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Un des symboles suivants apparaftra sur la dernidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbole — ^> signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbols V signifie "FIN". re Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent §tre film6s d des taux de reduction diffirents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul cliche, il est film6 d partir de Tangle supdrieur gauche, de gauche h droite, et de heut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images nicessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. y errata id to nt ie pelure, 9on d n 1 2 3 32X 1 2 3 4 ^ 6 c. n .MOUXTAIN AXD PRAIRIE: A JOL'KXIV FROM VICTORIA TO WINNIPEG, r/./ pi:ace ku'er pass. c F- ' - nv TIIK W 'A It'^i Ri:V. DANIEL M. GORDON, B.D, OTIAUA. IVITJl MAPS AXD ILLUSIRAPIONS. UoiiHou : .-^AMl'SON L()\V, MARSTON, SEARLK, ^: RIVINOTON, CROWN nUILDINGS, iSo, FLEET STREE'l'. i8So. [./// rights rcstri'cu, | re .(SI 5 Jn that fi certai rcsolv Poit i Colum Poaco C'o])ioi ing HCA with tl niimis Simpso been r rosourc PKEFACE. In ^lay, t870, the Canadian Parlianiont, havingdocided that additional information .should be obtained ivirardini' certain proposed routes for the Canadian Pacific Railway, resolved that a party be sent to examine the country from Port Simpson, on the Pacific, across northern Jh-itish Columbia and throuii;h the Ro(dcy Mountains by way of Peace River and Pine River Passes to the j)rairies. Copious information had already been procured regard- ing several other routes connecting the Prairie I?egion with the Pacific, but the final selection of a Pacific ter- minus was reserved until this northern route to Port Simpson had been examined and fuller information had been o]»taiiicd regarding the general character, the resources, and the engineering features of the country. IV rnr.FACK. Tlic party ;»])|»()inl(.'il (o mako tliis examination consi.stod of Messrs. JI. J. Cambie and IT. A. F. Mac-leod, of the Canadian Pacific Ivaihvay enu;ineering wtatr, and Di". (J. Jt[. l>awson, of tiie Geological Survey of Canada. Tiic writer accoin])anicd tlicm. TLey travelled together from Victoria, V. I., to the mouth of the Skecna thence across the northern ])art of the Province to Fort McLeod, whei-e tlie party was divided, — Dr. Dawson proceeding Ijy Pine River Pass, the others by Peace Eiver Pass, to meet at Duuvegan. From Dun vegan the writer came eastward in advance of the others. The following chapters, consisting chiefly of notes taken by the way, record his impressions of the country traversed from the Pacitic to Winnipeg, across the '* sea of mountains" and the more inviting sea of prairies. The illustrations arc from photographs by I)r. G. M. Dawson, Mr. Selwy.i, and J\Ir. lloretzky — the frontis- piece being taken, by jiermission, from tiie Geological Survey Report for 1878-79. The maps are from the most recent and most authentic in the Departments of the Canadian Pacific Railway and of the Interior. j'uni'Acn. V Ciirlylc bays th;it '' >()nie Ijooks aiv >;uitcil for i;n me- diate use and immediate ol)livion." It is tlie writer's hope that ore tlie accompan3'ing record of liis jounn'v across mountain and ])raii'ie passes into oblivion it m:iy bc of use in acquainting some of Jiis follow-couutiymeu, in a slight degree, M'ith the character and (he resources of that half of the Dominion that Hob between "Winnijiog and the Western Sea. DAXIEL M. GOliDUX. The Manse, Oltaiva, May 1880. Ottawa Res \Vc Along I the Moi Sim Leave P and Car\ Stea Villi Lip-( CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. VANCOUVER ISLAND AND TUH LOWKR FRASER. Paok "^ Ottawa to San Francisco,— Victorui.— Indian . -id Chinese Labourer?.— Resources of British Columbia.— San Juan.— The Lower Fraser.— Xcw Westminster.— Burrard Inlet.— Yale to Boston Bar i CHAPTER II. VICTORIA TO THE 8KEENA. Along the Coast.-The Chain of Channels— Nanaimo.— Bute Inlet and the Route of the Canadian Pacific Railway.— Port Essington and the Mouth of the Skeena.-Metlahkatlah.— :Mission to the Indians.— Port Simpson.— Work Inlet 32 CHAPTER III. UP THE SKEE.NA. Leave Port Essington.— Canoes, Crews, and Stores.— No Trout.-Trackinj,' and Poling.-Indian Watch-tower.— Catching and Curing Salmon.— Carved Posts.-Burial Customs.-The Sweat ing-bootli.-IIeight of Steam Navigation.— Division of Coast n,nd ruseade Range.— Indian Villages.— Gold-washing.— Medicine Ma'n.- The F .rks of Skecna.— Lip-ornaments and Nose-rings.— Mosquitoes 5(i VIII CONTEXTS. CHAPTER IV. I'OKKS UF SKKKXA TO LAKK liARINE. Our rackcr.«.— Tlic Tniil.— Up the Susciua.—Coul.— Women Packing and Xiirsin.ir.— Skilokisp Susiiension Uritlgc.— The Ooatzanli.— The N'atalt- siil.— Cascade Range compared with Swiss Alps.— Indian Legends. — Taim-Shin. — Scene on the Summit.— Approach Lake Babino. — Engage Crew?.- Offended Chief.— IJabine Indians.— Neighbourhood of Lake 87 CHAPTER V. BABINE TO FOUT M'LKOD. T'p 1 alee Eabiuc.— Fort I'abine.— Indian Farming.— Indian Reserves in Bri(i.<h Cukunbia.— Reluctance in telling names.- Lake Stewart.— ]{. C. ]\Ii?!^ions.— Fort St. .James.— Ilomc-sick Indian.— Mulo Train.— Fulldwing Trail.— Fort McLcod.— Attractions of the II. B. Service.. . • 113 CHAPTER VI. THROrun THE MOUNTAINS BY BOAT. Explorers of Peace River.— Division of Party.— Leave Fort McLeod. — The Parsnip.— Fur Traders and Gold Hunters.- Mining.— The Nation River.- Pete Toy and Nigger Dan.— Finlny River and Rapids.— The Unchagah.— Peace River Pass.— Parle-pas Rapid.— Moose Hunting.- Buffalo Tracks.— Terraces.— The Canon Coal.— Navigable Extent of River.— Indian Iluntofg.— Charlie's Yarns Hi CHAPTER VII. Hudson's hope to dunveoan. The Prairie Region.— II. B. Company and the North-AVest Company.— Hudson's Hope.— Moose.— The Climate.— Fertile Flats.— The Plateau. —On the Raft.— Appearance of Country.— Fort St. John.— Massacre at the Old Fort. -Bear Hunting.— Dunvegan.-IIighlanders Abroad. Moostoos and his Fight with a (irizzly.— Missions to the Indians li)8 COSTESTS. IX ing and >?;italt- ;c!ids. — ibino.— •hood of 87 CHAPTER \MI. I'KACK UIVER COUNTRY. Province of Unchafcali.— Outfits of Exploriii;,' Parties.— Old Journals at Dunvegan.— Record:^ of Climate.— Boavcr Indians.— Cree Music. — Expedition to Battle River.— Character of Country.— Bear Iluntinj.'.— Size and Character of Peace Rivei Country.— The Cliuiatc.— Danger of Summer Frosts. — IncrcascdSunlight.— Temperature.— Coal-beds. — Facilities of Communication 19<> CIIAPTi;U IX. crves in cwart. — Train.— irvicc-. • • 113 DUNVKGAN TO KDMOXTON. Leave Dunvegan.— Farewell View of Peace River.— Cooking.— Lesser Slave Lake.— Another Stage. — Postal Arrangements.— Indian Hospi- tality.— Athabasca River and Landing.— (iambling.— Road tu Fort Edmonton. — Telegraph Office— Crec Camp. — Our Indian Policy.— Farm Instructors,— Treaties.— Siou.x. — Edmonton District.— Canadian Pacific Railway 2_M CPIAPTER X. cLeod.— e Nation Is.-Thc anting.— xtent of IJJ FDMONTON To liATTLKKOUD. Steamers on S.askatchcwan.— Prepare to cross the Prairie.— Trail.-. — Prairie TravcL—Pemmican. — Victoria. — Ilalf-hrecd Farmers.— Chris- tian Missions in Xorth-West.— Victoria to Fort Pitt.— Royal Mail.— Dog-driving.- Fort Pitt. — The Trail again.— Treeless Prairies.— Tree Culturc.—Ba,ttleford.—< Jovernment of North- West.— Climate. —Char- acter of Country. — (Jreat Plain.— Homestead and Pre-emption Law.— Prospect of Settlement 25:5 CHAPTER XI npany.— Plateau, ^las.sacre Abroad. ans P'S UATTLKFOKD TO WIXNIPKG. Battleford to Cnrlton.— Duck Lake.— A Blizzard.— Fellow-travellers. — CrossSouthSaskatchcwan.— Delayed by Snow.—IIumboldt.— Alkaline Lakes.— Touchwood Ilills.— Indian Farming.— Break-downs.— Prair'.c X COXTEXTS. fires.— Qu'Appcllo.— Fort Ellicc— Township Surveys.— Co1oni?ation Companic?. — Proliibitory Liquor Law.— Shoal Lake. — Salt Lake. — Little Saskatchewan.— Enter Manitoba.— Joe's Temptations.— Heavy Roads. — Portage La Prairie.— "Winnipeg.-Prospcct.s of Immisrarits. — Loyalty to the Empire • . . . ■ 25l Map shewing part of the North-West Territories and IJritish Columbia To face page M.ip shewing the Canadian Pacific Coast " " Map showing part of Northern British Columbia and of Poaco River District,— with author's route from Port Essington to Fort Edmonton " " Map shewing Southern iwrtion of the North-"\Vest Tcrri tories,— witli author's route from Fort Edmonton to Wimiipog " 1 32 bC, 2o2 ILT^TJSTTlvVT'TONS. Indian Village, Quoon Charlotte Islands Frontispiece. Frascr River (IH miles above Yale) To face page 2S Motlahkatlah " " IG Junction of Nation and Parsnip " " 147 Mount Selwyn " " 153 Peace River (20 miles above the Canon) " '• 101 Fort Edmonton " •' 239 Prairie Carta crt route •• '• 255 mipation Lake.— — Iloavy irar.ts. — 2S1 oe page 1 32 56 252 isi )10C0. 30 page LS 40 147 153 IGl 239 255 A PHOTO UT>1 8T THE ■UNUND UTH CO MONTRkAL MOUNTAIN AND PRAIRIE. CIIA1»T£E I. 55 VANCOUVER ISLAM) AND THE LOWER FRASER. I 1 •'•46 •A Ott<a^s•a to San Francisco. — Victoria — Indian and Cliinese Laltonr- crs. — Resources of British Columbia. — San Juan. — The Lower Fraser. — New Westminster. — Burrard Inlet. — Yale to Bostou Bar. From Ottawa to San Francisco by rail, thence by steamer to Victoria, V. I., a journey in all of about four thousand miles, was a requisite preliminary to our more interesting journey from Victoria across Northern British Cokimbia, through the Hocky Mountains, by the Peace River Pass, and over the prairies to Wimiipeg. The railway route across the Continent is so often traversed, so familiarly known, and has been so fre- quently described, that we need not linger long upon it. Ontario was just bursting into leaf, for the season had been somewhat lato, as we passed through on the 13th May, 1870. At Chicago we entered on the prairies of Illinois; prairies which to one who had not yet seen the Valle\^ of the Saskatchewan or the farm lands of Mani* $? MOlWTArX AXr> VUAiniE. 4 toba, scorned rich ])oyon(l all rivals. The country is as fertile as it is flat, but it suifor.s from the biting north wind that .sweeps down from Lake Michigan ; therefore almost every homestead is guarded by a grove of Lom- bai-(ly jioplars, or other quickly grown trees. At Burlington we crossed the Mississippi and passeci into Iowa, which seems like a continuation of Illinois, save that the soil is scarcely so rich, and occasional stretches of rolling country vary the monotony of the dead-level prairie. At C/ouncil Bluffs we crossed the Missouri and entered upoii the plains of Nebraska, that look like a Bca of grass^ sometimes rimmed by low hills on the distant horizon, sometimes stretching* away an unbroken level as far as the cyo can reach, occasionally dotted with the bleached bones of cattle, or the herds of the ranchers, or the caravans of new immigrants. One of its towns, Sidney, the outlet of the Black Ilills mining country, is a centre for those incidents and anecdote* that seem to British and New England cars characteristic of Western life. Here, and at almost any point between this and Ogden, you may hear stories of atrocities by Indians, and of worse atrocities by white men; of train robberies^ . murders, etc., by the ruflijius who frequently gravitatOk towards gold and silver mines. Three days before wo passed through, a murderer had been lynched, hung to the telegraph post neaiv>t to the station, and the inci- dOB^ onusod little comment and no enquiry. The nuning s? if VAXCOrVER ISLAXD AXD THE LOWF.R FUASER. •y IS as ; north ereforo f Lom- s. At !u into .9, save retches ,d- level iirr and : like a on the broken ed with nchers, towns, iitry, is (ooni to Western lis and ndians, )borie9^ avitate^ ore wo lUllg to 10 inci- mining :1 districts, howc'- r, are gradually coming under law and order; vigilance committees have already done good work, as tlioy did in the early days of San Francisco; and as capital is being largely invested, business and society are becoming more settled, so that life and jiroperty may soon be as safe here as they have long been in California and Montana. "We crossed the liocky Mountains at a height of 8,000 feet above sea-level, more than G,000 feet higher than where we expect to i-e-cross them at the Peace Eiver Pass, and with no sign that we had reached such an altitude, save the stunted vegetation around us, the snowy peaks shimmering in the distance, and the more exact indica- tions of railway-map and aneroid. "Wo rattled along through the Echo and Weber Canons, where the frown- ing and jirecipitous rocks alternate with snatches of scenery that remind one of some parts of Scotland, especially of the uplands of Galloway, though here the grass is not so rich and no sheep are seen grazing on the hillsides. Then came the plains of Utah, part of the Great American Desert that lies between the Eocky Mountains and the Sierras of Nevada, Avlterc nothing grows without irrigation, but where, with this assist- ance, many dreaiy fevels have been changed into smiling fields. Wearisome, at times, even to the traveller hy rail, what must those alkali plains Ivavo heen to the traveller by stage in the old coaching days? BIorXTAIN AND PL'AiniE. or, still worse, to the earlier Mormons, many of whom ti'aversed them on foot? It was a relief to j^ass from the Desert, over the snowy range of the Sierras, by many an abandoned gold claim — abandoned by whites, though now worked by Chinese — down to the smiling valley of the Sacramento. They had been ploughing in Ontai'io when we left a week ago ; here in California they were reaping. Touching the sea at Oakland, we crossed, by a ferry of four miles, to San Francisco, arriving at the very hour we had hoped to do when leaving home seven days ago. 'Frisco — for life is too short, and business too pressing, to allow Californians to use, in common conversation, the full name San Francisco — was agitated about the new constitution which the State of California had recently adoj^tcd. Newspapers and people alike were full of it. How far it might conflict with the Federal authority, and how far it might fulfil the hopes of its advocates, still remained to be seen, for though passed it had not yet come into force. Its chief points are : the taxation of all manner of property, stocks, bonds, mining shares, etc., as well as real estate ; the restraint of some huge monopolies, especially the Central Pacific Lailroad; and the fuUilment of the maxim, "the Chinese must go." It was the boiust of an American j^oet regarding his country, that " Ilcr free latch-strin?: never w.tp drawn in Against the poorest child of Adam's kin " ; m •0m VA.ycoUyiU! I.<LA.\I> AM) THE UnVEll FliASEll. l»ut apparently California is prepared to repudiate this lionoiiraMo claim. Time did not {.dmit oi our seeing tne city to aavan- tage, though even a liurried visit to its chief business tetreets, its markets, its Chinese quarter and its wharves, give sufficient evidence that, though inferior to a number of cities in the East, San Frai . iscohas many attractions. Its chief attraction, however, is its harbour. It is small praise to call this the finest harbour on the Pacific, for the North American Pacific is singularly destitute of good liarbours. The next best are those of British Columbia, but they are scarcely worthy of mention in comparison. This is one of the finest harbours in the world. At mid-day on Tuesday, the 20tn May, wo .eft it, and steamed out through the Golden Gate on to the blue waters of the Pacific. The City of Chester, on which wo took passage for Victoria, was lightly laden, and seemed capable of more motion in the wrong direction than any other steamer afloat. The effect of this on the writer is seen from the following extracts from a brief journal. They are somewhat monotonous : " Tuesday evening, sea-sick; "Wednesday, 21st, do.; Thursday, 22nd, do." To examine the life preservers, or 'lie slats in the upper berth; to hear the gong call others to dinner; to listen day and night fur the bell that each half hour marks oiF the time; to wonder if it would be well to take tlio ■ f MOUXTATX AXD r77.\TnTE. medicine now tiiat should have been taken last night; to hear the o:rindinix oftlie shaft, varied 1)V an occasional whirr as the screw rose out of the water ; to leave un- ojDened the books that were brought for reading by the way; to abandon all desire for A trip around the woj-jd ; to feel thankful that the steamer is not bound for Yoko- hama or Honolulu; to question the boasted progress of medical science that has not found any remedy for sea- sickness; and to long for tlio fulfilment of the prophecy: *'Thero shall be no more sea;" these were some of the lighter occupations that engaged attention when not engrossed with tL*!! more serious and painful duties of the situation ; nor did it greatly lessen one's discomfort to kiK)w that others were similarly engaged. It is about 750 miles from San Francisco to Victoria. On Friday, tho 23rd. we rounded Cape Flattery and entered the Straits of San Juan de Fuca. AYe had some sixty-five miles more to run, and when we awoke on Saturday morning we fbund that we were safely moored at the wharf in Victoria. Before starting for the Skeena, where wc purposed leaving the coast on our journey eastward, we required to spend a few days in the southern part of the Province, which is, even yet, a, comjiarative stranger to the sister Provinces east of the Rocky Mountains. Although. Vancouver Island was constituted into a Crown colony in 1849, it really was little known outside of the ledgers of VANCOVVEIl 7>T..L\7» ASD THE LOWER 7"/?. IS/;//. t night; casioiifil avc un- ; by Iho world ; 1* Yolco- ^rcss of for Rca- Dpliccy: of the lien not utiea of comfort ''ictoria. 'vy and id some vokc on moored iirposed lircd to 'ovince, 3 sister though, lony in gers of the Hudson's Bay Company and the official documents of Downing Street, until 1858, when the discovery of gold on the Fraser attracted thousands to Victoria, and when the mainland portion of what is now the Province of British Columbia was first erected into a colon}'. The two colonies were united in ISGG, the one giving the name to the united colony — British Columbia, the other giving the cajntal — Yictoi-ia. The old rivalry, liowever, between the two capitals still exists, as New West- minster has not yet abandoned her claim to present and prospecti^'e superiority to Yictoria. On the 20th July, 1871, the colony was united to the other Pi-ovinces of the Dominion, and Canada was thus extended from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Victoria is British Columbia in much the same way as Paris is France. Originally an Indian village gathered around a post of the Hudson's Bay Comj)any, then a small settlement of traders, etc., it sprang fbrwai*d rapidly under successive waves of excitement : first, on the discovery of gold on the lower Fraser; again, in ISGO, when new and most profitable gold fields were opened in Cariboo; and, subsoauently, on the dis- covery of gold in Cassiarjn 1873L Ita population like its prosperity has fluctuated, at one time swelling to 12,000, but now shrunk to less than half that number. Although some parts of it, esi;)ecially those occupied by the Chinese and the Indians, have a worn- m 8 Moi'STAIX .\M> PHAiniK. out look, yet it is upon the whole a jji-etty little city, with delightful drives, tasteful gardens, comfortable homes, a charming public park, and views of the snow- capped Olympian range, the sight of which on a warm day is as refreshing as a breeze from the hill tops. The surroundings of the city are very attractive, the foliage being rich and varied, the shrubs including species seldom seen in tlie eastern Provinces, and not grown there as here in the ojien air, such as holly, ivy, arbutus, etc., while the yew and the scrub oak give additional attraction to the scenery. It is somewhat inconveniently situated for the capital of the Province, as the harbour is only a small bay with very limited accommodation, the true harbour being at Esquimault, some four miles distant. Esquimault, wliich was for a time supposed to bo a suitable terminus for the Canadian Pacific Railway, is beautifully land-locked, and easy of access, but the harbour is very small — too small to allow a large vessel to enter under canvas and come to anchor, unless she had most of the liarbour to herself. The road-stead outside of the harbour, however, known as the Hoyal Roads, is safe and commodious, and the value set upon Esquimault by the Imperial and Do- minion authorities is seen in the fact that it is the site of a Government graving-dock now in course of completion. Victoria is a focus for people from every land. Men of almost all nationalities rub shoulders here. There arc- VAXCor\-i:i! l>l.ASI> A.\l> Till-: lokeu fhaseh. Indians, the old possessors of the soil, whoso contact with city life has not yet greatly improved them; Spaniards, whoso former influence along this coast is notched in many of the names of British Columbia, such as Quadra (the old name of Vancouver Island), Texada, Yaldes, etc. ; Chinese, who are rapidly becoming ubiquitous along the Pacific ; Frenchmen ; Eussians ; Americans ; Jews ; and Britons from almost every quarter of the Empire. Yet, though its j^opulation is thus mixed, there is a, strong English tone in Victoria, and a deep attachment to the Empire. Unfortunately there is not 3'et the same strong attachment to the Dominion. The people hardly regard their Province as a^i integral portion of Canada, and still speak of Canadians as of a distant people, severed from them in life and purpose. Yet the same was the case in Nova Scotia for some years after -Con- federation. Along the Atlantic coast, as here, t'he communication was more frequent with the old country than with the interior Provinces ; many doubted the wisdom of Confederation ; some, evc^i of its friends, con- sidered it to be premature ; some vehemently opposed it; but none would now undo it, or bring back the isolated life in which ea<;h of the Provinces formerly dwelt; and, naturally, as the intercourse of British Columbia with other parts of the Dominion becomes closer and more frequent, and as the construction <»f our Pacific Eailway proceeds, loyalty to the Empire will develop M 10 :\rorxT.ii\ ash vumutk. 1 loyalty to the commonweal of the Dominion, of Avhicli this Province forms a part. The people, however, thought that they had a grievance against the Dominion. When they entered Confederation, in 1871, it was agreed upon, as one of the articles of the union, that the Government of the Dominion should " undertake to secure the com- mencement, simultaneously, within two years of the date of union — of the construction of a yailway from the Pacific to the Eocky Mountains, and from such point as may be selected, cast of the Pocky Mountains, towards the Pacific, to connect the seaboard of British Columbia with the railway system of Canada — and, further, to secure the completion of such railway within ten years of the date of union." Nearly nine years have passed and con- struction is only now commencing. True, there was far moi'e work involved than was at first anticii^ated, in the looation of the line. Nearly four millions of dollars liave been expended in the surveys, of which a large portion has been disbursed in British Columbia, .^^any routes had to bo examined, amounting in the aggregate to 40,000 miles, of which one-fourth M'as measured, yard by yard, through forest, mountain and prairie; but these are facts of which an impatient people take little notice. Since, liowever, construction has been commenced, it may reasonably be expectc<l that adverse criticism towards the Canadian (rovcrnment, on the part of the people of Britisii Columbia, will cease, and that they will recognise VAScnrvrR /ST..1.V/) A\n Tirr r.nwFn f/msft?. 11 the earnestnosH of tlio Doniinioii authorities in Ailtllliiig, asfaras ])Ossil)le, the pledges given wlien British Columbia entered Confederation. Certainly, the people canliardly rcirard themselves as identified in interest with their fellow-Canadians until greater facilities for ijitercourso liavo been provided, and these can be most fully secured ly the construction of the Canadian Pacific Eailway. .Afany causes have I)een at work to i-etard the progress of Victoria — causes that have similarly allected the wel- fare of the whole Pj-ovince. It suffers, and has suffered, lai'gely, from the fact that many of its temporarjM'itizens have l)cen only birds of passage, coming with the inten- tion of leaving as soon as they had made their " pile," and therefore taking no interest in the settlement or develop- ment of the country. For this reason many, even of the better educated British Columbians, take no active part in the political or other public interests of the Province, and some are confirmed in this course b}' the condition of the franchise, which, being virtually that of manhood suffrage, places a large amount of powei'in the hands of the floating population. The mining excitement, too, has slackened. Men do not now ccMne in from the gold-fields as they onco did, so flush with money that the}' could throw a handful (»f $20 gold j)ieces at a saloon-keeper's mirror, and ask the jtroprietor to take the price of the sliattered glass from the coins on the floor. ]\rore ca])ital and (dieajier labour are now required to woi-k the gold-fields to advantage. , 12 Mnl'XTAiy A-\I> PRAIRIE, The cxtcnisivo iron deposits of the Province are lying undibturbcd. The great coal-fields are worked only in a very small degree, and mines that may yet give emjtloynicnL to many thousands now emj)loy only a few hundreds. The agricultural capacity of many dis- tricts is but imperfectly known, and even the recognized officials can hardly tell t4ie new immigrant where to go for the best unoccupied farm lands, for much fertile soil is still covered, or hemmed in, by forests of large timber. Although forty millions of dollars have been taken out of the gold mines of British Columbia, there is very little in the Province to-day to represent that amount. Many have carried their money away ; many others have left the country "dead broke"; and while in Ontario, and other Provinces, the fortunate remained on account of their success, and the disajipointedalso remained, because unable to get away ; and while all thus settled, worked, and developed the resources of those ^^rovinces, many who had been disappointed in British Columbia could easily move elsewhere, and they left the Province rather the worse for their having lived in it. It must be confessed, too, that Victoria sutlers from saloons more perhaps than most of our cities, there being some sixty saloons for a population of about 5,000, — " an intolerable deal of sack to one halfpenny Wort a of bread." Copper currency is unknown, tiie smallest coin being a "bit" — that is, the Hnglish sixpence, whose nearest VAX'orvi:!: islaxd axd the lower eraser. 13 equivalent is the ten-cent piece. The hotel clerk smiles M'hen you offer him three Canadian cents in payment of a three cent stamj"), and su^^gests that he does not keep a museum of curiosities, while it is said that the presence in church of Canadians from the older Provinces can be sometimes detected by the discovery of co2)per coins :n the collection. Labour is still dear, notwithstanding the presence of a large Chinese element, against which the chief accusation laid by the anti-Chinese agitators is that it keeps down the price of labour, and so impoverishes white men. Labourers receive from 82 to $2.50 per day; mechanics, $■4 to 85. Ilousehokl servants receive from $15 to $30 2iev monthj and farm servants $20 to 640 jDcr month, with board and lodging, while other labour is j^aid in pro- portion, s that the country is a most expensive one for those on salaries, whose incomes are measured by the figures that prevail in otlier parts of Canada, or in Eng- land, — an attractive one for labourers who arc willing to work, and fior capitalists who have brains to guide their irivestments in mining, lumbering and fishing, — and a very paradise for domestic servants. The twogj:caLLlaiiSCH4:^l»lx>«rcrs, however, in S(juthern British Columbia, are the Indians and the Chinese. 3Iany of the Tiidi.'ins work admirably on steamers, in saw-mills, in salmon-cannories, ttc. Tiiey are active, strong, good- tempered, with very little sell-restraint if lif^iKn* is within 14 Mdi'XTArx AXD rRAiinr:. reach, and witli a groat contempt for Chinamen; Bomo of them arc excellent f:irmers,witJi very comfortable cottages ; and a number of the Lillooet Indians along the Lower Eraser, who bear a specially good name, raise cattle and hay for market. White settlers find no trouble from them. One white settlor reports regarding those in his neighbourhood: "The Indians go into farming; quite quiet ; keep cats." The keeping of cats is a new test of civilization, although pcrha2)s not much more reliable for that purpose than the use of suspenders. It is not easy to map out, with accuracy, the different Indian tribes, or dialects, to be met with in the Province. The generic name is Siwash, a corruption, no doubt, of "sauvage," but when you try to define all the sj)ecies of Siwash you are sure to run across some of the lines laid down by one or other of the writers on this subject. On Vancouver Island there arc the Ahts, the Cowichans, the Comox and others. On the mainland, we have the Koot- anles, the Lillooots, the Shuswaps, the Chilcotins, the Bellacoulas, thoTsimpseans, thoBabines, the Sicanies, and others; and on Queen Charlotte Islands, the Ilaidahs. Their huiguages dillVr in much the same degree as the dialects of luiglish from Cornwall to Caithness, although some- times one might bo tempted to include the varieties of Gaelic as well as of English in this comparison. A comuKm medium of communication with most of them, however — at least, with those near tlie coast — is found VAXCOrVER ISLAXD ASD THE l'i-)VER r.UASER. 15 in tlie Chinook jargon, wliirli was originally the language of the Chinook Indians, near the mouth of the Columlna Eivor, but which has ])een enriched and altered by the addition of words from the SjXudsh, French and other hmguages. It is easily acf|uired; it ca-nnot be said to have any grammar ; but it forms a most convenient means of intercourse with the Indians, from the Fraser to Ahtska, being more profitable to the traveller in those regim than all other modern languages. The other chief labourer of Britis-h Columbia is the Chinaman. It is not merely within recent years that men have come from the land of the Celestials, across the Pacific, to our own Avestern coast. There is ample evidence that at some past period the blood of the Chinese, or of the Japanese, was blendcil with the blood of our Intlians, for many of the Pacific ludians are of such a marked Mongolian typo of face that you can scarcely tell them from the Chinamen except by the difference of dress, or of language, or iy the absence of the pig-tail, wliich, however, the Chinaman often wears coiled up under his cap. As lately, indeed, as 18^i, Japanese junks Were found stranded on our western C')ast. "Whether the coming of the Asiatics was the result of accident, or of set purpose, one consequence has been an infusion of Asiatic blood amongst some of our Indian tribes. The immigration, however, of Chinamrii f)r trade ami labour, is a thing of recent dato. As yet their presence can >!i 1(5 MOUNT A IX AXn rUMUIE. ilil hardly be said to Imve had any Borious effect on the lw]x)ur market of the Province, or to provoke much hos- tility ; but as those who have already arrived may be only the advanced guard of a large army of workmen, it is j)Ossiblc that British Columbia may yat witness a strife between white and Chinese labour similar to that which has seriously disturbed the j^eace of California. The Chinamen, as a class, are sober, diligent, frugal and trustworthy. They are objected to b}'' the saloon- keeper, who gets no custom from them, — by the indolent, whom they prevent from exacting exorbitant wages for a minimum of work, — by agitators, who try to win the favour of the white working-man, and b}' others who are more or less influenced hj those objectors. And yet remove the Chinamen and you disturb every industry in British Columbia; exclude their future immigration and you increase the cost of working your future factories. It is, of course, only fair that all citizens should contribute a due share to tlie good of the commonwealth. If, thei'efore, the Chinaman does not consume enough of our produce, preferring his rice to our wheat, if his work is not enough to entitle him to live among us, and if his labour precludes the employment of those who seem to have a prior claim upon the country-, then regulations may be framed to lay upon him a more equitable share of the general burdens. But if it is objected that the Cliineso come and work hero only with the view of carrying their VASi' )r •,■!::: :^!..\.\i) .iX!> t:iu Lnwr.u ruAsi:!;. 17 carnini;:^ out of the country, it may he asked, for what other purpose arc hundreds oflJritons no.v doing husiness in China, and witli what other object, indeed, liave many of the anti-Chinese agitators themselves gone to British Cohimbia? O)', il' it l)e objected that our civilization, as well as our commerce, may suffer, that the Chinese lower the general tone — then surely we have little faith in our civilizatif^n an<l in our Christianity if we cannot hope rather to mould the Mongolian to a higher life. Even if we wTiild we could not, with any consistency, close one of our ])orts against Chinese immigration, remembering the ^vay in which the ports of China were opened fin* the commerce of our empire ; and before any serious wish should be exjtressed, or serious attempt he made, to exclude them, some more vigorous efforts for their im- provement, than have yet been witnessed, arc required of UH if we 1)0 a Christian people. The development of the resources of British Columbia, however, may well call for the fullest possible supply of cheap lalxnir from whatever quarter it may lie derived, for there can be no doubt about the vast extent of tho resources of this Province. Comparc<l with Ontario, Manitoba, and other agricultural Provinces, it is an in- ferior farming country, although parts of the valley of the Fraser, and tho vnlleys of some of its tributaries, as well as other southern portions of the Province, are ri(di in arable and in pasture lands, while, from the f;icilitiea 3 18 :HOUNTAiy AND rUATIlIK t.l that they afford for wintering cattle, without housing or home-feeding, many parts are specially adapted for stock- raising. But, while tlie agricultural capacities of the Province are small, it is in otlicr respects exceptionally wealthy. Its bituminous coal is of the best quality, in quantities that are practically inexhaustible, found close to tho water's edge. The estimated coal-producing area of the Comox district alone is given in the Geological Survey Beportfor 1871-2 (page 80) as 300 square miles; where the estimated quantity of coal underlying the surface, is, on the same authority, set down as 25,000 tons j)er acre, or sixteen million of tons per square mile ; and yet, as if this were not sufficient to warm the world for a while, and to enrich Vancouver for ages, tho Geological Sur- vey Report assures us that the coal measures " run " in a narrow trough, which may be said to extend to tho " vicinity of Cape Mudge on tho north-west, and to " approach within fifteen miles of Victoria on tho south- " east, with a length of about 130 miles." Even these areas do not exhaust the coal measures of the island. It was at Fort Rupert, near the northern extremity of Vancouver, a trading post of the Hudson'?* Bay Company, that coal was first found on the island, but while the Company were making all necessary prepara- tions for mining and shipping coal here, the mines at Nanaimo were discovered, and being richer, more accossi- % VANCOVVER ISL.IXD A\D THE LOWER ERASER. 19 ousing or for stock- Provinco wofilthy. j^iiantitiea 5C to tho •ea of the al Survey s ; where urface, is, per acre, I yet, as if a while, 'gical Sur- cs " run jnd to tho and to le south- asures of northern ludson'si and, but prepara- mines at 3 accessi- *4 ble, and more convenient for shipjDing, they have been opened and worked, while the coal fields at F'ort Eupert have been allowed to lie idle. Coal from Nanaimo forces its way into San Francisco, notwithstanding the h'gh duty against it. It is used on the Central Pacific Eail- road, and it is regarded by the U. S. War Department as being 20 i^er cent, better than the best coal of the Pacific States. From Fort Eupert there is said to bo a low flat country extending along the north-western por- tion of tho island to Quatsino, another locality where coal has been found. Possibly this flat land may ovor-lio extensive beds of coal, and Quatsino being directly accessi- ble from tho Pacific, would be advantageously situated for largo shijiments. Moreover, it is at least possible that rich coal beds may yet be found underlying the tim- ber lands., whose dense forests have hitherto prevented any thorough examination of the interior of the island ; and there are known to be extensive beds of anthracite coal in Queen Charlotte Islands. In addition to tho rich coal measures of Vancouver, there are abundant iron deposits. Tho whole island of Texada, not far from the coal-fields of Nanaimo and Comox, seems to be almost a mass of iron ore, easy of access for mining and smelting, and with facilities in the imme- diate vicinity for producing unlimited charcoal. The ore of Texada is reported, upon assay, to yield 80 per cent, of pure iron of the best quality. 20 MOrXTATX AXn PR. \ in IE. -A- Silver and copper may be added to the list of mineral resources, while the gold fields of the Province, though ceasing to a?ttract the large numbers that they once did, and being wrought at a great disadvantage, on account of the high price of 2:)rovisions and of labour, still yield a large return, and may be expectea to yield more when improved machinery and cheaper living are introduced ; for even of Williams' Creek, one of the most paying in the Cariboo district, which was supposed to have been exhausted, Dr. G. M. Dawson, of the Geological Survey, states that " it would not bo extravagant to say that the " quantity of gold still remaining in the bed of this creek, *' which has been worked over, is about as great as that " which has already been obtained ;" and the same may reasonably be supposed to bo the case with other mines. It., mineral resources, however, though so extensive, are but a portion of the wealth of this Province. Its fisheries are amongst the richest in the world. Salmon swarm in its rivers, in almost incredible numbers, so that the Indian, or any one else who may foUov/ his example, can, in a few days, catch enough salmon to form his chief article of food for the year. The coast is rich with halibut, herring and cod. In the northern waters the seal and the otter abound, wiiile in the river Kassc, and its neighbourhood, the Indians catch large numbers of oolachan, or candle-fish. This fish, which is about the size of the smelt, and considered by some a ■'^ t .3 m VAXCOfVKR /.s7..l.\7> AX!) Till-: I.oKEll riiASICU. 21 mineral tiiough mco did, account ill yield re wlien 'oduced ; lying in ivo been Survey, that the lis creek, as that ime may r mines, ctensive, ICC. Its Salmon ), so that xamplc, brm his ich with ters the so, and bers of about ome a great delicacy, is so fat that by simply inserting a piece of pith, it serves as a candle, the pith burning like the wick of a well-filled lamp. One gets some idea of the abundance of the oolachan, and also of the herring, from the manner in which they are frequently caught. In a pole, about ten feet in length, nails are inserted, which arc set about an inch and a hali apart, like the teeth of a comb. When the fisherman in his canoe comes upon a shoal of fish, he draws the polo quickly through the water, and with a backward sweep impales several ujjon the sharp teeth. In two or three hours he may secure a boat load. Added to its resources of the mine, and of the sea, this Province boasts the largest of all Canadian timber, — vast forests of Douglas pine. Excellent for ordinary use, this wood is specially suited for such purposes as ship- building, the manufacture of spars, etc., where toughness, lightness, and durability are essential qualities. Trees of Douglas pine sometimes grow to a gigantic size, being even 180 feet in length, and from nine to eleven feet in diameter at the base. Near the northern coast there are extensive forests of cedar and hemlock. This enumeration of the chief resources of the Province may to some appear tiresome as an exhibition catalogue, but it is necessary in order to convey even a faint idea of the country's wealth. Only in respect to farming does British Columbia soeni inferior to any of its sister Pro- 22 3for.V7'.i/.v Asn I'Iimuik. r ||!^ vinccs. Its climate is much bettor than that along our Atlantic coast, for it has no cold stream from the Arctic flowing down M^ion it, and its shores are washed by a warm oceanic current, that keej)S its ports open at all seasons, and that gives the southern parts of the Province a climate not unlike that of the south of England, while securing, even to the northern parts, at least near the sea, a temperature as moderate as that enjoyed 10 degrees further south on the Atlantic coast of America, It would be unreasonable to question the future pros- perity of such a Province. The tariffs of other countries may for a time delay its development ; they cannot per- manently prevent it. Its time must come, when the restless and speculative sj)irit created by the gold fever, and still toopaljiably present, shall give place to steady labour, wheri industry shall unfold the resources of which as yet only the outskirts have been grasped, and when possessions similar to tho.se that see 3d the material prosperity of the Mother Country, shall make British Columbia one of the wealthiest Provinces of the Dominion. While waiting for some of our party to complete their arrangements before starting for the Skeena, two of us visited the Frascr Eiver. From Victoria we went by steamer to Now Westminster, seventy miles distant, near the mouth of the Fraser, the capital of the old colony of British Columbia before its union with Vancouver. Our •1 I I 1 VANCOrVIlIi /SL.I-VD .LVD THE LOWER FHASEIi. 2;} course lay through the Straits of San Juan do Fuca, tlicneo across tho Straits of Georgia into tlio broad and turbid Frasor. The sight of tho ishiiid of San Juan can iiardly fail to arouse Canadians into indignation and regret at the way in which our rights have usually suffered in any contro- versy with our ntiighboiirs regarding our boundary line. A large portion of the State of Maine was lost through the reckless ignorance, it would seem, of some of those who were engaged in negotiating the Ashburton Treaty, or Ashburton Cajntulation, as it has sometimes been called. "Washington Territory and part of Oregon were lost to us, it appears, because tho then Premier of Eng- land considered the country not wortli contending for, basing his judgment on a report of his brother, who con- demned it as useless because the salmon in the Columbia Elver would not rise to the fly. And, surely, there must have been serious carelessness in the wording of the Treaty, or some culpable deficiency in the evidence and arguments submitted to the Emperor of German}^, when, as arbitrator, he decided that the boundary line should run down the Haro Straits, instead of following either the Middle Channel or the Straits of Rosario, thus giving to the United States an island to which until recently they laid no claim. Not long ago there died in San Juan an aged servant of the Hudson's Bay Company, a Scottish Highlander, 24 i»for.V7'.l/.V .l.N7> VUAUnK. wlio, witli a brolhoi- nn<l sister, had come tlierc wlien the ]>ritish title to tlio island wa- undisputed. It was the dying wisli of (he old man, as well as the desire of his only Hurviving rehitivcs, tliat Ids remains should not lie in a foreign land. Willi some diffieulty and expense they were removed to Victoi-ia, wlu're the brother and sister, who spoke ver}' little English, told their story to the Kev. S. ^[aegregor, who could speak to them in their native (raelie. The little funeral procession of two, accompanied hy the clorgyi.nan, passed from the wharf to the graveyard, and there they left the bones of tlic old Loyalist beneath the protection of the flag he loved. As it noars the sea, the Fi-aser flows, broad and slow, between low alluvial lianks or tide-flats. It starts on its windinu: course some HOO miles above this, in the ippor nlopos of the Rocky ^Fountains, cleaving its way through many a wild caiton, skirting ri(di gold bars and fertile valleys, and receiving as its tributaries all the stroams which flow from the Itockies through the Cascade Range to the sea. Other rivers, such as the Bellacoula, the llomathco, the Skeena, and the Nasse, rising m the inierior plateau, flow through the Cascades to the Western ►Sea; others, again, both from tho Cascades and the Rockies, swell the waters of tlie Peace in its northward flow to the Arctic Ocean; but the Frjiser »ilono, rising in the Rockies, cuts its course tiirough the high brokiMi plateau that divides the Rocky .Mountait\s tVom the Cascade or i I vaxcouvl:i: islaxd axd the lower rnAsri:. 25 Coast llaiigo, ami, forcing it.-^ way tlirough this hitter, finds rest at hast in the Pacific. Near the moutli of tlic Frascr is the little city of Xew Westminster, which was shorn of some of its pretensions and prospects when Yictoi'ia was chosen as the capital of the united colony, but which has now every chance of soon surpassing its old rival, as the neighbouring harbour of Eurrard Inlet has been selected as the terminus of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Although the city can scarcely bo said to have a harbour, it being little movQ than a river l)ank approadied l)y the winding Fraser, yet it claims, as in some sense its own, the harbnur of Burrard Inlet, about nine miles noi-th, — a claim, perhaps, as vaHd as that on which Victoria prides itself on the possession of Esquimaul Though smaller and less attractive than Victoria, with somewhat more of a backwoods appearance, it has a pulse of life and energy stronger in proportion to its population than is found in its rival. It is the centre towards which tho lines of travel and of traffic from the interior convortre. Tho herds of cattle from tho ranches of Kamloops, the farm products of Sumas and Xicola, with sii.iilar returns from other districts, are brought liero as to a common point of distribution. Burrard Iidet is cortawi.y tho most suitable harbour in British Columbia f«u- the terminus of our Pacific Railway. Only two others can bo seriously compared with it, — 26 lilOVNTATX AXD mATRIE. if ; Port Simpson and Esquiniault. Port Simpson, although in some respects suitable, especially if the convenience of the Asiatic trade ^vero n-. le a jirominent consideration, is too far north to servo the general interests of the Pro- vince ; while, at the same time, in ajjproaching it from the east it would bo necessary to traverse a largo tract of country that, as far as known, is seriously deficient in resources. Esquimault is smaller than Bnrrard Inlet, and, even with the roadstead of Eoyal lioads, would not give as much harbourage as Burrard with its roadstead, English Bay; while the enormous cost and practical inutility of a railway from Esquimault to Nanaimo, which would have been a necessity if Esquimault had been chosen as a terminus, as well as the great expense and other objec- tions that might bo urged against the Bute Inlet route, render Bnrrard Iidet much more eligible as the Pacific terminus of the line. Objection has been taken against it on the ground that any vessels bound from the Pacific for Burraid Inlet might, in case of disturbance between Britain and the United States, bo stopped by the batteries of San Juan ; but there is little doubt that in the event of such disturbance the batter- ies of San Juan would soon bo held by the British, or Van- couver be held by the States; that hoth islands, in short, would, in the event of war, fall to the power that held naval supremacy on the Pacific. At the same time, if a VAXcorvEn t^laxd axd T:in lon-nn rnAsrn. 27 course north of that which runs liy tlio valley of the Fra.ser to Burrard Inlet had been selected for our railway, much of the traffic of the southern jiart of the Provinco must inevitably have passed to any Northern Pacific railway that may be constructed through United States territory with a terminus in the neighbourhood of Pugot Sound. Burrard Inlet is already a busy place, for it is the centre of the British Columbia timber trade, — the manu- facture and export of the Douglas pine, which grows in "•rcat excellence and abundance in this vicinity. Lura- berers here work under great advantages as compared with those of our Eastern Provinces. The climate is so moderate, and the pine forests are so close to the water's edge, that men are at work in the woods all the year round foiling trees and drawing them, by moans of oxen, to the water, so that they can be easily ranted to tho mills ; while other gangs of men are at work throughout the whole year in the mills and on the docks, sawing and piling lumber and loading vessels, which have easy access to tho mill-wharves at all seasons. The road from New "Westminster to Burrard Inlet passes tiirough a forest of Douglas pine, where on cither side rise those giants, straight, lofty and almost branchless, waiting for tlio axe. From Xew "SVestminstor we went by stcumer 100 miles to Yale, tho head of navigation on tlie Fraser. There nro navigable roaches of tho river above Yale, but nil progress h ! '1 V % 28 3I'>L'STATy AXD rRAIUTE. by Htoamcr from the sea beyond thi.-s point is prevented by the cliaracter of the river — wild, broken and rapid — and by tlie precipitous canons tlirough which it flows. From Yale, the one great highway to the interior is the waggon-road which was built by the Province at a very largo co.->t when the Cariboo gold-fever was impelling thousands up the banks of the Fraser. It follows, for the most part, the 'ourse of the river, though taking some times the ea.^ ■ Vv,.ieys of tributary streams, running northerly aboi 300 miles until it reaches Quesnel, and theii striking east to the Cariboo district, one of the richest gold-mining fields ever known. Anxious to see something of the canons of the Fraser, we drove over this road as far as Boston Bar, a distance of 25 miles. For wild and startling scenery this drive has few equals. The road winds around high and preci- pitous hills, sometimes cut out of the rock, sometimes built up on crib-work at an altitude of several hundred feet above the river, while leaning over the side of the waggon you look down on the Fraser, at the foot of the Bheer and rugged clifl', wild, masterful, turbulent, whirl- ing and swirling in rapids and eddies that invariably prove fatal to any who fall within their grasp. Frequently one meets great ox-teams, dragging hn.ge waggons, or extensive i)ack-trains of mules, well laden, carrying their cargoes to the interior. Only steady nerve and experience coukl enable a man to guide a span of horses at a rattling From a I'liolo. by Dr. G. M Dawson. FRASER RIYER (IS miles above Yale). !>■ li il I Jr 1^ r.i.vrofT'/:.? ;>•/,. i.vn .i.vn run lower fhaser. 20 pace, sometimes at full speed, over such a road, near the edge of those precipitous banks, and around corners where you know not what mnle-train or ox-waggon you may meet ; but the drivers on this line are men of nerve and experience. "We were in the hands of such a Jehu, and although at times the driving was furious as that of the son of ISTimshi, yet we had every confidence in him. AYhat is life worth without faith in your fellow-inan ? Often along this lower jiart of the river we passed " bars" that once attracted thousands — Emory Bar, Wellington Bar, Boston Bar, &c., — for small grains of gold arc com- monly first detected at the head of a sand-bar, where the current of the river leaves oidy the heavier sand and the metallic particles that are borne down with it. Rome of these bars are still worked by Indians and Chinamen, who make fair wages at them, but they do not yield enough to attract the more restless or more ambitious white man. From the road one can see the old trail by which hundreds of gold-hunters travelled, tlirough hardship and suffering, before the waggon-road was made, carrying, in many instances, provisions, blankets, mining tools, &c., & burden of some 120 lbs. per man, for nearly 400 miles. "We hear of the han'ful of Bucccssful men, wlio.-e good fortr.nc sends hundreds of others to the mines. "W"o hear nothing of the thousands of unfortunates, broken in t)uriac, bi-okon iu all st»bor industry that would fit them 30 MOi'XTAI.y \XD PRAIRIE. W i !i for steady labour, often broken in liealth, but still un- broken in hoi)e, wtill strong in the gaming spirit that flings the past to the winds, and, with confident outlook, says, " better luck next time." A rough crowd those miners often wore ; and yet, our knowledge of British Columbia to-day, small as it is, would bo much smaller but for them. They opened up the country and made it known. The Indians could not, and the Hudson's Bay Company's officials would not, let the outside world learn from them about this land of canon and of mountain. But the miner came, and he laughed at difficulties that would have made other men despair. lie jiierccd the country from Kootcnay to Cas- siar. Eailway explorers and surveyors followed, and now almost every available pass and road and stretch of farm land, at least in the southern jDortion of the Province, is mapped out. Few of thr miners made fortunes, yet many helped to open the country for those who have come after them. They may rest in unknown and unhonoured graves, but their work, however different in aim, was in result not unlike that of an advanced guard in many an old conflict, who bridged the ditch with their bodies that others might pass over them to victory. Frequently along the Fraser society was wild as the scenery, although, thanks to the prompt administration of justice by Sir Matthew Bcgbie and Judge Eeilley, life anci property were as safe in the mi ing districts as in fl rAWCOUVEIt ISLAND AND THE LOWER FRAF!ER. 31 ^rovince. the best regulated parts of th(5 country. But the language was sometimes rough, very rougli. A Canadian clergyman on one occasion visited Cariboo, and hearing occasional profanity, ho attempted gently to remonstrate with the offenders. The miners could stand a good lecture on Sunday, but they did not relish reproofs of this kind through the week for what, after all, ap])eared to them little more than emphatic language ; so they undertook to astonish his reverence. By pre-arrangement some of them, when within ear-shot of the Doctor, dropped into conversation, and interlaided their talk with such pro- fanity as even they themselves had never heard before. No wonder that the good man was horrified and gave the miners of Cariboo a bad name, although, had he been be- hind tho scenes, ho would hardly have taken this as a epecimcu of their common conversation. ,s as in f . I i • CirAPTEPc IT. VICTORIA TO THE SKEENA. Along the Coast. — The Chain rrf Channels. — Nanaimo. — Bute Inlet and the Route of the Canadian Pacific Railway. — Port Essington and tlio Month of the Skeena. — iMctlahkatlali. — Mission to the Indians. — Port Simpson. — WoiJc Inlet. Having returned to Yictoriu, and liaving completed all our preparations for our journey northward and across the mountains, wo left there on Tuesday, the 3rd June, for Port Essington, at the mouth of the Skeena, in the commodious steamer Ohjmpia, belonging to the Hudson's Bay Company. As the Olympia was to go as far as Fort Wrangel, in Alaska, where travellers for the Cassiar gold fields leave the coast to ascend the Stickino, and was to call at Fort Masset, and at other intervening 2:)orts, before returning, and as she was incomparably more ooinfortablc than the ordinary steamers on this route, there was a goodly number of passengers on board. We had a party of ladies and gentlemen from Tictoria, who availed thom- i^elves of this opportunity of seeing a portion of our om2)leted all and across le 3rd June, )cna, in the 10 Hudson's IS 4, '%K4 o. — Bute Inlet Port Essington Mission to tlie i^.:. ^Yrangel, in fields leave call at Fort 3 returning, blc than the 18 a goodly a party of ailed thcm- :ion of our 188 PHOTO LITH BY THE flURLAND LiTH CO MONTREAL No ver sta V03 mc of] Chi froi 8Ufl C nor tha ext cha pioi int( unl Sirr Him of nor tha sho( is la sm< Of-AN TTCTOULi TO THE SKFEKA. 33 Northern Pacifi-*, of which Victorians, in general, know- very little, Komc traders and miners for Cassiar, a staff of railway engineers, with assistants, axemen, voyageiirs, etc., that were to be engaged <luring the sum- mer in tlie upper part of the Province, and also a numher of Ilaidah Indians, returning to their homes on the Queen Charlotte Islands, after one of those visits to Victoria, from which the morality, both of whites and Indians, suffers considerably. Our course lay eastward througli the Ilaro-Straits, then northward between Vancouver and the smaller islands that stud the Straits of Tieorgia, until, leaving the northern extremity of Vancouver, we passed through the chain of channels that divide the mainland from the long succes- sion of islands which fringe the coast, with scarcely any interruptions, as f;u' as Alaska. This land-l(K'ked strip of ocean that stretches almost unbroken along our Pacific coast from San Juan to Port Simpson, some 500 miles in length, is one of the most ningular water-ways in tlie world. On the western side of Vancouver and of the line of islands lying to tho north, the waves of the ocean I»reak in an unceasing roll that, oven in calm weather, strikes the shore as with tho shock of battle; })ut liore, inside* of this breast-work of islands, between it and the mainland, tho seals, commonly, Hmooth as a canal. It is deep enough for the largest man- of-war, even within a few yards of almost any part of tho .1 « — ^ ■" J I '1 >; 34 MOUNTAIN AND PRATniE. r Hhore, and yet tlio tiniest steam yacht runs no risk of rough water. For pleasure sailing, this deep, smooth, safe, spacious, land-locked channel, or series of channels, is probably without a rival. Now it broadens to a width of several miles, and again it narrows to the space of a few hundred yards; the numbei* of islands enabling one to shape his course over calm water in almost any wind, while on every hand one is girt by varied and attractive scenery. For commercial purposes, when the mines along the sea-board become more fully developed, its forests more extensively utilized, and its coasting trade increased, the value of such a highway, possessing all the advantages of deep-sea navigation, yet protected by a lino of break-waters from all the dangers of the sea, can hardly be over-estimated. Only in two places is it exposed to the gales and the swell of the Pacine. First, from the north end of Van- couver Island, as you round Cape Caution, for a distance of about thirty miles ; and, again, foi less than ten miles, on passing Mill)ank Sound. Here, with a strong westerly wind, the sea runs high, but the surrounding lan<l forma a barrier against all except westerly winds. At two places — Dodd's Narrows, near the entrance to Nanaimo, and at Seymour Narrows, between Vancouver and Valdca Islands, — there is, at certain conditions of the tide, a strong current, which might cause a delay of two hours, at the utmost, to an ordinary steamer , t)Ut the a])proRche!i J f VICTORIA TO THE SKEENA. 