Book: The Young Fur Traders

R >> R.M. Ballantyne >> The Young Fur Traders




"I turned to look, and there I saw Wabisca gazing on me with a look
of blank amazement. I could see, also, that several of the other
women, and some of my companions, shared in her surprise.

"With a burst of anger I turned round. 'No,' Misconna,' said I, 'I am
_not_ afraid, as you shall find;' and springing upon him, I grasped
him round the body. He was nearly, if not quite, as strong a youth as
myself; but I was burning with indignation at the insolence of his
conduct before so many of the women, which gave me more than usual
energy. For several minutes we swayed to and fro, each endeavouring
in vain to bend the other's back; but we were too well matched for
this, and sought to accomplish our purpose by taking advantage of an
unguarded movement. At last such a movement occurred. My adversary
made a sudden and violent attempt to throw me to the left, hoping
that an inequality in the ground would favour his effort. But he was
mistaken. I had seen the danger and was prepared for it, so that the
instant he attempted it I threw forward my right leg, and thrust him
backwards with all my might. Misconna was quick in his motions. He
saw my intention--too late, indeed, to prevent it altogether, but in
time to throw back his left foot and stiffen his body till it felt
like a block of stone. The effort was now entirely one of endurance.
We stood each with his muscles strained to the utmost, without the
slightest motion. At length I felt my adversary give way a little.
Slight though the motion was, it instantly removed all doubt as to
who should go down. My heart gave a bound of exaltation, and with the
energy which such a feeling always inspires, I put forth all my
strength, threw him heavily over on his back, and fell upon him.

"A shout of applause from my comrades greeted me as I rose and left
the ground; but at the same moment the attention of all was taken
from myself and the baffled Misconna by the arrival of the scout,
bringing us information that a party of Chipewyans were in the
neighbourhood. In a moment all was bustle and preparation. An Indian
war-party is soon got ready. Forty of our braves threw off the
principal parts of their clothing; painted their faces with stripes
of vermilion and charcoal; armed themselves with guns, bows,
tomahawks and scalping knives, and in a few minutes left the camp in
silence, and at a quick pace.

"One or two of the youths who had been playing on the river's bank
were permitted to accompany the party, and among these were Misconna
and myself. As we passed a group of women, assembled to see us
depart, I observed the girl who had caused so much jealousy between
us. She cast down her eyes as we came up, and as we advanced close to
the group she dropped a white feather, as if by accident. Stooping
hastily down, I picked it up in passing, and stuck it in an
ornamented band that bound my hair. As we hurried on I heard two or
three old hags laugh, and say, with a sneer, 'His hand is as white as
a feather: it has never seen blood.' The next moment we were hid in
the forest, and pursued our rapid course in dead silence.

"The country through which we passed was varied, extending in broken
bits of open prairie, and partly covered with thick wood, yet not so
thick as to offer any hindrance to our march. We walked in single
file, each treading in his comrade's footsteps, while the band was
headed by the scout who had brought the information. The principal
chief of our tribe came next, and he was followed by the braves
according to their age or influence. Misconna and I brought up the
rear. The sun was just sinking as we left the belt of woodland in
which our village stood, crossed over a short plain, descended a dark
hollow, at the bottom of which the river flowed, and following its
course for a considerable distance, turned off to the right and
emerged upon a sweep of prairieland. Here the scout halted, and
taking the chief and two or three braves aside, entered into earnest
consultation with them.

"What they said we could not hear; but as we stood leaning on our
guns in the deep shade of the forest, we could observe by their
animated gestures that they differed in opinion. We saw that the
scout pointed several times to the moon, which was just rising above
the treetops, and then to the distant horizon: but the chief shook
his head, pointed to the woods, and seemed to be much in doubt, while
the whole band watched his motions in deep silence but evident
interest. At length they appeared to agree. The scout took his place
at the head of the line, and we resumed our march, keeping close to
the margin of the wood. It was perhaps three hours after this ere we
again halted to hold another consultation. This time their
deliberations were shorter. In a few seconds our chief himself took
the lead, and turned into the woods, through which he guided us to a
small fountain which bubbled up at the root of a birch tree, where
there was a smooth green spot of level ground. Here we halted, and
prepared to rest for an hour, at the end of which time the moon,
which now shone bright and full in the clear sky, would be nearly
down, and we could resume our march. We now sat down in a circle, and
taking a hasty mouthful of dried meat, stretched ourselves on the
ground with our arms beside us, while our chief kept watch, leaning
against the birch tree. It seemed as if I had scarcely been asleep
five minutes when I felt a light touch on my shoulder. Springing up,
I found the whole party already astir, and in a few minutes more we
were again hurrying onwards.

