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A SUMMEE 



IN 



PEAIEIE-LAND. 



j 



A SUMMER IN PRAIRIE-LAND. 



NOTES OF A TOUR 



THROUGH THE 



NORTH-WEST TERRITORY. 



li 1 

^ BY 

REV. AT SUTHERLAND, D.D. 



i\ 4 ' 



SECOND EDITION. 



TORONTO: 

Putted for the Author, at the Methodist Book and Publishing Housk, 

78 k 80 Kino Street East. 

1882. 



Entered according to the Amdfine Parliament of Canada, in the 
year one thousand eight hundred and eighty-one, by the Rev. 
Alexander Sutherland, D.D., in the Office of the Minister 
of Agriculture, at Ottawa. 




PREFATORY. 

*A.NY eyes from many lands, are 
i looking toward the praries of the 
great North- West. That this grand 
Territory is destined to be the home 
of prosperous millions in the near 
future, is now all but universally 
conceded, and hence every item of reliable in- 
formation in regard to its capabilities and 
resources is eagerly welcomed. The causes 
of thiB wide-spread interest are various. Spec- 
ulators look to the North- West as a promising 
place for investments, where large returns may 
be secured without work, and at small outlay ; 
the Micawbers of society regard it as a place 
where "something" is likely to "turnup," 
and seldom discover their mistake till they 
themselves are turned down ; impecunious 
politicians look fondly toward it as a land 



403481 



iv Prefatory. 

where " virtue,' ' invisible at home, shall find — 
not be — " its own reward," and where services 
to the "party" shall be recompensed by a good 
fat berth at the people's expense; political 
" prophets," tired of living " without honour " 
in " their own country," prepare to seek in the 
North- West a more appreciative constituency, 
where some favoring breeze may waft them 
into that desired haven — a seat in parliament; 
while projectors and builders of railways, as 
they turn their gaze toward the setting sun, 
behold saleable charters and fat contracts 
stretching out in endless perspective, and bless 
their stars that " the [railway] lines " have at 
last "fallen unto them in pleasant places." 

In contributing my quota to the general 
stock of information in regard to the North- 
West, I design it for classes very different 
from those just mentioned. I have in view 
the interests of struggling thousands in the 
overcrowded countries of the Old World, who, 
were they once transferred to these fertile 
plains, would soon work their way to a manly 
independence, and become an invaluable ele- 
ment in the society of the future ; I am 
thinking of the many in the older provinces 



Prefatory. v 

of the, Dominion who, with stalwart sons 
growing up around them, are looking for an 
opportunity to do something for " the boys," 
to help them to a start in life ; and last, but 
not least, I am thinking of the churches of 
the land, who are just beginning to wake up 
to the fact that they have now before them 
one of those grand opportunities which may 
not occur again in the world's history — the 
opportunity of working out the problem of a 
Christian civilization on a purely virgin soil ; 
and I would fain present such information as 
may be, in some degree, helpful to each and 
all of these. 

Part of what is contained in the following 
. pages appeared during the past summer in the 
correspondence columns of the Christian 
Guardian. The letters, as published, have 
been carefully revised, the remainder of the 
series completed, and the whole presented in 
the chapters which follow. Their publication 
in this form is in response to requests from 
many persons who desire to have the informa- 
tion in a shape more permanent than the 
columns of a newspaper would allow. 



vi ' Prefatory, 

It will readily be observed that in some 
parts of the volume considerable space is 
occupied with accounts of certain Missions of 
the Methodist Church, especially among the 
Indians of the Upper Saskatchewan region. 
As the main object of my tour was to inspect 
these missions, and to prospect with reference 
to the religious needs of the country, extended 
reference to Mission work was unavoidable ; 
but it is believed that this kind of information 
will not be unacceptable to those who have 
the best interests of the country at heart. 



A. S. 



Toronto, March 25th, 1881. 






CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. page. 

On the Way. —Object of Tour— Routes— "Mean" Temperature— 
The " Railway Dog "—Prairie Sunset— Repentance and Faith 
— The Party— Across Dakota— Bismarck 1 

CHAPTER II. 

Up thb Missouri. — Waiting for the Agent — Sunday Services — 
Sharp Practice — Old Acquaintances — Off at Last— Putting a 
"Check "on Impudence — Interviewing a German — Getting 
over a Sandbar — An Indian Agency 10 

CHAPTER III. 

Among the Buffalo.— "Hope Deferred "—Shooting a Bnll— 
Catching Buffalo Calves — More than he Bargained for — Indian 
Buffalo Hunt-'-Scenery 20 

CHAPTER IV. 

Fort Benton to Fort MoLeod. — In Camp — Benton — The Start 
— Night Encampment — Indian Visitor — Northern Montana — 
Pend d'Oreille Springs — Marias River — A Long Drive — Cross- 
ing the Boundary — Milk River — A Deep Conundrum — Ferry- 
ing Belly River — Almost an Accident — Fort McLeod and its 
Future—" Good-bye " 31 



viii . Contents. 

CHAPTER V. Page. 

Fort McLsod to Mobley.— Stray Horses— -High River— McDou- 
gall's Story — Fording High River — Sheep Creek-The Country 
— "Glenn's Ranch" — Government Supply Farm — "One More 
River to Cross" — A Friend in Need — An Ancient Mule — Fort 
Calgary — A Dangerous Runaway — Trout Fishing — We See a 
Ghost — Morley 45 

CHAPTER VI. 

At Mobley. — Valley of Bow River — Morley Mission — History—' 
Agricultural Implements — Over the Foothills 61 

CHAPTER VII. 

Sabbath Seb vices. — A High Day — Indian Babies — A Skin Boat 
— Stoney Camp — Marriages and Baptisms — Address to the 
Stoneys — Back to the Mission — Evening Service — A Poor 
Sermon — More Marriages and Baptisms 70 

CHAPTER VIII. 

A Day in the Mountains. — First Glimpse of the Rockies — 
Packing a Horse — Among the Foothills — Ghost River Valley 
— A Rocky Mountain Cafion — A Difficult Trail — Kayoose 
Ponies — A Cold Bath — Mountain Camp — Homeward — A Fare- 
well Look 79 

CHAPTER IX. 

An Indian Council. — Views of the Chiefs — Jacob Big-Stoney — 
Bear's Paw — James Dixon — Chinakee — George — Words of 
Counsel 89 

CHAPTER X. 

Mobley to Edmonton. — " Ambu Wastage " — Ghost River again 
— Trout and Mosquitoes — Picking up the Fragments — McDou- 
gall's Death-chamber — McPherson's Valley — A Rough Road — 
Elk River— A Novel Post Office— Old Grasshopper— Our 
"Companions in Distress " — The North Saskatchewan 96 



Contents. ix 

CHAPTER XL page. 

Edmonton to Victoria. — Fort Edmonton — Settlement — Mills — 
Coal — Methodist Mission — Services — Change in the Pro- 
gramme — Afloat — Buck-saw Exercise — Thunderstorm — 

Watching for Boulders — Bagging a Wild Goose — Victoria . . 108 

i 

CHAPTER XII. 

Victoria to Whitefish Lake. — En route — Camping under Diffi- 
culties — Whitefish Lake — Sketch of Rev. H. B. Steinhauer — 
A Talk with the Indians — Adam's Story 117 

CHAPTER XII r. 

Boatino Down the Saskatchewan. — Another Parting — Run- 
ning "Crooked Rapid" — Weird Surroundings — Redeeming 
the Time — Snow in August — Run on an Island — Scenery — 
Fort Pitt— " Whither are we Drifting?"— A Courageous 
Mouse — Badger and Beaver — Reach Battleford. .". 188 

CHAPTER XIV. 

Battleford to Prince Albert. — A Homely Town — Population 
— Soil — Sunday Evening Service — Exploring — Again at the 
Oars — Scotch Mist — A Bright Day — Fort Carlton — Drive to 
Prince Albert — High Water — Visting —Sunday Services — 
" Street Acquaintances" 148 

PHAPTER XV. 

Prince Albert to Touchwood Hills. — Getting Ready — E. W. 
Skinner's Grave — The South Saskatchewan — Fisher's Ferry — 
" Dere are Two of Me "—Pacific Telegraph— Humboldt— A 
Sore Disappointment — Big Salt Plain — Ducks— Shooting 
Prairie Chickens — Camp at Touchwood 152 

CHAPTER XVI. 

Touchwood Hills to Birtlb. — A Missing Horse—" Misfortunes 
Never Come Singly"— A Timely Gift— Sharp Practice— Pheas- ^ 
ant Plain— Macoun's Report— Valley of the Qu'Appelle— " 
Over the Assiniboine— Birtle— In Camp— Sunday Services. . . 168 



x Contents. 

CHAPTER XVII. page 

Bibtls to Portage la Prairie. — A fine Country — Mr. Smith's 
Report — " Bichon " Plays out— Making Bread under Difficul- 
ties — Rapid City — Big Plain — McKinnon's Woods — "Better 
farther on" — Crossing a Pond — Rat Creek — Portage at Last — 
Letters from Home 175 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

Portage la Praiiue to Winnipeg, and Home. — Rapid Growth 
— Old Acquaintances — Selling Out — Pushing the Scott Act — 
Off for the Railway — Growth of Winnipeg— Church Enter- 
prise — Homeward Bound — Views of an English " Delegate" 
—At Home 18C 

CHAPTER XIX. 

Questions Answered. — Opinion of Country — Vast Extent — 
Great Fertility — Climate — Unfavorable Reports, Why \ — 
"Should I Pull Up, and Go?"— Future of North- West— Class 
of Emigrants — Character of Government — Activity of 
Churches — Conclusion 188 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 

1. Butte on the Upper Missouri Page 20 

67 
78 
100 
120 
123 
166 



2. Methodist Mission Premises at Morley . . . 

3. A Rocky Mountain Stream 

4. The Late Rev. George McDougall 

5. The Rev. H. B. Steinhauer 

6. First Religious Service at Whitefish Lake. 

7. Buffalo Skin Lodge and Red River Carts . 



A SUMMER IN PRAIRIE-LAND: 



i. 




ON THE WAY. 

ESIRING, at the outset, to establish confi- 
dential relations with the reader, I may 
state briefly the object with which the tour 
herein chronicled was undertaken. As 
Secretary of the Missionary Society of the 
Methodist Church, part of my duty is to 
become familiar by official correspondence, and per- 
sonal visitation, when practicable, with the various 
parts of the Mission field; and as it was probable 
there would be a demand, at an early day, for the 
extension of Mission-work in the North- West, I was 
instructed by the Committee to proceed to that region 
for the purpose of inspecting existing Missions, and 

reporting on the probable needs of the near future. 
1 



2 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

There are two routes by either of which the travel- 
ler may proceed to the great North-West. Starting 
from Toronto, one may go by way of the Lakes as far 
as Duluth ; at the extreme westerly point of Lake 
Superior, and from thence westward by the Northern 
Pacific; or, if time be an object, he may go by. rail, 
via Chicago and St. Paul, intersecting route No. 1 at 
Brainerd or Glyndon. From the latter point the tra- 
veller has again the choice of two routes : he may turn 
directly northward, by the St. Paul and Manitoba 
Railway, and enter the country at Emerson ; or, keep- 
ing on the line of the Northern Pacific Railway, he 
may go westward, through the territories of Dakota 
and Montana, enter Canadian territory a hundred 
miles east of the Rocky Mountains, proceed northward 
as far as he wishes to go, and then strike east and 
south-east, coming out by way of Manitoba, and so 
on, as the surveyors say, " to the place of beginning. 1 ' 
For various reasons I chose the latter route, and it is 
of this tour, and of what I saw and heard, that I now 
propose to give some little account. After some con- 
sultation I decided to join the Rev. John McDougall, 
who was about returning from Ontario, with a band of 
missionaries and teachers, to his work in the Sas- 
katchewan District, as I would thus have the advan- 
tage of travelling, for a considerable distance at least, 
with one thoroughly familiar with the routes and with 
the modes of travel which the state of the country 
rendered necessary. ^ 

The Mission party left Toronto on the 17th of June, 



On the Way. 3 

taking the rout by Collingwood and Duluth, while, to 
economize time, I remained at the office a few days 
longer, and then proceeded by rail, via Chicago and 
St. Paul. The heat was very great, and the dust at 
times excessive, and matters got worse as we sped 
westward, till at St. Paul the climax was reached in 
an atmosphere that was fairly stifling. A learned 
St. Paulician made some wise observations about the 
mean temperature of the State. The aptness of the 
phrase struck me- at once : it was the " meanest " 
temperature I had experienced in ten years. Toward 
evening of the 23rd a heavy hail and thunder storm 
that came up from the westward cleared and cooled 
the atmosphere, so that I left St. Paul in comparative 
comfort, and with a far kindlier feeling toward the 
inhabitants than when I entered it. So largely are 
our feelings shaped by circumstances. 

Twelve hours in St. Paul gave ample opportunity 
to provide some necessaries for the long journey 
which lay before me. In the evening I took the St. 
Paul and Pacific line for Brainerd, expecting to con- 
nect at that point with the train bringing the Mission 
party from Duluth. Sinking back in the comfortable 
seat, I prepared to "rest and be thankful," while 
gazing dreamily on the swiftly-changing panorama of 
village, and homestead, and open prairie. Oddly 
enough, the first thing that fairly arrested my atten- 
tion was the ubiquitous " railway dog," to be seen on 
some part of every line in the country, who conceives 
that the great end of life is to beat the railway train — • 



4 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

if he can. Yonder he comes from the nearest farm- 
house, helter skelter over "field and fallow," head 
down, tail streaming out behind ; first at right angles 
with the train, as if bound to precipitate a col- 
lision : then swerving to an angle of forty-five, as if 
to outwit the enemy by a flank movement ; then 
falling into a parallel line he settles down to his 
work with an air that says, " You may be big, but it's 
muscle that tells ! " Idle boast ! Muscle has no chance 
in competition with steam. For a few rods he 
holds on with dogged resolution, though drifting 
hopelessly to the rear ; then realizing for the hun- 
dreth time that it's a lost race, he suddenly stops, 
wheels round, and with "arms reversed," or, to 
discard metaphor, with drooping tail, plods sadly 
homeward, meditating on the vanity of doggish 
aspirations, and, untaught by experience, preparing 
to repeat the futile effort the very next day. And 
yet, why should we blame the poor fellow, while 
thousands of his human brethren daily perpetrate the 
same folly, and by stubbornly clinging to exploded 
theories and worn-out ideas, gain no wisdom by expe- 
rience, and are doomed to perpetual defeat ? And all 
the while the indolent passengers on the train calmly 
contemplate the frantic struggles of the " unlucky 
dogs," and thank God that they themselves are not as 
other men are. But a truce to dogmatics for the 
present. 

' ' How soft, how beautiful, comes on 
The stilly hour when storms are gone," 



On the Way. 5 

wrote Tom Moore; and any one who witnessed with 
ns a prairie sunset, after leaving St. Paul on the 23rd, 
must have appreciated the senti*nent. The storm of the 
afternoon had passed by, and the heavy clouds rolled 
eastward, spanned by a rainbow of wondrous beauty. 
In the west a thinner stratum lifted from the horizon, 
exposing a broad band of clear sky, not brightly blue 
as in the daytime, but with a soft transparent haze, as 
if seen through a mist of tears. Soon heavier masses 
of cloud rolled slowly upward, and ranged themselves 
against the soft-tinted background, their lower 
edges straight and symmetrical, their upper edges 
broken and ragged, and constantly changing into new 
and strange forms. Now they seemed like massive 
ramparts, crowned with frowning battlements and 
towers ; now like the domes and spires of a great city, 
with the grand proportions of a vast cathedral tower- 
ing high above the whole. Then, as the sun sank 
toward the horizon, from behind the sombre clouds 
there suddenly issued a mellow flood of golden splen- 
dor, and in a moment rampart and battlement, tower 
and spire, softened into masses of foliage, crowning isles 
of Eden-like beauty, anchored in a golden sea ; while, 
as if to complete the illusion, fragments of fleecy 
vapor went floating by, like stately ships sailing amid 
those happy islands up to some quiet haven that as 
yet I could not see. Perhaps the reader will remem- 
ber how, when travelling by rail or steamer, and gaz- 
ing upon a swiftly-changing landscape, the half- 
remembered words of some poet's rhymes went echo- 



6 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

ing through the chambers of memory, keeping time to 
the beat of the paddles, or the clank of the wheels. 
Even so, as I gazed, words read long years ago, touched 
by some subtle law of association, came back again : — 

" There was a ship one eve autumnal onward 

Steered o'er an ocean lake, 
Steered by some strong hand ever as if sunward ; 

Behind, an angry wake ; 
Before, there stretched a sea that grew intenser, 

With silver fire far spread 
Up to a hill, mist-gloried like a censer, 

With smoke encoinpaes^cL 
It seemed as if two seas met brink to brink, — 
A silver flood beyond a lake of ink. 

There was a soul that eve autumnal sailing 
Beyond the earth's dark bars, — 

Toward the land of sunsets never paling, 
Toward heaven's sea of stars. 

Behind, there was a wake of billows tossing ; 
Before, a glory lay. 

happy soul, with all sail set, just crossing 

Into the far away ! 
The gleam and gloom, the calmness and the strife, 
Were death before thee, and behind thee life. 

And as that ship went up the waters stately, 
Upon her topmast tall 

1 saw two sails, whereof the one was greatly 

Dark as a funeral pall ; 
But oh ! the next's pure whiteness who shall utter 1 

Like a shell-snowy strand, 
Or where a sunbeam falleth through the shutter 

On a dead baby's hand: 



On the Way. 7 

Tet both alike, across the surging sea, 
Helped to the haven where the bark would be. 

And as that soul went onward sweetly speeding 

Unto its home and light, 
Repentance made it sorrowful exceeding, 

Faith made it wondrous bright ; 
Repentance dark with shadowy recollections, 

And longings unsumced ; 
Faith white and pure with sunniest affections, 

Full from the face of Christ. 
Tet both across the sun-besilvered tide 
Helped to the haven where the heart would ride." 

But as I sat and dreamed there was another change 
without ; for daylight sobered into twilight, and twi- 
light gloomed into darkness, and the splendors of that 
sunset were gone. Gone where ? Who can tell ? 
Perhaps into some eternal storehouse, to be reproduced 
again when the Transient becomes the Permanent, 
and " this mortal " has " put on immortality." There 
is an exquisite little bit of philosophy in the follow- 
ing lines — I cannot recall the author's name — which 
may be truer than we know : — 

" This world I deem 

But a beautiful dream 
Of shadows that are not what they seem ; 

Whence visions rise, 

Giving dim surmise 
Of things that shall greet our waking eyes." 

At midnight of the 23rd our car was switched on to 
the main line of the Northern Pacific, and attached to 
the train from Duluth. On the following morning I 



8 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

passed into another car and joined the rest of the 
party, which consists of the Rev. John McDougall, 
who with his family goes to resume his work at 
Morley ; his mother, wife of our brave Missionary who 
perished on the plains ; Mrs. Sibbald, wife of the 
teacher at Morley, who goes to rejoin her husband ; 
Rev. John McLean and wife, Missionary to Fort 
McLeod and the Blackfeet ; Mr. Youmans and wife, 
teacher for Whitefish Lake; Mr. Nelson and wife, 
teacher for Woodville ; and Mr. Glass and wife, teacher 
for Saddle Lake, a new station where work is to 
be begun by organizing a school. Besides these, there 
are some relatives of Mrs. McDougall, who propose 
seeking a home in the far west ; Miss A., of Cobourg, 
who seeks a year's rest and recuperation ; and my old 
friend, R. Warren, Esq., of Niagara, who hopes — I 
think on good grounds — to profit much in his physical 
man by taking the round trip. Altogether, we form 
quite a company for mutual protection and help. 

During nearly the whole of the 24th our route lay 
through the Territory of Dakota, which may be 
described as one vast prairie. For hours together we 
sped onward without seeing tree, bush, or shrub to 
break the monotony ; nothing to bound the view but 
the distant horizon. We passed very few streams, 
and these not large ; but small lakes were tolerably 
numerous, and where the land had been broken up 
and cultivated, it seemed to be fertile. We passed 
through several of the monster wheat farms, that have 
been so often described. One of these, the Cass- 



On the Way, 9 

Cheney farm, comprises some 50,000 acres, of which 
over 8,000 have already been brought under cultiva- 
tion, and more is being rapidly prepared. Another, 
the Steele farm, presented unbroken wheat fields on 
either side of the track, extending for several miles, 
and the crop looked remarkably healthy. But time 
is required to tell whether the other parts of the Ter- 
ritory will be equally productive, and whether there 
is moisture enough to insure a regular crop. And 
time will tell another thing, namely, the disastrous 
effect upon a country's development and prosperity of 
these huge monopolies. 

At Bismarck our railway journey ended, and here 
we found there would be no boat up the Missouri 
River for several days. We have very comfortable 
quarters, however, at the Sheridan House, which is 
owned, I believe, by the Bailway Company, and here 
I suppose we must remain till the boat is ready to 
go — a disappointment to the whole party, who are 
anxious to push on. 



UP THE MISSOURI. 

" To the West, to the West, to the land of the free, 

Where the muddy Missouri rolls down to the sea." 

| HE poet wrote " mighty ; " but " muddy " has 
! more truth in it, if less poetry. Of all the 
I muddy streams I ever saw, this is the mud- 
. diest — worse than the Don or the Humber 
at Toronto. And we are likely to see a good 
deal of it, for there is a trip of 1,200 miles 
ahead of us before we reach Fort Benton, the head 
of river navigation. 

As before mentioned, we had an annoying delay at 
Bismarck. Mr. McDougall and party had taken 
through tickets to Fort Benton, being assured of close 
connections at the various points. From Duluth a 
despatch was seat to Bismarck, inquiring when a 
steamer would leave for Benton, and the agent of the 
Oollingwood boats at Duluth reported, as answer, that 
a boat would leave Bismarck on the 25th of June. 



Up the Missouri. n 

Accordingly the party pushed on, and reached Bis- 
marck on the evening of the 24th. Here we found 
two boats of the line, but the Agent was at Cincinnati, 
attending the Democratic Convention, and neither of 
the boats could be freighted till his return ; nor did 
any one know which of the two boats would go to 
Benton, consequently we could not go on board. 
There was nothing for it but to go to a hotel and wait. 
Had the success of the Democratic candidate depended 
on the Mission party, his chances would have been 
poor. We heartily wished him and his Convention 

" Anywhere, anywhere, out of the world." 

On Sunday morning we made our way to the little 
hall where the Methodist Society worships, and Bro. 
McLean discoursed earnestly from " We will go with 
you, for we have heard that God is with you," after 
which most of the party turned in and assisted in the 
Sunday-school. In the evening I proclaimed Christ 
" mighty to save," and we closed the day with an old- 
fashioned class-meeting, many feeling and saying, " It 
is good to be here." On the following Tuesday even- 
ing I preached by invitation in the Presbyterian 
church to a small but attentive audience. There is 
need for all possible Christian effort in these frontier 
towns. Bismarck is a place of, I should suppose, some 
2,000 people, and I am told there are — or were — in it 
sixty whisky and gambling saloons. The Methodist 
pastor is doing a good work in the Temperance reform, 
some four or five hundred having joined the Red 



12 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

Ribbon movement through his efforts. His noble wife 
co-operates heartily in every good work. 

The steamboat agent returned from Cincinnati on 
Monday evening, decided which boat should go to 
Benton, and made arrangements for us to go on board 
the next morning. He kindly offered to send an 
omnibus to take the party to the steamboat landing, 
some two miles off, but, like the " heathen Chinee," 
these western steamboat agents are "peculiar," for 
after sending those who wished to ride to the boat, 
he refused to foot the bill, and wanted to throw it 
back on the party. We emphatically declined, claim- 
ing that we had through tickets. He attempted 
to repudiate the through ticket arrangement, even 
going so far as to say that he had a telegram from 
Mr. Cumberland, of Toronto, stating that he had not 
promised the party close connections. Finally, I 
believe, the claim of the 'bus driver was settled by 
the captain or purser of the boat. It will be well for 
others who may contemplate taking this route to the 
North- West to be very definite in their arrangements 
with regard to through tickets. 

It is remarkable how one will, when travelling, 
stumble upon old acquaintances, or acquaintances of 
acquaintances, in the most unlikely places. I found 
that the agent of the Northern Pacific Railway at Bis- 
marck was a Scotchman named Davidson, who formerly 
lived at Berlin, and was at one time Deputy Sheriff 
of the County of Waterloo. He was acquainted (not 
officially, I beg it to be understood) with many of my 



Up the Missouri. 13 

old friends in and about Guelph; and he gave our 
party a good deal of assistance in getting luggage, &c, 
to the boat. A Mr. McNider, also from Canada, intro- 
duced himself, and on Tuesday kindly took Bro. McD. 
and myself for a drive in and about Bismarck. His 
partner is a Mr. McLean, from Souris, P. E. I., and his 
book-keeper, a Mr. Snodgrass, is from the country 
back of Port Hope. Our drive took us down to the 
river bottoms, and around a four-hundred acre field of 
wheat belonging to Mr. McNider. It is a sight worth 
seeing. Almost the entire field is as level as a floor, 
and the wheat appears to be in first-class condition. 
Last year Mr. McNider raised 22,000 bushels of oats, 
which sold readily at fifty cents a bushel. As we 
drove along, my kind acquaintance pointed out a 
number of houses occupied by Highlanders from the 
country back of Cornwall, and others occupied by 
Nova Scotians. I am surprised at the number of 
Canadians out here. 

At 2 a.m. on Dominion Day we got away from 
Bismarck, to our great relief. Up the Missouri the 
scenery is pleasant, though not very varied. The 
water is rather above the usual height, and the stream 
would average fully a mile in width during the 
distance travelled the first two days ; and this, be it 
remembered, is more than 1,500 miles from its mouth. 
The banks, for long distances, preserve the same 
general character — alluvial bottoms, covered with 
a growth of ash and cotton- wood, and beyond these 
naked bluffs, rising at intervals from 50 to 200 feet 



14 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

in height, their faces deeply channeled by rains and 
laid bare by enormous land slides. The water 
steadily undermines the soft friable banks, and vast 
masses of earth are continually toppling in, mingling 
with the current, giving the water the consistency, 
and more than the colour, of pea soup ; and as this 
is the only water for drinking, a good set of teeth, 
for straining purposes, would seem to be indispen- 
sable. Still, when filtered, or the mud allowed to 
settle, the water is by no means unpalatable. 

Being loyally inclined, we thought it a pity to let 
Dominion Day pass without recognition, so in the 
evening, a celebration was extemporised, consisting 
of singing, readings and recitations, concluding with a 
stanza of " God Save the Queen." 

Our experience of sharp practice was not yet ended. 
We had not proceeded very far up the river when a 
sable porter put in an appearance, and proceeded to 
put checks on a number of trunks that had been piled 
on the forward deck. He then approached one of our 
party and suavely observed, — 

" Fifty cents for each trunk, sah." 

" For what ? " was asked. 

" For porterage, sah." 

" For porterage ! Are you going to put them in the 
baggage room ? " 

" No, sah ; jes' leave 'em whar dey is, sah." 

" Now, will you just explain the precise advantage 
of putting checks on these trunks ? " 

" Well, de trunks might get lost, sah." 



Up the Missouri. 15 

" Not very likely ; our trunks are not inclined to 
somnambulism ; they don't walk in their sleep ; and as 
they are on the upper deck, it isn't likely the stokers 
will mistake them for firewood." 

" But we alius puts on checks on dis boat, sah." 

" Do you really ? Now the only check that's 
wanted is a check on your impudence, and that had 
better be put on without unnecessary delay ! " 

This bit of advice being accompanied by a signifi- 
cant gesture towards the side of the boat, was very 
impressive, and the " man and brother " retired. This 
was the end of the check business. 

With the exception of this little attempt at extor- 
tion, we find things pleasant enough. The captain, 
purser, pilots, &c., are courteous, the crew quiet, and 
there is an almost entire absence of that " roughness " 
which I had always associated with the belongings of 
a Missouri " flat." So far (I write this when the trip 
is nearly half over), I have heard few profane words 
from either officers or men. 

On the steamer there is a large quantity of freight, 
and about twenty passengers besides our own party. 
Among them is a German from Michigan, going out to 
Helena, Montana. He chats pleasantly of experiences 
past and present. Said he, 

" When I comes to New York I haf a wife and two 
schildren, and only five tollar in my pocket. I tell you 
I haf to work hard ; but I likes de country. In Schar- 
many you darsn't say nodings vat you dinks ; but in 



1 6 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

dis country you can tell any man, even a Vleecemom 
if you dinks he does wrong." 

" How did you happen to go to Michigan ?" I asked. 

" Veil, I goes first to Chicago, und it vas only a pig 
mudhole, and everybody haf de ague ; so I goes over 
near St. Jo in Michigan, and I likes de country, and 
I gets fifty acres of land. Dere vas plenty of work, 
but dere vas no money. You haf to take him in pro- 
vision or shtore. One man tell me if I work for him a 
while he gif me money enough to buy a cow ; but at 
dot time cows vas scheep." 

" I suppose," I said, " everything was cheap in those 
days ? " 

" Yaas ; I buy a pair of boots for one tollar ; pork 
vas one tollar and fifty cents a hundred; and flour 
vas tree tollars a bar'L Yaas, everything vas scheep." 

" And what do you think of doing in Montana ?" 

" Veil, I haf a broder dere dat I hafn't seen for 
twenty year. I goes out and sees de country, and if 
I likes him, my vife and poys comes out too." 

" So you don't think of going back to Germany ?" 

" No ! only may be for a visit. Dere's too many 
peoples dare, and " — coming back to the main griev- 
ance — " you darsn't say Tiodings vat you dinks." 

During the day we passed Fort Berthold, near 
which is an Indian village — a miserable affair. The 
people belong chiefly to the Mandan tribe, and I 
should judge are still in their pagan state. Some had on 
the traditional blanket, a good deal the worse of wear, 
and very short at one end ; some had garments of as 



Up the Missouri. - 17 

many colors as Joseph's coat; while one young fellow, 
who was helping to gather driftwood from the river, 
had on little or nothing besides his birthday dress. 

Sunday dawned bright and beautiful. In the fore- 
noon Bro. McDougall preached an earnest discourse 
from the words of Gideon's battle-cry ; in the evening 
I took charge of the service, which was attended by 
all the passengers and a number of the crew. Alto- 
gether we spent a pleasant and not unprofitable day. 
In the afternoon we passed the mouth of the famous 
Yellowstone River, as crooked and dirty as the Mis- 
souri. 

We do not see so much game in this wild country 
as we expected; but occasionally a deer bounding 
through the grass, a beaver sitting on the bank 
or diving into the water, or a flock of wild geese 
floating with the current, creates a ripple of excite- 
ment among those to whom such sights are novelties. 

During low water the Missouri is difficult of naviga- 
tion, owing to its crooked channel and numerous sand 
bars; and even at high water there are places where 
the pilot has to proceed with caution, and take fre- 
quent soundings. Here we are approaching a broad 
part of the river, and it is impossible to tell just where 
the channel may be, as it of tens changes its location 
between one trip and the next. A tap on a bell 
near the pilot-house is heard, and a man promptly 
takes his stand near the bow with a pole some twelve 
feet long in his hand. He plunges the pole into the 
water and reports — N-o-0-0 Botto-o-o-m !" Again the 
2 



1 8 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

pole goes down — "Sev-u-u-u-n feet!" A few yards 
farther, then another plunge — "Fo-o-o-ur feet ! " Once 
more — "Thre-e-e-e feet!" and the boat grounds on 
the bar. This is probably a common occurrence, for 
nobody seems to mind it. Steam is crowded on, the 
boat twists and creaks, and soon works its way over 
the bar and into deep water again. But sometimes 
a spot is reached where there may be only two feet 
of water for a short distance, and the boat grounds 
firmly. What is to be done ? Back down ? That is 
not in the creed of the Western Yankee. His motto 
is emphatically "Go ahead!" On the forward part 
of the deck, on either side, there is a strong derrick ; 
attached to this is a massive spar, which is swung 
over the side and one end dropped to the bottom ; 
strong ropes are thrown round the capstan and 
attached to a "nigger" engine; steam is turned on; 
round goes the capstan ; the ropes run smoothly 
through the tackling of the spars, and in a wonder- 
fully short space of time the bow (which is loaded to 
draw rather more water than aft) is literally lifted 
over the bar, and away we go again. I had heard of 
such a thing as a man lifting himself up by the straps 
of his boots ; but this was the nearest approach to 
the experiment that ever came under my observa- 
tion. 

