DISTRESSING BEREAVEMENT--EXPLORING PARTY--THEIR
REPORT--ARRIVAL OF ESQUIMAUX--ESTABLISH POSTS--POUNDING
REIN-DEER--EXPEDITION UP GEORGE'S RIVER--ITS
DIFFICULTIES--HAMILTON RIVER--DISCOVER A STUPENDOUS
CATARACT--RETURN BY GEORGE'S RIVER TO THE SEA--SUDDEN STORM,
AND MIRACULOUS ESCAPE.
Having thus ascertained the impracticability of the inland
communication, I transmitted the result of my observations to the
Governor--a report which, I doubt not, proved rather unpalatable to
his Excellency, unaccustomed as he is to have any of his movements
checked by that impudent and uncompromising word--impossible. I
was much gratified to find that the deer-hunt had proved uncommonly
successful; so that I had now the means of carrying into effect the
Governor's instructions on this point. On the approach of spring,
preparations were made for establishing a post inland; guides were
hired for the purpose, and every precaution taken to insure success.
At this time I was visited by a very grievous affliction, in the loss
of my beloved wife, whose untimely death left me in a more wretched
condition than words can express. This was truly an eventful year for
me;--within that space I became a husband, a father, and a widower;--I
traversed the continent of America, performing a voyage of some
1,500 miles by sea, and a journey by land of fully 1,200 miles, on
snow-shoes.
As soon as the navigation became practicable (June 18), Mr. Erlandson
set off for the interior, with his outfit, in three small canoes, and
after much toil reached his destination on the 10th of July. On the
return of the men who had assisted in the transport, I fitted out
an expedition to explore the coast to the westward, with the view of
ascertaining the capabilities of that quarter, for the extension of
the business. The party was absent about a month; and their report
was entirely unfavourable to the project of carrying our "ameliorating
system" so far. The navigation of the coast is exceedingly dangerous,
from the continual presence of ice, and the extraordinary force of the
currents. While the coast proved so inaccessible, the interior of the
country wears a still more dreary and sterile aspect; not a tree, nor
shrub, nor plant of any land, is to be seen, save the lichens that
cover the rocks, and a few willows. The native Esquimaux, whom our
people had seen, evinced the same amicable disposition by which their
whole race is distinguished. They received our people with open arms,
and some of the young damsels seemed disposed to cultivate a closer
intimacy with them than their ideas of propriety, or at least their
olfactory nerves, would sanction. The effluvia that proceeds from
their persons in the summer season is quite insufferable; it is as if
you applied your nose to a cask of rancid oil.
In the course of the summer, several Esquimaux arrived from the
westward, with a considerable quantity of fox-skins,--the only fur
this barren country yields. Some of these poor creatures had passed
nearly two years on their journey hither, being obliged to hunt or
fish for their living as they travelled. They set off on their return
with a little tobacco, or a few strings of beads;--very few having the
means of procuring guns and ammunition.
Nothing worthy of notice occurred till the month of September, when
I was gratified by the arrival of despatches from Canada, by a
junior clerk appointed to the district. By him we received the first
intelligence of the stirring events that had taken place in the
colonies during the preceding year. The accounts of the triumphs of my
countrymen's arms over French treachery and Yankee hatred, diverted
my thoughts, for the first time, from the melancholy subject of my
late bereavement; the thoughts of which my solitude served rather to
cherish than dispel.
Having learned from the natives that a river fell into the bay,
about eighty miles to the eastward, that offered greater facilities
for carrying on the business in the interior than our present
communication, I ordered the men who had assisted Mr. Erlandson,
to descend by this river,--an enterprise which was successfully
accomplished. Their report confirming that of the natives, I forthwith
determined on establishing a post there; and the season being now
far advanced, I had no sooner decided on the step than I set about
carrying it into execution. A party was despatched with every
requisite for the purpose, about the 15th of September; and I received
a communication from them in October, informing me that they had
discovered a convenient situation for erecting the buildings. The
materials being found on the spot, and the men aware of the approach
of winter, and straining every nerve to secure themselves against its
rigours, the buildings, such as they were, were raised and already
occupied.
In the early part of winter, being, I may say, entirely alone,--for
there remained only one man and an interpreter with me,--I amused
myself by shooting partridges, which abounded in the neighbourhood
that season; but the cold became so excessive as the winter advanced,
that I was compelled to forego that amusement, and confine myself to
the four walls of my prison, with the few books I possessed as my only
companions. My despatches for the civilized world being completed, I
was altogether at a loss how to forward them, as none of the natives
could be induced, even by a high reward, to undertake the journey. At
length one was found who consented to accompany one of my men to Mr.