35 to these Narrows arc so struiglit and wide tha^ they would offer no danger to navigation. For the rest, there is no more difficulty or cause of delay than would be met with in a deep, narrow lake. The one diacomfort, to which the traveller along this coast is most likely to be subjected, is the moist climate, which prevails when you jmss beyond the protection of the mountains of Vancouver. Until you approach tho northern extremity of that island, its lofty hills, some of which are over 7,000 feet in height, intercept the showers that drift landward from tho Pacitic, so that these fall upon the western slopes ol the island. Hence the eastern coast, from Vancouver northw^ard, enjoys a most delight- ful climate ; but when you have passed Vancouver, the islands to tho north, being less lofty, no longer serve in tho same degree to intercept the clouds from the Pacific. These roll inland until they strike tine lofty summits of the Coast Eange, which run close to tho sea-board along its whole length; and hence the northern part Oi" tho coast enjoys, or rather endures, a much greater rain-f"U than either the east coast of Vancoiiver Island or tho southern part of tho mainland. In this respect it is not unlike some portions of the west of Scotland, where the proverbial relief from the rain is that "whiles it snaws." After leaving Victoria, our first place of call was Departure Bay, a coaling station adjoining the extensive Kanuimo cojU-fields. Nanainio, however, is known in tho I'll II 1' I 4 :f^ I ' J) i 36 MO FKTA m A XD P P 1 TRIE. Eastern Provinces less by its coal-fields than by the much disputed project of a railway to connect it with Esqui- mault. Had it been absolutely necessary at any cost to build thid railway, cither as a separate Hne or as part of the Canadian Pacific Eailway, there might have been some projDriety in the proposal ; but, apart from the fact that the country through which it would pass is one of the most difficult of countries for railway construction, even were it built and in working order, coal could be conveyed more cheaply from Nanaimo to Victoria by largo barges than by rail. Fifty miles north of Nanaimo arc the coal-fields of Comox. In the various mines of those dis- tricts Indians and Chinamen are employed, as well as white labou^'crs. The wages of Mdiite men range from $2 to S5 per day; the others receive from $1 to $1.50. The day continued clear and beautiful. Sometimes wo passed close to the shore, and beneath the shadow of the hills ; sometimes by low lying islands, well timbered with cedar; while on either liand rose a background of snow-capped mountains, — on one side those of Tancouver Island, which, howQver, will lose their snow ore the summer is ended, on the other hand the coast range of tho mainland, some of whose peaks remain white through- out the year. On Tuesday night wo passed through tho Seymour Narrows, that sopai-ato Yaldes Island from Yancouvor. This locality, like a number of others in British Columbia, VICTORIA TO THE SKEF.SA. 37 has attracted attention chiefly through its connection with ono of the proposed routes of the Pacific Railway, as any lino by Bute Inlet would necessarily pass over, or near, Yaldos Island ; over it if the straits were to bo bridged from tho mainland to Vancouver, near it if a ferry should bo used connecting Bute Inlet with Van- couver. Like the other fiords that cut into this rough, moun- tainous coast, Bute Inlet, which is about fifty miles in length, is a narrow arm of the sea, hemmed in on either side by lofty banks of rock, in many places precipitous, in all places very steep, with no anchorage except a few chains at the head of the inlet, where tho Eiver Iloraathco flows into it. This limited anchorage has been designated "Waddington Harbour. Near the mouth of the inlet is Valdes Island, which, though regarded as an isolated island until a thorough survey had been made, is really a group of islands, separated from each other and from tho shores of the mainland and of Vancouver by wide channels. If an unbroken lino of railway cioming from the east to Wrtddington Harbour wore to pass over to Vancouver and 80 down to Victoria, it must skirt tho precipitous side of Bute Inlet, cross by a succession of long-span bridges to Vancouver, and run about ono hnndred and seventy miles along the eastern coast of that island by Comox and Nanaimo to Esquimaiilt, the true harbour of Ml ' \ I >■ •: I 38 MOUXTAiy AND PUAIBIE. Victoria. This lino from "Waddington to Yancouver would involve the construction of works so stupendous as to place it practically out of the question ; although not, indeed, impossible to engineering science, the cost would bo so enormous that it may well be regarded as financially impossible, and may therefore be abandoned. Tho alter- native is a ferry from Waddington Harbour to Vancouver, forming a break of some seventy miles of steam navigation as a link between the line on the mainland and the line that would follow tho coast of Vancouver to Esquimault, and even the latter section would bo so costly, owing to the broken character of tho country between Nanaimo and Esquimault, that its construction could not be justified unless this part of Vancouver were almost as thickly Bottled as the mining districts of England, or unless thoro were absolutely no other way of reaching a suitable har- bour on the Pacific. 1 line from tho oast to the excel- lent harbour at Burrard Inlet will bo loss expensive and fifty miles shorter than one terminating at "Waddington Harbour, and as Burrard Inlet is but seventy mil-es distant irom Esquimault, while Waddington Harbour is about two hundred and fifty miles, these considerations amply justify tho decision of the Government in selecting Burrard Inlet as the terminus. Wo passed through the Seymour Narrows by night, BO tlxnt wo saw nothing of Valdos Island, nor of tho neighbourhood of Bute Inlet. On Wedncf^day morn- 'I u VICTORIA TO THE SEE EN A. 39 ing we drew away from Vancouver Island, and, crossing the entrance of Queen Charlotte Sound, we passed Capo Caution and entered Fitz-IIugh Sound, continuing our course through a succession of channels that render navi- gation liere unusually safe and enjoyable. For a little we felt the roll of the Pacific when passing Cape Caution, but ere long wo were in smooth water again, and even those most sensitive to sea-sickness soon recovered their confidence. Wo found, Iwwover, as wo hnd expected, that when we left the shelter of the Vancouver Mountains the climate bocamo much moister and a drizzling rain gen- erally obsjciired our view. Sometimes, when the leaden mist would lift, we could see the hills, now bare and pre- cipitous, now wooded and gently sloping, now rugged and 8now-caj)ped ; sometimes jn-esenting a wall of adamant, as if defj'ing the attacks of the ocean, and sometimes cleft by a deep narrow gorge, or fiord, whose beetling sides had opened thus far to the inroads of the sea, but forbade any further advance. The whole country appeared to bo wrapped in silence ; no sign of life could be seen except some salmon-canning establishment, such as that at Oarden;i Bay (now called Aberdeen), or an occasional Indian village that had grown up m some locality well favoureil for shooting and fishing, or had clustered ai'ound some postol the Hudson's Bay Company. Thursday dawned heavy and dull as the day before, but i ^i i 40 MOUNTAIN AND PRAIEIE. in tho course of the morning the clouds lifted, the driz- zling rain ceased, and as ^xc passed through Grenville Channel we were favoured with wider views of tho scenery, which still continued to be most attractive. Sometimes the stretch of water broadened to several miles, its sur- face broken by wooded islands, whose foliage seems to be freshened and preserred by the moisture to which it is exposed; sometimes it narrows to a few hundred yards,. bound on either hand by hills, whose valle^^ and ravines are channels for foaming torrents that are fed by the snow fields above then.'. About mid-day on Thursday we reached Port Essingtou (formerly called Sjiucksute), at the mouth of the Skeena. Port Essington has not many attractions. The village consists of some fifteen or twenty houses, the bes;t of which is occupied by tho solitary white trader of the place, the others by Indians. The chief staple of trade, which is also tho chief article of food, is salmon, for here as elsewhere along tho coast, salmon is found in x3xtraor- dinary abundance, and during tho fishing season there is a ready market for them at the small cannery, a little north of this, known as "VVillaclach, called also Woodcock's Landing, or Inverness. There is very little land in the vicinity fit for cultivation, the country being for tho most part rugged and mountainous; but there are excellent cedar forests close at hand, a fact that induced an enter- prising firm to build a steamer hero some years ago, as it If riCTOUTA TO THE SKEEXA. 41 was possible to bring the engines, etc., here more casil}' than cedar could be convej'cd to Victoria, but the price of labour made the venture a costly and unprofitable one. For some distance from the mouth of the river the clear sea-water is discoloured by the dark waters of the Skeena ; indeed, the river seems to push back the sea rather than to blend with it, for though there are the usual tidal variations, exj)Osing at low water a rough beach in front of the "tillage, yet the water near the shore is almost per- fectly fj-esh, and is constantly used for cooking and other doincstic purposes. The large 1 jay that receives the waters ofthe river affords good anchorage, but it cannot be called a good harbour, for not only is the access from the sea some- what intricate, but durir " the winter season it is blocked with ice brought down by the Skeena. Adjacent islands prevent the waters of the Pacific from having much effect upon the bay, except in the rise and fall of the tide, and as it receives the waters of a large river that in winter arc ice-cold, and frequently blocked with ice floes, this bay, unlike the great majority of the bays on the Pacific coast, is ice-bound for a part of the year. We were to leave the coast at Port Essington on our journey towards the Peace Eiver district, but before doing 80 it was necessary for us to go as far as Port Simpson and Work Inlet ; so, having landed a party of engineers and their assistants, who were to work in thisneighl)Our- hood and up the river during the summer, we steamed i t » SfsTTRSr. 42 MOUNTAIS ASD PltAiniE. northward, arriving a little before sunset at Metlahkatlah, •where it w^as ncces.sary for us to call in order to secure Indians and canoes for our journey up the Skeena, and where Ave were all anxious to visit Mr. Duncan and his most interesting Mission-station. Almost every one who takes any interest in Missions to the Indians of British Columbia knows something about Metlahkatlah ; but, although we had heard and expected much, our information and our exjiectations alike fell short of the reality. There are active missions to the Indians ^naintained by the Methodist Cli'drch at Victoria and at Port Simpson. There arc missions of the Anglican Ch^irch at Lytton and elsewhere. There are several missions maintained by the Eoman Catholic Chuich. But it is no injustice to these others to say that none of them have been so singularly successful as that Avhicli Im conducted by Mr. Duncan at Motlalikatlah. It is in connection with the Anglican Church, in so far as Mr. Duucan is a member of that communion and loyal to her teaching ; but, not being an ordained clergyman, ho is not subject to direct ecclesiastical authority in the management of the mission, and is thus perfectly free to exercise his own judgment and energy. Though now a very active and thrivmg community, Metlahkatlah must have jircscntod a most uninviting appearance when Mr. Duncan commonv'cd his work there, seventeen years ago. Tlie Tslni] scans, as the Indians of riCTORTA TO THE SKEEXA, 43 tliis district aro called, woro at tliat time as fierco, turbu- lent, and unchaste as any of the other coast tribes, not excepting the Ilaidahs. Everything had to be done, and it was difficult to see where the work of reformation should begin ; and it required a man with strong faith in God, and in the possibilities of human nature, to undertake the work. Neccssarilj^, Mr. Duncan set himself to acquire the language of the people to whom ho had come, and ho was liimself the first to make Tsimpsean a written language, or to translate into it any portion of the Scrip- tures; but, wdiile teaching them in their own tongue, ho endeavours also to secure that they all, and moi-e par- ticularly the young among them, shall learn English. It has, from the first, been a leading object with him to draw in the Indians from their scattered settlements towards one or more centres, and this haji been simplified by the fact that they live largely upon fish, of which, at any point along the coast, they can procure an abundant supply. Hence, when the mission h^d been once estab- lished, the determinatio'n ot any Indian to go and make liis home at Mctlahkatlah was almost equivalent to a profession of his conversion to Christianity, or at least of his desire for Christian instruction. One of the first reforms effected among them was in the character of their dwellings, and the need of this is seen from the fact that although the Indians in and around Yicioria were, when Mr. Duncan camo to Mctlahkatlah^ 4i moi'i'nwiy a:\ii rnMRiE. I \ nominally Cliri.stian, yet, largely on account of tho slums in which they have been allowed to live, they have made but little progress ".i cleanliness, and in some other virtues that are closely allied to godliness. Indeed, one does not need to go among Indians for illustrations of this. Anyone who has been much among the lapsed classes of our large cities must know that much of their degradation is caused, or is at least increased, by their surroundings; and it must be so with savaij-es. Let grown-uji members of one or more families be huddled together in the same sleeping apartments, and purity becomes impossible. All the vices among the Indians have not been introduced by the rough characters that hang on the outskirts of civilization, although no doubt many of their worst vices have been strengthened by intercourse with whites. To give them homes for huts was one of Mr. Duncan's first objects, and it is surprising how much has been effected in this respect. Not only have their original huts given place to better houses, but these again, through the educating influence of this improvement, have stimu- lated the people to take advantage of Mr. Duncan's plan to j)rovido still better dwellings. He desires, as far as possible, to secure uniformity in the character of the bouses, and many of the Indians, at his suggestion, have built comfortable dwellings on the following plan : — the houses are built in j^airs, which are connected by one com- VICTORTA TO THE SKFFNA. 45 mon room tliat serves as a giiest-cliaml>er for l)oth families, wlierc they may entertain their lieathen fi-iends who have not yet fallen into their own ways. Each house consists of two rooms on the i^round floor and of three bedrooms upstairs, one for the parents, one for the sons, a third for the daughters. There is of course no constraint put upon the people to nialce them build houses of this kind, but they are educated into the desire for comfortable homes, and when they have secured a certain pro23ortion of the cost, Mr. Duncan advances the remainder, allowing them sawn cedar lumber at 87.00 per thousand feet. Already the result is a degree of neatness, cleanliness and uniformity seldom found in any of our eastern villages. To have a busy, industrious and j^rosperous community there must be men of different trades. Mr. Duncan found those Indians skilful in certain arts, such as weav- ing and carving. They weave mats from ruslies or from cedar bark, which is sometimes simply cut into strips or sometimes j^assed through the more elaborate process of being soaked, beaten and twisted into threads. Out of this matting they make baskets, floor-cloths, cargo-covers, etc., for it is so closely woven that it is impervious to water. They carve wood and silver with considerable ingenuity, the former chiefly for door-posts and other ornaments in connection with their houses, the latter principally for bracelets, the favourite pattern being the i m: I ; 4m1 I i I i 'f I II r 46 MOVNTAIS A SI) I'UMRIE. boavci-, tliough tlioy somciiiiios adopt tho pattern of tlio ea«^lc from the United States half-dollar piece. These bracelets are fre(_[uently purchased and worn as curios by white visitors. While maintaining the arts and trades which ho found in existence among them, Mr. Duncan introduced the ordinary trades of Anglo-Saxon communities, some of which he learned in order that he might instruct tho Indians, while in others he has secured instruction for his flock by sending some of their own number to Victoria to be taught. For tho greater convenience and better training of these, a series of excellent worl.shops has been erected, where the smiths, coopers, carpenters, weavers, shoemakers, etc., ply thoir trades, and a good saw-mill provides all the sawn lumber used by tho people. There is a large, commodious and well-arranged school- house; a town hall, to which a reading-room is attached, and in which justice is administered; a good jail, to which any oU'eiiders, their number being very small, aro taken and imprisoned by Indian policemen ; while prominent lur situation as for influence is Hie church, a building that can comfortably accommodate 1,000 people. The ediflcc is most tastofnlly constructed, CJothic in architecture, plain and substauLiul, an endur- ing testimony to the skill and energy of the missionary, who was architect, clerk of workft, and chief builder. In ' i; )miiy, :. In k ^ \ 1 f . ■ 1 f i t VICTORIA TO THE SKEENA. 47 the religious services there is an utter lack of outward show, — none of those appeals to the senses which many regard as essential to any effective mission work among Indians. It is the reality and not the mere ritual of reli- gion that the missionary tries to impress upon the j)coplc. The service of the Church of England is used ; the most simple and popular hymns are sung ; and evidence of the genuine grasp which the people take of the instruction imparted to them is found in their diligence and trustworthiness, which cause them to be employed in preference to any others by those who require men to convey goods to the interior, in their careful observance of the Sabbath, whether at home or in the country, and in the ability with which the better educated among them are able to conduct services in some of the Indian settlements which Mr. Duncan is unable to visit. Their chief source of food and of wealth is found in the abundance of fish, — of salmon, halibut, whales, fur-seal, sea-otter, etc., — which are obtained around the coast. These they exchange for goods or money at the store in the village, or with traders from other parts of the country. Formerly they used to go in large numbers to Victoria to sell and buy, and these visits frequently proved injurious to the virtue of both men and women. It was necesnary, if possible, to remove this temptation, and therefore Mr. Duncan established a store at Metluh- katlah, whore all that the community couUl rcijuiro I 4 I i { f III* 1 j ; i ■' k i 48 MO ux TA r\ A XD I '/?. I / /: / /:. miglit ])Q purchased as reasonably as at ^^(*t()ria. The necessity for their annual visits to tlio temptations of the capital has thus been removed, and, although some critics liave found fault with Mr. Duncan for engaging thus far in mei'cantile j)ur,suits, yet anyone who understands the circumstances can see that the step was necessary in the interests of his mission. Other centres besides ]\retlahkatlah liavo been chosen for similai" mission work, and thei'e are at present, in ccnnection with this mission, stations at Fort Ilupcrt, V.T., at 3Iu;iset in Queen Charlotte Islands, and on tho River Nasse. Considering the former state of affairs among tho Tsimpseans, as illustrated in what has until recently prevailed, and even to a great degree still prevails among the Ilaidahs, and contrasting with that their present condition, — the chastity of the women, the steady, honest industi-y of the men, the thrift and clean- liness of all, — it is not to be wondered at that the people ai'c intensely attached to Mr. Duncan, or that every visitor speaks with cordial ])raise oi this indefatigable missionary, and of tlu> success with Avhi(di (Jod has crowned his devoted and stoutdiearted labours. Around ^Metlahkatlah some attempts have been mado at gardeidng. Vegetables are grown with fair success, oapeeially jiotatoes, Imt. willi the exception of a few occasional patches of lulerabie soil, the country in Ihia 1^ i; VUTiiUlA Til THE SKEESA. 49 Tho of the critics us far lIs tho in tho chosen cnt, in Juj)crt, on tho ni^ tho x'cutly revails their n, the clean- pooplo every tijj;ablo )(1 has made |iK'cesfl, a few III thia neighbourhood is unfit for cultivation, and, 1»eyond the resources of the fisheries and of the cedar forests, otfers few inducements to settlers. We had had rain for the two precodint^ days, but our evening at Metlabkatlah was fair. y\v. Duncan kept a weather record f )r one season, fi-oni Octol)er till April, and found that for those seven months only an average of seven days per month wei'c fair, and, after a resilience of seventeen years in this locality l>e thinks that this is a fair average proportion of fine weather f )r that part of the year, l>ut that the proportion of wet weather during the remaining months is not so large. Yet, although the rain- fall is apparently heavy, the climate seems to be healthy, if one may judge from the fresh and vigorous appearance of the people, and those resident here say that the cold is not more severe than in the southern parts of the Province. To Canadians along the Atlantic seaboard it may seem strange that the climate on our Pacific Coast should be so mild — that the harbour of Port Simpson, for instance, in latitude 5i° 30', is never frozen — and that it enjoys a climate as mild as that of Halifax, although ten degrees north of Halifax, that is, as much further north of Ilali- faK as Halifax is of the lower part of North Carolina. Tho climate of this whole coast, liowever, is made much more tem]>erate tlian that of the same latitude on tho Atlantic by reason of tlio Kuro-Siwaf or warm oceanic ; i i ! ^.i! i^;l 50 MouxTAiy iXD rrniRiE. M. rl I cui'reut, which, flowing iiorthwui-d along the coast ot Japan, washes tiie .shores of the Aleutian Islands and sends its influence as far as the coast of British Columbia; while, at the same time, there is no Arctic current flow- ing down our Facific seaboard :is there is along our Atlantic shores. Before leaving ^^fetlahkatlah we arranged for the em- ployment of two canoes and two crews of Indians for our trij) wp the Skeena, Mr. Duncan's Indians, as they arc commonly called, being most reliable. At daybreak on Friday morning wc continued our journey to Port Simp- son, about twenty-five miles north of Mctlahkatlah, which we approached by Cunningham Passage, between Fiu- layson Island and the mainland, and entered throuf^h Dodd's Channel. Port Simpson is a small village that has gathered around an old Hudson's Bay Company's post (from which it is sometimes called Fort Simpson), occupied almost entirely by Indians. Here, as at many points along the coast, the Indians have become accustomed to cash payments in trade, although in the interior they genei-ally adhere to the old system of l)arter. At one time articles wore valued here according to the number of seals that they were worth, or the number of them that a seal might be worth, just as the Indians of tlie Peace Piver district still measure the value of an article hy beaver skins. At a later period the blanket was the chief currency, and U.; riCTOniA TO TIIF SKFEXA. 51 ;oast ot ids and urabia; nt flow- 11 Lr our the em- iiaus for they arc )rcak on rt Simp- h, which 3cn Fiu- throufrh 1 around h it is entirely oast, the iienta in e to the valued cy Avcro e worth, ict still At a cy, and a cuiioc or seal skin was wortli so many blankets or frac- tions of a blanket. Now, however, the Indians of the coast, like the U. S. Government, have come down to specie payment. Tlie harbour of Port Simpson is easy of access for steam navigation from the soiitli through the channel by which we approached it, and casj- of access to sailiiig ships or steamers approaching it from the west through Dixon's Straits, that separate the Queen Charlotte Islands from Alaska ; and it is as safe as it is accessible. Facing the west it has two approaches : Dodd's Passage, between the southern extremity of the harbour and a reef of rocks, and Liskip Passage, which separates this reef of rocks on its northern side from Birnie Island; while, between Birnie Island and the northern extremitv of the harboui' there is a choked passage, unfit for any navigation except that of canoes or other light craft. The reef of rocks, although hidden at high ti<le, is traceable at low water on account of the kelp attached to it. It serves as a jiartial breakwater for any sea that might roll in from the Pacific, while Birnie Island further protects the harbour on the western side. Its only oxjjosure is in the direction of the approach known as InsL ip Passage, but no severe galea ever visit it from that f[uaitor. Finlayson Island and the Dundas Islands protect it to the south-west and south, wliile any gales from the noi-tii-east, east, or south-east, (the prevailing (quarters for high winds in this locality), .1 ! : ♦ f 52 ^r^lI■\TAr\ axd I'nAiniK. f can scarcely have any influence iijion it, as it is so well defended on those sides by the high surrounding land. The extent of the harbour may be set down at not less than three miles in length, with an average breadth of one mile. Its anchorage is reported to bo excellent by Captain Lf 'is o^ he Objmpia^ one of the most experi- enced navij...; ' f those waters. Port Simp..' v\i-, until the recent decision of the Government, considerci.i by some a possible terminus of the Canadian Pacific Railway. If trade with Asia were the chief consideration in the selection of an ocean ter- minus, Port Simpson mustunquestionably be preferred to either Burrard Inlet or Esquimault, as it is easier of access than Esquimault, as large as Burrard Inlet, if not larger, and as safe as either of them ; while, in point of latitude, it is much to be preferred, as a vessel sailing from this port could at once take advantage of the northern circle and so shorten the distance very greatly in crossing to the coast of Japan or China, and the same advantage would bo enjoyed by any vessel bound for this port from the "western coast of ihe Pacific. At the same time, the chain of channels that stretches from Victoria to Port Simpson aftbrds remarkable facilities for coast navi- gation, and brings Port Simjison within comparatively easy access of the southern parts of the Province. Indeed, in view of the difficulties, amounting almost to impossi- bilities, that would have to be encountered in the con- VICTORIA TO THE fiKEEXA. 53 ude, it is port and o the would )m tlie c, the Port navi- itivoly ndecd, possi- ic con- struction of a line by Bute Inlet to Esquimault, Burrard Inlet and Port Simpson may fairly be regarded as the only two points worthy of serious consideration in the selection of a Pacific terminus for our Canadian Pacific Eailway. But, while probably fewer engineering diffi- culties would be experienced in reaching Port Simpson from the east by way of Pino Eiver Pass than must be encountered in reaching Burrard Inlet by the Yellow Head Pass, yet, as the resources of British Colur . i. ere confined almost entirely to the southern part of the ' o- vince, as the ountry between Pino Eiver -no Port Sira2)Son seems to be generally deficient in resoii. dS; aa the selection of Port Simpson would necessariJ ■ ^hr-^w the traffic of Southern British Columbia into the United States railways, and as the interests of the country on the eastern side of the Eocky Mountains will be better served by a line running through Edmonton and the Yellow Head Pass than by one through the Peace Eiver districi (by either Pine Eiver or Peace Eiver Pass) to the Pacific, the weight of argument is in favour of the decision already arrived at by the Government in the selection of Burrard Inlet as the Pacific te minus of the railway. From Port Simpson we steamed around by Cape Mas- kelyne into Work Cluiunel, which runs in a south-easterly direction nearly i^arallel to the Pacific for about thirty miles, thus forming the T^'mpseau Peninsula. This peninsula is about twelve miles in width from near +^e I, I 4 \. in »f' :, ;> i '"i^A, * w* ii)i M i i ! m. iy II f in 54 MOUNTAIN AND m A III IE, mouth of the Skeena to Cape Maskelyne. Work Channel has never been fully surveyed. It eeems to be similar to many others of the deep inlets that run into the mountains along this coast, and that have often been likened to the fiords of Norway. The banks are precipitous, although along the south-westerly shore there runs for the most part a ledge or bench, while, near Port Simpson, the land dips, so that from the head of the inlet a road might be constructed without extreme difficulty along the south- westerly shore of the inlet and through this valley to Port Simpson. At the head, or south-eastern extremity of the inlet, a stream enters from the south, and up the valley of this stream there is a pass at low altitude connecting by a few miles Work Inlet with the river Skeena. As we were returning to Port SimjDSon, the drizzling rain, which had fallen more or less steadily since Wednes- day morning, ceased ; the clouds broke away ; the sky grew clear, and the day became bright and fair as an English May day. Steaming around Cape Maskelyne, we could see along the coast of Alaska for many miles, and as vv^e turned south and passed Port Simpson, the harbour and its surroundings appeared to great advantage. The sea was calm ; the rugged hills were purpled by the light of the westering sun, as we ran down along the coast past Metlahkatlah and WillaclachtoPortEssington, where we lauded on the afternoon of Friday, the 6th June. Before leaving the Olympia we wrote to our friends in VICTOnTA TO THE SKKEXA. 55 laiinel Liar to ntaiiis to the hough most 10 land ^ht be BOUth- to Port ^ of the illeyof ng by a the east, thinking that this miglit be the last chance avo could have of sending woi-d to them before reaching the telegraph station at Edmonton, east of the Eocky Mountains. The engineering party, who had landed at PortEssington the day before, vv^ere already under canvas. They asked us to share their camp, for they were " on hospitable thoughts in-tent," and we gladly availed our- selves of the offer. Next day we were to commence our journey up the Skeena. «ii M,' ' m f*5 •izzling ednes- he sky as an vclyne, miles, on, the ntage. by the |ng the ington, |i June. nda in 1 '.^ i^' ii ff ,1! PI' \^ CHAPTER III. UP THE SKEENA. Leave Port Essington. — Canoes, Crews, and Stores. — No Trout. — Tracking and Poling. — Indian Watch-tower. — Catching and CiH'ing Salmon. — Carved Posts. — Burial Customs. — The Sweat- ing-booth. — Height of Steam Navigation. — Division of Coast and Cascade Range. — Indian Villages. — Gold-washing. — Medi- cine-man. — The Forks of Skeena. — Lip-ornaments and Nose- rings. — Mosquitoes. Wo left Port Essington on Saturday, *7th -Tune, east- ward bound, our proposed route being up the Skeena, to the village of ILizelton; thence on foot to Babino; up Lake Babino; down Stewart's Lake to Fort St. James; across country with a muli train to Fort McLood ; down the Parsnip and Peace Eivers to Buuvegan ; thence on to Edmonton, and across the prairies to Winnipeg. We wore not in search of adventure, and the woi-k in which we were engaged was not one that would naturally involve us in thrilling episodes or hair-breadth escapes, while wo had largo enough crows and sufficient creature-comforts to spare us any real hardship. Yet our journey had the attraction of novelty. Wo would I Trout. — liing and lie Sweat- of Coast ?. — Medi- iid Nose- le, east- Skeena, lie; up James ; ; down ence on r L3 WOi'k would jreadth [fficient ). Yet woukl PHOTO LITH BY THE BURLANO LITH CO MO!H"l Rf. ^L 1 ; f ■ . \ '"^■-■^- " -' (•M(Jl(J titMH> 'Hf Hll" AN(Mft1i:PMON'«l*l fll — 111 IP r//;;>7i.'E/:.v.i. 57 see the country; our ciifT^ineer.s would examine its fitness for railway construction ; our geologist would take note of its mineral and agricultural resources ; antl we would learn something of the cliaracter and life of the inhabi- tants. Indeed, from the mouth of the Skeena to Fort St. James the country was so little known that any information we could obtain beforehand was most frag- mentary, while of a large portion of it there was not even a correct map to In? ha<l, the best, Truteh's, rei^uir- ing considerable alteration so far as this northern part of the Province is concerned. Our first duty, preparat(»ry to leaving the coast, was to examine our canoes, make the ac(j[uaintanee of the crews, and see that all our stores were safely on board. The boats are spoken of as canoes, but they are very diflferont from the birch-bark canoes of the eastern Provinces, as they arc ma<le of wood, sound and firm, capable of as rough usage as any wooden boat. They arc, however, neither carvel nor eliid<er-buill, but simj^ly "dug-outs," each one being made of a cedar log. When the log has been shaped and holb^wed, it is lill(>d with water into which highly heated stones are dropped. The wood is thus steamed, the steaming process being sometimes assisted by a gentle tire beneath the boat ; the sides in this way beconu' pliable and aio extended; the seats are forced in ; and the thin, tough shell of cedar, retaining the shape widch it ha> tlnis received, server, ns c \ 58 MOUM'ALX ..yD Vli.UlilE. an excellent boat. Somelime.s these canoes are ati much as sixty feet long, and capable of carrying several tons of freight, and are so safe that the Indians of Queen Charlotto Islands use them in whale-fishing and in making long journeys down the coast. They arc usually modelled with taste and skill. Before the Indians had iron tools they used to make their canoes, carvo their dooi'-posts, and do all their other work in wood with such rude instru- ments as a chisel of fliut or of elk-horn, fastened in a wooden handle or held by a haft of twigs, a stone mallet, a mussel-Rhell adze and a gimlet of bone; and yet, with these and with the assistance of fire they produced excellent work. We had two canoes, twenty-five feet keel and of about four feet eight inches beam, with five of a crew in each, irrespective of our foreman and our cook. They were capital fellows as indeed the Metlahkatlah Indians gene- rally are. Some of them had retained their old Indian names, some had received " Boston " names, as English words are commonly called by the Coast Indians, i)robably from the fact that the first vessels navigated by white men sailing to the Columbia Eivcr hailed ^rom Boston. In one boat were Yilmauksh, Matthias, Ilcuben, Theodore, and Christopher ; in the other Kamigham, Ilighsh, CharlcH, Ilonry and Oswald. Our most essential stoi-es were Hour, bacon, beans and tea, which form the staple food of travelling parties rP THE SKrFXA. 59 tliroughout the interior of Britinh Columbia. Of those it was necessary for us to take a goodly quantity, a.s wc could not expect to add to our supplies before reach- ing Fort Si. James, whicli might possibly take five or six weeks. Not only are extra stores valuable in case of delay, but they are also of great use in dealing with the Indians, a little flour, tea, or tobacco, being more serviceable than money in purchasing salmon or such other commodities as the Indians might have to barter. Our crews, who would be fed from our stores, took with them as delicacies a quantity of dried oola- chansand of dried herring spawn with dulse, — delicacies that we had no desire to share with them. For several miles before it reaches the sea the Skeena is nearly two miles in width. Its banks are lofty, the hills on the north nido sloping gently to the water, which is 80 shallow that at low tide a great breadth of beach is laid bare. In passing ^'i> wo could see on either side of Work Channel t^omo of the hills that wo had been admiring the day before, as a narrow neck of land, not more than three hundred feet in height divide- the waters of the river from those of the inlet. As we started up the river we ha<l the tid. i our ftivour, for the tide makes itself felt for over vcnty miles above Port Essington, and as there wa- a light breeze blowing upstream we sot the small ) it-sails, thus making easily about eighteen miles before wo N| fr - I 15 i il. I I i! il I III v\ GO M(irXTAI.\ A\D PRAiniE. pitched camp for the night. When camp had been pitclied and supper ended, we observed that, in one respect at least, our men wore more luxurious than our- Belvcs. They were all provided with feather pillows, thoui^h for each of us a coat was asoftenouich substitute. Their tents gave but a partial j^rotection against tho weather, being simply the two boat-sails sjH'ead like an awning, heneath which they slept five in a row; their blankets were so short that their feet remained uncover- ed; but of this one comfort they made sure, each head with its mass of dense black hair was softly pillowed. We campe<l near a stream that looked as if it might bo well stocked with trout, but an hour's careful fishing failed to secure a single rise. Indeed this was the case with iiX'^vy tributary of the Skcena on which wo cast a fly; l(.m])titig and likely as the stream might appear, we could rover find tho slightest indication offish. Tho morning had been dull and overcast, but the afternoon and evening were beuutifullj- clear. The light of the setting sun lingered oil the snow-clad peaks; gradually tho tints of the clear sky changed ; the stars a])peared, and after a long '' confab" around the camp-fire, — the first of many cunip-fires around which the evening hours wore s2)ent, — all was silent and still. Tho next day, like all our Sundays, waw a day of rest. The Indians joine<l in our service, and, though unaccufl- 1,omed to converse in Fiiigli"^h, they united audibly in tho ydv. rr ruE skkv.sa. 61 Lord's Prayer, and sang a number of Knglisli liymns, which they Iiad been in the liabit of singing at ^lethildcat- hah. Some of them liad excellent voices, and they had been trained to sing i-ii parts. The bass was particularly good; and as we listened to them, or joined with them, we felt that it would be very difficult to find a congrega- tion in our eastern Pivn-inces from which wc could select, at random, ten such good singers as our canoe- men. Next morning we ft)und the proverbial dilHculty, which many travelling parti, 's have experienced, of making an early start on the Monday, as ii' all were anxious to enjoy a continuance oi' the Sabbath rest. Oiu canoein*.' iiours were Iron, 7 a.m. till \ r.M., with an hour at mid-day for lunch and a- the S ^ • na, like all the rivers along the Canadian Pacific coast, is very rapid, our ascent was slow, usually averaging about eleven miles a day. Various means, besides the ordinaiy use of the ])ad- dles, were necessary for ju'opelling the canoes. Some- times, when a favourable beach gave tli'^ opportunity, tho men " tracked " — that isj dragged the eanoe by tow-rope, in the same way as is done with (ordinary canal boats, — but frequentl}-, where the l)ank was too precipitous, or tho overhanging woods were too dense to allow tracking, "poling" became necessary. Tvich man is provided with a ]ieral<jck ]ii)lc, from ten to fourteen M I 62 MOrXTATS AKD rUMUIE. I „ i. feet ill leiiglli, some extra ones being kept on hand in case of loss oi- breakage. A strong steering oar has been lashed to the cross-bar at tlio stern, for in some phices a paddle for steering 2:»urposes would be as feeble as a feather, and if the canoe were to sheer ft might involve an upset. The men lay themselves to their work, poling against the stream as if they were strain- 'iig their strength to the utmost, and the poles seem to grip the gravelly bottom, while the current makes them quiver and rattle against the side of the canoe. Foot after foot is gained, but the current grows stronger, for we are nearing a rapid. "With that powerful spurt for which the Indian is remarkable, each man draws on his reserve strength, and, as he bends to the gunwale, ho Jays out every ounco of his force upon the pole, as if the pole were a spcur transtlxing a dragon more formidable than any that St. George ever encountered. Perhaps it may be necessary for the men to spring out and seize the vanoc ; this they do most nimbly, and then fairly lilt her \\^ as they press forward, although themselves nearly overborne by the rushing water. If a strong breeze be blowing in our favour, we hoist our sail; then, at it we go, — sail, wind, and poles against the force of the river. The wind scatters the spindrift from the rough water around us, as it does in a storm at sea. The mast and sails seem to be strained to the uttermost, although, perhaps, these, like their owners, have a rr THE SKEENA. 63 reserve supjily of strength, wliich only a further iieces- Bit}'' can disclose. Even the Indians a2)pear excited, while to us the situation has at least the charm of novelty. \J]), uji, we go, each moment expecting that Bomething will give way, until we have passed the rapid. Then it may be necessary to cross the river. Thj poles are dropped ; the paddles are snatched, and flash out like sword-blades. For a few moments we are borne backwards, but the calmer water which tempted us across is soon reached, and each man gives a hearty "ho! hoi" and braces himself for another pull, or to fight the next rapid that may be waituig for U8 in this up-hill navigation. For about eighty miles from the coast, the river is dotted with islands that have been formed by the rich alluvial dejjosits borne down by the stream, and that are now covered by a luxuriant growth of timber, chiefly cotton-wood, spruce, — which sometimes measures six feet in diameter, — as2)en, willow, with occasional hemlock and cedar. "\Ye frequently followed the narrow channels between these islands, where the water is calmer than in the open current, or, if swift, is more easily mastered than the full force of the river The foliage on either side, which sometimes almost met in an arch above us, tv'as rich and varied, and the sun-light streaming throtigh the trees burnished the leaves and cast a net- work of Shade on the water that swept beneath them. \ I I il'l e 64 .V'lrsTAix Asn vnMuiF.. The banks were rich with ei'ab-ii})plo trees, eiirrant, cranbci'ry and raspberry bushes, and strawberries in blossom, etc., and vegetation appeared to be at least as far advanced as it is at the same date in Ontario. The hills on both sides become more precipitous as we ascend, being generally covered to the snow lino with spruce and cedar, except where an avalanche of snow or a land- Blidc has swept away all the timbei-, and exposed the bare rocks. The river, from bank to bank, often widening to a span of a mile, is fringed with wcll- Avooded flats, wliich, like the numerous islands, though apparently fertile, are liable to inundation every j^ear. If any object, such as the reclamation of land, or the construction of a road, were to be served by it, tho bed of the river might at many points be narrowed with ho great difli .'ulty by blocking \x\) the channels between the northern shore and the nearest islands, w^hcre the water is usually very shallow. About thirty-six miles from the sea stands a rocky blulV, some eighty feet in height, in front of a precipitous hill, to which our attention was directed by one of our men, whose father had bidden him look for it, as historic memories werx) connected with it. For years it had been used as a watch-tower by the Indians of this district, from which to sec the approach of the Ilaidahs, who made plundering visits to the mainland from their ocean homes on the Queen Chai-lotte Islands, and who frequently ex-| IP Tirr SKFFSA. (15 I I iTiint, C8 in as far 3 hills scend, ipruco I land- ed the often 1 well- though r jGar. or the Jio bod ith no en the Avator rocky [ipitous ir men, listoric [d been |t, from made homes ly cx-i tended their raids for some distance into the interior. On a narrow level surfhco, at the top of the blntf, wo found a small hollow, or basin, perfectly circular, a foot in diameter, and five inches in dcptli, which had been liewn out of the rock, and liad no doubt been used in olden times as a bowl in which to grind '' wundali." "Wundah is a phmt which the Indians use for chewing, as many use tobacco, and is much relished by the coast tribes. In many a liouse among the Tsimpseans, one may find a curiously carved stone bowl, made si)ecially for this purpose, and each evening the Indian's wife, in token of her affection for, or subjection to, her lord, grinds up and prepares liis " <juid " of wundah. Among the earth near the summit of the bluff we found some char- coal. This and the wundah-mortar were the only relics of the people that may, from this rocky eminence, fre- quently have watched the aj^proach of their foes, and met their onsets in days of yore. Looking around from this height we seemed to be girt about by an am])hitheatre of hills, for we were already well into the Coast Eange. Indeed, all along the Skeena the views are very sti-iking. Some of the summits are snow- capped, some are wooded, and some expose peaks of bare gray rock. In the foreground are islands of rich and varied foliage, and a broad strong river that now flows gently by some quiet reach, and now rushes ra])idly jn in a masterful current, while the birds fill the air with 6 tl li\ . w ' I IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) / Ws r / O iio f/j (/, 1.0 I.I 1.25 If 1^ 11^ ■^ IM mil 2.2 us U£ 2.0 1.8 1.4 1 1.6 Photographic Sciences Corporation 13 WBT MAIN STRUT WEBSTER, N.y. I4S80 (716) 873-4S03 ^^ V \\ ^ V '-^^^o ^ .^J^ ii li < ■ 66 MOrXTAlX AM> l'i:MUir.. iiu'lody HUfli as one never liears in tlie woods of Ontario, One becomes so accustomed to these views that after o few days the}" almost lose their im2)ressivenes8, and yet could any of the scenes through which we were 2)assiiig from day to day be transferred to our eastern Provinces, it would be the object of many a pilgrimage on the part of tourists and of artists. In oui- course we passed Indians engaged in fishing, for the first run of salmon had already begun, and salmon swarm in the Skeena, as in other rivers of British Colum- bia, in almost incredible numbers. Different families, or ratlier, different settlements and villages, along the river,, seem to have their separate fishing grounds, with which others must not interfere, and in three or four w<;eks tlio villagers may secure a sufficient supply of salmor. to servo as their chief article of food for the whole year. These salmon may be speared, they may bo caught with scoop- net or with gill-net, but, unlike thosC' on the Atlantic coast, they cannot be pcrguadcd to riso to the fly. Whethor from the turbid character of the rivers, or from somo peculiarity in tho species, or from unguossed causes, the salmon in these waters give no response to the angler, lot him cast his flies never so skilfully. In another respect also they differ from the salmon in our eastern streams. It seems that when they once return to the rivers to sjDawn, the}' never go back to tho ocean. Descending to tho soa when a your old they arc full-grown before thoy ii^ ario, ter -I yet inccs, 3 x^ai't ig,for nlmon ;;oluni- lies, or rivciv which ika the servo These scooi)- Lhuitic icthcr Homo ,es, the ler, lot respect rotiraH. erii to ling to they VI' TIIESKEFNA. GT return to the rivers, and they only return to t>pa\vn. Having spawned once they die. This, at least, is the commonly accepted tlieory among those that liave most carefully examined the subject ; but it has not yet been clearly jn'oven that they do not descend to the sea under the ice in winter, though it is manifest, from various experiments and many observations, that they do not return while the rivers are still free from ice. The Indians preserve theii- salmon after they have cleaned them simply by drying them in the sun, and as the curing ground is usually near the beach, quantities of sand are commonly blown over the fish while tliey are being dried. One i-esult of this is that the teeth of the Indians a?'e gi-adually ground down by the sand, whicli has tlius been incor])oraied with their food, ho that you can approximately tell the age of an Indian by "mark of mouth," the teeth of the young being but slightly all'ected, while those of tlie aged liave in some cases disaj)peured altogether, being worn down to the <rums. Occasionally we passed an Indian village on the banks of the river, consisting of a few rude houses made of rougn cedar boards. Attached to some ol these iiouses are small potato patclies, but the amount ol' cultivable soil here is very limited. Each house accommodates two or more families, and in the villages along the Uj)per j»art of the river, as in those of the llaidahs on the (i^u«»*n ('hnrlotte Islands, almost every lu>u>e is adorned by a curiously I ''I 1. s I U'SrI- 'I I 08 3I0UXTATN ASD rUAITtlE. f* 1 I carved door-poist. The figures ingeniously cut upon tlicso door-posts ai-e supposed to be the heraldic bearings of the family — the toicm, as it is sometimes called, which is occasionally tattooed upon the arm or chest of the Indian ; but as heraldry among the Indians is almost as compli- cated as among the nobility of England, it is difficult for the uninitiated to understand all that is intended by these figures. Frogs, bears, beavers, whales, seals, eagles, men, sometimes men tapering otf into fish, like the fabulous merman, are the figures most frequently seen. Several of these may be found on each post, the post being about thirty feet high and two feet in diameter, the carving being executed with remarkable skill, and wonderful ex- pression being thrown into the faces. In some instances the post is large enough to admit of a hole being made through it sufficient to serve as the door- way of the house, and this ojicning is usually, by a quaint conceit, the mouth of one of the carved figures. In man 3^ cases more labour is expended on this post than upon all the rest of the house, and although it often serves a useful pur- pose as part of the dwelling, it is sometimes quite distinct, standing in front of it like a flag-staft'. Not far from any of these villages may be seen the little cemetery, with its carved and painted monuments. Frequently, however, the grave of the Indian is separate from the graves of his kinsmen, and is commonly marked by his canoe and his gun, or in the southern part of the Pro- ^ VT THE SKEEXA, 69 quite In tho Inents. haralo larked. 10 Pro- vince by the liide of his horse, his o^vn remains being enclosed in a rough box, which li Bonietimes hiid upon the ground, and sometimes interred a few feel beneath the surface. Among some of the Skeena Indians the remains of the dead are cremated, tho charred bones and ashes being enclosed in a box which is left in the ground near the outskirts of the village, or sometimes attached to the carved door-posts. This practice of cre- mation, however, is now dying out, being more observed among tho Ilaidahs oi Queen Charlotte Islands than among any others. With them, it is said, the idea prevails that if their enemies should secure the dead body of any one of their tribe, they would make charms which would render them irresistible in battle. They are, therefore, careful to prevent tho possibility of their being conquered by any charms or influences furnished by themselves, or of meeting the fate of tho eagle who has nursed the pinion that impels the shaft now reddened with his life- blood. Among tho Indians of tho Stickino tribe, near the Alaska boundary, tho obsequies have in some instances assumed a more serious aspect. It is enid that on tho occasion of a chief's death among them, not many years ago, twelve slaves were executed in order that they might accompany their master and serve him in the spirit world ; and tho slaves submitted willingly, as they preferred death, with the prospect of continuing in the service of tho old chief, t(^ life with the prtjspect of serving his suo- t if \ V' t I 70 MO UNTA TX- A SD m. I lit IE. 1 t ! 1 C' J tf /' a. 1 l^l'^ 1 ^^ cessor. Where the Indians are becoming Christians, however, the remains of the dead are interred in ordinary graves. Frequently, near the viHages, and sometimes, too, in solitary and sochidcd spots, we j^f^ssed the remains of a "sweating-booth," the Indian's substitute for a vapour- bath. A few bi*anches are fastened together like a hen- coop, giving sjDace for a man to sit and turn round in ; these arc covered with blankets ; stones arc heated and placed inside this enclosure ; the bather, in nature's bathing costume, creeps in, taking with him a can of water, which ho pours upon the stones. If ho has suj^j^lied himselt with a sufficient number of heated stones, and a sufficient quantity of water, or if friends will Bup2:)ly these for him while ho continues his bath, ho may remain there, enjoying the steaming until ho is almost exhausted by the process. The use of the sweating-booth prevails amongst manj of the North American Indians. This and the " pot-latch," or grand feast, at which some generous spend-thrift or some aspirant for the chiefship spends his little all in banqueting his friends, aro the supreme luxuries of an Indian's life. About seventy miles from the sea stands tho little villagG of Kitsumgallum, the highest point over reached by steamer on the Skoona. In ISfiO, tho stern-wheel steamer Mumford came up thus far with su[)plies for those engaged in constructing the tolcgra[)h line which was projected \ i UP THK SKKENA. 71 from the United States, tlirongli British Cohimbia and Alaska, to the nortliern jtarts of Asia. In 1SG5 the AVestcrn Union Telegraph Ojmpany of the United States, probably the most powerful corporation of the kind in the world, commenced explorations with a view towai-ds the construction of an overland telegraph, which, by \\\.y of Bchririg Straits, was to unite the old and new worlds. After the expenditure of three million.-; of dollars, the scheme was abandoned, owing to the success of the Atlantic cable. To construct and maintain this telegraph it was necessary to clear a wide track on cithei' side ol the pro- posed line, which is now known as the " telegraph trail," running from Quesnel by Fort Fraser and the valley of the Watsonquah, neai- the I'^oi'ks of the Skeena, as far north as Fort Stager, some forty miles beyond llazelton. Before the project was abandoned tlie line had lieen com- pleted as far north as Quesnel, and this portion became eventually the property of the Government of British Columbia, and was by them transferred to the Dominion Government ; but beyond Quesnel the only i-emiumt of this expensivo undertaking is the trail which was cut in connection with the work of construction. A little beyond the point where the Mu/iiford was com- pelled to stop, we were able, from a hill some 250 feet in height, to trace, for some distance, a valley whicli encloses Lake Lakclse, to the south of the Skeena, and which loads throuirh from the Skeena to Kitimal, at the head of t 72 MOUNTAIN AND PIIAIUIE. IM "1 u Dougliis Channel, an arm of Gardner Inlet. This pass would connect the waters of the Skeona at this point with the tide-waters of the Pacific, by a much nearer route than that which we had followed ; but the harbour at Kitimat is much inferior to that of Port Simp.son, and its approach from the ocean is more difficult. Indeed, a general depression may be traced in a direction somewhat similar to that of the coast line along the valley of the u])per waters of the Xasse Eivcr, and by the streams and lakes which at Kitsumgallum connect it with the Skeena, thence by the valley just mentioned to Kitimat, on the northern arm of Gardner Inlet, down to the south arm of that inlet, and from that point to the head of Bean Chan- nel, and oven to thefcouthernextremity of Bentinck Arm. This depression is not clearly indicated in the published maps of British Columbia. It cannot properly be called a valley, but if we may suppose the general level of the land to be lowered by, say, 1,500 feet, — and the average level of British Columbia, exclusive of any poi-tion of the Peace Eiver district, is estimated at little short of 3,000 feet above the sea, — there would be traceable among the remaining elevated ridges a valky or chain of valleys in the direction indicated. This depression seems to mark off the mountains between it and the coast as somewhat distinct from those lying to the east of it, which are more properly known as the Cascade Eange. A fuller exami- nation than has yet been made, both geological and ! UP THE SKEi:\A. 13 topographical, would, however, I o required before this dis- tinction could be decidedly drawn between the so-called Coast and Cascade Eanges. At the same time, it may be noticed that in going up the Skcena the highest mountains east of this line have a somewhat different appearance from those west of it, the summits being loftier and more peaked than those nearer the coast. At two places in our ascent of the river it was noces- sary for us to make a portage — first, at the Tsipkeagh Falls, or Eapids, a little above Kitsumgallum, and again at Kitsilas, some miles further on. At Tsipkeagh we required not only to carry our cargo, but also to drag our canoes overland some thirty or foi-ty yards to the calmer water above. The river as it passes over these falls is not more than 500 yards wide, hemmed in by a ledge of rock on either shore^ and with wooded islands in the broad reaches above and below. On the southern ledge, as at the upper end of almost every island that is exposed to the main current of the river, there are huge piles of worn and shattered trees, the accumulated drift of years, borne down by freshets and left stranded by the receding waters. At Kitsilas, when the water is high, a portage of nearly a quarter of a mile is necessary, but in moderate water such as we experienced, the portage can bo taken in two Instalments of twenty or thirty yards each, connected by a bay of the river. Here there is a small Indian village, , i' II Pifl T4 jSioustain and puaiuie. t li III li I ! ! i: 1 aud as \vc ajiproachcd it \vq saw several jicrsons catcliing salmon with scoop-nets. Wo bought three twenty-five pounders, paying seventy-five cents each for them, an exorbitant price, but even here the first of the season sell at fancy figures. Two or three days later, a small piece of tobacco would be sufficient to buy the largest salmon on the Skocna. But jii'ic'cs vary, dc2)ending not so much on the supply or the demand as on the Indian's need of what you offer in exchange, or on the price that he received from his last customer. Unless he hai^pens to want what you offer it makes little difference to him whether lie sells or not, and if any traveller going before you has paid high prices, whether for salmon or for the hire of men o'* of canoes, you need not expect to pay less. On a nameless stream near Kitsilas some gold miners had been prospecting shortly before we passed. They found little more than the " colour " of gold — that is, the small sand-like f)articles which, though of no great value in themselves, indicate the presence of gold, in greater or less quantities, in the rock from which these particles have been washed down. Gold " colour " may bo obtained in almost any river of British Columbia by washing the dark sand to be seen at the upper extremities of the sand- bars, the darkest sand being that of the magnetic iron ore which has been borne down from some of the rocky beds, or sides, of the river. When any quantity of earth 1 rr THE SKEESA. 75 'hey is washed in a pan cxpo.se<l to the current, tliis dark Band, being heavy, sinks to the 1)ott<)m of the pan, and all else can be gradually separated from it, while, if there is any gold dust, it will sink in the washing and be found in the dark sand, where it may bo readily detected. Should this "colour " bv plentiful, it may lead to further exploring, and perhaps to successful mining. No success, however, has hitherto attended the efforts of Tuiners on the Skeena. Above this the river becomes narro"wer, for the most part not more than from 300 to 500 yards in width. The banks are still fringed by flats, but there are fewer islands dotting the surface of the ilvcr, so that the landscape loses, to some degree, the attraction of the rich groves of cotton-wood with which for a few days we had been familiar. Sometimes these flats, or plateaux, which aio several hundred yards in width, and which are hero exiiosed to inundation, are heavily timbered, and their number and extent irtcrease as wo ascend the river, the timber including spruce, homiock, cedar, aspen, and, less frequently, Douglas pine, birch and mountain ash. Nearer the river-banks, where tho soil has probably been cleared of its timber through fire set by tJio Indians in order to secure a larger growth of berries, the flats are usually rich with pea-vine, strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, and with a great variety of wild flowers, puch as the rose, columbine, liiinea, violet, anemone, etc 1 \ I I '\.\ ■t i 7G MoL'STAiy A.\I> I'l! \IRIE. ii % Sonic of thcHO flatH appear well fitted for cultivation. They arc of light loam, covering a sandy soil about two or three feet in dcjith upon a gravel bed, and wherever cultivated, as at the scattered Indian villages along the river side, they yield good crop« of potatoes, nothing elso apparently being attempted. Wc passed through the narrows known as Quotsalix Canon on the afternoon of Wednesday, 18th June. As we approached the canon, our attention was attracted by a glacier which we saw up the course of a tributary stream that (lows in on the north bank. It was too far away, however, to admit of close examination. There are sev- eral scattered houses at this narrow part of the river, and rocky ledges running down to the water's edge give it the character of a cafion, though only on a small scale. Above these, the nearer hills arc, for the most part, rounded, with gentle slopes towards the flats that fringe the river, while the remoter hills are lofty, with rugged, serrated, snow-capped peaks. One of these summits, named Ish- ganisht, which approaches the river bank more closely than the others, is the grandest we saw in our course up the Skeena. It terminates in a cluster of snow^-clad peaks, whose valleys, forming a semi-circle, enclose a glacier. Beyond this are some distinctly marked benches, or ter- races, while, further up, the country appears more open, until on reaching Kitwongah we found a wide stretch on either side, apparently suitable for cultivation. f: vp Tiin >7v'/.7;.v.). 77 Kitwongah, about forty miles above Kitsilas, is a little Indian village containin; about twenty houses, each house representing several families, and distinguished chiefly for its numerous and curiously carved dooi'-posts. Attached to one of these j)osts we saw a rude box, about the size of an ordinary tool-chest, said to contain the cremated remains of an old Indinn, and outside of the village several such boxes may be seen left on the ground and exposed to the weather. From Kitwongah there is a trail running northerly to the Xasse River, which meets one running in from Kitsigeuchlah, and, further on, one running in from Kispy-ox. Near the junction of these trails the Eev. Mr. Tomlinson is establishing a mission connected with the mission at Metlahkatlah. The j)lace is well suited for such a pui-2:>osc, as there is a great deal of traflBc along these trails, and manj- others besides the residents in these localities might thus come under the missionary's influence; while, at the same time, the neighbourhood is said to be better suited for farming than any other locality in this district. Camping on the plateau ojiposito Kitwongah we heard at night, when retiring, a tum-tumming as if on some sort of tambourine, accompanied by a chanting sound, as of the human voice. "We thought that the natives might be having a dance, but on hearing the same sounds next morning, from the time we rose until we left camp, we fancied that even Indian dissipation would not 5 ', ''S l! ! : • H ,i m ■'iij> , ! (■ « v« MOUNT AIS AND PliAIIUK. kceji up such revelry all night. AVe found on euquiiy that it wa.s the work of the medicine-man, who was practising on some sick person according to the usual method of the native tloctors. They do not prescribe any medicine ; they simply rattle sticks upon a small drum, or tambourine, and howl in a most melancholy manner, thinking that by such means they can banish the evil spirit by whom they sup^iose the disease to have been caused. After the medicine-man leaves, some old woman may admin"ster a preparation of herbs, which has pos- sibly a healing effect, but if the patient recovers it is not the nurse, but the medicine-man, who receives the credit, wherea!9 if the j)atient dies the medicine-man is praised for his bravery in attacking so formidable a spirit. In either case it is for him a game in which he may win, but cannot lose, wliile the suH'erer might well pray for death to release him from the torment of such an attendant. The next village reached by us was Kitsigeuchlah. Ai)proaching it we had an exceedingly tough stretch of tracking for a mile and a half, and then crossed the river just below the village where it is about 150 yards wide and where the water is very wild and the current strong, rolling like the sea in a storm. In uich a place a false move on the part of the steersman would speedily send each man struggling with the stream on his own account ; but wo were in tiu- hands of skilful canoemen. Seven years ago Kitsigeuchlah was burnt down, the lire having r \ » UP THE F^KEFXA. 