Pembina between the date of his expulsion from Red River
and the first day of December. The latter date was fixed
for the transfer of the new territory to the Dominion of
Canada. So, towards midnight, on the 30th of November,
the Governor-Designate and his party sallied, forth from
the "line" and took formal possession of the territory
in the name of the Government of Canada. There was no
one stirring about the prairie on the night in question,
for the glass shewed the thermometer to be 20 degrees
below zero: so the gallant Governor was enabled to take
possession without obstruction.

Riel was now fairly intoxicated with success. Some of
his followers would sometimes ask him if he had no fear
that the Canadian Government would send out a large force
of soldiers against him. His invariable reply was:

"They never will do this. The way is too long, and the
march too difficult. They will eventually make up their
mind to let us rule this Province ourselves."

"And do you propose to stand aloof as an independent
colony?"

"Perhaps! And, perhaps, we may, by and by, discuss the
subject of annexation." For all the man's cunning and
courage, he was almost as short-sighted as any savage
upon the plain. And the small measure of Indian blood in
him would assert itself in many ways. The people began
to look upon him as another Napoleon triumphant, and to