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THROUGH HUDSON'S STEAIT AND BAY.
Bv CAPTAIN AL15ERT HASTINGS :\rARKIIAM, R.N.
Attiiur of "Thb Ghfat Frozen Sea," etc.
TART I.
T HAVE selected t'lc aliove title for the
-*■■ articles which I pi-oposc to present, with
all (lifliilence, to the readers of Good Words,
because what I am ab<v.it to nai-rutc is essen-
tiall}- an account of a trip which I liad de-
signed shoultl be, if possible, carried out
whenever a temporary I'cspite from my pro-
fessional labours would enable me to enjoy a
thorough and ooini)lete holiday and rest.
I wanted to get away out <^f the reach of
posts and telegraph, to bury myself for a
time from the civilized world, and to be
free from the receipt of all otiicial letters
and documents.
I had always had a great desire to visit
the shores of Hudson's Bay, that great ex-
panse of water that has not inaptly been
termed the Mediterranean Sea of the Western
hemisphere. But the difficulty of getting
there seemed almost insuperable.
A passage to Hudson's Bay b}- either a
whaler, or by the Company's annual ship,
was out of the question, for many reasons
which it will be unnecessary here for me to
enum n'ate, my only chance therefoi'e of
visiting this almost " ^Mr.re incognita " (for
such it has practically boon, except to a few,
ever since its discovery Ijj- the brave but un-
fortunate Henry Hudson), was to undertalve
a land journey, and with the aid of a canoe
and some Indians, both of Avhich I had some
vague idea I should be able to i)rocure at
Winnipeg, descend on(i of the niunci'ous
rivers wliose waters roll down to the shores
of Hudson's Bay, returning' if possible I)}' a
diftorent route. I cnticiiutcd gettiiiL;' some
fairly good shooting during my joui'ucy,
M-hilst I should be afforded an opjiortiniity
of travelling through an interesting, because
a little known region, and I would also
(tl most im[).:)rtant consideration of all)
be i^afe from the receipt of large envelopes of
a bluish hue, ma'-ked On Her JMajesty's Ser-
vice !
With this intention I made arrangements
for leaving England in the fine Cuuai'd
fecearaer Etruria, on Saturday, the 5th of
June, ',/hen chance threw in my M'ay—
as I shall presently explain — an opportunity
of carrying out my project in a more
thorough and interesting manner, completely
capsizing the plans and arrangements that I
hail previously made.
A project had been started to connect
Winnipeg, whicri may be regarded as th(;
emporium or meti-opolis of the North-Wcst,
with Hudson's Bay, by the constniction of a.
railway. It was thought, and with ver^*
good reason, that the possession of a sea-
port, within seven hundred miles of Win-
nipeg, would materially develop the com-
mercial and industrial resources of the
whole of Upper Canada, benefiting in a ver}-
great degree the grain producers and stock
raisers who had settled in those fertile and
rich agricultural districts of the Dominion of
Canada, which extend even to the base of
the Rocky Mountains.
Much opposition was, however, raised t( >
the adoption of the proposed scheme ; those
antagonistic to it being principally influen
tial men residing in Eastern Canada, ami
those who, although living in Winnipeg ami
the North-West, were pecuniarily interested
in tlie moral and material progress of thii
Eastern provinces. They were fully imbueil
with the idea that the scheme, if attempted,
would prove a financial failure, advancing as
their main argument that Hudson's Bay and
Strait would not oc navigable for a suffi-
cuntlylong period during the year, to enable
ships to convey ihe produce of the country
to Eui'opcan markets, and that the railway,
if constructed, would therefi^re be inoperative
for at least eight months in every year.
On the other hand, those in favour of the
scheme were confident that the Strait was
open to navigation for at least four months
during each year, ami in all probability for a
much longer time, and they maintaiKed that
even that period would suffice not only to
make the construction of the railway a finan-
cial success, but that its existence would also
tend to }»romote the commercial development
of the country
In order to throAv some light on the sub-
ject, which was admitted to be a very im-
portant one, the Dominion Government of
Canada in 1884 authorized the expendi-
ture of a large sum of money for the pur-
pose of defraying the expenses of a steamer
to be dispatched to Hudson's Bay that
24
GOOD WORDS.
Captain Markham iu travelling outdt.
yec'ir, for the express purpose of establishing
meteorological stations in various positions
on both sides of the Strait, with the view of
receiving reports on the state and condition
of the- ice, and obtaining full particulars
regarding its movements, together with other
important matters connected with the mete-
orology of those regions, for a period of twehe
consecutive months. The Dominion Govern-
ment also intimated their intention to ])re-
scnt, as a free gift, to any company that
should undertake the construction of a rail-
way, no less tlian 8,400,000 acres of land,
reserved from the crown lands on the line of
route Lo be selected. So keen was the in-
terest evinced in the pioposed undertaking,
that the i)rovincial Parliament of Manitoba
also voted a grant of £900,000, at 4 per cent,
per annum fur twenty-five years, to assist in
carrying it out.
_ The leason for the lively interest that was
displayed in the Xorth-West, and the eager-
ness that was manife.sted to promote the
scheme, is not ditficult of solution.
The distance by rail from Winnipeg to New
York is 1,779 miles; and from Winnipeg to
Montreal 1,12.') miles. By establish-
ing direct railway communication
between Winnipeg and Hudson's
Lay, the distance l)y rail to a sea-
l)ort is reduced to sor:^thing under
700 miles ; and it has been esti-
mated (but I am unable to vouch
fur the accui'acy of the CLitimation,
although I believe it to be bond fide),
that a saving of no less than 5s.
per quarter will be eflfectcd on
each quarter of grain exported to
l']urojte by tiio pF'oposed route,
whilst from £3 to £\ will be saved
on each head of cattle so trans-
ported.
The establishment of such a
route would not have the efFect of
lengthening, to any appreciable ex
tent, the sea-voyage, whilst it would
reduce, Ijy more than one-half, the
railway journey between England
and the North- West. This is also
a matter of great importance, not
only to the farmers of Manitoba
and adjacent districts, but also to
intending emigrants, who would,
by the proposed route, reach their
destination earlier and with greater
ease and comfort, than if they took
their passage vul Montreal or New-
York ; whilst they would not be ex-
posed to the risk of being induced to
break their journey and settle in the eastern
parts of Canada, or perhaps even iu the United
I States, a matter of no slight significance.
j It is easy to understand the lukewarmness,
^ not to say opposition, that was displayed to
the adoption of the scheme by the eastern
cities, and those connected with the new
Canadian Pacific Railway. If the pro-
posed line was constructed, it would de-
prive them of a very large amount of
traffic, both of passengers and of cargo,
that must now necessarily pass through theii
' country and over their lines of conveyance.
j The goods required for consumption in the
, Nortli-West would, if the scheme was carried
\ out, be received direct from England, instead
of being supplied by the eastern cities, and
of course at very much reduced rates ; and
they would be deprived of the opportunity
of retaining in their own country a certain
number of intending emigrants, who would,
if left to themselves, with no inducements
held out to them to remain, have preferred
to settle in the west.
These reasons have^ doubtless, influenced
the minds of eastern capitalists, and in a
TlHiOUail HUDSON'S STRAIT AND BAY.
itablish-
nication
[iitlson's
,0 a sea-
'' under
o ^
CU CStl-
voucli
imatioii,
ml fide),
than 5s.
ctcd oij
)rtod ti>
routt!,
be saved
10 trans-
such a
effect of
iable ex
it would
half, the
England
lis is also
ance, not
Vlanitoba
t also to
would,
ach their
h greater
;hey took
1 or New
lot be ex-
iduced to
e eastern
le United
mce.
i^armness,
played to
e eastern
the new
the pro-
ould de-
lount of
of cargo,
ugh their
iveyance.
)n in the
as carried
d, instead
ities, and
ates ; and
portunity
a certain
lio would,
lucements
preferred
influenced
and in a
certain measure, although their integrity of
]nu'|i(i.so a' 'I patriotism is not to be doulited,
prt'judiceu tlietii ngainst the scheme; but
tlieso men should not forgot that in a yoiuig
;iiid growing country like Canada, patriotism,
to be true, should Ijo regarded in its broadest
and most comprehensive sense ; the welfare
and development of the whole Dominion
!^hould be considered, and not be limited
solely to provinces ai.d districts, in which
those iuHuontial men who Ai'icldsuch a power
for good or for evil in the State, are pecunia-
rily interested.
Looking at it from a perfectly impartial
point of view, and having very carefully con-
sidered the matter on all its bearings, it
appears to ma to bo an incontrovertiltle fact,
that the establishment of a seaport, F;ome
bOO .niles nearer to Winiu'pcg than Mon-
treal (the nearest port at wliich goods can
now 1)0 shipped and transhipped), must be
of the greatest possible value and import-
ance to the extonsivo wheat-bearing and
cattle-producing country which claims "NVin-
nijjog as its mercantile centre.
Tlicre seems to be a general concensus of
opinion among those who are the most inte-
rested in tiic success, or failure, of the pro-
ject, namely, the peojjle of Manitoba and the
North-West, that a railroad to Hudson's Bay
is aljsolutcl}' necessary, in onler to give thera
an easier, a more expeditious, and a less
The Carthaginian amongst Icebergs.
expensive means of conveyance for their
produce than they at present enjoy.
Among those who are opposed to the
scheme, and who have systematically thrown
cold water upon it, are the majority of the
otiicials of the Hudson's Bay Company.
I do not mean to say that all those who
are associated with that once powerful
and wealthy corporation are averse to the
construction of a railway, but the majority
of those belonging to that Company, whom
it was my pleasure, and privilege, to meet
during my recent journey through their dis-
tricts in the Hudson's Bay territory, took no
j)ains to conceal their aversion to the accom-
plishment of the undertaking.
They have been so loi.g isolated from the
outside world, and are so conservative in
their ideas, and are withal so loyal to their
cmplo}ers, that they naturally view with dis-
favour a scheme, the achievement of which
would have the efTect of opening up the
country and driving the fur-bearing animals,
the great source of their profits, to more
renujte reirions.
After all, tiie only real and soiuid reason
that can be advanced by the opponents of
the scheme, is the supposed impracticability
of naviifatina; the strait leadintr into Hud-
son's Bay for a sufficient time during the
year, to make the construction of the railroad
a renuuierative speculation for the share-
GOOD WORDS.
1
f
lioUlora. This is the solo contention, but it
is a very in^.nitiiiit one.
Those inin,i(;;il to tlie scheme aver that
Hudson's Strait is open only for a very shoi't
mil uncertain i)eri(ul thiiing eacii year, and
that even (hiring that time, the navigation
is rendered extremely hazardous, not to say
dangerous, on account of the heavy masses
of ice with Avhich it is reputed to he choked.
Against these assertions and statements, we
have it on undouhted authority, that (hiring
Uie last two hundred and .seventy years the
.Strait has been successfully navigated by
vessels belonging to the Hudson's IJay Com-
pany, by men of-war, by vessels engaged in
exploration, and by whalers and other ships,
altogether by about seven hundred vessels ;
tliat out of this large numhei' the loss3es have
been infinitesimal, whilst the number that
have failed to acliieve the pa.ssago of the
.Strait, either on the outward or homeAvard
passages, have been very small indeed.
It nuist be boiiie in mind that the
vessels, towhicli I am now alluding, were all
sailing ships, and that the majority of them
Avere small, frail, and ill found. These vessels
invariably made the passage through the
Strait during the months of July or August,
and sometimes even as early as the month of
June. No difficulty, so far as I am aware,
lias ever been experienced during the return
voyaje, for ice is rarely met in the Strait so
late as October, the month the ships usually
select to ..ail for their homeward journey.
During the latter part of October the
young, or what is called pancake, ice begins
to form, but although the Strait is clear of
ice not infrequently as late as November, it
is not advisable, or prudent, for a sailing ship
to delay the return voyage later than the
latter end of October.
Steam has, however, in the present day
entirely revolutionized ice navigation. This
was brought very prominently to my notice
during a voyage I made to BaflSn's Bay and
the Gulf of Boothia in 1873, in a steam
whaler from Dundee, nhen in the short
period of six months we succeeded in passing
positions that had been reached by previous
explorers, only after long and weary months
of toil and hard work. It was also my pri-
vilege to be a witness of the great advan-
tages possessed by a ship with steam power
engaged in ice navigation, when I served as
Commander of the Alert under Sir George
Nares in 1875 when, in three short months
citer our departure from England, we suc-
ceeded in reaching the latitude of 82' 27' N.,
the highest northern latitude that has ever
oi-
siuce, by a
been reached, either before
.shi{).
It is, therefore, only natural for us to
infer that what has been so often succes!^-
fully accomplished, year after year for more
than two centuries, by small and indillerently
e(iuipped sailing ships, can be better, and
witl: a greaLer degree of certainty, achieved
by powerful steamers specially constructed
for ice navigation. It is also reasonable to
assume that with steamers specially adapteil
for this particular work, the passage through
the Strait can be accomplished at an earlier
date on the outward voyage from Liveri)Ool,
and, inferentially, at a later date on the pas-
sage home, than could have been performed
by the old sailing vessels.
This, then, was the whole bono of conten-
tion, and the matter that was re([uii'ed to be
settled was briefly this : Is the Strait open to
navigation for a sufficiently long period (Juring
the year, as to render it expedient to create
a seaport on the shores of Hudson's Bay in
direct communication by rail with Winnipeg,
or any other large town in the North- West ?
I have already stated that the Canadian
Government had dispatched a steamer in
1884, for the express purpose of establish-
ing meteorological stations in various posi-
tions in the neighbourhood of Hudson's
Strait. No less than six of these .stations
were established, and placed in charge of
young Canadian gentlemen who, attract(;d
by the novelty of the duties that would be
required of them, as well as by the interest
attached to the situation, had volunteered
for and received the appointments.
In 1885 the Alert was sent up by the
Canadian Government with the object of
visiting these stations, and also for the pur-
pose of relieving the ol:)servers ; as it was
considered, and very rightly, that a period
of twelve months was quite long encjugh
for the men to live in such a rigorous climat(>,
and in such complete isolation from the out-
ward world, for the stations were too far
apart for the residents of one to communi-
cate with those at another.
The Alert, it will be remembered, was the
same vessel tliat was commanded b}' Sir
George Nares in the Arctic Expedition of
1875-6, and having recently returned from a
successful trip, to Smith Sound, for the pur-
pose of rescuing Major Greeley and the sur-
vivors of the late American Arctic Expedition,
had been lent to the Canadian Government
by the Admiralty, with a view of being em-
ployed on this special service.
As I was on the point of leaving England
THROUGH HUDSON'S STRAIT AND BAY.
27
ICO, l>y a
3r us to
succesK-
for inoro
illcronlly
tter, ami
achiuvi'il
nstructod
onablo tn
: adiiMti'il
2 throu,i;h
an eailici"
jivorpool,
[1 the pas-
lerfuriucd
•f contcn-
ired to be
,it open to
led dining
to create
I's Bay in
^Vinnii)eg,
•th-West ?
Canadian
:camer in
ostablish-
ious posi-
Hudson's
e stations
charge of
attracted
would be
10 interest
)Uinteored
ip
by the
object of
r the pur-
as it was
a period
g en(Migh
us cHiuate,
n the out-
e too far
communi-
1, was the
ul by Sii-
edition of
icd from a
r the pur-
d the sur-
xpedition,
)vernment
being em-
England
regard
navigating the Strait
I, nioHt opportunely, through the kindness of
a fiiond, made the aciiuaintanco of a Cana-
,ii.in gentleman, a member of tlie Dominion
Parliament, who had come over to this country
in the interest of the proposed Hudson's Bay
Kailway Company. On being informed of
my desire to visit Hudson's Bay, he very
kindly ortercd me a piu^.sage from Halifax to
Y(jrk Factory in the .Ihrt, as he ha<l receivcil
pcr'nission from the Canadian Government
to send one or two repiesentatives of his
compau}' in the ship. In return for this
permission to take a passoge in the yllert, all
that he sti{)idated for was that I shouhl, at
the termination of my voyage, submit a
re))ort to him on the condition of the ice in
Hudson's Strait, and my \h)ws generally with
to the feasibility, or otherwise, of
On arrival at York
Factory 1 should, of course, be at liberty to
carry out my proposed trip to Winnipeg in
a canoe, or in any other way that I could
ari'ange.
