September 11th. "Arrived at Pembina. The houses were full of
halfbreeds, who saluted us with the discharge of guns, etc. Two of the
staff rode on ahead, and were treated to milk and potatoes--a treat
equal to that of the milk and honey received by the Israelites of old.
Near the village, on the muddy banks of Red River, stood an admiring
group of several hundred whites, halfbreeds, and Indians of all sizes,
with any quantity of dogs, very large and wolfish. Amid this babel of
cries, yelps, barks, and shouts, from the said big dogs and little
papoose Indians, we came to a halt and reconnoitred, standing almost
glued fast in the sticky, tenacious mud caused by the rains and overflow
of the Red and Pembina Rivers for three years past. The journey to
Pembina has been accomplished, including the two rest days, in
twenty-five days in all."
September 14th. "Cloudy, cold, raw, and windy, quite unpleasant and
unseasonable. An overcoat is necessary out of doors this morning, and
fires in the house for comfort. To-day we had preaching by the Rev. John
Black, in the dining-room of the Governor's house; a novelty most
certainly in this far distant region. The congregation consisted of
about a dozen whites and three halfbreeds. The Rev. Charles Tanner, a
halfbreed missionary among the Indians of Red Lake, met us here, and in
the afternoon preached to the assembled Chippewas in their own tongue.
He moved to this place a week ago, and intends farming, teaching school,
etc., for a livelihood after the conclusion of the treaty. His wife is a
halfbreed, and they reside at present in a lodge in the yard at this
place."
DOWN THE RED RIVER.
After Sunday was past for two days the weather was bad, but on
Wednesday, 17th, the day was fine, and the two companions of the
voyage, Messrs. Black and Bond, determined to leave the party behind and
proceed down the Red River to the Selkirk settlement, a distance by land
of sixty miles, but not less than three times as far by the winding
river. Astir by daylight, the travellers were soon ready, and in a birch
bark canoe, fifteen feet long and three wide, managed by two French
halfbreeds or Bois-brulés (burnt sticks, referring to their dusky
faces), their bedding, baggage, and provisions, and finally the two
passengers were stowed away for the journey. The voyage was a tedious
one, but not without interest. The canoe was somewhat leaky, and at
times had to be hauled up on the bank, overturned, emptied, and calked
with white spruce gum. Large flocks of ducks and geese were swimming
almost within paddle length from the canoe. Everywhere were to be seen
traces of the high water which had prevailed for several years, and
marks upon the trees thirty feet above the water were seen, where in
spring the freshets had reached.
A NIGHT SCENE.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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