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Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre reproduit en un seul clichA, il est film* A partir de I'angle sup6rieur gauche, de gauche A droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images nAcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la m6thode. i. ^ * 2 3 1 2 3 4 S 6 GREY HAWK. \Z/l i:i /^ GREY HAWK/ I'ifc aiib ibbentum itmong i\t. |{cb |nbians. 7^/i/.'f the nomadic tribes of the far west being soon brought mder the influences of peace and civilization. Reco < i c n Kish- t 1< C C F a F F Amon S IT CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. Recollections of my Early Life— Capture by Shawnee Indians — Flight and Pursuit — ^Journey from the Miami River to Sau-ge-nong — Ill-treatment by the Indians — Ceremonies '>f Adoption into the Family of my Foster Parents — Manito- o-gheezik, Chief of the Band, and his Son Kish-kaw-ko, make me Work like a Slave-boy rAGB CHAPTER II. Kish-kaw-ko and others go on a Raid against the Whites — On their Return report that all my Family were Killed — I lose all hope of Escape — After a year and a half my Captors go to attend a Council held at Mackinac — They Meet there a Kinswoman, Net-no-kwa, Head of the Ottawwaw Tribes — She offers to purchase me — The Bargain Completed — Treated as a Son by Net-no-kwa and her Husband — Entrusted with a Pistol and Shoot Pigeons — Taught how to Trap Marcens — Camping in ihe Forest — Go with some Muskego Indians to Lake Superior — Thence to the Lake of the Woods and Lake Winnipeg. 21 CHAPTER III. |Among Ojibbeway and Ottawwaw Tribes at Red River — Go up the Assineboin River to Hunting Ground — First Sight and Chase of Buffaloes — Beaver Trapping — I Kill my First Bear — Net-no kwa's Dream — At a Trading- xi XI 1 CONTENTS, n ! u 1 house— With Pe-shaw-ba, an Ottawvvaw Chief— Kill my First Sturgeon — Perils and Adventures in a Canoe Voyage — A Wild Goose Chase — Kill my First Buffalo— Heaver Shooting on the Ice — Narrow Escape from Drowning — Leaving Traps and Peltries in Cache at Rainy Lake . 41 CHAPTER IV. Compelled by Hunger to move frequently to New Hunting- ground— With Friendly Cree Indians at Red River— The Grand Portage — Wa-me gon-a-biew, Eldest Son of Net- no-kwa, in trouble — His Marriage — Moose Hunting — Stories about the Moose — Elk Hunting — Marten Trap- ping — Porcupine Stories — The Chief Wa-getote and his Daughter — An Indian Carousal at the Trading Station — A Solitary Canoe Voyage— The Haunted Camping Ground — Legend of the Two Dead Brothers and their Ghosts — My Fearful Night Bivouac on the Haunted Ground 63 CHAPTER V. My Marriage with "the Red Sky of the Morning" — Curious Courtship — Indian Marriage Customs — Along with my Brother I Accompany a War Expedition — War Cere- monies — R".les in Camp and on March — Divination and Omens — Want of Water in the Journey — Discovery of Springs — Great Herd of Buffaloes on the Prairie-- Bulls Fighting— A Council of War— Disputes among the Chiefs — Withdrawal of Many from the Expedition— Return Home without Attacking the Sioux ..... 89 CHAPTER VI, Return by the Mouse River Trading Station— Meet a Band of Cree Indians having a Blood Feud with our Famdy — They Recognise my Brother Wa-megon-a-bicw, and try to tak", his Life — My Life in Peril while Saving his — Bear Hunting Adventures— Chased by a She Bear whose Cub I had Shot — Narrow Escape in a Bear's Pit — Various Hunting Expeditions 113 CONTENTS. xiu CHAPTER VII. Some Account of Indian Religious Ceremonies — Juggling Impostorp -Feasts and Festivals — War Feasts — Medicine Hunts — Prophets, Seers, and Medicine Men — The Metai Songs, Chants, and Legends — The Story of the Rag and Snow Man — Women's Work and Place in the Indian Lodge CHAPTER VIII. New War Expedition against the Sioux — United Bands of Ojibbevvays, Ottawwaws, and Assineboins — Following the Trail of the Sioux — The Indian War-whoop — Retreat of the Sioux — Horse-stealing — In Search of my Horse Stolen by Assineboins — Curious Rencontre on a Prairie — Indian Lodges -Hospitable Usages— Family and Village Life CHAPTER IX. I Failing to find my own Horse, I take one belonging to the Assineboin Chief — A Question of Conscience — Pursued by the Indians— Have to abandon the Horse and hide in the Bush — Afterwards I take the Horse of a noted Horse-stealer — Join a War Party — Assault on a Mandan Fortified Village by Sioux Warriors — Scalps as Trophies — The Shawnee Prophet — Visit from one of his Emissaries — Successful Beaver Trapping CHAPTER X. PAGB 127 145 163 [I Live in a solitary Lodge — Occasional Alarms— I Join a Band of Ojibbeways, of Red River, under a Chief Bc-gwa-is — A Hunting Excursion towards the Sioux Country— Enmity of Wa-ge-tote, Brother of the Chief — Friendship of Wab- ke-zhe, an Ottawwaw who had lived much among the Whites — Join his Band — Hunting Adventures — Letter found consisting of Marks on a Picco of Birch-bark — Wa- me-gon-a-biew again in Trouble — Death of my old friend Pe-shaw-ba — A Prophet's Revelation — Little Clam and his Band killed by the Sioux . . . , , , .183 xiT CONTENTS, CHAPTER XI. PAGE Pembinah Trading Station — The Rival Traders, the Hudson Bay Company and the North-West Company — A Churlish Agent — Attempt to Overreach me, and to Seize my Pro- perty — Successful Resistance — Night Attack on a Fortified Station — Alarms from the Sioux— My Medicine Bag — Join the Band of an old Hunter, Sha-gwaw-ko-sink — His Death — Appearance of a new Prophet — Trouble caused by my denouncing him as a Rogue and Impostor — Intrigues of the Prophet — Enmity in my Tribe and Family induced by him — I am compelled to leave my Lodge and People .....••. 205 CHAPTER XII. Arrival of Scotch Settlers at Red River — Employed as Hunter , by Mr. Hanie, of the Hudson Bay Company — Join an Indian Band — Quarrels of the rival Fur Companies — Meet Lord Selkirk — Ofifer of Permanent Employment, but re- solve to return when practicable to the States — I Join in an Attack on the North-West Company's Fort on Red River — I go to Fort Mackinac — The United States Agent there forwards me to Detroit — Meet with the Son of the Indian by whom I was Captured in Boyhood — Interview with Governor Cass — Go to a Council held at St. Mary's on the Miami — Hospitality of an old Indian Farmer 231 CHAPTER XIIL At the Council at St. Mary — An exciting Incident — Homicide during a Revel — Forbearance of the Relatives, and Pardon of the Culprit — DininfT with Governor Cass — Broken Health — Journey to the States — Meeting with my own Brother — Among my Relatives— Revival of Early Recol- lections — Conversation with a Christian Teacher 255 CONTENTS, XV CHAPTER XIV. PAGB Journey to St. Louis on the Mississippi — To Chicago — To the Sault de St. Marie — Hear of my Indian Wife and Chil- dren — Return to my Relatives in Kentucky — Distaste for Civilized Life — Wanderings Resumed — To Chicago and Fort Clark — Adventure at a Ferry — To Mackinac— Colonel Boyd and Mr. H. Schoolcraft — Engaged as a Trader — A Struggle with Famine — Second and last Experiment at Trading — With the American Fur Company — Interview with my Children at the Lake of the Woods — Their re- moval by the Indians — Engagement as Interpreter to Mr. Schoolcraft • • • • . 277 CHAPTER XV. [H. L. Schoolcraft, Indian Agent, at Sault de St. Marie — His Indian Researches and Books — Changed Condition of Indian Tribes — Progress in Education and Civilization — Their relation to the American and Canadian People — The Province of Manitoba, and the Great North- West- Report as to its Condition and Prospects .... 299 The Sun Dance of the Sioux . • 3»5 Adventure among the North- West Fur Traders . , , 329 • ; I ;l I Recollections of my Early Life — Capture by Shawnee Indians — Flight and Pursuit— fourney frotn the Miami River to Sau-ge-nong — Ill-treatment by the Indians — Ceremonies oj Adoption into the Family of my Foster Parents — Manito-o- gheezik^ Chief of the Band^ and his son Kish-kaw-ko^ make me Work like a Slave-boy* I •\\ CHAPTER I. 'HE first event of my life of which I have any recoilec- [ion is the death of n- 7 mother. This happened before was three years old. I have no distinct remembrance )f her person, but only of the love with which she [oved me, and of the aching void in my young life ^hen I saw her no more, and heard her voice no more. 'hat impression of blank grief long remained with me. do not remember the name of the place where we [hen lived, but have since learned that it was on the Kentucky River, at a considerable distance from the )hio. My father, whose name was John Tanner, had :ome from Virginia to settle, upon new land, as many ^ere then doing, and he removed, soon after my lother's death, to a place called Elk Horn. Of this settlement at Elk Horn, where we stayed several years, I have a few distinct recollections. Not far from our house there was a cavern in the solid rock, ^hich I sometimes went to with my elder brother. We took two candles ; one we lighted on entering, and ^ent on till it was almost burnt down ; then we lighted the other, and began to return, reaching the mouth of the cavern before it was quite burned out I have since )een told that there are vast underground caves in that 3 GREY HAWK. 1'! part of the country, but I suppose our cavern was one which two boys could visit without danger of losing ourselves. We only thought it a sort of adventure to go through the dark cave with a light in our hand. A more constant excitement in those early years was what we heard about the Indians. Hostile parties of the Shawnee tribe had occasionally visited the settlement at Elk Horn, driving away cattle and horses, and sometimes killing white people. One night, my uncle, my father's brother, went out with other men to surprise a camp of these Indians, which they knew was in the neighbourhood, and from which they feared an attack. They came upon the camp unobserved, and firing into it, killed one man, the rest escaping, some of them jumping into the river. My uncle brought home the scalp of the slain Indian, and it was hung up, like the skin of vermin, on the outside of one of the log cabins. In the course of our residence at this place an in- cident occurred, to the influence of which I attributed many of the disasters of my subsequent life. My father was starting early one morning to go to a distant village, and gave, as it appeared, a strict charge to my two sisters, to send me to school. It was wet and unpleasant weather, and they neglected to attend to my father's charge till the afternoon. It being still rainy, I then insisted on staying at home. When my father returned in the evening, and found that I had been at home all day, he sent me for a bundle of small canes, and flogged me far more severely than I thought A/y FATHER'S HOUSE. ie of one of fhe offence merited. I was displeased with my sisters \ox laying the whole blame upon me, saying I had refused to go ; which was true as to the afternoon, )ut they had neglected to tell me I was to go to school in the forenoon. From that day my father's house was less like home to me, and I often thought and ;aid, " I wish I could go and live among the Indians." I cannot tell how long we remained at Elk Horn. Wy father did not find farming there answer his ex- )ectation, and he determined to remove. Having irranged his afifairs, we set out with our horses and wagons, and the cattle, and the goods we were to take ath us. After travelling two days we came to the [Ohio River. My father bought three flat- bottomed boats. In one we embarked, having the bedding and other furniture ; in the second we put the cattle and horses ; and in the third were some negroes, with the remainder of our property. The cattle boat and the fiimily boat were lashed together. We descended the Ohio, and on the morning of the third day came to Cincinnati. Here the cattle boat, which had been leaking badly, sunk in the middle of the river. When I my father saw it was in a sinking state, he jumped on board, and cut loose all the cattle, and they swam ashore on the Kentucky side of the river. The people from Cincinnati had by this time come out in boats to assist us, but my father told them that all the cattle [and the horses were safe. In one day we went from Cincinnati to the mouth lof the Big Miami River, opposite which we were to GREY HAWK, settle. Here was some cleared land, and one or two log cabins, but these had been deserted on account of the Indians. My father repaired the cabins, and enclosed them with a strong stockade. It was early in the spring when we arrived at the mouth of the Big Miami, and we were soon engaged in preparing a field to plant corn. I think it was not more than ten days after our arrival, when my father told us in the morning, that, from the restlessness of the horses, there had been Indians near us in the night, and that they were probably lurking about in the woods. He said to me, " John, you must not go out of the house to- day." After giving strict charge to his wife, my step- mother, to let none of the children go out till his return, he went to the field, with my elder brother and the negroes, to d op corn. During the forenoon, I became impatient of confine- ment. Watching an opportunity, when my step-mother was occupied with her baby-child, I escaped unnoticed into the yard ; thence through a small door in the large gate of the enclosure into the open field. There was a walnut-tree at some distance from the house, at the side of the field nearest the uncleared woods, where I had been in the habit of going to look for some of last year's nuts. To get to this tree, without being seen by my father and those with him in the field, I had to use some precaution. I remember perfectly well how I could see my father, and how I watched him, as I was skulking towards the tree. He stood in the middle of the field where they were, with CAPTURED BY irfDlAffS. ♦ or two account IS, and is early of the aring a lan ten in the s, there It they le said use to- y step- return, nd the :onfine- mother noticed in the There house, woods, >ok for vithout in the lember how I e. He 2, with his gun in his hand, to watch for Indians, while the others were all dropping the seed corn. As I came near the tree, I thought to myself, " I wish I could see these Indians." Soon I was busy looking for nuts, and finding a good many, I put them into the straw hat which I wore. Suddenly I heard a crackling noise not far off in the wood behind me. Turning round I saw some Indians, and in an instant, before I could utter a cry if I had so wished, I was seized by both my hands by two Indians, and dragged off between them toward the wood. One of them took my straw hat, emptied the nuts on the ground, and clapped the hat on my head. We were soon far from the house and fields. It all happened so quickly that I was not conscious of anything that passed for some time. I can only remember that of the two who seized me one was an old man and the other a young man. Their names I learned subsequently were Manito-o-gheezik and his son Kish-ka.w-ko. • Long afterwards, I heard several particulars relative to my capture, which were of course unknown to me at the time, and which it may be as well now to record. It appears that the wife of Manito had recently lost her youngest son, and was in great grief. She said to her husband that unless he could bring back her son, she could not live. This he took as an intimation that he must bring to her a captive whom she could adopt in the place of her lost boy. Manito then lived at Lake Huron, and, taking with him his son Kish- 6 GREY HAWK. kaw-ko and two other Indians, he travelled eastward with this sole design. On the upper part of Lake Erie, they had been joined by three other young men, and they proceeded on, now seven in number, to the settlements which were then being newly formed on the Ohio. They had arrived the night previous to my capture at the mouth of the Big Miam had crossed the Ohio, and concealed themselves within sight of our house. The horses had been disturbed on hearing their stealthy reconnoitring that night. Several times in the course of the next morning old Manito-o-gheezik had the utmost difficulty in restraining the ardour of the young men, especially the three who had joined the party. They became impatient at seeing no opportunity to steal a boy, nor could the others be expected to think of this, as much as the old man and his son did. They were more anxious for plunder, and wished suddenly to attack and fire upon the people who were dropping corn in the field. Only my father had a gun, and several of them had firearms. It must have been about noon when they espied me coming in their direction and stopping at the walnut-tree, which was not far from their place of concealment. I have also been since told that my father came back from the field not many minutes after I had been taken. My step-mother had not noticed that I was absent, till my father, not seeing me, said, " Where is John } " My brother ran immediately to the walnut- tree, which he knew was my favourite place of resort, and saw the heap of nuts which the Indians had A TERRIBLE MOMENT. emptied out of my hat. A sudden instinctive feelinjj, arising from our father's warning words in the morning, led him at once to fear that I had been made captive. Search was instantly made for me, but to no purpose. My father's distress, when he found that I was indeed taken away by Indians, was, I have been told, very great. Perhaps he thought then of his own harshness and comparative want of feeling toward me, although I believe it was due more to roughness of ways, caused by his life of hardship and anxiety, than to lack of real affection. I also now regret that I ever was dis- obedient or troublesome ; but of such feelings I knew nothing at the time I am describing, and to which I must now come back. I had no thoughts then except fear and surprise, which filled my mind as soon as con- sciousness returned to me ; for I had fainted soon after the first rush, and on recovering I was lying on the ground beside a great log, which must have been at a considerable distance from the house. We were quickly moving again, as my captors no doubt feared pursuit. The old man I did not now see ; I was dragged along between Kish-kaw-ko and a very short, thick man. I had probably caused some check to the pace, which he supposed to be resistance on my part, or had done something or other to irritate this man, for he took me a little to one side, and drawing his tomahawk, motioned to me to look up. This I plainly understood, from the expression of his face and his manner, to be a direction for me to look up for the last time, as he was about to kill me. I did as he directed ; lO GREY HAWK, but do not know whether he was really enraged or only intended to terrify me. Kish-kaw-ko seemed to think he was in earnest, for he seized his arm as the tomahawk was descending, as if he feared he was going to split my head open. Loud and fierce talking ensued between them. Kish-kaw-ko presently raised a shrill yell, which was evidently a signal, for the old man and the four others answered by a similar yell, and came run- ning up. I have since understood that Kish-kaw-ko complained to his father that the short man had made an attempt to kill his little brother, as he called me. The old chief, after reproving him, took me by one hand, and Kis-kaw-ko by the other, and dragged me betwixt them ; the man who had threatened me, and who was now an object of terror to me, being kept at some distance. It is possible that the man had only been provoked by the degree to which I retarded their speed, and so endangered their own lives ; for they must have been apprehensive of being overtaken. More than a mile from my father's house we came to the river Ohio, where they thrust me into a hickory- bark canoe, which was concealed under the bushes upon the bank. Into this canoe they all seven leaped, and swiftly crossed the river, landing at the mouth of the Big Miami, and on the south side. Here they abandoned the canoe, and stuck their paddles in the ground, so that they could be seen from the river. At a little distance in the woods they had some blankets and provisions concealed. They offered me some ; but THE FEAR OF PURSUIT. It or only think lahawk Dlit my etween 1 yell, ind the le run- caw-ko made ed me. jy one ed me e, and cept at >voked nd so been me to kory- ushes aped, ith of they 1 the At ikets ; but I could not eat. They could see my father's house ; they pointed it out, looking at me, and speaking and laughing, but I have never known what they said. After they had eaten and made a short halt, they began to ascend the bank of the Miami, dragging me along as before. They took off my shoes, as they seemed to think I could run better without them. Although I perceived I was closely watched, all hope of escape did not immediately forsake me. While they hurried me along, I endeavoured to take notice of such objects as might serve as waymarks in case of need. A hope entered my mind that I might escape after they should have fallen asleep at night. I had even the presence of mind, when we came to any long grass, or soft ground, to try to leave tracks, in case pursuers passed that way When night came they lay down, placing me between the old chief and Kish-kaw-ko, so close together that the one blanket covered all three. I was so fatigued that I fell asleep immediately, and did not wake till sunrise next morning, when the Indians were up and ready to proceed on their journey. Thus we travelled for about four days ; the Indians hurrying me on, and I continuing to hope that I might escape, but still every night so fatigued that as soon as I lay down I was immediately overpowered with sleep. My feet being bare, they were often bruised and wounded, and at length were much swollen. The old man perceiving my lameness, examined my feet, and after removing some thorns and splinters, and putting 12 GREY ffAWJC. some cool leaves round at night, gave me in the morn- ing a pair of leather moccasins, which afiforded consider- able relief. The first day I had scarcely been able to eat, and felt very weak as well as weary ; but I had begun to take some of the dried strip venison, which they Ccirried with them, but could not touch the bear's fat, which they relished. It was, I think, four days after we left the Ohio, that we came to a considerable river, running, as I suppose, into the Miami. This river was wide, and so deep, that I could not wade across it ; the old man took me on his shoulders and carried me over ; the water was nearly up to his arm-pits. As he was carrying me across, I thought I should never be able to cross this deep river alone, and gave up all hope of immediate escape. . - - ' ; When he put me down on the other side I ran up the bank, and a short distance into the wood, when a turkey rose and flew up at only a few steps before me. The nest she had left contained a number of eggs, which I put into the bosom of my shirt, and returned with them towards the river. When the Indians saw what I had got, they laughed, and took the eggs from me. Then kindling a fire they put them in a small kettle to boil. I was then hungry, and sat watching and waiting for a portion of food which I could enjoy. Suddenly the old chief came running as fast as he could from the direc- tion of the ford where we had crossed ; he caught up the kettle, threw the eggs and the water on the fire, at the same time saying something, in a hurried and low AMONG THE SHAWNEES. >3 tone, to the young men. I inferred that he was afraid of the smoke of the fire being seen if there was a hue and cry after me. I knew my people would not soon give up the pursuit, and have since understood that they did not. My father and the others being mounted on horses, they would have probably overtaken the Indians, although they ran so swiftly, but had lost the tracks when we crossed the river. The old chief may possibly have espied some of them on the opposite side. The Indians hastily gathered up the eggs, and dispersed themselves in the woods, two of them still urging me forward to the utmost of my strength. It was a day or two after this that we met a party of between twenty and thirty Indians, on their way towards the settlements. The old chief had much to say to them. Subsequently I learned Aat they were a war party of Shawnees ; that from our party they received information of the whites who were in pursuit of us about the fords of the Miami River ; that they went thither ; and that, having fallen in with them, a severe skirmish took place, in which many were wounded, and some killed on both sides. Our journey through the forest was tedious and pain- ful. It might have been ten days after we met the war party, when we arrived at the Maumee River. The Indians now scattered about the woods examining the trees, yelling and answering each other. They soon selected a hickory-tree, which was cut down, and the bark stripped off to make a canoe. In this canoe we 2 H GREY HAIVJC. 1 i I i all embarked, and descended till we came to a large Shawnee village, at the mouth of a river, which enters the Maumee. ■ •' '■■'' ' • As we were landing, great numbers of Shawnees came about us. There was much talking, part of which was no doubt about me. One young woman, as soon as she saw me, ran up, with a loud cry, and struck me on the head. Some of her friends had been killed by the whites. Others of the Shawnees looked fiercely, as if disposed to kill me, but Kis-kaw-ko and the old man interposed and prevented them. I could see that I was often the subject of conversation and arguing. The old chief knew a few words of English, which he occasionally used, to direct me to fetch water, make a fire, or perform other tasks which he required of me. We remained two days at this Shawnee village, and then proceeded on our journey in the canoe. Not very far from the village we came to a trading-house, where were three or four half-breed men, who could speak English. They spoke to me, and told me, after a good deal of talking, that they wished to have purchased me from the Indians, so as to restore me to my friends, for which they probably expected a reward. But the old man would not consent to part with me, so the traders told me I must be content to go with the Indians, and to become the old man's son, in the place of one he had lost ; promising at the same time that after ten days they would come to his village, which they knew and visited, and try to get me released. They treated me kindly while they stayed, and gave me plenty to eat, HIDDEN IN A HOLLOW TREE. I large enters iwnees which s soon [ck me led by iercely, :he old £e that rguing. lich he , make f me. ge, and ot very where speak good ed me ds, for le old raders IS, and e had . days N and ;d me lo eat, whicl the Indians had neglected to do. When I found that I was compelled to leave this place along with the Indians, I began to cry for the first time since I had been taken. I consoled myself, however, with their promise that they would after ten days come for me. Soon after leaving this trading-house, we came to the lake. We did not stop to encamp ; but soon after dark the Indians raised a yell, which was answered from where there were some lights on shore, and presently a canoe came off, in which three of our' party left us. I have little recollection of anything that passed from this time till we arrived at DetiOit. At first we paddled up in the middle of the stream till we came opposite the centre of the town ; then we ran in near the shore, where I saw a white woman, with whom the Indians held a little conversation, but I could not understand what was said. I also saw several white men standing and talking on shore, and heard them talk, but could not understand a word. It is likely that they were speaking French. After exchanging a few words with the woman, the Indians pushed off, and ran up a good distance from the town. It was about the middle of the day when we landed in the woods, and drew up the canoe. They presently found a large hollow log, open at one end, into which they put their blankets, their kettle, and some other articles. They then made signs for me to crawl into it, after which they rolled some other logs so as to close up and conceal the end at which I had entered. I heard them talk for some time on the outside, then all was -fi^ CREY HAWK. still, and remained so for some time. If I had not long since relinquished all hope of making my escape, I soon found it would be in vain to attempt to release myself from my present confinement. After remaining some hours in this situation, I heard them return, and they began to remove the logs with which they had confined me in the hollowed tree. On coming out, I could per- ceive, although it was very late in the night, or probably near morning, that they had brought three horses. On one of these they placed me, on the others their bag- gage ; and sometimes one, sometimes another of the Indians riding, we travelled rapidly, and in about three days reached Sau-ge-nong, the village to which old Manito-o-gheezik belonged. This village, or settlement, consisted of several scattered houses or huts. Two of the Indians left us soon after we entered it, Kish-kaw-ko and his father only remaining. Instead of proceeding directly to their home, they left their horses, and bor- rowed a canoe, in which we at last arrived at the old man's house. This was a hut or cabin built of logs. As soon as we landed, Manito's wife came down to us to the shore, and after he had said a few words to her, she commenced crying, at the same time hugging and kissing me, and thus she led me to the house. - Next day they took me to the place where the old woman's son had been buried. The grave was enclosed with a rude stockade, and on each side of it was a smooth open place. Here they all seated themselves, — the family and relations of Manito-o-gheezik on the one side, and strangers on the other. They had not long ARRIVAL AT SAU-GE-NONG. 17 been thus assembled, when my party began to dance, dragging me with them about the grave. The dance was energetic and Hvely, after the manner of the scalp dance, which I afterwards saw. From time to time, as they danced, they presented me with something of the articles they had brought ; but as I came round in the dancing to the party on the opposite side of the grave, whatever they had given was snatched from me. Thus they continued for a long time, until the presents were exhausted, and they themselves wearied, as I was, when they returned home. It must have been early in the spring when we arrived at Sau-ge-nong, for I can remember that at this time the leaves were small, and the Indians were about planting their corn. They managed to make me assist them in their work, partly by signs, and partly by the few words of English which old Manito-o-ghcezik could speak. After planting, they all left the village and went out to hunt, to obtain meat, of which they cut up and dried the largest part. When they came to their hunting-grounds, they chose a place where many deer resorted, and here they began to build a long screen like a fence, made of green boughs and small trees. When they had built part of it, tiiey showed me how to remove the leaves and twigs from the side of the fence, to which the Indians were to come to shoot the deer. In this labour I was sometimes assisted by the squaws and children, but at other times I was left alone. It had become warmer weather now, and it happened one day that having been left alone, being tired and i8 GREY HAWK. lij thirsty, I left my work, and, lying down, I fell asleep. I cannot tell how long I slept ; but when I began to awake, I thought I heard some one crying a great way off. Then I tried to raise my head, but could not. Being now more awake, I saw my Indian mother and sister standing by me, and they were crying bitterly. I soon perceived that I had been badly hurt in my head, which was swollen and gave great pain. It appears that while I was lying asleep, Manito came, and on seeing me, in his passion, gave me a terrible blow with his tomahawk, by which I was stunned. He thought probably that I was dead, for he took me up and threw me into the bushes ; but my head was only cut, and the force of the blow had made me insensible. When the old man went back to the camp, he had said to his wife, " Old woman, the boy I brought to you is lazy and good for nothing ; I have killed him, and you wiU find him in the bushes near the fence." The old woman and her daughter having found me, discovered still some signs of life ; and having brought water to wash my head, they had stood over me for a long time, pitying me and crying in their grief. After a time, I was able, with their help, to get back to the huts, and in a few days I was enough recovered to be again set to work at the screen. I was now more careful not to fall asleep, and I endeavoured to work to the best of my knowledge and strength in whatever they gave me directions to do. Notwithstanding my efforts to please them, I was treated with great harshness by the old man and by two sons, younger brothers of Kish-kaw-ko. MV INDIAN MOTHER, 19 When we returned from hunting, I carried on my back a large pack of the dried venison all the way to the village ; but though sometimes almost starved, I dared not touch a morsel of it. My Indian mother, who really had some compassion for me, would sometimes secretly hide some food for me, and give it to me after the old man had gone out. Later in the summer, when- ever the weather was favourable, the young men were engaged in spearing fish, and they took me to steer the canoe. As I did not know how to do this well at the first, they would often turn upon me, strike me, or knock me down with the pole of the spear. By one or other of them I was beaten almost every day. Whether they were vexed at their mother having taken the fancy to adopt another son, and so have another mouth to feed, or some other feeling of jealousy or dislike caused it, I was treated very badly. Some of the Indians, not of our family, would sometimes s em to pity me, and when they could, without being observed by the old chief, they would give me food and take notice of me, as the women did when we were at home. In the fall or autumn, after the corn was gathered in, and placed in the caches or pits where they hide it for the winter, they went to hunt on the Sau-ge-nong River. Here, as had always been when I went out with them, I was often distressed with hunger. In the woods I saw them picking up and eating some nuts, which I found very good to one so hungry, and which I knew afterwards to be beech-nuts. We were still engaged in hunting when winter came «0 / GREY HAWK. on, and snow began to fall. I was compelled to follow the hunters, and made sometimes to drag to the lodge a whole deer, if they found that I could at all move it. All this expedition I had to toil beyond my strength, with poorly supplied food, and cruelly harsh treatment. Towards the end of winter we removed towards the sugar grounds, to be ready for tapping the sweet juice of the maple when it begins to rise in the trees. ) ■-'.: • - ..