s^. 
 
 ^f^^-< 
 
 © 
 
 IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT.3) 
 
 /. 
 
 // 
 
 !^<if 
 
 K<S, 
 
 h^ ^€^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 .^ 
 
 <i^ 
 
 1.0 ^^ la 
 ^ HA 
 
 6" 
 
 O 
 
 Fhotographic 
 _,Scifflices 
 Carporation 
 
 ?: WIST 
 
 (714) 
 
 MAiN S;MIT 
 ,N.Y. }4S90 
 S7a-4S03 
 
.*>* 
 
 %*" 
 
 CIHM/ICMH 
 
 Microfiche 
 
 Series. 
 
 CIHM/iCiVIH 
 Collection de 
 microfiches. 
 
 Canadian Institute for Historicai Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques 
 
Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibliographiques 
 
 The Institute has attempted to obtain the best 
 original copy available for filming. Features of this 
 copy which may be bibliographically unique, 
 which may alter any of the images in the 
 reproduction, or which may significantly change 
 the usual method of filming, are checked below. 
 
 D 
 
 D 
 
 □ 
 
 D 
 
 Coloured covers/ 
 Couverture de couleur 
 
 I I Covers damaged/ 
 
 Couverture endommagte 
 
 Covers restored and/or laminated/ 
 Couverture restaur^e et/ou pellicul4e 
 
 I I Cover title missing/ 
 
 Le titre de couverture manque 
 
 Coloured maps/ 
 
 Cartes gdographiques en couleur 
 
 □ Coloured inic (i.e. other than blue or black)/ 
 Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) 
 
 □ Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ 
 Pit 
 
 D 
 
 lanches et/ou illustrations en couleur 
 
 Bound with other material/ 
 Relii avec d'autres documents 
 
 Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion 
 along interior margin/ 
 
 La re liure serr^e peut causer de I'ombre ou de la 
 distortion le long de la marge intirieure 
 
 Blank leaves added during restoration may 
 appear within the text. Whenever possible, these 
 have been omitted from filming/ 
 II se peut que certaines pages blanches aJout6es 
 lore d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texte. 
 mais, lorsque ceia 6tait possible, ces pages n'ont 
 pas At6 filmtes. 
 
 Additional comments:/ 
 Commentaires supplimentaires: 
 
 L'Institut a microf ilm6 le meilleur exemplaire 
 qu'il lui a M possible de se procurer. Les details 
 de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-Atre uniques du 
 point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier 
 une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une 
 modification dans la methods normale de filmage 
 sont indiqute ci-dessous. 
 
 I I Coloured pages/ 
 
 Pages de couleur 
 
 Pages damaged/ 
 Pages endommagtes 
 
 Pages restored and/oi 
 
 Pages restaur6es et/ou pellicul6es 
 
 Pages discoloured, stained or foxet 
 Pages d^color^es, tacheties ou piqu^es 
 
 Pages detached/ 
 Pages ddtachdes 
 
 Showthroughy 
 Transparence 
 
 Quality of prir 
 
 Quality indgale de I'impression 
 
 Includes supplementary materit 
 Comprend du materiel supplimentaire 
 
 Only edition available/ 
 Seule Edition disponible 
 
 I — I Pages damaged/ 
 
 I I Pages restored and/or laminated/ 
 
 r~p^ Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ 
 
 r I Pages detached/ 
 
 r^ Showthrough/ 
 
 I I Quality of print varies/ 
 
 I I Includes supplementary material/ 
 
 I I Only edition available/ 
 
 D 
 
 Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata 
 slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to 
 ensure the best possible image/ 
 Les pages totalement ou partiellement 
 obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure. 
 etc.. ont M filmtes A nouveau de fapon d 
 obtenir la meilleure image possible. 
 
 1 
 
 s 
 1 
 
 V 
 
 h 
 
 d 
 
 e 
 b 
 ri 
 n 
 n 
 
 This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ 
 
 Ce document est film* au taux de rMuction indiquA ci-dessous. 
 
