The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1894-04-20
"NUMBER SIXTEEN"
A Romance of Wild Life in the
Canadian Northwest.

4 few evenings ago the writer and
several friends were cozily nestled
around the fire One of the company
was a medical man who had spent
twelve years or So in the Canadian
Northwest territories Outside the at
rnnsphere was chilly, and the indica-
tions favored colder weather.
'Ifyou could be transported from St
John to the Prairies on such a day as
we had to-day" remarked the doctor
and were ignorant of the changes that
u few hours bring in that climate. two
surprises would greet you To-day you
observe dotted in countless num-
bcrs over the vast stretches of prairie
:Iluices or small ponds, whose placid
waters would remi 1d you of so many
mirrors set in rustic frames
''To-InOrrow morning, as you again
looked over the prairies. the whole face
Of the country would seem to be
changed. -Protruding from every slliice
you would see cones made of grass, etc
These are the winter houses of the
muslxrat-reared, finished and occupied
in a SINGLE night; as if these fragrant
little creatures possessed the power of
the Wizard Pancrates.
sure to freeze, and the musbrats would
live in peace until the spring, when the
Indians make their rounds, plunge the
spear down through the cones, and
thus capture numbers of the occupants.
The rats are. in prime order in the
spring after their long rest The flesh
is eaten and the skins are taken care of
by the squaws. ..
Il hese skins, as well as all others,
are a kind of legal tender. and it's
common occurrence for the Indian to
visit store, make his purchase. take a
bundle of ratsllins from under his
arm, and count them out as fve-cent
pieces.
The Indian department displays
much energy to suppress smallpox,
which often creates havoc among the
natives of the plains Doctors are, sent
out regularly to vaccinate the Indians
The doctor makes his rounds with the
agent who pays the bounties- a large
tent is pitched, and the tribe Is re-
quested to appear. The stipulation is
that all must be vaccinated before re-
ceiving the money
The Indians are distinguished by
numbers as well as names, and, as they
are paid So much per head. every mem
Der of a family must be produced and
pass through the agents tent Be
fore being paid those requiring it are
vacciuated.
"One day" said the doctor, II was
vaccinating IA tribe of Crees, when
woman approached with couple of
children. She had n rich, melodious
voice, with IL Scotch accent When she
spoke | stopped for a moment and told
her to step into the next tent and
would attend To her in a few moments
| saw she was not a squaw, and thought
she was the wife of Hud>on's Bay
company employe who wanted to get
vaccinated at the expense of the gov
ernment
while | was speaking the clerk
shouted out: NO. I6,' and the woman
said in Il low voice: i am No. 10 She
barred her arm. and both she and the
children were attended to. She passed
on. received her bounty, and then out
among the herd of Indians.
The face and voice of that woman
haunted me the rest of the day while
Kept scratching the arms of braves.
squaws, and pappooses-
''At last the days work was over and
instruments laid aside After supper
set about to satisfy my curiosity as to
the history of No. 16. \ few inquiries
enabled me to locate the shack where
she put up. and thither bent my way.
The shack, may say, is a small hut,
| built of clay or mud. fire can be
made in the shack The place is so
constructed that the squaw stands the
| sticks of wood on their ends SO that
| the fire is fed as if from self-feeder.
| No. 1O related to me how and why she
occupied the shack. 1t was rather q
romantic story, but yet one full of sad
ness from beginning to end.
! - My father said No. IL, in voice
| full of pathos, is a ScotchInan, and is
| factor of Fort Pelley, belonging To the
Hudson's Bay company. Before the
I northwest territories were taken over
he ruled the country for hundreds of
mines around. He was magistrate.
too. and of course administered the
| law
| When No. Is reached a certain age
| she was sent to Scotland in one of the
! company's ships. which leave for New
| York or Fort Nelson couple of times
| each year This was no easy trip in
| thoss. days. For hundreds of miles she
| had to cross prairies, and then by ca
| noe and other conveyances, the great
rivers were traversed until Hudson S
bav was reached. where embarha tion
| took place 1t took some months to do
i this
| when Scotland was reached she en-
tered a university and remained there
until she graduated. These We're pleas
ant days for the young western girl
She became acquainted with an intel
ligent young Scotchman, and the at
tachmcnt became SO strong on both
sides that before she left the land OF
| heather for the wiids of Canada they
had plighted vows
''One of the company's ships bore hel
away from her pleasant associations il
Scotland To the higher latitudes ot
Davis straits and the Hudson's bay
where the iceberg is familiar in An