IV.

Long we continued to hope against hope. Neither was our father's body,

nor were any of the cattle he was driving off ever discovered. The

current must have swept them down into Lake Winnipeg.

"I ain't much of a person for it, young masters," said Sam Dawes, taking

a hand of each of us and looking at us affectionately, "but I loves ye

as sons, and I'll be in the place of a father, that I will."

Faithfully did Sam Dawes keep his word.

"Grief is right and does us good in the end, depend on't, or it wouldn't

be sent; but it mustn't make us forget duty. Now you see it is our duty

to live, and we can't live without food, and we can't get food without

we work, so let's turn to and plough and sow the ground."

This proposal may seem like mockery, but among the valuables placed by

our father in the canoe was a good supply of seed corn and other seeds,

and we had discovered our plough driven deep into the ground. Sigenok

disappeared the moment he understood our intentions, and Sam looked very

blank, and said that he feared he did not like work and had gone off.

"I think not," observed Malcolm; and he was right. In a few hours

Sigenok returned with two horses and several hides well tanned, and

needles, and fibre for thread. I thought Sam would have hugged him, he

was so delighted. Without loss of time they set to work and cut out a

set of harness, and, lighting a lamp, seated at the entrance to our

tent, laboured at it the greater part of the night, Malcolm and I

helping as far as we could. Sam made us go to sleep, but as I looked up

they were still at work, and when I awoke in the morning it was

finished. The horses were a little restive, evidently not being

accustomed to ploughing, but they obeyed Sigenok's voice in a wonderful

way, though it was necessary in the first place to teach him what ought

to be done. It is said by some that Indians will not labour. I have

reason to know that they will when they have a sufficient motive.

Sigenok showed this. His motive was gratitude to us, and affection

excited by compassion. No white man would have laboured harder. When

the wheat and Indian corn was in the ground, he with his horses helped

Sam and us to bring in stuff for fencing and to put it up. All this

time he slept outside our tent, under shelter of a simple lean-to of

birch bark. Another day he disappeared, and we saw him in the evening

coming up the river towing some timber. He brought a heavy log up on

his shoulders. "There is part of your house," he observed, "we can get

the rest in time."

So we did; we borrowed a large boat, and taking advantage of a northerly

wind, we brought up, piece by piece, the whole of our hut, which had

grounded near the banks of the river. Our neighbours, in spite of the

value of their time to themselves, came and helped us, and we very soon

had our hut over our heads, though, excepting the articles we had saved

in the canoe, we had no furniture remaining.

"Sigenok live here with you," observed our Indian friend.

"Of course; very glad," we answered, thinking he intended to take up his

abode in our hut.

We had arranged that morning to go to the Port [Fort Garry, belonging to

the Hudson's Bay Company.] to obtain flour and other articles. We were

not without money, for our father had put his desk in the canoe, and in

it we found a sum of money, considerable for our wants. On our return

from the Port, we found that Sigenok had erected close to our door an

Indian wigwam. It was very simple of construction. It consisted of

about a dozen long poles stuck in the ground in a circle, and fastened

together at the top so as to make the figure of a cone. Against these

poles were placed large slabs of birch bask. It comes off the tree in

layers, which, having a tendency to regain their circular form, cling

round the cone, and are further secured with bands of fibre. In the

centre is the fire, while the smoke escapes through an opening left in

the top; some mats on the ground, and some lines stretched across on

which clothes or other articles can be hung up, form the chief furniture

of these wigwams. To these may be added a bundle of hides or mats, and

an iron pot.

We had purchased some bedding at the Fort, and Sam and Malcolm soon

knocked up some rough furniture, which served our purpose. We should

often have been on short commons had not Sam and Sigenok been expert

fishermen, so that we were never without an ample supply of white-fish,

or gold-eyes, or sturgeon.

"This very well," observed Sigenok. "Fish very good, but in winter

buffalo better."

"Will you help us to go and hunt the buffalo, then?" we both exclaimed.

