Fort Montée--Cumberland House.--Lake Bourbon.--Great Winipeg
Rapids.--Lake Winipeg.--Trading-House.--Lake of the Woods.--Rainy
Lake House, &c.
On the 18th of June (a day which its next anniversary was to render for
ever celebrated in the annals of the world), we re-embarked at an early
hour: and the wind rising, spread sail, a thing we had not done before,
since we quitted the river Columbia. In the afternoon the clouds
gathered thick and black, and we had a gust, accompanied with hail, but
of short duration; the weather cleared up again, and about sundown we
arrived at _Le Fort de la Montêe_, so called, on account of its being a
depôt, where the traders going south, leave their canoes and take
pack-horses to reach their several posts. We found here, as at Fort
Vermilion, two trading-houses joined together, to make common cause
against the Indians; one belonging to the Hudson's Bay Company, the
other to the company of the Northwest: the Hudson's Bay house being then
under the charge of a Mr. Prudent, and the N.W. Company's under a Mr.
John M'Lean. Mr. de Roche Blave, one of the partners of the last company
having the superintendence of this district, where he had wintered, had
gone to Lake Superior to attend the annual meeting of the partners.
There were cultivated fields around the house; the barley and peas
appeared to promise an abundant harvest. Mr. M'Lean received us as well
as circumstances permitted; but that gentleman having no food to give
us, and our buffalo meat beginning to spoil, we set off the next
morning, to reach Cumberland house as quick as possible. In the course
of the day, we passed two old forts, one of which had been built by the
French before the conquest of Canada. According to our guide, it was the
most distant western post that the French traders ever had in the
northwestern wilderness. Toward evening we shot a moose. The aspect of
the country changes considerably since leaving _Montée_; the banks of
the river rise more boldly, and the country is covered with forests.
On the 20th, we saw some elms--a tree that I had not seen hitherto,
since my departure from Canada. We reached Fort Cumberland a little
before the setting of the sun. This post, called in English _Cumberland
House_, is situated at the outlet of the _Saskatchawine_, where it
empties into _English lake_, between the 53d and 54th degrees of north
latitude. It is a depot for those traders who are going to Slave lake or
the Athabasca, or are returning thence, as well as for those destined
for the Rocky mountains. It was under the orders of Mr. J.D. Campbell,
who having gone down to Fort William, however, had left it in charge of
a Mr. Harrison. There are two factories, as at Vermilion and la Montée.
At this place the traders who resort every year to Fort William, leave
their half-breed or Indian wives and families, as they can live here at
little expense, the lake abounding in fish. Messrs. Clarke and Stuart,
who were behind, arrived on the 22d, and in the evening we had a dance.
They gave us four sacs of pemican, and we set off again, on the 23d, at
eight A.M. We crossed the lake, and entered a small river, and having
made some eighty or ninety miles under sail, encamped on a low shore,
where the mosquitoes tormented us horribly all night.
On the 24th, we passed _Muddy_ lake, and entered Lake _Bourbon_, where
we fell in with a canoe from _York_ factory, under the command of a Mr.
Kennedy, clerk of the Hudson's Bay Company. We collected some dozens of
gulls' eggs, on the rocky islands of the lake: and stopping on one of
the last at night, having a little flour left, Mr. Decoigne and I amused
ourselves in making fritters for the next day's breakfast: an
occupation, which despite the small amount of materials, employed us
till we were surprised by the daybreak; the night being but brief at
this season in that high latitude.
At sunrise on the 25th, we were again afloat, passed Lake _Travers_, or
_Cross_ lake, which empties into Lake Winipeg by a succession of
rapids; shot down these cascades without accident, and arrived, toward
noon, at the great rapid _Ouénipic_ or Winipeg, which is about four
miles long. We disembarked here, and the men worked down the canoes. At
the foot of this rapid, which is the inlet of Winipeg, we found an old
Canadian fisherman, who called himself _King of the lake_. He might
fairly style himself king of the fish, which are abundant and which he
alone enjoyed. Having made a boil, and regaled ourselves with excellent
sturgeon, we left this old man, and entered the great lake Winipeg,
which appeared to me like a sea of fresh water. This lake is now too
well known to need a particular description: I will content myself with
saying that it visibly yields in extent only to Lake Superior and Great
Slave lake: it has for tributaries several large rivers, and among
others the Saskatchawine, the Winipeg, in the east; and Red river in the
south; and empties into Hudson's bay by the _Nelson_, N.N.E., and the
_Severn_, E.N.E. The shores which it bathes are generally very low; it
appears to have little depth, and is dotted with a vast number of
islands, lying pretty close to land. We reached one called _Egg island_,
whence it was necessary to cross to the south to reach the main; but the
wind was so violent that it was only at decline of day that we could
perform the passage. We profited by the calm, to coast along all day and
a part of the night of the 26th; but to pay for it, remained in camp on
the 27th, till evening: the wind not suffering us to proceed. The wind
having appeared to abate somewhat after sunset, we embarked, but were
soon forced to land again. On the 28th, we passed the openings of
several deep bays, and the isles of _St. Martin_, and camped at the
bottom of a little bay, where the mosquitoes did not suffer us to close
our eyes all night. We were rejoiced when dawn appeared, and were eager
to embark, to free ourselves from these inconvenient guests. A calm
permitted us that day to make good progress with our oars, and we camped
at _Buffalo Strait_. We saw that day two Indian wigwams.