70 on euquiry 11, who was to the usual escribo any sniall drum, >ly manner, ill the evil have been old woman 3h has pos- ers it is not } the credit, 1 is praised spirit. In ay win, but y ibr death lendant. ii^'cuc'hlali. stretch of I tlie river ards wide ent strong, ice a false edily send I account ; II. Seven 1.0 iiavin;*' spread from a mining camp in the neighbourhood at a time when the Indians were away salmon-fishing. They suffered severely for a season through this disaster, but the Government allowed them some S500 damages, and the village has recently been rebuilt. Just bej'ond the village is the river of the same name that flows in from the south, and above its entrance, on both banks of the Skeena, there is a vein of carbonaceous slate, with sand- stone, iron-stone and clay. We found a small quantity of inferior coal cropping out of the surface, but further examination would be requisite to ascertain if there is any large deposit in this vicinity. From Kitwongah to the Forks, on the north side of the river, a distance of about twenty miles, there is an almost continuous stretch of plateau, broken only by occasional ridges, while ajiparcntly a valley runs in a direct lino between these two points, some distance back from the winding valley of the river. The district enclosed between these two valleys, with the exception of a hill rising out of the centre of it, seems to be suit- able for cultivation. Possibly this uitjiei* part of the Skeena may compare favouralily in ]>oint of agricultural resources with some of the restricted cultival>le southern portions of the Province, but as yet there has l)ecn scarcely anything done here by white men in the wa}' of farming, and tlio small potuto-jiatches of the Indians do not suj)ply sufficient data to warrant any decided ojjinion. I i^ 4 fi^^ 80 MO u\ T. i rx A \D ritA in ie. II "Working up the river above Kitsigcuchltih, and passing several rich flats, similar to those we had already seen, "vve reached the Forks of the Skeena on the afternoon of Saturday the 21st June. Tlie village stands at the junction of the vSkcena and "Wat^onquah; hence its name of" the Forks." Its Indian name is Kitunmax ; its more recent name Ilazelton. In front of it flows the strong rapid river ; immediately adjoining it is a stretch of excellent land, which, where cultivated, yields abundant crojis, especially of roots and oats, though as yet no wheat has been tried ; and, where left uncultivated, the land is covered by luxuriant herbage. In rear of the village, and surrounding this rich, flat, low land, as well as on the opposite, or northern, bank of the river, there arc plateaux of light soil partly wooded, which give every promise of good returns if cultivated; and in the distance in several directions, beyond the lower wooded hills, there are snow-clad j^eaks and ranges. At a little distance back from the village stands a cluster of peaks which the Indians cnll Nilkiawdah, known commonly by the name Eochc-Debould, a name which more correctly belongs to a broken mass of rock at its base, in the canon of the Watsonquah. It is the most striking feature of the surrounding landscape, standing 5,955 feet above the level of the village, that ip, about fi,000 feet above the level of the sea. The population of the village consists of about 250 ', \ UP THE SKEEXA. 81 individuals, with tliree white families, the only whites found on the river with the exce])tion of one family at Port Essington. The Indians here consider themselves quite distinct from the Coast Indians ; indeed, each village along the river is the centre, if not of a separate tribe, at least of a separate division of a tribe, sufficiently important to regard itself as distinct from others, with tribal rights on land and water. It is not easy to ascertain with any accuracy the population along the valley of the river, but it may aj^proximately be set down at about two thousand, including in that number some settlements adjacent to the Skcena. For a time the " Forks " was looked on as a promising village, it being the jioint from which a large proportion of the supplies was portaged to the mining district of Omenica, 200 miles east of this. Had the mints turned out as well as was nt first expected, the jiromised growth and importai.ce of the village might have l)een realised, but as the Cassiar gold-fiekls drew away the miners, the glory departed from Omenica, and though there arc still some fifty white men, and a smaller number of Chinamen there, yet they are meeting with so little success that the mines will probably ere long bo abandoned. The Indians here live i low houses, several families in one dwelling, most of them, like the m.'ijority of those on the Skoena, being still Pagan, though an increasing number arc Christians. There was for a time a teacher 7 m iH . •' i' I !' i< « 82 MOUSTAIX AXD VUAUilE. I'l I , 1 among them nominally Christian, iXnd during Ijis resi- dence here many professed Christianity; but the teacher abandoned his work, became careless, left for the mines, and thei'cupon many of the Indians went back to their old ways, and the Chief l)Joughl his Bible to one of the white residents, saying that ho did not want it any longer if it taught men to act as the teacher had done. If a mission station l)e established, as pi'oposed, some- where in this vicinity, it is to be hoped that the success which has placed Mothihkatlah foremost among the mis- sions to the Indians of JTorth America, may be relocated among the Indian^ of the interior. It is manifestly necessary not only to instruct these men in the truths of rhristianit}'', but to train them in trades, in agriculture, and in habits of settled industry. For the most part they are peaceable and well disposed; although they arc apt to take advantage of an employer if they tind him at all in their power, — perhaps to desert him in an emergency if he will not accede to their demands. The Achwilgates, for instance, on the Watsonquah, sometimes ask exorbitant charges for the privilege of crossing the river, giving the use of their canoes as an excuse for levying heavy toll; and thoir neighbours, the Kispyox Indians, imposed such tolls on those passing through their territory as to stop for a time the cattle traffic which had been carried on extenoiv^ely for some years, by drovers taking cattle from tlio Frj,mer River District, by Avay of Watsonquah and t 11 IT THE SKEEKA. 83 the Upper Skecna, .v^ the mines of Cussiar. Phybically these Indians of the interior are as active as tlie Coast Indians, not apparently as strong, yet capable of carry- ing heavier burdens. Mentally they seem cjuite equal to them, and it may reasonablj' bo hoped thai, if similar jH'ivileges of instruction be given them, they may soon equal the Indians of Mctlahkatlah in industry and in general good conduct. The climate of the Skeena valley is by no means as pleasant as that of the southern part of the Province, though much better than its latitude and the physical characteristics of the country might lead one to expect. During our course from Port Essington to the Forks, — that is, from the *7th until the 21st June, — we had most enjoyable weather ; on four days we had slight rain; for the remainder, though the aky was frequently overcast, the weather was fine. The proportion of rain diminishes towards the interior, and the snow-fall, which in some seasons is seven or eight feet near the coast, docs not exceed three feet at the Forks. Horses have been win- tered out here, though it was necessary to shovel away a quantity of snow in order that they might be able to feed on the grass beneath. The cold of winter is severe, the thermometer falling frequently to 30° below zero for several consecutive days, and sometimes as low as 45°, while it rises in summer to 90° in the shade, and sometimes higher, a variation very much greater than If I ii *'l .1 [f ■ ill ;■ ) it 1 81 MOUNTAIN A^SD rHATRIE. that of the Houthern part of the Province. At the same time the climate of the Forks is said by the white resi- dents to be very healthy, and the number of thriving children to be met with seems to confirm this. The most frequent complaint is ophthalmia, which i:»rovails in almost every Indian village, caused no doubt, or, at any rate, increased, by the smoke of the camjD-fire and of their houses. After our tents had been pitched, near the river's edge, a large proportion of the inhabitants came to inspect our premises, watching with special curiosity the labours of the cook, as if they all expected an invitation to a grand pot-latch. Among our visitors were some women who wore a kind of lip ornament, which used to be much more common among them than it now is. It consists of a piece of wood passed through the lower lip. At first the hole is made m the lip with a needle, and a propor- tionately small piece of wood, about half an inch in length, is inserted and left there. Gradually this hole is made larger, and, while the length of the "ornament" remains about the pame, its diameter is increased, the desire ot the wearer being apparently to make it «as large as poetuble. Others of our visitors had adorned them- selves with nose-rings, a favourite ornament with savages. One of our party, who had been a great deal among the Indians of British Columbia, showed a looking-glass, on one occasion, to some young women who had adorned IP TllF SKEEXA. 85 thcms'^\'es with nose-rings. Apparently, though familiar with the sight of nose-rings on each other, none of them realized until then what they looked like on themselves, and the effect of this disclosure was that very soon after- wards they appeared without thom. These intended ornaments are, as may be imagined, a serious disfigure- ment, though, as with some absurd decorations worn by their civilized sisters, the Indians usually regard them as things of beauty. Among others who came to interview us was the son of the chief of the Ach wilgato tribe. He was not dressed in the traditional picturesque attire of an Indian chief; one sees little of that phase of Indian life outside of Cooper's novels ; nor had ho come to question our right of way through the country. lie was anxious simply to hire as one of those who should " pack " for us — that is, carry our im2)cdimenta, consisting of tents, blankets, baggage, provisions, etc., across to Lake Babine. We left the management, however, of this, as of most details of a similar nature, to our excellent foreman, McNeill, who had long been fi.miliar with the Indians of this part of tlie Province, and who had spent two years at Fort Stager, some distance north of this, in charge of the supplies left there by the Western Union Telegraph Company before they finidly abandoned their project of a great overland line between America ar-i Europe. Wo spent a Sunday at the Forks, and had service in i- !, , k ,\ 1 1 '1 ' ,( H 86 MOUNT A rs Axn rn.irniE. the school-hoiisc with some of tlic villagers, as well as with our own crews. Throughout the day we wore more troubled with mosquitoes than during any other part of our journey. It is a common belief among the people of Victoria that there are no mosquitoes in the Province. We found them, however, as active and powerful as we had ever known them in Ontario. If, as is said, it is the female mosquito that stings, this is the only instance in which there appears to l>e a superabundance of female labour in British Columbia. ,i; ; ^. 1. rHAPTP:R IV. FORKS OF SKEENA TO LAKE llAT^TXE. Our Packers. — Tho Trail. — Up the ^Susqua. — Coal. — Women Packing and Nursing. — Skilokiss Susi^unsion Bridge. — The Ooatzauli. — The Nataltsul. ^Cascade Pvange compared with Swiss Alps. — Indian Legends. — Taim-Shin. — Scone on the Summit. — Approach Lake Baliine. — Engago Crews. — Offended Chief. — Babine Indians. — Neighbourhood of Lake On the 23rd June we loft the Forks for Lake Biibine. Early that morning we paid off our crews, and saw them .start for home. They would go down in two and a-half days the distance that it had taken us thirteen working days to ascend. We had found them capital fellows, — active, industrious and thoroughly reliable. We gave them a cheer as they left, which was heartily returned by them, and we then began acquainting ourselves with our new hands. We req^uircd a considerable number to portage our stores, etc., across to Babine, for althougli the trail is sufficiently good for mules, yet there was (m\y one mule in the village. Having collected those who had engaged to go, it was no easy matter to apportion their paclvs, as each one }n i<\ ]' H M 8B MOVSTAIN ASD ritATIiTE. <: ;»l II M Hccinod to think lie liad tlie heaviest, and to regard' himself as the most ill-used labourer in the company. Among our packers was the Aclnvilgato prince, as wc called him, — the son and heir-apparent of the chief of the tribe, — with his wife, who, like many of the native women of the district, can carry a very heavy pack without a murmur, and whom none of us was gallant enough to relieve of her burden. We had also the medicine-man, a strapping, sinewy fellow, with his wife, and a number of others. Nowadays each of the Indians of this neighbourhood restricts himself to the possession of one wife, but formerly polygamy was com- mon among them ; yet with them, as with the Mormons and Turks, the number of their wives depended pretty much upon their wealth. If a man was able to support more than one, his ideas of 2)ropi'icty did not jjrevent him from having several dear ones ; but, as a rule, his means were not sufficient to meet such increase of re- sponsibilities. Polygamy seems to have been more common among the Coast Indians, who, from the varied and abundant suj^ply of fish at their doo" ', were more amply furnished with the means of supporting a family than the less favoured tribes of the interior. The trail which we followed is a portion of the route which leads from the Skeena, by Babine, the Frying-pan Pass and Lake Tatla, to the Omenica district, 200 miles from the Forks ; and, as the only rival route to Omenica rOUh'S OFSKEENA TO LAKE liAIllXE. 89 from the coast is tlie more cxjicnsive one of the waggon road along the Fniscr Eiver, and the trail from Quesncl, this trail from the Skccna has been for somo years the highway for a good deal of traffic. Following it we ascended at once to the plateau iti rear of the village, from which we had extensive views of the surrounding country, and specially fine views of the Eoche-debouk'. About two and a half miles from the Forks we struck the old telegraph trail which runs through the valley of the "Watsonquah to Fort Stager, about forty miles beyond this, and after following it for a mile we turned up the vailey of the Susquah, a tributary of the "Watsonquah, 2)assing over low rolling hills that are separated by narrow valleys, the channels of wild and precipitous Htrcams. On the banks of one of these streams we found a vein of carbonaceous shale, in which a small quantity of true coal could be detected, — another indication of the jwssibility of finding coal measures in this jjart of the country. Here and there we saw small patches that might be cultivated, and the liill slopes, where clear of timber, abound in pea-vine and wild grass, which afford excellent pasture. The valley of the Susquah, however, is not as rich as the valley of the Watsonquah. There the grass is particularly good, but with the exception of that, and of the land around the Forks, there seems to be very little throughout this district that is fit for cultiva- tion, while even of this one cannot speak with much con- I I in V:' "^^ '. i i M ' no MOUNTAIN AND 1 •HAITI IE. ridoiicc on account of the limited efforts hitherto made in farming, and the probable climatic difficultios. The wood with which hill and valley are timbered is chiefly poplar and .small-sized Hpriicc. We pitched camp about six miles from the Forks, after half a day's march, it being slow work for the packers, each with his burden of at least 100 lbs. Ono of our packers was the ownier of the only mule kept at the Forks, so he took the mule to carry his burden, while he himself walked at ease like a gentleman, the object of general envy. Some of the other packers used their dogs to assist them, the dog trotting along gaily with his balanced burden on either side. Their day's work did not prevent these dogs from bai-king as vigorously as two others, idler and more indulged, that accom2)anied. us, and judging by the muzzles that were put on them before the provision boxes were opened, their reputation for honesty was of a low order. Most of the men who packed for us belong to the Achwil- gate tribe, and are accustomed to attend the services of the Roman Catholic Mission which has for some time been established among them. It was gratifying to notice that they had prayers each evening, one of their own number leading their service. It is surprising how these men pack as well as they do, and more surprising how their wives endure such toil. They do not look very robust, though they must be sinewy to stand it at all. \ t FORK;< OF .-iKKEXA To LAKE IIAHISE. 91 Some of them were wvW up in years, having been long accustomed to buch labour j and it is fjuite common to boo an Indian woman carry her young child on the toj^ of a heavy pack,, while, after climbing a hill that prostrates others for a Tittle with fatigue, the first thing she may have to do is to nurse her infant. Indeed they require to nurse their children much longer than is necessary in civilized communities on account of the scarcity of suitable food for the 3'oung, their chief article of diet being dried salmon. Their capacity for carrying heavy bui'dens lies in their ability to preserve an accurate balance rather than in any great muscular strength. The pack rests on the back, chiefly between the shoul- ders, supporlf.'d by a tump-lino v.'hich passes in a broad band across the forehead, and secured by the ends of the line beiniir tied across the chest. Sometimes the packer may have difficulty in raising his pack, or rather in raising himself with his pack from the sitting posture in which it is fastened on, but once erect he moves oflP nimbly with it. His ability for this kind of work is developed from childhood, for even the little ones are trained to carry some of the family goods and chattels almost as soon as they can walk by themselves. Although the walk was tiresome to the burden-bearers, to us it was very enjo3''able, our only discomfort being caused by occasional rain, when one was forced to recog- nize the strides that civilization has made in mastering rw i» 1, ^2 MOUNTAIN AND I'RAIEIE. '. I It it 'i M the difficulties which climate and tcm2)erature may cast across the path of the traveller. Foot-travel, buck-board, covered coach, and railway-car mark stages of progress in the conquest of such difficulties. On our second day from the Forks our cook, a Lillooet Indian from the Lower Fraser, who had been with us all the way from Port Essington, returned to the Forks, partly in order to join another party there, but partly also because he felt somewhat afraid to accompany us further with the prospect of returning alone among the Kisi:)yox Indians, through wliose territory we were travelling; for there is still among the Indians of one tribe a lingering jealousy, if not a positive enmity, towards those of another, often preventing them, unless wl'cn under the protection of white men, from crossing into each other's teri-itory. In view of the necessity of his leaving us we had secured another at the Forks, a good-humoured, active fellow ; and indeed he required to be active, for he had a large family to cook for, as the Indians received food from us in addition to wages, and they are as capable as most men for discharging the duties of the table. About seventeen miles from tlie Forks we crossed the Skilokiss by an Indian Mispension bridge ingeniously matle. Four large cotton-wood trees had been felled and trimmed, two on each side of the stream. These projected from the banks until they mot and overlapped. FORKS OFSKEENA TO LAKE DAnTXE. 93 Tlioy were then lashed together midway across tho stream, the lower portions, lying on the bank, having been heavily weighted with logs and stones to prevent tho bridge from sagging ; a rail and platform were added, and the whole structure completed without a nail or s]Mke, tho fastenings being of roots and of tough inner bark. This is a common Indian method of constructing bridges, although sometimes the trees that form the main sup- ports instead of being placed level are set at an angle from the banks so as to form an arch from which girders are suspended that serve as supports for a level ])latform. After following for some distance the valley of tho Susquah the trail leads up the valley of a tributary stream, tho Ooatzanli, running along the face of a low range of hills. Ascending we found that the views, looking westwards along tho course we had traversed, grew more and more attractive. On the opposite sido of the river stands the Nataltsul, a cluster of peaks, tlio loftiest of which cannot be less than seven or eight thousand feet in height, enclosing a small ghicior in a shell-shaped valley that receives the snow and rivulets from their scarped and rugged sides. From this westward there is a range of snow-cr.pped peaks and serrated ridges along tlie line of the Sus(|uah, while the view is closed by the Roche-deboulo tiiat stands massive, compact, well-defined, the sentinel of tho Skecna. Sometimes tho scenery becomes almost Alpine ; i U f^' I '5 !) 94 MOUNTAIN AXD TRAIRIE. H;. w ,!f *<■ i in cliaractor, ullhougli it has not the sustained grandeur of the heights oi' Switzerlaml. Anyone who has looked from the liighi-Jvuhn, nj»on tlie cloud-raked, snow-capped summits ot the Obcrland Alps, or from the Gorner-Grat on the Matterhorn, Monte Eosa, and other peaks that encircle Zermatt, will seek in vain for similar effects among our Canadian Alps. And yet it is not so much great height that they lack, for beyond a certain point the eye does not readily detect additional height ; and, besides, tlic contour and surroundings of a mountain may be such as to maice it more impressive than some loftier summit, as the Matterhorn is more impressive than Mont Blanc. They seem to lose in comparison with their European rivals rather in the distance that divido;i their loftier peaks and clusters, for these are not massed as closely as are the heights oi' Switzerland. As you look upon them you think that you can grasp their details, and this impression weakens their effect upon you. They lose still more in this comjiarison, b;,' the fact that tho low ranges of intervening hills are commonly covered by burnt and branchless trees — rampikes, as they are called, — which have, in part, been strewn by the wind, but which, for the mo>t pari, stand, weathering the storm, blackened by the flames, or else bleached by sun and rain, a picture of desolation without sublimity, and of barrenness without lolief Eucli day's nuirch usually began for us about 8.30 a.m., FORKS OF SKEEXA TO LAKE liAETXE. 95 .111., our pack-train having started an hour earlier. To us the walk, or rather the leisurely stroll, was very enjoy- able, as it did not need much exertion for us to keep up with our pack-bcarors, who rcquii-ed the relief of a fi*e- quent halt, and we would gain nothing by going away in advance of tents and proviwions. Indeed our daily walk was little over ten miles, broken by numerous stop- pages to sketch, botanize, geologize, philosophize, and get-up-to-our-eyes in admiration of the valley that was gradually stretching behind us. "While thus enjoying the scenery one could not help speculating as to the possible thoughts that might flit through the minds of our Indian fellow-travellers, mai'ch- ing over the country of their fathers with the burdens of the white man. The scientist sees everywhere some- thing to remind liim of the laws of nature, and of pre- hist )ric changes on the surface of the earth ; — the pietist may pass through the study of these same laws to Ilim who first appointed them; — the poet can find, even in the meanest flower that blows, " tlroughts that do often Ho too deep for tears." Is the Indian never awakened to reflection by the hills and streams and forests, or is he thinking only of the weight of his j^ack, and of the supper in store for him when the burden of the day shall drop from his weary shoulders? lie knows littlo about the laws of nature, little at least that would servo liim in a comj^otitive examination, that favorite modern test ii# .*( p< I I t !! t' .1 I I I ,1 mi i ^f 96 MOUXTATy ASD PR Al It IK. of knowledge, although he may know much that might enable him, in certain cases, to distance his examiners. His poetry and his religion are of a vague, indefinite character, not easily ascertained except where he has received the teaching of the white man. And yet he retains some of the traditional beliefs of his forefathers, which he may possibly tell you if your acquaintance with him is sufficiently long and intimate. You may get from liim, for instance, some of the legends about Taim-Shin. lie may tell you how this supernatural being made the branches of the spruce trees. Taim-Shin can assume what disguise he chooses. On one occasion he a2)pearcd as a little boy, in the hut of an old woman, and asked her to let him eat and rest. She gave him food and shelter on condition that he would not look at what she did. His curiosity was awakened by this demand, and, though he pretended to be asleep, he watched her. When she thought herself unobserved she went out to a little spring not far from her hut, walked around it once or twice, crooning an old song. Then, from the clear water of the spring there arose, in the form of win' to strips or ribbons, something that she ate with evident relish. Shu did this several times, each time securing a new supply of food, and then returned, to her hut. Taim-Shin had followed her unseen, and when she was returning homewai-d he ran ahead of her, and lay down, so that when she came in she thought that FORKS OF SKEENA TO LAKE B A BINE. 97 his sleep had been unbroken. Then she slept, and ho went out to the spring. He tried to repeat her incanta- tions, and in response, the white substance rose from the water, but when he attempted to eat it he found it hard as wood. Again and a;- dn he tried, but with the same result. Then, seizing some of the white strips, he flung them in his disappointment at a spruce tree, — which, like all spruce trees uj) to that time, had been as bare of twig or foliage as a hewn log, — saying that thcv were fit only for the woods. The ribbons hung on tlu i.ees and became branches, and, ever since, the spruce tree has ])een as it is now. If a thunder-shower is passing the Indian's thoughts may turn to the thunder-bird, the belief in which appears to be common to all the Indians of the northern pai-t of the Province, especially to the coast tribes. The general idea seems to be that there is a supernatural being resid- ing among the mountains who sometimes sallies forth in search of food, covering himself with wings and feathers as one puts on a roat. His body is so large that it darkens the heavens, and the rustling of his wings jn'O- duces thunder. Sometimes he seizes small fish, as an eagle would, by suddenly darting down to the sea, then ho hides them under his feathers, and, in catching a whale, he darts one of these ca2)tured fish down with great velocity, and thus ]>r()duces the lightning. If he hears the dismal cry of the loon, he has for that ^■■■ i ^ "^ i f 98 MOUNTAIX AXD VRMIili:. 11 iilso a legend. The .story is that two Indians wore out fishing; tlie success of one j^i'ovoked the jealousy of the other to such a degreg that the unsuccessful fisherman stunned his companion, stole his fish, and then cut out his tongue, that he might tell no tales. In answer to any questions the mutilated man could only give a low wail. The supernatural being who is concerned in human aff'airs, known by some of the coast Indians as Quawteaht, and by others as Taim-Shhi, changed the injured man into a loon, his assailant being changed into a crow ; and hence the dreary cry of the loon, as if it were the wail of the tongueless.* Perhaps some legends like these, wdiich are common ani'jng the Indians, may flit through their minds as they traverse the woods and the hill sides. It is questionable whether, apart from their Christian teaching, they had any higher conception of a Supreme Being than that which these legends illustrate, although, as their burial rites and customs prove, they have always had a strong belief in a future life. They have also a strong belief in ghosts, and especially in the deep interest taken by departed friends, such as husband or wife, in the aff'airs of those left behind. But it is really diificult to ascer- tain, with any clearness or accuracy, the ideas of the • For this legend I am indebted to Mr. G. M. Sproat'fi interesting book, '' Scenes and Studies of Savage Life.' There seem to bo seve- ral versions of the legend of the thunder-bird. FOnKS OFSKEENA TO LAKE BATtlNE. 99 ^■\ Indians in rc<^ard to the .supernatural, partly because their conceptions on these subjects arc at best vaguo and shadowy, and partly because they are very reticent in speaking about them to those outaido of their own tribe. Moving along the trail at much the same pace with ourselves was another pack-train, consisting apjmrently of two native families on their way to trade with some of the Indians of the interior in dulse and other commo- dities of the coast, which they might exchange either for money or for furs. Money is much more current now among the Indians here than it was some years ago, numbers of them having earned considerable sums by packing sui^plies lor the miners and othera to Omenica, so that .low, whatever they are being paid for, whether labour, furs or other marketable commodity, they gener- ally like to receive their pay in coin. Frequently we met parties of Indians on their return trip, and observed that moat of the women had their faces smeared with black grease, as a precaution against mosquitoes and black-flies, perhaps alsc as a beautifying cosmetic. Whatever its value for defensive jjurposes, it was not a success aa an ornament j but the mosquitoes and black-flies along aome parts of this trail were trouble- some enough to justify almost any expedient that might render them harmless. Wo did not reach the summit between the Skoena and ( t: «t 'I Ottavien9\9. m , 100 MOUNTAIN AND PRAIRIE. I r ''i*< Babine, until the afternoon of Thursday, the 20th. On the way we observed a profusion of wild flowers, — lupin, violet, forget-me-not, etc. — and on the opposite side of the Ooatzanli we saw some small grassy meadows. The highest point crossed by the trail is about 4,500 feet above sea-level, or 3,850 feet above the Forks. But about 750 feet below this there is a small lake from which flow the waters of the Ooatzanli westwards, and also those of a small stream that flows eastwards into Lake Babine; the level of this lake, which is about 3,100 feet above the Forks, and about 1,550 feet above Lake Babine, is the lowest altitude of the pass. Each evening after camp had been pitched and the vigorous appetite of the whole party had been appeased, the scene was usually one of life and animation for a little while; and it was esj^ccially so on the evening on which we reached the summit, as our up-hill tramp of forty miles from the Forks was over, and from that point to Babine, a distance of about ten miles, was all down grade ; so that on this evening in particular all seemed in good humour. If any member of our party happened to take an observation with a sextant, or if some were comparing tneir aneroids, the men would crowd around as if hung-cring and thirsting after know- ledge ; and, although accustomed to conceal their feelings, they could not help expressing their surprise when any explanation was given of the use of the instruments. One FORKS OF SKEENA TO LAKE B A DINE. 101 of the men, Yesseii, who continued in our employ as far as Dun vegan, succeeded bo "vvell in noting w'th accuracy the readings of the aneroid, that he was frequently after- wards spokeipof as " the astronomer." In addition to the pursuit of knowledge, the men employed the leisure of the evening in drying their clothes, which had been drenched with perspiration, and cooling themselves off after their day's work. The cooling process was con- ducted in much the same way as it is with a race-horse when bridle and saddle are taken oft, and a blanket is thrown over him. Commonly the Indian has no change of suit, but he has a blanket, and that serves the same purpose. At these evening halts there was usually some repairing to be done ; moccasins required mending ; rents had been made in nether garments ; some of the packs had caused blisters, so that even backs required repairs; while, if there was nothing else to attract atten- tion, all could find an unfailing source of interest, if not of information, in watching the cook baking bread for the next day's use. Gradually, however, these details are completed ; the long northern twilight and a com- fortable camp fire tempt one to linger yet awhile under the clear sky, but the blankets spread on the spruce boughs have strong attractions after a day in the open air. The Christian Indians have had prayers, conducted by one of themselves in their o^\'n language, for they have no knowledge of ours. We too have joined in a m if Sfi ' m I It •? i I i l! I '1 1' 102 MOUNTAIN AND PIlAIIilE. \li ' i ' if, ilr (1 all are Bleeping as soundly aa similar service ; and soon all are if death reigned in the camp. Having spent a night at the summit wo left next morning with the prospect of an easy forenoon's work ; and after the dogs had ended their morning fight, — in which they usually indulged in the interval between the removal of their muzzles and the adjustment of their packs, — our train started down-hill to Lake Eabine. Our cook, Charley, whom we had hired at the Forks, a jovial fat fellow, was the last of the train to leave. The morn- ing start had each day been for him a busy time, as he felt himself possessed of a petty brief authority, which he was careful to exercise to the utmost, and he fairly bristled with business until all were on the move. The personal habits of an Indian cook are not su^h as to pre- possess one in favour of his cooking, but fresh air and hunger destroy many scruples, and we were in hopes that Charley might have a bath at Lake Babine, even thoiigh it could have no retroactive influence. "We were struck with the absence of life on the hills that we had been traversing; with the exception of insect life, which was painfully abundant, a few small birds "nd an occasional partridge were the-only creat- ures that disturbed the otherwise unbroken silence, though later on in the season bears or cariboo might be found here. It may be, however, that game is more fre- quently found in this vicinity than our own experience FORKS OFSKEENA TO LAKE BABINE 103 ■would lead us to suppose; and it is manifest from the frequent remains of old camp fires that the trail is often travelled. Soon after leaving the summit we caught, througli the burnt timber, glimpses of Lake Babine stretching away below us, for the one redeeming feature of ram- pikes is that you can see further through them than through leafy woods. Near the end of the hill wo crossed a stream which flows into Lake Babine from the little lake that at its western extremity supplies the Ooatzanli, and on the bank of this stream we found some coal. From this stream to the edge of the lake there is a meadow more than half a mile in length, slightly wooded with groves of poplar and spruce, and rich with wild hay, vetches, etc. If the climate permitted, a good farm or at least good grazing-land might be made of this meadow, but as we had frost two nights between the Skeena and Lake Babine, it would seem that the climate is too severe for farming, while the long winter, during which cattle would require to be housed and fed, would render stock-raising unprofitable. Nearing the lake, on the afternoon of the 27th, we heard from the little Indian village at the head of it the barking of dogs, a sound frequent in every Indian village, but notoriously frequent here. Babine has quite a repu- tation in this respect. We know the locality by sound^ before we could detect it by sight. Ask any Skeena In- I ^ I I •Mill 104 MOVNTAm AND riiAIIilE. diau for information about Babine, and the first item he will mention, the one of which he feels absolutely certain, is — "Many dogs there!" We had no desire to visit the village, which is situated near the lower end of the lake on its eastern bank, and preferred camping on the western side, si*^ the village and its inhabitants are such as to remind one of the answer given by a British resident in India, when asked for information regarding the manners and customs of the people around him: — ''Manners none, customs nasty." Before our tents were pitched, howevei, we had a host of visitors from the village, and among others the chief, whom we unfortunately failed to recognize. The curiosity of each of them seemed limitless. They would stand or sit at the door of each tent in turns, scrutinizing the proprietor and his baggage, and watching all his move- ments. Even a heavy thunder-shower that swept over us failed to damp the ardour of their investigations. Having paid off the men that came with us from the Skeena with the exception of l'^'^, Yessen and Jim, who had proved themselves specially useful, we proceeded to engage others to accompany us up the lake, and across from Babine to Stewart Lake. Babine Lake discharges its watertj into the Skeena by Babine River, which is seventy miles in length, flowing for the most part between precipitous banks, with an elevated plateau along the southern side, and joining the Skeena near Fort Stager. i FURKS OFt<KFF\A TO LAKE DA DINE. 105 Tho lower end of the Lake and Bubine Eiver abound in salmon : indeed tho fisficiy hero is known as one of tho best in tho northern part of the Province. Tho work of engaging crows to take us to tho upper end of tho lake, and to pack for us across the eight milo portage that connects Lake Babinc with Lako Stewart, was not as easy as we had at first expected. Tho chief, whose dignity may have been offended by our failure to recognize him, but whose appearance was a valid excuse for our oversight, had returned to tho village, while we deferentially smiled at and nodded to one of his men, who wore a coat of many buttons. "VVe soon discovered that we had been bowing to the wrong man, for, when we tried to make terms for two crews and their canoes, we found that tho chief had issued an edict that none were to go with us e?;cept at an exorbitant figure on which he had decided. To accede to his terms would not only be a serious matter for ourselves, but it would also be a serious matter for a surveying party that was expected soon to visit this lake, as well as for any subse- quent visitors, for the prices we paid would regulate the price for the rest of the season. Eather therefore than agree to their demand we would make canoes, paddle down the lake twenty-five miles to the II. B. Company's post at Fort Babine, and try to secure men there. How- ever, before deciding on our further course, wo determi nod to interview the chief. A deputation wont over to the tit 'I 106 MOUXTAIX AND mATRIE. i lit i; I • « Si ^ t m i i; • I V i village, and ventured through the accumulation of nick- ening odours to his house, where he received them with the dignity of one who feels that his rights have been overlooked and that now his turn has come ; but by a little gentleness and flattery, applied through the aid of a friendly interpreter, and by the offer of a special rate for the use of his own canoe, the chief was soon brought to terms, an! icable relations were resumed, and the utmost cordiality marked the rest of our intercourse with him. Later on in the evening he paid us a second visit, told us that he had been sick, and, with child-like confidence, put himself into our hands for treatment. A consulta- tion was held, medical stores were examined, and a lib- eral allowance of pills, accompanied with some tobacco, was dealt out to him, it is to be hoj^ed with good effect. The Indians very frequently ask travellers for medicine, and seem grateful for the smallest favours in this line, so far as any of them will allow themselves to show their gratitude. When mention is made of the chief of an Indian tribe it must not be -lupposed that the chiof is by any means the influential j)erson that the ordinary imagination pictures, lie has not the absolute authority with which ho is credit- ed. Indeed ho lias very little Jiuthority; his proposals are loyally followed by tho men when approved by them, as was the case when tho Babinc villagers were told to insist U])(>n our paying them an exorbitant rate, but they ai'O iiti I.f5 i J . \ FORKS OFfiKKESA TO LAKF. 7!AitTSR 107 aro rigidly ignored wlicii not in harmony with thoir own wishes. Sometimes to Englissh, and even to Canadian cars, it sounds well when a settler reports his marriage to the daughter of an Indian chief. A young English- man, well-connected at home, who has been for some years a resident in the wilds of British Columhia, wrote to his friends that he had foi'med such an alliance. His mother, thinking that his marriage was somewhat simi- lar to that of Smith with the daughter of Pocahontas, and regarding her daughter-in-law as a native princess, sent out to her a beautiful satin dress as a wedding present. The poor squaw could hardly understand its use, and had no conception of its value. A pair of blankets would really have boon a more appropriate gift. The Indians of Eabine, though nominally Christian, have the poorest reputation for honesty of any ol' the British Columbian tribes. It is a cardinal article of an Indian's creed and practice not to tamper with anything entrusted to his care. Such a charge he considers sacred; but, in regard to this doctrine, the chief of the Babines and some of his men have, on more than one occasion, been guilty of heresy, having taken serious li-berties with provisions of which they had somewhat imprudently been appointed guardians ; and, in their general dealingn with us, they wore more ready to prove exorbitant, way- ward, and unreliable than any others whopi we employed. The II. B. C(»mpany's agent at Fort Babinc says of them, m 11 '1 108 MOL'NTAIS AND PRAIDIE. that " they won't take what they can't reach, but that they can reach very far;" while they seem idle enough to realize the miner's description of an indolent acquaint- ance, who "had been orn tired, and was unable to do any work between meals." Some years ago, before the present Eoman Catholic Mission was established here, after the brief visit of a Cliristian Brother to the village, one of the Babino Indians constituted himself priest for the tribe, manu- factured his own vestments, baptised the people, pretend- ed to receive revelations from heaven, and acquired for a time great influence over the others. lie used to feign that ho was dead, and that he came to life again, saying that during the interval he liad passed into the spirit world. After one such experience, ho said he had been at the gate of heaven, and being asked why he did not go in, he rc2)lied, that St. Peter, of whom he had heard the Christian Brother speak, was away at the salmon- fishing, and that the gate watj shut. At another time ho declared that he had been dead, and had passed right into heaven, but had come back to teacli tno tribe. They asked him what heaven was like : *< Oh very like one of the Company's Forts," he said, " and the men were launch- ing tho boats to go and set their nets." Even after the old chief had relaxed his terms, we found some difficulty in getting trustworthy crews. One man, Jacimo, who had been previously out with a party FORES OFSEEEKA TO LAEE liABJSE. 109 of surveyors, was anxious to go with us in any capacity. He told us he had been through the Peace and Pine River country, and as we were going in that direction, we agreed to take liim. lie then thought himself indis- pensable, and so at once demanded that his pay should be increased, and his work diminished. " Well, what can you do? Cook?" "No." " Cut trail?" '' No;" he " was not good with an axe." '' Pack ?" " No;" he had " hurt his back some time ago and it was not quite well.^' " Paddle ?" " No ;" his back was too " stiff for paddling." Apparently Jacimo wished to go as "guide, philosopher and friend," but as we did not require him in that capacity, we allowed him to remain. Then he would have come gladly at any wages, but of course had we taken him he would have been ready to desert us, or to demand exorbitant wagcB, on the first emergency. Even after our crews had been secured wo were delayed for a day by strong wind, which made the lake so rough aa to be unsafe for the cotton-wood canoes. These canoes, or dug-outs, are much narrower than the cedar canoes of the coast, or the birch-bark canoes of tlie cast. They look like elongated horse-troughs pointed at each end ; yet they are very much safer and swifter than their ap- pearance would lead one to suppose. They are made m the same manner as the cedar canoes which we had used coming up the Skeena, but witli much less taste, and on account of the small mzc of the cotton-wood as compared I \ |ti i ' * '< 110 MOUXTAIX A\D PltAllilE. i with the cedar, they are very much smaller than the coant canoes. A day'w detention in the midst of Babine Indians is not pleasant, but in travelling through a country where facili- ties of conveyance are still of the most primitive charac- ter, one is exposed to delays and disappointments. We had to accejDt this detention with all available grace as one of the enforced pauHCs of life, and utilized our delay to examine some parts of thO neighbourhood. Near the village st: s t^ trail to Lake Tatla, which leads over low rolling lills eastward, by the Frying Pan, or Firepan Pass, through snow-clad ranges, towards Omenlca, 150 miles from Babine. Following tnis trail for a, short dis- 1 ance as it gently ascends a low ridge that skirts the Lake, we had an extensive view of the country east and west,-^ of the Cascade Range through which we had come, and of lofty 8now-caj)poil peaks and ranges that lie between thla and the Omenica district. But although, both cast and west, there are high mountains in the distance, the nearer country is gently rolling, and seems as if it might be easily traversed in almost any direction. This district, like many other parts of British Columbia, was almost unknown, except to Indians and H. B. Com- pany's ofTicials, until it was explored by minors in search of gold. Gold was discovered in Omenica in 1872, and for a tmie the new mines attracted a good deal of attention. A gold commissioner was stationed there by the British ii^' J m FORKS OF SKEEXA TO LAKE DABINE m the be inh Columbia Government ; men crowded in under the ex- citement that Ih always aroused by the discovery of new diggings ; supplies were required ; Indians were em- ployed as porters, and times were brisk about Babine. But the glory has to a great extent departed ; the mines have not realized the expectations formed of them ; only a few of the eager crowd are left there now ; capitalists have not thought it worth while to begin quartz-crushing, and the whole district seems to be falling back into the silence and stillness of former years. Although, however, gold-mining has slackened, it seems probable that something ma}: yet be realized out of the argentiferous galena which is known to exist in this district As yet the region has not been examined by any of the Geologicr Survey staff, but valuable speci- mens of this galena have been found, and although, under the present difficulties of access to Omenica, the produc- tion of silver and lead would not be remunerative, yet, if the facilities lor communication were Increased there might perhaps be a profitable industry established hero. Occasional indications, too, of Coal, or at least of lignite, have been discovered in this northern part of the Pro- vince in rock formations which are said to be somewhat similar to those in which the coal-fields of Vancouver Island are found. This can never be a good farming country, for, although potatoes and barley may be cultivated in some mea- 1 1 ! > 1 if I i m m \i> ' 112 MOUNTAIN AND PRAIUIE. su:c around Babinc, raid although there are small pas- tu; c lands near the borders of the lake, yet the climate is too severe, and the summer too short for farming. It is true that at this elevation, in some portions of the interior plateau of the southern part of the Province between the Eocky Mountains and the Cascade Eange, arable farming and stock-raising arc successfully carried on^ but, on ac- count of the difference of latitude, and the small proportion of land fit either for the plough or for pasture, farming cannot be as successfully carried on in these northern districts. Indeed, unless some valuable mineral resources be developed here, in sufficient quantity to be remunera- tive notwithstanding the difficulty of access and cost of labour, this portion of the Province must continue for some time to como, as in the past, valuable chiefly for its fur- bearing a;nmals. \ CHAPTER V. BABINE TO FORT MCLEOD. r. TJp Lake Babine, — Fort Babine. — Indian Farming. — iian Rostrves in British Columbia. — Reluctance to mention names. — Lake Stewart. — R. C. Missions. — Fort St. James. — Home-sick Indian. — Mule train. — Following Trail. — Fort McLeod. — Attractions of the H. B. C. Service. We left the lower end of Lake Babine on the cvcninfir of the 30th, a number of villagers having gathered to see us off, perhaps attracted to our camp by the prospect of a possible breakfast. Our crews were much inferior to the Motlahkatlah men, and were ready to slacken tlieir feeble efforts on the least provocation. If we spoke to one of them he immediately ceased paddling, as if to do justice to the subject of enquiry, and the others stopped out of sympathy. Sometimes tliey used English expres- sions which they had picked up at random from the miners, by whom they had been employed, and euch phrases as " Go ahead," " All right," '' You bet your life," etc., were made to do duty on many occasions without the least regard for tlie fitness of tilings. The lake from the village to Fort Babine, some twonty- u t, I i i >!■{ ;« u 'i f It I ' ! ■ , . 1 'i I ', 114 1H0U^'TAT^^ AXD PRAIRIE. i' five miles, has an average width ol about a mile. The banks rise very gently, with a good deal of low-lying land fringing the lake. There is no timber along its sides except small poplar and spruce, and the lightly wooded slopes, backed by undulating hills, give place occasionally to tracts of excellent jjasturo. AVerc it not for the lofty summits that here and there stretch up in the back ground, one would have little idea that he was m a country that has, for the most part, been fitly described as a " sea of mountains." Our bowman, in one of those periods of loquacity with which he relieved the monotony of paddling, informed us that there was a " large town " at the Fort. We found it to be an ordinary Indian village, built like the one at Babine, a few yards from the lake shore, while between the dwellings and the water's edge stand a row of fish caches, or small huts supported by poles, six feet in height, in which the year's supply of dried salmon ia stored. This, v, ith jjotatoes that can easily be raised around the village, forms the staple article of food. Should the nalmon fail great destitution and distress are the result. Instances have been known in which through this cause many Indian families were forced to subsist for weeks upon bark and berries, when even the dogs lived by browsing. Only such dogs as were abso- lutely necessary had been spared, for some must bo kept as hauling dogs for the vinterj all others had B A DINE TO FORT McLEOD. 115 ■ with )rmed found 3110 at Itween fibh et in ion is aiBed food. s are rvhich ed to the abso- 6t be had II been eaten. When provision is plentiful dogs are some- times fattened lor food, and when the stores are reduced the dogs grow thin, and then at the touch of the knife they fill the platters that they once had licked. One Indian, who, with his dog, had been reduced to extreme hunger, cut off the dog's tail, cooked it, dined off it, and then gave the bone to its original owner. As we landed near the Fort, or rather immediately after we were first sighted, and as we approached the land, the host of unemployed men and boys about the village rushed down to sec and to scrutinize. Their curiosity on such occasions is intense. You may fix on theni a reproving stare as steady as the head-light of a locomotive, but they will meet you with a gaze as calm and unflincii- ing as your own. You long in vain for privacy however, as no unkindness is intended it would be foolish to take offence. Following a trail that leaves the lake-side near the Fort, Messrs. Cambie and Macleod examined the country for some distance east of Babine to ascertain its fitness for railway construction. Were it necessary to locate a line across this northern part of the Province more than one favourable route might be found connecting Port Simpson with the Pine River Pass. Probably the bc.it of them would be that by the valleys of the Skeena and the Watsoii([uah and Lakes Fra.^er, Stewart and McLeod. Any northern route, howovor, whether by way of Pine \\ |m| 1 1 IIG :\IOrNTAIN AND rUATUTE. II 1^ ■ V\ I i^^ l^i III I m River or of Peace J\iver, muHt touch the sea at Port Simpson, and there arc conchisivc reasons against making tliat the Pacific terminus of our transcontinental road. Soon after leaving the bay on which Fort Babino is situated, we had an almost unbroken view to the head of the lake, or rather, to an horizon where no land was visible, while on either side the low purple hills slope gently down, ridge after ridge, to the water's edge. The banks in some places are more precipitous than those Tiear the lower end of the lake, but, for the most part, the scenery is similar in character, though with more numerous islands fringing the shores. About twenty miles from its upper extremity the lake bends suddenly eastward, and here the banks on the north shore become precipitous and rocky, while granite and marble bluffs and basaltic columns are visible at some points, the hills on cither side bcng higher than those near Babiue village. There is no good timber near the lake shore, but some timber of fair size is found between the lake and the Watsonquah Valley. 'tVe did not reach the head of the lake, which is about a hundred miles in length, until the forenoon of Thurs- day, 3rd July, and owing to a thunder-storm and to the great unwillingness and delay of our canoemen in port- aging our tents, baggage, etc., we did not reach Lake Stewart till the next day, although the j^ortage is only about eight miles in length. A waggon-road, fit for 1 8 8 about rimrs- :o the port- Luke only It for TiAIilSK TO FORT McLKOD. 117 ox-carts, connecta tlic two lakes, and the country on either side affords good pasture. We were surprised to find, at the head of Stewart Lalce, a well-stocked farm, owned and worked by the Indian "tyliec," or chief, who raises excellent cattle, as well as good crops of hay and vegetables, lives in a cottage, and wears an air of respectability. There arc frequent stretches of undulating country and of plateau fringing the numerous lakes, from wdiich arable farms might on a small scale be formed, and which already afford abundance of rich pasture. In the valley of the Nechaco and along the borders of Fraser and Francois Lakes, a little south of Lake Stewart, there arc considerable areas well fitted for stock-raising, and some that would be suited for the growth of hardy cereals and roots. With few exceptions, however, an elevation of 2,000 feet above the sea-level may be regarded as the maximumaltitudeof cultivable land in British Columbia, whereas Babine and Stewart Lakes are 2,200 feet above the sea. The backward seasons incidental to such an elevation in this latitude, the long winter during which cattle require to be housed and fed, and the summer frosts which prevent the cultivation of wheat, although admitting the successful growth of barley and roots, render these northern districts much less inviting than some of the southern parts of the Province. At the same time, if the Indian:! here were as good farmers as n \ m '1 a ^ . ■ \ . I » !■ ■ii: t I HI ^|i 118 MO UXTA rV A Xn PR A TRIE. the Lilloocts in the valley of the Fraser, or if the coun- try were more eawily accessible and facilities of inter- course more abundant, so that a market might be su2iplied for farm produce, this northern plateau, if it may be so called, between the Cascade Eange and the Rocky Mountains could sustain a considerable popula- tion. The limited extent of farm-lands throughout British Columbia has led to a difterent policy, in the allotment of Indian reserves, from that which has prevailed in the other Provinces, In the North-West Territories, for instance, where, of late years, treaties have been made with largo tribes of natives^ the Governmem: recog- nized from the jQrst the Indian title to the whole territory, and did not oftei a single acre for settlement until that title had been extinguished by treaty. In British Col- umbia, however the Indian title to the soil has never been so fully recognized. In all negotiations with the Indians the Government allowed them whatever reserves they asked for, but proceeded on the principle that the Indians had no right to any land beyond what wa8 necessary for their maintenance, a j)rinciple in which the natives themselves seem always to have acquiesced. These reseri'es were by no means as large as those allowed in the other Provinces, nor was it practicable that they should be j for had they been extended to eighty acres j)er family, as the Dominion Government desired 1 Mill 1 1 ighty rArjyr m ronr McLeod. nw that they Hhoiild, the result would Imve l»ccn, in inanj'' cases, the sacrifice of large tracts of land to Indians who would not utilize thr:n and the exclusion of many white settlers. Besides, the reserves could not e(iuita!)ly bo of uniform size, for some parts of the Province being well suited for farminir admitted of hinder reserves of arable and of grazing lands than others ; while, at the same time thone tnbes that lived chieflv by fishin<r did not require large reserves of land, and could be more ajipropriately assisted or compensated by the whites in other waj's, such as by instruction in ti-ades or by the supply of increased facilities f )r traffic. Through their intercourse with the whites, especially in the southern parts of thePi'QYinc^, the Indians have already very materially advanced. "When labour was scarce, in the early days of gold-mining, many of them were employed by the miners, and many also l)y farmers and others who soon followed on thotra'ck of the miners. They enjoyed almost equal rights with the white settlers ; they were, for the most part, industi'ious and trust- worthy; and so they became );oatmon, porters, herders, and in a number of cases independent fnrniovs and stock- raisers. "Whether from superior natural ability, or from their intimate contact and partial com])etition with the whites, or from the Government policy that regarded them not as minors in a state of tutelage but as respon- sible citizens, it is manifest that the Indians of British f In ! \ ■ I m 120 MOU^fTArX AXD PRATRIH. ,1 If f i u H>)i Columbia are as a rule in a bottci-, more self-reliant, and more hopeful condition than those of the other Provinces, and more clearly destined to blend with the whites in ther~ ordinary avocations of civilized commujiitics. Some of them have Ijeen a little irritated on learning, thi'ough the representations of designing men, that the Indians of the other Provinces had been moi-e liberally dealt with than they had themselves been, but there is reasonable ground for expecting that the Indian Commissioner of the Pro- vince with his ofiicial assistants will allot the rcserve;i on an e(j[uitablo and satisfactory basis, so that although the policy pursued in the other Provinces has not been, and cannot now be, adopted in Bi'itish Columbia, yet the true object of the (lovernment in dealing with the Indians, — their material, intellectual and moral eleva- tion, — will proiKibly be as fully realized here as in any other part of the Dominion. At the head of Stewart Lake we paid off the crews who had come with us from Rabine, with the exception of two, Jim and Yessen, who had acconipanied us from the Forks and had been faithful amouir the faithless. When the others, who wore anxious to be re-engaged, found their olfers of service refused, they tried hard to dissuade these t\\^o from coming with us, as much from jealousy towards them as from the desire to inconvenience us. Thoy have little union among therasolvos, and will seldom make com men cause witli each other. Perhaps lova- Jiny ■cws )ti()ii Vom 1I0S8. .god, •d to from ionoo NVill •Imps BADIXE TO FORT McLEOD. 