The Progress. [volume] (White Earth, Minn.) 1886-1889, 1888-05-26
cts. per pound. And it was only

ooo' PCI pOullu. AND IL was only
on some Holiday occasion that
the humble voyageure permitted
his appetite to be RECALLED with the
dainty taste Of pork and flour, and
to wash down the royal Imorsel
with a sspusse cafe" in the shape
OF trade liquor valued at $1,000
per gallon, and this price did not
secure the genuine article either,
but that only which was copiously
|drenched with water. Still, as
q general thing, men used liquor
whenever they could procure it.,
and it oft times happened that a
voyageure coming out Of years
trip with the price of his hire in
his pockets, would spree until
the last cent was gone. And let
it not be assumed that these de-
bauch were restricted to the voy-
agear, bu! it was no uncommon
thing for the bourgeois and clerks
to also indulge in an occasional
carousals.
The Canadian voyageures, as a
a class, were illiterate, and pleas
ant combination of honesty, faith
fulness and obedience. Physically,
they were strong, robust and
hearty, meeting the most trying
difficulties and hardships with a
placid Indifference worthy the disci-
pline Of trained soldiers. Strong
will power was one of their chief
characteristics, though the vain
conceit of their prowess in the
manly art rather inclined them
to be somewhat bombastic. So.
cially and as friends, they were
true, constant and faithful. We
know of several of these voy.
acquires who were in the employ
Of old traders then, and who have
remained in the service of these
same traders families all these
years.
The voyageures garb, when in
actual service, consisted Of a hick.
DRY shirt. cloth pants, wh;eh---ezas
secured to the person by a belt
wound around the waist. And in
winter he wore a blanket coat
a 'capuchin' or hood of the same
material over his head and with
heaps and moccasins for his feet,
our Jean and Baptiste were ready
for the journey. Journeys that
would extend over the space Of
months and years in the interio,
of the the then, unbroken forests
and vast wilderness, in the very
| midst Of wild beasts and wild men,
And here let us state, that to the
GOODNESS, honesty and nerve of the
early traders, voyageures and their
descendants, civilizations owes a
priceless tribute. For to them and
the EARLY missionaries is due the
the opening of the way--the door
to new and prosperous era.
They heralded to the wild untu.
tored savage the tokens of an in.
coming order Of things, whereby
a nations standard could be Sc.
cured, viz: That through industry
alone could prosperity prevail, and
in Christianity--the Gospel light
WAS salvation assured.
After a voyageure had become
acquainted with the country and
familiarized himself with the peo.
lple and their language, he was then
subject to promotion. When this
occurred the salary of such was
increased, and the promoted party
allowed an amount of goods, etc.,
to trade by himself and in the in.
terest of the company. These ira.
ders and voyageures often height.
ened their influence and POPULAR.
ty among the Indians by marriage,
generally, with the daughters Of
powerful chieves, or families
These marriages we're performed
in accordance with the aboriginal
customs Of those days. And may
it be said, to the credit Of the hum.
bic voyageure, that, with but few
exceptions, he respected, with sa
cred obedience, the woman and
the rude Vows that bound then