RESOURCES OF THE COUNTRY BEGIN TO DEVELOP--BRYAN DISTINGUISHES HIMSELF--
FISHING EXTRAORDINARY.
There is a calm but deep-seated and powerful pleasure which fills the
heart, and seems to permeate the entire being, when one awakens to the
conviction that a day of arduous toil is about to begin--toil of an
uncertain kind, perhaps connected with danger and adventure, in an
unexplored region of the earth. Ignorance always paints coming events
in glowing colours; and the mere fact that our adventurers knew not the
nature of the country in which their tent was pitched--knew not whether
the natives would receive them as friends or repel them as foes--knew
not whether the nature and capabilities of the country were such as
would be likely to convert the spot on which they lay into a comfortable
home or a premature grave;--the mere fact of being utterly ignorant on
these points was, in itself, sufficient to fill the poorest spirit of
the band (had there been a poor spirit among them) with a glow of
pleasurable excitement, and a firm resolve to tax their powers of doing
and suffering to the uttermost.
When the sun rose on the following morning the whole party was astir,
the fire lighted, and an early breakfast in course of preparation. Much
had to be done, and it behoved them to set about it with energy and at
once, for the short autumn of these arctic regions was drawing on apace,
and a winter of great length and of the utmost severity lay before them.
There was also one consideration which caused some anxiety to Stanley
and Frank, although it weighed little on the reckless spirits of the
men, and this was the possibility of the non-arrival of the ship with
their winter supply of provisions and goods for trade. Without such a
supply a winter on the shores of Ungava Bay would involve all the
hardships and extreme perils that too often fall to the lot of arctic
discoverers; and he who has perused the fascinating journals of those
gallant men, knows that these hardships and perils are neither few nor
light. The leaders of the expedition were not, indeed, men to
anticipate evils, or to feel unduly anxious about possible dangers; but
they would have been more or less than human had they been able to look
at Mrs Stanley and little Edith without a feeling of anxiety on their
account. This thought, however, did not influence them in their
actions; or, if it did, it only spurred them on to more prompt and
vigorous exertions in the carrying out of their undertaking.
After breakfast Stanley assembled his men, and gave each special
directions what to do. One of the most important points to ascertain
was whether there were many fish in the river. On this hung much of the
future comfort and well-being, perhaps even the existence, of the party.
Gaspard was, therefore, ordered to get out his nets and set them
opposite the encampment. Oolibuck, being officially an interpreter of
the Esquimau language, and, when not employed in his calling, regarded
as a sort of male maid-of-all-work, was ordered to assist Gaspard. The
next matter of primary importance was to ascertain what animals
inhabited the region, and whether they were numerous. Dick Prince,
being the recognised hunter of the party, was directed to take his gun
and a large supply of ammunition, and sally forth over the mountains in
search of game; and as Massan was a special friend of his, a good shot,
and, moreover, a sagacious fellow, he was ordered to accompany him.
They were also directed to observe particularly the state of the woods
and the quality of the timber growing therein; but as this last required
special attention, the style and size of the future fort being dependent
on it, Francois, the carpenter, was appointed to make a journey of
observation up the Caniapuscaw River, in company with Augustus the
Esquimau and Ma-istequan the Indian--it being thought probable that if
natives were to be met with at all, they would be on the banks of the
river rather than in the mountains. It was further arranged that Frank
Morton should ascend the mountains in company with Bryan, and ascertain
if there were any lakes, and whether or not they contained fish. As for
Mr Stanley, he resolved to remain by the camp. On entering his tent
after dispatching the several parties, he said to his wife--
"I'm going to stay by you to-day, Jessie. All the men, except Moses,
Oostesimow, Gaspard, and La Roche, are sent off to hunt and fish in the
mountains, and I have kept these four to paddle about this
neighbourhood, in order to take soundings and examine the coast more
carefully; because, you see, it would be an unfortunate thing if we
began our establishment in a place not well suited for it."
