IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) / O >^ o / Photographic Sciences Corporation £^ ,\ «^ fv 'o 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 s ^ I: XIV INTROyUCTION. • 1 under Divine Providence, the preservation of the lives of some of the party. I ought, perhaps, to crave tlie reader's indulgence towards the defective style of this work, which I trust will not he refused when it is considered that mine has been a life of constant employment in my profes- sion from a very early age. I have been prompted to venture upon the task solely by an imperious sense of duty, when called upon to undertake it. In the ensuing Narrative, the notices of the moral condition of the Indians as in- fluenced by the conduct of the traders to- wards them, refer entirely to the state in which it existed during our progress through the country ; but lest I should have been mistaken respecting the views of the Hud- son's Bay Company on these points, I gladly embrace the opportunity which a New Edi- tion affords me of stating that the junction i 1 \ INTRODUCTION. XV of the two Companies has enabled the Di- rectors to put in practice the improvements which I have reason to beheve they had long contemplated. They have provided for re- ligious instruction by the appointment of two Clergymen of tlie Established Church, under whose direction school-masters and mistresses are to be placed at such stations as afford the means of support for the esta- blishment of schools. The offspring of the voyagers and labourers are to be educated chiefly at the expense of the Company ; and such of the Indian children as their parents may wish to send to these schools, are to be instructed, clothed, and main- tained, at the expense of the Church Mis- sionary Society, which has already allotted a considerable sum for these purposes, and has also sent out teachers, who are to act under the superintendence of the Rev. Mr. West, the principal chaplain of the Com- pany. XVI INTRODUCTION. We liatl the pleasure f meeting this gentleman at York Factory, and witnessed with peculiar delight the great benefit which already marked his zealous and ju- dicious conduct. Many of the traders, and of the servants of the Company, had been induced to marry the women with whom they had cohabited ; a material step towards the improvement of the females in that country. Mr. West, under the sanction of the Di- rectors, has also promoted a subscription for the distribution of the Bible in every part of the country where the Company's Fur Trade has extended, and which has met with very general support from the resident chief factors, traders, and clerks. The Directors of the Company are continu- ing to reduce the distribution of spirits gra- dually among the Indians, as well as towards their own servants, with a view to the en- ■^■>a«M**»JM INTRODUCTION. XVll tire disuse of them as soon as this most de- sirable object can be accomplished. They have likewise issued orders for the cultiva- tion of the ground at each of the posts, by which means the residents will be far less exposed to famine whenever through the scarcity of animals, the sickness of the In- dians, or any other cause, their supply of meat may fail. It is to be hoped that intentions, so dear to every humane and pious mind, will, through the blessing of God, meet with the utmost success. VOL. I. i- i ! CONTENTS OF THE FIRST VOLUME, CHAPTER I, Departure from England — Transactions at Stromness — Enter Davis Straits — Perilous situation on the Shore of Resolution Island — Land on the Coast of Labrador — Esquimaux of Savage Islands — York Factory — Prepara- tions for the Journey into the Interior. Page 1 CHAPTER 11. Passage up Hayes', Steel, and Hill Rivers — Cross Swampy Lake — Jack River — Knee Lake, and Magnetic Islet — Trout River- Holy Lake — Weepinapannis River — Windy Lake — White Fall Lake and River — Eche- mamis and Sea Rivers — Play-Green Lakes — Lake Winipeg — River Saskatchawan — Cross, Cedar, and Pine Island Lakes — Cumberland House 61 XX CONTENTS. CHAPTER III. Dr. Richardson's residence at Cumberland House — His Account of the Cree Indians. 114 CHAPTER IV. Leave Cumberland House — Mode of Travelling in Winter — Arrival at Carlton House — Stone Indians — : isittoa Buffalo Pound — Goitres — Departure from Carlton House, . . .133 i \ DIRECTIONS TO THE BINDER. pberland ins. IH ravelling - — Stone Goitres — . 183 VOL. I. I. Portrait of Captain Franklin . . . .to face the Title II. JMorgan's Rocks page 63 iir. The Trout Fall 71 IV. Resting Place on a Winter's Night 189 V. BufRilo Pound 221 VI. Chart at the etid. VOL. II. vii. Portrait of Dr. Richardson . . . .to face the Title VIII. Expedition crossing Lake Prosperous, .page 160 IX. Marten Lake 210 X. Expedition discovering Copper-Mine River 212 XI. AV inter Viev/ of Fort Enterprise 231 XII. Copper Indian and Daughter. 246 VOL. III. XIII. Portrait of Mr. Back to face the Title XIV. White Wolf page 93 XV. Expedition passing Point Lake 114 XVI. Doubling Cape Barrow 201 XVII. Encamped at Point Turnagain 239 XVIII. Landing in a Storm 251 XIX. Wilberforce Falls 258 VOL. IV. XX. Portrait of Augustus to face the Title XXI. Preparing an Encampment page 24 XXII. Portrait of Hood 95 XXIII. Hepburn 115 XXIV. Esquimaux pillaging the Boats 225 VOL. I. C X^x mmmm K 4 "•Ol" JOURNEY TO THE SHORES OF THE POLAR SEA. CHAPTER I. Departure from England — Transactions at Stromness — Enter Davis* Straits — Perilous Situation on the Shore of Resolution Island — Land on the Coast of Labrador — Esquimaux of Savage Islands — York Factory — Preparations for the Journey into the Interior. On Sunday, the 23d of May, 1819, the whole of our party embarked at Gravesend, on board the ship Prince of Wales, belong- ing to the Hudson's Bay Company, just as she was in the act of getting under weigh, with her consorts the Eddystone and Wear. The wind being unfavourable, on the ebb tide being finished, the vessels were again anchored ; but they weighed in the night VOL. I. B % JOURNEY TO THE SHORES and beat down as far as the Warp, wliere^ they were detained two days by a strong easterly wind. Having learned from some of the pas- sengers, who were the trading officers of the Company, that the arrival of the ships at either of the establishments in Hudson's Bay, gives full occupation to all the boat- men in their service, who are required to convey the necessary stores to the different posts in the interior ; that it was very pro- bable a sufficient number of men might not be procured from this indispensable duty ; and, considering that any delay at York Factory would materially retard our future operations, I wrote to the Under Secretary of State, requesting his permission to pro- vide a few well-qualified steersmen and bowmen, at Stromness, to assist our pro- ceedings in the former part of our journey into the interior. May 30. — The easterly wind, which had retarded the ship's progress so much, that we had only reached HoUesley Bay after a week's beating about, changed to W.S.W. H. ng ,. OF THE POLAR SEA. 3 soon after that anchorage had been gained. The vessels instantly weighed, and, by carry- ing all sail, arrived in Yarmouth Roads at seven P.M.; the pilots were landed, and our course was continued through the an- chorage. At midnight, the wind became light and variable, and gradually drew round to the N.W. ; and, as the sky indicated un- settled weather, and the wind blew from an unfavourable quarter for ships upon that coast, the commander bore up again for Yarmouth, and anchored at eight A.M. This return afforded us, at least, the op- portunity of comparing the longitude of Yarmouth church, as shown by our chro- nometers, with its position as laid down by the Ordnance Trigonometrical Survey ; and it was satisfactory to find, from the Small difference in their results, that the chronometers had not experienced any al- teration in their rates, in consequence of their being changed from an horizontal po- sition in a room, to that of being carried in the pocket. An untoward circumstance, while at this B 2 I 4 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES anchorage, cast a damp on our party at this early period of the voyage. Emboldened by the decided appearance of the N.W. sky, several of our officers and passengers ventured on shore for a few hours ; but we had not been long in the town before the wind changed suddenly to S.E., which caused instant motion in the large fleet col- lected at this anchorage. The commander of our ship intimated his intention of pro- ceeding to sea by firing guns, and the pas- sen^rers hastened to embark. Mr. Back, however, had unfortunately gone upon some business to a house two or three miles dis- tant from Yarmouth, along the line of the coast ; from whence he expected to be able to observe the first symptoms of moving, which the vessels might make. By some accident, however, he did not make his ap- pearance before the captain was obliged to make sail, that he might get the ships through the intricate passage of the Cockle Gat before it was dark. Fortunately, through the kindness of Lieutenant Hewit, of the Protector, I was enabled to convey «.• I s d nr OF THE POLAR SEA. 0 a note to ou^* missing companion, desiring him to proceed immediately by the coach to the Pentland Firth, and from thence across the passage to Stromness, which appeared to be the only way of proceeding by which he could rejoin the party. June 3. — The wind continuing favourable after leaving Yarmouth, about nine this morning we passed the rugged and bold projecting rock, termed Johnny Groat's House, and soon afterwards Duncansby Head, and then entered the Pentland Firth. A pilot came from the main shore of Scot- land, and steered the ship in safety between the different islands, to the outer anchorage at Stromness, though the atmosphere was too dense for distinguishing any of the ob- jects on the land. Almost immediately after the ship had anchored, the wind changed to N.W., the rain ceased, and a sight was then first obtained of the neigh- bouring islands, and of the town of Strom- ness, the latter of which, from this point of view, and at this distance, presented a pleasing appearance. 6 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES Mr. Geddes, the agent of the Hudson's Bay Company at this place, undertook to communicate my wish for volunteer boatmen to the different parishes, by a notice on the Church door, which he said w^as the surest and most direct channel for the conveyance of information to the lower classes in these islands, as they invariably attend divine service there every Sunday. He informed me that the kind of men we were in want of would be difficult to procure, on account of the very increased demand for boatmen for the herring fishery, which had recently been established on the shores of these is- lands ; that last year, sixty boats and four hundred men only were employed on this service, whereas now there were three hun- dred boats and twelve hundred men en- gaged ; and that owing to this unexpected addition to the fishery, he had been unable to provide the number of persons required for the service of the Hudson's Bay Com- pany. This was unpleasant information, as it increased the apprehension of our being detained at York Factory the whole winter, OF THE POLAR SEA. 7 if boatmen were not taken from hence. I could not therefore hesitate in requesting Mr. Geddes to engage eight or ten men, well adapted for our service, on such terms as he could procure them, though the Se- cretary of State's permission had not yet reached me. Next to a supply of boatmen, our atten- tion was directed towards the procuring of a house conveniently situated for trying the instruments, and examining the rates of the chronometers. Mr. Geddes kindly offered one of his, which, though in an unfinished state, was readily accepted, being well situ- ated for our purpose, as it was placed on an eminence, had a southern aspect, and was at a sufficient distance from the town to secure us from frequent interruption. Another advantage was its proximity to the Manse, the residence of the Reverend Mr. Clouston, the worthy and highly respected minister of Stromness, whose kind hospi- tality and the polite attention of his family, the party experienced almost daily during their stay. 8 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES h For three days the weather was unset- tled, and few observations could be made, except for the dip of the needle, which was ascertained to be 74° 37' 48", on which oc- casion a difference of eight degrees and a half was perceived between the observa- tions, when the face of the instrument was changed from the east to the west, the amount being the greatest when it was placed with the face to the west. But, on the 8th, a westerly wind caused a cloudless sky, which enabled us to place the transit instrument in the meridian, and to ascertain the variation of the compass to be 27° 50' west. The sky becoming cloudy in the afternoon, prevented our obtaining the cor- responding observations to those gained in the 'Tiorning ; and the next day an imper- vious fog obscured the sky until noon. On the evening of this day, we had the gratifi- cation of welcoming our absent companion, Mr. Back. His return to our society was hailed with sincere pleasure by every one, and removed a weight of anxiety from my mind. It appears that he had come down t 1 OF THE POLAR SEA* 9 to the beach at Caistor, just as the ships were passing by, and had appHed to some boatmen to convey him on b<3ard, which might have been soon accompHshed; but they, discovering the emergency of his case, demanded an exorbitant reward, which he was not at the instnnt prepared to satisfy, and, in consequence, they positively refused to assist him. Though he had travelled nine successive days, almost without rest, he could not be prevailed upon to withdraw from the agreeable scene of a ball-room, in which he joined us, until a late hour. On the 10th, the rain having ceased, the observations for ascertaining the dip of the needle were repeated, and the results, compared with the former ones, gave a mean of 74° 33' 20". Nearly the same dif- ferences were remarked in reversing the face of the instrument as before. An at- tempt was also made to ascertain the mag- netic force, but the wind blew too strong for procuring the observation to any degree of accuracy. The fineness of the following day induced A 10 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES US to set up the different instruments for examination, and to try liow nearly the ob- servations made by each of them would agree ; but a squall passed over just before noon, accompanied by heavy rain, and the hoped-for favourable opportunity was en- tirely lost. In the intervals between Hie observations, and at every opportunity, my companions were occupied in those pursuits to which their attention had been more par- ticularly directed in my instructions. Whilst Dr. Richardson was collecting and examin- ing the various specimens of marine plants, of which these islands furnish an abundant and diversified supply, Mr. Back and Mr. Hood took views and sketches of the sur- rounding scenery, which is extremely pic- turesque in many parts, and wants only the addition of trees to make it beautiful. The hills present the bold character of rugged sterility, whilst the valleys, at this season, are clothed with luxuriant verdure. It was not till the 14th, that, by appoint- ment, the boatmen were to assemble at the house of Mr. Geddes, to engage to accom- OF THE POLAR SEA. 11 pany the expedition. Several persons col- lected, but to my great mortification, I found they were all so strongly possessed with the fearful apprehension, either that great danger would attend the service, or that we should carry them further than they would agree to go, that not a single man would engage with us ; some of them, however, said they would consider the sub- ject, and give me an answer on the follow- ing day. This indecisive conduct was ex- tremely annoying to me, especially as the next evening was fixed for the departure of the ships. At the appointed time on the following morning, four men only presented them- selves, and these, after much hesitation, engaged to accompany the expedition to Fort Chipewyan, if they should be required so far. The bowmen and steersmen were to receive forty pounds wages annually, and the middle men thirty-five pounds. They stipulated to be sent back to the Orkney Islands free of expense, and to receive their pay until the time of arrival. i it 12 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES I i II Only these few men could be procured, although our requisition had been sent to almost every island, even as far as the northernmost point of Ronaldsha. I was much amused with the extreme caution these men used before they would sign the agreement ; they minutely scanned all our intentions, weighed every circumstance, looked narrowly into the plan of our route, and still more circumspectly to the pro- spect of return. Such caution on the part of the northern mariners forms a singular contrast with the ready and thoughtless manner in which an English seaman enters upon any enterprise, however hazardous, without inquiring, or desiring to know, where he is going, or what he is going about. The brig Harmony, belonging to the Moravian Missionary Society, and bound to their settlement at Nain, on the coast of Labrador, was lying at anchor. With a view of collecting some Esquimaux words and sentences, or gaining any information respecting the manners and habits of that OF THE POLAR SEA. 13 r. people, Doctor Richardson and myself paid her a visit. We found the passengers, who were going out as Missionaries, ex- tremely disposed to communicate ; but as they only spoke the German and Esqui- maux languages, of which we were igno- rant, our conversation was necessarily much confined : by the aid, however, of an Es- quimaux and German Dictionary, some few words were collected, which we considered might be useful. There were on board a very interesting girl and a young man, who were natives of Disco, in Old Greenland ; both of them had fair complexions, rather handsome features, and a lively manner ; the former was going to be married to a resident Missionary, and the latter to ofii- ciate in that character. The commander of the vessel gave me a translation of the Gospel of St. John in the Esquimaux lan- guage, printed by the Moravian Society in London. Ju7ie 16. — The wind being unfavourable for sailing I went on shore with Dr. Ri- chardson, and took several lunar observa- 14 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES tions at the place of our former residence. The result obtained was latitude 58° 56' 56", N. ; longitude 3° 1 7' 55" W. ; variation 27° 50' W. ; dip of the magnetic needle, 74° 33' 20". In the afternoon the wind changed in a squall some points towards the north, and the Prince of Wales made the preparatory signal for sea. At three P.M. the ships weighed an hour too early for the tide; as soon as this served we entered into the passage between Hoy and Pomona, and had to beat through against a very heavy swell, which the meeting of a weather tide and a strong breeze had occa- sioned. Some dangerous rocks lie near the Po- mona shore, and on this side also the tide appeared to run with the greatest strength. On clearing the outward projecting points of Hoy and Pomona, we entered at once into the Atlantic, and commenced our voy- age to Hudson's Bay, having the Eddy- stone, Wear, and Harmony Missionary brig, in company. The comparisons of the chronometers il \. V OF THE POLAR SEA. 15 T this day indicated that Arnold's Nos. 2148 and 2147 had slightly changed their rates since they had been brought on board ; for- tunately the rate of the former seems to have increased nearly in the same ratio as the other has lost, and the mean longitude will not be materially affected. Being now fairly launched into the At- lantic, I issued a general memorandum for the guidance of the officers during the pro- secution of the service on which we were engaged, and communicated to them the several points of information that were ex- pected from us by my instructions. I also furnished them with copies of the signals which had been agreed upon between Lieu- tenant Parry and myself, to be used in the event of our reaching the northern coast of America, and falling in with each other. At the end of the month of June, our progress was found to have been extremely slow, owing to a determined N.W. wind and much sea. We had numerous birds hovering round the ship, principally ful- mars {procellaria glaciaUs)t and shearwaters 16 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES K (procellaria 2mffinus\ and not unfrequently saw shoals of grampusses sporting about, which the Greenland seamen term finners, from their large dorsal fin. Some por- poises occasionally appeared, and whenever they did, the crew were sanguine in their expectation of having a speedy change in the wind, which had been so vexatiously contrary, but they were disappointed in every instance. Thursday, July 1. — The month of July set in more favourably ; and, aided by fresh breezes, we advanced rapidly to the west- ward, attended daily by numeroug fulmars and shearwaters. The Missionary brig had parted company on the 22d of June. We passed directly over that part of the ocean where the " Sunken Land of Buss" is laid down in the old, and continued in the Admiralty charts. Mr. Bell, the com- mander of the Eddystone, informed me, that the pilot who brought his ship down the Thames told him, that he had gained soundings in twelve feet somewhere here- about; and I am rather inclined to attri- OF THE POLAR SEA. 17 I bute the very unusual and cross sea we had in this neighbourhood to the existence of a bank, than to the effect of a gale of wind which we had just before experienced; and I cannot but regret that the commander of the ship did not try for soundings at fre- quent intervals. By the 25th July we had opened the en- trance of Davis' Straits, and in the after- noon spoke the Andrew Marvell, bound to England with a cargo of fourteen fish. The master informed us that the ice had been heavier this season in Davis' Straits than he had ever recollected, and that it lay par- ticularly close to the ^stward, being con- nected with the shore to the nor^^hward of Resolution Island, and extending from thence within a short distance of the Green- land coast; that whales had been abundant, but the ice so extremely cross, that few could be killed. His ship, as well as seve- ral others, had suffered material injury, and two vessels had been entirely crushed be- tween vast masses of ice in latitude 74° 40 N., but the crews were saved. We in- VOL. I. c % r 1 18 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES J quired anxiously, but in vain, for intelli- gence respecting Lieutenant Parry, and the ships under his command ; but as he men- tioned that the wind had been blowing strong from the northward for some time, which would, probably, have cleared Baf- fin's Bay of ice, we were disposed to hope favourably of his progress. The clouds assumed so much the appear- ance of icebergs thic evening, as to deceive most of the passengers and crew ; but their imaginations had been excited by the in- telligence we had received from the An- drew Marvell, that she had only parted from a cluster of them two days previous to our meeting. On the 27th, being in latitude 57° 44' 21" N., longitude 47° 31' 14" W., and the wea- ther calm, we tried for soundings, but did not reach the bottom. The register ther- mometer was attached to the line just above the lead, and is supposed to have descended six hundred and fifty fathoms. A well- corked bottle was also fastened to the line, two hundred fathoms above the lead, and • ■, 1 * OF THE POLAR SEA. 19 I went down four hundred and fifty fathoms. The change in temperature, shewn by the register thermometer during the descent, was from 52° to 40.5°; and it stood at the latter point, when taken out of the tin case. The temperature of the water brought up in the bottle was 41°, being half a degree higher at four hundred and fifty than at six hundred and fifty fathoms, and four degrees colder than the water at the surface, which was then at 45°, whilst that of the air was 46°. This experiment in shewing the water to be colder at a great depth than at the surface, and in proportion to the increase of the descent, coincides with the observa- tions of Captain Ross and Lieutenant Parry, on their late voyage to these seas, but is contrary to the results obtained by Captain Buchan and myself, on our recent voyage to the north, between Spitzbergen and Greenland, in which sea we invariable found the water brought from any great depth to be warmer than that at the surface. On the 28th we tacked, to avoid an ex- tensive stream of sailing ice. The tempe- c 2 ^ ■ 20 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES l -i 1 