121 it is this lack of unity, combine 1 with a dread of the indefinite power of the whites, tliat has prevented them from giv'ing much trouble to travellers or settlers, "We, at least, had no more difficulty with them than we might have expected with white labourers if similarly situated, though we found them inclined to be more indolent if treated with special kindness and leniency. When jDaying off the men we had occasion to notice what we had observed on previous occasions, a great reluctance on their part to tell their names, a reluctance amounting almost to a superstitious dread. When asked their names they usually request some companion to reply for them; and even in referring to each other, they will often use a roundabout description rather than the appropriate^ name. A woman in speaking of her husband will sometimes point to her son and refer to her husband as " that boy's father," rather than mention his name. One ot our men, Jim, was so called by us because wo could not ascertain his correct name, and we re(iuiied some way by which to distinguish him from tlie others. Is not this reluctance to utter names a common char- acteristic of primitive people ? May it not be traced to the idea that a man's namo isliould be something more than a mere word-of-call by which to distinguisii him from his fellows; that it should be, in some sense, ex- pressive of his ciiaiacter or of hi-^ influence, and that, thoretbro, to toll one's name would be to disclose the 122 3I0UXTAIX IXD rnAIIilE. i, I il' ' I I, Becret of his power ? Among* the Scandinavians of old it was commonly thought that to utter aloud the name of a fighting warrior woula infallibly strip him of his strength, and probably it is to this that wo m-ust attribute the practice still prevalent in the British and Canadian Parliaments of referring to members not by name but hy their constituencies, while, if any member is guilty of a breach of discipline, the Speaker of the House threatens to " name " liim. At any rate, whatever be the origin of this reluctance to disclose the name, or whatever be its connection Avith the practice of peoj^le elsewhere, it seems to prevail generally among the Indians. Our ('aiu[) was pitched near the lake, by the bank of a little stream called the Yekootchee, which rises near the streams that flow through Lake Babino and the Skeena to the sea, and flows through Lake Stewart and the Fraser to the Pacific, nearly five hundred miles from the Skeena. A little to the north of this i,here is a chain, or rather, a net- work of lakes, some of which discharge their waters through the Peace to the Arctic Sea, others through the Skeena or the Fraser to the Pacific, while one small lake near Fori Connolly draiuH both ways, at one end into a tributary of the Slceena, at the other into a tributary of the Peace. We expected to meet, somewhere on Stewart Lake, probably iii Fort St. James, Mr. G. Major, who had left Victoria shortly before wo had, intending to come by the h nAItlNE TO FORT McLEOD. 123 M pako, loft tho 3 road along the I^raser Valley, with mulo-train and supplies for our journey eastward from Fort St. James. Great was our joy on the night after we reached Lake Stewart to bo roused up by his arrival, and to find that he had brought a large sail-boat from the Fort wliich would save us tho necessity of paddling down tho lake. Next morning the camp was early astir, and we were soon under sail, gladly discarding the canoes that wo had con- ditionally engaged, which were smaller aiid more cranky even than those on Lake Babine. On our way wo mot P^^ro Lejacqucs, tho missionary of this district, whose charge embraces tiie whole territory between tho Forks of Skeena and Fort ;^[cLeod, east and west, and between Fort Connolly and Fort St. George, north and south. After leaving the valley of tho Skeena and of the Nassealltho Christian Indians of the interior throughout this northern district are Roman Catholic. The mission is under the direction of tho Oblato Fathers, and tho missionaries, if all arc like the dcvc'jd Pt^ro Lcjacquos, aro " in journeyings often and in labours abundant." Lake Stewart is forty miles in IcMigth, ranging from one to six miles in width ; tho scenery is bolder than that of Lake Babine. If tho latter might bo compared to Loch Lomond, Lake Stewart might be not unfitly logard- cd as tho Loch Katrine of British Columbia. As our progress down tho Lake was interrupted for a ii' U * I ■ [ 124 MOUNTAIN AND rilAJRIE. I' "I y\} ) I' I'! ' ' If. time by head wind, it took us the whole day to make the distance, but we reached Fort St. James that evening, 5th July, the veiy day on which, when leaving Victoria, we thought we might possibly arrive there if we were favoured by the weather and by absence of unforeseen accidents. The distance travelled had not been great, yet as one is exposed to many delays and disappointments in such a country, where the means of communication are of a very primitive kind and where, as far as travel is concerned, almost everything is uncertain except the flight of time, we felt peculiarly thankful that this stage of our journey had been brought so successfully and pleasantly to a close. The day alter our arrival was one of rest, a Sabbath for whlcili all felt thankful. The men who had accom- panied om'i^ack- train from Yale, us well as some 11. B. C. officials, Avith ourselves, formed a goodly congregation at our service, which In the morning was cond cted in the open air, and in the evening, in a large room of the Foi't. After evening service we enjoyed an hour or two of sacred music, for hein), nearly iOO miles from the nearest tovvn, wo found that M!r. Alexander, the factor, had an excellent organ, which ho pLiyod with much taste and ability. Years of lifo in these wflds had ftiiled to rob him of his lovo of music, or of his artistic tmich of the keys. The ovoning was very beautiful, passing as it soomed that such a day should do, not 'nto darkness, but BABIXE TO FORT McLEOD. 125 into the calm radiance of a northern midsummer nijL,^ht. Fort St. James, the centre of the II. B. Company's posts of northern British Columbia is beautifully situated on a broad flat about twenty feet above the beach, with a com- manding outlook, and with views of scenery that remind one greatly of the Scottish Highlands. There are no snow- capped summits visible from thq Fort, but look in any direction you may, there is a back-ground of hills which in some jDarts border the lake, and jn others are separa- ted from it by wooded plateaux or by gently undulating slopes, while, under the prevailing westerly winds, the waters of the lake break upon the beach with the musical monotone of the sea. Like many of the II. B. Company's posts, the Fort consists of a few subtantial wooden buildings, surrouinlcd by a stockade. The houses are ranged in shape nearly resembling the letter II, with the factor's dwelling as the cross-bar of the letter. It is one of the oldest trading posts of the country, and is the centi'al depot for a Ini-go district which includes Forts Babine, Comiolly, McLeod, George and Fraser, a district formerly known as New Caledonia, and no doubt so luimod by the Scottish officers of the old North-West Company on account of its general resem- blance to some parts of Scotland. About a mile above the Fort there is an Indian village ])Ossessing a jii^etty little church, and houses which have an air of neatness and cleanliness not always found among the Indians, while • t 3 1 12G MOrXTAlX AND PRAIRIE. 'm iiC between the Fort and the village there is an excellent saw-mill, and immediately adjoining the Fort is a large garden, in which onions, carrots, 'cttuce and other vegetables are successfully grown. From Foi't St. James the trail leads to Omcnica, and during the first years of the mining excitement there, many came up by the waggon route from Yale to Quesnel, which is the great arterial highwaj' of British Columbia, and by the trail from Quesnel, so that for several seasons there was considerable traffic at this place. jDuring the influx of the miners thero was a tavern close to the Fort, but that establishment, which is often regarded as a sort of avant courier of western civilization, has been closed, probably from want of pati'onage rather than from pressure of principle, as few now go by this route to Omenica. Monday was devoted to the examination of our stores and to writing letters to friends in the east, which would go by way of Victoria, this being the last chance we would have of sending them an 3' word until reaching the telegraph station at Edmonton, in the valley of the Sas- katchewan. We were to travel with a mule-train as far as Fort McLcod, about seventy miles from Fort St. James, intending there to divide our ptirty, some to go with the mule-train through Pine liiver Pass, others by boat down the Parsnip and Peace Eiver, through the Kocky Mount- ains to Dunvegan. BAnrSE TO FORT MLEOD. 12- and wc the Sas- ,s far .mos, the town (Unt- il! making prciiarations for such a journey, it was necetifciary to select men suitable, not only for accompany- ing the packers, ^v■llO had the management of the mule- train, but some also that would be suited for the trip down Peace Eiver. Our old friends, Jim and Yessen, who had come all the way from the Skeeria, were rc-engjig- cd, at their own request, to accompany us to Dunvegan. At first they seemed happy at the pi-ospect of visiting an unknown land, but after a little Jim's heart failed him. He grew terribly home-sick. He had already come to the most distant place that he knew, and when the men spoke to him about the world beyond Fort St. James, he lost Aaith in the possibility of his return if he should venture further. Suddenly he remembered that his wife and children had no food, that they could not fish, that they would starve if he remained away. What was the white man's gold when weighed in the balance against the tender, <linging affection of s(|uaw and papooses, and the unspeakable charms of home ? Yessen might remain if he wouM, but not Jim. Stolidly he stood the chaffing of all around, and very soon after we left Stewart Lake he »vould be in the bosom «»f his family, with strange tales to tell of all the wonders ho had seen, and of the offers of gain that ho had resisted. This may seem singular in 2^eople so little given to ex- press their feelings, but it is cpiite a common thing for an Indian to treat his cmployei' as Jim ti'cated us. f!i 11111 -t "(l IM li'i' i ii ^ [I 128 MOUNTAIN AND PR A HUE. YesHCD, whom bj'' way of honourable distinction we called the '' astronomer," clung to us and proved himself diligent and trustworthy. He had probably never seen a horse until this trip. Once when he was offered the chance of relieving a licavj day's march by an hour in the saddle, and was asked if he could ride, he answered " Perhaps." He made the attempt, but having forgotten, or rather having never learned, to tighten the girth, he soon rolled off, and for some weeks ..^terwards preferred going on foot. The other men wlioni we required, in addition to our foreman McNeill, and those who had to take charge of t4ie pack-train, wo had no difficulty in pi'ocuring at Fort St. James. On Tuesday, the 8th Jul}', we left Fort St. James for Fort McLeod, seventy miles distant, whei'e our journey down Peace River would begin. This portion of the countr}^ with the exception of the gold-mining district of Omenica, a little to the north, is probably in much the same condition as it was when these fur-trading posts were established. The trails may be a little better imd more frequently traversed ; land has been cleared here and there by forest fires; but the liabitations of white men are still confined almost exclusively to the Hudson's Bay Company's forts. The Indians shift their wigwams as frequcntl}' as ever, not growing, it would seem, nor declin- ing, in numbers ; the foliage comes and goes unobserved; the silence of hili and forest is little more disturbed than liABISE TO FORT McLEOD. 129 if the voice of mau had never broken in upon their primeval repose. Even yet the facilities of communica- tion are few, though somewhat improved of recent years. A gentleman still living in Yictoria, who was clerk at one of these northern posts in the days of Napoleon, did not hear of the battle of Waterloo until two j^ears after it had been fought; but although the only white man in the district, he took down his old flint-lock and fired a feu-de-Jole. The only route connecting Fort St. James and Fort McLeod is a bridle-path which leads sometimes over low hills, or by the margin of small lakes, sometimes through thick woods, or over treacherous swamps, where we were frequcn / delayed by the necessity of " brush- ing" the trail, that is, of laying large branches cross-- wise upon the path, to afford sure footing for the mules that carried our supplies, and for the horses that carried ourselves. As there are many parts of British Columbia to which goods can be transported only by means of mule-trains, this mode of conveyance is very frequently adopted. The best breeds of mules have been brought to the Pro- vince from the Pacific States, and the Mexicans, who first introduced them from Europe, are the most expe- rienced mule-drivers and packers. To one who sees it for the first time the packing of a mule-train is interest- ing as well as novel. Very early in the morning, per- 10 [•■i| Mi, fi! ,1 .'I'l ^ llff. ^ 130 MOrSTAIN AND rEATTlTE. li I )l; P ^\ IL hups by throe o'clock, tlic mcii start out to fetch the mules from the pasture where they liave been feeding over night, and as they are very gregarious, following the boll-mare as closely as a flock of sheep follow the bell-wether, a protracted search for the mules is seldom necessary whe a once the bell-marc has been found. Before five o'clock all are collected, and the work of packing begins. The apparaho, or pack-saddle, which is made of strips of wood, leather and padding, as carefully as an ordinary riding-saddle, is first secured by a broad^ firm girth, which is bound or " sinched," as tightly as two men can pull, c.'ich pressing his knee or foot against the animal's side to gain increased leverage, a blinder having been previously placed across the mule's eyes, to prevent all rooven^ent on his part, as this temporary sightless- ness secures perfect stillness. Then the packers pile up the load, which has been already arranged in two large bundles. These are placed one on each side of the apjiaraho, and are bound on or sinched as securely a& possible, the rope being fastened in a nianner peculiar to this process. The blinder is then removed, and the mule is turned free to reconcile itself to its burden of two or three hundred pounds, and the j^i'ocess is repeated until the whole train is prepared to start. While the train is in motion some of the packers are continually passing to and fro, to see that each mule's pack is quite fioeurc. Should it begin to loose.), and be allowed to jolt i, .' ii u."- ■ li S4aroi^>j.*» V* 4^»***aHi ■'? liAIirXE TO FORT McLEOD. 131 and away, it would soon cause trouble, and when the slightest indication of this is detected the pack ib ac onco sinched up afresh. Heavily laden mules seldom go at any other pace than a walk, and as they cannot bear the burden of their packs very long, fifteen miles a day is considered on the average good travelling for a mule- train. Being well mounted on horses we greatly enjoyed our ride to FortMcLeod, even though our daily progress was slow, and though the woods were sometimes so thick that both hands were required for pressing aside the branches that would otherwise strike against the face. The fresh morning air, the peeps through the timber, the profusion of wild flowers, the broad views, when, from some rising ground which the fire had cleared we could see a w^ido sweep of country, the glimpses of stream or lakelet, j^artly flashing in the sun and partly shaded by the over- hanging trees, an occasional snatch of song, trolled out by some of the company, the jH'Ocession of riders moving Indian file, now slowly and carefully over bog, or rock, or wind-fall, now breaking into a canter where the trail permits this freedom, now halting to examine some curious rock formation, or peculiar plant, or some trace of a far past glacial period, — these and similar elements were sufticient to render our morning rides pleasant in the extreme. For the sake of our mules we usually camped soon after mid-day. i> i ^*l * « * 5 :■■ .1 ! ; 132 MOrXTATX A\n VnAJlilK. The conntr}' presents few features of interest. It seems here to be utterly unfit for agi'iculture, both from tho character of the soil and from its altitude, which ranges from 2,200 feet to 2,700 feet above sea level. The timber where it has been spared by fire, is of a poor quality, and there are few signs of mineral resources. There is still, however, a considerable annual yield of furs, bear and beaver being the most abundant. Indeed often along this trail that we were traversing we saw traces of beaver in tho stubs of trees, that had been cut b}'- their teeth as well as they could have been cut by the axe, in the regularly-built barriers or dams, and in their cunningly contrived houses, which rise like small islands near the shore of pond or lake, arched above with no visible outlet, the entrance being from beneath. Passing from Carp Lake to Long Lake, the two chief sheets of water between Fort St. James and Port McLeod, we crossed the " divide " that separates the waters flow- ing into the Pacific from those that flow through tho Peace Eiver into the Arctic Sea. From Long Lake an excellent trout stream, known as Long Lake Eiver, flows into McLeod Lake. Its descent is very rapid, and in its course there is a water-fall of great beauty, estimated at 130 feet in height. A little further on is Iroquois Creek, near which there is abundance of pasture, and a few miles further, in the course of which the trail passes over a ridge about 150 feet above McLeod Lake, wo m BABIXE TO FORT McLEOD. 133 reach Fort McLeod. Having rested near Iroquois Creek on the 13th, wo did not reach Fort McLeod until Monday the 14th, — seventy miles in seven days. Fort McLeod is beautifully situated at the lower end of McLeod Lake, whose waters arc emptied by the Pack Eiver into the Peace. There is abundance of excellent pasture on the plateau around it, and it boasts a small garden that seems capable of raising anything that can withstand occasional summer frosts. Indeed there is suflS- cient good land in this immediate neighbourhood for a large farm, if the climate were only suitable. Some have supposed that wherever an abundance of the service-berry is to be found it indicates a climate fit for the growth of grain, but this seems to bo as great a mistake as to imagine that the presence of the humming- bird argues an equable and genial climate ; for the humming-bird may be seen around the banks of Babino Lake, and as far north as the Stickine, while the service- berry grows in abundance near Fort McLeod ; yet iiubine, Stickine, and McLeod arc all unfit localities for the growth of grain. The snow-fall here is heavier than at Fort St. James, averaging about five feet, and gardening is about three weeks later. The lake usually freezes about the middle of November, and opens about the middle of May. All the traffic betAvecn Peace Rivet' ajid Frtiser River passes this way, as the route from the rai':>ni[) (as tlic southern i Mi I) ,! 'I !1 f 1 I I I 134 MOVXTAIX AND rilAiniF. branch of the Peace is called) by the Pack River, Lake McLeod, Summit Lake, and the Giscombe Portage to the Frascr, is much shorter than the route by the head-waters of the Parsnip and the head- waters of the Fraser. Near the Fort there is a plain little church used by the E. C. Mission, and a small grave-yard, kej^t with great neatness. The graves are in almost every case covered by small houses of squared timber, although the bodies have been interred at the usual depth of six feet. In the church we saw a large heavy whip, which is used for punishing those whom the priest condemns, one man being specially set apart to administer the lash. At the time of our visit no Indians were to bo seen around the Fo''t, but in the early i)art of June, and of October, they swarm in for a few days to sell their furs, and to procure another season's supjDlies, dividing their leisure time between listening to the priest juid rattling their gambling-sticks, for all Indians seem to be born gamblers. They appear to be throughout this district quiet, trust- worthy and industrious. The only act of violence recorded against any of them in this neighbourhood was the murder of a clerk of the Company many years ago, under somewhat peculiar provocation. The clerk had been irritated by the Indian, and said to liim by wa^ of intimidation, ** Your wife and child will be doiul before your next visit to this Fort. By a strange coincidence 41 IhililXE TO FORT MrLF.OD. 135 the poor man's wife and cliild died that winter in the woods. He at once attributed their deatli to the secret influence of the elerlv, whose random words had been I'emembercd and regarded as a threat of coming doom. Soon after, he appeared at the Fort, and deli- berately shot tlie clerk, supposing him to be the mui-dcrer of his family. In old days it was thought expedient to keep not less than three white men at even llie smallest trading post in New Caledonia, but of lateyeai's this has been found unnecessary, partly because the Indiana are HO quiet, and partly because one or two Indians^ or half- breeds, are found to be (j^uite as serviceable as while men for all oi-dinary purposes around the Fort. The name "F(U-t" a})plied to these posts of the JI. B. Company is frequently itnposing in moi'e ways than one. Itnaturall3'suggestswalls,liastions,l()0]vholes, formidable gateways, a f()i'tific(I residenci", palisades, etc; but fre- quently, as in the case ol' Fort McLeod, tlie reality is very different from the vision. A small singlo-storicd dwelling made of hewn logs, little l)etter than the rude farni-house of a Canadian backwoodsman, a trading-store as plaiti as tho dwelling, a smoke-house for curing and storing lish and meat, and a stable constitute the whole establishment. This Fort is said to have had its days of greatness, when it was surrounded by a palisade, and had other visible signs of importance, but it is now one of tho smaUest posts in British Columbia. The manager, a young English i 4 \ ! 'J i w \ i ' i 1 iil * ( ■ ! \ ■ ^;i: II.' 1 13G MOUNTAIN AND rRAIUTE. gentleman, who lias whiled away some of his lonely hours by sketching for the Graphic, has named it "Fort Misery," a name indicative of many a drearj^ aay. Indeed it is difficult to discover what attractions many of the agents of the Hudson's Bay Company find in their secluded and lonely life. Familiar in many instances in earlier days with comfortable and even luxurious homes, and able to procure positions in civilised life where a competence, if not a fortune, was assured, they have chosen instead a life that in many cases cuts them off for a large portion of the year from any intercourse with the outer world or any companionship worthy of the name, and from all or almost all that we are accustomed to regard as the advantages of civilization. When sick- ness comes they are dependent upon themselves, or on their Indian neighbours. AVhen their children grow up they must send them away to school, often at an expense which their incomes cannol well afford. Their promo- tion comes slowly at the best, for it is a service in which men live long, and promotion may moan the charge of a post further away from civilization, while the prospect of becoming a chief-factor, or of being able to retire with a competence, is distant and shadowy. Missionaries will undergo all this, and more than this, but they are animated by a clear and lofty 2)urpose, that nerves them for exile and luu\b;hip if they can but fulfil their aim. Gold-hunters will undergo much, but they too have a BAB INK TO FORT McLEOD. 137 definite object before them; but the spell of the 11. B. C. service seems as vague, though it be as powerful, as that which binds the sailor to his sea-faring life, which he may often abuse, but which he cannot abandon. Its agents may be attracted by the utter freedom which it gives them from the conventionalities and artificial restraints of society, by the authority which they enjoy over Indians and half-breeds, or by the scope for adven- ture and the opportunity for sport which most of them delight in. Ask them what fascination they find in it, and they can hardly tell you. Listen to them when several of them are together " talking muskrat," (to use their own term for discussing the Itusiness of the Com- pany,) and they have scarcely a good word for tlie service ; only when an outsider finds fault with it, will the}' speak in its defence ; and yet let them leave it for a time and they long to come back to it. One of them, a young Irish gentleman who had spent years in the service on the Upper Ottawa and had returned to Ireland, informed some of his Canadian friends that ho "found Dublin awfully dull after Temiscximingue." But withal, among the officers of the Hudson's Ba}' Company 3'ou find many men of education and rcfinemonl, competent to fill i)laces of importance in society had they chosen the more settled walks of lil'e. Of late their prospects have been consid- erably reduced, as the fur-trado of the Company has, «incc 1871, been entirely separated from its landed life. 11 Ii!" * ' I iij.. ti \ M ■VT'- \ ' I ! 138 MOUXTAIN AND PHATIiTE. 1 ! estates, th ; profits of the hitter going entirely to the Englisli shareholders, while all the officers, engaged in trading, are paid exclusively from the proceeds of the fur sales. Two-fifths of the profits of the fur-trade are divided, according to rank, among the commissioned officers, who are known as junior chief traders, chief traders, factors and chief factors. As, however, the land held by the company must be its great and increasing source of wealth in the future, whereas the prospects of the fur trade must naturally (b'niinish with the advance of civilization and of settlement, the Service is even loss attractive than it once was. '1 I 1 't I I; it i CILVPTER YI. TIIRdUail THE MOl'NTAIN.S BY BOAT- Explorers of Peace River. — Division of Party. — Leave Fort McLeod. — The Parsnip. — Fur Traders anjl Gold Hunters. — Mining. — The Nation Iliver. — Pete 'ivy and Nigger Dan. — Finlay River and Rapids. — The Unchagah. — Peace River Pass. — Parle-pas Rapid. — Moose Hunting. — Buffalo Tracks. — Terraces. — The Canon Coal. — Navigable Extent of River. — Indian Hunters, — Charlie's Yarns. In 1*703 Sir Alexander Mackenzie, the intrepid explorer who was the first to cross this northern part of the con- tinent, liaving made a previous journey from Montreal to the mouth of the great river since known by his name, that flows into the Arctic Sea, passed through the liocky Mountains by way of Peace River to the Pacific. Ho touched the western ocean at Dean Inlet, where he left ujion the rock the inscription, *' Alexander Mackenzie, from Canada, by land, 22nd July, 1793.' There by a Htrange coincidence he almost met another daring trav- eller, Capt. Vancouver, who was then cruising along the coast, and who had jiasscd Dean Inlet but a short time before his arrival. After spending a night within sound of the sea, ho retraced his course by the Valley of tho !i n 'J n I" 'n r I , !' ilil 140 ^TOU}fTAL' ASD P'iAIRIE. ■f\ III 1 1 h x'eace. His purpose was partly to explore the country and x)artly to extend the fur trade of the North "West Company, with which he was connected and which was 8ubsec[uently amalgamated with the Hudson's Bay Com- pany ; and, through his influencr, fur-trading posts were planted, ere the close of the century, in this remote land west of thii mountains, Fort St. James being then, as now, the central depot of the district. Mr. Mackenzie's narrative of his journey contains the earliest account we have of any portion of that country, on which we were now entering, that is unwatered by the Peace; for, though the so-called Peace Eiver country lies east of the Eocky Mountains, yet at Fort McLeod we stepped into the boat in which we were to be borne by tributary streams to the Peace and by it through the Mountain Range, Others, whose journe3^s have been recorded for us, have smco traversed the same country. Sir George Simpson, then Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company, passed by this route to the Pacific in 1828, taking his canoe from York Factory, on Hudson's Bay, to the mouth of the Fraser River.* But, of recent accounts, the most de- tailed and interesting is that given in the Report of the Geological Survey of Canada for IStS-IB, which contains the record of a journey by Messrs. Selwyn and Macoun in the interests of tlio (Joologicnl Survey in 1875. ♦ Butlt'i'rt Wild Xorth Land and Horctzky'rt Cunada on the Pacific^ containing narrativts of onriitvs liy way of Peace Rivor to tlio western sea, ar6 fuuiiliarly known to many reuckis. I >l TimOVGn TTTE MOUXTATyS /?!' nOAT. Ul I.^<leed very much is due to the staff of tlie Geological Survey and to the engineers of the Canadian Pacific Kail- way for the knowledge that we possess of Bi-itish Colum- bia and of the Rock} Mountains, as well as of our vast Prairie Region. Exposed, in many instances, to hard- ship, cut off for months at a time from intercourse with any whites except those of their own party, pursuing unweariedly their examination of the country to ascer- tain its physical features, the character and extent of its resources, and its facilities for railway construction, they have acquired a mass of information which is to a large degree stored up in blue-books, but which forms the basis of many a grave decision and important undertaking of Government as well as of many a venture of private enterprise. At Fort McLeod our party was divided, some, under the direction of Dr. Dawson, proceeding through the Pocky Mountains by way of Pine River Pass, accompanied by the mule-train with supplies for continued explora- tions east of the mountains, while Messrs. Cambio, McLeod, Major and I with four of a crew descended Peace River by boat, all expecting to rendezvous at DuiivegRn, the central 11. B. C. Dcjiot of the Peace River District east of the Rockies. Wo srere fortunate enough to procure at Fort McLeod a capacious boat, forty feet keel, nine feet beam, which, although old and well-worn, was by a fow repairs and by frequent pumping fit for our purpose. f (1 •I yj; !i4 9 '' M 142 Mf> I '.vr.i rx . I SD rpA iuik. \i" .! i ( Our (lepartii.ro from the Fort was somewliat delayed by tlie work of trail-making, as all the available men had to assist in clearing the trail for the mule-train, from Fort McLcod to the crossing of the Parsiiip, at the mouth of the Misinchinca. At that point those who were to proceed by Pin Rivo;* ?a! s had the benefit of the boat in cross- ing tin P'i'iip ore we continued our course down stream. TUv .anie trail had been followed some years before by an explv,/ng party, but a good deal of labour was necessary in cutting a course through the accumu- lated windfalls of several seasons. One of our Indians, an excellent fellow whom we had engaged for the trip down the Peace River, while employed in trail-making cut his right ankle so badly that ho had to be carried back LO Fort McLeod. lie at once gave up hope, not only of being ablo to accomj^any us, but also of ever recovering from the etfects of the accident, for it is characteristic of Indians under any sickness or accident to grow despondent, and to take a most hopeless view of the situation. Although enduring pain without a mur- mur, they very quiclvly despair of all recovery. Perhaps they have good reason for this habitual despondency in sickness, as the sick and wounded are very readily left behind by the others, and from luck of care a slight accident or illness may in many cases prove most serious. Passing- from Lake McLeod d(nvn Pack River, which in\ . <1 TIinOUGn THE MOrXTATXS BY BOAT. 143 Cll is about seventeen miles in length, we entered the Parsnip, the great southern tributary of the Peace, whose sources lie near the upper waters of the Fraser on the "western slopes of the mountains. It was by way of this river that McKenzie's course lay when, after reaching its head waters, he carried his canoe, as Simpson did half a century later, to the great northern bend of the Fraser, a route much more circuitous than that which connects the two rivers l)y way of Lake McLeod, Su'nmit Lake and the Giscombe Portage. The Parsnij), so called from the abiuK.',. ico .. cow- parsnip that grows near its banks, m diaris joretty evenly a width of about five hundred fec^ , anu a current of about three or four miles an hour. , Is dotted by numerous islands, at the upper end of which it sometimes divides so evenly that it is difficult to distinguish the main channel, while at the same time there are many sloughs, or "slews" so-called, where part of the r flows by some devious and half-hidilen course, ^.lat might, when they blend again with the main current, bo mistaken for tributary streams. The banks are some- times bare and steeji, wi' h exposures of sand, clay and gravel, and with occasion il croppings of sandstone and of limestone; sometimes they arc pleasantly varied by levels of pasture land, or ]»y low wooded hills. The voyageurs observe changes in the river, from year to year. The soil being light and sandy is easily washed Ml " ■ m ,"• y i:iM <t 1 ■■ I i^ f w i\ J i il 144 3for.vrvi7yyi.V7) vjtAiniE. down by the current in the ^-pl•ing, when tlie river rises fifteen or twenty feet above its lowest summer level ; the fehores are cast into new curves ; bars of sand and gravel are removed from one locality, and built up in another; the islands are worn away above, and increased by deposits further down ; and the slopes and bushes along the banks have, in some places, been stripjjed by fire of much of their foliage, while in others they have been covered by new growths of bush or tree. Borne steadily and pleasantly along by the current we met some fur-traders, struggling up stream with their cargoes en route to Victoria, engaged in the preca- rious task of competing with the Hudson's Bay Com- pany. Such competition is no safe nor easy work unless one can bring large capital into it, and conduce business at many different stations, for the Company may gain largely at some of its posts although losing at others, and can thus average a fair rate of profit, whereas "free traJers," as their rivals are called, if dependent only on one or two posts, may be ruined in a single season. Besides, the Company have usually to pay less for their furs than others do, as the Indians are not readily seduced from a service which has always been faithfully and honestly conducted, and which has witnessed the rise and fall of many rivals, while it still remains a strong, successful and useful corporation. Wc met also straggling miners engaged in prospect- TIIROVGII THE MOCNTAIXS BY BOAT. 145 ing; in one case, a Bolitary Frenchman, in anothoi-, three Scotchmen. Many a time tlie miner will start otY alone to prospect new districts, trusting to his o%A^n brain, bone and sinew, taking some small supjilics to stand between him and starvation if he should find no game nor human liabitation in his wandering. Onward he goes, washing a pan-full of sand from this stream, and then passing on to the next, until he finds sufficient gold to tempt him to prolong his search at some particular point. Smiling at dangers that would make less resolute men despair, restless in his rambling as the wandering Jew, broken perhaps in fortune, sometimes broken in health, but never broken in hope, the miner has pierced almost every p?\rt of the country, opening the gates to let in the outer world, toiling with a degree of patience and of energy that would soon have enriched him if he could have practised the same , irtues in some of the more settled walks of life. Weeks maj'- be spent by him upon some promising " bar," where the stream has deposited the precious particles far from the vein that once held them ; or he may trace the gold to the alluvial deposits of some older water-courses, and may find rich "pay-dirt" on levels fur above the present rivers. Or, to vary the excitement, he may seek for the channel of some ancient stream far below the depth of the present water-course, and may find there the deposits of post ages. This latter, which is called "deep-digging," hu3 11 -i! 1 ! \ I I" l| I ^N 140 MOUNT A IS AXD m AT HIE. M ! i |:i ' 1 1 y ill Britisli ColiimLia as iu California, fre(|uciitly 2)rovcd most profitable. By regular mining oporations tlio course of the older stream is followed, at a depth pcrhjips of from thirty to a hundred feet below the surface, the buried channel being traceable by the rocks and gravel of its bed. Tunnels are formed; timbers are introduced to suj^port the sides and roof; and the miner, standing ankle-deep in wet sand and gra\'el, beneath the con- tinuous dripping that i^recolatcs through from above, carries on Iiis laborious search. AVliat cares he for cramps, discomfort, rheumatism, or other ills that flesh is heir to, when sudden wealth seems always close at hand ? Quartz-mining has as yet received little attention in British Columbia, the alluvial dei)osits whether on the surface or along the buried channels, — known generally as placer-mining, — having hitherto absorbed the energy of miners. These deposits, however, must in course of time become exhausted, while an important source of wealth may remain to be developed in the gold-bearing rocks from which at some period, recent or more remote, the alluvial gold has been borne down by the current. Quartz-crushing may require more capital and cheaper labour than aie at present available, but when developed it is likel}' to prove a much more valuable and more permanent industry than phicer-mining. ^lany more have lost than have gained by gold-mining, and yet b' proved lions tlio 1 pcrha^JS '■face, tho kI gravel itroduccd Htanding the con- 1 above, lie for lat flesh close at tition in on the >nerally energy 'Urse of U'ce of •earing emote, UTent. 1 caper i3lo2)od more more .1 yet 1 11^ I '■> k » 'i ■ : < : - ' '■I- y '^ 11/ ;■ ■. 14; II i I 'i: 111 i 1 'l: I U. !! < a, Q ■< z o H ■< ?^ O o H a Z 1:3 -^ .:^ ^ TllUorau THE MOVSTMS^ UY BnAT. 117 although lieM aftci" fu'M may prove iiii[)roliial»le ihcro arc Ihoiisamls aliMig the Paeilie for wliom the mines have all the fascinatioM that the dice have fiH* the ^•anlhjel•, ami who are iva'ly with one areoi-d to v\\>\\ towards the newest "diggini;-s" Let the solitary I'li-nehman or tlie three Scots whotn we met on the Pai'snij* tind a rieh gold-tield and make it known, and the news would spread like wild-lire; men would gallu'i- from every centre of j)opuhilion la'twicii Ca^-^iar ami San FramMsco; and these nnpe'iph'(l sM!itudt.'s would soon ln.'conie f;imi- liar to manv thou-ands. The Nation .River joins the Parsnip from the west about thirty-two mih's l)ulow the mi»utli of Pack Pivur, after I'eeeiviny; the waltrs of iiuini,'rous lakes that lie to the south of the Omenica district, hetween \,\\kv I>ahine and the Parsnip, a ii'i;ion not \et survr\cd, hardh' e\eii explored, ami little known excrpt to the Indians. From the mouth of the Mi-inchinca, twelve mih-s above l^a<dc liiver, to the inonih of the Xation, trace of li;rnite have been found, I'ei'-.irdinir which Mi-. Sd w\'n says, — '* Sonu' of the bjoek- found along the shore.- ^'{' the l^ir idp Were of largi* -i/c, and sullicieiitly pure and compat! to be of vahie as fuil if found in thicl< seam-."' Landing !iearly o]>posite the moiiih of the Nation wo lound the soil giu.il, the groinid undulating, ccnered with a rich crop of wild hay and pea-vine, fioni which it may roabunably lie infcned that many of tlie flats and slopes ;i . V 148 ^rol■^'r^I^' a\d vumiuf.. Hi l( Jiloiiir tlio I'ivor, and ]K'rlia{)s also tlio upper plateaux, would alloivl fxec'llent and abundant pasturage. ]ietAveen the Nation and the Finlay we passed bars where goM has been found year after year, thougli not in ver}' large quantities, pi'obably borne down fi'om the I'ocks in the neighbourhood of Onieniea. On this part of the river there lived at some distance from eaeji other, foi" several years, two men familiarity name, if not jn j)erson, to eveiy traveller throughout this region, and whom the readers of T>utlei-'s Wlhl Xorth Ldnd will rememlier, — Pete Toy and Nigger Dan. Both gave attention to ti'a])ping and mining. In winter they searched foi* game and in summer for gold. The neigh- bouring woods and hills sup))lied them with moose, bear, bcavei- and mai-ti-n, — ])rovisions and furs, — while the t>and-b;irs gladilened and enriched them with gold. Over and ovci", year aftei' year, they Avashed the silt bi'ought down i^^y the i-iver at the spring flood and deposited along the margin of ^^^^no j»a'-ticular liar, linding at each returning sumuier that from the territory drained l>y itn wosiern ti'ibutarii's thi> ri\ei' had i-olU^I along new par- ti(des of gold, to U-ave them whi'i-e it had left a similar l)recious burden tho j»rece(iing year. Tlu-y knew the river with all itsswii-ls and rapi<ls, its ieejams and fie^hcts, as well as they knew theii- own cabins. Kach kept his own territory and held on his own course as if utterly indepen- dent of the outside world, althouglj the de.'sire lur its TIIUOVGU THE MOrSTAIXS BY BOAT. 149 luxuries may first liiivo incited them to search I'ur gold in this voluntary exile. Pete would face almosi any curretit, would dare the waters in any condition ofday oi- night, of frost or flood hut he launched his frail dug-out once too often. Thou^di frequently upset, and seemingly like the beaver formed to live on land or wuiter, the i-iver at last received him that he rose no more. For some years he liad an old chum, Joe Dates, that lived with him; and hoth bon- a good name f )r honesty and hospitality. Joe was said to have made a good 1\' "pile," whicli he kept hi<l in ~.ome spot known only t<> himself, but death called him away, as he had called T'ele, and as ho calls most men, unex- pectedly; and the place that contains the hidden trea- sure is now a sealed secret, to be sought for, perhai)s, al some future day, with as much eagerness, and as little success, as the reported treasures of Captain Kidd, near the sliores of the Bay of Fundy. Nigger Oan, who came t<> Bi'itish Columbia as cook for Captain rallisor, still lives, but he has ex(d»ange<l the frci'dom of the woods and mountains for the continement of a police- Htation. lie lias been known for vears as Xigger T)an. Negro lie is, or at least mulatto, and his name i> haniol Williams, but miners and Irajipers are seldom (ailed by tiieir stirnames, IOn<piii-e at any diggings fn' J<din McI)onaltl, a man whoso litlie form was familiai- in many of the mining dirttricts, and no one seems to .huvo ever , i'l ii iM 1' 1 1 I f ' 150 MorST.llS ASD rUMlilE. heard of him; liiit iisk fov Carihoo Jacu, and you find that almost every miner fi-om Kootcnay to Cassiar known him; — and ^o with Grey John, Dancing Bill, Yankee Jim, and the rest of the wild, roving " hoys," v>'ho have sought their fortunes amongst tlie crowd, from the lower bends of the P'"rascr to the hanks of the Stickine, and l)e3'ond the mountains of Alaska. Nigger Dan had hut a poor reputation. Rumours dark as his own skin were current regarding him. The distinciion between "mine" and "thine" was too subllo for him, or if he knew it, it was only to ignore it. lie moved down from the banks of the Parsnip to the ncigh- ]»ourhood of Foi't St. John, near Dunvegan. There he wageil war like a son of Islunael instead of a descendant of Ham, the outer woi'M being repivsentcd liy the II. B. Company, wliile Dan's hand was against the Company and the Company's against liim. lie had a garden which was unfenced, and, because the Company's liorses, cattle, find dogs made a free pasture and highway of his open garden, lie treated them to poison and lead. All know the value of horses and cattle, and some set a fancy price on a favourite dog, but in this region good dogs liavo a recognized, market value on account of the oxtensivo use made of them in winter in liauling toboggans. Somo- timcH four moose-skins, worth 810, have been given for one dog. And not oidy did tliis liormit distinguislj him- self by general acts of slaughter; — lie had threatened I- 4 THROUGH THE MOL'STAINS BY liOAT. 151 the life of one or two men, and rumour gave him the credit of having executed years ago a nimihir threat; — and )>e had aet fire to a store of the II. B. Company, so that the time had come when something must be cU)ne. The Company are not given to Ij'nching, but yet hiw must be administered even on the remote banks of tlie Peace River, so by a skilful piece of strategy Dan was seized, a warrant luiving been issued for his apprehen- sion, and was taken ofi'to l^dinonton to be tried; but it is now ascertained that the trial must be conducted at Victoria, as Fort St. John is in Bi'itish Columbia, not in the North-West Territories. In a country where tlio inhabitants are few, and where crime is but little known, one man may acquire considerable importance and give great annoyance, and so during 1879 Peace River district was more concerned about this one individual than it could bo over the rise and fall of CJovernments or the fato of empires. On approacliing the "Forks" where the Finlay and Parsnip meet, some seven ty-scvon miles below Pack River, we caught to the north-cast the first glimpse, high up among the hill tops, of the g; between the mountains through which the Peace 1 or carves its way. Tlic hills are here rugged and nscl}' massed, with occasional snow-peaks glistening :mongst them. The Finlay, so named from its fir white explorer, drains a great portion of Omenica by one branch, while Ml ' 1 1 ;l) 1 1 ;.ii f ^, 152 MOUNTAIN AKD PRAIRIE. '.\4 I by another it rcoeivos llic waters of" an unexplored i-egion to the north of Omenica. For fully 300 miles before it joins the Parsnip it lias twisted and coiled itself by many a rugged mountain range, and through many a rocky cafion, receiving, as its tributaries, streams whose sands glitter with gold. Here its flow is gentle, but thirty miles off we could see bold snow-capped mountains that tell of the character of the country through which it carves its way. And the Parsnip, ere the two rivers blend, has flowed nearly as far as the Finlay, by many a curve fi'oni the uplands Avhcre its sources lie near the head-waters of the Frascr. As they meet, their waters broaden into a small smooth lake, and then rush down in a rough and stormy current, nearly half a milo in lehglh and some two hundred and fiff' yards in width, Fiiown as the Finlay Rap. \s. Here the names Parsnip and Finlay arc dropped, and from this onward until it meets ncai- Fori Chipewyan the waters that empty Lake AthabaHca, a thousand miles away, the united river is known as the Peace. The Sicanies of northern British Columbia call it tlie Tsetaikah, — "the river that goes into the mountain." The Beavers, who live east of the Rocky Mountains, call it the Unchagah, — that is, "the Peace" — for on its banks was settled onco for all a feud that had long been waged between them and the Crees. About a mile below the rapids the river, with its forces now united from the south and west, turns suddenly 'i I U II i! ' i . \ i) 1 ■11 ilr If! i it! ! ; i} TUliOVGH THE MOUSTAJSS UY llOAT. 153. eastward. Al this bciul it i.s fringed on both banks by j^^entlo slopes and irreguhir benches, beyond which rise the hills, at first not more than 2,000 to 2,500 feet in height, some scarpetl by ravines, some castellated with regular strata of rock, but for the most part lightly wooded. This is the beginning of the Peace River Pass. Our progress was delayed for a little by a heavy thunder-shower, and being anxious to see this part of the river '.o advantage, we waited under shelter until the rain had ceased. The storm soon spent itself, tho sun came out with splendour, and large white l»illowy clouds, floating across the sky, !nade the deep blue beyond seem further away than ever. Almost immedi- ately below tho entrance to the Pass, Blount Selwyn rises to tho right, 4,570 feet above the river, 0,220 feet above the sea. It is a massive pyramid, flanked by a ridge of rock on either side, its lower slopes formed by the detritus washed down from side and summit, ])artly covered by burnt timber, and tinted by frequent i)atchcs of grass; its upper slopes in j)art moss-covered, in part bare as polished granite, broken and irregular as if shattered by fire and frost; its sides now shelving, now precipitous, grooved and seamed by torrent and by avalanche; its edge ragged and serrated, until it ternd- nates in a solitary snow-clad peak. Along the northern bank of tho riv^er tho hills are grou})ed in endless variety of form, the irregular masses looking as if they had been i ¥ ij'i I ' ' H : ,r 154 MOUXTAIX A.\D PH. I HUE. iluny there at some tcri-ible convulsion of nature, to show into how many ditTerent .sha}»o.s mountains can be cast Nearly o])i)osite Mount Solwyn the Wicked River, a stream dear as crystal and noisy as a cascade, falls in on the left hank through a gorge between the hills. To the right and left, alternately, sweep the broad curves of the main river, which is here from 200 to 250 yards in width, while the ridges, between which it winds, appear to be dove-tailed as you look down the Pass. The view changes with each bend of the current. Here a rugged shoulder bare and hard as adamant, butting upward for recognition, there a frowning precipice, with no trace of vegetation, or a wooded knoll, solid beneath but with a fair green surface, heie a wild ravine, there a great shell- shaped valley, while stretching far up are the peaks that I'oi'm a resting place for the eagle and the cloud. The day being fine there was a perpetual play of light and sliade on river and hill, and so as we were swept on by the current, cloud, mountain and river, peak, bluff, and wooded banks were woven into countless and ever- changing combinations. Sketches, jjhotographs and words alike fail to give an adet_[uate picture of this part of our journey. Even could one thus convey any clear conception of separate i)arls of the Pass, yet it is impos- sible to reproduce that sequence and blending of views that was wrought by our own motion down the river as it ceaselessly shifted the scenes. TIlRolcll THE MOUS'TM.ys ]1Y }Uh[T. 155 Thei'O was little snow to bo seen even on the liiij-hest peaks, much loss than wo had expected. Indeed, in this rosjicct the Eocky Mountains are less Alpine in a])pear- ance than the Cascade Range through wliirh wo camo when ascending \hc Skeona ; but hero the Tvockies arc much lower than they are further s<juth, while the ])oaks are clustered much more closely than on the Skeona. Gradually, as we were borne onward, we found the character of the lulls changing. Instead of being bold and jieakod and sori-atod, they are covered with woods to the summit. Tho valley begins to widen. To tlu- i-ight rises Mount Garnet Wolsoloy, so naincd by Diitlor, the last of the range thatsooni with sharp (.'d<^(i<< to cleave the sliy. Though the width of tho rivei- continues much the same, yet the plateaux on either side lu-oadon until tho hills are sot about two miles apart, fi-om north to south, bummit from summit. We recognise that we have pierced, from west to oast, tho Eango of tho Kooky Mountains, through a pass about twenty-two miles in length, borne pleasantly along in a large b(,at upon the waters of tho great Unchagah. Passing tho Clearwater and other small tributai-ios, whoso crystal purity is in marked contrast with tho turbid, grayish colour of the Peace, we i-an with safety the Parle-pas rapid, so called because it is not heard far up tho river, and may bo closely approached before it is recognised as a strong rough rapid, although it speaks V i\ . I I '1 . t i fi II I •i' l{ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) / '''/ P.A o if. ^' 4^ MJ.. 'W 1.0 If !.l 1.25 IIM 1112.5 ,50 •^ 1^ III 2.2 t 1^ 12.0 1.8 U IIIIII.6 P^ V) ^;. o «^j c^. cW ^^ .V ^m ■ ^v '/ -5? ^I Photographic Sdences CorpoKition 33 WIST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. USBO (716) 873-4503 u 15G MOUSTAIS AS'D PRAlIilE. loudly euoiigli wlicu you arc once in it.s grasp and cannot retrace your course. Our i)ilot, Cluii'lic Favel, who had gone forward to examine it before venturing to run it held the long " sweep " that was lashed astern to serve as the steering oar, for an ordinary rudder would be useless here ; the fopr oars were vigorously manned, and then into the boiling current wo went. We liad taken the first plunge, when mid-way we were caught l)y an eddy ; the bow swung around a little ; had it swung much further we must have been swamped, for the waves were angi-y as in a storm at sea ; the men bent themselves to their oars; the helmsman let out some of his reserve strength ; it was only the work of an instant ; the boat swung back into its true course, and the next moment we wei'e in calm water, Avisliing we had another rapid to run. Wo 2)assed a number of small streams, but below the mouth of the Fiiday tlie tributary streams are not as large nor as fre([uent as one would expect in a land of mountains. Indeed, until it receives the Pine Kiver tho united waters of the streams on tho eastern slopes scarcely make any iterceptible diifercnco in the volume of tho main river. This may perhaps bo due to tho reduced rain-fall on the eastern, as compared with that on tho western side of tho mountains. We were l)eing borne pleasantly along by tho strong and steady current when, hush! — " there's a moose," said Charlie, and no one darod to distrust tho old man's keen <'^ Tiinoran tui: moi'stms^! py noAT. 157 TiHion. Tho splashing oars are silenctvl ; all eyes are turned away from stream, and hill, and wood, and are focussod in one direction. Sure enough, there it is at some distance down tho river's bank, close bv the water's edge. Eager liands grasp the rifles, for we liave been hoping for a chance like this. The 1»oat dro]is quietly down tlie current, each head is bejit low, we draw neai'cr and nearer, we will soon be within safe and easv rani^o. No ! surely, it cannot 1)0 ! Yes, it is, — a great brown rock I A growl of disappointment, then a gcnei'al '"oar, and a proposal to present the too Idind, and too blindly trusted, Charlie with a pair of spectacles, — and our solitary moosediunt iw over. Continuing down stream we find flats and benches in almost unbroken succession, stretching between the river and the now receding hills, some of them half a mile in ■width, and less than thirtj- feet above the water's edge, with rich F*oil and luxuriant pasture. The banks, where not broken by the water that in |)laces has ex]iosed the sand, (day, or gravel bed, are green with grass, kinnikinnick, juniper, low red cedar, vetches, an<l tho beautiful silverbcrry ]ilant. Along both sides of the river there are terraces, in tier upon tier, some M'ith their edges as clearly cut as if they had been meant for fort- resses, others distinctly marked, but wooded ; indeed these terraces continue for many miles, a striking and beautiful feature of tlio landscape, giving it an appear- if »♦ : 1^ 1 w t ,,' mi- 158 MOUNr.ilS AND riiMUIE. \i *•■> anco of cultivation. Those on the right bank arc almost uniformly timbered, those on the nortli bank are grassy and smooth. Their aides are occasionally seamed by old buffalo trails, for though the buffalo has not been seen on the banks of the Peace for many years, this was once the pasture land for large herds that found hero their western limit. They wandered over a vast expanse of country " in herds ujion an endless plain." Prairie and hill-side furnished them with unlimited suj)plies of food, for even in winter by pawing away the light snow they could always find plenty of grass uj^on the plains. The bow and spear and rifle of the Indian long made little inroad upon their numbers, while the reduction thus caused would in the course of nature be soon repaired ; and it required but a small proportion of them to enable the Indian to supply his own wants. The buffalo fed him, clothed him, housed him, for his flesh was the Indian's food, and -his hide gave him clothes and tent. But the trader came wanting buffalo robes. Tiie skill of the Indian soon thinned out the herds, and the French half-l)recds caiTiod on a still more successful war of extermination against tliem. P'abulous numbers were slain annually until, by degrees, the vast herd.^ were reduced, and now their mimbcr is so raj>idly diminishing that on all the Canadian plains the bull'alo will soon bo extinct. Gradually tho valley widens, sometimes from bank to i i )Oii bo link to THROUGH THE MOl'STAIKS nY BOAT. 159 bank the river is not more than 500 feet, though it usually B2)rcad8 out its watora to twice that width. The flats are frequently covered with aspens that seem hero to take, in part at least, the place which the cotton-wood holds on the flats and islands of the Skeena and of the Parsnip, indicating it is said a drier soil, if not also a drier climate. Along the hill sides, on the northern bank, the stratification of the rock can be very clearly seen, traceable even below the grass, the lines running in various directions, though never much crumpled nor abruptly broken. Throughout the Eocky Mountains, in- deed, the strata of the rocks, which are chiefly limestone and sand-stone, are easily discernible, while in the Cascade Eange, composed of rocks of an earlier formation, scarcely any sign of stratification can be detected. The general appearance of the country upon either side between the river and the now receding hill; , and particularly on the north side, is that of a ])astoral dis- trict. Some of the flats and lower slopes might furnish arable farms; others, at least in the summer season, appear suited fOr stock raising, while the low grassy hills resemble some of the sheep-farming portions of Scotland. Mile after mile extend the terraces, some- times as regular as if cut by .-(puire and rule, now smooth as a lawn, now lightly wo(jded, cleft here and there by ravines. Ilavo tho Indians no legends connected with these 1 ■■ 1 1 1 J I' 160 3T0VNTAiy AM) PRAiniE. • ( 1 f ' ! 1 'I r « terraces ? Tliey remind one somewhat of the " parallel road.s " of Glen T(oy, but arc a.s much greater in extent as our Canadian North-West is more extensive than Scotland. The Scottish Highlander has his legend, or as he regards it, his true history of these parallel roads. Tell him about the glacial period, Avhen the ■whole land was rasped by icebergs, or about ancient water-levels that once stood high up along the slopes of Ben-Nevis, and he smiles at your foolish fancies. Does he not know, for did not his father tell him, that Fingal made those parallel roads that ho might hunt down the red-deer, when, with the dogs, of whose prowess Ossian hf;s sung, he coursed the antlered game along the hill side? Has the Indian no legends, no traditions of i-)aths cleft by the heroes^of old for the chase of moose, buffalo or grizzly ? Is there nothing in the beliefs and byegone history of the Indians of this northern land worthy of some antiquary's time and study, — worthy even of some small place in our English literature ? "Were it necessary to find a course for a railway as far north as the Peace Eivcr Pass, a comparatively easy route through the mountains is offered in this direction, for even at the -^vildest and most rugged parts of the Pass the mountains are almost invariabl}' fringed by flats, or ])}'• gentle slopes of vaiying width. One or two aval- anche courses, n few ravines and occasional projections of rocic would form the chief difficulties, wijich are appa- '( ' in extent nRive than legend, or illel roads, ivhole land levels that v^is. and he know, for >so parallel ^^hen, with le coursed the Indian heroes of [zz]y ? Is ory of the ntiqiiary's ace in our « 1 1 Ik vay as far vely easy direction, •Is of the J by flats, two aval- ections of are appa- ill h} .!!< TUEOUGn THE JlOUNTAiyr^' BT BOAT. 161 i'l I • rciitly much less Bcrious than many ob>tacles that have been overcome on other Canalian railways. At its higher, or western, extremity the Pass is not more than 1G50 feet above the sea level, and the cm-rent of the river, which is very equable, i^ about four or five miles an hour where it cuts through the mountain range. East of tho Pass, for fifty miles, until the Canon is reached, the en- gineering difficulties would probably be not much greater than those presented by an open prairie, but tlie cliief difficulty on this route would be found at the Caiion, where the river sweeps around ilio V»aso of a solitary, massive hill known as the Mountain of Rocks, or Portage Mountain, just above Iludson's Hope. Yet even here, though the work would be heavy, the difficulties would not be insuperable. For any railway line, however, that would pass by a northern route through the Rock'y Mountains to the Pacific, the Pine Kiver Pass, a little to the south of this, which is known to be practicable, would be preferable to the route by way of Peace River. The Canon of tho Peace River, which at its upper extremity is about fifty miles east of the Rocky Moun- tains, is about twenty-five miles in length, and the river is here a wild broken torrent, some 200 feet in width, which, so far as known, has never been navigated except by tho dauntless Iroquois crew that accompanied Sir George Simpson on his expedition to the Pacific, in 1828. Its rocky sides have been rent and peeled b}- the current, 12 !l l'1 'I \\ ' , 1 1 llf • i 1 ^ 1 N ;J' HI 1G2 MVVNTAIN AM3 PEAJUIE. hore scooped into great pot-holes, there seamed with broad fissures, now broken into jagged edges, now worn into smooth curves. The cliffs have in some places been levelled into terraces, in others they rise sheer and preci- pitous over 250 feet. Clambering along the face of the cliff where a foothold was possible we found a narrow seam of coal, about 150 feet above the river. A weather-worn piece, which was the best specimen that the situation allowed us to procure, when tested at the camp-fire burned with a bright flame but with a large proportion of ash. Another seam was observed, about two feet thick where exposexl, and also a seam of lignite. The course of the riyer ho'c is always curved as it dashes alternately to the right and left, while from end to end the Canon forms one great curve around the base of Port- age Mountain. This Caiion is the only obstruction to the navigation' of the river for several hundreds of miles. From the head of the Canon to the mouth of Pack Eiver, that empties the waters of Lake McLeod, that is, about 150 miles, or even further up the Parsnip, the river is navi- gable, except at low water, for steamers of light draught. The Parle-i3as and Finlay Eapids arc the only rap' is of any importance. These can be run with case and safety, and could be surmounted without much difiieulty by warping the steamer against the current, as is done on the heavier And more tortuous rapids of the Fraser and ty t)y TIIROVdH THE MOV ST A IS S BY liOAT. 