initial commit of ebook 30040HEADmain

19 files changed, 13161 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6833f05
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitattributes
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+* text=auto
+*.txt text
+*.md text
diff --git a/30040-8.txt b/30040-8.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4d97449
--- /dev/null
+++ b/30040-8.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,3862 @@
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Red River Colony, by Louis Aubrey Wood
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Red River Colony
+       A Chronicle of the Beginnings of Manitoba
+
+Author: Louis Aubrey Wood
+
+Release Date: September 20, 2009 [EBook #30040]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE RED RIVER COLONY ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Al Haines
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Frontispiece: Thomas Douglas, Fifth Earl of Selkirk.  From the
+painting at St Mary's Isle]
+
+
+
+
+THE
+
+RED RIVER COLONY
+
+
+A Chronicle of the Beginnings of Manitoba
+
+
+
+BY
+
+LOUIS AUBREY WOOD
+
+
+
+
+
+TORONTO
+
+GLASGOW, BROOK & COMPANY
+
+1915
+
+
+
+
+  _Copyright in all Countries subscribing to
+  the Berne Convention_
+
+
+
+
+TO
+
+MY FATHER
+
+
+
+
+{ix}
+
+CONTENTS
+
+                                                                 Page
+
+    I. ST MARY'S ISLE  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    1
+   II. SELKIRK, THE COLONIZER  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    9
+  III. THE PURSE-STRINGS LOOSEN  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   22
+   IV. STORNOWAY--AND BEYOND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   35
+    V. WINTERING ON THE BAY  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   44
+   VI. RED RIVER AND PEMBINA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   54
+  VII. THE BEGINNING OF STRIFE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   65
+ VIII. COLIN ROBERTSON, THE AVENGER  . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   80
+   IX. SEVEN OAKS  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   91
+    X. LORD SELKIRK'S JOURNEY  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  108
+   XI. FORT WILLIAM  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  116
+  XII. THE PIPE OF PEACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  129
+       BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  142
+       INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  147
+
+
+
+
+{xi}
+
+ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+THOMAS DOUGLAS, FIFTH EARL OF SELKIRK  . . . . . . .   _Frontispiece_
+  From the painting at St Mary's Isle.
+
+PLACE D'ARMES, MONTREAL, IN 1807 . . . . . . . . . . _Facing page_ 20
+  From a water-colour sketch after Dillon in
+  M'Gill University Library.
+
+JOSEPH FROBISHER, A PARTNER IN THE
+    NORTH-WEST COMPANY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    "     "    22
+  From an engraving in the John Ross Robertson
+  Collection, Toronto Public Library.
+
+THE COUNTRY OF LORD SELKIRK'S SETTLERS . . . . . . .    "     "    48
+  Map by Bartholomew.
+
+HUNTING THE BUFFALO  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    "     "    58
+  From a painting by George Catlin.
+
+PLAN OF THE RED RIVER COLONY . . . . . . . . . . . .    "     "    64
+  Drawn by Bartholomew.
+
+FORT WILLIAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    "     "   116
+  From an old print in the John Ross Robertson
+  Collection, Toronto Public Library.
+
+SIMON M'TAVISH, FOUNDER OF THE NORTH-WEST COMPANY  .    "     "   118
+  From a water-colour drawing in M'Gill
+  University Library.
+
+WILLIAM M'GILLIVRAY, A PARTNER IN
+    THE NORTH-WEST COMPANY . . . . . . . . . . . . .    "     "   122
+  From a photograph in M'Gill University Library.
+
+
+
+
+{1}
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+ST MARY'S ISLE
+
+When the _Ranger_ stole into the firth of Solway she carried an
+exultant crew.  From the cliffs of Cumberland she might have been
+mistaken for a trading bark, lined and crusted by long travel.  But she
+was something else, as the townsfolk of Whitehaven, on the north-west
+coast of England, had found it to their cost.  Out of their harbour the
+_Ranger_ had just emerged, leaving thirty guns spiked and a large ship
+burned to the water's edge.  In fact, this innocent-looking vessel was
+a sloop-of-war--as trim and tidy a craft as had ever set sail from the
+shores of New England.  On her upper deck was stationed a strong
+battery of eighteen six-pounders, ready to be brought into action at a
+moment's notice.
+
+On the quarter-deck of the _Ranger_, deep in thought, paced the
+captain, John Paul Jones, a man of meagre build but of indomitable
+will, and as daring a fighter as roved the ocean {2} in this year 1778.
+He held a letter of marque from the Congress of the revolted colonies
+in America, and was just now engaged in harrying the British coasts.
+Across the broad firth the _Ranger_ sped with bellying sails and shaped
+her course along the south-western shore of Scotland.  To Paul Jones
+this coast was an open book; he had been born and bred in the stewartry
+of Kirkcudbright, which lay on his vessel's starboard bow.  Soon the
+Ranger swept round a foreland and boldly entered the river Dee, where
+the anchor was dropped.
+
+A boat was swung out, speedily manned, and headed for the shelving
+beach of St Mary's Isle.  Here, as Captain Paul Jones knew, dwelt one
+of the chief noblemen of the south of Scotland.  The vine-clad,
+rambling mansion of the fourth Earl of Selkirk was just behind the
+fringe of trees skirting the shore.  According to the official report
+of this descent upon St Mary's Isle, it was the captain's intention to
+capture Selkirk, drag him on board the _Ranger_, and carry him as a
+hostage to some harbour in France.  But it is possible that there was
+another and more personal object.  Paul Jones, it is said, believed
+that he was a natural son of the Scottish nobleman, {3} and went with
+this armed force to disclose his identity.
+
+When the boat grated upon the shingle the seamen swarmed ashore and
+found themselves in a great park, interspersed with gardens and walks
+and green open spaces.  The party met with no opposition.  Everything,
+indeed, seemed to favour their undertaking, until it was learned from
+some workmen in the grounds that the master was not at home.
+
+In sullen displeasure John Paul Jones paced nervously to and fro in the
+garden.  His purpose was thwarted; he was cheated of his prisoner.  A
+company of his men, however, went on and entered the manor-house.
+There they showed the hostile character of their mission.  Having
+terrorized the servants, they seized the household plate and bore it in
+bags to their vessel.  Under full canvas the _Ranger_ then directed her
+course for the Irish Sea.
+
+
+Thomas Douglas, the future lord of the Red River Colony, was a boy of
+not quite seven years at the time of this raid on his father's mansion.
+He had been born on June 20, 1771, and was the youngest of seven
+brothers in the Selkirk family.  What he thought of Paul Jones and his
+marauders can only be {4} surmised.  St Mary's Isle was a remote spot,
+replete with relics of history, but uneventful in daily life; and a
+real adventure at his own doors could hardly fail to leave an
+impression on the boy's mind.  The historical associations of St Mary's
+Isle made it an excellent training-ground for an imaginative youth.
+Monks of the Middle Ages had noted its favourable situation for a
+religious community, and the canons-regular of the Order of St
+Augustine had erected there one of their priories.  A portion of an
+extensive wall which had surrounded the cloister was retained in the
+Selkirk manor-house.  Farther afield were other reminders of past days
+to stir the imagination of young Thomas Douglas.  A few miles eastward
+from his home was Dundrennan Abbey.  Up the Dee was Thrieve Castle,
+begun by Archibald the Grim, and later used as a stronghold by the
+famous Black Douglas.
+
+The ancient district of Galloway, in which the Selkirk home was
+situated, had long been known as the Whig country.  It had been the
+chosen land of the Covenanters, the foes of privilege and the defenders
+of liberal principles in government.  Its leading families, the
+Kennedys, the Gordons, and {5} the Douglases, formed a broad-minded
+aristocracy.  In such surroundings, as one of the 'lads of the Dee,'
+Thomas Douglas inevitably developed a type of mind more or less
+radical.  His political opinions, however, were guided by a cultivated
+intellect.  His father, a patron of letters, kept open house for men of
+genius, and brought his sons into contact with some of the foremost
+thinkers and writers of the day.  One of these was Robert Burns, the
+most beloved of Scottish poets.  In his earlier life, when scarcely
+known to his countrymen, Burns had dined with Basil, Lord Daer, Thomas
+Douglas's eldest brother and heir-apparent of the Selkirk line.  This
+was the occasion commemorated by Burns in the poem of which this is the
+first stanza:
+
+  This wot ye all whom it concerns:
+  I, Rhymer Robin, alias Burns,
+      October twenty-third,
+  A ne'er-to-be-forgotten day,
+  Sae far I sprachl'd up the brae
+      I dinner'd wi' a Lord.
+
+One wet evening in the summer of 1793 Burns drew up before the Selkirk
+manor-house in company with John Syme of Ryedale.  The two friends were
+making a tour of Galloway on horseback.  The poet was in bad humour.
+{6} The night before, during a wild storm of rain and thunder, he had
+been inspired to the rousing measures of 'Scots wha hae wi' Wallace
+bled.'  But now he was drenched to the skin, and the rain had damaged a
+new pair of jemmy boots which he was wearing.  The passionate appeal of
+the Bruce to his countrymen was now forgotten, and Burns was as cross
+as the proverbial bear.  It was the dinner hour when the two wanderers
+arrived and were cordially invited to stay.  Various other guests were
+present; and so agreeable was the company and so genial the welcome,
+that the grumbling bard soon lost his irritable mood.  The evening
+passed in song and story, and Burns recited one of his ballads, we are
+told, to an audience which listened in 'dead silence.'  The young mind
+of Thomas Douglas could not fail to be influenced by such associations.
+
+In 1786 Thomas Douglas entered the University of Edinburgh.  From this
+year until 1790 his name appears regularly upon the class lists kept by
+its professors.  The 'grey metropolis of the North' was at this period
+pre-eminent among the literary and academic centres of Great Britain.
+The principal of the university was William Robertson, the {7}
+celebrated historian.  Professor Dugald Stewart, who held the chair of
+philosophy, had gained a reputation extending to the continent of
+Europe.  Adam Smith, the epoch-making economist, was spending the
+closing years of his life at his home near the Canongate churchyard.
+During his stay in Edinburgh, Thomas Douglas interested himself in the
+work of the literary societies, which were among the leading features
+of academic life.  At the meetings essays were read upon various themes
+and lengthy debates were held.  In 1788 a group of nineteen young men
+at Edinburgh formed a new society known as 'The Club.'  Two of the
+original members were Thomas Douglas and Walter Scott, the latter an
+Edinburgh lad a few weeks younger than Douglas.  These two formed an
+intimate friendship which did not wane when one had become a peer of
+the realm, his mind occupied by a great social problem, and the other a
+baronet and the greatest novelist of his generation.
+
+When the French Revolution stirred Europe to its depths, Thomas Douglas
+was attracted by the doctrines of the revolutionists, and went to
+France that he might study the new movement.  But Douglas, like so many
+of his {8} contemporaries in Great Britain, was filled with disgust at
+the blind carnage of the Revolution.  He returned to Scotland and began
+a series of tours in the Highlands, studying the conditions of life
+among his Celtic countrymen and becoming proficient in the use of the
+Gaelic tongue.  Not France but Scotland was to be the scene of his
+reforming efforts.
+
+
+
+
+{9}
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+SELKIRK, THE COLONIZER
+
+From the north and west of Scotland have come two types of men with
+whom every schoolboy is now familiar.  One of these has been on many a
+battlefield.  He is the brawny Highland warrior, with buckled tartan
+flung across his shoulder, gay in pointed plume and filibeg.  The other
+is seen in many a famous picture of the hill-country--the Highland
+shepherd, wrapped in his plaid, with staff in hand and long-haired dog
+by his side, guarding his flock in silent glen, by still-running burn,
+or out upon the lonely brae.
+
+But in Thomas Douglas's day such types of Highland life were very
+recent factors in Scottish history.  They did not appear, indeed, until
+after the battle of Culloden and the failure of the Rebellion of 1745.
+Loyalty, firm and unbending, has always been a characteristic of the
+mountaineer.  The {10} Highlanders held to the ancient house of Stuart
+which had been dethroned.  George II of England was repudiated by most
+of them as a 'wee, wee German Lairdie.'  More than thirty thousand
+claymores flashed at the beck of Charles Edward, the Stuart prince,
+acclaimed as 'King o' the Highland hearts.'  When the uprising had been
+quelled and Charles Edward had become a fugitive with a price on his
+head, little consideration could be expected from the house of Hanover.
+The British government decided that, once and for all, the power of the
+clans should be broken.
+
+For centuries the chief strength of the Highland race had lain in the
+clan.  By right of birth every Highlander belonged to a sept or clan.
+His overlord was an elected chief, whom he was expected to obey under
+all circumstances.  This chief led in war and exercised a wide
+authority over his people.  Just below him were the tacksmen, who were
+more nearly related to him than were the ordinary clansmen.  Every
+member of the clan had some land; indeed, each clansman had the same
+rights to the soil as the chief himself enjoyed.  The Highlander dwelt
+in a humble shealing; but, however poor, he {11} gloried in his
+independence.  He grew his own corn and took it to the common mill; he
+raised fodder for his black, shaggy cattle which roamed upon the rugged
+hillsides or in the misty valleys; his women-folk carded wool sheared
+from his own flock, spun it, and wove the cloth for bonnet, kilt, and
+plaid.  When his chief had need of him, the summons was vivid and
+picturesque.  The Fiery Cross was carried over the district by swift
+messengers who shouted a slogan known to all; and soon from every
+quarter the clansmen would gather at the appointed meeting-place.
+
+The clans of the Highlands had led a wild, free life, but their dogged
+love for the Stuart cause brought to them desolation and ruin.  By one
+stroke the British government destroyed the social fabric of centuries.
+From the farthest rock of the storm-wasted Orkneys to the narrow home
+of Clan Donald in Argyllshire, the ban of the government was laid on
+the clan organization.  Worst of all, possession of the soil was given,
+not to the many clansmen, but to the chiefs alone.
+
+While the old chiefs remained alive, little real hardship was
+inflicted.  They were {12} wedded to the old order of things, and left
+it unchanged.  With their successors, however, began a new era.  These
+men had come under the influence of the south, whither they had gone
+for education, to correct the rudeness of their Highland manners.  On
+their return to their native country they too often held themselves
+aloof from the uncouth dwellers in the hills.  The mysterious love of
+the Gael for his kith and kin had left them; they were no longer to
+their dependants as fathers to children.  More especially had these
+Saxon-bred lordlings fallen a prey to the commercial ideas of the
+south.  It was trying for them to possess the nominal dignity of
+landlords without the money needed to maintain their rank.  They were
+bare of retinue, shabby in equipage, and light of purse.  They saw but
+one solution of their difficulty.  Like their English and Lowland
+brethren, they must increase the rents upon their Highland estates.  So
+it came about that the one-time clansmen, reduced to mere tenants,
+groaned for the upkeep of their overlords.
+
+Nor did this end the misfortunes of the clansmen.  An attractive lure
+was held out to the new generation of chieftains, and greed and avarice
+were to triumph.  Southern {13} speculators had been rambling over the
+Highlands, eager to exploit the country.  These men had seen a land of
+grass and heather, steep crag, and winter snow.  Observing that the
+country was specially adapted to the raising of sheep, they sought by
+offering high rents to acquire land for sheep-walks.  Thus, through the
+length and breadth of the Highlands, great enclosures were formed for
+the breeding of sheep.  Where many crofters had once tilled the soil,
+only a lone shepherd was now found, meditating on scenes of desolation.
+Ruined dwellings and forsaken hamlets remained to tell the tale.  Human
+beings had been evicted: sheep had become the 'devourers of men.'  In
+many parts of the Highlands the inhabitants, driven from mountain
+homes, were forced to eke out a meagre existence on narrow strips of
+land by the seashore, where they pined and where they half-starved on
+the fish caught in the dangerous waters.
+
+From such a dilemma there was but one escape.  Behind the evicted
+tenantry were the sheep-walks; before them was the open sea.  Few
+herrings came to the net; the bannock meal was low; the tartan
+threadbare.  In their utter hopelessness they listened to the good news
+which came of a land beyond the {14} Atlantic where there was plenty
+and to spare.  It is small wonder that as the ships moved westward they
+carried with them the destitute Highlander, bound for the colonies
+planted in North America.
+
+This 'expatriation' was spread over many weary years.  It was in full
+process in 1797, when Thomas Douglas became Lord Daer.  His six elder
+brothers had been ailing, and one by one they had died, until he, the
+youngest, alone survived.  Then, when his father also passed away, on
+May 24, 1799, he was left in possession of the ancestral estates and
+became the fifth Earl of Selkirk.
+
+As a youngest son, who would have to make his own way in the world,
+Thomas Douglas had prepared himself, and this was a distinct advantage
+to him when his elevation in rank occurred.  He entered into his
+fortune and place an educated man, with the broad outlook upon life and
+the humanitarian sympathy which study and experience bring to a
+generous spirit.  Now he was in a position to carry out certain
+philanthropic schemes which had begun earlier to engage his attention.
+His jaunts in the Highlands amid 'the mountain and the flood' were now
+to bear fruit.  The dolorous plaint of the hapless clansmen had {15}
+struck an answering chord in the depths of his nature.  As Thomas
+Douglas, he had meant to interest himself in the cause of the
+Highlanders; now that he was Earl of Selkirk, he decided, as a servant
+of the public, to use his wealth and influence for their social and
+economic welfare.  With this resolve he took up what was to be the main
+task of his life--the providing of homes under other skies for the
+homeless in the Highlands.
+
+In the spring of 1802 the young earl addressed a letter to Lord Pelham,
+a minister in the British government, in which he dwelt with enthusiasm
+upon the subject of emigration.  His letter took the form of an appeal,
+and was prophetic.  There had previously come into Selkirk's hands
+Alexander Mackenzie's thrilling story of his journeys to the Arctic and
+the Pacific.  This book had filled Selkirk's mind with a great
+conception.  Men had settled, he told Lord Pelham, on the sea-coast of
+British America, until no tract there was left uninhabited but--frozen
+wastes and arid plains.  What of the fruitful regions which lay in the
+vast interior?  It was thither that the government should turn the
+thoughts of the homeless and the improvident.  Leading to this
+temperate and fertile area was {16} an excellent northern highway--the
+waters of Hudson Bay and the Nelson.
+
+Lord Selkirk received a not unfavourable reply to his appeal.  The
+authorities said that, though for the present they could not undertake
+a scheme of emigration such as he had outlined, they would raise no
+barrier against any private movement which Lord Selkirk might care to
+set on foot.  The refusal of the government itself to move the
+dispossessed men was dictated by the political exigencies of the
+moment.  Great Britain had no desire to decrease her male population.
+Napoleon had just become first consul in France.  His imperial eagles
+would soon be carrying their menace across the face of Europe, and
+Great Britain saw that, at any moment, she might require all the men
+she could bring into the field.
+
+As the government had not discountenanced his plan, the Earl of Selkirk
+determined to put his theories at once into practice.  He made known in
+the Highlands that he proposed to establish a settlement in British
+North America.  Keen interest was aroused, and soon a large company,
+mostly from the isle of Skye, with a scattering from other parts of
+Scotland, was prepared to embark.  {17} It was intended that these
+settlers should sail for Hudson Bay.  This and the lands beyond were,
+however, by chartered right the hunting preserve of the Hudson's Bay
+Company, of which more will be said.  Presumably this company
+interfered, for unofficial word came from England to Selkirk that the
+scheme of colonizing the prairie region west of Hudson Bay and the
+Great Lakes would not be pleasing to the government.  Selkirk, however,
+quickly turned elsewhere.  He secured land for his settlers in Prince
+Edward Island, in the Gulf of St Lawrence.  The prospective colonists,
+numbering eight hundred, sailed from Scotland on board three chartered
+vessels, and reached their destination in the midsummer of 1803.
+
+Lord Selkirk had intended to reach Prince Edward Island in advance of
+his colonists, in order to make ready for their arrival.  But he was
+delayed by his private affairs, and when he came upon the scene of the
+intended settlement, after sunset on an August day, the ships had
+arrived and one of them had landed its passengers.  On the site of a
+little French village of former days they had propped poles together in
+a circle, matted them with foliage from the trees, and were {18}
+living, like a band of Indians, in these improvised wigwams.
+
+There was, of course, much to be done.  Trees and undergrowth had to be
+cleared away, surveys made, and plots of land meted out to the various
+families.  Lord Selkirk remained for several weeks supervising the
+work.  Then, leaving the colony in charge of an agent, he set out to
+make a tour of Canada and the United States.
+
+Meanwhile, Selkirk's agents in Scotland were not idle.  During the same
+summer (1803) a hundred and eleven emigrants were mustered at
+Tobermory, a harbour town on the island of Mull.  Most of them were
+natives of the island.  For some reason, said to be danger of attack by
+French privateers, they did not put out into the Atlantic that year;
+they sailed round to Kirkcaldy and wintered there.  In May 1804 the
+party went on board the ship _Oughton_ of Greenock, and after a six
+weeks' journey landed at Montreal.  Thence they travelled in bateaux to
+Kingston.
+
+These settlers were on their way to Baldoon Farm, a tract of about nine
+hundred and fifty acres which Lord Selkirk had purchased for them in
+Upper Canada, near Lake St Clair.  Selkirk himself met the party at
+Kingston, {19} having journeyed from Albany for that purpose.  He
+brought with him an Englishman named Lionel Johnson and his family.
+The new settlement was to be stocked with a thousand merino sheep,
+already on the way to Canada, and Johnson was engaged to take care of
+these and distribute them properly among the settlers.  The journey
+from Kingston to the Niagara was made in a good sailing ship and
+occupied only four days.  The goods of the settlers were carried above
+the Falls.  Then the party resumed their journey along the north shore
+of Lake Erie in bateaux, and arrived at their destination in September.
+
+Baldoon Farm was an ill-chosen site for a colony.  The land,
+prairie-like in its appearance, lay in what is now known as the St
+Clair Flats in Kent county, Ontario.  It proved to be too wet for
+successful farming.  It was with difficulty, too, that the settlers
+became inured to the climate.  Within a year forty-two are reported to
+have died, chiefly of fever and dysentery.  The colony, however,
+enjoyed a measure of prosperity until the War of 1812 broke out, when
+the Americans under General M'Arthur, moving from Detroit, despoiled it
+of stores, cattle, and sheep, and almost obliterated it.  In 1818 Lord
+Selkirk {20} sold the land to John M'Nab, a trader of the Hudson's Bay
+Company.  Many descendants of the original settlers are, however, still
+living in the neighbourhood.
+
+[Illustration: Place D'Armes, Montreal, in 1807.  From a water-colour
+sketch after Dillon in M'Gill University Library.]
+
+
+Before returning to Great Britain, Lord Selkirk rested from his travels
+for a time in the city of Montreal, where he was fêted by many of the
+leading merchants.  What the plutocrats of the fur trade had to relate
+to Selkirk was of more than passing interest.  No doubt he talked with
+Joseph Frobisher in his quaint home on Beaver Hall Hill.  Simon
+M'Tavish, too, was living in a new-built mansion under the brow of
+Mount Royal.  This 'old lion of Montreal,' who was the founder of the
+North-West Company, had for the mere asking a sheaf of tales, as
+realistic as they were entertaining.  Honour was done Lord Selkirk
+during his stay in the city by the Beaver Club, which met once a
+fortnight.  This was an exclusive organization, which limited its
+membership to those who dealt in furs.  Every meeting meant a banquet,
+and at these meetings each club-man wore a gold medal on which was
+engraved the motto, 'Fortitude in Distress.'  Dishes were served which
+smacked of prairie and forest--venison, bear flesh, and {21} buffalo
+tongue.  The club's resplendent glass and polished silver were marked
+with its crest, a beaver.  After the toasts had been drunk, the jovial
+party knelt on the floor for a final ceremony.  With pokers or tongs or
+whatever else was at hand, they imitated paddlers in action, and a
+chorus of lusty voices joined in a burst of song.  It may be supposed
+that Lord Selkirk was impressed by what he saw at this gathering and
+that he was a sympathetic guest.  He asked many questions, and nothing
+escaped his eager observation.  Little did he then think that his hosts
+would soon be banded together in a struggle to the death against him
+and his schemes of western colonization.
+
+
+
+
+{22}
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+THE PURSE-STRINGS LOOSEN
+
+Traffic in furs was hazardous, but it brought great returns.  The
+peltry of the north, no less than the gold and silver of the south,
+gave impetus to the efforts of those who first settled the western
+hemisphere.  In expectation of ample profits, the fur ship threaded its
+way through the ice-pack of the northern seas, and the trader sent his
+canoes by tortuous stream and toilsome portage.  In the early days of
+the eighteenth century sixteen beaver skins could be obtained from the
+Indians for a single musket, and ten skins for a blanket.  Profits were
+great, and with the margin of gain so enormous, jealousies and quarrels
+without number were certain to arise between rival fur traders.
+
+[Illustration: Joseph Frobisher, a partner in the North-West Company.
+From the John Ross Robertson Collection, Toronto Public Library.]
+
+The right to the fur trade in America had been granted--given away, as
+the English of the time thought--by the hand of Charles II of England.
+In prodigal fashion Charles {23} conceded, in 1670, a charter, which
+conveyed extensive lands, with the privileges of monopoly, to the
+'Company of Adventurers of England trading into Hudson's Bay.'  But if
+the courtiers of the Merry Monarch had any notion that he could thus
+exclude all others from the field, their dream was an empty one.
+England had an active rival in France, and French traders penetrated
+into the region granted to the Hudson's Bay Company.  Towards the close
+of the seventeenth century Le Moyne d'Iberville was making conquests on
+Hudson Bay for the French king, and Greysolon Du Lhut was carrying on
+successful trading operations in the vicinity of Lakes Nipigon and
+Superior.  Even after the Treaty of Utrecht (1713) had given the Hudson
+Bay territories to the English, the French-Canadian explorer La
+Vérendrye entered the forbidden lands, and penetrated to the more
+remote west.  A new situation arose after the British conquest of
+Canada during the Seven Years' War.  Plucky independent traders, mostly
+of Scottish birth, now began to follow the watercourses which led from
+the rapids of Lachine on the St Lawrence to the country beyond Lake
+Superior.  These men treated with disdain the royal charter of the
+Hudson's {24} Bay Company.  In 1783 a group of them united to form the
+North-West Company, with headquarters at Montreal.  The organization
+grew in strength and became the most powerful antagonist of the older
+company, and the open feud between the two spread through the wide
+region from the Great Lakes to the slopes of the Rocky Mountains.
+
+The Nor'westers, as the partners and servants of the North-West Company
+were called, were bold competitors.  Their enthusiasm for the conflict
+was all the more eager because their trade was regarded as illicit by
+their rivals.  There was singleness of purpose in their ranks; almost
+every man in the service had been tried and proved.  All the Montreal
+partners of the company had taken the long trip to the Grand Portage, a
+transit station at the mouth of the Pigeon river, on the western shore
+of Lake Superior.  Other partners had wintered on the frozen plains or
+in the thick of the forest, tracking the yellow-grey badger, the
+pine-marten, and the greedy wolverine.  The guides employed by the
+company knew every mile of the rivers, and they rarely mistook the most
+elusive trail.  Its interpreters could converse with the red men like
+natives.  Even the clerks who looked {25} after the office routine of
+the company laboured with zest, for, if they were faithful and
+attentive in their work, the time would come when they, too, would be
+elected as partners in the great concern.  The canoemen were mainly
+French-Canadian coureurs de bois, gay voyageurs on lake and stream.  In
+the veins of many of them flowed the blood of Cree or Iroquois.  Though
+half barbarous in their mode of life, they had their own devotions.  At
+the first halting-place on their westward journey, above Lachine, they
+were accustomed to enter a little chapel which stood on the bank of the
+Ottawa.  Here they prayed reverently that 'the good Saint Anne,' the
+friend of all canoemen, would guard them on their way to the Grand
+Portage.  Then they dropped an offering at Saint Anne's shrine, and
+pointed their craft against the current.  These rovers of the
+wilderness were buoyant of heart, and they lightened the weary hours of
+their six weeks' journey with blithe songs of love and the river.  When
+the snow fell and ice closed the river, they would tie their 'husky'
+dogs to sledges and travel over the desolate wastes, carrying furs and
+provisions.
+
+It was a very different company that traded into Hudson Bay.  The
+Hudson's Bay {26} Company was launched on its career in a princely
+manner, and had tried to cling fast to its time-worn traditions.  The
+bundles of uncured skins were received from the red men by its servants
+with pomp and dignity.  At first the Indians had to bring their 'catch'
+to the shores of Hudson Bay itself, and here they were made to feel
+that it was a privilege to be allowed to trade with the company.
+Sometimes they were permitted to pass in their wares only through a
+window in the outer part of the fort.  A beaver skin was the regular
+standard of value, and in return for their skins the savages received
+all manner of gaudy trinkets and also useful merchandise, chiefly
+knives, hatchets, guns, ammunition, and blankets.  But before the end
+of the eighteenth century the activity of the Nor'westers had forced
+the Hudson's Bay Company out of its aristocratic slothfulness.  The
+savages were now sought out in their prairie homes, and the company
+began to set up trading-posts in the interior, all the way from Rainy
+Lake to Edmonton House on the North Saskatchewan.
+
+Such was the situation of affairs in the fur-bearing country when the
+Earl of Selkirk had his vision of a rich prairie home for the {27}
+desolate Highlanders.  Though he had not himself visited the Far West,
+he had some conception of the probable outcome of the fierce rivalry
+between the two great fur companies in North America.  He foresaw that,
+sooner or later, if his scheme of planting a colony in the interior was
+to prosper, he must ally himself with one or the other of these two
+factions of traders.
+
+We may gain a knowledge of Lord Selkirk's ideas at this time from his
+own writings and public utterances.  In 1805 he issued a work on the
+Highlands of Scotland, which Sir Walter Scott praised for its
+'precision and accuracy,' and which expressed the significant sentiment
+that the government should adopt a policy that would keep the
+Highlanders within the British Empire.  In 1806, when he had been
+chosen as one of the sixteen representative peers from Scotland, he
+delivered a speech in the House of Lords upon the subject of national
+defence, and his views were afterwards stated more fully in a book.
+With telling logic he argued for the need of a local militia, rather
+than a volunteer force, as the best protection for England in a moment
+of peril.  The tenor of this and Selkirk's other writings would
+indicate the staunchness of {28} his patriotism.  In his efforts at
+colonization his desire was to keep Britain's sons from emigrating to
+an alien shore.
+
+'Now, it is our duty to befriend this people,' he affirmed, in writing
+of the Highlanders.  'Let us direct their emigration; let them be led
+abroad to new possessions.'  Selkirk states plainly his reason.  'Give
+them homes under our own flag,' is his entreaty, 'and they will
+strengthen the empire.'
+
+In 1807 Selkirk was chosen as lord-lieutenant of the stewartry of
+Kirkcudbright, and in the same year took place his marriage with Jean
+Wedderburn-Colvile, the only daughter of James Wedderburn-Colvile of
+Ochiltree.  One year later he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society, a
+distinction conferred only upon intellectual workers whose labours have
+increased the world's stock of knowledge.
+
+After some shrewd thinking Lord Selkirk decided to throw in his lot
+with the Hudson's Bay Company.  Why he did this will subsequently
+appear.  At first, one might have judged the step unwise.  The
+financiers of London believed that the company was drifting into deep
+water.  When the books were made up for 1808, there were no funds
+available for dividends, and bankruptcy seemed {29} inevitable.  Any
+one who owned a share of Hudson's Bay stock found that it had not
+earned him a sixpence during that year.  The company's business was
+being cut down by the operations of its aggressive rival.  The chief
+cause, however, of the company's financial plight was not the trade war
+in America, but the European war, which had dealt a heavy blow to
+British commerce.  Napoleon had found himself unable to land his army
+in England, but he had other means of striking.  In 1806 he issued the
+famous Berlin Decree, declaring that no other country should trade with
+his greatest enemy.  Dealers had been wont to come every year to London
+from Germany, France, and Russia, in order to purchase the fine skins
+which the Hudson's Bay Company could supply.  Now that this trade was
+lost to the company, the profits disappeared.  For three seasons bale
+after bale of unsold peltry had been stacked to the rafters of the
+London warehouse.
+
+The Earl of Selkirk was a practical man; and, seeing the plight of the
+Hudson's Bay Company, he was tempted to take advantage of the situation
+to further his plans of emigration.  Like a genuine lord of Galloway,
+however, he proceeded with extreme caution.  His {30} initial move was
+to get the best possible legal advice regarding the validity of the
+company's royal charter.  Five of the foremost lawyers in the land were
+asked for their opinion upon this matter.  Chief of those who were
+approached was Sir Samuel Romilly, the friend of Bentham and of
+Mirabeau.  The other four were George Holroyd and James Scarlet, both
+distinguished pleaders, and William Cruise and John Bell.  The finding
+of these lawyers put the question out of doubt.  The charter, they
+said, was flawless.  Of all the lands which were drained by the many
+rivers running into Hudson Bay, the company was the sole proprietor.
+Within these limits it could appoint sheriffs and bring law-breakers to
+trial.  Besides, there was nothing to prevent it from granting to any
+one in fee-simple tracts of land in its vast domain.
+
+Having satisfied himself that the charter of 1670 was legally
+unassailable, the earl was now ready for his subsequent line of action.
+He had resolved to get a foothold in the company itself.  To effect
+this object he brought his own capital into play, and sought at the
+same time the aid of his wife's relatives, the Wedderburn-Colviles, and
+of other personal friends.  Shares in the company had depreciated in
+value, and the owners, in many {31} cases, were jubilant at the chance
+of getting them off their hands.  Selkirk and his friends did not stop
+buying until they had acquired about one-third of the company's total
+stock.
+
+In the meantime the Nor'westers scented trouble ahead.  As soon as Lord
+Selkirk had completed his purchase of Hudson's Bay stock, he began to
+make overtures to the company's shareholders to be allowed to plant a
+colony in the territories assigned to them by their royal charter.  To
+the Nor'westers this proposition was anathema.  They argued that if a
+permanent settlement was established in the fur country, the
+fur-bearing animals would be driven out, and their trade ruined.  Their
+alarm grew apace.  In May 1811 a general court of the Hudson's Bay
+Company, which had been adjourned, was on the point of reassembling.
+The London agents of the North-West Company decided to act at once.
+Forty-eight hours before the general court opened three of their number
+bought up a quantity of Hudson's Bay stock.  One of these purchasers
+was the redoubtable explorer, Sir Alexander Mackenzie.
+
+Straightway there ensued one of the liveliest sessions that ever
+occurred in a general court of the Hudson's Bay Company.  The {32}
+Nor'westers, who now had a right to voice their opinions, fumed and
+haggled.  Other share holders flared into vigorous protest as the Earl
+of Selkirk's plan was disclosed.  In the midst of the clash of
+interests, however, the earl's following stated his proposal
+succinctly.  They said that Selkirk wished to secure a tract of fertile
+territory within the borders of Rupert's Land, for purposes of
+colonization.  Preferably, this should lie in the region of the Red
+River, which ran northward towards Hudson Bay.  At his own expense
+Selkirk would people this tract within a given period, foster the early
+efforts of its settlers, and appease the claims of the Indian tribes
+that inhabited the territory.  He promised, moreover, to help to supply
+the Hudson's Bay Company with labourers for its work.
+
+Had Lord Selkirk been present to view the animated throng of merchant
+adventurers, he would have foreseen his victory.  In his first tilt
+with the Nor'westers he was to be successful.  The opposition was
+strong, but it wore down before the onslaught of his friends.  Then
+came the show of hands.  There was no uncertainty about the vote:
+two-thirds of the court had pledged themselves in favour of Lord
+Selkirk's proposal.
+
+{33}
+
+By the terms of the grant which the general court made to Selkirk, he
+was to receive 116,000 square miles of virgin soil in the locality
+which he had selected.  The boundaries of this immense area were
+carefully fixed.  Roughly speaking, it extended from Big Island, in
+Lake Winnipeg, to the parting of the Red River from the head-waters of
+the Mississippi in the south, and from beyond the forks of the Red and
+Assiniboine rivers in the west to the shores of the Lake of the Woods,
+and at one point almost to Lake Superior, in the east.  If a map is
+consulted, it will be seen that one-half of the grant lay in what is
+now the province of Manitoba, the other half in the present states of
+Minnesota and North Dakota.[1]
+
+A great variety of opinions were expressed in London upon the subject
+of this grant.  Some wiseacres said that the earl's proposal was as
+extravagant as it was visionary.  One of Selkirk's acquaintances met
+him strolling along Pall Mall, and brought him up short on the street
+with the query: 'If you are bent {34} on doing something futile, why do
+you not sow tares at home in order to reap wheat, or plough the desert
+of Sahara, which is nearer?'
+
+The extensive tract which the Hudson's Bay Company had bestowed upon
+Lord Selkirk for the nominal sum of ten shillings had made him the
+greatest individual land-owner in Christendom.  His new possession was
+quite as large as the province of Egypt in the days of Caesar Augustus.
+But in some other respects Lord Selkirk's heritage was much greater.
+The province of Egypt, the granary of Rome, was fertile only along the
+banks of the Nile.  More than three-fourths of Lord Selkirk's domain,
+on the other hand, was highly fertile soil.
+
+
+
+[1] It will be understood that the boundary-line between British and
+American territory in the North-West was not yet established.  What
+afterwards became United States soil was at this time claimed by the
+Hudson's Bay Company under its charter.
+
+
+
+
+{35}
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+STORNOWAY--AND BEYOND
+
+On June 13, 1811, the deed was given to Selkirk of his wide possessions
+with the seal and signature of the Hudson's Bay Company, attached by
+Alexander Lean, the secretary.  Before this, however, Selkirk had
+become deeply engrossed in the details of his enterprise.  No time was
+to be lost, for unless all should be in readiness before the Hudson's
+Bay vessels set out to sea on their summer voyage, the proposed
+expedition of colonists must be postponed for another year.
+
+Selkirk issued without delay a pamphlet, setting forth the advantages
+of the prospective colony.  Land was to be given away free, or sold for
+a nominal sum.  To the poor, transport would cost nothing; others would
+have to pay according to their means.  No one would be debarred on
+account of his religious belief; all creeds were to be treated alike.
+The seat of the colony was to be called {36} Assiniboia, after a tribe
+of the Sioux nation, the Assiniboines, buffalo hunters on the Great
+Plains.
+
+Wherever this pamphlet was read by men dissatisfied with their lot in
+the Old World, it aroused hope.  With his usual good judgment, Selkirk
+had engaged several men whose training fitted them for the work of
+inducing landless men to emigrate.  One of these was Captain Miles
+Macdonell, lately summoned by Lord Selkirk from his home in Canada.
+Macdonell had been reared in the Mohawk valley, had served in the ranks
+of the Royal Greens during the War of the Revolution, and had survived
+many a hard fight on the New York frontier.  After the war, like most
+of his regiment, he had gone as a Loyalist to the county of Glengarry,
+on the Ottawa.  It so chanced that the Earl of Selkirk while in Canada
+had met Macdonell, then a captain of the Royal Canadian Volunteers, and
+had been impressed by his courage and energy.  In consequence, Selkirk
+now invited him to be the first governor of Assiniboia.  Macdonell
+accepted the appointment; and promptly upon his arrival in Britain he
+went to the west coast of Ireland to win recruits for the settlement.
+Owing to the straitened circumstances {37} of the Irish peasantry, the
+tide of emigration from Ireland was already running high, and Lord
+Selkirk thought that Captain Macdonell, who was a Roman Catholic, might
+influence some of his co-religionists to go to Assiniboia.
+
+Another agent upon whom Selkirk felt that he could rely was Colin
+Robertson, a native of the island of Lewis, in the Hebrides.  To this
+island he was now dispatched, with instructions to visit other sections
+of the Highlands as well.  Robertson had formerly held a post under the
+North-West Company in the Saskatchewan valley.  There he had quarrelled
+with a surly-natured trader known as Crooked-armed Macdonald, with the
+result that Robertson had been dismissed by the Nor'westers and had
+come back to Scotland in an angry mood.
+
+A third place of muster for the colony was the city of Glasgow.  There
+the Earl of Selkirk's representative was Captain Roderick M'Donald.
+Many Highlanders had gone to Glasgow, that busy hive of industry, in
+search of work.  To the clerks in the shops and to the labourers in the
+yards or at the loom, M'Donald described the glories of Assiniboia.
+Many were impressed by his words, but objected to the low wages offered
+for their {38} services.  M'Donald compromised, and by offering a
+higher wage induced a number to enlist.  But the recruits from Glasgow
+turned out to be a shiftless lot and a constant source of annoyance to
+Selkirk's officers.
+
+While this work was being done the Nor'westers in London were burning
+with wrath at their inability to hinder Lord Selkirk's project.  Their
+hostility, we have seen, arose from their belief, which was quite
+correct, that a colony would interfere with their trading operations.
+In the hope that the enterprise might yet be stopped, they circulated
+in the Highlands various rumours against it.  An anonymous attack,
+clearly from a Nor'wester source, appeared in the columns of the
+Inverness _Journal_.  The author of this diatribe pictured the rigours
+of Assiniboia in terrible colours.  Selkirk's agents were characterized
+as a brood of dissemblers.  With respect to the earl himself words were
+not minced.  His philanthropy was all assumed; he was only biding his
+time in order to make large profits out of his colonization scheme.
+
+Notwithstanding this campaign of slander, groups of would-be settlers
+came straggling along from various places to the port of rendezvous,
+Stornoway, the capital of the {39} Hebrides.  When all had gathered,
+these people who had answered the call to a new heritage beyond the
+seas proved to be a motley throng.  Some were stalwart men in the prime
+of life, men who looked forward to homes of their own on a distant
+shore; others, with youth on their side, were eager for the trail of
+the flying moose or the sight of a painted redskin; a few were women,
+steeled to bravery through fires of want and sorrow.  Too many were
+wastrels, cutting adrift from a blighted past.  A goodly number were
+malcontents, wondering whether to go or stay.
+
+The leading vessel of the Hudson's Bay fleet in the year 1811 was the
+commodore's ship, the _Prince of Wales_.  At her moorings in the Thames
+another ship, the _Eddystone_, lay ready for the long passage to the
+Great Bay.  Besides these, a shaky old hulk, the _Edward and Ann_, was
+put into commission for the use of Lord Selkirk's settlers.  Her grey
+sails were mottled with age and her rigging was loose and worn.
+Sixteen men and boys made up her crew, a number by no means sufficient
+for a boat of her size.  It seemed almost criminal to send such an
+ill-manned craft out on the tempestuous North Atlantic.  However, the
+three ships sailed from the {40} Thames and steered up the east coast
+of England.  Opposite Yarmouth a gale rose and forced them into a
+sheltering harbour.  It was the middle of July before they rounded the
+north shore of Scotland.  At Stromness in the Orkneys the _Prince of
+Wales_ took on board a small body of emigrants and a number of the
+company's servants who were waiting there.
+
+At length the tiny fleet reached the bustling harbour-town of
+Stornoway; and here Miles Macdonell faced a task of no little
+difficulty.  Counting the Orkneymen just arrived, there were one
+hundred and twenty-five in his party.  The atmosphere seemed full of
+unrest, and the cause was not far to seek.  The Nor'westers were at
+work, and their agents were sowing discontent among the emigrants.
+Even Collector Reed, the government official in charge of the customs,
+was acting as the tool of the Nor'westers.  It was Reed's duty, of
+course, to hasten the departure of the expedition; but instead of doing
+this he put every possible obstacle in the way.  Moreover, he mingled
+with the emigrants, urging them to forsake the venture while there was
+yet time.
+
+Another partisan of the North-West {41} Company also appeared on the
+scene.  This was an army officer named Captain Mackenzie, who pretended
+to be gathering recruits for the army.  He had succeeded, it appears,
+in getting some of Selkirk's men to take the king's shilling, and now
+was trying to lead these men away from the ships as 'deserters from His
+Majesty's service.'  One day this trouble-maker brought his dinghy
+alongside one of the vessels.  A sailor on deck, who saw Captain
+Mackenzie in the boat and was eager for a lark, picked up a nine-pound
+shot, poised it carefully, and let it fall.  There was a splintering
+thud.  Captain Mackenzie suddenly remembered how dry it was on shore,
+and put off for land as fast as oars would hurry him.  Next day he sent
+a pompous challenge to the commander of the vessel.  It was, of course,
+ignored.
+
+In spite of obstacles, little by little the arrangements for the ocean
+voyage were being completed.  There were many irritating delays.
+Disputes about wages broke out afresh when inequalities were
+discovered.  There was much wrangling among the emigrants as to their
+quarters on the uninviting _Edward and Ann_.  At the last moment a
+number of the party took fear and decided to stay at home.  {42} Some
+left the ship in unceremonious fashion, even forgetting their effects.
+These were subsequently sold among the passengers.  'One man,' wrote
+Captain Macdonell, 'jumped into the sea and swam for it until he was
+picked up.'  It may be believed that the governor of Assiniboia heaved
+a thankful sigh when the ships were ready to hoist their sails.  'It
+has been a herculean task,' ran the text of his parting message to the
+Earl of Selkirk.
+
+On July 26 a favourable breeze bore the vessels out to sea.  There were
+now one hundred and five in the party, seventy of whom had professed an
+intention to till the soil.  The remainder had been indentured as
+servants of the Hudson's Bay Company.  Seventy-six of the total number
+were quartered on board the _Edward and Ann_.  As the vessels swept
+seaward many eyes were fastened sadly on the receding shore.  The white
+houses of Stornoway loomed up distinctly across the dark waters of the
+bay.  The hill which rose gloomily in the background was treeless and
+inky black.  On the clean shingle lay the cod and herring, piled loose
+to catch the sun's warm rays.  The settlers remembered that they were
+perhaps scanning for the last time the rugged outline {43} of that
+heather-clad landscape, and their hearts grew sick within them.
+Foreland after foreland came into view and disappeared.  At length the
+ships were skirting the Butt of Lewis with its wave-worn clefts and
+caverns.  Then all sight of land vanished, and they were steering their
+course into the northern main.
+
+A man-of-war had been sent as a convoy to the vessels, for the
+quick-sailing frigates of France had been harrying British shipping,
+and the mercantile marine needed protection.  After standing guard to a
+point four hundred miles off the Irish coast, the ship-of-the-line
+turned back, and the three vessels held their way alone in a turbulent
+sea.  Two of them beat stoutly against the gale, but the _Edward and
+Ann_ hove to for a time, her timbers creaking and her bowsprit catching
+the water as she rose and fell with the waves.  And so they put out
+into the wide and wild Atlantic--these poor, homeless, storm-tossed
+exiles, who were to add a new chapter to Great Britain's colonial
+history.
+
+
+
+
+{44}
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+WINTERING ON THE BAY
+
+Little is known of the many strange things which must have taken place
+on the voyage.  On board the _Edward and Ann_ sickness was prevalent
+and the ship's surgeon was kept busy.  There were few days on which the
+passengers could come from below-decks.  When weather permitted,
+Captain Macdonell, who knew the dangers to be encountered in the
+country they were going to, attempted to give the emigrants military
+drill.  'There never was a more awkward squad,' was his opinion, 'not a
+man, or even officer, of the party knew how to put a gun to his eye or
+had ever fired a shot.'  A prominent figure on the _Edward and Ann_ was
+a careless-hearted cleric, whose wit and banter were in evidence
+throughout the voyage.  This was the Reverend Father Burke, an Irish
+priest.  He had stolen away without the leave of his bishop, and it
+appears that he and Macdonell, {45} although of the same faith, were
+not the best of friends.
+
+After a stormy voyage of nearly two months the ships entered the long,
+barren straits leading into Hudson Bay.  From the beginning of
+September the fleet had been hourly expected at York Factory, and
+speculation was rife there as to its delay in arriving.  On September
+24 the suspense ended, for the look-out at the fort descried the ships
+moving in from the north and east.  They anchored in the shallow haven
+on the western shore, where two streams, the Nelson and the Hayes,
+enter Hudson Bay, and the sorely tried passengers disembarked.  They
+were at once marched to York Factory, on the north bank of the Hayes.
+The strong palisades and wooden bastions of the fort warned the
+newcomers that there were dangers in America to be guarded against.  A
+pack of 'husky' dogs came bounding forth to meet them as they
+approached the gates.
+
+A survey of the company's buildings convinced Macdonell that much more
+roomy quarters would be required for the approaching winter, and he
+determined to erect suitable habitations for his people before
+snowfall.  With this in view he crossed over to the Nelson {46} and
+ascended it until he reached a high clearing on its left bank, near
+which grew an abundance of white spruce.  He brought up a body of men,
+most of whom now received their first lesson in woodcraft.  The pale
+and flaky-barked aromatic spruce trees were felled and stripped of
+their branches.  Next, the logs were 'snaked' into the open, where the
+dwellings were to be erected, and hewed into proper shape.  These
+timbers were then deftly fitted together and the four walls of a rude
+but substantial building began to rise.  A drooping roof was added, the
+chinks were closed, and then the structure was complete.  When a
+sufficient number of such houses had been built, Macdonell set the
+party to work cutting firewood and gathering it into convenient piles.
+
+The prudence of these measures became apparent when the frost king
+fixed his iron grip upon land and sea.  As the days shortened, the
+rivers were locked deep and fast; a sharp wind penetrated the forest,
+and the salty bay was fringed with jagged and glistening hummocks of
+ice.  So severe was the cold that the newcomers were loath to go forth
+from their warm shelter even to haul food from the fort over the
+brittle, yielding snow.  Under such {47} conditions life in the camp
+grew monotonous and dull.  More serious still, the food they had to eat
+was the common fare of such isolated winterers; it was chiefly salt
+meat.  The effect of this was seen as early as December.  Some of the
+party became listless and sluggish, their faces turned sallow and their
+eyes appeared sunken.  They found it difficult to breathe and their
+gums were swollen and spongy.  Macdonell, a veteran in hardship, saw at
+once that scurvy had broken out among them; but he had a simple remedy
+and the supply was without limit.  The sap of the white spruce was
+extracted and administered to the sufferers.  Almost immediately their
+health showed improvement, and soon all were on the road to recovery.
+But the medicine was not pleasant to take, and some of the party at
+first foolishly refused to submit to the treatment.
+
+The settlers, almost unwittingly, banded together into distinct groups,
+each individual tending to associate with the others from his own home
+district.  As time went on these groups, with their separate
+grievances, gave Macdonell much trouble.  The Orkneymen, who were
+largely servants of the Hudson's Bay Company, were not long in
+incurring his {48} disfavour.  To him they seemed to have the appetites
+of a pack of hungry wolves.  He dubbed them 'lazy, spiritless and
+ill-disposed.'  The 'Glasgow rascals,' too, were a source of annoyance.
+'A more ... cross-grained lot,' he asserted, 'were never put under any
+person's care.'
+
+[Illustration: The country of Lord Selkirk's Letters.]
+
+Owing to the discord existing in the camp, the New Year was not ushered
+in happily.  In Scotland, of all the days of the year, this anniversary
+was held in the highest regard.  It was generally celebrated to the
+strains of 'Weel may we a' be,' and with effusive handshakings, much
+dining, and a hot kettle.  The lads from the Orkneys were quite wide
+awake to the occasion and had no intention of omitting the customs of
+their sires.  On New Year's Day they were having a rollicking time in
+one of the cabins.  But their enthusiasm was quickly damped by a party
+of Irish who, having primed their courage with whisky, set upon the
+merry-makers and created a scene of wild disorder.  In the heat of the
+_mêlée_ three of the Orkneymen were badly beaten, and for a month their
+lives hung in the balance.  Captain Macdonell later sent several of the
+Irish back to Great Britain, saying that such 'worthless blackguards'
+were {49} better under the discipline of the army or the navy.
+
+One of the number who had not taken kindly to Miles Macdonell as a
+'medicine-man' was William Findlay, a very obdurate Orkneyman, who had
+flatly refused to soil his lips with the wonder-working syrup of the
+white spruce.  Shortly afterwards, having been told to do something, he
+was again disobedient.  This time he was forced to appear before
+Magistrate Hillier of the Hudson's Bay Company and was condemned to
+gaol.  As there was really no such place, a log-house was built for
+Findlay, and he was imprisoned in it.  A gruff-noted babel of dissent
+arose among his kinsfolk, supported by the men from Glasgow.  A gang of
+thirteen, in which both parties were represented, put a match to the
+prison where Findlay was confined, and rescued its solitary inmate out
+of the blaze.  Then, uttering defiance, they seized another building,
+and decided to live apart.  Thus, with the attitude of rebels and well
+supplied with firearms, they kept the rest of the camp in a state of
+nervousness for several months.  In June, however, these rebels allowed
+themselves to fall into a trap.  Having crossed the Nelson, they found
+their return cut off by {50} the melting of the ice.  This put them at
+the mercy of the officials at York Factory, and they were forced to
+surrender.  After receiving their humble acknowledgments Macdonell was
+not disposed to treat them severely, and he took them back into service.
+
+But what of jovial Father Burke since his arrival on the shores of
+Hudson Bay?  To all appearances, he had not been able to restrain his
+flock from mischief.  He had, however, been exploring on his own
+account, and thoroughly believed that he had made some valuable
+discoveries.  He had come upon pebbles of various kinds which he
+thought were precious stones.  Some of them shone like diamonds; others
+seemed like rubies.  Father Burke was indeed sure that bits of the sand
+which he had collected contained particles of gold.  Macdonell himself
+believed that the soil along the Nelson abounded in mineral wealth.  He
+told the priest to keep the discovery a secret, and sent samples of
+sand and stone to Lord Selkirk, advising him to acquire the banks of
+the Nelson river from the company.  In the end, to the disgust of
+Macdonell and Father Burke, not one sample proved of any value.
+
+Weeks before the ice had left the river, the {51} colonists became
+impatient to set forward on the remainder of their journey.  To
+transport so many persons, with all their belongings and with
+sufficient provisions, seven or eight hundred miles inland was an
+undertaking formidable enough to put Captain Macdonell's energies to
+the fullest test.  The only craft available were bark canoes, and these
+would be too fragile for the heavy cargoes that must be borne.  Stouter
+boats must be built.  Macdonell devised a sort of punt or flat-bottomed
+boat, such as he had formerly seen in the colony of New York.  Four of
+these clumsy craft were constructed, but only with great difficulty,
+and after much trouble with the workmen.  Inefficiency, as well as
+misconduct, on the part of the colonists was a sore trial to Macdonell.
+The men from the Hebrides were now practically the only members of the
+party who were not, for one reason or another, in his black book.
+
+It was almost midsummer before the boats began to push up the Hayes
+river for the interior.  There were many blistered hands at the oars;
+nevertheless, on the journey they managed to make an average of
+thirteen miles each day.  Before the colonists could reach Oxford
+House, the next post of the Hudson's {52} Bay Company, three dozen
+portages had to be passed.  It was with thankful hearts that they came
+to Holy Lake and caught sight of the trading-post by its margin.  Here
+was an ample reach of water, reminding the Highlanders of a loch of
+far-away Scotland.  When the wind died down, Holy Lake was like a giant
+mirror.  Looking into its quiet waters, the voyagers saw great fish
+swimming swiftly.
+
+From Oxford House the route lay over a height-of-land to the
+head-waters of the Nelson.  After a series of difficulties the party
+reached Norway House, another post of the Hudson's Bay Company, on an
+upper arm of Lake Winnipeg.  At this time Norway House was the centre
+of the great fur-bearing region.  The colonists found it strongly
+entrenched in a rocky basin and astir with life.  After a short rest
+they proceeded towards Lake Winnipeg, and soon were moving slowly down
+its low-lying eastern shore.  Here they had their first glimpse of the
+prairie country, with its green carpet of grass.  Out from the water's
+edge grew tall, lank reeds, the lurking place of snipe and sand-piper.
+Doubtless, in the brief night-watches, they listened to the shrill cry
+of the restless lynx, or heard the yapping howl of the timber wolf as
+he slunk {53} away among the copses.  But presently the boats were
+gliding in through the sand-choked outlet of the Red River, and they
+were on the last stage of their journey.
+
+Some forty miles up-stream from its mouth the Red River bends sharply
+towards the east, forming what is known as Point Douglas in the present
+city of Winnipeg.  Having toiled round this point, the colonists pushed
+their boats to the muddy shore.  The day they landed--the natal day of
+a community which was to grow into three great provinces of Canada--was
+August 30, 1812.
+
+
+
+
+{54}
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+RED RIVER AND PEMBINA
+
+Scarcely had the settlers taken stock of their surroundings on the Red
+River when they were chilled to the marrow with a sudden terror.
+Towards them came racing on horseback a formidable-looking troop,
+decked out in all the accoutrements of the Indian--spreading feather,
+dangling tomahawk, and a thick coat of war-paint.  To the newcomers it
+was a never-to-be-forgotten spectacle.  But when the riders came within
+close range, shouting and gesticulating, it was seen that they wore
+borrowed apparel, and that their speech was a medley of French and
+Indian dialects.  They were a troop of Bois Brûlés, Métis, or
+half-breeds of French and Indian blood, aping for the time the manners
+of their mothers' people.  Their object was to tell Lord Selkirk's
+party that settlers were not wanted on the Red River; that it was the
+country of the fur traders, and that settlers must go farther afield.
+
+{55}
+
+This was surely an inhospitable reception, after a long and fatiguing
+journey.  Plainly the Nor'westers were at it again, trying now to
+frighten the colonists away, as they had tried before to keep them from
+coming.  These mounted half-breeds were a deputation from Fort
+Gibraltar, the Nor'westers' nearest trading-post, which stood two miles
+higher up at 'the Forks,' where the Red River is joined by the
+Assiniboine.
+
+Nevertheless, Governor Macdonell, having planned as dignified a
+ceremony as the circumstances would allow, sent to the Nor'westers at
+Fort Gibraltar an invitation to be present at the official inauguration
+of Lord Selkirk's colony.  At the appointed hour, on September 4,
+several traders from the fort, together with a few French Canadians and
+Indians, put in an appearance.  In the presence of this odd company
+Governor Macdonell read the Earl of Selkirk's patent to Assiniboia.
+About him was drawn up a guard of honour, and overhead the British
+ensign fluttered in the breeze.  Six small swivel-guns, which had been
+brought with the colonists, belched forth a salute to mark the
+occasion.  The Nor'westers were visibly impressed by this show of
+authority and power.  In pretended friendship they {56} entered
+Governor Macdonell's tent and accepted his hospitality before
+departing.  At variance with the scowls of trapper and trader towards
+the settlers was the attitude of the full-blooded Indians who were
+camping along the Red River.  From the outset these red-skins were
+friendly, and their conduct was soon to stand the settlers in good
+stead.
+
+The provisions brought from Hudson Bay were fast diminishing and would
+soon be at an end.  True, the Nor'westers offered for sale supplies of
+oats, barley, poultry, and the like, but their prices were high and the
+settlers had not the means of purchase.  But there was other food.
+Myriads of buffalo roamed over the Great Plains.  Herds of these
+animals often darkened the horizon like a slowly moving cloud.  In
+summer they might be seen cropping the prairie grass, or plunging and
+rolling about in muddy 'wallows.'  In winter they moved to higher
+levels, where lay less snow to be removed from the dried grass which
+they devoured.  At that season those who needed to hunt the buffalo for
+food must follow them wherever they went.  This was now the plight of
+the settlers: winter was coming on and food was already scarce.  The
+settlers must seek out the winter haunts of the buffalo.  {57} The
+Indians were of great service, for they offered to act as guides.
+
+A party to hunt the buffalo was organized.  Like a train of pilgrims,
+the majority of the colonists now set out afoot.  Their dark-skinned
+escort, mounted on wiry ponies, bent their course in a southerly
+direction.  The redskins eyed with amusement the queer-clad strangers
+whom they were guiding.  These were ignorant of the ways of the wild
+prairie country and badly equipped to face its difficulties.  Sometimes
+the Indians indulged in horse-play, and a few of them were unable to
+keep their hands off the settlers' possessions.  One Highlander lost an
+ancient musket which he treasured.  A wedding ring was taken by an
+Indian guide from the hand of one of the women.  Five days of
+straggling march brought the party to a wide plateau where the Indians
+said that the buffalo were accustomed to pasture.  Here the party
+halted, at the junction of the Red and Pembina rivers, and awaited the
+arrival of Captain Macdonell, who came up next day on horseback with
+three others of his party.
+
+Temporary tents and cabins were erected, and steps were taken to
+provide more commodious shelters.  But this second winter {58}
+threatened to be almost as uncomfortable as the first had been on
+Hudson Bay.  Captain Macdonell selected a suitable place south of the
+Pembina river, and on this site a storehouse and other buildings were
+put up.  The end of the year saw a neat little encampment, surrounded
+by palisades, where before had been nothing but unbroken prairie.  As a
+finishing touch, a flagstaff was raised within the stockade, and in
+honour of one of Lord Selkirk's titles the name Fort Daer was given to
+the whole.  In the meantime a body of seventeen Irishmen, led by Owen
+Keveny, had arrived from the old country, having accomplished the feat
+of making their way across the ocean to Hudson Bay and up to the
+settlement during the single season of 1812.  This additional force was
+housed at once in Fort Daer along with the rest.  Until spring opened,
+buffalo meat was to be had in plenty, the Indians bringing in
+quantities of it for a slight reward.  So unconscious were the buffalo
+of danger that they came up to the very palisades, giving the settlers
+an excellent view of their drab-brown backs and fluffy, curling manes.
+
+[Illustration: Hunting the Buffalo.  From a painting by George Catlin.]
+
+On the departure of the herds in the springtime there was no reason why
+the colonists {59} should remain any longer at Fort Daer.  Accordingly
+the entire band plodded wearily back to the ground which they had
+vacated above 'the Forks' on the Red River.  As the season of 1813
+advanced, more solid structures were erected on this site, and the
+place became known as Colony Gardens.  An attempt was now made to
+prepare the soil and to sow some seed, but it was a difficult task, as
+the only agricultural implement possessed by the settlers was the hoe.
+They next turned to the river in search of food, only to find it almost
+empty of fish.  Even the bushes, upon which clusters of wild berries
+ought to have been found, were practically devoid of fruit.  Nature
+seemed to have veiled her countenance from the hapless settlers, and to
+be mocking their most steadfast efforts.  In their dire need they were
+driven to use weeds for food.  An indigenous plant called the prairie
+apple grew in abundance, and the leaves of a species of the goosefoot
+family were found to be nourishing.
+
+With the coming of autumn 1813 the experiences of the previous year
+were repeated.  Once more they went over the dreary road to Fort Daer.
+Then followed the most cruel winter that the settlers had yet endured.
+The {60} snow fell thickly and lay in heavy drifts, and the buffalo
+with animal foresight had wandered to other fields.  The Nor'westers
+sold the colonists a few provisions, but were egging on their allies,
+the Bois Brûlés, who occupied a small post in the vicinity of the
+Pembina, to annoy them whenever possible.  It required courage of the
+highest order on the part of the colonists to battle through the
+winter.  They were in extreme poverty, and in many cases their
+frost-bitten, starved bodies were wrapped only in rags before spring
+came.  Those who still had their plaids, or other presentable garments,
+were prepared to part with them for a morsel of food.  With the coming
+of spring once more, the party travelled northward to 'the Forks' of
+the Red River, resolved never again to set foot within the gates of
+Fort Daer.
+
+Meanwhile, some news of the desperate state of affairs on the Red River
+had reached the Earl of Selkirk in Scotland.  So many were the
+discouragements that one might forgive him if at this juncture he had
+flung his colonizing scheme to the winds as a lost venture.  The lord
+of St Mary's Isle did not, however, abandon hope; he was a persistent
+man and not easily turned aside from his {61} purpose.  Now he went in
+person to the straths and glens of Sutherlandshire to recruit more
+settlers.  For several years the crofters in this section of the
+Highlands had been ejected in ruthless fashion from their holdings.
+Those who aimed to 'quench the smoke of cottage fires' had sent a
+regiment of soldiers into this shire to cow the Highlanders into
+submission.  Lord Selkirk came at a critical moment and extended a
+helping hand to the outcasts.  A large company agreed to join the
+colony of Assiniboia, and under Selkirk's own superintendence they were
+equipped for the journey.  As the sad-eyed exiles were about to leave
+the port of Helmsdale, the earl passed among them, dispensing words of
+comfort and of cheer.
+
+This contingent numbered ninety-seven persons.  The vessel carrying
+them from Helmsdale reached the _Prince of Wales_ of the Hudson's Bay
+Company, on which they embarked, at Stromness in the Orkneys.  The
+parish of Kildonan, in Sutherlandshire, had the largest representation
+among these emigrants.  Names commonly met with on the ship's register
+were Gunn, Matheson, MacBeth, Sutherland, and Bannerman.
+
+After the _Prince of Wales_ had put to sea, {62} fever broke out on
+board, and the contagion quickly spread among the passengers.  Many of
+them died.  They had escaped from beggary on shore only to perish at
+sea and to be consigned to a watery grave.  The vessel reached Hudson
+Bay in good time, but for some unknown reason the captain put into
+Churchill, over a hundred miles north of York Factory.  This meant that
+the newcomers must camp on the Churchill for the winter; there was
+nothing else to be done.  Fortunately partridge were numerous in the
+neighbourhood of their encampment, and, as the uneventful months
+dragged by, the settlers had an unstinted supply of fresh food.  In
+April 1814 forty-one members of the party, about half of whom were
+women, undertook to walk over the snow to York Factory.  The men drew
+the sledges on which their provisions were loaded and went in advance,
+clearing the way for the women.  In the midst of the company strode a
+solemn-visaged piper.  At one moment, as a dirge wailed forth, the
+spirits of the people drooped and they felt themselves beaten and
+forsaken.  But anon the music changed.  Up through the scrubby pine and
+over the mantle of snow rang the skirl of the undefeated; and as they
+heard the gathering song of Bonnie Dundee {63} or the summons to fight
+for Royal Charlie, they pressed forward with unfaltering steps.
+
+This advance party came to York Factory, and, continuing the journey,
+reached Colony Gardens without misadventure early in the summer.  They
+were better husbandmen than their predecessors, and they quickly
+addressed themselves to the cultivation of the soil.  Thirty or forty
+bushels of potatoes were planted in the black loam of the prairie.
+These yielded a substantial increase.  The thrifty Sutherlanders might
+have saved the tottering colony, had not Governor Macdonell committed
+an act which, however legally right, was nothing less than foolhardy in
+the circumstances, and which brought disaster in its train.
+
+In his administration of the affairs of the colony Macdonell had shown
+good executive ability and a willingness to endure every trial that his
+followers endured.  Towards the Nor'westers, however, he was inclined
+to be stubborn and arrogant.  He was convinced that he must adopt
+stringent measures against them.  He determined to assert his authority
+as governor of the colony under Lord Selkirk's patent.  Undoubtedly
+Macdonell had reason to be indignant at the {64} unfriendly attitude of
+the fur traders; yet, so far, this had merely taken the form of petty
+annoyance, and might have been met by good nature and diplomacy.
+
+[Illustration: Plan of Red River Colony]
+
+In January 1814 Governor Macdonell issued a proclamation pronouncing it
+unlawful for any person who dealt in furs to remove from the colony of
+Assiniboia supplies of flesh, fish, grain, or vegetable.  Punishment
+would be meted out to those who offended against this official order.
+The aim of Macdonell was to keep a supply of food in the colony for the
+support of the new settlers.  He was, however, offering a challenge to
+the fur traders, for his policy meant in effect that these had no right
+in Assiniboia, that it was to be kept for the use of settlers alone.
+Such a mandate could not fail to rouse intense hostility among the
+traders, whose doctrine was the very opposite.  The Nor'westers were
+quick to seize the occasion to strike at the struggling colony.
+
+
+
+
+{65}
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+THE BEGINNING OF STRIFE
+
+Stormy days were coming.  Once Governor Macdonell had published his
+edict, he did not hesitate to enforce its terms.  Information had been
+received at Colony Gardens that the Nor'westers had stored a quantity
+of provisions in their trading-post at the mouth of the Souris, a large
+southern tributary of the Assiniboine.  It was clear that, in defiance
+of Macdonell's decree, they meant to send food supplies out of
+Assiniboia to support their trading-posts elsewhere.  The fort at
+Souris was in close proximity to Brandon House on the Assiniboine, a
+post founded by the Hudson's Bay Company in 1794.  Macdonell decided on
+strong action.  His secretary, John Spencer, was ordered to go to the
+Souris in the capacity of a sheriff, accompanied by a strong guard and
+carrying a warrant in his pocket.  When Spencer drew near the stockades
+of the Nor'westers' fort and found the {66} gate closed against him, he
+commanded his men to batter it in with their hatchets.  They obeyed
+with alacrity, and having filed inside the fort, took charge of the
+contents of the storehouse.  Six hundred bags of pemmican were seized
+and carried to Brandon House.  Already there was a state of war in
+Assiniboia.
+
+The territory which comprised the colony was of great value
+economically to the North-West Company.  The food supplies which
+supported its traders in the far interior were largely drawn from this
+area.  In the eyes of the Nor'westers, Sheriff John Spencer had
+performed an act of pure brigandage at their Souris post.  Still, they
+were in no hurry to execute a counter-move.  In order to make no
+mistake they thought it best to restrain themselves until their
+partners should hold their summer meeting at Fort William,[1] on Lake
+Superior.
+
+The partners of the North-West Company {67} met at Fort William in the
+month of July 1814.  Their fond hope had been that Lord Selkirk's
+colony would languish and die.  Instead, it was flourishing and waxing
+aggressive.  The governor of Assiniboia had published an edict which he
+seemed determined to enforce, to the ruin of the business of the
+North-West Company.  The grizzled partners, as they rubbed elbows in
+secret conclave, decided that something must be done to crush this
+troublesome settlement.  Whether or not they formed any definite plan
+cannot be ascertained.  It is scarcely believable that at this meeting
+was plotted the opposition to Lord Selkirk's enterprise which was to
+begin with deceit and perfidy and to culminate in bloodshed.  Among the
+Nor'westers were men of great worth and integrity.  There were,
+however, others in their ranks who proved base and irresponsible.
+During this conference at Fort William a bitter animosity was expressed
+against Lord Selkirk and the company which had endorsed his colonizing
+project.  It was the Nor'westers' misfortune and fault that some of
+their number were prepared to vent this outspoken enmity in deeds of
+criminal violence.