"We travelled thus until a faint light in the east told us that the
day was at hand, when the scout's steps became more cautious, and he
paused to examine the ground frequently. At last we came to a place
where the ground sank slightly, and at a distance of a hundred yards
rose again, forming a low ridge which was crowned with small bushes.
Here we came to a halt, and were told that our enemies were on the
other side of that ridge; that they were about twenty in number, all
Chipewyan warriors, with the exception of one paleface--a trapper,
and his Indian wife. The scout had learned, while lying like a snake
in the grass around their camp, that this man was merely travelling
with them on his way to the Rocky Mountains, and that, as they were a
war-party, he intended to leave them soon. On hearing this the
warriors gave a grim smile, and our chief, directing the scout to
fall behind, cautiously led the way to the top of the ridge. On
reaching it we saw a valley of great extent, dotted with trees and
shrubs, and watered by one of the many rivers that flow into the
great Saskatchewan. It was nearly dark, however, and we could only
get an indistinct view of the land. Far ahead of us, on the right
bank of the stream, and close to its margin, we saw the faint red
light of watch fires; which caused us some surprise, for watch-fires
are never lighted by a war-party so near to an enemy's country. So we
could only conjecture that they were quite ignorant of our being in
that part of the country; which was, indeed, not unlikely, seeing
that we had shifted our camp during the summer.

"Our chief now made arrangements for the attack. We were directed to
separate and approach individually as near to the camp as was
possible without risk of discovery, and then, taking up an
advantageous position, to await our chief's signal, which was to be
the hooting of an owl. We immediately separated. My course lay along
the banks of the stream, and as I strode rapidly along, listening to
its low solemn murmur, which sounded clear and distinct in the
stillness of a calm summer night, I could not help feeling as if it
were reproaching me for the bloody work I was hastening to perform.
Then the recollection of what the old woman said of me raised a
desperate spirit in my heart. Remembering the white feather in my
head, I grasped my gun and quickened my pace. As I neared the camp I
went into the woods and climbed a low hillock to look out. I found
that it still lay about five hundred yards distant, and that the
greater part of the ground between it and the place where I stood was
quite flat, and without cover of any kind. I therefore prepared to
creep towards it, although the attempt was likely to be attended with
great danger, for Chipewyans have quick ears and sharp eyes.
Observing, however, that the river ran close past the camp, I
determined to follow its course as before. In a few seconds more I
came to a dark narrow gap where the river flowed between broken
rocks, overhung by branches, and from which I could obtain a clear
view of the camp within fifty yards of me. Examining the priming of
my gun, I sat down on a rock to await the chief's signal.

"It was evident from the careless manner in which the fires were
placed, that no enemy was supposed to be near. From my concealment I
could plainly distinguish ten or fifteen of the sleeping forms of our
enemies, among which the trapper was conspicuous, from his superior
bulk, and the reckless way in which his brawny arms were flung on the
turf, while his right hand clutched his rifle. I could not but smile
as I thought of the proud boldness of the pale-face--lying all
exposed to view in the gray light of dawn while an Indian's rifle was
so close at hand. One Indian kept watch, but he seemed more than half
asleep. I had not sat more than a minute when my observations were
interrupted by the cracking of a branch in the bushes near me.
Starting up, I was about to bound into the underwood, when a figure
sprang down the bank and rapidly approached me. My first impulse was
to throw forward my gun, but a glance sufficed to show me that it was
a woman.

"'Wah!' I exclaimed, in surprise, as she hurried forward and laid her
hand on my shoulder. She was dressed partly in the costume of the
Indians, but wore a shawl on her shoulders and a handkerchief on her
head that showed she had been in the settlements; and from the
lightness of her skin and hair, I judged at once that she was the
trapper's wife, of whom I had heard the scout speak.

"'Has the light-hair got a medicine-bag, or does she speak with
spirits, that she has found me so easily?'

