Our young voyageurs now prepared to resume their journey. While Norman
was engaged in building his canoe, with his assistant, Francois, the
others had not been idle. Basil was, of course, the hunter of the
party; and, in addition to the small game, such as hares, geese, and
grouse, he had killed three caribou, of the large variety known as
"woodland caribou." These are a species of the reindeer (_Cervus
tarandus_), of which I have more to say hereafter. Lucien had attended
to the drying of their flesh; and there was enough of it still left, as
our voyageurs believed, to supply their wants until they should reach
Cumberland House, where they would, of course, procure a fresh stock of
provisions. The skins of the caribou had also been scraped and dressed
by Lucien--who understood the process well--and these, with the skin of
the antelope, were sufficient to make a pair of hunting-shirts for Basil
and Norman, who, it will be remembered, had lost theirs by cutting them
up.
Next morning the canoe was launched upon the river--below the rapids--
and the dried meat, with their other matters, snugly stowed in the
stern. Then the young voyageurs got in, and, seating themselves in
their places, seized hold of the paddles. The next moment the canoe
shot out into the stream; and a triumphant cheer from the crew announced
that they had recommenced their journey. They found to their delight
that the little vessel behaved admirably,--shooting through the water
like an arrow, and leaking not water enough, as Francois expressed it,
"to drown a mosquito." They had all taken their seats in the order
which had been agreed upon for the day. Norman was "bowsman," and, of
course, sate in the bow. This, among the regular Canadian voyageurs, is
esteemed the post of honour, and the bowsman is usually styled "Captain"
by the rest of the crew. It is also the post that requires the greatest
amount of skill on the part of its occupant, particularly where there
are rapids or shoals to be avoided. The post of "steersman" is also one
of honour and importance; and both steersman and bowsman receive higher
wages than the other voyageurs, who pass under the name of "middlemen."
The steersman sits in the stern, and that place was now occupied by
Lucien, who had proved himself an excellent steersman. Basil and
Francois were, of course, the "middlemen," and plied the paddles. This
was the arrangement made for the day; but although on other days the
programme was to be changed, so as to relieve Basil and Francois, on all
occasions when there were rapids or other difficulties to be encountered
they were to return to this order. Norman, of course, understood canoe
navigation better than his Southern cousins; and therefore, by universal
assent, he was acknowledged "the Captain," and Francois always addressed
him as such. Lucien's claim to the post of second honour was admitted
to be just, as he had proved himself capable of filling it to the
satisfaction of all. Marengo had no post, but lay quietly upon the
buffalo skin between Lucien's legs, and listened to the conversation
without joining in it, or in any way interfering in the working of the
vessel.
In a few hours our voyageurs had passed through the low marshy country
that lies around the mouth of the Red River, and the white expanse of
the great Lake Winnipeg opened before them, stretching northward far
beyond the range of their vision. Norman knew the lake, having crossed
it before, but its aspect somewhat disappointed the Southern travellers.
Instead of a vast dark lake which they had expected to see, they looked
upon a whitish muddy sheet, that presented but few attractive points to
the eye, either in the hue of its water or the scenery of its shores.
These, so far as they could see them, were low, and apparently marshy;
and this is, in fact, the character of the southern shores of Winnipeg.
On its east and north, however, the country is of a different character.
There the geological formation is what is termed _primitive_. The
rocks consist of granite, sienite, gneiss, etcetera; and, as is always
the case where such rocks are found, the country is hilly and rugged.