+
+Two 'wintering partners' of the {68} North-West Company--men who
+remained in the interior during the winter--appear to have been
+entrusted by their fellows with the task of dealing with the settlers
+on the Red River.  Both these men, Duncan Cameron and Alexander
+Macdonell, had a wide experience of the prairie country.  Of the pair,
+Cameron was unquestionably the more resourceful.  In view of the fact
+that later in life he became a trusted representative of the county of
+Glengarry in the legislature of Upper Canada, there has been a tendency
+to gloss over some of his misdemeanours when he was still a trader in
+furs.  But he was a sinister character.  His principal aim, on going to
+the Red River, was to pay lavish court to the settlers in order to
+deceive them.  He was a born actor, and could assume at will the
+gravest or the gayest of demeanours or any disposition he chose to put
+on.
+
+Alexander Macdonell, the other emissary of the Nor'westers, was of an
+inferior type.  He was crafty enough never to burn his own fingers.
+Macdonell had some influence over the Indians of the Qu'Appelle
+district and of the more distant west.  His immediate proposal was to
+attract a band of redskins to the neighbourhood of Colony Gardens with
+the {69} avowed intention of creating a panic among the settlers.
+
+Shortly after the July meeting at Fort William these two men started on
+their mission for the Red River.  On August 5, while at a
+stopping-point by the way, Alexander Macdonell dated a letter to a
+friend in Montreal.  The tenor of this letter would indicate that only
+a portion of the Nor'westers were ready to adopt extreme measures
+against the settlement.  'Something serious will undoubtedly take
+place,' was Macdonell's callous admission.  'Nothing but the complete
+downfall of the colony,' he continued, 'will satisfy some, by fair or
+foul means--a most desirable object if it can be accomplished.  So here
+is at them with all my heart and energy.'
+
+Towards the end of August the twain arrived at Fort Gibraltar, where
+they parted company.  Alexander Macdonell proceeded to his winter
+quarters at Fort Qu'Appelle, on the river of the same name which
+empties into the upper Assiniboine.  Duncan Cameron made his appearance
+with considerable pomp and circumstance at Fort Gibraltar.  The
+settlers soon knew him as 'Captain' Duncan Cameron, of the Voyageur
+Corps, a battalion which had ranged the border during the recent {70}
+war with the United States.  Cameron decked himself in a crimson
+uniform.  He had a sword by his side and the outward bearing of a
+gallant officer.  Lest there should be any want of belief on the part
+of the colonists, he caused his credentials to be tacked up on the
+gateway of Fort Gibraltar.  There, in legible scrawl, was an order
+appointing him as captain and Alexander Macdonell as lieutenant in the
+Voyageur Corps.  The sight of a soldier sent a thrill through the
+breasts of the Highlanders and the fight-loving Irish.  Cameron had in
+fact once belonged to the Voyageurs, and no one at Colony Gardens yet
+knew that the corps had been disbanded the year before.  At a later
+date Lord Selkirk took pains to prove that Cameron had been guilty of
+rank imposture.
+
+To pose in the guise of a captain of militia was not Duncan Cameron's
+only role.  Having impressed his martial importance upon all, he next
+went among the settlers as a comrade.  He could chat at ease in Gaelic,
+and this won the confidence of the Highlanders.  Some of the colonists
+were invited to his table.  These he treated with studied kindness, and
+he furnished them with such an abundance of good food that they felt
+disgust for the scant {71} and humble fare allowed them at the
+settlement.  At the same time Cameron began to make bold insinuations
+in his conversation.  He had, he said, heard news from the interior
+that a body of Indians would raid them in the spring.  He harped upon
+the deplorable state in which the settlers were living; out of
+fellow-feeling for them, he said, he would gladly act as their
+deliverer.  Why did they not throw themselves upon the mercies of the
+North-West Company?  In their unhappy condition, abandoned, as he
+hinted, by Lord Selkirk to their own resources, there was but one thing
+for them to do.  They must leave the Red River far behind, and he would
+guarantee that the Nor'westers would assist them.
+
+As a result of Cameron's intrigues, signs of wavering allegiance were
+soon in evidence.  One of the settlers in particular, George Campbell,
+became a traitor in the camp.  Campbell had negotiated with Lord
+Selkirk personally during Selkirk's visit to Sutherlandshire.  Now he
+complained vigorously of his treatment since leaving Scotland, and was
+in favour of accepting the terms which Cameron, as a partner in the
+North-West Company, offered.  As many colonists as desired it, said
+Cameron, would be transported by the {72} Nor'westers free of charge to
+Montreal or other parts of Canada.  A year's provisions would be
+supplied to them, and each colonist would be granted two hundred acres
+of fertile land.  Tempting bribes of money were offered some of them as
+a bait.  An influential Highlander, Alexander M'Lean, was promised two
+hundred pounds from Cameron's own pocket, on condition that he would
+take his family away.  Several letters which were penned by the sham
+officer during the winter of 1815 can still be read.  'I am glad,' he
+wrote to a couple of settlers in February, 'that the eyes of some of
+you are getting open at last ... and that you now see your past follies
+in obeying the unlawful orders of a plunderer, and I may say, of a
+highway robber, for what took place here last spring can be called
+nothing else but manifest robbery.'
+
+As yet Duncan Cameron had refrained from the use of force, but as
+winter wore on towards spring he saw that, to complete his work, force
+would be necessary.  The proportion of settlers remaining loyal to Lord
+Selkirk was by no means insignificant, and Cameron feared the pieces of
+artillery at Colony Gardens.  He decided on a bold effort to get these
+field-pieces into his possession.  {73} Early in April he made a
+startling move.  Miles Macdonell was away at Fort Daer, and Archibald
+Macdonald, the deputy-governor of the colony, was in charge.  To him
+Cameron sent a peremptory demand in writing for the field-pieces, that
+they might be 'out of harm's way.'
+
+This missive was first given into the hands of the traitor George
+Campbell, who read it to the settlers on Sunday after church.  Next
+day, while rations were being distributed, it was delivered to the
+deputy-governor in the colony storehouse.  About one o'clock on the
+same afternoon, George Campbell and a few kindred spirits broke into
+the building where the field-pieces were stored, took the guns outside,
+and placed them on horse-sledges for the purpose of drawing them away.
+At this juncture a musket was fired as a signal, and Duncan Cameron
+with some Bois Brûlés stole from a clump of trees.  'Well done, my
+hearty fellows,' Cameron exclaimed, as he came hurrying up.  The guns
+were borne away and lodged within the precincts of Fort Gibraltar, and
+a number of the colonists now took sides openly with Duncan Cameron and
+the Nor'westers.
+
+Meanwhile Cameron's colleague, Alexander {74} Macdonell, was not
+succeeding in his efforts to incite the Indians about Fort Qu'Appelle
+against the colony.  He found that the Indians did not lust for the
+blood of the settlers; and when he appeared at Fort Gibraltar, in May,
+he had with him only a handful of Plain Crees.  These redskins lingered
+about the fort for a time, being well supplied with liquor to make them
+pot-valiant.  During their stay a number of horses belonging to the
+settlers were wounded by arrows, but it is doubtful if the perpetrators
+of these outrages were Indians.  The chief of the Crees finally visited
+Governor Miles Macdonell, and convinced him that his warriors intended
+the colonists no ill.  Before the Indians departed they sent to Colony
+Gardens a pipe of peace--the red man's token of friendship.
+
+An equally futile attempt was made about the same time by two traders
+of the North-West Company to persuade Katawabetay, chief of the
+Chippewas, to lead a band of his tribesmen against the settlement.
+Katawabetay was at Sand Lake, just west of Lake Superior, when his
+parley with the Nor'westers took place.  The two traders promised to
+give Katawabetay and his warriors all the merchandise and rum in three
+of the {75} company's posts, if they would raise the hatchet and
+descend upon the Red River settlers.  The cautious chief wished to know
+whether this was the desire of the military authorities.  The traders
+had to confess that it was merely a wish of the North-West Company.
+Katawabetay then demurred, saying that, before beginning hostilities,
+he must speak about the matter to one of the provincial military
+leaders on St Joseph's Island, at the head of Lake Huron.
+
+Finding it impossible to get the Indians to raid the settlement,
+Cameron now adopted other methods.  His party had been increasing in
+numbers day by day.  Joined by the deserters from the colony, the
+Nor'westers pitched their camp a short distance down the river from
+Fort Gibraltar.  At this point guns were mounted, and at Fort Gibraltar
+Cameron's men were being drilled.  On June 11 a chosen company,
+furnished with loaded muskets and ammunition, were marched towards
+Governor Macdonell's house, where they concealed themselves behind some
+trees.  James White, the surgeon of the colony, was seen walking close
+to the house.  A puff of grey smoke came from the Nor'westers' cover.
+The shot went wide.  Then John Bourke, the {76} store-keeper, heard a
+bullet whiz by his head, and narrowly escaped death.  The colonists at
+once seized their arms and answered the Nor'westers' fire.  In the
+exchange of volleys, however, they were at a disadvantage, as their
+adversaries remained hidden from view.  When the Nor'westers decamped,
+four persons on the colonists' side had been wounded.
+
+Apparently there was no longer security for life or property among
+those still adhering to Lord Selkirk's cause at Colony Gardens.  Duncan
+Cameron, employing a subterfuge, now said that his main object was to
+capture Governor Macdonell.  If this were accomplished he would leave
+the settlers unmolested.  In order to safeguard the colony Macdonell
+voluntarily surrendered himself to the Nor'westers.  Cameron was
+jubilant.  With the loyal settlers worsted and almost defenceless, and
+the governor of Assiniboia his prisoner, he could dictate his own
+terms.  He issued an explicit command that the settlers must vacate the
+Red River without delay.  A majority of the settlers decided to obey,
+and their exodus began under Cameron's guidance.  About one hundred and
+forty, inclusive of women and children, stepped into the canoes of the
+North-West Company to be borne away {77} to Canada.  Miles Macdonell
+was taken to Montreal under arrest.
+
+The forty or fifty colonists who still clung to their homes at Colony
+Gardens were left to be dealt with by Alexander Macdonell, who was
+nothing loath to finish Cameron's work of destruction.  Once more
+muskets were brought into play; horses and cattle belonging to the
+settlers were spirited away; and several of the colonists were placed
+under arrest on trumped-up charges.  These dastardly tactics were
+followed by an organized attempt to raid the settlement.  On June 25 a
+troop of Bois Brûlés gathered on horseback, armed to the teeth and led
+by Alexander Macdonell and a half-breed named Cuthbert Grant.  The
+settlers, though mustering barely one-half the strength of the raiders,
+resolved to make a stand, and placed themselves under the command of
+John M'Leod, a trader in the service of the Hudson's Bay Company.  The
+Bois Brûlés bore down upon the settlement in menacing array.  The
+colonists took what shelter they could find and prepared for battle.
+Fighting coolly, they made their shots tell.  The advancing column
+hesitated and halted in dismay at the courage of the defenders.  Then
+John M'Leod {78} remembered a cannon which was rusting unused at the
+small post which the Hudson's Bay Company had on the river.  Hugh
+M'Lean and two others were ordered to haul this to the blacksmith's
+shanty.  The three men soon found the cannon, and set it up in the
+smithy.  For shot, cart chains were chopped into sections; and the Bois
+Brûlés were treated to a raking volley of 'chain shot.'  This was
+something they had not looked for; their courage failed them, and they
+galloped out of range.
+
+But the remnant of Lord Selkirk's settlers who had dared to linger on
+the Red River were at the end of their resources.  Taking counsel
+together, they resolved to quit the colony.  They launched their boats
+on the river, and followed the canoe route which led to Hudson Bay.
+They were accompanied by a band of Indians of the Saulteaux tribe as
+far as the entrance to Lake Winnipeg.  From there a short journey
+placed them outside the boundaries of Assiniboia.  When they arrived at
+the northern end of Lake Winnipeg they found a temporary refuge, in the
+vicinity of Norway House, on the Jack river.
+
+Alexander Macdonell and his Bois Brûlés were now free utterly to blot
+out Colony {79} Gardens.  They visited every part of the settlement and
+set fire to everything.  Not a single house was left standing.  Cabins,
+storehouses, the colony's grinding mill--all were reduced to a mass of
+ruins.  Cameron's duplicity had been crowned with success; Alexander
+Macdonell's armed marauders had finished the task; Lord Selkirk's
+colony of farmers-in-the-making was scattered far and wide.
+Nevertheless, the Nor'westers were not undisputed masters of the
+situation.  In the Hudson's Bay smithy, but ten feet square, four men
+continued the struggle.  John M'Leod, James M'Intosh, and Archibald
+Currie, of the Hudson's Bay Company, defended their trading-post, with
+the assistance of 'noble Hugh M'Lean,' the only settler remaining on
+the Red River banks.  By day and by night these men were forced to keep
+watch and ward.  Whenever the Bois Brûlés drew near, the 'chain shot'
+drove them hurriedly to cover.  At length the enemy withdrew, and
+M'Leod and his comrades walked out to survey the scene of desolation.
+
+
+
+[1] After it had been discovered that the Grand Portage was situated
+partly on land awarded by treaty to the United States, the Nor'westers,
+in 1803, had erected a new factory thirty or forty miles farther north
+where the Kaministikwia river enters Thunder Bay.  This post became
+their chief fur emporium west of Montreal, and was given the name Fort
+William as a tribute to William M'Gillivray, one of the leading
+partners in the company.
+
+
+
+
+{80}
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+COLIN ROBERTSON, THE AVENGER
+
+Three years of self-sacrificing effort seemed to have been wasted.  The
+colony of Assiniboia was no more; its site was free to wandering
+redskins and greedy traders.  Yet, at the very time when the colonists
+were being dispersed, succour was not far off.  Lord Selkirk had
+received alarming news some time before, and at his solicitation Colin
+Robertson had hired a band of voyageurs, and was speeding forward with
+them to defend the settlement.  Since 1811, when we saw him recruiting
+settlers for Lord Selkirk in Scotland, Colin Robertson had been in the
+service of the Hudson's Bay Company.  Having been a servant of the
+Nor'westers he knew the value of Canadian canoemen in the fur trade,
+and, on his advice, the Hudson's Bay Company now imitated its rival by
+employing voyageurs.  In temperament Colin was dour but audacious, a
+common type among the men of the Outer {81} Hebrides, and he had a
+grievance to avenge.  He was sprung from the Robertson clan, which did
+not easily forget or forgive.  He still remembered his quarrel with
+Crooked-armed Macdonald on the Saskatchewan.  In his mind was the
+goading thought that he was a cast-off servant of the North-West
+Company; and he yearned for the day when he might exact retribution for
+his injuries, some of them real, some fancied.
+
+It thus happened that before the final crisis came help was well on the
+way.  When the party of rescuers arrived, the charred and deserted
+dwellings of Colony Gardens told their wordless story.  They had come
+too late.  It is quite possible that the newcomers had met by the way
+the throng of settlers who were bound for Canada, or at least had heard
+of their departure from the Red River.  It is less likely that before
+arriving they had learned of the destruction of the settlement.  A
+portion of the colonists still remained in the country, and Colin
+Robertson thought that he might yet save the situation.  He had done
+all that Lord Selkirk had instructed him to do, and he now took further
+action on his own initiative.  At his command the sun-tanned voyageurs
+descended to the {82} river bank and launched their light canoes on the
+current.  Down-stream, and northward along Lake Winnipeg, the party
+travelled, until they reached the exiles' place of refuge on the Jack
+river.
+
+Robertson's resolute demeanour inspired the settlers with new courage,
+and they decided to go back with him and rebuild their homes.  Before
+the summer was spent they were once more on the Red River.  To their
+surprise the plots of ground which they had sown along the banks had
+suffered less than they had expected.  During their absence John M'Leod
+had watchfully husbanded the precious crops, and from the land he so
+carefully tended fifteen hundred bushels of wheat were realized--the
+first 'bumper' crop garnered within the borders of what are now the
+prairie provinces of Canada.  M'Leod had built fences, had cut and
+stacked the matured hay, and had even engaged men to erect new
+buildings and to repair some of those which had escaped utter
+destruction.  Near the spot where the colonists had landed in 1812 he
+had selected an appropriate site and had begun to erect a large
+domicile for the governor.  'It was of two stories,' wrote M'Leod in
+his diary, {83} 'with main timbers of oak; a good substantial house.'
+
+John M'Leod was a man of faith.  He expected that Lord Selkirk's colony
+would soon be again firmly on its feet, and he was not to be
+disappointed.  A fourth contingent of settlers arrived during the month
+of October 1815, having left Scotland in the spring.  This band
+comprised upwards of ninety persons, nearly all natives of Kildonan.
+These were the most energetic body of settlers so far enlisted by the
+Earl of Selkirk.  They experienced, of course, great disappointment on
+their arrival.  Instead of finding a flourishing settlement, they saw
+the ruins of the habitations of their predecessors, and found that many
+friends whom they hoped would greet them had been enticed or driven
+away.
+
+Along with these colonists came an important dignitary sent out by the
+Hudson's Bay Company.  The 'Adventurers of England trading into
+Hudson's Bay' were now alarmed regarding the outlook for furs in the
+interior, and the general court of their stockholders had taken a new
+and important step.  It was decided to appoint a resident
+governor-in-chief, with power not merely over the colony of Assiniboia,
+but over all the company's {84} trading-posts as well.  The man chosen
+to fill this office was Robert Semple, a British army captain on the
+retired list.  He was a man of upright character and bull-dog courage,
+but he lacked the patience and diplomacy necessary for the problem with
+which he had to deal.  Another to arrive with the contingent was Elder
+James Sutherland, who had been authorized by the Church of Scotland to
+baptize and to perform the marriage ceremony.
+
+The occupants of Fort Gibraltar viewed the replanting of the settlement
+with baleful resentment.  Their ranks were augmented during the autumn
+by a wayfarer from the east who hung up his musket at the fort and
+assumed control.  This was none other than Duncan Cameron, returned
+from Canada, with the plaudits of some of his fellow-partners still
+ringing in his ears.  To Colin Robertson the presence of Cameron at
+Fort Gibraltar was not of happy augury for the settlers' welfare.
+Robertson decided on prompt and radical action.  In a word, he
+determined to take the Nor'westers' post by surprise.  His raid was
+successful.  The field-pieces and the property of the colonists which
+had been carried away in June were recovered.  {85} Cameron himself was
+made a prisoner.  But he was not held long.  The man was a born actor
+and a smooth talker.  In all seeming humility he now made specious
+promises of future good behaviour, and was allowed to return to his
+fort.
+
+The houses of the colonists were ranged in succession along the Red
+River until they reached an elevated spot called Frog Plain.  Some of
+the houses appear to have been situated on Frog Plain as well.  Along
+the river, running north and south, was a road worn smooth by constant
+traffic.  The spacious residence for the governor reared by John
+M'Leod, and the other buildings grouped about it, were surrounded by a
+strong palisade.  To the whole the name of Fort Douglas was now given.
+In spite, however, of their seeming prosperity, the settlers found it
+necessary to migrate for the winter to the basin of the Pembina in
+order to obtain food.  But again they found that the buffalo were many
+miles from Fort Daer, and the insufficiently clad winterers suffered
+greatly.  They were disturbed, too, by frequent rumours of coming
+danger.  The 'New Nation,' as the half-breeds chose to call themselves,
+were gathering, it was said, from every quarter, and with {86} the
+breaking up of winter would descend like a scourge upon the colony.
+
+The trouble brewing for the settlement was freely discussed among the
+Nor'westers.  About the middle of March 1816 Alexander Macdonell sent a
+note to Duncan Cameron from Fort Qu'Appelle.  'A storm is gathering in
+the north,' declared Macdonell, 'ready to burst on the rascals who
+deserve it; little do they know their situation.  Last year was but a
+joke.  The New Nation under their leaders are coming forward to clear
+their native soil of intruders and assassins.'  A few words written at
+the same time by Cuthbert Grant show how the plans of the Bois Brûlés
+were maturing.  'The Half-breeds of Fort des Prairies and English River
+are all to be here in the spring,' he asserted; 'it is to be hoped we
+shall come off with flying colours.'
+
+Early in 1816 Governor Semple, who had been at Fort Daer, returned to
+Fort Douglas.  Apparently he entertained no wholesome fears of the
+impending danger, for, instead of trying to conciliate his opponents,
+he embittered them by new acts of aggression.  In April, for the second
+time, Colin Robertson, acting on the governor's instructions, captured
+Fort {87} Gibraltar.  Again was Duncan Cameron taken prisoner, and this
+time he was held.  It was decided that he should be carried to England
+for trial.  In charge of Colin Robertson, Cameron was sent by canoe to
+York Factory.  But no vessel of the Hudson's Bay Company was leaving
+for England during the summer of 1816, and the prisoner was detained
+until the following year.  When at length he was brought to trial, it
+was found impossible to convict him of any crime, and he was
+discharged.  Subsequently Cameron entered a suit against Lord Selkirk
+for illegal detention, asking damages, and the court awarded him £3000.
+
+Shortly after Colin Robertson had departed with his prisoner, Governor
+Semple decided to dismantle Fort Gibraltar, and towards the end of May
+thirty men were sent to work to tear it down.  Its encircling rampart
+was borne to the river and formed into a raft.  Upon this the salvage
+of the demolished fort--a great mass of structural material--was driven
+down-stream to Fort Douglas and there utilized.
+
+The tempest which Alexander Macdonell had presaged burst upon the
+colony soon after this demolition of Fort Gibraltar.  The {88}
+incidents leading up to an outbreak of hostilities have been narrated
+by Pierre Pambrun, a French Canadian.  In April Pambrun had been
+commissioned by Governor Semple to go to the Hudson's Bay fort on the
+Qu'Appelle river.  Hard by this was the Nor'westers' trading-post,
+called Fort Qu'Appelle.  Pambrun remarks upon the great number of
+half-breeds who had gathered at the North-West Company's depot.  Many
+of them had come from a great distance.  Some were from the upper
+Saskatchewan; others were from Cumberland House, situated near the
+mouth of the same river.  Pambrun says that during the first days of
+May he went eastward along with George Sutherland, a factor of the
+Hudson's Bay Company on the Qu'Appelle, and a number of Sutherland's
+men.  The party journeyed in five boats, and had with them twenty-two
+bales of furs and six hundred bags of pemmican.  On May 12 they were
+attacked on their way down the river by an armed force of forty-nine
+Nor'westers, under the leadership of Cuthbert Grant and Peter Pangman.
+All were made prisoners and conducted back to Fort Qu'Appelle, where
+they were told by Alexander Macdonell that the seizure had been {89}
+made because of Colin Robertson's descent upon Fort Gibraltar.  After
+five days' imprisonment George Sutherland and the servants of the
+Hudson's Bay Company were released.  This did not mean, however, any
+approach of peace.  Pierre Pambrun was still held in custody.  Before
+the close of May Macdonell caused the furs and provisions which his men
+had purloined from Sutherland's party to be placed in boats, and he
+began to move down the Qu'Appelle, taking Pambrun with him.  A band of
+Bois Brûlés on their horses kept pace with the boats.  At the
+confluence of the Qu'Appelle and the Assiniboine Macdonell made a
+speech to a body of Saulteaux, and endeavoured to induce some of them
+to join his expedition to the Red River.  The Hudson's Bay post of
+Brandon House, farther along the Assiniboine, was captured by Cuthbert
+Grant, with about twenty-five men under his command, and stripped of
+all its stores.  Then the combined force of half-breeds, French
+Canadians, and Indians, in round numbers amounting to one hundred and
+twenty men, advanced to Portage la Prairie.  They reached this point on
+or about June 16, and proceeded to make it a stronghold.  They arranged
+bales of {90} pemmican to form a rude fortification and planted two
+brass swivel-guns for defence.  They were preparing for war, for the
+Nor'westers had now resolved finally to uproot Lord Selkirk's colony
+from the banks of the Red River.
+
+
+
+
+{91}
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+SEVEN OAKS
+
+In the meantime, far removed from the Red River, other events bearing
+upon this story were happening.  The Earl of Selkirk had had many
+troubles, and early in 1815 he was again filled with anxiety by news
+received in Scotland concerning the imperilled condition of Assiniboia.
+In consequence of these evil tidings he was led to petition Lord
+Bathurst, secretary for War and the Colonies in the administration of
+Lord Liverpool, and to ask that some protection should be afforded his
+colonists, who were loyal subjects of the crown.  Lord Bathurst acted
+promptly.  He wrote in March to Sir Gordon Drummond, administrator of
+the government of Canada, saying that Lord Selkirk's request should be
+granted and that action should be taken in Canada to protect the
+colony.  But Sir Gordon Drummond, after looking into the matter,
+decided not to grant the protection which {92} Selkirk desired.  He had
+reasons, which he sent to the British minister.
+
+By this time the affairs of his colony had come to such a sorry pass
+that Lord Selkirk felt it necessary to travel to America.  Accordingly,
+in the autumn of 1815, he embarked for New York, accompanied by Lady
+Selkirk and his three children, Dunbar, Isabella, and Katherine.
+Arriving on November 15, he heard for the first time of the overthrow
+of his colony through the machinations of Duncan Cameron and Alexander
+Macdonell.  At once he hastened to Montreal, where he received from
+eye-witnesses a more detailed version of the occurrence.  Many of the
+settlers brought to the east were indignant at the treatment they had
+received at the hands of the Nor'westers and were prepared to testify
+against them.  In view of this, Lord Selkirk applied to magistrates at
+York (Toronto) and Montreal, desiring that affidavits should be taken
+from certain of the settlers with respect to their experiences on the
+Red River.  In this way he hoped to accumulate a mass of evidence which
+should strengthen his plea for military assistance from the Canadian
+government.  Among those whom Selkirk met in Montreal was {93} Miles
+Macdonell.  The former governor of Assiniboia was then awaiting trial
+on charges brought against him by officers of the North-West Company.
+He was never tried, however, for the charges were dropped later on.
+
+In November Lord Selkirk saw Sir Gordon Drummond and urged that help be
+sent to Assiniboia.  From this time until the expiration of Drummond's
+term of office (May 1816) a correspondence on this question was kept up
+between the two men.  No steps, however, were taken by Drummond to
+accede to Selkirk's wishes, nor did he inform Selkirk officially why
+his requests were denied.  During the winter news of the restoration of
+the colony was brought to Selkirk by a French Canadian named
+Laguimonière, who had travelled two thousand miles on foot with the
+information.  On receipt of this news Selkirk became even more urgent
+in his appeals for armed assistance.  'If, however, your Excellency,'
+he wrote to Drummond on April 23, 'persevere in your intention to do
+nothing till you receive further instructions, there is a probability
+almost amounting to a certainty that another season must be lost before
+the requisite force can be sent up--during another year the settlers
+must remain exposed to {94} attack, and there is every reason to expect
+that in consequence of this delay many lives may be lost.'
+
+Lord Selkirk wished to send a message of encouragement to his people in
+the colony.  Laguimonière, the wonderful Canadian wood-runner, would
+carry it.  He wrote a number of letters, telling of his arrival in
+Canada, giving assurance of his deep concern for the settlement's
+welfare, and promising to come to the aid of the colonists as soon as
+the rivers were free of ice, with whatever force he could muster.
+Bearing these letters, the messenger set out on his journey over the
+wild spaces between Montreal and the Red River.  In some way his
+mission became known to the Nor'westers at Fort William, for on June 3
+Archibald Norman M'Leod, a partner of the North-West Company, issued an
+order that Selkirk's courier should be intercepted.  Near Fond du Lac,
+at the western end of Lake Superior, Laguimonière was waylaid and
+robbed.  The letters which he carried were taken to Fort William, where
+several of them were found later.
+
+As we have seen in the last chapter, it was in this same month that
+Alexander Macdonell, at Portage la Prairie, was organizing his {95}
+half-breeds for a raid on Fort Douglas.  His brigade, as finally made
+up, consisted of about seventy Bois Brûlés, Canadians, and Indians, all
+well armed and mounted.  As soon as these troopers were ready to
+advance, Macdonell surrendered the leadership to Cuthbert Grant,
+deeming it wise not to take part in the raid himself.  The marauders
+then marched out in the direction of the settlement.
+
+The settlers in the meantime were not wholly oblivious of the danger
+threatening them.  There was a general feeling of insecurity in the
+colony, and a regular watch had been instituted at Fort Douglas to
+guard against a surprise attack.  Governor Semple, however, did not
+seem to take a very serious view of the situation.  He was about to
+depart to York Factory on business.  But a rough awakening came.  On
+June 17 two Cree Indians arrived at Fort Douglas with the alarming
+tidings that in two days an attack would be made upon the settlement.[1]
+
+About five o'clock in the afternoon of June 19, a boy who was stationed
+in the {96} watch-house of the fort cried out that he saw a party of
+half-breeds approaching.  Thereupon Governor Semple hurried to the
+watch-house and scanned the plains through a glass.  He saw a troop of
+horsemen moving towards the Red River--evidently heading for a point
+some distance to the north of Fort Douglas.
+
+'We must go out to meet these people,' said Governor Semple: 'let
+twenty men follow me.'
+
+There was a prompt response to the call, and Semple led his volunteers
+out of the fort and towards the advancing horsemen.  He had not gone
+far when he met a number of colonists, running towards Fort Douglas and
+shouting in wild excitement:
+
+'The half-breeds! the half-breeds!'
+
+Governor Semple now sent John Bourke back to Fort Douglas for one of
+the guns, and instructed him to bring up whatever men could be spared
+from among those garrisoning the fort.  The advance party halted to
+wait until these should arrive; but at length Semple grew impatient and
+ordered his men to advance without them.  The Nor'westers had concealed
+themselves behind a clump of trees.  As Semple approached they galloped
+out, extended their line into a half-moon {97} formation, and bore down
+to meet him.  They were dressed as Indian warriors and painted in
+hideous fashion.  The force was well equipped with guns, knives, bows
+and arrows, and spears.
+
+A solitary horseman emerged from the hostile squadron and rode towards
+Governor Semple.  This was François Boucher, a French-Canadian clerk in
+the employ of the North-West Company, son of a tavern-keeper in
+Montreal.  Ostensibly his object was to parley with the governor.
+Boucher waved his hand, shouting aloud:
+
+'What do you want?'
+
+Semple took his reply from the French Canadian's mouth.  'What do _you_
+want?' he questioned in plainer English.
+
+'We want our fort,' said Boucher.
+
+'Go to your fort,' answered Semple.
+
+'Why did you destroy our fort, you d--d rascal?' exclaimed the French
+Canadian.
+
+The two were now at close quarters, and Governor Semple had seized the
+bridle of Boucher's horse.
+
+'Scoundrel, do you tell me so?' he said.
+
+Pritchard says that the governor grasped Boucher's gun, no doubt
+expecting an attack upon his person.  The French Canadian leapt {98}
+from his horse, and at this instant a shot rang out from the column of
+the Nor'westers.  Lieutenant Holt, a clerk in the colony's service,
+fell struggling upon the ground.  Boucher ran in the direction of his
+own party, and soon there was the sound of another musket.  This time
+Governor Semple was struck in the thigh.  He called at once to his men:
+
+'Do what you can to take care of yourselves.'
+
+The band ignored this behest, and gathered round him to ascertain the
+extent of his injury.  The Nor'westers now began to bring the two ends
+of their column together, and soon Semple's party was surrounded.  The
+fact that their foe was now helpless did not keep the Nor'westers from
+pouring in a destructive fire.  Most of Semple's men fell at the first
+volley.  The few left standing pulled off their hats and begged for
+mercy.  A certain Captain Rogers hastened towards the line of the
+Nor'westers and threw up his hands.  He was followed by John Pritchard.
+One of the Bois Brûlés shot Rogers in the head and another rushed on
+him and stabbed him with a knife.  Luckily Pritchard was confronted by
+a French Canadian, named {99} Augustin Lavigne, whom he had formerly
+known and who now protected him from butchery.
+
+The wounded governor lay stretched upon the ground.  Supporting his
+head with his hand, he addressed Cuthbert Grant:
+
+'I am not mortally wounded,' he said, 'and if you could get me conveyed
+to the fort, I think I should live.'
+
+Grant promised to comply with the request.  He left the governor in
+charge of one of his men and went away, but during his absence an
+Indian approached and shot Semple to death.
+
+Meanwhile John Bourke had gone back for a field-piece and for
+reinforcements.  Bourke reached the fort, but after he had placed the
+small cannon in a cart he was permitted by those in the fort to take
+only one man away with him.  He and his companion began to drag the
+cart down the road.  Suddenly they were startled by the sound of the
+musketry fire in the distance which had struck down Semple's party.
+Fearing lest they might lose the gun, the pair turned back towards the
+fort.  On their way they were met by ten men from Fort Douglas,
+hurrying to the scene of the conflict.  Bourke told his {100} comrade
+to take the field-piece inside the fort, and himself joined the rescue
+party.  But they were too late: when they arrived at the scene of the
+struggle they could effect nothing.
+
+'Give up your arms,' was the command of the Nor'westers.
+
+The eleven men, seeing that resistance on their part would be useless,
+took to their heels.  The Nor'westers fired; one of the fleeing men was
+killed and John Bourke was severely wounded.  For the numbers engaged
+the carnage was terrible.  Of the party which had left Fort Douglas
+with Governor Semple there were but six survivors.  Michael Heden and
+Daniel M'Kay had run to the riverside during the _mêlée_.  They
+succeeded in getting across in a canoe and arrived at Fort Douglas the
+same night.  Michael Kilkenny and George Sutherland escaped by swimming
+the river.  In addition to John Pritchard, another prisoner, Anthony
+Macdonell, had been spared.  The total number of the dead was
+twenty-three.  Among the slain were Rogers, the governor's secretary,
+Doctor Wilkinson, Alexander M'Lean, the most enterprising settler in
+the colony, and Surgeon James White.  The Irish colonists suffered
+severely in proportion to their number: they lost {101} seven in all.
+The Nor'westers had one man killed and one wounded.  This sanguinary
+encounter, which took place beside the highway leading along the Red
+River to Frog Plain, is known as the massacre of Seven Oaks.
+
+There was much disappointment among the Nor'westers when they learned
+that Colin Robertson was not in the colony.  Cuthbert Grant vowed that
+Robertson would have been scalped had he been captured.  'They would
+have cut his body into small bits,' said Pritchard, 'and boiled it
+afterwards for the dogs.'  Pritchard himself was carried as a prisoner
+to Frog Plain, where the Nor'westers made their encampment.  A savage
+spirit had been aroused.  Pritchard found that even yet the lust for
+blood had not been sated, and that it would be necessary to plead for
+the wives and children of the colonists.  He remonstrated with Cuthbert
+Grant and urged him not to forget that the women of the settlement were
+of his dead father's people.  At length the half-breed leader softened,
+and agreed that Pritchard should act as a mediator.  Grant was willing
+that the settlers should go in peace, if the public property of the
+colony were given up.  Pritchard made three trips between Grant's
+headquarters and the fort {102} before an agreement was reached.  'On
+my arrival at the fort,' he said, 'what a scene of distress presented
+itself!  The widows, children and relations of the slain, in horrors of
+despair, were lamenting the dead,[2] and were trembling for the safety
+of the survivors.'
+
+On the morning of June 20 Cuthbert Grant himself, with over a score of
+his followers, went to Fort Douglas.  It was then agreed that the
+settlers should abandon their homes and that the fort should be
+evacuated.  An inventory was made of the goods of the colony, and the
+terms of surrender were signed by Cuthbert Grant as a clerk and
+representative of the North-West Company.  Contrary to Grant's
+promises, the private effects of the colonists were overhauled and
+looted.  Michael Heden records that even his clothes and blankets were
+stolen.
+
+On the evening of the same day a messenger presented himself at Portage
+la Prairie bringing Alexander Macdonell an account of the massacre.
+Pierre Pambrun declares that {103} Macdonell and others who were with
+him became hilarious with joy.  'Good news,' shouted Macdonell in
+French, as he conveyed the tidings to his associates.
+
+Again disaster had overtaken Lord Selkirk's plans.  The second
+desolation of his colony and expulsion of his colonists occurred on
+June 22, 1816.  The evicted people set out in canoes down the Red
+River.  Michael Heden and John Bourke both declared that the number of
+those who embarked was approximately two hundred.  This total would
+appear, however, to be much too large, unless additions had been made
+to the colony of which we have no documentary evidence.  Some
+French-Canadian families had settled at 'the Forks,' it is true, but
+these were not numerous enough to bring the population of the
+settlement to two hundred persons, leaving uncounted the number who had
+lately perished.
+
+On June 24, as the exiles were proceeding down the river, they met nine
+or ten canoes and one bateau.  In these were almost a hundred armed
+Nor'westers under the command of Archibald Norman M'Leod of Fort
+William.  M'Leod's purpose was apparently to assist in the
+extermination of the colony.  His first question of the party
+travelling {104} northward was 'whether that rascal and scoundrel
+Robertson was in the boats.'  When he was told of the calamity which
+had befallen Governor Semple and his band, he ordered all the exiles
+ashore.  By virtue of his office as a magistrate for the Indian
+Territories he wished to examine them.[3]
+
+He searched the baggage belonging to the evicted settlers and
+scrutinized their books and papers.  'Those who play at bowls,'
+remarked 'Justice' M'Leod, 'must expect to meet with rubbers.'
+Pritchard was told to write his version of the recent transactions at
+'the Forks,' and did so; but his account did not please M'Leod.  'You
+have drawn up a pretty paper,' he grumbled; 'you had better take care
+of yourself, or you will get into a scrape.'
+
+Michael Heden also was examined as to his knowledge of the matter.
+When M'Leod heard the answers of Heden he was even more wrathful.
+
+'They are all lies,' he declared with emphasis.
+
+{105}
+
+The result of M'Leod's judicial procedure was that five of the party
+were detained and placed under arrest.  The others were allowed to
+proceed on their way.  John Bourke was charged with felony, and Michael
+Heden and Patrick Corcoran were served with subpoenas to give evidence
+for the crown against him, on September 1, at Montreal.  John Pritchard
+and Daniel M'Kay were among the five detained, presumably as crown
+witnesses.  After some delay--M'Leod had to visit Fort Douglas and the
+neighbourhood--the prisoners were sent on the long journey to Fort
+William on Lake Superior.  Bourke was at once stripped of his valuables
+and placed in irons, regardless of the fact that his wound was causing
+him intense suffering.  During the whole of the journey he was
+compelled to lie manacled on a pile of baggage in one of the canoes.
+
+
+Fort Douglas on the Red River was still standing, but the character of
+its occupants had changed radically.  At first Cuthbert Grant took
+command, but he soon made way for Alexander Macdonell, who reached Fort
+Douglas shortly after the affair at Seven Oaks.  When Archibald Norman
+M'Leod appeared, he was the senior officer in authority, and he {106}
+took up his residence in the apartments of the late Governor Semple.
+One day M'Leod and some followers rode over to an encampment of Crees
+and Saulteaux near the ruins of Fort Gibraltar.  Here M'Leod collected
+and harangued the Indians.  He upbraided them for their failure to
+interfere when Duncan Cameron had been forcibly removed to Hudson Bay,
+and he spoke harshly of their sympathy for the colonists when the
+Nor'westers had found it necessary to drive them away.  Peguis, chief
+of the Saulteaux and the leading figure in the Indian camp, listened
+attentively, but remained stolidly taciturn.  On the evening of the
+same day the Nor'westers returned to Fort Douglas and indulged in some
+of their wildest revelries.  The Bois Brûlés stripped themselves naked
+and celebrated their recent triumph in a wild and savage orgy, while
+their more staid companions looked on with approval.
+
+According to the testimony of Augustin Lavigne, M'Leod during his stay
+at Fort Douglas publicly made the following promise to an assembly of
+Bois Brûlés: 'My kinsmen, my comrades, who have helped us in the time
+of need; I have brought clothing for you  I expected to have found
+about forty of you {107} here with Mr Macdonell, but there are more of
+you.  I have forty suits of clothing.  Those who are most in need of
+them may have these, and on the arrival of the canoes in autumn, the
+rest of you shall be clothed likewise.'
+
+
+
+[1] For the details of the tragedy which now occurred we are chiefly
+indebted to the accounts of John Pritchard, a former Nor'wester, who
+had settled with his family at the Red River, of Michael Heden, a
+blacksmith connected with the settlement, and of John Bourke, the
+colony store-keeper.
+
+[2] Some of the dead were afterwards taken from the field of Seven Oaks
+to Fort Douglas by Cree and Saulteaux Indians.  These received decent
+burial, but the others, lying uninterred as they had fallen, became a
+prey to the wild beasts of the prairie.
+
+[3] An act of the Imperial parliament of 1803 had transferred
+jurisdiction in the case of offences committed in the Indian
+Territories from Great Britain to Canada, and had allowed the Canadian
+authorities to appoint magistrates for these rather undefined regions.
+M'Leod was one of these magistrates.
+
+
+
+
+{108}
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+LORD SELKIRK'S JOURNEY
+
+We left Lord Selkirk at Montreal.  Several days before the massacre of
+Seven Oaks he had completed the preparations for his journey to the
+west, and was hastening forward in the hope of arriving at the Red
+River in time to save his colony.  He had secured his own appointment
+as justice of the peace for Upper Canada and the Indian Territories,
+and also the promise of a bodyguard of one non-commissioned officer and
+six men for his personal defence.  This much he had obtained from the
+Canadian authorities.  They remained unwilling, however, to send armed
+aid to Assiniboia.  This want Lord Selkirk was himself supplying, for
+he was bringing with him a fresh contingent of settlers--of a class
+hitherto unknown among his colonists.  These new settlers were trained
+soldiers, disciplined and tried in active service on many a battlefield.
+
+{109}
+
+The close of the War of 1812 by the Treaty of Ghent, signed on December
+24,1814, had left in Canada several battalions of regular soldiers
+under colours.  In the early summer of 1816 orders were issued that the
+De Meuron regiment, in barracks at Montreal, and the Watteville
+regiment, stationed at Kingston, should be honourably disbanded.  These
+regiments were composed of Swiss, Italian, and other mercenaries who
+had fought for Great Britain in her struggle with Napoleon.  In 1809
+the De Meuron regiment had been sent from Gibraltar to the island of
+Malta.  In 1813 it had been transported to Canada with the reputation
+of being 'as fine and well-appointed a regiment as any in his Majesty's
+service.'  It consisted of more than a thousand men, with seventy-five
+officers.  The Watteville regiment, a force equally large, had landed
+at Quebec on June 10, 1813.  Its ensign indicated that it had been in
+the campaigns waged against France in the Spanish peninsula and had
+served under Sir John Stuart in southern Italy.
+
+About two hundred of the disbanded De Meurons desired to remain in
+Canada, and Selkirk at once sought to interest them in his western
+enterprise.  Four officers--Captains {110} Matthey and D'Orsonnens and
+Lieutenants Graffenreid and Fauché--and about eighty of the rank and
+file were willing to enlist.  It was agreed that they should receive
+allotments of land in Assiniboia on the terms granted to the settlers
+who had formerly gone from Scotland and Ireland.  They were to be
+supplied with the necessary agricultural implements, and each was to be
+given a musket for hunting or for defence.  Their wages were to be
+eight dollars a month for manning the boats which should take them to
+their destination.  In case the settlement should not be to their
+liking, Lord Selkirk pledged himself to transport them to Europe free
+of cost, by way of either Montreal or Hudson Bay.
+
+On June 4 the contingent of men and officers began their journey from
+Montreal up the St Lawrence.  At Kingston a halt was made while Captain
+Matthey, acting for the Earl of Selkirk, enlisted twenty more veterans
+of the Watteville regiment.  It is stated that an officer and several
+privates from another disbanded regiment, the Glengarry Fencibles, were
+also engaged as settlers, but it is not clear at what point they joined
+the party.  When all was ready for the long journey, the combined
+forces skirted the northern shore {111} of Lake Ontario from Kingston,
+until they reached York, the capital of Upper Canada.  Thence their
+route lay to Georgian Bay by way of Lake Simcoe and the Severn.
+
+Lord Selkirk left Montreal on June 16, following in the wake of his
+new-won colonists, and overtook them at the entrance into Georgian Bay.
+Apparently he went over the same route, for he crossed Lake Simcoe.
+Information is lacking as to his companions.  Miles Macdonell could not
+have been with him, for Macdonell had been sent forward earlier with a
+small body of men in light canoes that he might reach the settlement in
+advance of Lord Selkirk.  One hundred and twenty Canadian voyageurs had
+been recently engaged to go to Assiniboia in the service of the
+Hudson's Bay Company.  Possibly these canoemen accompanied Selkirk on
+the first stages of his journey.
+
+On Drummond Island, at the head of Lake Huron, was situated the most
+westerly military station maintained by the government of Upper Canada.
+Here Lord Selkirk halted and allowed his company to go on in advance
+into the straits of St Mary.  At the military post at Drummond Island
+he was furnished with the promised escort of six men under a {112}
+non-commissioned officer of the 37th regiment.  On July 22 he was
+present at a council held on the island by the Indian authorities
+stationed there.  One of the principal figures at this council was
+Katawabetay, chief of the Chippewas, from Sand Lake.  On being
+questioned, Katawabetay told of his refusal the year before to join the
+Nor'westers in an attack on the Red River Colony; he also declared that
+an attempt had been made during the previous spring by a trader named
+Grant to have some of his young Chippewas waylay Lord Selkirk's
+messenger, Laguimonière, near Fond du Lac.  Grant had offered
+Katawabetay two kegs of rum and some tobacco, but the bribe was
+refused.  The Ottawa Indians, not the Chippewas, had waylaid the
+messenger.  This trader Grant had told Katawabetay that he was going to
+the Red River 'to fight the settlers.'[1]
+
+Lord Selkirk put a question to Katawabetay.
+
+'Are the Indians about the Red River, or that part of the country you
+come from,' asked the earl through an interpreter, 'pleased {113} or
+displeased at the people settling at the Red River?'
+
+'At the commencement of the settlement at Red River, some of the
+Indians did not like it,' answered the chief, 'but at present they are
+all glad of its being settled.'
+
+Meanwhile the party which had gone on in advance had entered the St
+Mary's river, connecting Lakes Huron and Superior, had crossed the
+half-mile portage of the Sault Rapids, and had pitched their camp some
+distance farther up-stream.  Before the end of July Lord Selkirk was
+again among them.  He gave the order to advance, and the boats were
+launched.  But, only a few miles out from Sault Ste Marie, there
+suddenly appeared two canoes, in one of which was Miles Macdonell.  For
+the first time Lord Selkirk now learned of the disaster which had
+befallen the colony in the month of June.  Macdonell had gone as far as
+the mouth of the Winnipeg before he learned the news.  Now he was able
+to tell Lord Selkirk of the massacre of Semple and his men, of the
+eviction of the settlers, and of the forcible detention of those sent
+by M'Leod to the Nor'westers' trading-post at Fort William.
+
+Selkirk had entertained the hope of averting a calamity at the
+settlement by bringing {114} in enough retired soldiers to preserve
+order.  But this hope was now utterly blasted.  He might, however, use
+the resources of the law against the traders at Fort William, and this
+he decided to attempt.  He was, however, in a peculiar position.  He
+had, it is true, been created a justice of the peace, but it would seem
+hardly proper for him to try lawbreakers who were attacking his own
+personal interests.  Accordingly, before finally setting out for Fort
+William, he begged Magistrate John Askin, of Drummond Island, and
+Magistrate Ermatinger, of Sault Ste Marie, to accompany him.  But
+neither of these men could leave his duties.  When Selkirk thus failed
+to secure disinterested judges, he determined to act under the
+authority with which he had been vested.  In a letter, dated July 29,
+to Sir John Sherbrooke, the recently appointed governor of Canada, he
+referred with some uneasiness to the position in which he found
+himself.  'I am therefore reduced to the alternative of acting alone,'
+he wrote, 'or of allowing an audacious crime to pass unpunished.  In
+these circumstances, I cannot doubt that it is my duty to act, though I
+am not without apprehension that the law may be openly resisted by a
+set of men who {115} have been accustomed to consider force as the only
+criterion of right.'
+
+Selkirk advanced to Fort William.  There is no record of his journey
+across the deep sounds and along the rock-girt shores of Lake Superior.
+His contingent was divided into two sections, possibly as soon as it
+emerged from the St Mary's river and entered Whitefish Bay.  Selkirk
+himself sped forward with the less cumbersome craft, while the
+soldier-settlers advanced more leisurely in their bateaux.  Early in
+August the vanguard came within sight of the islands that bar the
+approach to Thunder Bay.  Then, as their canoes slipped through the
+dark waters, they were soon abeam of that majestic headland, Thunder
+Cape, 'the agèd Cape of Storms.'  Inside the bay they saw that long,
+low island known as the Sleeping Giant.  A portion of the voyageurs,
+led by a Canadian named Chatelain, disembarked upon an island about
+seven miles from Fort William.  Selkirk, with the rest of the advance
+party, went on.  Skirting the settlement at Fort William, they ascended
+the river Kaministikwia for about half a mile, and on the opposite bank
+from the fort, at a spot since known as Point De Meuron, they erected
+their temporary habitations.
+
+
+
+[1] The trader was probably Charles Grant, a clerk in the North-West
+Company's fort at Fond du Lac, and not Cuthbert Grant, the leader at
+Seven Oaks.
+
+
+
+
+{116}
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+FORT WILLIAM
+
+Fort William was the Mecca of the traders and voyageurs who served the
+North-West Company.  It was the divisional point and the warehousing
+centre of sixty trading-posts.  No less than five thousand persons were
+engaged in the trade which centred at Fort William.  During the season
+from May to September the traffic carried on at the fort was of the
+most active character.  A flotilla of boats and canoes would arrive
+from Lachine with multifarious articles of commerce for inland barter.
+These boats would then set out on their homeward journey laden with
+peltry gathered from far and near.  Every season two or three of the
+principal partners of the company arrived at the fort from Montreal.
+They were 'hyperborean nabobs,' who travelled with whatever luxury
+wealth could afford them on the express service by lake and stream.
+
+[Illustration: Fort William.  From an old print in the John Ross
+Robertson Collection, Toronto Public Library.]
+
+{117}
+
+At this time Fort William had the proportions of a good-sized village.
+Its structures were of wood and were of all shapes and sizes.  One
+commodious building near the centre of the fort, fronted by a wide
+verandah, immediately caught the eye of the visitor.  It contained a
+council-hall, the mercantile parliament-chamber of the Nor'westers.
+Under the same roof was a great banqueting-hall, in which two hundred
+persons could be seated.  In this hall were wont to gather the notables
+of the North-West Company, and any guests who were fortunate enough to
+gain admission.  Here, in the heart of the wilderness, there was no
+stint of food when the long tables were spread.  Chefs brought from
+Montreal prepared savoury viands; the brimming bowl was emptied and too
+often replenished; and the songs of this deep-throated race of
+merchantmen pealed to the rafters until revelry almost ended in riot.
+At one end of the room stood the bust of Simon M'Tavish, placed so that
+his gaze seemed to rest upon the proprietors and servants of the
+company he had called into being.  About the walls hung numerous
+portraits--one of the reigning monarch, George III, another of the
+Prince Regent, a third of Admiral Lord {118} Nelson.  Here, too, was a
+painting of the famous battle of the Nile, and a wonderful map of the
+fur-bearing country, the work of the intrepid explorer David Thompson.
+
+[Illustration: Simon M'Tavish, Founder of the North-West Company.  From
+a water-colour drawing in M'Gill University Library.]
+
+
+The unexpected appearance of Lord Selkirk in the vicinity of Fort
+William found the Nor'westers off their guard and created a great
+sensation.  It was a matter of common knowledge among the Nor'westers
+that Selkirk was on his way to the Red River with a squad of armed men,
+but they understood that he would follow the route leading past their
+fort at Fond du Lac.  There is evidence to show that a plot to compass
+Selkirk's death or seizure had been mooted some weeks before.  John
+Bourke, on the road to Fort William as a prisoner, had overheard a
+conversation between Alexander Macdonell and several other partners of
+the North-West Company.  This conversation had occurred at night, not
+far from Rainy Lake.  According to the story, Bourke was lying on the
+ground, seemingly asleep, when the partners, standing by a camp-fire,
+fell to discussing their recent coup at 'the Forks.'  Their talk
+drifted to the subject of Lord Selkirk's proposed visit to Assiniboia,
+and Macdonell assured the others {119} that the North-West Company had
+nothing to fear from Selkirk, and that if extreme measures were
+necessary Selkirk should be quietly assassinated.  'The half-breeds,'
+he declared, 'will take him while he is asleep, early in the morning.'
+Macdonell went so far as to mention the name of a Bois Brûlé who would
+be willing to bring Lord Selkirk down with his musket, if necessary.
+
+Bourke told to his fellow-prisoners, Patrick Corcoran and Michael
+Heden, what he had overheard.  It thus happened that when Heden now
+learned that the founder of Assiniboia was actually camping on the
+Kaministikwia, he became alarmed for his safety.  Though a prisoner, he
+seems to have had some liberty of movement.  At any rate, he was able
+to slip off alone and to launch a small boat.  Once afloat, he rowed to
+the island where Chatelain and his voyageurs had halted on the way to
+Fort William.  The water was boisterous, and Heden had great difficulty
+in piloting his craft.  He gained the island, however, and told
+Chatelain of his fear that Lord Selkirk might come to harm.  Heden
+returned to the fort, and was there taken to task and roughly handled
+for his temerity in going to see one of Lord Selkirk's servants.
+
+{120}
+
+On August 12 the second section of the contingent arrived with the
+experienced campaigners.  From the moment they raised their tents Lord
+Selkirk began to show a bold front against the Nor'westers.  Captain
+D'Orsonnens was entrusted on the day of his arrival with a letter from
+Selkirk to William M'Gillivray, the most prominent partner at Fort
+William.  In this M'Gillivray was asked his reason for holding in
+custody various persons whose names were given, and was requested to
+grant their immediate release.  M'Gillivray was surprisingly
+conciliatory.  He permitted several of the persons named in the letter
+to proceed at once to Selkirk's camp, and assured Lord Selkirk that
+they had never been prisoners.  John Bourke and Michael Heden he still
+retained, because their presence was demanded in the courts at Montreal.
+
+Acting as a justice of the peace, Selkirk now held a court in which he
+heard evidence from those whom M'Gillivray had surrendered.  Before the
+day was over he had secured sufficient information, as he thought, to
+justify legal action against certain of the partners at Fort William.
+He decided to arrest William M'Gillivray first, and sent two men as
+constables with a warrant against {121} M'Gillivray.  On the afternoon
+of August 13 these officers went down the river to the fort.  Along
+with them went a guard of nine men fully armed.  While the guard
+remained posted without, the constables entered the fort.  They found
+M'Gillivray in his room writing a letter.  He read the warrant which
+they thrust into his hand, and then without comment said that he was
+prepared to go with them.  His only desire was that two partners,
+Kenneth M'Kenzie and Dr John M'Loughlin, might accompany him to furnish
+bail.  The constables acceded to this request, and the three
+Nor'westers got into a canoe and were paddled to Point De Meuron.
+
+The officers conducted their prisoners to the Earl of Selkirk's tent.
+When Selkirk learned that the two other partners of the North-West
+Company were also in his power, he resolved upon an imprudent act, one
+which can scarcely be defended.  Not only did he refuse his prisoner
+bail; he framed indictments against M'Kenzie and M'Loughlin and ordered
+the constables to take them in charge.  A short examination of William
+M'Gillivray convinced Lord Selkirk that he would not be going beyond
+his powers were he to apprehend the remaining partners who {122} were
+at Fort William.  To accomplish this he drew up the necessary papers,
+and then sent the same constables to make the arrests.  Twenty-five De
+Meuron soldiers under Captain D'Orsonnens and Lieutenant Fauché were
+detailed as an escort.
+
+[Illustration: William M'Gillivray, a partner in the North-West
+Company.  From a photograph in the M'Gill University Library.]
+
+When the constables strode up the river bank to the fort to perform
+their official duty, they found a great throng of Canadians,
+half-breeds, and Indians gathered about the entrance.  D'Orsonnens and
+the bulk of the escort remained behind on the river within easy call.
+Near the gateway the officers saw two of the partners whom they were
+instructed to apprehend, and immediately served them with warrants.  A
+third partner, John M'Donald, made a sturdy show of resistance.  He
+declaimed against the validity of the warrant, and protested that no
+stranger dare enter the fort until William M'Gillivray was set free.  A
+scramble followed.  Some of the Nor'westers tried to close the gate,
+while the constables struggled to make their way inside.  When one of
+the constables shouted lustily for aid, the bugle blew at the boats.
+This was by prearrangement the signal to Captain Matthey at Point De
+Meuron that the constables had met with opposition.  The signal, {123}
+however, proved unnecessary.  In spite of the angry crowd at the
+entrance, Selkirk's men pushed open the gate of the fort.  They seized
+M'Donald, who struggled fiercely, and bore him away towards the boats.
+The soldiers marched up from the boats, and, in a moment, Fort William
+was in their possession.  Before further help arrived, in response to
+the bugle-call, the struggle was over.  Six partners of the North-West
+Company were taken to the boats and carried to Lord Selkirk's
+encampment.  These were John M'Donald, Daniel M'Kenzie, Allan M'Donald,
+Hugh M'Gillis, Alexander M'Kenzie, and Simon Fraser, the last named
+being the noted explorer.  Captain D'Orsonnens stationed a guard within
+the fort, and himself remained behind to search the papers of those who
+had been arrested.
+
+By the time Lord Selkirk had finished the examination of his fresh
+group of prisoners the hour was late.  He did not wish to keep any of
+the partners in confinement, and so he arranged that they should go
+back to their quarters at the fort for the night.  The prisoners
+promised that they would behave in seemly fashion, and do nothing of a
+hostile nature.  There is evidence to show that before {124} morning
+many papers were burned in the mess-room kitchen at the fort.  Word was
+also brought to Lord Selkirk that a quantity of firearms and ammunition
+had been removed from Fort William during the night.  In consequence of
+this information he issued another warrant, authorizing a 'search for
+arms.'  When the search was made fifty or more guns and fowling-pieces
+were found hidden among some hay in a barn.  Eight barrels of gunpowder
+were also found lying in a swampy place not far from the fort, and the
+manner in which the grass was trampled down indicated that the barrels
+had been deposited there very recently.  When Selkirk learned of this
+attempt to remove arms and ammunition, he felt justified in adopting
+stringent measures.  He ordered what was practically an occupation of
+Fort William.  Most of the Canadians, Bois Brûlés, and Indians in the
+service of the North-West Company were commanded to leave the fort and
+to cross to the other side of the river.  Their canoes were
+confiscated.  The nine partners were held as prisoners and closely
+watched.  Selkirk's force abandoned Point De Meuron and erected their
+tents on ground near Fort William.  The hearing was continued, and it
+{125} was finally decided that the accused should be committed for
+trial at York and conducted thither under a strong guard.
+
+Selkirk had not exceeded his authority as a justice of the peace in
+holding the investigations and in sending the partners for trial to the
+judicial headquarters of the province.  But he had also seized the
+property of the North-West Company and driven its servants from their
+fort, and this was straining his legal powers.  The task of taking the
+nine partners to York was entrusted to Lieutenant Fauché.  Three canoes
+were provisioned for the journey.  Indians regularly employed by the
+North-West Company were engaged as canoemen and guides.  On August 18
+the party set out from Fort William.  At first the journey went
+tranquilly enough.  On the eighth day, about one o'clock in the
+afternoon, the party drew up their canoes on Isle au Parisien, in
+Whitefish Bay, to take dinner.  A heavy westerly breeze sprang up, but
+they were on the leeward side of the island and did not notice its full
+strength.  Lieutenant Fauché had misgivings, however, and before he
+would resume the journey he consulted his prisoner, William
+M'Gillivray, who was an expert canoeman.  M'Gillivray was confident
+that {126} the 'traverse' to Sault Ste Marie could be made in safety if
+the Indian guides exercised great caution.  The guides, on the other
+hand, objected to leaving the island.  Their advice was not heeded, and
+the three canoes put out.  Very soon they were running before a squall
+and shipping water.  The first canoe turned its prow in the direction
+of Isle aux Erables, lying to the left, and the other two followed this
+example.  Near Isle aux Erables there were some shoals destined now to
+cause tragic disaster.  In attempting to pass these shoals the leading
+canoe was capsized.  The others, so heavily laden that they could do
+nothing to rescue their companions, paddled hurriedly to shore,
+unloaded part of their cargoes, and then hastened to the spot where
+their comrades were struggling in the stormy waters.  But it was too
+late.  In spite of the most heroic efforts nine of the twenty-one
+persons belonging to the wrecked canoe were drowned.  Kenneth M'Kenzie,
+of the North-West Company, was one of those who perished; six of the
+others were Indians; the remaining two were discharged soldiers.
+Another canoe was procured at Sault Ste Marie.  The party continued its
+journey and reached York on September 3.  Fauché at once sought the
+{127} attorney-general, in order to take proper legal steps, but found
+that he was absent.  The prisoners meanwhile applied for a writ of
+habeas corpus, and Fauché was instructed to take them to Montreal.
+This was to take them to the home of the Nor'westers, where they would
+be supported by powerful influences.  On September 10, when the
+partners arrived in Montreal, they were at once admitted to bail.
+
+Meanwhile, Lord Selkirk continued to exercise full sway over Fort
+William and its environs.  He had himself no misgivings whatever with
+regard to the legality of his treatment of the Nor'westers.  In his
+view he had taken possession of a place which had served, to quote his
+own words, 'the last of any in the British dominions, as an asylum for
+banditti and murderers, and the receptacle for their plunder.'  During
+the ensuing winter he sent out expeditions to capture the posts
+belonging to the North-West Company at Michipicoten, Rainy Lake, and
+Fond du Lac.  In March he commissioned a part of his followers to
+advance into the territory of Assiniboia to restore order.  The
+veterans whom he sent artfully arranged their journey so that they
+should approach 'the Forks' from {128} the south.  The Nor'westers in
+Fort Douglas were wholly unaware that a foe was advancing against them.
+On a blustering night, amid storm and darkness, Selkirk's men crept up
+to the walls, carrying ladders.  In a trice they had scaled the
+ramparts, and the fort was in their possession.
+
+On the first day of May 1817 Lord Selkirk himself went forward to the
+west from Fort William, taking with him the bodyguard which he had
+procured at Drummond Island.  He followed the fur traders' route up the
+Kaministikwia to Dog Lake, thence, by way of the waters which connect
+with Rainy Lake, on to the Lake of the Woods, and down the rushing
+Winnipeg.  After a journey of seven weeks he emerged from the
+forest-clad wilderness and saw for the first time the little row of
+farms which the toil of his long-suffering colonists had brought into
+being on the open plains.
+
+
+
+
+{129}
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+THE PIPE OF PEACE
+
+'The parish shall be Kildonan.'
+
+As Lord Selkirk spoke, he was standing in what is to-day the northern
+part of the city of Winnipeg.  A large gathering of settlers listened
+to his words.  The refugees of the year before, who were encamped on
+the Jack river, had returned to their homes, and now, in instituting a
+parish for them and creating the first local division in Assiniboia,
+Lord Selkirk was giving it a name reminiscent of the vales of
+Sutherlandshire.  'Here you shall build your church,' continued his
+lordship.  The Earl of Selkirk's religion was deep-seated, and he was
+resolved to make adequate provision for public worship.  'And that
+lot,' he said, indicating a piece of ground across a rivulet known as
+Parsonage Creek, 'is for a school.'  For his time he held what was
+advanced radical doctrine in regard to education, for he believed that
+there should be a common school in every parish.
+
+{130}
+
+Selkirk's genial presence and his magnanimity of character quickly
+banished any prejudices which the colonists had formed against him.  In
+view of the hardships they had endured, he divided among them, free of
+all dues, some additional land.  To the discharged soldiers he gave
+land on both sides of the river.  They were to live not far removed
+from Fort Douglas, in order that they might give speedy aid in case of
+trouble.  The settlers were enjoined to open roads, construct bridges,
+and build flour-mills at convenient places.
+
+Meanwhile, the disturbances in the fur country were being considered in
+the motherland.  When news of the Seven Oaks affair and of other acts
+of violence reached Great Britain, Lord Bathurst thought that the home
+government should take action.  He sent an official note to Sir John
+Sherbrooke, the governor of Canada, instructing him to deal with the
+situation.  Sherbrooke was to see that the forts, buildings, and
+property involved in the unhappy conflict should be restored to their
+rightful owners, and that illegal restrictions on trade should be
+removed.  When Sherbrooke received this dispatch, in February 1817, he
+selected two military {131} officers, Lieutenant-Colonel Coltman and
+Major Fletcher, to go to the Indian Territories in order to arbitrate
+upon the questions causing dissension.  The two commissioners left
+Montreal in May, escorted by forty men of the 37th regiment.  From
+Sault Ste Marie, Coltman journeyed on ahead, and arrived at 'the Forks'
+on July 5.  In Montreal he had formed the opinion that Lord Selkirk was
+a domineering autocrat.  Now, however, he concluded after inquiry that
+Selkirk was neither irrational nor self-seeking, and advised that the
+accusations against him should not be brought into the courts.  At the
+same time he bound Selkirk under bail of £10,000 to appear in Canada
+for trial.  When Coltman returned to Lower Canada in the autumn of
+1817, Sherbrooke was able to write the Colonial Office that 'a degree
+of tranquility' had been restored to the Indian Territories.
+
+While in the west Lord Selkirk had gained the respect of the Indians,
+and in token of their admiration they gave him the unusual name of the
+'Silver Chief,' Selkirk was anxious to extinguish the ancient title
+which the Indians had to the lands of Assiniboia, in order to prevent
+future disputes.  To effect this he brought together at Fort {132}
+Douglas a body of chiefs who represented the Cree and Saulteaux
+nations.  The Indian chiefs made eloquent speeches.  They said that
+they were willing to surrender their claim to a strip on either side of
+the Red River up-stream from its mouth as far as the Red Lake river
+(now Grand Forks, North Dakota), and on either side of the Assiniboine
+as far as its junction with the Muskrat.  Selkirk's desire was to
+obtain as much on each bank of these streams for the length agreed upon
+as could be seen under a horse's belly towards the horizon, or
+approximately two miles, and the Indians agreed.  At three places--at
+Fort Douglas, Fort Daer, and the confluence of the Red and Red Lake
+rivers--Selkirk wished to secure about six miles on each side of the
+Red River, and to this the chiefs agreed.  In the end, on July 18,
+1817, Selkirk concluded a treaty, after distributing presents.  It was
+the first treaty made by a subject of Great Britain with the tribes of
+Rupert's Land.  In signing it the several chiefs drew odd pictures of
+animals on a rough map of the territory in question.  These animals
+were their respective totems and were placed opposite the regions over
+which they claimed authority.  It was stipulated {133} that one hundred
+pounds of good tobacco should be given annually to each nation.
+
+Having finished his work, Lord Selkirk bade the colony adieu and
+journeyed southward.  He made his way through the unorganized
+territories which had belonged to the United States since the Louisiana
+Purchase of 1803, and at length reached the town of St Louis on the
+Mississippi.  Thence he proceeded to the New England States, and by way
+of Albany reached the province of Upper Canada.  Here he found that the
+agents of the North-West Company had been busy with plans to attack him
+in the courts.  There were four charges against him, and he was ordered
+to appear at Sandwich, a judicial centre on the Detroit.  The
+accusations related to his procedure at Fort William.  Selkirk
+travelled to Sandwich.  One of the charges was quickly dismissed.  The
+other three were held over, pending the arrival of witnesses, and he
+was released on bail to the amount of £350.
+
+In May 1818 Colin Robertson and several others were charged at Montreal
+with the wilful destruction of Fort Gibraltar, but the jury would not
+convict the accused upon the evidence presented.  In September, at the
+{134} judicial sessions at Sandwich, Lord Selkirk was again faced with
+charges.  A legal celebrity of the day, Chief Justice Dummer Powell,
+presided.  The grand jury complained that John Beverley Robinson, the
+attorney-general of the province, was interfering with their
+deliberations, and they refused to make a presentment.  Chief Justice
+Powell waited two days for their answer, and as it was not forthcoming
+he adjourned the case.  The actions were afterwards taken to York and
+were tried there.  For some reason the leaders of the political faction
+known in the annals of Upper Canada as the Family Compact were not
+friendly to Lord Selkirk; the Rev. John Strachan, the father-confessor
+of this group of politicians, was an open opponent.  As a result of the
+trials Selkirk was mulcted in damages to the extent of £2000.
+
+The courts of Lower Canada alone were empowered to deal with offences
+in the Indian Territories.  The governor-general of Canada could,
+however, transfer the trial of such cases to Upper Canada, if he saw
+fit.  This had been done in the case of the charges against Selkirk,
+and Sir John Sherbrooke, after consulting with the home authorities,
+decided to refer Selkirk's charges against the Nor'westers, in {135}
+connection with the events of 1815 and 1816 on the Red River, to the
+court of the King's Bench at its autumn sitting in York.  Beginning in
+October 1818, there were successive trials of persons accused by Lord
+Selkirk of various crimes.  The cases were heard by Chief Justice
+Powell, assisted by Judges Boulton and Campbell.  The evidence in
+regard to the massacre at Seven Oaks was full of interest.  A passage
+from the speech of one of the counsel for the defence shows the ideas
+then current in Canada as to the value of the prairie country.
+Sherwood, one of the counsel, emphatically declared that Robert Semple
+was not a governor; he was an emperor.  'Yes, gentlemen,' reiterated
+Sherwood, his voice rising, 'I repeat, an emperor--a bashaw in that
+land of milk and honey, where nothing, not even a blade of corn, will
+ripen.'  The result of the trials was disheartening to Selkirk.  Of the
+various prisoners who were accused not one was found guilty.
+
+Lord Selkirk did not attend the trials of the Nor'westers at York, and
+seems to have returned to Britain with his wife and children before the
+end of the year 1818.  He was ill and in a most melancholy state of
+mind.  {136} Unquestionably, he had not secured a full measure of
+justice in the courts of Canada.  A man strong in health might have
+borne his misfortunes more lightly.  As it was, Selkirk let his wrongs
+prey upon his spirit.  On March 19, 1819, he addressed a letter to Lord
+Liverpool, asking that the Privy Council should intervene in order to
+correct the erroneous findings of the Canadian courts.  Sir James
+Montgomery, Selkirk's brother-in-law, moved in the House of Commons, on
+June 24, that all official correspondence touching Selkirk's affairs
+should be produced.  The result was the publication of a large
+blue-book.  An effort was made to induce Sir Walter Scott to use his
+literary talents on his friend's behalf.  But at the time Scott was
+prostrate with illness and unable to help the friend of his youth.
