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MN rin: ,vr,\ll. ,,|.' .nLuNKI. sri; (;\|;ni.| \V,,|,m.|| y, M A CM I LLA X A X J) CM). Is71, J,.]<.bb- (/■/'. y;-y/./,./- 7',w„../„,„„, „„,, i;.i,,,.,i„,i;„„ /,,,,„,,,,,, /^ i^i^lE --1'^'% 'O'^ , V -- «0 -^ '•■., •~J^J^ •^ a -41 nh ^^'v. I.,!.- * W'V. /,,„ '»* /. >C «. }/'>-^ > ■« .■ /' A' CHICAGO i; o I T r, oi' I)h' ^iix) s^ma LAPim^siOhMiV soii&i Iron TOKONTO TO I'OHT OAHUY 77„ ri„„/,> '.■,<- ..s.'W llu .l,.st.wr,, m Miles frrm MON-Tft*'- J..]cbbu".| 1 '?f;ooo X « i C^ Aw the Re Mr. D; Dcparti ladu PREFACE. The following brief account of the Ecd River Expedition has been mainly put together from the everyday jottings of a private journal, and lays no claim to any literary merit. Jt has been written in the hope of directing attention to the successful a.x'omplishment of an expedition which was attended with more than ordinary difficulties, but which was completely overshadowed from first to last by the absorbing interest of a great Continental war. Through the kindness of Sir Garnet Wolseley, I have had access to the official documents of the Expedition; I have also availed myself of the Reports on the line of route published by Mr. Dawson, C.E., and by the Topographical Department of the War Office. The statements |ade may tliovdnvo, I hoj.e, be relied on as Vlll PttEFACI':. accurate and impartial. My aim lias Ijcoii t' " cxtoiuuitc iiauiilit, nor set down auuht in malice.' Political quest ions ivc l)ecn jivoic led as mudi as the nature of tlic .suljject would )»eri I feel that they do not come within the p )f 01 a soldier Idi I h ive (. nd( d to avoK 1 tir mi tl le mit, a^ roviuce 1 1 ,1 general 'i 'c en(lea^■^ur('( reader with dry details of military movements, and yet not to sacrifice the character of the work as an account of a military expedition. Whether or not between these two stools 1 have fallen to the ground, I must leave to the judgment of a kind and generous public, only premising that, as the book is not very voluminous, I trust I have not trespassed too much on their for- bearance. 0. L. H. WooiAvim, .U.fv-h 20t/>, 1S71. lias beoii tu lit ill malice." tl('d as mud) 1<1 permit, as the proviuce | ? the general W. ^ <> N T E X T S. ' movements, of the worl: >n. Whetl... 1 CIIAPTKIM. have f^ill.n f ^"^^^cTonv.-TiiK Kkd K.vku Sktt,.emext .... "^'^ juclo;nient uf | 3US, I trii.st t, fKrr.MiATiox OK Tin-; E.VlMM.fTIOX 1 their fr,i'- ^ -^ 0. L. H. CHAPTER III. I^i;">l TOHOM.; To TiIUXT.|:K Ii\Y * ■ •^' ClIAPTKR I\'. '■ PiiiMi; Artiil-i?',s Lam. int. ' ' ■ t it.' CJLVPTEK V. 08 X CONTKNTS. CHAlTKi; VI. I'A..! Tin; Staist timm Shkhandowan . iU CIIAriKK VII. Kn V<»y\i;I': ClIAPTEK VIII. Vn\iV KHANCKIS . . CHAPTER IX. JIaINY lilVKl! AND E.VKK OF TIIR WoOPS CHAPTEI! X. 'J'lir. WiNNiPEH lini'.n 11 CHAPTEi; XI. On Ti> Four (!\uiiY 1>' ("IIAI'TEP XII. TiiK I{i:n KivKi! Si:ttm'.mknt I'll CO NT FATS. XI AlTKXniCl.X U'i'KNDix A. — List m- I CKillTS I'ACK Ll'l'KNMlX IJ.— LisT (>1- AliTIl'l. i':s IN Tiir; ] xiAIS _' J.) |(i| «iTi:.vi)ix (•._l>uo\iv,.|.; .,1' ^Ian-itoisa I :n,i. Kl U'l'KNDIX U--K.\|liAHKATln,N l! KriK.v . ... 7", " /'/'•(• iTiS ii'i'LMiix E._Sta.M)ing Our n:ns •Vj AiTKNi.x F.-i)Ai..v iLvnos ... Jm,.d, ax,. Ci.uth,n,; . L'ii'J In- L'li: I'.M.I. Plan of Koute i'uom Lakk Sui'khioii to Fout Garry 7'o fare KH re: r,lST OF MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS. ••' Route op the Red Riveh Kxpeditioxaky Force ruoM Toronto to Fort Garry . . FrontlKjiiece, " PuKsiuENT " Louis Riel Tft/ace i! * Plan of '^Ui. Dawson's Road from Thundek Bay to Lake Shebandgwax 7'o fare 51 Very portion and al ("UOSSINO A PoUTAflK 1 1 ll JsOUtll, ^foNSEKiNEUR TaCHE, UlSHol' OF St. r>0\IFACE /'/■ill/ill. III/ /urniis-iiiiii. from till Jiii/filii/ iif f/ir //. /'..S. /nsfi/Kfiini. NAKRATIVE OF THE .V Fo„c. ■ BED RIVEK EXPEDITION, &c. ovtiiiinece. i; B CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTORY. — THE RED RIVER SETTLEMENT. Very near the centre of the northern or British [portion of the vast continent of North America, and almost equally unapproachable from north, south, east or west, is a small settlement, the [very existence of which was hardly known to the )utside world until within the last few months. Founded in 1813 by Alexander Lord Selkirk, i^ho obtained from the Hudson's Bay Company grant of land near the confluence of the As- siniboine and Red rivers, this little colony was It first known by the name of its founder, but latterly has received the general appellation of the Red River Settlement. For many years it B TIIK RKU RIVER KXI'EDITION. [CHAI'. had a precarious existence, having been severiil times threatened with extinction, 1)oth from its Indian neighbours and also from a still more formidable enemy, the plague of locusts or grass- hoppers. It also suffered severely from the quarrels of the Hudson's Bay and North-West Companies until the {imalmimation of the two rival trading Companies in 1822. The situation chosen by Jjm\ Selkirk for his Scotch emigrants was however so favourable, and the natural fertility of thd soil so great, that the infant colony successfully struggled through these difficulties, and, receiving constant accessions to its strength, spread itself along the banks of both rivers till it attained the respectable population of about 15,000 souls. Upon the completion of the great Act of Con- federation of the British North American Provinces in 1867, the attention of Canadian statesmen was | turned to this distant land, and negotiations were opened for the transfer of the North-West Territory to the new Dominion of Canada. The age of monopolies was past. The resumption by J the Crown of its great Indian Empire in 1858, | and the consequent extinction of the East India I Company, had paved the way for a similar re- 1 r.l TNTROnUCTORY. 3 sumption of the vast tract of land granted by royal charter in King Charles the Second's time to "The Governor and C'onip;iny of Adventurers (»f England trading into Hudson's Bay." The transfer was to be a kind of triangular arrange- ment. All territorial rights claimed by the Hud- son's Bay C*ompany were to be annulled on payment of .'lOO.OOO/. by Canada, and the country would then be handed over ])y royal procLamation to the Dominion Government, the Company being only allowed to retain a certain amount of land in the vicinity of its trading posts. The transfer was fixed for the 1st December, 18G9; but the Dominion Cabinet, eager to secure the rich prize, and at the same time perhaps not sorry to get rid of a somewhat intractable servant, appointed its ^Minister of Public "Works, the Hon- ourable William McDougall, C.B., to be the Lieu- tenant-Governor of the North- West Territories, and sent him off in the month of Septeml)er with instructions to proceed to Fort Garry " with all convenient speed," there to assist the formal transfer of the Territories, and to be "ready to assume the government" as soon as the transfer was completed. In these negotiations between the Hudson's Bay i> s THE RED RIVER EXPEDITtON. fCIIAP, Company and the Imperial and Dominion Govern- ments, it (Iocs not ay)pear that tlic fcolinfTs of tlin little colony at Red Hivcr were taken into account at all. The French Emperor had not tlien set tlie world the example of a j)?c'/>/.vc Ciin.'i of Sn wlio land not t( tion J the u tliu 1( survey heade( of Co polled nor M Bay C settlen to all( the Cs the la The p courag Frencl ^IcDoi selves a mar fcilAP. «.] INTRODUCTORY. on Govcrn- [ine taken from them and given to Ciinndian immigrants; and the injudicious conduct of some of tlie members of the surveying party, who put U}) claims here and tlierc to tracts of land that they happened to take a fancy to, did not tend to allay these angry feelings. The irrita- tion raised by tliesc causes operating together on the uneducated French half-breeds culminated on tlie loth Octol)er, 18(19, in open opposition to the surveying party : a band of some eighteen men, headed by a man named Louis Riel, stopped one of Colonel Dennis's surveying parties, and com- pelled them to discontinue their operations. Gover- nor McTavish, then senior officer of the Hudson's Bay Company, and therefore the governor of the settlement, was appealed to in vain : Riel refused to allow the survey to continue, declaring that the Canadian Government had no right to survey the lands that belonged to the French settlers. The party was accordingly withdrawn, and, en- couraged by this first success, the disaffected French resolved to prevent the entry of Mr. McDougall into the Territory. They formed them- selves into a Provisional Government, electing a man named John Bruce, a French half-breed, TIIK UKJ) IllVRR EXI'KDITION. [rilAiv as prcsitU'iit, iiiid Louis Riel Jia st'crL'tiiry. The hitU'r, liowi'vci", wjis tlic ruling' siiirit, and exorcised tli(! r<'al ixjwer, and very shortly after assumed himself the titki of president. The new " Provisional (jrovernment " proceedeil to act with energy; a small armed force was established on Scratehin»^' River, ahout fifteen miles from Fort Gai-ry, and a barricade thrown up across the road leading to Pembina ; a mes- senger bearing the following letter was also despatched to the boundary line to await the arrival of !Mr. ;^^cDou2all : — Datie d, Sr. XoitiiKirr, RivifcRE KortiK, ce il^'"* Jour iCiklohre, 1869. Monsieur, Le Comit6 National des Metis de la Riviere Rouge in- tinie k M. Wm. McDoufjall I'ordre de lie pas eiitrer sur le territoire du Nord-Ouest sans une penuission sp(5ciale de ce Comity. I'ai- ordre du President John Bruce, Louia RiEL, Secretaire. A Monsieur McDouoall, This letter was handed to ]\Ir. McDougall by the bearer, a French half-breed, on the 30th October, upon his arrival at the American Custom- house at Pembina, sixty miles from Fort Garry, and on the border line between British and American territory. ■ niKSIDKNT LOn> HIEI Tv fo >.J Bay Ten-it Thi tlie 2 horse 1 Garry which numb Mr. J Govei '•] INTRODUCTORY". He took no notice of it, but continued his journey two miles further to the Hudson's Bay C*ompany's post, inside the North- West Territory. Three days afterwards, namely on the evening of the 2nd November, an armed party of fourteen horsemen approached from the direction of Fort Garry, and, dismounting at the gate of the stockade which surrounds the post, sent in two of their number, who politely but firmly intim;ited to Mr. ]\[cDougall that, by order of the Provisional Government, he must leave the North-West Territory by nine o'clock the following morning. This order was peremptorily enforced, and the Lieutenant-Governor Designate of the North- West Territory was ignominiously expelled by an armed force of French half-breeds from the land he had come to rule. During the month of November Mr. McDougall remained quietly at Pembina, keeping up an occasional correspondence with Governor McTavish and the well-disposed inhabitants of the settle- ment, and waiting for the opportunity, which never came, of entering the Territory. The English and Scotch settlers, though favourably disposed to Canada, were yet unwilling, either from lack 8 THE RED RIVER EXPEDITION. [chap. of energy or from fear of commencing a civil strife, to compromise themselves openly in Mr. McDougall's favour, and allowed things to take their own course. On the 24th November, Kiel, with an armed party, took possession of Fort Garry, ostensibly to prevent its falling into the hands of Mr. McDougall, but in reality to obtain funds and provisions for carrying out his plan of making himself sole ruler of the country. Governor McTavish had twelve hours* notice of the in- tended occupation of the fort, but took no measures to prevent it. And here I must ob- serve, that the uniform success of the insurgents in all their plans points undoubtedly, not only to advice and assistance from their own clergy (which is too notorious to need any argument), but also to sympathy, if not collusion, on the part of some of the Hudson's Bay Company's officials at Fort Garry. It is impossible to acquit the latter of all blame. Their utter inertness, and laissez aller policy, cannot be explained away by the illness of the Governor. He had the advice of a council, composed of many of the leading residents, to whom the prevalent feeling of discontent must have been well known, !•] INTRODUCTORY. 9 : a civil in Mr. to take a armed stensibly of Mr. nds and making jrovernor the in- took no lUst ob- isurgents not only Q clergy gument), , on the )mpany's bo acquit nertness, xplained He had nany of )revalent known, but yet nothing was done to check the rising spirit of rebellion, which soon passed beyond the control of its originators. Nothing could have been easier than to have prevented Kiel's occu- pation of the fort by simply shutting the gates and refusing to let him in. Without the fort and its stores of money, arms, ammunition, and pro- visions, the emeute must have fallen to the ground of itself, and have collapsed for want of the neces- saries of life. The only rational inference can be, that the Company's officials at Fort Garry were secretly pleased to find that Canada was not going to have such an easy time of it as she expected, and, loth to lose the government of the country themselves, they looked on with indiffer- ence at the troubles which welcomed their suc- cessors. Any danger to themselves they did not anticipate. Their eyes were blinded so that they could not see. When too late, they found out the error into which they had been betrayed. They found a despotic ruler established for nine mouths in their own fort, feeding his men on the Company's provisions, and paying them with the Company's money. Dearly indeed did they pay for their shortsightedness ! It was, however, only amongst the Company's 10 THE RED RIVER EXPEDITION. [chap. officials at Fort Garry itself that this unfortunate sympathy with the rebels existed. Elsewhere their loyalty was above suspicion, and the assistance they rendered to the expeditionary force durinfj the next summer along the whole line of route was invalual)le, and will be gladly acknowledged by every member of the expedition. The 1st of December had been the day fixed for the transfer of the territory to Canada ; ac- cordingly, towards midnight on the 30th Novem- ber, Mr. McDougall and his party sallied forth from their residence at Pembina, crossed the fron- tier, and took formal possession of the North- West Territory in the name of the Canadian Govern- ment. The cold was intense, the thermometer standing at 20° below zero, consequently there was no one to oppose this valorous but somewhat ludicrous proceeding. But the next act of Mr. McDougall was, unfortunately, not so ludicrous, and might have been attended with the most unhappy consequences. He issued two proclama- tions to the inhabitants of Red River, — one, on the 1st December, announcing his appointment as Lieutenant-Governor from that day ; the other, on the 2nd December, confirming all public function- aries in their present offices, except, of course, I.] INTRODUCTOHY. 11 brtunate Iso where nd the iitionary e whole 3 gladly edition. xy fixed da ; ac- Novem- id forth lie fron- *th-West Govern- [nometer y there >mewhat of Mr. idicrous, he most oclama- one, on ment as ther, on anction- course, (lovernor McTavish ; and lastly, he gave Colonel Dennis a commission to act as Lieutenant and Conservator of the Peace, and empowered him to raise a body of armed men to put down the insurrection by force. Acting upon this commission. Colonel Dennis proceeded to organize and drill the English and Scotch settlers, took possession of the Stone Fort (the Hudson's Bay Company's post twenty miles below Fort Garry), and garrisoned it with fifty of the loyal Indians from the Lower Settlement. A colUsion between the two parties was now imminent ; but fortunately, at this juncture, the urgent repre- sentations of the English l)ishop and clergy, added to a change in the feelings of the settlers produced by the publication by the insurgents of a " Bill of Rights,"^ induced Colonel Dennis to give up his rash attempt, and on the 9th December he ordered the loyal people to lay down their arms, which indeed most of them had already done. This attempt to resort to force had the efiect of strengthening the position of Eiel in Fort Garry ; aided by the influence and co-operation of his active allies, the Eonian Catholic clergy, he managed to collect 400 or 500 men, whom he ^ See Appendix A. 12 THE RED RIVER EXPEDITION. [chap. ••] armed, clothed, fed, and paid from the plundering of the Hudson's Bay Company's stores, and from that time forth remained master of the situation. Soon after these events Mr. McDougall, finding that he could do nothing to facilitate his entry into Fort Garry, returned to Canada, to meet there a storm of disapproval and censure from all sides, such as want of success seldom fails to elicit. The Canadian Cabinet condemned his policy in strong terms, and public opinion tried to make him the scapegoat for the blunders of others as well as for his own ; but a calm and dispassionate review of the whole of the circumstances fails to endorse this wholesale condemnation. Though he was at Pembina for a whole month before the 1st of December, yet he never received any intimation that the date of the transfer of the North- West Territory had been postponed. His position was a most embarrassing one. The loyal people of the settlement called upon him for some exposition of the state of affairs ; therefore, assuming (as he had every right to do) that the date originally fixed for the transfer would not be altered without his being informed of it, he issued his Proclamation. Of his commission to Colonel Dennis, and his attempt to put down the insurrection by force I «.] INTRODUCTORY. U , finding Qtry into there a all sides, ;it. The n strouff him the ell as for eview of orse this B month received r of the id. His he loyal For some ssuming dginally without imation. and his )y force 1 through that officer's assistance, the less said perhaps the better. But it is curious to notice, that whilst the Government fully approved of all liis acts up to the 1st December, yet after that unfortunate Proclamation he was overwhelmed with blame even for previous acts, to such an extent that even his personal bearing and manners did not escape the general censure. Perhaps some of his greatest political enemies and detractors might have fared no better, had they been in his place. In the meantime, intent on conciliatory measures, the Ottawa Government sent two Commissioners, Vicar-General Thiebault and Colonel de Salabcrry, to Red River. Mr. Donald Smith, the principal officer of the Hudson's Bay Company in Canada, was also sent a few days afterwards as a Special Commissioner to inquire into and report on the causes of the disturbances, and also to assist Governor McTavish or relieve him of his duties, should he be incapacitated by illness. Mr. Donald Smith arrived at the Settlement on the 27th December, was admitted into the fort, and ob- tained an interview with " President " Riel and his council, the result of which was that he found himself virtually a prisoner within the walls of the fort. At this time there were some sixty Britisli subjects held in close confinement as " political prisoners;" the British ensign had been hauled down, and in its place the flag of the " Provisional Government" (fleurs-de-lys and shamrocks) waved over Fort Garry ; it was also the avowed deter- mination of some of the leaders of the rebellion to bring about the annexation of the Territory to the United States. After much delay and opposition, Mr. Donald Smith was allowed to explain to the people the views of the Canadian Government at a mass meeting attended by upwards of 1,000 people, held on the 19th and 20th January, 1870, in the open air, notwith- standing the intense cold of the weather, 25 deg. heloiv zero. The result of this meeting was the appointment of forty delegates, who met on the 25 til January, and continued in consultation till February 10th. They finally decided on sending three delegates to Canada, and selected for that purpose Judge Black, the Rev. Father Richot, and Mr. Alfred H. Scott. A "Bill of Rights" was also prepared for submission to the Canadian Government. During the sitting of the Convention, Riel broke out into open violence; he placed a guard [cHAr. ••] INTRODUCTORY. 15 Y Britisli political hauled ovisional 5) waved d deter- rebellion rerritory lay and wed to /anadiau lied by 9th and lotwith- 25 deg. was the on the :ion till sending or that Richot, -iidits " anadian a, Riel t guard i over Governor McTavish, who was then danger- ously ill, and declared that he would have him shut before midnight. lie also seized Dr. Cowan, the Hudson's Bay officer in charge of the district, loaded him with abuse, and put him into con- finement along with the other prisoners, threaten- iiiir to shoot him within three hours if he did not swear allegiance to the Provisional Govern- ment. His violence, however, soon cooled down; and he released them on the 10th of February, and on the 11th and 12th also set at lil)erty six or eight of the other prisoners, and promised that the remainder should also soon be released. This improved condition of affairs did not, how- ever, last long. The people at Prairie Portage (a settlement about sixty miles from Fort Garry), being determined to effect the release of the prisoners, assembled to the number of 80 *or 100, and were joined by some 300 English and Scotch half-breeds. The party was under the command of a Major Boulton, formerly a captain in the 100th Regi- ment, and who had joined them much against his own judgment, after striving inefiectually to dissuade them from the attempt. They were un- organized, undrilled, badly armed, and without provisions, and utterly unable to cope with the -I i 16 THE RED RIVER EXPEDITION. [chap. French party, who far exrccMlcd them in numhors, and had large supplicH of food, arms, and ammu- nition. Major Boulton'-s intention was to make a dash at the fort l)y night and carry it by a couj) de main ; Imt this plan, which inch^ed was tlie only one at all likely to be successful, was frus- trated by a violent snow-storm on the very night on which the attempt was made. The road was rendered impassable liy snow, and the party were unable to reach the fort before daylight. Their design thus got wind, and finding it now impossible to surprise the fort, they began to dis- perse to their homes. This action was quickened by inability to procure food for so large a number of men, and also by intelligence of the promised release of the prisoners, to effect which had been their main object in taking up arms. On their way back to the Portage, forty-seven of them, including Major Boulton and one Thomas Scott, passed too near Fort Garry, and were captured by Riel on the 1 7th February. Boulton was tried by court-martial, and condemned to be shot at noon on the 18th; but at the urgent intercession of some of the most influential people in the settlement, his execution was postponed till mid- ni^-ht on the 19th. Poor Boulton, condemned to l.l INTIIOIHCTORY. 17 n v| a miscraljle uiid iguoiniiiiou.s tlojith at the luiiuls of a political faction, was kept in this clroadful state of suspense until 11 p.m. on the IDth; ho luul received the last sticrament from Areluleacon ]\IcLean, had given his last commands, and having lost all hopes of life, had jirepared himself for death, when, literally at the eleventh hour, Riel yielded to the incessant solicitations of Mr. Donald Smith, and pardoned him. It is difHcult to imagine the revulsion of feeling that he must have experienced when the Archdeacon brought him the news of his pardon. On the 26tli February the elections were held in the English parishes, and on the 28tli Riel repeated his promise that the remainder of the l>iisoners captured with Boulton should Le re- leased; but suddenly, on the 4th ]\Iarch, swayed l)y what motives of policy or revenge it is hard to say, this capricious tyrant, resolved by one un- pardonable act to commit his followers beyond hope of redemption, caused one of the prisoners, Thomas Scott, to be tried l)y court-martial. The mock court, presided over by one Lepine, the "adjutant-general," condemned him to death, and with inhuman cruelty his executi(3n was ordered to take place at noon the same day. Deaf to all entreaties, Riel declared that nothing should save c 18 TIM", HID llIVKIl KXrKDITION. [cilAf, Hcott, who, lie Miii.l, liiid Ix'cii unruly whilst in coufincMui'Mt, iiiid iusoh-nt to th(^ ".soldiers" and to lilm (lli<'l), Mild thiit it wiis uccL'ssary to niuko jui c'xaniplu in onh'r that (*ana(hi sliouhl respect the people of Ived liiver. Tlie execution of tlie Bcntenee is thus described iu ]\Ir. ])o!iahl Smith's iiiteresliuj; report: "It was now witiiin a few minutes of one oVdock, and on entering tlic Governor's house, the Wvv. Mr. Young joined me and said, ' It is now considerably past the hour; I trust you have succeeded?' *No,' I said, 'for God's sake go back at once to the poor man, for I fear the worst.' He left immediately, and a few minutes after he had entered the room in which the prisoner was confined, some guards m.irched in and told Scott his hour was come. Not until then did the r "^ity of his position flash upon poor Scott: he said ' Goodbye' to the other prisoners, was led outside the gate of the fort with a white handkerchief covering his head; his coffin, having a piece of white cotton thrown over it, was carried out; his eyes were bandaged; he con- tinued in prayer, in which he had been engaged on the way, for a few minutes. He asked ^Ir. Young liow lie should place himself, whether standing or kneeling, then knelt in the snow, said INTHODUCTOIIY. 19 finvwcll, and imiiu'diatcly aftcM* fell liacU pii reed |»y three l)ulletH, wliudi passed tliroiii^di liis l»ody. The filinii,' i>arty consisted of six men, nil of whom, it is said, weie more or less iiitoxieatod. It has hcen further stated that only three of the muskets were h)aded with hall cartridne, and that one man did not diseharf^e his jiieee. Mv. Young turned aside when the first shots were fii-ed, then went back to the body, and a^ain retired for a moment while a man discharged his revolver at the sutlerer, the ball, it is said, entering the eye and passing round the head. The wounded man groaned be- tween the time of receiving the musket-shots and the discharge of the revolver. Mr. Young asked to have the remains for interment in the burvino- ground of the Presbyterian Church, but this was not acceded to, and a similar request preferred by the Bishop of Rupert's Land was also refused. He was buried within the walls of the fort. On descending the steps leading from the prison, poor Scott, addressing ]\rr. Young, said, ' This is a cold- blooded murder,' then engaged in prayer, and was so occupied until he was siiot." After this bloodthirsty display of power, none cared to dispute the authority of Riel, and he ruled the country with a rod of iron. c 2 20 THE RED RIVER EXPEDITION. [CUAP. I. When the news of this cold-blooded murder reached Canada, it produced a deep sensation of horror throughout the length and breadth of the land. Public meetings were held in Toronto and other towns in Western Canada, and resolutions passed urging the Government to despatch an ex- pedition to the Eed River to restore, the authority of the Queen and punish the murderers of Scott. As soon as the delegates from Fort Garry arrived at Ottawa, two of them, Father Richot and Alfred Scott, were arrested as accessories before the fact to the murder of Thomas Scott; but after a formal examination they were obliged to be released, as nothing could be proved against them. The public mind was vehemently excited, more espe- cially in Ontario, to which province Thomas Scott belonged ; and to the previous desire for the acqui- sition of the fertile prairies of the North- West was now added in the breast of every patriotic Cana- dian a deep sympathy with the relatives of the murdered man, and an ardent longing to avenge the death of a fellow-countryman, whose only crime had been loyalty to his Queen and devotion to his country. •»] m ft [CIIAP. I. :: '-W 1 ' murder ition of . of the nto and olutions an ex- iithority f Scott. arrived Alfred ;lie fact L formal Ued, as . The e espe- s Scott i acqui- est was ■ Cana- of the avenge 3 only ivotion CHAPTER II. PREPARATION OF THE EXPEDITION. It having been determined to send a military expedition to restore the authority of the Queen at the Red River, the sanction of the Home Govern- ment was obtained for the employment of Imperial troops on this service in conjunction with Canadian militia. An able report had been prepared by the Deputy Quartermaster-General in Canada, Colonel Wolseley, in which he had entered into minute details regarding the composition, equipment, and organization of the force, as well as its victualling, clothing, and transport. In accordance with his suggestions, the expeditionary force, as finally con- stituted, numbered about 1,200 fighting men, of whom two-thirds were militia, and the remainder regular troops. The latter consisted of the first battalion 60th Royal Rifles, 350 strong ; detach- 22 THE RED lllVER EXPEDITION. [CUAP. mcnts of Eoyal Artillery and Eoyal Engineers, twenty men each, with a battery of fonr 7-pounder brass mountain guns, and a proportion of the Army Service and Army Hospital corps. The former consisted of two battidions of Eifles, one from each province, raised for two years by voluntary enlist- ment from the drilled militia. These two battalions were named respectively the 1st or Ontario Rifles, and the 2nd or Queljec Eifles. The regiments of infantry were divided into seven companies of fifty strong (including three ofticers), with the object of making them more handy and available for boat service by putting each company into a brigade of five boats. The selections for this service were most strict, and none but men of the strongest and hardiest constitutions were permitted to go, it being rightly decided that on an expedition of this nnture, about to plunge into an unknown and uniijha])ited wilderness, every sick i^an would be a more than ordinary encumbrance. Early in April 1870, Lieutenant-General the Honourable James Lindsay arrived in Canada as Commander-in-chief, in succession to the late Sir Charles AVindham. The selection of this oflicer was most op[)ortune ; his long previous residence in Canada, and intimate personal acquaintance with rccogn possib It th( diplon smooti counti] politic did G( But to pe] the c( entrus him. alreac Canai and ' obed: and mod' n.] PREPARATION OF THE EXPEDITION. 