The bold and prompt manner in which peace was established among the
contending savages of Lake Wichikagan did more to raise my friend Jack
Lumley in their estimation than if he had fought a hundred successful
battles, and subdued a nation of foes. It seemed to be felt on all
hands that he was a man who could be trusted, and his pointed reference
to the Great Spirit conveyed an impression that truth and justice must
be his guiding principles.
And on this point these children of nature read his character correctly,
for, as I have had frequent occasion to observe, my friend was strictly
truthful, and, I might almost say, sternly just. Duty indeed was his
pole-star--duty to God and man.
"Max," he once said to me when we had got into a confidential chat
beside our camp-fire, "let me advise you to take a sound view, and a
good grasp, of what men call duty. There is a right and a wrong in
everything that the mind or hand of man can be brought to bear upon. It
is our duty to discover and do the right if we can--to recognise and
avoid the wrong. True success in life depends upon this principle being
acted on at all times, and in all things. Even what worldly men deem
success--the acquisition of wealth, fame, etcetera--is largely dependent
on strict regard to duty."
Of course I heartily agreed with him in this matter, but I am free to
confess that I feel woefully far short of the standard to which he
attained. Perhaps a soft and somewhat undecided nature had something to
do with my failure. I say not this by way of excuse but explanation.
Whatever the cause, I felt so very far below my friend that I looked up
to him as a sort of demigod. Strange to say, his affection for me was
also very strong. He never seemed to perceive my weak points--but,
then, he was of a large-hearted, generous disposition, and he came to be
loved not only by me and the Indians, but by the men of the expedition,
some of whom, although good workers, were rather turbulent fellows.
All things having been satisfactorily arranged, as detailed in the last
chapter, we now set about preparation for wintering. The first point to
settle was the site for our establishment, and a council of the whole
party was called to settle it on the lawn-like spot on the margin of our
lake where the first fire had been kindled.
"No spot could be better, I think," said our chief, as we stood in a
picturesque group around him, with Masqua, Mozwa, and several other
Indians looking on. "The little rising ground and clump of wood at the
back will shelter us from the north winds; the underwood on the east and
west is sufficiently high to form a slight protection in those
directions, and to the south the island-studded bosom of Lake Wichikagan
lies spread out before us, to supply us with fish and water, and a
cheering prospect."
"And to remind Donald Bane and James Dougall," said I, "of Loch Lomond
or Loch Ness."
"I rather think," said Lumley, "that it strikes Dougall as having more
resemblance to Loch Awe, if we may judge from the awesome expression of
his face."
"Weel, Muster Lumley," returned Dougall with a slight smile, "not to
spoil your choke, sir, it wass thinkin' o' the fush I wass, an'
wonderin' if they wass goot fush."
"Big Otter says they are good," returned our chief, "and I think we may
rely on his opinion. There's a little stretch of rock over there,
jutting out from the shore, which could be made into a capital pier for
our boats and canoes without much labour. What say you, Henri Coppet;
could not a few trees and some planks be easily fitted to these rocks?"
"Oui, monsieur--yes, sir--very easily," answered the carpenter, in
French.
"Ay, an' wan or two big stones on the other pint o' rocks there,"
observed Donald Bane, "would make a goot breakwater, an' a fine harbour,
whatever."
"And I'm sure nothing could be finer than the view," said I, with
feelings of enthusiasm.
"Well, then, since we all seem agreed on that point--here shall our
house be raised," rejoined Lumley, driving the point of a stick he
carried into the ground. "Come now, boys, go to work. Max, you will
superintend the placing of the goods in a secure position and cover them
with tarpaulin in the meantime. We'll soon have a hut ready. Dumont,
set up your forge under yon pine-tree and get your tools ready.
Overhaul your nets, Blondin, and take Salamander to help you--especially
the seine-net; I'll try a sweep this afternoon or to-morrow. Come here,
Max, I want to speak with you."
"Now, Max," he said, when we had gone aside some distance, "see that you
arrange the goods so that they may be easily guarded, and don't let the
redskins come too near. They may be honest enough, but we won't throw
temptation in their way. We shall want one of them, by the bye, to keep
house for us. What say you to hiring Waboose?"
"Out of the question," said I, quickly.
"Why so, Max?"
"Why, because--don't you see--she's far above that sort o' thing, she's
quite a kind of princess in the tribe. Haven't you noticed how
respectful they all are to her? And, besides, she is so--what one might
almost call ladylike. I am convinced that her father must have been a
gentleman."
"Perhaps so," returned Lumley, with a quiet laugh; "well, we won't
insult her by asking her to fill such a position. Away to work now. I
will sketch out the plan of our establishment. When the goods are all
safe, send your men to fell heavy timber for the houses, and let them
also cut some firewood. Off you go."
In a few minutes we were all at work, busy as bees--carrying, hauling,
cutting, hammering and chopping; while some of the Indians looked on,
intensely interested, others assisted under the direction of Big Otter,
and the woods resounded with the noise of the new-born activity.