On the 5th of July we passed an Indian " Agency," 
where a large number of Sioux were encamped. 
Many came down to the landing to see the big " Fire- 
canoe." Some were painted and feathered in true 



Up the Missouri. 19 

pagan fashion, but nearly all were poorly clothed. 
We were told that a part of those in the camp had 
belonged to Sitting Bull's band, and this is quite 
probable, as we are now* less than a hundred miles 
from the frontier. Many of the men were away up 
the river hunting buffalo, and a report had just 
come in" that they had charged a camp of their 
hereditary enemies, the Crows — whose hunting-grounds 
are on the other side of the river — and killed twelve 
men. Amid the motley group on the bank were a 
number of boys and girls, many of whom, in all 
probability, had never seen a steamboat before. When 
the whistle sounded, some took to their heels and ran 
for their lives, while others, less fearful, stood looking 
on with true savage wonder, pointing to the myste- 
rious whistle from which the ominous sound — worse 
than any war-whoop — proceeded. Several of the men 
came on board the boat, and one of them, resplendent 
in paint and feathers, walked into the cabin just as a 
lady of our party was coming out. Instinctively she 
started back, and her eyes opened rather more widely 
than usual, whereupon the "noble brave" grinned 
with intense delight at the impression which his 
charms had made upon a lady of the Pale Faces. 



III. 




AMONG THE BUFFALO. 

FTER leaving Bismarck we were told that 
in a day or two we would reach the buffalo 
country, and might expect to see consider- 
able herds ; but as day after day went by 
K* and no signs of buffalo appeared, we be- 
• came skeptical. Entering the cabin one day 

I found several of the party quietly reading. Walk- 
ing quickly up to one of them I asked — 
"Have you seen the buffalo?" 

He started as if he had received a shock from a 
galvanic battery : 
"No!" 

"Neither have I. Don't believe there's a single 
buffalo in all this miserable country." 

At this stage of the conversation I found it prudent 
to retire. 

On the sixth day after leaving Bismarck, however, 
the sight of several drowned animals, floating down 
the stream, convinced us that there were buffalo some- 



22 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

where ahead. During the day we counted twenty of 
these carcases, some floating with the current, some 
stranded on sand-bars ; and as we had only Missouri 
water to drink we were happy accordingly, but the 
day passed, and once more we had to turn in without 
having our eyes gladdened by the sight of a live 
buffalo. We had reached what are called the "Bad 
Lands " of the Upper Missouri, probably once a lofty 
and level plateau, but now deeply scored and chan- 
neled by the rains and frosts of centuries, forming 
ranges of steep and lofty hills, very rough and broken, 
with deep intervening gullies, which to all appearance 
would scarcely supply pasture for a flock of goats; but 
it is said the short, scant grass *on these hills is very 
nutritious, and is preferred by the buffalo to the 
ranker growth on the bottoms. At all events we had 
ocular demonstration that these animals keep fat 
on it. 

It is hardly necessary to say that the morning 
of the 7th dawned. Most mornings do "dawn," but 
few people are up in time to see it. My friend Warren 
was up before the day had fairly dawned, and just as 
I was indulging in the luxury of a " fresh roll," he put 

his head in the stateroom doorway and asked — 
" Do you want to see them?" 

It needed no word to explain what was meant by 

"them." I got into my clothes with unusual celerity 

and scrambled up to the pilot-house, and from there 

got my first glimpse of a herd of buffalo on their 

native heath. They were half a mile away, but 



Among the Buffalo. 23 

through a glass the individuals of the herd could he 
distinctly seen, grazing as quietly as a herd of do- 
mestic cattle. Word went through the boat, state- 
rooms were quickly vacated, and everybody was on 
the qui vive. Each bend of the river brought us in 
view of new herds, on both sides, not in dense masses 
as when migrating, but in scattered bands of from ten 
to one hundred, sometimes close to the river's bank — 
from which they went off at a lumbering gallop as the 
steamer approached. Speculation now began to be 
rife among the crew as to whether the " Old Man " 
(i.e. the Captain) would allow any shooting to be 
done, the practice having been forbidden in conse- 
quence of several narrow escapes through the careless 
use of fire-arms in the past. The appearance of the 
steward, soon after, with a rifle on his arm, indicated 
that the desired permission had been granted. Quickly 
several other rifles made their appearance, and all was 
excitement, though, from the careless handling of some 
of the weapons, it seemed as though the marksmen 
would be in greater danger than the game. Attention 
was now directed to a spot a hundred and fifty yards in 
advance, where eight or ten dusky forms could be seen, 
in Indian file, struggling across the current, and we 
knew it was a band of buffalo swimming the river — a 
sight of almost hourly occurrence during the rest of 
the day. The swimmers reached the shore just before 
we came up with them, but the bank was too steep to 
climb, and they had to make their way a little farther 
up stream. Obedient to the pilot's hand on the wheel, 



24 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

the boat swung in toward shore, and in a few mo- 
ments we were abreast of some six or eight splendid 
animals, at a distance of not more than ten yards, and 
getting gradually nearer. Crack went a couple of 
rifles, and a noble bull came down on his knees, but 
quickly rose again, and made his way slowly up the 
steep bank. The boat was now close to shore, and her 
speed slackened ; a plank was thrust out, and there 
was a speedy rush and scramble up the bank, a boat 
hand leading the way and Warren close behind 
resolved to secure the prize or perish in the attempt. 
At the same time three other fine bulls rushed past 
the boat and plunged into the river, but as the mo- 
tion of the boat was not entirely checked, the bow 
bumped against the shaggy sides of the struggling 
animals, who were too much confused to get quickly 
out of the way. A shot from the lower deck wounded 
one in the head ; and although from the strength of 
the current it was evident we could not secure him, 
yet rather than leave him to a lingering death a 
couple of shots from a Winchester rifle were sent after 
him, which quickly ended the matter, and after 
swimming a short distance he gave up the struggle 
and floated lifeless down the stream. Meanwhile the 
party who had gone after the wounded bull returned 
in triumph, dragging the huge beast along by the 
united strength of twenty pairs of arms. He was 
soon on board, and at dinner that day roast buffalo 
was added to our usual bill of fare. 
It was now breakfast time, and even buffalo must 



Among the Buffalo. 25 

not be allowed to interfere with that. It was tacitly 
agreed that no more shooting should be done, unless 
to secure a young animal for the table, as it was felt 
to be wanton cruelty to kill for the mere sake of 
killing. Breakfast over, all were soon on deck again, 
watching with unflagging interest the vast numbers 
of animals to be seen on every side. As we steamed 
along, a brown object was, seen against the dark 
bank of the river. It proved to be a buffalo calf 
that had crossed over, and was resting awhile before 
seeking a convenient place to get up the bank. Again 
the boat swung in to shore, and several men sprang 
off in hope of making a capture. The calf remained 
perfectly still till they laid hold of it, when it sud- 
denly sprang down the bank and into the river, and 
started to swim vigorously past the boat. A cast was 
made with a lasso, but missed. Friend Warren was 
again promplty on hand with a boat pole, which he 
pressed against the creature's neck and changed its 
course. A second cast of the rope was more success- 
ful, and in a few moments his calfship was hauled 
safely on board, and consigned to the care of some of 
the hands in the " regions below." In the course of an 
hour or so a second capture was made under similar 
circumstances. In this case it proved to be a female, 
and decidedly vixenish withal, strongly resenting her 
capture, and kicking like an army mule at any one 
who came near her. 

One might suppose that shooting two buffaloes and 
capturing two calves was enough for one day; but 



26 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

before we go much farther a third calf is sighted, 
and as avarice grows by what it feeds on, it is re- 
solved to attempt the capture of this one also. 
The bank is steep And lofty, and the calf is en- 
sconced on a kind of shelf about twenty feet above 
the water. As soon as the boat gets near enough, 
half a dozen men spring ashore and scramble up the 
bank,-oo e*, y *£ L the soft friable d. y '*« 
way under their feet like sand or ashes. But what 
are difficulties with such a prize in view ? Up they 
go! Near the spot where the calf is resting, a huge 
boulder of clay stands out from the bank, with a nar- 
row passage behind it. The foremost man, perceiving 
this, makes a flank movement, with the evident de- 
sign of " surrounding " the enemy from the rear. Pass- 
ing the boulder with a spring, he makes a clutch at 
the creature's neck. The calf, who is not so stupid as 
it looks, springs to its feet and avoids arrest. The 
man, with a desperate effort, seizes it by the leg ; the 
calf (which I should judge is some four months old) 
responds with a roar and a bound, and in an instant 
down the bank they go, head over heels, making ft 
difficult to determine whether the strange-looking 
object is a duplicate man, — a sort of Siamese twin, 
— or whethea both sections are alike calf. Reaching 
the bottom of the bank, the " What-Is-It " resolves 
itself into its constituent elements, the calf going 
splash into the river, the man saving himself by 
sticking knee deep in the tenacious mud. Of course 
everybody went into convulsions of laughter. To 



Among the Buffalo. 2 7 

the spectators the scene was intensely funny; but it 
did not seem to afford nearly so mueh amusement 
to the poor fellow who had so suddenly proved that 

" The best laid schemes o' mice and men 
Gang aft agley." 

Meanwhile the liberated calf went sailing composedly 
down the river, to seek a safer landing place at a more 
convenient season. 

Our day's experience had been, thus far, intensely 
interesting ; but richer fortune was yet in store. As 
we were approaching a grove of cottonwood on a level 
bottom, four Indians were seen riding quickly down a 
neighbouring slope. They disappeared behind the 
timber, but soon re-appeared on the river bank. All 
seemed to have good horses, but only one carried a 
rifle. After gazing a few minutes at the boat, they 
rode back out of the timber, and took a course parallel 
with the river, which soon brought them to a point 
on the bank beyond the cottonwood belt, and close to 
the steamboat channel. They called several times to 
those on board, but no one understood their tongue. 
After a few moments' consultation, they seemed to de- 
cide on a new line of action. The two who seemed to 
be the best mounted, transferred their few articles of 
camping gear to the other two, and then rode ahead. 
At a distance of half a mile a herd of about fifty 
buffalo were quietly feeding, and toward these the 
two Indians made their way. One was mounted on a 
handsome white horse, the other on a bay, and both 



28 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

animals evidently understood the business on which 
they were going. They proceeded at an easy canter 
through the sage brush till they reached clear ground 
about three hundred yards from the herd. Here they 
diverged, one approaching the animals in flank, the 
other from the rear. At this juncture the approach 
of the Indians was discovered, and instantly the herd 
was in motion. Crowding quickly into a compact mass, 
they set off at an astonishing pace. This was the 
signal for the hunters. A loose rein is all the im- 
patient horses need, and like an arrow from the 
bow, or eagle darting on its prey, they swoop down on 
the retreating herd. Gaining at every stride, they are 
soon upon the flanks of the struggling mass. A puff 
of smoke is seen, followed by the sharp crack of a 
rifle, but no victim falls. A few rods farther on, the 
bay horse stumbles on uneven ground, and away go 
horse and rider rolling on the plain. But the hunter 
is up and remounted almost in an instant, and there 
is no pause in the chase. Clouds of dust rise from the 
trampling hoofs, amid which the white horse, like the 
famous plume in the helmet of Navarre, can be seen 
glancing in the thickest of the fray. Now the herd 
plunges down into a deep coulee, and struggling up 
the farther bank continue their flight. Here the chase 
ends. The hunters dismount and seat themselves on 
the river bank, awaiting the approach of the steamer. 
In the meantime the other two Indians ride up, and 
as we approach one of them lifts up a small kettle, and 
puts his hand to his mouth, which we at once inter- 



Among the Buffalo. 29 

pret as a mute request for some tea; while another 
poor fellow stands motionless with his hands clasped 
in a pathetic fashion over his stomach, as if indicating 
sense of " goneness " in that region. This led some of 
us to the conclusion that the hunt was merely an ex- 
hibition got up for our benefit, with the hope that we 
would reward their dexterity with presents of food. 
But even as we were speculating on this point the boat 
swept on, leaving the nobh hunters to the cheap if 
not always comforting reflection that "virtue is its 
own reward." 

But I must not weary my readers. Suffice it to say, 
that the lowest estimate of the number of buffalo 
seen in a distance of some sixty miles, was ten thou- 
sand ; and as our view was confined to narrow limits 
by the bluffs on either side of the river, ten times 
that number may have been within a short distance 
of us. 

We are now (Saturday. July 10th) reported to be 
some fifty miles from Fort Benton, the end of our river 
journey, and expect to reach it in the evening. The 
scenery, during the past two days, has been more im- 
pressive . The bluffs are more lofty, and come closer 
to the river, rising, in many places, perpendicularly 
from the water's edge to a height of two or three 
hundred feet. The sand and clay which farther down 
the river were soft and friable, have been in many 
places hardened into stone; but the softer portions 
having been washed away, the cliffs have assumed all 
kinds of shapes — sometimes majestic, sometimes gro- 



30 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

tesque, and always impressive. Here is an ancient 
castle with towers and battlements ; there, a fortress 
with frowning ramparts ; yonder, a massive cathedral 
with double tower and graceful pinnacles. Once these 
were shapeless masses of rock and clay, but nature has 
been busy with chisel and graving tool, hewing them 
into pillars, sharpening them into spires, rounding 
them into domes ; while here and there she has hewn 
out a group of colossal human figures, who sit in 
majestic silence on their lofty pedestal, while the 
symbol of advancing civilization stems the current of 
the river below. 





FORT BENTON TO FORT McLEOD 

jj E reached Fort Benton, on the Upper Mis- 
* souri, on Saturday afternoon, June 10th, 
in the midst of a pouring rain. We 
were anxious to camp the same evening, 
if possible, so as to avoid hotel bills ; and 
we were gratified to find that Mr. David 
McDougall was still in camp some two miles out of 
town, having sent on his train of goods, and remained 
to meet his brother and party. He kindly brought 
down two teams, and the most necessary articles be- 
longing to the party were taken out. By hard work, 
tents were pitched and matters got into shape by 
10 p.m., and although it rained at intervals during the 
night, the tents did good service, and we slept in com- 
parative comfort. Some supplies were hurriedly ob- 
tained on Saturday evening, and next mornings break- 
fast of fresh beef, bread and butter and tea, was eaten 
with a relish. Worship followed, and the remainder 
of the forenoon was spent in rest. At 3 p.m. we as- 



32 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

sembled again for worship, when Bro. McLean dis- 
coursed profitably from the story of Naaman the 
Syrian. So passed our first Sabbath under canvas — 
a day of rest and spiritual refreshment. 

We are encamped on the north bank of the Mis- 
souri, on a level plateau, some 200 feet above the river. 
Beneath the lofty banks are beautiful level bottoms, 
where herds of horses and cattle are grazing. On the 
south side of the river are the Highwood Hills, which 
in any other region would pass for lofty mountains. 
The nearest point, we are informed, is twenty-four 
miles distant, but in this transparent atmosphere it is 
difficult to realize that these hills can be more than 
three or four miles away. On the northern slope of 
one of the highest peaks patches of snow are distinctly 
visible. 

Benton has about 700 permanent inhabitants ; but 
there is a considerable floating population of ranch- 
men, freighters, traders, gamblers, &c. Being at pre- 
sent the head of navigation on the Missouri, it is the 
centre of a vast trade, and is the great distributing 
point for goods through the western part of the terri- 
tory, and into our own North-west There are houses 
here that handle as much goods, and probably a good 
deal more money, than the largest wholesale house in 
Toronto. There is an abundant supply of saloons, 
restaurants, gambling-houses, and places of still worse 
repute. Passing along the principal street, I saw im- 
mediately inside the open door of a saloon, a table on 
which lay packs of cards and piles of silver, while 



Fort Benton to Fort McLeod. 33 

around it sat eight or ten men, busily pursuing their 
nefarious business. I did not visit the town on Sun- 
day ; but I am told that little difference is made be- 
tween that and any other day. Boats load and un- 
load, shops and gambling-houses are open, and every- 
thing goes on as on week days, only " a little more so." 
The principal business firm here is that of I. G. Baker 
& Co., who in addition to their ordinary trade, have 
at present a large and lucrative contract for furnishing 
supplies to our Mounted Police in the North-west. 
The head of the firm, having made his "pile," does 
not now reside here, and the business is managed by 
several brothers named Conrad, who have each, I be- 
lieve, a good paying interest in the concern. In con- 
versation, the elder brother — who has visited Ottawa 
and other cities in connection with police contracts — 
said he had been struck with the large proportion 
of elderly men conducting business in Canada. It 
seemed to him that the bank managers and heads of 
business houses were almost invariably men of 
whitened hair and venerable aspect. " At first," he 
said, "they seemed to consider me too young to do 
business. I think, however, that you Canadians retain 
your health and vigor longer than we Americans. 
By the way," he cheerfully continued, "you look 
remarkably hearty— for an old man ! " 

From Monday to Wednesday was spent in getting 
ready for our onward jtmrney, and this left us no spare 
moments. Waggons had to be unpacked and put to- 
gether, horses purchased, supplies provided, not only 
3 



34 ^ Summer in Prairie-Land. 

for the journey, but, in the case of those who were 
going to live in the country, to last for six months or 
more. By 4 p.m. on Wednesday the work was com- 
pleted. Tents were struck, waggons packed, passen- 
gers on board, drivers in their places, and then, in re- 
membrance of the mercy that had guided us thus far 
we sang — 



" Praise God from whom all blessings flow ; 



•i 



and turning our faces northward, began the most 
serious part of our journey toward the Great Lone 
Land. David McDougall led the way with a four 
horse waggon, loaded with goods. Eleven other teams 
followed, while a number of spare horses were in 
charge of George McDougall, jun., to be ready in case 
of emergency. With so many animals, some unaccus- 
tomed to their work, and nearly all unaccustomed to 
their drivers, it is not surprising that a few little 
contretemps occurred. Occasionally a horse would balk, 
while in other cases a pair who pulled hard enough 
had a strange objection to pulling at the same time or 
in the same direction. Patience and perseverance, 
however, overcame these little difficulties, and eventu- 
ally all settled steadily down to their work. 

Some four or five miles from camp we forded the 
Teton River, and about eight miles farther descended 
a steep hill, and on the banks of the same stream 
formed our first night encampment. The waggons 
were arranged so as to form a circular enclosure, or 
" corrall," into which the horses could be driven when 



Fori Benton to Fort McLeod. 35 

wanted. A number of these were " hobbled ; " a stout 
rope some thirty feet long, was attached to the neck 
of each, and allowed to trail on the ground, and then 
they were turned loose to graze on the prairie till the 
following morning. Grass is the only food of the na- 
tive horses during these long and fatiguing journeys, 
and it seems to meet all their needs. 

On Thursday we broke camp at 3 a.m., and after 
breakfast made a detour to avoid a bad slough, which 
increased the distance to be travelled by some five or 
six miles. Our road still led parallel with the Teton 
River, and on a bend of that stream we rested for din- 
ner. While attending to the horses, &c, a young In- 
dian suddenly made his appearance on horseback 
among us. He might have dropped-f rom the moon, so 
silently and unobserved did he appear. A plentiful 
dinner was given him, which he ate silently, but with 
evident relish. When he had finished, he disappeared 
as silently and suddenly as he came. He did not 
" fold his tent like the Arabs," for he had none ; but 
he "as silently stole away," perhaps to cherish a 
kindly remembrance of the white strangers who 
shared their meal with him on the banks of the 
Teton. 

The soil through this part of Montana seems ex- 
ceedingly poor ; still the pasturage must be good, as 
vast herds of buffalo once roamed these plains. There 
is an entire absence of timber, and the appearance of 
the country would indicate that the rainfall is but 
scant. The soil is hard and dry, aud impregnated 



36 A Summer tn Prairie-Land. 

with alkali, and this affects the water in the rivers, as 
we soon found to our cost, For several days the heat 
has been most intense. The sun glares down upon 
us from a cloudless sky. Far as eye can reach there 
is no shade of bush or tree, and it seems at times as 
if we would absolutely faint away. The heat in- 
creases our thirst, which the alkali water does not 
allay. The fine dust penetrates everywhere ; the lips 
parch and crack, and mouth and throat become as dry 
and sapless as a superannuated sermon. Heat and 
water together destroy appetite and impair digestion, 
and it becomes difficult to eat what is necessary to 
keep up a moderate degree of strength. During two 
days my rations consisted of three Boston crackers, 
and for several days more but a small amount was 
eaten. 

On Thursday evening we came to a cabin, beside 
which we found a well, with an old-fashioned wind- 
lass and bucket. The water was cool and refreshing, 
though still tainted with alkali. A mile or two far- 
ther on we camped for the night. 

On Friday morning an early start was made, and in 
the afternoon we rested at Pend d'Oreille Springs ; 
but the water was poor and the heat intense, and it 
was decided to journey on through the cool of the 
evening. We started about 5 p.m., and continued on 
through the night. Hour after hour passed, but no 
halt. At length we began to descend by a way so 
long and steep that it seemed to be leading to bottom- 
less regions ; and eventually, when the morning star 



Fort Benton to Fort McLeod. 37 

was above the horizon, the party, thoroughly wearied, 
reached the banks of the Marias River. 

Next morning preparations were made for crossing. 
On this river there is a scow and rope ferry, by means 
of which a passage was effected with considerable 
ease. In the cabin of the man who manages the 
ferry there is a store, containing supplies of various 
kinds ; and here we found an unlooked-for luxury — a 
pail of iced water. Dined on the north side of the 
river, and drove on, amid unabated heat, to 18-mile 
Coulee. It was thought we might spend the Sabbath 
at this point ; but on reaching it we found insufficient 
water even for the horses ; and therefore it was im- 
peratively necessary to drive on, though the way to 
the next stopping point was long. About midnight 
we crossed an alkali plain, where one or two of the 
more heavily loaded waggons stuck fast, and caused 
considerable delay before they were extricated. Again 
the monotonous journey was resumed ; fatigue in- 
creased to utter weariness; drivers nodded and fell 
asleep on their waggons, in one case nearly causing a 
serious runaway ; but at last, as dawn was brightening 
into day, we camped at Rocky Springs for our Sabbath 
rest. Horses were turned loose, tents were pitched, 
and the tired travellers got to sleep as quickly as pos- 
sible. Afterwards, when surveying the ground, we 
were not sorry we had come so far. Three separate 
springs issued from openings in the hillside, and join- 
ing their waters a rod or two below, went leaping 
down the slope, clear, bright, and sparkling ; while in 



38 A Summer in Prairie- Land. 

the adjacent valleys good pasturage was found for the 
horses. In the afterpart of the day a season of united 
worship refreshed the spiritual man, and a night's 
sleep prepared for the toils of the morrow. 

On Monday morning a good start was made, and at 
noon we halted for dinner on the banks of a small 
stream called Red River, which does not appear on the 
maps. We were informed that we were now very 
near the boundary line between the United States 
and Canada, and early in the afternoon we saw on a 
hill top one of the conical heaps of stones raised by 
the Boundary Commission to mark the line. From 
this point onward there was a marked improvement in 
the soil, pasturage, and water. The change could not 
be attributed to imagination, as it was noticed by all 
the party. About 4 p.m. we crossed Milk River, a 
beautiful stream, with rich pasturage on either bank, and 
rested for tea ; after which we drove several miles far- 
ther, and camped for the night near a small grassy 
lake. At several points we had evidence that there 
were mosquitoes and other insect plagues in the land, 
but here the affliction became serious. "Bull-dog" 
flies had greatly annoyed the horses during the day, 
and, as the shadows of evening fell, their place was sup- 
plied by clouds df mosquitoes, so that it was next to 
impossible for our tormented animals to eat a mouth- 
ful. To obtain rest for ourselves, a " smudge " fire was 
kindled in the tent, and the curtain closed. When it 
was supposed the intruders were sufficiently "sick- 
ened/' the curtains were opened, and smoke and mos- 



Fort Benton to Fort McLeod. 39 

quitoes allowed to escape together. Again the curtains 
were closed, and with a lighted candle we proceeded 
to " singe " any straggler left behind. But it seems 
we did not close our tent with sufficient care, for in 
the morning we found hundreds of the plagues stick- 
ing to the canvas walla I have speculated much on 
the possible use of mosquitoes in the economy of nature, 
but give up the conundrum as too deep for me. I can- 
not tell what mosquitoes were made for, nor have I 
found any one who can. Of one thing I am satisfied : 
Darwin's theory of the " survival of the fittest" is, as 
applied to mosquitoes, a transparent fraud ! 

On Tuesday our first halt was at Kipp's Coulee, and 
our second at 15-mile Butte. After tea we made a de- 
tour eastward, to avoid crossing several streams in 
succession, and about 11 p.m. reached Belly River, be- 
low its confluence with the S£ Mary's and Old Man's 
Rivers, and camped for the night. We found the 
river high, and that it would be impossible to ford it ; 
but a man named Sherin, who has opened a coal mine 
a short distance down the river, had a couple of flat- 
bottomed boats, and arrangements were made with him 
to ferry the party and their goods to the other side. 
This was no small task. All the waggons had to be 
unloaded, and their contents transferred piece-meal to 
the boats. Trunks and boxes were piled in the bot- 
tom, to serve as ballast, and then a waggon with two 
wheels taken off, was nicely balanced on the top. 
With this ticklish load, in some cases weighing twelve 
or fifteen hundred pounds, the boat was rowed across 



40 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

a swift and powerful current to the other Bide. Near- 
ly the whole day was consumed in crossing and re- 
loading the waggons ; but time was precious, and we 
drove some ten miles before we camped for the night 
on the north bank of the stream. Near the point 
where we crossed, a scam of soft coal, some five feet 
thick, and of fair quality, crops out on the bank of 
the river. Considerable quantities are now sent to 
Benton and McLeod, and find ready sale. From this 
point northward there is scarcely a stream where coal 
may not be found cropping out on the banks. 

On Thursday we took dinner on the banks of Old 
Man's River, and on resuming our journey the Mc- 
Dougalls, Mr. Warren, and myself turned westward to 
accompany the Rev. John McLean and wife to Fort 
McLeod, while the rest of the party kept on north- 
ward. A pair of fresh horses were put to my waggon, 
that we might make better time — an arrangement that 
nearly caused a serious accident. As we neared Mc- 
Leod, we found many Indians encamped, as this was 
the time for receiving the treaty payments. On one 
side of the road was a thick copse of brushwood, and 
on the other the perpendicular bank of Old Man's 
River, with a deep and powerful current beneath. 
Several children running out from an Indian lodge 
close by, frightened the horses, and with a mighty 
bound they sprang toward the river. A second bound 
would have taken them over, but David McDougall's 
strong arm, by the blessing of God, 'checked their 
course, when they instantly wheeled the other way, 



Fort Benton to Fort McLeod. 41 

sprang down a bank three feet high, and darted at 
full speed into the brush. For a few moments things 
were pretty lively ; but providentially no trees were 
in the way, and the brushwood, though tall, bent be- 
fore us without breaking anything, and presently our 
frightened steeds came to a standstill with nobody 
hurt. 

McLeod is situated at the confluence of Willow 
Creek and Old Man's River, the latter a powerful 
stream with a rapid current. There is an unlimited 
amount of excellent water and good pasturage ; but in 
other respects the site did not strike me as being well 
chosen for a military post. It lies low by the river's 
bank, and commands no view whatever of the sur- 
rounding country. In this respect it is in marked, 
contrast with most of the American posts that we saw 
which were generally placed so as to command an ex- 
tensive outlook. As we were now on the north side 
of Old Man's River, and McLeod is on the south, we 
had to be ferried over in a boat, a task that occupied 
less than three minutes, and for which we paid the 
modest sum of fifty cents apiece each way. One won- 
ders why, with a large police force doing little or 
nothing, a bridge has not been built, or a rope ferry 
constructed ; but echo only answers, Why ? * 

Bro. and Sister McLean, and the rest of us, were 
kindly welcomed and hospitably entertained by Mr. J. 
Smith and his estimable wife. They are from Lower 

* I have since been informed that a rope ferry was constructed, 
but washed away by a freshet, and has not been replaced. 



42 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

Canada, and Mr. S. is at presant employed in the store 
of I. O. Baker & Co. Their kind welcome made the 
missionary and his wife feel at home at once. We 
visited the parsonage, a hewed log building, but snug 
and comfortable for a new place. Near by it is a 
building erected for a school-house, in which worship 
is conducted. These buildings, I may remark, were 
secured entirely by local efforts, without any grant from 
the Society, and reflect great credit on the zeal and en- 
terprise of those who had charge of the work. In 
1874 McLeod was established as a post of the Mount- 
ed Police. It was afterwards visited at intervals, and 
service held, by the Rev. John McDougall. Early in 
1878 a school was established, and was conducted with 
great efficiency by Miss Barrett, who had formerly 
been our teacher at Whitefish Lake. The teacher's 
salary was met from local sources, and formed no 
charge upon the Society. In the summer of 1878, 
Bro. Manning went to McLeod, which thenceforth ap- 
peared upon our list of regular missions. 

What the future of McLeod may be it is impossible 
to predict. When the country is opened for settlement, 
I have no doubt a considerable population will find 
their way to the fertile bottoms and rich grazing lands 
of Old Man's River, in which case McLeod may be- 
come an important circuit ; but I am convineed it can- 
not be the permanent headquarters of an Indian 
Mission. Indian Missions, to be successful, must be on 
Indian Reserves, and as far as possible from contact 
with a white population. There are two points here 



Fort McLeod to Fort Benton 43 



which we must occupy at no distant date — the Blood 
Reservation, some 15 milesup the river from McLeod ;* 
and the Blackfoot Reservation, on Bow River, some 
sixty miles below Calgary. In the course of time 
other reservations will be set apart for the Piegans and 
Sarcees, but the two above mentioned are already lo- 
cated. In the meantime, McLeod is a good point from 
which to do preliminary work, as many Indians are 
almost constantly to be found around the post ; but as 
soon as they begin to settle on their Reserves, the mis- 
sionary must locate himself among them. The Black- 
foot Nation comprises the Blackf eet proper, the Bloods, 
Piegans, and Sarcees, all speaking dialects of th£ same 
tongue, and readily understanding one another. 

In the evening we prepared to bid good-bye to 
Fort McLeod. Bro. and Sister McLean accompanied 
us to the landing place, and watched us as we crossed 
the stream. Those who travel together over these 
uninhabited plains, sharing mutual toils and dangers, 
form strong friendships, and there was a feeling of 
deep sadness in my heart at this first break in our 
party. I coiild not but think of the isolation, the 
discouragements, the trials in store for those we were 
leaving to grapple single-handed with the darkness and 
ignorance and immorality of surrounding heathenism ; 
and as I saw Bro. McLean cheerfully and manfully 
bracing himself for his arduous work, and when my 
eye rested upon the slight, girlish figure by his side, 



* This is now occupied by Bro. McLean. 



44 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

so lately severed from friends and home, and 1 saw 
the quivering of her lip, although the brave heart was 
choking back the tears, I confess my own eyes grew 
dim, and I said within myself, Thank God, the stuff of 
which Missionary heroes are made is still to be found 
in the Church ; the heroic age of Methodism is not 
entirely a thing of the past. 

A few strokes of the oars carried us to the north 
bank of Old Man's River, where, waving a last adieu 
to the friends on the other side, we resumed our 
journey, and after a drive of some twelve miles, 
almost feeling our way through the darkness, we 
rejoined the rest of the party in their camp on Willow 
Creek. 






