LONDON : PHINTED BY 
 
 fcPOTTlSWOOllE AND CO., SEW-STRKET 6QCAKB 
 
 AND TARLIAMENT STREET 
 
 'rtl.i
 
 Veky Fae West Indeed 
 
 A FEW I^UGH EXPERIENCES 
 
 THE NOR^H-WEST PACIFIC COAST 
 
 BY 
 
 R. Byron eloHNsoN 
 
 LONDON 
 SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON, LOW, & SEARLE 
 
 CROWN BUILDINGS, 188 FLEET STREET 
 
 1872 
 
 All riuldx reserved
 
 
 PEEFACE. 
 
 The Authok, in dedicating this work to the public, 
 does so in the modest hope that its contents, which are 
 for the most part a mere record of personal experiences, 
 may afford, to any one desirous of gaining it, some in- 
 sight into the mode of life and character of society ex- 
 isting in the distant part of the world in which those 
 experiences occurred. Perhaps, also, the story of some 
 years' adventures, of a tolerably varied and exciting- 
 nature, may be of interest to ordinary readers. If, 
 above all, the Author may be able by these pages in 
 the slightest manner to assist or guide the judgment of 
 a brother emigrant, he will feel that his labour has not 
 been ill spent. 
 
 The book has no pretensions to a scientific or theoretic 
 basis. The Author has sought to be practical, and, by 
 showing the various phases which ordinary men seeking 

 
 vi PREFACE. 
 
 tlieir fortunes in wild countries may expect to en- 
 counter, to enable tire general public to form their 
 own conclusions : if he has been betrayed, here and 
 and there, into theories or conclusions of his own 
 which may be at war with received opinions, he can 
 only, without seeking to deprecate criticism, beg in- 
 dulgence on the score that such theories or conclusions 
 are outside the general tenor and intention of his 
 \V()rk. 
 
 London. 1872. 
 
 3?
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER 
 I, 
 
 THE START 
 
 
 
 PAGE 
 1 
 
 II. 
 
 SAN FEANCISCO 
 
 
 
 . 16 
 
 III. 
 
 THE ARRIVAL 
 
 
 
 . 31 
 
 IV. 
 
 VANCOUVER'S ISLAND 
 
 
 
 . 42 
 
 V. 
 
 UP THE COUNTRY . . . . 
 
 
 
 . 54 
 
 VI. 
 
 THE ROAD 
 
 
 
 . 68 
 
 VII. 
 
 THE NOBLE SAVAGE 
 
 
 
 . 83 
 
 VIII. 
 
 THE ROAD AGAIN 
 
 
 
 . 94 
 
 IX. 
 
 vs'illiam's creek 
 
 
 
 . 112 
 
 X. 
 
 BOATING ON THE ERASER 
 
 
 
 . 128 
 
 XI. 
 
 A HOLIDAY .... 
 
 
 
 , 143 
 
 XII. 
 
 WINTERING IN VICTORIA 
 
 
 
 . 160 
 
 XIII. 
 
 ANOTHER TURN AT THE MINES 
 
 
 
 . 175 
 
 XIV. 
 
 'rustling' 
 
 
 
 . 191 
 
 XV. 
 
 MORE RUSTLING . 
 
 
 
 . 2:6 
 
 XVI. 
 
 AN UNPLEASANT ADVENTURE 
 
 
 
 . 219 
 
 XVII. 
 
 A BARE ESCAPE OR TWO 
 
 
 f 
 
 . 237 
 
 XVIII. 
 
 THE LAST CHANCE. 
 
 
 
 . 252 
 
 Conclusion ...... 
 
 
 
 . 268
 
 VEEY FAE WEST INDEED. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE STAET. 
 
 Some yeaes ago a great cry was raised concerning a 
 country one hears of now but seldom : that country 
 was British Columbia. Glowing letters appeared in the 
 Times, referring to its enormous wealth in gold mines, 
 and the new and vast fields for enterprise offered to 
 the emigrant upon its shores. 
 
 Being at that time a youngster possessed strongly 
 with the Anglo-Saxon spirit of adventure, I was a good 
 deal impressed by these advertisements ; particularly 
 as the isolation of the colony from the rest of the civi- 
 lised world, and its wild and imexplored state, rather 
 added a charm of romance to its other attractions ; so 
 a chance acquaintance with a man lately returned from 
 Australia, who purposed nibbling again at the golden 
 bait held forth from this far-west quarter of the globe, 
 induced me to offer to accompany him in the search of 
 adventure and lucre. 
 
 B
 
 2 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 My new friend liad not been by any means fortunate 
 in Australia, having in fact })een recently shipped home 
 in the capacity of what tlie Yankees call a ' dead-head,' 
 through the good offices of the authorities at Mel- 
 boiurne — that is to say, he was granted a free-passage 
 as a ' distressed British subject.' .But, even as the 
 gambler says, ' the next pleasure to that of gaining is 
 that of losing,' so the recountal of his reverses soimded 
 to me only a little less pleasantly exciting than if he 
 had been able to narrate his experiences in tlie light of 
 a new-made CrcEsus. In the latter event he woxdd 
 ])roV)ably have been but a very dull fellow indeed, and 
 would have disgusted one With his airs, after all. 
 
 Very soon we had framed our plans, packed our kits, 
 and taken our passages for El Dorado {via the Isthmus 
 of Panama and San Francisco) on the West India Mail 
 •Steamer from Southampton. About a lumdred and 
 lifty kindred spirits were bound Avitli us in the steer- 
 age, creating (juite a sensation in the midst of the 
 smooth, placid, aristocratic traffic of that eminently 
 respectable steam-ship line. They didn't forget to make 
 us pay for the luxury of the sensation eitlier; a piece 
 of short-sightedness which helped the pockets of the 
 rival Liverpool lines considerably. 
 
 We in the steerage were a very mixed lot, although 
 most of us were (unluckily for us, perhaps) of a good 
 deal better class, so far as antecedents go, than the 
 ordinary run of passengers. There were many clerks
 
 THE START. 3 
 
 and young men of that stamp, who had never done a 
 stroke of manual hibour in their lives ; not a few sons 
 of clergymen (who generally turned out great scamps); 
 several men of university training; a few Israelites, 
 bent on trading, with a small equipment of ' Brum- 
 magem ' and Whitechapel rubbisli, and their own 
 acuteness for a stock (the Jews are always tlie gold- 
 seekers' jackals); and some hard sun-burnt fellows in 
 rough miner's dress, who, like my companion, had left 
 other gold countries to try their luck in the new one. 
 These last were om* heroes. When one of them seated 
 himself anywhere, a circle of ' new chums ' was soon 
 formed round him, begging stories of his adventures, 
 and gathering fragments of advice. The advice 'gene- 
 rally tendered was, that the listeners wei^e a pack of 
 young fools, and that they had better all go back by 
 the next steamer. There were some young women 
 too, ostensibly in the dressmaking and ' school-marm ' 
 interest, but really, I fancy, with much stronger views 
 in their minds towards matrimony, or money witliout 
 marriage, than aught else ; and I am bound to say 
 that this portion of our company succeeded in the end 
 to better advantage than the rest. 
 
 The voyage out to the West Indies was very plea- 
 sant, in spite of the inconveniences of roughing it on 
 board ship. 
 
 I think ' caste ' is the first thing (sea-sickness e^x- 
 cepted) that strikes one wlien he gets into blue^water. 
 
 }i 2
 
 4 VEEY FAK WEST INDEED. 
 
 There are the saloon passengers, composed chiefly of 
 Spanish grandees and their families, and newly-mar- 
 ried officers, regimental doctors, and chaplains bound 
 for West India stations, with a few mercliants thrown 
 in : tliey are headed by a sort of vigilance committee, 
 made up of one or two elderly and talkative old gen- 
 tlemen, who have made the voyage once or twice before. 
 These old gentlemen exercise the most despotic sway 
 over the unhappy herd, and are always recognisable by 
 a sort of be-tarpaulined horse-marine get-up wliicli 
 they affect. They bore the captain and the rest of 
 the ofi&cers of the ship incessantly with absurd nau- 
 tical questions they hardly know the meaning of, with 
 the view of further impressing their superabundant 
 knowledge and dignity upon the foolish, untravelled 
 mass. They are always in the way of the sailors, and 
 sometimes get rewarded (accidentally of course) by 
 sprawling over a stray rope, or getting a souse from a 
 slush-bucket. Generally there are one or two old lady 
 horse-marines, too, who keep the female part of their 
 community under still stricter discipline. 
 
 It is a point of honour with a saloon passenger never 
 to have anything to say to a second-class passenger; 
 the canaille in tlie steerage are of course out of tlie 
 question. 
 
 The second-cabin people are a weak, inoffensive race, 
 who are happy on the made-up remains of the saloon din- 
 ner. They may often be seen watching hungrily round
 
 THE START. 5 
 
 the chief cabin entrance, peering anxiously into the 
 returning dishes, which they will shortly be able to 
 recognise at their own spread. At such times there is 
 much 'tipping' of stewards, and a regular system of 
 pre-emption seems to exist. ' Steward ! that half 
 chicken ' (movement of the hand towards the steward's 
 extended palm). ' I say, Steward, you know, that bit 
 of curry' (more palm oil). 'Apricot tart to-day, my 
 eye ! ' (a wink and a chink) &c., &c. If any one takes 
 the trouble to lord it over these respectable folk, it is 
 usually the sleek young Dissenting missionary, wlio 
 rigidly tabooes novels and cards, and convenes the 
 faithful to frequent prayer ; enlivening their evenings 
 by stories of frightful shipwrecks, fires at sea, and the 
 never-ending fires the non-elect . may expect for their 
 portion hereafter. 
 
 It is a point of honour with a second-cabin passenger 
 never to have anything to say to a steerage passenger 
 — they are rather afraid of them in fact — and to try 
 all means to cultivate a sneaking round-the-mast sort 
 of acquaintance with one first-class swell if possible : 
 in the exercise of this laudable aspiration they bear 
 many snubbings with great equanimity. 
 
 The steerage crowd are an independent lot generally, 
 and the exclusiveness of the upper classes is rather 
 tlirown away so far as they are concerned. Many of 
 them, it is regrettable to state, have no points of 
 honour worth mentionino-.
 
 6 VF-RY FATJ Wi:ST INDEIID. 
 
 There was a g-ood sturdy spirit of hope prevalent 
 amongst us young adventurers (it formed the greater 
 part of our capital) and I think we were as happy a 
 crew as could ])e ordinarily met witli. Loafing about, 
 basking in the brilliant tropical sun tempered by the 
 sea-breezes, or seeking the sliade of the bulwarks or 
 forecastle, with pipe always in mouth, till meal-times 
 were announced, when we demolished our rougli fare 
 with wondrous appetites : watching botiitos, flying-fish, 
 and sharks ; playing deck-quoits or whist (precious 
 ])adly too) and gambling in many ways ; dancing 
 hornpipes and reels, boxing, and sky-larking generally ; 
 that's bow Ave got over the time, without a thought 
 towards to-morrow, except as the day that was to 
 bd-ing us fortune. 
 
 Hope is, no doubt, one of the best things in the way 
 of sentiment that a man can carry about with him, but 
 unfortunately it is frequently an enemy to material 
 progress. There are too many of us of the Micawber 
 type, ready to spend to-morrow's sustenance for to- 
 day's enjoyment, and tlien hope for ' something to 
 turn up.' Now, this book may meet the eye of an 
 intending emigrant, and I woidd venture, if I may do 
 so without being accused of preaching, to direct his 
 attention to tlie moral which i»ay be gathered from 
 my own experiences, personal and otlierwise. In the 
 lirst plae*, then, brother emigrant, stick tiglit to those 
 good sovereigns in 3^our waist-belt — e^ipecially be
 
 THE START. 7 
 
 careful with whom you <i^amble on board ship. You 
 will want all your money when you arrive at your des- 
 tination, to enable you to look about for a path' to 
 strike out in. If you are going 'on spec,' rough it 
 from the start : don't spend half your money in an 
 outfit, which will only be a nuisance to you, and a 
 drug in the market when you want to sell it — as you 
 certainly will : a spare shirt is easily bought wlien 
 required, and if such a purchase is not easy, you must 
 fain submit to a little inconvenience. Remem])er 
 that after all, in any place, it is hard to get out of tlie 
 groove when once in it, and that if you land witliout 
 money, and have to take to breaking stones to keep 
 you alive, you won't so readily rise to anything better. 
 To return to our joiu-ney : after changing steamer at 
 tlie pretty little town of 8t. Thomas, with its three 
 hills, we reached Colon or Aspinwall, and entered the 
 ' cars ' for Panama. The railroad is only forty-eight 
 miles across, but it seems to take about six hours to 
 make the trip. 
 
 I noticed a great personage in white linen get on 
 board the train. Presently he looked round for his 
 luggage, and discovered part of it was missing. By 
 this time we had started, and got about two hundred 
 yards from the station. Looking back, I saw a nigger, 
 with an enormous carpet bag, running up the track, 
 and making frantic gestures. I spoke to the guard or 
 conductor, who was an American, asking if he was
 
 8 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 };oing to pull up for the nigger, who was toiling along 
 so gamely. 
 
 ' I guess not ! ' he said, ' ef he's only haaf a nigger, 
 lie'll ketch us up afore we cud stop.' 
 
 And the coloured person kept bravely on, getting 
 nearer and nearer, till we could hear him puffing. 
 Then putting on a big spurt he reached the train, 
 caught hold of the railing round the platform, shied 
 the bajj on board, and liauled himself in after it. 
 
 ' Good nigger ! ' shouted the conductor, approvingly. 
 ' Deuced bad train I ' I replied. ' Don't you ever go 
 any faster than this ? ' 
 
 ' Darsn't, jest here ; shud go ker-flop inter that 
 etarnal swamp in about tu minutes an' a haaf ! ' 
 
 I wanted to treat the nigger to a drink at the bar 
 (nearly all American trains have got a bar); but I 
 shall never forget the look of horror with which this 
 proposition was received by the intelligent personage 
 of high-toned and elegant appearance, who dispensed 
 his wondrous fluids at that little counter. 
 
 First, he swore a string of heart-breaking oaths, 
 then he expectorated freely and took fresh breath, 
 yraashing a tumbler in liis excitement ; after which, 
 seeing my confusion, and getting mollified, he said : — 
 ' Ah, well ! I see, stranger ; yu ain't ercustomed to 
 free institooshins, yu hev bin raised whar they regards 
 them things (jerking his fore-finger at the wretched 
 panting nigger) as human critters a'most. But don't
 
 THE STAET. 9 
 
 you never aask no more niggers to drink at my bar, 
 'else thar'll be a muss, sure ! ' 
 
 So I gave the unfortunate negro a quarter dollar 
 instead, and made friends with the bar-keeper; who 
 was a good sort of fellow, apart from what I then 
 thought his undue prejudice against colour in his own 
 species (I have grown to think a good deal with him 
 since). He made me an A 1 mint-julep, for which he 
 would not hear of payment. This, I think, was the 
 tm-ning point in his favour with me. 
 
 Panama, we found, was a dirty old hole, though 
 surrounded with the most glorious scenery ; there Avas 
 nothing about it worth seeing, or thinking of, but its 
 ruins and associations with the Elizabethan vikings 
 who had haunted it. There was, as usual, a revolution 
 going on when we got there. A good many long 
 Spanish steel gims were running about with tiny little 
 men, and shot themselves off now and then to the 
 great terror of their holders. A youth with a very 
 long sword dashed about, poked the terrific weapon 
 through a shutter, in the wild excitement of pursuing 
 an imaginary foe, and couldn't get it back again ; 
 after which he seemed to think soldiering a bad game, 
 kicked a quiet chicken and a somnolent pig viciously, 
 and fell in with our party to beg a light for his cigar. 
 
 The revolution was over next day ; all the inhabitants 
 once more turned their attention to their wonted occu- 
 pation of fleecing their visitors for the few days they
 
 10 VERY FAR WRST INDEKD. 
 
 liad the cliance of doing so ; till after tliese were gone, 
 b:id blood should again rise, and cause the slaughter of 
 a few stray dogs :ind cormorants. By the way, the 
 latter creatures, called ' scavenger-l)irds,' are the only 
 sanitary inspectors of this and similar towns ; they 
 devour all the filth and garbage, which is simply 
 thrown into the street, and it is a matter of a heavy 
 fine to kill one of tliese birds intentionally. 
 
 The local paper appeared next morning with the 
 fresh government programme, and an apology for the 
 previous edition not having been issued. 
 
 Editorul. 
 
 "We have been made the victims of shameful coercion ! 
 The miscreants who have long usurped the reins of power, 
 the carrion who have now been swept into the dust-heap 
 
 of oblivion by the righteous arm of (I forget the 
 
 name of this bloodless warrior) endeavoured to enforce 
 upon us a degrading requisition. Their last stronghold 
 had been almost forced, and their ammunition was nearly 
 spent — fruitlessly, God be thanked — they had stolen all the 
 lead from the roof of the only church the}' could get at, 
 and they threatened to take from us — nay, not from us, but 
 from the inhabitants of Panama, from the whole world — 
 our breatli of life, our Type ! ! ! With this the insensate 
 scoundrels would have made bullets, and preserved longer 
 the unholy fight of crime and villany against justice and 
 right. Our determination preventi'd this catastrophe. We 
 defied the impious wolves ; and by the blessing of the 
 Almighty, aided by an iron shutter (these may be obtained 
 in lots to suit, from the store of our esteemed friends,
 
 THE START. 11 
 
 Fernandez y Ca. ; a fresh shipment having just arrived 
 fi'om New Yoi'k) and a notice in large letters intimating 
 that there was a navy revolver on the premises which 
 might go off and hit somebody, our invaluable plant was 
 kept inviolate. One or two approaches were made towards 
 the premises ; but the warning bark of our sentinel, our 
 noble dog, was sufficient to scare away these intruders. 
 They fled. Under the circumstances detailed, the Pacific 
 Coast will excuse the loss it has sustained in the omission 
 of our last semi- weekly edition. 
 
