42 
BRITISH NORTH AMERICAN EXPEDITION. [Nov. 23, 1857. 
old chief took in his harangue, which contained in it more than the 
mere ordinary imagery with which they make speeches for the 
sake of obtaining presents. He said, “ I do not ask for presents, 
although I am poor and my people are hungry, but I know that 
you have come straight from the great country, and we know that 
no man from the Great Queen ever came to us and lied. I want 
you to declare to us truthfully what the Great Queen of your 
country iu tends to do to us when she will take the country from 
the Fur Company’s people ? All around me I see the smoke of the 
white man to rise — the ‘ Long Knives ’ ( i.e . the Americans) are 
trading with our neighbours for their land, and they are cheating 
them, and deceiving them. Now, we will not sell or part with our 
lands.” 
It was of no use to try and cut him short by any assurances that I 
was not emploj^ed to treat for the sale of his lands, and I told him 
confidently that if he did not wish to part with his lands, and also 
if he and his people behaved as always they had done, that is 
quietly and peaceably with the white faces, I would assure him 
that the Queen would never send soldiers to deprive them of their 
lands by force. 
Here an Indian (not of their nation, but of a friendly neighbour- 
ing tribe) muttered to him in a low tone, “ Make him put it into 
writing on a piece of paper ; make him, I say : and now I have said 
it, for it is nothing to me one way or the other, but I know the 
whites on the other side where we are, and I say make him put it 
into writing.” But the orator said aside to him, “ No ; what he 
will say he will keep to ! ” 
“Now,” continued he aloud, “what is to become of us? We 
have no more animals ; they are all gone ; and without skins the 
Company will not give us goods from their store ; and only for the 
little fish we take we would starve, and many of us do starve and 
die.” I answered that they were to blame for not endeavouring to 
cultivate their lands, and find other resources for maintaining them- 
selves besides hunting. He answered, “ There are none to show 
us, and we have no implements to do it with.” He then objected 
to M. Bourgeau collecting plants, and requested that Hr. Hector 
should not take away any mineral specimens as long as we were in 
his territories. He also begged that the Great Queen might be 
made acquainted with their unhappy condition, and that she might 
know that his heart was grieved by reason of all those of his 
children who died by hunger. He asked me to promise that I 
would acquaint the Great Queen of these things, and to see her 
myself. But I satisfied him that I would write his w T ords to the 
