tobacco in return. It was the only way to get rid of the
nuisance, and another band, encouraged by the success of the
first, and possibly composed of some of its members, came
along again, and had to be listened to and then got rid of in
the same manner. This was kept up every night during the
rest of my stay in that camp.
Unfortunately these were not the only performing musi-
cians who rendered night hideous in the encampment. Night
and day the booming tom-tom of the warriors or the gamblers
resounded to the accompaniment of the appropriate vocal
music. One would have thought that hunters wishing to
allow the buffalo to approach them would have kept quiet for
that purpose. But no such consideration seemed to weigh
with these revellers.
320
DOLEFUL MUSIC
And when there was the least lull in these outcries the
innumerable hordes of dogs of every breed would take up the
interval by barking and howling in chorus. Seemingly music
hath charms to soothe the savage breast of the Indian dog of
much the same sound to civilized ears as that of his master.
The animal precentor might be a cur in camp, or his dis-
trusted and detested cousin the coyote, in the open. Let
the whole canine family in camp or trading post be sleeping
the sleep of the just, at one shrill yelp from one wakeful
animal of the precentor class, the whole pack will join one
after the other into a united canine chorus ranging from the
high falsetto of the pup to the deep baying bass of the big
one. Wherever two or three dog trains are assembled to-
gether at ease during the night it is customary for them to
unite in this chorus, which, arising in the stilly night, in the
solitudes may arouse the deepest sleeper. Wherefore a man,
who does not wish to be disturbed after once going to sleep,
will take the precaution before retiring to mimic the canine
note of the precentor and start the pack in full blast, con-
tinuing until they have blown themselves out and music hath
lost its charms for them for the rest of the night.
CHAPTEEXX.
IN THE MIDST OF ALARMS.
Moving Camp.
DuEiNG the time I was there the camp was shifted a few
miles on two occasions for sanitary as well as hunting pur-
poses. The Blackfeet around were the source of continual
anxiety, and we moved in several parallel columns abreast
instead of trailing along in one long line Indian file. In these
columns were carts; and travois drawn by dogs as well as by
ponies. The Red River cart was one of the wonders of the
west in its ability to go anywhere and to do anything — ^besides
its inherent capacity for wailing as it went in dirge-like tones,
which men, who were not Scots, were wont to liken to the
pibroch.
The Travois.
But the travois trailed noiselessly along over rough and
steep ground impracticable for even a Red River cart. It
consisted of two poles lashed together in the form of an acute
triangle, the apex of which was secured to the animal's withers
and the ends of the sides, which were kept apart by a cross-
bar or bars, trailed along the ground. The cross-bars were
far enough behind the heels of the animal to permit of his
kicking freely without endangering the load, which was placed
on a netting or hide stretched between these cross-bars and
the side poles. On this netting the lodge, with its animate
and inanimate contents, was carried, including babies and
blankets, puppies and pemmican, also the blind, the halt and
the lame of the family. The dog-travois was, and is still, in
322
PRAIRIE INDIAN TRAVOIS.
RED RIVER CARTS AND PONIES.
IMPORTANCE OF PACK-DOGS
the forests of the north, a smaller implement of the same
model.
The Pack-Dog.
Besides the cart and the travois, pack-ponies were also used ;
also pack-dogs, the latter bearing frequently burdens moun-
tain high in comparison with their size. These also are still
in everyday use amongst the Indians of the woods, where the
women, too, are the great burden bearers, while the man in
shifting camp goes ahead light and ready to shoot the next
meal for the family. If he kill any big game, he, too, will
carry a big load into camp, and probably send the women
and the dogs to bring in the rest.
On the buffalo plains, however, the necessity which compels
the wood Indians to pack things on their own or their women's
backs did not exist, and carts, travois and pack-ponies and
dogs performed the service, while the lords of creation and the
ladies of their lodges rode on horseback or in carts — also on
pony travois, presenting in the variety of their modes of
motion an infinite and picturesque variety.
Bad Water.
The country through which we "pitched" was very dry,
with infrequent pools and ponds of water. It was naturally
mostly alkaline and contaminated already by the excretions
of buffalo — a wallowing animal. The weather was hot and
the dogs drawing and bearing burdens came panting with
long, protruding tongues along the trail. On catching scent
and sight of water these immediately rushed for it and into
it regardless of damage to their loads — which might be partly
papoose. Then, frantic mothers would rush to save their
babies, and old termagants, while rescuing their property,
would vent their wrath on the poor dogs with blows, and, in
language as foul as the water being befouled, heap every
variety of abuse of which the Indian language is capable upon
them. The fuss and fury of some of these females whose
323
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
papooses and other precious possessions were thus endangered
by the dogs rushing into deep water, generally attracted a
crowd of amused and jeering spectators.
Marching Order.
The orders of the day were always made public by criers,
w*ho marched through the camp shouting them out in a loud
voice. When the order to strike camp and move was given
it was executed with remarkable alacrity. In a moment the
leather lodges were doused and the camp was under bare
poles, which soon fell also, and were either lashed in bundles
on the carts or else trailed, travois fashion, by a pony.
The baggage was all packed away in bags — ^babies included
— 'by the women, and in a few minutes lashed on cart, travois
or pack-saddle; while others were yoking the ponies and the
dogs simultaneously. Then the motley crowd fell into their
order in the parallel processions, each of which was preceded
by a mounted man to lead the way. In the intervals between
these processions women and children on foot and horseback
marched along — many of the ponies bearing two or even
three small riders.
And so to the sound of the Red River cart, the yelping of
terrorized dogs, and the neighing of ponies, the parallel col-
umns went marching «long the undulating plain and crush-
ing, in the vales, sage and mint from which fragrant odors
pervaded the air. The sun shone strong and bright on the
many vivid colors in which the Indians were arrayed. In
front, flank and rear rode the protecting force of mounted
braves, the whole surrounded by cordons of widely scattered
scouts. Then, on some hillock ahead along the line of route,
there would assemble " the headquarters' staff," composed of
chiefs and elderly headmen, who, dismounted and holding
their ponies' lariats in hand, would in a circle, squatting,
or lying in a characteristic attitude on their bellies, watch
the march and look out for any signs of danger made by
334
ENEMIES IN MIGHTY NUMBEE
distant scouts. Meanwhile, pipe and story would be going
the rounds.
The Feak of the Enemy.
With as marvellous celerity as they had broken the old
camp, they pitched the new one. On that first occasion it
was near a conical hillock, which commanded a splendid view
of the surrounding country, including the Cypre Hills to
the south-west. From this splendid watch-tower during the
afternoon of the next day after our camping there, the look-
outs, ever in fear of the enemy, espied a dark, swiftly-
moving mass, sweeping like the shadow of a cloud over the
undulations of the prairie from the direction of the Cypre
Hills towards our camp. As this mass approached nearer,
and loomed larger, it appeared to be composed of mounted
men, and who else might they be but Blackfeet? The alarm
" Our enemies are coming in mighty number," was given, and
instantly the camp, which had been the scene of children at
play, of women laughing at work, and of men gambling with
the accompaniment of song and drum, became stricken with
terror and confusion.
We who live at home at ease, upon whose soil the foot of
ruthless invading enemy has never trod, can have little idea
of the feelings of those poor prairie nomads, who had been
born and bred, and who lived and moved and had their being,
in the midst of such alarms. While the men flew to arms
there arose from the lodges the weeping and wailing of women
and children, the tum-tum of the drum of the medicine men,
accompanying their loud prayers for deliverance, and the war
cries and drums of the braves inspiring themselves with cour-
age for battle. Others, to give vent to their agitation, let
off spluttering volleys in the air, perhaps in the hope of avert-
ing the attack on a camp so well supplied with superfluous
ammunition, or possibly in the hope that the Blackfeet, in-
stead of making a boldly planned attack in the open, were
blindly running into an unknown danger.
325
THE COMPANY OF ADVEISTTUREES
y Bear Baiting.
I happened to be on the lookout hill when the alarming
object was first sighted, and it afforded, too, a bird's-eye view
of the camp and the transformation scene. Also, I had been
watching with interest five or six ^'^ young bucks/' on foot
and armed with spears only, who, having surrounded a two-
year-old grizzly bear in a hollow at the foot of the hill outside
the camp, were tormenting the brave brute. One would prod
him in the rear, upon which the bear, quickly facing about,
made after his fleeing foe; but no sooner was he about to
overtake that one than another lad would give him a fresh
poke behind; and so on the game went merrily till, on the
alarm being sounded, they ceased their bear baiting and gave
him the happy dispatch from his torments. Cruelty, thy name
is man, whose inhumanity to brute has been exercised on
countless thousands. But these lads were merely training
for war, and, next to a fair fight in the open, man to man,
with no other weapon but the knife, the greatest feat a war-
rior could perform was that of attacking and killing a full-
grown grizzly with spear alone. I remember that "Poor
Man,'' the Cree Chief of Touchwood Hills, was one to whom
. both these proud distinctions were due.
The Shadow Passes.
By the time the threatening shadow had swept nearer
several men with their buffalo-running ponies, champing at
their bits and pawing the ground and capering in excitement
and eager to be off, crowded on the hill. Conspicuous by their
fine appearance and equipments were the brothers, Louis and
Sousie Racette, the latter being Alick Fisher's son-in-law, and
living in his lodge. All at once Sousie yelled : " These are
not Blackfeet; they are only a band of La Biche." And,
truly so it turned out to be a herd of about a hundred red
deer (otherwise elk), bearing magnificent antlers which car-
ried on high, gave them the appearance at a distance, of
a26
A SUSPICIOUS OFPER
mounted horsemen. Straightway Sousie and Louis sprang
to their saddles, tore down the hill with horses on haunches,
and, followed by The Zenith, also well mounted, and two or
three other Indians, they headed oif the red deer and slew
twenty-eight on the run.
Tempted of Conspieators.
During all the time since we had joined the camp, buffalo
were being hunted singly, or in small bands, by individual
Indians daily, with occasionally a grizzly bear found among
the saskatoon (Juneberry) bushes, quite plentiful in those
big sand hills; but no regular big general buffalo run had
occurred till the day after the supposed Blackfeet were seen
to be real red deer From the lookout hill a big band
of buffalo, conveniently near to camp, were discovered.
The order was given for a general hunt, and everyone who
had a pony capable of taking a place in the charge got ready.
The cart horse, which the Company had furnished for my
riding, was utterly useless for such a race, and I was anxious
to try my prentice hand at it. Hunters were in too high
demand for me to be able to borrow one, when a strange
Indian came up the hill and most pressingly offered the loan
of his animal. Fisher interpreted, but at once warned me
not to accept the offer, " for," he said, " this is either an
Assiniboine or a Young Dog, and they think they would
have a good chance to shoot you without anyone being the
wiser if you join in the general run after buffalo. They want
to be revenged on you for smashing Yellow Head and refusing
to give them presents." The Indian made my refusal difficult
by the implied challenge in saying they would like to see how
I behaved in the charge after buffalo, where the wonder
always was that so few men were shot accidentally or other-
wise. Fisher said he would have given me his own pony had
he not been afraid I might be shot in the back ; so, acting on
his friendly advice, I declined the suspicious offer of the
stranger, and I lived to have many opportunities of running
327
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
buffalo without incurring any but the ordinary risks inherent
thereto.
A Grand Buffalo Hunt.
However, this abstention gave me the best opportunity I
ever had of seeing the whole hunt in panorama. Whether
brought about by their own volition or beguiled by the skill
of Indian professors of the art of decoying, a band of several
hundred buffalo was bunched together on a rolling plain
within a couple of miles to the south-east of my coign of
vantage. There was a light wind from the east at the time ;
so, upon the criers giving the orders, the hunters left the
camp going down-wind first south-west and gradually circling
round, till heading north-east for the buffalo they formed line
behind and under the concealment of a long ridge. The horses,
knowing what was coming, were restive and trembling with
excitement and impatience to be off. So were their riders.
After having crawled to the crest of the ridge, which was
within half a mile of the buffalo, and made his last observa-
tion, the chief hunter gave the order to move, and upon the line
topping the ridge, shouting the word "Ho !" he gave the signal
to charge. The line of two hundred men at once burst into
the lope, then the gallop, and last into racing speed, leaving
clouds of dust behind, in which the laggards were soon
enveloped. The line swept on, becoming more broken as it
went, by the fleeter forging ahead of their fellows.
By this time those buffalo on the alert had begun to move
up-wind, and the rest, taking the alarm from them, quickly
followed, until the whole herd was in ever-quickening motion,
through which and over a country full of badger holes the
hunters blindly charged. After passing through and
emerging from the veil of dust the hunters were at the heels
of the herd and commenced firing. The bolder men on the
swifter steeds still pressed forward, firing as they went and
reloading their flintlocks with almost incredible speed and
dexterity. A few fell in the rush, tripped up by badger holes
328
A STIREING CHARGE
or other mishap; but the majority pursued the now frantic
animals, firing shot after shot at the fat cows, seemingly
regardless of the presence of their fellows in the line of fire.
And the slaughter continued till the ponies became outwinded,
and dropped behind the main herd or those cut out and scat-
tered in the chase.
We on the hill were auditors as well as spectators of the
charge — the hunters' whoops of excitement and the volleying
of their firearms, at intervals could be heard amidst the
bellowing of the buffalo and the thunder of thousands of
flying hoofs.
It was magnificent and it was war, but not against a foe
in flight with rear guard, who could shoot back, for only when
wounded and brought to bay did the bison show fight.
Meanwhile the squaws witlh their carts, travois and pack
animals were following up the hunters. How each knew his
own " kill " amongst the hundreds on that sti'icken field is
a mystery to a white man. But there seemed to be no dis-
putes, and even the squaws appeared to know the animals
which had fallen to the flintlocks of their hunter husbands.
And there is one thing to the credit of the Indians which
must be recorded — old, helpless men and widow women could
go and help themselves freely to the best carcasses on the
field and it were shame to say them nay, for to the widows
and the weak belonged the spoils according to Indian tradi-
tionary custom. It was generally from these widows that the
finest marrow fat and tallow and the best dried meat and pem-
mican were obtained by the traders. *
In this race, as always, the Metis who took part far out-
classed the thoroughbred Indians. They were better armed
and mounted, better shots and more skilful. In this way they
had won renown as the victors in every attack made on the
Red River hunting camps by the Sioux. And whenever these
" Tigers of the Plains " had been repulsed and were in retreat,
the Metis buffalo hunters sallied forth and, hunting their
foes as* they did buffalo, drove them into panic-stricken flight.
329
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEERS
It was through their wholesome dread of the warlike prowess
of the Metis that the Sioux, though always covetous of terri-
tory, afterwards professed friendship to them and the British
north of the boundary line.
The Spoils of the Chase.
With the speed of long practice, the carcasses, which strewed
the plain, were soon stripped of hide and flesh, and the
remains left as a feast — first to the camp dogs, which, when
gorged, left their leavings to the birds and beasts of prey.
There were full bellies in the camp during the following
days, those of the little naked boys being ludicrously remark-
able for their distention like unto tightly blown-up bladders.
Neither were they the only gluttons, for many young men
ate and ate for the pleasure of eating till they could hold no
more, and then emptying their stomachs by artificial vomiting
they would begin again.
For several days after " the run " the women were busy
drying the meat spread on stages or on the ground without
being very precise as to the grass being clean. I saw enough
of the process of pemmican making that time to prevent my
ever having a hankering for any, unless made by people of
known cleanliness. The noise of the scraping of the hair off
the hides was incessant, the hide having been first stretched
by pegging to the ground, while the adherent fat and flesh
were scraped off, and then, so prepared, it was stretched on
a wooden frame and set up in a sloping position convenient
for scraping off the hair. Then followed the process of
Indian tanning.
A Night Attack:.
On the second night after the big hunt I was awakened
suddenly by Fisher shaking me and shouting in agitation:
" The Blackfeet — Les Pieds Noir — are upon us." As we slept
in all our clothing but our coats and hats, with pistol under
pillow and gun under blanket, it did not take me a minute
330
A DANGEROUS PRECEDENT
to follow Alick outside. The lodges were outside the pony
corral, formed by the carts interlocked in a big circle. The
Metis had always used the carts with their ladings to form
a barricade, behind which they fought, so I asked Alick where
I should take my stand. He said, "Right in front of the
warriors^ lodge, where your outfit is." So I went and stood
there ready to shoot at any sign of an enemy in front. There
was furious firing being exchanged between the camp to the
right and the open, but I saw nothing within range of my
shotgun. Then the balls began to whistle about me in a
regular fusillade from behind — ^the Indians of our own camp
being the shooters at a foe invisible to me. Realizing that
I was in the line of this useless volley firing, after getting
a ball or two through my coat, I took shelter in the now
deserted lodge — for not one of its warrior occupants was to
be seen. My outfit was piled along the eaves at the back of
the lodge, which fronted the open, and I went and sat down,
sheltered from the volleys coming from behind by the bales
and packs of my outfit and trade. There were a few embers
in the fireplace and I sat smoking before it listening to the
bullets which went on ripping through the upper works of
the lodge, even after those on the right side of the camp had
ceased firing upon the Blackfeet retiring.
It did not strike me at the moment that the fire from
behind was coming from the Young Dog section of the circle
of the camp; but next morning we found too many bullets
had found their billets in the lodge, its poles and its contents,
to have been merely incidental to the Indian practice of shoot-
ing without aim at any particular object for the purpose of
warning an enemy that they were there with powder to burn.
As far as experience under fire was concerned I did not
find it half so trying as I did once in the old country when
amusing myself as a boy behind the butts of the range of
rifle volunteers, who, in a squad of twenty, suddenly opened
fire at three hundred yards and each fired five rounds — nearly
all misses — which sent the Enfield bullets gyrating and whir-
331
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEERS
ring above me and ploughing up the ground about a little
hollow in which I lay till they ceased firing. I remember the
great contempt I had for the poor shooting of that squad;
and on the occasion now described I felt more annoyed at
seeing no chance to shoot at a Blackfoot than at the bullets
whizzing from behind. La Pierre said he had shot a Black-
foot; but the attack was not in force, and they fell back
without doing any damage to those in camp.
Yellow Head Begs a Solatium.
Both Fisher -and La Pierre suspected that the stray bullets
that came my way might have been designed by the Young
Dogs to reach me as well as to scare the Blackfeet, and Loud
Voice's men were far from pleased on seeing the number of
perforations in their lodge and its poles.
I think it was the next day that, as I was lying in Fisher's
lodge talking with him, who should step in but Yellow Head
himself, clothed in a white blanket belted round the waist,
and with no visible weapons. He spoke for some time with
Fisher excusing himself and laying the blame for his conduct
on firewater and the instigation of Big Beak and his " young
men." He dwelt upon the high position he held as a warrior
and a great hunter, and said that people were mocking him
for being laid out by a blow of the bare fist of a " boy " — as
he called me. He would not have felt degraded had I used
a club, knife or gun, but the bare fist had disgraced him
entirely.
According to Indian custom, at the option of the injured,
any injury could be honorably atoned for by the culprit pay-
ing a fine in proportion to the offence. Besides, he had
always been a good customer of the Company and would con-
tinue to have no truck with other traders if I would pay him
the fine he proposed, namely, some tea and tobacco, a common
cotton shirt, a pair of leggings, and a blanket.
I lay, watching the fellow, with my hand on my revolver
ready to draw while this was being said and translated. Then
332
A FIERCE THREAT
I told Fisher that I considered myself the party injured and
that Yellow Head had only got what he deserved. Fisher
explained this to Yellow Head, who could only plead in reply
that his reputation was at stake. Fisher then advised me
strongly to settle the affair according to the Young Dog's
wish, for, he said, he or his people would be certain to
assassinate me and then pillage the Company^s property in
my charge. It was my duty to the Company, urged Alick,
to save these goods from pillage in spite of my having been
in the right. I hated to yield, but finally agreed to give the
things for the sake of the Company. But I soon was sorry
for having given the promise, for as it was made, after offering
me his hand. Yellow Head let fall his belted blanket from
his shoulders, and there raittled down on the ground a pile of
round stones about half the size of my fist. "With these,"
said he, " I came here to stone you to death if you did not
yield. But now it is all right." I felt sorely tempted to
shoot him on the spot, but I had given the unbreakable word
of a white man to an Indian, and so I went with him to the
lodge of Loud Voice, and unpacking the things, gave him one
pint measure of tea, one yard of tobacco, one common cotton
shirt, two- third yard white cl'oth for leggings, and a "two-point"
white blanket — the smallest size I had and much too small for
a man. He bundled the things up in the blanket and Whit-
ford interpreted what he said : " Are you afraid of us now ?"
With the intended stoning rankling in my mind I was in no
humor to take this, and making for him I said, " No, never,
damn you." The moment he saw me coming he turned round
and dived in most undignified haste through the flap-covered
lodge door.
Meanwhile the braves of Loud Voice had witnessed the pro-
ceedings in sullen silence; but as soon as Yellow Head's heels
had disappeared they began murmuring that he should not
have got anything. They were brooding over the ripping up
of their lodge and the perforation the new one had received,
333
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
not by accident they suspected, on the night of the Blackf eet
attack.
We Plan to Depart.
I had traded bigger loads of provisions and leather than
my six ox-carts could carry; so I had been hoping that Jerry
would return with his big brigade of carts, load up the cargo
of goods which Fisher and Loud Voice were carrying for me,
and allow me to return to the fort with the laden carts. How-
ever, there was no sign of him, the oxen were in good travel-
ling trim. La Pierre had carts laden ready to send in to Touch-
wood Hills, and some of the freemen belonging to that place
and to Fort Pelly were also fully laden. So I quietly resolved
on the return journey.
This was easier to plan than to put in practice ; for, in their
desire to keep the camp strong, and to prevent the buffalo
from being disturbed in migrating to the country of the Crees
to the east, the councils of the camp would permit no one to
leave it, unless they were each paid a heavy " export duty.^'
This we were determined not to pay.
The record of how we effected our escape and of our adven-
tures on the return journey are reserved for the next chapter.
.3.S4
CHAPTEE XXI.
TEE RETURN TRIP TO THE FORT,
We Break Bounds.
I ARRANGED with Loud VoicG, Little Black Bear and Pasqua,
all of whom were good reliable Indians, to carry about in
their carts the remaining unbroken original packages of
goods — "whole pieces" as we called them — and with Fisher
to take the things that had been opened and repacked in
buffalo leather; all to be delivered to Jerry upon his arrival.
There were also some provisions more than my six oxen could
draw to the fort, and these were similarly distributed.
The halfbreeds, as has been mentioned before, were all
separated from each other in the circle of lodges, and con-
tinually spied upon. But we managed, unknown to the
Indians, to agree to break from the bondage of the warriors'
lodges upon the next occasion of moving the camp. To our
friends in Loud Voice's lodge only, at the last moment, was
the plan revealed, accompanied with a satisfactory present.
The Blackfeet were still hovering around, watching the
camp, and their proximity spurred on everyone to make haste
when the word was given to move, lest those too slow and
straggling behind the main body should be cut off by a sudden
attack. Our plan was to loiter behind and make a break
for liberty as soon as the main body had left us so far in the
rear that they would not risk leaving the main body in suffi-
cient numbers to round us up.
Accordingly, on the second morning after our preparations
had been made, we allowed the camp to move on without us,
and we all made for the crossing of a creek nearby at which
we concentrated. Our party consisted of La Pierre's men,
composed of Thomas Sinclair, George Gordon and his two
22 335
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
sons; of Andrew- and Charles McNab and Josiah Pratt,* free-
men, all of Touchwood Hills; and a man named Stevenson,
and Peter Brass, of Fort Pelly. Besides Whitford and The
Ten, I hired an English half breed named Humphrey Favel,
to assist with my carts.
I rode in front of the carts to the crossing along with Favel,
who had a pony of his own, and found to my disgust that a
party of Indians, under La Pierre's foe, Pee-wah-kay-win-in,
had concealed themselves at the ford for the purpose of stop-
ping us there. Favel interpreted, " They tell us they have
come to stop us.'' We were man to man, so, without hesita-
tion, I told Favel to order them out of the way, and to say
that I would shoot the first man who tried to stop us. At the
same time I pointed my gun at the leader. "Oh, don't shoot,"
he said, "we did not mean to force you; but there are hun-
dreds of Blackfeet all around who are sure to kill you if you
leave, and the Company will blame us for allowing you to go
into such danger." " Tell him," I replied, " that we would
sooner face an open foe, like the Blackfeet, than remain in a
camp surrounded by Indians amongst whom we could not
tell friend from foe." They then asked for some tea and
tobacco, but, refusing them, we pushed on across the ford;
and they immediately galloped after the moving camp.
Stony Refugees Follow.
We had hardly got clear of the creek when we heard several
shots in rapid succession, and saw a number of Indians com-
ing on horseback and with travois after us. I was afraid this
might be a stronger attempt to stop us; but Favel, who had
eyes like a hawk, soon saw that they were fugitives, like our-
selves, from the camp, and that they were Assiniboines. Some
of them galloped up and told us the shots we had heard were
those of the keepers of the camp killing the dogs of the Assini-
boines to scare them into remaining. They had been within
♦Josiah Pratt is now living on an Indian Reserve near Touch-
wood Hills, 16th September, 1913.
336
A NOTORIOUS CHARACTER
an ace of having to fight to get away, and it would have come
to that had the Blackfeet not been making demonstrations
at the same time.
I think there were about twenty lodges of these Assiniboines
who followed our example. They were principally from the
North Saskatchewan, with a few of those belonging to Wood
Mountain ; and they had very few carts, using travois to drag
their little goods and gear along. Owing to the killing of so
many of their dogs their poor ponies had more than they could
well draw and travel to keep up with our carts. One very
tall, thin, old and grey-haired man was blind, but to lighten
the travois in which he had been wont to travel he was obliged
to walk, led by his grandson — a mere child. It was pitiful to
see him, with a stick in his hand, hastening, in obvious fear
of being left behind to the Blackfeet, with stumbling steps
over the trackless prairie.
Humphrey Favel, Renegade.
This rather notorious character was one of the numerous
half-caste descendants of Richard Favel, who was master of
the Hudson's Bay Company's Henley House on the Albany
River in 1775-6. He was a tall, well-built, athletic and hand-
some man, without any indication of Indian blood but brown
eyes and black hair. He spoke first-rate English, sometimes
with an American accent, which he had acquired among the
miners in the gold fields of Caribou. He was a smart, intelli-
gent fellow, too, but he was distrusted as a renegade who
sometimes lived and " married " in the Blackfeet tribe, and
then, deserting those of the Blackfeet for a change, he would
come and take a couple of wives among the Saskatchewan
Crees. Consequently his fellow Red River English halfbreeds
were ashamed of him, and he was distrusted by the Com-
pany's people.
But when he told me that he was tired of the life he had
been leading and wished to return to his relatives in Swan
River district and the Red River Settlement again, and offered
337
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
to work his way to the fort, I was glad to have him, more
especially as he spoke good English and could well describe
many adventures he had gone through across the mountains
and among the Blackfeet.
Scout After Scout.
Our "brigade of carts'' had now been overtaken by the
train of Assiniboine refugees, and the route chosen by Gordon,
who was a first-rate guide, lay in a valley wherein it was
hoped we might be concealed from the gaze of the Blackfeet.
To keep a lookout for them Eavel and I rode along the top
of the bank abreast of the train below. We had not gone far
when, as we were talking, I saw two black objects ahead which
I at first thought were crows. He raised himself high in the
saddle, looked a moment, and sunk down. " They are Black-
feet," he said, " and they are watching the carts in the valley.
"What shall we do ? I replied that if they were only two scouts
who had jusit discovered the carts the best way was to kill
them before they reported to their main body. A slight roll
of the upland now lay between us and them. In the hollow
Favel dismounted and prepared himself for the charge we were
to make on topping the rise in front. He had a big hunting
knife in his belt and a single-barrel flintlock trading gun.
This he carefully primed and double shotted. He tied a
colored cotton handkerchief tightly round his head and girdled
up his loins for the fray by tightening his French belt. He
then arranged that I should pick out the scout to the right
and he the one to the left: but he warned me most impres-
sively not to fire till he gave the word, as we tried to take
them by surprise by rushing upon them at full speed.
We bent over our ponies' necks till, reaching the crest of
the swell, we dashed forward about a hundred yards to find
not only the two Indians whom we had seen, but to find our-
selves surrounded by a scattered score of them. " What shall
we do?" said Favel in agitation. "Make straight for the
carts," I cried, " and shoot those in the way," — on which, there
338
A FORCED MARCH
were the only two first seen. As we turned towards them, "For
God^s sake, don^t fire," he cried, " for these are Assiniboines,
not Blackfeet. They belong to the party." And so it turned
out. They had been on the lookout for the Blackfeet also, of
w*hom they had seen a large body in the distance across the
valley and approaching it. Of this they had sent warning to
the train with word to encamp and make preparations for
defence immediately.
A FoKCED March.
Favel and I at once sped downhill to where the carts had
come to a stand in the valley. The Indians were already un-
hitching, in great agitation, but the halfbreeds had merely
stopped to take counsel together. Sinclair said that was no
place to make a stand, as there was only a little trickle of
water, quite insufficient for man and beast of the party. Gor-
don knew of a splendid position ahead where the valley ter-
minated at Swift Current Creek. We could reach that by
dusk, he said ; and once there we could stand off a whole tribe
of Blackfeet, for it was a loop of the Swift Current, which
formed a high peninsula, commanding full view of the low
banks opposite, and the isthmus was so narrow that our carts
eould securely barricade it. Besides, on the peninsula there
was plenty of good grass for our animals. So it was determined
to march on for the loop, regardless of the protests of the
Assiniboines, and, should they remain behind, we would be
relieved of a band who would take every chance to pilfer
from us, while they were far more the objects of Blackfeet
enmity than we were.
On we went, and were hastily followed by the Assiniboines,
who generally had hard work to keep up with our carts. The
weather was dry and very hot, and we had a long and weari-
some way to go at the slow rate of an ox-cart. Gordon rode
ahead picking the path, followed by Acting Aide-de-Camp
Favel and myself. Sinclair and another halfbreed and a few
of the Indians scouted on the banks on both sides of the valley,
339
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUREES
commanding a view of the uiplands as well as of our carts. The
drivers were ready to circle round with their carts at a
moment's notice and form a barricade. A few of us had
percussion muzzle loading shotguns, the rest the ordinary
flintlock, all primed and loaded with ball. Every once and
again a scout would bring in a false alarm of the enemy being
about to attack. Sinclair, who was a man of known courage,
came and told me he had seen " The Slavics," as he called
them, coming in a huge black mass of horsemen. But they
did not come, till hot, tired, hungry and very thirsty our
caravan reached the haven of safety, just as described by
Gordon, and just as the sun went down.
A Natural Stronghold.
AVe immediately took sole possession of the peninsula and
blocked the isthmus with our carts, as well against the Assini-
boines, who were quite capable of pillaging us, as against our
open foes of the other tribe. The Stonies then came with
most alarming reports of the Blackfeet being close and pre-
paring to attack, and to defend themselves they wished me
to supply them with ammunition. The halfbreeds who knew
the duplicity of our allies advised me to refuse this re-
quest, because they might turn the ammunition against our-
selves as soon as they were rid of the fear of the common foe.
So I told them that not till we were certain of attack would
they be allowed to come behind our barrier and ammunition
be served out to them.
Asleep on Guard.
We divided ourselves into watches, and I was to take the
first. So after a much appreciated supper, not having eaten
since early morning, I reclined for a smoke under a cart with
my back against my roll of bedding, gun at hand and pistol
in my belt. It was then getting quite dark. Next thing I
knew was awakening suddenly and raising my head, upon
which T received a crashing blow and saw stars. It flashed
340
A staetlijstg awakening
through my mind that here were the Blackfeet in earnest and
clubbing me. Again I raised my head quickly, but was again
knocked backwards by another heavy blow. Then I remem-
bered I had been under a cart, and projecting downwards
through (the middle of the axle was a long pin to hold it in its
place. Eousing myself again more cautiously, and stooping
to avoid the pin, I got out, fully armed, on my feet.
" You are a fine watchman," said the reproachful voice of
Josiah Pratt, near me ; " you have slept like a log all night."
"What of the Blackfeet?" I asked.
" They did not come, although the Stonies and their dogs
gave false alarms twice in the night. But it is now coming
dawn and that is the time to look out," he replied.
I felt so ashamed that I, who should have set a good example,
had slept at my post, but it was a relief to hear that my
keeping awake had been unnecessary.
The Blackfeet Let Up.
" Gordon's Loop," when I examined it that morning, was
found to be splendidly suitable for defence and for resting and
grazing our cattle. There, after the fatigue of the forced
march of the previous day, our cattle and ourselves took
ease for another day, during which the scouts scoured the
neighborhood, and came back with the very pleasing intelli-
gence that the Blackfeet had apparently left us to again turn
their attention to the bigger camp.
Wood Mountaineers Elope.
However, we did not relax our vigilance till, a few days after,
having crossed the Couteau de Missouri, we descended its east-
ern slope and reached the vicinity of the present city of Moose
Jaw on the plain beyond. Then on camping no night guards
were set, but everyone went to bed with his gun under his
blanket as usual. Upon rousing next morning there was a
general outcry, for during the night the young buck Assini-
boines from Wood Mountain had stolen away, carrying with
341
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEERS
them two carefully selected women and several ponies belong-
ing to the Saskatchewan tribe, also the flintlocks which the
halfbreeds had taken so carefully to bed. They had taken
all the best horses, so pursuit was hopeless, and I did not feel
it my business to urge it on the losers, for no^;hing belonging
to the Qu^Appelle outfit had been taken.
The Paety Disperses.
The Saskatchewan Indians being well within the Cree coun-
try parted with us at this point, intending to go by Carlton
and find their way home up the North Saskatchewan. The
Touchwood Hills and Fort Pelly people forked off from us
a little later, and after striking the Wood Mountain cart trail
where it crossed The River That Turns (generally known now
as Moose Jaw Creek), I rode on ahead to Fort Qu'Appelle,
where I returned safely after these adventures, on July 16,
1868.
Jerry and Traill Held Up.
This chapter may be properly concluded by relating that
Jerry McKay, having been joined by a party from Touchwood
Hills under William Edward Traill, apprentice clerk, reached
the big camp within a few days after I had left it. On both
his homeward and outward journey he had taken a more
southerly route than mine. Their parties united with La
Pierre and they had plenty of trouble in that camp divided
against itself with the enemy, so to speak, at its gates. Upon
leaving after completing the trade, a heavy tribute was de-
manded of them. This Mr. Traill absolutely refused, and
as the cart-train was starting, with Henry Jordan leading
the foremost ox, shots were fired '^ across the bows ^' of the
leading cart and its harness was cut by Assiniboines with the
chief, Red Eagle, at their head. While Jerry was parleying
with Red Eagle, Traill had the latter covered with his breech-
loading Henry rifle (the first ever seen in that country),
behind Traill was an Assiniboine with his gun levelled at the
342
COMMENDED BY MR. McDONALD
former's head, and behind the Assiniboine was a Cree with
flintlock ready aimed at the Assiniboine. Had Traill pulled
the trigger, and he was within an ace of doing so, the train
would have been lit to an explosion of intertribal war in that
tumultuous camp.
Fortunately for the future peace of the plains, Jerry, fore-
seeing the inevitable consequences of refusing, took the respon-
sibility of conceding the demand, and, in spite of TrailFs
protests, paid to the Warriors' Lodges goods to the value of
fifty pounds ($250), and so averted much greater loss.
When I reported to Mr. McDonald (the freetraders and
Jerry afterwards did so) I had the satisfaction of being told
that I had acted well and " like an old trader," instead of a
greenhorn, under trying circumstances.
343
CHAPTER XXII.*
THE LATE SUMMER OF 1868 AND WINTER 1868-9.
Explanation.
I HAVE now reached the period at which the jottings of
dates and incidents in my personal diary ceased to be continu-
ous. As everything of interest and importance was entered
by me in the " Journal of Daily Occurrences " of the post,
and our supply of paper was strictly limited, I began to use
my memorandum book for recording in pencil trading transac-
tions which were duly transferred to the books of the post,
kept in pen and ink. These are no longer accessible to me,
even if the Company have still preserved them.
A stray entry or two on personal matters and a few of the
trade transactions recall to my memory further particulars.
These and two drafts of my general reports to headquarters
will form the skeleton of the concluding chapters, supple-
mented by data from other sources.
A Thunderous Summer.
Immediately after my return, as recorded in last chapter,
for which he had been waiting, Mr. McDonald left for Fort
Garry to bring up the summer brigade of carts with supplies
for the district from Fort Garry. It was the season at which
all hands and all temporary labor to be had about the post
were engaged in haying.
These operations were frequently interrupted by thunder-
storms, and the weather was continuously torrid. Nearly
* Prom this place on the matter has never been published
before.
344
A FIERCE HUERICANE
every evening a grand storm of thunder and forked lightning
arose in the west and swept down the valley.
Every time a storm arose I went out to admire it, until one
afternoon about the end of July, 1868, a truly terrific hurri-
cane suddenly swept down the valley, lashing the lake into
foam as it approached the fort. The first gust slammed the
big front gate and I ran out to secure it, as it threatened to
uproot its posts. Just when within a few feet of it, with an
awful crash the lightning struck the front stockade and
levelled it to the ground. The tempest raged down a narrow,
sharply-defined course, sweeping every obstacle before it, and
levelling grass and shrub. Getting under two big leather
lodges near the fort, it carried them up, poles and all, like
umbrellas, until they disappeared in the distance. Flash after
flash of lightning followed in quick succession, accom-
panied by the boom of thunder and the roar of the hurricane.
Rain first poured down in spouts, but soon hailstones, ranging
in size from that of a trade bullet to that of a hen's egg, took
its place and whitened (the ground.
Next day the lee shores of the lakes were strewn with ducks
and other waterfowl, whose broken heads and bones attested
the wholesale slaughter of the downpour of icedrops. From the
end of the fishing lakes the hurricane, sweeping in the direc-
tion of Fort Pelly, clean cut its way through every bush and
cleared as sharply defined a course in the heavy woods of the
Swan River valley as if made by a regiment of axemen on a
surveyed line.
When the lightning smashed down the stockades it gave me
such a shock that for two years after, whenever a thunderstorm
was brewing, and long before there was a cloud in the sky
foretelling its approach, I commenced to become nervous and
fidgetty and could foretell its coming. These effects gradually
died away, so that on the third year I neither had any pre-
monition of its coming nor fear when it did come. Similar
experiences are not uncommon amongst folk living in the
345
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUREES
open. Solitary lodges of Indians on the open plain were
frequently struck, and certain localities, such as Fort Ellice,
where a cow or two was killed by lightning every summer,
appear to be peculiarly liable.
The summer of 1868 was unusually hot and sultry through-
out the country, and Red River Settlement was ravished by
a hurricane on the 3rd of July such as had never been wit-
nessed by the oldest inhabitant.
Haymaking and Horsekeeping.
Whilst Mr. McDonald was away Jerry returned with the
provisions he had secured in the camp mentioned in last
chapter. His men and those who soon afterwards returned
from York Factory were set to work cutting hay with the
scythe, in which there was keen competition between them.
The less skilful were employed in curing and hauling it into
the yard at the fort, for the use of our horned cattle.
The " private orders '^ from York Factory of the regular
employees were received at this time, and was one of the great
and enjoyable events of the year in their lives. The haymak-
ing was lightsome work, and the voyageurs were all glad to be
home again from the toils and privations of the trying trip
to the Bay.
Jerry and I rode about every day on the pick of the band
of horses, going out to mark the progress of the haymakers,
besides doing any shooting that fell in our way. We counted
the ponies, and if any were lost, strayed or stolen, arranged
for their recovery. To the sick and the many suffering from
collar and saddle-galls we, especially Jerry, applied remedies.
If the feed were not satisfactory, he directed the horse-
guards to move to better pasture, and that on which grew
" goose-grass " was his special sanitarium for the sick and lean.
A Sioux Cattle Stampede.
Affairs were thus going on in their regular course, when
one forenoon there came a stray Indian, whose name was
346
A SIOUX CATTLE STAMPEDE
Nee-shoot Kan-ni-wup, meaning "The Twin Kan-ni-wup,"
(whatever the latter may mean). He was an insignificant
fellow and a poor hunter, and we were rather surprised at his
air of solemn importance on entering the office. Being a
Saulteau he had " the gift of the gab/' and made a very
flowery and religious preamble, stating that he had always
been a poor man but a prayerful one, and now in answer to
his prayers the spirit whom he addressed had, after long
waiting, vouchsafed to grant his desire, in a wonderful way.
Jerry, getting tired of the long harangue, interrupted it to
ask what wonder had Nee-shoot's god performed; but he
still kept it involved in mysterious and poetic phrases.
While he was rambling on Jerry told me about him.
Hitherto he had been fortunate neither as hunter nor horse-
thief. Indeed, his get-rich-quick schemes in the latter man-
ner had proven disastrous; for, in an attempt to match the
hereditary caste of horse-thieving Stonies in their own game
and on their own ground, he had been caught, despitefully
abused, and led, ignominiously naked, by a bowstring looped
to his person, through the i^ssiniboine lodges to be pelted with
dirt and foul language, spat upon and mocked by the women
and children.
Finally he came down to facts and announced that instead
of falling in with buffalo he had found, near Old Wives' Lake,
a band of wihite men's cattle roaming masterless over the
prairie. At long last the spirit of his dreams had taken
pity and compassion upon him, and as he rounded up twelve
fat, red and white, young beef steers he anticipated their
transformation into buffalo-hunting and cart ponies, and his
own elevation into a prosperous and respected hunter and the
proprietor of two additional wives. Therefore he had come to
the fort to offer the Company the chance of securing at a
bargain the valuable animals, which he had driven in to
Qu'Appelle.
Jerry and I rode up to the upper lake to see the steers.
They were fine cattle without any visible brand, but they
347
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
had evidently strayed in some way from the American side.
It was always customary to pay a person finding stray animals
and bringing them to the fort to hold for their owners. So
we agreed to give the Twin a buffalo runner, two or three
ponies, and some goods for finding them and bringing them
in. Sometime after we heard that the Sioux had swooped
under the guns of Fort Beaufort and stampeded four hundred
head of cattle which were intended for the use of that estab-
lishment. Some of these they slaughtered, but many escaped
and scattered all over the plains. The circumstance was re-
ported to Governor McTavish by Mr. McDonald, but I pre-
sume it would have cost more than the animals were worth
to them for the Americans to come and drive them back; so
Nee-shoot's steers became draught oxen for Fort Qu'Appelle.
Police Duty.
There were several others of the cattle stampeded found by
other Indians and Metis, but only one about which I dis-
tinctly remember. Baptiste Robillard, brother of our cart-
wright, formerly guide of the Cumberland boat brigade, had
come to stay on the plains, accompanied by his son-in-law,
John Simpson, a natural son of the Arctic explorer, Thomas
Simpson, whose pictures, by the way, he very much resembled.