Soon Blondin had a net down, and before evening we had caught enough of
that splendid staple of the North American lakes, the whitefish, to
supply us with a good meal and leave something over for our red friends.
I observed during these operations that, after planning, sketching, and
measuring, our chief took his axe into the wood and felled a tall pine,
from which he proceeded to remove the branches and bark. Towards
evening he took a spade, and dug a deep hole in the ground on the most
prominent part of the lawn, in front of what was to be our future home.
"Come now, four of you," he said, "and help me to set up our
flag-staff."
I ran with three others to assist, and in another minute or two the end
of the tall taper stick was dropped into the hole and fixed there. A
hole had been already bored in the top and a rope rove through it, to
which Lumley soon attached the corners of a small red bundle.
"Ho! lads," he shouted, when all was ready, in a voice that rang out
full and strong, "Fall in!"
We had previously been trained to obey this order with the utmost
alacrity, by running towards our leader, carrying our loaded guns with
us, and forming into line, so as to be ready for any emergency. It was
a fancy of Lumley to drill us thus, and we fell in with his humour, most
of us counting it a piece of fun, to break off from what we chanced to
be doing at the moment the order was given, and trying who should be
first to reach the spot where he stood. As our guns were always loaded
and primed, we never had to lose time in charging them.
On the occasion of which I write, we amazed and somewhat alarmed the
Indians by our prompt action, for we stood together in a silent row in
less than half a minute after the summons was shouted.
"I have called you up, lads," said Lumley, "to take part in a little
ceremony. Through the goodness of the Almighty we have been brought in
safety and health to our new home. It is already part of the Queen of
England's dominions, and I now take possession of it in the name of the
Hudson's Bay Company. May God prosper and bless us while we stay here!"
He hoisted, as he spoke, the small red bundle, which when shaken out
proved to be a flag on which were the letters HBC in white.
"Now, boys, send a volley at the new moon up there. Ready--present--
fire! Hoorah!"
The crash of the united volley and the wild huzza which followed caused
many a redskin's heart to leap, and would doubtless have caused many a
foot to run, but for the fact that their own redskin brother--Big
Otter--was one of the firing party, and, perhaps, the wildest cheerer of
the band!
The ceremony ended, orders were given to knock off work for the day, and
set about the preparation oh supper.
The food was sweet that night, sweeter than usual, for we were very
hungry; the stars were bright that night, brighter than usual, for we
were very happy at the auspicious commencement of our sojourn; and our
sleep was unusually sound, for we felt safer than ever under the
guidance of a chief who had proved himself so capable of turning
threatened war into peace. This being the condition of things, it was
not surprising that we indulged in a longer rest than usual, and
continued to slumber long after the sun had risen and converted Lake
Wichikagan into a glorious sheet of silver.
It is true that our guide, with that sense of responsibility which seems
to weigh heavy on guides even when asleep, had awakened at the usual
hour of starting--daybreak--and, from the mere force of habit, had given
forth his accustomed and sonorous "Leve! leve!"--rise, rise. From the
mere force of habit, too, we all turned round to have a few seconds
repose on our other sides before obeying the order, but suddenly light
flashed into our minds, and various growls in varied keys saluted our
guide.
"Go to sleep, men," said our chief, with a half laugh, which ended in a
sigh of contentment.
French growls of doubtful meaning issued from the lips of Dumont and
Coppet, but Blondin condescended on no remark at all, unless "Pooh!" may
be considered such.
"Hoots! man--heigh-ho!" remonstrated Donald Bane, while his comrade
Dougall merely said, "Wow!" and followed it with a prolonged snore.
For myself, I felt inclined to laugh, but, being much too lazy to do so,
turned over, and was instantly lost again in oblivion. The whole camp
was immediately in the same condition, and thus, as I have said, we
remained till the sun was high.
Soon after daybreak, however, the Indians began to stir in their camp--
which lay a little apart from ours--and, ascending a slight eminence,
whence they could look down on our slumbering forms at their leisure,
squatted there and continued to gaze--perhaps to wonder how long we
meant to rest. They were soon joined by others--men, women, and
children--from the neighbouring camp. Self-restraint, at least in some
matters, is a characteristic of the red-men, and they remained very
patiently and silently there; even the children spoke in whispers, and
gazed in solemn earnestness at our slumbering camp.
When we rose and began active preparations for breakfast, the little
ones melted away--influenced either by fear or by the orders of their
parents. They returned, however, in greater force than ever when we
began the labours of the day. Being all more or less naked, they
resembled a band of brown monkeys without tails, whose great eyes were
capable of expressing only one powerful sentiment--that of surprise!
Thus, watched with deep interest by a large portion of the tribe, we
proceeded to the erection of the first house.