Erlandson's post, but no farther.
My couriers were absent six weeks, and I had the mortification to
learn on their return that the packet remained at the outpost,
owing to an accident that befel one of the Indian guides, and which
incapacitated him for the trip. Our friends would thus remain in
ignorance of our fate for nearly two years. The report received
regarding the inland adventure proved very satisfactory as far as the
trade was concerned; but the privations suffered by those engaged in
it, it was painful to learn; their sole subsistence consisted of fish,
rendered extremely unpalatable from the damage it had sustained from
the heat of the sun, and a few rabbits and partridges. Who would not
be an Indian trader?
Early in the month of March the rein-deer made their appearance again,
and every countenance brightened up at the thoughts of the approaching
pastime. I fell on a plan, however, that divested the sport of much
of its attractions, although calculated to ensure greater success.
A favourable position being selected, a certain extent of ground was
fenced in so as to form a "pound" of nearly a circular shape, a gap
being left in it to admit the game from the river side. This done, I
caused branches to be placed on the ice above and below the deer pass,
which the animals observing, became alarmed, and running from side to
side of the open space between the lines of branches, at length made a
dash at the opposite side of the river, and entered the trap prepared
for them at a gallop, continuing at the top of their speed until
stopped by the upper part of the "pound," when they wheeled round, and
making for the entrance, were received with a volley of balls from
the huntsmen; a continual fire being kept up upon them in this manner
until they all dropped.
The scene presented by the slaughter was anything but agreeable, yet
stern necessity compelled me to continue the butchery; and the success
that attended my scheme far exceeded my expectations. The first herd
that entered, in number about fifty, burst through the fence; but our
works were immediately strengthened, so as to defy their efforts in
future to escape. A herd of 300 was soon after entrapped, and in the
course of two hours all were killed.
Having thus obtained an ample stock of provisions, the different
parties employed at the fishing and hunting stations were recalled,
and preparations were begun for our summer campaign, in which I
determined to take an active part. The favourable report of last
summer respecting the East or George's River, combined with reports
that had reached me since of another large river flowing a short
distance to the south of Esquimaux Bay, suggested the possibility of
carrying on our business on this line of communication. With the view,
therefore, of carrying this design into effect, I had a boat built
in the course of the winter, in which I embarked with a strong crew
on the 25th of June, the river not being clear of ice at an earlier
period; and sweeping down on the top of the current at railroad speed,
reached the sea in about three hours.
It being still early in the day, and no ice to be seen, we pulled for
the opposite side of the bay, in the hope of reaching it ere dark. The
weather being perfectly calm we advanced rapidly, and had proceeded
about seven miles with every prospect of effecting our purpose,
when lo! the tide was observed to be making against us; and the ice
returning with it, apparently in a compact body, we were placed in
rather a critical situation. The sun was declining, while the coast
presented a solid wall of ice, which precluded the possibility of
landing anywhere nearer than the mouth of South River.
Towards that point, therefore, the head of the boat was directed, and
the crew, seeing the imminence of the danger, rowed with all their
might; and by dint of strenuous exertions, we made good our landing
ere the ice closed in around us. A few minutes after not a speck of
water could be descried.
Next morning, the ice still covered the bay, leaving only a narrow
strip of open water along the shore; into this channel we pushed our
boat, and for some time made but little progress, being continually
interrupted by pieces of ice, which the high tide detached from the
shore. Our channel, however, soon widened, and in a short time not
a particle of ice could be seen, disappearing as if by magic; for
in a few minutes after it began to move, no traces of it could be
discovered as far as the eye could reach to seaward. We reached East
or George's River, without further interruption, on the 3d of July,
where we were detained by unfavourable weather until the 5th.
The post established here last autumn is situated in a still more
cheerless spot than Fort Chimo, being surrounded by rugged hills,
whose sides are covered with the _débris_ of rock, which appears to
have been detached from the hills by the process of decay. The post
stands at the foot of one of those frightful hills, while another
rises immediately in front; the intervening valleys, or cavities,
present nothing to enliven the scene, save a few stunted pines, and
here and there a patch of snow.