+
+Meanwhile, Lord Selkirk's attachment for his colony on the Red River
+had not undergone any change.  One of the last acts of his life was to
+seek settlers in Switzerland, and a considerable number of Swiss
+families were persuaded to migrate to Assiniboia.  But the heads of
+these families were not fitted for pioneer life on the prairie.  For
+the most part they were poor musicians, pastry-cooks, {137}
+clock-makers, and the like, who knew nothing of husbandry.  Their chief
+contribution to the colony was a number of buxom, red-cheeked
+daughters, whose arrival in 1821 created a joyful commotion among the
+military bachelors at the settlement.  The fair newcomers were quickly
+wooed and won by the men who had served in Napoleon's wars, and
+numerous marriages followed.
+
+Selkirk's continued ill-health caused him to seek the temperate climate
+of the south of France, and there he died on April 8, 1820, at Pau, in
+the foothills of the Pyrenees.  His body was taken to Orthez, a small
+town some twenty-five miles away, and buried there in the Protestant
+cemetery.  The length of two countries separates Lord Selkirk's place
+of burial from his place of birth.  He has a monument in Scotland and a
+monument in France, but his most enduring monument is the great
+Canadian West of which he was the true founder.  His only son, Dunbar
+James Douglas, inherited the title, and when he died in 1885 the line
+of Selkirk became extinct.  Long before this the Selkirk family had
+broken the tie with the Canadian West.  In 1836 their rights in the
+country of Assiniboia, in so far as it lay in British territory, {138}
+were purchased by the Hudson's Bay Company for the sum of £84,000.
+
+The character of the fifth Earl of Selkirk has been alike lauded and
+vilified.  Shortly after his death the _Gentleman's Magazine_ commended
+his benefactions to the poor and his kindness as a landlord.  'To the
+counsels of an enlightened philosophy and an immovable firmness of
+purpose,' declared the writer, 'he added the most complete habits of
+business and a perfect knowledge of affairs.'  Sir Walter Scott wrote
+of Selkirk with abundant fervour.  'I never knew in my life,' said the
+Wizard of the North, 'a man of a more generous and disinterested
+disposition, or one whose talents and perseverance were better
+qualified to bring great and national schemes to conclusion.'  History
+has proved that Lord Selkirk was a man of dreams; it is false to say,
+however, that his were fruitless visions.  Time has fully justified his
+colonizing activity in relation to settlement on the Red River.  He was
+firmly convinced of what few in his day believed--that the soil of the
+prairie was fruitful and would give bread to the sower.  His worst
+fault was his partisanship.  In his eyes the Hudson's Bay Company was
+endowed with all the virtues; and he never properly {139} analysed the
+motives or recognized the achievements of its great rival.  Had he but
+ordered his representatives in Assiniboia to meet the Nor'westers
+half-way, distress and hardship might have been lessened, and violence
+might very probably have been entirely avoided.
+
+The presence of Lord Selkirk on the Red River had led to renewed energy
+on the part of the colonists.  They began to till the land, and in 1818
+the grain and vegetable crops promised an abundant yield.  In July,
+however, when the time of harvest was approaching, the settlers
+experienced a calamity that brought poverty for the present and despair
+for the future.  The sky was suddenly darkened by a great cloud of
+locusts, which had come from their breeding-places in the far
+south-west.  During a single night, 'crops, gardens, and every green
+herb in the settlement had perished, with the exception of a few ears
+of barley gleaned in the women's aprons.'  In the following year the
+plague reappeared; the insects came again, covering the ground so
+thickly that they 'might be shovelled with a spade.'  The stock of
+seed-grain was now almost exhausted, and the colonists resolved to send
+an expedition to the Mississippi for a fresh supply.  Two hundred {140}
+and fifty bushels of grain were secured at Lord Selkirk's expense, and
+brought back on flatboats to the colony.  Never since that time has
+there been a serious lack of seed on the Red River.
+
+The year 1821 brings us to a milestone in the history of the Canadian
+West, and at this point our story terminates.  After Lord Selkirk's
+death the two great fur-trading companies realized the folly of
+continuing their disastrous rivalry, and made preparations to bury
+their differences.  Neither company had been making satisfactory
+profits.  In Great Britain especially, where only the echoes of the
+struggle had been heard, was there an increasing desire that the two
+companies should unite.  One of the foremost partners of the North-West
+Company was Edward Ellice, a native of Aberdeenshire, and member of the
+House of Commons for Coventry.  Ellice championed the party among the
+Nor'westers who were in favour of union, and the two M'Gillivrays,
+Simon and William, earnestly seconded his efforts.  Terms acceptable to
+both companies were at length agreed upon.  On March 26, 1821, a formal
+document, called a 'deed-poll,' outlining the basis of union, was
+signed by the two parties {141} in London.  In 1822 Edward Ellice
+introduced a bill in parliament making the union of the companies
+legal.  The name of the North-West Company was dropped; the new
+corporation was to be known as the Hudson's Bay Company.  Thus passed
+away for ever the singular partnership of the North-West Company which
+had made Montreal a market for furs and had built up Fort William in
+the depths of the forest.  No longer did two rival trading-posts stand
+by lake or stream.  No longer did two rival camp-fires light up blazed
+tree-trunk or grass-strewn prairie by the long and sinuous trail.  From
+Labrador to Vancouver, and from the Arctic to the southern confines of
+the Canadian West and farther, the British flag, with H.B.C. on its
+folds, was to wave over every trading-post.  Midway between the
+Atlantic and the Pacific a little hamlet was to struggle into life, to
+struggle feebly for many years--a mere adjunct of a fur-trading post;
+but at length it was to come into its own, and Winnipeg, the proudest
+city of the plains, was in time to rear its palaces on the spot where
+for long years the Red River Colony battled for existence against human
+enemies and the obstacles of nature.
+
+
+
+
+{142}
+
+BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
+
+PRIMARY SOURCES
+
+The Selkirk Papers in the Dominion Archives consist of seventy-nine
+portfolios containing transcripts of correspondence, legal evidence,
+and other proceedings relating to the Earl of Selkirk's colonizing
+enterprises.
+
+Lord Selkirk's principal works are: _Observations on the Present State
+of the Highlands in Scotland_ (published in 1805 and describing the
+journey to Prince Edward Island, etc., in 1803); _On the Necessity of a
+more Efficient System of National Defence_ (1808); _A Sketch of the
+British Fur Trade in North America_ (1816).
+
+The Letter Book of Miles Macdonell--July 27, 1811, to February 25, 1812
+(Dominion Archives Report, 1886)--contains ten letters addressed by
+Macdonell to Selkirk from Yarmouth, Stornoway, York Factory, and Nelson
+Encampment; besides others to various individuals.
+
+In consequence of the disasters which befell the Red River Colony in
+1815 and 1816, there appeared in Great Britain _A Statement respecting
+the Earl of Selkirk's Settlement upon the Red River in North America,
+etc._ (republished by John Murray, {143} London, 1817).  In answer to
+this the North-West Company put forth _A Narrative of Occurrences in
+the Indian Countries, etc._ (1817), to which were appended twenty-nine
+documents to substantiate claims made.  These works, although written
+in a partisan spirit, contain information which cannot be had from any
+other source.
+
+The following are also useful: John M'Leod's Diary, 1815; Letter of
+Cuthbert Grant to J. D. Cameron, March 13, 1816; North-West Company's
+Account Book for Fort Gibraltar, 1815; Governor Macdonell's
+Proclamation, January 1814; Charter of the Hudson's Bay Company;
+Colonel W. B. Coltman's Report, 1817; A. Amos, _Report of the Trials in
+the Courts of Canada relative to the Destruction of the Earl of
+Selkirk's Settlement on the Red River, with Observations_ (1820);
+_Trials of the Earl of Selkirk against the North-West Company in 1818_
+(Montreal, 1819); Notices of the Claims of the Hudson's Bay Company,
+and the Conduct of its Adversaries (Montreal, 1817); Chief Justice
+Powell's Report _re_ North-West Disputes (Dominion Archives Report,
+1897); a pamphlet against Lord Selkirk by John Strachan, D. D. (1816),
+and the reply thereto by Archibald Macdonald (1816); the communications
+of 'Mercator' appearing in the Montreal _Herald_ (1816); Blue-book on
+Red River Settlement (Imperial House of Commons, 1819); Original
+Letters regarding the Selkirk Settlement (Manitoba Historical and
+Scientific Society, 1889); Lord Selkirk's Treaty {144} with the Western
+Indians (_vide_ Appendix to _The Treaties of Canada_ by Alexander
+Morris, 1880).
+
+
+SECONDARY MATERIAL
+
+Since the present story closes with 1821, it is necessary to classify
+as secondary material a work that is to be regarded as a primary source
+on the later history of the colony--_The Red River Settlement_ (1856)
+by Alexander Ross.  Ross was a pioneer emigrant to the colony of
+Astoria on the Pacific Coast.  In 1817 he entered the service of the
+North-West Company; after the union of the fur companies in 1821 he
+remained in the employ of the Hudson's Bay Company.  In 1825 he went as
+a settler to the Red River Colony, where he soon became an influential
+officer.  His narrative is vigorous in style as well as fair-minded in
+its criticisms, and is an indispensable authority on the beginnings of
+Manitoba.
+
+The most prolific writer upon the career of Lord Selkirk and the
+history of the Red River Colony is Professor George Bryce, of Winnipeg,
+who has been a resident at 'the Forks' of the Red and Assiniboine
+rivers since 1871.  He has thus been in a position to gather and
+preserve the traditions handed down by redskin, trapper, and colonist.
+Consult his _Romantic Settlement of Lord Selkirk's Colonists_ (1909);
+also_ Manitoba: Infancy, Progress and Present Condition_ (1872); _The
+Remarkable History of the Hudson's Bay Company_ (1900); _Mackenzie,
+Selkirk and Simpson_ (1906).
+
+{145}
+
+An account of Lord Selkirk will be found in Kingsford, _History of
+Canada_, vol. ix.  The reader should also consult, in _Canada and its
+Provinces_ (vol. xix), the excellent monograph by Professor Chester
+Martin.  This is the most recent and probably the most thoroughly
+grounded study of the Red River Colony.  The same work contains a good
+account of the Selkirk Settlement in Prince Edward Island (vol. xiii,
+p. 354) by Dr Andrew Macphail.  The Baldoon Settlement is treated of by
+Dr George W. Mitchell in the _Proceedings of the Ontario Historical
+Society_ for 1913.  See also the monograph, 'Pioneer Settlements' [of
+Upper Canada], by A. C. Casselman in _Canada and its Provinces_, vol.
+xvii.
+
+
+
+
+{147}
+
+INDEX
+
+Assiniboia, the seat of Selkirk's colony on the Red River, 35-36.  See
+Red River Colony.
+
+Assiniboines, and Red River Colony, 36; their friendliness, 56, 57.
+
+
+Baldoon Farm, Selkirk's settlement at, 18-20.
+
+Bathurst, Lord, colonial secretary, 91, 130.
+
+Beaver Club, entertain Lord Selkirk, 20-1.
+
+Bois Brûlés, their hostility to the Red River colonists, 54, 60; attack
+Colony Gardens, 77-9, 86; at Seven Oaks, 95-101; their savage orgy at
+Fort Douglas, 106.
+
+Boucher, François, his parley with Governor Semple at Seven Oaks, 97-8.
+
+Bourke, John, store-keeper of Colony Gardens, 76; severely wounded at
+Seven Oaks, 95 n., 96, 99, 100, 103; charged with felony, 105, 120;
+overhears plot to assassinate Lord Selkirk, 118-19.
+
+Brandon House, a Hudson's Bay Company post, 65, 66; captured by
+Cuthbert Grant, 89.
+
+Burke, Father, accompanies first contingent of Red River colonists, 44,
+50.
+
+Burns, Robert, at St Mary's Isle, 5-6.
+
+
+Cameron, Duncan, a partner of the North-West Company, 68; his imposture
+and work of destruction at Colony Gardens, 69-73, 75, 76; taken
+prisoner at Fort Gibraltar, 84; sent to England for trial, 87.
+
+Campbell, George, a traitor in the camp at Colony Gardens, 71, 73.
+
+Churchill river, Selkirk's colonists winter on, 62.
+
+Colony Gardens, 59.  See Red River Colony.
+
+Coltman, Lieut.-Col., arbitrates between Lord Selkirk and the
+North-West Company, 131.
+
+Corcoran, Patrick, at Seven Oaks, 105, 119.
+
+Coureurs de bois, the, 25.
+
+Crees, and Red River Colony, 95, 102 n., 132; and the North-West
+Company, 106.
+
+Currie, Archibald, in the defence of Colony Gardens, 79.
+
+
+Daer, Lord Basil, and Robert Burns, 5.
+
+De Meuron regiment, provides recruits for Red River Colony, 109-10,
+122, 130.
+
+D'Orsonnens, Captain, enlists with Lord Selkirk, 110; at Fort William,
+120, 122, 123.
+
+Drummond, Sir Gordon, refuses Lord Selkirk armed assistance, 91-2, 93.
+
+
+Ellice, Edward, his bill to legalize the union of the North-West and
+the Hudson Bay Companies, 140-1.
+
+
+Family Compact, the, and Lord Selkirk, 134.
+
+Fauché, Lieut., enlists with Lord Selkirk, 110; at Fort William, 122;
+takes North-West Company partners to Montreal for trial, 125-7.
+
+Findlay, William, an obdurate Orkneyman, 49.
+
+Fletcher, Major, arbitrates between Lord Selkirk and the North-West
+Company, 131.
+
+Fort Daer, the Red River colonists' winter quarters on the Pembina, 58,
+85.
+
+Fort Douglas, in Colony Gardens, 85; evacuated, 102, 105; occupied by
+Nor'westers, 128; retaken, 128.
+
+Fort Gibraltar, the North-West Company post on the Red River, 55-6, 74,
+75, 84; demolished, 87.
+
+Fort Qu'Appelle, a North-West Company post, 88.
+
+Fort William, 66-7, 113, 115; the Mecca of the North-West Company,
+116-18; taken and occupied by Lord Selkirk, 123-4.
+
+Fraser, Simon, explorer, his arrest at Fort William, 123, 124-5.
+
+
+Glengarry Fencibles, provide recruits for Red River Colony, 110, 130.
+
+Graffenreid, Lieut., enlists with Lord Selkirk, 110.
+
+Grant, Charles, bribes Indians to waylay Laguimonière, 112 and note.
+
+Grant, Cuthbert, attacks Colony Gardens, 77, 86; captures Brandon
+House, 88, 89; leads in Seven Oaks massacre, 95, 99, 101-2, 105.
+
+
+Heden, Michael, escapes at Seven Oaks, 95 n., 100, 102, 103, 104, 105;
+and Lord Selkirk's safety, 119, 120.
+
+Highlanders of Scotland, their loyalty, 9-10, 11; their conditions of
+life, 9, 10-11; dispossessed of their heritage, 12-13; their
+expatriation, 13-14, 16-17, 18-20, 27-8, 38-43, 61-3, 83.
+
+Hillier, a magistrate at York Factory, 49.
+
+Holt, Lieut., killed at Seven Oaks, 98.
+
+Hudson Bay, Red River colonists winter on, 45-51, 62.
+
+Hudson's Bay Company, 25-6, 80; and Lord Selkirk's emigration scheme,
+17; their flawless charter, 22-3, 30; some early troubles, 28-9; their
+grant of land to Lord Selkirk, 31-4; appoint a governor over
+Assiniboia, 83; and purchase Lord Selkirk's rights, 137-8; their union
+with the North-West Company, 140-1.
+
+
+Indians, their relations with Red River Colony, 36, 54, 56, 57, 78, 89,
+95, 102 n., 112-13.
+
+Isle aux Erables, canoe disaster at, 126.
+
+
+Johnson, Lionel, with Selkirk's settlers at Baldoon Farm, 19.
+
+Jones, Captain John Paul, his raid on the British coasts, 1-3.
+
+
+Katawabetay, a Chippewa chief, 74; meets Lord Selkirk, 112-13.
+
+Keveny, Owen, arrives with party of Irish colonists at Colony Gardens,
+58.
+
+Kildonan parish, in Scotland, 61, 83; in Winnipeg, 129.
+
+Kilkenny, Michael, escapes at Seven Oaks, 100.
+
+
+Laguimonière, brings news of restoration of Colony Gardens to Lord
+Selkirk, 93; waylaid and robbed on his return, 94, 112.
+
+Lavigne, Augustin, with the Nor'westers at Seven Oaks, 99, 106.
+
+Liverpool, Lord, and Selkirk's charges against the North-West Company,
+136.
+
+
+Macdonald, Archibald, deputy-governor of Assiniboia, 73.
+
+M'Donald, John, his arrest at Fort William, 122-3, 124-5.
+
+M'Donald, Capt. Roderick, Selkirk's agent in Glasgow, 37-8.
+
+Macdonell, Alexander, a partner of the North-West Company, 68, 86, 87,
+88; destroys Colony Gardens, 69, 73-4, 77-79; organizes a raid on Fort
+Douglas, 89, 94-5; and the massacre at Seven Oaks, 102-103, 105, 107;
+his plot to assassinate Lord Selkirk, 118-19.
+
+Macdonell, Anthony, taken prisoner at Seven Oaks, 100.
+
+Macdonell, Capt. Miles, first governor of Assiniboia, 36-7, 74; his
+herculean task, 40-2, 44; establishes winter quarters on the Nelson,
+45-6, 47; his opinion of the emigrants, 47-51; officially inaugurates
+Red River Colony, 55-6; erects Fort Daer, 57-8; his disastrous
+proclamation, 63-64, 65, 67; surrenders himself to Cameron, 76-7, 93;
+sent to Red River in advance of Lord Selkirk, 111, 113.
+
+M'Gillivray, William, a partner of the North-West Company, 66 n.; his
+arrest at Fort William, 120-1, 124-5; an expert canoeman, 125-6;
+favours union with the Hudson's Bay Company, 140.
+
+M'Intosh, James, in the defence of Colony Gardens, 79.
+
+M'Kay, Daniel, escapes at Seven Oaks, 100, 105.
+
+Mackenzie, Sir Alexander, explorer, and Lord Selkirk, 15, 31.
+
+Mackenzie, Captain, and the nine-pound shot, 41.
+
+M'Kenzie, Kenneth, his arrest at Fort William, 121, 124-5; drowned, 126.
+
+M'Lean, Alexander, 72; killed at Seven Oaks, 100.
+
+M'Lean, Hugh, his defence of Colony Gardens, 78, 79.
+
+M'Leod, Archibald Norman, a partner of the North-West Company, 94; as
+magistrate of Indian Territories examines evicted Red River colonists,
+103-5; at Fort Douglas, 105-7.
+
+M'Leod, John, his gallant defence of Colony Gardens, 77-78, 79; his
+guardianship, 82-83, 85.
+
+M'Loughlin, Dr John, his arrest at Fort William, 121, 124-5.
+
+M'Nab, John, buys Baldoon Farm from Lord Selkirk, 20.
+
+M'Tavish, Simon, founder of the North-West Company, 20, 117.
+
+Matthey, Captain, enlists with Lord Selkirk, 110; at Fort William, 122.
+
+Métis, 54.  See Bois Brûlés.
+
+Montgomery, Sir  James, brother-in-law of Lord Selkirk, 136.
+
+
+Napoleon I, 16; his Berlin Decree, 29.
+
+Nelson river, New Year celebrations on the, 48-9.
+
+New Nation, the, 85, 86.  See Bois Brûlés.
+
+North-West Company, 23-5, 117; entertain Lord Selkirk in Montreal,
+20-1; their opposition to his colonizing schemes, 31-2, 38, 40-1, 55,
+67, 133; their antagonism towards Red River Colony, 55-6, 60, 63-4,
+65-6, 67; their efforts to destroy the colony, 74-5, 89-90; the Seven
+Oaks massacre, 95-101; trial of partners at York, 134-5; union with the
+Hudson's Bay Company, 140-1.
+
+Norway House, a Hudson's Bay Company post, 52, 78.
+
+
+Ottawas, waylay Lord Selkirk's messenger, 112.
+
+
+Pambrun, Pierre, held prisoner by the Nor'westers, 88-9, 102.
+
+Pangman, Peter, and Cuthbert Grant, 88.
+
+Pelham, Lord, and Selkirk's scheme of emigration, 15, 16, 17.
+
+Powell, Chief Justice, and the trial of Lord Selkirk, 134; and the
+Nor'westers, 135.
+
+Prince Edward Island, Selkirk's colony on, 17-18.
+
+Pritchard, John, taken prisoner at Seven Oaks, 95 n., 97, 98; acts as
+mediator, 101-2, 104, 105.
+
+
+Red River Colony, 32, 141; its extent and position, 33-4, 132;
+conditions of settlement, 35, 110; types of settlers, 37-8, 39, 40, 42,
+47, 48, 51, 63, 83, 108-10, 136-7; the departure of first contingent of
+colonists from Stornoway, 38-43; reach Hudson Bay, 44-5; and winter on
+the Nelson, 45-51; journey to Red River, 51-4; the official
+inauguration of the colony, 55-6; relations with the Indians, 54, 56,
+57, 74, 78, 89, 95, 102 n., 112-13, 132; dire straits of colonists in
+winter, 57-8, 59-60, 85; the arrival of Irish colonists, 58; Colony
+Gardens built, 59; the arrival of Sutherland men, 61-63; exodus of the
+settlers, 76, 78; Colony Gardens destroyed, 77-9; restored, 81-82; a
+fourth contingent of colonists, 83; the Seven Oaks massacre, 95-102;
+the second expulsion, 102-4; Lord Selkirk arrives, 128-30; the locust
+plagues, 139-40; comes into its own, 141.  See Highlanders.
+
+Reed, Collector, a tool of the Nor'westers, 40.
+
+Robertson, Colin, his grievance against the North-West Company, 37,
+80-1; restores Colony Gardens, 81-2; his revenge at Fort Gibraltar,
+84-5, 86-7, 101, 104, 133.
+
+Robinson, J. B., attorney-general of Upper Canada, 127, 134.
+
+Rogers, Captain, killed at Seven Oaks, 98, 100.
+
+Rupert's Land, Lord Selkirk's Colony in, 32, 132.
+
+
+Saint Anne's chapel, a halting-place of the coureurs de bois, 25.
+
+St Mary's Isle, the Selkirk mansion on, 2-3, 4.
+
+Saulteaux, and Red River Colony, 78, 89, 102 n., 132; and the
+North-West Company, 106.
+
+Scott, Sir Walter, his friendship with Lord Selkirk, 7, 27, 136, 138.
+
+Selkirk, fourth Earl of, 2; a patron of letters, 5.
+
+Selkirk, fifth Earl of, his boyhood, 3, 4, 5, 6; at Edinburgh
+University, 6-7; studies the conditions of life in the Highlands, 8,
+14; succeeds to the title, 14; his scheme of emigration, 15-16, 27-8,
+32, 35-6; his colony on Prince Edward Island, 16-18; at Baldoon Farm,
+18-20; fêted by fur merchants of Montreal, 20-1; his speech on national
+defence in the House of Lords, 27; his marriage, 28; his efforts in
+securing a grant of land in Assiniboia, 28-35; his colony at Red River,
+55-63, 76-83; endeavours to persuade the government to send armed
+assistance to his colony, 91-4; his message of encouragement, 94; his
+relief expedition, 108, 110-11, 113, 115, 127-8; at Indian council on
+Drummond Island, 112-13; hears of the Seven Oaks disaster and makes for
+Fort William, 113-15, 118; takes possession of the fort and arrests the
+partners of the North-West Company, 120-7; arrives at Colony Gardens,
+128-9, 130; receives the name of 'Silver Chief' and concludes a treaty
+with the Indians, 131-3; his trial, 131, 133, 134; his charges against
+the North-West Company, 70, 87, 134-6; his death, 137; his character,
+5, 7, 14, 120, 131, 138-9.
+
+Selkirk, sixth Earl of, 92, 137.
+
+Semple, Robert, governor-in-chief in Assiniboia, 84, 86, 87, 95, 135;
+killed at Seven Oaks, 95-9.
+
+Seven Oaks, the massacre of, 95-102 and note, 130; the trial of
+Nor'westers, 135.
+
+Sherbrooke, Sir John, governor of Canada, 114, 130-1, 134-135.
+
+Sherwood, counsel for Nor'westers, 135.
+
+Spencer, John, enforces Governor Macdonell's decree on the Nor'westers,
+65-6.
+
+Stornoway, the departure of emigrants from, 38-43.
+
+Strachan, Rev. John, his antagonism to Lord Selkirk, 134.
+
+Sutherland, George, 88, 89; escapes at Seven Oaks, 100.
+
+Sutherland, Elder James, authorized to baptize and perform the marriage
+ceremony at Colony Gardens, 84.
+
+
+War of 1812, and Selkirk's settlement at Baldoon Farm, 19, 109.
+
+Watteville regiment, provides recruits for Red River Colony, 109-10,
+130.
+
+Wedderburn-Colvile, James, father-in-law of Lord Selkirk, 28, 30.
+
+White, James, surgeon at Colony Gardens, 75; killed at Seven Oaks, 100.
+
+Wilkinson, Dr, killed at Seven Oaks, 100.
+
+Winnipeg, site of Colony Gardens, 53, 129, 141.
+
+
+
+
+  Printed by T. and A. Constable, Printers to His Majesty
+  at the Edinburgh University Press
+
+
+
+
+THE CHRONICLES OF CANADA
+
+THIRTY-TWO VOLUMES ILLUSTRATED
+
+Edited by GEORGE M. WRONG and H. H. LANGTON
+
+
+
+THE CHRONICLES OF CANADA
+
+PART I
+
+THE FIRST EUROPEAN VISITORS
+
+1.  THE DAWN OF CANADIAN HISTORY
+    By Stephen Leacock.
+
+2.  THE MARINER OF ST MALO
+    By Stephen Leacock.
+
+
+PART II
+
+THE RISE OF NEW FRANCE
+
+3.  THE FOUNDER OF NEW FRANCE
+    By Charles W. Colby.
+
+4.  THE JESUIT MISSIONS
+    By Thomas Guthrie Marquis.
+
+5.  THE SEIGNEURS OF OLD CANADA
+    By William Bennett Munro.
+
+6.  THE GREAT INTENDANT
+    By Thomas Chapais.
+
+7.  THE FIGHTING GOVERNOR
+    By Charles W. Colby.
+
+
+PART III
+
+THE ENGLISH INVASION
+
+8.  THE GREAT FORTRESS
+    By William Wood.
+
+9.  THE ACADIAN EXILES
+    By Arthur G. Doughty.
+
+10.  THE PASSING OF NEW FRANCE
+     By William Wood.
+
+11.  THE WINNING OF CANADA
+     By William Wood.
+
+
+PART IV
+
+THE BEGINNINGS OF BRITISH CANADA
+
+12.  THE FATHER OF BRITISH CANADA
+     By William Wood.
+
+13.  THE UNITED EMPIRE LOYALISTS
+     By W. Stewart Wallace.
+
+14.  THE WAR WITH THE UNITED STATES
+     By William Wood.
+
+
+PART V
+
+THE RED MAN IN CANADA
+
+15.  THE WAR CHIEF OF THE OTTAWAS
+     By Thomas Guthrie Marquis.
+
+16.  THE WAR CHIEF OF THE SIX NATIONS
+     By Louis Aubrey Wood.
+
+17.  TECUMSEH: THE LAST GREAT LEADER OF HIS PEOPLE
+     By Ethel T. Raymond.
+
+
+PART VI
+
+PIONEERS OF THE NORTH AND WEST
+
+18.  THE 'ADVENTURERS OF ENGLAND' ON HUDSON BAY
+     By Agnes C. Laut.
+
+19.  PATHFINDERS OF THE GREAT PLAINS
+     By Lawrence J. Burpee.
+
+20.  ADVENTURERS OF THE FAR NORTH
+     By Stephen Leacock.
+
+21.  THE RED RIVER COLONY
+     By Louis Aubrey Wood.
+
+22.  PIONEERS OF THE PACIFIC COAST
+     By Agnes C. Laut.
+
+23.  THE CARIBOO TRAIL
+     By Agnes C. Laut.
+
+
+PART VII
+
+THE STRUGGLE FOR POLITICAL FREEDOM
+
+24.  THE FAMILY COMPACT
+     By W. Stewart Wallace.
+
+25.  THE 'PATRIOTES' OF '37
+     By Alfred D. DeCelles.
+
+26.  THE TRIBUNE OF NOVA SCOTIA
+     By William Lawson Grant.
+
+27.  THE WINNING OF POPULAR GOVERNMENT
+     By Archibald MacMechan.
+
+
+PART VIII
+
+THE GROWTH OF NATIONALITY
+
+28.  THE FATHERS OF CONFEDERATION
+     By A. H. U. Colquhoun.
+
+29.  THE DAY OF SIR JOHN MACDONALD
+     By Sir Joseph Pope.
+
+30.  THE DAY OF SIR WILFRID LAURIER
+     By Oscar D. Skelton.
+
+
+PART IX
+
+NATIONAL HIGHWAYS
+
+31.  ALL AFLOAT
+     By William Wood.
+
+32.  THE RAILWAY BUILDERS
+     By Oscar D. Skelton.
+
+
+
+TORONTO: GLASGOW, BROOK & COMPANY
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's The Red River Colony, by Louis Aubrey Wood
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE RED RIVER COLONY ***
+
+***** This file should be named 30040-8.txt or 30040-8.zip *****
+This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
+        https://www.gutenberg.org/3/0/0/4/30040/
+
+Produced by Al Haines
+
+Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
+will be renamed.
+
+Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
+one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
+(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
+permission and without paying copyright royalties.  Special rules,
+set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
+copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
+protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark.  Project
+Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
+charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission.  If you
+do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
+rules is very easy.  You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
+such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
+research.  They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
+practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks.  Redistribution is
+subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
+redistribution.
+
+
+
+*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
+https://gutenberg.org/license).
+
+
+Section 1.  General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works
+
+1.A.  By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement.  If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
+all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
+If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
+terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
+entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
+
+1.B.  "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark.  It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement.  There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement.  See
+paragraph 1.C below.  There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
+and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.  See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C.  The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
+or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works.  Nearly all the individual works in the
+collection are in the public domain in the United States.  If an
+individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
+located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
+copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
+works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
+are removed.  Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
+Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
+freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
+this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
+the work.  You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
+keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D.  The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work.  Copyright laws in most countries are in
+a constant state of change.  If you are outside the United States, check
+the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
+before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
+creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
+Gutenberg-tm work.  The Foundation makes no representations concerning
+the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
+States.
+
+1.E.  Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1.  The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
+access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
+whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
+copied or distributed:
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+1.E.2.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
+from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
+posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
+and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
+or charges.  If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
+with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
+work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
+through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
+Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
+1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
+terms imposed by the copyright holder.  Additional terms will be linked
+to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
+permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4.  Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5.  Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6.  You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
+word processing or hypertext form.  However, if you provide access to or
+distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
+"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
+posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
+you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
+copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
+request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
+form.  Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7.  Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8.  You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
+that
+
+- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+     the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+     you already use to calculate your applicable taxes.  The fee is
+     owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
+     has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
+     Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.  Royalty payments
+     must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
+     prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
+     returns.  Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
+     sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
+     address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
+     the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+     you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+     does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+     License.  You must require such a user to return or
+     destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
+     and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
+     Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
+     money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+     electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
+     of receipt of the work.
+
+- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+     distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9.  If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
+forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
+both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
+Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark.  Contact the
+Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1.  Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
+collection.  Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
+"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
+corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
+property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
+computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
+your equipment.
+
+1.F.2.  LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees.  YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3.  YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3.  LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from.  If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
+your written explanation.  The person or entity that provided you with
+the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
+refund.  If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
+providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
+receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund.  If the second copy
+is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
+opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4.  Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER
+WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
+WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5.  Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
+If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
+law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
+interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
+the applicable state law.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any
+provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6.  INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
+with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
+promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
+harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
+that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
+or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
+work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
+Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
+
+
+Section  2.  Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
+including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers.  It exists
+because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
+people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come.  In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
+To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
+and the Foundation web page at https://www.pglaf.org.
+
+
+Section 3.  Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
+Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service.  The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541.  Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
+https://pglaf.org/fundraising.  Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
+permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
+Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
+throughout numerous locations.  Its business office is located at
+809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
+business@pglaf.org.  Email contact links and up to date contact
+information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
+page at https://pglaf.org
+
+For additional contact information:
+     Dr. Gregory B. Newby
+     Chief Executive and Director
+     gbnewby@pglaf.org
+
+
+Section 4.  Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
+spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment.  Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States.  Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements.  We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance.  To
+SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
+particular state visit https://pglaf.org
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States.  U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses.  Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including including checks, online payments and credit card
+donations.  To donate, please visit: https://pglaf.org/donate
+
+
+Section 5.  General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
+concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
+with anyone.  For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
+Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
+
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
+unless a copyright notice is included.  Thus, we do not necessarily
+keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
+
+
+Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
+
+     https://www.gutenberg.org
+
+This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
diff --git a/30040-8.zip b/30040-8.zip
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9b69a01
--- /dev/null
+++ b/30040-8.zip
diff --git a/30040-h.zip b/30040-h.zip
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b9023c2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/30040-h.zip
diff --git a/30040-h/30040-h.htm b/30040-h/30040-h.htm
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f40d673
--- /dev/null
+++ b/30040-h/30040-h.htm
@@ -0,0 +1,5421 @@
+<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
+<HTML>
+<HEAD>
+
+<META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
+
+<TITLE>
+The Project Gutenberg E-text of The Red River Colony, by Louis Aubrey Wood
+</TITLE>
+
+<STYLE TYPE="text/css">
+BODY { color: Black;
+       background: White;
+       margin-right: 10%;
+       margin-left: 10%;
+       font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;
+       text-align: justify }
+
+P {text-indent: 4% }
+
+P.noindent {text-indent: 0% }
+
+P.poem {text-indent: 0%;
+        margin-left: 10%;
+        font-size: small }
+
+P.letter {text-indent: 0%;
+          font-size: small ;
+          margin-left: 10% ;
+          margin-right: 10% }
+
+P.salutation {font-size: small ;
+              text-indent: 0%;
+              margin-left: 10% ;
+              margin-right: 10% }
+
+P.closing {font-size: small ;
+           text-indent: 0%;
+           margin-left: 10% ;
+           margin-right: 10% }
+
+P.footnote {font-size: 80% ;
+            text-indent: 0% ;
+            margin-left: 10% ;
+            margin-right: 10% }
+
+P.transnote {font-size: small ;
+             text-indent: 0% ;
+             margin-left: 0% ;
+             margin-right: 0% }
+
+P.index {font-size: small ;
+         text-indent: -5% ;
+         margin-left: 5% ;
+         margin-top: 0% ;
+         margin-bottom: 0% ;
+         margin-right: 0% }
+
+P.intro {font-size: medium ;
+         text-indent: -5% ;
+         margin-left: 5% ;
+         margin-right: 0% }
+
+P.dedication {text-indent: 0%;
+              margin-left: 15%;
+              text-align: justify }
+
+P.published {font-size: small ;
+             text-indent: 0% ;
+             margin-left: 15% }
+
+P.quote {font-size: small ;
+         text-indent: 4% ;
+         margin-left: 0% ;
+         margin-right: 0% }
+
+P.report {font-size: small ;
+         text-indent: 4% ;
+         margin-left: 0% ;
+         margin-right: 0% }
+
+P.report2 {font-size: small ;
+         text-indent: 4% ;
+         margin-left: 10% ;
+         margin-right: 10% }
+
+P.finis { font-size: larger ;
+          text-align: center ;
+          text-indent: 0% ;
+          margin-left: 0% ;
+          margin-right: 0% }
+
+H3.h3left { margin-left: 0%;
+            margin-right: 1%;
+            margin-bottom: .5% ;
+            margin-top: 0;
+            float: left ;
+            clear: left ;
+            text-align: center }
+
+H3.h3right { margin-left: 1%;
+             margin-right: 0 ;
+             margin-bottom: .5% ;
+             margin-top: 0;
+             float: right ;
+             clear: right ;
+             text-align: center }
+
+H3.h3center { margin-left: 0;
+              margin-right: 0 ;
+              margin-bottom: .5% ;
+              margin-top: 0;
+              float: none ;
+              clear: both ;
+              text-align: center  }
+
+H4.h4left { margin-left: 0%;
+            margin-right: 1%;
+            margin-bottom: .5% ;
+            margin-top: 0;
+            float: left ;
+            clear: left ;
+            text-align: center }
+
+H4.h4right { margin-left: 1%;
+             margin-right: 0 ;
+             margin-bottom: .5% ;
+             margin-top: 0;
+             float: right ;
+             clear: right ;
+             text-align: center }
+
+H4.h4center { margin-left: 0;
+              margin-right: 0 ;
+              margin-bottom: .5% ;
+              margin-top: 0;
+              float: none ;
+              clear: both ;
+              text-align: center  }
+
+H5.h5left { margin-left: 0%;
+            margin-right: 1%;
+            margin-bottom: .5% ;
+            margin-top: 0;
+            float: left ;
+            clear: left ;
+            text-align: center }
+
+H5.h5right { margin-left: 1%;
+             margin-right: 0 ;
+             margin-bottom: .5% ;
+             margin-top: 0;
+             float: right ;
+             clear: right ;
+             text-align: center }
+
+H5.h5center { margin-left: 0;
+              margin-right: 0 ;
+              margin-bottom: .5% ;
+              margin-top: 0;
+              float: none ;
+              clear: both ;
+              text-align: center  }
+
+IMG.imgleft { float: left;
+              clear: left;
+              margin-left: 0;
+              margin-bottom: 0;
+              margin-top: 1%;
+              margin-right: 1%;
+              padding: 0;
+              text-align: center }
+
+IMG.imgright {float: right;
+              clear: right;
+              margin-left: 1%;
+              margin-bottom: 0;
+              margin-top: 1%;
+              margin-right: 0;
+              padding: 0;
+              text-align: center }
+
+IMG.imgcenter { margin-left: auto;
+                margin-bottom: 0;
+                margin-top: 1%;
+                margin-right: auto; }
+
+.pagenum { position: absolute;
+           left: 1%;
+           font-size: 95%;
+           text-align: left;
+           text-indent: 0;
+           font-style: normal;
+           font-weight: normal;
+           font-variant: normal; }
+
+.sidenote { left: 0%;
+            font-size: 65%;
+            text-align: left;
+            text-indent: 0%;
+            width: 17%;
+            float: left;
+            clear: left;
+            padding-left: 0%;
+            padding-right: 2%;
+            padding-top: 2%;
+            padding-bottom: 2%;
+            font-style: normal;
+            font-weight: normal;
+            font-variant: normal; }
+
+
+
+</STYLE>
+
+</HEAD>
+
+<BODY>
+
+
+<pre>
+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Red River Colony, by Louis Aubrey Wood
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Red River Colony
+       A Chronicle of the Beginnings of Manitoba
+
+Author: Louis Aubrey Wood
+
+Release Date: September 20, 2009 [EBook #30040]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE RED RIVER COLONY ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Al Haines
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+<BR><BR>
+
+<A NAME="img-front"></A>
+<CENTER>
+<IMG CLASS="imgcenter" SRC="images/img-front.jpg" ALT="Thomas Douglas, Fifth Earl of Selkirk.  From the painting at St Mary's Isle" BORDER="2" WIDTH="536" HEIGHT="703">
+<H4 CLASS="h4center" STYLE="width: 536px">
+Thomas Douglas, Fifth Earl of Selkirk.  <BR>
+From the painting at St Mary's Isle
+</H4>
+</CENTER>
+
+<BR><BR><BR>
+
+
+<H1 ALIGN="center">
+THE
+<BR>
+RED RIVER COLONY
+</H1>
+
+<BR>
+
+<H2 ALIGN="center">
+A Chronicle of the Beginnings of Manitoba
+</H2>
+
+<BR><BR>
+
+<H3 ALIGN="center">
+BY
+</H3>
+
+<H2 ALIGN="center">
+LOUIS AUBREY WOOD
+</H2>
+
+<BR><BR><BR>
+
+<H4 ALIGN="center">
+TORONTO
+<BR>
+GLASGOW, BROOK &amp; COMPANY
+<BR>
+1915
+</H4>
+
+<BR><BR><BR>
+
+<H5 ALIGN="center">
+<I>Copyright in all Countries subscribing to<BR>
+the Berne Convention</I><BR>
+</H5>
+
+<BR><BR><BR>
+
+<H3 ALIGN="center">
+TO
+<BR>
+MY FATHER
+</H3>
+
+<BR><BR><BR>
+
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="Pix"></A>ix}</SPAN>
+
+<H2 ALIGN="center">
+CONTENTS
+</H2>
+
+<TABLE ALIGN="center" WIDTH="80%">
+
+<TR>
+<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="10%">&nbsp;</TD>
+<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="80%">&nbsp;</TD>
+<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="10%">Page</TD>
+</TR>
+
+<TR>
+<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">I.&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD>
+<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top">
+<A HREF="#chap01">ST MARY'S ISLE</A></TD>
+<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">
+   1</TD>
+</TR>
+
+<TR>
+<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">II.&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD>
+<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top">
+<A HREF="#chap02">SELKIRK, THE COLONIZER</A></TD>
+<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">
+  9</TD>
+</TR>
+
+<TR>
+<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">III.&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD>
+<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top">
+<A HREF="#chap03">THE PURSE-STRINGS LOOSEN</A></TD>
+<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">
+  22</TD>
+</TR>
+
+<TR>
+<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">IV.&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD>
+<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top">
+<A HREF="#chap04">STORNOWAY&mdash;AND BEYOND</A></TD>
+<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">
+  35</TD>
+</TR>
+
+<TR>
+<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">V.&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD>
+<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top">
+<A HREF="#chap05">WINTERING ON THE BAY</A></TD>
+<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">
+   44</TD>
+</TR>
+
+<TR>
+<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">VI.&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD>
+<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top">
+<A HREF="#chap06">RED RIVER AND PEMBINA</A></TD>
+<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">
+   54</TD>
+</TR>
+
+<TR>
+<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">VII.&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD>
+<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top">
+<A HREF="#chap07">THE BEGINNING OF STRIFE</A></TD>
+<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">
+  65</TD>
+</TR>
+
+<TR>
+<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">VIII.&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD>
+<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top">
+<A HREF="#chap08">COLIN ROBERTSON, THE AVENGER</A></TD>
+<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">
+  80</TD>
+</TR>
+
+<TR>
+<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">IX.&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD>
+<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top">
+<A HREF="#chap09">SEVEN OAKS</A></TD>
+<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">
+   91</TD>
+</TR>
+
+<TR>
+<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">X.&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD>
+<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top">
+<A HREF="#chap10">LORD SELKIRK'S JOURNEY</A></TD>
+<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">
+  108</TD>
+</TR>
+
+<TR>
+<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">XI.&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD>
+<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top">
+<A HREF="#chap11">FORT WILLIAM</A></TD>
+<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">
+  116</TD>
+</TR>
+
+<TR>
+<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">XII.&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD>
+<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top">
+<A HREF="#chap12">THE PIPE OF PEACE</A></TD>
+<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">
+ 129</TD>
+</TR>
+
+<TR>
+<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">&nbsp;</TD>
+<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top">
+<A HREF="#biblio">BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE</A></TD>
+<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">
+ 142</TD>
+</TR>
+
+<TR>
+<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">&nbsp;</TD>
+<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top">
+<A HREF="#index">INDEX</A></TD>
+<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">
+  147</TD>
+</TR>
+
+</TABLE>
+
+<BR><BR><BR>
+
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="Pxi"></A>xi}</SPAN>
+
+<H2 ALIGN="center">
+ILLUSTRATIONS
+</H2>
+
+<TABLE ALIGN="center" WIDTH="80%">
+
+<TR>
+<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="80%">
+<A HREF="#img-front">
+THOMAS DOUGLAS, FIFTH EARL OF SELKIRK</A><BR>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;From the painting at St Mary's Isle.
+</TD>
+<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="20%">
+<I>Frontispiece</I>
+</TD></TR>
+
+<TR>
+<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top">
+<A HREF="#img-020">
+PLACE D'ARMES, MONTREAL, IN 1807</A><BR>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;From a water-colour sketch after Dillon in
+M'Gill University Library.<BR>
+</TD>
+<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">
+ <I>Facing page</I> 20
+</TD></TR>
+
+<TR>
+<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top">
+<A HREF="#img-022">
+JOSEPH FROBISHER, A PARTNER IN THE NORTH-WEST COMPANY</A><BR>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;From an engraving in the John Ross Robertson
+Collection, <BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Toronto Public Library.
+</TD>
+<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">
+&nbsp;&nbsp; "&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 22<BR>
+</TD></TR>
+
+<TR>
+<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top">
+<A HREF="#img-048t">
+THE COUNTRY OF LORD SELKIRK'S SETTLERS</A><BR>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Map by Bartholomew.<BR>
+</TD>
+<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">
+&nbsp;&nbsp; "&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 48
+</TD></TR>
+
+<TR>
+<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top">
+<A HREF="#img-058">
+HUNTING THE BUFFALO</A><BR>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;From a painting by George Catlin.
+</TD>
+<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">
+&nbsp;&nbsp; "&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 58
+</TD></TR>
+
+<TR>
+<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top">
+<A HREF="#img-064">
+PLAN OF THE RED RIVER COLONY</A><BR>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Drawn by Bartholomew.
+</TD>
+<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">
+&nbsp;&nbsp; "&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 64
+</TD></TR>
+
+<TR>
+<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top">
+<A HREF="#img-116">
+FORT WILLIAM</A><BR>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;From an old print in the John Ross Robertson
+Collection, <BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Toronto Public Library.
+</TD>
+<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">
+&nbsp;&nbsp; "&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "&nbsp;&nbsp; 116
+</TD></TR>
+
+<TR>
+<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top">
+<A HREF="#img-118">
+SIMON M'TAVISH, FOUNDER OF THE NORTH-WEST COMPANY</A><BR>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;From a water-colour drawing in M'Gill
+University Library.
+</TD>
+<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">
+&nbsp;&nbsp; "&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "&nbsp;&nbsp; 118
+</TD></TR>
+
+<TR>
+<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top">
+<A HREF="#img-122">
+WILLIAM M'GILLIVRAY, A PARTNER IN THE NORTH-WEST COMPANY</A><BR>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;From a photograph in M'Gill University Library.
+</TD>
+<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">
+&nbsp;&nbsp; "&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "&nbsp;&nbsp; 122<BR>
+</TD></TR>
+
+</TABLE>
+
+<BR><BR><BR>
+
+<A NAME="chap01"></A>
+
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P1"></A>1}</SPAN>
+
+<H3 ALIGN="center">
+CHAPTER I
+</H3>
+
+<H4 ALIGN="center">
+ST MARY'S ISLE
+</H4>
+
+<P>
+When the <I>Ranger</I> stole into the firth of Solway she carried an
+exultant crew.  From the cliffs of Cumberland she might have been
+mistaken for a trading bark, lined and crusted by long travel.  But she
+was something else, as the townsfolk of Whitehaven, on the north-west
+coast of England, had found it to their cost.  Out of their harbour the
+<I>Ranger</I> had just emerged, leaving thirty guns spiked and a large ship
+burned to the water's edge.  In fact, this innocent-looking vessel was
+a sloop-of-war&mdash;as trim and tidy a craft as had ever set sail from the
+shores of New England.  On her upper deck was stationed a strong
+battery of eighteen six-pounders, ready to be brought into action at a
+moment's notice.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+On the quarter-deck of the <I>Ranger</I>, deep in thought, paced the
+captain, John Paul Jones, a man of meagre build but of indomitable
+will, and as daring a fighter as roved the ocean
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P2"></A>2}</SPAN>
+in this year 1778.
+He held a letter of marque from the Congress of the revolted colonies
+in America, and was just now engaged in harrying the British coasts.
+Across the broad firth the <I>Ranger</I> sped with bellying sails and shaped
+her course along the south-western shore of Scotland.  To Paul Jones
+this coast was an open book; he had been born and bred in the stewartry
+of Kirkcudbright, which lay on his vessel's starboard bow.  Soon the
+Ranger swept round a foreland and boldly entered the river Dee, where
+the anchor was dropped.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+A boat was swung out, speedily manned, and headed for the shelving
+beach of St Mary's Isle.  Here, as Captain Paul Jones knew, dwelt one
+of the chief noblemen of the south of Scotland.  The vine-clad,
+rambling mansion of the fourth Earl of Selkirk was just behind the
+fringe of trees skirting the shore.  According to the official report
+of this descent upon St Mary's Isle, it was the captain's intention to
+capture Selkirk, drag him on board the <I>Ranger</I>, and carry him as a
+hostage to some harbour in France.  But it is possible that there was
+another and more personal object.  Paul Jones, it is said, believed
+that he was a natural son of the Scottish nobleman,
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P3"></A>3}</SPAN>
+and went with
+this armed force to disclose his identity.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+When the boat grated upon the shingle the seamen swarmed ashore and
+found themselves in a great park, interspersed with gardens and walks
+and green open spaces.  The party met with no opposition.  Everything,
+indeed, seemed to favour their undertaking, until it was learned from
+some workmen in the grounds that the master was not at home.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+In sullen displeasure John Paul Jones paced nervously to and fro in the
+garden.  His purpose was thwarted; he was cheated of his prisoner.  A
+company of his men, however, went on and entered the manor-house.
+There they showed the hostile character of their mission.  Having
+terrorized the servants, they seized the household plate and bore it in
+bags to their vessel.  Under full canvas the <I>Ranger</I> then directed her
+course for the Irish Sea.
+</P>
+
+<BR>
+
+<P>
+Thomas Douglas, the future lord of the Red River Colony, was a boy of
+not quite seven years at the time of this raid on his father's mansion.
+He had been born on June 20, 1771, and was the youngest of seven
+brothers in the Selkirk family.  What he thought of Paul Jones and his
+marauders can only be
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P4"></A>4}</SPAN>
+surmised.  St Mary's Isle was a remote spot,
+replete with relics of history, but uneventful in daily life; and a
+real adventure at his own doors could hardly fail to leave an
+impression on the boy's mind.  The historical associations of St Mary's
+Isle made it an excellent training-ground for an imaginative youth.
+Monks of the Middle Ages had noted its favourable situation for a
+religious community, and the canons-regular of the Order of St
+Augustine had erected there one of their priories.  A portion of an
+extensive wall which had surrounded the cloister was retained in the
+Selkirk manor-house.  Farther afield were other reminders of past days
+to stir the imagination of young Thomas Douglas.  A few miles eastward
+from his home was Dundrennan Abbey.  Up the Dee was Thrieve Castle,
+begun by Archibald the Grim, and later used as a stronghold by the
+famous Black Douglas.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The ancient district of Galloway, in which the Selkirk home was
+situated, had long been known as the Whig country.  It had been the
+chosen land of the Covenanters, the foes of privilege and the defenders
+of liberal principles in government.  Its leading families, the
+Kennedys, the Gordons, and
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P5"></A>5}</SPAN>
+the Douglases, formed a broad-minded
+aristocracy.  In such surroundings, as one of the 'lads of the Dee,'
+Thomas Douglas inevitably developed a type of mind more or less
+radical.  His political opinions, however, were guided by a cultivated
+intellect.  His father, a patron of letters, kept open house for men of
+genius, and brought his sons into contact with some of the foremost
+thinkers and writers of the day.  One of these was Robert Burns, the
+most beloved of Scottish poets.  In his earlier life, when scarcely
+known to his countrymen, Burns had dined with Basil, Lord Daer, Thomas
+Douglas's eldest brother and heir-apparent of the Selkirk line.  This
+was the occasion commemorated by Burns in the poem of which this is the
+first stanza:
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="poem">
+This wot ye all whom it concerns:<BR>
+I, Rhymer Robin, alias Burns,<BR>
+<SPAN STYLE="margin-left: 2em">October twenty-third,</SPAN><BR>
+A ne'er-to-be-forgotten day,<BR>
+Sae far I sprachl'd up the brae<BR>
+<SPAN STYLE="margin-left: 2em">I dinner'd wi' a Lord.</SPAN><BR>
+</P>
+
+<P>
+One wet evening in the summer of 1793 Burns drew up before the Selkirk
+manor-house in company with John Syme of Ryedale.  The two friends were
+making a tour of Galloway on horseback.  The poet was in bad humour.
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P6"></A>6}</SPAN>
+The night before, during a wild storm of rain and thunder, he had
+been inspired to the rousing measures of 'Scots wha hae wi' Wallace
+bled.'  But now he was drenched to the skin, and the rain had damaged a
+new pair of jemmy boots which he was wearing.  The passionate appeal of
+the Bruce to his countrymen was now forgotten, and Burns was as cross
+as the proverbial bear.  It was the dinner hour when the two wanderers
+arrived and were cordially invited to stay.  Various other guests were
+present; and so agreeable was the company and so genial the welcome,
+that the grumbling bard soon lost his irritable mood.  The evening
+passed in song and story, and Burns recited one of his ballads, we are
+told, to an audience which listened in 'dead silence.'  The young mind
+of Thomas Douglas could not fail to be influenced by such associations.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+In 1786 Thomas Douglas entered the University of Edinburgh.  From this
+year until 1790 his name appears regularly upon the class lists kept by
+its professors.  The 'grey metropolis of the North' was at this period
+pre-eminent among the literary and academic centres of Great Britain.
+The principal of the university was William Robertson, the
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P7"></A>7}</SPAN>
+
+celebrated historian.  Professor Dugald Stewart, who held the chair of
+philosophy, had gained a reputation extending to the continent of
+Europe.  Adam Smith, the epoch-making economist, was spending the
+closing years of his life at his home near the Canongate churchyard.
+During his stay in Edinburgh, Thomas Douglas interested himself in the
+work of the literary societies, which were among the leading features
+of academic life.  At the meetings essays were read upon various themes
+and lengthy debates were held.  In 1788 a group of nineteen young men
+at Edinburgh formed a new society known as 'The Club.'  Two of the
+original members were Thomas Douglas and Walter Scott, the latter an
+Edinburgh lad a few weeks younger than Douglas.  These two formed an
+intimate friendship which did not wane when one had become a peer of
+the realm, his mind occupied by a great social problem, and the other a
+baronet and the greatest novelist of his generation.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+When the French Revolution stirred Europe to its depths, Thomas Douglas
+was attracted by the doctrines of the revolutionists, and went to
+France that he might study the new movement.  But Douglas, like so many
+of his
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P8"></A>8}</SPAN>
+contemporaries in Great Britain, was filled with disgust at
+the blind carnage of the Revolution.  He returned to Scotland and began
+a series of tours in the Highlands, studying the conditions of life
+among his Celtic countrymen and becoming proficient in the use of the
+Gaelic tongue.  Not France but Scotland was to be the scene of his
+reforming efforts.
+</P>
+
+<BR><BR><BR>
+
+<A NAME="chap02"></A>
+
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P9"></A>9}</SPAN>
+
+<H3 ALIGN="center">
+CHAPTER II
+</H3>
+
+<H4 ALIGN="center">
+SELKIRK, THE COLONIZER
+</H4>
+
+<P>
+From the north and west of Scotland have come two types of men with
+whom every schoolboy is now familiar.  One of these has been on many a
+battlefield.  He is the brawny Highland warrior, with buckled tartan
+flung across his shoulder, gay in pointed plume and filibeg.  The other
+is seen in many a famous picture of the hill-country&mdash;the Highland
+shepherd, wrapped in his plaid, with staff in hand and long-haired dog
+by his side, guarding his flock in silent glen, by still-running burn,
+or out upon the lonely brae.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+But in Thomas Douglas's day such types of Highland life were very
+recent factors in Scottish history.  They did not appear, indeed, until
+after the battle of Culloden and the failure of the Rebellion of 1745.
+Loyalty, firm and unbending, has always been a characteristic of the
+mountaineer.  The
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P10"></A>10}</SPAN>
+Highlanders held to the ancient house of Stuart
+which had been dethroned.  George II of England was repudiated by most
+of them as a 'wee, wee German Lairdie.'  More than thirty thousand
+claymores flashed at the beck of Charles Edward, the Stuart prince,
+acclaimed as 'King o' the Highland hearts.'  When the uprising had been
+quelled and Charles Edward had become a fugitive with a price on his
+head, little consideration could be expected from the house of Hanover.
+The British government decided that, once and for all, the power of the
+clans should be broken.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+For centuries the chief strength of the Highland race had lain in the
+clan.  By right of birth every Highlander belonged to a sept or clan.
+His overlord was an elected chief, whom he was expected to obey under
+all circumstances.  This chief led in war and exercised a wide
+authority over his people.  Just below him were the tacksmen, who were
+more nearly related to him than were the ordinary clansmen.  Every
+member of the clan had some land; indeed, each clansman had the same
+rights to the soil as the chief himself enjoyed.  The Highlander dwelt
+in a humble shealing; but, however poor, he
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P11"></A>11}</SPAN>
+gloried in his
+independence.  He grew his own corn and took it to the common mill; he
+raised fodder for his black, shaggy cattle which roamed upon the rugged
+hillsides or in the misty valleys; his women-folk carded wool sheared
+from his own flock, spun it, and wove the cloth for bonnet, kilt, and
+plaid.  When his chief had need of him, the summons was vivid and
+picturesque.  The Fiery Cross was carried over the district by swift
+messengers who shouted a slogan known to all; and soon from every
+quarter the clansmen would gather at the appointed meeting-place.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The clans of the Highlands had led a wild, free life, but their dogged
+love for the Stuart cause brought to them desolation and ruin.  By one
+stroke the British government destroyed the social fabric of centuries.
+From the farthest rock of the storm-wasted Orkneys to the narrow home
+of Clan Donald in Argyllshire, the ban of the government was laid on
+the clan organization.  Worst of all, possession of the soil was given,
+not to the many clansmen, but to the chiefs alone.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+While the old chiefs remained alive, little real hardship was
+inflicted.  They were
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P12"></A>12}</SPAN>
+wedded to the old order of things, and left
+it unchanged.  With their successors, however, began a new era.  These
+men had come under the influence of the south, whither they had gone
+for education, to correct the rudeness of their Highland manners.  On
+their return to their native country they too often held themselves
+aloof from the uncouth dwellers in the hills.  The mysterious love of
+the Gael for his kith and kin had left them; they were no longer to
+their dependants as fathers to children.  More especially had these
+Saxon-bred lordlings fallen a prey to the commercial ideas of the
+south.  It was trying for them to possess the nominal dignity of
+landlords without the money needed to maintain their rank.  They were
+bare of retinue, shabby in equipage, and light of purse.  They saw but
+one solution of their difficulty.  Like their English and Lowland
+brethren, they must increase the rents upon their Highland estates.  So
+it came about that the one-time clansmen, reduced to mere tenants,
+groaned for the upkeep of their overlords.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Nor did this end the misfortunes of the clansmen.  An attractive lure
+was held out to the new generation of chieftains, and greed and avarice
+were to triumph.  Southern
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P13"></A>13}</SPAN>
+speculators had been rambling over the
+Highlands, eager to exploit the country.  These men had seen a land of
+grass and heather, steep crag, and winter snow.  Observing that the
+country was specially adapted to the raising of sheep, they sought by
+offering high rents to acquire land for sheep-walks.  Thus, through the
+length and breadth of the Highlands, great enclosures were formed for
+the breeding of sheep.  Where many crofters had once tilled the soil,
+only a lone shepherd was now found, meditating on scenes of desolation.
+Ruined dwellings and forsaken hamlets remained to tell the tale.  Human
+beings had been evicted: sheep had become the 'devourers of men.'  In
+many parts of the Highlands the inhabitants, driven from mountain
+homes, were forced to eke out a meagre existence on narrow strips of
+land by the seashore, where they pined and where they half-starved on
+the fish caught in the dangerous waters.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+From such a dilemma there was but one escape.  Behind the evicted
+tenantry were the sheep-walks; before them was the open sea.  Few
+herrings came to the net; the bannock meal was low; the tartan
+threadbare.  In their utter hopelessness they listened to the good news
+which came of a land beyond the
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P14"></A>14}</SPAN>
+Atlantic where there was plenty
+and to spare.  It is small wonder that as the ships moved westward they
+carried with them the destitute Highlander, bound for the colonies
+planted in North America.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+This 'expatriation' was spread over many weary years.  It was in full
+process in 1797, when Thomas Douglas became Lord Daer.  His six elder
+brothers had been ailing, and one by one they had died, until he, the
+youngest, alone survived.  Then, when his father also passed away, on
+May 24, 1799, he was left in possession of the ancestral estates and
+became the fifth Earl of Selkirk.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+As a youngest son, who would have to make his own way in the world,
+Thomas Douglas had prepared himself, and this was a distinct advantage
+to him when his elevation in rank occurred.  He entered into his
+fortune and place an educated man, with the broad outlook upon life and
+the humanitarian sympathy which study and experience bring to a
+generous spirit.  Now he was in a position to carry out certain
+philanthropic schemes which had begun earlier to engage his attention.
+His jaunts in the Highlands amid 'the mountain and the flood' were now
+to bear fruit.  The dolorous plaint of the hapless clansmen had
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P15"></A>15}</SPAN>
+struck an answering chord in the depths of his nature.  As Thomas
+Douglas, he had meant to interest himself in the cause of the
+Highlanders; now that he was Earl of Selkirk, he decided, as a servant
+of the public, to use his wealth and influence for their social and
+economic welfare.  With this resolve he took up what was to be the main
+task of his life&mdash;the providing of homes under other skies for the
+homeless in the Highlands.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+In the spring of 1802 the young earl addressed a letter to Lord Pelham,
+a minister in the British government, in which he dwelt with enthusiasm
+upon the subject of emigration.  His letter took the form of an appeal,
+and was prophetic.  There had previously come into Selkirk's hands
+Alexander Mackenzie's thrilling story of his journeys to the Arctic and
+the Pacific.  This book had filled Selkirk's mind with a great
+conception.  Men had settled, he told Lord Pelham, on the sea-coast of
+British America, until no tract there was left uninhabited but&mdash;frozen
+wastes and arid plains.  What of the fruitful regions which lay in the
+vast interior?  It was thither that the government should turn the
+thoughts of the homeless and the improvident.  Leading to this
+temperate and fertile area was
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P16"></A>16}</SPAN>
+an excellent northern highway&mdash;the
+waters of Hudson Bay and the Nelson.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Lord Selkirk received a not unfavourable reply to his appeal.  The
+authorities said that, though for the present they could not undertake
+a scheme of emigration such as he had outlined, they would raise no
+barrier against any private movement which Lord Selkirk might care to
+set on foot.  The refusal of the government itself to move the
+dispossessed men was dictated by the political exigencies of the
+moment.  Great Britain had no desire to decrease her male population.
+Napoleon had just become first consul in France.  His imperial eagles
+would soon be carrying their menace across the face of Europe, and
+Great Britain saw that, at any moment, she might require all the men
+she could bring into the field.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+As the government had not discountenanced his plan, the Earl of Selkirk
+determined to put his theories at once into practice.  He made known in
+the Highlands that he proposed to establish a settlement in British
+North America.  Keen interest was aroused, and soon a large company,
+mostly from the isle of Skye, with a scattering from other parts of
+Scotland, was prepared to embark.
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P17"></A>17}</SPAN>
+It was intended that these
+settlers should sail for Hudson Bay.  This and the lands beyond were,
+however, by chartered right the hunting preserve of the Hudson's Bay
+Company, of which more will be said.  Presumably this company
+interfered, for unofficial word came from England to Selkirk that the
+scheme of colonizing the prairie region west of Hudson Bay and the
+Great Lakes would not be pleasing to the government.  Selkirk, however,
+quickly turned elsewhere.  He secured land for his settlers in Prince
+Edward Island, in the Gulf of St Lawrence.  The prospective colonists,
+numbering eight hundred, sailed from Scotland on board three chartered
+vessels, and reached their destination in the midsummer of 1803.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Lord Selkirk had intended to reach Prince Edward Island in advance of
+his colonists, in order to make ready for their arrival.  But he was
+delayed by his private affairs, and when he came upon the scene of the
+intended settlement, after sunset on an August day, the ships had
+arrived and one of them had landed its passengers.  On the site of a
+little French village of former days they had propped poles together in
+a circle, matted them with foliage from the trees, and were
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P18"></A>18}</SPAN>
+living, like a band of Indians, in these improvised wigwams.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+There was, of course, much to be done.  Trees and undergrowth had to be
+cleared away, surveys made, and plots of land meted out to the various
+families.  Lord Selkirk remained for several weeks supervising the
+work.  Then, leaving the colony in charge of an agent, he set out to
+make a tour of Canada and the United States.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Meanwhile, Selkirk's agents in Scotland were not idle.  During the same
+summer (1803) a hundred and eleven emigrants were mustered at
+Tobermory, a harbour town on the island of Mull.  Most of them were
+natives of the island.  For some reason, said to be danger of attack by
+French privateers, they did not put out into the Atlantic that year;
+they sailed round to Kirkcaldy and wintered there.  In May 1804 the
+party went on board the ship <I>Oughton</I> of Greenock, and after a six
+weeks' journey landed at Montreal.  Thence they travelled in bateaux to
+Kingston.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+These settlers were on their way to Baldoon Farm, a tract of about nine
+hundred and fifty acres which Lord Selkirk had purchased for them in
+Upper Canada, near Lake St Clair.  Selkirk himself met the party at
+Kingston,
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P19"></A>19}</SPAN>
+having journeyed from Albany for that purpose.  He
+brought with him an Englishman named Lionel Johnson and his family.
+The new settlement was to be stocked with a thousand merino sheep,
+already on the way to Canada, and Johnson was engaged to take care of
+these and distribute them properly among the settlers.  The journey
+from Kingston to the Niagara was made in a good sailing ship and
+occupied only four days.  The goods of the settlers were carried above
+the Falls.  Then the party resumed their journey along the north shore
+of Lake Erie in bateaux, and arrived at their destination in September.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Baldoon Farm was an ill-chosen site for a colony.  The land,
+prairie-like in its appearance, lay in what is now known as the St
+Clair Flats in Kent county, Ontario.  It proved to be too wet for
+successful farming.  It was with difficulty, too, that the settlers
+became inured to the climate.  Within a year forty-two are reported to
+have died, chiefly of fever and dysentery.  The colony, however,
+enjoyed a measure of prosperity until the War of 1812 broke out, when
+the Americans under General M'Arthur, moving from Detroit, despoiled it
+of stores, cattle, and sheep, and almost obliterated it.  In 1818 Lord
+Selkirk
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P20"></A>20}</SPAN>
+sold the land to John M'Nab, a trader of the Hudson's Bay
+Company.  Many descendants of the original settlers are, however, still
+living in the neighbourhood.
+</P>
+
+<A NAME="img-020"></A>
+<CENTER>
+<IMG CLASS="imgcenter" SRC="images/img-020.jpg" ALT="Place D'Armes, Montreal, in 1807.  From a water-colour sketch after Dillon in M'Gill University Library." BORDER="2" WIDTH="632" HEIGHT="516">
+<H4 CLASS="h4center" STYLE="width: 632px">
+Place D'Armes, Montreal, in 1807.  <BR>
+From a water-colour sketch after Dillon in M'Gill University Library.
+</H4>
+</CENTER>
+
+<BR>
+
+<P>
+Before returning to Great Britain, Lord Selkirk rested from his travels
+for a time in the city of Montreal, where he was fêted by many of the
+leading merchants.  What the plutocrats of the fur trade had to relate
+to Selkirk was of more than passing interest.  No doubt he talked with
+Joseph Frobisher in his quaint home on Beaver Hall Hill.  Simon
+M'Tavish, too, was living in a new-built mansion under the brow of
+Mount Royal.  This 'old lion of Montreal,' who was the founder of the
+North-West Company, had for the mere asking a sheaf of tales, as
+realistic as they were entertaining.  Honour was done Lord Selkirk
+during his stay in the city by the Beaver Club, which met once a
+fortnight.  This was an exclusive organization, which limited its
+membership to those who dealt in furs.  Every meeting meant a banquet,
+and at these meetings each club-man wore a gold medal on which was
+engraved the motto, 'Fortitude in Distress.'  Dishes were served which
+smacked of prairie and forest&mdash;venison, bear flesh, and
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P21"></A>21}</SPAN>
+buffalo
+tongue.  The club's resplendent glass and polished silver were marked
+with its crest, a beaver.  After the toasts had been drunk, the jovial
+party knelt on the floor for a final ceremony.  With pokers or tongs or
+whatever else was at hand, they imitated paddlers in action, and a
+chorus of lusty voices joined in a burst of song.  It may be supposed
+that Lord Selkirk was impressed by what he saw at this gathering and
+that he was a sympathetic guest.  He asked many questions, and nothing
+escaped his eager observation.  Little did he then think that his hosts
+would soon be banded together in a struggle to the death against him
+and his schemes of western colonization.
+</P>
+
+<BR><BR><BR>
+
+<A NAME="chap03"></A>
+
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P22"></A>22}</SPAN>
+
+<H3 ALIGN="center">
+CHAPTER III
+</H3>
+
+<H4 ALIGN="center">
+THE PURSE-STRINGS LOOSEN
+</H4>
+
+<P>
+Traffic in furs was hazardous, but it brought great returns.  The
+peltry of the north, no less than the gold and silver of the south,
+gave impetus to the efforts of those who first settled the western
+hemisphere.  In expectation of ample profits, the fur ship threaded its
+way through the ice-pack of the northern seas, and the trader sent his
+canoes by tortuous stream and toilsome portage.  In the early days of
+the eighteenth century sixteen beaver skins could be obtained from the
+Indians for a single musket, and ten skins for a blanket.  Profits were
+great, and with the margin of gain so enormous, jealousies and quarrels
+without number were certain to arise between rival fur traders.
