voyage from york factory to norway house in a small indian canoe—departure—life in the woods—difficulties of canoe navigation—outwit the mosquitoes—“lève! lève! lève!”—music in the pot and on the organ.
on the afternoon of the 20th of june 1845, i sat in my room at york fort, musing on the probability of my being dispatched to some other part of the company’s wide dominions.
the season approached when changes from one part of the country to another might be expected, and boats began to arrive from the interior. two years of fun and frolic had i spent on the coast, and i was beginning to wish to be sent once more upon my travels, particularly as the busy season was about to commence, and the hot weather to set in.
as i sat cogitating, my brother scribblers called me to join them in a short promenade upon the wharf, preparatory to resuming our pens. just as we reached it, a small indian canoe from the interior swept round the point above the factory, and came rapidly forward, the sparkling water foaming past her sharp bow as she made towards the landing.
at almost any time an arrival causes a great deal of interest in this out-of-the-way place; but an arrival of this sort—for the canoe was evidently an express—threw us into a fever of excitement, which was greatly increased when we found that it contained dispatches from headquarters; and many speculative remarks passed among us as we hurried up to our hall, there to wait in anxious expectation for a letter or an order to appear instanter before mr grave. our patience was severely tried, however, and we began to think there was no news at all, when gibeault, the butler, turned the corner, and came towards our door. we immediately rushed towards it in breathless expectation, and a row of eager faces appeared as he walked slowly up and said, “mr grave wishes to see mr ballantyne immediately.” on hearing this i assumed an appearance of calm indifference i was far from feeling, put on my cap, and obeyed the order.
upon entering mr grave’s presence, he received me with a benign, patronising air, and requested me to be seated. he then went on to inform me that letters had just arrived, requesting that i might be sent off immediately to norway house, where i should be enlightened as to my ultimate destination. this piece of news i received with mingled surprise and delight, at the same time exclaiming “indeed!” with peculiar emphasis; and then, becoming suddenly aware of the impropriety of the expression, i endeavoured to follow it up with a look of sorrow at the prospect of leaving my friends, combined with resignation to the will of the honourable hudson bay company, in which attempt i failed most signally. after receiving orders to prepare for an immediate start, i rushed out in a state of high excitement, to acquaint my comrades with my good fortune. on entering the hall, i found them as anxious to know where i was destined to vegetate next winter, as they before had been to learn who was going off. having satisfied them on this point, or rather told them as much as i knew myself regarding it, i proceeded to pack up.
it happened just at this time that a brigade of inland boats was on the eve of starting for the distant regions of the interior; and as the little canoe, destined to carry myself, was much too small to take such an unwieldy article as my “cassette,” i gladly availed myself of the opportunity to forward it by the boats, as they would have to pass norway house en route. it would be endless to detail how i spent the next three days: how i never appeared in public without walking very fast, as if pressed with a superhuman amount of business; how i rummaged about here and there, seeing that everything was prepared; looking vastly important, and thinking i was immensely busy, when in reality i was doing next to nothing. i shall, therefore, without further preface, proceed to describe my travelling equipments.
the canoe in which i and two indians were to travel from york factory to norway house, a distance of nearly three hundred miles, measured between five and six yards long, by two feet and a half broad in the middle, tapering from thence to nothing at each end. it was made of birch bark, and could with great ease be carried by one man. in this we were to embark, with ten days’ provisions for three men, three blankets, three small bundles, and a little travelling-case belonging to myself; besides three paddles wherewith to propel us forward, a tin kettle for cooking, and an iron one for boiling water. our craft being too small to permit my taking the usual allowance of what are called luxuries, i determined to take pot-luck with my men, so that our existence for the next eight or ten days was to depend upon the nutritive properties contained in a few pounds of pemmican, a little biscuit, one pound of butter, and a very small quantity of tea and sugar. with all this, in addition to ourselves, we calculated upon being pretty deeply laden.
my men were of the tribe called swampy crees—and truly, to judge merely from appearance, they would have been the very last i should have picked out to travel with; for one was old, apparently upwards of fifty, and the other, though young, was a cripple. nevertheless, they were good, hard-working men, as i afterwards experienced. i did not take a tent with me, our craft requiring to be as light as possible, but i rolled up a mosquito-net in my blanket, that being a light affair of gauze, capable of compression into very small compass. such were our equipments; and on the 23rd of june we started for the interior.
a melancholy feeling came over me as i turned and looked for the last time upon york factory, where i had spent so many happy days with the young men who now stood waving their handkerchiefs from the wharf. mr grave, too, stood among them, and as i looked on his benevolent, manly countenance, i felt that i should ever remember with gratitude his kindness to me while we resided together on the shores of hudson bay. a few minutes more, and the fort was hid from my sight for ever.