23 the people and tlie country, rendered him particu- larly well fitted for the post. Owing to the peculiar " dual " composition of the force, the military arrangements had to be carried out, not by the Imperial authorities only, but also in concert with the Dominion Government, represented in this department by a French Canadian minister, the recognized leader of a party which opposed in every possible manner the departure of the expedition. It therefore required very delicate handling and diplomatic management to make matters work smoothly. A Commander-in-chief new to the country, and unacquainted with its parties and politics, could scarcely have succeeded so well as did General Lindsay. But he had another and not less important duty to perform, that of selecting the officer to whom the command of the expeditionary force should be entrusted. But here public opinion had been before him. There was an officer in Canada who had already been twice in command of large bodies of Canadian volunteers, and had won the confidence and love of his men, as well as their unhesitating obedience, by his peculiar aptitude for command, and by his happy admixture of the " suaviter in modo " with the "' fortiter in re." He was no ''tf' 24 TlIK RED RIVER EXPEDITION. [cHAr Hi -i: novice in the art of war, but had received his " baptism of fire " in Burmah, and had served in India, in the Crimea, and in China. The Canadian volunteers had not forgotten their favourite com- mander, and the " vox populi " unanimously called for his appointment as leader of the expedition. Fortunately, General Lindsay's opinion coincided Avitli the popular voice, and accordingly Colonel Wolscley was nominated to the command. Seldom indeed has any selection met with more general approval, and assuredly never has it been more justified by the result. Early in May, General Lindsay, accompanied by Colonel Wolseley, repaired to Toronto, where the force was to rendezvous before its final de- parture. The enlistment of volunteers for the Ontario battalion proceeded briskly. The medical examination of the men was very strict, and numbers were rejected as physically unable to stand the fatigues they were expected to undergo. Great was the disappointment of the rejected, and many a threatening and angry look was cast on the medical ofHccrs. But so great was the anxiety of the young men of all classes in Oiitario to go to the Bed Biver, tliat many, who could not get commissions as ollicers, preferred shouldering a riHe in the ranks i to beii percenl private of thel notabll other l)etwe(| II.] PREPARATION OF THE EXPEDITIOX. 25 to being left behind. Consequently, quite a largo percentage of the non-commissioned officers and jirivates of the Ontario battalion were the equals of their officers in education and .wcial position : notably, of two brothers, one was a captain, the other a sergeant. This ec[uality of social position between officers and men, though in some respects advantageous, yet is not without its drawbacks. It is certainly not conducive to discipline. For instance, I heard a private say to an officer, " Now then, old chap, when you've done with that newspaper just hand it over;" and though no disrespect was intended by the remark, the two probably being old friends or schoolfellows, yet it sounded rather queer. The Quebec battalion w\as not so fortunate in its enrolment. The French Canadians, naturally averse to military service, were deterred from enlisting by the exhortations of their clergy, avIio, in many of the parishes in Low^er Canada, puljlicly dissuaded their flocks from joining a regiment " about to be sent to fioht against their brethren in the North- West." They enlisted slowly, and, inasmuch as two-thirds of the officers appointed to the Quebec battalion were French Canadians, the English- speaking Canadians objected to serve under French officers. The ranks fiHed slowly, and not ■ •!'.'■ ■11 26 THE RED RIVER SETTLEMENT. [chap. until enlistment was allowed from Ontario did the battalion complete its numbers, and though nominally a French battalion, yet in reality there were scarcely fifty French in its ranks. The recruits for the two battalions were sent to Toronto as fast as they were enlisted, and were there formed into companies and served out wdtli arms and clothing, under the superintendence of C*olonel Feilden, of the 6 th Kifles, to whom their organization had been specially confided. To his indefatio'able exertions and intimate knowledoe of the minutia) of " interior economy," as well as to his khidly demeanour in smoothing over little roughnesses, much of the subsequent good order of these battalions is due. The grounds of the Crystal Palace, which building had been told off for their accommodation, presented an animated scene, and became the daily rendezvous of the people of Toronto, who were never tired of seeing their citizen soldiery hard at work at drill, and rapidly assuming the appearance and bearing of soldiers. To their credit be it said, both officers and men took a great interest m their new work, and an honourable spirit of emulation and esprit de corps was roused between the two battalions. Meantime a Land Transport Service was beii\g 4 s 11.] [chap. .,.] PREPARATION OP THE EXPEDITION. 27 did 1 organized ; a corps of teair/iters was raised, waggons and carts built, and horses purchased. From the two batteries of Royal Artillery then under orders for England, a large number of excellent draught horses were procured, the remainder being pur- chased from farmers in the country. Two off ^rs were specially appointed to the care of this necessary braucli, and the fitting of shoes, harness, and other details proceeded rapidly. Each horse was newly shod and supi)lied with a spare set of shoes, which it was hoped would suffice for the fortnight or three weeks during which they were expected to be in active work. Vain hope ! the real state of the road over which the provisions and materiel had to bo carried was known only to the engineer employed in its construction, and this item of land transport over a paltry fifty miles was destined to be a source of the most vexatious delay, even threatening at one time the success of the whole expedition. For the actual route from Toronto to Fort Garry information had been carefully collected from all quarters. The passage of troops through the United States territory being of course out of the question, it became necessary to find a road through British soil, and the Hudson's Bay Company's officers were enabled to be of some assistance in this way, as 28 THE RED RIVER EXPEDiTION. [CUAP. they were in the htibit of proceeding from Canada to York Factory by a route which passed close to the mouths of the Red River. The canoe route usually taken 1)y them was adopted, with one or two slight changes. By this route the distance is a little over 1,200 miles; and to accomplish it, it was necessary that all the means of progression known to the human race (except that of balloons !) should be made use of. Conveyance by rail, by steam-ships, by land transport, and by boats, had to be provided. The route lay from Toronto by rail (94 miles) to CoUingwood, on the Georgian Bay ; thence by steamer across Lakes Huron and Superior (.534 miles) to Thunder Bay ; thence by land transport over Mr. Dawson's road (50 miles) to Lake Shcbandowan ; and from that point in boats to Fort Garry (550 miles) : or, in round numbers, 1,200 miles. Of this, the latter poition (GOO miles), from Lake Superior, p±cscnted the greatest difficulties, as the route passed through a wilderness of lakes and rivers, traversed only by the Indian in his birch-bark canoe, and never hitherto attempted by any boat of European construction. Some portion of this route had been surveyed by Mr. S. J. Dawson, of the Public AVorks deixirtment, who V. ' II.] was ci which with tl ill an a North- 18GS nccomp it the He wn Govern Transp wards boat-bi boats \^ They a gene G to ' a wei< JMr. r collect navigf of coi imder about of "\ were II.] PREPARATION OP THE EXPEDTTION. 29 >l ■was employed in the construction of the road wliich was to connect tlie waters of Lake Superior with the innumerahh^ lakes and rivers stretching in an almost unbroken chain to the prairies of the Noith-West. This gentleman had also published in 18 1) 8 an interesting report of this very route, accompanied by maps, with the idea of making it the highway of emigration to the Red Pti^'er. He was accordingly employed by the Dominion Government in the organization of the " Boat Transport Service," anr under his directions up- wards of 200 boats were built in the various boat-building establishments in Canada. These boats were of two kinds, "clhikers" and "carvels." They were also of different dimensions, but as a general rule vrere from 25 to 30 feet long, by G to 7 feet wide, and were constructed to carry a weight of 4 tons, besides a crew of 14 men. j\lr. Dawson also undertook the onerous task of collecting a body of trained boatmen, skilled in the navigation of boats in rapid water, as it was not of course to be expected that the soldiers should understand this kind of work. He got tooether about 400 men, who were dignified with the name of "voyageurs," but the great majority of whom were utterly ignorant of their work, and proved 30 TIIK HKl) RIVKIl KXrEDITIOX. [CIIAP. II.J lft( (Is to ha only onciinihruiK'CS in the l)oats. A voiy .small percentage of tlieni were really " v.yagenrH," excepting about 100 Inxpiois Indians drawn from the villages of 8t. Kegis and Caiigli- nawaga, in the neighbourhood of jNFontreal, who, with scarcely an exception, were splendid felhjws, and without whom it is not too nnich to say that the troops never could have reached their destination. The boats were fitted with masts and sails, in addition to oars, that they might take advantage of favourable l)reezes across the lakes, and with arm-chests for the men's rifles and swords ; a chest of tools and implements for repairing damages was also provided with each brigade of five boats. ^ Immediately upon his arrival at Toronto, General Jjindsay, accompanied by Colonel Wolseley and the officers of the Control Department, had gone to Collinojwood to make the arransjements for the marine transport of the troops fiom that port across the great lakes to Thunder Bay ; and had in one day by dint of hard work inspected the steamers, decided on their different capabilities for the conveyance of troops, and actually concluded a bargain on very favourable terms witii their ' See Appendix B. i I 1 1 M.] TRKPARATION OF THE KXPKDITION. 31 I owiior.s, which was tcU'gi'.'iplicd to Ottawa for tlic siiiiction of the (iovernniont. UnUickily, thut sanctioi^ was refused, und the Ottawa jNIinister undertook the chartering of the vessels himself, with the result of having to pay higher prices than those he had refused to sanction, besides causing a delay of a week or ten days in the hiring of the steamers, and therefore in the starting of the expedition. This little incident will convey an idea of some of the dittieulties attending the "dual" organization, that same difficulty which in a greater degree (if Mr. Kinglakc is to be believed) attended the earlier operations of the English and French armies in the Crimea, and marred their best- concerted plans. From Collingwood to Thunder Bay the distance is 534 miles, through Lakes Huron and Superior, and the traffic along this line is carried on by two steamers, the Algoma and the Chicora, which run every fifth day from Collingwood to Fort William in Thui;.der Bay. But the wat» rs of Lake Superior flow into Lake Huron through a broad channel called St. Maiy's River, which forms the boundary line between British and American territory. This river has very pretty rapids about a mile in lei.gth, and to pass these (which are not TIIK IIKI) inVF.U KXPEDITION. [(MAP. 11.] navij^jiMc for lai-ji':' rnifl) it i.s necessary to go tlii'ougli a canal Iniilt on tlio American side, so tliat in fiict it is inn»ossil)le for Ciinadii to get at her possessions in Liike Suju'rior l)y water without passing tlu'ough American soil. On the first hint of (lifliculties at Ked River and the prohuLlc despatch of troops through Lake Superior, the American autliorities at the Sault Ste. ^NFarie not only refused to allow the troops to jtass through h the canal, hut even stopjx'd the Chicoixi, on her regukr trip, although she had no contraband of war on board. This unfriendly attitude caused much delay and trouble to the expeditionary force, as it became necessary to land everything on the Canadian side at the lower end of the rapids, transport it by land across a three-mile portage, and re-embark it again at the uppi!r end. For this purpose the Ahjoma, which, fortunately, had previously passed the canal, was detained on Lake Superior at a considerable expense, and an American steamer called the Bi'ookhjn was char- tered and sent to her assistance. A glance at the map will exphdn the situation, which was most embarrassing, and necessitated the employment of two lines of steamers, one on Lake Huron, the other on Lake Superior, besides the delay ? II.l PRKPARATION OF TIIK KXPF.DITION. 38 1 ill uhlotuUiig, tviinsportinuj, and re shippiiifr. Tliurc ran lie no (l()iil)t that at tliis tinio a lariro sen- tion of the Anu'iican [)e(>[»l(; fi'lt much .sympathy for " President" Kiel and Ids " Provisional Govern- ment," and were ^hid of any op[)ortunity to aid him by throwing ohstacK's in the way of the expedition : henee the ('h)sing of the eanal ; and it was not until the urgent remonstrances of IMr. Thornton had indueed the Washington Cabinet to with(U-aw tlie oljnoxious restriction, that the em- bargo was removed, and a free i)assage allowed to all articles not contraband of war. Before this was done, however, several ship-loads of stores had been landed on the Canadian si(b', and mu(th delay caused thereby. In consequence of these difFiculties Colonel AVolseley despatched two companies of the 1st Ontario Rifles on the 14tli of May to form a garrison at the 8ault under the command of Lieut. - Col. Bolton, Royal Artillery, the Deputy-Assistant Adjutant-General to the force, f(5r the purpose of superintending the passage of the troops and the transport of the stores across the portage. The departure of these companies, the first detach- ment of the Red River force which left Toronto, was hailed with delight liy the people of Ontario, ij 84 THE RED RTVEll EXPEDITION. [CIIAP. il.] who had set their hearts on the success of the expedition, and were determined to carry it through. Colonel Bolton arrived safely at the Sault, and immediately set to work to complete the road across the portage and get the stores re-shipped on Lake Superior. Just at this time the hydra-headed Fenian organization began again to raise its head, and threaten the peace and security of *^anada. Two more companies of the 1st Ontario Rifles were therefore sent off on the 16th to increase the garrison at the Sault, and Colonel Bolton was directed to be on the alert to guard against a raid from the American side, as the Fenians had openly declared their intention to annoy and interfere with the expedition. The threatened raid actually took place soon afterwards on the Huntingdon Border, the results of which are well known ; and there is no doubt that, had not Colonel AVolseley's foresight and vigilance rendered such an attempt impossible, an eflbrt would have been made to destroy the stores accumulated at the SauJt. Hail such an attempt l)een successful, it would lia\e caused such a delay to the expedi- tion as would probaljly have prevented the return of the regular troops l)ef(>re the winter, if not n.] PREPARATION OF THE EXPEDITION. 85 actually put off the Gxpedition for another year. The last act of the Canadian Parliament before the recess had been the passing of a bill consti- tuting a portion of the North- West Territory into a new province, under the title of the Province of JManitoba.^ Amongst other things, this bill provided for the appointment of a Lieutenant- Governor to rule over the new province ; and the selection of the man for this office was a subject of much debate au'i difficulty. The whole of the press of Ontario was in favour of the nomination of a British officer, and pointed out that that officer ought to be the Commander of the expe- ditionary force. Colonel Wolselc}-. This view was supported by the Premier, Sir John A. Macdonald ; by Sir Stafford Northcote, the President of the Hudson's P>ay Company, who was then in Canada ; and by Sir Clintoix Murdoch, who had been sent out on a diplomatic mission by Lord Granville, and was entrusted with the views of the Home Government on the North-West question. But the French Canadian party were vehemently opposed to such a nomination, desiring thfit a, French Canadian and a Roman C*atholic should ' See AppendiK (\ n -2 86 THE RED RIVER EXPEDITION. [chap. II. be appointee]. At this juncture, unfortunately, the Premier fell sick, so dangerously that his life was despaired of : during his illness the whole power of the Cabinet fell into the liands of the French Canadian Minister, Sir George Etienne Cartier. His influence was so great that a com- promise between the two parties was efiected, and in place of a British officer or a French Canadian, the Honourable IMr. Archibald, of Nova Scotia, was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Manitoba. 1 1: ^^^Kir- CHAPTER III. FROM TORONTO TO THUNDER BAY. After a stay of seventeen days in Toronto, every hour of wliich had been busily spent in the multi- tudinous details of preparation, matters were at length in a sufficiently forward state to enable the first start to be made ; and accordingly, on the morning of the 21st of May, Colonel Wolseley and staff, and the advanced guard of the expe- ditionary force, left Toronto for Thunder Bay. It consisted of Captain Ward's company of the GOtli Rifles, and was followed on the afternoon of the same day by the Head-quarters, and four companies of the same regiment, under command of Major Robertson. Tiie embarkation of the troops took p^ace at Collingwood, tlie port of departure, that same evening, on l)oard the steam- ships Chicora and Frances Smith, together with 38 THE KKI) laVKR EXPEDITIOM. f.-'iiAr. III.] a quantity cf stores of all kinds, and about sixty-four horses with waggons and teamsters for the Land Transport Service. On board the former vessel also proceeded Mr. Irvine, the Assistant Controller in su])-charge of that department, and Dr. Young, the principal medical officer. The vessel was crowded with men, horses, boats, and stores, having on board besides the troops a large number of voyageurs and workmen for the road under the charge of Mr. S. J. Dawson, C.E. The voyage was unmarked by any incident of peculiar interest, though the scenery was beautiful and diversified. For some distance the route lay among islands, now passing through narrow channels and anon opening out into wide expanses of winter, dotted with innumerable rocky islands of all shapes and sizes. In the narrowest and prettiest of these channels tlie steamer stopped at a little settlement rejoicing in the romantic name of Killarney. The deep, narrow channel, the rocky islets covered witli a stunted growth of pines, the pretty little knot of houses clustering round the village church, all combined to render the scene highly picturesque and pleasing to the eye. The charm of novelty, too, was not wanting : here for tlie first time we came across evidences of Indians — a l)irch-bark III.] FROM TORONTO TO THUNDER BAY. 39 } canoo, with two squaws and a " papoose " in it, and three or four copper-coloured fellows lounging on the wharf close ]>y. One of the women had fine regular features of the Circassian type, the other and the child were certainly ugly, even repulsively so. The northern portion of Lake Huron is covered with innumerable islands ; the largest of these, Great Manitoulin Island, is as large as the Isle of Wight, with " Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, and Sark " (as the school-books say) thrown in, ]\Iost of these islands have no name, and are unin- habited, but at one of them, called "Raspberry Island,'' the steamer stopped for a few minutes. Here an enterprising Yankee had " located " himself for the cultivation of that delicious fruit, which grows wild all over Canada, but with more than ordinary luxuriance on this island. His business consisted in converting the fruit into jam, which ' he exported in enormous quantities to all parts of Canada and the States, thcrel)y making unto himself a consideraljle profit. He came on board the steamer, and was most affable and amusing, and invited us to walk up to his house, which was close by the landing-place, and visit his establishment. The chief atti-af-tion, however, which he held out to us was a view of his better- 40 THE RKD lUVF.R FATEDITION . [chap. in.] f I half. " Come up .iiid see my wife," he said ; " I guess she'll astoiii.sli you ! Why, sir, she 'weighs 2G5 Ibs.l" Some of us were not jn-oof against this extraordinjiry attraction, and paid a visit to the good lady in ques- tion, wlio certainly did astonish us ; and, if "raised" on raspl)erry jam, was a most perfect walking adver- tisement of the nutritive qualities of that vegetable as manufactured Ijy her enterprising spouse. A little further on the steamer stopped at the Bruce mines, on the north shore of the lake, and remained there during tlic night, as the entrance to St. Mary's River is intricate and difficult, the channel winding amongst rocks and islands very pretty to look at by daylight, but unpleasant neighbours on a dark night. Here there is a flourishing village, which has sprung up around the mines in the wonderful mushroom-way in which anything in the way of mining attracts adventurous spirits. The mines are of copper, and said to be very rich and to pay well, not- withstanding the present low price of that metal. Anything more liarren, sterile, and unpromising than the country around it would be hard to find, nnd it is well that bounteous nature has provided riches l)eneatli the surface to compensate for the un'-'om[)roniising sterility al)ove. I[ I.l FROM TORONTO TO THUNDER BAY m f I An early start at daybreak on the 23i'(l soon l)rought us to tlic Sault Ste. Marie, commonly called the " Soo," as we were informed by the skipper of a steamboat [it Collingwood. In course of conversation the name " Sault Ste. Marie " had l)een frequently mentioned, and a certain rest- lessness was ol)servable in the said skipper's demeanour at each repetition of the name ; at last, however, unable to stand it any lon^^er, and giving his trousers a preliminary hitch, he broke out, "Call it the Soo, sir, the Soo ! (empliatically) : we always calls it the Soo ; it's ever so much shorter, and everybody will understand ye." And so we called it the Soo from that day, not venturing to contend against such un- answerable lof^ic. The r.pproach to the rapids is very l)eautiful, but the same marked dilFerence was observable there as everywhere else in America, where the opposite shores of a river or lake belong to different nationalities ; on the C;uiadian side a small and insignificant village, on the American side a thriving town. The explanation of this curious fact, somewhat unpalatable to "Britishers," may be left to ^vi8er heads ; but that it is a fact, no one will venture to deny. The Clucora 42 THK HKD lUVKIl EXPEDITION. fcilAP. .I..1 landed lier troops and canip-e(iuipmcnt nt the lower end of the rai)ids on Canadian soil, and tlu.'n .steamed over to the American side to pass through the canal. The "portage" road round the rapids is about three miles long and in good order, much of it having been made since the arrival of Lieu ten 'int-Colonel Bolton. His little force, consisting of four companies of the 1st Ontario Rifles, was encamped about half-way across the portage on a pretty spot of some natural strength. In its front the river, on either flank a deep stream, and in the rear the Hudson's Bay Company's post, abutting on to the main road ; so that a surprise by any fililjustering party of Yankee-Fenians would not have been so easy to accomplish. On the opposite shore, just across the rapids, half a mile in width, stands the American post of Fort Brady, which is a palisaded enclosure containing a few small guns (not mounted, but used for drill purposes), and garrisoned by 250 men of the 1st United States Infantry (regulars). Previous to the rescinding of the order closing the canal, the American officers had not displayed a kindly feeling, but had done all in their power to obstruct the operations of the expedition. They refused to u..] FROM TORONTO TO TIIUNDEU HAY. 43 allow tlioir own tugs to pass through tlie canal if hired by us, and even declined to allow bread to be l>akcd in their ovens for our soldiers, although the flour for that purpose would have been supjilied l)y us. Bread had therefore to be sent from Colliiigwood, and the loading of the steamers at the upper end of the rapids was much delayed l)y the want of a tug to tow the loads to the steamers. But at the time Colonel Wolselcy arrived at the Sault, an order from Washington had re-opened the canal to our shipping, and with it had apparently opened the hearts of our American cousins, who then became most civil and oljliging, and willing to help us in any way. This most desirable change had been carefully fostered by Lieutenant-Colonel Bolton and his ofiicers, and consequently the two garrisons were on terms of cordiality and intimacy, and quite an entente cordicde had sprung up between them. Several ship-loads of stores having been laadcil at the lower end of the rapids, Colonel Bulton and his oarrison had had their hands full in unloadinof, transporting, and re-shipping them. The men of the ist Ontario Rifles had their initiation into fatisi'ue labour, besides havino- to furnish guards at 44 TIIF, llKl) HIVKH KXTEniTlON. [("iiAr. night at both ends of the road and on board the steamers in the river. jMuc.h work liad Ix-en done nt tlie ii])|ier end of the road l)y two parties of JNIr. Dawson's men. who were encamped there, and had bnilt two l^ridges, a small wharf, and a scow capable of liolding 400 barrels. One of these parties was composed of Iroquois Indians, engaged as voyageurs, ])ut employed meantime on any work of this description. These men worked capitally ; they are plain and snnplc-minded fellows, obedient and willing, and splendid axemen, and throughout the exi)edition [)erformed yeomen's service. As the troops re-embarked at the upper end of the rapids, the scene was full of life and bustle. The river was full of ships engaged in the work of transport, and the picturescpie beauty of the scenery was much enhanced by the white tents and open-air gipsy -looking fires of the camps of the Iroquois and Canadian voj^ageurs ; whilst, on the other side of the river, the American town, with its dark background of forest and hill, threw out into bolder relief the white and foaming rapids. The re-embarkation at the upper end did not take long, and at the same time a company of the 1st Ontario Rilles was put on board the propeller Shiclduna, as u ^niard for that vessel and the two <• ITl.l scIk lad( six or Sup illii out a f r all beer it w exte III.] FROM TORONTO TO THUNDER DAY 45 Ar schooners she was towing, the PtotdofK nnd Orion, hiden with l)()ats in\'\ Government stores. Al)Out six miles from tlic 8ault tlie river St. J\I;iry ends, or rather l)egins, and the l)road expanse of Lidve Superior stretches out l>ef(n'e the eye appan^ntly illimitahle ;.s tlie ocean. The Chicora was soon out of sight of hmd, and^pitehing and rolling with a fresh north-east Ijreeze and a heavy sv.ed. To all intents and purposes one might ns well have been on the ocean ; it was difHciilt to realize that it was only a fresh- water lake, so enormous is its extent : — " Where their hikes are like oceans in stonu or in rost." '' The whole of Ireland might be put into Lake Superior (one is sometimes tempted to wish it could be ;) and still leave a fnir-sizcd lake. At daylight on the 25th the high land of Thunder Cape was sighted a long way off, but before reaching it we sto])ped at Silver Island, n little bit of a rocky islet peeping out of the water like a pin's head. The islet is just large enough for one building over the shaft of the mine, and is said to be a mass of the richest silver ore. It is worked by an American company, who have erected a mill and buildin() TIIK RKD RIVER EXPEDITION. [ciiAr. these pests having recovered themselves returned to their recreation on their human victims. For the first ten days the weather was delightful, the heat in the daytime being tempered by a cool breeze from the lake ; but the nights were cold enough to make one thoroughly enjoy a pipe and a chat round the camp-fire after the labours of the day, and to induce one to pile on the blankets at night. On the morning after his arrival, Colonel Wolseley, determined to lose no time in making himself master of the situation, started off on horseback to inspect the condition of the all-important road. Mr. Russell, C.E., one of the engineers employed in its construction, accompanied him. They re- turned at noon on the second day, having ridden as far as the road was then practicable for teams, viz. thirty-one miles. The whole distance to Shebandowan was forty-eight miles, but the road was not intended to be made at first farther than forty-four miles, a footpath only being designed for the last four miles : thus there remained on the 27t]i of May thirte«'ii miles more of road to ])c con- structed over a hilly and thickly-wooded country, a business involving considerable time and trouble. When ut Ottawa, in the month of April, Colonel C 5 % Jil Wards Ar.VtT MttUi I •, 1111)1 'f'it'fiwt ,M},:i,i' , THUNDER V BAY FORT Will lA'JIvtdJ- 'V.] 'L'Di'.ms TV ■] AT PRINCK AUTIIUR S LANDING. 51 I WoLscley had been positively assured that the road wouki be open for traffic l)y the 2r)th of j\Iay, and on this assurance his c;ih*uhitions had been based. In this forty-four miles the road crosses three largo rivers, (as will be seen by the accompanying plan), al: dii^ti'.nccs of twenty-two, twenty-seven, and thirty-nine miles from Lake Superior. For the first twenty-seven miles, as ftir as the bridge over the river Matawan, the road runs through a partially open country, the woods having been burnt many times along that district. From the appearance of these hrflles (burnt clearances), through a succession of which the road passes, it is evident that fires have raged over the country for years past. Some of these hrCles are extensive, others only cover a few acres. For the first eighteen miles from Prince Arthur's Landing, the road runs over a succession of sandy hills, with hej'e and there intervening bits of swamp, which, having been well ditched and fascined, are hard and dry, and altogether the best portions of the road For nine miles further the country is very hilly, of a deep red clay soil, whi(di makes a capital hard load in dry weather, Init after rain becomes frightfully sticky and almost impassable. Of so tenacious a nature was this red clay, that it was E 2 \ Whrds I SH EBAN&OWflt^l 11 « II raiitau'ii.i „. J'-'i'i,il'ii-a"il'>ul/':m~-'&Sf>tilMniEit'ilili y\ liiiko J/. 