Big Bear was only nominally the chief of this tribe, the ruling power
being in the hands of Wandering Spirit, a bad and vicious man, who
exercised it with all the craft and cunning of an accomplished
freebooter.



CHAPTER VI.

THE MASSACRE.

Now come the dreadful scenes of blood and cruel death. The happy life
is changed to one of suffering and sorrow. The few months of happiness
I enjoyed with the one I loved above all others was abruptly closed--
taken from me--for ever--it was cruel, it was dreadful. When I look
back to it all, I often wonder, is it all a dream, and has it really
taken place. Yes, the dream is too true; it is a terrible reality, and
as such will never leave my heart, or be effaced from off my mind.

The first news we heard of the Duck Lake affair was on the 30th of
March. Mr. Quinn, the Indian Agent at Frog Lake, wrote a letter to us
and sent it down to our house about twelve o'clock at night with John
Pritchard, telling my husband and I to go up to Mr. Delaney's on
Tuesday morning, and with his wife go on to Fort Pitt, and if they saw
any excitement they would follow. We did not expect anything to occur.
When we got up to Mr. Delaney's we found the police had left for Fort
Pitt. Big Bear's Indians were in the house talking to Mr. Quinn about
the trouble at Duck Lake, and saying that Poundmaker the chief at
Battleford wanted Big Bear to join him but he would not, as he