Chapter III

Fort Garry--Origin of the Red River Settlement--The First
Settlers--Their Sufferings--The North-Westers--The
Grasshoppers--The Blackbirds--The Flood--The Colony in
1862--King Company--Farming at Red River--Fertility of
the Soil--Isolated Position of the Colony--Obstructive
Policy of the Company--Their Just Dealing and Kindness to
the Indians--Necessity for a proper Colonial Government--
Value of the Country--French Canadians and Half-breeds--
Their Idleness and Frivolity--Hunters and Voyageurs--
Extraordinary Endurance--The English and Scotch Settlers--
The Spring and Fall Hunt--Our Life at Fort Garry--Too
Late to cross the Mountains before Winter--Our Plans--
Men--Horses--Bucephalus--Our Equipment--Leave Fort
Garry--The “Noce”--La Ronde’s Last Carouse--Delightful
Travelling--A Night Alarm--Vital Deserts--Fort Ellice--
Delays--Making Pemmican--Its Value to the Traveller--
Swarms of Wild-Fowl--Good Shooting--The Indian Summer--A
Salt Lake Country--Search for Water--A Horse’s Instinct--
South Saskatchewan--Arrive at Carlton 36

CHAPTER IV.

Carlton--Buffalo close to the Fort--Fall of Snow--Decide to
Winter near White Fish Lake--The Grisly Bears--Start for
the Plains--The Dead Buffalo--The White Wolf--Running
Buffalo Bulls--The Gathering of the Wolves--Treemiss
Lost--How he Spent the Night--Indian Hospitality--Visit
of the Crees--The Chief’s Speech--Admire our Horses--
Suspicions--Stratagem to Elude the Crees--Watching Horses
at Night--Suspicious Guests--The Cows not to be Found--
More Running--Tidings of our Pursuers--Return to the Fort
59

CHAPTER V.

The Ball--Half-breed Finery--Voudrie and Zear return to
Fort Garry--Treemiss starts for the Montagne du Bois--
Leave Carlton for Winter Quarters--Shell River--La
Belle Prairie--Riviere Crochet--The Indians of White
Fish Lake--Kekekooarsis, or “Child of the Hawk,” and
Keenamontiayoo, or “The Long Neck”--Their Jollification--
Passionate Fondness for Rum--Excitement in the Camp--
Indians flock in to Taste the Fire-water--Sitting out
our Visitors--A Weary Day--Cache the Rum Keg by Night--
Retreat to La Belle Prairie--Site of our House--La Ronde
as Architect--How to Build a Log Hut--The Chimney--A
Grand Crash--Our Dismay--Milton supersedes La Ronde--The
Chimney Rises again--Our Indian Friends--The Frost sets
in 70

CHAPTER VI.

Furnishing--Cheadle’s Visit to Carlton--Treemiss there--His
Musical Evening with Atahk-akoohp--A very Cold Bath--
State Visit of the Assiniboines--Their Message to Her
Majesty--How they found out we had Rum--Fort Milton
Completed--The Crees of the Woods--Contrast to the Crees
of the Plains--Indian Children--Absence of Deformity--
A “Moss-bag”--Kekekooarsis and his Domestic Troubles--
The Winter begins in Earnest--Wariness of all Animals--
Poisoning Wolves--Caution of the Foxes--La Ronde and
Cheadle start for the Plains--Little Misquapamayoo--
Milton’s Charwoman--On the Prairies--Stalking Buffalo--
Belated--A Treacherous Blanket--A Cold Night Watch--More
Hunting--Cheadle’s Wits go Wool-gathering--La Ronde’s
Indignation--Lost all Night--Out in the Cold again--
Our Camp Pillaged--Turn Homewards--Rough and Ready
Travelling--Arrive at Fort Milton--Feasting 79

CHAPTER VII.

Trapping--The Fur-bearing Animals--Value of different
Furs--The Trapper’s Start into the Forest--How to make
a Marten Trap--Steel Traps for Wolves and Foxes--The
Wolverine--The Way he Gets a Living--His Destructiveness
and Persecution of the Trapper--His Cunning--His
Behaviour when caught in a Trap--La Ronde’s Stories of the
Carcajou--The Trapper’s Life--The Vast Forest in Winter--
Sleeping Out--The Walk--Indians and Half-breeds--Their
Instinct in the Woods--The Wolverine Demolishes our
Traps--Attempts to Poison him--Treemiss’s Arrival--He
relates his Adventures--A Scrimmage in the Dark--The
Giant Tamboot--His Fight with Atahk-akoohp--Prowess
of Tamboot--Decide to send our Men to Red River for
Supplies--Delays 99

CHAPTER VIII.

Milton visits Carlton--Fast Travelling--La Ronde and Bruneau
set out for Fort Garry--Trapping with Misquapamayoo--
Machinations against the Wolverine--The Animals’
Fishery--The Wolverine outwits us--Return Home--
The Cree Language--How an Indian tells a Story--New
Year’s Day among the Crees--To the Prairies again--The
Cold--Travelling with Dog-sleighs--Out in the Snow--
Our New Attendants--Prospect of Starvation--A Day
of Expectation--A Rapid Retreat--The Journey Home--
Indian Voracity--Res Augusta Domi--Cheadle’s Journey to
the Fort--Perversity of his Companions--“The Hunter”
yields to Temptation--Milton’s Visit to Kekekooarsis--A
Medicine Feast--The New Song--Cheadle’s Journey Home--
Isbister and his Dogs--Mahaygun, “The Wolf”--Pride and
Starvation--Our Meeting at White Fish Lake 113

CHAPTER IX.

Our New Acquaintances--Taking it Quietly--Mahaygun
Fraternises with Keenamontiayoo--The Carouse--
Importunities for Rum--The Hunter asks for more--A
Tiresome Evening--Keenamontiayoo Renounces us--His
Night Adventure--Misquapamayoo’s Devotion--The Hunter
returns Penitent--The Plains again--The Wolverine on
our Track--The Last Band of Buffalo--Gaytchi Mohkamarn,
“The Big Knife”--The Cache Intact--Starving Indians--
Story of Keenamontiayoo--Indian Gambling--The Hideous
Philosopher--Dog Driving--Shushu’s Wonderful Sagacity--A
Long March--Return to La Belle Prairie--Household Cares--
Our Untidy Dwelling--Our Spring Cleaning--The Great Plum
Pudding--Unprofitable Visitors--Rover’s Accomplishments
Astonish the Indians--Famine Everywhere 138