^ \ o follour le lodge move it itrength, latment. rds the et juice ■) t , .^ ^ '.--? CHAPTER II. Kish-kaw-ko and others go on a Raid against the Whites — On their Return report that all my Family were Killed — / lose all hope of Escape— After a year and a half my Captors go to attend a Council held at Mackinac — They ^,ieet there a Kins- woman^ Net-no-kwa^ Head of the Ottawwaw Tribes — She offers to purchase me— The Bargain Completed— Treated as a Son by Net-no-kiva and her Husband — Entrusted with a Pistol and Shoot Pigeons— Taught how to Trap Martens — Camping in the Forest — Go with some Muskego Indians to Lake Superior— Thence to the Lake of the Woods and Lake Winnipeg, CHAPTER II. At this time, Kish-kaw-ko, along with four other young Indians, resolved to go on a war expedition. The old man, as soon as the sugar was finished, and they returned to their village, with other Indians, also made preparations to start. Having now been a year among them I could understand a little of their language. The old man, when he was about to start, said to me, " Now I am going to kill your father and brother, and all your relations." All the time they were away my thoughts were troubled and anxious. The first to return was Kish-kaw-ko. He was ill, from a bad wound. He said he had been with his party to the Ohio River ; that they had, after watching for some time concealed orf the bank, fired upon a small boat going down the stream, and had killed one man, the rest jumping into the river. In pursuing them Kish- kaw-ko had wounded himself in the thigh with his own spear, and had to be helped by his companions to get back to their home. They brought with them the scalp of the man they had killed in the boat. The old chief returned a few days afterwards. He brought with him an old white hat, which I knew, from a mark in the crown inside, to be that of my brother. •J' H GREY HAWK. He said he had killed all my father's family, and the negroes, and the horses, and had brought my brother's hat that I might see he spoke the truth, I now believed that my friends had all been cut off, and was on that account the less anxious to return. This, I think, was the purpose of the old man, who was thereby relieved from the fear of my leaving them, for I had now be- come more useful to him as a drudge in all sorts of work. • ' But only a small part of his story was true. Long after, when I had left my life among the Indians, I went to see Kish-kaw-ko, who was in prison at Detroit, and I asked him, " Is it true that your father has killed all my relations ? " He told me it was not true ; that Manito- o-gheezik, the year after I was taken, returned to the woods near our house, about the same season ; that, as on the preceding year, he had watched my father and his people planting corn, from morning to noon ; that then they i?ll went into the house except my brother (who was then nineteen years of age). He remained in the field ploughing with a span of horses, having the lines about his neck, when the Indians rushed upon him. The horses, terrified, started to run. My brother was entangled in the lines and thrown down, when the Indians seized him. The horses they killed, and carried my brother away into the woods. They crossed the Ohio before night, and had proceeded a good distance i:i their way up the Miami. At night they bound my brother to a tree, securely as they thought. His hands and arms were tied behind him, and there were cords A HUNGER AND ILL-TREATMENT, 25 round his neck and breast, but having managed to bite through some of the cords, he got a knife that was in his pocket, with which he cut himself loose. He im- mediately ran towards the Ohio, at which he arrived, and which he swam across, and reached my father's house at sunrise in the morning. The Indians were roused by the noise he made at first getting away, and pursued him into the woods, but in the darkness of the night were not able to overtake him. His hat had been left in the camp, and this they brought to make me believe that they had killed him. All this I learned long after. In the belief that my father and his people were dead, I remained another year with the Indians under Manito-o-gheezik, gradually having less and less hope ot escape, although I did not forget what the traders on the Maumee had said about coming to fetch me. I wished they would remember their promise. It was a life of much misery. Often the men got drunk and sought to kill me. At such times I ran and hid myself in the woods, and dared not return till the drunken bout was over. They got the rum from other Indians, who had obtained it in bartering with the traders. During these two years the suffering at times from actual hunger was terrible. Though strangers, not of the family, sometimes gave me food, I had never enough to eat. If it had not been for the old woman — " the Otter woman " as they called her, the Otter being her toteifty or mark — and her daughter I must have perished of hunger. Kish-kaw-ko, the eldest son, was only a slight degree less savage and cruel than the father 1 ! 26 GKEY HAWK, and the two younger brotiicrs, who continually mal- treated me. Only once while I was at Sau-gc-nong did I ever see white men. Then a small boat passed, and the Indians took me out to it in a canoe, threatening to kill me if I said anything, but rightly supposing that my wretched appearance might excite the compassion of the traders or whatever white men they might be in the boat. They threw to me some bread, apples, and other things, all which, except one apple, the Indians took from me. I had been a little more than two years at Sau-ge- nong when a great council was called by the British agents at Mackinac. This council was attended by the Sioux, the Winnebagoes, and many remote tribes of Indians, as well as by the Ojibbeways, Ottawwaws, and others nearer the place of council. Manito-o-gheezik went, and on his return I soon learned that he had there met his kinswoman, Net-no-kwa, who, notwithstanding her sex, was regarded as the principal chief of all the Ottawwaws. This woman had lost her son, of about my age, by death ; and having heard of me from some of our people, she wished to purchase me to supply her son's place. Whether this is common, or whether she was struck with the fancy on hearing that it had been done by " the Otter woman," the wife of Manito, her kinsman, I do not know. When my Indian mother, the Otter woman, heard the proposal she was angry, and vehemently protested. I heard her say, " My son was dead and has been restored to me ; I cannot lose him again." She really had come to regard me with ANOTHER INDIAN MOTHER. vt motherly affection, and she would have treated me with more marked kindness had she not known that this would have led her husband and the sons to deal more harshly with me, if not to kill me. But all her re* monstrances proved unavailing when the great Net-no- kwa arrived at our village with some of her people, and bringing a large keg of whisky, tobacco, blankets, and other valuable articles. She was thoroughly acquainted with the dispositions and wants of those with whom she had come u negociate. After plenty of drinking and smoking, and making presents, the objections to my rem.oval were overcome, and the men prevented the Otter woman from making further protest. So the bargain was completed, while more drink was following, and I was transferred to Net-no-kwa. This woman, although more advanced in years, was of a more pleasing aspect than my former Indian mother. She took me by the hand, after she had com- pleted the negociations with my last possessors, and led me to her own lodge, which stood near. Here I was soon aware chat I would be treated with more indul- gence than I had been during the two years of servile drudgery I had passed. She gave me plenty of food, good clothes, and told me to play with her own sons. We did not remain long at Sau-ge-nong. She would not stop at Mackinac, perhaps fearing that questions might be asked by the white agents there, but ran along during the night to Point St. Ignace, where she hired some Indians to take charge of me ; and then she her- self returned to Mackinac, with one or two attendants, 28 GREY HAWK, I ti ! I . as she had seme business still to transact there. This being finished she came back to Point St. Ignace, and continuing our journey we arrived in a few days at a place called Shab-a-wy-wy-a-gun. The corn was ripe when we reached this place, and having waited till it was gathered we proceeded three days up the river towards where they intended to pass the winter We then left our canoes, and travelling over land camped three times before we came to the place where we set up our lodges or wigwams for the winter. The husband of Net-no-kwa was an Ojibbeway of Red River, called Taw-ga-we-ninne, or the Hunter. He was many years younger than Net-no-kwa, and had dismissed a former wife on being married to her. He was kind to me from the first, and treated me as one of the family, always calling me his son when speaking to me. Indeed, he was himself only of secondary im- portance in the family, as everything belonged to Net- no-kwa, and she had the direction in all affairs of any moment. She imposed on me my tasks after arrival. She made me cut wood, bring home game, and perform other services not commonly required of boys of my age ; but the training turned out to be useful to me, and as I was kindly treated and had plenty of food, my position was greatly better and I was far more con- tented than I had been in my former home. I some- times was struck by her,, as were her own sons, if they displeased her, but I never was so severely and fre- quently beaten as I had been before. Early in the spring Net-no-kwa and her husband, m I JtfV FIRST SHOT. 29 •e. This lace, and ays at a was ripe ed till it the river ter. We 1 camped re we set beway of Hunter. and had her. He as one of making to ary im- to Net- s of any r arrival. perform s of my me, and bod, my re con- I some- if they nd fre- Lusband, with their family, started to go to Mackinac. They left me, as they had done before, at Point St. Ignace, as they would not run the risk of losing me by suffering me to be seen at Mackinac. On our return, after we had gone about twenty-five or thirty miles from Point St. Ignace, we were detained by contrary winds at a place running out into the lake. Here we encamped with some other Indians and a party of traders. P geons were very numerous in the woods, and the boys of my age and the traders were busy shooting them. I had never killed any game, and indeed had never in my life discharged a gun. Taw-ga-we-ninne had a large horseman's pistol, and being emboldened by his in- dulgent manner toward me, I requested permission to go and try to kill some pigeons with the pistol. My request was seconded by Net-no-kwa, who said, " It is time for our son to begin to learn to be a hunter." Ac- cordingly my father, as I called Taw-ga-we-ninne, loaded the pistol and gave it to me saying, " Go, my son, and if you kill anything with this you shall im- mediately have a gun and learn to hunt." Since I have been a man I have been often placed in difficult situations ; but my anxiety for success was never greater than in this, my first essay as- a hunter. I had not gone far from the camp before I met with pigeons, and some of them alighted in the bushes very near me. I cocked my pistol, and raised it to my face, bringing the breech almost in contact with my nose. Having brought the sight to bear upon the pigeon, I pulled the trigger, and was in the next instant sensible ill 30 GREY HAWK. iiili ii! ^ i m W ■I! 1 1 of a humminfj noise, like that of a stone sent swiftly through the air. I found the pistol at some paces behind me, and the pigeon under the tree on which he had been sitting. I ran home, carrying my pigeon in triumph, but my face was much bruised and covered with blood. The wounded face was soon healed ; my pistol was ex- changed for a fowling-piece ; I was accoutred with a powder-horn, and furnished with shot, and allowed to go out after birds. One of the young Indians went with me, to observe my manner of shooting. I killed thr j more pigeons in the course of the afternoon, and did not discharge my gun once without killing. Henceforth I began to be treated with more consideration, and was allowed to hunt often, that I might become expert. - Great part of the summer and autumn passed before we returned to our own village, and when we arrived we found the Indians suffering from a severe visitation of the measles. Net-no-kwa being unwilling to expose herself and the family, passed through the village, and encamped on the river above. But, notwithstanding her precaution, we soon began to fall sick. Of ten persons belonging to our family, including two young wives of Taw-ga-we-ninne, only Net-no-kwa and myself escaped being attacked. Several of them were very ill, and the old woman and myself found it as much as we could do to take care of them. In the village many died, but all of our family recovered. As the cold weather came on, they began to get better, and then we went to our wintering ground, at the same place where we had spent the former winter. FIRST LESSONS IN TRArPING. 31 it swiftly es behind had been triumph, :h blood. was ex- \ with a lowed to /ent with led thr j and did snceforth and was »ert. d before rived we ation of expose age, and ing her Dersons vives of escaped nd the 3uld do but all ime on, to our ve had Here I was set to make marten traps, as ^hc other hunters did. The first day I went out early, and spent the whole day, returning late at night, having made only three traps. In the same time a good hunter would have made twenty or twenty-five. Next morning I visited my traps, and found only one marten. Thus I continued for some days, but my want of skili and of success exposed me to the ridicule of the young men. At length my father began to pity me, and he said : "My son, I must go and ^ clp you to make traps." Co he went out and spent .^ day in making a large number of traps, which he gave me, and then I was able to take as many martens as the others. As I became more and more expert in hunting and trapping, I was no longer required to do the same kind of work as the women did about the lodge. In the following spring, Net-no-kwa, as usual, went to Mackinac. She always carried a flag on her canoe, and I was told that whenever she came to Mackinac, she was saluted by a gun from the fort. I was now thirteen years of age. Before we left the village, I heard Net- no-kwa talk of going to Red River, to the relations of her husband. Many of the Ottawwaws, when they heard of this, determined to go with her. Among others was Wah-ka-zee, a chief of the village at War- gun-uk-ke-zee, or as the French called the place, L'Arbre Croche, after a crooked pine-tree long standing there. In all there were six canoes. Instead of leaving me, as on former occasions, at Point St. Ignace, they landed with me in the night, among the cedars, not far 3« GREY HAWK. i I from Mackinac ; the old woman then taking me into the town, to the house of a French trader, with whom she had sufficient influence to secure my concealment. Here I stayed, not being allowed to go out, but well treated in other respects. When ready to resume the journey they were detained by head winds, at a point since made a missionary station. Here a sad event occurred. The Indians having been drinking, my father was wounded by a young man and died of the injury then received. He felt he was dying, and made me sit down with the other children and talked much with us. He said, " My children I must leave you. I am sorry I must leave you so poor." He said nothing about the young Indian who had struck him with the stone, as others would have done. He probably knew he had given provocation, and he was too just a man to seek revenge, or to involve his family in the troubles which such a course would have brought on them. The young man remained with us, notwithstand- ing that Net-no-kwa told him it might be unsafe for him to go to Red River, where her late husband's rela- tions were numerous and powerful, and might avenge his 'eath. When we came to the Sault St. Marie, we put all our baggage on board the trader's vessel, which was about to sail to the upper end of Lake Superior, and went on ourselves in the canoes. The winds were light, ' which enabled us to run faster than the vessel, and we arrived several days before it at the Portage. When she came at last, she anchored out a little distance from AT MOOSE LAKE. 33 the shore. After about eight or ten days we commenced crossing the Grand Portage. My father h'ngcred till we had passed two of the carrying-places, and when we arrived at the third, called the Moose carrying-place, he said : " I must die here ; I cannot go further." So Net-no-kwa determined to stop here, and the remainder of the party went on. After they started there remained only the old woman and one of the younger wives, the elder son, the second, and myself, the youngest of the family. It was about the middle of summer, for the small berries were ripe, when we stopped here, on the borders of Moose Lake, which is of cool and clear water like Lake Superior. It is small and round, and a canoe can be easily seen a'^ross the widest part of it. There were only two of the party able to do much, myself being so young and without any experience as a hunter, so that we began to have fears that, being thus left, we might soon be in want of food. We had brought with us one of the nets used about Mackinac, and setting this, the first night we caught about eighty trout and other fish. After remaining here some time, we found beavers, of which we killed six ; also some otters and musk rats. We had brought with us some corn, so that with the fish we caught, and the game we killed, we lived com- fortably. But at the approach of winter, the old woman told us she could not remain longer, as the wii:ter would be long and cold, and no people, either whites or Indians, near us. Ke-wa-tiu, the second son, had been ailing for some time^ and became so weak that in re- D VJ 34 GREY HAWK', turning to the Portage, we were compelled to move very slowly. When we arrived, the waters were beginning to freeze. He lived five or six weeks, and died before the middle of winter. The old woman buried him by the side of her husband, near the Grand Portage, and hung up one of her flags at his grave. We now, as the weather became severe, began to grow poor, Wa-me-gon-a-biew, the elder brother, and myself being unable to kill as much game as we wanted. He was about seventeen years of age, and I thirteen, and game was not plentiful. As the weather became more and more cold, we removed from the trading-house, and set up our lodge in the woods, that we might get wood more easily. Here my brother and myself had to exert ourselves to the utmost, to avoid starving. We used to hunt two or three days* distance from home, and often returned with but little meat. We had, on one of our hunting paths, a camp built of cedar boughs, in which we had kindled fire so often that it became very dry, and at last caught fire while we were lying in it. The wood was so dry that it burnt rapidly, but fortunately we escaped with little injury. As we were returning, and still at a great distance from home, we attempted to cross a river, which was so rapid, as it turned out, as never to freeze very sound. Although the weather was so cold that we could every now and then hear the trees crackling with the frost, we broke through the ice in crossing. Owing to our hands being benumbed, it was very difficult to extricate our- selves from our snow shoes, and we were no sooner out KINDLING A FIRE. 1% of the water than our moccasins and Ic^^qings were frozen stiff. My brother was soon disheartened, and the numbing effect of the cold made him say he was wiUing to die. I tried to encourage him, but had not much more energy in so great a danger. We got to the shore, but we were unable to raise a fire, and we thought wc must perish of cold. I kept moving, however, and helped him to lie down in a place where there was shelter. I found some dry rotten wood, and by rubbing was at last able to get a light and to kindle a fire. We got our clothes and moccasins dried, and became more comfortable, though very hungry. At the earliest dawn we left our camping place, and proceeded towards home. At no great distance we met our mother, who had felt anxi )us, and brought some food in case we were in want. She must have had a presentiment of the danger, for she had started the evening before and had walked all night, meeting us not far from the place where the accident happened. We remained for some time in a suffering and almost starving condition, when a Muskego or Swamp Indian, called the Smoker, came to the trading-house, and learn- ing that we were badly off, invited us to go home with him to his country, saying he would hunt for us, and bring us back in the spring. We went with him two long days' journey to the west, and came to a place called Burnt Wood River, where his lodge was. While wc remained with him we wanted nothing. Such is the custom of the Indians, when not at war, and when remote from the trading whites ; but the Ottawwaws 36 GREY HAWK. m and other tribes near the settlements have lost these hospitable customs, and have learned to be like most of the whites, and to give only to those who can barter or pay. We had been for i short time at the Portage, when another man of the same tribe of Muskegoes invited us to go with him to a large island in Lake Superior, where, he said, there were plenty of caribou and of sturgeon ; and where, he had no doubt, he could provide all that would be necessary for our support. We went with him, and having started in the very early morning, we reachi2d the island before night, although a light wind ahead retarded the speed of the canoe. In the low rocky headlands of the island we found abundance of gulls* eggs. We took, with spears, two or three sturgeons soon after our arrival, so that our want of food was satisfied. Next day Wa-ge-mah-wul, a relative of Net-no-kwa, went to hunt, and returned in the even- ing having killed two caribou. On the island where we were there was a lake with beaver, otter, and other game, so that there was no lack of food. Here we met with relations of Wa-ge-mah-wul, in eight canoes, and with them, ten canoes altogether, we started to return to the Portage. W^hen we were setting out, and had got about two hundred yards into the lake, the chief, in a loud voice, addressed a prayer to the Great Spirit, entreating him to give us a good lake to cross. " Thou hast made this lake," he said, " and thou hast made us thy children ; cause the water to be smooth that we may pass over in safety." He then CROSSING LAKE SUPERIOR, 37 st these ad finished the canoes which they had left i^ "^n olete. They de- scended to the place where the mark., were left, knowing that there were good hunting-gi /.Is near. We found that they had plenty of game in the camp, and they had also taken a great number of beavers. We continued here, therefore, until the ice became too thick for beaver trapping, and then went to the prairie in pursuit of buffaloes. When the snow began to have a crust upon it, the men said they must leave me along with the women, as they were going to Clear Water Lake to make canoes, but they would kill some food for our supply during their absence. Waus-so, who was a great hunter, went out by himself and killed one buffalo ; but in the night the weather became very cold and stormy, and the buffaloes came in to take shelter in the woods where we had our camp. Early in the morning Net- no-kwa called us up, saying there was a large herd not far off from the lodge. Pe-shaw-ba and Waus-so, iil!i!i mV. 11!! i (i" ;l # CX£Y ffAlVAT, with three others, took up stations in different directions, so that the herd could not all escape if alarmed. They would not allow me to go out, and laughed when they saw me putting my gun in readiness ; but Net-no-kwa, who was ever ready to befriend me, after they were gone, led me to a stand not far from the lodge, near which, her sagacity taught her, the herd would probably run. The Indians fired, and all failed to kill. The herd came past my stand, and I had the good fortune to kill a large cow. It was my first success in buffalo hunting, and gave great gratification to my mother. Shortly afterwards, having killed a considerable number, and made a good store of food, the Indians left us: myself, the old woman, one of the young women, and three children, six in all, with no one to provide for them but myself. The dried meat lasted for some time, but I soon found that I was able to kill buffaloes, and we had no want of fresh food. On one occasion an old cow which I had wounded ran fiercely at me, although she had no calf, and I was barely able to escape from her by climbing into a tree. She was enraged not so much by the wound as by the dogs ; and it is, I believe, very rare that a cow attacks a man unless she has been worried by dogs, v ' ■■ - ,,.,.- As spring came on we went up the Mouse River for about ten miles, to woods where we made maple sugar. The weather rapidly became mild, and once I was in great danger from the breaking of the ice. The beavers had begun to come up through the holes on to the ice, and sometimes went on shore. I was watching near ESCAPE FROM DROWNING. n one of these holes, and shot one as it came up. Run- ning hastily along the ice to secure him I broke through ; my snow shoes became "entangled with some brush on the bottom and had nearly dragged me under, but by great exertion I at lenglh escaped. When the leaves began to appear on the trees, Pe- shaw-ba and the men returned in new birch canoes, bringing with them many beaver skins and other valu- able peltries. Old Net-no-kwa was now anxious to return to Lake Huron, but Waus-so and Sa-ning-wul would not go, and Pe-shaw-ba was unwilling to part with them. Sag-git-to, one of the men, had fallen into a very bad state of health. Pe-shaw-ba said to the old woman, " It is not good that Sag-git-to should die here, at a distance from all his friends. Since we see he cannot live much longer, I think it best for you to take him and the little children, and return to Lake Huron. You may be able to reach the rapids, at Sault St. Marie, before he dies." Conformably to this advice, our family divided. Pe-shaw-ba, Waus-so, and Sa-ning-wul re- mained ; Net-no-kwa and the two other women, Sa- git-to, my brother Wa-me-gon-a-biew, and myself, with a little girl the old woman had bought, and three children, started to return to Lake Huron. The little girl was brought from the country of the Fall Indians, by a war party of Ojibbeways, from whom Net-no-kwa bought her to be a helper for herself and the children. The Fall Indians live near the Rocky Mountains, and wander much with the Black Feet ; their language being unlike that of both the Sioux and the Ojibbeways. 6o GKEY HAWK'. nil These last, and the Crocs, are more friendly with the Black Feet than they are with the Fall Indians. The girl was now about ten years of age ; but having been for some time among the Ojibbcways had learned their language. • - - ' When we came to Rainy Lake we had ten packs of beaver, of forty skins each. Net-no-kwa sold some other peltries for rum, and, I am sorry to say, was drunk for a day or two. We here met some of the traders' canoes, on their way to Red River. Wa-me- gon-a-biew, who was now eighteen years old, being unwilling to go to Lake Huron, determined to go back to the north with the traders. The old woman said much to dissuade him ; but he jumped into one of the canoes as they were about to start, and although, at the request of the old woman, they endeavoured to drive him out, he would not leave the canoe. Net-no-kwa was greatly distressed, although he did not at any time show much affection for his mother. She could not make up her mind to lose her only surviving son, and determined on returning with him. The packs of beaver skins she would not leave with the traders, not having sufficient confidence in their honesty. We therefore took them to a remote place in the woods, where we made a sunjegwun, or deposit, in the usual manner. We then returned to the Lake of the Woods. From this lake the Indians have a route to go to Red River, which the white men never follow, by the way of the Muskeek or swamp carrying place. We went up the Swamp River for several days, and then dragged HIDING OUR TRAP^ AND PACKS. 6i our canoes across a swamp for one day. This swamp is only of moss with small bushes, and it quakes as people pass over it. Then we put our canoes into a small stream, which they call Begwionusk, from the plant cow-parsley, which abounds there. Thence we de- scended into a small lake, bearing the same name. It has only two or three feet of water, and over most of the surface it is scarcely a foot in depth ; but all this time the whole lake was covered with ducks, geese, swans, and other birds. Here we remained some time, and made four packs of beaver skins. We were now quite alone, no Indians or white men being within four or five days' journey from us. Here we had packs to put in cache or deposit, as we were about to leave the country ; and the ground being too swampy to admit of burying them in the usual manner, we made a sunjegwun of logs, so tight together that a mouse could not enter it, and in this we left our packs and other property which we could not carry. If any Indians had found it, they would not have broken it up, and we had no fear of any white traders passing that way. Indians, when they have not had much dealing with the white traders, have not learned to value these peltries so highly as to be tempted to steal from one another. At the time of which I am speaking, and in that part of the country, I have often known a hunter leave his traps for many days in the woods, without visiting them, or feeling any anxiety about their safety. It would often happen that one man havii^g finished his hunt, and left his traps behind him, another would sa;' : e 6s GREY HAWK, " Where are your traps ? " and have leave to use them, as would others in succession, and yet in the end they are sure to return to their first owner. ;V' I ! ) use them, e end they CHAPTER IV. : . ) Compelled by Hunger to move frequently to New Hunting-ground — With Friendly Cree Indians at Red River — The Grand Portage — Wa-me-gona-bieWy Eldest Son of Netno-kwa, in trouble — His Marriage — Moose Hunting— Stories about the Moose — Elk Hutiting — Marten Trapping — Porcupine Stories — The Chief Wa-ge-tote and his Daughter — An Indian Carousal at the Trading Station — A Solitary Canoe Voyage — The Haunted Camping Ground — Legend of the Two Dead Brothers and their Ghosts —My Fearful Night Bivouac on the Haunted Ground* \ il i CHAPTER IV. When the snow had fallen, and the weather began to be very cold, so that we could no longer kill beaver, we began again to suffer from hunger. My brother exerted himself, and was sometimes successful ; but the supply was very uncertain. Our suffering compelled us to move, and we went toward Red River, hoping either to meet some Indians, or to find game on the way. One lodge of Ojibbeways we met with, but they were ex- tremely inhospitable, a rare thing with Indians when others are really in want. They would only supply us with any food in exchange for our silver ornaments, which we were forced to part with. Net-no-kwa was very indignant, and forbade us to give anything more, and we moved away from them. After some days we came upon tracks of hunters, and found the head of a buffalo which they had left, and with which we were glad to stay the pangs of hunger. Following this track we came to an encampment of some of our friends on Red River. This was a band of Crees, whose chief, the Little Assineboin, I have formerly mentioned. He and his people received us in a very cordial manner, and supplied our wants. We stayed with them nearly two months, when the buffalo and other game becoming 65 y. II!:! Hi'' I I ! I ! I I 66 GREY HAWK, scarce, the whole camp began to suffer. It was neces- sary to move, and it was thought advisable to separate, and go in dififerent directions. Net-no-kwa determined to go with her family to the trading-house of a Mr. Henry, who was afterwards drowned in the Columbia River by the upsetting of a boat in an exploring expe- dition. This trading-place was near where a settlement was afterwards made, called Pembinah. We hunted all the remainder of the winter with the people of the fur- traders. In the spring we returned to the lake where we had left our canoes. We found all ovr property safe, and having gathered all that we took from our sunjegwuns or caches, and all we brought from Red River, we found we now had eleven pack > of beaver, of forty skins each, and ten packs of other skins. It was now our intention to return to Lake Huron, and to dispose of our peltries at Mackinac. We had, besides, the large sunjegwun at Rainy Lake, near the trader's station, though the site had been concealed from him. On reaching this place ve found the sunjegwun had been broken np, and not ; pack nor a skin left. We saw a pack in the rtader's lodge, which we believed was one of our own ; but did not dare to say so, as we could not prove it, they being all so much alike. The old woman did not hesitate to affirm to us that the trader had stolen the packs. It was a great disappointment, for this, along with our other packs, would have been disposed of for what would have made us rich for a long time. When we reached the small house at the other side J TRICKS OF FUR TRADERS. 