rature of the water fell to 39.5°, when we were near it, but was at 41°, when at the distance of half a mile. The thermometer in the air remained steadily at 40°. Thus the proximity of this ice was not so deci- dedly indicated by the decrease of the tem- perature of either the air or water, as I have before witnessed, which was probably owing to the recent arrival of the stream at this point, and its passing at too quick a rate for the effectual diffusion of its chilling in- fluence beyond a short distance. Still the decrease in both cases was sufficient to have given timely warning for a ship's perform- ing any evolution that would have pre- vented the coming in contact with it, had the thickness of the weather precluded a distant view of the danger. The approach to ice would be more evi- dently pointed out in the Atlantic, or where- ever the surface is not so continually chilled by the passing and the melting of ice as in this sea ; and I should strongly recommend a strict hourly attention to the themome- trical state of the water at the surface, in "^ ^J OF THE POLAR SEA. 21 rate all parts where ships are exposed to the dangerous concussion of sailing icebergs, as a principal means of security. The following day our ship came near another stream of ice, and the approach to it was indicated by a decrease of the tem- perature of the water at the s ^ace from 44° to 42°. A small pine tree was picked up much shattered by the ice. In the after- noon of the 30th, a very dense fog came on; and about six P.M., when sailing before a fresh breeze, we were suddenly involved in a heavy stream of ice. Considerable diffi- culty was experienced in steering through the narrow channels between the different masses in this foggy weather, and the ship received several severe blows. The water, as usual in the centre of the stream, was quite smooth, but we heard the waves beating violently against the outer edge of the ice. There was some earthy matter on several of the pieces, and the whole body bore the appearance of recent separation from the land. In the space of two hours we again got into the open sea. 22 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES but had left our two consorts fiir behind ; they followed our track by the guns we dis- charged. The temperature of the surface water was 35° when amongst the ice, 38° when just clear of it, and 41.5° at two miles distant. On the 4th of August, when in latitude 59° 58' N., longitude 59° 53' W., we first fell in with large icebergs ; and in the even- ing were encompassed by several of consi- derable magnitude, which obliged us to tack the ship in order to prevent our getting en- tangled amongst them. The estimated dis- tance from the nearest part of the Labrador coast was then eighty-eight miles ; here we tried for soundings, without gaining the bottom. The ship passed through some strong riplings, which evidently indicated a current, but its direction was not ascer- tained. We found, however, by the recent observations, that the ship had been set daily to the southward, since we had opened Davis' Straits. The variation of the com- pass was observed to be 52° 41' W. At nine P.M., brilhant coruscations of )i -> »i or THE POLAR SEA. 23 the Aurora Borealis appeared, of a pale ochre colour, with a slight tinge of red, in an arched form, crossing the zenith from N.W. to S.E., but afterwards they assumed various shapes, and had a rapid motion. On the 5th of August, a party of the offi- cers endeavoured to get on one of the larger icebergs, but ineffectually, owing to the steepness and smoothness of its sides, and the swell produced by its undulating mo- tion. This was one of the largest we saw> and Mr. Hood ascertained its height to be one hundred and forty-nine feet; but these masses of ice are frequently magnified to an immense size, through the illusive me- dium of a hazy atmosphere, and on this account their dimensions have often been exaggerated by voyagers. In the morning of the 7th, the Island of Resolution was indistinctly seen through the haze, but was soon afterwards entirely hidden by a very dense fog. The favour- able breeze subsided into a perfect calm, and left the ship surrounded by loose ice. At this time the Eddystone was perceived 2i JOURNEY TO THE SHORES ^ to be driving with rapidity towards some of the larger masses; the stern-boats of this ship and of the Wear were despatched to assist in towing her clear of them. At ten, a momentary clearness presented the land distinctly at the distance of two miles ; the ship was quite unmanageable, and under the sole governance of the currents, which ran in strong eddies between the masses of ice. Our consorts were also seen, the Wear being within hail, and the Eddystone at a short distance from us. Two attempts were ineffectually made to gain soundings, and the extreme density of the fog precluded us from any other means of ascertaining the direction in which we were driving until half past twelve, when we had the alarming view of a barren rugged shore within a few yards, towering over the mast heads. Almost instantly afterwards the ship struck violently on a point of rocks, projecting from the island; and the ship's side was brought so near to the shore, that poles were prepared to push her off. This blow displaced the rudder, and raised it several 's ' OF THE POLAR SEA. 25 inches, but it fortunately had been pre- viously confined by tackles. A gentle swell freed the ship from this perilous situation, but the current hurried us along in contact with the rocky shore, and the prospect was most alarming. On the outward bow was perceived a rugged and precipitous cliff, whose summit was hid in the fog, and the vessel's head was pointed towards the bot- tom of a small bay, into which we were rapidly driving. There now seemed to be no probability of escaping shipwreck, being without wind, and having the rudder in its present useless state; the only assistance was that of a boat employed in towing, which had been placed in the water between the ship and the shore, at the imminent risk of its being crushed. The ship again struck in passing over a ledge of rocks, and hap- pily the blow replaced the rudder, which enabled us to take advantage of a light breeze, and to direct the ship's head with- out the projecting cliff. But the breeze was only momentary, and the ship was a third time driven on shore on the rocky > ■ i 26 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES I \ termination of the ciifF. Here we remained stationary for some seconds, and with Httle prospect of being removed from this peri- lous situation; but we were once more ex- tricated by the swell from this ledge also, and carried still farther along the shore. The coast became now more rugged, and our view of it was terminated by another high projecting point on the starboard bow. Happily, before we had reached it, a light breeze ena >led us to turn the ship's head to seaward, and we had the gratification to find, when the sails were trimmed, that she drew off the shore. We had made but little progress, however, when she was vio- lently forced by the current against a large iceberg lying aground. Our prospect was now more alarming than at any preceding period ; and it would be difficult for me to pourtray the anxiety and dismay depicted on the countenances of the female passengers and children, who were rushing on deck in spite of the endea- vours of the officers to keep them below, out of the danger which was apprehended "$ -* A If 1' OF THE POLAR SEA. 27 if the masts should be carried away. After the first concussion, the ship was driven along the steep and rugged side of this iceberg with such amazing rapidity, that the destruction of the masts seemed inevitable, and every one expected we should again be forced on the rocks in the most disabled state; but we providentially es- caped this perilous result, which must have been decisive. The dense fog now cleared away for a short time, and we discovered the Eddy- stone close to some rocks, having three boats employed in towing; but the Wear was not visible. Our ship received water very fast ; the pumps weie instantly manned and kept in continual use, and signals of distress were made to the Eddystone, whose commander promptly came on board, and then ordered to our assistance his carpenter and all the men he could spare, together with the car- penter and boat's crew of the Wear, who had gone on board the Eddystone in the morning, and were prevented from return- 28 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 5^ i ing to their own vessel by the fog. As the wind was increasing, and the sky appeared very unsettled, it was determined the Eddy- stone should take the ship in tow, that the undivided attention of the passengers and crew might be directed to pumping, and clearing the holes to examine whether there was a possibility of stopping the leak. We soon had reason to suppose the principal injury had been received from a blow near the stern-post, and, after cutting away part of the ceiling, the carpenters endeavoured to stop the rushing in of the water, by forcing oakum between the timbers; but this had not the desired effect, and the leak, in spite of all our efforts at the pumps, in- creased so much, that parties of the officers and passengers were stationed to bail out the water in buckets at different parts of the hold. A heavy gale came on, blowing from the land, as the night advanced ; the sails were split, the ship was encompassed by heavy ice, and, in forcing through a closely- connected stream, the tow-rope broke, and obliged us to take a portion of the seamen \ >■ • OF THE POLAR SEA. 29 from the pumps, and appoint them to the management of the ship. Fatigue, indeed, had caused us to relax in our exertions at the pumps during a part oi' the night of the 8th, and on the following morning upwards of five feet water was found in the well. Renewed exertions were now put forth by every person, and before eight A.M. the water was so much reduced as to enable the carpenters to get at other defective places; but the remedies they could apply were insufficient to repress the water from rushing in, and our labours oould but just keep the ship in the same state throughout the day, until six P. M. ; when the strength of every one began to fail, the expedient of thrusting in felt, as well as oakum, was resorted to, and a plank nailed over all. After this operation a per- ceptible diminution in the water was made, and being encouraged by the change, we put forth our utmost exertion in bailing and pumping; and before night, to our infinite joy, the leak was so overpowered that the pumps were only required to be used at 30 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES intervals of ten minutes. A sail, covered with every substance that could be carried into the leaks by the pressure of the water, was drawn under the quarter of the ship, and secured by ropes on each side. As a matter of precaution, in the event of having to abandon the ship, which w^ for some time doubtful, the elderly women and cliildren were removed to the Eddystone when the wind was moderate this afternoon, but the young women ?mained to assist at the pumps, and their strvices were highly valuable, both for their personal labour, and for the encouragement their example and perseverance gave to the men. At day-light, on the 9th, every eye was anxiously cast around the horizon in search of the Wear but in vain ; and the recoUec- ton of our own recent peril caused us to entertain considerable apprehensions for her safety. This anxiety quickened our efforts to exchange our shattered sails for new ones, that the ship might be got, as speedily as possible, near to the land, which was but just in sight, and a careful search be made OF THE POLAR SEA. Bl for her along the coast. We were rejoiced to find that our leak did not increase by carrying sail, and we ventured in the evening to remove the sail which had been placed under the part where the injury had been received, as it greatly impeded our ad- vance. We passed many icebergs on the 10th, and in the evening we tacked from a level field of ice, which extended northward as far as the eye could reach. Our leak re- mained in the same state; the pumps dis- charged in three minutes the quantity of water which had been received in fifteen. The ship could not be got near to the land before the afternoon of the 11th. At four P.M we hove to, opposite to, and about five miles distant from, the spot on which we had first struck on Saturday. Every glass was directed along the shore (as they had been throughout the day) to discover any trace of our absent consort; but, as none was seen, our solicitude re- specting her was much increased, and we feared the crew might be wrecked on this aa 32 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES \ - I inhospitable shore. Guns were frequently fired to apprize any who might be near of our approach ; but, as no one appeared, and no signal was returned, and the loose ice was setting down towards the ship, we bore up to proceed to the next appointed ren-* dezvous. At eight P. M. we were abreast of the S.W. end of the island called Cape Resolution, which is a low point, but indi- cated at a distance by a lofty round-backed hill that rises above it. We entered Hud- son's Straits soon afterwards. The coast of Resolution Island should be approached with caution, as the tides ap- pear to be strong and uncertain in their course. Some dangerous rocks lie above and below the water's edge, at the distance of five or six miles from East Bluff, bearing S. 32° E. August 12. — Having had a fresh gale through the night, we reached Saddleback Island by noon (the place of rendezvous) and looked anxiously, but in vain, for the Wear. Several guns were fired, supposing she might be hid from our view by the land ; ■! i 1 -^ i OF THE POLAR SEA. 33 but, as she did not appear, Captain David- son, having remained two hours, deemed further delay inexpedient, and bore up to keep the advantage of the fair wind. The outhne of this island is rugged ; the hum- mock on its northern extremity appeared to me to resemble a decayed martello tower more than a saddle. Azimuths were obtained this evening that gave the variation 58° 45' W., which is greater than is laid down in the charts, or than the officers of the Hudson's Bay ships have been accustomed to allow. We ar- rived abreast of the Upper Savage Island early in the morning, and as the breeze was moderate, the ship was steered as near to the shore as the wind would permit, to give the Esquimaux inhabitants an opportunity of coming off to barter, which they soon embraced. Their shouts at a distance intimated their approach sometime before we descried the canoed paddling towards us ; the headmost of them reached us at eleven ; these were quickly followed by others, and before noon VOL. I. D y .34^ JOURNEY TO THE SHORES about forty canoes, each holding one man, were assembled round the two ships. In the afternoon, when we approached nearer to the shore, five or six larger ones, con- taining the women and children, came up. The Esquimaux immediately evinced their desire to barter, and displayed no small cunning in making their bargains, taking care not to exhibit too many articles at first. Their principal commodities were oil, sea-horse teeth, whale-bone, seal-skin dresses, caps and boots, deer-skins and horns, and models of their canoes ; and they received in exchange small saws, knives, nails, tin -kettles, and needles. It was pleasing to behold the exultation, and to hear the shouts of the whole party, when an acquisition was made by any one ; and not a little ludicrous to behold the eager- ness with which the fortunate person licked each article with his tongue, on receiving it, as a finish to the bargain, and an act of appropriation. They in no instance omitted this strange practice*, however small the article ; the needles even passed individu- ■11. OF THE POLAR SEA. S5 ■ i ally through the ceremony. The women brought imitations of men, women, animals, and birds, carved with labour and ingenuity out of sea-horse teeth. The dresses and figures of the animals were not badly ex- ecuted, but there was no attempt at the delineation of the countenances ; and most of the figures were without eyes, ears, and fingers, the execution of which would, per- haps, have required more delicate instru- ments than they possess. The men set most value on saws; kuttee-swa-bak, the name by which they distinguish them, was a constant cry. Knives were held next in estimation. An old sword was bartered from the Eddystone, and I shall long re- member the universal burst of joy on the happy man's receiving it. It was delightful to witness the general interest excited by individual acquisitions. There was no de- sire shown by any one to over-reach his neighbour, or to press towards any part of the ship where a bargain was making, until the person in possession of the place had completed his exchange and removed ; and, D 2 fi I 36 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES if any article happened to L*. demanded from the outer canoes, the men nearest as- sisted willingly in passing the thing across. Supposing the party to belong to one tribe, the total number of the tribe must exceed two hundred persons, as there were, pro- bably, one hundred and fifty around the ships, and few of these were elderly per- sons or male children. Their faces were broad and flat, the eyes small. The men were in general stout. Some of the younger women and the chil- dren had rather pleasing countenances, but the difference between these and the more aged of that sex bore strong testimony to the effects which a few years produce in this ungenial climate. Most of the party had sore eyes, all of them appeared of a plethoric habit of body ; several were ob- served bleeding at the nose during their stay near the ship. The men's dresses consisted of a jacket of seal-skin, the trow- sers of bear-skin, and several had caps of the white fox-skin. The female dresses were made of the same materials, but dif- i L i OF THE POLAR SEA. 37 n ferently shaped, having a hood in which the infants were carried. We thought their manner very Hvely and agreeable. They were fond of mimicking our speech and gestures ; but nothing afforded them greater amusement than when we attempted to re- taliate by pronouncing any of their words. The canoes were of seal-skin, and similar in every respect to those used by the Es- quimaux in Greenland ; they were generally new and very complete in their appoint- ments. Those appropriated to the women are of ruder construction, and only calcu- lated for fine weather ; they are, however, useful vessels, being capable of containing twenty persons with their luggage. An elderly man officiates as steersman, and the women paddle, but they have also a mast which carries a sail, made of dressed whale- gut. When the women had disposed of all their articles of trade they resorted to en- treaty; and the putting in practice many enticing gestures was managed with so much address, as to procure them presents L ( i 38 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES h li ) ' i I 1 > 11 ! It 4 of a variety of beads, needles, and other articles in great demand among females. It is probable these Esquimaux go from this shore to some part of Labrador to pass the winter, as parties of them have been frequently seen by the homeward-bound Hudson's Bay ships in the act of crossing the Strait. They appear to speak the same language as the tribe of Esquimaux who reside near to the Moravian settlements in Labrador ; for w^e perceived they used several of the words which had been given to us by the Missionaries at Stromness. Towards evening, the captain, being de- sirous to get rid of his visitors, took an effectual method by tacking from the shore ; our friends then departed, apparently in high glf e at the harvest they had reaped. They paddled away very swiftly, and would doubtless soon reach the shore, though it was distant ten or twelve miles. Not having encountered any of the ice, which usually arrests the progress of ships in their outward passage through the Straits, 4r wm OF THE rOLAR SEA. 39 ts, and being consequently deprived of the usual means of replenishing our stock of water, which had become short, the captain resolved on going to the coast of Labrador for a supply. Dr. Richardson and I gladly embraced this opportunity to land and ex- amine this part of the coast. I was also desirous to observe the variation on shore, as the azimuths, which had been taken on board both ships since our entrance into the Straits, had shown a greater amount than we had been led to expect ; but unluckily the sun became obscured. The beach con- sisted of large rolled stones of gneiss and sienite, amongst which many pieces of ice had grounded, and it was with difficulty that we effected a landing in a small cove under a steep cliff. These stones were worn perfectly smooth ; neither in the in- terstices, nor at the bottom of the water, which was very clear, were there any ves- tiges of sea-weed. The cliff was from forty to fifty feet high and quite perpendicular, and had at its base a small slip of soil formed of the debris of U,- I u H Hi Hj 1. 40 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES a bed of clay-slate. From this narrow spot Dr. Richardson collected specimens of thirty different species of plants; and we were about to scramble up a shelving part of the rock, and go into the interior, when we per- ceived the signal of recall, which the master had caused to be made, in consequence of a sudden change in the appearance of the weather. On the evening of the 19th, we passed Digge's Islands, the termination of Hud- son's Strait. Here the Eddystone parted company, being bound to Moose Factory at the bottom of the bay. A strong north wind came on, which prevented our getting round the north end of Mansfield ; and, as it continued to blow with equal strength for the next five days, we were most vexa- tiously detained in beating along the La- brador coast, and near the dangerous chain of islands, the Sleepers, which are said to extend fom the latitude of 60° 10' to 57° 00' N. The press of sail, which of ne- cessity we carried, caused the leak to in-» *•♦■■. OP THE POLAR SEA. 41 it *'-K crease and the pumps were kept in constant use. A favouring wind at length enabled us, on the 25 th, to shape our course across Hudson's Bay. Nothing worthy of remark occurred during this passage, except the rapid decrease in the variation of the mag- netic needle. The few remarks respecting the appearance of the land, which we were able to make in our quick passage through these Straits, were transmitted to the Ad- miralty ; but as they will not be interesting to the general reader, and may not be suf- ficiently accurate for the guidance of the navigator, they are omitted in this narra- tive. On the 28 th we discovered the land to the southward of Cape Tatnam, which is so extremely low, that the tops of the trees were first discerned ; the soundings at the time were seventeen fathoms, which gradu- ally decreased to five as the shore was ap- proached. Cape Tatnam is not otherwise remarkable than as being the point from 42 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES I! I!. \ which the coast inchnes rather more to the westward towards York Factory. The opening of the morning of the 30th presented to our view the anchorage at York Flats, and the gratifying sight of a vessel at anchor, which we recognised, after an anxious examination, to be the Wear. A strong breeze blowing from the direction of the Flats, caused the water to be more shallow than usual on the sandy bar, which lies on the seaward side of the anchorage, and we could not get over it before two P.M., when the tide was nearly at its height. Immediately after our arrival, Mr. Wil- liams, the governor of the Hudson's Bay Company's post, came on board, accompa- nied by the commander of the Wear. The pleasure we felt in welcoming the latter gentleman can easily be imagined, when it is considered what reason we had to appre- hend that he and his crew had been num- bered with the dead. We learned that one of the larger masses of ice had providenti- ummm OF THE POLAR SEA. 43 r ally drifted between the vessel's side and the rocks just at the time he expected to strike, to which he secured it until a breeze sprang up and enabled him to pursue his voyage. The governor acquainted me that he had received information from the committee of the Hudson's Bay Company of the equipment of the expedition, and that the officers would come out in their first ship. In the evening Dr. Richardson, Mr. Hood, and I, accompanied him to York Factory, which we reached after dark; it is distant from the Flats seven miles. Early next morning the honour of a salute was conferred on the members of the expedition. Having communicated to the governor the objects of the expedition, and that I had been directed to consult with him and the senior servants of the Company as to the best mode of proceeding towards the execution of the service, I was gri^tified by his assurance that his instructions from the committee directed that every possible as- sistance should be given to forward our 44 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES i 1 1 progress, and that he should feel peculiar pleasure in performing this part of his duty. He introduced me at once to Messrs. Charles, Swaine, and Snodie, masters of districts, who, from long residence in the country, were perfectly acquainted with the different modes of travelling, and the obstructions which might be anticipated. At the desire of these gentlemen, I drew up a series of questions respecting the points on which we required information ; to which, two days afterwards, they had the kindness to return very explicit and satisfactory answers ; and on receiving them I requested the governor to favour me with his sentiments on the same subject in writing, which he delivered to me on the following day. Having learned that Messrs e Shaw, M^Tavish, and several other partners of the N.W. Company, were under detention at this place, we took the earliest opportunity of visiting them ; when having presented the general circular, and other introductory letters, with which I had been furnished by their agent, Mr. Simon M*Gillivray, we re- fl OF THE POLAR SEA. 45 f! I re- ceived from them the most friendly and full assurance of the cordial endeavours of the wintering partners of their company to promote the interests of the expedition. The knowledge we had now gained of the state of the violent commercial opposition existing in the country rendered this assu- rance highly gratifying ; and these gentle- men added to the obligation by freely com- municating that information* respecting the interior of the country, which their intelli- gence and long residence so fully qualified them to give. I deemed it expedient to issue a memo- randum to the officers of the expedition, strictly prohibiting any interference what- ever in the existing quarrels, or any that might arise, between the two Companies ; and on presenting it to the principals of both the parties, they expressed their sa- tisfaction at the step I had taken. The opinions of all the gentlemen were so decidedly in favour of the route by Cumberland House, and through the chain of posts to the Great Slave Lake, that I I 46 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES '.(•>. determined on pursuing it, and immediately communicated my intention to the gover- nor, with a request that he would furnish me with the means of conveyance for the party as speedily as possible. It was suggested in my instructions that we might probably secure a schooner at this place, to proceed north as far as Wager Bay ; but the vessel alluded to was lying at Moose Factory completely out of repair ; independently of which, the route directly to the northward was rendered impracti- cable by the impossibility of procuring hun- ters and guides on the coast. I found that as the Esquimaux inhabit- ants had left Churchill a month previous to our arrival, no interpreter from that quarter could be procured before their return in the following spring. The governor, how- ever, undertook to forward to us, next season, the only one amongst them who understood English, if he could be induced to go. The governor selected one of the largest of the Company's boats for our use on the [ 4 OF THE POLAR SEA. 47 journey, and directed the carpenters to com- mence refitting it immediately ; but he was only able to furnish us with a steersman, and we were obliged to make up the rest of the crew with the boatmen brought from Stromness, and our two attendants. York Factory, the principal depot of the Hudson's Bay Company, stands on the west bank of Hayes' River, about five miles above its mouth, on the marshy peninsula which separates the Hayes and Nelson Rivers. The surrounding country is flat and swampy, and covered with willows, poplars, larch, spruce, and birch-trees ; but tlie requisition for fuel has expended all the wood in the vicinity of the fort, and the re- sidents have now to send for it to a consi- derable distance. The soil is alluvial clay, and contains imbedded rolled stones. Though the bank of the river is elevated about twenty feet, it is frequently overflown by the spring-floods, and large portions are annually carried away by the disruption of the ice, which, grounding in the stream, have formed several muddy islands. These X — s 48 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES interruptions, together with the various collections of stones that are hid at high water, render the navigation of the river difficult ; but vessels of two hundred tons burthen may be brought through the proper channels as high as the Factory. The principal buildings are placed in the form Oi V jq :?ie, having an octagonal court in the ceniie ; tV ^y are two stories in height, and have flat roofs covered with lead. The officers dwell in one portion of this square, and in the other parts the articles of mer- chandise are kept; the workshops, store- houses for the furs, and the servants' houses are ranged on the outside of the square, and the whole is surrounded by a stockade twenty feet high. A platform is laid from the house to the pier on the bank for the convenience of transporting the stores and furs, which is the only promenade the resi- dents have on this marshy spot during the summer season. The few Indians who now frequent this establishment belong to the Swampy Crees, There were several of them encamped on the outside of the stockade. nous high river tons roper in the court eight, The c[uare, ' mer- store- louses quare, >ckade I from br the es and B resi- ig the lonow to the f them ckade. f* I OF THE POLAR SEA. 49 Their tents were rudely constructed hy tying tw*^nty or thirty poles together at the top, and spreading them out at the base so as to form a cone ; these were covered with dressed moose-skins. The fire is placed in the centre, and a hole is left for the escape of the smoke. The inmates had a squalid look, and were suffering under the com- bined afflictions of hooping-cough and measles; but even these miseries (Id lot keep them from an excessive indulg nee in spirits, which they unhappily can procure from the traders with too much facility ; and they nightly serenaded us with the : mono- tonous drunken songs. Their sickness at this time was particularly felt by the tra- ders, this being the season of the year when the exertion of every hunter is required to procure their winter's stock of geese, which resort in immense flocks to the extensive flats in this neighbourhood. These birds, during the summer, retire far to the north, and breed in security; but, when the ap- proach of winter compels them to seek a more southern chmate, they generally alight VOL. I. £ 50 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES on the marshes of this bay, and fatten there for three weeks or a month, before they take their final departure from the country. They also make a short halt at the same spots in their progress northwards in the spring. Their arrival is welcomed witli joy, ana the goose hunt is one of the most plentiful seasons of the year. The ducks frequent the swamps all the summer. The weather was extremely unfavourable for celestial observations during our stay, and it was only by watching the momentary appearances of the sun, that we were ena- bled to obtain fresh rates for the chrono- meters, and allow for their errors from Greenwich time. The dip of the needle was observed to be 79° 29' 07", and the dif- ference produced by reversing the face of the instrument was 11*^ 3' 40". A succes- sion of fresh breezes prevented our ascer- taining the intensity of the magnetic force. The position of York Factory, by our ob- servations, is in latitude 57° 00' 03' N., longitude 92° 26' W. The variation of the compass 6° 00' 21 " E. I (•UKIUIUI mmm OF THE rOLAR SEA. 51 CHAPTER II. I I n Passage np Hayes', Steel, and Hill Rivers — Croa Swampy Lake — Jack River — Knee Lake and Mag- netic Islet — Trout River — Holy Lake — Weepina- pannis River — Windy Lake — White-Fall Lake and River — Kchemamis and Sea Rivers — Play-Green Lakes — Lake Winipeg — River Saskatchawan — Cross, Cedar, and Pine-Island Lakes — Cumberland House. On the 9th of September, our boat being completed, arrangements were made for our departure as soon as the tide should serve ; but, when the stores were brought down to the beach, it was found that the boat would not contain them all ; the whole, therefore, of the bacon, and part of the flour, rice, tobacco, and ammunition, were returned into the store. The bacon was too bulky an article to be forwarded under any circumstances ; but the governor undertook to forward the rest next season. E 2 52 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES In making the selection of articles to carry with us, I was guided by the judgment of Governor Williams, who assured me that tobacco, ammunition, and spirits, could be procured in the interior, otherwise I should have been very unwilling to have left these essential articles behind. We embarked at noon, and were honoured with a salute of eight guns and three cheers from the go- vernor and all the inmates of the fort, who had assembled to witness our departure. We gratefully returned their cheers, and then made sail, much delighted at having now commenced our voyage into the inte- rior of America. The wind and tide failing us at the distance of six miles above the Factory, and the current being too rapid for using oars to advantage; the crew had to commence tracking, or dragging the boat by a line, to which they were harnessed. This operation is extremely laborious in these rivers. Our men were obliged to w'alk along the steep declivity of a high bank, rendered at this seasoii soft and slip- pery by frequent rains, and their progress OF THE POLAR SEA. 53 )d to high shp- gress ff I was often further impeded hy fallen trees, which, having slipped from the verge of the thick wood above, hung on the face of the bank in a great variety of directions. Not- withstanding these obstacles, we advanced at the rate of two miles an hour, one half of the crew relieving the r ther at intervals of an hour and a half. The banks of the river, and its islands, composed of alluvial soil, are well covered with pines, larches, poplars, and willows. The breadth of the stream, some distance above the Factory, is about half a mile, and its depth, during this day's voyage, varied from three to nine feet. At sunset we landed, and pitched the tent for the night, having made a progress of twelve miles. A large fire was quickly kindled, supper speedily prepared, and as readily despatched, when we retired with our buffalo robes on, and enjoyed a night of sound repose. It may here be stated, that the survey of the ri^ er was made by taking the bearings of every point with a pocket compass, esti- r I ? i I H 54 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES mating the distancePj and making a con- nected eye-sketch of the whole. This part of the survey was allotted to Messrs. Back and Hood conjointly : Mr. Hood also pro- tracted the route every evening on a ruled map, after the courses and distances had been corrected by observations for latitude and longitude, taken by myself as often as the weather would allow. The extraordi- nary talent of this young officer in this line of service proved of the greatest advantage to the expedition, and he continued to per- form that dutv until his lamented death, with a degree of zeal and accuracy that characterized all his pursuits. The next morning our camp was in mo- tion at five A.M., and we socn afterwards t nbarked with the flattering accompani- ment of a fair wind ; it proved, however, too light to enable us to stem the stream, and we were obliged to resume the fatiguing operation of tracking ; sometimes under cliffs so steep that the men could scarcely find a footing, and not unfrequently over spots rendered so miry by the small streams ',■ f i OF THE POLAR SEA. 55 that trickled from above, as to be almost impassable. In the course of the day we passed the scene of a very melancholy ac- cident. Some years ago, two families of Indians, induced by the flatness of a small beach, \^'hich lay betwixt the cliff and the river, chose it as the site of their encamp- ment. They retired quietly to rest, not aware that the precipice, detached from the bank, and urged by an accumulation of water in the crevice behind, was tottering to its base. It fell during the night and the whole party was buried under its ruins. The length of our voyage to-day was, in a direct line, sixteen miles and a quarter, on a S.S.W. course. We encamped soon after sunset, and the tent was scarcely pitched when a heavy rain began, whicli continued all night. Sixteen miles on the 11th, and five on the following morning, brought us to the commencement of Hayes' River, which is formed by the confluence of the Shamattawa and Steel Rivers. Our observations place this spot in latitude de^" 22' 32" N., longi- M * 2 ! i I 56 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES tilde 93° r 37" W. It is forty-eight miles and a half from York Factory, including the windings of the river. Srsel River, through which our course lay, is about three hundred yards wide at its mouth; its banks have more elevation than those of Hayes' River, but they shelve more gradu- ally down to the stream, and afford a toler- ably good towing path, which compensates, in some degree, for the rapids and frequent slioals that impede its navigation. We suc- ceeded in getting about ten miles above the mouth of the river, before the close of day compelled us to disembark. We made an effort, on the morning of the 13th, to stem the current under sail, but as the course of the river was very serpentine, we found that greater progress could be made by tracking. Steel River presents much beautiful scenery ; it winds through a narrow, but well wooded, valley, which at every turn disclosed to us an agreeable va- riety of prospect, rendered more picturesque by the effect of the season jn the foliage, now ready to drop from the trees. The n ^^ fv ^ OF THE POLAR SEA, 57 as ne, be nts h a at va- que ge, rhe ^^ light yellow of the fading poplars fjrmed a fine contrast to the dark evergreen of the spruce, whilst the willows of an interme- diate hue served to shade the two principal masses of colour into each other. The scene was occasionally enlivened by the bright purple tints of the dogwood, blended with the browner shades of the dwarf birch, and frequently intermixed with the gay yel- low flowers of the shrubby cinquefoil. With all these charms, the scene appeared desolate from want of tlie human species. The stillness was so great, that even the twittering of the whiskey-johneeshi or cine- reous crow, caused us to start. Our voy- age to-day was sixteen miles on a S.W. course. Sept, 14. — We had much rain during the night, and also in the morning, which de- tained us in our encampment later than usual. We set out as soon as the weather cleared up, and in a short time arrived at the head of Steel River, where it is formed by the junction of Fox and Hill Rivers. These two rivers are nearly of equal width. w i 58 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES i! 'fi f'i but the latter is the most rapid. Mv. JVrDonald, on his way to Red River, in a small canoe, manned ' y two Indians, over- took us at this place. It may be mentioned as a proof of the dexterity of the Indians, and the skill with which they steel upon their game, that they had on the preceding day, with no other arms than a hatchet, killed two deer, a hawk, a curlew, and a sturgeon. I'hree of the Company's boats joined us in the course of the morning, and Vie pursued our cour»e op Hill River in company. The water in this river was so low, and the rapids so bad, that we were obliged several times, in the course of the day, to jump into the water, and assist in lifting the boat over the large stones which impeded the navigation. The length of our voyage to-day was or?^ six niles and three quarters. The four boats commenced operations together at five o'clock the following morn- ing ; but ovir boat being overladen, we soon found that we were unable to keep pace with the others, and, therefore, proposed ill OF THE POLAR SEA. 59 to the gentlemen in charge of the Com- pany's boats, that they should relieve us of part of our cargo. This they declined doing, under the plea of not having received orders to that effect, notwithstanding that the circular, with which I was furnished by Governor Williams, strictly enjoined all the Company's servants to afford us every as- sistance. In consequence of this refusal we dropt behind, and our steersman, who was inexperienced, being thus deprived of the advantage of observing the route fol- lowed by the guide, who was in the fore- most boat, frequently took a wrong channel. The tow-line broke twice, and the boat was only prevented from going broadside down the stream, and breaking to pieces against the stones, by the officers and men leaping into the water, and holding her head to the current until the line could be carried again to the shore. It is but justice to say, that in these trying situations we received much assistance from Mr. Thomas Swaine, who with great kindness waited for us with the boat under his charge at such places as he 1^ I :i ( ! !:' 60 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES apprehended would be most difficult to pass. We encamped at sunset completely jaded with toil. Our distance made good this day was twelve miles and a quarter. The labours of the 16th commenced at half-past five, and for some time the diffi- culty of getting the boats over the rapids was equal to what we experienced the day before. Having passed a small brook, however, termed Half-way Creek, the river became deeper, and although rapid, it was smooth enough to be named by our Orkney boatmen Still-water, We were further relieved by the Company's clerks consenting to take a few boxes of our stores into t'leir boats. Still we made only eleven miles in the course of the day. The banks of Hill River are higher, and have a more broken outline, than those of Steel or Hayes' Rivers. The cliffs of allu- vial clay rose in some places to the height of eighty or ninety feet above the stream, and were surmounted by hills about two hundred feet high, but the thickness of the m 1% 4; I OF THE POLAR SEA. 61 wood prevented us from seeing far beyond the mere banks of the river. September 17. — About half-past five in the morning we commenced tracking, and soon came to a ridge of rock which ex- tended across the stream. From this place the boat was dragged up several narrow rocky channels, until we came to the Rock Portage, where the stream, pent in by a range of small islands, forms several cas- cades. In ascending the river, the boats with their cargoes are carried over one of the islands, but in the descent they are shot down the most shelving of the cascades. Having performed the operations of carry- ing, launching, and restowing the cargo, we plied the oars for a short distance, and landed at a depot called Rock House. Here we were informed that the rapids in the upper parts of Hill River were much worse and more numerous than those we had passed, particularly in the present sea- son, owing to the unusual lowness of the water. This intelligence was very mortify- ing, especially as the gentlemen in charge i 'M 1 62 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES of the Company's boats declared that they were unable to carry any part of our stores beyond this place ; and the traders, guides, and most experienced of the boatmen, were of opinion, that unless our boat was still further lightened, the winter would put a stop to our progress before we could reach Cumberland House, or any eligible post. Sixteen pieces were therefore necessarily left with Mr. Bunn, the gentleman in charge of the post, to be forwarded by the Atha- basca canoes next season, this being their place of rendezvous. After this we recommenced our voyage, and having pulled nearly a mile, arrived at Borrowick's Fall, where the boat was dragged up with a line, after part of the cargo had been carried over a small por- tage. From this place to the Mud Portage, a distance of a mile and thre^ -quarters, the boats wer€ pushed on with poles against a very rapid stream. Here we encamped, having come seven miles during the day on a S.W. course. We had several snow that they )ur stores s, guides, nen, were was still lid put a lid reach ble post. Bcessarily in charge he Atha- ing their r voyage, rrived at )oat was rt of the nail por- Portage, rters, the against a ncamped, the day ral snow 1 rfe. .V ^t;; t^ tlU' IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) A 1.0 I.I Li 128 12.5 150 "^^ iim^B 1.8 1.25 |U ||.6 ^ 6" ► ^ % .%.^^ .■V Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. M580 (716) 872-4503 m^ !\ iV :\ \ lV -4^ o V^Q ^ ^ ■^ ^ ;*l UitaMMM OF THE POLAR SEA. 63 "^ it "' showers in the course of the day, and the thermometer at bed-time stood at 30°. On the morning of the 18th, the country was clothed in the livery of winter, a heavy fall of snow having taken place during the night. We embarked at the usual hour, and in the course of the day crossed the Point of Rocks and Brassa Portages, and dragged the boats through several minor rapids. In this tedious way we only made good about nine miles. On Sunday the 19th we hauled the boats up several short rapids, or, as the boatmen term them, expressively enough, spouts, and carried them over the Portages of Lower Burntwood and Morgan's Rocks ; on the latter of which we encamped, having proceeded, during the whole day, only one mile and three-quarters. The upper part of Hill River swells out considerably, and at Morgan's Rocks, where it is three-quarters of a mile wide, we were gratified with a more extensive prospect of the country than any we had enjoyed since leaving York Factory. The banks of the mmll0^ G4 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES s. fc' t' :' [ river here, consisting of low flat rocks with intermediate swamps, permitted us to ob- tain views of the interior, the surface of which is broken into a multitude of cone- shaped hills. The highest of these hills, which gives a name to the river, has an elevation not exceeding six hundred feet. From its summit, thirty-six lakes are said to be visible. The beauty of the scenery, dressed in the tints of autumn, called forth our admiration, and was the subject of Mr. Hood's accurate pencil. On the 20th we passed Upper Burntwood and Rocky Ledge Portages, besides several strong s'pouts, and in the evening arrived at Smooth Rock Portage, where we encamped, having come three miles and a half. It is not easy for any but an eye-witness to form an adequate idea of the exertions of the Orkney boat- men in the navigation of this river. The necessity they are under of frequently jumping into the water to lift the boats over the rocks, compels them to remain the whole day in wet clothes, at a season when the temperature is far below the freezing I ^^... .