my disposition is not a sorrowful one; i never did and never could remain long in a melancholy mood, which will account for the state of feeling i enjoyed half an hour after losing sight of my late home. the day was fine, and i began to anticipate a pleasant journey, and to speculate as to what part of the country i might be sent to. the whole wide continent of north america was now open to the excursive flights of my imagination, as there was a possibility of my being sent to any one of the numerous stations in the extensive territories of the hudson bay company. sometimes i fancied myself ranging through the wild district of mackenzie river, admiring the scenery described by franklin and back in their travels of discovery; and anon, as the tales of my companions occurred to me, i was bounding over the prairies of the saskatchewan in chase of the buffalo, or descending the rapid waters of the columbia to the pacific ocean. again my fancy wandered, and i imagined myself hunting the grizzly bear in the woods of athabasca—when a heavy lurch of the canoe awakened me to the fact that i was only ascending the sluggish waters of hayes river.
the banks of the river were covered with huge blocks of ice, and scarcely a leaf had as yet made its appearance. not a bird was to be seen, except a few crows and whisky-jacks, which chattered among the branches of the trees; and nature appeared as if undecided whether or not she should take another nap, ere she bedecked herself in the garments of spring. my indians paddled slowly against the stream, and i lay back, with a leg cocked over each gunwale, watching the sombre pines as they dropped slowly astern. on our way we passed two landslips which encroached a good deal on the river, each forming a small rapid round its base. the trees with which they had formerly been clothed were now scattered about in chaotic confusion, leafless, and covered with mud; some more than half buried, and others standing with their roots in the air. there is a tradition among the natives that a whole camp of indians was overwhelmed in the falling of these slips.
a good deal of danger is incurred in passing up these rivers, owing to the number of small landslips which occur annually. the banks, being principally composed of sandy clay, are loosened, and rendered almost fluid in many places, upon the melting of the snow in spring; and the ice, during the general disruption, tears away large masses of the lower part of the banks, which renders the superincumbent clay liable to slip, upon the first heavy shower of rain, with considerable force into the stream.
about sixteen miles from york factory we ran against a stone, and tore a small hole in the bottom of our canoe. this obliged us to put ashore immediately, when i had an opportunity of watching the swiftness and dexterity of the indians in repairing the damage. a small hole, about three inches long and one inch wide, had been torn in the bottom of the canoe, through which the water squirted with considerable rapidity. into this hole they fitted a piece of bark, sewed it with wattape (the fibrous roots of the pine-tree), made a small fire, melted gum, and plastered the place so as to be effectually water-tight, all in about the space of an hour.
during the day we passed a brigade of boats bound for the factory; but being too far off, and in a rapid part of the river we did not hail them. about nine o’clock we put ashore for the night, having travelled nearly twenty miles. the weather was pleasantly cool, so that we were free from mosquitoes. the spot we chose for our encampment was on the edge of a high bank, being the only place within three miles where we could carry up our provisions; and even here the ascent was bad enough. but after we were up, the top proved a good spot, covered with soft moss, and well sheltered by trees and bushes. a brook of fresh water rippled at the foot of the bank, and a few decayed trees afforded us excellent firewood. here, then, in the bosom of the wilderness, with the silvery light of the moon for our lamp, and serenaded by a solitary owl, we made our first bivouac. supper was neatly laid out on an oil-cloth, spread before a blazing fire. a huge junk of pemmican graced the centre of our rustic table, flanked by a small pile of ship’s biscuit on one side, and a lump of salt butter on the other; while a large iron kettle filled with hot water, slightly flavoured with tea-leaves, brought up the rear. two tin pots and a tumbler performed outpost duty, and were soon smoking full of warm tea. we made an excellent supper, after which the indians proceeded to solace themselves with a whiff, while i lay on my blanket enjoying the warmth of the fire, and admiring the apparently extreme felicity of the men, as they sat, with half-closed eyes, watching the smoke curling in snowy wreaths from their pipes, and varying their employment now and then with a pull at the tin pots, which seemed to afford them extreme satisfaction. in this manner we lay till the moon waned; and the owl having finished his overture, we rolled ourselves in our blankets, and watched the twinkling star, till sleep closed our eyelids.
next morning, between two and three o’clock, we began to stretch our limbs, and after a few ill-humoured grunts prepared for a start. the morning was foggy when we embarked and once more began to ascend the stream. everything was obscure and indistinct till about six o’clock, when the powerful rays of the rising sun dispelled the mist, and nature was herself again. a good deal of ice still lined the shores; but what astonished me most was the advanced state of vegetation apparent as we proceeded inland. when we left york factory, not a leaf had been visible; but here, though only thirty miles inland, the trees, and more particularly the bushes, were well covered with beautiful light green foliage, which appeared to me quite delightful after the patches of snow and leafless willows on the shores of hudson bay.
at eight o’clock we put ashore for breakfast—which was just a repetition of the supper of the preceding night, with this exception, that we discussed it a little more hurriedly—and then proceeded on our way.
shortly afterwards we met a small canoe, about the size of our own, which contained a postmaster and two indians, on their way to york factory with a few packs of otters. after five minutes’ conversation we parted, and were soon out of sight of each other. the day, which had hitherto been agreeable, now became oppressively sultry: not a breath of wind ruffled the water; and as the sun shone down with intense heat from a perfectly cloudless sky, it became almost insufferable. i tried all methods to cool myself, by lying in every position i could think of, sometimes even hanging both legs and arms over the sides of the canoe and trailing them through the water. i had a racking headache, and, to add to my misery, as the sun sank the mosquitoes rose and bit ferociously. the indians, however, did not appear to suffer much, being accustomed, no doubt, to these little annoyances, much in the same way as eels are to being skinned.