Thir offer suited me exactly, and I had no
hesitation in accepting it. The very idea of
again ploughing the icy seas of the north in
my old ship, although only as a passenger,
was too fascinating and too delightful to be
resisted — not only should I be indulging in a
most enjoyable holiday, Ijut I felt also that
a certain amount of responsibility would be
vested in me, and that on my report the
question of a Hudson's Bay railroad would
be, in a certain degree, for the present de-
cided. In other words, if I could practically
demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed
route, by travelling in person from the At-
lantic through Hudson's Strait and Bay, and
thence to Winnipeg, my report, if a favour-
able one, would materially strengthen the
hands of the supporters of the coni-emplated
scheme ; whereas if I failed to accomplish
tho journey satisfactorily, the experience
gained might perhaps, I thought, tend to the
prevention of a great waste of public and
private money, and possibly lead to the
avoidance of much bitter disappointment.
It is perhaps needless for me to observe
that I was not at any time a paid servant of
tiie company, nor was I in any way interested,
either pecuniarily or otherwise, in the suc-
cess of the project, except in being de-
sirous, as an Englishman, and one wluj had
the welfare and integrity of the empire at
heart, of seeing the settlement, and conse-
quent development, of a vast extent of coun-
try now lying practically idle belonging to
one of our most important colonies.
The time at my disposal for making all
tho necessary arrani^ements for my trip wa.s
two short days, and those two short <la3'H,
unfortunately for me, happened to be a
Saturday and a Sunday, so that I had to
leave England without bf.ing able to provide
myself with many things; which I considered
at the time would bo absolutely indis-
pensable. On Monday, June 7, I left Lomlon
for Liverpool, and on the following day
soiled in the Allan steamer Carthaginian for
Halifax, at which port, I was given to under-
stand, I shouM find tho Alert.
Our passage across was an uneventful one,
as are, I imagine, the majority of passages
in oiu' large oceo'' steamers. Our pas-
sengers were few and sociable, and the
weather was comparatively fine and pleasant.
The accommodation for passengers, however,
was somewhat limited, so it was as well, per-
haps, that there were so few on board. The
Carthaginian was not one of the regular pas-
senger vessels, but had been ordered, some-
what hurriedly, to take the place of a steamer
that had been detained for some days in the
ice off Newfoundland, and had in conse-
quence failed to arrive in time to take her
regular turn. The last service on which
she had been employed was that of carrying
cattle, and although the animals were not
actually on board at the time, a very unmis-
takable proof of their recent presence was
everywhere perceptible. The pungent odours
that assailed our olfactory organs in every
part of the ship were far from pleasant, but
the kindness and attention of our skilful cap-
tain made up for much that would otherwise
have been considered decidedly disagreeable,
and if I had to cross the Atlantic again, and
could select my vessel, I should certainly
choose the Carthaginian, odours notwithstand-
ing, provided she was commanded by her
present captain.
The scarcity of animal life on the broad
Atlantic has often struck me, and on this
particular voyage my previous experience
was fully confirmed. Sea birds, both gulls
and petrels, were conspicuous by their ab-
sence, a more perfect sea of solitude could
hardly be imagined ; the good ship Carthagi-
nian appeared to be the only animate, or in-
animate, creature on the vast heaving ocean,
and the throbbing of our engines, as they
made their never-ceasing revolutions, was the
only sound that could be heard on the still,
dark nights.
On the 15th a few icebergs were passed,
causing a certain amount of excitement
among those of our passengers who then, for
1 the first time, gazed on these large glacial
2S
COOD WOK'DS.
profluctioiis, \\[) whose sidos tlm waves were
(lashiiij; in their iiieessaiit exeitioiis to leducc,
them from their sohMilied form to tlieir ori-
,i;inal eh'iiieiit. I weleoiiieil them as old
friends that had prohably been generated in
parts of the world tliat I had visited, and
whieii hail ill all |)r()hal)iiity diit'ted (h>wn on
the bosom of thoso waters over whieli I had
idready sailed. The very siij;ht of thetn
l)i()ii^lit to my mind old and pl"asant re-
colleetions. Passed us these large floating
masses of ice were in apparently mid ocean.
in an otherwise perfect sea of solitude, I
could not but help being reniimled of the
words of tlu! author of (he " I'aradiso of
liirds, " who .says : —
" ItfTP nil in rultcl liy filcnro fur and wiilr,
S.ivc li^rlit w.ivci l.iliiitnt,' on the i(i'b( i(f'8 iiitlc."
St. -lobirs, Xewfoiuidhiid, was reaelied on
the morning of the Kith. With the excejt-
tion of the new eatlndral, designed by Sir
(Jilbert Scott, liut which, alas! is still irieom-
plete and saddled with a debt of ,£:U>,000,
there is littl of interest to be .seen at St.
.lohn's. It reminded me somewhat of the
most nortlii'iii town in the world, llanimei-
fest, for, like it, it had a " very ancient and
a fishdike .smell ! "'
Churt showing the relative position of places rcfeiTcd to.
We left again on the same evening, but
were much pestered for many hours with
dense fogs, when speed hail to be reduced,
and occasionally the engines stopped alto-
gether ; during this time we were subjected
to a hideou.s din that enuuiated from the
mouth of one of the most discordant steam-
wliistles it was ever my illduek to li.sten to.
It was not until the morning of the 19th
that we reached Halifax, when we bade
farewell to the (Jartluiyiniiui, sorry to ])id
ailieu to those \.hose acquaintance we had
made on board, but glad to have reached
the end of our voyage, and not displeased to
part with the smells and noises that were
associated M-ith what had been otu' floating
home for the past eleven days !
My first inquiries on landing were foi' the
Alc/i, and on ascertaining her whereabouts,
my steps were at once directed toAvards her.
I found her lying alongside a wharf, with
her sails bent and apparently ready for sea.
I will not say that she looked as trim as
when I last served in her, but she looked
(|uite as capable of receiving hard knocks
fiom that enemy which she had been sj)ecially
fitted to grajiplc with and overcome, the ice,
and was now only waiting to .ship her crew,
and receive .some new blades for her }>ro-
peller, before stalling on her s;^,cond voyage
to Hudson's Bay. My appcaran';e on board
was the fir,st intimation to her commander
and olHcers that I was to accompany them
on their forthcoming cruise, but fiom one and
all 1 had a most friendly and cordial recep-
tion. A cabin was allotted to me in the
Avard-room ; and I was informed that the
ship would probably put to sea in four oi-
five days, 1)y Avlucli time everything would
be in readiness for a start.
if it
^vJiatl
ON (MIILDRKN.
115
iulisc of
8 Hidr."
he cxiH'I)-
mI hy Sir
ill iin'om
.£:iO,OUO,
en at St.
at of the
Ihiminer-
iciciit ami
<i>i^
J.M
wharf, with
}a(ly for sea.
I as trim as
, she looked
uinl knocks
ecn specially
omc, the ice,
lip her crew,
for her pro-
\cond voyaji;e
me on board
conimandcr
nipany them
from one and
cordial rccep-
o nie in the
led that the
ea in four or
ything would
«<ay, tliat tlio rhlM v.liilo on board had l)(<on
utterly dcinoraliscil hy tlw lack of all coii-
ti'ol over iiini. His mother was sick in her
room, atid his fatlici ^cemcd (|niti' to fci'i^c^t
that he had children on Itoard, 'I'lie iiii'au-
fioua divine thinlvin-^ it well to adndtuster a
reproof to the child, who had Ix'conie an
.iwfid miisatice toeveryliody, looke(l as jrrave
.IS ho could, and ol.-;rrve(l '• My younjj; fi'iend,
wheti [ was youi' ;\<j:i\ little boys flid n<it join
in the conversation i>i their elders unUl they
wore invited." 'I'lie reply was instant, anil
vrould h:ive been even nioie cnishinj; but for
the fact that the su|tpose(l i\<^ri\ one was well
under sixty, and did not look liis years.
r.ut it was straiulit, and <^;ivv much joy.
1
r^ueas that was seventy or cijihty years aj;o,
you bet."' i'l'obidtly that px)d man never
runs on a child's spear now.
One attractive trait in child ren nnist 1)c
noticed — their aU'ectionateness. My last inci-
ilcnt was of a clerj>;yinan coniinjj; to <;rief in
sul)duin,ti; a child hy deserved sternness. Let
me now j^dve a^ triilin;;' incident which once
touched and instructe<l me, and which in
spite of its sliulitnciss 7nay be of interest.
( >u the other side of the ocean a body of
emigrants had just disembarked fi'om a
Tviverpool steamer, and wei'e sitting on their
baggage waiting for the ti'ain to carry them
into the distant wilderness. A clergyman
was walking about among them M-itli cheery
and friendly words. It was u last o|)poi'-
tunity of kindiu'ss before they parted for
ever, and he wished to use it. A little
child of thre(! years old was sitting on a
box all by itself, watching the bustle with
wide-open eyes, and coi'soling itself with
" candy." The clergyman's heart twinkled
when he saw it. I'erhajis he had little ones
of his own at home, and quickly he ilrew to
the child. Ho talked to the little thing, and
then looking for permission from the father
close at hand, he kissed the little brow ; the
other pai't of tbe face l)eing in an unpleasant
■'ondition from the sugary fund. Tlie litth^
heart Avas touched but not .satisfied. It
lifted up its lips into the stranger's face as
if to say, kiss mo here. Tlie reluctance
passed, the stranger's eyes were quickly
closed, the kiss of j)cace was given, the little
face beanuKl with content. With this afl'ec-
tionatcness, which shows itself in countless
ways of tact, and silence, and pi'cscnco of
mind, as the years grow, and the perception
of things widens, there is almost always
'ombined a good deal of sensitiveness which,
if it is occasionally the better for a some-
what bracing treatment, needs attention and
some sympatliy. Their o.Tresse*, of whicli
some indeed aic not onci' pro(lij;al (except in
such cases us a Scotch uirl once bru;-(|uely
indicated of her little hrntlier, "he is always
aii'ecfionate when he wants something to
cat") should not he repnised as trouhlcsonie,
orderideda> worthless. The young aii^ soon
chilled, and chills hai'den. Their piopos.ds
to assist you in the aflairsof life, while some-
times eml):Mrassinjj;,often clumpy, and peihups
more often sug^esteil for waul of .sona;tliing
else to do, need not be hustled away as u
housemaid's ln'ooni sweeps out cohwiibs.
Tlieii littlt! |)resents, often, just from want of
thought, not <|uite as useful as they might he,
shoidd he made nmch of and put away with
care. Chihli'en iu» doubt (like other people)
derive nuick satisfaction from I'cceiving pre-
sents ; they have quite as nuich in giving
them. It is a good hahit to encouiage, for
s(!lHshness is everyone's foe, and tlu; foe
that may be scotched but never killed.
Thei'e cannot l)e too nnich tenderness, Miiicli
need not mean softness. All li\int;' lliinu;s
grow hest at lirst in a warm tempei'atui'e.
To love need not mean to indulge; nay,
some of the roughest-mannered and most
firndy rnliiig parents I have ever known have
been those who were simply wild with alarm
if the children were ill, and would readily,
even cheerfully, have died for them.
The last trait I will notice is simplicity,
often frank in its way of ex})rcssing itself,
and sometimes on the verge; of what may
easily d(!geuerate into a smalt rudeness. No
one has written with more freshness or sym-
})athy on the matter than Mi'. Stopford
hrooke in his sermon on ''(.'hild Life." Free-
(hmi of talk, and even of criticism, should not
be too roughly checked. With all their fond
devotedness children oftc; absolutely de-
cline to read their father's Avritint's even
when illustrated; sometimes are heai'd to
express their o])inion that their sermons are
long — a pertness which should instantly be
sat upon, aiul peihaps followe(l Avith a dis-
tinct request for an analysis of the disconr-se
to be written o.(t at once. On the Avhole,
it is better to train than to i)ruue, though
sometimes pruning is <iuite indispensable.
Of course, if sim])licity is aU'ected it is odious.
In all its natural, pi(piant, and tran.spaicnt
beauty, it is surely among the childlike
qualities whicli are Avorthy of imitation l)y
those Avho have ceased to be children, and
about whicli One, Who loved children, once
said, "Except ye be converted and become as
little children, ye shall not enter into the
kingdom of he ven." {I'o be continued.)
THUOUOn HUDSON'S STRAIT AND J5AY.
^ 4A.»b.»l (iHKcn'a Slolili'Oi Trip.
Hv CoMMoDOHli A. II. MAIiKIIAM, II. N.
AlTIIOU of "TlIK (JltHAT l-'llD/KN HeA," KIC.
rAiiT II.
ON tho nfii'inoon of the 2 Jtli .Tunc, T foiiinl
iiiy.self oiico iikiiv on Itmii'il the old .l/rrl,
uiul, iis in (lays of yore, hoiiiid to " uiiikiLIicI
wiitei''^. midit'ium'il .slioies.'
A diViiiny, misty fiituro lay Ix'forc nie,
\\\nUl a somcwluit oxritiii^', Imt rotVosliiiiij;
uiicortuiuty poivadcd my mind, regarding the
result of my ciiterpiiso.
Tlie familiar sound of tlio ciigiiu'S as ne
steamed out of Halifax hurl)our, reminded me
of many an anxious, as also many a liappy,
day Hpent in the old ship, but there, alas ! all
similitude ceased, and I was reminded of
my position by seeing tlu; blue ensign of
tho Dominion of Canada Hying from the
peak, where fluttered, in by-gone da}^, our
own gland white ensign ; thus forcibly biing-
ing to my nund the fact that 1 was oidy a
passenger, and that tlmAlcrl had fallen from
the higli place she once occupied on the list
of the lioyal Navy, and nuist now l)e regardeil
simply in the light of an oidinary vessel
belonging to the mercantile marine of Canada,
and acting under the orders of the iMinister
of Marine and Fisheries for the (jlo\ ernnient
01 that colony.
The first throe or four days at soa were
not comfortable ones, A strong head wind
Avas blowing, accompanied by an unj)leasant
confuseil sea in which the Altrt, always
noted fur her particularly lively (pialities,
tumbled about considerably, added to which
we were enveloped in a dense fog, and ex-
perienced much rain. The 29th, however,
was fine and clear, and we wore able to make
good i)rogress, steaming through the Strait
of Lelleisle, and leaving the coast of ISlew-
foundland, the land, as one of my messmates,
;i native of the country, irreverently informeil
me, of dogs, fugs, and cod-lish, far behind
us.
Whilst steaming through the Strait we
passed several fishing l)oats pursuing tlieii'
orilinary avocations, oil' a small fishing and
I i-.iding station on the coast of Labrador,
called Ulanc Sablon. As this would l>e the
last opjjortunity that we should have of com-
luiniicating with our friends, letters were
iiiirriedly Aviitten, and a small mail bag was
bciit to one of these bouts, with u rec^uest that
it might be put on board tlio first lionioward
bound steamer that passed.
On the sanu) evening we passed a remark-
able-looking Hat-topped hill calleilthe Devil's
Dining table, and on the following day
rouiidcid the most (nistern point of Labrador,
and sha[)ed a course to the northward.
Icebeig.s innumcirable lay stianded along
the shore, some of them of very lai'ge dimen-
sions, and birds, peculiar to the northern
regions, Hew around. Amongst them I no-
ticed my old friends tho looms and fulmar
petrels, as well as skuas and pidKns, the
latter in countIo«s numbers, and so fat as to
be hardly able to lly.
Already wo had experienced a marked
change in the temperature, the thermometer
during the; six days that had elapsed since
we left Halifax having fallen nearly 30°, viz.
from (10 ' to 37°. At nddnight there was a
brilliant display of aurora to the northward ;
it was so blight that, although the sun had
.set nearly three hours before, small print was
tlistinctly legible on the upi)er deck by its
light. The colours were of a bright orange
and violet, and tho coruscations were ex-
ceedingly brilliant. Luminous streamers
shot up, at intervals, vertically from the
horizon to the zenith, lasting several seconds
and then gradually fading away. Altogether
it was one of the finest aurone 1 had ever seen.
