^ ^\^ v^.^' IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) 1' A* >*:* 1.0 I.I lAiM2.B itt Hi £ la 12.0 25 12.2 IL25 WIU iiy4i^ 1.6 — 6" HiotogFaphJc ^Sciences Corporation 4 m r<\^ ;\ \ V 23 WRST MAIN STRIIT WI»STm,^uY. U5M (Vt) 872-4503 ^ . ^"^2^ ^\^ ^ 6^ CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICIVIH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical IVIicroreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques Tachnical and Bibliographic Notaa/Notaa tacliniquea at bibliographiquaa Tha inatituta haa attamptad to obtain tha baat original copy availabia for filming. Faaturaa of thia copy which may ba bibiiographicaliy uniqua, which may altar any of tha imagaa in tha raproduction, or which may aignificantly changa tha uaual mathod of filming, ara chacicad baiow. 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T P o fi G b tl al O' fi ai oi Tl al Tl w IM di ar b4 rll 10X 14X 18X 22X 26X 30X • 12X 16X aox a4x 28X 32X TiM copy filmad hw Hm boon r«produc«d thank* to tho gonorositY of: Library Divition Provincial Archivtt of British Columbia L'OKomplairo f ilmA f ut roprodiiit grico A la g4n4rotitA do: Library Division Prcvincial Archivas of British Columbia Tho imagoa appoaring haro aro tho boat qualitv poaaiblo conaMoring tho condition and logibility of tho original copy and in kaoping with tha filming contract apacificationa. Laa imagoa auh^antaa ont 4t* roproduitoa avac la plua grand aoin. compto tanu da la condition ot i» la nattatA da I'axamplaira film*, at •!% conformity avac laa conditiona du contrat da fiimaga. Original copioa in printod papar covers ara f ilmad beginning with tha front covor and anding on tho laat paga with a printad or illustratad impraa- sion. or tho back covor whon appropriato. All othor original copies ara filmed beginning on the first page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, and anding on the last page with a printed or illustrated impression. Lea exemplairea originaux dont la couverture on papier est imprimAo sont filmAs en commen9ant par la premier plat at en terminant soit par la dornlAro page qui comporte une emprointe d'impression ou d'illustration. soit par la second plat, salon la cas. Tous las autres exemplairea originaux sont filmAs en common^ant par la pramiA'o page qui comporte une emprointe d'impression ou d'illustration ot en terminant par la darniAre page qui comporte une telle emprointe. The last recorded frame on each microfiche shall contain tho symbol ^»> (meaning "CON- TINUED "). or the symbol ▼ (meaning "END "). whichever applies. Un des symboles suivants apparattra sur la darniAre image do cheque microfiche, selon lo cas: la symbole -^ signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbols V signifie "FIN". Maps, plates, charts, etc.. may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Los cartes, planches, tableaux, etc.. peuvent Atre filmAs A des taux da rAduction diff Arents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre reproduit en un soul ciichA. il est filmA A partir da I'angle supArieur geuche. do gauche A droite. ot do haut en bas. en prenant le nombre d'imeges rtAcessaire. Los diagrammes suivants iilustrent la mAthode. 1 2 3 32X 1 2 3 4 5 6 y\''A JHS/^"-. 'f v.. :-)t •^'^:.' ':,.i\ ""'^^'\ ■ .. ; .: ^-v ' -y ' "^'^ . : ■i^-,'V/-<^,^-i . , •.> ^. <, r .-,<;■'/■■. '. • •• ■:■■■■ t yi .^ , ■■*■■' ■«' f >■■'*>..'"■■! .■ ••• ■ ■■<■•'.■ ■•; , •■ ■■' ■ .-•.■,'''.', ■.■•<> .' t> i.\ ■• I LIFE ON THE MACKENZIE RIYEE. 145 n\ \. K .1 t,' ^ ' ■m .■J ft 'm-^'-:X'^ " f • >'^ >-%-s 3^ f;8 j LIFE ON THE MACKENZIE RIVER. THE immense territory stretching from Hudson's Bay to the Pacific Ocean, and from the northern boundaries of Cana- da to the coasts of the Arctic basin — but little inferior to Europe in extent — is a region of vast lakes comparable to inland seas, of rivers, torrents, swamps, and for- ests, with a similar proportion of naked plains intersected by as naked hills, often arranged in a wave-like form, as if an ocean had been suddenly petrified while heaving its huge billows under the influ- ence of a strong and stormy gale. The dense forests occur in the southern part of this district. They contain variou» species of timber-trees, but are principally of