ed that a body of horsemen were approaching over the
prairie he marched out with a small force to inquire the
purpose  of the intruders.  At a spot about two miles 
from Winnipeg, now marked by the Seven Oaks monu-
ment, the two parties met. Semple was disputing with a
Nor'-Wester, when suddenly two shots rang out and the 
governor and his lieutenant fell. In a few minutes the 
skirmish was over and twenty of Selkirk's followers lay
dead or mortally wounded. By this disaster the settlers 
were again forced to leave their homes and to seek refuge
at the head of Lake Winnipeg.



Image:
THE SEVEN OAKS MONUMENT


 The news of Seven Oaks was the signal for fresh rejoicing
at Fort William.  This post, the centre of the company's trade,
was the meeting place of the Montreal merchants and the
"wintering partners."  To the weary  voyageurs and
traders it was a very paradise.  Here, when the season's 
labours and dangers were past, they gathered for rest and 
entertainment. The central dining-hall, large enough to 
hold two hundred frequent banquets. Here men of every 
nationality, of every creed, met. Traders and soldiers, 
mingling with half-breeds and Indians, camped in the open.
Dancing, drinking, and singing, they made day and night
hideous with their revelry. The news of the second 
disaster of the Red River colonists at once set festivities
at Fort William in full swing.
 Upon such a scene Lord Selkirk and his force suddenly 
burst. The indignant nobleman ordered the arrest of 
William McGillivray and several of his fellow-partners.
These were sent back to York, Upper Canada, and thence 
to Montreal. Selkirk, finding it too late in the season
to complete his journey, spent the winter comfortably 
in the Nor'Westers' quarters. In the spring he pushed 
on to the Red River. Here he did all in his power to 
improve the condition of his colony. He restored the 
colonists to their farms, settled his soldiers around 
the fort, and made a treaty with the Indians.
 When the news of the tragic death of Semple and his men
reached England, the Imperial government at once ordered
the governor-general of Canada to restore order in the 
West. Both parties to the quarrel were ordered to give 
up all posts and property seized.  Later several 
Nor'Westers were brought to trial in connection with the 
murder of Semple and his followers. The verdict of "not
guilty," which caused a great surprise in, Britain, was 
due to the strong influence of the North-West Company 
in Canada. Lord Selkirk, tried on several charges of 
violence, was convicted and heavily fined. Shattered in 
health and disappointed in spirit, the unfortunate 
colonizer withdrew to the South of France, where he 
died in 1820. Selkirk's withdrawal removed the last 
obstacle in the way of a union of the fur companies. 
In the following year, the Hudson's Bay Company and 
the North-West Company became one, under the name of 
the former. The long-standing rivalry of the fur traders 
was at an end.
178. Sir George Simpson.-The terms of the union of the

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