 We stayed at Panama a few days, astonishing the 
 natives by going out, in true English fashion, to slioot 
 birds in the neighbouring woods, in the middle of a 
 tropical day. \\'e got a bag of wondrously-plumed 
 creatures, and one or two lizards and snakes. We 
 further outraged tlie popular local notion of the fitness 
 of things by bathing in the bay, which was full of 
 sharks — a circumstance we had not thought of. Luckily 
 the sharks didn't know there were any such foolish 
 people about, and through tlieir not being on the qui 
 vive nothing untoward happened. 
 
 The residents seem to do nothing in the day but 
 drink incessantly of iced liquids and play billiards on 
 wooden tables with the largest balls and hugest cues 
 ever seen. When overcome by this exercise they sleep 
 till the sun gets low,^and then they stroll on the plaza. 
 There is always a plaza in a Spanish town, or village 
 even, be it never so insignificant a place. After this 
 more billiards and iced drinks, and then more sleep.
 
 12 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 The women are always either iu-doors or in the churches, 
 the latter being about as numerous as the bar-rooms. 
 
 We were very tired of the place by the time the 
 passengers from New York came in, and we were then 
 shipped on an American steamer for San F'rancisco, 
 with a complement of only fifteen hundred passengers. 
 
 Uncle Sam doesn't exercise that fatlierly care over 
 his children on board ship that John Bull does, hence 
 the steerage of a Yankee steamboat, with nine lumdred 
 people packed below-decks, like herrings in a^arrel, 
 is not quite so pleasant a place as it might be. Most 
 of the new arrivals were Irish and Low Dutch, and as 
 neither their habits nor their persons were particularly 
 cleanly, I can assure my readers that a pig-stye which 
 has not been cleaned out for a twelvemonth would be a 
 nosegay compared to the place where we were expected 
 to tvu-n in. Our bunks consisted of three tiers of filthy 
 canvas stretchers, supported by upright frames ; these 
 stretchers extended along botli sides of the ship and 
 down the centre, in a fore and aft direction. Tlicy 
 were occupied by the unfortunate people four-abreast, 
 and I have been told as a literal fiict, by a shipmate 
 who remained below, that turning over was a matter 
 of mutual arrangement, as any movement of the kind, 
 owing to the limited space, was bound to be a concerted 
 one. For my o\\ti part, I preferred to spread my 
 blanket on the upper deck under the stars, taking the 
 chances of being kicked and sworn at by the watch for
 
 THE START. 13 
 
 being in the way, or of getting a sousing from the 
 hose in the morning when the order came to 'wash 
 decks,' to sharing the unsavoury den below. 
 
 The eating arrangements were equally enticing ; our 
 food (of which there was certainly rough plenty) was 
 served on swing tables let down from the upper deck. 
 We had to stand at them, and lucky were those who 
 could get standing room. The tables had to be cleared 
 and reset three times at every meal on account of the 
 number of passengers, and there was always a regular 
 free fight for places at the first and second tables. 
 Then, if you got a place, it would probably be right 
 up in the bows, where there was a good chance of 
 getting kicked or butted by the cattle, which were 
 cooped up there, poor things, in about the same manner 
 as we were below, and with about the same regard to 
 cleanliness. In rough weather it is easy to imagine, 
 under the circumstances, that more of the provisions 
 found their way over one's clothes than into one's 
 mouth. Fortunately there is not much bad weather 
 on that coast. 
 
 In spite of these drawbacks we were all merry enough, 
 and looked forward with much interest to our arrival 
 at San Francisco, about which town we had heard 
 much, both at home and on our way. Those who had 
 revolvers were to be seen busily cleaning them up ready 
 for use, for San Francisco had not then outlived its 
 reputation as the most lawless place in the world.
 
 14 vi:ry far west indeed. 
 
 I remember that on this part of our journey the 
 anniversary of Her Majesty's birthday occurred, and I 
 have no doubt it would have given our Sovereign Lady 
 much joy to have seen the animated way in whic-li the 
 Englisli portion of our shipmates gave vent to their 
 feelings on that occasion. Unhappily one of tliem 
 carried his enthusiasm to such an extent as to fall foid 
 of a ])articularly quick-tempered Western man, who in 
 the lieat of argument drew his six-sliooter, and our 
 compatriot, bolting through the cabin door, received a 
 parting shot in a portion of liis body which could not 
 be used for its normal function of occupying a chair 
 for some days. Tlie "Western man was put in irons for 
 a day or two pro funnd, and was then released on liis 
 promise to be of good behaviour. The matter finally 
 ended by a hand-sliake and liquor-up between the 
 parties. 
 
 On our way up the coast of ^Mexico we put in at 
 Acapulco to coal, and had the pleasure of a run ashoie 
 and a dainty feed of fowls and omelettes. Poultry 
 appeared to be tlic unly live-stock in the place except 
 vermin. 
 
 The only remarkable thing here was the semi-aq\ieous 
 nature of tlie natives, who swam out in Imndreds to the 
 steamer, and appeared to sj^end the greater part of the 
 day in tlie watt'r. 1'liere were any number of sliarks 
 to be seen swinauiug round tlie ship all tlie time, but 
 the darkies didn't seem to care a ])it for tliem. All
 
 THE START. 15 
 
 carried knives in a belt round their waists, and laughed 
 if you asked tliem if they weren't afraid of the 
 sharks. They dived in ten fathoms of water for the 
 small silver coins we threw overboard to them, and 
 most of tJiem got a pretty good mouthful of ten-cent 
 pieces by the time our largess was exhausted. I sliould 
 tliink the lieat causes the natives to take to the water 
 so much, for Acapulco must be nearly the hottest place 
 on this eartli at any rate. 
 
 A few days after leaving this wayside oven we 
 entered the Golden Gate, the entrance to the magni- 
 ficent harbour of San Francisco, much rejoiced at th.e 
 prospect of a speedy release from our filthy prison. 
 INIost of our shipmates were bound no further, and as 
 there was no steamer for some days to carry us to Van- 
 couver's Island, we anticipated with considerable plea- 
 sure the idea of our temporary sojourn in the Golden 
 City.
 
 16 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 SAN FRANCISCO. 
 
 Previous to the year '49, the site which the town of 
 San Francisco now occupies was not a scene to excite 
 the admiration of either a lover of nature or a devotee 
 of commerce. 
 
 In fact, half of the site was then occupied by the 
 shallow waters of the bay ; and the otlier half was a 
 mere heap of sand-hills, almost devoid of vegetation. 
 The holy fathers of the Mission Dolores, and a few 
 straggling settlers and fishermen, composed the popula- 
 tion of the neighbourhood. A more peaceful spot, and 
 one more likel}^ to all appearance, to continue so, 
 could hardly have been found upon the surface of the 
 earth. 
 
 Such, however, is the wonderfully attractive power 
 of gold, that at the end of the year above mentioned, 
 when the first influx of gold-seekers commenced, there 
 could not liave been less than eighty thousand people 
 Jierded together nenr the place that is now the 
 metropolis of the North Pacific. The harbour, whose 
 waters had seldom been stirred by any more pretentious 
 craft tlian an Indian canoe or a fisherman's boat, sud-
 
 SAN FEANCISCO. 17 
 
 den ly became filled with the vessels of every nation ; 
 and few of these were able to leave until after many 
 months, from the impossibility of retaining the crews 
 they brought, or of hiring fresh ones for a return 
 voyage. Among the old ' forty-niners,' as the now 
 remaining pioneers of the country are proud to style 
 themselves, it is curious to note, when one sees them at 
 work in the miners, the large number whose tattooed 
 arms show what their calling once was. A vast 
 assemblage of tents whitened the shores of the bay, 
 far almost as the eye could reach ; and from the midst 
 sprung up, as if by magic, huge wooden stores, hotels, 
 and buildings of every description. 
 
 Truly, the energy exhibited in building this city, 
 and overcoming the natural disadvantages of its posi- 
 tion, was, and still is, immense. No town of equal 
 magnitude or importance (save Melbourne, perhaps) 
 has ever come into existence in the short space of 
 twenty years. The sand-hills liave been literally 
 shovelled and carted into the sea, and each burrowing 
 made in the sand forms a corresponding space reclaimed 
 from the harbour. Even at the present day the lower 
 part of the town is built entirely on piles ; and the 
 space beneath the houses, formerly occupied by water, 
 but now generally left dry, owing to the work of filling 
 up constantly extending itself in front, forms the home 
 of myriads of rats, dogs, and escaped pigs ; who, owing 
 to the plentiful supply of refuse, seem to live together 
 
 c
 
 18 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 in a state of undisturbed enjoyment and continuous 
 repletion. On the whole, a visit to this quarter makes 
 one reflect with some gratulation on the fact that 
 cholera is unknown on the Pacific Coast. 
 
 It is not to be wondered at tliat, in its early days, 
 a place offering such wondi'ous attractions to all classes 
 of fortune-hunters as California did, should have 
 been the home of a greater number of thorough-paced 
 scoundrels tlian the collected vice of the rest of the 
 world could well have produced. Mexican horse thieves 
 and bandits, runaway Australian convicts, gamblers 
 from all the cities of the Union, border ruflfians from 
 the "\\'estern States, and rogues of different degrees 
 from all parts, were abundant ; the revolver and the 
 bowie-knife were the aggressors and the arbiters, and 
 justice was a farce. 
 
 To such a pass had this state of things arrived, that 
 four pr five years later the honest portion of the com- 
 munity of the city came to the conclusion that nothing 
 less than extreme measures could produce a reaction ; 
 and, on the principle of the end justifying the means, 
 the administration of justice w^as taken entirely out of 
 the hands of the regular authorities, and placed in 
 those of a Vigilance Committee selected from the 
 citizens. All suspected persons were warned to quit 
 the neighbourliood within twenty-four hours, upon pain 
 of death if they were found afterwards ; and all those 
 against whom tlie slightest evidence of theft, or crimes
 
 SAN FRANCISCO. 19 
 
 of greater magnitude, could be adduced, were forth- 
 with executed according to Lynch law. Among those 
 who met their fate in this summary way was one of 
 the former judges, who was proved to have been a 
 member of an organised band of robbers and assassins. 
 
 These remedial measures soon had the desired effect 
 — although it is to be feared that many innocent persons 
 were sufferers — and the town has since gradually be- 
 come as safe as most others, with a good deal of addi- 
 tional licence in a social sense however. 
 
 It was on a Sunday that we entered the harbour, 
 and we expected to iind everything very quiet in con- 
 sequence. "We were therefore much surprised, as the 
 steamer drew up alongside one of the long lines of 
 wooden wharves, to see all the hotels and bar-rooms 
 open and in full swing, and to hear the rattle of bil- 
 liard bails coming from out of most of them ; we also 
 found on inquiry that the theatres would be open in 
 the evening. 
 
 The scene indeed was most enlivened. The wharves 
 and streets were crowded with people, some hurrying to 
 meet friends and relatives on board our steamer coming 
 from the east, and others bound on excursions to Oak- 
 lands and the various places on the borders of this 
 hugest of harbours. The bustle and noise were terrific. 
 The row caused by the numberless omnibuses, drays, 
 and street cars, running over the plank roads, was 
 deafening ; and this was supplemented by the hoarse 
 
 c 2
 
 20 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 hooting of the various steamboat whistles, the inces- 
 sant buzz of tlie hotel touters, the cracking of whips, 
 and curses at unwilling quadrupeds; forming altogether 
 a Babel wliicli it is hardly possible to realise without 
 actual experience. 
 
 After a great deal of hard fighting had been going 
 on for the possession of our luggage between the repre- 
 sentatives of the various hotels (amongst whom were a 
 dirty-faced Irishman, wath still dirtier linen ; a stolid 
 gentleman from the Vaterland, whose only chance of 
 attracting attention was his vast size; a particularly 
 lively Frenchman ; and a regular New York tout, with 
 sham diamond studs and enormous pinclibeck chain) 
 my friend and myself got into the omnibus of an un- 
 pretentious house, situate in one of the streets at right 
 angles to the main thoroughfare, Montgomery Street. 
 We were lucky enough to have been able to keep our 
 baggage intact, and w^e found nearly fifty hotel cards in 
 our hands and pockets when we once got fairly seated. 
 
 Hotel life in America is, to my mind, so infinitely 
 preferable (to a bachelor) to that in England, as to be 
 almost beyond comparison. There is, however, one 
 htrong point against American hotels — the bed-rooms 
 are seldom up to the mark, as they are usually very 
 small, not over clean in tliemselves, and furnished 
 with a similar disregard to ablutional acilities to that 
 found in hoti-ls on the European Continent. 
 
 Probably tlit- usages of society in America contribute
 
 SAN FRANCISCO. 21 
 
 principally to the traveller's greater enjoyment of 
 hotel life. In the first place, you haven't to shut 
 yourself up behind a newspaper in a coffee-room for an 
 hour or two, hungry and tired before you get anything 
 to eat. In the better class of houses there is always 
 a restaurant, in which you may at any hour obtain 
 whatever you wish in a few minutes. In the next 
 place, you don't run the risk of being snubbed if yon 
 address your conversation to a neighbour. On the 
 contrary, if you are a stranger, your neighbour will 
 generally strive to make you feel at home with the place, 
 taking upon himself, in a measure, if his advances are 
 not repulsed, the role of a private host. People talk 
 a good deal of the impertinent curiosity displayed by 
 our trans-Atlantic cousins, but I think there is more 
 of the kindly feeling I have last spoken of actuating 
 them than aught else. Moreover, their manner is 
 genial, and their curiosity does not usually take an 
 offensive turn ; and it is certain that when the Eng- 
 lishman's reserve once wears off, he is always one of 
 the stronfjest advocates of a freer intercourse among 
 people thrown together in a casual way. 
 
 Living is cheap in San Francisco, the charge for 
 board and lodging at the best houses not exceeding 
 three dollars a day. There are reading, smoking, and 
 billiard-rooms, of the most luxurious kind, and many 
 thinofs that remind one rather of a club-house than of 
 one of our hotels, where a new guest is imprisoned
 
 22 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 with a lot of heavy old mahogany furniture, a time- 
 table three months old, a set of writing materials 
 •svliich he is too disheartened to use, and a Bible which 
 has apparently never been opened, till he finally reaches 
 so melancholy a state that he fears to break the un- 
 httly spell by ringing for the ghostly waiter, lest that 
 white-chokered apparition sliould make him unwit- 
 tingly order his coffin instead of his dinner. 
 
 There are many peculiar features of the larger towns 
 iu the United States. One of these, in cities which 
 like San Francisco have a large German population, is 
 the ' lager-beer cellar:' Your approach to an -estab- 
 lisliment of this sort as you walk along a street in the 
 evening, is made knoAvn by the sound of subterranean 
 music reaching your ears. You peep down the cellar, 
 and your steps probably follow your eyes. On one side 
 of an extensive underground saloon is a bar decorated 
 in the most gorgeous manner, and frequently in the 
 most excellent taste, behind which a resplendent indi- 
 vidual, in all the glory of a snowy 'biled shirt' and 
 diamond brooch-pin, is pouring out the foaming 'lager' 
 into glass mugs, or concocting delicious compounds. 
 Pretty waitresses are flitting about bearing these beve- 
 rages to the tliirsty occupants of the little marble 
 tables, who are generally engaged in card-playing, 
 varied by occasional flirtation with their fair Ilebes. 
 At the other end is a band playing German airs, or 
 selections from tlie Operas, sometimes with vocal
 
 SAN FRANCISCO. 23 
 
 accompaniment, while in the centre are several billiard- 
 tables, or an open space is reserved for dancing. The 
 effect on the eye and ear is pleasing", and I don't 
 suppose these places have half as much to answer for 
 on the ground of morality as a London music-hall. 
 
 Another singular institution connected with bar- 
 rooms is what is termed a 'free lunch.' A uniform 
 price is charged for a 'drink' of any sort, and in the 
 case of spirits a decanter and a tumbler are placed 
 before the customer, who helps himself without restric- 
 tion as to quantity. A collation is spread, to which 
 the guest is expected (as of course with the liquor also) 
 to help himself moderately. Presumably, the average 
 consumption on either head is not in excess of the 
 price paid, or the establishments would soon have to 
 close their doors ; but the ' free lunch ' practice tends 
 to support an army of loafers in idleness, each one of 
 them being able to pay his 'bit,' or 'quarter-dollar,' 
 (sixpence or a shilling) and to gorge sufficient at one 
 meal to keep him supplied, like a boa-constrictor, till 
 he is ready for the next. When these customers be- 
 come known they are usually treated with a surrepti- 
 tious dose of jalap or croton oil, which makes them 
 wary of repeating their visits. 
 
 Talking of a ' bit,' that is another decidedly peculiar 
 institution, and peculiar, moreover, to the North Pacific 
 coast. It is a visible invisibility. It is supposed to repre- 
 sent half of a quarter-dollar, or twelve-and-a-half cents ;
 
 24 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 but it has no actual existence in the United States' 
 coinage ; there is no copper money current on the coast, 
 and the nearest approach to a ' bit ' is a ten-cent piece. 
 The consequence is there is always a difficulty in paying 
 for an article where a ' bit' is the price asked, or in 
 receiving change under the same conditions. Awk- 
 wardly enough, the price of nearly everything is a ' bit,' 
 or has an odd 'bit' imported into it; thus, if you 
 want a cigar, a glass of beer, a nip of brandy, to have 
 your boots cleaned, or to be shaved, the charge is a 
 ' bit,' and if you go into a restaurant to dine, your bill 
 is five ' bits,' or seven ' bits.' Everybody tries to get 
 the best of the exchange, too. If you tender a quarter 
 of a dollar you receive ten cents in change ; if you 
 tender a ten cent piece you are looked at surlily, and 
 put do^vn for a ' mean cuss.' The whole system is an 
 absurdity, and oiight at once to be stopped. To do this 
 the prices ought to be made either ten cents or fifteen 
 cents, and then there never could be a difficulty. 
 