Simpson had hired a Saulteau for the season to help him
in the buffalo hunt on the plains, where they found one of
these fine steers. As he returned too late to make hay to feed
the animal for the winter, Simpson made arrangements to
have it wintered at the fort. Next spring after the snow had
melted off the land, but while the lakes were still icebound,
the Saulteau and Simpson had a dispute as to their rights to
the animal, and because he was dissatisfied the Saulteau, in
passing the Company's herd grazing near the fort, shot the
steer. Our watchman, George Sandison, immediately re-
ported this to Mr. McDonald, who ordered me to come with
him after the Indian. We set off on good horses and found
that he and his pcx)ple (there were two lodges) had " pitched "
348
STRAXGE RUMOURS
off for the lower lake. They had got halfway down and were
about the middle of the lake below the fort when we got on the
ice and galloped after them. At once one of the party left it on
foot and began running towards the bush on the south side of
the lake. Telling me to head off the fugitive, Mr. McDonald
raced after the party. I made him halt, and kept guard over
him with a Sharp^s rifle, while he crouched down on the ice
with his gun in hand. Whenever he made a move I covered
him with my gun, till Mr. McDonald came galloping up.
They exchanged some angry, and, I think, very bad language.
For a time the Indian looked wicked and ready to shoot. He
finally submitted and we took him to the fort where he
agreed to pay for the killing of the animal out of his hunt
next summer. It was fortunate that I did not have occasion
to fire, for on the way back I discovered that the big Enfield
percussion cap of my gun had worked off during the gallop.
Our commons were rather low at the time, and Sandison
had been busy cutting up the animal for beef while we were
away after the butcher ; and so we had a rare treat, for to kill a
Company's ox for beef in Swan River in those days would
have been considered a crime and a shame of the first degree,
although we had twenty milch cows and thrice as many other
kinds of cattle.
Flemmand, a Walking Advertisement.
In the winter of 1868-69 Jerry wintered at " Eagle Quills "
and Jacob at Old Wives' Lake. My friend Flemmand, who,
during the summer, had been transferred to Fort Ellice, was
sent out by Chief Trader McKay to winter in the camp of
the Red River and American Metis at Wood Mountain, and
to trade with any Fort Ellice people or other Indians within
reach. Rumours, which travelled so wonderfully " without
visible means of support " about the plains, had become rife
regarding the reckless manner in which Flemmand was con-
ducting his trade and himself. These had been largely
confirmed by two of his men, Bazil Mougenier and Che-cake,
349
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUBEES
who had been sent to Fort EUice for further supplies. Mr.
McKay, having no one else to send, came to Qu^Appelle, and
asked Mr. McDonald to send me out to take account of
Flemmand's trade and proceedings.
To provide accommodation for the frequent dances by
which the Metis amused themselves in their wintering quar-
ters, each family "in society" built their one-roomed log
dwelling large enough to serve as a ballroom as well. If a
man were a trader he usually kept his goods in the same
apartment, only providing an outbuilding for gunpowder, furs,
robes, leather and cured provisions — the frozen fresh meat
being piled on a stage outside high above the reach of dogs.
Although he had left his family to winter at Fort Ellice,
Flemmand was not the man to be outclassed in floor space
for dancing, and incidental room for the goods, which he
invariably alluded to as "my property," with strong accent
and recurring emphasis on the " r's." He was quite surprised
and taken aback when, after I had knocked, or rather
drummed, on his clear parchment door, on his permission
" Entre,'^ I stepped in. He turned as pale as his complexion
permitted, gave a gasp, and then exclaimed, " 0, bon jour,
mon ami, you just de man I like to see here. De men Mon-
sieur McKay he give me no good, not trustive men. Dam
rascals, day lie an^ day cheat, an' day steal my prrroperrty.
So I glad you come to take de 'oont."
Flemmand I knew as certainly a " quick change artist," but
he surpassed himself and astonished me as soon as he had
uttered the words, for, without the ceremony of knocking, in
came Bazil with my baggage, and Flemmand rushed up to
him, clapping him on the shoulder, and instantly declared:
" Ah, Monsieur, look at dis man, a fine lettle fellow, de only
trustive man I got; but dat Che-cake (his partner) a useless
trash and dam rascal."
Bazil sullenly shook off his " master's " hand, and only
gave him a knowing and contemptuous glance in return for
the compliments, and went out to bring in more of his sled-
350
FLEMMAND ON HIS DEFENCE
load. As soon as Bazil banged the door behind him, Flem-
mand^s ingratiating smile changed to an expression of hatred,
and shaking his fist at the closed door he again commenced,
" How can I take care of my prrroperrty w'en de Company
give me men like dat?"
Then in came Che-cake, when in like manner I was asked
to bear witness to his excellencies and the delinquencies of
Bazil, and, the moment his back was turned, of Flemmand's
private and confidential official opinion of the kind of men
under him. Much to my amusement, this performance was
repeated till the men had, coming in alternately, unladen
their sleds.
While taking a list of the supplies — furs and pro^
visions — " the property of the Hudson's Bay Company on
hand at Wood Mountain" that day and date, and making
notes of Flemmand's account of his doings, I told him
of the accusations against him and his management and asked
explanation or denial.
Put on his defence, Flemmand agreed with the ancient
saying that all men are liars, but classified those who had
spoken ill of him as positive, comparative and superlative
liars, who, through envy and jealousy of his brilliant ability
as a trader and an advertiser of his wares, also as the favorite
he had become in that camp with the ladies, had entered into
a campaign of lies and slander to ruin his personal standing
and the local trade of the Company at the same time.
Early in the winter he had known that the trade with the
few Indians and freemen attached to Fort Ellice and winter-
ing out there would be too small to pay expenses. The Metis
winterers had several traders among their number, and, of
course, opposed to him. These Metis were mostly from
the American side, and only a minority from the Eed Eiver
Settlement and accustomed to deal with the Company there.
As none of these classes had much need and as little desire
to patronize Le Magazin de Flemmand, he was obliged to
initiate methods to secure their trade, which he was well
23 851
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEERS
aware were not sanctioned by the ordinary rules and methods
of the Company.
But he knew his fellow Metis were as fond of dress, danc-
ing and gambling as he was himself, likewise were they in
love of display and envious of those who made it. So instead
of defending himself against the charges of having freshly
arrayed himself daily and gone out to visit with new clothing
and finery from his store, he told me to report to Mr. McKay
that he had done so for the purpose of advertising his business,
and at the same time to put the fellows from the American
side, in their shoddy clothes, completely in the shade, while he,
in brilliant array, basked in the smiles of the fair sex. The
end had amply justified the means, for these hunters, envious
of him, and desirous to eclipse him, one after another began to
give up the furs and robes which they had previously refused to
trade with him, for fine blue cloth capotes with brass buttons,
fine cloth trousers, broad L'Assomption belts, fine colored
flannel shirts, black silk neckerchiefs, and foxtail plumes,
anointments of pomatum and scented hair oil, besides silver
finger rings and gilt earrings.
The dances he gave were also for advertising purposes, and
well repaid their cost. Gambling was a besetting amusement,
which so often led to loss of life and property as to be most
strictly forbidden by the Company. But in its arts and
mysteries Flemmand was too expert to fear loss, besides his
popularity and position as leader of the fast and fashionable
set would have been untenable had he refrained from it. So
when a man with furs was not to be tempted to part with
them in exchange for the bright raiment which Flemmand
advertised on his back, nor, by expressing admiration of them,
compel Flemmand, according to the fashion of the country,
to immediately disrobe and make a present of the desirable
garment to its admirer, who was equally bound by the law
of honor prevailing amongst the gay cavaliers of the prairies
to double the gift in return, this modern disciple of the
versatile Radisson, the father of the fur trade, would challenge
362
"DE WOMEN DO DE BES^ TEADE "
the trader or hunter to a gambling game from which Flem-
mand generally arose triumphant, and the stakes were paid
by him in goods, while those of his opponents were discharged
in furs.
Flemmand's flirtations with the belles of the camp, he
asserted, had been grossly misrepresented by the malice of
envious male and female competitors. While acknowledging,
without undue modesty, his success as a ladies' man, even in
that delightful pastime he had had the gathering of furs for
the Company as his main aim and object. " It is de women
dat do de bes' trade," he sagely said. " Plaze dem and dey
bring de furs."
In fine, he had made a good trade, and Mr. McKay would,
receive ample and profitable returns for the " prroperrty "
committed to the charge of Flemmand, whose zeal in the
service of the Company had led him into many temptations
and transgressions of their rules and regulations.
Caught in a Prairie Blizzard.
That winter I made two other trips with dogs. One was
out to Old Wives' Lake with Jacob Bear and a lad named
Unide Gardupuis, on which we had the unpleasant experience
of being caught by a blizzard on the bare prairie. Scraping
the snow away down to the grass with our snowshoes, we laid
down with robes and blankets under and over us, and let the
snowdrift cover us up. After spending forty-eight hours
huddled together for warmth in this decidedly uncomfortable
" camp," nibbling a morsel of pemmican and trying to thaw
snow for drinking in the covered copper teakettle we put
to warm in our bosoms, Jacob thrust his head up, and, seeing
it was clear, said we must get up and run for the nearest
woods.
Though clear, the north-west wind was strong and piercingly
cold. The dogs were all covered up under the snow around
us. Feeling for them with our feet, and pulling them out of
their comparatively warm lairs, we, with great difficulty and
353
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEERS
distress, with hands and fingers already benumbed in lashing
the bedding on the sleds, hitched them in and set off. Jacob
ran ahead of his train to give a lead, for there was no trail
and the wind was blowing hard slantingly ahead and across
our course over the Couteau. The two trains of dogs, Jacob's
and my own, which I was driving after him, constantly edged
away from the slanting head wind, and I had all I could do
to keep them on the course. We had eaten little and drunk
less while under the snow, and it was forenoon with no
chance of reaching the woods on Old Wives' Creek till sun-
down.
Suddenly Jacob began running harder than ever, and then
stopped and began scooping a hole in the snow. When we
came nearer he shouted, ^' We'll boil the kettle here," for he
had found sticking out of a badger hole the larger half of a
broken pine tent pole, than which nothing could be better to
kindle a smudgy fire of buffalo dung. We willingly " rooted "
with our feet for the precious buffalo chips, and had a pile
high as a haycock by the time Jacob had knifed enough shav-
ings to kindle it. The storm being violent, we covered Jacob
with a robe while he struck a light with flint and steel. The
fuel soon smouldered into red, and the kettle was boiled for
a long longed-for drink of tea, after we had first slaked our
thirst by melting snow in the frying-pan. But although it
boiled the kettle, that smouldering fire gave out no warmth
to us around it. Poor young Unide, thinly-clad in cotton
shirt and white cloth capote, with his blanket over all for a
shawl, had to keep on the run round and round about the
fire, nibbling at a lump of frozen pemmican as he went, and
stopping for a moment occasionally to take a drink of tea.
Jacob and I were able to keep from freezing, being better clad,
and sat down with our robes over our backs and heads on the
weather side of the fire, more to protect it from being blown
away than for any warmth we could possibly derive from it.
As soon as we got the fire going the dogs were given a
little pemmican, enough to keep up their strength without
354
A COLD TRIP
impeding their travelling till night. So the whole party
started with renewed strength and spirit to battle with that
biting breeze till we should find rest and safety in the bush
on the borders of the Old Wives' Creek. Every few minutes
as we ran we had to thaw the frostbites on our noses and
faces.
The sun had gone down when we gained the desired haven
just in time for Jacob to see well enough to chop the big lot
of firewood for the blazing bonfire he intended to enjoy in
the comfort of a camp in the shelter of the woods, in contrast
Anth the sufferings we had endured on the wind-swept prairie
and under the snow.
Had Unide and I been alone we would never have reached
that camp; and it had taxed even the hardiness of Jacob to
do so. As soon as he had finished cutting all the firewood
he wanted, and came to stand by the fire, he discovered that
his right ear, on the windward side, had been solidly frozen,
and by its commencing to thaw it gave him intense pain, from
which he suffered many a day. He bravely bore it and laugh-
ingly said, " You will be able to put down my name on the
list with marks like a horse with a crop ear, and call me
Jacob " Court Oreille."*
The only other trip I made that winter of any consequence
was one to Fort Pelly, where, apart from giving me hospitable
welcome as a newcomer to Swan River district, I was wanted
to extract a troublesome tooth for Chief Factor Campbell's
lady.
* A few days ago I had the great pleasure of hearing that my
good-natured and capable traveUing companion is alive and In
the enjoyment of fairly good health near Whitewood, Saskatch-
ewan.
355
CHAPTEE XXIII.
HISTORY OF FORT PELLY AND A VISIT TO IT IN
1868-W.
FoET Pelly.
Under various names, during their half century of conflict,
the North-West and Hudson's Bay companies had maintained
more or less permanent posts in the vicinity of the " Fort
Pelly" of the United Company. The pious fur trader, Har-
mon, describes his sojourn at one of these in his published
journal.
The earlier fur traders, ascending the Assiniboine from
Lake Winnipeg, established posts along the river. From one
of these, at Portage la Prairie, access to Lakes Manitoba and
Winnipegosis and the Swan River was obtained. Later the
Hudson's Bay Company, coming from Lake Winnipeg up the
Little Saskatchewan Eiver to Lakes Manitoba and Winnipeg-
osis, found their way up the Swan Eiver and portaged across
to the headwaters of the Assiniboine; and on this route the
line of posts composing the original Swan Eiver district were
established. The posts lower down on the Assiniboine, such
as Portage la Prairie and Brandon House, were in a district
known as Upper Eed Eiver, independent of the Lower Eed
Eiver district, of which Fort Garry was the headquarters.
In 1831 the Northern Department Council ordered : "That,
in order to protect the trade of the Assiniboines and Crees of
the Upper Eed Eiver district from American opposition on
the Missouri, a new post be established at Beaver Creek, to
be called Fort Ellice." Next year Fort EUice was added to
Swan Eiver district, and Dr. William Todd, who had pre-
viously commanded the "Upper Eed Eiver district," from
356
TOUCHWOOD HILLS AN IMPORTANT POST
Brandon House, succeeded the veteran Chief Factor Colin
Robertson at Fort Pelly, and in the charge of Swan River
district to which Fort Ellice was then added.
Some years after, an outpost of Fort Pelly was placed at
the Big Touchwood Hills, forming a supply station on the
more direct trail between Fort Ellice and Carlton House
than the older route by way of Fort Pelly. The outpost at
Touchwood Hills, growing in importance, soon became an
independent post, and was in the early sixties moved from
the Big to the Little Touchwood Hills, somewhat south of
the Saskatchewan trail. Similarly, in the later fifties. Fort
Ellice established a wintering post at Long Lake, on the
upland prairie rather south-easterly of the site of Fort
Qu'Appelle. This outpost was established under the charge
of James McKay, who afterwards became known as the Hon.
James McKay, of Deer Lodge, Manitoba. Mr. McKay
was succeeded by Interpreter Edward Cyr, one of the splendid
French-Canadians in the service, and a mighty hunter, too.
Of Cyr it is related that, being thrown from his horse in
pursuing a young buffalo bull, and losing his gun in the fall,
he was charged by the bull, whose horns he seized with his
bare hands, and after a long wrestle, which burned and tore
the skin off his palms, he succeeded in throwing the animal
and killing him with his hunting-knife.* Cyr was followed
by William Daniel, an " English ^' halfbreed of Irish descent,
who was born and brought up at or near Moose Factory,
where he acquired the Orkney dialect of the English language
which formed the common tongue of the natives of British
descent throughout the whole of Rupert's Land.
" Big William " Daniel was a great man in strength, in
stature and in a dare-devil courage, combined with a cool skill
which had carried him triumphant in a York boat, manned
only by himself, over the dreaded White Fall on the route
to York Factory, and had brought his brigade of boats, cov-
* Related to me by William Daniel and " Gaddie " Birston.
357
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
ered with tarpaulins, with "hatches batten down/' so to
speak, under double-reefed sail, across Lake Winnipeg in such
a storm as no other guide had ever dared to venture out in.*
Next, Archibald McDonald, then a young apprentice clerk,
was in charge of the wintering post and had the good fortune
to have such men as Cyr and Daniel with him. He again was
succeeded by Postmaster Peter Hourie, who removed the
post, which, by that time, had become a permanent one, to
the site of the present Fort Qu'Appelle in 1864. Mr. Hourie
was a stalwart and intelligent, fine specimen of the native of
Orkney origin. Although he had left the Company before I
Joined it, we often met in pleasant intercourse, and as he
became favorably known to the Dominion Government, in
* Daniel used to relate with enthusiastic admiration the tradi-
tions of deeds of daring which had been handed down to Mm by
older voyageurs. One of these was about a big brigade of one
hundred and fifty canoes having been gathered from all parts of
the interior at Jack River (afterwards Norway House), to
descend to the Bay for the purpose of recapturing a
fort taken by the French. The safer Hayes River route
was not followed, if known at that time, but that by either
the Nelson or the Churchill (which I could not make out, but
probably the former), in the descent of which there was a
dangerous rapid a mile and a half long, over which the still un-
thawn ice, in the early season, formed an unbroken roof high
enough above the level of the water upon which it had been
formed to permit of canoes and their crews passing under it.
Which they did yearly in the course of their business. In Feb-
ruary, 1890, while on a trip to Split I>ake, I tried to ascertain
the locality of this long rapid with the ice-roof, but it certainly
was not between that point and Norway House. However^ along
the Nelson River, on the dog-train route, there occurre'd here
and there ledges of ice, a few feet wide, clinging to the sheer
rocks along rapids, and many feet above the level to which the
river had fallen, leaving these projctions on which the dog-
drivers took the advantage and the risk rather than ascend to
the top of the high bank and make a detour to pass the rapid,
which had interrupted the easy travel on the ice below and
above it. Such ledges and piles of ice, preventing the possibility
of landing, occur on miany rapids run, " full cargo," by the
voyageurs; and possibly the tradition related by Daniel may
have simply exaggerated such conditions. However, he firmly
believed in the continuous roof, and as he Sipoke of the feat his
kindling eye and glowing features showed that it was one in
which he, even then old as he was, would have been delighted
to attempt.
358
FORT PELLY
whose service he died a few years ago, T need not add my
appreciation of a person so well known at Regina.
These bits of the biography of worthy old timers have led
me into digressing from what I was going to say about Fort
Pelly. Doctor Todd remained as chief trader in charge of
Swan River district at Fort Pelly till 1843, when he was
succeeded by Chief Trader Cuthbert Cummings, a Highland
cousin of Lord Strathcona. Mr. Cummings was followed by
other chief traders, Messrs. Alexander and William J. Christie
and Alexander A. H. Murray, to whom Chief Factor Camp-
bell succeeded.
Until York Factory ceased to be the depot of the Northern
Department from Avhich the trading outfits were received and
to which the furs were sent; these were freighted in the
district brigades to and from the head of boat navigation on
the Swan River, thence carted across land to the fort. The
outfit for the "plain posts" of the district ceased to come
that way in 1871, but the furs (exclusive of buffalo robes,
which went to Montreal by the United States) continued to
be sent out to York Factory by the boats sent from the " lake
posts" for their outfits till 1874 or 1875. Upon the retire-
ment of Chief Factor Campbell, in 1870, he was succeeded
by Chief Trader William McKay, who, after wintering at Fort
Pelly, returned to Fort Ellice, which became under him and
liis successor in the year 1872, Chief Trader Archibald McDon-
ald, headquarters till 1883, when the latter officer, by that time
a chief factor, made Fort Qu'Appelle his official residence.
Meanwhile the Hon. David Laird had been appointed resi-
dent Lieutenant-Governor of the North- West Territories at
Fort Pelly, and the headquarters of the North- West Mounted
Police was established near it at " Livingstone Barracks."
Shortly after the seat of government was moved to Battleford,
and Fort Pelly relapsed into the position of a fur-trading
post under the careful management of Mr. Adam McBeath,
whose place in charge of the fine post of Shoal River, near the
final fall of the Swan River into Lake Winnipegosis, had been
359
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
taken by his nephew, Mr. Angus McBeath. It is rather
remarkable that Adam McBeath was the only one of
the original white settlers, brought out under the
auspices of the Earl of Selkirk, who, as far as I ever
heard, became a fur trader in the Company's service. He
entered it under the auspices of Chief Factor Donald Ross,
who ruled so wisely and so well and for the greater part of
his life at Norway House, and who had the good fortune to
take unto himself as wife the sister of Mr. McBeath.
Mr. McBeath had served as postmaster in Mackenzie River
District, contemporaneously with Mr. Campbell, and was for
many years in charge of Fort Norman there, where his good
wife, a daughter of one of the many chief factors named
" Roderick " McKenzie, bore him a large family.
Under Mr. Adam McBeath's experienced management the
fort, though it had ceased to be the Company's capital of the
district and the Canadian capital of the territories, continued
to be one of the very best fur-gathering and profitable sta-
tions in the whole country, as indeed it had been for the
preceding century. Upon Mr. Adam McBeath's retirement,
full of age and honor, from the service about 1880, to the
beautiful shore of Lac Qu'Appelle, he was succeeded by an-
other member of the family who fully sustained its reputation
in the fur trade, Mr. Angus McBeath, who is now living at
Edmonton in honorable retirement as a well-pensioned officer
of the Company.
One of the reasons for the selection of Fort Pelly as the
site of the first establishment of -Canadian rule was that of
its being upon the government telegraph line from Winnipeg
to Edmonton and on the route of the originally projected
Canadian Pacific Railway; but when the Canadian Northern
Railway took that general direction it passed the site just
near enough to destroy the new mixed trade with settlers as
well as Indians which the Company's " sale shop " had been
profitably engaged in. So, stripped of its ancient and modern
sources of profit. Fort Pelly was closed up as a place of busi-
360
FORT PELLY CLOSED
ness for the Company in June, 1912, some hundred and fifty
years after the first permanent establishment of fur trading
posts at or near its site.
A Winter Visit to Fort Pelly.
It was, I think, during the still cold winter month of
February, 1869, that William Sparrowhawk and I, with a
train of dogs each, moderately laden with buffalo tongues and
leather for Port Pelly, made a pleasant voyage thereto, and
brought back some trading goods as return cargo. It was
cold, but one did not feel it in the shelter of the frequent
groves of aspen, poplar and willow, which, like islands in
the lake, dotted the prairie, through which the trail trended.
Passing by the File and Pheasant and Beaver Hills, the latter
heavily wooded, on approaching the Assiniboine valley spruce
trees began to show among the poplar, and we then added
springy couches of spruce boughs to what seemed, by com-
parison with the hardships of the fireless and shelterless wind-
swept open plains, where the winter trade and travel of
Qu'Appelle were carried on, the luxury of easy travel with
the comfort of a fire in the cosy protection of the bush
whenever we chose to stop, instead of having to make long
and rapid traverses between the rare and scattered little
patches of firewood, which were the only refuge from the
cold blasts and blizzards of the terrible open spaces.
Sparrowhawk was a Saulteau, with possibly a trace of
French in him, without, however, any symptom whatever of
their volubility, for he was endowed with the golden gift of
silence, though not of the sullen sort with which so many
Indians are afflicted. He had asked for a trip to vary the
monotony of his occupation as assistant cartwright to Eobil-
lard. He enjoyed the journey and was a good, handy and
active voyageur, besides being of unusually thrifty and neat
habits. One of the greatest hardships which a man walking
and running hard has to endure is the want of means to
slake the thirst thereby produced. From the American post
361
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
on the Missouri where he had spent the previous and several
other years, Sparrowhawk had brought one of those tin flasks
in which sporting gunpowder was sold there. This he invari-
ably filled before leaving camp with either tea or " bouyon "
(bouillon), and placed inside his clothes in his bosom to
prevent its freezing till he required a drink on the march.
I mention this, as very few thirsty men on the trip ever took
this wise precaution.
A Fight for Furs.
Fort Pelly was all bustle and excitement that winter, occa-
sioned by two of the Company's best traders, who had " gone
free," having brought in a big supply of the important
articles, tea, sugar, and flour, with which the posts of Swan
River were generally under-supplied. One of these free-
traders was Keche (Big) William Daniel; the other, on a
larger scale, was Mr. Peter Hourie.
It was the fixed policy of the Company whenever any of
their employees " went free " and then started as " free-
traders," more especially in a district where they were known
and personally popular with the Indians, to put forth even
greater exertions to crush their competition than was the case
against any other of their opponents. The fight for furs then
assumed all the fierceness of a fratricidal conflict between the
men in and those who had gone out of the Company's service.
That winter, too, furred animals were abundant in the hunt-
ing grounds of the Fort Pelly Indians, and they were most
excellent hunters. Indeed, I must say here, that just as the
Metis, as hunters of buffalo, far excelled the ordinary Indians,
so also did these known as Indians, but with some tincture of
white blood, even when derived many generations back, surpass
the pure Indians as trappers and hunters in the woods. The
Fort Pelly " Indians," as the family names " Cote " and
" Sivwri^ht " and others indicated, like the Okanase band
about Riding Mountain, were remotely descended from
Europeans, but born and brought up with the Indians, trained
362
• " THE LITTLE BEAESKIN " STEAIN
in woodcraft from infancy, and not handicapped, like not a
few of their kind, who, though nearer the European in blood
and appearance, had lost much of the Indian hunting faculty
while acquiring little of the industry of the European in com-
pensation.*
Tom McKay, Second in Command.
The chief factor could leave his headquarters to inspect the
other posts in his district with easy mind as to the trade of
Fort Pelly suffering no detriment through his absence, as his
second in command in all the arts of trading and travelling
was second to none anywhere in the territories; for Mr.
Thomas McKay was of " The Little Bearskin ^' strain of fur
traders for generations, being son of the good Chief Trader
William McKay, of Fort Ellice, of whom I had the privilege
of writing in a previous chapter. Besides being a " real
McKay," "Tom," through his mother, was descended from
the notable old Hudson's Bay families of Cook and Sinclair.
So, good as they were as " free-traders," Hourie and Daniel
met their match in the personality of the Company^s
trader competing with them. And the competition was
not one in which he engaged for the benefit of the Com-
pany and to win his way in it alone; but, like every other
contest in which men with red blood and sporting instincts
engage, it was a game in which the wit and skill of both
sides were ardently enlisted.
As in a campaign of actual war, each side watched and
spied upon the movements of the other, day and night, so
like a general directing a battle, McKay was on the alert at
all hours, sleeping with one eye open, and up in a moment
to hear from spy and courier their reports from the
* The class just referred to is that of the hangers-on about
mission and trading stations, who picked up a living by fishing
and shooting wildfowl for themselves, and clothed themselves by
serving as boatmen in the summer, and occasionally as trippers
in the winter, neither traipping furs like the Indians nor attempt-
ing to till the soil like the whites.
363
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUREES .
front. No sooner would one of these arrive, exhausted
from a swift running rush to " Thunder Hill," with
the news from that quarter than McKay would rouse
from his rest another tripper, and while the tripper
was hastily preparing himself and his dog trains, " the
second" would be having the trade supplies required, by
such as Cote at the Crow Stand, packed up. While so engaged
another dog train driver would arrive from another quarter,
and similar action be taken (to anticipate or meet the free-
traders there. And so on the exciting game would go and be
played by trippers often as full of ardour as the second himself.
When such an attack was made on the preserves of the
Company's post the regular complement of men did not
suffice, and it became necessary to engage as temporary
servants all sorts and conditions of men, in many cases not
for their ability to be of service, but to prevent their capability
for mischief and annoyance being used by the other side.
Among the men composing these " auxiliary forces " at Fort
Pelly I caught a short glimpse of the dashing dandy, Donald,
who figured as harlequin in the farce with the
ferocious Flemmand in Paul Denomie's shanty at " The
Turn." Donald had either forsaken or been forsaken by his
former free-trade-in-whiskey master, and had with zeal and
agility returned to serve under the flag under which he had
been born, and now he appeared to be the most enthusiastic dog
driver engaged in supplying the wants of the Indians from
the fort, glibly palavering to them in camp and bringing back
the furs, accompanying the whole transaction with as much
fuss and flurry as circumstances permitted.
About 1872 Mr. Thomas McKay retired from the Com-
pany's service to become leader among the pioneer agricultural
settlers at Prince Albert, which he represented for years in
the North- West Council at Regina, and where he took a most
prominent and honorable part among the loyalists during the
rebellion of 1885. That the rebellion was confined in its
364
MR McKAY'S DARING COURAGE
scope amongst the natives was largely due to the daring cour-
age and influence of this highly respected old pioneer.
William Thomson Smith.
The clerk, who was accountant for Swan River district for
about two years before and two years after that time, was
Mr. William Thomson Smith, a native of St. Andrews, in
"the Kingdom of Fife." He, like John Balsillie, of Fort
Garry, and John Wilson, of Mackenzie River, was one of the
appointees of Mr. Edward Ellice, M.P. for St. Andrews, the
influential proprietor of much Company's stock, and, I think,
always on the directorate. Mr. Smith had not only had the
advantage of being educated ait " The Madras," but also some
good business training before entering the service in 1859.
Mr. Smith, among other useful accomplishments, was a
good gardener, and he astonished me by declaring that the
capabilities of the country at large were splendidly adapted
for farming, if practised in a way suitable to the climate, and
good seed were used. He had had great success with vege-
tables at Fort Pelly; from fresh seed which he had procured
from St. Paul, Minnesota, because the " assortment of garden
seed" supplied with the regular outfit from York Factory
was nearly as old as the Company itself, and originally not
of suitable sort. This was rank heresy and denial of the
doctrine that the country was no good for anything but
hunting and would ever so remain, which article of belief,
like the Shorter Catechism in Scotland, was in and out of
season impressed upon newcomers by their masters and those
in authority over them in the Company. It was years, how-
ever, before I realized that Mr. Smith was right, and even
that the opponents of the Company were not falsifying facts
in this respect, for during my first ten years in the country
the plague of grasshoppers recurred almost annually, and if
they did not, something else in the shape of drouth or frost
or hail spoiled the crops, always excepting the ever-hardy
365
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
potato, which I have never known to be a complete faihire
from any cause whatever.
Mr. Smith retired from the Company's service in 1872, and
found an opening and reward for his abilities in banking and
financial affairs in Ontario, retiring from which, for a time
he pursued his favorite diversion in an orange grove of Cali-
fornia — a far cry from the barren rocks and icy breezes of
Great Slave Lake, where he was stationed before coming to
Fort Pelly. He now resides in London, Ontario.
Alan McIvor.
At that time there was stationed at Fort Pelly, in charge
of the farming department and live stock, other than the great
band of grade " Melbourne " horses bred there, a very highly-
thought-of Highlander, named Alan McIvor, who afterwards
settled at Portage la Prairie, and has left a good name and a
number of descendants in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. He
had seen and performed good service in Mackenzie River
district before coming to Fort Pelly.
Mechanics.
The Company's Council at York Factory in 1830 adopted
the policy of taking native-born lads as apprentices to the
blacksmiths and boatbuilders and other mechanics employed
at their principal posts. The wording of the resolution,
which became afterwards a fixed policy, runs : —
"Resolved, that chief factors and chief traders, in charge
of districts and posts where regular tradesmen are employed,
be authorized to engage strong, healthy, halfbreed lads, not
under fourteen years of age, as apprentices, to be employed
with these mechanics for the purpose of learning their busi-
ness, for a term of not less than seven years, at the following
wages, which are considered sufficient to provide them with
clothes and other personal necessaries, viz. : — The first two
years at £8 per annum; the next two years at £10 per annum;
the following two years at £12 per annum; and the last year
366
HANDY MEN
at £15 per annum; laaking for the seven years' apprenticeship
an allowance of £75 ; such lads not to be employed with their
fathers, nor in the district where their fathers or family
reside."
From that time on many an apt pupil was trained by
these master mechanics, who generally hailed from the Orkney
Islands. Of these, while the boatbuilders and carpenters
were good, I think the blacksmiths were better, and could
turn their hands to and repair anything from an anchor to
a watch. Repairing guns was, of course, one of the principal
crafts they were called upon to practise; but many of the
" non-professional " natives claimed to be able to temper the
knives they made for themselves, out of worn-out files, better
than any of the blacksmiths. The Indians were all craftsmen
in the making of snowshoes and canoes, and many of them
wonderful workers in metal without forge or other smithy
appliances.
Inheriting the manual dexterity from their maternal stock,
the " young half breed lads " made good workmen, but more
of them were trained as carpenters and boat-builders than
as blacksmiths. Their education in other matters was not
neglected either, for all such apprentices had a fair knowledge
of " the three R's," and quite a number rose to the position
of postmasters and clerks in the service.
The blacksmith at Fort Felly at -that time was an Orkney-
man named Johnstone, who, I remember gratefully, fixed my
open-faced watch, of which the glass had been broken, by
inserting a piece of silver, an American coin, in its place.
The boat-builder was Jacob Beads, who had served his appren-
ticeship at Moose Factory, and had accompanied Doctor Rae
on one of his Arctic expeditions, and therefore was certified
as a first-class travelling man.
The Missionary.
On Sunday service was held in English and Indian by the
Rev. Luke Caldwell, a native Indian missionary of the Church
24 367
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUREES
of England, in the large office and Indian reception room in
the fort.
A HOKSEGUARD AND WOLF-RUNNER.
The best buffalo hunting horses in the country were those
descended from an Irish hunter named " Fireaway," and
every descendant, however remote, from this highly prepotent
sire showed some of his excellencies. He was the best ever
bought by the Company to improve the breed of ponies. A
stallion later imported was " Melbourne," which was partly of
Clydesdale breed, and whose offspring could be distinguished
by the ox-like rump of the strain. There were few really good
buffalo runners of the Melbourne breed, but many good, strong
saddle and draft animals.
Fort Pelly had been, at least from the time of Chief Factor
John Clarke, the predecessor of Colin Robertson, a horse and
cattle breeding station, situated as it was amidst the splendid
pasturage of a well-watered and wood-sheltered country.
Moreover, it was out of the way of the worst tribes of horse
thieves. " Melbourne " had been stationed there and a large
band of his progeny roamed around the park-like prairies of
Fort Pelly, under the watchful care of an Indian horseguard,
who did not permit them to range beyond certain limits.
The guard was one Thomas Manitou Keesik, "which surname
is equivalent in English to "Cod Above." His Christian
name of Thomas was the outward sign of his conversion from
the polytheism of his ancestors, but it is said of him that each
Monday after receiving communion on a Sunday, admin-
istered by the native missionaries — ^the Rev. James Settee or
the Rev. Luke Caldwell — in the fort, Thomas resorted to the
forest bearing a strip of red and another of blue cloth, of the
kind known as " Hudson's Bay strouds," and offered these
up in aboriginal fashion to his ancestral deity or deities. Nor
did he make this double profession of opposite faiths in secret,
for, said he, " One may be right and the other wrong, or both
368
INTERDICTIOISr OF LIQUOR TO INDIANS
may be right ; so I want to make doubly sure of the future life
that both Christians and Indians believe in."
Thomas was not only remarkable for the frank latitude of
his views in religion, but also for his pre-eminence as a long-
distance runner in a country remarkable for wonderful feats
on foot. Besides being of use to the Company as a fur-
bearer, the small species of wolf then known as the " Togony "
and now as the " Coyote," preyed upon the Company's calves
and colts, which ranged at large with the herds about the fort.
As a consequence a double reward was given the wolf -slayer
there. While not disdaining every other manner of winning
the prize, Thomas made a speciality for special reward in the
form of rum, which had become a luxury placed quite beyond
the reach of an Indian there except under most extraordinary
circumstances. By the time I came to Swan River the inter-
diction of liquor to Indians had become absolute, and Thomas
had to content himself with the less regarded but still beloved
tea, of which three pounds (an enormous quantity as com-
pared with the one pound only to which an Indian was then
restricted, and that at long intervals) was regarded as but a
poor substitute for the old allowance of one pint of well-
diluted rum. This specialty of Thomas was in running down
on foot and clubbing the wolf to death. I am informed by
Mr. William Phillips, now a farmer of good repute at Clande-
boye, in Manitoba, that when he was stationed at Fort Pelly
in 1865 Thomas Keesik (his middle name was generally
dropped in conversation) ran a wolf down all the way from
Fort Pelly to near Touchwood Hills (a distance of probably
one hundred miles), till both the pursued and the pursuer
fell down together exhausted, Thomas tripping and falling
on the wolf. Both lay as they fell together for some time
completely spent, till Thomas, sooner recovering, gave the
wolf the final coup, and added it to his long record of such
feats.
3G9
CHAPTEE XXIV.
THE SUMMER OF 1869.
The Navigation of Qu'Appelle Kiver.
In the spring and early summer of 1869, Fort Qu'Appelle
was the scene of the repetition of the bustle and excitement
of the previous season, lacking only the liveliness of the
mirthmaking Flemmand, the star farceur, who, no doubt,
made up to Fort Ellice what Qu'Appelle lost in that respect.
In addition to the activities of the previous year, however,
the river-bank in front had become the site of an experiment
in boat building, and the fort was full of the whole comple-
ment of officers and men from Touchwood Hills, with their
families.
For it bad been decided upon the recommendation of Mr.
McDonald that the returns of buffalo robes and provisions
of both Touchwood Hills and Qu'Appelle should be sent to
Fort Garry by the Qu'Appelle River as far as Fort Ellice, and
thence, as usual, down the Assiniboine. Although the Assini-
boine was not used for the carriage of freight upstream from
Fort Ellice to Fort Pelly it afforded good facility, during the
high water of the early part of the season, for the descent
of York boats, for the construction of which there were the
proper timber and builders at Fort Pelly. But the posts
at Touchwood Hills and Qu'Appelle were in the unusual
situation of being permanent trading establishments not get-
ting their principal freight in and out by the waterways.
Besides it had been found that the business affairs of the
two posts, which were situated at the unusually short distance
of only fifty miles apart, overlapped and interfered with each
other out on the plains, where the Indians belonging to the
separate establishments were continually being mixed up in
370
A PROPOSED CANAL
the same camps in following their common quarry, which no
longer covered the whole country. For these reasons it had
been decided to abandon Touchwood Hills as a permanent
and independent post and to iplace it and its trade under
the direction of the officer-in-charge of Qu'Appelle.
Therefore had Mr. and Mrs. Finlayson with their fine little
girls, and Interpreter Peter La Pierre, also all hands and
their families come down that spring to Qu'Appelle, bringing
the " Returns of Trade " and all supplies and movables with
them. Previously to this general migration, all the available
transport of the two posts had been busily engaged in hauling
the poplar (there being no spruce at hand) planks and
boards, which had been prepared at Touchwood Hills for the
construction of the fleet of batteaux, to the bank of the
Qu'Appelle River, where they were being built that spring.
For years Mr. McDonald had been persistently advocating
the construction of a canal across the short height-of-land
between the headwaters of the Qu'Appelle and their ancient
source in the South Branch of the Saskatchewan, and as a
preliminary to that project he had obtained permission to
test the natural availability of the Qu'Appelle for flat-bot-
tomed batteaux as far down as Fort Ellice, from which point
they had been regularly used to Fort Garry ever since fur-
trading began.
His experiment failed. The poplar boards and planks were
of soft, spongy quality, no tar was to be had, spruce gum,
melted with buffalo grease, only was used on the seams,
which were caulked with old leather and rags for want of
oakum, and no iron nails, only wooden pins were used in
construction. So the batteaux absorbed the water like
sponges and leaked like sieves, requiring the crews to be
constantly bailing instead of propelling the craft, when it was
not compulsory to land the cargo and haul up the boat for
repairs. When the " 'brigade " started the water was at a
fairly high stage, and it made fair progress under lodge-
leather sails, over the lakes ; but the intervening streams were
371
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEERS
so crooked and offered so many impediments that it was a
whole week before they reached the outlet of the second lake
below the fort. " Baffled but not beaten " by all these diffi-
culties, by daily desertion of the men hired for the trip, by
the discontent of the dispirited " regulars," and by the inter-
minable sinuosities of the stream, the determination of Mr.
McDonald finally forced the batteaux to Fort Ellice after a
period of six weeks' continual driving. Unavoidably, under
such circumstances, a great part of the cargo was spoilt;
so this experimental voyage ended any further attempts in
that direction.
Deserting Boatmen.
Almost daily, during the three weeks which the fleet re-
mained within ready radius overland of the fort, we received
bulletins from the commander, ordering supplies and re-
inforcements and the punishment of the deserters. Most of
these, however, gave us a wide berth, for they did not wish
to be stripped of the clothing which they had received as
advances on account of the voyage. But one of them openly
came back and took up his abode in a lodge on the adjoining
plain. He was a big, powerful Ojibway, originally from
Red Lake, a place of ill repute for the power of its bad
medicine, in the art of using which this man, Pascal, posed
as an expert. He was dreaded also as a wanderer from his
•tribe for the good of it, and by the whites he was looked upon
with suspicion as an Indian who deigned to talk a little French
and English, and professed Christianity without ceasing to
practise paganism. Moreover, as the only one who had
escaped sudden death by lightning in a large lodge crowded
with Chippeways in council, he was supposed by the Indians
to possess a charmed life.
The women's report of Pascal's return was quickly fol-
lowed by a messenger from Mr. McDonald ordering us to
make a special example of him if he came within range of
the fort. So Jerry and I armed ourselves and went over to
372
MAKING AN EXAMPLE
the lodge, where he had taken lodgings, and stripping him
of his voyageur raiment (already too unclean to be used by
others) and taking his bag and blanket, left him arrayed
solely in the strip of blanket which served as breechclout.
He had been lolling at ease in the lodge, bragging that he
cared nothing for either McDonald or Jerry or "the young
doctor" (as they called me) to the fear and admiration of
the women, when we took him so by surprise that he had no
time to offer the resistance which we had fully expected and
were prepared to overcome. Pascal was the last of the Indian
deserters from that brigade.
Buffalo Close.
Soon after this Jerry resumed his usual duty of conducting
the trade and hunt for provisions on the plains. He was still
away when, after the return of Mr. McDonald from Fort
Garry, we received the welcome news that the buffalo in great
numbers had come in close to Touchwood Hills and the Last
Mountain, from a runner wtio had been sent by the Indians,
who had highly profited by the opportunity and were anxious
for supplies of trading goods.
So again, in Jerry's absence with the main cart train, a
scratch outfit of old oxen and convalescent ponies was gathered
up for me, but on this occasion I was reinforced by procuring
Andrew McNab, of Touchwood Hills, as my interpreter and
adviser, whose assistance was specially valuable also, because
the Indians we were going to were nearly all of those who had
traded at Touchwood Hills.
Moving Millions.
