We return to Victoria--War parties abroad--Father's influence over
the Indians--We organize a big fresh meat hunt--David's first buffalo
hunt--Mark's adventure with a war party--Surrounded by
wolves--Incidents of our journey--Preparing for the winter.
Soon the autumn was past, the most of our wandering people had gone,
and we made ready to travel back to Victoria. Mark, whose wife had
died during the epidemic of the previous spring, left his motherless
children with their grandparents and his brothers, and went with us.
He said his heart was sore and he would go with us in order to be
comforted.
Carefully we scouted past Edmonton, for this was the season of
activity for the scalp-taker and horse-thief, but we reached the
older Mission without any mishap. Here we found everybody busy at
the necessary work of preparing for the winter, which always involved
a considerable amount of labor. The usual excitement over the coming
and going of war parties had taken place. Mother and sisters had
spent days and nights in a sort of semi-terror because of the wild
conduct of these people, which even Maskepetoon's strong influence
could not wholly control, though doubtless this grand old man's firm
friendship for the white man, and especially for those of our
Mission, was the main reason that no violence was attempted.
Under such conditions we were at times glad to see the large camps
break up and in sections depart for a season. The great country
around us gave the more turbulent and restless of these nomads a fine
field wherein to work off their surplus energy in war and hunting.
In the management of affairs during the presence of complex
multitudes of wild men at the Mission father was well qualified to
act prudently. He knew when to concede as well as to demand, and
thus wisely never ran the risk of having his authority and influence
brought into question. Moreover, he was a thorough democrat. To him
an Indian was as good as any other man, and was given precisely the
same treatment. There was none of "the inflated, superior style of
man" in father's manner to anybody, either white or red. And this
was very soon noticed by these "quick-sighted students of their
fellow-men." He was a friend, and as such he became known among
these western tribes.
Now the keen frosty nights were with us once more, and time was come
for our fresh-meat hunt. In this we were joined by quite a number of
the half-breeds. Our pickets of guards were more numerous, and
larger, and thus one did not come on duty so often, an appreciable
change; for it was dismal work during those long cold nights moving
about the silent camp, keeping vigilant watch and looking with
pardonable longing for the morning.
Our course this time was south, and on the fourth day out we came
upon the buffalo. At once the work of running, killing, butchering
and hauling began. This was my brother David's first sight of this
kind of game, and in the excitement he lost his hat and had to go the
rest of the way bareheaded. But this was a small matter; many a man
under like circumstances has lost his head for the time being. No
wonder David lost his hat. The novelty and intense excitement of the
whole thing and the hunter's rapture in bringing down such noble game
was enough to make one's head too large for an ordinary hat.
Our camp of an evening would be a strange sight to one unacquainted
with life on the plains. The huge fires, sides of ribs, heads of
buffalos, marrow bones, squares of tripe, and other portions of the
carcase, all in various processes of cooking; every man armed and
fully ready for an attack; the guards occasionally coming within the
glare of the camp-fire; horses and cattle closely guarded, and a
constant sense of insecurity evident on every hand; men with guns
ready at hand eating and drinking, or mending harness, moccasins, or
carts. After the evening song and prayer the men stretched
themselves to sleep just as they had hunted and worked during the
day. There was no taking off of moccasins or clothing. If one
removed his powder-horn and shot-pouch he fastened both to his gun,
so that with one quick grip he had the whole in his hand and was
ready.
My three years of constant life of this kind had made me somewhat
familiar with it, but to my brother, fresh from the quiet and
security of Ontario, this whole life was a revelation. Nevertheless
by heredity and instinct alike he took to it like a native.
When Sunday came we had been two days and a half among the herds and
were pretty well loaded, and also pretty well tired, so that the
Sabbath rest was exceedingly welcome. Breakfast and a short service,
and all who could and were not on duty slept. In the afternoon
strange Indians were sighted by our watchful guards, and my man Mark
threw his lariat over the neck of "Ki-you-kenos"--the big American
horse that ran away with Peter in "SADDLE, SLED AND SNOWSHOE"--and
before anyone could stop him was away on the jump to reconnoitre more
closely. In the meantime from our camp we could see these strangers
gathering on the summit of a distant hill, and knew from their
numbers and equipment that they were a war party. Mark, with only
his lariat for a bridle, was going nearer to them at every jump.
Those of us who knew the horse felt that there would be no stopping
or turning him until he reached those men; and our hearts were in our
mouths, so to speak, as we watched Mark's progress and realized his
peril. We caught up our best horses, and saddling them as quickly as
possible started after him. I well remember how I felt as with my
horse bounding under me I made for that hill. Momentarily I expected
to see the smoke of a flint-lock, and keenly I watched Mark as he sat
on his flying steed, for pull up as he might I knew he could not stop
him. In a few moments he was in the midst of the party, but to our
great relief was given a friendly greeting instead of the fusilade we
had feared. Presently he started to come back, and we pulled up our
horses and waited to hear from him who these were.
