The story of Metlakahtla / by Henry S. Wellcome.

  • Henry Solomon Wellcome
Date:
1887
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The story of Metlakahtla / by Henry S. Wellcome. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    est possible terms the folly of his attempting to civilize the murderous hordes of the North Pacific; asserting that it would be a fruitless sacrifice of his life. Notwithstanding this, Mr. Duncan, persisted in his determination to go on, and he was taken to Fort Simpson, a fortified trading post of the Hud- son’s Bay Company. This post was protected by palisades of heavy timbers, massive gates, and flanked by four bastions, with galleries on which cannon were mounted, and strongly garrisoned with riflemen. Sentinels kept watch night and day. So fearful were the commanding officers of the treachery of the natives, that only two or three were allowed to enter the stockade at a time; and these were admitted only through a narrow angular passage to the great store-room window, where they might pass in their furs in barter for store-goods; also, great care was taken not to display too many fine goods, to excite their cupidity. During a siege it was sometimes necessary to keep the gates con- stantly closed and barricaded for months at a time. The walls of the fort, and roofs of the houses within showed many marks of bullets of the Indi- ans, fired while fighting among themselves or in at- tacking the post. Fort Simpson was the centre of an Indian settlement, consisting of nine Tsimshean tribes, notorious on the whole coast for their cruel, bloodthirsty savagery—given up to dark supersti- tions and atrocious habits of cannibalism—constantly waging merciless war upon the neighboring tribes.
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