were
malcontents, wondering whether to go or stay.

The leading vessel of the Hudson's Bay fleet in the year 1811 was the
commodore's ship, the _Prince of Wales_. At her moorings in the Thames
another ship, the _Eddystone_, lay ready for the long passage to the
Great Bay. Besides these, a shaky old hulk, the _Edward and Ann_, was
put into commission for the use of Lord Selkirk's settlers. Her grey
sails were mottled with age and her rigging was loose and worn.
Sixteen men and boys made up her crew, a number by no means sufficient
for a boat of her size. It seemed almost criminal to send such an
ill-manned craft out on the tempestuous North Atlantic. However, the
three ships sailed from the {40} Thames and steered up the east coast
of England. Opposite Yarmouth a gale rose and forced them into a
sheltering harbour. It was the middle of July before they rounded the
north shore of Scotland. At Stromness in the Orkneys the _Prince of
Wales_ took on board a small body of emigrants and a number of the
company's servants who were waiting there.

At length the tiny fleet reached the bustling harbour-town of
Stornoway; and here Miles Macdonell faced a task of no little
difficulty. Counting the Orkneymen just arrived, there were one
hundred and twenty-five in his party. The atmosphere seemed full of
unrest, and the cause was not far to seek. The Nor'westers were at
work, and their agents were sowing discontent among the emigrants.
Even Collector Reed, the government official in charge of the customs,
was acting as the tool of the Nor'westers. It was Reed's duty, of
course, to hasten the departure of the expedition; but instead of doing
this he put every possible obstacle in the way. Moreover, he mingled
with the emigrants, urging them to forsake the venture while there was
yet time.

Another partisan of the North-West {41} Company also appeared on the
scene. This was an army officer named Captain Mackenzie, who pretended
to be gathering recruits for the army. He had succeeded, it appears,
in getting some of Selkirk's men to take the king's shilling, and now
was trying to lead these men away from the ships as 'deserters from His
Majesty's service.' One day this trouble-maker brought his dinghy
alongside one of the vessels. A sailor on deck, who saw Captain
Mackenzie in the boat and was eager for a lark, picked up a nine-pound
shot, poised it carefully, and let it fall. There was a splintering
thud. Captain M