Perhaps, of all the acts of bravery recorded during this
late Rebellion, not one stands out more prominently than
that of Inspector Dickens, in resisting, with his little
force, a large band of blood-thirsty Crees, till he would,
with advantage and honour, retire from his ground. Fort
Pitt stands in the centre of the Cree country, and was
the scene of the treaty between the Government and the
Crees, Chippewayans, Assinniboines and the Chippewas.
There was great difficulty at the time in concluding the
terms of the treaty. Big Bear, who reigns supreme in the
district, and who was spokesman at the treaty, maintained
that hanging ought to be abolished, and the buffalo
protected. On the whole, he accepted the conditions of
the treaty, but, as his people were not present, he would
not sign it, although he did sign it in the following
year. Big Bear is a noisy, meddlesome savage, who is
never in his glory save when he is the centre of some
disturbance. He has always shown much delight in talking
about war; and he would go without his meals to listen
to a good story about fighting. He has the habit to, when
the reciter of the story has finished, of trying to
discount what he has heard, and to make his auditors
believe that some exploits of his own have been far more
thrilling. When everything is peaceable, even when there
are plenty of buffalo and peltry to be had, this savage
is not satisfied; but still goes around asking if there
is any news about trouble being about to take place
anywhere. If he is told:
"No, everything is quiet; the Indians are all satisfied,
because they are doing well." Big Bear will reply, while
knowingly closing one eye:
"Me know better than that. There will soon be bloody
work. Government break em treaty with Injuns. Lots of
Injuns now ready to go out and scalp servants of the
Government and white men." When, therefore, tidings
reached the land of the Stoney Indians that the half-breeds,
with Louis Riel at their head, had broken into revolt,
Big Bear pulled off his feathered cap and threw it several
times into the air. He went to his wives, a goodly number
of which he is in the habit of keeping, and informed them
that he would soon bring them home some scalps. He was
so elated, that he ordered several of the young men to
go and fetch him several white dogs to make a feast. So
a large fire was built upon the prairie, a short distance
from the chief's lodge, and the huge festival pot was
suspended from a crane over the roaring flames. First,
about fifteen gallons of water were put into this pot;
then Big Bear's wives, some of whom were old and wrinkled,
and others of which were lithe as fawns, plump and
bright-eyed, busied themselves gathering herbs. Some
digged deep into the marsh for roots of the "dog-bane,"
others searched among the knotted roots for the little
nut-like tuber that clings to the root of the flag, while
others brought to the pot wild parsnips, and the dried
stalks of the prairie pusley. A coy little maiden, whom
many a hunter had wooed but failed to win, had in her
sweet little brown hands a tangle of winter-green, and
maiden-hair. Then came striding along the young hunters,
with the dogs. Each dog selected for the feast was white
as the driven snow. If a black hair, or a blue hair, or
a brown hair, was discovered anywhere upon his body he
was taken away; but if he were _sans reproche_ he was
put, just as he was, head, and hide, and paws, and tail
on--his throat simply having been cut--into the pot, Six
dogs were thrown in, and the roots and stalks of the
prairie plants, together with salt, and bunches of the
wild pepper-plant, and of swamp mustard were thrown in
for seasoning. Through the reserves round about for many
miles swarth heralds proclaimed that the great Chief Big
Bear was giving a White Dog feast to his braves before
summoning them to follow him upon the war-path. The feast
was, in Indian experience, a magnificent one, and before
the young men departed they swore to Big Bear that they
returned only for their war-paint and arms, and that
before the set of the next sun they would be back at his
side.
True to their word the Indians came, hideous in their
yellow paint. If you stood to leeward of them upon the
plain a mile away you could clearly get the raw, earthy
smell of the ochre upon their hands and faces. Some had
black bars streaked across their cheeks, and hideous
crimson circles about their eyes. Some, likewise, had
stars in pipe-clay painted upon the forehead.
Now the immediate object of the warlike enthusiasm of
all these young men was the capture of Fort Pitt, an
undertaking which they hardly considered worth shouldering
their rifles for. But when it came to the actual taking
it was a somewhat different matter. There were twenty-one
policemen in the Fort and they had at their head an
intrepid chief, Mr. Inspector Dickens, already referred
to in this chapter. It was useless to fire bullets at
the solid stockades; massacre was out of the question,
for keen eyes peered ever from the Fort. Big Bear now
had grown very ambitious.