67 as neces- separate, itermined of a Mr. Columbia ng expe- ettlement lunted all f the fur- ike where property from our rom Red )f beaver, skins. It )n, and to , besides, trader's from him. wun had eft. We eved was we could The old e trader intment, ve been ch for a [her side of the Grand Portage to Lake Superior, the people belonging to the traders urged us to put our packs in the wagons or carriages, and so have them taken across. But the old woman, knowing that if they were once in the hands of the traders, it would be difficult, if not impossible to get them again, refused to comply with their request. It took us several days to cai y all our packs across, as the old woman would not suffer them to be carried in the traders* road. Notwithstanding all this caution, when we came to this side the Portage, two traders, I remember their names, Mr. Macgillivray and Mr. Shabboyea, by treating her with much attention, and giving her some wine, induced her to place all her packs in a room which they gave her to occupy. At first, they endeavoured by friendly solicitation to inouce her to sell her furs ; but finding her determined not to part with them at that time, a youpg man, Mr. Shab- boyea's son, attempted to seize them by force ; but the old man interfered, and reproved his son for his c n- duct. Thus Net-no-kwa was enabled to keep poss ^ssion of her property; and might have done so till her arrival at Mackintc, but for a sad event wV h occurred. An Indian, called Bit-te-gish-sho, or rooked lightning, arrived with a band of his people ■ rom Middle Lake. With these people my brother became very intimate, and formed an attachment with the daughter of the chief, although we knew nothing of it at the time. When we were about to start for Sault St. Marie, and the baggage was in the canoe, Wa-me-gon-a-biew was not to be found. We sought every vhere for him, and pi' I a^ GREY HAWK". it was not till after some days that we heard, from a French trader, that he was on the other side of the Port- tage, with the family of the Crooked Lightning. I was sent for him, but he would not return to Net-no-kwa. Knowing his obstinate disposition, the old woman began to cry. "If I had two of my own sons," she said^ "I would let this one go; but as he is the only one left, and his father too is dead, I must go with him." She gave to the widow, her sister's daughter, who had lived with her from a child, five packs of beaver, one of which was for her own use ; the other four, together with sixty other skins, she told her to take to Mackinac, and deliver them according to her direction. This she did, coming down in the trader's canoe, and delivering the skins to Mr. Lapomboise, agent of the North-West Company, and took his due bill, as she was told it ,ras, for the amount. But this bill was subsequently lost, by the burning of our lodge, and neither Net-no-kwa nor any of her family ever received anything for these skins. The remainder of our property met with a still more disastrous fate. The old woman, much vexed by the conduct of her son, brooding again over her past losses, and disappointed of her hopes of returning to Lake Huron, forgot her usual dignity and self-possession, and abandoned herself to drink. In the course of a single day she sold one hundred and twenty beaver skins, with a large quantity of buffalo robes, and other valuable articles, for rum. When she thus broke out, she used to make all the Indians about her also drink. Of all Hi; CREDIT FOR WINTER NECESSARIES. 69 the great stock of peltries, the produce of so long toil, and saved through so many long and perilous journeys, there remained one blanket, three kegs of rum, and the poor and almost worn-out clothes on our bodies. I did not, on this as on other occasions, witness the wicked and wanton waste of our peltries and other property with that indifference which the Indians seem always to feel ; but I was then helpless to prevent the disaster. Our return being determined upon, we started with Bit-te-gish-sho and some other Indians for the Lake of the Woods. Here we were overtaken by cold weather while making a canoe. Net-no-kwa resolved to remain there, though most of the others went on. Here it was found that the attachment of Wa-me-gon-a-biew to the daughter of the Crooked Lightning was not too strong to be broken ; and, indeed, it is somewhat doubtful whether the anxiety of the traders at the Grand Portage to possess themselves of our packs had not as much to do with occasioning our return as anything on the part of this young man. After these people had left us, we found our condition too desolate and hopeless to remain there by ourselves, being so ill-provided against the approaching winter ; so we repaired to Rainy Lake trading- house, and ob- tained credit to the amount of one hundred and twenty beaver skins, and thus furnished ourselves with clothing, blankets, and other things necessary for the winter. It would weary my readers to give in detail the various movements and occupations, summer and winter, in the next few years. They were much after the 76 GREY HAWK, 'ill fashion of those already described. Most of the move- ments and changes of encampment among the Indians are regulated by the sheer necessity of supporting life. Hunger drives them forth when food is failing, and they are drawn hither or thither by the prospect or hope of finding plenty in other quarters. Sometimes there may be a desire to see friends or relatives, or to visit parti- cular places from other motives ; but for the most part it is in order to get food that removals are made and wanderings renewed. Hunting is their main business, first for the meat, and also for the skins of those animals that are of value. These they take to the trading posts which are scattered over the regions frequented by hunters. Here they obtain by barter the blankets, clothes, kettles, and other things required in their lodges. By far the largest part of the product of their winter and spring hunts is expended on whisky or rum. These debauches are frequently attended by mischievous or fatal quarrels, and always followed by poverty and } unger, which compel them to begin again their life of toil. I seldom was tempted to such excesses, but had to share the poverty all the same. I had then no other prospect before me, and I had become attached to hunt- ing both as a business and an amusement. There were no Indian settlement? in those days, as there are now. Some incidents of my early hunting days I well remember, and may be interesting to relate. When our lodge was near the trading-house at Rainy Lake, we found early one morning a moose track. My brother and I started in pursuit, taking with us several dogs, he move- 2 Indians rting life, and they • hope of here may- sit parti- most part nade and business, e animals ing posts en ted by blankets, in their of their or rum. chievous erty and ir life of but had lo other to hunt- ere were i now. I well When y Lake, brother il dogs, HABITS OF THE MOOSE. n and accompanied by an Indian whose lodge was near. After following the track more than an hour, the Indian was tired, and the dogs returned with him. It was not far from noon when we came up with the moose just as it was making for a lake which was frozen over. The ice being in some parts quite smooth, the moose could not run so fast as on land, and my brother, who was very swift-footed, alo'.ig with one dog, overtook him, and he was easily killed. I think that I have not till Hv mentioned moose hunting. The Indians consider the moose more shy and more difficult to take than any other animal He is far more vigilant and cautious than the buffalo or caribou, and fleeter than the elk, though clumsier in his appearance and gait. In the most violent storm, when the wind and the creaking or falling timber are making the loudest and most inces- sant roar in the forest, if a man, either with his foot or with his hand, breaks the smallest dry limb of a tree, the moose distinguishes the sound. If he is standing browsing, and the hunter has stealthily been able to creep near the place without being seen, if the slighte>:t noise is made, the moose hears it, and though he does not always run, he ceases eating, and rouses his utmost attention. If, in the course of an hour or so, the man lies dead still, and avoids m.*king the least noise, the animal may begin to feed again, but seems not to forget what he had heard, and is for hours more vigilant than before. There is an opinion prevalent among the Indians that the moose, among the methods of self-preservation with > IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) k A K IX) LL 1.25 1^ ■ 22 ■ 2.0 miut m \M. 116 us ■u lit Hiotograjiiic ^Sciences Corporation 23 WIST MAIN STRtET WIBSTIR.N.Y. 145S0 (716) •72-4S03 72 GREY HAWK, which it seems better acquainted than most other ani- mals, has the power of remaining a long time under water. I do not believe this ; but I may tell the fol- lowing anecdote as illustrating the general belief in this power as ascribed to the moose. Two men, whom I knew very well, after a long day's absence on a hunt, came into camp at night, and stated that they had been on a moose track, and had chased him into a small pond, and that they had seen him wade to the middle of It, and disappear from their sight. Choosing posi- tions from which they could command a view of the whole circumference of the pond, they sat there, and watched and smoked till the evening. During all this time they never saw the slightest motion of the water, or other sign of the position of the moose. At length, discouraged and wearied with watching, they gave up hope of taking him, and returned home. Not long after- wards an Indian related that on that evening he had seen and followed a moose track, and had traced it to the same pond ; but having also observed the tracks of two men, made appareiitly at the same time as those of the moose, he concluded that they must have killed it. Nevertheless, approaching cau- tiously to the margin of the pond, he sat down to rest. Presently, while thus quietly seated, he saw the moose rise slowly in the middle of the pond, which was not very deep, and wade towards the shore where he was. When sufficiently near, he shot him in the water, and he was loaded with the meat when he came to our lodge and told this story. I do not pretend to explain V * A HERD OF ELKS. 73 it ; but it is much more likely that there was some weak place in the account of the hunters than that the moose could live for hours under water. He may have been submerged partly, while keeping his head so as to be able to breathe, till their watching was less vigilant The story is only worth telling as proof of the cunning with which the moose is credited. • In the open chase it is almost impossible to overtake him, his pace is so swift and his strides so long. The best chance is in snow, when the surface is not hard. The animal's legs sink in the snow, while the hunter moves quickly over the surface with his snow shoes. In the prairie country of the north-west, towards the Assineboin and Saskatchewan lands, the elks chiefly abound. Between these two rivcT5i is another called Elk River, from their abundance in that region. There are brine springs and salt lakes in that quarter, which may partly account for the animals resorting thither in large numbers. I once, when with an Indian hunter a good distance up the Assineboin, saw a herd of probably two hundred elk in a little prairie which was almost surrounded by the river. We stationed ourselves in the gorge, which was not more than two hundred yards across. The herd having been alarmed, and unwilling to venture on the smooth ice in the river, began to run round and round upon the little prairie. It sometimes happened that one was thrust within reach of our shot, and in this way we killed two. In our eagerness to get nearer, we left our place of concealment, and advanced so far toward the middle of the prairie that the herd 74 Gh'EY HAIV/^, divided, a part being driven on to the ice, and a part escaping to the high ground beyond the gorge which we had left. The hunter followed the latter herd, and I ran on to the ice. The elks on the river, slipping on the smooth ice, and being much frightened, crowded so close together that the ice broke with the weight ; and as they waded towards the opposite shore and endea- voured to rise upon the ice, it continued to break before them. I ran hastily and thoughtlessly along the brink of the open place, and as the water was not so deep as that the elks could swim, I supposed I could get those I killed, and continued firing. When my balls were all expended, I drew my knife and killed one or two with it ; but those that I had shot in the water were in a few minutes swept under the ice, and I got not one of them. Only one, which I struck after he rose upon the surface close to the bank, I saved. This, in addition to the others we had killed on shore made four, a poor result out of not less than two hundred that were there. On another occasion we were on the river in our canoe, when the dogs, which we had not taken on board, but were running on the shore, started a solitary elk, which took to the water. We drove him on shore again with the canoe, and my brother keeping charge of it, I gave chase, and succeeded in killing what proved to be a fine fat buck. I may observe that elk and caribou are never found together. The country between Lake Winnipeg and Hudson's Bay is low and swampy, and that is the home of the caribou. More to the west, towards the Assi- MARTEN HUNTING. 75 neboin and the Saskatchewan, is the prairie land where are found elk and bufTaloes. Marten hunting has not much adventure in it, as with larger game ; but, being done by trapping, success is obtained only by considerable skill and experience. •Its favourite haunt is in pine forests. It feeds on whatever it can catch by craft, or stealth, young birds, eggs, marmots, rabbits. The trap used by Indians was chiefly the fall trap. A half-circle of stones being built up, a heavy tree or beam is laid across the entrance, one end being raised and supported by a movable prop. A bit of rabbit or other bait is hung on a projecting stick made fast into the back of the semi-circle of stones. The marten can only get at the bait by creeping under the tree, and on seizing it, and finding himself unable to pull it down, he backs out, tugging the string by which it is attached along the stick. In this effort he loosens the support of the tree, which falls on him, and kills him, but without doing any harm to the fur. The further north the darker and better are the skins. In trapping the beaver, the otter, and different sorts of game, various contrivances are used, but there is not much interest in the mere description of them. In hunting expeditions other animals are met with, besides those which are sought for trading purposes. For in- stance, here are some of my recollections of the por- cupine. Early one morning, I was lying wrapped in my blanket by a deep buffalo path, which came down through a prairie to the little creek where we were then f$ GREY HAWK, encamped. It was late in the fall, and the thick and heavy grasses of these prairies having been long before killed by the early frosts, had become perfectly dry. To avoid setting fire to this dry grass, we had kindled our fire in the bottom of the deep path, where it passed through the corner of the bank. Some of the Indians- had got up, and were sitting part oa one side and part on the other side of the path, preparing something for breakfast, when our attention was called to some un- usual sound, and we saw a porcupine coming slowly and slouchingly down the path. I had heard much of the stupidity of the animal, but never had an oppor- tunity of witnessing it till now. On he came, without giving any attention to surrounding objects, until his nose was actually in the fire ; then bracing stiffly back with his fore feet, he stood so near the flame, that being driven towards him by the wind, it actually singed the hairs on his face. Still he stood there for some minutes, stolidly opening and shutting his eyes. At length one of the Indians, tired with looking at him, hit him a blow with a piece of moose meat he had on a little stick to roast. Another man killed him with his tomahawk, and we roasted and ate some of the meat, which was very good. The Indians then, in conversation respecting the habits of this animal, re- lated, what I have since seen, that as a porcupine is feeding in the night, along the bank of a river, a man may sometimes take up some of his food upon the blade of a paddle, and holding it close to his nose, he will eat it, without even perceiving or appearing |i . ! A NIGHT ALARM. 77 s, until his to perceive the presence of man. When taken, they can neither bite nor scratch, having no defence nor protection, except what is afforded by their barbed and dangerous spines, which they erect with great force and swiftness. Dogs fear them, and can rarely, if ever, be induced to attack them ; if they do, severe injury and suffering, if not death, it is said, will be the certain consequence of wounds by the spines. On another occasion, when out in camp on a war expedition, we were on the alert on account of the proximity of some Sioux Indians, from whom we feared a night attack. More than half the night had passed, and not one of us had slept, when we heard a sudden rushing outside, and our dogs came running in, not making any noise, but in terrible fright. I said that the time was come for us all to die together. I placed myself in the front, and raising the door a little, put out the muzzle of my gun, and sat in mo- mentary expectation of the approach of the enemy. In the silent night footsteps were distinctly audible, not regular but at intervals, as if some one were stealthily advancing; but the darkness was so great that as yet I could see nothing. At length a small black object, not larger apparently than a man's head, was seen moving slowly and directly toward my lodge. Here I experienced how much imagination or alarm influences the correctness of sight ; for this object, at first appearing small, as it came on, seemed at one time to enlarge itself to the height of a man ; and again, upon steadily looking at it, to lessen to the size 7? GREY HAWK. tf ■• A which it really was. Being now convinced it was only some small animal, I stepped out, and finding it to be a porcupine, I despatched it with a blow, that it might not again raise alarm, as in our case it had done by sending the dogs flying into our lodge. I am now about to narrate an important event of my early years, my marriage to an Indian wife. I have already told of the marriage of my brother Wa- me-gon-a-biew with the daughter of Crooked Lightning, and of the troubles that befel us on that occasion, when we lost all the property that we then had. The whole affair had so many painful associations, that I was the less inclined to follow his example. I was now, it is true, about twenty-one years of age, and few of the Indian young men remain single so long. But I was contented with my way of life, and happy, except when we had to experience the pains of want and of hunger. I was now a good hunter and loved a hunter's life, and it was a pleasure as well as my duty to provide for my old mother Net-no-kwa, and the women and chil- dren that formed her family. No thought or wish for a change disturbed me. About this time, when on our way to a trading-house, we met with an old Ottawwaw chief, called VVa-ge-to- tah-gun (he that has a bell), more commonly called Wa-ge-tote. He was a relative of Net-no-kwa, and had then three lodges and two wives. One of his sons also was there with his wife. He was pleased to meet with Net-no-kwa, and he made us remain near him for two months. Every morning he came to our lodge, as he MOTHERLY ADVICE, 79 went out to hunt, and asked me to accompany him. He always gave mc the largest portion of what we killed. He took much pains to teach me how to take moose and other animals which are difficult to kill. Wa-me-gon-a-biew, with his wife, who were still with us, left us here and went to Red River. The spring having come, the Indians in the neigh- bourhood were all preparing to take their skins and other property to the trading-house. Knowing what had happened on previous occasions, and feeling strongly the foolishness of wasting our peltries in pur- chasing what was not only useless but hurtful to us, I urged Net-no-kwa not to go there, but to accompany me to another hunting station. I am happy to say that I had influence enough to dissuade her, and wt prepared to go in a different direction. She went to see VVa-ge-tote, to take leave of him, and to thank him for his kind hospitality. When she returned, I readily perceived that something unusual had happened. She was quiet and rather mysterious ; and presently she took me to one side, and began to speak to me. " My son," she said, " you see that I am now getting old ; I am scarcely able to make you moccasins, to dress and preserve your skins, and do all that is need- ful about your lodge. You are now able to take your own place as a man and a hunter, and it is right that you should have some one who is young and strong, to look after your property, and to take care of your lodge. Wa-ge-tote, who is a good man, and respected by all the Indians, will give you his daughter. 8o GREY HA IV A". You will thus gain a powerful friend and protector, who will be able to assist us in time of difficulty ; and I shall be relieved from much trouble and anxiety about our family." Much more she said, in the same strain ; but I told her at once, and without hesitation, that I could not comply with her request. I had hitherto never entertained the thought of marrying among the Indians, still thinking that somehow and some time, before I became old, I would marry among the whites. At all events, I assured her I could not now marry the woman she proposed for me. She still insisted that I must take her, stating that the whole affair had been settled betweien Wa-ge-tote and herself, and that the young woman herself had been spoken to, and had said she was not disinclined to the match. She pre- tended that after what had been arranged with Wa-ge- tote she could not do otherwise than bring her to our lodge. I said, if she did so, I would not treat her or consider her as my wife. The affair was in this situation the morning but one before we were to separate from Wa-ge-tote and his people. Without coming to any better understanding with the old woman, I rose early, and went out with my gun. I stayed out all day, but was too much annoyed and troubled to attend much to hunting. Returning in the evening to the lodge, I carefully reconnoitred the inside before entering, intending, if the young woman was there, to go to some other lodge to sleep ; but I saw nothing of her. Next morning Wa-ge-tote came to my lodge to see me he ex- MATCH MAKING PKOPOSAL. •t pressed all the interest in me which he had really been in the habit of showing, and gave me much friendly advice and many good wishes. When he left, Net- no-kwa came to me, again urging me to marry the daughter, but I gave no consent. I believe now that it was she, and not Wa-ge-tote or the daughter, who had been anxious for the match, if indeed she had even been spoken to on the subject. The old woman no doubt saw it would be a convenient as well as proper alliance, so far as she and her household were con- cerned ; but I had no feeling upon the subject, and I did not understand the making-up of matches by parents and guardian^ for convenience, and without respect to the mutual affection or even acquaintance of young persons. That my thoughts were correct 1 am the more sure, as I" heard not long after that Wa-ge-tote's daughter was married soon to another man. This affair, though it came to nothing, had the effect of bringing the question of marriage more seriously under my consideration, and may have prepared the way for what did take place at no distant period. But some important events occurred before that time which I must narrate ; all the more as they brought me to a ' condition of health, and of mind, which ma^ have made me the more ready to seek the companionship and com- fort belonging to married life. Leaving Wa-ge-tote, his daughter and his band, we went to the hunting-ground which I had chosen. Wa- ge-tote himself I parted from with true regret, for he S2 GREY HAWK. had taken a great liking to me, and had taught me many useful things, being a skilful and experienced hunter. Late in the fall we moved to a trading station, where many Indians met the trader, not at his house, but at some distance near a lake. Here he encamped for some days, and having brought with him a large quantity of rum, he rightly thought it better to get the Indians to buy and drink what they could before he went to his house, as they would give him less trouble at his camp. I had the prudence to purchase the most needful things for the winter, such as blankets and ammunition, as soon as we met him. After we had completed our trade, it had been the annual custom for Net-no-kvva to make a present to the trader of ten fine beaver skins, in return for which she was in the habit of receiving a chiefs dress and ornaments, and a ten- gallon keg of spirits. On this occasion when the trader sent for her to deliver his present, the old woman had already been drinking so hard that she was unable to go. In this emergency I felt it necessary to go and receive the articles. I put on the chiefs coat and orna- ments, and taking the keg on my shoulder, carried it home to our lodge, placed it on one end, and knocked out the head with an axe. I was thoughtless at the moment, and excited with the whole affair, the spirit of revelry prevailing all through the camp. On knock- ing in the head of the keg I addressed all who were capable of listening : " I am not one of those chiefs who draw liquor out of a small hole in a cask ; let all who are thirsty come and drink." I am sorry to say HUM-SELLING BY TRADERS, «3 tha . _ ^sit the example, and this second time that I had joined the Indians in drinking I was guilty of far greater excess than the first time. Our keg was soon empty, and then I and those who were able to stagger forth went to other lodges where liquor could be had. It was now late at night, but the noise of drunkenness was heard in every part of the camp. Next day, when Net-no-kwa recovered sufficiently to speak, she asked me whether I had received the chiefs dress and the keg of rum. When I told her that the keg had been emptied, she actually grew angry because I had not reserved some for her, and then reproached me severely, censuring me not only for ingratitude to herself, but for disgracing myself by getting drunk. The Indians told her she had no right to complain of me for doing as she herself had taught me, and then in order to pacify her they soon contributed rum enough to make her again completely drunk. Such scenes took place regularly at every trading station. I am told that by order of the government and of the trading companies these abuses have been put an end to in the stations under their authority ; but there will always be excessive drinking where the sale of spirits is permitted, and I am describing what I myself witnessed, and sometimes took part in, when I was among the people as one of them. When all the peltries were disposed of, so that the Indians had to discontinue drinking, they began to disperse to their hunting-grounds. Our family was about this time increased by the addition of a poor old s» GREY HAWK. 11 1 11 Ojibbe way woman and two children, who being destitute of any male protector had been taken up by Net-no- kwa I hunted with considerable success that season, when Net-no-kwa determined to return to the tradings- house at Menaukonoskeg, while I should go to the trading-house at Red River to purchase some necessary articles. I made a pack of beavers, having been very successful in trapping them, and started alone in a small buft'alo-skin canoe, only large enough to carry me and my pack, and descended the Little Saskatchewan. During this solitary journey a strange incident oc- curred. There is on the bank of that river a place which looks like one where the Indians would always choose to encamp at. In a bend of the river is a beautiful landing place ; behind it a little plain, a thick wood, anc' a small hill rising abruptly in the rear. But this tempting-looking site is utterly shunned by the Indians, and regarded with a superstitious terror. No Indian will land his canoe, much less encamp at "*he place of the two dead men." The legend is, that many years ago, when there was an encampment here, a quarrel arose between two brothers, who had she-she- gwi or rattlesnakes for their marks or totems. One drew his knife and slew the other ; but the bystanders instantly killed the murderer, for fratricide is deemed a crime as horrible as it is rare among them. The two brothers were buried in one grave. I had heard the story of the two brothers, and as they bore the same totem as myself, it having been given to me by Manito-o-gheezik when I came with his A ^- THE PLACE OF THE TWO DEAD MEN. is ho being destitute ;n up by Net-no- ccess that season, rn to the tradinjr- ihould go to the 3e some necessary having been very d alone in a small to carry me and ikatchewan. ange Incident oc- hat river a place ans would always of the river is a ttle plain, a thick in the rear. But shunned by the ious terror. No encamp at "*^he nd is, that many npment here, a o had she-she- r totems. One the bystanders e is deemed a em. The two jrs, and as they jng been given lame with his family, I suppose they were probably related to us. I had heard it said that if any man camped near their graves, as some had done soon after they were buried, the dead men would be seen to come out of the ground, and either react the quarrel and the murder, or in some other way so annoy and disturb the visitors that they could not sleep. Yet the place when I saw it had a strange fascination for me. With a mixed feeling of curiosity and of bravery I pulled my little canoe to the shore. I thought to myself I should break the spell, and be able to tell the Indians that I not only stopped, but slept quietly, at a place which they shunned with weak and superstitious dread. The sun was going down as I landed. Pulling up my canoe, I soon kindled a fire, and after eating my Supper lay down to sleep. How long I lay I cannot tell, but I saw the two dead men come out of