Mrs Stanley and Edith were, of course, quite pleased with this
arrangement, and while the males of the party were absent, the former
employed herself in dressing the skin of the deer that had been shot the
day before. She accomplished this after the Indian fashion, by scraping
and rubbing it with the animal's brains. Afterwards she smoked it over
a fire of green wood, and in this way produced a soft, pliant substance
similar to chamois leather, but coarser and stouter. As for Edith, she
rambled at will among the bushes of the nearest ravine, under the
faithful guardianship of Chimo, and hurried back to the camp almost
every hour, laden with cloudberries, cranberries, blaeberries, and
crowberries, which grew in profusion everywhere.
Opposite to the camp the water was found to be eight fathoms deep. This
was of great importance, as affording facility for unloading the ship
abreast of the establishment. Higher up the river the ground was more
favourable for building, both on account of its being more sheltered and
better wooded with timber fit for the construction of houses; but the
water was too shallow to float the ship, and the island before
mentioned, which was named Cross Island, proved an effectual barrier to
the upward progress of any craft larger than a boat. But as Stanley
surveyed the spot on which the tent was pitched, and observed the
sheltering background of mountains, with their succession of terraces;
the creek or ravine to the right, with its growth of willows and stunted
pines; the level parcel of greensward, with the little fountain under
the rock; and the fine sandy bay in which Gaspard and Oolibuck were
busily engaged in setting a couple of nets,--when he surveyed all this,
he felt that, although not the best locality in the neighbourhood, it
was, nevertheless, a very good one, and well suited in many respects for
the future establishment.
"Please, sir, the net him set," shouted Oolibuck from the shore to his
master, who floated in the bay at the distance of a hundred yards,
busily engaged with the sounding-line. On receiving this piece of
information, Stanley ran the canoe on the beach, and said to his
follower--
"Oolibuck, I have been thinking much about that river which we saw
yesterday, off the mouth of this one; and I cannot help fearing that the
ship will run into it, instead of into this, for the land is very
deceptive."
"Me t'ink dat is true," answered the Esquimau, with a look of grave
perplexity. "If de ship go into dat riv'r he t'ink we no arrive, and so
he go 'way, and we all starve!"
"Nay, Oolibuck, I trust that such would not be the sad result of the
ship failing to find us; but in order to prevent this, if possible, I
intend to send you down to the coast, with a few days' provisions, to
keep a look-out for the ship, and light a fire if you see her, so that
she may be guided to the right place. So get a blanket and your gun as
fast as you can, and be off. I can only afford you four days'
provisions, Oolibuck, so you will have to prove yourself a good hunter,
else you'll starve. Will four days' provisions do?"
Oolibuck's eyes disappeared. We do not mean to say that they flew away,
or were annihilated. But Oolibuck was fat--so fat that, when he
laughed, his eyes reduced themselves into two little lines surrounded by
wrinkles; a result which was caused by a physical incapacity to open the
mouth and eyes at the same time. As a general rule, when Oolibuck's
mouth was open his eyes were shut, and when his eyes were open his mouth
was shut. Being a good-humoured fellow, and of a risible nature, the
alternations were frequent. It was the idea of Stanley doubting the
sufficiency of four days' provisions that closed the eyes of the
Esquimau on the present occasion.
"Two days' grub more dan 'nuff," said Oolibuck. "Give me plenty powder
and shot, and me no starve--no fear."
"Very well," rejoined Stanley, laughing, "take as much ammunition as you
require, but be careful of it; if the ship fails us we shall need it
all. And don't be too eager after the deer, Oolibuck; keep a sharp
look-out seaward, be on the hill-tops as much as you can, and keep your
eyes open."
Oolibuck replied by closing the said eyes with a smile, as he hurried
towards the tent to prepare for his expedition. In the meantime Stanley
directed Oostesimow and La Roche to set about building a small canoe out
of the birch bark which they had carried with them for the purpose, the
large canoes being too cumbrous for the purpose of overhauling the nets.