163 the Columbia. From Hudson's Hope, ut the lower end of the Canon, it flows full-fed and strong with no hindrance to tteam navigation for nearly five hundred miles when it leaps over the Vermilion Falls. Another break, re- quiring a few miles of land ■communication occurs at the Five Portages, on Slave Eiver. Beyond that there is no further obstacle; the river is open to large steamers down to the Arctic Ocean. There would thus be but three breaks in the connection of continuous steum navi- gation from the mouth of Pack Eiver down the Parsnip, the Peace, the Slave and the Mackenzie, — different names for one continuous water-course, — that is, fi-om Northern British Columbia, through the Eocky Mountains, by the fertile Peace Eiver District, to the Northern Sea, a dis- tance in all, by water, of not less than 2500 miles. We were forced to abandon our boat ut the head of the Canon, but were fortunate enough to procure the horses of some Indian hunters from Hudson's Hope to convey our supplies, baggage, etc., across the twelve mile Portage to the foot of the Canon. At the Hope as elsewhere throughout these northern districts the agent employs two hunters to supply the Post with provisions. These men, accompanied by their families and by two grown lads who go with them to bring home the game, arc employed during most of the year in hujiling. Tliey confine their attention almost entirely to moose and bear, and scorn such small game us ducks and prairie- ; i I I \i li'» J ' 1C4 MOUNTAIX Asn riiAiniE. |4'* ' 1 r I chicken, however al^imdant. Each hunter gets ten dollars worth of ammunition in spring, and the same in autumn, u pound of tea, of sugar and of tobacco each month, and ho is paid from five to ten " skins " for each moose, according to size, the " skin " being the chief currency of the district, equivalent here to about SI. 50. We fortunately met the hunters of the Hope near the Canon, and were thus Hj)ared the dreary toil of port- aging our tents, supplies, etc., twelve miles. As their horses were employed to convey the slaughtered game to the trading-post their harness was of the rudest kind, especially when compared with the well made, well kept apparahoes of the mule-train. One outfit consisted of a small pack-saddle, shaped something like a diminu- tive saw-horse, partly covered with patches of leather and blanket, and girt with a broad belt of shaganappi. The second horse carried two large bags, made of moose- hide, that hung like panniers, one on either side. An- other was equipped with what appeared to be either the rudiments of a riding-saddle brought into use before it had been finished, or the remains of a saddle in an advanced stage of decay ; — and so with the rest. We were not, however, in a humour to criticize severely, but, thank- ful for such an unexpected conveyance, we were ready to adopt what is called the Hudson's Bay fashion, — that is, to use any thing you can get which will serve your turn, and let the next man forage for himself THROUOH THE MOCSTAINB liY BOAT. 165 The trail loads up to a broad terrace which skirts the base of a hill known as the Buffalo's Head. The hill takes this name from a favourite camping ground close by, which has, for many years, been marked by the head of the last buffalo that was shot in this part of the Peace District. From its summit a wide sweeping view maj" be had of the valley of the rivcx' westward to the giant peaks that girt thoPass, and eastward towards Dunvegan where it flows through fertile plains. We had hoped to ascend this summit while delayed near the head of the Canon, but a dense haze like that of a day in the Indian summer, only heavier, hung over the mountains, obscur- ing the view. The trail passes over rolling country, partly open pasture land, partly wooded with aspen, poplar, spruce, black pine and tamarac. On the north side rises the Buffalo's Head, a bare and rugged bluff, its sides covered with grass, — and facing it to the south of the trail, some five or six miles from top to top, stands the Portage Mountain, called formerly the Mountain of Eocks, raising its huge shoulder above all around, and flanked by a cluster of smaller hills that seem to lean against its sides, converging towards the summit. These may be regarded as spurs or foot-hills of the Rocky Mountains, although fifty miles east of the main range. It was late in the afternoon when we left the head of the Canon, and a thunder storm, which had been threatening us for some hours, broke over us while on the trail. As ij i 1 I M i i .! ■ i ,.'•»' (• f^iii 4'> 166 MOUNTAiy A^D PRAIRIE. WO trudged along however, Charlie, our old pilot, who knows the country from Red Eiver to Victoria, whiled away the time with .stories of the old mining days in Omcnica ; how he had been among the first to " strike " a paying bar on the Omenica, how Joe Evans, Bill Eoberts, Twelve-foot Davics and he had gone in as the advanced guard of a rushing multitude ; how flour sold at a dollar a pound, and other provisions in proportion; how Charlie himself turned his attention to the provision market, and made twenty-five dollars a day by catching and selling fish, while his klootchman, or Indian wife, made five dollars a day by washing ; and how, when the Cassiar mines were opened, and Omenica was " played out," he turned back to Fort St. James, having no wish to wander as far as the banks of the Stickino. He recalled, with evident satisfaction, the fact that he had never known any case of assault among the miners except one, in which he was himself the victim, when, at an evening party, at which in his capacity of fiddler he refused to play some particular tune, he was attacked by an inebriated Irishman. He had never known a case of theft among the miners, and, although for a time he carried the express for Rufus Syh -Htcr. Major Butler's old travelling companion, and was known to be often the solitary bearer of large sums of gold, yet none over attempted in tho least degree to rob, molest or annoy him. He attributed this oxcollont order in Onieuica, as also rnnnrGH the mountains by boat. IGT pilot, who ria, whiled ng days in "strike" !]van8, Bill 3 in as the 7 flour sold )roportion ; e provision •y catching idian wife, r, when the 18 " played ng no wish kine. He it that he the miners tim, when, of fiddler 18 attacked Dwn a case a time ho Dr Butler's e often the none over innoy him. ua, as also elsewhere throughout our British Columbia Mines, to the efforts and reputation chiefly of Sir Matthew Begbie, for whom the miners have a profound esteem ever since his memorable caution to them at Kootenay : — " Boys ! if Ihere is any shooting at Kootenay, there will be hanging at Kootenay. " The rain was falling heavily, and the lightning playing about us, as we pitched camp at the lower end of the Port- age, on a plateau about ninety feet above the river. On the opposite side, down near the water's edge, we saw a solitary light glimmering in the small log-house that is known as Hudson's Hope. Wo had passed the Mountains, itnd had entered on the vast Prairie Hegion. \ I \: PT'' / Ml f ■1 ■: I I ! I ! 'p^ t ii !1» Ik.* CHAPTER Vn. Hudson's uope to dunveqan. The Prairie Kegiou. — H. B. Company and the North-West Com» pany. — Hudson'8 Hope. — Moose. — The Climate. — Fertile Flats. — The Plateau. — On the Raft. — Appearance of Country. — Fort St. John. — Massacre at the Old Fort. — Bear Hunting. — Dunve- gan. — Hii^hlanders Abroad. — Peace River Indians. — Moostoos, and his fight with a Grizzly. — Missions to the Indians. During the past ccntiiiy much has been done to explore the extreme nortli of what is now the Dominion of Canada; for, althougli the Iludson's Baj" Company re- ceived their charter in 16Y0 few travellers ventured beyond the shores of Hudson's Bay until al)Out 1770, when Stcarne discovered Great Slave Lake and traced the Coppermine River to its mouth. Subsequent explorers, some of whom were inspired by the hope of discovering a north-west passage by sea from the Atlantic to the Pacific, acquired much information regarding that lonely north-land, and mapped out the country that borders the Arctic Ocean, But, while the labours of Franklin, Back, Dease, Simpson, Rae, Rich- ardson, MoClintock and others wore making the world 4 nuDSON's iwrr. to dfnvegan. 160 famili vith the shores of the Noi-thern Sea, a v st lUiar witn mo si territory was lying between that remote north-land and the western United States which was almost entirely unknown to any exco2)t the Hudson's Bay Company officials and Indians until 1857, when Captain Palliser made an expedition from Lake Superior to the Eocky Mountains. The lonely regions of the north may long continue to be, as they have been for ages, the home of the musk-ox, the summer resort of the elk, the hunting ground of the Indian, and the preserve of the fur-trader, unless indeed their minerals should prove of sufficient value to attract capital and i)opulation ; but this more southern and more central territory-, about which the outer world was long kept in ignorance while those who held it on lease retained it for bullalo and beaver and other fur-bearing animals, is one of the most fertile parts of our empire, and may soon become one of the chief granaries of the world. This district which is sometimes called the Prairie Eegion of Canada, and which includes the best portion of the North-West Territories, may bo roughly described as a great triangle, one side stretching for nearly one thousand miles along the international boundary lino — the 49th parallel ; a. -^ther extending from the btnmdary northwai'd, in part along the foot of the Hocky Moun- tains, for about eight or nine hundred miles; while the base of the triangle is formed iu a broken and irregular ( i II S' no MOUNTATN AND PRAIRIE . «( . t way by the chain of lakes that stretch from the Lake of the Woods, a littl'' east of Manitoba, north-westward to Great Slave Lake. The estimated area of this prairie region is not less than three hundred millions of acres, that is, about ten times the size of England. Manitoba, covering nine millions of acres in the south-east corner of this vast triangle, is as comjiared with the whole territory little moi-e than one square on the chess-board. It is un water- ed by a great system of rivers that flow into the chain of lakes which bound it along the north-east, and these lakes, in turn, are emptied by another river-system that flows through the remoter north land into the Arctic Ocean and Hudson's Bay. The Peace and the Atha- basca cut across the northern portion of this territory ; the Saskatchewan cleaves its way for a thousand miles through the rich central districts ; while through the south-eastern j)Ortions flow the Assmiboine and the Red Hiver, which unite their waters at Winnipeg, the capital of Manitoba and present gateway of the North- West. This immense territory, as well as that lying to the north, was, for two centuries, held by the Hudson's Bay Company. For a time their exclusive right to it was dis- puted by a rival fur-trading corporation, the North- West Company, which was formed in 1783, consisting chiefly of French and Scottish residents in the old Province of Lower Canada. This Company following the track of nUDSOS'S HOPE TO BUN VEGAN. 171 ^ Verandaye, who had travelled from the St. Lawrence to the Saskatchewan, pushed the fur-trade with great vigour, extending their operations even to the Pacific. They soon camo into collision ^v'ith the older corporation, and not content with the peaceful rivalry of commerce, tho servants of the two companies had many a bloody con- flict, until the antagonism that was proving fatal alike to the lives of the traders, the profits of the traffic, and the peace of the natives was ended by the amalgamation of the two companies in 1821, under the title of the older corporation. Thus reinforced, the Hudson's Bay Company secured increased privileges and extended their sway over all except our older Provinces from ocean to ocean, and from the mouth of the McKenzie to the borders of California, for there was no doubt nor dispute at that time about the rightful ownership of Oregon. Subsequently their terri- tory was diminished, first by the sacrifice of Oregon to the demands of the United States, and later, when Van- couver Island and British Columbia were erected into Crown Colonies, but it was not until 1870, on the transfer of the North- West Territories to Caniuia, that the Hud- son's Bay Company, the last of the great monopolies that have figured so largely in the colonial and commercial annals of England, gave up their exclusive right to the vast country that they had so long possessed. During their tenure of the land, it hud been the policy I >' > i )t ■ ^«| V ^ r ; :; 1 t J ^'t 1 i' f 1 '', 1 (IMl H' 1^ I'll I I ) I ! ! ; ! I I: •I :l i i' ! r I I 172 MOUNTAIN AND PliAIRIE. of the Company to retain it as a great fur-preserve, and therefore, they kept the outer world as far as possible in ignorance of its resources and its capabilities, of its illim- itable fertile prairies and its inexhaustible stores of coal, of its capacity to support a population perhaps twenty times as large as the present population of Canada. But the time had come when the gates must bo unbarred, when, through the efforts of successive travellers the character of the country was becoming known, while competent men declared that the greater portion of the wheat-lands of the continent were contained within this territoiy that had so long been sacred to the fur-trade. The settlement of the country could be delayed no longer, and the Company, recognizing the necessity that had been thrust upon them, and unable to secure the con- tinuance of all their chartered jjrivilegcs, transferred to Canada their right and title to the whole tewitory ; and, although on the Prairie Eegion the diminished yield of furs, the increase of competition, and the progress of settlement must reduce their traffic, yet, in the remoter north-land competition will be powerless for many years to come, and both soil and climate will protect them from the inroads of colonisation. The Company, consisting originally of Prince Eupert and seventeen others, acquired their right and title as *' the Governor and Company of adventurers trading with Hudson's Bay, " under charter from Charles nUDSON'S HOPE TO BUS VEGAN. n3 the Second on the easy terms llmt two elks and two black beavers should be paid to the king whenever he might come into the country. They received in extinction of their claim the payment of one and a half millions of dollars, the grant of fifty thousand acres selected in the vicinity of their forts or trading-posts, and the reserve o:* one-twentieth of the so-called " fertUe belt,'' that is, of the portion of the j^rairie region lying south of the north branch of the Saskatchewan. "When we reached Iludson'.s Iloi^e we had comj^letely passed the Mountains, even such outlying spui's as the Portage Mountain and the Buffalo's Head; and here, still following the Peace, we entered on the great Prairie ^Region, for the river carves its way through the upper portion of this vast fertile triangle in its course to the Northern Sea. The Ilope is an outpost of the Hudson's Bay Company station at Fort St. John, forty-three miles further down the river, and is the most western post of the Dunvegan district. The agent, Charlette Dumas, an active, sinewy, kind and trustworth}^ half-breed, with a guest of his, Bob Armstrong, gave us a cordial welcome when we visited them soon after our arrival. Bob is a specimen of character more frequently met in British Columbia than elsewhere in Canada, an educated, intelligent rambler, gold-hunter and trapper by turn, captivated by the wandering life for which this country affords abundant I ■ y I \ |.| !t i^y \ I! ' 174 MOUNTAIN AND PRAIRIE scope, and now grown so accustomed to it that a city would seem to him like a prison He had just returned from Moberley's Lake where he had been " fishing for the dogs,' as he expressed it that is, catching fish to feed the dogs, for dogs must be fed summer and winter, in order to bo ready for their winters work. While feeding the dogs, Bob had also been doing something towards the provision supply of the post, but this re- sponsibility rests mainly upon the Indian hunters, while Dumas himself attends to fur-trading, As the hunters usually devote themselves to one kind of game at a time, the people at the Hope, as at the other smallei trading- })03t8, have not much variety of food ; when they have moose they have little else than moose, and when they have fish or bear it is, as Armstrong said, " fish or bear straight.'' Throughout the Peace Eiver country the moose is to the Indian almost everything that the buffalo is to the hunter of the plains, for this is the best moose country in Canada. The flesh is his chief article of food j the skin, when tanned, is the great material for dress, at least for winter costume, while untanned it is used for count- less liurjiosoSj among others as the covering; for his tent or tepee ; and cut into strips, in which form it is known as '• shagunuppi," it serves in almost every manufacture, and for all kinds of repairs When moose are plentiful traders and Indians live well, for moose moulUc and I HUDSON'S HOPE TO DUN VEGAN 1*75 tongue is a dish for kings to dine upon. Sometimes, however, when the hunters are unsuccessful foj" several weeks, the people at some of the posts may be reduced to the verge of starvation. Two years ago Dumas was compelled to kill one of his horses for food, and last spring he and his family had to eat some ol" the parch- ments which had served as window panes, and only regretted that they aad not enough of them. Yet, while dej)endent for food on the precarious supply of the chase, they might at this trading-post, as at every other throughout the Dunvegan district, raise abundance of stock and excellent crops with very little difficulty. The soil of the broad river flat on which the house is situ- ated is of the richest loam, and in the little garden attached to it wheat and vegetables grow to perfection. On the elevated plateaux, far above the river level, the grass is so abundant that horses and cattle can feed in large numbers. The horses can winter out, and sufficient wild hay could, with no great labour, be cut for winter-feeding a large number of cattle. Dumas informed us that some- times frost occurs late in the spring, although potatoes are usua^y planted by the first week in May. It had occurred, for instance, on the 15th May preceding our visit, but they rarely have any frost from that time until Sejj- tember, the river being u ually open until the beginning of December. Indeed, we had already observed the marked eliange \}€ hi t i I H< 1' i '• i 17G MO VNTA /.V A XD PR A TRIE. I t i ' r ;: 5 1 ■ i 1 1 4 : (■ u i :SI ii| ii' ! IB' that there is between the climate on the east, and that on the west side of the Eocky Mountains, that on the east being drier and much warmer. Tliis is probably due in part at least, to the fact that the prevailing westerly winds blowing from the Pacific have, by the time they come so far Inland, been relieved of much of their mois- ture, — first by the Cascade Eange, and then by the Eocky Mountains, — and becoming drier they become warmer, while at the same time the general level of the country here is lower than that of northern British Columbia. But the temperate climate is, no doubt, caused also in part by the warm current of air, the Gulf Stream of the atmosphere, that flows from the south along the cen- tral part of the continent. From the Gulf of Mexico, a ^reat plain occupies nearly all the central portion of North America as far as the Arctic Sea. Along this region of plain and prairie the heated air of the tropics must move northwards, and probably to this, as much as to the winds from the Pacific, we owe the moderate climate of our North-West. One naturally forms an impression of the climate of this country from the lati+ude, an impres- sion that in the minds of many has been confirmed by reading Butler s Wild North Land, a record of a winter trip when the lakes and rivers were ice-bound and the country was covered with snow. But one might as cor- rectly form his impressions of the climate of Ontario by the \v^iiitry photographs that English visitors in II Ti HUDSON'S IIOFE TO DVNVEGAX. Ill Canada ho frequently send to their friends at liome. Here, at Hudson's Hope, for instance, the climate is as conducive to life and comfort as it is in Ontario, ten degrees further south, while, throughout the North-West Territory, with its dry air, its bright sunshine, and its cool summer nights, fevers and bronchial affections are almost unknown, and the conditions for health and labour are peculiarly favourable. At Hudson's Hope the fertile part of the Peace River district may be said to commence, for above the Caiion the land suitable for farming is very limited. As yet, i~^.deed, the only places occupied by the white man, throughout this vast northern country, are the Hudson's Bay Company posts, a few mission stations^ and two or three " free-traders' " establishments, and these are uni- formly found on the fertile flats near the river's edge. On these flats the soil is usually of the richest character ; the garden at the Hope, for instance, though but poorly cultivated, yields as good vegetables as are found in any of our eastern markets, with excellent wheat and barley, though these are grown in quantities so small as simply to serve as samples of what the district might produce. On a similar flat at Fort St. John, wheat, barley, and a great variety of vegetables, are successfully cultivated, while a still greater variety, including cucumbers, are grown at Dunvegan, ninety-seven miles below Fort St. John. It is the same at all the Hudson's Bay Company 13 liiji 1 : I It I 1^ * \ I \ I 178 MOUNTAIN AND PliAIIilE. ml ;•# i^ !!, n il: \h ' t J ' 1 pi il I i I i s poets along the valley of the Peace. "Wheat is grown as far north as Fort Simpson in lat : 02° ; while wheat and barley grown at the Chipewyan Mission, on Lake Atha- baska, in lat: 58° 42", fully 600 miles north of Winnipeg, took a medal at the Centennial exhibition in Philirdel- phia in 187G. By the Peace Hiver district, however, wo do not mean merely the fertile flats that skirt the river, but the vast plateau that, with few interruptions, extends in un- broken level for many miles on either side, at an altitude, in this western part, of about nine hundred feet above the river level, an altitude that gradually diminishes to about fifty feet below Yermilion, five hundred miles further down the river. This plateau, through which the Peace winds with a gentle current and almost as uniformly as a canal, is narrow near Hudson's Hope, but widens as it stretches eastward. Along the north bank, for a width varying from twenty-five to seventy miles, the land is known to be very fertile, partly well timbered, partly covered with light poplar, partly prairie, with rich herbage, luxuriant wild hay and j)ea-vine, at least as far as the Salt Springs on Slave Eiver; while on the south side it embraces one of the most fertile and prom- ising tracts of the North- West, known as La Grande Prairie, and, pursuing a south-easterly direction across the Athabasca to Edmonton, the greater portion of the land is fit for cultivation. nUD/^OS'S HOPE TO DUNVEGAN. 179 For our journey down the rivor bolow the Canon we could not procure a boat, nor could we oven obtain canoes ; wo were therefore compelled to make a raft, ou which wo drifted slowly down to Dunvcgan, one hundred and forty miles, the current of the river being here some- what slacker than it is nearer the mountains. Some- times the river is not more than eight hundred feet in width, but frequently it broadens to half a mile, encir- cling islands in its flow. These islands are very beautiful, some being thickly wooded, and gracefully arched, rising like domes from the water's level — others, such as Los Isles des Pierres, about five miles below Hudson's Hope, being rocky, with flat lightly-wooded tops and preci- pitous sides, along which the sandstone strata are clearly marked, looking at a little distance as regular as masonry. The benches or terraces, continue, but not in so marked a manner, nor in so great a number as above the Canon. Occasionally we ascended the plateau and found the soil uniformly fertile, — in some parts heavily timbered, in others lightly wooded with poplar copse, — with occasional stretches of open prairie that increased in number and extent as we moved eastward. Drifting down a large and gentle river on a raft is not very exciting ; it had, however, in our case at least, the one advantage of allowing us leisure to observe the scenery, which, though here not wild nor mountainous, is by no means monotonous. The river flows in long, sweep- 's ' 'a i. 'I 1,^ ft, _ ! I \\ ,A 180 MOVSTAIN AND PRAIRIE. ■•1 tit !'■ \ I '■ ' ing curves, with easy equable current. Borne onward by its flow one fails to recognise the even level of the upper plateau, as the lofty banks are so varied by valley and ravine, by slope and terrace. Sometimes they are steep, almost precipitous, walls of shale, sandstone or indurated clay, — sometimes they are fringed by wooded flat or shelving beach, with here a land-slide exposing a bank of clay, there a deep gorge, its sides peeled to the bare sand-stone or clothed with foliage. Now the valley broadens, so that the expanded waters flow more gently, again it narrows as if to impede the river, which is thus forced into a stronger current. Each afternoon, for it was now the last week of July, a heavy haze, deepening as the day wore on, hung over the river, and, looking ber hind us, it seemed to take a warm golden tinge from the light of the westering sun. It was not fog nor smoke; it reminded us of pictures of tropical scenery in which form and colour alike grow indistinct as river and bank and island are shrouded in dimness caused by the vapour and the heat. In a wide bend on the northern bank of the river where the valley broadens to nearly a mile, backed by grassy and lightly wooded slopes, nestles the little post of Fort St. John. An older building than the present one stood, some years ago, on the opposite bank, where the gai*den of the P^ort is now ; and a still older Fort St. John once stood about fifteen miles below this, at the u r i HUDSON'S HOPE TO DUN VEGAN. 181 ard by 1 upper ey and > Bteep, lurated flat or a bank 10 bare valley gently, is thus 1, for it 3pening king be^ •om the smoke ; which id bank vapour river ked by ;lo post present where \)rt St. at tho mouth of the North Pine Eiver The present Fort is of the usual pattern of the smaller Hudson's Bay posts, — a very plain building of squared logs, with store and out- houses attached; while nearer the beach stands the log cabin recently occupied by tho notorious Nigger Dan We ascended the plateau and walked back about a mile. The soil is surprisingly rich and the vegetation very luxuriant. Mr. Selwyn, who rode about seven miles from the river over the table-land or plateau, describes it as " a fine level or slightly undulating coun- try, covered with the richest herbage of astonishing luxuriance," and he adds. "I have seen nothing in the Saskatchewan region that at all equals it ; both the soil and the climate here arc better. "-f^ Nigger Dan, however, who is an experienced gardener, and to whom ,we are indebted for some of the most recent records of climate at Fort St. John, where he lived for several years, differs from Mr. Selwj n in this comparison of tho valleys of the Saskatchewan and (he Peace. Having spent, unwil- lingly, the summer of 1879 at Foi't Saskatchewan, ho says that he considers the Edmonton District superior to the Peace Kiver country both in regard to soil and climate. The day being very clear and cool with a strong wind from the west, we could see tho liocky Mountains, some seventy miles away there being apparently nothing but prairie between us and them. To the south of the Peace •Report) of PruKross), Geol. Survey of Cuimda, 1875-76, p. 51. f'U .1 ll'l 182 3I0UNTAiy AND mAIRIE. «:!' 'iv. «■ V ( fi i ;» ^ 1^ A the country Hoemod to be about the same level as that on which we stood, that is, about nine hundred feet above the river, at least as far back as the valley of the Pine River, which joins the Peace about five miles below Fort St. John Beyond the Pine Eiver we could see low roll- ing hills, but between the two valleys, away up as ftir as Hudson's Ilope, there was unbroken plateau. It was now indeed, for the first time, that we began to realize the character of the country on which we had entered. Thus far we had only seen the western end of this fertile plateau, where it narrows towards the moun- tains. To the east it stretches for many leagues, in almost unbroken level, as far as Lesser Slave Lake ; — to the north we know not accurately how fai, as explora- tion has hitherto been confined to the vicinity of the river valley. To the south-east, after you have passed the foot-hills of the Rocky Mountains, the plateau ex- tends, with few interruptions, to the valley of the Sas- katchewan Some parts of this plateau are indented with valleys, or broken by low ranges of hills, some are wooded densely or lightly and others are covered with the ricliost grass Turn up the soil and almost everywhere you find it rich with promise of the most bountiful re- turns for any that will till it. Follow the course of the broad Peace River as it winds in long sweeping curvoe through this vast fertile country, and though you find \U \ jiuDSoxs norr. to dvnvegah. 183 sides, now grooved by land-slips or carved and rolled into terraces, now covered with trees or grassy as a lawn, yet, above and beyond all the windings of the river and the varied contour of its banks, stretches the prairie in miles of superior soil, vast, rich and silent, traversed only by the few Indians that disturb the solitude. Eecords of tho climate kept at Fort St. John shew that the first snow-fall usually occurs towards the end of October; tho average date for the first appearance of ice on the river is about the *7th November, and for the opening of tho river about the 20th April, while planting [)egin8 early in May, and potato digging about the third week in September. The average depth of snow does not exceed two and a half to throe feet; and here, as throu.G;}iout the district, the horses winter out, finding abundant grass on the neighbouring slopes and plateaux. Major Butler states that when he passed here he encountered the first mosquito of tho year on the 20 ih April, an incident that to many in Ontario may be expressive of the early opening of tho season. We left Fort St. John at noon on the 30th July. Five miles below tho Fort we passed the mouth of Pine River which flows in from the south, a river that has become well-known to many, at least by name, in connection with one of the proposed routes of the Canadian Pacific Railway, as the valley of the Pine River offers poi-liapa the easiest and most practicable Pans through the Rocky I i 184 MOUNTAIN AND PRAIRIE. I .1 ■ i l1 'li n P I Mountains. Were it desiraljle to select a Pacific terminus for our trans-continental roud as far north as Port Simp- son, there would be no serious engineering difficulties in constructing a line from the prairie region, by way of Pine River Pass and the neighbourhood of Babinc, down the valley of the Skeena to the coast. Below the mouth of the Pine the Peace is dotted witli numerous islands, which have apparently been produced V)y land slides or by alluvial deposits washed down by the current, as they show evidence of good soil similar to that on the flats along the river banks. Later in the afternoon we passed the mouth of North Pine River, which joins the Peace about ten miles below the mouth of the stream of the same name that flows in from the south. Here stood the old Fort St. John which was in 1823 the scene of a horrible massacre. Hughes, the only White man then at the fort, had in some way aroused the anger of an Indian, who, entering the store soon after with some companions, threatened to take his life, and before any defence was possible shot him dead. At the time a party of H. B. Company voyageurs were coming down the river from Hudson's Hope, and were approaching the Fort immediately after the murder, when an old woman shouted to them to keep away, as the Indians had iilroady killed the agent. Either not Understanding or not believing her they landeu, but as they did so the whole crew, four in number, were shot. i i firDSON'S HOPE TO DUXVEGAN. 18f> Shortly after another crew coming down the river towards the Fort, were hailed and warned by the old Indian woman. The interpreter, Charlette Lafleur, who was in the caiioo, believing the woman's story, told the rest of the crew, and they at once took the other side of the river and pa^sscd down to Dunvegan. j^ few days later a Rolitai*y Indian, who is still living at Fort Vermilion, was coming down the river with letters from Hudson's Hope. Landing at Fort St. John, he found the place utterly abandoned, ex- cept by dogs that held carnival over the ir 1)uried re- mains of the dead, As soon as word was brougii i to Dunvo- gan Mr. McLeod, the agent then in charge, sent men in pursuit of the murderers, but the whole band, who were not - Beaver Indians but Sicanies, had vanished, some crossing the Eocky Mountains, others fleeing in the direction of the Lower Mackenzie, all escaping beyond capture. Even the Beaver Indians fled for a time from the coun- try, so that the whole district was abandoned. Dun- vegan had to be deserted, as there were no longer any to trade with. Subsequently the Beavers returned to their old hunting grounds, and asked the Company to re-open their post at Dunvegan, which they did in 1828; but forty years passed before a station was re-opened in the neighbourhood of old Fort St. John, and then it was not at the scene of the massacre, but at a spot above it on the opposite side of the river, from which it was after- wards romovod to the present site. i I ! i\ 186 MOUNTAIS AND PBAIRIE. II ' J '■1^ If 11 i I I ( ' Our life on the raft was varied by the excitement of looking for bears along the grassy slopes of the north bank, as there is here a great profusion of saskatum, or service-berry bushes, and the bears, being exceedingly fond of these berries, come out upon the high sloping banks to enjoy them. Sometimes we saw ten or twelve in a day, although in almost every instance they were beyond range of our rifles, and we could not spare time for hunt- ing. The dj^^ after we left Fort St. John, however, we saw one so near that McLeod, Major and I were induced to go ashore for a chase. Snubbing the raft to a tree, up wo went through the thicket and along the flat, and then over the low grassy hills, one of the young Indians leading at a rapid pace. "We had tried to arrange a plan of action so that the rifles would be stationed to the best advan- tage before we closed in upon our game, but Peter the Indian was so eager that he simply gave chase liko a sleuth-hound, while we three followed to the best of our ability, hurrying- to such points as we thought the bear might probably pass if escaping the nearest rifle. We soon heard the crack of the Indian's gun, and saw a huge black bear rolling heels over head down the hill in a direct line for Major, who fired at him, and then stepped quickly and gracefully aside to give him the road, thinking that he must bo already in the throes of death. None of us, except th© Indian who could not down hill. epeak Engli lying ''i\ I nUDSOS^'8 HOPE TO DUWEOAN. 187 frequently prefers to roll heels over head, as he makes more speed in this way than by running, his fore legs being so much shorter than his hind legs. What was Major's surprise to find that the bear, af^or rolling to the foot of the hill, instead of resting in eternal stillness hurried oif into the bushes. "We gave chase, tracking him, as best we could, by the blood which stained the grass and bushes, but we frequently got off the scent for a time and so made slow progress. "We had a dog, the property of our foreman, McNeill, but whistle and call alike failed to wile him from the provision stores on the raft, so, after following the blood-stained trail for about a mile, we gave up the chase, and returned to the raft, finding the remaining members of the i)arty in a state of eager expectation, which was soon changed into bitter disappointment as our failure dispelled the vision of bear-steak that had risen before their minds. In the afternoon of the same day we had another bear hunt ; this time it was a grizzly. "We thought wo had him as an easy j)rey, for he was swimming across the river, and though at some distance above us seemed to be carried to- wards us by the current ; but the same current was hurj-y- ing us on also, and a raft is rather unwieldy in a strong stream. Bang 1 bang I went rifle and shot gun, but, though a shower of lead fell around him, he seemed to have a charmed life, or something was seriously wrong with our rifles, — we shall not say with our riflemen. In t'l^i » ! 1 i 'I |.: 188 MOUNTAIN AND I'/IATRIE. the evening around the camp-fire there was a general feeling of self-condemnation that we had to make our supper off the old stand-by of bacon and beans, instead of having a toothsome slice of fresh bear. Several times in our course down the river, when we ascended the plateau, we were unable, on account of the clumps of wood, to obtain any very extensive view. The trail by which Messrs. Macoun and Horetzky travelled, in 1872, runs below Fort St. John, on the south side of the Peace. Of the country along the southern bank, at a little distance from the rough and thickly wooded part that borders the river between Dunvegan and Fort St. John, Mr. Horetzky writes : — *' The whole country passed over " during these few days was varied in appearance, the trail " passing through wood and prairie, principally the " former, and for the last two days through a rough coun- " try covered with dense forest. A good many large " creeks were crossed, and they invariably flowed through *' deep depressions cut out by themselves, to a depth of *' three and four hundred feet where we passed over them. " Some very beautiful prairie land was also seen, but wo " always kept to the north of La Grande Prairie, which " unfortunately we hau not time to visit. Still the " favourable appearance of the country we had passed " through argued greatly in favour of the more southern " section about which we had heard so much."* • Canada ou the Pacific : -p 47. 1 Grently but steadily we were swept onward towards Dunvegan, the central II. B. Comjiany's post of the Peace River district, reaching it on the 1st August. Since leaving Fort St. James, at Stewart's Lake (the central depot of New Caledonia), this was the point towards which our thoughts were turned, for here we would rendezvous for a short time, here would begin for some of us the homeward journey, and here, though still more than twelve hundred miles from Winnipeg, we would at least seem to be nearing home. The name Dunvegan recalled a scene very different from any to be met with on the banks of the Peace. Far away on the north coast of Skye, on a rocky steep washed by the wild Atlantic, stands Dunvegan the Castle of McLeod. To the west can be seen the lonely Island of Lewis, but for the rest that western view is one of sea and sky, — the ocean in calm and in storm, — the sky in dull grey or deej) blue, its clouds torn and broken in the tempest or resting motionless in purple and gold near the setting sun. To the south rise the grim hills of Coolinj to the east the mountains of the main land. From that country of beauty and romance, of wild scenery, weird legend and thrilling memories, came one of the McLeods, many years ago, with fond recollections of his northern home, and, as he phmted this fur-trading post in the distant west, he named il after the chief castle of his clan. il I' 1^ \ ! t H . ,■ . ' ( 100 MOUNTAIN AND PRAIRIE. How fondly and frequently the thoughts of the Scottish Highlander turn to the home of his childhood. He recalla the outline of each hill as if it were some dear familiar face ; he sees the well-known loch, now mirroring the sky, and now whipped into foam by a squall from some neighbouring glen ; he treads again, as in boyhood, the winding path to the church, j'^ins in the service with lowly and simple worshippers, and lingers in the kirk- yard where the dust of his fathers is laid. He may pass from that early home through the impulse, it may be, of an honourable ambition, or perhaps forced through the selfishness of the lords of the soil. Let him revisit the land of his fathers, he may find many of the glens now silent save for the bleating of the sheep, the old church perhaps closed for VQvy lack of worshippers, monu- ments in the kirk-yard to the memory of those who have jiow no living representative in the land that once knew them, while in some little church-yard in Glengarry or Pictou, or other j)art8 of Canada that were settled by Scottish Highlanders, may be found tombstones bearing the same names, and, close by, the living heirs of the men that once peopled those Highland glens. Yet meet him where jou may you will find that, so long at least as he is true to the habits and the memories of his early years, the Highlander is strong in courage and fidelity, strong in self-reliance and in simplicity of life, and, as a tender tribute to the memory of the old land, he transfers 1 HUDSON'S HOPE TO DUNVEGAS. 191 at least the names of her lochs and hills and castles to the land of his adoption. Yery unlike the original Dunvegau ib this H. B. Com- pany's post that bears that Highland name. It stands on a broad low flat in a large bend, on the northern bank of the river, some thirty feet above the water level. Behind it rises an abrupt ridge, broken by grassy slopes and knolls, and leading to the rich pasture land of the plateau that spreads its vast expanse eight hundred feet above the fort. A new residence has recently been built, and a new store is in course of completion, but with these exceptions the buildings have a neglected, outworn look, as if in the prospect of the new the old had not been protected against decay. At the time of our visit the Indians from the surround- ing country had gathered near Dunvegan, to collect service-berries for spicing their moose pemmican, and to procure supplies for their autumn hunt. As they came in on the Sabbath morning to the Eoman Catholic mission in the neighbourhood of the Fort, they inspected us and our tents with the liveliest curiosity, many of them lingering around the fire where the cook was at work in evident anticipation of some show of hospitality on our part. They presented every variety of Indian dress and fashion, except the war paint ; some wore the old Hudson s Bay capote of navy- blue cloth with brass buttons ; some wore skin coats m >,. » m ! , f ! I i 91' 192 MOUNTAIN AND PJiAiniE. P ' \\ ' I I;;! ( I ^|E 'i richly tasselated ; others were gorgeous in embroidered leggings, or in hats trimmed with feathers and gay- ribbons ; while the women were dressed simply in tartans, bright patterns being evidently preferred, aa if Scottish taste prevailed in the selection of imported goods a3 well as in the naming of the forts. And Scottish influence does largely prevail, — for almost every H. B. Company's agent from Dun vegan to the mouth of the Mackenzie is a Scotchman by birth or by descent, and it is a common saying there, as in other parts of the North-TVest, that the success of the Hudson's Bay Com- pany is due to Scotchmen and shaganajipi. On& of these Indians, Moostoos by name, was worth seeing, for he had passed through the rare experience of fighting a grizzly bear and living to tell it. The black bear is a common enough foe for these men to face, but few men survive a hand-to-hand encounter with a grizzly. Moostoos had come unexpectedly upon one that he found gorgmg himself on the rei-^ains of a black bear, and the grizzly at once turned on him. The Indian kept his ground, and as the bear rose on his hind legs to attack him he aimed at his breast, drew the trigger, but the old flint-lock missed fire. Immediately the grizzly sprang forward, and as he did so the Indian drew his knife, but with one blow the bear struck it from him and then felled him to the ground utterly defence- less. Eis only possible chance now was to feign death, '!• nUDSGN'S nOPE TO DrKVFGAS. 103 )roidered and gay mply iii erred, aa imported ■ts. And lost every , mouth ot scent, and ,rts of the Bay Com- for many a wild animal, if not hungry, will leave a man an soon aa he seems to be dead. With tooth and claw the bear tore his flesh, at one stroke taking away his scalp, carrying the right ear with it, at another stripping a large piece from his shoulder, at another rending a piece from his side. Through all this torture poor Moostoos remained conscious, but was motionless as a coi'pse till the grizzly, apparently thinking tluit he was dead, moved olf, and then the lacerated man dragged himself to the camp. He has never wholly recovered, though it is four years since this happened, but he still hunts with much energy and success. It is hardly possible for him, however, to go nearer to the jaws of death without finding them close on him. for ever than he did in his fight with the grizzly. There is a Eoman Catholic Mission near Dunvegan r^onducted by Pere Tessier, one of the Oblate Fathers, who was sufficiently liberal in spirit to join with us in our service on the evening of the Sunday that we spent here.* The Pdre told us that he had observed some improvement among the Indians of later years, which he ascribes to the influence of the Mission, especially in their increasing regard for the marriage tie. and their •The form of service used by us, on this as on almost every other Sunday was one of those which, prepared by three clergymen of tlie Anglican, Roman Catholic and Presbyterian Churches, have bein published under the title of Short Sunday Services/or Travellers, by Dawson Brothers, Montreal. 14 in 1 ;: \ 1 1 1 . I ^te J vfi M ii ^if ' It :.^ \ \ ' Ik fpr/'^ i[ j V 1 1 i ; i ■ iiijf li • '': 1 M 194 3I0UNTAIN AND PBATRIE. carefulness in observing the Sabbath — things not only good in themselves, but probable indications of improve- ment in other respects. It used to be common enough for husband and wife to desert each other according to the attractions offered by some third party, as well as for the husband to take to his wigwam more than one wife, his practice of polygamy depending chiefly upon the amount of his worldly property and on his ability to keep his lodge supplied with game. Gradually however they are improving in this respect, as they are also in keoj^ing the Sabbath. As yet their chief way of observ- ing it is by abstaining from travelling or hunting, though sometimes, like their better educated white brethren, they try to bring conscience and desire into harmony by starting on a journey on Saturday and pleading the necessity of continuing it on Sunday. Yet some of them regard this, as one of themselves expressed it, as "trying to dodge the devil around the stump." Mission work, however, must make very slow progress among them, if for no other reason, on account of their wandering life, as thoy are hunting during a great por- tion of the year, and while hunting thoy are generally separated, or banded perhaps in groups of not more than two or three families. There is thus little or no opportunity of educating their children, or of acquainting ■either old or young with more than the outward forms and requirements of Christianity. Son oral niisslons are ■f ^ 1 i^l 1 )t only iprove- igh for ; to the 1 as for le wife, lon the )iUty to lowever ) also in ' observ- [lunting, i white isiro inta ay and [ly. Yet IxproBsed p" in'ogross of their |reat por- :ciioraUy lot more tlo or no uainUng ,rd forms iBiouB are HUDSON'S HOPE TO DUNVEGAX. 195 maintained in this remote part of the North-West by the Oblate Fathers, the only Protestant missions throughout the district being those of the Church of England under the direction of Bishop Bompus, the Bishop of Athabasca, whose head-quarters are at Fort Cliipowyan. In addition to the bishoj) there are four clergymen scattered through- out this vast diocese, one at Vermilion, two on the Mac- kenzie, and one on the Yucon. They labour unweariedly among their widely scattered flocks, the bishop himself, as well as the others, very frequently visiting the Indians on their hunting exj^editions. They have to face many discouragements, not only from the difficulties of travel but from the slow and small results that they can witness from their labours, as the wandering life of the people precludes anything like the success that has attended some of the miswions to the Indians of British Columbia, notably that established by ]\Ii'. Duncan at Metlahkatlah. Efforts are being made to secure the education of the children, and if possible to induce some of the Indiana to cultivate the soil, bur where ganie is so abundant it cannot be expected that the Indians will take to farming for many years to come. tli I • I 1 r r 1 I! > iM CHAPTER YIIL PEACE RIVER COUNTRY. Province of Unchagah. — Outfits of exploring parties. — Old journals at Dunvegan. — Records of climate. — Beaver Indians. — Cree music. — Expedition to Battle River. — Character of country. — Bear-hnnting. — Size and character of Peace River Country.— The climate. — Danger of summer frosts. — Increased sunlight. — Temperature. — Coal-beds. — Facilities of communication. The Peace River country, which is destined to become an important province, — the Province of Unchagah, let U8 call it, — may be said, so far as agricultural resources are concerned, to begin near Hudson's Hope. West of that the areas of fertile land are confined to the river flats and to some restricted benches, and even for some distance eastward till you approach P'ort St. John the arable land is very limited. From Fort St. John it stretches southward and south-eastward along the foot- hills of the Rocky Mountains to the banks of the Atha- basca, eastward to Lesser Slave Lake and the hilly country that lies between it and the Athabasca River, north- eastward as far as Lake Athabasca. The great river that unwaters it and that gives it its name, entering this 4 ^ PEACE RIVER C0UNTB7. 197 I . I , I 1 fertile tract at the Canon, flows for nearly two hundred and fifty miles in an easterly course, till fifty miles below Dunvegan, after receiving from the south-west its chief tributary, the Smoky Eiver, it turns suddenly northward. Then, after flowing in many curves and with gentle cur- rent for about three hundred miles it bends again, near Fort Ycrmilion, to continue its winding course eastward for two hundred miles more till it meets the waters that empty Lake Athabasca. Here it drops the name that it has borne from its entrance into the Eocky Mountains, to be known as the Slave, and lower down as the Mac- kenzie, as it rolls towards the Northern Sea. Wo spent the month of August in this district of tho great Unchagah, traversing the lower portion of it in different directions, our explorations extending north- ward seventy miles from Dunvegan, eastward as far aa Lesser Slave Lake, and, including some subsequent examinations made by Messrs. Uavvson and McLeod, southward to the banks of the Athabasca. Dunvegan was our head-ipuirters, and though we deeply regretted the absence of tho factor, Mr. Macdougall, wo wore greatly assisted by his clerk, Mr. Kennedy, in making all necessary arrangements. Of course we wero dependent on <' tho Company " for the supply ol horses, iw the mulo-train from Pino lliver could not reach Dunvegan before the middle of August; and wo wero also dependent upon their agent to secure some Indian ' ! '■■ !■" is .'J i^ tt9 '^t'O^r t*i-r*<S-^ I'-Var-jTrTT-,-* 198 MOUNTAIN AND PRAIRTE. I guides. The horses, however, were running wild upon the plateau, and the " horse-guards " moved slowly in search of them, so that we could only procure enough to carry tents, provisions, etc., for two small exploring parties. Even after the horses had been secured, pack saddles required repairs, large supplies of shaganappi had to be provided, and a number of etceteras collected, as varied as the outfit of a small family on a holiday trip to the seat* o. When other arrangements had been com- pleted ore would invariably be some delay in con- cluding terms with the Indian guides. The Indian is never in a hurry, except when running down game. In the ordinary concerns of life he endorses the saying that " hours were made for slaves ;" as for liimself, being a freeman, he can take time in large allowance and deal with it liberally. Try to secure him as your guide, and up to the last moment he will hesitate, like a gun that hangs fire. Ilowever attractive your offer may be, and however much he may really desire to go with you, an Indian will seldom show any anxiety to accept your offer, especially if he thinks that you are at all eager to engage him. He may be wooed ; but ho will not be deprived of his rights of courtship. Even after he begins to yield, having determined from the first to go, he will picture all sorts of difficulties, either hy way of testing your courage and determination or by way of showing his own extraordinary self-denial. And after all is arranged, A i^EACE RIVER COUNTRY. 11>9 being and you have stipulated how many skins' worth of goods he will get for his services, he will loiter around the camp, and until he sees you active and in earnest he will not bridle a horse ; but when he is fairly started, though often lazy he is always trustworthy. Messrs. Canibie and McLeod having secured the neces- sary conveyance and outfit, started on exploring trips in different directions through the southern country. I was anxious to go north as far as Battle Rivci-, but could not for lack of horses. During this enforced delay, I bad the opportunity of examining the old joui-uals of Duiivogan, and of growing somewhat familiar with life at an II. B. Company's Fort. The oldest of these records is of date 1 1th Maj-, 1828, when the post was re-opcned after it had boon abandoned for five years on account of the massacre at Fort St. John. The entries of that date tell that the buildings wore found in a very dilapidated condition, — that numerous tracks of buffalo, moose, etc., were noticed all around the Fort, — and add, '' the men " commenced to get a j^lough and harrow i-eady to sow " and plant wheat, barley and potatoes, having brought " up a quarter keg wheat, one keg barley and ten kegs "potatoes." A little later, there is the following reference to the visit of Sir Goorgo Simpson, who passed Dunvegan on his tour to the 'Pacific: — " Wednesdoy, 2,1th " August, 1828. In the afternoon was agreeably surprised " by the ar-ival of two canoes, being Governor Simpson, '•\ t « I i? 200 MOUNTAIN AND PRATRli:. il i M 'I " and suite, consisting of the following members — " namely — A. Macdonald, (Chief Factor), Dr. HameljT", " William McGillivray, clerk, and nineteen men, two " women and one child. They are on their 'way, around " by New Caledonia, to Columbia. Thursday 2Pith August. " Busy making up pemmican, etc., for the strangers. The " Governor had some conversation with the Indians, and " his speech to them was much to the purpose. Tlio '' sounding of the bugle, the piper dressed in Highland " dress playing the bag-pipes, and every appearance, " made the Indians stare and wonder " Judging by these old records, life at Dunvegan has not been very exciting for the past fifty years. There are horses to be sent in one direction or another, hunters to be fitted out for a fresh start, repairs and improve- ments to bo made about the establishment, occasional fresh arrivals of Indians req^uiring attention, the crops or the garden in need of care, inventories to be made of goods received or despatched, parcels to bo forwarded when occasion offers, trips to be made in dif- ferent directions, on foot, on horseback, in canoe, or with dog-train, according to the country to be traversed and the season of the year. Matters of this kind seem trivial enough to the readers of newspapers, but they arc the subjects around which, for the most part, the thoughts and actions of the white man in this northern land have centred over Bincc white men were seen liore. 1 1 PEACE RIVER COUNTRY. 201 Sometimes the entries in these old journals iuJiciite the extreme loneliness of the situation. The entry for December 15th, 18^<4, is: " "What a glorious country for " a convict settlement ; the last news from the civilized ' world vpas in the beginning of June "; while that of April 11th, 1878, is: "Cry of starvation all over the country." Indeed, the want of food seems to prevail among the Indians more or less every spring, as at that season the hunters have often very little success. On the fly-leaf of one or more of the journals, as in those of many other II. B. C. jiosts, may be found the familiar verse, attributed to Alexander Selkirk, calling in tjues- tion the charms of solitude. Sometimes these records convey imjjoitant informa- tion about the climate. They show, for instance, that, for the past six years, the average date for the departure of ice from the river opposite Dunvegan has been the 18th April; a fact worthy of note in regard to the Peace Eiver, in any comjxirison of this district with Ontario, since April 30th was, from 1832 to 18T0, the average date for the opening of the Ottawa Eiver at Ottawa. While ice usually begins to form at Fort St. John about the 7th November, the river does not close opposite Dunvegan until the tii\st week in December. Potatoes are usually planted here about the 4th May, and arc gathered about the 23rd September, the yield being sometimes in the proportion of forty to one, twenty-iivo M' %. ! 'i 1 'it \ ! II I'll 202 MnUXTAIX ASD PRAIRIE. .1 /■', ■1 i \ • ■ 1 '^ ' ,., , ,, , , i kegs having yielded one thousand kegs in a tield ndjoining Dunvegan. The Beaver Indians are lords of the soil throughout the district from Hudson's Hoj^e to Vermilion, where the territory of the Chlpewj'uns begins ; but they have intermarried of late years with some Crees who came here from th<?. Saskatchewan to escape the ravages of small-pox in 1870, and with some Iroquois who formerly lived near Jasper House, where a number of them had settled in the old days of the North- West Company. They are not a strong tribe, probably not more than five hundred in all, including the hundred and fifty Crees and Iroquois that are now united with them. With the exception of a small Cree settlement at Sturgeon Lake, none of them engage in farming ; their only occupation is hunting, and, while indolent at every thing else, they hunt with the energy and determination of weasels. The Beavers appear to be mentally inferior to the Crees, and many of them become the ready dupes of the Cree medicine-men. One of them, for instance, named Alec, who lives near Dunvegan, has been for some years unwell. His sickness was originally caused by a fall, but he persists in attributing it to an Indian at Lesser Slave Lake who has, he imagines, cast a charm over him, and who sends invisible pieces of bone, wood and iron through the air, that enter his body and produce racking pains. Though Alec is nom'ually a member of !Pdre PEACE RIVER COUSTIiY 203 U I a lield •oughout n, where ley have 'ho came ,vage8 of formerly hem had ompany. thau five Jrees aud Vith the on Lake, cupation se, they sels, to the es of the named ae years y a fall, t Lesser ver him, ind iron racking of Pdre Tessier's flock, yet he puts himself into the hands of the Cree medicine-men. They go through certain incantations and then profess to extract from his arm, chest, or shoulders some pieces of wood, bone, or iron, and the enraptured Alec, seeing his own views con- firmed, and imagining himself greatly improved, becomes more completely than ever the victim of the medicine- man's imposture. As yet no treaty has been made with the Indians of this district as has been done with the tribes on our southern prairies, so that the Government are not in a position to oifer for settlement any of the country north of the Athabasca, that being the present boundary, in this direction, of the territory embraced by the Indian treaties. The natives^ however, would offer no opposi- tion to any settlers, as they are of a harmless and very friendly disposition; but they may possibly ere long be impressed with a sense of their own importance b}' being called to conclude a treaty with the Government. Yet even if reserves were set apart for them and provision made for their instruction in farming, it can hardly be expected that as large a projDortion of them as of the Crees, Blackfeet, Saulteaux, and others will cultivate the soil, or adopt the habits of the whites, as their country is still ^plentifully supplied with large game. It is the gradual extinction of the buffalo that is forcing the Indians of the southern prairies to take to farming. 