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By R M. BALLANTYJSTE, AUTHOR OF "the LIFEBOAT ;" " THE LIGHTHOUSK ; " "THE iftoN horse;" "under the waves;" "rivers of ice;" " shifting winds," etc. etc. LONDON: JAMES NISBET & CO., 21 BERNERS STREET. p NOTE. PLAN OF THIS MISCELLANY. There ia a vast amount of interesting information, on almost all subjects, which many people, especially the young, cannot attain to because of the expense, and, in some instances, the rarity of the booka in which it is contained. To place some of this information, in an attractive form, within the reach of those who cannot afford to purchase expensive books, is the principal object of this Miscellany. Truth is stranger thr.n fiction, but fiction is a valuable assistant in the development of truth. Both, therefore, shall be used in these volumes. Care will be taken to insure, as far as is possible, that the /act$ stated shall be true, and that the impre^siana given shall be truthful. As all classes, in every age, have proved that tales and stories are the most popular style of literature, each volume of the series (with, perhaps, one or two exceptions) will contain a complete tale, the heroes and actors in which, together with the combination of circumstances in which they move, shall be more or less fictitious. In writing these volumes, the author has eamestlv endeavoured to keep in view the glory of God and the iiooJ of man I CO NT K NTS. Ohap. I.— Thk Hum'ku, V ft IT. — The Three Friends, 11 „ iir. — The Encami'mknt, .... 18 •t IV.— Mosquitok3-^Camp-Fjki: Tai-k, 26 „ v.— Journeying in the Wildernkhh, 31 tf VI. — The Outpost, . . . . . 41 ti VII. — A Savage Family, and a Fiuht with A P>EAi:. rA „ VIII. — Running tmk Falls -Wiij> Scexeh AND Men, 64 It IX.— The Fort, and an Unexpected Mekting, 77 „ X.— Buffalo-Hunting on the Puairies, 87 ,, XI.— Winter — Sleppi.\g in tue Snow A Night Alarm, . . .97 „ XIL- „ XIII. — The Conclusion, The Wedding, an Arrival, a Feast, AND A Ball, . . . . .109 118 AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. CHAPTER r. THE HUNTER. ON a beautiful summer evening, not many years ago, a man was seen to ascend the side of a little mound or hillock, on the top of which he lingered to gaze upon the wild scenery that lay stretched out before him. The man wore the leathern coat and leggings oi a North American hunter, or trapper, or back- woodsman ; and well did he deserve all these titles, for Jasper Deny was known to his friends as the l)est hunter, the most successful trapper, and the boldest man in the backwoods. Jasper was big and strong as well as bold, but he was not a bully. Men of true courage are in general peacefully disposed. Jasper could fight like a lion when there was occasion to do so ; but he was gentle and grave, and quiet by nature. He was also extremely good-humoured ; had a 8 AWAY IN TUE WUiUERNESS. low soft voice, and, both in mind and body, Beemcd to delight in a state of repose. We have said that his coat was made of leather ; the moccasins or Indian shoes on his feet were made of the same material. When Jasper first put them on they were soft like a glove of chamois leather, and bright yellow ; but hard service had turned them into a dirty brown, which looked more businesslike. The sun had burned his face and hands to as deep a brown as his coat. On his head he wore a little round cap, which he had made with his own hands, after having caught the bla'^k fox that supplied the fur, in one of his own traps. A coloured worsted belt bound his coat round his waist, and beneath the coat he wore a scarlet flannel shirt. A long knife and a small hatchet were stuck in the belt at his back, and in front hung a small cloth bag, which was so thickly ornamented with bsads of many colours, that little of the cloth could be seen. This last was a fire-bag — so called because it contained the flint, steel, and tinder required for making a fire, lu also contained Jasper's pipe aud tobacco — for he smoked, as a matter of course. Men smoke everywhere — more's the pity — and Jasper followed the example of those around him. Smoking was almost his only fault. He was a tremendous smoker. Often, when out of tobacco, he had smoked tea. Frequently he had tried AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. 9 bark and dried leaves ; and once, when hard pressed, he had smoked oakum. He would rather have gone without his supper than without his pipe ! A powder-horn and shot-pouch were slung over his shoulders by two cross belts, and he car- ried a long single-barrelled gun. I have been thus particular in describing Jasper Derry, because he is our hero, and he is worth describing, being a fine, hearty, handsome fellow, who cared as little for a wild Indian or a grizzly bear as he did for a butterfly, and who was one of the best of companions, as he was one of the best of hunters, in the wilderness. Having gained the top of the hillock, Jasper placed the butt of his long gun on the ground, and, crossing his hands over the muzzle, stood there for some time so motionless, that he might have been mistaken for a statue. A magnificent country was spread out before him. Just in front lay a clear lake of about a mile in extent, and the evening was so still that every tree, stone, and bush on its margin, was reflected as in a mirror. Here, hundreds of wild ducks and wild geese were feeding among the sedges of the bays, or flying to and fro mingling their cries with those of thousands of plover and other kinds of water- fowl that inhabited the place At the lower end of this lake a small rivulet was seen to issue forth and wind its way through woods and plains like a 10 AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. y '- ■**^^i silver threaa, until it was lost to view in the fai distance. On the right and left and behind, the earth was covered with the dense foliage of the wild-woods. The hillock on "vdiich the western hunter stood, lay in the very heart of that great uncultivated wilderness which forms part of the British posses- sions in North America. This region lies to the nortli of the Canadas, is nearly as large as all Europe, and goes by the name of the Hudson's Bay Territory, or Rupert's Land. It had taken Jasper many long weeks of hard travel oy land and water, in canoes and on foot, to get there j and several weeks of toil still lay before him ere he could attain the object foi which his journey had been undei-taken. Wicked people say that "woman is at the bot- tom of all mischief!" Did it never cccur to these same wicked individuals, that woman is just as much at the bottom of all good ? Whether for good or for evil, woman was at the bottom of Jasper Derry's heart and afiairs. The cause of his journey was love ; the aim and end of it waa marriage ! Did true love ever run smooth ? '*^No, never," says the proverb. Wo shall f.oe. AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. 11 CHAPTER II. THE THREE FHIENDS. WHEN the hunter had stood for full five minutes gazing at the beautiful scenery by which he was surrounded, it suddenly occurred to him that a pipe would render him much more capable of enjoying it ; so he sat down on tke trunk of a fallen tree, leaned his gun on it, pulled the fire-bag from his belt, and began to till his pipe, whicli, was one of the kind used by the ravages of the country, with a stone head and a wooden stem. It was soon lighted, and Jasper was thinking how much more clear and beautiful a landscape looked through tobacco smoke, when a hand was laid lightly on his shoulder. Looking quickly round, he beheld a tall dark -faced Indian standing by his side. Jasper betrayed neither alarm nor surprise ; for the youth was his own comrade, who Jiad merely come to tell him that the canoe in which they had been travelling together, and which had been slightly damaged, was repaired and ready for service 12 AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. '* Why, Arrowhead, you steal on me with the soft tread of a fox. My ears are not dull, yet I did not hear your approach, lad," A smile lighted up the countenance of the young Indian for a moment, as he listened to a compliment which gratified him much ; but the grave expression which was natural to him in- stantly returned, as he said, " Arrowhead has hunted in the Eocky Mountains where the men are treacherous ; he has learned to tread lightly there." " No doubt, ye had need to be always on the look out, where there are such varmints ; but hereaway, Arrowhead, there are no foes to fear, and therefore no need to take yer friends by sur- prise. But ye're proud o' your gifts, lad, an' I suppose it's natural to like to show them off. Is the canoe ready 1 " The Indian replied by a nod. " That's well, lad, it will be sun-down in another hour, an' I would like to camp on the point of pines to-night ; so come along." " Hist I" exclaimed the Indian, pointing to a dock of geese which came into view at that moment. '* Ah ! you come of a wasterful Jasper, shaking his head gravely, '* ; content wh< » ye've got enough. e never always be killing God's creatures right and left for pure AWAY IN THE WILDEENESS. 13 Bpoii;. Haven't we got one grey goose already for supper, an' that's enough for two men surely. Of course I make no account o' the artist, poor cratur', for he eats next to nothin'. Hows'ever, as your appetite may be sharper set than usual, I've no objection to bring down another for ye." So saying the hunter and the Indian crouched behind a bush, and the former, while he cocked his gun and examined the priming, gave utterance to a series of cries so loud and discordant, that any one who was ignorant of a* hunter** »yays must have thought he was anxious to drive all the liviug creatures within six miles of him away in terror. Jasper had no such wish, how- ever. He was merely imitating the cry of the wild geese. The birds, which were at first so far off that a rifle-ball could not have reached them, no sooner heard the cry of their friends (as they doubtless thought it), than they turned out of their course, and came gradually towards the bush where the two men lay hidden. The hunter did not cease to cry until the birds were within gun-shot. Then he fixed his eye on one of the flock that seemed plump and fat. The long barrel of the gun was quickly raised, the geese discovered their mistake, and the whole flock were thrown into wild confusion as they attempted to sheer ofl"; but it was too late. Smoke and fire burst from the B busli, and an 14 AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. enormous grey goose fell with a heavy crash to the groimd. ** What have you shot 1 what have you shot ]" cried a shrill and somewhat weak voice in the distance. In another moment the owner of the voice appoared, running eagerly towards the two men. " Use your eyes, John Hey wood, an* ye won't need to ask," said Jasper, with a quiet smile, as he carefully re-loaded his gun. *' Ah ! I see — a grey swan — no, surely, it can- not be a goose 1" said Hoy wood, turning the bird over and regarding it with astonishment ; " why, this is the biggest one I ever did see." " What's yon in the water 1 Deer, I do be- lieve," cried Jasper, quickly drawing the small shot from his gun and putting in a ball instead. " Come, lads, we shall have venison for supper to-night. Tiiat beast can't reach t'other side so soon as we can." J.isper leaped quickly down the hill, and dashed through the bushes towards the spot where their canoe lay. He was closely followed by his com- panions, and in less than two minutes they were darting across the lake in their little Indian canoe, which was made of birch bark, and was so light that one man could carry it easily. While they are thus engaged I will introduce tlie reader to John Heywood. This individual AWAY IN THE WILDKUNES3. 13 was a youth of nineteen or twenty years of age, who was by profespion a painter of landscapes and animals. He was tali and slender in person, with straight black hair, a pale haggard-looking face, an excitable nervous manner, and an en- thusiastic temperament. Being adventurous in his disposition, he had left his father's home in Canada, and entreated his friend, Jasper Deny, to take him along with him into the wilderness. At first Jasper was very unwilling to agree to this request ; because the young artist was utterly ignorant of everything connected with a life in the woods, and he could neither use a paddle nor a gun. But Heywood's father had done him some service at a time when ho was ill and in difficulties, so, as the youth was very anxious to go, he resolved to repay this good turn of the father by doing a kindness to the son. Hey wood turned out but a poor backwoodsman, but he proved to be a pleasant, amusing com- panion, and as Jasper and the Indian were quite sufficient for the management of the light canoe, and the good (t\in of the former was more than sufficient to feed the party, it mattered nothing to Jasper that Heywood spent most of his time seated in the middle of the canoe, sketching the scenery as they went along. Still less did it matter that Heywood missed everything he fired at, whether it was close at hand or far away. 16 AWAV m THK WlLDKliNESS. At tirst Jasper was disposed to look upon hh young companion as a poor useless creature ; and the Indian regarded him with undisguised con- tempt. But after they had been some time in his company, the opinions of these two men of the woods changed; for they found that the artist was wise, and well informed on many sub- jects of which they were extremely ignorant ; and they beheld with deep admiration the beautifiil and life-like drawings and paintings which he produced in rapid succession. Such was the romantic youth who had, for the sake of seeing and painting the wilderness, joined himself to these rough sons of the forest, and who now sat in the centre of the canoe swaying his arms about and shouting with excitement as they quickly drew near to the swimming herd of deer. " Keep yourself still," said Jasper, looking over his shoulder, " ye'll upset the canoe if ye go on like that." " Give me the axe, give me the axe, I'll kill him ! " cried Heywood. •< Take your pencil and draw him," observed the hunter, with a quiet laugh. " Now, Arrow- head, two good strokes of the paddle will do — there — so." As he spoke the canoe glanced up alongside of an affrighted deer, and in tlie twinkling of an eye Jasper's long knife was in its heart, and the h- X AWAY IN TITE WILDERNESS. 17 water was dyofl with blood. This happened quite near to the opposite shore of the lake, so that in little more than half an hour after it was killed the animal was cut Tip and packed, and the canoe waa again speeding towards the upper end of the lake, where the party arrived just as night began t4) fling its dark mantle ovor the wild^'mess. ^ 18 A.WAY IN THE WILDERNFBa CHAPTER lit THE ENCAMPMENT. CAMPING out in the woods at night is truly a delightful thing, and the pleasantest part of it, perhaps, is tlie lighting of the fire. Light is agreeable to human eyes and cheering to the human heart. Solomon knew and felt that when he penned the words, " A pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun." And the rising of the sun is scarcely more grateful to the feelings than the lighting of a fire on a dark night. So our friends thought and felt, when the fire blazed up, but they were too busy and too hungry at the time to think about the state of their feel- ings. The Indian was hungry. A good fire had to be made before the venison could be roasted, so he gave his whole attention to the felling of dry trees and cutting them up into logs for the fire. Jasper was also hungry, and a slight shower had wetted all the moss and withered grass, so he had enough to do to strike fire with flint and AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. 19 steel, catch a spark on a little piece of tinder, and then blow and coax the spark into a flame. The artist was indeed free to indulge in a little meditation ; but lie had stumbled in the dark on landing, and bruised his shins, so he could only sit down on a rock and rub them, and feel miserable. But the fire soon caught ; branches were heaped up, great logs were piled on, forked tongues of flame began to leap up and lick the branches of the overhanging trees. The green leaves looked rich and warm ; the thick stems looked red and hot ; the faces and clothes of the men seemed as if about to catch fire as they moved about the encampment preparing supper. In short, the whcle scene was so extremely comfortable^ in reality as well as in appearance, that Heywood forgot his bruised shins, and began to rub his hands with delight. In a very short time three juicy venison steaks were steaming before the three travellers, and in a much shorter time they had disappeared alto- gether and were replaced by three new ones. The mode of cooking was very simple. Each steak was fixed on a piece of stick and set up before the fire to roast. When one side was ready, the artist, who seemed to have very little patience, began to cut off pieces and eat them while the other side was cooking. so AWAY IN THE WILUEUNESS. To R5iy truth, men out in thoso regions have usually such good appetitea that tliey arc not particular as to the cooking of their food. Qunn- tity, not quality, is what they (losirc. They generally feel very much like the Russian, of whom it is said, that he would be content to eat sawdust if only he got plenty of it I 'J'ho steaks were washed down witli tea. There is no other drink in Rupert's Land. The Hudson's Bay Com- pany found that spirits were so hurtful to the Indians that they refused to send them into the c«)untry ; and at the present day there is no strong drink to be had for love or money over the length and breadth of their territories, except at those places where other fur- traders oppose them, and obli(^c them, in self-defence, to sell fire- water, as tlie Indians call it. Tea is the great — the only — drink in Rupert's Land ! Yes, laugh as you will, ye lovers of gin and beer and whisky, one who has tried it, and has seen it tried by hundreds of stout stalwart men, tells you that the tee-totaller is the best man for real hard work. The three travellers drank their tea and smacked their lips, and grinned at each other with great satisfaction. They could not have done more if it had been the best of brandy, and they the jolliest of topers ! But the height of their enjoy- ment was not reached until the pipes were lighted. AWAY i\ TiiK \vii.i>i:i;ni:sr. 21 It was quite a >si^ht to f(>c thoni smoke ! Jns- per lay witli l)i.