+</P>
+
+<A NAME="img-022"></A>
+<CENTER>
+<IMG CLASS="imgcenter" SRC="images/img-022.jpg" ALT="Joseph Frobisher, a partner in the North-West Company. From the John Ross Robertson Collection, Toronto Public Library." BORDER="2" WIDTH="472" HEIGHT="669">
+<H4 CLASS="h4center" STYLE="width: 472px">
+Joseph Frobisher, a partner in the North-West Company. <BR>
+From the John Ross Robertson Collection, Toronto Public Library.
+</H4>
+</CENTER>
+
+<P>
+The right to the fur trade in America had been granted&mdash;given away, as
+the English of the time thought&mdash;by the hand of Charles II of England.
+In prodigal fashion Charles
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P23"></A>23}</SPAN>
+conceded, in 1670, a charter, which
+conveyed extensive lands, with the privileges of monopoly, to the
+'Company of Adventurers of England trading into Hudson's Bay.'  But if
+the courtiers of the Merry Monarch had any notion that he could thus
+exclude all others from the field, their dream was an empty one.
+England had an active rival in France, and French traders penetrated
+into the region granted to the Hudson's Bay Company.  Towards the close
+of the seventeenth century Le Moyne d'Iberville was making conquests on
+Hudson Bay for the French king, and Greysolon Du Lhut was carrying on
+successful trading operations in the vicinity of Lakes Nipigon and
+Superior.  Even after the Treaty of Utrecht (1713) had given the Hudson
+Bay territories to the English, the French-Canadian explorer La
+Vérendrye entered the forbidden lands, and penetrated to the more
+remote west.  A new situation arose after the British conquest of
+Canada during the Seven Years' War.  Plucky independent traders, mostly
+of Scottish birth, now began to follow the watercourses which led from
+the rapids of Lachine on the St Lawrence to the country beyond Lake
+Superior.  These men treated with disdain the royal charter of the
+Hudson's
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P24"></A>24}</SPAN>
+Bay Company.  In 1783 a group of them united to form the
+North-West Company, with headquarters at Montreal.  The organization
+grew in strength and became the most powerful antagonist of the older
+company, and the open feud between the two spread through the wide
+region from the Great Lakes to the slopes of the Rocky Mountains.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The Nor'westers, as the partners and servants of the North-West Company
+were called, were bold competitors.  Their enthusiasm for the conflict
+was all the more eager because their trade was regarded as illicit by
+their rivals.  There was singleness of purpose in their ranks; almost
+every man in the service had been tried and proved.  All the Montreal
+partners of the company had taken the long trip to the Grand Portage, a
+transit station at the mouth of the Pigeon river, on the western shore
+of Lake Superior.  Other partners had wintered on the frozen plains or
+in the thick of the forest, tracking the yellow-grey badger, the
+pine-marten, and the greedy wolverine.  The guides employed by the
+company knew every mile of the rivers, and they rarely mistook the most
+elusive trail.  Its interpreters could converse with the red men like
+natives.  Even the clerks who looked
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P25"></A>25}</SPAN>
+after the office routine of
+the company laboured with zest, for, if they were faithful and
+attentive in their work, the time would come when they, too, would be
+elected as partners in the great concern.  The canoemen were mainly
+French-Canadian coureurs de bois, gay voyageurs on lake and stream.  In
+the veins of many of them flowed the blood of Cree or Iroquois.  Though
+half barbarous in their mode of life, they had their own devotions.  At
+the first halting-place on their westward journey, above Lachine, they
+were accustomed to enter a little chapel which stood on the bank of the
+Ottawa.  Here they prayed reverently that 'the good Saint Anne,' the
+friend of all canoemen, would guard them on their way to the Grand
+Portage.  Then they dropped an offering at Saint Anne's shrine, and
+pointed their craft against the current.  These rovers of the
+wilderness were buoyant of heart, and they lightened the weary hours of
+their six weeks' journey with blithe songs of love and the river.  When
+the snow fell and ice closed the river, they would tie their 'husky'
+dogs to sledges and travel over the desolate wastes, carrying furs and
+provisions.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+It was a very different company that traded into Hudson Bay.  The
+Hudson's Bay
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P26"></A>26}</SPAN>
+Company was launched on its career in a princely
+manner, and had tried to cling fast to its time-worn traditions.  The
+bundles of uncured skins were received from the red men by its servants
+with pomp and dignity.  At first the Indians had to bring their 'catch'
+to the shores of Hudson Bay itself, and here they were made to feel
+that it was a privilege to be allowed to trade with the company.
+Sometimes they were permitted to pass in their wares only through a
+window in the outer part of the fort.  A beaver skin was the regular
+standard of value, and in return for their skins the savages received
+all manner of gaudy trinkets and also useful merchandise, chiefly
+knives, hatchets, guns, ammunition, and blankets.  But before the end
+of the eighteenth century the activity of the Nor'westers had forced
+the Hudson's Bay Company out of its aristocratic slothfulness.  The
+savages were now sought out in their prairie homes, and the company
+began to set up trading-posts in the interior, all the way from Rainy
+Lake to Edmonton House on the North Saskatchewan.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Such was the situation of affairs in the fur-bearing country when the
+Earl of Selkirk had his vision of a rich prairie home for the
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P27"></A>27}</SPAN>
+desolate Highlanders.  Though he had not himself visited the Far West,
+he had some conception of the probable outcome of the fierce rivalry
+between the two great fur companies in North America.  He foresaw that,
+sooner or later, if his scheme of planting a colony in the interior was
+to prosper, he must ally himself with one or the other of these two
+factions of traders.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+We may gain a knowledge of Lord Selkirk's ideas at this time from his
+own writings and public utterances.  In 1805 he issued a work on the
+Highlands of Scotland, which Sir Walter Scott praised for its
+'precision and accuracy,' and which expressed the significant sentiment
+that the government should adopt a policy that would keep the
+Highlanders within the British Empire.  In 1806, when he had been
+chosen as one of the sixteen representative peers from Scotland, he
+delivered a speech in the House of Lords upon the subject of national
+defence, and his views were afterwards stated more fully in a book.
+With telling logic he argued for the need of a local militia, rather
+than a volunteer force, as the best protection for England in a moment
+of peril.  The tenor of this and Selkirk's other writings would
+indicate the staunchness of
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P28"></A>28}</SPAN>
+his patriotism.  In his efforts at
+colonization his desire was to keep Britain's sons from emigrating to
+an alien shore.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+'Now, it is our duty to befriend this people,' he affirmed, in writing
+of the Highlanders.  'Let us direct their emigration; let them be led
+abroad to new possessions.'  Selkirk states plainly his reason.  'Give
+them homes under our own flag,' is his entreaty, 'and they will
+strengthen the empire.'
+</P>
+
+<P>
+In 1807 Selkirk was chosen as lord-lieutenant of the stewartry of
+Kirkcudbright, and in the same year took place his marriage with Jean
+Wedderburn-Colvile, the only daughter of James Wedderburn-Colvile of
+Ochiltree.  One year later he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society, a
+distinction conferred only upon intellectual workers whose labours have
+increased the world's stock of knowledge.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+After some shrewd thinking Lord Selkirk decided to throw in his lot
+with the Hudson's Bay Company.  Why he did this will subsequently
+appear.  At first, one might have judged the step unwise.  The
+financiers of London believed that the company was drifting into deep
+water.  When the books were made up for 1808, there were no funds
+available for dividends, and bankruptcy seemed
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P29"></A>29}</SPAN>
+inevitable.  Any
+one who owned a share of Hudson's Bay stock found that it had not
+earned him a sixpence during that year.  The company's business was
+being cut down by the operations of its aggressive rival.  The chief
+cause, however, of the company's financial plight was not the trade war
+in America, but the European war, which had dealt a heavy blow to
+British commerce.  Napoleon had found himself unable to land his army
+in England, but he had other means of striking.  In 1806 he issued the
+famous Berlin Decree, declaring that no other country should trade with
+his greatest enemy.  Dealers had been wont to come every year to London
+from Germany, France, and Russia, in order to purchase the fine skins
+which the Hudson's Bay Company could supply.  Now that this trade was
+lost to the company, the profits disappeared.  For three seasons bale
+after bale of unsold peltry had been stacked to the rafters of the
+London warehouse.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The Earl of Selkirk was a practical man; and, seeing the plight of the
+Hudson's Bay Company, he was tempted to take advantage of the situation
+to further his plans of emigration.  Like a genuine lord of Galloway,
+however, he proceeded with extreme caution.  His
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P30"></A>30}</SPAN>
+initial move was
+to get the best possible legal advice regarding the validity of the
+company's royal charter.  Five of the foremost lawyers in the land were
+asked for their opinion upon this matter.  Chief of those who were
+approached was Sir Samuel Romilly, the friend of Bentham and of
+Mirabeau.  The other four were George Holroyd and James Scarlet, both
+distinguished pleaders, and William Cruise and John Bell.  The finding
+of these lawyers put the question out of doubt.  The charter, they
+said, was flawless.  Of all the lands which were drained by the many
+rivers running into Hudson Bay, the company was the sole proprietor.
+Within these limits it could appoint sheriffs and bring law-breakers to
+trial.  Besides, there was nothing to prevent it from granting to any
+one in fee-simple tracts of land in its vast domain.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Having satisfied himself that the charter of 1670 was legally
+unassailable, the earl was now ready for his subsequent line of action.
+He had resolved to get a foothold in the company itself.  To effect
+this object he brought his own capital into play, and sought at the
+same time the aid of his wife's relatives, the Wedderburn-Colviles, and
+of other personal friends.  Shares in the company had depreciated in
+value, and the owners, in many
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P31"></A>31}</SPAN>
+cases, were jubilant at the chance
+of getting them off their hands.  Selkirk and his friends did not stop
+buying until they had acquired about one-third of the company's total
+stock.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+In the meantime the Nor'westers scented trouble ahead.  As soon as Lord
+Selkirk had completed his purchase of Hudson's Bay stock, he began to
+make overtures to the company's shareholders to be allowed to plant a
+colony in the territories assigned to them by their royal charter.  To
+the Nor'westers this proposition was anathema.  They argued that if a
+permanent settlement was established in the fur country, the
+fur-bearing animals would be driven out, and their trade ruined.  Their
+alarm grew apace.  In May 1811 a general court of the Hudson's Bay
+Company, which had been adjourned, was on the point of reassembling.
+The London agents of the North-West Company decided to act at once.
+Forty-eight hours before the general court opened three of their number
+bought up a quantity of Hudson's Bay stock.  One of these purchasers
+was the redoubtable explorer, Sir Alexander Mackenzie.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Straightway there ensued one of the liveliest sessions that ever
+occurred in a general court of the Hudson's Bay Company.  The
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P32"></A>32}</SPAN>
+Nor'westers, who now had a right to voice their opinions, fumed and
+haggled.  Other share holders flared into vigorous protest as the Earl
+of Selkirk's plan was disclosed.  In the midst of the clash of
+interests, however, the earl's following stated his proposal
+succinctly.  They said that Selkirk wished to secure a tract of fertile
+territory within the borders of Rupert's Land, for purposes of
+colonization.  Preferably, this should lie in the region of the Red
+River, which ran northward towards Hudson Bay.  At his own expense
+Selkirk would people this tract within a given period, foster the early
+efforts of its settlers, and appease the claims of the Indian tribes
+that inhabited the territory.  He promised, moreover, to help to supply
+the Hudson's Bay Company with labourers for its work.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Had Lord Selkirk been present to view the animated throng of merchant
+adventurers, he would have foreseen his victory.  In his first tilt
+with the Nor'westers he was to be successful.  The opposition was
+strong, but it wore down before the onslaught of his friends.  Then
+came the show of hands.  There was no uncertainty about the vote:
+two-thirds of the court had pledged themselves in favour of Lord
+Selkirk's proposal.
+</P>
+
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P33"></A>33}</SPAN>
+
+<P>
+By the terms of the grant which the general court made to Selkirk, he
+was to receive 116,000 square miles of virgin soil in the locality
+which he had selected.  The boundaries of this immense area were
+carefully fixed.  Roughly speaking, it extended from Big Island, in
+Lake Winnipeg, to the parting of the Red River from the head-waters of
+the Mississippi in the south, and from beyond the forks of the Red and
+Assiniboine rivers in the west to the shores of the Lake of the Woods,
+and at one point almost to Lake Superior, in the east.  If a map is
+consulted, it will be seen that one-half of the grant lay in what is
+now the province of Manitoba, the other half in the present states of
+Minnesota and North Dakota.[<A NAME="chap03fn1text"></A><A HREF="#chap03fn1">1</A>]
+</P>
+
+<P>
+A great variety of opinions were expressed in London upon the subject
+of this grant.  Some wiseacres said that the earl's proposal was as
+extravagant as it was visionary.  One of Selkirk's acquaintances met
+him strolling along Pall Mall, and brought him up short on the street
+with the query: 'If you are bent
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P34"></A>34}</SPAN>
+on doing something futile, why do
+you not sow tares at home in order to reap wheat, or plough the desert
+of Sahara, which is nearer?'
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The extensive tract which the Hudson's Bay Company had bestowed upon
+Lord Selkirk for the nominal sum of ten shillings had made him the
+greatest individual land-owner in Christendom.  His new possession was
+quite as large as the province of Egypt in the days of Caesar Augustus.
+But in some other respects Lord Selkirk's heritage was much greater.
+The province of Egypt, the granary of Rome, was fertile only along the
+banks of the Nile.  More than three-fourths of Lord Selkirk's domain,
+on the other hand, was highly fertile soil.
+</P>
+
+<BR><BR>
+
+<A NAME="chap03fn1"></A>
+
+<P CLASS="footnote">
+[<A HREF="#chap03fn1text">1</A>] It will be understood that the boundary-line between British and
+American territory in the North-West was not yet established.  What
+afterwards became United States soil was at this time claimed by the
+Hudson's Bay Company under its charter.
+</P>
+
+<BR><BR><BR>
+
+<A NAME="chap04"></A>
+
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P35"></A>35}</SPAN>
+
+<H3 ALIGN="center">
+CHAPTER IV
+</H3>
+
+<H4 ALIGN="center">
+STORNOWAY&mdash;AND BEYOND
+</H4>
+
+<P>
+On June 13, 1811, the deed was given to Selkirk of his wide possessions
+with the seal and signature of the Hudson's Bay Company, attached by
+Alexander Lean, the secretary.  Before this, however, Selkirk had
+become deeply engrossed in the details of his enterprise.  No time was
+to be lost, for unless all should be in readiness before the Hudson's
+Bay vessels set out to sea on their summer voyage, the proposed
+expedition of colonists must be postponed for another year.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Selkirk issued without delay a pamphlet, setting forth the advantages
+of the prospective colony.  Land was to be given away free, or sold for
+a nominal sum.  To the poor, transport would cost nothing; others would
+have to pay according to their means.  No one would be debarred on
+account of his religious belief; all creeds were to be treated alike.
+The seat of the colony was to be called
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P36"></A>36}</SPAN>
+Assiniboia, after a tribe
+of the Sioux nation, the Assiniboines, buffalo hunters on the Great
+Plains.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Wherever this pamphlet was read by men dissatisfied with their lot in
+the Old World, it aroused hope.  With his usual good judgment, Selkirk
+had engaged several men whose training fitted them for the work of
+inducing landless men to emigrate.  One of these was Captain Miles
+Macdonell, lately summoned by Lord Selkirk from his home in Canada.
+Macdonell had been reared in the Mohawk valley, had served in the ranks
+of the Royal Greens during the War of the Revolution, and had survived
+many a hard fight on the New York frontier.  After the war, like most
+of his regiment, he had gone as a Loyalist to the county of Glengarry,
+on the Ottawa.  It so chanced that the Earl of Selkirk while in Canada
+had met Macdonell, then a captain of the Royal Canadian Volunteers, and
+had been impressed by his courage and energy.  In consequence, Selkirk
+now invited him to be the first governor of Assiniboia.  Macdonell
+accepted the appointment; and promptly upon his arrival in Britain he
+went to the west coast of Ireland to win recruits for the settlement.
+Owing to the straitened circumstances
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P37"></A>37}</SPAN>
+of the Irish peasantry, the
+tide of emigration from Ireland was already running high, and Lord
+Selkirk thought that Captain Macdonell, who was a Roman Catholic, might
+influence some of his co-religionists to go to Assiniboia.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Another agent upon whom Selkirk felt that he could rely was Colin
+Robertson, a native of the island of Lewis, in the Hebrides.  To this
+island he was now dispatched, with instructions to visit other sections
+of the Highlands as well.  Robertson had formerly held a post under the
+North-West Company in the Saskatchewan valley.  There he had quarrelled
+with a surly-natured trader known as Crooked-armed Macdonald, with the
+result that Robertson had been dismissed by the Nor'westers and had
+come back to Scotland in an angry mood.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+A third place of muster for the colony was the city of Glasgow.  There
+the Earl of Selkirk's representative was Captain Roderick M'Donald.
+Many Highlanders had gone to Glasgow, that busy hive of industry, in
+search of work.  To the clerks in the shops and to the labourers in the
+yards or at the loom, M'Donald described the glories of Assiniboia.
+Many were impressed by his words, but objected to the low wages offered
+for their
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P38"></A>38}</SPAN>
+services.  M'Donald compromised, and by offering a
+higher wage induced a number to enlist.  But the recruits from Glasgow
+turned out to be a shiftless lot and a constant source of annoyance to
+Selkirk's officers.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+While this work was being done the Nor'westers in London were burning
+with wrath at their inability to hinder Lord Selkirk's project.  Their
+hostility, we have seen, arose from their belief, which was quite
+correct, that a colony would interfere with their trading operations.
+In the hope that the enterprise might yet be stopped, they circulated
+in the Highlands various rumours against it.  An anonymous attack,
+clearly from a Nor'wester source, appeared in the columns of the
+Inverness <I>Journal</I>.  The author of this diatribe pictured the rigours
+of Assiniboia in terrible colours.  Selkirk's agents were characterized
+as a brood of dissemblers.  With respect to the earl himself words were
+not minced.  His philanthropy was all assumed; he was only biding his
+time in order to make large profits out of his colonization scheme.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Notwithstanding this campaign of slander, groups of would-be settlers
+came straggling along from various places to the port of rendezvous,
+Stornoway, the capital of the
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P39"></A>39}</SPAN>
+Hebrides.  When all had gathered,
+these people who had answered the call to a new heritage beyond the
+seas proved to be a motley throng.  Some were stalwart men in the prime
+of life, men who looked forward to homes of their own on a distant
+shore; others, with youth on their side, were eager for the trail of
+the flying moose or the sight of a painted redskin; a few were women,
+steeled to bravery through fires of want and sorrow.  Too many were
+wastrels, cutting adrift from a blighted past.  A goodly number were
+malcontents, wondering whether to go or stay.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The leading vessel of the Hudson's Bay fleet in the year 1811 was the
+commodore's ship, the <I>Prince of Wales</I>.  At her moorings in the Thames
+another ship, the <I>Eddystone</I>, lay ready for the long passage to the
+Great Bay.  Besides these, a shaky old hulk, the <I>Edward and Ann</I>, was
+put into commission for the use of Lord Selkirk's settlers.  Her grey
+sails were mottled with age and her rigging was loose and worn.
+Sixteen men and boys made up her crew, a number by no means sufficient
+for a boat of her size.  It seemed almost criminal to send such an
+ill-manned craft out on the tempestuous North Atlantic.  However, the
+three ships sailed from the
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P40"></A>40}</SPAN>
+Thames and steered up the east coast
+of England.  Opposite Yarmouth a gale rose and forced them into a
+sheltering harbour.  It was the middle of July before they rounded the
+north shore of Scotland.  At Stromness in the Orkneys the <I>Prince of
+Wales</I> took on board a small body of emigrants and a number of the
+company's servants who were waiting there.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+At length the tiny fleet reached the bustling harbour-town of
+Stornoway; and here Miles Macdonell faced a task of no little
+difficulty.  Counting the Orkneymen just arrived, there were one
+hundred and twenty-five in his party.  The atmosphere seemed full of
+unrest, and the cause was not far to seek.  The Nor'westers were at
+work, and their agents were sowing discontent among the emigrants.
+Even Collector Reed, the government official in charge of the customs,
+was acting as the tool of the Nor'westers.  It was Reed's duty, of
+course, to hasten the departure of the expedition; but instead of doing
+this he put every possible obstacle in the way.  Moreover, he mingled
+with the emigrants, urging them to forsake the venture while there was
+yet time.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Another partisan of the North-West
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P41"></A>41}</SPAN>
+Company also appeared on the
+scene.  This was an army officer named Captain Mackenzie, who pretended
+to be gathering recruits for the army.  He had succeeded, it appears,
+in getting some of Selkirk's men to take the king's shilling, and now
+was trying to lead these men away from the ships as 'deserters from His
+Majesty's service.'  One day this trouble-maker brought his dinghy
+alongside one of the vessels.  A sailor on deck, who saw Captain
+Mackenzie in the boat and was eager for a lark, picked up a nine-pound
+shot, poised it carefully, and let it fall.  There was a splintering
+thud.  Captain Mackenzie suddenly remembered how dry it was on shore,
+and put off for land as fast as oars would hurry him.  Next day he sent
+a pompous challenge to the commander of the vessel.  It was, of course,
+ignored.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+In spite of obstacles, little by little the arrangements for the ocean
+voyage were being completed.  There were many irritating delays.
+Disputes about wages broke out afresh when inequalities were
+discovered.  There was much wrangling among the emigrants as to their
+quarters on the uninviting <I>Edward and Ann</I>.  At the last moment a
+number of the party took fear and decided to stay at home.
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P42"></A>42}</SPAN>
+Some
+left the ship in unceremonious fashion, even forgetting their effects.
+These were subsequently sold among the passengers.  'One man,' wrote
+Captain Macdonell, 'jumped into the sea and swam for it until he was
+picked up.'  It may be believed that the governor of Assiniboia heaved
+a thankful sigh when the ships were ready to hoist their sails.  'It
+has been a herculean task,' ran the text of his parting message to the
+Earl of Selkirk.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+On July 26 a favourable breeze bore the vessels out to sea.  There were
+now one hundred and five in the party, seventy of whom had professed an
+intention to till the soil.  The remainder had been indentured as
+servants of the Hudson's Bay Company.  Seventy-six of the total number
+were quartered on board the <I>Edward and Ann</I>.  As the vessels swept
+seaward many eyes were fastened sadly on the receding shore.  The white
+houses of Stornoway loomed up distinctly across the dark waters of the
+bay.  The hill which rose gloomily in the background was treeless and
+inky black.  On the clean shingle lay the cod and herring, piled loose
+to catch the sun's warm rays.  The settlers remembered that they were
+perhaps scanning for the last time the rugged outline
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P43"></A>43}</SPAN>
+of that
+heather-clad landscape, and their hearts grew sick within them.
+Foreland after foreland came into view and disappeared.  At length the
+ships were skirting the Butt of Lewis with its wave-worn clefts and
+caverns.  Then all sight of land vanished, and they were steering their
+course into the northern main.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+A man-of-war had been sent as a convoy to the vessels, for the
+quick-sailing frigates of France had been harrying British shipping,
+and the mercantile marine needed protection.  After standing guard to a
+point four hundred miles off the Irish coast, the ship-of-the-line
+turned back, and the three vessels held their way alone in a turbulent
+sea.  Two of them beat stoutly against the gale, but the <I>Edward and
+Ann</I> hove to for a time, her timbers creaking and her bowsprit catching
+the water as she rose and fell with the waves.  And so they put out
+into the wide and wild Atlantic&mdash;these poor, homeless, storm-tossed
+exiles, who were to add a new chapter to Great Britain's colonial
+history.
+</P>
+
+<BR><BR><BR>
+
+<A NAME="chap05"></A>
+
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P44"></A>44}</SPAN>
+
+<H3 ALIGN="center">
+CHAPTER V
+</H3>
+
+<H4 ALIGN="center">
+WINTERING ON THE BAY
+</H4>
+
+<P>
+Little is known of the many strange things which must have taken place
+on the voyage.  On board the <I>Edward and Ann</I> sickness was prevalent
+and the ship's surgeon was kept busy.  There were few days on which the
+passengers could come from below-decks.  When weather permitted,
+Captain Macdonell, who knew the dangers to be encountered in the
+country they were going to, attempted to give the emigrants military
+drill.  'There never was a more awkward squad,' was his opinion, 'not a
+man, or even officer, of the party knew how to put a gun to his eye or
+had ever fired a shot.'  A prominent figure on the <I>Edward and Ann</I> was
+a careless-hearted cleric, whose wit and banter were in evidence
+throughout the voyage.  This was the Reverend Father Burke, an Irish
+priest.  He had stolen away without the leave of his bishop, and it
+appears that he and Macdonell,
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P45"></A>45}</SPAN>
+although of the same faith, were
+not the best of friends.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+After a stormy voyage of nearly two months the ships entered the long,
+barren straits leading into Hudson Bay.  From the beginning of
+September the fleet had been hourly expected at York Factory, and
+speculation was rife there as to its delay in arriving.  On September
+24 the suspense ended, for the look-out at the fort descried the ships
+moving in from the north and east.  They anchored in the shallow haven
+on the western shore, where two streams, the Nelson and the Hayes,
+enter Hudson Bay, and the sorely tried passengers disembarked.  They
+were at once marched to York Factory, on the north bank of the Hayes.
+The strong palisades and wooden bastions of the fort warned the
+newcomers that there were dangers in America to be guarded against.  A
+pack of 'husky' dogs came bounding forth to meet them as they
+approached the gates.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+A survey of the company's buildings convinced Macdonell that much more
+roomy quarters would be required for the approaching winter, and he
+determined to erect suitable habitations for his people before
+snowfall.  With this in view he crossed over to the Nelson
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P46"></A>46}</SPAN>
+and
+ascended it until he reached a high clearing on its left bank, near
+which grew an abundance of white spruce.  He brought up a body of men,
+most of whom now received their first lesson in woodcraft.  The pale
+and flaky-barked aromatic spruce trees were felled and stripped of
+their branches.  Next, the logs were 'snaked' into the open, where the
+dwellings were to be erected, and hewed into proper shape.  These
+timbers were then deftly fitted together and the four walls of a rude
+but substantial building began to rise.  A drooping roof was added, the
+chinks were closed, and then the structure was complete.  When a
+sufficient number of such houses had been built, Macdonell set the
+party to work cutting firewood and gathering it into convenient piles.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The prudence of these measures became apparent when the frost king
+fixed his iron grip upon land and sea.  As the days shortened, the
+rivers were locked deep and fast; a sharp wind penetrated the forest,
+and the salty bay was fringed with jagged and glistening hummocks of
+ice.  So severe was the cold that the newcomers were loath to go forth
+from their warm shelter even to haul food from the fort over the
+brittle, yielding snow.  Under such
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P47"></A>47}</SPAN>
+conditions life in the camp
+grew monotonous and dull.  More serious still, the food they had to eat
+was the common fare of such isolated winterers; it was chiefly salt
+meat.  The effect of this was seen as early as December.  Some of the
+party became listless and sluggish, their faces turned sallow and their
+eyes appeared sunken.  They found it difficult to breathe and their
+gums were swollen and spongy.  Macdonell, a veteran in hardship, saw at
+once that scurvy had broken out among them; but he had a simple remedy
+and the supply was without limit.  The sap of the white spruce was
+extracted and administered to the sufferers.  Almost immediately their
+health showed improvement, and soon all were on the road to recovery.
+But the medicine was not pleasant to take, and some of the party at
+first foolishly refused to submit to the treatment.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The settlers, almost unwittingly, banded together into distinct groups,
+each individual tending to associate with the others from his own home
+district.  As time went on these groups, with their separate
+grievances, gave Macdonell much trouble.  The Orkneymen, who were
+largely servants of the Hudson's Bay Company, were not long in
+incurring his
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P48"></A>48}</SPAN>
+disfavour.  To him they seemed to have the appetites
+of a pack of hungry wolves.  He dubbed them 'lazy, spiritless and
+ill-disposed.'  The 'Glasgow rascals,' too, were a source of annoyance.
+'A more ... cross-grained lot,' he asserted, 'were never put under any
+person's care.'
+</P>
+
+<A NAME="img-048t"></A>
+<CENTER>
+<A HREF="images/img-048.jpg">
+<IMG CLASS="imgcenter" SRC="images/img-048t.jpg" ALT="The country of Lord Selkirk's Letters." BORDER="2" WIDTH="745" HEIGHT="1122">
+</A>
+<H4 CLASS="h4center" STYLE="width: 745px">
+The country of Lord Selkirk's Letters.
+</H4>
+</CENTER>
+
+<P>
+Owing to the discord existing in the camp, the New Year was not ushered
+in happily.  In Scotland, of all the days of the year, this anniversary
+was held in the highest regard.  It was generally celebrated to the
+strains of 'Weel may we a' be,' and with effusive handshakings, much
+dining, and a hot kettle.  The lads from the Orkneys were quite wide
+awake to the occasion and had no intention of omitting the customs of
+their sires.  On New Year's Day they were having a rollicking time in
+one of the cabins.  But their enthusiasm was quickly damped by a party
+of Irish who, having primed their courage with whisky, set upon the
+merry-makers and created a scene of wild disorder.  In the heat of the
+<I>mêlée</I> three of the Orkneymen were badly beaten, and for a month their
+lives hung in the balance.  Captain Macdonell later sent several of the
+Irish back to Great Britain, saying that such 'worthless blackguards'
+were
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P49"></A>49}</SPAN>
+better under the discipline of the army or the navy.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+One of the number who had not taken kindly to Miles Macdonell as a
+'medicine-man' was William Findlay, a very obdurate Orkneyman, who had
+flatly refused to soil his lips with the wonder-working syrup of the
+white spruce.  Shortly afterwards, having been told to do something, he
+was again disobedient.  This time he was forced to appear before
+Magistrate Hillier of the Hudson's Bay Company and was condemned to
+gaol.  As there was really no such place, a log-house was built for
+Findlay, and he was imprisoned in it.  A gruff-noted babel of dissent
+arose among his kinsfolk, supported by the men from Glasgow.  A gang of
+thirteen, in which both parties were represented, put a match to the
+prison where Findlay was confined, and rescued its solitary inmate out
+of the blaze.  Then, uttering defiance, they seized another building,
+and decided to live apart.  Thus, with the attitude of rebels and well
+supplied with firearms, they kept the rest of the camp in a state of
+nervousness for several months.  In June, however, these rebels allowed
+themselves to fall into a trap.  Having crossed the Nelson, they found
+their return cut off by
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P50"></A>50}</SPAN>
+the melting of the ice.  This put them at
+the mercy of the officials at York Factory, and they were forced to
+surrender.  After receiving their humble acknowledgments Macdonell was
+not disposed to treat them severely, and he took them back into service.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+But what of jovial Father Burke since his arrival on the shores of
+Hudson Bay?  To all appearances, he had not been able to restrain his
+flock from mischief.  He had, however, been exploring on his own
+account, and thoroughly believed that he had made some valuable
+discoveries.  He had come upon pebbles of various kinds which he
+thought were precious stones.  Some of them shone like diamonds; others
+seemed like rubies.  Father Burke was indeed sure that bits of the sand
+which he had collected contained particles of gold.  Macdonell himself
+believed that the soil along the Nelson abounded in mineral wealth.  He
+told the priest to keep the discovery a secret, and sent samples of
+sand and stone to Lord Selkirk, advising him to acquire the banks of
+the Nelson river from the company.  In the end, to the disgust of
+Macdonell and Father Burke, not one sample proved of any value.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Weeks before the ice had left the river, the
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P51"></A>51}</SPAN>
+colonists became
+impatient to set forward on the remainder of their journey.  To
+transport so many persons, with all their belongings and with
+sufficient provisions, seven or eight hundred miles inland was an
+undertaking formidable enough to put Captain Macdonell's energies to
+the fullest test.  The only craft available were bark canoes, and these
+would be too fragile for the heavy cargoes that must be borne.  Stouter
+boats must be built.  Macdonell devised a sort of punt or flat-bottomed
+boat, such as he had formerly seen in the colony of New York.  Four of
+these clumsy craft were constructed, but only with great difficulty,
+and after much trouble with the workmen.  Inefficiency, as well as
+misconduct, on the part of the colonists was a sore trial to Macdonell.
+The men from the Hebrides were now practically the only members of the
+party who were not, for one reason or another, in his black book.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+It was almost midsummer before the boats began to push up the Hayes
+river for the interior.  There were many blistered hands at the oars;
+nevertheless, on the journey they managed to make an average of
+thirteen miles each day.  Before the colonists could reach Oxford
+House, the next post of the Hudson's
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P52"></A>52}</SPAN>
+Bay Company, three dozen
+portages had to be passed.  It was with thankful hearts that they came
+to Holy Lake and caught sight of the trading-post by its margin.  Here
+was an ample reach of water, reminding the Highlanders of a loch of
+far-away Scotland.  When the wind died down, Holy Lake was like a giant
+mirror.  Looking into its quiet waters, the voyagers saw great fish
+swimming swiftly.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+From Oxford House the route lay over a height-of-land to the
+head-waters of the Nelson.  After a series of difficulties the party
+reached Norway House, another post of the Hudson's Bay Company, on an
+upper arm of Lake Winnipeg.  At this time Norway House was the centre
+of the great fur-bearing region.  The colonists found it strongly
+entrenched in a rocky basin and astir with life.  After a short rest
+they proceeded towards Lake Winnipeg, and soon were moving slowly down
+its low-lying eastern shore.  Here they had their first glimpse of the
+prairie country, with its green carpet of grass.  Out from the water's
+edge grew tall, lank reeds, the lurking place of snipe and sand-piper.
+Doubtless, in the brief night-watches, they listened to the shrill cry
+of the restless lynx, or heard the yapping howl of the timber wolf as
+he slunk
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P53"></A>53}</SPAN>
+away among the copses.  But presently the boats were
+gliding in through the sand-choked outlet of the Red River, and they
+were on the last stage of their journey.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Some forty miles up-stream from its mouth the Red River bends sharply
+towards the east, forming what is known as Point Douglas in the present
+city of Winnipeg.  Having toiled round this point, the colonists pushed
+their boats to the muddy shore.  The day they landed&mdash;the natal day of
+a community which was to grow into three great provinces of Canada&mdash;was
+August 30, 1812.
+</P>
+
+<BR><BR><BR>
+
+<A NAME="chap06"></A>
+
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P54"></A>54}</SPAN>
+
+<H3 ALIGN="center">
+CHAPTER VI
+</H3>
+
+<H4 ALIGN="center">
+RED RIVER AND PEMBINA
+</H4>
+
+<P>
+Scarcely had the settlers taken stock of their surroundings on the Red
+River when they were chilled to the marrow with a sudden terror.
+Towards them came racing on horseback a formidable-looking troop,
+decked out in all the accoutrements of the Indian&mdash;spreading feather,
+dangling tomahawk, and a thick coat of war-paint.  To the newcomers it
+was a never-to-be-forgotten spectacle.  But when the riders came within
+close range, shouting and gesticulating, it was seen that they wore
+borrowed apparel, and that their speech was a medley of French and
+Indian dialects.  They were a troop of Bois Brûlés, Métis, or
+half-breeds of French and Indian blood, aping for the time the manners
+of their mothers' people.  Their object was to tell Lord Selkirk's
+party that settlers were not wanted on the Red River; that it was the
+country of the fur traders, and that settlers must go farther afield.
+</P>
+
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P55"></A>55}</SPAN>
+
+<P>
+This was surely an inhospitable reception, after a long and fatiguing
+journey.  Plainly the Nor'westers were at it again, trying now to
+frighten the colonists away, as they had tried before to keep them from
+coming.  These mounted half-breeds were a deputation from Fort
+Gibraltar, the Nor'westers' nearest trading-post, which stood two miles
+higher up at 'the Forks,' where the Red River is joined by the
+Assiniboine.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Nevertheless, Governor Macdonell, having planned as dignified a
+ceremony as the circumstances would allow, sent to the Nor'westers at
+Fort Gibraltar an invitation to be present at the official inauguration
+of Lord Selkirk's colony.  At the appointed hour, on September 4,
+several traders from the fort, together with a few French Canadians and
+Indians, put in an appearance.  In the presence of this odd company
+Governor Macdonell read the Earl of Selkirk's patent to Assiniboia.
+About him was drawn up a guard of honour, and overhead the British
+ensign fluttered in the breeze.  Six small swivel-guns, which had been
+brought with the colonists, belched forth a salute to mark the
+occasion.  The Nor'westers were visibly impressed by this show of
+authority and power.  In pretended friendship they
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P56"></A>56}</SPAN>
+entered
+Governor Macdonell's tent and accepted his hospitality before
+departing.  At variance with the scowls of trapper and trader towards
+the settlers was the attitude of the full-blooded Indians who were
+camping along the Red River.  From the outset these red-skins were
+friendly, and their conduct was soon to stand the settlers in good
+stead.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The provisions brought from Hudson Bay were fast diminishing and would
+soon be at an end.  True, the Nor'westers offered for sale supplies of
+oats, barley, poultry, and the like, but their prices were high and the
+settlers had not the means of purchase.  But there was other food.
+Myriads of buffalo roamed over the Great Plains.  Herds of these
+animals often darkened the horizon like a slowly moving cloud.  In
+summer they might be seen cropping the prairie grass, or plunging and
+rolling about in muddy 'wallows.'  In winter they moved to higher
+levels, where lay less snow to be removed from the dried grass which
+they devoured.  At that season those who needed to hunt the buffalo for
+food must follow them wherever they went.  This was now the plight of
+the settlers: winter was coming on and food was already scarce.  The
+settlers must seek out the winter haunts of the buffalo.
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P57"></A>57}</SPAN>
+The
+Indians were of great service, for they offered to act as guides.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+A party to hunt the buffalo was organized.  Like a train of pilgrims,
+the majority of the colonists now set out afoot.  Their dark-skinned
+escort, mounted on wiry ponies, bent their course in a southerly
+direction.  The redskins eyed with amusement the queer-clad strangers
+whom they were guiding.  These were ignorant of the ways of the wild
+prairie country and badly equipped to face its difficulties.  Sometimes
+the Indians indulged in horse-play, and a few of them were unable to
+keep their hands off the settlers' possessions.  One Highlander lost an
+ancient musket which he treasured.  A wedding ring was taken by an
+Indian guide from the hand of one of the women.  Five days of
+straggling march brought the party to a wide plateau where the Indians
+said that the buffalo were accustomed to pasture.  Here the party
+halted, at the junction of the Red and Pembina rivers, and awaited the
+arrival of Captain Macdonell, who came up next day on horseback with
+three others of his party.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Temporary tents and cabins were erected, and steps were taken to
+provide more commodious shelters.  But this second winter
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P58"></A>58}</SPAN>
+threatened to be almost as uncomfortable as the first had been on
+Hudson Bay.  Captain Macdonell selected a suitable place south of the
+Pembina river, and on this site a storehouse and other buildings were
+put up.  The end of the year saw a neat little encampment, surrounded
+by palisades, where before had been nothing but unbroken prairie.  As a
+finishing touch, a flagstaff was raised within the stockade, and in
+honour of one of Lord Selkirk's titles the name Fort Daer was given to
+the whole.  In the meantime a body of seventeen Irishmen, led by Owen
+Keveny, had arrived from the old country, having accomplished the feat
+of making their way across the ocean to Hudson Bay and up to the
+settlement during the single season of 1812.  This additional force was
+housed at once in Fort Daer along with the rest.  Until spring opened,
+buffalo meat was to be had in plenty, the Indians bringing in
+quantities of it for a slight reward.  So unconscious were the buffalo
+of danger that they came up to the very palisades, giving the settlers
+an excellent view of their drab-brown backs and fluffy, curling manes.
+</P>
+
+<A NAME="img-058"></A>
+<CENTER>
+<IMG CLASS="imgcenter" SRC="images/img-058.jpg" ALT="Hunting the Buffalo.  From a painting by George Catlin." BORDER="2" WIDTH="750" HEIGHT="459">
+<H4 CLASS="h4center" STYLE="width: 750px">
+Hunting the Buffalo.  <BR>
+From a painting by George Catlin.
+</H4>
+</CENTER>
+
+<P>
+On the departure of the herds in the springtime there was no reason why
+the colonists
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P59"></A>59}</SPAN>
+should remain any longer at Fort Daer.  Accordingly
+the entire band plodded wearily back to the ground which they had
+vacated above 'the Forks' on the Red River.  As the season of 1813
+advanced, more solid structures were erected on this site, and the
+place became known as Colony Gardens.  An attempt was now made to
+prepare the soil and to sow some seed, but it was a difficult task, as
+the only agricultural implement possessed by the settlers was the hoe.
+They next turned to the river in search of food, only to find it almost
+empty of fish.  Even the bushes, upon which clusters of wild berries
+ought to have been found, were practically devoid of fruit.  Nature
+seemed to have veiled her countenance from the hapless settlers, and to
+be mocking their most steadfast efforts.  In their dire need they were
+driven to use weeds for food.  An indigenous plant called the prairie
+apple grew in abundance, and the leaves of a species of the goosefoot
+family were found to be nourishing.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+With the coming of autumn 1813 the experiences of the previous year
+were repeated.  Once more they went over the dreary road to Fort Daer.
+Then followed the most cruel winter that the settlers had yet endured.
+The
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P60"></A>60}</SPAN>
+snow fell thickly and lay in heavy drifts, and the buffalo
+with animal foresight had wandered to other fields.  The Nor'westers
+sold the colonists a few provisions, but were egging on their allies,
+the Bois Brûlés, who occupied a small post in the vicinity of the
+Pembina, to annoy them whenever possible.  It required courage of the
+highest order on the part of the colonists to battle through the
+winter.  They were in extreme poverty, and in many cases their
+frost-bitten, starved bodies were wrapped only in rags before spring
+came.  Those who still had their plaids, or other presentable garments,
+were prepared to part with them for a morsel of food.  With the coming
+of spring once more, the party travelled northward to 'the Forks' of
+the Red River, resolved never again to set foot within the gates of
+Fort Daer.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Meanwhile, some news of the desperate state of affairs on the Red River
+had reached the Earl of Selkirk in Scotland.  So many were the
+discouragements that one might forgive him if at this juncture he had
+flung his colonizing scheme to the winds as a lost venture.  The lord
+of St Mary's Isle did not, however, abandon hope; he was a persistent
+man and not easily turned aside from his
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P61"></A>61}</SPAN>
+purpose.  Now he went in
+person to the straths and glens of Sutherlandshire to recruit more
+settlers.  For several years the crofters in this section of the
+Highlands had been ejected in ruthless fashion from their holdings.
+Those who aimed to 'quench the smoke of cottage fires' had sent a
+regiment of soldiers into this shire to cow the Highlanders into
+submission.  Lord Selkirk came at a critical moment and extended a
+helping hand to the outcasts.  A large company agreed to join the
+colony of Assiniboia, and under Selkirk's own superintendence they were
+equipped for the journey.  As the sad-eyed exiles were about to leave
+the port of Helmsdale, the earl passed among them, dispensing words of
+comfort and of cheer.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+This contingent numbered ninety-seven persons.  The vessel carrying
+them from Helmsdale reached the <I>Prince of Wales</I> of the Hudson's Bay
+Company, on which they embarked, at Stromness in the Orkneys.  The
+parish of Kildonan, in Sutherlandshire, had the largest representation
+among these emigrants.  Names commonly met with on the ship's register
+were Gunn, Matheson, MacBeth, Sutherland, and Bannerman.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+After the <I>Prince of Wales</I> had put to sea,
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P62"></A>62}</SPAN>
+fever broke out on
+board, and the contagion quickly spread among the passengers.  Many of
+them died.  They had escaped from beggary on shore only to perish at
+sea and to be consigned to a watery grave.  The vessel reached Hudson
+Bay in good time, but for some unknown reason the captain put into
+Churchill, over a hundred miles north of York Factory.  This meant that
+the newcomers must camp on the Churchill for the winter; there was
+nothing else to be done.  Fortunately partridge were numerous in the
+neighbourhood of their encampment, and, as the uneventful months
+dragged by, the settlers had an unstinted supply of fresh food.  In
+April 1814 forty-one members of the party, about half of whom were
+women, undertook to walk over the snow to York Factory.  The men drew
+the sledges on which their provisions were loaded and went in advance,
+clearing the way for the women.  In the midst of the company strode a
+solemn-visaged piper.  At one moment, as a dirge wailed forth, the
+spirits of the people drooped and they felt themselves beaten and
+forsaken.  But anon the music changed.  Up through the scrubby pine and
+over the mantle of snow rang the skirl of the undefeated; and as they
+heard the gathering song of Bonnie Dundee
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P63"></A>63}</SPAN>
+or the summons to fight
+for Royal Charlie, they pressed forward with unfaltering steps.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+This advance party came to York Factory, and, continuing the journey,
+reached Colony Gardens without misadventure early in the summer.  They
+were better husbandmen than their predecessors, and they quickly
+addressed themselves to the cultivation of the soil.  Thirty or forty
+bushels of potatoes were planted in the black loam of the prairie.
+These yielded a substantial increase.  The thrifty Sutherlanders might
+have saved the tottering colony, had not Governor Macdonell committed
+an act which, however legally right, was nothing less than foolhardy in
+the circumstances, and which brought disaster in its train.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+In his administration of the affairs of the colony Macdonell had shown
+good executive ability and a willingness to endure every trial that his
+followers endured.  Towards the Nor'westers, however, he was inclined
+to be stubborn and arrogant.  He was convinced that he must adopt
+stringent measures against them.  He determined to assert his authority
+as governor of the colony under Lord Selkirk's patent.  Undoubtedly
+Macdonell had reason to be indignant at the
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P64"></A>64}</SPAN>
+unfriendly attitude of
+the fur traders; yet, so far, this had merely taken the form of petty
+annoyance, and might have been met by good nature and diplomacy.
+</P>
+
+<A NAME="img-064"></A>
+<CENTER>
+<IMG CLASS="imgcenter" SRC="images/img-064.jpg" ALT="Plan of Red River Colony" BORDER="2" WIDTH="502" HEIGHT="749">
+<H4 CLASS="h4center" STYLE="width: 502px">
+Plan of Red River Colony
+</H4>
+</CENTER>
+
+<P>
+In January 1814 Governor Macdonell issued a proclamation pronouncing it
+unlawful for any person who dealt in furs to remove from the colony of
+Assiniboia supplies of flesh, fish, grain, or vegetable.  Punishment
+would be meted out to those who offended against this official order.
+The aim of Macdonell was to keep a supply of food in the colony for the
+support of the new settlers.  He was, however, offering a challenge to
+the fur traders, for his policy meant in effect that these had no right
+in Assiniboia, that it was to be kept for the use of settlers alone.
+Such a mandate could not fail to rouse intense hostility among the
+traders, whose doctrine was the very opposite.  The Nor'westers were
+quick to seize the occasion to strike at the struggling colony.
+</P>
+
+<BR><BR><BR>
+
+<A NAME="chap07"></A>
+
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P65"></A>65}</SPAN>
+
+<H3 ALIGN="center">
+CHAPTER VII
+</H3>
+
+<H4 ALIGN="center">
+THE BEGINNING OF STRIFE
+</H4>
+
+<P>
+Stormy days were coming.  Once Governor Macdonell had published his
+edict, he did not hesitate to enforce its terms.  Information had been
+received at Colony Gardens that the Nor'westers had stored a quantity
+of provisions in their trading-post at the mouth of the Souris, a large
+southern tributary of the Assiniboine.  It was clear that, in defiance
+of Macdonell's decree, they meant to send food supplies out of
+Assiniboia to support their trading-posts elsewhere.  The fort at
+Souris was in close proximity to Brandon House on the Assiniboine, a
+post founded by the Hudson's Bay Company in 1794.  Macdonell decided on
+strong action.  His secretary, John Spencer, was ordered to go to the
+Souris in the capacity of a sheriff, accompanied by a strong guard and
+carrying a warrant in his pocket.  When Spencer drew near the stockades
+of the Nor'westers' fort and found the
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P66"></A>66}</SPAN>
+gate closed against him, he
+commanded his men to batter it in with their hatchets.  They obeyed
+with alacrity, and having filed inside the fort, took charge of the
+contents of the storehouse.  Six hundred bags of pemmican were seized
+and carried to Brandon House.  Already there was a state of war in
+Assiniboia.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The territory which comprised the colony was of great value
+economically to the North-West Company.  The food supplies which
+supported its traders in the far interior were largely drawn from this
+area.  In the eyes of the Nor'westers, Sheriff John Spencer had
+performed an act of pure brigandage at their Souris post.  Still, they
+were in no hurry to execute a counter-move.  In order to make no
+mistake they thought it best to restrain themselves until their
+partners should hold their summer meeting at Fort William,[<A NAME="chap07fn1text"></A><A HREF="#chap07fn1">1</A>] on Lake
+Superior.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The partners of the North-West Company
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P67"></A>67}</SPAN>
+met at Fort William in the
+month of July 1814.  Their fond hope had been that Lord Selkirk's
+colony would languish and die.  Instead, it was flourishing and waxing
+aggressive.  The governor of Assiniboia had published an edict which he
+seemed determined to enforce, to the ruin of the business of the
+North-West Company.  The grizzled partners, as they rubbed elbows in
+secret conclave, decided that something must be done to crush this
+troublesome settlement.  Whether or not they formed any definite plan
+cannot be ascertained.  It is scarcely believable that at this meeting
+was plotted the opposition to Lord Selkirk's enterprise which was to
+begin with deceit and perfidy and to culminate in bloodshed.  Among the
+Nor'westers were men of great worth and integrity.  There were,
+however, others in their ranks who proved base and irresponsible.
+During this conference at Fort William a bitter animosity was expressed
+against Lord Selkirk and the company which had endorsed his colonizing
+project.  It was the Nor'westers' misfortune and fault that some of
+their number were prepared to vent this outspoken enmity in deeds of
+criminal violence.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Two 'wintering partners' of the
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P68"></A>68}</SPAN>
+North-West Company&mdash;men who
+remained in the interior during the winter&mdash;appear to have been
+entrusted by their fellows with the task of dealing with the settlers
+on the Red River.  Both these men, Duncan Cameron and Alexander
+Macdonell, had a wide experience of the prairie country.  Of the pair,
+Cameron was unquestionably the more resourceful.  In view of the fact
+that later in life he became a trusted representative of the county of
+Glengarry in the legislature of Upper Canada, there has been a tendency
+to gloss over some of his misdemeanours when he was still a trader in
+furs.  But he was a sinister character.  His principal aim, on going to
+the Red River, was to pay lavish court to the settlers in order to
+deceive them.  He was a born actor, and could assume at will the
+gravest or the gayest of demeanours or any disposition he chose to put
+on.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Alexander Macdonell, the other emissary of the Nor'westers, was of an
+inferior type.  He was crafty enough never to burn his own fingers.
+Macdonell had some influence over the Indians of the Qu'Appelle
+district and of the more distant west.  His immediate proposal was to
+attract a band of redskins to the neighbourhood of Colony Gardens with
+the
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P69"></A>69}</SPAN>
+avowed intention of creating a panic among the settlers.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Shortly after the July meeting at Fort William these two men started on
+their mission for the Red River.  On August 5, while at a
+stopping-point by the way, Alexander Macdonell dated a letter to a
+friend in Montreal.  The tenor of this letter would indicate that only
+a portion of the Nor'westers were ready to adopt extreme measures
+against the settlement.  'Something serious will undoubtedly take
+place,' was Macdonell's callous admission.  'Nothing but the complete
+downfall of the colony,' he continued, 'will satisfy some, by fair or
+foul means&mdash;a most desirable object if it can be accomplished.  So here
+is at them with all my heart and energy.'
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Towards the end of August the twain arrived at Fort Gibraltar, where
+they parted company.  Alexander Macdonell proceeded to his winter
+quarters at Fort Qu'Appelle, on the river of the same name which
+empties into the upper Assiniboine.  Duncan Cameron made his appearance
+with considerable pomp and circumstance at Fort Gibraltar.  The
+settlers soon knew him as 'Captain' Duncan Cameron, of the Voyageur
+Corps, a battalion which had ranged the border during the recent
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P70"></A>70}</SPAN>
+war with the United States.  Cameron decked himself in a crimson
+uniform.  He had a sword by his side and the outward bearing of a
+gallant officer.  Lest there should be any want of belief on the part
+of the colonists, he caused his credentials to be tacked up on the
+gateway of Fort Gibraltar.  There, in legible scrawl, was an order
+appointing him as captain and Alexander Macdonell as lieutenant in the
+Voyageur Corps.  The sight of a soldier sent a thrill through the
+breasts of the Highlanders and the fight-loving Irish.  Cameron had in
+fact once belonged to the Voyageurs, and no one at Colony Gardens yet
+knew that the corps had been disbanded the year before.  At a later
+date Lord Selkirk took pains to prove that Cameron had been guilty of
+rank imposture.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+To pose in the guise of a captain of militia was not Duncan Cameron's
+only role.  Having impressed his martial importance upon all, he next
+went among the settlers as a comrade.  He could chat at ease in Gaelic,
+and this won the confidence of the Highlanders.  Some of the colonists
+were invited to his table.  These he treated with studied kindness, and
+he furnished them with such an abundance of good food that they felt
+disgust for the scant
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P71"></A>71}</SPAN>
+and humble fare allowed them at the
+settlement.  At the same time Cameron began to make bold insinuations
+in his conversation.  He had, he said, heard news from the interior
+that a body of Indians would raid them in the spring.  He harped upon
+the deplorable state in which the settlers were living; out of
+fellow-feeling for them, he said, he would gladly act as their
+deliverer.  Why did they not throw themselves upon the mercies of the
+North-West Company?  In their unhappy condition, abandoned, as he
+hinted, by Lord Selkirk to their own resources, there was but one thing
+for them to do.  They must leave the Red River far behind, and he would
+guarantee that the Nor'westers would assist them.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+As a result of Cameron's intrigues, signs of wavering allegiance were
+soon in evidence.  One of the settlers in particular, George Campbell,
+became a traitor in the camp.  Campbell had negotiated with Lord
+Selkirk personally during Selkirk's visit to Sutherlandshire.  Now he
+complained vigorously of his treatment since leaving Scotland, and was
+in favour of accepting the terms which Cameron, as a partner in the
+North-West Company, offered.  As many colonists as desired it, said
+Cameron, would be transported by the
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P72"></A>72}</SPAN>
+Nor'westers free of charge to
+Montreal or other parts of Canada.  A year's provisions would be
+supplied to them, and each colonist would be granted two hundred acres
+of fertile land.  Tempting bribes of money were offered some of them as
+a bait.  An influential Highlander, Alexander M'Lean, was promised two
+hundred pounds from Cameron's own pocket, on condition that he would
+take his family away.  Several letters which were penned by the sham
+officer during the winter of 1815 can still be read.  'I am glad,' he
+wrote to a couple of settlers in February, 'that the eyes of some of
+you are getting open at last ... and that you now see your past follies
+in obeying the unlawful orders of a plunderer, and I may say, of a
+highway robber, for what took place here last spring can be called
+nothing else but manifest robbery.'
+</P>
+
+<P>
+As yet Duncan Cameron had refrained from the use of force, but as
+winter wore on towards spring he saw that, to complete his work, force
+would be necessary.  The proportion of settlers remaining loyal to Lord
+Selkirk was by no means insignificant, and Cameron feared the pieces of
+artillery at Colony Gardens.  He decided on a bold effort to get these
+field-pieces into his possession.
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P73"></A>73}</SPAN>
+Early in April he made a
+startling move.  Miles Macdonell was away at Fort Daer, and Archibald
+Macdonald, the deputy-governor of the colony, was in charge.  To him
+Cameron sent a peremptory demand in writing for the field-pieces, that
+they might be 'out of harm's way.'
+</P>
+
+<P>
+This missive was first given into the hands of the traitor George
+Campbell, who read it to the settlers on Sunday after church.  Next
+day, while rations were being distributed, it was delivered to the
+deputy-governor in the colony storehouse.  About one o'clock on the
+same afternoon, George Campbell and a few kindred spirits broke into
+the building where the field-pieces were stored, took the guns outside,
+and placed them on horse-sledges for the purpose of drawing them away.
+At this juncture a musket was fired as a signal, and Duncan Cameron
+with some Bois Brûlés stole from a clump of trees.  'Well done, my
+hearty fellows,' Cameron exclaimed, as he came hurrying up.  The guns
+were borne away and lodged within the precincts of Fort Gibraltar, and
+a number of the colonists now took sides openly with Duncan Cameron and
+the Nor'westers.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Meanwhile Cameron's colleague, Alexander
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P74"></A>74}</SPAN>
+Macdonell, was not
+succeeding in his efforts to incite the Indians about Fort Qu'Appelle
+against the colony.  He found that the Indians did not lust for the
+blood of the settlers; and when he appeared at Fort Gibraltar, in May,
+he had with him only a handful of Plain Crees.  These redskins lingered
+about the fort for a time, being well supplied with liquor to make them
+pot-valiant.  During their stay a number of horses belonging to the
+settlers were wounded by arrows, but it is doubtful if the perpetrators
+of these outrages were Indians.  The chief of the Crees finally visited
+Governor Miles Macdonell, and convinced him that his warriors intended
+the colonists no ill.  Before the Indians departed they sent to Colony
+Gardens a pipe of peace&mdash;the red man's token of friendship.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+An equally futile attempt was made about the same time by two traders
+of the North-West Company to persuade Katawabetay, chief of the
+Chippewas, to lead a band of his tribesmen against the settlement.
+Katawabetay was at Sand Lake, just west of Lake Superior, when his
+parley with the Nor'westers took place.  The two traders promised to
+give Katawabetay and his warriors all the merchandise and rum in three
+of the
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P75"></A>75}</SPAN>
+company's posts, if they would raise the hatchet and
+descend upon the Red River settlers.  The cautious chief wished to know
+whether this was the desire of the military authorities.  The traders
+had to confess that it was merely a wish of the North-West Company.
+Katawabetay then demurred, saying that, before beginning hostilities,
+he must speak about the matter to one of the provincial military
+leaders on St Joseph's Island, at the head of Lake Huron.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Finding it impossible to get the Indians to raid the settlement,
+Cameron now adopted other methods.  His party had been increasing in
+numbers day by day.  Joined by the deserters from the colony, the
+Nor'westers pitched their camp a short distance down the river from
+Fort Gibraltar.  At this point guns were mounted, and at Fort Gibraltar
+Cameron's men were being drilled.  On June 11 a chosen company,
+furnished with loaded muskets and ammunition, were marched towards
+Governor Macdonell's house, where they concealed themselves behind some
+trees.  James White, the surgeon of the colony, was seen walking close
+to the house.  A puff of grey smoke came from the Nor'westers' cover.
+The shot went wide.  Then John Bourke, the
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P76"></A>76}</SPAN>
+store-keeper, heard a
+bullet whiz by his head, and narrowly escaped death.  The colonists at
+once seized their arms and answered the Nor'westers' fire.  In the
+exchange of volleys, however, they were at a disadvantage, as their
+adversaries remained hidden from view.  When the Nor'westers decamped,
+four persons on the colonists' side had been wounded.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Apparently there was no longer security for life or property among
+those still adhering to Lord Selkirk's cause at Colony Gardens.  Duncan
+Cameron, employing a subterfuge, now said that his main object was to
+capture Governor Macdonell.  If this were accomplished he would leave
+the settlers unmolested.  In order to safeguard the colony Macdonell
+voluntarily surrendered himself to the Nor'westers.  Cameron was
+jubilant.  With the loyal settlers worsted and almost defenceless, and
+the governor of Assiniboia his prisoner, he could dictate his own
+terms.  He issued an explicit command that the settlers must vacate the
+Red River without delay.  A majority of the settlers decided to obey,
+and their exodus began under Cameron's guidance.  About one hundred and
+forty, inclusive of women and children, stepped into the canoes of the
+North-West Company to be borne away
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P77"></A>77}</SPAN>
+to Canada.  Miles Macdonell
+was taken to Montreal under arrest.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The forty or fifty colonists who still clung to their homes at Colony
+Gardens were left to be dealt with by Alexander Macdonell, who was
+nothing loath to finish Cameron's work of destruction.  Once more
+muskets were brought into play; horses and cattle belonging to the
+settlers were spirited away; and several of the colonists were placed
+under arrest on trumped-up charges.  These dastardly tactics were
+followed by an organized attempt to raid the settlement.  On June 25 a
+troop of Bois Brûlés gathered on horseback, armed to the teeth and led
+by Alexander Macdonell and a half-breed named Cuthbert Grant.  The
+settlers, though mustering barely one-half the strength of the raiders,
+resolved to make a stand, and placed themselves under the command of
+John M'Leod, a trader in the service of the Hudson's Bay Company.  The
+Bois Brûlés bore down upon the settlement in menacing array.  The
+colonists took what shelter they could find and prepared for battle.
+Fighting coolly, they made their shots tell.  The advancing column
+hesitated and halted in dismay at the courage of the defenders.  Then
+John M'Leod
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P78"></A>78}</SPAN>
+remembered a cannon which was rusting unused at the
+small post which the Hudson's Bay Company had on the river.  Hugh
+M'Lean and two others were ordered to haul this to the blacksmith's
+shanty.  The three men soon found the cannon, and set it up in the
+smithy.  For shot, cart chains were chopped into sections; and the Bois
+Brûlés were treated to a raking volley of 'chain shot.'  This was
+something they had not looked for; their courage failed them, and they
+galloped out of range.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+But the remnant of Lord Selkirk's settlers who had dared to linger on
+the Red River were at the end of their resources.  Taking counsel
+together, they resolved to quit the colony.  They launched their boats
+on the river, and followed the canoe route which led to Hudson Bay.
+They were accompanied by a band of Indians of the Saulteaux tribe as
+far as the entrance to Lake Winnipeg.  From there a short journey
+placed them outside the boundaries of Assiniboia.  When they arrived at
+the northern end of Lake Winnipeg they found a temporary refuge, in the
+vicinity of Norway House, on the Jack river.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Alexander Macdonell and his Bois Brûlés were now free utterly to blot
+out Colony
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P79"></A>79}</SPAN>
+Gardens.  They visited every part of the settlement and
+set fire to everything.  Not a single house was left standing.  Cabins,
+storehouses, the colony's grinding mill&mdash;all were reduced to a mass of
+ruins.  Cameron's duplicity had been crowned with success; Alexander
+Macdonell's armed marauders had finished the task; Lord Selkirk's
+colony of farmers-in-the-making was scattered far and wide.
+Nevertheless, the Nor'westers were not undisputed masters of the
+situation.  In the Hudson's Bay smithy, but ten feet square, four men
+continued the struggle.  John M'Leod, James M'Intosh, and Archibald
+Currie, of the Hudson's Bay Company, defended their trading-post, with
+the assistance of 'noble Hugh M'Lean,' the only settler remaining on
+the Red River banks.  By day and by night these men were forced to keep
+watch and ward.  Whenever the Bois Brûlés drew near, the 'chain shot'
+drove them hurriedly to cover.  At length the enemy withdrew, and
+M'Leod and his comrades walked out to survey the scene of desolation.
+</P>
+
+<BR><BR>
+
+<A NAME="chap07fn1"></A>
+
+<P CLASS="footnote">
+[<A HREF="#chap07fn1text">1</A>] After it had been discovered that the Grand Portage was situated
+partly on land awarded by treaty to the United States, the Nor'westers,
+in 1803, had erected a new factory thirty or forty miles farther north
+where the Kaministikwia river enters Thunder Bay.  This post became
+their chief fur emporium west of Montreal, and was given the name Fort
+William as a tribute to William M'Gillivray, one of the leading
+partners in the company.
+</P>
+
+<BR><BR><BR>
+
+<A NAME="chap08"></A>
+
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P80"></A>80}</SPAN>
+
+<H3 ALIGN="center">
+CHAPTER VIII
+</H3>
+
+<H4 ALIGN="center">
+COLIN ROBERTSON, THE AVENGER
+</H4>
+
+<P>
+Three years of self-sacrificing effort seemed to have been wasted.  The
+colony of Assiniboia was no more; its site was free to wandering
+redskins and greedy traders.  Yet, at the very time when the colonists
+were being dispersed, succour was not far off.  Lord Selkirk had
+received alarming news some time before, and at his solicitation Colin
+Robertson had hired a band of voyageurs, and was speeding forward with
+them to defend the settlement.  Since 1811, when we saw him recruiting
+settlers for Lord Selkirk in Scotland, Colin Robertson had been in the
+service of the Hudson's Bay Company.  Having been a servant of the
+Nor'westers he knew the value of Canadian canoemen in the fur trade,
+and, on his advice, the Hudson's Bay Company now imitated its rival by
+employing voyageurs.  In temperament Colin was dour but audacious, a
+common type among the men of the Outer
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P81"></A>81}</SPAN>
+Hebrides, and he had a
+grievance to avenge.  He was sprung from the Robertson clan, which did
+not easily forget or forgive.  He still remembered his quarrel with
+Crooked-armed Macdonald on the Saskatchewan.  In his mind was the
+goading thought that he was a cast-off servant of the North-West
+Company; and he yearned for the day when he might exact retribution for
+his injuries, some of them real, some fancied.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+It thus happened that before the final crisis came help was well on the
+way.  When the party of rescuers arrived, the charred and deserted
+dwellings of Colony Gardens told their wordless story.  They had come
+too late.  It is quite possible that the newcomers had met by the way
+the throng of settlers who were bound for Canada, or at least had heard
+of their departure from the Red River.  It is less likely that before
+arriving they had learned of the destruction of the settlement.  A
+portion of the colonists still remained in the country, and Colin
+Robertson thought that he might yet save the situation.  He had done
+all that Lord Selkirk had instructed him to do, and he now took further
+action on his own initiative.  At his command the sun-tanned voyageurs
+descended to the
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P82"></A>82}</SPAN>
+river bank and launched their light canoes on the
+current.  Down-stream, and northward along Lake Winnipeg, the party
+travelled, until they reached the exiles' place of refuge on the Jack
+river.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Robertson's resolute demeanour inspired the settlers with new courage,
+and they decided to go back with him and rebuild their homes.  Before
+the summer was spent they were once more on the Red River.  To their
+surprise the plots of ground which they had sown along the banks had
+suffered less than they had expected.  During their absence John M'Leod
+had watchfully husbanded the precious crops, and from the land he so
+carefully tended fifteen hundred bushels of wheat were realized&mdash;the
+first 'bumper' crop garnered within the borders of what are now the
+prairie provinces of Canada.  M'Leod had built fences, had cut and
+stacked the matured hay, and had even engaged men to erect new
+buildings and to repair some of those which had escaped utter
+destruction.  Near the spot where the colonists had landed in 1812 he
+had selected an appropriate site and had begun to erect a large
+domicile for the governor.  'It was of two stories,' wrote M'Leod in
+his diary,
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P83"></A>83}</SPAN>
+'with main timbers of oak; a good substantial house.'
+</P>
+
+<P>
+John M'Leod was a man of faith.  He expected that Lord Selkirk's colony
+would soon be again firmly on its feet, and he was not to be
+disappointed.  A fourth contingent of settlers arrived during the month
+of October 1815, having left Scotland in the spring.  This band
+comprised upwards of ninety persons, nearly all natives of Kildonan.
+These were the most energetic body of settlers so far enlisted by the
+Earl of Selkirk.  They experienced, of course, great disappointment on
+their arrival.  Instead of finding a flourishing settlement, they saw
+the ruins of the habitations of their predecessors, and found that many
+friends whom they hoped would greet them had been enticed or driven
+away.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Along with these colonists came an important dignitary sent out by the
+Hudson's Bay Company.  The 'Adventurers of England trading into
+Hudson's Bay' were now alarmed regarding the outlook for furs in the
+interior, and the general court of their stockholders had taken a new
+and important step.  It was decided to appoint a resident
+governor-in-chief, with power not merely over the colony of Assiniboia,
+but over all the company's
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P84"></A>84}</SPAN>
+trading-posts as well.  The man chosen
+to fill this office was Robert Semple, a British army captain on the
+retired list.  He was a man of upright character and bull-dog courage,
+but he lacked the patience and diplomacy necessary for the problem with
+which he had to deal.  Another to arrive with the contingent was Elder
+James Sutherland, who had been authorized by the Church of Scotland to
+baptize and to perform the marriage ceremony.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The occupants of Fort Gibraltar viewed the replanting of the settlement
+with baleful resentment.  Their ranks were augmented during the autumn
+by a wayfarer from the east who hung up his musket at the fort and
+assumed control.  This was none other than Duncan Cameron, returned
+from Canada, with the plaudits of some of his fellow-partners still
+ringing in his ears.  To Colin Robertson the presence of Cameron at
+Fort Gibraltar was not of happy augury for the settlers' welfare.
+Robertson decided on prompt and radical action.  In a word, he
+determined to take the Nor'westers' post by surprise.  His raid was
+successful.  The field-pieces and the property of the colonists which
+had been carried away in June were recovered.
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P85"></A>85}</SPAN>
+Cameron himself was
+made a prisoner.  But he was not held long.  The man was a born actor
+and a smooth talker.  In all seeming humility he now made specious
+promises of future good behaviour, and was allowed to return to his
+fort.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The houses of the colonists were ranged in succession along the Red
+River until they reached an elevated spot called Frog Plain.  Some of
+the houses appear to have been situated on Frog Plain as well.  Along
+the river, running north and south, was a road worn smooth by constant
+traffic.  The spacious residence for the governor reared by John
+M'Leod, and the other buildings grouped about it, were surrounded by a
+strong palisade.  To the whole the name of Fort Douglas was now given.
+In spite, however, of their seeming prosperity, the settlers found it
+necessary to migrate for the winter to the basin of the Pembina in
+order to obtain food.  But again they found that the buffalo were many
+miles from Fort Daer, and the insufficiently clad winterers suffered
+greatly.  They were disturbed, too, by frequent rumours of coming
+danger.  The 'New Nation,' as the half-breeds chose to call themselves,
+were gathering, it was said, from every quarter, and with
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P86"></A>86}</SPAN>
+the
+breaking up of winter would descend like a scourge upon the colony.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The trouble brewing for the settlement was freely discussed among the
+Nor'westers.  About the middle of March 1816 Alexander Macdonell sent a
+note to Duncan Cameron from Fort Qu'Appelle.  'A storm is gathering in
+the north,' declared Macdonell, 'ready to burst on the rascals who
+deserve it; little do they know their situation.  Last year was but a
+joke.  The New Nation under their leaders are coming forward to clear
+their native soil of intruders and assassins.'  A few words written at
+the same time by Cuthbert Grant show how the plans of the Bois Brûlés
+were maturing.  'The Half-breeds of Fort des Prairies and English River
+are all to be here in the spring,' he asserted; 'it is to be hoped we
+shall come off with flying colours.'
