SOURCE OP ST. Peter's river. 125 



ed him there ; his daughters joined him, and, as he said, 

 treated him with the utmost kindness. His wife proceed- 

 ed down the river with her accomplice, who was said to 

 have had a bad name, even among the Indians, previous to 

 this circumstance. 



We have endeavoured to acquire some knowledge of 

 the character and principles of a man, whose early impres- 

 sions must have been completely extirpated by those of the 

 men among whom he spent the greater part of his life. He 

 vowed to be revenged on the Indian who had shot him ; 

 heedless of the personal danger which he must incur 

 from another visit to the country, he resolved upon return- 

 ing to Rainy Lake as soon as he should have regained his 

 strength, in order to pursue and punish his enemy. Any 

 observations which were made to him, on the impropriety 

 of his feelings, only drew from him this answer; "Why 

 did he shoot me ? If he wished to kill me, it is my duty 

 to kill him, for he is a bad man." This was uttered in a 

 cold, decisive manner; it was not the result of passion, but 

 of a conviction founded upon a process of reasoning, to 

 which he had been long accustomed. In his intercourse 

 with traders he appears to have been honourable, and 

 this reflects the more credit upon him, as it was at a 

 time, when an active competition between rival traders 

 frequently induced them to stimulate the Indians to frauds 

 which affected their opponents. One instance appears well 

 attested. In a letter, dated Montreal, Nov. 1818, and which 

 was written by Mr. John Allan, it is stated, that " Tanner 

 did not choose to traffic exclusively with any trader, but 

 used to take goods on credit, at the same time, from 

 parties trading in opposition to one another, and on one 

 occasion, brought two parcels of furs to a post of the North- 

 west Company, at the fork of Red river ; he employed the 



VoLv IT. 17 