"The girl looked anxiously up in my face as if to read my thoughts,
and then said, in a low voice,--

"'No, I neither carry the medicine-bag nor hold palaver with spirits;
but I do think the good Manito must have led me here. I wandered into
the woods because I could not sleep, and I saw you pass. But tell
me,' she added with still deeper anxiety, 'does the white-feather
come alone? Does he approach _friends_ during the dark hours with a
soft step like a fox?'

"Feeling the necessity of detaining her until my comrades should have
time to surround the camp, I said: 'The white-feather hunts far from
his lands. He sees Indians whom he does not know, and must approach
with a light step. Perhaps they are enemies.'

"'Do Knisteneux hunt at night, prowling in the bed of a stream?' said
the girl, still regarding me with a keen glance. 'Speak truth,
stranger' (and she started suddenly back); 'in a moment I can alarm
the camp with a cry, and if your tongue is forked--But I do not wish
to bring enemies upon you, if they are indeed such. I am not one of
them. My husband and I travel with them for a time. We do not desire
to see blood. God knows,' she added in French, which seemed her
native tongue, 'I have seen enough of that already.'

"As her earnest eyes looked into my face a sudden thought occurred to
me. 'Go,' said I, hastily, 'tell your husband to leave the camp
instantly and meet me here; and see that the Chipewyans do not
observe your departure. Quick! his life and yours may depend on your
speed.'

"The girl instantly comprehended my meaning. In a moment she sprang
up the bank; but as she did so the loud report of a gun was heard,
followed by a yell, and the war-whoop of the Knisteneux rent the air
as they rushed upon the devoted camp, sending arrows and bullets
before them.

"On the instant I sprang after the girl and grasped her by the arm.
'Stay, white-cheek; it is too late now. You cannot save your husband,
but I think he'll save himself. I saw him dive into the bushes like a
cariboo. Hide yourself here; perhaps you may escape.'

"The half-breed girl sank on a fallen tree with a deep groan, and
clasped her hands convulsively before her eyes, while I bounded over
the tree, intending to join my comrades in pursuing the enemy.

"As I did so a shrill cry arose behind me, and looking back, I beheld
the trapper's wife prostrate on the ground, and Misconna standing
over her, his spear uplifted, and a fierce frown on his dark face.

"'Hold!' I cried, rushing back and seizing his arm. 'Misconna did not
come to kill _women_. She is not our enemy.'

"'Does the young wrestler want _another_ wife?' he said, with a wild
laugh, at the same time wrenching his arm from my gripe, and driving
his spear through the fleshy part of the woman's breast and deep into
the ground. A shriek rent the air as he drew it out again to repeat
the thrust; but before he could do so, I struck him with the butt of
my gun on the head. Staggering backwards, he fell heavily among the
bushes. At this moment a second whoop rang out, and another of our
band sprang from the thicket that surrounded us. Seeing no one but
myself and the bleeding girl, he gave me a short glance of surprise,
as if he wondered why I did not finish the work which he evidently
supposed I had begun.

"'Wah!' he exclaimed; and uttering another yell plunged his spear
into the woman's breast, despite my efforts to prevent him--this time
with more deadly effect, as the blood spouted from the wound, while
she uttered a piercing scream, and twined her arms round my legs as I
stood beside her, as if imploring for mercy. Poor girl! I saw that
she was past my help. The wound was evidently mortal. Already the
signs of death overspread her features, and I felt that a second blow
would be one of mercy; so that when the Indian stooped and passed his
long knife through her heart, I made but a feeble effort to prevent
it. Just as the man rose, with the warm blood dripping from his keen
blade, the sharp crack of a rifle was heard, and the Indian fell dead
at my feet, shot through the forehead, while the trapper bounded into
the open space, his massive frame quivering, and his sunburned face
distorted with rage and horror. From the other side of the brake six
of our band rushed forward and levelled their guns at him. For one
moment the trapper paused to cast a glance at the mangled corpse of
his wife, as if to make quite sure that she was dead; and then
uttering a howl of despair, he hurled his axe with a giant's force at
the Knisteneux, and disappeared over the precipitous bank of the
stream.

"So rapid was the action that the volley which immediately succeeded
passed harmlessly over his head, while the Indians dashed forward in
pursuit. At the same instant I myself was felled to the earth. The
axe which the trapper had flung struck a tree in its flight, and as
it glanced off the handle gave me a violent blow in passing. I fell
stunned. As I did so my head alighted on the shoulder of the woman,
and the last thing I felt, as my wandering senses forsook me, was her
still warm blood flowing over my face and neck.

