f eight miles brought us to the mission of the
Indian Settlement presided over by Archdeacon Cowley.

Here, along the last few miles of the Red River ere it seeks, through
many channels, the waters of Lake Winnipeg, dwell the remnants of the
tribes whose fathers in times gone by claimed the broad lands of the Red
River; now clothing themselves, after the fashion of the white man, in
garments and in religion, and learning a few of his ways and dealings,
but still with many wistful hankerings towards the older era of the paint
and feathers, of the medicine bag and the dream omen.

Poor red man of the great North-west, I am at last in your land! Long as
I have been hearing of you and your wild doings, it is only here that I
have reached you on the confines of the far-stretching Winnipeg. It is no
easy task to find you now, for one has to travel far into the lone
spaces of the Continent before the smoke of your wigwam or of your tepie
blurs the evening air.

But henceforth we will be companions for many months, and through many
varied scenes, for my path lies amidst the lone spaces which are still
your own; by the rushing rapids where you spear the great "namha" (
sturgeon) will we light the evening fire and lie down to rest, lulled by
the ceaseless thunder of the torrent; the lone lake shore will give us
rest for the midday meal, and from your frail canoe, lying like a
sea-gull on the wave, we will get the "mecuhaga" (the blueberry) and the
"wa-wa," (the goose) giving you the great medicine of the white man, the
the and suga in exchange. But I anticipate.

On the morning following my arrival at the mission house a strange sound
greeted my ears as I arose. Looking through the window, I beheld for the
first time the red man in his glory.

Filing along the outside road came some two hundred of the warriors and
braves of the Ojibbeways, intent upon all manner of rejoicing. At their
head marched Chief Henry Prince, Chief "Kechiwis" (or the Big Apron) "Sou
Souse" (or Little Long Ears); there was also "We-we-tak-gum Na-gash" (or
the Man who flies round the Feathers), and Pahaouza-tau-ka, if not
present, was represented by at least a dozen individuals just as fully
qualified to separate the membrane from the top of the head as was that
most renowned scalp-taker.

Wheeling into the grass-plot in front of the mission house, the whole
body advanced towards the door shouting, "Ho, ho!" and firing off their
flint trading-guns in