V. 
FORT McLEOD TO MORLEY. 

N Friday our first stage took us to the " leav- 
ings " of Willow Creek, and our second to 
Pine Coulee. After Itea J. McDougall and 
I took saddle-horses and rode down the 
coulee and over the hills, while the rest of 
the party went on by the regular trail. This 
gave me a better idea of the country off from the 
immediate line of travel than I could otherwise obtain, 
though at this particular time the extent of divergence 
from the road was but small As we reached the crest 
of a hill we came upon three splendid horses, evidently 
of Canadian or American breed, which had strayed from 
some police camp or Government post We drove 
them on before us to where the rest of the party had 
camped on Mosquito Creek, intending to take them on 
next day to Calgary ; but the ungrateful brutes left 
us during the night, and by morning were off, no one 
knew where. Mosquito Creek was hardly true to it3 
name, as we had less trouble there from the insect 
plagues than at some other points in our journey. 



46 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

On Saturday our first stage took us to High River, 
where we halted for dinner. While the meal was 
preparing, two Sarcee Indians rode up and dismounted 
When they found that McDougall was in the camp 
they expressed lively satisfaction. On inquiry, I 
found that McD. had met one of them before under 
peculiar circumstances, which he related substantially 
as follows : 

" A year or so after going to Morley, a small band 
of cattle, belonging to a man named Spencer, stam- 
peded in a storm, taking our cows with them. Next 
day several parties went out in search of them, but 
could find no trace. Finally I started with two Cree 
boys to try and find the lost animals. We had ridden 
hard a good part of the day, and had ascended a small 
hill for a better outlook, when suddenly we saw two 
Indians on an opposite hill. They saw us at the same 
moment, and began riding rapidly back and forth, 
which we knew was a signal to their friends. Then 
they galloped some distance toward us, but halted 
on the opposite side of a narrow valley. I made 
signs to them to come on, and after some hesitation 
they did so, singing a war song to stimulate their 
courage. As they came nearer a swell on the prairie 
hid them from view, but I could hear the clatter of 
their horses' hoofs in rapid gallop. A few moments 
more and they dashed up the hill where we stood, 
painted and feathered, and each with a revolver at full 
cock in his hand. I knew but a few words of Black- 
foot at the time, and so had to help it out with signs. 



Fort McLeodto Morley. 47 

When they got close, however, one of the young men 
recognized me : ' Ah-he-yah ! John ! ' he cried ; ' Ne 
che-kuh-wow ' — ' Ah, John ! my friend ' — and immedi- 
ately they jumped from their horses and shook hands 
cordially. By this timd the whole camp were gallop- 
ing towards us, fully armed. My new friend was very 
anxious that no harm should befall us, so he rode out 
and called to the approaching warriors : ' Ke che-kuh- 
waw na-wuk ; 0-0 me John/ — ' These are our friends ; 
that is John/ At once the warriors leaped from their 
horses, and most of them shook hands heartily. A 
few, however, refused to do so, and sat down with 
their guns at full cock. I told them what we were 
doing, and asked if they had seen our cattle. They 
said No ; they had not tracked any. We continued 
to talk for some time. I had a breech-loading rifle, 
which my Indian friend was anxious to get, offering 
me his horse in exchange. I slipped out the cartridge, 
and handed him the gun to look at, whereupon an old 
Indian gave me a quick, warning look, as if to caution 
me against letting the weapon out of my hands. I 
told the young Indian I was too far from home to let 
him have my gun, but if he would come to the Mission 
I would let him have it. At the same time I had 
a large-sized Smith & Wesson revolver on a belt 
beneath my coat. I then said I must be going, as my 
camp was far. They asked if there was any one in my 
camp who would trade for robes. I said my brother 
was there, and if they would send over some of their 
young men they could probably get what they wanted. 



48 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

I then mounted with my two Cree boys, and started, 
being anxious to get out of their way. We rode off 
at a moderate pace, not knowing what moment a 
shower of bullets might be sent after us ; but as soon 
as a swell of the prairie hid us from their view, we 
went off at the gallop. After riding a number of miles, 
we stopped to make some tea. We had just finished 
our hasty meal, when three of the young Indians rode 
up with robes and horses for trade. On we went 
again at a pace that led one of the Indians to say: 
'My brother, you must have very strong medicine; 
I wish I had some like it.' By-and-by we reached the 
camp, where my brother traded with them. I saw my 
Sarcee friend again near the Blackfoot Crossing in 
1874, and at the making of the treaty in 1877, and 
this is why he recognized me so quickly to-day." 

After dinner the McDougalls mounted and rode 
down the stream to look for a crossing. They soon 
returned, reporting a practicable ford, but hastened 
our movements by the remark, " You must be quick J 
the river is rising." Of course, after that, not a 
moment was lost, and we were soon in motion toward 
the ford. High River is a large stream, with a strong 
current, while the " riley " -state of the water prevents 
us from forming any idea of its probable depth. We 
drive down a steep bank, through some brushwood, 
and find ourselves at the water's edge. There is no 
time to hesitate. In we go, McDougall on horseback 
showing the way. The water proved to be not more 
than three feet deep, but the strong current dashed it 



Fort McLeod to Morley. • 49 

against waggons and horses with a force that seemed 
sufficient to sweep them all away. However, no 
accident happened, and soon all were safely over. But 
now we found we had crossed only one branch of the 
river, and that another and a deeper one was yet to be 
got over. David McDougall's carts had crossed the 
first branch just before us, and we passed them in 
the brush as we drove towards the second crossing. 
Reaching the bank, we found the stream narrower 
than the former, but the bank was exceedingly steepi 
and the deepest water was immediately beneath it. It 
seemed as though the waggon must inevitably pitch 
over on the horses' backs ; but we must venture. 
Down the bank we go, and plunge into the river. The 
angry current retorts by a dash that sends the water 
over the waggon box ; but almost before one has time 
to regain his breath, our sturdy little ponies have 
struggled through, and are safe on the other side. 
The other waggons followed, and all eventually got 
across. I may mention that one team was driven 
throughout the journey by Mrs. Sibbald, wife of our 
teacher at Morley, and another by her son, a lad about 
fourteen. Their pluck and self-reliance were worthy 
of all admiration. As sodfc as our party were safely 
over, the carts began crossing, and accomplished the 
task safely ; but while some other carts were following, 
a few minutes later, one of them upset, sending eight 
sacks of flour into the river. These were subsequently 
recovered, not much damaged. 

We rested on the bank of the river for tea, and 



50 A Summer in Prairie- 

at 7 p.m. were again on the way. J. McDougall led 
and I followed, outstripping the rest of the teams. 
Before dark we reached Sheep Creek, which we found 
to be a rushing river. Without waiting to take sound- 
ings, we plunged in, and by a very circuitous ford got 
safely to the other side, and driving on a little farther 
camped on a beautiful bottom for our Sabbath rest 
The remainder of the party soon joined us, glad of 
a chance to rest awhile. The only drawback to our 
comfort was the cloud of mosquitoes that came down 
upon us like the locusts of Egypt. We "smudged" 
them to the best of our ability, but they nearly drove 
the horses wild. 

At this point a few words about the country 
through which we have passed may not be out of 
place. I have previously said that we noticed an 
improvement in the soil and vegetation after cross- 
ing the boundary line, and this became more marked 
as we proceeded. Milk River, but a few miles north 
of the boundary, offers excellent facilities for stock 
raising, and, I should judge, for agriculture also. The 
grass is rich, vetches are abundant, and the soil thrown 
up by the badgers seems of excellent quality. 
Through all this region there is an entire absence of 
timber; but coal crops out on most of the rivers, 
which settles the question of fuel, and timber in 
considerable quantities can be found among the foot- 
hills and in the mountains. . Whether the ridges and 
uplands will be found suitable for farming purposes 
can be settled only by experiment, but we had ocular 



Fori McLeod to M or ley. 5 1 

demonstration that they furnish pasturage of the best 
quality, while on the line of the rivers, at least, there 
is abundance of excellent water. We were told we 
should find the land getting still better, and the water 
better and more abundant, as we got further north — 
a statement which we fully verified. Sheep Creek, 
where we were now camped, struck me as a choice 
location. The water is good and plentiful, the soil 
on the bottoms a rich black loam of great depth, 
and there is a limited supply of timber — spruce and 
poplar — along the stream, enough for building and 
fencing, lam convinced that, in this locality both 
farming and stock-raising might be profitably pursued. 

On Monday morniag we left Sheep Creek. For 
some time our way was "onward and upward " over 
the richest soil and vegetation we had yet seen. Grass 
and vetches were fresh and rank, the soil rich and 
black, and where thrown up by the moles and badgers 
was as fine and mellow as the soil of a thoroughly 
worked garden. It must not be understood that the 
soil throughout the whole country is of this character. 
Many of the hills and uplands are gravelly or stony 
but even there the pasturage is excellent, and there is 
on the whole very much less waste land than in almost 
any part of the older provinces that I have yet visited. 

Proceeding on our way, a little before noon we 
suddenly came in sight of evidences of civilization. 
Some distance before us we saw a very neat house 
of hewed logs, with outbuildings and well fenced 
fields. Near the house ran the waters of Fish Creek, 



52 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

with a growth of poplar on either bank. We were 
told that this was " Glenn's Ranch/' and as we reached 
it the proprietor himself came out and gave us friendly 
greeting. Mr. Glenn is an Irishman, who came from 
British Columbia and settled on Fish Creek in 1875, 
and is the person of that name to whom Principal 
Grant refers in his book, " From Ocean to Ocean." 
He has about eighteen acres under cultivation, with 
every prospect of an abundant harvest. He told me 
that last year from one acre and three quarters of 
barley he threshed 6,000 pounds, or over 71 bushels 
(American standard) to the acre. From four and a 
half acres of oats he took 9,000 pounds, or over 57 
bushels to the acre, and half of this was from the 
" sod," i.e., the first year of ploughing, when only 
about one-third of an average crop is expected. On 
Mr. Glenn's table we found the Weekly Globe, showing 
that he has by no means lost his interest in the outside 
world. He seemed to have but one objection to the 
country. Said he, " We have no protection from the 
police. The Indians may steal our cattle, as they often 
do, but we can get no redress. In that respect we 
would be better off if there were no police in the 
country at all." 

After dinner, to which a generous bunch of onions 
from Mr. Glenn's garden gave additional zest, we 
were favored by a call from Mr. Wright — brother of 
Dr. George Wright, of Toronto — the gentlemanly 
superintendent of the Government Supply Farm, 
situated about two miles further down Fish Creek. I 



Fort McLeod to Morley. 53 

may explain that while instructors are sent to teach 
the Indians how to cultivate the soil, there are " Supply 
Farms," apart from the Reserves, used for the purpose 
of raising food and seed grain for the Indians. This 
strikes me as a wise arrangement. The buffalo having 
disappeared from the country, the Indians will probably 
have to be fed at intervals for years to come, and 
supplies can be raised more cheaply in the country 
than they can be imported. A few of us accompanied 
Mr. Wright on a visit to the farm. It lies at the 
confluence of Fish Creek and Bow River, and com- 
prises some 5,000 acres of splendid bottoms and 
rolling prairie. Nearly 200 acres are now under 
cultivation, embracing seven acres of potatoes, eight 
of turnips, 100 of wheat, the rest oats and barley. 
Mr. Wright expects to have 500 acres broken up and 
under cultivation next year ; but he labors under the 
disadvantage of unsuitable and insufficient farm 
machinery. If the Government intends to make 
these farms a success, it will pay well to supply the 
superintendents with the best appliances for carrying 
on their work. Mr. Wright's house is of hewed logs, 
well built, containing but moderate comforts and no 
luxuries. Bidding the courteous superintendent good- 
bye, we drove rapidly toward Calgary, in the teeth of 
a very cold wind, and at dusk rejoined our party on 
the banks of Bow River. 

•Next morning we awoke to the fact that there was 
" one more river to cross," for immediately -at our feet 
rolled the waters of the Bow, a stream some 250 or 300 



54 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

yards wide, and with a volume and current strong 
enough, apparently, to run all the machinery in On- 
tario. Of course there was no bridge, and fording was 
out of the question. Only a few days later, a police- 
man, attempting to ford higher up, was drowned, 
together with five horses. But D. McDougall had 
secured a boat at Fort Calgary, and had it in readiness 
to ferry over goods, waggons, and passengers. Again 
we had to pass through an experience similar to that 
at Belly River. Goods had to be unpacked and trans- 
ferred to the boat ; waggon wheels taken off, so as to 
get the vehicles on board ; but by dint of hard labor, 
goods, waggons, and passengers were safely over by 
about 3 p.m. Not feeling equal to a full share of the 
labor which others had to perform, I mounted a 
horse and rode to Calgary, a Hudson Bay post a mile 
up the river, to see if I could obtain some assistance. 
Seeing a man in front of a house, I asked him if he 
knew where I could get a man to help in ferrying 
some goods and waggons across the river. "Well," 
he said, " there are no men here just now ; they are 
all away at the treaty payments ; but I don't mind if 
I go down and give you a lift myself. ,, On inquiry, I 
found the name of this " friend in need " was Joe 
Butler, that he hailed from Kingston, Ont., had been 
connected in some way with the Mounted Police, and 
was now managing a ranch for an officer of the force. 
He worked with a will until all our party were safely 
over, but refused to receive any compensation. " No," 
said he; "we calculate to help one another in this 



Fort McLeod to Morley. 55 

country, and perhaps I may want some help myself 
some day." The Lord bless kind-hearted Joe Butler ! 
After getting goods, vehicles, and passengers safely 
over, the horses were still to be got across. They 
were driven into the stream, and though some appeared 
loth to try the current, they all eventually struck out. 
Most of them landed on the point of an island about 
three-fourths of the way over, where they rested 
awhile, and then of their own accord entered the 
narrower channel and quickly swam accross. A few of 
the weaker ones were carried further down the stream, 
and it seemed as though one or two would be lost ; 
but strong hands were on the shore, and by means of a 
strong rope the struggling animals were helped up the 
steep bank to a place of safety. While watching the 
horses as they swam over, my attention was especially 
drawn to one of the mules. Now a horse, when 
swimming, gets more or less excited. He puts his 
muscle into the work, and keeps up a vigorous snort- 
ing during the whole passage. But a mule — or at 
least this particular mule — did none of these things. 
She entered the stream deliberately, neither slackening 
nor quickening her usual gait. The deepening of the 
current did not change her aspect of profound melan- 
choly. When she could no longer touch bottom, she 
floated away with the stoical indifference of an 
orthodox Mussulman. Not a snort, not a plunge, 
not' a struggle; but with an expression of hopeless 
indifference, as of one who has so long borne 

" The stings and arrows of outrageous fortune " 



56 A Rummer in Prairie-Land. 

that he has no longer anything to hope or fear; the 
solemn beast went calmly floating down. It seemed 
as if an earthquake, or the discharge of a whole park 
of artilery, would not have caused the slightest stait, 
or a single wag of those majestic ears. Of all sights 
combining the indescribably solemn with the inde- 
scribably ludicrous, I have seen nothing to equal the 
spectacle of that ancient mule floating down the 
current of Bow River. It may satisfy the reader to 
know that she got safely over, and completed the rest 
of the journey without accident. 

About a mile above where we crossed, and on the 
south side of the river, is Fort Calgary, a post of the 
Hudson Bay Company. A little above this, Elbow 
River forms a junction with the Bow ; and in the angle 
between the two is situated a post of the Mounted 
Police, sometimes called Calgary, but more frequently 
the " Elbow." At this point there is a small church, 
erected by John McDougall, who, with the assistance 
of the teacher at Morley, got out the timber near the 
mountains and rafted it down Bow River, a distance 
of over sixty miles. The building was erected with- 
out cost to the Society. 

After crossing Bow River we rested a little, and 
refreshed ourselves with a cup of tea, after which we 
resumed our journey. A few miles out the party 
separated, Messrs. Qlass and Youmans taking the 
direct road north to Edmonton, while the rest of the 
party turned west toward Morley. That night we 
camped at Rolling Hills, some ten miles from Calgary. 



Fort McLeod to M or ley. 57 

During the forenoon of the following day, we came 
near having a serious accident. J. McDougall was 
leading the way with a waggon containing his mother, 
wife, and two children ; next came his daughter Flora 
and Miss Adams in a buckboard, and my own con- 
veyance followed. Bro. McD. had halted to arrange 
some luggage that was not securely tied, and I had 
driven a few steps off the road, when we heard a great 
commotion behind us. Looking round, we saw a pair 
of harnessed horses dashing toward us at full speed, 
and all the spare horses stampeding in the same 
direction. At first they tfere taking a course parallel 
to the road, a short distance from it ; but when within 
a few paces of the standing waggons they suddenly 
wheeled into the road and dashed straight at the 
buckboard. On reaching it they partially divided, one 
of the animals striking the vehicle a tremendous blow 
on one of the wheels, bending the axle, and throwing 
the whole forward, on the other horses. These, 
terrified in their turn, wheeled and darted off, jerking 
the lines out of Miss McDougall's hands, and throwing 
her to the ground, one of the wheels going over her 
body, but without doing her any serious injury, while 
Miss Adams still retained her seat. Meanwhile the 
horses who first ran away, still more terrified by the 
collision, bounded forward and the next moment struck 
the waggon containing Mr. McDougall's family, over- 
turning it in an instant. The horses attached to this 
vehicle being now, in turn, thoroughly terrified, gave 
a tremendous bound, snapped one whippletree in two, 



58 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

and broke the irons of the other, and joined the 
general stampede. All this passed in, perhaps, twenty 
seconds. A glance showed Bro. McDougall that his 
family, by almost a miracle, had escaped unhurt, and 
instantly he sprang round a clump of bushes to try to 
intercept the horses who were running away with the 
buckboard ; but finding this impossible, he called to 
Miss Adams to throw herself out. She had still 
presence of mind enough to understand and obey his 
instructions, and alighting on the soft, thick grass, 
escaped entirely unhurt. All this, as I have said 
passed in a few seconds, and when it was over we 
could only stand for a time in speechless thankfulness 
to God that no lives had been lost. Mr. McDougalTs 
buckboard was badly injured, and had to be left 
by the wayside, and his other waggon was slightly 
damaged, and that was all. In the meantime the 
runaway animals were overtaken and brought back 
by the horsemen, after a run of several miles. On 
inquiry we learned that the cause of the accident was 
the breaking of a chain, by which the leaders of 
D. McDougall's four-horse team had got away. 

Passing over some very rich uplands and rolling 
prairie, we descended a succession of hills, and about 
noon reached the banks of Big Hill Creek, where we 
rested for dinner. This creek we found contained 
abundance of fine trout, a number of which were 
caught in a few minutes and prepared for use. 
Shortly after, the first rain-storm we had encountered 
since leaving Benton broke sudddnly upon us, and for 



Fort McLeod to Morley- 59 

a time torrents of rain, mingled with hail, descended ; 
but in the course of an hour the sky cleared, and we 
were again in motion. About 6 p.m. we reached the 
high bank of Ghost River, a few yards above its 
junction with the Bow. We had heard a good deal 
about this stream, and Mrs. McDougall had tersely 
described it by saying: "Ghost River is not very 
large, but it's wicked. When the water is high, I 
consider it one of the most dangerous streams in the 
country." In fact this " ghost" had haunted us for 
several days, and now we actually had a sight of it- 
Nor was the sight very reassuring. The stream was 
swift, the depth unknown, and just below where we 
must attempt to ford there was a strong rapid, and 
just below this again the rolling waters of Bow River. 
Bro. McDougall mounted a horse and proceeded to try 
the ford. He soon came back and said he thought we 
could cross all right. But first the waggons must 
be got down the worst hill we had yet encountered. 
By careful work this was safely accomplished. Then 
one by one, the waggons ventured in, and eventually 
all got over, although in one or two cases a stout rope, 
manned by willing hands, was a great assistance. As 
for myself, I preferred a saddle-horse to the chances of 
an upset from a waggon, and the sagacious animal that 
I mounted went through the stream as though he was 
quite used to that kind of business, as indeed I 
suppose he was. At all events the " ghost " was laid 
for that time, and we were told that we were within 
six miles of Morley. Some time had been consumed 



60 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

in crossing the river, and it was dark when we resumed 
our way ; but stimulated by the prospect of approach- 
ing rest in a Christian home, we travelled cheerily on, 
and ere long found ourselves welcomed into the un- 
pretentious but comfortable Mission-house at Morley. 
To be once more in a veritable house, to sit down at a 
well-spread table, and then, after gratefully acknow- 
ledging the goodness that had followed us through all 
our journeyings, to lie down on a comfortable bed, was 
all inexpressibly delightful ; but we were too tired for 
speech, or even for thought, and soon sank into 
dreamless repose. 



AT MORLET— SABBATH SERVICES. 

i HE valley of Bow River comprises one of 
the most beautiful sections of country in the 
North- West, and offers facilities for stock 
i raising and agriculture that it would be 
difficult to surpass. The level bottoms are 
large and the soil of the best ; the slopes and 
hills are covered with abundant pasture, the deep 
valleys afford excellent shelter, the water is good 
and plentiful, while the winters, as a rule, are so mild 
that stock can stay out with perfect safety and come 
in fat in the spring. To those who contemplate stock 
raising there is no part of the country I have yet 
seen which offers so many attractions as the valley 
of the Bow. 

Morley Mission is situated on the river at a point 
about fifteen miles below where it issues from the 
mountains. The site and its surroundings are very 
beautiful. The general course of the river is first 
east, and then south-east ; but a little above Morley 
it takes a turn northward, sweeping around the 



62 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

mission premises in a graceful curve. Standing on 
the first " bench " above the level bottom, and facing 
westward, the first object that strikes one's attention 
is the mission-house, a modest structure, built of 
hewed logs and weather-boarded ; about 48 feet wide 
by 22 feet deep, and perhaps 11 or 12 feet high to the 
eaves. The interior is divided by partitions of boards, 
tongued and grooved, plaster — except clay — being yet 
unknown in the country. Behind the mission-house 
are the outbuildings, constructed of logs. A little 
to the right, and in the same enclosure with the 
mission-house, is the cottage of the teacher, built of 
hewed logs, " chinked " and plastered with clay. To 
the left are the walls of an unfinished building, 
intended as the future mission-house, when the present 
one may be used for another purpose. A few tods 
farther from the river are the church and school-house, 
two neat and commodious buildings, well adapted for 
their respective purposes. Away to the right, across 
a small creek, is the house, store, &c, of Mr. David 
McDougall ; while^on a level plain, back of the church, 
stand some 30 Stoney tents, and back of these two 
very neat cabins belonging to Indians who have 
settled down to farming. Still farther away are the 
rolling foothills of the Rocky Mountains, their sides 
and summits, in many cases, adorned with groves of 
poplar, spruce, and mountain pine, while forming a 
grand background to the picture, the mountains them- 
selves tower upward, their scarred and weather-beaten 
sides softened by a haze of blue, their summits often 



At Morley — Sabbath Services. 63 

wreathed in cloud and vapor, through the rifts of 
which masses of yet unmelted snow shine with 
dazzling whiteness, contrasting beautifully with the 
neutral tints of the rocks around. 

Although Morley is one of the youngest'missions in 
the Saskatchewan District, it is one of the most 
promising. When Dr. Taylor visited the spot in 
1873, the mission was not yet begun ; not even a log 
had been cut for the projected buildings; but the 
McDougalls had explored the ground, and saw that 
here was the place to reach on the one hand the 
Stoneys who had heard the Gospel from Bundle and 
Woolsey in former years, and on the other the Crees 
and Blackfeet of the plains. Although strongly 
dissuaded, on account of the perilous nature of the 
enterprise, in thus placing themselves in the very 
focus between hostile tribes, they persevered in their 
design ; and in the fall of 1873, John McDougall and 
his family, and his brother David, made their way out 
from Edmonton, and by the shores of a small lake, in 
a sheltered spot among the hills, about three miles 
above the present mission, they proceeded to erect a 
shelter for the winter, and a little church and school- 
house besides. In the cabin thus erected they lived 
two years, preparing material meanwhile for per- 
manent buildings on a better site near the river. No 
one unacquainted with the nature of the work and the 
surroundings can form the least idea of the labor 
involved in this latter undertaking. The logs being 
cut and squared, had to be drawn about three miles, 



64 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

while every foot of timber used in the construction of 
the buildings had to be sawn by hand, there being no 
such thing as a saw-mill in any part of the country. 
The nearest place to obtain hardware was Fort Benton, 
more than 400 miles away, where common nails cost 
12 cents a pound, and other things in proportion. 
Besides this frequent journeys had to be made to the 
plains and elsewhere for supplies of food, involving 
altogether thousands of miles of travel, and leaving 
the mission family unprotected for weeks together. 
But through all these troubles the Missionary and 
his family persevered, and mission-house, teacher's 
house, church, and school-house were successively 
erected, towards which the Society made but one 
grant of $900 — a mere fraction of what the whole 
thing must have cost — while no claim for travelling 
expenses was ever made ; and this at a time when 
flour — if it could be got at all — was never less than 
from twelve to fifteen dollars per sack of 100 lbs., and 
other things, except buffalo meat, in the same propor- 
tion. Around the mission-house several fields have 
been fenced and brought under cultivation ; and 
looking for a moment only at material results I confess 
I am astonished at the progress made at Morley in so 
short a time. 

The effect of all this upon the Indians has been 
most salutary. It has led them to see how much 
better it is to till the soil than to depend for a liveli- 
hood upon the uncertainties of the chase. And now 
that a considerable tract of land on both sides of the 



At Morley. 65 

river has been set apart as the Stoney Reserve ; piany 
are settling down, building cabins, and beginning to 
cultivate their little fields. Last year one of the 
Government Farm Instructors, a Mr. Gowan, was 
sent to Moriey, and entered heartily upon his work. 
He showed the Indians how to fence their fields and 
cultivate the soil, and induced them to work to a 
degree beyond what had been accomplished in any 
other place. The Indians, convinced that Mr. Gowan 
had their interests at heart, were greatly pleased ; but 
unfortunately for himself, he uttered his mind too 
freely in regard to some doings of the police authori- 
ties, and they never rested till he was dismissed. At 
all events, this is the explanation of Mr. G.'s removal 
current among the people, and fully believed. The 
Indians are greatly disappointed and discouraged. 
Mr. Gowan had gained their confidence in a remark- 
able degree, and they were prepared to co-operate 
with him in his further efforts for their advancement. 
His successor, so far as I can learn, has accomplished 
nothing, because he has attempted nothing. Hitherto, 
at least, he has only served out rations (assisted therein 
by a policeman), and the Indians say he has not yet 
so much as seen most of their fields. He assigns as 
the reason for this do-nothing policy, that he is waiting 
for the arrival of one of the Farm Inspectors to tell 
him what to do.* 

During my stay at Morley I had good opportunity 
of seeing the agricultural implements furnished by the 

* Thii was written in August, 1880. 

5 



66 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

Government to the Indians. By treaty stipulation 
there was to be a plow for every three families. It 
was, of course, understood by the Indians that these 
would be what are called " breaking plows," — no other 
kind being of any service whatever in breaking up the 
prairie. Some idea of the quality of those actually 
furnished may be inferred from the fact that although I 
am by no means a good specimen of " muscular Chris- 
tianity," I picked up one of the plows in my hands and 
carried it across the yard with the greatest ease. I 
next took up a whippletree, which some slight accident 
had broken in two, and found it to be a half -rotten 
stick, no stronger than a piece of black ash. The 
harrows, in weight and strength, were about suitable 
for a well-plowed garden. Other implements were 
very similar. I surveyed the assortment, and felt in 
my " inner consciousness " that 

" For ways that are dark, 

And for tricks that are vain, 
The Government Contractor is peculiar, 
Which the same I will always maintain." 

Thursday and Friday were given to rest and letter- 
writing, varied by a visit to the school conducted by 
Mr. Sibbald. The attendance a few days before had 
been over 40, but at the time of my visit it was less 
than 20. The annuities having been recently paid, 
the parents were busy making purchases at the store, 
and the temptation to see what was bought was too 
strong for most of the children. Some of the scholars 
present could read in the first book with tolerable 



68 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

readiness, and the smaller ones could read the alphabet 
backwards or forwards, up or down, without a mistake. 
Hitherto, the migratory habits of the people have been 
a great drawback to school work. This is especially 
true of the Stoneys, of whom other Indians say it is 
a rare thing for a Stoney to camp two nights on the 
same spot As the people settle down on their reserves, 
this difficulty will be overcome. Another spot of no 
small interest, that received an early visit, was the 
little graveyard on a hill behind the mission, where 
we stood for a time with uncovered heads beside the 
grave of our noble missionary, George McDougalL It 
is enclosed by a board fence, and a suitable monument 
has been provided by his children, which only awaits 
transport from Fort Benton in order to be set up over 
the grave. They have also provided three tablets to 
be set up in the three churches he labored so hard to 
establish — namely, at Morley, Edmonton, and Victoria. 
There is another spot which I think the whole Church 
should mark by a suitable monument, of which I will 
speak in another place. 

On Saturday we took saddle horses and set out for 
a canter over the hills. This ride confirmed my first 
impressions of the beauty of the country around Mor- 
ley, and the wisdom of the choice which had located 
a mission there. We rode past the site of the first 
buildings, and found some of the cabins in a tolerable 
state of perservation. Along the hill sides and in the 
valleys are extensive groves of poplar, spruce, and 
mountain pine. It must not be supposed, however, 



At Motley. 69 

thai the country is " timbered " in the sense in which 
we would use that term in Ontario or Quebec, but 
timber in sufficient quantities for building and fencing 
can easily be obtained, while a good portable saw- 
mill could find ample employment, and, I doubt not, 
a ready market for its lumber, for many a year to 
come. In the course of our ride we passed a number 
of small fields which have been enclosed and cultivated 
by the Indians. Some of these are clean and well 
kept, and give promise of a good harvest in due time. 
Several cabins have also been erected, one being two 
stories high and neatly built. I am persuaded that if 
these Stoneys receive reasonable instruction and en- 
couragement they will soon be able to provide for 
their own wants, irrespective of what they may obtain 
by hunting. 








SABBATH SERVICES. 

4UNDAY was a high day at Morley. Th 

' poor Stoneys were delighted at the return 
* of their missionary, and many came to the 
mission -ho use the morning after our arrival, 
to give him greeting. The hand to which the 
reserve has been alloted numbers, I believe, 
over 600 souls, and a large proportion of these have been 
near the mission for some time. At half-past 10 service 
was held in the school-house, the church having been 
■ " appropriated," during the Missionary's absence, as a 
storehouse for agricultural implements, and there being 
no time to get it in readiness for the Sabbath service. 
The building was crowded to its utmost capacity, a 
large proportion of the people seating themselves on 
the floor in true Indian fashion, while those who sat 
on the benches by the wall manifested a strong dispo- 
sition to take a " lower seat " in the synagogue before 
the service was over. Mast of the Indians were but 
poorly clad, which Bro. McDougall tells me is accounted 
for solely by the fact of " hard times," the Indians 



Sabbath Services. > i 

having experienced difficultythe pastyear in obtaining 
sufficient food by hunting, let alone the wherewithal 
to buy clothing. The past season has been one of 
great destitution, owing to the disappearance of the 
buffalo ; and down on the plains cases were not un- 
common of individuals, and even of whole families* 
starving to death. In conducting the service Brother 
McDougall used the Cree language, which a number 
of the people understood. After singing and prayer he 
read part of the 3rd of John, and spoke for some 
fifteen minutes; then after another hymn he spoke 
again, still in Cree, Chief Jacob Big-Stoney interpret- 
ing. Jacob seemed master of the situation, interpreting 
rapidly and with very little hesitation. The congre- 
gation behaved, in some respects, very much like an 
English one. All were quiet, a few nodded and slept, 
a few were restless and indifferent, but the greater 
portion listened with close attention. The babies, who 
were present in considerable numbers, were not as 
silent as Indian babies are commonly represented to be, 
and some of them cried in remarkably good English. 
It would seem as if, when language was confounded 
at Babel, laughing and crying were excepted, for there 
is no difference in these sounds the wide world over. 
I am told, however, that Indian mothers insist that all 
babies laugh and cry, not in English but in Indian ; 
and I suppose a similar claim would be made by the 
natives of every clime and tongue beneath the sun. It 
is said a Yorkshireman in France became fairly home- 
sick in his longing for the sound of his mother tongue ;' 



72 A Summer in Prairie- Land. 

and when, early one morning, he heard the vigoro 
braying of a donkey, he rapturously exclaimed, "There, 
thank God, I hear English once more !" But this is a 
digression. 