1- I, A X J^ DA)y^5Qn'5 si OAD I'l'O III ThiniilrrJmv ti l.aki Sli,'l„m,ir\\,tn ■S,;iii . .', Mill.: Ir till hir.'i Thr tiiiurrs iihniil tlir l/<iecc dragged olF l)y sheer force. TLf^ next four miles ridden over hy Colonel VV<:>lsei( 7 were then being worked at, and would 1)0 passable for horses and waggons in a few days. Of the remaining thirteen miles eight only had been cut out through the woods as far as the river Oskondagce (where a bridge of seventy-five feet in length had to be built), and, though ju t passable for an occasional ox-cart, they were utterly useless for anything like regular traffic. The last five miles had not even been marked out through the woods. The fire of the previous week had done a good deal of damage, having burnt several of the smaller bridges and culverts, most of whicli however had been partially repaired ; but the most serious damage done was where the road had been cut out along the hill-sides, the made portion havino- fallen in owino; to the crib-work J. O O that sustained it having been burnt through. In some places also much of the fas(dne and corduroy- work had been l>uriit. Such was the state of the road when tlie advanced guard of the expedi- tionary Ibrce landed on the shores of Thunder Day. I got IV.] AT rillNCE ARTHUR S LANDING. 53 On the morning of the 27tli, the steamers Ahjoma and Brooklijii arrived, and landed the head-quarters and four companies of the GOth. They had had a long and disagreeable voyage from CoUingwood to the Sault in the steam-ship Frances Sialth, had lost their way in a fog and got amongst islands, the captain had b< . drunk the whole time and nearly thrown the «aip way, and indeed it was moio l)y good lur'' t^ ^u good management that they had escaped £.:ap wreck. On arriving at the Sault, the drunkc: "^tain had aljsolutely refused to go any further with(jut a guarantee of 65,000 dollars, so everything had to be landed there and forwarded by other steamers. On the afternoon of the same day the Shick- luna, with two schooners in tow, cast anchor in the Bay ; she brought a company of the 1st On- tario Rifles, which encamped on a little clearing about six hundred yards N.N.E. of the head- (^uarter camp. A small tug, hired by ]\Ir. Irvine to assist in discharging vessels, also arrived, and the Bay assumed an unwonted appearance of life and bustle. The uidoading of the steamers })ro- ceeded energetically, horses, oxen, waggons, and stores of all kinds being rapidly landed and re- moved each to its appointed place. The men of .:V:M4l 54 TIIK RF.I) RIVER EXPrPITION. [chap IV. t.lio (iOth worked till II i-.m. thai ni^lit witli ;i liL'aity gooilwiil that augiuvd well Ibi the ulti- mate suecesH of the expedition. The Al(/o)na was uidoaded, and ciiahled to start on the return journey that niiilit, thcrel)y avoidinii,' detention eharQ-cs. The system pursued in unhjading vessels was by means of a hirge wooden seow, o.") feet long hy l."3 feet broad, capable of carrying 500 barrels, and when loaded drawing only about 18 inches of water. When calm, vessels could anchor within 1300 yards of the shore, and the scow Avas then hauled 1)ackwards and forwards from the vessel to the pier Ijy means of a strong rope. But when blowing fresh from the east or south-east, an ugly surf got up in the Bay, which prevented vessels coming nearer than half a mile or more, and then the scow was towed backwards and forwards by the little tug. At the end of the pier, which was 90 feet long, there was about three and a half feet of water, so that the scow could always come alongside the pier, there being no tide to take into account in these fresh-water seas. The horses were landed in the same manner, twenty at each trip, without the slightest accident of any description. An officer of the Control Department, Mr. iMcllitli, had been spcci- % IV, AT I'UINCK AUTIIUKS I.ANDlNd ')•) !iljy tuld oir for this work of unlo;i(ling vcsscIh, iiiid fr(»in liciiij^' so coiiHtaiUly on lio;ir'tii as to enable the garrison to laugh at any Fenian atten [)ort I IV ••] AT PRINCE ARTIIUll S LAXUINO f ! attempts. Platforms wovo also made for the traiis- l)oi't of thclnjats: the l)odiesof the wau'o'oiis, beino taken off the wheels, were joined together by stout })ieees of timber, so as to leave the fore and hind wlu'els some distance a])art (much in the way as trunks of trees are carried in England). The boats were hoisted on to the platforms, bottom up, and fii'mly lashed to the stanchions of the wheels with 2-incli rope, the thwarts resting on cross pieces of wood fixed between the wheels, and the bow of the boat projecting over the back of the horses. The driver sat astride on the keel. This plan was adopted to prevent the boats getting damaged by the severe jolting over the uneven road. On the 3d June the first four boats were sent off in this way to the bridge o\'er the Matawan River, 27 miles, where they were launched and moored in the river to secure them ao;ainst fire. This precaution on the part of the commander turned out to be a most happy thought, for just at this time another fire swept over the road be- tween Lake Shebandowan and the Kaministiquia Bridge, destroying tlio shanties at the Matawan Bridge, and all tlie hay and stores collected there for j\ri. P, •"-■•-on's workmen. S'-onc of the d.:- CO THE RED RIVER EXPEDITION. [CUAI'. IV.] taclicd parties along the line even lost tlieii" tents, and liad to run for their lives. The brido-es were saved, l)ut here and there portions of corduroy work were consumed, causing further delay in tlie completion of the road. The danger from fires thus l)ccame a serious element to Lc taken into calculation. The head-rpiarters and four companies of the 1st Ontario Rifles joined the force on the 4th ; with them also came Lieutenant-Colonel .McNeill, V.C., the military secretary to the Governor- General, whose services had been placed at the disposal of the General for service with the expedition. A collar-maker also arrived for the Land Transport Corps, whose services were much needed, as many of the horses were suffering from galled shoulders, arising from badly-titting harness. About four miles to the south of Prince Arthur's Landing, the river Kaministicjuia foils into Lake Superior. On the left bank, and half a mile from the mouth, stands the Hudson's Bay C^ompany's post of "Fort William," of which Mr. McTntyre is the manager. Fort William was an old post of the North- West Company until the amalgama- tion of that company with the Hudson's Buy, in } [CIIAP. .v.] AT PRINCE ARTHURS LANDING. 61 ) I I 1822. It formerly consisted of three or four stone block houses, surrounded hy a wooden palisade enclosing about fourteen acres of land. The pali- sade was never required as a protection against Indians, and gradually fell into decay; but little of it now remains, and only one block house, which has been converted into a dairy. The land is very rich, a good deal of it having been cleared on both sides of the river. The scenery is pretty; everything fresh and green, having escaped the terrible conflagration that had lately devastated the surrounding country. The river is about 100 yards wide opposite the fort, and is navigable for ten miles, as far as Point de Meuron. Two miles above the fort on the ridit bank is an Indian O mission, a collection of twenty or thirty log huts inhabited by Indians, who have been converted to Christianity 1)y the Roman (.■atholic missionaries, and half reclaimed from their wild life. They possess a few cows, and cultivate some patches of potatoes, but live princi[)ally by fishing and trap- ping, and by voyaging for the Hudson's Bay Com- pany. Some of these Indians are sharp-witted enough. One of them, called Sliab, was quite a character. Mavin^- contrived one day to iiet hold uf a keg of whisky, strictly contrary to the law 02 THE RED RIVEU EXl'EDITION. [chap. ■v.] wliicli forl)itls the sale of spirits to the Indians, his priest ordered him to give it up, and on Sliab' re fusinef, reiterated the order, telling him 'rt' he must obey the orders of his spiritual pastor; upon whieh Shah immediately declared that he had *' turned Protestant," and was no lonocr under his authority! On another occasion he was detected on Good Friday eating a hearty dinner of meat, and on being reproached with this infraction of rules, and told that no " good Catholic " would do such a thing, Shab replied that he had a good " Catholic heart " but a " Protestant stomach ! " About three and a half miles to the north of Prince Arthur's Landing the Current Piver falls into the Bay in a succession of very pretty water- fiiUs. Three miles from its moutli, but away from the river, are rich silver mines woi'ked l)y a com- pany from Montreal. The recent fire committed sad havoc here, burnina; down ein-liteen houses and some stores of hay. By great exertions the mill itself, with its new and valuable machinery lately imported from London, and only erected during last winter, w.'is saved from destruction. The un- fortuurte miners lost all tliey had, many of them having barely time to save themselves and their ^; chil^ The! [chap. IV ■] AT PRINCE ARTHUR 5i LANDING. 63 1 \ i 4 T cliiklren, so rapid was the advance of the flames. The women and ehiklren, to the niiml)er of twenty, took refuge in one of the galleries of the mine, where tliey remained for some time until the fire had passed over. The northern shores of Lake Superior, though rocky and barren, yet undoubtedly more than com- pensate for this by the mineral wealth lying hid beneath their surface, awaiting discovery and deve- lopment by the enterprise of future ages. Copper, iron, lead, and silver have already been found ; the last-named metal in great quantities. During the summer of 1870, two metalliierous silver lodes were discovered in the vicinity of Prince Arthur's Landing, for one of which the fortunate owner (who had had the sense to say nothing about it until he had secured the purchase of the land) refused $G0,000 (12,000/. sterling), .ecting to get a much larger sum, which the tALraordinary richness of the ore fully warranted. The commissariat arrangements f r the victual- ling of the troojjs whilst at Thuudcr Bay were most satisfactory. Prcsli broad and meat and potatoes were issued every day ; the bread, which was of a most exeelleiit ([uaUty, bciiin' baked in field ovens at the cam]). Livt^ earth,- were bi'(»uglit { f)! TIIK RKI) lUVKFl K.Xl'KDITION. [chap. from Collingwood and slauglitercd daily, tliat tlio men might be spared the salt pork diet as long as possible. The GOth also opened a canteen, where good wholesome beer and little luxuries of diet were procurable, but no s])irits. These were from the first interdicted, with the happiest results. Officers and men lived on the same rations, and, with hard open-jur work and famous appetites, sickness was unknown. The daily ration was also largely supi)le)nented by fish, quantities of which were caught by trolling with a spoon in the lake and in the rivers adjoining. No such thinu as a saw-mill cxistino- in the neighbourhood, sawn lumljcr (AngUce, planks) for building purposes had to be brought from Colling- wood. As soon as it arrived, stal)lini>; for the iiorses and sheds for the commissariat stores were commenced. The rapidity with whi(di Canadian carpenters run up light buildings of this nature would astonish a new arrival from " the ohl coun- try." A couple of days sufHced to put up a stable large enough for seventy-five horses; and though the work was not very sultstantial, yet it answered the purposes for which it was required well enough. Storehouses for the immense supplies of pcik, fk)ur, &('., were quickly 1)uilt, and thi forinur secured ^ } k 4; r from heat Thd for til [CIIAP. >i ^ i) r .v.] AT PRIN'^E ARTHURS l.ANDING. 05 from the danger of being spoilt l)y the excessive heat of a Canadian sunnner. The insuftieiency of the Land Transport C^n'ps for the work it liad to do had early become ap- parent to the commander. It consisted of 150 horses and half tliat nnmlu'r of waggons and team- sters. The horses were, with scarcely an excep- tion, splendid animals ; 7') of them had been picked from the Eoyal Artillery, and the remainder were almost equally good. No ti';/nsp.o)-t ever started with a finer lot of animals. JUit the teamsters had ])cen picked up anywhere .i" i everywhere, without any regard to their qualifications; many of them kn(;w no more about drivin2; or about the care of -horses than they did about kangaroos. Home had been bar-kce]icrs, some clerks, and not a few were "decayed gentlemen" who had ''seen better days.'" They were refractory and difficult to manage, being amenable to no discipline. A Itmd transport corps should always, when practi- cable, be composed of men regularly enlisted and disciplined; only in this way can this most im- portant branch be kept in that state of efficiency so necessary for the movements of an army in the field. For wliat is tlx- good of an army if tlie general have not tlie means of moving it ? J>y I' 00 TIIK HKl) lUVKU FArKDlTION, (•11. \ I' IV. f c.'iivlu.ss drivijio', l>y il]-iitti]ig Ikh'ik'ss, and l»y tlic ^ scvrrity of tlic work, tlic lioivcs soon In'oaii to fall ill, as mail)' as 'A'y jxt cent. Iwiiig ;it on** timo on ^ \\w sick list. To iclicNc the ti'ans[)ort had tliorc- i\)]v Ix'coinc all object of much solicitude to (*olonel AVolseley, and his attention had been turned to the possU)ility oF sending boats U[> by the Kaniinis- )f tiquia Kiver. This hnd been declared by Mr. Dawson and others to 1)e a. ]>ei-fect iin])ossiI)ility, owing to the inunoi'ous ya[)ids and falls on that rivei- ; but not content -with this opinion, (N)]onel AVolsehy consnlted ^Ir. ^b jjityre, the Hudson's ]]ay Coni])any's factor at Fort AMlliani, who at once })ronounced it to be feasibh', tliough difHcnIt. (Vdonel Wolsek'y immediately decided on trying the experiment; every boat so sent np represented another waggon released for the transport of stores; each waoooii could draw from 18 to 20 cw^t., and there were l.';() boats to be sent up; consecpiently it became a serious element of consideration. Ac- cordingly, at ().;30 a.:m. on the 4th of June, thirty- y four men of the (JOth, under C^antain Yoiuig and ' L Lieutenant Fraser, started to try to get up to Lak(* » Shebandowan by water. They took with them | four flat-bottomed raftsmen's boats, and two heavy i> Uuebec-built l.)oats. with thirt\'-six davs' rations. j \ [CIIAI- IV. AT PHINPF, Ain'FlUn S T.ANDINr,. 07 1 The tug towed tliom to Fort William, where Mr. j\feTiityrc put two Jiidiaiis into fach boat, ;nid gave lliem his own guide, a man who knew every stone and roek in the river from his boyliood. The little })ioneer force, on the sueeess of which so much depended, rowed away up tlie river, bear- in o* the oood wishes of all who were sincerelv interested in the success of the Red Rivei- Expedition. ) Lak(^ them \ F I (CHAPTER \ MR. DAWSON S i;()Al). tliAl'. \ The fine weather wliidi liad welcomed tlie arrival of tlie expeditionary force, and coiitrilnitcil so miicli to render everytliing jolly and pleasant in and about the camp, 80on disappeared, and in its place for the next six weeks came hea\y and continuous rain and frecpient thunderstorms of extraordinary scvei'ity. On the Gth June Colonel Wolseley, accompanied by Assistant-Controller Irvine, made his second inspection of the i^oad, and penetrated to the extreme end of it, 37 miles. He returned on the 8th, having descended the rapi CIIAl', v.] MU. DAWSON S HOAD. 09 ■f ^> met Captain Young's party just below the bridge, and found that tiiey liad successfully sui-niounted the rapids and falls, and had brought all their boats up withcnit injury. The experiment had turned out -a most decided success, so far, and Colonel Wolseley immediately resolved to send the greater part of the boats by this route, and so relieve his transport of a great strain on its resources. Captain Young had cut out all tho })ortages, seven in numl)er, and laid down rollers for dragging the boats over. The portage round the Kakabeka Falls he reported to be a mile in lengtli, for a })ortion of which distance the boats had to be hauled up a rocky hill, l)y sheer strength, at an angle of 45°. The labour had been very great, the boats having to be poled and " tracked"^ up against rapids almost the whole way. The men had been almost constantly wet through — drenched to the skin by rain, and wading up to their waists in the river. They had also suUered severely from flies, for though each man had been served out at Toronto with a small black veil to * "Traekiiijf " is done by nioans of a long rope fastened to the liow of the boat, which is thus hauled up the rapids by three or four of the crew, who run along the bank where practicable, or wade in the river, the remainder of the crew assisting theai at the same time by poling. ^^1^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 1.1 11.25 >^ 1^ |22 20 lit Hi ^1^ ^.^ ^ m > ^) /^ .V >^ '•^ '/ Hiotographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 70 THE RKl) UIVKK I.XI'KDITION. eitAlv sliickl the face from tlu' attack.s of flies, yot it was found that, for tlie actual hard work of tracking and forcing a path along the Ijanks and throujzh the overhanoinnr laishes, these veils soon got torn and useless. But notwithstanding all these trials and hardships, the men wei'C in excel- lent health, and as cheery as [)0ssil)le. Captain Young got his boats up as far as the JMatawan Bridge, beyond which point the Indians declared that it was impossible to take tlu^ heavy boats, owing to the incessant falls and rapids. The result of this successful experiment was, that batches of boats were sent up almost every day, or as often as Indians could be got to take them up, and by the 24th of June 50 boats had thus been sent up to the ]\latawan Bridge by water. Meantime the work of forwartling the supplies proceeded steadily though slowly. A piece of o;round at the JMatawan Bridcfc was cleared, stabling and sheds hastily run up, and a large depot (.)f supplies formed there, as being mor(3 central than the Kaministiquia Bridge. Every available waggon was used for this purpose ; no more boats were sent up by the road, but every eftbrt was made to collect supplies at the Matawan. > h v.] Th wei an( the fori dri^ Col Lai win eni] [cir.w, v.] MK. DAWSON S I50A1). 71 les, yot work of nks and 'ils soon ling all in fXL'C'l- Cai)tain iiatawan diclaiXMl y boats, lit was, t every to take >ats had dge by supplies liece of cleared, a la roe I mor(3 Every »se ; no 'j every atawan. The draught oxen, to the nunil)er of 18 span, were sent up from tlu^ IJay to tlie ]\latawan, and used between that i>oint and the Oskondagee, tlic road not being passable for horses. A rein- forcement of 10 waggons, each complete with a. driver and two horses, hired from farmers at Collinfjwoijd, was forwaided to Prince Arthur's Landing, at the urgent recpiest of Colonel Wolsrley, wliej'e they did capital service. The troops were em})loyed on the road, wherever it wanted repair, and companies of the (JOth and jMilitia were encamped all along the line, and wtnked daily on the road, under the directions of Mr. Dawson and his assistants. But notwithstanding the energy dis[)layed by the commander, and the hearty way in which he was backed up by otlicers and men, both regulars and militia, the piles of stores at the liay instead of dimi.iishinii' seemed to increase. Each successive steamer brougjit ils load of sujijilies, which accu- nmlated much fjister thar they could be sent uj). By the 2 1st of June, the whole of the troops aiid stores had arrived at Brince Arthur's Landing ; a depot of suitplies was forming at the M atawan, and nearly 70 boats had gone u}». But the Matawaji was onlv a liulc moie than lialf-w.'iv m 72 THK lU'.I) inVKIl lAlM.DITION. [CIIAI", to Lake Sliebiiiulowiin, aiicl the problem was to get the supplies and boats up the other half. A thh'd iuspeetioii of the road was made by Lieutenant-Colonel McNeill, on the 15th, and on the 21st Colonel Wolseley rode over it again himself. He found the road between the Matawau and Oskondagec still practically impassable for waggons. A few drawn by bullocks daily passed over it, but no organized horse-transport in the world could have existed, if ordered to work over it regularly with ordinary loads. There were several places that even on horseback were only passed with difiiculty. ])eyond the Oskondagee, the road was not yet cut to the Dam Site, five miles further, but large gangs of men were at work on it, assisted by two companies of the GOth. But this failure of the road must not be attributed to want of energy or zeal, on the part of ]Mr. Dawson, in pushing it forward. The diffi- culties he had to contend with were many and serious, and his exertions to overcome them and get the road into working order were untiring. Fires twice raged over considerable portions of it, consuming culverts, crib- work, retaining walls, and corduroy-work. Heavy rains swamped it • V.J (chap. MK DAWSON'S IIOAI). 73 again rcpoiitedly, canying away bridges, and rendering it inii)a.sHal)le for days. The road, too, passed over a eountry where the ordinary facilities for road- making were not proeural^le ; no metalling was attemi>ted upon it anywhere, gravel was only to he found at a very few places, and for miles in some localities even sand was only to he obtained hy carting it from a distance. At many places it was necessary to carry the road over swamps and peat-mosses, where deep drains and heavy fascine work were indispensable. It crossed two considerahle rivei-s and numerous large streams, over which bridges had to be constructed. In some districts it passed through a red clay soil of a most tenacious nature, quite impervious to water. After rain, at such places, the first few teams that passed over it cut it up into frightful ruts ; and for days afterwards the wear and tear on horses was so great as to stop all traffic. The only portions that stood continuous traftic were those that had been corduroyed ; for, although they WL've rough and only suited for slow draught, still they were passable in all weathers. The grades were toleral)ly good, as fair as could be expected where all deep cuttings and embank- ments had been avoided. 71 Tiir. r.ii) invKK i.m'kdition. [fiiAr Startled l)y tlie liopdcss nature of the road liL'twtrii tlic Matawaii and O.skondairce, siiven oi' eight nideH of wliich wouhl evidently take a fortniu'lit or more to be in workinLj; order. Colonel AVolseley al»and(»ned the idea of .sented was this : at a point ealhd Brown's C/orncr, live miles hcvond the ]\Iatawan, he i:ot Mr. Dawson to eut a braneh road down to the river, one and a (piarter miles, to (ahlcron's Landing, and put two eompaiiies of the OOth on this bit to help the workmen. He organized a naval service under Captain Young of the GOth, who took su])i)lies from the Matawan Jiridge in boats, to a point two miles higher up, named Young's Landing : there they were landed and stored under a rude shanty, hastily run up, and weie taken on by ox-ti'ams to Calderon's Landing, where they were again embarked, anil poled up the river by the GOtli to the Oskondagee : from this place they were taken by road five miles further to the Dam Site, where they were again endjarked in liat-bottomcd boats, and taken up to Lake Sheljandowan, four miles further, where tiiey were landed in McNeill's Uay. A path iV>r the [CIIAI' V. MU. DAWSON S IIOAI). / les ip to tiicy • the f troops wiis cut tiiroiigli tlie woods for tliis hist lour miles. All these iuraiii''ein( iits, juid the little details eouueeted ^vith them, took some time to perfect; and it was not until the first week in .luly that the hraiieli road to ( aith-rons [.aiidiiiij:, and the roail to the Dam Site, were tit for tratlic. This new system, to w hich ('oh)nel Wolseley had l)een diiveii as u make-shift, onttiih'd the esta- blishing of a great numljer of small posts, at all of which some kind of rude shelter was necessary to protect the la-ovisions from tlu^ heat. The frequent change too from hoats to waggons, and I'lce vo'ca, could not hut occasion S(mie waste and damage to the barrels by constantly breaking- bulk. The labour gone through by the troops at this trying period was most excessive ; but it was done in such a cheerful, soldier-like way as to extort the admiration of everyone. Colonel Wolseley himself thus writes of the GOth at this time : " The men and otKeers have woijced in a way that I have never seen soldiers do hefore ; they arc all as cheery as possible, and seem to enjoy the life, which is assuredly no easy work." And again: "I have just heard from McNeill, who is encamped at the Dam Sit<^' ; he is loud in his praises of the (iotli, as indeed everyone 70 Till". iM.n invrii kxiM'.dition. [t'liAr v.l must 1)0, wlio has scuii thorn work horc ! Tl ic militia, too, viod with thoir hrothron of the rogu- lurs, and oiio and all nobly followed the example set thom. Although the proceedings of the little expedi- tion, whi(th was forcing its way by sheer hard work against all obstacles far away in the depths of the North American wilderness, had attracted but little notice in England, yet amongst military men it was an object of some attention, and a great desire had been manifested to join the expedition amongst some of the more restless spirits in our army, some of that class of men who have not yet, thank God ! been driven out of our ranks by the efforts of would-be Army reformers. An officer of the — th Lancers, Captain JM , being unable to get regular employment with the foi-ce, resolved to join it as a volunteer ; jind, wttinnj a few months' leave of absence, actually crossed the Atlantic, and made his way to Prince Arthur's Landing, anxious to see a little service in these piping times of peace. Though contrary to the orders on the subject, Colonel AVoLseley had not the heart to refuse his request after such a long journey, and allowed liim to accompany one of the brigades of boats ' % v.l MR. DAWSON S ROAD. 77 k as ji volunteer, giving hlni cluirgc of a boat's crow. It was on a pouring wot morning tliat tiic lirigndo of boats which lie ac'com))ani(Ml started from Prince Artlmr's Lanilini; to work tlieir wav up the Kaministiquia River : (li'eiichi'd to the skin, jtresenting a most dejected and forlojn appearance, but full of i)luck and rcsohilion to carry out his i)urpose, the little Laiieir ste]>ped into his boat in happy ignorance of what was bcfoi-e liini. The next thing that was heard of him was from Colonel Wolseley, who met him at tlu; Kakal)rka Falls, still wet through, )»ut nnnfully hauling away at a rope, and dragging his boat up a hill 120 feet high and as steep as the roof »>f a house. He had been six or seven days getting that dis- tance, and had scarcely had a dry stiteh on him the whole time ; he aftei-wards confided to me, that at that time he had had quite enough of the Red River Expedition, and fully expected the (*olonel would have offered him a seat in his canoe back to Prince Arthur's lianding, an (»ffer which he would have jumped at ; but, as he did not, he had to go on, and finally reached the Matawan Bridge after a tremendous journey of eleven days. We were encamped at the IMatawtiu when he appeared there, and hailed his arrival /S THK HKl) UIVKll i;\l'EI)ITI(»V. [i ii.\i'. willi niiicli |il(';isun' :iiieen l)etter ill liis life, and on the whole rather liked heinu' wot through. We were rather amused at a story told of him duriiii;' this "j^leasure tri})." He was lying awake in his lent one niglit, so bothered by the mosquitoes as to be unable to s'eep, tired as lie was. At last he ^fit up and seized what he took to be the bottle of mosquito oil, and .smeared his hands, neck, and face with its contents. Next day at tlinner-tim(», one of the ])arty, when about to hel[> himself to the Ifarvey Sauce (a great luxury, and carefully husbanded for the siike of the salt pork), cried out, " Tfullo ! some one's spilt a lot of the Ifarvey Ha iice I" On careful iiKpiiry, poor y\ turned out to be the deliiupient. It wh i;u sei a IK as (.f r< ii.vr MP |)\WS<)N S HOAD. 70 It \v;is llaivcv Siiiicc, iiiiil not nio,s(|uito oil, with which hf liiid iinoiiitcil himscit' tlic iiiulil lirlnrc! r»uf, iiotwitlistimdiiii;' thcs.' litth' (roiililfs, he siih- siMniciitly followed thr ('X)t('ditioii to Kort (J.'iiry, ,'ind worked his way there like the rest of us, though as a pleasure tri|»so)ne niiuht think it a eurious way of spendiiiu; f()ur iiionths' leave. Whilst an this suhieet ol' Licttiiifj Wft, f luav nioiitiou that, thounh all had to jjo throuth, F , wlio positively a]>{)eared to delii^ht iu it, a,nd was never thoroughly lia]»py unless he irii.'