 Even Americans from the East are as much non- 
 plussed as foreigners in relation to this singular mode 
 of payment. They don't know what a ' bit' is. One 
 of our fellow-passengers, a toleral)ly green youth from 
 Vermont, got into sore trou])le about it directly he 
 landed. 
 
 He wanted to go to some friends he liad in a suburb 
 of the city, and hailed a carriage. Wlien he got to the 
 end he asked the fare.
 
 SAN FEAXCISCO. 25 
 
 ' A dollar and two bits,' was the reply. 
 
 ' Bits, bits ? ' he questioned, ' I hain't got no bits. 
 I kin only pay yu in dollars an' cents.' 
 
 ' Well, no matter, sir,' said the hack-driver ; ' you 
 can pay me a dollar an' a haaf.' And he was paid. 
 
 But our Eastern friend's suspicions were aroused, 
 and questioning his host, he found he had been done. 
 Smarting under the swindle (the sorest of all points 
 when personally applied to one of these gentry from 
 the wooden nutmeg country), he sallied forth to find 
 the driver, and failing in the attempt marched into 
 a neighbouring liquor store, to solace his wounded 
 feelings with a refresher. 
 
 Then, as he told me, he ' put himself outside of 
 some Bourbon whisky.' 
 
 He tendered a quarter-dollar in payment, and re- 
 ceived ten cents change. A gentleman beside him 
 helped himself from the same decanter, and gave a 
 ten-cent piece. He felt himself again swindled in the 
 clearest fashion to the extent of five cents ; and, with 
 the recollection of the cab-driver still rankling in his 
 mind, he felt his biceps beginning to contract. 
 
 ' Here, you miserable cheat ! ' he called to the 
 barkeeper, ' What do you mean by this barefaced 
 swindle ! ' 
 
 ' D n you ! ' that functionary returned, ' you 
 
 must be drunk to use such language. Clear out, you 
 dirty loafer ! '
 
 26 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 This was too much for the Vermonter ; he let loose 
 with his left, and caught the barkeeper on the nose. 
 He was immediately seized by a dozen or more people, 
 licked unmercifully, and finally kicked into the street. 
 On beini^ picked up by a sympathising looker-on, he 
 asked him what was the price of a drink at that 
 saloon. 
 
 ' A bit,' said the bystander. 
 
 So, in despair, he went back to his friend's house, 
 where all the satisfaction he got for his recital was 
 being tremendously laughed at. 
 
 Eeverting to ' loafing,' however, it is a thoroughly 
 recognised principle in San Francisco. There are 
 many of the body who practise it there held in much too 
 high esteem by the community at large to allow of 
 practical jokes in the jalap way being played upon them. 
 
 The king of the fraternity for a long time was (and 
 probably still is, if whisky hasn't killed him yet) a man 
 nicknamed ' Emperor Norton,' whose photograph as a 
 local celebrity figured in most of the book-stores. His 
 singular appearance, no doubt, largely aided his popu- 
 lai-ity. A large stout man, clad in the cast-off uniform 
 (much too small for him) of a Federal officer, with a 
 jolly rultiound visage, and a large bottle-nose, at the end 
 of whicli grew a perfect imperial of black bushy hair, 
 and with little sparkling eyes that bespoke the witty, 
 incorrigible rogue who owned them. 
 
 This fellow has never been known to do a stroke of
 
 SAN FRANCISCO. 27 
 
 work in his life, but it is the fashion to chaff him, and 
 he lives, not upon chaff certainly, but upon the 
 strength of being the town-butt. He and ' Billy,' the 
 fireman's dog, were the most noted characters in San 
 P\-ancisco. Poor ' Billy ' is dead now ; so Emperor 
 Norton, if he survives, is the sole lion. 
 
 It is a recognised thing, if Emperor is present in a 
 bar when two or more people go in to drink, that he 
 should be requested to join ; and as he always is in 
 some bar or other (especially among those in which 
 free Ivmches play a part). Emperor never goes to bed 
 without what is aptly, if vulgarly, called a ' skin- 
 full.' 
 
 He is a very good advertisement to some of these 
 houses, and is therefore never at a loss for a bed, or 
 an odd half-dollar to buck away at the gaming-table. 
 He proudly scorns all attire, save military garments ; 
 and when any resident officer finds his regimentals 
 growing sffabby, he forthwith invites Emperor to take 
 them. It is impossible to conjecture how many suits 
 his Imperial Majesty has thus stowed away, for I 
 don't think there's any one in the 'old clo' way in 
 those parts. 
 
 There are few places of the same size more gay and 
 full of life than ' Frisco.' It is in three principal 
 sections. The lower one, near the water, is the 
 business part of the city, and is almost entirely occupied 
 by wholesale stores and warehouses, with the inevitable
 
 28 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 bar-room interspersed at very frequent intervals ; the 
 wharves and nearer portion of the harbour are crowded 
 with steamers and vessels from all parts of the world, 
 and the view over the harbour is most magnificent, 
 owing to its enormous extent. The central one is the 
 haunt of luxury for the whole Northern Pacific. It 
 is composed of Montgomery Street, and the other 
 streets close adjoining, which resemble a combination 
 of the Strand and Regent Street as nearly as it is 
 possible to describe them. In this portion all the 
 principal hotels and retail stores, and the theatres, are 
 to be found ; and here one sees the pink of fashion, 
 male and female — the latter a very exaggerated copy 
 of Parisian style twelve months preceding. Light 
 Vjuggies and handsome trotting-horses are constantly 
 going and coming from here to the upper part of the 
 town, which contains the villas of the wealthy residents, 
 and is continued to the verge of the sandhills, trans- 
 forming the latter, as it extends itself mpon their 
 surfaces, into a series of little dotted toy-box 
 Paradises. 
 
 The streets appear to be always alive with traffic of 
 every kind, and crowded with people of every nation 
 and class, and every one is too cosmopolitan to notice 
 his neighbour's pecidiarities. The Chinese form a 
 large section of the population, and live in a separate 
 quarter, which I would not advise any one with a 
 delicate sense of smell to enter without a smelling-
 
 SAN FRANCISCO. 29 
 
 bottle at his nose. The number of theatres, music- 
 halls, dancing-rooms, lager-beer cellars, and bar and 
 billiard-rooms, is prodigious, and there are a good many- 
 gambling hells, which the town authorities are nut 
 supposed to countenance now the town has grown 
 moral, and are kept a little more out of sight. There 
 are a fine Roman Catholic Cathedral and many good 
 public buildings, including schools, colleges, and hos- 
 pitals ; but on the whole there is a striking deficiency 
 of places for religious uses. 
 
 Although the immediate surroundings of the town 
 are of a barren aspect, and the climate is hardly 
 desirable owing to a cold blast which blows in from the 
 sea at mid-day all through the year, filling the eyes 
 and mouth and every available pore with the all- 
 pervading sand, the country a short distance away 
 and the climate are equally delightful. 
 
 We had many charming excursions in the neighbour- 
 hood, and rny companion and I could well have wished 
 to stay longer had time or our finances permitted it ; 
 but, as neither did, we booked our passages for Van- 
 couver's Island in company with the greater number of 
 our fellow-passengers from England. It grieves me to 
 state that one of those who stayed behind did so 
 against his will, on account of a misunderstanding as 
 to the ownership of two or three watches, rings, and 
 suits of clothes at his hotel. It is with some counter 
 satisfaction however, that I here proclaim the fact that
 
 30 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 the delinquent was not a steerajj^e passenger, but a 
 newly-effected convert and ardent discij^le of the Rev. 
 Lakofjr N. Brimstun, of the second cabin. 
 
 We were joined in our northward path by three or 
 four hundred Californian miners, whom the noise of 
 the new gold-fields was attracting to British territory.
 
 31 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE AREIVAL. 
 
 The remainder of our voyage was more pleasant than 
 the portion between Panama and San Francisco, there 
 being far fewer passengers and a consequent improve- 
 ment in the general comfort. 
 
 As we neared our destination, a marked change 
 might have been observed creeping over all the ' green ' 
 hands. We had been, so far, looking on the whole 
 thing very much in the light of a pleasure trip ; but 
 we all knew now that we had many stern realities to 
 face, and that for most of us life was just com- 
 mencing. 
 
 In these few days the reckless air of gaiety that had 
 pervaded the company seemed to wear off, and a sort of 
 nervous, restless, but still hopeful feeling, to take its 
 place. The boy (few of us were much more) was 
 suddenly converted into the man ; friendships were 
 cemented and joint plans framed ; purses counted, often 
 with rueful eyes ; and portraits of mothers and sweet- 
 hearts were brought out from hidden recesses and 
 looked at more often than they had been in many 
 weeks. 
 
 In striking opposition to all this was the mien and
 
 32 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 conduct of the old stagers who had joined us. There 
 are not many people who exhibit the same amount of 
 stoicism and sang froid as the regular gold miner. 
 Many runs of luck, good and bad — the bad too often 
 preponderating — have rendered him, beyond the ordi- 
 nary race of mortals, callous to surrounding circum- 
 stances. He is, in ordinary cases, found to be a man of 
 a rugged though kindly disposition, and of a mood 
 rather reserved and contemplative than otherwise ; his 
 solitary life, uncheered by the society of the softer sex, 
 tending greatly no doubt to produce these character- 
 istics. Not unfrequently his acquirements are far in 
 advance of those one would expect t6 find in a person 
 of his position, owing to his having availed himself, in 
 his solitary leisure, of the solace to be found in books. 
 Of course a reaction sometimes occurs, all tlie more 
 violent in men of such a temperament, and when one 
 of our friends does ' break out ' upon some exceptional 
 occasion, one miglit well be pardoned for looking fur 
 the traditional hoofs and horns of a well-known cha- 
 racter in the person of t]\e delinquent. 
 
 We yovmgsters were rather patronised in a good- 
 natured, fatlicrly sort of way, by these ' lionest miners,' 
 wlio liked to hear us talk of liome, recalling reminis- 
 cences of what was to most of them almost a forgotten 
 subject; and wo derived from tliem — thougli they were 
 more apt at listening than talking — what should have 
 been many valuable hints for our future guidance. 
 
 On the third uiLrht out we had a great fright. The
 
 THE AERIVAL. 33 
 
 sea had been singularly calm all day, and appeared 
 likely to continue so when we turned in ; but about an 
 hour or two afterwards I was awakened by a most terrific 
 row. Lamps and unsecured movables of all sorts took 
 a sudden run, and I found myself nearly standing- on 
 my head in my bunk, while many people were tumbled 
 headlong out of their sleeping-places. A moment 
 afterwards my position was almost diametrically re- 
 versed, and as soon as I could get myself together I 
 sprang out, with the rest of us who hadn't been sum- 
 marily pitched out, and all of us, save a fat old Dutch- 
 man who snored placidly through it all, made a rush 
 for the deck, expecting that we were taking a short 
 cut to the bottom. 
 
 Our fears on this score were dissipated when we saw 
 that we were now going smoothly along as if nothing 
 had happened ; but far ahead of us we saw in the moon- 
 light a huge smooth mountain of water rolling onwards 
 at a swift pace. One of the officers told us that this wave 
 was sometimes met with in the North Pacific, nearly 
 always at a time when the sea was as calm as then, and 
 that it was supposed to be the result of a submarine earth- 
 quake ; further, that it had very nearly pooped us, and 
 that ' he guessed fresh provisions were kinder played out 
 till he got back to 'Frisco,' owing to the sheep and 
 cattle being all washed overboard. And so we had 
 again to betake ourselves to ' salt horse ' as kindly as 
 we might for a few days.
 
 34 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 On the fifth day we entered tlie Straits of San Juan 
 de Fuca, running between Vancouver Island and Wash- 
 ington territory, and hailed the sight of the western- 
 most possession of the empire ' on which the sun never 
 sets.' A few hours after we anchored in the harbour of 
 Esquimau, the naval station of our North Pacific 
 squadron, where two or three British men-of-war 
 were lying sleepily on the smooth land-locked water, 
 on which the encircling hills, with their pine-clad sides, 
 were reflected as in a mirror. 
 
 It was a cheering sight to gaze once more on the 
 symmetrical lines, tapering masts, and trim rigging of 
 our beautiful swans of the ocean ; but their appearance 
 only made the sterile neighbouring country look more 
 cheerless still. We were soon surrounded by multi- 
 tudes of Indians in canoes, all chattering in a horrible 
 guttural tongue, and presenting a strange appearance 
 to our unsopliisticated eyes ; although they certainly 
 seemed the most fitting inliabitants of the wild, desolate- 
 looking place. 
 
 We all thought this was Victoria, the capital of the 
 colony (a town, we had heard, of some five or six 
 thousand inhabitants) but seeing only some dozen log 
 huts and shanties built of boards, we were considerably 
 disappointed with the supposed metropolis, and began 
 to look at one another in some dismay, in which even 
 the old hands appeared to take a share. 
 
 The little cluster of huts and shanties were dominated
 
 THE ARRIVAL. 35 
 
 by a more lordly-looking edifice, built of very solid 
 logs, in front of which a gigantic spar was reared, 
 bearing a flag upon which could be distinguished the 
 letters, ' H. B. C. ' (Hudson's Bay Company). Going 
 upon the hurricane-deck to take a wider survey, I 
 heard the following colloquy betwixt two old Califor- 
 nians, both of the broadest Western type, which didn't 
 tend to improve my own first impressions : — 
 
 ' Say, Bill ! this yer's rayther a one-hoss settlement, 
 I guess. Whar be all the critters ? ' 
 
 ' Caan't say. Eeckon they lives underground, 'less 
 they've turned Injins, and air retired into the wilder- 
 ness to fix 'emselves up in thar war-paint.' 
 
 ' Waall now, what's that ar flag, with them letters ? ' 
 Bill's attention thus directed, fastened itself on the 
 prominent piece of bunting. After some consideration, 
 and much expectoration, he slowly replied : ' Le'ss see, 
 " B. C. " in ancient history means " Before Christ," I 
 b'lieve — 'tleast so the school-marm used to tell when I 
 was to school — tharfore, I calc'late "H. B. C. " to 
 mean " Here before Christ ; " fur this 'tarnal location 
 don't 'pear to've bin much overrun with strangers since 
 that period. 'Gruess I'll make tracks back to Californy 
 right smart, yu bet ! ' 
 
 A change soon took place, however. Stages (con- 
 sisting of wagon-boxes placed on the axle-trees, without 
 attention to springs) and baggage-drays, the latter 
 mostly under the guidance of negroes, began to draw up 
 
 D 2
 
 36 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 in considerable numbers, along the only wharf the 
 harbour boasted ; and we then heard, to our surprise 
 and joy, that Victoria was situate in another harbour 
 three miles away, too shallow to admit vessels of a 
 large class ; and that Sambo or Cuffey was prepared to 
 transfer our belongings and ourselves to the immediate 
 resting-place of oiu- hopes, at the small charge of ' haf 
 a dollar ahead, sar.' 
 
 Consigning our traps to the custody of an enter- 
 prising darkey, wliose well-fed mule appeared to be equal 
 to his load, a party of a dozen or two of us started along 
 on foot, keeping our ebony friend in sight ; all of us 
 very glad to stretch our legs once more on land, and to 
 think we hadn't any more sea travel worth mentioning 
 to accomplish. 
 
 We did not forget to ask every imaginable question 
 from Sambo on the way, who appeared delighted at the 
 opportimity of exercising his inherent loquacity and 
 talent for stretching the long-bow. Many stories he 
 told of rich miners returning to Victoria from the 
 upper country, batliing their feet in champagne, eating 
 ten-dollar bills, and committing similar absurd extra- 
 vagances ; and our mercurial spirits were soon raised 
 to the liighest pitch by the narration — so much so, that 
 I don't suppose any one of the party (except Sambo and 
 the mule, of course) would have been a bit surprised 
 to kick against a nugget in the macadamised road we 
 were travellinij.
 
 THE ARRIVAL. 37 
 
 After about two miles along a road generally closed 
 in with trees on both sides, but occasionally affording 
 a glimpse of the sea through some break in the thick 
 woods, we came suddenly upon our first view of the 
 harbour and town of Victoria, with quite an extensive 
 prospect opening out in every direction ; the whole 
 forming a very charming picture in the clear air of a 
 spring evening. 
 
 The town, then built almost entirely of wood, painted 
 in many colours, stood on a slight rise, gently sloping 
 down to the margin of the water, so that nearly every 
 house could be plainly seen. For a short distance 
 round the land was like a park, studded here and there 
 with oak and patches of grey rock which cropped out 
 from the green surface ; whilst, at intervals, numerous 
 residences peeped forth from secluded nooks in the 
 uncleared woods forming the immediate background, 
 or overlooked the prospect from some prominent point. 
 High rocky hills, covered with the ever-present pine 
 and fir, with the sun just setting behind them, and 
 tinging them with many hues, shut in the scene from 
 the land side ; and to seaward, across the Gulf of 
 Georgia, the chain of the Olympian mountains showed 
 their snow-clad summits, lit up with pink and purple 
 by the expiring rays, and their sides fading fast into 
 the darkness of th,e coming night. In the harbour a 
 few sailing-vessels and steamboats lay calmly at anchor, 
 and a number of Indian canoes crept stealthily about,
 
 38 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 under the paddles of their picturesque-looking occu- 
 pants ; whose mournful ditties, in time with the stroke 
 of their paddles, could be heard from time to time, 
 bjrne far on the still air. Opposite the town, and 
 close to us, was the ' rancherie,' or village of the native 
 tribe ; its huge rambling huts, built of unhewn slabs 
 of cedar, blackened by tlie weather, making a 
 .curious contrast with the dwellings of the intruding 
 strangers ; many of which, in the shape of tents, 
 were to be seen close ahead of us, forming a little 
 white village by themselves, whence the sound of 
 meny voices occasionally reached us. 
 
