In Search of Mr. Bundin: Henley House 1759 Revisited JOHN S. LONG Timmins, Ontario INTRODUCTION Following in the footsteps of E. E. Rich (1958-59,1:549-553, 613—4; 1967:107-8) and Marcel Giraud (1986 [1945], 1:141, 307-8), Charles Bishop (1976:36-41) has described and analyzed the events surrounding the 1755 killing of Hudson's Bay Company personnel at Henley House, on the Albany River (see also Thorman 1974). This 1755 incident, on the eve of the Seven Years' War, has been considered noteworthy by ethnohistorians for three reasons: Henley House was the HBC's first inland post, a departure from what critics called a sleep "at the edge of a frozen sea" (Williams 1974:562); the murdered men were traders who had taken Cree women as their country wives without providing reciprocal concessions to their menfolk (cf. Brown 1980:61-62; Van Kirk 1980:43^14; Francis and Morantz 1983:99- 100; Long 1986:59-60; Thistle 1986:51-52; Dickason 1992:146); and the Company's representatives at Fort Albany retaliated by imposing British justice and hanging the offenders, who included a Home Guard captain (Rich 1967:107; Long 1993). Like other well known incidents — at Hannah Bay in 1832 (Francis and Morantz 1983:158-160) and at Frederick House in 1812-13 (Mitchell 1973, 1977) — the Henley House murders are usually referred to as a "massacre", which my dictionary defines as "the unnecessary, indiscriminate killing of human beings, as in barbarous warfare or persecution, or for revenge or plunder." It is an unfortunate word which conjures up one culture's image of another as "savages" — although Richard Preston (1990) puts Hannah Bay in context and provides us with an East Cree "view from the other side".1 Bishop (1976:41) briefly reports that Henley House was re-established in 1759 "but within a few weeks was attacked [again] by about forty 1 See Lytwyn (1993:295-9) for other early incidents of Cree-European conflict. 204 JOHN S. LONG Indians. The manager was killed and the other servants fled at night on foot to Fort Albany." If the first Henley incident is notable to historians for its breach of contract, the one in 1759 is important to the Cree for the opposite reason. IN SEARCH OF MR. BUNDIN 205 The survivors reached Fort Albany only because Indians provided them with assistance and sounded the warning. It is a story of Indians who provide critical help to fur traders — described as funny people — and of Indians who are people with power and ability (competence). This paper will compare archival accounts of the 1759 event with Cree oral traditions still preserved more than two centuries later. HBC ACCOUNTS By 1759 the Hudson's Bay Company's Albany post was situated on Albany Island, although men were still sent to cut grass for the Company's livestock at the original or "old Factory" (HBCA B.3/a/51, fo. 38) which had been attacked by de Troyes in 1686 (Kenyon and Turnbull 1971).2 Shortly after break-up, on 24 May 1759, the Albany post journal recorded: George Clark, Wm Ward and thirteen hands in two Boats a Large Canoe wth two of our home Indians all Loaded wth Provisions, Stores, and other necessaries for the [re-]Building of Henley House Set out this morning. (HBCA B.3/a/51, fo. 51) On June 4th the Chief Factor of Albany post, Robert Temple, wrote that the two Indians and eight of the servants had returned in one of the boats, leaving the other one "for Rafting" and the canoe "for fishing". Henley House II would be rebuilt at the site of the disaster four years earlier: He has fixed upon the place where the old house stood as the properest that he can find; They found some of the bones of the Men, they having buried them near the House, and a Musket barrel they bro1 down, most of the Pallasades are [still] Standing. (HBCA B.3/a/51, fo. 51) Meanwhile, Temple learned from his colleague Henry Pollexsen Sr. at Moose Factory that a plot by "old Captain Snuff to attack the English there had been foiled. On June 9th, Pollexsen sent word to Temple by Indian messenger that Snuff — he was nicknamed Snuff the Blanket for his habit of covering his nose in the presence of smelly Europeans (Judd 2 The post was established 1675-79 and re-established in 1692 (Lytwyn 1993:290, 342). It was moved across the south channel of the Albany River to Albany Island after 1721 (Rich 1958-59, 1:502). Some Cree today are unaware that the Albany Island site was not the original post (Goodwin 1994:3). 