< wut throu^L;li. He used to wear a pair ol' untanned seal-skin mocassins, wliieh, beinc*' waterproof, would have thei'eby seriously interl'ered with his pleasure : to obviate tliis iiicoiivenienee, and 1 suppose not to o'ive his feet an unfair advantage over the rest of his body, he used to fill these mocassins full of water every iii,ii,ht, and ])lacc them outside his tent, where they mounted sentry like a pair of "tops" on their trees. Of course the leather got thoroughly soaked with water, and his feet could not by any possibility ever be dry. He was em- ployed with Captain Young on the boat service, where he worked like a horse from morning to night ; and l)eing always in and out (^f the water, 80 THE HEW RIVER KXl'KDITION. [('MAI' v.] traclsiiijT up rapids mid so forth, lie was (julto "in liis t'K'UK'iit," and intcnse'ly and tliorouglily liiippy. lie never appeared to lie the worse tor this ani- ]»hil)ious mode of life, and rheumatism had as yet no terrors for him. To the north and west of Lake Superioi', tlie country I'ises a hei<;ht of from SOO to 1,100 feet above the level of the lake. This ruii^'d Laurentian eountrv is eiillcd the llriohl of Land, and forms the j^rcat watershed of the northern ])ortion of the Continent. Here the waters of the Ottawa, and the northern trihutariis of the pfreat lakes, interlarc with those flowinu!; into Hudson's Bay. The chanf^c is most marked ; onee over the dividing line, and everv stream and river flows to the west and north instead of to the east. Lake Shebandowan itself is 800 feet above Lake Superior. It may therefore easily be imagined that rivers flowing from this height into Lake Superior, only fifty miles off", must be very rapid. Up this height the boats had to be draggi^l, and the stores conveyed ; some idea may therefore be gained of the lal)our involved. The yearly rainfall in this S(^etion is very great — fright- fully great, if the time we spent in this region be any criterion ; for, during the month of June, r \ an i^' [cii.vr. v.] MR. DAWSON S KOAU. 88 liundred s at the iigcnicnt roronto, sued to a small against of very ivc kept , bit of trc kept isli-work I by the lostpiito- was also )oat. in con- the flies es were I nd -flies, known the ex- it needs 1 insect, unds in ^) the Canadian woods, where it is a terrible torment. It chiefly attacks the back of the neck, and throat, wrists, hands, &c., but is not par- ticularly fastidious. It draws blood at every bite, and the part bitten swells up and becomes very painful. The Ijlack fly, however, bad as he is, is decidedly preferable to the mosquito, for he is a gentleman and goes to bed at night, whereas the mosquito bullies the unhappy victim even more at night than in the daytime. Dead tired, and thoroughly worn out by a long day's rowing, poling, and tracking, in some localities one was so bullied by these intolerable pests as to be ke})t awake all night ; and in place of a sound and refreshing sleep, one would get up in the morning bitten all over, and feverish and cross. On one occasion, I had to ride to the Kaministiquia Bridge with an order, and on arriving there at 9.30 P.M., found the few men who had not turned in sitting round the camp-fire with their veils on, as if they were going to take a hive of bees. I was rather inclined to laugh at these precautions, for at Prince Arthur's Landing we were nut troubled with flics, but I soon found out my mistake : very little sleep did I get that night ; the mosijuitoes held high jul)ilee over me, and t Bm it mm iniifrrr^Kareisa^-^ 84 THE RED RIVER EXPEDITION. [CIIAP. v.] never did I feel more inclined to cry out with the Psalmist, " Would God it wore morning ! " At tlie first streak of daylight I crawled out from my wretched lair, and plunged into the river to relieve my heated and feverish frame. Those who have not experienced the mosquito in his native fastnesses, can have no idea, no conception of an idea, what an intolerable nuisance he can make himself. I was once enjoying an evening's fishing on a charming little trout stream ; the trout were biting freely, but so were the mosquitoes, which swarmed around me in myriads, fastening eagerly on wrists, hands, and face. Tempted by the sport, I continued fishing, until my eyelids were so swollen that I could scarcely see out of my eyes; at last, in despair, I fairly made a bolt of it, and ran away without waiting to put up my rod, regularly put to flight by the mosquitoes. The third species of plague we had to contend against were sand-flies. These minute insects, so small as to be scarcely perceptible, are great torments : no veil or netting will keep them out ; they are so small that they can crawl through any- thing. Their bite is as if you had been rubbed over with cayenne pepper; you feel a sudden burning, and have some difticulty in discovering [chap. it with •niiig ! " it from liver to >se who native 1 of an Q make fishing ut were which eagerly by the Is were of my bolt of up my quitocs. contend ects, so great m out ; >lr any- rubbed sudden ovcrnig v.] Mil. DAWSON S ROAD. 85 ^1 I tlic enemy, so diminutive is he. The Freueh Canadians very aptly call them hrillot. The deer- fly is a large mustard-coloured insect, three-quarters of an inch long, and furnished with nippers. He takes a piece of flesh right out when he bites, and will fight you like a wasp or a bee. Horses become perfectly mad from their bites. Towards nightfall the mosquitoes and sand- flies arc especially attentive, and the only way to escape them is to make a big smoke, — " faire un boucane," as the French say, — and sit in it ; a remedy scarcely less disagreeable than the disease. We used to smoke our tents out regularly before turning in at night, and if you did not do so, woe to your hopes of sleep ! On the 29 th June, the Lieutcnant-General anived at Prince Arthur's Landing, on a visit of inspection ; and, accompanied by Colonel Wolselcy, rode over the whole road as far as the Dam Site, and went up to Lake Shebandowan in a canoe. He returned by the river Kaministiquia, running the rapids in a canoe. In his passage down the river the Lieutenant-General passed four brigades of boats, at different places, working their way up against the rai)ids. The labour at this time was exceptionally severe, owing to the excess of water 86 THE RED RIVER EXPEDITION. [chap. v.] in the river, which had become so deep that it was difficult to pole ; and, as the banks were flooded, tracking was extremely difficult and laborious. The former tracking path, cut by previous boats' crews, was three feet under water. One of these brigades, having camped one evening on an island, was compelled by the rising of the river to take to their boats in the middle of the night, and cross to the mainland ; next morning the island was not to be seen ! In its place was a foaming rapid. For four days no waggon train of supplies could be sent up the road. The Lieutenant-General left again on the 4tli of July, by steamer. His visit was of great benefit to everyone, and as he arrived in the midst of a very severe storm, he was fully enabled to judge of the difficulties which the men of the expedi- tion were contending against, on the road and on the river. At the time that the Lieutcnant-General arrived at the Matawan, on his visit of inspection, I happened to be present, and was much amused at the dress in which the iuspccting officer was received, by Captain Young, who was then at his daily work in the boats taking supplies up the river. His dress consisted of but three articles : I-* [chap. that it :s were It and cut by water, oveniiifj of the of the norninej ice was )n train I The )f July, tiefit to st of a judge exjDcdi- and on arrived ition, I amused 3er was . at his up the irticles : v.] MR. DAWSON S ROAD. 87 a red woollen night-cap; a flannel shirt, ojien at the throat and chest, with tlie sleeves rolled up to the elbows ; a pair of duck trousers tucked up to the knees, and confined round the waist by a leathern belt and sheath knife; no shoes or stockings, and a pipe in his mouth, which ho politely removed to shake hands with the General! At this time the INIatawan River had overflowed its banks ; the water was a foot deep right under the rude table on which the officers ate their daily rations of salt pork and biscuits ; in fact, it was a matter of some difiiculty to keep your feet out of the water. But this, too, had its ad- vantages, when looked at from the "Mark Tapley" point of view ; for, when you were thirsty, you had nothing to do Ijut dip your tin cup under the table and bring up a cupful of water. F used to enjoy it very much, as he never made any attempt to keep his feet out of the water, and was able to be in his normal state of wet without extra trouble. One more anecdote about " Jack Youno-." O Though always the first man to jump out of a boat in a rapid, utterly regardless of the deuth of the water, and cfenerj " illy y he liad the old soldier's knack of keeping his 88 THE RED RIVER EXPEDITION. [chap. \": pipe and matches dry, and was always ready with a light for anybody's pipe. One day he had been up to his chin in the river, and on getting into the boat again, was asked by one of the men (who thought to take a " rise " out of him) for a light for his pipe. He immediately pulled off his woollen night-cap, in the loose end of which he had stowed his pipe and tobacco and matches, and gave the man a light for his pipe! Is it a matter of wonder that the men, who always take their cue from the officers, worked as they did, with hearty good-will and good humour ? Mr. Donald Smith, who had succeeded the late Mr. McTavish as Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company, had arrived at Fort William on his w\ay to "Norway House," and to him Colonel Wolseley entrusted the delivery of a proclamation, which he had drawn up, to the Red Eiver people. Mr. Donald Smith undertook to send it into the settlement, by a safe hand, from Fort Alexander, at the entrance to Lake Winnipeg. The proclama- tion was as follows :— IS \? To THE Loyal Inhabitants of Manitoba. Her Majesty's Government having rletennined upon stationing some troops amongst you, I have been entrusted by the Lieutenant- General commanding in British North America, to proceed to Fort Garry with the troops under my command. [CIIAP. v.] MR. DAWSON 8 ROAD. 89 I •f Our luission is one of peace, and the sole object of the Expedition is to secure her Majesty's sovereign authority. Courts of Law, such as are common to every portion of her Majesty's Empire, will be duly established, and justice will be impartially administered to all races and all classes ; the loyal Indians and Half-breeds being as dear to our Queen as any other of her loyal subjects. The force which I have the honour of commanding will enter your Province representing no party either in religion or politics, and will afford equal protection to the lives and property of all races and all creeds. The strictest order and discipline will be maintained, and private property will be carefully protected. All supplies furnished by the inhabitants to the troops will be duly paid for. Should any one consider himself injured by any individual attached to the force, his grievance shall be promptly inquired into. All loyal people are earnestly invited to aid me in carrying out the above-mentioned objects. (Signed) G. J. Wolselkt, Colonel, Commanding Red River Expeditionary Force. rniNCE Akthur's Landing, Thunder Bay, June 30y these means, if due care be taken, no liorse need ever be on the sick list from galled shoulders. On the 5 th July, Colonel VVolseley moved his liead-(|uarters to the Matawan Bridge, and on the l;3th advanced to the Dam Site or "Ward's Landing," 17^ miles further, and three miles from Shebandowan Lake. At this late period, tlie so- called "road" between Brown's Corner and the Oskondagee, a distance of seven miles, was still very bad. Li many places it was almost impassable, nothing but a track through the woods, unditched, uncorduroyed, and with stumps of trees and boulders of rock still in the centre of the "road." The wisdom of Colonel Wolseley's resolution to abandon the use of this part of the road as a means of transporting his supplies, and to devote all his energies to the utilization of the river, was thus amply proved. Had he waited for this part of the road to be in working order, the expedition would have been still further delayed, and might 02 THE RED RlVEa EXPEDITION. [cilAP. have been still struggling through the portages and rapids of the Winnipeg ; in any case, the regular troops could not have returned this summer, but must have wintered at Fort Garry. About this time (.'jth to 10th July) the whole of the force was scattered about all along the line, both on water and on land. Some were working on the road, encamped by companies, wherever repairs were required ; some were tixking boats up the river to the Matawan Bridge, some were taking stores from the Matawan to Young's Landing, and others from Calderon's Landing to Ward's Landing. To feed these numerous detached parties all along the road was no easy matter, and took up a great deal of the available transport; but Mr. Irvine's arrangements wei-e so good, and he was so well backed up by Captain Nagle and those under him, that there was never any complaint made of want of rations. Field bakeries were established at Prince Arthur's Landing, at the Matawan, and at "Ward's Landing ; and the bread baked by the men of the Army Service Corps was most excellent.^ Colonel Wolscley writes on the IGtli July: "I have never v.] 1 Tlie Field oven put up at Ward's Landing turned out in twelve hours 470 rations of bread, in 1^ lb. loaves. fcHAP. v.l MR. DAWSON S ROAD. 08 portages asc, the cd this b Garry, e wbolc ong the ne were npanies, > takincr ;e, some Y"oung's :ling to etaclied matter, v^ailaltle vei-e so Captain i never Field Jthur's nding ; Army I^olonel before been with any force in the field so well fed as this one has been up to the present time. The rations are good and ample ; the absence of any spirituous liquor, as piirt of the daily issue, is marked by the excellent health and spirits of the men ; and, I may add, by a remarkable absence of crime ! " Great praise indeed, coming from one so well qualified to judge ! never n twelve C'lIAPTER Vr. THE STAIIT FROM SlIEBANDUWAN. Altholtjh tlio fniluvc of tlic road Imd occasioned much delay, througli the necessity of conveying the boats l»y water, yet as there is sehlom any evil in this world without its attendant good, so it had been of much service to the troops, in accustoming them to the boats, and breaking them in to the severe labour of poling and tracking. It had also been the means of upening the eyes of tlie oiKcers to the deficiencies of the voyngeurs. As has already been mentioned in a former chapter, these men were a motley crew, collected from all parts of Canada, without much regard to their (pialifications as boat- men. The Iroquois Indians, and some of the liower Canadians from Three Rivers, were about the only good boatmen out of the lot, and, as rations had to be carried in the boats for every man who em- CI? CHAT- VI. "^ TI!K STAHT FHOM SIIF.HANnOU'AN. 1)5 casioned ying tlie ' evil in I it liad stomiiifj o L to tllC lad also Kccrs to iilready en were Canada, xs boat- } Lower lie only )ns had lio em- l>arl/- (hfidiit voyaj^eurs whom they found to be incapable of managing boats. The object of having voya- geurs was not to pull an oar, a duty which the soldiers were (juite eom[)etent to pi'rform, but to take the management of the boats in rapid water, and to instruct the soldiers. Alany men had eii- Ljaffed themselves under the hioh-soundiuf; titli; of voyageurs, with the object of working their passage to Red River by their manual labour at the oar; consequently, when they had to take hold of a paddle or a pole, they were found to be quite ignorant of its use. Numbers of them were therefore rejected, and not allowed to embark in the boats, greatly to their disgust. The Indian voyageurs, the Iroquois, were well worthy of the name, and were enq)loyed f(jr a long time in taking up boats and stores from Ward's Landing to jMcXeill's Bay, a distance of three miles, but a very hard bit of water, there being no less than six rapids in that short distance. Their 96 THE RED RIVER EXPEDITION. [chap. vi.l "boss," old Ignace, was a fine old fellow, one of Nature's noblemen; most dignified, quiet, and gen- tlemanly, and a splendid man to steer a boat down a rapid. He bad been one of Sir George Simpson's men, and had also accompanied Dr. Rae in his Arctic explorations. He had grey eyes, a very rare feature in an Indian. His men obeyed him readily, and when any little thing was wanted from them, a word from Ignace was sufficient. They required, however, careful treatment, as they were quite aware of their own importance to the expedition, and though inclined to work hard, yet not unnatu- rally objected to extra hours. Every day being of importance, they were ordered to continue their work on Sundays, wh'^V at first they flatly refused to do. Their objections were got over by the pro- mise of an extra day's pay for the extra day's work ; and thus was tlie Indian tempted l)y his white brother to violate the convictions of his conscience. By dint of energy and hard work, boats and provisions were forwarded rapidly to McNeill's Bay, as fast as they arrived from the Oskondagee: each boat, before it was sent up, being thoroughly overhauled by the boat-carpenters, and the damages sustained in the passage up the rapids carefully repaired. y W [CIIAP. V..1 TIIK START VnOM STIF.nANDOWAN. 07 , one of Liid gen- [it down impson's ) in his ery rare readily, n them, equired, e quite edition, unnatu- )eing of e tlieir refused lie pro- I. day's ;ed by actions d hard kvarded irrivcd it was y the ed in paired. The IGtli July liixl Ixmii the day fixed by Colonel W(>lseley some time before, for the first start to l>e made from Lake Shebandowan, Imt as the day ap|)roached it became very doubtful whether sucli was possible. Lieutenant-Colonel IMcNeill had been for some time at the lake, and had pitched his camp on the shores of a ])retty little bay with a charming sandy beach, wliich had been named after him, " McNeilTs Hay." Here he had been in- cessantly at work, assisted by ]\[r. jNFyer and Mi*. Jolly of the Control Department, getting things into order; and as fiir as the military arrang(^- ments were concerned, everything was ready for the despatch of the first three lirigades. But much confusion reigned in the civilian depart- ment — boats, voyageurs, boat-gear, and guides. l*oor My. Dawson worked untiringly, and did all that one man could do to carry out (^oloncl Wolse- ley's wishes, but lie liad a weak and inefticicnt staff' of assistants, only one of whom, jMr. Graham, appeared to be of any use. The boats kept arriv- ing in batches at McNeill's Bay, and Mr. Graham had to overhaul them and fit each one with its com])lement of masts, sails, vowloeks, oars, and other gear. There was great confnsimi in this de- ])artment, manv of the thing's not ha\ino' been sent n ' li /, 9>< THE UF.T) RIVKR KXri'.DlTION. [en AT. up from Prince Artluir's La. .ad tlie boat- sails luiving been used for the i.ist two months as tents for the numerous working-parties all along the road; the result was that the soldiers had to do all the work themselves, and worked hard all day on the IGth cutting masts, bending sails, and fitting oars to rowlocks, &c. The scene at McNeill's Bay was full of bustle and excitement; boats were loading at the little wharf, others drawn up on the beach to be fitted with masts and sails, others that were loaded and ready were moored at a little distance from the shore. Tents were beino- struck and packed, and the last preparations made for the long-looked-for embarkation. About five o'clock in the evening Colonel Wolseley himself went up to the lake to superintend the final departure. At th.'it hour it appeared cp.iite hopeless to get the brigades off that day, but Colonel Wolseley reiterated his orders, and declared that the boats must start, if they had to go on working till midnight. By degrees each boat got on board its com]dement of stores,^ and dropped out and moored in. the bay to make way for the next one, but it was half-past eight o'clock in the evening before they were all ready to ' See Appendix D for a list of stores embarked in each Brigade at Lake Shebandowan. VI. > It i [chat. lie Ijoat- ontlis as 11 aloiinr 1 had to hard all ails, and ilcNcill's its were p ou the lers that a little g struck 3 for the o'clock nit up to At that gades off s orders, if they degrees stores,^ to make ist eiijht ready to Brigade at VI.] THE START FROM SIl KHANDOWAN. 91) start. There were three brigades of boats, A, B, and C, seventeen in all, containing two companies of the GOth, under Ca})tains Young and Ward, and the Royal Artillery and lloyal Engineers, under Lieutenants Alleyne and Heneage, the whole being under the conmiand of Colonel Feilden' of the GOth. Each boat had two voyageurs in it, besides eight I or nine oflieers and soldiers, and carried sixty days' provisions for all its crew. The men were delighted at the prospect of getting away, and cheery were the farewells to less fortunate comrades left behind. " Good-bye, Jim. No more poling now for some time." "Hurrah for Fort Garry!" and the silent woods rung for the first time to the echoes of a British cheer. It was an evening of surpassing loveliness; the w4nd, which had been blowing fresh all day from the west, had gone down, and the lake lay calm and smooth as a mirror, reflecting in its placid bosom the varied tints of a mellow sunset, which tinged the fleecy clouds with wondrous hues. The measured dip of the oars, and the last faint hurrahs of the boats' crews, alone broke the calm glory of the summer evening, as wc stood on the little wharf and strained our eyes to catch the last glimpse of the fast disapjjcaring l)oats, the vanguard ,»v^=.H^.,— .^n«-- -,- !-.-|-;--.,- -, 100 THE HRD RIVER EXPEDfTtON. fcHAP. vr. and pioneers of the Red River Expeditionary Force. "Thank God! they are off at last." Deep and fervent Avere the ejaciihxtions of thankfulness ex- pressed hy every one, but to none did the sense of relief come home so directly as to the heart of the Comrnaftder, who, having home the burden and heat of the day during the last trying weeks of suspense and anxiety, at length began to see the fruition of his hopes, and the reward of his un- remitting toil and anxious care. U 'M fcHAP. vr. y Force, eep and tiess ex- ile sense heart of den and veeks of see the his un- iMwn nnwiTrWiiaaiiii \ h . ti F lAlKE /(' , isstfiTTn ■iii^ B O U ^ CHAPTER VI r. EN VOYAGE. " Anna virumque cano." "Arms, men, and canoes." —Free Translatiun, At last tlie ice was fairly broken. The departure of the first three brigades on the IGth of July was followed by two more, D and E, on the l7th, F on the 18th, G on the 19th, and so on. The whole force was divided into twenty-one brigades, which were distinguished by the letters A, B, C, &c., each brigade being composed of six boats. ^ The companies of the 60th followed each other in quick succession, then the 1st Ontario Rifles, and lastly the 2nd Quebec- Rifles. Lieu- tenant-Colonel McNeill, V.C., remained at Sliebau- dowan, superintending the embarkation until the whole of the brigades had left, when he and Mr. Jolly of the Control Department followed in a light ' See Appendix E. c- a M \ N no n A i: :n T E D a i \n a n ^ H< • llo\V(' n ' "WJfmrncruti't C^ V^ 102 )).'irk Tllfc UKD RlVKtt EXl'tDlilON. [CHAP. VII. Hy tbo Ist of AiijTUHt tlu; last 1) K eanoo. X, lijid (Miilt.'ukoil. On this day the leading brigades lia«l reached Dare Purtago, 150 niilca from ]\IcNeiirs Bay, the otlicr lirigadcs being Heattered along the iutennediatc distance. Colonel Wolseley himself remained until he had seen the whole of th(^ regulars and tlie first two brigades of militia embark, and then started liinuii'lf on the 2:3rd of July, a(!Com|tanied by ]\Ir. 'I'vine, in a bireh-bark canoe, manned by IrocjUois Indians, to catch up Colonel Feilden and tlic leading detachment. The route followed by the force (as will l)o seen by the accompanying sketch) dillered slightly at the commencement from the old canoe route of the Hudson's Bay Company. The new route, first dis- covered by Mr. S. J. Dawson, passed through Lakes ShebaudoWiiu and Kashaboiwe, crossed the Height of Land by one of the lowest passes, and turning westward into Lac dcs ]\lille L;ics there jomed the old canoe route, which it followed for the remainder of the way to Red River. To attempt to descril)e for the benefit of the general reader the scenery and incidents of the route, it is necessary to relate what 1 myself actually saw and did, at the risk of the too fre(juent repeti- lion (if the word '' 1." Accordingly, at half-past six T * i,:i.^ ICIIAP. VII. L.\ vu\AUi: Lua oil the cvi'iiiiif,' of the 2l8t .Tulv, T left ArrNi.ill'.s iJay ill C'oloiu-'l \V(»l.s«'li'y'.s gi«i;, ticfunipiiiik'il l)y Liuu- tciiiint Dc'iiison of tlio Ciuiadliin Mililiji aiid ji crew of six mon, four of \vli(tni licloiigLd to tl:c Ootli, tlio ollu'i' two Iu'Iml;- voyjigt'urs, oiio of tlniu an old lro(jii(ji.s fiidian. W'c had iio guide, ft)r .Mr. J)a\v.s(»ii liad failed to procure .iiiy from Fort William, but in licu of a guide we had u rough tracing ou pa])cr of the couliguratiou of I ho iirwt two lakr.s and [loitages ns far MH liuc des J\lilli' \au;h. It wa.s a lovely eveuiiig, and as we pulled quietly iiloiig and set (>ur little lug-.sail to a favouring l)rcozo, the novelty of the .situation as Avell as the picturesipicness of the scenery were most inviting. Jlcre we were, eight persons in a small gig (a vi'ry jolly little craft ahout thii-ty feet long and i»ulling six oais), with thirty day.s' provisions, Ixamd for Fort C«arry, (ioO miles off. None of us had ever been there before, and our only guide ^vas a map and a cominiss. Tiake Shebandowan is about twenty miles long, a huge, long lake, or rather three long lakes joined together by narrow channels. AVe were Told to hug the nortli shore, which we did until Jiighllall, when we lauded at the first likely spot and l/ivouaeked for the night. The north shore of the lake has been repeatedly swept Ity Ores at various intervals for I' '■' ]()I. TIIK lU'.l) RlVl'.ll EXPEDITION. fciur. iiiiiuy years past ; and the blackened and branchless trunks of trees left standing here and there, some- times in great numbers, present a strange weird appearance, like ghostly witnesses of a l)ygone vegetation. On the south shore the woods have been little injured by fire, but their growth is small, bespeaking a poverty of soil, which is fully borne out by the patches of bare rock cropping out here and there, covered with a scanty growth of moss. AVild raspberries are abundant, flourishing best on the burnt districts. All these Canadian hikes are very much like one another, aud when covered with islands and indented with deep bays it is most difficult to find one's way aliout them. We lost our way twice on Lake Shebandowan, but fortu- nately soon recovered the right track, and reached the east end of the portage road which leads into Kashaboiwe Lake, about 10 a.m. on the 22nd. Here we found three brigades, one occupied in portaging ' its boats and material, and the other two waiting for their turn to do the same. The stoppage * As tbe word " portage " will be found frequently recurring in these pages, it would be as well to explain that it means a break in the navigation between two lakes or rivers, and that boats, provisions, &c. &.C,, have to be '" portaged " or carried over this break. There were no less than forty-siven "portages" between Lake Shebandowan and Fort 'larry, each one entailing very severe labour on the troops. vii. fclIAIV :i..] IN voyagk. 05 L'anchless "c, some- ^c Weird ])ygoiit' ds have is small, ly boiiie 311 1 here of moss, best oil ikes are red with is most We lost it fortii- reached ids into id. ipied ill her two ;topj)age icurring in I break in provisions, ik. There ?bamlo\van c troops. illy front, from the fact of the fii-.st originj detachment being niiavoidid^ly large, and from the Koyal Artillery having, in addition to their provi- sions, two 7-pounder guns, and a quantity of ammunition and military equipment, whieh occu- pied much time in portaging. The brigades also were at first sent off rather too (piickly one after the other from McNeill's Bay, so that those in front had not time to get over the portage before the next detachment arrived. The Kashaboiwe Portage is about 1,500 yards long. AVhen we arrived we found that a broad road had been cut through the woods, and skids or rollers laid down on which to haul over the heavy boats. Tliis work had been done by Colonel Feilden's detachment, which led the way all through, and had the honour of pioneering tlie force and cutting out all the portage roads. The labour of portaging was very severe ; every- thing had to be carried across on the backs of the men. For this purpose, Indians and experienced voyagcurs use a long strap called a " portage strap," which consists of a broad thick band of ox-hide leather, 26 inches long and 2^ inches broad, taper- iu'^ off at Ijotli ends to one inch in breadth. To lOG 111!; 15i:i) RIVKR EXPKDITION. I ! [chap. each of these ends is sewn a long leather strap about one inch wide and five to seven feet long, the whole forming one long strap. It is used thus. The long ends are tied firmly round the barrel or package to be carried, in such a manner as to leave at the broad part of the strap a loop large enough to allow the ncad to be passed through. The barrel is then hoisted on to the back, and the broad part of the strap rests against the forehead. In this way almost the whole strain bears on the backbone and vertebrte of the neck. An Indian usually clasps his hands round the back of his head to help the " leverage," and in this manner will carry an im- mense weight. Our men at first were rather awkward at it, and could not carry a great weight, but they got into the way of it very quickly, and before they got to Fort Garry would think nothing of a weight which at first they would have been physically unable to stagger under. Our barrels, or rather half-barrels, of pork, were the heaviest packages we had ; they weighed 200 lbs. each, flour barrels 120 lbs., biscuit barrels 100 lbs. An experienced voyageur thinks nothing of a barrel of pork. I saw one fellow, a slight and by no means strong-looking maji, carry two barrels of pork at the same time, and he asked for something else to ■ f Vll.j [c'lIAP. VII.] EN VOYAGE. 