 Everything was so calm and lovely, and was so sug- 
 gestive of rest, that by a mutual instinct we all of us 
 stayed gazing a long time at the place which was to 
 form our head-quarters during our stay in that part of 
 the world. It was like the sudden transformation scene 
 in an extravaganza ; we stood there dreamily contem- 
 plating it with pleasant anticipation, but still diffident 
 of approaching it closer, lest the spell should be broken, 
 and all the loveliness turn into blue lights and tinsel. 
 
 At length, however, my reverie was broken, and my 
 (^uiet pipe disturbed, by a less imaginative fellow- 
 traveller, whose digestive organs became excited by the 
 scent of a beef-steak frizzling on one of the neighbour- 
 ing camp-fires, and who declined any longer to feast his 
 eyes at the expense of his stomach. So we marched on- 
 wards again, to be soon stopped once more by the hails
 
 THE AERIVAL. 39 
 
 of the happy possessors of the beef-steak, who appeared 
 to be some of a party of emigrants which had preceded 
 us by a few weeks, and oft the strength of their 
 seniority in the country came down to the side of the 
 road to scrutinise us and chaff the ' new chums,' with 
 all the airs of professed back- woodsmen — although the 
 yard measure appeared to be to many of them a more 
 natural and becoming weapon than axe or shovel. 
 After a little good-humoured badinage we proceeded, 
 and crossing the bridge over the harbour, reached the 
 town, where we finally pulled up at the doors of an 
 hotel recommended by our baggage-driver, who was 
 doubtless connected with the establishment in some 
 vicarious manner. 
 
 I was not a little surprised, on asking in the conven- 
 tional manner for a bed for the night, to be shown by 
 the energetic proprietor (in his shirt-sleeves, ready for 
 any emergency) into a billiard saloon, upon the floor 
 of which lie kindly pointed out a space about three 
 feet wide, where I might, in company with forty or 
 fifty others provided with similar accommodation, 
 spread my own blankets, and sleep upon them, for a 
 trifling fee of fifty cents. 
 
 I began rather to wish that I had provided myself 
 with a tent at San Francisco, and joined our chaffy 
 friends of the beef-steak in the camp at ' Canvas-town ' ; 
 where at least I might have enjoyed my own blankets 
 and a larger space for nothing. I remonstrated gently
 
 40 ViniY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 with my host, who appeared somewhat flushed with the 
 prospects of gain held out by the number of om- parly, 
 but all tlie reply I could get was, that ' he reckoned 
 any man that 'ud raise a growl on such an occashin was 
 darned small pertaters : I might spread out on the 
 side- walk, or turn in with an Injin, if I was a mind to, 
 but his charge to a white man for nightly accommoda- 
 shin was fifty cents, and niggers rigidly arcluded.' 
 
 The originality of this man as a caterer to the public 
 rather amused us, and I think induced us more than 
 anything to submit to the inconvenience and the 
 swindle. We took excursions to other houses, but 
 found them all full, and were glad in the end to 
 occupy our respective plots of six feet by three. 
 
 I went off to sleep tolerably early on my allotted 
 portion of the floor, intending on the morrow to in- 
 spect and form my opinions of the place and its inha- 
 bitants, and to present some letters of introduction to 
 the latter. The only drawback I found (I had been 
 used to hunting out a soft plank on deck to sleep upon 
 for some time past), was that a pair of gentry, who 
 came in rather late, reriuested permission of the recum- 
 bent occupiers of the floor to play a game of billiards, 
 as a bet of a hundred dollars depended upon it ; pro- 
 mising, at the same time, to ' step clear and not disturb 
 anybody.' This arrangement succeeded well enough for 
 some time, till one of the players began to lose the 
 game and his temper, and, heedless for the moment of
 
 . THE ARRIVAL. 41 
 
 tlie position of affairs, brought down the butt-end of 
 bis cue on what he fondly imagined was the floor. It 
 happened, however, to be the stomach of a burly young 
 Englishman, who, having the bad taste not to see the 
 joke, jumped up and struck the man with the cue a 
 considerable blow in the eye, knocking him down on 
 the top of a few more of us, including myself. This 
 caused a great row, in which everybody hit out at 
 everybody else ; the lights were put out, somebody j&red 
 off a pistol, and amidst great confusion the two players 
 somehow got hvistled out into the street, there to settle 
 anew, in some other place, their hundred-dollar bet. 
 
 I have had my doubts, on a fm-ther study of Ame- 
 rican character, whether that final cou/p of the cue- 
 butt was not premeditated by the losing gentleman.
 
 42 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Vancouver's island. 
 
 I DO not purpose entering into a regular history and 
 description in the guide-book style of this colony, or 
 the sister one of British Columbia ; but a few intro- 
 ductory remarks on tlie subject may give some 
 impression of the kind of place our trans-Rocky- 
 INIountain possessions are. 
 
 It is not more than fourteen years ago that the only 
 civilised creatures (and not too highly civilised either) 
 wlio encroached on the wilderness were the traders 
 and employes of the Hudson's Bay Company. They 
 had a few scattered forts about the country, which 
 were the outposts of their fur-trading system ; and 
 they lived on friendly terms (often culminating in 
 closer ties) with the members of the numerous Indian 
 tribes who peopled the country. These forts have 
 since been kept up, although with a different object 
 to that originally contemplated ; for some of them now 
 form the centres of little towns, and are used as mere 
 shops for the convenience of the whites, instead of 
 depositories of furs and skins. 
 
 So little attraction does the territory possess from an
 
 VANCOUVER'S ISLAND. 43 
 
 agTicultural point of view, that in all probability its 
 primitive aspect would not have been altered for a 
 century or two, had it not been for the gold disco- 
 veries first made on the bars of the Fraser Eiver in 
 1858. These caused a large influx of miners from 
 California, who, with the native pioneering spirit of 
 Americans, pushed their discoveries to a much greater 
 extent, until the Cariboo district was found in 1861, 
 in which year the first accounts reached England, and 
 created an immense excitement, as the reader may 
 perhaps remember. 
 
 A large number of these Americans have stayed in 
 the country, so that, although a British colony, at least 
 half of its population consists of persons who are not 
 British subjects. The general cosmopolitan character 
 of the people on the Pacific Coast is also well repre- 
 sented here ; there being many French, German, 
 Italian, Spanish, Chinese, negroes, and numbers of 
 almost every race that can be named in fact. 
 
 It is difficult to imagine any country of its size with 
 so small a proportion of its area available for cultiva- 
 tion ; rocks, pine-trees, and rushing torrents, are the 
 staple constituents of its surface. The delta at the 
 mouths of the rivers contain some rich land, but most 
 of it is covered with heavy timber and thick brush- 
 wood, the labour and expense of clearing which are 
 not to be lightly estimated. In the upper country 
 there are a few valleys possessing lands of compara-
 
 44 VERY ¥AR WEST INDEED. 
 
 tively insignificant extent, and of a light, though 
 fertile soil. Where irrigation is possible, these have 
 been turned to good account ; but when the virgin 
 character of the soil is exhausted, as from its lightness 
 it soon will be, the imfortunate fiirmer will hardly find 
 anotlier spot where any market for his produce can be 
 obtained. The idea of manuring lands in that part of 
 the world is placed entirely out of the question by the 
 expense such a process would entail, rendering all hope 
 of successful competition hopeless. 
 
 I am ipduced to state these facts from my own 
 recollection of the descriptions given at home of the 
 fertility of the country, and its enormous agricultural 
 resources, by people of some authority who have 
 visited England, and preached, written, and spouted 
 on the subject ; omitting, however, to mention the fact, 
 that they were the owners of large tracts of ground, 
 purchased for a mere song, which they desired to 
 convert into ' Edens ' by means of their grossly ex- 
 aggerated statements, to use the mildest phrase 
 possible. There was no one to dispute them in those 
 early days. 
 
 The real wealth of the place is in its minerals, 
 timber, and fisheries ; and in any one of these respects 
 it certainly offers no mean inducements to the capitalist 
 who may be disposed to risk a cliance of total loss for 
 a large prospective gain. 
 
 To revert to myself. On waking in the morning I 
 presented myself at the bar, and received the customary
 
 VANCOUVEE'S ISLAND. 45 
 
 ' cocktail.' (Reader, this is a bad habit, though en- 
 ticing ; don't be seduced into it if you go to America.) 
 Whilst engaged in discussing this compound, I was 
 interviewed by the intelligent and enterprising ' items- 
 man ' of a local paper, whom the landlord introduced 
 to me as anxious to gain the latest scraps of news 
 respecting the old country. He appeared to be, 
 like many others of his compatriots on the Pacific, 
 of strong Southern sympathies ; and pressed me 
 strongly to disclose any state secrets I might possess 
 concerning the intentions of ' Victori' and the leadin' 
 politishins to home' with regard to the war then 
 raging in the States. On finding, after much pump- 
 ing in the most suspicious tone, that I was really 
 innocent of all comjjlicity in such affairs, he seemed to 
 regard me as a harmless creature whom it behoved 
 him to protect, and therefore kindly offered to show 
 me everything in the place worth a visit — an offer 
 which I gladly accepted after breakfast, although I 
 found the gentleman's society a little irksome after a 
 time on account of the numberless and varied drinks 
 I was expected to imbibe. The average Victorian's 
 sense of bliss apparently consists of the largest possible 
 number of drinks in the shortest possible time, varied 
 with cigars and billiards ad lib. The number of 
 billiard-tables is simply astonishing to English eyes : 
 there are at least eighty to a town of five or six 
 thousand inhabitants, and they seem to be kept well 
 going day and night.
 
 46 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 We made an extensive tour of the various saloons 
 and the principal stores, where we fell in and conversed 
 with a good many returned miners ; took a trip across 
 the ferry to the Indian village (the strange features of 
 savage life thus presented hardly recompensing one for 
 the outrage on one's olfactories) ; had a peep at a huge 
 pile of gold-dust just brought down by one of the lucky 
 miners ; and ended with a visit at the residence of the 
 Governor, to whom one of my letters of introduction 
 was addressed. 
 
 Letters of introduction ! Reader, a little more ad- 
 \'ice ; never carry them — at any rate to a colony with 
 the expectation of their assisting your fortunes — unless 
 you have good reason to believe that pipe-liglits may 
 be a valuable commodity at tlie place you are going to. 
 After tlie first salutations had passed, the inevitable 
 practical question came, ' Well, sir, what can I do for 
 you ? ' I had some dim notion of the possibility of a 
 snug government berth for a time, with nothing to do 
 and plenty of pay, and hinted this misty idea in a sub- 
 dued way to my friend the Grovernor. The only answer 
 I got, or needed, was that gentleman's suddenly open- 
 ing a huge drawer in his library, containing, I should 
 fancy, a thousand or more ' letters of introduction.' 
 This unhappy vision was supplemented by the advice — 
 wholesome certainly, if unpleasant — that if I was hard 
 up, the best thing that offered was to go up country 
 and work on the roads. Taking a speedy leave of her
 
 VANCOUVEE'S ISLAND. 47 
 
 Majesty's representative, I resolved to chalk out a plan 
 of operations with my companion from England at 
 once. 
 
 "When our projects came to be discussed, we found 
 they did not hit together at all well. Mine were of a 
 far more speculative nature than his, owing to my not 
 having been seasoned by frequent disappointments as 
 he had. He therefore proposed staying where he was 
 for some time to come, and obtaining a livelihood 
 without risking the vicissitudes of fortune at the 
 mines. Nothing would satisfy me but an immediate 
 plunge in medias res, and I deemed him rather faint- 
 hearted for not sharing my own views. As, however, 
 his determination was as fully formed as my own, 
 further discussion was useless ; and we parted, wishing 
 one another success in our new missions. 
 
 My resolution got a little shaken on the following 
 day by an excellent offer I received from a member of 
 the legal profession, with whom I had struck up a 
 casual acquaintance, and who advised me strongly not 
 to go to the mines. ' A miner,' said he, ' is but the 
 means of conveying money into other people's pockets : 
 he is simply our agent, though he would'nt acknow- 
 ledge that position. I can name to you a hundred 
 miners who have made fortunes, and lost or spent 
 them, for perhaps two who have been able to stick to 
 them. We townspeople have n'othing to do but sit on 
 our beam-ends, and wait for these hard-working, de-
 
 48 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 luded creatures to come and pour wealth into our 
 laps I ' 
 
 But the spirit of adventure was then too predominant 
 to allow of the voice of reason being heard, and I 
 stopped my ears to the words of wisdom. There is 
 little doubt, that, had I followed the advice of this 
 disciple of Blackstone, I might ere now have been too 
 rich to have to work for a living ; for, with a prescience 
 worthy of his calling, this gentleman recommended me 
 to invest my little capital of between two and three 
 hundred pounds in the purchase of some town-lots 
 fronting the harbour. I did go to examine these in- 
 vestments certainly, but found them to consist of a 
 large mass of solid rock, not near any habitation, and 
 not looking then as if they were calculated to form 
 anything but an eyesore ; notwitlistanding, five years 
 afterwards they were valued at ten thousand pounds, 
 and were the site of tlie largest warehouses in the town. 
 
 The foolish excitement I was imbued with might 
 well be pardoned on account of the immense number 
 of persons who shared in it. Even hotel and store- 
 keepers, and other sharks of all descriptions, were so 
 crazed by the startling accounts of immediate wealth 
 tliat reached us every day, that they threw up their 
 sure and steady gains for the uncertain chances of the 
 mines. The whole place was utterly wild, and it re- 
 quired a steady nerve indeed to withstand the tempta- 
 tions held forth by so many seductive stories.
 
 VANCOUVER'S ISLAND. 49 
 
 Emigrants thronged the streets, buying broken-down 
 mules and Indian ponies, and loading them with pro- 
 visions and mining implements, packed in so ill a 
 manner that one could well imagine how little skin 
 would remain on the backs of the wretched quadrupeds 
 when their journey was completed. The number of 
 falls in tlie street sustained by inexperienced tyros in 
 trying the qualities of their equine purchases was 
 great, for Indian horses have an unpleasant habit of 
 buck-jumping, hard to resist even in a Mexican 
 saddle. 
 
 Many auctions were to be seen at street corners ; 
 the goods for sale consisting of articles utterly useless 
 for up-country purposes to their possessors, such as 
 dress suits, dressing cases, and other things of the kind, 
 which had been crammed into the trunks of the emi- 
 grants under the idea that they were indispensable. 
 One of the items I saw was an iron wash-stand, with 
 fittings complete, which its owner had regarded with 
 much complacency as 'just the thing for that country, 
 you know,' until he found he should have to carry 
 it on his back for three or four hundred miles, if he 
 wished to avail himself of the prodigious facilities for 
 open air ablutions en route which it offered. The 
 prices realised were, of course, ridiculously small, as no 
 one wanted such superfluities, and the money spent on 
 them in the first instance would have been far better 
 carried in the pockets of the luckless wights. The 
 
 E
 
 50 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 only outfit a man who intends to rough it ought to 
 carry, is a few rougli strong clothes and woollen shirts. 
 Criers paraded the streets, shouting forth the hours 
 of departure of various steamboats for New Westmin- 
 ster (the capital of British Columbia, and the next 
 place on the way to the mines) and the fares ; which 
 latter, as there was considerable opposition, were very 
 low. Parties of sober old miners, clad in blue or red 
 shirts, with their ' pants' tucked into knee boots, their 
 belts showing the usual jack-knife and revolver, tlieir 
 heads crowned with wide felt hats, and tlieir backs 
 laden with small well put-up packs, consisting of a 
 pair of blankets, enclosing a spare shirt and pair of 
 socks (with the addition, perhaps, but not in many 
 cases, I expect, from the bearer's appearance, of a piece 
 of soap), wended their way quietly to the wharves, and 
 got on board the expectant steamers. Here and there, 
 a green youth fresh from home was toiling along under 
 a load of Heaven knows how many pounds weight 
 (hundredweight I was going to say) of traps ; the 
 greater part of which he would probably relinc^uish at 
 the end of the first day's tramp, a prey to the jackal 
 instinct of some prowling denizen of the forest. Scat- 
 tered over the town, groups of dirty and stolid Indians, 
 in many-col( Hired blankets, witli their squaws aud 
 little red-skins — none of the family at all representing 
 Mr. J. Fenimore Cooper's ideal — watched the scene 
 with the air of grand spectators, for whom it had been 
 specially prepared ; occasionally making remarks among
 
 VANCOUVER'S ISLAND. 51 
 
 themselves in their own tongue upon the passers-by ; 
 doubtless, too, in unflattering criticism, judging by the 
 sympathetic guffaws of the listeners. The whole place 
 seemed to be in a most unwonted state of bustle and 
 uproar; the only commensurate excitement I can think 
 of, which might be seen at home, would be in a remote 
 country village on its annual fair-day. 
 
