ROMANTIC COURTSHIP--THE HAPPY FAMILY--A CANOE PICNIC--MUSTAGAN--A
PROWLING BEAR--A WOMAN'S SHOT.
When the full details of the battle with the wolves came out, and the
fact of the prominent part that Sam had played in the rescue of Mr
Ross, his family were at first very much excited at his narrow escape,
and then full of congratulations for Sam for his shrewdness, and the
promptitude with which he acted.
We have as yet said but little about this interesting family, and so we
will use some of the time while Mr Ross is recovering from his wounds
in giving a few details which we are sure will be most interesting, as
some of them partake most decidedly of the romantic.
Mr Ross, like many a Hudson Bay official, was rather late in life in
choosing his wife. His busy life in the service, where on each
promotion he was removed from one post to another, made it almost
impossible to set up a home. When he decided to do so his plan was very
romantic. In those remote, lonely regions there are not many white
families from which the young gentlemen in the service can select wives.
The result is, many of them marry native women, or the daughters of
mixed marriages contracted by the older officials. These women make
excellent wives and mothers, and, being ambitious to learn, they often
become as clever and bright as their white sisters, to many of whom they
are superior in personal appearance. Into many a cozy home can the
adventurous tourist go, and never would he dream that the stately,
refined, cultured woman at the head of the home, honoured by her husband
and beloved by her children, if not of pure Indian blood, was at least
the daughter or granddaughter of a pure Indian.
Very romantic is the story of Mr Ross's love adventure, and here it is
given for the first time. Long years before this, when Mr Ross was
comparatively a young man, he saw in one of the Indian villages a little
dark-eyed native girl, who looked to him as beautiful as a poet's dream.
Although she was only ten or twelve years old, and he approaching
thirty, he fell desperately in love with her, and said she must yet be
his wife. He knew her language, and soon found that the bright and
beautiful child was willing some time in the future to be his bride.
So it was arranged that she should be sent to the old land to be
educated. Fortunately good Bishop Anderson was returning to England in
connection with his work in the Red River Settlement, going by the
Hudson Bay Company's ship. Wenonah was placed in charge of his family
on the voyage, and at the journey's end was sent to a first-class
school, called "The Nest." Here at Mr Ross's expense she was kept for
several years, until she was not only highly educated as a student, but
loving, interested ladies taught her, in their kindness, the things
essential for a good housekeeper to know.
When she was about twenty years of age she returned to the Hudson Bay
territories, and was married by the missionary to Mr Ross, who had so
well-earned the skillful, loving wife she ever proved to be. Over
twenty years of wedded life had been theirs before Mr Ross retired from
the service, and several more had passed ere our story opened. Two sons
were away from home as clerks in the company's service at some remote
stations similar to those in which most of the officials had begun their
apprenticeship.
At home were two bright girls about ten and eight years of age, and a
younger brother hardly six, whose name was Roderick. The names of the
girls were Minnehaha and Wenonah. A delightful home was theirs, even if
in a place so remote from civilisation. Mrs Ross had devoted much of
her time to the education of her children. The house was furnished with
a splendid library, which Mr Ross himself had gathered with a great
deal of care. For music, the piano and harp were their favourite
instruments, and several members of the family were able to play
exceedingly well. So well cultured were they that they would be
considered a well-educated and intellectual family in any land.
There was for a time some anxiety about the wounds which Mr Ross had
received when the wolf so savagely sprang at him. However, he was under
the careful treatment of Memotas, the Christian Indian doctor, whose
fame was in all the land, not only for his marvellous skill, but for his
noble, upright character.
During the days of Mr Ross's recovery, when it was thought best for him
to keep quiet, so that there might be the more rapid recovery, there
were no long excursions made by the boys. The fact was, they had been
so surfeited with excitement that they were quite contented to remain at
Sagasta-weekee and revel in its library, where they found many an
interesting volume.
Of course this did not mean that they were not much out in the canoes
and among the wigwams of the Indians, who were camped about on the
various points within easy reaching distances. The natives were always
delighted to see the boys, and utilised what little English they
possessed in order to impart to them as much information as possible.