'it k ' I ./-n' It ' mn <i N ^ Hi 204 MOUNTAIN AND niAIRlE. Ono evening while delayed at Dunvegan I had a speci- men of Indian music from Cliantre, the chief Crce singer and di-uramer of the district. His song, if such it could be called, was a wild dirge-like chant, with no rhythm nor any perceptible air. His performance on the drum, which he kept beating with a small stick, seemed to have no connection whatever with the song except to add to the volume of sound, the drum bemg a rude form of tam- bourine. The oflFect was as confusing as that produced upon the uninitiated in listening to selections from Wagner's Lohengrin. In lack of melody, if in no other respect, the Indian music of the past agrees with the German music of the future. On the afternoon of the 16th August, the party from Pine Eiver under the direction of Dr. G. M. Dawson, accompanied by the mule train, arrived oj)posite the Fort. We had left them on the banks of the Parsnip, at the mouth of the Misinchinca, on the 19th July, and they had been travelling as steadily as possible since that date, coming up the valley of the Misinchinca and down the valley of Pine River until they reached the prairie country, across which they travelled to Dunvc^jan. By the arrival of the mule train with saddle-Iiorses and pack-mules we were enabled to make our projected trip northwards. On the follow- ing Monday, Mr. McConneJ, (Dr. Dawson's assistant) and I started for Battle River, accompanied by Chamois, 1 1 > II PEACE lUVEB COUNTRY. 205 id a speci- I'ce singer t could be ythm nor im, which have no add to the n of tam- produced ons from 1 no other with the :he party r. G. M. arrived banks of , on the steadily ey of the Lver until lich they nule train nabled to follow- iissistant) Chamois, the packer, Nato an Indian guide, and Tom, a half-breed cook and interpreter, while Dr. Dawson started on an exploring expedition across La Grande Prairie, to return by way of Elk and Smoky Elvers. "We took the trail leading almost due north from Dunvegan, over tho plateau that stretches its broad expanse about 800 feet above the level of the river. For about forty miles wo traversed open prairie that was dotted by occasional clumps of aspen, and that was covered with luxuriant grass and with a great abundance and variety of wild flowers. The soil is uniformly a dark loam of the richest character, and the abundant pasture is cropped only by the horses, belonging to the Company, the priest and the Indians, that roam unfettered over it summer and winter. There are no badger-holes here, as there are on the prairies of the Saskatchewan, making small pit-falls for the horse ; we could ride at full galloj), without fear of a cropper, in any direction that the willow and poplar groves would allow, sometimes over several miles of unbroken open prairie. Occasionally we passed lakelets that abound with duck, but these are left almost entirely undisturbed, for such small game is unworthy of an Indian's regard. The large mallards, however, with the prairie chicken which are very numerous through this part of the country, formed a welcome variation from the orthodox bacon and beans. Forty miles north of Dunvegan we crossed a ridge , I t ■I •Im H 206 MOUNTAIN AND PR A TRIE. i i II J 1^ : i < j / 1 1 !•' « t i. i 5 ; 1 : I 1 ) % ^ i ' 1 : ■: 1 1 that rises about 550 feet above the plateau, closely wooded with poplar and spruce. This ridge, or low range of hills, runs westward as far as Hudson's Hope, where it comes within about twenty miles of the Peace, and in some parts it rises to a height of 1200 feet. Beyond this, after traversing about a mile of mossy swamp, we camo "upon a country as rich and fertile as that which lay south of the ridge. In some parts it is closely timbered with poplar, cottonwood, and occasional black pine, but the soil is almost uniformly excellent even as far as Battle River, one part of it known as White Mud Prairie being ^particularly attractive. Between this ridge and Bat- tle Eiver we had fourteen degrees of frost on the night of the 20th August : we found afterwards that there had been a very widespread frost that night throughout the Peace River Country, but it was more severe in this northern portion than on the prairies to the south of Dunvegan. Nato, our guide, was a fair specimen of the Beaver Indian, — lazy and indolent except when engaged in eating or in hunting, the two occupations that called forth his energy Every day gave us opportunities of witnessing his vigour at table, or rather at meal-time, for it is need- less to say that there was no table ; and one afternoon we had a 8j>ecial opportunity of seeing his enthusiasm in hunting. "We were about to pitch camp when we saw three bears at some little distance. As a considerable PEACE RIl'ER COU!iTRT. 207 I, closely low range I, where it ce, and in >yond this, , we camo which lay timbered c pine, but as far as !ud Prairie ge and Bat- he night of L-e had been ghout the re in this south of he Beaver id in eating sd forth his witnessing it is need- afternoon snthusiasm len we saw msiderable stream lay between us and them wo hesitated about giving chase, whereupon Nato flung himself on the ground in passionate disgust, as if life Jiad been robbed of every attraction. I offered him my rifle; with a sudden outburst of energy ho sprang up, snatched it eagerly, and started in pursuit like a blood-hound, running for a few minutes at a speed which his former laziness would have led us to think was utterly impossible for him. lie was soon close to his game, and within half an hour he returned to camp, having succeeded in killing two of the three. That night he revelled over a supper of bear's meat, and having gorged himself apparently to the limits of safety, ho roasted two of tbo paws as a special tit-bit; then ho stretched himself beforo the camp-flro thoroughly sated, and next day he relapsed into his natural laziness. Among the various theories that have been proposed to account for the original settlement of Indians in this country, it is a wonder that none have argued for their origin from some son of Nimrod, or other mighty hunter, who may be supposed to have followed game across Asia, and around by an easterly course to our North-West. Hunting is the one work in which, apparently, the white man cannot excel them. AYith a keenness of the senseS) in a great degree inherited and largelj sharpened by necessity, they lay their grasp on all kinds of game, so that the strength or the cunning, the sp( od, vision, or \ i ^ ii' 1'^ i. , . I' ■■ «»r' ii" il 2U8 MOUNTAIN AND PRAIRIE. i? i hearing of moose, bear, or beaver fail as a defence against them. Sometimes they may have days or weeks of hunger, and their life, as a whole, is far more toilsome than Avhut would bo required of a farmer in thi^: fertile country. But their wild, \ andering habits, their intense love of the chase, their sense of power and of conquest in bring- ing down tlieir game, their manner of life developed and confirmed through long generations, render it extremely diflScult for the hunting tribes of Indians to take up the occupations of civilised communities. In this remoter land, where such game as moose, bear, and beaver are still veiy abundant, many years may elapse befo: neces- sity compels them to adoj^t more settled habits ; yet in course of time the herds of moose must meet the same fate of gradual extinction as has already overtaken the herds of 1 jiiilalo on our southern prairies ; and it would be well for the Indians of the Peace if, ere that day comes upon them, they could be induced to take to farm- ing as some of the Indians of other tribes are already doing. On our way north we passed a number of Indians who had started from l)unvegan a short time before us with a band of horses that they were driving to Vermilion for the II. B. Company. Their families accompanied them, anil, as they required to hunt for their living, and as most of them journeyed on foot, their progress was slow. The Inen hunted and looked after the horses, the women did PEACE liirER COUNTRY. 209 je against weeks of 3omo than 3 country. jG love of ■j in bring- loped and extremely ke up the [8 remoter beaver are fo: neces- [ts ; yet in t the same taken the it would that day to farm- e already dians who ■0 U8 with mi lion for ied them, lul as most ow. The vomon did all the work of pitching camp, gathering wood, cooking, etc., each child that was old enough to walk being re- quired to help about the camp, while even the hungry, cadaverous dogs were compelled to render unwill'ng assis- tance in the way of carrying packs. They took little provision with them except tea, and their baggage con- sisted chiefly of the skins that formed their tepees, the forest always furnishing them with lodge-poles. Some- times the hunters rido, but the women and children are compelled to walk, for wife, horse and dog share much the same treatment at the hands of the red man. Rattle River, which is about seventy miles north of Dunvogan, is a beautiful stream, twcnt}- ^-ards in width, with an average depth of about two feet, (he water heing very clear, of a slightly brown or amber hue, very ditfer- cnt in appearance from the turbid streams that flow from the Bocky Mountains, and probably fed from the low range of hills that lie between it and Dunvogan. The scenery along the river is very pleasing ; the banks for the most part slope gently, though sometimes there is a precipitous side, exposing a rich loamy soil on a bed of sand or clay. TVo rode for some distance along the trail that skirts the northern bank of the river, and found the soil and foliage very much the same as that on the southern side ; and although in the river-bed there are many pieces of limestone, yet we saw no rock along either bank. Indeed from Dunvogan to BattU River we scarcely 15 I I r W^\ ^\\\ 210 MOUNTAIN AND PRAIRIE. I' -A '■'', ) il lilt: i ■i 1 ■ ■ 1 Mil saw a solitary stone, and, so far as wo could judge, the same is the case with the country lying immediately to the north of this, a country that, from all wo could learn, has not yet been traversed by white men. The whole tract over which we travelled is well-watered, and has abundance of good pasture, so that we had no difficulty in finding good camping ground each evening. What- ever may be its value for the growth of cereals, it is already evident that it possesses very great advantages for stock-raislxig. We returned to Dunvegan on Thursday, 28th August. Between that date and Monday, 1st Soi)tember, the other members of our j)arty had completed their exploratory trips east, west and south ; we therefore met to compare notes and to form some estimate of the country that we had been traversing.* This southern ^Jortion of the Peace River District, to which our attention had been confined, embraced from north to south between Battle Eiver and the Athabasca, covers an area of not less than 30,000 square miles, a territory about the size of Scotland. With few exceptions the country is Que of extraordinary fertility, a large part being open praiiio covered with luxuriant grass, while other portions are wooded more or less densely. It is well-watered, some of the streams, such as Smoky River and its chief aflluents, being rivers *Iu this (losoriptiou uf the country I take tho liberty uf drawing frooly upon tho reports prosontod by luy follow-travollora, which iiro publinhod in tho Koport of tho Entfiuoor-iu-Chiot uf tho Cuuudiun Pacilio Kuilway fur 18S0. V, I 'i PEACE RIVER COUNTRY. 211 udge, the liately to lid learn, le whole , and has difficulty . What- )als, it is Ivantages 1 August. the other ploratory compare / that wo Lho Peace confined, livGV and m 30,000 Scotland. ordinary cd with more or streamH, tig rivers wing frooly ubIiHhcd in way lor 1680. of considerable size. All its waters flow into the Peace, except a few small tributaries of the Athabasca that drain the southern portion of the district. These rivers are, at their upper waters, near the prairie level, but their channels constantly increase in depth till they reach the level of the main river. Their valleys are fre- quently wooded, sometimes with patches of the original forest, but usually with second-growth timber such as is commonly found on the prairie. Although much of the prairie is now open, it must all at one time have been densely forest-clad. Some of our southern prairies ap- pear to have been always treeless, if we may judge by the absence of all remains of forest or of driftwood in their alluvial soil ; but it has evidently been otherwise with the prairies of the Peace River Country; these must all have been wooded at one time, and they have, no doubt, been cleared by fire. Although at present the woodlands may be less attractive to the farmer than the open prairie, yet, whore the soil is fertile they must ulti- mately bo as valuable as those parts that are now ready for the plough. . Along the southern borders of the district near the Athabasca, is found the largest tract of poor land which it contains. Hero the country, which is for the most part closely wooded, is elevated considerably above the adjoining prairie, and is ridgy and sandy, with occa- sional patches of swamp. Along part of the eastern 1 1 ^li [ i ■ 1 ' ■ 11 if ! 1 "im Ik ■-. 8 212 MOUNTAIN AND PRAIRIE. borders, also, there are mossy swamps that render much of the land unfit for agriculture, while, between Smoky Eiver and Lesser Slave Lake much of the country is at pi esent covered by swamps and beaver-dams, though parts of it might ultimately be converted into good farm-land. Making ample allowance, however, for the inferior and useless land we may with confidence estimate three-fourths of this southern portion of the Peace Eiver Country, or about 23,000 square miles, to be well suited to agriculture, while many sections of it possess exceptional fertility. But there are also largo tracts of fertile land to the north of that which we traversed, areas that, being unwatered by the Peace, may be properly included in our so-called Province of Unchagah. Those familiar with that north- ern portion assured us that from the confluence of the Peace and Smoky Eivers, as far as Lake Athabasca, there is a belt of fertile soil bordering the river for a width varying from fifteen to fifty miles. East of t'..e Peace, however, though drained by its tributaries, and lying between Lesser Slave Lake and Lake Athabasca there is an area of about 25,000 square miles that is broken by hills, lakes, stroame, and marshes, which render it unfit for farming. This is the best hunting-ground for beaver known to the II. B. Company, 8000 beaver-skins having been received in one year from this district at the single post of Lesser Slave Lake. if PEACE RtVETi COUNTRY. 213 In 1875 Professor Macoun passed down the river from Dunvegan to Fort Chipewyan, the " capital of the north," on Lake Athabasca. On that occasion he had oppor- tunities of seeing some of the northern portions of the country, and wherever he examined tho soil he found it, excellent, and in some places astonishingly rich. Of the country near Yermilion he says : " The whole country " around this post is a plain not elevated at its highest " point more than one hundred feet above the river, but " the greater portion of it is less than fifty feet. From " the highest point I reached, the view across the ri"er " extended to the Cariboo Mountains, distant about forty " miles. Tho intervening country seemed to be perfectly " level or else to slope gradually upwards towards tho " mountains. Tho soil examined is of the very best " description."* "When somewhat more than half-way between Vermilion and Chipewyan he spent a day at the H. B. Company's post at Eed River, regarding which he writes : '' The vegetation indicated that Eed Eiver was " even warmer than Yermilion, and all garden vegeta- " bles are much more advanced."! Of this northern portion of the district we may safely estimate an area of from 20,000 to 25,000 square miles to be fertile, possibly a much larger area; so that within the District of Un- • Report of Progress of Geological Survey of Canada for 1875-70, jip. . 159, KU t Kcport Geol. Survey 1875-76, p. 161. !■ / '3 ' t ^ n '%u^i- ..■^'■-X':ff:fTT::*r~: ^t ^j , » .. ■ ' ' < iw nni i. «.-«*" m 1.1;' 'r '■ If ^ ff j i ( e ikV' ' t A 214 MOUNTAIN AND PRAiniE. chagah, — exclusive of its great beaver-ground, — we may confidently expect to find fertile territory almost equal in extent to the united area of England and Wales. But what about the climate, for fertile soil is of little use without favourable climate ? Will it admit of the cultivation of wheat throughout this large district, for this is the crucial test now applied to climate in our North- West Territories ? Let us gather up some of the facts that may enable us to answer this question, at least to give such a partial answer as our limited data will aliow. So far as actual experiment is concerned wheat has not been cultivated on the prairie level, — that is, on the general level of the country exclusive of the river valleys, — except at Lesser Slave Lake, where it thrives admirably. All other attempts at wheat culture throughout tLe district have been on the flats that fringe the river, which at Dunvegan is about 800 feet lower than the plateau; but this difference of level between prairie and river decreases further down the stream till at Vermilion it is not more than from fifty to a hundred feet. Should this difference of altitude lead us to expect a less favourable climate on the prairie than has been found on the river-flats ? Probably not. Professor Macoun, speaking of the vicinity of Fort St. John, says : " Notwithstanding the difference of altitude the berries '' on the plateau ripened only a week later than those •'^J PEACE lilVER COUNTRY. 215 " near the river, and Nigger Dan stated that there "was " about the same difference in the time the snow disap- " peared in the spring on the plateau and in the valley."* In October, 1872, Mr. Horetzky when traversing the prairie south of Dunvegan, found that, " curiously " enough, the vegetation upon these uplands did not " appear to have suffered so much from the effects of " frost, this being probably due to the fact of the air in " these upper regions being constantly in motion, while *• in the deep and ca2)acious valiey of the river the winds " have often no effect."f Dr. Dawson, writes J " In my " diary, under date September 5th, I find the following " entry: — Aspens and berry bushes about the Peace " River Valley now looking quite autumnal. On the " plateau 800 or 900 feet higher, not nearly so much so. " Slight tinge of yellow only on some aspen groves.'* And again, " "VVe found some rude attempt at cultivation " also at the ' Cree Settlement,' which consists of a few " loghouses built by Indians on the border of Sturgeon " Lake, about seventy miles ^H)uth-we8t of the west end '* of Lesser Slave Lake, and is at the average level of the " country, with an elevation of about 2,100 feet. Here, "on September 14th, the potato plants were slightly " affected by frost, but not more so than observed with •• Report of Qeol. Survey, 1875-70, v ■ 155- * Canada on the Pacific, p. 44. t Report of Engiieer-in-chief of (J. P. Railway, 1880, pp. : llfi, 117. !»' I I 1 *n, i'l SI 1 > W I i 216 MOUNTAIN AND PRAIHIE. 1 t li " those at Dunvegan two weeks before." At Dunvegan I was informed that although the growth in early sum- mer is usually more advanced in the valley than on the plateau, yet, as the moisture lingers longer on the upper level, the growth there seems to make more steady pro- gress when it has once begun, while very little difference has been observed between the upper and lower levels, in regard to the time of the ripening, fading, and falling of the leaves. We may, thereibre, vegard the climate of the prairies as probably not less favourable than that of the river-flats, Now the ordinary experience at such places as Hud- son's Hope, Fort St. John and Dunvegan is that wheat thrives well. The season is long enough and warm enough, the only danger being from summer frosts. When Messrs. Selwyn and Macoun visited Peace Eiver in 1875, they had no frost until September, and were assured that frost rarely occurs in July or August. At Vermilion on the 12th August, Mr. Macoun found barley standing in shocks in the field, which had been eown on the 8th May, and reaped on the 6th August, having been in the ^ti'ouikI just ninety days, while he found some cars of wheat fully ripe at the date of his visit, and was assured that often a whole season passes without any frost occurring from early in May until late in October. In less than a day he observed 151 species of plants which seemed to him to show conclusively that the cli- •unvegan irly sum- in on the he upper jady pro- ifference levels, in falling of limate of n that of 3 as Hud- lat wheat ad warm er frosts. ice Eiver and w^ere just. At id barley EGwn on '^ing been iome cars and was lOut any October. )f plants t the cli- PEACE RIVER COUNTRY. 217 mate at Yermilion was much warmer than at Dunvegan. Between Hudson's Hope and Fort Chipewyan he collected 591 species of flowering plants and ferns of which 434 are found on the western plains, 411 in Ontario and 402 in Quebec, from which he concludes that the tempera- ture of the growing season throughout this district is much like that of the southern prairies and of central Ontario.* Our own experience, however, was not quite so favour- able. Each of our small parties had frost on several occasions in August, at places widely separated, and although on some of these it may have been local, on others, especially on the 20th the frost was widespread. There was sufficient frost at Dunvegan on the 20th and 25th to injure beans and cucumbers, and although some of the wheat had ripened before the 20th August, the frost of that night affected the rest to such an extent that on our return on the 28th it did not appear to be any farther advanced than it had been a fortnight pre- viously. It was similar with the wheat at the Mission, adjoining Dunvegan, and with a small patch at Hudson's Hope : in both instances it was hopelessly injured by the frost. This injury, however, had been sustained after some of the wheat at Dunvegan had fully ripened ; and it is not improbable that if more attention had been paid to the selection of seed and to the time of sowing, all injury • Report Qool. Survey 1870-76, pp. : 159, 167. 1 i 'i :> ,, ' ( I< if m^ i ■ rj:; l-r f! ( 3 U 218 MOUNTAIN AND PRAIRIE. and loss by frost might have been avoided. Besides, it may be remembered that the summer of 18*79 was a somewhat exceptional one, the weather of the early months being cold and wet throughout much of the North-Wcst. Returning home by way of Edmonton I found that there had been no frost there during August, that the wheat had rijjenod to perfection and that a large crop had heen harvested. So far, then, as present information extends, it seems that the one danger to wheat crops in the Peace Eiver Country is from early frost, that the seasons when such frosts occur must be regarded as exceptional, that care in the selection of seed and in early sowing may obviate even this exceptional danger, and that the Peace Kiver prairies are more liable to this than the prairieo of the Saskatchewan. Every wheat-growing country, however, seems to be exposed to some influence by which occaBional crops may be more or less injured. There are seasons whon much of the grain of Britain remains unharvested on account of the excessive rainfall. Parts of the Western States and Territories will probably be always subject to periodical invasions of locusts, such as have devastated large areas as recently as 1874. Neither of these injur- ious influences threatens wheat-culture in the Edmonton district or in the Peace Eivor Country, for the rain-fall though adequate seems nevor to be excessive, and the PEA CE RIVEii CO UNTR Y. 219 i ] i northward course of the locust seems, according to Dr. Dawson, to be " limited by the lino of the coniferous forest which approximately follows the North Saskatche- wan Eiver." * It must bo noted, too, that the increased proportion of sunlight in these northern districts must very largely promote the rapid and vigorous growth of plants. At Dunvegan, for instance, the duration of sunlight on the 21st June is one hour and a quarter greater than it is at Winnipeg, while it is nearly two hours and a quarter greater than it is at Toronto, a difference which of course decreases to zero at the 21st March and 21st September, while it is reversed during the winter months. The average daily duration of sun- light from the 15th May to the I5th August, — the wheat- growing period, — is at least an hour and a half greater at Dunvegan than at Toronto. This must largely enhance the value of the northern prairies for agricul- tural purposes, and it may in some measure account for what climatologists have often observed, that the quality of wheat improves the more closely you approach the northern limit of wheat-growing lauds. While the wheat-crop of the Peace Eiver district may possibly suffer occasioiial injury from early frosts, barley, rye, and all the ordinary varieties of roots may be regarded as a sure crop, and these with the abundant and luxuriant pasture I 1 1 I. ! 1! 1 i'' • Geology of the 49th Parallel, p. 305. Hi 220 MOUXTAIX AXD I'liAIRIE. 1 f: ;; would render this country peculiarly well adapted for stock-raising. The winter is severe but apparently not more so than that of the Edmonton district. The snow- fall, which averQijes from one-and-a-half to two feet, is not sufficient to prevent horses wintering out, while, at Dunvegan-, cattle are usually home-fed only from the latter part of November till about the middle of March. Here, as throughout all our Canadian North-West, the cold of winter is much less severely felt than those living near the sea-board would, from the indications of the thermometer, be led to suppose, as the climate is dry and steady, and the temperature seldom so extreme as to prevent travelling, although travelling any distance involves camping out at night. The average summer temperature is as high as that usually enjoyed ten degrees further south in Ontario and Quebec, without the discomfort of oppressively warm nights. Indeed, there is a very great difference between the temperature of the day and that of the night. Dur- ing the first fortnight of August, 1879, the average mid- day temperature at Fort Dunvegan was *7*7° above zero in the shade, while the average minimum at night was 42°, a fair example of the difference ordinarily observed as between the day and night temperature of summer, although sometimes the variation is much greatej*. This depression of temperature, to whatever cause it is to be ascribed, produces a very heavy dew-fall, which pro- ' '\ rEAcr: nirFit corsTRY. 221 pted for sntly not le snow- ) feet, is while, at rom the f March. ^oat, the >se living iti of the } dry and Dae as to distance ag that ario and y warm between it. Dur- age mid- 3ove zero ght was observed summer, :•. This it is to lich pro- bably assists very greatly in promoting vegetation, and the change after a warm day is almost as refreshing as a breeze from the sea. In addition to its great agricultural resources the Peace Eiver district possesses not only extensive timber lands, large portions of which are within easy access of the Peace or its tributaries, but it is also rich in coal. Although no scams of great thick- ness have yet been discovered, the area throughout which coal or lignite has been found is so large that there can be little doubt that valuable seams will jet be developed. These coal-beds that underlie the Peace Eiver district extend, it seems, in increasing thicknesH to the south-eastward. Dr. Dawson says that " one of " these reported to be eight feet thick, occurs near the " projected railway-crossing of the North Pembina " River, while between Fort Edmonton and the mouth of " the Brazeau Eiver, on the Saskatchewan, a seam of " coal fifteen to twenty feet in thickness was discovered "by Mr. Selwyn in 18Y3 j" and he adds:— "While " neither of these can be classed as true bituminous *' coals, they are fuels of great value, and compare closely " with those brown coals used extensively on the line of " the Union Pacific Eailway in the Eocky Mountain " region."* It has been estimated that " the total area " of the western part of the prairie region between the * Report of Engineer-in-Chief Can. Pacific Railway, 1880, p. 130. \ , t I II. ■4 : hi. '1^ ■'■"■ f«J' - -.* - M I 222 srorxTAix axd prairie. \\ m\ " forty-ninth and fifty-fourth parallels, now known by " more or less connected lines of observation to bo under- " laid by the lignite and coal-bearing formations, does " not fall short of 80,000 square miles ; and should future ** investigation result in affixing some of the fuels to the " Lower Cretaceous, it must be very much greater." * It has been established by the exj^lorations of 1879 that coal does exist well down in the Cretaceous formation. The localities, says Dr. Dawsonf in which coal is known to occur in the lower or certainly Cretaceous zone arc : Table Mountain, which is on the south bank of Pino River, Coal Brook a tributary of the south branch of Pine Hiver, Portage Mountain at the Canon of Peace River, and on the lower part of Smoky River This is a fact o2 considerable importance, for not only has the coal-bearing area been thus proved to extend northward to the fifty-sixth parallel, and thereby increased from 80,000 to probably 100,000 square miles, but it seems to confirm the suj)position that the former estimate is much too small for tlie coal-fields between the Athabasca and the international boundary lino. The value of these coal-fields In a country which, like our North- West, is in some largo areas very destitute of wood, can scarcely bo exaggerated In any doveiopmont of the resources, whether of the I'arm-lands, the forests or tlie mines of Peace River Dis- • Dawcon ; (looloKy of llHli punillol, p. IHO. t Rei'Ort of Eiiifiuoor-iu-Chiuf Can. Paoiliu Huilnuy, IHSU, p. 128. PEACE RIVER COUNTRY. 223 own by under- ms, does Id future Is to the cater." * L879 that >rmation. is known iono are: : of Pino Dranch of of Peace This is a ' has the lorthward iscd from t Bcems to ,0 is much basca and of thCBO Vest, is in arcely bo trict, the great extent of navigable water presented by the Peace and by several of its tributaries will furnish facilities for communication throughout a large portion of the country. Although our Canadian Pacific line will not pass through it, and although it may not for many years be found necessary to embrace it in our system of railways, yet it is known that a branch line would be perfectly feasible and for the most part oasj^ of construc- tion, extending fi'om the vicinity of Edmonton to Pine River or to Dun vegan. The district must naturally be peopled by immigrants coming from the east, and there- fore not until large portions of the country between Manitoba and Edmonton have l)cen cultivated need we look for many settlers on the banks of the Peace; but none who traverse it can dou})t that the Province of Unchagah must in due time prove to be a most valuable portion of what is, as yet, the undeveloped interior of our Dominion. li M lier of the Liver Dis- ll2S. ■ill' ^;i CHAPTEE IX. DUNVEGAN TO EDMONTON. H'^ I « i :.i ' i t Leave Dunvegan, — Farewell view of Peace River. — Cooking.— Lesser Slave Lake. — Another Stage. — Postal Arrangements.-—. Indian Hospitality. — Athabasca River and Landing. — Gamb- ling. — Road to Fort Edmonton. — Telegraph Office. — Creo Camp. — Our Indian Policy. — Farm Instructors. — Treaties. — Sioux. — Edmonton District.— Canadian Pacific Railway. Our party separsitcd at Dunvegan, Homc to return by way of Pino Eiver Pass to Vancouver iHland, others to examine the country bordering the Athabasca and the facilities for railway connection between the Peace River District and the Saskatchewan, while I came by way of Lesser Slave Lake towards Edmonton. On Tuesday, the 2nd September, I loft Dunvegan on a small raft, my only companion being the half-breed Tom, who had accompanied mo to Battle Eiver; and, borne along by the gentle current of the Peace, wo reached next afternoon the Hudson's Bay post near the mouth of Smok}^ Eiver. The Peace had fallen greatly Binco our arrival at Dunvegan on the Ist August, and the water, which was then turbid, had become clear, though still possessing thatgrcyisli tinge which seems to bo an DUNVEGAy TO EDMONTON. 225 ordinary characteristic of tlio streams from tlio Eoeky Mountains. Tlic country througli which the river winds is similar to that above Dunvcgan, but hero the banks slope more gently from the water, and the plateau seems to bo somewhat lower. Gravel beaches frequently fringe the banks on either side, and a number of well- wooded inlands dot the river. At Smoky River depot Nigger Dan, the notorious, when on his way to bo tried at Edmonton, had left a jn'otest in the form of an inscription on the door of the storehouse : " Daniel Williams, prisner of Ilor Majesty under fals pretenses." Public opinion in the Peace Kivor country had centred more on him than on any other subject during the summer of 1870. AVo had heiu'd of him beyond the mountains. We found him to be tlio one unfiiiling topic of conversation at each of the II. B. Company's posts that wo had passed. At Lessor Shive Lake and at Edmonton he continued to attract a lively interest, and oven at Battleford one of the first points in regard to our explorations in the Peace River coun- try, about which the civil and military authorities of the North-West made enquiries, was the accurate longitude of Fort St. John, so that they might know whether it was in the N. W. Territories or in British Colunihiu, and thus decide whether Nigger Dan should bo tried at Ota' Edmonton or at Victoria. At Smoky River depot I was again lhri>v;n upon iho ( I I i , I ^^ .,» \ ^■■\\ i , b T-ra ri,.--i*Ta.., ,'^ - ■^' ■ I r I I m, m ' 1 i" 1 1 . 1 . ! i I; i 1 r\ 1 1 ' 1 ; :' 1 i ■ 1 1 1 i 226 MOUNTAIN AND rUAIEIE. help of the Company's agents, through whose kindness I was suppHed with a prairie- cart, two horses and an Indian guide, while an Indian boy accompanied us on horse-back. Indeed the ti*aveller in the North-West, at least in the i-omoter districts, is almost entirely depen- dent on the H. B. Company for conveyance. On the more frequented prairie trails you may meet, during the summer, long bands of carts belonging to independent freighters, or you may at some points find that the "free traders" can forward you more quickly and more comfortably than the Coiipany; yet the assistance of the Company's officials, who are almost invariably ener- getic, hospitable and courteous, is of essential importance in traversing the remoter north, while even on the mo^'o familiar prairies they are the chief forwarders as well as fur-traders. At nearly every post the Company keep a large number of horses, for this costs nothing except the hire of a few men to herd them, as the horses find abun- dant pasture, both summer and winter; and if the agent at any post has no horses under his charge he can UBually make arrangements with Indians, half-breeds, or, in some cases, with white settlers to provide them; and thus the ti'aveller is forwarded by stages fi'om the Eocky Mountains to "Winnii^eg. The road from Smoky Eiver depot to Lessor Slave Lake, about sixty-three miles in length, is a toler.ibly ^ood waggon-road, although grooved occasionally into DUNVEGAN TO EDMONTON. 227 deep ruts by the heavy traffic upon it, for the supplies of the Peace Eiver district are forwarded from Edmonton to Lesser Slave Lake, and by this route to Dun vegan. Leaving the depot the road passes at once to the plateau about six hundred feet above the river, and as it nears the upper level the view, looking back upon the Peace, as seen on a fair SejDtember evening, is one of the loveliest in the North-West. The plateau stretches away on either hand an almost unbroken level of fertile, virgin soil; the slopes leading ffom it to the rivers, which here blend their strength, are broken into all varieties of ter- race and knoll, now grass-covered, now rjch with groves that were already tinted with the mottled glory of autumn; the well-wooded islands break the smooth and steady current into ripples ; the mighty river winds its slow northward course ; and over all, from an unclouded sky, stream the rays of the setting sun. From such a scene one turns unwillingly aw^'iy. More than a month's acquaintance had made us familiar with the great Un- chagah. We had followed it from away beyond the junction of the Parsnip and the Finlay, where it first assumes the name of the Peace River. We had been borne by it through the range of the Rocky Mountains along many a league, where it winds in graceful curves between banks of over changing loveliness. Wo had dreamed dreams of the time when this broad belt of tno silent north-land which it unwaters would smile with i» i i:i ■.< ■f )■ v ( ; I ! ,» 228 MOUNTAIN AND ritATRIE. happy homesteads, when the music of the reaper and of the mill-wheel would bo heard here, and when it would bear upon its breast some portion of the commerce of a thriving people. But henceforward its scenes of grandeur and of boauty were to be enjoyed by us only in memory, as we Irft it on our castwaid journey. After leaving the river the road passes for the most ])art through a beautiful tract of country, rolling prairie alternating with woodland, the soil being excellent, while the vegetation becomes richer and the pasture more luxuriant on approaching Lessor Slave Lake. This part of the journey aiforded some new experience. Through- out the various changes of conveyance and of attena;-ncc, since leaving the Pacific, wo had ahvays enjoyed the services of a cook, and one of the recommendations of the Indian guide, w^hom I took from Smoky River depot, was that ho could do any such plain cooking as I might require. I soon found, however, that his knowledge of "plain cocking" was confined to the boiling of a kettle, and dropping into it anything ho had, whether bacon, fresh meat, or pemmican ; and, to make matters worse, I was unable to converse with him. I had been told that the boy who accompanied us could speak French, and I thouglit that be might act as interpreter, but after a few futile efforts to make myself intelligible to him, I con- cluded that we had learned French from different mas- ters, and so, during the two days of our journey, all our i DUS VEGAN TO EDMONTON. 229 rs worse, communication was by silent gesture, a simple but not .'^Iways very definite method of intercourse. Attempting to improve upon the cooking of my guide, I became for the first time initiated into the mysteries of frying bacon, of boiling rice, of making oatmeal porridge, and of preparing the few other stores that I had brought with me from Dunvegan. Foj* some time the result of these eiforts was a very dismal kind of success ; but hunger is a good sauce, and necessity soon developes ability. Con- siderable anxiety and effort, too, were expended upon ono of the cart-wheels. The cart was of the ordinary prairie-cart pattern, with the addition of iron tires. Ono of these tires had become loose. I afterwards found that I might have left it behind, as a prairie cart will run as well without one ; but, in my ignorance, I bound and re-bound it with rope and shaganappi, until, from its numerous bandages, the wheel looked as if it had been fractured at every joint. The road is so free from stone that the rope and shaganappi were scarcely at all worn, and in no case cut through, by the time I reached Lesser Slave Lake. Approaching the lake the roa<l leads over a broad marsh, which yields abundance of excellent hay. With Buch an ample supply of fodder the H. B. Company's agent at this post raises a goodly number of cattle ; and the hay-stacks piled upon the marsh, Aviih the cattle feeding on the rich pasture or standing knee-deep in the .: ! » ii ..ii « I, ' 1 r »-:==-t»»sg*j»afcr44'»i!»>».'ji*K:* -» *mm i>» wnii> « a I ; I 'if ff H I '1 1 1 I ' m I )■ tl '!i| ij) i 230 MOVNTAiy AXD PRAIRIE. shallow water by the margin of the lake, gave to the vicinity of the Fort a more cultivated, pastoral appear- ance than that of any place wo had seen since leaving Victoria. The Fort at Lesser Slave Lake consists of shop, store- houses and dwellings of the Company's servants, ranged i' a qu'^ Vi*an jjlc, and surrounded by a palisade, while at a iA 'v V jrdy distance is the agent's residence, recently erec A hundred yards oif is the dwelling of the Eoman Cathoi: ^ priest, and a little further the establish- ment of the free-traders, where Stobart,Eden & Co., have a branch, while, in another direction, there are a few small log-houses and Indian lodges. A number of Indians, — " free-men," that is, men not in the regular service of the Company, — live in the neighbourhood, being em- ployed by the Company as occasion may require, and able to 8U2:)port their families with very little labour by fishing and shooting. The lake abounds with delicious white-fish, rivalling those of the lakes of Ontario, and in autumn with countless ducks, wavies and wild geese. The Indians make no attempt at agricultui-e beyond the cultivation of some small potato-patches. They scarcely regard flour, potatoes or other vegetable diet as any substitute for animal food. They want their rations of meat, pm'ticularly of buffalo pemmican, which has until recently been the staple provision from Peace Eiver to "Winnipeg. While such large game as moose, DVNTEGAN TO EDMONTON. 231 ve to the al appear- je leaving lOp, store- ts, ranged !, while at recently ng of the establish- ;Co,, have are a few »f Indians, service of )eing em- uire, and labour by delicious io, and in geese. •e beyond DS. They )lc diet aa 3 ir rations i^hieh has )m Peace as moose, j bear and beaver continue, and while the lakes abound in fish, they cannot see any use in farming, unless perhaps it might be in stock-raising, since the richest crops would not lessen their demand for animal food. Some vege- tarian missionaries might be of service among them. There is not much land in the vicinity of the lake fit for cultivation, for, although wheat is grown hero with marked success, yet the flats near the water's edge are valuable chiefly for their marsh-hay and for the facilities they afford in this respect for cattle-f» Ung. Beyond these flats the country is broken by uill and ridges varyii .^^ in height from 150 to 800 fec" . ^o\ .^ fho level of the lake, while to the north of the Fui't n arge extent of territory is covered by muskeg, f vamp, lalcelet and stream. The lake, which is about seventy miles in length, is emptied by Lesser Slave Eiver into the Athabasca, which, near Fort Chipewyan, meets the Peace in its northward flow. The Athabasca, after receiving the ers of Lesser Slave River, flows for about fifty miles in a south- erly direction; then tui'nii:g shai'j^ly it resumes its former course. At thin bend or Clbow there is a freight- ing station of the H. B. Company, known as the Athabasca Landing, for the Company have taken advan- tage of this part of the river for the transport of their Stores, furs etc., as the route by Lesser Slave Lake and River and by this part of the Athabasca is a very direct i I I J H ■M '1 Mi '•rtr'-.'SaKr .:a*%s«iim«.i.»^ f ; r i' 232 J»rO ITA' Tyl IN A ND PliA IlilE. |i' ! , ■ one, and, in connection with the waggon-road by which wc came from Smoky River depot and a waggon road from the Landing to Edmonton, forms the most favour- able route from the Peace to the Saskatchewan. I had proposed going by canoe to the Landing, about 165 miles, and, in lack of easier conveyance, walking from there to Edmonton, if I could secure Indians to carry my tent, baggage and provisions ; but the agent, Mr. Young, assured me that the Company's boat would be going to the Landing in a few days, and would there be met by carts that would at once return to Edmonton. A heavy storm, which continued for three days, made it impossible to proceed by canoe ; so I waited for the speedier and more comfortable York boat. The delay was irksome, for the season was getting well advanced, but it was relieved by the hospitality of the Fort and by the pleasure of meeting Mr. and Mrs. Macdougall, of Dunvegan, homeward-bound from Edmonton. Mr. Mac- dougall spent several years on the Yucon, and regards his present post as m the very centre of civilisation, when compared with the remoter north-land that borders Behring's Straits. VVe left the Fort with a fair breeze which soon fresh- ened almost to a gale: the shallow waters of the lake were whi2)ped into foam, and, in the absence of project- ing promontory or sheltering island to form a harbour, wo ran under close-reefed lug-sail almost from end to t DUNVEGAX TO nOMOXToy. 233 end without halting, covering the distance in about nine hours. When we liad once entered the river we Avero largely dependent on our oars, for the stream winds by many a curve and with very gentle flow. It maintains throughout most of its course of forty-five miles a width of about twenty yards, being regular and monotonous as a canal, until nearing the Athabasca it passes over a series of small rapids where it broadens to a span of about fifty yards. Its banks are low, fringed for the most part with \villows, while on cither side there is a fertile plateau covered with luxuriant vegetation and abounding in wild-cheny trees, whoso ripe fruit fre- quently detained the Indian crew that accomjDanied me. The Athabasca where it receives the Lesser Slave River is nearly two hundred yards wide. For a short distance after their waters meet the two streams may be recognized by their colour, that of the Slave River being brown, while the Athabasca nas the gray colour charac- teristic of the streams that flow from the Eocky Moun- tains. Very soon, however, they are blended beyond all recognition. At the junction of the two rivers I set up a post office and left a mail bag. The office consisted of a tree well blazed ; the bag, a fragment of a flour sack which was tied to the tree, enclosed a letter for Dr. G. M. Dawson, '' to be left till called for." It was his intention to come down the Athabasca from a i^oint some distance west '^^' this, I /I i V\! ■| ''^ 234 MOUNT AIS AND rUAIRIE. '! ' ■If' '' % I . If. and my letter was to inform him that he would find certain provisions cached for him in a small house at Athabasca Landing. Any stores thus left for a traveller in these regions though placed, as in this case, in an unlocked hut, or even though fastened to the branches of a tree, are as safe from all disturbance by the hand of man as though they were guarded by a regiment. The wolverine may sometimes help himself to them, and' it requires thoughtful arrangement to secure them against his cun- ning, but every Indian, or other traveller, holds it a matter of sacred faith to leave them untouched, and passes them as if they were not. The letter and provisions were both in due time found in perfect safety by Dr. Dawson. After I had completed these postal arrangements my boatmen were attracted by the sight of an Indian lodge near the river, and, recognizing some friends, they went ashore. After they had been gone for some time I found them comfortably engaged at tea in the lodge, and on my appearance die Indian woman at once u&ked me to join them. As the tei^ee was hung round with dried moose and beaver-tails, I ventured, with the assistance of one of the men who acted as interpreter, to exjDress admiration of this abundant store of provisions. The Indian at once took down some moose-meat and some beaver-tails, and presented them to me. It is customary among the Indians that if one expresses fervent admir- i ; i DVXVEGAS TO EDMOXTON. 235 I 1 certain habasca in these nlocked ;ree, are though ne may foquires his cun- ds it a d passes ^visions by Dr. nts my n lodge y went time I gc, and ied me h dried listance express The i some tomary admir- ation of some article lielonging to another, the possessor at once gives up the coveted article to the admirer of it, although he probabably takes an early opportunity of repaying himself by admiring some of his friend's posses- sions. It is told of a surveyor, Gore by name, who was engaged in laying off the 11. B. Company's lands near Lesser Slave Lake, that, when seated with his men one evening around the camp-fire, he expressed frequent and fervent admiration of a new pipe which one of the Indians was smoking. The owner handed it to him bidding him take it. The others assured the surveyor that it would give great offence if he refused, so he reluctantly accepted i+ Next evening the Indian was loud in praise of a very fine otter-skin cap which Gore was wearing. All turned towards him ; he knew what was expected ; and taking off the cap he passed it most unwillingly to the Indian, who thanked him and imme- diately threw him his own old well-worn one in return. The surveyor restrained all further expression of admir- ation for the property of the Indians. Accepting the proffered gift of our Indian acquaintance, we reciprocated .lis hospitality by a gift of flour and tobacco, and continued our journey down stream. The current of the Athabasca, though swift nearer the moun- tains, is here probably not more than two miles an hour. It.-, banks, which are generally bordered by a beach of sand or clay, slope rapidly uj) from the water's edge to a i I 'Ml I >'^ >\ \\ j ■I n • 'II' ^T ii* • < ! fl I I . i\ : \'i m ! l I ' 23G Mn rxT. 1 IX A XD ri:A thte. height of from one to two huji<h\'d Cvvi. AVhere broken they expose u li^^ht, loamy soil on a bed of sand and clay; but they are, for the most part, closely wooded, chiefly with poplar and spruce. Nearer the Landing, however, the banks become moi-e varied, sometimes abrupt, with here and there a land-slide, sometimes low and flat, altliough at a short distance from the water's edge the land seems to maintain a ])retty uniform level. The weather waw beautifully fine, the woods were rich with many- tinted foliage, the shores gravelly, grass-grown, and Bandy by turns. No sign of life was visible axccpt an occasional beavor on the beach. The Indians, knowing that they would be in ample time to meet the carts from Edmonton, sim})ly allowed the boat to be borno onward by the current, while, coiling themselves in their blan- kets, they i)assed hour after hour in sleep, for they have an unlimited capacity for doing nothing when they are not spurred into action by necessity. Between the Landing and Lake Athabasca the river passes over two falls, whei-e somewhat heavy j^ortages would be required, and on that account freight for Fort ChipjH'wyan and the northern districts, instead of pass- ing along this portion of tiie river,goes from F(jrt Carlton along the old I'oute by way of Lacrosse, Portage La Lochc, and the Clearwater, one of the best known and most frequently travelled routes of the north. On both Bides of the Athabasca, as it flows northward from the It i broken d clay ; ohkifly >wcver, it, with 1(1 flat, ho land v^eathcr many- n, and ccpt an nowing •ts from onward ir hlan- oy havo icy arc 10 river )ortagos bi- Fort o f jiaws- Carlton ago La \vn and !)ti both I'oni thu PUNVEGAN TO EDMQXTON. 237 Landing, the general altitude of the country decreases, as it does along the course of the Peace River. Indeed, this northward dip commences near the boundary line, for the 49th parallel, though arl)itraril3'' chosen as the inter- national boundary, marks approximately the watershed of this portion of the continent, where the southern tributaries of the Saskatchewan rise near the northern tributaries of the Missouri. From that, northward, the general level falls towards the Arctic Soa. We reached the Landing on the evening of Wednesday, the 17th September. The convej'ances from Edmonton which we expected to meet there, did not arrive until Friday morning. During this delay, and fearing that there might be some unforeseen detention, T proposed to the Indian boatmen that they should pack for me to Edmonton. As only one of the four could talk English, and as my proposals to the others were necessarily mado through him, ho being himself disinclined to accept, probably modified my otrerp. At any rate tho Indians would not agree to go. Fortunately, however, the arrivtd of tho conveyances on Friday removed all further difficulty. "When the freiglit train from Edmonton had come, tho Indians from the lake and those in charge of tho carts spent the evening in the red man's favourite recreation, gambling. The slakes were small, usuidly a fig of tobacco, but tho excitement was as lively as it used to bo at Badon-Baden. They ])lay in much tlio same w II 1* I i\ li ■i '' • ■J '■' ' ! iHl . i 1.^ II li 238 MOUXTATN AND PRAIUIE way as boys play "odds or evens," holding something in one hand, folding their arms akimbo, jerking the body, and droning a so-called song, that they may givT as little indication as possible to the rival players as to which hand contains the treasure. While play continues a drum, or some appropriate substitute such as a tin pan, is beaten, noise of some kind being apparently a neces- sary accompaniment. On Saturday mcrning the boats were loaded, and the carts started on their return trip, while I had the advan- tage of a buck-board which had been sent out with Mrs. Young, whom we met on her way to Slave Lake. The roa<l from the Landing to Edmonton, which is an excellent waggon-road, ninety-six miles in length, was made by the Company to avoid the necessity of freight- ing goods for the north by (he old and difficult trail which passed by way of Fort Assinoboine to Lesser Slave Lake. After leaving the river it leads very qui( kly to ihe j^latciiu which is hero about 350 feet above the level of the Athabasca. Tlio country for several miles south of thoLan<ling is broken into ridges, the soil being at first rather poor, but it gradually becomes undulating prairie. Sometimes the road passes over sandy soil through groves of })ine, while here and there the landscape is dotted with clumps of spruce; but twenty miles from the Athabasca the country becomes more beautiful, rich witii luxuriant grass and pea-vine, watered by frequei.t t I mething in ' the body, vs) aw little d LO which ontinues a I a tin pan, \y a neces- )J, and the the advan- with Mrs. iako. The ich in an 3ngth, was of freight- icult trail 3H8cr Slave luickly to L' the level liloM south ingat first ng prairie, through id scape is s from the rich with froquoi.t I. i !. m ■ I ** k' HI ' It t t'l ' V M' .ia^i",.i';yil! .^sp^^^-i .•^i^5.-'-:-ae: o h o ^-, Q w h ( 1 DUNVEGAN TO EDMOXTOS 239 streams and lakelets, with loamy Hoil, occasionally dotted with aspen copse. Xearing Stui-geon River, which the road crosses about twenty-five miles north of Edmonton, the country becomes i)eculiarly attractive, there being already upon this river, about two miles above our cross- ing, a thriving settlement with grist mill and other appliances of an agricultural commiinit}-. Between Sturgeon River and Edmonton the country is of the richest undulating prairio character ; the soil is excellent, and the road leads for miles by luxuriant hay meadows and through gently rolling land of great fertility. Much of the hay had recently been cut and stacked, and the large stacks gave a cultivated ai^pcaranee to the country. As wo a2:>2)roached Edmonton we passed many wheat- fields where the grain, already cut, was being garnered, the hearts of the settlers having being gladdened by an abundant harvest. Wo came unexpectedly on a little clump of houses on tho plateau overlooking the river, and then a little further, and somewhat lower down, on a slope leading to the river, we entered Fort Edmonton, tho most important II. B. Compan^-'s Post in th(* North West Territories. The shops, store-hoi' ^, offices, ser- vants' dwellings, etc., are enclosed by :i isade, while at a short distance, and a little higlier uj' o bank, outside of the palisade, stan<ls the factor's hoiii»t , where, after this stage of the journey east wnrd, the Ini hearted hospital- ity of Mr. and Mrs. Uardisty was peculiarly welcome. V r ■•7 :U ■I V <. 1 ■•>f ; ): ;i ii ::\ i I- ;ri ^( 240 MOUNTATN AND PRAIBTR The telegraph line has been recently extended to Fort Edmonton, but, in the summer of 1879, the nearest tele- graph station was at Ilay Lakes, a 2)oint on the located line of the C. P. Eaihvay, about thirty-five miles distant from the Fort. Being anxious to send messages east- ward, I hurried, by an excellent road, to Hay Lakes. The country traversed by this road that runs southward from Edmonton, is even superior to that lying north of the Saskatchewan. It is rich in the extreme, consisting chiefly of gently rolling prairie, dotted with groves of aspen, poplar, etc., and covered with luxuriant herbage. The tclcgraj)h office was a very rude shanty, but to one who had fo)- months been cut off from tidings of friends and of the world it seemed like a temple of science, as it enshrined a battery and instrument that made it pos- Bible to communicat':' with any point along the world's four million miles of wire. Messages were soon sent to Battlcford, Winnipeg and Ottawa, and the hours passed slowly until tlic click announced the coming reply. Tlio da}' was fine, and the ducks on the neighbouring lakes temptingly abundant, but we did not care to leave the house lest we might lose the earliest opportunity of contin.uiMg our correspondence. A large number of Crees had pitched camp in the neighbourhood, waiting for some reliable report regard- ing the approach of the buffalo across the boixlor, and meanwhile living on ducks and prairie chicken, of which ed to Fort aresi tclo- hc located les distant sages cast- Lay Lakes, southward (T north of consisting I groves of it herbage. but to one i of friends science, as ladc it pos- tho world's oon sent to ours passed ling reply, hbouring irc to leave )ortunity of imp in the )ort regard- 30 1x1 or, and n, of which D us VEGAS TO EDMOSTON, 241 they daily killed several hundreds. Even the fattest and largest mallard ducks were regarded by them as inferior food. Until recently they would not have wasted powder upon them, but the gradual extinction of the builalo is enhancing the value of small game. As far back as memory or traditioriican reach, the Indian of the ])rairics has relied upon the buffalo for supplying food, clothing, tent, — almost evcr^'thing ro(piisite for his maintenance. The herds that annually visited the northern plains and prairies scorned practically unlimited ; j'car after year thousands fell befoi-o the rifle of the Indian and of the half-breed, while the fur-trade furnished continual induce- ment to procure an increasing annual supply of robes ; but the work of destruction, carried on upon both sides of the boundary, has gradually thin v ' off the herds to such a degree, that already on our Canadian prairies the buffalo has become almost extinct. This change has of necessity forced the Indians into new lines of life, while at the same time it has laid upon our Government increased respcmsibility in its treat- ment of the prairie Indians. I'ood must bo furnished for many, wh<>, from long habits of dependence u}>on tho buffalo, would starve if no aid were given them. Some of the Indians indeed, especially among the Blackfoot, take their stand upon the argument: ** We had j.lrnty of food until tho white man cnme; now if, as you tell us, M r » ■ I » the great mother sends her white children here, then, 17 I m I -I 'i 242 BTOrXTAIX AXD PR A I RTF.. If P !| > h 1 Biiice the buffalo nro failing, the great motlior must Buj^j^ly us with food." Their creed has at least the merit of simplicity, and, as they have been trained only to hunt, and are as yet incapable of maintaining them- selves by farming, it is absolutely necessary that the Government should assist in feeding them until they aro educated into more settled ways of life. Looked at even as a matter of policy, it is cheaj^er to feed than to fight them, and the latter alternative might be forced upon us if the former were not accepted, while, at the same time, this humaner policy would be only in accord with the considerate treatment that has always been shewn by the British and Canadian Governments towards the old possessors of the soil. Much reljef however would annu- ally be iwj^uired, if the Indians were not trained into self-help, and therefore, to reduce this burden, as well as to cnUicate the Indians, as far as possible, into diligent and useful citizens, the Government has appointed farm instructors to teach them practical farming on the re- serves that had previously been allotted to them. Thirteen such farm-instructors have been ajipointed, stationed on different Indian reserves between Manitoba and the base of the Rocky Mountains.* It is as yet too early to pronounce upon the results of this system, ♦ Tho locatioriH at which the vnrious instructors in farming have been stationed arc : Qu'Appcllu, Touchwood Hills, Fort Pclly, Prince Albert, Duck Lake near Carlton, Battleford, Fort Pitt, Saddle Lako near Victoria, Kdiuonton, lilackloot Crosaing, Fort Calgarry, Fort McLeod and Fort Walsh. icr must least the [ncd only ng tlicm- that the they aro d at even 1 to figlit d upon U3 rime time, . with the shewn by ds the old )uld annu- lined into as well aa diligent nted farm on the re- ni. ippointed, Manitoba as yet too 8 system, ; have been rinco Albert, le.ir Victoria, Vutt Wttldh. DC'ATE^'.l.V TO EDMONTON. 