^ huge fraiiio oxtendcd in front of the Maze, inirfing clouds of smoke tliick onou«;li io have shamed a small camion. Arrowhead rested his back on tlic stump of a tree, stretched his feet towards tlu* fire, and allowed the smoke to roll blowly throui,di his nostrils as well as out at his mouth, so that it kept curliii.Lj quietly round his nose, and up his cheeks, and into his eyes, and throuj^h his hair, in a most delightful manner ; at least so it would seem, for his reddish-hrown face heamed -with happy contentment. Young Heywood did not smoke, hut lie drew forth his sketch-book and sketched his two com panions ; and in the practice of his beloved art, 1 have no doul)t, he was happier than either. ** I wonder how many trading-posts the Hud- son's Bay Company has got f said Heywond, as he went on with his work. " Hundreds of 'em," said Jasper, pressing the red-hot tobacco into the bowl of his i)ipc with the efnd of his little finger, as slowly and coolly as if his flesh were fire-proof. " I don't know, exactly, how many they've got. I doubt if anybody does, but they have them all over the country. You've .jeen a little of the country now, Heywood ; well, what you have seen is very much like what yon will see as long as you choose to travel hereaway. You come to a small clearing in the forest, with 22 AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. five 01 six log houses in it, a stockade round it, and a flag-staff in the middle of it ; five, ten, oi fifteen men, and a gentleman in charge. That's a Hudson's Bay Company's trading-post. All round it lie the wild woods. Go through the woods for two or three hundred miles and you'll come to another such post, or fort, as we some- times call 'em. That's how it is all the country over. Although there are many of them, the country is so uncommon big that they may be said to be few and far between. Some are bigger and some are less. There's scarcely a settlement in the country worthy o' the name of a village ex- cept Red River" — " Ah ! Red River," exclaimed Heywood, " I've heard much of that settlement — hold steady, I'm drawing your nose just now — have you been there, Jasper 1" " That have I, lad, and a fine place it is, extend- in' fifty miles or more along the river, with fine fields, and handsome houses, and churches, and missionaries and schools, and what not ; but the rest of Rupert's Land is just what you have seen ; no roads, no houses, no cultivated fields — nothing but lakes, and rivers, and woods, and plains with- out end, and a few Indians here and there, with plenty of wild beasts everywhere. These trading- posts are scattered here and there, from the Atlan- tic to the Pacific, and from Canada to the Frozen AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. 23 Sea, standiii' solitary-like in the midst of the wilderness, as if they had dropped down from the clouds by mistake and didn't know exactly what to do with themselves." « How long have de Company lived ?" inquired Arrowhead, turning suddenly to Jasper. The stout hunter felt a little put out. " A-liem ! I don't exactly know ; but it must have been a long time, no doubt." "Oh, I can tell you that," cried Heyw^ood. " You ]" said Jasper in surprise. *' Ay ; the Company was started nearly two hundred years ago by Prince Rupert, who was the first Governor, and that's the reason the country came to be called Rupert's Land. You know its common name is ' the Hudson's Bay Territory,' because it surrounds Hudson's Bay." " Why, where did you learn that V said Jasper, " I thought I knowed a-most everything about the Company ; but I must confess I never knew that about Prince Rupert before." " I learned it from books," said the artist. " Books !" exclaimed Jasper, <* I never learned nothin' from books — more's the pity. I git along well enough in the trappin* and shootin' way with- out 'em ; but I'm sorry I never learned to read. Ah ! I've a great opinion of books — so I have." The worthy hunter shook his head solemnly as he said this in a low voice, more to himself than 24 AWAY IN THE WILDKRNKS.S. to his companions, and he continued to mutter and shake his head for some minutes, while ho knocked tlie ashes out of his pipe. Having re- filled and re-lighted it, he draw his blanket over his shoulder, laid his head upon a tuft of grass, and continued to smoke until he fell asleep, and allowed the pipe to fall from his lips. The Indian followed his example, with this dif- ference, that he laid aside his pipe, and drew the blanket over his head and under his feet, and wrapped it round him in such a way that he re- sembled a man sewed up in a sack. Hey wood was thus compelled to shut his sketch- book ; so he also wrapped himself in his blanket, and v/as soon sound asleep. The camp fire gradually sank low. Once oi twice the end of a log fell, sending up a bright flame and a shower of sparks, which, for a few seconls, lighted up the scene again and revealed the three slumbering figures. But at lafit the fire died out altogether, and left the encampment in such thick darkness that the sharpest eye would have failed to detect the presence of man in that distant part of the lone wilderness. \i AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. 26 CHAPTER IV. MOSQUITOES CAMP-FIRK TALK. rpEERE is a certain fly in the American forests jL which is worthy of notice, because it exer- cises a great influence over the happiness of man ill those regions. This fly is found in many other ]>arts of the world, but it sv.'arms in immense num- bers in America, particularly in the swampy dis- tricts of that continent, and in the hot months of summer. It is called a mosquito — pronounced moskeeto — and it is, perhaps, the most tormenting, the most persevering, savage, vicious, little mon- ster on the face of the earth. Other flies go to sleep at night, the mosquito never does. Dark- ness puts down other flies — it seems to encourage the mosquito. Day and night it persecutes man and beast, and the only time of the twenty-four hours in which it seems to rest is about noon, when the heat puts it down for a little. But this period of rest strengthens it for a renewal of war during the remainder of the day and night. In form the mosquito very much resembles the gnat. 26 AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. Ai i but is somewhat larger. His instrument of tor- ture is his nose, which is quite as long as his body, and sharper than the finest needle. Being unable to rest because of the mosquitoes, Heywood re- solved to have a chat. " Come, Jasper," said he, looking up into hia companion's grave countenance, " although we have been many weeks on this journey now, you have not yet told me what has brought you here, or what the end of your trip is going to be." " I've come here a-huntiiig," said Jasper^ with the look and tone of a man who did not wish to be questioned. *' Nay now, I know that is not the reason," said Heywood, smiling ; " you could have hunted much nearer home, if you had been so minded, and to aa good purpose. Come, Jasper, you know I'm your friend, and that I wish you well. Let me hear what has brought you so far into the wilderness — mayhap I can give you some good advice if you do." " Well, lad, I don't mind if I do. Though, for the matter of good advice, I don't feel much in need of any just at this time." Jasper shook the ashes out of his pipe, and re- filled it as he spoke ; then he shook his head once or twice and smiled, as if his thoughts amused him. Having lighted the pipe, he stretched himself out in a more comfortable way before the blaze, and said — .; ;f hi r ! AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. 27 « Well, lad, I'll tell ye what it is— it's the old story ; the love of woman has brought me here." " And a very good old story it is," returned Hejrwood; with a look of interest. "A poor miserable set of creatures we should be without that same love of woman. Come, Jasper, I'm glad to hear y ju're such a sensible fellow. I knov/ something about that subject myself. There's a pretty, blue-eyed girl, with golden hair, down away in Canada that" — Heywood stopped short in his speech and sighed. <* Come, it aint a hopeless case, is it ?" said Jasper, with a look of sympathy. " I rather fear it is ; but I hope not. Ah ! what should we do without hope in this world V* " That's true," observed Jasper, with much gravity, " we could not get on at all without hope." " But come, Jasper," said the artist, " let's hear about your affair, and I'll tell you about mine some other time." " Well, there is not much to tell, but I'll give ye all that's of it. You must know, then, that about two years ago I was in the service of the Hudson's Bay Company, at one o' their out-posts in the IVPKenzie's River district. We had little to eat there and little to do, and I felt so lonesome, never seein a human bein' except the four or five 3 28 AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. men at the fort an' a few ludiuus, that I made up my mind to quit. I had no reusoii to complain o' the Company, d'ye see. They always treated me handsomely, and it was no fault o' theirs that the llvin' in that district was poor and the post lone, some. " Well, on my way down to Lake Winnipeg, 1 fell in with a brigade o' boats goin' to the Saa- katchewan district, and we camped together that night. One o' the guides of the Saskatchewan brigade had his daughter with him. The guide was a French-Canadian, and his wife had been a Scotch half-caste, so what the daughter was is more than I can tell ; but I know what she looked like. She just looked like an angel. It wasn't so much that she was inetty, but she was so sweet, and so quiet lookin', and so innocent ! Well, tu cut the matter short, I fell in love at once. D'ye know what it is, Heywood, to fall in love at first sight 1 " " Oh ! don't T ?' replied the artist with sudden energy. " An' d'ye knov/," Continued Jasper, <* what it is to be fallen-in-love-with, at lir^t sight f " Well, no, I'm not so sure about that," replied Heywood, sadly. " I do, then," said Jasj , " for that sweet critter fell in love with me right off — though what bhe saw in me to love has puzzled me much. A\V\Y 1>I THE WILI)Kl;M-:bS. 29 Howsoever, she did, and for that Fm tluiuktiil. Her name is Marie Laroche. She and T opened our minds to each oilier that night, and I took the guide, her father, into the woods, and told him I wanted his daughter ; and he was agreeaMo ; but he would not hear of my takin' her away then and there. He told me I must go down to Canada and get settled, and when I had a hou^e to put his daughter in, I was to come back into the wilder- ness here and be married to her, and then take her home — so liere I am on my way to claim my bride. But tliere's one thing that puzzles me sorely." " AVhat is that 1" asked Heywood. '* I've never heard from ]\Iarie from that day t(» this," said Jasper. " That is strange," replied the other ; " but perhaps she cannot write." " That's true. Now you speak of it, I do believe she can't write a iine ; but, then, she might have got some one to write for her." " Did you leave your address with her V ' " How could I, when I had no address to leaver' " But did you ever send it to her ?" "No, T never thought of that," said Jasper, opening his eyes very wide. ** Come, that's u comfort — that's a good reason for never havin' heard from her. Thankee, lad, for puttin' mc up c n 30 AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. to it. And, now, as we must be up and away in another hour, I'll finisli my nap." So saying, Jasper put out his pipe and once more drew his blanket over him. Heywood fol- lowed his example, and while he lay there gazing up at the stars through the trees, he heard the worthy hunter muttering to himself, " That's it ; that accounts for my not hearin' from her." A sigh followed the words, very soon a snore followed the sigh, and ero many minutes had passed away, the encampment was again buried in darkness and repose. 4 1 AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. 31 CHAPTEK V. JOURNKVINO IN THE WILDKli>KSS. IT seemed to Heywood that he had not been asleep more than five minutes, when he was aroused by Jasper laying h^s heavy hand on his shoulder. On rubbing his eyes and gazing round him, he found that the first streak of dawn was visible in the eastern sky, that the canoe was already in the water, and that his companions' were ready to embark. It is usually found that men are not disposed to talk at that early hour. Heywood merely remarked that it was a fine morning, to which Jasper replied by a nod of his head. Nothing more was said. The artist rolled up his blanket in a piece of oiled-cloth, collected his drawing materials and put them into their bag, got into his place in the centre of ♦he canoe, and immediately went to sleep, while Jasper and the Indian, taking their places in the bow and stem, dipped the paddles into the water and shot away from the shore. They looked mysterious and ghostly in the dim morning light ; and the whole w 32 AWAY IN THE \VILI»Kl:Xi:SR, I Bceno around them looked mysterious and ghostly too, for the water in the lake seemed black, and the sliorcs and islands looked like dark shadows, and a pale thin mist rolled slowly over the surface of the water and hung overhead. No sound was heard except the light plash of the paddles as the two backwoodsmen urged their little canoe swiftly alonjSf. By degrees the light of day increased, and Jasper awakened Hey wood, in order that he might behold the beautiful scenery through wliich they passed. They were now ai)proaching the upi)er end of the lake, in which there were innumerable islands of every shape and size — some of them not more than a few yards in length, while some were two or three hundred yards across, but all wern clothed with the most beautiful green foliage ana shrubbery. As the pale yellow of the eastern sky began to grow red, ducks and gulls bestirred them- selves. Early risers among tliem first began to chirp, and scream, and whistle their morning song, — for there are lazy ones among the birds, just as there are among men. Sometimes, when the canoe rounded a point of rock, a flock of geese were found floating peacefully among the sedges, sound asleep, with their heads under their wings. These would leap into the air and fly off" in great alarm, with much difficulty and tremendous splutter, re- minding one of the proverb, " The more haste the :^: AWAY IN THE ^VILDERNESS. 33 less Bpocd." At other times they would come upon a flock of ducks so suddeuly, that they had uo time to take wing, so they dived instead, and thus got out of the way. Then the yellow hue of sunrise came, a good while before the sun himself rose. The last of the bright stars were put out by the flood of light, jind multitudes of little birds on shore began to chirp their morning song ; and who can say that this was not a hymn of praise to God, when, in the Holy Bible itself, in the 150th Psalm, we find it written, " Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord." At last the sun burst forth in all his golden glory. Water, earth, and sky glowed as if they had been set on fire. What a blessed influence the sun has upon this world ! It resembles the countenance of a loving father beaming in upon his family, driving away clouds, and dilfusing warmth and The birds were" now all astir together, insomuch that the air seemed alive with them. There are small white gulls, with red legs and red beaks, in those large inland lakes, just as there are on the ocean. These began to utter their sweet wild cries so powerfully that they almost drowned the noise of all the rest. Yet the united chorus of the whole was not harsh. It was softened and mellowed by distance, and fell on the ears of the 34 AWAY IN TIIZ WILDERNESS. two hunters as pleasantly as the finest muuic dom in the ears of men trained to sweet sounds from infancy. Not until the sun had ascended a considerable way on its course througli the sky, did Jasper think it necessary to lay down his paddle. By that time the upper end of the lake had been reached, and the hunter ran the canoe close to a ledge of flat rock and jumped ashore, saying that it was time for breakfast. " I had almost got to believe I was in para- dise," said Heywood, as he stepped ashore. " I often think there's a good deal of the gar- den of Eden still left in this world," replied Jasper, as he carried the kettle up to the level part of the rock and began to kindle a fire, while the Indian, as usual, hewed the wood. *' If we could only make use of God's gifts instead of abusin' them, I do believe wc might be very happy all our days." " See, there, Jasper, is one of the birds I want so much to get hold of. I want to make a draw- ing of him. Would you object to spend a shot on such game 1" Heywood pointed as he spoke to a grey bird, about the size of a blackbird, which sat on a branch close above hli head. This creature is called by the fur-traders a whisky-John, and it is one of the most impudent little birds in the world ! Wherever you go throughout the country, there i >vVAY IN TlIK WILUKKNKSS. 35 you find whisky-Johns ready to receive and wel- come you, as if they were the owners of the soil. They are perfectly fearless ; they will come and sit on a branch within a yard of your hand, when you are eating, and look at you in the most in- quisitive manner. If they could speak, they could not say more plainly, " What have you got there 1 — give me some !" If you leave the mouth of your proviflion sack open they are sure to jump into it. When you are done eating they will scarcely let you six yards away before they make a dash at the crumbs ; and if you throw sticks or stones at them, they will hop out of the way, but they will not take to flight ! " It would be a pity to waste powder on them critters," said Jasper, " but I'll catch one for you." As he said this he took a few crumbs of broken meat from tlie bottom of the provision sack and spread them on his right hand ; then he lay down under a bush, covered his face with a few leaves, and thrust out his hand. Heywood and the Indian retired a few paces and stood still to await the result. In a few seconds a whisky- John came flying towards the open hand, and alighted on a branch within a yard of it. Here he shook his feathers and looked very bold, but suspicious, for i few minutes, turning first one eye towards the hand, and then the other. After a little he hopped on il .10 AWAY IN THK WILDKHNF-SS. a branch still nnnvr, ami, Hioinji; no ni(»tion in the hnnd, ho at last hoppcnl n))()n Iho palm anil hogan to peek tlio »Tiiinl>B. InstiUitlv tlio lingers closed, and Jasper canuht hin\ by the toes, >\li('nMipon the whislvy-Johu bco^an to perenm rnrionwly ^ith i;i^e and f error. Hnt T txm bt)nnd to Fay there Mag more of raj^e than of terr»>r in Ida cry. Jafiper handed th(» passionnte bird over to the artist, who tried to make a portrait < I Idnj, bnt he scixjamed and pecked so fiercely that Hey wood was obliged to let lnn\ p^ after makin.u' n rongh sketch. Bi'eakfast wns a repetition of the snpper of the night before ; it was so(M\ disposed of, and the three travellers again ^ci forth. 1'his time Jnspcr sang one of the bean! i Ad canoe songs jiecnliar to Mint country, and llcywotHl and Arnnvhead, both of whom had good vtnces, j(Mned in the chorns. They soi^i i^isscd from the lake into the river by which it was f( <1. At first the current of this river was sluggish, but as they ascended, it be- came stronger, nnd was broken here and there by rajMils. The severe toil of travelling in the backwoods now began. To paddle on a level lake all day ia easy eiiough, for, when you get tired, you can lay down the paddle and rest. But in the river this is impossible, because o( the current. The only way to get a rest is to push the bow of the canoe ashore. It was a fine sidit to see the movements I AWAY IN THK, VVIIJlKHNKBS. 