Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1889-08-08
A STORY OF FORT WHOOP UP.

All the Year Round
A STORY OF FORT WHOOP Up.
An hour after sunset on the 18th of
November, 1882, drove very tired
and leg-weary pair OF mules into the
strong and spacious stockade of Fort
Whoop Up, in the southern portion of
the Province Alberta, in the Canadian
Northwest.
A half-breed boy took my mules to
a comfortable stable inside the fort,
while the only other occupant of the
place gave me hearty welcome and
invited Inc into his quarters.
A few minutes later we sat down 10
an excellent supper OF antelope steak,
warm bannoclLs and strong tea, and
when the meal was over was invited
to take good cigar and a seat in one
OF two big rush-bottomed chairs, which
were drawn up on either side of the
big fireplace, in which II great fire OF
dry cottonwood logs was blazing
cheer-ly.
Presently l introduced the subject
OF ''old times" and he quickly warmed
with the theme.
dye know, stranger, said Mr..
Akers. "its net often 1 come across
anybody l kin talk to like you. One
man comes along an he don't know
anything 'cept about bull whackin' an
VIOLIN and sich like, an p'r'aps the
next is some English swell as kin only
toll ,,ha Ia
Injia an Gladstone, an yet he couldn't
harness Il boss or cook meal Of vittils
to save his life. Now | like man as
knows nothin' about this kentry an
other kentres too; "a man as kin ride
cayuse an drive mule team, and yet
knows suthin' else besides. The Lord
knows | hate tenderfoot, but he don't
make me as mad of some fool of mule
skinner who comes to this kentry an
in two years forgets everything he ever
knew outside of it, thinks lnjuns was
jest made to be killed, and swears jest
to show Off
IL had a little experience with some
of 'em when fust KEN up here from
Montana, an il We like I'll tell We about
it."
or course readily assented, and Mr..
Akers, lighting Il cottonwood splinter
at the fire, lit fresh cigar and, after
inviting me to profit by his example,
commenced as follows:
you see when first KEN out from
Maine, ! struck fur st. Louis. an from
thar KEN up the Missouri, tradin' an
huntin' an trappin' till l struck Fort
Benton. got around among the In
juns, an like the rest of the traders in
those days / found whisky was the best
stock | could carry. OF course | had
other truck, but thar was more profit
on whisky than anything else. But |
never doctored my whisky. I'd just
take out few kegs of high wines an
never put nothin' in it but water, an
the more they'd drink the more water
I'd chuck in it, an so they'd never get
drunk. The other traders used to put
strychnine an red pepper IN terbac-
Ger, an all sorts o pisenous drugs be-
sides the water in theirn. an give it to
'em, the same strength right on till
they was crazy, fghtin' drunk, or else
laid out paralyzed.
Nov that wasn't my way at all. I'd
sell 'em all the whisky as was
good fur EN-, an all the drink (sich
VI
keep 'em from gettin' fghtin'
drunk.
You've hurd tell about Injuns
goin' crazy when they gifts the taste
of liquor. That all rot. They're jist
like anybody else. They take whisky,
it makes 'em feel good, and bym-by
they want TO fight. Now the difference
comes in right here. White
menll thump. an bite, an rassel, an
gouge when they fight, but the Injuns
don't know Dothin' bout that kind o.
fghtin'. They allus fight with knives
an guns, an Of course thets danger
Gus.
IL saw the only way to stop it was
to give 'em just enough whisky to
make I'm feel good, but not to let 'em
git fghtln' drunk. The more they
took the weaker I'd make it. I'd get
all their furs an robes jist the same,
but when they'd wake up next mornin'
broke, an think they's had an awful
spree, they wouldn't be mite sick. an
they wouldn't be any OF 'em knitted.
They'd all be thar, an ready to go
right out huntin' and trappin' agin,
jest the same as IL they'd sold their
furs fur blankets an grub an ammu-
nition.
"Arter while, when they found
thar want enough for the military to
60 lool1n' arter the Injuns, they set
them TO huntin' us traders jest tn keep
time give this government sorter
nominal return 20 snow fur their grub
and wages. They hop huntin' US an