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Early in 1816 Governor Semple, who had been at Fort Daer, returned to
+Fort Douglas.  Apparently he entertained no wholesome fears of the
+impending danger, for, instead of trying to conciliate his opponents,
+he embittered them by new acts of aggression.  In April, for the second
+time, Colin Robertson, acting on the governor's instructions, captured
+Fort
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P87"></A>87}</SPAN>
+Gibraltar.  Again was Duncan Cameron taken prisoner, and this
+time he was held.  It was decided that he should be carried to England
+for trial.  In charge of Colin Robertson, Cameron was sent by canoe to
+York Factory.  But no vessel of the Hudson's Bay Company was leaving
+for England during the summer of 1816, and the prisoner was detained
+until the following year.  When at length he was brought to trial, it
+was found impossible to convict him of any crime, and he was
+discharged.  Subsequently Cameron entered a suit against Lord Selkirk
+for illegal detention, asking damages, and the court awarded him £3000.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Shortly after Colin Robertson had departed with his prisoner, Governor
+Semple decided to dismantle Fort Gibraltar, and towards the end of May
+thirty men were sent to work to tear it down.  Its encircling rampart
+was borne to the river and formed into a raft.  Upon this the salvage
+of the demolished fort&mdash;a great mass of structural material&mdash;was driven
+down-stream to Fort Douglas and there utilized.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The tempest which Alexander Macdonell had presaged burst upon the
+colony soon after this demolition of Fort Gibraltar.  The
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P88"></A>88}</SPAN>
+incidents leading up to an outbreak of hostilities have been narrated
+by Pierre Pambrun, a French Canadian.  In April Pambrun had been
+commissioned by Governor Semple to go to the Hudson's Bay fort on the
+Qu'Appelle river.  Hard by this was the Nor'westers' trading-post,
+called Fort Qu'Appelle.  Pambrun remarks upon the great number of
+half-breeds who had gathered at the North-West Company's depot.  Many
+of them had come from a great distance.  Some were from the upper
+Saskatchewan; others were from Cumberland House, situated near the
+mouth of the same river.  Pambrun says that during the first days of
+May he went eastward along with George Sutherland, a factor of the
+Hudson's Bay Company on the Qu'Appelle, and a number of Sutherland's
+men.  The party journeyed in five boats, and had with them twenty-two
+bales of furs and six hundred bags of pemmican.  On May 12 they were
+attacked on their way down the river by an armed force of forty-nine
+Nor'westers, under the leadership of Cuthbert Grant and Peter Pangman.
+All were made prisoners and conducted back to Fort Qu'Appelle, where
+they were told by Alexander Macdonell that the seizure had been
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P89"></A>89}</SPAN>
+
+made because of Colin Robertson's descent upon Fort Gibraltar.  After
+five days' imprisonment George Sutherland and the servants of the
+Hudson's Bay Company were released.  This did not mean, however, any
+approach of peace.  Pierre Pambrun was still held in custody.  Before
+the close of May Macdonell caused the furs and provisions which his men
+had purloined from Sutherland's party to be placed in boats, and he
+began to move down the Qu'Appelle, taking Pambrun with him.  A band of
+Bois Brûlés on their horses kept pace with the boats.  At the
+confluence of the Qu'Appelle and the Assiniboine Macdonell made a
+speech to a body of Saulteaux, and endeavoured to induce some of them
+to join his expedition to the Red River.  The Hudson's Bay post of
+Brandon House, farther along the Assiniboine, was captured by Cuthbert
+Grant, with about twenty-five men under his command, and stripped of
+all its stores.  Then the combined force of half-breeds, French
+Canadians, and Indians, in round numbers amounting to one hundred and
+twenty men, advanced to Portage la Prairie.  They reached this point on
+or about June 16, and proceeded to make it a stronghold.  They arranged
+bales of
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P90"></A>90}</SPAN>
+pemmican to form a rude fortification and planted two
+brass swivel-guns for defence.  They were preparing for war, for the
+Nor'westers had now resolved finally to uproot Lord Selkirk's colony
+from the banks of the Red River.
+</P>
+
+<BR><BR><BR>
+
+<A NAME="chap09"></A>
+
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P91"></A>91}</SPAN>
+
+<H3 ALIGN="center">
+CHAPTER IX
+</H3>
+
+<H4 ALIGN="center">
+SEVEN OAKS
+</H4>
+
+<P>
+In the meantime, far removed from the Red River, other events bearing
+upon this story were happening.  The Earl of Selkirk had had many
+troubles, and early in 1815 he was again filled with anxiety by news
+received in Scotland concerning the imperilled condition of Assiniboia.
+In consequence of these evil tidings he was led to petition Lord
+Bathurst, secretary for War and the Colonies in the administration of
+Lord Liverpool, and to ask that some protection should be afforded his
+colonists, who were loyal subjects of the crown.  Lord Bathurst acted
+promptly.  He wrote in March to Sir Gordon Drummond, administrator of
+the government of Canada, saying that Lord Selkirk's request should be
+granted and that action should be taken in Canada to protect the
+colony.  But Sir Gordon Drummond, after looking into the matter,
+decided not to grant the protection which
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P92"></A>92}</SPAN>
+Selkirk desired.  He had
+reasons, which he sent to the British minister.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+By this time the affairs of his colony had come to such a sorry pass
+that Lord Selkirk felt it necessary to travel to America.  Accordingly,
+in the autumn of 1815, he embarked for New York, accompanied by Lady
+Selkirk and his three children, Dunbar, Isabella, and Katherine.
+Arriving on November 15, he heard for the first time of the overthrow
+of his colony through the machinations of Duncan Cameron and Alexander
+Macdonell.  At once he hastened to Montreal, where he received from
+eye-witnesses a more detailed version of the occurrence.  Many of the
+settlers brought to the east were indignant at the treatment they had
+received at the hands of the Nor'westers and were prepared to testify
+against them.  In view of this, Lord Selkirk applied to magistrates at
+York (Toronto) and Montreal, desiring that affidavits should be taken
+from certain of the settlers with respect to their experiences on the
+Red River.  In this way he hoped to accumulate a mass of evidence which
+should strengthen his plea for military assistance from the Canadian
+government.  Among those whom Selkirk met in Montreal was
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P93"></A>93}</SPAN>
+Miles
+Macdonell.  The former governor of Assiniboia was then awaiting trial
+on charges brought against him by officers of the North-West Company.
+He was never tried, however, for the charges were dropped later on.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+In November Lord Selkirk saw Sir Gordon Drummond and urged that help be
+sent to Assiniboia.  From this time until the expiration of Drummond's
+term of office (May 1816) a correspondence on this question was kept up
+between the two men.  No steps, however, were taken by Drummond to
+accede to Selkirk's wishes, nor did he inform Selkirk officially why
+his requests were denied.  During the winter news of the restoration of
+the colony was brought to Selkirk by a French Canadian named
+Laguimonière, who had travelled two thousand miles on foot with the
+information.  On receipt of this news Selkirk became even more urgent
+in his appeals for armed assistance.  'If, however, your Excellency,'
+he wrote to Drummond on April 23, 'persevere in your intention to do
+nothing till you receive further instructions, there is a probability
+almost amounting to a certainty that another season must be lost before
+the requisite force can be sent up&mdash;during another year the settlers
+must remain exposed to
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P94"></A>94}</SPAN>
+attack, and there is every reason to expect
+that in consequence of this delay many lives may be lost.'
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Lord Selkirk wished to send a message of encouragement to his people in
+the colony.  Laguimonière, the wonderful Canadian wood-runner, would
+carry it.  He wrote a number of letters, telling of his arrival in
+Canada, giving assurance of his deep concern for the settlement's
+welfare, and promising to come to the aid of the colonists as soon as
+the rivers were free of ice, with whatever force he could muster.
+Bearing these letters, the messenger set out on his journey over the
+wild spaces between Montreal and the Red River.  In some way his
+mission became known to the Nor'westers at Fort William, for on June 3
+Archibald Norman M'Leod, a partner of the North-West Company, issued an
+order that Selkirk's courier should be intercepted.  Near Fond du Lac,
+at the western end of Lake Superior, Laguimonière was waylaid and
+robbed.  The letters which he carried were taken to Fort William, where
+several of them were found later.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+As we have seen in the last chapter, it was in this same month that
+Alexander Macdonell, at Portage la Prairie, was organizing his
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P95"></A>95}</SPAN>
+
+half-breeds for a raid on Fort Douglas.  His brigade, as finally made
+up, consisted of about seventy Bois Brûlés, Canadians, and Indians, all
+well armed and mounted.  As soon as these troopers were ready to
+advance, Macdonell surrendered the leadership to Cuthbert Grant,
+deeming it wise not to take part in the raid himself.  The marauders
+then marched out in the direction of the settlement.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The settlers in the meantime were not wholly oblivious of the danger
+threatening them.  There was a general feeling of insecurity in the
+colony, and a regular watch had been instituted at Fort Douglas to
+guard against a surprise attack.  Governor Semple, however, did not
+seem to take a very serious view of the situation.  He was about to
+depart to York Factory on business.  But a rough awakening came.  On
+June 17 two Cree Indians arrived at Fort Douglas with the alarming
+tidings that in two days an attack would be made upon the settlement.[<A NAME="chap09fn1text"></A><A HREF="#chap09fn1">1</A>]
+</P>
+
+<P>
+About five o'clock in the afternoon of June 19, a boy who was stationed
+in the
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P96"></A>96}</SPAN>
+watch-house of the fort cried out that he saw a party of
+half-breeds approaching.  Thereupon Governor Semple hurried to the
+watch-house and scanned the plains through a glass.  He saw a troop of
+horsemen moving towards the Red River&mdash;evidently heading for a point
+some distance to the north of Fort Douglas.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+'We must go out to meet these people,' said Governor Semple: 'let
+twenty men follow me.'
+</P>
+
+<P>
+There was a prompt response to the call, and Semple led his volunteers
+out of the fort and towards the advancing horsemen.  He had not gone
+far when he met a number of colonists, running towards Fort Douglas and
+shouting in wild excitement:
+</P>
+
+<P>
+'The half-breeds! the half-breeds!'
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Governor Semple now sent John Bourke back to Fort Douglas for one of
+the guns, and instructed him to bring up whatever men could be spared
+from among those garrisoning the fort.  The advance party halted to
+wait until these should arrive; but at length Semple grew impatient and
+ordered his men to advance without them.  The Nor'westers had concealed
+themselves behind a clump of trees.  As Semple approached they galloped
+out, extended their line into a half-moon
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P97"></A>97}</SPAN>
+formation, and bore down
+to meet him.  They were dressed as Indian warriors and painted in
+hideous fashion.  The force was well equipped with guns, knives, bows
+and arrows, and spears.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+A solitary horseman emerged from the hostile squadron and rode towards
+Governor Semple.  This was François Boucher, a French-Canadian clerk in
+the employ of the North-West Company, son of a tavern-keeper in
+Montreal.  Ostensibly his object was to parley with the governor.
+Boucher waved his hand, shouting aloud:
+</P>
+
+<P>
+'What do you want?'
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Semple took his reply from the French Canadian's mouth.  'What do <I>you</I>
+want?' he questioned in plainer English.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+'We want our fort,' said Boucher.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+'Go to your fort,' answered Semple.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+'Why did you destroy our fort, you d&mdash;d rascal?' exclaimed the French
+Canadian.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The two were now at close quarters, and Governor Semple had seized the
+bridle of Boucher's horse.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+'Scoundrel, do you tell me so?' he said.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Pritchard says that the governor grasped Boucher's gun, no doubt
+expecting an attack upon his person.  The French Canadian leapt
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P98"></A>98}</SPAN>
+from his horse, and at this instant a shot rang out from the column of
+the Nor'westers.  Lieutenant Holt, a clerk in the colony's service,
+fell struggling upon the ground.  Boucher ran in the direction of his
+own party, and soon there was the sound of another musket.  This time
+Governor Semple was struck in the thigh.  He called at once to his men:
+</P>
+
+<P>
+'Do what you can to take care of yourselves.'
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The band ignored this behest, and gathered round him to ascertain the
+extent of his injury.  The Nor'westers now began to bring the two ends
+of their column together, and soon Semple's party was surrounded.  The
+fact that their foe was now helpless did not keep the Nor'westers from
+pouring in a destructive fire.  Most of Semple's men fell at the first
+volley.  The few left standing pulled off their hats and begged for
+mercy.  A certain Captain Rogers hastened towards the line of the
+Nor'westers and threw up his hands.  He was followed by John Pritchard.
+One of the Bois Brûlés shot Rogers in the head and another rushed on
+him and stabbed him with a knife.  Luckily Pritchard was confronted by
+a French Canadian, named
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P99"></A>99}</SPAN>
+Augustin Lavigne, whom he had formerly
+known and who now protected him from butchery.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The wounded governor lay stretched upon the ground.  Supporting his
+head with his hand, he addressed Cuthbert Grant:
+</P>
+
+<P>
+'I am not mortally wounded,' he said, 'and if you could get me conveyed
+to the fort, I think I should live.'
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Grant promised to comply with the request.  He left the governor in
+charge of one of his men and went away, but during his absence an
+Indian approached and shot Semple to death.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Meanwhile John Bourke had gone back for a field-piece and for
+reinforcements.  Bourke reached the fort, but after he had placed the
+small cannon in a cart he was permitted by those in the fort to take
+only one man away with him.  He and his companion began to drag the
+cart down the road.  Suddenly they were startled by the sound of the
+musketry fire in the distance which had struck down Semple's party.
+Fearing lest they might lose the gun, the pair turned back towards the
+fort.  On their way they were met by ten men from Fort Douglas,
+hurrying to the scene of the conflict.  Bourke told his
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P100"></A>100}</SPAN>
+comrade
+to take the field-piece inside the fort, and himself joined the rescue
+party.  But they were too late: when they arrived at the scene of the
+struggle they could effect nothing.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+'Give up your arms,' was the command of the Nor'westers.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The eleven men, seeing that resistance on their part would be useless,
+took to their heels.  The Nor'westers fired; one of the fleeing men was
+killed and John Bourke was severely wounded.  For the numbers engaged
+the carnage was terrible.  Of the party which had left Fort Douglas
+with Governor Semple there were but six survivors.  Michael Heden and
+Daniel M'Kay had run to the riverside during the <I>mêlée</I>.  They
+succeeded in getting across in a canoe and arrived at Fort Douglas the
+same night.  Michael Kilkenny and George Sutherland escaped by swimming
+the river.  In addition to John Pritchard, another prisoner, Anthony
+Macdonell, had been spared.  The total number of the dead was
+twenty-three.  Among the slain were Rogers, the governor's secretary,
+Doctor Wilkinson, Alexander M'Lean, the most enterprising settler in
+the colony, and Surgeon James White.  The Irish colonists suffered
+severely in proportion to their number: they lost
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P101"></A>101}</SPAN>
+seven in all.
+The Nor'westers had one man killed and one wounded.  This sanguinary
+encounter, which took place beside the highway leading along the Red
+River to Frog Plain, is known as the massacre of Seven Oaks.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+There was much disappointment among the Nor'westers when they learned
+that Colin Robertson was not in the colony.  Cuthbert Grant vowed that
+Robertson would have been scalped had he been captured.  'They would
+have cut his body into small bits,' said Pritchard, 'and boiled it
+afterwards for the dogs.'  Pritchard himself was carried as a prisoner
+to Frog Plain, where the Nor'westers made their encampment.  A savage
+spirit had been aroused.  Pritchard found that even yet the lust for
+blood had not been sated, and that it would be necessary to plead for
+the wives and children of the colonists.  He remonstrated with Cuthbert
+Grant and urged him not to forget that the women of the settlement were
+of his dead father's people.  At length the half-breed leader softened,
+and agreed that Pritchard should act as a mediator.  Grant was willing
+that the settlers should go in peace, if the public property of the
+colony were given up.  Pritchard made three trips between Grant's
+headquarters and the fort
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P102"></A>102}</SPAN>
+before an agreement was reached.  'On
+my arrival at the fort,' he said, 'what a scene of distress presented
+itself!  The widows, children and relations of the slain, in horrors of
+despair, were lamenting the dead,[<A NAME="chap09fn2text"></A><A HREF="#chap09fn2">2</A>] and were trembling for the safety
+of the survivors.'
+</P>
+
+<P>
+On the morning of June 20 Cuthbert Grant himself, with over a score of
+his followers, went to Fort Douglas.  It was then agreed that the
+settlers should abandon their homes and that the fort should be
+evacuated.  An inventory was made of the goods of the colony, and the
+terms of surrender were signed by Cuthbert Grant as a clerk and
+representative of the North-West Company.  Contrary to Grant's
+promises, the private effects of the colonists were overhauled and
+looted.  Michael Heden records that even his clothes and blankets were
+stolen.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+On the evening of the same day a messenger presented himself at Portage
+la Prairie bringing Alexander Macdonell an account of the massacre.
+Pierre Pambrun declares that
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P103"></A>103}</SPAN>
+Macdonell and others who were with
+him became hilarious with joy.  'Good news,' shouted Macdonell in
+French, as he conveyed the tidings to his associates.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Again disaster had overtaken Lord Selkirk's plans.  The second
+desolation of his colony and expulsion of his colonists occurred on
+June 22, 1816.  The evicted people set out in canoes down the Red
+River.  Michael Heden and John Bourke both declared that the number of
+those who embarked was approximately two hundred.  This total would
+appear, however, to be much too large, unless additions had been made
+to the colony of which we have no documentary evidence.  Some
+French-Canadian families had settled at 'the Forks,' it is true, but
+these were not numerous enough to bring the population of the
+settlement to two hundred persons, leaving uncounted the number who had
+lately perished.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+On June 24, as the exiles were proceeding down the river, they met nine
+or ten canoes and one bateau.  In these were almost a hundred armed
+Nor'westers under the command of Archibald Norman M'Leod of Fort
+William.  M'Leod's purpose was apparently to assist in the
+extermination of the colony.  His first question of the party
+travelling
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P104"></A>104}</SPAN>
+northward was 'whether that rascal and scoundrel
+Robertson was in the boats.'  When he was told of the calamity which
+had befallen Governor Semple and his band, he ordered all the exiles
+ashore.  By virtue of his office as a magistrate for the Indian
+Territories he wished to examine them.[<A NAME="chap09fn3text"></A><A HREF="#chap09fn3">3</A>]
+</P>
+
+<P>
+He searched the baggage belonging to the evicted settlers and
+scrutinized their books and papers.  'Those who play at bowls,'
+remarked 'Justice' M'Leod, 'must expect to meet with rubbers.'
+Pritchard was told to write his version of the recent transactions at
+'the Forks,' and did so; but his account did not please M'Leod.  'You
+have drawn up a pretty paper,' he grumbled; 'you had better take care
+of yourself, or you will get into a scrape.'
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Michael Heden also was examined as to his knowledge of the matter.
+When M'Leod heard the answers of Heden he was even more wrathful.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+'They are all lies,' he declared with emphasis.
+</P>
+
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P105"></A>105}</SPAN>
+
+<P>
+The result of M'Leod's judicial procedure was that five of the party
+were detained and placed under arrest.  The others were allowed to
+proceed on their way.  John Bourke was charged with felony, and Michael
+Heden and Patrick Corcoran were served with subpoenas to give evidence
+for the crown against him, on September 1, at Montreal.  John Pritchard
+and Daniel M'Kay were among the five detained, presumably as crown
+witnesses.  After some delay&mdash;M'Leod had to visit Fort Douglas and the
+neighbourhood&mdash;the prisoners were sent on the long journey to Fort
+William on Lake Superior.  Bourke was at once stripped of his valuables
+and placed in irons, regardless of the fact that his wound was causing
+him intense suffering.  During the whole of the journey he was
+compelled to lie manacled on a pile of baggage in one of the canoes.
+</P>
+
+<BR>
+
+<P>
+Fort Douglas on the Red River was still standing, but the character of
+its occupants had changed radically.  At first Cuthbert Grant took
+command, but he soon made way for Alexander Macdonell, who reached Fort
+Douglas shortly after the affair at Seven Oaks.  When Archibald Norman
+M'Leod appeared, he was the senior officer in authority, and he
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P106"></A>106}</SPAN>
+
+took up his residence in the apartments of the late Governor Semple.
+One day M'Leod and some followers rode over to an encampment of Crees
+and Saulteaux near the ruins of Fort Gibraltar.  Here M'Leod collected
+and harangued the Indians.  He upbraided them for their failure to
+interfere when Duncan Cameron had been forcibly removed to Hudson Bay,
+and he spoke harshly of their sympathy for the colonists when the
+Nor'westers had found it necessary to drive them away.  Peguis, chief
+of the Saulteaux and the leading figure in the Indian camp, listened
+attentively, but remained stolidly taciturn.  On the evening of the
+same day the Nor'westers returned to Fort Douglas and indulged in some
+of their wildest revelries.  The Bois Brûlés stripped themselves naked
+and celebrated their recent triumph in a wild and savage orgy, while
+their more staid companions looked on with approval.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+According to the testimony of Augustin Lavigne, M'Leod during his stay
+at Fort Douglas publicly made the following promise to an assembly of
+Bois Brûlés: 'My kinsmen, my comrades, who have helped us in the time
+of need; I have brought clothing for you  I expected to have found
+about forty of you
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P107"></A>107}</SPAN>
+here with Mr Macdonell, but there are more of
+you.  I have forty suits of clothing.  Those who are most in need of
+them may have these, and on the arrival of the canoes in autumn, the
+rest of you shall be clothed likewise.'
+</P>
+
+<BR><BR>
+
+<A NAME="chap09fn1"></A>
+<A NAME="chap09fn2"></A>
+<A NAME="chap09fn3"></A>
+
+<P CLASS="footnote">
+[<A HREF="#chap09fn1text">1</A>] For the details of the tragedy which now occurred we are chiefly
+indebted to the accounts of John Pritchard, a former Nor'wester, who
+had settled with his family at the Red River, of Michael Heden, a
+blacksmith connected with the settlement, and of John Bourke, the
+colony store-keeper.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="footnote">
+[<A HREF="#chap09fn2text">2</A>] Some of the dead were afterwards taken from the field of Seven Oaks
+to Fort Douglas by Cree and Saulteaux Indians.  These received decent
+burial, but the others, lying uninterred as they had fallen, became a
+prey to the wild beasts of the prairie.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="footnote">
+[<A HREF="#chap09fn3text">3</A>] An act of the Imperial parliament of 1803 had transferred
+jurisdiction in the case of offences committed in the Indian
+Territories from Great Britain to Canada, and had allowed the Canadian
+authorities to appoint magistrates for these rather undefined regions.
+M'Leod was one of these magistrates.
+</P>
+
+<BR><BR><BR>
+
+<A NAME="chap10"></A>
+
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P108"></A>108}</SPAN>
+
+<H3 ALIGN="center">
+CHAPTER X
+</H3>
+
+<H4 ALIGN="center">
+LORD SELKIRK'S JOURNEY
+</H4>
+
+<P>
+We left Lord Selkirk at Montreal.  Several days before the massacre of
+Seven Oaks he had completed the preparations for his journey to the
+west, and was hastening forward in the hope of arriving at the Red
+River in time to save his colony.  He had secured his own appointment
+as justice of the peace for Upper Canada and the Indian Territories,
+and also the promise of a bodyguard of one non-commissioned officer and
+six men for his personal defence.  This much he had obtained from the
+Canadian authorities.  They remained unwilling, however, to send armed
+aid to Assiniboia.  This want Lord Selkirk was himself supplying, for
+he was bringing with him a fresh contingent of settlers&mdash;of a class
+hitherto unknown among his colonists.  These new settlers were trained
+soldiers, disciplined and tried in active service on many a battlefield.
+</P>
+
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P109"></A>109}</SPAN>
+
+<P>
+The close of the War of 1812 by the Treaty of Ghent, signed on December
+24,1814, had left in Canada several battalions of regular soldiers
+under colours.  In the early summer of 1816 orders were issued that the
+De Meuron regiment, in barracks at Montreal, and the Watteville
+regiment, stationed at Kingston, should be honourably disbanded.  These
+regiments were composed of Swiss, Italian, and other mercenaries who
+had fought for Great Britain in her struggle with Napoleon.  In 1809
+the De Meuron regiment had been sent from Gibraltar to the island of
+Malta.  In 1813 it had been transported to Canada with the reputation
+of being 'as fine and well-appointed a regiment as any in his Majesty's
+service.'  It consisted of more than a thousand men, with seventy-five
+officers.  The Watteville regiment, a force equally large, had landed
+at Quebec on June 10, 1813.  Its ensign indicated that it had been in
+the campaigns waged against France in the Spanish peninsula and had
+served under Sir John Stuart in southern Italy.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+About two hundred of the disbanded De Meurons desired to remain in
+Canada, and Selkirk at once sought to interest them in his western
+enterprise.  Four officers&mdash;Captains
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P110"></A>110}</SPAN>
+Matthey and D'Orsonnens and
+Lieutenants Graffenreid and Fauché&mdash;and about eighty of the rank and
+file were willing to enlist.  It was agreed that they should receive
+allotments of land in Assiniboia on the terms granted to the settlers
+who had formerly gone from Scotland and Ireland.  They were to be
+supplied with the necessary agricultural implements, and each was to be
+given a musket for hunting or for defence.  Their wages were to be
+eight dollars a month for manning the boats which should take them to
+their destination.  In case the settlement should not be to their
+liking, Lord Selkirk pledged himself to transport them to Europe free
+of cost, by way of either Montreal or Hudson Bay.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+On June 4 the contingent of men and officers began their journey from
+Montreal up the St Lawrence.  At Kingston a halt was made while Captain
+Matthey, acting for the Earl of Selkirk, enlisted twenty more veterans
+of the Watteville regiment.  It is stated that an officer and several
+privates from another disbanded regiment, the Glengarry Fencibles, were
+also engaged as settlers, but it is not clear at what point they joined
+the party.  When all was ready for the long journey, the combined
+forces skirted the northern shore
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P111"></A>111}</SPAN>
+of Lake Ontario from Kingston,
+until they reached York, the capital of Upper Canada.  Thence their
+route lay to Georgian Bay by way of Lake Simcoe and the Severn.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Lord Selkirk left Montreal on June 16, following in the wake of his
+new-won colonists, and overtook them at the entrance into Georgian Bay.
+Apparently he went over the same route, for he crossed Lake Simcoe.
+Information is lacking as to his companions.  Miles Macdonell could not
+have been with him, for Macdonell had been sent forward earlier with a
+small body of men in light canoes that he might reach the settlement in
+advance of Lord Selkirk.  One hundred and twenty Canadian voyageurs had
+been recently engaged to go to Assiniboia in the service of the
+Hudson's Bay Company.  Possibly these canoemen accompanied Selkirk on
+the first stages of his journey.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+On Drummond Island, at the head of Lake Huron, was situated the most
+westerly military station maintained by the government of Upper Canada.
+Here Lord Selkirk halted and allowed his company to go on in advance
+into the straits of St Mary.  At the military post at Drummond Island
+he was furnished with the promised escort of six men under a
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P112"></A>112}</SPAN>
+non-commissioned officer of the 37th regiment.  On July 22 he was
+present at a council held on the island by the Indian authorities
+stationed there.  One of the principal figures at this council was
+Katawabetay, chief of the Chippewas, from Sand Lake.  On being
+questioned, Katawabetay told of his refusal the year before to join the
+Nor'westers in an attack on the Red River Colony; he also declared that
+an attempt had been made during the previous spring by a trader named
+Grant to have some of his young Chippewas waylay Lord Selkirk's
+messenger, Laguimonière, near Fond du Lac.  Grant had offered
+Katawabetay two kegs of rum and some tobacco, but the bribe was
+refused.  The Ottawa Indians, not the Chippewas, had waylaid the
+messenger.  This trader Grant had told Katawabetay that he was going to
+the Red River 'to fight the settlers.'[<A NAME="chap10fn1text"></A><A HREF="#chap10fn1">1</A>]
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Lord Selkirk put a question to Katawabetay.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+'Are the Indians about the Red River, or that part of the country you
+come from,' asked the earl through an interpreter, 'pleased
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P113"></A>113}</SPAN>
+or
+displeased at the people settling at the Red River?'
+</P>
+
+<P>
+'At the commencement of the settlement at Red River, some of the
+Indians did not like it,' answered the chief, 'but at present they are
+all glad of its being settled.'
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Meanwhile the party which had gone on in advance had entered the St
+Mary's river, connecting Lakes Huron and Superior, had crossed the
+half-mile portage of the Sault Rapids, and had pitched their camp some
+distance farther up-stream.  Before the end of July Lord Selkirk was
+again among them.  He gave the order to advance, and the boats were
+launched.  But, only a few miles out from Sault Ste Marie, there
+suddenly appeared two canoes, in one of which was Miles Macdonell.  For
+the first time Lord Selkirk now learned of the disaster which had
+befallen the colony in the month of June.  Macdonell had gone as far as
+the mouth of the Winnipeg before he learned the news.  Now he was able
+to tell Lord Selkirk of the massacre of Semple and his men, of the
+eviction of the settlers, and of the forcible detention of those sent
+by M'Leod to the Nor'westers' trading-post at Fort William.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Selkirk had entertained the hope of averting a calamity at the
+settlement by bringing
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P114"></A>114}</SPAN>
+in enough retired soldiers to preserve
+order.  But this hope was now utterly blasted.  He might, however, use
+the resources of the law against the traders at Fort William, and this
+he decided to attempt.  He was, however, in a peculiar position.  He
+had, it is true, been created a justice of the peace, but it would seem
+hardly proper for him to try lawbreakers who were attacking his own
+personal interests.  Accordingly, before finally setting out for Fort
+William, he begged Magistrate John Askin, of Drummond Island, and
+Magistrate Ermatinger, of Sault Ste Marie, to accompany him.  But
+neither of these men could leave his duties.  When Selkirk thus failed
+to secure disinterested judges, he determined to act under the
+authority with which he had been vested.  In a letter, dated July 29,
+to Sir John Sherbrooke, the recently appointed governor of Canada, he
+referred with some uneasiness to the position in which he found
+himself.  'I am therefore reduced to the alternative of acting alone,'
+he wrote, 'or of allowing an audacious crime to pass unpunished.  In
+these circumstances, I cannot doubt that it is my duty to act, though I
+am not without apprehension that the law may be openly resisted by a
+set of men who
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P115"></A>115}</SPAN>
+have been accustomed to consider force as the only
+criterion of right.'
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Selkirk advanced to Fort William.  There is no record of his journey
+across the deep sounds and along the rock-girt shores of Lake Superior.
+His contingent was divided into two sections, possibly as soon as it
+emerged from the St Mary's river and entered Whitefish Bay.  Selkirk
+himself sped forward with the less cumbersome craft, while the
+soldier-settlers advanced more leisurely in their bateaux.  Early in
+August the vanguard came within sight of the islands that bar the
+approach to Thunder Bay.  Then, as their canoes slipped through the
+dark waters, they were soon abeam of that majestic headland, Thunder
+Cape, 'the agèd Cape of Storms.'  Inside the bay they saw that long,
+low island known as the Sleeping Giant.  A portion of the voyageurs,
+led by a Canadian named Chatelain, disembarked upon an island about
+seven miles from Fort William.  Selkirk, with the rest of the advance
+party, went on.  Skirting the settlement at Fort William, they ascended
+the river Kaministikwia for about half a mile, and on the opposite bank
+from the fort, at a spot since known as Point De Meuron, they erected
+their temporary habitations.
+</P>
+
+<BR><BR>
+
+<A NAME="chap10fn1"></A>
+
+<P CLASS="footnote">
+[<A HREF="#chap10fn1text">1</A>] The trader was probably Charles Grant, a clerk in the North-West
+Company's fort at Fond du Lac, and not Cuthbert Grant, the leader at
+Seven Oaks.
+</P>
+
+<BR><BR><BR>
+
+<A NAME="chap11"></A>
+
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P116"></A>116}</SPAN>
+
+<H3 ALIGN="center">
+CHAPTER XI
+</H3>
+
+<H4 ALIGN="center">
+FORT WILLIAM
+</H4>
+
+<P>
+Fort William was the Mecca of the traders and voyageurs who served the
+North-West Company.  It was the divisional point and the warehousing
+centre of sixty trading-posts.  No less than five thousand persons were
+engaged in the trade which centred at Fort William.  During the season
+from May to September the traffic carried on at the fort was of the
+most active character.  A flotilla of boats and canoes would arrive
+from Lachine with multifarious articles of commerce for inland barter.
+These boats would then set out on their homeward journey laden with
+peltry gathered from far and near.  Every season two or three of the
+principal partners of the company arrived at the fort from Montreal.
+They were 'hyperborean nabobs,' who travelled with whatever luxury
+wealth could afford them on the express service by lake and stream.
+</P>
+
+<A NAME="img-116"></A>
+<CENTER>
+<IMG CLASS="imgcenter" SRC="images/img-116.jpg" ALT="Fort William.  From an old print in the John Ross Robertson Collection, Toronto Public Library." BORDER="2" WIDTH="745" HEIGHT="513">
+<H4 CLASS="h4center" STYLE="width: 745px">
+Fort William.  <BR>
+From an old print in the John Ross Robertson Collection, <BR>
+Toronto Public Library.
+</H4>
+</CENTER>
+
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P117"></A>117}</SPAN>
+
+<P>
+At this time Fort William had the proportions of a good-sized village.
+Its structures were of wood and were of all shapes and sizes.  One
+commodious building near the centre of the fort, fronted by a wide
+verandah, immediately caught the eye of the visitor.  It contained a
+council-hall, the mercantile parliament-chamber of the Nor'westers.
+Under the same roof was a great banqueting-hall, in which two hundred
+persons could be seated.  In this hall were wont to gather the notables
+of the North-West Company, and any guests who were fortunate enough to
+gain admission.  Here, in the heart of the wilderness, there was no
+stint of food when the long tables were spread.  Chefs brought from
+Montreal prepared savoury viands; the brimming bowl was emptied and too
+often replenished; and the songs of this deep-throated race of
+merchantmen pealed to the rafters until revelry almost ended in riot.
+At one end of the room stood the bust of Simon M'Tavish, placed so that
+his gaze seemed to rest upon the proprietors and servants of the
+company he had called into being.  About the walls hung numerous
+portraits&mdash;one of the reigning monarch, George III, another of the
+Prince Regent, a third of Admiral Lord
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P118"></A>118}</SPAN>
+Nelson.  Here, too, was a
+painting of the famous battle of the Nile, and a wonderful map of the
+fur-bearing country, the work of the intrepid explorer David Thompson.
+</P>
+
+<A NAME="img-118"></A>
+<CENTER>
+<IMG CLASS="imgcenter" SRC="images/img-118.jpg" ALT="Simon M'Tavish, Founder of the North-West Company.  From a water-colour drawing in M'Gill University Library." BORDER="2" WIDTH="476" HEIGHT="702">
+<H4 CLASS="h4center" STYLE="width: 476px">
+Simon M'Tavish, Founder of the North-West Company.  <BR>
+From a water-colour drawing in M'Gill University Library.
+</H4>
+</CENTER>
+
+<BR>
+
+<P>
+The unexpected appearance of Lord Selkirk in the vicinity of Fort
+William found the Nor'westers off their guard and created a great
+sensation.  It was a matter of common knowledge among the Nor'westers
+that Selkirk was on his way to the Red River with a squad of armed men,
+but they understood that he would follow the route leading past their
+fort at Fond du Lac.  There is evidence to show that a plot to compass
+Selkirk's death or seizure had been mooted some weeks before.  John
+Bourke, on the road to Fort William as a prisoner, had overheard a
+conversation between Alexander Macdonell and several other partners of
+the North-West Company.  This conversation had occurred at night, not
+far from Rainy Lake.  According to the story, Bourke was lying on the
+ground, seemingly asleep, when the partners, standing by a camp-fire,
+fell to discussing their recent coup at 'the Forks.'  Their talk
+drifted to the subject of Lord Selkirk's proposed visit to Assiniboia,
+and Macdonell assured the others
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P119"></A>119}</SPAN>
+that the North-West Company had
+nothing to fear from Selkirk, and that if extreme measures were
+necessary Selkirk should be quietly assassinated.  'The half-breeds,'
+he declared, 'will take him while he is asleep, early in the morning.'
+Macdonell went so far as to mention the name of a Bois Brûlé who would
+be willing to bring Lord Selkirk down with his musket, if necessary.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Bourke told to his fellow-prisoners, Patrick Corcoran and Michael
+Heden, what he had overheard.  It thus happened that when Heden now
+learned that the founder of Assiniboia was actually camping on the
+Kaministikwia, he became alarmed for his safety.  Though a prisoner, he
+seems to have had some liberty of movement.  At any rate, he was able
+to slip off alone and to launch a small boat.  Once afloat, he rowed to
+the island where Chatelain and his voyageurs had halted on the way to
+Fort William.  The water was boisterous, and Heden had great difficulty
+in piloting his craft.  He gained the island, however, and told
+Chatelain of his fear that Lord Selkirk might come to harm.  Heden
+returned to the fort, and was there taken to task and roughly handled
+for his temerity in going to see one of Lord Selkirk's servants.
+</P>
+
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P120"></A>120}</SPAN>
+
+<P>
+On August 12 the second section of the contingent arrived with the
+experienced campaigners.  From the moment they raised their tents Lord
+Selkirk began to show a bold front against the Nor'westers.  Captain
+D'Orsonnens was entrusted on the day of his arrival with a letter from
+Selkirk to William M'Gillivray, the most prominent partner at Fort
+William.  In this M'Gillivray was asked his reason for holding in
+custody various persons whose names were given, and was requested to
+grant their immediate release.  M'Gillivray was surprisingly
+conciliatory.  He permitted several of the persons named in the letter
+to proceed at once to Selkirk's camp, and assured Lord Selkirk that
+they had never been prisoners.  John Bourke and Michael Heden he still
+retained, because their presence was demanded in the courts at Montreal.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Acting as a justice of the peace, Selkirk now held a court in which he
+heard evidence from those whom M'Gillivray had surrendered.  Before the
+day was over he had secured sufficient information, as he thought, to
+justify legal action against certain of the partners at Fort William.
+He decided to arrest William M'Gillivray first, and sent two men as
+constables with a warrant against
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P121"></A>121}</SPAN>
+M'Gillivray.  On the afternoon
+of August 13 these officers went down the river to the fort.  Along
+with them went a guard of nine men fully armed.  While the guard
+remained posted without, the constables entered the fort.  They found
+M'Gillivray in his room writing a letter.  He read the warrant which
+they thrust into his hand, and then without comment said that he was
+prepared to go with them.  His only desire was that two partners,
+Kenneth M'Kenzie and Dr John M'Loughlin, might accompany him to furnish
+bail.  The constables acceded to this request, and the three
+Nor'westers got into a canoe and were paddled to Point De Meuron.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The officers conducted their prisoners to the Earl of Selkirk's tent.
+When Selkirk learned that the two other partners of the North-West
+Company were also in his power, he resolved upon an imprudent act, one
+which can scarcely be defended.  Not only did he refuse his prisoner
+bail; he framed indictments against M'Kenzie and M'Loughlin and ordered
+the constables to take them in charge.  A short examination of William
+M'Gillivray convinced Lord Selkirk that he would not be going beyond
+his powers were he to apprehend the remaining partners who
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P122"></A>122}</SPAN>
+were
+at Fort William.  To accomplish this he drew up the necessary papers,
+and then sent the same constables to make the arrests.  Twenty-five De
+Meuron soldiers under Captain D'Orsonnens and Lieutenant Fauché were
+detailed as an escort.
+</P>
+
+<A NAME="img-122"></A>
+<CENTER>
+<IMG CLASS="imgcenter" SRC="images/img-122.jpg" ALT="William M'Gillivray, a partner in the North-West Company.  From a photograph in the M'Gill University Library." BORDER="2" WIDTH="474" HEIGHT="683">
+<H4 CLASS="h4center" STYLE="width: 474px">
+William M'Gillivray, a partner in the North-West Company.  <BR>
+From a photograph in the M'Gill University Library.
+</H4>
+</CENTER>
+
+<P>
+When the constables strode up the river bank to the fort to perform
+their official duty, they found a great throng of Canadians,
+half-breeds, and Indians gathered about the entrance.  D'Orsonnens and
+the bulk of the escort remained behind on the river within easy call.
+Near the gateway the officers saw two of the partners whom they were
+instructed to apprehend, and immediately served them with warrants.  A
+third partner, John M'Donald, made a sturdy show of resistance.  He
+declaimed against the validity of the warrant, and protested that no
+stranger dare enter the fort until William M'Gillivray was set free.  A
+scramble followed.  Some of the Nor'westers tried to close the gate,
+while the constables struggled to make their way inside.  When one of
+the constables shouted lustily for aid, the bugle blew at the boats.
+This was by prearrangement the signal to Captain Matthey at Point De
+Meuron that the constables had met with opposition.  The signal,
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P123"></A>123}</SPAN>
+however, proved unnecessary.  In spite of the angry crowd at the
+entrance, Selkirk's men pushed open the gate of the fort.  They seized
+M'Donald, who struggled fiercely, and bore him away towards the boats.
+The soldiers marched up from the boats, and, in a moment, Fort William
+was in their possession.  Before further help arrived, in response to
+the bugle-call, the struggle was over.  Six partners of the North-West
+Company were taken to the boats and carried to Lord Selkirk's
+encampment.  These were John M'Donald, Daniel M'Kenzie, Allan M'Donald,
+Hugh M'Gillis, Alexander M'Kenzie, and Simon Fraser, the last named
+being the noted explorer.  Captain D'Orsonnens stationed a guard within
+the fort, and himself remained behind to search the papers of those who
+had been arrested.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+By the time Lord Selkirk had finished the examination of his fresh
+group of prisoners the hour was late.  He did not wish to keep any of
+the partners in confinement, and so he arranged that they should go
+back to their quarters at the fort for the night.  The prisoners
+promised that they would behave in seemly fashion, and do nothing of a
+hostile nature.  There is evidence to show that before
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P124"></A>124}</SPAN>
+morning
+many papers were burned in the mess-room kitchen at the fort.  Word was
+also brought to Lord Selkirk that a quantity of firearms and ammunition
+had been removed from Fort William during the night.  In consequence of
+this information he issued another warrant, authorizing a 'search for
+arms.'  When the search was made fifty or more guns and fowling-pieces
+were found hidden among some hay in a barn.  Eight barrels of gunpowder
+were also found lying in a swampy place not far from the fort, and the
+manner in which the grass was trampled down indicated that the barrels
+had been deposited there very recently.  When Selkirk learned of this
+attempt to remove arms and ammunition, he felt justified in adopting
+stringent measures.  He ordered what was practically an occupation of
+Fort William.  Most of the Canadians, Bois Brûlés, and Indians in the
+service of the North-West Company were commanded to leave the fort and
+to cross to the other side of the river.  Their canoes were
+confiscated.  The nine partners were held as prisoners and closely
+watched.  Selkirk's force abandoned Point De Meuron and erected their
+tents on ground near Fort William.  The hearing was continued, and it
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P125"></A>125}</SPAN>
+was finally decided that the accused should be committed for
+trial at York and conducted thither under a strong guard.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Selkirk had not exceeded his authority as a justice of the peace in
+holding the investigations and in sending the partners for trial to the
+judicial headquarters of the province.  But he had also seized the
+property of the North-West Company and driven its servants from their
+fort, and this was straining his legal powers.  The task of taking the
+nine partners to York was entrusted to Lieutenant Fauché.  Three canoes
+were provisioned for the journey.  Indians regularly employed by the
+North-West Company were engaged as canoemen and guides.  On August 18
+the party set out from Fort William.  At first the journey went
+tranquilly enough.  On the eighth day, about one o'clock in the
+afternoon, the party drew up their canoes on Isle au Parisien, in
+Whitefish Bay, to take dinner.  A heavy westerly breeze sprang up, but
+they were on the leeward side of the island and did not notice its full
+strength.  Lieutenant Fauché had misgivings, however, and before he
+would resume the journey he consulted his prisoner, William
+M'Gillivray, who was an expert canoeman.  M'Gillivray was confident
+that
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P126"></A>126}</SPAN>
+the 'traverse' to Sault Ste Marie could be made in safety if
+the Indian guides exercised great caution.  The guides, on the other
+hand, objected to leaving the island.  Their advice was not heeded, and
+the three canoes put out.  Very soon they were running before a squall
+and shipping water.  The first canoe turned its prow in the direction
+of Isle aux Erables, lying to the left, and the other two followed this
+example.  Near Isle aux Erables there were some shoals destined now to
+cause tragic disaster.  In attempting to pass these shoals the leading
+canoe was capsized.  The others, so heavily laden that they could do
+nothing to rescue their companions, paddled hurriedly to shore,
+unloaded part of their cargoes, and then hastened to the spot where
+their comrades were struggling in the stormy waters.  But it was too
+late.  In spite of the most heroic efforts nine of the twenty-one
+persons belonging to the wrecked canoe were drowned.  Kenneth M'Kenzie,
+of the North-West Company, was one of those who perished; six of the
+others were Indians; the remaining two were discharged soldiers.
+Another canoe was procured at Sault Ste Marie.  The party continued its
+journey and reached York on September 3.  Fauché at once sought the
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P127"></A>127}</SPAN>
+attorney-general, in order to take proper legal steps, but found
+that he was absent.  The prisoners meanwhile applied for a writ of
+habeas corpus, and Fauché was instructed to take them to Montreal.
+This was to take them to the home of the Nor'westers, where they would
+be supported by powerful influences.  On September 10, when the
+partners arrived in Montreal, they were at once admitted to bail.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Meanwhile, Lord Selkirk continued to exercise full sway over Fort
+William and its environs.  He had himself no misgivings whatever with
+regard to the legality of his treatment of the Nor'westers.  In his
+view he had taken possession of a place which had served, to quote his
+own words, 'the last of any in the British dominions, as an asylum for
+banditti and murderers, and the receptacle for their plunder.'  During
+the ensuing winter he sent out expeditions to capture the posts
+belonging to the North-West Company at Michipicoten, Rainy Lake, and
+Fond du Lac.  In March he commissioned a part of his followers to
+advance into the territory of Assiniboia to restore order.  The
+veterans whom he sent artfully arranged their journey so that they
+should approach 'the Forks' from
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P128"></A>128}</SPAN>
+the south.  The Nor'westers in
+Fort Douglas were wholly unaware that a foe was advancing against them.
+On a blustering night, amid storm and darkness, Selkirk's men crept up
+to the walls, carrying ladders.  In a trice they had scaled the
+ramparts, and the fort was in their possession.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+On the first day of May 1817 Lord Selkirk himself went forward to the
+west from Fort William, taking with him the bodyguard which he had
+procured at Drummond Island.  He followed the fur traders' route up the
+Kaministikwia to Dog Lake, thence, by way of the waters which connect
+with Rainy Lake, on to the Lake of the Woods, and down the rushing
+Winnipeg.  After a journey of seven weeks he emerged from the
+forest-clad wilderness and saw for the first time the little row of
+farms which the toil of his long-suffering colonists had brought into
+being on the open plains.
+</P>
+
+<BR><BR><BR>
+
+<A NAME="chap12"></A>
+
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P129"></A>129}</SPAN>
+
+<H3 ALIGN="center">
+CHAPTER XII
+</H3>
+
+<H4 ALIGN="center">
+THE PIPE OF PEACE
+</H4>
+
+<P>
+'The parish shall be Kildonan.'
+</P>
+
+<P>
+As Lord Selkirk spoke, he was standing in what is to-day the northern
+part of the city of Winnipeg.  A large gathering of settlers listened
+to his words.  The refugees of the year before, who were encamped on
+the Jack river, had returned to their homes, and now, in instituting a
+parish for them and creating the first local division in Assiniboia,
+Lord Selkirk was giving it a name reminiscent of the vales of
+Sutherlandshire.  'Here you shall build your church,' continued his
+lordship.  The Earl of Selkirk's religion was deep-seated, and he was
+resolved to make adequate provision for public worship.  'And that
+lot,' he said, indicating a piece of ground across a rivulet known as
+Parsonage Creek, 'is for a school.'  For his time he held what was
+advanced radical doctrine in regard to education, for he believed that
+there should be a common school in every parish.
+</P>
+
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P130"></A>130}</SPAN>
+
+<P>
+Selkirk's genial presence and his magnanimity of character quickly
+banished any prejudices which the colonists had formed against him.  In
+view of the hardships they had endured, he divided among them, free of
+all dues, some additional land.  To the discharged soldiers he gave
+land on both sides of the river.  They were to live not far removed
+from Fort Douglas, in order that they might give speedy aid in case of
+trouble.  The settlers were enjoined to open roads, construct bridges,
+and build flour-mills at convenient places.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Meanwhile, the disturbances in the fur country were being considered in
+the motherland.  When news of the Seven Oaks affair and of other acts
+of violence reached Great Britain, Lord Bathurst thought that the home
+government should take action.  He sent an official note to Sir John
+Sherbrooke, the governor of Canada, instructing him to deal with the
+situation.  Sherbrooke was to see that the forts, buildings, and
+property involved in the unhappy conflict should be restored to their
+rightful owners, and that illegal restrictions on trade should be
+removed.  When Sherbrooke received this dispatch, in February 1817, he
+selected two military
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P131"></A>131}</SPAN>
+officers, Lieutenant-Colonel Coltman and
+Major Fletcher, to go to the Indian Territories in order to arbitrate
+upon the questions causing dissension.  The two commissioners left
+Montreal in May, escorted by forty men of the 37th regiment.  From
+Sault Ste Marie, Coltman journeyed on ahead, and arrived at 'the Forks'
+on July 5.  In Montreal he had formed the opinion that Lord Selkirk was
+a domineering autocrat.  Now, however, he concluded after inquiry that
+Selkirk was neither irrational nor self-seeking, and advised that the
+accusations against him should not be brought into the courts.  At the
+same time he bound Selkirk under bail of £10,000 to appear in Canada
+for trial.  When Coltman returned to Lower Canada in the autumn of
+1817, Sherbrooke was able to write the Colonial Office that 'a degree
+of tranquility' had been restored to the Indian Territories.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+While in the west Lord Selkirk had gained the respect of the Indians,
+and in token of their admiration they gave him the unusual name of the
+'Silver Chief,' Selkirk was anxious to extinguish the ancient title
+which the Indians had to the lands of Assiniboia, in order to prevent
+future disputes.  To effect this he brought together at Fort
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P132"></A>132}</SPAN>
+Douglas a body of chiefs who represented the Cree and Saulteaux
+nations.  The Indian chiefs made eloquent speeches.  They said that
+they were willing to surrender their claim to a strip on either side of
+the Red River up-stream from its mouth as far as the Red Lake river
+(now Grand Forks, North Dakota), and on either side of the Assiniboine
+as far as its junction with the Muskrat.  Selkirk's desire was to
+obtain as much on each bank of these streams for the length agreed upon
+as could be seen under a horse's belly towards the horizon, or
+approximately two miles, and the Indians agreed.  At three places&mdash;at
+Fort Douglas, Fort Daer, and the confluence of the Red and Red Lake
+rivers&mdash;Selkirk wished to secure about six miles on each side of the
+Red River, and to this the chiefs agreed.  In the end, on July 18,
+1817, Selkirk concluded a treaty, after distributing presents.  It was
+the first treaty made by a subject of Great Britain with the tribes of
+Rupert's Land.  In signing it the several chiefs drew odd pictures of
+animals on a rough map of the territory in question.  These animals
+were their respective totems and were placed opposite the regions over
+which they claimed authority.  It was stipulated
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P133"></A>133}</SPAN>
+that one hundred
+pounds of good tobacco should be given annually to each nation.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Having finished his work, Lord Selkirk bade the colony adieu and
+journeyed southward.  He made his way through the unorganized
+territories which had belonged to the United States since the Louisiana
+Purchase of 1803, and at length reached the town of St Louis on the
+Mississippi.  Thence he proceeded to the New England States, and by way
+of Albany reached the province of Upper Canada.  Here he found that the
+agents of the North-West Company had been busy with plans to attack him
+in the courts.  There were four charges against him, and he was ordered
+to appear at Sandwich, a judicial centre on the Detroit.  The
+accusations related to his procedure at Fort William.  Selkirk
+travelled to Sandwich.  One of the charges was quickly dismissed.  The
+other three were held over, pending the arrival of witnesses, and he
+was released on bail to the amount of £350.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+In May 1818 Colin Robertson and several others were charged at Montreal
+with the wilful destruction of Fort Gibraltar, but the jury would not
+convict the accused upon the evidence presented.  In September, at the
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P134"></A>134}</SPAN>
+judicial sessions at Sandwich, Lord Selkirk was again faced with
+charges.  A legal celebrity of the day, Chief Justice Dummer Powell,
+presided.  The grand jury complained that John Beverley Robinson, the
+attorney-general of the province, was interfering with their
+deliberations, and they refused to make a presentment.  Chief Justice
+Powell waited two days for their answer, and as it was not forthcoming
+he adjourned the case.  The actions were afterwards taken to York and
+were tried there.  For some reason the leaders of the political faction
+known in the annals of Upper Canada as the Family Compact were not
+friendly to Lord Selkirk; the Rev. John Strachan, the father-confessor
+of this group of politicians, was an open opponent.  As a result of the
+trials Selkirk was mulcted in damages to the extent of £2000.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The courts of Lower Canada alone were empowered to deal with offences
+in the Indian Territories.  The governor-general of Canada could,
+however, transfer the trial of such cases to Upper Canada, if he saw
+fit.  This had been done in the case of the charges against Selkirk,
+and Sir John Sherbrooke, after consulting with the home authorities,
+decided to refer Selkirk's charges against the Nor'westers, in
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P135"></A>135}</SPAN>
+connection with the events of 1815 and 1816 on the Red River, to the
+court of the King's Bench at its autumn sitting in York.  Beginning in
+October 1818, there were successive trials of persons accused by Lord
+Selkirk of various crimes.  The cases were heard by Chief Justice
+Powell, assisted by Judges Boulton and Campbell.  The evidence in
+regard to the massacre at Seven Oaks was full of interest.  A passage
+from the speech of one of the counsel for the defence shows the ideas
+then current in Canada as to the value of the prairie country.
+Sherwood, one of the counsel, emphatically declared that Robert Semple
+was not a governor; he was an emperor.  'Yes, gentlemen,' reiterated
+Sherwood, his voice rising, 'I repeat, an emperor&mdash;a bashaw in that
+land of milk and honey, where nothing, not even a blade of corn, will
+ripen.'  The result of the trials was disheartening to Selkirk.  Of the
+various prisoners who were accused not one was found guilty.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Lord Selkirk did not attend the trials of the Nor'westers at York, and
+seems to have returned to Britain with his wife and children before the
+end of the year 1818.  He was ill and in a most melancholy state of
+mind.
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P136"></A>136}</SPAN>
+Unquestionably, he had not secured a full measure of
+justice in the courts of Canada.  A man strong in health might have
+borne his misfortunes more lightly.  As it was, Selkirk let his wrongs
+prey upon his spirit.  On March 19, 1819, he addressed a letter to Lord
+Liverpool, asking that the Privy Council should intervene in order to
+correct the erroneous findings of the Canadian courts.  Sir James
+Montgomery, Selkirk's brother-in-law, moved in the House of Commons, on
+June 24, that all official correspondence touching Selkirk's affairs
+should be produced.  The result was the publication of a large
+blue-book.  An effort was made to induce Sir Walter Scott to use his
+literary talents on his friend's behalf.  But at the time Scott was
+prostrate with illness and unable to help the friend of his youth.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Meanwhile, Lord Selkirk's attachment for his colony on the Red River
+had not undergone any change.  One of the last acts of his life was to
+seek settlers in Switzerland, and a considerable number of Swiss
+families were persuaded to migrate to Assiniboia.  But the heads of
+these families were not fitted for pioneer life on the prairie.  For
+the most part they were poor musicians, pastry-cooks,
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P137"></A>137}</SPAN>
+clock-makers, and the like, who knew nothing of husbandry.  Their chief
+contribution to the colony was a number of buxom, red-cheeked
+daughters, whose arrival in 1821 created a joyful commotion among the
+military bachelors at the settlement.  The fair newcomers were quickly
+wooed and won by the men who had served in Napoleon's wars, and
+numerous marriages followed.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Selkirk's continued ill-health caused him to seek the temperate climate
+of the south of France, and there he died on April 8, 1820, at Pau, in
+the foothills of the Pyrenees.  His body was taken to Orthez, a small
+town some twenty-five miles away, and buried there in the Protestant
+cemetery.  The length of two countries separates Lord Selkirk's place
+of burial from his place of birth.  He has a monument in Scotland and a
+monument in France, but his most enduring monument is the great
+Canadian West of which he was the true founder.  His only son, Dunbar
+James Douglas, inherited the title, and when he died in 1885 the line
+of Selkirk became extinct.  Long before this the Selkirk family had
+broken the tie with the Canadian West.  In 1836 their rights in the
+country of Assiniboia, in so far as it lay in British territory,
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P138"></A>138}</SPAN>
+were purchased by the Hudson's Bay Company for the sum of £84,000.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The character of the fifth Earl of Selkirk has been alike lauded and
+vilified.  Shortly after his death the <I>Gentleman's Magazine</I> commended
+his benefactions to the poor and his kindness as a landlord.  'To the
+counsels of an enlightened philosophy and an immovable firmness of
+purpose,' declared the writer, 'he added the most complete habits of
+business and a perfect knowledge of affairs.'  Sir Walter Scott wrote
+of Selkirk with abundant fervour.  'I never knew in my life,' said the
+Wizard of the North, 'a man of a more generous and disinterested
+disposition, or one whose talents and perseverance were better
+qualified to bring great and national schemes to conclusion.'  History
+has proved that Lord Selkirk was a man of dreams; it is false to say,
+however, that his were fruitless visions.  Time has fully justified his
+colonizing activity in relation to settlement on the Red River.  He was
+firmly convinced of what few in his day believed&mdash;that the soil of the
+prairie was fruitful and would give bread to the sower.  His worst
+fault was his partisanship.  In his eyes the Hudson's Bay Company was
+endowed with all the virtues; and he never properly
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P139"></A>139}</SPAN>
+analysed the
+motives or recognized the achievements of its great rival.  Had he but
+ordered his representatives in Assiniboia to meet the Nor'westers
+half-way, distress and hardship might have been lessened, and violence
+might very probably have been entirely avoided.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The presence of Lord Selkirk on the Red River had led to renewed energy
+on the part of the colonists.  They began to till the land, and in 1818
+the grain and vegetable crops promised an abundant yield.  In July,
+however, when the time of harvest was approaching, the settlers
+experienced a calamity that brought poverty for the present and despair
+for the future.  The sky was suddenly darkened by a great cloud of
+locusts, which had come from their breeding-places in the far
+south-west.  During a single night, 'crops, gardens, and every green
+herb in the settlement had perished, with the exception of a few ears
+of barley gleaned in the women's aprons.'  In the following year the
+plague reappeared; the insects came again, covering the ground so
+thickly that they 'might be shovelled with a spade.'  The stock of
+seed-grain was now almost exhausted, and the colonists resolved to send
+an expedition to the Mississippi for a fresh supply.  Two hundred
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P140"></A>140}</SPAN>
+and fifty bushels of grain were secured at Lord Selkirk's expense, and
+brought back on flatboats to the colony.  Never since that time has
+there been a serious lack of seed on the Red River.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The year 1821 brings us to a milestone in the history of the Canadian
+West, and at this point our story terminates.  After Lord Selkirk's
+death the two great fur-trading companies realized the folly of
+continuing their disastrous rivalry, and made preparations to bury
+their differences.  Neither company had been making satisfactory
+profits.  In Great Britain especially, where only the echoes of the
+struggle had been heard, was there an increasing desire that the two
+companies should unite.  One of the foremost partners of the North-West
+Company was Edward Ellice, a native of Aberdeenshire, and member of the
+House of Commons for Coventry.  Ellice championed the party among the
+Nor'westers who were in favour of union, and the two M'Gillivrays,
+Simon and William, earnestly seconded his efforts.  Terms acceptable to
+both companies were at length agreed upon.  On March 26, 1821, a formal
+document, called a 'deed-poll,' outlining the basis of union, was
+signed by the two parties
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P141"></A>141}</SPAN>
+in London.  In 1822 Edward Ellice
+introduced a bill in parliament making the union of the companies
+legal.  The name of the North-West Company was dropped; the new
+corporation was to be known as the Hudson's Bay Company.  Thus passed
+away for ever the singular partnership of the North-West Company which
+had made Montreal a market for furs and had built up Fort William in
+the depths of the forest.  No longer did two rival trading-posts stand
+by lake or stream.  No longer did two rival camp-fires light up blazed
+tree-trunk or grass-strewn prairie by the long and sinuous trail.  From
+Labrador to Vancouver, and from the Arctic to the southern confines of
+the Canadian West and farther, the British flag, with H.B.C. on its
+folds, was to wave over every trading-post.  Midway between the
+Atlantic and the Pacific a little hamlet was to struggle into life, to
+struggle feebly for many years&mdash;a mere adjunct of a fur-trading post;
+but at length it was to come into its own, and Winnipeg, the proudest
+city of the plains, was in time to rear its palaces on the spot where
+for long years the Red River Colony battled for existence against human
+enemies and the obstacles of nature.
+</P>
+
+<BR><BR><BR>
+
+<A NAME="biblio"></A>
+
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P142"></A>142}</SPAN>
+
+<H3 ALIGN="center">
+BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
+</H3>
+
+<H4 ALIGN="center">
+PRIMARY SOURCES
+</H4>
+
+<P>
+The Selkirk Papers in the Dominion Archives consist of seventy-nine
+portfolios containing transcripts of correspondence, legal evidence,
+and other proceedings relating to the Earl of Selkirk's colonizing
+enterprises.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+Lord Selkirk's principal works are: <I>Observations on the Present State
+of the Highlands in Scotland</I> (published in 1805 and describing the
+journey to Prince Edward Island, etc., in 1803); <I>On the Necessity of a
+more Efficient System of National Defence</I> (1808); <I>A Sketch of the
+British Fur Trade in North America</I> (1816).
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The Letter Book of Miles Macdonell&mdash;July 27, 1811, to February 25, 1812
+(Dominion Archives Report, 1886)&mdash;contains ten letters addressed by
+Macdonell to Selkirk from Yarmouth, Stornoway, York Factory, and Nelson
+Encampment; besides others to various individuals.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+In consequence of the disasters which befell the Red River Colony in
+1815 and 1816, there appeared in Great Britain <I>A Statement respecting
+the Earl of Selkirk's Settlement upon the Red River in North America,
+etc.</I> (republished by John Murray,
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P143"></A>143}</SPAN>
+London, 1817).  In answer to
+this the North-West Company put forth <I>A Narrative of Occurrences in
+the Indian Countries, etc.</I> (1817), to which were appended twenty-nine
+documents to substantiate claims made.  These works, although written
+in a partisan spirit, contain information which cannot be had from any
+other source.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The following are also useful: John M'Leod's Diary, 1815; Letter of
+Cuthbert Grant to J. D. Cameron, March 13, 1816; North-West Company's
+Account Book for Fort Gibraltar, 1815; Governor Macdonell's
+Proclamation, January 1814; Charter of the Hudson's Bay Company;
+Colonel W. B. Coltman's Report, 1817; A. Amos, <I>Report of the Trials in
+the Courts of Canada relative to the Destruction of the Earl of
+Selkirk's Settlement on the Red River, with Observations</I> (1820);
+<I>Trials of the Earl of Selkirk against the North-West Company in 1818</I>
+(Montreal, 1819); Notices of the Claims of the Hudson's Bay Company,
+and the Conduct of its Adversaries (Montreal, 1817); Chief Justice
+Powell's Report <I>re</I> North-West Disputes (Dominion Archives Report,
+1897); a pamphlet against Lord Selkirk by John Strachan, D. D. (1816),
+and the reply thereto by Archibald Macdonald (1816); the communications
+of 'Mercator' appearing in the Montreal <I>Herald</I> (1816); Blue-book on
+Red River Settlement (Imperial House of Commons, 1819); Original
+Letters regarding the Selkirk Settlement (Manitoba Historical and
+Scientific Society, 1889); Lord Selkirk's Treaty
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P144"></A>144}</SPAN>
+with the Western
+Indians (<I>vide</I> Appendix to <I>The Treaties of Canada</I> by Alexander
+Morris, 1880).
+</P>
+
+<BR>
+
+<H4 ALIGN="center">
+SECONDARY MATERIAL
+</H4>
+
+<P>
+Since the present story closes with 1821, it is necessary to classify
+as secondary material a work that is to be regarded as a primary source
+on the later history of the colony&mdash;<I>The Red River Settlement</I> (1856)
+by Alexander Ross.  Ross was a pioneer emigrant to the colony of
+Astoria on the Pacific Coast.  In 1817 he entered the service of the
+North-West Company; after the union of the fur companies in 1821 he
+remained in the employ of the Hudson's Bay Company.  In 1825 he went as
+a settler to the Red River Colony, where he soon became an influential
+officer.  His narrative is vigorous in style as well as fair-minded in
+its criticisms, and is an indispensable authority on the beginnings of
+Manitoba.
+</P>
+
+<P>
+The most prolific writer upon the career of Lord Selkirk and the
+history of the Red River Colony is Professor George Bryce, of Winnipeg,
+who has been a resident at 'the Forks' of the Red and Assiniboine
+rivers since 1871.  He has thus been in a position to gather and
+preserve the traditions handed down by redskin, trapper, and colonist.
+Consult his <I>Romantic Settlement of Lord Selkirk's Colonists</I> (1909);
+also<I> Manitoba: Infancy, Progress and Present Condition</I> (1872); <I>The
+Remarkable History of the Hudson's Bay Company</I> (1900); <I>Mackenzie,
+Selkirk and Simpson</I> (1906).
+</P>
+
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P145"></A>145}</SPAN>
+
+<P>
+An account of Lord Selkirk will be found in Kingsford, <I>History of
+Canada</I>, vol. ix.  The reader should also consult, in <I>Canada and its
+Provinces</I> (vol. xix), the excellent monograph by Professor Chester
+Martin.  This is the most recent and probably the most thoroughly
+grounded study of the Red River Colony.  The same work contains a good
+account of the Selkirk Settlement in Prince Edward Island (vol. xiii,
+p. 354) by Dr Andrew Macphail.  The Baldoon Settlement is treated of by
+Dr George W. Mitchell in the <I>Proceedings of the Ontario Historical
+Society</I> for 1913.  See also the monograph, 'Pioneer Settlements' [of
+Upper Canada], by A. C. Casselman in <I>Canada and its Provinces</I>, vol.
+xvii.
+</P>
+
+<BR><BR><BR>
+
+<A NAME="index"></A>
+
+<SPAN CLASS="pagenum">{<A NAME="P147"></A>147}</SPAN>
+
+<H3 ALIGN="center">
+INDEX
+</H3>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Assiniboia, the seat of Selkirk's colony on the Red River, <A HREF="#P35">35-36</A>. See
+Red River Colony.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Assiniboines, and Red River Colony, <A HREF="#P36">36</A>; their friendliness, <A HREF="#P56">56</A>, <A HREF="#P57">57</A>.
+</P>
+
+<BR>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Baldoon Farm, Selkirk's settlement at, <A HREF="#P18">18-20</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Bathurst, Lord, colonial secretary, <A HREF="#P91">91</A>, <A HREF="#P130">130</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Beaver Club, entertain Lord Selkirk, <A HREF="#P20">20-1</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Bois Brûlés, their hostility to the Red River colonists, <A HREF="#P54">54</A>, <A HREF="#P60">60</A>; attack
+Colony Gardens, <A HREF="#P77">77-9</A>, <A HREF="#P86">86</A>; at Seven Oaks, <A HREF="#P95">95-101</A>; their savage orgy at
+Fort Douglas, <A HREF="#P106">106</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Boucher, François, his parley with Governor Semple at Seven Oaks, <A HREF="#P97">97-8</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Bourke, John, store-keeper of Colony Gardens, <A HREF="#P76">76</A>; severely wounded at
+Seven Oaks, <A HREF="#P95">95</A> n., <A HREF="#P96">96</A>, <A HREF="#P99">99</A>, <A HREF="#P100">100</A>, <A HREF="#P103">103</A>; charged with felony, <A HREF="#P105">105</A>, <A HREF="#P120">120</A>;
+overhears plot to assassinate Lord Selkirk, <A HREF="#P118">118-19</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Brandon House, a Hudson's Bay Company post, <A HREF="#P65">65</A>, <A HREF="#P66">66</A>; captured by
+Cuthbert Grant, <A HREF="#P89">89</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Burke, Father, accompanies first contingent of Red River colonists, <A HREF="#P44">44</A>,
+<A HREF="#P50">50</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Burns, Robert, at St Mary's Isle, <A HREF="#P5">5-6</A>.
+</P>
+
+<BR>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Cameron, Duncan, a partner of the North-West Company, <A HREF="#P68">68</A>; his imposture
+and work of destruction at Colony Gardens, <A HREF="#P69">69-73</A>, <A HREF="#P75">75</A>, <A HREF="#P76">76</A>; taken
+prisoner at Fort Gibraltar, <A HREF="#P84">84</A>; sent to England for trial, <A HREF="#P87">87</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Campbell, George, a traitor in the camp at Colony Gardens, <A HREF="#P71">71</A>, <A HREF="#P73">73</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Churchill river, Selkirk's colonists winter on, <A HREF="#P62">62</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Colony Gardens, <A HREF="#P59">59</A>. See Red River Colony.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Coltman, Lieut.-Col., arbitrates between Lord Selkirk and the
+North-West Company, <A HREF="#P131">131</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Corcoran, Patrick, at Seven Oaks, <A HREF="#P105">105</A>, <A HREF="#P119">119</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Coureurs de bois, the, <A HREF="#P25">25</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Crees, and Red River Colony, <A HREF="#P95">95</A>, <A HREF="#P102">102</A> n., <A HREF="#P132">132</A>; and the North-West
+Company, <A HREF="#P106">106</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Currie, Archibald, in the defence of Colony Gardens, <A HREF="#P79">79</A>.