pines, which have often a withered, scorched, and blackened aspect. The spark from an Indian's pipe, or the unex- tinguished fiie of a bivouac, has ignited the dry moss and grass beneath thorn in summer, and the winds have kindled a con- flagration, which has blazed till quenched by the winter's snows. Further north, a I few stunted spruce firs line the banks of the streams, or are spread in patches over I sheltered spots, till, on gaining a higher latitude, the zone of the woods is left com- ' pletely,and only low willow scrub appears t in hollows on the borders of the icy sea. I Throughout this region, the signs of win- ter are unmistakeable in October, and con- tinue till May ; but they commence even earlier and last longer on the coasts than in the interior. The cold is so intense, that the thermometer falls to 5(P and even IQO below zero. Lakes and streams, ten to twelve feet deep, are masses of hard ice to the bottom. Brandy freezes, mer- cury solidifies, flannel may be snapped like a biscuit, and ice is occasionally formed in the nostrils. The breath, congealing as it passes from the mouth, becomes audible in r 5j'. ,a ^b^p whirr, like a small es- PRO- iMCIAU ^ VlCfOrt»A, ^- ^ 146 THE NATIONAL MAGAZINE. cape of steam ; whi!e the inside of heated apaitmentB ib encrusted with a thick coat* ing of rime, produced from the respiration of the inmates and the steam of their vic- tuals. Instruments and other articles of metal cannot be touched with imputiity by the naked hand out ofdoors ; for the skin will stick to them ou contact, and. pre- cisely the same cflect as burning one's fingers be produced. Similar punishment follows on incautiously drinking from tin panikins. The lips olcavc to the metal, and painful excoriations arc often caused in removing them. It is curious tu wit- ness the mobile mercury, when brought into the atmosphere fM*m a higher t<?m- perature, yield (o the polcnt cold, and re- luctantly resign itself to rigidity. The quicksilver vslowly contracts, a dull film overspreads it, and next a bright fluid ap- pears at the surfuce, when its consistency it akin to that of dough. Then follows the finp.! change to complete congelation. King Frost has (he prey fairly in his (fripe when the temperature of his finger ends in about 4(K>. The metal hardens, till the before restless, volatile, and dancing mer- cury in stiflT as a corpse — an indurated solid. Severe as is the season, it is not with- out 'ts glory. There are gorgeous spec- tacles in thu heavens which canopy the dreary landscape and solitary country. Parhelia by day, and parasdens: by night, are frequent, or mock su'ns and moons, with circles, arcs of circles, inverted or in a natural position, and horizontal bands, caused by the inflection of light from minute angular cryBtals of ice floating in the atmosphere. Then the Aurora Bo- reatis adds its splcndoi to t.he visual va- riety, with an effect never witnessed in our own gecgraphical pu!>ition, or gladly would our population troop cut of doors at midnight, and bravu the bitterest blast to enjoy the spectacle. No language can adequately describe or pencil picture the phenomenon ; its ever-varying phases, its fickle hues, its radiance, and its grandeur, rendered all the more imposing by the per- fect mysteriousness of the cause. What fill* with dszslini; beams the illumined air? What wakca the frames that light the firm- ament^ The lightnings flash— there is uo thnnder there. And earth and heaven with fiery ihecti are blent : The winter night now glr«m* with brighter, Icvelier ray Than ever yet adurn'il the goldrn summer's day. Is there some vut, some hidden mn^aklne, . Where the gross daikneiE ilnmes of fire sup- plies? Some phosphorous fabric which tlie mountahis screen, Whose clouds of Mght above those mountaini rise? The arrival of migratory birds from the south heralds the approach of a more ge- nial season ; with an increase <!t tempera- ture the snow melts. Pooli of watiT are then formed on the lake and river ico, till the compact mass is itself broken up, the currents are again in motion, hnge Hocks pa&3ing along with th'; btreams, grinding and hollowing out their banks. When impeded in their progress, they collect in enormous piles and form temporary dants, causing