Volume 1

1
AMENITIES AND ASPERITIES. 23
under the lee of the woods ; but it was excessively cold.
We could not remain on horseback for any time, but were
obliged to get off and run to warm ourselves. At four
o'clock we arrived at my fort ; we had much trouble getting
our horses over, as the ice was drifting in great bodies.
A good cup of tea was welcome, and put all to rights ;
my
man got also a hearty glass of high wine ; he was as
happy as if he had drawn the ;^20,0C)0 prize. X. Y. J.
Desford '" had threatened to kill my servant [Pierre Bonza]
in my absence, but did not escape without a sound beating,
Nov. 8th. Exceedingly cold weather ; Red
river frozen
over, and we crossed on the ice. Continual derouines to
the Indian tents, for little or nothing—sometimes not even
one skin, and always liquor expected.
Nov. i^th. A great fire to the S. W., although the
ground is covered with snow. i8th. I was sick with a
pain in the back and side ; could scarcely crawl about ;
rubbed the parts with camphorated spirits and warm
flannel, which gave relief. We have but few buffalo
toward Plumb river. X. Y. starving. 2^tJi. I gave Little
Shell, a troublesome drunken Indian, 120 drops of laudanum
in high wine, but it had no effect in putting him to
sleep ; he took it in doses of 20 drops in the course of
an hour. A young Maskegan stabbed Capot Rouge
with a knife in the back. 26th. An Indian arrived from
above, a Sioux having killed Ondainoiache and two other
Saulteurs who were working beaver on Folle
Avoine river.
This was one of the fellows who assisted Little Shell to
murder the old woman at the hills. Charles Hesse cut an
ugly gash in his woman's head with a cutlass this morning,
through jealousy. ^otJi. Much plagued with my hunter,
Joseph Cyr. Those freemen are a nuisance in the country,
and generally scoundrels ; I never yet found one honest
man amongst them.
"So copy, meaning J. Duford, of X. Y. Co.; of N. W. Co. after the
coalition of 1804 ;
shot by an Indian at Pembina, 2 a. m., Oct. 31st, 1805; d. 2
p. m., next day ; see these dates, beyond.