107 er strap et long, ccl thus. )arrel or to leave enough e barrel ad part his way 3nc and asps his elp the an im- rather I great It very '■ would '" would :. Our ire the 200 lbs. 100 lbs. I barrel by no of pork else to I, i be put on the top ! He Avas a half-breed Indian from Fort William. Another way of carrying the heavy pork-barrels vras by means of a kind of hand-barrow made of two small poles (which are easily cut anywhere in the woods) and united by two slings made of 2-inch rope ; the poles are run through the loops, and the barrel rests on the centre of the rope-slings. The men used to walk between the poles, the ends of which they held in their hands ; and to ease the strain from their arms (which would otherwise have been very great), they used to fasten their portage straps to the poles, letting the broad parts rest across their shoulders, much in the same way as a milkman's wooden yoke, or as sedan-chairs used to be arried in former times in England. Colonel Wolselcy had a number of these rope-slings con- structed before leaving Prin(.'e Arthur's Landing, and issued to each boat. They were very generally adopted, and found to answer admiral^ly, except that it took two men to carry a pork barrel instead of one man. However, they were only used for the Leavy l)arrels and for the arm-chests. It took us nearly the whole day getting our boat and stuff across this portage ; we were new to the work, and the heat, being very great, rendered the i 108 TIIK RED KIVKR KXPKDITION. [chat. labour all the .'re. It was half-past evening )nore s re we got away, but tJie excessive beauty of the calm summer evening more than re- paid us for the heat of the day. By the aid of the chart we found the way without difficulty. Kaslia- boiwe Lake is about nine miles long, and studded with beautifully- wooded islnnds. AVe had got out of the burnt region ; and as the light gig pulled quickly along, the calm beauty of the scene was reflected back in wondrous perfection by the mirror- like waters of the lake. Not a sound but the measured dip of the oars broke the peT-fect stillness that reigned through these primeval woods, and we forebore from conversation as if fearful that a human voice would break the magic spell. Each little point and headland that we passed opened out new beauties from Nature's inexhaustible treasure-house, till the gathering shades of night warned us to look out for a place to camp on. We soon found a spot on a pretty little island, where the lodge poles of an Indian wigwam marked a favourite camping-ground of these children of the woods, and leaving the men to make a fire and cook our humble repast, D and 1 jumped into the lake and increased our appetites for supper by a refreshing swim. We had two tents, but only pitched one to take shelter in, in case of ^ V VI 1.1 [chap. v„.l T,N V OVA OK. 100 ist six in excessive tliiin re- id of the Kasha- studded ' got out ig i^ulled ;eiie was e mirror- but the stilhiess 1, and we a human ich little out new re-house, s to look id a spot les of an ^-ground the men and ij^petites vo tents, L case of rain. AVe all preferred bivouacking in the open air, and after a composing i>ipe, wrapped in our blankets, with our feet to the fire, and the blue vault of heaven with its mvriad stars for our roof, we soon fell asleep, " far from the busy hum of men," with the happy consciousness that a hard day's work " Had eamcJ a night's repose :" such a sleep as would be envied by the toiling millions of our crowded cities. An hour's row in the freshness of the early morn- ing brought us to the " Height of Land " Portage, leading into Lac des JNIille Lacs. Between this Lake and Kashaboiwe Lake lies the high land forming the watershed between Hudson's Bay and tlie Gulf of St. Lawrence, Lac des Mille Lacs dis- (^haro-ins; its waters into the former, and Kashaboiwci fiake into the latt^n*. Between these two lakes is a space of about two miles, but ])y taking advantage of a small lake, called "Summit Pond," the distance can be reduced considerably. Passing up a narrow ereek choked with weeds, and so shallow that we had to jump out and wade and drag the boat through, we got into Sununit Pond, about a half mile long, at tlio westei-n end of which was the portage patli. Here we found t wo bri liesc first jsistance, lars had two and ing from y of tho ers and ers vied d apart trcntod from a sleovcs amis a.s brown as berries ; loose flannel shirts open at the throat, a pair of very dirty duck trowscrs tucked into mocassins, and a straw hat or red woollen night-cap to crown all ; little remnants of uniform to be seen anywhere, except occasionally an odd forage cap or two. The men had in most cases patched the seats of their trowsers, which soon got worn out by continual rowing, with pieces of canvas from empty biscuit bags or flour bags, and presenL-xl thereby a most comical appearance. Uj) early, hard "^.t work all day, rowing or portaging, from five A.M. to eight p.m. with a short interval for breakfast and dinner, nothing to eat but salt pork and biscuit, nothing to drink but tea, they yet looked as healthy and cheery as possible ; and when they reached Fort Frances, there was not a sick man amongst them — they had no time to be sick. The scale of daily rations laid down for the troops, ofhcers and men alike, was as follows : 1 lb. of biscuit, 1 lb. of salt pork, 1 oz. of tea, 2 ozs. of sugar, J pint of beans, or ^ 11 j. pound of preserved potatoes, and on these the men did as hard work as has ever been done by the men of any army. The meat ration was undoubtedly rather meagre for men doing such hard work, and 1 J lbs. per day would not have been too much. But as the troops 114 TIIK HKl) UIVKIl KXPKDIT.ON. (riiAl'. ! .! lil had to pnss througli .1 droary wildcrnoss (^f rocks, trees, and water, wliere no ,sii[>plies of any descrijjtioii (except a few fisli) could Ijc procured, and as every ounce of food had to l)e cari'icd on their own Iwieks, an addition to the moat ration would have caused a very considerable addition to tlic wciglit to l)e carried over tlie portages, and tlierefore a delay to the expedition. The men were constantly \vvt through, wet sometimes for days together, — thoroughly done up hy the severe labour of rowing, poling, tracking, and portaging ; yet they "were always ^vell and cheery, and never seemed to feel the absence of spirituous liquors. This fact speaks for itself. I trust that the time has come when the issue of a spirit ration to a JUitish army in the field Avill be for ever totally abolished. The men do not want it — they are better without it — better in every w\ay. Throughout the lied River Expedition the absence of spirituous liquors was marked by an almost total absence of crime, as Avell as by the \vonderful good health and spirits of the men. I do not hesitate to say that, had a spirit ration been issued, the results would have been very different. Take the case of trappers and lumberers in Canada, men who do harder work than any other class of men in the world ; they live on bread, pork. 1 vn. SU! th( an hn tio th( wl mcj th (I'llAI'. •ri.1 KN VOYAOK 115 ■< of rocks, Icscriptioii ll .'IS ('V(')'V wii backs, -VG cjiiisod ^llt to 1)0 I delay to mtly wet )g('tli('r, — lalunir of yet they seemed to This fact has come ti.sh army icd. The hoiit it — led Rivei" [iiors was e, as well spirits of d a spirit jeen very lumberers my other Md, pork, V sugar and tea. If any one doubts the .severity of the woi'k they perform, let him take an axe an»l go and elioj) down trees for ten minutes, and lie will find that ev(;n in the coldest weather the pors}»ira- tion will pour from him. Lund^crcrs will tell you themselves, that they had rather not have whiskey when th. 'y ai'e (■ lopp tl 11)1110: in tiie woods, aiu d tl lesc men arc no teetotallers ; as soon as they get baek to their homes, they get drunk on whiskey. I know of an instance in the Crimea where a fine young fellow, a promising young sergeant, was tried by court- martial and l)roken for being drunk in the trenches, and it was proved at the court-martial that he liad drunk nothing but the double allowance of S2)irits which was at that time issued to our men. Can anything be stronger evidence than this of the positi\'e evil of the spirit ration ? How many men too in the Crimea were tried for getting at the keg of liquor in the trenches, which al^^'ays had to be kept under a sentry, and was a constant temp- tation to tlvj men and to the sentry himself? I admit that, in a country where fuel is scarce, it is difficult always to get wood to make the fire necessary for tea ; but this should be provided by the Commissariat, and the money and transport saved by the absence of liquor would go a long no TIM". HKI) HIVKH I'.XrKDlTlON. (cilAI". way towards HUjtplyiiio- tlin fuel r<'qiiisito for tlio tea. There is iiotliiiig tluit is so rclVt'shiiiij; wlicn a man is thoroughly wet jiiul tired as a good warm cup of tea or coffee : it is fifty times as good as brandy, rum, or whiskey. The latter only w.'irm you \\\) for a time and leave you colder than ever, hut the etleet of tea or colfce lasts much longer and leaves no vacuum hehind it. There may he mi'dical men in our army who would oppose the non-issue of spirits; it was so with the Red River Expedi- tion : some of the medical men asserted that it was a mistake, that it would never do — hut the result was a most perfect triumph for tea ; and should the same system ever be tried, as T hope and trust it will in the next European war in which England has to engage, I feel confident that the result would be the same. Not a man of the Red River Force touched a drop of alcoholic or fermented liquor the whole way from Shebandow^an to Fort Garry, except he was ill and received it from the store of medical comforts, and there was positively no sickness and a total absence of crime, combined with the utmost cheerfulness and good humour, while the work per- formed stands wdiolly unrivalled for its unusual nature as well as its severity. The men soon get reconciled to the absence of VI tu (ciiAr VII. I'.N \OYA(Ji: 11:2 i^ for tlio ng when )oil wium good as ily w.'inn liun ever, )iigpr and c mtMlical non-issue ' Expc'di- t it was a csult was ould tlio . trust it England dt would er Force quor the y, except medical ncss and } utmost ork per- unusual )sence of li(|Uor, and appreciate the value of tea ns a suhsti- tute, as tlu! following anecdote will show. One day we were hauling our Ijoat over a portage ; it was the middle of the day and very hot, the portage was steep, and it was hard work. Some of the Cohtiiel's crew of Inupiois came up to hcl[) us, to my great delight, for we were ]»rctty well done, when a sudden jolt of the boat s[)lashe(l u[) a little tea out of a hig can that was in the stern- sheets. " Let's stop and have a drink," said some one. No sooner said than done. The bin; can, which held a couple of gallons, was soon emptied, though the tea was (juite hot. The men crowded round, fearful lest they should Ije too late to get a drop ; had it been beer or whiskey, they could not have shown a greater anxiety or gulped it down with more satisfaction. " By Jove ! that's ca})ital, puts new life into one," said one of my crew, a G 0th man. "Yes," 1 replied, " better than all the beer in the world." " Well, sir, I really think it is," was his answer — and so it was. In hot weather cold tea is a most refreslnncf and stimuhitlnn- beverage ; and in cold or wet weather, who has a word to say against a delightful cup of warm tea ■? But to return from this digression. We were nearly the whole of this day, the 23rd, getting 118 THE RED RIVER EXPEDITION. [ciiAr, VII. il across this long portage, and it was late in the evening before the gig was lojided and ready to start again. The route here leads nearly due north to about the centre of Lac des Mille Lacs, and then turns westward along the old canoe route. AVc had great difficulty in finding the way, and at last camped for the night on a little island full of wild roses and mosquitoes, utterly uncertain of our whereabout'^. Lac des ^lille Lacs is a laro-e sheet of water aljout thirty miles long and six to ten broad, and should rather be called Lac des JNIille lies, so studded is its surface with islands. These islands are of a peculiar nature. What looks to be one enormous island at a little distance re- solves itself on a nearer approach to an infinity of small ones, which, separated only by narrow channels, overhip and fit into one another like the pieces of a Chinese puzzle, so that the traveller may wonder on from one little lake to another, for miles. Hence the name given to it by the Canadian voyageurs. Even the guides frequently lose themselves for a time, and the only safe way is to steer a course l)y compass, which our maps were sufficiently accurate to enable us to do. The scenery is wonderfully pretty, but the shores arc (juitc unfit for settlement, as there is but little [chap. VI..] EN VOYAGE. 119 e in the ready to arly due He Lacs, d canoe the way, lo ishmd -incei'tain s a lai'Gje d six to Lac des islands, [lat looks ance re- infinity narrow like the traveller another, by the 'qnently iafe way ir maps o. The 3rcs arc It little surface soil the undcrly 1 moss spreading ov rocK. m some parts granitic dome-snapeti rocKs are numerous, and towards the western end, where the lake narrows on approaching Baril Portage, oneissoid hills and islands show a well-defined stratification dip[nng north. Exposures of white <|uartz called " Sail Rocks," from the resemblance they bear to the sails of distant boats, are Irequeut at the western extremity of the lake. Here and there the hills bear pine of fair dimensions, but as a rule the timber is very poor, and scarcely anything worth cutting for lumber purposes was to be seen anywhere along our route. Almost all the brigades lost their way for a few hours on this most beautiful but peivlexing lake ; but the canoe contain- ing the Globe correspondent wandered about for tv.o days amongst the islands, and eventually returned to the Heicjht of Land Portaoe to wait for a miide. Frightfully bullied all night by the mo.^vjuitoes, I) • and I were glad enough to get up early next moniino- and resume our se ircli for the portage, which we at length hit off, arriving there about eleven o'clock. The distan(?e from the last portage to Baril Portage is estimated at twenty miles, but we must have toiled over many miles more. Paril Portage is aljout )).'30 yards long, with 120 THE RED RIVKR, EXPEDITION. [chap. VI a hifijh hill in the centre, like a lio^j's back or a barrel ; hence the name. We found D and E brigades of the 60tli on this portage, and by the kind help of some of the men we got our boat up the steep hill and safely launched on the other side in Baril Lake. The day was fine and warm, not too hot, the heat being tempered with a pleasant breeze from the west, against which we beat up Baril Lake, a long narrow sheet of water about eight and a half miles in length. Spying a little headland jutting out from the north shore with a charming little bay on each side, we camped there for the night, and had here one of the j oiliest little camps of many very jolly ones ; we stopped rather earlier than usual, in order to scc our net across a tempting little bay, for we were getting tired of our salt diet and longed for some fresh fish to supplement the salt pork. J) and I made our beds on a spring mattress of Natui^'s own designing, two or three feet deep of the most beautiful moss, on which we slept the sleep of the just till 3.30 A.M. next morning, when awaking with the first flush of daylight we took a plunge in the lake whilst the men made a fire and boiled water for tea. AVe kc})t early hours, truly, regu- lating ourselves pretty much by the sun. As \. e i ' « ^>*eh [ciiAr. vn.] EN VOYAGE. 1:2\ ack or a > and E [1 by tlie 7 boat up ther side ^arm, not pleasant beat up er about ^ a little re with a )ed there iest little id rather across a tired of fish to I made s own le most ) of the awaking plunge d boiled y, regu- As \. e ; ate our biscuit and drank a warm cup of the liquid "that cheers but not inebriates," we saw four or five canoe-loads of Indians paddling down the lake about 500 yards from us. They must have seen the smoke of our camp-fire, but did not pay us a visit, at which we rejoiced greatly, for these Indians are sad mendicants, and we had no food to spare, to give them. The result of our night's fishing was disappointing ; there was no fear of the net breaking from the " multitude of fishes," for not a solitary one did we capture. A half-hour's row brouo;ht us to Brule Portage, and by 8.45 a.m. we had got our boat and stuff across, cooked and eaten breakfast, and were ready for a fresh start. The heavy dew of the night before had made the skids slippery, and the gig was hauled over with little trouljle. Brule Portage is 500 yards long; the path winds round the foot of a steep hill 200 feet high, and is not unlike a path through an English wood. The vegetation luxuriant, thou oh vouno- ; the remains very y 'o ' of the dead trunks of half-burnt trees, lying hidden by a })rofuse growth of brushwood, indicated the origin of the name. The second growth consisted chiefly of black cherry, bu^ch, white and black alder, and a thick underfjrowth of hazel-nut. 1'2'2 THE llED RIVER EXPEDITION. [chap, Einharkiiio- again at tlic foot of tlie portage path, forty-seven feet Ijelow Baril Lake, wc descended a winding rusliy stream opening out into a continua- tion of lovely lakes and lakelets, connected together by rapid streams and dull quiet creeks, fringed with cedar and spruce, and covered with thick beds of the beautiful white lilv and its oolden-hued com- panion. The scenery was very Ijcautiful, though somewhat monotonous. This part of the route is called by the Indians " Lake Windegoostigon," which r believe means, a series of lakes. Coming at last to a shallow rapid stream, we had to get out and walk through the woods, Avhilst the two voyageurs took the boat down : we followed it for about three miles and then came to some pretty falls, round which was the new portage path, 400 yards long. Here we found Colonel Feilden and the three leading brigades. They were occupied, when wc arrived, in cutting out the road and laying down skids, an operation quickly performed by the voyageurs. The old portage, which we had avoided by coming down this stream, is two miles long and a truly dreadful portage. It is nothing but a continued series of climbing up and down steep and rocky hills, and the labour of portaging everything over it would have been dreadful to i C ej [chap. vn.J EN VOYAUR. 1:28 fcagc i^ath, sceiided a continiia- l togctlier igi'd with c beds of ucd com- l, tliongli route is )ostigon/' I, we luid rliilst the llowcd it lie 2)retty Ydth, 400 den and 3eeiipied, oad and L'rformed L we had vo miles nothing- id down ortafrino- adful to l> contempkite. It woukl have taken caeh brigade from three to four days of the most severe Libour. The new portage path descends a very steep hill, down which the stream finds its way, a little to the east of the path in a series of very pretty cascades. Having caught up with the leading brigades, the gig was now able to take it easily. Next morning, the 2Gth, we embarked again on the same stream, which now became deep and sluggish, too deep to pole and too narrow for rowing, but very pretty ; its banks fringed Avith alder, tamarack, and pit(;h- pine, and occasional larger trees of white and red pine. As we dropped lazily down Avitli the current, enjoying the luxury of a morning pipe, an occa- sional young partridge would flutter away through the bushes, scared at our approach ; numerous pigeons flitted about, and looked down at us from the lofty pines with wondering eyes, evidently un- used to the " human face divine." They presented tlie most tempting shots, and made our mouths water with delicious l)ut tantalizing^ visions of pigeon-pie, but alas ! there was no shot-gun in the gig ; so we had to amuse ourselves by scaring them from their perches by a loud shout, and then presenting imaginary guns at them as they flew away. This stream has so many sliarj> turns and ^^j^jTj^wi^fcn, ,-, 121 THE RED RIVER EXPEDITION. [chap. Vll twists that {iltliougVi in a straight line it is only two miles from point to point, yet following the Avindings the distance must be fully ten or eleven miles. To give an idea of the way in which it wriggles and bends about, an officer told me that about ten minutes after leaving the portage, when he thought he had gone at least half a mile, he missed his purse, which he recollected having left on the ground near his tent. Just at that moment he heard a voice hailing them, and found that it came from a man belonging to a brigade at work on the portage, who had wandered away a little from the path. He sent the man back for the purse, which was found on the spot indicated, not more than 200 yards off! This stream connects Lake "Windegoostigon with French Lake, a pretty circular basin Ij miles in diameter, surrounded by low hills timbered with an extensive forest of red pine. The temperature on this western side of the watershed is much milder than to the eastward of it, the level of the country sinking steadily as we proceed, French Lake being 150 feet below Lac des Mille Lacs. On the shores of this lake a humming-bird was seen for the first time. Going on through two smaller lakes, connected by >\ fp' 1 I I [chap. it is only owing the 1 or eleven L which it 1 me that age, when I mile, he aving left it moment id that it 3 at work y a little for the cated, not igon with miles in red with ^iperature is much el of the French le Lacs. )ird was ected by VII.] KN VOYAf.K. l:?.') t ; a very pretty river about 1 J miles long, we came out into Lake Kaogassikok, or Pickerel Lake, a fine sheet of water thirteen miles long by two to four Inroad, at the western extremity of which is Portage des Pins. The timber on this portage was the finest we had yet seen, many really splendid speci- mens of white and red pine crowning the portage, and looking proudly down upon a young growth of the sugar-maple. A row of a mile across Doru Lake brought us to the next portage, called Deux Rivieres, 750 yards long, and very, steep and rocky. On first walking across this portage, it seemed as if it would be almost impossible to lay down rollers for the boats up and down such steep hills, but old Ignace and his crew of L'ocpiois (ten men), assisted by the voyageurs of the three brigades, made a capital road by five o'clock the next evening. At one spot they cut down two huge red pincb, large enough to be the spars of a big ship, and, laying them lengthwise, put skids across on notches cut in the pines, and thus made a capital bridge across a ravine, lessening the ascent very much. This afternoon, the 28th, Colonel Wolselcy came up in his canoe, accompanied by ]\Ir. Irvine, and the gig thenceforth joined the ?[ead-Quarter camp. 12() TJIK RED IITVKR FAPKDI'I I0\. [CJIAI', As CV>lonL'l WolsL'loy luid passed tlic diffiTciit Imgiuk'S one uftev tlic other, be found that they had hnd eonsiderahle ti'oultki at many places in finding the riglit road, the numerous deep bays whicli in many of tliese hdvcs Ijraneli off in cveiy direction rendering it very difheult to avoid hosing the riu'ht track. It is most dislieartenino; for tlie men to find, wlwn tliey get to the end of one of these bays, tliat tliey have come eiglit or ten miles out of the way and have all that distance to row back again. Consequently, when there is the slightest doubt about the route no one cares to push on quickly, when doing so may be leading them a long distance astray. Colonel AVolseley, therefore, with the canoe and gig from this point up to Fort Frances, kept well ahead of the leading; detachment, and "blazed" trees at every turn of the track or doubtful point. For the benefit of the uniidtiated, I may men- tion that "blazino;" a tree is scorino- it with an axe, so that the white inner wood makes a phiin and distinct mark. An Indian, as he walks through a wood, will " blaze " a tree here and there on either side of his path, generally ten to twenty yards a})art, with one stroke of his axe, so dexterously, as not to shorten tl t- i I VI of ^\• (■( ai a pac( [{.'IIAl'. 'lifFcrcjit tliut tlicy l»l.'iO('s ill looj) Ijuys ill every inoint. lay men- it witli makes a le walks lere and 'ally ten of his lie i)ace V...1 KN VOVAfiH. ]:27 I of his long springy stride. lUit our "Mazes" M'eri' very different; we used to select a grou]) of (■ons[)iciious trees at a point where the route turned to the right oi- left, and a couple of men would spring asliore with axes, lop olf the lower l>ranclies, and stri]) the bark off for several feet, thus making a mark visildc for a nii](^ or more. MWv tliis ])Uin had been adopted, the lu'igades in rear got on much ])ett('r. From Deux Iliviores Porta cfe, the route leads through a narrow winding channel, overgrown witli rushes and lilies, into Sturgeon Tjake, the most beautiful of the many Iteautiful lakes yet passed. The sudden contraction of the lake into a river breadth for a few yards amongst islands, and its abrupt opening out into wide expanses of watei", with deep and gloomy l)ays stretching into the dark forest as far as the eye could reach, offered a picture of ever-changing beauty. Half- way up this lake we met a large North-West canoe, manned by Iroquois Indians, and found that it contained Mr. Simpson, ]\I.P. for Algonui, and Mr. Pither. The latter oentleman had been living at Fort Frances iov some months past, having been sent by the Ottawa (Jovcrnment to inform the Indians of the intention of (jlovernment ]2S TIIK RKl) IIIVKR EXPKDinON. [CHAI'. to send troopR tlirouf^li tlioir country, and to arrange with them for right of w{iy. He had reached Fort Frances in the month of jMarch, after a lotis: and toilsome journey on sncnv-slioes across tlie lakes. ]\lr. Simjxson had been sent up suhsequently to con'-lude a treaty with them, jNlr. Pither having paved the way. Both gentlemen turned back and accompanied v..- to Fort Frances, after some little difficulty with their crew, who did not like to sec the head of their canoe turned west- ward again. Sturgeon Lake empties itself into Lac la Croix, throuQih Sturwon Tliver, about 18 miles lono', with numerous falls and heavy rapids, about which we had heard such gloomy accounts in Ottawa from those who professed tvj know the route. These rapids are four in number, and close together. The boats were taken down by the Iroquois without injury, the only one damaged being one that was allowed to be taken down by the regular Canadian voyageurs. The celebrated guide Ignace and his crew were invaluable at this work, and Colonel Wolseley left them at the rapids to take the boats of the succeeding brigades down too. Portage de I'lsle, the last of several por- tages on Sturgeon River, is a very pretty portage 1 ul \ 01 [ciiAr, VII.] T.N VOYAGR. \'2\) arrange 1 reached 'tcr a loiifi: O cross tlie >scqueiitly r. Pitlier ■n turned ices, after 10 did not ned west- i la Croix, iles long, Is, about :ounts in inow the and close 1 by the damaged down by elebrated uable at Li at the brigades eral por- portage on an island, as its name implies. The river divides into two channels anil falls over a ledgci of rock in the most pi(;turesque cascades. Kavinii^ now two crews of Indians besides the gig, \vc tried to help on the leading detachment by cutting out the portage roa'ls for them, — a pro- ceeding whi(;h, with such experienced axe-men, took a wonderfully short time, ic is perfectly astonishing to see the way in which trees of large dimensions fall before the axe of the backwoodsman ; they appear to be swei)t away like corn before the reaper; anythijig under 18 inches in diameter stands but a very few blows from the heavy chopping-axe. In cutting down a tree, an Indian or backwoodsman follows a regular system, and does not go hacking at it all round as an inexperienced man docs ; he makes a clean wedge-shaped cut into it on tlic side on which he wishes it to fall, the end of the wedge being as near a right angle as pos- sible. When he has thus cut about half-way through the tree, a small nick cut on exactly the opposite side causes it to fall in a line with the edge of the wedge-shaped cut. In this way, any tree that is vertical, or nc arly so, can be made to fall in any required direction, unless there should be a strong wind blowino- when it is difHcult to K 130 THE RED niVF.n EXPEDITION. fciiAr. make it fall agiiin.st llio wiiul. One of our party (1 to liav(! a moHt oxtraordi faith th seemed skill of an Iiuliaii, and his power of making a tree fall in any direction, and caused much amusement and chaff by his arguments in support of his theory. He was at last confronted with a tree that was leaning at an angle of about GO' with the ground, and told to make that fall the contrary way. lie rc(|ue8ted one of the Indians to do so, hut the man shook his head and laughed, and our friend had to give up his pet theory ; and I think his faith in the powers of an Indian was much shaken from that day. I rcmeml)cr, however, one case in which an Indian showed great d(.'xterity in cutting down a tree. It was at the camp on the jMatawan River. A tall and branchless pine was leaning over Colonel VVolseley's tent in a very dangerous way, threatening to fall and crush the occupant on the first heavy breeze of wind. An Indian was summoned to cut it down, and after great care and judgment, he made the tree fall between the tent and the mess- table with great nicety ; a couple of feet one way or the other, and it would have fallen on the tent or on the table. He cut his wedge with mathematical accuracy, and just as the tree cracked and bent to its fall a couple of swiftly-dealt blows t [c'li.vr. •".] EN VOYAGE. 131 m\v \yAvty th in the ing u tree iiiuscmciit lis tlu'oiy. that was 10 ground, way. Ho t the man Ticnd had s faith in ikon from 3 in which ing down i^an River. cr Colonel ircatcning st heavy led to cut anient, ho ho mess- feet one alien on dge with c cracked alt blows f with the Itiick of tlio n.xe on one side of tlie trunk made it fall just dear of the tahlo. From Portage de I'Isle a few miles further l»rought us to Lac la Croix, a long and broad sheet of water, so named by some Jesuit mission- aries many years ago, who erected two largo wooden crosses on conspicuous islands at the western end of the lake. The crosses have disappeared, but the lake retains the name. The Indians call it ** Nequaquon." The old canoe route turns off at the north-western end and follows the Riviere JMalignc into Lake Namekan, but this routo was pronounced very dangerous for the big boats, the river being full of rapids and sunken rocks and long portages. Mr. Donald Smith's canoe was twice broken during his recent descent of this river, although manned by the best Iroquois. We therefore followed the lake to its western end, and then turned south for a few riiles into Loon Lake, and made a bend round, coming into Namekan Lake and joining the old canoe route agiiin. By this detour we avoided the dangerous rapids of the Riviere i\Ialigne. On one of the portages on Loon Lake we came across some Indians, three old women and some children. One of the old women was the most K 2 i ' ! ! 132 THE RED RIVER EXPEDITION. [chap. liidcous old hag tluit it is possible to imagine, skinny, wrinkled, witlicrcd, Lent, clothed in rags and tatters, and very old. ^Ir. Pither informed us that she was a cannibal; that is to say, she had been one of a party some winters pre- viously who had been starved into eating human flesh. We gave these poor creatures a little flour and biscuit, which made them quite happy and contented, and the old hag went up and begged from the men the water in which their pork had been boded. One of our party that morning was a lady (the only one that accompanied the expe- dition), who had bravely followed her husband and shared his canoe through all the perils and fatigues of the journey. The old hag seemed lost in wonder at the sight of this lady, and truly the contrast between the two was so w^onderful, that it was hard to believe that they could be beings of the same nature, hard to realize that the diflerence between them was only owing to the human agency of education and civilization. The old hag was such a horrid object to look at that we wei'c glad to make our escape from her. Crossino" Lalve Namekan, we came to Portaixc Nu, the last before Fort Frances. Tliis really consists of two porttiges, with a narrow sluggi.sli ' f f V [chap. VII.] EN VOYAGE. 133 I imagine, d in rags informed s to suy, inters prc- II (J- human little flour lappy and Lid begged ' pork had 3riiing was the expe- isband and id fatigues in wonder e contrast at it was igs of the ditfercncc le human The old ,t that A\'e • o Portage liis really V sluoo'irth Do stream between. We had just finished cutting out the path and laying the skids when Colonel Feilden's detachment came up. It was quite a sight to see them arrive at a portage, to see the men spring out, unload the boats, and haul them over, the crews vying with each other as to who should get everything over first. No delay or hesitation : as soon as a barrel was landed from the boat, somebody seized it, tied his portage strap round it, and off to the other end of the portage, running back to get another load. The men by thi.