We followed the trail leading to Touchwood Hills for about
half a day and then headed northwesterly towards the north
end of Last Mountain Lake, round which we went and then
fell in with buffalo innumerable. They blackened the whole
country, the compact, moving masses covering it so that not a
glimpse of green grass could be seen. Our route took us into
373
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
the midst of the herd, whidh opened in front and closed behind
the train of carts like water round a ship, hut always leaving
an open space about the width of the range of an Indian gun
in our front, rear and flanks. The earth trembled, day and
night, as they moved in billow-like battalions over the undu-
lations of the plain. Every drop of water on our way was foul
and yellow with their wallowings and excretions. So we
travelled among the multitude for several days, save when we
shot a fat cow for food or a bull made a charge and perhaps
upset a cart before he was shot down, neither molesting nor
molested.
A Lone Hunt.
As soon as we reached the scattered fringe of the mass
through which we had journeyed, marvelling at its myriads
and their passive indifference to us, I thought it worth while
10 try my ^prentice hand at running a small band on horseback.
So, mounted on a well-trained roan, down as " Candrie Bon-
homme " on the horse roll at the fort, I left the carts and set
off alone. Before I came up to them the band had started to
run and in charging through the cloud of dust, which they
left behind them, " Candrie " dropped right down into the
bed of a narrow, dry watercourse, about ten feet below the level
of the prairie and with such steep banks that he could neither
scramble nor leap out of it. As I was looking up and down the
fissure, in which our race had been so abruptly arrested, for a
way to get out of it, several stray buffalo, apparently follow-
ing those we had chased, came leaping one after the other
across it. They reminded me of a string of birds on the wing,
and instinctively I let fly at the second and third as they passed
in front, almost overhead. I think each ball took effect, but,
not being gifted like the natives, whose unerring faculty
directed them to every animal they brought down on a run, I
did not find them at the end of my hunt, and we unhitched
that evening too far for my men to think it worth while to
make search.
374
PLAIN HONEYCOMBED WITH BADGER HOLES
When, after following up the coulee a bit, we got on the level
again the band was far off, but there was a year-old calf at
hand, which I set off after. Such youngsters were often the
swiftest, but Candrie was taking me within gunshot when he,
which before had been quite as eager to close in on the others
and to enjoy the hunt as myself, began to edge off to the right,
either in alarm or maybe pity of the swift and gamey yellow
calf, which kept on with unabated speed till that of Candrie
slackened. As I did not get near enough to make a sure shot
before Candrie showed distress, I stopped the race and turned,
at a walk and occasionally a gentle jog, after the carts. And
then the pony which had never made a stumble in racing and
chasing began to do so, but most excusably, for the whole plain
was honeycombed with badger holes so closely that it was a
miracle how we had passed over it without a fall. There must
have been a sweet little cherub up aloft who took care of the
lives and limbs of both human and equine buffalo runners, for
nearly every part of the prairie over which they hunted was
more or less closely perforated with badger holes, and yet mar-
vellously few casualties occurred.
A Camp of Plenty.
A day or two 'afterwards we came to the small camp of
Mis-cow-pe-tung, consisting of a few Crees and Saulteaux, on
a branch of the Arm River, where they had many stages heavily
laden with pemmican, dried meat and grease. There were
enough men, including Day Star, who considered themselves
warriors and chiefs in the camp to fill a council lodge. They
were determined to trade in the old style " skin way,^^ not in
the new f angled " money way," the pounds, shillings and
pence and the avoirdupois weights of which " were mere fool-
ishness," they said, and tortured tjheir brains. In the " made
beaver" or "skin way" there were no complex mathematics, for
a bag of pemmican was valued by the bag at a uniform price,
whether it was larger or smaller than the average, and so was
a bale of dried meat or a bladder of rendered tallow or one
375
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEERS
of fine marrow fat. But the orders of Mr. McDonald to stick
at all costs to the " money way " could not be departed from
by me ; and so a whole day was wasted in argument and in im-
pressing upon me the evil of the " money way." At last as
they could not prevail upon me, one old beast of a trouble-
some fellow, generally and appropriately known as ^' Black-
skin," who was one of the bad breed of " Young Dogs," de-
clared " It is no use trying to make a youth like this clerk
understand reason. We are all thirsty for tea and can't get
any, for he does not have the politeness to give us a present
of it as used to be the way in the ^ skin way.' So let us begin
trading his way."
The women, who had all this time been eagerly waiting to
put on their teakettles, at once rushed to our trading lodge,
and offered their choicest marrow fat and dried meat and
tongues in exchange for the tea to brew the cup which cheered
them, and, when they could get all they asked for, also inebri-
ated, especially when a stick of nigger-head tobacco was
decocted with it.
Andrew McNab, my faithful friend and interpreter, pre-
sided over the steelyards by which the weight of each parcel
of provisions was carefully ascertained, while the eager cus-
tomers waited in disgust at what they considered the irrational
delay — especially when their offerings were below the old
standard. Then came the tug-of-war to make them understand
the values in sterling. While the others were impatiently
waiting their turn, the complexities of the new system of fin-
ance had to be expounded to each one as they came, at whose
elbow sat the villainous Blackskin, continually undoing our
teachings and openly accusing us of being as great cheats as he
knew himself to be.
Every now and again that wretch himself came with a blad-
der of marrow fat, in exchanging which for tea or tobacco or
vermilion the mathematical problem had to be solved by the
use of trading bullets, dinted to represent L., S., D., respec-
tively. For the sake of peace, as he told me afterwards,
376
TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN
Andrew refrained from rendering in full the highly insulting
remarks with which Blackskin punctuated his contentions.
But now and again, as our trade was brought to a standstill
by his tender of a cake or bladder of grease, Andrew would say,
'^ I wonder where the old ibrute is getting it from ; for he is no
hunter, and he has been at his old habit again of murdering
his wives."
Total Eclipse of the Sun.
It was during the afternoon of the 7th of August, 1869,
while this retarded trade was going on, that suddenly the
bright sunshine began to fail, and a horrible noise and wild
commotion arose in camp. Looking up at the sun we saw the
beginning of an eclipse. The warriors and Chiefs rushed to
arms and tom-toms and medicine rattles, and furiously deliv-
ering volley after volley from their flintlocks, or wildly pound-
ing their tom-toms and shaking their rattles, sought with
fierce and blood-curdling war whoops, too, to frighten "the
monster which was swallowing the sun." Simultaneously the
women and children raised their voices in wailings and shrieks
of terror, w^hile, in some scant interval amid the tumultuous
din, the deep tone prayer of some medicine man to his familiar
spirit or deity imploring deliverance from a world of everlast-
ing darkness might be heard.
The " monster " continued, regardlessly, to " eat up " the
sun till it entirely disappeared and complete darkness brooded
over the face of the earth. Then, as if in answer to the cry of
the despairing, the fury of the firing party, the boom of the
tom-tom or the incantations of the medicine man, slowly the
thin edge of the sun's disc reappeared. Thereupon the tumult,
w^hich had been dying out in despair, was hopefully resumed
and gradually as the kind god of light emerged from his
conflict with the Mitche Manitou — the devil of darkness —
bright and triumphant, the volleyings of the guns be-
came a feu de joie, and the boom of drums punctuated the glad
chorus of thanksgiving which then arose from every voice.
377
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUREES
Blackskin — Eclipse Breakeb.
Mts. Peter Hourie had come out with her parents, named
Richards, from Fort Pelly, for the pleasure and profit of mak-
ing the provisions for their winter use for themselves, while
doing a little trading, too. She was a smart, intelligent wo-
man, and as we saw the eclipse beginning she exclaimed in
vexation, " Now, what a pity I did not look at an almanac
this year. Would not I have given these Indians a surprise by
predicting it ?'^ However, it was too late for us after the event
to increase the prestige of the whites in that manner. Neither
would the Indians believe that such a great event could have
been predicted.
Blackskin, who upon the first alarm had rushed for his med-
icine rattle in a state of abject trembling terror, and had fran-
tically accompanied his howling for help from the devils to
whose service he had devoted himself, now emerged from
obscurity and insolently demanded tribute from the company
for having by powerful incantations terrorized the monster
into disgorging the sun. Without his strong medicine every
other effortin the camp, he declared, would have been without
avail. " And what,'' he asked, " would or could the Company
do then?" At this Andrew at last turned loose upon him,
telling him he had been the biggest coward in the camp, but
now when all was over he was the biggest boasting liar. He
persisted, notwithstanding, in his huge self-glorification and
the enormity of his demand for reward. I, of course, refused
point blank, and laughed at his absurd effrontery. Finding the
case was hopeless, addressing the audience, who were eagerly
waiting by this time to resume their trading, he scornfully
said, " What fools the chief men of the Company must be to
send a young fellow like this to deal with us, the wisest and
most numerous people on earth!" Then, turning to me, he
exclaimed venomously, '' You ought to go home, for you are
too young to understand reason." '^ I am too old for you,
Blackskin," I retorted through Andrew, accompanying the
words with a mocking laugh, in which the audience joining,
378
A TfflEVING KNAVE
sent him off in high dudgeon, while we once more proceeded
to business.
The Indians kept coming with the provisions so eagerly
that we had no time to do other than throw them in a pile
indiscriminately. This was quite high towards evening, when
Blackskin again arrived from behind it with yet another fine
bladder of marrow fat. Andrew looked at it in surprise as he
weighed it, and announced the weight. " How," I asked, " is
it that he has brought so many of these of exactly the same
weight?" Andrew went round the pile of provisions, and,
coming back, indignantly replied, " The old thief has been
stealing and selling the same marrow fat, time about, again
and again." Straightway he sprang at the old rascal, who, at
once seeing he had been detected and that the good-tempered
but powerful interpreter was at last roused to wrath, darted
off with surprising speed and departed never to return again
to annoy us. The venomous reptile had no stomach for a fair
fight, he was only the murderous ravisher of unprotected lit-
tle girls and the sneaking assassin of better men by a foul blow
in the back.
My First Buffalo Bull.
Lest others might be tempted to follow this bad example, a
watchman was set behind the pile and others were employed
in securing in them all our carts could hold. These were soon
fully laden, and in the end we had to build stages for the
greater quantit}', which was left under the care of one of the
good, honest Indians till carts came and took it to Touchwood
Hills, for in that year of plenty the storage at Qu'Appelle was
far too scanty for the provisions.
Being within the rather indefinite limits of their own hunt-
ing grounds, where attack by the Blackfeet was unlikely, the
Indians of both posts had scattered about in small camps, each
with abundant herds of buffalo about them. So, having sup-
plied the wants of the first band, we went on to the next with
just enough carts to carry the goods. There as we were doing
379
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUREES
a '^ roaring trade," Jerry joined us with many carts laden with
a full trading outfit.
This soon gave me leisure to begin running buffalo again,
and that in company with and under the skilful instruction
of Jerry. On the first of these sallies from camp we went after
a big bull, which he told me, as we were getting near enough,
to shoot so that the ball might enter from behind at the end
of the right short ribs and, passing through the diaphragm
(itself a deadly wound), slantingly pass through the
heart.* I made the mark, but the bull did not fall, only
stopped and faced us. Candrie, full of excitement, was
dancing so violently that I could not make sure enough to
shoot again, so I asked Jerry to hold my horse while I got off
to do so. ^^ For heaven's sake don't get off, for the bull will
charge you at once you are on foot," he cried. " Now," said
he, *^ as soon as he turns shoot him behind the ear." I obeyed
and down went my first buffalo. He was a fine fat animal,
and Jerry took no time, with his hunting knife only, to skin
and dissect him with astonishing deftness. We took the
tongue, the boss and the backfat and rode back to camp,
whence a cart was sent to bring in the rest.
Smallpox on the Missouri.
The coming of the buffalo in such numbers and so well
within their own country gave our Indians plenty and peace
that summer. But as the season advanced rumors of the dread
disease of smallpox, which had decimated these people about
* Jerry had become newly possessed of one of the very first
Henry repeating rifles which reached the Qu'Appelle country.
With his usual kindness he lent it me on that occasion. The
first wound, if made by a trading bullet from a shotgun, would
hav€ been instantly fatal. In this way the new repeating arms
were found inferior to the old flintlock. A bull, for instance,
might become so infuriated by a wound, which in the end would
be mortal but not immediately so, as to stand up and show fight
after receiving several, sometimes many, such wounds; that is
in case he had time " to get mad " ere the first mortal wound
brought him down. I have witnessed this in the case of bears
and savage dogs as well as in buffalo bulls. — I. C.
aso
SMALLPOX EPIDEMIC
ten years before, being rife among the Assiniboines along the
Missouri were confirmed. That it would spread northward, as
it had always done before, was to be apprehended, and we had
no means of enforcing lany effectual quarantine. Neither had*
we any of the vaccine by means of which the Company had
minimized the former epidemic.
Towards fall the word of the nearer approach of the disease
came in by the southern hunters, and then, providentially,
two leading gentlemen of the Metis rode in one day to visit
the fort. These were Messrs. Pascal Breland and Salomon
Amlin, Members of the Council of Assiniboia and Magistrates
for the Eed Eiver Settlement under the government of the
Hudson's Bay 'Company. These gentlemen, having heard of
the abundance of buffalo near Qu'Appelle, longing to engage
once more in the joys of the chase, and unwilling to remain
in the settlement over which trouble was brooding, had decided
to buy outfits of trading goods and come out to winter on the
plains. If it were true that arrangements had been made for
the transfer of the government of the country to Canada and
the people of the settlement were not to be consulted, there was
great trouble brewing. They were both connected by ties of
blood and business as well as friendship with people who were
likely to divide in politics and in religion on any action taken
by the Governments of Britain and Canada and the Company
without the inhabitants of the country being asked to consent.
" I am afraid," said Mr. Breland to Mr. McDonald, " that, as
Bishop Tache said to me, '^ nous bons jours sont parti/'
The Qu'Appelle Indians are Vaccinated.
Further on the great part these gentlemen took in preserv-
ing peace on the plains will be duly recorded, and I must
return to the subject of the dire disease which threatened to
spread from the border. The rumors of it reached Eed Eiver
before Mr. Breland's departure, and in consequence he had
caused one of his grandchildren to be vaccinated before leaving
about two weeks before. As I had assisted my father and
381
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
brother in vaccinating hundreds of children at home, I at once
asked Mr. Breland to allow me to take the lymph from his
grandchild's arm, and he gladly gave the permission.
Jerry and I rode out to their camp with them that after-
noon, and from a fine healthy child I secured, on bits of
window glass, enough vaccine to protect every one requiring it
in the fort, from whom the supply was increased sufficiently
to vaccinate all the people about the lakes and the Indians
visiting them that fall. With the fear of the former visita-
tion before them, those who had been vaccinated at the fort
took it out to the plains and spread it so thoroughly there
among the Qu'i^ppelle and Touchwood Hills Indians that not
one single case of smallpox was ever heard of among them,
while sweeping up the Missouri from the Assiniboines, it deci-
mated the Blackfeet, from whose dead bodies a war party of
Edmonton Crees caught it. Then the plague and pestilence
spread down the North Saskatchewan, carrying off hundreds
of helpless natives. That it stopped at the South Saskatche-
wan and neither invaded Swan River District nor reached
Red River was due to the providential visit of Mr. Breland
to Fort Qu'Appelle that autumn day in 1869.
The truth and wisdom of the old proverb, that ** prevention
is better than cure," was well brought home to us in Swan
River District, which remained seathless during those two
years in which the dire pestilence walked abroad on its
southern, western and northern borders, leaving a wide trail
of death as it travelled. Of the dreadful devastation wrought
along the North Saskatchewan, Butler speaks feelingly in his
famous " Great Lone Land," wherein also is recorded his
tribute to the self-denying heroism of the brave, good mis-
sionaries and of mine honored friend William Edward
Traill, of the Hudson's Bay Company, who relieved the
chief trader in charge of Carlton, and held the post of danger,
made more so by the efforts of the poor, stricken Indians, to
whom he ministered so devoutly, to communicate the dread
382
PEACE AT ANY PRICE
disease to him, his equally devoted and heroic wife and their
infant child.
W. E. Traill.
Shortly after his marriage to the eldest daughter of Chief
Trader McKay, at Fort Ellice, in 1869, Traill had accom-
panied Mr. W. H. Watt, who had been transferred from Port-
age la Prairie to Fort Pitt. While engaged in packing the
furs, in the spring of 1870, Traill had occasion to chastise a
Metis employee, and turning round after doing so to resume
the work, was felled by an axe in the hands of the delinquent.
The blow in the back of the neck nearly decapitated poor
Traill. His life was despaired of; but the devoted nursing of
his good wife saved him.
He had been moved from Fort Pitt to start a farm for the
Company at Prince Albert, being fond of farming and having
practised it in the backwoods of Ontario. The chief trader in
charge of Carlton having gone on furlough, Traill had come
up from the farm to take his place at the time of the epidemic
of smallpox.
Messrs. Watt and Traill, while at Fort Pitt, had the very
unpleasant duty of trying to evolve order and discipline
among the numerous employees and Indians, who had been
allowed by the laxity of native officers to have everything
their own way previously. But the current of native opinion
and the '* peace at any price " policy then prevalent on the
Upper Saskatchewan, were so much against the vigorous
measures these gentlemen were obliged to adopt, that Traill
was sent to Prince Albert and Watt was transferred to Pem-
bina, with the intimation : " We want no fighting men in the
Saskatchewan."
25 383
CHAPTER XXV.
LAST MOUNTAIN HOUSE, WINTER 1869-70,
On Horseback " Light."
Mr. Joseph McKay, postmaster (the younger brother of
Jerry), who had served a year under Mr. Finlayson, at Touch-
wood Hills, was sent in the fall of 1869 to build an outpost,
under Qu'Appelle, to acoommodate the Indians previously
trading at or attached to the former post. The site selected
was near the southern end of Last Mountain Lake, on the
prairie upland overlooking the valley from the east.
It had been arranged that, while Mr. McKay made the post
the base for his excursions to the plains in carrying on the
trade in the Indian camps, I should take charge of the post
itself during the winter. While he was completing the build-
ings and until the time approached for his going out after
the buffalo to secure frozen meat for the winter — the fall hunt
— I remained doing the writing at Qu'i^ppelle. Then after
breakfast on the 6th of November, — "the rimy month" of
the Indian calendar — when each blade of grass and twig and
tree was glistening in bright sunshine, as if bedecked with
sparkling gems, mounting Candrie Bonhomme, I took the
hard frozen but still snowless trail leading to the new post,
sixty or seventy miles to the westwards. My baggage had
been sent ahead, and so, initending to make the long ride
before dark, I set out " light," without food and only the
saddle blanket.
Native Antiseptic Surgery.
Considering the nature of the ground, strewn with the pit-
falls made by badgers and occasionally boulders of all shapes
and sizes, as the hunters charged, uphill and down dale,
blindly, too, through the cloud of dust left in the
384
NATIVE SUEGERY
rear of the flying buffalo, it was wonderful how few
hunters met mishap by falling. There was scarcely
a man among the old hunters who did not bear on his
left hand 'the marks left by the bursting of his gun, due to
the bullet not having gone home on the powder in re-
charging it, without use of ramrod, on the run. At other
times one who had fallen and failed to notice that the muzzle
had been closed with mud or frozen snow, had the misfortune
to produce the same result. One of the best of the good
McKay family, named Alexander, had been the victim of
such an accident, in which he lost all the fingers and had
shattered the other bones of his left hand, during the close
of the summer hunt. On his coming to the fort a week or
two after the accident, with his hand wrapped in the anti-
septic herbs which so wonderfully prevented gangrene and
aided healing, I had advised his going to Red River to have
the hand amputated. He would not hear of that nor of my
attempting to remove the shattered bones, and pare off the
ends of the others, so as 'to give the wound a chance of healing,
covered by the remaining flesh. He had suffered for months,
every now and again getting out a bit of splintered bone, and
all the time keeping the wound perfectly free from gangrene
and odor by the use of Indian herbs. That was the way they
all did till at last, all the splinters having wrought out, they
had a healed but more or less useless member for life. If
the hand were so completely shattered as to be hopelessly
past their remedies, it was either chopped off with an axe or
removed by a swift slash of a hunting knife. While on this
subject I may say that one of the best of the
Saulteaux, Cowesses, having had the last joint of his little
finger blown off, suffered from it the whole of one winter,
because the flesh refused to heal over the exposed end of the
bone. He was proud of his knowledge of Indian medicine
and used it to keep the wound clean. At last he came
to me, and within a short time after the end of the bare
bone had been shaved, it healed up, and gave him a well-
386
\
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
padded and useful stump. I don't think he was very grateful
for my demonstrating a little of the superior knowledge of
the whites in surgery, for I never took pay from any "patient"
who allowed me to practise on him, while the members of
the Indian faculty of medicine invariably insisted upon full
payment in advance, otherwise they declared the treatment
would be of no avail, and they viewed with "professional
jealousy " my giving " advice gratis."
On the Trail Again.
This dissertation on gunshot wounds has already led me
off the trail to Last Mountain Lake, which my visit to my
good friend Alick also did that morning, for by miles the
shorter way was that which crossed the ford at the fort and
led along the north side of the upper lakes, while that to
McKay's, on a flat on the south side of the upper lake, went
over many bonnie banks and braes ere it joined the north
road above the upper lake.
After that the gently undulating path led up the valley
of the winding river, till the faint newly-made cart trail left
it some miles below the " Little Forks," where the stream
from Last Mountain Lake joins the Qu'Appelle. Candrie
was both able and willing to have covered the distance in a
much shorter time, but he had a slight old halt and the
ground was hard frozen, so I spared him, perhaps unneces-
sarily, during the da,y, and the shades of evening of the short
day were falling when we forked off the well^beaten trail in
the valley and took the faint track leading up a big coulee to
the upland on the north side.
On reaching the upland a strong breeze began from the
north-west, right ahead, and soon darkness and a clouded sky
made it impossible to follow the slight trail longer. Making
the best of it, I unsaddled and picketted Candrie, and started
to collect twigs for a fire. Then I felt for my firebag, which,
in the fashion of the country, was carried by tucking its lon^:
upper end under my sash, and was shocked to find that it
386
A ROUGH EXPERIENCE
had been lost, with the flint, steel and tinder, which in those
"matchless" days were the only means of striking a ligbt,
unless during sunshine with a burning-glass.
A Blizzakd.
So, using the saddle-blanket to wrap up in, and as usual
the saddle for a pillow, I lay down in the lee of that little
poplar grove, tireless and supperless and smokeless, and fell
asleep. When I awoke next morning, warm and comfortable,
there was a covering of six inches of snow over me, the wind
was howling from the north-west, accompanied by clouds of
falling and driving snow. Candrie had had good feed and
was all safe. I mounted and battled against the increasing
blizzard and blinding snow for a while. Blindly buffeting
against it, I could not see ten yards ahead. The snow kept
forming an icy mask, clinging to every hair on my face,
which was no sooner rubbed off than it formed again. I was
wearing a blanket capote without buttons, only kept wrapped
about me by the sash at the waist and a cravat round the
neck, between which fastenings the wind and snow entered,
and thawing inside, soaked through outside, and at once
was frozen stiff. Turning round for a breathing spell and
to get rid of the ice mask, I could see in the distance to lee-
ward the woods of the Touchwood Hills, where food and
shelter could be found. There was no trace of the newly-made
cart track to the new post, the snow having easily covered
that up, and I was simply heading in the general direction,
without any previous knowledge of that part of the country
and the precise site of the new establishment.
It was considered disgraceful to turn back when one had
once started on a journey, unless there were some well-recog-
nized necessity, of which a mere blizzard was not considered
one. However I saw I could not do any good by battling
against it or by taking shelter in a grove without fire or food
till the storm might cease. I could easily make the Touch-
wood Hills before nightfall, scudding before the wind on my
387
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
good horse. So, giving Candrie his head, away we went in
the new direction, and in an hour's time struck the deep ruts
of the well-travelled cart track leading from the south-west to
the hills.
Last Mountain House.
Towards afternoon, on topping a rise, I saw an Indian
lodge along the road in front, where I was received, fed and
sheltered with the kindness and hospitality for which the
Cree Indians are remarkable. Next morning, the storm hav-
ing ceased, the old hunter sent his son to guide me straight
across the plain to my destination, at which we arrived in
the evening. Next day my guide joined his family as they
passed on their way out to where were the buffalo.
The buildings of the Last Mountain House were arranged
in the usual manner on three sides of a square. The site was
near a spring on the top of the bank of the uplands, on a
bare spur between two deep-wooded ravines which ran down
to the lake. The stores on the south side and the row of
men's houses on the north side w^ere finished, but the master's
house, which Joe and family and I were to occupy, was roof-
less and floorless still. He and his men had done a wonderful
lot of good work in the short time they had been at it, and
our dwelling was soon habitable.
Then, leaving one man to haul firewood to the woodpile,
upon which the men, women and children operated for them-
selves, Joe left with the others to trade and hunt in the west.
The buffalo were in scattered bands up along the Qu'Appelle
to the Elbow of the South Saskatchewan all that winter ; and
the Indians dispersed in small camps wherever game and fuel
were both convenient. All would have gone well with our
trade had not whiskey dealers, some Metis from St. Joe, on
the American side, near Pembina, and others outfitted in Red
River, besides an American from Fort Peck, on the Missouri,
got among the Indians. The camp of the Young Dogs on
the Arm River was one particular hell, in which they mur-
FORTY-ROD WHISKEY
dered each other to the number of seven in their recurrent
orgies and quarrels. In that camp were Wap-wy-an-ess (Lit-
tle Blanket) and Piapot (who was well known around Regina
years afterwards, in his declining }^ars), also the bestial
Blackskin. The two former always posed as warriors and
tried to be recognized as chiefs, but they were good hunters,
with many wives, and consequently had plenty of pemmican,
robes and leather to trade.
Piapot — " Loed of Heaven and Earth."
For years Piapot had striven to secure authoritative testi-
mony to his standing as chief ; but had never succeeded in even
getting one of those minute slips of paper addressed by a
Company^s officer to whom it might concern certifying
that the bearer (naming him) was a good Indian who had
always been friendly to the whites and deserved a present of
tobacco from them when met. Even the most easy-going
master ever stationed at Touchwood Hills could not consci-
entiously give such a certificate to Piapot ; but as the ^^ mis-en-
hi-han" (the written word) in itself was deemed by these
heathen to possess magic virtue of great potency, to be an
amulet bringing good fortune and giving a good character and
protecting the bearer from all enemies, spiritual and tem-
poral, in fact, to be " Keche-Mus-ke-ke '' (Big Medicine) in
every sense, Piapot never ceased in his endeavours to obtain
one.
And that winter, every time Joe visited the camp of Piapot,
where, surrounded by his relatives and retainers, he reigned
and drank forty-rod whiskey, Joe had a terrible time in refus-
ing the request, having all the effect of a demand, of the
potentate for the " Little Writing " — Mis-en-hi-gan-ess. But
neither by bullying nor by bribery did Piapot ever succeed in
getting the coveted document from any of the Company's offi-
cers. He was determined, however, to get something which
might serve his purpose, so, a year or so after, upon getting
hold of a solitary English halfbreed out on the plains, who
389
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
could write well, and somehow procuring pen, ink and paper
at the same time, he compelled him to write at his dictation :
" I am PIAPOT, LORD of the HEAVEN and EARTH."
But I am not aware that this certainly immodest and some-
what blasphemous declaration procured for Piapot the results
he desired " from any of the Company's men."
The Brute Blackskin.
Though ambitious, and thereby made troublesome, Piapot
was an honourable man and a good hunter, but Blackskin had
no redeeming quality that he ever exhibited. Like some
other people who are no good for anything else, he was a
voluble talker, and used the faculty for mischief. In his self-
laudatory introductory remarks he claimed the self -conferred
name of " Brave-hearted Bear," and spurned that of Black-
skin, by which all others knew him. Early that winter he had
indulged his cowardly and murderous nature by stabbing a
warrior in the back. Having forgotten in this instance that
his victim had friends to avenge him, after the foul deed the
assassin, in panic, took flight, and was not heard of for a
year. Then Mr. McDonald saw him at Wood Mountain in
a camp of Assiniboines, and scared him again for a season,
across the line. I think, though he never showed himself at
the fort while I was stationed there, that he sneaked back
after a year or so again to the district in which his atrocities
had rendered him infamous.
Metis Festivities.
The winter quarters of the two Metis Counsellors of Assini-
boine had been taken up on the west side of Last Mountain
Lake, about fifteen miles north-west from ours. I drove with
my dog-sled twice to visit them. On one occasion to relieve
Madame Amlin of a tormenting tooth, and on some business
as well as for pleasure the other time. As befitted persons
of their importance, as well as to accommodate their large
retinue of relatives and followers and for trading purposes,
390
RED RIVER JIG AND SCOTCH REEL
their winter camp was large, their single-roomed dwellings
heing especially spacious.
My former travelling companion, Henri Hibert dit Fabian,
accompanied me once when we spent the night under Mr.
Breland's hospitable roof. Besides his accomplishments as
a voyageur, Henri was a vocalist who knew all the chansons
of the canoe men, but the song into which he put most fire
and fervour was that of Pierre Falcon, " Le bon garcon," made
and composed to celebrate the massacre of the wounded at
Seven Oaks in 1816, and " La glorie de tous ces Bois-brules,"
obtained there])y.
After a feast of the best of buffalo meat, as well as cakes,
rice and raisins beautifully cooked by Madame Breland, fol-
lowed by a flowing bowl of rum punch, Mr. Amlin and his
following came to join in further festivities. Fiddles were
tuned up, and Red River jig and Scotch reel were joyously
joined in by the young men and maidens, who were soon
followed by their elders. The mirthful dance was later on, as
the ladies retired, followed by joyous song and thrilling story
of celebrated adventures on the voyage, in the chase, and in
the encounters of the Metis with the Sioux. Each admirer
extolled the excellencies of his favourite racing and hunting
horse, and the speed and endurance of sled-dogs and their
drivers. On the relative merits of all these there at once arose
loud and lively argument, to allay which a song was oppor-
tunely called for. To wet the whistle, every now and again
Mr. Breland, whose twinkling eye and amused smile showed
the fun he was having quietly out of the excitement of his
guests, would judiciously dispense a little liquid refreshment.
As the assembly warmed up, the end of each dance, song or
story was immediately followed at first by one or other of
the more enthusiastic Metis Nationalists calling out, "Vive
mon nation." Gradually more and more joined in the cry,
till before the festivities ceased, everyone joined in the shout
of triumph, with the exception of Mr. Breland himself, whose
genial countenance became grave as he thought of the events
391
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
then occurring in Red River, and the troubles likely to arise
therefrom, and in which it was plain to be seen every Metis in
that room would take the side of his own people.
"The New Nation.'^
A long essay would be required to describe the evolution
of that mixed race which had come to consider itself a " New
Nation." Maternally originally descended as they were from
every tribe of Indians found by the French fur traders and
rovers of the woods and waters from the Atlantic to the
Pacific, from Louisiana to the Arctic Ocean, the strain of good
French blood, however slight and attenuated it might be, and
often was, was yet the strong bond which united these people
in the wilderness, where they were regarded by the aboriginal
Indians as interlopers and intruders on their hunting-
grounds, yet a people to be envied and feared for the superior-
ity in all the arts of woodcraft and of war which the addition
of European blood had conferred upon them.
When the North- West traders entered the country these
widely-scattered Metis, nourishing with pride, which often
their French progenitors individually did not deserve, the
tradition that their forefathers had been French, and also the
dim glimmer of Christianity which the Indian mother had
handed down as something distinguishing them from her
own people, naturally became attached to the traders from
Canada rather than to the ancient enemies of the French
represented by the English company on Hudson Bay. Thus
Metis, who had been far scattered as individuals through-
out the wilds of the West, became gathered together as
voyageurs and employees of the Canadian traders, and thereby
became more and more united in numbers and by intermar-
riage with each other and the whites.
The Cross and commerce travelled together in the canoes
of the early traders from Canada. But a long interval, during
which the scattered Metis or Bois-brule, as they then called
themselves, had no priests to fully instruct them in the faith
393
BRAVEST OP THE BRAVE
of their French forefathers, elapsed ere the bells of the Roman
mission, founded by the Rev. Joseph Norbert Provencher, in
1818, at St. Boniface, summoned the boatmen on the river
and the hunter on the plain to worship. x\s Lord Selkirk
was probably quite as indifferent to the claims of the Roman
Catholics to be provided with religious instruction by a
clergyman of their own denomination and tongue as he showed
himself in the nonfulfilment of his pledge to supply his High-
land Scotch with a Gaelic-speaking Presbyterian minister,
he must be credited more for his astuteness as a politician
than for his missionary zeal in the aid and encouragement he
gave the authorities of the Roman Catholic Church in Canada
to resume their missionary enterprise on the liberal land
grants which he donated to them on the Red River.
The disasters to his Highland colony of Kildonan had
convinced him of the need of conciliating the Gens du Bois-
brule and bringing them, through the influence of Christian
missionaries, under control. In this he, perhaps, builded
better than he knew, for the Bois-brule, under the influence
of religious instruction, became a more united body, and were
even disciplined into a splendidly effective fighting force to
defend their hunting camps and the settlement at Red River
itself from assault and invasion by the numerous and war-
like Sioux. Within the barricade formed by their interlocked
carts the Metis over and over again repulsed, with slaughter
to their enemies and little loss to themselves, the onslaught
of numbers of Sioux, which seemed overwhelming, and in
every such occasion the bravest of the brave were the soldiers
of the Cross, who, soothing the dying and wounded, also
encouraged, animated and led those still engaged in battle.
While the hunter-warriors lay prone or stood protected inside
the barrier, these brave priests moved about, seeming to bear
a charmed life, in the hail of bullets, which, though sparing
their persons, riddled their garments.
When Indians were decisively repulsed and compelled to
retreat, the retreat soon became a rout, in which every man
393
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUKERS
for himself ran panic-stricken, and divested himself of every-
thing, even their knives, that would impede their flight even
a trifle. Whenever such a retreat hegan and there were
enough men and horses left to the Metis in camp to avail
themselves of the opportunity, they mounted and pursued and
slaughtered the fleeing foe as they would have done a band
of buffalo, and great was the slaughter.
It was of such triumphs in war that these Metis were
proud, especially as compared with the frequent defeats and
few victories the Americans had had, to their knowledge, in
contending with the Sioux nation.
* As for " Les Anglais," as they called the Company's men,
the defeat of these men, whom they outnumbered three to
one, and the massacre of the wounded which followed at
Seven Oaks, had been handed down, magnified and glorified,
as triumphant proof of their superiority in battle to the
Company's servants from Britain ; and tended to an arrogance
which the lickings the latter frequently gave them in single
fight — often on the mention of Seven Oaks — failed to affect.
That nearly every one of the natives of British descent, who
were a very small minority among the Metis during their
battles with the Sioux, had, on these occasions, shown them-
selves the bravest of the brave, was ascribed to these being
halfbreeds like themselves, and not to their British blood.
The Red River Rebellion Against the Company.
Whenever the Oovernment of Assiniboia was unsupported
by the presence of British troops at Fort Grarry, the Metis had
always had their own way with it as a united body. The
English halfbreeds were often related to them in native
blood, and at least sympathizers in a common cause; while
the Europeans and Kildonan settlers were too few in num-
bers by themselves to oppose the united force of the Metis,
trained in hunting and in war.
Rejoicing in their strength as practically the standing army
of Red River Settlement, and determined to maintain their
394
THE ROVING METIS
rights as patriots who had so frequently defended it by defeat-
ing the Sioux on the plains, and even preventing, by their
mere presence, its invasion ; proud of their prowess and deeply
resenting the contemptuous remarks alleging their racial
inferiority by English-speaking people whom they deemed
intruders into the land they claimed as theirs, they had been
alarmed and roused to wrath by Canadian surveyors, without
their leave, running lines across their property; and next, to
cap that climax, they were told that Canada was sending in
a Governor and Council of strangers to rule over them in
conformity with a sale of their country made by the share-
holders of the Hudson's Bay Company in London, without
either they or their members in the Council of Assiniboia, or
even their priests being consulted in any way.
The roving habits of the Metis took them over the invisible
line between the territories which, without consulting the
natives, Britain and the United States had parted between
them. As freighters to St. Paul and as customers to the
American trading posts along the Missouri they were always
welcomed by people desirous of their trade and to possess the
rich country from which it came. The Americans professed
such great friendship that, if there were ever any trouble with
the English which they could not settle unaided, the Metis
felt certain of every aid and encouragement from the people
who boasted that they had, by force of arms, first thrown off
the British yoke, and later on had given Britain another lick-
ing with the kind assistance of France. Besides the ordinary
friendly American, there was a specially good and sympathetic
kind of them who were Catholics like themselves, " le bon
monde que ils appellent les Fenien," who had, as Irish
Catholics, a long record of wrong to avenge. Many of these
were veterans, too, of the American Civil War, who were both
ready and willing to come to the assistance of the Metis when-
ever called upon.
Under these circumstances, in the absence of their two
most respected leaders, Messrs. Breland and Amlin, on the
395
' THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEERS
plains, of their justly revered lord spiritual, the Bishop
Tache, and in the state of impotence to which the good Gov-
ernor McTavish had been reduced by severe bodily illness
and the contemptuous disregard of his position displayed
alike by the Company and by Canada, in being withheld their
confidence, it would have been a miracle had the proud Metis
not used their power to prevent the entry of Mr. William
McDougall into their country to usurp its government.
I have been told on good authority that the secretary of the
Hudson's Bay Company in London alleged, after Governor
McTavish's death, that he had been so confident of his per-
sonal influence and that of his counsellors, including Bishops
Tache and Machray and other highly representative men from
different classes of old settlers, that when a detachment of
British troops were offered to be stationed at Fort Garry,
he refused them, saying he was quite able to complete the
transfer peaceably without outside aid. Probably the secre-
tary's information was true as far as it went, for had common
sense and a sense of common justice actuated the Company and
Canada at the time, instead of troops being required to in-
augurate the transfer of the government of the country to
Canada, the inhabitants generally would have hailed the
change with joy.
It is not my purpose to even attempt to write a history
of the rising at Red River in 1869-70, except in its bearing and
effect upon us at Qu'Appelle. At the time I regarded it as
rank rebellion, took the Canadian side, and felt disgraced by
the stronghold of Fort Garry, with its stores of arms and
ammunition and all the other supplies required in war, hav-
ing been suffered to be taken peaceable possession of by Riel
and a few men against whom even the ordinary complement
of Company's officers and European servants, all of whom
were at that time enlisted to perform all military duty re-
quired in defence of the Company's establishments and terri-
tories, could and would easily have defended it and held it
till the loyal settlers had come to their assistance.
396
FEOZEN FEET
If there were sympathy with the rising amongst the Com-
pany's people at Fort Garry and not one but Mr. John H.
McTavish, a Eoman Catholic, was ever believed by us to have
been sympathetic, there certainly was none in Swan River
and other districts ; and I know Mr. McDonald at Qu'Appelle
often endangered his life in his furious arguments against
the rising that winter. But I anticipate and must return to
my narrative.
Frozen Feet.
On my return from my last visit to Messrs. Breland and
Amlin, I was alone, and it being dark and some miles yet
from my post, I went in up to my knees in an overflow under
the snow on the lake. It was a very cold night, and instead
of a cariole I was using a bare sled. My moccasins soon
froze stiff and my leggings too, but it was not very far from
the post, which I thought might be reached quicker than I
could go ashore and up hill to the woods to make a fire. So
I ran as far as I could and then laid down prostrate on the
sled. The dogs, knowing where they were going went well
on the lake, but when they came to the well-beaten track lead-
ing up the ravine to the houses, they set off so furiously as
to upset me, and jerking the tail line out of my grasp, left
me to crawl up the hill on my hands and knees to the door
of the house.
Joe was at home, and he at once tore off my shoes and
exclaimed that my feet were frozen solid. He then got a
tub of ice-water and put my feet in it till the ice formed
over the skin, as it does when frozen meat is thawed in water.
After they were properly thawed, I dried them and bathing
the legs as far as affected and the feet with laudanum, I went
to bed, slept soundly, and next morning, to Joe's astonishment,
got up without any sign of what he had predicted would be
a very bad case, off which the whole skin, at least, would be
shed.
397
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
Wood Saulteaux go to War.
Shortly after this, Mr. Joseph McKay withdrew to Fort
Pelly, and I was left to carry on the business with the assist-
ance of Interpreter Andrew McNab. After a short visit to
Fort Qu'Appelle, during which Mr. McDonald, from early
morn till late at night, sat in the Indian Hall discussing the
news and rumours of the Red River troubles with Metis, who
took the side of Riel, and Crees, who took the Company's side,
upon my return to the post McNab told me thSt a number
of the Saulteaux of Egg and Nut Lakes, belonging to the
Fort Pelly outpost there, had arrived with large quantities
of the fine furs of that woodland region. They refused either
to deliver up these furs for safe-keeping or to pay out of them
the advances they all had at Egg Lake, and to trade the rest.
They had been upset by the rumours from Red River, and,
filled with the spirit of unrest, had abandoned the rich
harvest of fine furs in the bush to start upon a raid to the
plains to secure ponies and scalps from the Blackfeet.
They were all expert hunters, but were very unruly and
always trying to intimidate the lonely trader who wintered
at Egg Lake. Their camp, where their furs and families
were left, was quite close to the post. Shortly after the
" war party " left the squaws sought solace in the fire-
water of a Metis trader across the lake, and by the
time the " warriors " returned, without a hair of horse or
Blackfeet, the furs had been largely dissipated. However,
there was enough left to start a general grand carousal,
during which the fighting spirit, which had not found satisfac-
tion on the Blackfeet, was vented in fratricidal strife, during
which the braves bit off each other's fingers, noses and ears
in the most heroic fashion.
Attempt to Break Into the Store.
Their camp was, during this period of uproar, in very
unpleasant proximity to our post, which was every now and
398
Henry J. Mobkrlv, op Fort
Vekmilion.
The Late W. F. Gardiner, of Fort
Chipewyan.
Chief Traders omitted from Rreat group of Hiulsous Bay Commissioned Oil
in 1881.
The Late .Totin Wilson, ok Fort Isaac Cowik, of Fort MoMurray.
MoPiikrson.
AN INDIAN BATTERING-RAM
again visited by some of the celebrants, whom McNab always
managed to get rid of somehow, but never by making the
presents for which they always asked. At the time the fall
of Fort Garry into the hands of Riel without a blow being
struck was the theme of contemptuous remarks by the natives,
especially in the case of such of them who had been in the
habit of trying to levy blackmail on the trading parties of
the Company in the big camps on the plains, and of such of
these Saulteaux as every winter tried to impose upon the clerk,
wintering with a couple of " noncombatant " temporary ser-
vants, at Egg Lake. My friends, W. E. Traill, Tom McKay,
and Duncan Matheson, all had related to me such experiences
at Egg Lake. My henchman, McNab, who was a settler at
Touchwood Hills, where the Egg Lakers sometimes came for
supplies in summer, knew most of them personally or by evil
reputation. Both he and I had been very much annoyed by
their refusal to give up their furs to the Company, and
their subsequent dissipation of them for whiskey, to the Metis
from the American side, who had so unexpectedly obtained
such a big lot of the fine furs of the forest instead of the
less valuable sorts of the prairies.