37 of JtiHper and tlio Indiuii vvlieii tliey caine to the first rni)i(l. lIcywfMxl kiinw that ho ooiiM lin of no \w\ Ro, like M. wisn nuui, hf^ sntBtill and lookod (mi. Tho rnpid wmr a very strong' ono, htit tlicrn were no f'tillM in it ; only a fiirioiifl ^tiHh of water ov(^r the lin»krn IumI of thn river, wher(^ many lar^^o rocks rose up JMid caught tho enrrrnt, hnilini^ thf; water liack in white fonm. Any one wh* knew not whjit these huntrrs tniild do, woidd Iimm' hni^hfd Ifyon hud iohl liim Ihcy werti ah(»nt to as( c'ld th;it rnpid in sneh .'in e^';^ Mhell of >i ciinoe ! TJM'y hv^nn liv < n-epin^^ up, in sh^ne, ns far as they eonld. 1 1n n they djiHhtd lioldly out into tlio ptn-am, ami the enirent whirl" il them down with li;;htiiini( Hpeeil, hnti suddc^dy the oinoe e/i?ne to a h.'dt in tht^ very ndddlc of the stream ! l-very roek in a rnjiid h.'is a lon^ tnil '»riil| wnfer IkIow it ; tlui ennoc had ^nit inf«) one of (hewe tails or cddit'^ and there it rested rcciik ly. A few yards hi^^her np there wan another roek, nearer to the opjiosite liaidf, and the eddy which tailed olf frmn it eanie down a little lower than the rock I el.ind which tho canoe nov lay. Theie was a fnriony <^ush of water hetween them and thin eddy, hut tho men knew what the canoo could hear, and their iiervcB were stroni^ a?id steady. Across they went like a shot. They were t;wept down to the extreme point of the eddy, bnt a few powerful strokes of the paddle scid them into it, and nexl I u : \i\ 58 AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. moment tliey were floating behina the second rock, a few yards higher up the stream. Thus they darted from rock to rock, gaining a few yards at each dart, until at last they swept into the smooth water at the head of the rapid. Many a time was this repeated that day, for rapids were numerous ; their progress was there- fore slow. Sometimes they came to parts of the river where the stream was very strong, but deep, and not broken by rocks, so that they had no eddies to dart into. In such places Arrowhead and Heywood walked along the bank and hauled the canoe up by means of a line, while Jasper re- mained in it to steer. This was hard work, for the banks in places were very steep, in some parts composed of soft mud, into which the men dank nearly up to their knees, and in other places covered so thickly with bushes that it was almost impossible to force a path through them. Jasper and the Indian took the steering-paddle by turns, and when Heywood required a rest he got into his place in the middle of the canoe ; but they never halted for more than a few minutes at a time. All day they paddled antl dragged the canoe slowly up against the strong current, and when night closed in they found tliey had advanced only three miles on their journey. The last obstacle they came to that day was a roaring waterfall about thirty feet high. Here, it i AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. 39 Diight have been thought, was an effectual check to them at last. Nothing without wings could have gone up that waterfall, whicli filled the woods witli the thunder of its roar ; but the canoe had no wings, so what w^as to be done 1 To one ignorant of the customs of that country, going on would have seemed impossible, but nothing can stop the advance of a back-woods voyager. If his canoe won't carry him, he carries his canoe ! Jasper and his friei)ds did so on the present occasion. They had reached what is called a portage or carrying-place, and there are hundreds of such places all over Kupert's Land. On arriving at the foot of the fall. Hey wood set off at once to a spot from which he could obtain a good view of it, and sat down to sketch, while his companions unloaded the canoe and lifted it out of the water. Then Jasper collected together as nmch of the baggage as he could carry, and cluinbercd up the bank with it, until he rea(;ht'd the still water at the top of the fall. Here he laid it down and returned for another load. Meanwhile Arrowhead lifted the canoe with ^eat ease, placed it on his shoulders, and bore it to the same place. When all had been carried up, the canoe was launched into the quiet water a few hundred yards above the fall, the baggage was re- placed in it, and the travellers were ready to con tinue their voyage. This whole operation is called 40 AWAY IN TUK WILDERNESS. making a portage. It took .bout an hoiir to maka this portage. Portages vary in length and in numbers. In some rivers they are few and fur between ; in others they are so numerous that eight oi L.velve may have to be made in a day. I\rany of the portages arc not more than an eighth of a mile in length, and are crossed for the purpose of avoiding a waterfall. Some arc four or live miles in extent, for many long reaches in the rivers are so broken by falls and rapids, that tlic voyagers find it their best plan to take canoes and baggage on tlieir backs and cut across country for se\erai miles ; thus they avoid rough places altogetlier. Jasper delayed starthig for half an hour, in order to give Heywood time to finish ins sketcli of the fall. It began to grow dark when they again embarked, so, after paddling up stream until a convenient place was fuund, they put ashore and encamjjcd within sight of another waterfall, the roar of wliich, softened by distance, fell upon their ears all that night like tlio sound cf pleasant nuisic. \ TnC r OUTAGE. • A WAV IN THE WILDEKNESS. 41 *1 CHAPTER V:. TUK OUTPOST. OK the morning of the second day after the events which I have described in the last chapter, our three travellers arrived at one of the solitary outposts belonging to the fur-traders. It stood on the banks of the river, and consisted of four small houses made of logs. It covered about an acre of ground, and its only defence was a wall of wooden posts, about two inches apart, which com- pletely surrounded the buildings. « This fort is a namesake of mine,*' said Jasper, when they first sighted it ; " they call it Jasper's House. I spent a day at it when I was here- away two years ago." « Who is in charge of it ?" asked Heywood. " A gentleman named Grant, I believe," replied Jasper. " That white painted house in the middle of the square is his. The other house on the right, painted yellow, is where the men live. Mr. Grant has only got six men, poor fellow, to keep him company ; he seldom sees a new face here from 4 * '! ' 42 AWAY IN TiiK \vju>i:i;ni:. s. one cud of tlie year to tlic oilier, ' But he makes a trip once a year to the head post of the district with liis furs, and tliat's a sort of break to him." " Are there uo women at the place 1" inquired Hie artist. " Only two," rcidicd J.'»«pcr. ** At least tliore were two when I was here last ; tliey were the wives of two of tlie men, Indian women they were, with few brains, and little or nothin' to say ; but they were useful critters for all that, for they could make coats, and trousers, and moccasins, and mit- tens, and they were first-rate cooks, besides bein handy at almost eveiy kind o' work. They could even use the gun. I've heard o' them bringin' down a wild goose on the wing, when none o' the men were at hand to let drive at the passing floclc. I do believe that's Mr. Grant himself etandin' at the gate o* the fort." Jasper was right. The master of Jasj)er's House, a Vig, hearty-looking man of about five-and-forty, wan standing at the gate of his lonely residence, leaning against one of the door-posts, with his hards in his breeches pockets and a short pipe in his mouth. His summer employments liad come to an end, — no Indians had been near the ])lace for many weeks, and he liappcncd to have nothing at tliat time to do but eat, smoke, and slecj) ; which three occupations he usually attended to witii much earnestness. Mr. Grant did not observe the AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. 43 canoe ui>proac]iiug from below, for at that time liid attention was attracted to something up the river. Suddenly he started, took his pipe from his lips, and, bending forward, listened with t!eep, earnest attoution. A faint murmur came floating down on tlic breeze, sending a thrill of pleasure to the lioart of the solitary man, as well it might, for a new face was a rare sight at Jasjicr's House. At last a loud shout rang through the forest, and five Indian canoes swept round a point of rocks, and came suddenly into view, the men toss- ing their paddles in the air and sending rainbows of spray over their heads jis they made for the landing-place. These were three or four families of Indians, who had come from a long hunting expedition laden with rich furs. Their canoes, though small and light, could hold a wonderful quantity. In the foremost sat a young savage, with a dark-brown face, glittering black eyes, and stiff black hair hanging straig.it down all round his head, except in front, where it was cut short off just above the eyes in order to let his face appear. That fellow's canoe, besides himself, carried his three wives — he was a good hunter, and could afford to have three. Had he been a bad hunter, he would have had to content himself, poor fellow, with one ! The canoe also contained six or seven heavy packs of furs ; a haunch of venison ; six pairs of rabbits j several ducks and D 't- ft a AWAY IN TUK WILDERNESS. geese ; a lump of bear't meat ; two little boys and A girl ; a large tent made of deer-skins ; four or five tin kettles ; two or three dirty-looking dogs and a gun ; several hatchets and a few blankets ; two babies and a dead beaver. In short, there was almost no end to what that bark canoe could hold ; yet that Indian, with the stiff black hair, could lift it off the ground, when empty, lay it on his shoulders, and carry it for miles through the forest. The other canoes were much the same as this one. In a few minutes they were at the bank, close under the fort, and about the same time Jasper and his friends leaped ashore, and were heartily welcomed by Mr. Grant, who was glad enough t( see Indians, but was overjoyed to meet with white men. "Glad to see you, Jasper," cried Mr. Grant, shaking the hunter by the hand ; " right glad to see you. It does good to a man to see an old friend like you turn up so unexpectedly. Happy, also, to meet with you, Mr. Heywood. It's a pleasure I don't often have to meet with a white stranger in this wilderness. Pray, come with me to the house." The fui'-trader turned to the Indians, and, saying a few words to them in tlieir own language, led the way to his residence. Meanwhile, the Indians had tossed everythins; AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS, 45 ont of the canoes upon the bank, and the spot which had been so quiet and solitary half an hour before, became a scene of the utmost animation n;:d confusion. While the women were employed in erecting the tents, the men strode up to the hall of reception, where Mr. Grant supplied them with tobacco and food to their hearts' content These natives, who, owing to the reddish copper-colour of their skins, are called red-men, — were dressed chiefly in clothes made of deer-skin ; cut much in the same fashion as the garments worn by Jasper Derry. The women wore short gowns, also made of leather, and leggings of the same material ; but it was noticeable that the women had leggings more ornamented with gay beads than those of the men, and they wore gaudy kerchiefs round their necks. These women were poor looking creatures, how- ever. They had a subdued, humble look, like dogs that are used to being kicked ; very diflferent from the bold free bearing of the men. The reason of this was, that they were treated by the men more as beasts of burden than companions. Women among the North American Indians have a hard time of it, poor creatures. While their lords and masters are out at the chase, or idly smoking round the fire, the Indian women are employed in cutting firewood and dra^ving water. Of course, they do «k11 the cooking, and, as the eating always continues, MUM K, AWAY IN TIIM WIM)1;KNFSS. BO the rooking never Rtops, When tlicso moro severe labours are over, they employ their time in making and ornamenting coats, leggings, and moc;- casius — and very beautiful wcik they can turn out of their hands. On the voyage, the women use the paddle as vU as the men, and, in journey- ing through the woods, they always carry or drag the heaviest loads. For all tliis they get few thanks, and often, when the husbands become jealous, they get severely beaten and kicked. It is always thus among savages ; and it would seem that, just in proportion as men rise from the savage to the civilized state, they treat their women better. It is certain that when man embraces the blessed gospel of Christ and learns to follow the law of love, he places woman t only on a level v/ith himself but even above self, and seeks her comfort and happiness before he seeks his own. Few of the Red men of North America are yet Christians, therefore they have no gallantry about them — no generous and chivalrous feelings towards the weaker sex. Most of their women are down- trodden and degraded. Tlie first night at Jasper's House was spent in smoking and talking. Here our friend Jasper Derry got news of Marie. To his immense delight he learned that she was well, and living with her father at Fort Erie, near the plains, or prairies aa AWAY IN TllR WILDKHNKSS. 17 they arc culled, on the Saskatchewan lliver. A long journey still lay before our bold hunter, but that was nothing to him. He felt quite satisfied to hear that the girl of his heart was well, and still unmarried. Next day the serious business of trading com- menced at the outpost. <' I should like to get tliat powder and ball before you begin to trade with the Indians, l\Ir. Grant," said Jasper, after breakfast was concluded, '< I'm anxious to bo olf as soon as i)ossible." "No, no, Jasper, I'll not give yon a single charge of powder or an ounce of had this day. You must spend another night with me, my man ; I have not iiad half my talk out witli you. You have no need to hurry, for Marie does not know you are coming, so of course she can't be im patient." Mr. Grant sdid this with a laugh, for he knew the state of Jasper's heart, :uul understood why he was oo anxious to hasten awav. " Besides," continued the fur-trader, " Mr. Hey- wood has not half finished the drawing of my fort, which he began yesterday, and I want him to make me a copy of it." " I shall be delighted to do so," said the artist, who was busily engaged in arranging his brushes uud colours. " Well, well," cried Jasper, " I suppose I niur.*- i Hi a ii i ^ i . wT? tM ^ wBi, ''W! ".*.WM W ^n. m t tmrnftmrn ^8 AWAY IN THE W1LDERNE8H. submit. I fancy you have no objection to stop here another day, Arrowhead ? " The Indian nodded gravely, as he squatted down on the floor and began to fill his pipe. "That's settled, then," said Jasper, " so I'll go with you to the store, if you'll allow me." "With all my heart," replied the fur-trader, who forthwith led the way to the store, followed by the Indians with their packs of furs. Now, the store or shop at a Hudson's Bay trad- ing-post is a most interesting and cizrious place. To the Indian, especially, it is a sort of enchanted chamber, out of which can be obtained everything known under the sun. As there can be only one shop or store at a trading-post, it follows that that shop must contain a few articles out of almost every other style of shop in the world. Accord- ingly, you will find collected within the four walla of that little room, knives and guns from Sheffield, cotton webs from Manchester, grindstones from Newcastle, tobacco from Virginia, and every sort of thing from I know not where all ! You can bi;y a blanket or a file, an axe or a pair of trousers, a pound of sugar or a barrel of nails, a roll of tobacco or a tin kettle, — everything, in short, that a man can think of or desire. And you can buy it, too, without money ! Indeed, you must buy it without money, for there is not such a thing a£ monov ill the land AWAY IN lUE WILDERNESS. 40 The trade is carried on entirely by barter, or exchange. The Indian gives the trader his furs, and the trader gives him his goods. In order to make the exchange fair and equitable, however, everything is rated by a certain standard of value, which is called a made -beaver in one part of the coi'ixtrv, a castore in another. The first man that stepped forward to the counter was a chief. A big, coarse looking, dis- agreeable man, but a first-rate hunter. He had two wives in consequence of his abilities, and the favourite wife now stood at Iiis elbow to prompt, perhaps tu caution, him. He threw down a huge pack of furs, which the trader opened, and exa- mined with care, fixing the price of each skin, and marking it down with a piece of chalk on the counter as he went along. There were two splendid black bear-skins, two or three dozen martens, or sables, five or six black foxes, and a great many silver foxes, besides cross and red ones. In addition to these, he hud a number of minks and beaver-skins, a few otters, and sundry other furs, besides a few buffalo and deer-skins, dressed, and with the hair scraped off". These last skins are used for makini^ winter coats, and also moccasins for the feet. Alter all had been examined and valued, the whole was summed up, and a number of pieces of stick were handed to the chief — each stick reprc 50 AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. Benting a costore ; so that he know exactly how much he w la worth, and proccccUxl to choose ac- cordingly. First he gazed earnestly at a huge thick blan- ket, then ho counted his sticks, and considered. Perhaps the memory of the cold blasts of winter crossed his mind, for he quickly asked how many castores it was worth. The trader told him. The proper number of i)ieces of stick were laid down, and the blanket was handed over. Next a gun attracted his eye. The guns scut out for the Indian trade are very cheap ones, with blue bar- rels and red stocks. They .slioot pretty well, but are rather apt to burst. Indeed this fate liad befallen the chief's last gun, so he resolved to have another, and bought it. Then he looked earnestly for some time at a tin kettle. Boiled meat was evidently in his mind ; but at this point his squaw plucked him by the sleeve. She whis- pered in his ear. A touch of geniM-osity seemed to come over him, for he pointed to a web of bright scarlet cloth. A yard of this was measured off, and handed to his spouse, whose happiness for the moment wjis complete — for squaws in Rupert's Land, like the fair sex in England, are uncommonly fond of finery. As the chief proceeded, ho became more cautious and slow in his choice. Finery tempted him on the one hand, necessaries pressed him on the other. ; AWAY IN THE WILDERNKSS. 