^imm ^«M«»<**««MK''^P^-q«^r«»«>W II im \ \ ilA ^... ; ""•"TEtai OF THE POLAR SEA. 71 1 L of the lake, having come during the day nineteen mile and a half on a S. W. course. We began the ascent of Trout River early in the morning of the 27 th, and in the course of the day passed three portages and several rapids. At the first of these por- tages the river falls between two rocks about sixteen feet, and it is necessary to launch the boat over a precipitous rocky bank. This cascade is named the Trout" Fall, and the beauty of the scenery afforded a subject for Mr. Hood's pencil. The rocks which form the bed of this river are slaty, and present sharp fragments, by which the feet of the boatmen are much lacerated. The Second Portage, in particular, obtains the expressive name of Knife Portage, The length of our voyage to-day was three miles. On the 28th we passed through the re- mainder of Trout River, and, at noon, arrived at Oxford House, on Holey Lake. This was formerly a post of some conse- quence to the Hudson's Bay Company, but at present it exhibits unequivocal signs of 72 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES decay. The Indians have of late years been gradually deserting the low or swampy country, and ascending the Saskatchawan, where animals are more abundant. A few Crees were at this time encamped in front of the fort. They were suffering under hooping-cough and measles, and looked miserably dejected. We endeavoured in vain to prevail on one of them to accom- pany us for the purpose of killing ducks, which were numerous, but too shy for our sportsmen. We had the satisfaction, how- ever, of exchanging the mouldy pemmican, obtained at Swampy Lake, for a better kind, and received, moreover, a small, but very acceptable supply of fish. Holey Lake, viewed from an eminence behind Oxford House, exhibits a pleasing pros- pect; and its numerous islands, varying much in shape and elevation, contribute to break that uniformity of scenery which proves so palling to a traveller in this country. Trout of a great size, frequently exceeding forty pounds weight, abound in this lake. We left Oxford House in the OF THE POLAR SEA. 73 afternoon, and encamped on an island about eight miles distant, having come, during the day, nine miles and a quarter. At noon, on the 29th, after passing through the remainder of Holey Lake, we entered the Weepinapannis, a narrow grassy river, which runs parallel to the lake for a considerable distance, and forms its south bank into a narrow peninsula. In the morning we arrived at the Swampy Portage, where two of the boats were broken against the rocks. The length of the day's voyage was nineteen miles and a half. In consequence of the accident yesterday evening, we were detained a considerable time this morning, until the boats were re- paired, when we set out, and, after ascend- ing a strong rapid, arrived at the portage by John Moore's Island. Here the river rushes with irresistible force through the channels formed by two rocky islands ; and we learned, that last year a poor man, in haul- ing a boat up one of these channels, was, by the breaking of the line, precipitated into 74 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES I the stream, and hurried down the cascade with such rapidity, that all efforts to save him were ineffectual. His body was after- wards found, and interred near the spot. The Weepinapannis is composed of seve- ral branches which separate and unite again and again, intersecting the country in a great variety of directions. We pursued the principal channel, and having passed the Crooked Spout, with several inferior rapids, and crossed a small piece of water, named Windy Lake, we entered a smooth deep stream, about three hundred yards wide, which has got the absurd appellation of the Rabbit Ground. The marshy banks of this river are skirted by low barren rocks, be- hind which there are some groups of stunted trees. As we advanced, the country be- coming flatter, gradually opened to our tiew, and we at length arrived at a shallow, reedy lake, the direct course through which leads to the Hill Portage. This route has, however, of late years been* disused, and we therefore turned towards the north, and Mi OF THE POLAR SEA. 75 crossing a small arm of the lake, arrived at Hill Gates by sunset, having come this day eleven miles. October 1. — Hill Gates is the name im- posed upon a romantic defile, whose rocky walls, rising perpendicularly to the height of sixty or eighty feet, hem in the stream for three quarters of a mile, in many places so narrowly, that there is a want of room to ply the oars. In passing through this chasm we were naturally led to contemplate the mighty but, probably, slow and gradual effects of the water in wearing down such immense masses of rock ' but in the midst of our speculations, the attention was ex- cited anew to a grand and picturesque rapid, which, surrounded by the most wild and majestic scenery, terminated the defile. The brown fishing-eagle had built its nest on one of the projecting cliffs. In the course of the day we surmounted this and another dangerous portage, called the Upper and Lower Hill Gate Portages, crossed a small sheet of water, termed the White Fall Lake, and entering the river of the same 76 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES tJ-\ name, arrived at the White Fall about an hour after sunset, having come fourteen miles on a S.W. course. The whole of the 2d of October was spent in carrying the cargoes over a portage of thirteen hundred yards in length, and in launching the empty boats over three seve- ral ridges of rock which obstruct the chan- nel and produce as many cascades. I shall long remember the rude and characteristic wildness of the scenery which surrounded these falls ; rocks piled on rocks hung in rude and shapeless masses over the agitated torrents which swept their bases, whilst the bright and variegated tints of the mosses and lichens, that covered the face of the cliffs, contrasting with the dark green of the pines which crowned their summits, added both beauty and grandeur to the scene. Our two companions. Back and Hood, made accurate sketches of these falls. At this place we observed a conspicuous lop- stick f a kind of land-mark, which I had not hitherto noticed, notwithstanding its great use ii pointing out the frequented routes, ( OF THE POLAR SEA. 77 It is a pine-tree divested of its lower branches, and having only a small tuft at the top remaining. This operation is usu- ally performed at the instance of some in- dividual emulous of fame. He treats his companions with rum, and they in return strip the tree of its branches, and ever after designate it by his name. In the afternoon, whilst on my way to superintend the operations of the men, a stratum of loose moss gave way under my feet, and I had the misfortune to slip from the summit of a rock into the river betwixt two of the falls. My attempts to regain the bank were, for a time, ineffectual, owing to the rocks within my reach having been worn smooth by the action of the water ; but, after I had been carried a considerable distance down the stream, I caught hold of a willow, by which I held until two gentle- men of the Hudson's Bay Company came in a boat to my assistance. The only bad consequence of this accident w^as an injury sustained by a very valuable chronometer, (No. 1733,) belonging to Daniel Moore> 78 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES * t \^ Esq., of Lincoln's Inn. One of the gentle- men to whom I delivered it immediately on landing, in his agitation let it fall, whereby the minute-hand was broken, but the works were not in the smallest degree injured, and the loss of the hand was afterwards supplied. During the night the frost was severe ; and at sunrise, on the 3d, the thermometer stood at 25°, After leaving our encamp- ment at the White Fall, we passed through several small lakes, connected with each other by narrow, deep, grassy streams, and at noon arrived at the Painted Stone. Num- bers of musk-rats frequent these streams; and we observed, in the course of the morn- ing, many of their mud houses rising in a conical form to the height of two or three feet above the grass of the swamps in which they were built. The Painted Stone is a low rock, ten or twelve yards across, remarkable for the marshy streams, which arise on each side of it, taking different courses. On the one side, the watery course which we had na- OF THE POLAR SEA. 79 vigatecl from York Factory commences. This spot may therefore be considered as one of the smaller sources of Hayes' River. On the other side of the stone the Eche- mamis rises, and taking a westerly direction falls into Nelson River. It is said that there was fc merly a stone placed near the centre of this portage on which figures were annually traced, and offerings deposited, by the Indians ; but the stone has been re- moved many years, and the spot has ceased to be held in veneration. Here we were overtaken by Governor Williams, who left York Factory on the 20th of last month in an Indian canoe. He expressed much re- gret at our having been obliged to leave part of our stores at the rock depot, and would have brought them up with him had he been able to procure and man a boat, or a canoe of sufficient size. Having launched the boats over the rock, we commenced the descent of the Eche- mamis. This small stream has its course through a morass, and in dry seasons it channel contains, instead of water, merely a \ 1 1 Ui 'J. 80 JOURKEY TO THE SHORES foot or tW' f thin mud. On these occa- sions it is customary to build dams that it may be rendered navigable by the accumu- lation of its waters. As the beavers per- form this operation very effectually, endea- vours have been made to encourage them to breed in this place, but it has not hitherto been possible to restrain the Indians from killing that useful animal whenever they discover its retreats. On the present oc- casion there was no want of water, the principal impediment we experienced being from the narrowness of the channel, which permitted the willows of each bank to meet over our heads, and obstruct the men at the oars. After proceeding down the stream for some time, we came to a recently-con- structed beaver-dam, through which an opening was made sufficient to admit the boat to pass. We were assured that the breach would be closed by the industrious creature in a single night. We encamped about eight miles from the source of the river, having come during the day seventeen miles and a half. i! OF THE POLAR SEA. 81 On the 4th we embarked amidst a heavy rain, and pursued our route down the Eche- mamis. In many parts the morass, by which the river is nourished, and through which it flows, is intersected by ridges of rock which cross the channe), and require the boat to be lifted over them. In the afternoon we passed tlirough a shallow piece of water overgrown with bulrushes, and hence named Hairy Lake ; and in tlie evening encamped on the banks of Black- water Creek, by which this lake empties itself into Sea River, having come during the day twenty miles and three quarters. On the morning of the 5th, we entered Sea River, one of the many branches of Nelson River. It is about four hundred yards wide, and its waters are of a muddy white colour. After ascending the stream for an hour or two, and passing through Carpenter's Lake, which is merely an ex- pansion of the river to about a mile in breadth, we came to the Sea River Portage, where the boat was launched across a smooth rock, to avoid a fall of four or five VOL, I, G 82 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES n H '! feet. Re-embarking at the upper end of the Portage, we ran before a fresh gale through the remainder of Sea River, the lower part of Play Green Lake, and entering Little Jack River, landed and pitched our tents. Here there is a small log-hut, the residence of a fisherman, who supplies Norway House with trout and sturgeon. He gave us a few of these fish, which afforded an acceptable supper. Our voyage this day was thirty- four miles. October 6. — Little Jack River is the name given to a channei that winds among several large islands which separate Upper and Lower Play Green Lakes. At the lower end of this channel, Big Jack River, a stream of considerable magnitude, falls into the lake. Play Green is a translation of the appellation given to that lake by two bands of Indians, who met and held a fes- tival on an island situated near its centre. After leaving our encampment we sailed through Upper Play Green Lake, and ar- rived at Norway Point in the forenoon. The waters of Lake Winipeg, and of the OF THE POLAR SEA. 83 rivers that run into it, the Saskatchawan in particular, are rendered turbid by the sus- pension of a large quantity of white clay. Play Green Lake and Nelson River, being the discharges of the Winipeg, are equally opaque, a circumstance that renders the sunken rocks, so frequent in these waters, very dangerous to boats in a fresh breeze. Owing to this, one of the boats that accom- panied us, sailing at the rate of seven miles an hour, struck upon one of these rocks. Its mast was carried away by the shock, but fortunately no other damage sustained. The Indians ascribe the muddiness of these lakes to an adventure of one of their deities, a mischievous fellow, a sort Robin Puck, whom they hold in very little esteem. This deity, who is named Weesakootchaht, pos- sesses considerable power, but makes a capricious use of it, and delights in tor- menting the poor Indians. He is not, how- ever, invincible, and was foiled in one of his attempts by the artifice of an old woman, who succeeded in taking him captive. She called in all the women of the tribe to aid G 2 8i JOURNEY TO THE SHORES in his punishment, and he escaped from their hands in a condition so filthy that it required all the waters of the great lake to wash him clean ; and ever since that period it has been entitled to the appellation of Winipeg, or Muddy Water. Norway Point forms the extremity of a narrow peninsula which separates Play Green f ..d Winipeg Lakes. Buildings were first erected here by a party of Norwegians, who were driven away from the colony at Red River by the commotions which took place some time ago. It is now a trading post belonging to the Hudson's Bay Com- pany. On landing at Norway House we met with Lord Selkirk's colonists, who had started from York Factory the day before us. These poor people were exceedingly pleased at meeting with us again in this wild country ; having accompanied them across the Atlantic, they viewed us in the light of old acquaintances. This post was under the charge of Mr. James Sutherland, to whom I am indebted for replacing a minute-hand on the chronometer, which was \ mm OF THE POLAR SEA. 85 \ \ broken at the White Fall, and I had after- wards the satisfaction of finding that it went with extraordinary regularity. The morning of the 7th October was beautifully clear, and the observations we obtained place Norway House in latitude 53° 41' 38" N., and longitude 98° 1' 24>" W. ; the variation of the magnetic needle 14° 12' 41" E., and its dip 83° 40' 10". Though our route from York Factory has rather inclined to the S.W., the dip, it will be per- ceived, has gradually increased. The diffe- rence produced by reversing the face of the instrument was 7° 39'. There was too much wind to admit of our observing, with any degree of accuracy, the quantity of the mag- netic force. We left Norway House soon after noon, and the wind being favourable, sailed along the northern shore of Lake Winipeg the whole of the ensuing night; and on the morning of the 8th landed on a narrow ridge of sand, which, running out twenty miles to the westward, separates Limestone Bay from the body of the lake, When the wind ,/^\ i^ 86 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES ft blows hard from the southward, it is cus- tomary to carry boats across this isthmus, and to pull up under its lee. From Nor- wegian Point to Limestone Bay the shore consists of high clay cliffs, against which the waves beat with violence during strong southerly winds. When the wind blows from the land, and the waters of the lake are low, a narrow sandy beach is uncovered, and affords a landing-place for boats. The shores of Limestone Bay are covered with small fragments of calcareous stones. During the night the Aurora Borealis was quick in its motions, and various and vivid in its colours. After breakfasting we re- embarked, and continued our voyage until three P.M., when a strong westerly wind arising, we were obliged to shelter ourselves on a small island, which lies near the ex- tremity of the above-mentioned peninsula. This island is formed of a collection of small rolled pieces of limestone, and was remembered by some of our boatmen to have been formerly covered with water. For the last ten or twelve years the waters i OF THE POLAR SEA. 87 of the lake have been low, but our informa- tion did not enable us to judge whether the decrease was merely casual, or going on continually, or periodical. The distance of this island from Norway house is thirty- eight miles and a half. The westerly winds detained us all the morning of the 9th, but, at two P.M., the wind chopped round to the eastward; we immediately embarked, and the breeze af- terwards freshening, we reached the mouth of the Saskatchawan at midnight, having run thirty-two miles. Sunday, October 10. — The whole of this day was occupied in getting the boats from the mouth of the river to the foot of the Grand Rapid, a distance of two miles. There are several rapids in this short distance, during which the river varies its breadth from five hundred yards to half a mile. Its channel is stony. At the grand rapid the Saskatchawan forms a sudden bend, from south to east, and works its way through a narrow channel, deeply worn into the lime- stone strata. The stream, rushing with ii:- 1^ I s i; i 83 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES petuous force over a rocky and uneven bottom, presents a sheet of foam, and seems to bear with impatience the straitened con- finement of its lofty banks. A flock of pelicans, and two or three brown fishing eagles, were fishing in its agitated waters, seemingly with great success. There is a good sturgeon fishery at the foot of the rapid. Several golden plovers, Canadian gros-beaks, cross-bills, wood-peckers, and pin-tailed grouse, were shot to day; and Mr. Back killed a small striped marmot. This beautiful little animal was busily em- ployed in carrying in its distended pouches the seeds of the American vetch to its winter hoards. The portage is eighteen hundred yards long, and its western extremity was found to be in 53° 08' 25" North latitude, and 99° 28* 02" West longitude. The route from Canada to the Athabasca joins that from York Factory at the mouth of the Saskatchawan, and we saw traces of a re- ,cent encampment of the Canadian voyagers, .Our companions in the Hudson's Bay boats, !^ M. )•'• KiV14. o«'i .'xtiiutmut OF THE POLAR SEA. 89 ■f/ dreading an attack from their rivals in trade, were on the alert at this place. They ex- amined minutely the spot of encampment, to form a judgment of the number of canoes that had preceded them ; and they advanced, armed, and with great caution, through the woods. Their fears, however, on this occasion, were fortunately ground- less. By noon, on the 12th, the boats and their cargoes having been conveyed across the portage, we embarked, and pursued our course. The Saskatchawan becomes wider Above the Grand Rapid, and the scenery im- proves. The banks are high, composed of white clay and limestone, and their summits are richly clothed with a variety of firs, poplars, birches and willows. The current runs with great rapidity, and the channel is in many places intricate and dangerous, from broken ridges of rock jutting into the stream. We pitched our tents at the en- trance of Cross Lake, having advanced only five miles and a half. Gross Lake is extensive, running towards ! I 90 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES ■■■■ I ■A i ■1 \ i ? -I the N.E. it is said, for forty miles. We crossed it at a narrow part, and pulling through several winding channels formed by a group of islands, entered Cedar Lake^ which, next to Lake Winipeg, is the largest sheet of fresh water we had hitherto seen. Ducks and geese resort hither in immense flocks in the spring and autumn. These birds were now beginning to go off, owing to its muddy shores having become quite hard through the nightly frosts. At this place the Aurora Borealis was extremely brilliant in the night, its coruscations dart- ing, at times, over the whole sky, and as- suming various prismatic tints, of which the violet and yellow were predominant. After pulling, on the 14th, seven miles and a quarter on the lake, a violent wind drove us for shelter to a small island, or rather a ridge of rolled stones, thrown up by the frequent storms which agitate this lake. The weather did not moderate the whole day, and we were obliged to pass the night on this exposed spot. The delay, however, enabled us to obtain some lunar OF THE POLAR SEA. 91 or ! i observations. The wind having subsided, we left our resting-place the following morning, crossed the remainder of the lake, and in the afternoon arrived at Muddy Lake, which is very appropriately named, as it consists merely of a few channels, winding amongst extensive mud banks, which are overflowed during the spring floods. We landed at an Indian tent, which contained two numerous families, amount- ing to thirty souls. These poor creatures were badly clothed, and reduced to a miserable condition by the hooping-cough and measles. At the time of our arrival they were busy in preparing a sweating- house for the sick. This is a remedy v/hich they consider, with the addition of singing and drumming, to be the grand specific for all diseases. Our companions having ob- tained some geese, in exchange for rum and tobacco, we proceeded a few more miles, and encamped on Devil's Drum Is- land, having come during the day twenty miles and a half. A second party of In- dians were encamped on an adjoining island, 92 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES I a situation chosen for the purpose of killing geese and ducks. On the 16th we proceeded eighteen miles up the Saskatchawan. Its banks are low, covered with willows, and lined with drift timber. The surrounding country is swampy and intersected by the numerous arms of the river. After passing for twenty or thirty yards through the willow thicket on the banks of the stream, we entered an ex- tensive marsh, varied only by a distant line of willows, which marks the course of a creek, or branch of the river. The branch we navigated to-day, is almost five hundred yards wide. The exhalations from the marshy soil produced a low fog, although the sky above was perfectly clear. In the course of the day we passed an Indian en- campment of three tents, whose inmates ap- peared to be in a still more miserable con- dition than those we saw yesterday. They had just finished the ceremony of conjura- tion over some of their sick companions; and a dog, which had been recently killed as a sacrifice to some deity, was hanging to OF THE POLAR SEA. 93 d tree, where it would be left (I was told) when they moved their encampment. We continued our voyage up the river to the 20th with little variation of scenery or incident, travelling in that time about thirty miles. The near approach of winter was marked by severe frosts, which continued all day unless when the sun chanced to be unusually bright, and the geese and ducks were observed to take a southerly course in large flocks. On the morning of the 20th we came to a party of Indians, encamped behind the bank of the river on the borders of a small marshy lake, for the purpose of killing water-fowl. Here we were gratified with the view of a very large tent. Its length was about forty feet, its breadth eighteen, and its covering was moose-deer leather, with apertures for the escape of the smoke from the fires, which are placed at each end ; a ledge of wood was placed on the ground on both sides the whole length of the tent, within which were the sleeping- places, arranged probably according to fa- milies: and the drums and other instru- 94f JOURNEY TO THE SHORES ■.':s li ments of enchantment were piled up in the centre. Amongst the Indians there were a great many half-breeds, who led an Indian life. Governor Williams gave a dram and a piece of tobacco to each of the males of the party. On the morning of the 21st a heavy fall of snow took place, which lasted until two in the afternoon. In the evening we left the Saskatchawan, and entered the Little River, one of the two streams by which Pine Is- land Lake discharges its waters. We ad- vanced to-day fourteen miles and a quarter. On the 2 2d the weather was extremely cold and stormy, and we had to contend against a strong head wind. The spray froze as it fell, and the oars were so loaded with ice as to be almost unmanageable. The length of our voyage this day was eleven miles. The following morning was very cold ; we embarked at day-light, and pulled across a part of Pine Island Lake, about three miles and a half, to Cumberland House. The margin of the lake was so incrusted with ice, that we had to break through a OF THE POLAR SKA. 95 considerable space of it to approach tlie landing-place. When we considered that this was the effect of only a few days' frost at the commencement of winter, we were convinced of the impracticabihty of ad- vancing further by water this season, and therefore resolved on accepting Governor Williams's kind invitation to remain with him at this post. We immediately visited Mr. Connolly, the resident partner of the North- West Company, and presented to him Mr. Mac Gillivray's circular letter. He assured us that he should be most de- sirous to forward our progress by every means in his power, and we subsequently had ample proofs of his sincerity and kind- ness. The unexpected addition of our party to the winter residents at this post, rendered an increase of apartments neces- sary; and our men were immediately ap- pointed to complete and arrange an un- finished building as speedily as possible. November 8. — Some mild weather suc- ceeded to the severe frosts we had at our arrival ; and the lake had not been entirely oe JOURNEY TO THE SHORES ll I i-r- • '1 frozen before the Gth ; but this morning tlie ice was sufficiently firm to admit of sledges crossing it. The dogs were harnessed at a very early hour, and the winter operations commenced by sending for a supply of fish from Swampy River, where men h^.d been stationed to collect it, just before the frost set in. Both men and dogs appeared to enjoy the change ; they started in full glee, and drove rapidly along. An Indian, who had come to the house on the preceding evening to request some provision for his family, whom he represented to be in a state of starvation, accompaiued them. His party had been suffering greatly under the epidemic diseases of hooping-cough and measles ; and the hunters were still in too debilitated a state to go out and provide them with meat. A supply was given to him, and the men were directed to bring his father, an old and faithful hunter, to the house, that he might have the comforts of nourishment and warmth. He was brought accordingly, but these attentions were una- vailing, as he died a few days afterwards. OF THE POLAtt SEA. 97 Two days before liis death I was surprised to observe him sitting for nearly three hours, in a piercingly sharp day, in the saw-pit, employed in gathering the dust, and throwing it by handfuls over his body, which was naked to the waist. As the man was in possession of his mental facul- ties, I conceived he was performing some devotional act preparatory to his departure, which he felt to be approaching, and in- duced by the novelty of the incident, I went twice to observe him more closely; but when he perceived that he was noticed, he immediately ceased his operation, hung down his head, and, by his demeanour, in- timated that he considered my appearance an intrusion. The residents at the fort could give me no information on the sub- ject, and I could not learn that the Indians in general observe any particular ceremony on the approach of death. November 15. — The sky had been over- cast during the last week ; the sun shone forth once only, and then not sufficiently for die purpose of obtaining observations. VOL. I. H Ji'.'