in the afternoon we arrived at the forks of hayes and steel rivers, and ascended the latter, till the increasing darkness and our quickening appetites reminded us that it was time to put ashore. we made a hearty supper, having eaten nothing since breakfast; dinner, while travelling in a light canoe, being considered quite superfluous.
our persevering foes, the mosquitoes, now thought it high time to make their supper also, and attacked us in myriads whenever we dared to venture near the woods; so we were fain to sleep as best we could on the open beach, without any fire—being much too warm for that. but even there they found us out, and most effectually prevented us from sleeping.
on the morning of the 25th, we arose very little refreshed by our short nap, and continued our journey. the weather was still warm, but a little more bearable, owing to a light, grateful breeze that came down the river. after breakfast—which we took at the usual hour, and in the usual way—while proceeding slowly up the current, we descried, on rounding a point, a brigade of boats close to the bank, on the opposite side of the river; so we embarked our man, who was tracking us up with a line (the current being too rapid for the continued use of the paddle), and crossed over to see who they were. on landing, we found it was the norway house brigade, in charge of george kippling, a red river settler. he shook hands with us, and then commenced an animated discourse with my two men in the indian language, which being perfectly unintelligible to me, i amused myself by watching the operations of the men, who were in the act of cooking breakfast.
nothing can be more picturesque than a band of voyageurs breakfasting on the banks of a pretty river. the spot they had chosen was a little above the burntwood creek, on a projecting grassy point, pretty clear of underwood. each boat’s crew—of which there were three—had a fire to itself, and over these fires were placed gipsy-like tripods, from which huge tin kettles depended; and above them hovered three volunteer cooks, who were employed stirring their contents with persevering industry. the curling wreaths of smoke formed a black cloud among the numerous fleecy ones in the blue sky, while all around, in every imaginable attitude, sat, stood, and reclined the sunburnt, savage-looking half-breeds, chatting, laughing, and smoking in perfect happiness. they were all dressed alike, in light cloth capotes with hoods, corduroy trousers, striped shirts open in front, with cotton kerchiefs tied sailor-fashion loosely round their swarthy necks. a scarlet worsted belt strapped each man’s coat tightly to his body, and indian moccasins defended their feet. their head-dresses were as various as fanciful—some wore caps of coarse cloth; others coloured handkerchiefs, twisted turban-fashion round their heads; and one or two, who might be looked upon as voyageur-fops, sported tall black hats, covered so plenteously with bullion tassels and feathers as to be scarcely recognisable.
the breakfast consisted solely of pemmican and flour, boiled into the sort of thick soup dignified by the name of robbiboo. as might be expected, it is not a very delicate dish, but is, nevertheless, exceedingly nutritious; and those who have lived long in the country, particularly the canadians, are very fond of it. i think, however, that another of their dishes, composed of the same materials, but fried instead of boiled, is much superior to it. they call it richeau; it is uncommonly rich, and very little will suffice for an ordinary man.
after staying about a quarter of an hour, chatting with kippling about the good folk of red river and norway house, we took our departure, just as they commenced the first vigorous attack upon the capacious kettles of robbiboo.
shortly after, we arrived at the mouth of hill river, which we began to ascend. the face of the country was now greatly changed, and it was evident that here spring had long ago dethroned winter. the banks of the river were covered from top to bottom with the most luxuriant foliage, while dark clumps of spruce-fir varied and improved the landscape. in many places the banks, which appeared to be upwards of a hundred feet high, ran almost perpendicularly down to the water’s edge, perfectly devoid of vegetation, except at the top, where large trees overhung the precipice, some clinging by their roots and ready to fall. in other places the bank sloped from nearly the same height, gradually, and with slight undulations, down to the stream, thickly covered with vegetation, and teeming with little birds, whose merry voices, warbling a cheerful welcome to the opening buds, greatly enhanced the pleasures of the scene.
we soon began to experience great difficulty in tracking the canoe against the rapid stream that now opposed us. from the steepness of the banks in some places, and their being clothed with thick willows in others, it became a slow and fatiguing process for the men to drag us against the strong current; and sometimes the poor indians had to cling like flies against nearly perpendicular cliffs of slippery clay, whilst at others they tore their way through almost impervious bushes. they relieved each other by turns every hour at this work, the one steering the canoe while the other tracked; and they took no rest during the whole day, except when at breakfast. indeed, any proposal to do so would have been received by them with great contempt, as a very improper and useless waste of time.
when the track happened to be at all passable, i used to get out and walk, to relieve them a little, as well as to stretch my cramped limbs, it being almost impossible, when there is any luggage in a small indian canoe, to attain a comfortable position.