 10X 14X 18X 22X 
 
 26X 
 
 30X 
 
 y 
 
 12X 
 
 16X 
 
 aox 
 
 24X 
 
 28X 
 
 □ 
 
 32X 
 
Th« copy filmad h«r« hat bMn r«produc«d thanks 
 to tha ganaroaity of: 
 
 Library Division 
 
 Provincial Archives of British Columbia 
 
 Tha imagas appaaring hara ara tha bast quality 
 potsibia contidaring tha condition and lagibility 
 of tha original copy and in kaaping with tha 
 filnting contract spacificationt. 
 
 Original copias in printad papar covars ara filmad 
 baginning with tha front covar and anding on 
 tha last paga with a printad or illustratad impras- 
 sion. or tha back covar whan appropriata. All 
 othar original copias ara filmad baginning on tha 
 first paga with a printad or illustratad impras- 
 sion, and anding on tha last paga with a printad 
 or illustratad imprassion. 
 
 Tha last racordad frama on aach microficha 
 shall contain tha symbol — ^- (moaning "CON- 
 TINUED"), or tha symbol V (moaning "END"), 
 whichavar applias. 
 
 Maps, platas. charts, ate. may ba filmad at 
 diffarant raduction ratios. Thosa too iarga to ba 
 antiraly includad in ona axposura ara filmad 
 baginning in tha uppar laft hand cornar. laft to 
 right and top to bottom, as many framas as 
 raquirad. Tha following diagrams illustrata tha 
 mathod: 
 
 L'axamplaira filmA fut raproduit grica k la 
 gAnAroait* da: 
 
 Library Division 
 
 Provincial Archives of British Columbia 
 
 Las imagas suivantaa ont AtA raproduitas avac la 
 plus grand soin. compta tanu da la condition at 
 da la nattatA da l'axamplaira film*, at mn 
 conformity avac las conditions du contrat da 
 filmaga. 
 
 Las axamplairas originaux dont la couvartura an 
 papiar ast imprimAa sont filmAs an comman9ant 
 par la pramiar plat at on tarminant soit par la 
 darnlAra paga qui comoorta una amprainta 
 d'imprassion ou d'illustration. soit par la sacond 
 plat, salon la cas. Tous las autras axamplairas 
 originaux sont film*« an commanpant par la 
 pramiAra paga qui comporta una amprainta 
 d'imprassion ou d'illustration at an tarminant par 
 la darniira paga qui comporta una taila 
 amprainta. 
 
 Un das symbolas suivants apparaitra sur la 
 darni*?a image da chaqua microficha. salon la 
 cas: la symbols — ^ signifia "A SUIVRE '. la 
 symbols V signifia "FIN". 
 
 Las cartas, planchas. tableaux, ate. pauvant Atra 
 filmAs A das taux da reduction diff«rants. 
 Lorsqua la document ast trop grand pour Atre 
 reproduit en un seul clich*. il est film* A partir 
 da (angle supArieur gauche, da gauche * droite, 
 at da haut en bas. en prenant la nombre 
 d'images nAcessaira. Las diagrammes suivants 
 illustrent la mAthoda. 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
I 
 
 A Til 
 
 I 
 
 Herac 
 which 
 dclibe 
 one oj 
 
 tost. 
 pf the 
 large 
 Uttrib 
 idiiu 
 
 t 
 
 utii \ 
 
 of n h 
 
 %o thi 
 
 posses 
 
 liis tt 
 
 ;i" han 
 
 biirral 
 
 I In 
 
 hy thi 
 
 l)ase ( 
 
 pfthe 
 
 fehorei 
 
 IFort 
 
 long 
 
 the s 
 
 (Muck 
 
 itwo ri 
 
 \y til 
 
 interi 
 
 Di 
 
 made 
 
 took 
 
 whicl 
 
 Mr. 
 