^. i 98 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES rtis ■f i • I Faint coruscations of the Aurora Borealis appeared one evening, but their presence did not in the least affect the electrometer or the compass. The ice daily became thicker in the lake, and the frost had now nearly overpowered the rapid current of the Saskatchawan River; indeed, parties of men who were sent from both the forts to search for the Indians, and procure what- ever skins and provisions they might have collected, crossed that stream this day on the ice. The white partridges made their first appearance near the house, which birds are considered as the infallible harbingers of severe weather. Monday, November 22, — The Saskatcha- wan, and every other river, were now com- pletely covered with ice, except a small stream not far from the fort, through which the current ran very powerfully. In the course of the week we removed into the house our men had prepared since our arrival. We found it at first extremely cold, notwithstanding that a good fire was kept in each apartment, and we frequently expe* OF THE POLAR SEA. 99 rienced the extremes of heat and cold on opposite sides of the body. November 24. — We obtained observations for the dip of the needle and intensity of the magnetic force in a spare room. The dip was 83° 9' 45", and the difference produced by reversing the face of the instrument 13° S' 6'. When the needle was faced to the west it hung nearly perpendicular. The Aurora Borealis had been faintly visible for a short time the preceding evening. Some Indians arrived in search of provision, hav- ing been totally incapacitated from hunting by sickness ; the poor creatures looked miserably ill, and they represented their distress to have been extreme. Few reci- tals are more affecting than those of their sufferings during unfavourable seasons, and in bad situations for hunting and fishing. Many assurances have been given me that men and women are yet living who have been reduced to feed upon the bodies of their own family, to prevent actual starva- tion ; and a shocking case was cited to us, of a woman who had been principal agent H^ 100 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES i in the destruction of several persons, and amongst the number her husband and near- est relatives, in order to support life. November 28. — The atmosphere had been clear every day during the last week, about the end of which snow fell, when the ther- mometer rose from 20° below to 16° above zero. The Aurora Borealis was twice visible, but faint on both occasions. Its appearance did not affect the electrometer, nor could we perceive the compass to be disturbed. The men brought supplies of moose meat from the hunters' tent, which is pitched near the Basquiau Hill, forty or fift^ miles from the house, and whence the greatest part of the meat is procured. The residents have to send nearly the same dis- tance for their fish, and on this service horse- sledges are used. Nets are daily set in Pine Island Lake which occasionally pro- cure some fine sturgeon, titfameg, and trout, but not more than sufficient to supply the officers' table. December 1. — This day was so remark- "f '•'u OF THE POLAR SEA. 101 ably fine, that we procured another set of observations for the dip of the needle in the open air ; the instrument being placed firmly on a rock, the results gave 83° 14' 22". The change produced by reversing the face of the instrument was 12° 50' 55". There had been a determined thaw during: the last three days. The ice on the Saskat- chawan River, and some parts of the lake, broke up, and the travelling across either became dangerous. On this account the absence of Wilks, one of our men, caused no small anxiety. He had incautiously un- dertaken the conduct of a sledge and dogs, in company with a person going to Swampy River for fish. On their return, being un- accustomed to driving, he became fatigued, and seated himself on his sledge, where his companion left him, presuming that he would soon rise and hasten to follow his track. He however returned safe in the morning, and reported that, foreseeing night would set in before he could get across the lake, he prudently retired into the woods before dark, where he remained until day- 102 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 'i .'= . iM light ; when the men, who had been des- patched to look for him, met him return- ing to the house, shivering with cold, he having been unprovided with the materials for lighting a fire; which an experienced voyager never neglects to carry. We had mild weather until the 20th of December. On the 13th there had been a decided thaw, that caused the Saskatcha- wan, which had again frozen, to re-open, and the passage across it was interrupted for two days. We now received more agreeable accounts from the Indians, who were recovering strength, and beginning to hunt a little; but it was generally feared that their spirits had been so much de- pressed by the loss of their children and relatives, that the season would be f^^r ad- vanced before they could be roused to any exertion in searching for animals beyond what might be necessary for their own sup- port. It is much to be regretted that these poor men, during their long intercourse with Europeans, have not been taught how per- nicious is the grief which produces total OF THE POLAR SEA. 103 inactivity, and that they have not been fur- nished with any of the consolations which the Christian rehgion never fails to afford. This, however, could hardly have been ex- pected from persons who have permitted their own offspring, the half-casts, to remain in lamentable ignorance on a subject of such vital importance. It is probable, however, that an improvement will soon take place among the latter class, as Go- vernor Williams proposes to make the chil- dren attend a Sunday school, and has already begun to have divine service performed at his post. The conversations which I had with the gentlemen in charge of these posts, con- vinced me of the necessity of proceeding during the winter into the Athabasca de- partment, the residents of which are best acquainted with the nature and resources of the country to the north of the Great Slave Lake; and whence only guides, hunters, and interpreters can be procured. I had previously written to the partners of the North- West Company in that quarter, re- 104 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES II questing their assistance in forwarding the expedition, and stating what we should re- quire. But, on reflecting upon the acci- dents that might delay these letters on the the road, I determined on proceeding to Athabasca as soon as I possibly could, and communicated my intention to Governor Williams and Mr, Connolly, with a request that I might be furnished, by the middle of January, with the means of conveyance for three persons, intending that Mr. Back and Hepburn should accompany me, whilst Dr. Richardson and Mr. Hood remained till the spring at Cumberland House. After the 20th of December the weather became cold, the thermometer constantly below zero. Christmas-day was particu- larly stormy; but the gale did not prevent the full enjoyment of the festivities which are annually given at Cumberland House on this day. All the men, who had been despatched to different parts in search of provision or furs, returned to the fort on the occasion, and were regaled with a substan- tial dinner and a dance in the evening. ii r 1 %<, \ \ OF THE POLAR SEA, 105 January 1, 1820. — The new year was ushered in by repeated discharges of mus- ketry; a ceremony which had been ob- served by the men of both the trading com- panies for many years. Our party dined with Mr. Connolly, and were treated with a beaver, which we found extremely deli- cate. In the evening his voyagers were entertained with a dance, in which the Canadians exhibited some grace and much agility ; and they contrived to infuse some portion of their activity and spirits into the steps of their female companions. The half-breed women are passionately fond of this amusement, but a stranger would ima- gine the contrary on witnessing their appa- rent want of animation. On such occasions they affect a sobriety of demeanour which I understand to be very opposite to their general character. January 10. — This day I wrote to Go- vernor Williams and Mr. Connolly, re- questing them to prepare two canoes, with crews and appointments, for the conveyance of Dr. Richardson and Mr. Hood, with our 106 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES m Ik Im: Stores, to Chipewyan, as soon as the navi- gation should open, and had the satisfaction of receiving from both these gentlemen re- newed assurances of their desire to promote the objects of the expedition. I conceived it to be necessary, previous to my depar- ture, to make some arrangement respecting the men who were engaged at Stromness. Only one of them was disposed to extend his engagement, and proceed beyond the Athabasca Lake ; and, as there was much uncertainty whether the remaining three could get from the Athabasca to York Fac- tory sufficiently early to secure them a pas- . sage in the next Hudson's Bay ship, I re- . solved not to take them forward, unless Dr. Richardson and Mr. Hood should fail in procuring other men from these esta- blishments next spring, but to despatch them down to York to bring up our stores . to this place : after which they might return to the coast in time to secure their passage in the first ship. I delivered to Dr. Richardson and Mr. Hood a memorandum, containing the ar- 1 • OF THE POLAR SEA. 107 - rangements which hfid been made with the two Companies, respecting their being for- warded in the spring, and some other points of instruction for their guidance in my ab- sence ; together with directions to forward the map of our route, which had been finished since our arrival by Mr. xlood, the draw- ings and the collections of natural history, by the first opportunity, to York Factory for conveyance to England.* The houses of the two Companies at thi» post are situated close to each other, at the upper extremity of a narrow island, which separates Pine Island Lake from the Sas- katchawan River, and are about two miles and three quarters from the latter in a northern direction. They are log-houses, built without much regard to comfort, sur- rounded by lofty stockades, and flanked with wooden bastions. The difficulty of * As Samuel Wilks, who had accompanied the ex- pedition from England, proved to be quite unequal to the fatigue of the journey, I directed him to be dis- charged in the spring, and sent to England by the next ship. i! ! ! 'H m r tf:: m-l 108 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES conveying glass into the interior has pre- cluded its use in the windows, where its place is poorly supplied by parchment, im- perfectly made by the native women from the skin of the rein-deer. Should this post, however, continue to be the residence of Governor Williams, it will be much im- proved in a few years, as he is devoting his attention to that point. The land around Cumberland House is low, but the soil, from having a considerable intermixture of lime- stone, is good, and capable of producing abundance of corn, and vegetables of every description. Many kinds of pot-herbs have already been brought to some perfection, and the potatoes bid fair* to equal those of England. The spontaneous productions of nature would afford ample nourishment for all the European animals. Horses feed ex- tremely well even during the winter, and so would oxen if provided with hay, which might be easily done.* Pigs also improve, * '* The wild buffalo scrapes away the snow with its feet to get at the herbage beneath, and the horse, A /- OF THE rOLAR SEA. 109 but require to be kept warm in the winter. Hence it appears, that the residents might easily render themselves far less dependant on the Indians for support, and be relieved from the great anxiety which they too often suffer when the hunters are unsuccessful. The neighbourhood of the houses has been much cleared of wood, from the great demand for fuel; there is, therefore, little to admire in the surrounding scenery, espe- cially in its winter garb ; few animated ob- jects occur to enliven the scene ; an occa- sional fox, marten, rabbit, or wolf, and a few birds, contribute the only variety. The birds which remained were ravens, magpies, partridges, cross-bills, and wood-peckers. In this universal stillness, the residents at a post feel little disposed to wander abroad, except when called forth by their occupa- r which was introduced by the Spanish invaders of Mexico, and may be said to have become naturalized, does the same j but it is worthy of remark, that the ox, more lately broup;ht from Europe, has not yet acquired an art so necessary for procuring its food," — (Extract from Dr. Richardson's Journal.) 110 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES I" : 1 *■ W ■' m Kii f f 'tr ' ■'; % tions ; and as ours were of a kind best per- formed in a warm room, we imperceptibly acquired a sedentary habit. In going out, however, we never suffered the sHghtest in- convenience from the cliange of tempera- ture, though the thermometer, in the open air, stood occasionally thirty degrees below zero. The tribe of Indians, who reside in the vicinity, and frequent these establishments, is that of the Crees, or Knisteneaux. They were formerly a powerful and numerous nation, which ranged over a very extensive country, and were very successful in their predatory excursions against their neigh- bours, particularly the northern Indians, and some tribes on the Saskatchawan and Beaver Rivers ; but they have long ceased to be held in any fear, and are now, per- haps, the most harmless and inoffensive of the whole Indian race. This change is en- tirely to be attributed to their intercourse with Europeans ; and the vast reduction in their numbers, occasioned, I fear, princi- pally, by the injudicious introduction of \ >l OF THE POLAR SEA. Ill ardent spirits. They are so passionately fond of this poison, that they will make any sacrifice to obtain it. They are good hun- ters, and in general active. Having laid the bow and arrow altogether aside, and the use of snares, except for rabbits and par- tridges, they depend entirely on the Euro- peans for the means of gaining subsistence, as they require guns, and a constant supply of powder and shot; so that these Indiana* are probably more completely under the power of the trader than any of the other tribes. As I only saw a few straggling parties of tliem during short intervals, and under unfavourable circumstances of sick- ness and famine, I am unable to give, from personal observation, any detail of their manners and customs ; and must refer the reader to Dr. Richardson's account of them in the following chapter. That gentleman, during his long residence at the post, had many opportunities of seeing them and ac- quiring their language. January 17. — This morning the sporting part of our society had rather a novel di- 112 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES »f I ^H version : intelligence having been brought that ?c wolf had borne away a steel crap, in which he had been caught, a party went in search of the marauder, and took two En- glish bull dogs and a terrier, which had heen brought into the country this season. On the first sight of the animal the dogs became alarmed, and stood barking at a distance, and probably would not have ven- tured to advance, had they not seen the wolf fall by a shot from one of the gentle- men ; they then, however, went up and be- haved courageously, and were enraged by the bites they received. The wolf soon died of its wounds, and the body was brought to the house, where a drawing of it was taken by Mr. Hood, and the skin preserved by Dr. Richardson. Its general features bore a strong resemblance to many of the dogs about the fort, but it was larger and had a more ferocious aspect. Mr. Back and I were too much occupied in preparing for our departure on the following day to join this excursion. The position of Cumberland House, by I li brought trap, in went in :wo En- ich had season, le dogs ig at a ve ven- ?en the gentle- nd be- red by f soon roiight it was served atures 3f the ?r and Back >aring lay to M OF THE POLAR SEA. 113 our observations, is latitude 53° 56' 40" N. ; longitude 102° 16' 41" W., by the chrono- meters ; variation, 17° 17' 29" E. ; dip of the needle, 83° 12' 50". The whole of the tra- velling distance between York Factory and Cumberland House is about six hundred and ninety miles. je, by VOL. I. lU JOURNEY TO THE SHORES CHAPTER III. Dr, Richardson's Residence at Cumberland House — His Account of the Cree Indians, From the departure of Messrs. Franklin and Back, on the 19th January, for Chi- pewyan, until the opening of the navigation in the spring, the occurrences connected with the expedition were so much in the ordinary routine of a winter's residence at Fort Cumberland, that they may be, perhaps, appropriately blended with the following general but brief account of that district and its inhabitants. Cumberland House was originally built by Hearne, u. year or two after his return from the Copper-mine River, and has ever since been considered by the Hudson's Bay Company as a post of considerable impor- tance. Previous to that time the natives carried their furs down to the shores of t i OF THE POLAR SEA. 115 Hudson's Bay, or disposed of them nearer home to the French Canadian traders, who visited this part of the country as early as the year 1697. The Cumberland House district, extend- ing about one hundred and fifty miles from east to west along the banks of the Saskat- ehawan, and about as far from north to south, comprehends, on a rough calculation, upwards of twenty thousand square miles, and is frequented at present by about one hundred and twenty Indian hunters. Of these a few have several wives, but the ma- jority only one ; and, as some are unmarried, we shall not err greatly in considering the number of married women as only slightly exceeding that of the hunters. The women marry very young, have a custom of suck- ling their children for several years, and are besides exposed constantly to fatigue and often to famine ; hence they are not prolific, bearing vipon an average not more than four children, of whom two may attain the age 6f puberty. Upon these data the amount of each family may be stated at five, and i2 116 JOURNEY Tc THE SHORES w i the whole Indian population in the district at five hundred. This is but a small population for such an extent of country, yet their mode of life occasionally subjects them to great priva- tions. The winter of our residence at Cum- berland House proved extreiaoly severe to the Indians. The hooping-cough made its appearance amongst them in the autumn, and was followed by the measles, which in the course of t/i winter spread through the tribe. Many died, and most of the sur- vivors were so enfeebled as to be unable to pursue the necessary avocations of hunting and fishing. Even those who experienced only a slight attack, or escaped the sickness altogether, dispirited by the scenes of misery which environed them, were rendered inca- pable of affording relief to their distressed relations, and spent their time in conjuring and drumming to avert the pestilence. Those who were able came to the fort and received relief, but many who had retired with their families to distant corners, to pursue their winter hunts, experienced all if if i OF THE POLAR SEA. strict the horrors of fami 117 One evening, early in the month of January, a poor Indian en- tered the North-West Company's House, carrying his only child in his arms, and fol- lowed by his starving wife. They had been hunting apart from the other bands, had been unsuccessful, and whilst in want were seized with the epidemical disease. An Indian is accustomed to starve, and it is not easy to elicit from him an account of his sufferings. This poor man's story was very brief; as soon as the fever abated, he set out with his wife for Cumberland House, having been previously reduced to feed on the bits of skin and offal which remained about their encampment. Even this miser- abL fare was exhausted, and they walked several days without eating, yet exerting themselves far beyond their strength that they might save the life of the infant. It died almost within sight of the house. Mr. Connolly, who was then in charge of the post, received them with the utmost huma- nity, and instantly placed food before them ; but no language can describe the manner in ''\ 118 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES s^ 1 V 1 1 'I which the miserable father dashed the morsel from his lips and deplored the loss of his child. Misery may harden a dispo- sition naturally bad, but it never fails to soften the heart of a good man. The origin of the Crees, to which nation the Cumberland House Indians belong, is, like that of the other Aborigines of Ame- rica, involved in obscurity; but the re- searches now making into the nature and affinities of the languages spoken by the different Indian tribes, may eventually throw some light on the subject. Indeed, the American philologists seem to have suc- ceeded already in classing the known dia- lects into three languages : — 1st. The Flo- ridean, spoken by the Creeks, Chickesaws, Choctaws, Cherokees, Pascagoulas, and some other tribes, who inhabit the southern parts of the United States. 2d. The Iro- quois, spoken by the Mengwe, or Six Na- tions, the Wyandots, the Nadowessies, and Asseeneepoytuck. 