the ground and sit down at the fire opposite to me. Their eyes were fixed intently upon me ; but they neither spoke, nor smiled, nor frowned ; only gazing on me. I rose up from the ground where I lay, and was going to sit opposite to them by the fire, when I saw them not. The night was dark and gusty, but while looking and listening, I saw nothing and heard nothinf the Muske- morning, and asins and un- forward along ibbeways and dvancing, but o go in com- d in very high ' brother tried we had better ys later on in by no means we could both eways. As it disappointed, d, as I shall me to gain that I would to some of initiation of :en on a war xist in most id they may bes. I refer at this time. on his face, and wears a peculiar cap or head-dress. He must always in marching follow the older warriors, stepping in their tracks, and never preceding them. However long or fatiguing the march, he must neither eat, nor drink, nor sit down to rest by day. If he halts for a moment, he turns his face towards his own country, that the Great Spirit may see it is his wish to return home again. At night they observe a certain order in their en- campments. If there are bushes where they halt, the camp is enclosed by these stuck into the ground so as to include a square or oblong space, with a passage at one end, which is always that towards the enemy's countiy or camp. If there are no bushes, they mark the ground in the same manner with small sticks or with the stalks of the weeds which grow in the prairie. Near the entrance to this gate or opening is the head chief and the old warriors, succeeded in order by younger men, according to age or prowess, or reputation in war ; and last of all, in the extreme end of the en- closed camp, the men with blackened faces who are making their first war expedition. All sleep with their faces towards their own country, and on no considera- tion, however uneasy their position or however great their fatigue, must any change of posture be made. No two must lie upon or be covered by the same blanket. During marches the older warrior.s, if they ever sit down, must not sit on the bare ground, but at least have some grass or bushes under them. They are very careful not to wet their feet, and if obliged to cross a %A ii! i.ii:i!i ieo GREY HAWK. iiiiii "I il 5' : '>} Jif'"' ill! ill I ■ I"' ;■ Stream or a swamp they keep their clothes dry, and whip their legs with bushes or grass when they come out of the water. They must never walk in a beaten path, but if obliged to do so they put on their legs some sort of medicine, which is carried for the purpose. Any article belonging to any of the party, such as his gun, his blanket, his hatchet or tomahawk, his knife or war-club, must never be stepped over by any other person, nor must any one step over the body or limbs of any other who is sitting or lying on the ground. Should this rule or usage be inadvertently violated, it is the duty of the one who has been stepped over, or to whom the article stepped over belongs, to seize the offender and throw him to the ground, not in anger but to maintain the rule ; and the person seized must suffer himself to be thrown down, even when much stronger or older than the other. The vessels which they carry, to eat or drink out of, are commonly small bowls of wood or of birch bark. They are marked across the middle, and they have some way of distinguishing the two sides ; in going out they invariably drink out of one side of the bowl, and from the other in returning. On the way home, when within one day of their village, they suspend all these bowls on trees, or they throw them away on the prairie. Various other observances and usages I noticed, some of them painful, and others troublesome, such as, of the latter, never to scratch the head or any part of the skin with the fingers but with a small twig or stick ; and never must the bowl one eats or drinks out of, nor the iiiiiii A WAR ENCAMPMENT. loi knife he cuts with, be used by another. There may be diversity of observances and ceremonies, as I have stated, but it may be well thus to note some which I saw or heard of. I ought to have mentioned, that in encamping at night, the chief who conducts the party sends some of his young men a little in advance to prepare a piece' of ground where religious ceremonies and divination is to be performed for various purposes, chiefly to ascertain thereby the position of the enemy. I do not believe that there is any truth in these divinations, which have probably been invented and are maintained by the chiefs and the prophets and diviners, to make mystery, and to keep up thereby authority over the people. But there are many such observances, both in time of peace and of war. In preparing to encamp, when the young men go forward, they clear a piece of ground, removing the turf from a rectangular oblong space, and with their hands break up the soil, making it fine and soft, and then enclosing this place with poles or pieces of stick. The chief, on being informed that it is ready, goes and sits down at the end opposite to that of the enemy's country. Two small roundish stones are placed before him, and he is supposed then to engage in prayer to the Great Spirit to show the direction where the enemy is to be found. A crier then goes to some of the principal warriors and bids them come to the chief, and to smoke in the enclosure. It is dark by this time, and after awhile a light is made, and they examine the position of the two round stones, which have been 102 GREY HAWK, iil 'iifii'' \- :i|;iii III i! Ii^ I IF ^ a P IP * !|llll||! !! Wl w\\ ill! moved by the people in the little space. From the direc- tion in which they have been shifted, they infer the course they are to pursue in the morning. This is evidently a very clumsy and rough sort of divination, and liable to trickery as well as to error. However, it is not my purpose to criticise but only to narrate. After this process, offerings of cloth, beads, tobacco, or whatever the chiefs and men may choose to leave for sacrifice, arc exposed during the night on a pole ; also the je-bi-ug or memorials of dead friends or relatives, which are taken back in the morning and retained in order to be thrown into the midst of the fight, or thrust into the bodies of their enemies, ripped up by their knives. Warriors will carry with them to battle locks of hair of a lost child, or toys, or other home relics ; and throwing these on the field are inspired to greater energy, and excited to greater passion of fierceness or revenge. •. • ; - - i am more convinced that the divination processes which I witnessed arose from craft, in that A-gus-ko- gaut, the Muskego chief whom we ? jcompanied on this occasion; professed himself to be a prophet of the Great Spirit, like one who in after-years appeared among the Shawnees, and obtained great infiuence and notoriety. A-gus-ko-gaut had some time before lost his son, and in this expedition he carried the je-bi, with the deter- mination to leave it in a bloody field of battle. But his design and the whole expedition came to an ignominious conclusion by the interference of an Ojib- beway ch'ef, Ta-bush-sha, which means, he that dodges TIIIUST ON THE PRAIRIE, 103 down, or the dodger, who the next morning overtook us from Pembinah, along with twenty warriors. This ambitious and restless chief, on arriving at the place of rendezvous, and hearing that a band of Muskegoes had started, was indignant that the lead should be taken by a people so despised by him, and was un- willing that one of them should head an expedition against the Sioux. He was a cunning man, and on arriving at the camp he dissembled, and professed nothing but good-will and friendliness ; saying he had hastened to the aid of his brethren the Muskegoes. A-gus-ko-gaut could not have been ignorant of the character of the dodger, and may have suspected his designs ; nevertheless, he received him with apparent cordiality, and bid him welcome. We all journeyed onward for several days, when in crossing some wide prairies the want of water was sorely felt, and the necessities of thirst caused some of the rules which I have described to be broken or disre- garded. The principal men were acquainted with the general features of the country we had to pass, and knew that water could be reached not very far ahead ; but most of the older warriors, being on foot, were exhausted with fatigue and thirst. In this emergency, it became necessary that such of the party as had horses, among whom were Wa-me-gon-a-biew and my- self, should go forward and search for water, and when it was found, make such signal as would inform the main body what course to take. There was no thought then about new warriors never preceding the old. I I I knew it would not be safe to remain among us after his liquor had begun to have its effect. The same evening A-ke-wah-zains asked me for my gun, which was a long, heavy, excellent one, in ex- change for his, which was short and light. I was un- willing to exchange, although I did not as yet know how great was the disparity between the two pieces ; and although Net-no-kwa was unwilling I should exchange, I did not see how to refuse, because such refusal of a request made by an older to a younger man is rare among the Indians. So I had to part with my own gun, and go out with the old man's piece. My first adventure with it proved its worthlessness. I chased a bear into a low poplar tree, after firing several times without appearing to do him any harm. I was at last compelled to climb ii.to the tree, and put the muzzle of my gun close to his head before I could kill him. A few days afterwards, as I was hunting, I started at the same moment an elk and three young bear cubs ; the latter running into a tree. I shot at the bears, and two of them fell. As I thought one or both of them must be only wounded^ I sprang forward immediately towards the trunk of the tree, but had scarcely reached it when I saw the old she-bear come jumping in an opposite direction. She caught up the cub which had fallen nearest her, while she stood on her hind feet, holding it as a woman holds her child. She looked at it for a moment, sniffed the ball hole which was in its belly, and perceiving it was dead, dashed it down, J' NARROW ESCAPE FROM A BEAR, 121 and came directly towards me, gnashing her t^* "-h and now walking so erect that her head stood as high as mine. All this was so sudden that I had scarcely re-loaded my gun, when she was close to the muzzle, having had only time to raise it. I now saw the necessity of a lesson I had been early taught by the Indian hunters, and which I rarely neglected, namely, after discharging my gun, to think of nothing else before loading it again. Firing at so close quarters left the bear no chance, i she instantly was rolled over. At this period I had a good deal of practice in bear- hunting. They seemed to be plentiful in the woods. I killed above twenty, notwithstanding the poorness of my gun. One old she-bear was quite white, and had four cubs, one white with red eyes and red nails, like herself, one brown, and two black. In size and other respects she was the same as the common black bear, being what is ca^^id an albino. The fur of the black is not so highly valued as the red by the trader. I had a narrow escape on one occasion. I came upon a bear in his hole, not very far from our lodge. I shot him, and waiting for the smoke to clear away, as he was lying perfectly still at the bottom, I supposed he was dead, and jumped down to prepare to draw him out My body filling the hole so as to exclude the light, I did not perceive he was still alive till I laid my hand upon him. On this, he turned and sprang upon me ; I retreated as fast as I could, but he was equally nimble, and as I ran I could feel his breath at one time 11 '"ill it 41 wry 122 GREY HAWK. **mm warm on my neck while snapping his teeth, so near did he get. He might have seized me then, and I cannot understand why he did not. I had caught up my gun as I leaped from the mouth of the den. He still pursued, though I had made a spurt when the sensation of his breath so near had startled me, and had now gained a little distance. My first fire wounded him and caused him to stop, and I soon killed him. I was ever afterwards very cautious about going into bears* holes without first being certain that the animals were dead. - As the sugar season came on we went to Buffalo- Hump Lake, two days' journey from the head of the Pembinah River, to hunt beavers. We took our wives to the hunting grounds, but left Net-no-kwa, with the children to make sugar. It was our object to kill beaver enough to enable us to purchase each a good horse, intending to accompany the war-party against the Sioux in the ensuing summer. In ten days I killed forty-two fine and large beavers, and Wa-me*gon-a-biew nearly as many. With these V 3 went to the Mouse River trading-house to buy horses. Mr. McKie had promised me, the last time I was there, to sell me a very strong and beautiful horse of his which I had seen, and I was much dissatisfied when I found that the horse had been sold to the North- West Company. I told him that since the horse had gone there, the beavers might go there also. On cross- ing to the other side I bought a large grey mare for thirty beaver skins. This was in some respects as good SOME INDIAN KINSFOLK, 12} th, so near hen, and I caught up e den. He t when the ed me, and re wounded killed him. going into the animals to Buffalo- lead of the k our wives ,ra, with the [ject to kill ach a good irty against ■ge beavers, IWith these ise to buy last time lutiful horse dissatisfied the North- horse had On cross- ly mare for :ts as good a horse as the other, but it did not please me so well. Wa-me-gon-a-biew also bought a horse from the Indians, and then we returned to Great Wood River, to look for old Net-no-kvva, but she had gone to Red River, whither v,^e followed her. My horse caused me much trouble, as will appear by-and-by, but I must not anticipate. We remained some time at the mouth of the As- sineboin River, and many Indians gathered round us ; among them some of my wife's relations, whom I had not before seen. Among them was an uncle, who was a cripple, and had for years scarcely been able to walk. He had heard of me only that I was a white man, and supposed that I could not hunt. When he saw my wife, he said to her, " Well, I hear you are married ; does your husband ever kill any game ? " This he said in a sneering incredulous tone, and my wife answered him in the same spirit : " Yes," said she, " if a moose or elk has lost his road, or wants to die, and comes and stands at our door or in his path, he will sometimes kill him ! " " Oh, he has gone to hunt to-day, has he not } If he kills anything, I beg you will give me the skin to make some moccasins." This he said in derision ; but on my return, on being told, I gave him the skin of the elk I had killed that day, to make his moccasins, at which he was much surprised and pleased. Continuing to be successful the next few days, I gave game to all my wife's relations, and soon heard no more of their ridicule, but was regarded by them with respect. After some time the game was exhausted, and we M If I ii.il «t>i 124 CJiEY ffAlVA\ ' if % m 1,1 % found it necessary to disperse in various directions. I went about ten miles up the Assineboin, when we found two lodges. These people were also relatives of my wife. When we first arrived, the wife of the chief man happened to be cooking a moose's tongue for her husband, whom she expected soon to return from hunting. This she gave us immediately, and would perhaps have further relieved our want, had not the men arrived. After this they gave us nothing ; although the children were crying, and there seemed plenty of meat about their lodges. It was now late, and I was too much fatigued to go out hunting that evening ; nevertheless, I would not suffer our women to purchase meat from them, as they wished to do. I saw these people considered us poor and helpless ; and by an in- hospitality unusual among Indians even towards com- plete strangers, they meant to treat us in a way that we must move away from quickly. So, at the earliest appearance of dawn in the morning, I took my gun, and, standing at the door of the lodge, I said purposely in a loud voice, " Can none but Po-ko-taw-ga-maw (which was the chiefs name) kill game?" My wife came out of the lodge and handed me a piece of dried meat which she had made her sister take for me. By this time several of the people had come out of the lodges, and I threw the piece of meat from me among the dogs, saying, "Shall such food as this be offered to my wife and children, when there are plenty of elks in the woods } " Before noon I had killed two fat elks, and brought back to the camp a heavy load of meat. ELK AND MOOSE SKINS, 125 There was a wonderful change from that time in their treatment of us, and we were pressed to stay, which we did for the short time it was convenient for us. We wanted to select some good skins of elk and moose for making moccasins. Those taken in the woods make better leather than the skins of animals in the open prairies, which are less strong and suited for this purpose. 1: ; - "■" .• i'',^' ■11 Jf \\ '< ;-< y ' Ml ^ I !pw|;i;.!!i|i|i CHAPTER VII. tr. Some Account of Indian Religious Ceremonies— Juggling Impos- tors— Feasts and Festivals— War Feasts— Medicine Hunts- Prophets, Seers, and Medicine Men— The Metai- Songs, Chants, and Legends— The Story of the Rag and Snow-man— Women's Work and Place in the Indian Lodge, \ ., ^^. ,y f 7 » CHAPTER VII. As we were travelling one day through the prairie we saw at a distance, coming in our direction, a man loaded with baggage, and having two of the large drums called Ta-wa-e-gun-num, used in the observances of the reli- gious ceremony called Waw-be-no. We looked to our young women for an explanation, as we soon recognised the approaching traveller to be no other than Pich-e-to, one of the band of inhospitable relatives we had lately left. The face of Squaw-shish, the Bow-we-tig girl, betrayed the consciousness of some knowledge respect- ing the motives of Pich-e-to. He soon came up, with his two drums, and stopped with us. Old Net-no-kwa was not backward in inquiring what had brought him, and when she found that his designs extended no farther than to the Bow-we-tig girl, she gave her con- sent to the match, and they were married, continuing with us for some time. He behaved quietly, and did not, when with us, make any parade of the religion of which he was a professor. I remember only that one night when there was a great thunderstorm, Pich-e-to became terribly alarmed, and got up and offered some tobacco to the thunder, as if it were the voice of a living being, and entreating it to stop. This was from his own ma 130 G/lEY ITAWIC. m liiij Ipiii aititmi *■'■ ' iiilHIlt ■il!l i *n- ^ 1 ■ L. ■ ) t ^^mt personal fear and superstition, and had nothing to do with the Waw-be-no, a false and mischievous religion then in some vogue among the young Ojibbeways and other tribes, although discountenanced by the older and more respectable Indians. The ceremonies of the Waw-be-no are attended with much noise and irregularity. The feasts differ from all other Indian feasts in being held in the night, and in the exhibition of many tricks with fire, by the chiefs of the sect. The initiated take red-hot embers in their hands, and sometimes put hot stones in their mouths. Sometimes they put powder on the insides of their hands, first moistening them to make it stick ; then by rubbing them on coals, or a red-hot stone, they make the powder burn. Occasionally one of the principal per- formers has a kettle brought and set down before him, which is taken boiling from the fire, and before it has time to cool he plunges his hands to the bottom, and brings up a piece of flesh that had purposely been put there. He then, while it is yet smoking or steaming hot, tears the flesh with his teeth, dancing and capering about all the time. . . These performances prove that the founders of this sect are a set of juggling impostors, who have per- suaded the ignorant that they possess supernatural power. It is on the same principle that medicine men and prophets obtain honour and influence, the know- ledge possessed by them being made power. In the case of the Waw-be-no fire-eaters and fire-handlers, the knowledge is that of a preparation of certain herbs, INDIAN' JUGGLING IMPOSTORS. «3i ng to do i religion vays and Dlder and ided with r from all it, and in chiefs of 5 in their r mouths. of their ; then by ley make cipal per- fore him, >re it has tom, and 3een put steaming capering of this ave per- ^rnatural ine men e know- In the ~[lers, the herbs, which make the parts to which it is applied less sensible to heat. One of these plants is a species of yarrow or millefoil ; another grows on the prairies. These plants they mix and bruise, or chew together, and rub over their hands and arms. The yarrow poultice is a common remedy for burns; but when mixed with some other herb, not so well known, the mixture certainly gives to the skin, even of the lips and the tongue, wonderful power of resisting the effects of fire. The Waw-be-no is not, however, confined to these juggling exhibitions. The performers are a crafty and unprincipled set, and the night festivals are the source of much evil, excited by the singing and dancing, and drink when they can get it. The drum is made of a portion of the trunk of a tree, hollowed by fire, and with skin tied tightly over it. There is no music, but much noise and disturbance. No wonder that the sedater Indians set their faces against the Waw-be-no, which gradually fell into disrepute. I may here introduce some account of the other chief feasts and festivals common among the Indians. Before the whites introduced regular trade for the pro- ceeds of their hunting, and brought among them the general use of intoxicating drinks, the assembling for feasts was the principal and most favourite source of excitement in times of peace. When game was plenti- ful feasts were frequent, and the man who gave many feasts was accounted a great man. They used to assemble for feasting on many special occasions. I n\ js 132 GREY HAWK. % '■■■|.5l!illl il! .i|l! ;:!;! have already mentioned the custom of feasting when a young hunter kills his first animal, and the greater the game, such as a moose or a buffalo, the greater the entertainment. There are feasts also at marriages, at the naming of children, and in celebrating other family events. There is also the feast with the dead, eaten at the graves of deceased relatives or friends. At these each person, before he eats, cuts off a small portion of flesh, and casts it into the fire, round which they sit. The smoke and smell of these offerings, they say, attracts the Je-bi or spirits to come, unseen, and to eat with them. The war feast is, as its name implies, one of a special and occasional kind. It is made before starting, or on the way to the enemy's country. There may be four, or eight, or twelve, or any even number of warriors to partake of it, but never an odd number, which would bring evil luck. The whole animal, whether deer or bear, or whatever it is, being cooked, they are expected to consume the entire carcase. Any man who fails to eat his share is liable to the ridicule of his gorman- dizing companions, and compelled to do his best (or worst), just as in other countries it is said that people compel their comrades to drink to excess. If a man can eat no more, and none of the others volunteer to help to consume the portion, he is compelled to give tobacco or something as a forfeit, and if there are others at hand they are called to finish the food. They are very careful throughout this feast that no bone of the animal eaten sLall be broken, the reason assigned being ::li ill* I ^^\ |! . ■>" I I ?•;, ''^ 'tlf!||)| null \ CEREMONIES OF THE METAL 133 that they may signify to the great Spirit their desire and hope of returning home to their own country with their bones uninjured. The bones are carefully tied up and hung on a tree, after the flesh is stripped off as clean as possible. - . .* Under the name of the Metai are included the feasts and ceremonies belonging to the most important of the Indian ideas of religion. There is no order or caste of priests among them. The n:.^dicine men who subsist and gain influence, partly by some knowledge of the use of remedies, but chiefly by practising on th ir credulity, have the nearest resemblance to a priestly caste. They sell charms or medicines for ensuring success in war, or in hunting, or in gaining the affection of the females, and for other purposes. Sometimes a man has ascendency through pretending to interpret dreams, or to receive revelations from the great Spirit, and is reverenced as a prophet or seer. If there are no medicine men or prophets of great repute at hand, some of the aged men, esteemed to possess wisdom and ex- perience, are chosen as chiefs for the Metai. The guests are invited by a Me-zhin-no-way, or business man of a chief, who delivers to each a small stick, as a form of invitation. In the south, small pieces of rane are thus used ; in the north, quills are sometimes substituted, which are dyed and kept for the purpose. No verbal message is delivered with this symbol. Dogs are always included in the food at the feast, from a belief that, as they are most useful animals to man, they will be more acceptable to the divinities than any other 12 i -. ■'V t. 'V.. ^-tj '.' ^ , .. ,v»,.' ,.,„ ened round h the strap n the path lie way, she igan, a dis- old man's e shores of " «■ 3 she told the Mackinac. CHAPTER VIII. 13 3 New War Expedition against the Sioux — United Bands of Ofib- bewaySy Ottawwaws, and Assineboins — Following the Trail of the Sioux — The Indian War-whoop — Retreat of the Sioux — Horse-stealing^In Search of my Horse ^ Stolen by Assine- boins— Curious Rencontre on a Prairie — Indian Lodges — Hospitable Usages — Family and Village Life, C;, 14« CHAPTER VIII. I At this time there were fresh rumours of a war party preparing to go against the Sioux, and we again re- solved to accompany it. We therefor^ went toward the prairie land, in order to kill buffaU.es hat we might make dry meat sufficient for our Hmiii^s during our absence. After we had killed ^nC- «. ried large quan- tities of meat, we erected a sun egwun, or a scaffold, where we deposited as much ^.a we thought would supply the wants of our families till our return. Be- fore we had entirely finished the preparations for our journey, we were suddenly fallen upon by a war party of about two hundred Sioux, who killed some of our people. A small party of Assineboins and Crees had already gone out towards the Sioux country, and, fall- ing by accident on the trace of this war party, had dogged them for some time, Coming repeatedly near enough to see the crane's head, used by their chief in- stead of stones, in the nightly divination, which I have already described as customary among the Indians to discover the position of an enemy. This little band of Assineboins and Crees had not courage enough to fall upon the Sioux, but they sent messengers to the Ojibbeways, by a circuitous route. These came to the «47 t4» GREY HAWK, H lodge of the principal chief of the Ojibbcways, who was huntinji in advance of his people. He scorned to dis- play fear. By retreating at once to the trader's fort, he might have escaped the danger that was imminent. He made some preparation to move, but his old wife, being then jealous of a younger one now in higher favour than herself, reproached him, and complained that he cared more for the young woman than for herself. He said to her : *' You have for a long time annoyed me by your jealou.iy, and by your complaints ; I must hear no more of it. The Sioux are near, and I will wait for them." He accordingly remained, and con- tinued hunting. Early one morning he went up into an oak-tree that stood near his lodge, to look over the prairie for buffalo, and in descending he was shot by two young men of the Sioux, who had been in conceal- ment near the place great part of the night. It is probable they would have fallen upon him sooner but for fear. Now the trampling of horses was heard, and the men who were with the chief had scarce time to run out of the lodge, when the two hundred Sioux were upon them. There was fighting for some time, but in the end all the Ojibbeways there, about twenty in num- ber, were killed, except Aisainse (the little clam), a brother of the chief, and two women with one child. The Ojibbeways at the fort soon heard of it, and the trader at Pembinah gave them ammunition to pursue the party that had killed th*^ chief, who was his father- in-law. A large body assembled, four hundred in all, of whom one hundred were Assineboins, the remaining QUARRELS IN THE CAAfP. 149 three hundred being Ojibbeways and Crees, with some Muskegoes. My brother and I accompanied them. In the course of the firr.t day after we left the fort, nearly one hundred Ojibbeways deserted and went back. In the following night the Asisineboins left in consider- able numbers, having stolen many horses, and among them four belonging to me and Wa-me-gon-a-biew. I had only five pairs of moccasins, intending to make the whole journey on horseback, and I felt it a great mis- fortune to have lost my horses. I went to Pe-shaw-ba, who was chief of the band of Ottawwaws to which we belonged, and told him I intended to make reprisals from the small number of Assineboins still with us. He would not consent, saying, very justly, that this would raise a quarrel which would entirely interrupt and frustrate the designs of the whole expedition. His advice, though I knew it to be good so far as the in- terest of the whole was concerned, did nothing to remove my private grievances, and I went from one to another of the Ottawwaws, and those I considered friendly among the Ojibbeways, endeavouring to per- suade them to join me in taking horses from the Assineboins. None would consent except a young man named Gish-kau-ko, a relative of him by whom I had been taken prisoner. He agreed to watch with me the thirteen Assineboins who still remained in the camp, and if opportunity offered, without directly using force, to assist me in taking horses from them to re- place those which their people had stolen from me. Soon after, I saw eight of these thirteen lingering in the '! % 3M. Ml ^ME' ! 