25 



than the tent. The house was not occupied, tenants being 

 scarce about that time, so in October Madame Lajimoniere 

 took possession of this shelter for her family for the winter. 

 Her husband had now been absent almost a year and as she 

 had no news of him she believed that he must have perished 

 on the road, she feared that he had been killed by the Indians 

 or had fallen a victim to exhaustion and hunger. 



This was a very dark and sorrowful autumn for her. 

 The scene of the 19th of June had alarmed the whole coun- 

 try. Every one expected terrible reprisals. Everywhere they 

 suffered from a like state of affairs, no one knew when the 

 news of fresh struggles would reach them. Many a time 

 Madame Lajimoniere sitting in her cabin in the long autumn 

 evenings shed tears while thinking of her situation. If her 

 husband never returned what means of subsistence was left 

 to her? The greater part of the colonists abandoned Red 

 River to return to Canada. Her only consolation in her 

 loneliness was prayer to which she had constant resource. 

 Towards Christmas, three months after taking possession of 

 Bellehumeur's hut, she was surprised to see a voyageur arrive 

 one evening and when she recognized her husband in him 

 her joy was great. For a moment she forgot all her miseries 

 and trials. M. Lajimoniere arrived safe and sound after four- 

 teen months of absence ! Day by day he related to his wife 

 the events of his long journey, his imprisonment at Fort 

 William and his delivery on the arrival of the De Meuron 

 Force which ought not to be long in reaching Red River to 

 retake the Colony's Fort, now occupied by the agents of the 

 North- West Company. 



The De Meuron Force, guided by Indians, and conducted 

 by Captain d'Orsonnens, did not however arrive until Feb- 

 ruary. The route which they followed was that of Red Lake. 

 Then entered the Red River above Pembina and from there 

 dircted their march a little to the west of the river and camped 

 on the Assiniboine about four or five miles from the mouth of 

 that river where the Church of St. James now stands. They re- 

 mained in this place for some time making ladders to scale 

 the palisades of Fort Douglas, and waiting for a favorable 

 moment to make the attack which was not long in presenting 

 itself. 



Favored by a snow storm they approached the Fort with- 

 out being seen. The sentinels had not time to give the alarm. 

 In a few moments the soldiers had gained the interior of the 