at sunset we put ashore for the night, on a point covered with a great number of lopsticks. these are tall pine-trees, denuded of their lower branches, a small tuft being left at the top. they are generally made to serve as landmarks; and sometimes the voyageurs make them in honour of gentlemen who happen to be travelling for the first time along the route—and those trees are chosen which, from their being on elevated ground, are conspicuous objects. the traveller for whom they are made is always expected to acknowledge his sense of the honour conferred upon him by presenting the boat’s crew with a pint of grog, either on the spot or at the first establishment they meet with. he is then considered as having paid for his footing, and may ever afterwards pass scot-free.
we soon had our encampment prepared, and the fire blazing: but hundreds of mosquitoes were, as usual, awaiting our arrival, and we found it utterly impossible to sup, so fiercely did they attack us. we at last went to leeward of the fire, and devoured it hastily in the smoke—preferring to risk being suffocated or smoke-dried to being eaten up alive! it was certainly amusing to see us rushing into the thick smoke, bolt a few mouthfuls of pemmican, and then rush out again for fresh air; our hands swinging like the sails of a windmill round our heads, while every now and then, as a mosquito fastened on a tender part, we gave ourselves a resounding slap on the side of the head, which, had it come from the hand of another, would certainly have raised in us a most pugnacious spirit of resentment. in this manner we continued rushing out of and into the smoke till supper was finished, and then prepared for sleep. this time, however, i was determined not to be tormented; so i cut four stakes, drove them into the ground, and threw over them my gauze mosquito-net, previously making a small fire, with wet grass on it, to raise a smoke and prevent intruders from entering while i was in the act of putting it on; then, cautiously raising one end, i bolted in after the most approved harlequinian style, leaving my discomfited tormentors wondering at the audacity of a man who could snore in a state of unconcerned felicity in the very midst of the enemy’s camp.
on the following morning we started at an early hour. the day was delightfully cool, and mosquitoes were scarce, so that we felt considerably comfortable as we glided quietly up the current. in this way we proceeded till after breakfast, when we came in sight of the first portage, on which we landed. in a surprisingly short time our luggage, etcetera, was pitched ashore, and the canoe carried over by the indians, while i followed with some of the baggage; and in half an hour we were ready to start from the upper end of the portage. while carrying across the last few articles, one of the indians killed two fish called suckers, which they boiled on the spot and devoured immediately.
towards sunset we paddled quietly up to the “white mud portage,” where there is a fall, of about seven or eight feet, of extreme rapidity, shooting over the edge in an arch of solid water, which falls hissing and curling into the stream below. here we intended to encamp. as we approached the cataract, a boat suddenly appeared on the top of it, and shot with the speed of lightning into the boiling water beneath, its reckless crew shouting, pulling, laughing, and hallooing, as it swept round a small point at the foot of the fall and ran aground in a bay or hollow, where the eddying water, still covered with patches of foam after its mighty leap, floated quietly round the shore. they had scarcely landed when another boat appeared on the brink, and, hovering for an instant, as if to prepare itself for the leap, flashed through the water, and the next moment was aground beside the first. in this manner seven boats successively ran the fall, and grounded in the bay.
upon our arriving, we found them to be a part of the saskatchewan brigade, on its way to the common point of rendezvous, york factory. it was in charge of two friends of mine; so i accosted them, without introducing myself, and chatted for some time about the occurrences of the voyage. they appeared a little disconcerted, however, and looked very earnestly at me two or three times. at last they confessed they had forgotten me altogether! and, indeed, it was no wonder, for the sun had burned me nearly as black as my indian friends, while my dress consisted of a blue capote, sadly singed by the fire; a straw hat, whose shape, from exposure and bad usage, was utterly indescribable; a pair of corduroys, and indian moccasins; which so metamorphosed me, that my friends, who perfectly recollected me the moment i mentioned my name, might have remained in ignorance to this day had i not enlightened them on the subject.
after supper one of these gentlemen offered me a share of his tent, and we turned in together, but not to sleep; for we continued gossiping till long after the noisy voices of the men had ceased to disturb the tranquillity of night.
at the first peep of day our ears were saluted with the usual unpleasant sound of “lève! lève! lève!” issuing from the leathern throat of the guide. now this same “lève!” is in my ears a peculiarly harsh and disagreeable word, being associated with frosty mornings, uncomfortable beds, and getting up in the dark before half enough of sleep has been obtained. the way in which it is uttered, too, is particularly exasperating; and often, when partially awakened by a stump boring a hole in my side, have i listened with dread to hear the detested sound, and then, fancying it must surely be too early to rise, have fallen gently over on the other side, when a low muffled sound, as if some one were throwing off his blanket, would strike upon my ear, then a cough or grunt, and finally, as if from the bowels of the earth, a low and scarcely audible “lève! lève!” would break the universal stillness—growing rapidly louder, “lève! lève! lève!” and louder, “lève! lève!” till at last a final stentorian “lève! lève! lève!” brought the hateful sound to a close, and was succeeded by a confused collection of grunts, groans, coughs, grumbles, and sneezes from the unfortunate sleepers thus rudely roused from their slumbers. the disinclination to rise, however, was soon overcome; and up we got, merry as larks, the men loading their boats, while i and my indians carried our luggage, etcetera, over the portage.