The nets had been set by Gaspard in the usual way--that is, with stones
attached to the lower lines to act as sinkers, and floats attached to
the upper lines to keep them spread; and it was with no little
impatience that the party in the camp awaited the issue. Indeed they
scarcely permitted an hour to pass without an inspection being ordered;
but to their chagrin, instead of finding fish, they found the nets
rolled up by the conflicting currents of the river and the tide into the
form of two ropes.
"This will never do," cried Stanley, as they brought the nets ashore.
"We must set stake-nets immediately. It is nearly low tide now, so if
we work hard they may be ready to set up before the tide has risen
much."
In pursuance of this plan, Stanley and his men went to the ravine, of
which mention has been already made, and proceeded to cut stakes for the
nets; while Oolibuck, having explained to Mrs Stanley and Edith that he
was "going to look _h_out for de ship," shouldered his wallet and gun,
and ascending the ravine, speedily gained the first terrace of the
mountains, along which he hastened in the direction of the sea-coast.
While the party in the camp were thus engaged, Frank Morton and Bryan
instituted a thorough investigation of the country that lay directly in
the rear of the camp, in the course of which investigation they made
sundry interesting discoveries.
After ascending the ravine in which we left Stanley and his men cutting
stakes for the nets, Frank and Bryan reached the first terrace, and
proceeded along it in the opposite direction from that pursued by
Oolibuck. A walk of a quarter of a mile, or less, brought them to
another ravine, into which they turned, and the first thing that greeted
them as they pushed their way through the stunted willows that thickly
covered this gorge in the mountains was a covey of ptarmigan. These
birds are similar in form and size to ordinary grouse, perhaps a little
smaller. In winter they are pure white--so white that it is difficult
to detect them amid the snow; but in summer their coats become brown,
though there are a few of the pure white feathers left which never
change their colour. Being unaccustomed to the sight of man, they stood
gazing at Frank and Bryan in mute surprise, until the latter hastily
threw forward his gun, when they wisely took to flight. But Frank
arrested his follower's arm.
"Don't waste your powder and shot, Bryan, on such small game. There may
be something more worthy of a shot among the mountains; and if you once
raise the echoes among these wild cliffs, I fear the game will not wait
to inquire the cause thereof."
"Maybe not, sir," replied Bryan, as he fell back a pace, and permitted
Frank to lead the way; "but there's an ould proverb that says, `A bird
in the hand's worth two in the buss,' an' I've great belaif in that
same."
"Very true, Bryan, there is much wisdom in old proverbs; but there are
exceptions to every rule, and this is a case in point, as you will admit
if you cast your eyes over yonder valley, and observe the edge of the
mountain-top that cuts so clear a line against the sky."
Frank pointed, as he spoke, to the shoulder or spur of one of the
mountains which rose at a considerable distance in the interior, and
from which they were separated by a dark glen or gorge; for none of the
ravines in this part of the country merited the name of valley, save
that through which flowed the Caniapuscaw River. The ravine up which
they had been toiling for some time led into this darksome glen, and it
was on rounding a bold precipice, which had hitherto concealed it from
view, that Frank's quick eye caught sight of the object to which he
directed the attention of his companion.
"'Tis a crow," said Bryan, after a gaze of five minutes, during which he
had gone through a variety of strange contortions--screwing up his
features, shading his eyes with his hand, standing on tip-toe, although
there was nothing to look over, and stooping low, with a hand on each
knee, though there was nothing to look under, in the vain hope to
increase by these means his power of vision.
Frank regarded him with a quiet smile, as he said, "Look again, Bryan.
Saw you ever a crow with antlers?"
"Anthlers!" exclaimed the Irishman, once more wrinkling up his
expressive face, and peering under his palm; "anthlers, say you? Sorra
a thing duv I see 'xcept a black spot on the sky. If ye see anthlers on
it, ye're nothin' more nor less than a walkin' spy-glass."
"Nevertheless I see them, Bryan; and they grace the head of a noble
buck. Now, you see, it is well you did not fire at the ptarmigan. Away
with you, lad, down into that ravine, and clamber up the mountain
through yonder gap with the fallen rock in the middle of it--d'ye see?--
and wait there, lest the deer should turn back. In the meantime I'll
run round by the way we came, and descend to the water's edge, to
receive him when he arrives there. Now don't lose yourself, and take
care not to fire at smaller game."
