“But there is no reason for your jealousy or your hostility,” Lord Selkirk continued; “our people come among you, not as conquerors, but as brothers.  They shall not molest you but quietly till the fields and raise their crops.  Instead of showing unfriendliness, I think you should take them by the hand and welcome them as brothers.”  These words at last prevailed, and the Crees put by their war paint, and came among the whites and offered them fish and buffalo steak.

Thus was the colony founded.  The grain grew well, and there was abundance in the new settlement, save that at intervals an army of locusts would come out of the west and destroy every green leaf.  Then the settlers’ needs were sore, and they were obliged to subsist upon roots and what fell to them from the chase.

Many years rolled on, and the sturdy Scotch settlers had driven their roots fast into the ground.  One alone of all the number who had kissed good-bye to his Scottish sweetheart returned to redeem his pledge.  For the rest they soon forgot the rosy cheeks and bright blue eyes that they had left behind them, in the pleasures of the chase upon the plain, and the interest in their wide acres.  But these perhaps were not the only reasons why they had forgotten their vows to the Scottish girls.  Among the Crees were many beautiful maidens, with large, velvety eyes, black as the night when no moon is over the prairie, and shy as a fawn’s.  When first the white man came amongst them the girls were bashful; and when he went into the Crees’ tent they would shrink away hiding their faces.  But it soon became apparent that the shyness was not indifference; indeed many a time when the Scotch hunter passed a red man’s tent he saw a pair of eyes looking languishingly after him.  Little by little the timidity began to disappear, and sometimes the brown-skinned girls came in numbers to the white man’s dwelling, and submitted themselves to be taught how to dance the cotillion and the eight-hand reel.  Then followed the wooing among the flowery prairies; and the white men began to pledge their troths to the dusky girls.  Many a brave hunter who had a score of scalps to dangle from his belt, sought, but sought in vain, a kind glance from some beautiful maiden of his tribe, who before the pale faces came would have deemed great indeed the honour of becoming the spouse of a warrior so distinguished.  Jealousy began to fill the hearts of the Crees, but the mothers and wives, and the daughters too, were constant mediators, and never ceased to exert themselves for peace.

“When,” said they, “the white-faces first came among us, our chiefs and our young men all cried out, ’O they deem themselves to be a better race than we; they think their white blood is better than our red blood.  They will not mingle with us although they will join with us in hunting our wild meat, or eating it after it has fallen to our arrow or spear.  They will not consider one of our daughters fit for marriage with one of them;