Havergal College - Magazine Yearbook (Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada)

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Havergal College Magazine and cheerful, and encouraged those who were downcast. When we arrived we settled ourselves at Fort Douglas, on the west bank of the Red River. It was very beautiful last month when we arrived. I never saw such a mixture of glorious colors as in the autumn leaves ; and just where we are situated the river has sev- eral picturesque turns. November, 1814. — We are settled in a plain log house, white- washed on the inside and outside. It is divided into two rooms downstairs; over these there is an attic, into which we ascend by means of a ladder. In our living-room we have a large clay fire- place in the corner, a great deal table, and benches roughly hewn from logs. The floors are of beaten-down clay and are really quite smooth. Mother, Jessie, Agnes and myself are busy making a rag carpet for this room, as at present we have only a few wolf and bearskin rugs. Our other room downstairs we have divided with curtains and thus made into two bedrooms : one for mother and father, the other for us girls ; the boys sleep in the attic. As most of the people in the fort have only two rooms and no attic, we have quite the best one, with the exception of the governor ' s. That comes of having a large family. We have an acre of land in the fort for our house, but outside each father and the oldest boy in each family has a section. The boys fenced-in our acre the other day with poplar saplings, with the result that it now looks quite respectable. Within the fort there is a large stable, where all the settlers put their cattle for the winter. Those who have more than three cows and two horses, however, build stables for the extra cattle. Father and the boys have just finished ploughing the fields for the grain next year. The farming implements given us to start with are almost useless, but a new and better set is coming from Quebec next spring, when Lord Selkirk himself comes. We have not much time for gaiety here till we are settled down to the routine of our work. May, 1815. — -We are actually back and safely inside of Fort Douglas again, which I thought we would never see any more. Those murderous Nor ' -westers at Fort Gibraltar, two miles below at the fork, refused to obey Captain Macdonald ' s orders that no provisions should be taken out of the country, because food is al- ways scarce in winter ; consequently their supply was seized by some of our men at Souris. Captain Macdonald Avas angry at the foolish action, but that did not help, as the very next month, December, a band of traders from Fort Gibraltar seized our fort and made us all retreat to Jack ' s River. This journey, which was all by dog-sleigh, was so arduous that several of the women and children died. We remained there in suspense and anxiety till March, when Colonel Robertson came and brought us home again. 30

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Havergal College Magazine strength. She was no mean antagonist and around and around spun rescuer and rescued, her wide skirts napping wildly in the wind, his clothes awry, but each had battle in the eye, and both were determined to fight to the finish. We passed on smiling and when we looked back they presented the appearance of a mam- moth animated top. As the afternoon wore on all communication between the two ends of the city was completely cut off ; the electric cars stopped ; the city was in darkness save for the lurid, menacing, terrible glare which overspread the sky. It seemed as if the fire, like some hungry animal, was seeking to engulf the whole city, for it turned this way and that and even turned back lest it might have missed some small part of its prey. About midnight the wind changed. The firemen fought with fresh energy and with renewed hope, and by morning, greatly to their credit , had the conflagration under control. Everyone breathed more freely, and instead of vainly deploring his loss, thanked God that it had not been worse. A few days later, when every smouldering pile had ceased to burn, we went to see the result of the disaster. We passed block after block and street after street of entirely devastated buildings and found scarcely a mark to distinguish one street from another. Each was alike in its charred remains ; even the very stones were crumpled. All the oldest residences, some of which dated back to the founding of the city, were levelled to the ground in a single night, and all because of one ignorant woman ' s carelessness. — Kathlyn Hinton. Form VI. THE SELKTRK SETTLERS. (Being extracts from the diary of Janet Sinclair, the daughter of John Sinclair, who came over with his wife and family in 1814 in Captain Miles Macdonald ' s detachment from Scot- land and settled on the banks of the Red River.) October, 1814. — We are settled at last, for which I can scarcely express my thankfulness. It seems like years since we left the dear old land! The journey over was calm, and no one was ill ; but the trip from York Factory to our present headquar- ters was terrible. The great lake w T e crossed coining south was rough, and we were forced to take refuge at Jack ' s River on the shore of the lake for a few weeks. When we started on our way again we had finer weather, though many fell ill from a kind of fever that spread through our band. It was so mild, however, that no one died. Our captain, Miles Macdonald, was most brave 29

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Havergal College Magazine When we returned home we found that another party of colonists had arrived at the fort under the leadership of the new governor, Robert Semple. As soon as the latter could collect enough men he went to Fort Gibraltar and captured it, but without bloodshed. Later, however, he returned it to the Nor ' -westers. Governor Semple was so angry at this that he seized the fort and tore it down. No one of Fort Douglas approved of his action, because we were afraid that some of our men would be killed. Time proved that our fears were not unfounded, for two of the McDougal boys and Mr. Fiddler were shot. Their funeral was held last Saturday, when they were buried in the graveyard on the river bank outside the fort. October, 1816. — We are again at Jack ' s River, and this time, I am afraid, never to return; at least, the outlook is so gloomy that no one seems to be able to see farther than that. Last June the Nor ' -westers, angry at the outrage Governor Semple had per- petrated, attacked our fort, and we were all forced to retreat. Our men all rushed out with firearms, and a battle took place at Seven Oaks. We called it Seven Oaks because of seven beautiful oak trees which formed a restful grove in summer. Many of our men were killed, Governor Semple among the number. My cousin, Angus Macpherson, was badly wounded, but our boys all escaped. (After the uniting of the two companies, the exiles at Jack ' s River were brought back and given sections along the river bank, where their descendants live to this day. Among the most notable of the old families are the Xorquays and McTavishes, who have given to Manitoba valuable citizens.) Dorothy Colcleugh, Matric. I. THE THIRTEEN CLUB. Rumour has been publishing the obituary notice of the Thirteen Club. This is premature, indeed; the announcement must be postponed indefinitely. The club is by no means defunct, and at the end of April it will arise from its winter sleep as a bear refreshed. The members of this new club are those mistresses and girls who sit at Miss Jones ' table ; hence the number ; hence the name of the club. The first entertainment was given at the end of the autumn term, and took the form of a shadow performance, which the spec- tators voted a thorough success. All the thirteen members took an extremely active part in the proceedings. Lord Ullin ' s Daughter, Where Are You Going To, My Pretty Maid ? and the classic What ' s the Matter With Father? were among the favourite pictures. G. M. S. 31