3d. The Lenni-lenape, spoken by a great family more widely spread than the other two, and from which, together OF THE POLAR SEA. 119 the loss ation I with a vast number of other tribes, are sprung our Crees. Mr. Heckewelder, a missionary, who resided long amongst these people, and from whose paper (pubhshed in the Transactions of the American Philoso- phical Society) the above classification is taken, states that the Lenape have a tradi- tion amongst them, of their ancestors having come from the westward, and taken posses- sion of the whole country from the Mis- souri to the Atlantic, after driving away or destroying the original inhabitants of the land, whom they termed Alligewi. In this migration and contest, which endured for a series of years, the Mengwe, or Iroquois, kept pace with them, moving in a parallel but more northerly line, and, finally settling on the banks of the St. Lawrence, and the great lakes from whence it flows. The Lenape, being more numerous, peopled not only the greater part of the country at pre- sent occupied by the United States, but also sent detachments to the northward as far as the banks of the River Mississippi and the shores of Hudson's Bay. The principal of 120 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 'I their northern tribes are now known under the names of Saulteurs or Chippeways, and Crees; the former inhabiting the country betwixt Lakes Winipeg and Superior, the latter frequenting the shores of Hudson's Bay, from Moose to Churchill, and the country from thence as far to the westward as the plains which lie betwixt the forks of the Saskatchawan. These Crees, formerly known by the French Canadian traders under the appel- lation of Knisteneaux, generally designate themselves as Eithinyoowuc (men J, or, when they wish to discriminate themselves from the other Indian nations, as Nathehwy- withinyoowuc ( Southern-men J, ^ * Much confusion has arisen from the great variety of names applied without discrimination to the various tribes of Saulteurs and Crees. Heckewelder considers the Crees of Moose Factory to be a branch of that tribe of the Lenape which is named Minsi, or Wolf Tribe. He has been led to form this opinion, from the similarity of the name given to these people by Monsieur Jeremie, namely, Monsonies ; but the truth is, that their real name is Mongsoa-eythinyoowuc, or OF THE POLAR SEA. 121 The original character of the Crees must have been much modified by their long intercourse with Europeans ; hence it is to be understood, that we confine ourselves in the following sketch to their present condi- ' Moose-deer Indians j hence the name of the factory and river on which it is built. The name Knisteneaux, Kristeneaux, or Killisteneaux, war> anciently applied to a tribe of Crees, now termed Maskegons, who in- habit the river Winipeg. This small tribe still retains the peculiarities of customs and dress, for which it was remarkable many years ago, as mentioned by Mr. Henry, in the interesting account of his journeys in these countries. They are said to be great rascals. The great body of the Crees were at that time named Opimmitish Ininiwuc, or Men of the Woods. It would, however, be an endless task to attempt to de- termine the precise people designated by the early French writers. Every small band, naming itself from its hunting grounds, was described as a different nation. The Chippeways, who frequented the Lake of the Woods were named from a particular act of pillage — Pilliers, or Robbers ; and the name Saulteurs, applied to a principal band that frequented the Sault St. Marie, has been by degrees extended to the whole tribe. It is frequently pronounced and written Sotoos, I 122 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES tion, and more particiil?^rly to the Crees of Cumberland House. The moral character of a hunter is acted upon by the nature of the land he inhabits, the abundance or scarcity of food, and we may add, in the present case, his means of access to spiritu- ous liquors. In a country so various in these respects as that inhabited by the Crees, the causes alluded to must operate strongly in producing a considerable differ- ence of character amongst the various hordes. It may be proper to bear in mind, also, that we are about to draw the cha- racter of a people whose only rule of con- duct is public opinion, and to try them by a morality founded on divine revelation, the only standard that can be referred to by those who have been educated in a land to which the blessings of the Gospel have extended. ' Bearing these considerations in mind then, we may state the Crees to be a vain, fickle, improvident, and indolent race, and not very strict in their adherence to truth, being OF THE POLAR SEA. 123 great boasters ; but, on the other hand, they strictly regard the rights of property,* are susceptible of the kinder affections, capable of friendship, very hospitable, tole- rably kind to their women, and withal inclined to peace. Much of the faulty part of their charac- ter, no doubt, originates in their mode of life; accustomed as a hunter to depend greatly on chance for his subsistence, the Cree takes little thought of to-morrow ; and the most offensive part of his behaviour — • the habit of boasting — has been probably assumed as a necessary part of his armour, which operates upon the fears of his ene- mies. They are countenanced, however, in this failing by the practice of the ancient Greeks, and perhaps by that of every other nation in its ruder state. Every Cree fears the medical or conjuring powers of his neighbour ; but, at the same time, exalts his own attainments to the skies. " I am God- * This is, perhaps, true of the Cumberland House Crees alone : many of the other tribes of Crees are stated by the traders to be thieves. ' \ % 124 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES « ■! like," is a common expression amongst them, and they prove their divinity-ship by eating live coals, and by various tricks of a similar nature. A medicine bag is an indispensable part of a hunter's equipment. It is gene- rally furnished with a little bit of indigo, blue vitriol, vermilion, or some other showy article ; and is, when in the hands of a noted conjurer, such an object of terror to the vest of the tribe, that its possessor is enabled to fatten at his ease upon the labours of his deluded countrymen. A fellow of this description came to Cum- berland House in the winter of 1819. Not- w^ithstanding the then miserable state of the Indians, the rapacity of this wretch had been preying upon their necessities, and a poor hunter was actually at the moment pining away under the influence of his threats. The mighty conjurer, immediately on his arrival at the house, began to trumpet forth his powers, boasting, among other things, that although his hands and feet were tied as securely as possible, yet, when placed in a conjuring-house, he would W OF THE POLAR SEA. 125 Jt them, oating similar usable gene- indigo, showy I noted he rest )led to of his Cum- Not- ofthe h had and a ament f his iately impet other feet ^vhen ^ould speedily disengage himself by the aid of two or three familiar spirits, who were attendant on his call. He was instantly taken at his word, and, that his exertions might not be without an aim, a capot or great coat was promised as the reward of his success. A conjuring-house having been erected in the usual form, that is, by sticking four willows in the ground and tying their tops to a hoop at the height of six or eight feet, he was fettered completely by winding several fa- thoms of rope round his body and extremi- ties, and placed in its narrow apartment, not exceeding two feet in diameter. A moose- skin being then thrown over the framo, secluded him from our view. He forthwith began to chant a kind of hymn in a very monotonous tone. The rest of the Indians, who seemed in some doubt respecting the powers of a devil when put in competition with those of a white man, ranged them- selves around, and watched the result with anxiety. Nothing remarkable occurred for a long time. The conjurer continued his song at intervals, and it was occasionally 'y\ 126 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES } taken up by those without. In this manner an hour and a half elapsed ; but at length our attention, which had begun to flag, was roused by the violent shaking of the con- juring-house. It was instantly whispered round the circle, that at least one devil had crept under the moose-skin. But it proved to be only the " God-like man" trembling with cold. He had entered the lists stript to the skin, and the thermometer stood very low that evening. His attempts were con- tinued, however, with considerable resolu- tion for half an hour longer, when he reluctantly gave in. He had found no dif- ficulty in slipping through the noose when it was formed by his countrymen; but, in the present instance, the knot was tied by Governor Williams, who is an expert sailor. After this unsuccessful exhibition his credit sunk amazingly, and he took the earliest opportunity of sneaking away from the fort. About two years ago a conjurer paid more dearly for his temj^rity. In a quarrel with an Indian he threw out some obscure threats of vengeance which passed unnoticed OF THE POLAR SEA. 127 nanner length g, was con- spered il had )roved nbhng stript d very e con- esolu- m he 10 dif. when )ut, in 3d by sailor, credit irliest fort. paid larrel scure ticed ( at the time, but were afterwards remem- bered. They met in the spring at Carlton House, after passing the winter in different parts of the country, during which the In- dian's child died. The conjurer had the folly to boast that he had caused its death, and the enraged father shot him dead on the spot. It may be remarked, however, that both of these Indians were inhabitants of the plains, and had been taught, by their intercourse with the turbulent Stone Indians, to set but comparatively little value on the life of a man. It might be thought that the Crees have benefited by their long intercourse with civilized nations. That this is not so much the case as it ought to be, is not entirely their own fault. They are capable of being, and I believe willing to be, taught ; but no pains have hitherto been taken to inform their minds,* and their white acquaintances * Since these remarks were written, the union of the rival companies has enabled the gentlemen, who have now the management of the fur trade, to take some decided steps for the religious instruction and improve- 1^8 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES '».' w seem in general to find it easier to descend to the Indian customs and modes of think- ing, particularly with respect to ^vomen, than to attempt to raise the Indians to theirs. Indeed, such a lamentable want of morality has been displayed by the white traders in their contests for the interests of their respective companies, that it would require a long series of good conduct to efface from the minds of the native population the ideas they have formed of the white character. Notwithstanding the frequent violations of the rights of property they have witnessed, and but too often experienced in their own persons, these savages, as they are termed, remain strictly honest. During their visits to a post, they are suffered to enter every apartment in the house without the least restraint, and although articles of value to them are scattered about, nothing is ever missed. They scrupulously avoid moving anything from its place, although they are ment of the natives and half-breed Indians, which have been more particularly referred to in the introduc- tion. OF THE POLAR SEA. 129 are often prompted by curiosity to examine it. In some cases, indeed, they carry this prin- ciple to a degree of self-denial which would hardly be expected. It often happens that meat, which has been paid for, (if the poi- sonous draught it procures them can be considered as payment,) is left at their lodges until a convenient opportunity occurs of carrying it away. They will rather pass several days without eating than touch the meat thus intrusted to their charge, even when there exists a prospect of replacing it. The hospitality of the Crees is unbounded. They afford a certain asylum to the half- breed children when deserted by thei> unna- tural white fathers ; and the infirm, and in- deed every individual in an encampment, share the provisions of a successful hunter as long as they last. Fond, too, as a Cree is of spirituous liquors, he is not happy unless all his neighbours partake with him. It is not easy, however, to say what share ostentation may have in the apparent muni- ficence in the latter article; for when an Indian, by a good hunt, is enabled to treat VOL.' I. K 130 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES n 1 i ' i'.< i » J ' > f the Others with a keg of rum, he becomes the chief of a night, assumes no httle state- liness of manner, and is treated with defer- ence by those who regale at his expense. Prompted also by the desire of gaining a namef they lavish away the articles they purchase at the trading posts, and are well satisfied if repaid in praise. Gaming is not uncommon amongst the Crees of all the different districts, but it is pursued to greater lengths by those bands who frequent the plains, and who, from the ease with which they obtain food, have abundant leisure. The game most in use amongst them, termed puckesann, is played with the stones of a species ofprunus, which, from this circumstance, ihey term, puchesann- meena. The difficulty lies in guessing the number of stones which are tossed out of a small wooden dish, and the hunters will spend whole nights at the destructive sport, staking their most valuable articles, powder and shot. It has been remarked by some writers, that the aboriginal inhabitants of America OF THE POLAR SEA.* 131 are deficient in passion for the fair sex. This is by no means the case with the Crees; on the contrary, their practice of seducing each other's wives proves the most fertile source of their quarrels. When the guilty pair are detected, the woman gene- rally receives a severe beating, but the hus- band is, for the most part, afraid to reproach the male culprit until they get drunk toge- ther at the fort; then the remembrance of the offence is revived, a struggle ensues, and the affair is terminated by the loss of a few handfuls of hair. Some husbands, how- ever, feel more deeply the injury done to their honour, and seek revenge even in their sober moments. In such cases it is not uncommon for the offended party to walk with great gravity up to the other, and deliberately seizing his gun, or some other article of value, to break it before his face. The adulterer looks on in silence, afraid to make any attempt to save his property. In this respect, indeed, the Indian character seems to differ from the European, that an Indian, insteiid of letting his anger increase K It A > 132 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES l<; V ' with that of his antagonist, assumes the utmost coolness, lest he should push him to extremities. Although adultery is sometimes punished amongst the Crees in the manner above de- scribed, yet it is no crime, provided the husband receives a valuable consideration for his wife's prostitution. Neither is chas- tity considered as a virtue in a female before marriage, that is, before she becomes the exclusive property of one hunter. The Cree women are not in general treated harshly by their husbands, and possess considerable influence over them. They often eat, and even get drunk, in consort with the men ; a considerable por- tion of the labour, however, falls to the lot of the wife. She makes the hut, cooks, dresses the skins, and, for the most part, carries the heaviest load ; but, when she is unable to perform her task, the husband does not consider it beneath his dignity to assist her. In illustration of this remark, I may quote the case of an Indian who visited the fort in winter. This poor man's wife l'^:=4- OF THE rOLAR SEA. 133 is the lim to nished ve de- d the ration chas- before es the eneral , and them, nk, in e por- he lot :ooks, part, she is sband ity to ark, I isited wife had lost her feet by the frost, and he was compelled, not only to hunt and do all the menial offices himself, but in winter to drag his wife with their stock of furniture from one encampment to another. In the per- formance of this duty, as he could not keep pace with the rest of the tribe in their movements, he more than once nearly perished of hunger. These Indians, however, capable as they are of behaving thus kindly, affect in their discourse to despise the softer sex, and on solemn occasions will not suffer them to eat before them, or even come into their pre- sence. In this they are countenanced by the white residents, most of whom have In- dian or half-breed wives, but seem afraid of treating them with the tenderness or atten- tion due to every female, lest they should themselves be despised by the Indians. At least, this is the only reason they assign for theii* neglect of those whom they make partners of their beds and mothers of their, children. Both sexes are fond of, and excessively / 1^' V 1 i ■'i'. ii iif u ' I 3: I. 134 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES indulgent to their children. The father never punishes them, and if the mother, more hasty in her temper, sometimes be- stows a blow or two on a troublesome child, her heart is instantly softened by the roar which follows, and she mingles her tears wi; : Jic 0 that streak the smoky face of her darli^ g. h may be fairly said, then, that restraint or punishment forms no part of the education of an Indian child, nor are they early trained to that command over their temper which they exhibit in after years. The discourse of the parents is never restrained by the presence of their children, every transaction between the sexes being openly talked of before them. The Crees having early obtained arms from the European traders, were enabled to make harassing inroads on the lands of their neighbours, and are known to have made war excursions as far to the westward as the Rocky Mountains, and to the north- ward as far as M*Kenzie's River ; but their enemies being now as well armed as them- selves, the case is much altered. ,"M, OF THE POLAR 3EA. 135 father lother, es be- child, e roar tears of her 1, that of the 3 they their ars. I never Iclren, being arms ed to is of have ward Drth- their lem- They show great fortitude in the endu- rance of hunger, and the other evils incident to a hunter's life ; but any unusual accident dispirits them at once, and they seldom venture to meet their enemies in open war- fare, or to attack them even by surprise, unless with the advantage of superiority of numbers. Perhaps they are much deterio- rated in this respect by their at^rcourse with Europeans. Their existence at pre- sent hangs upon the supplies of ammunition and clothing they receive from ihe traders, and they deeply feel their dr ^endant situa- tion. But their character has been still more debased by the passion for spirituous liquors, so assiduously fostered among them. To obtain the noxious beverage they descend to the most humiliating entreaties, and assume an abjectness of behaviour which does not seem natural to them, and of which not a vestige is to be seen in their inter- course with each other. Their character has sunk among the neighbouring nations. They are no longer the warriors who drove before them the inhabitants of the Saskatch- ]36 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES ! I awan and Missinippi. The Cumberland House Crees in particular have been long disused to war. Betwixt them and their ancient enemies, the Slave nations, lie the extensive plains of Saskatchawan, inhabited by the powerful Asseeneepoytuck, or Stone Indians, who having whilst yet a small tribe entered the country under the patronage of the Crees, now render back the protection they received. - The manners and customs of the Crees have, probably since their acquaintance with Europeans, undergone a change at least equal to that which has taken place in their moral character; and, although we heard of many practices peculiar to them, yet they appeared to be nearly as much honoured in the breach as the observance. We shall, however, briefly notice a few of the most remarkable customs. When a hunter marries his first wife, he usually takes up his abode in the tent of his father-in-law, and of course hunts for the family ; but when he becomes a father, the families are at liberty to separate, or remain OF THE POLAR SEA. 137 I together, as their inclinations prompt them. His second wife is for the most part the sister of the first, but not necessarily so, for an Indian of another family often presses his daughter upon a hunter whom he knows to be capable of maintaining her well. The first wife always remains the mistress of the tent, and assumes an authority over the others, which is not in every case quietly submitted to. It may be remarked, that whilst an Indian resides with his wife's family, it is extremely improper for his mother-in-law to speak, or even look at him ; and when she has a communication to make, it is the etiquette that she should turn her back upon him, and address him only through the medium of a third person. This singular custom is not very creditable to the Indians, if it really had its origin in the cause which they at present assign for it, namely, that a woman's speaking to her son-in-law is a sure indication of her having conceived a criminal affection for him. It appears also to have been an ancient practice for an Indian to avoid eating or it 138 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES sitting down in the presence of the father- in-law. We received no account of the origin of this custom, and it is now almost obsolete amongst the Cumberland House Crees, though still partially observed by those who frequent Carlton. Tattooing is almost universal with the Crees. The women are in general content with having one or two lines drawn from the corners of the mouth towards the angles of the lower jaw ; but some of the men have their bodies covered with a great va- riety of lines and figures. It seems to be considered by most rather as a proof of courage than an ornament, the operation being very painful, and, if the figures are numerous and intricate, lasting several days. The lines on the face are formed by dex- terously running an awl under the cuticle, and then drawing a cord, dipt in charcoal and water, through the canal thus formed. The punctures on the body are formed by needles of various sizes set in a frame. A number of hawk bells attached to this frame serve by their noise to cover the suppressed OF THE POLAR SEA. 139 groans of the sufferer, and, probably for the same reason, the process is accompanied with singing. An indelible stain is pro- duced by rubbing a little finely-powdered willow-charcoal into the punctures. A half-breed, whose arm I amputated, de- clared; that tattooing was not only the most painful operation of the two, but rendered infinitely more difficult to bear by its tedious- ness, having lasted in his case three days. A Cree woman, at certain periods, is laid under considerable restraint. They are far, however, from carrying matters to the ex- tremities mentioned by Hearne in his de- scription of the Chipewyans, or Northern Indians. She lives apart from her husband also for two months if she has borne a boy, and for three if she has given birth to a girl. Many of the Cree hunters are careful to prevent a woman from partaking of the head of a moose-deer, lest it should spoil their future hunts ; and for the same reason they avoid bringing it to a fort, fearing lest 140 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES '5'" UL the white people should give the bones to the dogs. The games or sports of the Crees are various. One termed the game of the Mitten, is played with four balls, three of which are plain, and one marked. These being hid under as many mittens, the op- posite party is required to fix on that which is marked. He gives or receives a feather according as he guesses right or wrong. When the feathers, which are ten in num- ber, have all passed into one hand, a new division is made ; but when one of the parties obtains possession of them thrice, he seizes on the stakes. The game of Platter is more intricate, and is played with the claws of a bear, or some other animal, marked with various lines and characters. These dice, which are eight in number, and cut flat at their large end, are shook together in a wooden dish, tossed into the air and caught again. The lines traced on such claws as happen lo alight on the platter in an erect position, fL OF THE POLAR SEA. 141 •nes to es are )f the •ee of These le op- whicli ather rong. num- new the :e, he icate, r, or rious hich their )deri ^ain. )pen ion, indicate what number of counters the caster is to receive from his opponent. They have, however, a much more manly amusement termed the Cross^ although they do not engage even in it without depositing considerable stakes. An extensive meadow is chosen for this sport, and the articles staked are tied to a post, or deposited in the custody of two old men. The combat- ants being stript and painted, and each pro- vided with a kind of battledore or rackety in shape resembling the letter P, with a handle about two feet long and a head loosely wrought with net-work, so a to form a shallow bag, range themselves on different sides. A ball being now tossed up in the middle, each party endeavours to drive it to their respective goals, and much dex- terity and agility is displayed in the contest. When a nimble runner gets the ball in his cross, he sets off towards the goal with the utmost speed, and is followed by the rest, who endeavour to jostle him and shake it out; but, if hard pressed, he discharges it with a jerk, to be forwarded by his own 142 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES party, or bandied back by their opponents, until the victory is decided by its passing the goal. Of the religious opinions of the Crees, it is difficult to give a correct account, not only because they show a disinclination to enter upon the subject, but because their ancient traditions are mingled with the in- formation they have more recently obtained by their intercourse with Europeans. None of them ventured to describe the origir&,l formation of the world, but they all spoke of an universal deluge, caused by an attempt of the tish to drown Woesack- ootchacht, a kind of demi-god, with whom they had quarrelled. Having constructed a raft, he embarked with his family and all kinds of birds and beasts, ilfter the flood had continued for some time, he ordered several water-fowl to dive to the bottom*; they were all drowned : but a musk-rat having been despatched on the same errand, was more successful, and returned with a mouthful of mud, ou. of which Woesack- ootchacht, imitating the mode in which the .r\J i OF THE POLAH SEA. 143 ?nts, Ising fs, It not to leir rats construct their houses, formed a new earth. First, a small conical liill of mud appeared above the water; by-and-by, its base gradually spreading out, it became an extensive bank, which the rays of the sun at length hardened into firm land. Not- withstanding the power that Woesack- ootchacht here displayed, his person is held in very little reverence by the Indians ; and, in return, he seizes every opportunity of tormenting them. His conduct is far from being moral, and his amours, and the*dis- guises he assumes in the prosecution of them, are more various and extraordinary than those of the Grecian Jupiter himself; but as his adventures are more remarkable for their eccentricity than their delicacy, it is better to pass them over in silence. Be- fore we quit him, however, we may remark, that he converses with all kinds of birds ant! beasts in their own languages, con- stantly addressing them by the title of bro- ther, but through an inherent suspicion of his intentions, they are seldom willing to admit of his claims of relationship. The I t V ; 1 \%t 144 JOURNEY TO THE SIIOI^ES Indians make no sacrifices to him, not even to avert his wrath. They pay a kind of worship, how "ver, and make offerings to a being, whom they term Kepoochikanm, This deity is represented sometimes by rude images of the human figure, but more commonly merely by tying the tops of a few willow bushes together ; and the offer- ings to him consist of every thing that is valuable to an Indian; yet they treat him with considerable familiarity, interlarding their most solemn speeches with expostula- tions and threat* of neglect, if he fails in complying with their requests. As most of their petitions are for plenty of food, they do not trust entirely to the favoiu' of Ke- poochikawn, but endeavour, at the same time, to propitiate ^he animal) an imaginary representative of i\:? whole race of larger quadrupeds that arc objects of the chase. In the month of May, whilst I was at Carlton House, the Cree hunter engaged to attend ciiat post resolved upon dedicating several articles to Kepoochikawn, and as I had made some inquiries of him respecting I s :t OF THE POLAR S£A. 145 not even kind of ngs to a 7vn, me;^ by ^•t more s of a e offer- tliat is -^at him Warding >08tula- *%ils in Host of i> they >f Ke- same ^inary larger ase. 