the obstructed waters tu flood the adjoining country, till the barrier i'^ re- moved by its natural dissolution. Upon the sutfuce soil iippcaring, the ground is a universal swamp, but is gradually dried by drai ige, in situations favorable to it, and by the increase of temperature. Sum- mer comes at length, and though a briefer interval than the wintir, it is rendered quite as distinct by its heat as the other season by its cold. Where the thermom- eter ban fallen below zero, it otlcn regis- ters 84'') in the shade and 100° in the sun, and by concentrating the solar rays on a black ground, a temperature \s high as 112° may be obtained. Where, too, ex- posed limbs would be certainly frost-bitten in winter, they as surely wince at the bites of musquitos and gad-flies in sum- mer. The region is thus one of surprising extremes, as well us of sudden changes ; for the seasonal transitions arc ctTectod with marvelouu rapidity, and the wc ithcr is subject to the most capricious varia- tions. Thick fogs prevail for weeks af- ter splendid sunshine, rain is sometimes abundant with a serene sky, and the sun will occasionally burst forth in tha midst of the heaviest showers. Such are the physical characteristics of the territory. Its human occupiers consist of Esquimaux, thinly sprinkled along the shores of the Arctic Ocean ; Indians, of various tribes, sparingly scat- tered through the interior ; and the of- ficers and servants of the Hudson's Hay Company. The latter are for the most 1 I LIFE ON THE MACKENZIE RIVER. 147 part iiJeotch, and chiefly Orkneymen, with Fren<!h Canadians and half-breeds, the |)ro(;cny o( a mixed European and Indian part'ntage. Tliey are stalionod at isolated uikI (kr-asunder posts or forts, often amid (h'lisn forests and cliocrless solitudeo, with the wolf and bear prowling in the neigh- iHirhood, ran^^ing to the distance of three iiiul four thousand miles from York Fac- tory, the head-quarters of the Company on Hudson's Hay. The officers are cither rliicf factors, wh^> superintend the business of a distriet, i" which there arw several posts, with one of superior pretensions for a kind of capital, but sufficiently rou|(ih and homely : or traders, who barter with the Indians fnr skins; or clerks, who keep an account of all transactions. The servants perform the miscellaneous menial labor requisite, as cutting wood, drawing home provisions on sledges, and transport- ing furs. The latter eervice involves labor of the severest description ; for the difficulties of mountain and forest, torrent and shallow, have to be cnr^uuntert'd and overcome, while the extremes of cold, boat, and [trivatinn are experienced. From khe remote! stations il requires nearly a twplvemortth to convey the goods to York Factory, from whence they are shipped for I'ingland. The furs are made up in closely-pressed packs, tlie emaller and finer skins — ae those of the musk-rats, rnnrtens, and otters — being placed in the inside, and inclosed by those of the wolf, bear, and reindeer. In winter they are (li-nwn on sledges to the nearest point from which water-carriage can be obtained in spring ; and upon the rivers becoming open, they are placed in boats, which can onlj advance through immense distances by being dragged along ; while at the rapids, goods and boatb have to be trans- ported on the backs of the men, to a point of the stream above the embarrassed lo- cality. The forts vary as to the number of per- Kons attached to them, according to their importance; and their accommodations l.itige upon the same circumstance, as well as upon their distance from the borders of <-ivilized life. They are commonly con- Ntriicted of roughly-hewn pine logs, of large dimensions, interstices being plas- tered with mud, the universal substitute for mortar. The roofs are composed of flat layers of sticks and moss ; while light is admitted through casements of parch- ment, which is repaired, when rent, with scraps of paper. As to interior furniture, there is neither sofa, ottoman, nor easy chair, though the inmates are not always bachelor Scotchmen. The bedsteads arc branches of pine, the unadorned work of the ax , the chairs are stools, made out of huge single blocks ; the tables are simi- larly made, and massive ; while a most miscellaneons assortment of articles may be observed here and there, consisting of guns, blankets, skins, kettles, horns, coffee- pots, pemmican tins, and fishing-lines, with the woodman's and carpenter's imple- ments. Yet the persons in charge of these primitive dwellings are gentlemen in man- ners, feeliag, and intelligence ; and at one of them — Fort Macpherson — the most nortlterly, a Scotch bride arrived in the winter of 1843, to commence the duties of married life amid the ice and snow of the Arctic zone. The northern district of the Company's territory, which includes the basin of the Mackenzie River, has Fort Simpson on its banks for the head station ; in latitude 61°, that of the Great Slave Lake. Further north in succession are Fort Norman, on the Bear Uivcr; Fort New Frankim, at the south extrem- ity of the Great Bear Lake ; Fort Good Hope, on the Mackenzie, under the Arctic circle ; Fort Confidence, at the north ex- tremity of the Bear Lake ; and Fort Mac- pherson, on the Peel Kiver, an afiluent of the Mackenzie. The natives of the dis- trict arc the Loucheux, or Quarrelers, the Hate, Rat, Dog-rib, und Slrong-bow In- dians, with the Esquimaux of the coast. There is little variety of food at these remote stations. Flour, bread, tea, and sugar — European importations — are arti- cles of extreme luxury, owing to the diffi- culty of transport through such an immense distance and wild country. A certain quantity of these and other domestic stores is atinually forwarded from Y'ork Factory ; but in order to make the allowance last, it must be consumed in homoeopathic por- tions, or reserved as a treat for Sundays. Fish is a main article of diet, summer and vi^inter, prepared in almost every conceiv- able method — boiled and roasted, dried, smoked, and cured. There are fish soupc= and fish cakes, with " fish, fish, f!sh" in a variety of phases, somewhat taxing to in- genuity to invent. Summer fare includes fre&h buffalo, reindeer, and elk flesh, with rabbits and other smaller animals, usually 148 THE NATIONAL MAOAZINK obtained with little effort, and in great abundance. Winter fare comprises fresh bear and bearer meat, occasionally ; but pemmican, or dried Ijuffalo and reindeer flesh, requiring vigorous mastication, is the ordinary dish, as the animals can then be rarely captured, having retired from the wind-swept plains to the shelter of distant woods. Two meals a day — at ten o'clock in the morning, and between four and six in the afternoon — are the usual repasts. Lieut. Hooper, who wintered at Fort New Franklin in 1849-50, in his account of the sojourn, mentions the very remarkable fact of the rabbits, throughout the whole region, being subject to periodical condi- tions of increase and reduction in their numbers. They overrun the country in astonishing quantities at one period, grad- ually lessen annually, until very few can be caught ; then, having arrived at their minimum, they gradually increase, until the animals become as abundant as before. These cycles of progress and decay com- prehend an interval of about eight or ten years. Several causes have been assigned for this extraordinary ebb and flow of life. Some assert that the rabbits migrate at regular intervals, to avoid the merciless persecutions of their many enemies — the lynx, wolf, fox, marten, and ermine. Others refer the circumstance to the periodical visitation of an epidemic. However this may be, the fluctuation has an important efl^ect upon the fur trade. In the year succeeding that when the rabbits are most plentiful, the fur-bearing animals, whose prey they become, are most abundant, while the year following that of their greatest decrease is the most deficient in its supply of furs. Plenty in summer, amounting to even wasteful abundance, often alternates at the isolated northern posts with abso- lute scarcity and positive famine in win- ter, owing to the migration of the larger animals, and failure in the arrival of cus- tomary supplies. Frightful crimes have been committed by the Indians to assuage the pangs of hunger ; and even the whites — French Canadians and half-castes — have lieen driven to cannibalism by the pressure (if the same dire necessity. During the winter of 1845 the Company's