 explo 
 
 Comj 
 
 age," 
 
 infori 
 
 lis iiai 
 
 Igathe 
 

 THE BARREN ROUND OF NORTHERN CANADA} 
 
 WiiKN Prodioiis sought to give a higher ethical vahio to the story of 
 Heracles, ho invented for the youth of Greece the beautiful fable in 
 which the labours of the hero are represented as the result of a 
 deliberate choice of a life of hardsliips and virtue in preforenco to 
 pno of ease and vice. ]'jnglihhinen have rarely failed to satisfy tliis 
 test. Capacity for enduriince has long been a leading characteristic 
 pf the Anglo-Saxon race, and the fact that this race holds to-day so 
 large a proportion of the vacant spaces of the earth is more to be 
 attributed to a certain passion for adventure noticeable in the indi- 
 vidual than to any public jjolicy, Mr. IMke is not the first ]!)nglish- 
 pian who, for pure love of adventure, has engaged in an enterprise 
 of nhich the practical results appeared to be wholly disproportionate 
 to the efforts required. Nor is ho the first adventurer who has 
 possessed the necessary literary outfit to present the results of 
 his travels to the public in a becoming form ; but his record is 
 ^' hard to beat," whether we regard the matter or the manner of his 
 Narrative. 
 
 ; In the extreme north of Canada there is a triangle of land enclosed 
 by the Arctic Sea, tlie [Mackenzie lliver, and the Back lliver. The 
 base of this triangle is formed by the coast line between the mouths 
 of the two rivers, and its apex by the Great Slave Lake. On the 
 Chores of this lake the Hudson's ]3ay Company have two stations, 
 tFort Resolution and Fort Reliance. The district of the lake has 
 long served as a basis for Arctic exploration on the mainland, and i 
 
 the sterile region to the north is full of memories of llearne, > 
 
 ■Mackenzie, Franklin, and Back. But although the courses of tho | 
 
 two rivers and the outline of the Arctic coast have been made known I 
 
 by the efforts of these heroic adventurers and their successors, tho | 
 
 interior country remains still practically unexplored. 
 
 During the two years Mr. Pike remained in IVorthern Canada he 
 made Fort Resolution his headquarters. From this point he under- 
 took frequent excursions into the Barren Ground, in the course of 
 |which he endured dangers and hardships sufficient for a lifetime. 
 pir. Pike's object was different from that of the ordinary arctic 
 '^explorer. From conversation with the officers of the Hudson's Bay 
 Company, ho had heard of "a strange animal, a relic of an earlier 
 vage," that was still to be found roaming the Barren Ground. His 
 |informant8 could tell him nothing of the musk-ox, as the animal 
 lis named, from personal experience. All that was known had been 
 [gathered from the reports of Indians. Once or twice enthusiastic 
 (I) B7 Warburton Pike. Macniillan. 1«02. 
 
 lticV38 
 
 i 
 
640 THE liARRES GROUXI) OF XOItTlIERy CAXADA. 
 
 high, an( 
 
 pportsmcn had attempted to reach the musk-ox country, l>nt they ?"^" j-^^j, 
 had been unsuccessful. " To try and penetrate this unknown hind, ^ppeuroi 
 to sec the musk-ox, to find out as much as he could about their rry,-, 
 habits and the habits of the In;'Ians who co in pursuit of them every i < 
 year," this, Mr. Pike tells us in his preface, was the " sole object " p. . . 
 of his journey. Mr. Pike therefore was a sportsman first aiid an . .1 
 explorer afterwards. In another place he says that his hook was , . , 
 
 written for 
 
 As a matter of fact the details of caribou 
 
 sportsmen. .«.» u muiifi- ui luui, me iiuiuus ui uunuuu « , .1 
 
 (reindeer) and musk-ox huntinj?, and of the other forms of sport he ., 
 
 victoric 
 
 enjoyed, are given with scientific accuracy and sportsmanlike direct- 
 ness. To many persons these descriptions will, of course, form the 
 chief attraction of the book ; but the general reader will regard 
 them rather in the light of necessary evils. 
 