In the afternoon I crossed the river with Bro. Mc- 
Dougall in a " skin " boat, to hold service in a camp on 
the South side. Perhaps some one may ask " What ia 
a skin boat ?" It is a vessel constructed in this wise: 
First, a frame is made of willow boughs, the shape 
\,Ju/**"t being a cross between a skiff and a canoe. Over this 
ife AUifrt 1& stretched an untanned hide (two if the boat be 
0n.it «/4J large), with the flesh side to the water, and securely 
fastened. And when this dries it becomes as tight as a 
drum-head, and if well made is a safe and serviceable 
boat. The one in which we crossed had lain long in 
the water, and was thoroughly soaked ; but the river 
was not very wide, and we soon got over. After land- 
ing we walked about a mile and a-half, accompanied by 
several Indians who had crossed with us, which brought 
us to the camp of Chief Bear's Paw. James Dixon, 
one of our converted Stoneys, was also there, and by 
the vigorous use cf a good-sized dinner-bell summoned 
the people together. There were about thirty tents 
and the usual number of dogs and horses. Several 
fields containing barley, potatoes, &c., were within 
sight, also several neat cabins that had been erected 

t during the past year, When the people came together, 

there had to he a general hand-shaking all round, with 
men, women, and children, before service began. The 
mothers would even hold out the hands of their little 



Sabbath Services. 73 

babies so that they might not be overlooked. I had 
prudently made myself familiar with the Stoney form 
of salutation — " Ambu wastage !" equivalent to our 
" Good day," — and was therefore able to hold my own 
during the hand-shaking business. The salutations 
over, the people seated themselves on the ground and 
service began. A hymn was sung, and Bro. McDougall 
prayed in Cree. A number of children had been 
brought for baptism, but before attending to these a 
number of marriages were celebrated. x No less than 
six couples were thus united. Then came the baptism 
of twelve children, Scripture names largely predomi- 
nating. All this occupied a considerable time, after 
which I was called upon to speak to the people. Bro. 
McDougall had said to me that as I might not have 
another opportunity of speaking to this part of the 
band, a general address, mingling advice on both tem- 
poral and spiritual matters, would perhaps be better 
than a sermon. I accordingly addressed them some- 
what in this wise, McDougall translating into Cree 
and James Dixon into Stoney : — 

"My brothers, I have come far to see you. The 
lodges of my people are very far away towards the 
rising sun. But I have often heard about you. The 
Missionary sent messages saying that the Stoneys had 
listened to the words of the Master of Life. Then our 
hearts were glad, for we had read in the Book of the • 
Great Smrit that the good news of Jesus Christ was 
the powei^ of God to save every one who believed it 
whether he was a white man or a red. And we prayed 



74 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

to the Master of Life that he would bless all the 
Stoneys, and teach them the way of salvation. 

" Last spring a council of some of the praying chiefs 
of my people was held, and they said to me — ' You 
mu3t go westward ; go on the long path over river and 
plain, and see our brothers who live under the shadows 
of the great mountains, towards the setting sun. Tell 
them we are glad because they have received the 
words of the Master of Life from the mouth of the 
Missionary. Tell them how the white man and the 
red man live as brothers here, because they both have 
received the words of peace from the Great Spirit and 
his Son Jesus Christ; and speak to them words of 
counsel, so that the Stoney may know what is best 
for himself and his children/ So I have come to 
speak in your ears to-day. 

" The Stoneys are wise : their eyes and ears are 
always open ; but it is not the wisdom of the white 
man. The Stoney knows how to hunt the buffalo on 
the plains, and follow the deer on the hills ; he knows 
how to track the bear in the mountains, and shoot the 
wild goat on the rocks; he knows how to trap the 
beaver on the streams, and catch the fish in the rivers; 
and his women know how to dress the skin of the 
deer or the buffalo, and make a warm lodge for the 
winter. But when deer and buffalo are gone, and 
there is hunger in his tent, the Stoney does not yet 
know, like the white man, how to bring food out of 
the ground, or to build a warm lodge without skin of 
buffalo or deer. 



Sabbath Services. 75 

" Now, let my brothers listen ; let them open their 
eyes and look. Do they hear the tramp of the buffalo 
on the plains ? Can they see the deer bounding over 
the hills ? Can they show me where the beaver builds 
his lodge by the streams ? No ! The buffalo are all 
gone ; the deer is hard to find ; the beavers are very 
few. It is plain the Stoney can no longer live as he 
has done. He must learn to live as does the white 
man. He must learn to till the soil, and no longer 
depend upon what he can get by hunting. I am glad 
to see some of you are trying to do this. I have seen 
your fields, and the houses you have built, and I have 
said — The Stoney need be hungry no more ; if he goes 
on as he has begun, he will have plenty for himself 
and for his children. 

" But if the Stoney is to live like the white man, 
his children must be taught like the children of the 
white man. It is for this we have established a school 
among you, and we want you to send your children 
there to be taught those things which make the white 
man wise and strong. Above all, we want them to be 
able to read for themselves the Book of the Great 
Spirit, for without this all other wisdom will be as 
nothing. 

" I have spoken to you about the things of this life > 
but there is somthing far more important. Very soon 
I will return to my people, and you will see my face 
no more ; but before I go I want to speak again the 
words you have often heard from your Missionary — 
that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, 



76 A Summer in 

and that whosoever trusts in Him and obeys His voice 
shall not perish, but shall have everlasting life. And 
when in days to come your Missionary may send letters 
to tell me about you, I hope to hear that you did not 
forget the words of the white stranger who came into 
your camp to-day ; but that you are all listening to 
the teachings of the Master of Life, and trusting in His 
Son Jesus Christ." 

Service over, there was another general hand- 
shaking, and we turned our faces homeward Several 
Indians accompanied us; but when we came to the 
river side we found our boat more than half full of 
water. An examination of our craft showed two small 
holes in the bottom through which the water had 
entered. The Indians were equal to the emergency. 
One of the men produced a needle; a woman drew 
out of some hidden receptacle some fibres of the deer's 
sinew, and in a short space of time the boat was 
mended, and the passengers ferried safely over the 
river. 

In the evening another service was held in the 
school-house. I undertook to preach, Bro. McDougall 
interpreting ; but I must confess I have heard many a 
better sermon. This preaching through an interpreter 
makes sad work. After service six couples were 
married and sixteen children presented for baptism. 
One young fellow hesitated a good deal in regard to 
the marriage business, but we subsequently learned it 
was entirely on conscientious grounds ; he didn't like 
to make the promises involved in the marriage vow 



Sabbath Services. 



77 



without feeling sure that he would be able to keep 
them. However, he finally made the venture. In 
the baptismal service Bro. McDougall got things mixed 
a little, owing probably to the large number of can- 
didates. He was about to christen one baby Enoch, 
but discovered just in time that it wasn't that kind of 
a baby, and that its parents desired to call it Flora ; so 
Flora it was baptized. These varied services had well 
filled up a busy day, and we returned to the mission 
house somewhat wearied in body, but thankful for the 
experience of a Sunday at Morley. 



•■> 






A DAY IN THE MOUNTAINa 

'. HEN about three days out from 
y we caught our first glimpse of the Bosky 
. Mountains, then more than a hundred 
miles away, and from that time we were 
rarely out of sight of some of the loftier 
peaks. Each day's journey brought na a 
little nearer, and when we reached Calgary, the moun- 
tains were but forty miles distant. From that point, 
as previously stated, our course was westward till we 
reached Morley, when we were within fifteen miles of 
the stony giants. This nearer view only intensified 
the desire to penetrate one of the passes, and climb, if 
possible, some of those rugged steeps. Arrangements 
were accordingly made for a brief excursion, and before 
noon on Monday, the 3rd, we were ready for the trail. 
First a horse was packed with such camping apparatus 
as was considered indispensable — to wit, some bedding, 
a tarpaulin or waggon-sheet, an axe, frying-pan, and 
camp kettle, and last, though not least, a bag of pro- 



80 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

visions. To " pack " a horse properly requires ex- 
perience. You first lay on the horse's back a well- 
folded blanket ; over this is placed the pack saddle, 
which exactly resembles a diminutive saw-horse, and 
the girth or " sinch " is drawn up till you are io 
momentary expectation of seeing the unfortunate 
animal part in the middle and become a span. But no 
such catastrophe occurs, and you proceed to arrange 
the rest of the load. The various articles are placed 
so as to balance on either side, and the whole is 
securely and firmly tied to the pack-saddle and around 
the horse's body. While this is being done, other 
horses are saddled for the party, and we mount 
and away. Riding out through the Stoney camp, 
Chief Chin-a-kee is invited to come with us as guide, 
to which he readily agrees. Our ride for the first two 
or three hours is among the foothills of the Rockies, 
affording us some beautiful views of the upper valley 
of the Bow ; then we descend a hill as steep as the 
roof of a house (a Mansard roof at that), and strike 
the valley of the south branch of Ghost River, which 
we follow up towards the mountains. During the 
sfiason of rain or melting snows, Ghost River is a tor- 
rent wide, deep, and strong ; later in the season the 
water quickly subsides, and the stream divides into 
numerous channels, with gravelly islands between. In 
this state we found it — a fortunate circumstance for 
us, as we had to ford the various branches not less 
than twenty times. We halt to lunch and to feed the 
horses, and at 2 p.m. resume our ride. Chin-a-kee 



AQDay in the Mountains. 8 1 

leads the way; apparently at an easy jog-trot, but 
manages to get over the ground at a rate which puts 
us on our mettle. Now we canter over a long stretch 
of gravel, plunge into one of the numerous channels, 
clamber up the opposite bank, off again over an Indian 
trail, through groves of spruce and poplar ; and this is 
repeated again and again for miles together. About 
16 miles out from Morley we leave the valley of Ghost 
River and turning sharp to the left enter a canon 
about a quarter of a mile wide, with mighty cliffs 
towering up on either hand. The timber is thick and 
much of it fallen, and the trail at times hardly per- 
ceptible. Soon we come to a long stretch where the 
timber has recently been destroyed by fire, and we 
have to pick our way as best we can among the 
charred remains. Passing the burnt portion, we find 
the undergrowth thicker than ever, and although the 
trail under foot is tolerably distinct, yet how anything 
larger than a dog can possibly get through is a pro- 
found mystery. But our Kayoose ponies are equal to 
the emergency. They creep through brushwood, turn 
sharp corners, glide between trees, wade through bogs, 
'step cannily among roots and boulders, and make 
their way safely and quietly where an average On- 
tario horse would go wild and break his own legs or 
his rider's neck in five minutes. One never ceases to 
wonder at the sagacity, pluck, and endurance of these 
native horses. 

Our destination is Long Lake, some ten or twelve 
miles up the canon ; but before reaching it we pass 
6 



82 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

several smaller lakes, formed chiefly by the meltipg 
snows of the surrounding mountains. During last 
winter the snow-fall was unusually heavy; conse- 
quently we find the water in the lakes three or four 
feet higher than common, entirely covering and oblit- 
erating the trail We try to surmount this difficulty 
by a flank movement, which takes us over acres of 
fallen timber and through dense brushwood, where 
the only trail is the one we make. In this way, how- 
ever, we pass two lakes ; a third' offers more serious 
difficulties. The overflow has spread out among the 
willows, and fills the canon, for a short distance, from 
side to side. But we started for Long Lake and to 
Long Lake we are resolved to go. We push on till the 
water becomes threateningly deep, when the leader 
prudently retraces his steps to look for a safer way. 
The Chief and McDougall lead off to the right, and I 
follow. Soon there is considerable splashing and 
plunging ahead, but I can see nothing, as the willows 
are dense and high. It is literally a case of " follow 
your leader," and there is no time to stop and ask 
questions ; go ahead, and you will see for yourseli 
Exactly! The thought has scarcely flashed through 
my mind before my pony is up to his withers in snow 
water, and my long riding-boots are filled up to the 
brim. But who cares ! The free mountain air is in 
our lungs, the thrill of its inspiration in the blood, 
and there seems to be something in the very atmos- 
phere that renders one fearless of danger and careless 
of discomfort. So, making merry over our impromptu 



A Day in the Mountains. 83 

cold bath, which all had shared, we passed the water, 
and jog on again. Now the trail leads along the steep 
side of a slope formed by the debris of centuries from 
the neighboring cliff. It inclines at an angle of about 
sixty degrees, and the path is but like a goat track, 
where a single false step would send horse and rider 
rolling down the bank to plunge into deep water forty 
feet below. But our ponies are not in the habit of 
making false steps. We simply give them a loose rein, 
and they take us along as quickly and safely as an 
ordinary horse would do on a .level road. About sun- 
set we pass the last of the small lakes, and prepare to 
camp for the night. Horses are unsaddled, and turned 
loose to graze, for even in this deep canon the grass is 
tolerably abundant. A fire is kindled, and burns cheer- 
fully amid the gathering gloom ; supper is cooked and 
eaten with thankfulness ; blankets are spread so that 
we can lie with our feet to the fire, for we have no 
tent to cover us to-night ; then we join in our evening 
hymn, which sounds very impressive in this mountain 
solitude, among the shadows of the everlasting hills, 
and commending ourselves to the Divine protection, 
in which petition friends far away are not forgotten, 
we lie down to rest. 

But sleep, at least to some of us, does not come at 
once. There is too much that is novel and inspiring 
in our surroundings to admit of that. 

" There's a thrill in the air like the tingle of wine, 
Or the bugle-blown blast when the scimetars shine ; 
And the sky-line is broken by the mountains divine, 



84 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

Where the planet rises up body-guard before God, 
And to cloudland and glory transfigures the sod. 
Ah ! to see those grand forms magnificent lift, 
In their sandals of daisies and turbans of drift; 
Ah 1 to see this dull globe brought sublime to its feet, 
Where in mantles of blue the two monarchies meet, 

The azure of grace 

Bending low in its place. 
And this world looking back with a colorless face. 
Who marvels Sinai became the State-House of God 1 
Who wonders the Sermon down Olivet flowed ? 
That the Father and the Son each hallowed a height 
Where the lightnings were red and the roses were white f 

Here the mountains are all about us, their perpen- 
dicular cliffs rising to a height of three or four thou- 
sand feet, and thought becomes busy with those 
mighty movements of nature's forces which in ages 
long distant crumpled up the earth's crust, and heaved 
these ponderous masses so high in air. And then tak- 
ing a loftier range meditation becomes sweetly solemn 
of Him " who by His strength setteth fast the moun- 
tains, being girded with power," and who, like " the 
mountains round about Jerusalem," surrounds His 
people, a wall of defence forevermore. 

We gaze upward through the rift of the canon and 
catch a glimpse of the fathomless blue that bends over 
us, strewn thickly with its golden stars — 

" Like some dark beauteous bird, whose plume 
Is sparkling with a thousand eyes ; " 

and still our thought is of Him " who hath created 
these things, that bringeth out their host by number ; 



A Day in the Mountains. 85 

He calleth them all by names, by the greatness of His 
might, for that He is strong in power, not one f aileth." 
And with the heart sweetly resting on the assurance 
that "the mountains shall depart and the hills be 
removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee, 
neither the covenant of my peace be removed," we — 

" Sink in blissful dreams away, 
And visions of eternal day." 

Next morning finds us somewhat rested from the 
fatigue oi; our hard ride., and as we have a short dis- 
tance farther to go, we are up and away betimes. 
Half-an-hour's ride brings us in sight of our destina- 
tion — Long Lake — a beautiful sheet of water some 
twenty-eight miles long, and of varying width, where 
we prepare to spend a few short hours. The lake is 
said to be well supplied with excellent fish, but as we 
have no boat or raft we are placed at a great disad- 
vantage, and accomplish but little making casts from 
the shore. However, Chin-a-kee, with a line of deer- 
skin, and a large common hook, manages to secure a 
good-sized salmon-trout, which agreeably diversifies 
our dinner bill of fare. Another hour is spent in 
gazing at the grand, impressive scenery, and then we 
turn our faces homeward. The ride out is very much 
like the ride in, only a little more so. To avoid the 
water, we go through worse thickets than ever. How 
we got through, retaining a stitch ef clothing, will 
perhaps never be explained. One has to be on the 
alert every instant. Take care of that hanging branch, 



86 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

or you may be " single-eyed " for the rest of your life! 
Mind that boulder, or your foot may get a twist that 
the doctors will not be able to heal in a month ! Look 
out for that tree, or you may figd a case in which the 
" bark " is worse than the . bite ! But where's our 
pack-horse ? R-r-r-rip ! Yes, there he is, just caught 
by a snag, and a long rent made through two stout 
rubber blankets. Well, we may consider ourselves 
fortunate in getting through such a road with no 
greater mishap. And here we are at Ghost River 
again, sixteen miles from Morley, and a mountain 
thunder-storm coming quickly after us. We push on 
at greater speed most of the time at a sharp canter, 
and after repeated fordings halt at a small clump of 
spruce trees just as the first rain drops begin to fall. 
Almost before I have time to dismount, McDougall 
and the chief have their horses unsaddled; in an 
incredibly short space of time the evergreen shelter on 
the storm side is thickened by additional boughs, the 
waggon-sheet thrown over a pole, a fire kindled, and 
by the time the rain is fairly upon us, we are sitting, 
figuratively speaking, under our own vine and fig tree, 
with supper almost ready. By the time we have re- 
freshed the inner and rested the outer man, the storm 
has passed by. Soon, we gladly take our leave of 
Ghost River — the most disagreeable ghost I ever met 
— and begin to ascend the steep hill, of which mention 
has already been made. "Why, McDougall," I said,j 
" it's impossible for any horse to carry a man up that 
hill." " No danger," said he ; " you hang on, and hell 



A Day in the Mountains. 87 

bring you up all right." I "hang on" accordingly; 
but when half-way up, compassion for my little 
kayoose prevailed, so I slipped off and led him the rest 
of the way. That short walk gave me some idea of 
the method by which house-flies climb up walls and 
along ceilings. 

By 6 p.m, we are on the summit of the hills west of 
Morley, and turn to take a farewell look at the " moun- 
tains divine." We expect to have them in sight for a 
day or two yet, but shall not again have so near a view 
as this. Yonder they stand in their rugged grandeur, 
the storm-cloud wreathed around their shoulders, their 
summits touched by the rays of the setting sun. 

" The mountain rainbow that gleams before ye, 
But leaves your solitude doubly bleak ; 

The shadows of sunset falls ghastly o'er ye 
Cliff frowns upon cliff and peak on peak. 

Bock of the Desolate, lean and hoary, 
What lip of man can your grandeur speak ! " 

A moment longer let us stand and gaze. Since 
creation's morning these mountains have towered 
heavenward like fragments of a petrified eternity, 
and seem as though they would stand through an 
eternity to f come. Through years that no man can 
number, yon glorious sun has been dispensing light 
and heat, but " his eye is not dim, nor his natural force 
abated ;" through periods counted by decades of cen- 
turies, this arrowy river beneath our feet has been 
cleaving its way from its rocky canon, but its volume 
is as mighty and its current as swift as when first it 



88 A Summer in 

began to flow. Yet a time will come when all this 
will be changed, for " we, according to His promise* 
look for new heavens and a new earth ;" but "when 
the mountains have crumbled into ashes, and the 
judgment flames have licked up the river, and the sun 
itself is veiled behind the smoke of a burning world/' 
of Him who made them all, it shall be said — "Thy 
throne, O God, is for ever and ever ;" " from everlast- 
ing to everlasting thou art God." 

We turn our horses' heads, and in half-an-hour are 
safe at Morley, very tired (for we have ridden between 
twenty-five and thirty miles over the worst trail I ever 
saw), but with pictures hung up in memory's chambers 
that money could not buy. 





IX. 
AN INDIAN COUNCIL. 

;N Wednesday forenoon the church bell was 
rung, and many of the Indians assembled in 
the school-house for a Council. After some 
preliminary matters and a few remarks from 
9 Bro. McDougall, Mr. Morris, the Government 
Agent, addressed the Council. He said that, 
by instructions from the Government, he had been 
furnishing the Indians with food, but now the supply 
was very nearly exhausted, and he could not at present 
obtain any more. He therefore advised them to go to 
the mountains for the present, and hunt till such time 
as the produce of their fields would be ready for use. 
An invitation was then given to the Indians to speak 
if they desired to do so. 

Chief Jacob Big-Stoney said : " I am glad to see 
one from a far land, especially one who is engaged in 
a good work. When many of those now present were 
children, our fathers received the good word. Since 
then, in poverty and weakness, we have tried to keep 



90 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

it. We entered into it as into a strong place — a place 
of refuge. Once we trusted in something else, but 
that something we have put awtfy, and now our trust 
is in the Great Spirit. When the white men came 
into our country to treat for our lands, we alone, of all 
the Indians, were not suspicious ; we were ready for 
the treaty, and we were ready because we had received 
the good word, and because our Missionary had ex- 
plained to us what the Government wanted. We be- 
lieve the white man has great power. We are glad to 
regard him as our chief ; and while we ask his aid for 
the things of this life, we ask his aid for our spiritual 
well-being also, because he is wise and strong. We 
try to do what we are told, and when we say what is 
good, we think ib would be only kindness in the white 
man to do as we ask. I am glad to see you, and I 
wish to be remembered to all missionaries and good 
people in the East." 

Chief Bear's Paw said : " I am glad to see a brother 
from far, when I know his object in travelling through 
our country is good. I am very glad. In coming to 
see us they show that they are interested in us, and 
this encourages me to help myself and my people in 
what is good. Three years ago, when the treaty was 
made, I spoke in the same way. I hoped we would 
have peace, and that whites and Indians would both 
be benefitted by the treaty. My mind is the same to- 
day. Sometimes the outlook has been dark. The 
animals have disappeared ; but I am glad the white 
man is showing us how to make a living in another 



An Indian Council. 91 

way. I hope they will not become weary. I believe 
it is because of this good religion — because of the in- 
terest felt in one another by those who worship alike^ 
that you are with us to-day. We are thankful for 
that interest, and wish to send through you our thanks 
to the kind people in your country. We hope they will 
continue to feel interested in us, and that our homes 
may still be full of peace. There are two other things 
I wish to speak about. The first is about the cattle 
promised by the Government. They were to be de- 
livered two years ago, but we have not seen them yet ; 
and now word comes that our young men must go to 
Fort McLeod for them. We do not think this is right. 
We want cattle delivered here on the Reserve, as has 
been done in the case of other Indians. Besides, if 
our young men go for the cattle, who will hunt for 
food while they are gone ? I think the advice of the 
Agent is good : our young men should now go out and 
hunt. I went out last year, but Mr. McLeod told me 
to go back to the reserve, as it was near treaty time. 
Then, when men came this year to survey our reserve, 
they never asked our wishes in the matter. Why was 
this ? One of our young men has found something in 
the mountains which he thinks may be gold. Would 
it be wise for him to take a white man and show him 
where it is ? " 

James Dixon :" I # am glad you have come. I am 
glad our missionary has returned. Our people have 
tasted enough of the Gospel to know it is the only 
thing that can save them. We are glad when a mis- 



92 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

sionary or teacher comes. We see that besides teach- 
ing the good word which saves our souls, the white 
man wants to save our bodies also. We see this in 
what the missionary and the Government have done. 
We want to say our thanks, and hope this kindness 
will continue. Your kindness has been great and we 
are grateful. Tou see we are poor and weak ; but the 
white man is strong. Beside him we feel as little 
children. We are glad you are with us, and we are 
glad our friends in the East feel an interest in us. 
We hope it will continue. When we see a Commis- 
sioner or Government Agent, we are glad : when he 
gives advice we want to do it. We are thankful to 
Mr. Morris [the local agent.] We have no complaint 
except about the promised cattle." 

Chief Chin-a-kee : " I agree with all that has been 
said by the chiefs. So do our young men. We have 
confidence in the Government and in the Great Mother. 
It was for our good the treaty was made. We are 
thankful, and hope the salvation of our people here and 
hereafter will be the result of the white man's interest 
in us. But is it our Great Mothers command that 
our cattle should be brought to Old Man's river only ? 
I cannot believe it. A great thing for us who are 
poor would be a small thing for those who are over 
their heads in wealth. The Government can do any- 
thing. Our strong wish is that the cattle should be 
brought here." 

George : " I begin where the chief has left off. 

I want to be at peace with all the people you may 



An Indian Council. 93 

see in your journey. I hope they will hear what has 
been said by my brethren to-day. When I first heard 
about the white man's religion and the Government, 
and what they would do, I 'was glad. When the 
treaty was made, and I knew there would be peace 
and law in the country, I was very glad. When I 
first listened to the treaty it was very sweet. I have 
watched closely since then, and some things promised 
have not come to pass. We were told that so long as 
we lived and our people lived — so long as the sun 
shone and the grass grew and the waters ran, this 
treaty payment would be made. And thus far it has 
been paid, but the cattle promised us have not come, 
and the implements have not been such as were 
promised/' 

As no others desired to speak, I was asked to say a 
few words, and spoke in substance as follows : " My 
friends, I am glad to see you here to-day. We heard 
in my country that the Stoneys were among the first 
who listened to the words of the Great Spirit, and be- 
cause you had received the Gospel you were the friends 
of the white man and treated him as a brother. We 
heard that you were loyal to the Great Mother, and 
were friends of the Government, and the hearts of my 
people were glad, and they said, The white man and 
the Stoney will live as brothers, and there will be 
peace in the land. Then when the treaty was made we 
were told you were ready, and that your hearts were 
glad. You were not suspicious, but entered heartily 
into the matter. And now you are trying to fulfil 



94 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

your part of the treaty by learning how to cultivate 
the soil. I have seen your fields with growing food, 
and have been glad ; for the Stoney cannot live as he 
has done in the past. The buffalo are gone, and you 
must live more as the white man does. I am sure the 
promises made by the Government will be kept ; but 
the Government has a great many children, and all 
things cannot be done in one day. Sometimes mis- 
takes are made, and it takes time to put matters right. 
Sometimes the Government may give you food in a 
time of distress ; but it is far better you should learn 
how to get food for yourselves. When your sons grow 
up, you do not always feed them in your lodges ; you 
teach them how to hunt and get food for themselves. 
If the Government were to feed you it would be only 
a little every day ; but if they give you cattle and seed 
and implements, you may soon have fruitful fields and 
herds of cattle of your own. My people have been 
glad to send a missionary and a teacher among you ; 
but it will be useless to keep a missionary here unless 
you listen to his words, and useless to keep a teacher 
unless you send your children to be taught. We hope 
to hear from the missionary that all the people listen 
to the words of the Great Spirit, and that all your 
children go to the school. I have put your words in 
my heart, and so has my brother who travels with me. 
We both know some of the chiefs of the great Council 
at Ottawa, and when we return we will speak your 
words in their ears. In days to come, if you wish to 
speak to me, tell your words to your missionary, who 



An Indian Council. 95 

ffill send them to me ; and we will know what you 
think and what you wish." 

Bro. McDougall then briefly addressed them in Cree, 
after which the Council broke up. Another general 
hand-shaking and " ambu wastage "-ing followed, after 
which we returned to the mission-house to prepare for 
our departure on the morrow. 





MORLEY TO EDMONTON. 

UR week of rest and recreation at Morley 
passed away all to soon ; but as only a small 
part of the journey was yet completed 
longer delay was out of the question ; so on 
Thursday morning, August 5th, preparations 
were made for a fresh start. Waggons were 
loaded, horses brought in and harnessed, and in good 
season we were ready for the trail. The morning was 
bright and beautiful, and the weather all that could 
be desired. With a hearty good-bye to those from 
whom we were now compelled to separate, and many 
an " ambu wastage " from the red men who lingered 
near, we turned our faces eastward, and set out. The 
hills were clothed in brightest verdure, and the plains 
adorned with countless flowers of brilliant hues. 
Brooks of sparkling water, whose source was in the 
mountains, came leaping down the valleys, hastening 
to join their tributary streams with the larger current 
of the Bow whose waters flashed in the sunlight away 



Morley to Edmonton. 97 

on our right. Behind 11s rose the purple mountains, 
glorious in the cloudless morning light, while before us 
the foothills sloped onward and downward to the 
distant plain. It was a lovely sight to which we could 
not bid farewell without a sigh of regret. 

The party now consisted of John and David 
McDougall, Mr. Nelson and wife, Mr. Warren, and 
the writer, together with an Indian lad, Myschees by 
name who attended us as out-rider. Mrs. John 
McDougall accompanied her husband a few miles on 
the way. In the course of an hour we reached the 
banks of our old acquaintance, Ghost River ; but in 
the bright sunlight of the morning the ghost did not 
seem nearly so terrible as when we faced it amid the 
gathering shadows of night. Besides, the water had 
continued falling during the week, so the crossing was 
made with comparative ease. In a short time we 
scaled the steep hill on the eastern side, where pausing 
a moment we waved a parting adieu to Mrs. McDougall, 
and then resolutely pushed on. A little after noon we 
reached our former resting-place on Big Hill Creek, 
where I proceeded to coax some trout from their shady 
retreats under the willows. The speckled denizens of 
the brook were quite willing to bite, butjso were the 
mosquitoes, who rose in clouds from the long grass 
beside the stream. However, in spite of the mosqui- 
toes, D. McDougall and the writer secured, in less than 
half an hour, a string of trout that served the entire 
party for two meals, with some to spare. 

In the course of the afternoon we reached the scene 
7 



98 A Summer tn Prairie-Land. 

of the runaway accident, and found Bro. McDougalTs 
buck-board just where we left it It was speedily 
taken apart, and packed on one of the waggons to be 
transported to Edmonton, 200 miles away, the nearest 
point at which repairs could be effected. By 7 pm 
we reached our old camping-ground at the Rolling 
Hills, and pitched our tent for the night. 

On resuming our journey, the following morning, 
we drove to within some two miles of Fort Calgary, 
then turned to the left, and in a short time struck the 
main trail leading to Edmonton and the North. About 
1 1 a.m. we turned off in a westerly direction, and in 
half an hour reached the bank of a branch of Nose 
Creek, where we halted for lunch. After a short rest, 
D. McDougall and the writer took a buck-board, while 
J. McDougall and Mr. Warren mounted saddle-horses, 
and we started on the errand that had brought us out 
of the way. After driving a couple of miles we came 
in sight of a large "hay swamp," lying among the hills. 
In the rainy season it forms a lake, but now it was 
dry, and the whole covered with rich grass, about 18 
inches high. The country around is of the kind 
known as rolling prairie. It is entirely destitute of 
trees, not even a bush or shrub being in sight any- 
where. Neither of the McDougalls had visited this 
particular spot before, but they knew the general 
features of the country, and made their way with a 
readiness that seemed like instinct. We first skirted 
the hay swamp on the north-easterly side, and then 
round to the south-westerly side. As we rode along 



Morley to Edmonton. 99 

a white object on a. gentle slope, some fifty yards from 
the grassy bed of the lake, met our eye. We rode up 
and dismounted, and silently, with uncovered heads, 
stood by a little cairn of stones which alone marks the 
spot where a half-breed hunter found the lifeless body 
of the heroic George McDougall. But few words were 
spoken — only enough to impress the main features of 
the sad occurrence on the mind — and then with 
mingled emotions we rode slowly away, pondering on 
the mysterious Providence that brought our beloved 
brother to what seemed so untimely an end. 