"While this scene was going on, the yells and screams of the warriors
in the camp became fainter and fainter as they pursued and fled
through the woods. The whole band of Chipewyans was entirely routed,
with the exception of four who escaped, and the trapper whose flight
I have described; all the rest were slain, and their scalps hung at
the belts of the victorious Knisteneux warriors, while only one of
our party was killed.

"Not more than a few minutes after receiving the blow that stunned
me, I recovered, and rising as hastily as my scattered faculties
would permit me, I staggered towards the camp, where I heard the
shouts of our men as they collected the arms of their enemies. As I
rose, the feather which Wabisca had dropped fell from my brow, and as
I picked it up to replace it, I perceived that it was _red_, being
entirely covered with the blood of the half-breed girl.

"The place where Misconna had fallen was vacant as I passed, and I
found him standing among his comrades round the camp fires, examining
the guns and other articles which they had collected. He gave me a
short glance of deep hatred as I passed, and turned his head hastily
away. A few minutes sufficed to collect the spoils, and so rapidly
had everything been done that the light of day was still faint as we
silently returned on our track. We marched in the same order as
before, Misconna and I bringing up the rear. As we passed near the
place where the poor woman had been murdered, I felt a strong desire
to return to the spot. I could not very well understand the feeling,
but it lay so strong upon me that, when we reached the ridge where we
first came in sight of the Chipewyan camp, I fell behind until my
companions disappeared in the woods, and then ran swiftly back. Just
as I was about to step beyond the circle of bushes that surrounded
the spot, I saw that some one was there before me. It was a man, and
as he advanced into the open space and the light fell on his face, I
saw that it was the trapper. No doubt he had watched us off the
ground, and then, when all was safe, returned to bury his wife. I
crouched to watch him. Stepping slowly up to the body of his murdered
wife, he stood beside it with his arms folded on his breast and quite
motionless. His head hung down, for the heart of the white man was
heavy, and I could see, as the light increased, that his brows were
dark as the thunder-cloud, and the corners of his mouth twitched from
a feeling that the Indian scorns to show. My heart is full of sorrow
for him now" (Redfeather's voice sank as he spoke); "it was full of
sorrow for him even _then_, when I was taught to think that pity for
an enemy was unworthy of a brave. The trapper stood gazing very long.
His wife was young; he could not leave her yet. At length a deep
groan burst from his heart, as the waters of a great river, long held
down, swell up in spring and burst the ice at last. Groan followed
groan as the trapper still stood and pressed his arms on his broad
breast, as if to crush the heart within. At last he slowly knelt
beside her, bending more and more over the lifeless form, until he
lay extended on the ground beside it, and twining his arms round the
neck, he drew the cold cheek close to his, and pressed the blood-
covered bosom tighter and tighter, while his form quivered with agony
as he gave her a last, long embrace. Oh!" continued Redfeather, while
his brow darkened, and his black eye flashed with an expression of
fierceness that his young listeners had never seen before, "may the
curse--" He paused. "God forgive them! How could they know better?

"At length the trapper rose hastily. The expression of his brow was
still the same, but his mouth was altered. The lips were pressed
tightly like those of a brave when led to torture, and there was a
fierce activity in his motions as he sprang down the bank and
proceeded to dig a hole in the soft earth. For half an hour he
laboured, shovelling away the earth with a large, flat stone; and
carrying down the body, he buried it there, under the shadow of a
willow. The trapper then shouldered his rifle and hurried away. On
reaching the turn of the stream which shuts the little hollow out
from view, he halted suddenly, gave one look into the prairie he was
henceforth to tread alone, one short glance back, and then, raising
both arms in the air, looked up into the sky, while he stretched
himself to his full height. Even at that distance I could see the
wild glare of his eye and the heaving of his breast. A moment after,
and he was gone."

"And did you never see him again?" inquired Harry Somerville,
eagerly.

"No, I never saw him more. Immediately afterwards I turned to rejoin
my companions, whom I soon overtook, and entered our village along
with them. I was regarded as a poor warrior, because I brought home
no scalps, and ever afterwards I went by the name of _Redfeather_ in
our tribe."

"But are you still thought a poor warrior?" asked Charley, in some
concern, as if he were jealous of the reputation of his new friend.