 There is another respect in which Mr. Pike's narrative differs 
 from those of Arctic explorers in general. With the exception of 
 Hearne, who explored the coast region a century ago, and who lived 
 with the Indians, the explorers have been assisted by the most 
 capable white men procurable, and provided with scientific outfits 
 in every way complete. The explorers, in a sense, took their 
 civilisation with them. Mr. Pike, like Hearne, decided to trust 
 himself to the Indians, and, as a result of this decision, he saw the 
 life of the hunters of the North- West in a way whicl'. no previous 
 explorer had done. It is in this that the great merit of Mr. Pike's 
 work; both from a literary and a scientific point of view, lies. He is 
 able to present us with a series of pictures of an r xceedingly inter- 
 esting phase of life. These scenes of life in the iJarren Ground are 
 instinct with reality. It is not too much to say that Mr. Pike's 
 narrative, at its best, is raised to the level of poetic composition — by 
 a simplicity of diction and a directness of aim — akin to the " high 
 seriousness" of " absolute sinceritv," which Arnold made the test of 
 the highest poetic excellence. 
 
 Altogether Mr. Pike remained, as already stated, for two years in 
 the north-west of Canada. During tais period he made three dis- 
 tinct expeditions in search of the nusk-ox, and numerous lesser 
 excursions in pursuit of other game. Ili.^ first expedition was under- 
 taken in the autumn of the year 1889. Although it was very short, 
 it was so far successful that Mr. Piko is able to write : — " September 
 27th was a red-letter day, marking th3 death of the first musk-ox." 
 Naturally this first specimen made a great impression on Mr. Pike's 
 mind, and he describes the appearance the animal presented with 
 great precision : — 
 
 " In crossing an occasional piece of level ground he walked with a curious 
 rolling motion, probably uccouuted for by the waving of the long hair on tho 
 flanks ; thio hair roaches almost to tho ground, and gives the logs such an 
 exaggerated appearance of Hhortness that, at first sight, one would declare tho 
 auimul to bo incapable of nny rapid motion. Tho Kha<:gy head was carried 
 
 Pike f 
 his wa 
 Mr. P 
 
 tragic. 
 For 
 Pikes 
 difficul 
 work. 
 6f his 
 trcuki 
 Duikin; 
 Btitutii 
 tures 
 admirii 
 thougl 
 to seiz 
 tially I 
 looks 1 
 
 "W. 
 
 tho On 
 Uukno' 
 »in\ilai 
 lay a 
 l\eare!s 
 nnd dc 
 emalle 
 boyout 
 wo we 
 for cl( 
 pair 01 
 look V 
 these 
 portaf 
 
 J Ml 
 
 Avhon 
 Beau 
 talf-l 
 
TUE DARREX ROUND OF XORTHKRX G AX AD A. 
 
 541 
 
 XADA. 
 
 high, and when ho finally pullod up at sight of un, within forty j'ards, with 
 intrv hiif fl » r^** nock slightly archod and a gloam of stiushino lighting np tho hiigo white 
 ,' * ^ bosH formed by tho junction of tho hot: j, ho prcsoutod a most fonnidablo 
 
 unknown land, appeuronco." 
 
 This first success was followed up by u winter expedition of five 
 duration. Mr. Pike then returned to Fort Resolution for 
 
 t of them every 
 " solo object '' 
 »n first aud an 
 t liis book was 
 ails of caribou 
 ms of sport he 
 manlike dircct- 
 ourse, form the 
 cr will regard 
 
 arrativo differs 
 he exception of 
 , and who lived 
 J by tho most 
 cientific outfits 
 ise, took their 
 cided to trust 
 ion, he saw the 
 ch no previous 
 b of Mr. Pike's 
 9W, lies. He is 
 eedingly inter- 
 ren Ground are 
 hat Mr. Pike's 
 )mpo8ition — by 
 a to the •' high 
 mdo the test of 
 
