BOURGEOIS - Toronto Public Library

342 CHARLES MACKENZIE
canoes to ferry us over to their villages. Here we were surprised
to find the whole of the inhabitants with blackened faces,
and the young men singing and dancing round the place with
a scalp.
We observed a great change in their dress, which in many
instances consisted of articles foreign to these distant tribes,
viz: Russia shirting trousers, swansdown vests, corderoy jackets,
calico shirts, &c., all resembling cauadian voyageurs clothing,
from which we had reason to suspect that these people had
succesfully attacked some of the North-West Company's esta
blishment.
We enquired repeatedly how they came by these fineries, but
no one seemed inclined to infOI'm us, all gave evasi ve answers.
However, we at length discovered that a party had been to make
war upon the Blackfeet Indians and killed those who were in
possession of these articles. This in a manner confirmed our
doubts.
By and by the truth came out, the Indians who had reaped
no benefit from the spoils, through jealousy, divulged the secret.
They reported that the Chief of the Wolves, with his young
men, had recently returned from a war expedition in the Blackfeet
country, where they killed several of the white people and
carried away their- effects, which were the same that we now
observed \YOl'll in the village. We immediately spoke to the
Chief of the Wolves, and he acknowledged the whole as follows:
" The evening before the attack, observing some people at a
(, considerable distance near the banks of the great North River,
(, I thought we discovered the enemy and my heart was glad;
" We became impatient but we waited night to make our ap­
"proach. Coming within a certain (listance, hearing the drum
'- beating, we delayed until all was silent, anu it was the dawn
(, of the morn when our young men fired on the tent whence
" we heard the drum.