-i time were thoroughly up to the work, and thought nothing of a portage under half a mile in lenojth. Bare Portaq^e was found worthy of its name, — ba^e and swampy, full of mosquitoes and black flies which annoyed us much : the stream, too, was so full of leeches that it was impossible to bathe in it. We were glad to get away from it after a not very pleasant night, delighted to think we had a fiiir stretch of 4G miles of open water without a portage. At the entrance into Rainy Lake we met a strong north-westerly gale, against which we could make no headway, and were obliged to take sli(>ltcr on an island, Avhcrc we were detainc 1 all day by the violence of the wind. Some of us 134 THE RED RIVER EXPEDITION. [chap. were not sorry at this detention, for the island was covered with a wonderful profusion of the largest and finest blue-berries, as large as cherries, as delicious as grapes, and with a bloom like a peach, and no stones inside. We ate them until we could not stand, and then we lay down and ate them again, and fell asleep to wake up and attack them again! We filled every spare vessel we had with gallons of blue-berries ; we had blue-berry jam, blue-berry bread, and blue-berries in every conceivable shape possible to our limited culinary skill and appliances. The Indians live on blue-berries in the summer, but until we came across this island, I had no idea what a blue-berry could be, and was formerly rather inclined to look contemptuously on them. Amongst the vegetable products of this region is a plant called Poisoned Ivy or Ground Ivy. The leaf is shaped like the hazel-leaf, but not quite so deep in colour, and is smoother on the surface and along the edge. The plant is perennial, about a foot high, and bears a pale yellowish flower in the early spring : the leaves grow in triplets, and are broad and long. If the leaf is plucked and rubbed against the face or hands, or if a man run over it with bare feet and crush it, [CIIAP. VII.] EN VOYAGE. 135 he island n of the 3 cherries, m like a hem until lown and ! up and are vessel we had iue-berries ir limited Hans live we came jlue-berry d to look region is vy. The quite so e surface oerenniul, yellowish grow in e leaf is lands, or crush it, ( the poison makes the part touched swell like ery- sipelas ; a cluster of little pimples appear which turn into blisters, and the discharge from which will communicate the poison to other parts of the body. The attack lasts nine days, although it frequently leaves symptoms about the body for months afterwards. The irritation and pain are excessive. Both Mr. Simpson and Mr. Pither had suffered dreadfully from its effects, and stated that during the attack they could only find relief by sitting in cool water for hours together. It is not known to all the Iroquois, though the Ojibeways know it well. Mr. Pither told us of an Indian who, being sceptical as to its effects, rubbed his face with it. Two days afterwards his ftice and head were so swollen that his features were scarcely distinguishable. He could not see out of his eyes, and was in great pain. Some people are said to be able to handle it with impunity, and this is the only way by which one can account for the fact that it abounds all over the country, and that Indians camp frequently in the midst of it, when their children would necessarily touch it constantly. Next day the same head winds delayed us, and we could only make progress in the very early morning and late in the e^'ening. Eainy i ' 136 THE RED RIVER EXPEDITION. [chap. vh. Lake is an enormous sheet of water, the largest we had yet passed through, being about 50 miles lung by 30 to 40 broad. Its shores present a sterile and hopeless aspect ; the timber is very poor, and bleached and naked rocks arc visible for miles together. It is al)out 420 feet above the level of Lake Superior, and is 225 miles west of that lake. Its waters are clear but warm, and not very deep, and flow into Lake of the Woods by a magnificent river, 80 miles long, called Rainy River, which issues from its western extremity. The canoe route takes a nearly west course through about 38 miles of the lake. On the morning of the 4th August, after two days' detention by contrary winds, we were under way again at 4.15 a.m., and soon got to the end of the lake and commenced to descend Rainy River. The aspect of the country 1 ere changes entirely, as if by magic ; the banks of the river are low and alluvial, and covered with a dense second growth, and the land has all the appearance of great fertility. A rapid run of three miles down the river brouglit us to the long-expected half-way house, Fort Frances ; and glad indeed were we to see signs of the abode of man after the desolate and inhospitiible region we had passed through. f [chap. VII. ;lie largest L 50 miles present a very poor, for miles c level of ' of that 1 not very ods by a ed Rainy extremity. st course after two ere mider :lie end of ny River. entirely, e low and i growth, of great down the half-way ere we to 3 desolate 3llgll. CHAPTER Vlir. FORT FRANCES. Fort Frances, one of the Hudson's Bay Com- pany's posts, is situated on the riglit bank of Rainy River, about three miles below the lake, in lat. 48° 35' N., long. 93° 40' W. It consists of a collection of wooden one-storied block-houses, sur- rounded by a palisading, and is built on a position of some natural strength and of great beauty. Just opposite to it are the falls, round which is the portage. These falls are very lovely. The whole body of w^ater of Rainy River, some 300 yards wide, tumbles over a ledge of rock about 2-2 feet in height, in a volume of spray and mist, with a roar audible for many miles. Behjw, the river glides tranfjuilly along l.)etwecn higli wood(.'d Ijaiiks, in a straight stretch of a mile and a half. Tl 10 view^ from the fort is very charming, comljjuin*'- all v: 138 THE RED RIVER EXPEDITION. [chap. tlie essentials of picturesque l)cauty except that of mountain scenery. There has been at one time a good deal of cleared land round the post, but much of it has been allowed to return to its primi- tive wildness, and is becoming covered with a scruljby, second growth. There is capital pasture- land, the grass being green and luxuriant, as fine as is to be seen in any part of Canada. To our eyes, wearied with the monoto lous sameness of the barren and inhospitable region \vc had lately passed through, this green and fertile oasis in the midst of the desert of rock, forest, and water, was like a glimpse of the Promised Land. Mr. McKenzie, the Hudson's Bay Company's official in charge of the post, was most civil and obliging, giving up a room in his house for the use of Colonel AVolseley and the Head-quarter staff, and allowino; us to have the run of our teeth in his garden, so that during our stay of five days we revelled in green peas, young potatoes, and cabbages, most agreeable antidotes to the scorbutic ten- dencies of salt pork. The luxury, too, of having a chair to sit on, and a table to write at, is not to be despised. Mr. McKenzie had a few acres of wheat, barley, and Indian corn, all of which looked remarkably well ; the wheat was ready for the [CIIAP. VIII.] FORT FRANCES. 139 3t that of ae time a post, but its primi- d with a 1 pasture- it, as fine . To our ess of the 3ly passed the midst was like bmpany's civil and )r the use staft', and h in his days we cabbages, Litic ten- having a lot to be )f wheat, looked for the '[ ^ i sickle, and the grain fine and full. Wheat is sown here aljout the last week in April, and takes about ninety days to come to maturity. Potatoes, sown about the 8th of May, were fit for the table when we arrived. There were no pigs, sheep, or fowls, but about twenty head of cattle, three of which we bought for the use of the troops, so that the men as they passed through got a meal of fresh meat. The winter lasts nearly seven months, so that cattle require a vast quantity of hay during the long, weary winter months. Snow falls to a depth of about four feet, and indeed in most re- spects the climate of this section of the country is very similar to that of Lower Canada. All along the banks of Eainy River is a strip of alluvial soil, which on the right or British bank extends inland for a width of from half a mile to ten miles, where it is bounded by a vast swamp joining the shores of Eainy Lake to those of Lake of the Woods. This swamp was described by Mr. Pither as consisting of a springy, moveable surface, overlying a deposit of peat, through which a pole might be pushed to a depth of thirty feet without reachinjx the bottom. It is covered with a OTowth of scrubby bush, interspersed with islands of small pine, and follows the windings of the river. At 110 THE RED RIVER EXrEDlTION. [CIIAP. the back of Fort Frances, the fertile wooded belt is only half a mile wide. Rainy River forms the boundary line between British and American territory. When we arrived at the fort on the morn in jj of the 4th of August, Mr. IMcKenzie sent down a cart, which he had constructed expressly for the use of the expedition, to help the men over the portage round the falls, "'his cart was of such a peculiar nature that it deserves a special descrip- tion. It was made of wood throughout, not a nail or piece of any metal whatever being employed in its construction. The wheels, about 18 inches in diameter, were composed of solid blocks of wood nearly a foot thick, and rounded with an axe. The axle-tree was literally a large "tree" fitted into the wheels; and the body of the vehicle, which scarcely stood more than twelve inches from the ground, was similarly made, and was only large enough to hold a very small amount of stuff. The "thing "was drawn by an ox, harnessed between a pair of enormous shafts, with a saddle, collar, and traces like a horse. This primitive vehicle caused much amusement to the men, who duljbcd it " Our Transport Service," though I 1)clieve it was a source of consid('ral)le pride to its maker. I [ciiAr. vni.] FORT FRANCES. lU odcil belt between lorniiig of down i\ y for the over the of such a 1 descrip- not a nail ployed in inches in of wood an axe. itted into Ic, which from the nly large iff. The between e, collar, vehicle dul)bcd re it was aker. I regret to say that it very soon came to pieces, i •»> fastenings l)eing only of l)uffalo hide or wood. At the entrance to Rainy River we met Jiieii- w tenant Rutler, of the GDtli Regiment, who had just arrived that morning from F(jrt Gai'iy. lie had been sent from Canada by the Lieutenant-GJeneral as an intelligence officer, and had visited Duluth, IMarquette, and other towii or the south shore of Lake Superior, to sec if ♦ cro .-re any chance of the threatened Fenian r. .a o our connnunicat ions actutdly tidving place. TIkjsc towns were known to be full of a large Irib.x clement, who had o})enly declared their intention to obstruct the progress of the expedition in every possible way. From thence Lieutenant Butler had gone to St. Paul's in .Min- nesota, and then boldly made his way straiglit to Fort Garry, where his arrival caused nuich excite- ment amongst the reljel authorities. His life was not considered safe in the settlement, so after receiving a visit from " President " Riel, in which, I believe, the advisability of an early departure was pretty plainly hinted to him, he pro(;ured a boat by the aid of some of the loyaP people, and made his way up the Winni}»eg River to meet Colonel Wolseley. He brought news from Red River to the 24tli Julv, and described the condition of affairs there as lull 142 THE RED RIVF.R EXPEPTTTON. fell AT. of aiuircliy and confusion, the French and English settlers mutually afraien, and that they would give us the right of way, with use of wood and water, through their land, for which privilege they de- manded ten dollars a head annually for eveiy man, woman, and child, but that they would sell none of their land, and wanted no white settlers to live amongst them. Colonel Wolseley's reply, which was very short, was that he was very glad to sec them, but had no concern with their lands, only requiring a right of way through their country ; and that he was sorry he had no presents for them, having only provisions enough for his own people. We had a half-breed to interpret for us, who trans- lated the Chippewa into French, and very bad French too. The pow-wow lasted some time, and we were all getting rather bored and glad to get rill of them, which we eventually > \ I [chap. VIII.] FORT FRANCES. 147 cir grand Dcforc our i\n, which Chippewa exception body was brass ring refused to id brought coats and an Indian, lid he with ith such a r a bit of lss through >nc of our )ngst us." ry as many women arc d speedily at the age ■f in their ermin, and " Crooked ■ees of dirt all good- } looking. She was a very young girl, and would have been almost pretty had she been properly " cleaned." The morality of the women is not of a high order, which is not to be wondered at, con- sidering the state of degradation in which they are kept. Poor things! they are the slaves and drudges of the men, who loaf about, or sit and smoke at the doors of their lodges in lazy indolence, whilst the women cut wood, draw water, cook, &c. The men are too lazy even to fish, until hunger compels them to do so. Their wigwams are made of a number of poles tied together at the top in the shape of a bell ; round the bottom and nearly up to the top are fastened strips of birch-bark or deer-skin, leaving room for a doorway ; the top is left open to let out the smoke of the fire which is lighted inside in the middle ; the whole family, husband, wives and children, live together in one lodge. When they shift their camp, the poles are left standing for the use of the next comer, or for themselves when they retuiii that way, but the stri[)s of bark are rolled u}) and carried by the women in their canoe. The man always has a canoe to himselfj in wliich he takes nothing but his gun and l)laukets, and " paddles his own canoe." The inqtodimenta of the party, the L 2 148 THE RKD RIVER EXPEDITION. [chap. household gods of the fiimily, are taken by the squaws in their canoe. One's preconceived ideas of the North American Indian, as derived from the fascinating pages of Fenimore Cooper, or the ro- mantic verses of the author of " Hiawatha," are rudely dispelled by the reality, and one is forced to doubt whether Longfellow f ver saw much of the Chippewa Indian in his native wdlds. A day or two after our first audience with " Crooked Neck " we were favoured by a visit from another chief, whose name I forget, but who came from some distance to see the great Chief of the pale- faces, accompanied by two of his wives and a male attendant. This fellow's dress was most absurd. To l)egin with, he was half red and half black, like the "Perfect Cure," or a clown in a pantomime. His coat was an old military scarlet coatee, with epaulettes and tawdry old gold lace very much the worse for wear. The right half of this coat had been cut off and replaced by a portion of a black coat, also adorned with lace on the collar and cuifs. His shirt was scarcely long enough for decency, and terminated in deer-skin mocassins and Iciifo-ino-s reaching to the knee, prettily worked with beads, and fringed with many-coloured tassels. Round his ike a Roman i X 'ly^ o^"' ■app > ! [chap. en by the iivecl ideas d from tlie or the ro- >vatha," arc is forced to uch of the iencc with 1 visit from t who came of the pale- and a male ost absurd. bhick, like )antomime. oatee, with Y much the s coat had of a bhick and cuffs. or decency, )id Icfwino's ^vith beads, Round his ped a red VIII.] FORT FRANCES. 149 r h blanket, which, when accidentally exposed or blown aside by the wind, left between his leggings and his shirt a " hiatus valdb deflendus ! " He also wore a handsome kind of cross-belt, thrown over his right shoulder like a sash of the present day, embroidered heavily with beads. On his head was a high wide- awake hat, adorned with a green ribbon. His face was painted to match, the left side a bright red, the right its natural dark hue. When he turned suddenly round from left to right, the sudden change from red to black was most ludicrous, and made us laugh heartily. Otherwise, he was a fine- looking savage, and when one did not see the red half of his nose, rather good-looking. We had a pow-wow with him, which ended as usual by his shaking hands with us two or three times all round, and then making off with his plug of tobacco, highly delighted at the gift. At the great medicine ceremonies which these Indians hold every summer at Fort Frances for the purpose of initiating candidates into the mysteries of medicine, they go through extraordinary orgies, not unlike the old Roman Saturnalia. Part of the ceremony consists in killing every white clog they can get hold of, boiling the flesh, and feasting on it. The men dress up in the most outlandish manner : 150 THE RED RIVER EXPEDITION. [chap. one fellow danced a scalp dance with nothing on but a frock-coat ; another had his body white- washed as far as the waist, his left cheek painted green and the right blue, his ribs painted with black finger-marks as if he had been gripped in a deadly wrestle, his arms and feet painted to represent blood and bruises ; in this hideous " attire " he danced a war dance, reciting his deeds of valour, and the scalps he had taken from the Sioux, The candidates for " medicine-men " are taught the virtues of many wild roots and plants, in the use of which consists their only skill in curing disease. Of anatomy or surgery they know nothing. Some of these medicine-men know the uses of many deadly vegetable poisons, amongst which I was told of a plant the root of which possesses the horrible power of turning the complexion quite black, Mr. Pitlier pointed out to me a woman whom, he said, he had known as a young girl, at which time she was very pretty, and of comparatively a fair com- plexion. Some of this poison had been administered to her and had turned her quite black. Certainly, when I saw her, she w\as hideously black and ugly. They use also the root of the Sarsaparilla plant, the gold thread (good for ulcerated sore-throats), and the red willow, the bark of which makes a capital astrin- i 't t LC*5"tj IN. [ciiAr. vin.] FOllT FRANCES. IT)! th nothing on body wliite- clicek painted ted with black ed in a deadly to represent 3 "attire" he eds of valour, the Sioux. 1 " are taught plants, in the kill in curing know nothing. 3 uses of many icli I was told cs the horrible te black. ]\Ir. diom, he said, diicli time she y a fLiir com- d ministered to ertainly, when :1 ugly. They 3lant, the gold j), and the red .'iipital astrin- i gent, as I myself found by practical experience, for one day, having strained my left wrist in rowing, Mr. Pitlier gathered some of the red willow, re- moved the outer bark, and scraping the inner bark, boiled it for about half an hour, and applied it to the wrist, giving great relief. The portage at Fort Frances, which is a large cleared field covered with luxuriant grass, was formerly used by the Indians as a burial-ground. Some of the bodies were buried in the ground in the usual way ; on one of them, a child's grave, which had been neatly fenced in by some sorrowing mother to preserve it from desecration, I was much touched at observing, carefully laid by the side of the grave, a child's paddle and little toy canoe. Human nature does not differ much all the world over — " One touch of nature muk the whole world kir)." The bodies of the grc: chiefs are, however, not buried in the ground, bi t placed in wooden boxes and hung up on a frame -. (jrk six or seven feet above the ground, suspended .u mid-air, as it were. The efHuvium from these boxes soon becomes very great, and as they are put up in the most conspicuous places, they are particularly objectioualjle. " Have I not my father's and :iy grandfather's jjones ? " 152 THE RED RIVER EXPEDITION. [chap. said old " Crook 3d Neck " in his speech. We saw a great deal too much of " Crooked Neck " during our stay at Fort Frances ; he used to stalk about, his sole covering being a blanket wrapped round him, long matted hair hanging over his shoulders, which he was too lazy to plait into two tails in the usual manner, and confined round the forehead by a piece of greasy ribbon. In this easy costume he would peer into our tents, or coolly walk into the room as we sat writing, evidently considering that the whole place belonged to him, and that ive were only there on sufferance. His lodge was close by, and D and I used to pass it every morning on our way to our matutinal plunge in the river. When a chief is buried (not suspended in mid- air), it is the custom of the Chippcwas to bury with him his gun and a kettle. The Indians of the plains, besides the gun, kill over the grave the dead chief's favourite horse, in order that when he arrives at the happy hunting grounds, he may be ready, mounted and armed. Is not this something like our ov/ii custom at a military funeral of leading the charger to the grave behind the coffin '? TJie coimection of ideas and customs on this point is at least curious, though I have heard that ours is derived from an old German custom. [CIIAP. VIII.] FORT FRANCES. 153 We saw a luring our about, his )und him, ers, which the usual by a piece he would e room as the whole )nly there d D Lir way to I in mid- »ury with s of the rave the when he may be )methinof o leadiiisf 1 Tlie point is lat ours Before Colonel Wolseley left Fort Frances, he saw the whole of the regular troops and the first two brigades of militia pass on. As they went through, each brigade left what surplus stores they had brought with them to form a depot of supplies at Fort Frances. A hospital was established capable of accommodating thirty-six patients, and a field- oven was put up and a bakery started, by which means the rear brigades were served out with two days' fresh bread, a pleasant change after the hard biscuit. A company of the 1st Ontario Rifles was left as a ganison, liid their camp was pitched on the grassy bank over the river close by the fort. Each brigade as it passed through also got rid of in- competent voyage Mrs, and out of six brigades twelve men were thus left behind, or an average of one- seventh, a high proportion, considering that they had already been freely weeded before leaving She- bandowan. On the 5th August Mr. Monkraan, a loyal English half-breed from Red River, arrived, bringing letters from the settlement to the 20tli of July. During the troul)les of the previous winter, IMr. iMonkman had incurred the hatred of Riel's party for assisting the escape of Dr. Scliultz ; his life being in danger, he fled to Cai.ada, crossing the dreary wilderness in 154 THE RED RIVER EXPEDITION. [chap. the depth of winter on snow-shoes. He had Ijcen warmly received in Ontario, and had been presented to H.R.n. Prince Arthur, who liad made him a present of some tobacco. Pie passed through Fort William in June 1870 on his way to Red River, and promised Colonel Wolseley to come out and meet him at Fort Frances at the latter end of July with the latest news from Red River, and with informa- tion regarding supplies and the feasibility of using the road from the north-west angle of Lake of the Woods for the transport of the troops. He nobly kept his promise, and brought letters from Bishop Macrae and others, also one from " Henry Prince," the chief of the Saulteux or Swampy Indians at Red River, full of loyalty and breathing dislike to Riel and his party. The refrain of all these letters was the same — " Come on as quickly as you can, for the aspect of affairs is serious, and an Indian outbreak is imminent." Mr. Monkman had entered the settlement from the north-west anoie, following: his old blazed line along a good sandy ridge to White IMoutli River, till he reached Mr. Snow's road, where he narrowly escaped capture from an outlying party of Ricl's men. He strongly advo- cated taking the troops through this line, as he said that very little lal)our wouki nuike the swamps [CIIAP. VIII.] FORT FRANCES. 155 had Ijeoii presented de him a QUgh Fort River, and and meet July with 1 informa- y of using lakc of the He nobly )m Bishop y Prince," ms at Red ve to Riel ctters was an, for the outbreak :ered the following ridge to r. Snow's from an giy advo- as he said 2 swamps passal)le for carts, l)ut other a(M;ounts did not agrco with this description, and CV)lonel Wolselcy had had too much already of one id to risk th of success tlie expedition on a.notncr winch ne iiaci not seen himself, or through the eyes of a liritish officer. Mr. Monkman also brought the pleasing intelligence that six large Hudson's Bay boats had been sent up the Winnipeg River, well manned l)y experienced boatmen, to assist the expedition in descending the dangerous rajiids of that river. The expenses of this had been defrayed ])y a su1)scription amongst the loyal inhabitants, and the Ijoats were accom- panied by the Reverend j\Ir. Gardiner, an energetic Presbyterian clergyman, who had been one of the principal promoters of the undertaking and had himself subscribed largely thereto. Having carefully made every possible arrange- ment for supplying the brigades with guides across the Lake of the Woods, Colonel Wolselcy started at daylight on the 10th August to catch Colonel Feildeii and the leading Ijrigades before ihey reached Fort Alexander. CHAPTER IX. RAINY RIVER AND LAKE OF THE WOODS. I I At daylight on tlie lOtli, Colonel AVolsclcy left Fort Frances and resumed his journey in a bark canoe manned by Iroquois, and the gig kept company with its crew of soldiers. D and I had got rid of our French-Canadian voyagcur, who was sick (a little sick of the hard work, too, perhaps), and in his place had got a young Iroquois Indian whose French name was " Baptiste." We soon found the benefit of the exchange, for there was not a t:marter Indian in the whole expedition than young " Ba'tiste," always cheery and good- humoured, ready either to take an oar or a paddle, and a capital fellow on a portage. Aided by the current, which runs about Ij or 2 miles an hour, we descended Rainy River easily and quickly, making about 5 J miles per hour on an average. 1 i i CHAT. f\.] RATNY RIVER. 157 'OODS. ilscley left in a bark gig kept — and I igcur, who ', perhaps), )is Indian We soon there was expedition md good- a paddle, d by the an hour, quickly, average. j By one oVloek in the afternoon we had run about 40 miles, and stopped for an lunir for dinner just at the foot of the second rapids. The general course of this beautiful river is a few degrees to tlu; north of west for a distance of 80 miles, following the windings of the river, or about GO miles in a direct line. Its breadth is from 200 to 400 yards, though it becomes broader near its junction with Lake of the Woods. Tlie navigation is unfortunately Ijroken by the beautiful falls at Fort Frances, but from that point to its mouth, although there are two strong rapids, the " Manitou " and " Long-sault," about half-way down, yet these present no difiiculty to the passage of a powerful steamer. The banks of the river are very beautiful ; we passed groves of basswood and sturdy oaks, standing in grassy park-like expanses, and open glades stretching away into a forest of elm, ash, and balsam-po})lar. The grass was very green and luxuriant ; and the ground covered with climbing plants in rich profusion, the wild convolvulus, honeysuckle, helianthus, woodbine, and wild rose, giving it the appearance of an overgrown, long-neglected garden. Near the second ra})id on the riglit bank of the river is an extensive area of open ^f^^.. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 1.1 128 125 itt m ■ 2.2 ^ US. 12.0 I 41 1 '25 1.4 • lllll < 6" - ► ^ y] 7] 4V^ .<^ o / Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WIST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. M5S0 (716) 872-4S03 4^ 158 THE RED RIVER EXPEDITION. [chap. prairic-likc ground, destitute of trees, but covered with a dense growth of grasses and climbing plants ; on it were two large mounds of very peculiar appearance, looking like tumuli, and called by the Indians "underground houses." They were about 30 or 40 feet high and 100 feet broad at the base. There were others also on the left bank, but so hidden in the woods that their size could not be ascertained. We could get no information as to the origin or nature of these tumuli, which looked not unlike mounds erected over an ancient Indian battle-field. At 6 P.M. wo !i:topped for the evening meal, and made preparations for drifting down the river during the night, as is done by the Hudson's Bay Company's boats. Just at sunset a most extraordinary flight of insects appeared on the river. They had pale, yellowish bodies about j-inch long, grey wings, and two long streamers running out from the tail an inch or more in length. They were moving up the river at a great rate, in a solid column about ten feet high and perhaps fifty feet broad, and at a distance gave the appoarnnce of a thick mist hanging over the river ; nearer, they looked like a storm of driving snow or sleet. As the gig pushed out [CIIAP. IX.l llAINY RIVER. 159 rees, but asses and 3 mounds kc tumuli, i houses." [ 100 feet :so on the that their Id get no ) of these els erected ing meal, lown the Hudson's it a most I on the ies about streamers more in ver at a feet high distance hanging storm of islied out into the river amongst them, they parted in the midst like a column of fours to let it q;o throuoh, carefully avoiding the boat. They made a most perceptil)le humming or buzzing noise, and, as they touched the water, remained on it, apparently unable to rise again. The fish were rising all round, devouring them greedily. Having made our little preparations for the night, all hands in the gig turned in except one man to keep watch and steer ; and as we lay in the stern-sheets smoking a final pipe, we antici- pated a pleasant drift down the river, and hoped to get over a long way in this easy manner. It was a beautiful night, the moon was nearly at the full, and the ripple of the water under the bows of the gig, or the occasional stroke of Ba'tiste's paddle had a most soothing effect. But our hopes were doomed to be blighted ; an ominous bank of clouds to vmdward rose higher jind higher, a pelting storm of rain drenched us to the skin, and a furious westerly wind, right in our teeth, ol.)ligcd us a1)out midnight to put ashore. One of the men rigged up the sail as a temporary shelter, and we lay under it on the soaking W(;t ground, trying in vain to get a little sleep. The ground was at a steep slope and unpleasantly K I I 160 THE RED RIVER EXPEDITION. [cnAP. bumpy, and the welcome return of daylight found us cramped, cold, and wet, and glad to refresh ourselves with a cup of hot tea and resume our journey. As we approached the mouth, the river became broader, the banks still very pretty, though with fewer open park-like bits ; long stretches of reedy, marshy ground fringed the banks, from which numerous young broods of ducks rose at our approach and flew past, presenting the most tempting double-shots. In the wide reaches of the river the strong westerly wind blowing against the current produced a rough chopping sea, against which we rowed hard for three hours, till we came to a small Hudson's Bay post, two miles from the mouth of the river, where we were glad to stop for breakfast. Just then a canoe came up, bringing letters from Rat Portage, announcing the arrival there of the six Hudson's Bay boats sent by the loyal English-speaking people of Red River. The letters begged Colonel Wolseley immediately to put two guns and as many regulars as possible into the boats and send them off to the settle- ment at once, as the people were in great dread of an Indian outbreak. The men who brought these letters were at once utilized as gui- ix.l I.AKK OK TIIK WOODS. !