Our visit to the place did not lessen the mystery. 
Standing on the very spot where the body was found, 
we had the Rocky Mountains full in view. Now, Bro. 
McDougall (assuming that the power of vision re- 
mained) knew with absolute certainty that these 
mountains were to the west ; facing them, he knew, 
with equal certainty, that Bow River was on his left, 
and not very far away ; keeping the mountains on the 
right hand, a straight course would soon bring him to 
the river, and pursuing a course up the current and 
towards the mountains for an hour would have brought 
him opposite Fort Calgary. But it is idle to speculate. 
We cannot lift the veil of mystery that enshrouds 
George McDougall's tragic end. We can only restmpon 
the assurance that what we know not now we shall 
know hereafter.* 

* Would it not be a graceful and seemly thing, for those who rev- 
erence the work and memory of George McDougall, to unite in providing 
a plain but enduring monument, to be set up on the spot where his 
body was found?— A. S. 



Motley to Edmonton. 101 

Rejoining the rest of the party we proceeded some 
distance along the valley of Nose Creek, and ulti- 
mately struck the man trail again. During the 
afternoon we passed over some beautiful fertile plains, 
and halted for tea at McPherson's Valley, where we 
found excellent spring water. Barring the lack of 
timber this is a region well worth the attention of 
those who may be looking to this part of the North- 
West as a future home. After tea we drove till well 
on in the night, and camped amidst clouds of mosqui- 
toes. A vigorous " smudging " afforded relief, however, 
and we slept in comparative peace. 

Our first stage on the following morning took us 
over the roughest piece of road we had yet travelled. 
The soil was evidently of first-class quality, but we 
were beginning to find out that the better the soil the 
worse the road. The jolting was simply awful, and as 
my waggon had exceptionally long and good springs, 
it seemed every few moments as if I would be shot 
* onward and upward " like a stone from a catapult. 
That my vertebra was doomed to be shortened by a 
couple of inches seemed a foregone conclusion ; and 
matters reached a climax when one of the springs, 
which had stood the roughest jolting, snapped when 
we were driving over a comparatively smooth piece of 
road. Fortunately we were near the halting-place at 
the "Lone Pine," and after dinner the McDougalls, 
with a stick of dry poplar and a piece of shaganappi, 
put all to rights. 

We had now passed the treeless region, and hence* 



102 A Summer in Prairu-Land. 

forth clumps of willow and groves of spruce and 
poplar were not uncommon. About the middle of the 
afternoon we rested for a while near a small lake, 
where we bagged a couple of ducks and half-a-dozen 
prairie chickens — a welcome addition to the larder. 
The ducks were shot by Myschees, who borrowed a 
double-barreled breech-loader from one of the party in 
order to try his luck. Now, Myschees is not reckoned 
much of a hunter among his own people ; but when 
bringing in his game he said : " Anybody could be a 
hunter with a gun like that. You have only to point 
it toward the ducks, and you are sure to hit some." 
After tea another stage brought us to the banks of Elk 
River, where, amid the shadows of evening, we pitched 
our tents. The country through which we had passed 
was rich and varied, the growth of pea-vines being 
unusually abundant. 

The Sabbath rest, welcome anywhere, is doubly so 
on the prairie. When the morning sun lights up the 
tent, it is so delightful to feel that there is one day on 
which you can be free from the fatigue and monotony 
of travel — a day whose hours can be spent in needed 
rest and profitable meditation ; and when, though 
hundreds of miles from human habitation, you feel 
that you can join with "the general assembly and 
Church of the first-born" in those acts of worship that 
lifts the soul above the world and time, and bring it 
near to the gates of Heaven. The very isolation seems 
to intensify the feeling of devotion, and the sense of 
utter dependence upon God becomes a felt reality. And 



Morley to Edmonton. 103 

in truth God himself seems nearer in these solitudes 
than " in the city full," for here is nothing to divert 
the attention or distract the mind , and in the brood- 
ing silence the " still small voice " is heard more clearly 
than amid the din of human activities of the strife of 
human tongues. Family worship, that beautiful Sab- 
bath morning on the banks or Elk River, both re- 
freshed the spiritual man and revived pleasant home 
associations, and was a real preparation for the toils of 
the morrow. 

On Monday morning we broke camp in good time, 
and followed the course of the stream till we reached 
"McDougaU's crossing." At this point the river is 
about 150 yards wide, but at flood must be at least 
200. We could see a boat at the opposite side, tied to 
a tree ; but on trying the ford it was found to be 
practicable, and we crossed quickly and safely without 
aid from the boat. On the bank of the river we found 
a note attached to a stick, which proved to be from 
Messrs. Qlass and Youmans, saying they had crossed 
safely on the 3rd of August, and had gone forward on 
the morning of the 4th. Resuming our journey, we 
drove for some time through groves of poplar and 
willow for about ten miles, when we forded Blind 
Man's River, and halted on the bank for dinner. Our 
second stage took us to Wolf Creek Valley, and our 
third to Battle River, which we crossed, and three 
miles farther on camped for the night. The country 
through which we passed during the day appeared 
rich and well suited for agriculture, while the water 



104 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

was good and plentiful, and the timber amply sufficient 
for fencing and building purposes. 

Our first stage on Tuesday morning took us about 
20 miles, and within a short distant of the point where 
the trail to Woodville diverges from the one we were 
following. Bro. McDougall and I had arranged to 
accompany Mr. Nelson to Woodville, but just at the 
point where the trails met we found a tent of Crees, 
who told us the Indians had all gone from Woodville 
to Edmonton to receive their tireaty payments, and 
that we would find many of them camped a little 
farther on. Desiring further information, we drove 
on, and soon reached a Government Instruction Farm, 
in charge of a Mr. Lucas, near which were a number 
of Indian tents. Here the information we had re- 
ceived from the Crees was confirmed, with the" addi- 
tional information that the trail to Woodville was all 
but impassable, owing to heavy and long-continued 
rains. We were also told that the Interpreter from 
Woodville, D. Whitford, had passed on the way to 
Edmonton about two hours before. As it was useless 
to visit the place while the people were all away, it 
was decided that Mr. Nelson should camp were he 
wa$, fcnd await the return of Whitford, who would 
help him in to Woodville. 

We had proceeded but a short distance further, when 
I saw a strange looking specimen of humanity coming 
to meet us : 

"McDougall," I said, "who is that queer looking 
mortal ? " 



Mar ley to Edmonton. 105 

" I declare/' he answered, looking up, " that is old 
Grasshopper ! " 

" Well," said I, " if he's a fair sample of the genus, 
as found in this country, I don't wonder the people 
dread their appearance. But who is old Qrasshopper, 
anyway ? " 

" An old conjuror, of some note among the Crees in 
his day," was the reply; "and I don't think he is 
much better yet. But he's coming to see us, and you 
had better speak to him, or he will feel slighted." 

By this time the old man had come up. He gave 
McDougall a friendly greeting, after which I held out 
my hand and said : 

" How are you, my friend ? I'm glad to see you." 

Whereupon a contortion, which doubtless was in- 
tended for a smile, passed over the old man's face as 
. he answered : 

" Ne duh-duh me non, a-woh-buh-me-don ne no-ta 
we-tas-ke-mow kah-ke-gow ah-gah-yash-ewh ! " 

Of course I didn't know what he meant, but that 
was what he said. However, as he had an ugly-look- 
ing scalping knife in his belt, I thought I might as 
well keep on the safe side, and merely remarked : 

"Mr. Qrasshopper, those are my sentiments to a 
hair ! " 

When we had driven on a few paces, I said to Mc- 
Dougall : 

" What did the old fellow say, anyway ? " 

" Well," said McDougall, laughing, " he said — ' I 
am very glad to see you ; and I want to be friendly 
with all the Queen's white men." 



106 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

It was evident that the old man knew there was 
" a difference in people." 

A few minutes after, we reached a couple of Indian 
tents by the wayside. As we were about passing, two 
Indian women came out and walked quickly toward 
us. One of them, with evident emotion, spoke a few 
words rapidly in Cree. McDougall replied in the same 
tongue, and for a few moments they conversed to- 
gether. When we resumed our journey, I turned to 
my companion and asked — 

" What did that woman say ? She seemed to be . 
deeply moved." 

" Yes," he answered, " she was moved. She was a 
member of our church at Pigeon Lake, when I was 
there ; but for some years they have been almost 
entirely without a Missionary, and what she said just 
now was — 'I thank the Qreat Spirit that I see the 
face of a Missionary again.' " 

Proceeding on our way, we crossed Big Stone and 
Pipe Stone Creeks, and about ten miles farther on 
overtook Messrs. Glass and Youmans, camped on 
Boggy Plain. Only those who have experienced the 
isolation and loneliness of prairie travel can realize 
how glad they were to meet us again. They received 
us with a shout of welcome, and we spent an hour in 
talking over our varied experiences since we parted 
two weeks before. 

On Wednesday morning we drove to White Mud 
River, but found the ford too deep for safe crossing, 
and turned down the stream vfor about two miles 



Mar ley to Edmonton. 107 

the trail leading, for most of the distance, through a 
bad swamp. Coming a second time to the river's 
bank, we found a bridge composed of poles and brush, 
and by careful management got the team safely over, 
though how the horses managed it without breaking 
their legs I shall never be able to explain. The route 
for a few miles farther lay through a succession of 
swamps, where the travelling was very laborious. We 
passed many Indians on their way to Edmonton. A 
few had horses, but the greater part were travelling on 
foot, while a few had dogs laden with s blankets and 
camp-kettles, trudging patiently behind their masters. 
Farther on we passed several cultivated fields, .belong- 
ing to Indians, showing that some of them are begin- 
ning to settle down as tillers of the soiL Soon our 
eyes were gladdened by a sight of the telegraph line 
which follows the proposed route of the Canada 
Pacific Railway ; and at 4 p.m. we found ourselves on 
the bank of the North Saskatchewan, with Fort Ed- 
monton in full view on the opposite side. One of the 
Company's inland boats was obtained ; two waggons, 
loads and all, were put on board ; and, propelled by 
strong arms, the boat was soon at the landing-place. 
Our horses had to swim the river, a feat which they 
successfully accomplished, although the distance was 
considerable and the current pretty strong. Half an 
hour later we were kindly received at the hospitable 
home of R. Hardisty, Esq., the gentlemanly Chief 
Factor of the Hudson Bay Company in the Upper 
Saskatchewan District. 



EDMONTON TO VICTORIA. 

\ ORT Edmonton occupies a beautiful and 
commanding site on the north bank of the 
Saskatchewan River, more than 200 miles 
below the Roeky Mountains. The most pro- 
minent object on the high bank is the Fort 
of the Hon. Hudson Bay Company, — a large 
rectangular space, enclosed by a lofty stockade, within 
which are the stores, shops, offices, &e„ of the Company, 
It is founded as a trading-post more than a hundred 
years ago, and was for a king time one of the most 
important in the North-West, being the distributing 
depot for all points north, west, and south. Though 
not doing the enormous business it once did, it is still a 
place of considerable importance, and is destined, I 
think, to be one of the leading centres when the North- 
West is peopled. The soil of the surrounding country 
is of excellent quality and exceedingly productive, and 
the seasons, as a rule, are favorable to the growth of 
oth roots and cereals. There is a settlement extend- 



Edmonton to Victoria. 109 

ing for several miles along the river, and considerable 
quantities of wheat and other grains are raised by the 
settlers. Since my visit there I have learned that a 
steam thresher has been brought into the neighbor- 
hood, and found full employment during the autumn. 
Two large mills were erected during the summer, one 
by the H. B. Company, the other (with a saw and 
shingle mill attached) by a private firm. There are 
no less than eight stores in the neighborhood, holding 
in the aggregate, a large amount of goods, and ap- 
parently driving a brisk trade. Large seams of coal 
of fair quality, crop out of the bank not far from the 
Fort, and can be taken out with great ease. The land 
in this region is not yet surveyed, and this, of course, 
retards settlement; but it is said that eighty new 
settlers went in during the summer of 1880. The 
course of the Pacific Railway will, doubtless, shape the 
destiny of many places in the North-West, but should 
it cross the Saskatchewan at Edmonton, or near there, 
the latter will yet be a place of great importance. 

For many years Edmonton has appeared upon the 
list of Mission Stations of the Methodist Church ; but 
until within a dozen years it was merely a kind of 
headquarters to which the missionaries resorted at 
intervals for supplies, or to obtain occasional tidings 
from the outside world. It was not till 1871 that build- 
ings were erected, and the place became a mission in 
fact as well as in name. This work was accomplished 
through the indefatigable labors of Geo. McDougall, 
who succeeded in enlisting the co-operation of many 



no A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

residents of the place. In the mission house I saw a 
book containing a list of subscriptions that would do 
credit to many a wealthy neighborhood in Ontario. 
The cost of building at that time was very high, but 
the only expense to the Missionary Society was a 
single grant of $400. The premises occupy a beautiful 
site, half a mile below the Fort, and consist of a 
church, weather-boarded and painted outside and neatly 
finished inside ; a comfortable Mission house, a stable, 
and, surrounding all, a large garden, with a field or 
two adjoining. 

On Sunday, three services were held. I preached, 
morning and evening, to a congregation numbering 
over fifty, who listened with attention and with seem- 
ing interest. In the afternoon Bro. McDougall 
preached in Cree to a congregation composed chiefly 
of Indians and half-breeds, nearly all of whom seemed 
attentive to the word. One great hindrance to tfce 
spread of religion in the North- West is the general 
disregard of the Sabbath by white men, and this is es- 
pecially conspicuous in the case of the Mounted Police 
and Government Agents, who frequently seem to choose 
Sunday in preference to other days, to set out on 
journeys ; and this when a start on Monday would 
answer their purpose equally as well. This has a bad 
effect on the Indians, and greatly retards efforts for 
their instruction and enlightenment. 

The few days of comparative rest enjoyed at Ed- 
monton were very acceptable ; but a long journey 
was yet before us, and our stay could not be prolonged. 



Edmonton to Victoria. 1 1 1 

We found it necessary, however, to make some change 

in our travelling arrangements. Persons who had just 

arrived at Edmonton from below, reported the roads in 

the direction of Victoria as very bad, and the streams 

to be crossed both high and dangerous ; while our 

horses which we had driven all the way from Fort 

Benton, were beginning to show the effects of hard 

work. But Providence favored us. On the Friday 

the Company's Steamer Lily reached the landing on 

her upward trip, and it was announced she would 

leave again the next day. Aftea a brief consultation 

I sold one of my horses, put the other two with the 

waggon on board the steamer, and sent them off down 

the river to Fort Carlton, a distance of over 400 miles 

by the trail, but following the windings of the river, a 

distance of over 700. The temptation to accompany 

i them was very great ; but several points in the Sas- 

| katchewan District had yet to be visited, and I dared 

I not think of home. The Saturday's mail brought me 

k the first letter I had received since leaving Toronto 

4 eight weeks before ; and though it was written only 

£ three days after my departure, it brought up home 

t associations so vividly that it required no small 

< amount of resolution to let the steamer depart without 

' tne. But at length she steamed away, and I turned 

to my work. 

Our horses being gone, some other mode of travel 
Iiad to be devised. Of course, we had foreseen this, 
«nd made our arrangements accordingly. From Mr. 
Hardisty we obtained a large flat-bottomed boat, into 



112 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

which we put harness, camping utensils, tent, provis- 
ions, &c, and prepared to boat down the river, a dis- 
tance of some 700 miles. Bro. J. McDougall, Mr. 
Warren, the Indian lad Myschees, and myself, consti- 
tuted the crew. Shortly after noon on Monday we 
were ready. Some of our kind friends accompanied 
us to the landing, and with a cordial good-bye we 
pushed off, and went floating down the stream. Soon 
the last tokens of settlement or civilization disap- 
peared from view, and the lonely part of this strange 
journey was fairly begun. To float with the current, 
with a bright sky overhead, was pleasant enough; 
but that rate of speed would not answer, so there was 
nothing for it but to take to the oars. The boat was 
heavy and the oars were long, and rowing even with 
the current in our favor was no joke ; while rowing 
against a strong head-wind, which was a common 
occurrence, was so much like a day's work with a 
buck-saw that no one but an expert could have told 
the difference, and I imagine he would have considered 
the difference to be in favor of the buck-saw. Re- 
garded as a mere amusement this sort of travelling is 
not a success, — it is difficult to see just where the 
laugh comes in ; but as a cure for dyspepsia and loss 
of appetite, it may be relied upon with tolerable cer- 
tainty. 

About twenty miles below Edmonton is Fort Sas- 
katchewan, a post of the Mounted Police. We pur- 
posed making a short stay at this point as we heard 
that a Methodist family from Ontario had settled in the 



Edmonton to Victoria. l\% 

neighborhood; but our progress was delayed by a 
heavy thunderstorm that came up during the latter 
part of the afternoon. A strong wind blew up the 
river, and the rain descended in torrents for nearly an 
hour. We tried to provide a little shelter by throwing 
the waggon-sheet over a horizontal pole, but the rain 
was so copious that it seemed to go through every- 
thing, and drenched the crew pretty thoroughly. The 
storm delayed us over an hour, so that it was after 
dark when we reached Fort Saskatchewan, and as we 
had no way-marks to guide us to the house we wanted 
to find, we did not attempt to land, but continued our 
course down the stream. 

As we could not spare time to camp on shore 
arrangements had been made to sleep on board. Some 
rugs, &c, were spread on the bottom of the boat, on 
which we curled ourselves up — there was hardly room 
to stretch — and letting the boat drift with the current, 
went to sleep. In this part of the Saskatchewan 
boulders are pretty numerous, and it was arranged 
that Myschees should keep watch during the middle of 
the night, lest we should run on a rock. About mid- 
night I awoke, and heard the roar of water dashing 
over boulders some distance below. I looked round for 
Myschees, and there he was propped against a roll of 
bedding sleeping most serenely. I spoke in an under- 
tone to McDougall, who woke on the instant and 
seizing one of the long oars managed with a few 
strokes to turn us out of the course of a large boulder, 
that came to the surface right in the middle of the 
8 



114 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

stream. This danger past, we lay down again, and 
nothing more occurred during the night to disturb our 
slumbers. 

Next day the weather was pleasant, and as a fair 
wind was blowing down the river, the waggon-sheet 
was transformed into a sail, which greatly aided our 
progress, and relieved us from the fatigue of rowing. 
During the day a small flock of wild geese were seen 
in the bend of the river, and after several unsuccessful 
attempts I managed to bag one. About 3 p.m. we 
reached Victoria, and were kindly received by the 
Rev. J. A. McLachlen and his estimable wife. The 
garden attached to the Mission house showed some- 
thing of the capabilities of the soil. Potatoes, peas, 
beans, carrots, cabbages, tomatoes, &c, were thriving 
apace, while beds of pansies, and other favorites, 
showed Mrs. McLachlen's care, and gave a delightful 
home-look to the surroundings. 

This Mission, too, is a creation of the McDougalls. 
When George McDougall first visited the country m 
1862, he found Mr. Woolsey at Smoking Lake, some 
30 miles north from the river, where he had just 
erected a little cabin, and proposed to locate a Mission. 
Bro. McDougall was convinced that a spot on the bank 
of the river was a much better location, and resolved 
to begin a mission there, though strongly dissuaded by 
others on the ground that the place selected was right 
in the war-path of the Blackfeet. Tn the meantime 
John McDougall had gone to visit some other points, 
and on his return, father and son were to consult 
about the work to be done ; but the H. B. boa vJ 



Edmonton to Victoria. 115 

coming down the river, the father had to leave, and 
when John reached the spot he found merely a stick 
with a piece of paper attached containing the brief and 
Spartan-like message — " Good-bye, my son ; do your 
duty, and God will bless you." It was a trying situa- 
tion for a young man not yet out of his teens, to be 
thrown on his own resources, more than a thousand 
miles from friends and home, alone in a vast wilder- 
ness, and surrounded on all sides by savage Indians ; 
but after the first burst of uncontrollable emotion, he 
went bravely to work to assist Mr. Woolsey, while Mr. 
Steinhauer came from Whitefish Lake, sixty miles 
away, to render further aid; and when George 
McDougall returned from Norway House with his 
family the following summer, he found a Mission house 
well on toward completion, and a good deal of material 
ready for a church. As in other cases the lumber had 
all to be cut by hand. But here a heavy loss befell the 
party. Part of the logs and timber had been prepared 
about six miles up the river, and were all ready for 
rafting, when a prairie fire seized upon and consumed 
the whole, and the work had to be done over again. 

From 1863, Victoria has continued on the list of 
Methodist missions, and for several years flourished 
greatly. At one time there were no less than six 
classes, two composed of Indians, the others of whites 
and half-breeds. Since then, however, owing to fre- 
quent changes, vacancies and unsuitable appointments, 
the cause languished; but is now reviving. Bro. 
McLachlen and his wife are doing well, and getting a 
firm hold upon the people, who were much alarmed 



1 1 6 A Summer in Pratrte-Land. 

when a rumor got abroad among them that their 
Missionary was likely to be removed. 

The establishment of a Mission at Victoria was the 
signal for others to come on the ground The 
H. B. Company built a trading-post of considerable 
extent, and a number of half-breed families from Bed 
River came up and made their homes in the immedi- 
ate neighborhood. The site is a good one, and 
Victoria may be a place of importance in the future. 
The Mission premises consist of a house and barn, and 
a small church, which in the past was also used as a 
school-house. In addition to the garden there used 
to be a large field or two enclosed and cultivated ; but 
the fences have fallen down or been carried away, and 
now there is but an open common. It is painful to 
witness these signs of neglect in connection with a Mis- 
sion upon which so much has been expended ; but I 
have good hopes that in this respect also there will 
now be a change for the better. We were sadly re- 
minded of the trials of former missionaries at this place 
by seeing in the Mission-house garden the graves of the 
wife and two sisters of John McDougall, who fell 
victims to the terrible scourge of small-pox when last 
it swept through that country. What, added to the 
painfulness of the bereavement was the fact that Bro. 
McDougall was absent from home when his wife died. 
He had been away on a Missionary tour as far as 
Pigeon Lake,and had reached Edmonton on his return; 
but just as he entered the Fort by one gateway, a 
messenger entered by the other, bringing the sad 
tidings that his wife had passed away. 





XII. 

VICTORIA TO WHITEFISH LAKE AND 

BACK. 

N Wednesday, August 18th, I set out, in 
company with Bros. McDougall and Mc- 
Lachlen, to visit Whitefish Lake, a Mission 
station sixty miles north-east from Vic- 
toria. On this route we noticed a consider- 
able change in both timber and soil. Poplar 
bluffs, growing on rich black soil, were still the main 
feature, but in some places we passed through exten- 
sive groves of cypress pine, where the soil was a light 
sand, unfit for general cultivation, but producing vast 
quantities of cranberries, the bright scarlet fruit and 
glossy leaves covering the ground in many places like 
a variegated carpet. Rolling hills alternated with 
level stretches of low ground, covered with willow, 
while in other places the trail crossed extensive hay- 
swamps, where the water for a long distance together 
came up to the bellies of the horses. The country is well 
watered with running streams, and if it will only ad- 



1 1 8 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

mit of drainage in the lower portions, may yet possess 
considerable value. 

For weeks past heavy showers had been frequent, 
a very unusual circumstance at this season of the year. 
As a consequence we found the trail bad in places, and 
some of the streams difficult to cross ; but by dint of 
perseverence we made fair progress, and camped at 
night on a grassy knoll, near a running stream. The 
sky was covered with heavy clouds and the rain came 
down at intervals, giving the surroundings a sombre 
appearance. To go off through the long wet grass to 
the nearest willow copse in search of dead wood for 
our fire, was not a very agreeable task ; but when the 
fire got headway, and we sat in its glow, beneath our 
tent, discussing a liberal supply of bacon and potatoes, 
washed down with a cup of steaming tea, things began 
to look brighter, and we concluded there might be 
worse circumstances in life than camping on the prairie, 
although in the midst of a pouring rain. 

Next day the weather was better, but the roads 
were none of the best. Just before halting for dinner 
we passed through an extensive hay-swamp. The grass 
was very tall and rank, and the water in some places 
came above the bottom of our buckboard. It was evi- 
dent the rains had been excessive, for in many places 
where stacks of hay had stood on dry ground last 
summer, there was now from one to two feet of water. 
In fact the Indians and others have been obliged this 
season to get their supply of hay from the hillsides 
and higher levels, the amount of water in the swamps 



Victoria to White fish Lake and Back. 119 

rendering work there impossible. In these hay-swamps 
wild ducks are very abundant. To shoot them is easy, 
but to get them out afterwards is another thing. 

Early in the afternoon we came in sight of Goodfish 
Lake, and soon after reached the outskirts of the set- 
tlement to which we were going. Indian houses and 
fields could be seen in various directions, indicating 
a good degree of civilization, and showing what can be 
accomplished by faithful missionary effort even in a 
few years. When near the Mission we passed by as fine 
a herd of cattle, belonging to the Indians, as one need 
wish to see. About four p.m. we reached the Mission 
house, and were welcomed by Bro. Steinhauer, the 
Missionary in charge. As the Mission and settlement 
have grownup entirely under his labors, some account 
of the man will not be out of place. 

The Rev. H. B. Steinhauer is an Ojebway Indian, 
having been born near Rama about 1820. About 
this time Elder Case began his apostolic work among 
the native tribes. In pursuit of his benevolent de- 
sign he visited many places in the United States, * 
Philadelphia among the rest, where a family named 
Steinhauer resided. They became deeply interested 
in Case's work among the Indians in Canada, and 
having lost by death a little boy of their own, 
to whom they were much attached, they authorized 
Mr. Case to pick out a promising Indian youth, and 
have him educated at their expense. In 1828 a great 
awakening took place among the Indians, and the 



Victoria to Whtefish Lake and Back. 121 

same year 133 were baptized at Holland Landing, 
among whom was the subject of this sketch, who 
received the name of Henry Steinhauer, after the 
gentleman already referred to. The following year 
Mr. Case took young Henry to the school he had 
established at Grape Island; he also took him, in 
company with young Allan Salt, and several other 
Indian youths, on a tout through parts of the United 
States, where, by singing at Missionary Meetings, 
they excited a great deal of interest. 

After remaining a year or two at Grape Island, 
young Steinhauer was sent to Cazenovia Seminary, 
where he remained three years, making commendable 
progress in his studies. He then returned to Canada 
and taught school for two years at the Credit Mission. 
Subsequently, he spent some time with his mother at 
Lake Simcoe, and in 1835 went to Upper Canada 
Academy, which he left the following year to teach 
school at the Alderville Mission. In the spring of 
1840 he left Alderville to accompany the Rev. James 
Evans to the North- West, but was left by that devoted 
Missionary at Lac la Pluie, as Interpreter to the Rev. 
W. Mason, who had been sent to that point by the 
English Society. Bro. Steinhauer continued in this 
capacity for several years and then, by Mr. Elans' 
instructions, he went on to Norway House, where he 
served as Teacher and Interpreter till the year 1850. 
He was next sent to Oxford House to begin a Mission, 
where he spent four years, and then came back to 
Norway House to take temporary charge of the 



122 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

Mission, where he spent four years, the Rev. Mr. Mason 
having gone over to the Church of England. He 
remained at his post till the arrival of the Rev. Thoe. 
Hurlburt in the autumn of the same year, the Rev. 
Mr. Brooking being appointed at the same time to 
Oxford House. 

During the summer of 1854 the Rev. John Ryerson 
visited the Missions in the Hudson Bay Territory. 
He took Bro. Steinhauer with him to York Factory, 
from which point they sailed in a Company's ship to 
England, reaching that country in October. Leaving 
again in December, they reached Canada before 
Christmas. 

At the London Conference of 1855 Bro. Steinhauer 
was ordained, and sent, with the Rev. Thomas Woolsey, 
to the far North-West, to carry on the work that 
Rundle had begun. Woolsey made Edmonton his 
head-quarters, while Steinhauer went to Lac la Biche- 
He remained there till June, 1857, when he went to 
Whitefish Lake, and pitched his tent where the 
school-house of the Mission now stands. Here he has 
since remained, working with a cheering measure of 
success. He has gathered around him a community of 
Christian Indians, of the Cree nation, whose conversion 
and subsequent lives have been a signal proof of the 
power of the Gospel. During the twenty-three yean 
that have elapsed since the founding of the Mission, 
many have died in the faith of Christ, and many now 
living are witnesses of his saving power. Bro. Stein- 
hauer also led the way in civilization, showing the 



1 24 A Summer m Prmru-LuuuL 

how to braid houses, and enclose and cultivate 



fold*. 

In another matter Bro. Stemhaner has rendered 
signal nervier to the eaose of God among the Cree& 
When the Rev. James Evans went to the North-West, 
in 1840, he was already meditating the possibility of 
reducing the Cree tongue to writing. In this he suc- 
ceeded, by inventing what is known As the Syllabic 
Characters : a system so wonderfully simple and adapted 
to the tongue, that an Indian of fair intelligence can, by 
two or three days 9 application, read in his own tongue 
the Word of God. Mr. Evans not only invented the 
characters but cut the first type in which an attempt 
was made to print them. Soon after, the work of 
translating the Scriptures began, and it was in this work 
that Bro. Steinhauer rendered efficient service in con- 
junction with John Sinclair, a half-breed, afterwards 
<mi ployed as a Native Assistant at Oxford House. 
Mr. Sinclair translated the Old Testament as far as the 
end of Job, also the Gospels and Acts ; while Mr. 
Htoinhauor translated from the beginning of the 
Psalm h to the end of the Old Testament, and from the 
boginning of Romans to the end of the New. 

Tho MS. of these translations was entrusted to the 
Rev. Mr. Mason, who was now a Missionary of the 
( -hurch of England at York Factory. He took it to 
England, whero the work of printing was undertaken 
by tho British and Foreign Bible Society. When the 
work was passing through the press, Mr. Mason, with 
characteristic modesty but very questionable morality, 



Victoria to White fish Lake and Back. 125 

had his own name printed on the title-page as the 
translator of the work. Subsequently, after the death 
of James Evans, Mason claimed to be the inventor of 
the Syllabic Characters, and within a couple of years 
the writer has seen the claim asserted in his behalf in 
an English paper. 

The Mission premises at Whitefish Lake consist of 
the house in which the Missionary resides, and a build- 
ing used for a school-house and church. The latter 
building had become rather dilapidated, and two or 
three years ago the Indians made preparations to build 
a new church. The walls of the building were erected, 
but they have been unable to finish it, and help from 
some quarter will be indispensable. The buildings 
occupy a site on a rise of ground near the south end 
of the lake, some three or four hundred yards from 
the shore. The lake itself is about twelve miles long 
by four miles wide, and contains an abundant supply 
of whitefish of superior quality. Several small fields 
adjoining the Mission are well cultivated, and the 
garden gave very satisfactory evidence of the fertility 
of the soil. About half of the latter enclosure was 
sown with grain, which at the time of my visit was 
heading out. The Missionary asked me if I knew 
what it was. " Well," I said, " it is either wheat, or 
oats, or b&rley ; I can't tell which, as there seems to 
be about an equal quantity of each, not counting the 
weeds, which are very abundant." " Just so," said he \ 
" and yet that field was sown with some of the Gov- 



126 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

eminent seed that was supplied to the Indians last 
year." 

Who wouldn't be a contractor for Indian supplies ? 

