Page:Narrative of the Discoveries on the North Coast of America.djvu/53

 pleasantly till the evening, when a large party of Saulteaux, from the river Assiniboine, galloped suddenly into the court. They were completely armed, and breathed fury and revenge; having lost forty of their relatives by an attack of the Sioux a year or two before. We instantly stationed a strong guard around the building, and despatched messengers, summoning the police and able-bodied settlers to the defence of the strangers who had thrown themselves on our hospitality. A sufficient number arrived in the course of the night to prevent any violent attempt being made. The Saulteaux, continually augmenting, were so irritated at being repulsed from the windows through which they sought to fire upon the unfortunate Sioux within, that they turned upon some of Parisien's followers, and blood had well-nigh been spilled. The great difficulty now was, how to get the strangers safely home again. We supplied them with provisions, tobacco, and some clothing, and also ammunition for their defence, in case of their being attacked beyond the bounds of the colony. They concealed their alarm, put on a resolute countenance, sung their death-song, and the chief, unsheathing his sabre, smote the bare shoulders