51 I and at tliis point the trudrr htopped in to liulp liini to decide ; ho recommended, warned, and jidvised. Twine was to be got for nets and fishin^'-lincs, powder and shot, axes for cuttin*,' hirf winter lire- wood, cloth for his own and ids wives' Ic^^nngs, knives, tobacco, needles, and an endless variety of things, wliich gradually lessened his little pile of sticks, until at last he reached the sticking-point, when all his sticks were gone. " Now, Darkeye (that was the chief's name), you've come to the end at last, and a good thing you have made of it this year," said Mr. Grant, in the Indian language. " Have you got all you y\ant ?" " Darkcye wants bullets," .s;ud the chief " Ah ! to be sure. You .^hall have a lot of these for nothing, and some tol>acco too," said the trader, handing the gifts to tlic Indian. A look of satisfaction liglitcd up the chief's countenance as he received the gifts, and made way for another Indian to open and display his pack of I'urs. But Jasper was struck by a pecu- liar expression in the face of Darkeye. Observing that he took up one of the bullets and showed it to another saviige, our hunter edged near him to overhear tlie conversation. " Do you see that ball ?" said the chief, m a low tone. The Indian to whom he spoke nodded- 52 AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. "Look here!" Darkeye put the bullet into his mouth as he spoke, and bit it until his strong sharp teeth sank deep into the lead ; then, holding it up, he said, in the same low voice, " You will know it again 1" Once more the savage nodded, and a malicious smile played on his face for a moment. Just then Mr. Grant called out, " Come here, Jasper, tell me what you think this otter-skin is worth." Jasper's curiosity had been aroused by the mys- terious conduct of Darkeye, and he would have given a good deal to have heard a little more of his conversation ; but, being thus called away, he was obliged to leave his place, and soon forgot the incident. During the whole of that day the trading of furs was carried on much as I have now described it. Some of the Indians had large packs, and some had small, but all of them had sufficient to pur- chase such things as were necessary for themselves and their families during the approaching winter ; and as each man received from Mr. Grant a pre- sent of tobacco, besides a few trinkets of small value, they returned to the Hall that night in high good humour. Next day, Jasper and his friends bade the hos- pitable trader farewell, and a few days after that the Indians left him. They smoked a farewell AWAY IN TflF, WILDEKNE8S. 53 pipe, tlieu struck their tents, and placed them and their packs of goods in the canoes, with their wives, children, and dogs. Pushing out into the stream, they commenced the return journey to their distant hunting-grounds. Once more their shouts rang through the forest, and rolled over the water, and once more the paddles sent the spark- ling drops into the air as they dashed ahead, round the point of rocks above the fort, and disappeared ; leaving the fur- trader, as they found him, smok- ing his pipe, with his hands in his pockets, and leaning against the door-post of his oncc-agaiu silent and solitary home. 54 AWAY IN Tin: WILbEKN'KSS CllAPTKK VII A SAVAn?: FAMILY, AND A FIG!]'! ^Vl'Jli A KKAK. ABOUT a week after our travellers left the out- post, Arrowhead had au advcjituiti with a beai', which had well-nigh eut short his journey through this world, as well as his journey iu the wilderness of Rupert's Land. It was in the evening of a beiiutiful day when it happened. The canoe had got among some bad rapids, and, as it advanced very slowly, young Hey wood asked to be put on shore, that he might walk up the banks of the river, which were very beautiful, and sketch. In half an hour he was far ahead of the canoe. Suddenly, on turning round a rocky point, he found himself face to face with a small Indian boy. It is probable that the little fellow had never seen a white man before, and it is certain that Heywood had never seen such a specimen of a brown boy. He was clothed in skin, it i.s true, but it was the skin in which he had been born, for he had not a stitch of clothing on his fat little body. AWAY TX rUV. WILDEKNESS. {);•) A.; liic iiKiii ami the boy stood staring at each oiJicr, it would have licrii diilicult to say \\hk\\ opened Ills eyes widest with amazement. At first Ifiywood fancied the urchin was a wild beast of so)iio sort on two legs, but a second glance con- vinced him that he was a real boy. The next thought that occurred to the artist was, that he would try to sketch him, so he rLi})ped his hand to his pocket, pulled out his book and pencil, ar.d forthwitli began to draw. This terrified the little fellow .so much, that he turned about and fled howling into the W(^ods. Heywood thought of giving chase, but a noise attracted his attention at that moment, and, looking across the river, he beheld the boy's father in the same cool dvess as his son. The man had l)een fishing, but when he saw that strangery were pass- ing, he threw his blanket round him, jumped mto his canoe, and cruu^ed over to meet them. This turned out to be a niserably poor family of Indians, consisting of the father, mother, three girls and a boy, and a few il) -looking dogs. They all lived together in a little tent or wigwam, made partly of skins and partly of birch-bark. This tent was sh.iped like a cone. The fire was kindled in- side, in the middle of the floor. A hole in the side served for a door, and a hole in the top did duty for window and chimney. The family kettle hung above the fire, and the family ciicle sat 56 AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. Around it. A dirtier family and filthier tent one could not wish to see. The father waa a poor weakly man and a bad hunter ; the Fquaw was thin, wrinkled, and veiy dirty, and the children were t.11 sickly-looking, except the boy before men- tioned, who seemed to enjoy more than his fair share of health and rotimdity. " Have ye got anything to eat V* inquired Jasper, when the canoo reached the place. They had not got much, only a few fish and an owl. " Poor miserable critters," said Jasper, throw- ing them a goose and a lump of venison ; ** see there — that'll keep the wolf out o' yer insides for some time. Have ye got anything to smoke )'* No, they had nothing to smoke but a few dried leaves. "Worse and worse," cried Jasper, pulling a large plug of tobacco from the breast of his coat ; " here, that'll keep you puffin* for a short bit, any- how." Heywood, although no smoker himself, carried a small supply of tobacco just to give away to ludians, so he added two or three plugs to Jasper's gift, and Arrowhead gave the father a few charges of powder and snot. They then stepped into their canoe, and pushed off with that feeling of light- hearted happiness which always follows the doing of a kind action. AWAY IN THE WILDETINESS. 57 " There's beais up the river," said the Indian, as they were leaving. " Have ye seen them ?" inquired Jasper. " Ay, but could not shoot — no powder, no ball. Look out for them !" ** That will I," replied the hunter, and in another moment the canoe was out among the rapids again, advancing slowly up the river. In about an hour afterwards they came to a part of the river where the banks were high and steep. Here Jasper landed to look for the tracks of the bears. He soon found these, and as they appeared to be fresh, he prepared to follow them up. " We may as well encamp here," said he to Arrowhead ; " you can go and look for the beara I will land the baggage, and haul up the canoe, and then take my gun and follow you. I see that our friend Heywood is at work with his pencil already.'* This was true. The keen artist was so delightea witJi the scene before him, that thd moment the canoe touched the land he had jumped out, and, seating himself on the trunk of a fallen tree, with book and pencil, soon forgot everything that was going on around him. Arrowhead shouldered his gun and went away up the river. Jasper oon finished what he had to do, and followed him, leaving Heywood seated on the fallen tree. 58 AWAY IN THE WILDEKNKSS. i\'<)\\ ilic position wliifli Heywood occupied wah ratlicr dangerous. The tree, lay on the edge of an overliaiigiug bank of chiy,>about ten feet above the water, which was deep and rapid at that place. At first the young man sat down on the tree-tmnk near its root, but after a time, finding the position not quite to his mind, he changed it, and went ch).se to the edge of the bank, ITe was so much occupied witli his drawing, tliat he did not observe that the ground on which liis feet rested actually overliung the stream. As his weight rested on the fallen tree, however, he remained there safe enough and busy for half an hour. At the end of tliai time he was disturbed by a noise in the; bushes. Looking up, he beheld a large brown bear coming straight towards him. Evidently the bear did not see him, for it was com- ing slowly and lazily along, with a quiet medita- tive expression on its face. Tiie appearance of the animal was so sudden and unexpected, that poor Heywood's heart almost leaped into his mouth. His face grew deadly pale, his long hair almost rose (jW his head with terror, and he was utterly unable to move h.and or foot. In another moment the bear was within three yards of him, and, being taken by surprise, it imme- diately rose on its hind legs, which is the custom of bears when about to make or receive an attack It stared for a moment at the horrified artist. AWAY IN TIIK WILDKUNESS. f)!) Lot not Miy reader think tlint Ilcywood's feel- ings were due to cowardice. Tlic bravest of niei liave been panic-stricken when in km hy surprise. The young man had never seen u hear before, except in a cage, nnd the difference between a caged and a free bear is very great. Besides, when u rough-looking monster ol this kind comes unex- pectedly on a man who is unarnud, and lias no chance of escape, and rises on its hind legs, as if to let him have a full view of its enormous size, its great strength, and its ugly appearance, he may well be excused for feeling a little uncomfortable, and looking somewhat uneasy. When the bear rose, us I have said, Hey wood s tourage returned. His first act was to fling his sketch-book in Bruin's face, and then, uttering a loud yell, he si)rang to his feet, intt^ndiug to run away. But the violence of his action broke oli the earth under his feet. He dropt into the river like a lump of lead, and was whirled away in a moment ! What that bear thought when it saw the man vanish from the spot like a ghost, of course 1 cannot tell. It certainly looked surprised, and, if it was a bear of ordinary sensibility, it nmst undoubtedly have felt astonished. At any rate, after standing there, gazing for nearly a minute in mute amazement at tlie sp^t where Heywoud hiul disappeared, it let itself down on its fore-leg-, and, \ / 60 AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. turning round, walked Blo\vly havk into the bushes. Poor Heywood could not swim, so the river did what it pleased with him. After sweeping him out into the nilddlc of the stream, and rolling him over five or six times, and whirling him round in an eddy close to the land, and dragging him out ngain into the main current, and sending him struggling down a rapid, it threw him at last, like a bundle of old clothes, on a shallow, where he managed to get on his feet, and staggered to the shore in a most melancholy plight. Thereafter he returned to the encampment, like a drowned rat, with his long hair plastered to his thin face, and his soaked garments clinging tightly to his slender body. Had he been able to see himself at that moment, he would have laughed, but, not being able to see himself, and feeling very miserable, he sighed and shuddered with cold, and then set to work to kindle a fire and dry himself. Meanwhile the h'-v continued its walk up the liver. Arrowhead, after a time, lost the track of the bear he was in search of, and, believing that it was too late to follow it up farther that night, he turned about, and began to retrace his steps. Not long ^fter that, he and the bear met face to face. Of course, the Indian's gun was levelled in an instant, but the meeting was so sudden, that the aim was not so true as usual, and, although the AWAY IN THE WILUEKNESS. 61 bull mortally wounded the animal, it did not kill bim outright. There was no time to re-load, so Arrowhead dropped his gun and ran. He doubled as he ran, and made for tha encampment ; but tlic bear ran faster. It was soon at the Indian's heels. Know- ing that farther flight was useless, Arrowhead drew the hatchet that hung at his belt, and, turn- ing round, faced the infuriated animal, which instantly rose on its hind legs and closed with him. The Indian met it with f, tremendous blow of his axe, seized it by the throat with his left hand, and endeavoured to repeat the blow.* But brave and powerful though he was, the Indian was like a mere child in the paw of the bear. The axe descended with a crash on the monster's head, and sank into its skull. But bears are notoriously hard to kill. This one scarcely seemed to fee^ the blow. Next instant Arrowhead was down, and, with its claws fixed in the man's back, the bear held him down, while it began to gnaw the fleshy part of his left shoulder. No cry escaped from the prostrate hunter. He determined to lie perfectly still, as if he were dead, that being his only chance of escape ; but the animal was furious, and there is little doubt that the Indian's brave spirit would soon have fled, had * See frontispiece. 62 AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. '•f *i 1 not God mercifully sent Jusper Derry to hia relief. That stout hunter had been near at hand when the shot was fired. He at once ran in the direc- tion whence the sound came, and arrived on the scene of the struggle ju jC as Arrowhead fell. With- out a moment's hesitation he dropt on one knee, took a quick but careful aim and fired. The ball entered the bear's head just behind the ear and rolled it over dead ! Arrowhead's first act on rising was to seize the hand of his delivfirer, and in a tone of deep feel ing exclaimed, "My brother I" '* Ay," said Jasper with a quiet smile, as he re- loaded his gun ; " this is not the first time that you and I have helped one another in the nick of time, Arrowhead ; we shall be brothers, and good friends to boot, I \\o\k\ as long us we live." " Good," said the Indian, a smile lighting up for one moment his usually grave features. " But my brother is wounded, let me see," said Jasper. " It will tooon be well," said the Indian care- lessly, as he took ofif his coat and sat down on the bank, while the white hunter examined hia wounds. This was nil that was said on the subject by these two men. They were used to danger in every form, and had often saved each other from la c- e AWAV IS THE WILDKKNESS. 6b fiuddeii death. The Indian's woun.ls, though pain- ful were trifling. Jasper dressed them in silence and then, drawing his long hunting-knife, he skinned and cut up the bear, while his com- panion lay down on the bank, smoked his pipe and looked on. Having cut off the best parts oi the carcass for supper, the hunters returned to the canoe, carrying the skin along with them .1 I « m 64 AWAY IX THE VVlLJji:iiNfc:fci.S. CHAPTER VIIL It! HUNNING THE FALLS WILD SCENES AND 2IEN. NEXT day the travellers reached one of those niagnificent lakes of which there are so niiiuy in the wild woods of North America, and whicii are so like to the great ocean itself, that it i^ scarcely possible to believe them to be bodies of fresh water until they are tasted. The largest of these inland seas is the famous Lake Superior, which is so enormous in size that ships can sail on its broad bosom for several days out of sight of land. It is upwards of three hundreil miles long, and about one hundred and fifty broad. A good idea of its size may be formed from the fact, that it is large enough to contain the whole of Scotland, and deep enough to cover her highest hills! The lake on which the canoe was now launched, although not so large as Superior, was, neverthe- less, a respectable body of water, on which the sun was shining as if on a shield of bright silver. There were mumbers of suiall islets scattered over AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. 65 Its surface ; some thickly wooded to the water's edge, others little better thau bare rocks. Cross- ing this lake they came to the mouth of a pretty large stream and began to ascend it. The first thing they saw on rounding a bend in the stream was an Indian tent, and in front of this tent was an Indian baby, hanging from the branch of a tree. Let not the reader be horrified. The child war* not hanging by the neck, but by the handle of it« cradle, which its mother had placed there, to keep her little one out of the way of the dogs. The Indian cradle is a very simple contrivance. A young mother came out of the tent with her child just as the canoe arrived, and began to pack it in its cradle. Jasper stopped for a few minutes to converse ^vith one of the Indians, so that the artist had a good opportunity of witnessing the whole operation. The cradle was simply a jiiece of flat board, with a bit of scarlet cloth fastened down each side of it. First of all, the mother laid the poor in- fant, which was quite naked, sprawling on the ground. A dirty-looking do:,' took advantage of this to SL k forward and suit 11 at it, whereupon the mother seized a heavy j)iece of wood, and hit the dog such a rap over the nose as sent it away howling. Then sue spread a thick layer of soft moss on the wooden board. Above this she laid a very neat Rmfcil blimkct, about two feet in *;() AWAY IN THE WILDKKNESS. I longtli. Upon this she i)hi(;ed the baby, which objected at first to go to bed, squalled a good deal, and kicked a little. The mother therefore took it up, turned it over, gave it one or two lirarty slaps, and laid it down again. This seemed to quiet it, for it afterwards lay straight out, and perfectly still, with its coal-black eves stariu'' out of its fat brown face, as if it was astonished at receiving such rough treatment. The mother next spread a little moss over the child, and above that she placed another small lilanket, which she folded and tucked in very comfortably, keeping the little one's arms close to its sides, and packing it all up, from neck to heels, so tiirhtlv that it looked more like the making u}) of a parcel than the wrapping up of a child. This done, she drew the scarlet cloth over It from each side of the cradle, and laced it down the fjoiit. When all was done, the infant looked likti an Egyptian mummy, nothing but the head being viaible. The mother then leaned tlie cradle against the btem of a tree, and immediately one of the dogs ran against it, and knocked it over. Luckily, there was a wooden bar attached to the cradle, in front of the child's fac*^, which bar is placed there on purpose to guard against injury from such acci- tlrutg, so tliat the bar came first to the ground, and tUiw prevented the flattening of the child's AWAY IN THE WlLDEIiNESS. uuse, which, to say truth, ^va.s tiat enough al- ready I Instead of scolding herself for her own careless- ness, the Indian mother scolded the dog, and then hung the child on the branch of a tree, to keep it from farther mischief. The next turn in the river revealed a large waterfall, up which it was impossible to paddle, so they prepared to make a portage. Before arriv- ing at the foot of it, however, Jasper landed Hey- wood, to enable him to make a sketch, and then the two men shoved oft', and proceeded to the foot of the fall. They were lying there in an eddy, considering where was the best spot to land, when a loud shout drew their attention towards the rushing water. Immediately after, a boat was seen to hover for a moment on the brink of the waterfall. This fall, although about ten or fifteen feet high, had such a large body of water rushing over it, that the river, instead of falling straight down, gushed over in a steep incline. Down this in- cline the boat now darted with the speed of light- ning. It was full of men, two of whom stood erect, the one in the bow, the other in the stern, to control the movements of the boat. For a few seconds there was deep silence. The men held their breath as the boat leaped along with the boiling Hood. There was a curling r 2 68 AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS k i !)"