The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1899-04-06
HELD THE FORT.
poriIous Adventure with Chippe was
ON Lake Athabasca.

Lake Athabasca.
An adventure will hostile Indians.
seldom surpassed in critical peril and
exciting situation. was that of French
Canadian some years ago at Fort Pierre
au Calumet. on Lake Athabasca. One
day, when the chief trader was absent
on Il visit 10 York Factory. and the
other men employed in the station We're
playing lacrosse upon the ice, This man
aud an lrishman named McTaggart
We're the only persons left in the fort.
Just then forty Chippewa braves
who had pretended to have fnrs 10 sell,
hut who bad really been watching an
opportunity 10 plumber, came up 10 The
fort and poured inside the stockade.
Pierre. The Frenchman, had barely time
to bar the main door when they rushed
against it. showing plainly their I'M
friendly purpose A parley with Tire
chief. through small slide-trap. re-
suited in the withdrawal OF the Indians
outside the siockade, and an agreement
TO admit The chief alone. with the iurs.
Pierre thus relates what follows:
instructed my man, Mcfaggart. 10
watch when the Indians were well out
OF the yard, and when the chief came
IN to make dash and fasten the outer
gate. then opened the door. Me
Taggart slipped out, but had not made
one step when the chief struck him
with his tomahawk, killing him instant
K. The savage then darted through
the half-open door, and, pauying n
blow | aimed at him. he seized the bar
which fastened the door and threw 1t
outside.
! had by this time got hold of one OF
my pistols and pulled it at him as he
came toward me fiourishing his bloody
tomahawk. The bullet took effect, FOR
the savage with frlghtfnl yell stag
gered through the doorway, where his
cries soon gathered his band about him.
Before | could fasten the door the
whole gang had burst into the fort. l
sprang behind some casks and hid my
self there, feeling. however sure that
they would ind and kill me. There can
be no doubt about my fate If the say
ages had not been more eager for plum
der and whisky than they were for
vengeance.
As 1t was. one of them at once rushed
10 a cask Of whisky, the head of which
he stove in with his Ratchet. and with
the greatest eagerness the whole crowd
began TO help themselves 10 the con
tents.
That they would drink themselves
drunk was now my only hope and OPP
portunity, aud | quietly kept out or
sight behind the empty barrels TO await
events.
The ldlotlc abandon and general cut
ting up" of the sayages as they came
under the influence of the whisky were
very ludcrous; but You may be sure |
kept my laughter to myself. In an
hour all were helplessly intoxicated.
except one big fellow who seemed 10
have Il stronger head than the rest.
| now felt that with my pistol in my
hand | could fight at least on equal
terms. II fight was necessary; but the
rascal preeipitated matters by turning
over llit tdSh Vi NulHhs hiiN
TO reach some plumber that he wanted
on an upper shelf. In doing this live
coal was Jared out of the stove into
the liquor on the floor, and the room
was Immediately in flames. The In
dian who had caused the catastrophe
sprang toward the door, but my pistol
ended his career.
The whisky was soon consumed, as
there was but little left, and the fire
was put out without doing large dam
age, but many of the drunken sayages
on the floor were fatally burned. When
the men came back from the lake and
found so many dead Indians and saw
the general ruin they were amazed, and
supposed deserved all the credit of the
capture of the assailants, etc, when 1t
was merely an accident that had ac-
compllshed 1t.
The effect on the thlevlng Chippewas
was most wholesome, for the survivors
Of the fort adventure told their tribe Il
terrible story of the pale-faces' big
medicine" and the sort of punishment
/ they wreaked upon Indians who rob
bed them.-Three Trappers.