150 <7^i?K HAWK\ camp one morning, and I believed it was their intention to leave us and turn back. I called Gish-kau-ko to watch them with me ; and, sure enough, as soon as most of the Ojibbeways had moved forward, these men got on their horses, and turned their faces to go home. We resolved to follow and still to watch. As we knew we could not take the horses by force, as they were well armed, we left our arms, and followed them with nothing in our hands. Perceiving that they were followed, one of them dismounted, and waited to hold a parley with us ; but they were too wary and cautious to give us any opportunity of taking their horses. The others had now also halted. We tried entreaties, to give us two of the horses for the four that had been stolen by their brothers. As this had no effect, I told them that their five companions whom they had left behind would not be safe among us ; but this threat, instead of having any good effect, only in- duced them to send a messenger on their swiftest horse to warn these men to beware of me. We returned to the main party on foot, and took the first opportunity of visiting the camp of the five Assineboins ; but they had taken alarm on the arrival of the messenger, and had fled with their horses. At a lake near Red River we came on the path of the retiring Sioux, by whom the Ojibbeway chief had been killed. We found the dead body of a young Sioux, which the Ojibbeways beat and kicked, and took the scalp. Pe-shaw-ba forbid me and the young men of his party to join in such unmanly and unworthy NUMEROUS rESERTIONS. iff outrages. The trail being quite recent, we thought we could not be more than two or three days behind the Sioux. At Lake Traverse, our numbers had diminished to one hundred and twenty ; of these three were half- breed Assineboins, about twenty Crees, and as many Ottawwaws, the rest Ojibbeways. Many of the original party had been discouraged by unfavourable divina- tions ; among others, one by Pe-shaw-ba, the Ottawwaw chief, made "^n the first night after we left Pembinah. He told us that in his dream he saw the eyes of the Sioux, like the sun ; they saw everywhere, and always discovered the Ojibbeways before the latter came near enough to strike them. Probably he said this to incite to greater watchfulness, but it had the effect of dis- couragement, as if he had not confidence in his own side, and may have caused some of the numerous desertions so early in the journey. He also told, as part of his dream, that he had seen all our party re- turning, unharmed, and without bearing any scalps of enemies ; but he said that on the left-hand side of Lake Traverse, opposite our road, he saw two lodges of Sioux by themselves, which he intended to visit on his return. Due west from Lake Traverse, at the distance of two days* travel, is a mountain called O-ge-mah-wud-ju (chief mountain), near which is the village to which the war party we were pursuing belonged. As we approached this mountain, we moved in a more <::autious and guarded manner, most common'y lying hid in the '52 GREY HAWK, 'i'it I I woods during the day, and travelling at night. When at last we were within a few miles, we halted in the middle of the night, and waited for the approach of the earliest dawn, the time the Indians usually choose for an attack. Late in the night, a warrior of high reputation, the Black Duck, took the reins of his horse in his hand, and walked on towards the village. Having seen him thus advancing I joined him, and he allowed me to accompany him. We arrived at early dawn at the little hill which sheltered our approach from bemg seen in the village. Raising his head cautiously to reconnoitre, the Black Duck saw two men walking at some dis- tance in front of him. As they evidently had not observed him, he descended the hill a little, to meet our advancing people, and then tossing his blanket in a peculiar manner thereby made a signal to the Ojibbe- ways to rush on. Instantly there was a tearing off of leggings, stripping off and throwing down of blankets, and the whole band leaped to the feet of Black Duck, with whom they moved silently and swiftly over the crest of the hill, and soon stood on the site of the village. After passing the crest of the hill they saw the two men, who instead of flying came calmly to- wards them ; and turned out to be two. of the young men of their own band. They had left the main party when they halted in the night, and without giving any notice of their intention, had gone forward at once to reconnoitre what they supposed to be the position of the enemy. But they had found the Sioux village THE INDIAN WAR-WHOOP. »53 deserted many hours before, and they had walked about, scaring away the wolves from among the rubbish ; then they slowly returned to meet their own people advancing. It was well for them that the light by this time allowed them to be at once recognised, for the band, after their silent advance, as r>oon as they topped the hill, had raised the Sas-sah-kvvi, or war-whoop, as they came down the slope with a rush. The loud and piercing sound of the Indian war- whoop, especially \i raised suddenly and heard unex- pectedly, has a most thrilling effect. It intimidates and depresses the weak, or those who are surprised without arms in their hands, while it rouses the spirit of those who are defiant and ready for battle. I have observed, on many occasions, a surprising effect upon animals. I have seen a buffalo so terrified by it as to fall down in his steps, being able neither to run, nor to make any resistance. I have seen a bear so terror-stricken as to quit his hold in climbing a tree, and fall to the ground in utter helplessness. Although the village was found deserted, the chiefs were not willing to relinquish the object of the journey, and we followed along the trail of the Sioux. We found at each of their encampments the place of divina-' tion, from the appearance of which we were able to infer that they knew accurately our position from day to day. Though retiring, they still kept on the alert. There was now, among the young men of the expedi- tion, an increased disposition to desert. The chiefs laboured to prevent this by appointing certain persons IS4 GREY HAWJC. ■"'! V'i 4'- li whom they could rely upon, to act as sentinels, both in the encampments and during the marches ; but this measure, so far from being effectual to stop desertion, seemed rather to increase it, perhaps because the young r en dislike and despise the idea of restraint of any kind. They became more dissatisfied and troublesome after we had crossed the head of the river St. Peter, getting into regions not known to them. The traders have a fort somewhere on the upper part of the river, to which the Sioux had retired. When we got within a day's journey of this fort, fear and hesitancy became manifest throughout our band. The chiefs desired to send some of the young men forward to examine the position of the enemy, but none of them offered them- selves for this service. We remained for two days in the same place, and took advantage of the time for supplying the wants of those who were deficient in moccasins or other necessary articles. It is the custom during a war expedition, if any one's supply of ammunition, or moccasins, or other necessary part of dress should have failed, to obtain from others what he needs. If he wants moccasins, he takes a single one in his hand and walks about the encampment, pausing a moment before each of his companions, as he hopes he may supply his need. He has no occasion to say anything, as those who happen to have an overstock are usually glad to furnish him. Should this method fail, the chief of the party is appealed to, who then dresses himself in his war dress, and accompanied by two or three young warriors, goes 11 TROUBLES ABOUT HORSES. I5S through the camp, and from those who have the greatest quantity takes what may be necessary of the articles required. On the morning of the third day we broke up the camp and turned back. We returned towards the village at the Chief Mountain, in case any of the people might have gone back there. If they had been, we could not have surprised them, for our young men had lost all discipline, and those who had horses rode noisily and recklessly forward. After leaving the Chief Mountain, and advancing some distance on the plains towards home, we found that we were watched and followed by a party of nearly a hundred Sioux. At a river named Gaunenoway, rising from the Chief Mountain, and running into Red River, several days' journey from Lake Traverse, there was a quarrel be- tween Pe-shaw-ba and an Ojibbeway chief. Ma-men- o- guaw-sink, on account of a horse which I thought I had a right to take from some Crees, whom I knew to be friends of the Assineboins who had robbed me of mine. This chief having killed a Cree was anxious to do something to gain friends among that people. It happened that Pe-shaw-ba and myself were travelling together at a little distance from the main body, and I was leading the horse which I had taken, when Ma-men-o-guaw-sink came up to us, accompanied by some of his friends, and fiercely demanded the horse. Pe-shaw-ba, who probably did not know all the circum- stances, but was ready to stand by his own followers, immediately cocked his gun, placing the muzzle close 156 GREY HAWK, «ii|| lBi.li: 'C I' ■ to the Ojibbeway chief's heart, and so intimidated him by threats and reproaches, that he desisted. The Ottawwaws, seeing their chief thus engaged, now stopped, and Pe-shaw-ba remaining at their head, fell in the rear of the body, in order to avoid further trouble on account of this horse, all of them apparently unwilling that I should give it up. There were four men of this war party who walked in six days from the Chief Mountain to Pembinah, but others of our band, although with horses, took ten days for the journey. When I arrived at Pembiaah, I found my family had gone to the mouth of the Assineboin. After the separation of our party, my .special friends having left my route at Pembinah, my hor t was stolen from me at night. I knew who had taken, him^ and as the man was encamped at no great distance, I took arms in my hands and went in the morning to retake him. On my way I met Pe-shaw-ba, wn > peremptorily forbade me to proceed. He was u prudent and good man, and remeniber' ,• how he had taken my part about the h.irse before I knew he had reasons for interfering now. I might have gone on to take the horse, contrary to his order, but I did not choose to do so, and returned along with him on my way. I had no moccasins left, and felt the more angry at the loss of my horse, for my feet became swollen and wounded, and I had yet two days' long walk. I found my family in great want, as my absence had extended to nearly three months. The time had been wasted in long anc' toilsome marches, all resulting in nothir-;^, ASSLVEBO/N HORSESTEALERS. ni as war expeditions often do, even when enemies meet, which we never did. It was necessary for me to go out to hunt immediately, although the condition of my feet made the effort painful. Fortunately I succeeded in killirg a moose the first time I went out. The next day snow fell to a considerable depth, which made the capture of game more easy, and we soon 1 ad plenty of food. I had been at home but a short time when I heard that the Assineboins had boasted of taking my horse. As I was preparing to go in pursuit of them, an Ojibbe- way, who had often tried to dissuade me from any attempt to recover him, gave me a horse on condition that I would not attempt to retake my own ; accord- ingly, for some time I said no more about it. Having spent the winter at the mouth of the Assine- boin, I went to make sugar at Great Wood River ; but here it was told me that the Assineboins were still boasting of having taken my horse from me. With some persuasion I prevailed upon Wa-me-gon-a-bi;jw to accompany me in an attempt to recover him. At the end of four days' journey 2 came to the first Assineboin village, ten miles fron the Mouse River trading-house. This village cons sted of about thirty lodges. We were observed before we came to the village, as the Assineboins, bei j a revolted band of the Sioux nation, and now allied with the Ojibbeways, are in constant apprehension of an attack from the Sioux, and therefore, always station some men to watch for the approach of strangers. The quarrel which 14 i m In ' " ' { I mm m.. 158 C7i^£'K HAWK. resulted in the separation of the band of the Bvvoin- nug, or Roasters, as the Ojibbeways call the Sioux, orif^inated in a dispute about a woman, and happened some years before, as we were told. So many Ojibbe- ways and Crees now live among them that they are most commonly able to understand something of the Ojibbeway language, though their own dialect is very unlike it, resembling closely that of the Sioux. One of the men who came out to meet us was Ma-men-o-guaw-sink, with whom Pe-shaw-ba had quar- relled some time before on my account When he came up to us, he asked where we were going. I told him, " I am come for the horses which the Assineboins stole from us." " You had better," said he, " return as you came, for if you go to the village, they will take your life." To these threats I paid no attention, but inquired for Ba-gis-kuii-nung, the men of whose family had taken our horses. They replied that they could not tell where he was ; that he and his sons had, soon after the return of the war party, gone to the Mandans, and had not yet. come back ; that when they came among the Mandans, the former owner of my mare, recognising the animal, had taken her from the son of Ba-gis-kun-nung ; but that the latter had remunerated himself by stealing a fine black horse, with which he escaped and had not been heard of since. Wa-me-gon-a-biew being discouraged, and perhaps intimidated by the reception we met in this village, endeavoured to dissuade me from going further; and when he found he could not prevail, he left me to i I STRANGE RENCONTRE ON A PRAIRIE, 159 pursue my horse by myself, and returned home. I would not be discouraged, but determined to visit every village and camp of the Assineboins, rather than return without my horse. I went to the Mouse River trading-house, where I was well-known, and having explained the object of my journey, they gave me two pounds of powder and thirty balls, with some knives and small articles, and directed me how to reach the next village. As I was pursuing my journey by myself, I had occasion to cross a very wide prairie, on which I saw at a distance something lying on the ground resembling a log of wood. As I knew there could be no wood in such a place, unless it were dropped by some person, I then thought it was probably some article of dress, or a blanket, or possibly the body of a man who might have perished when on a journey or when out hunting. I made my approach cautiously, and presently discovered that it was a man lying on his belly, with his gun in his hand, and waiting for wild geese to fly over. His attention was fixed in the direction opposite to that on which I approached, and I came very near him without his being aware of my presence, when he rose and discharged his gun at a flock of geese. I now sprang forward ; the noise of hawk bells and the silver ornaments of my dress notified him of my approach, but I caught him in my arms before he had time to make any resistance. His gun being unloaded, he felt he was helpless ; and seeing himself captured he cried out " Assineboin," to which I answered " Ojibbcway." We were both glad we could i6o GREY HAWK. m H • ■ ''II I, IM'fi Mtt;; It; iHI Iti!! , ii !!l treat each other as friends, and although we could not converse on account of the dissimilarity of our dialects, I motioned him to sit down on the ground beside me, with which request he immediately complied. I gave him a goose I had killed shortly before, and after resting a few minutes, signified to him that I would accompany him to his lodge. A walk of about two hours brought us in sight of his village, and when we entered it I followed him to his lodge. Here I witnessed a curious custom, not common to other Indians. As I entered the lodge after my com- panion I saw an old man and old woman, who at once covered their heads with their blankets, and my companion disappeared into a small division of the lodge merely large enough to admit one, and to con- ceal him from the remainder of the family. Here he remained, his food handed to him by his wife ; but though secluded from sight he maintained by conver- sation some intercourse with those without. When he wished to pass out of the lodge, his wife gave notice to her parents, and they concealed their heads, and again in the same manner when he came in. This formality is strictly observed by the married men among the Assineboins, and I believe among all the Bwoin-nug, or Dah-ko-tah, as they call themselves. It is known to exist among the Omowhows of tlie Missouri. If a man enters a dwelling in which his son-in-law is seated, the latter conceals his face until he departs. While the young remain witii the parents of their wives, they have always this separate lodge within, or there is a CURIOUS DOMESTIC CUSTOMS, i6i partition made by suspending mats or skins. Into this little compartment the wife reclines at night ; by day she is the organ of communication with those without ; the man retaining as little intercourse as possible with the family. A man rarely, if ever, mentions the name of his father-in-law, and it is considered highly in- decorous to do so. This custom does not exist in any shape among the Ojibbeways, and they look upon it as a very foolish and troublesome one. I was describing it long afterwards to a white man, who laughed, and said, " It was right for a young couple to begin early to be independent of the family from which the wife is taken, and it was best for a mother-in-law to have her mouth covered." I only mention what I myself observed. The people of this lodge treated me with much kind- ness. Notwithstanding the great scarcity of corn in the country they had a little reserved, which they cooked and gave. The young man told them how much he had been frightened by me in the prairie, at which they all laughed heartily. This village consisted of twenty- five lodges, but although I inquired of many of them, none of them knew where Ba-gis-kun-nung was to be found. There was another village, they told me, at the distance of about a day's journey ; he might be there. I remained a little longer at the lodge of the young man I had found in the prairie, and then went out to start for the next village. Geese were flying over, and I raised my gun and shot one. It fell in the midst of M GREY HAWK. lii! i% a number of Assineboins. Seeing there a very old and miserable looking man, I motioned to him to go and get it. But he must first come up to me to express his gratitude by a method I had not before seen used. He came up, and placing both his hands on the top of my head, passed them several times down the long hair that hung over my shoulders, at the same time muttering something in his own language that I could not understand. He then went and took up the goose, and returning, he communicated to me by signs which I had no difficulty to understand, that I must go to his lodge and eat with him before I could leave the village. While he was roasting the goose, I went about from lodge to lodge to look at their horses, thinking I might see mine amongst them, but I did not. Some of the young men of the village accompanied me, but without any arms, and all seemed friendly ; but when I was ready to start for the next village I noticed that one of them, mounted on a fleet horse, started to precede me. When I arrived at this village no one took the slightest notice of me, or even seemed to see me. They were a band with which I had previously had no acquaintance, and I could perceive that they had been prejudiced against me. Their chief was a dis- tinguished hunter, who I heard was soon afterwards killed. He had been absent from home unusually long, and by following his track they found he had been attacked by a grizzly bear on the prairie and was killed. 2 a very old :o him to go p to me to d not before >th his hands il times down at the same anguage that and took up ed to me by- stand, that I ^fore I could the goose, I their horses, ut I did not. mpanied me, riendly; but je I noticed e, started to le took the to see me. viously had It they had was a dis- afterwards isually long, - had been e and was IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 11.25 121 125 ■u 122 12.2 Hiotographic Sciences Corporation // ^ fe A 23 WIST MAIN STRUT WIBSTER.N.Y. MSM (716)I72-4S03 4*« l!l t. ;;i!l IK V Failing to find my own Horse, I take one belonging to the Assine- boin Chief— A Question of Conscience— Pursued by the Indians —Have to abandon the Horse and hide in the Bush — After- wards I take the Horse of a noted Horsestealer— foin a War Party — Assault on a Mandan Fortified Village by Sioux Warriors— Scalps as Trophies— The Shawnee Prophet— Visit from one of his Emissaries — Successful Beaver Trapping. iW il! fill J, I ti4 CHAPTER IX. Finding the people of this band decidedly unfriendly, 1 went into none of their lodges, but stood about, watching their horses to see if I could discover mine among them. I had heard at the last village of a young horse belonging to the chief, noted for its beauty and fleetness, and I soon recognised this animal, known to me only by description. Thinking that I was only taking what was fairly due from a chief one of whose people had taken my horse, I resolved to try to possess myself of this one. I had a halter under my blanket, and v*atching a favourable opportunity, I slipped it on the head of the horse, mounted him, and fled at full speed. I was excited to this action principally by a feeling of irritation at the unfriendly conduct of the people of the village, and of their chief, for it had not been my intention to take any horse but the one which belonged to me. But in the state of mind I then had, the feeling of right was subverted, as is often the case, by the reasoning that it was not wrong to take from those who were connected with the robber of my horse. When the horse and myself were out of breath, I stopped to look back, and the Assineboin lodges were scarce visible, looking only like little specks on the .65 I. I 1 66 GREY HAWK, I I) distant prairie. I now reflected that I was doingf wrong/ conscience resuming its sway, for I was stealing away the favourite horse of a man who had never personally injured me, though he had refused the customary dues of hospitality. I got down and left the horse ; but had scarce done so, when I saw thirty or forty men on horseback, who had before been concealed in a depres- sion of the prairie ; they were in pursuit, and very near me. I had just time to fly to a little thicket of low hazel bushes, when they were upon me. They rode about for some time, searching, and this delay enabled me to get into closer concealment on the ground among the bushes. At length most of them dismounted, the others holding their horses, and dispersed themselves in various directions, seeking for me. Some came very near me, and then turned off* in other directions My position was such that I could watch them with- out exposing myself. One young man began sing- ing his war-song, and laying aside his gun, came straight towards the place where I lay, with only his war club in hand. I thought I must have been dis- covered, for he advanced till not above thirty or forty paces from me. My gun was cocked and aimed at his heart. It was a terrible moment, for even if I had killed him the others would have immediately made an end of me. But when within about twenty paces he stopped, then turned and went back. It is not probable that he saw me ; but perhaps the thought of his being watched by an unseen enemy, with a gun, and whose position he could not ascertain till almost ''^. DANGEROUS ADVICE. 167 Mng wrong,* over him, had overcome his valorous spirit. They con- tinued their search for a time that seemed painfully prolonged, but at length after talking awhile, they gathered together for returning, taking back the chiefs horse to the village. I travelled towards home, rejoicing in my escape, and without halting for the night, either on that or the succeeding one. I arrived in the evening of the third day at the Mouse River trading-house. The traders, when I told them my adventure, said I was a fool for not having brought the chiefs horse. They had heard much of his qualities, and would, as they said, have paid me a high price for him. In the Assineboin village, ten miles from this trad- ing-house, I had a friend called Be-na (pheasant), and when I had passed through I requested him, while I should be absent, to endeavour to discover my horse, or at least to ascertain, and be able to tell me, where I could find Ba-gis-kun-nung. When I returned there, after visiting Mouse River trading-house, Be-na took me immediately to a lodge where a couple of old women lived, and looking through a crevice, he pointed out to me the lodge of Ba-gis-kun-nung, and those of his four sons. Their horses were feeding about, and among them we distinguished the fine black one they had brought from the Mandans irt place of mine. Wa-me-gon-a-biew had been to the trading-house, but returned to the village before I arrived, and was now waiting for me at the lodge of some of the sons of Taw-ga-we-ninne, who were his cousins, and were very 1 68 GREY HAWK. i m. I" C friendly to him. He had sent a messenger to Ba-gis- kun-nung, offering him a gun, a chief's coat, and all the property he had about him, for a horse to ride home. When I heard of this I reproved him, and told him if Ba-gis-kun-nung had accepted his presents, it would only have occasioned additional trouble to me, as I should have been compelled to take not only a horse but these presents also. I went, soon after my arrival at the village, to Ba-gis- kun-nung, and said to him, " I want a horse." " I shall not give you one," he answered. "I will take one, then." " If you do, I will shoot you." With this I returned to the lodge of Be-na, and made my prepara- tions for starting early in the morning. Be-na gave me a new buffalo robe to ride home upon, and I got from an old woman a piece of leather thong for a halter, having left mine on the chief's horse. I did not sleep in Be-na's lodge, but with our cousins, and very early in the morning, as I was ready to start, I went to Be-na's lodge, but he was not awake. I had a very good new blanket, which I spread over him without making any noise ; then, along with Wa-me-gon-a-biew, I started. When we came in sight of the lodge of Ba-gis-kun-nung, we saw the eldest of his sons sitting on the outside, and watching the horses. My brother endeavoured to dis- suade me from the design of attempting to take one, since we could not do it without being seen, and had every reason to believe they were prepared to take violent measures to prevent us from succeeding in the attempt. I told him I would not listen to his advice, THE BLACK HORSE, 169 but consented to go with him some distance on the road, and lay down our baggage ; then we were to return together and take the horse. When we had proceeded as far as I thought necessary, I laid down my load ; but Wa-me-gon-a-biew, seeing me esolved to go back, began to run. At the same time that he ran from the village, I ran towards it, and when the son of Ba-gis- kun-nung saw me coming, he began to call out as loud as he could in his own language. I could only dis- tinguish the words, "Ojibbeway" and "horse." I an- swered, "Not altogether an Ojibbeway." The village was instantly in njotion. In the faces of most of those who gathered round, I could see no settled determina- tion to act in any way ; but there was encouragement in the countenances of Be-na and a number of Crees who were about him. There was a manifest hostility only in the Ba-gis-kun-nungs. I was so excited that I could not feel my feet touch the ground, but I think I had no fear. When I had got my halter on the head of the black horse, I stood for a moment hesitating to get on him ; as in the act of doing so I must, for the moment, deprive myself of the power of using my arms, and could not avoid exposing myself to an attack behind. But recollecting that anything like indecision would at this time have an unfavourable effect, I gave a jump to mount the horse, but jumped so much higher and further than was necessary, that I fell sprawling on the ground on the other side of the horse, my gun in one hand and my bow and arrows in the other. I re- gained my feet as quickly as I could, and looked round 15 'i i. ■mm m C !iiM!ir:i! 170 GHEY JIAIVIC. -'•■ --m to watch the motions of my enemies ; but presently an universal shout of laughter, in which all joined but the Ba-gis-kun-nungs, gave me some confidence, and I pro- ceeded deliberately to mount. I knew that if they could have ventured to make an open attack upon me they would have taken the opportunity when I was lying on the ground, and in a position not ready to make any dangerous resistance. The hearty and general laughter of the Indians convinced me also that what I was doing was not generally offensive to them. When I turned to ride off, I saw Wa-me-gon-a-biew still running like a frightened turkey ; he was almost out of sight. When I overtook him, I said : " My brother, you must be tired and out of breath, I will lend you my horse." Just then we saw two men coming on horseback from the village to pursue us. Wa-me-gon-a- biew was alarmed, and would have rode off, leaving me to settle the difficulty with the two men as I could ; but perceiving his intention, I called to him to leave the horse, which he did, and resumed his flight on foot. When the two men had approached within about half a mile of me, I got down from the horse, and taking the halter in my hand, stood with my face to them. They stopped at some distance from me, and looking round in the other direction, I saw Wa-me-gon-a-bievv had hid himself in the bushes. The two men stood in the road for some time, and I remained facing them, holding the horse. Many people from the village I could see stand- ing on a little elevation near the lodges, watching what would be done. The two Ba-gis-kun-nungs, getting tired HUE AND CRY. 171 of stanclliifj, then separated, and one came round upon one side, the other on the other side of nie. It was tlien, I thought, they would approach, and get iin opportunity of shooting me down ; but they went on upon either side and joined each other again on the path, between me and Wa-me-gon-a-biew. Perhaps they thougl *" he was in ambush ready to fire on them. Evidently they lacked courage, so getting on the horse I rode toward them ; but they turned out of my way, and went back toward the village. In this affair I found Wa-me-gon- a-biew more cowardly than it was usual even for him to be ; but it happened that the leading men in the village were not sorry that I came to take a horse from Ba gis-kun-nung and his sons. They were considered troublesome and bad men ; hence I was able to carry through this affair alone, and without any help from Wa-me-gon-a-biew. After the two men had turned back, my brother jo.ned me from among the bushes where he had lain concealed. We found that night the lodge of our old friend Waus-so, who used formerly to live with Pe-shaw- ba. The horse I had taken I left tethered in the woods, not wishing to tell Waus-so of what I had done. But during the night, after I had gone to sleep, Wa-me-gon- a-biew began to relate to him all that happened the preceding day, and when he came to hear of my jump- ing over the horse, of which I had told my brother, the old man waked me with his loud and hearty laughter. Next morning we continued our journey towards our home. I had for some time two horses, and to a friend 17a GREY HAWK* III i i»*. '*...; ^,;! e'^ 111 in exchange for such articles as were required for their use and comfort. I was not present when this talk was made. When it was reported to me, and a share of the presents offered me, I not only refused to accept any- thing, but reproached the Indians for submitting to such terms. They had long been accustomed to receive credits in the fall ; and they were accordingly now entirely destitute not only of clothing, but of ammu- nition, and most of them of guns and traps. It might be proper, after due notice, to establish the proposed system, but how were they, without aie credit that had always been given by the traders, to support themselves and their families during the ensuing winter ? I went to Mr. Wells a few days afterwards, and told him that I was poor, with a family to support by my own exertions, and that I must unavoidably suffer, and perhaps perish, unless he would give me such a credit as I had always, in the fall, been accustomed to receive. He would not listen to my representations, and told me, roughly, to be gone from his house. I then brought eight silver beavers, such as are worn by the women as ornaments on their dress, and which I had purchased the year before at just twice the price that was com- monly given for a capote. I laid them before him on the table, and asked him to retain them as a pledge for the payment of the price of the garment, as soon as I could procure the peltries. He took up the ornaments, threw them in my face, and told me never to come inside of his house again. The cold weather had not yet set in, and I went immediately to my hunting- or their alk was I of the ^pt any- to such receive rly now ammu- It might )roposed :hat had emselves and told t by my [ffer, and a credit receive, told me, brought omen as urchased /as com- him on edge for oon as I naments, to come had not hunting- 5 S i r* ^Ill ^/i: **»i I I., !K; .1 , C 5*, :«t i << \i DEALINGS WITH THE TRADERS. 