Hunting at High Altitudes 



travelers and Indians alike; though to be sure occas- 

 ionally attempts at horse stealing by the Indians re- 

 sulted in a collision with those people, but this was 

 unusual. Yet it is stated that once, in the summer 

 of 1851, they were attacked by 1,000 Yankton Sioux, 

 when, after a long fight behind their breastworks, 

 the halfbreeds beat off the Indians. 



The Red River halfbreeds were more or less no- 

 madic, dwelling at least for a part of the year in 

 tents, and in many respects living much like the In- 

 dians whose blood they shared. The children of em- 

 ployees of the Hudson's Bay Company by Indian 

 mothers, two classes were recognized; the French 

 halfbreeds and the English halfbreeds. Their Celtic 

 blood often hurried the French section into acts hos- 

 tile to the Government, or to the fur company, and 

 in some cases led to actual rebellion. The last of 

 these outbreaks took place in 1883, and was partici- 

 pated in by a number of simple Indians over whom 

 the halfbreeds had much influence. Following the 

 putting down of this, which from its leader was called 

 the second Riel rebellion, Riel was hanged, as were 

 also some of the Indians. 



Each spring the French halfbreeds gathered at the 

 fort Fort Garry for their long journey to the plains, 

 where they killed great numbers of buffalo, drying 

 the meat and making pemmican for sale and for 

 winter subsistence, and the women dressing the hides, 

 which were sold to the Hudson's Bay Company. 



The hunting grounds of the Red River halfbreeds 

 extended from the Saskatchewan on the north, south- 

 ward sometimes as far as the Yellowstone River. 



256 



