The Washington herald., 1907-03-17

Alec" Kennedy. tall. straight. fifty-five
or thereabout with face that shows
his mixed Scot and Sioux blood, is one OF
the most interesting Indians who have
ever been called upon to help bear the
white mans burden.
He is also one of the most famous char
acters in all the Canadian Northwest.
where he is now living out the remainder
OF his life, after having served the Brit
ish government so faithfully in Africa
that he was granted two service medals,
one by the British and one by the Egyp-
tian government
kennedy's headquarters are at Edmon-
ton, on the upper Saskatchewan River. at
the end Of the railrOad-the real jumping
of place IN the Canadian Northwest He
is in the employ of the Indian department
OF the Canadian government, and has
been most Of the time since the Hudson
Bay Company's territory was taken over.
Before the change he was employed BY
the company His present occupation is
that of guide and interpreter to the In
dian commissioner and other government
officials who have TO travel in the North
west, which he knows as well as any
other man alive. either white or copper
colored. In his early days he was d
bateau man.
There was no one then, there is proba-
bly, no one now, i'm all the vast North
western wilderness who was more expert
In handling the long river boats called
bateaux both by the early French fur
hunters and their British successors than
Alec Kennedy. These boats are long.
shallow. much wider amidship than al
either bow OF stern. Apparently. no more
clumsy craft could well be designed. In
the hands Of men skilled in their man
agement, however. they are ideal for
the navigation Of the swift. tumultuous
Northern rivers, and even 10 the present
day flTst-class bate3u men are essential
to the prosecution OF commerce there.
since few steamers have as Yet veXed
the Athabasca, the Mackenzie, the Peace.
the Lard, OF any other Of the great
famous Northwestern streams
Kennedy is descended from member
OF the famous party of Scots. led by
Lord Selkirk. who went into the Hud-
son Bay territory as settlers a hundred
years or more ago. His grandfather
was, therefore white, but the Indian
blood undoubtedly prcdominates in Alec.
He himself has married full-blood and
has several children.
His training IN river navigation began
when he was only a child, and he learned
TO paddle a canoe almost 2s early as he
learned to walk. Even then it was
prophesied that some day he would be
a mighty bateau man. and the prophecy
proved true by the power and skin
he was able to display after he had
grown up.
Alec owes the opportunity to serve the
British government In the tropic. as well
as in the arctic and north temperate
zones, to Louis RieI. the French half
breed, who twice placed himself at the
head OF organized rebellion. first in IS69-70
and later in 1856 The first Of these out
bursts is known as the Red River rebel
lion. the second as the Riel rebellion. It
was suppressed by Middleton; Lord
Wolseley suppressed the first
Wolseley was Jess than forty then and
only a colonel, he had not yet won even
the title Of Sir" his glory as command
er-in-chief of the British army was yet
only a dream; that he would ultimately
be made real lord with the title of vis-
count had possibly never occurred TO him
at all.
Alec Kennedy was at the head of d
band OF bateau men in government en-
plOy while the Red River rebellion was
being put down. and his work was so well
done, the trans. lrtation of whatever in
the way of stores and ammunition in
trusted TO him was SO invariably got
through on time. with everything in good
condition, as specially TO attract Wolse-
ley's personal attention.
How WOIseIey Found Kennedy.
When RieI had been thoroughly whipped
land, it was hoped. permanently in 1870
Wolseley was called away from North
America 10 Africa, and set upon the trail
of the Ashantees. whom he subdued IL
1873. For ten years he pursued his war
like way in India, in Cyprus, in Natal, in
the Transvaal, and in Egypt, winning his
place in the peeTage thereby. Then. in
1854, there was talk Of his leading an ex-
pedition for the relief of Charles George
Gordon-known also as Chinese Gordon"
and Gordon Pasha." The latter was then
at Khartum. where he had been sent to
withdraw the Sudan garrisons They
could no longer hold out against the
Aahdi. who was then at the height Of his
power.
Tie fact that the expedition to Khartum
would involve a great deal Of river trans
poTta1on on the Nile where few steamers
were available. recalled Alec Kennedy
and his skill and intimate knowledge OF
rrav Of r-Fr
men TO Wolseley. II Kennedy could do
more work in his line than any other
man Wolseley had ever known; II he
were an able commander Of turbulent
bateau men in Canada. why was he not
a good man 10 take along on the Khartum
expedition?
II was true that there were differences
between the great arctic American
streams and the greatest African river:
IL was true that the boatmen Of the Nile
were unlike those of Canada and that
the climate of Egypt and the Sudan were
as different from that of the Canadian
Northwest as the climates Of two regions
on the same old earth well could be. But
Alec was strong. hardy, alert. and faith
ful; Wolseley believed he would be a biz
help to the expedition. The outcome was
that the SCotch-lndian was sent for by
the cOmmander-in-Chief and hidden to
select a party OF bateau men to accom-
pany him.
Laconic. as the Indian generally IS. Alec
Kennedy has never said much of his ex-
pericnces under the Southern skies. even
10 his intimates, but occasionally he has
told them Of sprawling. smoky London
where he stopped for a space before going
on 10 Egypt; Of the broad. yellow Nile
-
potamus the rhinOceros and the croco-