Corporal Cameron of the North West Mounted Police: A Tale of the Macleod Trail

of two troopers, and accompanied by Chief Red Crow, Bull Back, and others of their tribe, made ignominious and crestfallen entry into the Fort next day.

th West Mounted Police officers and men. Chief Red Crow, too, returned to his band with a chastened mind, it having been made clear to him that a chief who could not control his young braves was not the kind of a chief t

ins and woods, too, had their grievances and their fears. With phenomenal rapidity the buffalo had vanished from the plains once black with their hundreds of thousands. With the buffalo vanished the Indians' chief source of support, their food, their clothing, their shelter, their chief article of barter. Bereft of these and deprived at the same time of the supreme joy of existence, the chase, bitten with cold, starved with hunger, fearful of the future, they offered fertile soil for the seeds of rebellion. A government more than usually obsessed with stupidity, as all governments become at times, remained indifferent to appeals, deaf to remonstrances, blind to danger signals, till through the remote and isolated settlements of the vast west and among the tribes of India

ed his horse and loved to care for him, and, most of all, loved to ride him. Among his comrades he found congenial spirits, both among the officers and the men. Though discipline was strict, there was an utter absence of anything like a spirit of petty bullying which too often is found in military service; for in the first place the men were in very many cases the equals and sometimes the superiors of the officers both in cu

for intelligence and nerve. The reports of these expeditions that stand upon the police record have as little semblance of the deeds achieved as have stark and grinning skeletons in the medical student's private cupboar

eron stand side by side. For the Inspector was a man upon whom the Commissioner and the Superintendent delighted to load their

anxious consultation far into a late September night. When the consultation was over,

in so many parts of the country at the same time is a mere blind to a more serious business, the hatching of a very wide conspiracy. We know that the Crees and the Assiniboines are negotiating with the half-breeds. Big Bear, Beardy, and Little Pine are keen for a fight. There is some very powerful and secret influence at work among our Indians here. We suspect that the ex-Chief of the Bloods, Little Thunder, is the head of this organization. A very dangerous and very clever Indian he is, as you know. We have a charge of

spector will choose," said super

?" asked the

Cameron,

redicted he would make good. He has

an," said the I

nsider him the best all-round man at

husiastic for the service, he

ngest man on the force, then he is a dead shot, a good man with a horse, and has d

right, In

e gleaming at the praise of his friend. "He is a good man,

tendent lau

him then,

nspector, "if it

k a letter from the file. "Read that," he said, "second page the

he letter and read a

camps grow in numbers the difficulty of control is very greatly increased. I ought to have my force strengthened. Could you not immediately spare me at least eight or ten good men? I would like that chap Cameron, the man, you know, who cau

ded back the lett

id the Com

r the work," said the Inspecto

tor?" enquired the Commissioner. "That

e Indians, to the number of a hundred and fifty or more, very considerably excited. They objected strenuously to the arrest of the half-breed. Constable Cameron and I were alone. We had left a party of men further back over the hill. The half-breed brought it upon himself. He was rash enough to make

unch of Sarcees and held them where they were till Cameron was safe with his man over the

usiness is one of great difficulty and Superintendent Strong is not the man to ask for assistance un

low Cameron in the meantime to accompany the Inspector?

t to Cameron a little lat

in the mountains? You would find Su

enough, I have a letter this very mail that has a bearing upon this ma

took the let

work my passage on hand cars and doubtless by tie pass. My hands will lose all their polish. However, there may be some fun and likely some good practice. I see they are blowing themselves up at a great rate. Then, too, there is the prospective joy of seeing

nor is far from well. Awfully sorry to hear it. It is rough on y

ok out for squalls. If you get shot up see that you select a

meron as he took the letter from the Inspector. "He is

rses?" enquired th

me through a typhoid trip. Little too clever sometimes," he added, remembering the

me across them in our round-up. This is rather a

the players knew, bigger in its immedi

cattle whose obliterated brands seemed to warrant confiscation, and though there were signs for the instructed eye of evil doings

occurrences, but confessed his powerlessness to prevent the flow of either firewater or of blood. A private conversation with the Inspector left with the Ch

oot invited the representatives of the Great White Mother with impressive cordiality, an invitation, howev

comment as they rode off. "There are doings there wit

out," said Cameron, "bu

ds another term at t

to find them frankly hostile. They had not forgott

or the noisy Indian is dangerous. When he gets smooth and quiet watch him, like old Crowfoot. Sly o

to be among friends. The hand of the missionary here was upon the helm o

?" enquired

onary. "And some of our young men don't like hunger, and t

sun-d

are all past. Our peop

ileless heart. We need not watch the Stonies. Here's a spot at least where religion pays. And a mighty good thing for us just now," added the inspector. "These Stonies

on, they came upon th

Cameron. "And my last camp was o

here that Raven

ff the line, down the

dea to beat up that same old trail. It is quite pos

eron, "to conduct Mr. Raven and his Indian friend ove

said the Inspector. "We lose

the Police, and enquired for the Superintendent. The Superintendent had gone up the line, the Sergeant informed them, following the larger construction gangs. The Sergeant and two men had some fifty miles of