24iJ but there is every likelihood of its ultimate success. Already a number of Indians, following the example of their chiefs, are taking to fanning, and in this they seem to be much more influenced by the example of the half- breeds than by that of the whites, as the half-breeds aro hunters like themselves, and were for many years almost as dependent upon the bulfalo. Yet, even if this attempt to make the Indians solf-su2)poriing should prove a failure, the establishment ofgovernment farms on which large cuantities of root crops can be raised will grc-atly reduce the expense of feeding them. There is no reasonable ground for any apprehension of danger from the Indians, nor any likelihood of trouble arising between them and the settlers. From the first the Government have carefully respected their claims ; they have extinguished, by treaty, the Indian title to the land, before oftering an acre for settlement; and the Indians know that the Government will keep faith ^vith them. This is the open secret of Canada's success in dealing with her Indians. In all, seven treaties have been made with the tribes of the North-West, covering the entire territory from the boundary line northwards to the Athabasca, the Beaver and the Nelson Rivers, and from the liocky Mountains eastward to Ontario. These treaties guarantee, on the part of the Indians, the entire surrender of the territory, with the exception of certain reserves, it being understood that they con- i;ri I'.l r ^1 A '^ %{' hH; III -1 I 214 MOUXTATX AXD rUAiniF. ^■M"h:M\ tiniie at liberty to hunt and fish without restriction over all unoccupied lands ; and, on the part of the Canadian Government, the payment of a certain annuity to each family of the- tribe, the yearly distribution of a fixed amount of ammunition, the establishment and mainten- ance of schools, the gift of cattle, agricultural imple- ments, etc., with some other lepn important provisions. The only Indians in the southern portion of the Terri- tories, not yet under treaty arrangement with the Gov- ernment, are the Sioux, who crossed from the United States nnder Sitting Bull in 1876, and who are camped near "Wood Mountains. Eescrves had been allotted them by the U. S. Government in the Black Hill country, not far from the boundary. It was afterwards found that the reserves contained rich mining-lands, and the Sioux were therefore asked to move to other reserves without any compensation for the sacrifices demanded of them. They declined; and the Government resorted to the powder argument, which was too strong for the natives, who then sought refuge on Canadian soil, where they have since remained on sufferance. Their chief contends that his men are British subjects, that they never legally became wards of the U. S. Government, that the territory in which they dweljt belonged by right to Britain, and should never have been ceded to the United States, that therefore he and his men were improperly transferred to a foreign government, — an opinion in which Sitting Bull DUWVEGAX TO EDMONTON. 245 IH ition over Canadian y to each f a fixed mainten- al implo- (visionB. the Tcrri- tho Gov- ic United 3 camped tted them intry, not bund that the Sioux ihoutany im. They e powder ;ivcs, who lave since that his y became •ritory in tain, and ates, that sferred to tting Bull showH a pretty clear knowledge of the lifstory of our boundary negotiations. Another band of Sioux, how- ever, who crossed into Canada immediately after the Minnesota massacre, in 1862, are settled near Prince Albert and on Bird Tail Creek, where the}' have had reserves allotted them by the Government, but receive no further relief. The Sioux under Sitting Bull have, in some degree, cut olf the su])ply of buftalo that would otherwise have helped to sustain our own Crecs and Blackfoet, but that is the only injury intlicted by them. It is most improb- able that they will show any hostility to the Government or people of Canada; indeed they are clear-sighted enough to see that, since the gradual extinction of the buffalo, their chief prospect of sustenance lies in the friendship of the Canadian Government, and that they would forfeit this by any injury inflicted upon the settlers. At the same time the Crees, Blackfeet and Sioux have too much dislike, distrust and jealousy to- wards each other to form any union for aggressive pur- poses against the whites. In travelling from Edmonton to Winnipeg we occasionally mot sensational rumours regarding alleged acts of violence on the part of the Indians, but further inquiry always proved these rumours to be baseless. Even when sorely pressed by hunger, and when pained by the sight of friends suliering from starvation they displayed the utmost patience and endur- ,i^ if 1 ■ t ' 4' li !.^ .'I "I i IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 1.25 •^ IM Hi 2.2 ^ 1^ 1 2.0 U III 1.6 Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY MfSO (716) •72-4503 \ ^ 4^ O % '\p i 24G .1/0 t'.v r.i rx A \i> PRA rniR ancc, and made no attempt to procure relief by violence. Throughout the whole country the white settlers are un- disturbed by any anxiety about them ; and the natural course of events must tend to make the whites every year moj-e and more secure against any likelihood of trouble from this quarter. The district around Edmonton is one of exceptional fertility and promise, the most promising indeed of all the North-West Territories. Nowhere do settlers reap larger crops "off the sod," that is, the first season that the soil is ploughed. In some parts of the North-West the land yields little or nothing the first summer, so that the settler can only plough it up that the grass roots may rot and that the soil may bo ready for seed the fol- lowing spring. In most parts of the Saskatchewan valley, however, good crops may bo raised on newly broken land. Not only do the horses winter out, but frequently the cattle also, for, even when the snow averages three feet in depth, as it sometimes does, it is so light, and the meadow hay and poa-'ine are so tall, that cattle have little difficulty in foraging for themselves, at least in the neighbourhood of llay Lakes. This Edmonton district, as I saw it for thirty miles south of the Fort, for more than twice that distance to the north, and for any distance less than 200 miles east- ward, to which the name can be properly applied, — and, as reported by other travellers, for a considerable dis- r\ DUXVEGAN TO EDMONTON. 2-n tance westward, — possesses not only the richest soil, but is for the most part well-wooded, being indeed heavily timbered along tlie upper waters of the Saskatchewan. It is well sujiplied with coal, which is now used for domestic jiurjioses at Fort Edmonton. Gold-washing on the sand-bars of the Saskatchewan yields from $1 to SG a day. The country is well watered ; it is connected by a line of steamers with "VYinni^^eg ; its climate is enjoy- able in the extreme; its fitness for wheat culture e(^ual to that of any 2»art of the country west of the ]\ed liiver valley. Out of such a district a prosperous Province must ere long l.tc formed. It is natural that the Government should legard Edmonton as an essential point to be traversed by the Canadian Paciiic llailway. Not oidy is it destined to be the centre of an important district, it is also most favour- ably situated as a distributing point for the country to the north and south. To the north and north-west lies the fertile Peace Eiver district. To the s(nith-west lies the rich Bow River country, which is already rccogni/ed as perhaps the best grazing district in Canada, including a territory of about 20,000 square miles, running, that is, from the boundary line about 200 miles northward, and from the base of the llocky .^[ountuins about 100 miles eastward. Owing to the " Chenook " winds, as they are called, which apparently come from the Pacific across the country once held by the Chenook Indians, near i 'f 5 J ■ ',!' ill!' i 'Jl' 248 MOUNTAIN AND rRATlUE. !!• I ! I the Columbia River, tliis district enjoys an exceptionally mild climate that renders it comparatively free from snow oven in mid-winter, so that cattle are enabled throiipjhoiit the whole year to graze upon its rich well- watered plains. If our trans-continental railway were to pass by the northern route through the Peace River countiy to the Pacific, the traffic of this great grazing district to the south of Edmonton would necessarily be thrown into the United States railways, whereas it can easily be drawn towards ouv own line, if that line should pass not further north than Edmonton. At the same time the Peace River country, as soon as circumstances may require, can without much difficulty be connected with the trunk line by a branch from the neighbourhood of Edmonton. How soon will the railway reach Edmonton ? If the North-West is to be rajiidly peopled, — and on its settle- ment must depend much of Canada's future prosperity — facilities of communication must be provided, and tho railway, as a great colonisation road, must precede or at least accompany settlement. And while the peopling of tho North-West requires tho construction of the rail- way to the foot of tho Rocky Mountains, other reasons, such as the interests of British Columbia, tho closer union of the Provinces by lines of ti*affic, and tlie devel- opment of commerce with Asia, demand railway exten- Bion to tho western seaboard. 1 DUNVEGAN TO EDMOXTOX. 24^ The lino from Lake Superior to the Pacific consists of the following sections : — Miles. 1. Fort William to Selkirk 406 2. Selkirk vid Edmonton to Jasper Valley 1000 3. Jasper Valley to Kamloops 335 4. Kamloops to Yalo 125 5. Yale to Burrard Inlet 90 Total from Lake Superior to the Pacific 1,956 On section 1, the rails are laid 136 miles west of Fort William and 90 miles east of Selkirk, and the remaining 180 miles will be completed by July 1882. On section 2, 200 miles arc already under contract from Solkirlc west- wards. Section 4 is under contract. On sections 3 and 5 nothing has yet been done beyond the location of the route. There are thus, (exclusive of the Pembina Branch, 85 miles in length, from Emerson to Selkirk,) 226 miles in running order and 505 miles under contract. With the strong tide of immigration that may at once be expected to pour into the North- West, and tlie facil- ities for railway construction from Selkirk to Jasper Valley, ten years are surely an outside estimate of the time required to extend the line across the prairies to the Eocky Mountains. According to the terms of the con- tract, it is contemplated that the section from Kamloops to Yale will be completed in five years. Is it extravagant to expect that with the work of construction proceeding ;{t ' Mi I ^^~- u i}l' ¥ ■ m '^ ' .! '! !] I ■{ A I 250 MOiNTAL" .iND PUAIUIE. on both sides of tlio Mountains, we shall, by the close of the present decade, have our through line complete / The claims of the prairie section for speedy completion are more urgent than those of the British Columbia line ; and the sale of lands and the increasing traffic to be secured by it, as well as the cheaper cost of construction, must make it the best paying portion of the whole line. At the same time the completion of the lino to the western coast may bo regarded a* a political necessity, and, as it will developc the resources of British Columbia, as it will give a seaport on the Pacific by which the produce of our plains can bo distributed west- wards, and as it will afford a route from Europe to China for through traffic about 700 miles shorter than any other, it is of manifest importance that the part west of the Mountains be constructed as speedily as the finances of the country will allow. But will the finances of the country allow its construc- tion at all ? Eegarding the line from Lake Superior to the Rocky Mountains leading statesmen, on both sides of politics, and other competent authorities seem to bo of one mind. On the smallest reasonable allowance for the increase of population in the Xorth-West this portion of the line will not only pi-ovo directly a good commercial enterprise, but indirectly a source of large increase to the revenues of the country. For the remainder, the same cannot with as great confidence be expected. The cost of DUWEGAN TO FDMOSTON. 251 the line from Jasjicr Valley to Eurravd Inlet is estimated, at from thirty to thirty-five millions of dollars. If none of this were defrayed by the sale of land.s in the Norfh-West, it would entail au annual expenditure of nearly a million and a half of dollars of interest on cost of' construction, on the part of the Dominion, and it might bo questioned, whether, for a country with so limited a revenue as Canada, this outlay would bo com- pensated for by tho advantages that it would secure. J3ut even the least sanguine can hardly suppose that the completion of the line would lay this burden upon tho revenues of the country, for there can be little doubt that the sale of lands in the North-West will pay for tho entire construction of the railway. At the same time, the country cannot afford to peril too much on mere ex- pectations, however well grounded, and therefore, until a large immigration and extensive sales of public lands be secured in the North- West, it would be well to " make haste slowly " with the British Columbia section of the line. But our Pacific railway may well bo regarded as a work of Imperial as well as of Canadian importance. It concerns the welfare of the empire both as a colonisation road and as part of a trans-continental highway. Tho settlement of our North-West must very soon and very periously affect the wheat supply of the mother country. At present that supply is drawn largely from the United M^ I',;' !. ■V , 11 \ I \} f'i! H i\ lit /fi li 1; i ^ ill' i i: • , f'l ■ 1. ? ! i < ' ." 1 li i' :|l 1^ . 1 1 J r 1 k ■ f ^i' ' - ! 252 MOUNTAIN AND PRAITilE. States and from Eussia, and as theso countries, being foreign, might become unfriendly, the receipt of bread- stuffs from these sources might any season be imperilled; whereas, if our own vast prairies were developed the policy of foreign countries could not seriously disturb the wheat market of Britain. Besides, the welfare of the empire is concerned in the extension of this line of railway to the western seaboard, as it would not only provide speedy communication through British territory with British possessions on the Pacific, but would supply the great missing link in a rapid route from England to Eastern Asia that would be safe against foreign interference. ies, being of bread- fiperilled; loped the y disturb ) welfare >n of this it would jh British icific, but pid route fe against 14 V i;^"^ \-L/ $"iO U. ?| I j^'S i S — -j( F*™\«^ JUiL M= ^^.- ^'1 Si^^ii K. g*? ^ :r-r--"=^:...CT- -.-TTTTi-r*, .105 JOB , r\ y I \ -.V'-v^ :?:> ^ 'n^:J^xX/^FE^±^ :j,,,^ ^Jl f^r ^;iP I „1 <f»0! - *T!rrr-rr*' *o* /o* •<>> -r • ' hn,^yj ^S -' 'i:.;.-! ' ^;»s**^-*^''''*^=^^-ksiFi fffcJT^^fFriTlrr iirtii ~i III I r ir'" i iV' ' r- ■ V'l Tf*Si i' .>i*'jl\'. '1 , itf ^ ■■■•! '%r*l? lOH 108 107 loe 'i6« 10* -1-fee r 11 Xiiult -Qf ..I6dx«ua-T_?.fi.ft.t M A P siirwiNt; SOUTHERN l^ORTION NORTH WESf (ERRIIORIES:' Ti? illw^fyati' *■" AToufitdft and Prairie i "raff nrlet nyVt-*^ < }^ . L,,/ • / --J L li J*.«*W«=-' v->r-/' '%■; ,A^ '.??■ f X / >. V«'i tnkt.ijj\ ..4'i r» hini.in sLiikt. . ^ Hetir ■^' . ^ '^-^a'~\.» a 't e a t f Lit i ■% ^rY ; - ■■'■ 1 V K U li i ^ i" PHOTO LITH BY THt BURLANO UTH CO MONTREAL II' , H I 'I' 1^ 1*1 9' t I * MM <ti 1 i i 1 1^ 1 ;' 5^ i m i il CHAPTER X. EDMONTON TO BATTLEFORD. Steamers on Saskatchewan. — Prepare to cross tlie prairie. — Trails — Prairie travel. — Pemr^can. — Victoria. — ITalf-breed farmers Christian Missions in North-West. — Victoria to Fort Pitt. — Royal mail. — Dog-clriving. — Fort Pitt. — The trail again. — Treeless prairies. — Tree Culture. — Battleford. — Government of North-West. — Climate. — Character of country. — Great Plain — Homestead and pre-emption law. — Prospect of settlement. I left Fort Edmonton for Battleford on Friday, 26th September. Earlier in the season I might have gone down the Saskatchewan by steamer, for during the sum- mer, a line of steamers belonging to the H. B. Company plies between Edmonton and Eed River. The " Lily," a boat of light draught runs from Edmonton to Fort Carl- ton, a distance of about five hundred miles ; and, as the river becomes deeper below Carlton, a larger boat, tho " Northcote " runs from that point to the head of tho Grand Eapids at the mouth of the Saskatchewan, a dis- tance of about four hundred i.ales. These rapids, form- ing a complete barrier to navigation, necessitate a portage of three miles, which is traversed by a tramway, connecting the steamers on the river with tho.'^e on Lako U Wi W J I il ■' if I. f A I i- 1 1 J ui »i; 1 1 *i' 'If ^^ f 254 MOrXTA TS' AXn rUAIRlE. Winnipeg. Another steamer, much more strongly Iniilt than the river boats to stand tlio rough Abaters of the Lake, runs from the moutli of the Saskatcliewan, two hundred and eiglity miles to tlic mouth of Red River, and wlien tlio water is high, thirty miles up the latter river to the Stone Port, within twenty miles of Winnipeg. The navigation of the Saskatchewan is much impeded at some places during low water by rocks and sand-bars, but these could bo removed and the river rendered navi- gable throughout all the o^ien season at an estimated outlay of $50,000. "Were these increased facilities for navigation sui")plied, the cost of living in many parts of the North- AVcst would be greatly reduced. At present the average rate of freight by cart across the prairies is $1.00 per cwt. for every hundred miles from Winnipeg, that is, $5.00 jDcr cwt. to Prince Albert, $8.00 per cwt. to Battleford, $10.00 jDer cwt. to Fort Edmonton, rates that seriously affect the prices of imported goods. Besides, it requires from fifty to seventy da^-s, according to the weather and to the state of the roads, to cany freight from Winnipeg to Edmonton, and nearly as long to make the return trij), whcre'is, if the necessary improvements were made on the Saskatchewan, tho round trip, from Winnipeg to Edmonton and back, could be made in about twenty-live days. Tenable, however, to proceed by steamer down the Saskatchewan, and unwilling lo go by canoe, I made j)re- •^ ;ji'' **;:). if I! strongly Ijuilt waters of tlio Ltclicwaii, two 3f Kcd Eivcr, i up the latter 1 of \Yijinipcg. 3h impeded at ind sand-bars, cndcred navi- an estimated facilities for lany parts of . At i)resent lie prairies is >m "VYinnijjcg, )0 2)er cwt. to on, rates that >. Besides, it rding to the carry freight long to make ni)rovomentH id trip, from lade in about er down the I made j)ro- i^ -: n t'* ' ' Ml *.'■ '■'^ ?■•• 'r-v , • \ -• f t' i "..''■' • .. -■'., . , -*,•"«, . .. ; ' '•■ f -V .•'.'.>■■■. v-'.^ ■•■.-** * •. . -.■ .i .»-: -_i ■V''"' •'"" V? * •..-.- I •* !i: ': I , ' i • •t^SAimtHtmmmr'' . t I ( \i 'iili.lliiiitr'Jin! mm:.: , "% Pliil .Mil'''/*' %i^,::,ii ''''■'' tr' ..■'! liiii:: i ■; ■ '! ; I! P';:'.^ -;■■ ^V -'^^ i: #'v' '„ .A, .,1 • \; 4^' 1 %r li*.'" ys;. *^^' 1 R « feB^^ (h 1 gl s ^^^ g ^^^ w ^^V/^ (/] l^^jn^ H ^S^iV ^ ^ml: ^ ^i-M S ^^Si^ p3 CjNoK'Vll^i ^-< ^^A^^ <^ ^^ICk ^ §Jh^'?I^ cu < c "J'" -■ 9>;? ;-^ 6 J 0. B O f EDMOyT0^ TO DATTLFFOnO. 255 parations for crosHiiig tho prairies. Through tlic kind- ness of Mr. ITardisty I secured the services ot an English half-breed, Fi'cd. Eowland, who, though sometimes a little lazy in the morning, was faithful, cleanl}-, and intelligent. Our waggon, which was single-seated, but with space enough to hold provisions, baggage, tent, etc., piled up in the rear, was drawn by two horses, while two others ran loose, to take their turn in harness or under the eaddle with which I occasionally relieved the tedium of the drive. The only cjire that these horses require is that at least one of them, tho hell-mare, be hobbled at might, so that they may readily be found in the morning; they can easily find food and water, and they can travel thirty-five or forty miles a day without difficulty. A prairie journey is now little more of a novelty than i\ trip across tho Atlantic ; yet, like an ocean voyage, jt is full of interest to one who makes it for the first time. Tho primitive prairie cart is the convej'ance most frequently employed, but it is well, if possible, to have saddle-horses for the sake of comfort, and to leave tho carts for tents, camp outfit, baggage, etc. In many instances, however, tho cart has been abandoned for more pi-etcntious vehi- cles. Tho light waggon, covered with a cotton awning that gives it ihc name of "prairie-schooner," from its fancied resemblance to a s».^-boat, the two-horse spring- waggon similar to the ordinary " democrat " waggon of Ontario, and the double buck-board are the greatest ■H 25G MOUNT. im AND PnAIIilE. Is favourites. Of these the buck-board is the best, because least liable to injury, aii important advantage, for, when you are on the ])rairie there is no blacksmith's shop round the corner at which to repair a spring or to replace a bolt. The chief trails across the prairies are so distinctly grooved and worn that there is no danger of losing the way, unless at some fork or cross-road where a finger- post has not yet been erected. Sometimes the trail winds over gently rolling country, or by aspen copse, so that the track can be seen only a short distance ahead j at others it stretches over a dead level plain, like an invitation into boundless space, the numerous parallel grooves that have been cut and worn by carts year after year being regular as railway lines, while near any centre, such as a farming settlement or a trading-post, the converging trails remind one of the lines near a railway dej)6t. Occasionall}^ one meets immigrants or freighters, with their bands of prairie carts, at first almost as rarely as a ship on mid-ocean but more frequently on moving east- wards, like the increasing number of vessels that are seen when nearing jjoi't. Each day you pass places that have evidently been the camping-gi'ound of others. The square of sod, dug out by the careful freighter to form a fire-place that shall not endanger the prairie grass, the lodge-poles left lying on the ground, the ashes of recent camji-firos, the little I lat arc seen KD^TOyTON TO BATTLEFOKD. 257 enclosure, some ten feet squuro, Icnced in to contain the extensive " smudge" of grass and leafy boughs, around which the Itorses gather on summer evenings to secure in the smoke a respite from the mosquitoes, — these mementos of previous travellers are frequently seen and are unfailing objects of interest. One need have little difficulty in keeping the pot well supplied with game, especially if accompanied by a retriever, for abundance of ducks can be found in the numerous lakelets that border the trail, and j^rairie chickens are plentiful in all except the more settled dis- tricts. As day after day passes one becomes more and more m love with the climate as well as with the country, and can understand how it should be noted for its pecu- liar healthfulress, and especially for its freedom from fevers and from diseases of the throat and lungs. Though one day so closely resembles another in its ordinary routine, yet there is a continual freshness and interest in the journey, and if one has pleasant travelling comjianions, and is favoured with fine weather, a trip across the prairies, particularly after the mosquito season is over, may be like a prolonged pic-nic. On leaving Edmonton the larder contained some iresh meat and fresh butter, — luxuries unknown for months, as well as the ordinary substantials of bacon, pemmican, etc. Butl'alo pemmican will soon be a matter only of tradition and meraoiy upon the prairies. It is not tho 18 I' '■'^fi .1 ilM; 258 MOUNTAIN AND rRAinfE. •i i most enjoyable variety of food ; indeed, tlie first day that a man has to live on pemmican ho finds that he is not very hungry ; and yet white men as well as half-breeds and Indians find it a peculiarly nourishing diet, while it has the advantage of comprising a great deal of food in very small bulk, and of keeping fresh for an indefinite period. The appetite of both whites and Indians around Fort Edmonton for buffalo meat must have been keen in the days when buffalo were abundant. Capt. Palliser gives the daily ration of fresh meat served out at the Fort i]i 1858, as 40G pounds to ninety-four persons. How the Indians must long for the " good old times," when they mourn over the extinction of the buffalo. "We took the trail along the north bank of the Sas- katchewan, it being in some respects preferable to that which passes by Fort Saskatchewan along the southern bank of the river. Already the autumn was upon us j the trees were rapidly losing their leaves ; the cart-ruts and the small streams were filled with fallen foliage; the numerous plants scattered among the grass began to wear a withered look, although still presenting almost as much variety of colour as the foliage-plants in our gardens in mid-summer. The days were warm and clear, the nights cool, somctiraes frosty. It was impossible for us to keep long liourw of travelling, as day-light is neces- sary both for pitching and for moving camp, at least if it ) day that lie is not alf-brecds t, while it of food in indefinite ms around 3n keen in ;. Palliser 3ut at the )ns. How les," when .f the Sas- [)lc to that e southern upon us ; cart-ruts jliagc; the began to almost avS Is in our and clear, lossible for it is neces- 1 least if it EDMONTON TO IIATTLFFORD. 250 is to be done in any comfort, and so our average daily drive was from thirty-five lo forty miles. Two d"ys brought us to Victoria, seventy-three miles from Edmonton, the trail throughout this distance leading through a country of almost unvarying excellence. There is A post of the II. B. Company at Victoria, connected with that at Edmonton, and about a mile from it there is a settlement composed almost exclusively of English half- breeds, who came hc;"e some fifteen years ago, or, as they themselves usually express it, five years before " the transfer," dating this and other incidents from the trans- fer of the Hudson's Bay Territory to the Canadian government, in 1870. Unlike the French half-breeds the Scotch and English half-breeds take readilj' to farming. When the French voyageurs, who came from Lower Canada in the old days of the North-West Company-, intermarried with the natives, the children seemed more Indian than French; but, when the Scotch servants of the H. B. Company married Indian women, the children showed few Indian characteristics. If the Scotchman did not raise his wife to his own level, he at least succeeded as a general rule in uplifting his children, whereas the Frenchman seemed almost at once to be drawn down to the level of the Indian. The half-breeds, however, even at best are inferior farmers, for, having sown their seed they spend much of the summer in hunting or in freighting for the I ! 1 I I 'it 1 t I ■ I » ««" ! I !• 2(;o .i/nr.vr.iz.v ASD vumuje. II. B. Company. At Victoria their farming is conducted on a veiy small 8cale, but, as their land is a beautiful black loam, which has yielded excellent returns of wheat year after year without any manure since they have set- tled upon it, they might evidently farm to great advan- tage, or at least their lands might be cultivated to great advantage if they were in the hands of cajiable farmers. There is a grist-mill about a mile from the settlement, and good prices can be secured for flour and grain as the Government, the Company and the new settlers must all be largo purchasers. The Government will, for several years, require considerable quantities of flour for Indian supplies. The Company purchase largely to ^npply their own men, as they give scarcely any attention to farming. Even at those posts, such as Edmonton, where farming was attempted, it was often in an exj)ensive way with hired labour and by men who were not practical farmers, while the conduct of the Indians, who sometimes used the fence-rails for camp-fires and let loose their horses in a field of young grain, was adverse to the success of such experiments. And new settlers coming, as they must ere long do in large numbers, to the Edmonton discrict will require both food and seed, so that the half-breeds of Victoria will find ready market for their j^roduce. Better farmers than the half-breeds, hovvever, are required to disclose and to develop the wheat-growing capabilities of the North-West. % iH onducted beautiful of wheat have set- at advan- l to great : farmers, ttlement, lin as the ! must all )r several or Indian iply their < farming. farming vay with [ farmers, mes used horses in 38 of such ley must n discrict alf-breeds produce. lever, are ;-growing EDMOSTON TO BA TTLEFOUD. 261 Theic was a large Croc camp at Victoria not long ago, and an important Mission, in connection witli the Methodist Chui-ch, was established hei-e by the Kite Rev. G Macdougall about the time that the half-breed settle- ment was formed. At present there is no resident missionary among them, but they receive an occasional visit from the Anglican and Methodist clergymen at Edmonton. On the Sunday that we spent in this neigh- bourhood we had the p^iiasurc of uniting with them in Divine Service. Until recently the Christian Missions of the North- West were necessarily confined to the native tribes, the servants of the Company, and the French and English half-breeds, for as yet " the settler " was unknown. The first Christian Missions were those of the Eoman Catholic Church. The early French explorers, such as M. de la Verandaye, were usually accompanied by a priest, and as trading-posts were planted Missions were established, the first being in 1818 at St. Boniface where it has ever since been vigorously maintained, and where now stands an imposing range of ecclesiastical buildings familiar to every visitor to Winnipeg. From that centre the work was extended westwards, so that not only the early French traders and the numerous French half-breeds, or Metis, but also many of the Indian tribes adhered to tho communion of the Eomish C urch, and now the diocese, presided over by Archbishop Tache, includes Missions in ' ( ! ' '!'t 262 MOUXTATN Axn ruAjniE. W f-l.! :•' i f ' the ecclesiastical j)rovincc.s of St. Boniface, St. Albert (on the Saslcatchewan), Atliabasca, Mackenzie and British Columbia. The first Protestant Mission was that of the Church of England, which from a small beginning on the banks of the Red River in 1820 has, under the fostering care of the Church Missionary Society aided by private benefac- tions, extended to Hudson's Bay, to the Mackenzie, and to the far distant Yucon. In connection with this Mission the North-West has been divided into four dioceses: — Rupert's Land, with head-quarters at Winnipeg, Moosinee, with head-quarters at York Factory on Hudson's Bay, Saskatchewan, with its bishop's resid- ence at Prince Albert, and Athabasca, where the bishop travels far and wide among the Indians but makes his homo at Fort Chipewyan. The Methodista have also been very active in mission-work among the Indians, their pioneer, the late Mr. Macdougall, one of the most earnest and useful missionaries ever known in the North-AYest, being distinguished for his influence among the Indians from Winnij)eg to the Rocky Moun- tains. They report six missionaries at present labouring among the Indians, and twelve among the white settlers. The Presbyterian Church, although later in commencing mission-work among the Indians, has now thirty mission- aries in the North-AYest, three of whom arc specially designated to missions among the natives. it- , VH FD^^OXTON TO PATTLEFOIiD. 2C3 « i . Albert zie and hiirch of bunks of [^ care of benefac- ie, and to Mission )ceses : — Winnipeg, 'tory on p's resid- lere the ians but othodists nong the jail, one )r known influence :y Moun- abouring settlers. imcncing ^ mission- specially Of recent years, however, Christian Missions in the North-Wost have presented new features and have assumed new j^roportions. A new element of jiopulation has entered, one Avhich will ore long overshadow all pre- vious tenants of the soil, the white settlers, who came not to serve the fur-traders but to unfold the vast resources of the land. It will tax the energies of the Canailian Churches, even with such aid as they may rceoive from the mother-country, to meet the demands laid on them by this increase of their home-mission fields. Having spent a Sunday at Victoria we left next morn- ing, and on the following "Wednesday evening, 1st Octo- ber, TC reached Fort Pitt, two hundred and five miles from Edmonton. We were occasionally delayed at some of the creeks or gullies, which, being too narrow and too deep for fording, had been bridged, but the bridges had fallen into decay. Apparently the process of decay goes on until some freighters or other travellers find the bridge, imx^assable and so repair it for their own and the public good. All these creeks have Indian names, and many of the names might as well be left untranslated b} our map- makers. Nameepee, for instance, is a more musical name for a stream than " Sucker," and Ahtimsegun is decidedly better than its English equivalent " Dog's- rump." The trail is good, the soil almost uniformly excellent, the land well-watered by numerous streams and generally well-wooded, chiefly with willow and l; f >\l I' I.I ' 1 1 264 MOUNTAIN AND PRAIRIE. '> ! 14 H o !: ' poplar, though occasionally with small groves of pino. Only in the neighbourhood of SaiUllc Lake and again in the immediate neighbourliood of Fort Pitt did there seem to bo any scarcity of wood. Near Saddle Lake, where we camped on the first evening after leaving Victoria, we had to continue driving after sunset on account of the difiiculty of finding a combination of wood, water and grass, the three requisites for a good camj)ing-ground. Wo spent Tuesday night near Moose Creek, about forty miles from Saddle Lake, at one of the best and most fre- quented camping-grounds on the trail, where the numer- ous lodge-poles and the ashes of old camp-fires gave evidence of previous travellers. Next day the trail led by numerous lakelets, some, such as Stone Lake and Simpson Lake, being of large size and very beautiful, and all abounding with duck. These, with the extent of timber and the nun: jerof the streams in the vicinity, combined with the general excellence of the soil, must in due time render this district as attractive to the settler as it is pleasing to the eye of the traveller. The afternoon being wet and cold with threaten ings of a stormy night, we pushed on towards Fort Pitt. About sun-set we met the mail, the driver having already camped lor the night. He drove a very humble, unpre- tending conveyance, a common prairie cart, very unlike the clashing mail-gig, or the imposing stage-coach, which association connects with the words ''royal mail." How- 11 » m KDMOXTOX TO nATTI.F.VOlilK 265 OS of pine, nd again in there seem ake, wliere g Victoria, ount of the water and ng-gi-oimd. about forty 1 most fre- the nuraer- -fires gave trail led by d Simpson ul, and all t of timber , combined n due time ler as it is xtcnings of tt. About g already ble, unpre- 3ry unlike ^ch, which ail." How- ever, it is a stride forwards, as well as an indica'Jon of general progress, to find the mail running every three weeks between "W"inni2)eg and Edmonton, and kept \\\> with remarkable regularity summer and winter. At first the winter mail was carried by dog-trains, but now, in winter as in summer, it is run with horses. For winter travel dogs have hitherto been largely used, as with light loads they are much swifter than horses. To drive a team of dogs it is said that one must be able to swear in English, French, or Cree, while to be a first- rate dog-driver requires a fluent command of jirofanity in the three languages ; yet there are some excellent dog-drivers in the North-West. Some years ago a well- known Winnipeg ecclesiastic was making an extended winter trip ; the dogs, though frequently whipped, made little progress, so the bishop remonstrated with the driver. That functionary replied that he could not make them go unless he swore at them. Absolution was given him for the trip, and the dogs, hearing the fiimiliar expletives, trotted along gaily. Dog-driving, however, is passing out of use in the North- West, as it is becoming much more expensive to keep dogs than to keep horses. While buffalo were abundant, and every post and wig- wam could have unlimited pemmican, it was easy for any man to keep a kennel, but as the buffalo are rapidly disappearing, and as the horses can forage for themselves at all seasons, whereas dogs must be fed throughout the i ,W: 1^ h ** ■ .«i»-5"-- -, '!'. ? JUJP *'- t *t*' !B ^ ''»/ !l ■;l '1 I » i I r ^f Mr : 1; i P? ' i i p[ 1 i ' 1 1 k*tu;. . 1 / ll 26G jiorA-r.i/.v AND riiAiniE. whole yaav in order to be on hand for their winter work, horses are being used almost entirely on the prairies except in the more northern districts, where game and fish are still very abundant. We reached Fort Pitt late in the evening, and the storm which had already overtaken us made the com- forts of this hosj)itable house all the more enjoyable. Next morning, having inspected some wonderful wheat and potatoes grown at the Fort, and having exjierienced the proverbial difficulty in making an early start from a post of the H. B. Company, we crossed the Saskatchewan and took the trail for Battlcford. The Fort is a comfort- able two-story dwelling, with the usual accompaniments of store and outbuildings, partially surrounded by a low jialisade. It stands about twenty feet above the river, and has, like many othci's, a immber of Indian lodges, or tepees, in the neighbourhood, at which, even when most of the men with their families are off hunting, the lame and the sick remain, expecting to be kojit in life and in some measure of comfort by the officers of the Company. "VVe left the soutli })ank soon after mid-day, and, after rising about fifty feet from the water's edge, we crossed a plain of several miles, where the soil is light, but the pasture excellent, and then passed over rolling prairie, of good soil and rich grass, with clumiis of willow, already brown and well-nigh leafless. "We found plenty EDMDSTOX TO nATTLFFOnn. 2(57 Lutei* work, 10 prairies game and ig, and the lo the corn- enjoyable, jrful wheat xj)erienced tart from a katchcwan a comfort- ipaniments id by a low ) the river, lan lodges, )ven when inting, the :cpt in life ors of the and, after we crossed ht, but the ng prairie, of willow, ind i)lenty of wood and water, and no scarcity of good camping- grounds, but on account of our late start wo did not make more than sixteen miles. Next day the solitude of our journey was relieved by our meeting a clergyman, who was on his way to Fort Pitt, expecting to reside there as missionary among the Indians of this district. The country traversed was roiling prairie and grassy plain, partly good for the growth of grain, and partly for pasturage, the soil being sometimes light, sometimes rich loam, but generally lighter than that along the north bank of the Saskatchewan. Hour after hour wore on, and mile after mile was traversed, without our see- ing any living creature except the ducks that still lingered on the lakelets, an occasional gopher or prairie squirrel, or a badger, popping up his grey heiui to watch us as we passed the little mound which he had scooped out of the earth, when making a holeforhimself and a small pit- fall for the horses. At night the last sound heard in the fitillness was the call of the wild geese winging their way southward, the harsher cry of the land crane, or the rustle of the aspen leaves, now dry and ready to drop. On Salui'day we passed over rolling prairie country generally of light soil, scantily wooded, and soon after mid- day wo reached Battleford, ninety-three miles from Fort Pitt. Wo had accomplished the first stage of the journey from Edmonton to "\Vinnij)eg ; we liad traversed a country of almost uniformly good soil, sometimes of surpassing a till ■-t--^Hg*f'<ai' '-Wi i j 2G8 MOUNTAIN AND PRMIUE. i. ;' ' i-ichiicss, and wore assured tliat wc ^vould have found it Bimilar liad wc followed either of the main trails south of the Saskatchewan. In a few places there is a great scarcity of wood, a want that is felt in the vicinity of Battleford, though not as severely as in some other parts of the prairies. Before reaching Winnipeg, however, the traveller from the west becomes sufficiently familiar with treeless tracts. Probably on some of the plains no trees have grown for many centuries, as no roots nor any ti-aco of decayed trees can be detected in the soil. For tlio most 2)art, however, they have manifestly been denuded by fire, sometimes the result of accident but frequently set by the Indians as their mode of signalling each other. To quote Capt. Palliser: " The most trivial signal of one Indian to another has often lost hundreds of acres of forest trees which might have brought wealtli and com- fort to the future settler, wliile it lias brought starvation and misery to the Indian tribes themselves, by spoiling their hunting-grounds. The Indians, however, never taught by experience, still use 'signal-fires' to the same extent as in former years." But, in xstice to the Indian, ho adds, when nearer the mountains: " Here I observed a very satisfactory proof that lightning in the mountains must very frequently be the cause of fires, and that all forests are not destroyed by the hand of man."* One KxploratioUH of Brit. North Anu'ritn, p.p. 81), 93. ED.iro.VrO.V to n.lTTLEFORD. 269 vc found it trails south in a great vicinity of other parts )wevcr, the miliar with ns no trees r any ti'aco 1. For the ;n denuded frequently each other, i^nal of one of acres of h and com- starvation )y spoiling vcr, never the same he Indian, 1 observed mountains lid that all "* One result of this destruction of trees, one which is quickly and keenly felt, is the scarcity of firewood, for in cross- ing the prairies one suffers more frequently from the want of wood than from the want of water ; and fresh water can usually bo found by digging for it. This scarcity of wood can, of course, be remedied by increased tree culture ; and the growth of trees would also secure partial if not complete defence against the ravages of the locust, from which for several years Manitoba and the North-West suffered severely, and by a recurrence of which lliey might again be seriously injured. No barrier is so effectual against them as belts and groves of trees. But a result even more serious than the lack of fuel or occasional ravages of grasshoppers, that may be attri- buted to this widespread trcelcssness, is the gradual reduction of the rainfall. It is known, from long-con- tinued observations, that the moisture of the climate has on the treeless j^ortions of the prairies been dimin- ished, as is manifest, for instance, from the fact that many of the lakelets are slowly drying up; so that, if nothing were done to counteract this process, there might, in a few generations, bo seen on our prairies results similar to those already seen in Palestine and in parts of Northern Africa, where from the destruction of the woods and the consequent reduction of the rainfall, lands that wore once fertile have become utterly unpro- 1 1 ! 1 fi 1 ^!| 1 i 1 " 1 t i 1 2;o MOUXTATN AXD riiAnilE. diictivc. And conversely, where groves and forests are mnltiplied the moisture is increased, for not only do the trees, by the shade which they afford prevent rapid evaporation and so presci'vo the streams and rivulets, but probably the foliage reduces the temperature near the earth and so contributes to the formation of clouds. Already in portions of the Western States the cultivation of trees has had a marked effect upon the climate. " When the Mormons first settled in Utah, they found the district barren. Water had to be l)rought almost incredible distances, in wooden pipes. Trees were care- fully planted, and nourished with the water so brought, and now the district may be termed the garden of the world, and is not dependent on water brought from a distance, but enjoys a steady rainfall."* Even in 1867 it was nottced that '* the settlement of the country and the increase of the timber have already changed for the bettor the climate of that portion of Nebraska lying along the Missouri, so that within the last twelve or four- teen years, the rain has gradually increased in quantity, and is much more equally distributed throughout the year." f And the work of tree-culture is neither slow nor difficult; not difficult, for the chief requisite is to break up the land, and to sow seeds or to plant cuttings ; •Quoted 1>y Dr. Dawson, Gcol. of 4(ith Parullcl, p. 318. t U. S. Geol. Surv. Territ. quoted by Dr. Dawson, op. cit., p. 318, EDMOXTON TO BA TTLEFOUD. 271 and not slow, for soft majilc will attain a height of fifteen feet with diameter of seven inches in seven years, increas- ing in three years more to ten inches, so that in ten or fifteen years a plantation may bo raised even from the seed, and much more speedily from cuttings. As long as the supply of our woodland is adequate to the require- ments of the country, and until the well-timbered tracts of fertile soil are occupied, he need of tree-culture may not be severely felt ; but oven for such general reasons as providing barriers against the grasshoppers and for im- provement of the climate, as well as for the increase of fuel and of building material, the cultivation of trees should be liberally encouraged by the Goverimient. Not i ..g ago an excellent act was passed, entitling settlers to "trco- claims" not exceeding 160 acres, for which patents would bo issued at the end of eight years, provided that a certain area had been planted in trees, tree-seeds or cuttings, and that tliere were a certain number of living and thrifty trees to each acre. One fjital restriction, however, has been laid on this law. It does not apply • to the railway belt, the belt of one hundred and ten miles on each side of the located line of the Canadian Pacific Eailway ; and, as the southern margiji of that belt ap- proaches tho international })Oundary, while on the north it includes large tracts of timber-land, tho law, in its present form, is useless. Battleford has for three years boon the capital of the i' si'l If! .«' 1 'fii ♦ I li ^ 272 mOUXTATN AND Pit A in JF.. 'si\ c ♦ North-West Territories. It is situated on the south bank of the Battle River, near its confluence with the Saskat- chewan, and In addition to a number of good dwellings, the chief of which is Government House, it boasts a printing oifice, where the Sasliatchewan Herald is pub- lished, an II. B. C. Post, a few .shops, etc., while at a short distance, on the opposite side of Battle River, aro the quarters of the North-West "Mounted Police, as a detachment of the force is ahvays stationed here. The present arrangements for the government of the North- West are simple but seemingly effective, for law and order are admirably maintained. For the adminis- tration of justice the Territories are divided into three Judicial Districtf, each largo enough for an empire. The Saskatchewan District is bounded on the south hy Red Deer River, the south branch of the Saskatchewan, and the Saskatchewan River, on the west by British Columbia, on the east by Keewatin, on the north by the Arctic Sea. The remaming portion between the Saskatchewan district and the U. S. Boundary line on the north and south, and the Rocky Mountains and ]\[anitoba on the west and east is divided into two dis- tricts by the 108th meridian of west longitude, the western one T)eing named the Bow River District, the other the Qu'appelle District. In each of these three districts justice is administered by a Stipendiary Magis- trate, who seems to possess the power and to perform ( i m I i EDMoyros TO ;;.i ttlefobd. 273 south bank the Saskat- 1 dwellings, it boasts a raid is pub- , while at a River, aro Police, as a lerc. nient of the tivc, for law the adminis- }d into three an empire, he south hy skatchewan, by British le north by jctweon the dary line on iintains and into two dis- igitude, the District, the these three liary Magis- to perform the functions of the combined courts of any of the older Pro\ .nccs. For the general affairs of government there is a Council, of which the Stipendiary Magistrates are ex officio members, j)resided over by the Lieutenant- Governor. Every district, not exceeding 1,00^^ square miles, that contains a pojDulation of not less than 1,000 adult inhabitants, exclusive of aliens or unenfranchised Indians, may elect one member of Council. "When the number of members increases to twenty-one, the Council fchall cease, and a Legislative Assembly be formed, but, meanwhile, the Council possesses powers similar to those of the Legislative Assemblies of the other Provinces. They have no direct control over Indian affairs, these being administered through the Dejiartment of the Interior and the Indian Commissioner, but the interests of the Indians are often of necessity matters of consider- ation foi ihe Council, just as the administration of justice to the Indians as well as to the whites is a duty of the Stipendiary Magistrates.* The Government are enabled, through the North-West Mounted Police, to enforce their laws promptly and ♦ The North-West Council at present consists of Licut.-Governor Laird ; Lieut. -Col. Richardson^ Stipendary Magistrate of the Sas- katchewan District; M. Ryan, Esq.. Stipendiary Magistrate of the Qu'Appelle District; Lieut. -Col. Macleod, ('.M.G., CoTiimissioncr t)f N. W. M. Police, and Stipendiary Jlagistrate of the l>o\v River District: and I-iscal Brdand, Ksq. 19 I '•M i i Jl j ''• \i J 'I rl 274 SrOUKTAiy AND riiAIRIE. efficiently, the services of the police being specially required in carrying out the i^rohibition of the liquor traffic, in conveyance of certain criminalB to "Winnipeg, as no penitentiary has yet been provided for the Terri- tories, and in similar offices where the argument of physical force is necessary. The wisdom of selecting Battleford as the capital of the North-West Territories has been as much questioned as the propriety of making Ottawa the cajDital of the Dominion. Its opponents say that there is no abundance of good soil in the neighbourhood, that there is a great scarcity of wood, that settlers are not being attracted there, and that Prince Albert, near the junction of the North and South Saskatchewan, would bo much more suitable; while its advocates maintain that its situation is central, that to move it eastward would bo a mistake and an injustice to the western districts, all the more so as the western limit of Manitoba may, if Manitobans get what they want, be moved some distance westward. The arguments on both sides arc good and true ; mean- while, Battleford has possession of Government House, and the argument of possession is a very strong one. The season hero, as throughout a large portion of the North-West Territories, is earlier than in the Eastern Provinces. From records that have been kept at Battle- ford, for instance, since its selection as the seat of Gov- ernment, it is found that in 1878 ploughing commenced g specially ■ the liquor ) Winnipeg, ir the Terri- Tgument of le capital of I questioned pital of the D abundance re is a great Qg attracted ction of the much more its situation )e a mistake the more so [litobans get westward, rue ; mean- lent House, 7ong one. •tion of the Ihe Eastern )t at Battle- seat of Gov- commcnced EDMONTOy TO BATTLEFORD. 2T5 on the 19th March, the soil being dry almost as soon as the snow had disappeared. On account of frost in Api-il, however, wheat was not sown that ^car until the 4th of May. In 18T9 wheat was sown on the 12th April, ploughing having been begun on the 10th April; pota- toes were planted on the 12th April and used on the 1st July, while wheat was cut on the 11th August, the crops being excellent. The end of May and the montli of June are usually wet, but the remainder of the sum- mer is almost invariably dry and warm, with only suffi- cient rain to secure good harvests and with invariably cool nights. The Saskatchewan, at Battleford, opens about the 10th April, and, although winter commences at the beginning of November, nearly a month earlier than in Ontario, yet spring opens about a month earlier. The average temperature at Battleford, from April to August, — that is during the wheat-growing months, — is higher than it is at Toronto, so that even although the average for the year is, on account of the colder winter, lower than in "Western Ontario, yet the temperature is more favoui-- able to the growth of grain. And the climate is much the same all along the Yalley of the Saskatchewan. Fi-om numerous observations, Dr. Dawson says: " P^iiough is known to prove the remarkably uniform progress of the spring along the so-called 'fertile belt,' which, passing north-westward from the Red River Yalley, nearly fol- '; i'rl \'i i H ['!' !,'. ( il >!' 276 :\TOUNTATy ASD mAIRTE, .M In, lows tlic Saskatohcwan to the Eocky Mountains, and will bo the first region occiipiecl by the Hcttlcr. From tho (lata now at command, I believe that the difference in advance of the Bjiring between any of the above stations (that is, Dufferin in Eed Eiver Yalley, Cumberland House, Fort Carlton and Fort Edmonton) is not so great as that obtaining at the same season between tho vicinity of Montreal and that of Quebec."* And while the climate is thus favourable, these south- ern prairies even in the least attractive districts are much more suitable for settlement than has till recently been supposed. For years the wonderful fertility and excellence of such districts as Edmonton, Prince Albert, Touchwood Hills, Little Saskatchewan and others have been familiar to many, but the country to the south of Battleford from the Hand Hills to the valley of the Qu'Appelle has hitherto been known as the Great Plain, nnd has been regarded as sterile, barren and useless. Last year, however, Professor Macoun traversed those plains from east to west, and although he found some parts unfit for settlement he found in many others rich loamy soil and abundance of grass. In a region adjoining Eed Deer Lake, where Palliser twenty-two years ago, found numerous species of large animals and tho grass eaten so low that he could jK^t got food for his horses, * Geology of 49th Parallel, p. 283. ! I ■^, and will From tho fcrcnco in '■e stations imbcrland >t so great 10 vicinity eso south- itricts aro II recently ■tility and ice Albert, thers have the south ley of the eat Plain, id useless, sed those und some )thers rich 1 adjoining ycnYH ago, the grass lis horses, ; !* EDMOXTON TO llA TTLEFORD. 277 Mr. Macoun found tho grass knee-high, the wild animals all gone and the poor Indians perishing from famine.* The close cropping of the grass by herds of bulla lo, accompanied by the general treelessness caused by fire, may in some measure account for the unfavourable report hitherto given of those more southern prairies. Summing uj) his experience of this district, Mr. Macoun says: " After seeing the ' Great Plain,' T can state dis- tinctly that tho I'ainfall tliroughout the whole region is sufficHcnt for the growth of cereals, coming as it does, in Juno and July, when the crops actually need it, and ceasing when ripening commences. "Wherever the soil was suitable for the growth of grasses, there they were." And, after referring to the arid clays and uncultivable parts, he adds : " A more minute examination of the country' will locate these apjDarently unproductive soils, and show that they are a very small percentage of the whole. After seeing tho country at its worst, when it was suffering from intense heat and dry winds, I wrote : * Wherever there was drift without these clays there was good grass, but wherever this soil pre- vailed, aridity showed itself at once.' Many of the hill- tops wore dry and burnt up, but, had they been ploughed in the spring, would have yielded a good crop, as tho summer rains, which undoubtedly fall over the whole country, would have passed into tho soil, instead of run- • Report of Engineer-in-chiof of Can. Pac. Uailwuy lorlSSO. p. 1!)7. il V. ■ • ill M V'i a u L,. 1;, :| i ' ' i^ ' 5 f <>: . i( 278" MOUyXAIS AXD PUAiniE. ning off or pfissing in a few hours into the air, as they do under the present condition of things." * We may reasonably suppose that a similarly favourable opinion may yet be justified regarding much of the southern plains that have hitherto been considered as unfit for settlement. It may as yet be premature to attempt to estimate, even approximately, the extent of cultivable land in the North- West ; but, in the light of the most recent information, and making large allowance for arid and useless land, it has been set down at one hundred and fifty millions of acres. IMr. Taylor, the U. S. Consul at Winnipeg, ^' Saskatchewan Taylor," as ho was called years ago from his familiarity with the country, con- tends that " four-fifths of the wheat producing belt of North America will be found north of the international boundary." These estimates may be excessive, and yet each year, with its ampler examination of the country by surveyors and its increasing testimony from settlers, tends rather to confirm than to refute these figures. This vast area, the largest unoccupied tract of farm-lands in the world, has been opened ft, jettlement on the most liberal terms. The land is laid off into townships of six miles square, each of the thirty-six square miles being called a section. Within a belt of one hundred and ten Report Engincer-iu-cliief, C.P.U. 1660, p. 200. ED:iIONTOy TO liA TTLEFORD. 27'.) ir, as they "We may >le opinion 3 Bouthern 3 unfit for estimate, le land in ost recent V arid and ndrcd and . Consul at was called intry, con- ng bolt of ernational ;^e, and yet country by n settlers, iires. This m-lands in 1 the most hips of six liles being ed and ten miles on each side of the proposed line of the Canadian Pacific Railway every alternate section is reserved for railway lands and is oScred for sale at prices varying from one dollar to five dollars per acre, according to the proximity of the land to the railway. The remaining lands in this belt are open for homestead and pre-emption. Any person who is the head of a family, or who has attained the age of eighteen j'ears, is entitlal to be entered on these unappropriated lands for a homestead of a (j[uarter-8ection, that is one hundred and sixty acres, and, on his compliance with certain requirements in the way of settlement and cultivation of the soil, he receives, at the end of three years, a Crown patent confirming him in absolute proprietorship. In addition to this free homestead the settler may acquire another block of one hundred and sixty acres by pre-emption ; that is, he has the right of purchasing the quarter-section adjoining his homestead, so that he may thus become proprietor of a farm of three hundred and twenty acres, the price of the pre-emptetl land varying from one dollar to two dollars and a half per acre, according to its proximity to the line of railway. The value of this vast tract of unoccupied land w^here a free homestead is offered to the settler, come whence he may, is greatly enhanced by the ad- mission, on the part of competent authorities in the United States, that nearly all the free agricultural lands in that country have been taken up, those that are not I'l ' 1 ■i 'r'Swfe tnti) 5 .mm w^i m 280 MOUNTAIN AND rUAiniE. held by Bottlers or speculators being to a great extent in the hands of railway companies. Already the current of immigration seems to have set in towards those fertile prairies. Last year, 1870, the Government lands sold in the North-West were consi- derably more than those of 18V7 and 1878 combined, amounting to 1,154,072 acres ; and the receijits (one- tenth of the total value, since the price of these lands is paid in ten equal annual instalments,) wqvq $218,409, exclusive of $42,910 received for homestead and pre- emption fees; and this notwithstanding the unfavour- able land regulations then in force which restricted the homestead claim to eighty acres. With the increased homestead and pre-emption claims, with the favourable reports of tenant-farmers and others who came last year to spy out the land and to see the size of the grapes in our Canadian Eshcol, with the recent unfavourable har- vests in Britain that have led many to think of founding new homes in this part of the empire, and witlj the wider spread of information regarding the resources and the attractions of the country, a large and increasing influx ol population to the North-West may soon bo expected. Tiie immigration already witnessed is only " Tho first luw wash of waves, where soon Shall roll a human sea." t extent in to have set ', 1870, the vcvQ con si- combined, )ipts (onc- :hese lands a $218,409, L and pre- unfavour- itricted the » increased favourable e last year ) grapes in irable har- f founding with, the ourccs and increasing y soon bo is only CHAPTER XI. Battleford to "Winnipeg. Battleford to Carlton. — Duck Lake. — A blizzard. — Fellow-travel- lets. — South Saskatchewan. — Delayed by snow. — Humboldt. — Alkaline lakes. — Touchwooil Hills. — Indian farming. — Break- downs. — Prairie-fires. — Qu'Appelle. — Fort EUiee. — Township surveys. — Colonisation Companies. — Prohibitory Liquor Law. — Shoal Lake. — Salt Tiak»\ — Little Saskatchewan. — Enter Manitolia. — Joe'.s temj^tationR. — Heavy roads. — Portage La Prairie. — Winnipeg. — Prospects of immigrants. After sharing, as an old acijuaintance, the hospitality which Governor Laird is ready to extend to State officials, to familiar friends, to unknown travellers and to Indians, I left Battleford at noon on Monday, Gth October, and reached Fort Carlton, a hundre<^l and eleven miles distant, on the Wednesday following, l)oing passed along through the kindness of Major "Walker of the N. "W. Mounted Police, who was sending one of his men with a double buck-board to Duck Lake. The trail runs for the most part near the south baidc of the Saskatchewan. The country is very level, the soil being generally light, but improving as you approach Carlton. With the oxcoption of the river vallpy, it is almost destitute of : i K 'I 282 JiforxVr.i/.v MJVD rnAiiiTE. wood, and, at the time when I saw it, looked peculiarly uninviting, having been desolated and blackened by receut prairie-fires. Our first night was spent about thirty miles from Battleford at ii place which my driver assured me was ai excellent camping-ground, but as dnrkness, accompanied by a storm of wind and rain, had overtaken us before we reached it, so that it was very difficult to pitch a tent and imj^ossiblo to make a fire, I had to be satisfied with his assurance of its good character. Next night we camped at the Elbow, (for almost every river in the North-West has an " elbow,") a favourite and excellent halting-place with delicious water, supplied by springs in the river bank, and with abundance of wood and grass. Knowing that Carlton is one of the most important of all the posts of the II. B. Company, I had hoped to pro- cure horses there for my journey as far as Touchwood Hills, but was disajij^ointed, as neither the Company nor the " freemen," living neai* the Fort, could forward me. I therefore drove on that same evening, fourteen miles further, to Duck Lake, \, licre Stobart, Eden and Co., the chief rivals of the II. B. Company in u.e fur-trade of the North-West, have an extensive post ; and through the kindness of their {.gent, Mj*. Hughes, I was supplied with a light, strong prairie cart, two horses and a half-breed driver. Next n^ovning, however, further progress was entirely stoj-pod by a snow storm. I had boon told to . peculiarly ickened by pent about I my driver md, but as i and rain, that it was to make a of its good Elbow, (for " elbow,") h delicious :, and with iiportarit of ped to pro- Fouchwood rapany nor )rward me. rteon miles nd Co., the rado of the irough the )pliod with half-breed egress was ion told to BATTLEFOUn T< > wisxirr.G 283 :pcct th( •ly snow in tne early part of October, and was most fortunate and thankful that the storm had not overtaken me on the open j^i'^'iii'le. Though the weather was not cold, yet for a day the storm raged as wildly as any winter " blizzard," meeting the requirements of the stage-driver's description of a blizzard when he defined it as " one o' them 'ere mountain storms as gets up on its hind logs and howls." A number of travellers were storm-stayetl at Duck Lake ; among others Colonel Osborne Smith and Mr. Acton Burrows, of "Winnipeg, who were travelling east- ward together, equipped with two spring waggons, and accompanied by a half-breed and an Indian. We joined forces ; and as I had travelled for the most part alone from Dunvegan, save only as attended by half-breeds or Indians, it was most pleasant to have these gent lemon as fellow-travellers from Duck Lake to "Winnipeg. Colonel Smith had been organizing four companies of militia, for the purpose of allaying any alarm that tho settlers of this and tho neighbouring di-rricts might feel on account of a recent influx of Sioux from the south. These Sioux had come from Sitting Bull's camp, perhaps in the hope of acquiring reserves, or else expecting to bo bettor fed, either by tho Government or by the settlers, than they could be if they remained with the rest of tho tribe. They were almost invariably well-armed, and, when they entered the homes of the settlers asking for J!