AFTER THE WAR—CANADIAN SAULT T 59 and a shout of relief and joy went up from the throats of all at her safety and Picquet's triumph. Once again, this time by inexperienced men, were the rapids dared by a big boat. It was a sailing vessel whose master offered, in a moment of foolhardiness to bring her down the rushing Sault. The attempt was made and, according to the story of those living still who were in the vil­ lage at the time, out of a crew of six, only three survived the venture. It was about this time that Lieutenant-Colonel Cockburn, the Deputy Quartermaster General, when in attendance on Lieutenant-General the Earl of Dalhousie on a tour of inspection, made the following observation : " On the Canadian side of the St. Mary's River the North West Company (now the Hud­ son's Bay) have a large establishment. There are several other houses # and one or two inhabit­ ants of respectability " There are some houses on the American side but not so many as on the Canadian side. (March, i822)."t Although the country was under Christian in­ fluence many of the Indians still retained the cus­ toms handed down to them by their fathers. * Other than the log huts of the habitants. t Canadian Archives, 1897. f6o HISTORY OF SAULT SAINTE MARIE. And one of these customs was the readiness to barter away a wife or to leave her on the slight­ est excuse. An example of this was furnished in the Sault in these early years where an Indian, who had been married some years, became tired of his squaw and setting his heart on a beautiful girl of his tribe, determined to make the way clear for himself to wed. Embarking the squaw and her two children in his canoe he journeyed up through the chain of western lakes and rivers, until reaching a tributary of the Red River wherein was a small island, he put his wife off with a few provisions and he and his children turned again to paddle home. The poor creature was not long in realizing her position. She was out of the line of travel, away from all probable help, the water about her was deep and she could not swim, but she imme­ diately set to work and out of the small bark of the various trees she patched together a canoe, using the inner fiber of the spruce to sow and the spruce gum for filling, living meanwhile on roots and berries. Many weeks were consumed by the weakened sufferer in her painfully slow task, but at last it was completed and with a bough for a paddle she started for home. In the meantime the man had reached the AFTER THE WAR—CANADIAN SAULT 161 Sault and taken to himself the coveted girl and settling down in his wigwam with his children and his new-found mate, he tried to forget his crime. The time slipped by and he felt he was secure till one day when the ice had broken up and floated away over the rapids, the natives descried coming down the river a crazy craft in which was a dishevelled woman. It was the discarded wife. The man was angry and stormed with rage but the woman was silent. She set to work and built a wigwam of bark and laid her snares and traps, uncomplainingly living alone as though the man had never been. One day Nemesis came. It was several years after and in the late Fall that the man took his gun and paddled away down the river to shoot game and return. His new squaw awaited his coming but he did not appear. Fall advanced into Winter and the snow piled thick and deep. Men came and went on snowshoes, but no trace of the absent one was seen. Finally came the Spring time, when a number of the inhabitants made their way from Sault Sainte Marie down the river to the Duck Islands for a Spring's shooting. l62 HISTORY OF SAULT SAINTE MARIE. There they found the remains of the missing Indian. He, too, had landed on an island where the water was deep and his canoe had been washed away. After the manner of Indians he could not swim. No one passed by to whom he might shout for help, and there the fate he had intended for his wife overtook himself. He starved to death. The habits of the people were most primitive. There was no place of worship. The Hudson's Bay officer was instructed to read the service of the Church of England once each Sunday, and he and his clerks would gather in the dining hall of the Fort and join their voices in the prayers of that wonderful liturgy, but the inhabitants were Roman and their nearest clergy­ man was on the Grand Manitoulin Island. Nor were the people on the south shore any better off, for though a chaplain was attached to the post, he found the people to be Catholics like the Can­ adians and they were not interested in his minis­ trations. Indeed, as late as 1843, we learn of an election on the American side of the river in which one of the candidates promised, if elected, to give a "ball" to last three days, while the other can­ didate promised, if he were returned, to have a resident priest appointed. In the Spring of the year when the sun, strong in the day time, caused the vapor to rise from the AFTER THE WAR—CANADIAN SAULT 163 river and the frost at night tightened its hold once more upon the imprisoned earth, would all leave their huts and journey to the maple bushes, for now was the time to gather the quick flowing life blood of the maple tree and to boil it down into sugar. Then might a stranger have passed through the deserted village and entered into any house, for bolts and bars were unknown, and no one thought of taking what was not his. In the Summer they acted as voyageurs for the various parties and expeditions that passed through these waters, and in the Fall and Winter they hunted and fished while the women indulged in the making of those wonderful moccassins, powder pouches and coats, whose dainty bead work has ever been the admir­ ation of lovers of beautiful things. But Christmas Eve found most of the Saulteaux at home, and though no priest came to celebrate the midnight mass, still old M. Pereault gathered the people together and all knelt and bowed their heads in prayers and adoration to the New Born King. Armitinger gave the land for a church and Hyacinthe Davieux and Raymond Boiseneault hauled the stone, but it never got beyond the foundations, for what did these know of building such a structure ? All Saints' Day and New Year's Day were times of especial feasting. All occupation save that of enjoyment was suspended. 164 HISTORY OF SAULT SAINTE MARIE. Schoolcraft, because not educated to observe the former feast, remarks in his very superior way that "the people are senseless and benighted." Perhaps his feet were set in a larger room before his passing away. White fish, herrings, pork and potatoes were the principle articles of diet among the people. Wheaten bread was a thing almost unknown and bread was made by the women folk from ground Indian maze. And how primitive was the mode of preparation ! Water poured into the bag of meal and mixed together with salt into an adhesive mass to be lifted out then and placed upon the red hot stones till the lump was thoroughly baked. Only the Factor was allowed wheat flour. Once a year was a bag of the precious product deposited by the Brigade at the Post for his use, and not until twelve months had come and gone again did another bag make its appearance. CHAPTER XV. AFTER THE WAR CANADIAN SAULT—(continued.) xl The rude forefathers of the hamlet." GRAY, From 1816 until 1842 the post erected on the east bank of the Fort Creek was the scene of trading activity ; but the water rising higher each year, rendered the buildings uninhabitable, and in the latter year the final structure of the amalgam­ ated companies was raised. Mr. Severight had been followed by Mr. Nourse, who became not only the Bourgeois but the first magistrate the district could boast, but he, too, had passed away ere the new buildings were completed, n'hey were reared on the site of the ancient Fort at the foot of the rapids and thither each year did the " Red Brigade," under Sir George Simpson, find Its way on its journey to the Red River district and back. What few letters reached the Factor came through the United States, the rest of the people were no longer interested in the 166 HISTORY OF SAULT SAINTE MARIE. outside world, save when the chant of the voya­ geurs was heard in the distance. Then everybody came down to the shore and great was the excite­ ment as the brigade swept into sight, singing with their bell-toned voices, Le fils du Roi s'en va chassant, Avec sou beau fusil d*argent, or, Visa le noir, tua le blano, etc. Le bon vin m'endort, Et l'amour me reVeille. with the refrain. En roHlant ma bonle. Sir George who was the son of a Presby­ terian minister, created opportunities for advance­ ment and rose to eminence through his own en­ deavour, nor were his efforts of a selfish nature, for it was on account of his exertions in searching for traces of the Franklin expedition that he was knighted by his sovereign.