On Friday morning we held a meeting in the little 
Mission Church, which was well filled, although the 
day was wet Bro. McDougall opened the service, and 
afterwards I gave an address, McD. interpreting. As 
this was the only opportunity I was likely to have, I 
gave a general address, mingling counsel and exhorta- 
tion. The meeting was then thrown open, and an 
opportunity given to those present to say what they 
wished. After a brief pause, 

O-MUSH-KA-GO (B. Sinclair) said: " Sometimes I for- 
get what I want to say; but one thing I can't forget — 
what the Gospel has done for me. And since I received 
it I have been willing to help in any way, even sweep- 
ing the house of the Lord. Missionaries sent me into 
this country, and I helped them as I could ; and when 
this Mission was established I resolved to settle here. 
I was very glad when Bro. Steinhauer came, and I 
have remained here ever since. In the absence of the 
Missionary, I have tried to tell the people what I 
know of the Gospel. Many of the fathers heard the 
Word, and some did not; but many of those who heard 
have since died happy in the Lord. Now that our 
Missionary is going away for a time, I will gladly do 
what I can. I am thankful for the interest which the 
people in Canada feel in us." 

Moi-gah-dish (Nathaniel Leg): "I am thankful to- 
day for what you have told us about the feelings of 



Victoria to Whitefish Lake and Back. 127 

the friends in the East. I know the Lord listens to 
prayer ; He has heard prayer for me. We were many 
brothers — now all are dead but two; but the Lord 
heard ^prayer and comforted us in sorrow. I am glad 
to hear that friends pray for us, and I send greetings 
to them, although-! may never see them. Tell Bro. 
Campbell that I remember him, and that I received 
good from his Ministry. Another thing : these houses 
[Mission house and church] were built by Mr. Stein- 
hauer ; but he is getting old. We see the need of a 
new church. We have the walls of one up. Where 
do we look for help to finish it ? To our friends in the 
East." 

Ko-pwe-we-yat (Samuel Jackson): "I am very 
thankful for the religion of Jesus Christ. I was as 
those you told us about — had no knowledge of God. 
But when the Missionaries came I heard the Word, 
and got more and more light; and now I am trying to 
do what you told us— hold fast to Jesus Christ. I am 
glad the Gospel came to us and told us it was not the 
will of God that any should perish. I am trying to 
live for this, that I may serve God here and go to Him 
when I die. I am very glad to hear of so many kind 
friends in the East who are trying to serve God ; and 
I feel that they are my friends. I hope to meet you 
at last in the Great Kingdom." 

Peteb Apon : " If we were met to talk about any- 
thing else, I would say nothing ; but when it is about 
what the Gospel has done, I can speak out about what 
Jesus has done for me. As you told us, I want to hold 



128 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

fast One reason I know how good religion is, I 
have had much trouble, and it has comforted and sus- 
tained me. When I meet a Missionary, I feel at once 
— here is my friend. It is my strong desire to follow 
the teachings of Jesus Christ." 

Chief Buh-canjx : "Others have been talking about 
religion ; here am I also. Why should I sit still ? It 
is the Lord's doing. Ever since I can remember I 
have been the friend of the white man; and those many 
friends in your country — I shake hands with them 
from my heart. One thing I would like : in case of 
Mr. Steinhauer or any other Missionary returning, I 
would like he could have a supply of medicines to use 
among the people." 

George: "I want to ask questions. We are scattered 
along Whitefish and Goodfish Lakes. I do not com- 
plain of any one ; but I ask for information. It is a long 
way from this Mission, and we cannot all come hereto 
service, nor our children to school. I thought this 
the time to speak about it. Is it our duty to come ftU 
that way to service ? Mr. Steinhauer is now getting' 
old, and it is hard for him to go to Goodfish Lake to 
give us service." 

Further devotional services now followed, and the 
meeting was brought to a close. After the meeting; 
an incident was related to me, which may be worth ^ 
recording : In the settlement there is a young Indian 
named Adam, a member of a once numerous family- 
He is perhaps 19 years of age, but is too feeble and 
sickly to do anything for his own support. At inter- 



I 



Victoria to Whitefish Lake and Back. 1 29 

vals daring the last ten years or so, his paother, 
brothers, and sisters have been successively removed 
by death; and a few weeks before I visited the place, 
his father also passed away. Speaking of his lonely 
condition after his father's death, he said : " I was 
sitting alone one day, thinking of all the trouble I had 
passed through, and how very sad it was to be left all 
&Ione, sick and poor. But as I was thinking, it seemed 
to me the door opened. I looked up, and there stood 
the most beautiful person I had ever seen. He stood 
a Uttle while looking at me with great pity and ten- 
derness, and then said : ' My child don't be so sad, 
because your friends are gone. Years ago I came and 
took your mother; then after that I took your bro- 
thers and sisters, one by one ; last of all I took your 
father; and if you are faithful to me a little longer I 
*dl come for you also, and take you to my beautiful 
h°flae, where your father and mother and brothers and 
^ters are all gathered, and there will be no more 
* u **ger or sorrow or sickness or loneliness, forever/ 
^**en I looked again," said Adam, " the stranger was 
»*• ; but my so^ow was gone also, and now I don't 
e ^l sad or lonely any more." " But," says some in- 
Cr ^dulous reader, " the poor lad was only dreaming." 
* ^*haps so ; but, hearing his story, I could not but 
*^peat softly the Masters words : "Thou hast hid these 
things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed 
^em unto babes." 

Shortly after noon on Friday, we left Whitefish 
I<ake, accompanied by Bro. Steinhauer, who is going 



1 30 A Summer in Prairie- Land, 

to Ontario for a season. The weather was rather 
better than on the outward trip, but there was the 
same amount of mud and water to go through. As we 
were crossing one of the hay swamps already men- 
tioned, we passed through what had been the enclosure 
of a hay stack ; but the water now covered the spot to 
a depth of some two -and- a- half feet. Just at the 
deepest place, a projecting rail caught in the spokes of 
our buckboard, and brought us to a dead halt. Now, 
when a horse is stopped in deep mud or water, he gen- 
erally manifests a perverse disposition to lie down; 
and our horses, or one of them, were no exception to 
the rule. But a lie down at that point would pro- 
bably have involved a break of some kind, and the 
necessity of jumping, waist deep, into a pond of vil- 
lainous-smelling slush, at a distance of several hundred 
yards from the nearest firm ground, and to this we 
were not disposed to submit without a struggle. I 
accordingly devoted my attention to the horse, and 
managed, by a vigorous use of reins and whip, to keep 
him on his feet, while McDougall seized a hatchet, and 
by a few well-directed blows cut the rail in two and 
set us free. A drive of some twenty-five miles used 
up the available daylight, and we camped for the 
night. The next day, about 4 p.m., we reached Vic- 
toria, and again took up our quarters at the mission 
house. 

On Sunday we held two services. I preached in 
the morning to an attentive congregation, and in the 
afternoon McDougall preached in Cree to a well-filled 



Victoria to White fish Lake and &ack. 131 

use. During our stay the accounts we had heard at 
Imonton about the state of the roads between that 
int and Victoria were confirmed. The Rev. Dr. 
ewton, Episcopalian minister, arrived on Friday, and 
ported that in crossing Sucker Creek he and his 
►rse barely escaped with their lives. And this is the 
nd of travelling that missionaries and others in the 
orth-West experience almost continually. 




BOATING DOWN THE SASKATCH- 
EWAN. 

& N Monday, August 23rd, we prepared to bid 
farewell to our friends at Victoria. It took 
some time to get our effects carried down 
the bank to the river, and stowed away in 
the boat. As McDougall must now leave us 
to return to liis work at Morley, and the rest 
of us knew nothing of the route toward Winnipeg, a 
guide became indispensable. After some enquiry I 
engaged an old H. B. freighter and steersman — Sam 
Favel, to wit — who proved a valuable help on the 
journey. Having several children at Red River, he 
was the more willing to go, and for his board and a 
moderate compensation, agreed to make the through 
trip. At a quarter-past two everything was in readi- 
ness, and our friends came down to the bank to see us 
off. Our party had been steadidly thinning out at 
various points, and now we were to part from Bro. Mc- 
Dougall, upon whom we had relied in every emergency 



Boating Down the Saskatchewan. 133 

during the journey. Before us lay a distance of 
some 600 miles down what was to us an unknown 
river, and after that, 600 miles more before we would 
reach railway communication, or hear from those we 
had left at home. From this point it devolved upon 
me to command the little expedition; and there is all 
the difference imaginable between following the lead of 
some one familiar with the country and the modes of 
travel, and having to shoulder the responsibility and 
decide every point yourself. Once more the thought 
of the isolation to which many of our mission families 
are subjected came forcibly to my mind, and I could 
better appreciate the strength of purpose which holds 
them faithful to their work. A little over a year ago, 
Mrs. McLachlen had gone out to Victoria a bride, with 
no white woman within eighty miles of the station. 
As she stood on the river bank watching our prepara- 
tions for departure, she knew we were going almost to 
the very home of her childhood, and I doubt not the 
yearning must have been strong in her heart for 
an opportunity to see her friends again ; but no word 
betrayed the desire, and only a tear-dimmed eye told 
that the feeling was there. 

At last all things were ready. Warren, Steinhauer, 
and the guide were in the boat. I stood a moment 
longer on the shore, while in few but earnest words we 
commended each other " to Qod and to the word of His 
grace." Then with a cordial grasp of the hand, and 
\ mutual " Qod bless you ! " we pushed out into the 
stream. For a while we let the boat drift with the 



1 34 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

current, and sat looking back at our friends on the 
shore ; but in a little while a bend of the river hid 
them from our view, and we felt we were fairly on the 
way. There was no longer sight or sound of human 
habitation. The great Saskatchewan was beneath us, 
its wooded banks on either hand, a strip of blue sky 
overhead, and that was all. 

Before leaving Victoria we made enquiry about the 
river and were informed that, with the exception of 
" Crooked Rapid," about forty miles farther down, and 
numerous sand-bars at intervals, we were not likely 
to meet any serious difficulties in navigating the 
stream. Being anxious to pass the rapid by daylight 
we bent to the oars, and pulled pretty steadily during 
the rest of the afternoon ; but darkness came down 
and the rapid was not yet reached. A faint brfeeze 
was blowing up the river, and as the darkness deep- 
ened, the hoarse roar of the rapid came distinctly to 
our ears. The wooded banks of the river both con- 
veyed and intensified the sound, and made the rapid 
seem stronger than it really was. A good deal, too, 
depends upon the state of the water in the river, the 
current of the rapid being much more broken at some 
seasons than at others. We now consulted as to what 
had better be done. Prudence-— or some other feeling 
— said it would be safer to pull ashore and tie up till 
morning; but in that case some eight hours time would 
be lost, which was a serious consideration. 

" Sam/' I said, addressing the guide, " what do you 
think of it ? " 



Boating Down the Saskatchewan. 135 

' C I think we can manage it, sir/' he answered. "If 
we can only keep clear of a stray boulder or the like, 
there will not be much danger/' 

We could tell, by the quickening of the current, and 
the increasing sound, that we must be near the spot 
In a short time we reached the bend of the river that 
gives name to the rapid. It was now too late to think 
of landing, and down we must go. An anxious gaze 
was bent down the stream, where, between the darkly 
wooded banks, 

" The white-caps dancing through the night, 
Gave to the strained and eager eye 
A wild and shifting light." 

In the faint starlight it was impossible to tell what 
boulders or other dangers might be in the way. But 
there was little time for thought. In a few moments 
we were in the midst of the rapid, where our heavy 
boat danced about like a canoe; but Sam had the 
steering oar, and kept her bow down, and in a very 
short time, though it seemed long to us, we were past 
the rapid, and floating in a quiet current. As we had 
no reason to expect any similar experience again dur- 
ing the night, we prepared to rest, and let the boat 
drift as she would. 

There is a weird solemnity in the surroundings. 
Moonlight there is none, and the stars cast only a faint 
uncertain shimmer on the gliding water. The poplar 
groves come down to the waters' edge, and hem us in 
between walls of impenetrable gloom, 

• 'While, with a sorrowful deep sound, 
The river flows between." 



136 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

Other sound there is none, save when at intervals, 
with startling suddenness, the sepulchral note of a night- 
owl calling to his fellow, or the human-like moan of a 
beaver, echoes across the stream. We are far from 
human habitation ; and unless some wandering Indian 
has pitched his tent among the poplars, and, for aught 
we know, may be peering out of his leafy ambush as 
we go floating by, we are as completely isolated as if 
we were out in the middle of the sea. And yet there 
is something in the very stillness, and in the quiet 
murmur of the waters that soothes like the touch of a 
cool, soft hand upon a fevered brow. We are "near 
to Nature's heart," and the encompassing darkness is 
like the shadow of a brooding wing, beneath which we 
sink peacefully to rest. At daylight next morning we 
were still drifting, and we estimated that since we 
rested from the oars, after running Crooked Rapid, we 
had drifted with the current some five-and-twenty 
miles. 

Shaking ourselves from slumber we took again to 
the oars. On reaching a suitable place, where we saw 
some dead timber on the bank, we landed, kindled a 
fire, and put on the kettle. A few minutes sufficed to 
cook some bacon and prepare a kettle of tea, and then 
jumping into the boat we pushed off, and ate our 
morning meal while floating down the stream. It is 
only by " redeeming the time " in this way that satis- 
factory progress can be made on such a journey. The 
rule is not to travel fast, but to keep at it Soon after 
breakfast a strong wind began to blow up the river, 



Boating Down the Saskatchewan. 137 

and in a short time rain began to fall. We soon found 
that very little head-way could be made, and that our 
best plan would be to camp till the weather cleared. 
Accordingly we pulled ashore, tied up the boat, carried 
tent and other necessaries up a steep bank, and formed 
a camp under the lee of a clump of willows. The 
wind continued with unabated force, and the rain fell 
without intermission throughout the day and the 
following night During the afternoon the temperature 
lowered, and snow mingled with the rain. 

On Wednesday morning, the 25th, it was still rain- 
ing, but towards noon the weather cleared somewhat, 
and after dinner we resumed our voyage, having been 
detained in camp about thirty hours. Showers fell at 
intervals through the afternoon, but the wind abated, 
and we made fair progress. When darkness fell we 
prepared to rest, and allowed the boat to drift as usual 
About the middle of the night I awoke, and lifting 
my head took a survey of the situation. The sky had 
cleared and the stars were shining. I found we had 
entered a current more swift than usual, and I could 
hear a sound ahead that I knew was caused either 
by a pretty strong rapid, or else by the dash of water 
over boulders in the channel. Spriuging up I seized 
an oar, thinking it safest to keep the boat with her 
bow down stream. Peering through the darkness I 
could faintly discern some object ahead, but whether an 
island or a sudden bend in the river, I could not tell. 
The mystery was soon solved. The object was an 
island in the middle of the stream, and before I had 



138 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

time to change my course, the boat struck on the 
gravelly beach with a force that nearly took me off my 
feet, and woke up the rest of the crew in a hurry. 
But no damage had been done ; the boat swung round 
into the channel, and we floated on as before. 

Thursday morning found us still floating down the 
river. The weather continued much the same as the 
previous day,— flying showers at intervals, but the 
breeze still up the stream, which prevented the- use of 
a sail. About 11 a.m. we met the steamer Lily on 
her upward trip. The captain courteously stopped, 
and took on board a parcel and several letters for 
Victoria. The scenery on this part of the Saskatche- 
wan is beautifully park -like,— bluffs of timber, inter- 
spersed with stretches of open prairie, sloping up from 
the river, and often resembling cultivated fields, with 
hedge-rows and small clumps of ornamental shrub- 
bery. About 4 p.m. we reached Fort Pitt, having been 
about 44 hours on the way from Victoria, exclusive 
of the 30 hours spent in camp. Fort Pitt is in charge 
of William McKay, Esq., a thorough citizen of the 
country, having been born at Fort Ellice over half 
a century ago, and never out of the country to this 
day. He received us with much kindness, and in- 
vited us to stay for tea, an invitation which we 
gladly accepted. Mrs McKay has a garden, which 
illustrates the productive powers of the soil of this 
part of the North-West. Cabbages, celery, radishes, 
tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, onions, kale, red pepper, 
corn, etc., etc, showed a luxuriant growth ; while beds 



Boating Down the Saskatchewan. 1 39 

of petunias and portulacca bloomed in masses, with 
great richness of coloring. 

Soon after 6 p.m. we were again at our oars, and in 
two minutes ran on a sand-bar. A little pushing, and 
and a good deal of puffing, got us oft, and we avoided 
any more mishaps of the kind. As the night was 
cloudy, we lay down soon after 8 p.m., and went to 
sleep, letting the current take us whither it would. 
Fortunately the water was high — an unusual thing at 
this season of the year,— and we drifted all night 
without touching a sand-bar or other obstruction. 
When morning broke we were still making progress 
at about four miles an hour ; but we had now become 
so accustomed to this kind of locomotion that we no 
longer considered it necessary to ask, in the language 
of the average political newspaper — " Whither are we 
drifting? " 

August 27. — Pulled ashore early and boiled the 
kettle, and at 7 a.m. resumed the oars. The sky is 
still somewhat cloudy, but there are patches of blue, 
and cheerful glimpses of sunshine, — a pleasing change 
after so many days of rain. During the day we 
passed a number of beautiful islands, most of them 
wooded with poplar or green with willow to the 
water's edge, while occasional clumps of spruce gave 
a pleasing variety to the scene. 

At a poiqt where the river was at least three 
quarters of a mile wide, we were pulling down mid- 
stream, when we noticed a tiny dark object on the 
surface of the water. As we got nearer we saw it was 
alive, and when within a boat's length were astonished 



140 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

to see a little mouse, his tail curved in the air, actually 
swimming in the river! Beaching out a narrow piece 
of board, I lifted him gently and quickly from the 
water and held him aloft. He looked rather astonished 
at first, but quickly adapted himself to circumstances, 
and proceeded to brush his fur and dry himself in the 
sunshine with evident satisfaction. As we neared the 
next point we pulled in shore, and as I reached over 
with the board our little mariner sprang to the bank, 
and scampered away into the grass. 

In this part of the river sand-bars are numerous. 
As we were passing one of these we saw some animal 
moving about in the shoal water, and a nearer view 
showed it to be a badger, resting a little midway of 
the river. Sam having expressed a wish for some 
badger grease for culinary purposes, I took a long shot 
with my Winchester rifle. The bullet struck the 
water just behind the badger, and thinking something 
was after him he plunged into deeper water and began 
swimming toward the boat. A better aim at shorter 
range was more successful, and giving a single plunge 
he went to the bottom like a stone. The water was 
not very deep, but was too muddy for anything to be 
seen at the bottom, so we had to pull on again empty 
handed. 

Passing among some of the islands, signs of beaver 
became numerous. We saw where trees and branches 
had been gnawed off, and well beaten paths ied down 
the banks. Just as it was getting dusk I saw a 
beaver's lodge some distance ahead, and a beaver mov* 
ing in the water close by. We let the boat drift, and 



Boating Dawn the Saskatchewan. 141 

I was just raising the rifle to my shoulder when two 
big fellows, who had been sitting on the lodge among 
the shadows, plunged suddenly into the water. While 
we were watching to see if they would re-appear, I 
glanced down stream, and saw a noble fellow swim- 
ming across, about twenty yards away. I took a 
quick shot, but aimed too well, for the bullet struck 
him in the head and he sank like a stone. We were 
much disappointed at not securing the prize, as our 
stock of meat was getting low 

Drifting at night was now becoming risky, on ac- 
count of the numerous sand-bars. Besides, we did not 
know how near we might be to Battlef ord, and we did 
not want to pass it unawares in the night ; so about 8 
p.m. we tied up to a clump of willows and went to 
sleep. During the night a beaver swam near the boat 
with his peculiar moaning call, but before I could lift 
my rifle he plunged under the water. 

On Saturday, the 28th, we got off at daybreak, and 
pulled against a head-wind, which gradually increased 
till it was almost a gale. This made rowing very 
laborious work; but about 1 p.m. we reached the 
mouth of Battle River, and a pull of two miles against 
the stream, brought us to Battlef ord, the capital of the 
North- West Territory. As it was our invariable cus- 
tom to rest on the Sabbath, we prepared to camp. A 
clear spot was found on the vacant lot of the H. B. Co., 
where we pitched our tent ; our movables were soon 
brought up from the boat, and we got matters into 
shape for the day of rest. During the night rain came 
on again, and continued for most of the next day. 




XIV. 




BATTLEFORD TO PRINCE ALBERT. 

ATTLEFORD is not the handsomest place in 
the world. The natural features of the 
country are good, and the view from the 
hill near the Governor's residence is com- 
manding, but the little town itself is homely 
enough. The buildings — about 15 or 20 in 
number — are log structures, most of them mere shan- 
ties, some with thatch and some with mud roofs, only 
one being shingled, This part of the town is situate 
on a level bottom, on the south side of Battle River, 
and is the centre of a considerable trade. Across the 
stream is the point between the Battle and the Sas- 
katchewan Rivers, a beautiful prairie plateau, lofty 
and dry, upon which is located the police barracks. 
Why this plateau was not selected as the site of the 
town I cannot imagine. It strikes a stranger as im- 
measurably superior to the one chosen. On a hill 
south of the business part of the town are the resi- 
dences of the Governor, the Stipendiary Magistrate, the 



Battlefordto Prince Albert. 143 

Registrar and other public functionaries. These struc- 
tures appear to be well built, and resemble the average 
class of residences in Ontario towns. 

The population of Battleford is about 300. One- 
lialf are claimed by the Catholic Church, the rest are 
Nominally Protestants; but at the time of my visit 
there was no regular Protestant service in the place. 
-A school-house built on the "union" principle, is 
available for religious services, and both Anglicans 
and Presbyterians have occupied it at intervals ; but 
there is no church in the place, if we except a log 
shanty used as a chapel by the Roman Catholics. This 
latter body is making tremendous efforts for supre- 
macy, and is working, as it always does, for the 
future. I may remark here that although Battleford 
has been the capital of the North-West Territories for 
a number of years past, the town-plot has not yet been 
surveyed, hence a squatter's claim is the only title by 
which property can at present be held. The Church 
of Rome, taking advantage of this, has built its little 
log chapel, and on the ground of occupancy is claiming 
I am told, thirty acres in what will be the town-plot. 
If they claim it they will assuredly get it ; for under 
our wretched system of party government, the Church 
of Rome holds the balance of power; neither party 
can retain a working majority in the Dominion Par- 
liament without Catholic votes, and these will always 
be given to the party who yields most readily to the 
demands of the Church. The determination of Rome 
to gain the ascendancy if possible in the North- West 



•» 



144 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

is manifest in the efforts she is making to control the 
public offices. It is true the present Governor is a 
Protestant, but his private Secretary is a Catholic; the 
Registrar is a Catholic; the Sheriff (I am not sure if 
this is the correct official designation) is a Catholic; and 
I was informed that just before I visited Battleford, 
two Protestant Farm Instructors in the vicinity had 
been dismissed, and two Catholic French Canadians 
put in their places, 

The soil in the vicinity of Battleford is not equal to 
that lying either to the east or the west. To the south- 
ward I am told there are tracts of sandhills that are 
not likely to be of permament value, and will never 
be suitable for cultivation ; but these tracts are not 
very extensive, and as to the rest, the land may be said 
to be of very fair quality. It is only in comparison 
with the rich black soil of the true prairie that it can 
be called poor. A number of farms have already been 
located, which with improved methods of culture will, 
I doubt not, be found fairly remunerative. 

Soon after we had pitched our tent on Saturday 
afternoon it began to rain, and continued to rain at 
intervals during the night and on the following day. 
Arrangements were made to hold service in the School 
House on Sunday evening, and at the appointed time 
I preached to an attentive congregation. Although 
the night was pitch dark, and walking very bad, the 
School House was well filled. 

Monday forenoon was spent in " exploring " the 
ground, and collecting information. In this, as in other 



Battleford to Prince Albert. 145 

matters, I received much kind assistance from Mr. P. G. 
Laurie, the proprietor of the Saskatchewan Herald, a 
spirited little sheet, published once a fortnight, contain- 
ing much useful information from various parts of the 
great North- West. During the forenoon the weather 
moderated, so we speedily got our effects together, and 
at 12 o'clock were ready to embark. Mr. Laurie kindly 
gave us permission to replenish our potato bag from 
his garden, and in the stores we found all that we re- 
quired in the way of provisions. We pulled down 
Battle River, and in less than half an hour were again 
on the waters of the Saskatchewan. During the after- 
noon we made about 25 miles, and then went ashore 
for tea Pulled on again till it was quite dark, 
when finding navigation difficult, on account of the 
many sandbars, we tied up and waited for day. Early 
in the night it began to rain, and next morning it was 
raining still. I quote from my journal : — 
• " Tuesdag, Aug. IS. — Dull, heavy morning; rain 
alternating with Scotch mist. Just why this wretched 
kind of weather should be called ' Scotch ' I don't 
know ; but if this be the kind of mist that prevails 
in Scotland, that proverbially long-headed people 
'missed' it badly when they made the investment. 
If any one is disposed to remark that he hardly ever 
heard a worse pun, let him try, under similar circum- 
stances, (6 a. m. — cold, cheerless morning— drizzling 
rain — wet to the skin) to make a better. At Edmonton 
and other places we had been assured that we 
might confidently anticipate fair weather and good 
10 



146 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

roads during the latter half of August and the first 

half of September ; but we seem, on the contrary, to 

have reached the very spot described by Longfellow 

where — 

' It roini and the wind isnttwr weary.' 

We rowed hard, but the rain continued, and altogether 
we passed a rather uncomfortable day, — consoling our- 
selves as best we could, with the reflection that 

' Into each life some rain must fall, 
Some dayi moat be dark and dreary ;' 

though it seemed as if all the rain there was intended 
to fall during our trip down the Saskatchewan. To- 
wards evening we pulled ashore, and, clearing a space 
among the bushes, pitched the tent, built a huge fire 
in front, got supper ready, dried our clothes, and 
cutting armsful of bushes, dried them over the fire 
and spread them on the damp ground in the tent as a 
foundation for bedding. Lay down about 9 p. m., 
thoroughly tired." 

To our great delight, Wednesday morning, Sept 
1st, broke clear and cloudless, and the weather con- 
tinued bright and pleasant all day. No time was lost 
in preparing breakfast, and we got away in good 
season. In about a couple of hours we reached the 
well-known " Elbow " of the North Saskatchewan 
We had been told that from this point to Fort Carlton 
the distance was 40 miles, but we concluded it must 
be much greater, as we rowed hard all day, and at 6 
p. m. the Fort was not yet in sight Pulled two hours 



Battleford to Prince Albert. 147 

longer, but no Fort. As we did not want to pass it 
unawares in the darkness, we tied up for the night. 
At daylight the next morning we pushed off, and in 
about 20 minutes sighted the Fort in the distance. As 
we were now sure of our whereabouts, we stopped to 
breakfast, and then pulled to the landing. Soon after 
getting ashore, a courteous message was received from 
Lawrence Clarke, Esq., Chief Factor of the Lower 
Saskatchewan District, offering us the use of rooms at 
the Fort. He despatched a waggon to the boat to 
bring up our effects, and entertained us hospitably at 
dinner. 

Meanwhile, our horses were brought in from the 
Company's " guard ; " and about 2 p. m. I started, in 
company with Mr. Warren, for Prince Albert, while 
Mr. Steinhauer and Sam took the boat down the 
river. This took me some 50 miles out of my way, 
and these 50 miles had to be travelled back again 
before I could get on the direct road to Winnipeg ; 
but I was very desirous of visiting the settlement, that 
I might test the correctness of certain reports that had 
reached me about the need for a Methodist Missionary 
at that point. About 6 p. m. we reached one of the 
first houses in the settlement, occupied by a young 
Scotchman, named Finlay. He has a " half -section " 
of land (320 acres), some stock, and the prospect of 
good crops. He came in some four or five years ago 
with $50, and now considers himself independent. He 
has a new house in course of erection, and altogether 
a promising future. As his present house had but one 



148 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

room, we gladly accepted the use of his granary as a 
shelter for the night, and spreading our blankets on the 
floor, slept comfortably. 

The next morning we drove on toward Prince 
Albert The country, with the exception of a narrow 
belt covered with fir, seemed admirably suited for 
farming purposes. There are numerous small lakes, 
but no very great amount of waste land; and the 
crops we saw in the fields, especially the wheat, seemed 
of excellent quality and very abundant. The season 
— all unite in saying — has been exceptionally wet and 
late. It was now the 2nd September, and wheat 
harvest was just beginning ; but in some places we. 
found the crop had been damaged by the early frosta 
This, we were told, is a very unusual circumstance; 
but I am not clear that the seasons in this region are 
to be fully depended upon. Still, it must be con- 
fessed the disadvantages in this respect are no greater 
— if as great — than they were in some of the best parts 
of Ontario 40 years ago. 

About noon we reached the part of Che settlement 
to which we were bound. Several villages have been 
started at different points on the river, and it seems a 
little doubtful which will ultimately take the lead. 
The H. B. Company have laid out a town plot, which 
they have named Ooschen, and as it commands the best 
landing from the river, and has large grist and saw 
mills within its bounds, it is not unlikely it will be 
able to hold its own against all competitors. One 
thing, however, may be regarded as certain : a town of 



Battleford to Prince Albert. 149 

importance is sure to spring up somewhere about this 
point at no distant day. 

About the middle of the afternoon, the boat con- 
taining Mr. Steinhauer and Sam arrived from Carlton. 
While we had taken a pretty straight course across 
the country, they had been obliged to follow the 
windings of the river, hence their journey occupied 
more time than ours. From the time we left Vic- 
toria, the Saskatchewan had been rising. During the 
past few days the rise had been very rapid, and now 
it was booming from bank to bank, a wide and muddy 
flood, covered with driftwood and foam. A Mr. McKay 
informed us he had lived 63 years in the neighbor- 
hood, and in all that time had never seen the Saskatch- 
ewan so high at this season of the year. The high 
water has enabled the Company's steamer to make 
several additional trips up the river — a great boon to 
those who have shipped goods by that route. 

We had been informed that, although there was no 
regular hotel at Prince Albert, there was a house 
where comfortable meals could be obtained. This 
house, we found, was kept by a Mr. Deacon, who has 
two brothers in the ministry of the Methodist Church 
in Ontario. In the front yard we pitched our tent, 
which we used for sleeping purposes, while we ob- 
tained our meals in the house. Mr. Deacon seems to 
be pushing his way in the new settlement. He has a 
commodious brick hotel in course of erection, which in 
less than a year will furnish good accommodation to 
all travellers who may visit the place. I may remark 



1 50 A Summer in 

that, as the sale of intoxicating liquors is prohibited 
in the North- West Territories, hotel-heeping in that 
country is free from the taint which attaches to it in 
the Provinces ; and hence the hotels are just what they 
ought to be,— places of accommodation for travellers 
— not resorts for tipplers. Heaven grant that the 
curse of strong drink may never blight these prairies 
of the West ! 

On Saturday, Mr. Deacon kindly placed his time at 
my disposal, and we drove into the country, visiting a 
number of Methodist families who have moved in from 
Ontario. There are also in the settlement quite a 
number of young men who were connected with the 
Methodist Church before coming here. All seemed 
very anxious that a cause should be established in 
the place, and assurances were given that if a man 
could be sent, a house would be provided for him to 
live in, and a place of worship erected with but little 
delay. I was also informed by some of these friends 
that they knew of other Methodist families who were 
on their way out from Ontario ; and they were con- 
vinced, from careful inquiry, that a Missionary of our 
Church would find throughout the settlement, at the 
very outset, not less than a hundred hearers of Metho- 
dist proclivities. 