on was arrested by the sign "Hospital" upon a large double-roofed

e about," he said to himself as

red of a Chinaman, who appea

go 'way '

come back?" de

See miss

eared into the tent

doctor? He has gone

g with his hat in one hand, the ot

urse had his hand in both of hers. "Oh, you great b

"but I do know how pe

evour me. You

uly love one

pen street!" The little nurse's cheeks flamed red as she

n laughed. "Besides,

am so

ou," sai

u would be coming to join us. And now they are g

will be th

eyes danced mischievously-"the other nur

few minutes. Here comes the I

lean-cut face. The Inspector had just made his farewell to the Sergeant preparatory to an immediate departure, but it was a full h

a sigh as he bent over the little nurse's hand in g

aid the nurse

if I

he held her hand in farewell. "I heard the doctor say you

oked at th

Macleod," said the latter. "But now I

cy toss of her head. "He wouldn't bother himself about me, but-bu

stood my

d Martin of course, b

e laughed, this

ing a shameless pretence of i

f I call it," cri

urse. Of course it can't be-Mandy-Miss Haley?" He laughed

he nurse, clapping her han

ou don't mean to tell me that Mandy-W

ting the Chinaman at the rear of the tent, "to the Sergeant yonder, hear you by the faintest tone indicate any

hands!" He shuddered. "I mean, of course-you know-she's awfully goo

se laughed lon

u. You forget, Sir, that for a year and a half sh

ed the Inspector reproachfully.

I pine for mountain scenery. Remember

them what you said. I may. Just wait, though. Some day you wi

cad if I did. But-well, you know as well as I do that,

ell, well, come back and see." And waving her

turned from the railway tote road down the coulee

earted girl, but awfully-well-crude, you know. And yet-" Cameron's speech faded into silence, for his memory played a trick upon him, and again

the Inspector.

e her first. By Jove!" He broke into a laugh. "It is a joke with a

camp, and the afternoon of the second

growled the Inspector, for no

pass the faraway beat of a drum was heard. It was the steady th

as near to excitement as he gen

" said

ector. "I believe in my soul we shall see so

ft footing to their horses. And so without fear of detection they loped briskly along till they

w the spot well. We can see them from the top. This is their mo

reaching from side to side of the canyon, and in front of the lodges were a mass of Indian warriors, squatting on their hunkers, beating time, some with tom-toms, others with their hands, to the weirdly monotonous chant, that rose and fell in response to the gesticulations of one who appeared to be their leader. In the centre of the plain stood a post and round this two circles of dancers leaped and swayed. In the outer circle the men, with clubs and rifles in their hands, recited with pantomimic gestures their glorious deeds in the war or in the chase. The inner circle presented a ghastly and horrid spectacle. It was composed of younger men, naked and painted, some of whom were held to the top of the post by

f his being heard. "See! many braves have been made already," he added, pointing to a place on one side of the fire where

warrior from the squatting circle would fling his blanket aside and, waving his rifle high

again. "No squaws, you see, and all in war pa

ipped him

ndians standing at a little distance beyo

A couple of Sarcee chaps, I see, too, some Piegans and Bloods; the rest are Crees and Assiniboines. The whol

eron, "and I should like

he Inspector. "We mu

dians subsided, the policemen could catch a few words. After Raven had finished Little Thunder made reply, apparently in strenuous opposition. Again Raven spoke and again Little Thunder made reply. The dispute waxed warm. Little Thunder's former attitude towards Raven appeared to be entirely changed

r has soldiers like the leaves of the trees. I know, for I have seen them. Do not listen to this man!" pointing to Little Thunder. "Anger has made him mad. The

ut them. Only a little of their meaning could the Inspector gather, but enough to let him know that they were

watching from above, that all that stood between him and death were those same two hands and the revolvers in his belt, whose butts were snugly nosing

l?" said Ra

, working himself up into a fine fre

ere his voice rang out like a trumpet, "I am for the Queen, God bless her

imed Cameron. "I

spector softly. Both men's guns

poke, shrugging his s

! No good." He sp

e was for a few

man move! I never need to shoot at a man twice. Little Thunder knows

The moment he was out of sight Little Thunder dodged in behind the ledges, found his rifle, and, making a wide detour, began to cli

meron ran and worked his way down the side till he stood just over the sloping ledge upon which the Indian was c

for the red, w

and he would be within range. The Inspector raised

dropped fair upon the shoulders of the Indian below, knocking the breath completely out of him and bearing him flat to the rock. Like a flash Cameron's hand was o

nspector quietly from abo

on was conscious only of the humouro

nd help me to tie up this fello

ting up his guns. "All right, old man," he added, nodding up at the Inspector. "Now, w

d looking down upon the Indian, who was recovering

now nearly quits. Once you saved my

n had handcuffe

ng him with his revol

ndian with a mighty wrench tore himself from Cameron's grip and plunged into the thicket. Before he

"or must we knock you on the head?" He ra

ted the Indi

you one chance more. Where's your friend?" h

declaration of allegiance a few moments before. "He was

ment to lose. This is an important capture. How the

they were amazed to find Little Thunder's pony beside their own and on the Inspector's saddle a slip of paper up

d the Inspector. "I'd like t

rode off t