"Fort Pitt hardly worth bothering about," he said to his
braves. "Plenty of big fighting everywhere. We'll go with
Monsieur Riel. But we must have guns; good guns; and
plenty of powder and shot and ball. So taking a number
of his braves he approached the Fort and began to bellow
that he wanted to have a talk. Inspector Dickens appeared,
calling out,
"Well, what does Big Bear want?"
"We want guns, and powder, and shot, and ball."
"Pray, what does Big Bear want with them?"
"His young men are suffering of hunger, and they want to
go shoot some elk and bear."
"Big Bear is talking with a crooked tongue. He must not
have any rifles, or powder or shot, or ball. I advise
him to return peaceably to his reserve; and if there is
anything that the Government can do for himself, or his
people, I am sure they will do it. He will only make
matters worse by creating a disturbance."
"Ugh! The great police chief also talks with a crooked
tongue; and if he does not give what the Indians ask for,
they will burn down the fort, and murder himself and his
followers, not sparing either the women or the children."
"If this be your intention, you shall not find us
unprepared." Just at this moment two mounted police, who
had been out upon the plains as scouts, came in sight,
at once Inspector Dickens perceived that the savages
meant mischief. A number of rifles were raised at the
unsuspecting policemen, then several shots were heard.
Constable Cowan fell from his horse dead, pierced by
several bullets; Constable Lousby was hit by a couple of
bullets, but got into the fort before the savages could
prevail.
"Now, my men," shouted Inspector Dickens, "show these
insolent savages that you can defy them." At once a raking
fire was poured into the rebels. Four of the rebels fell
dead, and some scores of others were wounded. The conduct
of some of the savages who received slight wounds was
exceedingly ludicrous. One who had been shot, _in running
away_, began to yell in the most pitiable way; and he
ran about the plain kicking up his heels and grabbing at
the wounded spot, which, it is to be inferred, must have
been stinging him very badly. I must not omit to speak
that before the _recontre_, chief factor MacLean, who
had always been held in high regard among the Indians,
went out of the fort to have a parley with Big Bear.
Arriving at the door of the chief's lodge, he knocked.
Big Bear admitted him with the greatest pleasure, and
after he had done so, said:
"Guess me keep you, since me's get you." So the chief
factor found himself a prisoner. Then Big Bear informed
his captive that if he would write a letter to the rest
of the civilians in the fort, asking them to withdraw,
and enter into the Indian lodge, he would treat them
civilly; but that if they refused, he would set fire to
the fort, and they would perish in the flames. This
MacLean consented to do, and in a little while there went
out from the fort to the Indian prison, Mr. MacLean's
family, consisting of eight, James Simpson, Stanley
Simpson, W. B. Cameron, one Dufresne, Rev. C. Quinn,
and his wife, and Mr. and Mrs. Mann, with their three
children. Since that date, these people have been prisoners
in Big Bear's camp, and every now and again the tidings
come that they are receiving barbarous, and even brutal,
treatment. After Big Bear had got possession of all
these, he said to his chief young men:
"'Spose we take em in, too, Mounted Police. No harm Get
their guns. Keep them here for a spell, and then let 'em
go." When he coolly presented himself before the stockades
and proposed to Inspector Dickens to come right over to
his lodges, assuring him that he would not allow the hair
of one of his men's heads to be harmed, Inspector Dickens
laughed:
"You are a very presumptuous savage." After the fight
which I have described, Inspector Dickens, studying the
situation, regarded it in this light:
"The civilians have gone to the Indians, so there is now
no object to be attained by keeping my force here. In
the battle with the savages I was successful. Therefore,
may retreat with honour." Fitting up a York boat, he had
it provisioned for the journey, and then destroying
everything in the shape of supplies, arms and ammunition
Which he could not take away, they started down the river,
and after a tedious journey arrived at Battleford, worn
with anxious watching, exposure and fatigue, but otherwise
safe and well, save for the wounded constable. The brave
Inspector was received at Battleford with ringing
acclamations. Here, in a little, he was appointed to the
command of the Police, superseding Lt.-Colonel Morris.
Altogether there is not in the whole campaign an instance
in which good judgment and bravery stand out so prominently
as in this record of the conduct of the son of our great
English novelist.