A vacant store having been secured for the purpose, 
I preached on Sunday morning, on short notice, to a 
congregation of 26 persons. Old associations were 
revived, and I trust that lasting impressions were 
made. In the evening I preached in the Presbyterian 



Battle ford to Prince Albert. 151 

church, by invitation of the pastor, and had a full and 
very attentive congregation. The Presbyterians were 
the pioneers, I believe, in this settlement, and are 
deserving of commendation for the work they have 
done; but in these rapidly-growing communities, no 
one denomination can long supply either the needs or 
the wishes of the people, and all the Protestant 
Churches of the Dominion must do their share in the 
evangelization of the great North- West 

The Anglicans have also established a cause at 
Prince Albert, and Bishop McLean has made this the 
headquarters of his diocese. He has erected a large 
frame-building, now approaching completion, which is 
called St. John's College, and has some half-dozen 
clergy associated with himself in the neighborhood. 
One wonders a little just what they all find to do ; but 
I suppose a " Cathedral " couldn't well be run with a 
smaller number. When the good bishop was only a 
curate, he was regarded as decidedly evangelical, and 
very liberal withal ; but since his elevation to the 
episcopate, he is much more disposed to view other 
denominations from the " street acquaintance " stand- 
point. Indeed, if report is to be trusted, he so magni- 
fies his office that he no longer describes events as 
having occurred Anno Domini so and so, but as having 
occurred so many years or months before or after 
" my consecration ! " Well, I suppose all men — even 
good men — have their weaknesses, and we may be 
thankful that the hallucinations of our Anglican 
brethren are usually of so harmless a type. 



PRINCE ALBERT TO TOUCHWOOD 
HILLS. 

3E HE morning of Monday, September 6th, was 
bright and beautiful We were up betimes to 
make arrangements for a start ; hut, as usual, 
■ a great many " last things " had to be done, 
so it was half -past nine before we were ready 
"" for the road. The river journey was ended, 
and we must again take to the plains ; and as one team 
could not transport both passengers and baggage, some 
additional outfit had to be procured. After some in- 
quiry I purchased, from a member of the police force, 
a native " Bichon " pony, for 355- In Mr. Deacon's 
yard stood a new cart, which a young man had 
brought when coming to the country and now wanted 
to sell. We soon came to terms at a moderate figure. 
A set of cart harness cost me some $7 more, and this 
completed the necessary outfit. Tent, camping outfit, 
and provisions weie packed- in the cart, and put in 
Sam's charge, the remaining passengers took the spring 



Prince Albert to Touchwood Hills. 153 

waggon and ponies that had come all the way from 
Fort Benton, and away we went, Mr. and Mrs. Deacon 
kindly accompanying us a few miles on our way. 

On reaching the Anglican Church, about a mile from 
the starting-place, we stopped, and entering the little 
cemetery, stood for a few moments at the grave of the 
late E. W. Skinner. Some of my readers will re- 
member the circumstances of his tragic and untimely 
death. When a lad he spent several years in the 
North- West in the family of the late Rev. George 
McDougall. Some time after his return to Ontario he 
became the subject of that great spiritual change 
which often decides the destinies of men for this 
world as well as the next. As usual the change was 
followed by a burning desire that others might become 
partakers of like precious faith, and this ultimately 
deepened into a conviction that God had called him 
to preach the Gospel to the heathen. His mind turned 
to the North- West, and he offered for service among 
the Indians in that field. After consultation it was 
resolved to send him out as assistant to the Rev. John 
McDougall, that his qualifications might be tested in 
the vast field east of the Rocky Mountains, and under 
the watchful oversight of an experienced Missionary. 
Mr. Skinner set out accordingly for his distant sta- 
tion, going by way of Winnipeg. At the latter point 
he obtained the necessary outfit and supplies, and 
then pushed on to the West. For some distance across 
the plains he travelled in company with a small de 
tachment of Mounted Police ; but their disgusting 



i$4 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

profanity, especially that of the officer, become so un- 
bearable, that he left them, and travelled the rest of 
the way with a single companion, a half-breed, whom 
he met with on the journey. When at a point about 
midway between Forts Carlton and Pitt they had 
camped for the night. In the morning the half-breed 
went after the horses, and Mr. Skinner proceeded to 
arrange his tent, &c, on the buckboard. No one saw 
what followed, but when the messenger returned with 
the horses, he found him lifeless by the side of 
the buckboard, shot through the heart. The half- 
breed thoroughly terrified, instantly mounted one of 
the horses, and, without touching the lifeless body, fled 
back to Fort Carlton and gave the alarm. A party 
of men were at once despatched to bring in the 
body ; but in tho meantime an English gentleman, the 
Hon. Mr. Percy, came by, returning with several 
others from a hunting expedition to the Far West. 
He took careful note of all the surroundings, and his 
evidence at the inquest, subsequently held at Fort 
Carlton, made clear the way in which the accident had 
occurred. A double-barreled breech -loading gun lay 
across the seat of the buckboard, underneath some 
articles of baggage, with one barrel discharged ; the 
wound in the breast of the unfortunate young man, 
supposing the body to be in an upright position, was 
just on a level with the muzzle of the gun ; the glove 
of his left hand was torn and burnt by the discharge ; 
and hence the conviction seemed irresistible that he 
had seized the weapon with one hand to push it from 



Prince Albert to Touchwood Hills. 155 

r 

him, forgetting, perhaps, that it was loaded ; that in 
doing so one of the hammers struck violently against 
the opposite arm of the seat, causing an instant dis- 
charge, with the fatal result already mentioned. The 
body having been brought into Fort Carlton, an 
inquest was held before Lawrence Clarke, Esq., J.P., 
when a verdict of accidental death was returned ; 
after which the remains were sent to Prince Albert 
and interred in the Anglican burying-ground, in the 
grave beside which we stood. 

Proceeding ' about a mile farther, our kind friends 
who had accompanied us thus far, bade us farewell, 
and turned back to Prince Albert, leaving us fairly on 
the way to Winnipeg, some 550 miles distant. Even 
with good roads and fresh horses it would require a 
full fortnight to make the distance ; but with frequent 
rains and horses already wearied, it was likely to take 
us a good deal longer. But then we were " homeward 
bound/ 9 and. that was an inspiration, although the 
home itself was yet 2,000 miles away. We followed 
the regular trail toward Carlton for about 20 miles, 
when we turned to the left and struck for the South 
Saskatchewan, which we hoped to cross that night. 
Much of the land appeared to be of excellent quality, 
and the homesteads we passed gave promise of a good 
harvest, especially of wheat and vegetables. At one 
house by the wayside we procured a small bag of 
potatoes and some excellent fresh butter, the former 
at $1 a bushel, and the latter at 50 cents a pound. 
Late in the afternoon we reached the river at a place 



156 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

known as " Gortapee's Ferry ;" but the river was about 
a mile wide, the scow was on the farther shore, and 
our utmost lung power could not attract the ferry- 
man's attention ; so we drove on toward Fisher's ferry, 
some 15 miles up the river. Much of the land here- 
abouts is a light sand, of little value. In the evening 
we camped by a pool among some willows, where we 
found abundance of excellent water. 

Making an early start on Tuesday morning, we 
reached Fisher's ferry about half -past seven ; but we 
had some delay before we could get the ferryman and 
his men to work. A party of Canadians had just 
crossed on their way toward Prince Albert, and I 
shrewdly suspect they had supplied the ferryman with 
whisky, for he was just drunk enough to take things 
easy, and to put off crossing as long as he could. I 
judged him to be a French half-breed, as he spoke with 
a French accent. When I saw the huge scow that was 
to transport us over, I said, 

M How do you manage this big affair ? " 

" Oh," said he, with all the importance of a half 
drunk man, " dere are two of me ! " 

Then it seemed to dawn upon him that he had'nt 
got the thing just right, and with a further accession 
of maudlin dignity he added, " Dere are two of us /" 
The two proved to be four, but it needed them all, and 
help from the passengers beside, to get the big clumsy 
scow with its load over the rapid current. These 
erries, I may remark, are licensed by the Dominion 



Prince Albert to Touchwood Hills. 157 

authorities, and a tariff of charges is posted in a con- 
spicuous place for the information of travellers. 

By dint of persevering effort we got over by nine 
o'clock, and driving a few miles farther stopped for 
breakfast. I tried here to bargain with a French half- 
breed for a horse, but found it hard to keep him to 
the point. First he brought a horse I would'nt have 
taken as a gift, then he brought another, but higgled, 
like an Arab, about the price. Finally, I agreed to 
give him " seventy piastres " for the animal. Subse- 
quently, when I was about to pay him, he insisted the 
price was to be seventeen pounds sterling (about $85). 
Of course I did not submit to this, and sent him to the 
right-about, sorry that I wasted so much time with 
the rascal Resuming our journey, the trail took us 
up the river on the south side till we reached Gabri- 
elle's ferry, when we turned south-easterly and struck 
out over the plain. Thfc weather was good and the 
road dry, and we made as good progress as the some- 
what tired condition of our horses would admit of. In 
the evening, as the sky was threatening, we camped 
behind a clump of poplar and willow. During the 
night a heavy thunder-storm passed by, of which we 
got a liberal share. 

Wednesday, Sept 8th. — The storm of last night has 
made the trail " greasy," and bad for the horses, who 
begin to show unmistakable signs of fatigue. I must 
exchange one or two, or procure fresh ones, at the 
earliest opportunity. About 3 p. m. to-day we struck 
the line of the Pacific telegraph, and felt a thrill of 



158 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

delight at beholding this sign of advancing civilization. 
A drive of 16 miles farther brought us to Humboldt, 
the only telegraph station between Battleford and 
Fort Pelly. Humboldt consists of a small log-house in- 
habited by the telegraph operator (a lady) and her 
husband, who has the task assigned him of keeping a 
certain portion of the line in repair. From the time 
we left Battleford I had been looking forward with 
interest to the time when we would reach Humboldt. 
I had now been from home over eleven weeks, and in 
that time but two letters had reached me, the second 
written only some ten days after I left Toronto. But 
I hoped to end uncertainty when I reached Humboldt, 
by sending a telegram and waiting for a reply. " Hope 
told a flattering tale," however; for when the telegraph 
station was reached behold the line was broken some- 
' where between that point and Fort Pelly ! The storm 
of the previous night had blown down some of the 
poles — so they said, and I thought the statement very 
probable, for most of the poles we saw were poplar 
saplings, that looked as though one could easily blow 
them down with an average pair of bellows. The dis- 
appointment was intense, but there was no remedy ; 
so we chatted awhile with the inmates of the cabin, 
with what grace we could muster, and then returned 
to our camp. At this point we overtook the Rev. A 
Whiteside, who was on his way to Winnipeg to meet 
his wife. We took him with us, as he had no other 
means of travelling. 

During Thursday we struck what is known as Big 



Prince Albert to Touchwood Hills. 159 

Salt Plain, a vast, treeless space, with more or less 
alkali at intervals. Before leaving the poplar bluffy 
entirely behind us, we secured some dry wood, which 
we carried with us, as we were not likely to find any 
more till we reached the Touchwood Hills, The soil 
of this plain, although not of the best quality, I would 
not consider by any means entirely worthless ; nor do 
I think the proportion of alkali is sufficiently great to 
prevent settlement in the future. Perhaps we saw it 
under exceptionally favorable circumstances, the abun- 
dant rainfall of the past summer having improved the 
water somewhat, and left an abundant supply in 
places where, inordinary seasons, not a drop would 
ta found. In certain seasons of the year, the roads 
fccross this plain must present a great hindrance to 
'*avel, especially with loaded teams. We crossed two 
°* three very bad places, but with the exception of 
having to jump out at one spot to help the horses 
through an alkili bog, we met with no mishap. 
During most of Friday we could s§e the blue outlines 
of the Touchwood Hills in the distance ; but in the 
intervening space not a tree or shrub could be seen 
to break the monotonous view. In the evening, 
however, we reached the timber bluffs, and camped by 
the side of a grassy lake. 

At many points on our long route, wild duck had 
been seen in considerable . numbers; but after we 
crossed the south branch of the Saskatchewan, it 
seemed as though we had reached the very paradise of 
sportsmen. The whole country through which we 



160 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

travelled abounds in small grassy lakes, where wild 
fowl find a congenial breeding place and home ; while 
on some large lakes that we passed they swarmed by 
tens of thousands. Not a pond two rods wide did we 
pass, but had a dozen or more splendid ducks floating 
on its surface with a calmness that was positively 
exasperating. They seemed to be quite aware that wo 
had parted with our only shot-gun, that we had no 
dog, and that if we happened to hit a stray duck witfc* 
the rifle, we would not be likely to wade in througl* 
the water and slush to get it ; and so they floated abon.* 
with the utmost unconcern, and their very quack 
seemed to have a note of interrogation in it, as thougb 
they were asking—" Wouldn't you like to try a shot ?" 

On Saturday morning a dense mist covered the 
earth and hid the sky. Showers fell at intervals, but 
undeterred by the prospect, we broke camp and drove 
on. About 8 a.m. we passed the Government In- 
struction Farm, and talked for a few minutes with the 
Instructor, a Mr. Scott. The scenery through these 
Touchwood Hills is exceedingly beautiful and park- 
like. The poplar bluffs are numerous, interspersed 
with stretches of rolling prairie ; many small lakes lie 
among the hills ; streams of pure water are frequently 
met with ; and the whole forms as charming a picture 
as one need wish to see. Much of the land appears to 
be of excellent quality, and Mr. Scott spoke in high 
terms of the portion already brought under cultiva- 
tion. 

During the forenoon, as we were driving over an 



Prince Albert to Touchwood Hills. 161 

open stretch, a covey of prairie chickens were seen a 
short distance ahead. As we had been out of fresh 
meat for some time, I resolved to try my luck with 
the rifle. My first shot was fired rather hastily, and 
missed them all. At the next shot I was fortunate 
enough to get three birds in line, and taking careful 
aim, dropped the three at once, two shot through the 
**eck and one through the body. Three birds re- 
trained, and taking careful aim, I dropped them one 
by one, cutting the neck in each instance. " Pretty 
good shooting," says some captious reader ; " but why 
^ion't you tell us of the many shots fired during the 
Journey when you didn't hit anything? " " That 
^^minds me : A colored preacher was delivering a 
Sermon preparatory to the immersion of some converts 
in the river. Addressing the crowd of onlookers, he 
fcaid, — ' Now, I s'pose some o' you folks want to know 
'Why immu'shon am de only Script'ral mode o* bap- 
tism ? Laws bress you, brudderin ; it ain't none o' yo' 
bk'nessV " After the manner of men who write 
biography or autobiography, I have reported the suc- 
cesses ; let some one else mention the failures. 

Shortly before noon, we passed a house where we 
met the mail-carrier going westward, accompanied by 
the Rev. Mr. Pitblado, of Halifax, who was going as 
far as Prince Albert. They reported the roads farther 
east in a very bad condition, which implied the possi- 
bility of further delay to our party. As it was 
necessary to obtain some fresh horses, as well as a 
supply of provisions we pushed on to the H. B. 
11 



162 



A Summer in Prairie- Land. 



Company's post, which wc reached before one o'clock, 
and pitched our tent in a grove of poplars, a few hun- 
dred yards from the Fort. During the afternoon, Mr. 
McKay, the officer in charge, sent out to the " guard " 
for a band of horses, from which we selected two that 
we thought would suit our purpose; but this con- 
sumed most of the afternoon, and we resolved to 
remain in camp till Monday. Heavy showers fell 
at intervals ; the wind increased to & gale ; and it 
became so cold that we expected a fall of snow before 
morning. During the night the wind at times ap- 
proached a hurricane in violence ; but as our tent bad 
been pitched in the timber, we were sheltered froia 
the worst of the storm. 





XVL 

TOUCHWOOD HILLS TO BIRTLE. 

EFORE daylight on Sunday, Sept. 12th, the 
wind moderated, and early in the forenoon 
the clouds dispersed and the sun shone out 
brightly, while the temperature rose quickly 
to moderate summer heat. On going out to 
see that our horses were safe, we found that 
my " Bichon," though securely " hobbled," had wan- 
dered away during the night. As there was no telling 
to what distance he might go, if let alone, a search 
was instituted without delay. In the afternoon we 
saw an Indian who said that some miles back on the 
road we passed over yesterday, he had seen early in 
the morning, a horse resembling the one we described. 
We gave the Indian some food, and he agreed to go in 
search of the missing animal ; but up till evening no 
tidings were received. 

On Monday morning several Indians joined in the 
search, and about 8 a.m. the missing horse was 
brought back, having been found some two miles from 



1 64 



A Summer in Prairie-Land. 



the camp. So far good. But just at thia juncture the 
Indian in charge of the Company's horsea at the 
"guard" arrived, saying that one of the animals we 
had purchased on Saturday could not be found. Here 
was a fresh dilemma. But neither grumbling nor 
scolding could do any good ; so I took Sam with me 
and started for the " guard." We found one of the 
horses all right, but the other was missing. The 
Indian was getting his breakfast in his tent, but im- 
mediately after was ready to resume the search. He 
started out on horseback, accompanied by Sara ; but 
an hour's search resulted in nothing, and they returned 
to the tent. Again the Indian started in a new direc- 
tion, and in less than an hour came in with the muss- 
ing horse: So we returned in triumph to camp, got 
some dinner, and at 2 p. m. were once more on the 
trail. Early in the day I had been purchasing some 
supplies at the H. B. Company's store, when Mrs. 
McKay, wife of the officer in charge, mast kindly pre- 
sented me with several loaves of delicious home-made 
bread ! If she did not receive in return " the blessing 
of him that was ready to perish," she received at least 
the fervent benediction of those who knew how to 
appreciate such a gift at such a time. 

A couple of miles out we stopped to get some pota- 
toes. We had been told of a farmer who would pro- 
bably supply us, but we mistook the house, and 
stopped at a kind of store. The roan had some pota- 
oes already dug, which he poured from his bag into 
mrs, after which they were weighed and paid for at 






Touchwood Htlls to Btrtle. 165 

the rate of $1.25 per bushel of 60 lbs. We subse- 
quently discovered that we had got very inferior 
potatoes, including several pounds of peelings. I am 
8orry I did not get the name of the rascal, that other 
travellers might be warned ; but those who are going 
West, and are in need of potatoes, had better deal with 
the owner of the first house they come to when ap- 
proaching Touchwood Hills, or else wait till they get 
to the H B. Company's post, about two miles ahead. 

On the 14th, we made pretty good progress through 

a piece of excellent country, bluffs of timber alternating 

^th stretches of open prairie. On the following 

5**orning the ground was covered with hoar frost ; and 

lc ^ about one-eighth of an inch in thickness had 

^Ormed on some water left in a pail. When leaving 

^^mp we took a supply of wood, as we had to cross 

Pheasant Plain, which is entirely destitute of timber. 

^Ve found the road very good, with the exception of 

Occasional sloughs and creeks, some of the latter so 

*ieep that the water came well up the waggon box. 

After crossing the last of these creeks, we camped for 

the night Next morning, as our stock of wood was 

exhausted, we were astir at dawn, so as to reach a 

distant bluff in time for breakfast. Reaching the spot 

indicated, we " spelled " till 9 a. m. On again till 12, 

and halted for dinner. Shot a couple of prairie 

chickens with the rifle. Met several trains of carts, 

some going West with freight, and others carrying 

supplies for a number of surveying camps. 

Speaking of this section of the country, Professor 



Touchwood Hills to Birtle. 167 

Macoun observes: — "Pheasant Plain, which extends 
from the crossing of the Pelly Road eastward for 25 
miles, is altogether without wood; but the soil is 
exceedingly rich, and at no point is the wood to the 
south-west 10 miles distant. Proceeding northward 
of the travelled road, the country becomes more 
broken, ponds and marshes are numerous, and wood 
increases both in size and quantity until it merges into 
continuous forest south of the location of the Canadian 
Pacific Railway. A rich black loam, about 15 inches 
in depth, containing small grains of quartz or other 
rock, is the prevailing surface soil ; but this imper- 
ceptibly passes into lighter colored, sandy loam, as 
the timber becomes more continuous and of a larger 
growth. The subsoil is generally a light-colored, marly 
clay ; but this again, in the ridges, passes into gravel, 
which is generally gneiss covered with a coating of 

carbonate of lime At many points we dug 

into the subsoil, and found it as above. Tested with 
acid, it always gave indications of a very large per- 
centage of carbonate of lime." 

Friday, Sept. 17th, I hailed as my natal day. Gladly 
would I have spent it at home, had that been possible ; 
but even " the wings of a dove " would not have 
sufficed to cross the space that separated me from those 
I held dear. During the forenoon we reached Cut 
Arm Creek; which we forded without trouble, but had 
a stiff pull up the steep hill on the eastern side. The 
scenery here is more varied than what we have 
been passing through for several days. At noon we 



1 68 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

halted near a grove, where in a valley we found 
springs of good water. In the afternoon we diverged 
from the trail leading to Fort Ellice, with the view of 
crossing the Assinaboine at a ferry some four miles 
above the Fort In an hour or so we reached the 
banks of the Qu'Appelle River, where we looked upon 
one of the loveliest valleys we had seen during the 
entire trip. The banks descend abruptly from the 
level prairie for some 200 feet, and end in a level 
bottom about a mile wide. Through this valley 
the Qu'Appelle winds in graceful curves, bordered with 
rich pasture lands of considerable extent. The southern 
bank is covered with a fine growth of poplar, now 
yellow with the tints of approaching autumn. 

It is the opinion of some that this valley once 
formed the outlet of what is now called the South 
Branch of the Saskatchewan. The theory does not 
seem improbable. It is almost certain that a much 
larger stream once flowed through the Qu'Appelle 
Valley than is to be found there at present. Then 
the course of the South Saskatchewan for a long dis- 
tance is almost due east, and in a direct line towards 
the head of the Qu'Appelle Valley; but at a point 
which may be roughly described as Lat. 50 N., Long. 
108 W., it turns sharply northward, and very near to 
this turn the head waters of the Qu'Appelle take their 
rise. 

Following the north bank for some distance, and 
passing through groves of poplar and some scrub oak, 
we descended a succession of steep sand hills, and 



Touchwood Hills to Birth. 169 

reached the Assinaboine at a point where a rope and 
scow ferry has been constructed, about four miles above 
Fort Ellice. The river is not wide and we crossed with 
bat little delay. Ascending another long and steep 
bank we camped on the summit, thankful that we 
were over the last bridgeless river, and only about 200 
miles from Winnipeg. In the evening we had a call 
from a French priest who had been out on the prairie 
looking for a stray horse. Early next morning he 
called again, and asked me to be the bearer of a letter 
to P^re Lacome, at Winnipeg. Of course I consented ; 
but had he known who or what I w«^s it was not likely 
he would have preferred the request. 

Soon after breaking camp on Saturday morning, 
rain began to fall, which rendered our progress both 
slow and unpleasant. After crossing Snake Creek, we 
found another steep muddy hill, which took a long 
time to climb. About noon, looking down from the 
summit of a hill, we saw a cluster of houses in the 
valley, and in a short time found ourselves in the vil- 
lage of Birtle, cheered by signs of human habitations. 
The village is situated in a beautiful valley, on the 
banks of Birdtail Creek, a considerable stream of 
excellent water affording water-power to a large ex- 
tent. A town plot of good size has been laid out by 
parties ^connected with the Hamilton Colonization 
Company. A saw-mill has been built, and is in opera- 
tion. A number of houses have already been erected, 
and some 80 lots have been sold, all but three upon 
condition of being built on within a year. 



1 68 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

halted near a grove, where in a valley we found 
springs of good water. In the afternoon we diverged 
from the trail leading to Fort Ellice, with the view of 
crossing the Assinaboine at a ferry some four miles 
above the Fort In an hour or so we reached the 
banks of the Qu'Appelle River, where we looked upon 
one of the loveliest valleys we had seen during the 
entire trip. The banks descend abruptly from the 
level prairie for some 200 feet, and end in a level 
bottom about a mile wide. Through this valley 
the Qu'Appelle winds in graceful curves, bordered with 
rich pasture lands of considerable extent. The southern 
bank is covered with a fine growth of poplar, now 
yellow with the tints of approaching autumn. 

It is the opinion of some that this valley once 
formed the outlet of what is now called the South 
Branch of the Saskatchewan. The theory does not 
seem improbable. It is almost certain that a much 
larger stream once flowed through the Qu'Appelle 
Valley than is to be found there at present. Then 
the course of the South Saskatchewan for a long dis- 
tance is almost due east, and in a direct line towards 
the head of the Qu'Appelle Valley; but at a point 
which may be roughly described as Lat. 50 N., Long. 
108 W., it turns sharply northward, and very near to 
this turn the head waters of the Qu'Appelle take their 
rise. 

Following the north bank for some distance, and 
passing through groves of poplar and some scrub oak, 
we descended a succession of steep sand hills, and 



Touchwood Hills to Birth. 169 

reached the Assinaboine at a point where a rope and 
scow ferry has been constructed, about four miles above 
Fort Ellice. The river is not wide and we crossed with 
but little delay. Ascending another long and steep 
bank we camped on the summit, thankful that we 
were over the last bridgeless river, and only about 200 
miles from Winnipeg. In the evening we had a call 
from a French priest who had been out on the prairie 
looking for a stray horse. Early next morning he 
called again, and asked me to be the bearer of a letter 
to P^re Lacome, at Winnipeg. Of course I consented ; 
but had he known who or what I was it was not likely 
he would have preferred the request. 

Soon after breaking camp on Saturday morning, 
rain began to fall, which rendered our progress both 
slow and unpleasant. After crossing Snake Creek, we 
found another steep muddy hill, which took a long 
time to climb. About noon, looking down from the 
summit of a hill, we saw a cluster of houses in the 
valley, and in a short time found ourselves in the vil- 
lage of Birtle, cheered by signs of human habitations. 
The village is situated in a beautiful valley, on the 
banks of Birdtail Creek, a considerable stream of 
excellent water affording water-power to a large ex- 
tent. A town plot of good size has been laid out by 
parties ^connected with the Hamilton Colonization 
Company. A saw-mill has been built, and is in opera- 
tion. A number of houses have already been erected, 
and some 80 lots have been sold, all but three upon 
condition of being built on within a year. 



1 68 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

baited near a grove, where in a valley we found 
springs of good water. In the afternoon we diverged 
from the trail leading to Fort Ellice, with the view of 
crossing the Assinaboine at a ferry some four miles 
above the Fort. In an hour or so we reached the 
banks of the Qu'Appelle River, where we looked upon 
one of the loveliest valleys we had seen during the 
entire trip. The banks descend abruptly from the 
level prairie for some 200 feet, and end in a level 
bottom about a mile wide. Through this valley 
the Qu'Appelle winds in graceful curves, bordered with 
rich pasture lands of considerable extent. The southern 
bank is covered with a fine growth of poplar, now 
yellow with the tints of approaching autumn. 

It is the opinion of some that this valley once 
formed the outlet of what is now called the South 
Branch of the Saskatchewan. The theory does not 
seem improbable. It is almost certain that a much 
larger stream once flowed through the Qu'Appelle 
Valley than is to be found there at present. Then 
the course of the South Saskatchewan for a long dis- 
tance is almost due east, and in a direct line towards 
the head of the Qu'Appelle Valley; but at a point 
which may be roughly described as Lat. 50 N., Long. 
108 W., it turns sharply northward, and very near to 
this turn the head waters of the Qu'Appelle take their 
rise. 

Following the north bank for some distance, and 
passing through groves of poplar and some scrub oak, 
we descended a succession of steep sand hills, and 



Totuhwood Hills to Birtle. 169 

reached the Assinaboine at* a point where a rope and 
scow ferry has been constructed, about four miles above 
Fort Ellice. The river is not wide and we crossed with 
bat little delay. Ascending another long and steep 
bank we camped on the summit, thankful that we 
were over the last bridgeless river, and only about 200 
miles from Winnipeg. In the evening we had a call 
from a French priest who had been out on the prairie 
looking for a stray horse. Early next morning he 
called again, and asked me to be the bearer of a letter 
to P^re Lacome, at Winnipeg. Of course I consented ; 
but had he known who or what I wa^ it was not likely 
he would have preferred the request. 

Soon after breaking camp on Saturday morning, 
rain began to fall, which rendered our progress both 
slow and unpleasant. After crossing Snake Creek, we 
found another steep muddy hill, which took a long 
time to climb. About noon, looking down from the 
summit of a hill, we saw a cluster of houses in the 
valley, and in a short time found ourselves in the vil- 
lage of Birtle, cheered by signs of human habitations. 
The village is situated in a beautiful valley, on the 
banks of Birdtail Creek, a considerable stream of 
excellent water affording water-power to a large ex- 
tent. A town plot of good size has been laid out by 
parties ^connected with the Hamilton Colonization 
Company. A saw-mill has been built, and is in opera- 
tion. A number of houses have already been erected, 
and some 80 lots have been sold, all but three upon 
condition of being built on within a year. 



170 A Summer in Prairie- Land. 

As the day was cold and-stormy we went into camp, 
resolved to remain till Monday morning. This gave 
great satisfaction to some Methodist families in the 
place, as they had been without a Missionary since last 
spring. All up and down the Creek for 35 miles, and 
eastward toward Shoal Lake, there are settlements, 
and the people are anxious for Gospel ordinances. 
There is a Presbyterian Missionary in the neighbor- 
hood, but among these widely-scattered settlements no 
one man can possibly supply the wants of the people. 
Since the Methodist Missionary left, an excellent Local 
Preacher, named Burritt, has been preaching with 
much acceptance ; but it is very desirable that a man 
fully set apart to the work of the ministry should be 
sent without delay. * 

On Sunday morning a good congregation gathered 
in the house of a Mr. Lane, to which I preached with 
much comfort. In the afternoon, although the day 
was cold and disagreeable, the equinoctial storm having 
fairly set in, the large dining-room of Mr. McDougall's 
boarding-house was filled with a congregation mostly 
from Ontario, many of them Methodists, who listened 
attentively to the word spoken. In conversation 
afterwards, some of them expressed their earnest desire 
for a Missionary, and intimated their intention of 
uniting in the erection of a place of worship at an 
early date. 

During our brief stay in Birtle we received much 
kindness from a Mr. Wood and his estimable family. 

* A Missionary has since been sent. 



Touchwood Hills to Birtle. 171 

Mr. Wood is from Woodstock, and is a prominent 
member of the Hamilton and North-west Colonization 
Company. During Saturday afternoon, in company 
with Mr Wood, I made a careful examination of the 
town plot, and selected a couple of lots as a site for a 
church and parsonage in the future. These lots are 
on a prominent corner, and together make a plot 
of 132 feet square. In this place I met several other 
acquaintances of former days — Mr. Balch, former 
editor of the St. Mary's Argus t now Land Agent at 
Birtle ; Mr. J. B. Carpenter, and others. Altogether 
the settlement is a most promising one, and those who 
have located farms here have made, I think, a good 
investment. 






XVII. 

BIRTLE TO PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE. 

EFT Birtle on Monday morning, Sept. 10th, 
at 8 aon. The storm has abated, but the 
weather is cold. The heavy rains have made 
the roads very "greasy," and travelling is 
slow. The storm and exposure have been 
too much for " Bichon," and he is quite 
sick to-day. We are passing through a fine prairie 
country, — rather low, perhaps, and with numerous 
ponds ; but a considerable amount of good, rich soil. 
Mr. Marcus Smith, who explored this section of country 
in 1879, from Shell River to Bird tail Creek, speaks as 
follows : — " North of the Assinaboine the country rises 
gradually and imperceptibly to the eye up to the crown 
of the Riding Mountain, 2,000 feet above the level of 
the sea. The southern portion of this district is chiefly 
prairie ; the soil good, but light in some places, and in 
others largely mixed with boulders. The depth of the 
soil increases northward, and its quality changes to a 
heavy loam, well suited for permanent wheat-grow- 
ing ; groves and belts of poplar become frequent, and 



Btrtle to Portage La Prairie. 173 

ultimately merge into a solid forest, in which there are 
good spruce and tamarac." 

To prevent confusion of thought in regard to the 
geographical position of this region, it may be nece»- 
sary to remark that the Assinaboine River flows, for 
the first half of its course, in a southerly direction ; but 
some 20 or 30 miles south of the 50th parallel, it turns 
suddenly to the east, and holds an easterly course till 
it forms a junction with the Red River at Winnipeg. 
This will account for the fact that we crossed the 
stream from west to east near Fort Ellice, while Mr. 
Smith in the above extract, speaks of the country 
u north " of the Assinaboine. 