 I didn't waste much time when my intentions were 
 fixed, but proceeded straightway to purchase a couple 
 of mules, and a load of provisions for each of them to 
 carry, with a few tools superadded. I then joined my 
 fortunes with one of my late shipmates, who made 
 similar purchases, and we made our way on board one 
 of the steamers for New Westminster ; not without 
 some resistance on the part of our mules though, who 
 didn't seem to bargain for anything but terra firraa. 
 After persuading these creatures by numberless kicks 
 that their conduct was indecorous, we got them safely 
 berthed for the night, took off their loads, and gave 
 them a heavy feed to put them in good temper for 
 their trip next morning ; while we returned to the 
 town to take a final leave-taking of the friends we had 
 left behind, and to sleep and dream of the unfailing 
 nuggets that were waiting for us to a certainty, if for 
 nobody else. 
 
 Next morning, at an early hour we started off, after 
 a little adventure occurring. One of our fellow pas- 
 sengers, whose steps were rather unsteady from the 
 
 E 2
 
 52 VEEY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 hospitality be had encountered, not findino; the gang- 
 way quite wide enough for him, fell into the water, to 
 the gTeat consternation of everyone. As the poor 
 fellow could not swim a stroke, and nobody seemed 
 inclined to render him any assistance, I jumped in and 
 dragged him to some steps close by, whence we endea- 
 voured to transfer ourselves once more to the boat. 
 For this purpose I lent my newly-acquired protege my 
 arm ; but, on essaying the gangway again, the old 
 impulse seemed to overtake him, be gave a sudden 
 lui'ch, and again went over, dragging me with him 
 before I could extricate myself from his grip. This 
 time it wasn't so pleasant, for he held me tight ; and 
 I was })eginning to lose presence of mind and swallow 
 salt water pretty freely, when I took advantage of an 
 opportune moment to \\\.i my adversary, as I was now 
 compelled to regard him, so violent a blow on the nose 
 that he let go of me and sunk. A boat had by this 
 time worked round to us, into which I clambered 
 mucli exhausted, and the object of my solicitude was 
 hauled in, as he reappeared on the surface, more dead 
 than alive. 
 
 When the drunken passenger came to (his bath and 
 a slight sleep soon sobered him), he certainly embar- 
 rassed me almost as much by the warmth of his thanks — 
 the gentleman was of Milesian extraction — as he had 
 previously inconvenienced me with the vigour of his 
 watery embraces ; and we laughed together over his 
 swollen nose, which he protested he hoped would long
 
 VANCOUVER'S ISLAND. 53 
 
 continue in that condition as a warning to him against 
 strong drinks. I believe the ' bhoy ' would have done 
 anything for me after this ; and indeed, when the occa- 
 sion came, he did'nt fail to show his friendship. 
 
 After about ten hours steaming among the numerous 
 islands of the Gulf of Georgia, constituting the most 
 delightful scenery possible, we entered the Fraser 
 Eiver, and soon came in sight of the capital of British 
 Columbia ; a little bantling town, occupying a noble 
 site in a fine stretch of the river. The town is fre- 
 quently designated ' Stump-ville,' and one would cer- 
 tainly think a more appropriate name could not have 
 been adopted. An immense forest of cedar and pine trees 
 has been partially cleared away to give place to tlie 
 straggling streets and occasional shanties which form 
 the dignified capital ; and, as if in mockery of their 
 puny slayers, the blackened stumps of the huge trees 
 stand forth in every direction, from the edge of the 
 water to the unattached domains of the forest in the 
 background, bidding defiance to man's efforts at de- 
 struction. 
 
 The prospect, however, was a pleasing one to us, for it 
 gave a hope of relief from the swarm of mosquitoes that 
 had been attacking us ever since we entered the river, 
 and we gladly landed in the presence of every available 
 man, woman, and child of the resident population, to 
 whom the advent of a steamboat was the only break in 
 the monotony of their existence, and the only hope of 
 subsistence, gained by plunder of the passing travellers.
 
 54 VEEY F.VK WEST INDEED. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 UP THE COUNTRY. 
 
 It was not a matter of regret to us that we only }iad 
 one night to spend in the capital, for the accommoda- 
 tion was more than indifferent, and the local attractions 
 were small. 
 
 The town was in such an embryonic state that many 
 of its streets leading up-hill were mere quarries, down 
 which the unsuspecting stranger might fall a depth of 
 from ten to twenty feet every now and then, supposing 
 he had not broken a limli at the first tumble. The 
 night was pitch dark, and no lights warned the way- 
 farer of his danger. 
 
 Being of an enquiring turn of mind, I wished to 
 make a tour of the place ; and having almost accom- 
 plished it, I was returning to my boarding-house close 
 to tlie wharf, walking gaily along whistling an air, 
 when suddenly — thud ! I fell on all fours, from a 
 lieight of about ten feet, upon a soft and writhing 
 mass, which emitted many squeals and groans. Eu})bing 
 my shins, and stepping away a short distance, a lucifer 
 match being suddenly lit and applied to a pitch-pine 
 torcli, I discovered by the light of it an Indian standing
 
 UP THE COUNTRY. 55 
 
 in a menacing attitude with uplifted hatchet, while his 
 wife and children stared and gesticulated wildly at the 
 unwilling intruder of their slumbers. 
 
 As I did'nt know a word of the language in which 
 the Indian challenged me, and couldn't therefore ex- 
 plain that the mistake arose entirely through his going 
 to bed at so unnaturally early an hour, feeling moreover 
 rather ' skeared 'by his appearance, I drew my six- 
 shooter : upon which he dropped his hatchet, and incon- 
 tinently fled with the partner of his bosom and their 
 olive branches (with a coppery tinge); leaving me master 
 of the field. On examining the spot I found I had 
 fallen upon the rude tent of the family, which had been 
 pitched for the night under the shelter of the little 
 declivity, and had of course carried it down with me on 
 the top of the occupants of the connubial couch. 
 
 I limped away as best I could — for one of my shins 
 had come across a tin kettle — and reached the board- 
 ing-house with my impressions of New Westminster 
 about on a par with my temper. I found that our 
 host was a town councillor, and proceeded to rate him 
 soundly, in his administrative capacity, on the state of 
 the thoroughfares ; for which luxury I found, on com- 
 paring figures with my fellow guests, I was charged an 
 extra dollar. It was wrong, but clearly the man had 
 no discrimination — he could'nt separate his office from 
 himself. 
 
 We were now to get on board a river steamer to go
 
 56 VEKY FAE WEST INDEED. 
 
 as far as Fort Yale, about a hundred miles above, and 
 the head of steamer navigation on the Fraser. I do 
 not suppose such another river has ever been navigated 
 by steamers at all, for at some places near Yale the 
 stream is never less than twelve or foiu'teen miles an 
 hour, and the whole course of the river is full of diffi- 
 culties and dangers of every description. 
 
 The river steamers are all built with a view to over- 
 come these difficulties as far as possible. Their hulls 
 are almost flat-bottomed, and they only draw two feet 
 of water or thereabouts. To make up for the deficiency 
 in depth they are of great length and beam. Their 
 bows are of the shape termed ' shovel-nosed,' and from 
 this point they run away aft quite straight ; very much 
 resembling a section of a rifle-cartridge in fact. The 
 propelling medium is a huge wheel at the stem, from 
 eighteen to twenty-four feet in diameter, extending 
 across the entire width of the boat. This wheel is not 
 immersed to a greater depth than that of the paddles, 
 (about eighteen inches) and is connected with the 
 cylinders by means of cranks and connecting-rods. 
 The boilers are well for'ard, close in the bows, and the 
 furnaces are on a level with the main deck and quite 
 open, to enable them to get all the draught caused by the 
 motion of the vessel. The steam is conducted from 
 the boilers to the cylinders in the engine-room (which 
 is the farthest thing astern on the main deck) by long 
 pipes, which make the place fearfully hot in the
 
 UP THE COUNTEY. 57 
 
 summer-time. The rest of the space on this level is 
 occupied by freight, and by Indians, Chinamen, and 
 nig-gers, whom the free and independent American citizen 
 refuses to have in his company on the upper or passenger 
 deck. 
 
 Above the rectagonal part of the hull (the shovel- 
 hosed bow being retained as an open space) is the 
 saloon deck, generally fitted up in very good style, and 
 being much the same as the similar part of an ordinary 
 steamer. Sometimes yet another deck is added to this, 
 while surmounting everything is the pilot house, placed 
 at the for'ard extremity of the upper deck ; the wheel 
 working the rudders (of which there are four parallel to 
 each other) by means of chains running in grooves along 
 the hurricane-deck. 
 
 Of course the engines are of the high-pressure order ; 
 and when one embarks one naturally turns his attention 
 to the boilers, for he may depend on their being well 
 tried during the trip, especially if the water be at any- 
 thing like a difficult stage — either too high, or too low. 
 
 We were fortunate in getting a passage on one of the 
 best of these river craft ; and, after another dispute with 
 our mules, we got comfortably on board, and started 
 in a regular pandemonium of excitement ; the whole 
 of the population again favouring us with their pre- 
 sence on the wharf, showering hopes and blessings upon 
 us, and putting on their most affectionate behaviour, in 
 the hope, I suppose, that we might spend a few of our
 
 58 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 dollars there when we returned, instead of bolting off 
 to Victoria, and spending all our substance during the 
 ensuing winter season upon their dreaded rival. 
 
 The lines were cast off, the last stick of cord-wood 
 piled up on the bows (with the double intent of being 
 near the furnace, and of trimming our boat by the 
 head), the last gangway shipped, the inevitable man 
 left behind being close in sight, running for dear life, 
 but too late, alas ! and away we went, the fiurnace 
 roaring, and the 'scape-pipe snorting like some monster 
 with the croup. Soon little of us was to be seen from 
 the wharf but the cloud of spray sent up by oiu: wheel 
 as we stemmed the river. 
 
 The first part of our journey was not particularly 
 entertaining ; as, owing to the denseness of the woods 
 on the banks, we could gain no view of the country we 
 were passing through ; and we stopped nowhere, except 
 to wood up, at occasional spots, where one or two wood- 
 cutters, more than half savages (their better halres 
 being generally whole savages) appeared, and carefully 
 measured the quantity of wood supplied to satisfy the 
 inordinate appetite of our ' fire-canoe,' as the Indians 
 termed it. 
 
 One had a good opportunity during this time to take 
 notes of one's neiglibours, and the general company 
 certainly presented strange features to untrained eyes. 
 
 Beginning with the crew, the captain was a wary 
 old pilot, who knew every inch of the river, every tree
 
 UP THE COUNTRY. 59 
 
 to tie up to, and every snag and rock in our course, and 
 who, from long familiarity with danger, seemed to 
 regard his arduous duties as lightly as the driver of a 
 ' one hoss chay.' His was no easy time of it either, 
 for in bad parts of tlie river he had to take the wheel 
 himself for hours at a stretch. The mate was a burly 
 ruffian, who exercised a strong arm and voice over the 
 deck-hands, mostly made up of Indians, and who 
 seemed to have less to do (except in the way of talking 
 and swearing) than any other member of the crew. 
 The engineer was apparently a runaway fireman from 
 a man-of-war, who had been promoted to his present 
 position faute de mieux ; whilst his subordinates, who 
 replenished continually the insatiable furnace, were, I 
 should think, the veriest and hardest-working slaves in 
 existence. The high-toned and elegant bar-keeper in 
 snowy shirt sleeves, and of gentlemanly mien, was on 
 board, of course. 
 
 All the passengers were bound for the mines in 
 different capacities ; three parts of them were bond 
 fide miners in tlie roughest of attire ; the remaining 
 fourth were storekeepers and gamblers, and two mem- 
 bers of tlie other sex ; one of the latter a washerwoman, 
 who afterwards made a large fortune I heard, and the 
 other a courageous lady about to join her husband. 
 Ladies bound for the upper country were rare birds, 
 indeed, at that time, and as such were regarded with 
 much wondering curiosity, and some amount of chivalric
 
 GO VERY 7XR WEST INDEED. 
 
 respect by the miners, who, with the greatest self- 
 denial, actually refrained from swearing within ear- 
 shot, or squirting tobacco-juice within a yard of them. 
 Even the homely laundi-ess was raised by the scarcity 
 of her sex into a goddess for the nonce. 
 
 When dinner was spread in the saloon, everybody 
 made a simultaneous rush for places, knocking over on 
 their way one or two nigger stewards bearing savoury 
 dishes, and appearing to think that the first man there 
 would certainly eat up everything and leave none for 
 the rest. 
 
 I am sorry to say that even the ladies were forgotten 
 at that time, and would hardly have got a mouthful 
 had it not been for the captain ; who, with a tact 
 admirable on such an occasion, stretched himself at 
 full length along the table opposite the best dishes, 
 until the rest of the company were seated, thus 
 reserving space enough for the dames and himself. 
 But his constancy was ill requited by the washerwoman, 
 who had paid two or three visits to the bar, and in a 
 facetious mood, excited by the captain's peculiar situa- 
 tion, stuck a pin into the most readily yielding portion 
 of his body, exclaiming, ' Git up, cap'n ! 'Reckon we 
 caau't eat you, nohow ! ' 
 
 When dinner was over — it didn't take long at the 
 rate everyone gobbled — and the cloth was removed 
 from the long table, it was soon occupied by tlie 
 gamblers, professional and otlierwise. Gold and notes
 
 UP THE COUNTEY. 61 
 
 began to appear freely, and to change hands rapidly. 
 Grreat piles of twenty-dollar pieces lay about the table 
 in tempting confusion, and the clattering and chinking 
 was incessant. As the players became warmed to their 
 work the excitement increased, and shouts and oaths 
 rang through the place. Everyone who, from want of 
 inclination or money, did not play, looked on, almost 
 equally interested with the players in the different 
 games, of which ' poker ' seemed to be the favourite. 
 This game is founded on our English one of ' brag,' 
 and affords great facilities for rash speculation, as well 
 as for the light arts of the chevaliers d'industrie. 
 
 At one end of the board, where two of these gentle- 
 men appeared to have a couple of foolish fellows in 
 their clutches, a dispute soon arose, owing to one of 
 the pigeons seeing his neighbour pick a card from his 
 lap. A revolver and a knife were drawn in an instant, 
 but luckily the adversaries were separated before any 
 harm happened. A duel on shore was threatened ; but 
 as I didn't hear afterwards of any catastrophe, I sup- 
 pose our friends thought better of it when their blood 
 was cooled. 
 
 Night soon came on, and we ran the nose of our 
 boat on shore, and tied up to a convenient tree, wait- 
 ing for the moon to rise. My partner and myself 
 looked about for a place to sleep, but found much dif- 
 ficulty in securing one. The saloon (the floor of which 
 was generally used for such a purpose) was impracti-
 
 62 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 cable on account of the row : we tried the freight on 
 the deck below, and were coiling ourselves snugly on 
 some sacks, when we were warned by one of the hands 
 that if we valued our lives, and had matclies in our 
 pockets, we had better clear out, as there were half a 
 dozen barrels of blast ing-jjowder beneath us. We left. 
 At length we made friends with the engineer, who af- 
 forded us a space in his sanctum, on the floor of which 
 we gladly spread our blankets. 
 
 In an hour or so we were roused by the working' of 
 the engines, and found we were under weigh again. 
 Our engineer at the same time requested us to find a 
 fresh berth, as we were in the way. Despairing of 
 sleep, we lit our pipes, and stumbled about till we got 
 to the upper deck again. 
 
 Looking about us, we saw that tlie moon was shining 
 brightly, and that we were once more ascending the 
 river, although but slowly now, from the increased 
 strength of the current. The aspect of the country was 
 quite changed too ; we were shut in on each side by 
 grim mountains coming almost close down to tlie 
 water's edge, wliile the river swept swiftly round their 
 bases. Snags and rocks appeared here and there, 
 breaking the smooth surface of the water into glancing 
 ripples. On one side the moon threw its soft but bril- 
 liant liglit ; on the other the mountains cast their 
 huge shadows, hiding everything in the obscurity but 
 the fast-expiring glow caused by the fire of some
 
 UP THE COUNTRY. 63 
 
 Indian's camping-place. At a bend of the river, farther 
 on, a line of troubled water danced in the moonlight, 
 revealing the hidden shoals ; and above all the stars 
 glittered peacefully, reflecting themselves shiveringly 
 in the cold waters beneath. Nothing disturbed the 
 calm repose of the scene but the stertorous breathing 
 of our fire-fed monster, -as it assailed the swift running 
 stream, ploughing its way sturdily against it, and the 
 occasional echo of voices from the interior of the cabin, 
 breaking harshly on the ear in the holy stillness of the 
 night. 
 
 While enjoying all this, half asleep and wholly ab- 
 stracted, a fresh sound arose. Gretting up hastily, and 
 running aft to ascertain the cause of this, I saw the 
 sparks flying from the funnel of another steamer, and 
 its fires throwing a ruddy glare on the waters it was 
 rapidly displacing in its efforts to catch up to us. In 
 order to effect this object it had followed the danger- 
 ous expedient of running in the dark, whilst we had 
 been tied up safely to the bank. 
 
 Our ubiquitous captain appeared to have his obser- 
 vation attracted towards our rival at the same time as 
 I did, and forthwith began to raise the still echoes by 
 many loud expletives and commands to the crew, ex- 
 pressing all the time his determination to ' lick 'er or 
 bust ! ' He accordingly liquor'd two or three times on 
 the spot, and did not explode, except in words. 
 
 At once proceeding to business, he yelled out to the
 
 64 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 wretched firemen, ' Say, below thar, you 'tarnal skunks, 
 jes' you wire in, will yer ! ' 
 
 'Wire in yerself, old man, and don't stand thar 
 blowin'. Ef you want us to whip that other boat, you'd 
 better hire a few o' them loafers to help us ; for we're 
 kinder played out.' 
 