people at Fort Good Hope were short of provisions, and the Indians in the neighborhood were on the verge of starvation. One night the persons in charge of the station heard the blows of the ax in the lodges around the Fort, by which the weaker were killed, in order to be devoured. Two express- men, one Scotch and the other a native of the Orkneys, who were proceeding with letters to Fort Macpherson, met with a party of starving savages, who stole upon them in the night, murdered, and ate them, along with their provisions. While Lieut. Hooper was at Fort New Franklin, an old Indian hunter was lo- cated there, who had several times sus- tained life by feeding upon the corpses of those who had perished from famine, among whom were included his own parents, one wife, and the children of two. On one occasion this man made his appearance at Fort Norman to solicit food, and had, at the same time, the hands of his brother- in-law in his game-bag ! At Fort Simp- son there was another Indian, named Geero, who, according to report, had as- sisted in the consumption of eighteen indi- viduals, and was said to prefer human flesh to any other kind of food. The lieu- tenant, being desirous of going ofl!* for a few days into the woods to find reindeer or moose, wished to have Georo for his companion and guide ; but the Indian re fused the service, and, on being pressed for a reason, he frankly told the inter- preter that he did not dare to trust himself with any one alone in the woods, as he might be tempted to treat himself to a re- past of his much-esteemed fare ! The officer did not further solicit the honor of his company. Some of the tribes, as the Slaves and Dog-ribs, are indifler&nt to these horrors ; but others are less callous, and regard with abhorrence those who overcome a period of exigency by such revolting means. In the spring of the year 1850, which fol- lowed a terribly trying winter, an Indian of the Be<^ver tribe came to Dunvegan Fort, but refused to exchange greetings with the persons in charge of the post. When asked the reason of his unfriendly demeanor, he replied : '* I am not worthy to shake hands with men ; I am no longer a man, for I have eaten man's flesh. It is true 1 was starving, was dying of hunger, but I cannot forgive myself. The thought of the act is killing to me, and I shall die soon, and with contentment ; for although I still exist, I cannot any longer consider myself a human being." Such are some phases of life on the mKmBmmm^^mmm Iges around were killed, express- er a native proceeding n, met with who stole ■dered, and provisions. Fort New er was lo- times sus- } corpses of nine, among )ar<>nt8, one >. On one pearance at and had, at lis brother- Fort Simp- ian, named ort, had as- ghteen indi- efer human The lieu- ng off for a ,nd reindeer !oro for his e Indian re ing pressed 1 the inter- trust himself yoods, as he iself to a re- fare ! The the honor of Slaves and ese horrors ; I regard with ime a period means. In , which fol- !r, an Indian Dunvegan ;e greetings of the post, is unfriendly 1 not worthy im no longer flesh. It is ig of hunger. The thought id I shall die for although ger consider Mackenzie River, suflicicntly painful and forbidding. Yet has it features of interest to hardy adventurous spirits — the buffalo hunt, the bear chase, the capture of the far-bearing animals, and the traffic with the Indians — iwhich prevent monotony and offer excitement. This wild kind of oc- cupation, together with certain remuner- Htion and the prospect of rising in the Company's service, induces an adequate number of our countrymen to forego for a oeason the domestic comforts to which so much importance is attached at home, and doggedly endure the solitariness, deso- lation, fatigue, cold, and perils of a sojourn in the northern wilds of the western world. Nor is there perhaps to be found a more striking example of hardihood and energy in the search after commercial prosperity, than is afforded by the officers and servants of the Hudson's Bay Fur Trading Company at the remoter out- posts, who live through half the year with a temperature below zero, and deem them- selves fortunate if twice in a twelvemonth they hear a little of what is going on in merry England. life on the