; I passed several of the earlier years of my life in that
part of North America which may truly be said to belong as yet to the
Red men, though as there are but some fifty thousand scattered over the
whole central portion of it, it must be acknowledged that they do not
make the best possible use of the territory they inhabit. A glance at
the map of North America will show you where the Red River is, with its
settlement founded by Lord Selkirk. I was very young when I went there
with my father, my elder brother Malcolm, and John Dawes, a faithful
servant who had been brought up in the family from childhood. John was
a great sportsman, a most kind-hearted fellow, and could turn his hand
to anything. We went through Canada to Lake Superior, and from thence
it took us, by a chain of lakes and rivers, about twenty-five days to
reach the banks of the Red River. I need not describe how we selected
our ground, built a cottage, ploughed a field, and stocked our farm; we
will suppose all these preliminaries over and our party permanently
settled in our new home. I must tell you before I proceed a little
about the Indians of this region."

II.

There are different tribes. Some are called Crees, others Ojibways or
Salteaux, and these are constantly at war with the Sioux to the south,
chiefly found across the United States boundary. There are also found
on the prairies Assiniboines, Blackfeet, Bloodies, and others with
scarcely more attractive names. All these people were at that time sunk
in the most abject state of heathenism, and were constantly at war with
each other. They were clothed chiefly in skins made into leather,
ornamented with feathers and stained grass and beads. The tents of the
prairie Indians were of skins, and those of the Indians who inhabit the
woods of birch bark. Many had rifles, but others were armed only with
bows and spears, and the dreadful scalping-knife. Of these people the
Sioux bore the worst character, and were the great enemies of the
half-bred population of the settlements. These halfbreds, as they are
called, are descended from white fathers and Indian mothers. There are
some thousands of them in the settlements, and they live chiefly by
hunting and fishing, and retain many Indian customs and habits of life.
Such was the strangely mixed community among whom we found ourselves.

The autumn was coming on, and the days were shortening, but the weather
was very fine--sharp frosts at n