■ I ' white wave at the foot of the fall. The boat cut through this like a knife, drenching her crew with Kpray. Next raonaent she swept round into the ( ddy where the canoe was floating, and the meu gave vent to a loud cheer of satisfaction at having run the fall in safety. But this was not the end of that exciting scene. Scarcely had they gained the land, when another boat appeared on the crest of the fall. Again a shout was given and a dash made. For one moment there was a struggle with the raging Hood, and then a loud cheer as the second boat .swept into the eddy in safety. Then a third and a fourth boat went through the same operation, and before the end of a quarter of an hour, six boats ran tlie fall. The bay at the foot of it, which had been so quiet and solitary when Jasper and his friends arrived, became the scene of the wildest confusion and noise, as the men ran about with tremendous activity, making preparations to spend the uiglit there. Some hauled might and main at the boats ; some carried up the provisions, frying-pans, and kettles ; others cut down dry trees with their axes, and cut them up into logs from five to six feet long and as thick as a man's thigh. These were intended for six great fires, each boat's crew re- quiring a fire to themselves. While this was goiii.u^ on, the principal guides AWAY IN Till-: WILDKKNKSS. 69 and ateersnicn crowded round our three tnivellere, and plied them witli questions ; for it was so unusual to meet witli straiip^f^'s in tliat far-oflf wilderness, that a cliance meeting of this kind waa regarded as quite an important event. " You're bound for York Fort, no doubt," said Jasper, addressing a tall liand.^ome man of be- tween forty and fifty, who was the principal guide. " Ay, tliat's the end of our journey. You see we're taking our furs down to the coast. Have you come from York Fort, friend ]" ** No, I've come all the way from Canada," said Jasper, who thereupon gave them a short account of his voyage. " AVcll, Jasper, you'll spend the night with us, won't you ? " said the guide. '' That will I, right gladly." *' Come, then, I see tlie fires are bouinning to ourn. We may as well liave a pipe and a chat while Bupi)er is getting ready." The night was now closing in, and the scene in the fore.st, when the camp-tires begaii to blaze, was one of the most stirring and romantic sights that could be witnessed in tluit land. Tlie men of tlie brigade were some of them French-Cana- dians, some natives of the Orkney Islands, who had been hired and sent out tliere by the Hud- sou's Bay Com[»any, others were half-breeds, and a few were j)U^e Indians. 'I'liey were all dressed I " 70 AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS, I. h h lu what is calk'd voyaijeur costume — couts ni cai»otes of blue or grey cloth, with hoods to conic over tlu'ir heads at night, and fastened round their waists witli scarlet worsted belts ; corduroy or grey trousers, gartered outside at the kneivs, moccasins, and caps. But most of them threw off their coats, and appeared in blue and red striped cotton shirts, which were oi)en at tho throat, exposing their, broad, sun-burned, hairy chests. There was variety, too, in the caps^ — some had Scotch bonnets, otliers red nightcaps, a few tiad tall liat.s, ornamented with gold and silver cords and tassels, and a good many wore no cover- iag at all except their own thickly-matted hair. Their faces were burn to every shade of red, brown, and black, from constant exposure, and they were strong as lions, wild as zebras, and frolieksome as kittens 1 It was no wonder, then, that Heywood got into an extraordinary state of excitement and delight as he beheld these wild fine-looking men smoking their jnpes and cooking their suppers, sitting, lying, and standing, talking and singing, and laughing, with teeth glistening and eyes glit- tering in the red blaze of the fires — each of which fires was big enough to have roasted a whole ox ! The young artist certainly made good use of his oi)i)ort unity. He went about from fire to fire, sketch-book in hand, sketching all the best* AWAY IN THE WILDEIINKSS. 71 looking men in every possil'lc r^ttitude, sonio- tinies singly, and Honictinu's in groupH ol five or six. He then went to tlic fartliest end of tlie encampment, and, in tlio lifjht of the lust fire, made ' picture of all (he rest. The kettles were soon st^^amin^r The>c hung from tripods erected over the fires. Their eon- tents were flour and pemican, made into a thick soup called Rubbiboo. As pemican is a kind of food but little kn'>wn in this country, I may as well describe how it is made. In the lir«t j>lace, it consists of buffalo meat. The great plains, or prairies, of America, which are like huge downs or commons hundreds i)f miles in extent, afford grass sullicient to suj)port countless herds of deer, wild horses, and bisons The bisons are called by the pe()ple there butfa Iocs. The buffalo is somewhat like an enornioun ox, but its hind quarters are smaller and its foro quarters much larger than those of the ox. It^ hair is long and shaggy, particularly about thu neck and shoulders, where it becomes almost a nane. Its horns are thick and short, and its look is very ferocious, but it is in reality a timid creature, and will only turn to attack man when it is hard pressed and cannot escape. Its flesh is first-rate for food, even better tlmn iieef, and there is a large hump on its shouldrT, which is uousiden.'il the best part of thu animal. 6 II 7 -J AWAY IN THK WILDKIINKSS. Such is the bison, or l)uffaU), from which iHJini* can is made. When a iiiiin wishes to make a l»ag of pemican, he first of all kills a biiflulo — not an easy thing to do by any means, for the buffalo nnis well. Havinf,' killed him, he .skins him and cuts up tiic meat — also a dillicult thin;,' to do, espooially if one is not used to that sort of work. Then he cuts the meat into thin layers, and hangs it up to dry. Dried meat will keep i'or a long time. It is packed up in bales and sent about that country to be used as food. The next thine,' to bo done is to make a bag of the raw hide of the buffalo. This is done with a glover's needle, the raw sinews of the animal being used instead of thread. The bag is usually ainmt three feet long, and eighteen inches broad, and the hair is left on the outside of it. A huge pot is now put on the tire, and the fat of the buffalo is melted down. Then the dried meat is pounded between two stones, until it is torn and broken up into shreds, after which it is put into the bag, the melted fat is poured over it, and the whole is well mixed. The last oi)eration is to sew up the mouth of the bag and leave it to cool, after which the pemioan is ready for use. in this state a bag of pemican will keep fresh and good fur years. "\Mien tijc search was going •jr. in the ])()lar regions for the lost .ships of Sii A.WAY IN THE WILDKUNKSS. a John Franklin, one of the parties hid Hoino pcmi- can in tlu' ^noiuid, intending to return and take it up. Tiiey returned home, however, another way. Five years hitur some traveUers discovered thia peniican, and it was found, at that time, to be fit for food. Penucan is extensively used throughout Kupert's Laml, especially during sununer, for at that season the brigades of boats start from hun- dreds of inland trading- posts to take the furs to the coast for .shipment to England, and pemican is found to be not only the best of food for the.se hard working-men, but exceedingly convenient to carr}'. Supper finished, the wild-looking fellows of this brigade took to their pipes, and threw fresh logs on the fire.s, which roared and crackled and shot up their forked tongues of flame, as if they wished to devour the forest. Then the song and the story went round, and men told of terrible lights with the red men of the prairies, and desperate en- counters with grizzly bears in the Kocky Moun- tains, and narrow escai)es among the rapids and falls, until the night was half spent. Then, one by one, each man wrapped himself in his blanket, stretched himself on the ground with his feet towards the fire and his head pillowed on a coat or a heap of brushwood, and went to sleep. Ere long they were all down, except cne or two long-winded story tellers, who went on muttering .^ih*^./ pi III ■ '1l I i i> f 74 AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. CO their pipes after their comrades were asleep. Even these became tired at last of the sound of their own voices, and gradually every noise in the camp was hushed, except the cnickling of the fins as they sank by degrees and went out, leaving the place in dead silence and total darkness. With the first peep of dawn the guide arose. In ten minutes after his first siiout the whole camp was astir. The men yawned a good deal at first and grumbled a little, and stretched them- .selves violently, and yawned again. But soon they shook off laziness and sprang to their work. Pots, pans, kettles, and pemican bags were tossed into the bouts, and in the course of half-an-hour they were ready to continue the voyage. Jasper stood beside the guide looking on at the busy scene. " Heard you any news from the Saskatchewan of late," said he. " Not much," replied the guide ; " there's little stirring there just now, except among the Indions, who have been killing and scalping each other as usual. But, by the way, that reminds me there has been a sort of row between the Indians and the Company's people at Fort E^ie. ** Fort Erie !" said Jasper w ith a start. " Ay, that's the name o' the fort, if I remero ber right," returned the guide. " It seemp, that one o' the men there, I think they call him La- \. f AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. 75 roche — but what makes you start, fr^^iul Jasper I Do you know anything of this man 1" " Yes, he's a friend of mine. Go on, let me hear about it." " Well, there's not much to tell," resumed the guide. " This Laroche, it would appear, has got into hot water. Ho has a daughter, a good lookin' wencli I'm told, and, better than that, a well-behaved one. One o' the Indians had been impertinent to the girl, so old Laroche, who seem? to be a fiery fellow, up fi.st, hit him on the nose, and knocked the savage tlat on his back. A tre- mendous howl was set up, and knives and hatchets were flourished ; but Mr. Pembertoji, who is in charge of Fort Erie, ran in and pacified them. The Indian tluit was floored vows lie'll have the hair ofl' old Liirochu's head.' This taking the hair otf people's heads, or scalp- ing, as it is called, is a common jtractice among the North American Indians. When a savage kills his enemy he runs his scalping knife round the dead man's head, seizes tlie hair with his left hand and tears the scalp off. Indeed tiiis dread- ful cruelty is sometimes nraeti.sod before deatii has occurred. The scalp with its lock of hair is taken home by the victor, and hung up in his tent as a trophy of war. The man who can show the greatest number of scalps is considered the greatest warrior. The dresses of Indian ii 76 AWAr IN THE WILDEIUNESS. I, svarriors iiru usually frin.L,T an unkxpictkd mki.tivg. WE turn now to a very diHrri'nt scene. Jt is a small tort i>r tradiui^-post on the banks 3f a stream uliieli llow.s tliiDUgh the ]»rairie. The tort is very much like the one which has been already described, but somewhat stronger ; and there are tour block-houses or bastions, one at each corner, from which the nuizzles of a few heavy <,^uns may be seen protruding. The trees and bushes have Iteen ch'arcd away from around this ftirt, and the strips of forest land which run along both sides (d" the river are not so tliickly wooded as the country throuuh which tlie rend*>i I ' now and then a little pond. The whole region is extremely beautiful. One that ought to fill the hearts of men with admiration and love of the hountiful God who formed it. But men in those regions, at the time I write of, thought little of beauties of nature, and eared nothing for the goodness of God. At least this may be truly said of the red-skinned owners of the soil. It wa.s otherwise with some of the white people who dwelt there. Three weeks had passed awa since the night spoilt by our friends with the b.lgade. It was now a beautiful evening, a little after sunset. The day's work at the fort had been finished, and tlie men were amusing themselves by racing their horses, of wliicii fine animals there were great numbers at Fort Erie. Just a little after the sun had gone down, three liorsemcii ai)peared on the distant prairie and came bounding at full gallop towards the fort. They were our iriends Jasper, Hey wood, and Arrow- bend Tlus(? adventurous travellers had reached a io, farther down the riVvT two days before, and, having been supi)lird with horses, had pushed for- ward by way of the plains. On entering the belt of woods close to the fort, the horsemen reined in, and rode among the trees more cautiously. " Here's the end of our journey at hiaiy" cried AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. Jas>per, on wlio.sc bronzed countenance there wiw a deep flush of excitement and a look of anxii'ty. Just as h'^ )^id this, Jasper's heart appeared to leap into his throat and almost choked him. Pulling up suddenly, he swallowed his heart, with 8on)e difficulty, nvA said — - '* Hold on, lads. I'll rid(! round to the fort by way of the river, for reasons of my own. Push on, ITeywood, with the Indian, and let Mr. Pemberton know I'm coming. Sec, I will give you the packet of letters we were asked to carry from the fort below. Now, make haste." Hey wood, thougli a little surpiisod at this speech, and at the manner of his iVieiid, took the j)ack('t in silence and rode swiftly away, followed by the Indian. When they were gone, Jasi)er dismounted, tied his hor.«rt Erie at that time, and that, therefore, the only resjjectably dressed femah- ?t the place must needs be his owri ]\[arie Lanuiie. Overjoyed at the opportu?iity thi.':^ imexpectcdly aiforded Iiim of meeting her alone, he hastened forwaid with a l)eatini; heart. f 80 AWAY IN THE WlLDKi; :«S. i I i'< ■t Murie was seated on the stump of a fallen tree when the hunter came up. She was a fair, beautiful woman of about five and-twentv, with an air of modesty about her which attracted hjve, yet re- pelled familiarity. Many a good-looking and well- doing young fellow had attem})ted to gain tlie heart of Marie during the last two years, but witbnut success — for tiiis good reason, that her heart had been gained already. She was somewhat startled w hen a man appeared thus suddenly before her. Jasper stood in silence for a few moments, with his arms crossed upon his l^reast, and gazed earnestly into h(>r face. As lie dill not speak, .she said — " You appear to be a .stranger here. Have you arrived lately 1" Ja.spcr was for a moment a.stonished that she did not at (Mice rccogni.-ie him, and yet he had no reason to be surprised. Besides the alteration /,hat two years sometimes makes in a man, Ja.spcr had made a con^idiTable alteration on himself. When ]\Iarie last saw him, Ik; had Ijeen in the habit of practising the foolish ajid unnatural cus- tom of shaving ; and he had carried it to such an extreme that he shaved off everything — whiskers, beard, and moustache. I>ut w ithiu a year he hud been induced by a wise friend to change his opinion on this subject. That iriend had hUgg<'sted, that as Providence had caused hair to grow on Uis cheeks, lips, and chin, it was intended to be J I N I ill AWAY IN Tin: WILDEIINMHS. 81 <1, worn, and that ho had no more right to shave his face than a Chinaman had to shave his head. Jasper had been so far convinced, that ho had suffered his wliiskers to grow. These were now hirge and bushy, and had encroached so much on his chin as to liave become almost a beard. Be- sides this, not having shaved any part of his face during the hist three weeks, there was little of if visible except his eyes, forehead, and check-bones. All the rest vas more or less covered with black hair. No wonder, then, that Marie, who believed him to be two thousand miles away at that moment, did not recognise him in the increasing darkness of evening. The lover at once under- stood this, and lie resolved to play the part of a stranger. He happened to have the power of changing his voice — a power possessed by many people — and, trusting to the increasing gloom to conceal him and to the fact that he was the last person in the world wliom Marie might expect to see there, he addressed her as fel- lows : — *' I am indeed a stranger here ; at least 1 ha\ ■> f ' 8L> AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. " I have come all the way from Canada, yourij* woman, and I count myself lucky in meeting with Buch a pleasant face at the end of my journey." " From Canada !" exclaimed Marie, becoming still more interested in the stranger, and blushing deeply as she asked — " You have friends there, no doubt?" ** Ay, a few," said Jasper. " And what has brought you such a long way into this wild wilderness ]" askod Marie, sighing as she thought of the hundreds of miles that lay between Fort Erie and Canada. " I have come hero to get me a wife," replied Jasper. " That is strange," said the girl, smiling, " for there arc few but Indian women here. A stout hunter like you might fmd one nearer home, I should think." Here Marie piliiarul, for she felt that on such a fiulject she ought not to converse with a stranger Yet she could not help adding, " But perhaps, as you say you liave been in this part of the world before, you may liavo soinn one in your mind 1" *' I am engaged," said Jasper, al)ruptly. On hearing tliis, Marie felt more at her ease, ami, being of a very sympathetic nature, she at once courted the confidence of the Jitranger. •* May I venture to ask lier iiuiuo / " said Marie^ with an arcli siiiile. AWAY IN TlIK WII.DKKNESS. 