AT THE FRONTIER 13 



line, when Colorado and New Mexico were wild and wool- 

 ly, and the atmosphere was continuously shattered by 

 cowboy whoops and leaden pellets. 



Edmonton, however, never passed through such a period 

 of exhilaration. It had its days of waywardness, but its 

 diversions were exceedingly commonplace. A few years 

 ago it was almost surrounded by the battling-ground of 

 the Crees and Blackfeet, and, as a matter of course, har- 

 bored red and white renegades. There was little law, and 

 that little was not respected ; Indians out in the country 

 killed off their foes from ambush, and in town renegades 

 revealed their coward's blood and lack of originality by 

 stabbing their enemies in the back. There were none of 

 those blood-stirring nights in town such as we used to 

 have on our own frontier ; no duels on the main thorough- 

 fare between two " prominent citizens," with the remain- 

 ing population standing by to see fair play; no cowboys 

 to ride into saloons and shoot out the lights ; no marks- 



lillf'llillilii 



AN ENCAMPMENT NEAR CALGARY 



men so expert as to knock the neck off the whiskey-bottle 

 in the bartender's hands, and no bartenders who under 

 such conditions did not turn a hair. 



There was murdering in plenty in and around Edmon- 

 ton in the old days, but no man maintained a private 

 burying-ground. This is not a distinction without a dif- 