'as at ed to ating as r Jting their modes of worship, he gave me an in- vitation to be present. The ceremony took place in a sweating-house, or as it may be designated from its more important use, a templey which was erected for the occasion by the worshipper's two wives. It was framed of arched willows, interlaced so as to form a vault capable of containing ten or twelve men, ranged closely side by side, and high enough to admit of their sitting erect. It was very similar in shape to an oven or the kraal of a Hottentot, and was closely covered with moose skins, except at the east end, which was left open for a door. Near the centre of the building there was a hole in the ground, which contained ten or twelve red-hot stones, having a few leaves of the taccohaymenan, a species of prunusy strewed around them. When the women had completed the preparations, the hunter made his appearance, perfectly naked, carrying in his hand an image of Kepoo- chikawn, rudely carved, and about two feet long. He placed his god at the upper end of the sweating-house, with his face towards VOL. I. L 146 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES f the door, and proceeded to tie round its neck his offerings, consisting of a cotton handkerchief, a looking-glass, a tin pan, a piece of riband, and a bit of tobacco, which he had procured the same day, at the ex- pense of fifteen or twenty skins. Whilst he was thus occupied, several other Crees, who were encamped in the neighbourhood, having been informed of what was going on, arrived, and stripping at the door of the temple, entered, and ranged themselves on each side ; the hunter himself squatted down at the right hand of Kepoochikawn. The atmosphere of the temple having become so hot that none but zealous worshippers would venture in, the interpreter and myself sat down on the threshold, and the two women remained on the outside as attendants. The hunter, who throughout officiatec^ as high priest, commenced by making a speech to Kepoochikawn, in which he requested him to be propitious, told him of the value of the things now presented, and cautioned him against ingratitude. This oration was delivered in a monotonous tone, and with OF THE POLAR SEA. 147 great rapidity of utterance, and the speaker retained his squatting posture, but turned his face to his god. At its conclusion, the priest began a hynn, of which the burthen was, " I will walk with God, I will go with the animal;" and, at the end of each stanza, the rest joined in an insignificant chorus. He next took up a calumet, filled with a mixture of tobacco and bear-berry leaves, and holding its stem by the middle, in a horizontal position, over the hot stones, turned it slowly in a circular manner, fol- lowing the course of the sun. Its mouth- piece being then with much formality held for a few seconds to the face of Kepoochi- kawn, it was next presented to the earth, having been previously turned a second time over the hot stones ; and afterwards, with equal ceremony, pointed in succession to the four quarters of the sky ; then draw- ing a few whiffs from the calumet himself, he handed it to his left hand neighbour, by whom it was gravely passed round the circle; the interpreter and m\ .elf, who were seated at the door, were asked to par-. ' ■ > [ lis JOURNEY TO THE SHORES take in our turn, but requested to keep the head of the calumet wfthin the threshold of the sweating-house. When the tobacco was exhausted by passing several times round, the hunter made another speech, similar to the former ; but was, if possible, still more urgent in his requests. A second hymn followed, and a quantity of water being sprinkled on the hot stones, the at- tendants were ordered to close the temple, which they did, by very carefully covering it i«p with moose skins. We had no means of ascertaining the temperature of the sweating-house ; but before it was closed, not only those within, but also the specta- tors without, were perspiring freely. They continued in the vapour bath for thirty-fiv€ minutes, during which time a third speech was made, and a hymn wis sung, and water occasionally sprinkled on the stones, which still retained much heat, as was evident from the hissing noise they made. The coverings were then thrown off, and the poor half-stewed worshippers exposed freely to the air; but they kept their squatting -w *» '*n ( OF THE POLAR SEA. 149 postures until a fourth speech was made, in which the deity was strongly reminded of the value of the gifts, and exhorted to take an early opportunity of showing his gratitude. The ceremony concluded by the sweaters scampering down to the river, and plunging into the stream. It may be remarked, that the door of the temple, and, of course, the face of the god, was turned to the rising sun; and the spectators were desired not to block up entirely the front of the building, but to leave a lane for the entrance or exit of some influence of which they could not give me a correct descrip- tion. Several Indians, who lay on the out- side of the sweating-house as spectators, seemed to regard the proceedings with very little awe, and were extremely free in the remarks and jokes they passed upon the condition of the sweaters, and even of Ke- poochikawn himself. One of them made a remark, that the shawl would have been much better bestowed upon himself than upon Kepoochikawn, but the same fellow 150 JOURNEY TO TIIF SHORES afterwards stripped and joined in the cere- mony. I did not learn that the Indians worship any other god by a specific name. They often refer, however, to the Keetchee- Maneeto, or Great Master of Life ; and to an evil spirit, or Maatche-Maneeto. They also speak of Weettako, a kind of vampyre or devil, into which those who have fed on human flesh are transformed. Whilst at Carlton, I took an opportunity of asking a communicative old Indian, of the Blackfoot nation, his opinion of a future state ; he replied, that they had heard from their fathers, that the souls of the departed have to scramble with great labour up the sides of a steep mountain, upon attaining the summit of which they are rewarded with the prospect of an extensive plain, abounding in all sorts of game, and inter- spersed here and there with new tents, pitched in agreeable situations. Whilst Uiey are absorbed in the contemplation of this delightful scene, they aire descried by trnMiSm OF THE POLAR SEA. 151 the inhabitants of the happy land, who, clothed in new skin-dresses, approach and welcome with every demonstration of kind- ness those Indians who have led good lives ; but the bad Indians, who have imbrued their hands in the blood of their country- men, are told to return from whence they came, and without more ceremony precipi- tated down the steep sides of the mountain. Women, who have been guilty of infanti- cide, never reach the mountain at all, but •are compelled to hover round the seats of their crimes, with branches of trees tied to their legs. The melancholy sounds, which are heard in the still summer evenings, and which the ignorance of the white people considers as the screams of the goat-sucker, are really, according to my informant, the moanings of these unliappy beings. The Crees have somewhat similar notions, but as they inhabit a country widely differ- ent from the mountainous lands of the Blackfoot Indians, the difficulty of their •journey lie$ in \. alking along a slender and .slippery tree, laid as a bridge across a rapid IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) / O 1.0 I.I 1.25 1^ |2^ 1^ :^ li£ 112.0 U 111.6 V] vQ >> 7 /A Photographic Sdences Corporation 23 WfiST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 S -4 0 :^.< i k -joiBti-iiirvirin .^taBCiw- ) • I, \ '■ 152 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES Stream of stinking and muddy water. The night owl is regarded by the Crees with the same dread that it has been viewed by other nations. One small species, which is known to them by its melancholy nocturnal hootings, (for, as it never appears in the day, few even of the hunters have ever seen it,) is particularly ominous. They call it the cheepai'peethees, or death bird, and never fail to whistle when they hear its note. If it does not reply to the whistle by its hootings, the speedy death of the in- quirer is augured. When a Cree dies, that part of his pro- perty which he has not given away before his death, is burned with him, and his rela- tions take care to place near his grave little heaps of fire-wood, food, pieces of tobacco, and such things as he is Hkely to need in his journey. Similar offerings are made when they revisit the grave, and as kettles, and other articles of value, are sometimes offered, they are frequently carried off by passengers, yet the relations are not dis- pleased, provided sufficient respect has been * I 1 r I OF THE POLAR SEA. 153 shown to the dead, by putting some other article, although of inferior value, in the place of that which has been taken away. The Crees are wont to celebrate the re- turns of the seasons by religious festivals, but we are unable to describe the ceremo- nial in use on these joyous occasions from personal observation. The following brief notice of a feast, which was given by an old Cree chief, according to his annual custom, on the first croaking of the frogs, is drawn up from the information of one of the guests. A large oblong tent, or lodge, was prepared for the important occasion, by the men of the party, none of the women being suffered to interfere. It faced the setting sun, and great care was taken that every thing about it should be as neat and clean as possible. Three fire-places were raised within it, at equal distances, and little holes were dug in the corners to contain the ashes of their pipes. In a recess, at its upper end, one large image of Kepoochikawn, and many smaller ones, were ranged with their faces towards the door. The food was Hi I , ' 154 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 1( , iV: prepared by the chief's wife, and consisted oi marrow pemmican, berries boiled with fat, and various other dehcacies that had been preserved for the occasion. The preparations being completed, and a slave, whom the chief had taken in war, having warned the guests to the feast by the mysterious word peenasheway, they came, dressed out in their best garments, and ranged themselves according to their seniority, the elders seating themselves next the chief at the upper end, and the young men near the door. The chief commenced by addressing his deities in an appropriate speech, in which he told them that he had hastened as soon as summer was indicated by the croaking of the frogs to solicit their favour for him- self and his young men, and hoped that they would send him a pleasant and plenti- ful season. His oration was concluded by an invocation to all the animals in the land, and a signal being given to the slave at the door, he invited them severally by their names to come and partake of the feast. I OF THE POLAR SEA. 155 The Cree chief having by this very ge- neral invitation displayed his unbounded hospitality, next ordered one of the young men to distribute a mess to each of the guests. This was done in new dishes of birch bark, and the utmost diligence was displayed in emptying them, it being con- sidered extremely improper in a man to leave any part of that which is placed before him on such occasions. It is not inconsis- tent with good manners, however, but rather considered as a piece of politeness, that a guest who has been too liberally supplied, should hand the surplus to his neighbour. When the viands had disappeared, each filled his calumet and began to smoke with great assiduity, and in the course of the evening several songs were sung to the re- sponsive sounds of the drum, and seesee- quay, their usual accompaniments. The Cree drum is double-headed, but possessing very little depth, it strongly re- sembles a tambourine in shape. Its want of depth is compensated, however, by its diameter, which frequently exceeds three 156 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES » I I if feet. It is covered with moose skin parch- ment, painted with rude figures of men and beasts, having various fantastic additions, and is beat with a stick. The seeseequay is merely a rattle, formed by enclosing a few grains of shot in a piece of dried hide. These two instruments are used in all their religious ceremonies, except those which take place in a sweating-house. A Cree places great reliance on his drum, and I cannot adduce a stronger instance than that of the poor man who is mentioned in a preceding page as having lost his only child by famine, almost within sight of the fort. Notwithstanding his exhausted state, he travelled with an enormous drum tied to his back. Many of the Crees make vows to abstain from particular kinds of food, either for a specific time or for the remainder of their life, esteeming such abstinence to be a cer- tain means of acquiring some supernatural powers, or at least of entailing upon them- selves a succession of good fortune. One of the wives of the Carlton hunter, I ».*»«i^«^ OF THE POLAR SEA. 157 of whom we have already spoken as the worshipper of Kepoochikawn, made a de- termination not to eat of the flesh of the Wa- waskeesh or American stag ; but during our abode at that place, she was induced to feed heartily upon it, through the intentional deceit of her husband, who told her that it was buffalo meat. When she had finished her meal, her husband told her of the trick, and seemed to enjoy the terror with which she contemplated the consequences of the involuntary breach of her vow. Vows of this nature are often made by a Cree before he joins a war party, and they sometimes, like the eastern bonzes, walk for a certain number of days on all fours, or impose upon themselves some other penance equally ri- diculous. By such means the Cree warrior becomes godlike; but unless he kills an enemy before his return, his newly-acquired powers are estimated to be productive in future of some direful consequences to him- self. As we did not witness any of the Cree dances ourselves, we shall merely mention 1 I n: 158 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 1); 1 i W »! \ . I? I. that, like the other North American nations, they are accustomed to practise that amuse- ment on meeting with strange tribes, before going to war, and on other solemn occa- sions. The habitual intoxication of the Cum- berland House Crees has induced such a disregard of personal appearance, that they are squalid and dirty in the extreme ; hence a minute description of their clothing would be by no means interesting. We shall, therefore, only remark in a general manner, that the dress of the male consists of a blanket thrown over the shoulders, a lea- thern shirt or jacket, and a piece of cloth tied round the middle. The women have in addition a long petticoat ; and both sexes wear a kind of wide hose, which, reaching from the ancle to the middle of the thigh, are suspended by strings to the girdle. These hose, or as they are termed Indian stockings, are commonly ornamented v/ith beads or ribands, and from their conveni- ence, have been universally adopted by the white residents, as an essential part of their I! OF THE POLAR SEA. 159 lions, mse- jfore )cca- winter clothing. Their shoes, or rather short boots, for they tie round the ancle, are made of soft dressed moose-skins, and during the winter they wrap several pieces of blanket round their feet. They are fond of European articles of dress, considering it as mean to be dressed entirely in leather, and the hunters are gene- rally furnished annually with a ccq^ot or great coat, and the women with shawls, printed calicoes, and other things very unsuitable to their mode of life, but which they wear in imitation of the wives of the traders; all these articles, however showy they may be at first, are soon reduced to a very filthy condition by the Indian custom of greasing the face and hair with soft fat or marrow, instead of washing them with water. This practice they say preserves the skin soft, and protects it from cold in the winter, and the moschetoes in summer ; but it renders their presence disagreeable to the olfactory organs of an European, particularly when they are seated in a close tent and near a hot fire. 160 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES II \ \ 11 a The only peculiarity which we observed in their mode of rearing children, consists in the use of a sort of cradle, extremely well adapted to their mode of life. The infant is placed in the bag, having its lower extre^ mities wrapt up in soft sphagnum or bog- moss, and may be hung up in the tent, or to the branch of a tree, without the least danger of tumbling out; or in a journey suspended on the mother's back, by a band which crosses the forehead, so as to leave her hands perfectly free. It is one of the neatest articles of furniture they possess, being generally ornamented with beads and bits of scarlet cloth, but it bears a very strong resemblance in its form to a mummy case. The sphagnum in which the child is laid forms a soft elastic bed, which absorbs moisture very readily, and affords such a protection from the cold of a rigorous win- ter, that its place would be ill supplied by clotli. The mothers are careful to collect a suf- ficient quantity in autumn for winter use ; OF THE POLAR SEA. IGl bserved consists ely well infant r extre- 3r bog- tent, or ic least ourney a band > leave of the ►ossess, ids and a very lummy is laid bsorbs Juch a s win- ed by a suf- • use; 1? 1,1 but when through accident tlieir stock fails, they have recourse to the soft down of the typha, or reed mace, the dust of rotten wood, or even featliers, although none of these articles are so cleanly, or so easily changed as the sphagnum. The above is a brief sketch of such parts of the manners, character and customs of the Crees, as we could collect from personal observation, or from the information of the most intelligent half-breeds we met with ; and we shall merely add a few remarks on the manner in which the trade is conducted at the different inland posts of the Fur Companies. The standard of exchange in all mercan- tile transactions with the natives is a beaver skin, the relative value of which, as origin- ally established by the traders, differs con- siderably from the present worth of the articles it represents; but the Indians are averse to change. Three marten, eight musk-rat, or a single lynx, or wolverene skin, are equivalent to one beaver ; a silver fox, white fox, or otter, are reckoned two VOL. I. M ^■vap 162 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES beavers, and a black fox, or large black bear, are equal to four ; a mode of reckon- ing which has very little connexion with the real value of these different furs in the European market. Neither has any atten- tion been paid to the original cost of Euro- pean articles, in fixing the tariff by which they are sold to the Indians. A coarse butcher's knife is one skin, a woollen blanket or a fathom of coarse cloth, eight, and a fowling piece fifteen. The Indians receive their principal outfit of clothing and ammunition on credit in the autumn, to be repaid by their winter hunts; the amount intrusted to each of the hunters varying with their reputations for industry and skill, from twenty to one hundred and fifty skins. The Indians are generally anxious to pay off the debt thus incurred, but their good in- tentions are often frustrated by the arts of the rival traders. Each of the Companies keeps men constantly employed travelling over the country during the winter, to col- lect the furs from the different bands of hunters as fast as they are procured. The i < ■ c t; i OF THE POLAR SEA. 1G3 2 black reckon- >n with } in the / atten- r Euro- ch they itcher's H or a fowling e their iiinition »aid by trusted h their from The )ay off )od in- arts of ipanies veiling to col- nds of The ' f L poor Indian endeavours to behave honestly, and when he has gathered a few skins sends notice to the post from whence he procured his supplies, but if discovered in the mean time by the opposite party, he is seldom proof against the temptation to which he is exposed. However firm he may be in his denials at first, his resolutions are enfeebled by the sight of a little rum, and when he has tasted the intoxicating beverage, they vanish like smoke ; and he brings forth his store of furs, which he has carefully con- cealed from the scrutinizing eyes of his visitors. This mode of carrying on the trade not only causes the amount of furs, collected by either of the two Companies, to depend more upon the activity of their agents, the knowledge they possess of the motions of the Indians, and the quantity of rum they carry, than upon the liberality of the credits they give, but is also productive of an increasing deterioration of the cha- racter of the Indians, and will, probably, ultimately prove destructive to the fur trade itself. Indeed the evil has already, M 2 .■!HW«A"f' If 164 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES I i| rv! '■■t ^ N i f. ff in part, recoiled upon the traders ; for the Indians, long deceived, have become de- ceivers in their turn, and not unfrequently after having incurred a heavy debt at one post move off to another, to play the same game. In some cases the rival posts have entered into a mutual agreement to trade only with the Indians they have respectively'^ fitted out; but such tieaties, being seldom rigidly adhered to, prove a fertile subject for disputes, and the differences have been more than once decided by force of arms. To carry on the contest, the two Companies are obliged to employ a great many ser- vants, whom they maintain often with much difficulty, and always at a considerable ex- pense.* There are thirty men belonging to the Hudson's Bay Fort at Cumberland, and nearly as many women and children. The inhabitants of the North West Com- pany's House are still more numerous. * As the contending parties have united, the evils mentiofitjd in tuis and the two preceding pages, are now, in all probability, at an end. » it . .