CHAPTER II 

 THE SASKATCHEWAN NATIVES 



DURING the months of January and February, 1893, I laid 

 aside the shotgun and occupied the time in studying and 

 packing the collection, and in visiting the natives. 



All the Indians at the post and a few from the river reserves 

 were engaged in the ice harvest from the middle of November 

 until New-year. The most of them were at Selkirk Island, but 

 about twenty were at work at the mouth of the river under the 

 direction of Mr. McLean, the genial clerk of the Grand Rapids 

 post. They gathered at daybreak at the ice houses each man 

 with his sled and dog team. They presented a grotesque 

 appearance as they dashed up, standing upright upon the sway- 

 ing flat sled, cracking their whips at the lean and snarling curs. 

 They were dressed in white man's clothing except the comfort- 

 able and more suitable moccasins and the capote of blue cloth 

 manufactured expressly for the Indian trade. 



They ate their lunch of fish out of doors and seemed as indif- 

 ferent to their own comfort as to that of their dogs, that were 

 allowed to lie in harness and shiver in the snow all day. After 

 nightfall they all came to the Big House for the day's wages, or 

 those of the day's to come, if they could get a little "debt" — 

 credit. They filled the little office and sat crosslegged upon 

 the floor, talking and smoking, while the clerk took one man 

 at a time into the store and weighed out a pound of bacon, a 

 little flour, etc., to the amount of his day's earnings. 



The stores are never heated in winter on account of the vacil- 

 lating nature of the customers, who would consume too much 

 time in making up their minds about their purchases, and in gaz- 

 ing at the tempting display of beads and ribbons if they were 

 not literally frozen out. One or two violins would be kept 

 going constantly for the two or three hours that they occupied 



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