before it was
carried out. And now runners were everywhere on the
plains, telling that Dumont had a mighty army made up of
most of the brave Indians of the prairies, and comprising
all the dead shots among the half-breeds; that he had
encountered heavy forces of police and armed civilians,
and overthrown them without losing a single man. They
likewise declared that he had hosts of prisoners, and
that the whole of Canada was trembling with fear at the
mention of the names of Riel and Dumont.

"Now is our time to strike," said the Indian with the
fiendish face, and the wolf-like eyes.

Therefore, the 2nd day of April was fixed for the holding
of the conference between the Indians and the white
settlers. The malignant chief had settled the plan.

"When the white faces come to our lodge, they will expect
no harm. Ugh! Then the red man will have his vengeance."
So every Indian was instructed to have his rifle at hand
in the lodge. The white folk wondered why the Indians
had arranged for a conference.

"We can do nothing to help their case," they said, "we
ourselves find it difficult enough to get the ear of
Government. It will only waste time to go." Many of them,
therefore, remained at home, occupying themselves with
their various duties, while the rest, merely for the sake
of agreeableness, and of shewing the Indians that they
were interested in their affairs, proceeded to the place
appointed for the pow-wow.

"We hope to smoke our pipes before our white brothers go
away from us," was what the treacherous chief, with
wolfish eyes, had said, in order to put the settlers off
their guard.

The morning of the 2nd opened gloomily, as if it could
not look cheerily down upon the bloody events planned in
this distant wilderness. Low, indigo clouds looked down
over the hills, but there was not a stir in all the air.
Nor was any living thing to be seen stirring, save that
troops of blue-jays went scolding from tree to tree before
the settlers as they proceeded to the conference, and
they perceived a few half-famished, yellow, and black
and yellow dogs, with small heads and long scraggy hair,
sculking about the fields and among the wigwams of the
Indians in search for food.

The lodge where the parley was to be held stood in a
hollow. Behind was a tall bluff, crowned with timber;
round about it green poplar, white oak, and some firs,
while in front rolled by a swift stream, which had just
burst its winter fetters. U