* li -i; I; I; (» 'I i li . 'r ^■■| ^\ I". 284 MOVyTAJX AXD PUAIIilE. food, their excelleut repeating rifles and tbeir belts avcU filled with hall cartridge gave them such a persuasive appearance that their request was usually as effective as a royal command. Yet there was really little cause for anxiety, for the Indian is nothing in his own eyes if not armed ; his rifle is to him a badge of manhood rather than a threat against the peace of the community, and, so far as intent is concerned, inoffensive as a walk- ing-stick. The enrolment of IGO militiamen had, how- ever, the beneficial effect of allaying all trace of alarm. The jw-storm prevented our seeing this part of the countr\ lO advantage, but from Duck Lake to the junc- tion of the north and south branches of the Saskatche- wan, about fifty miles below this, the country is peculiarly rich and fertile. Prince Albert Settlement, which forms part of this district, is already well known as one of the most prosperous and proj^Msing in the North-West. With easy communication east and west by the river, and with advantages of churches, schools, mills, etc., its population is rapidly increasing ; its free home- steads have all been taken up, and land is annually rising in value. A little further down the Saskatchewan, near the borders of the Carrot or Eoot River there is an excellent tract of country which, during last summer, was attracting a large number of settlei-s. During the enforced jjause at Duck Lalce we wore able to make the necessary arrangements for the next stage ir belts AvcU L persuasive as effective little cause :)wn eyes if ^f manhood community, ! as a walk- n had, how- of alarm. 2)art of the to the junc- ) Saskatche- country is Settlement, well known "ling in the ind west by hools, mills, free bomo- ually rising lewan, near here is an st summer, e were able next stage nATTLEFOlW TO WINXIPEG. 285. of our journey, a hundred and tifty miles to the II. B. Company's trading-post at Touchwood Hills. After a day's detention we started, but the recent snow-fall had made the roads so heavy that a day's travel brought us only to the South Saskatchewan, twelve miles from Duck Lake. We crossed the river at a point known as Gabriel's Crossing, so called because the ferry is kept by Gabriel Dumond. Another trail from Carlton to Touch- wood, running a little north of the one we followed, crosses the river five miles lower down., at Batosche's Crossing. Hitherto the South Branch of the Saskatchewan has been navigated only by canoe ; yet the only part of it for several hundred miles unsuited to large craft seems to be a short reach near its junction with the Nortli Branch. Mr Macoun who crossed it at the Elbow in July 1879, says : " Shoals and sandbars were numerous, with occasional islands, but nothing to indicate that the river at this point was unsuited for navigation ;" and ho adds : — " Why the South Branch should be thought unfit for navigation, I cannot understand. Mr. Hind, who 2^fissed down it in August, 1858, never speaks of its dejith as being less than seven and a half feet, and the current as never more than three miles an hour, except when close to the North Branch. Palliser, who crossed the river about twenty miles above me, on 28th Sep- tember, 1857, states that the water in the middle of tho ( i f ' ■ I •'if 'I fli 11 I % \:' 28G 3fOr.VTi4/y ^.VD PRAIRIE. channel, where they lost their wagi^oii, was twenty feet d'.cp. "While on the plains, I never heard of the river b' ing fordable below the month of the Eed Deer Eiver. Palliser crossed it on a raft, 22nd July, 1859, about sixty miles above that point where the river was 250 yards wide, and from five to eight feet deep. "When at the Blackfoot Crossing of the Bow Eiver, a branch of the South Saskatchewan, 27th August, 1879, I found that it was with the utmost difficulty that horses could cross without swimming. No person ever mentions a rapid being anywhere in the river below this, so that I have come to the conclusion that there is nothing to prevent all the supplies wanted for the south-west being sent up the South Saskatchewan. Coal is abundant in the river banks at the Blacldbot Crossing, and farther eastward, so that there will be no difficulty as to fuel for steamers. Should an actempt be made to navigate the river, it will be found to have better water for a longer period of the year than the North Saskatchewan, as its head waters drain a greater extent of the mountains,"* Wo camped on the east bank, near Dumond's, a largo number of freighters, some heavily-laden, others return- ing eastward with empty carte, being camped near us. Next morning, Saturday, we found the crust on the snow 80 strong that we could walk upon it, and although as the day grew warmer we tried to proceed, our horses • Ilcport ot'Eiigiiiccr-iii-Chicf ot'C. 1'. Kiiilway, lor ISJO, p. 106. 11 Ml twenty feet f the river Deer Eiver. about sixty 250 yards hen at the nch of the ind that it could cross )ns a rapid hat I have : to prevent ing sent up in the river lastward, so r steamers, ver, it will M'iod of the ead waters d's, a largo ers return- d near us. n the snow 1 though as our horses BATTLEFORD TO WINNIPEG. 281 became so fagged after we had gone three miles that we were forced to halt. On Sunday we remained in camp all day, being unable to travel, had wo desired to do so, our freighting neighbours being forced into similar inactivity. That night there came a thaw, and with the warmer weather the snow began to disappear, so that, although for some distance the road continued heavy, we were able to make from twenty to thirty miles a day. We passed over undulating prairie, w led with occasional aspen and willow copse, and well-watered. The numerous badger-holes gave us easy opportunity for examining the soil, which we found to bo in some parts loamy and good, but generally light and sandy. This is the prevailing characteristic of the country, as seen from the trail, for the greater part of the distance from the Saskatchewan to the Touchwood Hills ; but, though most of it is seemingly poor wheat-land, it may be well suited for grazing and stock-raising. Occasionally the trail skirted small lakes, some of which were alkaline. In the neighbourhood of the fresh water lakelets, and especially near the picturesque Morris Lake, which is thirty-five miles from the Saskatchewan, good camping- ground may be found ; but a few miles east of Morris Lake there is a treeless plain, in crossing which, late in the day, as wo did, it is well to carry wood lest it ma;* be necessary to pitch camp ere the plain be passed. On "Wednesday morning wo halted for a little at the Ml ^!t ■I ■i ii^l \n Mi n ;l if! l! \ J I' I"! iia. fi! '\\ • I !1 II' 288 ]\IOl'NTAI\ AM) PliAIIilE. Humboldt Telegraph Statioji, Homc fifty-six miles from the Saskatchewan. TVe found that the telegraj)h line ..'Uy down, that it had been down for a fortnight, and so here, as at Battleford, the only other station that we passed between Edmonton and Winnipeg, we were unable to send any messages eastward. Although a subsidy of $12,000 a year is given by Government to the contractors, communication is very frequently inter- rupted ; and while there may be difficulty in keeping so long a line in repair through such a sparsely peopled and lightly wooded country, j-et in view of the subsidy, and of the excessive rates charged by the contractors, bottur provision for the transmission of messages might be ex- pected. Leaving telegrams to be forwarded as soon as the line would be in working order, we again took the road. Thirty miles from Humboldt we entered on a salt plain, known as Quill Lake plain, named after the largest of the salt lakes in the vicinity. The plain is about twenty-three miles in width where crossed by the trail, and although the grass looks rich, yet it is hard and wiry, and so heavily impregnated with alkali that the horses do not care for it. The shores of these alkaline lakes, as well as the soil in their vicinity, when bare of herbage, are gener- ally encrusted with a thin coating of salt. Sometimes quite near them there are fresh-wati^r lakelets, but on the salt plain there is a great scarcity of fresh water, as DATTLEFORD TO WINMPEG. 289 miles from graph line ght, and bO >n that we , we were Uthough a oaent to the mtly inter- keeping BO peopled and ubttidy, and tors, better light be ex- as soon as n took the a salt plain, gest of the venty-three id although iry, and so >r8es do not , as well as ), aj'o gener- Sometimes ets, but on h water, as as well as of wood, so that we were compelled to carry both for some miles for cooking purposes. The formation of these alkaline lakes has been a fre- quent subject of speculation. It has been observed that they have no visible outlet, and it is supposed that alkali, left on the soil by the extensive prairie fires, is washed by the rain into these alkaline basins. Other lakelets may receive similar deposits, but, as they are em2:)tied by running streams, the supply of alkali is carried off and the water in them is thus kept fresh. It seems probable that when, under careful administration, prairie fires become less frc(^acnt, when tree-culture is practised throughout a large portion of the North- West, and when the present rapid e" aporation of the rainfall shall thus be reduced, the alkali will disappear from these lakes, and the soil in their neighbourhood, which in other respects is generally of good quality, will be thoroughly adapted for cultivation. Very soon after crossing Quill Lake Plain we entered the Touchwood Ilill district, one of the choice parts of the North-West Territories. The country here is very beautiful, more varied in scenery than any other which we had passed, with excellent soil and abundance of wood and water. This is the character of the country for about sixty miles east and west as crossod by the trail, and it is said to be similar for at least the same extent north and south. Indeed, a province could be 20 I ii 290 MOUNTAIN AND PUAIIilE. i\ foi'med out of this Touchwood Ilill country, most of which would embrace hind of special excellence for farm- ing, while outside of the arable lands excellent grazing districts might be found. For a time it was supposed that the whole of the so called " fertile belt," that is, of the part of the North- West Territories lying south of the North Branch of the Saskatchewan, was suitable for cultivation. Then came a reaction of sentiment, and it was supposed that very little was cultivable, whereas the fertile tract was thought to be further north. Fuller enquiry, however, is shewing that the good land is in districts rather than in one continuous belt, intersj)ersed with tracts of less value. Only the advanced guard of immigration have as yet reached the Touchwood Hills, although many have settled further west at Prince Albert and Edmonton. The chief disadvantage of the district, as compared with those bordering the Saskatchewan, is that it is cut oif from all communication by water east or west, and until the C. P. Railway passes, as it is expected to do, within easy access of it, it must be dependent for freight upon prairie-carts or other wheeled conveyance. The name Touchwood Hills conveys an exaggerated idea of the character of the country. It is by no means mountainous j it can hardly be called hilly ; it is simply rolling country, well wooded, with numerous gently swelling knolls, and dotted by many beautiful lakelets ; I 'I BATTLEFORD TO WINNIPEG. 291 it ia hilly only in comparison with the deud-lovel prairie. Soon after we had entered this fertile dintrict, we crossed one of the Indian reserves, passing by the farm of Mr. Scott, the Indian farm-instructor. A number of tLa Indians were busily engaged in farm labour, while others, under Mr. Scott's directions, were building barns. As the chief, Day-Star by name, seems fully determined to adopt a settled life, and gives promise of becoming a tolerable farmer, his band will probably follow his example ; and as the soil on their reserve is excellent they will have little difficulty in raising all necessary su2)plics. On Friday, the llth, we reached the II. B. Company's trading-post at Touchwood Hills, eighty-one miles from Humboldt, one hundred and sixty-three miles from Fort Carlton, having, through actual stoppage and short days' travelling, lost about four days by the sturm. This post, which is one of several stations connected with Fort EUice, is in the very heart of the Touchwood Ilill country, and cannot fail to become ere long the centre of a rich farming district. They had only a little snow here on the day of our snow-storm at Duck Lake, and before noon next day it had entirely disappeared. In the immediate neighbourhood of the II. B. Company's post we found many straw' erry blossoms, the wild vinos having already yielded a large sup2)ly of berries, and now blossoming a second time. ■ ,/ •■■ i . r- i [\\ \ f; 292 3/0 l-yiTA I.\ A ND rUA in IE. Here we required to procure fresh horses, and I had to provide myself witli a substitute for the cart that had come from Duck Lake, my felk)W-travellers having brought tlieir waggons from AVinnipeg. The H. B. Comjiany's agent furnished us with horses, and secured for me a spring cart from one of the settlers, and the services of an Indian driver. I was imj)rudcnt enough to advance the Indian a large part of his wages in the form of a blanket ; and after he had been with me a day he feigned sickness so successfully that I was forced to allow him return. The spring-cart was as great a failure as the Indian. After driving twenty miles the axle broke beyond repair, and my only resource was to buy a j)rairie cart from a passing freighterj who fortunately was able to spare one. When the last and only cart breaks down the usual resource is to make a " travail." Two poleSj longer than ordinary shafts, are fastened like shafts to the horse, while the ends trail on the ground a few feet behind him, kept apart by several cross-bars on wliich the load is bound. Those who are much accus- tomed to j)rairie life soon become experienced carriage- menders. A half-breed, Joe Bourrassa, who had accompanied Colonel Smith from AVinnipeg, was invaluable in this as well as in many other respects. When a break-down occurred, whether from a lost bolt, a broken whipj)le-tree, or other cause, Joe would have the necessary repairs completed before an ordinary car- BATTLEFORD TO WISSIPEG, 203 and I had t that had rs having he H. B. id secured }, and the nt enough ^es in the me a day 1 forced to it a failure J the axle [IS to buy a brtunately only cai't " travail." 3tened like ground a )ss-bars on iich accus- carriage- who had ipeg, was respects. I lost bolt, ould have linary car- riage-maker could have decided what shoukl be done. Ho aj^pcared to have an inexhaustible reserve of expe- dients; failing one, he would try another; and his ready resources were frequently cf great service to us. By the time that our journey was over we thought, as no doubt many others do after similar experience, that wo could have planned the best kind of conveyance for crossing the prairies, but our new and impi-oved buck- board is still a thing of the future. For about fift^'-five miles from the 11. B. Company's Post at Touchwood Hills the country is pleasingly varied with rich soil, luxuriant herbage, and abundance of water and of wood, the poplars here being sometimes eighteen inches in diameter. East of this, there is a treeless plain or "traverse," as buch tracts are called, j^robably because when once entered they must be crossed ere good camp- ir.g-gronnd can be reached. It is not always easy, how- ever, to measure your distance and to time your day's journey so closely as to cross a traverse without camping, esi:)ecially in such a case as this where it was thirty miles in width. Being forced to spend a night upon it we had to carry wood several miles for our camp-fire. For three or four days the weather was veiy beautiful, realizing the promise held out by many regarding the Indian summer that would follow the first snow-fall. Even mosquitos appeared, although their hum had lost the business-like tone of July. Prairie fires were visible 1 294 MOUNTAIN AND PR A TRIE. ■i I ! 1 for several nifijhts in succession; and a large expanse of country traversed by us bad already been burnt over, while day after day the smoke hung heavily along the horizon. One favourable result produced by the sur- rounding fires was that a great abundance of game, — chiefly prairie-chicken, — was driven in upon the unburnt portion ot the prairie over which we passed. The distance from the trading-post at Touchwood Hills to Fort Ellice is one hundred and fifty-two miles, and al- though the soil in many parts after leaving the fertile district seemed light and poor, and had been rendered less attractive by the prevailing fires, yet some jk tions appeared rich and cultivable. We did not reach Ellice until mid-day on the 23rd. The Indian summer had passed ; the nights had become cold, the thermometer one morning indicating seventeen degrees of frost; and the raw keen winds made us anxious to roach Winnipeg. Early on the 23rd wo crossed the sandy valley of the Qu'Appelle, the main tributary of the Assineboine. The river probably derives its name from the very distinct echo that is heai'd at several places along the valley. Voyageurs, finding that sounds came to them from the banks, might often have asked " Qu'appelle ?" " Who calls?" and henco the name; although some, as might bo expected, attribute it to a haunting spirit that occasionally disturbs the solitude and silence, loading the traveller to ask, in some anxiety, " Who calls?" BATTLEFOBD TO WIXXirEG. 295 xpanse of unit over, along the y the sur- f game, — 10 unburnt tvood Hills es, and al- tho fertile i rendered le jx tions ach Ellico tnmer had jrmometer frost ; and Winnipeg. ley of the Dine. The y distinct ho valley. from the ?" "Who as might pirit that Dading the ?" The valley of the Qu'Appello is said to be well suited for sheep-farming, being better fitted for grazing than for grain-growing. It has evidently l^een at one time the bed of a much larger stream than that which now flows through it; and it has been generally supposed that the South Saskatchewan, instead of turning northward at the Elbow to join the North Branch near Prince Albert, formerly flowed eastward along the valley of the Qu'Appclle and of the Assineboino to join the Red River at Winnipeg. Mr. Macoun, however, has recently weakened the plausibility of this theory. He says:* '* It having been supposed, and even stated as a fact during my stay in Winnipeg, that the waters of the South Saskatchewan could be easily let into the Qu'Appclle River, I considered it of so much importance to ascertain the correctness of this, that my assistant, an engineer, levelled back fifteen miles from the Elbow, and found that at that point the water surface of the Qu'Appello was seventy-throe feet higher than the Saskatchewan, on July 16th, 18T9." Soon after crossing the Qu'Appello Valley we reached Fort Ellico, the central II. B. Company's depot of an extensive district. The division of the country adopted by the II. B, Company in the formation of their districts suggests itself as a possible one for the formation of future provinces. Thus we might have the proviticos of • Keport of Euglnoer-iu-Chief, C. T. Uailwiij , for 1880, i). 19G. I T ,1 ' ' ' 1 '^1 t '■: i ■I 'If "!' "i 296 MOUNTAIN AND PRAIHIE. Ellice, Carlton, Edmonton, Athal)asca, Dunvegan (or Unchagah), Mackenzie, etc., each with territorial limits larger than some of our organised Provinces, while such a one as that which mighc be formed out of the Edmon- ton district, if it were settled according to its resources, would probably be not inferior to any province of the Dominion. Fort Ellice stands near the confluence of Beaver Creek, the Qu'Appelle and the Assineboine, with a commanding view of the broad and fertile valley of the Assineboine, through which the river flows in serpentine windings at a level of about two hundred feet below the Fort. An older fort at one time stood some distance above Ellice on the banks of Beaver Creek, and the present one used to be surrounded by a palisade in the days when traffic with the Indians was conducted through port-holes, and when they had to give up their knives before receiving their rum. The soil around the Fort is too sandy and gravelly to be fit for cultivation, but the valley of the Assineboine is exceedingly rich and admirably suited for the growth of wheat, while it is largo enough to aflbrd farms for many thousands, and the neighbouring prainc to the north is an excellent grazing country. The river is navigable for steamers from Winnipeg to Ellice. We had to pro- cure a fresh relay of horses at Ellice, as well as some fresh supplies, our next stage being from this to Portage La Prairie. Ah the corral was eighteen miles distant, I t r.XTTLEFORD TO WIXNIPEG. 207 vegan (or •rial limits while such he Edmon- resources, nee of the iver Creek, mmandiug ssineboinc, bindings at Fort. An 'e Ellice on J used to be raffic with and when ving their id gravelly LHsineboino ho growth Ls for many the north navigable lad to pro- 1 as Bomo to Portage es distant, there was a day's delay in fetching tlie hori^es. Having completed our prei^arations, we left on Friday tlio 24th, and after crossing the valley of the Assineboine wo followed the trail eastward, reaching Slioal Lake that evening, a distance of thirty-three miles. From Ellice to Winnipeg we saw every day the houses of new settlers, the country to this extent having al- ready been surveyed into townships ; but as yet the township surveys have not been completed west of this, except at some special localities. The township is six miles square, and each of the thirty-six square miles constitutes a section. Two sections in each township are reserved for the Hudson's Bay Comjiany, and two others for the benefit of public schools. Of the remaining tliirty- two, sixteen are reserved for railway lands, eight f jr free homesteads, and eight for pre-emption. The sj'stem is simple, its chief drawback being that the settlers are necessarily so widely separated from each othci'. Each settler, it may be sujiposed, will endeavour to secure at least half a section, IGO acres of free homestead, and IGO acres by pre-emption. Let an entire township bu settled at this rate, and even if the railway lands be occupied, there will only bo sixty-four families in the township of thirty-six square miles, while the number may be much smaller, and these so scattered as to be of little mutual service in the support of Churches, schools, etc. The Mennonites, who have received special j)ermis8ion from I! t 298 ]iTOrNTAr AND PliAIRIE. i the Government to settle their townships according to their own plan, form a "dorf " or village in the centre, and, while thuH living ncp.r each other for mutual benefit, they cultivate their separate farms ir different parts of the township. Our Anglo-Saxon settlers, however, even were liberty given them by the Government, would probably decline to adopt the Mennonite system; yet until poj)ulation becomes numerous, sections become t<ub-divided, and villages spring uj) in each township, they cannot take much concerted action in matters of religion, of education, or of other general interest. Twelve miles from Ell ice wo crossed Bii-d-Tail Creek, on which, at some distance north of the trail, a tract of two townships has been secured by the Hamilton Col- onisation Company, with a view to settlement. Coloni- sation Companies may serve for the North-West the same j^urjiose, as immigration agents, that has been served by Eailway Companies in the "Western States. Such companies, sjiurred into activity by the prospect of profitable land sales, will probably bo more zealous than Government immigration agents, and will naturally strive to secure the speedy settlement of at least a portion of their lands. At any rate they may be useful fellow-labourers with the Government in promoting immigration At Shoal Lake there is a station of the N. W. Mounted Police, and an it is the first station west of Manitoba, and I BATTLEFORD TO WINNIPEG. 299 cording to jontre, and, snefit, they arts of the )ver, even 3nt, would stem ; yet ns become township, matters of rest. fuil Creek, 1, a tract of nilton Col- it. Coloni- i-West the has been crn States, prospect of )alous than naturally at least a Y bo useful promoting T. Mounted nitoba, and on the grept highway of jn'airie traffic, all freighters and other travellers westward l)Ound are examined here, and are compelled to give up all spirituous liquors, unless they carry them by special permit of the Lieut.-Govenior, as the prohibitory liquor law of the Territories is rigidly enforced. Ten miles from Shoal Lake we passed Salt Lake, so called from the character of the water, Mhich is so impregnated with alkali that cattle will not drink it; indeed, for some distance in the neighbourhood of Salt Lake the soil appears to be largely affected by alkali. But, although it looked unfavouroble for settk'ment, as seen from the trail, two days after we had passed it we overtook some Ontario farmers, who had been "land- hunting " and had selected homesteads a little north of Salt Lake. The land soon from the trail must frequently be poorer than that a little distance off, as ridges and gravelly soil, wherever such can be found, have naturally been selected for the trail, on the principle that good soil makes bad roads. Nine miles from Salt Lake the trail forks into two, one of which crosses the Little Saskatchewan at Rapid City, the other, a little farther north, crossing it at Prairie City. Taking the latter, which passes by Badger Hill, wo travelled for many miles through a beautiful cotintry, well watered, with excellent soil, and crossed, near sun- set, the fertile valley of the Little Saskatchewan, seven- ll !!■ 300 MOUNTAIN AND PRAIRIE. ..fisi ! I ty-two miles from Fort Ellice. This valley, like many of those which we had crossed before, seems very largo in proportion to the size of the stream that flows through it, but the absence of rock has allowed these creeks and rivers, as they coursed through the rich prairie soil, to carve out large channels for themselves. These valleys, or couUes as they are sometimes called, form the chief engineering difficulty in railway construction acrosf:^ the prairies. Here, as at Shoal Lake and elsewhere, speculation was rife regarding the probable location of the C. P. Eailway. All seemed glad that the line by the Narrows of Lake Manitoba had been abandoned for the more southern route, and settlers were anxious to ascertain where the Little Saskatchewan would be crossed and what route would be adopted further west. This little Saskatchewan district is already well-known and justly esteemed both for its beauty and for its fertil- ity ; almost every part of it is fit for settlement, and the lands that are unsuited for wheat are admirably adapted for grazing. Encamped one evening near its banks we were visited by two Scotchmen, recent arrivals, one of whom had lived for some years in Ontario. After dis- cussing the present and prospective merits of the country, I asked him how long it was since he had loft Scotland. " IIoo did ye ken that I cam' frao Scotland ?" he replied in the broadest Doric, imagining that he had t j liATTLEFOnD TO WTXyriPEG. 301 lost his Scottish accent in Ontario ; but the Scotclinian is becoming ubiquitous in the North- West Like other settlers with whom we conversed, these men gave us glowing reports of the soil, crops and prospects of the country. Much of the land in their neighbourhood had already been taken up, some of it in much larger blocks than the ordinary homestead. We were told, for instance, that Lord Elphinstone, has secured 12,000 acres of arable and grazing land, which he evidoT>tly intends to settle and cultivate. Continuing our course eastward, we passed over similar country, rich and attractive, waiting to be tilled, and already in many parts taken up. Having crossed Snake Creek, about twenty-two miles from the Little Saskatchewan, we traversed the Beautiful Plain, as it is called, a stretch of the most luxuriant pasture-Umd wo had ever seen, and, about forty miles east of Prairie City, we entered the Province of Manitoba. The country continued as fertile as any that we had come over, perhaps more so, but Manitoba is so very flat as com- pared with such districts as Little Saskatchewan, Touch- wood Hills, or Edmonton, that it aj)peared somewhat monotonous. A level sameness of extremely rich furnv land, however, affords rather a pleasing monoton}'. Only to the traveller in search of the pictures([uo does the country seem uninviting, many k^agues being so level that a wheat-stack may be seen for miles, while a r; I'fi \V,i\ V\ ii fi hi 302 MOUNT A ly AND PRAIRIE. farm-steading is as distinct an object on the horizon as a hill is in Scotland. Having entered Manitoba, and having crossed and re-crossed the White Mud Eiver, first at Gladstone, a thriving border village, then at "Woodside, and again at Westbourne, we camped near "Westbourne. That first night in Manitoba was rather serious in its eflfects upon our half-breed driver, Joe !Jourrassa, as he was once again within reach of liquor. For several weeks he had been practising enforced abstinence, but at last, like a sailor after a long voyage, he threw off the unwelcome restraint. Next morning poor Joe was rather unfit for his work. On each subsequent occasion on which we came within range of a public-house, it was necessary to watch him very closely, and as we approached Winnipeg, or " Garry," as all the half-breeds call it from the old Fort around which the city has clustered, his face beamed with delight at the vision of unrestricted whiskey. Within twc» hours after our arrival, Joe, dull of eye and incoherent of speech, came to ask for his wages, and on being told that he could only get them when he became sober, he begged for one dollar " to finish drunk." Soon after leaving Westbourne we found the roads heavy through recent rain, and we were able in some measure to appreciate the difficulties of immigrants arriving in the wet season of early summer, and travers- ing Manitoba in May and early June. The roads through . : r I • .1 BATTLEFORD TO WINNIPECr 303 borizon as a these extremely rich wheat-lands become almost impas- sable for some weeks after heavy rain, while walking is carried on under such conditions as to make every pedestrian appreciate the oft-repeated joke that "if you don't stick to the land, the land will stick to you." So far as travellers going west of Manitoba are concerned, this and kindred difficulties will be overcome or the completion, diu'ing the present year, of the firwt hundred r^iles of railway now in course of construction west of Winnipeg, but until that section is comjjleted, we can- not expect a large influx of immigrants into the North- West. Although they may be told that our wheat-lands yield on an average from fifty to a hundred per cent more that the bet wheat-lands of the United States, a larger yield per acre, of better quality, and of greater weight per bushel, although they may be familiar with reports of settlers, of British deputations, of immigration agents, and of Cabinet ministers, and although they may know that a free homestead can be had north of the international boundary line while farms worth having in Dakotah or Minnesota will cost at least from $2.50 to $6.00 per acre, yet the facilities of access and of traflSc furnished by the railway system of the United States must induce many to remain south of the boundary till at least a portion of our Pacific road went of W'nnipeg be completed. At noon, on Tuesday the 28th, we reached Portage 304 MOUNTAIJ^ AND PRAIRIE. )■ •;, ■I ti, .) t ^1 Hi La Prairie, more commonly called " the Portage," the largest prairie tc'T'^n west of Winnipeg. Situated on the banks of the Absineboine, with steam communication by river to "Winnipeg, and with a tri-weekly stage, that will soon give place to several daily railway trains, in the centre of a magnificent farming district, this border town is rapidly becoming a place of considerable importance. The road to "Winnipeg, about sixty-two miles, traverses a very level country of the richest soil, nearly all of which is under cultivation. As we passed, the farmers were threshing their wheat, and, being unable to use up their wheat straw, were in many instances burning it, simply to put it out of the way. Surely some means can be devised by which they may utilize their straw as fuel ; if so, it would be a great saving to Manitoba farmers, for firewood generally is scarce and dear. "We met train after train of prairie carts, which would continue to move westward until the winter stopped the season's trafiic. Already the roads were frozen hard, and, having been much cut up during the autumn, were now very rough. Following the main road we were fre- quently within sight of the Assineboine, which, unlike many of the rivers of the North "West, is wooded on both sides, most of the streams being wooded chiefly upon the southern banks, the northern banks being more exposed to fires from the prairies, di'iven along by the prevailing north-wcsterl}' winds. ' ( ::!i )^ f ■ r\ ^\ fi If" BATTLEFORD TO ]\'IXyiPEG. ;jo5 )rtage," the Situated on imunication '• stage, that rains, in the border town importance. 8, traverses early all of the farmers le to use up burning it, 3ome means 3ir straw as Manitoba dear. '■hich would stopped the L'ozen hard, tumn, were ve were fre- hich, unlike ded on both y upon the Die exposed prevailing We reached Winnipeg on the 29tli of October, ju.st before the coid weather fell upon us, and found licr"', as at every village nnd shanty that wo had passed since leaving Edmonton, a pulse of life and hope. FiVory one npi)oared to anticipate a briglit future for the country, and an especially bright one for himself The city, Avhich was a small hamlet seven years ago, now boasts a population of about 10,000, and as it is the natural gate- way of the North-West it must continue rapidly to increase. We had crossed the prairies; we had seen the country in that uncultivated condition in which it is difliicult for any but the experienced farmer to gauge its productive powers ; we liad traversed it, for the most part, afici- the flush and luxuriance of summer had jiassed, when the leafless woods and the withered grass made much of it aj^pcar uninviting, and when a still more desolate appearance had been given to large tracts by recent prairie-fires. We liad seen it thus with but scant ability to estimate its resources, and under circumstances by no means the most favourable, but day after day the impres- sion of its wonderful fertility and of its vast and varied attractions deepened upon us, while day after day the vision of its future became more glowing, as we seemed to hear the tread of advancing settlers and the blended sounds of coming industries. We had reached AYinnipeg from the west. How fares 21 - 't '■■} I j; : -If ii ,1 'm Mi .[I V i ' !( ^ t V (i t i.ii fl t ■ ( ! W in' (,: I a? 30G MOUXTAry AM) PRAIRIE. it witli the immigrant approaching it from the oast? His pasHago from Liverpool, by way of Quebec, Sarnia, and Duluth, has ta^.on about fifteen days, and has cost him from £9 to £28 sterling, according to the accommo- dation he has chosen by steamer and rail. From previous information he knows where to settle, and at once procures his " location " from the Dominion land agent ; or, perhaps, he can afford a little time to look about him. If he has arrived early enough in the year, and has settled on land that yields a good return off tho sod, he may be able to raise a crop his first season. If not, he must content himself with breaking up his land, to have it ready for the following spring, and with build- ing his "shanty" and barn, providing himself with stock, and laying in winter supplies. He has availed himself of tho liberal homestead law, and has pre-empted an adjoining quarter-section, so that he is now the possessor of a farm of 320 acres, having brought out his family, procured his land, and started witli sufficient stock and implements for a new settler, at a total outlay of less than a single year's rental for a wheat-farm of a similar size in the mother-country. He will find an abundant market for all that he can raise, whether it bo stock or cereals. New settlers will require food and seed ; and the Hudson's Bay Company and the Govern- ment will probably be large purchasers, the former for their widely scattered pot:ts, the latter on behalf of the BATILEFORD TO WINXIPEG. 307 the oast ? )ec, Sarnia, d has cost ) accommo- ail. Fi-om i.tlc, and at linion laud no to look a tho year, urn off tlio season. K p his land, with build- msclf with las availed pre-empted now the gilt out his 1 sufficient otal outlay t-farm of a ill find an lether it be ! food and he Govern- former for half of the Indians. Indeed, there is every i)rospect that, for several years, the bulk of the grain raised in the North- West will be required for local consumption ; and by the time that settlers arc ready to cxjiort grain, tho means of communication will be so much increased, and the cost of freight so much reduced, that they will be able to compote on most favoural>lo terms for the supply of tho British market. Competent authorities estimate that within two years, as soon as the railway is completed from Winnipeg to Thunder Bay, on Lake Superior, grain can bo taken from Manitoba to Liverpool at a total out- side cost of 45 cents per bushel. Wheat is grown in Manitoba at a cost that does not exceed, if it reaches, 40 cents per bushel ; so that it will be grown in Manitoba and delivered in Liverpool at a cost to tho producer, including all charges for transj)ort, of 85 cents (equal to 3s. 6d. sterling) per bushel, or $6.80 (equal to £1. 8s. 4d.) per quarter. As the average price of wheat in England for the thirty years, from 1849 to 1878, was $12.72 per quarter — tho lowest in that period being, in 1851 $9.50 per quarter — a sufficiently broad margin is left for the Canadian wheat-grower. * And if such facilities for transport be not sufficient to secure for our North-West, where land yields from * These- figures are from a pamphlet entitled '• Manitoba and the North-West," issued by C. J. Brydges Esq., Land Commissioner of the n. B. Companj , li 'i!|| 308 niOUNTATN AXD PRAIRIE. M i-i ♦ ^' ^; . I) !».': .' • twenty to sixty busliels of wheat per acre, the chief supply of the British market , other and shorter lines of transport may yet be opened. Already a new route is projected, and a company is being formed to construct a railway, about three hundred miles in length, from the northern extremity of Lake Winnipeg down the valley of the Nelson Eiver to Port Nelson on Hudson's Bay. This port is twenty-one miles nearer Liverjiool than New York is. It appears that the valley of the Nelson otfers a practicable route for a railway, although the river is too broken to be navigable, and the navigation of Iludson's Bay and Hudson's Straits can be relied on for at least three months in the year, probably for a longer period. This would allow the shipment of a very large amount of grain from the Canadian North-\V'est, and also from the north-western portions of the United States by this route. Even if the year's crop could not be shipped during the same season that it was harvested, yot the dilferonce in cost of transport would probably nuike it worth while to hold much of it over until the following summer rather than send it by the more expensive southern routes. But whether the grain of our North- West reaches the Atlantic by way of the St. Lawrence or by way of Iludson's Straits, it seems almost inevitable that it must in tlio course of time become a powerful, and i)erhaps a controlling, factor in regulating the wheat markets of the world. BATTLEFORT) TO WIS N I PEG. 300 the chief ler lines of w route is construct a , from the 10 valley of Bay. This than Xow 3lson offers .he river is :igati()ii of ;lied on for or a longer very large st, and also I States by 1)0 shipped d, yot the y make it L) following oxponsivo our North- Lawrence inevitahlo powerful, Iho wheat "While those rich prairies, that must yet be carved into a cluster of loyal provinces extending from Red Hiver to the Eocky Mountains, offer homes to men of all nationalities, they offer special attractions to immigrants from the mother-country, for there the shield of the Empire will still be around them, and one scarcely knows how much he loves the old flag till ho sees it float over some far-away trading-post in that lonely north-land. There was a time when those coming from Britain to Canada locjked on the national life at home as something from which tliey had been severed, while their sorrow at that separation seemed almost beyond tiio solace of song. That time is gone ; Canada is now something more than a Crown Colony; she must bo regarded as an integral part of the Empire. No British statesman would now say to Canada " Take up your freedom," nor would any statesman of Canada counsel the Dominion to drift off into independence. One chief argument for independ- ence has been basetl on the analogy of the family, and it has been urged that, as the children cannot always be gathoreil under the old roof-tree but should be so trained by their parents as in time to become solf- sui)i)oi'ting, independent heads of families, so colonies should bo fostered into ijidependent states. But the analogy does not hold ; for, while ihero is a necessity for the extension, continuance and independence of families, Binco only in this way can the race survive the inroads ,, . '. Il f\v It t ! Ui^i*! iil 3i0 MOUNTAIN AND PRAIRIE. (»f (loath, there is no nimilar necessity for a continuous Nuccossion of nations. It does not seem requisite for the world's welfare that the parts of a great empire should, as their strength increases, be lopped off, and be left to work out a separate life and destiny. We Canadians at least need recognise for ourselves no such necessity. We may regret the scant attention that colonial interests have commonly received at the hands of British statesmen ; we may regard our present relations with the mother-country as capable of improvement ; wo may discuss theories of Imperial Federation that shall admit us to higher national duties and responsibilities as our powers increase; but we shall proudly and hopefully continue to share the life and destiny of the Empire. jontinuoua itc for tho iro should, bo left to tiadians at noccs.sity. il interests of British tions with t ; wo may shall admit ties as our hopefully Impire. A Catalogue of American and Foreign Books Published or Imported by Messrs. Sampson Low & Co. can be had on application. Craivn Buildings, l8S, Fled Street, London, April, i8So. a Selection from tfie tX^i of ^ooh<? PUBLISHED BY SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON, SEARLE, & RIVINGTON. ALPHABETICAL LIST. A CLASSIFIED Educational Catalogue of Works piil)- lishcd in Great laiitain. Demy 8vo, clolli extra. Second Edition, revised and corrected to Christmas, 1879, 5^. About {F'imond). See " The Story of an Honest Man." About Some Fcllotvs. By an Eton Boy, Author of " A Day of my Life." Cloth limp, square i6nio, 2s. 6d. Adventures of Captain Alago. A Phcenician's Explorations 1000 years B.C. I5y Leon Cahun. Numerous Illustrations. Crown 8vo, cloth extra, gilt edges, "js. 6d. ; plainer binding, ^s. Adventures of a Young Naturalist. By Lucien Biarf, with 117 beautiful Illustrations on Wood. Edited and adapted by rARKKR GlLLMORE. Tost 8vo, cloth extra, gilt edges. New Edition, "js. 6d. Afghan Knife {The). A Novel. By Robert Armtfacje Sterndale, Author of " Sconce." Small post 8vo, cloth extra, 6s, Afghanistan and the Afghans. 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Small po.st 8vo, with llhistralions, 3,f. dif. The J^ose in JJlooni. Small po.st 8vo, cloth c.Ktrn, 3.r. U. Silver Pitchers. Small post Svo, cloth extra, 3.?. 6./. Under the Lilacs. Small post Svo, cloth extra, ^s. — — — yack and jf^ill. Small post Svo, cloth extra, 5.^. " Miss .Mcott's stones are thoroughly ht .xlthy, full of racy fiui niul huin');ir . , . excecdiutjiy eiitcrt.-iiniiijj , , • . Wi can rccomincnd the ' Im^Iu Cousins.'"— AthciKrtiiii. Alpine Ascents and Adventures ; or, Rock and Snore Sketches. IJy H. SciiOtz Wilson, of the Alpine Club. With Illustrations by WjlVMl'KR and Marcus Stone. Crown Svo, ioj-. 6//. 2nd Editior Andersen {Hans Christian) Fairy Tales. With Illustrations in Colours by lu V. B. Royal 4I0, cloth, 25r. Animals Fainted by Themselves. Adapted from the French of r>alzac, (leorges Sands, cVc., with 200 Illustrations by Grandville. Svo, cloth extra, gilt, lo-r. 6r/. Art Education. See " Illustrated Text Books." Art in the Mountains: The Story of the L\ission Flay. By Hl.NRV Bl.ACKHURN, Autlior of "Artists and Arabs," "Breton Folk," &c. With numerous Illustrations, and an Appendix for Travellers, giving the ICxpenses of the Journey, Cost of Living, Routes from Kngland, I've, Map, and Programme for iSSo. 4to, cloth, ioj. 6(1. •'Of the many previous accounts of tlic play, none, \vc are ilisposctl lo think, rcc.ills that edifying and impressive spectacle with the same clearness and vividia-ss as Mr. Ulackhurn's volume." — Guatrlian. " He writes in cxcellfnt taste, and is interesting from the first page to tlie la^t." — .Satiiiiiay Kniitv. Art of Reading Aloud {The) in Fulpit^ Lecture Room, or Frivate Reunions. By G. Vanoeniioff, M.A. Crown Svo, cloth extra, 6j. Art Treasures in the South Kensington Museum. Published, with, the sanction of the Science and Art Department, in Monthly Tarts, each containing 8 Plates, price \s. In this series arc included representations of Decorative Art of all countries and all times from objects in the South Kensington Museum, under the following classes: — Sculpture : Works m Marble, Ivory, and Tcrra-Cotla. liron/es : Slaluelles, Medalliijus, PUupies, Coins, Decorative PaiiUiiig and Mu.saic. '-■■r^ ■»- Zisf of Publications. ition, small Experience. ;veral lllustra- gllt, 3-9. dd. 11 post 8vo, cloth extra, ra, 35. 6c/. xtra, 5^. tra, 5.?. ml Iniino'.ir , . . ^i^lU Cousins.'"— low Sketches. Illustrations by . 2nd Edition llustrations in he French of GRANUVILLli. 7/ Plav. By |-abs," 'T.rct.m Apjicndix for |f Living, Routes i, clotli, loj. 6</. il'iNlKiscil to think, inc clearness anil first page to tlic 7/;/, or Private cloth extra, 6j. Ptiblished, .Mit, in Monthly lies arc included |l all limes from [owing classes: — -Cotta. lis. Decorative Furniture and Carved Wood-Work. Ecclesiastical Metal- Work. Gold and Silversmiths' Work and Jewellery. Limoges and Oriental Enamels. 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I'.y James IIingsion ("J. II." of \\\^ Melbourne A>y;u!;). With Map's and numerous Illustrations from Photographs. 2 vols., 8vo, I4.r. each. Autobiop-apliy of Sir G. Gill'ert Scott, P. A., F.S.A., &-r. Ediicl by his .Son, G. GlI.lil.RT ScoTl". With an Introduction by the Dkan ok CiiiciiKsn.u an d a I' uncra 1 S crmon. preached in West- minster Abbey, by the Dkan ok Wkstminsikk. Also, I'ditiait on jrteel from the portrait of the Author by G. Rlcii.Mo.M), R. A. I vol. iemy 8vo, cloth extra, iS.v B AKER {Lieut.-Gen. Valentine^ Pasha). Bulgaria." THE BAYARD SERIES, See "War m l".dite<l by the late J. JIai.n Friswk.li.. Comprising Pleasure Books of Literature produced in the Choicest .Style as Companionable \'olinnes at Home and Abroad. "W'ecan Iiartlly iiiu'iKino better bociks for boys to read or for men to ponder over." — 7'ii/ii-s. Price 2.« (></ f<uh I'oliiiiif, cpiiif<leti; in iitilf, /It.xibU cloth extra, gill tdget, tvith iilk Utaiitatitis oiiii Rti^isttn. The Story of the Cheraiier Bayard. By M. De Bekville. De JoiAville's St. Louis, King of France, A a '} • Sampson Lcw^ Mr.rston, &» Co.*s The Bayard Scries [continued) ;— The Essays of Abraham Cowley , including all his Prose Works. Abdallah ; or the Four Leaves. By Edouard Laboullaye. Table- Talk and Opinions of Napoleo Buonaparte. Vathek : An Oriental Romance. By William Beckford. The King and the Commofis. a Selection of Cavalier and Puritan Songs. Edited by Prof. Morley. Words of Wellii gton : Maxims and Opinions of the Great Duke. Dr. Johnson'' s Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia. With Notes. JlazUlfs Round Table. With Biographical Introduction. The Rcligio Medici, Hydriotaphia, and the Letter to a Friend. By Sir Thomas Browne, Knt. Ballad Poetry of the Affections. By Robert Buchanan. Coleridges Christabel, and other Iir.aginative Poems. ^Vith Preface by Algernon C. Swlnburne. Lord Chesterfield's Letters, Sentences, and Maxims. "Willi Introduction by the Editor, and Essay on Chesterfield by M. de S ie. • Beuve, of the French Academy. Essays in Mosaic. By Thos. Ballantyne. My Uncle Toby; his Story and his Friends. Edited by P. FITZGEUALi>. Reflections; or, Moral Sentences and Maxims of the Duke de la Rochefoucauld. Socrates : Memoirs for English Readers from Xenophon^s Memo- rabilia. By Edw. Levien. Prince Albert's Golden Precepts. A Case containing la Volumes, price 3U. &/. ; or the Case separately, price 3J. 6</. Beauty and the Beast. An Old Tale retold, with Pictures by E. V. B. 4to, cloth extra. 10 Illustrations in Colours. 12^. 6(/. Bcumers' German Copybooks. In six gradations at ^d. each. Biart (Lucien). See "Adventures of i Young Naturalist," "My Rambles in ti>e New World," "The Two Friends," " Involun- tary Voyage." )se Works. JLLAYE. :ford. valier and the Gnat Notes. ction. a FrieiuL ANAN. ;ms. With ims. With M. Dii Sri:.- Edited by ^.hc Duke de \hon's Memo- \ely, price 3^. 6</. Pictures by Is. I2J. 6(/. ^d. each. Naturalist," lis," "Involun* til,' List of PubUcations. UiikeritctJis Hymnal Companioti to Book of Common Prayer may be Iiad 111 various stylos and bindings fiom \d, to 2\s. Viue List ami J*/Os/>crtits Xi'ill be fonvardcd on application. Bukerstdh {Rev. E. H., M.A.) The Reef and other Parables. I vol., sciuarc Svo, with nunierous veiy beautiful Engravings, 2^. 6;/. • — • TJie Clen^yman in his Home. Small post Svo, \s. 'She Master's Home-Call ; or, Brief Memorials of Alice Frances Bickcrstetli. 20th Thousand, 32mo, cloth gilt, is. The Master's J Fill. A Funeral Sermon preached on the Death of Mrs. S, Gurney Buxton. Sewn, Sd. ; cloth gilt, is. Thg Shadoici of the Rock. A Selection of Religious Poetry. iSnio, cloth extra, 2s. Gd. Tlie Shadowed Home and the Li^ht Beyond. 7lh Edition, crown Svo, cloth extra, 5^. Bida. T)ie Authorized Version of the Four Gospels, with the whole of the magnificent Etchings on Steel, after drawings by M. UlUA, in 4 vols., appropriately bound in cloth extra, price 3/. 3j. each. Also the four volumes in two, bound in the best morocco, by Suttaby, extra gilt edges, 18/. iSj., half-morocco, 12/. I2J. " Piida's Illustrations of the Onspels of St. Mattliew and St. John liave already received here and elsewhere a full recognition of their great merits." — Times. Biographies of the Great Artists, Illustrated. This Series is issued in the form of Handbooks. Each is a Monograph of a Great Artist, and contains Portraits of the Masters, and as many examples of their art as can be readily procured. They are Illustrated with from 16 to 20 Full-page Engravings. Cloth, laige crown Svo, 3.?. Gd. per Volume. Titian. Rubens. Tintoret and Veronese. Bembrandt. Lieonardo. Hog-arih. Raphael. Turner. Michelangelo. Van Dyck and Hals. The Little Masters. Reynolds. Holbein. Delaroche& Veruet. Qainsboroug-h. Figure Painters of Holland. "A deserving Series, based upon recent German publications. "—£'i//;«J;<'i'/« Kf-'ie-ui. " Most thoroughly and tastefully edited."— 5/A7<j/t>r. Black ( Wm.) Three Feathers. Small post Svo, cloth extra, ds. Lady Silrerda/e's Sweetheart, and other Stories, i \ol., small post Svo, 6^. Kilmeny : a Novel. Small post Svo, cloth, ds. /// Silk Attire. 3rd Edition, small post Svo, ds. A Daughter of Heth. nth Edition, small post Svo, ds. Sunrise. 15 Monthly Parts, t.v. cacb. Sampson Low, Marston, 6^ Coh i I Blackmore {/i. D.) Lorna Doone. loth Edition, cr. 8vo, 6s. Alice Lorraine, i vol., small post 8vo, 6th Edition, ds. Clara Vai/g/ia?i. Revised Edition, 6^. Cradock Nowell. New Edition, 6^. Cripps ihe Carrier. 3rd Edition, small post 8vo, 6^. Jllary Anerliy. 3 vols., 315". 6d. ■ Ereiiia ; 'r, My Father's Sin. With 12 Illustrations, sm I post ''• >, 6 , Blossoi -. fy. •., tn King's Garden : Sermons for C/iiidren. By the. , r >s.VNQUEr. 2ikI Edition, small post 8vo, cloth extra, 6i-. L'/ne Ba. •• '\Th^\] or, The Adventures of a Mussulman, a Christian, and ; 'agan, in the time of the Crusades and Moni^ol Con(iiiCit. Translated from the French of Lko.v Caiiun. \Viih Seventy-six Wood Engravings. Imperial l6mo, cloth, gilt edges, 7^. dd. ; plainer binding, 5j-. Boy's Froissart {The), 'js. 6d. See "Froissart." Bra7e Janet: A Story for Girls. My Alice Lee. With Erontispicceby M. Ei.lkn Edwards. Square Svo, cloth extra, 3^-. 6(/. Brave Men in Action. By S. J. Mackenna. Crown Svo, 4S0 \>\\., cloth, \os. (ill, Braz'l I the Amazons, and the Coast. By Herbert H. Smi'ih. With 115 Eull-jiage and other Illustrations. Demy Svo, 650 pp., 2i,f. Brazil and the Brazilians. By J- C. Fletcher and D. P. KlUDEii. 9th Edition, Illustrated, Svo, 2IJ. Breton Lolk : An Artistic Tour in Brittany. By Henry 'liLACKliURN, Author of "Artists and Ara'os," "Normandy Pictu- resque," i\:c. With 171 Illu-^trations by RANDOLril Cai.di'.cott. Imperial Svo, cloth extra, gdt edges, 2 1 J. British Goblins : Jl^elsh Folk-Lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends, and Traditi( ns. liy WlKT SvKi:s, Unitei'. States Consul for Wales. With Illustrations by J. II. TiloMAS. This account of the Fairy Mythology and Eolk-I.oro of his Principality is, by permission, dedi- cated to lI.K.n. the Prince of Wales. Second Edition. Svo, iSs. Jh -itish I V/ ilosophers. Buckle {LLenry 77iomas) The Life and J Writings of By Alfred IIknrv Ill'Tll, With Portrait. 2 vols., demy Svo. Burnaby {Capt.) See "On Horseback." Burn ham Beeches {LLeath, F. G.). With numerotis Illustrations and a Map. Crown Svo, cloth, gilt edges, y. 6</. Second Edition. "WiiiiiiK with even nmre ili.in his usual lirilli.mcy, Mr. Hgath liere pivei the iMihlic an interostini; inoiKigiMph of llie spleiidiU old trees. . . . This chnrniing littlu work."— (//(ti*. i / ! List of Pttblifations. . 8vo, 6s. Edition, 6s. t 8vo, 6s. Uustrations, \ildren. By loth extra, ds. lissiilman, a s and Mongol AlIUN. \Villi h, gilt edges, I.EE. With h extra, ^s. 6iL Crown 8vo, H. Smith. 650 pp., 2I.f. and D. P. By Henry rmandy Pictu- Cai.decott. 'ogy, Legends, isul for Wales, of the Fairy mission, dedi- . Svo, iSj. By Alfred Illustrations :ond lulition. TH here gives the This cliftrmiug Butler {JV. F.) The Great L.one L.aud ; an Account of the Red River lOxpodilion, 1869-70. With Illustrations and Map. Fii'ili and Chca]ier Edition, crown 8vo, cloth extra, y.f. Qui. The Wild AhniJi Land ; ilie Story of a W into- Journey %vith Dogs across Northern North Anirrica. Demy Svo, cloth, with nmnerous Woodcuts and a Ma]), 4th I'ldition, iSj-. Cr. Svo, 7.1-. dd. Akim-foo : tJie LJistory of a Luiilure. Dcniy 8vo, cloth, 2nd Edition, iGj. Also, in crown Svo, 7.C bd. r^ADOGAN {Lady A.) Illustrated Games of I\itience. ^-^ Twenty-four Diagrams in Colours, with Descriptive Text. Foolscap 4to, cloth extra, gilt edges, 3rd Edition, 12^. (id. Caldecott {K.). See " lireton Folk."' Carbcn Process {A Manual of). See Lieseca^'g. Ceramic Art. See Jacquemart. Changed Cross {The), and other Religious Pr oiViS, Chant Book Co)npanion to the Book of Con".. 1 1 sisting of upwards of 550 Chants for the J Canticles ; also Kyrie Eleis(ms, and Music lov 6mo, 2s. 6d, oyer. Con- Jms and for tlie Tlymns in Holy Communion, &c. Compiled and Arranged inider ihe jMu^ical Editor- ship of C. J- ViNCKNT, Mus. Bac. Crow '-o ^s. 6<7. ; Organist's Edition, fcap. 4to, ^s. Of various Juiitions of Hvmxai. C'lMrAMOX, Lists iviU Ic fonvardcd on appUcdtioii . Child of ihe Cavern {The) ; or, Strange J^oings Underground. By Jules Verne. Translated by W. H. G.Kingston. Numerous Illustrations. 8q. cr. Svo, gilt edges, 1$. 6d. ; cl., plain edges, 5^-. Child's Play, with 16 Coloured Drawings by E. V. B. 'rinted on thick paper, with tints, 7^. ()d. AT7i<. By E. V. 13. Similar to the above. ., . New. Children's Lives and LLow to Preserve Them ; or, The Nursery Handbook. By W. LoMAS, M.D. Crown Svo, cloth, 5^-. Children's Alas^azine. riustrated. See St. Nicholas. Choice Editions of Choice Books. 2s. 6d. each, Illustrated by C. W. Cope, R.A., T. Creswick, R.A., E. Duncan, Birkkt Foster, J. C. Horsle''. , A.R.A., G. Hicks, R. Reikirave, R.A., C. Stonehouse, F. Tayler, G. Thomas, H. J. Townsiienu, E. H. Wehnert, IlAnRisoN Weir, &c. Bloomfield's Farmer's Woy. CamijbcH's Pleasures of Hope. Coleridge's Ancient Mariner. Goldsmith's Deserted Village. Goldsmith's Vicar of WakeHeld. Gray's Elegy in a Churchyard. Keat's Eve of St. Agnes. Milton's L' Allegro. Poetry of NaUnc. Harrison Weir. Rogers' (Sam. ) Pleasures of Memory. Shakespeare's Songs and Sonnets. Tennyson's May Queen. Elizabethan Poets. Wordsworth's Pastoral Poems. " Such works arc a glorious beatification for a poet." — Athenoeum. 8 Saf/i/so/i Zo7c>, Marston^ 6^ Co's r J:i n i' •■ ''i Christ in Sojii:^. By Dr. Philip Sciiaff. A New Edition, Revised, cloth, gilt edges, 6s. Cohbett ( William). A Biography. By Edward Smith. 2 vols., crown 8vo, 25^. Comedy {The) of FAtrope, i860 — 1890. A retrospective and piospcciive Sketch. Crown 8vo, 6s. Conflict of Christianity with Heathenism. By Dr. Gerhard Uhi.horn. Edited and Translated from the Third German T-dition by G. C. Smyth and C. J. 11. Roi'KS. 8vo, cloth extra, loj. 6d. Continental Tour of Eight Days for Forty-four Shillings. By a Journey-man. lamo, is. "The book is simply delightful."— .S'/^'c-'nt/^r. Corea {The). See "Forbidden Land." Covert Side Shctchcs : Thoughts oh Hunting, with Different Packs in Different Countries. iJy J. Nevitt Fitt (Il.II.of the.S)^^';//;/^ Gazette, late of the Field), and Edition. Crown 8vo, cloth, \os. 6d. Cradc-Land of Arts and Creeds ; or, Nothing Nczu ufider the Sun. By Ciiarlks J. Stone, Barrister-at-law, and late Advocate, High Courts, Bombay, 8vo, pp. 420, cloth, 14J. Cripps the Carrier. 3rd Edition, ds. See Blackmore. Cruise of H.M.S. " Challenger'' { The). By W. J. J. Spry, R.N. With Route Map and many lllust»-ations. 6th Edition, demy 8vo, cloth, iSj. Cheap Edition, crown 8vo, some of the Illustrations, Is. 6d. Curious Adventures of a Field Cricket. By Dr. Ernest Candkze. Translated by N. D'Anvers. With numerous fine Illustrations. Crown 8vo, cloth extra, gilt edges, ']s. 6d. J^ANA {R. H.) T7V0 Years before the Mast and Twenty-Four ■'-^ years After. Revised Edition with Notes, i2mo, 6s. Daughter {A) of Heth. By W. Black. Crown 8vo, ds. Day of My Life {A) ; or, Every Day Experiences at Eton. By an Eton Boy, Author of "About Some Fellows." i6mo, cloth extra, is. 6d. 6th Thousand. Day out of the Life of a Little Maiden {A) : Six Studies from 1-ifc. By Sherer and Engler. Large 410, in portfolio, 5^-. l^ianc. By Mrs. Macquoid. Crown 8vo, 6j-. Dick Cheveley : his Jwrtunes and Misfortunes. By W. II. G. Kingston. 350 pp., square l6mo, and 22 full-page Illustration.s. C^iotli, gilt edges, js. 6d. Dick Sandsj the Boy Captain. By Julf.s Verne. 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