Under these circumstances, when one of the younger hunters
came over and wanted supplies on credit, I, of course, refused
him. It was against the rules to give advances to Indians
not belonging to one's post, especially to those of ill-repute.
As soon as he saw that he could get nothing from me, he
sprang up and said defiantly, " Then I will break open
the store and help myself." While he went out to carry out
his threat, followed by Andrew, I went to my bedroom to get
and load my revolver. By the time I reached the front door
the Indian had shouldered a heavy length of firewood and
rushing at the store door gave it a battering blow. As he
backed off to give a second I covered him with my pistol,
intending to shoot to kill if he burst the door. That brief
interval gave McNab the chance to intervene in the line of
fire, and, first wrenching the log from the Indian's shoulder,
26 399
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEEES
he headed him for camp, and set him off our premises well
on his way by a series of well-directed and vigorous kicks, as
if he were playing football with him.
Had not the depression, consequent on the failure of the
trader's liquor after their furs had been squandered on it,
prevailed in that camp, and the feuds between former friends
still remained, we might have had some trouble over this
incident. As it was it served notice on all whom it might
concern of the firm determination of the Company's people
under Chief Factor Campbell in Swan Eiver District, not
to permit any pillage of their property without a struggle.
Shortly after, as the situation in Eed Eiver was getting
worse instead of better, and it was the chief factor's inten-
tion that, if necessary, all reliable hands should concentrate
at Fort Pelly, I was ordered by Mr. McDonald to return to
Qu'Appelle with all the goods, furs and provisions and all
hands, leaving some friendly Cree to look after the buildings
and save them from being burnt by the Indians, as was their
practice in the case of all the wintering houses on the plains
which we left in spring.
400
CHAPTEE XXVI.
THE SPRING AND EARLY SUMMER OF 1870.
The Gathering of the Clans.
In 1868, the Kev. Father Decorby, O.M.I., newly from
France, had arrived at the Qu'Appelle Lakes to resume the
mission of the Rev. Farther Eichot. Father Decorby estab-
lished, at the lower end of the lake below the fort, the mis-
sion which has since developed into Lebret. One of the first
things he did was to erect a large cross on the hill above the
little log dwelling and chapel, and a new cross still occupies
the same station. In consequence of the coming of the mis-
sionary a number of hitherto entirely nomadic Metis families
had taken up their wintering quarters about the lakes. Some
of these were traders with customers who dealt not with the
Company, and over whom it had no control. Every one of
these opposing traders and their friends were decidedly in
favour of the Eiel movement and against the Company, and
did ever}i:hing in their power to bring their fellow country-
men, both Metis and Indians, to their way of thinking.
News of the troubles in Eed Eiver swiftly reached Qu'-
Appelle in every form of distortion and contortion, and as it
was further spread by rumour all over the plains, produced a
state of such unrest and excitement that the business of hunt-
ing came almost to a stop. Family after family of Metis
came in from the plains to the lakes, to hear the
latest news and take part in discussing it, and to be at
hand to participate in any action taken in sympathy with, or
imitation of their fellows in Eed Eiver,
Mr. McDonald had many old and tried friends among the
Crees, hereditary allies as these had always been of the Com-
pany, too. He "sent tobacco" to their Chiefs Loud Voice
401
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEERS
and Poor Man, asking them and other head men to come to
the fort and hear the true (Company's) version of the events
which had occurred at Nees4ow-wy-ak, La Fourche, or The
Forks, as the site of Fort Garry was generally called in Cree,
French or English by the natives. When I arrived from the
outpost, upon entering the Indian hall it was clouded with
tobacco smoke and crowded with Crees emitting it, and Mr.
McDonald was in the midst expatiating upon the wickedness
and ingratitude of Riel and his followers in acting towards
the benevolent Company at Font Grarry, in the manner of
which a full account had to be repeated to every new arrival.
Besides being loyal Indians to the Company, the Crees, as has
been stated before, resented the intrusion of the Metis in
always increasing numbers into their hunting grounds. Their
seizure of the fort, founded with the consent of the Crees at
"The Forks," and their virtual imprisonment of the great
chief of the Company and his staff therein without consulta-
tion with and the consent of the Cree tribe, was a usurpation
of authority which they deeply resented. Moreover, none of
the pillage of that great emporium of trading goods, arms and
ammunition, not to speak of firewater, had been offered to or
reserved for them as the original owners of that part of the
country.
That the Metis at the lakes and those who were coming
as soon as carts could travel from such large wintering camps
as Wood Mountain, should be allowed to gain possession of
the Cree trading post at Qu'Appelle, with its great store of
the arms and ammunition without which the Crees would be
helpless against all enemies as well as in their hunting, and,
where the Metis, once in possession, would be able to defy and
dictate to them, the chiefs of the Crees declared was not to be
thought of. So they were ready and willing to guard and
defend the fort against all comers as long as food held out.
This was the purport of similar gatherings daily. Every
time a fresh rumour arose a fresh meeting took place to
discuss it and decide upon its credibility. The disaffected
40a
A LETTER TO KIEL
Metis, meanwhile, by every wile, tried to counteract the influ-
ence of the Company and their more influential allies among
the Crees. About ten years before smallpox from the Mis-
souri had invaded the camps of the Qu'Appelle Crees, and
subsequent fights with the Blackfeet for the buffalo hunting
grounds and for ponies had decimated the tribe, so that, even
if the whole of them who belonged to the Qu'Appelle and
Touchwood Hills establishments of the Company could have
been concentrated for the defence of the fort, in number they
would not nearly equal that of the Metis, who w^ere expected
to gather at the lakes as soon as the snow had disappeared in
spring. Of this we had information, for, taking a mean
advantage of the Company's accommodation in carrying let-
ters for others in their winter packet, a letter containing
an offer to put, in spring, five hundred horsemen on the field
to join Riel, was intercepted by Mr. Finlayson at Fort Pelly.
Whether these five hundred " horsemen " were all Metis or
composed partly of Indians not so well affected as the Crees,
the letter did not state distinctly, but we all wondered
where five hundred able-bodied Metis could be found in the
Qu'Appelle country.
Messrs. Beeland and Amlin Counsel Non-Intervention.
Before the great gathering of the French halfbreeds came
to the lakes that spring everyone was painfully surprised by
intelligence of the killing of Thomas Scott. On an appointed
day in April, 1870, a mass-meeting of the Metis was held at the
lakes, composed of men from all quarters with their leaders.
Messrs. Breland and Amlin were there on their way home to
Red River, and everyone looked up to them for advice and
leadership. Apart from his own sterling character, Mr. Bre-
land was respected by the Metis as son-in-law of their old
captain, and warden of the plains, Mr. Cuthbert Grant. No
one of the Metis ever doubted his loyalty to them or his
wisdom in representing them in the Council of Assiniboia.
It was certain that these two friends and fellow counsellors,
403
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUREES
Messrs Breland and Ami in, would act together and wisely in
the crisis which now had been reached, and the question was
whether the Metis, who had wintered on the plains and had
taken no part whatever in the operations conducted by their
fellows in Red River, should join with them or abstain
therefrom.
The answer to the question meant, to the Company and to
the Crees, peace or war with the Metis assembled at the
Qu'Appelle Lakes. Mr. McDonald and all his men of British
blood were determined not to suffer their post to be pillaged,
and we could rely upon a sufficient number of Crees to give
us a good fighting chance to defend it. We hoisted the red
ensign that morning, and anxiously waited for word from
the meeting. It was certain to be an exciting affair, for per-
haps the majority of the Metis regarded the matter as affect-
ing their religion quite as much as their race.
All along, in talking wiih the more rational among them,
we had tried to impress upon them the wisdom of abstaining
from interfering, and of allowing those, who had benefited
themselves by pillage and left themselves liable for punish-
ment, to take the consequences which would follow the certain
re-establishment of government under the good Queen, who
had sent them her promise of justice, and to all evil-doers her
warning, that that same justice would overtake them, in her
Proclamation promulgated at Fort Garry, by Commissioner
Donald A. Smith.* Copies of this Proclamation had been
spread all over the country, and read and re-read and ex-
plained over and over again. *^ To all and every the loyal
* The suipply of printed ooipies of this Proclamation having
become exhausted at Edmonton, the oflScer-in-charge there directed
his subordinate at the post named Victoria, to make a pen-and-
•"k copy and transmit it to the next post at White Fish Lake,
where the post-master was similarly required to make a copy
and forward it to Lac la Biche. The post-master at White Fish
Lake accordingly copied the proclamation for Lac la Biche and,
thinking its heading " Victoria " applied to the post from which
he had received his copy, concluded that the proper heading of
that for Lac la Biche was " ' White Fish Lake.' By the Grace
of God," etc., etc.
404
EIEL INSPIRED BY HEAVEN
subjects of Her Majesty the Queen" residing at or visiting
every trading post in the territory. Our interpreters
became quite expert in rendering the often-quoted Proclama-
tion into the language of the Indians, upon whose ears and
those of British origin it fell with effect; but the others
either doubted its authenticity, or would not be con-
vinced by anything, to take side against their brother
Metis. Many of the more ignorant alleged that Kiel was a
man inspired by heaven, and that he had been seen pacing the
verandah of the officers' quarters at Fort Garry, in which
he had billeted himself, with a supernatural being in the
form of a man, whose coming and going were alike invisible,
and who spoke to and was answered by Kiel in a tongue
(which was neither French nor English nor Indian) un-
known to the awed spectators and auditors of the interview,
who afterwards related what they saw and heard to Dame
Rumour, and she was believed, in this mystery, by not a few.
It was no use for us to argue with such men. But when
Mr. Breland addressed the mass-meeting which had been
waiting for his words, and, without discussing the question
as to whether there might not have been a better way than
that taken by their fellow Metis in Red River to have their
rights acknowledged, said that it was wrong for Canada to seek
to impose her rule over the country without first making
terms with its people, but men who would have been with
Riel heart and hand before, should now refrain from
associating themselves with the murderers of a helpless pri-
soner. Probably the majority who had come to that meeting
had come with the expectation that it would endorse Riel
and commit them to his support. But the eloquence of Mr.
Breland, seconded by a telling speech on the same lines by
Mr. Amlin, swayed their countrymen over as a body, leaving
only a few of the more bitter partisans and extremists dis-
affected. Some of these rushed down to Fort Garry to
share the spoil, but by the time they reached it the settlement
had quieted down, and they returned to the plains disgusted
405
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUREES
and empty-handed. In fact, one of the loudest agitators
amongst them, instead of being received by the " Provisional
Government" with open arms, had a warrant issued against
him for some old matter, and fled from the settlement to
avoid arrest.
So it came about that, in the killing of Scott, Kiel had gone
farther than those not already implicated in his rising would
follow him; and the grave danger of an attack on Fort Qu'-
Appelle and a bloody conflict with the Crees in its defence,
with the probability of a war which would have spread over
the whole plains, were averted by the wise and brave advice
of Mr. Breland and his worthy confrere, Mr. Amlin, and by
its acceptance by the majority of their naturally good-hearted
countrymen in that assembly.
Although most of the people dispersed, there still lingered
about the lake a number of wanderers who were sometimes
on the American and sometimes on the British side of the line.
Most of these were so untrustworthy that no trader would
risk advancing them on their hunts. Amongst them, too,
were those whose sentiments were entirely in favour of the
country being brought under the American flag. The regular
frequenters of Qu'Appelle, who had grudges against the Com-
pany, also required watching; so the camp of our Cree allies
did not break up.
Measures to Prevent Pillage of Other Posts.
Meanwhile, throughout the Swan River District, measures
had been taken to prevent the posts from being pillaged, by
the Metis in their vicinity. All outposts were withdrawn.
The station at Oak Point, at the south end of Lake Manitoba,
belonging to Red River District, had been entered and any-
thing they fancied had been appropriated by the Metis during
Mr. William Clark's temporary absence, the venerable chief
trader, George Deschambault, who was residing there that
winter preparatory to his absolute retirement from the service,
having made no active opposition. At the cattle-raising estab-
406
KIEL'S HANGMAN
lishment belonging to that post at Swan Creek was Jack
Henderson, a Scot who had seen service as a mate at sea and
as a forty-niner miner in California. Jack was alone with
his trusty revolver when a score of well-armed Metis came
and helped themselves to the choicest beef steers under his
charge. He protested vehemently, but seeing he would lose
his life as well as his cattle had he opened fire, submitted to
the fate of the moment, but swore vengeance whenever a
better opportunity occurred. For this he had to wait for
years, till, when a hangman was required to execute Riel at
Eegina, Jack, who was then freighting in the vicinity, eagerly
offered his services and performed the office.
The next post north of Oak Point was that of Swan River
Jistrict, near the Narrows of Lake Manitoba, under the com-
mand of Mr. Ewan McDonald, and principally manned by
^' recruits from Europe " named Alexander Murray (who died
years ago), Alexander Munro, now of Minitonas, Donald
McDonald, now of Fairford, and " Big " Norman McKenzie,
now a retired steamboat captain, farming at St. Louis, Sas-
katchewan. I think Mr. Duncan Matheson, then apprentice
clerk, and now a retired factor residing in Inverness ; Gilbert
Goudie, who died long ago at home, a remarkably handy Shet-
lander; John Dyer, now blacksmith at Poplar Point, Mani-
toba ; and others whose names I do not know, also formed the
Scots guards of Manitoba House, and were assisted by mem-
bers of the native loyalist families of Inkster, Thomas and
Moar.
Like his brother, the chief at Fort Qu'Appelle, Ewan
McDonald was of the fighting Highland race, and equally
determined with him and Chief Factor Campbell that no
Company's post in Swan River should fall into the hands
of the Metis without a struggle. Accordingly he recalled
all hands from the outposts at Fairford and Waterhen River,
and, the establishment amongst the quiet Indians there being
unprotected by pickets, he securely barricaded it with walls
of cordwood and building logs; sent out spies and vedettes,
407
THE COMPAlSrY OF ADVENTURERS
and prepared a warm reception for any force which might be
sent out from Fort Garry by the self-constituted authorities
to put down this demonstration against their power and
dignity.
Having only a general knowledge of what occurred at
Manitoba House during that trying winter, I leave the duty
of recording full details of it to the survivors, merely adding
that, apart from safeguarding the valuable supplies and furs
of the post itself, Manitoba House commanded the boat route
between Fort Pelly and Lake Winnipeg, at the outlet of
which, on the main route to York Factory, similar and much
more extensive arrangements had been made by the warlike
Chief Factor Stewart at Norway House.
The only post in Swan River at which the Metis were per-
mitted to help themselves during that winter was that at Shoal
River, where the old man in charge, in great alarm at the
terrible reports which had been carried to him by rumour,
opened the door of the store and allowed a few poor wretches
wintering at Duck Bay, who had come to beg relief, much
to their astonishment, to help themselves. After which they
went back peaceably on their way rejoicing and heavy laden.
Swan River Furs Sent Direct to St. Paul, Minnesota.
There was no doubt that the spirited action taken at Mani-
toba House had incensed the powers that then were at Fort
Garry, and it was fully expected that an attack in force would
be made on it when the proper time came, which would be
when the furs were being sent from Fort Pelly by the lakes
en route to Norway House. Whatever were the reasons in
full for it, after the peaceable dispersion of the assem-
blage at the Qu'Appelle Lakes in April, it was decided
by Mr. Campbell to send out all the furs from Fort Pelly and
the posts on the plains across land by carts to St. Paul, Minne-
sota, under the charge of Mr. Archibald McDonald. Accord-
ingly the rendezvous was to be made at Fort Ellice, and Mr.
McDonald, taking Mrs. McDonald and their two little sons,
408
A STEONG BEIGADE
John and Donald, with their nurse-girl, started from Qu'-
Appelle. With him went Mr. James McKinlay, a mere boy,
who, as an apprentice clerk, had arrived from Scotland in
1869. The Shetlanders, Gowdie Harper and George Pot-
tinger, and a Highlander, whose name I forget, besides Ne-
papeness and other natives, who would have otherwise gone
in the boats to York Factory, accompanied the carts.
The party from Fort Pelly, which met that from Fort
Qu'Appelle at Fort Ellice, was under Mr. William Thomson
Smith, who was retiring from the district, with Mrs. Camp-
bell and her small boy, Glenlyon, and baby girl, as passengers
under his protection. These, augmented by that made up
at Fort Ellice under Mr. Walter J. S. Traill, made a strong
brigade, capable of defending themselves from any hostiles
whom they were likely to meet before arriving, via Fort Tot-
ten, Devil's Lake, at Grand Forks, on the Eed Eiver. At
Grand Forks they fell in with a cart-train from Fort Garry,
under Mr. William Clark, and travelled in company with
it to what was the rail-head at that time.
We Hold the Fort.
As Mr. McDonald was leaving I asked him for instructions
as to what was to be done in case of attack. He replied, " Act
according to circumstances on your own judgment after
consulting Jerry." As fully half of the business of that post
was in summer provision trade and the principal require-
ments for it were arms and ammunition, our store contained
a large supply of these essentials, and I determined to blow
the place up sooner than that they should fall into the hands
of any attacking force. Jerry was of the same mind, and
in his constant palavers with the Indians urged upon them
the necessity of protecting themselves against famine and
other foes by protecting the fort, of which the garrison left
by Mr. McDonald consisted of himself, young Kennedy,
Jacob Bear, George Sandison, George Thorne, with Henry
409
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEERS
Jordan as my cook, and myself. All the families, except that
of Mr. McDonald, remained in the fort.
The Crees, under Loud Voice, in lodges placed at long
intervals, camped in a circle round the fort, ever on the
watch, and ably aided by the dogs belonging to them and to
us. It was against surprise we had to guard, till the Indians
could enter and take position behind the pickets.
Nearly the whole month of June did the Metis belonging to
ihe lakes, and others, principally malcontents from the border,
linger round the lakes. They outnumbered us and our allies,
but not sufficiently so to encourage them to make an attack,
if so minded, for which we were prepared. We all anxiously
awaited news from Red River, which might possibly come by a
party sent out to augment the malcontents at Qu'Appelle and
lead them in an attack on the fort. Rumours to that effect
freely circulated, announcing the virtuous indignation of the
Provisional Government at the slur oast upon them by the
Swan River furs having been sent direct across the plains
to evade capture by them. For they alleged that the authori-
ties of the Company in Red River had come to an amicable
understanding with them. But whatever the alleged arrange-
ment might have been, it was not recognized by Chief Factor
Campbell nor his gallant friend, Chief Factor Stewart, who
was making aggressive preparations to recapture Fort Oarry,
as brigade after brigade from the interior arrived at Norway
House. I know not whether or not the determination of these
two Highland officers to resist any aggression on their dis-
tricts and redeem the credit of the Company from the re-
proach of having permitted Fort Garry to fall into the hands
of the malcontents without resistance, had anything to do
with their being both '' permitted to retire " when the " re-
organization " of the Company's arrangement with the fur-
trade officers was carried out through the diplomatic medium
of Mr. Donald A. Smith; but that seemingly was their
reward for valour.
410
COMING OF COLONEL WOLSELEY
The Reception of the Troops.
Daily as the hunters came to visit the fort, we urged them
to mind their own business and set out after the buffalo on
the plains; but it was not till the end of June that we saw
the last of the reluctant brigade. As soon as they were well
off on the way our friends, the Crees, followed them, and we
were left to our own resources, with only the very few Metis,
who had bits of gardens and eked out a living by fishing, left
scattered along the lakes. The coming of Colonel Wolseley
and his force was now the engrossing topic. Antoine La
Roque, a considerable trader, arrived from Red River, and
when I asked news of Wolseley^s advance he asked me " In
what were his troops clad?" "In cloth, of course," I ans-
wered. "Then," said he triumphantly, "they will never
reach Fort Garry; for the mosquitoes are so bad this year
that draught oxen coming from St. Paul have been smothered
by swarms; and no man living, unless he be iron-clad is able
to get over the route from Lake Superior this season."
Other reports came, saying that Riel was preparing, with
the assistance of the jib ways along the route, to waylay and
ambuscade the troops, on portages and other coigns of vantage.
Even did they get to Red River, with the bursting shells,
which they understood described a visible flight like a bird
rising and falling in the air, " Le Metis," declared old Poitras,
" are such expert shots that as the shells fly, before they can
reach us we will fire at them like ducks and burst harm-
lessly in the air !" Anyhow, even should the expedition over-
come all other obstacles, "Les Americains " (meaning Fenians
with the collusion of the American authorities,) will attack
it with overwhelming force.
" The Protection " of the Provisional Government
Spurned.
The Metis, who had gone out so late after the buffalo,
reached the nearer hunting grounds to find the herds had
departed for parts unknown. So they split up into small
411
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEEKS
parties and scattered in the search. The summer hunt of
the Qu'Appelle hunters and Indians that year was a total
failure. The near coming of Colonel Wolseley, too, had les-
sened our danger of attack from Eed Eiver, when, one day,
there rode into the fort a solitary horseman, who announced
himself as Patrice Breland, son of the worthy Pascal, but
now captain in the service of " The Provisional Government,"
which had sent him to declare to all whom it concerned, that
the Hudson's Bay Company were now under the protection
of that government, and that no people nor post of the Com-
pany's was to be attacked by anyone without incurring their
sovereign displeasure. The herald evidently expected to be
received with joy and thanks as our deliverer from the fear
of the enemy, but he was both surprised and shocked as I at
once burst out into mocking laughter and rudely exclaimed:
" To hell with the Provisional Government ! We have been
able to hold our own here in spite of their supporters, and
now, when the troops are coming, it is too late for them to
pretend friendship."
As the son of so worthy a father we, of course, treated
Mr. Patrice Breland with all respect personally, but as the
official representative of the Provisional Government, and
their very fluent advocate, his " mission of peace " completely
failed.
Brown Bess Bellows.
Only a few impotent malcontents remained about the lakes,
and his mission destroyed their last hopes of sharing in any pil-
lage others might provide. These now began to fear reprisals
for the insulting abuse they had taken every safe occasion to
give vent to against the Company's people and the even more
hated men from Ontario. So, to encourage them, and at the
same time to experiment with an old army Brown Bess as a
scatter gun when loaded half up with powder and trading
bullets, I had one mounted 6n a pair of cart wheels, and
choosing a calm day began practising with it as a field-piece,
412
AN ALARMING WEAPON
taking the precaution to use a long line attached to the trigger
to set it off. As a target, and to observe the spread of the
bullets, we used the side of the ice-house. Jacob Bear, who
had taken great delight in operating it while we were firing
this dreadfully overcharged gun for nothing but the noise,
when it had been filled to the muzzle with probably a burst-
ing charge, took shelter to one side of the line of fire
round a corner of the stockades. Simultaneously with the
roar of the gun there came a yell of alarm from Jacob : " It
shoots round the corner," yelled he, for he declared that bul-
lets had whizzed past him in his retreat. It certainly was
a scatter-gun, and seemed to be absolutely proof against
bursting.
The echoes of the loud bellowings of this good old Brown
Bess, careering do-wTi the valley for miles, aroused alarm
along the shores of the lakes. " The soldiers have come to
the fort," was the cry. Next day one of the most malignant
came up cautiously to find out who had come and brought
the big cannon. He saw neither newcomers nor cannon, but
we all looked quite consequential. So he went back mystified,
to be again alarmed by the rousing echoes next calm day. We
had some fun out of it, and we had found that the old
blunderbuss might be a very effective weapon at close range
to guard our gates.
4i;
CHAPTER XXVII.
FALL OF 1870, AND WINTER 1810-1.
Last Mountain Post — The Hunters Return.
After delivering his furs and passengers safely at St. Paul,
Minnesota, Chief Trader McDonald returned via Fort Garry,
then already in possession of the Canadian Volunteers, to
Qu'Appelle; and I, shortly after, resumed my charge at
Last Mountain post. There the news came in of a big battle
at Belly River, in which the Crees and the Young Dogs be-
longing to Touchwood Hills, with other Crees from Sas-
katchewan, and Assiniboines from Wood Mountain, had been
defeated, with a loss of one hundred and thirty-five killed by
the Blackfeet. About twenty of the slain had book debts at
Touchwood Hills, which I had to write off to profit and loss,
with the explanation " Killed by Blackfeet."
Next there came two of the Metis who had been in the
spring the biggest agitators for the sack of Fort Qu'Appelle,
and for giving its master what they then declared were his
deserts for opposing the Rielites, by pushing him into a
waterhole and drowning him in the lake. I had not seen
Louison since, after very hot words with me in March, he
had rushed down to offer his services to those in occupation
of Fort Garry, to lead in an attack of Fort Ellice and Qu'-
Appelle. To his disgust his claim to share in the spoils of
Fort Garry had been rejected; nay more, he had been chased
by the sheriff out of the settlement, and now he came humbly
into my office from a long and solitary tour on the plaint;,
asking " What is the news at La Fourche ?" With great
pleasure I informed him of Wolseley's coming and Riel's
going. Whereupon he had the brazen-faced impudence to
414
Chikf Factor Robert Campbell,
Discoverer of the Southern Head-
waters of the Pelly-Yukon.
Governor McTavish.
Chief Factor Wilson, of York
Factory.
Judge Black,
Recorder of Rupert's Land,
••'.•>•{/:••? < -v.
"I NEVER JOIN DE REBELS"
say : " Ah, Mr. Coue, I take you for my witness that I always
been a loyal man. I never join de rebels !" " No," said I,
" it was lucky for you they would not have you." Whereat
he cast on me a look intended for innocent reproach, and we
proceeded to business, in which I was fortunate in securing
ten bags of pemmican, being the first lot that had come from
the plains that year.
Failure of the Summer Hunt.
At Qu'Appelle there was scarcely a bag of pemmican
brought in that fall and only fifty came in to Last Mountain,
with the news that the summer hunt had been a failure, and
that in the fall and winter sure to be likewise, for the buffalo
had gone far off and to parts of the country our people did
not dare to follow them, scattered as they were.
The supply of fat was always too small to enable us to
convert all the lean pounded or powdered meat into pemmican,
for which equal weights were required. Consequently we
always had been obliged to buy, at low price, however, quanti-
ties of this " pelly " meat that no one except a very hungry
person or animal would touch without being mixed with fat.
It was indeed fortunate that the summer of 1869 had been
one of such abundance that notwithstanding the huge drain
upon us in feeding our Cree friends for so many months on
pemmican and dried meat, there still remained when the
hunt failed in the fall of 1870, a great stock of this dried
pounded meat in store at Fort Qu'Appelle.
And to the Lakes that fall and winter there came the Metis,
many of whom had come to join in the pillage of the fort
in the previous spring had their leaders so decided. The
little provisions brought with them from the plains were
soon used up, and the lake fishing, with hooks under the ice,
was too scanty. There was no other resource but the pounded
meat in the Company's store, which was, of course, for sale,
but in exchange for furs only. Customers with furs were
always welcome, but those who had neither these nor any-
27 415
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEERS
thing but their horses had to bargain with Mr. McDonald.
So it came about (just as he had warned them in the winter
before when they, thinking that the old Company had fallen,
never to rise again, had reviled it and threatened him with
drowning) that they had to run to the Company for food to
carry them over the winter and to obtain it, too, on credit or
charity. And, while he sent none away empty, he certainly
took into consideration the conduct of the person during the
previous year in the limiting of credit and in the valuation
of the horses offered for sale.
The dearth of pemmican was general that fall, and during
the winter Mr. William McKay, who had succeeded Mr.
Campbell in charge of the district, came to Qu'Appelle say-
ing that the whole transport for the northern districts of
Mackenzie River and Athabasca, between Norway House and
Portage la Loche, would be impossible if Swan River could
not provide pemmican and send it over to Cumberland House
during the winter. In spite of my warning that no more
provisions could be expected from the plains before spring,
when all we had would be needed for our own brigades, Mr.
McKay considered that the Northern Transport was of
greater importance, and so all we had procured at Last Moun-
tain was sent to Fort Pelly for the purpose during the winter.
With me at Last Mountain that winter there were my good
reliable interpreter, Andrew McNab, who, with John Beads
and Charles Favel, looked after the trade on the plains; also
my old travelling companion, Henri Hibbert, bowsman, for
general tripping, and at the post, Samuel McKay, a smart
young fellow, who could act as clerk and interpreter and
hunter, and was good in all capacities. George Pottinger,
an Al bowsman on the York voyage, who could recite all Sir
Walter Scott's poems by heart, staid at the post for general
service.
A Metis "Medicine Man."
Among the freemen wintering about the lake was one of
the wide-spread Disgarlais families, but Hpcidedly more
416
PROFESSOE OF INDIAN MEDICINE
Saulteau than French in tongue and tone. The father, named
Wah-ween-shee-cap-po, was a giant in size and ancient in days
and devilment. When one of his grandchildren had died
during the previous summer, in his grief and rage old Dis-
garlais, arming himself with his long flintlock, with powder-
horn and ball-pouch slung over his shoulders, commenced
blazing away at the sun, challenging the power up there " to
come down and fight him like a man instead of killing inno-
cent children." As a professor of Indian medicine and black
art in general he was dreaded, and he appeared to have the
faculty of either hypnotizing or putting himself in a trance,
lying so long in that state that during that winter his sons
twice thought he was really dead, and came to the post for
material to bury him. On both these occasions he came to
life again after two or three days, during which he said he
had visited spirit-land, of which he related his experiences to
his fascinated and awestruck family and audience. By the
time he fell into the third trance, or actually died that winter,
his sons had no occasion to come to the post for winding sheet
or coffin nails. The grave had also been dug ready ; so, when
he once more became apparently dead, his sons lost no time
in nailing him down in the coffin and sinking him in
a deep grave and covering him with earth. Then they poured
water thereon so as to freeze him down in case he should come
to life once more to terrorize his panic-stricken and super-
stitious descendants.
Civilized Society.
Another of the winterers was William Birston, commonly
known as " Gaddie." He was a son of one of those old reli-
able Orkneymen of the Company, Magnus Birston, for many
years postmaster at Oxford House. Gaddie was a great, big^
genial fellow, who could turn his tongue and his hand to
anything, and we became great friends. There was trading
there, on a small scale, an American named Oswald Brodie
Nevin, a native of Ogdensburg, who, after serving as a cavalry-
417
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUKERS
man in the Civil War, had drifted west as a miner, then
becoming a " wolfer," that is a poisoner of wolves, on the
Upper Missouri, had found his way with Louison, or some
other Metis frequenter of the posts on that river, to the
north. Nevin went by the name of " Dick," as evidence of
his deserved popularity. He used to go down to Red River
to draw funds from home, with which he financed the rather
leisurely trade he did in partnership with James N. Mulligan,
son of the Chief of Police at Fort Garry in that period.
Besides being cheered at the post by calls from Gaddie,
Dick and Jim Mulligan, we were occasionally favoured by a
visit from Doctor Covenant, a French medical man, who had
come out to the plains from Red River, fondly anticipating
an extensive and profitable practice amongst a people whom
he hoped would be suffering from the epidemic of smallpox,
which had swept from the Missouri to the Saskatchewan.
Doctor Covenant cynically professed great indignation at me
for having disappointed him of his practice, by introducing
vaccination among our Indians. But he forgave me suffi-
ciently to become rather a frequent visitor, and he was wel-
come for the lively entertainment he afforded us in relating
his remarkable adventures and in general conversation.
A Burglar^ His Arrest and Attempted Revenge.
There was much distress among the Indians that winter
owing to the disappearance of buffalo. Band after band made
their way to Fort Qu'Appelle for the relief which was always
afforded them free under the heading of the provision store-
book of " Charity to Starving Indians." While Mr. Mc-
Donald acompanied the winter packet to attend the district
council at Fort Pelly, I took his place at Qu'Appelle, and
one night Bartle Harper (brother of Gowdie), who was mess-
oook, came in and reported there was someone in the ice-
house, where our whitefish were stored. McKinley, Kennedy
and I at once went out. It was black darkness inside the
ice-house 'and we had no lantern, while it was bright moon-
418
SUMMARY TREATME:>^T
light outside. I went to the outer of the double doors and
ordered whoever was within to come forth. Kennedy yelled,
" Keep to one side of the door, for he may shoot." Obeying
the warning, McKinley and I posted ourselves one on each
side of it, prepared to seize the depredator as he came forth.
As he rushed out we caught him, and twisting his arms
behind his back, we made him come into the office, where
Jerry soon joined us. He had been stealing whitefish, as the
load which dropped from his blanket, above where it was
belted, disclosed when we caught him.
He was one of the Egg Lake Saulteaux, and had distin-
guished himself during the summer before by selling a bear-
skin to McKinlay and Jordan at Touchwood Hills, and after
being paid for it defiantly taking it back and walking away
with it and the goods he had received as well. So he required
correction, which McKinley alone had not been able to give,
for Jordan was scared of Indians. When I asked him why
he had not come and asked for food, which we invariably
gave to starving Indians, he replied insolently that the fish
belonged to the Indians, who had a right to take what was
their own from the whites, who were mere intruders in the
country. He gave some more insolence, and, losing my
temper, I went up and slapped his mouth. Instantly he drew
a big knife from under his blanket, and as he was bringing
down his hand — round arm, for the Indians did not thrust —
to stab me, Jerry jumped and wrested the knife from him.
I then opened the door, and heading him for it kicked him
outside, and then right through to the front gate, whence
he departed, vowing the vengeance of his numerous relations
against me. I told him to bring them along at any time to
get their deserts. I kept his big knife as a souvenir, but
soon forgot him; in fact, I don't remember exactly his name,
but I think it was either " Mus-toos " or " Mou-kees." Any-
how, he was brother of a good hunter, named Tay-taw-pus-
as-sung, and Almighty Voice, who gave so much trouble
to the Mounted Police some years after (when he killed sev-
419
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
eral, and my gallant friend, Lieutenant-Colonel Jack Allan,
was severely wounded by him), was one of the same family.
About two months after, being the only man left at Last
Mountain Post at the time, I was out looking at the poison
I had set for wolves, when I saw a string of three men on
snowshoes making for the post, to which I returned. There
was a blazing March sun shining on the snow, and as the
party came nearer I noticed they were holding their heads
down and were rather wobbly in their walk. I had no idea
whom the visitors might be, but prepared to receive them
as foes, if not friends. Instead of opening the door of the
office and walking in as usual without the ceremony of
knocking, they tapped at the door, and, in response to my
"Phe-to-gay" (come in) T ay-taw-pus-as-sung, Mustoos and
their brother, whom Andrew McNab had kicked off the
premises in March, 1870, walked in humbly with bowed
heads and streaming eyes, and armed to the teeth. They
were suffering all the agonies of snowblindness, with which,
fortunately for me, they had been stricken while on the
warpath against me.
I immediately metaphorically heaped coals of fire on their
heads by dropping soothing laudanum into their burning
eyes. Then, after putting flyblisters behind each ear and
the napes of their necks, I administered to each a big dose
of Epsom salts to cool their blood. They bought some tea
and tobacco with a marten skin, and departed, cured, and
in peace, next day, without referring to the original object
of their visit, and I do not recollect ever having any more
trouble with them. In fact, Tay-taw-pus-as-sung and I
traded pleasantly several times afterwards at Qu'Appelle,
but he was a different and a far better man than his brethren,
anyhow.
A Spring Trip to the Plains. ,
In the end of March Mr. McDonald ordered me to go
to Wood Mountain to try to buy pemmican, at any price, to
420
THE TEANSFOEMATIOX OF FLEMMAND
enable the boats to be provisioned for the voyage to York
Factory. Henri Hibbert and I accordingly set out on horse-
back. We camped that night at the mouth of Moose Jaw
Creek, with some Metis who had wintered there. One of
them had a trading outfit, which had included a puncheon
of port wine as his share of the pillage of Fort Garry during
the previous winter. I bought from Alexander Breland there
a splendid saddle horse, and Henri, having another good one,
we made a long day over the rapidly-melting snow under a
blazing sun. That evening we found the trader, Kis-sis-away
Tanner in camp on the Dirt Hills. He was the only person
known to have any pemmican, having ten bags, which he
esteemed worth their weight in gold. After some haggling,
he sold me six bags at two shillings and six pence a pound,
payable in cash at Fort Garry.
The blazing reflection of the sun on the melting snow
during the ride from Moose Jaw had scorched the skin off
my face, leaving it in a state of very painful rawness, which
continued until a week afterwards when, on reaching Fort
Qu'Appelle, Mrs. McDonald prescribed bathing it in milk,
which acted like magic. The natives at Dirt Hills could do
nothing for me, but told me that the use of vermilion pre-
vented sunburn, and I afterwards experienced its virtue in
preventing my nose from getting sunscorched and peeled.
The Transformation of Flemmand.
The first man to meet and greet us as we rode up to Tan-
ner's camp was my old friend, Flemmand, who came forward
with glad hand outstretched. After my business was over
with Tanner, I took Flemmand for a little stroll, and to
hear his adventures since he had left the Company's service
and entered that of " Mister Kisisaway," as he called his
employer. " Well, Flemmand," I enquired, " how have you
been getting on ?" " Stop," he cried, " I don't want dat
name no more ! My name now is Jackson — * Mister ' Jack-
son, too, for dat's what de 'Mericans call me at Fort La Roche
421
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
Jaune." " Why ?" I asked. " I go dare to buy tings for my
lx)ss, for he not speak English, an' I hear de 'Merieans
always swear by General Jackson. I want dem to t'ink me
Englishman, too, no halfbreed, so w'en day ask my name, I
say * Jackson.' Den day say, ^ Oh, Mister Jackson, come
an' heat wit us,' an day make much of me. Dat's why I
don't want dat old name Flemmand no more." I suggested
that he should assume the title of General as well as the name
of Jackson, and he was delighted at the idea of exchanging
the new title of Mister to the still higher one of jGreneral;
but whether he ever succeeded in attaining the dignity of
being so addressed I never heard, and that was the last time
I had the pleasure of meeting my lively and amusing friend,
Flemmand.
Sitting Bull Robs a Company's Trader.
While we were there next day, Mr. Joseph McKay, who
had been wintering at Wood Mountain, trading for Fort
Ellice, arrived on his way back there. He reported that a
party of his men, under Baptiste Bourassa, when on their
way to trade at Milk River with a camp of Sioux, who had
sent for them, had been robbed of their whole trading outfit
and arms by other Sioux under Sitting Bull. As this notor-
ious chief had no use for the oxen, carts and harness, and
did not care to arouse the Metis against him by lifting
Bourassa's scalp and those of the other French halfbreeds
composing the party, he graciously permitted them to return
with these, but unarmed and without food for the journey.
A Man With a Buffalo Tooth.
McKay, with his family, had come on ahead with a light
waggon, and next day Bourassa arrived with the cart-train,
by which the precious six bags of pemmiean were shipped
under his trusty care, to Fort Ellice. Accompanying the
carts was a very green and peculiar apprentice clerk. He had
wintered under Joe at Wood Mountain, and having been
422
A EEMARKABLE TOOTH
taken out to run buffalo, according to his heart's desire, had
been thrown and got a tooth knocked out. Joe had come to
pick him up in great alarm, to find that nothing was wrong
but the tooth, for which the young man made lamentation.
Right alongside lay several buffalo teeth, and picking up a
huge one Joe handed it to him, saying, " here it is, you'd
better keep it as a souvenir." And, whenever a party of
Metis came visiting, Joe would relate the incident in Cree or
French to them, and then turning to the clerk he would say,
" I have just been telling these fellows about your wonderful
buffalo hunt, and they would like to see your tooth." Where-
upon the poor simple fellow would proudly go to his trunk,
take out the immense tooth and hand it round to the grave-
faced visitors for inspection.
A Hard Journey to Qu'Appelle.
If there were any reason why Joe McKay was returning
by the way of Qu'Appelle, besides wanting to see his rela-
tions there, I do not remember. In an evil hour he ffer-
suaded me to accompany him and his family ahead of his
party, in going directly to the fort, instead of returning
with Henri to the Last Mountain by the way we came. The
sudden thaw had inundated the whole plain, and we com-
menced wading through it in the afternoon of the first day.
All the creeks were in flood. It was only at rare and long
intervals that enough bare ground above water could be found
to unhitch on. We waded in water up to the horses' bellies
for hours, swam creeks with lines to haul across the waggon-
box, wrapped in an oilcloth to serve as a boat, in which to
ferry Mrs. McKay and the children over. We had one cart,
and Joe quickly converted it also into a raft for freight. The
days were warm, and my raw face suffered dreadfully in the
heat, but the nights were bitterly cold. We at first made
shift to boil the kettle only, but every bit of wood in the
outfit was soon used up, and the dry area was too small to
afford the dry dung on which all travellers depended. So,
423
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTHEERS
night after night, I slept in the open in wet blankets and
clothes, which froze hard on the outside during the night.
Soon we ran out of all food but a pound or two of flour,
which Mrs. McKay had hoarded all winter for sickness or
emergencies. For several days we toiled on, till, having
passed the thawn and flooded area, we came to the unthawn
snow out beyond the bordering woods of the Qu'Appelle Val-
ley. There, at the edge of the snow, Joe found some buffalo
bones, and by cutting up part of the cart he kindled a kind of
fire of them, and at the same time selected others for the
kettle to make "bouillon." We had some of this, slightly
thickened with a little flour, and then went on. In our
despite, the weather became cold and the snow was hard,
but not sufficiently so to bear the wheels, which sank to the
axles. To beat a path for the wheels we tied our riding-
horses by the tail to the cart-trams and rode 'ahead of the
horse in the cart, sticking every now and again in big drifts,
where, after trampling the snow down, we pulled and hauled
and put our shoulders in every way to the wheel. It was
only after seven days of this incessant toil and hardship that
we struck a beaten trail leading to the lakes. We arrived
at the fort on the eighth day after leaving Dirt Hills, to find
that Henri had come through by Moose Jaw and Last Moun-
tain post five days before, after an easy trip.
424
CHAPTEE XXVIIT.
THE SUMMER AND FALL OF 1871.
Starvation on the Plains.
When Jerry and Jacob and the men who had wintered
with them at Eagle Quills arrived that spring they brought
harrowing tales of starvation, instead of the usual supply of
provisions. Some of them had gone without food for three
days at a stretch ; they had eaten the buffalo sinews, of which
thread was made for sewing leather, and feasted upon any
wolf which they had the good luck to poison. On the way
in their chief dependence had been gophers, caught by pour-
ing water in their holes and forcing them out to snares set
at the openings. The only food which was abundant that
spring was suckers, which swarmed the creeks, and these fish
of many bones and poor eating, became, with a little milk,
barley and potatoes, the only rations at ihe fort. So when
we were packing the furs and robes there was little skylarking
and laughter, neither was there any merry-maker, like Flem-
mand — or rather Jackson — to cheer them up.
Oxen Sacred — Starvation a Frivolous Excuse.
