Menotah: A Tale of the Riel Rebellion

The cold winds snatched the foam from the waves, and tossed it above rock masses in furious revelry. The canoe had reached that awful line which marked the extinction of two lives. It shuddered upon the fearful brink. It hovered, like a bird of prey, before making the fatal plunge beneath. It trembled, and groaned again with the angry buffetings. It succumbed to the irresistible force, to the mighty, unseen hand drawing it down, down – and then – ah, then —

At the foot of the great rapids black rocks glistened in the moonlight; foam-flecked waves darted up to beat the air; angry waters rolled and tossed like wind-swept snow heaps, crying forth with the deep voice of thunder. Ice crystals still danced and shivered in the biting wind.

A blood-red gleam slowly fought its way from the north, ascending the heavens to dye the shafts of the auroral light a bright rose colour.

On either side of the river, black pines swayed beneath the eternal whisperings of the forest. The grim hand of winter slowly fringed the sombre tresses with silvery beauty.

The colours were black and silver, with red above. The blending of the first two made the complexion of mourning. Is not the last the colour of life's mystery? Red gold, red blood, red flush of shame, red blush of love. What else is there in life worth taking?

Onward rushed the Great Saskatchewan, with a sobbing and murmuring, while loose shingle hissed and rattled upon the shore, and leafless bushes swept the waters. Then the ice lord crept from drear confines of the Arctic, with the great chains in his white hand. Soon would he fasten down those clamouring waves to a long silence.

So, to this day, no Indian lands at that point, nor stretches his tent near the rocky ledge which faces the great rapids. And the name of the place is still called, Menotah-toopah– the passing place of the heart which knew not sorrow.

GLOSSARY

Bandy – Flow of language

Brace of bullets – Pair of aces

Bulldog – A large horse-fly possessing formidable jaws

Bummers – Idle loafers

Chores – Odd jobs

Corked – Greatly surprised

Coyotes – Prairie wolves

Craps – Dice

Croak off – Die

Cut didoes – To excessively enjoy, or make a fool of, oneself

Diddle – Get the better of

Dosh – Money

Gall – Impudence

Goldam – A local expletive

Goldeye – A small, highly edible fish, common in the Saskatchewan

Good – Physically well and strong

Heelhi-Manitou – The good, or great, Spirit

Hopping – Dying

Jag (Jamboree) – A drunken spree

Kanikanik (spelt in various other ways) – The red willow

Megrims – The 'blues'

Moonhead – Madman

Mosquito hawk – A large species of dragon fly

Muskegs – Moss swamps

Mutchi-Manitou – The lesser, or evil, Spirit

Nitchies – Natives

Quirk – Laugh

Raddled – Drunk

Razzle-witted – Crazy

Scrapping – Fighting or quarreling

Shaganappi – A rough, native-bred horse

Sharpshooters – Cigars

Shin plasters – Dollar bills, i. e., money

Slick – Easy, pleasant, etc.

Snuff out – Die

Spoiling – Extremely anxious

Suds – State of depression

Totem – Every man is descended from some animal. This animal is known as the Totem. Thus one man's Totem may be a buffalo, another's a beaver, and so on

Truck – Miscellaneous articles

Twitter – Hurry

Wasayap – An Indian maid of old mythology

Waterlogged – Done for, beaten, etc.