At Shoal Lake we rested for a couple of hours, en- 
joyed a comfortable meal at a boarding-house (there 
are no " taverns " in the Territory, in the ordinary 
sense of the word), and then driving on for a couple of 
hours more, formed our camp on the prairie. Next 
day "Bichon" became so sick that it was evident he 
would not be able to go much farther. When about 
25 miles from the Little Saskatchewan, I saw near the 
wayside the cabin of a settler. Driving over, I found 
ril the cabin was owned and occupied by a Mr. Griffith, 
m from the County of Grey, who had moved in during 
jy the early summer. He cheerfully consented to let me 
in leave my sick horse, promising to keep an eye on him 
he ^ case he should get better. I had no expectation he 
) a would live 24 hours, but since then I have heard that 
w . he recovered ; still, as he has manifested a perverse 
Q d disposition to wander off on the prairie, and has been 



174 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

lost several times, it is somewhat doubtful if I shall 
finally get the worth of him. 

In the evening a somewhat early halt was called, as 
our stock of bread was exhausted, and it was neces- 
sary to make some more. As I have not yet described 
the process, it may be worth while to do so now. 
When making bread on the prairie, you may be said 
to work at a disadvantage, your apparatus being of 
the most limited kind. Of course we have a bag of 
flour and some baking powder ; but now we must have 
a dish of some kind in which to mix them. A wash- 
bowl of granite ironware forms part of our outfit, 
but as that has been used for weeks, alternately in 
washing our faces and our potatoes, it does not seem 
just the thing to mix bread in. Fortunately, we have 
a spare tin dish, which, though small, will answer our 
purpose. Some flour, salt, and baking powder are 
thrown in, and sufficient water to reduce all to the 
proper consistency; and then we discover that we 
have no kneading-board. " Necessity," however, "i s 
the mother of invention." The cart, standing near by 
has a tail-board, which, though still in the rough, 
and not much improved by its passage through sundry 
sloughs and creeks, presents, nevertheless, a solid foun- 
dation. This board Sam appropriates and in a very 
few minutes has his " bannocks " ready for the oven. 
Alas! we have no oven; but no matter. Sam seizes 
the frying-pan, throws in a bannock, tilts the pan *' 
an angle of seventy degrees, facing the fire, rakes some 
glowing embers behind it, and in a wonderfully short 



Birth to Portage La Prairie. 175 

space of time we have something which, if it would 
hardly pass inspection in a city bakery, is not to be 
despised by those who sit down to supper with a 
prairie appetite. 

About 10 a.m. on Wednesday morning we reached 
Rapid City, on the Little Saskatchewan. For the last 
12 or 15 miles, homesteads were visible on either side 
of the plain over which we had been travelling. At 
Rapid City we received a kindly welcome from the 
Rev. Thos. Lawson and his estimable wife. This is a 
fine section of country, and is being settled rapidly. 
The " city " contains some fifty houses, among which 
is the frame of a small church in course of erection. 
There are numerous stores and other places of busi- 
ness, and I should judge that considerable money 
changes hands in ttie course of the year. Mr. Law- 
son's Mission is large, and the settlements are widely 
ottered ; but with the assistance of a colleague, he is 
frying hard to meet the needs of the people. He occu- 
pies a small log house, adjoining which is a large 
garden, by the cultivation of which he tries to eke 
°Ut a slender stipend. 

In the afternoon we resumed our journey, intending 
to take the north trail some distance east of Rapid 
City. Bro. Lawson and his wife accompanied us, the 
Utter going to her father's, on the Palestine Mission, 
the former proposing to accompany us as far as Portage 
la Prairie. But before evening, a horse which Mr. 
Lawson had hired to drive with his own " played 
out," so they camped with us for the night, and re- 
turned home the next morning. 



1 76 A Summer in 

Not having Mr. Lawson to guide us by the north 
trail, we resolved now to go by the south, with which 
Sam was quite familiar. Soon after breaking camp 
we entered Big Plain, a level stretch of prairie about 
25 miles across. Much of this plain has been taken 
up, and homesteads could be seen in every direction as 
we passed along. The ?oad was first-class, and had 
our horses been fresh we could have made splendid 
time. As it was, we reached the eastern side of the 
plain before evening, but finding no water we drove 
some distance farther, and found a good camping 
ground by the side of a fresh water lake. 

Our route on Friday morning was over rolling sand- 
hills, with level prairie interspersed. After crossing 
Pine Creek we struck a beautiful piece of country, 
some of which is already brought under cultivation- 
In the afternoon we reached McKinnon's Woods, » 
place we had been hearing about for days, and which* 
when reached, realized our worst expectations. I hav^ 
travelled bush roads in all parts of Ontario, but neve* 
struck a worse piece than this. We met numerous 
teams with emigrants on their way farther west, soic* e 
of them looking discouraged enough " because of tt* e 
way." I was glad to be able to cheer them with tb e 
assurance that it was " better farther on." Later *& 
the day the clouds again began to " drop down fa*"" 
ness ; " but we had had so much of this kind of thi**£ 
that we could have wished the clouds as lean as Pha- 
raoh's kine, if that would have put an end to the drop" 
ping. Sometimes the sun would struggle through * 



Birtle to Portage La Prairie. 177 

rift, and the rain would cease, but before we had time 
to congratulate ourselves on the change, down it would 
come again. We were forcibly reminded of a worthy 
Scottish home missionary who was about to commence 
an out-door service, when a few drops of rain began to 
fall. Fearing that a shower would scatter his congre- 
gation, he devoutly lifted up his voice in prayer, ask- 
ing that the Lord would be pleased to withhold the rain 
till the service was over, Even while he was speaking 
the rain ceased, and the worthy man's prayer was 
turned to praise ; but e'er he had uttered a dozen 
words of thanksgiving, down came the rain again as 
though the bottom had fallen out. Opening his 
eyes, with a look of mingled astonishment and protest, 
the good man cried — " Eh, guid Lord, this is perfetly 
rideeklou8 /" 

Plodding on through mud and mire, with what pa- 
tience we might, we at last sighted a house near the 
wayside. This proved to be " Prangman's Hotel," and 
thankful for shelter for ourselves and our wearied 
horses, here we resolved to stay till the following 
morning. 

On Saturday the roads for a number of miles were 
still very bad. It was no longer continuous bush, but 
stretches of low level prairie almost entirely covered 
with water. Sometimes to escape the " grease " and 
mud-boles on the trail, I would turn into the long 
grass where the horses had to wade through water 
almost up to their bellies for half a mile together. At 
one point the trail crossed a large pond — almost a lake 
12 



1 78 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

— that spread out for hundreds of yards in every di- 
rection. Just before were ached it, part of a company 
of Ontario emigrants had p&ssed over, and entering the 
water from the farther side was a horse and cart, loaded 
with goods, on the top of which was perched a young 
couple who looked as though they belonged to one an- 
other or expected to do so shortly. But the course of 
their love did not run smoothly at this particular time > 
for when the horse reached the middle of the pond, he 
stopped, as if he had made up his mind to rest awhile ; 
when the driver urged him with the whip, he made 
preparations to lie down. By this time we had 
reached the same part of the pond, and shouting at the 
unmannerly brute he became ashamed of his perform- 
ance, and starting on took the young couple safely to 
the other side. Closing up the procession was a lad of 
12 or 14 years of age, who crossed the water in triumph 
astride the back of a cow ! 

While " spelling out " at noon, Mr. McEenzie, of Rat 
Creek, passed by. He has an extensive farm on Big 
Plain, on which he had been working during the sum- 
mer, and was now returning to his home at Rat Creek. 
He kindly invited us to call at his house on the way 
down. In the afternoon the roads improved some- 
what, and it became evident we were approaching a 
better piece of country. Soon we reached the farms 
in the vicinity of Rat Creek, and saw fields of grain 
that would have delighted the heart of an Ontario 
farmer. A two hours' rest, and a cup of tea in Mr. 
McKenzie's hospitable home were much enjoyed. 



Birtle to Portage La Prairie. 1 79 

Again we pushed on over a beautiful piece of country, 
cheered by the knowledge that we were within some 
nine or ten miles of the Portage. Our tired horses 
could go but slowly, however, and darkness came 
down before we reached our destination. At length 
the lights of the village began to gleam in the distance, 
and, almost feeling our way through the darkness, 
about half-past 9 p.m., on the evening of Saturday, 
September 25th, we turned into the yard of the par- 
sonage at Portage la Prairie, where we received a 
cheery welcome from the Rev. W. J. Hewitt, Chairman 
of the District, and his excellent wife. The sense of 
rest and relief were inexpressibly delightful. Our 
toilsome journey across the plains was ended, and 
henceforth our way would be among the surroundings 
of civilization. No more boating down lonely rivers 
under silent stars or dripping clouds ; no more camping 
amid storms and cold, sleeping on grass saturated with 
rain, rising at dawn to search for wandering horses, 
or cook a cheerless breakfast; but pleasant home- 
steads, friendly faces, and comfortable resting-places 
everywhere and the iron horse but a few miles away, 
ready to speed us swiftly towards friends and home. 
Best of all a packet of letters from home, some of 
recent date, were awaiting me, and sitting up just long 
enough to gather from these that all was well, I 
gladly lay down to sleep. 





XVIII. 

PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE TO WINNIPEG, 

AND HOME. 

EXT to Winnipeg, Portage La Prairie shows 
signs of more rapid and substantial growth 
than any other place in Manitoba. Whoxi 
I visited this point in the summer of 1877, 
there was but the beginning of a sra&ll 
village ; now there is a goodly-sized town* 
containing the County buildings of Marquette, numer- 
ous stores, good hotels, several depots for agricultural 
implements and all kinds of carriages, a bank, mills* 
etc., etc., — in short, everything that goes to make up * 
flourishing town. I found the business men a gocxJ 
deal exercised over the fact that the Pacific Railway 
was likely to pass some six miles to the north ; bat 
since then the route has been changed so as to touch 
the village, and the property-holders are happy. 
Whether the happiness will last is another question. 
Towns are not always made permanently prosperous 
by having a railway pass through them. 

On reaching the Portage, I was pleased to meet the 



Portage La Prairie and Home. 1 8 1 

Hon. J. W. Sifton, of Winnipeg, accompanied by the 
Rev. James Scott, of Owen Sound. They had been 
engaged for some time in a campaign through Mar- 
quette County in behalf of the Scott Act, and expected 
to address a meeting at the Portage on Monday even- 
ing. On Sunday morning Bro. Scott preached a good 
practical sermon, and a good class-meeting followed. 
In the evening I preached to a full congregation. 
The people are beginning to feel that the place is 
too strait for them, and I have learned since my visit 
that a more eligible site has been secured, and a tem- 
porary tabernacle built, preliminary to the erection of 
a substantial church. 

One of the first duties on Monday morning was to 
^fespatch a message to Toronto, and in due time an 
***swer was returned, which removed all anxiety about 
**iends at home. The rest of the day was spent in 
disposing of my horses and travelling outfit, which I 
fortunately succeeded in doing at a less sacrifice than 
I had anticipated. I was glad enough to dispose of 
***y wa $?g on > tent, &c., but my noble little ponies, that 
**ad accompanied me all the way from Fort Benton, 
*nd throughout the whole journey had displayed so 
Uiuch gentleness, pluck, and endurance, had come to 
be regarded almost as personal friends ; and I confess 
to feelings of genuine sorrow when called to part from 
them. At noon I had the pleasure of dining with 
Mr. Snyder, formerly of Eglington. He has a beau- 
tiful farm within two miles of the village, from 
which he has reaped this year a magnificent wheat 
harvest. 



1 82 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

On Monday evening a meeting on behalf of the Scott 
Act was held in a public hall of good size, which was 
crowded to its utmost capacity. The Rev. W. J. Hewitt 
presided, and capital speeches were delivered by Mr. 
Sifton and Mr. Scott. Later in the evening I had the 
pleasure of firing a shot in the same cause. During 
the evening, a young man of fine appearance, but with 
evident signs of dissipation, attempted to speak on 
the other side. His appearance was greeted with loud 
laughter, which waxed " fast and furious " as he went 
on, " putting his foot in it," in the most absurd way, 
at almost every sentence. Some were disposed to in- 
terrupt him, but Bro. Scott quieted them with the 
remark, "Let him go on; he's doing more for the 
Scott Act than all the rest of us put together." I 
afterwards learned that the young man was a tavern- 
keeper ; that when he came to the Portage a few years 
before he was both respectable and respected ; but like 
many other young men in that country, he fell into 
drinking habits, and now was almost constantly under 
the influence of liquor. The poor fellow presented, in 
his own case, an unanswerable argument for prohibi- 
tory legislation. 

Tuesday morning we started for a point some 20 
miles from the Portage, where we expected to take 
passage for Winnipeg by a construction train on the 
Pacific Railway. Bro. Hewitt kindly took me along 
in his buckboard, while the rest of the party went with 
a hired conveyance. But travelling was now different 
to what it had been. Instead of lonely plains stretch- 



Portage La Prairie and Home. 183 

ing without sign of habitation far as the eye could 
reach, we now beheld, on every side, comfortable houses, 
neat fences, magnificent fields of wheat and oats, some 
of them fully 50 acres in extent, and all those other 
signs of a progressive civilization, so inexpressibly de- 
lightful after our long sojourn in the yet unpeopled 
regions of the farther west. Soon we reached High 
Bluff, where we stopped just long enough for a brief 
call on the Rev. J. M. Harrison, the Missionary there, 
who is succeeding well in his work ; then an hour's 
rest and a cup of tea at Mr. John Setters, near Poplar 
Point; after which we pushed on for the railway. 
About 5 p.m. we heard the cheering sound of the 
whistle, and ere long were on board the construction 
train, with all our remaining baggage, and by 6 o'clock 
were speeding eastward. At Meadow Lea we were 
joined by the Revs. J. G. Laird, and J. H. Starr, who 
had been making a brief summer visit to Manitoba, 
and at 10 p.m. reached the City of Winnipeg, and 
found quarters at a comfortable hotel. 

On the next day the three chairmen of the Mani- 
toba Districts met in the vestry of Grace Church, 
and we spent several hours in conversation con- 
cerning the work in the great North-West. The 
Methodist Church may well rejoice in the assurance 
that in regard to these honored brethren, we have 
"the right men in the right place." While vigor- 
ously pushing the work in the circuits of which they 
have charge, they are keeping a watchful eye on the 
ever-growing needs of the " regions beyond." 



1 84 A Summer in Prairie- Land. 

My time was now 30 limited that I could not spare 
an hour to visit the different parts of the city ; but 
even a glance was sufficient to show what enormous 
strides Winnipeg has made in the past three or four 
years. Let the same rate of progress continue, and 
her growth will be as rapid as that of Chicago in its 
palmiest days. The chief danger is that real estate 
will run up to fabulous prices, and progress be crip- 
pled by individual greed. I am told that already on 
the main street as much as $12 per foot of frontage is 
paid as ground rent alone ; and that a small corner 
lot, not on the main street, was lately sold for $13,000. 
It is doubtful if such prices can continue, and there 
may come, by-and-by, a " panic " in real estate that 
may retard the growth of the city for years. 

Church enterprise in Winnipeg is by no means at a 
standstill. Most of the denominations are well re- 
presented, and have commodious buildings for so new 
a place. The Presbyterians have recently built a new 
and handsome church edifice, and the Methodist 
Church of Canada is preparing to follow suit. The 
latter body has two churches in the city at present — 
a commodious brick structure at Point Douglas, and 
Grace Church, on Main Street, which was built 
during the superintendency of the Rev. Dr. Young, 
and enlarged during that of the Rev. John F. German, 
M.A. The latter congregation have obtained a new 
site, and are preparing to erect a church which is ex- 
pected to cost, when finished, not less than $30,000. 
On Thursday morning, Sept. 30th., we crossed over 



Pvrtage La Prairie and Home. 1 85 

Red River to St. Boniface, and took the 8 a.m. train 
on the Pembina Branch of the Pacific Railway. The 
Rev. Dr. Young accompanied us as far as Emerson, 
where he is stationed at present. At Dominion City 
(not much of a "city" yet) — only three or four houses), 
we met the Rev. C. E. Blakeley, who is stationed at this 
point, and who is laboring diligently in his appointed 
field. The people are preparing to build a church, 
which is much needed. At Emerson we changed cars, 
and had some considerable delay passing baggage, &c. 
The town is some distance from the station, and we 
could not spare time to visit it ; but Dr. Young reports 
it as a busy, prosperous place, ancl likely to be a point 
of considerable importance in the future. 

On board the train I met Mr Cubbit, of Bacton 
Abbey, Norfolk, England, one of the English Farm 
Delegates who, at the request of the Dominion Govern- 
ment, had visited this country with a view to ascer- 
taining its advantages as a field for immigration. Mr. 
Cubbit proved a most intelligent and agreeable fellow- 
traveller, and his views in regard to immigration were 
worthy of attention. Unfortunately the summer had 
been exceedingly wet, and Mr. Cubbit's visit to Mani- 
toba had taken him through the muddiest roads in 
tha£ muddy Province ; hence he was not disposed to 
regard it in the most favorable light ; but one could 
feel there was sound sense in the view that neither 
Manitoba nor the Western States was the place to 
which farmers of the class he represented would be 
likely to go, — men who were overseers and directors of 



1 86 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

labor, but who had never been trained to labor 
themselves. Neither did it seem to be the place to 
which to send the poorer class of English immigrants, 
people who had always been to a large extent depend- 
ent on others, and had but little self-reliance, or power 
to meet emergencies. At the same time Mr. Cubbit ad- 
mitted that facts were rather against this latter view, 
as he had met in the older Provinces, especially Onta- 
rio, not a few who had been house or farm servants in 
England, and who, aided to Canada, in some instances 
by private or public charity, had worked their way to 
a manly independence. Men of large capital might do 
well ; but why should men of large capital come at all? 
Men who had been accustomed to work, would doubt- 
less succeed ; but to send out families from the towns 
or maufacturing districts, people without means, and 
utterly ignorant of farm work, seemed like an act of 
positive cruelty ; while the class of agricultural labor- 
ers, so long as they had the prospect of steady work, 
even at small wages, would be likely to cling to 
the old land. Some will think Mr. Cubbit's views 
rather one-sided ; but it must be confessed they have 
considerable support from the history of immigration 
thus far. 

I need not weary the reader by reference to any 
further incidents of the homeward journey. Suffice it 
to say that the rest of the trip was made without ac- 
cident and without delay, and that at daylight, on the 
3rd of October, I reached home, after some fifteen 
weeks of almost continuous travel, covering a distance, 



Portage La Prairie and Home. 187 

speaking roughly, of about 6,000 miles, 1,300 of which 
had been made by horses and waggon, and 700 by 
open boat, the rest by rail and steamer. The journey 
had been one of much fatigue and exposure, and at 
times of no small peril ; but through Divine goodness 
I returned in vigorous health, thankful that the object 
with which I set out had been fully accomplished. 





XIX. 



QUESTIONS ANSWERED. 




fgB&.N the preceding chapters I have adhered 
9B9 pretty closely to the narrative form, record- 
ing each day's doings and impressions as they 
arose, and hence I trust it will not be deemed 
out of place if I devote a concluding chapter 
to my impressions of the country as a whole, 
and to some matters which I could not well introduce 
at an earlier stage, without breaking the thread of the 
narrative. Perhaps I cannot fulfil my present purpose 
better than by throwing what I have to say into the 
form of answers to questions that have often been put 
to me since I returned from the North-West. 
" What is your opinion of the country $ " 
The question is very comprehensive, and would re- 
quire, for a full answer, more space than I can give 
here. There are a few points, however, that may be 
briefly presented : — 

1. It is a country of enormous extent. This can be 
realized fully only by one who has travelled through 
it. Figures may be piled up, and you may state the 



Questions Answered. 189 

area in acres or square miles ; but such figures convey 
no very definite idea to the mind. The country, as you 
traverse the vast plains, becomes monotonous from 
its sheer immensity. If we take the distance west 
from Winnipeg at 800 miles, and the depth of the 
fertile belt between the boundary line and the North 
Saskatchewan at 200 miles (a moderate estimate), we 
have in that space alone an area of one hundred 
and sixty thousand square miles. And this does not 
take into account the enormous region known as the 
Peace River District, which will yet support a vast 
population. 

2. It is a country of great fertility. One only needs 
to travel through it, noting the quality of the soil, the 
luxuriant growth of grass and vetches, and the fields 
of grain and vegetables where cultivation has been 
tried, to be convinced of that fact. The great draw- 
back in many parts will be the scarcity of timber, but 
barbed wire will come into almost universal use for 
fencing ; stone for building purposes will be found in 
some regions, and brick will be manufactured in others; 
the railways will bring in such supplies of lumber as 
may be required, while the vast deposits of coal in the 
Souris River country and farther west, will solve the 
question of fuel supply. On the whole I consider that 
we have in the North-West as fair a heritage as ever 
fell to the lot of any people. 

" What about the climate i " 

It is much better than has often been reported. As 
a rule, the rainy seasons are well defined, and the 



190 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

amount of rainfall is not greater than the country 
needs. The winters are cold, judging from ther- 
mometer records, but the atmosphere is dry, the tem- 
perature steady, (none of those sudden and extreme 
changes so common in Ontario), and the people — evem 
invalids — seem to suffer less from the climate than 
they do in the older Provinces. The snowfall is less, 
as a rule, than in Minnesota, Dakota, and Montana, 
and from all the information I can gather, I am in- 
clined to believe the climate is better, on the whole, 
than in the states and territories just mentioned. 

" Why, then, do we receive so many unfavorable 
reports about the country t " 

Chiefly because of the sources from which these re- 
ports come. Often they originate with Americans, who 
are interested in the sale of lands in Dakota and 
elsewhere. These men are to be found on almost 
every train carrying emigrants to the North-west, and 
they are by no means particular as to the statements 
they make if they can only induce Canadians to settle 
under the Stars and Stripes. They represent the 
North- West as a region so cold that nothing will ripen, 
and so unhealthy that nothing can live ; and not un- 
f requently Canadians are deterred by these disinter- 
ested (?) representations from entering the country at 
all, and report back to their friends that the North- 
West is not fit to live in. 

Then, again, reports of this kind are sometimes set 
in motion by political partizans for political purposes — 
men who care little what injury they inflict upon the 



Questions A nswered, 191 

country if they can only score a point against the op- 
posite party. Those familiar with the Pacific Eailway 
debates of the last few years will need no other evi- 
dence upon this point. 

But it will be said, not a few people who have 
gone to the North- West with the intention of settling 
there, have come away discouraged, and have brought 
up " an evil report " upon the land. True, and for a 
very simple reason: Most people enter the North- West 
by way of Emerson and Winnipeg, and from these 
points go westward for a short distance ; they usually 
go in early summer, the season of heavy rains, when 
the roads are at the worst. Then Manitoba is the 
lowest and flattest part of the whole North-West, and 
consequently the part where travelling in the rainy 
season is the most unpleasant. Going west from 
Winnipeg towards Portage la Prairie, the traveller has 
to pass over an exceedingly bad piece of road, of con- 
siderable extent ; then beyond the Portage, if his 
courage has not given out, he finds on the north trail 
at Palestine, or on the south trail at McKinnon's 
Woods, as horrible a piece of country as he would 
be likely to discover in a year of travel. Floundering 
in mud and water below, and drenched by rain from 
above, the man who has been accustomed in Ontario 
to gravelled roads and comfortable stopping-places, 
becomes utterly disgusted ; he thinks this is a fair 
specimen of the whole country, and so he goes back and 
reports that the whole thing is a fraud, and that he 
wouldn't take a farm there as a gift These are the 



192 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

people, as a rule, who have brought back discouraging 
accounts of the country ; but during my whole trip I 
did not meet a single person who had been two years 
in the country, and who had gone manfully to work, 
who had the least idea of going back to Ontario, much 
less to the territory of Brother Jonathan. 

" Would you advise me to pull up stakes, and go 
to the North-West f " 

That depends on circumstances. If you are doing 
fairly well where you are, stay there ; it is not worth 
your while to move for the sake of moving, or for the 
bare chance of doing a little better than you are doing 
now. In the next place don't go out with the idea of 
speculating in land; there are too many speculators 
there now, and they are the curse of the country. 
Don't go out with the idea that you can pick up a 
living somehow without working, — there are no such 
livings to pick up. But if you are beginning life, and 
want a chance to become the owner of your own broad 
acres, owing no man anything, you can find as good 
opportunity in the North-West as in any land beneath 
the sun. If you have money enough to pay your 
passage, buy your quarter section, build your cabin, 
purchase enough stock and implements for present 
needs, and provide food till your first harvest is 
reaped, there is no good reason why your career in the 
North- West should not be one of steadily-growing 
comfort and prosperity. 

" What will be the future of the North- West ? " 

That will depend largely upon three things: 1. The 



Questions Answered. 193 

class of emigrants. 2. The character of the govern- 
ment. 3. The activity of tBe churches. 

Whence will come the population of the future? 
The question is pertinent at the present time when a 
scheme is being discussed for transplanting (I had 
almost said transporting) to the North- West the dis- 
affected and poverty-stricken thousands of Ireland. 
Immigration of the sturdy and industrious classes of 
Ulster would doubtless be a valuable acquisition to our 
population ; but these we are -not likely to get in any 
great numbers ; and immigration of the class proposed 
will be a very doubtful gain. We want no Biddulph 
neighborhoods in the North- West, nor neighborhoods 
where a Biddulph tragedy would be possible; yet 
these we shall have should the scheme now proposed 
prevail There are no indications at present that we 
are likely to haVe any large influx from Scotland, or 
even from England, and hence we must look to Con- 
tinental Europe as a base of supply. From Europe 
will come cheifly Germans and Scandinavians, the 
former largely imbued with Socialistic ideas, regarding 
monarchy and tyranny as interchangeable terms, and 
neither class having much faith in the Chrstian Rev- 
elation or the Christian Sabbath. Such elements are 
not easily fused into a strong homogeneous nation- 
ality. 

The character of the government will have much to 

do with the future of the North-West. That it will 

make any serious difference whether the reins are held 

by the Conservatives or Reformers, no one but machine 

13 



194 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

politicians and their dupes are' foolish enough to be- 
lieve, for no great issues now divide the parties ; but 
if the bitter and senseless party strifes of these older 
provinces are to be carried into the North-West, the 
same results will follow there that have followed here; 
the very best men will scorn to enter the political 
arena ; a large portion of the people will be unrepre- 
sented in the government of the day ; the finances of 
the country will be squandered, and its resources re- 
garded but as a carcase around which the party eagles 
may. gather. Perhaps it is expecting too much, but I 
cannot willingly relinquish the hope that a day may 
come when the best men of all parties will unite for 
the common good, and, sinking party prejudices and 
party bitterness, join their calmest counsels and best 
efforts to pave the country's way to a future of pros- 
perity and peace. 

But whatever the population at the start, and what- 
ever the government, Christian activity will.be the 
great factor in deciding the destinies of that vast 
country. If the great evangelical churches of this land 
work diligently and wisely, not in building up their 
respective denominational interests merely, but in 
spreading broadly among the people the principles of 
New Testament Christianity — love to Qod and good 
will to men, — the problem will be solved, and the 
foundations of empire will rest upon a basis that time 
and change will be powerless to overthrow. True, 
there are dangers ahead, — and what country is with- 
out them ? Avarice may build up huge monopolies; 



Questions Answered. 195 

party strifes may endanger great public interests, and 
the liquor traffic may distil its Upas poison over a 
domain that, as yet, is free from its deadly spell ; but 
on the other hand we start on the career of empire 
with no heavy burdens to carry, no huge abuses such 
as have grown up through centuries of ignorance and 
misgovernment in the empires of the old world, and 
no dark curse of slavery hanging like the' shadow of 
doom above our national life. The future is bright 
with hope, and the course is open for a career that 
shall be ever " onward and upward." " May no 
Marius ever sit among the ruins of a promise so fair f » 
As I pen these lines I stand again in fancy where a 
few months ago I stood in fact, on the summit of a lofty 
foot-hill of the Rocky Mountains. Behind me rose the 
mountain range, beyond which the sun was sinking 
toward the western sea, and I thought of the vast 
treasures embedded in those rocky fastnesses, which 
the hand of human enterprise would one day bring to 
light ; of the towering forests on the western slopes, 
vast enough to supply the markets of the world ; of 
the teeming fisheries with food supply for a continent, 
and fertile valleys where millions would yet find a 
home. Before me stretched the rolling foot-hills, and 
beyond these the distant plain ; but imagination 
passed swiftly onward to where the Atlantic surf 
breaks on our eastern coast, and I thought of the splen- 
did harbors, and rich fisheries, and mineral wealth of 
Nova Scotia, the fertile acres of Prince Edward, the 
pine forests of New Brunswick, the commerce of 



196 A Summer in Prairie-Land. 

Quebec, the agricultural wealth and growing manu- 
factures of Ontario ; of our mighty lakes, those high- 
ways of commerce, that link together the East and the 
West ; and then again my eye rested upon the varied 
panorama of hill and vale and distant plain spread out 
at my feet Far as the eye could reach there was no 
sign of human habitation, and no sound of human ac- 
tivities broke the stillness ; but as thought took in the 
possibilities of the future I stood intently listening 
like one who — 

" Hears from afar the muffled tread 

Of millions yet to be, — 
The first low dash of waves where yet 

Shall roll the human sea." 

In fancy's ear I heard the lowing of cattle from the 
hillsides, the hum of busy industry from a hundred 
towns and villages, the merry shout of children re- 
turning from school, and in the distance the thunder- 
ing tread of the iron horse as he sped swiftly across 
the plain. As I looked again the whole scene was 
transfigured. Everywhere quiet homesteads dotted 
the plains and nestled among the hills, smoke of 
factories rose thickly on the air, a hundred village spires 
glittered in the rays of the setting sun, while golden 
fields of ripening grain filled up the inter-spaces, and 
waved in the passing breeze ; and I said in my heart, 
" Lo, here is a dominion stretching ' from sea to sea 
and from the river unto the ends of the earth \ with 
the garnered experience of the centuries behind it ; 



Questions Answered. 197 

with no fetters of past abuses to cramp its energies or 
hinder its development; with no outside jealousies 
ready to take advantage of its weakness, or avaricious 
neighbor covetous of its wealth. Starting thus in 
the career of empire with unfettered limbs, and a 
hearty 'God speed* from the great sisterhood of nations* 
surely nothing short of persistent folly or deliberate 
wickedness can mar the future of its hopes." 



" Fair land of peace ! To Britain's rule and throne 
Adherent still, yet happier than alone, 

• And free as happy, and as brave as free ; 
Proud are thy children, — justly proud of thee. 

" Thou hast no streams renowned in classic lore, 
No vales where fabled heroes roved of yore, 
No hills where Poesy enraptured stood, 
No mythic fountains, no enchanted wood ; 
But unadorned, rough, cold and often stern, 
The careless eye to other lands might turn, 
And seek, where nature's bloom is more intense, 
Softer delights to charm the eye of sense. 



" We cannot boast those skies of milder ray, 
'Neath which the orange mellows day by day ; 
Where the magnolia spreads her snowy flowers, 
And nature revels in perennial bowers; — 
Here winter holds his long and solemn reign, 
And madly sweeps the desolated plain ; 
But Health and Vigor hail the wintry strife 
In all the buoyant glow of happy life ; 
And, by the blazing chimney's cheerful hearth, 
Smile at the blast 'mid songs and household mirth. 



198 A Summer in Prairie- Land^ 

•• Here Freedom looks o'er all these broad domains, 
And hears no heavy clank of servile chains; 
Here man, no matter what his skin may be, 
Can stand erect and proudly say 'I'm free! ' 
No crouching slaves cower in our busy marts 
With straining eyes and anguish-riven hearts. 



" Fair land of peace! may'st thou ever be, 
Evenas now, the land of liberty! 
Treading serenely thy bright upward road, 
Honored of nations and approved of God; 
On thy fair front emblazoned, clear and bright, — 
Freedom, Fraternity, and Equal Right! 



»» 




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