tration: Hunting the Buffalo. From a painting by George Catlin.]

On the departure of the herds in the springtime there was no reason why
the colonists {59} should remain any longer at Fort Daer. Accordingly
the entire band plodded wearily back to the ground which they had
vacated above 'the Forks' on the Red River. As the season of 1813
advanced, more solid structures were erected on this site, and the
place became known as Colony Gardens. An attempt was now made to
prepare the soil and to sow some seed, but it was a difficult task, as
the only agricultural implement possessed by the settlers was the hoe.
They next turned to the river in search of food, only to find it almost
empty of fish. Even the bushes, upon which clusters of wild berries
ought to have been found, were practically devoid of fruit. Nature
seemed to have veiled her countenance from the hapless settlers, and to
be mocking their most steadfast efforts. In their dire need they were
driven to use weeds for food. An indigenous plant called the prairie
apple grew in abundance, and the leaves of a species of the goosefoot
family were found to be nourishing.

With the coming of autumn 1813 the experiences of the previous year
were repeated. Once more they went over the dreary road to Fort Daer.
Then followed the most cruel winter that the settlers had yet endured.
The {60} snow fell thickly and lay in heavy drifts, and the buffalo
with animal foresight had wandered to other fields. The Nor'westers
sold the colonists a few provisions, but were egging on their allies,
the Bois Brules, who occupied a small post in the vicinity of the
Pembina, to annoy them whenever possible. It required courage of the
highest order on the part of the colonists to battle through the
winter. They were in extreme poverty, and in many cases their
frost-bitten, starved bodies were wrapped only in rags before spring
came. Those who still had their plaids, or other presentable garments,
were prepared to part with them for a morsel of food. With the coming
of spring once more, the party travelled northward to 'the Forks' of
the Red River, resolved never again to set foot within the gates of
Fort Daer.

Meanwhile, some news of the desperate state of affairs on the Red River
had reached the Earl of Selkirk in Scotland. So many were the
discouragements that one might forgive him if at this juncture he had
flung his colonizing scheme to the winds as a lost venture. The lo