our troubles now commenced: the longest and most difficult part of the route lay before us, and we prepared for a day of toil. far as the eye could reach, the river was white with boiling rapids and foaming cascades, which, though small, were much too large to ascend, and consequently we were obliged to make portages at almost every two or three hundred yards. rapid after rapid was surmounted; yet still, as we rounded every point and curve, rapids and falls rose, in apparently endless succession, before our wearied eyes. my indians, however, knew exactly the number they had to ascend, so they set themselves manfully to the task. i could not help admiring the dexterous way in which they guided the canoe among the rapids. upon arriving at one, the old indian, who always sat in the bow (this being the principal seat in canoe travelling), rose up on his knees and stretched out his neck to take a look before commencing the attempt; and then, sinking down again, seized his paddle, and pointing significantly to the chaos of boiling waters that rushed swiftly past us (thus indicating the route he intended to pursue to his partner in the stern), dashed into the stream. at first we were borne down with the speed of lightning, while the water hissed and boiled to within an inch of the gunwale, and a person unaccustomed to such navigation would have thought it folly our attempting to ascend; but a second glance would prove that our indians had not acted rashly. in the centre of the impetuous current a large rock rose above the surface, and from its lower end a long eddy ran like the tail of a comet for about twenty yards down the river. it was just opposite this rock that we entered the rapid, and paddled for it with all our might. the current, however, as i said before, swept us down; and when we got to the middle of the stream, we just reached the extreme point of the eddy, and after a few vigorous strokes of the paddles were floating quietly in the lee of the rock. we did not stay long, however—just long enough to look for another stone; and the old indian soon pitched upon one a few yards higher up, but a good deal to one side; so, dipping our paddles once more, we pushed out into the stream again, and soon reached the second rock. in this way, yard by yard, did we ascend for miles, sometimes scarcely gaining a foot in a minute, and at others, as a favouring bay or curve presented a long piece of smooth water, advancing more rapidly. in fact, our progress could not be likened to anything more aptly than to the ascent of a salmon as he darts rapidly from eddy to eddy, taking advantage of every stone and hollow that he finds: and the simile may be still further carried out; for, as the salmon is sometimes driven back tail foremost in attempting to leap a fall, so were we, in a similar attempt, driven back by the overpowering force of the water.
it happened thus: we had surmounted a good many rapids, and made a few portages, when we arrived at a perpendicular fall of about two feet in height, but from the rapidity of the current it formed only a very steep shoot. here the indians paused to breathe, and seemed to doubt the possibility of ascent; however, after a little conversation on the subject, they determined to try it, and got out their poles for the purpose (poles being always used when the current is too strong for the paddles). we now made a dash, and turning the bow to the current, the indians fixed their poles firmly in the ground, while the water rushed like a mill-race past us. they then pushed forward, one keeping his pole fixed, while the other refixed his a little more ahead. in this way we advanced inch by inch, and had almost got up—the water rushing past us in a thick, black body, hissing sharply in passing the side of our canoe, which trembled like a reed before the powerful current—when suddenly the pole of the indian in the stern slipped; and almost before i knew what had happened, we were floating down the stream about a hundred yards below the fall. fortunately the canoe went stern foremost, so that we got down in safety. had it turned round even a little in its descent, it would have been rolled over and over like a cask. our second attempt proved more successful; and after a good deal of straining and puffing we arrived at the top, where the sight of a longer stretch than usual of calm and placid water rewarded us for our exertions during the day.
in passing over a portage we met the english river brigade; and after a little conversation, we parted. the evening was deliciously cool and serene as we glided quietly up the now tranquil river. numbers of little islets, covered to the very edge of the rippling water with luxuriant vegetation, rose like emeralds from the bosom of the broad river, shining brightly in the rays of the setting sun; sometimes so closely scattered as to veil the real size of the river, which, upon our again emerging from among them, burst upon our delighted vision a broad sheet of clear pellucid water, with beautiful fresh banks covered with foliage of every shade, from the dark and sombre pine to the light drooping willow; while near the shore a matronly-looking duck swam solemnly along, casting now and then a look of warning to a numerous family of little yellow ducklings that frisked and gambolled in very wantonness, as if they too enjoyed and appreciated the beauties of the scene. through this terrestrial paradise we wended our way, till rapids again began to disturb the water, and a portage at last brought us to a stand. here we found mcnab, who had left york factory three days before us with his brigade, just going to encamp; so we also brought up for the night. when supper was ready, i sent an invitation to mcnab to come and sup with me, which he accepted, at the same time bringing his brother with him. the elder was a bluff, good-natured red river settler, with whom i had become acquainted while in the colony; and we chatted of bygone times and mutual acquaintances over a cup of excellent tea, till long after the sun had gone down, leaving the blazing camp-fires to illuminate the scene.
