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the south and west, where dwelt, differing in language only, 

 the divisions of that great and warlike nation, the Dakotahs. 

 I have said that this road, whether as Indian trail or King's 

 highway, in old or more recent times, is indeed historic. 

 Over it, in the dim past which antedates even Indian tradi- 

 tion, must have passed those aboriginal inhabitants whose 

 interesting sepulchral remains near St. Andrew's Rapids and 

 elsewhere, excite wonder and stimulate conjecture, and shew 

 them to have been a race superior in many respects to those 

 which succeeded them. Over this road and near this spot 

 must have passed the war parties of the Assiniboines in their 

 futile effort to oppose with anow, tomahawk, and spear, the 

 invading northern and eastern Cree, who had doubtless when 

 similarly armed envied in vain the warlike " Stony " his pos- 

 session of what was later known as the Image and White 

 Horse Plains, with their countless herds of Bison ; and when 

 the earlier possession of fire-arms gave the Cree the ascen- 

 dancy he sought, and that dread scourage, the small-pox, had 

 thinned the Assiniboine ranks, it must have been along this 

 great trail they retreated towards the blue hills of Brandon 

 and to the upper waters of the river which still bears their 

 name. La Verandrye, the first whice man who looked on this 

 fair land, must have seen this spot and passed by this trail, 

 and while it was yet a bridle path or cart track, and long 

 before it was known, as it afterwards became, the King's 

 Highway, men who were great in their day and generation 

 and are deservedly still remembered for their important dis- 

 coveries and their administrative abilities have trodden the 

 path which lies at our feet. Over it has passed discoverer, 

 courier, missionary, Arctic voyager, chief, warrior and medi- 

 cineman, governor, factor, judge, councillor and commander ; 

 along it have been carried wampum and tomahawk, message 

 of peace and war. It has heard the rumble of artillery and 

 the steady march of the Sixth of the Line, the Royal Cana- 

 dian and 60th Rifles ; and along its course the hard-pressed 

 founders of the Selkirk Settlement alternately struggled 

 southwards in search of food or hurried northward for safety 