At last the time to start for Fort Pelly on the way to York
Factory arrived, and the discontent of the poor fellows, who
declared that the diet of suckers had weakened instead of
strengthened them, broke out in murmurings and question-
ings as to why the master did not make beef of some
of the Company's cattle. But Archie McDonald was not the
man to bring down disgrace upon himself by a proceeding
which would have been regarded as highly revolutionary in
the Company's service, for year after year the majestic min-
utes of Council enacted that officers in charge of Swan River
425
THE COMPANY OF ADVEXTUBERS
and Saskatchewan districts be instructed to use every effort
to increase the number of live stock. Tn fact, the slaughter
of a domestic animal was regarded as inexcusable in any
event, in testimony of which I may be excused for mentioning
the complaint of a chief factor to Governor Simpson against
Chief Trader Deschambault for slaughtering cattle on the
" frivolous " excuse of starvation at Portage la Loche !
A Surprise Packet of Pemmican.
The boatmen strongly objected to start for Fort Pelly with
only the abominated dried suckers for rations, and, in that sea-
son of scarcity of game, only ammunition and snaring- twine to
secure what they could on the way. " They are not going to
catch me in that way," boasted the boss. " Come along with
me, Cowie, and I'll show them." We went together up to
the loft of the store, and there, under a pile of buffalo leather,
he unveiled a big bag of pemmican, which he threw down
the hatch to the ration store, where Jerry had meanwhile
assembled the voyageurs. They were most agreeably sur-
prised, and the master smiled triumphantly at the big fat
bag. Taking the i]^eat-axe out of Jerry's hands he made a
blow 'at the bag to divide it in half, but instead of the blade
sinking deep into a rich mixture of fat and meat it struck fire,
and the edge was broken. Furiously he again attacked the bag,
but the blow brought the same astonishing result. Then
Jerry seized a scalping-knife and, ripping the hide off the
package, disclosed a mixture of hard mud and gravel, in
which, in still more mockery, the manufacturer had placed
an old pair of moleskin trousers, a ragged capote and a pair
of worn-out moccasins. The scene and outcry which followed
can be more easily imagined than described. I, for one, burst
out in loud laughter, in which the poor men who had been
on the verge of mutiny, soon joined. They saw that their
master had been careful to make a cache to provide for them,
but that he had been deceived by some rare rascal — the like
of whom had previously been unknown in that quarter. Mr.
426
HONEST PEMMICAN
McDonald at once declared : " No Indian ever made up that
dirty bag of tricks, it was a French halfbreed, for look at
his cast-off clothes !"
The Indians had always made honest pemmican, well
mixed with fat, but after the halfbreeds became our chief
purveyors there it became necessary to mark each bag as we
bought it with the name of the vendor to put a check upon
similar, though rare, forms of fraud.
A Starving Trip Down the Assiniboine.
That spring I had the long-longed-for pleasure of getting
a trip to Fort Garry, taking charge of the batteaux going
down the Assiniboine from Fort Ellice with the buffalo robes.
At Fort Ellice, Mr. Duncan Matheson was, in the absence of
Chief Trader McKay, in charge. When the food problem
came up for solution also here, Mr. Matheson refused, with
horror, my suggestion that one of the Company's old draft
oxen might fittingly be sacrificed. " What ?" cried Matheson,
in horror, " kill a Company's ox ! No ! never while I am in
charge !"
We had good luck in shooting birds and finding their eggs
and those of turtles for the first two days. Two of the best
hands went ashore and followed the valley after deer or bear,
but unsuccessfully. On the third evening I chanced to shoot
a big beaver, which afforded a welcome bite to the twelve
boatmen, while Bill Moore (an old army pensioner, who was
cook at Qu'Appelle) and I finished the last of some dainties
which Mrs. McKay had most kindly furnished on our depar-
ture. By the time we reached the rapids near which the
river was forded by carts (near Brandon), we had nothing
to eat; but we saw the fresh tracks of a train of carts which
had crossed going north. Hoping to get some food from
them I took Henri Hibbert and another man and followed
up the trail. Along the way we saw the decomposing bodies
of three Sioux who had very shortly before been killed and
scalped — ^by a party of Bed Lake Ojibways, as we afterwards
427
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUREES
learned. The carts turned out to be laden with freight for
the Company at Carlton, and the Metis who were taking it
were only too pleased to get rid of part of their heavy loads
by letting us have four bags of flour, for Henri and his com-
panion to carry with their straps back to the batteaux.
At that time flour was regarded as a luxury at Fort Ellice
and Qu'Appelle, only enough for the " winter allowances " of
the officers and men being braught in. To use it for any other
purpose would have been almost as great a crime as that
of slaughtering an ox. So, I could well imagine the indigna-
tion of Mr. Duncan Matheson when the freighter, in passing
Fort Ellice, called and produced my order for the four bags
of flour to be replaced, which, I had been assured by the
men, he would be able to do out of the loads of other freighters
for Swan River who had preceded them.
Held in Quarantine.
But man cannot live and thrive and ply the labouring oar,
from dawn to dark, on flour and water only, and that cooked
(the word is too strong) in the most uninviting and indi-
gestible manner. The men all fell ill, of summer complaint.
This was relieved by decoctions of oak bark, and finally
we arrived at Portage la Prairie on our tenth or twelfth day
from Fort Ellice.
By that time the fear of civil war in Red River had been
replaced by the fear of the invasion of Manitoba by smallpox
from the Saskatchewan. A Board of Health had been
formed to enforce a quarantine on all comers from the west,
and here was the Hudson's Bay Company, in defiance of the
law, trying to evade it by sneaking down the Assiniboine with
buffalo robes which must have come from the infected dis-
trict. A provincial constable met us as we put ashore at the
old post, and told me he had orders to stop the boats there.
In recognition of the majesty of the law, we stopped the
boats, but they were too leaky to leave laden with the robes,
as the men, of course, could not be depended upon to keep
4^8
A SUSPECTED CARGO
baling while all the attractions of civilization were there to
tempt them from duty. Moreover, as they belonged to an-
other district, Mr. George Davis, who presided over the Por-
tage Post, could not be expected to control them during my
absence, for I had to go down to Fort Garry to clear the foul
aspersions against our cargo. The suspected robes were there-
fore landed and stored in a building near the bank.
I then set out on horseback with Henri for Fort Garry,
where Mr. John H. McTavish took me before Governor
Archibald, and before a meeting of the Board of Health, com-
posed of the Bishops, Machray and Tache, Mr. Gerard and
the Governor, I was able to convince them of the freedom of
our robes from infection, and obtained an order to the authori-
ties at Portage la Prairie to pass them.
At Fort Garry.
Whilst at Fort Garry then I had the pleasure of seeing the
Canadian Volunteers paraded on the Queen's birthday. They
were a remarkably fine body of men physically, as compared
with the regulars, with whose appearance I had been familiar
in Aberdeen and Edinburgh, and especially as compared with
some I had seen in London. Shortly after the parade, a num-
ber of the volunteers started in rowboats down the Red River
on their return to Ontario.
In the clerks' quarters, which Riel had used to confine his
prisoners, I also had the pleasure of making the acquaintance
of a number of the volunteer officers, and enjoying with them
and my old chum at York Factory, Mr. James S. Ramsay,
the society and some of the luxuries of civilization.
Ride Back to Fort Ellice.
As I was getting ready to start on my return to release
the cargo at Portage la Prairie, Mr. Gerard, Provincial
Treasurer, came to me gravely to say that very strong evi-
dence had been sent down from there to the effect that the
robes had come from infected districts. Another meeting
429
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEERS
of the Board of Health was held in which I indignantly
denied the statements, and reminded them of the great care
we had taken in Swan River, which had not only prevented
an outbreak of smallpox there, but had also prevented its
spreading to Red River. The Board was impressed, but
thought it better that I should return myself to Fort Ellice
to procure affidavits from others in support of my testimony
and that of Henri.
We got under way and then I had the chance of hearing
from my companion the reason for his dilapidated appearance.
He said that while enjoying himself in a saloon with a few
compatriots they had been wantonly attacked by volunteers
and beaten up with their belts. He was very bitter against
the want of what he considered fair play, and I was naturally
indignant at seeing a man who had been my kind and agree-
able voyaging companion in the wilds, meeting with such a
poor reception in civilization. Still Henri might have
indiscreetly, under the impulse of the cheering cup, given
vent to " Vive mon Nation !" or, perchance, burst out in
chanting " La gloire de tons ces Bois-brule," at a time and
place where they were not in the majority.
Return Again to Fort Garry.
In passing the Portage Mr. Davis informed me that the
people were so alarmed that they had been hardly restrained
from burning the building in which the robes were stored;
and that two of the Highlanders belonging to Swan River
had deserted. While there I first made the acquaintance of
my friend, Mr. Edward Field, then a clerk under Mr. Davis,
and who passed away, much to my sorrow, in 1912.
On my return from Fort Ellice, with the necessary " clear-
ance papers," I fell in for the first time with another, who was
to become an old and lasting friend. I was on horseback
when I came up with a light buggy on the road between
Portage and High Bluff. Its occupant was Mr. Charles Mair,
who soon invited me to share the seat with him, so that we
430
A LONG FRIENDSHIP
might converse more comfortably. We camped that night
at House's store at Long Lake, and next day continued the
journey and cemented a friendship which has lasted to this
day.
Fall of 1871.
Mr. McDonald went down to Fort Garry that summer and
I was left to preside over quite a number of young fellows
at Qu'Appelle till the fall when he returned, and I set out to
winter at the Cypre Hills.* While he had been at Fort Garry
the Fenian Raid on Manitoba had occurred, when every Hud-
son's Bay man, from the inspecting chief factors down, " Ral-
lied 'Round the Flag," as per the Lieutenant-Governor's pro-
clamation.
Before I left the fort, we were delighted by the visit of the
Rev. Mr. Goldie, then returning from a visit to the Presby-
terian Mission of the Rev. Mr. Nesbit, at Prince Albert. Mr.
Goldie was a most interesting conversationalist, and a Scot
of poetic fire, who loved to quote Scott and Burns and a
Canadian Scot named, I think, McLaughlin. On Sunday he
preached the very first Presbyterian sermon which ever awoke
the echoes of the Qu'Appelle Valley.
* Cypre, not Cypress, is the correct name, signifying, in
French, the Jack Pine after which the Indians named the hills.
"Cypress" does not grow in the North-West.
28 431
CHAPTEE XXIX.
WINTER AT CYPRE HILLS, 1871-2,
A Natural Game Preserve.
More out of charity than for any use the lad might be to
him on the trip to Eed Eiver, Mr. Groldie had taken one
Eobert Jackson with him from Prince Albert, whither one of
Jackson's tramps had led him. When we spoke of the expedi-
tion to Cypre Hills, where we hoped to be able to open
peaceable negotiations with the Blackfeet with the view of
establishing a post for them on the Upper South Saskatchewan
Eiver, Mr. Goldie mentioned that Jackson spoke the Black-
foot language, being the grandson of old Hugh Munro and
a Peigan wife, and might be useful to interpret. Jackson's
father was an American and a Methodist, who had taught
him good English and his religion, also a good address. So
I was very glad when he willingly consented to go with me.
As has been previously mentioned, the Cypre Hills had
been a neutral ground, which the hostile tribes of the sur-
rounding country feared to enter for hunting purposes. Con-
sequently, it had become a natural game preserve, occupied
chiefly by red deer and grizzly bears. Our own Indians would
not venture to acompany our party to winter there, but the
number of Metis frequenting Qu'Appelle had been very
largely increased by those who left or ceased to resort to Eed
Eiver after the establishment of Canadian Government. A
strong party of these hunters had been induced by Jerry
to join him; and they had gone to the hills in time to put
up buildings for the winter. Two of his brothers had also
accompanied him, so that for hunting and defensive pur-
poses the number of men was sufficient.
432
\
A NAEEOW ESCAPE
A Blackfoot War Party.
Besides Jackson, John Asham and another Indian formed
the party, with horse-sleds, with which I set out for Cypre
Hills. On the first Sunday out we lay all day, suffering
dreadfully from the whirling smoke of our green-wood fire
in a little ravine on the edge of the next wide open plain on
the route. Next morning that plain, which had been vacant
the whole day before, was filled by scattered herds of buffalo.
We had not gone very far among them when we crossed a
trail made the previous day, by a party of over fifty men,
evidently — to the Indians — Blackfeet on the war-path. Had
we, as usual, travelled on that Sunday, we would certainly
have been discovered and probably killed by them.
At the Vermilion Hills we fell in with Benjamin Disgarlais
and a 'few other hunters. After securing their furs and robes,
I went on to where our wintering post was situated at the
east end of the Cypre Hills, in a valley in which a small lake,
on the height of land between the Missouri and the South
Saskatchewan, sent rills in each direction. Frequent Chinook
winds during the winter often swept away the snow from the
open, leaving only the drifts sheltered in the ravines and
woods.
An American Metis Liquor Trader.
Some of our Indians had followed the party under Jerry,
but most of the buffalo hunting was done by it, and the
Indians all retreated to the east, early in March, to get out
of the way of the Blackfeet. There were Metis traders at
Wood Mountain, Pinto Horse Butte, and Eagle Quills; but
the only one who annoyed us was Antoine Oulette, generally
called Irretty, who made several incursions with liquor and
delighted in trying to make everyone drunk, and in pro-
claiming sedition against the Canadian Government and ani-
mosity to the Company and their people from the old country.
However, as Kennedy, Harper, Jordan and I kept our heads,
restrained our feelings and refused to accept his most press-
433
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
ing offers to join in the festivities, by which he opened his
trade, we 'did not become involved in any of the resultant
rows amongst his Metis guests on these occasions.
Blackfeet Hovering Around.
Before we began packing the robes and furs in the spring,
the Indians had all cleared off to the east, and shortly after
we began to see signs of Blackfeet being about. We tried to
open communication with these scouts, by signals, to which
they only replied by signs of hostility and derision, mocking
us with flashes from their little round mirrors. Even had
we been able to secure audience with them, unless one of
them could have talked Cree, we should have been confined
to signs, for young Jackson had turned out so absolutely
unsatisfactory that we had been glad when Oulette, thinking
to interfere with our wish to open communication with the
Blackfeet, had induced the young scamp to abscond with
him to Wood Mountain.
The Metis Retreat — Assiniboines Killed by Blackfeet.
Most of the Metis who had wintered with us broke camp
and made their way east before we finished packing the re-
turns of trade, which were so large that we were obliged to
leave forty fresh buffalo carcasses in store, for want of carts
to carry them with us. During all the packing season the
Blackfeet increased in number and hovered around watching
our movements. We had to carefully herd our horses by day
and round them up at night, while they made many attempts
to steal them. The Company's buildings were in a row, not
in a square, and those of the freemen were similarly arranged
in the shelter of scrub at the foot of a hill, which commanded
them, and was the watchtower of the Blackfeet prowlers. We
were well armed and on the alert day and night, so they
made no attack. I was glad, however, when everything had
been stowed away in the carts and they got out into the open
valley. Gaddie Birston and I remained awhile at the build-
434
A BLACKFOOT MASSACEE
ings after the carts started to see that nothing of consequence
had been left. The Wood Mountain Assinihoines were always
prowling about after prey, and nine of them had suddenly
appeared around our deserted buildings. They were picking
up stray bullets which had leaked out of ragged sacks on to
the mud floor of the store and such trifles, while others were
helping themselves to the fresh meat we could not carry
away. Leaving them, after warning them of the Blackfeet
hidden on the hills, Birston and I rode off after the carts.
We had not gone, at a lope, more than a quarter of a mile,
when we heard a spluttering volley, evidently from a large
party, and by the time we reached the carts the smoke, which
arose from the site of our wintering houses, proclaimed that
the Blackfeet had set them on fire. Not one of the nine
Stonies escaped. Their bodies, minus scalps, were found
by Metis while hunting deer in the hills next June.
A Hard Trip to Qu'Appelle.
We made a good ring with the carts to protect our ponies
that night and for a few nights afterwards, as we journeyed
eastward. The snow had disappeared, except in deep coulees;
so, as my services were unnecessary with the carts and were
required at Qu'Appelle to make up the accounts, I left them,
taking Xavier Denomie as my guide, one pack and two saddle
ponies, to ride ahead to Qu'Appelle. Our progress was good
during the first day, but next morning we struck the snow-
line, and from that time on the snow became deeper every
day. What was worse, it had been formed in layers by
crusts following thaws, and each thaw by a fresh snowfall.
The effect of the ponies' feet breaking through these suc-
cessive crusts was very jarring.
The weather became cold and stormy, too, and our course
was over the treeless plains, without even the little kindling
wood that might be carried on sleds. Xavier was famous
for finding the way, by day or night, across the trackless
plains. He was a wiry fellow and was reputed hardy too,
435
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEERS
but he could not stand the racket of the jarring nor the cold
on horseback, without frequently changing his troubles to
those of a man struggling in deep snow on foot, when he
gave a lead and I drove the ponies after him. I stood the
cold and stuck to the saddle better, but the going at a jog-
trot, or walk, with the pony making three distinct jars at
each footstep, so affected the ligaments and muscles at the
back of my neck that they became afflicted with the same
agonies as those of the snowshoer with " mal de racquette "
in the legs.
Xavier was a first-class hunter and guide, but he was too
fond of vaunting himself and "Le Grloire de tons ces Bois-
brule," for me to let him suspect that I had " got it in the
neck," while he could not conceal his shivering with cold as
we lay together in our tireless lairs at night.
We had expected to make the trip in a week easily, but the
condition of the snow had made it twice as long, when, after
living on one dried buffalo tongue for the last three days, we
reached the fort. Xavier went down to his friends at the
mission, and related all the hardships of the trip to Father
Decorby, who came up next day to congratulate me upon
getting through with it, and also upon the way I had stood
it to the surprise of Xavier, who never had suspected the
continual agony I had endured.
Numerous Grizzlys and Elk.
Incredible numbers of grizzly bears and red deer were
killed in the Cypre Hills that year, of which our share of
the skins numbered 750 and 1,500 respectively, and probably
the traders and Metis who were not our customers got as
many more. Most of these were unprime summer bearskins
— mere hides which every hunter was using for cart covers
instead of the ordinary buffalo bull hides, for large numbers
had been slain off horseback in a run on the prairie. Many
of them were of immense size approaching that of a polar
bear; one skin measured by me was thirteen feet from tip to
436
MISTAKEN FOR BEER
tail. This natural reservation of 'the grizzly and the elk soon
ceased to harbour them after the neutrality of the hills had
ceased owing to our invasion.
Quite a number of those hunting in the wooded ravines
of the hills were shot accidentally by their fellows mistaking
men, wearing the red buffalo calfskin jackets, for red deer.
I heard of five deaths due to that mistake and the fact that
the plain hunters were unskilled in woodcraft. In fact, I may
mention that a prairie Indian often lost himself in the woods,
as did a wood Indian on the prairie.
By the time next fall that our wintering party would have
usually set out to resume operations, many of the Metis, in
their discontent at the new order of things in Manitoba, had
deserted the settlement and spread themselves in large num-
bers over parts of the plains into which they had never before
ventured. Many of these had leanings towards the Americans,
and these, with the American Metis mingled among them,
frequently resorted to the posts along the Missouri and found
their way to Benton. The American traders were not long
in taking advantage of these circumstances, and in 1872 they
established whiskey trading-posts at Cypre Hills and to the
west, the steamboating facilities on the Missouri giving them
great advantages over us; and their acquaintance among the
Blackfeet, some of whom were American "Treaty Indians,"
by whom the Company's people of Qu'Appelle were regarded
as enemies, giving them an added advantage.
437
CHAPTER XXX.
IN FULL CHARGE OF QU'APPELLE, SUMMER, 1872.
My Apprenticeship Ended.
The five long, weary and lonely and disillusioning years of
my apprenticeship were over in June, 1872; but when that
fondly-looked-forward-to time came, the sad news of my
mother's death at home, and the lure held out at the "Reorgan-
ization " of the fur trade in 1871 to the effect that promotion
was to be henceforth entirely by merit, not seniority, induced
me foolishly to accept the full charge of Fort Qu'Appelle, and
engage for another term of three years at the usual advance
in pay.
Colonel Robertson Ross Slays a Sacred Ox.
Early in the summer of 1872 Mr. McDonald went as usual
to Fort Garry, and having business with Mr. McKay, at Fort
Ellice, as I was nearing it he met me on the road to the
crossing of the trail to the Carlton, accompanied by Colonel
Robertson Ross, Adjutant- General of Canada, who was on
his way across the plains on horseback on a tour of investiga-
tion. The Colonel stated that the Government intended to
form a force for the Territories, and asked me what kind of
troops would be most suitable. I told him the men would
require to be mounted and good shots with the rifle to be of
much use. "Like the Cape Mounted Rifles?" he asked,
approvingly. He enquired if I had seen any big game near,
and upon my saying indifferently, " Only a bear," he was
quite interested.
After bidding him and his son — ^who accompanied him —
"bon voyage across the continent," Mr. McKay and I went
on towards the fort. Before reaching it we heard two shots
438
A MISTAKEN SHOT
down in the valley, and Mr. McKay, thinking they might be
signals, turned back to find out what was the matter, while
I went on. About an hour afterwards he came into the office
and, with a twinkle in his eye, handed Mr. Matheson, the
accountant, a ten-pound note, saying, " Put that in your desk
and enter it in the books as the price of one of the Company's
draught oxen which the Colonel mistook for a bear and
killed." The Colonel was under the good guidance of the
factor's son William for the .voyage. After crossing the
Qu'Appelle a bear was sighted, which took to a bluff of trees
in the valley. The colonel rode off in hot pursuit, and as
he rovinded the bush saw a large animal looking like the
grizzly partly concealed in it. Quite naturally he fired and
killed it, with two shots. But when they went up to it
it was to find an old freighting ox belonging to the fort.
Naturally the sportsman was terribly chagrined, and in the
meanwhile the bear had departed for parts unknown.
Upon Mr. Factor McKay riding up, the colonel at once
tendered payment for the animal, which was accepted, and
in consequence of the mistake the mess-table of Fort Ellice
was that evening graced by beefsteaks of one of the sacred
cattle, which Mr. Matheson had so dutifully defended against
me the spring before.
Factor McKjiy Transferred to Fort Pitt.
Mr. McKay was theji preparing to relinquish the charge
of Swan Eiver district and to take his departure for his new
appointment at Fort Pitt where the services of a first-rate
manager of Indians were very much required in the interests
of the Company's safety and business in the Saskatchewan
district at large His successor was Mr. McDonald, to whom
I in turn succeeded in permanent charge of Fort Qu'Appelle.
New Plan for Trade.
The tried and trusty postmasters, Jerry McKay and Wil-
liam Kennedy, could not be induced by the pay offered to
439
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEEES
remain longer in the service, and started as free hunters and
traders on their own account. The Metis had been flocking
to the Qu'Appelle country in increasing numbers, many of
them with some articles for trade, and the Company adopted
the plan of advancing those who were trustworthy to trade
instead of sending out wintering parties of our own men
that year.
As these traders scattered about over the plains it was
hoped that the Indians in general would be more conveniently
supplied than by our sending out parties of our own men
to winter in different places As far as the immediate results
were concerned the plan worked well and enormously increased
the returns of Fort Qu'Appelle. But as the post only got
credit in the annual accounts at the tariff fixed in the year
1834 and not at the prices at which the pemmican and robes
were actually purchased, it showed a loss of at least six cents
on every pound of pemmican and of five dollars on every
robe purchased, so that the bigger the trade we did the greater
was the ^^ apparent loss " in the balance sheet ; whereas the
prices at which we bought these things at Qu'Appelle was
much more profitable to the Company than the prices current
at Fort Oarry and Winnipeg by which we were governed.
Moreover, owing to the entire inadequacy of the outfit of
goods furnished to meet the increased demand, we were
obliged to give orders on Fort Gharry in payment, which,
whether paid there in cash or goods, were charged against
the post as cash. As the returns of trade in 1872 at Fort
Qu'Appelle amounted to $100,000 at the old tariff of 1834,
the " apparent loss " was very large, and was actually used
as an argument (?) by those who had the power to cut down
my carefully-prepared requisitions, to do so in the most sense-
less manner.
All Advances to Indians Forbidden.
After the alleged " Eeorganization," under Mr. Donald A.
Smith, as Chief Commissioner, most stringent orders were
440
INDIAN CEEDIT CEASES
issued to officers in charge to cease advancing the Indians
on their hunts. In this matter the officers in charge of dis-
tricts had a certain amount of discretion, but I was ordered
to summarily cease to supply the plain Indians with the
means of existence which their inherent improvidence and
poverty demanded on credit every fall and spring. The
omniscient beings composing the London Board had viewed
with alarm the annual increase of " Outstanding Indian
Debts " placed on inventory, but not valued as assets, every
sjiring. The increase of uncollectable debts was chiefly due
to the lack of proper control over native post-masters, inter-
preters and traders, whose personal sympathy with the Indians
and desire to be popular amongst them often led them into
being partial at the Company's expense. But instead of tak-
ing measures to prevent this indiscriminating practice of
sowing the seed broadcast and on barren and unprofitable
subjects to obtain the harvest in furs, the Board in its wisdom
and justice decreed that the whole system of credit in the
Indian trade must cease, forgetting that the universal applica-
tion of such a principle to any commerce in the world would
mean its ceasing to exist.
Great care had always been taken at Fort Qu'Appelle, under
Mr. McDonald, in giving advances to deserving Indians at the
fort, and he exercised rigorous criticism over any which our
people on the plains had been induced, or perhaps, virtually
com.pelled, to give. Only a small proportion of those trading
at Qu'Appelle were deemed worthy, and their paying up
depended not only on their luck in hunting, but also on their
good fortune in preserving their lives from the enemies who
encompassed them. For instance, after the defeat of the
Crees by the Blackfeet at Belly Eiver, before mentioned, I
had to write off the outstanding debts, varying from fifty to
a hundred dollars, of a score of the best Indians belonging
to Touchwood Hills, who were slain on that occasion.
But in framing the selling prices of goods and fixing those
for the purchase of furs and provisions every possible risk
441
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
had been taken into consideration, thereby providing an
insurance fund, which the London Board, in its wisdom, chose
to ignore. And so, forgetful also of the loyalty of the Indians
and their effective aid in preventing Fort Qu'Appelle from
falling ignominiously to be pillaged by the Metis, it was
decreed that all advances whatsoever by me to those Indians
should be stopped.
They Determine to Help Themselves.
Some of the Indians had, in distress and resentment, left
for the plains. The Metis, many of whom were less
trustworthy than the Indians, but who might pos-
sibly be sued whenever the Canadian Government
might afford the protection of law to the plains, had
been outfitted and departed for the summer hunt. Only some
Indians remained, and among them several splendid hunters
as well as warriors of repute. These came to me individually
and in parties again and again asking advances, which I was
obliged as often to refuse. At last they got together and
determined to come in a body to the fort to break into the
store and help themselves. They had tried to keep their
plan secret and take us by surprise; but we heard of it, and
as we had no interpreter then who had the courage to inter-
pret in a war of words, I rode out to the camp of Mr. Edward
McKay, a man of education and bold as a lion,* and asked
him to come to help me next morning.
We saw the band of horsemen coming, all painted and
plumed in warlike array, and Messrs. McKay, McKinlay and
I were seated in the Indian hall as they trooped in and filled
it to within a little space in front of our seats. Every one
of them was a walking armory, each with Indian bow and
quiver, many with Henry repeating rifles and revolvers, and
all the rest with shotguns, besides tomahawks, scalping knives
and war clubs. The most highly-decorated and extensively-
armed of the bunch was the Saulteau, Tep-is-couch-kees-cou-
win-in, that " Man in the Zenith," whose firewater had caused
442
EFFECT OF THE FLAG
me trouble with the Young Dogs in 1868. He had been the
leading spirit in getting up the intended raid, and before
anything had been said, for they came in in silence, I
addressed him, saying we had heard that he had been trying
to get the others to join him in helping themselves out of
the store. " There are enough of you to do so, but the first
man who attempts to break in I will shoot. Mr. McKinlay
and I (we both had Winchesters in our hands) are ready
to begin the moment you try to break into the store." Then,
pointing at it, I said, " There it is. Zenith, go ahead." As
I challenged him Harper was just hoisting the flag, and,
pointing to it as its folds flew at the staffhead, I exclaimed:
" That is why we are not afraid of you !" The effect was
magical. With one accord they denied having come to pil-
lage, but merely to ask again the Company in kindness to
enable them to leave for the hunting grounds with ammuni-
tion and tobacco. Though I did not believe them, I replied :
" You may not have bad intentions, but The Zenith has, and
I would like to see him do himself what he tried to incite
you to." But he was thoroughly abashed by the turn things
had taken, and protested innocence and sincere personal re-
gard to me, which I believed so little that I should have been
pleased to have had an excuse to try a shot at him.
Wiser Counsels.
The wiser Indians then made their plea for advances in
very plausible and respectful form. So, as the policy of the
Company was always to yield as a favour what the Indians
would otherwise take by force, putting all the blame on Zenith
for the warlike preparation with which the gathering had
been met, I said, while refusing them advances on their per-
sonal accounts, that I had authority to present to them as a
favour what they had no right to, and let them divide the
supplies amongst them acording to need. And so the trouble
ended that time.
443
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
A Widespread Conspiracy to Raid Manitoba.
The incident was only one sign of the general state of in-
quietude and change caused by the bargain between the
Company and the government in London for the surrender
of the country to Canada without full consideration of the
right of its inhabitants to have some say in the matter. Every
Metis who had left Manitoba dissatisfied at real or imaginary
grievances became a firebrand among the warlike Indians of
the prairies. Not content with putting mischief into the
heads of the tribes living north of the border, they incited
the Assiniboines and Sioux along the Missouri to join in a
general conspiracy of Indians and Metis for the purpose of
driving every other kind of people out of the old Red River
Settlement. The Fenian Raid on Manitoba in the fall of
1871 was a premature performance of part of the programme.
During all the years I had been at Qu'Appelle there was
trouble between the Americans and Sioux along the Missouri,
and as the power of the United States advanced, the Sioux
looked more and more with longing eyes to the country across
the line where they would be safe from pursuit. Former
defeats which they had sustained at the hands of the Metis
buffalo hunters of Red River, and the hereditary enmity
between them and the Ojibways of whom the Saulteaux were
a tribe, had prevented any general attempt to invade the
country. So when the dissatisfaction of the Metis with the
Canadian form of government led these to make overtures to
the Sioux for an alliance, strong enough to sweep away all
opponents from the Qu'Appelle Lakes to Lake Winnipeg, the
proposal was favourably considered. Counting the Assini-
boines as allies, cognate in language and distinguished for
love of plunder, the Sioux in alliance with the Metis would
be able to overcome the Saulteaux and their friends, the
Crees, and capturing Forts Qu'Appelle and Ellice on the way
with the munitions therein, raid the settlement of Portage
la Prairie, and massacre the inhabitants of Winnipeg, while
besieging Fort Garry.
444
AN EXTENSIVE CONSPIRACY
Aiding and abetting this extensive conspiracy, and in
sympathy with the Metis, were American traders and Fenians
along the frontier.
The Crees and Saulteaux Refuse to Join it.
The fact that '^tobacco" to smoke in council was being
sent around by messengers of the malcontents to every chief
and influential person among our Indians soon was noised
abroad. Our Crees, however, were not to be either cajoled
or intimidated by the machinations and magnitude of the
alliance. The Saulteaux, while we could not so fully rely on
them as the Crees, had from time immemorial been at war
with the Sioux, with only armistices intervening, and they
as followers of and later intruders than the Crees into the
Blackfeet territory, deeply resented the proposal that an .
asylum should be given, in the hunting grounds so occupied
by them, to the new friends and allies of the Metis, who had
come in such large numbers, so unwelcomely and with modern
repeating rifles, to more speedily exterminate the already
woefully depleted numbers of the buffalo. It was our policy
and duty to sustain the Crees and Saulteaux in this attitude ;
yet the orders from the gentlemen in London, who sat at
home in ease and considered themselves all-wise, were cal-
culated to destroy our influence over and our ancient alliance
for mutual protection with these tribes, by abolishing the
" system of Indian debts."
Teton Sioux Send an Armed Delegation.
As the conspiracy between the disaffected Metis and the
Assiniboines and Sioux gained strength, the former, instead
of concealing, boasted of the movement. " Tobacco " was sent
to me by the Teton tribe of Sioux saying that they wished to
send a strong delegation to arrange that Fort Qu'Appelle
should become their trading post. I replied politely but stated
that the Company could not invite or encourage them to come
to the Cree and Saulteaux country, against the well-known
445
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
wishes of these tribes; and that it would be dangerous for
them to pay the proposed visit.
My answer did not deter the Tetons from their determina-
tion, and a message by a Metis brought me the unwelcome
reply that they were coming anyhow, and would not hold
the Company responsible for any attack made upon them by
our Indians, of whom they expressed defiance. It happened
that there were about the lakes a large enough number of
Saulteaux at the time to outnumber the Teton delegation,
which was reported to consist of only thirty warriors. The
Saulteaux head men there were Pus-sung, Oo-soup and Che-
Kuk, all good friends of mine and disposed to be reasonable
in general; but when I asked them to allow the delegation,
which was bound to come, to do so and depart in peace, the
hereditary enmity was too strong for them to tie their own
hands and those of their " young men " by making any
unqualified promise. They had long viewed with resent-
ment the presence of the refugee Yankton Sioux under White
Cap and Standing Buffalo, who had been hunting north of
the line and trading at Fort Ellice for a number of years, and
the recent visit of these to Qu'Appelle, as more convenient
than Fort Ellice, had nearly led to a fight at the fort. That
these unwelcome intruders, who had been scarcely tolerated,
should now be made njore formidable by the invasion of the
tribe under the notorious depredator Sitting Bull, was not
to be thought of.
We had recently renewed the " fortifications " of Qu'-
Appelle by a set of high, upright pickets, in place of the
original horizontally-placed slabs. There were a number of
our old friendly and well-disposed Metis in from the plains;
and Alick Fisher enlisted a force of them, who went out and
met the Tetons at a day's travel from the fort, and escorted
them into it, where they staid during their visit, guarded it,
and finally escorted them to a safe distance out on their
return journey. During all this time the Saulteaux were
warned not to approach the place too near, and they were
446
PEACEFUL OVERTURES
all the time stripped for fight and ready to take advantage
of any opportunity.
The Sioux had sent some of their very best speakers and
ablest men to act as ambassadors on this occasion. They
went back to ancient history to prove that they had always
been the friends of the British against the Americans, and
showed a silver medal of King George in evidence. They also
mentioned friendly overtures which had been made to them
by a great man from Red River after the war of 1814, which
I did not understand at the time, and it was only last winter
that I discovered in the Selkirk and Bulger papers in the
Ottawa Archives that Thomas, Earl of Selkirk, had entered
into negotiations with the Sioux for assistance in his conflict
with the North- West Company and in another mysterious
scheme, in which latter he had employed a man named Dick-
son of whom Governor Bulger had a very bad opinion.
As evidence of their peaceable intentions towards the Com-
pany one of the spokesmen, a most blood-thirsty looking
brute he was, stated that they had been for years spying out
the land as one they wished to obtain possession of and therein
to become good and loyal British Indians, supporting and
trading with the Hudson's Bay Company. While engaged in
obtaining intelligence in the summer of 1868, he and his
fellows had repeatedly stolen into the fort at night and had
watched me writing at the desk by 'Hhat window,'' pointing
at it, when only two men and I were in the place to guard it
and the women and children. All of which was correct, as has
been related in a previous chapter.
I told them that we could not encourage them to resort to
the Cree country, and that we did not have sufficient supplies
to provide for the requirements of our own Indians and the
Metis who had been coming in increasing numbers; so that
we could not undertake to supply the requirements of so
numerous a tribe as theirs. They had better make peace with
the Americans on the Missouri, upon which the steamboats
cx)uld deliver all the trading goods they needed, much more
29 447
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEEES
cheaply than we could at Qu'Appelle. Still they boasted that,
if the Metis did not go against them, they could soon subdue
the Crees and Saulteaux. They would never become friendly
with the Americans, and they were bound to find safety on
the north side of the boundary line. They were highly pleased
with our kindness in trying to prevent any trouble with the
Saulteaux, though they felt themselves quite able to defend
themselves, and they thanked us for our friendly talk and
entertainment; but they could not take our refusal as final.
We would hear from them again.
While this delegation had professed nothing but the most
friendly sentiments to the British and repudiated any evil
intention, as far as I could make out through the Metis inter-
preters, I was informed by the notorious Shaman Eacette
afterwards that, like the Blackfeet who were at peace with the
Company at Eocky Mountain House and Edmonton while at
war with its people at posts supplying the Crees, these Sioux
thought they could be at peace and supplied by us at
Qu'Appelle and yet take part in joining the projected raid on
the new settlers of Manitoba.
Towards fall that same year, 1872, I heard that another
delegation of these Sioux visited Fort Garry, where they were
highly offended at either their reception or non-reception by
the Governor, and departed breathing vengeance. In passing
Fort Ellice on their return journey, Mr. McDonald further
so offended them, by refusing their demands, that his fort
was also marked out for pillage when the raid on Manitoba
was passing it.
Shaman, the Notorious.
This Shaman Eacette was the most notorious rowdy and
bad man among the Metis hunters who frequented Fort
Garry and the incipient town of Winnipeg. A description of
him and his deeds would fill a highly sensational Wild West
story book, and cannot be given here. But he, too, had been
scorned in his aittempt to obtain supplies from Mr. McDonald
and had arrived at Qu'Appelle more determined than ever to
448
A NOTOKIOUS EOWDY
take a leading part in the next raid on the settlement, for, hav-
ing been run out of Eed River to the American wilds before
the troubles of 1869-70 started, he had, much to his chagrin,
been a non-participant in them and the booty. Mr. McDonald
had written me giving Shaman his well-earned bad character,
and ordered that no assistance be given him at my post. But
my good counsellor and friend, Alick Fisher, came and advised
me it would be well for the peace of the lakes to get rid of
Shaman by giving him what was absolutely necessary to start
him off to the plains to hunt. Alick said that, although
Shaman was a bad man and a rascal, yet he "acted square"
with those who were not afraid of him and at the same time
treated him kindly. So I took the risk of giving him a
scaring and then giving him his hunting needs on my own
account. He "acted square" with me, and in personally friendly
and boastful spirit also revealed much of the plan of cam-
paign being prepared for sweeping Canadian rule out of the
Red River country, all of which, as in duty bound, I promptly
communicated to headquarters.
The Rev. Pere Lestanc and the Rebellion.
During the summer of 1872 the Rev. Father Lestanc, who
had been stationed previously at Wood Mountain, took Father
Decorby's place for a few months at the Qu'Appelle Mission.
He was suffering from ill health and, in doing what I could for
his benefit, I had the privilege of having many long talks
and discussions with him. Of course, we could not agree on
the subjects of religion and the Red River Rebellion against
the government of the Hudson's Bay Company; but I gained
the advantage of seeing his point of view which led me to
investigate the reasons for my opinions upon both subjects.
On religion there was a wealth of matter in the British
quarterly reviews, including the Westminster^ for which Mr.
McDonald had subscribed for years and carefully preserved.
The reviews, however, failed to furnish any light upon the
rights of the Hudson's Bay Company, save that admirable
449
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
article, "The Last Great Monopoly," in the Westminster
Review, of July, 1867; and the true inwardness of the ris-
ing in Red River in 1869-70, of which the reverend gentleman
gave me a glimpse then, took many years to evolve
itself in my mind, in fact the process is still going on. Still
enough is now known to justify, in my mind, the opinion
that Canada should have utilized the existing Grovernor and
Council of Assiniboia to tide over the transfer and transition
period, with the assistance of a few of her own officials ; but,
as both he and his Counsellors were ignored by Canada, the
proper course for Governor McTavish and the Council of
Assiniboine to have taken was to have suppressed the Nor-
Wester newspaper for seditious libel against the constituted
authorities, to have arrested the surveyors of the Canadian
Government as trespassers, and, if "Governor" McDougall
and his retinue entered territory as unwarranted invaders, to
cast them also in gaol as rebels against the de facto Govern-
ment of the country, as recognized by the Imperial authorities.
Such a manly course would have united the majority of the
old inhabitants of the Colony, without distinction of race and
creed, and have secured such constitutional recognition of the
rights of the people of Rupert's Land as British subjects as to
have left no ground for the action taken by the people under
Riel. Moreover, instead of becoming the mere " Colony of a
Colony " — the status Western Canada occupies in a great
measure still to-day — the country would have entered Con-
federation as the equal partner of Quebec and Ontario and the
others which joined them on that basis of justice and self-
respect.
Apart from his deplorably unfortunate state of ill-health
at this critical period. Governor McTavish was — like all the
too faithful servants of the thoroughly selfish and ungrateful
London managers of the Company — so obsessed with the idea
of doing his best for them, that he could not rise and act on
the occasion in the interest of the people over whom he was
governor when there arose the troubles, primarily brought on
450
MR. WILLIAM McDOUGALL
by the policy of secrecy, cupidity and stupidity, which have
so often and remarkably characterized the dealings of the
"London Board" of the Hudson's Bay Company.
I think now — though in common with those of my kind I
was far from thinking so then — that the first intentions of
any action taken by the French halfbreeds in resisting the
illegal entry of Mr. William McDougall and his party of
"carpet baggers" (the first of a subsequent host) was admir-
able, and, in view of the inaction of Governor McTavish and
the Council of Assiniboia, that it was justifiable and even
legal. The names of those who took part in the primary
movement might have gone down in history as brave patriots
but for the subsequent murder of Scott.* For that act, how-
ever, the great majority of Kiel's followers were not respon-
sible; and, when we consider the passions aroused and their
easy access to the rum casks of the Company at Fort Garry,
it is truly remarkable how few outrages on person and pro-
perty were committed in th^at period of excitement by these
wild hunters of the plains. Compared with the Boers of
South Africa the Metis of Eupert's Land were gentlemen.
Americans at Cypre Hills Clean Out a Camp of
assiniboines. v
While the shadow of this great conspiracy was brooding
over the southern plains, a big cloud of trouble arose in the
west around Cypre Hills, where American traders, chiefly
with whiskey from Fort Benton, had commenced operations
which deluged that part of the country in firewater and blood,
and continued till the North- West Mounted Police put a stop
to them two years later. One of the first reports of this
American invasion of our territory was that of the slaughter
of about eighty Assiniboines near FarwelFs post at Cypre
*The only plea I ever heard urged in extenuation of that
deed of brutality was to the effect that, while absolutely in their
power, Soott, most insanely, used the most highly abusive, in-
sulting and threatening language to his gaolers. It is also said
that Riel was personally in mortal terror of Scott for his own
life, if he escaped and ever had an opportunity to carry out his
threats to kill him.
451
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
Hills by half a dozen Americans from Benton, who had come
after horses stolen by these Stonies. According to the report
of Metis who witnessed the affair, the Assiniboines, in the
exercise of their usual calling, had stolen a band of horses
from near fort Benton, and brought them to Cypre Hills,
where they concealed them in a coulee, and camped with others
of their kind, under the chief Manitoii-Potess — the Cree name
signifying Little Stony Spirit. Their camp was about a mile
from the trading post of Mr. Farwell, across a creek which
ran through the valley in which both were situated.