206 JOHN S. LONG Map 2: Mouth of Albany River 1984; Dickason 1988; Thorman 1974) — had hanged himself (HBCA B.135/a/31, fo. 27d-29d). On June 25th, a second crew returned from taking more supplies to Henley. Working "from four in the morning till seven at night", Clark's men had already squared 100 logs and prepared 70 planks. Supplies of "Flour, Beef, Pork, and Geese... with Sundry other Articles" had been easily transported upriver from Albany while the water was high. Left with Clark were three "Sawyers" — John Favell, James Ingster [sic] and IN SEARCH OF MR. BUNDIN 207 John Spence — and four laborers — John Cromartie, Thomas Clouston, Charles Sinclair and Benjamin Barnet (HBCA B.3/a/51, fo. 34-34d). The Hudson's Bay Company's calendar — or "outfit" — was based on the arrival and departure of the annual supply ship. And so, on September 4th, a crew of Indians returned from Henley with Clark's journal and mess book, and a letter to the London Committee. These were sent to Moose Factory by Indian messenger, in order to reach the HBC supply ship Seahorse (HBCA B.3/a/52, fo. I).3 Clark undoubtedly began a new journal which has not survived. On September 22nd, 16 men set out from Albany in two boats "loaded wth Trading Goods, Provisions and Stores for Henly" (HBCA B.3/a/52, fo. 2d). The next day, Albany residents learned that disaster had befallen the men at Henley, just four months after they had set out to re-establish the inland post: The two Henly Boats return'd having met with James Inkster, and John Cromartie who told them that Mr Clark was Shot dead and John Spence wounded in the Thigh, who they had left at a place called the fishing Creek4 about half way to Henly. I immediately dispatched an Indian call'd Chubby to bring him to the Factory. (HBCA B.3/a/52, fo. 2d) Temple interviewed Inkster and Cromartie on the 24th, and the following day "Sent an Indian away... with Letters for Moose Fort and Eastmain to acquaint them with the Loss of Henly" (HBCA B.3/a/52, fo. 2d).5 Chubby returned to Albany on the 26th with "J° Spence, and the two Old Women that took care of him at their Tent" (HBCA B.3/a/52, fo. 3). On the 28th Chubby and another Indian, "old Capucheen", were sent to Henley by canoe to investigate (HBCA B.3/a/52, fo. 3). The pair returned October 5th with Clark's body, and Temple wrote: "we found he had been shot in twelve different places, they had Scalped him and left him under the Bank." The post had been burnt to the ground and its contents looted. But if the attackers were looking for a bounty of trade 3 The Seahorse arrived at Fort Albany August 26th and left from Moose Factory on September 11th, returning to London 23 October 1759 (Cooke and Holland 1978:75). 4 This Fishing Creek was the site of a major fish weir on the Albany River (Lytwyn 1993:225; Borron 1884:40); on Map 1 it is identified as Small Weir River. 5 Henry Pollexsen Sr. at Moose recorded in his journal "of Henly's being again attackd, and of Mr Clark's being Murther11 by the Indians there." He later informed Temple that "some of his people had seen some Indians Soulking in the Bush." 208 JOHN S. LONG goods, "in that they have been disappointed" (HBCA B.3/a/52, fo. 4). The attackers had struck a week too soon. George Taylor began making a coffin, other servants at Albany dug the grave, and on October 8th Clark was buried: "hoisted the Colours; Read the funeral Service, and fired five Guns over the Grave" (HBCA B.3/a/52, fo. 4). That was the end of Clark, and also of Henley House — until it was re-established once again seven years later. In the archival records, the Chief Factor at Albany is named Robert Temple. There are dozens of named HBC officers and servants — including now-familiar "Indian" surnames like Spence, Cromartie, Sutherland and Sinclair (HBCA B.3/d/67, B.3/d/68). But there is no Mr. Bundin. These same records reveal the annual cycle of the people of Albany post: repairing guns, splitting and salting geese, packing furs and feath­ ers, setting out buoys and beacons, mowing grass for the cattle, getting wood and lumber, brewing beer, occasionally hearing prayers and a sermon. And, a century after the Company's arrival in James Bay, the building of boats for inland travel; HBC employees were still poor canoemen (Rich 1967:107-8). Then as now, spring break-up meant flooding at the mouth of the Albany River. We are reminded of natural hazards by the case of James Stinson of Albany, who broke through the November ice at the mouth of Fishing Creek6 and perished; his body was not found until nine months later (HBCA B.3/a/51, fo.