"The Hall will stand here, Max," said Lumley to me, as I approached him,
bearing one end of a long squared log on my shoulder, the other end of
which was carried by Big Otter, while Bane and one of the Canadians
supported the centre of it. "Set it down there, lads--a little more
this way--so."
We laid the timber on the green sward facing the lake, in such a way
that it corresponded with the front line of a large square which had
been traced on the turf by Lumley.
"Stay with me, Max, I want your help and advice." The men went back to
the bush, from which, at the same moment, four others of our party
issued, bearing a similar log.
It was laid at the other side of the square, parallel to the first one.
In a few minutes the two end logs were carried up and deposited in their
places. These logs had all been cut, squared, mortised at their ends,
and fitted together in the woods before being brought to the lawn.
"Now, the question is," said Lumley, as he stood with coat off, shirt
sleeves rolled up to the elbows, and pencil and plan in hand, "shall we
turn the front of the house a little more to the south or a little more
to the east? We must decide that now, before fixing the framework
together."
"We should get more of the rising sun," said I, "if we turned it more
towards the east. And you know we shall not have too much of its beams
in winter to gladden our hearts and eyes."
"Right, Max, but then we might have too much of the east winds to
trouble our toes and noses."
"Still the view eastward," said I, "is so extensive and varied--so full
of sublimity."
"While that to the southward," urged Lumley, "is so soft and beautiful--
so full of poetry and romance."
"Come, Jack, don't laugh at me. You know that I am not jesting; I mean
what I say."
"I know it, Max, but though I may seem to be half jesting, is it not
possible that I, too, may thoroughly mean what I say?"
He pointed as he spoke to the southward, where certain combinations of
light and shade thrown on the numerous islets as well as on the clouds--
all of which were reflected in the clear water--presented a scene which
it is easier to imagine than describe.
I at once admitted the justice of his remark, and it was finally settled
that the house should face due south.
"Fix the frame together now, Coppet," said Lumley to our carpenter, who
came forward with a load of small timbers, "and let it face as it now
lies. The ground is fortunately so flat that we won't require much
levelling of foundations. Now, the next thing, Max," he added, turning
to me and consulting the plan, "is this--have we made the best possible
arrangement of our space? You see I am not much of an architect, but
luckily we have not to contend with the civilised difficulties of
lobbies and staircases."
"You intend our palace to have only one storey, I suppose?" said I.
"Just so, Max. Arctic gales, you see, might carry a top storey off. We
shall have no lobby at all--only a front door and a back door entering
direct upon our hall. Of course I shall have a porch and door outside
of each, to keep wind and snow out. Now, see here. There, you observe,
is the foundation frame now being laid down. Well, one-third of the
space in the middle is to be the hall--our drawing-room, dining-room,
library, snuggery, smokery, public-room, etcetera, all in one. It will
extend from front to rear of the building; but at the back, you see, I
have marked a little oblong space which is to be boarded off as a sort
of larder, and gun-room, and place for rubbish in general. It will
extend along the width of the hall, leaving only space for the back
door."
"What a capital contrivance!" said I; "it will, besides being so useful,
break in on the oblong shape of the hall and give variety of form."
"Just so, Max; then the space left on each side of the hall shall be
partitioned off into four rooms--two on either side--with the doors
opening into the hall. No passages, you see, anywhere, and no wasted
space. One room for me, one for you, one for Salamander, who is to be
our man-servant as well as interpreter, and one for Blondin, whom I
intend to make a sort of overseer of the men. We shan't want a spare
room, for we won't be troubled much, I fear, with guests; but if such a
blessing should ever descend on us, we can turn Blondin or Salamander
out. They will have to mess with the men at any rate; and, by the way,
we must start the men's house and the store immediately, for I intend to
carry on all three at the same time, so that we and the men and the
goods may all get housed together."
"Are you to have attics?" I asked.
"No; but there will be a space under the sloping roof, which can be
turned into a garret, and may be reached through a trap-door by a
movable ladder. As to windows, the hall is to have two--one on each
side of the door, which will give the house the lively aspect of
appearing to have two eyes and a nose. The bedrooms will each have one
window in its side, and you may take the one looking eastward if you
choose, Max. In winter these windows shall have double frames and glass
to keep the cold out. Go now, my boy, and see to the foundation of the
men's house."
Need I say that we all toiled with hearty good-will; for, although the
weather was pleasantly warm at the time, we knew that the short-lived
autumn would quickly pass and render a good roof over our heads most
desirable.
Soon a pit-saw which we had brought with us was set to work, and planks
began to multiply. Henri Coppet and his men swung their great axes, and
trees began to fall around, and to take unwonted shapes. The ring of
Marcelle Dumont's anvil was heard from morn till eve, echoing through
the wild-woods; and powerful bands, and nuts, and screws, of varied size
and form, were evolved from our bundle of iron bars. Thus the whole
party wrought with untiring energy, and our future abode began to grow.
At all this our red friends gazed with countenances expressive of
inconceivable surprise and profound admiration.