The Canadian Portrait Gallery - Volume 3 (of 4)Dent, John Charles
History
The Canadian Portrait Gallery - Volume 3 (of 4)
Dent, John Charles
Canada -- Biography
view to releasing their friends who were still imprisoned at Fort Garry.
Everything being in readiness for action, a message, demanding the
release of the prisoners, was despatched to Riel. The demand was
vigorously backed up by the influence of Mr. A. G. B. Bannatyne, a
prominent citizen of Red River, and Miss McVicar, a young lady from
Canada who was on a visit to the settlement. These two called upon Riel
at Fort Garry, and begged him to avert the bloodshed which would
certainly result if he persisted in detaining the prisoners. Riel, under
the combined influence of his interlocutors and the demand which had
been made upon him by the Canadian forces, displayed the better part of
valour, and promptly released the captives. He was determined, however,
to recapture Dr. Schultz, and sent out several expeditions to discover
his whereabouts. He declared that he would have Dr. Schultz's body, dead
or alive, if it was to be found in the Red River Settlement.
Disappointed at the non-success of his emissaries, Riel started out
himself at the head of an expedition, to scour the settlement, and to
recapture the object of his enmity. The expedition reached the Stone
Fort, or Lower Fort Garry, about midway between the capital of the
settlement and the entrance of Red River into Lake Winnipeg. They
entered the enclosure, and searched every nook and corner of the Fort.
Ill would it have fared with Dr. Schultz had he been discovered there;
but he was far away, and was every hour increasing the distance between
Riel and himself. A large meeting of loyalist settlers had been held, at
which Dr. Schultz was requested to proceed to Canada, and to lay the
real state of affairs before the people there. Such a mission involved
grave perils and hardships, for all the roads leading to Minnesota were
closely guarded by the insurgents, and certain death would have
overtaken the Doctor had he again fallen into their hands. He
determined, however, to make the attempt by way of Lake Superior. On the
21st of February, accompanied only by an English half-breed named Joseph
Monkman, he started on his perilous expedition. News of his having done
so came in due course to the ears of Riel, who sent out scouts in every
direction to intercept him. The Doctor and his companion eluded their
vigilance, and with snow-shoes on their feet struck across the frozen
south-easterly end of Lake Winnipeg to the mouth of the Winnipeg River.
They made their way past the rushing cascades of that stream to the Lake
of the Woods; thence across to Rainy Lake, and thence across the
northern part of the State of Minnesota to the head of Lake Superior.
Numerous camps of Indians were encountered on this adventurous march,
and from time to time guides were obtained from the latter. "Over weary
miles of snow-covered lakes; over the watershed between Rainy Lake and
the lakes of the Laurentian chain; over the height of land between Rainy
Lake and Lake Superior; through pine forests and juniper swamps, these
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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