Part 2 (2/2)

Following the wandering course of the Columbia, the traders soon passed the international boundary northward into the Arrow Lakes with their towering sky-line of rareat bend of the Colulacial sedih a narrow canon, now teased into a white whirlpool by obstructing rocks, now tureen icy irt by the tent-like peaks of the eternal snows

”_A plain, unvarnished tale, hty MacDonald of Garth in his eighty-sixth year for a son; but the old trader's tale needed no varnish of rhetoric ”_Nearing the ht horses for beef Here_ (at the Great Bend) _we left canoes and began a mountain pass_ (Yellow Head Pass) _The riverby one another's hands,wading to the hips in water, dashi+ng in, frozen at one point, thawed at the next,frozen before we dashed in,ourblankets and provisions on their heads;four days' hard work before we got to Jasper House at the source of the Athabasca, so on snoenty feet deep, so that the fires wewere fifteen or twenty feet below us in the ”_

They had now crossed the ain paddled down-streae_ between Athabasca River and the Saskatchewan Traustus (Edmonton) on the Saskatchehere canoes were eurs_ launched down-streas of the river, past Lake Winnipeg southward to Fort William, the Nor' Westers' headquarters on Lake Superior

Here the capture of Astoria was reported, and bales to the value of a million dollars in uard of three hundredthe north shore of Lake Superior, the _voyageurs_ came to the Sault and found Mr Johnston's establishreatest caution not to attract the notice of warring parties on the Lakes

”_Overhauled a canoe going eastward,a Mackinaw trader and four Indians with a dozen fresh A to what a pass things had come Two days later a couple of boats were overtaken and coers proved to be the escaping crew of a British shi+p which had been captured by two American schooners, and the British officer bore bad news The American schooners were now on the lookout for the rich prize of furs being taken east in the North-West canoes Slipping under the nose of these schooners in the dark, the officer hurried to Mackinac, leaving the Nor' Westers hidden in the mouth of French River

William MacKay, a Nor' West partner, at once sallied out to the defence of the furs

Deter about the Sault, the other cruising into the countless recesses of the north shore Against the latter the Mackinaw traders directed their forces, boarding her, and, as MacDonald tells with brutal frankness, ”_pinning the creith fixed bayonets to the deck_” Lying snugly at anchor, the victors awaited the co schooner, let her cast anchor, bore down upon her, poured in a broadside, and took both schooners to Mackinac Freed froade proceeded eastward to the Ottawa River, and without further adventure came to Montreal, where all ild confusion froered the entire route of the Nor'

Westers from Montreal to the Pacific, the Hudson's Bay Co sleep While Mr Astor was pushi+ng his sche plans for the control of all Canada's fur trade Like Mr Astor, he too had been the guest at the North-West banquets in the Beaver Club, Montreal, and had heard fabulous things fronates of the north about wealth ht up enough stock of the Hudson's Bay Coive him full control, and secured fro the mouths of the Red and assiniboine rivers

Where the assiniboine joins the northern Red were situated Fort Douglas (later Fort Garry, now Winnipeg), the headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company, and Fort Gibraltar, the North-West post whence supplies were sent all the way from the Mandans on the Missouri to the Eskimo in the arctics

Not satisfied with this _coup_, Lord Selkirk engaged Colin Robertson, an old Nor' Wester, to gather a brigade of _voyageurs_ two hundred strong at Montreal and proceed up the Nor' Westers' route to Athabasca, MacKenzie River, and the Rockies This was the noisy, blustering, bragging coaily-bedizened fellows that had turned the streets of Montreal into a roistering booth when the Astorians ca eastward journey Poor, fool-happy revellers! Eighteen of the to the conflict between Fort Douglas and Gibraltar, which delayed supplies

Beginning in 1811, Lord Selkirk poured a stream of colonists to his newly-acquired territory by way of Churchill and York Factory on Hudson Bay These people were given lands, and in return expected to defend the Hudson's Bay Company fro the colonists, shi+pping the possession of their ariovernor of the Hudson's Bay Co Indians to trade furs with Nor' Westers and ordering Nor' Westers froth of these procla North-West forts were destroyed and North-West fur brigades rifled Duncan Cameron,[23] the North-West partner at Fort Gibraltar, countered by letting his _Bois-Brules_, a ragged half-breed arers under Cuthbert Grant, canter across the two miles that separated the rival forts, and pour a volley of musketry into the Hudson Bay houses To save the post for the Hudson's Bay Coave himself up and was shi+pped out of the country

But the Hudson's Bay fort was only biding its time till the valiant North-West defenders had scattered to their winter posts Then an armed party seized Duncan Cameron not far from the North-West fort, and with pistol cocked by one man, publicly horsewhipped the Nor' Wester

Afterward, when Selas and could not therefore be held responsible for consequences, the Hudson's Bay e brigade from Montreal, marched across the prairie to Fort Gibraltar, captured Mr Cameron, plundered all the Nor' Westers'

stores, and burned the fort to the ground By way of retaliation for MacDonell's expulsion, the North-West partner was shi+pped down to Hudson Bay, where he ht as well have been on Devil's Island for all the chance of escape

One coes were perpetrated in all parts of the north fur country, the blood of rival traders being spilt without a qualht of results

The effect of this conflict auess The _Bois-Brules_ were clalish-- the Hudson's Bay men--off the earth; and the Swa Governor Se kill the Nor' Westers

The crisis followed sharp on the destruction of Fort Gibraltar That post had sent all supplies to North-West forts If Fort Douglas of the Hudson's Bay Company, past which North-West canoes must paddle to turn ard to the plains, should intercept the incoade of Nor'

Westers' supplies, ould becoeurs_ and _engages_ inland? Whether the Hudson's Bay had such intentions or not, the Nor' Westers were determined to prevent the possibility

Like the red cross that called ancient clans to ar across the plains to rally the _Bois-Brules_ froe la Prairie and Souris and Qu'Appelle[24] Led by Cuthbert Grant, they skirted north of the Hudson's Bay post to las It was but natural for the settlers towar-songs, for hostiles

Rushi+ng to Fort Douglas, the settlers gave the alar a field-piece to follow, Governor Seht Hudson's Bay ht that he meant to obstruct their way till his other forces had captured their coht that Cuthbert Grant meant to attack the Selkirk settlers

It was in the evening of June 19, 1816 The two parties e of a swamp beside a cluster of trees, since called Seven Oaks Nor'

Westers say that Governor Seht the bridle of their scout and tried to throw hiovernor had no sooner got within range than the half-breed scout leaped down and fired froh

It is well kno the first blood of battle has the same effect on all men of whatever race The huery which coes when man was a creature of prey In a trice twenty-one of the Hudson's Bay men lay dead While Grant had turned to obtain carriers to bear the wounded governor off the field, poor Semple was brutally murdered by one of the Descha the crihouls It was in vain for Grant to expostulate The wild blood of a savage race had been roused The soft velvet night of the su the sad es drunk with slaughter, ofto gain courage by drinking the blood of the slain

Grant saved the settlers' lives by sending the, where dwelt the friendly Chief Peguis On the river theyback to resuood cheer Moved by the expelled governor's account of disorders, Lord Selkirk was hastening north, armed with the authority of a justice of the peace, escorted by soldiers in full regalia as becaes and stores of reed with the professions of a peaceful justice

The ti as to the earl'snorth armed like a lord of war MacDonell hastened back and ust Lord Selkirk appeared before Port William with uniformed soldiers in eleven boats

The justice of the peace set his soldiers digging trenches opposite the Nor' Westers' fort As for the Nor' Westers, they had had enough of blood They capitulated without one blow Selkirk took full possession