The 2nJ of July gave the uninitiated on
board the Alert their first experience of a
real Arctic day, with its most unpleasant
and disagreeable accompaniments, namely
wind, cold, snow and ice, for the morning
was ushered in by a still' northerly gale, snow
was falling, the weather was gloomy and
misty, and the ship was surrounded by loc
drifting ice, whilst the temperature was dowi:
to freezing {)oint. Coleridge surely had ii,
his imagination such a scene is that oi
which we gazed on the morning f tho 2n'
of July, when he wrote -
" Anil now Ihere cunie 1 th mist iind auuw,
And it gi'ew \vonilii>Ms C'ld ;
And ico iimHt-high c ■ :ne sailiua' by i
As g-iecu us L'lueralJ."
One of the icebergs that we pa.ssed w;;
estimated to be at leasl, 200 1 I't in In ,dit,
and half a mile in length; a maguiticent, uohl
Oil
appe;|
chant
may '
able
shone
.and
luteal til
it wlJ
rofkei
of .
deep
Jiuunl
I
THROUGH HUDSON'S STRAIT AND DAY.
117
owunl
loni
a rcniiirk-
:lio Devil's
\v\ui; tlivy
liiilniulor,
anl.
idcd along
rgo (limcn-
. iioitlu'in
,hi!in I ni)-
luul fulmar
jllllillS, till!
so fat us to
a maikod
icrniomt'tcr
apsod since
ily 30°, viz.
there was a
noithwanl ;
the sun had
,11 print was
ilcck hy its
■ight orange
IS were cx-
s streamers
, from the
cial seconds
Altogether
ad ever seen,
iiinitiated on
icrienco of a
; unpleasant
iiits, namely
the mornini.';
•ly gale, snow
gloomy and
ided liy loo •
are wasdowi!
urely had ii.
•IS that 01
: the 2n'
by
ilOW,
e parsed w;
.•t in ht -di'
liticent, n-jbK
fi'llow, whoso summit tnwerod ovor tho tops
of all adjacent hcigs. It must, indeed, jiavc
heen (»f cnoiiniius diiMetisions wlieu it was
originally se[)aiated fi'om its paient glaeiei',
to lloat, as a fiM/inentaiy pitiec of iee, down
to the warmer waters of the sduth.
It was a graml sight to witness tho blue
waves daslijiig tip in fheii' lieailiong career
against the crystal sides of the hergs, nppa
rently intent on ovcrwlielining them with
their irresistihlc; force, expending their ener-
;;ies in their liist furious but impotent assiulfc,
and then falling hack, lirokcn and sidxlucd, to
mingle again with their own element, roa<ly
to renew tho attack with redoubled energy
and strength.
Uui ship, rigging, masts, antl yards were
all coveied with .snow and frost-iimo, ro-
mindiiig mo very nuieh of little toy vcssols
that are sometimes seen decorating the top.s
of (Christmas cakes. Altogether, our sur-
roundings I'resented a very cheerless and
wintry a[)pearan(o, which was enhanced by
tho bitter cold wiiKl that was bluwin;'.
'P° , w-
70
00
\^ D A /• / .V
.V /• A- .1 / T
w'^-'V/ r n s () x's.^J^'}
Ch
lircllilf 1 y,.T.";..;f/;;
■i'' Oxford
House
f '•iMnnuaij House
SO"T'-S('lhiili
' Winnipeg
h
GO
fFartiiti)..^.
CHART SHOWING ROUTE.
90°
On the following day, however, everything
appeared to have undergone a complete
change, and enabled us to enjoy, what I
may call, a real Arctic day in its most agree-
able and acceptable aspect. A bright sun
.shone down ujjcn us out of a [jcrfectly clear
4ind cloudless sky ; there was a cris|)y,
knlthy feeling about the air as wo inhalcfl
fl when wc went on dock ; the ship lazily
rocked, almost iiiipeiceptil)ly, on the surface
of . smooth and nearly rpiiesccnt sea of a
deep blue colour, Avhilst around us floated
Jiuumeraule j)ioces of ice, of rpiaint and fan-
tastic forms, resembling, more than anything
else, colossal sv/ans disporting themselves on
the bosom, of some inland lake.
A truly fine day in the northern regions —
and a fine day is by no means exceptional
— is really vei'y enjoyable ; and following, as
it invariably (loos, after dirty weather, is all
the more thoroughly appreciated.
AI)out twenty miles off, with its outline
consjticuously defined against the clear blue
sky beyond, was the coast of Labrador, a
bleak and inhospitable-looking country, the
utter sterility of which appealed its mostJio-
^
118
GOOD WOKDS.
ticcablc foaturo ; tlic summits of tho hills and
tlio VUII03S W(3ie still rotaiiiiiig their Avintry
^ai'b of snow. Thu vi;jw that we obtained
of it icniindcd me very much of the southern
coast of Greenland, the b;' 'enness and
"loathsomeness" of vhich induced sturdy
old John Davis to name it the hand of Deso-
lation. As vro i)assed along the land, the
distant hills—especiidly those far iidand —
were nuich dist'.jrtdl by mirage, and assumed
all sorts of curious shapes, nuiny having the
appearance of being drawn up into the sky,
with no visil)le ccr.nection between their
summits and their bases.
Although sui'rounded liy loose sailing ice,
wo exp.'rienced noditlicult}- in threading our
M'ay through it ; and, with the exercise of a
little care, we were able to avoid coming into
contact with the heavier submerged pieces
that were occasionally met.
A great deal of the ice that we pa.sscd
wa:; of a scry dirty colour; some })ieces
were almost black, as if covered with earth.
This discoloured ice is called by the whalers
"foxy ice," the discolouration being probably
caused by dust, »Vc., blown over it frt)ni the
shore. If this is a true exjilanation, its
presence so far to sea wan 1 would tend to
show an early disrui<tion of the pack, for
the discoloured ice that we mot^ we must
infer, was the ice that was adhering to the
land during the wintei'. and, conscipiently,
the last to break adrift in the sprin;;.
Thcij is, howcNcr, another tlieory regard-
ing the discolouration of this ice, and that is
that it may l)e due to the presence of diatoma-
cea^, or some other infusoria' in the water jnior
to cougeahnent. Ic is well known that medusa;
form the principal food of the whale, and its
presence is always known liy the inky dark-
ness of the water. Whalei's invarialily search
for what the}' call the "black water,'' know-
ing well that whales are sui'e to be found i)!
its ncighboiuiiood ; so that this water, being
fro.-ien, may also account for ulie discoloura-
tion ot the ice we saw. I am, however, in
favour of the lirsL-iiamed theor}', namely,
that the discolouration is due to dirt and
dust blown from the shore on to the pack.
On the morning of the -Itli of July, being
abreast of >iaclivak Iidet, on the coast of
Labi'ador, near which is estal)lished a post
of the Hudson's Bay < 'ompany, an attcm[)t
was made to enter, but the ice was found
to be so lightly packed close into the
shore, that it was dcemeil undesirable to
persevere in our endeavours to get in, as
we could only have done so at the expense
of much coal— a very precious article when
the supply is limited — so the attempt was
abandoned, and we proceetled on our way
northwai'ds.
During the ilay we saw a largo munber
of Avalruses in herds, varying from three to
six in I'ach, lying dreannly basking in tho
sun, on snuiU pieces of ict', but being Sun-
day, no attempt was made to molest them.
A few seals were also seen clos« alongside
in the water, staring at us inquisitively with
their large, beautiful eyes, and with a deci-
'ledly hnnuin expression on their wistful
laces; but they, likewise, and for the same
reason, were not molested.
Another lirilliant disi)lay of aurora was
seen during the evening. Un this occasion it
took the form of an irivgular arch along the
eastern ,sky. Near to the horiz<m the colour
was of a deep orange, blending gradually into
a rich gold. The greatest mteiisity of bril-
liancy was along the top of th.^ arch. No
streamers were visible, but vivid haninous
patches would suddenly appear in the hea\ens
near the zeinth, and then fade gradually
away. These lunnnous patches occasionally
seen with aurone are, I think, the same so
frequently alluded to liy the old navigators
as the " pettie dancers."
For the next four days our i>rogress was
sadly interfered with, and our movements
nuich hampered, by ice and fog. Either one
of these enemies to navigation is bad enough
by itself, but when combined they form seri-
ous obstacles to progression. We were cer-
tainly most unfortunate in our weather when
we reached the neighbourhood of the en-
trance to Hudson's Strait, for had it not been
for the heavy snowstorms and dense fog that
prevailed, we sIkjuIiI have thought but little
of the ice b}' which we were surrounded ;
prudence and discretion, however, were pro-
nunent characteiistics coiuiected with the
navigation of the .i'cii, and they prompted
a delay until cleai' weather should reveal the
dangers to be encountered. Sfjcnsers lines
in the "Faerie l^ueeu " were \cvy applicable
to ourselves ; —
" Tlieic;it tlicy picatly woro disiiiiiynl, ne wist
Hiiw to iliu'ot tlicyr wiiy in d:iikiirs «icl(\
But .liui'.'d to \v:ind(,T in tliiit ^vasl(;fllH iiiiatc,
Inr tiiiiilillllf,' iiiio liu>^cliit';i' uiicsiiydr,
Wui.so i.s the Jiiiiger LidJuu (lira dc-ciidi;."
As it was, we very nearly "tombled into
ndschiefc," for sudilcniy, during a brief in-
terval, the loom of land was seen indistinctly
for a moment close to, and in an unexpected
([Uaiter, and we had no little dilliculty hi
boring our way through the ice in an oppo-
site diiectionto the land, until we had [ilaced
a considerable distance between ourselves and
being
tiiat
I
i
THliUUGll HUDSON'S STKAIT AND BAV,
11(?
the rock.s ! Wc had been (h'iftcd in by the
uncertain eurrents and eddyiiigs which are
well known to exist, and wliicli have given
to the entrance of the Strait an unenviable
reputation by the maiiners of old, who fre-
(juently observed curious tunndtMou.s commo-
tions in t!io watci's in that locality.
Although the ice by which we were sur-
rounded was of a soft and l)rashy nature, and
of .such a consistency that a powerful steamer
couM easily have forced her way through, we
were sevei'al times helplessly beset by it, and
on one occasion, in the middle of the night, the
ice was squeezing so tightly and with such
pressure, that it piled up around the ship as
high as the bulwyrks. To sleep was out of
the (piestion, tor although there was no real
danger, the noise produced by the soft ice
being pulverised against the ship's side so
resembled the crackinii; anil groaning of our
own timbers, that it was diHicult to believe
that the ship herself was not being smashed
up !
On deck the scene was wild and dismal.
The wind A\as howling through the rigging,
snow was falling heavil}', and the ship was
entirely surroun led by ice; whilst the noise
ot the ice, as it v.-.,.- broken by the irresistilde
pressure of the pack, mingled Avith the howl-
ing of the gale that was raging, was so great
tiiat it was i^bsolutely impos.siblc to hear
people speaking close alongside : —
" The ice was bcio, tlip ico wris there,
Tlic ice WHS all avdund ;
It craokeJ and ;jiowlecl and roared and howled
Like uoifccs iu a i- wound."
It must not be imagined that, during the
foui' days we were detained oil' the ('iitrance
to the Strait, our detention was caused by
ice, for such was not the case. Frequently
during the day the pack would loosen, and
leave its in a lai'ge e.\[)anse of water, with
broad lanes radiating in all ilirections through
the ice, but we Mere unable to avail our-
.selves of these oi)i)ortunities to i)roceed, in
consequence of the fogs and thick weather
that prevailed.
I nnist not onut to mention that it was
<luring this detention that our first Polar
bear was seen and killed.
Great was tlie excitement caused Ijy the
report that a bear, a real live Polar bear, was
actually in sight. Although it was four o'clock
in the morning, the deck was soon crowded
with woiiid-be slayers, who, riile in hand and
scantily attired (in spite of the temperature
being at, or below, fivezing-i)oint), were eagerly
incpiiring, in the wildest state of excitement,
the whereabouts of their intended victim.
Poor Bruin was all this time lying unconccrn-
edl}' on a piece of i^'C, probably asleep and
dreaming of some nice fat seal on which ho
would break his fast on awakening. Suddenly
he awoke, and appearing to realize the danger
to which he was exposed, took one long,
anxious look at the uncanny monster which
was steaming towards him at full speed, then
l)limging into the sea, he endeavoured to
make good his escape by swimming.
This was the sigiial for attack, when a
tremendous fusilade was opened on the
wretched animal from the ship. The shots
Avere wild, as nuist always be the case when
rapid, indiscriminate .shooting is rcsor ed to,
for e\eryb(jdy, hoping that his shot might be
the lucky one, and that he might have the
reputation of being the "Bear-slayer," fired,
without wasting much time to take aim.
During all this time those on board the
ship were placed in as much jeopardy from
the unskilfulness of the marksmen, and their
inexperience in the use of fire-arms, as was
the object of their particular attentions, and
it was more by good luck than gooil manage-
ment that no accident occurred. At length,
after the bond)ai'dment had lasted many
mintites, during which tinre the ship was
chasing the bear at fidl speed, crashing into
the ice that lay in its path, regardless of
everything hut the capture of the animal, a
shot struck poor Bruin in the shoulder, caus-
ing him to plunge and kick violently, and to
sua}) his jaws viciously above water. A boat
was then lowered, when the poor beast re-
ceived his iinietus, though not before half-a-
dozen more shots were tired at it.
Two mornings after, as our men jnmped
on to th'i Hoe from the b.;v,s[)rit in order to
seciu-e the sliip to the ice, they uncere-
moniously disturbed the slumbers of another
bear, Avho was peacefully slce[)ing behind the
very hummocks to which the men were or-
dered to make the lines fast. It is ditlicult to
say which were tlio must alarmed on nnding
themselves in such cIo.nC i)roximity to each
other, the men, or Bruin whose repose was
so suddenly and disaureeably disturbed. The
former retreated to the sliii), and hurriedly
scranibknl up the side, whilst the bear scam-
pered oil' as fast as its legs coidd carry it,
until stoppeil by the bullets from the riiles
of our marksmen.
AVe were now in the enjoyment of per-
Ijctual day, or [)erhaps 1 shall be more correct
in saying i)erpetual daylight; the sun re-
maining above the horizon until jiast 10p.:\3.,
anil rising again shortly before two in the
n.orinng ;\luring the interval of its absence
there was always a good twilight. xVrctic navi-
120
C;OOD WOIiDS.
Ration would ho vory liiunrdous, indfcd lie
almost iiiipnssililL', witlumt the coiitiimous
dayliglit that is expcrieucctl (hiring the
navigable season in those regions.
After l)eiiig eiivelopod in fog for a period
of four (hiys, foitune, and the sun, at last
smiled on us, the Mcatiier cU'ared, and on
the Htli of .Iul>- we passed ra])0 Chidley,
and entered tiie Strait withom, .et or liin-
drance from ice. As tlie fog ek'ared away
a most eneouraging sight Avas revealed,
namely, a broad expanse of Iduc water,
extending as far as we could sec in every
direction, M-ith only a few stiaggjing pieces
of ice, (lotted hei'e and there oa its sur-
face, lu this clear Avater we stei.med along
gaily, and such good progress did wo make
that by noon the following day, we had pene-
trated into the Strait a distance of one hun-
dred and thirty miles.
As wc proceeded to the westward our com-
passes ])ecame visiltly atl'ected, and worked
so .sluggishly as to be hardly reliable ; this
loss of sensitiveness was due to the inllu-
encc exerted on them by on.r proximity to
the North j\lai;iietie I'ok, +o-.vards the neiLrh-
bourhood of which we were rapidly ap-
proaching.
On the cven-ng of the 10th, our progress
was somewhat checked oil' the nuddle Savage
Islands liy an accunndation of ice, but so
loosely packed that we experienced but little
diiliculty in etlecting a })assage through.
Although these islands are so named on our
nio(leni charts, they were really named by
Henry Hudson, who discovered them in
IGIO," the "Isles of Cod's .Mcrcie."' Their
original name, which should undoubtedly be
retained, will I hope 1)0 restoriid to them in
all future issues of the chart of these regions.
It ha\iiig been decided to call at North
Bluil", on the northern side of the Strait.
(Avhore one of the meteorok)gical stations had
been estaldished), for the purpose of taking
on board the gentleman who had been j)lace(l
in charge of the station, a course was shaped
with that oliject, and early on the morning
of the 11th we dropped anchor in a snug
little bay named Ashe Inlet, in sight of the
station house which had been erected tv,o
years previouslj'.
