Nugent created a second maquette, a sculpture of Riel "striding forward", arm raised and pointing upward, maintaining in some way the essence of the original idea, albeit more explicitly: with his head and right hand thrust skyward, Riel is represented in a final act of defiance before the Métis surrendered to General Middleton at Batoche in 1885, of which Nugent said: "It was the ultimate humiliation for the Métis.