+</P>
+
+<BR>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Daer, Lord Basil, and Robert Burns, <A HREF="#P5">5</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+De Meuron regiment, provides recruits for Red River Colony, <A HREF="#P109">109-10</A>,
+<A HREF="#P122">122</A>, <A HREF="#P130">130</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+D'Orsonnens, Captain, enlists with Lord Selkirk, <A HREF="#P110">110</A>; at Fort William,
+<A HREF="#P120">120</A>, <A HREF="#P122">122</A>, <A HREF="#P123">123</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Drummond, Sir Gordon, refuses Lord Selkirk armed assistance, <A HREF="#P91">91-2</A>, <A HREF="#P93">93</A>.
+</P>
+
+<BR>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Ellice, Edward, his bill to legalize the union of the North-West and
+the Hudson Bay Companies, <A HREF="#P140">140-1</A>.
+</P>
+
+<BR>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Family Compact, the, and Lord Selkirk, <A HREF="#P134">134</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Fauché, Lieut., enlists with Lord Selkirk, <A HREF="#P110">110</A>; at Fort William, <A HREF="#P122">122</A>;
+takes North-West Company partners to Montreal for trial, <A HREF="#P125">125-7</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Findlay, William, an obdurate Orkneyman, <A HREF="#P49">49</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Fletcher, Major, arbitrates between Lord Selkirk and the North-West
+Company, <A HREF="#P131">131</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Fort Daer, the Red River colonists' winter quarters on the Pembina, <A HREF="#P58">58</A>,
+<A HREF="#P85">85</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Fort Douglas, in Colony Gardens, <A HREF="#P85">85</A>; evacuated, <A HREF="#P102">102</A>, <A HREF="#P105">105</A>; occupied by
+Nor'westers, <A HREF="#P128">128</A>; retaken, <A HREF="#P128">128</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Fort Gibraltar, the North-West Company post on the Red River, <A HREF="#P55">55-6</A>, <A HREF="#P74">74</A>,
+<A HREF="#P75">75</A>, <A HREF="#P84">84</A>; demolished, <A HREF="#P87">87</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Fort Qu'Appelle, a North-West Company post, <A HREF="#P88">88</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Fort William, <A HREF="#P66">66-7</A>, <A HREF="#P113">113</A>, <A HREF="#P115">115</A>; the Mecca of the North-West Company,
+<A HREF="#P116">116-18</A>; taken and occupied by Lord Selkirk, <A HREF="#P123">123-4</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Fraser, Simon, explorer, his arrest at Fort William, <A HREF="#P123">123</A>, <A HREF="#P124">124-5</A>.
+</P>
+
+<BR>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Glengarry Fencibles, provide recruits for Red River Colony, <A HREF="#P110">110</A>, <A HREF="#P130">130</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Graffenreid, Lieut., enlists with Lord Selkirk, <A HREF="#P110">110</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Grant, Charles, bribes Indians to waylay Laguimonière, <A HREF="#P112">112</A> and note.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Grant, Cuthbert, attacks Colony Gardens, <A HREF="#P77">77</A>, <A HREF="#P86">86</A>; captures Brandon
+House, <A HREF="#P88">88</A>, <A HREF="#P89">89</A>; leads in Seven Oaks massacre, <A HREF="#P95">95</A>, <A HREF="#P99">99</A>, <A HREF="#P101">101-2</A>, <A HREF="#P105">105</A>.
+</P>
+
+<BR>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Heden, Michael, escapes at Seven Oaks, <A HREF="#P95">95</A> n., <A HREF="#P100">100</A>, <A HREF="#P102">102</A>, <A HREF="#P103">103</A>, <A HREF="#P104">104</A>, <A HREF="#P105">105</A>;
+and Lord Selkirk's safety, <A HREF="#P119">119</A>, <A HREF="#P120">120</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Highlanders of Scotland, their loyalty, <A HREF="#P9">9-10</A>, <A HREF="#P11">11</A>; their conditions of
+life, <A HREF="#P9">9</A>, <A HREF="#P10">10-11</A>; dispossessed of their heritage, <A HREF="#P12">12-13</A>; their
+expatriation, <A HREF="#P13">13-14</A>, <A HREF="#P16">16-17</A>, <A HREF="#P18">18-20</A>, <A HREF="#P27">27-8</A>, <A HREF="#P38">38-43</A>, <A HREF="#P61">61-3</A>, <A HREF="#P83">83</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Hillier, a magistrate at York Factory, <A HREF="#P49">49</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Holt, Lieut., killed at Seven Oaks, <A HREF="#P98">98</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Hudson Bay, Red River colonists winter on, <A HREF="#P45">45-51</A>, <A HREF="#P62">62</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Hudson's Bay Company, <A HREF="#P25">25-6</A>, <A HREF="#P80">80</A>; and Lord Selkirk's emigration scheme,
+<A HREF="#P17">17</A>; their flawless charter, <A HREF="#P22">22-3</A>, <A HREF="#P30">30</A>; some early troubles, <A HREF="#P28">28-9</A>; their
+grant of land to Lord Selkirk, <A HREF="#P31">31-4</A>; appoint a governor over
+Assiniboia, <A HREF="#P83">83</A>; and purchase Lord Selkirk's rights, <A HREF="#P137">137-8</A>; their union
+with the North-West Company, <A HREF="#P140">140-1</A>.
+</P>
+
+<BR>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Indians, their relations with Red River Colony, <A HREF="#P36">36</A>, <A HREF="#P54">54</A>, <A HREF="#P56">56</A>, <A HREF="#P57">57</A>, <A HREF="#P78">78</A>, <A HREF="#P89">89</A>,
+<A HREF="#P95">95</A>, <A HREF="#P102">102</A> n., <A HREF="#P112">112-13</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Isle aux Erables, canoe disaster at, <A HREF="#P126">126</A>.
+</P>
+
+<BR>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Johnson, Lionel, with Selkirk's settlers at Baldoon Farm, <A HREF="#P19">19</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Jones, Captain John Paul, his raid on the British coasts, <A HREF="#P1">1-3</A>.
+</P>
+
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Katawabetay, a Chippewa chief, <A HREF="#P74">74</A>; meets Lord Selkirk, <A HREF="#P112">112-13</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Keveny, Owen, arrives with party of Irish colonists at Colony Gardens,
+<A HREF="#P58">58</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Kildonan parish, in Scotland, <A HREF="#P61">61</A>, <A HREF="#P83">83</A>; in Winnipeg, <A HREF="#P129">129</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Kilkenny, Michael, escapes at Seven Oaks, <A HREF="#P100">100</A>.
+</P>
+
+<BR>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Laguimonière, brings news of restoration of Colony Gardens to Lord
+Selkirk, <A HREF="#P93">93</A>; waylaid and robbed on his return, <A HREF="#P94">94</A>, <A HREF="#P112">112</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Lavigne, Augustin, with the Nor'westers at Seven Oaks, <A HREF="#P99">99</A>, <A HREF="#P106">106</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Liverpool, Lord, and Selkirk's charges against the North-West Company,
+<A HREF="#P136">136</A>.
+</P>
+
+<BR>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Macdonald, Archibald, deputy-governor of Assiniboia, <A HREF="#P73">73</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+M'Donald, John, his arrest at Fort William, <A HREF="#P122">122-3</A>, <A HREF="#P124">124-5</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+M'Donald, Capt. Roderick, Selkirk's agent in Glasgow, <A HREF="#P37">37-8</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Macdonell, Alexander, a partner of the North-West Company, <A HREF="#P68">68</A>, <A HREF="#P86">86</A>, <A HREF="#P87">87</A>,
+<A HREF="#P88">88</A>; destroys Colony Gardens, <A HREF="#P69">69</A>, <A HREF="#P73">73-4</A>, <A HREF="#P77">77-79</A>; organizes a raid on Fort
+Douglas, <A HREF="#P89">89</A>, <A HREF="#P94">94-5</A>; and the massacre at Seven Oaks, <A HREF="#P102">102-103</A>, <A HREF="#P105">105</A>, <A HREF="#P107">107</A>;
+his plot to assassinate Lord Selkirk, <A HREF="#P118">118-19</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Macdonell, Anthony, taken prisoner at Seven Oaks, <A HREF="#P100">100</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Macdonell, Capt. Miles, first governor of Assiniboia, <A HREF="#P36">36-7</A>, <A HREF="#P74">74</A>; his
+herculean task, <A HREF="#P40">40-2</A>, <A HREF="#P44">44</A>; establishes winter quarters on the Nelson,
+<A HREF="#P45">45-6</A>, <A HREF="#P47">47</A>; his opinion of the emigrants, <A HREF="#P47">47-51</A>; officially inaugurates
+Red River Colony, <A HREF="#P55">55-6</A>; erects Fort Daer, <A HREF="#P57">57-8</A>; his disastrous
+proclamation, <A HREF="#P63">63-64</A>, <A HREF="#P65">65</A>, <A HREF="#P67">67</A>; surrenders himself to Cameron, <A HREF="#P76">76-7</A>, <A HREF="#P93">93</A>;
+sent to Red River in advance of Lord Selkirk, <A HREF="#P111">111</A>, <A HREF="#P113">113</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+M'Gillivray, William, a partner of the North-West Company, <A HREF="#P66">66</A> n.; his
+arrest at Fort William, <A HREF="#P120">120-1</A>, <A HREF="#P124">124-5</A>; an expert canoeman, <A HREF="#P125">125-6</A>;
+favours union with the Hudson's Bay Company, <A HREF="#P140">140</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+M'Intosh, James, in the defence of Colony Gardens, <A HREF="#P79">79</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+M'Kay, Daniel, escapes at Seven Oaks, <A HREF="#P100">100</A>, <A HREF="#P105">105</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Mackenzie, Sir Alexander, explorer, and Lord Selkirk, <A HREF="#P15">15</A>, <A HREF="#P31">31</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Mackenzie, Captain, and the nine-pound shot, <A HREF="#P41">41</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+M'Kenzie, Kenneth, his arrest at Fort William, <A HREF="#P121">121</A>, <A HREF="#P124">124-5</A>; drowned, <A HREF="#P126">126</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+M'Lean, Alexander, <A HREF="#P72">72</A>; killed at Seven Oaks, <A HREF="#P100">100</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+M'Lean, Hugh, his defence of Colony Gardens, <A HREF="#P78">78</A>, <A HREF="#P79">79</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+M'Leod, Archibald Norman, a partner of the North-West Company, <A HREF="#P94">94</A>; as
+magistrate of Indian Territories examines evicted Red River colonists,
+<A HREF="#P103">103-5</A>; at Fort Douglas, <A HREF="#P105">105-7</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+M'Leod, John, his gallant defence of Colony Gardens, <A HREF="#P77">77-78</A>, <A HREF="#P79">79</A>; his
+guardianship, <A HREF="#P82">82-83</A>, <A HREF="#P85">85</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+M'Loughlin, Dr John, his arrest at Fort William, <A HREF="#P121">121</A>, <A HREF="#P124">124-5</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+M'Nab, John, buys Baldoon Farm from Lord Selkirk, <A HREF="#P20">20</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+M'Tavish, Simon, founder of the North-West Company, <A HREF="#P20">20</A>, <A HREF="#P117">117</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Matthey, Captain, enlists with Lord Selkirk, <A HREF="#P110">110</A>; at Fort William, <A HREF="#P122">122</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Métis, <A HREF="#P54">54</A>. See Bois Brûlés.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Montgomery, Sir James, brother-in-law of Lord Selkirk, <A HREF="#P136">136</A>.
+</P>
+
+<BR>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Napoleon I, <A HREF="#P16">16</A>; his Berlin Decree, <A HREF="#P29">29</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Nelson river, New Year celebrations on the, <A HREF="#P48">48-9</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+New Nation, the, <A HREF="#P85">85</A>, <A HREF="#P86">86</A>. See Bois Brûlés.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+North-West Company, <A HREF="#P23">23-5</A>, <A HREF="#P117">117</A>; entertain Lord Selkirk in Montreal,
+<A HREF="#P20">20-1</A>; their opposition to his colonizing schemes, <A HREF="#P31">31-2</A>, <A HREF="#P38">38</A>, <A HREF="#P40">40-1</A>, <A HREF="#P55">55</A>,
+<A HREF="#P67">67</A>, <A HREF="#P133">133</A>; their antagonism towards Red River Colony, <A HREF="#P55">55-6</A>, <A HREF="#P60">60</A>, <A HREF="#P63">63-4</A>,
+<A HREF="#P65">65-6</A>, <A HREF="#P67">67</A>; their efforts to destroy the colony, <A HREF="#P74">74-5</A>, <A HREF="#P89">89-90</A>; the Seven
+Oaks massacre, <A HREF="#P95">95-101</A>; trial of partners at York, <A HREF="#P134">134-5</A>; union with the
+Hudson's Bay Company, <A HREF="#P140">140-1</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Norway House, a Hudson's Bay Company post, <A HREF="#P52">52</A>, <A HREF="#P78">78</A>.
+</P>
+
+<BR>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Ottawas, waylay Lord Selkirk's messenger, <A HREF="#P112">112</A>.
+</P>
+
+<BR>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Pambrun, Pierre, held prisoner by the Nor'westers, <A HREF="#P88">88-9</A>, <A HREF="#P102">102</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Pangman, Peter, and Cuthbert Grant, <A HREF="#P88">88</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Pelham, Lord, and Selkirk's scheme of emigration, <A HREF="#P15">15</A>, <A HREF="#P16">16</A>, <A HREF="#P17">17</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Powell, Chief Justice, and the trial of Lord Selkirk, <A HREF="#P134">134</A>; and the
+Nor'westers, <A HREF="#P135">135</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Prince Edward Island, Selkirk's colony on, <A HREF="#P17">17-18</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Pritchard, John, taken prisoner at Seven Oaks, <A HREF="#P95">95</A> n., <A HREF="#P97">97</A>, <A HREF="#P98">98</A>; acts as
+mediator, <A HREF="#P101">101-2</A>, <A HREF="#P104">104</A>, <A HREF="#P105">105</A>.
+</P>
+
+<BR>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Red River Colony, <A HREF="#P32">32</A>, <A HREF="#P141">141</A>; its extent and position, <A HREF="#P33">33-4</A>, <A HREF="#P132">132</A>;
+conditions of settlement, <A HREF="#P35">35</A>, <A HREF="#P110">110</A>; types of settlers, <A HREF="#P37">37-8</A>, <A HREF="#P39">39</A>, <A HREF="#P40">40</A>, <A HREF="#P42">42</A>,
+<A HREF="#P47">47</A>, <A HREF="#P48">48</A>, <A HREF="#P51">51</A>, <A HREF="#P63">63</A>, <A HREF="#P83">83</A>, <A HREF="#P108">108-10</A>, <A HREF="#P136">136-7</A>; the departure of first contingent of
+colonists from Stornoway, <A HREF="#P38">38-43</A>; reach Hudson Bay, <A HREF="#P44">44-5</A>; and winter on
+the Nelson, <A HREF="#P45">45-51</A>; journey to Red River, <A HREF="#P51">51-4</A>; the official
+inauguration of the colony, <A HREF="#P55">55-6</A>; relations with the Indians, <A HREF="#P54">54</A>, <A HREF="#P56">56</A>,
+<A HREF="#P57">57</A>, <A HREF="#P74">74</A>, <A HREF="#P78">78</A>, <A HREF="#P89">89</A>, <A HREF="#P95">95</A>, <A HREF="#P102">102</A> n., <A HREF="#P112">112-13</A>, <A HREF="#P132">132</A>; dire straits of colonists in
+winter, <A HREF="#P57">57-8</A>, <A HREF="#P59">59-60</A>, <A HREF="#P85">85</A>; the arrival of Irish colonists, <A HREF="#P58">58</A>; Colony
+Gardens built, <A HREF="#P59">59</A>; the arrival of Sutherland men, <A HREF="#P61">61-63</A>; exodus of the
+settlers, <A HREF="#P76">76</A>, <A HREF="#P78">78</A>; Colony Gardens destroyed, <A HREF="#P77">77-9</A>; restored, <A HREF="#P81">81-82</A>; a
+fourth contingent of colonists, <A HREF="#P83">83</A>; the Seven Oaks massacre, <A HREF="#P95">95-102</A>;
+the second expulsion, <A HREF="#P102">102-4</A>; Lord Selkirk arrives, <A HREF="#P128">128-30</A>; the locust
+plagues, <A HREF="#P139">139-40</A>; comes into its own, <A HREF="#P141">141</A>. See Highlanders.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Reed, Collector, a tool of the Nor'westers, <A HREF="#P40">40</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Robertson, Colin, his grievance against the North-West Company, <A HREF="#P37">37</A>,
+<A HREF="#P80">80-1</A>; restores Colony Gardens, <A HREF="#P81">81-2</A>; his revenge at Fort Gibraltar,
+<A HREF="#P84">84-5</A>, <A HREF="#P86">86-7</A>, <A HREF="#P101">101</A>, <A HREF="#P104">104</A>, <A HREF="#P133">133</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Robinson, J. B., attorney-general of Upper Canada, <A HREF="#P127">127</A>, <A HREF="#P134">134</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Rogers, Captain, killed at Seven Oaks, <A HREF="#P98">98</A>, <A HREF="#P100">100</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Rupert's Land, Lord Selkirk's Colony in, <A HREF="#P32">32</A>, <A HREF="#P132">132</A>.
+</P>
+
+<BR>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Saint Anne's chapel, a halting-place of the coureurs de bois, <A HREF="#P25">25</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+St Mary's Isle, the Selkirk mansion on, <A HREF="#P2">2-3</A>, <A HREF="#P4">4</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Saulteaux, and Red River Colony, <A HREF="#P78">78</A>, <A HREF="#P89">89</A>, <A HREF="#P102">102</A> n., <A HREF="#P132">132</A>; and the
+North-West Company, <A HREF="#P106">106</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Scott, Sir Walter, his friendship with Lord Selkirk, <A HREF="#P7">7</A>, <A HREF="#P27">27</A>, <A HREF="#P136">136</A>, <A HREF="#P138">138</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Selkirk, fourth Earl of, <A HREF="#P2">2</A>; a patron of letters, <A HREF="#P5">5</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Selkirk, fifth Earl of, his boyhood, <A HREF="#P3">3</A>, <A HREF="#P4">4</A>, <A HREF="#P5">5</A>, <A HREF="#P6">6</A>; at Edinburgh
+University, <A HREF="#P6">6-7</A>; studies the conditions of life in the Highlands, <A HREF="#P8">8</A>,
+<A HREF="#P14">14</A>; succeeds to the title, <A HREF="#P14">14</A>; his scheme of emigration, <A HREF="#P15">15-16</A>, <A HREF="#P27">27-8</A>,
+<A HREF="#P32">32</A>, <A HREF="#P35">35-6</A>; his colony on Prince Edward Island, <A HREF="#P16">16-18</A>; at Baldoon Farm,
+<A HREF="#P18">18-20</A>; fêted by fur merchants of Montreal, <A HREF="#P20">20-1</A>; his speech on national
+defence in the House of Lords, <A HREF="#P27">27</A>; his marriage, <A HREF="#P28">28</A>; his efforts in
+securing a grant of land in Assiniboia, <A HREF="#P28">28-35</A>; his colony at Red River,
+<A HREF="#P55">55-63</A>, <A HREF="#P76">76-83</A>; endeavours to persuade the government to send armed
+assistance to his colony, <A HREF="#P91">91-4</A>; his message of encouragement, <A HREF="#P94">94</A>; his
+relief expedition, <A HREF="#P108">108</A>, <A HREF="#P110">110-11</A>, <A HREF="#P113">113</A>, <A HREF="#P115">115</A>, <A HREF="#P127">127-8</A>; at Indian council on
+Drummond Island, <A HREF="#P112">112-13</A>; hears of the Seven Oaks disaster and makes for
+Fort William, <A HREF="#P113">113-15</A>, <A HREF="#P118">118</A>; takes possession of the fort and arrests the
+partners of the North-West Company, <A HREF="#P120">120-7</A>; arrives at Colony Gardens,
+<A HREF="#P128">128-9</A>, <A HREF="#P130">130</A>; receives the name of 'Silver Chief' and concludes a treaty
+with the Indians, <A HREF="#P131">131-3</A>; his trial, <A HREF="#P131">131</A>, <A HREF="#P133">133</A>, <A HREF="#P134">134</A>; his charges against
+the North-West Company, <A HREF="#P70">70</A>, <A HREF="#P87">87</A>, <A HREF="#P134">134-6</A>; his death, <A HREF="#P137">137</A>; his character,
+<A HREF="#P5">5</A>, <A HREF="#P7">7</A>, <A HREF="#P14">14</A>, <A HREF="#P120">120</A>, <A HREF="#P131">131</A>, <A HREF="#P138">138-9</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Selkirk, sixth Earl of, <A HREF="#P92">92</A>, <A HREF="#P137">137</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Semple, Robert, governor-in-chief in Assiniboia, <A HREF="#P84">84</A>, <A HREF="#P86">86</A>, <A HREF="#P87">87</A>, <A HREF="#P95">95</A>, <A HREF="#P135">135</A>;
+killed at Seven Oaks, <A HREF="#P95">95-9</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Seven Oaks, the massacre of, <A HREF="#P95">95-102</A> and note, <A HREF="#P130">130</A>; the trial of
+Nor'westers, <A HREF="#P135">135</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Sherbrooke, Sir John, governor of Canada, <A HREF="#P114">114</A>, <A HREF="#P130">130-1</A>, <A HREF="#P134">134-135</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Sherwood, counsel for Nor'westers, <A HREF="#P135">135</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Spencer, John, enforces Governor Macdonell's decree on the Nor'westers,
+<A HREF="#P65">65-6</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Stornoway, the departure of emigrants from, <A HREF="#P38">38-43</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Strachan, Rev. John, his antagonism to Lord Selkirk, <A HREF="#P134">134</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Sutherland, George, <A HREF="#P88">88</A>, <A HREF="#P89">89</A>; escapes at Seven Oaks, <A HREF="#P100">100</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Sutherland, Elder James, authorized to baptize and perform the marriage
+ceremony at Colony Gardens, <A HREF="#P84">84</A>.
+</P>
+
+<BR>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+War of 1812, and Selkirk's settlement at Baldoon Farm, <A HREF="#P19">19</A>, <A HREF="#P109">109</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Watteville regiment, provides recruits for Red River Colony, <A HREF="#P109">109-10</A>,
+<A HREF="#P130">130</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Wedderburn-Colvile, James, father-in-law of Lord Selkirk, <A HREF="#P28">28</A>, <A HREF="#P30">30</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+White, James, surgeon at Colony Gardens, <A HREF="#P75">75</A>; killed at Seven Oaks, <A HREF="#P100">100</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Wilkinson, Dr, killed at Seven Oaks, <A HREF="#P100">100</A>.
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="index">
+Winnipeg, site of Colony Gardens, <A HREF="#P53">53</A>, <A HREF="#P129">129</A>, <A HREF="#P141">141</A>.
+</P>
+
+<BR><BR><BR>
+
+<H5 ALIGN="center">
+Printed by T. and A. Constable, Printers to His Majesty<BR>
+at the Edinburgh University Press<BR>
+</H5>
+
+<BR><BR><BR>
+
+<HR>
+
+<BR><BR><BR>
+
+<H2 ALIGN="center">
+THE CHRONICLES OF CANADA
+</H2>
+
+<H3 ALIGN="center">
+THIRTY-TWO VOLUMES ILLUSTRATED
+</H3>
+
+<H4 ALIGN="center">
+Edited by GEORGE M. WRONG and H. H. LANGTON
+</H4>
+
+<BR><BR>
+
+<H2 ALIGN="center">
+THE CHRONICLES OF CANADA
+</H2>
+
+<H3 ALIGN="center">
+PART I
+<BR>
+THE FIRST EUROPEAN VISITORS
+</H3>
+
+<P CLASS="noindent">
+1.  THE DAWN OF CANADIAN HISTORY
+<SPAN STYLE="margin-left: 1em">By Stephen Leacock.</SPAN><BR>
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="noindent">
+2.  THE MARINER OF ST MALO
+<SPAN STYLE="margin-left: 1em">By Stephen Leacock.</SPAN><BR>
+</P>
+
+<BR>
+
+<H3 ALIGN="center">
+PART II
+<BR>
+THE RISE OF NEW FRANCE
+</H3>
+
+<P CLASS="noindent">
+3.  THE FOUNDER OF NEW FRANCE
+<SPAN STYLE="margin-left: 1em">By Charles W. Colby.</SPAN><BR>
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="noindent">
+4.  THE JESUIT MISSIONS
+<SPAN STYLE="margin-left: 1em">By Thomas Guthrie Marquis.</SPAN><BR>
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="noindent">
+5.  THE SEIGNEURS OF OLD CANADA
+<SPAN STYLE="margin-left: 1em">By William Bennett Munro.</SPAN><BR>
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="noindent">
+6.  THE GREAT INTENDANT
+<SPAN STYLE="margin-left: 1em">By Thomas Chapais.</SPAN><BR>
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="noindent">
+7.  THE FIGHTING GOVERNOR
+<SPAN STYLE="margin-left: 1em">By Charles W. Colby.</SPAN><BR>
+</P>
+
+<BR>
+
+<H3 ALIGN="center">
+PART III
+<BR>
+THE ENGLISH INVASION
+</H3>
+
+<P CLASS="noindent">
+8.  THE GREAT FORTRESS
+<SPAN STYLE="margin-left: 1em">By William Wood.</SPAN><BR>
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="noindent">
+9.  THE ACADIAN EXILES
+<SPAN STYLE="margin-left: 1em">By Arthur G. Doughty.</SPAN><BR>
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="noindent">
+10.  THE PASSING OF NEW FRANCE
+<SPAN STYLE="margin-left: 1.5em">By William Wood.</SPAN><BR>
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="noindent">
+11.  THE WINNING OF CANADA
+<SPAN STYLE="margin-left: 1.5em">By William Wood.</SPAN><BR>
+</P>
+
+<BR>
+
+<H3 ALIGN="center">
+PART IV
+<BR>
+THE BEGINNINGS OF BRITISH CANADA
+</H3>
+
+<P CLASS="noindent">
+12.  THE FATHER OF BRITISH CANADA
+<SPAN STYLE="margin-left: 1.5em">By William Wood.</SPAN><BR>
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="noindent">
+13.  THE UNITED EMPIRE LOYALISTS
+<SPAN STYLE="margin-left: 1.5em">By W. Stewart Wallace.</SPAN><BR>
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="noindent">
+14.  THE WAR WITH THE UNITED STATES
+<SPAN STYLE="margin-left: 1.5em">By William Wood.</SPAN><BR>
+</P>
+
+<BR>
+
+<H3 ALIGN="center">
+PART V
+<BR>
+THE RED MAN IN CANADA
+</H3>
+
+<P CLASS="noindent">
+15.  THE WAR CHIEF OF THE OTTAWAS
+<SPAN STYLE="margin-left: 1.5em">By Thomas Guthrie Marquis.</SPAN><BR>
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="noindent">
+16.  THE WAR CHIEF OF THE SIX NATIONS
+<SPAN STYLE="margin-left: 1.5em">By Louis Aubrey Wood.</SPAN><BR>
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="noindent">
+17.  TECUMSEH: THE LAST GREAT LEADER OF HIS PEOPLE
+<SPAN STYLE="margin-left: 1.5em">By Ethel T. Raymond.</SPAN><BR>
+</P>
+
+<BR>
+
+<H3 ALIGN="center">
+PART VI
+<BR>
+PIONEERS OF THE NORTH AND WEST
+</H3>
+
+<P CLASS="noindent">
+18.  THE 'ADVENTURERS OF ENGLAND' ON HUDSON BAY
+<SPAN STYLE="margin-left: 1.5em">By Agnes C. Laut.</SPAN><BR>
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="noindent">
+19.  PATHFINDERS OF THE GREAT PLAINS
+<SPAN STYLE="margin-left: 1.5em">By Lawrence J. Burpee.</SPAN><BR>
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="noindent">
+20.  ADVENTURERS OF THE FAR NORTH
+<SPAN STYLE="margin-left: 1.5em">By Stephen Leacock.</SPAN><BR>
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="noindent">
+21.  THE RED RIVER COLONY
+<SPAN STYLE="margin-left: 1.5em">By Louis Aubrey Wood.</SPAN><BR>
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="noindent">
+22.  PIONEERS OF THE PACIFIC COAST
+<SPAN STYLE="margin-left: 1.5em">By Agnes C. Laut.</SPAN><BR>
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="noindent">
+23.  THE CARIBOO TRAIL
+<SPAN STYLE="margin-left: 1.5em">By Agnes C. Laut.</SPAN><BR>
+</P>
+
+<BR>
+
+<H3 ALIGN="center">
+PART VII
+<BR>
+THE STRUGGLE FOR POLITICAL FREEDOM
+</H3>
+
+<P CLASS="noindent">
+24.  THE FAMILY COMPACT
+<SPAN STYLE="margin-left: 1.5em">By W. Stewart Wallace.</SPAN><BR>
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="noindent">
+25.  THE 'PATRIOTES' OF '37
+<SPAN STYLE="margin-left: 1.5em">By Alfred D. DeCelles.</SPAN><BR>
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="noindent">
+26.  THE TRIBUNE OF NOVA SCOTIA
+<SPAN STYLE="margin-left: 1.5em">By William Lawson Grant.</SPAN><BR>
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="noindent">
+27.  THE WINNING OF POPULAR GOVERNMENT
+<SPAN STYLE="margin-left: 1.5em">By Archibald MacMechan.</SPAN><BR>
+</P>
+
+<BR>
+
+<H3 ALIGN="center">
+PART VIII
+<BR>
+THE GROWTH OF NATIONALITY
+</H3>
+
+<P CLASS="noindent">
+28.  THE FATHERS OF CONFEDERATION
+<SPAN STYLE="margin-left: 1.5em">By A. H. U. Colquhoun.</SPAN><BR>
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="noindent">
+29.  THE DAY OF SIR JOHN MACDONALD
+<SPAN STYLE="margin-left: 1.5em">By Sir Joseph Pope.</SPAN><BR>
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="noindent">
+30.  THE DAY OF SIR WILFRID LAURIER
+<SPAN STYLE="margin-left: 1.5em">By Oscar D. Skelton.</SPAN><BR>
+</P>
+
+<BR>
+
+<H3 ALIGN="center">
+PART IX
+<BR>
+NATIONAL HIGHWAYS
+</H3>
+
+<P CLASS="noindent">
+31.  ALL AFLOAT
+<SPAN STYLE="margin-left: 1.5em">By William Wood.</SPAN><BR>
+</P>
+
+<P CLASS="noindent">
+32.  THE RAILWAY BUILDERS
+<SPAN STYLE="margin-left: 1.5em">By Oscar D. Skelton.</SPAN><BR>
+</P>
+
+<BR><BR>
+
+<H5 ALIGN="center">
+TORONTO: GLASGOW, BROOK &amp; COMPANY
+</H5>
+
+<BR><BR><BR><BR>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's The Red River Colony, by Louis Aubrey Wood
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE RED RIVER COLONY ***
+
+***** This file should be named 30040-h.htm or 30040-h.zip *****
+This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
+        https://www.gutenberg.org/3/0/0/4/30040/
+
+Produced by Al Haines
+
+Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
+will be renamed.
+
+Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
+one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
+(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
+permission and without paying copyright royalties.  Special rules,
+set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
+copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
+protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark.  Project
+Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
+charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission.  If you
+do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
+rules is very easy.  You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
+such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
+research.  They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
+practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks.  Redistribution is
+subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
+redistribution.
+
+
+
+*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
+https://gutenberg.org/license).
+
+
+Section 1.  General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works
+
+1.A.  By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement.  If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
+all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
+If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
+terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
+entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
+
+1.B.  "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark.  It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement.  There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement.  See
+paragraph 1.C below.  There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
+and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.  See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C.  The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
+or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works.  Nearly all the individual works in the
+collection are in the public domain in the United States.  If an
+individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
+located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
+copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
+works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
+are removed.  Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
+Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
+freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
+this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
+the work.  You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
+keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D.  The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work.  Copyright laws in most countries are in
+a constant state of change.  If you are outside the United States, check
+the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
+before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
+creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
+Gutenberg-tm work.  The Foundation makes no representations concerning
+the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
+States.
+
+1.E.  Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1.  The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
+access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
+whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
+copied or distributed:
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+1.E.2.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
+from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
+posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
+and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
+or charges.  If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
+with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
+work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
+through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
+Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
+1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
+terms imposed by the copyright holder.  Additional terms will be linked
+to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
+permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4.  Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5.  Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6.  You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
+word processing or hypertext form.  However, if you provide access to or
+distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
+"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
+posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
+you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
+copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
+request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
+form.  Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7.  Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8.  You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
+that
+
+- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+     the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+     you already use to calculate your applicable taxes.  The fee is
+     owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
+     has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
+     Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.  Royalty payments
+     must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
+     prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
+     returns.  Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
+     sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
+     address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
+     the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+     you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+     does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+     License.  You must require such a user to return or
+     destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
+     and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
+     Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
+     money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+     electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
+     of receipt of the work.
+
+- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+     distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9.  If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
+forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
+both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
+Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark.  Contact the
+Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1.  Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
+collection.  Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
+"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
+corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
+property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
+computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
+your equipment.
+
+1.F.2.  LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees.  YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3.  YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3.  LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from.  If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
+your written explanation.  The person or entity that provided you with
+the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
+refund.  If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
+providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
+receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund.  If the second copy
+is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
+opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4.  Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER
+WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
+WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5.  Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
+If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
+law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
+interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
+the applicable state law.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any
+provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6.  INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
+with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
+promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
+harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
+that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
+or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
+work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
+Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
+
+
+Section  2.  Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
+including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers.  It exists
+because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
+people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come.  In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
+To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
+and the Foundation web page at https://www.pglaf.org.
+
+
+Section 3.  Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
+Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service.  The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541.  Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
+https://pglaf.org/fundraising.  Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
+permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
+Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
+throughout numerous locations.  Its business office is located at
+809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
+business@pglaf.org.  Email contact links and up to date contact
+information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
+page at https://pglaf.org
+
+For additional contact information:
+     Dr. Gregory B. Newby
+     Chief Executive and Director
+     gbnewby@pglaf.org
+
+
+Section 4.  Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
+spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment.  Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States.  Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements.  We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance.  To
+SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
+particular state visit https://pglaf.org
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States.  U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses.  Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including including checks, online payments and credit card
+donations.  To donate, please visit: https://pglaf.org/donate
+
+
+Section 5.  General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
+concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
+with anyone.  For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
+Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
+
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
+unless a copyright notice is included.  Thus, we do not necessarily
+keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
+
+
+Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
+
+     https://www.gutenberg.org
+
+This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
+
+
+</pre>
+
+</BODY>
+
+</HTML>
+
diff --git a/30040-h/images/img-020.jpg b/30040-h/images/img-020.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ee85624
--- /dev/null
+++ b/30040-h/images/img-020.jpg
diff --git a/30040-h/images/img-022.jpg b/30040-h/images/img-022.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..02ede49
--- /dev/null
+++ b/30040-h/images/img-022.jpg
diff --git a/30040-h/images/img-048.jpg b/30040-h/images/img-048.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..851c0c9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/30040-h/images/img-048.jpg
diff --git a/30040-h/images/img-048t.jpg b/30040-h/images/img-048t.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b692c01
--- /dev/null
+++ b/30040-h/images/img-048t.jpg
diff --git a/30040-h/images/img-058.jpg b/30040-h/images/img-058.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0a476ce
--- /dev/null
+++ b/30040-h/images/img-058.jpg
diff --git a/30040-h/images/img-064.jpg b/30040-h/images/img-064.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ad6cecd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/30040-h/images/img-064.jpg
diff --git a/30040-h/images/img-116.jpg b/30040-h/images/img-116.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e5295c3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/30040-h/images/img-116.jpg
diff --git a/30040-h/images/img-118.jpg b/30040-h/images/img-118.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c33e822
--- /dev/null
+++ b/30040-h/images/img-118.jpg
diff --git a/30040-h/images/img-122.jpg b/30040-h/images/img-122.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2c726b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/30040-h/images/img-122.jpg
diff --git a/30040-h/images/img-front.jpg b/30040-h/images/img-front.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..929d436
--- /dev/null
+++ b/30040-h/images/img-front.jpg
diff --git a/30040.txt b/30040.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3e17209
--- /dev/null
+++ b/30040.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,3862 @@
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Red River Colony, by Louis Aubrey Wood
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Red River Colony
+       A Chronicle of the Beginnings of Manitoba
+
+Author: Louis Aubrey Wood
+
+Release Date: September 20, 2009 [EBook #30040]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE RED RIVER COLONY ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Al Haines
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Frontispiece: Thomas Douglas, Fifth Earl of Selkirk.  From the
+painting at St Mary's Isle]
+
+
+
+
+THE
+
+RED RIVER COLONY
+
+
+A Chronicle of the Beginnings of Manitoba
+
+
+
+BY
+
+LOUIS AUBREY WOOD
+
+
+
+
+
+TORONTO
+
+GLASGOW, BROOK & COMPANY
+
+1915
+
+
+
+
+  _Copyright in all Countries subscribing to
+  the Berne Convention_
+
+
+
+
+TO
+
+MY FATHER
+
+
+
+
+{ix}
+
+CONTENTS
+
+                                                                 Page
+
+    I. ST MARY'S ISLE  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    1
+   II. SELKIRK, THE COLONIZER  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    9
+  III. THE PURSE-STRINGS LOOSEN  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   22
+   IV. STORNOWAY--AND BEYOND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   35
+    V. WINTERING ON THE BAY  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   44
+   VI. RED RIVER AND PEMBINA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   54
+  VII. THE BEGINNING OF STRIFE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   65
+ VIII. COLIN ROBERTSON, THE AVENGER  . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   80
+   IX. SEVEN OAKS  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   91
+    X. LORD SELKIRK'S JOURNEY  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  108
+   XI. FORT WILLIAM  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  116
+  XII. THE PIPE OF PEACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  129
+       BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  142
+       INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  147
+
+
+
+
+{xi}
+
+ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+THOMAS DOUGLAS, FIFTH EARL OF SELKIRK  . . . . . . .   _Frontispiece_
+  From the painting at St Mary's Isle.
+
+PLACE D'ARMES, MONTREAL, IN 1807 . . . . . . . . . . _Facing page_ 20
+  From a water-colour sketch after Dillon in
+  M'Gill University Library.
+
+JOSEPH FROBISHER, A PARTNER IN THE
+    NORTH-WEST COMPANY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    "     "    22
+  From an engraving in the John Ross Robertson
+  Collection, Toronto Public Library.
+
+THE COUNTRY OF LORD SELKIRK'S SETTLERS . . . . . . .    "     "    48
+  Map by Bartholomew.
+
+HUNTING THE BUFFALO  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    "     "    58
+  From a painting by George Catlin.
+
+PLAN OF THE RED RIVER COLONY . . . . . . . . . . . .    "     "    64
+  Drawn by Bartholomew.
+
+FORT WILLIAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    "     "   116
+  From an old print in the John Ross Robertson
+  Collection, Toronto Public Library.
+
+SIMON M'TAVISH, FOUNDER OF THE NORTH-WEST COMPANY  .    "     "   118
+  From a water-colour drawing in M'Gill
+  University Library.
+
+WILLIAM M'GILLIVRAY, A PARTNER IN
+    THE NORTH-WEST COMPANY . . . . . . . . . . . . .    "     "   122
+  From a photograph in M'Gill University Library.
+
+
+
+
+{1}
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+ST MARY'S ISLE
+
+When the _Ranger_ stole into the firth of Solway she carried an
+exultant crew.  From the cliffs of Cumberland she might have been
+mistaken for a trading bark, lined and crusted by long travel.  But she
+was something else, as the townsfolk of Whitehaven, on the north-west
+coast of England, had found it to their cost.  Out of their harbour the
+_Ranger_ had just emerged, leaving thirty guns spiked and a large ship
+burned to the water's edge.  In fact, this innocent-looking vessel was
+a sloop-of-war--as trim and tidy a craft as had ever set sail from the
+shores of New England.  On her upper deck was stationed a strong
+battery of eighteen six-pounders, ready to be brought into action at a
+moment's notice.
+
+On the quarter-deck of the _Ranger_, deep in thought, paced the
+captain, John Paul Jones, a man of meagre build but of indomitable
+will, and as daring a fighter as roved the ocean {2} in this year 1778.
+He held a letter of marque from the Congress of the revolted colonies
+in America, and was just now engaged in harrying the British coasts.
+Across the broad firth the _Ranger_ sped with bellying sails and shaped
+her course along the south-western shore of Scotland.  To Paul Jones
+this coast was an open book; he had been born and bred in the stewartry
+of Kirkcudbright, which lay on his vessel's starboard bow.  Soon the
+Ranger swept round a foreland and boldly entered the river Dee, where
+the anchor was dropped.
+
+A boat was swung out, speedily manned, and headed for the shelving
+beach of St Mary's Isle.  Here, as Captain Paul Jones knew, dwelt one
+of the chief noblemen of the south of Scotland.  The vine-clad,
+rambling mansion of the fourth Earl of Selkirk was just behind the
+fringe of trees skirting the shore.  According to the official report
+of this descent upon St Mary's Isle, it was the captain's intention to
+capture Selkirk, drag him on board the _Ranger_, and carry him as a
+hostage to some harbour in France.  But it is possible that there was
+another and more personal object.  Paul Jones, it is said, believed
+that he was a natural son of the Scottish nobleman, {3} and went with
+this armed force to disclose his identity.
+
+When the boat grated upon the shingle the seamen swarmed ashore and
+found themselves in a great park, interspersed with gardens and walks
+and green open spaces.  The party met with no opposition.  Everything,
+indeed, seemed to favour their undertaking, until it was learned from
+some workmen in the grounds that the master was not at home.
+
+In sullen displeasure John Paul Jones paced nervously to and fro in the
+garden.  His purpose was thwarted; he was cheated of his prisoner.  A
+company of his men, however, went on and entered the manor-house.
+There they showed the hostile character of their mission.  Having
+terrorized the servants, they seized the household plate and bore it in
+bags to their vessel.  Under full canvas the _Ranger_ then directed her
+course for the Irish Sea.
+
+
+Thomas Douglas, the future lord of the Red River Colony, was a boy of
+not quite seven years at the time of this raid on his father's mansion.
+He had been born on June 20, 1771, and was the youngest of seven
+brothers in the Selkirk family.  What he thought of Paul Jones and his
+marauders can only be {4} surmised.  St Mary's Isle was a remote spot,
+replete with relics of history, but uneventful in daily life; and a
+real adventure at his own doors could hardly fail to leave an
+impression on the boy's mind.  The historical associations of St Mary's
+Isle made it an excellent training-ground for an imaginative youth.
+Monks of the Middle Ages had noted its favourable situation for a
+religious community, and the canons-regular of the Order of St
+Augustine had erected there one of their priories.  A portion of an
+extensive wall which had surrounded the cloister was retained in the
+Selkirk manor-house.  Farther afield were other reminders of past days
+to stir the imagination of young Thomas Douglas.  A few miles eastward
+from his home was Dundrennan Abbey.  Up the Dee was Thrieve Castle,
+begun by Archibald the Grim, and later used as a stronghold by the
+famous Black Douglas.
+
+The ancient district of Galloway, in which the Selkirk home was
+situated, had long been known as the Whig country.  It had been the
+chosen land of the Covenanters, the foes of privilege and the defenders
+of liberal principles in government.  Its leading families, the
+Kennedys, the Gordons, and {5} the Douglases, formed a broad-minded
+aristocracy.  In such surroundings, as one of the 'lads of the Dee,'
+Thomas Douglas inevitably developed a type of mind more or less
+radical.  His political opinions, however, were guided by a cultivated
+intellect.  His father, a patron of letters, kept open house for men of
+genius, and brought his sons into contact with some of the foremost
+thinkers and writers of the day.  One of these was Robert Burns, the
+most beloved of Scottish poets.  In his earlier life, when scarcely
+known to his countrymen, Burns had dined with Basil, Lord Daer, Thomas
+Douglas's eldest brother and heir-apparent of the Selkirk line.  This
+was the occasion commemorated by Burns in the poem of which this is the
+first stanza:
+
+  This wot ye all whom it concerns:
+  I, Rhymer Robin, alias Burns,
+      October twenty-third,
+  A ne'er-to-be-forgotten day,
+  Sae far I sprachl'd up the brae
+      I dinner'd wi' a Lord.
+
+One wet evening in the summer of 1793 Burns drew up before the Selkirk
+manor-house in company with John Syme of Ryedale.  The two friends were
+making a tour of Galloway on horseback.  The poet was in bad humour.
+{6} The night before, during a wild storm of rain and thunder, he had
+been inspired to the rousing measures of 'Scots wha hae wi' Wallace
+bled.'  But now he was drenched to the skin, and the rain had damaged a
+new pair of jemmy boots which he was wearing.  The passionate appeal of
+the Bruce to his countrymen was now forgotten, and Burns was as cross
+as the proverbial bear.  It was the dinner hour when the two wanderers
+arrived and were cordially invited to stay.  Various other guests were
+present; and so agreeable was the company and so genial the welcome,
+that the grumbling bard soon lost his irritable mood.  The evening
+passed in song and story, and Burns recited one of his ballads, we are
+told, to an audience which listened in 'dead silence.'  The young mind
+of Thomas Douglas could not fail to be influenced by such associations.
+
+In 1786 Thomas Douglas entered the University of Edinburgh.  From this
+year until 1790 his name appears regularly upon the class lists kept by
+its professors.  The 'grey metropolis of the North' was at this period
+pre-eminent among the literary and academic centres of Great Britain.
+The principal of the university was William Robertson, the {7}
+celebrated historian.  Professor Dugald Stewart, who held the chair of
+philosophy, had gained a reputation extending to the continent of
+Europe.  Adam Smith, the epoch-making economist, was spending the
+closing years of his life at his home near the Canongate churchyard.
+During his stay in Edinburgh, Thomas Douglas interested himself in the
+work of the literary societies, which were among the leading features
+of academic life.  At the meetings essays were read upon various themes
+and lengthy debates were held.  In 1788 a group of nineteen young men
+at Edinburgh formed a new society known as 'The Club.'  Two of the
+original members were Thomas Douglas and Walter Scott, the latter an
+Edinburgh lad a few weeks younger than Douglas.  These two formed an
+intimate friendship which did not wane when one had become a peer of
+the realm, his mind occupied by a great social problem, and the other a
+baronet and the greatest novelist of his generation.
+
+When the French Revolution stirred Europe to its depths, Thomas Douglas
+was attracted by the doctrines of the revolutionists, and went to
+France that he might study the new movement.  But Douglas, like so many
+of his {8} contemporaries in Great Britain, was filled with disgust at
+the blind carnage of the Revolution.  He returned to Scotland and began
+a series of tours in the Highlands, studying the conditions of life
+among his Celtic countrymen and becoming proficient in the use of the
+Gaelic tongue.  Not France but Scotland was to be the scene of his
+reforming efforts.
+
+
+
+
+{9}
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+SELKIRK, THE COLONIZER
+
+From the north and west of Scotland have come two types of men with
+whom every schoolboy is now familiar.  One of these has been on many a
+battlefield.  He is the brawny Highland warrior, with buckled tartan
+flung across his shoulder, gay in pointed plume and filibeg.  The other
+is seen in many a famous picture of the hill-country--the Highland
+shepherd, wrapped in his plaid, with staff in hand and long-haired dog
+by his side, guarding his flock in silent glen, by still-running burn,
+or out upon the lonely brae.
+
+But in Thomas Douglas's day such types of Highland life were very
+recent factors in Scottish history.  They did not appear, indeed, until
+after the battle of Culloden and the failure of the Rebellion of 1745.
+Loyalty, firm and unbending, has always been a characteristic of the
+mountaineer.  The {10} Highlanders held to the ancient house of Stuart
+which had been dethroned.  George II of England was repudiated by most
+of them as a 'wee, wee German Lairdie.'  More than thirty thousand
+claymores flashed at the beck of Charles Edward, the Stuart prince,
+acclaimed as 'King o' the Highland hearts.'  When the uprising had been
+quelled and Charles Edward had become a fugitive with a price on his
+head, little consideration could be expected from the house of Hanover.
+The British government decided that, once and for all, the power of the
+clans should be broken.
+
+For centuries the chief strength of the Highland race had lain in the
+clan.  By right of birth every Highlander belonged to a sept or clan.
+His overlord was an elected chief, whom he was expected to obey under
+all circumstances.  This chief led in war and exercised a wide
+authority over his people.  Just below him were the tacksmen, who were
+more nearly related to him than were the ordinary clansmen.  Every
+member of the clan had some land; indeed, each clansman had the same
+rights to the soil as the chief himself enjoyed.  The Highlander dwelt
+in a humble shealing; but, however poor, he {11} gloried in his
+independence.  He grew his own corn and took it to the common mill; he
+raised fodder for his black, shaggy cattle which roamed upon the rugged
+hillsides or in the misty valleys; his women-folk carded wool sheared
+from his own flock, spun it, and wove the cloth for bonnet, kilt, and
+plaid.  When his chief had need of him, the summons was vivid and
+picturesque.  The Fiery Cross was carried over the district by swift
+messengers who shouted a slogan known to all; and soon from every
+quarter the clansmen would gather at the appointed meeting-place.
+
+The clans of the Highlands had led a wild, free life, but their dogged
+love for the Stuart cause brought to them desolation and ruin.  By one
+stroke the British government destroyed the social fabric of centuries.
+From the farthest rock of the storm-wasted Orkneys to the narrow home
+of Clan Donald in Argyllshire, the ban of the government was laid on
+the clan organization.  Worst of all, possession of the soil was given,
+not to the many clansmen, but to the chiefs alone.
+
+While the old chiefs remained alive, little real hardship was
+inflicted.  They were {12} wedded to the old order of things, and left
+it unchanged.  With their successors, however, began a new era.  These
+men had come under the influence of the south, whither they had gone
+for education, to correct the rudeness of their Highland manners.  On
+their return to their native country they too often held themselves
+aloof from the uncouth dwellers in the hills.  The mysterious love of
+the Gael for his kith and kin had left them; they were no longer to
+their dependants as fathers to children.  More especially had these
+Saxon-bred lordlings fallen a prey to the commercial ideas of the
+south.  It was trying for them to possess the nominal dignity of
+landlords without the money needed to maintain their rank.  They were
+bare of retinue, shabby in equipage, and light of purse.  They saw but
+one solution of their difficulty.  Like their English and Lowland
+brethren, they must increase the rents upon their Highland estates.  So
+it came about that the one-time clansmen, reduced to mere tenants,
+groaned for the upkeep of their overlords.
+
+Nor did this end the misfortunes of the clansmen.  An attractive lure
+was held out to the new generation of chieftains, and greed and avarice
+were to triumph.  Southern {13} speculators had been rambling over the
+Highlands, eager to exploit the country.  These men had seen a land of
+grass and heather, steep crag, and winter snow.  Observing that the
+country was specially adapted to the raising of sheep, they sought by
+offering high rents to acquire land for sheep-walks.  Thus, through the
+length and breadth of the Highlands, great enclosures were formed for
+the breeding of sheep.  Where many crofters had once tilled the soil,
+only a lone shepherd was now found, meditating on scenes of desolation.
+Ruined dwellings and forsaken hamlets remained to tell the tale.  Human
+beings had been evicted: sheep had become the 'devourers of men.'  In
+many parts of the Highlands the inhabitants, driven from mountain
+homes, were forced to eke out a meagre existence on narrow strips of
+land by the seashore, where they pined and where they half-starved on
+the fish caught in the dangerous waters.
+
+From such a dilemma there was but one escape.  Behind the evicted
+tenantry were the sheep-walks; before them was the open sea.  Few
+herrings came to the net; the bannock meal was low; the tartan
+threadbare.  In their utter hopelessness they listened to the good news
+which came of a land beyond the {14} Atlantic where there was plenty
+and to spare.  It is small wonder that as the ships moved westward they
+carried with them the destitute Highlander, bound for the colonies
+planted in North America.
+
+This 'expatriation' was spread over many weary years.  It was in full
+process in 1797, when Thomas Douglas became Lord Daer.  His six elder
+brothers had been ailing, and one by one they had died, until he, the
+youngest, alone survived.  Then, when his father also passed away, on
+May 24, 1799, he was left in possession of the ancestral estates and
+became the fifth Earl of Selkirk.
+
+As a youngest son, who would have to make his own way in the world,
+Thomas Douglas had prepared himself, and this was a distinct advantage
+to him when his elevation in rank occurred.  He entered into his
+fortune and place an educated man, with the broad outlook upon life and
+the humanitarian sympathy which study and experience bring to a
+generous spirit.  Now he was in a position to carry out certain
+philanthropic schemes which had begun earlier to engage his attention.
+His jaunts in the Highlands amid 'the mountain and the flood' were now
+to bear fruit.  The dolorous plaint of the hapless clansmen had {15}
+struck an answering chord in the depths of his nature.  As Thomas
+Douglas, he had meant to interest himself in the cause of the
+Highlanders; now that he was Earl of Selkirk, he decided, as a servant
+of the public, to use his wealth and influence for their social and
+economic welfare.  With this resolve he took up what was to be the main
+task of his life--the providing of homes under other skies for the
+homeless in the Highlands.
+
+In the spring of 1802 the young earl addressed a letter to Lord Pelham,
+a minister in the British government, in which he dwelt with enthusiasm
+upon the subject of emigration.  His letter took the form of an appeal,
+and was prophetic.  There had previously come into Selkirk's hands
+Alexander Mackenzie's thrilling story of his journeys to the Arctic and
+the Pacific.  This book had filled Selkirk's mind with a great
+conception.  Men had settled, he told Lord Pelham, on the sea-coast of
+British America, until no tract there was left uninhabited but--frozen
+wastes and arid plains.  What of the fruitful regions which lay in the
+vast interior?  It was thither that the government should turn the
+thoughts of the homeless and the improvident.  Leading to this
+temperate and fertile area was {16} an excellent northern highway--the
+waters of Hudson Bay and the Nelson.
+
+Lord Selkirk received a not unfavourable reply to his appeal.  The
+authorities said that, though for the present they could not undertake
+a scheme of emigration such as he had outlined, they would raise no
+barrier against any private movement which Lord Selkirk might care to
+set on foot.  The refusal of the government itself to move the
+dispossessed men was dictated by the political exigencies of the
+moment.  Great Britain had no desire to decrease her male population.
+Napoleon had just become first consul in France.  His imperial eagles
+would soon be carrying their menace across the face of Europe, and
+Great Britain saw that, at any moment, she might require all the men
+she could bring into the field.
+
+As the government had not discountenanced his plan, the Earl of Selkirk
+determined to put his theories at once into practice.  He made known in
+the Highlands that he proposed to establish a settlement in British
+North America.  Keen interest was aroused, and soon a large company,
+mostly from the isle of Skye, with a scattering from other parts of
+Scotland, was prepared to embark.  {17} It was intended that these
+settlers should sail for Hudson Bay.  This and the lands beyond were,
+however, by chartered right the hunting preserve of the Hudson's Bay
+Company, of which more will be said.  Presumably this company
+interfered, for unofficial word came from England to Selkirk that the
+scheme of colonizing the prairie region west of Hudson Bay and the
+Great Lakes would not be pleasing to the government.  Selkirk, however,
+quickly turned elsewhere.  He secured land for his settlers in Prince
+Edward Island, in the Gulf of St Lawrence.  The prospective colonists,
+numbering eight hundred, sailed from Scotland on board three chartered
+vessels, and reached their destination in the midsummer of 1803.
+
+Lord Selkirk had intended to reach Prince Edward Island in advance of
+his colonists, in order to make ready for their arrival.  But he was
+delayed by his private affairs, and when he came upon the scene of the
+intended settlement, after sunset on an August day, the ships had
+arrived and one of them had landed its passengers.  On the site of a
+little French village of former days they had propped poles together in
+a circle, matted them with foliage from the trees, and were {18}
+living, like a band of Indians, in these improvised wigwams.
+
+There was, of course, much to be done.  Trees and undergrowth had to be
+cleared away, surveys made, and plots of land meted out to the various
+families.  Lord Selkirk remained for several weeks supervising the
+work.  Then, leaving the colony in charge of an agent, he set out to
+make a tour of Canada and the United States.
+
+Meanwhile, Selkirk's agents in Scotland were not idle.  During the same
+summer (1803) a hundred and eleven emigrants were mustered at
+Tobermory, a harbour town on the island of Mull.  Most of them were
+natives of the island.  For some reason, said to be danger of attack by
+French privateers, they did not put out into the Atlantic that year;
+they sailed round to Kirkcaldy and wintered there.  In May 1804 the
+party went on board the ship _Oughton_ of Greenock, and after a six
+weeks' journey landed at Montreal.  Thence they travelled in bateaux to
+Kingston.
+
+These settlers were on their way to Baldoon Farm, a tract of about nine
+hundred and fifty acres which Lord Selkirk had purchased for them in
+Upper Canada, near Lake St Clair.  Selkirk himself met the party at
+Kingston, {19} having journeyed from Albany for that purpose.  He
+brought with him an Englishman named Lionel Johnson and his family.
+The new settlement was to be stocked with a thousand merino sheep,
+already on the way to Canada, and Johnson was engaged to take care of
+these and distribute them properly among the settlers.  The journey
+from Kingston to the Niagara was made in a good sailing ship and
+occupied only four days.  The goods of the settlers were carried above
+the Falls.  Then the party resumed their journey along the north shore
+of Lake Erie in bateaux, and arrived at their destination in September.
+
+Baldoon Farm was an ill-chosen site for a colony.  The land,
+prairie-like in its appearance, lay in what is now known as the St
+Clair Flats in Kent county, Ontario.  It proved to be too wet for
+successful farming.  It was with difficulty, too, that the settlers
+became inured to the climate.  Within a year forty-two are reported to
+have died, chiefly of fever and dysentery.  The colony, however,
+enjoyed a measure of prosperity until the War of 1812 broke out, when
+the Americans under General M'Arthur, moving from Detroit, despoiled it
+of stores, cattle, and sheep, and almost obliterated it.  In 1818 Lord
+Selkirk {20} sold the land to John M'Nab, a trader of the Hudson's Bay
+Company.  Many descendants of the original settlers are, however, still
+living in the neighbourhood.
+
+[Illustration: Place D'Armes, Montreal, in 1807.  From a water-colour
+sketch after Dillon in M'Gill University Library.]
+
+
+Before returning to Great Britain, Lord Selkirk rested from his travels
+for a time in the city of Montreal, where he was feted by many of the
+leading merchants.  What the plutocrats of the fur trade had to relate
+to Selkirk was of more than passing interest.  No doubt he talked with
+Joseph Frobisher in his quaint home on Beaver Hall Hill.  Simon
+M'Tavish, too, was living in a new-built mansion under the brow of
+Mount Royal.  This 'old lion of Montreal,' who was the founder of the
+North-West Company, had for the mere asking a sheaf of tales, as
+realistic as they were entertaining.  Honour was done Lord Selkirk
+during his stay in the city by the Beaver Club, which met once a
+fortnight.  This was an exclusive organization, which limited its
+membership to those who dealt in furs.  Every meeting meant a banquet,
+and at these meetings each club-man wore a gold medal on which was
+engraved the motto, 'Fortitude in Distress.'  Dishes were served which
+smacked of prairie and forest--venison, bear flesh, and {21} buffalo
+tongue.  The club's resplendent glass and polished silver were marked
+with its crest, a beaver.  After the toasts had been drunk, the jovial
+party knelt on the floor for a final ceremony.  With pokers or tongs or
+whatever else was at hand, they imitated paddlers in action, and a
+chorus of lusty voices joined in a burst of song.  It may be supposed
+that Lord Selkirk was impressed by what he saw at this gathering and
+that he was a sympathetic guest.  He asked many questions, and nothing
+escaped his eager observation.  Little did he then think that his hosts
+would soon be banded together in a struggle to the death against him
+and his schemes of western colonization.
+
+
+
+
+{22}
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+THE PURSE-STRINGS LOOSEN
+
+Traffic in furs was hazardous, but it brought great returns.  The
+peltry of the north, no less than the gold and silver of the south,
+gave impetus to the efforts of those who first settled the western
+hemisphere.  In expectation of ample profits, the fur ship threaded its
+way through the ice-pack of the northern seas, and the trader sent his
+canoes by tortuous stream and toilsome portage.  In the early days of
+the eighteenth century sixteen beaver skins could be obtained from the
+Indians for a single musket, and ten skins for a blanket.  Profits were
+great, and with the margin of gain so enormous, jealousies and quarrels
+without number were certain to arise between rival fur traders.
+
+[Illustration: Joseph Frobisher, a partner in the North-West Company.
+From the John Ross Robertson Collection, Toronto Public Library.]
+
+The right to the fur trade in America had been granted--given away, as
+the English of the time thought--by the hand of Charles II of England.
+In prodigal fashion Charles {23} conceded, in 1670, a charter, which
+conveyed extensive lands, with the privileges of monopoly, to the
+'Company of Adventurers of England trading into Hudson's Bay.'  But if
+the courtiers of the Merry Monarch had any notion that he could thus
+exclude all others from the field, their dream was an empty one.
+England had an active rival in France, and French traders penetrated
+into the region granted to the Hudson's Bay Company.  Towards the close
+of the seventeenth century Le Moyne d'Iberville was making conquests on
+Hudson Bay for the French king, and Greysolon Du Lhut was carrying on
+successful trading operations in the vicinity of Lakes Nipigon and
+Superior.  Even after the Treaty of Utrecht (1713) had given the Hudson
+Bay territories to the English, the French-Canadian explorer La
+Verendrye entered the forbidden lands, and penetrated to the more
+remote west.  A new situation arose after the British conquest of
+Canada during the Seven Years' War.  Plucky independent traders, mostly
+of Scottish birth, now began to follow the watercourses which led from
+the rapids of Lachine on the St Lawrence to the country beyond Lake
+Superior.  These men treated with disdain the royal charter of the
+Hudson's {24} Bay Company.  In 1783 a group of them united to form the
+North-West Company, with headquarters at Montreal.  The organization
+grew in strength and became the most powerful antagonist of the older
+company, and the open feud between the two spread through the wide
+region from the Great Lakes to the slopes of the Rocky Mountains.
+
+The Nor'westers, as the partners and servants of the North-West Company
+were called, were bold competitors.  Their enthusiasm for the conflict
+was all the more eager because their trade was regarded as illicit by
+their rivals.  There was singleness of purpose in their ranks; almost
+every man in the service had been tried and proved.  All the Montreal
+partners of the company had taken the long trip to the Grand Portage, a
+transit station at the mouth of the Pigeon river, on the western shore
+of Lake Superior.  Other partners had wintered on the frozen plains or
+in the thick of the forest, tracking the yellow-grey badger, the
+pine-marten, and the greedy wolverine.  The guides employed by the
+company knew every mile of the rivers, and they rarely mistook the most
+elusive trail.  Its interpreters could converse with the red men like
+natives.  Even the clerks who looked {25} after the office routine of
+the company laboured with zest, for, if they were faithful and
+attentive in their work, the time would come when they, too, would be
+elected as partners in the great concern.  The canoemen were mainly
+French-Canadian coureurs de bois, gay voyageurs on lake and stream.  In
+the veins of many of them flowed the blood of Cree or Iroquois.  Though
+half barbarous in their mode of life, they had their own devotions.  At
+the first halting-place on their westward journey, above Lachine, they
+were accustomed to enter a little chapel which stood on the bank of the
+Ottawa.  Here they prayed reverently that 'the good Saint Anne,' the
+friend of all canoemen, would guard them on their way to the Grand
+Portage.  Then they dropped an offering at Saint Anne's shrine, and
+pointed their craft against the current.  These rovers of the
+wilderness were buoyant of heart, and they lightened the weary hours of
+their six weeks' journey with blithe songs of love and the river.  When
+the snow fell and ice closed the river, they would tie their 'husky'
+dogs to sledges and travel over the desolate wastes, carrying furs and
+provisions.
+
+It was a very different company that traded into Hudson Bay.  The
+Hudson's Bay {26} Company was launched on its career in a princely
+manner, and had tried to cling fast to its time-worn traditions.  The
+bundles of uncured skins were received from the red men by its servants
+with pomp and dignity.  At first the Indians had to bring their 'catch'
+to the shores of Hudson Bay itself, and here they were made to feel
+that it was a privilege to be allowed to trade with the company.
+Sometimes they were permitted to pass in their wares only through a
+window in the outer part of the fort.  A beaver skin was the regular
+standard of value, and in return for their skins the savages received
+all manner of gaudy trinkets and also useful merchandise, chiefly
+knives, hatchets, guns, ammunition, and blankets.  But before the end
+of the eighteenth century the activity of the Nor'westers had forced
+the Hudson's Bay Company out of its aristocratic slothfulness.  The
+savages were now sought out in their prairie homes, and the company
+began to set up trading-posts in the interior, all the way from Rainy
+Lake to Edmonton House on the North Saskatchewan.
+
+Such was the situation of affairs in the fur-bearing country when the
+Earl of Selkirk had his vision of a rich prairie home for the {27}
+desolate Highlanders.  Though he had not himself visited the Far West,
+he had some conception of the probable outcome of the fierce rivalry
+between the two great fur companies in North America.  He foresaw that,
+sooner or later, if his scheme of planting a colony in the interior was
+to prosper, he must ally himself with one or the other of these two
+factions of traders.
+
+We may gain a knowledge of Lord Selkirk's ideas at this time from his
+own writings and public utterances.  In 1805 he issued a work on the
+Highlands of Scotland, which Sir Walter Scott praised for its
+'precision and accuracy,' and which expressed the significant sentiment
+that the government should adopt a policy that would keep the
+Highlanders within the British Empire.  In 1806, when he had been
+chosen as one of the sixteen representative peers from Scotland, he
+delivered a speech in the House of Lords upon the subject of national
+defence, and his views were afterwards stated more fully in a book.
+With telling logic he argued for the need of a local militia, rather
+than a volunteer force, as the best protection for England in a moment
+of peril.  The tenor of this and Selkirk's other writings would
+indicate the staunchness of {28} his patriotism.  In his efforts at
+colonization his desire was to keep Britain's sons from emigrating to
+an alien shore.
+
+'Now, it is our duty to befriend this people,' he affirmed, in writing
+of the Highlanders.  'Let us direct their emigration; let them be led
+abroad to new possessions.'  Selkirk states plainly his reason.  'Give
+them homes under our own flag,' is his entreaty, 'and they will
+strengthen the empire.'
+
+In 1807 Selkirk was chosen as lord-lieutenant of the stewartry of
+Kirkcudbright, and in the same year took place his marriage with Jean
+Wedderburn-Colvile, the only daughter of James Wedderburn-Colvile of
+Ochiltree.  One year later he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society, a
+distinction conferred only upon intellectual workers whose labours have
+increased the world's stock of knowledge.
+
+After some shrewd thinking Lord Selkirk decided to throw in his lot
+with the Hudson's Bay Company.  Why he did this will subsequently
+appear.  At first, one might have judged the step unwise.  The
+financiers of London believed that the company was drifting into deep
+water.  When the books were made up for 1808, there were no funds
+available for dividends, and bankruptcy seemed {29} inevitable.  Any
+one who owned a share of Hudson's Bay stock found that it had not
+earned him a sixpence during that year.  The company's business was
+being cut down by the operations of its aggressive rival.  The chief
+cause, however, of the company's financial plight was not the trade war
+in America, but the European war, which had dealt a heavy blow to
+British commerce.  Napoleon had found himself unable to land his army
+in England, but he had other means of striking.  In 1806 he issued the
+famous Berlin Decree, declaring that no other country should trade with
+his greatest enemy.  Dealers had been wont to come every year to London
+from Germany, France, and Russia, in order to purchase the fine skins
+which the Hudson's Bay Company could supply.  Now that this trade was
+lost to the company, the profits disappeared.  For three seasons bale
+after bale of unsold peltry had been stacked to the rafters of the
+London warehouse.
+
+The Earl of Selkirk was a practical man; and, seeing the plight of the
+Hudson's Bay Company, he was tempted to take advantage of the situation
+to further his plans of emigration.  Like a genuine lord of Galloway,
+however, he proceeded with extreme caution.  His {30} initial move was
+to get the best possible legal advice regarding the validity of the
+company's royal charter.  Five of the foremost lawyers in the land were
+asked for their opinion upon this matter.  Chief of those who were
+approached was Sir Samuel Romilly, the friend of Bentham and of
+Mirabeau.  The other four were George Holroyd and James Scarlet, both
+distinguished pleaders, and William Cruise and John Bell.  The finding
+of these lawyers put the question out of doubt.  The charter, they
+said, was flawless.  Of all the lands which were drained by the many
+rivers running into Hudson Bay, the company was the sole proprietor.
+Within these limits it could appoint sheriffs and bring law-breakers to
+trial.  Besides, there was nothing to prevent it from granting to any
+one in fee-simple tracts of land in its vast domain.
+
+Having satisfied himself that the charter of 1670 was legally
+unassailable, the earl was now ready for his subsequent line of action.
+He had resolved to get a foothold in the company itself.  To effect
+this object he brought his own capital into play, and sought at the
+same time the aid of his wife's relatives, the Wedderburn-Colviles, and
+of other personal friends.  Shares in the company had depreciated in
+value, and the owners, in many {31} cases, were jubilant at the chance
+of getting them off their hands.  Selkirk and his friends did not stop
+buying until they had acquired about one-third of the company's total
+stock.