The station hands were not long before
they made their appearance on board, in.
fact, were alongside long before the anchor
was let go, delighteil at seeing the shiji
again, after their long isolated sojourn
T
On the (Joust of Lat rmlo ■.
away from the civilised world. They were j roindeor moat, that tlioy turned up their noses
in perfect health, and had spent a jjleasant ; at some fresh beef that we proposed to send
and, comparatively, happy winter. So well ' on shore for their consumption, romarkinu
had they been supplied 1)y the E.skimos Avith I that An-c had better keep it for ourselves':
TllKOUCIlI HUDSON'S STIIAIT AND BAY.
121
")rot<;ress
1 Savage
but so
)Ut littlo
;hrough.
I on our
iTucd b}'
liem in
' Tbeir
itodly be
them iu
regions.
^t North
e Strait,
ions luul
if talking
:;n placed
IS shaped
morning
n a snug
;it of tlu;
!ctcd tv,
m before
lioard, III
le anchor
the ship
sojourn
All tlmt tlioy rpquired -was a little preserved I ice, wo were told, did not form in the Strait
niih^ and buttei', and, of eoune, tol)acco. befoic Decendier, and it was eonsidci'ed tliat
The lowest temperature recortled by tlioin the cliannel was perfectly free tor ]iavigati<iu
>ring the winter was IC^ below zero. 'Hio during the entire month of Novcmlier. Two
luri
^fc
. '^'Jir^- « y t .
Jtetcoroli)<;iu:il Station, Asho lultt.
their noses
?(1 to send
remarking
ourpelve« !
families of Eskimos had si^ttled down close
to the station-house, and had there wintei'eil.
They Averc of the gieatest service to the
station, supplying them with fi'csh meat
besides skin clothing, iVc.
At the time of our vi-it, these children of
the soil had i'eine\ed fi'oni tlieir winter habita-
tions to their sunuuer tents, which latter were
made of seal-skins, sewn together and spread
out on Avooden poles. Their dross was iilen-
tical with that described by Sir Edward
Parry sixty years ago, Avhich shows that among
these simple people fashicms do not alter so
rapidly as they do with the more highly
civilized inhabitants of the globe. They
appeared jierfectly happy and contented ; had
fat, round, flabby, and good naturcd faces,
but were all excessively dirty, whilst the
odour peculiar to these people Avas (piite as
)'ercej)tible, and as pungent, as I have found
it to be Avith those Eskimos Avhom I haAO
met in much higher northern latitudes. One
of the Avomen had the lower part of her face
tattooed in straight lioiizontal linos. They
Avere in posscs.sion of tlu'ec kayaks'- a'nl a
• A kriynk is a riiiior rnvovril \\\ \\ AsAW. mikI sk liirlit Unit 'i
I'inn ran easily oaviy it iim bis Iicml. 'I'lip ICskiiuim arc very
i.xpcrt und skili'iil ii! tin- liaudliii!,' of tlioso boalf.
foAv dogs, but the latter seemed to me to be
inferior in size and sti'ongth to those of
(ircenland.
(bimc a])poareil to be plentiful in the
neighbourhood of the station. Numerous
herds of reindeer Avore met Avith during the
Avinter, and hares Avcre reported as abundant
on an adjacent island, whilst bears, seals, and
Avalriis Avci'e fro(|uently seen.
Tied tip outside tlie house Avas a Avolfs
Avhelp, Avhich had boon captured about a fort-
night i)rior to our arrival, its mother having
been shot by one of the natives. I Avas
informeil that it Avas getting quite tamo, but
from its Avild and frantic attempts to escape,
and its vicious cndeaA-oiu's to bite Avhon it
Avas approached, I could not help thinking
it Avas a very long Avay from domestication.
We only remained at Ashe Inlet a couple
of hours, Avhicli was all the time required by
the gentleman in charge of the station to
pack up his belongings and come off to the
ship. His presence on board Avas a very
pleasant and agreeable acquisition to our
small party in the Alert.
On leaving Ashe Tnlet it Avas our intention
to have gone across the Strait, for the ptu'pose
12:
GOOD VVOKDS.
of visiting another station that liad been
cstiiblialied on tho south si<lc of tho cluinn(>l,
but lifter jjroi'eeding for about seven miles
ill that direction, wo were niortilied to iind
tiie streams of ice packed so tiglitly togethei',
that W(! could only have ])enetrated tlieni at
the e.\])eii.se of much valuable time and fuel ;
the attempt was therefore abandoned, and a
cour.^e was sha|)ed to the westward.
ijut,a'ias! no better [)rospect of advancement
appeared in this direction, for hero also we
weie met by a barrier of ice extending, ap-
parently, right across the Strait. The sight
was not an inspiriting one, but, like all ditli-
culties, ir. Avas more formidable in i ppearaiico
than in reality, and although the ice, our im-
placable enemy, was apparently consolidated
into one large field, it was never so tightly
packed as to prevent progress, however slow,
being made through it.
At periodical intervals during the day,
when the ice would be affected by the tide,
the pack would loosen considerably, thereby
enabling us to make fairly good progress, but
at other times, on account of the want of
.siiflicient jiower on board the Alert to force
her through tho pack, we would remain for
hours stationary, helplessly beset by the
ice. \ more powerful steamer, sj^ecially con-
structed for ice navigation, would, however,
have cxpeiienced no ditiiculty in making
continuous [u'ogress through the ice that we
encountered, and although her rate of pro-
gression might not have been pai'ticularly
rapid, she would have succee<lcd iii. accom-
i)lisliing the passage of the Strait in far less
time, and with greater ease, than a vessel
with such little steam-power as that possessed
by the Aleri. As it Avas, we were no less
than nine days pushing and boring oui- way
through the Strait, duriiig which time our
avei-age daily rate of progress was only
thirty miles !
The jjack that so ini})eded our advance v.-as
by no means of a formiilable nature ; it was
Aviiat might be called a brokcn-u}) i)ack, con-
sisting of a number of small pieces of soft
ice, varying in size from about three to liftcen
yards across their greatest breadth, and com-
posed of what is tei'ined brashy, or rotten, kc.
This appears to me to be a special peeuliai ity
of the character of the pack in Hudsoii"s
Strait, and it is one that 1 have not seen
before in othei' [uirts of the northern regions.
This peculiar composition is a very im-
portant feature, and it is one that shoubl
not be disregarded when the navigation of
the Strait is under consideration, for it I
has the ellect of depriving the pack of its i
})owers to seriously injure any ship that
may be beset in it, the small .soft pieces
acting as cushions between the ship and
lai'ger pieces of ice, and thus preventing
the vessid from being violently sijuee/ed.
Occasionally heavier pieces of ice, partaking
of the natni'o of floes, were seen, but they
were few anil far between, and with a little
care and caution were easily avoided. This
ice that we had to contend with was, in
all prol)a])ility, that formed in Fox Channel,
and which had gradually diifted down into
Hudson Strait on the general ilisniptioii of
tho pack in the summer.
Surrounded as we were by ier;, the effects
of the mirage were occasionally very curious
and very striking. Sometimes a huge wall
of ice would be created, drawn up many feet
above our horizon, resembling a solid stone
structure, barringourway across the Strait. On
one occasion an island, some twenty-hve miles
oil", was entirely hidden fi'oni oiu'view by the
ice being refracted up into the seml)lance of
a wall between ourselves and the island. The
mirage would then suddenly be dissipated,
when the island would immediately appear
as if by magic. Perha})s this sudden ap-
pearance and disappearance would take place
a dozen times in as many minutes.
No icebergs Avcrc seen 'iftcr leaving Ashe
Inlet, from which it is reasonable to infer
that all tho^^ met Avitli to the eastward in
Hudson's StraK, were the productions of
glaciers to the northward, and that there are
few, if an}', discharging g'aciers in tho Strait
itself.
During the time that we were slowly and
tediously working our way through the ice,
the mainland to the southward, as far as
Ca[)0 Wolstenholmc, with Nottingham and
Salisbury Islands to the westward, \vere in
full view, but so distant as to render it im-
possible for us to distinguish bays, cajjcs, or
even any inecpialities in the coastline. It all
looked black and sonibi'e, airording a striking
contrast to the white, icy wiUlerness by which
we were more immediately sui'rouuded.
It was \(ivy aggravating sonietimes to 1)0
stopped i)erhaps by only a small neck of ice,
which we had not the power to bieak, and yet
to see lanes of water existing on the op[)osite
side. Of course ellbrts were constantly being
made to get through, and it was ])articularly
fascinating to watch the ship from aloft,
threading her a. ay through the small, rubbl}'
pieces of ice, sonietimes coming into violent
contact with an unusually heavy piece that
was partially submerged, which would have
the ellect of bringing the ship to a dead stop,
SOME (
or, if it struck her bro;
perliaps make hcr"cani
heavy piece on the oppt
•spills, and the ship her
the violence of the shoci
. ^"y pi-ogress was, hov
inipedcd by the snuille.
vvhich, filling up the wat
i"g round the ship ;v
oHered much oppositic
through. The larger JI
althougli some were a].
of deep immersion, wei
of deca}-, and were <iuit(
combed. I'heseinvariabb
on being struck by the sf
At length, on the evei
'•'idy, after battling with t
eight days, we ^Icceeded
SOME COLLECT AXD CLERICAL REMINISCENCES.
123
it struck her broad on the l)ow, would
.ips uuikc her " cannon " on +o an e([u;dly
y piece on tlie oiiposite how, causing tlie
I, and the ship liersclf, to tremble with
■iolencc of the shock,
ir progress was, howev{>r, nioi'e generally
ded by the smaller pieces of loose ice,
h, filling up the water spaces, and pack-
round the ship with great tenacity,
ed much opi)ositiou to our passage
ugh. The larger Hoes that we passed,
)ugh some were apparently heavy and
eep immersion, were in the last stage
Dcay, and were (juite rotten and honoy-
bed. These invarialjly crumbled to pieces
eing struck by the ship,
t length, on the evening of the 19th of
■, after battling "\\ith the ice for more than
fc days, we succeeded in approaching to
within five miles of the Digges Islands, on
the most western of which Avas established
one of the meteoi'ological stations that avo
were desirous of visiting. Our approach had
evidently l)een observed, for, witii our tele-
scopes, W(j Avero able to distinguish some of
the men on one of the highest hills anxiously
awaiting our arrival. It Avas not however,
until the next morning that Ave succeeded in
getting clear of the pack, and slioitly after-
wards dropped our anchoi in front of the
station house in a shel.ered little bay called
Lni)errierc Harbour, in the Avestern Digges
Island ; here Ave i)roposed to remain tor a
few da}s, in order to give the machinery a
thorough overhaul, forAve had been constantly
under steam since our departure from llali-
fax, and e\'en engines re(xuire rest and re-
pose !
THROUGI
A FTER our close contiiier.
•^^ the ship for a period i
weeks, the enjoyment of a rui
a good scramble over the li
Isliuiil was much a])j)reciated.
The island consists of a
gneiss hills, rising to an alt:
five hundred feet ; these f
b}- broad vidleys, the major;
riglit angles with each other,
with moss and a coarse doscri
pleasant and soft for the
existed, but otherMise tlie
ati'ocious, either in a soft tei
on shurp-edged stones and
Eaised beaches were Ouserv
coast, whilst distinct mai'ks
were everj'where perceptible
rocks on the hills.
Althou<.ch I succeeded in ga
Howers belonging; to the Ai'
vegetation compared most unf,
that of some of the small isl;
I have landed off the coast of N
and which, although situate
hiifher northern latitude, ar
summer months, covered wit^
and luxuriant veiietation.
The men at the station w
delighted to see us ; they had
paratively comfortalih' winter
ences being very similar to tlu
stationed at Ashe Inlet.
Periodical visits had been }
ing the winter by the natives 1
land, who came across on th(
TnROUGE HUDSON'S STEAIT AND BAY.
PA 1:1 111.
ER our close confiiieiaont on boarc'
L' sliip for a period of nearly four
the cnjiiynient of a 1 an on shore, ami
scramble over the hilN on Dii^^es
was much ajiprecinte'l.
island consists of a sei'ioti of bare
lills, rising to an altitude of about
ludred feet ; these are intersected
id valle}'8, the majorit\- running at
nglo.s with each other, and carpeted
OSS and a coarse description of grass,
and soft for the feet where it
but otherAvise the walking was
IS, either in a soft tenacious soil, or
rp-edgod stones and rugged rucks.
beaches were obser\ed along the
whilst distinct marks of glaciation
^'ery where perceptible vn the gneiss
1 the hills.
)ugh I succeeded in gathering several
belongini' to the Arctic flora, the
on compared most unfavourably with
some of the small islands on which
inded ofl' the coast of Novaya Zendya,
)ich, althouiih situated in a nmch
northern latitude, are, dui'ing the
months, covei'cd with a really rich
uriant vegetation.
men at the station were, of course,
d to sec us ; they had passed a com-
■]y comfortalili' winter, their experi-
iing very similar to those of the men
d at Ashe Inlet.
dical visits had been paid them dur-
winter by the natives from the main-
ho came across on their dog sledgci':;
from Cape Wolstenhohue, ])r'inging large
sui)plies of venison and skins, which they
would traflic foi' tol)acco, p(»Wilei', shot, oi'
anything else they thought might, be useful to
' them.
During these visits tlie} wculil remain
encamped, in close proxinuty to the station-
h.ouse, until all their goods had liccn ili.Npo-ed
of, or until they saw there was nothing f'M-
ther to be obtained from the white men. Oii
these occasions, if any of the Eskimos were
suil'ering from sickness or were at all indi.s-
' posed, they usually consulted the gentle-
man in charge of the station, who would
invariably prescribe some remedy for the
suilering one. Once a baby was brought
, to him, evidently reduced to a very lo\\'
; state from the wv.m of sufHcient nouiish-
mcnt ; immediate!;, realizing the nature of
the ailment, a large syunge was procvired
from the medicine elost, and "v..u'm tea
and milk was," I was informed, "squirted
down the baby's t'uroat until it fairly ran
over!" The remedy, altliough an appa-
rent!}- severe one, was, I believe, eliisa-
cious, for ui'.ler this treatment the b.;ln
thrived wonderfully, but we will hope tha.!-
' the poor little thing was not filled nj) t(/
overilowing each time the piescription wa >
admiuisteretl
On anothei' occasion, au old woman, wlai
had been long ailing, was brought to tlie
stationd'ouse fur treatment. The case wa-
a diiUcult one, for the illness was, to all
appearance, old .age and exhausted nature.
In this dilemma "Pain Killer" was prcscril)ed,
188
(lOOl) WOK'DS.
(loses of wliich woiv u(lniiiii>t(!n'il liotli cx-
toriiully aiiil iiitcrMully. This ease teriniiuitoil
less successfully tliuu tliat uf tlic baby, for
after a cnuiso of throe, weeks of tlie ahovc-
mentioiiofl tieatnietit, the old laily died. Let
us hope the " I'aiu Killer " diil not ticcelenito
her cud 1 After death the l)oily was sewn up
iu deer skins, a hole was then made at the liack
of the "igloo," or house, i1ol;s were harnessctl
to the corpse, aud it was dragL,'ed out through
the extetiipoi ised opening, and deposited on
the snow on the opposite side of the liarbour.
The remains wei'o subsequently, after the de-
partni'e of the natives, ])roperly and decently
interred by the men at the station.
The Eskimos of Hudson's Strait have a
great horror and repugnance to touch a
human corpse, and will not pei'mit one to be
removed from a liouso through the regular
oiitiaiue ; a special d(>or must therefore be
made, tenipoi'arily, at the back of the house
before the remains can be taken out for
interment.
At the station was a hen which had been
left there by the Alert during her visit the
[)rerious year. Strange to say, during the
winter she laid no less than si.xty eggs !
She M'as, of course, carefully looked after,
and kept in-doors during the cold w'eather.
A few ilays piior to our ai'rival. a couple of
eggs, which liad been found in the nest of a
loon, or great uorthcm diver (Coli/mbtis gJaci-
al'is), luui been put under this hen, which at
once sat u[)on them. In five days tAvo litth
loons were hatched, but, alas, they only sur-
vived their ar'ival in this world a few days;
their death being probably due to the inabi-
lity of the old hen to furnish them with suit-
.ible food.