The visits to Big Tom and Mustagan were always a great pleasure. As
Mustagan talked English they were not obliged to have an interpreter,
and so enjoyed his company very much, and were always delighted when
they could get him talking on his arctic adventures and narrow escapes
in polar regions. He was a man with a marvellous history, as he had
been employed in no less than five arctic expeditions. He was with Sir
John Richardson and Dr Ray on their desperate expeditions, when they so
courageously and persistently endeavoured to make the sullen North
reveal the story of the destruction of Sir John Franklin and his gallant
comrades. Some of his wonderful adventures we must have from his own
lips after a while.
Although Mrs Ross was, as has been stated, such a refined and cultured
woman, still she had all her nation's love for the canoe and outdoor
life. The result was, many short excursions were undertaken by her and
her children to various beautiful and picturesque spots within a few
miles from home.
On these excursions one or two faithful well-armed old Indians were
always taken, as it might happen that a fierce old bear or prowling wolf
would unexpectedly make his appearance. That this precaution was
necessary was clearly proved by an adventure that had occurred some time
before the arrival of the boys. Mrs Ross, accompanied by her three
youngest children, had taken a large canoe, manned by a couple of
Indians, and had gone to spend the day at Playground Point, which was
ever, as its name would imply, a favourite spot for old and young,
Indians and whites. They had with them a large basket of supplies, and
anticipated a very pleasant outing. They reached their destination in
good time, and in various ways were intensely enjoying their holiday.
They had all wandered some distance from the spot where they had landed,
and where the canoe had been drawn up on the beach by the Indians.
These men, after seeing that everything was made right, and that there
were no signs of prowling wild beasts around, had, as Mrs Ross
suggested, taken their axes and penetrated some distance into the
interior of the forest, to see if they could find some large birch
trees, the bark of which would be suitable for a new canoe.
After the young folks had amused themselves for time with their sports
they began to think it was time for a raid upon the lunch basket, and so
Mrs Ross, who had been sitting on a rock reading, shut her book and
accompanied them back to the canoe, where they had left their supplies.
An abrupt turn in the path brought them in plain sight of the canoe,
which was about a hundred yards directly in front of them. There was a
sight at which they had to laugh, although there was a spice of danger
mixed with it. Seated up in the canoe, with a large hamper in his lap,
was a good-sized black bear deliberately helping himself to the
contents. Gravely would he lift up in his handlike paws to his mouth
the sandwiches and cakes, and then he cleared out with great
satisfaction a large bowl of jelly, spilling, however, a good deal of it
on his face.
Mrs Ross would have endeavoured to have noiselessly retreated back with
the children, but the sight of their dinner disappearing down the bear's
throat was too much for them, and so ere the mother could check them, a
simultaneous shout from them alarmed the bear and quickly brought his
meal to a close. The sudden shouting and the apparition of these people
were too much for him, and so, jamming what food he had at that instant
in his paws in his mouth, he sprang out of the canoe into the water, and
began swimming at a great rate toward a small island that was directly
out from the mainland. Seeing him thus retreating, and wishing to keep
him at it, Mrs Ross and the children, with all the display and noise
they could make, rushed forward, and thus, if possible, caused him to
redouble his efforts to get away. This was the wisest thing they could
have done. A bear is quick to notice whether his presence causes alarm
or not. A bold front will generally cause him to retreat, while on the
other hand, if he sees any signs of cowardice, or thinks he can terrify
his enemies and cause them to fly from him, he is not slow in being the
aggressor and making the attempt.
Mrs Ross, well knowing some of the characteristics of bears and their
habits, was not to be taken off her guard, and so she was resolved to be
prepared for every emergency. Her first precaution was to take out one
of the guns and load it well with ball. Then she explored the lunch
basket to find out the extent of the bear's raid upon it. To the
children's sorrow they found that the best part of the contents, from
their standpoint, of the hamper was gone. The cakes and most of the
jam, which in that country is such a luxury, being imported all the way
from England, were all gone. However, there were some packages of bread
and butter and cold meats, and so they did not starve.