next morning we started at the same time with the boats; but our little canoe soon passed them in the rapids, and we saw no more of them. our way was not now so much impeded by rapids as it had hitherto been; and by breakfast-time we had surmounted them all and arrived at the dram-stone, where we put ashore for our morning meal. in the morning i shot a duck, being the first that had come within range since i left york factory. ducks were very scarce, and the few that we did see were generally accompanied by a numerous offspring not much bigger than the eggs which originally contained them. while taking breakfast we were surprised by hearing a quick rushing sound a little above us, and the next moment a light canoe came sweeping round a point and made towards us. it was one of those called “north canoes,” which are calculated to carry eight men as a crew, besides three passengers. the one now before us was built much the same as an indian canoe, but somewhat neater, and ornamented with sundry ingenious devices painted in gaudy colours on the bows and stern. it was manned by eight men and apparently one passenger, to whom i hallooed once or twice; but they took me, no doubt, for an indian, and so passed on without taking any notice of us. as the noble bark bounded quickly forward and was hid by intervening trees, i bent a look savouring slightly of contempt upon our little indian canoe, and proceeded to finish breakfast.
a solitary north canoe, however, passing thus in silence, can give but a faint idea of the sensation felt on seeing a brigade of them arriving at a post after a long journey. it is then that they appear in wild perfection. the voyageurs upon such occasions are dressed in their best clothes; and gaudy feathers, ribbons, and tassels stream in abundance from their caps and garters. painted gaily, and ranged side by side, like contending chargers, the light canoes skim swiftly over the water, bounding under the vigorous and rapid strokes of the small but numerous paddles, while the powerful voyageurs strain every muscle to urge them quickly on. and while yet in the distance, the beautifully simple and lively yet plaintive paddling song, so well suited to the surrounding scenery, and so different from any other air, breaks sweetly on the ear; and one reflects, with a kind of subdued and pleasing melancholy, how far the singers are from their native land, and how many long and weary days of danger and of toil will pass before they can rest once more in their canadian homes. how strangely, too, upon their nearer approach, is this feeling changed for one of exultation, as the deep and manly voices swell in chorus over the placid waters, while a competition arises among them who shall first arrive; and the canoes dash over the water with arrow-speed to the very edge of the wharf, where they come suddenly, and as by magic, to a pause. this is effected by each man backing water with his utmost force; after which they roll their paddles on the gunwale simultaneously, enveloping themselves in a shower of spray as they shake the dripping water from the bright vermilion blades. truly it is an animating, inspiriting scene, the arrival of a brigade of light canoes.
our route now lay through a number of small lakes and rivers, with scarcely any current in them; so we proceeded happily on our way with the cheering prospect of uninterrupted travelling. we had crossed swampy lake, and, after making one or two insignificant portages, entered knee lake. this body of water obtained its name from turning at a sharp angle near its centre, and stretching out in an opposite direction from its preceding course; thus forming something like a knee. late in the evening we encamped on one of the small islands with which it is here and there dotted. nothing could exceed the beauty of the view we had of the lake from our encampment. not a breath of wind stirred its glassy surface, which shone in the ruddy rays of the sun setting on its bosom in the distant horizon; and i sat long upon the rocks admiring the lovely scene, while one of my indians filled the tea-kettle, and the other was busily engaged in skinning a minx for supper. our evening meal was further enriched by the addition of a great many small gulls’ eggs, which we had found on an island during the day—which, saving one or two that showed evident symptoms of being far advanced towards birdhood, were excellent.
on the following morning the scene was entirely changed. dark and lowering clouds flew across the sky, and the wind blew furiously, with a melancholy moaning sound, through the trees. the lake, which the night before had been so calm and tranquil, was now of a dark leaden hue, and covered with foaming waves. however, we determined to proceed, and launched our canoe accordingly; but soon finding the wind too strong for us, we put ashore on a small island and breakfasted. as the weather moderated after breakfast, we made another attempt to advance. numerous islets studded the lake, and on one of them we landed to collect gulls’ eggs. of these we found enough; but among them were a number of little yellow gulls, chattering vociferously, and in terrible consternation at our approach, while the old ones kept uttering the most plaintive cries overhead. the eggs were very small, being those of a small species of gull which frequents those inland lakes in great numbers. the wind again began to rise; and after a little consultation on the subject we landed, intending to spend the remainder of the day on shore.
we now, for the first time since leaving york factory, prepared dinner, which we expected would be quite a sumptuous one, having collected a good many eggs in the morning; so we set about it with alacrity. a fire was quickly made, the tea-kettle on, and a huge pot containing upwards of a hundred eggs placed upon the fire. these we intended to boil hard and carry with us. being very hungry, i watched the progress of dinner with much interest, while the indians smoked in silence. while sitting thus, my attention was attracted by a loud whistling sound that greatly perplexed me, as i could not discover whence it proceeded—i got up once or twice to see what it could be, but found nothing, although it sounded as if close beside me. at last one of the indians rose, and, standing close to the fire, bent in a very attentive attitude over the kettle; and, after listening a little while, took up one of the eggs and broke it, when out came a young gull with a monstrous head and no feathers, squeaking and chirping in a most indefatigable manner! “so much for our dinner!” thought i, as he threw the bird into the lake, and took out a handful of eggs, which all proved to be much in the same condition. the warmth of the water put life into the little birds, which, however, was speedily destroyed when it began to boil. we did not despair, nevertheless, of finding a few good ones amongst them; so, after they were well cooked, we all sat round the kettle and commenced operations. some were good and others slightly spoiled, while many were intersected with red veins, but the greater part contained boiled birds. the indians were not nice, however, and we managed to make a good dinner off them after all.
