“Hallo, Flett, d’ee want help?”
“Thank ’ee, no; this is the last load. Got all the rest down to the church; the minister is lettin’ us stow things in the loft.”
“You’re in too great haste, Flett,” returned Lambert. “The water can’t rise much higher; your place is sure to stand.”
“Not so sure o’ that, Louis; there’s a report brought in by a redskin that all the country between the sources of the Assinaboine and Missouri is turned into a sea, and the waters o’ the Missouri itself are passing down to Lake Winnipeg. He says, too, that a whole village of redskins has been swept away.”
“Bah! it’s not true,” said Lambert.
“True or false,” rejoined Flett, resuming his work, “it’s time for me to clear out o’ this.”
Forsaking the road, which he had hitherto attempted to follow, Lambert now stretched out at full gallop into the plains. He came to a small creek and found that the simple wooden bridge had been washed away, and that the waters of the river were driving its tiny current in the wrong direction. In a fit of impatience he applied the whip to his steed, which, being a fiery one, rushed furiously at the creek. Fire does not necessarily give an untrained horse power to leap. The animal made an awkward attempt to stop, failed, made a still more awkward attempt to jump, failed again, and stumbled headlong into the creek, out of which he and his master scrambled on the opposite side.
Lambert shook himself, laughed, leaped into the saddle, and went off again at full speed. He came to the mission station, but did not stop there. It still stood high above the waters, and was crowded with settlers. Not far from it was a spot of rising ground, which was covered with more than a hundred tents and wigwams belonging to Canadian and half-breed families. Passing on, he came upon other scenes of destruction, and finally arrived at the abode of old Mr Ravenshaw. It, like the mission premises, still stood high above the rising flood. The family were assembled in the chief sitting-room, old Ravenshaw enjoying a pipe, while the ladies were variously occupied around him.
“You’ve heard the report brought by the Indian about the flood, I fancy?”
“Oh, yes; but I give no ear to reports,” said the old gentleman, emitting an indignant puff of smoke; “they often end like that.”