83 )rl4 )» lase, at ^ne, " I may not tell," icpliod Jasper ; " I have n comrade who is entitled to know tliis secret before any one else. Perhaj)S you may have heard of him, for he was uj) in these parts two years agone. His name is Jasper Deny." The blood nished to Marie's temples on hearing the name, and she turned her face away to conceal her agitation, while, in a low voice, she said — ■** Is Jasper Derry, then, your intimate friend ?'* "That is he — a very intimate friend indeed. But ynu appear to know him." " Yes, I — I know him — I have seen him. I hope he is well," said Marie ; and she listened with a beating heart for the answer, though she still turned her face away. "Oh ! he's well enough," said Jasper; "siek- ne.ss don't often trouble him. He's going to be niJirried." Had a bullet struck the girl's heart she could not have turned more deadly pale than she did on hearing this. She half rose from the tree stump, and would have fallen to the ground insensible, had not Jasper caught her in his arms. *' My own Marie," said he fervently, " for- give me, dearest ; forgive my folly, my wicked- ness, in deceiving you in this fashion. Oh, what a fool I am !" he added, as the poor girl still hung heavily in his grasp — " speak to me Marie, my own darliti;/." 84 AWAY IN TlIK WILDEIINESS. M Whether it was the tunicstness of his voice, oi the kiss which he printed un lier forchciul, or the coohiess of the evening air, I know not, but cer- tain it is that Marie recovered in ihe (;our.se of a i\i\v minutes, and, on being convinced that Jasper really was her old lover, she rehigned herself, wisely, to her fate, and held such an uncommonly long conversation witli the bold hunter, that the niuon was up and the stars w(.'rc out before they turned their steps towards the Fort. *' Wl»y, Jasper Derry," cried xMr. Pcmberton, ^ the hunter -entered the hall of Fort Erie, *' where have you been. Tvc \)vi'u c\|ic(.tiug you every moment for the last two htuirs." " Well, you see, Mr. Penilxrton, I just went e delighted to go," answered tli* i i w ■II IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // m Cf/ .s^:4^ ^ ■'^5' 1.0 I.I Illll 18 I-25 1.4 1.6 6" ► V] ^ '<^. o / /A Photographic Sdences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (716) 872-4503 A rtV :\ Si^ \ ;\ . -^ IF I H E 11, n 8rt AWAY IN TllK WILDKUNKSa. artist, " nothing will give me more pleasure ; but I fear my steed is too much exhaustoil to" — ** Oh ! make your mind easy on that score," said the fur-trader, interrupting him. " I have plenty of capital horses, and can mount the whole of you, so that's settled. And now, friends, do justice to your supper, I sliall l>r h:uk before you iiave done." So saying, Mr. Pemberton left the room, and our three friends, being unusually hungry, fell vigorously to work on the .i;ood cheer of Fort, iikie I !^ \V\ u I AWAY IN THE WlLDEiiNESS 87 OHAPTKll X. BUFPALO-HUNTINO ON THE PRAliai:B. VTEXT day most of the men of Fort Erie, ■^^ headed by Mr. Pemberton, rode away into the prairies on a buffalo-hunt. Jasper would will- ingly have remained with Marie at the fort, but having promised to go, he would not now draw back. The band of horsemen rode for three hours, at a quick pace, over the grassy plains, without seeing anything. Jasper kept close beside his friend old Laroche, while Ileywood rode and con- versed chiefly with Mr. Pemberton. There wero about twenty men altogether, armed with guns, and mounted on their best buffalo-runners, as they styled the horses which were trained to hunt the buffalo. Many of tliese steeds had been wild horses, caught by the Indians, broken-in, and sold by them to the fur-traders. " I have seldom ridden so long without meeting buffaloes," observed Mr. Pemberton, as the party galloped to the top of a ridge of land, from which ' u i^ n ■'\ n 88 AWAY IN THK WILDERNESS. they could see the plains far and wide around them. " Tliere they are at last," said Hey wood eagerly, pointing to a certain spot on tlie far-oflf horizon, where living creatures of some sort were seen moving. " That must be a band o' red-skins," said Jas- per, who trotted up at tliis moment with the rest of the party. " They are Saut(\iux,"* observed Arrowhead quietly. " You must have good eyes, friend," said Pem- berton, applying a sinuU pocket-telescope to his eye ; " they are indeed Sauteaux, I see by their dress, and they have observed us, for they are coming straight this way, like the wind," **\Vill they come as enemies or friends?" in- quired Heywood. " As friends, I have no doubt," replied the fur-trader. *' Come, lads, we will ride forward to meet them." In a short time the two parties of horsemen met. They approached almost at full speed, as if each meant to ride the other down, and did not rein up until they were so close that it seemed impossible to avoid a shock. "Have you seen the buffaloes lately 1" in- • This word is i)ronouiice(l Sotoes in the plural ; Soto' in the singular. AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. 89 quired Pemberton, after the first salutation had passed. " Yes, there are large bands not an hour's ride from this. Some of our young warriors have re- mained to hunt. We are going to the fort to trade." " Good ; you will find tobacco enough there to keep you smoking till I return with fresh meat," said Pemberton, in the native tongue, which he could speak like an Indian. " I'll not be Ions away. Farewell." No more words were wasted. The traders gaUoped away over the prairie, and the Indians, of whom there were about fifteen, dashed off in the direction of the fort. These Indians were a very different set of men from those whom I have already introduced to the reader in a former chapter. There are many tribes of Indians in the wilderness of Rupert's Land, and some of the tribes are at constant war with each other. But in order to avoid confusing the reader, it may be as well to divide the Indian race into two great classes -namely, those who inhabit the woods, and those who roam over the plains or prairies. As a general rule, the thick- wood Indians are a more peaceful set of men than the prairie Indians. They are few in number, and live in a land full of game, where there is fur more than enough of mom for all of them Their F 2 90 AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. mode of travelling in canoes, and on foot, is slow, so that the different tribes do not often meet, and they have no occasion to quarrel. They are, for %he most part, a quiet and harmless race of savages, and being very dependent on the fur-traders for the necessaries of life, they are on their good be- haviour, and seldom do much mischief. It is very diflferent with the plain-Indians. These savages have numbers of fine horses, and live in a splendid open country, which is well- stocked with deer and buffaloes, besides other game. They are bold riders, and scour over the country in all directions, consequently the differ- ent tribes often come across each other when out hunting. Quarrels and fights are the results, so that these savages are naturally a fierce and war- like race. They are independent too ; for although they get their g^^ns and ammunition and other necessaries from the traders, they can manage to live without these things if need be. They can clothe themselves in the skins of wild animals, and when they lose their guns, or wet their powder, they can kill game easily with their own bows and arrows. fi^ It was a band of these fellows that now went galloping towards Fort Erie, with the long manes nnd tails of the half-wild horses and the scalp- locks on their dresses and their own long black hair streaming in the wind. AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. 01 Pemberton and his party soon came up with the young Indians who had remained to chase the buffaloes. He found them sheltered behind a little mound, making preparation for an immediate attack on the animals, which, however, were not yet visible to the men from the fort. " I do believe they've seen buffaloes on the other side of that mound," said Pemberton, as he rode forward. He was right. The Indians, of whom there were six, well mounted and armed with strong short bows, pointed to the mound, and said that on the other side of it there were hundreds of buffaloes. As the animals were so numerous, no objection was made to the fur- traders joining in the hunt, so in another moment the united party leaped from their horses and prepared for action. Some wiped out and carefully loaded their guns, others ex- amined the priming of their pieces, and chipped the edges off the flints to make sure of their not missing fire. All looked to the girths of their saddles, and a few threw off their coats and rolled their shirt-sleeves up to their shoulders, as if they were going to undertake hard and bloody work. Mr. Pemberton took in hand to look after our friend Heywood, the reat were well qualified to look after themselves. In five minutes they were all re- mounted and rode quietly to the brow of the mound. 9^. A\VA.Y IN THE WILDERNESS. I Here an interesting sight presented itself. The whole plain was covered with the huge unwieldy forms of the buCFaloes. They were scattered about, singly and in groups, grazing or playing or lying down, and in one or two places some of the bulls were engaged in single combat, pawing the eaith, goring each other, and bellowing furiously. After one look, the hunters dashed down the hill and were in the midst of the astonished ani- mals almost before they could raise their heads to look at them. Now commenced a scene which it is not easy to describe correctly. Each man had selected his own group of animals, so that the whole party was scattered in a moment. " Follow me," cried Pemberton to Heywood, " observe what I do, and then go try it yourself" The fur-trader galloped at full speed towards a group of buffiiloes which stood right before him, about two hundred yards off. He carried a single-barrelled gun with a flint lock in his right hand and a bullet in his mouth, ready to re-load. The buffaloes gazed at him for one moment in stupid surprise, and then, with a toss of their heads and a wliisk of their tails, tliey turned and fled. At first they ran with a slow awkward gait, like pigs ; and to one who did not know their powers, it would seem ths.t the fast-running horses of the two men would quickly overtake them. But as they warmed to the work their speed increased. AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. 93 and it required the hoiBcs to get up tLcir best paces to overtake them. After a furious grJlop, Pembertou's horse ran close up alongside of a fine-looking buffalo cow — so close that hf. could almost touch the side of the animal with the point of his gun. Drop- ping the rein, he pointed the gun without putting it to his shoulder, and fired. Tlie ball passed through the animal's heart, and it dropt like a stone. At the same moment Pemberton flung his cap on the ground beside it, so that he might afterwards claim it as his own. The well-trained horse did not shy at the shot, neither did it check its pace for a moment, but ran straight on and soon placed its master along- side of another buffalo cow. In the meantime, Pemberton loaded like lightning. He let the reins hang loose, knowing that the horr.e under- stood his work, and, seizing the powder-horn at ills side with his right hand, drew the wooden stopper with his teeth, and poured a charge of powder into his left — guessinrj the quantity, of course. Pouring this into the gim, he put the muzzle to his mouth, and spat the ball into it, struck the butt on the pommell of the saddle to send it down, as well as to drive the powder into the pan, and taking his chance of the gun prim- ing itself, he aimed as before, and pulled the trig- ger. The explosion followed, and a second buffalo ¥ ^ .1 11' I! I 94 AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. lay dead upon the plain, with a glove beside it tx) show to whom it belonged. Scenes similar to this were being enacted all over the plain, with this difference, that the bad or impatient men sometimes fired too soon and missed their mark, or by only wounding the ani- mals, infuriated them and caused them to run faster. One or two ill-trained horses shied when the guns were fired, and left their riders sprawling on the ground. Others stumbled into badger-holes and rolled over. The Indians did their work welL They were used to it, and did not bend their bows until their horses almost brushed the reeking sides of the huge brutes. Then they drew to the nrrow heads, and, leaning forward, buried the shafts up to tho feathers. The arrow is said to be even more deadly than the bullet. Already the plain was strewn with dead or dying buffaloes, and the ground seemed to tremble with the thunder of the tread of the affrighted animals. Jasper had * dropt' three, and Ajrrowhead had slain two, yet the pace did not slacken — still the work of death went on. Having seen Pemberton shoot another animal, Heywood became fired with a desire to try his own hand, so he edged away from his companion. Seeing a very large monstrous-looking buftalo flying away by itself at no great distance, he turned his horse towards it, grasped his gun, shook the reins, and gave ch{L*!C. AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. (»■ 1)0 Now poor Heywood did not know that the animal he had made up his mind to kill was a tough old bull ; neither did he know that a bull is bad to eat, and dangerous to follow ; and, worse than all, he did not know that when a bull holds his tail stiff and straight up in the air, it is a sign that he is in a tremendous rage, and that the wisest thing a man can do is to let him alone. Heywood, in fact, knew nothing, so he rushed blindly on his fate. At first the bull did not raise his tail, but, as the rider drew near, he turned his enormous shaggy head a little to one side, and looked at him out of the corner of his wicked little eye. When Heywood cume within a few yards and, in attempting to take aim, fired off his gun by accident straight into the face of tlie sun, the tail went up and the bull began to growl. The ferocious aspect of the creature alarmed the artist, but he had made up his mind to kill it, so he attempted to re-load, as Pemberton had done. He succeeded, and as he was about to turn his attention again to the bull, he observed one of the men belonging to the fort making to- wards him. This man saw and knew the artist's danger, and meant to warn him, but his horse unfortunately put one of its feet into a hole, and sent him flying head over heels through the aii-. Heywood was now so close to the bull thnt he had to prepare for another shot. . 1 96 AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. The horse he rode wus u thoroughly good buf- falo-runner. It knew the dangerous character of the bull, if its rider did not, and kept its eye watchfully upon it. At last the bull lost patience, and, suddenly wheeling round, dashed at the horse, but the trained animal sprang nimbly to one side, and got out of the way. Hey wood was all but thrown. He clutched the uiane, however, and held on. The bull then continued its flight. Determined not to be caught in this way again, the artist seized the reins, and ran the horse close alongside of the buffalo, whose tail was now as stiff as a poker. Once more the bull turned suddenly round. Heywood pulled the reins violently, thus confusing his steed which ran straight against the buffalo's big hairy forehead. It was stopped as violently as if it had run against the side of a house. But poor Heywood was not stopped. He left the saddle like a rocket, flew right over the bull's back, came down on his face, ploughed up the land with his nose — and learned a lesson from experience ! Fortunately the spot on which he fell happened to be one of those soft muddy places in which the buffaloes are fond of rolling their huge bodies in the heat of summer, so that, with the exception of a bruised and dirty face, and badly soiled clotlies, tlie bold artist was none the worse for his adventure. AVAV IN THE WILDEKNESS. 9? CHAPTER XI. WINTER — SLEEPTNC; IN THE SNOW A NIGHT ALARM. CJUIVIMER passed away, autumn passed awav, M and winter came. So did Christmas, and so did Jasper's marriage-day. Now the reader must understand that there ie a wonderful difference between the winter in that part of the North American wihlerness called Ru- pert's Land, and winter in our own happy island. Winter out there is from six to eight months long. The snow varies from three to four feet deep, and in many places it drifts to fifteen or twenty feet deep. The ice on the lakes and rivers is sometimes above six feet thick ; and the salt sea itself, in Hudson's Bay, is frozen over to a great extent. Nothing like a thaw takes place for many months at a time, and the frost is so intense that it is a matter of difficulty to prevent one's-self from being frost-bitten. The whole country, during these long winter months, appears white, desolate, and silent. h U 1 1 : 1 li - n ;ci, 98 AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. Yet a good many of tho birds and ar.imals keep moving about, though most of them do so at night, and do not often meet the eye of man. The bear goes to sleep all winter in a hole, but the wolf and the fox prowl about the woods at night. Ducks, geese, and plover no longer enliven the marshes with their wild cries ; but white grouse, or ptar- migan, fly about in immenss flocks, and arctic hares make many tracks in the deep snow. Still, these are quiet creatures, and they scarcely break the deep dead silence of the forests in winter. At this period the Indian and the fur-trader wrap themselves in warm dresses of deer-skin, lined with the thickest flannel, and spend their short days in trapping and shooting. At night the Indian piles logs on his fire to keep out the frost, and adds to the warmth of his skin-tent by heaping snow up the outside of it all round. The fur-trader puts double window-frames and double panes of glass in his windows, puts on double doors, and heats his rooms with cast-iron stoves. But do what he will, the fur-trader cannot keep out the cold altogether. He may heat the stove red-hf I; if he will, yet the water in the basins and jugs in the corner of his room will be frozen, and his breath settles on the window-panes, and freezes there sc thickly that it actually dims the light of the sun. This crust on the windows inside is sometimes an inch thick ! AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. 