Six white men, one of whom at least was an Englishman,
set out from Benton to follow and recover their stolen horses.
As »oon as they arrived at FarwelFs post they sent a messenger
to the Stonies demanding the restitution of their property.
The demand was met with contempt, the Stonies turning out
and making every sign of mockery and challenge towards the
post; for what could six white men do against their big
numbers? These again sent a friendly Metis to say that if
the horses were not returned immediately they would attack
the camp. And again the demand was met with derision and
a defiance to come and take them.
The creek ran between the post and the camp, but within
three hundred yards of the latter, and all was open prairie
save a fringe of shrub along its banks. The Stonies, giving
the war-whoop and discharging their firearms in the direction
of the post, dared the white men to come on. These now
accepted the challenge with alacrity and, in rushing across
the space between the post and the shelter afforded by the
cut bank of the creek, one of them was killed by the Assini-
boine fire. As soon as the other five gained shelter they
opened fire, with their Henry repeating rifles, at three hundred
yards on the camp. Their fire was well aimed, destructive
and rapid, quickly turning the yells of defiance and derision
(0 shrieks of panic-stricken terror and the dancing warriors
into abject fugitives, who, casting away every arm or other
impediment down to the breeoh-clout, and leaving their
452
A BLOODY LESSON
wives and children in the hail of bullets, ran for their lives,
scattering in all directions for hundreds of miles over the
prairies, until thej found refuge with some friendly tribe
or trader.
The white men continued the slaughter, gathered and made
bonfires of everything left in the camp, and left the bodies
of eighty slain, with the body of the chief stuck up on the end
of a lodge pole, as a warning to evil doers, and an example
of the power and lust for blood of the whites, when fully
aroused by indignities heaped upon them.
The effect of this bloody lesson on the natives of what a
few whites could do was far reaching. The natives had been
accustomed to hear from the Assiniboines and Sioux their
boastful versions of their murders of stray white men, their
ambuscades of American troops and success in fighting them ;
but the news of this complete rout and slaughter by only five
whites, not soldiers but ranchers and wolfers, gave pause to
those who so confidently had spoken of sweeping all the
newcomers from Canada out of Manitoba and had very much
to do with the respect shown to the Mounted Police when they
penetrated at first to the Western plains.
A few years afterwards, in order to show the impartiality of
British justice, some of the brave men who had, in rescuing
their personal property, unconsciously performed this signal
service, were arrested by the Mounted Police, whose prestige
was so largely founded on this defeat and slaughter of the
Stonies, and sent for trial to Winnipeg, when "the ends of
justice " were served by their escaping punishment.
The Fall of 1872.
In the fall business again took me to Fort Ellice, where I
met my friend. Inspecting Chief Factor Christie, then on his
way to inspect all along the long route to Fort Simpson,
McKenzie River. Apprentice Clerk McEae, who had been
stationed at the Qu'Appelle during the summer, was ordered
to join Mr. Christie at Touchwood Hills and proceed to
Athabasca. With Mr. Christie there had come to hunt buffalo
453
/"
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUEERS
the Hon. Walter Ponsonby, of the Rifle Brigade, an aide-de-
camp to the Governor- General, who came with me to
Qu'Appelle and made a satisfactory killing of buffalo under
the guidance of one of our clerks, Sam. McKay.
By the time Mr. Ponsonby returned from his hunt a party
to survey and lay out the 2,500 acres of land, reserved about
Qu'Appelle by the 'Company's surrender to the Imperial Gov-
ernment, had arrived. The party consisted of Messrs. W. S.
and Harry Gore and Stewart Mulkins — the latter being a
relative of Colonel Dennis and having been in Red River dur-
ing the troublous winter of 1869-70. Mulkins was a great
talker, and cynically confessed that, although not a fighting
man himself, he had witnessed with much contentment various
attacks by the Canadian volunteers made indiscriminately on
Metis whenever opportunity served. Whether the object of the
attack had been a Rielite or not seemed immaterial to them.
But it was very material indeed in fomenting the general
discontent pervading the prairies.
Inspecting Chief Factor, the Hon. W. J. Christie.
I remained at Qu'Appelle during the winter of 1872-73,
paying occasional visits to the outposts at Touchwood Hills,
under William Daniel, and Last Mountain, under Mr.
McKinlay, as indeed I had done during the previous summer.
About the beginning of March, Mr. Christie returned from
the North and rested a day at the fort with me, hearing all
about the state of affairs on the plains, which, in due time, as
member of the North-West Council, he laid before the proper
authorities. He had rested at Qu'Appelle in March, 1869,
when on a journey by dog- train from Edmonton to Fort Garry,
accompanied by Mrs. Christie. On both these occasions T
greatly profited and was entertained by his conversation, fo:
he was a mine of knowledge on all Hudson's Bay subjects and
a most excellent reeounter of amusing anecdotes of the old
characters in the service. He had been educated in Aberdeen,
Scotland, and was one of the cleverest men ever in the Com-
pany's service.
454
CHAPTER XXXI.
SPRING AND SUMMER, 1S73.
The Spring Rush.
We had a very busy spring in 1873 when our traders, the
hunters and the Indians came in. Besides Mr. McKinlay in
the office we had in the stores Henry Jordan and George
Drever, both of whom had acquired the Indian tongues and
been promoted to the grade of storesmen in consequence. As
interpreters and traders my old friend Peter La Pierre and
young Alick McKay were usefully employed also. But the
biggest job was my own in making all the settlements and
general arrangements with the traders and important
customers; also in discussing "affairs of state" and obtaining
information bearing upon them from the Metis who thronged
the office by day and till late at night, during the spring rush.
After that was over, in the interval before the hunters
started for the summer hunt, the office became the rendezvous
of leading men among the Metis to make business arrange-
ments and hear and give the news of the day. While one
would be in my private room arranging his own affairs, those
waiting, after perhaps exhausting other interesting subjects,
would begin bragging about the merits of their running
ponies, generally ending the dispute in a challenge and a race
on the track across the valley in full view of the fort. There
were also some great tellers of tall stories about hunting and
war among them, and the competition between these was
keen, and, to the audience, often comical. On the whole, I
think, the one who deserved the palm in pulling the long bow
was Bonace Davis, who had truly distinguished himself in
battle with the Sioux as well as on the hunting field, but, not
455
THE COMPANY OF ABVENTUEERS
content with the laurels actually won, was addicted to high
romance in detailing other incidents of alleged experiences.
Currency and Banking.
There was no money in circulation, and very seldom did
one of the Company^s sterling notes reach Qu'Appelle. As
substitutes for cash the Rev. Father De Corby used to give
those he owed little slips of paper "Bon Pour'' various
amounts to bearer. Those given in at the fort were charged to
his account. Occasionally we had to give similar notes for
small amounts; but the chief business in the banking line
was effected by making transfers from the account of one
customer to another. As the horse-trading and other bar-
gains between the Metis were very numerous, this caused
many entries in our books.
The Hon. Pascal Breland Again Peacemaker.
After the plain hunters had departed my honored and
respected friend, the Hon. Pascal Breland, one of the first
members to be appointed to the North- West Council, newly
organized in Winnipeg under the Lieutenant-Governor,
arrived upon a mission of enquiry into the general political
unrest and the conspiracy to attack the settlements in Mani-
toba. He came to me to get the latest intelligence before
going out to visit the different oamps on the plains. About
a month afterwards he returned, after doing all in his power
to quieten the people and assuring them of the good intentions
of the Government. He thanked me for what he called the
good service I had rendered in trying to prevent an outbreak
and in warning the authorities of that danger. "I am witness,"
said he, "to your good work, and to your good management
and influence over these people." In testimony whereof upon
his return to Fort Garry, at a meeting of the full council in
September, Edward McKay (who had been my able adviser
and assistant in trying to prevent an outbreak), and I were
appointed Justices of the Peace for the Territories. As I
456
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PARTY
was in February thereafter officially notified that the appoint-
ment had been confirmed "By His Excellency the Governor-
General in Council under the Great Seal/' and as my commis-
sion has never been revoked by the same authority, I presume
my authority in those parts of the old territory which have
not been included in the later formed provinces remains as
it has been for the past forty years.
A Canadian Geological Survey Party.
About the end of August, 1873, a party of the Geological
Survey of Canada, under Professor Bell, arrived at the fort.
The assistant was Mr. George P. Lount, and included J. C.
Young, Neil Campbell, John Allen, W. G. Armstrong and
T. P. O'Brien. It was a most injudicious thing for the
Government to send a surveying party during such an
unsettled and dangerous state of native feeling. How-
ever, the party were under strict orders to avoid all
trouble with Indians, and even go the length of buy-
ing back their horses should they be stolen. These orders
were certainly not to Mr. Lount's liking, and he said a couple
of his men, Campbell and Allen, I think, who had been old
plainsmen and Indian fighters on the American side, would
be glad of another scrap with Indians. The party went up
the Qu'Appelle Valley, but near the Elbow of the South
Branch were met by Indians who ordered them back. Mr.
Bell explained that they were not surveyors of land for farm-
ing purposes, but simply taking the testimony of the rocks.
To this the Indians replied, through Mr. Charles Pratt, who
had been induced to join the party as guide and interpreter
at Qu'Appelle, that such an object was still worse from the
native point of view, for they said white men are not so eager
about farming land and will not go after it so far as they
will for gold. In the consequent retreat on Qu'Appelle, Mr.
Bell, with Mr. Pratt, made a cursory side trip to Dirt Hills
and Wood Mountain, on horseback by themselves, and
rejoined the party before its arrival at the fort. I had the
457
THE COMPANY OF ADVEXTURERS
pleasure of meeting Dr. Robert Bell in after years at many
widely apart places in the territories which he so well
explored, as a member of that noble corps of scientific gentle-
men of the Geological Survey of Canada, who "without
ostentation" have braved every danger of the wilderness and
wrested from it its secrets, and whose names will go down in
the history of Canada as the scientific Pioneers of Prince
Rupert's Land, who so well followed up the work begun by
Richardson, Lefroy and Kennicott in the North, and of
Palliser, Hector and Hind in the South.
Need of New Posts on South Saskatchewan River.
Although the new system of doing a wholesale trade through
"the freemen" as middlemen had so enormously increased the
returns of Qu'Appelle (my recollection being of 8,000 kit
and 5,000 red foxes, 3,000 badgers and the same number of
wolves that season), its tendency was to put the Company out
of direct touch with and control of the Indians. Moreover,
the great influx of Metis from Red River to the West, owing
to the curtailment of their range after buffalo in American
territory as well as their desire to escape from the new
order of things in Manitoba, had greatly accelerated the
general tendency, which had been going on for two genera-
tions of Indians, of the buffalo herds as they diminished in
numbers to roam farther and farther west.
It was evident that, in order to keep in nearer contact with
the Indians and carry on the business more economically, a
permanent post much further west than either Qu'Appelle or
Last Mountain was required, and naturally that post should
be established — as, with hardly an exception, every other fur-
trading post was — on a navigable waterway, which in this case
would be the South Branch of the Saskatchewan River. At
that time, before railroads, the Company was preparing to
place steamboats on Lake Winnipeg and the Saskatchewan,
which latter might as well serve new posts on the South as
the old establishments on the North Branch.
458
SELECTING A NEW POST
So far the scheme appeared in the interest of the Company
and the Indians to be wise and proper; but there intervened
the jealousy existing between different posts and districts of
the same company, which led these rivals for the honor of
securing the largest "returns of trade" into competition almost
as keen as had they been representing competing and opposing
concerns. The dominant factors at Carlton and Edmonton
Houses claimed, respectiveh', the lower and upper countries
lying north of the South Saskatchewan as part of their
domains, and objected to the establishment of any permanent
posts by Swan River District therein. On the other hand
Mr. Archibald McDonald was not the man to allow the
Indians, among whom he had lived and traded for a great
part of his life, to be taken out of his control and to diminish
his "returns" incident thereon. The Indians, too, required to
be consulted and much preferred to remain attached to the
Swan River District.
For years we had been investigating this extension of trade
to the west. Our wintering post at Cypre Hills in 1871-72 had
been an experiment, which showed that a single post, at which
the ever hostile Blackfeet and Qu'Appelle Indians would meet,
was not at all desirable. For the Blackfeet who traded more
conveniently with the Americans on the Missouri than at our
Company's Rocky Mountain and Edmonton Houses it was
necessary to have a post near the head of navigation on the
South Saskatchewan, officered by those who were known to
them at these posts on the North Branch. At as great a
distance farther down stream as was compatible with the
object the site of the new post for the Qu'Appelle Indians
was to be selected. And I may here anticipate by stating
that, under the guidance of "Graddie" Birston, on the north
bank of the river, near the scene of the defeat of the Black-
feet in 1866, opposite A^ermilion Hills, I selected a point on
the river, as far as possible from heights within rifle range,
in view of probable attack by Blackfeet, and possibly others.
459
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
Again and again I reported on these matters and urged
speedy action. Elaborate information was required for trans-
mission to Chief Commissioner Smith on the state of the
Indians and the Metis and the country, with suggestions for
their benefit. But as Mr. Smith's experience in Labrador
and the Southern Department could not guide him in the
entireily different circumstances of the Northern Department,
especially in the new situation on the plains, he appears to
have left the rival chiefs of the Saskatchewan and Swan
River Districts to fight out amongst themselves the question
of extending the trade on the South Saskatchewan. (See
note at end of this chapter. ) While they were still engaged
in this civil war of words and correspondence, in the absence
of any British company's post in the vicinity, the American
traders from Fort Benton established themselves in Southern
Alberta, using whiskey very largely at the notorious " Whoop-
Up " and " Stand-Off," and permitting the formation of the
Hudson's Bay Company's first great rival in Alberta, the
firm of I. G. Baker & Co. Only when too late to retrieve past
error was the post at Calgary established.
Referring those interested in the trade and general state of
the country in 1873 to copy of my report to Chief Trader
McDonald, and to extracts from my report to Chief Com-
missioner Smith, which are given in the Appendix, I now
go on with my narrative.
Chief Commissioner Smith.
In Octoiber, 1873, I went down to Fort Ellice to see Mr.
McDonald on business.
Mr. Smith, the Chief Commissioner, was then on a visit to
Carlton, and was anxious to make a record trip, so as to
attend Parliament in Ottawa, of which he was a member.
Relays of horses had to be posted all along the Saskatchewan
trail for the purpose, and I was told to take a relay and meet
the Chief Commissioner, by taking that road part of the way
4^0
PROMOTION BY MERIT
in returning to my charge at Qu'Appelle. That great run in
a buckboard was made from Carlton House to Fort Garry
between the 5th and 10th of October, so I suppose it was on
the afternoon of the 7th that I met the flying express with the
horses. They stopped to change, and while he was drinking a
cup of hot tea, I answered Mr. Smith's questions about
Qu'Appelle. He expressed himself satisfied with my manage-
ment and ended by telling me emphatically that place and
promotion were no longer by seniority but by merit in the
company's service — a theory, which, I may as well say here,
I seldom saw put in practice. He then bade me farewell,
wished me a successful trade and hurried on his way to
Fort Ellice. Such was my first meeting with the gentleman
who is now famous as Lord Strathcona.
Note. — I do not know of anything having been published of
the operations of the early traders on the upper " Bow " River,
as they then called the whole South Saskatchewan, except brief
references to the old French Post near the present site of Cal-
gary, " Fort La Jonqui^re," built in 1751 ; and the incidental
mention made by Sir George Simpson, in his " Overland Journey
Round the World." Simpson says that attempts to maintain
permanent posts had been made from time to time, and that
these, as well as several strong expeditions, had invariably re-
sulted in loss of life and property, owing to the hostility of the
Indians, and the poverty of the country in valuable furs. At
that time heavy buffalo robes and grizzly bear skins were too
cheap to stand the enormous cost of exporting them.
461
CHAPTER XXXII.
WINTER ON THE PLAINS, 1873-74.
Whiskey and Bloodshed.
It had been arranged that Mr. W. J. McLean, who had been
transferred to Fort Garry after many years' service in Mac-
kenzie River District, should take charge of the fort during
the winter. Upon his arrival, rather late in October, taking
Drever and Jordan, I started for the winter camp on the
plains, and found the first of the party had decided to stop at
Sandy Hills near the Elbow of the South Saskatchewan, 175
miles from Qu'Appelle, instead of going farther west. The
reason given for wintering so near in was that whiskey was
flowing so freely at the posts the Americans had projected into
the Cypre Hills country that it would be dangerous to go to
Red Ochre Hills. The liquor had attracted hostile Indians
to that quarter, and the American traders were shooting them
down whenever they gave trouble. In the neighborhood
of Cypre Hills it was reported that there were eight
hundred tents of Teton Sioux including the band of the
notorious Sitting Bull. The band of Assiniboines, to which
the party slaughtered by the white horse-hunters at Cypre
Hills in spring belonged, were reported to have left the
border and were, in about two hundred lodges, wintering be-
tween these hills and the South Saskatchewan, and among
them some of our Indians were mingled.
Besides, the freemen and occasionally some of our Indians
were procuring liquor from these Americans and bringing it
back to their fellows, with the usual result of breaking the
peace in camp and preventing them paying attention to hunt-
ins:. Because of these circumstances and that the buffalo
were few within range of our winter quarters, we made a
comparatively poor trade on the plains that wint<*r.
46?.
A CLOSE SHAVE
A Badger at Bay.
Having heard that Antoine Eocheblave, one of the Metis
to whom we had given advances, was intending to take his buf-
falo robes to Fort Benton to buy horses, instead of giving them
to us, it was necessary for me to go and see him. Mr. Jos.
McKay was wintering at the Sandy Hills, and consented to
guide me to Eocheblave, some distance out on the plains. We
went on horseback, and it soon became cold riding, for a strong
head wind arose as we were making the long traverse of a tree-
less, shelterless plain in order to reach wood before dark.
Fortunately there was a slight trace of a trail to guide the
horses, and giving these their heads for most of the time we
" went it blind," throwing the ends of our saddle blankets
over our faces, and lowering them alternately to avoid frost
bites and to see if the horses were keeping the trace, for it
could not be called a trail. Each of us had Winchester car-
bines, with which I was then a good shot, but I had also a
small new revolver, which I wanted to try. Most horses are
afraid of bears and badgers, and iCandrie Bonhomme, which
I was riding, was no exception; so w'hen we saw a badger,
going as near as €andrie would be induced to approach —
dancing, I emptied the revolver, but only hit the badger once
on a paw. Meanwhile the animal, facing us savagely, had
backed off on to a snowdrift formed round a small willow
bush. Joe, who had been watching the performance in amuse-
ment, then called out, "Get off your horse, and go and kill
him with your whip-handle." Taking the end of the
long line, which was always attached round the neck of our
horses in use, in one hand, I advanced on the badger. The
crust of the drift bore me till, on getting within arm's length
of the ferociously grinning, strong teeth of the brute, as I
made the blow the crust gave way and down I went till my
nose was on a level with that of the badger and within half a
yard of it. Instantly I struck out and knocked him dead,
saving my face from his powerful jaws and possibly my life.
30 463
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUREKS
Whiskey Seized and a Ball Given.
During the winter I made a trip to the fort, where Mr.
McLean, separated from his family and with little to do, for
nearly every hunter was away on the plains, was wearying.
Mr. McKinlay came in from his outpost at Touchwood Hills
at the same time, and to liven things up we gave a ball, at
which the principal guests were Messrs. Kavanagh and Kelly,
two soldiers retired from the TJ. S. Army at Fort Totten,
Devil's Lake, Dakota. They had married charming daughters
of a respectable Metis named Klyne (who was probably a
son of one of Lord Selkirk's DeMeuron soldiers), and came
as the very first agricultural settlers to attempt farming on
the prairie upland, instead of in the valley.
My faithful companion when we broke away from the camp
of turmoil in the summer of 1868, Thomas Sinclair, had got
hold of a small keg of whiskey, which he was peddling about
the lakes. McKinlay suggested that to signalize the honor
done me in the grant of a commission as Justice of the Peace
and at the same time give manifestation of the majesty of
the law, Sinclair's (well watered) grog should be seized and
confiscated to the Crown; and instead of being wasted bar-
renly and unprofitably by being spilt on the ground, our
guests at the ball should be qualified as witnesses against
Sinclair by sampling the seizure. Two constables were imme-
diately sent in pursuit of Sinclair, and a few hours later
returned with the keg and in great good humour.
As the unfortunate man was far from wealthy and had
always been a good and loyal subject, who erred in ignorance,
and moreover I had no legal instructions or "guide book," no
further official action was taken against him. Personally
Messrs. McLean and McKinlay and I subscribed the value
set on a pony designated "Old Wabby" on the Company's
horse list, and as a token of friendship presented the animal
to Sinclair, who was also invited to attend the ball, which
was a brilliant success and fully enjoyed by all, especially
McKinlay.
464
HAND OVEE MY CHARGE
A German Noble Apprentice Clerk.
In the spring of 1874, besides McKinlay, a new apprentice
clerk came to assist us, and proved very entertaining. He
was going under the name of Frederick William Beneke, but
was a son of Count Von Bernstorff, the German Ambassador
in London. He was an officer in a crack Prussian regiment,
but nevertheless served out his time as a Hudson's Bay
apprentice clerk, in New Caledonia, to which by way of
Edmonton and the Yellowhead Pass he was sent that summer.
Relinquish My Charge.
As soon as the season's business was wound up I handed
over the charge to my amiable friend, Mr. McLean, as my suc-
cessor. I was anxious to go home to Scotland and was glad to
be relieved of a position in which I felt that I had received
neither the reward nor the support which I had been led to
expect and which I had well earned amid many privations
and dangers.
At long last, preparations were then being made by the
Dominion Government to police the plains and to make too
long deferred arrangements with the Indians who, instead of
having been quieted by the establishment of Canadian
Dominion at Fort Garry, had been more disquieted than ever
thereby. After the Mounted Police arrived on the plains and
the Qu'Appelle Treaty was made that summer of 1874, the
history of the country is accessible in public documents and
numerous other more or less authentic printed papers.
To Fort Garry Again.
Mr. McLean and I journeyed together to Fort Ellice, where
we had the pleasure of meeting his good wife and fine family
of little children, whose rosy appearance reflected great credit
on their place of birth, in McKenzie River. Mrs. McLean
was daughter of the genial, talented and highly respected Chief
Trader A. H. Murray, the builder of old Fort Yukon, and
465
THE COMPANY OF ADVENTUREES
the designer of that last vestige still standing of old Fort
Garry, the Governor's gate on Main Street, Winnipeg.
At Fort Ellice I took shipping for Fort Garry. Instead of
the "batteaux" we had rowed laboriously down the Assiniboine
in 1871, on this occasion we allowed the current to do the work
on three big flat boats. In the bow of one I pitched my tent,
and enjoyed my ease on one of the niost pleasant voyages I
ever made. On landing at Fort Garry I was greeted most
warmly by a big bewhiskered gentleman, who had to tell me
he was Christie before I saw any resemblance between him
and my old chum and shipmate on the "Prince Rupert." He
had been transferred as Chief Accountant of the Northern
Department, with all the paraphernalia from York Factory,
to Fort Garry. Our other shipmate, Armit, was also at Fort
Garry ; so thus re-united after seven long years we spun many
yarns and "fought all our battles o'er again."
The Hon. Donald A. Smith, M.P., had resigned the Chief
Commissionership and Chief Factor James Allan Grahame,
of Fort Victoria, Vancouver Island, had just arrived to reign
in his stead.
Should these simple jottings meet with a better reception
than I have reason to expect, and encourage me to put on
record unwritten memoirs of the districts further north, in
which I afterwards served for years, while they remained as
much under the dominion of the Hudson's Bay Company as
they ever had been before the transfer to Canada, possibly I
may attempt to indite another volume.
Isaac Cowie.
463
APPENDIX
APPENDIX A.
THE HUDSON'S BAY COMPANY'S EXPLORERS, 1830
TO 1856.
Robert Campbell.
Mr. Campbell was a tall, handsome, dark complexioned man,
lithe and strong, hardy and enduring; a pious Presbyterian, and
devoted to the service of the Company. A family connection of
Chief Factor James McMillan, who had charge of the fur trade
experimental farm at Red River, he came out from Perthshire
to take charge of a great sheep raising project in connection with
that establishment, and was sent with Messrs. Glen Rae and
Bourke to Kentucky to fetch the flock, of which a disastrous
account is given in Alexander Ross's "Red River Settlement."
After the failure of that mismanaged project Mr. Campbell
entered the fur trade proper, in which his name first appears as
Postmaster serving under Chief Trader McPherson at Fort
Simpson, Mackenzie River, in 1835.
The Northern Department Minutes of Council contain from
time to time brief and fragmentary records bearing upon Mr.
Campbell's career. In 1833, Mr. John McLeod, Clerk in charge
of Fort Halkett on the Liard River, was ordered to " be employed
with seven men, in the summer of 1834, in discovering the
countries situated on the west side of the Rocky Mountains from
the sources of the east (?) branch of the Liard River." In 1835,
the minutes, after appointing Mr. J. Hutchinson to the command
of Fort Halkett, say: "The late discovery of Mr. John McLeod,
towards the sources of the East Branch of the Liard River and a
large river named Pelly's River falling from the mountains into
the Pacific, presenting a field for the extension of trade in that
quarter, it is towards that object and with the view of opening
communication with our posts and shipping on the Coast, it is
resolved that the present establishment of Fort Halkett be
removed to Dease's Lake, summer 1836, if possible, and that
measures be concerted for the purpose of establishing a new post
on the banks of that river at least 200 miles distant in a direct
469
H. B. COMPANY^S EXPLORERS, 1830 TO 1856
lint from the height of land towards the Pacific in the summer
of 1837-38." In 1836, the minutes state: "The Governor and
Committee being desirous that a post be established as early as
possible on the Felly's (supposed Stikine) River falling into the
Pacific, for the purpose of intercepting the valuable trade which
now finds its way to tne Coast and falls into the hands of the
Russians and Americans,
" It is resolved that an officer and six men be forwarded with
outfit 1837 in order to enable Chief Trader McPherson to estab-
lish a post, to be called Fort Drew, in the summer of 1838, down
that river at a distance of at least 200 miles from Dease's Lake."
In 1837 the minutes promote Robert Oamipbell from Postmaster
to Clerk at £60 a year, and appoint him to the charge of the post
at Dease's Lake, with A. R. McLeod, Jr., apprentice clerk, as his
assistant. They also show the reason for his promotion and
appointment as follows: — "The extraordinary statement made
by Mr. Hutchinson respecting the failure of his mission to the
west branch of the Liard River for the purpose of establishing
Dease's Lake (post), having been attentively perused and con-
sidered to be founded upon groundless apprehensions, it is
resolved that Chief Trader McPherson take the necessary steps
to establish that Post without delay; and that he be instructed
to convey to Mr. Robert Campbell the apqprobation of the Council
for his spirited offer to conduct that service." The explanation
of the circumstance noted in the minutes which gave Mr. Camp-
bell his chance to distinguish himself is given by Dr. G. M. Daw-
son, the late distinguished Director of the Geological Survey of
Canada, in his report on the Yukon, 1887. Mr. Campbell related
to him that Mr. Hutchinson left Fort Halkett early in June, 1836,
with a party of men and two large canoes. The appearance or
reported appearance of a large force of hostile Indians at Portage
Brule, ten miles above Fort Halkett, so alarmed the party that
they turned back in great haste, abandoning their goods, and lost
no time in running down stream to Fort Simpson, where Mr.
Campbell was in temporary charge during Mr. McPherson's
voyage with his brigade to Portage la Loche.
As the intention of this book is mainly to record incidents
which have not been published, or if so are not generally acces-
sible, and a very good account of Mr. Campbell's achievements is
given by Dr. Dawson in the report just quoted, as well as in pub-
lications referred to therein and made use of by him, I resist the
strong temptation to copy all Dr. Dawson says in full. Even
then justice would not be done in full measure to the intrepid
470
H. B. COMPANY'S EXPLOEERS, 1830 TO 1856
and modest discoverer. But, in defiance of the limits set for me
by the publisher, I must give in full from Dr. Dawson the honour
he gives where honour is due to the fur trade pioneers of the
North-West: —
Dr. Dawson's Tribute to the Fur-trading Pioneers.
" The utmost credit must be given to the pioneers of the Hud-
son's Bay Company for the enterprise displayed by them in carry-
ing their trade into the Yukon basin in the face of difficulties so
great and at such an immense distance from their base of sup-
plies. To explorations of this kind performed in the service of
commerce, unostentatiously and as matters of simple duty, by
such men as Mackenzie, Fraser, Thompson and Campbell, we owe
the discovery of our great North-West country. Their journeys
are not marked by incidents of conflict or bloodshed, but were
accomplished, on the contrary, with the friendly assistance and
co-operation of the natives. Less resolute men would scarcely
have entertained the Idea of utilizing, as an avenue of trade, a
river so perilous of navigation as the Liard had proved to be
when it was explored. So long, however, as this appeared to be
the only practical route to the country beyond the mountains, its
abandonment was never contemplated. Neither distance nor
danger appeared to have been taken into account, and in spite of
every obstacle a way was opened and a series of posts was estab-
lished extending from Fort Simpson to Fort Yukon. Fort Simp-
son itself may be regarded, even at the present day, as a post
very far removed from the borders of civilization, but this
further route, which nearly half a century ago became familiar
to the Company's voyageurs, stretched out beyond it for over a
thousand miles. Mr. James Anderson, in 1853, writes thus of the
Liard River: 'You can hardly conceive the intense horror the
men have to go up to Frances Lake. They invariably on re-hir-
ing endeavour to be exempted from the West Branch (Liard).
The number of deaths which have occurred there is fourteen,
viz., three in connection with Dease Lake and eleven in connec-
tion with Frances Lake and Pelly Banks; of these last three died
from starvation and eight from drowning.' "*
*In the later 1870's while the last fur trader was Chief Com-
missioner of the Hudson's Bay Company, Mr. James A. Grahame,
the good Bishop Bompas wrote to him advocating the bringing in of
the supplies for Mackenzie River District from British Columbia
by the Liard River. In reply the bluff old voyageur informed his
right reverence that on that route there occurred not only a " Devil's
Portage," but also " Hell Gates," which the Company's tripmen
appeared to dread more than the infernal person and place from
which the names were derived.
471
H. B. COMPANY'S EXPLOEEES, 1830 TO 1856
In this connection, for the information of those who have
had little opportunity or previous inclination to enquire into the
history of pioneering in the Great West, I must add to the names
honourably mentioned by Dr. Dawson those of such other fur-
trading pioneers and explorers and discoverers as during the
twenty years from 1834 to 1855 decorate the annals of the Hud-
son's Bay Company by their services in the cause of science and
humanity as well as of commerce. The earliest of these was John
McLeod, who began in 1834, by the Liard route, the exploration
of the headwaters of the Stikine and the main branch of the
Liard west of the Rockies, which were utilized in 1838 by Robert
Campbell, who, taking up the exploration of the Liard at Mc-
Leod's farthest, opposite Simpson Lake, extended/ it and estab-
lished posts along the route at Frances Lake, Pelly Banks and the
junction of the Pelly and Lewes affluents of the Yukon, which
farthest post was named Selkirk in 1848. Outlines of the dis-
coveries made by Messrs. McLeod and Campbell are to be found
in Dr. Dawson's report, which also refers to those made by John
Bell on the Peel River and the lower Yukon, whose southern
headwaters had unknowingly been reached by Campbell at Pelly
Banks in the summer of 1840.
In 1828, Sir John Franklin, in returning from his second
boat expedition along the Arctic coast, by mistake entered the
mouth of a western affluent instead of continuing on the main
Mackenzie River. This affluent he named after Sir Robert Peel,
and shortly afterwards it was explored by Mr. Bell with the
view of establishing a post on it. Bell was for many years in
charge of Fort Good Ho(pe, then the Company's farthest north
establishment. In 1839 the Northern Council directed " That
Chief Trader McPherson take the necessary steps to establish
in the summer of 1840 a post on Peel's River, and in 1841 another
post on Colvile River*; and, as the recent arrangement made
with the Russian-American Fur Company renders it unnecessary
to extend the trade down the Stikine River from the east side
of the mountains as formerly contemplated, that Mr. Campbell
and people intended for that service be employed in assisting Mr.
Bell to extend the trade from Peel's River to Colvile River in
1841; and that Hector McKenzie, apprentice postmaster, be sent
by the Athabasca brigade to the (Mackenzie) District this season
and six recruits next year to enable the gentleman in charge of
•The finders of the headwaters of the Yukon In the south and
east thought them to be those of the Colvile River, which falls into
the Arctic Ocean west of the Mackenzie.
472
H. B. COMPANY'S EXPLOREES, 1830 TO 1856
McKenzie's River to carry the projected extension of trade into
effect as early as possible."*
John Bell and Alexandeb Huntee Muebat.
Accordingly Mr. Bell established Fort McPherson on the Peel
in 1840. In 1842 he crossed the Rocky Mountains and explored
the upper portion of the Porcupine, completing his survey of it
to its union with a great river which the Indians called Yukon in
1846. Next year Alexander Hunter Murray built Fort Yukon
at the junction of the Porcupine with the Yukon. Three years
after, in 1850, Robert Campbell, descending the Pelly from Fort
Selkirk to Fort Yukon, rounded off his explorations. Fort Selkirk
was thereafter supplied by the much safer and easier route from
the Mackenzie by the Peel and Porcupine Rivers, and the terrific
traffic by the upper Liard was abandoned.
NiCHOL Finlayson and Unqava.
Before these efforts for the extension of trade in the Far
North West beyond the Rocky Mountains were commenced a
similar enterprise had been directed to the Far North East of
the Labrador peninsula. Starting by canoe from Moose Factory
and coasting along the shores of East Main till a suitable river
was discovered, Mr. Nichol Finlayson penetrated the interior of
that wild land, crossed the height of land to an also unexplored
stream, running into all the dangers of the unknown, he reached
the sea on Ungava Bay, on the southern coast of Hudson's Straits,
and there established Fort Chimo. The canoe route he followed
being absolutely unsuitable for the conveyance of supplies and
the resultant fur returns, the Northern Council in 1831 decreed
as follows: —
" That the sloop ' Beaver,' under the command of Thomas
Duncan, sloopmaster, with a crew of five men, taking Mr. Erland-
son as passenger, be transferred to the settlement of Ungava for
the purpose of being at the disposal of Mr. Nichol Finlayson, and
be dispatched thither as early this season as the navigation
admits; and that such supplies in trading goods, provisions and
stores be shipped on board of her as are likely to be required
until the autumn of 1833, it being intended that she be employed
on the coast in trade with the Esquimaux the whole of the next
season of open water, and that she may be sent with such returns
•In consequence of this order of Council Mr, Campbell aban-
doned the post at Dease Lake in the extension towards the Stikine.
473
H. B. COMPANY'S EXPLOEERS, 1830 TO 1856
as may be collected and for such further supplies as may be
required to York Factory in the summer of 1833." It was further
resolved " That the nine men now at Ungava be retained there
and employed as Mr. Nichol Finlayson may consider expedient,
and that the servants whose contracts expire in 1833 be brought
to York then and be replaced by others if they be unwilling to
renew their engagements; and that for further instructions Mr.
Finlayson be referred to Governor Simpson's letter of this date."
The Council in 1833 record: — "With regard to the establish-
ment of Ungava, from which no advices have been received since
those of date 1831, it is expected that the ' Beaver ' sloop will be
forwarded thence to York Factory with the returns and for fresh
supplies of goods, provisions, etc., in the course of the present
season, in which case it is resolved that Mr. Finlayson's request
for men, goods and other supplies be completed by Chief Factor
Christie as far as the means at his disposal may permit." "In
the meantime Governor Simpson has forwarded communcations
to Chief Factors McTavish and Beioley requesting them to con-
cert measures for sending an express to Ungava with the least
possible delay, if they have not already heard from Mr. Finlay-
son, in order to gain some intelligence respecting the state of the
settlement, which they are directed to forward to the Governor
and Committee, likewise to Governor Simpson in duplicate by
the ship and via Canada; and in the event of the 'Beaver' sloop
not having reached Ungava in 1831 or not getting to York
(Factory) in the course of the present season, it is resolved that
the Governor and Committee be requested to forward the neces-
sary supplies from England or Canada as early in the summer
of 1834 as possible ; but in the absence of any communication from
Ungava either by overland express to the southern department
or by the vessel to York (Factory) this season, then in that case
it is to b"e understood that no outfit shall be forwarded either
from England or Canada, but that Chief Factors McTavish and
Beioley be directed to concert and carry into effect such measures
by overland communication towards the protection and safety
of the settlement as they may consider expedient under existing
circumstances."
The next mention of Ungava in the minutes is in 1836, when
it was directed " That the Esquimaux brig, which is to be sent
from York Factory to Ungava with the outfit and for the returns
of that district, be fitted up with deals, bark, and about 50 pieces
of flour, grease and pemmican, or such other provisions as can be
spared, and any old ironworks or other unsaleable goods at York
474
H. B. COMPANY'S EXPLOKERS, 1830 TO 1856
Factory which are likely to find a market among the Esquimaux;
and with four active servants, under engagements of not less
than three years, to fill up the vacancies."
John McLean at Ungava.
This was followed in 1837 (after which Ungava was probably
provided for by the Council of the Southern Department, as no
subsequent mention is made of it in the Northern Minutes) by: —
" Ungava Arrangements.
"Ungava, John McLean, Clerk,
" Erland Erlandson, Clerk.
" Resolved that the brig Eagle be dispatched as early as navi-
gation opens with instructions to touch at Ungava, there to land
an outfit for that district, and afterwards proceed with the returns
that may be shipped on board of her there for England, taking
as passengers to Ungava Mr. McLean and six servants, and from
thence any servants retiring to Europe."
Those who wish to fill in the wide gaps left between these
extracts from the Minutes of Council will find the record of that
romantic adventure, furnished by the leader of the expedition,
Mr. Nichol Finlayson in Mr. R. M. Ballantyne's fascinating book
" Ungava." And here I may be allowed to say that I had the
privilege of the personal acquaintanceship of both the hero and
the author, through my father's having served the Company for
a short time along with both of them. It was through reading
Ballantyne's " Hudson's Bay," " The Young Fur Traders " and
" Ungava " that I, like other youths, was lured into the service
of the Company, and from my later experience in that service I
feel bound to warn all boys against reading Ballantyne. Rather
let them read, mark and digest the unvarnished account of his
life in the Hudson's Bay service, written by the John McLean,
Clerk, who was appointed to the charge of Ungava by the Council
in 1837,* in which the general reader will find an interesting
♦"Notes of Twenty-five Years' Service in the Hudson's Bay Com-
pany," by John McLean, London, 1849. " The history of my career
may serve as a warning to those who may be disposed to enter the
Hudson's Bay Company's service. They may learn that from the
moment they embark in the company's canoes at Lachine, or their
ships at Gravesend, they bid adieu to all that civilized man most
values on earth. They bid adieu to their family and friends prob-
ably forever; for if they remain long enough to attain the promo-
tion which allows them the privilege of revisiting their native
land — a period of from twenty to twenty-five years — what change
does not this life exhibit in a much shorter time? They bid adieu
475
H. B. COMPANY'S EXPLOEERS, 1830 TO 1856
account of his explorations in the hinterland of Fort Chimo.
Reference is also made to him and part of the country he explored
is described in a book published a few years ago by an American
traveller, Dillon Wallace, on a canoe voyage he made through
the wilds of Labrador, entitled, " The Long Labrador Trail."
Dease, Simpson, Anderson, Stewart and Rae.
To the books on the subjects which are accessible in public
libraries I beg to refer such readers as are interested for accounts
of the services rendered to geographical science by the Hudson's
Bay Company's Arctic Exploring Expedition under Messrs. Dease
and Simpson; of the assistance rendered to Franklin on his boat
voyages, and to British expeditions sent in search of him later
by Hudson's Bay oflQcers and men; of the admirably planned and
executed searches made for the fate of Franklin by the Hudson's
Bay people alone under Anderson and Stewart, and of the dis-
covery of the first traces by Surgeon John Rae on one of the
expeditions under his leadership. The deeds of daring and endur-
ance performed "without ostentation," as Dr. Dawson remarks,
by these men gloriously illuminate the history of " The Company
of Adventurers," and rendered it in their day worthy of the name
in its nobler meaning.
Other Men of Mark Among the Adventurers.
This Appendix, for which the name of the honoured Chief
of Swan River District gave me the text on which to start, would
be incomplete were I to refrain from brief reference to mighty
deeds of daring and endurance done in the ordinary course of
every day duty by the officers and men of the Company of Adven-
turers in the wilds of North America from Labrador to the Pacific
across the wide continent, few of which were considered impor-
tant enough at the time to be reported in writing to the Governor
and Committee in London, where the few so recorded appear to
have been deemed unworthy of preservation, and, like the wealth
of oral traditions which were handed down from one generation
of fur traders to another, have perished and been lost sight of
to all the comforts and conveniences of civilized life, to vegetate
at some desolate, solitary post, hundreds of miles, perhaps, from
any other human habitation save the wig^wam of the savage; with-
out any society but that of their own thoughts, or of the two or
three humble individuals who share their exile. They bid adieu to
all the refinement and cultivation of civilized life, not infrequently
becoming semi-barbarians — so altered In habits and sentiments that
they not only become attached to savage life, but eventually lose
all relish for any other." (Vol. II, page 260.)
476
H. B. OOMPANY^S EXPLOKERS, 1830 TO 1856
forever. It was for the purpose of putting in print some of these
continually perishing recollections of the past that I felt justified
in attempting to write this book. But the limits imposed by the
publisher, as well as the intention of recording only such matter
as is not to be found in books accessible to the general public
which have a bearing on my personal recollections, only permit
of mere mention of the names of such men of talent as Chief
Trader Alexander Hunter Murray, whose notes on the Loucheaux
Indians and beautiful drawings of them and their works adorn
the pages of Sir John Richardson's narrative; of Chief Trader
Bernard R. Ross, that distinguished contributor and collector in
ethnology and natural history to the Smithsonian Institution at
Washington; of Chief Factor MacFarlane, who assisted Mr. Ross
and for many years after continued and extended the work and
its field of operations in ornithology, as his section of the book,
"Through the Mackenzie Basin" (Briggs, Toronto, 1908), bears
ample testimony; and of Chief Trader Joseph James Hargrave,
author of that text-book of history, "Red River" (John Lovell,
Montreal, 1869). All these but the still virile and active Mr.
MacFarlane have long ago departed, but not without records
which will long survive.
The Hudson's Bay men who served in the old " Columbia
Department " on both sides of the international boundary now
fixed and in New Caledonia occupied territories and coasts under
circumstances which brought them under the notice of numerous
writers, and of such historians as Bancroft and the Rev. Father
Morrice, now of Winnipeg. Moreover, many of their private
journals and papers have been preserved by the patriotic pride
and intelligent action taken by the Government of British Colum-
bia in the past history of the country before it became a Canadian
Province.