The 30th brought us to Winipeg river, which we began to ascend, and
about noon reached Port _Bas de la Rivière_. This trading post had more
the air of a large and well-cultivated farm, than of a fur traders'
factory: a neat and elegant mansion, built on a slight eminence, and
surrounded with barns, stables, storehouses, &c., and by fields of
barley, peas, oats, and potatoes, reminded us of the civilized countries
which we had left so long ago. Messrs. Crébassa and Kennedy, who had
this post in charge, received us with all possible hospitality, and
supplied us with all the political news which had been learned through
the arrival of canoes from Canada.
They also informed us that Messrs M'Donald and de Rocheblave had passed,
a few days before our arrival, having been obliged to go up Red river to
stop the effusion of blood, which would probably have taken place but
for their intervention, in the colony founded on that river by the earl
of Selkirk. Mr. Miles M'Donnell, the governor of that colony, or rather
of the _Assiniboyne_ district, had issued a proclamation forbidding all
persons whomsoever, to send provisions of any kind out of the district.
The Hudson's Bay traders had conformed to this proclamation, but those
of the Northwest Company paid no attention to it, thinking it illegal,
and had sent their servants, as usual to get provisions up the river.
Mr. M'Donnell having heard that several hundred sacks of pemican[AH]
were laid up in a storehouse under the care of a Mr. Pritchard, sent to
require their surrender: Pritchard refused to deliver them, whereupon
Mr. M'Donnell had them carried off by force. The traders who winter on
Little Slave lake, English river, the Athabasca country, &c., learning
this, and being aware that they would not find their usual supply at
_Bas de la Rivière_, resolved to go and recover the seized provisions by
force, if they were not peaceably given up. Things were in this position
when Messrs, de Rocheblave and M'Donald arrived. They found the Canadian
_voyageurs_ in arms, and ready to give battle to the colonists, who
persisted in their refusal to surrender the bags of pemican. The two
peacemakers visited the governor, and having explained to him the
situation in which the traders of the Northwest Company would find
themselves, by the want of necessary provisions to enable them to
transport their peltries to Fort William, and the exasperation of their
men, who saw no other alternative for them, but to get possession of
those provisions or to perish of hunger, requested him to surrender the
same without delay. Mr. M'Donnell, on his part, pointed out the misery
to which the colonists would be reduced by a failure in the supply of
food. In consequence of these mutual representations, it was agreed that
one half of the pemican should be restored, and the other half remain
for the use of the colonists. Thus was arranged, without bloodshed, the
first difficulty which occurred between the rival companies of the
Northwest, and of Hudson's Bay.
[Footnote AH: _Pemican_, of which I have already spoken several times,
is the Indian name for the dried and pounded meat which the natives sell
to the traders. About fifty pounds of this meat is placed in a trough
(_un grand vaisseau fait d'un tronc d'arbre_), and about an equal
quantity of tallow is melted and poured over it; it is thoroughly mixed
into one mass, and when cold, is put up in bags made of undressed
buffalo hide, with the hair outside, and sewed up as tightly as
possible. The meat thus impregnated with tallow, hardens, and will keep
for years. It is eaten without any other preparation; but sometimes wild
pears or dried berries are added, which render the flavor more
agreeable.]
Having spent the 1st of July in repairing our canoes, we re-embarked on
the 2d, and continued to ascend Winipeg river, called also _White
river_, on account of the great number of its cascades, which being very
near each other, offer to the sight an almost continuous foam. We made
that day twenty-seven portages, all very short. On the 3d, and 4th, we
made nine more, and arrived on the 5th, at the _Lake of the Woods_. This
lake takes its name from the great number of woody islands with which it
is dotted. Our guide pointed out to me one of these isles, telling me
that a Jesuit father had said mass there, and that it was the most
remote spot to which those missionaries had ever penetrated. We encamped
on one of the islands. The next day the wind did not allow us to make
much progress. On the 7th, we gained the entrance of _Rainy Lake river_.
I do not remember ever to have seen elsewhere so many mosquitoes as on
the banks of this river. Having landed near a little rapid to lighten
the canoes, we had the misfortune, in getting through the brush, to
dislodge these insects from under the leaves where they had taken refuge
from the rain of the night before; they attached themselves to us,
followed us into the canoes, and tormented us all the remainder of the
day.
On the 8th, at sunset, we reached _Rainy Lake House_. This fort is
situated about a mile from a considerable rapid. We saw here cultivated
fields and domestic animals, such as horses, oxen, cows, &c. The port is
a depôt for the wintering parties of the Athabasca, and others still
more remote, who bring to it their peltries and return from it with
their outfits of merchandise. Mr. John Dease, to whose charge the place
had been confided, received us in the most friendly manner possible; and
after having made an excellent supper, we danced a part of the evening.
We took leave of Mr. Dease on the 10th, well provided for the journey,
and passing round Rainy Lake falls, and then traversing the lake
itself, which I estimated to be forty miles long, we encamped at the
entrance of a small river. On the next day we pursued our way, now
thridding streams impeded with wild rice, which rendered our progress
difficult, now traversing little lakes, now passing straits where we
scarcely found water to float our canoes. On the 13th, we encamped near
_Dog Portage (Portage des chiens_), where, from not having followed the
advice of Mr. Dease, who had counselled us to take along a bag of
pemican, we found ourselves absolutely without food.