"But we have still got some venison in our packs, and must try back, I
suppose," he said. "I can think of no other course to take."
After we had fixed up our hut, we had a serious talk as to what was best
to be done. I proposed going northward, and endeavouring to reach a
branch of the Upper Saskatchewan, on the bank of which our fort was
situated, as by following the stream up or down we must eventually come
upon it.
This was, indeed, our only safe plan, and we determined next morning to
pursue it. Darkness had come on. We were engaged in cooking our
supper--roasting a portion and boiling some of the dried venison to
serve as a beverage. We had had no time to dig for roots during our
journey, but as soon as we halted, while I was preparing the fire, Pat
went into the wood to search for some. He brought in a large
handkerchief full, but, as we were very hungry, we agreed that we would
wait until the next morning to cook them for breakfast, as they would
require a good deal of boiling. We therefore piled them up on one side,
that we might peel and prepare them after supper.
I was stirring the pot, when, looking beyond the flames, I caught sight
of the figure of a man slowly approaching. The light falling on him
showed me that he was an Indian. He held a bow in his hand, and a
quiver of arrows was at his back.
"Hillo! some one is coming," I exclaimed to Pat, who was lying down, and
did not therefore see the Indian, and was probably not seen himself.
Pat started up, and mechanically placed his hand on his gun, which was
lying near him, forgetting that it was unloaded.
The Indian must have observed the action, but without taking notice of
it, he quickly came up and stood opposite to us on the other side of the
fire.
"Whaugh!" exclaimed the stranger, in a tone of surprise, looking at Pat
and me. "I did not expect to find white men here, at this time of the
year."
"Who are you?" I asked.
"I am Miskwandib, and wish to be your friend," answered the Indian. "At
present I am hungry, and should be glad of food. Had I been an enemy I
could have killed you both with my arrows at a distance, and taken what
I require."
"Much obliged to you, friend Miskwandib, for your kindness," said Pat.
"Sit down, and make yourself at home, and you shall have some of our
supper." Pat spoke partly in English and partly in the Cree language.
The Indian understood him, and coming round to our side of the fire sat
down next to Pat. We immediately handed him some of the venison, which
he ate ravenously, while I put on a fresh piece to roast. It greatly
diminished our stock of provisions, but we could not withhold it from
the starving Indian.
"Have you any friends in the neighbourhood, Misther Miskwandib?" asked
Pat.
"I have my squaw and children encamped at the farther end of the wood,"
he answered. "They, too, are starving and want food. They nearly
perished in the snowstorm which occurred some time back, and since then
I have been unable to kill any game for their support. You with your
firearms will be able to obtain what you may require."
We, of course, did not wish to say that we had no powder, or that I had
not even a gun. Pat and I, after a short consultation, agreed that
humanity demanded we should share our provisions with the starving
Indians.
While we were talking, the Indian's eye fell upon the roots by Pat's
side.
"What are these for?" he asked.
"Shure! to cook and ate," answered Pat.
"If you eat these roots, before many hours are over you will be dead
men," exclaimed the Indian, taking them up one after another, and
throwing them to a distance, reserving only four or five of a different
species from the rest. "These are wholesome, if you boil them
sufficiently; they are such as my family and I have lived on for many
days past."
Being assured that the Indian spoke the truth, we thanked him for the
timely warning he had given us. We now did up the larger portion of
what remained of our meat, reserving only enough for the following day,
and giving it to him, asked if he knew Fort Black, and would agree to
guide us to it. He seemed somewhat surprised at our liberality, and
replied that if we would wait a day or two, till his family were fit to
travel, he would show us the direct way to it. We understood from him
that it was some distance off.
I replied that, as our friends were expecting us, we wished to set off
at once, and that if he would point out the direction of the fort we
could find our way alone.
"As such is your resolution, may the Good Spirit guide you! I cannot
leave my family, and they will be unable to travel for two days at
least." Saying this, he got up and drew a line on the ground pointing
to the north-east. "That is the direction you must follow," he said.
"In three days you will reach the fort."
We knew by this that we had gone too far to the westward, and not
sufficiently to the north. We hoped that now we should be able to make
our way. We were thankful to think that we had only two nights more to
stop out, and unless the weather changed very much for the worse we were
not likely to suffer.
The Indian having done up the meat we had given him, without expressing
any gratitude took his departure, and was soon lost to sight in the
gloom.
"Miskwandib! that's the name of the `red head' or `copper-snake'," I
observed. "What do you think of our friend, Pat?"
"I don't altogether trust him," he answered. "He may be an honest man
and have told us the truth; but he may be a rogue and mean us harm,
notwithstanding all he said."
"He might have shot us with his arrows had he been so inclined," I
answered, "and at all events he did us a great service in warning us of
the poisonous character of the roots you dug up. I feel pretty sure,
too, that he pointed out the right direction to the fort."
Still Pat was not convinced of the honesty of Miskwandib. He was never
very friendly to the Indians, and certainly begrudged parting with so
much of our venison, though ready to do as I wished.
We sat up for some time, half expecting another visit from the Indian;
but we did not see him, and at length lay down to sleep, Pat promising
to keep one eye open, in case he should steal into our camp and help
himself to the remainder of our venison.