The few Esquimaux who inhabit this region of sterility and desolation,
at first appeared delighted with the idea of having whites among them:
finding, however, that our presence yielded them no advantage, they
soon became indifferent about us, and proceeded to the Moravian
settlement with the produce of their hunts, where they obtained their
little wants at a far cheaper rate than our tariff allowed.
My crew, leaving Fort Siviright, consisted of ten able men; and
an Indian guide accompanied us in his canoe. As we ascended, our
difficulties increased at every step, the water being much lower than
last year. I found myself engaged in a more laborious work than I had
ever yet undertaken--towing the boat day after day against a current
flowing in a continuous rapid, so as to admit of not one moment's
relaxation, unless during the short interval allowed for rest to
such as could take it--no easy matter when myriads of sand-flies and
mosquitoes filled the air and tortured us incessantly.
We continued to advance in this manner, hauling, pulling, carrying,
and even launching the boat for about fifteen days, when we reached
an expansion of the river, without any perceptible current, and
sufficiently deep to admit of the use of the oar.
Our labour was now supposed to be at an end by those who had explored
the river; no further doubts were entertained as to our soon reaching
Esquimaux Bay, where letters from our friends and news from all
quarters would reward us for all our toils. Let not him who knows not
what it is to be shut out from his friends, society, and the great
world, year after year, think lightly of the reward which the solitary
trader, in his remote seclusion, values so highly. Our hopes, however,
were soon dissipated. Having reached the upper extremity of the
still water, we encountered difficulties that defied every attempt to
surmount.
The lake just referred to proved to be the source of the lower
stream; the rivulet that flowed into it from above being so shallow
as scarcely to admit of the passage of a small canoe. It was therefore
impossible to proceed with the boat, a circumstance that placed me in
a rather perplexing position; for I had the outfit for the interior in
charge, without which the business, so lately established with every
prospect of success, would fail.
There was, however, no time to be lost in vain regrets; the advanced
period of the season required instant decision, and our stock
of provisions was diminishing rapidly. I therefore determined on
proceeding to the outpost in the small canoe belonging to our guide,
taking two of the men with me, and leaving the rest of the crew to
erect a temporary post; and in the mean time sent my guide to apprize
the Indians in the vicinity of the steps I had taken to supply their
wants next winter.
These arrangements completed, I embarked in an eggshell of a canoe, so
small as not to admit of anything save the smallest possible supply
of provisions,--tent, basket, &c. remaining behind. Soon after leaving
our encampment, we came to a portage some ten miles in length, and
struck the river again, where, from the report of the men, I expected
no further difficulties would impede our progress. But the event did
not answer my expectations; from the continual drought of the season
the water proved so low that we had to drag along our canoe, wading in
the water, where a boat would have passed with ease last year. In this
manner we continued our toilsome voyage without relaxation for several
days, carrying our canoe and baggage overland, or wading in the water
from early dawn until late at night, when we threw ourselves down
on the ground to pass the night without shelter from the weather
or protection from the stings of our merciless persecutors the
mosquitoes, who pursued their avocation with unwearied assiduity,
so that our rest was small, and that little afforded us but scanty
refreshment.
Our progress, but slow, from the difficulties of the route, was
rendered still slower by our frequent deviations from our course; my
guides having paid but little attention to their instructions last
year. We at length reached the post on the 16th of August, half
starved, half naked, and half devoured. A friendly reception, and the
good cheer the place afforded, soon restored our spirits, if not our
"inexpressibles;" and although much annoyed that no Indians could
be induced to guide us to Esquimaux Bay, I determined on making the
attempt with such assistance as Mr. Erlandson could give me, who was
well acquainted with the upper part of the river.
After one day's rest, we embarked in a canoe sufficiently large to
contain several conveniences, to which I had been for some time a
stranger,--a tent to shelter us by night, and tea to cheer us by
day; we fared, too, like princes, on the produce of "sea and land,"
procured by the net and the gun. We thus proceeded gaily on our
downward course without meeting any interruption, or experiencing any
difficulty in finding our way; when, one evening, the roar of a mighty
cataract burst upon our ears, warning us that danger was at hand.
We soon reached the spot, which presented to us one of the grandest
spectacles in the world, but put an end to all hopes of success in our
enterprise.
