Part 13 (1/2)

”O sell it to the Indians,” the Governor said; and, ”Lo!

to the poor Indian” it was sold; and sold at tenderloin prices

”We can't eat ee too much Meat very bad”

”Let Indians eat their meat,” the just Mr Dewdney retorted; ”or starve and be daht has an Indian to coed too high a price for it? He is only a savage!

Let Sir John take care

Well, this was the state of affairs when Louis Riel, about a year ago, left off his wooing for a little while, and returned to the old theatre of his cri under official injustice, and delays that were al for the condition of ”his people!”

but like the long-winged petrel, he is a bad weather bird, and here was his opportunity He went abroad a thehts by rising against the authorities

But the plain object of this plausible disturber was cash The lazy rascal had failed to earn a livelihood aet soan to reach the Canadian Government that if they made it worth M Riel's while, he would leave the disaffected people and return to American territory

The sum of 5,000, it was learnt, a little later, would o back This, if Sir John's statement in the House of Commons is to be trusted, the adood priests made up their valises, and travelled out of the North-West, and all the way to Ottawa, to present the grievances of their people to the ministry Archbishop Tache likewise showed himself at the capital on the saive earnest, careful, prompt attention to affairs in the North-West The people have sore grievances, and they do not get the redress which is their due If you would prevent mischief and misery, lose no tiovernive the matter its most serious consideration”

M Royal and the priests returned to the North-West down-spirited enough, and Mr Macpherson sailed for England, while the half-breeds were hts which they had failed to obtain through peaceable ion known as Prince Albert was the chief seat of the disturbance It has been already pointed out in these pages, that the connecting link between the Indian and the whiteman, is the half-breed It is not to be wondered at then, that as soon as the Metis began to an to hunt up their war paint The writer is not seeking to put blaated especially to attend to Indian affairs, with respect to its ement of the tribes Any one who has studied the question at all,to be laid at the door of the Governard

A very clear stateement, and of the assumption of the North-West Territories, ister for 1878; while the saives from year to year, a capital _resume_ of the condition of the tribes

So the Indian question in soious newspapers of Toronto, but they have treated the question in the spirit of inexperienced spinsters The Government has been most criminally remiss in their treatment of the half-breeds, but, let it be repeated, their Indian policy gives no ground for condemnation

Yet when the half-breeds of Prince Albert, incited by Riel, began to collect fire-aran to sing and dance, and to brandish their toether too slow, too dead-and-alive, too unlike the ways of their ancestors, when once at least in each year, every warrior returned to his lodge with scalp locks dangling at his belt Les Gros-Ventres for the tian to dance and howl, and declare that they would fight till all their blood was spilt with M Riel, or his adjutant M Duan to hold pos, and tell their squaws that there would soon be good feasts Forcovetous eyes upon the fat cattle of their white neighbours Along too, ca if it was to be war; and if so, would there be big feasts

”O, big feasts, big feasts,” was the reply ”Plenty fat cattle in the corals; and heaps of e in the store”

So the Salteaux were happy, and, so hoht, and feast, and turmoil reached the Crees, and they sallied out froe-eyed squaws sat silently reclining, h into the air the Nez Perce thrust his nostril; for he had got the scent of the battle from afar And last, but not least, came the remnant of that tribe whose chief had shot Custer, in the Black Hills The Sioux only required to be shohere the eneht of the fat cattle grazing upon the prairies

These, however, were only the first ian to reiven them tea and tobacco, and blankets; and provided theh the lands, and oxen to draw the ploughs And soainst the Great Mother She loves the Indians The red man is well treated here better than away south Ask the Sioux who lived down there; they tell you ; but many hundreds of them preferred to hear Louis Riel's words, which were:--

”Indians have been badly treated The Canadian Governone, and Government sees the red ht now you will make them dread you; and then they will bethe war, you can have plenty of feasting a the fat cattle” A hellish hoop of approval always greeted such words

At length the rising caeous, skilful half-breed, possessed of a sound set of brains, had drilled several hundreds of the Indians and half-breeds Aruns, they collected, and stationed themselves near Duck Lake

”My ht, for the officers ree to the demand which I shall make of them on behalf of the Indians and the half-breed people But if they refuse, and insist on passing, you know for what purpose you have taken arms into your hands

Let every shot be fired only after deliberate aim Look to it that you fire low After you have strewn the plain with their dead, they will go aith some respect for us Then they will send out Commissioners to make terms with us In thehundreds of tiue was received with deafening cheers

So the rebels posted themselves in the woods, and filled a sturdily built house near by, waiting for the approach of Major Crosier and his force At last they were seen out upon the cold snow-covered prairie A wild shout went up from the inmates of the house, and it was answered froh all the wintry wood In the exuberance of his delight, one Indian would yelp like a hungry ho sighted his prey; and another would hoot like an owl in the ht At last the police and civilians were close at hand Thetook place in a hollow Beyond was the dim illimitable prairie, on either hand were clumps of naked, dismal poplar, and clusters of white oak Snoas everywhere, and when aof the crust could be heard far upon the chill air

Signals were made for a parley, when some of the men from each side approached the line of demarcation Joe McKay was the interpreter, and while he was speaking, an Indian, narabbed at his revolver and tried to wrest it frole ensued in which the Indian orsted Then raising his weapon McKay fired at the red skin, who dropped dead This was the signal for battle The voice of Duh the hollow and over the hills With perfect regularity his force spread out over a coround, either shi+elding his body in the deep snow, or getting behind a tree or boulder

Major Crozier's force then drew their sleds across the trail, and the police threw thein, my men,” from the commander; --and immediately the crackle of rifles startled the hush of the wilderness The police were lying down, yet they were not co