THE EARLY CALL--THE PICTURESQUE ROUTE--THE TOILSOME PORTAGES--RIVAL
BRIGADES--FIRST BEAR--ALEC'S SUCCESSFUL SHOT.
So excited were the boys with their strange romantic surroundings that
the first night they lay down in their beds, thus prepared not far from
the camp fire on the rocks, they could hardly sleep. It was indeed a
new experience to be able to look up and see the stars shining in the
heavens above them. Then, when they looked around, on one side they saw
the Indians reclining there in picturesque attitudes, smoking their
pipes and engaged in quiet talk. When they turned and looked on the
other side there was the dense dark forest peopled in their young
imaginations with all sorts of creatures, from the fierce wolf and
savage bear to the noisy "whisky jack," a pert, saucy bird, about the
size and colour of a turtle dove, that haunts the camp fires and with
any amount of assurance helps himself to pemmican and other articles of
food, if a bag is left open or the provisions exposed to his keen eye.
Still sounding in their ears were his strange, querulous notes, forming
not half so sweet a lullaby as the music of the waves that beat and
broke a few yards from where they lay.
But "tired nature's sweet restorer, balmy sleep," came after a time, and
in dreamless slumber soon were they wrapped, nor did they stir until
early next morning. They were aroused by the musical voice of Big Tom,
from which rang out the boatman's well-known call:
"Leve, Leve, Leve!"
This is not Indian, but French, and has been taken by the Indians from
the early French voyageurs, who long years before this used to traverse
many parts of these wild regions to trade with the Indians. Quite a
number of names still remain in the country as relics of these hardy
early French explorers.
This ringing call met with a prompt response from all. No one dared to
remain for another nap. At once all was hurry and activity. The fires
were quickly rekindled, copper tea-kettles were speedily filled and
boiled, a hasty breakfast eaten, prayers offered, and then "All aboard!"
is the cry of Big Tom. The kettles, blankets, and all the other things
used are hastily stowed away, and the journey is resumed.
If the wind is fair the sail is hoisted and merrily they travel on. If
not, the heavy oars were brought out, and as they rose and fell in
unison the boats were propelled on at the rate of about six miles an
hour. Three or four times a day did they go ashore, boil the kettles,
and have a meal, for the air of that land is bracing and the appetites
are always good.
The route used for so many years by the Hudson Bay Company to transport
their goods into the interior from York Factory is utterly unfit for
navigation, as we understand that word, as the rivers are full of wild,
dangerous rapids and falls. Some of these rapids can be run at all
times during the summer, others only when the water is high. Many of
them are utterly impassable at any time. The result is that numerous
portages have to be made. As the making of a portage was exceedingly
interesting to our boys, we will here describe one.
The boats were rowed up against the current as far as possible and then
headed for the shore. Here at the landing place they were brought in
close to the rocks and every piece of cargo was taken out. These pieces
were put on the men's shoulders, one piece being fastened at both sides
by a carrying strap, which in the middle is drawn across the forehead.
Then, using the first piece thus fastened, one or two more pieces are
piled upon it and the Indian starts with this heavy load along the rough
and rocky trail to the end of the portage. This end is the place beyond
the rapids where safe navigation again commences. In quick succession
the men are thus loaded until all the cargoes are thus transported from
one side to the other.
The boys were very eager to help. So they quickly loaded themselves
with their guns and blankets, and, striking out into the trail along
which they saw the Indians were hurrying, they bravely endeavoured to
keep those in sight who had started just before them. To their great
surprise they found this to be an utter impossibility. The swinging jog
trot of an Indian does not seem to be a very rapid pace, but the white
man unaccustomed to it finds out very quickly that it takes long
practice for him to equal it. At first the boys thought that it was
because they had loaded themselves too heavily, and so they quite
willingly took a rest on the way; dropping their blankets and guns, and
sitting down on a rock beside the trail, they watched with admiration
the Indians in single file speeding along with their heavy loads. Many
of these men can carry on each trip three pieces, that is a load of from
two hundred and forty to three hundred pounds.
As Ayetum, the Indian who had charge of the white boys' cooking
arrangements, was passing them as they sat there in the portage he said,
in broken English:
"White boys leave guns and blankets, Ayetum come for them soon."
This was quite agreeable to the tired lads, and so they started up
again, Frank saying as they did so:
"Now we will show them that we can keep up to them." Gallantly they
struck out, but to a white boy running over an Indian trail where rocks
and fallen trees and various other obstructions abound is a very
different thing from a smooth road in a civilised land. For a time they
did well, but when hurrying along on a narrow ledge of rock an unnoticed
creeping root tripped up and sent Sam flying over the side of a steep
place, where he went floundering down twenty or thirty feet among the
bracken and underbrush. Fortunately he was not much hurt, but he needed
the assistance of two Indians to get him up again.
Thus rapidly passed the days as the brigade hurried on. Not an hour was
wasted. It was necessary to move on as quickly as possible, as not
twenty-four hours would elapse ere the next brigade would be dispatched
from York Factory, and not only would it be a great disgrace to be
overtaken, but the rivalry and strife of the boats' crews in the
portages, in their efforts to see which could get their cargoes over
first, would be most intense; and sometimes there is bad blood and
quarrelling, especially if the brigades happen to be of rival tribes.
Hence it was ever the plan of the great company that employed them all
to keep them at least a day or two apart on these adventurous and
exciting journeys. To Big Tom and his men had been given the post of
honour, and it was well-known that such was his skill as a leader, and
so well was he backed up by his well-trained, stalwart men, that unless
some great accident happened, no brigade following would have any chance
of catching up to him ere his journey was finished.