The Indian smiled. "No," he said: "our village was twice attacked
afterwards, and in defending it, Redfeather took many scalps. He was
made a chief!"

"Ah!" cried Charley, "I'm glad of that. And Wabisca, what came of
her? Did Misconna get her?"

"She is my wife," replied Redfeather.

"Your wife! Why, I thought I heard the voyageurs call your wife the
white swan."

"Wabisca is _white_ in the language of the Knisteneux. She is
beautiful in form, and my comrades call her the white swan."

Redfeather said this with an air of gratified pride. He did not,
perhaps, love his wife with more fervour than he would have done had
he remained with his tribe; but Redfeather had associated a great
deal with the traders, and he had imbibed much of that spirit which
prompts "_white_ men" to treat their females with deference and
respect--a feeling which is very foreign to an Indian's bosom. To do
so was, besides, more congenial to his naturally unselfish and
affectionate disposition, so that any flattering allusion to his
partner was always received by him with immense gratification.

"I'll pay you a visit some day, Redfeather, if I'm sent to any place
within fifty miles of your tribe," said Charley with the air of one
who had fully made up his mind.

"And Misconna?" asked Harry.

"Misconna is with his tribe," replied the Indian, and a frown
overspread his features as he spoke; "but Redfeather has been
following in the track of his white friends; he has not seen his
nation for many moons."




CHAPTER XIII.

The canoe--Ascending the rapids--The portage--Deer shooting and life
in the woods.


We must now beg the patient reader to take a leap with us, not only
through space, but also through time. We must pass over the events of
the remainder of the journey along the shore of Lake Winnipeg.
Unwilling though we are to omit anything in the history of our
friends that would be likely to prove interesting, we think it wise
not to run the risk of being tedious, or of dwelling too minutely on
the details of scenes which recall powerfully the feelings and
memories of bygone days to the writer, but may, nevertheless, appear
somewhat flat to the reader.

We shall not, therefore, enlarge at present on the arrival of the
boats at Norway House, which lies at the north end of the lake, nor
on what was said and done by our friends and by several other young
comrades whom they found there. We shall not speak of the horror of
Harry Somerville, and the extreme disappointment of his friend
Charley Kennedy, when the former was told that instead of hunting
grizzly bears up the Saskatchewan he was condemned to the desk again
at York Fort, the depot on Hudson's Bay,--a low, swampy place near
the sea-shore, where the goods for the interior are annually landed
and the furs shipped for England, where the greater part of the
summer and much of the winter is occupied by the clerks who may be
doomed to vegetate there in making up the accounts of what is termed
the Northern Department, and where the brigades converge from all the
wide scattered and far-distant outposts, and the _ship_ from England--
that great event of the year--arrives, keeping the place in a state
of constant bustle and effervescence until autumn, when ship and
brigades finally depart, leaving the residents (about thirty in
number) shut up for eight long, dreary months of winter, with a
tenantless wilderness around and behind them, and the wide, cold
frozen sea before. This was among the first of Harry's
disappointments. He suffered many afterwards, poor fellow!

Neither shall we accompany Charley up the south branch of the
Saskatchewan, where his utmost expectations in the way of hunting
were more than realised, and where he became so accustomed to
shooting ducks and geese, and bears and buffaloes, that he could not
forbear smiling when he chanced to meet with a red-legged gull, and
remembered how he and his friend Harry had comported themselves when
they first met with these birds on the shores of Lake Winnipeg! We
shall pass over all this, and the summer, autumn, and winter too, and
leap at once into the spring of the following year.

On a very bright, cheery morning of that spring a canoe might have
been seen slowly ascending one of the numerous streams which meander
through a richly-wooded fertile country, and mingle their waters with
those of the Athabasca River, terminating their united career in a
large lake of the same name. The canoe was small--one of the kind
used by the natives while engaged in hunting, and capable of holding
only two persons conveniently, with their baggage. To any one
unacquainted with the nature and capabilities of a northern Indian
canoe, the fragile, bright orange-coloured machine that was battling
with the strong current of a rapid must indeed have appeared an
unsafe and insignificant craft; but a more careful study of its
performances in the rapid, and of the immense quantity of
miscellaneous goods and chattels which were, at a later period of the
day, disgorged from its interior, would have convinced the beholder
that it was in truth the most convenient and serviceable craft that
could be devised for the exigencies of such a country.

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