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It was the smaller hunt from Saint Francois Xavier that, on July 12, encountered the Sioux. They had been successfully hunting and travelling without incident, even though the large camp had encountered a small party of Sioux earlier. Then on Saturday, July 12, as they were moving on the first terrace of the Coteau, the scouts, having just topped the first butte, spotted a large First Nations camp. They signalled a warning to the rest of the camp below them with the carts. Jean Baptiste Falcon, Captain of the hunt (and son of Pierre Falcon, the Métis bard and best friend/brother-in-law to Cuthbert Grant) ordered camp to be set up in a spot which could be defended and ordered five hunters with a spyglass to move forward to the nearest high bluff. From there, the hunters saw that the camp was that of a very large band of Sioux, estimated to be between two thousand and twenty-five hundred.

The five hunters, having boldly ridden up the bluff, then apparently decided to continue actively investigating the camp. They proceeded toward the camp. They were met by a party of twenty warriors who surrounded them and "invited" them back to the Sioux camp. It looked as if they were prisoners and had best go peacefully, but that was not the Métis way. Two of the five Métis hunters suddenly kicked their buffalo runners into a gallop, breaking away and escaping under gun-fire back to the carts. Three of the hunters— James Whitford, one of the McGillis boys, and Malaterre— were held by the Sioux.

The Métis camp, when they saw the fugitives riding down the slope back to the camp, riding for their lives, sprang to arms. Falcon and Father LaFleche called the hunters together. Counting from boys twelve years old to old men, there were seventy-seven men who could handle a gun. The Sioux who had pursued the fugitives approached the camp and parleyed. They insisted that there were no warlike intentions, and that the captives would be released the next day, protesting that they were hard up and in need. They would come the next day with the prisoners and only a few men to receive presents. They then rode off. Everyone was certain that they did have bad intentions and no doubt meant trouble.

They began to prepare the camp for attack. When three Sioux approached, they sent ten armed men out to keep them at a distance so they could not see the camp and its defences. Again, the Métis were convinced that a surprise attack had been planned and that they had just foiled it. They decided to fight with no more talk, even if it meant losing the captives. If they prepared immediately, they might save the members of the camp. They knew the Sioux camp was very large. They decided to make the Sioux pay for every life they took, and to hold out until help came from the big camp.

They made a corral to hold the oxen and horses by placing the carts wheel to wheel in a circle with the shafts in the air. Poles carried to make meat-drying frames were run through the spokes to immobilize the carts. Then, hides, packs saddles and dried meat were piled between and under the carts to completely barricade the camp. Next, they dug trenches under the carts for the women and children and rifle pits for the men out in front of the barricade. They hoped to keep the Sioux out of range of the carts and draft animals.

After dark, two men were sent to carry the news of the coming attack to the main camp. The camp police were especially vigilant that night, but the priest and hunters stayed up to watch the eclipse of the moon. One wonders what kind of portent they viewed it. The next morning, LaFleche celebrated Mass.

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The Battle