Annette, the Metis Spy: A Heroine of the N.W. Rebellion

gh a region of the prairie over which lay no trail. She approached her cottage with noise

demoiselle;

s now-they are n

ansons de guerre. And, O mademoiselle, there was among the Crees one chief, so tall, and so noble-looking; and he will some day come back again to, to-see me." She squirmed very gently, and poised upon one dainty foot, till her prett

t her heart? I hope your chi

nybody in the world;" and the sweet, round, dimpled little maiden pu

w in Annette's sweet tasty bed chamber, fresh and cool with the nig

rgle of the water, for my heart was sad, and filled with troublesome forebodings about you, and your deliverer 'Ah, I said, before ma maitresse fell into the freshet river, sh

t, little creature it

hen I saw a straight, tall, handsome man approaching me.

e eyes were very bright, but the light

at to reply, but I

l excuse me. It is lat

reast, and turned so that the mo

he sweet Jul

ent, but could not see any fa

an, and she lived two years in his tent. During the summer days she played among the flowers, or hooked gold-fish in the river. She had a companion who was ever at her side, the chief's son, whom the people called Little Poplar. He loved the maiden, and when they took her away to her home upon the far prairie, he mourned by d

o my beautiful chief I went up to him and laid my head against his breast. And he kissed me, and kissed me again, and stroked my hair; and whispered in my ear that when the war was ov

, the silly chief said a great big untruth, but I know he only did so because he loves m

" Annette exclaimed, fondly brushing back a st

ll these in a high degree before he is worthy to get such a girl as yourself, ma

aint; and long before Annette or her little maid had risen, Colonel Marton

e spoke of the bravery of Captain Stephens, Julie would tell some pra

s women are at the mercy of savages and ill-advised men of our own class. There have been evil and oppressive doings by government and its agents, but I do not think that Monsieur Riel and my father have taken the prudent course to remove the wrongs. It will not be fair or honorable w

or apprise their people of danger, I shall do it. You Julie I shall leave in the care of my aunt at the Portage; for it is not safe fo

ge; for Paul had mounted a pony and followed his father, with pistol

ey needed but to get into the saddle in the morning. Little did these two girls know, as they sat quietly eating their supper, that there was at this very moment a band of painted enemies hurrying across the dim

ood the tall, straight figure of an Indian chief. The cry brought Julie to her senses, and she too looked up: but she gave no cry; the blood c

;" and the dainty maiden crept softly as a kitten over to the side of the handsome chief. He smiled, stooped, and

of painted Crees with Tall Elk and Jean, Le Grand Chef's man, at

red, the chief bearing the little packages of valuables in his arms. There was no time to be lost, and as the trio

l, the cries of the disappointed Indians were borne upon the night. When they reached

brave chief enough f

e heartiest tones

e Julie; Le Grand Chef gets the other.' I then enquired of Tall Elk, and he told me of their plans. The house was to be surrounded before moonrise; mademoiselle was to be seized a

ed I should have hunted him

beyond the enemy's

have put on apparel more suited to our present inclinations?" Tall Poplar rode aw

m, and he burst out in a tone of mirth and approval: "Brava, brava: the

r mistress, was off at a brisk canter towards Fort Pitt. The news which she had heard lent speed to Annette. From far and near the Crees had come to enroll themselves under t

ir way of living during late years has been altogether too slow, too dead-and-alive, too unlike the ways of their an

gan to dance and howl, and declare that they would fight till a

day they had been casting covetous eyes upon the fat cattle of their white neighbours. Along too, came the fe

the corrals; and heaps of, mange in the store." So the Salteaux wer

, and they sallied out from the tents, while the large-eye

least, came the remnant of that tribe whose chief had shot Custer in the Black Hills. The Sioux only required to b

Saskatchewan, according to the lad's instructions, and in half an hour were in sight of Pitt. Inspector Dicken was glad enough to receive

er of the enemy?"

olest effrontery he informed me that if I would leave the fort, surrender my arms, and accompany him, with my men, into his wigwams, that he would give me a guarantee against all harm. If I re

ers; and squatting upon the sod in a row they made mouths, and poked their fingers at me. Then they arose yelling and waving their arms, and followed the savage. It appears that after the chief left me, he went to the people of our town and proposed the same terms; for an hour later, to my horr

ck. From all I can gather a hundred or so of Plain Crees will come here to-day under Tall Elk; while t

g preparations. The total number of his force, including mounted police and civil

n his hand, and a hatchet in his belt. The cause of this sudden commotion was soon apparent: about half a mile distant, two police scouts were riding leisurely along the plain towards the Fort, and evidently not suspecting the danger which menaced them. They advanced to a point about two hundred

the Inspector, and he quivered fro

weapons in the sun around the door of the chief. Big Bear pulled off his feathered cap and threw it several times in the air

ended from a crane over the roaring flames. First, about fifteen gallons of water were put in; then Big Bear's wives, s

o the root of the flag, while a few brought to the pot wild parsnips, and the dried stalks of the prairie parsley. A coy little mai

a black hair, or a blue hair, or a brown hair was discovered anywhere upon his body he was taken away; but if he were sans

ound about for many miles swarthy heralds proclaimed that the great Chief Big Bear was giving a White Dog feast to his braves before summoning them to the war-path. The feast was, in Indian experience,

thy smell of the ochre from their hands and faces. Some had black bars streaked across their cheeks, and hideous crimson circles about their eyes. Some, likewise

emed to be gathering from all points of the compass, and massing upon the plateau round about the camps of the Cree Chief. But s

ou could see the bright coils of its leisurely waters, as that proud river pierced its

Captain Stephens, "you might drop quietly down to Battleford

ttle of our lead," the Inspector replied. "But even though

risen before the set of sun, in the south east, and crept slowly over the whole heavens, widening its da

"as if God were going to aid

plain; and in the lull between the blasts the cry of strange night-birds

and it shrieked through the ribs of the stockade, l

of light appeared in the darkness. Then the great, wide, black night suddenly opened its jaws and launched forth an avalanche of blinding, white lig

nemy

sound so diabolical that you might believe the gates of hell had suddenly been thrown open. From every point

an hastily back

rt of their plan is to burn the fort. Wait till they fir

e, and the eyes of the brav

and again a sound, half like a snarl, and half like a sigh, w

shouted the Inspector;

and lighting flambeaux of birch-bark, they began to wave them above their heads. The

were seen writhing about the plain in their agony. Together with the exultant whoop, came cries of pain and rage; and perceiving the m

who had been shot, in running away, began to yell in the most pitiable way; and he ran abou

le flash came from the Fort. Then there arose the sharp yelp of a wolf through the night, and instantly the fi

ephens whispered to Mr. Dicken; but in what shape th

emonium cry again went suddenly through the night and the st

my lads, get your muzzles ready;" for the Indians had lighted

ht of the torches. But others came into their places and chopped, and hacked, and smote like fiends, yelling, jumping,

es, but sturdy as were the posts, it was plain that they must soon give way. Sometimes, it is true, the savages would draw rearward from their work, terrified at the heap of dead and wounded now accumulating about them; but it was only to r

e, hastening down the hill; and troops of squaws were perceived dragging loads of brush wood. Then one of the posts g

nspector Dicken in the same calm, firm voice.