ts; that they had decided to make a demonstration."
I told him it was a very dangerous thing to resort to
arms. He said he had been waiting fifteen long years and
that they had been imposed upon, and it was time now,
after they had waited patiently that their rights should
be given, as the poor half-breeds had been imposed upon.
I disputed his wisdom and advised him to adopt different
measures.

Q.--Did he speak of himself at all in the matter?

A.--He accused me of having neglected my people. He said
if it was not for men like me their grievances would have
been redressed long ago, that as no one took an interest
in these people he had decided to take the lead in the
matter.

Q.--Well?

A.--He accused me of neglecting them. I told him it was
simply a matter of opinion, that I had certainly taken
an interest in them, and my interest in the country was
the same as theirs, and that I had advised them time and
again, and that I had not neglected them. I also said
that he had neglected them a long time if he took as deep
an interest as he professed to. He became very excited,
and got up and said, "You don't know what we are after--it
is blood, blood; we want blood; it is a war of
extermination. Everybody that is against us is to be
driven out of the country." There were two curses in the
country--the Government and the Hudson Bay Co. He further
said the first blood they wanted was mine. There were
some little dishes on the table, and he got hold of a
spoon and said, "You have no blood, you are a traitor to
your people, your blood is frozen, and all the little
blood you have will be there in five minutes"--putting
the spoon up to my face, and pointing to it. I said, "If
you think you are benefiting your cause by taking my
blood, you are quite welcome to it." He called his people
and the committee, and wanted to put me on trial for my
life, and Garnot got up and went to the table with a
sheet of paper, and Gabriel Dumont took a chair on a
syrup keg, and Riel called up the witnesses against me.

At this juncture Riel was called away to attend a committee
meeting of the rebel government. Subsequently, by the
mediation of Hillyard Mitchell, Riel's wrath at McKay
was placated, and he was allowed to return to Fort Carlton
with his intercessor. Before leaving, Riel apologized to
McKay for what he had said to him, and asked him to join
the insurgents, which witness, of course, would not do,
being a loyal half-breed and