Two months in the Camp of Big Bear | Page 6

stop it at once; but he did
not listen to him and kept on giving to them until the outbreak. And the
very men he befriended were the ones who hurled him into sudden
death.
Big Bear was only nominally the chief of this tribe, the ruling power
being in the hands of Wandering Spirit, a bad and vicious man, who
exercised it with all the craft and cunning of an accomplished
freebooter.
CHAPTER VI.
THE MASSACRE.
Now come the dreadful scenes of blood and cruel death. The happy life
is changed to one of suffering and sorrow. The few months of
happiness I enjoyed with the one I loved above all others was abruptly
closed-- taken from me--for ever--it was cruel, it was dreadful. When I
look back to it all, I often wonder, is it all a dream, and has it really
taken place. Yes, the dream is too true; it is a terrible reality, and as
such will never leave my heart, or be effaced from off my mind.
The first news we heard of the Duck Lake affair was on the 30th of
March. Mr. Quinn, the Indian Agent at Frog Lake, wrote a letter to us
and sent it down to our house about twelve o'clock at night with John
Pritchard, telling my husband and I to go up to Mr. Delaney's on
Tuesday morning, and with his wife go on to Fort Pitt, and if they saw
any excitement they would follow. We did not expect anything to occur.
When we got up to Mr. Delaney's we found the police had left for Fort
Pitt. Big Bear's Indians were in the house talking to Mr. Quinn about
the trouble at Duck Lake, and saying that Poundmaker the chief at
Battleford wanted Big Bear to join him but he would not, as he
intended remaining where he was and live peaceably. They considered

Big Bear to be a better man than he was given credit for.
On the 1st of April they were in, making April fools of the white
people and shaking hands, and they thought I was frightened and told
me not to be afraid, because they would not hurt us. My husband left
me at Mr. Delaney's and went back to his work at the mill, returning in
the evening with Mr. Gilchrist. We all sat talking for some time along
with Mr. Dill, who had a store at Frog Lake and Mr. Cameron, clerk for
the Hudson Bay Company. We all felt perfectly safe where we were,
saying that as we were so far away from the trouble at Duck Lake, the
Government would likely come to some terms with them and the affair
be settled at once. The young Chief and another Indian by the name of
Isador said if anything was wrong among Big Bear's band they would
come and tell us; and that night Big Bear's braves heard about it and
watched them all night to keep them from telling us. We all went to bed
not feeling in any way alarmed. About five o'clock in the morning a rap
came to the door and Mr. Delaney went down stairs and opened it, and
John Pritchard and one of Big Bear's sons by the name of Ibesies were
there.
Pritchard said "There trouble."
Mr. Delaney said "Where?"
Pritchard "Here! Our horses are all gone, the Indians deceived us, and
said that some half-breeds from Edmonton had come in the night and
had taken them to Duck Lake, but Big Bear's band has taken them and
hid them, I am afraid it is all up."
My husband and I got up, and Mrs. Delaney came down stairs with a
frightened look. In a few minutes Big Bear's Indians were all in the
house, and had taken all the arms from the men saying they were going
to protect us from the half-breeds, and then we felt we were being
deceived. They took all the men over to Mr. Quinn's, and my husband
and I were sitting on the lounge, and an Indian came in and took him by
the arm saying He wanted him to go too; and he said to Mrs. Delaney
and I "do not to be afraid, while I go with this Indian." We stopped in
the house, and while they were gone some of the Indians came in and

went through the cupboard to find something to eat. They opened the
trap door to go down cellar, but it was very dark, and they were afraid
to venture down. Then the men came back and Mrs. Delaney got
breakfast. We all sat down, but I could not eat, and an Indian asked Mr.
Gowanlock to tell me not to be afraid, they would not hurt us, and