Once more was the ground covered with snow to the depth of three feet.
The cattle were littered down inside the inclosure of palisades round
the cow-house; the sheep were driven into the inclosed sheep-fold, and
the horses were put into a portion of the barn in the sheep-fold which
had been parted off for them. All was made secure, and every preparation
was made for the long winter. Although there had been a fall of snow,
the severe frost had not yet come on. It did, however, in about a
fortnight afterward, and then, according to the wishes of the Colonel,
six oxen were killed for the use of the fort, and taken there by the
horses on a sledge; this was the last task that they had to fulfill, and
then Alfred bade adieu to the officers of the fort, as they did not
expect to meet again till the winter was over. Having experienced one
winter, they were more fully prepared for the second; and as Malachi,
the Strawberry and John were now regular inmates of the house, for they
did not keep a separate table, there was a greater feeling of security,
and the monotony and dreariness were not so great as in the preceding
winter: moreover, every thing was now in its place, and they had more
to attend to,--two circumstances which greatly contributed to relieve
the _ennui_ arising from continual confinement. The hunting parties went
out as usual; only Henry, and occasionally Alfred, remained at home to
attend to the stock, and to perform other offices which the increase of
their establishment required. The new books brought by Henry from
Montreal, and which by common consent had been laid aside for the
winter's evenings, were now a great source of amusement, as Mr. Campbell
read aloud a portion of them every evening. Time passed away quickly, as
it always does when there is a regular routine of duties and employment,
and Christmas came before they were aware of its approach.
It was a great comfort to Mrs. Campbell that she now always had John at
home, except when he was out hunting, and on that score she had long
dismissed all anxiety, as she had full confidence in Malachi; but
latterly Malachi and John seldom went out alone; indeed, the old man
appeared to like being in company, and his misanthropy had wholly
disappeared. He now invariably spent his evenings with the family
assembled round the kitchen fire, and had become much more fond of
hearing his own voice. John did not so much admire these evening
parties. He cared nothing for new books, or indeed any books. He would
amuse himself making moccasins, or working porcupine quills with the
Strawberry at one corner of the fire, and the others might talk or read,
it was all the same, John never said a word or appeared to pay the least
attention to what was said. His father occasionally tried to make him
learn something, but it was useless. He would remain for hours with his
book before him, but his mind was elsewhere. Mr. Campbell, therefore,
gave up the attempt for the present, indulging the hope that when John
was older, he would be more aware of the advantages of education, and
would become more attentive. At present, it was only inflicting pain on
the boy without any advantage being gained. But John did not always sit
by the kitchen fire. The wolves were much more numerous than in the
preceding winter, having been attracted by the sheep which were within
the palisade, and every night the howling was incessant. The howl of a
wolf was sufficient to make John seize his rifle and leave the house,
and he would remain in the snow for hours till one came sufficiently
near for him to fire, and he had already killed several when a
circumstance occurred which was the cause of great uneasiness.
John was out one evening as usual, crouched down within the palisades,
and watching for the wolves. It was a bright starry night, but there was
no moon, when he perceived one of the animals crawling along almost on
its belly, close to the door of the palisade which surrounded the house.
This surprised him, as generally speaking, the animals prowled round the
palisade which encircled the sheep-fold, or else close to the pig-sties
which were at the opposite side from the entrance door. John leveled his
rifle and fired, when to his astonishment, the wolf appeared to spring
up in the air on his hind legs, then fall down and roll away. The key of
the palisade door was always kept within, and John determined to go in
and fetch it, that he might ascertain whether he had killed the animal
or not. When he entered, Malachi said, "Did you kill, my boy?"
"Don't know," replied John; "come for the key to see."
"I don't like the gate being opened at night, John," said Mr. Campbell;
"why don't you leave it, as you usually do, till to-morrow morning; that
will be time enough?"
"I don't know if it was a wolf," replied John.
"What, then, boy, tell me?" said Malachi.
"Well, I think it was an Indian," replied John; who then explained what
had passed.
"Well, I shouldn't wonder," replied Malachi; "at all events the gate
must not be opened to-night, for if it was an Indian you fired at, there
is more than one of them; we'll keep all fast, John, and see what it was
to-morrow."
