of blood I since learned
from an individual that escaped from the massacre. The Indians
attached to the posts established along the shores of Hudson's Bay are
comparatively civilized; most of them speak English, and are employed
as voyageurs by the Company. Few or no precautions are taken at these
posts to guard against treachery; the gates are seldom shut, and some
of the posts are destitute of palisades or defence of any kind. Of
this description was the post where the catastrophe occurred which I
am about to relate.

The post of Hannah Bay is situated about sixty miles to the north
of Moose Factory, and was at this time under the charge of a Mr.
Corrigal. His establishment consisted of two or three half-breeds, and
an Indian who had been brought up by the whites. He and some of the
men had families. In the course of the winter five Indians came in
with their "hunts," and agreeably to their usual practice encamped
close by. Those Indians are designated "Home Guards,"--a term
generally applied to the Indians attached to a trading post; they hunt
in winter at a convenient distance from the post, and are employed in
summer as voyageurs, or in performing any other necessary duty.
Notwithstanding their thus being frequently in company with white men
and Christians, they still retain many of the barbarous habits, and
much of the superstitious belief of their forefathers, aggravated, I
regret to say, by some of the vices of the whites.

Among the number of those just mentioned was an individual who had
acquired considerable influence among his tribe, from his pretending
to be skilled in the art of divination. This man told his fellows that
he had had a communication from the Great Spirit, who assured him that
he would become the greatest man in Hudson's Bay if he only followed
the course prescribed to him, which was, first, to cut off their own
trading post, and then with the spoil got there to hire other Indians,
who should assist in destroying all the other posts the Company
possessed in the country. Accordingly, it was determined to carry
their design into execution, whenever a favourable opportunity
occurred. This was not long in presenting itself. They came one day to
the establishment, and told the people that the "man of medicine" had
come for the purpose of performing some extraordinary feat that would
astonish them all. The silly creatures believed the story, and went to
the borders of the lake, where they observ