On the first day that T landed on the
island, the Aveather being cold and cloudy, I
observed the Avater rour.d the Ijanks of the
ponds and lakes covered Avith a black film,
which, on closer examination, I found to be
myriads of nuisquitoes, l\'ing on tlie surface
of the Avater in a kind of torpor, or suspended
animation, re(|uiring, apparently, (mly a bright
<\\\\ to restore them to life and vigour. Un-
fortunately for us, the sun, on the folloAving
day, shone out bright and warm ; this had
the dcsiied etiect, and Ave were soon made
sensible of the presence of SAvarms of these
noxious little insects. I never met with such
voraciotis and insatiable musquitoes in all my
life ; no j)lacc Avas secure from their perse-
cutions ; the ship sAvarmed Avith them ; in
spite of hatchAvays and skylights being
closed, they found their 'vay into our
cabins, Avhence it Avas almost impossible to
dislodge tlieni, although the buriu'ng of
brown jtapei'.
and other devices to uet rid
of them, Avero resorted to.
" A cloud iif rumtil'dlis f.'H;itH dm liilii iiiidl'ist,
All ftriviiiff to iiitixi,' tliiir Inlilc Mtin(jrrH
That from their uoyaueo he uuwhi'ic ciin rest."
Tf Spenser had liei'ii writing his " Faerio
<.^>tleene "' at Digges Island, he never AVoiUd
have alluded to the .stings as being "feeble;"
but bad as th(! nuis(iuitoes weiv in this ])laee,
it was my misfortune to find them ten thou-
sand times more cxasj)erating, before I I'eached
the end of my journey I lint I must not an-
ticipate ; "sufficient for the dav is the evil
thereof!"
Tlie macliinery having l)een overhauled,
and our stock of fresh Avater rej)lenished, avo
bade farewell to the station hands, directing
them to be ready to be taken on board tlio
Alert on her return voyage in about si.x
weeks' time, and steamed out of harbour ou
the "jr.th of July.
I'ri(U' to our departure Ave liad obtained,
from the summit of one of the hills, a good
vieAv of the Bay and Strait, and Avere much
gratified to see that the ice Avas loose, and
that there Avas much Avater. It Avas there-
fore all the more mortifying to find, after
Ave got aAvay, that the fine e.xjtaiise of Avater
that Ave had seen had disappeared, and that
its place Avas occu[)ied by broad streams of
ice, so tightly jiacked as to matei ially inter-
fere Avith our jH'ogress. However, l)y (lint of a
little peiseverance, and pushing on Avhenever
opportunities ofl'ered, Ave succeeded on the
following morning in getting clear of the
pack, and emerged suddenly ujioii an open
sea, Avith only a few stray pieces of ice
scattered here and there.
The rapid transition from our icy thraldom
to freedom, on a perfectly clear sheet of
Avater, Avas almost nu'raculous. When cleai'
of the jjack Ave Avere only seven miles from
Digges Islands, yet it had taken us nearly
thirty hours to accom])lish that distance!
Here ended all our difficulties, so far as the
ice Avas concerned ; the passage of the Strait
had been accomplished, and the o])en, ice-
unencumbered Avater of Hudson's Bay had
been reached, and although a feAv straggling
streams of ice Avere subsequently seen, they
Avere so loose that they in no Avay interfered
Avitli our progress, nor had the course of the
ship ever to be altered for the purpose of
avoiding coming into contact Avith them.
Passing between Mansell and Southamp-
ton Islands, under steam and sail, with a fine
fresh breeze, Ave steered to the southward,
having decided upon visiting the Hudson's
TIlROUCil niDSOX'S .STI:AIT and 1!AV
180
riiiii'j; of
; i^ct rid
?st."
" Faerio
or would
'feeble;"
his i)lii(e,
ten tlion.-
1 leacheil
it not aii-
the evil
eihauled,
islied, we
directing
»oai'd tlio
bout .six
irbour on
obtained.
Is, a good
ere inucli
oose, and
'as there-
lud, after
! of water
and that
reams of
lly inter-
dint of a
whenever
d on the
of the
an open
■s of ice
thrahlom
sheet of
lien clea)'
liles from
IS nearly
;uice !
far as the
he Strait
pen, ice-
Bay had
traii:gling
een, they
nterfered
se of the
irpose of
hem.
3uthamp-
ith a fine
uthward,
Hudson's
liay post lit Port flinrchill, on the west side
of the I!,i\,
Din'iiig the last few hours that we s]tpnt
in tjie ice no less than tivi; Polar hours wci'e
seen, nnd foui' killed. TIk; two lust that wci'e
sliinghtercd were a inothor iind its cub: they
were Hi'st seen in the water, when the ship,
of coupnc. g;ive chase, stcaiuing aflci' llieni
at full spi'cil. When awai'e of their danger
it was toiichiiig to witness the solicitude
whi<'h the [jarent evinced for its 3'oung,
actually taking it on its bai'k and swimming
Mith it for some distance, until, in fart, Intth
wei'e shot.
IJeardvilling in the watei' is no spurt, and
l)Ut cruel Avork at t\w. best. When on the
ice, wher(! they have an oppcjrtunity of escap-
ing, or (h)fending themselves, the case is very
diU'crent ; but in the water they are abso-
lutely helpless, and at the mercy of the
so-called s]iort,sman.
As -e proceeded to the southwai'd the
temperature rose steadily, and everything
betokened oiu' approach to more hos])itable
and genial climes; the days l)cgan to tb'aw
in perco[)tibly, and there was a correspond-
ing increase in the length of the nights ;
lamps and candles below also became a
nec(!ssity after eight P.Al.
On the afternoon of the 29th of diily, we
steamed into Churchill harbour, and ilropped
anchor in this fnu; laml-locked haven, otl' a
small [)ier that had been consti'ucted for
convenience in ship[)ing, and disembarking
goods and commodities that ai'e I'eceived for,
and from, the vessel belonging to the Hud-
son's Ray Company that anmially visits the
port.
Port Churchill, as also York and ]\b)ose
Factories situated farther to the southward,
were, at one time, three of the most impor-
tant posts belonging to the Hudson's JJay
Conii)any, for it was to these i)laces that the
goods from neai'ly all the other posts situated
in the Hudson's I'ay Territory were for-
warddl by boat.? and canoes, ready f(5r tran-
shipment to the annual packet from Knglaiid.
Tlw construction of the Canadian Pacitic
Railway has, however, eilected an alteration
in the transport arrangements of the com-
pan\', and the greater part of the peltries
are now forwanled direct ti» A\'iinn"peg,
and thence to Europe ; it is only those
stations that are in the immediate neigh-
bourhood of Hudson's 15ay, that now send
their commodities to York Factory, Moose
Factory, and Churchill, as heretofore.
The annual voyages of the ships, from
England to these posts, have been carried out
I 1
with surprising regidarity, and it was vcr,\
rarely indeed that the \'essels ever failed to
make the passage through the Strait.
In the ollicial records kep; liy the com-
pan\, it appears that .Moose l''j'i ny has been
visited by a ship n'uuiarly e\ cry year since
l";')'), with but (tne ('.vceptimi, iiinidy, in
177!>, when the vessel t'ail'jd to get Ihrougli
th(! Strait.
In conse(|uence of the value and im-
poi'tance of these stations, it was considei'eil
necessaiy, during the last ccntiu'\, to con-
sti-uct strong forts, in order to allbrd pidtci
tion in the event of an attack being niadt'
upon them by an eneniN .
'J'lie idea of an cii'Muy's fleet overcoming
the diilicullies of ice navigation and forcing
its way thi'ough the Strait into the Lay,
seems almost incredible ; yet Hudson's IJay
has been the scene of many a sanguinary
engagement between the French and Vaiii
lish. Thei'e is a \ ei}- interesting account
existing of an action that was fought be
tween H.M.S. ILnnps/iir." and some French
men-of-war. During the height of the battle
the ice intervened and separatoil the com-
])atants. After a little time the}' succeeded
in working clear of the ice, when the fight
was resumed, l>ut, it is recoideil, that "by
some uiducky accident," the Iliimjisliirc over-
set and all on board pei'ished.
Fort Prince of Wales, >[)ocially buill
for the defence of Churchill, was a mas-
sive constniction, built of huge blocks of
granite, and in accordance with the most
ajjjtroved plans of fortitication existent in
those daj's, being of quadrangular foi'm Avith
projecting Ijastions at each angle. It was
connncnced in 17-"53, but occupied many years
in building. It occupies a very conunamling
position ;it the western entrance of the har-
bour, and is reported lo have had as many as
forty guns mounted on its walls, which latter
Avere over ten feet in thickness. In the centre
of the fort Avere the ipiarters for tl-.e officers
anil men. In spite of its ap[)arent imiJ^e.g-
nability it Avas suri'endered to La, Perouse in
178'2, without firing a shot !
AVhcn I visited the fort (foi- the walls ar(.'
still standing and the Avhole structure is in a
fair state of preservation) I Avas astonished
at the massive solidity of its construction.
I countcil eighteen old guns, ili-pounders,
lying about in a more oi' less damaged con-
dition, the majority Avith their trunnions
knocked oti", all bearing date of George II.
The fort could A'ei'y easily be put in an effi-
cient state of defence, if required. There
Avas also a battery on the eastern side of the
190
COOD WOliDS.
hai'lxHir. u'liuh .is-.iHtiil to coiiituand the
;il»|)ro;ii;h to it.
Tlio [lo^t (iiH all till! lludscm's I'a}- Cuiii-
piiny's stiitiotis are termed) at Cliinvliill, is
sitnutod at the head of the harhour, and at
,diout four miles fri»m its entrance. It coii-
Asts of al)(»ut a dozen house.s, Ituilt of wood,
and all in a more or leas dilapidate*! condi-
tion. In [general a|i[)eaianee, tidiness, and
rJnanlincHs, the stations that I visited in the
Hudson's Bay territory compare very unfa-
voiualily with the Danish settloment.s in
ilreenland, which are all patterns of neatncs.s
and good oi'der.
The post cotiipiises the cliief tiader's
house, a small one for his assistant, a ma,L,'a-
zine, a Ion;:; ramhling, tumble-down shanty
for the employ t'(s, whilst the remainder of
the buildin.^s are used as store-houses, issue-
house, oil and skin houses. There is .also a
sriiall corrugated-iron clnu'ch, about twenty
feet long by fifteen feet in breadth, which
was sent out at the expense of, and erected by,
tlie Church Missionary Society. The clergy- I
man and his wife had only been there a few \
I lays when we arrived, and as there was no ,
other accommodation, he was compelled to
take up his I'esidence in the church until a \
house could be built for him.
Churchill is in the diocese of the Bi.shop of
Mooscnee, who resides at Moose Factory, at ;
the southern extremity of Hudson's Bay.
There are five other missionaries under his
lordship's episcopal jurisdiction. I am afraid
these gentlemen, who are really doing good
work amongst the Indians, do not I'eceive all
tlie support that might be desired from some
of the officials of the Hudson's Bay Company,
and many are the complaints of the obstacles
Avhich have, systematically, been tlirown in
their way by the servants of the company, but
Avhether acting under superior authority or
not it is, of course, impossible for me to
say.
I can, however, speak from personal ex])eri-
ence rcgardiiig the unnecessary difficulties
that have been made by the Hudson's Bay
officials, who ar<; all-powerful in their disti'icts,
with respect to the erection of a house foi'
the clergyman at Churchill, and when I ven-
tured to remonstrate against the unkindliness
and want of sympathy evinced, I was told, in
plain words, that a taissionary at the post
Mas not wanted, and that they did not in-
tone! that one should reside there.
I hope that the representations concerning
this [uutictdar case that have been submittecl
to the board of direction in London will have
had due weight, and that the necessary instruc-
tions will, ere this, iiavc been given to afVoni
the re(iuisite assistance to the ch'rgym;.n
appointed to the post in providing him wi;!i
proper accommodat ion.
1 would exclude from the list of Hudson's
I!ay officials who arc antagonistic to the
presence of a clergyman at their posts, the
present chief trader at Churchill, who, I am
tpiite sui'e, wouM do all in his power to ma];e
the person appointeil as comfortable a^: pos-
sible, provided iio was peiniitted to do so.
I will say no more on this subject, for l)y
doing so my remarks may be construed aa
officious interference, and they might lie
made the [iretext for making matters even,
worse tiian the} are at present.
The Indians tliat live in the region of
Hudson's i!aj' aie of tlie Ciee tri])e, with a
few ChijJiiL'Wayans. They are all regarded
as servants of the Hudson's Bay Company,
whose policy it l;as always been to make the
natives dependent on the company, by pay-
ing them for the skins they procure in ad-
vance ; the payments are always made in
articles of food and clothing. Being, there-
fore, alway.s in debt to the comi)any, their
services as hunters, and in various other
positions in coiuiection with the post.«, ai'o
thus secured ; and it is next to impossible for
any one, not associated Avith the Hudsoi;'.s
Bay Compaii}-, to accpiire their services with-
out first ol)t:iining the sanction of the chief
trader.
During our sta\- atChurchili the time was
profitably spent in making as thorough and
complete a survey of the harbour as, with the
means at our disposal, we were able. It is
certainly a most excellent anchorage, com-
pletely land-locked, and well sheltered from
all winds. There is but little dou])t in my
mind that Churchill harbour will, if the rail-
way from Winnipeg to Hudson's Bay is ever
constructed, be the terminus of the road, as
it surely ought to be.
The country in the vicinity of Churchill
had a most pleasing and refreshing appearance
to us, after being so long accustomed to the
sterile asp-eet of the land in Hudson's Strait.
Green, level plains, covered with grass,
stretched away bejond the post, whilst,
farther vet in the far distance, could be
seen a forest of spruce pines ; Avild flowers,
of bright and varied hues, grew luxuriantly,
many that are not found in Arctic regions,
whilst a great many species of the hardy
Arctic flora were here absent. In the chief
trader's garden, although it only comprised
a plot about 25 feet square, I saw turnips,
lettuces, and rhulKU-b growing ; but I was
infoinie<l
for the
\eg.;talili>
( 'hurcli
is defendi
siockade.
necessary
.111(1 evi
!:ostiIe a I
eomparat;
".-iiirse, un
to fall int(
•Althon;.
stay at l'(
what mai
tions of
Iil< '.ally t
"ur faces
device wa
ourselves
It was ((iiit
cutions, an
our heails
steam fac
work, thar
j)are it to.
tection to
reaeluNl us
thi'ough ai
wore.
We wer
by swarm.s
though mo
iinis((nitoos,
efibrts to IX
these Avcre
a thii'd torn
scene, in th
is \er3' .sev
iiionly calk
companions
ihey have
ali-hf
on
tl
MKMi used 1
night, and a
employed, i
whore they
fiee from t
\enons and ;
mess place
that it was i
a moi'sel of
in^'urring tl
rhe same tin
On the It
our kind fri(
and all, cxer
to make oui
steamed out
TilKOUClII HTDSON'S STRAIT AND HAY.
I'Jl
lill
bo
ly,
lis,
-ly
ief
,ed
ps,
informed tlnit tlio cliniato was ton .-ovcre
fni' tho piclm ti< !i ot" ptitatucs cr otla-r
\t<i;<)tal)I('.s.
Clnirrliill, lilc^' all the Hudson's I'ay [K.sts,
is dcfumlod liy tlic it'tiiaiiis of an old wottdiiii
stockade. These stockades were ubsolutcl}-
111 ecssai'y in the days when the Indians,
.iiid even rival trading' ei»iiipanies, were
liostilo and wai'liko, hut in these days of
eoinpaiative pence and security the}' are, of
i;.)iirse, unnecessary, and ai'c therefore allowed
ti) fall into disrepair.
Althnu;j;li we all thoroughly enjo^'cd our
stay at I'urt Chnrchill, our visit was sotiie-
wliat marred hy tho troul)Iesoiiie atten-
tions of the mus(iuitocs. The air was
liti'.al'y teeming with them, and aUlioiigh
our faces were prittected hy veils, and ever}'
device was resorted to in order to defend
ourselves from tlieso irritating little pests,
it was (piite inipossihle to escape their perse-
cutions, and their inteiniinahle huz/, round
our heads was more like the ilin heard in a
steam factory, when the engines are at
work, than any tiling else that I can com-
pare it to. (iloves adbnled Imt litt!'; pro-
tection to tho hands, and their stings even
reached us thronu'li our clothing, or, in fact,
through anything, and everything, ihat. we
wore.
