“Aye,” Arran answered. “And the others you’re looking for will be in the North West House to the left of the main hall.” Arran had drawn a detailed map of the fort for their use. He had told them where the Nor’westers kept their guns, ammunition, and cannons. He’d also advised them where there were gates and the captain had ordered guards to watch the exits, in case anyone tried to escape.
The constables pushed on the main gate facing the river but met resistance. One of them pounded. “Allow us to enter, in the name of the Honorable Lord Thomas Douglas, 5thEarl of Selkirk.”
“Nay!” came a cry from the opposite side. “Ye are not welcome in Fort William.”
“We demand you allow us entrance,” said the other constable. “We have arrest warrants for the partners of the North West Company.”
“Ye’ll not get in here.”
The first constable motioned for the armed guards to push down the gate.
Four guards banded together and became like a battering ram.
Several people cried out their alarm and anger from within the fort, but the guards were able to push their way past the gate.
“Stand back!” one of the guards said to the occupants of the fort. “Or meet your fate.”
“Ye have no right,” they cried.
“Gentlemen?” Selkirk asked. “Shall we enter?”
Captain D’Orsonnens nodded, indicating that Arran and Selkirk should proceed them.
A whole host of voyageurs, half-bloods, and Indians stood inside the fort, shouting profanity and warnings as the soldiers entered. Up ahead, the constables went in separate directions. One walked toward the main hall, while the other went to the North West House.
“I will need to set up a space to interview the offenders,” Lord Selkirk said to Arran. “Where might I be most comfortable?”
“In the main hall, my lord. There is space enough in there for your court.”
“Thank you, MacLean. I will expect you to be present for the proceedings, and to give your own testimony.”
“Aye.” Arran would happily tell Lord Selkirk, as well as the partners of the North West Company, the atrocities he’d seen in Assiniboia. He had shared some of it with Selkirk while they were in his tent, but there had not been time enough for the whole story.
“MacLean, why don’t you take some of the soldiers and bring your men to me?” Selkirk motioned to a small contingent of soldiers standing at the ready. “We shall see you in the main hall within a quarter hour.”
“Yes, my lord.” Arran did not waste another moment.
While Selkirk walked toward the main hall with Captain D’Orsonnens and Lieutenant Fauche, Arran led the soldiers to Bell House.
Several senior clerks were just rising when Arran entered the dormitory. Their eyes grew large at the sight of the de Meuron soldiers, but no one tried to stop them.
Arran opened the door into the room he occupied with his men. James sat at the table, while Heden and Archie were still lying in bed, and Pritchard and Burke were just finishing their morning ablutions.
“Arran!” James stood, a grin on his face. “We were afraid you’d come to a bitter end.”
“I’ve brought reinforcements.” Arran was just as happy to see his friends as they appeared to see him. “Even now, the partners are being arrested. Lord Selkirk will hold investigations in the main hall this morning. He has requested your attendance, so you may tell him your side of the story.”
“Mayhap we’ll finally be vindicated,” Pritchard said.
“Aye.” Arran had not felt this much hope in a long, long time. “The sooner we get these proceedings underway, the quicker we can return to our families at Jack River House.”
Heden slowly climbed from his bed. He’d grown melancholy over the weeks and did not show the same excitement as the others at being released. Arran suspected that he and his wife had not been happy and that he was afraid she had taken up with another man in his absence. Arran did not blame Heden for being reluctant to return to Assiniboia. If Arran suspected that Eleanor had left him for another, he would not want to see them together, either. The difference between him and Heden was that he would return and fight for her.
“Let’s hasten to the main hall,” James said to the men. “And have our redemption.” He slapped Arran on the shoulder.
The soldiers made quick work of overtaking the fort. John McDonald, one of the partners, was the only person who tried resisting arrest. He declaimed the warrant for his arrest and said Lord Selkirk had no jurisdiction over the North West Company. Surprisingly, McGillivray gave himself up without a fight.
In the dining hall, Arran sat at a table near Lord Selkirk with the other Red River men, while the partners and clerks sat at thetables behind them. Several armed soldiers stood guard inside and out, while the remainder kept watch over the stockade and yard.