-..fMMtMllilMtlt''' '''«*"'% Oi THE POLAR SEA. 165 i ; for the lome de- requently bt at one the same 3st& have to trade pectively ^ seldom J subject ave been of arms. )mpanies any ser- th much able ex- : to the nd, and 1. St Com- merous. , the evils 3ages, are These large families are fed during the greatest part of the year on fish, which are principally procured at Beaver Lake, about fifty miles distant. The fishery commencing with the first frosts in autumn, continues abundant till January, and the produce is dragged over the snow on sledges, each drawn by three dogs, and carrying about two hundred and fifty pounds. The journey to and from the lake occupies five days, and every sledge requires a driver. About three thousand fish, averaging three pounds a piece, were caught by the Hudson's Bay fishermen last season ; in addition to which a few sturgeon were occasionally caught in Pine Island Lake ; and towards the spring a considerable quantity of moose meat was procured from the Basquiau Hill, sixty or seventy miles distant. The rest of our winter's provision consisted of geese, salted in the autumn, and of dried meats and pemmican, obtained from the provision posts on the plains of the Saskatchawan. A good many potatoes are also raised at this post, and c, small supply of tea and w •■iii*! SHSBS^WBi ^■ii^i 166 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 11 sugar is brought from the depot at York Factory. The provisions obtained from these various sources were amply sufficient in the winter of 1819-20; but through improvideftce this post has in former sea- sons been reduced to great straits. Many of the labourers, and a great majo- rity of the agents and clerks employed by the two Companies, have Indian or half- breed wives, and the mixed offspring thus produced has become extremely numerous. These metifs, or as the Canadians term them, bois bruUs, are upon the whole a good looking people, and where the experiment has been made, have shown much aptness in learning, and willingness to be taught; they have, however, been sadly neglected. The example of their fathers has released them from the restraint imposed by the Indian opinions of good and bad behaviour ; and generally speaking, no pains have been taken to fill the void with better principles. Hence it is not surprising that the males, trained up in a high opinion of the authority and rights of the Company to which their m OF THE POLAR SEA. 167 at York ed from sufficient through mer sea- at majo- oyed by or hair- ing thus merous. ns term e a good )eriment aptness taught; glected. released by the laviour ; ve been nciples. J males, ithority :h their »>, fathers belonged, and unacquainted with the laws of the civilized world, should be ready to engage in any measure whatever that they are prompted to believe will forward the interests of the cause they espouse. Nor that the girls, taught a certain degree of refinement by the acquisition of an Eu- ropean language, should be inflamed by the unrestrained discourse of their Indian rela- tions, and very early give up all pretensions to chastity. It is, however, but justice to remark, that there is a very decided differ- ence in the conduct of the children of the Orkney men employed by the Hudson's Bay Company, and those of the Canadian voyagers. Some trouble is occasionally bestowed in teaching the former, and it is not thrown away ; but all the good that can be said of the latter is, that they are not quite so licentious as their fathers are. Many of the half-breeds, both male and female, are brought up amongst, and inter- marry with the Indians ; and there are few tents wherein the paler children of such marriages are not to be seen. It has been N Ml 168 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES remarked, I do not know with what truth, that half-breeds show more personal courage than the pure Crees.* The girls at the forts, particularly the daughters of Canadians, are given in mar- riage very young, they are very frequently wives at twelve years of age, and mothers at fourteen. Nay, more than one instance came under our observation of the master of a post having permitted a voyager to take to wife a poor child that had scarcely attained the age of ten years. The masters of posts and wintering partners of the Companies deemed this criminal indulgence to the vices of their servants necessary, to stimulate them to exertion for the interest of their respec- tive concerns. Another practice may also * A singular change takes place in the physical constitution of the Indian females who become inmates of a fort ; namely, they bear children more frequently and longer, but, at the same time, are rendered liable to indurations of the mammae and prolapsus of the uterus ; evils from which they are, in a great mea»i;re, exempt whilst they lead a wandering and labovious life. »,- ^.■♦WMH^WWIIw™*' ""^F't:'** s t truth, courage rly the in mar- juently lothers istance master to take ttained f posts ipanies e vices ethem espec- y also ►hysical nmates ^uently I liable of the easi:re, jovious l^ OF THE POLAR SEA. 1C9 * be noticed, as showing the state of moral feeling on these subjects amongst the white residents of the fur countries. It was not very uncommon, amongst the Canadian voyagers, for one woman to be common to, and maintained at the joint expense of, two men; nor for a voyager to sell his wife, either for a season or altogether, for a sum of money, proportioned to her beauty and good qualities, but always inferior to the price of a team of dogs. The country around Cumberland House is flat and swampy, and is much intersected by small lakes. Limestone is found every where under a thin stratum of soil, and it not unfrequently shows itself above the surface. It lies in strata generally hori- zontal, but in one spot near the fort dip- ping to the northward at an angle of 40°. Some portions of this rock contain very perfect shells. With respect to the vegetable productions of the district, the populus tre- pida, or aspen, which thrives in moist situ- ations, is perhaps the most abundant tree on the banks of the Saskatchawan, and is much M 170 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES v^ ■l prized as fire-wood, burning well when cut green. The populus balsamifera, or tacca- mahac, called by the Crees matheh meteos, or ugly poplar, in allusion to its rough bark and naked stem, crowned in an aged state with a few distorted branches, is scarcely less plentiful. It is an inferior fire-wood, and does not burn well, unless when cut in the spring, and dried during the summer ; but it affords a great quantity of potash. A de- coction of its resinous buds has been some- times used by the Indians with success in cases of snow-blindness, but its application to the inflamed eye produces much pain. Of pines, the white spruce is the most com- mon here: the red and black spruce, the balsam of Gilead fir, and Banksian pine, also occur frequently. The larch is found only in swampy spots, and is stunted and unhealthy. The canoe birch attains a con- siderable size in this latitude, but, from the great demand for its wood to make sledges, it has become rare. The alder abounds on the margin of the little grassy lakes, so common in the neighbourhood. A decoc- OF THE POLAR SEA. 171 vhen cut )r tacca- i meteos, igh bark ed state scarcely ood, and it in the ; but it A de- ti some- 3cess in )lication 'h pain. St corn- ice, the n pine, 5 found ed and a con- om the ledges, nds on :es, so decoc- tion of its inner bark is used as an emetic by the Indians, who also extract from it a yellow dye. A great variety of willows occur on the banks of the streams ; and the hazel is met with sparingly in the woods. The sugar maple, elm, ash, and the arbor vitce,^ termed by the Canadian voyagers cedar, grow on various parts of the Sas- katchawan; but that river seems to form their northern boundary. Two kinds of prunus also grow here, one of which,-}- a handsome small tree, produces a black fruit, having a very astringent taste, whence the term choke-cherry applied to it. The Crees call it tawquoy-meena, and esteemed it to be when dried and bruised a good addition to pemmican. The other species J is a less elegant shrub, but is said to bear a bright red cherry, of a pleasant sweet taste. Its Cree name is passee-awey-meenan, and it is known to occur as far north as Great Slave Lake. The most esteemed fruit of the country, * Thuya occidentalis. t Prunus Virginiana. t Prunus Pensylvanica. ■A V t 172 JOXTRNEY TO THE SHORES however, is the produce of the aroma ovalis. Under the name of meesasscootoomeena it is a favourite dish at most of the Indian feasts, and mixed with pemmican, it renders that greasy food actually palatable. A great variety of currants and gooseberries are also mentioned by the natives, under the name of sappoom -meena, but we only found three species in the neighbourhood of Cumber- land House. The strawberry, called by the Crees otei'7neena, or heart-berry, is found in abundance ; and rasps are common on the sandy banks of the rivers. The fruits hitherto mentioned fall in the autumn, but the following berries remained hanging on the bushes in the spring, and are consi- dered as much mellowed by exposure to the colds in winter. The red v/hortleberry (yaccinium vitis idea) is found everywhere, but is most abundant in rocky places. It is aptly termed by the Crees weesawgum- meenUf sour berry. The common cranberry {oxycoccos palustris) is distinguished from the preceding by its growing on moist sphagnous spots, and is hence called mas- OF THE POLAR SEA, 173 lia ovalis, •eena it is an feasts, lers that A great J are also he name nd three ^umber- illed by erry, is "ommon . The lutumn, 'langing - consi- e to the ieberry where, es. It nberry from moist mas- koego-meenai swamp berry. The American guelder rose, whose fruit so strongly resem- bles the cranberry, is also common. There are two kinds of it, {viburnum oxycocoos and edulef) one termed by the natives peepoon- meena, winter-berry, and the other mongsoa- rneena, moose-berry. There is also a berry of a bluish white colour, the produce of the white cornel tree, which is named musqua^ meena, bear-berry, because these animals are said to fatten on it. The dwarf Cana- dian cornel bears a corymb of red berries, which are highly ornamental to the woods throughout the country, but are not other- wise worthy of notice, for they have an insipid farinaceous taste, and are seldom gathered. The Crees extract some beautiful colours from several of their native vegetables. They dye their porcupine quills a beautiful scarlet with the roots of two species of bed- straw, (galium tinctorium and horeale,) which they indiscriminately term sawoyan. The roots, after being carefully washed, are boiled gently in a clean copper kettle, and i i ', 1 li) 174 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES a quantity of th 'nice of the mooseberry, strawberry, cranb ly, or arctic raspberry, is added, together with a few red tufts of pistils of the larch. The porcupine quills are plunged into the liquor before it becomes quite cold, and are soon tinged of a beautiful scarlet. The process sometimes fails, and produces only a dirty brown, a circumstance which ought probably to be ascribed to the use of an undue quantity of acid. They dye black with an ink made of elder bark, and a little bog-iron-ore dried and pounded, and they have various modes of producing yellow. The deepest colour is obtained from the dried root of a plant, which from their description appears to be the cow-bane (cicuta virosa). An inferior colour is ob- tained from the bruised buds of the Dutch myrtle, and they have discovered methods of dyeing with various lichens. The quadrupeds that are hunted for food in this part of the country are the moose and the rein-deer, the former termed by the Crees mongsoa, or moosoat the latter attekh. The buffalo or bison, (moostoosh,) the red- '1 ! OF THE POLAR SEA. 175 oseberry, aspberry, tufts of me quills becomes beautiful ^ails, and imstance h1 to the They er bark, >ounded, 'oducing obtained ch from )w-bane • is ob- ? Dutch aethods or food moose by the attekh, le red- deer or American stag, {wawasheesJioo,) the apeesee-mongsooSf or jumping deer, the km- waithoos, or long-tailed deer, and the apis^ tatchcekoosy a species of antelope ; animals that frequent the plains above the forks of the Saskatchawan, are not found in the neighbourhood of Cumberland House. Of fur-bearing animals, various kinds of foxes (makkeeshervuc) are found in the dis- trict, distinguished by the traders under the names of black, silver, cross, red, and blue foxes. The two former are considered by the Indians to be the same kind, varying accidentally in the colour of the pelt. The black foxes are very rare, and fetch a high price. The cross and red foxes differ from each other only in colour, being of the same shape and size. Their shades of colour are not disposed in any determinate manner, some individuals approaching in that respect very nearly to the silver fox, others exhibit- ing every link of the chain down to a nearly uniform deep or orange -yellow, the distin- guishing colour of a pure red fox. It is reported both by Indians and traders, that f« f f h ' 17(5 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES all the varieties have heen found in the same litter. The blue fox is seldom seen here, and is supposed to come from the southward. The gray wolf (mahaygan) is common here. In the month of March the females fre- quently entice the domestic dog from the forts, although at other seasons a strong antipathy seemed to subsist between them. Some black wolves are occasionally seen. The black and red varieties of the American bear (niusquah) are also found near Cumber- land House, though not frequently ; a black bear often has red cubs, and vice versd. The grizzly bear, so much dreaded by the Indians for its strength and ferocity, inha- bits a track of country nearer the Rocky Mountains. It is extraordinary, that al- though I made inquiries extensively amongst the Indians, I met with but one who said that he had killed a she-bear with young in the womb. The wolverene, in Cree okeekoohawgees, or ommeethatsees, is an animal of great strength and cunning, and is much hated by the hunters on account of the mischief it 4 '• t\.' r^ OF THE POLAR SEA. 177 does to their marten-traps. The Canadian lynx {peeshew) is a timid but well-armed animul, which preys upon the American hare. Its fur is esteemed. The marten (wapeestan) is one of the most common furred animals in the country. The fisher, notwithstanding its name, is an inhabitant of the land, living, like the common marten, principally on mice. It is the otchcek of the Crees, and the pekan of the Canadians. The mink (atjackash) has been often con- founded by writers with the fisher. It is a much smaller animal, inhabits the banks of rivers, and swims well; its prey is fish. The otter (neekeck) is larger than the Eng- lish species, and produces a much more valuable fur. The musk rat {watsuss or musquash) is very abundant in all the small grassy lakes. They build small conical houses with a mix- ture of hay and earth ; those which build early raising their houses on the mud of the marshes, and those which build later in the season founding their habitations upon the surface of the ice itself. The house covers VOL. I. N 178 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES f; a hole in the ice^, which permits them to go into the water in search of the roots on which they feed. In severe winters when the small lakes are frozen to the bottom, and these animals cannot procure their usual food, they prey upon each other. In this way great numbers are destroyed. The beavr- (ammisk) furnish the staple fur of the country. Many surprising stories have been told of the sagacity with which this animal suits the form of its habitation, retreats, and dam, to local circumstances ; and I compared the account of its manners, given by Cuvier in his Regne Animals, with the reports of the Indians, and found them to agree exactly. They have been often seen in the act of constructing their houses in the moon-light nights, and the observers agree that the stones, wood, or other mate- rials, are carried in their teeth, and generally leaning against the shoulder. When they have placed it to their mind, they turn round and give it a smart blow with their flat tail. In the act of diving they give a similar stroke to the surface of the water. "r.f: 1.1 . ^ %\\ IWM/H ^.^^twnns"- OF THE POLAR SEA. 179 They keep their provision of wood under water in front of the house. Their favourite food is the bark of the aspen, birch, and willow ; they also eat the alder, but seldom touch any of the pine tribe unless from necessity ; they are fond of the large roots of the nuphar lutea, and grow fat upon it, but it gives their flesh a strong rancid taste. In the season of love their call resembles a groan, that of the male being the hoarsest, but the voice of the young is exactly like the cry of a child. They are very playful, as the following anecdote will show: — One day a gentleman, long resident in this country, espied five young beavers sporting in the water, leaping upon the trunk of a tree, pushing one another off, and playing a thousand interesting tricks. He approached softly under cover of the bushes, and pre- pared to fire on the unsuspecting creatures, but a nearer approach discovered to him such a similitude betwixt their gestures and the infantile caresses of his own children, that he threw aside his gun. This gentle- man's feelings are to be envied, but few N 2 #^ f I ^1 M 180 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES traders in fur would have acted so feelingly. The musk-rat frequently inhabits the same lodge with the beaver, and the otter also thrusts himself in occasionally ; the latter, however, is not always a civil guest, as he sometimes devours his host. These are the animals most interesting in an economical point of view. The Ameri- can hare, and several kinds of grouse and ptarmigan, also contribute towards the sup- port of the natives ; and the geese, in their periodical flights in the spring and autumn, likewise prove a valuable resource both to the Indians and white residents ; but the principal article of food, after the moose- deer, is fish ; indeed, it forms almost the sole support of the traders at some of the posts. The most esteemed fish is the Coregonus albus, the attihharvmeg of the Crees, and the white-jish of the Americans. Its usual weight is between three and four pounds, but it has been known to reach sixteen or eighteen pounds. Three fish of the ordinary size is the daily allowance to each man at the fort, and is considered as K ,, ,^«<««1«P«*J**^'*'**** M«M'.JMiM«M|tAH MMMiMiMMMM^V^'*' OF THE POLAR SEA. 181 equivalent to two geese, or eight pounds of solid moose-meat. The fishery for the attihhawmeg lasts the whole year, but is most productive in the spawning season, from the middle of September to the middle of October. The ottonneebees (Coregonas Artedi) closely resembles the last. Three species of carp (Catastomus Hudsonius, C. Forsterianus, and C. Lesueurii) are also found abundantly in all the lakes, their Cree names are namaypeethj meethquawmay- peethf and wapawhawkeeshew. The occoru, or river perch, termed also horn-fish, pic- carel, or dore, is common, but is not so much esteemed as the attihhawmeg. It attains the length of twenty inches in these lakes. The methy is another common fish ; it is the gadus lota, or turbot, of Europe. Its length is about two feet, its gullet is capacious, and it preys upon fish large enough to distend its body to nearly twice its proper size. It is never eaten, not even by the dogs unless through necessity, but its liver and roe are considered as delicacies. The pike is also plentiful, and being iHi ■ I i! r t\ ■ 182 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES readily caught in the winter-time with the hook, is so much prized on that account by the natives, as to receive from them the name of eithinyoo-cannooshoeoo, or Indian fish. The common trout, or nammcccous^ grows here to an enormous size, being caught in particular lakes, weighing upwards of .sixty pounds ; thirty pounds is no uncommon size at Beaver Lake, from whence Cumber- land House is supplied. The Hioden clo- mmon mber- n clo- I is a es the ^megh, genus sed as us) is lakes es an Dd. CHAPTER IV. Leave Cumberland House — Mode of Travelling in Winter — Arrival at Carlton House — Stone Indians — Visit to a Buffalo Pound — Goitres — Departure from Carlton House — Isle a la Crosse — Arrival at Fort Chipewyan, On the 18th January we set out from Cum- berland House for Carlton House ; but pre- viously to detailing the events of the journey, it may be proper to describe the necessary equipments of a winter traveller in this region, w^hich I cannot do better than by extracting the following brief, but accurate account of it, from Mr. Hood's journal : — " A snow-shoe is made of two light bars of wood, fastened together at their extremi- ties, and projected into curves by transverse bars. The side bars have been so shaped by a frame, and dried before a fire, that the front part of the shoe turns up, like the i . V it 184 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES prow of a boat, and the part behind termi- nates in an acute angle ; the spaces between the bars are filled up with a fine netting of leathern thongs, except that part behind the main bar, which is occupied by the feet ; the netting is there close and strong, and the foot is attached to the main bar by straps passing round the heel but only fixing the toes, so that the heel rises after each step, and the tail of the shoe is dragged on the snow. Between the main bar and ano- tl er in front of it, a small space is left, per- mitting the toes to descend a little in the act of raising the heel to make the step for- ward, which prevents their extremities from chafing. The length of a snow-shoe is from four to six feet, and the breadth one foot and a half, or one foot and three quarters, being adapted to the size of the wearer. The motion of walking in them is perfectly natural, for one shoe is level with the snow, when the edge of the other is passing over it. It is not easy to use them among bushes, without frequent overthrows, nor to rise afterwards without help. Each shoe weighs I nv n -^i^- OF THE POLAR SEA. 1B7 t rioles with part of the luggage, instead of embarking in them ourselves, we did not set out without considerable grumbling from the voyagers of both Companies, re- specting the overlading of their dogs. How- ever, we left the matter to be settled by our friends at the fort, who were more conver- sant with winter travelling than ourselves. Indeed the loads appeared to us so great that we should have been inclined to listen to the complaints of the drivers. The weight usually placed upon a sledge, drawn by three dogs, cannot, at the commence- ment of a journey, be estimated at less than three hundred pounds, which, however, suffers a daily diminution from the con- sumption of provisions. The sledge itself weighs about thirty pounds. When the snow is hard frozen, or the track well trodden, the rate of travelling is about two miles and a half an hour, including rests, or about fifteen miles a day. If the snow be loose the speed is necessarily much less and the fatigue greater. At eight in the morning of the 18th, we < -^f^ew ■*' f t. h r,/ 188 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES quitted the fort, and took leave of our hos- pitable friend, Governor Williams, whose kindness and attention I shall ever remem- ber with gratitude. Dr. Richardson, Mr. Hood, and Mr. Connolly, accompanied us along the Saskatchawan until the snow be- came too deep for their walking without snow-shoes. We then parted from our associates, with sincere regret at the pro- spect of a long separation. Being accom- panied by Mr. Mackenzie of the Hudson's Bay Company, who was going to the Isle k la Crosse, with four sledges under his charge, we formed quite a procession, keep- ing in an Indian file, on the track of the man who preceded the foremost dogs ; but, as the snow was deep, we proceeded slowly on the surface of the river, which is about three hundred and fifty yards wide, for the distance of six miles, which we went this day. Its alluvial banks and islands are clothed with willows. At the place of our encampment we could scarcely find suffi- cient pine branches to floor " the hut," as the Orkney men term the place where tra- «cW f our hos- ns, whose r remem- ison, Mr. panied us snow be- g without from our the pro- ig accom- Hudson's > the Isle under his ion, keep- f the man ; but, as 3d slowly 1 is about e, for the went this ands are ce of our ind suffi- j hut," as ^here tra- I ■ \ i :» b ^■^'•^^ifct 'A ?4 J : 'A '•mr-^i <