99 Thermometers iu England are usually filled with quicksilver. In Rupert's Land quicksilver would be frozen half the winter, so spirit of wine is used instead, because that liquid will not freeze with any ordinary degree of cold. Here, the ther- mometer sometimes falls as low as zero. Out there it does not rise so high as zero during the greater part of the winter, and it is often as low as twenty, thirty, and even fifty degrees helow zero. If the wind should blow when the cold is in- tense, no man dare face it — he would be certain to be frost-bitten. The parts of the body that are most easily frozen are the ears, the chin, the cheek- bones, the nose, the heels, fingers, and toes. The freezing of any part begins with a pricking sensa- tion. When this occurs at the point of your nose, it is time to give earnest attention to that feature, else you run the risk of having it shortened. The best way to recover it is to rub it well, and to keep carefully away from the fire. The likest thing to a frost-bite is a burn. In fact, the two things are almost the same. In both cases the skin or flesh is destroyed, and be- comes a sore. In the one case it is destroyed by fire, in the other by frost ; but in both it is painful and dangerous, according to the depth of the frost-bite or the bum. Many a poor fellow loses joints of his toes and finojers — some hav»! i BISLIOTH^CA ) r,\ t 100 AWAY IN Till-: WILDEKNESS. even lost their hands and feet by frost. Many have lost their lives. But the most common loss is the loss of the skin of the point of the nose, cheek-bones, and chin — a loss which is indeed painful, but can be replaced by nature in the (bourse of time. Of course curious appearances are produced by such intense cold. On going out into the open air, the breath settles on the breast, whiskers, and eyebrows in the shape of hoar-frost ; and men who go out in the morning for a ramble with black or brown locks, return at night with what appears to be grey hair . sometimes with icicles hanging about their faces. Horses and cattle there are seldom without icicles hanging from their lips and noses in winter. Poor Mr. Pemberton was much troubled in this way. He was a fat and heavy man, and apt tc perspire freely. When he went out to shoot in winter, the moisture trickled down his face and turned his whiskers into two little blocks of ice ; and he used to be often seen^ after a hard day's walk, sitting for a long time beside the stove, holding his cheeks to the fire, and gently coaxing the icy blocks to let go their hold ! But for all this, the long winter of those regions is a bright enjoyable season. The cold is not felt 60 much as one would expect, because it is not damp, and the weather is usually bright and suuuy. AWAY IN THE WILDERNKSS. 101 ID } B From what I have said, the reader will under- stand that summer in those regions is short and very hot ; the winter long and very cold. Both seasons have their own peculiar enjoyments, and, to healthy men, both are extremely agreeable. T have said that Jasper's marriage-day had arrived. New Year's Day was fixed for his union with the fair and gentle Marie. As is usual at this festive season of the year, it was arranged that a ball should be given at the fort in the large hall to all the people that chanced to be there at the time. Old Laroche had been sent to a small hut a long day's march from the fort, where he was wont to spend his time in trapping foxes. He was there alone, so, three days before New Year's Day, Jasper set out with Arrowhead to visit the old man, and bear him company on his march back to tlie fort. There are no roads in that country. Travellers have to plod through the wilderness as they best can. It may not have occurred to my reader that it would be a difficult thing to walk for a day through snow so deep, that, at every step, the traveller would sink the whole length of his leg. The truth is, that travelling in Rupert's Land in winter would be impossible but for a machine which enables men to walk on the surface of the snow without sinkin*? more than a few >i Hi 102 AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. k inches. This machine is the snow-shoe. Snow- shoes vary in size and form in different parts of the country, but they are all used for the same purpose. Some are long and narrow ; others are nearly round. They vary in size from three to six feet in length, and from eight to twenty inches in breadth. They are extremely light — made of a framework of hard wood, and covered with a network of deer-skin, which, while it pre- vents the wearer from sinking more tlian a few inches, allows any snow that may chance to fall on the top of the shoe to pass through the netting. The value of this clumsy looking machine may be imagined, when I say that men with them will easily walk twenty, thirty, and even forty miles across a country over which they could not walk three miles without such helps. It was a bright, calm, frosty morning when Jasper and his friend set out on their short journey. The sun shone brilliantly, and the hoar-frost sparkled on the trees and bushes, causing them to appear as if they had been covered with millions of diamonds. The breath of the two men came from their mouths like clouds of steam. Arrow- head wore the round snow-shoes which go by the name of bear's paws — he preferred these to any others. Jasper wore the snow-shoes peculiar to the Chipewyan Indians. They were nearly as long as himself, and turned up at the point. Both men AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. 103 were dressed alike, in the yellow leathern costume of winter. The only difference being that Jasper wore a fur cap, while Arrowhead sported a cloth luiad-piece that covered his neck and shouldem, and was ornamented with a pair of horns. All day the two men plodded steadily over the country. Sometimes they were toiling through deep snow in wooded places, sinking six or eight inches in spite of their snow-shoes. At other times, they were passing swiftly over the surface of tlie open plains, where the snow was beaten so hard by exposure to the sun and wind that the shoes only just broke the crust and left their out- lines behind. Then they reached a bend of the river, where they had again to plod heavily througk the woods on its banks, until they came out upon its frozen surface. Here the snow was so hard, that they took off their snow-shoes and ran briskly along without them for a long space. Thus they travelled all day, without one halt, and made such good use of their time, that they arrived at the log-hut of old Laroche early in the evening. " Well met, son-in-law, that is to he,^ cried the stout old man, heartily, as the two hunters made their appearance before the low door-way of his hut, which was surrounded by trees and almost buned in snow. " If you had been half an hour later, I would have met ye in the woods," 8 ,1 104 AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. ■. I <• How so, father-in-law, that is to 6e," said Jasper, " were ye goin' out to your traps so late SB this ]" "Nay, man, but I was startin' for the fort. It's a long way, as you know, and my old limbs are not just so supple as yours. I thought I would travel to-night, and sleep in the woods, so as to be there in good time to-morrow. But come in, come in, and rest you. I warrant me you'll not feel inclined for more walkin' to-night." " Now my name is not Jasper Derry if I enter your hut this night," said the hunter stoutly. "If I could not turn round and walk straight back to the fort this night. I would not be worthy of your daughter, old man. So come along with you. What say you. Arrowhead ; shall we go straight back V " Good," answered the Indian. "Well, well," cried Laroche, laughing, " lead the way, and I will folbw in your footsteps. It becomes young men to beat the track, and old ones to take it easy." The three men turned their faces towards Fort Erie, and were soon far away from the log hut. They walked steadily* and silently along, without once halting, until the night became so dark that it was difficult to avoid stumps and bushes. Then they prepared to encamp in the snow. Now it may seem to many people a very dia- AWAY IN TUJS WILDERNESS. 105 it it agreeable idea, that of sleeping out in snow, but one who has tried it can assure them that it is not so bad as it seems. No doubt, wlien Jasper halted in the cold dark woods, and said, " I think this will be a pretty good place to ".leep," any one unac- quainted with the customs of that country would have thought the man was jesting or mad ; for, besides being very dismal, in consequence of its being pitch dark, it was excessively cold, and snow was falling steadily and softly on the ground. But Jasper knew what he was about, and so did the others. Without saying a word, the three men flung down their bundles of provisions, and each set to work to make the encampment. Of course they had to work in darkness so thick thai even the white snow could scarcely be seen. First of all they selected a tree, the branches of which were so thick and spreading as to form a good shelter from the falling snow. Here Jasper and Laroche used their snow-shoes as shovels, while Arrowhead plied his axe and soon cut enough of firewood for the night. He also cut a large bundle of sfhall branches for bedding. A space of about twelve feet long, by six broad, was cleared at tlie foot of the tree in half an hour. But the snow was so deep that they had to dig down four feet before they reached the turf. As the snow taken out of the hole was thrown up all round it, the walls rose to nearly seven feet. G iri 11 fi; loi; A WAV kN THE WILDERNESS. Arrowhead next lighted a roaring fire at one end of this cleared space, the others strewed the branches over the space in front of it, and spread their blankets on the top, after which the kettle was put on to boil, buffalo steaks were stuck up before the, fire to roast, and the men then lay down to rest and smoke, while supper was pre- paring. The intense cold prevented the fire froa"». melting the snowy walls of this encampment, which shone and sparkled in the red blaze like pink marble studded all over with diamonds, while the spreading branches formed a ruddy-looking ceiling. When they had finished supper, the heat of the fire and the heat of their food made the travel lers feel quite warm and comfortable, in spite of John Frost; and when they at last wrapped their blankets round them and laid their heads together on the branches, they fell into a sleep more sound and refreshing than they would have enjoyed had they gone to rest in a warm house upon the best bed in England. But when the fire went out, about the middle of the night, the cold became so intense that they were awakened by it, so Jasper rose and blew up the fire, and the other two sat up and filled their pipes, while their teeth chattered in their heads. Soon the blaze and the smoke warmed them, and again they lay down to sleep comfortably till morning. Before daybreak, however, Arrowhead — who AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. 107 le )n liu never slept so soundly but that he could be wakened by the slightest unusual noise — slowly raised his head and touched Jasper on the shoulder. The hunter was too well trained to the dangers of the wilderness to start up or speak. He uttered no word, but took up his gun softly and looked in the direction in which the Indian's eyes gazed. A small red spot in the ashes served to reveal a pair of glaring eye-balls among the bushes. " A wolf," whispered Jasper, cocking his gun. " No ; a man," said Arrowhead. At the sound of the click of the lock the object in the bushes moved. Jasper leaped up in an in^ stant, pointed his gun, and shouted sternly — " Stand fast and speak, or I fire !" At the same moment Arrowhead kicked the logs of the fire, and a bright flame leapt up, showing that the owner of the pair of eyes was an Indian. Seeing that he was discovered, and that if he turned to run he would certainly be shot, the savage came forward sulkily and sat down beside the fire. Jasper asked him why he came there in that stealthy manner like a sly fox. The Indian said he was merely travelling by night, and had come on the camp unexpectedly. Not knowing who was there, he had come forward with caution. Jasper was not satisfied with this reply. He did not like the look of the man, and he felt sure that he had seen him somewhere before, but his 108 AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. Il f. -4 1 face was disfigured with war-paint, aud he could not feel certain on that point until he remembered the scene in the trading store at Jasper's House. " What — Darkeye !" cried he, '* can it be you 1" " Darkeye !" shouted Laroche, suddenly rising from his reclining position and staring the Indian in the face with a dark scowl. " Why, Jasper, this is the villain who insulted my daughter, and to whom I taught the lesson that au old man could knock him down. The surprise and indignation of Jasper on hear- ing this was great, but remembering that the savage had already been punished for his oflfence, and that it would be mean to take advantage of him when there were three to one, ho merely said — " Well, well, I won't bear a grudge- against a man who is coward enough to insult a woman. I would kick you out o' the camp, Darkeye, but as you might use your gun when you got into the bushes, I won't give you that chance. At the same time, we can't afford to lose the rest of our nap for you, so Arrowhead will keep you safe here and watch you, while Laroche and I sleep. We will let you go at daybreak." Saying this Jasper lay down beside his father- in-law, and they were both asleep in a few minutes, leaving the two Indians to sit and scowl at each other beside the fire. WVAY IN THE WILDEKNKSS. 109 CHAPTER XII. TMK WKDDING, AN ARRIVAL, A FEAST, AND A BALL. NEW Year's Day came at last, and on the morning of that day Jasper Derry and Marie Laroche were made man and wife. They were married by the Rev. Mr. Wilson, a Wesleyan missionary, who had come to Fort Erie a few days before, on a visit to the tribes of Indians in that neighbourhood. The North American Indian has no religion worthy of the name ; but he has a conscience, like other men, which tells him that it is wrong to murder and to steal. Yet, although he knows this, he seldom hesitates to do both when he is tempted thereto. Mr. Wilson was one of those earnest missionaries who go to that wilderness and face its dangers, as well as its hardships and sufferings, for the sake of teaching the savage that the mere knowledge of right and wrong is not enough — that the love of God, wrought in the heart of man by the Holy Spirit, alone can enable no AWAY IN THE WILDEKNLtiiS. U fi'i M 1 y him to resist evil and do good — that belief in the Lord Jesus Christ alono can save the soul. There are several missionaries of this stamp — men who love the name of Jesus — in that region, and there are a number of stations, where the good seed of God's Word is being planted in the wilder- ness. But I have not space, and this is not the place, to enlarge on the great and interesting subject of missionary work in Rupert's Land. I must return to my narrative. It was, as I have said, New Year's Day when Jixsper and Marie were married. And a remark- ably bright, beautiful morning it was. The snow appeared whiter than usual, and the countless gems of hoar-frost that hung on shrub and tree seemed to sparkle more than usual ; even the sun appeared to shine more brightly than ever it did before — at least it seemed so in the eyes of Jasper and Marie. " Everything seems to smile on us to-day, Marie," said Jasper, as they stood with some of their friends at the gate of the fort, just aft^r the ceremony was concluded. " I trust that God may smile on you, and bless your union, my friends," said Mr. Wilson, coming forward with a small Bible in his hand. " Here is a copy of God's Word, Jasper, which I wish you to accept of and keep as a remembrance of me and of this day." AWAY IN THE VVILDKUNESS. Ill ** ril keep it, sir, a»'d I thank yon heartily," Baid Jasper, taking the book and returning the grasp of the missionary's hand. " And my chief object in giving it to you, Jasper, is, that you and Marie may read it often, and find joy and peace to your souls." As the missionary said this a faint sound, like the tinkling of distant bells, was heard in the frosty air. Looks of surprise and excitement showed that this was an unwonted sound. And so it was ; for only once or twice during the long winter did a visitor gladden Fort Erie with his presence. These sweet sounds were the tinkling of sluigh-bells, and they told that a stranger was approaching — that letters, perhaps, and news from far-distant homes, might be near at hand. Only twice in the year did the Europeans at that lonely outpost receive letters from home. Little wonder that they longed for them, and that they went almost wild with joy when they came. Soon the sleigh appeared in sight, coming up the river at full speed, and a loud * hurrah ! " from the men at the gate, told the visitor that he was a welcome guest. It was a dog-sleigh — a sort of conveyance much used by the fur-traders in winter-travelling. In form, it was as like as possible to a tin slipper-bath. It might also be compared to a shoe. If the reader will try to 112 AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. m ■A m conceive of a shoe large enough to hold a man, sitting with his legs out before him, that will give liim a good idea of the suape of a dog cariole. There is sometimes an ornamental curve in front. It is made of two thin hardwood planks curled up in front, with a light frame-work of wood, covered over with deer or buffalo skin, and painted in a very gay manner. Four dogs are usually har- nessed to it, and these are quite sufficient to drag a man on a journey of many days, over every sort of country, where there is no road whatever. Dogs arc r^iuch used for hauling little sledges in that country in winter. The traveller sits wrapped up so completely in furs, that nothing but his head is vi^sihle. He is attended by a driver on snow-shoes, who is armed with a large whip. No reins are used. If the snow is hard, as is usually the case on the surface of a lake or river, the driver walks behind and holds on to a tail-line, to prevent the dogs from running away. If the traveller's way lies tlirough the woods, the snow is so soft and deep that the poor dogs are neither willing nor able to run away. It is as much at they can do to walk ; so the driver goes before them, in tliis case, and beats down the snow with his snow-shoes — " beats the track," as it is called. The harness of the dogs is usually very gay, and covered with little bells which give forth a cheerful tinkling sound. AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. iia " It's young Cameron," cried Mr. Pemberton, hastening forward to welcome the new comer. Cameron was the gentleman in charge of the nearest outpost — two hundred and fifty miles down the river. " Welcome, Cameron, my boy, welcome to Fort Erie. You are the pleasantest sight we have seen here for many a day," said Pemberton, shaking the young man heartily by the hand as soon as he had jumped out of his sleigh. " Come, Pemberton, you forget Miss Marie Laroche when you talk of my being the pleasantest sight," said Cameron, laughing. " Ah ! true. Pardon me, Marie" — " Excuse me, gentlemen," interrupted Jasper, with much gravity, " I know of no such person as Miss Marie Laroche !" "How] what do you mean V said Cameron, with a puzzled look. " Jasper is right," explained Pemberton, " Mario was Miss Laroclie yesterday ; she is Mrs. Derry to-day." " Then I salute you Mrs. Derry, and congratul- ate you both," cried the young man, kissing the bride's fair eheek, " and I rejoice to find that I am still in time to dance at your wedding." " Ay," said Pemberton, as they moved up to the hall, " that reminds me to ask you why you are so late. I expected yon before Christmas Day." (J 2 114 AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. " I had intended to be here by that day," replied Cameron, " but one of my men cut his foot badly with an axe, and I could not leave him ; then my dogs broke down on the journey, and that detained me still longer. But you will forgive my being so late, I think, when I tell you that I have got a packet of letters with me." " Letters ! " shouted every one. " Ay, letters and newspapers from England." A loud cheer greeted this announcement. The packet was hauled out of the sleigh, hurried up to the fort, torn open with eager haste, and the fur- traders of Fort Erie were soon devouring the con- tents like himgry men. And they were hungry men — they were starv- ing! Those who see their kindred and friends daily, or hear from them weekly, cannot under- stand the feelings of men who hear from them only twice in the year. Great improvements have taken place in this matter of late years ; still, many of the Hudson Bay Company's outposts are so distant from the civilized world, that they cannot get news from "home" oftener than twice a year. It was a sight to study and moralize over — the countenances of these banished men. The trem- bling anxiety lest there should be " bad news." The gleam of joy, and the deep "thank God," on reading " all well." Then the smiles, the sighs, ' AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. 