 Many oaths followed from the captain and the mate, 
 who now showed up more than half asleep and less 
 than half sober. The Indian wood-passers were set 
 hard to work, by the aid of kicks and objurgations in 
 the Chinook jargon ; and the furnaces began to glare 
 with ruddy fierceness, as the dampers were withdrawn 
 from them, and the resinous firewood was heaped into 
 their yawning mouths. 
 
 Our pace mended, but the opposition craft gained 
 fast on us ; so tlie fireman's advice was adopted, the 
 captain shouting : — 
 
 ' P'ive dollars a head, boys, for any of yer that'll take 
 a turn at tliem fires I ' 
 
 * Here y'are cap'n ! ' ' I'm thar old boss ! ' ' That'll 
 du, you bet ! ' and lialf a dozen aspirants crowded down 
 into the narrow space before the furnaces, passing the 
 lieavy sticks of cordwood from one to the other as 
 quick as liglit. The heat soon caused them to strip to 
 the buff, while the black and rosin got smeared over 
 them, and tlie streams of persjjiration coursed down 
 and streaked them like so many painted savages. That 
 furnace scene might well have suggested a picture for 
 Dante's Inferno.
 
 UP THE COUNTRY. 65 
 
 Still our opponent crept closer, and our captain's 
 determination grew stronger. 
 
 ' Say, Gluson 1 ' addressing the mate, ' whar's all 
 that bakin and them hams stowed away ? I see a lot 
 come aboard, the brand was a Diamond 0.' 
 
 ' What, Opheimer's ? ' 
 
 ' Yes. 'Guess Jews ain't got no right to hev pork. 
 Pass it along to the firemen, sharp ! ' 
 
 ' All right, cap.' 
 
 Several sacks of bacon were thrown into the flames, 
 making them roar like a strong east wind. Up went 
 the steam gauge till it showed 160 lbs. to the square 
 inch, just forty more than was allowed by the Govern- 
 ment certificate, framed and glazed in the cabin. , 
 
 Here the engineer came forward and called the cap- 
 tain's attention to this fact. But our chief seemed 
 past all reason in his violent state. 
 
 ' Waal,' he said, ' if the gover'ment 'spector's aboard 
 and feels skeared, tell him to git as fur away aaft as 
 he ken, and save his British hide. The old boat's 
 never bin whipped yet, and ain't goin' to be till she 
 busts ! ' 
 
 By this time the other boat was neck and neck with 
 us, and every available space on the deck of either 
 boat was crowded by the passengers and others, bandy- 
 ing chaff with one another and entering into the 
 general spirit of excitement prevailing. 
 
 Fate was not with us, however ; for suddenly a fear- 
 
 F
 
 66 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 fill shock and crash were felt and heard, and we stood 
 stock still, with a snag run through the bottom of our 
 hull ; while the rival boat passed us with jeers, and 
 without stopping to see whether we were sinking or 
 not. 
 
 Luckily the snag was a sharp-pointed one. Its 
 point had gone clear through our timbers, and, from 
 the impetus Avith which we had run upon it, had pene- 
 trated for a length of about ten feet into the freight, 
 killing an unfortunate horse belonging to our lady 
 passenger. 
 
 The encumbrances were soon cleared away, and the 
 snag saAvn off. We then backed a yard or two, and 
 the hole was immediately stuffed with blankets pressed 
 for the service from the passengers. The water came 
 in fast notwithstanding, for the shock had been so 
 great as to start the seams in all tlie bottom planks. 
 
 Our boat was therefore headed for the nearest bank, 
 and run hard on a shallow. We then removed our- 
 selves and all our traps to the shore, and had to camp 
 out there (witliout any covering but the trees) for a 
 couple of days, when another steamer came up river 
 and took us off. Our sojourn was not pleasant ; for 
 after a few hours it came on to rain, and continued to 
 do 80, with a pertinacity known only in mountainous 
 countries, until we were relieved. Our poor mules 
 didn't get much to eat, nor ourselves either, as we were 
 only provisioned for the trip.
 
 UP THE COUNTKY. 67 
 
 The gamblers carried on their avocation even here, 
 and many a dripping spruce-tree sheltered its conclave 
 of adorers at the shrine of the monte bank opened 
 beneath its spreading boughs. 
 
 We got on all right on our fresh start, and after 
 struggling against many bad places in the river, where 
 all the steam that could be crowded on hardly made us 
 move, we arrived at Fort Yale, from which point the 
 rest of our journey (nearly four hundred miles) was to 
 be on foot.
 
 08 VERY FAR VTEST INDEED. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE ROAD. 
 
 Now came the commencement of our toils; our previous 
 travelling had been a mere pleasure voyage, not giving 
 lis much chance to exercise our muscles or try our 
 endurance. 
 
 The first step to be done was to pack the mules, and 
 this is a task requiring more skill than would be ima- 
 gined, if one does not wish to get stuck half-way on 
 the road through the animals having bad backs. We 
 had a good opportunity of learning how to accomplish 
 the packing feat, as Fort Yale was alive with pack- 
 trains starting with their loads for the mines. 
 
 At that time there existed no road, but only a rough 
 trail wandering up and down the mountains and through 
 the swamps, until it ended its straggling course at 
 William's Creek, the centre of the mining district of 
 Cariboo, which then held some eight or ten thousand 
 men ; and it may be judged that it took a tolerably 
 continuous string of pack animals with their loads to 
 supply the wants of tlie population. 
 
 Yale was a lively little place, and had a far greater 
 appearance of business than the stump-ridden capital
 
 THE ROAD. 69 
 
 we had lately quitted. The bar-rooms, with the never- 
 absent billiard-tables, were as numerous as ever ; and I 
 noticed that the farther we travelled on so the quality 
 of the liquor deteriorated, and the capacity of the 
 people for swallowing it increased. So soon as a 
 bargain was struck in one of the stores, its ratification 
 in alcohol seemed to be necessary ; and thus the day 
 was passed by these happy merchants in making money 
 and getting rid of it again as soon as possible. Profits 
 were large though in those days, and doubtless the 
 merchants made a better thing of it than their 
 customers. 
 
 The professional packers are nearly all Mexicans, and 
 a reckless bandit-looking race they are, working like 
 slaves for a month to spend their earnings in a night or 
 two's dissipation, the principal development of which 
 is gambling at ononte. 
 
 It was my cue to discover one of these gentlemen 
 unemployed, and with his native cupidity aroused by 
 the fact of his pockets being empty. Soon I found a 
 swaggering specimen of his class, with huge sombrero 
 hat, poncho, and silver-spangled leggings complete, who 
 had just lost his last half-dollar at the monU table, and 
 who condescended with all the airs of a grand seigneur, 
 reduced by misfortune, to assist us for the first day, on 
 receiving a trifling payment of five dollars. 
 
 The first thing our new acquisition did on seeing our 
 pack-saddles was to shrug his shoulders and declare
 
 )0 VERY TAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 they were no use, we must have proper aparejos, or we 
 sliould never reach the mines. He went off, and re- 
 turned in a short time with some of the saddles of his 
 choice, huge leather wallet-shaped bags stuffed with 
 ha)'. The additional expense was no trifle, but we had 
 to grin and bear it. 
 
 Our provisions were soon dexterously made up into 
 well-bound packs of about 150lbs. weight, one for each 
 side of the mule's back. It was surprising to see the 
 ease, occasioned by long practice, witli which the 
 regular packers threw up these weights on the backs of 
 the animals, as if they were mere toys ; while great 
 strong tyros, who could have almost pocketed one of 
 the little Mexicans, were struggling severely to accom- 
 plish the same feat, the perspiration rolling down their 
 faces by the time they had succeeded two or three 
 times ; and owing to their inexperience of tlie habits 
 of the ' critturs,' getting now and then a sly kick to aid 
 their discomfiture. 
 
 Tlie four mules that carried our cargo were soon 
 equipped, and we went ahead along the up-country 
 trail winding through the canons or gorges of this 
 part of the Fraser, which for about sixty miles above 
 "\'alt' runs through the midst of the Cascade Mountains. 
 The Mexican was to accompany us for the first day, 
 with a view to showing us how to tighten tlie loads 
 when they got slack and impack them at night, and 
 also to manage our refractory slaves with the least 
 trouble.
 
 THE ROAD. 71 
 
 So we marched along for a dozen miles or so, stopping 
 now and then to pick out a mule whose girth was 
 slackening, and to start liim on again with a shout after 
 his fellows. At intervals we passed a roadside hut, 
 where whisky (warranted to kill at forty paces) was 
 dealt out to the unsuspecting applicant for refreshment, 
 and occasional miners returning in ragged attire and 
 mostly with woe-begone faces from the mines, where 
 luck had ftiiled them. Of coiu'se the stories related by 
 these poor fellows differed materially from the news- 
 paper accounts and glowing yarns of more successful 
 individuals, and our exuberance had a good deal of cold 
 water dashed over it by the time we reached Spuzzum 
 Ferry, where we crossed the river in one of those ferries, 
 common in Austria, which are worked by pullies running 
 on a cable suspended across the stream. 
 
 I didn't much like the passage, for just below us 
 there was a big fall in the river ; and the strength of 
 the current was such, that the strongly-built ferry-boat 
 curled and warped like a sheet of paper held before 
 the fire when we reached the centre. 
 
 A little farther on we met two men, one of whom 
 was my Irish acquaintance whom I had picked out 
 of the water. He was bestriding a venerable mule of 
 malignant aspect, with an ugly habit of lashing out at 
 anything that came near its hind quarters. I was glad 
 to meet him, as he was a merry sort of fellow, and 
 from a specimen I shortly afterwards had of his capacity
 
 72 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 in the way of bulls, promised to furnish us with some 
 amusement on the road. He was equally pleased to 
 fall in with our party, and he and his companion agreed 
 to travel on in company with us. 
 
 Two or three miles past the ferry we looked about 
 for a favourable spot at which to camp for the night ; 
 and while thus engaged, Pat Keenan and I, with one 
 of the laden mules, fell behind. Pat was twenty or 
 tliirty yards ahead of me, and I was urging on the 
 lagging mule with gentle entreaties. Finding these 
 unavailing I adopted a more violent expedient, and 
 threw a stone at him. The stone (it was a good-sized 
 one) missed my mule, but hit Pat in the back. 
 
 With many exclamations of rage he descended from 
 his perch, and proceeded to lick the animal that bore 
 him most unmercifully. Hardly able to keep from 
 laughing aloud, I enquired — 
 ' What's the matter, Pat ? ' 
 
 ' Matther enough, bedad ! Here's this ould black 
 divil, not continted wid thrying to opsit me iv'ry 
 minit, has bin and kick't me square in the middle of 
 the sphine ! ' 
 
 I didn't explain the truth of the matter to Pat, but 
 quieted his wrath by telling him tliat no doubt the 
 creature had performed in a circus, and that we would 
 raise the wind out of him (if any were left by that time) 
 when we got to Cariboo. 
 
 In another mile or two we came upon a place suited
 
 THE EOAD. 73 
 
 to our requirements for the night : a green shady nook 
 in a plateau on the side of tlie mountain, with a little 
 stream tumbling off a ledge two hundred feet above 
 us into a pool that intercepted its rapid flow towards 
 the river. Wood and water, the two main requisites, 
 being at hand, we at once proceeded to camp, our 
 Mexican now leaving us to our own resources. 
 
 The loads were taken off the animals and piled in a 
 row, with the aparejos placed in line in front ; and the 
 mules, their leader carrying a bell, were turned out, 
 after a feed of barley (as there was not sufficient grass 
 feed for them in that inhospitable part of our route), 
 to pick up what they could get. Each of the party 
 then found some avocation, one pitched the tent, 
 another kindled the fire, another cut wood enough to 
 keep it going for the night ; and Pat, who had we 
 found been a cook amongst other callings, was set to 
 prepare our modest evening meal of bacon and bread, 
 and to boil a kettle of beans readv for breakfast. 
 
 The gold-miners, and other wandering classes on the 
 North Pacific coast, have an excellent and speedy method 
 of baking bread, and the article produced is a long way 
 ahead of the Australian ' damper,' and of most of our 
 bakers' bread at home. Yeast powder is mixed in due 
 proportion with the flour, which is 'then formed into 
 dough. This is immediately divided into lumps large 
 enough to cover the bottom of a frying-pan ; the 
 frying-pan with its contents is then propped up in
 
 74 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 front of a brisk fire. When one side is browned the 
 cake is turned over, and the other side baked. Each loaf 
 takes only about five or ten minutes to bake, or rather 
 roast, and thus a sufficient supply for a large party can 
 be prepared in less than an hour from the time the tire 
 is lighted. 
 
 Exercise and the keen mountain air had given us all 
 ravenous appetites, and our rough fare was devoured 
 with more relish, I doubt not, than the most epicurean 
 alderman has for a Guildliull banquet. The night 
 closed in, pipes were lit, and a small store of grog 
 found by somebody, under the soothing and genial 
 influence of which tlie evening was pleasantly passed, 
 until sleep overtook us, and we retired for the night 
 into our blankets spread over the yielding and sweetly- 
 scented branches of young fir-trees. 
 
 How true it is that expectation surpasses enjoyment! 
 Those evenings, when after the fatigues of the day we 
 rested round the camp fire, engaged in detailing 
 reminiscences of tlie past, singing old well-remembered 
 songs, or building castles in the air for our future 
 residences ; rude health dispelling all ugly phantoms, 
 and giving zest to our little enjoyments, tliough 
 nought but uncertainty was before us; liow shall I 
 always recall them as tlie happiest hours I have ever 
 enjoyed ! and who amongst us who may have realised 
 his dream, would exchange the pleasures of his fancy 
 for those of his fate ?
 
 THE KOAD. 75 
 
 With break of day we were up and stirring ; Pat 
 pursuing the task for which he had been selected, 
 while the rest of us hunted up the mules, took down 
 the tent, and got everytliing ready for a start. 
 
 We travelled on comfortably enough, with the usual 
 drawbacks of mosquitoes and sand-flies, for some miles, 
 ascending and descending at intervals the sides of the 
 hills as we followed the river, until it came on to rain 
 heavily. The rain rendered matters very disagreeable, 
 the steep paths became sticky and almost dangerous 
 in many places, and there was nothing to do save to 
 plod on till we reached our stojiping-place. Down it 
 came, heavily and more heavily, till we were soaked 
 through. The sky looked as if the rain never would 
 cease ; and Pat, as a man who had travelled that 
 country before, was appealed to as to the chances of an 
 improvement in the elements. 
 
 ' Be jabers thin,' said he, ' I belave the great uni- 
 varsal Deluge arose in these parts, it rains that hard 
 here when it manes it ! It's m'ist skins we'll be likely 
 to have for a few days.' 
 
 ' But do you mean to say it can go on like this for 
 long?' 
 
 ' Well, sure I've seen it rain abote here fur a week, 
 in dhrops as big as a shillin' — yis, an' from that to 
 eight inpince /' 
 
 After a time we found ourselves at the summit of an 
 enormous bluff, called the ' Nicaragua Slide,' which we
 
 76 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 had to descend until we reached the river bank about 
 a thousand feet beneath. 
 
 The face of this hill was almost perpendicular, and' 
 appeared at first sight impossible for even a chamois to 
 climb ; but on a closer inspection we saw a narrow 
 trail cut in a zig-zag of many turns till it reached the 
 bottom, and turned off sharply out of sight round the 
 base of the mountain. The lieighf was so giddy that 
 one hardly cared about looking beneath, but we liad to 
 go on, so the hill mule (which was unhappily mine) 
 was started, and the rest of tlie train witli ourselves 
 in the rear followed. 
 
 About halfway down I heard the tinkling of another 
 bell, and the shouts of men ascending with a returning 
 pack train. At each tarn of the zigzag a little space 
 had been quarried into the hill side, to allow anytliing 
 passing room to turn round before commencing a fresh 
 descent. In one of these ' turn-tables ' we drew up all 
 the animals, except the bell-mule, who was too far 
 ahead, to wait until the party had passed; the bell- 
 mule, an experienced animal, we expected would take 
 care of himself at the next turn-table. 
 
 Unhappily, our confidence was ill founded ; the 
 unlucky creature pursued his way downwards until he 
 met the leading animal of the ascending train, who, 
 with a sagacity mucli to be commended, stuck closely 
 to the wall, leaving my wretched beast to go outside 
 him. It was impossible, from the width of their packs,
 
 THE ROAD. 77 
 
 for the two mules to pass each other at this point ; but 
 mine, unable to stop himself from the steepness of the 
 path he was descending, and the impetus given him by 
 his load, endeavoured to pass on the outside : the two 
 packs caught, poor mulo lost his footing, and with a 
 scream fell over the precipice, and after a bound or 
 two plunged a shapeless mass into the foaming torrent 
 below. 
 
 The loss was a serious one, but luckily the first 
 bound had lightened the poor creature of part of his 
 cargo, which we picked up lower down with some diffi- 
 culty and risk, and divided amongst the other mules. 
 This mishap represented the loss of nearly half my 
 capital : so at an early stage I got my first little lesson 
 in practising the fortitude necessary to an adventurer. 
 
 We kept on our way up the course of the Fraser 
 Eiver, skirting the sides of the mountains that shut it 
 in as closely for a distance of some sixty miles above 
 Yale as if they had been reft abruptly in twain, only 
 to leave passage for the mighty rushing stream at their 
 feet. 
 