About six miles above the fall the river suddenly contracts, from a
width of from four hundred to six hundred yards, to about one hundred
yards; then rushing along in a continuous foaming rapid, finally
contracts to a breadth of about fifty yards, ere it precipitates
itself over the rock which forms the fall; when, still roaring and
foaming, it continues its maddened course for about a distance of
thirty miles, pent up between walls of rock that rise sometimes to
the height of three hundred feet on either side. This stupendous fall
exceeds in height the Falls of Niagara, but bears no comparison to
that sublime object in any other respect, being nearly hidden from the
view by the abrupt angle which the rocks form immediately beneath it.
If not seen, however, it is felt; such is the extraordinary force with
which it tumbles into the abyss underneath, that we felt the solid
rock shake under our feet, as we stood two hundred feet above the
gulf. A dense cloud of vapour, which can be seen at a great distance
in clear weather, hangs over the spot. From the fall to the foot of
the rapid--a distance of thirty miles--the zigzag course of the river
presents such sharp angles, that you see nothing of it until within a
few yards of its banks. Might not this circumstance lead the geologist
to the conclusion that the fall had receded this distance? The mind
shrinks from the contemplation of a subject that carries it back to
a period of time so very remote; for if the rock,--syenite, always
possessed its present solidity and hardness, the action of the water
alone might require millions of years to produce such a result!
After carrying our canoe and baggage for a whole day through bogs, and
swamps, and windfalls, in the hope of finding the river accessible, we
at length gave up the attempt; and with heavy hearts and weary limbs
retracing our steps, we reached the outpost, without accident, after
an absence of fifteen days. Finding it impossible to remove either
the returns, or the small quantity of goods remaining on hand, I
determined on leaving a couple of the men to pass the winter here;
and Mr. Erlandson accompanied me to assume the charge of the temporary
post, where I had left his outfit. Here we arrived on the 1st of
September, and I was delighted at finding my men living in the midst
of abundance;--the surrounding country apparently abounding with
rein-deer, and the lake affording fish of the best quality. I remained
with the men two days to expedite the buildings which were yet
unfinished; and in the meantime a party of Indians arrived, whom we
persuaded to carry our despatches to Esquimaux Bay.
After seeing my couriers off, I left Mr. Erlandson with two men to
share his solitude, and reached the sea without experiencing any
adventure worth notice. Proceeding along the coast, I was induced, one
evening, by the flattering appearance of the weather, to attempt the
passage of a deep bay; which being accomplished, there was little
danger of being delayed afterwards by stress of weather. This step I
soon had cause to repent. The sea hitherto presented a smooth surface;
not a breath of wind was felt, and the stars shone out brightly. A few
clouds began to appear on the horizon; and the boat began to rise
and fall with the heaving of the sea. Understanding what these signs
portended, we immediately pulled for the shore; but had scarcely
altered our course when the stars disappeared, a tremendous noise
struck upon our ears from seaward, and the storm was upon us. In the
impenetrable obscurity of the night, not a trace of land could be
discovered; but we continued to ply our oars, while each succeeding
billow threatened immediate destruction.
The horrors of our situation increased; the man on the out-look
called out that he saw breakers a-head in every direction, and escape
appeared to be next to impossible. My crew of Scottish Islanders,
however, continued their painful exertions without evincing the
apprehensions they must have felt, by a murmur. The crisis was now at
hand. We approached so near to the breakers that it was impossible to
avoid them; and the men lay on their oars, expecting the next moment
would be their last.
In such a situation the thoughts of even the most depraved naturally
carry them beyond the limits of time; and by these thoughts, I
believe, the soul of every one was absorbed; yet the men lost not
their presence of mind. Suddenly, the voice of the look-out was heard
amid the roar of the breakers, calling our attention to a dark breach
in the line of foam that stretched out before us, which he fancied to
be a channel between the rocks. A few desperate strokes brought us
to the spot, when, to our unspeakable joy, we found it to answer the
man's conjecture; but, so narrow was the passage, that the oars on
both sides of the boat struck the rocks; a minute afterwards we found
ourselves becalmed and in safety. The boat being moored, and the men
ordered to watch by turns, we lay down to sleep, as we best could,
supperless, and without having tasted food since early dawn.
The wind still blew fresh on the ensuing morning; but we found, to
our great satisfaction, that we had entered a kind of channel that
lay along the shore, where we were protected from the storm by the
innumerable rocky islets that stretched along the mainland. Regarding
the labyrinth of islands through which we had effected a passage
in the darkness, we were struck with wonder at our escape; and felt
convinced that the hand of Providence alone could have guided us
through such perils in safety.