209 ground, killed a number of moose, and set my wife to make the skins into such garments as were best adapted for the winter season, and which I now saw we should be compelled to substitute for the blankets and woollen rugs we had been accustomed to receive from the traders. I may here remark that, at the trading stations, the skin of the beaver was the standard of value by which all other peltries were regulated. In obtaining stores or ammunition, or other articles, for services rendered or labour executed, the payment is reckoned by skins, that of the beaver being the unit of computation. Thus, for instance, supposing that four beaver skins are equal in value to a silver fox skin, two martens or sables are equal to a beaver, twenty musk rats to a marten, and so on. If an Indian wishes to buy a blanket or a gun, he will have to account to the trader of the Company so manj beaver skins, so many martens, or other furs. The Company usually gives in advance blankets or ammunition or other necessaries, when the summer supplies arrive at the posts or trading stations, these advances being paid for at the close of the hunting season. At this time the traders used to supply rum and other intoxicating spirits to the Indians, who often wasted in this way the whole of their earnings, to the benefit of the traders, and had to go without necessary or useful articles of winter supply. Many of them thus continued in a state of constant poverty and depend- ence. Not having taste for drinking, I was usually less pressed than most of my people, but the churlishness of Mr. Wells put me to much inconvenience, ' 9 m I I aio GREY HAWK. «' iill I continued my hunting with good success, but the winter had not half passed when I heard that Mr. Hanie, a trader for the Hudson's Bay Company, had arrived at Pembinah. To him I immediately went, and he gave me all the credit I asked, which was to the amount of seventy skins. Then I went to Musk-rat River, where I hunted the remainder of the winter, killing great numbers of beavers, martens, otters, and other game. Early in the spring I sent a message by some Indians to Mr. Hanie that I would go to the mouth of the Assineboin River, and meet him there, in order to pay my credit, as I had skins more than enough for this purpose. When I arrived at the Assineboin, Mr. Hanie had not yet passed, and I stopped to wait for him opposite Mr. Hanie's trading-house. An old French trapper offered me a lodging in his house, and I went and deposited my peltries under the place he gave me to sleep in. Mr. Wells having heard of my arrival, sent three times, urging me to come and see him. I took no notice at first, but yielded to the solicitations of my brother-in-law, and crossed over with him. Mr. Wells professed to be glad to see me, arkl treated me with much politeness ; he offered me wine and provisions, and whatever his house afforded. I had taken nothing except a little tobacco, when I saw his Frenchman come in with my packs. They carried them past where we were sitting, into an inner room, locking the door and taking out the key. I said nothing, but felt not the less anxious and uneasy, as I was unwilling to be ATTEMPT TO SEIZE MY PROPERTY. wn deprived of the means of paying Mr. Hanie his credit ; still more indifjnant was I at wliat seemed an attempt to deprive me of my property by compulsion and with- out my consent. Whether he intended to make me any offer I cannot say, but it would probably have been far below the real value of the peltries of which he had the actual possession. I watched for some time, and presently Mr. Wells had occasion to go to the inner room to take something from a trunk. I rose and followed him into the room. He told me to go out, and then seized me in order to push me out, but I was too strong for him. After he had proceeded to this violence, I did not hesitate to take up my packs, but he snatched them from me. Again I seized them, and in the struggle that ensued the thongs that bound them jrave way, and the skins were strewed about the floor. As I went to gather them up, he drew a pistol, cocked it, and presented it to my breast. For a moment I stood motionless, making sure he would fire, for he was terribly enraged. But as he continued with the pistol pointed at me, I seized his hand, and turned it aside, at the same time drawing from my belt a large knife, which I grasped firmly in my right hand, still holding him by my left Seeing himself thus suddenly and entirely in my power, he called out to his interpreter who was in the next room to come and put me out of the house. To this he replied, " You are as able t? put him out as I am." Some Frenchmen were in the house, and came on hearing the noise, but they decLued to give him any assistance. > \t\ ■^■.,. 54 I ■T ' 212 G/HEV HAWK. Finding he was not likely to intimidate me nor to overcome me by violence, he had recourse once more to milder measures. He offered to divide with me, and to allow me to retain half my peltries for the Hudson's B ^y people. " You have always," said he, " belonged to the North-West, why should you now desert us for the Hudson's Bay ? " He then began to count the skins, dividing them into two parcels ; but I told him he need not do that, as I was determined he should not have one of them. " I went to you," I said, " last fall, when I was hungry and destitute, and you drove me, like a dog, from your door. The ammunition with which I killed these animals was credited to me by Mr. Hanie, and the skins belong to him ; but even if this were not the case, you shall not have one of them. You have acted in a violent and at the same time cowardly way. You pointed your pistol at my breast, and yet did not shoot me. My life was in your power, and there was nothing to prevent your taking it, not even the fear of my friends, for you know I am alone and a stranger here, and not one of the Indians would raise his hand to avenge my death. You lacked the spirit to kill me, although you were base enough to try and rob me." He said, " Have you a knife in your hand } " I showed him that I had one at hand, and told him to beware how he provoked me to use it. He went and sat down opposite me in the great room, evidently in great agit- ation. After sitting awhile, he rose and walked back- ward and forward, and went out into the yard. I collected all my skins together, and the interpreter FURTHER VIOLENCE THREATENED. 213 helped me to tie them up ; then taking them on my back, I walked out, passed close by him, put them into my canoe, and returned to the old Frenchman's house across the river. Next morning, it appeared, Mr. Wells had thought better of the subject, whether from feeling he acted wrongly, or from motives of policy. He sent his interpreter to offer me his horse, which was a valuable one, if I would think and say no more of what he had done. " Tell Mr. Wells," I said to the interpreter, " he is like a child, and wishes to quarrel and to forget his quarrel in one day. I do not want his horse, I have one of my own. I will keep my packs ; nor can I forget his treatment of me, especially his pointing his pistol at my breast." On the following morning, one of the clerks of the North- West Company arrived from the trading-house at Mouse River, and having seen Mr. Wells, and heard from him what had passed, said he would take the packs from me. Mr. Wells, it seems, cautioned him against it, but he determined to make the attempt. It was near noon, when the old Frenchman, after looking out of his house, said to me, " My friend, I believe you will lose your packs now ; four men are coming this way, all well armed; their visit, I am sure, is for no good or friendly purpose." Hearing this, I placed my packs in the middle of the floor, and taking a beaver trap in my hand, sat down upon them. * When the clerk came in, accompanied by three young men, he asked me for my packs. " What right ^ ^ ■"8 ^ 9 M !•«» I I 214 GREY HAWK, have you," said I, " to demand them ? " " You are in- debted to me," he said. " When did I owe the North- West anything that was not paid at the time agreed on ? " " Ten years ago," he said, " your brother, Wa- me-gon-a-biew, had a credit from us, which he paid all but ten skins ; these are still due, and I wish you to pay them." " Very well," said I ; " I will pay your demand, but you must at the same time pay me for those four packs of beaver we sent to you from the Grand Portage. Your due bill was, as you know, burned with my lodge, and taking advantage of this, you have never paid me, nor any member of my family, the value of a single needle for those one hundred and sixty beaver skins." Finding this method would not succeed, and knowing, no doubt, the justice of my reply, the circum- stance being thus suddenly recalled to his memory, he urged no farther the demand for my brother's alleged debt. I thought he might then resort to violent measures, like those used on the previous day by Mr. Wells, but I showed no sign of fear, and after some threatening words he and his young men walked off, without having touched the skins. - Having ascertained that it would be some time before Mr. Hanie would arrive, I went down to Dead River, and while there killed many musk rats. At last Mr. Hanie arrived at the place where I, with another man, had been awaiting him. He told me he had passed Mr. Wells's trading-house, at the mouth of the Assineboin, in the middle of the day, his crew singing as they passed. Mr. Wells, on seeing him, had immediately THE ''IVAL FUR COMPANIES. i/ 215 started after him with a canoe strongly manned and armed. Perceiving this pursuit, Mr. Hanic went on shore, leaving his men in the canoe, and went up about twenty yards into an open smooth prairie. Hither Mr. Wells followed him, attended by several armed men ; but Mr. Hanie made him stop at the distapce of ten or twelve yards. A long dispute followed, but after a time Mr. Hanie was permitted to go back to his canoe. I told him my story of the way I had been treated, and I paid him my debt. I traded with him for the remain- der of my peltries ; and after we had finished, he gave me some handsome presents, among which was a valu- able gun, and then went on his way. After the death of Mr. Wells, which was about three years later, I returned to the North-West Company, and traded with them as I had formerly done, but never while he lived. I have related what to some may appear of little consequence, but the narrative throws light upon the conduct of the traders towards Indians, and also shows the spirit induced by keenness in trading. The rivalry between the two companies often gave rise to personal animosity, not only among the traders, but among the hunters and others dependent upon them. When I was camping at the Be-gwi-o-nush-ko River, a favourite hunting-place of mine, I was invited to come to near Pembinah, where many had assembled to hear a chief from Leech Lake give an account of the reve- lation made by the Great Spirit to Manito-o-gheezik. Of this I have already spoken, and told my views on 1 I till 1 2l6 GREY HAWK. the matter. But I was glad to hear more on a subject then exciting so much attention. 4,*.. One night, while we were all assembled in a long lodge, erected for the purpose, to dance and feast, and listen to the discourse of the chief, suddenly we heard the report of two guns in the direction of the North- West Company's trading-house, whicL was now un- occupied, except by two Frenchmen who had that day arrived. The old men looked at each other as if '\\\ surprise and alarm. One said, " The Frenchmen are driving off wolves." Another said, " I know the sound of the guns of the Sioux." The night was very dark, but all the young men took their arms, and started im- mediately. Many of them, getting entangled among logs and stumps, did not make much progress. I kept the path and was the very foremost, when a dark figure shot past me, and I heard the voice of the Black Duck saying, " I am the man." I had often heard of the prowess of this warrior, and in one instance, at the Chief Mountain, I saw him take the lead in what we all supposed would be a dangerous assault, but the Sioux had abandoned the fort before we came up. Now I determined to keep near him. We had advanced within about gunshot of the fort, when he began to leap, first to one side and then to the other, in a zigzag line, yet advancmg rapidly. I followed his example, supposing it to be to lessen the chance of being hit when moving forward in a straight line. On reaching the fort he leapt in at the open gate, and I was the only one close after him. We saw within the fort a house, from the window I NIGHT ATTACK ON A FORT. 217 and door of which a bright light shone. The Black Duck had a buffalo robe over his shoulders, the dark colour of which enabled him to pass the window un- observed by the man who was watching within ; but my light-coloured blanket betraying me, the muzzle of a gun was instantly presented to my head, but not dis- charged, for the Black Duck at that moment caught in his arms the astonished Frenchman, who had taken me for one of the Sioux, and was just going to fire at me. The second Frenchman was with the women and children, who were lying in a heap in a corner of the room, crying through fear. It appeared that the one who was watching by the window, who was the more courageous of the two, had, a few minutes before, been leading his horse out of the fort to give him water, when his horse was shot in the gate by some men concealed near at hand. At first he thought we must have shot his horse, but he soon was convinced of his error, as we did not even know the body of his horse was at the gate, having leapt clean over it when we entered. This Frenchman would not leave the fort ; but the Black Duck, who was a relation of one of the women, insisted that they should be taken for protection to the Indian camp. By this time others of the young men had come up, and we determined to watch in the fort all night. Next morning we found the trail of two men who had crossed the Pembinah River, a considerable party having been concealed on the other side. The two men, we afterwards heard, were Wah-ne-tow, a celebrated warrior chief, and a 19 il 4 I I •t^.' ■u; •>. diS GREY HAWK. relative of his ; they had concealed themselves near the fort, resolved to fire at whatever passed in or out. The first that passed was the Frenchman's horse, which was shot down, and the two men, probably without knowing whether they had killed man or beast, fled back across the river. . . . .,,<. Many of our people were disposed to go out aftet the Sioux, but the chief said : " Not so, my brothers ; Manito-o-gheezik, whose messenger and representative I am to you, tells us we are not to go out against our enemies. Do you not see in this instance that the Great Spirit has protected us } Had the Sioux attacked our lodge while we were feasting and in security, without our arms, they might have slain us all ; but they were misled, and mistook a French- man's horse for an Ojibbeway. So will it be always, if we are obedient to the injunctions we have re- ceived." ' I was somewhat affected by the words of this chief, of whose sincerity I had no doubt, and for whom I had a much higher regard than for the medicine men and prophets who usually give such addresses. I took an opportunity of speaking to him of my own anxiety about my family, whom I had left at home, and feared that the Sioux might visit them on their way back to their own country. " Go," he said, " if you cannot rest here without apprehension, but do not fear that the Sioux will hurt your wife or children, if you reverence the message of the Great Spirit. But I wish you would go, that on your return you may bring back with you \ WHAT BECAME OF MY MEDICINE BAG. 21$ your medicine bag, and I will show you what to do with it." Accordingly I went to the Be-gvvi-o-nush-ko River, and found that nothing had been heard of any enemies in that direction. The wish of the chief, along with my own curiosity to know what he intended to do, led me to take the medicine bag, and bring it to the lodge at Pembinah. When I handed the bag to him, he ordered all the contents, except the medicines for hunting, to be thrown into the fire. He said that if any one was sick, if able to walk he must go to the nearest running water with a little tobacco and a birch bowl. The tobacco is to be offered to the stream, and then some of the water to be drunk, the bowl being dipped in the same direc- tion as the stream runs. If any one is too ill to go and do this, the nearest relative must do it for him, carrying home the water for the sick person to drink. He then gave me a small hoop of wood to wear on my head, not on ordinary occasions, but only in case I should go to bring water for any of my family or friends who might be sick. This wooden band or fillet was marked on one side with the figure of a snake, whose office, he said, was to take charge of the water ; on the other half was the figure of a man. I thought inwardly that this was folly and superstition, and I felt vexed at the loss of the contents of my medicine bag, some of which were roots and herbs, the usefulness of which I had myself tested in various disorders, and the use of which henceforth, according to this new authority, was to be debarred. However, as all the Indians pre- s I I * , It ll 22n (7^^K HAWK. !*•■""* *, .11 mill sent seemed to be persuaded, or at least none of them professed disbelief, and all were in the same position as myself in having allowed our medicines to be de- stroyed, I was content to submit in silence. When the spring came on, I went to fulfil an appoint- ment I had maJc the preceding fall to meet an old hunter, Sha-gwaw-ko-sink, at a certain place. I arrived at the place at the time appointed, and shortly after- wards the old man came on foot and alone, to search for me. He had encamped along with some young hunters, about two miles distant, where they had been for two days, and they had some fresh meat, which I enjoyed. I lived with them during the summer. The old man was too feeble to hunt, but he had some young men who kept him supplied, while game was to be had ; but late in summer, towards the fall, the hunting- grounds about us became poor. The weather was very cold, and the ground frozen hard, but no snow had fallen ; so that it was difficult to follow the tracks of the moose. The noise of our walking on hard ground gave the animals notice of our approach. So quick is their hearing, and their caution so great, that treading on the smallest dry twig or leaves gave them the alarm. This state of things continuing for some time, we were re- duced nearly to starvation. ^ Sha-gwaw-ko-sink was a very religious man, after the Indian fashion. He attributed our want of success to the neglect of "medicine hunting," especially in not having prepared muz-zin-ne-neen. One night I drew on wood figures of several animals, according to the CHARMS FOR SUCCESS IN HUNTING. 221 method in common use. I had been accustomed to do this, like other Indians, although I had never any belief in their efficacy. The ceremony could do no harm if it did little good, although a certain effect might possibly be produced by its causing the hunters to go out with greater spirit and confidence to the chase. In this way even a false and superstitious ceremony may produce favourable effect. I showed my charm to the old man, who was much pleased. At the earliest dawn I started from the lodge in a heavy fall of snow, and before noon I fell on the track of two moose, and killed them both, a male and a female, both in very good condition and extremely fat. The success wa- chiefly owing to the snow, previous to which it was almost impossible to approach the game, but the old man attributed it to the preparation of the muz zin-ne-neen, and there was no use contradicting him, or showing incredulity. I have already spoken of the frequent use of these charms, not only in regard to success in hunting, but as commonly employed for many purposes among the Indians. If the image of any person is pricked or cut, pain or disease is invoked in the corresponding part of the person represented. Sometimes the face is blackened, and the effect intended is the change which marks the near approach of death. In other cases the object is to attain some desired end. Many a simple girl gives to some cunning old squaw her most valued ornaments, in order that by preparing a muz-zin-ne-neen, she may influence the affections or favour of some friend or lover. The influence of these superstitious ceremonies is bound- 3 I J illl #•• GI^EY HAWIC, less, and there are few who venture to neglect them, still less to ridicule them. Any misfortune that happens to such a one would be sure to be ascribed to the irreverent disregard of the sacred rites. Some of those who practise them are only crafty tricksters, but many of the men who are regarded as wise and sagacious, are equally credulous as to these observances. Old Sha- gwaw-ko-sink had firm faith in them, although his religious feeling was also manifested in his many songs and prayers to the Great Spirit. The old man died not long after, and I was glad that I had been able to help him in his last days by my hunting. Soon after this, the pretensions to supernatural know- ledge and power appeared in a manner and in a person quite unexpected. This affair came to affect r«v f.iture life in so remarkable a way, that I must narrate the circumstances at some length. About a year previo'^s to this time, a man of our band, called Ais-kaw-ba-bis, a very ordinary person, and a poor hunter, had lost his wife by death, and his children began even more than formerly to suffer from hunger. The death of his wife had been attended with peculiar circumstances, and this may have caused her loss the more to prey upon his mind. He was very melancholy and depressed, though some of us thought that his indolent and sluggish disposition arose from laziness more than from grief. The Indians are very kind generally to those who are bereaved, and without grudge continued to support the children of Ais-kaw- ba-bis. : A NEW PRETENDER TO REVELATION. 223 . At length one day he called the old men and the chiefs together, and with mucii solemnity announced to them that he had been favoured with a new revelation from heaven. He showed them a round ball of clay, about four or five inches in diameter, rather more than half the size of a man's head, round and smooth, and smeared with red paint. "The Great Spirit," said he, " as I sat day by day crying, and singing, and praying in my lodge, at last called to me and said, * Ais-kaw-ba- bis, I have heard your prayers, I have seen the mats in your lodge wet with tears, and have listened to your desires. I give you this ball, and as you see it is clean and new and well shaped, I give it to you for your business to make the whole earth like it, even as it was when Na-na-bush first made it. All old things must be destroyed, and bad things made good ; everything must be made anew, and to you, Ais-kaw-ba-bis, I commit this great work.'" - Y I was among those whom he had summoned to hear this announcement, and I heard the words which I have recorded. He dismissed the assembly at once, so that no questions were asked, and no remarks made at the time. But in conversation with my companions I soon evinced my total disbelief of his pretensions. **It is well," I said, " that we may be made acquainted with the whole mind and will of the Great Spirit at so cheap a rate. We have now these divinely taught instructors springing up among ourselves ; and, fortunately, such men as are worth little or nothing for any other purpose. The Shawnee prophet was far off. Manito-o-gheezik s i I i 224 GREY HAWK, %* I., Li; •''tr- was not with us, though sprung from our own tribe ; these were also men ; but here we have one too poor, too feeble, too spiritless, to be able to feed his own family, yet professing to be made the instrument, in the hand of the Great Spirit, to renovate the whole earth, as he would have us believe ! " I had always entertained an unfavourable opinion of this man, as I knew him to be a worthless fellow, and I now felt indignant at his attempt to pass himself upon us as a chosen messenger of the Great Spirit. I took no pains to conceal my contempt for him, and I ridiculed his pretensions wherever I went. Nevertheless I had the mortification to find that my opposition was set down to some personal malice, and I saw him gradually acquiring a powerful ascendency over the minds of the Indians. They are so prone to superstition that the most unlikely influences work on their credulity. The more he saw this effect produced, the greater his pre- tensions were made, and his effrontery displayed. In many ways he contrived to maintain and increase the mystery which gathered about himself and his doings. Sometimes he went out alone in the dead of night, and he was heard far off beating his drum, a noise which, whatever effect it had on others, I thought of only as likely to scare away the game from our neigh- bourhood. By his proceedings he had found the way of controlling and ruling the minds of most of the people, and all my efforts in opposition to him were in vain. I knew he must hate me heartily, but as I was in good esteem with most of our people, he probably THE SEER AND HIS DUPES, m thought it prudent to dissemble his dislike, and treated me with apparent courtesy. On one occasion I went out to hunt, and wounded a moose. On my return I related this, and said I believed the moose was so badly wounded that he must die. Early next morning Ais-kaw-ba-bis came to my lodge, and with the utmost seriousness in his manner, said to me that the Great Spirit had told him of the moose I had wounded. He had no doubt heard it in some of the lodges, as I had menticicd it to several people the night before. " The moose is now dead," said he, " and you will find him in such a direction. It is the will of the Great Spirit that he should be brought here and cooked for a sacrifice." I thought it not improbable that the moose was killed, and went in search of him accordingly ; but I found he was not dead. The seer's vision was at fault. I took care to report this mistake, and to ridicule again the pretensions of the man ; but this in no way lessened the confidence of his dupes. Perhaps he told them I had not gone to the place where I would have found the moose dead. Shortly after- wards I went out, and it happened that I again wounded a moose and went home without getting it. "This," said the seer, " is the moose the Great Spirit showed me." So I went and brought him in, and as I knew many of the Indians were in want of food I was willing to make a feast, though not out of deference to Ais- kaw-ba-bis. As we did not consume the whole of the meat, we cut it off the bones, and these were laid before Ais-kaw-ba-bis foi the sacrifice, taking care that not I H 3 I m'% I U' 1%, mil "-' J i ^1 ,1 ! : 226 G/i£V HAWK. one of the bones should be broken. They were after- wards carried to a safe place, and hung up out of the reach of the dogs or wolves, this too being done to avoid injury to the bones, which must never be broken when offered in sacrifice. On the following day I killed another fat moose, on which occasion Ais-kaw-ba-bis made a long address to the Great Spirit, and afterwards said to me, " You see, my son, how your goodness is rewarded ; you gave the first you killed to the Great Spirit ; he will take care that you never want." Next day I went with my brother-in-law, and we killed each one, and this caused great exultation in Ais-kaw-ba-bis, who announced everywhere that this success was due to the efficacy of the sacrifice he had made, and thus his ascendency was increased. , . ■ > : - When the snow began to get hard at top, on the approach of spring, the men of our band, Gish-kaw-ko, Ba-po-wash, and some others, with myself, went to make a hunting camp at some distance for the purpose of making dry meat. Ais-kaw-ba-bis stayed at home with the women and children. We killed much game, as it is easy to take moose and elk at that season ; the crust on the snow supports a man even when without snow shoes, but the legs of the moose sink down, so that they are almost deprived of motion. At length Gish-kaw-ko went home to see his family. On his re- turn he brought me a little tobacco from Ais-kaw-ba-bis with this message, " Your life is in danger." " My life," said I, " belongs neither to Ais-kaw-ba-bis nor to my- self ; it is in the hands of the Great Spirit, and when PREPARATIONS FOR AN ASSEMBLY. 227 he sees fit to place it In danger, or bring it to an end, I shall have no cause to complain ; but I cannot believe that he has revealed any part of his intentions to so worthless a man as Ais-kaw-ba-bis. However, the message was much talked about, and the whole of the band determined to r'=.turn to the camp where their families had been left. I did not accom- pany them, wishing to visit some of my traps. Having caught an otter, I took him on my back and arrived at the camp alone, not long after the others. I beheld a strange scene. All the separate lodges had been taken down and the poles taken for the erection of one large lodge. The men who had arrived and the women and children were all sitting in the open air round a fire. When I asked what all this meant, they told me that Ais-kaw-ba-bis was preparing for some important com- munication to be given him from the Great Spirit. He had for some time been preparing the large lodge, during which time no one was allowed to enter, except one or two young men at hand for following his direc- tions. There was to be a dance, as all assemblies have when addresses are to be delivered. It was arranged that at a certain signal Ba-po-wash, who was to lead the dance, should enter, and the others were to follow him, and after having danced four times round the lodge, to sit down, each in his place. On hearing this, as I stood among the others, I immediately went to the large lodge, and entering it with the otter on my back as I had arrived, I threw it down and seated myself by the fire. Ais-kaw-ba-bis gave me an angry and malicious I % Si I t I 22S GREY HAWK. liii- look, then closed his eyes, and pretended to be going on with a prayer that I had interrupted After some time he began to drum and sing aloud, and at the third interval of silence, which was the signal agreed upon with Ba-po-wash, he cam ; dancing in, followed by men, women and children, and after circling the lodge four times they all sat down in their places. For a few moments all was silence, while Ais-kaw- ba-bis continued sitting with his eyes closed, in the middle of the lodge, by a spot of smooth and soft ground which he had prepared, like that used by the chiefs on encamping during a war expedition, when they seek by divination to learn something concerning the enemy. Then he began to call the men, one by one, to come and sit down near him. Last of all he called me, and I went and sat down as he directed. Then he spoke thus : — " The Great Spirit has, as you know, my friends, in former times favoured me with free com- munication of his mind and will ; lately he has been pleased to show me what is to happen to each in future. For you, my friends, (addressing the other Indians) who have been careful to regard and obey the injunctions of the Great Spirit as communicated by me, to each of you he has given .to live to the full age of man ; this long, straight mark is the image of your several lives." Here he pointed to a straight line which he had marked right across the oblong space on the ground. "As for you, (turning to me) Mah-nah Be-na-sa, (evil bird) who have gone from the right way, and despised the admo- nitions you have received, this short and crooked line THE SEER'S PROPHETIC SYMBOLS. 229 ; going r some le third d upon by men, Igre four ^is-kaw- , in the ind soft 1 by the lien they ning the by one, le called Then he now, my ree com- las been in future, ms) who ctions of each of an ; this al lives." marked "As for ird) who admo- iked line represents your life. You are to attain to only half of the full age of man. This line, turning ofif to the other side, is that which shows what is determined in relation to the young wife of Ba-po-wash." As he said this he pointed to the marks he had made on the ground ; the long line, he said, representing the life of the Indians who followed his precepts, the short, crooked line the continuance of mine, and the abruptly terminating one showing the life of Ba-po-wash's wife. It so happened that Ba-po-wash had dried the choice parts of a fat bear, intending to make a feast to his medicine in the spring. A few days before this meet- ing, when we were absent at the hunting camp, he had said to the mother of Ba-po-wash's wife, " The Great Spirit has signified to me that something is wrong with the dried bear which your son has hung up ; see if it is all where it was left." She went out and found that the feet of the bear were gone, the rascal, who was a great glutton, having himself stolen them. Ba-po-wash was so alarmed by the evil threatened for his wife that he gave to the lying prophet the whole of the re- mainder of the bear and other valuable presents. I 20 a ii ■I ' i "St ! l| e 230 GREY IIAWJC, •1 mention this to show the contemptible character of the man, who made his authority descend to a small afifair like this, at the same time that he was solemnly an- nouncing the termination of my life, and the continu- ance of th'^t of his dupes. I will not enter into further details as to the proceed- ings of this man, but only say that he gradually acquired such authority that he prejudiced the whole ot the band against me, and especially the relatives of my wife. She herself was in some way turned completely to be my enemy, and I became as a stranger and alien in my own home. Old Net-no-kwa had been dead for some time, whose influence might perhaps have kept the younger women from submitting themselves so completely to this man. I felt my position so un- comfortable that I was compelled to leave the place, and returned to Red River, hoping that the spell of this false prophet would be broken, and the delusion pass away from the people among whom I had been living. ,,> v"-:;--^^"^ .■■;."•; .:,i.