On the western shores a _secondary_ formation exists. This is
_stratified limestone_,--the same as that which forms the bed of many of
the great prairies of America; and, indeed, the Lake Winnipeg lies
between this secondary formation and the primitive, which bounds it on
the east. Along its western shores extends the flat limestone country,
partly wooded and partly prairie land, running from that point for
hundreds of miles up to the very foot of the Rocky Mountains, where the
primitive rocks again make their appearance in the rugged peaks of that
stupendous chain. Lake Winnipeg is nearly three hundred miles in
length, but it is very narrow--being in its widest reach not over fifty
miles, and in many places only fifteen miles from shore to shore. It
trends nearly due north and south, leaning a little north-west and
south-east, and receives many large rivers, as the Red, the
Saskatchewan, and the Winnipeg. The waters of these are again carried
out of it by other rivers that run from the lake, and empty into the
Hudson's Bay. There is a belief among the hunters and voyageurs that
this lake has its tides like the ocean. Such, however, is not the case.
There is at times a rise and overflow of its waters, but it is not
periodical, and is supposed to be occasioned by strong winds forcing the
waters towards a particular shore.
Lake Winnipeg is remarkable, as being in the very centre of the North
American continent, and may be called the centre of the _canoe
navigation_. From this point it is possible to travel _by water_ to
Hudson's Bay on the north-east, to the Atlantic Ocean on the east, to
the Gulf of Mexico on the south, to the Pacific on the west, and to the
Polar Sea on the north and north-west. Considering that some of these
distances are upwards of three thousand miles, it will be perceived that
Lake Winnipeg holds a singular position upon the continent. All the
routes mentioned can be made without any great "portage," and even a
choice of route is often to be had upon those different lines of
communication.
These were points of information communicated by Norman as the canoe was
paddled along the shore; for Norman, although troubling himself but
little about the causes of things, possessed a good practical knowledge
of things as they actually were. He was tolerably well acquainted with
the routes, their portages, and distances. Some of them he had
travelled over in company with his father, and of others he had heard
the accounts given by the voyageurs, traders, and trappers. Norman knew
that Lake Winnipeg was muddy,--he did not care to inquire the cause. He
knew that there was a hilly country on its eastern and a low level land
on its western shores, but it never occurred to him to speculate on this
geological difference. It was the naturalist Lucien who threw out some
hints on this part of the subject, and further added his opinion, that
the lake came to be there in consequence of the wearing away of the
rocks at the junction of the stratified with the primitive formation,
thus creating an excavation in the surface, which in time became filled
with water and formed the lake. This cause he also assigned for the
existence of a remarkable "chain of lakes" that extends almost from the
Arctic Sea to the frontiers of Canada. The most noted of these are
Martin, Great Slave, Athabasca, Wollaston, Deer, Lake Winnipeg, and the
Lake of the Woods. Lucien further informed his companions, that where
primitive rocks form the surface of a country, that surface will be
found to exhibit great diversity of aspect. There will be numerous
lakes and swamps, rugged steep hills with deep valleys between, short
streams with many falls and rapids. These are the characteristics of a
primitive surface. On the other hand, where secondary rocks prevail the
surface is usually a series of plains, often high, dry, and treeless, as
is the case upon the great American prairies.
Upon such topics did Lucien instruct his companions, as they paddled
their canoe around the edge of the lake. They had turned the head of
their little vessel westward--as it was their design to keep along the
western border of the lake until they should reach the mouth of the
Saskatchewan. They kept at a short distance from the shore, usually
steering from point to point, and in this way making their route as
direct as possible. It would have been still more direct had they
struck out into the open lake, and kept up its middle; but this would
have been a dangerous course to pursue. There are often high winds upon
Lake Winnipeg, that spring up suddenly; and at such times the waves, if
not mountains high, at least arrive at the height of houses. Among such
billows the little craft would have been in danger of being swamped, and
our voyageurs of going to the bottom. They, therefore, wisely resolved
not to risk such an accident, but to "hug the shore," though it made
their voyage longer. Each night they would land at some convenient
place, kindle their fire, cook their supper, and dry their canoe for the
next day's journey.
According to this arrangement, a little before sunset of the first day
they came to land and made their camp. The canoe was unloaded,
carefully lifted out of the water, and then set bottom upward to drip
and dry. A fire was kindled, some of the dry meat cooked, and all four
sat down and began to eat, as only hungry travellers can.