We were also much annoyed on iJicr-e
l»y swarms of little sand-tlies, wliich, al-
though more diminutive in size than the
iiuiscpiitocs, were eiiually successful in their
elibrts to render our lives miserable. As if
these Avorc not bad enough, yet another and
a third tormentor made its appearance on the
scene, in the shape of a huge lly, whoso bite
is \ery severe and painful- they are com-
monly ealletl '' l)ull dogs!' As one of my
companions facetiously observed : " After
they have bitten a pit^ce out of you, they
alight on the nearest fence to eat it ! " Our
men used to spend the greater part of the
night, and also the days when tbey were un-
em[)loyed, in the tops and other places aloft,
where they imagined they woidd be more
free from the persecutions of all these ra-
vciK)i!s and insatiable winged torments ! Our
mess place was so infested with mus(iuitoes,
that it was impossible at meal times to put
a morsel of food into our moutlis, without
iHcurring the risk of swallowing several at
the same time.
On the 4th of August we l)ade farewell to
our kind friends at Cluuchill, who had, one
!uid all, exerted themselves, and with success,
to make our stay there a pleasant one, and
steamed out of harbour, not at all sorry to
be, allhoiiuh only fo:' a fline, clear (T t!ie
oIiiio\ioiis liitlo pests that had so tormented
us. If it hud boon possible for anybody to
jest (tver so serious a matter, we should have
been ipiite jusiilied in laughing at the ridicu-
lous appearance of our men us wo took our
ilepartuio from ('huirliill, for lu'arly all of
them liati their liea<ls and faces baiidageil, or
\\rapped, in handkerchiefs, generally of dif-
ferent colours, in order to protect tiiem from
tho musquito(!s. Tlu^y looked as if they
were all sull'eriiig from eai'aehe or toothaehe,
or as if an epidemic of tho mumps had
broken out in the .Ihrt/ It was (|uite im-
possible, whilst in haibour, to rid ourselves
in the ship of these insulferablo little tor-
ments, for if we killed one, at least a Iiiin-
dicd came to its funeral, and afterward.-:
fully avenged its death, aiK' some of our men
were reall}- v(!ry badly bitten by rlicm.
Early on the morning of the tjth of August
we sighted the tall beacon situated on the
tongue of land that separates the N'dson
Iviver from tho Hayes, and on whicli York.
Factory is situated, and, shortly after eight
o'clock, the anchor was let go in five fathoms
twelve miles otf tic shore, which was only
just visible on the horizon. It would have
been impossible for us to have approached
any nearer, on accoiuit of the shallowness of
tho water.
It is this absence of any harljour, and the
long distance at which a ship has to anchor
from the shore, that renders the situatiftii of
York Factory undesirable for the terminus of
the propi^sed railroad. Inttiis resj)ect it com-
pares very unfavourably with i'lnuchili —
otherwise it would be in every way the most
desirable, as l)eing a shorter distance from
^\'illnil)eg, and through a better, and more
productive, lino of coiuitry.
On the same afternf)on I landed at the
Factory, Avhere I received a kind and
friendly welcome from the chief trader,
who hospitably entertained me dunng my
short sta}' at his jiost. On landing we were
honoured by a salute of seven guns fhed
from some 12-pounder brass howitzers, that
had been left at York Factory by the mili-
tary expedition that was sent to Fort Cbu'ry,
viA Hudson's Jky, in 1846.
York Factory is much more imposing in
apjiearance, and is on a somewhat grander
scale than the post at Churchill, and has a
very much larger pojmlation, with a corre-
sponding increase in the number of otliciala
connected with the station.
Tlicre are two small churches, one inside
the stockade belonging to the Hudson's Bay
I'r!
finoi) W(n:i>s
N\'licii I ontorod, the st.'ivici' IkhI jn-t roiii licinty iiii'l .sincorc hkiiukm' in wliicli the con
llU'llCfil. iilld so clnWilcd \v;is thr clmirli tli;it LilCLiatinii joili('(l. I-'roiii wliiif I \i:\\v seen
1 li;ul sMiiio little ilitlicuU\ ill tiii(liii,i; a Viicaiit of tlifsti Iiidiaii.- I Im'Iicn c f liciii, oi af l('a>t
-it'iit in out.' ol the jiews. The coiinreuat ion tlie niajui'ity of tht'iii, to he really yuod and
York l-'a'torv.
t'cli^ii)u|
whenevl
hiated,
of coll 1 1 1
The ([
mile fill
*Io/lM1 h
\vij^\vatii|
The \
fertile
A
The Ol
o.inoc, air
diflieiilty
At leii.L
being rer
vero no
nio !
This w:
eoiisidora
is like a
useless.
Ilowev
chief tra
powerful
suecei'iled
tin.! sorvie
Jem, aiK
joieed in
was more
The on
o))tain til
payinj; tl
x: IX-
TllUOI-flll IIUIJSOXS STUAIT AND V,.W.
103
rotiVloiisly •llsposcd, iiikI T Win liifnnmifl tliat flnurislilii;;, in a sjiiall K'I''"^''" inside tlic
wliriH'v.r tho llol^' Coimmiiiiiiii was cdo- jiust, wliilst in a <liiiiiniitivi; ;;lass lumsi! ad-
111, lied, ilioit! wuro luviiriiddy a larjio ihiiiiIkt jniniii;,' tlic cliii-f trader's rL'sidi-nco, I saw u
ni ((.iMiiimiicaiits amoii;; thctii. i.'w j;i-i!iiii"iin:i, fuchsias and dtlicr lluwcrn,
The Civt! villa;,'.; is sitiiatt-d al.uiit li;df a all in a very thriving' condition. Tin: ac-
ndlt; from tho post, and consists of aliout a count of my journey from \orlv nnist he re-
ihi/eii joi^ IwiitK, unil a innuher of tri)c>, or srivofl for thu noxtund concluding' chapter.
wij,'wams. ^ ^ It was ome little time hefc.re the arran;.,'e-
'I'Ih! country round Vork is coniparaliveh ments for my jouiuey froni Vurk i'actury
fertile- potatoes were not only f,'rowing, but couKl ho perfected.
The oidy mode of travelling was by ^
canoe, and, at, first, I expeiieiiceil some K
ditliculty in ohtainiiiL,' one.
At len,t;th,tliis ohstaclo to my progress
being reniove(l, another rru|)|ied n|t — thiM't!
were no Indians a\ailabli! to accompany
mc !
This was, of course, a sei'ious and impoi'taiit
consideration, for a canoe without Indians
is like a cart without a horse —practically
useless.
However, thanks to the kindness of the
chief tra(h.'r, without whose help and all- }
powerful assistance I shouhl never have \
sueceedeil in getting on, I managed to ol)tain j
the services of a half-breed, commonly called
Jem, and a full-blooded Indian, mIio ic- '
joiced in the name of r<i(|Uateiia(', but who
was more geiieially alluded to as Tom. {
The only arrangement by which I conlil |
ol)tain the services of these men, M-as I)}- '
paying them each at the rate of a dollar a 1
xy.ix-M
day during the entire period of their absence ;
i.e. I was to j)ay them their wages during
the whole time they wei'c with me, and also
after they had left me until their return
again to York Factoiy. I had also not only
to .supply them with provisions for the
time till!}' were away from the post, but was
obliged to make arrangements to provide
their wives and families with j)i'ovisions
during the j)eiiod of their ab.sence.
I was only able to make an agreement with
my two men to accompany me as far as the
next Hudson's Hay post, ()xf(jrd House, dis-
tant about ."JOO miles. On my arrival there,
I was to make other arrangements to con-
tinue my journey, and .vould also have to
194
GOOD WOEDS.
provide myself with uncther canoe, as the
one obtained at York Factory would lie
I'cciuired to bring back the men tliat accom-
I)anicd mc to Oxford House.
The Avay in Avhich payments arc made in
the Hudson's Bay territory is very curious.
Tlie currency is a skin, but its valuation is
very often a varying quantity, and, a ppai'cntl}',
do[>ends on the rank and position c>f the \)ci--
son Avho has to make the paj-ment. For
instance, I had to pay my Indians at the rate
of a skin each per diem, and I was charged
on the books of the Hudson's Bay Company,
!i^ if the value of the skin was five shillings,
lu the same way the few necessaries that I
Avas compelled to purchase in the Store at
York Factory, were charged against me at the
same value, namely, five shillings the skin ;
whereas Indians, and others, who were l)Uj'ing
tioods at the store at the same time, were
cliarged at the rate of one shilling and three
ponce per skin !
I suppose it was considered only right and
proper that an adventurer and interloi)er like
mywelf, should be to a certain degree bled ;
and I think perhaps they were justified in
treating me as they did, for it would have
l)een unreasonable to suppose that I could
expect to buy things, as it were, in the
wilderness, Avithout being charged extor-
tionate prices.
When the tariff was originally insti-
tuted, in the early daj's of the Company,
the skiia with ■which the Indians paid
the Hudson's Bay officials for guns, powder,
])rovisions, &c., Avas a })rime beaver skin.
That was supposed to be the standard : the
value of all other skins Avas comparative to
that of the beaver. For instance, half-a-
do;^en musk-rat, or mink, skins Avould be
valued at half a skin, Avhilst at least five
skins Avould be the price demamled for the
skin of a silver fox. I <lo not pretend to
give the exact value of these skins that I
have mentioned ; I merely allude to them
for the sake of illustration, and as being
explanatory of the tariff in vogue in the
territory of the Hudson's Bay Company.
Everything being ready for a start, I
stci)pcd into my frail little boat at half-past
five on t],e morning of the 9th of August,
and having A\aved farcAvell to the population
of York Factory, avIio had assemliled to
Avitness my departure, paddled gaily up
stream.
I am Avrong in saying that Ave paddled, for
Ave lid nothing of the sort ! As the current
Avas against us, and the banks of the river
Avere suitable to the purpose, my tAvo men
landed and tracked the canoe Avith a small
line, Avhilst I sat in it, in a very crami)ed
and excessively uncomfortable position, and
steered.
Although perhaps it sounds more romantic
to "paddle your oAvn canoe," it is far more
pleasant to be tracked by tAvo stahvart men,
and more raj)id jirogress is made Avhen going
up stream ; for if the Avalking is fairly good,
the men tracking AAdll get over the ground
at tlie rate of from three, to three and a half
miles an hour.
It Avas a beautiful bi'ight morning Avhen
Ave started, Avith a fresh, although some-
Avhat cold, breeze blowing, that sent the
Avater rippling up under our boAvs, and occa-
sionally lapping in over the Ioav sides of
the canoe, as Ave glided noiselessly along.
Our costumes Avere diversified and some-
Avhat picturesque. Jem, Avho is my inter-
preter, boss, and general factotum, Avas
Avearing a bright red jumper, made out of a
blanket of that colour; trouse:.o of a bluish
hue, fastened round the Avaist by a gorgeous
sash, into Avhich every imaginable colour Avas
Avoven ; his shock head of hair confined by
an old billycock hat. Tom — I really cannot
Avrite his long and almost unpronounceable
name again — Avas more or less shabbily
attired. His clothes Avere in rags, but his
long, floAving, and unkempt locks added
materially to his picturesque appearance.
As for myself, I Avas Avearing a very comfort-
able kind of a coat made out of a blanket,
and having a hood or capote attached to it,
Avhich served as a capital substitute for a
nightca," Avhen I lay doAvn to sleep ; a bright-
coloured Hudson's Bay sash Avas round my
A\'aist, sealskin mocassins Avere on my feet,
and an old Zulu straAv hat, round Avhich Avas
a A'cil to keep off the musquitoes, Avas on my
head.
"\Ve Avere, fortunately, not troubled Avith
much batiLrage, for Ave found that the Aveight
of tAventy days' provisions for three men Avas
quite sufficient for the canoe to carry, and I,
of course, had my gun, Avith a small amount
of ammunition. HoAvever, I consoled myself
Avith the reflection that the canoe Avould soon
get lighter, for I knew that the Indians Averc
inordinate eaters, and that the provisions
Avould very soon be consumed. We did not
anticipate beir"'more than about tAvelve days
on the passage to Oxford House, and befoi'C
that time my men, I felt assureil, Avoidd
make short Avork of the allowance for nearly
three Aveeks Avith Avhich Ave Avere provided
My anticipations Averc fully verified by the
result ! a. II. MAliKILVM.
TiiRouon HUDSON'S stp.ait axd bay.
By ('(iMMODOKE A. II. :\IA IIKIIA.M, U.X., ArTiniu or "The CIukat Fuozkn Sea," inc.
I'AKL' IV.— ( oNCl.rsroN.
1).",KnArs it is as well that I should are these litth' craft that a man shouM
iiit'ni'iii my readers that a canoe is a not even attempt to ste[) into them with
veiT tender and frauile ai'tiele, and has to lioots ; he must either l)e haiefooted, oi'
he taken jiieat eare of. It is madt' en- wear moccasins Our eanoe had, unfor-
tirely from the hark of the hircli, spread tunately for is, oeen a lonu; time Avithout
over a li^iht wooden framework. So tender being used ; it was consequently in a \ery
^/i/\^>.
'■' Going iiji a llaiiij.
leaky condition, compolling us, therefore,
during the tirsL four or five days to un-
load and haul it U[) on the river-hank for
repairs several times during tlie day, thus
causing nuieh delay.
Whenever we halted for this, or any
othei', purpose, my tAvo men always took
advantage of the delay to kindle a fire,
make some tea, and eat a meal, (piite
unconscious of the fact that they had, in
all probability, eaten to repletion only an
liour or two before.
Their principal food was boiled salt
pork and bread, Avitli unlimited tea. The
bread is always made when required, and
is generally eaten hot. The flour, being fii'st
moistened with the Avatcr in which the i)ork
has been boiled, and the more greasy it is the
better it is liked, is kneaded into the consis-
tency of dough : a stick, called by the Indians
a " jtonask,'' is then procureil, ami ilattened
down on both sides, until it bears some sort
of resen
paddle.
is then s
tlu! Hat
poiiask
hand, wl
(lied 1
applicati
niouth o
tor ! Tl
of thei)oi
into tlui
front of,
the Hi'e, ;
is thus t
one side i
othei'. A\
it i-i by 111
provideil
not wit ne
ei'ations <
l)Ut then,
readers
with me,
in civilise
as well no
closely ir
crets of t
Owinif
river, we
first three
fortunate
tn-entv 7i
invarialili
in the nn
raiely h;
o'clock in
Our g(
about fou
ourselves
on in adv
leaviu'' t
mg and
canoe.
T would
me ; we ■
would oc(
again jiro
two o'cloi
tion, was
journey a\
we Avouh
The se
coui'se, a
we had in
with arti
The ])lac(
vicinity <
branches
THKOCGIl HUDSON'S STILVIT AXT) V,.\Y.
2r)7
of i'o.semltl;inco to a
|i;i(l(lk'. The (lou.uh
then spivail out (Hi
!
the lliit
piiiiask
suit' ot tiin
with the
I'laml, wliich is moist-
ened l)y fre»nient
appHcatioiis to the
iiKiuth of the opera-
tor ! The othei'einl
of theiioiiaskissiu<'k
into the grounil in
frdiit of, anil (•k)se lo,
the tii'e, and the fake
is thus toasted, first
one side and then the
other, ^^'hen cooked
it is liyno means had,
l»rovi(K'd you liave
not witnessed the op-
ei'ations of the cook;
l)ut then, T think my
leaders will iiisvcM
with me, that, even
in civilised life, it is
as well not to pry too
closely into the se-
crets of the kitchen.
Stiirtini,' fi'iim Oxfunl IIou-^
Owir.g to the uiuisual shalkm-ness of the ' improvise a tolerably good shelter from the
river, we made but slow progress during the J rain, and where, comfortably rolled iq) in our
lirst three days, and we considered ourselves j blankets, avc slept, or endeavoured to sleep,
fortunate if we succeeded in accomplishing ! oblivious to everything except musquitoes.
twenty iniles diu'ing the tlay, although we
iuvariablv made a .start at about four o'clock
Alas ! it was impossil)le to drive ///■ /// from
in the morning, sometimes even earlier, and
rai'elv halted to cami) before seven oi' eight
o'clock in the evening.
