The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-09-04
IN NORTHERN WILDS.

3Slrls. NY raUher, clergyman or the
English church, was grateful to Provi-
dence for having filed his culver with
ten, but think that in reality he was
more grateful they were not eleven.
The problem of his life, the worry of at
tempting to solve which helped to bring
him to his grave, was how to provide a
living for Us all. AS he died before a
single one Of us was provided for, he
might have saved himself much anxiety.
/ was not the eldest of the family, but
the second son. The oldest had been
sent TO one Of the universities, and had
followed the very glorious but impecuni-
Gus profession of his father, without a
solving" and without definite hope of
obtaining one. was intended for the
Indian civil service; possibly the viceroy-
ship, but the examiners at Burlington
house failed to recognize my fitness for
such great possibilities, therefore 1 de-
ternined to emigrate, and a friend of
my mothers hearing Of my determine
tion secured for me, by personal interest,
a berth in the Hudson's Bay company
q was duly engaged and signed a docu-
ment as long as a deed of transfer, by
which bound myself to serve the com
pany, even to the extent of defending
their property with my life
/ sailed to Montreal and presenting my
credentials there was soon informed that
my services would be required at post
in the far north in charge of one John
Mclvor. There was also intrusted to my
care a pair of fowls, Plymouth Rocks,
with the request that would deliver
them safely into the hands of Mr.. McIvor.
j mention this fact seeing that these
fowls played an important part in the
events which / am about to relate.
On my arrival at my destination, after
sleeping about forty nights under canvas,
was glad Of the comfort which reigned
at Fort Trial, due chiefly to the domestic
energy Of Mrs. McIvor, bright, pleas
ant little woman, who seemed out of
place In the heart of this great lone
land"
Mr.. McIvor was Scotch. as his name
would imply, rough and ready man,
with heart of steel, but which on occa-
sion could be as soft as a woman's. After
reading the dispatches which handed
him he said:
"Weel, young mon, dinna see what
the likes O. you can do IN a country like
this. Had ma We better gaze back before
1t is too later
Il won't go back, sir, unless you send
me back" answered.
"Ah, weel; boy, stay where you are.
ITS no always the coarsest Irvine that
stands the biggest strain"
So / entered into my duties without
another discouraging word from Mr..
McIvor, who, though perfect martinez
in the matter of duty, was kindness it
self in the privacy eff his own house.
There were two other clerks beside my
self, who stayed there only during the
summer, but who in the fall took charge
of small trading establishments, out
posts as they are called, returning to
Fort Trial after the winters hunt was
over.
Like most young Englishmen / had
formed my ideas of Indians on Feni-
more Cooper basis, but the noble red
man fell far short of my ideal. / found
aim 70 be selfish, ungrateful, Preacher
cous savage, whose power for evil was
luckily curtailed by his cowardice. l do
not say that there are no good points in
an Indians character; we find good
points in the character of a dog or
horse, but we do not set the horse or
dog on pedestal and proclaim him all
that is perfect; rather we keep clear Of
his heels and teeth respectively until we
know something of the brutes idiosyn-
crasies. One has to do the same with
Indians. Be thoroughly on your guard
until you have proved that they can be
trusted, and don't trust them then. Mr..
McIvor had the most supreme contempt
for them-a contempt which he never
tried TO hide. he used to say:
They are towards, arrant towards,
and are afraid o you, cen like a dog"
1t was not long after my arrival that
had a sort of adventure which gave
great sport to the other clerks. and even
Mr. McIvor himself would occasionally
make joking illusions to it.
There was a river running about 100
yards from the store; it was deep and
Fairly swift. One day as was working
Sn the store heard a scream which APP
peared to come from the river / ran
OFT and down 10 the bank, from where |
saw an old woman struggling in the
water; she had been fishing and her
canoe had upset. There were about a
dozen Indians looking on, but they only
laughed and made not the slightest
movement toward helping her. Indians,
as rule, are cruel 10 the old. They
look upon them as membranes from
(which they are not sorry if an accident
relieves them. saw that this poor old
thing was in distress and likely TO be
drowned. so / jumped into the river and
SWAN out to her assistance, not before.
however, relieving my mind by abusing
eoundly the men who would cheerfully
have let her sink before their eyes. 1t
was no difficult task 10 bring the poor
fDld thing ashore, and when | had done
30 the poor creature followed me as l
walked toward the house, crying in
earnest tones:
'Meegwitchl meegwitch!" meaning
E''Thank you. thank YOU" But found