One day when passing through a lakelike expanse of the river they saw a
large black bear swimming as fast as he could directly ahead of them.
At length a cry was raised, "A bear! a bear!" The men bent to their
oars and there was an exciting chase.
Fortunately for the pursuers, it was a wide open space and the bear was
far out from land. Even in these heavy boats the men can row faster
than a bear can swim. Knowing well the habits of the bear, the men's
first efforts were to cut him off from the mainland, and thus oblige him
to swim for one of the many islands which could be seen on ahead. If
they could succeed in this, of course he would have a poor chance, as
the boats would speedily surround him there. Bears know that they are
not safe on islands when hunted, and so cunningly endeavour to keep from
them; or, if so unfortunate as to be obliged to take refuge on one when
closely pursued, they do not seem able to keep quiet and try to lie
hidden and unseen, but just as soon as possible they make the attempt to
reach the mainland, and there hide themselves away from their pursuers
in the dense forest or underbrush. This peculiarity of the bear is
well-known to the Indian hunters; so in this case the first object of
the men, as they would hardly be able to get near enough to this big
fellow to shoot him in the water, was to head him off from the mainland
and thus force him on an island. In this they succeeded, as they
anticipated.
Frank, Alec, and Sam were, of course, intensely excited as the chase
advanced. In their Zoological Gardens they had often seen and watched
various species of bears. There, however, they were in captivity and
could do no harm. Here, however, away ahead of them like a great
Newfoundland dog, was this big, fierce fellow, wild and free, making the
race of his life, to escape from his relentless pursuers.
At first he struck out for the mainland, and made the most desperate
efforts to reach the shore; but when at length he saw one of the boats
surely crawling along so that it would soon be between him and the point
of land toward which he was swimming, he accepted the situation and
struck off for a large island that seemed to be densely covered with
trees and underbrush.
Nearer and nearer came the boats, propelled so vigorously by the
muscular, excited men, whose great oars rose and fell with all the
precision of clockwork, as they saw they were sure of gaining on their
prey.
As Big Tom's boat was at the front, he said to the excited boys, who
could hardly restrain themselves:
"You boys want to shoot him?"
Of course they did. What boy under similar circumstances would not have
given almost anything for a shot at a bear in a position like this?
So the guns were quickly loaded, and under Tom's direction the boys were
given a position one after another in the stern of the boat. Grandly
did the men row so as to bring the bear within range ere the island
should be reached. When the bear was about two hundred feet from shore
Tom, who had had some difficulty in restraining the boys from firing,
now ordered the men to cease rowing, and, as had been arranged with the
boys, he gave the word to Sam to fire. Quickly rang out the report of
his gun.
"Did you hit him?" said Big Tom.
"I think I did," was Sam's odd reply; "for see, he is swimming faster
than he did before I fired."
This quaint answer was met by shouts of laughter from all who understood
its comical meaning.
"Now, Frank, it is your turn," said Big Tom.
Carefully aiming for his head--and really there was not much of it to be
seen, for a bear swims low in the water--Frank fired, and a howl and a
vigorous shaking of the head told that he had been hit somewhere, but
not enough to stop his progress. The boat, under the momentum it had
received from the oars, was still moving on about as fast as the bear
was able to swim.
"Now, Alec," said Big Tom, as the lad took his position in the stern of
the boat, "when he tries to run through the shallow water near those
rocks, your turn comes. Hit him behind the shoulder, good young
Scotchman."
At the kindly mention of his nationality the blood of Alec suddenly
rose, and he felt his hand grip that gun and his eye strangely brighten,
and he resolved if possible he would make the shot of his life.
Steadying himself, he waited until the bear was exactly in the place and
position mentioned by the experienced old hunter, who stood just behind
him. Then he fired. As the report rang out there was also heard a dull
thud, that told that somewhere the fierce brute had been struck, but to
Alec's mortification he gave some desperate bounds and finally reached
the shore. There among the rocks he suddenly dropped as in a heap. A
few seconds after, some of the Indians jumped overboard and cautiously
waded toward him through the shallow water. Their caution, however, was
altogether unnecessary. Alec's bullet had done its work, and the bear
was stone dead. The Indians found, when cutting up the body, that the
ball had gone completely through him. The wonder was that the great
brute had been able to move at all after being so struck. The bears
have an immense amount of vitality, as hunters who shoot them often find
out to their own cost. So here was the first bear killed; Alec was the
hero of the hour. While modestly he received the congratulations, he
naturally felt very proud over the accuracy of the shot that had brought
down a great black bear.
Speedily did some of the Indian hunters get out their knives and begin
skinning the great animal. While doing this they made a discovery that
very much pleased Frank, and that was that his bullet had gone clean
through the ear of the bear, and had thus caused his howls and the angry
shakings of his head which had been observed by all after Frank had
fired. As a bear's ear is very small, Frank's shot was an exceedingly
good one, when we take into consideration that he fired from a moving
boat at such a small object as the bear's head.
"First blood, anyway, for Frank," said Alec.
So it had turned out to be, although Alec's had been the shot that had
brought down the game.
The beautiful black robe and the meat were soon carried by the stalwart
men to the boats, and the journey was resumed. That evening at the camp
fire all had abundance of bear's meat for their supper. It was very
much enjoyed by all, as the meat of these animals is good, tasting
something like young pork, with a gamey flavour.