No such active interest in and efficient financial aid to securing
the private papers of the fur traders, who retired to the Red
River Settlement from the far-fiung " Hudson's Bay Territories,"
has ever been given by the Government of Manitoba. Besides
public documents, not trade papers but really Government
records, have been either kept, concealed or destroyed by the
commercial representatives of the company, in whose custody
remained many records of the Government of Assiniboia at the
time of the transfer to Canada. The loss has been to some extent
minimized by the praiseworthy diligence and research which for
some years characterized the Historical Society of Manitoba, and
of such writers and collectors as Mr. Charles N. Bell, F.R.G.S., the
477
H. B. COMPANY'S EXPLORERS, 1830 TO 1856
Rev. Dr. Bryce of Winnipeg, Mr. Justice Archer Martin of British
Columbia, while he resided in Winnipeg, and of other members of
and contributors to that society.
Fortunately for the data of North West history the efforts
of the Dominion Archives at Ottawa have been indefatigable,
persistent and wonderfully successful in rescuing them from
oblivion. Those of the Archivist of British Columbia at Victoria
have been also largely resultant in acquiring documents bearing
upon the history of that Province when it was, in the days of the
fur trade, under the direction of the Council of the Northern
Department of Rupert's Land. The activity of the Historical
Society of North Dakota, the early history of which coalesces
so largely with that of Red River settlement, has also been most
praiseworthy and worthy of imitation in Manitoba.
478
APPENDIX B.
REPORT ON THE TRADE OF FORT QU'APPELLE.
FoBT Qu'Appelle, March, 1873.
Sir, — For th€ future and further development of the trade, I
beg to submit for your consideration and approval the following
remarks thereon:
It is surprising that hitherto no active steps have been taken
to establish a chain of posts on the South Branch, similar to
that on the North Branch of the Saskatchewan River. The
country through which the South Saskatchewan flows is stocked
with the usual prairie fur-bearing animals, and is hunted over
by Crees, Saulteaux and halfbreeds, trading iprincipally at Qu'-
Appelle and Red River Settlement, as far up as the Swift Current
Creek, a small stream which rises in the Cypre Hills and
flows in a north-easterly direction into the South Saskatchewan.
Along the upper waters of the South Saskatchewan and those
of its tributaries — the Red Deer, the Bow and the Belly Rivers —
live and roam the Blood, Piegan and Blackfeet Indians, who are
poorly supplied at present and have to make long journeys to
Edmonton and Rocky Mountain House or to the American posts
on the Missouri for the purpose of trade.
I would strongly recommend that two posts be established on
the South Saskatchewan River. The site of the lower post
should be near the Red Ochre Hills at a spot already examined
and found suitable. From it all the Qu'Appelle plain trade could
be conducted from a much ixnore central position than at present.
The upper post, I think, should be placed somewhere near the
site of old Chesterfield House, at the mouth of the Red Deer
River, for the benefit and convenience of the Blackfeet and their
kindred tribes only, so as to prevent conflict with their enemies
the Crees, and their allies; for whom the lower post would be
used exclusively.
The South Saskatchewan is said to be much deeper and freer
from obstructions than the North Branch as far up as the Red
Deer River at least. So the steamboat now being put on the
Saskatchewan could take up the outfits, and the returns could
31 479
THE TEADE OF FORT QU'APPELLE
be sent down at any time by boat. No such long trips nor new
wintering posts as are required at present would be necessary
from the proposed posts, for years to come.
Such a post in their hunting grounds for the Blackfeet would
prevent their visiting and getting into trouble with the Crees at
Edmonton, while also stopping to a large extent their trade with
the Americans on the Missouri.
But, as American whiskey traders have been, and now are
wintering in the Blackfeet country, it may not be expedient to
establish a post there without some protective force. However,
it appears to me that the place proposed for the ujpper post of
the Company would be equally suitable for a Government mili-
tary station to keep the traders and the Blackfeet and Crees in
order; and it is surely the duty of the Canadian Government
to exercise their authority in that distracted part of the country.
A gunboat to act and keep up communication and to carry sup-
plies for the military posts along the river might be found both
economical and effective.
I would strongly commend this proposal for your approval,
and I hope that something may be done towards establishing
the lower post at least during the coming summer. In establish-
ing such a post it is false economy to begin on a small scale
and gradually make additions and improvements instead of at
once completing it in a permanent and well planned form. Half
the amount spent in driblets in payment of unskilled labour
would complete a good substantial establishment by competent
hands. 1 think such men could put up by contract, in the
course of the summer, a suitable establishment, with the outer
walls of some of the buildings serving in place of stockades, for
about two thousand iwunds. The expense of trying to erect it
with the unskilled, unruly and lazy day labourers, to be occa-
sionally induced to work out here, would be more than double,
and have to be paid for in the best selling trade goods of which
we are always undernsupplied.
Of the sites recommended, that of the lower post is about
eight days' travel with laden carts in a south-westerly direction
from Carlton; while the upper post would be about ten days'
travel south of Edmonton, and eight days west of the lower
post proposed.
All the buildings at Qu'Appelle, except the new trading store,
require to be thoroughly repaired next summer if the post is
still to remain the focus of trade for this quarter. These repairs
cannot be done at a cost of less than several hundred pounds,
480
THE TRADE OF FORT QU'APPELLE
which would be thrown away if the post at Red Ochre Hills
were subsequently established. The need of immediate decision
is therefore apparent.
New System op Trade.
The summer trade in provisions at this post was conducted
on a new system. No trading parties of employees were sent out
to trade on the plains as heretofore; selling at a reduced tariff
and advancing goods at the fort to competent freemen to do the
trade in the hunters' camps being resorted to instead. The
result was that only a few Indians came in to the fort with their
hunts, and the main business was done at it with halfbreed
hunters and traders.
It would be premature to make any exact assertion as to the
greater economy and profit made by this radical change, as onr
accounts have not yet been closed. But there is no doubt what-
ever that the provision trade has been more profitable than
usual, and besides the new system has had the effect of drawing
to this post a large number of new customers who previously
took their hunts to Red River and sold them to other merchants
than the Company. The same plan to secure their buffalo robes
and furs has been attempted, and from the plentifulness of buf-
falo there is no doubt of its being equally successful.
The great drawback to opening a large trade with the half-
breeds is the lack here of sufl5cient goods, which compels them
to make the long journey to Red River, and compels us to pay
their credit balances on their trade here in orders on Fort Garry
for cash, or partly cash and partly goods which are charged us
at the selling price there.
The mistakes made in indenting for and the delays attending
the transmission of the trading outfits are simply disgraceful to
a business corporation.
I remain, Sir,
Your obedient servant,
Isaac Cowie.
Archibald McDonald, Esq., Chief Trader, Hudson's Bay Company,
Fort Bllice, Swan River District.
481
APPENDIX C.
SUMMARY OF REPORT ON THE BUFFALO PLAINS TRIBU-
TARY TO FORT QU'APPELLE.
By Isaac Cowie, Clerk in Charge, to Chief Commissioner
Smith, of the Hudson's Bay Company.
Farming along the Qu'Appelle Lakes has been tried with
varying success; crofps of wheat, barley, Indian corn, potatoes
and common kitchen vegetables, in good seasons, turning out
fair returns. Abundant water, pasture and hay and an open
country make stock-raising profitable and easy.
On the Fishing Lakes, above and below the fort, some twenty-
five families of French halfbreeds have established themselves
as " habitans " on a small scale; but depend more on buffalo
hunting in summer and fishing in fall and winter, than on their
crops. This comparatively fixed community, in a land of nomadic
hunters, is the result of the efforts of the Roman Catholic mis-
sionary. Rev. Father DeCorby, who has been stationed since
1868 on the lake below the fort. Both he and his colleague, the
Rev. Father Lestanc, who has spent some years amongst the
Metis, who Winter at Wood Mountain, and for a while at Qu'-
Appelle, have used every effort to induce the Metis, former habi-
tans of Red River and St. Joe (U.S.), to resume settled occupancy
of land near the lakes and to cease from intruding on the Qu'-
Appelle Indians' hunting grounds, in which the buffalo are so
ra^pidly decreasing. Father Lestanc has declared to me that
those who have forsaken farming in Red River for hunting on
the plains " should be compelled to farm;" for which purpose the
Government might lend some assistance to start. Besides the
twenty-five resident families before mentioned, it is estimated
that there is a population of one thousand roving Metis who
more or less frequently resort to the fort and mission.
The Indians belonging to Qu'Appelle number approximately
320 lodges, or 2,000 persons, divided into the heathen tribes of
Crees, Saulteaux and Young Dogs — the latter being a cross be-
tween the Crees and Assiniboines. The Wood Mountain Assini-
482
REPORT ON THE BUFFALO PLAINS COUNTRY
boines seldom visit the fort, and never in large numbers, but
trade frequently with our travelling or wintering parties on the
plains. But the majority of them trade at the American posts
on the Missouri, where treaties have been made with them by
the United States Government. Owing to the severe punishmnt
for horse stealing given a camp of Assiniboines at Cypre Hills
last spring, by half-a-dozen of the owners of the horses, who had •
followed the thieves from Benton, a number of the tribe, consist-
ing of two hundred lodges, are now encamped between Swift
Current and Cypre Hills, instead of along the American boundary.
The Sioux bands, under Standing Buffalo and White Cap,
who took refuge about Portage la Prairie and Fort EUice, after
the Massacre of Minnesota about ten years ago, occasionally come
in to trade at Qu'Appelle or are met by our traders on the
Qu'Appelle hunting grounds. They are very well behaved Indians
here; but their intrusion, like that of the Red River halfbreeds,
is deeply resented by the Qu'Appelle Indians, who are yearly
oonupelled to seek the buffalo farther west and thereby invade
the territory of their enemies of the Blackfeet tribes.
Besides these friendly Sioux refugees of the Yankton tribe,
the numerous and warlike Tetons, under the notorious Sitting
Bull, and that ilk, are sometimes either driven by United States
troops or for food to follow the buffalo across the boundary.
From these spies have scoured the Qu'Appelle country and mes-
sages and messengers have been sent to me to see if the whole
tribe could find refuge in it from the American troops. Our own
Indians are very wroth at these efforts, and we have had much
diflaculty in preventing them from attacking these messengers
of "peace." But, in spite of our dissuasions and the threats of
our Indians, these troublesome and powerful Tetons seem deter-
mined to obtain a footing north of the 49th parallel, and eight
hundred lodges of them are reported to be now in the vicinity of
Cypre Hills.
As to the condition of the Indians and Metis who are cus-
tomers of the Company at Qu'Appelle, it is estimated that on an
average each Indian family owns three horses and each Metis
five, and, besides their food and much of their clothing, obtained
from the buffalo, they barter for other supplies with the Com-
pany and the traders yearly about $250 per family. The Indians
make less in the summer and more in the winter than the
Metis, because the Metis are better equipped for the summer
hunt, but do not continue constantly after the buffalo during
winter as the Indians do.
483
EEPOKT ON THE BUFFALO PLAINS COUNTRY
Our party out from Qu'Appelle this season intended to have
wintered several days' journey further west; but, on reaching
the Elbow of the South Saskatchewan, the number of American
traders, with whiskey from Benton, was reported to be so large
in the Cypr§ Hills country, and the murders among the different
tribes, many of them hostile to people from Qu'Appelle, so fre-
quent, that it was considered only prudent to stop here, which
greatly lengthens the distance we travel to the buffalo and our
Indians who follow them. A party going out late in the fall, and
merely putting up a rough shelter, must go without the protec-
tion of the pickets and stockades of a regular post.
It is very galling to see the furs and robes, which should be
ours, going to these desperado trespassers on British territory.
As the Canadian Government has now assumed responsibility it
would ajjpear high time that they should take some means to
quieting the minds of the Indians who have hitherto been
friendly, of confounding the plots to raid the new Province of
Manitoba, which have been hatching for sometime along the
boundary, and of ridding the Cvpr§ Hills country of the bands
of outlaws and smugglers who are playing havoc with our
Indians and our trade.
The Elbow, South Saskatchewan River,
16th December, 1873.
484
INDEX AND EXPLANATION OF
FUR TRADE TERMS.
PAGE
Abell, E. R 148
Account books kept at Fort 225, 226
Accounts of Northern Department kept at York Factory . . . 104
Affairs of state and business settled, and tall tales told by
Metis at Fort 455, 456
Aitchison, boatswain of Prince Rupert 74, 82-84
Alarms, in the midst of 322
Allied camp 302, 303
Allowances for voyaging — " luxuries " and rations 117
Almighty Voice, his gallant fight with North-West Mounted
Police 419
American army deserters in Hudson's Bay service 255
American colonel sells arms to hostile Sioux 257
American opposition Missouri reason for establishing Fort
Ellice 356
American posts on Missouri run wide open 256, 257
American traders invade Cypre Hills country 451
American whalers in Hudson Bay and Straits 102
Americans, account of bloody lesson given by them to Assini-
boine horse thieves at Cypre Hills in 1873 451, 452
Amlin, Solomon, Councillor of Assiniboia 160, 381
Amusements aboard Prince Rupert 83-85
Anderson and Stewart, their search for Franklin 476
Anderson, J., at Norway House 144
Anderson, James, at Fort Garry 151
Anderson, James, Chief Factor, on the dangers of the Upper
Liard River 471
Anderson, Thos. M Ill, 115
Anderson, Wm 115
Antelope shot 290
Apprentice clerks, how selected in Britain 204, 205
Apprenticeship ends 438
Archibald, Lieut.-Governor 429
Archives, Dominion, wonderfully successful efforts in collect-
ing historical data 478
Archives, British Columbia 478
Arctic Ocean 45
Arm River, heavy laden stages of provisions at 375
Armed schooner Cathulin on Lake Winnipeg 55
Arrest of Indian stealing whltefish 418, 419
Arrivals of Indians and Metis in spring 271, 272
485
INDEX AND EXPLANATION OF TERMS
PAGE
Armit, David 75, 112, 118, 125, 144, 168, 169
Asham, John, on trip to Cypre Hills 433
Asleep on guard 340
Assiniboia, members of the Ck)uncil of 160
Assiniboia, the greater district of, Lord Selkirk's grant 156
Assiniboia, the municipal district of, alias Red River Settle-
ment 157
Assiniboia Indians or " Stonies " 39
Assiniboine Indians, horse thieves and plunderers 237
Assiniboine lodges, wintering north of Cypre Hills 462
Assiniboine refugees following us 336, 337, 342
Assiniboine scouts mistaken for Blackfeet 338, 339
Assiniboine women bought and sold by Americans 257
Assiniboines of Wood Mountain 241, 259, 260
Assiniboine River, journey in batteaux to Fort Garry, spring
1871 286
Assiniboine River, journey in flat boats to Port Garry, June,
1874 427, 428
Assorting boats' cargoes 126
Athabasca district, how supplied 135
Athabasca, Lake 40
Athabasca River and Lake 44,45
Athletic sports 278
Atlantic Ocean, voyage across 81, 86, 95
" Bachelors' Hall," alias " The Guard Room," at York Fac-
tory 103, 113
Badger at bay, a close shave 463
Badger holes honeycomb buffalo hunting grounds 375
Baffled by a blizzard, seek shelter in Cree lodge 388
Baggage, limited allowance of, 139; composition of mine... 194
Baker, I. G., & Co., of Fort Benton, establish in Cypr6 Hills
country 256
Balance sheet, absurdity of same founded on articles bought
at high current prices and credited to " Post " at valua-
tion of 1834 440
Ball at the Fort — whiskey seized for refreshments 464
Ballantyne, R. M., his books lured many youths into Hud-
son's Bay service 76, 115, 475
Ballenden, Dr., Stromness 79
Ballenden, Chief Factor John 216
Balsillie, John, cashier at Fort Garry 151, 152, 156
Bancroft, the historian 477
Banking and currency at Fort Qu'Appelle 456
Bannatyne, A. G. B., merchant, Red River 154, 160
Bannocks baked by boatmen 121
Battle at Belly River, Crees and allies defeated by Blackfeet
towards fall, 1870 414
Beads, Jacob, boatbuilder at Fort Pelly 367
Beads, John, good dog driver 416
486
INDEX AND EXPLANATION OF TERMS
Bear, Jacob 214, 215, 222, 234, 261, 262, 353-855
Beauty of Qu'Appelle scenery 209, 210
Beaver dams utilized on York boat route 130
Bed on camp fireplace 255
Beleaguered encampment 297
Bell, C. N., F.R.G.S., collector of historical data 478
Bell, Chief Trader John, explores Peel and Yukon Rivers..
285, 472, 473
Bell, Dr. Robert, of Geological survey 96, 457, 458
Bentham, Jeremy. His frightful description of the interior
of North America 58
Big Sandy Hills, big camp of Crees and allies 303
Bi-lingualism, Indians consider bad form 195
Birston, William, alias " Gaddie," a genial, handy man 417
Bishop of Rupert's Land— Dr. Machray 79, 152, 160
Bishop of Saint Boniface 160
Bishop, Captain Henry, of the Prince Rupert 67, 74, 92, 112
Black, Judge 156, 164
Blackfeet defeated the Saskatchewan Crees, 291; hover on
our path, 292; disguised as buffalo, 293; exterminate
sixty of our young Indians, 298; terrible defeat of, by
Qu'Appelle Indians, in 1866, and flight, leaving a trail
of bones, 314, 315; being pushed west by Crees and
Saulteaux, 205; friendly with Hudson's Bay Company
only at Edmonton and Rocky Mountain House, 206; gen-
eral description of, 335-341; commonly called " Slavies "
by Hudson's Bay people, 340; our halt for Lundy pre-
vents our discovery by a war party, 433; around our
winter quarters at Cypr§ Hills — we fail to open friendly
communication — they slay nine Assiniboines at our
deserted buildings and burn the latter 434, 435
Blackskin, a troublesome, murderous villain of a " Young
Dog," 376; claims reward for ending eclipse of sun
with his medicine, 378; run out of camp by McNab, 379;
again murders and flies from vengeance 390
Blackwood's Magazine and the three Reviews 224
Blackwater Creek 118, 131
Blankets, Hudson's Bay 116
Blizzard, " Tay-put-ah-um " perished in a, 244; first experi-
ence of, 247, 248; burrow under snow during a, 353; boil-
ing the kettle during a 354
Blizzards, the dangers from 207
Bloated Boys 330
Boas, Dr. Franz, ethnologist 295
Boaster, exposure of an Indian " . . . . 296
Boat, the York Factory packet 100
Boatmen, their skill and food, 120, 121; tributes to, 121; pay
of 140
Boats, the inland or "York," 64; the Red River brigade of,
117; built for other districts at Norway House and
Rocky Mountain House 136
487
INDEX AND EXPLANATION OF TERMS
PAGE
Bond, William, an early Hudson's Bay Company explorer ... 39
Books, many imported by Hudson's Bay men 77
Bourassa, Baptiste, Hudson's Bay trader, robbed by " Sitting
Bull's" Sioux 422
" Bourgeois," French-Canadian name for an oflBcer in charge
of a district or important post 136
Brabant, Augustin, Metis free trader 290
Brand, Rev. William, at Stromness 79, 152
Brandon House .- 173, 178, 187
Brass, Peter, freeman, Fort Pelly 336
Break bounds from Big Camp 335
Breland, Pascal, Councillor of Assiniboia, 160; comes to
winter on the plains, fall 1869, 381; I get vaccine from
his grandchild (see also " Red River Rebellion " and
" Conspiracy to raid Manitoba ") 382
" Brigade," a fleet of traders' boats or canoes or string of
carts. Brigade of Swan River to York Factory, its cargo
and the oflBcers accompanying it 283, 284
British Canadian fur traders, before the North-West Com-
pany, 42 ; they penetrate to Athabasca, 45 ; they followed
the old French explorations and immensely extended
them 47
British fur traders and their descendants were the most
important factors in colonizing the North-West before
the union of Canada, 65, 66; explored and occupied
many regions afterwards acquired by United States. ... 31
Broken Sword, The, Cree warrior 312
Bruce, Baptiste, guide of " Long " Portage brigade 127
Bruce, Rev. George, C.M.S., Fairford 191
Bryce, Rev. Dr., quotations from his writings 178
Buffalo, their gradual recession further west, 187; their dry
dung the principal fuel in the treeless prairies, 208 ; my
first sight of bulls — Jerry runs them on a dog sled —
Nepapeness runs them on snowshoes and stabs a bull,
249; migration deflected westward in summer, 1868,
302; senseless slaughter of, by young Indians, 297; come
close to Fort in enormous herds, 373; grand hunt, 327-
330; my first bull, 379, 380; failure of hunt in 1870 415
Bungie, a common name for a Saulteaux Indian 145
Bunn, Mr., at Rock House in 1819 126
Burbank, Mr., manager of first Hudson's Bay shop in
" Town " (now Winnipeg) 155
Business methods, far-sighted 104
Calrstone Roads 62, 80, 93
Caldwell, Colonel 163
Caldwell, Rev. Luke, native missionary 191, 367, 368
Calling River (the Qu'Appelle), arrival at 199
Camp, our first 123
Camp outfit 116, 117
488
INDEX AND EXPLANATION OF TERMS
PAGE
Camp of the allied tribes 297
Camp in turmoil, a 310
Campbell, Robert, 145, 190, 285, 359, 407; his explora-
tions , 469, 470, 472, 473
Canadian and American goods defined 166, 167
Canadian troops at Fort Garry, 414; physically a remark-
ably fine body of men 429
Canoemen, their incredible toil 122
Cape Digges 91
Cape Farewell 85, 86
Cape Resolution 88
Cape Wolstenholme 91
Capital in fur trade, slow returns on 134, 135
Capdtes 117
Carts, Red River, 64 ; freighting done by 166, 168
Cart journey to Big Indian Camp, adventures on 283-295
Cart tracks, four abreast 294
Catchwords in Cree and Gaelic 122, 128
Century on the Coast 37, 38
Certificates of character in writing are prized by Indians as
amulets 243
Cession of Canada, 38; its effect on fur trade 42, 45
Champions, their battles 129
Change in methods of trade, summer, 1872 440
" Chanting the cock " — a challenge 129
Chaplin, the Rt. Hon. Henry 263
Charter of Hudson's Bay Company did not include countries
beyond Rockies and in McKenzie Valley (these were
known as the Indian Territories and held under licenses
for long terms) 46
Che-Kuk, Saulteau leader 446
Chesterfield Inlet 96
Chiefs, the Company's Indian — their uniforms, 242, 243; the
Company's policy to prevent them becoming powerful . . 305
Chipewyans 42
Christie, the old Hudson's Bay family of — Chief Factor Alex-
ander, twice Governor of Assiniboia, 75, 111, 162, 164;
Chief Trader Alexander, 75, 147, 164, 359; Apprentice
Clerk Alexander, 75, 79, 89, 111-113; becomes Chief
Accountant of Northern Department, 466; William
Joseph, Inspecting Chief Factor, 75, 164, 165, 359, 453,
454; John G. M., Fur Trade Commissioner's OflSce, 110,
163 ; Duncan, schoolboy Ill
Christmas and New Year festivities 245, 246
Church, Indian, at York Factory 109
Church Missionary Society (English) 235
Churchill, Fort 93, 96
Churchill, John, Duke of Marlborough, an early Governor of
of the Company 36
Churchill River 39, 42, 118
Civilized society 417
489
INDEX AND EXPLANATION OF TERMS
PAGE
Clansmen and Company's men 193
Clark, William (now retired Chief Factor) 406, 409
Clarke, John, Chief Factor Hudson's Bay Company, at Fort
Pelly 368
Clearwater River 45
Close of trading year or outfit (see " Outfit ") 280
Clouston, Mr. Edward (Stromness) 68
Clouston, Sir Edward (Montreal) 110
Cold riding 463
Coltman, Colonel, Government " Peace " Commissioner at
Red River, 1817 55, 161
Columbia and New Caledonia Districts, history of, well pre-
served 477
Columbia River and Department 45, 136
Committee, Parliamentary, on Hudson's Bay Company, 1857 204
Competition between boatmen 119, 129, 130
Concert, smoking, at Wood Mountain 260
Conspiracy to drive the Canadian Government and settlers
out of the country, 1871-1874 — malcontent Metis incite
Indians, 444; Fenian raid on Manitoba a premature part
of the programme, 444; Assiniboines and Sioux join it,
444; Crees spurn the suggestion, and Saulteaux won't
ally themselves with their hereditary enemies, the
Sioux, 445; at this critical time the Company abolishes
the customary advances to the Qu'Appelle Indians, 445;
a Teton Sioux delegation comes to announce they intend
to come to live in Qu'Appelle country and become cus-
tomers at Fort Qu'Appelle, we try to dissuade them, the
Saulteaux eager to attack them, consequently we get
Metis to escort and guard them, 445-448; extraordinary
idea of these Sioux that they could be at peace with
Company at Fort Qu'Appelle while raiding Manitoba,
448; another Sioux embassy to Fort Garry returns
highly offended and takes offence at Fort Ellice also,
448; Shaman Racette, a very "bad man," one of the
conspirators, brags what they mean to do, which I
report to headquarters, 448, 449; Hon, Pascal Breland,
member of the North-West Council, comes as investi-
gator and again as a successful peacemaker, 456; his
compliment for my efforts to frustrate the conspiracy,
and Edward McKay and I are honored with the appoint-
ment of Justices of the Peace, 456; salutary effect of
bloody lesson given Assiniboine horse thieves at Cyprd
Hills in spring of 1873 453
Cook, Rev. Thomas, at Fort Ellice 186, 191
Co-operative principle applied to fur trade by North-West
Company 44
Cooper, Fenimore ,115
Country-made articles described 104
Couteau de Missouri, crossing same, 253, 254, 264; its dan-
gers, 254 ; meeting with traders on 290
490
INDEX AND EXPLANATION OF TERMS
PAGE
" Country produce " were all products of the country except
furs and buffalo robes (see Returns of Trade) 286
Courtmartlal, an Indian 312
Covenant, Dr., at Last Mountain 418
Cowan, Dr. William, at Fort Garry 151, 152
Cowesess, a first-class Saulteau hunter 265
Cowie, Dr. John 76
Cowie, Dr. Robert 76
Cowie, Surgeon Robert, U. S. Navy 154
Cowie, James 79
Cowie, Isaac 190, 214
Cree Chief " Loud Voice," his arrival in state, his pipe of
peace and his headgear 273-276
Cree Indians, Swampy, the friends of the English, 65; boat-
men 117, 118
Crees, the, by their horse-stealing and invasions, to blame
for hostility of Blackfeet, 305; defeat of by Blackfeet at
Pelly River, 1871, 317; protect me from Young Dogs. . , 311
Crews and cargoes of Red River brigade 117
Crofton, Colonel, commanding first British troops at Fort
Garry 129, 163
Cruising in the gig 94
Cumberland House established 42
Cummings, Cuthbert, Chief Trader 359
Curing provisions and skins 330
"Curly Head," Cree widow, and children fed at Fort
Qu'Appelle 215
Cypress Hills (name a mistranslation of the French
"Cyprd"), neutral, unhunted territory, 303; between
enemies, and therefore a natural game preserve 304
Cyprd Hills, Metis join our wintering expedition to, 432; I
start to winter at, 432; site of our winter quarters,
where there were Chinook winds, 433; natives retreat to
east, while we remain to pack furs, 434; country occu-
pied by American whiskey traders — Teton, Sioux and
Assiniboines winter there, 1873, 1874 462
Cyr, Edward, a splendid French-Canadian 357
Dahl, Mr. and Mrs. Alexander, passengers to England Ill
Damaged goods, great loss on imports from York Factory. . 282
Dance of boatmen at Oxford House 128
Dandy, a native 233
Daniel, "Big William," guide and interpreter, 190, 357, 358;
a daredevil, 242; guide of York Brigade, 284; appears
for a season as free trader at Fort Pelly 363
Data of this book 344
Davis, Bonace, warrior, hunter and romancer 455
Davis, Charles 215, 255
Davis, George, clerk 147, 149, 429, 430
Davis, Miss, excellent ladies' school conducted by 147
491
IISTDEX AND EXPLANATIOISr OF TERMS
PAGE
Davis Straits 87
Dawson, Report of the late Dr. G. M., of Geological Survey,
on R. Campbell's discoveries, 470; his high tribute to
the Fur Trading Pioneers 471
Day Star, councillor 375
Dearth of provisions general in fall of 1870 416
Dease Lake 469^ 47O
Dease, Chief Factor Peter Warren, his Arctic explorations . . 285
Dease and Simpson, their explorations .• 476
Decorby, Rev. Father, O.M.J., Qu'Appelle 191, 401, 436
" Deed Poll " (the partnership agreement between the Chief
Factors and Traders and the Company) 157-159
De Meuron, soldiers capture North-West brigades 55
Denomie, Paul 248, 266,268
Denomie, Pierre 240
Denomie, Xavier 248, 267, 435, 436
Deschambault, Chief Trader 410, 426
Deserters from U. S. Army, 169,215; from Mr. McDonald's
boats, 372, 373 ; from my brigade 430
Devlin, Bryan 155
Devlin, Dan 155
Dexterity of hunters cutting up buffalo 249
Dirt (Cactus) Hills 421
Discoveries by Liard River, west of Rocky Mountains 469, 470
Disembark at York Factory 102
Diversion of South Saskatchewan from Qu'Appelle in past
age 209
Diversion of traffic from Montreal to York Factory 64, 65, 134
" Divide and Rule " — policy of dealing with Indians 133
Dog trains, Mr. McDonald's 246, 247, 249, 253, 262
Dominion Government at last prepare to police plains, 1874 . 465
Drever, George, storesman 455, 462
Driver driven, the 270
Duck Bay outpost 191
Dufresne, voyageur and chef 168, 171, 172, 176
Dung camp fires 253
Dunvegan 45
Dutch courage of Blackfeet caused Cree defeat 317
" Dutch George's " Hotel in " Town " (now Winnipeg) 153
Dyer, John, at Qu'Appelle, 215; at Manitoba post 407
Eche-mam-is Creek 118, 130, 131
Echoing Valley — the Qu'Appelle 202
Eclipse of the sun, Indians' idea of its cause; in terror they
make prayer and medicine 377
Edmund, a Cree, alleged warrior and medicine man 295,296
Egg Lake, wintering post 190, 191
Elections, none in Red River Settlement 160
Elk Antler Hill 198
492
INDEX AND EXPLANATION OF TERMS
PAGE
Elk or red deer, the " was-cay-sou " of the Crees, abounded at
Cypr6 Hills 304
Ellice, Rt. Hon. Edward, M.P., unites North-West and Hud-
son's Bay Companies 58, 204
Ellice, Edward, jr., M.P., director of Hudson's Bay Company 76
Employment at Fort during early summer 286
Encompassed by enemies 297, 308, 325
Englishmen, the first of them to venture from the Bay 39
" English River " — the Upper Churchill * . 45
Equipments of employees from York Factory limited 139
Escort into camp 297, 298
Esprit de corps remarkable in North- West Company 44
Esquimaux 90
Expedition of Hudson's Bay Company into the North-West
Company's northern preserves defeated 55
Explorers of Hudson's Bay Company, 1830-1856 469-478
Explorers of the North-West Company, great 45
Exportable products were only furs from interior and feath-
ers and whale oil besides from Coast 104
Pairford 283
Falconer, William, master of Severn House, 1776 42
Fall of 1870, 414; 1871, 431; 1872 453,454
False alarm — elk, not Blackfeet 326
Farewell to Orkney 80
Farewell to Prince Rupert 102
Farquharson, James, an Imperialist free trader 237
Farwell's post at Cypre Hills 452
Favel, Charles 414
Favel, Thomas, called " Mango " 200, 210
Favel, Humphrey, the renegade 336, 337, 339
Fear of the enemy, in 324
Fenian raid of 1871 431
Feuds and forays among fur traders 46, 47
Field, Edward, clerk at Portage la Prairie 430
Field of slaughter of buffalo 297
Fields of potatoes and barley at Fort Qu'Appelle 214
" Fighting men " not wanted in Saskatchewan 383
Finlayson, Chief Factor Nichol , 284, 285, 473, 474
Finlayson, Joseph, clerk, Touchwood Hills 190, 284, 403
Finlayson, Mrs. Joseph 285
" Fire Away," the best breed of buffalo hunting ponies 368
Fire from heaven destroys camp of Young Dogs 308, 309
FMreless and supperless, stop for night on storm-swept
prairie 386, 387
Fires not allowed in trading stores 213
Fisher, Alex., horse guard and counsellor. . .210, 215, 221, 319, 446
Fisher, John, habitant 210
Fishery for Fort 224
" Five Fathom Hole " off York Factory 95, 101
493
INDEX AND EXPLANATION OF TERMS
PAGE
Flags of the ships , . . 80
Fleminand, Olivier, his wife and children, 214, 215; remark-
able feat of, as runner, 260, 261-270; encounter of, with
Donald, the dude, 264, 265, 267, 268; a trader and walk-
ing advertisement, 349-353; becomes an Englishman
under name of Mr. Jackson 421, 422
Flint and steel universally in use 155
Flour, poor quality of Red River, 76; a luxury in the
interior, 117, 258; commandeered from freighter 428
Fogs on voyage to Hudson Bay '. 88, 92
Forced march, a 339
Foreword 27-30
Ford of Assiniboine near Brandon 427
Fort Charles 36, 37
Fort Chipewyan 45
Fort Douglas 50, 52
Fort Drew 470
Fort Ellice, 168, 179, 181, 183, 187-189, 194; establishment of,
at Beaver Creek 356, 357
Fort Garry, 103, 115, 134, 149, 151, 161-163, 166-168; known to
Crees as " Nees-tom-iny-ak " and to French as " La
Fourche," both meaning " The Forks " 402
Fort Gibraltar 161
Fort Halkett 469, 470
Fort McPherson 134
Fort Pelly, 179, 356-369; reason for its selection as capital of
North-West Territories, 360; closed as a Hudson's Bay
post 360
Fort Prince of Wales at Churchill Harbor 40
Fort Qu'Appelle, 210, 211; arrival at, 202; the watchful dogs
at, 202; list of inhabitants of, in 1867, 214-216; appoint-
ment to full charge of, summer, 1872 438
Fort Selkirk 473
Fort William 50
Fortescue, Joseph, Chief Trader Ill, 114, 123, 128
Fox River 118
France, recurring wars with 62
Franklin River 118, 130
Franklin, Sir John 121, 126
Fraser River 45
Fraser, Simon 45
Fraser, William, a Councillor of Assiniboia 160
Free traders, early French, 33 ; fierce competition of, at Fort
Pelly 362-364
Freight for northern districts many years in transit 134, 135
Freight rates by inland boat 135, 139
French-Canadians, the early explorers, 32; fur traders, 37;
capture Hudson's Bay forts on the Bay, 38; accompany
McKenzie in his discovery, 40, 43, 44; servants of North-
west Company, 64, 122, 180; begin to be employed by
Hudson's Bay Company 180
494
INDEX AND EXPLANATION OF TERMS
PAGE
French origin of the Hudson's Bay Company 32
Frobisher at Portage la Traite 42
Frozen feet 397
Full charge of Fort Qu'Appelle, appointment to, summer,
1872 438
Furs, how they were packed, 277, 278; were the only export-
able products of the interior 104
Fur trade year, its close 271, et seq.
Fur traders, the early, on the Assiniboine and Swan River. . 356
Gaelic oflEicers predominate in Swan River district 192
Game en route scarce, 125; plenty 176
Game laws of Lord Selkirk 170
Garden, kitchen, at Fort Qu'Appelle 214
Gardiner, Rev. J. P., of St. Andrews 148
Garry, Nicholas, the name father of the forts 161
Gaudet, C. P., clerk of McKenzie River 148
Genaille, Antoine, Metis voyageur 176
Geological survey party arrives at Qu'Appelle 457, 458
Gerard, Hon. Marc 429
German noble apprentice clerk 465
Geyer, George, in early days makes excursion into interior. 39
Ghosts of the " Old Wives," the, dreaded 263
Ghosts at the Pile of Bones 268, 269
" Give as a favor what will otherwise be taken by force "... 443
Gluttony, gross 330
Goldie, Rev. Mr., visits Qu'Appelle 431, 432
Golgotha, a Blackfeet 315
Gophers, snaring, for food in hard times 425
Gordon, George, a good guide 336, 339
Gore, W. S. and Henry, land surveyors 454
Governing points in Rupert's Land 164
Government of Assiniboia 160, 161
Governor Christie of Assiniboia 75
Governors of the Company in London, the first 36
Goudie, Gilbert 487
Grahame, James Allan, Chief Factor, succeeds D. A. Smith
as Chief Commissioner 466
Grahame, Chief Commissioner, reply of, to Bishop Bompas. 471
Grant, Cuthbert, Warden of the Plains 170
Gratitude due such men as the McKays 219
Gratuities to chiefs 243
Green hands forbidden to use canoes 113
Green hand, a real 232
Greenhorn with buffalo teeth 422, 423
Greenland 85-87
Griffith, Major, at Fort Garry, 1847, 1848 163
Grizzly bears abounded at Cypr6 Hills 304
Grizzly bear baiting 326
Grizzly bear and elk in incredible number 336
32 495
INDEX AND EXPLANATION OF TERMS
PAGE
Groseillers, the great free trader and explorer, Radisson's
partner 33
Groseillers, Baptiste, son of above, on Hayes River 37
" Growing Thunder," the Assiniboine chief 241-243
" Guide " of our buggy, we desert him and he reports us . . 150, 152
Guns bursting cause many wounds 385
Hairy Lake 128
Halfbreeds, different origins of, 64; the term often a mis-
nomer, 65; have rendered great service in West, 65, 66;
with but little white blood surpass Indians as hunters
and trappers 362, 363
Hardisty, Thomas, clerk from McKenzie River 148
Hargrave, James, apprentice clerk, York Factory Ill, 116
Hargrave, Joseph James, clerk at Fort Garry, 116; history
of Red River by, 151-154; became Chief Trader 477
Hardships on spring journey to Qu'Appelle, 1871 428, 424
Harmon's sojourn near Fort Pelly 356
Harmony, Moravian missionary barque 67, 80
Harper, Gowden, the ever faithful, ever sure 202, 214, 255
Harray, the Peerie Lairds o' 63
Haymaking and horsekeeping 364
Hayes River, first named Ste. Therese by French 37, 118
Headquarters staff of the Indian allies 324
Hearne, Samuel, explorer for Hudson's Bay Company, 40,
41; founds Cumberland House 41, 42
Hebrides, Highland recruits from 75, 117, 122, 123
Heddell, J. J. Gordon 79
Height of land reached 130
" Hell broke loose " 318
Hell Gates, on route from York Factory, 128; on Liard River 471
Herd, Captain David, Hudson's Bay " ship's husband " 80
Hibert, Henri, dit Fabian 176,177,181,189,416,427,428,430
Highland Jacobites 42
Highlanders 64, 75, 83
Hill River 118, 125
Hillier, Rev. Mr., Church Missionary Society founded by, in
1853 at Qu'Appelle 236
Historical data 477, 478
History of Hudson's Bay Company has not yet been written
comprehensively 31
Hold-up of Jerry 342, 343
Holey (not Holy) Lake 128
Homeric struggles 130
Horses, the list of, belonging to post 281
Hourie, Peter, postmaster 358, 362
Hourie, Mrs. Peter, and the eclipse of the sun 378
House's store at Long Lake, Manitoba 431
Hoy, Island and Sound of 62, 79, 91
Hudson Bay, the voyage across 92-95
496
INDEX AND EXPLANATION OF TEEMS
PAGK
Hudson Bay route, opinion on practicability of, 95-98; dates
of arrivals and departures of ships at York Factory for
ninety-two years 96
Hudson, Henry 98
Hudson's Bay Company originated by Frenchmen, 35, 36;
compelled by competition to establish interior ports, 41;
advantage of, in Hudson Bay route, 43; attempt of, to
open a winter road to York Factory, 135; opponents'
predictions of, are falsified, 155; begin to employ
French-Canadians, 180; ingratitude of, to faithful ser-
vants 450
Hudson's Straits, the voyage through 88-92, 95, 96
Hughes, James, a former North-West partner, engaged as
clerk in Hudson's Bay Company 179, 180
Hunting and trading expeditions to Buffalo plains • 191
Hurricanes, terrific, at Qu'Appelle and also at Red River,
summer, 1868 345, 346
Ice, a venture on new lake 245
Icebergs on Hudson Bay route 86, 88, 89, 96
Ice conditions in Hudson Straits and Bay 88-90, 96
Imperialist free-trader predicts, in 1867, a British transcon-
tinental railway 237
Imperial services of the fur-trading pioneers 58, 59
Imports from Britain for the Company, the missionaries,
and settlers 76, 77
Indian debt book 230, 231
Indian embroidery, with beads, silk and wool 103
" Indian gun," attributes of the 197, 198
Indian legends 295
Indian medicine men resent my giving " advice gratis ". . .385, 386
Indian medicine (?), secrets of, exposed, and virtues of com-
mon groceries yet unknown to science 296
Indian stealing whitefish, arrest of 418, 419
Indian women, Hudson's Bay Company men begin to take to
wife, 63; offspring of, often sent to school in Orkney,
63, 64; police the drunken camp 318
Indians, advances to, prohibited by the London Board, and
the Indians determine to help themselves in conse-
quence 440, 44S
Indians believe they outnumber and feed on exported pem-
mican the whole British nation 301
Indians, debts of those killed in battle are written off 414
Indians, physical measurements of 295
Indians, their poverty and improvidence necessitate the
Debt System 46, 272, 273
Inkster, John, of Seven Oaks, Counsellor of Assiniboia . . . 160, 203
International steamboat on Red River 148
Invasion of Blackfeet territory by Qu'Appelle Indians 302
Inventory, the annual 280
497
INDEX AND EXPLANATION OF TERMS
PAGE
Inverness Courier at Qu'Appelle 223
Isbister, Dr. A. K., a benevolent native of Rupert's Land. . .75, 111
Isbister, William, postmaster at Island Lake 128
" Jack Frost " appears 240
Jack River, the old refuge of Selkirk's settlers, became
" Norway House " , 132
Jackson, " Bob," Blackfoot halfbreed, hired to interpret, 432;
absconds '. 434
James, Captain, of Lady Head 67,81
Jean, a French sailor, entertains us in the dog-watch 82, 83
Johnstone, blacksmith at Fort Pelly, a handy man 367
Johnstone, Sir Frederick, hunted at Old Wives Lake 263
Jordan, Henry, ex-U. S. soldier, talented entertainer, becomes
good traveller and storesman 215, 255, 256, 455, 462
" Journal of Daily Occurrences," its contents and importance
as the " Log of the Post " 227-229
Journey in fall, 1867, from Fort Garry to Fort Ellice, 168;
et seq., from Fort Ellice to Fort Qu'Appelle 196-199
Kan-o-cees, the Cree, fools me on a silver fox, 238; his recrea-
tion is horse-stealing, 239; find his better qualities, his
skill and courage, 239; he becomes rather a pal and
respectable 317
Kavanagh and Kelly, ex-U, S. soldiers, the first farmers on
upland prairie at Qu'Appelle, with their wives attend
a ball at fort 464
Kaw-keesh-e-way, " Loud Voice," Chief of the Qu'Appelle
Crees 273, 277, 316
Kee-sik, Thomas Manitou, horse guard at Fort Pelly, double
religion of, 368; runs down coyotes on foot 369
Kelsey, Henry, first Hudson's Bay Company Englishman to
make extensive exploration from Bay to the interior ... 39
Kennedy, Baptiste, guide of Red River " Fall " boats,
1867 116, 117
Kennedy, Captain William, of St. Andrew's, Arctic expldrer,
and his accomplished lady 154
Kennedy, William, apprentice, interpreter, and afterwards
postmaster at Qu'Appelle 190, 214, 221, 439, 440
King Charles the Second of England, the donor of unex-
plored and limitless territories 35
Kis-sis-a-way Tanner, corner on pemmican by, in a starving
season 421
Knee Lake 118
La Belle Qu'Appelle 209
Labrador Moravian missions 67
Labrador, the hills of northern 91
498
INDEX AND EXPLANATION OF TERMS
PAGE
Ladies of Rupert's Land 204
Lady Head, the Hudson's Bay Company barque, bound for
Moose Factory 67, 81
Laird, the Hon. David, first resident Lieut.-Governor of
North-West Territory 359
Lake Superior route superseded by that from Hudson Bay. . 134
Lake Winnipeg, decked vessels first used on, 135, 162; jour-
ney through, in 1867 144
Lamack, my guide from Ellice to Qu'Appelle, fall, 1867. . .194, 199
Lamack, Tom, son of my guide, who grew up to become a
man-slayer 195
Lamentations of old wives over the recruits embarking at
Stromness 69
Lamp, the first coal oil, at Qu'Appelle 203
Lane, Chief Trader W. D., at White Horse Plains 169
Land grants promised Hudson's Bay servants on engage-
ment 73, 118
Lang, James A., tinsmith, retiring from York to Settle-
ment 118, 123
Laperouse, the French Admiral, captures Fort Prince of
Wales 40
La Pierre, Peter, interpreter at Touchwood Hills
190, 298-300, 312-314, 455
Last Mountain post 388, 414, 416
Laut, Miss Agnes, quotations from her books, " Pathfinders
of the West," 33, and " Conquest of the Great North-
West " 180
Lestanc, Reverend Father, at Qu'Appelle. Our discussions
of religion and the rebellion set me studying the sub-
jects 44£r
" 'Leve 'Leve," the voyageurs' reveille 123
Lewes, Chief Factor John Lee 135
Library at York Factory, a valuable, kept up by subscrip-
tions 109
" Life on the Ocean Wave " aboard the Prince Rupert. . 82, 83
Lightning shock and its after effects 345
Lillie, Chief Trader A. R., a skilful farmer who turned trader 149
Linklater, Chief Trader Magnus, in Fort Garry " sale shop " 151
Liquor, its use interdicted by Hudson's Bay Company in
Swan River district, 206; the Company's traflic therein
was better regulated than that of the " free traders,"
207; they use it to annoy the Company's people, 234;
I turn one out of fort, 235; American traders smuggle
it in from Missouri River, 257; its interdiction by Hud-
son's Bay Company in Swan River district, 369; my
annoying experience with an American Metis at Cypre
Hills, winter 1871-72 433, 434
Livingston Barracks of North-West Mounted Police, near
Fort Pelly 359
Lone chase after buffalo 374, 375
499
INDEX AND EXPLANATION OF TERMS
PAGE
** London Board " of Hudson's Bay Company, its stealthy
conduct, 156; its cupidity and stupidity 415
"" Long Portage," a common name for Portage la Loche 135
*' Long Portage Brigade," met at Trout Fall 127
Lost records 476
Lovely lakes of Qu'Appelle 210
Lower Fort Garry 117, 147, 149
^'Loud Voice," Qu'Appelle Cree chief, 242; his arrival in
state, 273-277; he denounces the Young Dog tribe (see
also Red River Rebellion) 316
Loyal natives at Manitoba post 407
Loyalty ( ?) of Louison 414
^' Luxuries " — in the ante-steam transport days this fur-trade
term was applied to the voyaging and wintering allow-
ances given to the officers and missionaries, and con-
sisted of mustard, pepper, pimento. Hyson and Souchong
tea, sugar, rice, raisins, currants, vinegar and flour, also
of wine and spirits in non-interdicted districts.