<>.> I on til*' shore close l)y. A eaiioe was sent over to find out tlie meaning of tliis extraoulinary apparition, l»ut returned reporting that they could see noltody; the flag and the men were gone. Whilst occupied Avith conjectures as to the ex- j)lanation of this phenomenon, imagine our delight when a canoe arrived from Fort Frances brin'nnij letters and newspapers from England ! It was a regular God-send, and many were the speculations on the war just declared between France and Prussia, But we could not even bet on the result, for every one wanted to back the same side — France. Short-sighted mortals ! It was certainly tantalizing to be wind-bound on a little island in a lake far away in the centre of the vast North American wilderness, cut off from all communication with the outside world, whilst events of such tran- scendent importance were taking place in Europe. The situation was novel if not exciting. Robinson Crusoe on his desert island was, however, worse otf than we were, for at all events we had plenty to eat, though it was but salt pork and biscuit. Towards the afternoon of the second day the wind gradually subsided, and by sunset the water was smooth enough to enable the laroe boats to contume their route, and K Brigade rc-endjarked 1()G THE RED llIVEft EXPEDITION. [cilAI*. Ir r and Btarted olt' at 8 r.M. lUit there was still a heavy swell, and the Indians refused to budge a step, deelaring it was not safe for the eanoc, wliieh would break in two pieces over the lon< waves. Colonel Wolseley, being determined to get on himself somehow or other, changed places with D , and the gig was launched and prei)ared for a start. Just then, the flag we had seen on the island was explained by the arrival of three large Hudson's Bay boats, wliieh proved to ho some of those sent from li(xl River; they brought letters from Rat Portage, from Colonel Feilden, who reported that he had taken the other three himself and had started down the Winnipeg. Now more than ever anxious to get on and catch the leading brigades. Colonel Wolseley re- solved to start at once, and accordhigly at 10 P.M. we put off. It w^as a bright, cloudless night with a full moon, and the men with light hearts and strong hands pulled with a will, glad to get away from their island prison. To the west and north no land was to Ije scon, to the cast we could just make out the dim outline of a, belt of islands several miles away, and l)ehind us the island we had left was soon lost to view. We steered by the stars, sha}ting our eoiuse by the pointers of the ' I IX.j I.AKK OF TlIK WOODS. 1G7 Grojit Hear. Although the wind had ^onc down there was still II heavy sea, a long rolling swell from the N.W., which justified the refusal of the cautious Iro(|U(ji.s to venture out in their frail birch-bark canoe. After three hours' hard rowing wc came to an island where we put ashore at 1 a.m., made a big fire, and bivouacked till daylight To me it had been a novel and curious sensation, which I enjoyed inmiensely ; steering a boat at night by the stars, out of sight of land on a fresh-water lake, is not possil)le everywhere. After four hours' rest, the crew of the miiif^ to rojidj Hat Portaoo by Invakfast time. After rowiiifr and sailing tor Rome time we got into a deep bay, which proved to 1)0 a cut ih sac, so we had to turn hack again. From the course we had steen^d we knew we had reached the north shore of f^ake of the A/oods, hut the entrance to thi; river we could not find. After trying a few more likcly-hjoking openings to the northward in vain, the u?icom- fortablc feeling hegan to creep over us that we had lost our way ; however, there was nothing for it but to persevere, so on and on we ])lundered, hopelessly exploring every channel amongst the labyrinth of islands which appeared to lead in the right direction. We w\andered on in this disagreeable way for hour jifter hour, until the sun l)egan to g(?t low in the sky, and we were still as far off the rivtr as ever. This portion of Lake of the Woods is a mass of islands ; in Lac des Alilles Lacs and in J\ amy Lake W(i (f thought we had seen a feic islands, but any thin to compare with the myriads in Lake of the Woods we had never before met with. AVe mio'ht have been wanderinu; about amonust them to this day, had wv not fortunately caught [chap. I X.J I.AKF, OF TIIK WOODS. h;:) igaiii next at Vortiif^e Railing tor ich proved hack again. klU'W WL' kc of the • wo could :cly-looking ho uncom- us that wc vas nothing } blundered, mongst the to lend in on in this , until the d we were his portion islands ; in Lake we it anything ,kc of the with. We lonost them ely caught Hight of an Indian encampment. (,hiic|liiiig off, stung with remorse, to bury himself in the remotest corner of the globe, as Sir Walter Scott describes in the "Pirate," but it is not so easy to understand how young men who have not completed their fifth lustre can thus shut themselves up ftir from the busy world, with no companions but Esquimaux or Chippewa Indians. Not theirs the missionary fervour of men zealous for their faith, or even the all-absorbing thirst for gold, for the Com- pany do not pay their servants highly, and preclude them by the most rigid rules from enteruig into any speculation on their own account. Yet they seem ' i t 172 THE RED RIVER EXPEDITION. [chap. to like the life, and after a brief return to civilization are generally glad to get bar-k to tlieir solitary posts. Mr. IMacpherson had a few acres of wheat, barley, and potatoes, some pigs and cows, and any number of mangy-looking pariah dogs. These dogs are of all sizes and colours, nasty -looking brutes, but very useful. They do all the winter work, galloping for miles over the frozen snow, draofrinff small sledfi-es. At this place there are three portages ; that is to say, the river, which is here some three miles broad, finds its way down to the lower level below by three distinct waterfalls. The regular portage, which is three miles from the Hudson's Bay i)ost and principally used for big boats, is 130 yards long ; but the portage we passed over is close to the post, about 300 yjirds long, and very rough. The morning after our arrival we breakfasted with ]\Ir. Macpherson, and heard a great deal about the dangers of the Winnipeg River ; indeed we heard so many stories of hair-breadth escapes amid the dangerous rapids and whirlpools, that, like the boy who has been regaled on thrilling ghost stories until he is afraid to go to sleep at night, we were half frightened out of our wits at the dangers that lay before us. Colonel Wolseley made every effort to procure guides and skilled bow-men and steersmen for each ■: I [chap. x.l THE WINNIPKG RIVKK. 173 ) civilization jlitaiy posts. lieat, barley, any number clofjs are of :es, but very galloping for nail sletlgcs. o'cs ; that is three miles level below liar portage, I's Bay post yards long ; o the post, 'he mornina; Macpherson, ers of the lany stories rous rapids has been ic is afraid htencd out before us. to procure n for each 3 I brigade, and sent off Lieutenant Butler in a lioht canoe to Fort Alexander, at the mouth of the river, to collect men from that post, and send them up to Islington ^Mission, where the most dangerous part of the river begins. In the evening of that day Lieutenant-Colonel McNeill, V.C, and Mr. Jolly arrived and joined our camp. They had left She- bandowan on the 3rd of August, Jind had come thnjugh as fast as possiljle in a birch-bark canoe. At 2 P.M. on Tuesday the 16th we started again, two canoes and the gig, a pleasant party of six, to make the descent of the river Winnipeg. This noble river issues from Lake of the Woods through several gaps in the northern rim of the lake, and flows through many tortuous and distinct channels for many miles of its course. Its windings are so abrupt and opposite, that its course is sometimes N.N.E. and at other places S.W. by S. It is very broad and deep, sometimes expanding into large lakes, full of rocky islands and bounded by precipitous cliff's of cjraiiite. Durino- its course of 1G3 miles it descends 350 feet by a succession of magnificent cataracts. Some of its rapids and falls present the wildest and most pictures(|ue scenery, displaying every vaiicty of tumultuous cascades and foaming rapids, with treacherous whirlpools, whitened with ■tj 174 THE RED IlIVKR EXPEDITION. [chap. foam, and huge swelling waves rising massive and green over dangerous hidden rocks. It is quite beyond my power to convey an idea of the majestic scenery of this noble river, but it is so deeply impressed on my mind, that anything previously seen in the way of river scenery seemed at once to fade into insi2;nificance before the grandeur of the Winnipeg River. Among the most beautiful of many very beautiful falls, the " Slave Falls " and " Silver Falls " bear away the palm. We made the journey from Rat Portage to Fort Alexander in four days and a half, but to do this we had to work from early dawn to late at night, only snatching a couple of hours' rest for l)reakfast and dinner, and sometimes putting oil* our mid-day meal altogether, and making supper do duty for buth. On the first evening, the IGth, we ran "Lcs l);i!les" Rapids without any trouble, and camped about 25 miles from Rat Portage. The fine weather which had accompanied us from Shebandowan, here began to desert us, and drizzling rain with raw, cold, foggy weather took its place. On the 17th, we ran the "Grande Decharge" Rapids, the first of any importance. The river, at least that portion of it which we followed (for there are numerous channels), is compressed at this point } X.] TIIK WINMPKO RIVER. 175 lie river, at into a narrow cleft between high granite rocks, which force it down a steep incline with tremendous fury. Everything had to be taken out of the boats and carried over the portage, and tlien the boats were run down the rai)ids, four men rowing and the two Indians steering, — one at the bow, the other at the stern. Whilst at Rat Portage, Baptiste had cut and fashioned a fine broad paddle for this purpose out of a young spruce tree, and took his place at the bow flourishing this paddle over his head ready for action. "We went over at a tremendous pace, so close to tlic cliff at one side (in order to avoid a half-sunken rock) that the starboard oars had to be unshipped and run in to avoid the cliff. Scarcely realizing the speed at which we were going, I was late in running in my oar, and consequently lost a rowlock by it, besides nearly breaking the oar and upsetting the boat. Of course when the oar touched the cliff it partially turned the boat's liead, and Ba'tiste had to give a superhuman heave with his paddle to clear the sunken rock. In doing this his paddle broke in two like a stick of sealing-wax, and had he not, quick as lightning, seized a scull, which was fortunately at hand, and forced the boat's liead round with it, we should have been on the rock and upset in the twinkling of an eye. It Avas a close I 176 THK RED KIVKIl KXPKDIilON. [chap. shave, but wc had closer shaves than that before we got to the mouth of the Winnipeg ! The same day we passed Yellow Mud Portage, Pine Portage, Cave Rapids, and one or two smaller ra})id8, which were run without lightening the boats. On this river there are some twenty-five l)ortages, and any number of rapids of viirious degrees of danger, but to do justice to their mani- fold beauties would require a far abler pen than mine. As I write, the recollections of those mag- nificent rapids and cascades crowd thickly upon me. " And I would that ray toiif^ue could utter The thoughts that arise hi mc." Running a rapid is one of the most exciting things in the world; independently of the danger of being- upset and drowned (which last would be a tolerable certainty in anything UJce a rapid), there is a charm about the novelty of it, combined with the wild and picturesque scenery, which is wonderfully fascinating. The Iroquois Indians are famous fellows for this work, and far superior to the Chippewas. The latter run rapids very fairly, but would avoid them if they could, whereas I verily believe that the former actually lyrefer rapids to smooth water. It was quite a sight to see young Ba'tiste taking the [CHAI*. X.] THE WINNIPEG RIVER. 177 tliat before ud Portage, two smaller iteuing the twenty-five of various their mani- cr pen than those mag- :ly upon me, ;itino; thiiii's ger of being a tolerable b is a charm Ihc wild and fascinating. ks for this !was. The Lvoid them |e that the water. It taking the H I gig down a rapid. His post was in the bow, the post of honour, and a better man it would be hard to find. We soon got unlimited confidence in him, and would have run any rapid under his leader- ship. The other Indian we had in the gig was an old weather-beaten Iroquois, an uncle of Baptiste's, a man of enormous size and strength. He usually took the stern, giving up the post of honour in the bow to the younger and more active man. Our preparations for running a rapid were very simple : a rowlock was shipped in the sternpost, and IMichel took his place there, and steered with the stiffest and heaviest oar in tlio boat. The rudder was never used, as it did not give sufiicient power. Baptistc placed himself in the bow with a scull in his hand, which he used as a paddle, and a spare one close by in case of accident, a precaution which twice saved us from upsetting. In order to give room to the steersmen we pulled only four oars, which were usually taken by the four best oarsmen in the gig. As the noise of the rapid first reached our ears, young Baptiste's eyes would sparkle with delight, and even the phlegmatic old IMichel, who scarce ever uttered a word from morning to night, would brighten up and look quite }»lcasecl. As we noared the rapid, old IMichel would say, "Hut! hut!" in 178 THE RED RIVER EXPEDITION. [ciiAr. ii ' II quick, sharp tones, which meant " pull, pull ! " and pull we did, like demons, as if we had been doing the last fifty yards in a neck-and-neck race at Henley. As we took the first plunge, young Baptiste would wave his paddle in the air with one wild yell of delight, and then, as if ashamed of his momentary weakness, would address himself to his task, and with consummate skill and strength, plunging his paddle now this side, now that, would guide us down amidst the seething caldron of waters that hissed and boiled around, threatening every moment to swallow up the little gig. Not a word was spoken after Baptiste s wild shout, except rapid directions in the Iroquois language between the two Indians, the oarsmen pulling as if for bare life. Such moments of wild excitement, brief as they are, are worth years of tame existence, and make one feel inclined to look with pity on those who have never experienced that thrilling sensation that stirs every fibre in the frame and makes the heart leap with the most intense ex- citement. Is there a single man in the Red River Expedition who will ever forget the glorious rapids of that noble AVinnipeg River ? A hot corner in a day's battue-shooting, or a quick thing with the Pytchley, arc exciting enough in their way, but [ciiAr. X.] THE WINNIPEG RIVER. 179 mWr and had been .-neck race ige, young e air with if ashamed 'CSS himself id strength, that, would caldron of threatening c gig. Not >vild shout, lis language pulling as excitement, le existence, |ith pity on lat thrilling frame and intense ex- iled River irious rapids t corner in icr with the r way, but \'' I they lack that element of danger which lends such a zest to every sport, when the heart is young and the life-blood courses quickly through the veins. Many a dangerous rapid did we run in this way, but there was one that I ohall never forget, the longest day I live : it scared us all, and was indeed enough to frighten the oldest voyageur. Coming on to it from al)ove we could not see what we were rushing into, but followed the lead of the Colonel's canoe, and before we knew where we were, we were in the middle of it. Imagine an enormous volume of water hurled headlong down a steep incline of smooth, slippery rock against a cluster of massive boulders, over which it dashed madly with a roar like thunder, foaming alonff until it reached the level below, where its exhausted fury subsided into circling eddies, and deep treacherous whirlpools. Into this fearful abyss of waters we dashed, old ^lichel boldly steering straight down the centre of it ; and as we tore down the incline at railroad speed with the green white-tippod waves curling their mon- strous heads high over the gunwale of the boat, we held our very breath for awe, and for a second oY two forgot to row, till the .sharp admonition N 2 ■^ 180 THE RED RIVKR EXPEDITION. [cirAP. of Michel aroused us from our stupor. By a great exertion of skill on the part of the two Indians the boat's head was turned sharply to the left, and caught the back-water of the eddy, in which we floated quietly and in safety, and gazed in utter bewilderment at the mighty rapid we had just run with no worse accident than a good ducking. We were all rather scared, but one of our crew, a Londoner, was fairly pale with terror — " His coward lips did from their colour fly" — and though his comrades chaff'ed him freely, and each one disclaimed any fear on his part, yet there was not one of us who would have eared to repeat the experiment. This rapid was at Island Portage, and the gig was almost the only boat that ran it, the others being taken over the portage. It was the most dangerous rapid that we ran ; the slightest touch on one of those huge boulders, and the boat must have gone to pieces instantaneously, crushed like a cockle-shell, and the crew would have been beyond human aid, for the whirlpools and eddies at the foot of the rapid would have sucked down the strongest swimmer. But if he who first committed his frail bark to the sea must have been clothed in triple shield of brass, what shall be said of the man who first N.l TlIK WINNIPEG llIVEIl. ISl lid wc hail ventured out in a iMrch-bark canoe, tliut frailest of frail crafts, or still more of him who ran the first rapid in such a crazy concern ? The slightest touch on a rock is sufficient to tear a hole in it, and in rough weather on the large lakes there is always a danger of its breaking its back over a wave. Still, in experienced hands, a bark canoe is safe enough, and from its lightness and jjorta- bility is the proper craft for navigating the rivers and lakes of North America. Our boats were declared to be quite unfit for running rapids, and some of them undoubtedly were, but, with extreme care and a more than ordinary share of good luck, the soldiers managed to get along in them, and descended the Winnipeg River in safety, though with several hair-breadth escapes. On the 1 8tli we passed " Chute a Jacquot," and " Trois Pointes des Bois," necessitating four portages round these various falls, each having its own special beauty, but all embracing scenery of the loveliest description, and in the evening reached " Slave Falls," one of the most beautiful bits on the river. The canoe portage is round a jutting ledge of rock just above the falls, and very dangerous to approach, except for skilled boatmen well acquainted with the place. Colonel Wolsoloy's canoe, which 182 TMF. IlKT) RIVKR I'.XrKDlTION. fell A r. waH It'adiiig the way, seemed U) disappear, as if it were going to shoot the falls, then suddenly turned sharp round to the right and shot into land, (piitc close to the edge of the falls ; hut the Indians in Colonel JVIcNeill's canoe, who were Chipi)e\vas, were afraid to venture, and stopped higher up. The gig of course did not go near it, but went to the regular portage for big boats, some 500 yards above. Our camp that night was on a level rocky jJateau, almost overlooking the falls, and in the midst of such scenery as it is impossible to attempt to describe. The charm of romance, too, was not wanting, for th^rc is an old Indian legend connected with the spot, which tells how. many years ago, two Sioux prisoners, that had been long kept in slavery by their enemies, the Chippewas, were one day put out of their misery, with a refinement of cruelty peculiar to the North American Indian. They were bound back to back, placed in a canoe, and allowed to go over the falls, where they were of course dashed to pieces. Hence the name of " Slave Falls." Next day, the 10th, we passed "La Barrierc" Portage, the " Otter Rapids " and the dreaded " Seven Portages." These arc about three miles long, and are simply an unbiokon series of rapids, X.] THE WINNIPEG RIVER. 183 the name falls, whiilpool.s, and ccUlics, necessitating seven distinct portages, some of the approaches to and departures from which arc very dangerous, and require skilful management. Oa the following day, the 20th, we reached Fort Alexander about 8.30 P.M., having made IG portages in the last two days. D and 1 were quite done up ; wc had worked hard to keep up with Colonel Wolseley's light canoe, and had been wet through all day and every day. In running one of the last rnpids we had a very narrow escape of being upset. Michel let the boat graze a rock : instantly she heeled over on to her side, my oar was whipped out of my hand, and I myself thrown violently on my back, and for a moment I thought it was all up with us, but she had only grazed, and the rush of Avater carried her past ; and as she righted, Michel picked up my oar and handed it to nie, and we went on as if nothing had happened. It was a rough, boisterous rapid with strong eddies and whirlpools ; we were quite alone, the two canoes having gone on ; and it was nearly dark ; so had we been upset, we should have had small chance of getting ashore. Of the eight portages we made that day one w^as 1320 yards long, the others varying from loO to 184 THE RED RIVEIl EXPEDITION. [chap. 350 yards. Tliu two portages at the " Silver Falls " arc steep and rough, but the falls themselves are worthy of their name. They are, I should imagine, the most beautiful on this river, or indeed on any river. It is impossible to conceive anything to surpass them. The volume of water is very great, and the scenery magnificent and picturesque ; but we were in such a hurry to get on that we had little time to admire their beauties. The lights of Fort Alexander, visible some distance up the river, stimulated us to renewed exertions in the prospect of food and rest, and at last we arrived there, late in the evening, tired, wet, cold, and hungry. " No more portages, thank God ! " we exclaimed, as the boat grounded on the sandy beach and we answered the cheery hail of the men of the 60th, all of whom, with the Eoyal Artillery and Eoyal Engineers, had arrived before us. Fort Alexander is prettily situated on the left bank of the Winnipeg River, about a couple of miles above its junction with Lake Winnipeg. It is a larger and more important post than Fort Frances, and has a more imposing appearance, standing on high ground forty or fifty feet above the river. From the top of a wooden tower thirty feet high, built in front of the post, an [CIIAP. Silver Falls " ;mselves are uld imagine, leetl on any ^e anything iter is very picturesque ; that we had 'he lights of ip the river, 3 prospect of 'e, late in the " No more as the boat iiswered the of whom, gineers, had X.] THE WINNrPKG RIVER. 185 extensive view can be had of the surrounding country ; to the right, the broad river is visible for many miles winding amongst the thick pine woods ; to the left, the vast expanse of Lake Winnipeg spreading out like the ocean itself, as far as the eye can reach. The soil round the fort is very good, and the crops luxuriant. Mr. Donald Smith, who was awaiting the arrival of Colonel Wolseley, kindly gave us supper, to which we did ample justice. Seldom have I en- joyed anjrthing more thoroughly than the fresh bread and butter which he set before us, or the pipe of peace which followed it, to which the happy consciousness that the hateful portage-strap would cease to gall our foreheads for some time to come, lent an additional feeling of freedom and repose. 11 I on the left couple of nnipeg. It than Fort appearance, feet above )den tower c post, an CHAPTER XI. ON TO FORT GARRY. The latest news from Red River was to the effect that Riel had called a meeting of the French half- breeds, which was attended by 600 men, and had endeavoured to organize an armed resistance to the entry of the troops, but that his adherents had refused to join him in this mad attempt, and declined to have anything more to do with him and his plans. It seemed therefore that no opposition was to be apprehended, and in view of the certainty of being warmly welcomed by the loyal section of the inhabitants, Colonel Wolseley resolved not to wait for the Militia, but to push on at once with the Regulars. When passing the two leading brigades of the 1st Ontario Rifles a day or two before on the river. Colonel Wolseley had promised to wait half a day for them at Fort Alexander ; CHAP. XI.] ON TO FORT GAURY. 187 to the effect French half- en, and had tance to the lerents had empt, and ;h him and opposition ic certainty section of ved not to once with vo leading ay or two :1 promised A-lexander ; but as they did not arrive, the bugles sounded the "advance" at 3 p.m. on the 21st of August, and the men embarked and set sail to a favouring breeze. There were eight brigades, about fifty boats ; and as the little fleet ran clown the river before wind and tide, the sight was novel and interestinoj. One micflit almost have foncied at a little distance that it was a Danish flotilla, led by some Viking of old, making a descent on an enemy's coasts. Colonel Wolseley accompanied Mr. Donald Smith in a big Hudson's Bay boat, whose large square sail towered over the little lugs of the smaller boats, and led the way steering well '* out to sea " to make a good offing. The fleet followed as fast as oars and sails would take them, and bore up for "Elk Island," twenty miles off, which they reached at sunset, and camped for the night in a lovely little bay. It seemed as if nature had designed this island for the express purpose of sheltering the boats. The wind was southerly and the bay had a north aspect, looking out on to the lake, whose waves rippled gently on a smooth sandy beach, charming enough to have made the fortune of a European watering-place. And who shall say that this little island and its beautiful 18S THE RED RIVER EXPEDITION. [chap. bay may not at some future day become the favourite summer resort of the wealthy inhabitants of Red Eiver, the Brighton of the AVinnipog belles ? When emigration shall have covered the fertile prairies of the North-west with a teeming population, and towns and cities have sprung up over the length and breadth of the land, Elk Island may rival the attractions of Newport and Saratoga. But when we ran into the little bay and sjirang ashore on the sandy beach, Nature had reigned sole mistress for countless ages, and the primeval woods rang for the first time to the sound of the white man's axe. The life and bustle imparted to the quiet bay by the arrival of the troops enhanced the wild beauty of the scene ; and the boats drawn up on the beach, with their sails half furled, the white tents dotted about amongst the trees, the ruddy glow of the camp-fires lighting up the figures of the men as they bent over the frying-pans or peered into the kettles with anxious interest, — all these made up a picture worthy of an artist's pencil. An early hour next morning beheld the flotilla again under weigh steering across the south-eastern portion of Lake Winnipeg to the mouths of the '. [chap. X..1 ON TO FORT GARRY. IbO ecome tlic inhabitants AVinnipog overcd the a tcemino; sprung up land, Elk wport and xnd sprang id reigned e primeval md of the nparted to 3 enhanced )ats drawn urled, the trees, the the figures ig-pans or erest, — all m artist's he flotilla th-eastern IS of the \ Red River. Lake Winnipeg is half as large again as Lake Ontario ! It covers an area of 9,000 square miles, and is 264 miles long by an jiverage of 35 wide. Not a bad-sized pond ! The southern portion of the lake is very shallow, the depth of water not exceeding two or three feet at a distance of a couple of miles from shore, and it is remark- able for the same green confervoid growth as Lake of the Woods ; the temperature of the water, too, is very high. The fleet had a quick and prosperous run from Elk Island, entering the Red River about 12.30 P.M. Red River flows into Lake Winnipeg by three mouths through an immense area of low land, of about the same level as the lake, and covered with rushes and willows, which the spring freshets annually overflow. Land, properly so called, is not met with till six or seven miles from the lake. The passage up the river was slower than that across the lake, the boats having to keep in two lines in proper order, by brigades. Colonel Wolse- ley sent his canoe ahead, with Mr. Irvine and Lieutenant Butler to keep a sharp look-out, and himself led the fleet, followed by CV^lonel Eeilden. At nightfall the camp was pitched on the right bank just below the Indian settlement, and about eleven miles from the Lower or Stone Fort. A IITIj. 190 THE RED RIVER EXPEDITION. [chap. grand visit of ceremony was paid to Colonel Wolseley by the chief of the Swampy Indians, " Henry Prince," accompanied l)y a number of his warriors, all decked out in feathers and paint. The same sort of thing took place as at other " durbars " held at Fort Frances with the " noble Indian," much talk of loyalty to their '* Great Mother" and steady adherence to British rule. The interview ended as usual by a substantial present of pork and flour, which appeared to afford the " braves " the most intense gratification. The most curious thing was the utter ignorance of every one as to events going on in the neigh- bouring parishes. No one could give any infor- mation as to what was going on in Fort Garry, and the Indians declared that they had no idea that the expedition had left Lake of the Woods until they saw the boats coming round the point opposite their wigwams. Colonel AVolselcy took every precaution to pre- vent the news of our arrival from spreading, and after dark dispatched a trusty messenger on horse- back to the Stone Fort to fetch Mr. Flett, the Hudson's Bay Company's official in charge of that post. He arrived in the middle of the night, but no information, except that Riel and giv. [chap. to Colonel ipy Indians, uml)er of his . paint. The !r " durbars " blc Indian," Mother " and he interview sent of pork he " braves " er ignorance a the neigh- i any infor- Fort Garry, lad no idea the Woods d the point ;ion to pre- eading, and !r on horse- , Flett, the rge of that ! night, but ; Riel and X..] ON TO FORT OAHUY. 