Page 181 - La Société canadienne d'histoire de l'Église catholique - Rapport 1961

CHILDS' RECOLLECTIONS. 177
remain there until I should call for them; and with my own
team I vent down to GRIGNON'S, where I found the Agent, one
officer and twelve soldiers. The Agent informed me, that he
had come up to take all of WHITNEY'S men out of the country.
I asked him if he proposed to take me? He replied that he
ahould take all he should find committing trespass on the
Indian lands; or, in other words, all those engaged in making
shingles. They soon got rendy and started for the shingle
camp. I went with them. When we arrived, the men were all
out in the woods. I started to where they were at work, and
I went to work shaving shingles. The Agent soon arrived
with his party. I told the shingle-makers that they must quit
work, which they did; but I kept on until all left, hoping they
would attempt to arrest me, but they dicl not. After awhile I
went to the shanty, where they were all assembled. The over-
seer asked me to go out of doors with him, that he wished to
speak with me. When we got to the door, I asked him what he
wanted of me; he replied that he wanted my advice as to what
course he should pursue. I told him that if that was what he
wanted, I would give him the best advice I had, in the house,
beforc the whole party, Agent, soldiers slid all; that if I were
in his place, and had charge of the men, I would not surrender
alive, but that he might do as he pleased. The overseer con-
sulted with his men, and they finally concluded to surrender.
At this juncture, I calIed on my eight stout Frenchmen,
who speedily canie up with their teams. I told them that as
the foreman and Indians were prisoners, that we would take
charge of the shanty and property belonging to WHITNEY;
upon which we all spread down our blankets, and turned in for
the night. The next morning the overseer called to his men to
get brenkfast. I juinped up and told them, that as they were
prisoners, they were out of WUITNEY'S employ, and forbade
them touching a single thing in or about the shanty. I called
my men, and told them to get breakfast. That opened the
eyes of thc Agent and officer; and the latter remarked, that
the commissary at the Fort had sent his compliments to me,
22m