+
+In the meantime the Nor'westers scented trouble ahead.  As soon as Lord
+Selkirk had completed his purchase of Hudson's Bay stock, he began to
+make overtures to the company's shareholders to be allowed to plant a
+colony in the territories assigned to them by their royal charter.  To
+the Nor'westers this proposition was anathema.  They argued that if a
+permanent settlement was established in the fur country, the
+fur-bearing animals would be driven out, and their trade ruined.  Their
+alarm grew apace.  In May 1811 a general court of the Hudson's Bay
+Company, which had been adjourned, was on the point of reassembling.
+The London agents of the North-West Company decided to act at once.
+Forty-eight hours before the general court opened three of their number
+bought up a quantity of Hudson's Bay stock.  One of these purchasers
+was the redoubtable explorer, Sir Alexander Mackenzie.
+
+Straightway there ensued one of the liveliest sessions that ever
+occurred in a general court of the Hudson's Bay Company.  The {32}
+Nor'westers, who now had a right to voice their opinions, fumed and
+haggled.  Other share holders flared into vigorous protest as the Earl
+of Selkirk's plan was disclosed.  In the midst of the clash of
+interests, however, the earl's following stated his proposal
+succinctly.  They said that Selkirk wished to secure a tract of fertile
+territory within the borders of Rupert's Land, for purposes of
+colonization.  Preferably, this should lie in the region of the Red
+River, which ran northward towards Hudson Bay.  At his own expense
+Selkirk would people this tract within a given period, foster the early
+efforts of its settlers, and appease the claims of the Indian tribes
+that inhabited the territory.  He promised, moreover, to help to supply
+the Hudson's Bay Company with labourers for its work.
+
+Had Lord Selkirk been present to view the animated throng of merchant
+adventurers, he would have foreseen his victory.  In his first tilt
+with the Nor'westers he was to be successful.  The opposition was
+strong, but it wore down before the onslaught of his friends.  Then
+came the show of hands.  There was no uncertainty about the vote:
+two-thirds of the court had pledged themselves in favour of Lord
+Selkirk's proposal.
+
+{33}
+
+By the terms of the grant which the general court made to Selkirk, he
+was to receive 116,000 square miles of virgin soil in the locality
+which he had selected.  The boundaries of this immense area were
+carefully fixed.  Roughly speaking, it extended from Big Island, in
+Lake Winnipeg, to the parting of the Red River from the head-waters of
+the Mississippi in the south, and from beyond the forks of the Red and
+Assiniboine rivers in the west to the shores of the Lake of the Woods,
+and at one point almost to Lake Superior, in the east.  If a map is
+consulted, it will be seen that one-half of the grant lay in what is
+now the province of Manitoba, the other half in the present states of
+Minnesota and North Dakota.[1]
+
+A great variety of opinions were expressed in London upon the subject
+of this grant.  Some wiseacres said that the earl's proposal was as
+extravagant as it was visionary.  One of Selkirk's acquaintances met
+him strolling along Pall Mall, and brought him up short on the street
+with the query: 'If you are bent {34} on doing something futile, why do
+you not sow tares at home in order to reap wheat, or plough the desert
+of Sahara, which is nearer?'
+
+The extensive tract which the Hudson's Bay Company had bestowed upon
+Lord Selkirk for the nominal sum of ten shillings had made him the
+greatest individual land-owner in Christendom.  His new possession was
+quite as large as the province of Egypt in the days of Caesar Augustus.
+But in some other respects Lord Selkirk's heritage was much greater.
+The province of Egypt, the granary of Rome, was fertile only along the
+banks of the Nile.  More than three-fourths of Lord Selkirk's domain,
+on the other hand, was highly fertile soil.
+
+
+
+[1] It will be understood that the boundary-line between British and
+American territory in the North-West was not yet established.  What
+afterwards became United States soil was at this time claimed by the
+Hudson's Bay Company under its charter.
+
+
+
+
+{35}
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+STORNOWAY--AND BEYOND
+
+On June 13, 1811, the deed was given to Selkirk of his wide possessions
+with the seal and signature of the Hudson's Bay Company, attached by
+Alexander Lean, the secretary.  Before this, however, Selkirk had
+become deeply engrossed in the details of his enterprise.  No time was
+to be lost, for unless all should be in readiness before the Hudson's
+Bay vessels set out to sea on their summer voyage, the proposed
+expedition of colonists must be postponed for another year.
+
+Selkirk issued without delay a pamphlet, setting forth the advantages
+of the prospective colony.  Land was to be given away free, or sold for
+a nominal sum.  To the poor, transport would cost nothing; others would
+have to pay according to their means.  No one would be debarred on
+account of his religious belief; all creeds were to be treated alike.
+The seat of the colony was to be called {36} Assiniboia, after a tribe
+of the Sioux nation, the Assiniboines, buffalo hunters on the Great
+Plains.
+
+Wherever this pamphlet was read by men dissatisfied with their lot in
+the Old World, it aroused hope.  With his usual good judgment, Selkirk
+had engaged several men whose training fitted them for the work of
+inducing landless men to emigrate.  One of these was Captain Miles
+Macdonell, lately summoned by Lord Selkirk from his home in Canada.
+Macdonell had been reared in the Mohawk valley, had served in the ranks
+of the Royal Greens during the War of the Revolution, and had survived
+many a hard fight on the New York frontier.  After the war, like most
+of his regiment, he had gone as a Loyalist to the county of Glengarry,
+on the Ottawa.  It so chanced that the Earl of Selkirk while in Canada
+had met Macdonell, then a captain of the Royal Canadian Volunteers, and
+had been impressed by his courage and energy.  In consequence, Selkirk
+now invited him to be the first governor of Assiniboia.  Macdonell
+accepted the appointment; and promptly upon his arrival in Britain he
+went to the west coast of Ireland to win recruits for the settlement.
+Owing to the straitened circumstances {37} of the Irish peasantry, the
+tide of emigration from Ireland was already running high, and Lord
+Selkirk thought that Captain Macdonell, who was a Roman Catholic, might
+influence some of his co-religionists to go to Assiniboia.
+
+Another agent upon whom Selkirk felt that he could rely was Colin
+Robertson, a native of the island of Lewis, in the Hebrides.  To this
+island he was now dispatched, with instructions to visit other sections
+of the Highlands as well.  Robertson had formerly held a post under the
+North-West Company in the Saskatchewan valley.  There he had quarrelled
+with a surly-natured trader known as Crooked-armed Macdonald, with the
+result that Robertson had been dismissed by the Nor'westers and had
+come back to Scotland in an angry mood.
+
+A third place of muster for the colony was the city of Glasgow.  There
+the Earl of Selkirk's representative was Captain Roderick M'Donald.
+Many Highlanders had gone to Glasgow, that busy hive of industry, in
+search of work.  To the clerks in the shops and to the labourers in the
+yards or at the loom, M'Donald described the glories of Assiniboia.
+Many were impressed by his words, but objected to the low wages offered
+for their {38} services.  M'Donald compromised, and by offering a
+higher wage induced a number to enlist.  But the recruits from Glasgow
+turned out to be a shiftless lot and a constant source of annoyance to
+Selkirk's officers.
+
+While this work was being done the Nor'westers in London were burning
+with wrath at their inability to hinder Lord Selkirk's project.  Their
+hostility, we have seen, arose from their belief, which was quite
+correct, that a colony would interfere with their trading operations.
+In the hope that the enterprise might yet be stopped, they circulated
+in the Highlands various rumours against it.  An anonymous attack,
+clearly from a Nor'wester source, appeared in the columns of the
+Inverness _Journal_.  The author of this diatribe pictured the rigours
+of Assiniboia in terrible colours.  Selkirk's agents were characterized
+as a brood of dissemblers.  With respect to the earl himself words were
+not minced.  His philanthropy was all assumed; he was only biding his
+time in order to make large profits out of his colonization scheme.
+
+Notwithstanding this campaign of slander, groups of would-be settlers
+came straggling along from various places to the port of rendezvous,
+Stornoway, the capital of the {39} Hebrides.  When all had gathered,
+these people who had answered the call to a new heritage beyond the
+seas proved to be a motley throng.  Some were stalwart men in the prime
+of life, men who looked forward to homes of their own on a distant
+shore; others, with youth on their side, were eager for the trail of
+the flying moose or the sight of a painted redskin; a few were women,
+steeled to bravery through fires of want and sorrow.  Too many were
+wastrels, cutting adrift from a blighted past.  A goodly number were
+malcontents, wondering whether to go or stay.
+
+The leading vessel of the Hudson's Bay fleet in the year 1811 was the
+commodore's ship, the _Prince of Wales_.  At her moorings in the Thames
+another ship, the _Eddystone_, lay ready for the long passage to the
+Great Bay.  Besides these, a shaky old hulk, the _Edward and Ann_, was
+put into commission for the use of Lord Selkirk's settlers.  Her grey
+sails were mottled with age and her rigging was loose and worn.
+Sixteen men and boys made up her crew, a number by no means sufficient
+for a boat of her size.  It seemed almost criminal to send such an
+ill-manned craft out on the tempestuous North Atlantic.  However, the
+three ships sailed from the {40} Thames and steered up the east coast
+of England.  Opposite Yarmouth a gale rose and forced them into a
+sheltering harbour.  It was the middle of July before they rounded the
+north shore of Scotland.  At Stromness in the Orkneys the _Prince of
+Wales_ took on board a small body of emigrants and a number of the
+company's servants who were waiting there.
+
+At length the tiny fleet reached the bustling harbour-town of
+Stornoway; and here Miles Macdonell faced a task of no little
+difficulty.  Counting the Orkneymen just arrived, there were one
+hundred and twenty-five in his party.  The atmosphere seemed full of
+unrest, and the cause was not far to seek.  The Nor'westers were at
+work, and their agents were sowing discontent among the emigrants.
+Even Collector Reed, the government official in charge of the customs,
+was acting as the tool of the Nor'westers.  It was Reed's duty, of
+course, to hasten the departure of the expedition; but instead of doing
+this he put every possible obstacle in the way.  Moreover, he mingled
+with the emigrants, urging them to forsake the venture while there was
+yet time.
+
+Another partisan of the North-West {41} Company also appeared on the
+scene.  This was an army officer named Captain Mackenzie, who pretended
+to be gathering recruits for the army.  He had succeeded, it appears,
+in getting some of Selkirk's men to take the king's shilling, and now
+was trying to lead these men away from the ships as 'deserters from His
+Majesty's service.'  One day this trouble-maker brought his dinghy
+alongside one of the vessels.  A sailor on deck, who saw Captain
+Mackenzie in the boat and was eager for a lark, picked up a nine-pound
+shot, poised it carefully, and let it fall.  There was a splintering
+thud.  Captain Mackenzie suddenly remembered how dry it was on shore,
+and put off for land as fast as oars would hurry him.  Next day he sent
+a pompous challenge to the commander of the vessel.  It was, of course,
+ignored.
+
+In spite of obstacles, little by little the arrangements for the ocean
+voyage were being completed.  There were many irritating delays.
+Disputes about wages broke out afresh when inequalities were
+discovered.  There was much wrangling among the emigrants as to their
+quarters on the uninviting _Edward and Ann_.  At the last moment a
+number of the party took fear and decided to stay at home.  {42} Some
+left the ship in unceremonious fashion, even forgetting their effects.
+These were subsequently sold among the passengers.  'One man,' wrote
+Captain Macdonell, 'jumped into the sea and swam for it until he was
+picked up.'  It may be believed that the governor of Assiniboia heaved
+a thankful sigh when the ships were ready to hoist their sails.  'It
+has been a herculean task,' ran the text of his parting message to the
+Earl of Selkirk.
+
+On July 26 a favourable breeze bore the vessels out to sea.  There were
+now one hundred and five in the party, seventy of whom had professed an
+intention to till the soil.  The remainder had been indentured as
+servants of the Hudson's Bay Company.  Seventy-six of the total number
+were quartered on board the _Edward and Ann_.  As the vessels swept
+seaward many eyes were fastened sadly on the receding shore.  The white
+houses of Stornoway loomed up distinctly across the dark waters of the
+bay.  The hill which rose gloomily in the background was treeless and
+inky black.  On the clean shingle lay the cod and herring, piled loose
+to catch the sun's warm rays.  The settlers remembered that they were
+perhaps scanning for the last time the rugged outline {43} of that
+heather-clad landscape, and their hearts grew sick within them.
+Foreland after foreland came into view and disappeared.  At length the
+ships were skirting the Butt of Lewis with its wave-worn clefts and
+caverns.  Then all sight of land vanished, and they were steering their
+course into the northern main.
+
+A man-of-war had been sent as a convoy to the vessels, for the
+quick-sailing frigates of France had been harrying British shipping,
+and the mercantile marine needed protection.  After standing guard to a
+point four hundred miles off the Irish coast, the ship-of-the-line
+turned back, and the three vessels held their way alone in a turbulent
+sea.  Two of them beat stoutly against the gale, but the _Edward and
+Ann_ hove to for a time, her timbers creaking and her bowsprit catching
+the water as she rose and fell with the waves.  And so they put out
+into the wide and wild Atlantic--these poor, homeless, storm-tossed
+exiles, who were to add a new chapter to Great Britain's colonial
+history.
+
+
+
+
+{44}
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+WINTERING ON THE BAY
+
+Little is known of the many strange things which must have taken place
+on the voyage.  On board the _Edward and Ann_ sickness was prevalent
+and the ship's surgeon was kept busy.  There were few days on which the
+passengers could come from below-decks.  When weather permitted,
+Captain Macdonell, who knew the dangers to be encountered in the
+country they were going to, attempted to give the emigrants military
+drill.  'There never was a more awkward squad,' was his opinion, 'not a
+man, or even officer, of the party knew how to put a gun to his eye or
+had ever fired a shot.'  A prominent figure on the _Edward and Ann_ was
+a careless-hearted cleric, whose wit and banter were in evidence
+throughout the voyage.  This was the Reverend Father Burke, an Irish
+priest.  He had stolen away without the leave of his bishop, and it
+appears that he and Macdonell, {45} although of the same faith, were
+not the best of friends.
+
+After a stormy voyage of nearly two months the ships entered the long,
+barren straits leading into Hudson Bay.  From the beginning of
+September the fleet had been hourly expected at York Factory, and
+speculation was rife there as to its delay in arriving.  On September
+24 the suspense ended, for the look-out at the fort descried the ships
+moving in from the north and east.  They anchored in the shallow haven
+on the western shore, where two streams, the Nelson and the Hayes,
+enter Hudson Bay, and the sorely tried passengers disembarked.  They
+were at once marched to York Factory, on the north bank of the Hayes.
+The strong palisades and wooden bastions of the fort warned the
+newcomers that there were dangers in America to be guarded against.  A
+pack of 'husky' dogs came bounding forth to meet them as they
+approached the gates.
+
+A survey of the company's buildings convinced Macdonell that much more
+roomy quarters would be required for the approaching winter, and he
+determined to erect suitable habitations for his people before
+snowfall.  With this in view he crossed over to the Nelson {46} and
+ascended it until he reached a high clearing on its left bank, near
+which grew an abundance of white spruce.  He brought up a body of men,
+most of whom now received their first lesson in woodcraft.  The pale
+and flaky-barked aromatic spruce trees were felled and stripped of
+their branches.  Next, the logs were 'snaked' into the open, where the
+dwellings were to be erected, and hewed into proper shape.  These
+timbers were then deftly fitted together and the four walls of a rude
+but substantial building began to rise.  A drooping roof was added, the
+chinks were closed, and then the structure was complete.  When a
+sufficient number of such houses had been built, Macdonell set the
+party to work cutting firewood and gathering it into convenient piles.
+
+The prudence of these measures became apparent when the frost king
+fixed his iron grip upon land and sea.  As the days shortened, the
+rivers were locked deep and fast; a sharp wind penetrated the forest,
+and the salty bay was fringed with jagged and glistening hummocks of
+ice.  So severe was the cold that the newcomers were loath to go forth
+from their warm shelter even to haul food from the fort over the
+brittle, yielding snow.  Under such {47} conditions life in the camp
+grew monotonous and dull.  More serious still, the food they had to eat
+was the common fare of such isolated winterers; it was chiefly salt
+meat.  The effect of this was seen as early as December.  Some of the
+party became listless and sluggish, their faces turned sallow and their
+eyes appeared sunken.  They found it difficult to breathe and their
+gums were swollen and spongy.  Macdonell, a veteran in hardship, saw at
+once that scurvy had broken out among them; but he had a simple remedy
+and the supply was without limit.  The sap of the white spruce was
+extracted and administered to the sufferers.  Almost immediately their
+health showed improvement, and soon all were on the road to recovery.
+But the medicine was not pleasant to take, and some of the party at
+first foolishly refused to submit to the treatment.
+
+The settlers, almost unwittingly, banded together into distinct groups,
+each individual tending to associate with the others from his own home
+district.  As time went on these groups, with their separate
+grievances, gave Macdonell much trouble.  The Orkneymen, who were
+largely servants of the Hudson's Bay Company, were not long in
+incurring his {48} disfavour.  To him they seemed to have the appetites
+of a pack of hungry wolves.  He dubbed them 'lazy, spiritless and
+ill-disposed.'  The 'Glasgow rascals,' too, were a source of annoyance.
+'A more ... cross-grained lot,' he asserted, 'were never put under any
+person's care.'
+
+[Illustration: The country of Lord Selkirk's Letters.]
+
+Owing to the discord existing in the camp, the New Year was not ushered
+in happily.  In Scotland, of all the days of the year, this anniversary
+was held in the highest regard.  It was generally celebrated to the
+strains of 'Weel may we a' be,' and with effusive handshakings, much
+dining, and a hot kettle.  The lads from the Orkneys were quite wide
+awake to the occasion and had no intention of omitting the customs of
+their sires.  On New Year's Day they were having a rollicking time in
+one of the cabins.  But their enthusiasm was quickly damped by a party
+of Irish who, having primed their courage with whisky, set upon the
+merry-makers and created a scene of wild disorder.  In the heat of the
+_melee_ three of the Orkneymen were badly beaten, and for a month their
+lives hung in the balance.  Captain Macdonell later sent several of the
+Irish back to Great Britain, saying that such 'worthless blackguards'
+were {49} better under the discipline of the army or the navy.
+
+One of the number who had not taken kindly to Miles Macdonell as a
+'medicine-man' was William Findlay, a very obdurate Orkneyman, who had
+flatly refused to soil his lips with the wonder-working syrup of the
+white spruce.  Shortly afterwards, having been told to do something, he
+was again disobedient.  This time he was forced to appear before
+Magistrate Hillier of the Hudson's Bay Company and was condemned to
+gaol.  As there was really no such place, a log-house was built for
+Findlay, and he was imprisoned in it.  A gruff-noted babel of dissent
+arose among his kinsfolk, supported by the men from Glasgow.  A gang of
+thirteen, in which both parties were represented, put a match to the
+prison where Findlay was confined, and rescued its solitary inmate out
+of the blaze.  Then, uttering defiance, they seized another building,
+and decided to live apart.  Thus, with the attitude of rebels and well
+supplied with firearms, they kept the rest of the camp in a state of
+nervousness for several months.  In June, however, these rebels allowed
+themselves to fall into a trap.  Having crossed the Nelson, they found
+their return cut off by {50} the melting of the ice.  This put them at
+the mercy of the officials at York Factory, and they were forced to
+surrender.  After receiving their humble acknowledgments Macdonell was
+not disposed to treat them severely, and he took them back into service.
+
+But what of jovial Father Burke since his arrival on the shores of
+Hudson Bay?  To all appearances, he had not been able to restrain his
+flock from mischief.  He had, however, been exploring on his own
+account, and thoroughly believed that he had made some valuable
+discoveries.  He had come upon pebbles of various kinds which he
+thought were precious stones.  Some of them shone like diamonds; others
+seemed like rubies.  Father Burke was indeed sure that bits of the sand
+which he had collected contained particles of gold.  Macdonell himself
+believed that the soil along the Nelson abounded in mineral wealth.  He
+told the priest to keep the discovery a secret, and sent samples of
+sand and stone to Lord Selkirk, advising him to acquire the banks of
+the Nelson river from the company.  In the end, to the disgust of
+Macdonell and Father Burke, not one sample proved of any value.
+
+Weeks before the ice had left the river, the {51} colonists became
+impatient to set forward on the remainder of their journey.  To
+transport so many persons, with all their belongings and with
+sufficient provisions, seven or eight hundred miles inland was an
+undertaking formidable enough to put Captain Macdonell's energies to
+the fullest test.  The only craft available were bark canoes, and these
+would be too fragile for the heavy cargoes that must be borne.  Stouter
+boats must be built.  Macdonell devised a sort of punt or flat-bottomed
+boat, such as he had formerly seen in the colony of New York.  Four of
+these clumsy craft were constructed, but only with great difficulty,
+and after much trouble with the workmen.  Inefficiency, as well as
+misconduct, on the part of the colonists was a sore trial to Macdonell.
+The men from the Hebrides were now practically the only members of the
+party who were not, for one reason or another, in his black book.
+
+It was almost midsummer before the boats began to push up the Hayes
+river for the interior.  There were many blistered hands at the oars;
+nevertheless, on the journey they managed to make an average of
+thirteen miles each day.  Before the colonists could reach Oxford
+House, the next post of the Hudson's {52} Bay Company, three dozen
+portages had to be passed.  It was with thankful hearts that they came
+to Holy Lake and caught sight of the trading-post by its margin.  Here
+was an ample reach of water, reminding the Highlanders of a loch of
+far-away Scotland.  When the wind died down, Holy Lake was like a giant
+mirror.  Looking into its quiet waters, the voyagers saw great fish
+swimming swiftly.
+
+From Oxford House the route lay over a height-of-land to the
+head-waters of the Nelson.  After a series of difficulties the party
+reached Norway House, another post of the Hudson's Bay Company, on an
+upper arm of Lake Winnipeg.  At this time Norway House was the centre
+of the great fur-bearing region.  The colonists found it strongly
+entrenched in a rocky basin and astir with life.  After a short rest
+they proceeded towards Lake Winnipeg, and soon were moving slowly down
+its low-lying eastern shore.  Here they had their first glimpse of the
+prairie country, with its green carpet of grass.  Out from the water's
+edge grew tall, lank reeds, the lurking place of snipe and sand-piper.
+Doubtless, in the brief night-watches, they listened to the shrill cry
+of the restless lynx, or heard the yapping howl of the timber wolf as
+he slunk {53} away among the copses.  But presently the boats were
+gliding in through the sand-choked outlet of the Red River, and they
+were on the last stage of their journey.
+
+Some forty miles up-stream from its mouth the Red River bends sharply
+towards the east, forming what is known as Point Douglas in the present
+city of Winnipeg.  Having toiled round this point, the colonists pushed
+their boats to the muddy shore.  The day they landed--the natal day of
+a community which was to grow into three great provinces of Canada--was
+August 30, 1812.
+
+
+
+
+{54}
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+RED RIVER AND PEMBINA
+
+Scarcely had the settlers taken stock of their surroundings on the Red
+River when they were chilled to the marrow with a sudden terror.
+Towards them came racing on horseback a formidable-looking troop,
+decked out in all the accoutrements of the Indian--spreading feather,
+dangling tomahawk, and a thick coat of war-paint.  To the newcomers it
+was a never-to-be-forgotten spectacle.  But when the riders came within
+close range, shouting and gesticulating, it was seen that they wore
+borrowed apparel, and that their speech was a medley of French and
+Indian dialects.  They were a troop of Bois Brules, Metis, or
+half-breeds of French and Indian blood, aping for the time the manners
+of their mothers' people.  Their object was to tell Lord Selkirk's
+party that settlers were not wanted on the Red River; that it was the
+country of the fur traders, and that settlers must go farther afield.
+
+{55}
+
+This was surely an inhospitable reception, after a long and fatiguing
+journey.  Plainly the Nor'westers were at it again, trying now to
+frighten the colonists away, as they had tried before to keep them from
+coming.  These mounted half-breeds were a deputation from Fort
+Gibraltar, the Nor'westers' nearest trading-post, which stood two miles
+higher up at 'the Forks,' where the Red River is joined by the
+Assiniboine.
+
+Nevertheless, Governor Macdonell, having planned as dignified a
+ceremony as the circumstances would allow, sent to the Nor'westers at
+Fort Gibraltar an invitation to be present at the official inauguration
+of Lord Selkirk's colony.  At the appointed hour, on September 4,
+several traders from the fort, together with a few French Canadians and
+Indians, put in an appearance.  In the presence of this odd company
+Governor Macdonell read the Earl of Selkirk's patent to Assiniboia.
+About him was drawn up a guard of honour, and overhead the British
+ensign fluttered in the breeze.  Six small swivel-guns, which had been
+brought with the colonists, belched forth a salute to mark the
+occasion.  The Nor'westers were visibly impressed by this show of
+authority and power.  In pretended friendship they {56} entered
+Governor Macdonell's tent and accepted his hospitality before
+departing.  At variance with the scowls of trapper and trader towards
+the settlers was the attitude of the full-blooded Indians who were
+camping along the Red River.  From the outset these red-skins were
+friendly, and their conduct was soon to stand the settlers in good
+stead.
+
+The provisions brought from Hudson Bay were fast diminishing and would
+soon be at an end.  True, the Nor'westers offered for sale supplies of
+oats, barley, poultry, and the like, but their prices were high and the
+settlers had not the means of purchase.  But there was other food.
+Myriads of buffalo roamed over the Great Plains.  Herds of these
+animals often darkened the horizon like a slowly moving cloud.  In
+summer they might be seen cropping the prairie grass, or plunging and
+rolling about in muddy 'wallows.'  In winter they moved to higher
+levels, where lay less snow to be removed from the dried grass which
+they devoured.  At that season those who needed to hunt the buffalo for
+food must follow them wherever they went.  This was now the plight of
+the settlers: winter was coming on and food was already scarce.  The
+settlers must seek out the winter haunts of the buffalo.  {57} The
+Indians were of great service, for they offered to act as guides.
+
+A party to hunt the buffalo was organized.  Like a train of pilgrims,
+the majority of the colonists now set out afoot.  Their dark-skinned
+escort, mounted on wiry ponies, bent their course in a southerly
+direction.  The redskins eyed with amusement the queer-clad strangers
+whom they were guiding.  These were ignorant of the ways of the wild
+prairie country and badly equipped to face its difficulties.  Sometimes
+the Indians indulged in horse-play, and a few of them were unable to
+keep their hands off the settlers' possessions.  One Highlander lost an
+ancient musket which he treasured.  A wedding ring was taken by an
+Indian guide from the hand of one of the women.  Five days of
+straggling march brought the party to a wide plateau where the Indians
+said that the buffalo were accustomed to pasture.  Here the party
+halted, at the junction of the Red and Pembina rivers, and awaited the
+arrival of Captain Macdonell, who came up next day on horseback with
+three others of his party.
+
+Temporary tents and cabins were erected, and steps were taken to
+provide more commodious shelters.  But this second winter {58}
+threatened to be almost as uncomfortable as the first had been on
+Hudson Bay.  Captain Macdonell selected a suitable place south of the
+Pembina river, and on this site a storehouse and other buildings were
+put up.  The end of the year saw a neat little encampment, surrounded
+by palisades, where before had been nothing but unbroken prairie.  As a
+finishing touch, a flagstaff was raised within the stockade, and in
+honour of one of Lord Selkirk's titles the name Fort Daer was given to
+the whole.  In the meantime a body of seventeen Irishmen, led by Owen
+Keveny, had arrived from the old country, having accomplished the feat
+of making their way across the ocean to Hudson Bay and up to the
+settlement during the single season of 1812.  This additional force was
+housed at once in Fort Daer along with the rest.  Until spring opened,
+buffalo meat was to be had in plenty, the Indians bringing in
+quantities of it for a slight reward.  So unconscious were the buffalo
+of danger that they came up to the very palisades, giving the settlers
+an excellent view of their drab-brown backs and fluffy, curling manes.
+
+[Illustration: Hunting the Buffalo.  From a painting by George Catlin.]
+
+On the departure of the herds in the springtime there was no reason why
+the colonists {59} should remain any longer at Fort Daer.  Accordingly
+the entire band plodded wearily back to the ground which they had
+vacated above 'the Forks' on the Red River.  As the season of 1813
+advanced, more solid structures were erected on this site, and the
+place became known as Colony Gardens.  An attempt was now made to
+prepare the soil and to sow some seed, but it was a difficult task, as
+the only agricultural implement possessed by the settlers was the hoe.
+They next turned to the river in search of food, only to find it almost
+empty of fish.  Even the bushes, upon which clusters of wild berries
+ought to have been found, were practically devoid of fruit.  Nature
+seemed to have veiled her countenance from the hapless settlers, and to
+be mocking their most steadfast efforts.  In their dire need they were
+driven to use weeds for food.  An indigenous plant called the prairie
+apple grew in abundance, and the leaves of a species of the goosefoot
+family were found to be nourishing.
+
+With the coming of autumn 1813 the experiences of the previous year
+were repeated.  Once more they went over the dreary road to Fort Daer.
+Then followed the most cruel winter that the settlers had yet endured.
+The {60} snow fell thickly and lay in heavy drifts, and the buffalo
+with animal foresight had wandered to other fields.  The Nor'westers
+sold the colonists a few provisions, but were egging on their allies,
+the Bois Brules, who occupied a small post in the vicinity of the
+Pembina, to annoy them whenever possible.  It required courage of the
+highest order on the part of the colonists to battle through the
+winter.  They were in extreme poverty, and in many cases their
+frost-bitten, starved bodies were wrapped only in rags before spring
+came.  Those who still had their plaids, or other presentable garments,
+were prepared to part with them for a morsel of food.  With the coming
+of spring once more, the party travelled northward to 'the Forks' of
+the Red River, resolved never again to set foot within the gates of
+Fort Daer.
+
+Meanwhile, some news of the desperate state of affairs on the Red River
+had reached the Earl of Selkirk in Scotland.  So many were the
+discouragements that one might forgive him if at this juncture he had
+flung his colonizing scheme to the winds as a lost venture.  The lord
+of St Mary's Isle did not, however, abandon hope; he was a persistent
+man and not easily turned aside from his {61} purpose.  Now he went in
+person to the straths and glens of Sutherlandshire to recruit more
+settlers.  For several years the crofters in this section of the
+Highlands had been ejected in ruthless fashion from their holdings.
+Those who aimed to 'quench the smoke of cottage fires' had sent a
+regiment of soldiers into this shire to cow the Highlanders into
+submission.  Lord Selkirk came at a critical moment and extended a
+helping hand to the outcasts.  A large company agreed to join the
+colony of Assiniboia, and under Selkirk's own superintendence they were
+equipped for the journey.  As the sad-eyed exiles were about to leave
+the port of Helmsdale, the earl passed among them, dispensing words of
+comfort and of cheer.
+
+This contingent numbered ninety-seven persons.  The vessel carrying
+them from Helmsdale reached the _Prince of Wales_ of the Hudson's Bay
+Company, on which they embarked, at Stromness in the Orkneys.  The
+parish of Kildonan, in Sutherlandshire, had the largest representation
+among these emigrants.  Names commonly met with on the ship's register
+were Gunn, Matheson, MacBeth, Sutherland, and Bannerman.
+
+After the _Prince of Wales_ had put to sea, {62} fever broke out on
+board, and the contagion quickly spread among the passengers.  Many of
+them died.  They had escaped from beggary on shore only to perish at
+sea and to be consigned to a watery grave.  The vessel reached Hudson
+Bay in good time, but for some unknown reason the captain put into
+Churchill, over a hundred miles north of York Factory.  This meant that
+the newcomers must camp on the Churchill for the winter; there was
+nothing else to be done.  Fortunately partridge were numerous in the
+neighbourhood of their encampment, and, as the uneventful months
+dragged by, the settlers had an unstinted supply of fresh food.  In
+April 1814 forty-one members of the party, about half of whom were
+women, undertook to walk over the snow to York Factory.  The men drew
+the sledges on which their provisions were loaded and went in advance,
+clearing the way for the women.  In the midst of the company strode a
+solemn-visaged piper.  At one moment, as a dirge wailed forth, the
+spirits of the people drooped and they felt themselves beaten and
+forsaken.  But anon the music changed.  Up through the scrubby pine and
+over the mantle of snow rang the skirl of the undefeated; and as they
+heard the gathering song of Bonnie Dundee {63} or the summons to fight
+for Royal Charlie, they pressed forward with unfaltering steps.
+
+This advance party came to York Factory, and, continuing the journey,
+reached Colony Gardens without misadventure early in the summer.  They
+were better husbandmen than their predecessors, and they quickly
+addressed themselves to the cultivation of the soil.  Thirty or forty
+bushels of potatoes were planted in the black loam of the prairie.
+These yielded a substantial increase.  The thrifty Sutherlanders might
+have saved the tottering colony, had not Governor Macdonell committed
+an act which, however legally right, was nothing less than foolhardy in
+the circumstances, and which brought disaster in its train.
+
+In his administration of the affairs of the colony Macdonell had shown
+good executive ability and a willingness to endure every trial that his
+followers endured.  Towards the Nor'westers, however, he was inclined
+to be stubborn and arrogant.  He was convinced that he must adopt
+stringent measures against them.  He determined to assert his authority
+as governor of the colony under Lord Selkirk's patent.  Undoubtedly
+Macdonell had reason to be indignant at the {64} unfriendly attitude of
+the fur traders; yet, so far, this had merely taken the form of petty
+annoyance, and might have been met by good nature and diplomacy.
+
+[Illustration: Plan of Red River Colony]
+
+In January 1814 Governor Macdonell issued a proclamation pronouncing it
+unlawful for any person who dealt in furs to remove from the colony of
+Assiniboia supplies of flesh, fish, grain, or vegetable.  Punishment
+would be meted out to those who offended against this official order.
+The aim of Macdonell was to keep a supply of food in the colony for the
+support of the new settlers.  He was, however, offering a challenge to
+the fur traders, for his policy meant in effect that these had no right
+in Assiniboia, that it was to be kept for the use of settlers alone.
+Such a mandate could not fail to rouse intense hostility among the
+traders, whose doctrine was the very opposite.  The Nor'westers were
+quick to seize the occasion to strike at the struggling colony.
+
+
+
+
+{65}
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+THE BEGINNING OF STRIFE
+
+Stormy days were coming.  Once Governor Macdonell had published his
+edict, he did not hesitate to enforce its terms.  Information had been
+received at Colony Gardens that the Nor'westers had stored a quantity
+of provisions in their trading-post at the mouth of the Souris, a large
+southern tributary of the Assiniboine.  It was clear that, in defiance
+of Macdonell's decree, they meant to send food supplies out of
+Assiniboia to support their trading-posts elsewhere.  The fort at
+Souris was in close proximity to Brandon House on the Assiniboine, a
+post founded by the Hudson's Bay Company in 1794.  Macdonell decided on
+strong action.  His secretary, John Spencer, was ordered to go to the
+Souris in the capacity of a sheriff, accompanied by a strong guard and
+carrying a warrant in his pocket.  When Spencer drew near the stockades
+of the Nor'westers' fort and found the {66} gate closed against him, he
+commanded his men to batter it in with their hatchets.  They obeyed
+with alacrity, and having filed inside the fort, took charge of the
+contents of the storehouse.  Six hundred bags of pemmican were seized
+and carried to Brandon House.  Already there was a state of war in
+Assiniboia.
+
+The territory which comprised the colony was of great value
+economically to the North-West Company.  The food supplies which
+supported its traders in the far interior were largely drawn from this
+area.  In the eyes of the Nor'westers, Sheriff John Spencer had
+performed an act of pure brigandage at their Souris post.  Still, they
+were in no hurry to execute a counter-move.  In order to make no
+mistake they thought it best to restrain themselves until their
+partners should hold their summer meeting at Fort William,[1] on Lake
+Superior.
+
+The partners of the North-West Company {67} met at Fort William in the
+month of July 1814.  Their fond hope had been that Lord Selkirk's
+colony would languish and die.  Instead, it was flourishing and waxing
+aggressive.  The governor of Assiniboia had published an edict which he
+seemed determined to enforce, to the ruin of the business of the
+North-West Company.  The grizzled partners, as they rubbed elbows in
+secret conclave, decided that something must be done to crush this
+troublesome settlement.  Whether or not they formed any definite plan
+cannot be ascertained.  It is scarcely believable that at this meeting
+was plotted the opposition to Lord Selkirk's enterprise which was to
+begin with deceit and perfidy and to culminate in bloodshed.  Among the
+Nor'westers were men of great worth and integrity.  There were,
+however, others in their ranks who proved base and irresponsible.
+During this conference at Fort William a bitter animosity was expressed
+against Lord Selkirk and the company which had endorsed his colonizing
+project.  It was the Nor'westers' misfortune and fault that some of
+their number were prepared to vent this outspoken enmity in deeds of
+criminal violence.
+
+Two 'wintering partners' of the {68} North-West Company--men who
+remained in the interior during the winter--appear to have been
+entrusted by their fellows with the task of dealing with the settlers
+on the Red River.  Both these men, Duncan Cameron and Alexander
+Macdonell, had a wide experience of the prairie country.  Of the pair,
+Cameron was unquestionably the more resourceful.  In view of the fact
+that later in life he became a trusted representative of the county of
+Glengarry in the legislature of Upper Canada, there has been a tendency
+to gloss over some of his misdemeanours when he was still a trader in
+furs.  But he was a sinister character.  His principal aim, on going to
+the Red River, was to pay lavish court to the settlers in order to
+deceive them.  He was a born actor, and could assume at will the
+gravest or the gayest of demeanours or any disposition he chose to put
+on.
+
+Alexander Macdonell, the other emissary of the Nor'westers, was of an
+inferior type.  He was crafty enough never to burn his own fingers.
+Macdonell had some influence over the Indians of the Qu'Appelle
+district and of the more distant west.  His immediate proposal was to
+attract a band of redskins to the neighbourhood of Colony Gardens with
+the {69} avowed intention of creating a panic among the settlers.
+
+Shortly after the July meeting at Fort William these two men started on
+their mission for the Red River.  On August 5, while at a
+stopping-point by the way, Alexander Macdonell dated a letter to a
+friend in Montreal.  The tenor of this letter would indicate that only
+a portion of the Nor'westers were ready to adopt extreme measures
+against the settlement.  'Something serious will undoubtedly take
+place,' was Macdonell's callous admission.  'Nothing but the complete
+downfall of the colony,' he continued, 'will satisfy some, by fair or
+foul means--a most desirable object if it can be accomplished.  So here
+is at them with all my heart and energy.'
+
+Towards the end of August the twain arrived at Fort Gibraltar, where
+they parted company.  Alexander Macdonell proceeded to his winter
+quarters at Fort Qu'Appelle, on the river of the same name which
+empties into the upper Assiniboine.  Duncan Cameron made his appearance
+with considerable pomp and circumstance at Fort Gibraltar.  The
+settlers soon knew him as 'Captain' Duncan Cameron, of the Voyageur
+Corps, a battalion which had ranged the border during the recent {70}
+war with the United States.  Cameron decked himself in a crimson
+uniform.  He had a sword by his side and the outward bearing of a
+gallant officer.  Lest there should be any want of belief on the part
+of the colonists, he caused his credentials to be tacked up on the
+gateway of Fort Gibraltar.  There, in legible scrawl, was an order
+appointing him as captain and Alexander Macdonell as lieutenant in the
+Voyageur Corps.  The sight of a soldier sent a thrill through the
+breasts of the Highlanders and the fight-loving Irish.  Cameron had in
+fact once belonged to the Voyageurs, and no one at Colony Gardens yet
+knew that the corps had been disbanded the year before.  At a later
+date Lord Selkirk took pains to prove that Cameron had been guilty of
+rank imposture.
+
+To pose in the guise of a captain of militia was not Duncan Cameron's
+only role.  Having impressed his martial importance upon all, he next
+went among the settlers as a comrade.  He could chat at ease in Gaelic,
+and this won the confidence of the Highlanders.  Some of the colonists
+were invited to his table.  These he treated with studied kindness, and
+he furnished them with such an abundance of good food that they felt
+disgust for the scant {71} and humble fare allowed them at the
+settlement.  At the same time Cameron began to make bold insinuations
+in his conversation.  He had, he said, heard news from the interior
+that a body of Indians would raid them in the spring.  He harped upon
+the deplorable state in which the settlers were living; out of
+fellow-feeling for them, he said, he would gladly act as their
+deliverer.  Why did they not throw themselves upon the mercies of the
+North-West Company?  In their unhappy condition, abandoned, as he
+hinted, by Lord Selkirk to their own resources, there was but one thing
+for them to do.  They must leave the Red River far behind, and he would
+guarantee that the Nor'westers would assist them.
+
+As a result of Cameron's intrigues, signs of wavering allegiance were
+soon in evidence.  One of the settlers in particular, George Campbell,
+became a traitor in the camp.  Campbell had negotiated with Lord
+Selkirk personally during Selkirk's visit to Sutherlandshire.  Now he
+complained vigorously of his treatment since leaving Scotland, and was
+in favour of accepting the terms which Cameron, as a partner in the
+North-West Company, offered.  As many colonists as desired it, said
+Cameron, would be transported by the {72} Nor'westers free of charge to
+Montreal or other parts of Canada.  A year's provisions would be
+supplied to them, and each colonist would be granted two hundred acres
+of fertile land.  Tempting bribes of money were offered some of them as
+a bait.  An influential Highlander, Alexander M'Lean, was promised two
+hundred pounds from Cameron's own pocket, on condition that he would
+take his family away.  Several letters which were penned by the sham
+officer during the winter of 1815 can still be read.  'I am glad,' he
+wrote to a couple of settlers in February, 'that the eyes of some of
+you are getting open at last ... and that you now see your past follies
+in obeying the unlawful orders of a plunderer, and I may say, of a
+highway robber, for what took place here last spring can be called
+nothing else but manifest robbery.'
+
+As yet Duncan Cameron had refrained from the use of force, but as
+winter wore on towards spring he saw that, to complete his work, force
+would be necessary.  The proportion of settlers remaining loyal to Lord
+Selkirk was by no means insignificant, and Cameron feared the pieces of
+artillery at Colony Gardens.  He decided on a bold effort to get these
+field-pieces into his possession.  {73} Early in April he made a
+startling move.  Miles Macdonell was away at Fort Daer, and Archibald
+Macdonald, the deputy-governor of the colony, was in charge.  To him
+Cameron sent a peremptory demand in writing for the field-pieces, that
+they might be 'out of harm's way.'
+
+This missive was first given into the hands of the traitor George
+Campbell, who read it to the settlers on Sunday after church.  Next
+day, while rations were being distributed, it was delivered to the
+deputy-governor in the colony storehouse.  About one o'clock on the
+same afternoon, George Campbell and a few kindred spirits broke into
+the building where the field-pieces were stored, took the guns outside,
+and placed them on horse-sledges for the purpose of drawing them away.
+At this juncture a musket was fired as a signal, and Duncan Cameron
+with some Bois Brules stole from a clump of trees.  'Well done, my
+hearty fellows,' Cameron exclaimed, as he came hurrying up.  The guns
+were borne away and lodged within the precincts of Fort Gibraltar, and
+a number of the colonists now took sides openly with Duncan Cameron and
+the Nor'westers.
+
+Meanwhile Cameron's colleague, Alexander {74} Macdonell, was not
+succeeding in his efforts to incite the Indians about Fort Qu'Appelle
+against the colony.  He found that the Indians did not lust for the
+blood of the settlers; and when he appeared at Fort Gibraltar, in May,
+he had with him only a handful of Plain Crees.  These redskins lingered
+about the fort for a time, being well supplied with liquor to make them
+pot-valiant.  During their stay a number of horses belonging to the
+settlers were wounded by arrows, but it is doubtful if the perpetrators
+of these outrages were Indians.  The chief of the Crees finally visited
+Governor Miles Macdonell, and convinced him that his warriors intended
+the colonists no ill.  Before the Indians departed they sent to Colony
+Gardens a pipe of peace--the red man's token of friendship.
+
+An equally futile attempt was made about the same time by two traders
+of the North-West Company to persuade Katawabetay, chief of the
+Chippewas, to lead a band of his tribesmen against the settlement.
+Katawabetay was at Sand Lake, just west of Lake Superior, when his
+parley with the Nor'westers took place.  The two traders promised to
+give Katawabetay and his warriors all the merchandise and rum in three
+of the {75} company's posts, if they would raise the hatchet and
+descend upon the Red River settlers.  The cautious chief wished to know
+whether this was the desire of the military authorities.  The traders
+had to confess that it was merely a wish of the North-West Company.
+Katawabetay then demurred, saying that, before beginning hostilities,
+he must speak about the matter to one of the provincial military
+leaders on St Joseph's Island, at the head of Lake Huron.
+
+Finding it impossible to get the Indians to raid the settlement,
+Cameron now adopted other methods.  His party had been increasing in
+numbers day by day.  Joined by the deserters from the colony, the
+Nor'westers pitched their camp a short distance down the river from
+Fort Gibraltar.  At this point guns were mounted, and at Fort Gibraltar
+Cameron's men were being drilled.  On June 11 a chosen company,
+furnished with loaded muskets and ammunition, were marched towards
+Governor Macdonell's house, where they concealed themselves behind some
+trees.  James White, the surgeon of the colony, was seen walking close
+to the house.  A puff of grey smoke came from the Nor'westers' cover.
+The shot went wide.  Then John Bourke, the {76} store-keeper, heard a
+bullet whiz by his head, and narrowly escaped death.  The colonists at
+once seized their arms and answered the Nor'westers' fire.  In the
+exchange of volleys, however, they were at a disadvantage, as their
+adversaries remained hidden from view.  When the Nor'westers decamped,
+four persons on the colonists' side had been wounded.
+
+Apparently there was no longer security for life or property among
+those still adhering to Lord Selkirk's cause at Colony Gardens.  Duncan
+Cameron, employing a subterfuge, now said that his main object was to
+capture Governor Macdonell.  If this were accomplished he would leave
+the settlers unmolested.  In order to safeguard the colony Macdonell
+voluntarily surrendered himself to the Nor'westers.  Cameron was
+jubilant.  With the loyal settlers worsted and almost defenceless, and
+the governor of Assiniboia his prisoner, he could dictate his own
+terms.  He issued an explicit command that the settlers must vacate the
+Red River without delay.  A majority of the settlers decided to obey,
+and their exodus began under Cameron's guidance.  About one hundred and
+forty, inclusive of women and children, stepped into the canoes of the
+North-West Company to be borne away {77} to Canada.  Miles Macdonell
+was taken to Montreal under arrest.
+
+The forty or fifty colonists who still clung to their homes at Colony
+Gardens were left to be dealt with by Alexander Macdonell, who was
+nothing loath to finish Cameron's work of destruction.  Once more
+muskets were brought into play; horses and cattle belonging to the
+settlers were spirited away; and several of the colonists were placed
+under arrest on trumped-up charges.  These dastardly tactics were
+followed by an organized attempt to raid the settlement.  On June 25 a
+troop of Bois Brules gathered on horseback, armed to the teeth and led
+by Alexander Macdonell and a half-breed named Cuthbert Grant.  The
+settlers, though mustering barely one-half the strength of the raiders,
+resolved to make a stand, and placed themselves under the command of
+John M'Leod, a trader in the service of the Hudson's Bay Company.  The
+Bois Brules bore down upon the settlement in menacing array.  The
+colonists took what shelter they could find and prepared for battle.
+Fighting coolly, they made their shots tell.  The advancing column
+hesitated and halted in dismay at the courage of the defenders.  Then
+John M'Leod {78} remembered a cannon which was rusting unused at the
+small post which the Hudson's Bay Company had on the river.  Hugh
+M'Lean and two others were ordered to haul this to the blacksmith's
+shanty.  The three men soon found the cannon, and set it up in the
+smithy.  For shot, cart chains were chopped into sections; and the Bois
+Brules were treated to a raking volley of 'chain shot.'  This was
+something they had not looked for; their courage failed them, and they
+galloped out of range.
+
+But the remnant of Lord Selkirk's settlers who had dared to linger on
+the Red River were at the end of their resources.  Taking counsel
+together, they resolved to quit the colony.  They launched their boats
+on the river, and followed the canoe route which led to Hudson Bay.
+They were accompanied by a band of Indians of the Saulteaux tribe as
+far as the entrance to Lake Winnipeg.  From there a short journey
+placed them outside the boundaries of Assiniboia.  When they arrived at
+the northern end of Lake Winnipeg they found a temporary refuge, in the
+vicinity of Norway House, on the Jack river.
+
+Alexander Macdonell and his Bois Brules were now free utterly to blot
+out Colony {79} Gardens.  They visited every part of the settlement and
+set fire to everything.  Not a single house was left standing.  Cabins,
+storehouses, the colony's grinding mill--all were reduced to a mass of
+ruins.  Cameron's duplicity had been crowned with success; Alexander
+Macdonell's armed marauders had finished the task; Lord Selkirk's
+colony of farmers-in-the-making was scattered far and wide.
+Nevertheless, the Nor'westers were not undisputed masters of the
+situation.  In the Hudson's Bay smithy, but ten feet square, four men
+continued the struggle.  John M'Leod, James M'Intosh, and Archibald
+Currie, of the Hudson's Bay Company, defended their trading-post, with
+the assistance of 'noble Hugh M'Lean,' the only settler remaining on
+the Red River banks.  By day and by night these men were forced to keep
+watch and ward.  Whenever the Bois Brules drew near, the 'chain shot'
+drove them hurriedly to cover.  At length the enemy withdrew, and
+M'Leod and his comrades walked out to survey the scene of desolation.
+
+
+
+[1] After it had been discovered that the Grand Portage was situated
+partly on land awarded by treaty to the United States, the Nor'westers,
+in 1803, had erected a new factory thirty or forty miles farther north
+where the Kaministikwia river enters Thunder Bay.  This post became
+their chief fur emporium west of Montreal, and was given the name Fort
+William as a tribute to William M'Gillivray, one of the leading
+partners in the company.
+
+
+
+
+{80}
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+COLIN ROBERTSON, THE AVENGER
+
+Three years of self-sacrificing effort seemed to have been wasted.  The
+colony of Assiniboia was no more; its site was free to wandering
+redskins and greedy traders.  Yet, at the very time when the colonists
+were being dispersed, succour was not far off.  Lord Selkirk had
+received alarming news some time before, and at his solicitation Colin
+Robertson had hired a band of voyageurs, and was speeding forward with
+them to defend the settlement.  Since 1811, when we saw him recruiting
+settlers for Lord Selkirk in Scotland, Colin Robertson had been in the
+service of the Hudson's Bay Company.  Having been a servant of the
+Nor'westers he knew the value of Canadian canoemen in the fur trade,
+and, on his advice, the Hudson's Bay Company now imitated its rival by
+employing voyageurs.  In temperament Colin was dour but audacious, a
+common type among the men of the Outer {81} Hebrides, and he had a
+grievance to avenge.  He was sprung from the Robertson clan, which did
+not easily forget or forgive.  He still remembered his quarrel with
+Crooked-armed Macdonald on the Saskatchewan.  In his mind was the
+goading thought that he was a cast-off servant of the North-West
+Company; and he yearned for the day when he might exact retribution for
+his injuries, some of them real, some fancied.
+
+It thus happened that before the final crisis came help was well on the
+way.  When the party of rescuers arrived, the charred and deserted
+dwellings of Colony Gardens told their wordless story.  They had come
+too late.  It is quite possible that the newcomers had met by the way
+the throng of settlers who were bound for Canada, or at least had heard
+of their departure from the Red River.  It is less likely that before
+arriving they had learned of the destruction of the settlement.  A
+portion of the colonists still remained in the country, and Colin
+Robertson thought that he might yet save the situation.  He had done
+all that Lord Selkirk had instructed him to do, and he now took further
+action on his own initiative.  At his command the sun-tanned voyageurs
+descended to the {82} river bank and launched their light canoes on the
+current.  Down-stream, and northward along Lake Winnipeg, the party
+travelled, until they reached the exiles' place of refuge on the Jack
+river.
+
+Robertson's resolute demeanour inspired the settlers with new courage,
+and they decided to go back with him and rebuild their homes.  Before
+the summer was spent they were once more on the Red River.  To their
+surprise the plots of ground which they had sown along the banks had
+suffered less than they had expected.  During their absence John M'Leod
+had watchfully husbanded the precious crops, and from the land he so
+carefully tended fifteen hundred bushels of wheat were realized--the
+first 'bumper' crop garnered within the borders of what are now the
+prairie provinces of Canada.  M'Leod had built fences, had cut and
+stacked the matured hay, and had even engaged men to erect new
+buildings and to repair some of those which had escaped utter
+destruction.  Near the spot where the colonists had landed in 1812 he
+had selected an appropriate site and had begun to erect a large
+domicile for the governor.  'It was of two stories,' wrote M'Leod in
+his diary, {83} 'with main timbers of oak; a good substantial house.'
+
+John M'Leod was a man of faith.  He expected that Lord Selkirk's colony
+would soon be again firmly on its feet, and he was not to be
+disappointed.  A fourth contingent of settlers arrived during the month
+of October 1815, having left Scotland in the spring.  This band
+comprised upwards of ninety persons, nearly all natives of Kildonan.
+These were the most energetic body of settlers so far enlisted by the
+Earl of Selkirk.  They experienced, of course, great disappointment on
+their arrival.  Instead of finding a flourishing settlement, they saw
+the ruins of the habitations of their predecessors, and found that many
+friends whom they hoped would greet them had been enticed or driven
+away.
+
+Along with these colonists came an important dignitary sent out by the
+Hudson's Bay Company.  The 'Adventurers of England trading into
+Hudson's Bay' were now alarmed regarding the outlook for furs in the
+interior, and the general court of their stockholders had taken a new
+and important step.  It was decided to appoint a resident
+governor-in-chief, with power not merely over the colony of Assiniboia,
+but over all the company's {84} trading-posts as well.  The man chosen
+to fill this office was Robert Semple, a British army captain on the
+retired list.  He was a man of upright character and bull-dog courage,
+but he lacked the patience and diplomacy necessary for the problem with
+which he had to deal.  Another to arrive with the contingent was Elder
+James Sutherland, who had been authorized by the Church of Scotland to
+baptize and to perform the marriage ceremony.
+
+The occupants of Fort Gibraltar viewed the replanting of the settlement
+with baleful resentment.  Their ranks were augmented during the autumn
+by a wayfarer from the east who hung up his musket at the fort and
+assumed control.  This was none other than Duncan Cameron, returned
+from Canada, with the plaudits of some of his fellow-partners still
+ringing in his ears.  To Colin Robertson the presence of Cameron at
+Fort Gibraltar was not of happy augury for the settlers' welfare.
+Robertson decided on prompt and radical action.  In a word, he
+determined to take the Nor'westers' post by surprise.  His raid was
+successful.  The field-pieces and the property of the colonists which
+had been carried away in June were recovered.  {85} Cameron himself was
+made a prisoner.  But he was not held long.  The man was a born actor
+and a smooth talker.  In all seeming humility he now made specious
+promises of future good behaviour, and was allowed to return to his
+fort.
+
+The houses of the colonists were ranged in succession along the Red
+River until they reached an elevated spot called Frog Plain.  Some of
+the houses appear to have been situated on Frog Plain as well.  Along
+the river, running north and south, was a road worn smooth by constant
+traffic.  The spacious residence for the governor reared by John
+M'Leod, and the other buildings grouped about it, were surrounded by a
+strong palisade.  To the whole the name of Fort Douglas was now given.
+In spite, however, of their seeming prosperity, the settlers found it
+necessary to migrate for the winter to the basin of the Pembina in
+order to obtain food.  But again they found that the buffalo were many
+miles from Fort Daer, and the insufficiently clad winterers suffered
+greatly.  They were disturbed, too, by frequent rumours of coming
+danger.  The 'New Nation,' as the half-breeds chose to call themselves,
+were gathering, it was said, from every quarter, and with {86} the
+breaking up of winter would descend like a scourge upon the colony.
+
+The trouble brewing for the settlement was freely discussed among the
+Nor'westers.  About the middle of March 1816 Alexander Macdonell sent a
+note to Duncan Cameron from Fort Qu'Appelle.  'A storm is gathering in
+the north,' declared Macdonell, 'ready to burst on the rascals who
+deserve it; little do they know their situation.  Last year was but a
+joke.  The New Nation under their leaders are coming forward to clear
+their native soil of intruders and assassins.'  A few words written at
+the same time by Cuthbert Grant show how the plans of the Bois Brules
+were maturing.  'The Half-breeds of Fort des Prairies and English River
+are all to be here in the spring,' he asserted; 'it is to be hoped we
+shall come off with flying colours.'
+
+Early in 1816 Governor Semple, who had been at Fort Daer, returned to
+Fort Douglas.  Apparently he entertained no wholesome fears of the
+impending danger, for, instead of trying to conciliate his opponents,
+he embittered them by new acts of aggression.  In April, for the second
+time, Colin Robertson, acting on the governor's instructions, captured
+Fort {87} Gibraltar.  Again was Duncan Cameron taken prisoner, and this
+time he was held.  It was decided that he should be carried to England
+for trial.  In charge of Colin Robertson, Cameron was sent by canoe to
+York Factory.  But no vessel of the Hudson's Bay Company was leaving
+for England during the summer of 1816, and the prisoner was detained
+until the following year.  When at length he was brought to trial, it
+was found impossible to convict him of any crime, and he was
+discharged.  Subsequently Cameron entered a suit against Lord Selkirk
+for illegal detention, asking damages, and the court awarded him L3000.
+
+Shortly after Colin Robertson had departed with his prisoner, Governor
+Semple decided to dismantle Fort Gibraltar, and towards the end of May
+thirty men were sent to work to tear it down.  Its encircling rampart
+was borne to the river and formed into a raft.  Upon this the salvage
+of the demolished fort--a great mass of structural material--was driven
+down-stream to Fort Douglas and there utilized.
+
+The tempest which Alexander Macdonell had presaged burst upon the
+colony soon after this demolition of Fort Gibraltar.  The {88}
+incidents leading up to an outbreak of hostilities have been narrated
+by Pierre Pambrun, a French Canadian.  In April Pambrun had been
+commissioned by Governor Semple to go to the Hudson's Bay fort on the
+Qu'Appelle river.  Hard by this was the Nor'westers' trading-post,
+called Fort Qu'Appelle.  Pambrun remarks upon the great number of
+half-breeds who had gathered at the North-West Company's depot.  Many
+of them had come from a great distance.  Some were from the upper
+Saskatchewan; others were from Cumberland House, situated near the
+mouth of the same river.  Pambrun says that during the first days of
+May he went eastward along with George Sutherland, a factor of the
+Hudson's Bay Company on the Qu'Appelle, and a number of Sutherland's
+men.  The party journeyed in five boats, and had with them twenty-two
+bales of furs and six hundred bags of pemmican.  On May 12 they were
+attacked on their way down the river by an armed force of forty-nine
+Nor'westers, under the leadership of Cuthbert Grant and Peter Pangman.
+All were made prisoners and conducted back to Fort Qu'Appelle, where
+they were told by Alexander Macdonell that the seizure had been {89}
+made because of Colin Robertson's descent upon Fort Gibraltar.  After
+five days' imprisonment George Sutherland and the servants of the
+Hudson's Bay Company were released.  This did not mean, however, any
+approach of peace.  Pierre Pambrun was still held in custody.  Before
+the close of May Macdonell caused the furs and provisions which his men
+had purloined from Sutherland's party to be placed in boats, and he
+began to move down the Qu'Appelle, taking Pambrun with him.  A band of
+Bois Brules on their horses kept pace with the boats.  At the
+confluence of the Qu'Appelle and the Assiniboine Macdonell made a
+speech to a body of Saulteaux, and endeavoured to induce some of them
+to join his expedition to the Red River.  The Hudson's Bay post of
+Brandon House, farther along the Assiniboine, was captured by Cuthbert
+Grant, with about twenty-five men under his command, and stripped of
+all its stores.  Then the combined force of half-breeds, French
+Canadians, and Indians, in round numbers amounting to one hundred and
+twenty men, advanced to Portage la Prairie.  They reached this point on
+or about June 16, and proceeded to make it a stronghold.  They arranged
+bales of {90} pemmican to form a rude fortification and planted two
+brass swivel-guns for defence.  They were preparing for war, for the
+Nor'westers had now resolved finally to uproot Lord Selkirk's colony
+from the banks of the Red River.
+
+
+
+
+{91}
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+SEVEN OAKS
+
+In the meantime, far removed from the Red River, other events bearing
+upon this story were happening.  The Earl of Selkirk had had many
+troubles, and early in 1815 he was again filled with anxiety by news
+received in Scotland concerning the imperilled condition of Assiniboia.
+In consequence of these evil tidings he was led to petition Lord
+Bathurst, secretary for War and the Colonies in the administration of
+Lord Liverpool, and to ask that some protection should be afforded his
+colonists, who were loyal subjects of the crown.  Lord Bathurst acted
+promptly.  He wrote in March to Sir Gordon Drummond, administrator of
+the government of Canada, saying that Lord Selkirk's request should be
+granted and that action should be taken in Canada to protect the
+colony.  But Sir Gordon Drummond, after looking into the matter,
+decided not to grant the protection which {92} Selkirk desired.  He had
+reasons, which he sent to the British minister.
+
+By this time the affairs of his colony had come to such a sorry pass
+that Lord Selkirk felt it necessary to travel to America.  Accordingly,
+in the autumn of 1815, he embarked for New York, accompanied by Lady
+Selkirk and his three children, Dunbar, Isabella, and Katherine.
+Arriving on November 15, he heard for the first time of the overthrow
+of his colony through the machinations of Duncan Cameron and Alexander
+Macdonell.  At once he hastened to Montreal, where he received from
+eye-witnesses a more detailed version of the occurrence.  Many of the
+settlers brought to the east were indignant at the treatment they had
+received at the hands of the Nor'westers and were prepared to testify
+against them.  In view of this, Lord Selkirk applied to magistrates at
+York (Toronto) and Montreal, desiring that affidavits should be taken
+from certain of the settlers with respect to their experiences on the
+Red River.  In this way he hoped to accumulate a mass of evidence which
+should strengthen his plea for military assistance from the Canadian
+government.  Among those whom Selkirk met in Montreal was {93} Miles
+Macdonell.  The former governor of Assiniboia was then awaiting trial
+on charges brought against him by officers of the North-West Company.
+He was never tried, however, for the charges were dropped later on.
+
+In November Lord Selkirk saw Sir Gordon Drummond and urged that help be
+sent to Assiniboia.  From this time until the expiration of Drummond's
+term of office (May 1816) a correspondence on this question was kept up
+between the two men.  No steps, however, were taken by Drummond to
+accede to Selkirk's wishes, nor did he inform Selkirk officially why
+his requests were denied.  During the winter news of the restoration of
+the colony was brought to Selkirk by a French Canadian named
+Laguimoniere, who had travelled two thousand miles on foot with the
+information.  On receipt of this news Selkirk became even more urgent
+in his appeals for armed assistance.  'If, however, your Excellency,'
+he wrote to Drummond on April 23, 'persevere in your intention to do
+nothing till you receive further instructions, there is a probability
+almost amounting to a certainty that another season must be lost before
+the requisite force can be sent up--during another year the settlers
+must remain exposed to {94} attack, and there is every reason to expect
+that in consequence of this delay many lives may be lost.'
+
+Lord Selkirk wished to send a message of encouragement to his people in
+the colony.  Laguimoniere, the wonderful Canadian wood-runner, would
+carry it.  He wrote a number of letters, telling of his arrival in
+Canada, giving assurance of his deep concern for the settlement's
+welfare, and promising to come to the aid of the colonists as soon as
+the rivers were free of ice, with whatever force he could muster.
+Bearing these letters, the messenger set out on his journey over the
+wild spaces between Montreal and the Red River.  In some way his
+mission became known to the Nor'westers at Fort William, for on June 3
+Archibald Norman M'Leod, a partner of the North-West Company, issued an
+order that Selkirk's courier should be intercepted.  Near Fond du Lac,
+at the western end of Lake Superior, Laguimoniere was waylaid and
+robbed.  The letters which he carried were taken to Fort William, where
+several of them were found later.
+
+As we have seen in the last chapter, it was in this same month that
+Alexander Macdonell, at Portage la Prairie, was organizing his {95}
+half-breeds for a raid on Fort Douglas.  His brigade, as finally made
+up, consisted of about seventy Bois Brules, Canadians, and Indians, all
+well armed and mounted.  As soon as these troopers were ready to
+advance, Macdonell surrendered the leadership to Cuthbert Grant,
+deeming it wise not to take part in the raid himself.  The marauders
+then marched out in the direction of the settlement.
+
+The settlers in the meantime were not wholly oblivious of the danger
+threatening them.  There was a general feeling of insecurity in the
+colony, and a regular watch had been instituted at Fort Douglas to
+guard against a surprise attack.  Governor Semple, however, did not
+seem to take a very serious view of the situation.  He was about to
+depart to York Factory on business.  But a rough awakening came.  On
+June 17 two Cree Indians arrived at Fort Douglas with the alarming
+tidings that in two days an attack would be made upon the settlement.[1]
+
+About five o'clock in the afternoon of June 19, a boy who was stationed
+in the {96} watch-house of the fort cried out that he saw a party of
+half-breeds approaching.  Thereupon Governor Semple hurried to the
+watch-house and scanned the plains through a glass.  He saw a troop of
+horsemen moving towards the Red River--evidently heading for a point
+some distance to the north of Fort Douglas.
+
+'We must go out to meet these people,' said Governor Semple: 'let
+twenty men follow me.'
+
+There was a prompt response to the call, and Semple led his volunteers
+out of the fort and towards the advancing horsemen.  He had not gone
+far when he met a number of colonists, running towards Fort Douglas and
+shouting in wild excitement:
+
+'The half-breeds! the half-breeds!'
+
+Governor Semple now sent John Bourke back to Fort Douglas for one of
+the guns, and instructed him to bring up whatever men could be spared
+from among those garrisoning the fort.  The advance party halted to
+wait until these should arrive; but at length Semple grew impatient and
+ordered his men to advance without them.  The Nor'westers had concealed
+themselves behind a clump of trees.  As Semple approached they galloped
+out, extended their line into a half-moon {97} formation, and bore down
+to meet him.  They were dressed as Indian warriors and painted in
+hideous fashion.  The force was well equipped with guns, knives, bows
+and arrows, and spears.
+
+A solitary horseman emerged from the hostile squadron and rode towards
+Governor Semple.  This was Francois Boucher, a French-Canadian clerk in
+the employ of the North-West Company, son of a tavern-keeper in
+Montreal.  Ostensibly his object was to parley with the governor.
+Boucher waved his hand, shouting aloud:
+
+'What do you want?'
+
+Semple took his reply from the French Canadian's mouth.  'What do _you_
+want?' he questioned in plainer English.
+
+'We want our fort,' said Boucher.
+
+'Go to your fort,' answered Semple.
+
+'Why did you destroy our fort, you d--d rascal?' exclaimed the French
+Canadian.
+
+The two were now at close quarters, and Governor Semple had seized the
+bridle of Boucher's horse.
+
+'Scoundrel, do you tell me so?' he said.
+
+Pritchard says that the governor grasped Boucher's gun, no doubt
+expecting an attack upon his person.  The French Canadian leapt {98}
+from his horse, and at this instant a shot rang out from the column of
+the Nor'westers.  Lieutenant Holt, a clerk in the colony's service,
+fell struggling upon the ground.  Boucher ran in the direction of his
+own party, and soon there was the sound of another musket.  This time
+Governor Semple was struck in the thigh.  He called at once to his men:
+
+'Do what you can to take care of yourselves.'
+
+The band ignored this behest, and gathered round him to ascertain the
+extent of his injury.  The Nor'westers now began to bring the two ends
+of their column together, and soon Semple's party was surrounded.  The
+fact that their foe was now helpless did not keep the Nor'westers from
+pouring in a destructive fire.  Most of Semple's men fell at the first
+volley.  The few left standing pulled off their hats and begged for
+mercy.  A certain Captain Rogers hastened towards the line of the
+Nor'westers and threw up his hands.  He was followed by John Pritchard.
+One of the Bois Brules shot Rogers in the head and another rushed on
+him and stabbed him with a knife.  Luckily Pritchard was confronted by
+a French Canadian, named {99} Augustin Lavigne, whom he had formerly
+known and who now protected him from butchery.
+
+The wounded governor lay stretched upon the ground.  Supporting his
+head with his hand, he addressed Cuthbert Grant:
+
+'I am not mortally wounded,' he said, 'and if you could get me conveyed
+to the fort, I think I should live.'
+
+Grant promised to comply with the request.  He left the governor in
+charge of one of his men and went away, but during his absence an
+Indian approached and shot Semple to death.
+
+Meanwhile John Bourke had gone back for a field-piece and for
+reinforcements.  Bourke reached the fort, but after he had placed the
+small cannon in a cart he was permitted by those in the fort to take
+only one man away with him.  He and his companion began to drag the
+cart down the road.  Suddenly they were startled by the sound of the
+musketry fire in the distance which had struck down Semple's party.
+Fearing lest they might lose the gun, the pair turned back towards the
+fort.  On their way they were met by ten men from Fort Douglas,
+hurrying to the scene of the conflict.  Bourke told his {100} comrade
+to take the field-piece inside the fort, and himself joined the rescue
+party.  But they were too late: when they arrived at the scene of the
+struggle they could effect nothing.
+
+'Give up your arms,' was the command of the Nor'westers.
+
+The eleven men, seeing that resistance on their part would be useless,
+took to their heels.  The Nor'westers fired; one of the fleeing men was
+killed and John Bourke was severely wounded.  For the numbers engaged
+the carnage was terrible.  Of the party which had left Fort Douglas
+with Governor Semple there were but six survivors.  Michael Heden and
+Daniel M'Kay had run to the riverside during the _melee_.  They
+succeeded in getting across in a canoe and arrived at Fort Douglas the
+same night.  Michael Kilkenny and George Sutherland escaped by swimming
+the river.  In addition to John Pritchard, another prisoner, Anthony
+Macdonell, had been spared.  The total number of the dead was
+twenty-three.  Among the slain were Rogers, the governor's secretary,
+Doctor Wilkinson, Alexander M'Lean, the most enterprising settler in
+the colony, and Surgeon James White.  The Irish colonists suffered
+severely in proportion to their number: they lost {101} seven in all.
