FRIENDS AND ACQUAINTANCES 83 



friend and adviser of the Indians, of whom there 

 were always few or many customers in the Hudson 

 Bay Store. He talked to them in friendliest 

 fashion in their own tongue, was polite to the 

 squaws and petted the charming dark-eyed children. 

 The world and his wife called him Mr. Macdonald 

 with great respect in his presence and " auld Archie " 

 with the same marked respect in his absence ; 

 but absent or present he was always " Chief " in 

 Fort Qu'Appelle. He was profoundly interesting ; 

 in all those years in the North- West he had gathered 

 a wide experience of human nature ; he knew men 

 and motives well, and he had an excellent memory. 

 One could listen to him with pleasure for hours 

 on end. But he was also naively and frankly inqui- 

 sitive, and very deaf. I remember on one occasion 

 whilst he ruled over the Hudson Bay as last of the 

 chief factors, in the process of a particularly bad 

 time it became imperative that I bought horses, and, 

 therefore, it was impossible that I could settle a 

 Hudson Bay account. When I had been compelled 

 to shout the explanation of my embarrassment 

 on a top note and in full detail several times over, 

 I lost all sense of guilt, and found the courage of 

 the situation whilst doubtless every one within 

 earshot seized on its humour. However, I obtained 

 time for my bill and bought my horses, but although 

 Mr. Macdonald served his adopted country, his 

 sovereign, and the Empire with fine service, he 

 always served the Hudson Bay Company first, and 

 it was not the smallest tribute to his most attractive 

 personality that much was easily forgiven in the last 

 of the chief factors. His wife, whose lamented 

 death occurred in December 191 2, had been a 