 The scenery, of course, was of the grandest ; many 
 of the mountains rising to a height of from eight 
 to ten thousand feet, and most of them being of a 
 rugged and inaccessible type, with perpetual snows on 
 their summits ; but we missed the signs of life requi- 
 site to complete the picture by relieving it of monotony. 
 No habitations greeted the eye, save, at intervals of
 
 78 VERY F.VE WEST INDEED. 
 
 five or ten miles along the trail, the log-hut of some 
 patient individual, who tried to eke out a subsistence 
 by selling liquid poison to the unhappy wayfarer, or 
 injuring the digestion of the latter by a ' square meal' 
 of ill-cooked food of the roughest kind at an extra- 
 vagant price. Even these scattered emblems of human 
 existence were not to be seen till we came close upon 
 them, from their being so surrounded by the perpetual 
 pine forest ; and, from a bird's-eye point of view, the 
 whole scene appeared as though never hitherto trodden 
 by the foot of man. 
 
 One pleasant feature of journeying through the 
 mountains is the never-failing supply of cool, delicious 
 water, which comes tumbling down every here and 
 there in a series of little rills, now and then varied by 
 a magnificent waterfall, as some stream of greater pre- 
 tensions leaves its bed of snow to swell the torrent far 
 beneath ; and thus the extra toil of the mountaineer is 
 recompensed with the invigorating draught too often 
 refused to the traverser of the plains. 
 
 Occasionally we met a procession of Indians, neg- 
 lecting their wonted occupations to gain the dollars of 
 the white man, by making tliemselves beasts of burden. 
 In the ordinary fasliion of savages, the wretched squaws 
 had all the worst of it, each one usually carrying on 
 her back a load of two sacks of flour — sometimes even 
 three — weighing fifty pounds per sack, with often a 
 baby perched on the top of the load ; while lier lord
 
 THE EOAD. 79 
 
 and master walked calmly in front of lier with a single 
 sack upon his lazy shoulders. 
 
 I forgot to include John Chinaman amongst the 
 inhabitants of this region ; but the Chinamen form 
 the largest section of the dwellers here. This much- 
 enduring and industrious race are generally to be found 
 in little clusters, at work upon the diggings deserted by 
 the whites ; and sometimes one meets a string of them 
 migrating in search of a fresh field of enterprise, with all 
 their worldly belongings in a pair of baskets suspended 
 from either end of a pole carried across their shoulders. 
 This mode of carrying is peculiar to the Chinaman, 
 and he is so strongly conservative that he never adopts 
 any other method. I once remember seeing one of 
 these worthy people packing a quarter of beef; as he 
 could not split this in two, so as to balance it on his 
 pole, he adopted the following ingenious expedient. 
 He cut a much longer pole (about twelve feet long) 
 from a young fir-tree, tied the beef to one end of it, 
 and a stone of about thirty pounds weight at the other ; 
 the end with the beef attached to it he kept near his 
 shoulder, while the other end with the stone on it pro- 
 jected far in front of him, and thus balanced the heavier 
 load next him; but John's ingenuity seemed rather 
 heavily handicapped with a thirty pound penalty. 
 
 The patient industry of the race cannot, however, be 
 too highly commended ; they will work diggings that 
 a white man will not look at — thus preventing a
 
 80 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 vast amount of waste — and will, doubtless, at the end 
 of the year, by means of their frugality, save more than 
 their white brother is likely to, in spite of his higher 
 gains. 
 
 When they have accumulated a little money, their 
 amljition is usually to set up a laundry business (for 
 they almost entirely usurp that useful trade in Califor- 
 nia and the other gold countries in the North Pacific) 
 or a store ; and there are some Cliinese firms in San 
 Francisco whose trade far exceeds that of any American 
 or European houses, and whose names are indeed more 
 widely known and more highly respected. Owing to 
 the scarcity of females, too, a great many Chinese find 
 employment in the towns as domestic servants. 
 
 It is the fashion on the Pacific Coast to abuse and 
 ill-treat the Chinaman in every possible way; and I 
 really must tell my friends the Americans that in this 
 respect they show an illiberal spirit utterly unworthy 
 of them. The Chinese are really, as citizens, most 
 desirable members of a community ; they are hard- 
 working, sober, and law-abiding — three scarce qualities 
 among people in their station. Prior to the abolition 
 of slaveiy, the colour of his skin was the avowed objec- 
 tion against the Celestial, and special ordinances were 
 even passed to render his evidence imavailing against a 
 white in a criminal court. Since the conclusion of the 
 \N'ar of Secession, this objection to colour has been 
 recognised as illogical, and therefore other outcries
 
 THE ROAD. 81 
 
 have arisen — he works too cheaply, so the great Irish 
 element is in arms against the competitor who threatens 
 to distm-b its vested right of one day's work and two 
 days' dnmk for one day's pay. Which system of labour 
 benefits society most all open-minded persons may 
 judge. 
 
 Poor John! he is treated like a dog, bullied, scoffed 
 at, kicked, and cuffed about on all occasions, his very 
 name made a slang term of reproach ; and yet, withal, 
 he betrays no sign of meditated revenge, but pursues 
 his labours calmly, and is civil and polite to all. He 
 is close-fisted in his dealings with the whites, as he 
 well may be, considering his treatment, and I really 
 think the balance of lionesty is in his favour. Even in 
 the matter of religion, a score on which Americans 
 claim to have particularly tolerant views, he is insulted 
 to a pitch that would not be endured by a person of 
 any other nationality. 
 
 A friend once told me that while in San Francisco 
 he walked through the Chinese quarter with an ac- 
 quaintance, who knew one or two of their merchants. 
 Perambulating these curious and unsavoury streets, 
 they came upon an edifice which they were informed 
 was the ' Josh House,' the place of worship pertaining 
 to the Celestials. 
 
 On entering the building they saw some few devo- 
 tionalists, and a good many others whose occupation 
 was not strictly devotional from a stranger's point of 
 
 Q
 
 82 VERY FAK WEST INDEED. 
 
 view, for they were gambling. (I confess I don't think 
 John's religious ideas are very deep, but perhaps gam- 
 bling is part of his religion ; if so, it is no wonder he 
 tries to get rich, for all well-to-do Chinamen are ter- 
 rible gamblers.) A good many hideous idols were 
 perched round, and the visitors asked tlieir guide who 
 was the divinity represented by the most repulsive of 
 these emblems. 
 ' Josli,' he replied. 
 
 ' Oh, Josh, of course ! but then they're all Josh. 
 Now, what particular Josh is this? Is he a Henry 
 Josh, or a William Josh, or a Hiram Ebenezer Josh ? 
 Ain't he got no other name ?' 
 
 John paused awhile; then a dim light broke over 
 his swarthy countenance as a sudden thought seemed 
 to strike liim. 
 
 ' Amelikan man call him " Sonny-pitch." Call all 
 China man " sonny-pitch ! " ' 
 The visitors left abashed. 
 
 To resume our progress. In a couple more days, 
 without any incident to mark them, we reached the 
 Tliompson River, up which our course lay for some 
 distance. At the confluence of the two streams, and at 
 the head of tlie canons, is another little town called 
 Lytton, with the usual up-country population of store- 
 keepers and Indians. Here we found snugger quarters 
 than usual fur tlie night; and at this point, with the 
 reader's permission, I propose to make a little digres- 
 sion on the subject of Indians in general.
 
 83 
 
 CHAPTER Vir. 
 
 THE NOBLE SAVAGE. 
 
 There is probably no race in the world whose ante- 
 cedents have created so much speculation as the 
 aborigines of North America ; and though many in- 
 genious theories have been mooted, yet it has always 
 been a puzzle to the professors of ethnology to fathom 
 their history, and it is little to be wondered at that 
 science is at fault in the case. Of records there are 
 none, and even the traditions of the various tribes seem 
 to extend no farther back than the last war with their 
 neighbours. 
 
 But there are many distinctive features connected 
 with the different races, which would seem to me, in 
 the light of a mere practical looker-on, to show at 
 least two entirely distinct origins from which this 
 people, generally supposed to be of a common stock, 
 might have sprung. 
 
 The Indians on the coast of Eussian America, or 
 Alaska now-a-days, and thence southward to the north 
 coast of Vancouver's Island, are generally a fine race, 
 the men being stout-set fellows, admirably developed in 
 the bodies and arms, but somewhat poor in the lower 
 
 G 2
 
 84 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 extremities. Their life is mostly spent in canoes, and 
 salmon forms tlieir principal food. Their complexions 
 are hardly darker than those of the inhabitants of 
 Southern Europe, while, amongst the females, I have 
 seen as pure pink and white complexions as any English 
 brunette might boast. The features are of a decidedly 
 Mongolian type, and the peculiar oblique set of the eyes 
 belonging to the Chinese and Japanese is frequently 
 met with in the squaws. 
 
 These Indians, and particularly a tribe called the 
 Hydahs, are wonderfully clever at carving in wood or 
 stone, if any model be given them to imitate, and they 
 can work soft metals with singular skill considering 
 the rude tools they are forced to employ. I have seen 
 many a beautifully-engraved bracelet or ring turned 
 out of a twenty or ten-dollar piece by them. The 
 language of the Hydahs, in its general sound and 
 intonation, a good deal resembles Chinese, but is more 
 guttural. 
 
 From the north of Vancouver's Island, still keeping 
 the coast-line till California is reached, the Flathead 
 Indians are the resident aborigines. These are of 
 similar characteristics, in most respects, to their north- 
 ern neighbours, save that their stature is less and 
 their mental capacity proportionably diminished. Tlie 
 laltt-r fact may doubtless be attributed to the absurd 
 custom from which their name of ' Platlieads ' is de- 
 rive d. Soon after an infant is born its head is tightly
 
 THE NOBLE SAVAGE. 85 
 
 bandaged between two flat pieces of wood, one placed 
 on the forehead and the other at the back of the head, 
 and this bandage is kept on night and day nntil the 
 child is about two years old, by which time the head 
 has acquired the shape which it afterwards retains. 
 
 But when one strikes inland to any distance, one 
 encounters a race which seems to be utterly different 
 in all respects to the natives already spoken of. 
 
 I was agreeably surprised, on reaching the Thompson 
 Eiver, to iind an immense improvement in the physique 
 of the Indians. They were tall, straight, slim fellows, 
 with the orthodox copper-coloured complexion of the 
 Red Indian, and with high features, often finely cut — 
 in fact, one might properly call them Caucasian 
 features — no more resembling the Flatheads, whose 
 country I had just left, than an Englishman does a 
 Negro. Their pursuits are as widely removed from 
 those of the coast natives as their appearance is at 
 variance with theirs ; for these are hunters, and the 
 horse and the bow and arrow take the place of the 
 canoe and the fish-spear. The^ imitative faculty is 
 entirely lost here, and the tongue which is spoken has 
 a soft and liquid sound instead of being re^Dlete with the 
 ear-piercing gutturals common along the coast. This 
 type of men extends, with but little variation, across 
 the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic. 
 
 From these crude premises it might perhaps be not 
 rashly argued, that the race of Indians first described
 
 8G VEEY FAH WEST INDEED. 
 
 are of Mongolian origin ; and the proximity to Xorthem 
 Asia of the country inhahited by the tribes (as the 
 H^'dahs) whose peculiar traits, physical and other- 
 wise, most closely approach the Chinese model, and 
 who, from the fact of their not liaving wandered 
 so far as the rest of their brethren, may perliaps be 
 considered more likely to preserve those traits intact, 
 would appear to strengthen this conclusion ; while the 
 inhabitants of the interior, and thence eastwaixls to 
 the Atlantic, having notliiug whatever in common 
 with the others (except the all-pervading characteristic 
 of filth, of course), might be pretty safely set down as 
 having a derivation perfectly distinct. 
 
 There is, of course, against tliis the common argu- 
 ment of different climates, pursuits, and food ; but in 
 opposition to this argument may be set the fact, that 
 the Indians on the Atlantic coast (New Brunswick and 
 Nova Scotia, for instance) closely resemble those two 
 thousand miles in the interior ; while the Hydahs are 
 utterly dissimilar to the Thompson River Indians a 
 couple of hundred miles inland from them ; and this 
 line of demarcation extends as far south as Lower 
 falifornia, where the distinction is lost, and another 
 race, to be hereafter spoken of, appears to take the 
 place of both. 
 
 • My own idea then is, that the natives from tlie 
 Atlantic to this line of demarcation were originally 
 European, and that the two separate peoples liave over- 
 run Nortli America from different directions.
 
 THE NOBLE SAVAGE. 87 
 
 I said there were no traditions amongst the tribes, 
 but there is, or was, an exception to this rule. Some 
 fifty years ago there lived near the banks of the 
 Mississippi a tribe called the Mandans, who appeared 
 to be of superior intelligence to their surrounding 
 neighbours, who built their lodges differently, and 
 possessed habits and customs of a nature far more 
 civilised than the others. They composed altogether 
 but a small tribe, and seldom married out of its pale. 
 This little nation, it is asserted, had a tradition of its 
 founders having crossed a big salt-water lake, and 
 having travelled on until they took possession of the 
 tract of land they then claimed as their hunting-ground. 
 It is also asserted that the language they spoke was 
 very like Welsh. 
 
 There is certainly a story current in North Wales of 
 one of its princes having sailed with a few of his 
 followers for Iceland, and of his sailing off again west- 
 ward from thence. Of course, the connection between 
 the two traditions is vague in tlie extreme, but it 
 is within the bare bounds of possibility that the 
 jNIandans were descendants of this Welsh prince and 
 his people. 
 
 With the encroaching flow of civilisation, this tribe, 
 like its fellows, was driven farther westward ; and at 
 this time only a few scattered members remain, some 
 in Arozina, and others, I believe, in Colorado. Hardly 
 any traces of their superior civilisation now exist, the
 
 88 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 hardships they have had to encounter in their forced 
 pilgrimage having doubtless effaced these. 
 
 I met once in San Francisco one of the United States' 
 soldiers, a man of Welsh parentage, who, whilst nar- 
 rating some fights his detachment had recently had 
 with the Apaches, told me that on his last expedition 
 he had come across a small encampment of Indians 
 belonging to a tribe he was unacquainted with, and 
 inclined to be friendly. This man averred that the 
 language spoken by these natives was so like Welsh 
 that he could understand many words of it. He found 
 amongst them a half-breed, who told him that the 
 people were one of the few remaining portions of a tribe 
 who had come, during the remembrance of the old men, 
 from the neighbourhood of the Mississippi, and that 
 they were called !Mandans. 
 
 This story called to my recollection many tilings I 
 had lieard and read concerning this people, and con- 
 firmed my own impressions on^the subject so strongly 
 that I enquired of my informant whether he had ever 
 heard anything concerning tlie history of the tribe ; 
 but he stated that he had not. 
 
 Assuming, for purposes of argument, tlie fact that 
 this particular tribe is of European origin, a similar 
 derivation is easily assigned to the whole of tlieir 
 brethren east of the line of demarcation I have 
 already noticed ; for there are no strong points of differ- 
 ence between them, and those that there are may be
 
 THE NOBLE SAVAGE. 89 
 
 reconciled Ly the hypothesis of the Maudans having 
 emigrated later, or having, by reason of their exclnsive- 
 ness, retained many features of a former mode of life, 
 which the others have lost. 
 
 I said that on I'eaching Lower California the members 
 of what might well be another entire race appeared. 
 These are the descendants of the Aztecs of Mexico, now 
 unhappily mixed up with Spaniards and negroes into 
 a wretched set of mongrels. But it is of the Aztecs 
 themselves, and of their cousins the Incas of Peru, 
 whose languages were alike, and who traded and asso- 
 ciated with each other, that I would now speak. Who 
 could these people, with the high civilisation they 
 possessed at the time of Pizarro and Cortes, have been ? 
 Clearly there could have been no connection betwef^n 
 them and the wretched savages who lived to the north- 
 wards of them. Who and what were the people who 
 worshipped the sun, and built those grand cities and 
 noble temples, the ruins of which meet the eye in 
 various parts of Mexico and Central America ? There 
 is only one tribe of aborigines now extant in America 
 who at all resemble physically the description handed 
 down to us of the Aztecs ; this tribe is the Cherokees, 
 who are now nearly all within the pale of civilisation, 
 and many of whom, in Texas and other places in the 
 Southern States, are members of professions, and are 
 otherwise identified with the ordinary community. 
 
 The Cherokees are a fine, handsome race, of a con-
 
 90 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 siderably dififerent type from the Xortliern Indians, 
 ^vith more roundness of form and softness of feature, 
 and certainly with much more advanced traits of mind. 
 It is said (witli what amount of truth I cannot tell) 
 that freemasonry was in vogue amongst them when 
 they were first encountered by the settlers. On the 
 whole it is not unlikely that tliey are the only direct 
 descendants of the former inhabitants of Mexico. I 
 have not heard whether they liad any particular form 
 of religion ; at the present time they are all, I believe, 
 proselytes of Christianity. 
 
 So far as derivation is concerned, India would 
 appear to contain the only people at all resembling the 
 Aztecs and Incas in physical appearance, form of reli- 
 gion, mode of architecture, and proficiency in other 
 arts ; and the broad Pacific, with its resting-places in 
 the shape of islands, was doubtless the highway that 
 bore thie noble race, of whom no one can read witliout 
 feeling a deep and regretting interest from the rising 
 to the setting sim. 
 
 There have been found on the banks of Lake 
 Superior, near the mines of native copper which exist 
 there, several tuinuH, containing relics of some race 
 of much more advanced knowledge and civilisation 
 than the nomadic tribes wlio overrun that part of 
 America ; and a line of these tumuli, extending to 
 Mexico and Central America, and containing exactly 
 similar relics, has, I understand, been traced.
 
 THE NOBLE SAVAGE. 91 
 
 These mines, on Lake Superior, are the only place 
 at present known where native copper is obtainable ; 
 and most likely the Aztecs, or some earlier race than 
 they, not acquainted with any method of releasing 
 copper by smelting- from its ordinary chemical combi- 
 nations, set a priceless value on this depot of pure 
 copper, and formed a line of forts to it from their own 
 country. Each of these tumuli, it is not unlikely, 
 marks the site of a fort. 
 