115 the laughs, the exclamations of surprise, perhaps the tears that would spring to their eyes as they read the brief but, to them, thrilling private his- tory of the past half year. There was no bad news in that packet, and a feeling of deep joy was poured into the hearts of the people of the fort by these " good news from a far country." Even the half-breeds and Indians, who could not share the feeling, felt the sweet influence of the general happiness that was diffused among the fur-traders on that bright New Year's Day in the wilderness. What a dinner they had that day to be sure ! What juicy roasts of buffalo beef; what enor- mous steaks of the same ; what a magnificent venison pasty ; and what glorious marrow-bones — not to mention tongues, and hearts, and grouse, and other things ! But the great feature of the feast was the plum-pudding. It was like a huge cannon-ball with the measles ! There waa wine, too, on this occasion. Not much, it is true, but more than enough, for it had been saved up all the year expressly for the Christmas and New Year's festivities. Thus they were enabled to drink to absent friends, and bring up all the old toasts and songs that used to be so familiar long ago m the " old country." But these sturdy traders needed no stimulants. There were one or two who even scorned the wine, and stuck to 116 AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. water, and to their credit be it said, that they toasted and sang with the best of them. At night there was a ball, and the ball beat the dinner out of sight. Few indeed were the women, but numerous were the men. Indian women are not famous for grace or cleanliness, poor things. But they enjoyed the ball, and they did their best to dance. Such dancing ! They seemed to have no joints. They stood up stiflf m lamp-posts, and went with an u^>-and-down motion from side to side. But the men did the thing bravely, especially the Indians. The only dances attempted were Scotch reels, and the Indians tried to copy the fur-traders ; but on finding this some- what difficult, they introduced some surprising steps of their own, which threw the others entirely into the shade ! There was unfortunately no fiddler, but thete was a fiddle — one made of pine wood by an Indian, with strings of deer-skin sinew. Some of the boldest of the party scraped time without regard to tuney and our friend Hey- wood beat the kettle-drum. The tones of the fiddle at last became so horrible, that it was banished altogether, and they danced that night to the kettle-drum ! Of course the fair bride was the queen of that ball. Her countonance was the light of it, and her modest, womanly manner had a softeninioj in- fluence on the rough men who surrounded her. A.WAY IN THE WILDEKNESS. 117 When the ball was over, a curious thing oc- curred in the hall in which it had taken place. The room was heated by a stove, and as a stove dries the air of a room too much, it was customary to keep a pan of water on the stove to moisten it a little. This moisture was increased that night by the steam of the supper and by the wild dancing, so that, when all was over, the walls and ceiling were covered with drops of water. During the night this all froze in the form of small beautifully-shaped crystals, and in the morning they found themselves in a cr}'stal palace of nature's own formation, which beat all the crystal palaces that ever were heard of — at least in originality, if not in splendour. Thus happily ended the marriage-day of honest Jasper Derry and sweet Marie Laroche, and thus pleasantly began the new year of 1 8 — . But, as surely as darkness follows light, and night follows day, so surely does son*ow tread on the heels of joy in the history of man. God has so ordained it, and he is wise who couiita upon experiencing both. ii 1 118 AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. CHAPTER XIII. THE CONCLUSION. Is l,i( !'■ ! A WEEK after the events narrated in the lust chapter, Jasper Derry was sitting beside the stove in the hall at Fort Erie, smoking his pipe, and conversing with his father-in-law about his intention of going to Lake Winnipeg with the brigade in spring, and proceeding thence to Canada in a bark canoe. " Of course," said he, *^ I will take Marie with me, and if you'll take my advice, father, you'll come too.'* " No, my son, not yet a while," said old La- roche, shaking his head ; " I have a year yet to serve the Company before my engagement is out. After that I may come, if Tm spared ; but you know that the Indians are not safe just now, and some of them, I fear, bear me a grudge, for they're a revengeful set." *' That's true, father, but supposin' that all goes well with you, will ye come an' live with Marie and me V* AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. 119 '* We shall see, lad ; we shall see," replied La- roche, with a pleased smile ; for the old guide evidently enjoyed the prospect of spending tke evening of life in the land of his fathers, and under the roof-tree of his eon and daughter. At that moment the report of a gun was heard outside the house. One of the window panes was smashed and at the same instant Laroche fell heavily forward on the floor. Jasper sprang up and endeavoured to raise him, but found that he was insensible. He laid him carefully on his back, and hastily opened the breast of his coat. A few drops of blood showed where he had been wounded. Meanwhile several of the men who had been attracted by the gunshot so close to the house burst into the room. " Stand back, stand back, give him air," cried Jasper ; " stay, God help us ! the old man is shot clean through the heart !" For one moment Jasper looked up with a be- wildered glance in the faces of the men, then, uttering a wild cry of mingled rage and agony, he sprnLg up, dashed them aside, and catching up his gun and snow-shoes rushed out of the house. He soon found a fresh track in the snow, and the length of the stride, coupled with the manner in which the snow was cast aside, and the smaller bushes were broken and trodden down, told him that the fugitive had made it. In a moment hfi 9 120 AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. was following the track with the utmost speed of which he was capable. He never once halted, or faltered, or turned aside, all that day. His iron frame seemed to be incapable of fatigue. He went with his body bent forward, his brows lowering, and his lips firmly compressed ; but he was not successful. The murderer had got a sufficiently long start of him to render what sailors call a stern chase a long one. Still Jasper never thought of giving up the pursuit, until he came suddenly on an open space, where the snow had been re- cently trodden down by a herd of bufifaloes, and by a band of Indians who were in chase of them. Here he lost the track, and although he searched long and carefully he could not find it. Late that night the baffled hunter returned to the fort. "You have failed — I see by your look," said Mr. Pemberton, as Jasper entered. "Ay, I have failed," returned the other gloomily. " He must have gone with the band of Indians among whose tracks I lost his footsteps." " Have you any idea who can have done this horrible deed ?" said Pemberton. " It was Darkeye," said Jasper in a stern voice. Some of the Indians who chanced to be in the hall were startled, and rose on hearing this. " Be not alarmed, friends," said the fur-trader. ** You are the guests of Christian men. We will AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. 121 not punish you for the deeds of another man of your tribe." " How does the white man know that this was done by Darkeye 1" asked a chief, haughtily. *< I know ity' said Jasper, angrily ; '' i feel sure of it ; but I cannot prove it — of course. Does Arrowhead agree with me ]" " He does !" replied the Indian, " and there may be proof. Does Jasper remember the trading store and the bitten bullet /" A gleam of intelligence shot across the coun tenance of the white hunter as his comrade said this. "True, Arrowhead, true." Hd tunied, as he spoke, to the body of his late father-in-law, and examined the wound. The ball, after passing through the heart, had lodged in the back, just under the skin. " See," said he to the Indians, " I will cut out this ball, but before doing so I will tell how I think it is marked." He then related the incident in the trading store, with which the reader is already acquainted, and afterwards extracted the ball, which, although much flattened and knocked out of shape, showed clearly the deep marks made by the Indian's teeth. Thus, the act which had been done slyly but boast- fully before the eyes of a comrade, probably as wicked as himself, became the means whereby Darkeye's guilt was clearly proved. 122 AWAY IN THE WILDEKNESS. At once a party of his own tribe were directed hy their chief to go out in pursuit of the mur- derer. It were vain for me to endeavour to describe the anguish of poor Marie on being deprived of a kind and loving father in so awful and sudden a manner. I will drop a veil over her grief, which was too deep and sacred to be intermeddled with. On the day following the murder, a band of Indians arrived at Fort Erie with buffalo skins for sale. To the amazement of every one Darkeye him- self was among tLem. The wily savage — knowing that his attempting to quit that part of the country as a fugitive would be certain to fix sus- picion on him as the murderer — resolved to face the fur-traders as if lie were ignorant of the deed which had been done. By the very boldness of this step he hoped to disarm suspicion ; but he forgot the bitten ball. It was therefore a look of genuine surprise that rose to Darkeye's visage, when, the moment he entered the fort, Mr. Pemberton seized him by the right arm, and led him into the hall. At first he attempted to seize the handle of his knife, but a glance at the numbers of the white men, and the indifference of his own friends, showed him that his best chance lay in cunning. The Indians who had arrived with him were AWAY IN TUK WILDERNESS. i2'd soon informed by the others of the cause of tliiti, uud all of them crowded into the hull to watch the proceedings. The body of poor Laroche was laid on a tabic, and Darkcye was led up to it. The cunning Indian put on a pretended look of surprise on beholding it, and then the usual ex- pression of stolid gravity settled on his face as he turned to Mr. Pemberton for information. ** Your hand did this," said the fur-trader. " Is Darkeye a dog that he should slay an old man 1" said the savage. ♦* No, you're not a dog," cried Jasper fiercely, " you are worse — a cowardly nmrderer !" " Stand back, Jasper," said Mr. Pemberton, laying his hand on the shoulder of the excited hunter, and thrusting him firmly away. *' This ia a serious charge. The Indian shall not be hastily condemned. He shall have fair play, and justice.'' " Good !" cried several of the Indians on hear- ing this. Meanwhile the principal chief of the tribe took up his stand close beside the prisoner. " Darkeye," said Mr. Pemberton, while he looked steadfastly into the eyes of the Indian, who re- turned the look as steadily — " Darkeye, do you remember a conversation you had many weeks ago m the trading store at Jasper's House V The countenance of the Indian was instantly troubled, and he said with some hesitation, " Dark- eye has had many conversations in that store ; is he 124 AWAY IN THE WILDLftNESS. a motlicine-mau* tliat lie should know what you mean V " I will only put one other question," said the fur-trader. " Do you know this bullet mith ilu marks of teeth in it 1" Darkeye's visage fell at once. He became deadly pale, and his limbs trembled. He waa about to speak, when the chief, who had hitherto stood in silence at his side, suddenly whirled his tomahawk in tlie air, and, bringing it down on the murderer's skull, cleft him to the chin ! A fierce yell followed this act, and several scalp- ing knives reached the dead man's heart before his body fell to the ground. The scene that followed IV as terrible. The savages were roused to a state ^f frenzy, and for a moment the white men feared an attack, but the anger of the Indians was alto- gether directed against their dead comrade, who had been disliked by his people, while his poor victim Laroche had been a universal favourite. Seizing the body of Darkeye, they carried it down to the banks of the river, hooting and yelling as they went ; hacked and cut it nearly to pieces, and then, kindling a large fire, they threw the mangled corpse into it, and burned it to ashes. It was long before f 'le shadow of this dark cloud passed away from Fort Erie ; and it was longer still before poor Marie recovered her wonted * A conjurer. AWAY IN THE WILDEKNESS. 125 cheerfulness. But the presence of ^Ir. Wilson did much to comfort her. Gradually time softened the pang and healed the wound. •H " "l' ifi In And now, little remains to be told. Winter passed away and spring came, and when the rivers and lakes were sufficiently free from ice, the brigade of boats left Furt Erie, laden with furs, for the sea-coast. On arriving at Lake Winnipeg, Jasper obtained a small canoe, and, placing his wife and Heywood in the middle of it, he and Arrowhead took the paddles, seated themselves in the bow and stern, and guided their frail bark through many liun- dreds of miles of wilderness — over many a rough portage, across many a beautiful lake, and up many a roaring torrent, until, finally, tliey arrived in Canada. Here Jasper settled. His farm prospered — his family increased. Sturdy boys, in course of time, ploughed the land and blooming daughters tended the dairy. Yet Jasper Derry did not cease to toil. He was one of those men who feel that they were made to work, and that much happiness flows from working. He often used to say that if it was God's will, he would " like to die in harness." Jasper's only weakness was the pipe. It stuck to him and he stuck to it to tlie last. Marie, in ♦-. 120 AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. course of time, came to tolerate it, and regularly filled it for him every night. Evening was the time when the inmates of Erie Cottage (as their residence was named) enjoyed themselves most ; for it was then that the stal- wart sons and the blooming daughters circled round the great fire of wood that roared, on winter nights, up the chimney ; and it was then that Jasper received his pipe from his still good- looking, though rather stout, Marie, and began to spin yams about his young days. At this time, too, it was, that the door would frequently open, and a rugged old Indian would stalk in like a mahogany ghost, and squat down in front of the fire. He was often followed by a tall thin old gentleman, who was extremely excitable, but good humoured. Jasper greeted these two remarkable looking men liy the names of Arrowhead and Heywood. And glad were the young people when they saw their wrinkled faces, for then, they knew from experience, their old father would become more lively than usual, and would go on for hours talking of all the wonders and dangers that he had seen and encountered long, long ago, when he and his two friends were away in the wilderness. I of lyed tal- lied iter hat od- to ne, en, ! a ;he od )le nd .vv m re rs te n 3. Uniform with this Volume. Mr. R. M. BALLANTYNE'S MISCELLANY OF ENTERTAINING AND INSTRUCTIVE TALES. With Illustrations. l6mo. Is. each. Also in a Handsome Cloth Case, Price 20«. 'The Athenamm says :-" There is no more practical way of com. mmicating elementery information than that whicrLs Cn (as in Fast xn the Ice) such information as a man of fair education should possess about icebergs, northern lights, Esqt^maui musK oxen, bears walruses, etc.. together with al the ordinalyTcl we r.?V'f r'^'^' "°""^ ^'^^^ ^ «^«- connected na^tTv. we must admit that a good work has been done, and thTf the author deserves the gratitude of those for whom the beokl .1 especially designed, and also of young people of all classes ■' on a l^ishing Cruise. ^' ^T^tV^' Wilderness; or, Life among the Ked Indians and Fur Traders of North America. 3. Fast in the Ice ; or, Adventures in the Polar Regions. 4. Chasing the Sun ; or, Rambles in Norway. 5. Sunk at Sea; or, The Adventures of Wander- ing Will in the Pacific. Mr. R. M. Ballantsme's MiBcella.ny.— Continued. V 6. Lost in the Forest; or, Wandering Will's Adventures in South America. 7. Over the Rocky Mountains; or, Wandering Will in the Land of the Red Skin. 8. Saved by the Lifeboat ; or, A Tale of Wreck and Rescue on the Coast. 9. The Cannibal Islands; or, Captain Cook's Adventures in the South Seas. ID. Hunting the Lions ; or. The Land of the Negro. 11. Digging^ for Gold ; or. Adventures in Cali- fornia. ^ 12. Up in the Clouds ; or. Balloon Voyages. 13. The Battle and the Breeze ; or, The Figlits and Fancies of a British Tar. 14. The Pioneers : A Tale of the Western Wilder- ness. 15. The Story of the Rock. 16. Wrecked, but not Ruined. 17. The Thorogood Family. x8. The Lively Poll : A Tale of the North Sea. London : JAMES NISBET & CO., 21 Bebners St. H^ La Bibliothlique i Uriiver^ite d» Ottawa ik:heance O ^-O 2 '^c^ The Library University of Ottav Date due