-.:-. ':.a '^.J' ;. ^•"; ■ .. ■•* y .,v.r.. )f n ,. r; vr, ■^- \ 2r of the lall afifair ! nnly an- continu- proceed- 'j: -\.''m;: jradually . ' V4J:i/ whole ot ■ fc_ ;.M 'es of my ■■ "*^«f weir int" III 238 • GREY HAIVIC. for a wife. But I would not listen to his advice. At present I had no inclination cither to remain with Indians not known to me, or to take another wife. I went to the nearest trading station, and here took credit sufficient for my whole family, not knowing but my wife would rejoin me at some future time. In two or three days I reached my hunting-ground. I had no pukkwi or mats for a lodge, and therefore had to build one of poles and long grass. Having to make my own moccasins and leggings, after dressing the skins, and also snow shoes, cutting also wood for cooking I was sometimes kept from hunting, and suffered occasionally from hunger ; but on the whole I man- aged pretty well to pass a great part of the winter. Two dogs, which I trained carefully, were very useful in chasing and helping to bring home the game. Several Indians at various times came, sometimes sent I thought by the chief to see how I was getting on, but at other times in such starving condition that they were evidently impelled by hunger, and I was glad to share with them the proceeds of my hunting. " • About this time the traders of the North-West Com- pany sent messengers and presents to all the Indians in that part of the country, to call them to join in an attack on the Hudson's Bay establishment at Red River. For my own part I thought these quarrels between white brothers unnatural, both being en^^aged in the same pursuit, and the field of trade being large enough for both of them. At all events I sought to avoid taking part in the quarrel, though I had long ij QUARRELS OF RIVAL FUR COMPANIES. 239 traded with the people of the North-West Company, and considered myself as in some measure belonging to them. Many of the Indians obeyed the call. On the side of the North-West were many half-breeds, sons of Canadian hunters by Indian mothers. One of them, called Grant, distinguished himself as a leader among these men, who were mostly a lawless and evil set. Many cruelties and murders were committed by them at that time. Some of the Hudson's Bay people were killed in open fight, and others were massacred after being taken prisoners. I remember the case of a Mr. Keveny, an agent of the Hudson's Bay Company. He was waylaid and fell inic the hands of Mr. Herschel, a clerk of the North-West. This man sent him in a canoe with some Frenchmen (the Canadians were mostly French in those days) and a half-breed, named Maveen, with directions to kill him and throw him into the water. When they had gone some distance, the half- breed wished to have killed him, but the Frenchmen would not consent, whether from humanity, or from his having made promise of reward, I cannot say. They landed him on a small rocky island, from which he had no means of escape, but he was discovered and taken off by some Muskego Inuians, who set him at liberty. Mr. Herschel abused and beat the Frenchmen for having neglected to kill the agent when he was in their power, and despatched other men in pursuit of him. The leader of the ba, and white man, had been a soldier, whose well-known cruelty of disposition made him fit to be chosen for such business. With them was the half- 1 I 240 GREY HAWK. U% ... ■^.v breed Maveen, and by these two the poor man, being retaken, was murdered under circumstances of great atrocity. They then returned with the account of what they had done to Mr. Herschel. . After the settlement at Red River was reduced to ashes, and the Hudson's Bay people driven out of the country, the Indians and half-breeds in the employ of the North- West were stationed at a place called Sah-gi-uk, at the outlet of Lake Winnipeg, to watch for and destroy any of the Hudson's Bay people who should attempt to enter the country in that direction. Ba-po-wash, my brother-in-law, was one of the Indians thus employed. Having grown tired of remaining there, and hearing where I was, and that I had not taken any part in these contests, he came to me. On his way he met Mr. McDonald, a chief man of the Hudson's Bay Company, who with his interpreter, Mr. Bruce, was going up to that country. Mr. McDonald was slow to listen to the advice of Mr. Bruce, who being well acquainted with the state of affairs in the country, had many fears on his account. On meeting Ba-po-wash, whom he well knew, Mr. Bruce, who was supposed to be in the interest of the North-West, was able to gain full intelligence of all that had passed. Being convinced of the truth of the information, Mr. McDonald was persuaded to turn back, and probably saved his life by so doing. He went to the Sault de St. Marie, when he met Lord Selkirk, then coming into the country to try to settle the affairs of the two rival companies. For myself I spent this summer in my usual peaceful PLOT TO KJLL LORD SELKIRK. 241 n, being jf great of what luced to it of the oy of the ah-gi-uk, 1 destroy tempt to ^^ash, my mployed. I hearing t in these met Mr. ^rnpany, jp to that n to the with the rs on his ^ell knew, est of the ce of all th of the urn back, went to iirk, then lirs of the 1 peaceful occupations ; in hunting, fishing, and about the corn- fields, or gathering wild rice. In returning from the rice swamps I stopped on one of the small islands in the route towards Rainy Lake to hunt a bear with whose haunt I had been some time acquainted. Late at night, after I had killed my bear, and as I was lying quietly in my lodge, I was surprised to hear a voice, which 1 soon recognised to be that of Mr. Herschel. I soon also learned that he was on the look-out for some one he had not found. Having descried say light at a distance, he had supposed it to be a light m the camp of Lord Selkirk, and had crept up with the stealthiness of an Indian warrior, or he could not have approached my lodge without my being aware of it. He did not openly avow his intention of killing Lord Selkirk, but I knew him and his companions, some of whom had now come up, and was not at a loss to comprehend his purpose. Nor was I ignorant of the design with which he urged me to accompany him to Rainy Lake. But when he found that his hints and insinuations had no effect, he openly declared that it was his intention to kill Lord Selkirk whenever he found an opportunity, and he then called up his two canoes, that I might see them, each with ten strong, resolute, and well-armed men. He again tried to induce me to join him, but I would not. After leaving me he went on to Rainy Lake, to the trading-house of Mr. Tace, but he being less inclined to violent measures advised Mr. Herschel to return to his own country. What arguments were used I do not know, but he returned almost immediately towards Red 21 R lit »4h ;> 1 > (,.."* .t; s. Cj? ilM ! li 242 G/l£y HAIVK. River ; leaving, however, concealed in the woods near the trading house the same soldier v/ho had taken part with the lialf-breed Maveen in the murder of the superintendent the year before. It was not certainly known among us what this man's instructions were, but desperate man though he was, he did not seem to relish his solitary residence in the woods, for after four days he returned to the fort. In the meantime Lord Selkirk had taken Fort William, which was then held by Mr. Macgillivray for the North-West Company. From Fort William he sent an officer with some troops to take possession of Mr. Tace's trading-house, in which the soldier who had murdered Mr. Keveney was found. He was sent, with some others who had attempted to rise after they had surrendered at Fort William, to Montreal, and I heard that he was there hung for his crimes. From this time I was more firmly resolved in my own mind to leave this country and return to the States. Not only was I vexed by the ill-will which had been raised against me among the Indians, and particularly in the family of my father-in-law, but I did not like the quarrels and hostilities among the whites, with whom I had relations as a hunter in trading. The war of 18 12 was now over, and there was not now the difficulty and risk of journeying on the frontiers. Mr. Bruce, who had always shown friendly feeling to me, and to whom I went to tell my purpose, gave me much information and advice, and as he had travelled in many parts his state- ments encouraged me. But some events occurred INTERVIEWS WITH \N ENGLISH OFFICER. 24 J- which for a time overthrew my plans, and I was soon in the midst of some exciting scenes and adventures which I must relate. I moved to Rainy Lake where I intended to pass the rest of the winter. I expected to find Mr. Tace at the trading-house, being as yet unaware of the changes that had recently taken place. Instead of him I found the English officer whom I have before mentioned as having been sent by Lord Selkirk to occupy the place. He treated m.e with much attention, and finding that I knew the country well and that I could speak his language,-— for my frequent intercourse with whites had made me able for this, — he had much conversation with me. After some arguments and explanations he succeeded in convincing me that the Hudson's Bay Company, in the present quarrel, was that which had right on its side, or at least was that which was acting with the sanction of the British Government. I did not tell him the whole of my history, which was unneces- sary, but I told him that I was a native of the States, and that I had been carried off in early years by the Indians, and had lived among them ever since. He seemed much interested in me, and said he would have great pleasure in aiding me in my design to return to the States. At the same time, by his kind treatment, his presents, and his promises, he induced me to consent to guide him and his party to the North-West Company's house at the mouth of the Assineboin River. I did not without difficulty consent to do this, for I had been employed by the North-West, and had friends among 244 GREY HAWK, itis^i. ^■^^^: r« ■;■(>„ their people ; but the captain had persuaded me that they were in the wrong, especially in driving away the Hudson's Bay p.opie from that quarter ; and he said I need not take any active part in the quarrel, but only be the guide to his party. The winter was now coming on, and had indeed commenced with some severity. The captain said his men could not live at Rainy Lake, and he wished to go on immediately to Red River. I started in advance, with twenty men, and went to Rush Lake, whence the horses were sent back, and the captain, with the remaining- men, between forty and fifty, came up. At Rush Lake we had snow shoes made, and engaged some Indians to accompany us as hunters. We had a pretty good stock of wild rice, but there were a good many mouths to ..pply with meat, and we had a long journey to make over the prairie. We some- times were short of food, and the soldiers grumbled and were almost mutinous, biit no serious difficulty occurred. It took a \vhole i lonth co go from Rainy Lake to Red River Here we took the fort at the mouth of the Pembir*ih without any resistance, there being few pCiaons there, except squaws and children, and a few old Frenchmen. From Pembinah we went in four days to the Assineboin, ten miles above the mouth, having crossed Red River a short time before. Here Be-gwais, a principal man among the Ojibbeways, met us with twelve young men. Our captain and governor, who was with the expedition, believed that there were not many men in the North-West Company's fort, but being well armed, and having strengthened the place, he seemed MV PLAN TO SURPRISE THE FORT. 245 at a loss to know in what manner best to attempt its reduction. Be-gvvais advised them to march boldly up, and to show their force, which he thought would suffice to ensure immediate surrender. This advice did not, however, seem good, as the men in the fort were resolute, and a repulse might be disastrous, if a panic followed an over-secure advance. When the captain had e ^aged me at Rainy Lake, I had told him that I could make a road from that place to the door of Mr. Herschel's bedroom. He may have thought this to be only idle boasting, but I felt hurt and dissatisfied that they took no notice of me in their con- sultations, and expected me merely to act as their guide. When we came near the place, and when I heard of their fresh consultations, and the difficulty they seemed to be in, I communicated my dissatisfaction at not being tak^n into council, tc Nowlan, an interpreter, who was well acquainted witii the C(,U(>tr/, and who had a half-brother in the fort, a cler): for Mr. Hcrsche?. We talked the matter over, and one night, after the council had broken up, and no stej- see sued to have been resolved upon, while Nowlan and I were sitting by our own fire, we agre ' that it would be in the power of us two to surprise t : fort, and, if supported promptly, to take it without much risk or loss. So we took into our confidence some soldiers, who followed us at no great distance. Tl r • were no knolls, or bushes, or other objects to give any cover for our approach, the surround- ing ground being completely cleared ; but the night was dark, and so extremely cold, that we did not suppose i tux. I ! ••"< H*t L46 G/^EY HAWK, the people within would be very vigilant. We made a scaling ladder, in the way the Indians make them, by cutting the trunk of a young tree with the limbs trimmed long enough to serve to step upon, and placing this against the wall we were soon on the top of the fence, and got down on the inside, on the top of the blacksmith's forge, whence we descended silently one by one to the ground. When all were inside, without any alarm having been given, we went to find the people, first cautiously placing two or three armed men at the doors of the houses we saw were occupied, so as to prevent them getting together, or concerting any means of resistance. The night had been far spent when we got to the fort, and every step had been taken with deliberation as well as with silence, as we did not know the real strength of the people inside, and a premature alarm might have spoiled the whole afifair. It was beginning to be day- light before we could discover the sleeping-place of Herschel, whom it was our chief concern to get hold of. When he found we were in the fort, he came out, strongly armed, and attempted to make resistance, but we easily overpowered him. He was at once bound, but as he was loud and abusive, the governor, who had now, with the captain, arrived at the fort, directed us to throw him bound out into the snow ; but the weather being so severe that he would have been frozen to death if left there, he was allowed to come in where we had a fire. On recognising me he knew at once that I must have guided the party, and he reproached me loudly with CAPTURE OF THE FORT, 247 my ingratitude, as he pretended formerly to have done me many favours. Not wishing to have this charge of ingratitude made, and desiring to justify myself before my new friends, I told him, in reply, of the murders he had committed treacherously on his own pecple, and that on account of these, and his many crimes, I had turned against him. " When you came," I said, " to my lodge last fall, I treated you with friendly hospitality, for I did not then see that your hands were red with the blood of your own people. I did not see the ashes of the houses of your white brothers, which you had caused to be burned down at Red River." But he con- tinued to curse and abuse not only me, but the soldiers, and every one that came near him. Only three of those captured in this trading-house were kept as prisoners. These were Mr. Herschel, Maveen (or Mainville), the half-breed, who had been concerned in the murder of the Hudson's Bay agent, and one of the clerks. The rest were suffered to go at large. Joseph Cadoth, the half-brother of Nowlan, made a very humble and submissive apology for his conduct, and promised, if they would release him, to go to his hunting, and be no more attached to the traders. After twenty days I returned to Pembinah, where I met Wa-ge-tote, and with him went to hunt buffalo in the prairie. I heard that not only the Indians but many of the half-breed people in the country were enraged against me for the part I had taken against the North- • West Company, and I was told that they were deter- mined to take my life. I told them that they must fall 248 G/HEY HAWK. on me as I had fallen on the North-West people, when they were sleeping, or they would not be able to injure me. I thought it best not to seem to be afraid of them ; but all this added to my sense of insecurity and dis- comfort, and I longed the more for the time when I could leave this country and go to the States. Lord Selkirk was now expecting the arrival of a judge who he heard had been appointed specially to inquire about the preceding disturbances. At length Judge Cottman came, and after he had made his in- quiries, and having tried and punished some of the most guilty, matters became more settled. Mr. Her- schel and Maveen were loaded with irons, and sent to prison in Montreal. The North-West Company had to pay a fine of some thousand dollars as compensation for the injury done to the property of the Hudson's Bay Company. I need not refer to other proceedings, ex- cept such as affected my own case. The governor spoke to Lord Selkirk about me, telling him that I had guided his party from the Lake of the Woods, and performed important services in the capture of the fort. He re- commended that a handsome present should be made to me, and this was done. Lord Selkirk used much persuasion to induce me to accompany him and remain in his service. I had some inclination to do so, because I then believed that all my own relatives had been cut off by the Indians ; and if they were not, I knew that after so long a lapse of time, we must be almost like entire strangers to each other. He even proposed to take me with him to England, but my attachments were I • MY JOURNEY TO DETROIT, 249 to my own country, and it was too late to begin new modes of life, and to form new associations. I could not trust myself to hear further discussion of the matter, and so I left abruptly, and went back to Rainy Lalce. Here, at the trading-house, I found my old trader Mr. Tace. He asked me rather sharply why I came to him, and not to my friends of the Hudson's Bay Com- pany. I told him I wanted to go to the States. " It would have been well," he replied, " if you had gone long ago." Nevertheless he kept me with him for twenty days, treating me with great kindness. He then took me in his own canoe to Fort William, whence Dr. McLoughlin sent me in one of his boats to the Sault de St. Marie, and thence I went to Mackinac. All the people of the North-West whom I saw on this journey treated me kindly, and no one mentioned a word of my connection with the Hudson's Bay Company. Major Puthufif, the United States Indian agent at Mackinac, gave me a birch bark canoe, some provisions, and a letter to Governor Cass, at Detroit. My canoe was lashed to the side of the schooner on board which I sailed for Detroit, under the care of a gentleman whose name I do not recollect, but who, as I thought, was sent by Major Puthufif expressly to take charge of me on the way. I think that this was because the agent believed I might, from my experience, be of some service in the Indian affairs, and he may have said this in the letter to Governor Cass. At all events, after our arrival at Detroit, in five days, and seeing the gov- ernor, the gentleman left and I heard no more of him. 2SO • ": GREY HAWK, '•■■r. .^1 *.. Next day, when walking up the street in Detroit, and gazing around, I saw an Indian, and going up to him, asked him who he was, and where he belonged. He answered me : " An Ottawwaw, of Sau-ge-nong." " Do you know Kish-kaw-ko ? " said I. " He is my father." " And where," said I, " is Manito-o-gheezik, his father, and your grandfather .> " "He died last fall." I told him to go and call his father to come, but the old man would not come. . . Next day, as I was again in the street, I saw an old Indian, and ran after him. When he heard me r-**'' ^ he turned round, and after looking at me attentively for some moments, he caught me in his arms. It was Kish-kaw-ko ; but he looked very unlike the young man who had taken me prisoner so many years before. He asked me, in a hurried manner, many questions ; in- quired what had happened to me, and where I had been since I left him. I tried to get him to take me to the house of Governor Cass, but he appeared afraid to go. He showed me the direction, and brought me near to it. A soldier sentinel was walking up and down before it, and would not allow me to pass. While waiting at the gate, I saw the governor sitting in the porch of the house inside the court. I held up to him a paper which had been given to me by Major Puthuff, and he then told the soldier to let me pass in. He read the paper, gave me his hand, and asked me several questions. He then sent for Kish-kaw-ko, and an interpreter, by whom my statement was confirmed concerning the cir- cumstances of my capture, and my two years' residence TALKS WITH GOVERNOR CASS. 251 )it, and to him, \. He • "Do father." father, I told the old 7 an old r — ' ^ entively It was ; young 5 before, pns ; in- ad been e to the d to go. near to n before aiting at h of the er which he then le paper, ns. He eter, by the cir- esidence with the Ottawwaws at Sau-ge-nong. After that time his word could not confirm mine, but the governor was perfectly satisfied, and after his leaving continued to talk with me. I found some difficulty in conversation, as he spoke on subjects with which I was not so fa- miliar as those I had been accustomed to speak about at the trading-houses, but I felt that I should soon be able to speak easily the language of my early years. The governor gave me clothing to the amount of sixty or seventy dollars* value, and sent me to remain for the present at the house of his interpreter, about a mile distant, where he told me I must remain till after a council he had appointed to be held at St. Mary's on the Miami, where he had summoned many Indians and white men to assemble ; after which he would send me to my relatives on the Ohio. Having waited some weeks, without any message from the governor, and being impatient to go on my way, I started with Be-nais-sa, the brother of Kish-kaw- ko, and eight other Indians who were going to the council. I went without the knowledge of Governor Cass, who indeed had already left Detroit, having to make some visits before going to St. Mary's. We suf- fered much from fatigue and from hunger, especially after passing the rapids of the Miami, where we left our canoe. We met Indians who sometimes gave us a little food, but others refused though they had plenty. The more they are in contact with white men the less are they given to hospitality. We sometimes stopped to rest or to sleep near a white man's corn-field, and though ^ .^J^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1 // o .n.-^ € 1.0 M 11.25 £ 110 12.0 U 11.6 <^ ^ a*.^..^ •) /. > Hiotographic Sciences Corporation 23 WIST MAIN STRUT WiBSTER, N.Y. UStO (716) •72-4503 2$! GREY HAWK. the corn was now fit to roast, and we almost perishing with hunger, we dared not take anything. The Indians said to me, "You have come far to seek your white relations ; now go in and see if they will give you any- thing to eat ! " I went to one house, and stood in the door asking for food, but the people within drove me away, and on my return the Indians laughed at me. Some time after, when we were in the road close to where we had slept for the night, some one came up on horseback, and asked us in the Ottawwaw dialect who we were. On telling him, he said that we should reach his house, if brisk travellers, on the next day after the morrow, at noon, and there we should have plenty to eat. " It is necessary," he added, " that I reach home to-morrow, and I have travelled all night," and thus he left us. On the next day my strength failed so much that I was only able to keep up by being relieved of my load. One took my gun, another my blanket, and we reached that night the forks of the Miami, where was a settlement of Indians, and a trading-house, as well as several families of whites. I applied to the trader, and stated my situation, but we could obtain no relief, and on the next day I felt very weak and little able to travel. We were indebted to the Indians for what little food we obtained, which enabled us the day after to reach the house of the hospitable Indidh. This man, named Ah-koo-nah-goo-zik, had two large kettles of corn and venison ready cooked and awaiting our arrival. One he placed before me, and the other before Be-nais-sa, and desired us to help ourselves and A HOSPITABLE INDIAN FARMER. 253 ishing ndians white u any- in the Dve me le. :lose to ; up on ict who d reach "ter the enty to h home id thus 50 much eved of cet, and i, where ouse, as to the 1 obtain nd little ians for the day Indidii. vo large awaiting he other Ives and our companions, wooden dishes and spoons being before us. After we had eaten, he told us we had better re- main with him some days, to rest ourselves after so long a journey, as he had plenty of corn, and fat venison was abundant about him. I told him that we deeply felt his kindness, but that for my own part I had for many years been wishing to make the journey I had in view, and was impatient to see whether any of my own relatives were still alive. The Indians had told him of my having been captured, and this seemed to have caused him to take more interest in me. I said I should be glad to rest with him for two or three days, and afterwards to borrow one of his horses to ride as far as St. Mary's, where I would leave it for him. " I will tell you," said he. Nothing was said till, on the third morning, where we were making up our loads to start, he came to me, leading a fine horse, and putting the halter in my hand, he said, " I give you this for the journey." I did not again tell him I would leave it in charge of some one at St. Mary's, as I had already said this, and I knew that in such cases the Indians do not wish to hear much said. The kindness of this man impressed me much. He was one of the first Indians I had seen who led a settled instead of a wandering life, and in his house and farm he seemed as prosperous as the white men. He had been, when young, as I afterwards learned, at a missionary's school, and then in the employment of his master, who had been much interested in him, and had taught him many things by which his life was raised above that 22 ,^ll liB^ 254 G/lEY HAWK", of the people among whom he was born. I have since seen prosperous Indian settlements in various places, through the same agencies, but at this time I was as yet unaware of the efforts made by good Christians among the whites to improve the condition of the Indians. - ,k ■ ■ A.. ■ ' .... .i,v \-'- '' :y:<. ;* V \ T^ i" ive since IS places, I was as [Christians n of the CHAPTER XIII. J <■ , i>v At the Council at St. Mary — An exciting Incident — Homicide during a Revel — Forbearance of the Relatives^ and Pardon of the Culprit — Dining with Governor Cass — Broken Health — Journey to the States — Meeting with my own Brother — Among my Relatives— Revival of Early Recollections — Con- versation with a Christian Teacher, t5« CHAPTER XIII. -Homicide I Pardon of t Health — Brother— t ions— Con- In two days I arrived at the place appointed for the council. Governor Cass had not yet come, and there were few people yet there, but a man was stationed to issue provisions to such as should come. A few days after our arrival an incident occurred which caused a painful excitement at the time, and which is worth narrating as illustrating some traits of Indian life and character. A young man of the Ottawwaws, Be-nais-sa had given me to cook for me, and to assist me in my sickness, as I was suffering from ague with fever, which, although it did not wholly confine me, was sometimes distressing and enfeebling. This young man went across the creek to a camp of the Po-ta-wa-to-mies, who had just arrived and were drinking. At midnight he was brought into the lodge drunk, and one of the men who came with him, said to me, as he pushed him in, " Take care of your young man, he has been doing mischief." I called to Be-nais-sa to kindle a fire quickly, and as soon as there was light enough we saw the young man standing with his knife in his hand, and the knife together with his arm and part of his body covered with blood. He stood in a strange absent manner, under ■57 s 2tr8 GREY ilAWA'. i^ the effect of drink, yet not so drunk as to have been unable to direct the men where to take him. The other Indians were all now awake, but they could not make him lie down ; he only stood glaring at them. But when I told him, he obeyed immediately, dropping the knife on the ground. I forbade them to make any inquiries about where he had been, or what he had done, and to take no notice of his bloody knife. In the morning, having slept soundly, he was per- fectly unconscious of all that had passed. He believed he had been drunk at the Indian camp, but had no recollection of being brought back. He was astonished and confounded when I told him he had killed a man, and showed him the blood-stained knife. He remembered now that, in his drunkenness, or when nearly overcome by the drink, he had been crying about his father, who had been killed by the whites near that very place where he then was. He expressed the utmost concern about what we told him he had done, and would not rest, till some of us consented to go with him, that he might see the man he had killed. On going with him to the camp, we learned from the Po-ta-wa-to-mies that he had seen a young man sleeping, or lying in a state of insensibility from drink, and had stabbed him with his knife, without any words having been exchanged, and apparently without knowing who he was. The young man was not dead, but he could not recover, and manifestly was near his end. We had brought with us a very considerable present, made up by one giving a blanket, another some cloth, some one A Al A \ SLAYER FORGIVEN. 259 thing and some another. With these, our young man went into the lodge where the dying man lay, and placing them on the ground, he said to the relatives who were standing about, " My friends, I have killed this your brother; but I knew not what I did. I had no ill-will against him. But drunkenness made me a fool, and now my life is forfeited to you. I am poor and among strangers. Some of those who came from my own country with me would take me back to those who know me there ; they have, therefore, sent me with this small present. My life is in your hands, and the present is before you ; take which you choose, my friends will have no cause to complain." Having thus spoken he sat down beside the dying man, who was unconscious, his life almost gone ; stoop- ing his head, he hid his eyes with his hands, as if waiting for them to strike. There was death "ke silence. The Indians, when not excited in war or by drink, do everything in a slow deliberate manner, and apparently impassive spirit. Some of the white people would, under such circumstances, have rushed with wild vengeance upon the manslayer who had placed himself in their power. But they had heard and were now calmly weighing the words he had spoken. The silence was broken by the mother of the wounded man, an aged woman, who came a little forward, and said, " For myself and my children I can answer, that we wish not to take your life ; but I cannot speak for my husband who is not here, nor promise to protect you from his resentment. Nevertheless I will accept your 36o GREY HAWK, If '^ ;> '•I'j presents, and whatever influence I have with him, I shall not fail to use it in your behalf. I know it was not from design, or from any previous hatred or malice, that you have done this, and why should your mother be made to weep as well as myself?" She accepted the presents, and without molestation from others in the lodge, the young man went out and rejoined our people. We heard that the father returned that evening from hunting, and on the whole affair being told to him, he showed much sorrow, but uttered no threats of ven- geance, using only some expressions of submission to untoward fate. The event was reported to Governor Cass, who had arrived a day or two before, and he was satisfied with the course that had been taken, and said he would not appear to know anything about it. During the night the young man having died, some of our people assisted on the following day in making the grave. When this was completed, the governor gave for the dead man a valuable present of cloth and other things to be buried with him, according to the Indian custom, and these were brought and heaped up on the brink of the grave. The old woman, evidently a shrewd person, and with more sense than sentiment, proposed that these presents, instead of being buried, should be played for, and so made useful. Whatever the older people thought, the proposal pleased the young men, and as the articles were numerous, arrangements were made for various games, on the following day, such as shooting at the mark, leaping, wrestling, and other sports. In these funeral games the handsomest piece of AND ADOPTED BY THE SLAIN MAN'S MOTHER. 