 )r two years in 
 nado three dis- 
 umerous lesser 
 ion was under- 
 vas very short, 
 — " September 
 irst musk-ox." 
 on Mr. Pike's 
 presented with 
 
 1 with a curious 
 ong hair on tho 
 tho logs such an 
 ould declare tho 
 ead was carrit'd 
 
 weeks' duration. Mr. Pike then returned to 
 Christmas ; but in the following summer ho made a third expedition 
 to tho Ikrren Ground, in which he Mas accompanied by Mr. Mac- 
 kinlay, who was in charge of the Fort, and some other white men. 
 In both of these latter expeditions tho hunting of the musk-ox and 
 caribou was conducted on a very handsome scale. S;itiutod by those 
 victories over his " horned foes," late in the autumn of 18l)0 Mr. 
 Pike formed the intention of crossing tho Rockies, and so making 
 his way to the Pacific. It was in carrying out tliis intention that 
 Mr. Pike met with an experience which threatened to bo deeply 
 tragic, and which forms the culminating adventure of the narrative. 
 For tho moment the interest I have felt in tho mutter of Mr. 
 Pike's book has prevented me from noticing his manner. It is 
 difficult to praise too much the brevity and strength of Mr. Pike's 
 work. There is something Homeric in the directness and simplicity 
 6f his style. At the same time, by eschewing tho pernicious habit of 
 breaking up the narrative by the insertion of dates, he has avoided 
 making his book a mere diary. I have already mentioned, as con- 
 stituting, in my opinion, the chief merit of the book, the vivid pic- 
 tures of hunting life wliich it contains. These descriptions are 
 admirable. They are not mere exhibitions of skilful word-painting, 
 though they are excellent as such ; they reveal a singular capacity 
 to seize and express in words the aspects of a scene that are essen- 
 tially dramatic. To begin with we will take that in which Mr. Pike 
 looks forth for tho first time upon his strange Canaan : — 
 
 " Wi! sat down for a sinoko at tho top of tho hill, and took our last view of 
 tho Great Slavo Lake. Looking southward wo could see tho fur .shore and tho 
 unknown land beyond rising in teiTaces to a considorablo height, and very 
 similar in appearance to the range wo wore on. Ahead of us, to the north, 
 lay a broken rocky country sparsely timbered and dotted with lakes, tho 
 imarewt of which, a couplo of miles away, was tho end of oar portage ; n, bleak 
 Biid desolate country, already white with snow, and with a film of ice over the 
 emaller ponds. Three hundred miles in the heart of this wilderness, far 
 beyond tho lino where timber ceased, lies the land of tho musk-ox, to wliich 
 Wo wore about to force our waj', depending entirely on our guns for food and 
 for clothing to withstand the intense cold that would soon bo upon us. A 
 pair of hawks hovering overhead furnished tho only signs of life, and tho out- 
 look was by no means cheerful. As I was sitting on a rock meditating upon 
 these things old King [a half-breed] came up and said : ' Lot us finish the 
 portage (juiekly ; it is dinner-time.' " 
 
 Mr. Pike has much to say about the half-breed Indians with 
 ,whom he was so largely associated, and in particular of a certain King 
 Hoaulieu (_jentioned above), who acted as his chief guide. Of the 
 half-breed in general, Mr. Pike writes : " He is not a nice man to 
 
642 
 
 TUE BARREN GROVST) OF NORTllEUy CAS'ADA. 
 
