The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1938-06-09
. NJ ne Of ts5
by Captain
G. Elliott Nightingale
Copyright. wNU
4 CHISELER STARTS
Il RIOT

oed and re-echoed over the Atha-
baskan plains. Meanwhile, in the
tents and tepees, babies died in the
arms of mothers too starved to
suckle them, while others, including
the aged and ill, were slowly dying
from hunger and the 30-below-zero
weather that had been gripping the
region for weeks. And, as the Sal
teaux suffered and died, the war
riors and braves, with the help of
some struggled rotgut whisky were
dancing themselves into an ugly,
fighting, bloodthirsty mood. They
were steaming up for a little skull
splitting and scalp-lifting party to
be staged on the handful of whites
who were responsible for their pitt
able condition.
The Salteaux, a rather superior
group, were justified in their anger
and rage, for the administration of
their affairs had fallen into the
hands of a double-dyed CRATER and
chiseler. When the Great White
Mother made the treaty with the
Salteaux, she not only agreed to
give them equipment, horses and
cows with which to begin farming,
but she also agreed to give them
food and supplies twice week I'M
til they were well established and
prosperous. Everything went along
fine until some underling in the In
dian affairs department was placed
in charge while his superior was off
on a rather extended vacation down
east. From this time on, the food
supplies for the Salteaux began to
diminish. Each time the rations
were handed out, they weighed a
few ounces less than before, with
the result that after week or two
the allotments reached the most IL
diculous proportions, and the Sal
teaux began to grumble out loud. To
make matters worse, game was ex-
ceedingly scarce in the region that
winter, and even rabbits were few
and far between. Moreover, had
there been furs and skins, the Sal
teaux could have traded for food at
the Hudson Bay Trading post locat-
ed right on the reservation.
And now, with the tribe slowly
starving to death in the middle of
a stiff Athabaskan winter, it was
time for action. Having worked
themselves into a frenzy of rage
and hate, the warriors and braves
swooped down on the government
warehouses and helped themselves
to few tons of flour, sowbelly, ba-
con and other staples. The under
ling in charge made a faint squeak
of protest, and right away two husky
braves had him by collar and belt
and were heaving him off into the
distance. Loaded with all the food
they could carry away, the Salteaux
returned to their tepees and had
the first really decent feed in weeks.
And, as they fed and gorged them
selves, the Men of the Mounted
were on their way to investigate
what was termed an Indian out
rage"
The officer in charge, although a
fearless policeman, was poor hand
with Indians, and his opening re-
marks were to the effect that the
Great White Mother was deeply
grieved to learn that her Salteaux
children had committed this terri
BILE crime (taking the food that
rightfully belonged to them). Fur
thermore, the poor misguided, or
miSinformed officer asked them why
they committed the robbery when
everybody knew that the agent
handed out plenty of food twice
week. Naturally, the Salteaux be-
gan to think that the red-coat was
insane. Did he not know that they
were starving? Did he not know
that the food ration had been grow
ing smaller and smaller until there
was not enough for one child, let
alone brave? No, the officer did
not know this.
Furthermore, he rather brusquely
stated that they were not starving
at all, and that the rations given
them were more than sufficient.
This was the spark to the powder.
The braves began fondling their RI
fles and clubs, and they moved in
close, dangerously close. The air
was electrified with the tension of
impending battle. Up to this time
there had never been any misunder-
standings, nor had there ever been
shots exchanged between the Sal
teaux and the Mounted Police, and
it wasn't long before an ordinary
red coated constable was down
among the ugly Salteaux patching
things up and, incidentally, learn
ing the truth about the diminishing
rations. Needless to say, the quar-
rel was patched up so well that
there has never been any more trou-
BILE with the Salteaux.
The chiseler? Well, he saddled
up one morning and rode east. He
must have kept on travelling, for he
hasn't been seen since.