261 m, I shall not from that you ; made to presents, lodge, the Die. We ling from :o him, he ts of ven- nission to Governor nd he was aken, and ibout it. d, some ol laking the ernor gave and other the Indian up on the Y a shrewd t, proposed , should be the older oung men, nents were day, such , and other est piece of cloth w-^s reserved as the prize for the swiftest in the foot race. The winner of the prize was the young man himself who had killed the other. I feared for the mo- ment that this might have caused some ill-feeling. But again the old woman took the chief part, and in a way that surprised us all. Calling the young man to her she said, " Young man, he who was my son was very dear to me, and I fear I shall weep much and often for him. I would be glad if you would come to be my son in his stead, to love me and take care of me as he did." The young man was struck with confusion at the unexpected offer, but being already deeply grateful for her having saved his life, immediately consented to the arrangement if the father gave his approval. The father was ap- pealed to, and being one who deferred much to the will of his wife, not a thing very usual among the Indians, the adoption was soon agreed to. This old woman reminded me of our Net-no-qua, who till her last days bore rule over all her relatives as well as her hus- band, in our lodge, in my younger days. Meanwhile some one told Governor Cass that some friends of the deceased were still determined to avenge his death, and disapproved of the way in which the affair had been passed over, as against all honourable custom. Hearing this he sent his interpreter to the young man to direct him at once to make his escape and flee to his own country. The governor was of course desirous of avoiding any trouble from the event. Knowing the deadliness of such feuds if once the spirit of retaliatioa is let loose, I, as well as Be-nais-sa, con- 263 GREY HAWK currcd with the governor's advice, and assisted in making preparation for the young man's departure. We sent him off in the night, but instead of making the best of his way homeward, he concealed himself in the woods at no great distance from our lodge. ' Very early next morning I saw two of the friends of the slain young man coming towards our lodge. I im- mediately concluded that the report of intended ven- geance was correct, and became alarmed, supposing they were coming with the intention of doing violence. They came into the lodge, and for a long time sat silent. At last one of them said, " Where is our brother ? We felt lonely at home, and wish to talk with him." As I saw they were quite unarmed, and spoke with apparent sin- cerity, I told them he had lately gone out. " Would I fetch him } " I said I did not know where he was or when he would return. As they still remained, I went out on pretence of seeking him, but really to consult with one or two of my friends, and to tell them that the reported threats of violence were unfounded. I had not the slightest expectation of seeing my young servant again. What was my surprise when he stood before me, as I went out of my lodge. He had observed, from his hiding place, the visit of the two young men to our lodge, and judging as I had done, from their manner and from their being unarmed, that they came with no un- friendly design, he discovered himself, and we re-entered the lodge together. They shook hands with him in a friendly way, and carried back a message that, as soon as I could arrange for other help in my lodge, he ARRIVAL OF THE HOSPITABLE INDIAN FARMER. 263 should go to conifort the parents for their lost son. \ "*'*;crvvards ascertained that all the rumours of their wishing to kill him were false, and that he was quite at home in his new position. Certainly, if forgiveness has any influence he would prove a most faithful servant and loving son. Before these Po-ta-wa-to-mies left the neighbourhood they gave us a good deal of trouble. Some of them had actually the daring to steal the horse that had been lent to me on the road by the friendly old man, Ah-koo- nah-goozik. As he was expected at the council, I lost no time in going to the camp across the creek, and with the help of some of Be-nais-sa's young men I fortu- nately recovered the horse, with which no doubt the thieves would have shortly decamped. I restored him to the owner, who knew nothing of the fright I had got. Governor Cass, having heard how kind this mnn had been to me and my fellow-travellers, and especially in lending me the horse, directed that a very handsome and valuable saddle should be given to him. I »r some time the old man persisted in declining this present ; but at last, when prevailed on to receive it, being told that his refusal displeased the governor, he expressed much gratitude. " This," he said, " is what was told me by the men who gave me instruction many years ago, when I was young. TIkey told me that because the Great Spirit was good, and had been good to me, I must be kind and do good to all men, and chiefly to all who were poor and afflicted, and to the stranger who should come from a far country ; saying, if I did so, I would be like 264 GREY HAWK, f5 Mil! my Heavenly Father, who would also remember me to do good to me, and to reward me for what I had done. Now, although I have done so little for this man, see how amply and honourably I am rewarded." This he said to Governor Cass through the interpreter. He would have persuaded me to take his horse as a present , saying he had others, and the saddle was more valuable than the horse he had lent me. Of course I declined his offer, but he still insisted, till I consented that he should consider it as belonging to me, and that he would take care of it until I returned and called for it. I was full of affection for the old man, and a£ he hoped I should come to see him again, I said I would return now to his house for a short visit, which was less than two days distant. He was leaving the council, which would continue some days longer, so I returned with him. I had much conversation with him at his house, and heard from him many things that my heart felt to be good. We spoke once about the Shawnee prophet, and about others who pretended to have received revelations from the Great Spirit. He told me that there had been a revelation given, and written in a book from which his teachers had instructed him, but he was unable to read, anJ only remembered some truths which had been im- pressed on his memory in early years, and which he had always endeavoured to carry out through life. He believed in the presence of the Great Spirit always and everywhere near him. But he also believed that the Great Spirit had sent to this world one who was the \ er me to id done, man, see This he ;ter. He i present valuable declined i that he he would it. I was ; hoped I lid return ; less than cil, which rned with louse, and felt to be Dphet, and evelations ; had been which his le to read, been im- which he life. He Iways and i that the ,o was the A TALK WITH THE INDIAN ABOUT RELIGION. 265 friend and protector of men, who came in the likeness of man, who taught men the will of the Great Spirit, and set them an example. This was long ago, and in a far-off land, the people of which slew this good prophet, because he said he was from the Great Spirit, and be- cause he opposed their evil ways. But after he was dead he rose again, and he told his followers to ^o^ to all lands, and tell of his life and his death, and to make them better. These were among the things he had learned from the white men who were his teachers in his early years. As he was speaking, there came to my memory thoughts that had long been buried in my mind, and dim recollections of things I too had been taught in my childhood. I had sometimes, as I have said, been with white men since my captivity, but had never met with teachers like those whom my old friend remembered with gratitude. I felt now the more de- sirous to return among my people, where I could learn more about the Maker and the Friend of men. Full of these desires, and with varm feeling of regard and love for the old man, I returned to the place of the council. The governor, before the conclusion of the council, called me to dine with him. I put on the clothes which he had given to me at Detroit, which I had laid aside carefully, while I was in the lodge with the Indians. I had seen enough of the habits and usages of white men at the trading-houses, and was able sufficiently to speak with them on some subjects. The governor had evi- dently told them about my history, and several gentle' 23 266 GREY HAWK, 1^i irt* '>iii men were very attentive, and asked me to take wine with them at table. I was careful to avoid taking much, for I had never acquired the same fondness the Indians usually have for intoxicating liquors. Among the guests were two men from. Kentucky, one of whom seemed to be strangely interested in me, and after asking various questions, to my astonishment, and to the great delight of the governor, he said he knew something of my re- lations, and that he often had visited at the family of one of my sisters. As they were going back after the council, I determined to start along with these two men. A day or two after this I had a fresh attack of fever and ague. Governor Cass had given to me goods and money to the amount of one hundred and twenty dollars. I think some of the gentlemen who met me at his house contributed towards this handsome present. I purchased a horse for eighty dollars, as I had the long journey before me. When we were to start \ was so feeble and unwell as scarcely to be able to stand, yet I could not lose this opportunity of going with those who knew the road, and who could guide me to my relatives. I set out with them, but after two days I had become so ill that I could not sit on my horse. They concluded to purchase a skiff, and one of them to take me down by water, while the other went with the horses by the usual route, hiring a man to take charge of them. We went down the Big Miami River, but there were many mill weirs and other obstructions, which rendered even this method not only slow and laborious, but extremely trying to me in my condition. At last I was reduced to such a state of MEET ONE OF MY RELATIVES. ^ ke wine ig much, ; Indians he guests eemed to g various It delight )f my re- family of after the two men. ;k of fever Toods and ity dollars. ; his house purchased ney before nd unwell •t lose this : road, and out with ill that I :o purchase I by water, sual route, went down II weirs and method not ng to me in o ;h a state of I weakness as to be quite unable to move. My companion grew anxious and alarmed. We stopped at a house on the bank of the river, the owner of which, though a poor man, seemed greatly to pity me, and disposed to do all he cc ild for my relief. I determined, therefore, to ask permission to stay here, my friend arranging for my being taken care of, till he went to the Ohio, and either came back himself, or sent some one for me. The man with whom I stopped could speak a little of the Ottaw- waw language, and spoke to me, thinking from my dress that I was an Indian. He was surprised when I also spoke in his own tongue, and he did everything in his power to make me comfortable, until my nephew, a son of one of my sisters, sent by my relatives in Kentucky, came for me. By him I learned about the death of my father, and also some particulars about others of my family. Before I saw Kish-kaw-ko, at Detroit, I had always supposed that the greater part, if not all, of my father's family had been killed by Manito-o-gheezik and his band, the year subsequent to my capture. Our journey was very tedious and difficult to Cincin- nati, where we rested a little. Thence we descended the Ohio in a skiff. My fever continued, with attacks daily, and when the chill commenced we were compelled to stop for some time, so that our progress was not rapid. We were accompanied by one man, who assisted my nephew to put me in and take me out of the skiff, for I was now reduced to a mere skeleton, and had not strength enough to walk pnd stand by myself As the night was coming on we arrived at a large 7 I 268 GJ^^EY HA war. Mb *54 farm, with a nice-looking house. Leaving the skiff, they raised me by the arms, and partly led, partly lifted me towards the house, where my nephew asked shelter for the night. He said I was so unwell that it might en- danger my life to go farther. But the owner told us we could not stay there, and on my nephew persisting in his request, drove us roughly away. The night was now upon us, but we had to return to the boat. The next place where we saw lights on shore was more than a mile further, and the house being far back from the river, we could not approach in the skiff. They accord- ingly again supported me, till we arrived at a large brick house. The people within had just gone to bed, but on my nephew knocking at the door, after a little a man came out. When he heard what we asked, and saw me, he took hold of me and assisted me into the house ; then called his wife and daughters, who prepared some supper for my companions. For me he got some medicine, and made me go to bed, and I slept soundly. At this house we remained the next day and night, and were treated with the utmost kindness. From that time I began to get a little better, and without much more difficulty I reached the place where some of my sister's children were living. She had been dead some years. I went to the house of an other nephew, where I lay sick for some weeks. While there a letter arrived, but I was too ill at the time to be told about it. After recovering somewhat, and being able to move about, they told me it- was from my brother Edward, whose name I had never forgotten. He had gone to Reci River to search A PAINFUL AND TOILSOME JOURNEY. 269 for me. I was also told that one of my relatives, who lived about one hundred miles distant, had wished to come to him. The thought of my brother Edward being still alive, and in quest of me, dwelt on my mind so much that I declared my intention of taking my horse, which I had now begun to use, and returning towards Red River. My relatives and neighbours tried to dissuade me, but when they found me determined to go, they made preparation for my journey. One of them went with me as far as Cincinnati. When he left me I went on alone. It was a painful and disagreeable journey for me. From day to day I travelled, weak and lonely, and sometimes hungry, meeting more frequently with suspicjous looks and rough words than with kind treat- ment. Although I had enough to pay for corn for my horse, more tha.i once I was refused, and cursed for an Indian. There were occasionally better-hearted people, as one old man who was standing at his door as I passed. He called to me to stop, took my horse and gave him plenty of corn, and leading me into the house placed food before me. I could not eat at the time, upon which he gave me some nuts, some of which I ate. When he saw that my horse had eaten, and that I was impatient to start, he put on the saddle and brought the horse. I offered him money, but he would not take it At night I did not go to a house, pre- ferring greatly to sleep in the woods, as I found I could sleep there far better. In fact I had been so accustomed to sleep in the open air in the fine season, m «7o G/;^£y iiAiVK, IllH! Ipii' that I felt oppressed in a house, and my strength was being restored by adopting my old habits of life. When I got near the upper part of the Big Miami the settle- ments were few and far apart. One day seeing a number of hogs in the woods, I shot one, skinned him, and hung the meat to my saddle, so that I was for some time well supplied. At the forks of the Miami of Lake Erie was a trader whom I knew, and who spoke Ottawwaw as well as I did. He might have been expected to be friendly, but he was a selfish, disagreeable man. When I asked him for something for my horse, he told me to be gone, as he would give nothing ; but offered to sell me some corn for my bear meat, as he called the pork he saw hanging at my saddle. But I disliked him, and leaving him, slept that night in the woods. The next day I had the good fortune to come to a house where the woman treated me kindly. She fed my horse and gave me a piece of dried vension, which I cooked and enjoyed at the next place in the woods where I halted. When within one hundred miles of Detroit, I was again taken very sick, and had to remain in a lodge I constructed, at first almost without hope of recovery. But at length I was again able to resume my journey. Two days from Detroit I met a man, having a Sioux pipe in his hand, who merely gave me a look as he passed. It struck me as I went on that this man had a strong resemblance to my father, whose appearance was thereby recalled to my memory. On arriving on the second day at Detroit, I learned that this man on the road was really my brother. I was about to return MEETING WITH MY BROTHER EDWARD. 271 gth was When e settle- number nd hung ime well Erie was wwaw as ed to be . When )ld me to ed to sell the pork him, and The next ise where horse and )oked and I halted. )it, I was a lodge I recovery, ourney. g a Sioux ook as he nan had a trance was ng on the an on the to return after him, but Governor Cass, to whom I went to an- nounce my arrival, would not let me go. He said that my having passed towards Detroit would be known at the houses on the way ; and as he would be sure to in- quire at each of these, he would soon hear of me and come back. His opinion appeared to have been well founded, for in three days my brother arrived. He would not have known me, but the affection of a bi other was warm in his heart, and he held me a long time in his arms in silence. We were soon able to hear what each was anxious to know, but of this I need not give details. He persuaded me to cut my long hair, which I still wore in Indian style, and also to lay aside the Indian dress. But the dress of a white man was uncomfortable to me, and I was compelled from time to time, as will appear in the sequel, to resume my old dress for work and for comfort My brother insisted that I should go with him to his house, beyond tne Mississippi, where he had long been settled. We set off thither together. At Fort Wayne we received kind attention from the military commandant, and the journey was, on the whole, pleasant and without incident Forty days we took to get to the Mississippi, fifteen miles above New Madrid, where my brother lived. Thence we went to Jackson, fifteen miles from Cape Girardeau, where two of my sisters lived. From this place we started to go to Kentucky. Crossing the Mississippi, a little above Cape Girardeau, we went by way of Golconda, on the Ohio, to Kentucky, where several relatives lived, near villages called Salem and 272 GREY HAWK, a % |MIK| Princeton. Here my sister Lucy, married to a Mr. Rukkcn, lived. She had dreamed, the night before I arrived, that she saw me coming through the corn-field that surrounded the house. I had been too much accustomed to hear of dreams and presentiments, and to believe in them, to express any surprise at what she told me. She had a large family of children, all of whom, with the friends and neighbours, crowded around to witness the lost brother's meeting with his sister. It was a wonderful event in the quiet place. Next sabbath- day there was a great assemblage at the house, and a thanksgiving service was held. My brother-in-law was exceedingly kind, and he took much trouble, by writing letters and making inquiries, to see if in my father's will any provision had been made for me. Nothing came of this at the time, but he interested so many people that a handsome sum was collected, and I never was so rich before or since. I had five hundred silver dollars when I went back to New Madrid to my brother Edward. I was going thence to my sister's at Jackson, but he would not allow me to go alone, no doubt thinking that the possession of this money might be the means of ex- posing me to danger or bringing me into difficulty. I was very glad to remain some time at Jackson with my sister there. She was a truly good woman, and from her I learned much about the religion of which I knew so little. I had met people who called themselves Christians, but who in their lives and ways were not much better than the Indians amonj? whom I RELIGIOUS AND MORAL IDEAS OF INDIANS. 273 ) a Mr. before I orn-field ►o much s, and to she told f whom, ound to ister. It sabbath- >e, and a \ he took inquiries, lad been time, but sum was since. I back to as going ^ould not that the ns of ex- ult y. ^ : Jackson 3 woman, eligion of ho called and ways I whom I was, except in things in which white men had the advantage of more knowledge. I had never happened to meet with any of the Christian missionaries or teachers, of whom I now heard as labouring among the Indians to teach them true religion. The old man, Ah-koo-nah-goo-zik, was the only one who had told me of such teachers. While my sister talked with me there came back to my memory some of the long-for- gotten things I had been taught in my childhood, and which I now heard with very different feelings, and which I was able now to understand and assent to. The Indians were n®t without religious feeling, and some of them were devout as far as their superstitions went. They prayed to the Great Spirit, and made offer- ings to propitiate his favour. They had ideas of right and wrong, but they regarded things as good or bad only according to the customs of their people. A good minister, whom my sister brought to see me, inquired much about the beliefs and practices of the Indians, and asked my opinion as to the usefulness of sending missionaries to teach them. I told him that there were some who would be grateful to be taught, and that they were ever too ready to listen to any who professed to bring revelations from the Great Spirit. I told him how the pretended prophets and seers had sometimes been obeyed, when they gave precepts, which perhaps they had heard from white men, against lying and stealing and drunkenness and other evils, though they mixed these good precepts with foolisl: and crafty superstitions. I told him also that the Indians would T «74 CREY HAWK, not be altogether unprepared to receive the teaching about Jesus Christ, the Saviour and Friend of man. They had in their religion not only reverence for the Great Spirit, but their legends also spoke of one whom they called Na-na-bush, who was the creator of men and their patron and protector, and who had sometimes appeared upon the earth as the messenger and repre- sentative of the Great Spirit. They believe also in an evil spirit, or devil, called Matche-Manito, of whom they rarely speak, but ot whose power and malice they have fear. Their ideas are confused, and may differ in various tribes, but in all there is a sense of some kind of religion, and I thought there was good hope in taking better teaching to them, which would find re- sponse both in their understanding and their con- science. The good minister one day brought a book which he said was the Life of David Brainerd, a missionary ^ among the Indians in times long past, written by Jonathan Edwards, of Princeton College. He read to me something which agreed with what I had told him. It was about a poor Indian who once came to him. He had never had any communication with Christian people, and yet unaided by any written revelation he possessed some just ideas of his own relation and duty to the Great Spirit. Here is the missionary's story : — " I discoursed with him about Christianity. Some of my discourse he seemed to like, but some of it he dis- liked extremely. He told me that God had taught him his religion, and that he never would turn from it : but AN INDIAN REFORMER, 275 eaching >f man. for the e whom of men ■netimes i repre- ;o in an whom ice they differ in me kind hope in find re- leir con- which he lissionary itten by ; read to told him. ; to him. Christian ilation he and duty story : — Some of it he dis- lught him m it : but wanted to find some who would join heartily with him in it. For the Indians, he said, were grown very de- generate and corrupt. He had thoughts, he said, of leaving all his friends and travelling abroad in order to find some who would join with him ; for he believed that God had some good people somewhere, who felt as he did. He had not always, he said, felt as he now did, but had formerly been like the rest of the Indians, until about four or five years before that time. Then, ho said, his heart was very much distressed, so that he could not live among the Indians, but got away into the woods and lived alone for some months. At length he says, God comforted his heart, and showed him what he should do ; and since that time he had known God, and tried to serve Him, and loved all men, be they who they would, so as he never did befo«-e. He treated me with uncommon courtesy, and seemed to be hearty in it. I was told by the Indians that he opposed their drink- ing strong liquor, with all his power, and that if at any time he could not dissuade them from it by all he could say, he would leave them and go crying into the woods. It was manifest that he had a set of religious notions, which he had examined for himself, and not taken for granted upon bare tradition, and he relished or dis- relished whatever was spoken of a religious nature, as it either agreed or disagreed with his standard. While I was discoursing he would sometimes say, ' Now that I like, so God has taught me,* etc., and some of his sentiments seemed very just. He seemed to be sincere, honest, and conscientious in his own way, and accord- 276 GREY II A IV K. Si: ing to his own religious notions, which was more than I ever saw in any other pagan. I perceived that he was looked upon and derided among most of the Indians as a precise zealot, who made a needless noise about religious matters, but I must say there was some- thing in his temper and disposition which looked more like true religion than anything I ever observed among other heathens." Whether this Indian's religion was " true " or not, it was certainly better than that of many who call them- selves Christians. The minister said that this man was one among a thousand, and that there were very few who would thus separate themselves from their fellows and strive to be good as he did. The indulgence of natural desires and passions prevents self-denial. He explained to me that the excellence of the Christian religion s "speared most in this, that it gives motive powerful enough to overcome natural desire and evil ways. Out of love and gratitude to the Saviour who died for us, obedience and self-denial become easy, just as we will do and suffer much for a friend or for one loved by us. I have said more than I intended about this, but it may interest those who have read or heard about missions to the Indians. But now to resume my narrative. • ^ - - :\ : than lat he 5f the \ noise some- l more among • not, it them- lan was 2ry few fellows jence of al. He hristian motive ind evil )ur who asy, just for one d about or heard ume my .■...«,S.'- • • •' '" n -\ ■ ,5' ■(■. CHAPTER XIV. ■■« ; Journey to St. Louis on the Mississippi— To Chicago — To the Sault de St. Marie— Hear of my Indian Wife and Children — Return to my Relatives in Kentucky — Distaste for Civilized Life — Wanderings Resumed— To Chicago and Fort Clark — Adventure at a Ferry — To Mackinac — Colonel Boyd and Mr. H. School :raft— Engaged as a Trader— A Struggle with Famine — Second and last Experiment at Trading — With the American Fur Company — Interview with my Children at the Lake of the Woods — Their removal by the Ifuiians— Engage- ment as Interpreter to Mr. Schoolcraft. S7S \ j CHAPTER XIV. From Jackson my brother and I went to St. Louis on the Mississippi, where we saw Governor Clark, who had already given much assistance to my brother in his journeys in search of me. He received us with great kindness, and offered us whatever assistance we might think necessary in accomplishing the object I now had in view, which was to bring my family from the Indian country. My wife I had little hope of recovering, but I felt unwilling to leave my children among the people where they were. My brother wished to accompany me, and take a considerable number of men, to aid, if necessary, in taking my children by force. But I went one day to Governor Clark and told him not to listen to my brother, who knew little of the country or people I was going to visit, or of what was needful to my success in the attempt to bring out my family. In tiuth, I did not wish my brother, or any other white man, to accompany me, as I knew he could not submit to all the hardships of the journey, and live, as I should be compelled to live, in an Indian lodge all winter. Furthermore, I was aware that he would be rather an encumbrance than any help to me ; and I persuaded him to return. Governor Clark wished to send me by the way of the 279 28o GREY HAIVIC. upper Mississippi, but I was unwilling to go that way, on account of the Sioux, through whose country I must pass. He gave me a Mackinac boat, large enough to carry fifty men, with provisions, axes, tents, and other stores. The current of the Mississippi, below the Missouri, soon convinced me that this large boat was not adapted for my journey, and at Portage de Sioux, I disposed of it, and of such of the goods as I could not stow away in a small canoe, in which, with two men, I proceeded to the head of the Illinois River, and thence to Chicago. I had a letter from Governor Clark to Mr. M'Kenzie, the Indian agent at that place, and as there was no vessel about to sail for Mackinac, he fitted out a bark canoe, with a crew of Indians, to take me on my journey. But the Indians stopped for some days drink- ing, and a vessel meanwhile arrived, in which I sailed on her return voyage. At Mackinac I waited ten days, when Captain Knapp, of the revenue cutter, offered me a passage to Drummond's Island. Here Dr. Mitchell and the Indian agent. Colonel Anderson, treated me in a very friendly manner, until the latter had an opportu- nity to send me to the Sault de St. Marie. At the Sault I remained two or three months, as Colonel Dickson, who was there, would not allow me to go up Lake Superior in the North-West Company's trading vessel, which went and returned three times while I was detained, waiting for him. He was going by boat, and I was to go with him. At last he was ready to start. We were no sooner out from shore than THE REDHEADED ENGLISHMAN, 281 way, must gh to other V the it was Sioux, Id not men, I thence iCenzie, vas no a bark on my 5 drink- [ sailed jn days, ^red me Vlitchell d me in )pportu- •nths, as w me to mpany's se times as going he was lore than he told me to take an oar, and although I was then in feeble health, he compelled me to row as long as I was able to sit up. Being at last disabled, he set me on shore, at a spot twenty miles above Fort William, where I found Mr. Griarson, who was in charge of some pro- perty for the Hudson's Bay Company. I do not know why Colonel Dickson treated me as he had done, except he had been told something against me by the North- West people. When he set me on shore I told him I should be at the other side of the lake before him. Leaving my baggage under the charge of Mr. Giarson, I hired a canoe, with an old Frenchman, and having good luck in crossing I was there before him. He went on by the Indians' road to the Red River. We heard he had a journey of extreme difficulty, and suffered from fatigue and hunger. The Indians greatly disliked this " red-headed " Englishman, as they called him. He was an ill-tempered, rough man. On his way to Red River he passed an enclosed Indian burying-ground, where some of the people known to me were buried. Colonel Dickson and his people broke down the palings, and destroyed the little sheds that had been built over the graves. The Indians were deeply offended by this, and threatened to take his life, which they might pro- bably have done, had an opportunity offered. He went to Pembinah, thence to Lake Naverse, and returned no more into the country of the Ojibbeways. The village or settlement where I had lived with my family was in an island in the Lake of the Woods. I made inquiries, and learned that my wife and two of her 282 GREY HAWK, c children had left for some distant place. Her conduct, I heard, was such that I lost all wish to see her, though I still retained some feeling towards the children. Being much unsettled, and not resolved as to what 1 should do, I went to Mackinac. Mr. Boyd, the Indian agent there, wished to hire me as a striker in his smith's shop, but not liking the employment, I did not wish to remain. There was a vessel going to Chicago, and I was willing to pay for a passage, but was refused per- mission to be a passenger. I was therefore obliged to purchase a canoe, in which I started, with only one man to assist me. Colonel Boyd gave me a letter to Dr. •Wolcott, who was now Indian agent there. On arriving after rather a difficult voyage, I was ill with fever, and my money being now spent I was in great distress. As soon as I was able I went to Dr. Wolcott to present the letter ; but he would not receive it, or take any notice of me. He knew well who I was, as he had seen me before when I passed Chicago, and I could not tell why he refused me assistance. I might have perished but for the kindness of a Frenchman, who had been to carry some boats across the Portage. His v*