Our general daily routine Avas to rise at
about four o'clock, make a fire, and refresh
ourselves Avith a cup of tea. I would then walk
our thoughts ; waking and sleeping, they
seemed part and parcel of oui' existence.
They never gave us a moment's ix'spite
from their irritating persecutioirs ; day
and night were alike to them ; they never
appeared to need rest, and they certainly
^ave us none. Veils, which aflbrded some
on in advance with my giui on my shouMer, ! protection for our heads and faces, were in
leaving the canoe to follow; one man track- j constant use during the day, nor Avere they
ing and the other guiding the course of the even discarded at niyht Avhen avc retired to
canoe. After Avalking for about four hours,
T Avould stoj) to enalile the canoe to OA'ertake
rest, and gloves Avith long linen slecA'es scavu
on to them, and fastened above the elbows,
me ; Ave Avould then halt fur breakfast, Avliich j Averc ahvays Avorn.
would occui)y about an hour, Avhen Ave AA^ould I The Aveathcr that avc experienced Ava>
a^ain iiroceed in the same maimer. At about i very changeable, and although the dav-
two o'clock another halt, of an hom-'s dura- 1 AA^ere excessiA^ely Avarm, Avith the thermo
tion, Avas made iov dinnei', after Avhich the { meter ranging very often betAA'cen 80° and
jonrni^y Avouldl)e continual until dark, when ■ 90", avc had occasionally cold, frosty nights,
we Avould halt for the night. i Avhen Ave AA'ould Avake up in the mornings
The selection of a camping-ground Avas, of ■ Avith our moccasins frozen hard, and the
course, a matter for careful consideration, as ! Avater in our kettle couA-erted into ice. Undei
we had no tent, and A\'ere utterly unprovided any other cii'cumstances, to people camped
with artificial shelter of an^' descri|)tion. [ out in the ojien air as avc AA'cre, these sudden
The place selected Avas, as a rule, in the changes of extreme temperature Avould have
vicinity of pine-tives, Avith, and under, the been very trying, l)Ut Avith us it A\-as very
branches of Avhieh Ave Avere generally able (o different. "W'e hailed the cold Avith joy, for
258
GOOD WORDS.
it had the effect — l)ut, filas ! only wliile it
lu.stcd — ot inittini; tlie inu?;quitoes into a kind
of torpor, fi'om whicli they only revivoil with
the advent of the sun and warm weather.
The hanks of the river, np which we were
slowl\- niakiiiL? our way, were ver}' high, in
some places fully eighty feet, and veiy i)rc-
cipitous. with nuniei'ons landslips, whicli
made walking hy no means easy. The spruce,
juniper, and poplar, besides the willow, grew
in abundance on both sides, whilst the liaidvs
in some places were covered with bright
tlowers, and grass ami wild barley grew
in great profusion. The farthei' we advanced
inland the more luxuriant became the vege-
tation, the forests were more dense, and tlie
trees increascil in size.
On the whole the walking was execralde,
for it was cither over rough, rocky ground ; or
on a marshy quagmire covered with long bul-
rushes (infested with nnisi|uitocs) ; or along
the talus of the clills, which was composed
of soft mud, whose surface made an angle of
alwut 45" with the horizon, and in which ■'ve
sank over oiu' knees. It is, therefoi'e, not to
be wondered at that after tra\elling, since
morning, for more than twenty miles over
coiuitry of the above description, we were
only too pleased at the end of the day to halt
and rest our wearied limbs, although oiu'
camp was of the roughest and oui- fare of the
simplest, with but little change in the latter :
sometimes, however, I was fortunate enough
to bag a few wild duck, teal, or plovei', but
as a rule the birds were wild and unap-
proachable.
Traces of cariboo, wolves, and bears w^erc
numerous ami fresh, but a'^hough we saw
three of the former, we never succeeded in
getting a shot. On the thii'd day out, we met
some Indians who had just killed a cariboo,
and who, in exchange for some tea and a
little to])acco, presented us with some of the
meat, M-hieh, as ma}' be imagined, was most
acceptable and much appreciated.
The Indians are, as a rule, very super-
stitious, and put nuich faith in the existence
of a Good and Evil Si)irit. On one occasion
during mj' journey, my attention was directed
by Jem to a point of land immediately ahead
of us, and by which we liail to 2)ass, called
Husky Jack Point. At the same time he
warne<l me eai'nestly not to point my finger
at it. for, he said, if I did so, a furious tem-
pest would assuredly be the result !
In s})ite of their superstition, the Indians
who accompanied me ajipeared sincere and
devout men, for they never omitted to oiler
up their jiiayers to the Ahnighty before
thcj' retired to rest, and before the labours
of the day were cimimenced. In the
evening, befi)i'e they rolleil themselves up in
their lihudcets, one, generally Jem, wuuld
read alouil a chapter from the Bible trans-
lated into the Cree laULruage.
On the evening of the third day, when
wc had accomj)lished a distance of aljout
sixty miles from ^'^l■k Factoiy. it became
only too evident that in oi'dcr to voacli
Oxford House before our provisions M'er.'
expcniled, it Avould be nece>sary to incri>as«'
my crew by the addition of antjther man.
The river was so shallow, owing to the
unusual dryness of the summer, and the
rapids were so turliulent, that it was more than
my two men could do to manage the canoe
properl}-. Kumcrous delays were cense-
(.^uently the result.
There was only one solulion to the difli-
culty, and that was to unpack the canoe and
send her back, thus lightened, with the two
men, in order to try and induce one of the
Indians from whom wc had received the
venison, and who we knew were encamped
about twenty-five miles down the ri\ci', to ac-
company us. As it was of thegi'catest impor-
tance that I should push on quickly, I od'cred
good wages to anybodj' who would come.
Having arrived at this decision, as we
could not afl'ord to waste tiiuf the canoe was
started off at nine o'clock at night, and
swiftly sped out of sight in the gloaming,
leaving me, like Kobinson Ciusoe, stranded
on the river bank with all our provisions
and other paraphernalia, monarch of all I
surveyed.
I endeavoured to mal-:e myself as com-
fortable as circumstances would admit, and,
as the night jn'omised to be a Avet one, I
made a fairly good shelter hy spreading an
old tattered piece of canvas, that had done
duty as the bottom cloth of the canoe, over
some twigs and l)ranches. Into tln"s lair I
crept, having refi'cshed myself with an ex-
cellent cup of hot tea and some l)acon, and
passed a tolerably comfortable night, in spito
of the rain, which fell in a perfect downpoui',
without intermission, until the foUowi'.ig
morning. Although this rain had the eficct
of making me somewhat moist, I consolcil
myself with the reflection that it would ab-i>
have the effect of causing the ri\er to rise,
and Avould therefore be doing us more good
than harm.
In consequence of everything lieiiig satu
I'ated Avith the rain, and therefore, in a
measure, uninflanunable, I had nuirh difficult;,
in kindling; a fire the next nioi'iiinu'. aivl n^'.
great
men ii
JOUI'IkI
Tluf
was a[
of jS'iii
not ul
was af
Avas aj
celleni
As
that
ri^oni
~ I
entei'il
AVas A(
more
largeii
THROUGH HUDSON'S STRAIT AND I^AV.
259
liculiv
pnticncc and my matches were sorely taxed in '
ni}' endeavours to do so. Persevei ancc, lio?\-- j
ever, assisted l)y some sliavings that I j)rocurcd I
■with my axe from tlie centre of a log of wood, I
was eventually crowned with success, ami I
was soon revelling in the enjoyment of a doli-
cioiis hot brew of tea.
I think to thoroughly appreciate a good
basin of tea it is necessary for a person to bo
situated as I was, namely, cold, half drencheil,
and in perfect solitude. Then, if he does
not affirm that tea is the best, the most I'c-
fresliiniz, and the mo>t soothing beverage in
existence, I will say that such a person is a
man of no taste, and can have no enjoyment
in the plcivsures, the unutterable pleasures,
of a wild, roviiig life, untrammelled by cares,
and subordinate to no one.
The day passed, but without my, Indians
making their appearance, and another night
was si)ent in nnich the same manner as the
former one.
There was ■^^^omothinG; indescribablv charm-
ing about the solitude that surrounded me,
and in the perfect stillness that reigned
around, broken only occasionally b}' the
crackling of my fire, or by the nuu'muring
of the river as it fhjwed onwards towards
the sea. I felt with Sir Philip Sydney the
" delight of solitariiiessc ; "
" O hnw much T do like you. solitarincsse \
NiUi;.'lit distmbs tliv quiet.
All tu tljy service yields ! "
P)ut I was wrong, and had convincing ])roof
of it after I had made the quotation ! There
was something to disturb the quiet, an un-
mistakable something, namely, the buzz of
the musqnitoes in theirtoo successful attempts
to molest and torment me. Prom their per-
secutions escape was impossible.
It was not until late on the third evening
that I esj)ieil the canoe returning, and to my
great joy I observed that there were three
men in her. Thus reinforced we resumed our
journey earl}' on the following morning.
The new man was a great acquisition ; he
M'as a full-blooded C'ree, rejoiced in the name
of Nichi, and, like his countiyman Tom, did
not understand a woid of Phiglish ; but he
was a first-rate fellow, worked like a horse,
was as merry as a cricket, and Avas an ex-
cellent and expcT'ienced canoeist.
As we proceeded to the southward, the fact
lliat we wei'e leaving bi/hind us the se\'ere
rigorous climate of Hudson's Pay, and were
entering a more temperate and genial one
was very perccptil)le. The i)inc forests became
more dense, the trees were considerably
larger, and l)irch. and even oak, besides
poplar, were occasionally seen. I also noticed
several species of butterllics, and one that
from its size and brilliancj'of colouring would
have done credit to a tropical region.
Next to .shooting a rapid, wiiich means
coming down one Avith the stream, taking a
canoe up a rapid is one of the most exciting
incidents connected with canoe travelling,
although it can only be accomplished with
success and safety l)y experienced men. I
Avas quite lost in admiration at t!ie dexterous
and skilful Avay in Avhich my Lidians took
the canoe up the rapiils that la\' in our conrse,
and sometimes Ave Avould haA'e to go uj) as
many as tAventy or thirty during the day.
In some the depth of av. tc' could only be
about four or fiA'e inch( Sj Avith the river
rushing over the rocks and stones at the rate
of about ten miles an hour.
The general strenu'th of the current, except
in the rapids, Avas frum thi'ee to fi\'e knots.
The Avay in AAdiich the rapiils arc passed is
for one man to track (s(»nietinies up to his
Avaist in Avater) ; another man is stationed in
the fore part of the canoe Avith a long pole,
Avith Avhich he is pushing for ilear life ; Avhilst
the third man sits aft and paddles Avith
might and main, directing the course of the
canoe. I invariably sat in the centre of the
canoe, assisting as much as possible, Avhen
the supreme moment arrived, Avith my i)addle.
It is certainly a most exciting moment Avhen
the rapid is entered, and the Avater is seeth-
ing and Avhirling around; Avhen, for a second
pe'i'haps, it is even doubtful Avhcthor the
torrent Avill not overwhelm us altogether;
but the skill and strength ot my Indians in-
variably prevailed, and after perh;q« an
anxious five minutes, durii;g Avhich time the
roar of the Avaters Avas so great tluit it Avas
impossible to make ourselves heard CAcn by
those in the canoe, avc avouM shru.t out past
the rocks and hidilen dangers, and rest on the
calm, quiescent Avaters above.
It must not be forgotten that even to
touch one of the numerous rocks and stones
that lie in your path in going through a
rai)id in such a frail bark as a canoe is fatal,
for such a rent Avill be made in the bottom
of the boat, as to necessitate an immediate
and thorou'.di repair, even if the injury is
not more serious, and permanently disables
or Avrecks the canoe.
On the 17th of August Ave reached a rocky
defile, named "the Pock,'' Avhere not only
swift rapids had to l)e encountered, but
waterfalls and cascades had to be passed. In
order to pass one of tlicse. a " portage" has to
be made, that is to say, the canoo has to
2G0
COOD WOKDS,
bo unloa led helow tlie fall, and cvciy tiling,
canoo includcil, carried round to a convenient
plni'C on the river Icink above the fall.
I'lie \v;iy ill Avhich the Indians cai'ry tho
2;oods across a jiortai^o is to make a largo
[laclcn ,'e, sliiii: it with straps, or I'ope, niid then
[luttin.git on their backs, snpport it with their
heads by putting the strap or rope round their
foreheads. In this manner they will carry
at (ino time across a portage, a load of two
hmidred pounds, moving at a quick, slinging
trot. The canoe is always the last article to
1)0 carried, and this is taken on the shoulders
oi two men, who run rapidly across the por-
tage with it.
Some of tlie portages arc sliort, pcrliaps
only twenty c^r thirty yards, but, on the
other hand, others may bo a mile long,
and these ai'c very tedious, and cause groat
ilelay. On one occasion M'c had to make as
many as twelve portages during tho coiu'so
of a day. Tho majority of the j)ortagcs arc
named after some incident that has been
enacted in their neighbourhood, or after
snii'.c event connected with them, thus
".Mossy Portaixe," "Half-breed Portage,"
"Dead :\Ian'3 IVatage,"' "Devil's Portage,"
and so forth.
As an illustration of the keen siglit and
dexterity of the Indians, I ma}' mention that
one day, vrhilst wo were tracking the canoe
along the riverdiank, Tom, who was on the
tracking line, ol>served a large fish ajiparcntly
asleep in the water, where the river was not
more than two feet- deep. Ivunning back to
tJK^ canoe he hauled it alongside the Itank,
seized the axe, quickly cut a branch from a
neighbouring pine-tree, pointed it, and in less
than two minutes from the time he had first
seen the fish, he transfixed it with his roughly
improvised spear and waved it above his head
in triumph. It .vas a i^pecies of pike, and
was about two feet in length ; it pi'oved to
be very good eating, and was a pleasant
change to our ordinary fare, which consisted
entirely of salt pork or bacon, except when I
was fortunate enough to shoot something for
the pot.
Our work xas not always tracking up
stream, for sometimes wc would emerge on a
jroad expanse of water, a lake some thii'ty
aiile? perhaps in length, into which scvei'al
small rivers Howed. On tliis we would paddle
mei'rily along, occasionally 1)rancliing oil" to
the right or to the left, for the purpose of
Having a shot at a Hock of teal, or perchance
at some wild duck, but as a rule the birds
were so wild and war}' that we seldom had an
opportunity of getting within range. Those
lakes wero studded with imuimcrablc islets,
all densely wooded, and were oxccllent places
for camping. Wild curi'ants, raspbci'ries,
and goosel)erric3 grew along the banks of tho
livers and lakes, and atlbrded a most refnsh-
ing re])ast, when they wero found in suflieient
|)rofusion to make it \vorth our while to sto[>
and gather them.
^\'hite fish, which arc most excellent rat-
ing, abounded in the lakes, swimming lazily,
or basking near tho surface oi tho watci-,
their dorsal fins just visil)lc above, ^\'o
endeavoured to catch some of these Avith
hook and line, with siiinning l)ait, anil every
other contrivance wo could think of, but
always without success. Tho only way in
which we succeeded in getting a few, was by
shooting them with a bullet as they appeared
near the top of the water. Tho Imlians catch
them in great numbei's with nets, indeed they
form the i)rincipal staple of food for the
Iiivor Indians.
After a hard day's work, of sixteen hours
duration, up rapids, across portages, and along
lakes and rivers, wc reached Oxford House
late on the evening of the 21st August, where
I was most kindly received by the chief
trader and his family, and where I enjoyed
a comfortalde and hearty supper, and a night's
rest with something more than tho canopy of
b.oavcn as my roof.
The pleasure experienced in partaking of
a meal at which now bread, jam, delicious
butter, and fresh milk made their appearance
is difficult to describe, and when a warm wel-
come and a kind friendly greeting is adiled,
the" discomforts of a canoe journey, and the
attendant hardships, are soon forgotten ; even
the persecutions of tho musquitoes are tem-
porarily banished from our mind, as wo lay
ourselves out to enjoy our rest and good
cheer to tho utmost.