 travel with, us ho always keeps a lonp^ing eyo on his master's po^-,',' 7t 
 sessions, even though ho is fully as well equipped himself, and i ^ many 
 untrustworthy if you leave anything in his charge. To your fat tvory st 
 he is fair spoken and humble enough, and to lieur him talk yo LiKl»t« ^ 
 would think he had a certain amount of re<j:ard for vou : but out o *y*'",. 
 sight the promises are forgotten, and he is devising some scheme t iei,,rth, 
 annoy you and get something out of you. The only way to trea back ut 
 him is as you would treat a dog : if you arc kind to him ho takes i «»'"'''^i'" 
 as a sign that you are afraid of him, and acts accordingly." Tht On 
 fact that his relations with these people were, on the whole, amicable Qf «< po 
 says much for Mr. Pike's tact and courage. But the character o acquaii 
 these strange beings is relieved at times by a quaint humour and ai jet'errec 
 unexpected sentiment. Even King jjeaulieu relents when tht gpecial 
 moment of actual separation comes, and gives away his own hair literur^ 
 coat and a pair of snow-shoes to the man whom ho was even thoi. ^r. I'i 
 deserting for no other reason than a senseless jealousy of the Yellow- get " iH 
 Knife Indians. When they sat smoking over the camp fire King |)o ac( 
 showed himself curious about the Grand l*ays (us ho called the out- expcdi 
 side world) and its ways ; but, while listening to all that was said four co 
 he held his own views all the same. In particular ho refused tc 
 believe that the (|ucen was a greater person than the Governor of tht 
 Hudson's Bay Company. "No," he said; " she may be your (iueeii, 
 us she gives you everything you want, good rifles and plenty oi 
 ammunition, and you say that you eat flour at every meal in your owi: yellow 
 country. If she were my (iueen, surely she would send me some- Been it 
 times half a suck of flour, a little tea, or perhaps u little sugar, and 
 then I should say she was indeed my Queen." One opinion whicli 
 he held was ingenious but peculiar. He maintained that thi 
 habit of eating three regular meals — eating by the clock instead 
 of by the stomach, us he called it — was umch more greedy than justifi( 
 gorging when meat was plentiful and starving at other times, as hf take a 
 and his people did. On another occasion, when the party were in 
 great straits for food (a thing which frequently occurred) it is Kinj; 
 Beaulieu who gives a touch of grim humour to the scene. Thev 
 have eaten nothing all day, and so they have passed the evening in 
 smoking and talking of all the good things they hud (severally and 
 collectively) ever eaten, while their eyes shone in the firelight 
 "with the brilliancy peculiar to the earlier stages of starvation." 
 Late in the night Mr. Pike awoko and was greeted by King with the 
 remark : " Ah ! Monsieur, une fois j'ai goute le pain avec le beurre ; 
 le bon Dieu a fait ces deux choses la expres pour manger ensemble." 
 Witb this picture may be suitably contrasted the scene in camp 
 after the party have emerged from the treeless region on their return 
 from the winter expedition to the Barren Ground. It should be 
 remarked also that the poles of the lodges have all been previously 
 burnt up for firewood. 
 
 On 
 river, 
 before 
 lluulec 
 
 never i 
 •dds, ' 
 that e: 
 which 
 
 The 
 iteps. 
 five r 
 inhab 
 
 "I 
 that CI 
 i)ocom 
 «& gra 
 in f lU 
 was n 
 
 Th 
 
 •the c 
 
 few s 
 
 put : 
 
 'lives 
 
ADA. 
 
 THE IIARUILS UttorNI) OF XO/{TIIEIiN CAXADA. 
 
 543 
 
 lis master's po* 
 himself, und i 
 To j'oiir fui 
 ir him talk yo 
 you ; but out (1 
 : some scheme t 
 aly way to trcii 
 
 him ho takes i 
 >rdingly." Th, 
 whole, amicahh' 
 the character o 
 
 humour ami ai 
 onts when tin 
 y his own hair 
 
 was even thoi, 
 y of the Yellow- 
 camp fire King 
 called the out- 
 
 1 that was said 
 ir he refused to 
 Governor of thi 
 
 be your (iuceii, 
 and plenty oi 
 leal in your own 
 send me some- 
 little sugar, and 
 c opinion whicli 
 ained that tlu 
 clock instead 
 )re greedy than 
 her times, as he 
 e party were in 
 red) it is Kinj; 
 
 scene. Thev 
 the evening in 
 (severally and 
 
 1 the firelight 
 of starvation." 
 