+The Nor'westers had one man killed and one wounded.  This sanguinary
+encounter, which took place beside the highway leading along the Red
+River to Frog Plain, is known as the massacre of Seven Oaks.
+
+There was much disappointment among the Nor'westers when they learned
+that Colin Robertson was not in the colony.  Cuthbert Grant vowed that
+Robertson would have been scalped had he been captured.  'They would
+have cut his body into small bits,' said Pritchard, 'and boiled it
+afterwards for the dogs.'  Pritchard himself was carried as a prisoner
+to Frog Plain, where the Nor'westers made their encampment.  A savage
+spirit had been aroused.  Pritchard found that even yet the lust for
+blood had not been sated, and that it would be necessary to plead for
+the wives and children of the colonists.  He remonstrated with Cuthbert
+Grant and urged him not to forget that the women of the settlement were
+of his dead father's people.  At length the half-breed leader softened,
+and agreed that Pritchard should act as a mediator.  Grant was willing
+that the settlers should go in peace, if the public property of the
+colony were given up.  Pritchard made three trips between Grant's
+headquarters and the fort {102} before an agreement was reached.  'On
+my arrival at the fort,' he said, 'what a scene of distress presented
+itself!  The widows, children and relations of the slain, in horrors of
+despair, were lamenting the dead,[2] and were trembling for the safety
+of the survivors.'
+
+On the morning of June 20 Cuthbert Grant himself, with over a score of
+his followers, went to Fort Douglas.  It was then agreed that the
+settlers should abandon their homes and that the fort should be
+evacuated.  An inventory was made of the goods of the colony, and the
+terms of surrender were signed by Cuthbert Grant as a clerk and
+representative of the North-West Company.  Contrary to Grant's
+promises, the private effects of the colonists were overhauled and
+looted.  Michael Heden records that even his clothes and blankets were
+stolen.
+
+On the evening of the same day a messenger presented himself at Portage
+la Prairie bringing Alexander Macdonell an account of the massacre.
+Pierre Pambrun declares that {103} Macdonell and others who were with
+him became hilarious with joy.  'Good news,' shouted Macdonell in
+French, as he conveyed the tidings to his associates.
+
+Again disaster had overtaken Lord Selkirk's plans.  The second
+desolation of his colony and expulsion of his colonists occurred on
+June 22, 1816.  The evicted people set out in canoes down the Red
+River.  Michael Heden and John Bourke both declared that the number of
+those who embarked was approximately two hundred.  This total would
+appear, however, to be much too large, unless additions had been made
+to the colony of which we have no documentary evidence.  Some
+French-Canadian families had settled at 'the Forks,' it is true, but
+these were not numerous enough to bring the population of the
+settlement to two hundred persons, leaving uncounted the number who had
+lately perished.
+
+On June 24, as the exiles were proceeding down the river, they met nine
+or ten canoes and one bateau.  In these were almost a hundred armed
+Nor'westers under the command of Archibald Norman M'Leod of Fort
+William.  M'Leod's purpose was apparently to assist in the
+extermination of the colony.  His first question of the party
+travelling {104} northward was 'whether that rascal and scoundrel
+Robertson was in the boats.'  When he was told of the calamity which
+had befallen Governor Semple and his band, he ordered all the exiles
+ashore.  By virtue of his office as a magistrate for the Indian
+Territories he wished to examine them.[3]
+
+He searched the baggage belonging to the evicted settlers and
+scrutinized their books and papers.  'Those who play at bowls,'
+remarked 'Justice' M'Leod, 'must expect to meet with rubbers.'
+Pritchard was told to write his version of the recent transactions at
+'the Forks,' and did so; but his account did not please M'Leod.  'You
+have drawn up a pretty paper,' he grumbled; 'you had better take care
+of yourself, or you will get into a scrape.'
+
+Michael Heden also was examined as to his knowledge of the matter.
+When M'Leod heard the answers of Heden he was even more wrathful.
+
+'They are all lies,' he declared with emphasis.
+
+{105}
+
+The result of M'Leod's judicial procedure was that five of the party
+were detained and placed under arrest.  The others were allowed to
+proceed on their way.  John Bourke was charged with felony, and Michael
+Heden and Patrick Corcoran were served with subpoenas to give evidence
+for the crown against him, on September 1, at Montreal.  John Pritchard
+and Daniel M'Kay were among the five detained, presumably as crown
+witnesses.  After some delay--M'Leod had to visit Fort Douglas and the
+neighbourhood--the prisoners were sent on the long journey to Fort
+William on Lake Superior.  Bourke was at once stripped of his valuables
+and placed in irons, regardless of the fact that his wound was causing
+him intense suffering.  During the whole of the journey he was
+compelled to lie manacled on a pile of baggage in one of the canoes.
+
+
+Fort Douglas on the Red River was still standing, but the character of
+its occupants had changed radically.  At first Cuthbert Grant took
+command, but he soon made way for Alexander Macdonell, who reached Fort
+Douglas shortly after the affair at Seven Oaks.  When Archibald Norman
+M'Leod appeared, he was the senior officer in authority, and he {106}
+took up his residence in the apartments of the late Governor Semple.
+One day M'Leod and some followers rode over to an encampment of Crees
+and Saulteaux near the ruins of Fort Gibraltar.  Here M'Leod collected
+and harangued the Indians.  He upbraided them for their failure to
+interfere when Duncan Cameron had been forcibly removed to Hudson Bay,
+and he spoke harshly of their sympathy for the colonists when the
+Nor'westers had found it necessary to drive them away.  Peguis, chief
+of the Saulteaux and the leading figure in the Indian camp, listened
+attentively, but remained stolidly taciturn.  On the evening of the
+same day the Nor'westers returned to Fort Douglas and indulged in some
+of their wildest revelries.  The Bois Brules stripped themselves naked
+and celebrated their recent triumph in a wild and savage orgy, while
+their more staid companions looked on with approval.
+
+According to the testimony of Augustin Lavigne, M'Leod during his stay
+at Fort Douglas publicly made the following promise to an assembly of
+Bois Brules: 'My kinsmen, my comrades, who have helped us in the time
+of need; I have brought clothing for you  I expected to have found
+about forty of you {107} here with Mr Macdonell, but there are more of
+you.  I have forty suits of clothing.  Those who are most in need of
+them may have these, and on the arrival of the canoes in autumn, the
+rest of you shall be clothed likewise.'
+
+
+
+[1] For the details of the tragedy which now occurred we are chiefly
+indebted to the accounts of John Pritchard, a former Nor'wester, who
+had settled with his family at the Red River, of Michael Heden, a
+blacksmith connected with the settlement, and of John Bourke, the
+colony store-keeper.
+
+[2] Some of the dead were afterwards taken from the field of Seven Oaks
+to Fort Douglas by Cree and Saulteaux Indians.  These received decent
+burial, but the others, lying uninterred as they had fallen, became a
+prey to the wild beasts of the prairie.
+
+[3] An act of the Imperial parliament of 1803 had transferred
+jurisdiction in the case of offences committed in the Indian
+Territories from Great Britain to Canada, and had allowed the Canadian
+authorities to appoint magistrates for these rather undefined regions.
+M'Leod was one of these magistrates.
+
+
+
+
+{108}
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+LORD SELKIRK'S JOURNEY
+
+We left Lord Selkirk at Montreal.  Several days before the massacre of
+Seven Oaks he had completed the preparations for his journey to the
+west, and was hastening forward in the hope of arriving at the Red
+River in time to save his colony.  He had secured his own appointment
+as justice of the peace for Upper Canada and the Indian Territories,
+and also the promise of a bodyguard of one non-commissioned officer and
+six men for his personal defence.  This much he had obtained from the
+Canadian authorities.  They remained unwilling, however, to send armed
+aid to Assiniboia.  This want Lord Selkirk was himself supplying, for
+he was bringing with him a fresh contingent of settlers--of a class
+hitherto unknown among his colonists.  These new settlers were trained
+soldiers, disciplined and tried in active service on many a battlefield.
+
+{109}
+
+The close of the War of 1812 by the Treaty of Ghent, signed on December
+24,1814, had left in Canada several battalions of regular soldiers
+under colours.  In the early summer of 1816 orders were issued that the
+De Meuron regiment, in barracks at Montreal, and the Watteville
+regiment, stationed at Kingston, should be honourably disbanded.  These
+regiments were composed of Swiss, Italian, and other mercenaries who
+had fought for Great Britain in her struggle with Napoleon.  In 1809
+the De Meuron regiment had been sent from Gibraltar to the island of
+Malta.  In 1813 it had been transported to Canada with the reputation
+of being 'as fine and well-appointed a regiment as any in his Majesty's
+service.'  It consisted of more than a thousand men, with seventy-five
+officers.  The Watteville regiment, a force equally large, had landed
+at Quebec on June 10, 1813.  Its ensign indicated that it had been in
+the campaigns waged against France in the Spanish peninsula and had
+served under Sir John Stuart in southern Italy.
+
+About two hundred of the disbanded De Meurons desired to remain in
+Canada, and Selkirk at once sought to interest them in his western
+enterprise.  Four officers--Captains {110} Matthey and D'Orsonnens and
+Lieutenants Graffenreid and Fauche--and about eighty of the rank and
+file were willing to enlist.  It was agreed that they should receive
+allotments of land in Assiniboia on the terms granted to the settlers
+who had formerly gone from Scotland and Ireland.  They were to be
+supplied with the necessary agricultural implements, and each was to be
+given a musket for hunting or for defence.  Their wages were to be
+eight dollars a month for manning the boats which should take them to
+their destination.  In case the settlement should not be to their
+liking, Lord Selkirk pledged himself to transport them to Europe free
+of cost, by way of either Montreal or Hudson Bay.
+
+On June 4 the contingent of men and officers began their journey from
+Montreal up the St Lawrence.  At Kingston a halt was made while Captain
+Matthey, acting for the Earl of Selkirk, enlisted twenty more veterans
+of the Watteville regiment.  It is stated that an officer and several
+privates from another disbanded regiment, the Glengarry Fencibles, were
+also engaged as settlers, but it is not clear at what point they joined
+the party.  When all was ready for the long journey, the combined
+forces skirted the northern shore {111} of Lake Ontario from Kingston,
+until they reached York, the capital of Upper Canada.  Thence their
+route lay to Georgian Bay by way of Lake Simcoe and the Severn.
+
+Lord Selkirk left Montreal on June 16, following in the wake of his
+new-won colonists, and overtook them at the entrance into Georgian Bay.
+Apparently he went over the same route, for he crossed Lake Simcoe.
+Information is lacking as to his companions.  Miles Macdonell could not
+have been with him, for Macdonell had been sent forward earlier with a
+small body of men in light canoes that he might reach the settlement in
+advance of Lord Selkirk.  One hundred and twenty Canadian voyageurs had
+been recently engaged to go to Assiniboia in the service of the
+Hudson's Bay Company.  Possibly these canoemen accompanied Selkirk on
+the first stages of his journey.
+
+On Drummond Island, at the head of Lake Huron, was situated the most
+westerly military station maintained by the government of Upper Canada.
+Here Lord Selkirk halted and allowed his company to go on in advance
+into the straits of St Mary.  At the military post at Drummond Island
+he was furnished with the promised escort of six men under a {112}
+non-commissioned officer of the 37th regiment.  On July 22 he was
+present at a council held on the island by the Indian authorities
+stationed there.  One of the principal figures at this council was
+Katawabetay, chief of the Chippewas, from Sand Lake.  On being
+questioned, Katawabetay told of his refusal the year before to join the
+Nor'westers in an attack on the Red River Colony; he also declared that
+an attempt had been made during the previous spring by a trader named
+Grant to have some of his young Chippewas waylay Lord Selkirk's
+messenger, Laguimoniere, near Fond du Lac.  Grant had offered
+Katawabetay two kegs of rum and some tobacco, but the bribe was
+refused.  The Ottawa Indians, not the Chippewas, had waylaid the
+messenger.  This trader Grant had told Katawabetay that he was going to
+the Red River 'to fight the settlers.'[1]
+
+Lord Selkirk put a question to Katawabetay.
+
+'Are the Indians about the Red River, or that part of the country you
+come from,' asked the earl through an interpreter, 'pleased {113} or
+displeased at the people settling at the Red River?'
+
+'At the commencement of the settlement at Red River, some of the
+Indians did not like it,' answered the chief, 'but at present they are
+all glad of its being settled.'
+
+Meanwhile the party which had gone on in advance had entered the St
+Mary's river, connecting Lakes Huron and Superior, had crossed the
+half-mile portage of the Sault Rapids, and had pitched their camp some
+distance farther up-stream.  Before the end of July Lord Selkirk was
+again among them.  He gave the order to advance, and the boats were
+launched.  But, only a few miles out from Sault Ste Marie, there
+suddenly appeared two canoes, in one of which was Miles Macdonell.  For
+the first time Lord Selkirk now learned of the disaster which had
+befallen the colony in the month of June.  Macdonell had gone as far as
+the mouth of the Winnipeg before he learned the news.  Now he was able
+to tell Lord Selkirk of the massacre of Semple and his men, of the
+eviction of the settlers, and of the forcible detention of those sent
+by M'Leod to the Nor'westers' trading-post at Fort William.
+
+Selkirk had entertained the hope of averting a calamity at the
+settlement by bringing {114} in enough retired soldiers to preserve
+order.  But this hope was now utterly blasted.  He might, however, use
+the resources of the law against the traders at Fort William, and this
+he decided to attempt.  He was, however, in a peculiar position.  He
+had, it is true, been created a justice of the peace, but it would seem
+hardly proper for him to try lawbreakers who were attacking his own
+personal interests.  Accordingly, before finally setting out for Fort
+William, he begged Magistrate John Askin, of Drummond Island, and
+Magistrate Ermatinger, of Sault Ste Marie, to accompany him.  But
+neither of these men could leave his duties.  When Selkirk thus failed
+to secure disinterested judges, he determined to act under the
+authority with which he had been vested.  In a letter, dated July 29,
+to Sir John Sherbrooke, the recently appointed governor of Canada, he
+referred with some uneasiness to the position in which he found
+himself.  'I am therefore reduced to the alternative of acting alone,'
+he wrote, 'or of allowing an audacious crime to pass unpunished.  In
+these circumstances, I cannot doubt that it is my duty to act, though I
+am not without apprehension that the law may be openly resisted by a
+set of men who {115} have been accustomed to consider force as the only
+criterion of right.'
+
+Selkirk advanced to Fort William.  There is no record of his journey
+across the deep sounds and along the rock-girt shores of Lake Superior.
+His contingent was divided into two sections, possibly as soon as it
+emerged from the St Mary's river and entered Whitefish Bay.  Selkirk
+himself sped forward with the less cumbersome craft, while the
+soldier-settlers advanced more leisurely in their bateaux.  Early in
+August the vanguard came within sight of the islands that bar the
+approach to Thunder Bay.  Then, as their canoes slipped through the
+dark waters, they were soon abeam of that majestic headland, Thunder
+Cape, 'the aged Cape of Storms.'  Inside the bay they saw that long,
+low island known as the Sleeping Giant.  A portion of the voyageurs,
+led by a Canadian named Chatelain, disembarked upon an island about
+seven miles from Fort William.  Selkirk, with the rest of the advance
+party, went on.  Skirting the settlement at Fort William, they ascended
+the river Kaministikwia for about half a mile, and on the opposite bank
+from the fort, at a spot since known as Point De Meuron, they erected
+their temporary habitations.
+
+
+
+[1] The trader was probably Charles Grant, a clerk in the North-West
+Company's fort at Fond du Lac, and not Cuthbert Grant, the leader at
+Seven Oaks.
+
+
+
+
+{116}
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+FORT WILLIAM
+
+Fort William was the Mecca of the traders and voyageurs who served the
+North-West Company.  It was the divisional point and the warehousing
+centre of sixty trading-posts.  No less than five thousand persons were
+engaged in the trade which centred at Fort William.  During the season
+from May to September the traffic carried on at the fort was of the
+most active character.  A flotilla of boats and canoes would arrive
+from Lachine with multifarious articles of commerce for inland barter.
+These boats would then set out on their homeward journey laden with
+peltry gathered from far and near.  Every season two or three of the
+principal partners of the company arrived at the fort from Montreal.
+They were 'hyperborean nabobs,' who travelled with whatever luxury
+wealth could afford them on the express service by lake and stream.
+
+[Illustration: Fort William.  From an old print in the John Ross
+Robertson Collection, Toronto Public Library.]
+
+{117}
+
+At this time Fort William had the proportions of a good-sized village.
+Its structures were of wood and were of all shapes and sizes.  One
+commodious building near the centre of the fort, fronted by a wide
+verandah, immediately caught the eye of the visitor.  It contained a
+council-hall, the mercantile parliament-chamber of the Nor'westers.
+Under the same roof was a great banqueting-hall, in which two hundred
+persons could be seated.  In this hall were wont to gather the notables
+of the North-West Company, and any guests who were fortunate enough to
+gain admission.  Here, in the heart of the wilderness, there was no
+stint of food when the long tables were spread.  Chefs brought from
+Montreal prepared savoury viands; the brimming bowl was emptied and too
+often replenished; and the songs of this deep-throated race of
+merchantmen pealed to the rafters until revelry almost ended in riot.
+At one end of the room stood the bust of Simon M'Tavish, placed so that
+his gaze seemed to rest upon the proprietors and servants of the
+company he had called into being.  About the walls hung numerous
+portraits--one of the reigning monarch, George III, another of the
+Prince Regent, a third of Admiral Lord {118} Nelson.  Here, too, was a
+painting of the famous battle of the Nile, and a wonderful map of the
+fur-bearing country, the work of the intrepid explorer David Thompson.
+
+[Illustration: Simon M'Tavish, Founder of the North-West Company.  From
+a water-colour drawing in M'Gill University Library.]
+
+
+The unexpected appearance of Lord Selkirk in the vicinity of Fort
+William found the Nor'westers off their guard and created a great
+sensation.  It was a matter of common knowledge among the Nor'westers
+that Selkirk was on his way to the Red River with a squad of armed men,
+but they understood that he would follow the route leading past their
+fort at Fond du Lac.  There is evidence to show that a plot to compass
+Selkirk's death or seizure had been mooted some weeks before.  John
+Bourke, on the road to Fort William as a prisoner, had overheard a
+conversation between Alexander Macdonell and several other partners of
+the North-West Company.  This conversation had occurred at night, not
+far from Rainy Lake.  According to the story, Bourke was lying on the
+ground, seemingly asleep, when the partners, standing by a camp-fire,
+fell to discussing their recent coup at 'the Forks.'  Their talk
+drifted to the subject of Lord Selkirk's proposed visit to Assiniboia,
+and Macdonell assured the others {119} that the North-West Company had
+nothing to fear from Selkirk, and that if extreme measures were
+necessary Selkirk should be quietly assassinated.  'The half-breeds,'
+he declared, 'will take him while he is asleep, early in the morning.'
+Macdonell went so far as to mention the name of a Bois Brule who would
+be willing to bring Lord Selkirk down with his musket, if necessary.
+
+Bourke told to his fellow-prisoners, Patrick Corcoran and Michael
+Heden, what he had overheard.  It thus happened that when Heden now
+learned that the founder of Assiniboia was actually camping on the
+Kaministikwia, he became alarmed for his safety.  Though a prisoner, he
+seems to have had some liberty of movement.  At any rate, he was able
+to slip off alone and to launch a small boat.  Once afloat, he rowed to
+the island where Chatelain and his voyageurs had halted on the way to
+Fort William.  The water was boisterous, and Heden had great difficulty
+in piloting his craft.  He gained the island, however, and told
+Chatelain of his fear that Lord Selkirk might come to harm.  Heden
+returned to the fort, and was there taken to task and roughly handled
+for his temerity in going to see one of Lord Selkirk's servants.
+
+{120}
+
+On August 12 the second section of the contingent arrived with the
+experienced campaigners.  From the moment they raised their tents Lord
+Selkirk began to show a bold front against the Nor'westers.  Captain
+D'Orsonnens was entrusted on the day of his arrival with a letter from
+Selkirk to William M'Gillivray, the most prominent partner at Fort
+William.  In this M'Gillivray was asked his reason for holding in
+custody various persons whose names were given, and was requested to
+grant their immediate release.  M'Gillivray was surprisingly
+conciliatory.  He permitted several of the persons named in the letter
+to proceed at once to Selkirk's camp, and assured Lord Selkirk that
+they had never been prisoners.  John Bourke and Michael Heden he still
+retained, because their presence was demanded in the courts at Montreal.
+
+Acting as a justice of the peace, Selkirk now held a court in which he
+heard evidence from those whom M'Gillivray had surrendered.  Before the
+day was over he had secured sufficient information, as he thought, to
+justify legal action against certain of the partners at Fort William.
+He decided to arrest William M'Gillivray first, and sent two men as
+constables with a warrant against {121} M'Gillivray.  On the afternoon
+of August 13 these officers went down the river to the fort.  Along
+with them went a guard of nine men fully armed.  While the guard
+remained posted without, the constables entered the fort.  They found
+M'Gillivray in his room writing a letter.  He read the warrant which
+they thrust into his hand, and then without comment said that he was
+prepared to go with them.  His only desire was that two partners,
+Kenneth M'Kenzie and Dr John M'Loughlin, might accompany him to furnish
+bail.  The constables acceded to this request, and the three
+Nor'westers got into a canoe and were paddled to Point De Meuron.
+
+The officers conducted their prisoners to the Earl of Selkirk's tent.
+When Selkirk learned that the two other partners of the North-West
+Company were also in his power, he resolved upon an imprudent act, one
+which can scarcely be defended.  Not only did he refuse his prisoner
+bail; he framed indictments against M'Kenzie and M'Loughlin and ordered
+the constables to take them in charge.  A short examination of William
+M'Gillivray convinced Lord Selkirk that he would not be going beyond
+his powers were he to apprehend the remaining partners who {122} were
+at Fort William.  To accomplish this he drew up the necessary papers,
+and then sent the same constables to make the arrests.  Twenty-five De
+Meuron soldiers under Captain D'Orsonnens and Lieutenant Fauche were
+detailed as an escort.
+
+[Illustration: William M'Gillivray, a partner in the North-West
+Company.  From a photograph in the M'Gill University Library.]
+
+When the constables strode up the river bank to the fort to perform
+their official duty, they found a great throng of Canadians,
+half-breeds, and Indians gathered about the entrance.  D'Orsonnens and
+the bulk of the escort remained behind on the river within easy call.
+Near the gateway the officers saw two of the partners whom they were
+instructed to apprehend, and immediately served them with warrants.  A
+third partner, John M'Donald, made a sturdy show of resistance.  He
+declaimed against the validity of the warrant, and protested that no
+stranger dare enter the fort until William M'Gillivray was set free.  A
+scramble followed.  Some of the Nor'westers tried to close the gate,
+while the constables struggled to make their way inside.  When one of
+the constables shouted lustily for aid, the bugle blew at the boats.
+This was by prearrangement the signal to Captain Matthey at Point De
+Meuron that the constables had met with opposition.  The signal, {123}
+however, proved unnecessary.  In spite of the angry crowd at the
+entrance, Selkirk's men pushed open the gate of the fort.  They seized
+M'Donald, who struggled fiercely, and bore him away towards the boats.
+The soldiers marched up from the boats, and, in a moment, Fort William
+was in their possession.  Before further help arrived, in response to
+the bugle-call, the struggle was over.  Six partners of the North-West
+Company were taken to the boats and carried to Lord Selkirk's
+encampment.  These were John M'Donald, Daniel M'Kenzie, Allan M'Donald,
+Hugh M'Gillis, Alexander M'Kenzie, and Simon Fraser, the last named
+being the noted explorer.  Captain D'Orsonnens stationed a guard within
+the fort, and himself remained behind to search the papers of those who
+had been arrested.
+
+By the time Lord Selkirk had finished the examination of his fresh
+group of prisoners the hour was late.  He did not wish to keep any of
+the partners in confinement, and so he arranged that they should go
+back to their quarters at the fort for the night.  The prisoners
+promised that they would behave in seemly fashion, and do nothing of a
+hostile nature.  There is evidence to show that before {124} morning
+many papers were burned in the mess-room kitchen at the fort.  Word was
+also brought to Lord Selkirk that a quantity of firearms and ammunition
+had been removed from Fort William during the night.  In consequence of
+this information he issued another warrant, authorizing a 'search for
+arms.'  When the search was made fifty or more guns and fowling-pieces
+were found hidden among some hay in a barn.  Eight barrels of gunpowder
+were also found lying in a swampy place not far from the fort, and the
+manner in which the grass was trampled down indicated that the barrels
+had been deposited there very recently.  When Selkirk learned of this
+attempt to remove arms and ammunition, he felt justified in adopting
+stringent measures.  He ordered what was practically an occupation of
+Fort William.  Most of the Canadians, Bois Brules, and Indians in the
+service of the North-West Company were commanded to leave the fort and
+to cross to the other side of the river.  Their canoes were
+confiscated.  The nine partners were held as prisoners and closely
+watched.  Selkirk's force abandoned Point De Meuron and erected their
+tents on ground near Fort William.  The hearing was continued, and it
+{125} was finally decided that the accused should be committed for
+trial at York and conducted thither under a strong guard.
+
+Selkirk had not exceeded his authority as a justice of the peace in
+holding the investigations and in sending the partners for trial to the
+judicial headquarters of the province.  But he had also seized the
+property of the North-West Company and driven its servants from their
+fort, and this was straining his legal powers.  The task of taking the
+nine partners to York was entrusted to Lieutenant Fauche.  Three canoes
+were provisioned for the journey.  Indians regularly employed by the
+North-West Company were engaged as canoemen and guides.  On August 18
+the party set out from Fort William.  At first the journey went
+tranquilly enough.  On the eighth day, about one o'clock in the
+afternoon, the party drew up their canoes on Isle au Parisien, in
+Whitefish Bay, to take dinner.  A heavy westerly breeze sprang up, but
+they were on the leeward side of the island and did not notice its full
+strength.  Lieutenant Fauche had misgivings, however, and before he
+would resume the journey he consulted his prisoner, William
+M'Gillivray, who was an expert canoeman.  M'Gillivray was confident
+that {126} the 'traverse' to Sault Ste Marie could be made in safety if
+the Indian guides exercised great caution.  The guides, on the other
+hand, objected to leaving the island.  Their advice was not heeded, and
+the three canoes put out.  Very soon they were running before a squall
+and shipping water.  The first canoe turned its prow in the direction
+of Isle aux Erables, lying to the left, and the other two followed this
+example.  Near Isle aux Erables there were some shoals destined now to
+cause tragic disaster.  In attempting to pass these shoals the leading
+canoe was capsized.  The others, so heavily laden that they could do
+nothing to rescue their companions, paddled hurriedly to shore,
+unloaded part of their cargoes, and then hastened to the spot where
+their comrades were struggling in the stormy waters.  But it was too
+late.  In spite of the most heroic efforts nine of the twenty-one
+persons belonging to the wrecked canoe were drowned.  Kenneth M'Kenzie,
+of the North-West Company, was one of those who perished; six of the
+others were Indians; the remaining two were discharged soldiers.
+Another canoe was procured at Sault Ste Marie.  The party continued its
+journey and reached York on September 3.  Fauche at once sought the
+{127} attorney-general, in order to take proper legal steps, but found
+that he was absent.  The prisoners meanwhile applied for a writ of
+habeas corpus, and Fauche was instructed to take them to Montreal.
+This was to take them to the home of the Nor'westers, where they would
+be supported by powerful influences.  On September 10, when the
+partners arrived in Montreal, they were at once admitted to bail.
+
+Meanwhile, Lord Selkirk continued to exercise full sway over Fort
+William and its environs.  He had himself no misgivings whatever with
+regard to the legality of his treatment of the Nor'westers.  In his
+view he had taken possession of a place which had served, to quote his
+own words, 'the last of any in the British dominions, as an asylum for
+banditti and murderers, and the receptacle for their plunder.'  During
+the ensuing winter he sent out expeditions to capture the posts
+belonging to the North-West Company at Michipicoten, Rainy Lake, and
+Fond du Lac.  In March he commissioned a part of his followers to
+advance into the territory of Assiniboia to restore order.  The
+veterans whom he sent artfully arranged their journey so that they
+should approach 'the Forks' from {128} the south.  The Nor'westers in
+Fort Douglas were wholly unaware that a foe was advancing against them.
+On a blustering night, amid storm and darkness, Selkirk's men crept up
+to the walls, carrying ladders.  In a trice they had scaled the
+ramparts, and the fort was in their possession.
+
+On the first day of May 1817 Lord Selkirk himself went forward to the
+west from Fort William, taking with him the bodyguard which he had
+procured at Drummond Island.  He followed the fur traders' route up the
+Kaministikwia to Dog Lake, thence, by way of the waters which connect
+with Rainy Lake, on to the Lake of the Woods, and down the rushing
+Winnipeg.  After a journey of seven weeks he emerged from the
+forest-clad wilderness and saw for the first time the little row of
+farms which the toil of his long-suffering colonists had brought into
+being on the open plains.
+
+
+
+
+{129}
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+THE PIPE OF PEACE
+
+'The parish shall be Kildonan.'
+
+As Lord Selkirk spoke, he was standing in what is to-day the northern
+part of the city of Winnipeg.  A large gathering of settlers listened
+to his words.  The refugees of the year before, who were encamped on
+the Jack river, had returned to their homes, and now, in instituting a
+parish for them and creating the first local division in Assiniboia,
+Lord Selkirk was giving it a name reminiscent of the vales of
+Sutherlandshire.  'Here you shall build your church,' continued his
+lordship.  The Earl of Selkirk's religion was deep-seated, and he was
+resolved to make adequate provision for public worship.  'And that
+lot,' he said, indicating a piece of ground across a rivulet known as
+Parsonage Creek, 'is for a school.'  For his time he held what was
+advanced radical doctrine in regard to education, for he believed that
+there should be a common school in every parish.
+
+{130}
+
+Selkirk's genial presence and his magnanimity of character quickly
+banished any prejudices which the colonists had formed against him.  In
+view of the hardships they had endured, he divided among them, free of
+all dues, some additional land.  To the discharged soldiers he gave
+land on both sides of the river.  They were to live not far removed
+from Fort Douglas, in order that they might give speedy aid in case of
+trouble.  The settlers were enjoined to open roads, construct bridges,
+and build flour-mills at convenient places.
+
+Meanwhile, the disturbances in the fur country were being considered in
+the motherland.  When news of the Seven Oaks affair and of other acts
+of violence reached Great Britain, Lord Bathurst thought that the home
+government should take action.  He sent an official note to Sir John
+Sherbrooke, the governor of Canada, instructing him to deal with the
+situation.  Sherbrooke was to see that the forts, buildings, and
+property involved in the unhappy conflict should be restored to their
+rightful owners, and that illegal restrictions on trade should be
+removed.  When Sherbrooke received this dispatch, in February 1817, he
+selected two military {131} officers, Lieutenant-Colonel Coltman and
+Major Fletcher, to go to the Indian Territories in order to arbitrate
+upon the questions causing dissension.  The two commissioners left
+Montreal in May, escorted by forty men of the 37th regiment.  From
+Sault Ste Marie, Coltman journeyed on ahead, and arrived at 'the Forks'
+on July 5.  In Montreal he had formed the opinion that Lord Selkirk was
+a domineering autocrat.  Now, however, he concluded after inquiry that
+Selkirk was neither irrational nor self-seeking, and advised that the
+accusations against him should not be brought into the courts.  At the
+same time he bound Selkirk under bail of L10,000 to appear in Canada
+for trial.  When Coltman returned to Lower Canada in the autumn of
+1817, Sherbrooke was able to write the Colonial Office that 'a degree
+of tranquility' had been restored to the Indian Territories.
+
+While in the west Lord Selkirk had gained the respect of the Indians,
+and in token of their admiration they gave him the unusual name of the
+'Silver Chief,' Selkirk was anxious to extinguish the ancient title
+which the Indians had to the lands of Assiniboia, in order to prevent
+future disputes.  To effect this he brought together at Fort {132}
+Douglas a body of chiefs who represented the Cree and Saulteaux
+nations.  The Indian chiefs made eloquent speeches.  They said that
+they were willing to surrender their claim to a strip on either side of
+the Red River up-stream from its mouth as far as the Red Lake river
+(now Grand Forks, North Dakota), and on either side of the Assiniboine
+as far as its junction with the Muskrat.  Selkirk's desire was to
+obtain as much on each bank of these streams for the length agreed upon
+as could be seen under a horse's belly towards the horizon, or
+approximately two miles, and the Indians agreed.  At three places--at
+Fort Douglas, Fort Daer, and the confluence of the Red and Red Lake
+rivers--Selkirk wished to secure about six miles on each side of the
+Red River, and to this the chiefs agreed.  In the end, on July 18,
+1817, Selkirk concluded a treaty, after distributing presents.  It was
+the first treaty made by a subject of Great Britain with the tribes of
+Rupert's Land.  In signing it the several chiefs drew odd pictures of
+animals on a rough map of the territory in question.  These animals
+were their respective totems and were placed opposite the regions over
+which they claimed authority.  It was stipulated {133} that one hundred
+pounds of good tobacco should be given annually to each nation.
+
+Having finished his work, Lord Selkirk bade the colony adieu and
+journeyed southward.  He made his way through the unorganized
+territories which had belonged to the United States since the Louisiana
+Purchase of 1803, and at length reached the town of St Louis on the
+Mississippi.  Thence he proceeded to the New England States, and by way
+of Albany reached the province of Upper Canada.  Here he found that the
+agents of the North-West Company had been busy with plans to attack him
+in the courts.  There were four charges against him, and he was ordered
+to appear at Sandwich, a judicial centre on the Detroit.  The
+accusations related to his procedure at Fort William.  Selkirk
+travelled to Sandwich.  One of the charges was quickly dismissed.  The
+other three were held over, pending the arrival of witnesses, and he
+was released on bail to the amount of L350.
+
+In May 1818 Colin Robertson and several others were charged at Montreal
+with the wilful destruction of Fort Gibraltar, but the jury would not
+convict the accused upon the evidence presented.  In September, at the
+{134} judicial sessions at Sandwich, Lord Selkirk was again faced with
+charges.  A legal celebrity of the day, Chief Justice Dummer Powell,
+presided.  The grand jury complained that John Beverley Robinson, the
+attorney-general of the province, was interfering with their
+deliberations, and they refused to make a presentment.  Chief Justice
+Powell waited two days for their answer, and as it was not forthcoming
+he adjourned the case.  The actions were afterwards taken to York and
+were tried there.  For some reason the leaders of the political faction
+known in the annals of Upper Canada as the Family Compact were not
+friendly to Lord Selkirk; the Rev. John Strachan, the father-confessor
+of this group of politicians, was an open opponent.  As a result of the
+trials Selkirk was mulcted in damages to the extent of L2000.
+
+The courts of Lower Canada alone were empowered to deal with offences
+in the Indian Territories.  The governor-general of Canada could,
+however, transfer the trial of such cases to Upper Canada, if he saw
+fit.  This had been done in the case of the charges against Selkirk,
+and Sir John Sherbrooke, after consulting with the home authorities,
+decided to refer Selkirk's charges against the Nor'westers, in {135}
+connection with the events of 1815 and 1816 on the Red River, to the
+court of the King's Bench at its autumn sitting in York.  Beginning in
+October 1818, there were successive trials of persons accused by Lord
+Selkirk of various crimes.  The cases were heard by Chief Justice
+Powell, assisted by Judges Boulton and Campbell.  The evidence in
+regard to the massacre at Seven Oaks was full of interest.  A passage
+from the speech of one of the counsel for the defence shows the ideas
+then current in Canada as to the value of the prairie country.
+Sherwood, one of the counsel, emphatically declared that Robert Semple
+was not a governor; he was an emperor.  'Yes, gentlemen,' reiterated
+Sherwood, his voice rising, 'I repeat, an emperor--a bashaw in that
+land of milk and honey, where nothing, not even a blade of corn, will
+ripen.'  The result of the trials was disheartening to Selkirk.  Of the
+various prisoners who were accused not one was found guilty.
+
+Lord Selkirk did not attend the trials of the Nor'westers at York, and
+seems to have returned to Britain with his wife and children before the
+end of the year 1818.  He was ill and in a most melancholy state of
+mind.  {136} Unquestionably, he had not secured a full measure of
+justice in the courts of Canada.  A man strong in health might have
+borne his misfortunes more lightly.  As it was, Selkirk let his wrongs
+prey upon his spirit.  On March 19, 1819, he addressed a letter to Lord
+Liverpool, asking that the Privy Council should intervene in order to
+correct the erroneous findings of the Canadian courts.  Sir James
+Montgomery, Selkirk's brother-in-law, moved in the House of Commons, on
+June 24, that all official correspondence touching Selkirk's affairs
+should be produced.  The result was the publication of a large
+blue-book.  An effort was made to induce Sir Walter Scott to use his
+literary talents on his friend's behalf.  But at the time Scott was
+prostrate with illness and unable to help the friend of his youth.
+
+Meanwhile, Lord Selkirk's attachment for his colony on the Red River
+had not undergone any change.  One of the last acts of his life was to
+seek settlers in Switzerland, and a considerable number of Swiss
+families were persuaded to migrate to Assiniboia.  But the heads of
+these families were not fitted for pioneer life on the prairie.  For
+the most part they were poor musicians, pastry-cooks, {137}
+clock-makers, and the like, who knew nothing of husbandry.  Their chief
+contribution to the colony was a number of buxom, red-cheeked
+daughters, whose arrival in 1821 created a joyful commotion among the
+military bachelors at the settlement.  The fair newcomers were quickly
+wooed and won by the men who had served in Napoleon's wars, and
+numerous marriages followed.
+
+Selkirk's continued ill-health caused him to seek the temperate climate
+of the south of France, and there he died on April 8, 1820, at Pau, in
+the foothills of the Pyrenees.  His body was taken to Orthez, a small
+town some twenty-five miles away, and buried there in the Protestant
+cemetery.  The length of two countries separates Lord Selkirk's place
+of burial from his place of birth.  He has a monument in Scotland and a
+monument in France, but his most enduring monument is the great
+Canadian West of which he was the true founder.  His only son, Dunbar
+James Douglas, inherited the title, and when he died in 1885 the line
+of Selkirk became extinct.  Long before this the Selkirk family had
+broken the tie with the Canadian West.  In 1836 their rights in the
+country of Assiniboia, in so far as it lay in British territory, {138}
+were purchased by the Hudson's Bay Company for the sum of L84,000.
+
+The character of the fifth Earl of Selkirk has been alike lauded and
+vilified.  Shortly after his death the _Gentleman's Magazine_ commended
+his benefactions to the poor and his kindness as a landlord.  'To the
+counsels of an enlightened philosophy and an immovable firmness of
+purpose,' declared the writer, 'he added the most complete habits of
+business and a perfect knowledge of affairs.'  Sir Walter Scott wrote
+of Selkirk with abundant fervour.  'I never knew in my life,' said the
+Wizard of the North, 'a man of a more generous and disinterested
+disposition, or one whose talents and perseverance were better
+qualified to bring great and national schemes to conclusion.'  History
+has proved that Lord Selkirk was a man of dreams; it is false to say,
+however, that his were fruitless visions.  Time has fully justified his
+colonizing activity in relation to settlement on the Red River.  He was
+firmly convinced of what few in his day believed--that the soil of the
+prairie was fruitful and would give bread to the sower.  His worst
+fault was his partisanship.  In his eyes the Hudson's Bay Company was
+endowed with all the virtues; and he never properly {139} analysed the
+motives or recognized the achievements of its great rival.  Had he but
+ordered his representatives in Assiniboia to meet the Nor'westers
+half-way, distress and hardship might have been lessened, and violence
+might very probably have been entirely avoided.
+
+The presence of Lord Selkirk on the Red River had led to renewed energy
+on the part of the colonists.  They began to till the land, and in 1818
+the grain and vegetable crops promised an abundant yield.  In July,
+however, when the time of harvest was approaching, the settlers
+experienced a calamity that brought poverty for the present and despair
+for the future.  The sky was suddenly darkened by a great cloud of
+locusts, which had come from their breeding-places in the far
+south-west.  During a single night, 'crops, gardens, and every green
+herb in the settlement had perished, with the exception of a few ears
+of barley gleaned in the women's aprons.'  In the following year the
+plague reappeared; the insects came again, covering the ground so
+thickly that they 'might be shovelled with a spade.'  The stock of
+seed-grain was now almost exhausted, and the colonists resolved to send
+an expedition to the Mississippi for a fresh supply.  Two hundred {140}
+and fifty bushels of grain were secured at Lord Selkirk's expense, and
+brought back on flatboats to the colony.  Never since that time has
+there been a serious lack of seed on the Red River.
+
+The year 1821 brings us to a milestone in the history of the Canadian
+West, and at this point our story terminates.  After Lord Selkirk's
+death the two great fur-trading companies realized the folly of
+continuing their disastrous rivalry, and made preparations to bury
+their differences.  Neither company had been making satisfactory
+profits.  In Great Britain especially, where only the echoes of the
+struggle had been heard, was there an increasing desire that the two
+companies should unite.  One of the foremost partners of the North-West
+Company was Edward Ellice, a native of Aberdeenshire, and member of the
+House of Commons for Coventry.  Ellice championed the party among the
+Nor'westers who were in favour of union, and the two M'Gillivrays,
+Simon and William, earnestly seconded his efforts.  Terms acceptable to
+both companies were at length agreed upon.  On March 26, 1821, a formal
+document, called a 'deed-poll,' outlining the basis of union, was
+signed by the two parties {141} in London.  In 1822 Edward Ellice
+introduced a bill in parliament making the union of the companies
+legal.  The name of the North-West Company was dropped; the new
+corporation was to be known as the Hudson's Bay Company.  Thus passed
+away for ever the singular partnership of the North-West Company which
+had made Montreal a market for furs and had built up Fort William in
+the depths of the forest.  No longer did two rival trading-posts stand
+by lake or stream.  No longer did two rival camp-fires light up blazed
+tree-trunk or grass-strewn prairie by the long and sinuous trail.  From
+Labrador to Vancouver, and from the Arctic to the southern confines of
+the Canadian West and farther, the British flag, with H.B.C. on its
+folds, was to wave over every trading-post.  Midway between the
+Atlantic and the Pacific a little hamlet was to struggle into life, to
+struggle feebly for many years--a mere adjunct of a fur-trading post;
+but at length it was to come into its own, and Winnipeg, the proudest
+city of the plains, was in time to rear its palaces on the spot where
+for long years the Red River Colony battled for existence against human
+enemies and the obstacles of nature.
+
+
+
+
+{142}
+
+BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
+
+PRIMARY SOURCES
+
+The Selkirk Papers in the Dominion Archives consist of seventy-nine
+portfolios containing transcripts of correspondence, legal evidence,
+and other proceedings relating to the Earl of Selkirk's colonizing
+enterprises.
+
+Lord Selkirk's principal works are: _Observations on the Present State
+of the Highlands in Scotland_ (published in 1805 and describing the
+journey to Prince Edward Island, etc., in 1803); _On the Necessity of a
+more Efficient System of National Defence_ (1808); _A Sketch of the
+British Fur Trade in North America_ (1816).
+
+The Letter Book of Miles Macdonell--July 27, 1811, to February 25, 1812
+(Dominion Archives Report, 1886)--contains ten letters addressed by
+Macdonell to Selkirk from Yarmouth, Stornoway, York Factory, and Nelson
+Encampment; besides others to various individuals.
+
+In consequence of the disasters which befell the Red River Colony in
+1815 and 1816, there appeared in Great Britain _A Statement respecting
+the Earl of Selkirk's Settlement upon the Red River in North America,
+etc._ (republished by John Murray, {143} London, 1817).  In answer to
+this the North-West Company put forth _A Narrative of Occurrences in
+the Indian Countries, etc._ (1817), to which were appended twenty-nine
+documents to substantiate claims made.  These works, although written
+in a partisan spirit, contain information which cannot be had from any
+other source.
+
+The following are also useful: John M'Leod's Diary, 1815; Letter of
+Cuthbert Grant to J. D. Cameron, March 13, 1816; North-West Company's
+Account Book for Fort Gibraltar, 1815; Governor Macdonell's
+Proclamation, January 1814; Charter of the Hudson's Bay Company;
+Colonel W. B. Coltman's Report, 1817; A. Amos, _Report of the Trials in
+the Courts of Canada relative to the Destruction of the Earl of
+Selkirk's Settlement on the Red River, with Observations_ (1820);
+_Trials of the Earl of Selkirk against the North-West Company in 1818_
+(Montreal, 1819); Notices of the Claims of the Hudson's Bay Company,
+and the Conduct of its Adversaries (Montreal, 1817); Chief Justice
+Powell's Report _re_ North-West Disputes (Dominion Archives Report,
+1897); a pamphlet against Lord Selkirk by John Strachan, D. D. (1816),
+and the reply thereto by Archibald Macdonald (1816); the communications
+of 'Mercator' appearing in the Montreal _Herald_ (1816); Blue-book on
+Red River Settlement (Imperial House of Commons, 1819); Original
+Letters regarding the Selkirk Settlement (Manitoba Historical and
+Scientific Society, 1889); Lord Selkirk's Treaty {144} with the Western
+Indians (_vide_ Appendix to _The Treaties of Canada_ by Alexander
+Morris, 1880).
+
+
+SECONDARY MATERIAL
+
+Since the present story closes with 1821, it is necessary to classify
+as secondary material a work that is to be regarded as a primary source
+on the later history of the colony--_The Red River Settlement_ (1856)
+by Alexander Ross.  Ross was a pioneer emigrant to the colony of
+Astoria on the Pacific Coast.  In 1817 he entered the service of the
+North-West Company; after the union of the fur companies in 1821 he
+remained in the employ of the Hudson's Bay Company.  In 1825 he went as
+a settler to the Red River Colony, where he soon became an influential
+officer.  His narrative is vigorous in style as well as fair-minded in
+its criticisms, and is an indispensable authority on the beginnings of
+Manitoba.
+
+The most prolific writer upon the career of Lord Selkirk and the
+history of the Red River Colony is Professor George Bryce, of Winnipeg,
+who has been a resident at 'the Forks' of the Red and Assiniboine
+rivers since 1871.  He has thus been in a position to gather and
+preserve the traditions handed down by redskin, trapper, and colonist.
+Consult his _Romantic Settlement of Lord Selkirk's Colonists_ (1909);
+also_ Manitoba: Infancy, Progress and Present Condition_ (1872); _The
+Remarkable History of the Hudson's Bay Company_ (1900); _Mackenzie,
+Selkirk and Simpson_ (1906).
+
+{145}
+
+An account of Lord Selkirk will be found in Kingsford, _History of
+Canada_, vol. ix.  The reader should also consult, in _Canada and its
+Provinces_ (vol. xix), the excellent monograph by Professor Chester
+Martin.  This is the most recent and probably the most thoroughly
+grounded study of the Red River Colony.  The same work contains a good
+account of the Selkirk Settlement in Prince Edward Island (vol. xiii,
+p. 354) by Dr Andrew Macphail.  The Baldoon Settlement is treated of by
+Dr George W. Mitchell in the _Proceedings of the Ontario Historical
+Society_ for 1913.  See also the monograph, 'Pioneer Settlements' [of
+Upper Canada], by A. C. Casselman in _Canada and its Provinces_, vol.
+xvii.
+
+
+
+
+{147}
+
+INDEX
+
+Assiniboia, the seat of Selkirk's colony on the Red River, 35-36.  See
+Red River Colony.
+
+Assiniboines, and Red River Colony, 36; their friendliness, 56, 57.
+
+
+Baldoon Farm, Selkirk's settlement at, 18-20.
+
+Bathurst, Lord, colonial secretary, 91, 130.
+
+Beaver Club, entertain Lord Selkirk, 20-1.
+
+Bois Brules, their hostility to the Red River colonists, 54, 60; attack
+Colony Gardens, 77-9, 86; at Seven Oaks, 95-101; their savage orgy at
+Fort Douglas, 106.
+
+Boucher, Francois, his parley with Governor Semple at Seven Oaks, 97-8.
+
+Bourke, John, store-keeper of Colony Gardens, 76; severely wounded at
+Seven Oaks, 95 n., 96, 99, 100, 103; charged with felony, 105, 120;
+overhears plot to assassinate Lord Selkirk, 118-19.
+
+Brandon House, a Hudson's Bay Company post, 65, 66; captured by
+Cuthbert Grant, 89.
+
+Burke, Father, accompanies first contingent of Red River colonists, 44,
+50.
+
+Burns, Robert, at St Mary's Isle, 5-6.
+
+
+Cameron, Duncan, a partner of the North-West Company, 68; his imposture
+and work of destruction at Colony Gardens, 69-73, 75, 76; taken
+prisoner at Fort Gibraltar, 84; sent to England for trial, 87.
+
+Campbell, George, a traitor in the camp at Colony Gardens, 71, 73.
+
+Churchill river, Selkirk's colonists winter on, 62.
+
+Colony Gardens, 59.  See Red River Colony.
+
+Coltman, Lieut.-Col., arbitrates between Lord Selkirk and the
+North-West Company, 131.
+
+Corcoran, Patrick, at Seven Oaks, 105, 119.
+
+Coureurs de bois, the, 25.
+
+Crees, and Red River Colony, 95, 102 n., 132; and the North-West
+Company, 106.
+
+Currie, Archibald, in the defence of Colony Gardens, 79.
+
+
+Daer, Lord Basil, and Robert Burns, 5.
+
+De Meuron regiment, provides recruits for Red River Colony, 109-10,
+122, 130.
+
+D'Orsonnens, Captain, enlists with Lord Selkirk, 110; at Fort William,
+120, 122, 123.
+
+Drummond, Sir Gordon, refuses Lord Selkirk armed assistance, 91-2, 93.
+
+
+Ellice, Edward, his bill to legalize the union of the North-West and
+the Hudson Bay Companies, 140-1.
+
+
+Family Compact, the, and Lord Selkirk, 134.
+
+Fauche, Lieut., enlists with Lord Selkirk, 110; at Fort William, 122;
+takes North-West Company partners to Montreal for trial, 125-7.
+
+Findlay, William, an obdurate Orkneyman, 49.
+
+Fletcher, Major, arbitrates between Lord Selkirk and the North-West
+Company, 131.
+
+Fort Daer, the Red River colonists' winter quarters on the Pembina, 58,
+85.
+
+Fort Douglas, in Colony Gardens, 85; evacuated, 102, 105; occupied by
+Nor'westers, 128; retaken, 128.
+
+Fort Gibraltar, the North-West Company post on the Red River, 55-6, 74,
+75, 84; demolished, 87.
+
+Fort Qu'Appelle, a North-West Company post, 88.
+
+Fort William, 66-7, 113, 115; the Mecca of the North-West Company,
+116-18; taken and occupied by Lord Selkirk, 123-4.
+
+Fraser, Simon, explorer, his arrest at Fort William, 123, 124-5.
+
+
+Glengarry Fencibles, provide recruits for Red River Colony, 110, 130.
+
+Graffenreid, Lieut., enlists with Lord Selkirk, 110.
+
+Grant, Charles, bribes Indians to waylay Laguimoniere, 112 and note.
+
+Grant, Cuthbert, attacks Colony Gardens, 77, 86; captures Brandon
+House, 88, 89; leads in Seven Oaks massacre, 95, 99, 101-2, 105.
+
+
+Heden, Michael, escapes at Seven Oaks, 95 n., 100, 102, 103, 104, 105;
+and Lord Selkirk's safety, 119, 120.
+
+Highlanders of Scotland, their loyalty, 9-10, 11; their conditions of
+life, 9, 10-11; dispossessed of their heritage, 12-13; their
+expatriation, 13-14, 16-17, 18-20, 27-8, 38-43, 61-3, 83.
+
+Hillier, a magistrate at York Factory, 49.
+
+Holt, Lieut., killed at Seven Oaks, 98.
+
+Hudson Bay, Red River colonists winter on, 45-51, 62.
+
+Hudson's Bay Company, 25-6, 80; and Lord Selkirk's emigration scheme,
+17; their flawless charter, 22-3, 30; some early troubles, 28-9; their
+grant of land to Lord Selkirk, 31-4; appoint a governor over
+Assiniboia, 83; and purchase Lord Selkirk's rights, 137-8; their union
+with the North-West Company, 140-1.
+
+
+Indians, their relations with Red River Colony, 36, 54, 56, 57, 78, 89,
+95, 102 n., 112-13.
+
+Isle aux Erables, canoe disaster at, 126.
+
+
+Johnson, Lionel, with Selkirk's settlers at Baldoon Farm, 19.
+
+Jones, Captain John Paul, his raid on the British coasts, 1-3.
+
+
+Katawabetay, a Chippewa chief, 74; meets Lord Selkirk, 112-13.
+
+Keveny, Owen, arrives with party of Irish colonists at Colony Gardens,
+58.
+
+Kildonan parish, in Scotland, 61, 83; in Winnipeg, 129.
+
+Kilkenny, Michael, escapes at Seven Oaks, 100.
+
+
+Laguimoniere, brings news of restoration of Colony Gardens to Lord
+Selkirk, 93; waylaid and robbed on his return, 94, 112.
+
+Lavigne, Augustin, with the Nor'westers at Seven Oaks, 99, 106.
+
+Liverpool, Lord, and Selkirk's charges against the North-West Company,
+136.
+
+
+Macdonald, Archibald, deputy-governor of Assiniboia, 73.
+
+M'Donald, John, his arrest at Fort William, 122-3, 124-5.
+
+M'Donald, Capt. Roderick, Selkirk's agent in Glasgow, 37-8.
+
+Macdonell, Alexander, a partner of the North-West Company, 68, 86, 87,
+88; destroys Colony Gardens, 69, 73-4, 77-79; organizes a raid on Fort
+Douglas, 89, 94-5; and the massacre at Seven Oaks, 102-103, 105, 107;
+his plot to assassinate Lord Selkirk, 118-19.
+
+Macdonell, Anthony, taken prisoner at Seven Oaks, 100.
+
+Macdonell, Capt. Miles, first governor of Assiniboia, 36-7, 74; his
+herculean task, 40-2, 44; establishes winter quarters on the Nelson,
+45-6, 47; his opinion of the emigrants, 47-51; officially inaugurates
+Red River Colony, 55-6; erects Fort Daer, 57-8; his disastrous
+proclamation, 63-64, 65, 67; surrenders himself to Cameron, 76-7, 93;
+sent to Red River in advance of Lord Selkirk, 111, 113.
+
+M'Gillivray, William, a partner of the North-West Company, 66 n.; his
+arrest at Fort William, 120-1, 124-5; an expert canoeman, 125-6;
+favours union with the Hudson's Bay Company, 140.
+
+M'Intosh, James, in the defence of Colony Gardens, 79.
+
+M'Kay, Daniel, escapes at Seven Oaks, 100, 105.
+
+Mackenzie, Sir Alexander, explorer, and Lord Selkirk, 15, 31.
+
+Mackenzie, Captain, and the nine-pound shot, 41.
+
+M'Kenzie, Kenneth, his arrest at Fort William, 121, 124-5; drowned, 126.
+
+M'Lean, Alexander, 72; killed at Seven Oaks, 100.
+
+M'Lean, Hugh, his defence of Colony Gardens, 78, 79.
+
+M'Leod, Archibald Norman, a partner of the North-West Company, 94; as
+magistrate of Indian Territories examines evicted Red River colonists,
+103-5; at Fort Douglas, 105-7.
+
+M'Leod, John, his gallant defence of Colony Gardens, 77-78, 79; his
+guardianship, 82-83, 85.
+
+M'Loughlin, Dr John, his arrest at Fort William, 121, 124-5.
+
+M'Nab, John, buys Baldoon Farm from Lord Selkirk, 20.
+
+M'Tavish, Simon, founder of the North-West Company, 20, 117.
+
+Matthey, Captain, enlists with Lord Selkirk, 110; at Fort William, 122.
+
+Metis, 54.  See Bois Brules.
+
+Montgomery, Sir  James, brother-in-law of Lord Selkirk, 136.
+
+
+Napoleon I, 16; his Berlin Decree, 29.
+
+Nelson river, New Year celebrations on the, 48-9.
+
+New Nation, the, 85, 86.  See Bois Brules.
+
+North-West Company, 23-5, 117; entertain Lord Selkirk in Montreal,
+20-1; their opposition to his colonizing schemes, 31-2, 38, 40-1, 55,
+67, 133; their antagonism towards Red River Colony, 55-6, 60, 63-4,
+65-6, 67; their efforts to destroy the colony, 74-5, 89-90; the Seven
+Oaks massacre, 95-101; trial of partners at York, 134-5; union with the
+Hudson's Bay Company, 140-1.
+
+Norway House, a Hudson's Bay Company post, 52, 78.
+
+
+Ottawas, waylay Lord Selkirk's messenger, 112.
+
+
+Pambrun, Pierre, held prisoner by the Nor'westers, 88-9, 102.
+
+Pangman, Peter, and Cuthbert Grant, 88.
+
+Pelham, Lord, and Selkirk's scheme of emigration, 15, 16, 17.
+
+Powell, Chief Justice, and the trial of Lord Selkirk, 134; and the
+Nor'westers, 135.
+
+Prince Edward Island, Selkirk's colony on, 17-18.
+
+Pritchard, John, taken prisoner at Seven Oaks, 95 n., 97, 98; acts as
+mediator, 101-2, 104, 105.
+
+
+Red River Colony, 32, 141; its extent and position, 33-4, 132;
+conditions of settlement, 35, 110; types of settlers, 37-8, 39, 40, 42,
+47, 48, 51, 63, 83, 108-10, 136-7; the departure of first contingent of
+colonists from Stornoway, 38-43; reach Hudson Bay, 44-5; and winter on
+the Nelson, 45-51; journey to Red River, 51-4; the official
+inauguration of the colony, 55-6; relations with the Indians, 54, 56,
+57, 74, 78, 89, 95, 102 n., 112-13, 132; dire straits of colonists in
+winter, 57-8, 59-60, 85; the arrival of Irish colonists, 58; Colony
+Gardens built, 59; the arrival of Sutherland men, 61-63; exodus of the
+settlers, 76, 78; Colony Gardens destroyed, 77-9; restored, 81-82; a
+fourth contingent of colonists, 83; the Seven Oaks massacre, 95-102;
+the second expulsion, 102-4; Lord Selkirk arrives, 128-30; the locust
+plagues, 139-40; comes into its own, 141.  See Highlanders.
+
+Reed, Collector, a tool of the Nor'westers, 40.
+
+Robertson, Colin, his grievance against the North-West Company, 37,
+80-1; restores Colony Gardens, 81-2; his revenge at Fort Gibraltar,
+84-5, 86-7, 101, 104, 133.
+
+Robinson, J. B., attorney-general of Upper Canada, 127, 134.
+
+Rogers, Captain, killed at Seven Oaks, 98, 100.
+
+Rupert's Land, Lord Selkirk's Colony in, 32, 132.
+
+
+Saint Anne's chapel, a halting-place of the coureurs de bois, 25.
+
+St Mary's Isle, the Selkirk mansion on, 2-3, 4.
+
+Saulteaux, and Red River Colony, 78, 89, 102 n., 132; and the
+North-West Company, 106.
+
+Scott, Sir Walter, his friendship with Lord Selkirk, 7, 27, 136, 138.
+
+Selkirk, fourth Earl of, 2; a patron of letters, 5.
+
+Selkirk, fifth Earl of, his boyhood, 3, 4, 5, 6; at Edinburgh
+University, 6-7; studies the conditions of life in the Highlands, 8,
+14; succeeds to the title, 14; his scheme of emigration, 15-16, 27-8,
+32, 35-6; his colony on Prince Edward Island, 16-18; at Baldoon Farm,
+18-20; feted by fur merchants of Montreal, 20-1; his speech on national
+defence in the House of Lords, 27; his marriage, 28; his efforts in
+securing a grant of land in Assiniboia, 28-35; his colony at Red River,
+55-63, 76-83; endeavours to persuade the government to send armed
+assistance to his colony, 91-4; his message of encouragement, 94; his
+relief expedition, 108, 110-11, 113, 115, 127-8; at Indian council on
+Drummond Island, 112-13; hears of the Seven Oaks disaster and makes for
+Fort William, 113-15, 118; takes possession of the fort and arrests the
+partners of the North-West Company, 120-7; arrives at Colony Gardens,
+128-9, 130; receives the name of 'Silver Chief' and concludes a treaty
+with the Indians, 131-3; his trial, 131, 133, 134; his charges against
+the North-West Company, 70, 87, 134-6; his death, 137; his character,
+5, 7, 14, 120, 131, 138-9.
+
+Selkirk, sixth Earl of, 92, 137.
+
+Semple, Robert, governor-in-chief in Assiniboia, 84, 86, 87, 95, 135;
+killed at Seven Oaks, 95-9.
+
+Seven Oaks, the massacre of, 95-102 and note, 130; the trial of
+Nor'westers, 135.
+
+Sherbrooke, Sir John, governor of Canada, 114, 130-1, 134-135.
+
+Sherwood, counsel for Nor'westers, 135.
+
+Spencer, John, enforces Governor Macdonell's decree on the Nor'westers,
+65-6.
+
+Stornoway, the departure of emigrants from, 38-43.
+
+Strachan, Rev. John, his antagonism to Lord Selkirk, 134.
+
+Sutherland, George, 88, 89; escapes at Seven Oaks, 100.
+
+Sutherland, Elder James, authorized to baptize and perform the marriage
+ceremony at Colony Gardens, 84.
+
+
+War of 1812, and Selkirk's settlement at Baldoon Farm, 19, 109.
+
+Watteville regiment, provides recruits for Red River Colony, 109-10,
+130.
+
+Wedderburn-Colvile, James, father-in-law of Lord Selkirk, 28, 30.
+
+White, James, surgeon at Colony Gardens, 75; killed at Seven Oaks, 100.
+
+Wilkinson, Dr, killed at Seven Oaks, 100.
+
+Winnipeg, site of Colony Gardens, 53, 129, 141.
+
+
+
+
+  Printed by T. and A. Constable, Printers to His Majesty
+  at the Edinburgh University Press
+
+
+
+
+THE CHRONICLES OF CANADA
+
+THIRTY-TWO VOLUMES ILLUSTRATED
+
+Edited by GEORGE M. WRONG and H. H. LANGTON
+
+
+
+THE CHRONICLES OF CANADA
+
+PART I
+
+THE FIRST EUROPEAN VISITORS
+
+1.  THE DAWN OF CANADIAN HISTORY
+    By Stephen Leacock.
+
+2.  THE MARINER OF ST MALO
+    By Stephen Leacock.
+
+
+PART II
+
+THE RISE OF NEW FRANCE
+
+3.  THE FOUNDER OF NEW FRANCE
+    By Charles W. Colby.
+
+4.  THE JESUIT MISSIONS
+    By Thomas Guthrie Marquis.
+
+5.  THE SEIGNEURS OF OLD CANADA
+    By William Bennett Munro.
+
+6.  THE GREAT INTENDANT
+    By Thomas Chapais.
+
+7.  THE FIGHTING GOVERNOR
+    By Charles W. Colby.
+
+
+PART III
+
+THE ENGLISH INVASION
+
+8.  THE GREAT FORTRESS
+    By William Wood.
+
+9.  THE ACADIAN EXILES
+    By Arthur G. Doughty.
+
+10.  THE PASSING OF NEW FRANCE
+     By William Wood.
+
+11.  THE WINNING OF CANADA
+     By William Wood.
+
+
+PART IV
+
+THE BEGINNINGS OF BRITISH CANADA
+
+12.  THE FATHER OF BRITISH CANADA
+     By William Wood.
+
+13.  THE UNITED EMPIRE LOYALISTS
+     By W. Stewart Wallace.
+
+14.  THE WAR WITH THE UNITED STATES
+     By William Wood.
+
+
+PART V
+
+THE RED MAN IN CANADA
+
+15.  THE WAR CHIEF OF THE OTTAWAS
+     By Thomas Guthrie Marquis.
+
+16.  THE WAR CHIEF OF THE SIX NATIONS
+     By Louis Aubrey Wood.
+
+17.  TECUMSEH: THE LAST GREAT LEADER OF HIS PEOPLE
+     By Ethel T. Raymond.
+
+
+PART VI
+
+PIONEERS OF THE NORTH AND WEST
+
+18.  THE 'ADVENTURERS OF ENGLAND' ON HUDSON BAY
+     By Agnes C. Laut.
+
+19.  PATHFINDERS OF THE GREAT PLAINS
+     By Lawrence J. Burpee.
+
+20.  ADVENTURERS OF THE FAR NORTH
+     By Stephen Leacock.
+
+21.  THE RED RIVER COLONY
+     By Louis Aubrey Wood.
+
+22.  PIONEERS OF THE PACIFIC COAST
+     By Agnes C. Laut.
+
+23.  THE CARIBOO TRAIL
+     By Agnes C. Laut.
+
+
+PART VII
+
+THE STRUGGLE FOR POLITICAL FREEDOM
+
+24.  THE FAMILY COMPACT
+     By W. Stewart Wallace.
+
+25.  THE 'PATRIOTES' OF '37
+     By Alfred D. DeCelles.
+
+26.  THE TRIBUNE OF NOVA SCOTIA
+     By William Lawson Grant.
+
+27.  THE WINNING OF POPULAR GOVERNMENT
+     By Archibald MacMechan.
+
+
+PART VIII
+
+THE GROWTH OF NATIONALITY
+
+28.  THE FATHERS OF CONFEDERATION
+     By A. H. U. Colquhoun.
+
+29.  THE DAY OF SIR JOHN MACDONALD
+     By Sir Joseph Pope.
+
+30.  THE DAY OF SIR WILFRID LAURIER
+     By Oscar D. Skelton.
+
+
+PART IX
+
+NATIONAL HIGHWAYS
+
+31.  ALL AFLOAT
+     By William Wood.
+
+32.  THE RAILWAY BUILDERS
+     By Oscar D. Skelton.
+
+
+
+TORONTO: GLASGOW, BROOK & COMPANY
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's The Red River Colony, by Louis Aubrey Wood
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE RED RIVER COLONY ***
+
+***** This file should be named 30040.txt or 30040.zip *****
+This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
+        https://www.gutenberg.org/3/0/0/4/30040/
+
+Produced by Al Haines
+
+Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
+will be renamed.
+
+Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
+one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
+(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
+permission and without paying copyright royalties.  Special rules,
+set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
+copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
+protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark.  Project
+Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
+charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission.  If you
+do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
+rules is very easy.  You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
+such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
+research.  They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
+practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks.  Redistribution is
+subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
+redistribution.
+
+
+
+*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
+https://gutenberg.org/license).
+
+
+Section 1.  General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works
+
+1.A.  By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement.  If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
+all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
+If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
+terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
+entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
+
+1.B.  "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark.  It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement.  There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement.  See
+paragraph 1.C below.  There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
+and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.  See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C.  The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
+or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works.  Nearly all the individual works in the
+collection are in the public domain in the United States.  If an
+individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
+located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
+copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
+works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
+are removed.  Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
+Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
+freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
+this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
+the work.  You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
+keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D.  The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work.  Copyright laws in most countries are in
+a constant state of change.  If you are outside the United States, check
+the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
+before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
+creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
+Gutenberg-tm work.  The Foundation makes no representations concerning
+the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
+States.
+
+1.E.  Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1.  The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
+access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
+whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
+copied or distributed:
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+1.E.2.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
+from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
+posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
+and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
+or charges.  If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
+with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
+work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
+through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
+Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
+1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
+terms imposed by the copyright holder.  Additional terms will be linked
+to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
+permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4.  Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5.  Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6.  You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
+word processing or hypertext form.  However, if you provide access to or
+distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
+"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
+posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
+you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
+copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
+request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
+form.  Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7.  Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8.  You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
+that
+
+- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+     the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+     you already use to calculate your applicable taxes.  The fee is
+     owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
+     has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
+     Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.  Royalty payments
+     must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
+     prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
+     returns.  Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
+     sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
+     address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
+     the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+     you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+     does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+     License.  You must require such a user to return or
+     destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
+     and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
+     Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
+     money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+     electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
+     of receipt of the work.
+
+- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+     distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9.  If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
+forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
+both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
+Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark.  Contact the
+Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1.  Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
+collection.  Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
+"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
+corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
+property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
+computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
+your equipment.
+
+1.F.2.  LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees.  YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3.  YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3.  LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from.  If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
+your written explanation.  The person or entity that provided you with
+the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
+refund.  If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
+providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
+receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund.  If the second copy
+is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
+opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4.  Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER
+WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
+WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5.  Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
+If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
+law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
+interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
+the applicable state law.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any
+provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6.  INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
+with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
+promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
+harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
+that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
+or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
+work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
+Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
+
+
+Section  2.  Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
+including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers.  It exists
+because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
+people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come.  In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
+To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
+and the Foundation web page at https://www.pglaf.org.
+
+
+Section 3.  Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
+Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service.  The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541.  Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
+https://pglaf.org/fundraising.  Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
+permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
+Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
+throughout numerous locations.  Its business office is located at
+809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
+business@pglaf.org.  Email contact links and up to date contact
+information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
+page at https://pglaf.org
+
+For additional contact information:
+     Dr. Gregory B. Newby
+     Chief Executive and Director
+     gbnewby@pglaf.org
+
+
+Section 4.  Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
+spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment.  Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States.  Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements.  We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance.  To
+SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
+particular state visit https://pglaf.org
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States.  U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses.  Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including including checks, online payments and credit card
+donations.  To donate, please visit: https://pglaf.org/donate
+
+
+Section 5.  General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
+concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
+with anyone.  For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
+Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
+
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
+unless a copyright notice is included.  Thus, we do not necessarily
+keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
+
+
+Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
+
+     https://www.gutenberg.org
+
+This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
diff --git a/30040.zip b/30040.zip
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7675892
--- /dev/null
+++ b/30040.zip
diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6312041
--- /dev/null
+++ b/LICENSE.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements,
+metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be
+in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES.
+
+Procedures for determining public domain status are described in
+the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org.
+
+No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in
+jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize
+this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright
+status under the laws that apply to them.
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3b815f5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for
+eBook #30040 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/30040)