Mrs. Campbell and the girls were much alarmed at this event, and it was
with difficulty that they were persuaded to retire to rest.
"We will keep watch to-night at all events," said Malachi, as soon as
Mrs. Campbell and her nieces had left the room. "The boy is right, I
have no doubt. It is the Angry Snake and his party who are prowling
about, but if the boy has hit the Indian, which I have no doubt of, they
will make off; however, it will be just as well to be on our guard,
nevertheless. Martin can watch here and I will watch in the fold."
We have before observed that the lodge of Malachi, Martin, and his wife,
was built within the palisade of the sheep-fold, and that there was a
passage from the palisade round the house to that which surrounded the
sheep-fold, which passage had also a palisade on each side of it.
"I will watch here," said Alfred; "let Martin go home with you and his
wife."
"I will watch with you," said John.
"Well, perhaps that will be better," said Malachi; "two rifles are
better than one, and if any assistance is required, there will be one to
send for it."
"But what do you think they would do, Malachi?" said Mr. Campbell; "they
can not climb the palisades."
"Not well, sir, nor do I think they would attempt it unless they had a
large force, which I am sure they have not; no, sir, they would rather
endeavor to set fire to the house if they could, but that's not so easy;
one thing is certain, that the Snake will try all he can to get
possession of what he saw in your storehouse."
"That I do not doubt," said Alfred; "but he will not find it so easy a
matter."
"They've been reconnoitering, sir, that's the truth of it, and if John
has helped one of them to a bit of lead, it will do good; for it will
prove that we are on the alert, and make them careful how they come near
the house again."
After a few minutes' more conversation, Mr. Campbell, Henry, and
Percival retired, leaving the others to watch. Alfred walked home with
Malachi and his party to see if all was right at the sheep-fold, and
then returned.
The night passed without any further disturbance except the howling of
the wolves, to which they were accustomed.
The next morning, at daybreak, Malachi and Martin came to the house,
and, with John and Alfred, they opened the palisade gate, and went out
to survey the spot where John had fired.
"Yes, sir," said Malachi; "it was an Indian, no doubt of it; here are
the dents made in the snow by his knees as he crawled along, and John
has hit him, for here is the blood. Let's follow the trail. See, sir, he
has been hard hit; there is more blood this way as we go on. Ha!"
continued Malachi, as he passed by a mound of snow, "here's the
wolf-skin he was covered up with; then he is dead or thereabouts, and
they have carried him off, for he never would have parted with his skin,
if he had had his senses about him."
"Yes," observed Martin, "his wound was mortal, that's certain."
They pursued the track till they arrived at the forest, and then,
satisfied by the marks on the snow that the wounded man had been carried
away, they returned to the house, when they found the rest of the family
dressed and in the kitchen. Alfred showed them the skin of the wolf, and
informed them of what they had discovered.
"I am grieved that blood has been shed," observed Mrs. Campbell; "I wish
it had not happened. I have heard that the Indians never forgive on such
occasions."
"Why, ma'am, they are very revengeful, that's certain, but still they
won't like to risk too much. This has been a lesson to them. I only wish
it had been the Angry Snake himself who was settled, as then we should
have no more trouble or anxiety about them."
"Perhaps it may be," said Alfred.
"No, sir, that's not likely; it's one of his young men; I know the
Indian customs well."
It was some time before the alarm occasioned by this event subsided in
the mind of Mrs. Campbell and her nieces; Mr. Campbell also thought much
about it, and betrayed occasional anxiety. The parties went out hunting
as before, but those at home now felt anxious till their return from the
chase. Time, however, and not hearing any thing more of the Indians,
gradually revived their courage, and before the winter was half over
they thought little about it. Indeed, it had been ascertained by Malachi
from another band of Indians which he fell in with near a small lake
where they were trapping beaver, that the Angry Snake was not in that
part of the country, but had gone with his band to the westward at the
commencement of the new year. This satisfied them that the enemy had
left immediately after the attempt which he had made to reconnoiter the
premises.
