, Grant did his people injustice; for of those prisoners taken by
the advance guard, not a hair of their heads was injured. The warden
was nervously apprehensive. This was unusual with him; and I have since
wondered if his dark forebodings arose from better knowledge of the
_Bois-Brules_ than I possessed, or from some premonition.

"There'd be some reason for uneasiness, if you weren't here to control
them, Grant," said I, nodding towards the Indians and Metis.

"One man against a host! What can I do?" he asked gloomily.

"Good gracious, man! Do! Why, do what you came to do! Whatever's the
matter with you?"

The swarthy face had turned a ghastly, yellowish tint and he did not
answer.

"'Pon my honor," I exclaimed. "Are you ill, man?"

"'Tisn't that! When I went to sleep, last night, there were--corpses all
round me. I thought I was in a charnel house and----"

"Good gracious, Grant!" I shuddered out. "Don't you go off your head
next! Leave that for us green chaps! Besides, the Indians were raising
stench enough with a dog-stew to fill any brain with fumes. For
goodness' sake, let's go on, meet those fellows with the brigade, secure
that express and get off this 'powder mine'--as you call it."

"By all means!" Grant responded, giving the order, and we moved forward
but only at snail pace; for I think he wanted to give the settlers
plenty of time to reach the fort.

By five o'clock in the afternoon we had almost rounded the slough and
were gradually closing towards the wooded ground of the river bank. We
were within ear-shot of the settlers. They were flying past with
terrified cries of "The half-breeds! The half-breeds!" when I heard
Grant groan from sheer alarm and mutter--

"Look! Look! The lambs coming to meet the wolves!"

To this day I cannot account for the madness of the thing. There, some
twenty, or thirty Hudson's Bay men--mere youths most of them--were
coming with all speed to head us off from the river path, at a wooded
point called Seven Oaks. What this pigmy band thought it could do
against our armed men, I do not know. The blunder on their part was so
unexpected and inexcusable, it never dawned on us the panic-stricken
settlers had spread a report of raid, and these poor valiant defenders
had come out to protect the colony. If that be the true explanation of
their rash conduct in tempting conflict, what were they thinking about
to leave the walls of their fort during danger? My own opinion is th