Sigenok nodded; it was what he had proposed to himself that we should

do. Although a wood Indian, he had connections among the prairie

Indians, and from living with them had become a good rider and expert

hunter. Sam did not like our going; he was afraid some accident might

happen to us, but he had not the heart to tell us so. He was to remain

at home to take care of the farm. Sigenok procured two other horses,

one for himself, and another to drag a light cart which we bought, made

entirely of wood. It was laden with our tent and provisions, and our

rifles and powder and shot. We felt in high spirits when we were ready

to start, and wishing Sam an affectionate farewell, set off to join a

large band of hunters proceeding to the plains. There were nearly three

hundred men, besides their wives and children. The greater number were

half-breeds, but there were also a large body of Indians, among whom we

found Sigenok's relatives, who received as in the most cordial manner,

and told us that we should be their brothers, that our friends should be

their friends, and our foes their foes. The half-breeds had nearly five

hundred carts, each with a distinguishing flag; and there must have been

even a larger number of hunters, all mounted. Their tents, or lodges,

are formed of dressed buffalo-skins. They are pitched in a large

circle, with the carts outside; and when in a hostile country, with the

animals in the centre, otherwise they feed outside the circle. They

have a captain, and regular officers under him; and a flag hoisted on a

pole in the centre serves as a signal. When hauled down, it is a sign

that the march is to be continued. When the whole body was on the move,

it reminded us of a caravan in the East, with the long line of carts

winding along over the plain, and the horsemen galloping about on either

side. For several days we travelled on without seeing any buffalo, till

one day, soon after we had camped, notice was brought by the scouts that

a large herd were in the neighbourhood. All was now excitement and

preparation in the camp. Sigenok called us early in the morning, and,

after a hasty breakfast, in high spirits we mounted our horses, and

accompanied the band of hunters. We made a wide circuit, so as to let

the wind blow from the buffaloes towards us. I should tell you that the

animal denominated the buffalo by the North Americans is what is

properly called the bison by naturalists. They roam in vast herds over

the interior of North America, from Mexico as far north as the large

river Saskatchewan and Lake Winnipeg. We rode on, drawing nearer and

nearer, till, as we ascended a slight elevation, we saw over it on the

plain on the other side a vast herd of big-headed, dark, hairy monsters,

more buffaloes than I supposed existed on the whole continent. They

were feeding quietly, as if not aware of the approach of foes. Our

captain, an experienced hunter, rode along the ranks commanding silence,

directing every man to look to his arms, and exhorting the novices not

to shoot each other, a danger which might justly be apprehended. Each

hunter now ascertained that his rifle was loaded, and then filled his

mouth with bullets--a ready-at-hand pouch, that he might the more

quickly drop them into his piece. I was afraid of following this

example, for fear of the bullets dropping down my throat or of my gun

bursting. Malcolm and I kept close to Sigenok. He told us to do what

he did, not to lose sight of him, assuring us that our horses understood

hunting perfectly. Our hearts beat with eagerness. We had now got near

enough, in the opinion of our leader, to charge. The signal was given,

and at headlong speed the band of huntsmen dashed in among the

astonished animals. The buffaloes fled in all directions, the horsemen

following, firing right and left, and loading again with extraordinary

rapidity, seldom missing; and as each animal fell, the hunter who had

killed it dropped some article of his dress, or other mark, by which he

might distinguish it. It was the most exciting scene in which I was

ever engaged--the hunters, so lately a dense and orderly body, were now

scattered far and wide over the plain, many miles apart, in pursuit of

the buffaloes; some terror-stricken, others infuriated to madness.

Sigenok had killed five or six, and Malcolm had also, much to our

gratification, killed one, though I had not been so successful, from

nervousness, I fancy; when the Indian being at some distance, as we were

in full chase of another buffalo, a huge bull started out from behind a

knoll, and rushed towards us. My brother's horse started at the

unexpected sight, and putting his foot into a badger hole, stumbled, and

threw him over his head. The faithful animal stood stock still, but on

came the bull. I shrieked out to Malcolm to leap on his horse and fly,

but he was stunned, and did not hear me. The bull was not twenty paces

from him; in another instant he would have been gored to death. I felt

thankful that I had not before fired. Raising my rifle to my shoulder,

I pulled the trigger, the huge animal was within ten paces of him; over

it went, then rose on its knees, and struggled forward. I galloped up

to Malcolm, who was beginning to recover his senses. With a strength I

did not fancy I possessed I dragged him up, and helped him on his horse

just before the monster fell over the spot where he had lain, and would

have crushed him with his weight. By the time Sigenok returned, the

buffalo was dead. He highly praised me when he heard what had occurred,

but said that we had had hunting enough that day, and that he would now

summon his people to take possession of the animals we had killed. The

skins are called robes, and are valued as articles of trade, being taken

by the far traders and sent to Canada, England, Russia, and other parts

of the world. Parts of the flesh of the slain animals was carried into

the camp for immediate consumption, but the larger portion was prepared

forthwith in a curious way for keeping. The meat is first cut into thin

slices and dried in the sun, and these slices are then pounded between

two stones till the fibres separate. This pounded meat is then mixed

with melted fat, about fifty pounds of the first to forty pounds of the

latter, and while hot is pressed into buffalo-skin bags, when it forms a

hard, compact mass. It is now called pemmikon, from _pemmi_, meat, and

_kon_, fat, in the Cree language. One pound of this mixture is

considered as nutritious as two of ordinary meat, and it has the

advantage of keeping for years through all temperatures.