The hunting parties, therefore, as we said, continued as before; indeed,
they were necessary for the supply of so many mouths. Percival, who had
grown very much since his residence in Canada, was very anxious to be
permitted to join them, which he never had been during the former
winter. This was very natural. He saw his younger brother go out almost
daily, and seldom return without having been successful; indeed, John
was, next to Malachi, the best shot of the party. It was, therefore,
very annoying to Percival that he should always be detained at home
doing all the drudgery of the house, such as feeding the pigs, cleaning
knives, and other menial work, while his younger brother was doing the
duty of a man. To Percival's repeated entreaties, objections were
constantly raised by his mother: they could not spare him, he was not
accustomed to walk in snow-shoes. Mr Campbell observed that Percival
became dissatisfied and unhappy, and Alfred took his part and pleaded
for him. Alfred observed very truly, that the Strawberry could
occasionally do Percival's work, and that if it could be avoided, he
should not be cooped up at home in the way that he was; and, Mr.
Campbell agreeing with Alfred, Mrs. Campbell very reluctantly gave her
consent to his occasionally going out.
"Why, aunt, have you such an objection to Percival going out with the
hunters?" said Mary. "It must be very trying to him to be always
detained at home."
"I feel the truth of what you say, my dear Mary," said Mrs. Campbell,
"and I assure you it is not out of selfishness, or because we shall have
more work to do, that I wish him to remain with us; but I have an
instinctive dread that some accident will happen to him, which I can
not overcome, and there is no arguing with a mother's fears and a
mother's love."
"You were quite as uneasy, my dear aunt, when John first went out; you
were continually in alarm about him, but now you are perfectly at ease,"
replied Emma.
"Very true," said Mrs. Campbell; "it is, perhaps, a weakness on my part
which I ought to get over; but we are all liable to such feelings. I
trust in God there is no real cause for apprehension, and that my
reluctance is a mere weakness and folly. But I see the poor boy has long
pined at being kept at home; for nothing is more irksome to a
high-couraged and spirited boy as he is. I have, therefore, given my
consent, because I think it is my duty; still the feeling remains, so
let us say no more about it, my dear girls, for the subject is painful
to me."
"My dear aunt, did you not say that you would talk to Strawberry on the
subject of religion, and try if you could not persuade her to become a
Christian? She is very serious at prayers, I observe; and appears, now
that she understands English, to be very attentive to what is said."
"Yes, my dear Emma, it is my intention so to do very soon, but I do not
like to be in too great a hurry. A mere conforming to the usages of our
religion would be of little avail, and I fear that too many of our good
missionaries, in their anxiety to make converts, do not sufficiently
consider this point. Religion must proceed from conviction, and be
seated in the heart; the heart, indeed, must be changed, not mere
outward forms attended to."
"What is the religion of the Indians, my dear aunt?" said Mary.
"One which makes conversion the more difficult. It is in many respects
so near what is right, that Indians do not easily perceive the necessity
of change. They believe in one God, the fountain of all good; they
believe in a future state and in future rewards and punishments. You
perceive they have the same foundation as we have, although they know
not Christ, and, having very incomplete notions of duty, have a very
insufficient sense of their manifold transgressions and offenses in
God's sight, and consequently have no idea of the necessity of a
mediator. Now it is, perhaps, easier to convince those who are entirely
wrong, such as worship idols and false gods, than those who approach so
nearly to the truth. But I have had many hours of reflection upon the
proper course to pursue, and I do intend to have some conversation with
her on the subject in a very short time. I have delayed because I
consider it absolutely necessary that she should be perfectly aware of
what I say, before I try to alter her belief. Now the Indian language,
although quite sufficient for Indian wants, is poor, and has not the
same copiousness as ours, because they do not require the words to
explain what we term abstract ideas. It is, therefore, impossible to
explain the mysteries of our holy religion to one who does not well
understand our language. I think, however, that the Strawberry now
begins to comprehend sufficiently for me to make the first attempt. I
say first attempt, because I have no idea of making a convert in a week,
or a month, or even in six months. All I can do is to exert my best
abilities, and then trust to God, who, in His own good time, will
enlighten her mind to receive His truth."
The next day the hunting party went out, and Percival, to his great
delight, was permitted to accompany it. As they had a long way to go,
for they had selected the hunting ground, they set off early in the
morning, before daylight, Mr. Campbell having particularly requested
that they would not return home late.