191 his men were still in possession of the fort and busily employed in carting away their plunder from the Hudson's Bay Company's stores, and that Bishop Taclid was daily expected to arrive from Canada with an amnesty for Riel in his pocket. He also said that opinions differed as to whether we should meet with resistance, whether Riel would bolt, or come out to meet us and hand over the duties of his office, but that Riel meant fighting if he could only get his men to back him up. We were under weigh again next morning at day- light, in a drizzling rain, and reached the Stone Fort or " Lower Fort Garry," as it is sometimes called, at 8 o'clock. Her3 the kindness of Mv. Donald Smith had prepared a sumptuous breakfast for the officers, to which the most ample justice was done. Colonel Wolseley ordered the boats to be lightened of all superfluous stores in order to reach Fort Garry if possible before dark, and only lour days* ]irovisions were taken en, the remainder being left at the Stone Fort. Captain Wallace's company was detached as an advanced guard and flanking party on the left hank of the river, with orders to keep about a quarter of a mile in front of the l)oats and to 192 THE RED RIVER EXPEDITION. [chap. w detain till persons on their way up the river, so as to prevent the news of our approach from hcing conveyed to Fort Garry. A numl)cr of horses and carts were procured, and the men of this company were mounted on them, to their great delight. They seemed to think it fine fun scouring over the country as " Mounted Rifles." One man, being asked if he coukl ride, said he did not know whether he could or not, as he had never tried, and immediately proceeded to mount from the wrong side. Two signalmen with flags were sent with the mounted company, and were very useful in communicating orders to and fro, from the Commander's boat to the advanced guard. Lieu- tenant Butler was sent up the right bank on horse- back, to patrol along the road and communicate with the boats every now and then. By these precautions it was found, as the force advanced, that the actual appearance of the boats was the first intimation that the people had of the arrival of the expedition. The country on the left bank is tolerably well settled, clean white houses and neat farms abutting on the river ; but the right bank is more wooded and very sparsely settled, there being at some places intervals of miles with- out a house to be seen. j\Iany of the settlers i \ i.M [chap. XI.] ON TO FORT GAIIRY. 10:i he river, so 1 from being f horses and liis company eat delight, souring over ! man, being I not know never tried, it from the ^s were sent very useful 3, from the uard. Lieu- Ilk on liorse- ommunicate By these e advanced, its was the the arrival le left bank houses and Lt the right lely settled, miles with- tlie settlors guns a If s turned out and fired o they saw the boats, but no other demonstrations were made. The two 7-pounder guns were mounted in the bows of the Royal Artillery boats, and everything was in readhiess in case Riel should dispute the passage up the river. In this way, keeping up a constant commu- nication with the flanking party on our right (which being mounted was able to cover a large extent of country), we advanced steadily but slowly, pulling up against the stream, until it was time to halt for the night. The camp was pitched on the left bank, six miles by land from Fort Garry, the distance by water being eight or nine. Outlying picquets were thrown out on both sides of the river, and a chain 01 sentries posted round the camp. Captain Wallace's company established itself in a farm- house about 600 yards off, with an advanced party on the main road, so that all communica- tion between Fort Garry and the settlements in rear of the force was cut oft'. It had been Colonel Wolseley's intention to march at a very early hour next morning upon the fort, Ijut al)out 10 p.m. a violent gale of wind sprung up from the N.W., accompanied by torrents of rain, which continued o 194 THE RED RIVER EXrEDFTION. [chap. without intermission all night, rendering the roads nearly impassal)le. The unfortunate picqucts ahd sentries looked more like drowned rats than human beings, and the men were so done up with cold and wet, that Colonel Wolseley was obliged to change his plans and continue the advance in the boats. Breakfast put a little life into the men, though everything was so wet that it was difficult to get the fires lit, and at 6 a.m. the men rc-embarkcd and rowed on up the river, the rain still falling in torrents. Si)ies had been sent into the town of Winnipeg during the night to find out the actual state of affairs, and brought back news thpt up to that evening the rebel flag still " waved " over Fort Garry ; and though vague rumours were afloat of the force being somewhere in the river, yet these were discredited by Riel, who with a few of his adherents still kept possession of the fort ; also that Bishop Tachd had arrived tluit day under a salute of twenty- four guns. At 8 A.M. on the 24th the troops disembarked at Point Douo;las. two miles from the town of Winnipeg, and formed up in open column of companies. The flanking party had l)rought a few horses and carts, so that there was sufficient trans- h [chap. X..] ON TO FORT (JAIIHY. W)') [cr the roads (icqucts ixud than human ith cold and l1 to change n the boats, ncn, though [ficult to get rc-cmbarkcd still falling to the town ind out the back news el flag still ough vague (T somewhere ted by Kiel, s still kept ishop Tache of twenty- disembarked :he town of column of 'ought a few he lent trans- port ready for the ammunition, engineers' tools, and hospital. The guns were limbered up beliind a couple of country carts, and a few wret(.'he(l ponii s served to mount Colonel Wolscley and his staff. Covered by Captain Walhice's company in skir- mishing order, and with a company behind as a rearguard, the force marched straight on the village of Winnipeg, the roads being ankle deep in thick black mud, and the rain still pouring in torrents. Passing round the flank of the village, the fort appeared in sight about 700 yards off", across the open prairie. A few stray inhabitants in the village declared that Riel and his party still held posses- sion of the fort and meant to fight. The gates were shut, no flag was flying from the flag-staff, and guns were visible, mounted in the bastions and over the gateway that commanded the approach from the village and the prairie over which tlic troops were advancing. It certainly looked as if our labours were not to be altogether in vain. " Riel is going to fight ! " ran along the line, and the men quickened their pace and strode cheerily forward, regardless of the mud and rain. ]\I. Riul rose in their estimation immensely. The gun over the gateway was expected every moment to open u -2 100 TIIF, RKD UIVI'R FXPEIHTIOX. fniAr. fire, Imt wo W)t nearer uinl nearer and still no H\y God ! he's holted ! " was the cry. Colonel Wolseley sent forward somt; of his staff to see if the south gate were also shut; they galloped all round the fort, and brought back word that the gate opening on to the bridge over the Assinil)oine River was wide open, and men bolting away over the bridge. The troops then marched in by this gateway, and took possession of Fort Garry after a bloodless victory. The I^nion Jack was hoisted, a royal salute fired, and three cheers given for the Queen, which w^re caught up and heartily ro- ecliocd by a few of the iidial)itants . !.o had followed the troops from the village. It was still raining iu torrents, and tlie whole i)lace was one sea of black, slimy mud ; the men were drenched to the skin, and had been so during the previous night. Officers and men were therefore temporarily housed inside the fort, instead of pitching tents on the soaking- wet ground. Inside the fort were found several field-guns, vsome of which were mounted in the bastions and XI.J ON TO 10 UT r.AKUY. id: over the i^MtcNViiy, a large (iiiuJitity of iiiinnuiiition, and ii huiuIkt of «)M-p;ittrrii inuskt'ts, numy of ■\vlii»li wcro lotulcil and cjiitprd, showing that the intention liad lieen u[» to the hist moment to rcdist the entry of the troc^js. It is evi|>ara(ed, liCpine and O'Donoghue reni;iin- iniT on the American aide of the line, whilst Riel •went to his own liome in the little village of 8t. Josi^ph's, which is a small liandet, al)()ut thirty miles west of lVml)ina, and chiefly inhabited by half-breeds : here lie was allowed to reniiiin unmolested. The objeet of the expedition having been aceom- plished, Colonel Wolseley began to make preparations for housing the two battalions of Militia, which were to remain in the Settlement, and for tlui return of the regular troops to C^anada. For this purpose he sent Lieutenant-CV)lonel l^olton to inspect the road to the N.W. angle of the Lake of the Woods, to see whether it was possible to send the troops by that route, and so avoid the excessive labour of taking the boats up the AVinnipeg River. Lieut. - Colonel Bolton returned after a week's absence, y Xl.) ON TO FORT (MIUIV 201 r('-|H)rti?ig tliiii til.. liiHt tliirty-thrco nuhn liud not yot IxM'ii cut out, iind tliiit ilivrc, wc^n; .such hc/.ivy inorjiHscH ;ui(l thick woods tluit only a .snuill hody of men (^ould get through ; the idea of scinling the; whole of the m<'n hy that route was tlKinfore ahtindoncd. liy the 27th August the hrigjuhis of Militijilxgan to airiv<', iuid on the 21)th the first detachrrusnt of Jleguhirs started in the boats on their return to Canada vlA the Winnipeg lliver. I>y the '.ird September tin; whole of the GOth, with the Royal Artillery and Royal Engiruuirs, had left Fort Garry by boat alter a veiy brief sojourn. Only one company of the (jOth, Ca|)tain Buller's, was sent by ]\lr. Snow's road as an experiment. This ofHcer, by dint of much energy and determination, succeeded in getting his men safely through the swamps. Everytliing had to be carried on pack-horses, which were very lightly laden to enable them to get over the soft spongy musk(!gs. The company of the 1st Ontario Rifles which had been left as a frf (lir lakes, and talks of plaeini^ small steuniei's on Kainy Lake Jitid Lake of the AVoods, yet even then, the time which wouhl be occupi(Hl in the transit, the expense attending it, and the total absenec of supplies along tlie whole line, would l)e fatal objections. I should be sorry to form one of a party of emigrants struggling over those portages and through that barren and inhospitable region with their wives and families! The Indian (piestion would also have to be settled before any emigrants could pass through — and if something is not done next spring to settle their claims, they will undoubtedly opi)osc the passage of any such parties. For the present, therefore, all emigration must take place through the United States, a long and roundaljout road, and an expen- sive one. Another unfortunate circumstance tending to throw obstacles in the way of the settler, is the nnhai)py reservation in the jNIanitoba Bill {rule Appendix (') of so large an extent of land, 1,400,000 acres, for the purpose of extinguishing the claims of the families of half-breed residents. Until this reservation is actually portioned oft', no emigrant can ar([uire a title to land, or can venture t<» settle himself on a r :2 1 1 1 .) TIIK Hi;i) KIVKK KXI'KDmON. rtiiAi'. plot of groiiud, lest lie should Iju turned out ol' it to make wtiy for a lialf-1>reed elaiiiiaiit. 3!v. Archi- bald .surely has a liartl task before him to portion out this land in sueh a way as to interfere as little as possible with emigration, in wliieh of course lies the future hope of the country. That he will successfully do so, and that the counUy will even- tually get the better of the toils that liavi' lieen hrown around its young limbs l»y the short-sighted p(jlicy of Sir George Cartier, there is no doubt. The improvident lialf-l)reed, averse to steady toil, and devoted to a wild life of freedom on the plains, will soon dispose of his reservation of land to some canny Hcotcli or English settler. It is probable; that a large portion of it will eventually fall int(j the hands of the Roman Catholic Church, which will thereby ac(j^uire in Manitoba, as it has already done in Quebec and ^Eontreal, an undue preponderance of wealth and power. Hut the natural fertility of the soil and its vidvantaues as an at»'ricultural and grazing country must sooner or later triumph over the puny efforts of lUshop Tache and his party to check its growth and prcscrvi' the predominance of their nationality. The tide; of emigration pouring in from Ontario, and I trust also fioni the Ihitish Isles, will soon sweep away the lamlmarks he has f ( IIAI'. XII.) THE HKl) lUVKK S I/IT f, KM I 'AT. •2\:\ ill out of it 3!r. Archi- • to portion LDtci'fcrc us I'll of course 'luit he will ^ will cveii- , have been liort-siirlited i no (loulit. steady toil, :i the plains, ind to some is i)rol)ablt; lly fall into which will I ready done eponderance fertility of ultural and iumpli over lis party to oniinance of on pouriiiLi; the Ih'itisli ^irks he has tried to raise, and leave the French element in a hopeless minority. TJie efforts of that far-sight"d }»relate have been directed to building up in the north-west a thoroughly Frc^neh pi-ovincc, which would countera<'t by its infbieiiee tln^ growing pre- .MiiN.s].li.N]:i II l'.\i III, |:l^ll.il' (II- si. IKlMKiM K. l)onderance of Ontario, and preserve the "balance of poAver " in the Parliament of Canada. So far he has succeeded, and by the establishment of the French language on an equality with the I'jiglish, throughout the new province, as well as by this reservation of land, he has done much to retard the •214 THE RED RIVER EXrEDITION. [ruAr. growth of the country. At one of his interviews with Colonel Wolseley he could not help expressing his real feelings on this suhjcct. " Ah ! " said he, " how happy we were here in 'notre chere Rivier(5 Rouge/ a quiet, contented, primitive people, far from the world and its troubles." And such he would have wished it to remain. In a pamphlet on the North-West Territory, puhlished at Montreal in 18G8, he dwells forcibly on the long and rigorous winter and the inaccessible nature of the country, and draws by no means an inviting picture of what is in reality one of the finest fields for emigration !n the world. It is perhaps scarcely to be wondered at, that he, in common with the Roman Catholic clergy, should have viewed with regret and dismay the coming change, which threatens to deprive him of much of his influence in the settlement, over which he had previously ruled as a king. That the Roman Catholic Clergy were at the bottom of the insurrection, nay, that they wore its prime instigators and promoters, can be proved beyond question. Two of them in particular, Fathers Lestanc and Richot, made themselves most conspicuous. At the time the emeute broke out, Bishop Tachd was in Rome attending the (Ecu- menical Council, but he had left Pere Lestanc as *i»w(^ [riiAP. XII.] THE RED RIVER SETTLEMEJJT. 215 i interviews ) expressing ! " said he, lerc Rivieni )le, far from li lie would lilet on the •ealinl8G8, Tous winter )untry, and 3 of ^vllat is iiigration 'a\ e wondered an Oarholic and disma}^ deprive him ement, over • tvere at the liey wore its be proved particular, iselves most broke out, ^ the CEeu- Lestanc as I his vicar during his absence. This man, a French- man ^)wr sang, is a man of great ability and deter- mination. His personal appearance reminds one unpleasantly of the pictures of the Spanish In- quisitors, a stern, ascetic countenance, as of one who, had he lived in the days of the Inquisition, would have revelled in the horrors of the torture- room, and smiled at the shrieks of an auto-da-fe. His influence amongst the French half-breeds was very great; it was he who pulled the strings of the puppets, and directed the course of events after the first overt acts of rebellion. I have been told on good authority that he was actually present at the murder of Scott, which he openly abetted, and told the firing party that they were doing a righteous action, and were perfectly justified in obeying the orders they had received to shoot Scott. Pere Richot, on the other hand, is a great con- trast ^o Lestanc. He is a big, blustering fimatic, a man of no great individual ability, a mere tool of Lestanc's, but a dangerous instrument in the hands of such an unscrupulous spirit. He is the Cure of St. Norbert, the parish where the first meetings of the disaffected took place, many of whom he lodged in his house whilst the barricade thrown across the road to Pembina to prevent ^>*i^ •2\i) THE RKD RIVER EXPEOITION. [chap. Mr. McDougall's entry was being maintained. Throughout the movement lie was a warm adherent of Kiel, and was one of the three delegates sent to Ottowa ])v the Provisional Government. This man had the impertinence to call upon Colonel Wolseley just before Mr. Archibald's arrival, and it was perhaps in disgust at the very cool reception he met with from that officer that he announced to his congregation on the following Sunday from the pulpit, that " as no Civil Government had yet been established, they were perfectly at liberty to form another Provisional Government, and would be justified in doing so," and also declared that "the militia had been sent there to upset their religion." But though Monseigneur Tache was not present at Red River when the rising actually took place, and though he was telegraphed for and brought back from Rome at the pul)lic expense, and earnestly besought l)y a confiding Government to allay the spirit of disaffection in the North-West, yet it is difficult to believe, in the face of positive evidence to the contrary, that he was not aware of every- thing that was going on ; it is, T repeat, hard to believe that men who, like the Roman Catholic* clergy, are under such strict discipline, should have ventured openly to foment an insurrection of this [CTIAr. naiiitained. n adherent eo-ates sent lent. This on Colonel rrival, and )1 reception nounced to ty from the ad yet been :ty to form would be . that "the ir religion." not present took place, id brought d earnestly 3 allay the , yet it is e evidence of every- it, hai'd to n Catholic lould have ion of this s f I description contrary to their I)ishoj)'s wishes or unknown to him. Is it likely that Pere Lestanc, the confidential friend of the Bishop, selected l)y him as his vicar to nianaoe the affairs of the diocese during his absence, would hiivc dared to take upon himself such a grave responsil)ility ? As it happens, we have direct evidence in the IMshop's own hand- writing, proving on what terms of familiarity he was with Kiel and O'Donoghue, and letters of liis are extant which speak of the cause they all had at heart, and the sup])ort wliich their powerful friend at Ottawa (Sir C Cartier) would continue to give them. Amongst the private papers of Kiel, left lying about in confusion in his room, three letters from Bishop Tache to the President fell into my hands, seriously compromising himself and Sir (icorge Cartier. The most important of these letters was subsecpiently lost in a most mysterious manner, before any cojty had been taken of it, but the others, as also one from Lestanc, are still in my [)ossession, and 1 give one of them in cctenso as a sample : — " Hamilton, -24'' Juilht, 1S7ere. Je ne serai pas seul, car j'aurai avee nioi des gens qui viennent pour nous aider. Mr. Archibald regrette de ne pouvoir pas arriver ])ar Pembina : il desire pourtant arriver an milieu (/<• nuHs, et cc, avant les troupes ; c'est pounpioi il serait bien content s'il y avait moyen de lui trouver an die m in soit par la Pointe de Chenes soit par le Lac des Roseaux, aussi je vous prie de /aire /aire des recherches a cet egard, afin d'ol)tenir le r6sultat que nous nous etions propose. II faitt qu'il arrive parnii et par nos gens. Je suis tr6s content de ce Mr. Archibald, je crois vrainient que c'e.st rhonime qu'il nous font ; dejh,, il ]iarait comprendre tr^s bien la position et la con- dition de notre ch6re Rivi5re Rouge, et semble en aimer le peuple : ayons done contiance que le bon Dieu nous a bien servi nialgre notre indignite. Soycz sans inquiCludr ; le temps et la confiance nous apjiorteront ce que nous desirous tons ^ et (lu'il est pourtant comme impossible de mentionner vu I'excitation de certains esprits. . . . Les fureurs du niois d'Avril nous out prepare les graces du mois de Mai ; soyons persuades que les petites rages du mois de Juillet preparent le triomphe du raois d'Aout. Nous avons des amis sinc5res, devoues et puissants.2 Je pense partir de jMontreal le 8 du mois d'Aout, en sorte qu'il est probable que j'amverai vers le 22 du meme mois. La lettre que j'ai apportee a ete envoyee en Angleterre ainsi q\ie cclles que j'ai ecrites moi-meme et que je vous ai lues. Les gens de Toronto ont voulu faire une demonstration centre I'amnistie, et malgie le pnf des journaux ils n'ont jamais ose donner le chiffre insignifiant des per- sonnes presentes. Quelques individus ont voulu en parler ici a Hamilton, niais les journaux ont enipeche cet effort de zfele que tons les gens senses desapprouvent ouvertement. Je suis ici par hasard et retenu jiarceque c'est dimanche. Mes saluts il Mr. 0.^ et autres du Fort. Priez bien pour moi, je ne vous oublie pas. " Votre pauvre Eveque et aussi je . . . . " Votre meilleur ami, " Alx. Ev. de St. Boniface." The italics are the Bishop's, and the tone of the letter speaks for itself, and ought to convince the 1 That is to say, the much-desired anniesty. 2 Sir G. E. Cartier( I). - O'Donogluu ( ?). [chap. xn.J THE RED HIVKR SETILEMENT. 219 ■ des raisoris, Irh jilus tp.rd. Nous i espcre. Je ne pour nous aider, nibina : il desire s ; c'est pouniuoi I die III in soit par je vous prie de csultat que nous OS gens. Je suis le c'est riiomme osition et la con- ic peuple : ayons 3 notre indignite. eront ce que nous le mentionner vu d'Avril nous out 3 les petites rages ut. Nous avons ir de ?Jontreal le [erai vers le 22 du Angleterre ainsi es. Les gens de stie, et malgie le gnifiant des per- ici a Hamilton, les gens senses retenu jjarcequo Priez bien pour T. Boniface." tone of tllC Diivmce the ; ic('). most sceptical of the real connection between the Bishop and the "President." The attempt to induce ]Mr. Archibald to enter the settlement under his, Bishop Tache's, auspices was a bold effort to retain the reins of power in his own hands, and make tlie new Governor rule through the French party. Fortunately for the peace of the settlement, this plan failed. ]\Ir. Archibald made his entry by the Winnipeg River, alone, in his own canoe, although Bishop Tache had sent horses to meet him at the north-west angle of the Lake of the Woods ; and thus avoided giving offence to the loyal section of the people, as he undoubtedly would have done had he been introduced by the French party. The population of the province of Manitoba, ex- (dusivc of Indians, may be roughly taken as about 1. 5,000. Of these the greater portion are half- breeds, wdiether descended fiom French, Scotch, English, or Irish parents. The French half-breeds are by far the most numerous, and the French language, or a patois of it, is mostly spoken through- out the Territory. The half-breed is the inhabitant of Red River ; he does the work of the country, and is to be seen everywhere, in the settlements, on the rivers, on the prairie — in fact, he is ubiquitous. According to tlie amount of European or Indian ;2-20 TlIK HKI) lUVKIl EXI'KDFTION. [cifAP. blood in tlicir vcin.s, the luilf-hrccds diHrr from one anothei' iiuicli in the same way as a (|ua(li'oon in tlic soiitli differs from a full-l»lood('d ncu^ro. From the civilized lialf-l)r('ed farmer, wlio prides liimself in ('0])ying tlie manners and customs of liis white ancestors, and lives on his little estate in condort and affluence, to the semi-savage half-lnved hunter of the plains, but little, if at all su}>erior to the full- blooded Indian, who scorns the restraints of civili- zation, ai'd revels in the freedom of a wdd life on the boundless prairie, the difference is very great, though both are included in the Generic term " half- breed." This term, which grates rather unpleasantly on European ears, is not considered as by any means a term of reproach. The half-breed is proud of his mixed descent, in many cases prouder of his Indian blood than of its white admixture. An excellent horseman, a good shot, with an (>ye like a hawk, and the keen, unerring instinct of his mothers race, added to considei'able muscular strength and a supple elastic frame capable of enduring severe and continuous fatigue, the half-breed is the great hunter and trapper of the prairies, the guide to whose semi-savage instincts the white man has to trust liimself, pau\ who seldom betrays confidence In the settlements he may l)e n pose (I m nim. [cirAP. fcr from one (li'ooii ill tlic From the s liimHclf ill if liis wliite u in comf(jrt n'ced liuiitei" r to the full- Its of civili- wild life on very great, term " liiilf- uii[)leasiiiitly y any means [)roud of his f his Indian Lii excellent ike a hawk, other's raee, oth and a >• severe and the oreat e 2;nide t<> man has to eonfid enci* he may he xn.] THE RED HlVlill SETTLKMKNT 221 ., } seen loafing aljout the whiskey saloons, elad in a long blue eloth ea})ote with brass l)uttonK, pur- chased from the compuny's stores ; but when hunting (ni the ])lains he discards the capote in favour of a leather shirt with deer-skin mocassins und leggings, tastefully eml)roidered with many coloured beads and porcu}»ine (^uills. Though given to the curse of strong drink when in the settle- ments, that curse of " whiskey " whicli seems to overshadow the land and is rapidly exterminating the aboriginal red-skin, yet when he is "en voyage," the half-ljreed will aljstain for weeks and months from the accursed " fire-water,*' only alas ! to ])reak out into frio-htful excesses when he cjets back to the temptations of the whiskey saloon. This trait of character is happily illustrated in the " North - West Passage l)y Land," in the description of " La Konde," the hunter \vlio accompanied Lord Milton and Dr. Cheadle in their journey across the Rocky .Mountains. He is a very favoural>le specimen of the French half-breed, and lives in a pretty little cottage about a mile from Fort Garry. When taxed with his devotion to the bottle, he replied — " Je nc hois pas souvent ; mais c^uand je l)ois, je bois — c'est ina facon, voyez-vous ;" and he was right ; when they drink they do drink with a will, [n the town of 222 TIIK RKl) UIVKll KXPKDITlON. [<'iiAr. Willi) i|X'g every otlier liousu seems to l)c a whiskey shop, and for the first two cr tlirec (Uiys after our arrival the place seemed turned into a very Pan- demonium — Indians, halfdu'eed.s, and whites in all stages of intoxication, fighting and quarrelling in the streets with drawn knives, and lying ju-ostratc on the prairie in all directions, like the killed and wounded after a sharp skirmish. Fortunately, the stock of whiskey w^as limited, and was (quickly consumed, so that these drunken orgies soon came to a natural end. With the exception of the little village of Win- nipeg, the farm-houses of the settlers are not built on the prairie, but follow the line of the rivers. From White Horse Plains, some sixt;^ or seventy miles up the Assinilioine River, down to Fort Garry, thence along the banks of Red River to the Indian settlement, about eight or ten miles from Lake Winnipeg, and also up the Red River for a few miles above Fort Garry, these houses are dotted along the banks more or less thickly. No "locations" have as yet been taken up at a distance from the river, principally because there has been no necessity to do so, and men naturally preferred a river fron- tage if they couid get it. The dilttculty of getting water seems also to have ojierated against interior [''HAT. XII.] THK «R1) RIVER SETTLEMKNT. c a whiskey ya lihv.r our , very Pan- bites in all {irrelling in ig prostrate ) killed and unately, the v'as (quickly IS soon came ige of Win- re not built tbe rivers, or seventy Fort Garry, the Indian from Lake for a few are dotted locations" c from the 10 necessity river fron- of getting nst interior settlement : they .sv/y, that although waU'r is found at a depth of thirty or forty feet, it is generally brackish ; but this ditli(.'ulty will pnjbaljly vanish when put to the test of experience. The prairie roads are good. From Fort Garry to the Indian settlement tliirty miles down the Red River, there is a good road over the prairie (\alled " the King's road ;" it runs nearly straight, not following the siiuiosities of the river, but meeting it at some points, and at others being a mile or more from it. At such places there is an inner road along the bank of the river. I was much struck on one occasion when riding down to the Indian settlement with the comfortable well- to-do appearance of the people, and their neat houses and farms. The fences are made of poplar poh^s piled on each other between two uprights, not a bit like the zigzag " snake fences " of Canada ; and the houses arc mostly frame-houses neatly wdiite- washed. For the first twelve miles the road passes over the open prairie ; then the country gradually becomes wooded, Avitli small clumps of poplar, sometimes fenced round like a young plantation in England. These little patches become thicker and more frequent, till at last the road becomes a single track through the wood, with oi)en spots 2U TIIK nr.I) RIVRH KXPT'DITION. fcii.\r. hero and there, iiiHtcid «>f, an before, a mimlM'r of traekn Hi(l(> l>y .side, e<|UMlly rairie" ; you feel as if you <'ouM go anywhere ; tliere is an exhila- rating feeling in the pure Imunng air, which .seems to clear the brain, to lengthen the vision, and to free you from the; trammels of ordinary existence. No wonder it has produced so fine and handsome a race of men as arc the half-brecd.s. I passed several of them on the road, some mounted, some on foot. Each man had his lono* rifle over his shoulder and his powder-horn by his side, just like the warlike Rajpoots of Central India, upright, fine looking fellows, wdth a certain air of freedom and nobility al>out them, looking you straight in the face, and touching their caps or nodding in token of respect i)r salutation. What a future must surely be in store for this magnificent country, destined to be the granary of the Old World, and the birthi)lace of millions of free men ! Gazing on the fertile prairie spread out before the eye, smooth and level as a billiard table, [CIIAP. XII 1 TiiK HF.n nivi;n sf.ttlkmknt. .> '") r, tm n, >l mimlM-r of )pen to the iric couiitrv luTc : there s of " prose- ssil)le cliiirni '" ; you feel >, Jill exliila- vvliicli H("enis uoii, aii