 King with the 
 avec le beurre ; 
 jer ensemble." 
 
 scene in camp 
 
 on their return 
 
 It should be 
 
 leen previously 
 
 "Whnt a glorious cam]) wo had that iil;;ht I Tho bri^'ht glare of two hi;; 
 fcoH lit lip fill) .snow-ludi'H bnmclios ol' tli" dwarf piui-a till thoy j^littorud liko 
 •D many CliristiiinH-trouM ; i)Vi'rh(>a<l Iho lull moon shoiio down on us, and 
 •Vfry Ktar flowed liko a lami) lnui;; in tho sky; at times tho Northorn 
 Li{,'htM would Hash out, but tlic lnilliaiicy of tlio nioou wcumod too Ktronj; for 
 even this wondrous foo to rival. It was jiliMsant to lio onco ujjain on tho 
 yitdding pine-brush instead of tho hard snow, and to strotch one's logs at full 
 length, as wo could novor stretch thorn in tho lod^e ; pleasant, too, to look 
 back at tho long struggle wo had g(/no through, and to contrast our present 
 OOndition with that of tho hist month." 
 
 On all points the reader who desires to bo informed on the subjects 
 of "portages," "caches," and "lodges," and generally to become 
 acquainted with the riles of hunting in this strange country, is 
 referred to the narrative, biit Mr. Pike's last adventure was of so 
 ■pcoial a character as to be fitly discussed in a paper which is mainly 
 literary in its scope. As regards the ([uestion of moral responsibility, 
 llr. I'ike, while frankly admitting that he was guilty of a "stupid 
 act " in attempting to cross tho Rockies so late in the year, claims to 
 be accjuitted of any errors of judgment in the actual conduct of the 
 •xpedition which so nearly terminated iu his death and that of his 
 four companions. 
 
 On December 12th tho party were on the banks of the Parsnip 
 tlvor, within forty miles of Fort Macleod and safety. Six weeks 
 before the native guides had passed this very spot on their way from 
 llaclcod; and across the river was a certain "high-cut bank of 
 yellow clay, a mark that any one should recognize who had ever 
 icen it before." Yet these same guides now declared that they had 
 never seen the place before in their lives. " These men," Mr. Pike 
 «dds, " were a half-breed and an Indian, supposed to be gifted with 
 that extraordinary instinct of finding their way in all circumstances 
 which is denied to the white man." Mr. Pike maintains that he was 
 justified in assuming that native guides would not make such a mis- 
 take as this : and most people will agree with him. 
 
 The result of the blunder was that the party had to retrace their 
 ttcps. Struggling against extreme cold, starvation, and fatigue, all 
 five men ultimately succeeded, on December 27th, in reaching an 
 inhabited cabin alive. I finish the story in Mr. Pike's words — 
 
 ' ' I pushed open tho door, and shall never forgot tho expression of horror 
 that came over tho faces of the occnpants when they recognized us. We had 
 become used to the hungry eyes and wasted forms, as our misery had come on 
 Hb gradually, but to a man who had seen us starting out thirty-two days before 
 in full health the change in our appearance must have been terrible. There 
 Was no doubt we were very near tho point of death." 
 
 The narrative of this adventure is most exciting throughout, but 
 ,the climax is reached when Mr. Pike debates with himself, while a 
 few spoonfuls of flour are boiling for dinner, whether or not he shall 
 put an end to the two guides. Not content with jeopardising the 
 lives of the party, these two greedy wretches had stealthily con- 
 
544 
 
 THE nAitRF.y uRouxD OF yonriiKitx c.t.v.tn.t. 
 