As tho day following my arrival at Oxford
House was a Sunday, I was easily prevailed
upon to make it a day of complete rest; besides
I had many arrangements to make before
I could again set out. I had to get another
canoe ; to obtain the services of two fresh
Imlians; to arrange about the provisions, iK;c. ;
and to stf ; oil' my late companions full}'
victualled for their return journey to York
Factory. This all took time, and it was not
until Monday morning, the L'Ord, that I was
again aljle to proceeil on my journey.
Oxford House is a small post in comparison
with either York or Chuichill. It consists only
of one small house for the chief trader and
his family, and two other buildings, one the
office and store, in which all the goods that
raids, an
TIIliOL'(;!I lilDSON^S STliAlT AND 1!AV.
iGl
ully
'uliC
was
■ison
only
ami
ihc
that
proachiii,^- a most
t'liMpu'iit sciiiidii ;
at least, 1 jinl-cl
so t'idiii his lliiciicy
a 11(1 i^cst ic ii ht-
tidllS.
It Mas a 1()\( !y
liHilliili,!; (Ill Alni.-
tlay the L'.'lrd, a,;
wl' |m-li('(l (til' from
t 111' |iici at ( ).\t(ir(l
lloux'aiid |i,ii|(ilc(l
arros.s the lak(.'. hlit
(lill'ill.H till' (lay a
i'lcsh liivi'/ic s|»iali,i4'
iiji li^lit alicail, and
this raised aii un-
pleasant lo|» of a.
.s(.'a which had the
eli'ect of completely
(heiuhing ns, u.s it
splashed lip o\'or
the low sides of
tlie
canoe ; it also
are traded to the Indians are ko])t. and the
other the i)eltr3- and liiml)er-house. Like all
the Hudson's iJay •Company's ]M)sts, it is
suiToumled hy a stotdvade, used in olden
times as a means of defenee against Indian
raids, and ill' more recent da\s as ii ])rotoctioii
from thieves. Although the winters are
se\ere, tho climate is mild conqiared M'ith
that of Hudson's Bay, and I noticed potatoes,
cahhages, peas, beans, onions, heetroot, and
other vegetables growing in the chief tra-
<ler's garden, whilst in tlio woods, in a wild
state, were gooseberries, currants, St rawlterries.
:f^l ras[)berries. From the two latter excel-
leiit preserves arc made.
The Indians in the neighbourhood of Ox-
ford House are tho ]\Iuskegans, an otlshoot
of the ( 'ree tribe ; their lepes, or wigwams,
wore diH'eront from any that 1 had sot-ii l)e-
foro, for, instead of being covered with skins,
stiips of the bark of the birch Mere us{>d, the
same material that is also utilized in the con-
struction of their canoes.
Near the Indian \illage was a small wooden
cluirch and schoolroom, and also a house for
th(> clergyman, but unfortunately it has had
no tenant for some tiiiu'. They were built
b3- tlu' .Methodists, l)ut there is some talk
now of turning the district i»ver to the Church
Missionary Society. \\'lien I looked into
the church during the afternoon an Indian
was in the pulpit, and was, ajiparently,
?fi™ necessitated our
following all the
sinuosities of the
coast-line, in order to o])tain as much lee as
possil)le from the land, thereby materially
increasing the distance we had to i)a(ldle.
Tho canoe was very much smallei' than the
one I had come up in from York Factory,
and was therefore all the mure frail and
ci'am])ed. It was, howc\ei', in a c(jrrt'spond-
ing degree very much lighter, a matter of
somo importance when many portages have
to be made. Its length was only twelve
feet. My now Indians were stolid, apathetic
men, who could neither speak nor understand
English, but they ne^•el■tlleloss worked hard,
and were capital canoeists.
It is needless, and would only be tedious
to my readers, for me to enumerate all the
i lakes with their numerous pictiires(|ue little
I islets, all the rivers with theii' tortuous wind-
ings, and all the rai)ids and walcii'alls that
had to bo passed, besides all the portages
that we Avoro compelled to cross, on our
journey to Norway House. We had the
same hard work in the canoe, the same simple
faro to subsist on, tho same rough stones and
roots to lie ui)on, and the same voracious aiio
bloodthirsty mus(iuitoes to worry and annoy
us, as on our journey up from York Factory :
tho only change was that we had more thun-
derstorms, aiKl heavy rain showers, tobcguilo
tho monotony of tho day and night 1
The foliage, oven at tliat early time of the
season, was beginning to assume its beautiful
2Ci
GOOD WUliDS.
aiititmnal tints, and tlio liriglit goMcn loaves
of ihu poplar, iiitcruiixcil witli tlio dclicato
i^i'cou ot till) larch, allordcd a very .striking',
hut not tlio loss pivtty, contrast to the nioro
siiiohi'o hue t't tlio jiitch-piiio and willow.
'I'lio coiuiliy tliruiigh Avhicli I was tra-
volliiv^' is as liable to lar?;c forest firos,
<liiiiiiy tlio auliiniii, as tlio nioro soutliorn jiart
of the continent is subject to its ji;reat prairio
firos. Fur two or three <la3'.s after leaving'
Oxford lloiiso wo occasionally had to padiUo
alon,u; the river, for poi imps four or iivo miles
at a time, with a tire raging along both banks;
and so dense was the snioko that the sun
would be totally obscured for hours together,
ami our eyes made (pute sore as we i)assed
through it. It was a .sad sight to see all the
trees chaii'cd and burned to cinders and the
bush totally consumed, whilst the jioor birds
Would be Hying about in a most melancholy
and utterly depressed niaiiuer, vainly seeking
for a place to alight and rest, but finding
none. I ;dso noticed the bodios of some poor
little rabbits lioatin:^ about in the river;
they had evidently been driven into the
Avater by the tlamcs and drowned. The
smoke had one good etVect, however, for,
whilst in it, wo were impervious to the attacks
of our relentless little persecutors, the mus-
quitoes !
One of the lakes that we had to cross Avas
perfectly ciioked with a mass of long, .sharp-
j)ointed bulrushes, through which we had to
force a passage for our canoe. Luckily the
Avind Was in ova" fa\(.iur, and therefore blow-
ing the points of the bulrushes ««v///from us,
otherAvise avo sliould have been unable to nudce
progress, for it Avould have been somoAvhat
similar to charging against a line of infantry
Avith fixed bnyonets, and almost as impeue-
tralile.
Sometimes the liA-er up Avhicli avc Avcrc
travelling, Avould degenerate into a narrow
marshy swami) or perhaps jiartake more of
the nature of a thick, black, muddy ditch. In
these cases avo had to imsh and shove the
canoe along the surface of the mud.
Of all the uiiintei-esting, and I may safely
Faj'- disagrcciiblo, \v<n'k that can be imagined,
that of pushing a canoe for miles in a black
mudily ditch, redolent Avith the odours of
decomposed vegetaljle matter, or through
long and thickly clustered reeds in shallow
stagnant Avator, is perhaps the Avorst. These
SAA'ampy localities were also infested by mus-
qnitoes ! Ugh ! how they tormented us ;
but I think I Iuiao already shoAvn \\<)\\
terribly we suHered from these abominable
little pests !
On tin morning of the :!7th August, our
little trials and miseries Avore forgotten in
the cheerful Avelctnne Ave receiveil at Niirway
House, Avhero it appears rumours of my in-
tended visit had been receiveil, and my
arrival had, in consofpience, been for some
t.me expected. Nothing coidd exceed the
cordiality and heartiness of my reception at
this Hudson's JJay post ; the}' Avero in them-
selves sniliciont to make amends for the
recent hanlships and privations avo had
ex])erienced, to say nothing of the enjoyment
to be deriveil by the luxury of a good com-
fortable beil, and a hearty meal.
j\fy troubles, lioAvevcr, Avero not quite
ended by my arrival at Norway Hcusc, foi',
to my chagrin, I found that it Avas not so
cas}' as I anticipated to continue my joiuney
from that place. To peiform it in a canoo
AV(iuld be almost impossible, and Avoidd cer-
tainly re(|uire a long time to accomplish ; the
Avaters of Lake ^\'innipog are as turbulent
anil as boisterous in a gale of Avind as the
Atlantic ocean, therefore, luiless I had
unlimited time at my disposal, (which I luul
not) to travel by canoe Avas (piite out of
the question. The dillicult}' Avas, hoAve\er,
solved through the kind exertions of the
Factor, Avho ascertained that a party of
Lidians Avas about to start for Winnipeg in
a large llat-bottomcd boat, and, for a con-
sideration, they .vere Avilling to alloAv nic to
acconq)any them. Nothing could have
turned out more fortunate, and it Avas not
long before all the necessary arrangements
Avere made Avith my ucav friends, })rovisions
prepared, and everything in readiness for the
continuation of my jouriioj'.
The morning of the oOth Avas Avild and
stormy ; a strong gale Avas bloA\ing from the
northward, accompanied b}' heavy rain an^^
hail showers, Avitli violent squalls. Neverthe-
less this Avas the day iixed for our departure,
and after taking leave of my kind friends at
the post, I embarkeil Avith my new travelling
companions to perform the last stage of my
journey.
Our party consisted of twelve Lidians,
four men, two sipuuvs, and six pajjpoosos
(two of Avhom Avere babies in arms !) and
. my.'jelf, thirteen in all. The boat Avas a long,
heavy, ilat-bottomed barge, a kind fre(]uently
used on the rivers on account of their shalloAV
draft (which is only 11 inches), for carrying
, the skins and stores from one trading jjost
to another. The mast Avas of a very primi-
i tive character, being a pine-tree tliat had
, been cut down in the morning ; it Avas
, stejipcd in the centre of the boat, and Avas
how qu
be fori 11
place ill
boat, aJ
ficientl
by the I
hands
liinesaj
and soil
a fair'
rate foJ
of the!
cially
then i|
Would
we ro|
W(juld[
W IlK
•'I pii|
Maiikei
the oil
Avith \\
the ni(|
Tliel
veiled
devou]
from
TlUiUUGli IIUDJSU.NS STKAIT AND HAY.
i-'uU
riupportcil \ty four wIumiuIs; tlic suil was
■5iiiil»ly II sijuaro piece of oM canviis without
any prelcii.sit)!! to cut or .sliajjo, and could only
bo used when tlio wind was fair. The Ijoat
was ;j;uidcd l.y a heavy steer oar, and could
he propelled, although very slowly, through
the water ]»y oars when it was quite calm.
In this cuuiltrous conveyance we sailed
down the river from Norway House, not
without cousiderahle excitement and terror,
esjjecially on the part of the ladies and
children, in conseiiuence of the strong wind
that prevaileil, and the next day saw us
fairly launched on the waters of Lake Wimii-
peg. It was almost ditlicult to realize that
we weie really s-ailiiig on the bosom of an
inhiiid lake, and not on the high sea. The
coast along which wo sailed was low and
fringed with pine-trees, the shore licing Hat
and shelving, with little v.'avelets curling and
rii'j)ling up over it. In bad weather, how-
ever, tlie h.ke assumed a totally dill'erent
aspect ; large waves came rolling in, la>hed
into white foam as they broke over the rocks
on shore, and such a turbulent sea would be
raised that travelling in our crazy and un-
sea'.v'orthy boat was rendered quite impos-
siltle.
On these occasions the boat would be se-
cured in some sheltered bay, and we would
remain encamped until the weather modera-
ting enabled us to ])roceed. It was surprising
how (juickly a fairly comfortable camp could
be formed Ijy my companions. A convenient
place in the woods, as close as possible to the
boat, would be selected, and a space suf-
ficiently large for the party speedily cleared
by the axe, deftly wielded by the practised
hands of the Indians. To its blows tall
[lines and i)oplaic had to yield, and the willow
and scrub disappeared. In tlie event of rain
a faii'ly good shelter was afforded, at any
rate for the women and children, by means
of the boat's sail sjuead out on poles spe-
cially cut for the purpose. A large fire was
then made, and the operations of cooking
wouUl eonnnence. Supjjcr being disposed of,
wo rolled ourselves ii}) in our blankets and
would soon be fast asleep, oblivious to rain,
wind, or cold. It is marvellous the amount
of protection that a good Hudson's Lay
blanket will allbrdfrom the rain, and although
the outside may bo, a|)parcntl}% saturated
with wet, the sleeper will unroll himself in
the morning comparatively dry.
The party of Indians with whom I tra-
velled to Winnipeg ap])eared to be qititc as
devout as those with whom I had journe\ed
from York Factory ; not a morning, or an
evening, passed without the customary family
devotions, generally conducted liy the oldot
nieiulier of the party, and preceded by a h3nin
in \\hich all reverently joined. It was
pleasant on a fine clear night to see the
party asseml)led round the bi'ight flames oi
our camp fire, ami to hear them .singing, iu
very gutteral tones, the evening hynni to a
tune somewhat rcseml^ling that (;f the "OM
Hundredth." I could not helj) comparing
these semi- wild ci'eaturcs of the North- West
with a party of white men similarly situated,
and the comparison was veiy much to the
disadvantage of the so-called civilized man.
Uut I ani remiiidc'l by the lunnber nf
pages that I have already written that thcro
is a limit to all things, including the patie'.co
of my readers, and more especially the length
of this article.
I will not, therefore, enter into any further
details connected with n)y j(jU!ney down
Lake Winnipeg ; sullicc it to say, that in
consequence of the bad weather we exjjeri-
enced (and also I thiidc chielly on account of
the comjidisi/ion of my party, for it is im])os-
sible, for various reasons that it is needless
for me to enter into, to travel with females
and children as rajiidly as you can Avithout
them), the time occupied in reaching ^^'inni-
pcg was longer than ^ve antici[)ated it would
be when Ave started from Norway House.
The result Avas that we I'an sliort of jirovi-
sions, and for tAvo days before reaching Sel-
kiik, on the Eed Liver, bad nothing but a
little ilour to subsist un. Lirds ;iii(l game of
any description Avere conspicuous by their
absence ; occasionally Ave Avcro fortunate
enough to shoot a gull or two {Larus tmjcii-
lalns), Avhich Avas eagerly devoured by my
famishing party after being cooked, but
otherwise avc Averc absolutely Avlthout food.
At length, on Sunday, September 12th,
my vagabond life came to an end, and I
bade adieu to mj' late felloAv-travellers, not
Avithout a pang of regret, for I had h;arnt to
regard them Avith feelings of frien(1shi[) and
esteem, and taking the train at Selkirk Avas
carried on to Winnipeg.
This practically terminated my cruise,
my Avanderings Avero at an end, .md civiliza-
tion Avas reached.
My trip Avas as successful as I could pos-
sibly have AA'ished it to have been. I had suc-
ceeded in accomplishing that Avhich I had set
myself to do, nameh', to traA'el from England
10 "Winnipeg by Avater, and I had the si'tis-
faction of knowing that I had achieved the
distance in a very nmch shorter time than
it had ever before been performed.
'JIJl
(lOOl) WOKDS.
lu a Stoim ou LuUi Wiuniii
My oiiiiuDii i'e,a;:ii'(lini;' tlio foasihility of an
oocaii route iM'twooii Kiiiil.iiid and lliuls(ju',s
Hay is deciilodly a fa\ oiiraMo one, and 1 luivo
so ro[)ortLMl ; whotlier it will bo successful in
a tinancial point of view is a (|Ue.stion for
(<tht'rs to d'^cide, it is one that did not lie
within the scope of my instructions to '
answer, nor have I suHicieiit kn(Avled,i;o of
die reipiiienu'uts uf the pi'opMsi.'d j'ailrcnul
oven to oHer an opinion on it. The country
through which I tra\elled is admirably
idapted f(jr the construction of a line, no
tunnels are necessary, and but few cuttings,
v.hilst tlie rivers and streams that would
cross the line of route are so nuri-ow, that
the expense of throwing bi'idges across them
would i)e very small indeed.
I onl}" hope that the result of my journey
will not be altogether fruitless, ;ind that m'c
may soon hear that Winnipeg and Iluds(jn"s
Bay have been connected by rail ; the con-
se(|uencesof.'<uch a connection will, 1 amijuitc
sure, be the commercial tlevclopmentof a very
largo extent of coiuitry, and the increased
prosperity of the Dominion of Canada. For
such a consummation all those who priile
themselves on the greatness and welfare of
the British Empire will assuredly i)ray.
ilaiu Struct, Wiimiin'i: