Stories from Indian wigwams and northern campfires

Young, Egerton Ryerson 1840-1909 (author.).

Summary: Young's deep and obvious love and respect for the Indians, and his efforts to bring to them the Gospel of Jesus Christ, are written in the pages of this book. Stories from Indian Wigwams and Northern Campfires will educate those unfamiliar with the incredible ways of survival and existence among the Indian people in Canada of the 19th century and will inspire believers to serve the Lord more wholeheartedly. -Review from Lighthouse Trails Publishing.

Record details

Physical Description: print
Edition: Facsimile edition.
Publisher: Toronto, Ontario : Coles, 1970.
Copyright: ©1970, ©1893.

Content descriptions

General Note:

Originally published in 1893 by Charles H. Kelly, London, England.

Formatted Contents Note:

Chapter I: The Indians -- Contradictory notions formed of them -- Physical appearance -- Power to endure -- High ideas of honor -- Social life -- Self-control under all circumstances -- Atahulpa -- Maxims -- Decorum in their councils -- Methods of war -- Only volunteers -- How a captain enlisted volunteers for a battle -- No public commissariat -- Every man for himself -- Open warfare and pitched battles almost unknown -- The secret attack and ambush preferred -- Eagle feathers the badge of success -- Scalping confined to Indians -- Romantic story of its origin -- Chapter II: On the way to our mission-field -- Fort Garry -- Lake Winnipeg -- Primitive cooking -- Pemmican -- The tumble in the lake -- Cordial welcome -- No locks or keys -- Visitors at all hours -- The startled bedroom caller -- Teaching by example as well as precept -- Love of the Indians for our children -- Beautiful Indian names given to them -- Chapter III: Happy routine duties -- Surrender of the Hudson Bay Company's charter -- An increase of our responsibilities -- Reverence for the Sabbath, and love for and good attendance in the house of God -- Papooses hung on the walls -- Story of the missionary sermon on Sabbath observance and what resulted -- The shattered hand -- The wounded man's testimony -- His conversion and death -- The brave Sabbath-keeping guide -- The sinking of the ship -- Indians deeply impressed -- Another argument for the sanctity of the Sabbath -- The brigade of boats -- The inland fur trade -- Portaging -- Marvelous strength and endurance of the tripmen -- Dr. Taylor's testimony -- The practical testing of the question between the Sabbath-keeping and the non-Sabbath-keeping brigades -- The camp-fire story -- The Sabbath vindicated -- Chapter IV: The half-breeds of Manitoba -- Scotch half-breeds -- Lord Selkirk -- Rev. Mr. Black -- Donald Bannerman -- 'Only pemmican' -- Early stormy times -- The Indian raid -- Singular stratagem -- Caught in the log -- Rapid progress of this thrifty people -- French half-breeds -- Riel rebellion -- Ancestry -- Characteristics -- Poor farmers -- Splendid hunters -- Long disconnected -- Red River carts -- The great buffalo hunt -- Annihilation of the buffalo -- Wondrous changes wrought by civilization -- Dr. Sutherland's eloquent words -- Canada's great future -- Chapter V: The Indian's greatest curse the White man's fire-water -- Terrible results which have followed from its introduction among them -- Pathetic protests of the Indians against it -- An eloquent but fruitless address -- Sad scenes witnessed -- Cunning tricks of whiskey traders to bring in the liquor among the Indians -- Queer methods of 'treating' -- Disappointing visit to an Indian trading-post -- Indians all drunk on the White man's rum -- Our lives in jeopardy -- Sigenook's will-power -- Prohibition now the law in many parts of the country -- Chapter VI: The religion of the Indians -- Their religious instincts strongly developed -- Similarity of beliefs among all the tribes -- A good and a bad spirit -- Multitudes of inferior Gods -- Marvelous similarity between many Indian and ancient Jewish customs -- Belief in and fear of Windagoos or man-eaters -- Story of a missionary speech -- Reference to cannibals brings up the dread of Windagoos -- People all flee to an island -- Brought back by the missionary -- Chapter VII: The search for the Bible -- Truth stranger than fiction -- The visit of the Flathead Indians -- Their request for the book denied -- Popery still refuses the Bible to the people -- Pathetic speech of an Indian -- The tribe disheartened and soured -- Story of Maskepetoon -- The warrior Chief interested by hearing the story of Christ's forgiving love -- His only son murdered -- Murderer forgiven -- Maskepetoon a Christian -- His useful life -- His tragic death -- Story of an old conjurer -- The missionary's visit -- Strange dinner and it's results -- Poisons destroyed -- The conjurer revisited -- His love for the word -- Chapter VIII: Visit of a deputation of strange Indians looking for a missionary -- Able to read the good book -- Taught by our Christian hunters -- Obtained Bibles -- Then taught their own people -- Longing for instruction -- Story of the Ethiopian Eunuch here repeated -- Visit them -- Hungry for the truth -- Chapter IX: Missionary encouragements -- Beautiful incidents of the Gospel's power -- Sick Indian brought twenty-five miles to see the missionary -- Convicted Indian's prayer, "Here Lord, I can do no more; please take poor Indian too" -- Story of Joe -- The hot Sunday -- Simple service -- Joe's doubts -- Accepts Christ -- The small-pox -- Sorrows and bereavements in the missionary's home -- None to help or sympathize with them -- Providential deliverance from savage Blackfeet Indians -- Joe dying of small-pox-- His message -- His death -- Chapter X: President Cleveland wanted more dog stories -- Mrs. Cleveland's kind words for the missionary's wife -- My dogs -- Essential for traveling in the North-land -- Esquimaux -- A trial of patience -- Biting a dog's ear -- A stubborn dog's end -- A meat-pot or soup kettle -- The ecclesiastic's expedient to get in -- The method of breaking in young boys -- Jack's help -- Cunning old Caesar -- My own train -- Voyageur the matchless leader -- How I unfortunately broke his heart -- Jack the noblest of them all -- Chapter XI: More Indian deputations -- Caught in a blizzard storm on Lake Winnipeg -- Alone and bewildered in the gale -- Expedient to keep from being lost -- Welcome war-whoop -- Faithful Indians -- A noisy reception -- Ceremonious council -- Religious services -- Treaty discussions -- The inside view of paganism -- Women's sad and humiliating condition -- My breach of etiquette by kindly preaching to them -- Contrast of women's condition in pagan and Christian villages -- Invalid mother carried to church -- Chapter XII: Out in the bitter cold -- The missionary's camp-fire story of his bitterest experience from the extreme cold -- Trying to mend the broken harness -- Hands freezing -- Seraphic music -- Gorgeous colors -- Snowshoe tracks transformed into luxurious couches -- The warning voice -- The rough trip -- Returning vitality -- The narrow escape from freezing to death -- Similar experiences of arctic explorers and other northern travellers who have been nearly frozen to death -- A necessary buffeting -- Chapter XIII: Camp-fire stories -- Baptiste's story of the battle between two buffalo bulls and a grizzly bear -- Sammo's story of being chased by a grizzly bear that robbed him of his antelope meat -- Sandy bar -- The story of the plum-pudding and the happy Indians -- Chapter XIV: Exploring new fields -- Dangers in the way -- dog-travelling by night -- Breaking through the ice -- Sagacious dogs -- Scant supplies and hungry Indians -- Indian hospitalities -- A successful bear-hunter -- Primitive methods of eating -- A dinner under peculiar circumstances -- Attentive hearers of the word -- Ice-rafts -- The successful wildcat hunter -- Preaching the word as we journey on -- Sleeping twenty-three strong in a small wigwam -- A troublesome dog -- Hitting Oojibetoos by mistake -- An almost tragedy turned into a comedy -- "All's well that ends well" -- Chapter XV: Courtship and marriage -- Rapid changes -- Different tribal customs -- Fluctuating prices paid for wives -- Marriage of old Ja-koos -- Wedding feast -- Nervous attempts at civilized courtship -- Seeking assistance -- Young maidens anticipate leap-year privileges - Barkis-like, she was "quite willing" -- Chapter XVI: Indian wit and humor -- The dish of horse radish -- General Custer's story of the Chief who surrendered because a whole mule was fired at him -- Quaint stories of John Sunday -- His fable of the black snake and the frog -- How John silenced the Mormon preacher -- How near he came to getting a D.D. -- His quaint missionary appeal to Mr. Gold -- Old Thickfoot -- The stolid, humorous chief's idea of sin -- An Indian's shrewdness in carrying cider in a basket -- A sensible reply to a challenge to fight a duel -- The Indian magistrate who fined both plaintiff and defendant -- A queer verdict -- "Man afraid of nothing" -- Chapter XVII: Indian oratory -- The gift highly prized and cultivated -- Admired by eminent writers -- Charlevoix's opinion -- Dr. Punshon's testimony to Salas-salton -- Specimens gathered from various sources -- Logan's speech -- Tecumseh's character and addresses -- His haughty reply to General Harrison -- Orations at peace councils -- Highest style of oratory among them -- Pathetic words of Push-ma-ta-ha -- Simmo's beautiful address -- A chief's speech at the ceremony of the burial of the tomahawk -- Weatherford's eloquent and brave address to General Jackson -- The annihilation of such a people to be regretted -- Chapter XVIII: The medicine-men or conjurers -- Description -- Among all the tribes -- Power they expertise -- Knowledge of some medicine -- Rely principally on their imaginary supernatural power to retain their influence -- Shrewd observers of nature -- Rain-makers -- Charms -- Good medicine -- General Custer -- Test of skill between rival medicine-men -- Jesuit priest -- Mountain sheep killed by the conjurer's word -- Wild goose killed by magic -- Conjurer's blackmailers -- Power of superstitious -- Frightened to death -- Successful conjurer at Norway House -- Failure of a boastful medicine-man -- Not invulnerable against fire or bullets -- The red hot poker too much for him -- Some of them converted -- "Call me Daniel" -- Chapter XIX -- The Hudson Bay Company -- Enormous extent of its operations -- Vastness of the country -- From ocean to ocean -- World long kept in ignorance of the possibilities of the Canadian North-west -- Marvelous changes -- Canadian Pacific Railroad -- Coming greatness of Canada -- Bryant -- Hudson Bay traders -- Trading posts -- Methods of barter -- Story of the Indian and his lost money -- Beaver-skin standard -- Mails but once or twice a year -- A daily paper -- John and his master -- The pea-soup -- Securing the company's good will -- Visits to the lonely posts -- Grateful Whites as well as Indians -- "All things to the men that we might win some" -- Chapter XX: The fur-bearing animals of the Hudson Bay territory -- Clever fur-hunters -- Fox easily shot -- Industrious beavers -- Their dams -- Houses built -- The old sentinel -- Young beavers at work also -- Fur-hunting dangerous work -- Poor remuneration of the Indian -- Chapter XXI: Black bears -- Easily tamed -- Bears fishing -- A tame bear rocking a baby's hammock -- An adventure with one -- Shooting it in the river -- Marvelous cleverness of the Indians -- Dinner of bear ribs -- Supper of bear paws -- Story of Mis-mis the old Indian -- Condemned to die -- Aided by the boys, captured a grizzly bear -- Because of his bravery the sentence of his death was revoked -- Lived to become a Christian -- Chapter XXII: The moose-deer -- Valuable to the Indians -- Methods of capture -- Big Tom's camp-fire story -- His method of hunting them -- The reindeer -- Migratory habits -- Fond of swimming -- Easily killed in the lakes -- Women hunters -- A tragic story -- Three lives lost by the reindeer smashing the canoe -- Wanted, a Christian wife -- Successful in the undertaking -- A short courtship, with happy results -- Chapter XXIII: A model missionary superintendent, Rev. George Young, D.D. -- Beginning the work in Manitoba under hardships and difficulties -- His genuine sympathy with the isolated missionaries -- His twelve-hundred mile trip by dog-train -- Narrow escape from the crack in the ice -- Varied travel experiences -- The camp in the snow -- The missions visited -- Norway House -- Oxford House -- Missionary discomforts -- Nelson River mission -- Rev. J. Semmens - Beren's River mission -- Difficulties that have to be overcome in Christianizing the Indians -- Dr. Young's return home -- Long sickness as a result of the hardships of the journey -- Closing words -- Quotation from the Rev. J. Punshon.