Lynx, McDonald trees and shoots a 224
Machray, the Right Reverend Bishop, of Rupert's Land 429
"Made beaver," the term used in books for the nominal
standard of barter. In ordinary parlance, instead of
saying so many " made beaver " (which was contracted
in writing to the monogram "MB"), people would say
so many "skins" (see "Skin Way" and " Money
Way ") 279, 280
Mair, Charles, his noble poem, " Open the Bay," 98, 99 ; I
make his acquaintance 430, 431
Mandan Indians traded at Brandon House; Catlin's theory
of their Welsh descent 178
Manhood tested on the " Long Portage " voyage 137, 138
Manning the boats, the difficulty of 137, 138
Mansfield Island 91, 92, 115
Manufactures of York Factory, styled " Country Made
Articles " 104
IMarble Island, in Hudson's Bay 96, 101
March in parallel columns 322
Marching order in shifting camp 324
Marten, the York Factory schooner 100, 102
Marten, Henry, chief (officer in charge) at York Fort in
1775 42
Martin, the Honorable Mr. Justice Archer; his admirable his-
torical research and authoritative book, "The Land
Tenures of the Hudson's Bay Company " 478
Mason, Miss Mary, passenger on Prince Rupert, 75, 84, 89;
her marriage to Accountant Parson at York Factory. . . 114
Mason, Rev. William (English), Church Missionary Society,
at York Factory 75, 100, 111
Massacre of Crees by Blackfeet, summer, 1868 304, 305
600
INDEX AND EXPLANATION OF TEEMS
PAGE
Massacre of Minnesota Sioux 187
Massacre of Seven Oaks — Hudson's Bay Company ofScers
and Orkneymen, by the North-West Company's native
allies 170
Matches, flint and steel generally used instead of 155
Matheson, Alexander, of Ardross, M.P., Hudson's Bay Com-
pany director 76
Matheson, Alexander, in charge of Pembina Post 151, 156
Matheson, Duncan, clerk in Swan River district. .115, 284, 407, 427
Mechanics (called "tradesmen" in Hudson's Bay Company
service), train half breed lads as apprentices 366, 367
" Melbourne," an imported stallion at Fort Pelly 366, 368
Merchandise, the principal kinds imported from Britain ... 76, 77
Merger of the North-West and Hudson's Bay Companies .... 41
Me-tas-we (the Saulteau for the numeral "ten"), " The Ten,"
cart driver 289
Metis (pronounced Mee-tees; has same form in singular and
plural). It is applied to all half breeds of Indian blood,
but more especially to those whose European ancestry is
French, for those of British descent are always desig-
nated by the French as Metis " Anglaise," and seldom
use Metis " Francaise." In this book the name Metis is
applied to the French halfbreeds only, unless otherwise
specified. See Red River Rebellion and Conspiracy to
Raid Manitoba. Their Indian ancestry, 65; are voya-
geurs, 127; skilful hunters and warriors, 161; warlike,
170; good qualities, 177; outclass Indians in hunting
and trapping, 329; defeat Sioux and "run them like
buffalo," 329; and so prevent Sioux invasion of British
territory 330
Metis festivities, dance and song, tales of travel, hunting and
war 391
Metis medicine man, dies twice and comes to life again, but
is nailed down on his third death 417
Metis migrate from Manitoba to West in the early 70's; some
effects of same 437
Military duties, all Hudson's Bay Company servants were
engaged to perform, when required 60
Military force, in absence of a permanent garrison of British
regular troops, was required in Red River Settlement,
, 160; without which, in times of excitement, there was
danger of civil war 161
Milk River 422
Minutes of Council of Northern Department, 1867 113
Mirage in Hudson Straits 91
Mis-cow-pe-tung's well-provisioned camp 375
Missionaries in Swan River district in 1867 191
Moncrieff, Henry, clerk in Hudson's Bay Company's first
" town " (Winnipeg) store 155
Moore, Bill, British army pensioner, cook at Qu'Appelle. . . . 427
501
INDEX AND EXPLANATION OF TERMS
PAGE
Moore, Thomas, one of the few early employees of the Hud-
son's Bay Company, who made exploratory voyages into
the interior 39
Moose Fort, 37; Factory 67, 81
Moose Jaw, a port wine trader at 420
Moose Mountain, the trail to, 181; wintering posts at 191
Moravian missionaries in Labrador — their barque. Harmony .^1, 80
Morgan's Portage 126
Mormon party met at Sturgeon Creek. . . . ; 169
Morrice, Rev. Father, historian of Northern British Colum-
bia, etc 477
Mortal wounds, which are generally immediately fatal, do
not stop an animal already enraged from showing fight. 380
Mosquitoes, our first visitors off the coast 93
Mountaineers and muskagoes fraternize 126
Mowat, George, " Second " at York, and Mrs. Mowat. .111, 112, 114
Mowat, John George, makes many boat voyages between
Churchill and Marble Island 96, 101
Mulkins, J. Stewart 454
Mulligan, James N., hunter and trader 418
Munro, Alexander, interpreter, Waterhen River 190, 407
Murray, Angus, interpreter, Manitoba Post 190, 407
Murray, Chief Trader Alexander Hunter 147,285,359,473,477
Murray, Donald, and son James, Kildonan settlers 154
MacDonald, Ewan, clerk, Manitoba Post 190
MacFarlane, Chief Factor R., 163, 164; ornithologist 477
MacKenzie, Alexander (afterwards Sir), discovers Mac-
Kenzie River and crosses by Peace River Pass to the
Pacific 45
MacKenzie River 40, 118, 134
McAuley, Alexander, laborer, Qu'Appelle 215
McBeath {alias McBeth), Adam, clerk. Shoal River
154, 190, 359, 360
McBeath (or McBeth), Angus, postmaster, Shoal River. . .190, 360
McDermot, Andrew, general merchant and Counsellor of
Assiniboia 160
McDonald, Archibald, apprentice-clerk at Qu'Appelle 358
McDonald, Archibald, clerk in charge Qu'Appelle, Chief
Trader in 1869, in charge Swan River district in
1872 190, 203-205, 214, 223, 224, 359, 398, 414, 439
McDonald, Donald, postmaster, Fairford 190, 404
McDonald, Mrs. Archibald, and sons, J. A. and D. H. .202, 203, 215
McDonnell, Miles, Governor of Assiniboia and Lord Selkirk's
agent, proclamation of 50
McGillivray, William, of North-West Company, effects union
with Hudson's Bay Company, 58; a proprietor of North-
West Company 204
502
INDEX AND EXPLANATION OF TEEMS
PAGE
Mclvor, Allan, Hudson's Bay farmer at Fort Pelly 366
McKay, Alexander, hunter and freighter 385
McKay, Alexander, jr., storesman at Qu'Appelle ,455
McKay, Edward, his experience of Americans upon Missouri,
256; a courageous interpreter 442
McKay, James, K.C., M.P., of Prince Albert 181
McKay, "Jim" (later the Hon. James, of Deer Lodge), at
' first Qu'Appelle post 357
McKay, John McNab Ballenden, popularly known as " Jerry,"
interpreter and trader at Qu'Appelle in 1867, promoted
postmaster in 1869 190, 214- 220, 247, 250,
287, 298, 342, 343, 380, 439, 440
McKay, John Richards, widely known to Indians as Mac-
quay-ah-ness — Little Bear Skin; postmaster, in charge
of Fort Ellice for a generation 173, 180, 181, 185
McKay, Joseph 384, 463, 422
McKay, Samuel, clerk at Last Mountain Post. 416
McKay, Hon. Thomas, of Prince Albert 181, 190, 363, 364
McKay, Chief Trader William, of Fort Ellice, fondly known
to Indians as " Billy " 181, 186, 190, 359, 416, 439
McKay, Mrs. William, her kindness 427
McKay, William M., Licentiate of Royal College of Surgeons
of Edinburgh, clerk and surgeon at York Factory
101, 111, 115, 116, 118, 123, 144
McKenzie, A. R., clerk in Fort Garry shop 161, 152
McKenzie, " Big " Norman 404
McKenzie, Hector, apprentice postmaster, ordered to McKen-
zie River 472
McKenzie, Roderick, one of many Chief Factors of same
Christian and surname 360
McKinley, James, apprentice clerk, Qu'Appelle (died at
Athabasca Landing, Nov. 24th, 1913) 442, 443, 455, 464
McLean, Alaister 215
McLean, John, Chief Trader, author of " Twenty-five Years
in Hudson's Bay Company Service"; he warns young
men against entering it, 475; his explorations in hinter-
land of Ungava 476
McLean, William J., clerk at Qu'Appelle, 462, 464; succeeds
me there, 465; meets his family at Fort Ellice 465
McLeod's Fort, on Peace River 45
McLeod, John, his explorations and discoveries 469, 472
McNab, Andrew, my interpreter 336, 375, 416
McNab, Charles, settler at Touchwood Hills 336
McNab, John, Chief (officer) at Albany Fort 216
McPherson, Chief Mate of Prince Rupert, 74; his dire pre-
dictions, 78, 84; he rams ice-floes, 89; is a Jeremiah, 89,
and a lubber in a boat, 94; yet makes many successful
voyages afterwards to Hudson's Bay 95, 112
McPherson, Chief Trader Murdo, of McKenzie River 469, 470
McRae, John, apprentice clerk, ordered to McKenzie River
(died October, 1913 ) 454
503
INDEX AND EXPLANATION OF TERMS
PAGE
McTavish, Donald C, apprentice clerk, Norway House 144
McTavish, John H., accountant at Fort Garry 151, 156, 429
McTavish, William, Governor of Rupert's Land and also of
Assiniboia (see Red River Rebellion) 151-153, 161
Names of commissioned officers in charge of Swan River
district, 1831 to 1871 356-359
Natural stronghold, a, 340; " Gordon's Loop " 341
Navigation of the Qu'Appelle River V 370-372
Neeshoot's find of stampeded U.S.A. cattle 346-348
Nelson River (called sometimes " Sea River ") . .13, 37, 94, 118, 119
Ne-pa-pe-ness, steersman at Qu'Appelle 214, 215, 249
Nesbit, Rev. James, first Presbyterian missionary in Terri-
tories, at Prince Albert 431
Nevin, Oswald Brodie, 256; American hunter and trader. . . . 418
New Caledonia, Chief Factors from, attend Northern Depart-
ment Council 45, 136
New France, incursions of petty traders from, annoy Moose
and Albany Factories 42
Newsmongers 287
" New Nation," the Bois-Brule or Metis, their origin, ideas,
customs, religion and wars (see Metis) 392-394
Nicknames of District Brigades 130
Night Attack by Blackfeet 330-332
North Bluff, Hudson Straits 90
Norsemen in Orkney 61
" Northern Department of Rupert's Land," covered all the
present Prairie Provinces as well as the North-West and
Yukon Territories.
Northern Department Council, its members travel immense
distances to attend it 136
North-West Company of Montreal, brief notes of its romantic
history 38, 41, 43, 44, 49-51, 103
North-West Passage, Hudson's Bay Company's efforts to dis-
cover 41
Norway House (formerly Jack River) .118, 119, 131, 132, 134-136, 141
Norwegian recruits 132, 133
2for'-Wester, the only newspaper in Red River Settle-
ment 155, 158. 160
Oak bark for summer complaint 428
Ocean Nymph, the Hudson's Bay Company's barque. . .85, 95,
101, 102. 115
Ocean Nymph and Yankee whaler 102
Oliver and Boyd's Edinburgh almanac 224
Old Wives' Creek, Jacob Bear's trade at 261
Oo-soup, Saulteau leader 446
" Open the Bay! " poem by Charles Mair 98, 99
Orkney dialect prevalent in Red River 122
504
INDEX AND EXPLANATION OF TEEMS
PAGE
Orkney, the Norwegian Earls of 61
Orkney Islands, their ancient history; Norsemen therefrom
conquer Normandy, 61; their long connection with Hud-
son's Bay Company 62
Orkneyman, an old reliable — Magnus Birston, postmaster . . . 418
Orkneymen in the Hudson's Bay Company's service, first
engaged as seamen on the Bay, afterwards for land ser-
vice, 62; on retirement became the most important
farming settlers at Red River, 63 ; praised as river boat-
men by Sir John Franklin 64
Outfit. (The term means: (a) the annual supplies fur-
nished for use and trade; (6) the Company's business
year from 1st June to the following 31st May; thus,
" Outfit, 1867 " began 1st June, 1867, and ended 31st May,
1868) 105
Outfit 1868 begins 283
/Outfits for Qu'Appelle cease coming from York Factory 359
Outposts, my regular visits to, during winter 1872-1873 454
Oxford House and its crops and cattle 128, 135
Oxford Lake 118
Ou-ke-mah, Saulteau chief, his complaints 242, 261
Pack dog, bears burdens " mountains high " . . , 323
'• Packet boat " of York Factory 100
Packing, careful methods of, supplies for interior and of furs
from it 106, 107
Packing the furs 277, 278
Painted Stone Portage 118, 130
Pa-pe-nay, Charles Racette, jr 237
Parisien, Joseph, settler at Qu'Appelle 210
Parson, S. K., chief accountant of Northern Department at
York Factory 100, 111, 114
Passengers help boatmen 126
Passengers to England by ship Ill
Paz-zy-o-tah — Buffoon or Fiend? 188, 189
Phillips, William, his tale of Thomas M. Keesik 369
Physical comparisons between Europeans and natives 241
Peaceful policy of the Company 315, 316
Pee-wah-kay-win-in, blackmailer, 301; Purveyor of Pemmi-
can to the Queen, 300, 301; thinks all British live on
Indian pemmican, 305; attempts to stop our carts 336
Pelly's River, 469; alids " Pelly (supposed Stikine) River". 470
Pemmican, the old-time staff of life, 121; worth its weight
in gold 421
Pia-pot declares himself " Lord of Heaven and Earth " 389, 390
" Pile of Bones," now the site of Reglna, 244; camp at 248
Pilot from York Roads to Five Fathom Hole 101
Pinkham, Rev. Cyprian 154
Pleasant memories of ship 84
Playgreen Lake 119, 131
505
INDEX AND EXPLANATION OF TERMS
PAGE
Point of Marsh, at junction of Nelson and Hayes rivers 94
Poitras, St. Pierre, Metis fur trader 290
Police duty — McDonald and I pursue an Indian cattle-
killer 348, 349
Polygamy, customary and perhaps necessary among prairie
Indians 319
Ponies, cruelty vs. kindness to, 200, 201 ; posting in saddle to
ease, ridiculed, 200; sores and galls, 201; universally
discussed - 201
Ponsonby, Hon. Walter, hunts buffalo with Sam. McKay. . . , 454
Poor Man, Cree chief, slew grizzlies with spear alone 326
Poor trade, caused by American liquor among our hunters
and few buffalo, winter 1873-1874 462
Poplar Point 172
Portaging boats require two crews 120
Portage la Loche (known also as "The Long Portage") .45, 134, 135
Portage la Prairie Brigade met 127
Portage la Prairie, its early history and settlement, 173, 174;
batteaux quarantined there 428
Post and District Accounts 226, 227
Pottinger, George, an Al bowsman 416
" Pounded or Pelly meat," without fat is miserable food, 414;
but gladly bought by starving Metis in winter of 1870-
1871 415
Prairie fires 181
Pratt, Charles, missionary catechist of Church of England,
Touchwood Hills 191
Pratt, Josiah, hunter-settler at Touchwood Hills 336
Presbyterian mission at Prince Albert 431, 432
Prince Arthur, the Hudson's Bay Company's moose ship,
wrecked on Mansfield Island in 1864 115
Prince Rupert, the first Governor of the Hudson's Bay Com-
pany 35, 36, 45
Prince Rupert, the Hudson's Bay Company's barque, at
Stromness, 67; her description, crew and passengers, 74;
cargo, 76; well provisioned, 77; her crow's nest 87
Prince of Wales, the Hudson's Bay Company's ship, damaged
on Mansfield Island in 1864 115
Prince of Wales' Land, Hudson Straits 90
Prince, William, steersman 117
Prisoner to dictator, from 313
" Private Orders " of employees for supplies from York Fac-
tory, their sending and coming are great events 281, 346
Prize-fighters 129
Preface 5-8
" Provision Post," a buffalo 209
Pruden, Chief Trader Arthur 168
Pussung, Saulteau leader 446
Qu'Appelle, a post of danger and of honor 205, 207
Qu'Appelle, originally an outpost from Fort Ellice 257
506
INDEX AND EXPLANATION OF TERMS
PAGE
Qu'Appelle Lakes, 112; the only settlers in 1867 210
Quarantine at Portage la Prairie, Brigade held in. 428, 429
Queen Victoria, her Purveyor of Pemmican 301
Quit the allied camp, resolve to 334
Racette, George, jr., alias Shaman 448, 449
Racette, George, sr 237
Racette, Joseph 326
Racette, Louis 292, 326
Radisson, his intrepid explorations; he founds the Hudson's
Bay Company 33, 37, 38
Rae, Dr. John, his searches for Franklin 476
Railway, a British transcontinental, Mr. Farquharson pre-
dicts 237
Railways in United States gradually approach Red River. .166, 167
Ramsay, James S 102, 111, 114, 115, 429
Rations, scale of daily, at Fort Qu'Appelle ." 215, 216
Reading matter at Fort Qu'Appelle 223
Rebellious boatmen 138
Records, valuable historical, which have been allowed to
perish 229, 230
Recruits, high standard of, 75; from Norway, 132, 133; for
Columbia man the Saskatchewan boats, 136; training
and wintering, 140; from Europe, preferred in Macken-
zie River 141
" Red River," Hargrave's history of 153
Red River Boat Brigade 117
Red River cart, 64; one of the wonders of the West, its dirge-
like wailing 322
Red River Districts, the old " Upper and Lower " 356
Red River jig on York boat 127
Red River Rebellion, predisposing causes, 150; winter, 1869-
1870, 391-400; spring and summer, 1870, 401-413; further
remarks on it, 449-451; its effects at Qu'Appelle, Swan
River District and Norway House, 391-413; brief account
of its causes, 394-397; all outposts withdrawn, 400;
natives cease hunting, 401; Metis generally in sympathy
with it, 401; loyal Crees come to our aid, 402; Mr. Fin-
layson intercepts letter offering Riel five hundred horse-
men from Qu'Appelle, 403; at mass meeting of Metis in
spring Messrs. Pascal, Breland and Solomon Amlin
denounce the murderers of Scott and their advice not to
join Riel adopted by majority, 403-405; we determine to
defend the fort with the aid of the Crees, 404; proclama-
tion of Queen Victoria promulgated, 404, 405; Riel a
man inspired, 405; most Metis disperse, leaving only
malcontents, whom Crees remain to watch, 406; protec-
tive measures taken at other posts in Swan River dis-
trict, 406, 407; Metis help themselves at Oak River and
Swan Creek, Red River district, and Shoal River,
507
INDEX AND EXPLANATION OF TEEMS
PAOB
Swan River district, 406-408; Jack Henderson at Swan
Creek swore vengeance, and afterwards hung Riel, 406,
407; Ewan MacDonald fortifies Manitoba Post, 407, 408;
Chief Factor J. G. Stewart puts Norway House, en route
to York Factory, in state of defence, 408; Mr. McDonald
starts with fur returns of Swan River district and
Mesdames Campbell and McDonald, with children, across
plains from Fort Ellice to St. Paul, Minnesota, 408;
Jerry McKay and I, with four native employees, left to
hold the fort with Cree allies, 409, 410; Chief Factor
Stewart, at Norway House, prepares to recapture Fort
Garry, 410; how he and his friend, Chief Factor Camp-
bell, were afterwards " permitted to retire " from Com-
pany's service, 410; malcontent Metis depart for plains
and our Cree allies follow, 411; Metis from Red River
thinks troops under Wolseley will be prevented from
reaching Fort Garry by attacks en route of mosquitoes,
Ojibways and Fenians, 411; we spurn the tardy offer
of " protection " from the " Provisional Government "
brought by their "Captain" Patrice Breland, 411, 412;
firing " an awful gun for nothing but the noise," 412,
413; discussions with Rev. Father Lestanc, 449; the
" True Inwardness " of the Rebellion not fully known
yet, 450; what Governor McTavish and Council might
have done to prevent its occurrence, 450; murder of
Scott a crime for which the Metis as a people were not
responsible 451
Red River (Settlement, 32 ; first rendered strong and staWe in
1822 by retired servants of the fu^ companies joining it,
64; begins to import supplies via St. Paul, Minn., 104;
its official designation was " The District of Assiniboia,"
157; its secret re-conveyance by Selkirk's heirs to Hud-
son's Bay Company 157
Red River settlers are mostly contented and prosperous,
159; and governed with their consent 160
Religion and rum 206
Relinquish my charge to Mr. McLean 465
" Re-organization of the Fur Trade " 438
Report on new system of trade introduced at Qu'Appelle,
March, 1873, Appendix 479, 481
Report on state of Qu'Appelle country and its inhabitants,
December, 1873, Appendix 482-484
Report recommending establishment of new posts on South
Saskatchewan, March, 1873, Appendix, 479, 480; and
note on earlier attempts to establish permanent posts
thereon 461
Requisitions prepared many years in advance 105
Requisitions senselessly cut down 440
Returning party break away from camp, 336; disperses 342
Return trip to fort 335-343
608
INDEX AND EXPLANATION OF TEEMS
PAGE
'Returns of Trade" (these were the furs, robes, etc.,
exported from the country, and did not include " coun-
try produce," such as provisions and leather), all
exported via York Factory, except buffalo robes 286
Revolution Island 36, 87
Reynel, Sidney, midshipman 74, 79, 83
Richelieu, a Bungie bowsman 145, 146
Richot, Rev. Father, at Qu'Appelle 401
Rickardo, Sergeant, night guard at Fort Garry 151
Ride returning to Qu'Appelle, spring, 1872, a jarring and
cold experience 435, 436
Ride to Fort Ellice and back to Fort Garry for aflBdavits to
clear robes from quarantine 429, 430
Ride to Wood Mountain in search of pemmican 420, 421
Riding Mountain outpost 191
Robber attempts to break into the store. 399
Robertson, Chief Factor Colin 52, 55, 178, 180, 357
Robillard, Joseph 215
Robinson's Portage, 128; old carts there 129
Rocheblave, Antoine 463
Rock Portage and House 125
Rock, the, once a Selkirk settlers' depot 125
Roman Catholic missionaries arrive at Red River; Lord Sel-
kirk assists them, etc 393, 394
Ross, Alexander, his "Red River Settlement," 55; his mis-
take in list of Governors of Assiniboia 163
Ross, Chief Factor Donald, many years in charge of Norway
House 360
Ross, Chief Trader, B. R., ethnologist and naturalist 477
Ross, Colonel Robertson, Adjutant-General, meeting with,
438; he mistakes an ox for a grizzly and slays him 439
" Rouchou and Rubabou " 121
" Rouge," my charger 169, 171, 173, 176
" Roughing it," commencement of 171, 172
Route of boats from York to Norway House 118
Royal charter of Hudson's Bay Company 36
Rumors of wars, their prevalence on plains, 287; spread
with mysterious speed 288
Running a rapid under the ice, Daniel's tale of 358
Rupert's House 36
Sailing boat race on Knee Lake 127
Sailors' chanties 81
Salt obtained on Lake Winnipegosis 191
Salutes exchanged between ship and Stromness, 83; and
York Factory 101
" Sambo," the bosun's dancing nigger 82
Sandison, George, watchman at Qu'Appelle, 202; and
family 214, 215
Sandison, Thomas, stroke and our cook in boat 118, 147
509
INDEX AND EXPLANATION OF TERMS
PAGE
Sandison, William, carpenter at Qu'Appelle, and wife 214,215
Saskatchewan supplied Norway House with provisions and
leather 136
Savage Islands, in Hudson Straits 89, 90
Savings of Orkneymen used to buy land at home 63
Scalloway, ancient capital of Shetland 155
Scenery on York boat route 124, 126
Scent of spruce the smell of the land 102
Schultz, Dr. John 153, 160
Scott, Edward, apprentice blacksmith ....'. 118
Scottish American Journal, Mr. McDonald takes the 223
Scottish Highland officers of North-West Company 43
Scouting ahead 292
Seal shooting 89
Sea River Palls 119, 131
" Sea River," the Nelson so called at Norway House 131
Seasickness 81, 90, 92
" Second," the under officer of a big establishment who super-
intended the workmen and attended to the Indians. . .112, 141
Selkirk, the Earl of, some notes on his unfortunate attempt
to monopolize the fur trade by forming a settlement on
Red River, 47-57; the great Grant of Land in Assiniboia
which he received for the purpose from the Hudson's
Bay Company 156
Selkirk, his settlers, their great trials due to his errors and
omissions, and their wisdom in refraining to take part
in the conflict with the North-West Company, 52, 53;
the remnant left became a small minority when the Red
River Settlement was firmly and permanently re-estab-
- lished by the retired veterans of the fur companies 64
Semple, Robert, Governor of Rupert's Land; his infatuated
attack on the North-West party at Seven Oaks, 51;
monument to him and the nameless victims of his inca-
pacity, 54; (see Seven Oaks); one of the greenhorn
governors .' 170
Serenaders, Indian and canine in camp 320, 321
Sergent, an impudent Bungie boatman 145, 146
Servants of the Hudson's Bay Company; the nameless vic-
tims (largely Orkneymen) at Seven Oaks, whose death
gave life to Red River Settlement, 53, 54; after the
union of the North-West and Hudson's Bay Companies,
they began to settle at Red River, 63, 64; form of con-
tract from 1863 to 1870, 69, 72; many grants of land pro-
mised them are withheld, 73, 158, 159; there were two
classes, " engaged " servants under yearly contracts, and
" temporary " servants, hired by day or month or for the
voyage 281
Service of the Company, naturally stern and wild, always
dangerous, but especially so during the wars with
France 63
Settee, Reverend James, a full-blooded Indian missionary. 191, 206
INDEX AND EXPLANATION OF TEEMS
PAGE
Seven Oaks, a short account of the butchery there, caused by
the astonishing incapacity of Governor Semple, 50-54;
retribution overtakes the murderers of the wounded, 55;
but the Metis boast and sing of it as "a glorious victory" 391
Shamattawa River, on York boat route 118
Shetland Islands, their mild climate, 240; natives of in Hud-
son's Bay service 74, 75, 144, 155
Ships of the Company, the first, 36, 37; they begin to ren-
dezvous at Stromness, 62; their "husband," Captain
Hurd 80
Shipwreck on Mansfield Island in 1864, 91, 115; wonderful
Immunity of Bay ships from 97
Signals, by ship to factory, 94; by Indians with hand mirrors 244
Silver fox, Kanocees fools me about one 238
Simpson, Governor Sir George, his skill in reconciling
North-West and Hudson's Bay antagonistic elements in
Council assembled, 58; his portrait hung in messroom
at York Factory 265-268
Sinclair, Alexander, clerk, Nelson River post 144
Sinclair, Cuthbert, in charge of Oxford House, 128; trains
the greenhands at Norway House and is good to them . . 144
Sinclair, Donald, an amusing character, native dandy and
liquor peddler, 233 ; a foe to Flemmand and a harlequin,
265-268; his return to the old fiag 364
Sinclair, Thomas, a freeman of Touchwood Hills, in our
retreat from the allied camp, 336, 339 ; his keg of liquor
is " forfeited to the Crown " 464
Sinclair, Thomas, Magistrate and Counsellor of Assini-
boia 148, 160
Sinclair, William, Chief Factor and Governor at York Fac-
tory, his tombstone there, 110; and his numerous
descendants throughout the old Hudson's Bay Terri-
tories 110
Sinclair, William, jr.. Chief Factor — " Credo " 110
Sioux Indian tribes, hostile to Americans on Missouri River,
256, 257; massacre of Minnesota, 187; see those killed
by Ojibways near Brandon, 428; the Tetons and Sitting
Bull's followers spy out the land about Qu'Appelle, 288;
they send a delegation to arrange for coming to live in
the Qu'Appelle country and trade at the fort, while con-
spiring to raid Manitoba, 288; they rob a Hudson's Bay
trading party, 422 ; eight hundred lodges of them winter
•near Cypre Hills, 1873-1874 462
Sioux, the Yanktons at Fort Ellice are refugees from Minne-
sota, well behaved, provident and good workers 187, 188
" Slavies," another Hudson's Bay name for the Blackfeet
tribes 340
" Sloopers," engaged servants employed as seamen in coast-
ing trade of Bay 75
Slow returns on capital in the fur trade 134, 135
33 511
INDEX AND EXPLANATION OF TERMS
PAGE
Smallpox reported on the Missouri in fall, 1869, 380, 381;
vaccination of the people at fort, which spreads among
all the Qu'Appelle Indians, 382; no such precaution
being taken in Saskatchewan, the smallpox sweeps that
district, 382; heroic devotion of missionaries and W. E.
Traill during the pestilence, 382; an outbreak decimated
the Qu'Appelle Crees in 1858, 403; after our preventing
its spread to Manitoba we are accused of taking it there
in our batteaux ^ 428, 429
Smith, Donald A., Chief Commissioner, l65, 460, 461; his
resignation 466
Smith, Rev. T. T., C.M.S., at York en route to England Ill
Smith, William Thomson, accountant at Port Pelly, 190; an '
early believer in the agricultural capabilities of the
North-West 365, 366
Snow, find safety beneath it 254
Snow-burn, its torture; prevention and cure by vermilion
and milk 421
Sodom and Gomorrah, destruction of a prairie 308, 309
Spring and summer of 1873 455, 461
Spring, the busiest season 271, 455
St. Andrew's Parish, settled by prosperous retired Hudson's
Bay servants 148
St. Margaret's Hope, Orkney, Hudson's Bay officers' sons
attend school there 63, 154
St. Paul, Minnesota, traffic between it and Red River 104, 166
St. Peter's Indian settlement 147, 148
Stallions imported by Hudson's Bay Company — " Fireaway "
and " Melbourne " 366-368
Stampede of United States Government cattle by Sioux 346-348
Standing Buffalo, Yankton-Sioux Chief 446
Startling awakening, a, from sleep on guard 340, 341
Start for Last Mountain post, fall, 1869 384
Starvation, general on the plains, winter, 1870-1871. 425;
regarded as " a frivolous excuse " for slaughtering one
of the Company's sacred oxen 425
Starving Metis resort to Qu'Appelle Lakes to fish, 15; and to
fort for food 416
Starving voyageurs on the Assiniboine 427
Steamboat era, the 167
Steel River 118, 124
Stewart, Chief Factor James Green, at Norway House, 139;
an Arctic explorer, 142; during Red River Rebellion
puts Norway House in state of defence and prepares to .
re-capture Fort Garry, 142 ; and is " permitted to retire "
from Company thereafter 143
Stock raising at Fort Pelly since early days 368
Stone forts of Red River and their builder. Governor Chris-
tie 161, 162
" Stonies," the common name for the Assiniboine Indians. . . 39
Storm on Hudson Bay 92
5i;3
INDEX AND EXPLANATION OF TEEMS
Stromness, a port of call for Hudson's Bay ships for 150
years, 62; their annual visit a great event there, hospi-
talities shown, 79; salutes ships on departure 80
Struggle in the interior between rival fur companies begins. 42
Stuart, John, North-West Company explorer 45
Subscribers — names of those who have subscribed for this
book 9-15
Summer trip to plains, 1868 289
Sun dance, site of, 293; allied Indians collected for 302
Surgery, native antiseptics 385
Surprise package of pemmican 426, 427
Surprised by Indian war party 290
Survey of Hudson's Bay reserve at Fort Qu'Appelle 454
Suspicious offer declined — " Timeo Danaos et dona fer-
rentes " 327
Sutherland, John, Councillor of Assiniboia (afterwards
Dominion Senator) 160
Swan River boats, we pass them on Lake Winnipeg 143, 144
Swan River district, 178; stations of officers, interpreters
and missionaries therein in fall of 1867 190, 191
Swift Current Creek, our well-protected camp thereon 339, 340
Tache, Dr., the Right Rev. Bishop of St. Boniface 429
Tait family at Poplar Point 172
Tariff for revenue levied by Indians' Council Lodge 306
Taylor, Captain John, of Ocean Nymph 102, 103
Taylor, Rev. Mr., C.M.S., returning to England Ill
Tay-put-ah-hum and son perish in blizzard, 244; his widows
bewail him 249
Tea, the black cup that cheers 121
Temporary charge of Qu'Appelle, my first experiences of . . . 231
Ten Shilling Creek, near York 108, 123
" Tender feet " 240
Tents considered superfluous in winter travel 208
Tents, duck sheeting 117
Tep-is-couch-kees-cou-win-in, " The man in the Zenith," a
Saulteau (see Zenith) 249
" The Great Company," Beckles Wilson's book 39
Thirst of the Indians for blood and glory 207
Thompson, David, the great explorer and surveyor of the
North-West Company 45
Thompson, James, fisherman 118
Thorne, George, and children, a willing worker at fort. . .214, 215
Thunderous summer of 1868 344, 345
Todd, Dr. William, in charge Brandon, Fort Ellice and Swan
River district 179, 356, 359
Touchwood Hills post, 187; its first establishment 357
Tournaments of the tripmen 129
" Town " (baby Winnipeg) 151, 153, 154
Tracking boats upstream 119, 124, 126
Traill, William Edward 190, 191, 342, 343, 382, 383
Training native lads to trades 366, 367
613
INDEX AND EXPLANATION OF TEEMS
PAGE
Transfer of Rupert's Land to Canada 156
Transportation, improvement by use of York boats, 64; the
system of boating, 134, 135; always a difficult problem. . 137
Traveller from New Caledonia " beats his way " to Fort
Garry 236
Treaty made with Qu'Appelle Indians in summer of 1874. . . 465
Tribute demanded by Young Dog tribe 310
Troops at Fort Garry, under Colonel Crofton, 129; Royal
Canadian Regiment, 155; the 39th Regiment were first
Imperial troops in Red River 161, 163
Trout Fall 127
Truthwaite family of St. Andrews 178
Tuckee, Captain, of schooner Marten, at York 101, 111
"Turn, The" (being a crossing of the Moose Jaw Creek),
244; Metis wintering there 248, 249
Turtle Mountain, trail to, 181; winter posts at 191
Tuttle, Mr., author of " Our North Land " 96, 97
Twin Wolves, Carlton Crees, my travelling companions to
Portage la Prairie 171, 172, 175
Under fire during Blackfeet night attack on camp 331, 332
Ungava, the establishment of Fort Chimo there by Nichol
Finlayson, and extracts from Minutes of Council regard-
ing it and the anxiety felt for its safety 473-476
Uniform clothing 116
Union of the North-West and the Hudson's Bay Company on
equal terms, its causes, 56; neither British nor Cana-
dian Government desire to garrison the country, 57; the
Selkirk Settlement rendered safe and stable there-
by 59, 60, 161
United States, increasing traffic with 166
Unwelcome visitors, the Teton-Sioux delegation 445-448
Vaccination of Qu'Appelle Indians prevents spread of small-
pox from (Saskatchewan to Swan River and Red River
districts 382
Vegetables grown at York Factory, 108; at Oxford House. . . 128
Verandrye came forty years after Kelsey into the North-
West 29, 173
Vermilion Hills, the scene of the terrible defeat of Black-
feet by Crees in March, 1866; stop to trade with "Big
Ben " Disgarlais there 433
Vincent, Governor, used to fetch pemmican from Brandon to
Albany 178
Voyageurs, their costume, 116; their great annual meeting
at Norway House 136, 137
Voyaging allowances and outfits 116, 117
Wages of Hudson's Bay servants 73
Walking advertisement, Flemmand as a 349-353
Walking arsenals, Saulteaux Indians as 442
Walrus 89
514
INDEX AND EXPLANATION OF TERMS
PAGE
Want of wood on prairies in winter travel 207
War between the fur companies, 45; continued in North 55
Warriors Council Lodge (always called " Soldiers' Tent" by
traders), its functions, levies contributions, especially
on traders 306, 307
Wars between tribes discouraged by Hudson's Bay Company 305
Wars, the old French 108
Water, its scarcity and generally bad quality on buffalo plains 207
Waterhen River 190, 191
Watt, Alexander S., accountant, Lower Fort Garry 147
Watt, William H., at Portage la Prairie,, 175; Chief Trader at
Fort Pitt, but too much of a fighting man for Saskatche-
wan, 383 ; he seizes O'Donohue single-handed at Pembina
in Fenian Raid in 1871, 175; retires to Orkney 176
Whalers, American, in Hudson Straits, 90; in the Bay 102
Whiskey traders from Missouri spoil our trade, winter, 1873-
1874 388
White Cap, Yankton Sioux Chief 446
White Fall, 128; an arena for voyageurs 130
White Horse Plains 112, 169, 173
Whitford, William Francis, carter, 289; he shows his heels. . 336
Wilson, Beckles, his " Great Company " 39
Wilson, Chief Factor Joseph, at York Factory, 102, 111, 112;
and family 114
Winnipeg when only known as " The Town " 115, 151, 153, 154
Winter packet 271
Wolves, numerous on buffalo plains, their habits and alleged
ability to count, 250-252; Thomas Keesik ran coyotes
down on foot, 369; hungry men eat poisoned wolves. . . . 425
Women of the Fort, and their duties 213, 214
Women police drunken camp of Indians 318
Woodcraft, prairie hunters unskilled in, 437; mistake men
for elk and shoot them in Cypr^ Hills 437
Yarrow, Dr., at York Ill, 116
Yellowhead, my trouble with 311, 313, 332, 333
York, Duke of. Governor of Hudson's Bay Company 36
York Factory, description of buildings, 103; management... 133
York, Fort, 37; later called Factory, 40, 64, 102; the capital,
104; description of buildings, 108; et. seq., 109; its
decline in importance, 166; ceases to supply Qu'Appelle
outfit 359
York Roads (the outer anchorage) .• 93, 94
"Young Dogs," the tribe of, 235; their evil repute among
Crees and Saulteaux, 313, 316; murder each other, win-
ter, 1869-1870 388, 389
Yukon, supplies took many years to reach posts there 134
Zenith (see Tip-is-couch-kes-cou-win-in).
" Zenith," liquor trader 290
" Zenith " plots to raid the store 442, 443
Zenith, The Man in the, firewater begins to operate on 300, 301
515
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