 «umed five pounds of flour which had been given thorn to carry- 
 exuctly one-third of the precious store on which the lives of all tivi 
 men depended. For this offence, at such a time, of courso tlicre wui 
 but one punishment. It would bo a nice question for the courts ti 
 decide, whether Mr. Pike, being in the position of the captain of i| 
 ship, would not have been justified in taking this extrcino course 
 and putting an end to both of them with the shot gun ho carried 
 As it was he decided on grounds of expediency to let things taki 
 their courso. On a subsequent occasion Mr. Pike did not scruple h 
 secure obedience by a threat of death. By so doing ho saved thi 
 life of one of the white members of the party ; and both horo anc; 
 elsewhere there is abundant evidence to sliow that if a less resolute 
 or less skilful, man had been in command the whole party mu.si 
 inevitably have perished, or worse. For sheer dramatic force then 
 is nothing in the book to surpass the lines in which Mr. Pike tell 
 how near the five starving men on the Ilockies were to re-onactinp 
 the tragedy of the Mignonette' h boat. 
 
 " Our situation soenied utterly hopeless as wo couched over the fire tlmt wu- 
 with difHculty maintained, and apjuirontly tho end had come. There wus noiu 
 of the kindly sympathy for companions in misfortune which men who share n 
 common danger should have ; a mutual distrust was prevalent ; hatred and 
 the wolfish madness of hunger ruled tho camp, and to this day I cannot undor- 
 etand how it was that the fatal spark was never struck, and the tragedy ot 
 murdor and cannibalism enacted on the banks of that ice-bound river without 
 witnesses save tho great silent mountains and the God who made them." 
 
 Mr. i ike has not forgotten the Greek canon which requires a 
 <jertain air of calmness at the close of tho drama. Tho last scent 
 is laid in the centre of civilisation, and as Mr. Pike pens his final 
 sentences in a "fashionable garret" in St. James's he remembers 
 only the good times, and feels a longing once more " to pitch his 
 lodge at the edge of the Barren Ground, to see the musk-ox stand- 
 ing on the snowdrift and the fat caribou falling to the crack of the 
 rifle, to hear the ptarmigan crowing among the little pines as the 
 sun goes down over a frozen lake and the glory of an Arctic night 
 commences." Mr. Pike has felt tho power of nature ia that strangt 
 country in a way that is not given to all of us dwellers in cities, 
 In the winter he was oppressed by the " deathly stillness " that 
 makes a man " glad to cry aloud to break the awful spell of soli- 
 tude " ; and in summer he knew the strange beauty that made Sal- 
 tatha, the Indian, ask of the priest who told him of heaven, " Is it 
 more beautiful than the country of the musk-ox in summer, when 
 sometimes the mist blows over the lakes, and sometimes the water is 
 blue, and the loons cry very often " ? His is no mere bowing 
 acquaintance with nature, but an intimate friendship ; and it is to 
 this that the special quality of his work is due. 
 
 W. Basil Woksfold. 
 
u. 
 
 m to carry- j 
 ivo8 of uU fivi 
 urso thoro wu 
 r tho courts f. 
 10 cuptuin of; 
 Ktroino course 
 [un he curried 
 lot things tukt 
 not scruple 1' 
 ^ ho suved th( 
 both here and 
 1 less resolute 
 olo party inusi 
 itic force thovt 
 Mr. Pike tell 
 to re-onactin{! 
 
 9 
 
 the fire that wa- 
 There was noiu 
 non who share n 
 lent ; hatred and 
 ' I cannot under- 
 i tho tragedy oi 
 md river without 
 lade them." 
 
 ich requires a 
 The last scene 
 pens his final 
 he remembers 
 "to pitch his 
 ausk-ox stand- 
 le crack of the 
 le pines as the 
 n Arctic night 
 ia that strange 
 ellers in cities, 
 stillness" that 
 il spell of soli- 
 that made Sal- 
 heaven, " Is it 
 summer, when 
 aes the water is 
 ) mere bowing 
 ip ; and it is to 
 
 . WORSFOLP.