But what about the bear? The island which he had now reached was not
more than a quarter of a mile away from them. No other one was near,
and a frightened bear dislikes to be on an island. He seems to be
conscious of the fact that he is at a disadvantage, and so he will
endeavour to leave it for the mainland as quickly as possible. Mrs
Ross knew this, and so she felt, after she had thought it over, that, in
all probability, very soon after the bear had reached the island, and
observed its limited area and lack of dense forests, in which he could
hide himself, he would take it into his head for his own personal safety
to quickly return to the mainland. With this knowledge of the bear's
habits, she resolved to be ready for him in case he made the attempt.
The first thing she did, however, was to endeavour to recall the men who
were at work in the forest. This was done by taking the other gun from
the boat and heavily loading it with powder. This when fired made a
very loud report. Three times in quick succession did Mrs Ross thus
heavily load the gun and fire. She well knew that if the men were
within hearing the sounds of these three reports, when there were only
two guns, would indicate that something was wrong, and that it was
necessary for them at once to return.
But while the reports were heard by the men and caused them to start on
their return at once, as was desired, they also startled the bear, and
so alarmed and frightened him that he immediately sprang into the water
and began swimming for the mainland.
The situation was exciting and decidedly interesting. Here on the
mainland was a lady and three young children.
Their Indian protectors were a couple of miles or so away in the rear,
and directly in front, swimming toward them, was a great black bear.
When halfway across from the island he veered a little in order to reach
a point of rock that projected out a little from the mainland not two
hundred yards away from where were Mrs Ross and the children. The
majority of people would gladly have let the animal escape. Mrs Ross
and her children, however, were not of this opinion. His skin would
make a beautiful robe, his flesh was good for food, and his fat was the
substitute for lard in that land, and was therefore valuable. Then,
worst of all, had he not eaten the cakes, and especially the jam? So,
of course, mother must shoot him when he comes near the shore, if the
Indians do not arrive in time. Thus thought the children, anyway.
Mrs Ross first took the precaution to load both guns with bullets.
Then launching the canoe, she had her children get into it, and giving
the older two their paddles, which, young as they were, they could
handle like the Indian children, she gave them their orders. She would
go to that point toward which the bear was swimming, keeping herself
well hid from his sight. When he was near to the shore she would fire;
if she did not kill him with the two shots, or only badly wounded him,
she would, after firing, hurry to a spot where they were to wait for her
in the canoe, and then embarking with them they would all be safe on the
water, as they could paddle much faster than the bear could swim, even
if he should try to catch them.
These were wise precautions in case things did not go as were
anticipated. Everything was soon arranged, and then Mrs Ross, taking
the guns, dropped back a little in the rear, and quietly and quickly
reached a good position behind a rock, not far from where it was now
evident the bear intended to land. Carefully arranging her weapons, she
waited until the animal was about fifty or sixty yards away, when
resting one of the guns on the rock, she took deliberate aim at the spot
between the eyes and fired.
No second ball was necessary, for suddenly the head went down and a
lifeless body rose and fell on the shining waves. The bear was stone
dead, and all danger was at once over.
A shout from the children caused her to look, and there she saw it was
caused by the arrival of the two Indians, who, almost breathless, had at
that moment come into view.
As though it were a matter of everyday occurrence, Mrs Ross said to her
men as they reached her:
"Please carry the guns back to the landing place; tell the children to
come ashore; and then you two take the canoe and go and bring in that
dead bear."
The anxiety that had been in the minds of these two Indians during the
last twenty minutes, while they had been running two or three miles,
quickly left them, and there was a gleam of pride in their dark eyes to
think that this cool, brave woman, whose unerring shot had thus killed
the bear, was of their own race and tribe.
Mrs Ross, although cultured and refined and the wife of a great white
man, was always the loving friend of her own people, and did very much
for their comfort and happiness. Here was something done by her that
would, if possible, still more exalt her in their estimation; and so
this story, with various additions and startling situations added on,
long was a favourite one in many a wigwam, and at many a camp fire.
The bear was soon dragged ashore and skinned. It was then cut up and
the meat packed away in the canoe. And the children rejoiced that that
bear would never, never steal any more jam.