When we met Mark told us that the strangers were plain Crees on the
war-path, going into the Blackfoot country, and though unacquainted
with us still they were the allies of our people. Mark said they
were coming down to visit us, so we returned to our camp. The war
party came along in the course of an hour or so, and concluded to
camp with us for the night, though I am sure no one in our party gave
them a pressing invitation to do this. To be under the necessity of
watching within as well as without your own camp becomes rather
tiresome.
We put on double guards that night, and were relieved when our
friends started away bright and early Monday morning, allowing us to
go on with our hunt.
I have seen great numbers of grey wolves, but never, I think, did I
see them more numerous than at this time. Troops of these native
scavengers would hang around our encampment and prowl very close up
during the long night watches. When we were butchering the animals
we had killed, they would form a circle around us, and impatiently
wait until we had our meat loaded into the carts. Then, as we moved
away, they would rush in and scramble and fight for the offal which
we left. Many a wild fight amongst them we witnessed, but as
ammunition was none too plentiful, we seldom shot any.
Their howling, especially at night, was blood-curdling and terrifying
to the inexperienced. Indeed, one could not at any time hear their
deep, long, mournful notes without a lonesome and uncanny feeling.
There are two distinct kinds of these animals. The coyote and the
big grey wolf belong to the plains and are altogether different from
the timber or wood wolf. The latter can become dangerous, while the
former never seem able to muster enough courage to attack human
beings.
By the middle of the following week our carts were loaded to their
utmost capacity and were rolling homewards. As the days were short
we generally started long before daylight, and while I have had
plenty of this ante-dawn travel I confess I never relished it. To
roll out of your blankets into the keen cold of a young winter's,
morning, and then hastily roll up your bedding, place it in a cart,
then rush out into the dark and catch and bring in the horses or oxen
you drive, and with tingling fingers harness them into the carts
committed to your care; and then as the leading cart begins to signal
its onward move by its own peculiar squeak and squeal, to place your
carts where they belong in the line of march; to come to ponds and
creeks covered with ice as yet not strong enough to bear your weight,
and yet through which you perforce must wade in order to secure the
safe crossing of your loads, your wet moccasins and nether garments
stiffening with the intense cold as you march,--I will say that while
I in common with most pioneers in our Canadian North-West frequently
did this, still I am free to admit that I was never in love with it.
What a big market-square we have to take our winter's food
from--hundreds of miles in length and breadth, with great widely
distant valleys like stalls furnishing us with the food we seek, the
quality of which depends on the skill of the hunter. And right here
my friend Muddy Bull comes in as a reliable guarantor that what we
take home will be first-class. On we roll. Our only delays are
breaking axles and splitting felloes and snapping dowel-pins; but who
cares for such trifles as these while we have the fresh green hides
of the buffalos we have killed. The green hide serves as both
wheelwright and blacksmith as it dries upon the weak portion of our
vehicle. And while the kettle boils and the meat is roasting almost
anyone in our party with axe and auger and saw will put a new axle in
working trim. Ah! those were the days wherein to cultivate self-help
and independence. The man who was not capable of this manner of
evolution very soon drifted back into the older countries.
But here is the river and we are almost home. Fording our stock in
the rapids, about half a mile down, we unload the meat, "pack" it
over in a skiff, and taking some carts to pieces we "pack" them over
also in the skiff for use on the north side, leaving the rest until
the ice-bridge forms. Then when all is safe on the stage at home we
feel that unless a crowd of starving Indians come to us, we have our
larder full for some time to come. And this was very satisfactory to
us in those days when we were so far away from any outside help and
so dependent on the movements of buffalo herds and contending tribes
of Indians.
Sometimes the buffalo were far out on the great plains, and
inaccessible to us; sometimes hostile Indians intervened, so that we
dare not leave our people or in any way divide our forces; but the
opening of the winter of 1865 found our stage loaded with prime meat
and our party together and in the enjoyment of many blessings. There
generally is in our northern country a short period which is neither
summer nor winter, and if possible all travel ceases for a time. It
would not be prudent to start out with horses, and without snow and
ice dogs are of no use. This time we made use of by making ready for
the winter. Buildings were to be repaired and washed over with white
mud, which by the way is a very good substitute for lime. Hay was to
be hauled, fire-wood to be cut in the log and hauled home, then to be
sawed and split for use. In the meantime, as now there was a
permanent settlement at Victoria, and good congregations, meetings of
various character had to be organized. Christianity, temperance,
education, civilization must be inculcated, and on all these
questions father was thoroughly alive. Then the snow fell and the
ice made, and with Mark as my companion we began our evangelistic and
missionary trips.
Our first was to Edmonton, and thence to Pigeon Lake, during which
time we tried to preach the Gospel to white men and Crees and
Stonies. Even then it was becoming easier for me to speak in Cree
than in English. My brain and voice functions were almost in
constant use in the former, and but seldom did I require them in the
language wherein I was born. Steadily I was becoming able to give
the glorious Gospel of the Lord Jesus to others in the tongue and
idiom of the language "wherein they were born."