in the afternoon the weather cleared up and the wind moderated, but we had scarcely got under weigh again when a thunderstorm arose and obliged us to put ashore; and there we remained for four hours sitting under a tree, while the rain poured in torrents. in the evening nature tired of teasing us; and the sun shone brightly out as we once more resumed our paddles. to make up for lost time, we travelled until about two o’clock next morning, when we put ashore to rest a little; and, as the night was fine, we just threw our blankets over our shoulders and tumbled down on the first convenient spot we could find, without making a fire or taking any supper. we had not lain long, however, when i felt a curious chilly sensation all along my side, which effectually awakened me; and then i saw, or rather heard, that a perfect deluge of rain was descending upon our luckless heads, and that i had been reposing in the centre of a large puddle. this state of things was desperate; and as the poor indians seemed to be as thoroughly uncomfortable as they possibly could be, i proposed to start again—which we did, and before daylight were many a mile from our wretched encampment. as the sun rose the weather cleared up, and soon after we came to the end of knee lake and commenced the ascent of trout river. here i made a sketch of the trout falls while the men made a portage to avoid them. with a few indians encamped on this portage we exchanged a little pemmican for some excellent white-fish, a great treat to us after living so long on pemmican and tea. our biscuit had run short a few days before, and the pound of butter which we brought from york factory had melted into oil from the excessive heat, and vanished through the bottom of the canvas bag containing it. trout river, though short, has a pretty fair share of falls and rapids, which we continued ascending all day. the scenery was pleasing and romantic; but there was nothing of grandeur in it, the country being low, flat, and, excepting on the banks of the river, uninteresting. in the afternoon we came to the end of this short river, and arrived at oxford house. we landed in silence, and i walked slowly up the hill, but not a soul appeared. at last, as i neared the house, i caught a glimpse of a little boy’s face at the window, who no sooner saw me than his eyes opened to their widest extent, while his mouth followed their example, and he disappeared with a precipitancy that convinced me he was off to tell his mother the astounding news that somebody had arrived. the next moment i was shaking hands with my old friend mrs gordon and her two daughters, whom i found engaged in the interesting occupation of preparing tea. from them i learned that they were entirely alone, with only one man to take care of the post—mr gordon, whom they expected back every day, having gone to norway house.
i spent a delightful evening with this kind and hospitable family, talking of our mutual friends, and discussing the affairs of the country, till a tall box in a corner of the room attracted my attention. this i discovered to my delight was no less than a barrel-organ, on which one of the young ladies at my request played a few tunes. now, barrel-organs, be it known, were things that i had detested from my infancy upwards; but this dislike arose principally from my having been brought up in the dear town o’ auld reekie, where barrel-organ music is, as it were, crammed down one’s throat without permission being asked or received, and even, indeed, where it is decidedly objected to. everybody said, too, that barrel-organs were a nuisance, and of course i believed them; so that i left my home with a decided dislike to barrel-organs in general. four years’ residence, however, in the bush had rendered me much less fastidious in music, as well as in many other things; and during the two last years spent at york factory, not a solitary note of melody had soothed my longing ear, so that it was with a species of rapture that i now ground away at the handle of this organ, which happened to be a very good one, and played in perfect tune. “god save the queen,” “rule britannia,” “lord mcdonald’s reel,” and the “blue bells of scotland” were played over and over again; and, old and threadbare though they be, to me they were replete with endearing associations, and sounded like the well-known voices of long, long absent friends. i spent indeed a delightful evening; and its pleasures were the more enhanced from the circumstance of its being the first, after a banishment of two years, which i had spent in the society of the fair sex.
next morning was fine, though the wind blew pretty fresh, and we started before breakfast, having taken leave of the family the night before. this was the 1st of july. we had been eight days on the route, which is rather a long time for a canoe to take to reach oxford house; but as most of the portages were now over, we calculated upon arriving at norway house in two or three days.
in the afternoon the wind blew again, and obliged us to encamp on a small island, where we remained all day. while there, a couple of indians visited us, and gave us an immense trout in exchange for some pemmican. this trout i neglected to measure, but i am convinced it was more than three feet long and half a foot broad: it was very good, and we made a capital dinner off it. during the day, as it was very warm, i had a delightful swim in the lake, on the lee of the island.
the wind moderated a little in the evening, and we again embarked, making up for lost time by travelling till midnight, when we put ashore and went to sleep without making a fire or taking any supper. about four o’clock we started again, and in a couple of hours came to the end of oxford lake, after which we travelled through a number of small swamps or reedy lakes, and stagnant rivers, among which i got so bewildered that i gave up the attempt to chronicle their names as hopeless; and indeed it was scarcely worth while, as they were so small and overgrown with bulrushes that they were no more worthy of a name in such a place as america than a dub would be in scotland. the weather was delightfully cool, and mosquitoes not troublesome, so that we proceeded with pleasure and rapidity.
