gs shall come to pass?"

From the great crowd of half-breeds and Indians there
went up a hoarse, guttural cry for confirmation.

Yes, if the Manitou would give a sign then no one in the
land would doubt, and those who were feeble of heart
would take courage.

Riel bowed his head, lifted off his beaver-skin cap,
rolled his eyes about, and by his melodramatic movements
claimed the attention of all. He, however, found, time
to shoot a quick glance at the sun. Those almanac people
were wonderfully accurate, but he must hurry up, for in
another minute the eclipse would begin. In a loud voice
he cried--

"You have asked for a sign, and it shall be given unto
you; but woe unto those to whom a sign is given and who
shall pay no heed to the same. Their days shall be cut
short in the land, and their bodies shall burn for ever
in the pit of everlasting fire. The Great Spirit will
darken the face of the sun for a token, and a shadow,
that of the finger of the Manitou Himself, shall sweep
the land."

The knavish fanatic closed his eyes and raised his face
heavenwards. There was a rapturous look on it, and his
lips moved. He was calling upon the Almighty to give them
the sign which he obligingly indicated. The new head of
the church was already distinguishing himself. As for
the half-breeds and Indians, they sat around with
incredulity and awe alternately showing upon their faces.
It was something new in their experiences for the Manitou
to interest himself personally in their affairs. A great
silence fell upon them; the prophet mumbled inarticulately
and proceeded with his hanky-panky.

Then a great murmur and chorus of "Ough! Ough's!" and
"me-was-sins!" [Footnote: Meaning good or approval.]
arose from the Indians, while many of the half-breeds
crossed themselves. Incredulity changed to belief and
fear, and the simple ones raised their voices in wondering
accents to testify to the potency of the "big medicine"
that was being wrought before their eyes. The hand of
the Manitou was slowly but surely passing over the face
of the sun and darkening it. The shadow of that same hand
was already creeping up from the east. The rapt prophet
never once opened his eyes, but he knew from the great
hoarse roar of voices around him that the almanac had
not erred. And then the clamour subsided, as the face of
the sun was darkened, and the ominous shadow fell like
a chill over them ere passing westward. The Indians
shivered in their b