As Frank concluded these orders, which he issued in a quick low voice,
he threw his gun into the hollow of his left arm and strode rapidly
away, leaving his companion gazing after him with an expression of blank
stupidity on his face. Gradually his cheeks and brow were overspread
with a thousand wrinkles and a smile took possession of his lips.
"`Don't lose yersilf!' Faix, Master Frank, ye're free an' aisy. Arrah
now, Bryan dear, don't lose yersilf; you that's crossed the salt saes,
an' followed the Red Injins to the prairie, and hunted in the Rocky
Mountains, and found yer way to Ungava--not to mintion havin' comed
oraginally from ould Ireland--which ov itsilf secures ye agin mistakes
of every kind whatsumdiver. Lose yersilf! Musha, but ye had better git
some wan to look after ye, Bryan boy. Take care now; go softly and kape
yer eyes open, for fear ye lose yersilf!"
As Bryan mumbled forth this bantering soliloquy, he lifted up a large
bag which contained a couple of fishing-lines and a few hooks, and
throwing it across the stock of his gun, and both across his shoulder,
he took his way down the rugged but well-beaten deer-path which led to
the ravine or glen. The idea of losing himself seemed to have taken
such a hold of Bryan's mind, and afforded him so much amusement and such
scope for the continued flow of bantering soliloquy to which he was in
truth much addicted, that he failed to note the fact that he was walking
along the edge of a steep declivity, at the foot of which lay a small,
dark sheet of water, which was connected by a short river or strait with
a larger lake, whose wavelets rippled at the base of the mountain
beyond. The scene was magnificently wild and lonely, and would have
riveted the attention and excited the admiration of any one less absent
than Bryan. High, rugged, and to all appearance inaccessible mountains
surrounded the vale on all sides; and although there were several
outlets from it, these were so concealed by the peculiar formation of
the wild mountains that they could not be seen until they were actually
entered.
Had Bryan's eyes been more active, he would have seen that the fringe of
bushes by the side of the deer-track, along which he walked, concealed a
declivity so steep that it almost merited the name of a precipice. But
Bryan was lost in philosophic contemplation, and the first thing that
awakened him to the fact was the slipping of a stone, which caused him
to trip and fall headlong over the bank! The Irishman grasped
convulsively at the bushes to arrest his fall, but the impetus with
which he had commenced the descent tore them from his grasp, and after
one or two unpleasant bounds and a good deal of crashing through shrubs
that tore his garments sadly, he found himself stretched at full length
on the margin of the river that connected the two lakes. So nearly had
he been hurled into this strait by the violence of his descent that his
head was hanging over the bank ere he stopped! Being partially stunned
by the fall, Bryan lay for a few seconds motionless. As his shaken
faculties returned, however, he became aware of the fact that a fish of
fully two feet long lay at the bottom of the pool over which his head
hung. Starting up, and totally forgetting his bruises, he turned to
look for the bag containing the fishing-lines, and observing it lying on
the ground not far distant, still wrapped round the gun, he ran to pick
it up.
"Oh! wow! poor thing!" he exclaimed, on lifting up his gun, which,
though fortunately not broken, was sadly bent, "ye're fit for nothin'
but shootin' round the corner now! It's well for you, Bryan, ye
spalpeen, that your backbone is not in the same fix."
While he thus muttered to himself, Bryan drew from the bag a stout
cod-line, to which he fastened a hook of deadly dimensions, and dressed
it into the form of a fly, much in the same manner as was formerly done
by La Roche. This line and fly he fastened to the end of a short stout
pole which he cut from a neighbouring tree, and approaching cautiously
to the bank of the strait--for there was too little motion in it to
entitle it to be called a stream--he cast the fly with a violent splash
into the water. The violence was unintentional--at least the
exclamations of reproach that followed the cast would lead us to suppose
so. The fish here were as tame as those caught in Deer River. In a few
seconds the fly was swallowed, and Bryan, applying main force to the
pole, tossed a beautiful trout of about two pounds weight over his head.