while thus threading our way through narrow channels and passages, upon turning a point we met three light canoes just on the point of putting ashore for breakfast, so i told my indians to run ashore near them. as we approached, i saw that there were five gentlemen assembled, with whom i was acquainted, so that i was rather anxious to get ashore; but, alas! fortune had determined to play me a scurvy trick, for no sooner had my foot touched the slippery stone on which i intended to land, than down i came squash on my breast in a most humiliating manner, while my legs kept playfully waving about in the cooling element. this unfortunate accident, i saw, occasioned a strange elongation in the lateral dimensions of the mouths of the party on shore, who stood in silence admiring the scene. i knew, however, that to appear annoyed would only make matters worse; so, with a desperate effort to appear at ease, i rose, and while shaking hands with them, expressed my belief that there was nothing so conducive to health as a cold bath in the morning. after a laugh at my expense, we sat down to breakfast. one of the gentlemen gave me a letter from the governor, and i now learned, for the first time, that i was to take a passage in one of the light canoes for montreal. here, then, was a termination to my imaginary rambles on the rocky mountains, or on the undulating prairies of the saskatchewan; and instead of massacring buffalo and deer in the bush, i was in a short time to endeavour to render myself a respectable member of civilised society. i was delighted with the idea of the change, however, and it was with a firmer step and lighter heart that i took my leave and once more stepped into the canoe.
after passing through a succession of swamps and narrow channels, we arrived at robinson’s portage, where we found voyageurs running about in all directions, some with goods on their backs, and others returning light to the other end of the portage. we found that they belonged to the oxford house boats, which had just arrived at the other end of the portage, where they intended to encamp, as it was now late. robinson’s portage is the longest on the route, being nearly a mile in length; and as all the brigades going to york factory must pass over it twice—in going and returning—the track is beaten into a good broad road, and pretty firm, although it is rather uneven, and during heavy rains somewhat muddy. over this all the boats are dragged, and launched at the upper or lower end of the portage, as the brigades may happen to be ascending or descending the stream. then all the cargoes are in like manner carried over. packs of furs and bales of goods are generally from 80 to 100 pounds weight each; and every man who does not wish to be considered a lazy fellow, or to be ridiculed by his companions, carries two of these pieces, as they are called, across all portages. the boats are capable of containing from seventy to ninety of these pieces, so that it will be easily conceived that a voyageur’s life is anything but an easy one; indeed, it is one of constant and harassing toil, even were the trouble of ascending rapid rivers, where he is often obliged to jump into the water at a moment’s notice, to lighten the boat in shallows, left entirely out of the question. this portage is made to avoid what are called the white falls—a succession of cataracts up which nothing but a fish could possibly ascend. after carrying over our canoe and luggage, we encamped at the upper end. the river we commenced ascending next morning was pretty broad, and after a short paddle in it we entered the echimamis. this is a sluggish serpentine stream, about five or six yards broad, though in some places so narrow that boats scrape the banks on either side. what little current there is runs in a contrary direction to the rivers we had been ascending. mosquitoes again attacked us as we glided down its gloomy current, and nothing but swamps, filled with immense bulrushes, were visible around. here, in days of yore, the beaver had a flourishing colony, and numbers of their dams and cuttings were yet visible; but they have long since deserted this much-frequented waste, and one of their principal dams now serves to heighten the water, which is not deep, for the passage of brigades in dry seasons. at night, when we encamped on its low, damp banks, we were attacked by myriads of mosquitoes, so that we could only sleep by making several fires round us, the smoke from which partially protected us. about three o’clock in the morning, which was very warm, we re-embarked, and at noon arrived at the sea portage (why so called i know not, as it is hundreds of miles inland), which is the last on the route. this portage is very short, and is made to surmount a pretty large waterfall. almost immediately afterwards we entered playgreen lake, and put ashore on a small island, to alter our attire before arriving at norway house.
here, with the woods for our closet, and the clear lake for our basin as well as looking-glass, we proceeded to scrub our sunburnt faces; and in half an hour, having made ourselves as respectable as circumstances would permit, we paddled swiftly over the lake. it is pretty long, and it was not until evening that i caught the first glimpse of the bright spire of the wesleyan church at rossville.
we now approached the termination of our journey, for the time at least; and it was with pleasing recollections that i recognised the well-known rocks where i had so often wandered three years before. when we came in sight of the fort, it was in a state of bustle and excitement as usual, and i could perceive from the vigorous shaking of hands going forward, from the number of voyageurs collected on the landing-place, and of boats assembled at the wharf, that there had just been an arrival. our poor little canoe was not taken any notice of as it neared the wharf, until some of the people on shore observed that there was some one in the middle of it sitting in a very lazy, indolent position, which is quite uncommon among indians. in another minute we gained the bank, and i grasped the hand of my kind friend and former chief, mr russ.
we had now been travelling twelve days, and had passed over upwards of thirty portages during the voyage.
we ought to have performed this voyage in a much shorter time, as canoes proceed faster than boats, which seldom take longer to complete this voyage than we did; but this arose from our detention during high winds in several of the lakes.