"Och! ye purty crature," exclaimed the delighted Irishman, rubbing his
hands with glee as he gazed at the fish after having unhooked it.
"Shure ye'll make a beautiful fagure in the kittle this night. An'
musha! there's wan o' yer relations to kape ye company," he added, as,
exerting an enormous degree of unnecessary force, he drew another trout
violently from the water. The second trout was larger than the first,
and Bryan soon became so excited in the sport that he totally forgot
Frank's orders, and the deer, and everything else in the world, for the
time being. Having caught six or seven trout, varying from two to four
pounds in weight, he changed his position a little, and made a cast over
a deep pool nearer to the large lake. As heretofore, the fly was
engulfed the instant it fell on the water; but Bryan did not, as
heretofore, haul the fish violently out of its native element. It is
true he attempted to do so, but the attempt proved utterly futile;
moreover, the fish darted with such velocity and strength towards the
lake, that the angler, albeit entirely ignorant of his art, experienced
an inward conviction that the thick cord would snap altogether if not
eased of the enormous strain. He therefore followed the fish at the top
of his speed, uttering incomprehensible sounds of mingled rage and
amazement as he went, and tripping over rocks and bushes in his headlong
career. After a smart run of half a minute the fish stopped, turned,
and darted back so rapidly that Bryan tripped in turning and fell into
the water! The place was shallow, but having fallen on his back, he was
thoroughly drenched from head to foot. He did not lose the grasp of his
rod, however. Spluttering, and gasping, and dripping, he followed the
fish in its wild career until it turned again at a tangent, and darted
towards the bank on which he stood. There was a shelving bed of
pebbles, where the water shoaled very gradually. Bryan saw this.
Availing himself of the fish's impetus, and putting all his force to the
rod, he dragged it into two inches of water, when the line broke.
Instantly the fish struggled towards deep water; but it was so large,
and the place to which it had been dragged so shallow, that it afforded
the excited angler time to rush forward and throw himself bodily on the
top of it!
The battle that now ensued was of an energetic and deadly character on
the part of both man and fish. Those who have not grasped a live salmon
in their arms have no conception of the strength of a fish; and perhaps
it may be said with equal truth that those who have never wielded a
forehammer have but a faint conception of the strength of a blacksmith's
knuckles. Bryan had thrown his whole weight on the fish, and grasped
it, as with a vice, in both hands; but at every struggle of its powerful
frame he felt how uncertain was the hold he had of its slippery body.
Once it almost escaped, and dashed the spray over its adversary's face
with its tail, as it wriggled out of his grasp; but with a desperate
plunge Bryan seized it by the head and succeeded in thrusting his thumb
under its gill and choking it, while himself was well-nigh choked at the
same moment by unintentionally swallowing a gulp of the muddy compound
which they had stirred up in their struggles. Slowly and with caution
Bryan rose on one knee, while he crushed the fish against the bottom
with both hands; then making a last exertion, he hurled it up the bank,
where it fell beyond all hope of return to its native element.
The fish thus captured was a beautiful trout of about twenty pounds
weight. The lake trout of North America are, some of them, of enormous
size, being not unfrequently taken of sixty pounds weight, so that as a
specimen of those inhabiting these lakes this was by no means a large
one. Nevertheless it was a splendid fish, and certainly the largest
that had ever been captured by the worthy son of Vulcan.
The thick coat of liquid mud with which his face was covered could not
entirely conceal the smile of intense satisfaction with which he
regarded his prize, as he sat down on the bank before it.
"Kape quiet now, honey!" he exclaimed, as the trout made a last
fluttering attempt to escape; "kape quiet. Have patience, darlint.
It's o' no manner o' use to hurry natur'. Just lie still, an' it'll be
soon over."
With this consolatory remark, Bryan patted the fish on the head, and
proceeded to wring the water from his upper garments, after which he
repaired his broken tackle, and resumed his sport with an eagerness and
zest that cold and water and mud could not diminish in the smallest
degree.