 The relics found are evidently of very great age, and 
 there are many circumstances which tend to prove 
 that the Western hemisphere has been inhabited for 
 a much longer period than is generally credited. 
 
 Since I first wrote tliis book, I have by an accident 
 come across an extract from a work by Mr. Cronise 
 on ' The Resources of California,' in a San Francisco 
 paper. That gentleman follows the notion that the 
 Tartars, whose dynasty now rules China, discovered 
 America by the errantry of a part of the fleet of Kublai 
 Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan, when Kublai at- 
 tempted the conquest of Japan. ' A great storm drove 
 many sail off to the coast of Alaska, to Peru, and to 
 ]\Iexico,' he says — rather diverse directions these, 
 unless the storm was a whirlwind — ' and among the 
 badges of the Incas, and in the languages of Peruvians 
 and Mexicans indifferently, are many things identical 
 with the Chinese. A full suit of Tartar armour of the 
 thirteenth century is said to have been among the spoil 
 of Cortes in Mexico.'
 
 92 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 But such a derivation as this is clearly too recent a 
 one to be assigned to the inhabitants of Mexico and 
 Peru. It was no colony of less than three hundred 
 years old that Cortes found on his landing, but an old 
 established kingdom, every feature of which pointed to 
 its age. The scattered ruins now to be seen have at 
 least as ancient an appearance as those of Rome ; while 
 I have never heard of any similarity to Chinese architec- 
 ture about them. Asiatic in character they doubtless 
 are ; as are the shields and arms, and various other 
 remains of workmanship in metal. One would think 
 it doubtful whether there are any means of fixing dates 
 to Tartar armour of anything like early times, even if 
 the story of the finding be acceptable. It is quite 
 likely that the armour worn in the thirteenth century 
 by that unprogressive Mongol race was also worn by it 
 for a thousand years or two previous to the epoch in 
 question ; and that very suit inifjht have been a trophy 
 earned by some warrior of Hindostan in fight against 
 the Tartars, with whom the inhabitants of Northern 
 India have waged almost eternal warfare. 
 
 Still it is just as possible that some of Kublai Khan's 
 followers did get thrown on the coast of Mexico, and 
 that a suit of armour belonging to one of them was 
 found by Cortes. The only improbability seems to be 
 that they should have been the ancestors of the North 
 Pacific aborigines. There is no reason why they should 
 not have found the country inhabited when they
 
 THE NOELE SAVAGE. 93 
 
 reached it. There is not, indeed, I believe, any known 
 reason to set against the idea that the Chinese may 
 have been in regular communication with Mexico a 
 few centuries since. Chinese literature and traditions 
 are to us an unexplored maze, and it would be inte- 
 resting to know if there are any traces in them of a 
 knowledge of that great western land, not so very far 
 removed from the northern parts of their own country. 
 This chapter I feel sure requires many apologies, 
 and with such I liasten to close it. If I have trotted 
 out what is certainly a hobby with me to the extent of 
 wearying my readers, I beg their forgiveness ; and can 
 only solace myself with the hope that some mind 
 better directed than my own may iind a hint or sug- 
 gestion that may help, if never so slightly, to open a 
 train of enquiry into a subject of great and romantic 
 interest to myself and many others.
 
 94 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE ROAD AGAIN. 
 
 Of all the dismal and dreary-looking places in the 
 world, the valley of the Thompson River, for some 
 fifteen or twenty miles from its mouth, would easily 
 take the palm. We had thought the canons of tlie 
 Fraser rugged enough ; but here was nought but rocks, 
 whereon even the hardy fir refused to vegetate. Our 
 ' bogey ' friend, Gustave Dore, might have found here 
 an opening for fresh fancies ; and I often thought, 
 while passing through it, of the Valley of the Shadow 
 of Death in ' Pilgrim's Progress.' 
 
 We gladly pushed on through tliis wilderness to 
 Cook's Ferry ; where we crossed the river, and ascended 
 its northern bank through a more open country, with 
 plenty of grass at intervals, till we 'reached a little 
 stream called tlie Buonaparte River. 
 
 The banks of tliis river are low and swampy ; and 
 the mosquitoes, from whose torments we had been 
 partially relieved in the mountains, abounded to an 
 unpleasant extent ; and we poor green youths, from 
 knowing no better, soon scratched and tore ourselves 
 into a perfect frenzy. IMost of our fists soon resembled
 
 THE ROAD AGAIN. 95 
 
 boxing-gloves in shape (I was going to say in size too, 
 but that might be a little extravagant), and our faces 
 took the appearance of well-boiled oranges smeared 
 over with beet-root. 
 
 We stopped, on our third night from Lytton, at the 
 wayside house of an old Scotchman, who had served the 
 Hudson's Bay Company, and whose strapping half- 
 breed sons came forth from the paternal roof-tree to 
 welcome us to its shelter. We passed a merry evening 
 with the old man, who told us many stirring stories of 
 his former wild life ; and as the aperture that served 
 for a window was covered by a mosquito-bar, we lay 
 down in our blankets on the earthen floor in the hope 
 of a comfortable sleep. 
 
 In this, however, we were disappointed sadly ; for 
 our Hibernian, who had, alas ! forgotten his vows, paid 
 so much attention to our host's whiskey (strictly of the 
 high-pressure stamp), that he must needs taste the 
 sweetness of the midnight air, and lave his heated 
 brows in the stream close by. The wretch on his exit 
 left the door open upon his sleeping comrades, and in 
 trooped the mosquitoes, in such numbers as only a man 
 who has visited that part of the world will believe. 
 Of coiu'se there was little sleep after this, and we got 
 up in the morning unrefreshed, with a long day's 
 tramp before us. We got even on Pat by taking an 
 early start, and leaving him a twenty-mile march in the 
 heat of the sun to catch us up.
 
 96 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 Two or three days after this we readied a table-land, 
 some four thousand feet high, where all the water was 
 strongly impregnated with alkali ; and here we had the 
 greatest trouble with our animals, wlio often strayed 
 six or seven miles away at night in search of sweet water. 
 This was good training for us from the hunter's point 
 of view, and we soon became almost as 'cute as Indians 
 in tracking the paths of our wandering quadrupeds. 
 
 We were joined one night by a drover bringing in 
 some five hundred head of cattle and some sheep from 
 Oregon ; and our ordinary fare of rusty bacon was 
 exchanged for a dainty feed of fresh beef-steaks. 
 
 The drover was a particularly entertaining acquaint- 
 ance, and turned out to be a member of the Oregon 
 Legislature. I believe he might, with much labour, 
 have been able to write his name ; but in these new 
 places, the strong arm often goes farther than the long 
 head ; and, as he certainly possessed the former, it is 
 presumable that his constituents were better able to 
 appreciate that quality than the latter one. 
 
 Tlie man was a magnificent physical specimen of the 
 Western settler. He stood some six feet four in his 
 stockings, with a back and shoulders like a wall ; 
 straight as an Indian, with an open, fearless counte- 
 nance, tanned by constant exposure to a deep brown 
 tint ; and with a resolute eye, before which, no doubt, 
 many a horse-thief and marauder had quailed. As an 
 instance of his strength, I well remember seeing him
 
 THE EOAD AGAIN. 97 
 
 once, while going at full gallop, stretch down from the 
 saddle, and lift with one arm, from the ground on to 
 the horse's shoulders, a large heavy sheep, of about 
 the size of one of our Leicesters. Withal he was a 
 merry, good-tempered fellow, without the least ten- 
 dency to exert his enormous power for any but a worthy 
 purpose. 
 
 The morning after our meeting I went out at sun- 
 rise to get our mules together, and found them, with 
 the exception of two, at the place I expected. While 
 looking about for traces of the missing two, I met with 
 one of the hands in the drover's train. He appeared 
 rather dismayed, and when I asked him the reason, 
 said that forty head of their cattle were missing, and 
 that he feared there were thieves about. We looked 
 all round for a short time longer without finding any 
 clue, and then returned as liard as we could to the camp. 
 
 When arrived, we found Pete, the drover, with one 
 of his Mexicans, scouring the neighbourhood with 
 anxious glances, apparently in search of tracks of some 
 kind ; while the herd of cattle rushed about, bellowing 
 and snorting, and with difficulty kept within bounds by 
 the remainder of the party. On Pete seeing his man 
 return without the lost portion of the herd, and 
 hearing that two of our mules were also gone, his 
 suspicion was at once turned into conviction ; and he ex- 
 claimed, ' Now then, boys, guess we'll hev to hunt down 
 them 'tarnal skunks right away ; who'll come along ? ' 
 
 H
 
 98 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 We all offered to go at once, but as there were not 
 horses enough, and we were bound to leave some people 
 behind to look after what had not been stolen, Pete, 
 Pat Keenan, a Mexican, and myself, formed the expe- 
 dition. Pete had his long heavy rifle, carried across 
 his saddle-bows, while the rest of us carried six- 
 shooters ; and we were all well mounted, for Pete had 
 some first-rate horses. 
 
 The difficulty now was to find out which way the 
 tliieves had driven off our cattle, and a little council 
 of war was held before starting. In the first place, of 
 course they would never take the trail, but would seek 
 some mode of getting across the range of mountains 
 between us and the Thompson River ; and, by swim- 
 ming the river, reach the open country lying beyond it 
 and towards the Columbia for about three hundred 
 miles. If the river were crossed it would be but lost 
 time to pursue them farther, as there were a dozen 
 routes they miglit take over the plains. Expedition 
 was therefore the first object, and yet it would never 
 do to risk all by rushing to a hasty conclusion. 
 
 At this juncture the Mexican (whose previous history 
 we were luiaccjuainted with, and wlio very likely had 
 given up the charms of a predatory life for an honest 
 existence) turned up a trump. 
 
 Leading us to a little hill about a mile away, which 
 seemed to have been placed ])y some freak of nature in 
 the position it occupied, as it formed a singular break
 
 THE ROAD AGAIN. 99 
 
 in the otherwise even surface of the plateau, our 
 guide, who was called Juan, asked us to ascend it. 
 This we did on foot with a good deal of difficulty, for 
 the hill was very steep, and composed of a curious 
 kind of greasy decomposed trap-rock. 
 
 On reaching the summit I could not help exclaiming 
 with admiration on the magnificence of the picture 
 spread beneath and around. To the eastwards wound 
 a long and wide valley, on the other side of which 
 were the mountains wliich hid the North Fork of the 
 Thompson Kiver from us ; and between them and us, 
 in some part of' the valley, we knew that our enemies 
 were pursuing tlieir way towards one of the openings 
 in the range. Of these there appeared to be three, 
 one of considerable magnitude some distance to the 
 north of us ; the other two were almost directly oppo- 
 site and close together, but of smallei: dimensions, and 
 apparently more impracticable than the first one. In 
 the far distance through these openings could be seen 
 the snowy craggy summits of the Eocky Mountains. 
 They could not have been less than from two to three 
 hundred miles away ; but in the marvellously clear 
 atmosphere that exists in that part of America the 
 distance did not look more than a quarter of what it 
 really was. 
 
 Behind us was a perfect chaos of mountain peaks 
 trending away in all shapes and sizes to the verge of 
 the horizon, where they gradually became indistin- 
 
 H 2
 
 100 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 guisbable from the liglit floating clouds that hovered 
 about them. 
 
 I was soon made aware that it was no time for sen- 
 timent ; for Pete grabbed my arm, with a clutoli like a 
 vice, and remarked, ' Naow then, youuker, quit star- 
 gazin', and 'tend to bisness ; le'ss see what this yer 
 greaser (the euphonious slang for Mexican) has got to 
 say.' 
 
 Juan looked up and down the valley beneath, and 
 appeared to be taking general stock of the country. 
 In a short time lie seemed to make up his mind, and 
 approached Pete, pointing witli liis finger to the two 
 breaks in the chain opposite us. 
 
 ' Horse-tief go dere, Pedro.' 
 
 ' "Waal now, I calclated they was gone up the valley 
 and tlirough that pass,' alluding to the widest gorge 
 to the northwards, ' whar they'd find easy travellin' all 
 the way.' 
 
 ' Horse-tief don't want easy travel, w^ant get away 
 quick. Tink 1 find 'em pretty soon.' 
 
 A means of reaching the foot of the two passes had 
 then to be found, and in this our elevated position 
 assisted us. Not far away we saw a little lake, now 
 nearly dry, with its white banks, covered witli alkali, 
 glistening in tlie sun. P>om tliis, when the snows 
 Smelted in the spring, causing it to overflow, a stream 
 took its course, after many windings througli a thick 
 forest of stunted firs, towards the valley.
 
 THE ROAD AGAIN. 101 
 
 "VVe descended from our point of observation, re- 
 mounted our horses, and lieaded for this watercourse 
 at once ; and after struggling over fallen timber for 
 two or tliree miles, we reached it and found it quite 
 dry, with its bed covered with large rocks and boulders. 
 Tlu-ough these we had to pick our way with caution, 
 and yet to make as much speed as possible ; notliing but 
 our Mexican saddles saving us from many a spill, as' the 
 horses stumbled and bounded over the uneven ground. 
 
 Little was said on the way ; we all felt too much 
 rage in our hearts, for in the Far \^^est next to a mm- 
 derer a cattle-stealer is regarded as the worst of his 
 species — the two professions being, moreover, generally 
 pretty closely associated. 
 
 Only Pat now and then" broke the silence with a 
 curse, as some fresh obstacle impeded his progress 
 towards the objects of our search. 
 
 We had found it impossible to track the fugitive 
 party, by the usual signs, from anywhere in the imme- 
 diate vicinity of the camp, as the whole band of 
 cattle had wandered about greatly in the night in 
 search of water, and the confusion of hoof-marks was 
 such as to render a search in that manner fruitless. 
 We could only hope to come across any reliable traces 
 when we reached the limit of the animals' wanderings 
 over nioht. 
 
 o ♦ 
 
 After continuing for about three or four miles down 
 the watercourse it became evident that the thieves had
 
 102 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 not travelled over our path ; for thoiig^h we had met 
 with occa>;ional traces of cattle they were only at 
 scattered intervals, and had no continuous appearance. 
 
 We began to think Juan had misled \is, and Pete 
 had just hinted to me tliat he thought it likely that 
 Juan was 'in with them tarnation scoiuidrels,' when 
 we arrived at a little stream wliich emptied itself into 
 the bed of the dried-up river we had been following, 
 filling it to the depth of a foot or two ; a little farther 
 on the stream forked, and we chose the broader and 
 more open branch. 
 
 Juan declared his intention of following the other 
 fork for a short distance and tlien rejoining the party. 
 I went with him. 
 
 We splashed on through the water for a few minutes ; 
 the bottom was very soft and sandy, and I was sm-prised 
 to find that the body of water gradually decreased 
 instead of becoming larger, until finally the bed again 
 became quite diy. It was plain that this part of the 
 stream was at this season absorbed by the light nature 
 of the soil. 
 
 I was now placing little faith in our hopes of 
 catching the marauding party, and was looking straight 
 ahead of mo with the thought of striking off soon to 
 catch up Pete and my Irishman; but I had observed 
 ^uan looking out very carefully still, and just as the 
 hitherto flowing stream became changed into terra 
 fi^ma, he broke the silence with a sudden exclamation.
 
 THE EOAD AGAIN. 103 
 
 ' Ah ! dam artful rascal ; I catch him now ; 'E tink 
 we go oder way, and come trou' de agua to cache* 'im 
 feet.' 
 
 We scampered across the intervening ground and 
 soon came upon our leader and Pat, both looking very 
 disconsolate at finding no signs as they went on. 
 
 Pete was electrified by the intelligence we brought, 
 and dashed on at a rate hard to keep up with ; we felt 
 secure of our prize, once on the right track, as it was 
 impossible the cattle could be driven as fast as we 
 pursued them. Pete asked Juan if he had any sus- 
 picion of who was the head of the thieving expedition. 
 Juan replied that he thought it was ' Slippery Jack,' 
 the most renowned member of the fraternity, and also 
 one of the most desperate villains in all Oregon. 
 
 Juan had seen him lurking about the Dalles, through 
 which place Pete's band had passed, and ' Slippery 
 Jack ' had no doubt collected some of his acquaintances 
 of similar proclivities, and followed the party at a con- 
 venient distance on the look out for a chance. ' Jist 
 to think,' said Pete, with an air of deep chagrin, ' that 
 I had a rope hitched round that coon's neck six 
 months ago, and didn't hist him 'cos I wanted votes 
 for my eleckshin to the legislatur' — the ungrateful 
 cuss ! ' 
 
 * Hide ' Cache' is a term applied to an Indian hiding-place, where 
 they bury their belongings when they start off on the war-path, or on 
 hunting expeditions.
 
 104 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 ' Why tliat doesn't reflect much credit on the insti- 
 tutions of your State, Pete. Is it the custom to canvass 
 the collected scouudrelism of the country at election 
 times ? ' 
 
 '"NVaal, yer see, if one don't another will; they're 
 all at liberty to vote, good or bad ; and as there's more 
 bad tlian good, for sartin the bad 'uns'll hev it all tliar 
 way. Now them horse-thieves are right smart at votin', 
 I tell yu ! I've known one of 'em ride a hundred and 
 more miles in a day and vote the same ticket at six 
 places, from ten to seventy miles apart.' 
 
 ' So you refrained from lynching this wretch, who, 
 according to all accounts has murdered half-a-dozen 
 men or so in his time, to make use of him and his 
 friends ? I really shouldn't have thought you'd have 
 done such a tiling as that, Pete.' 
 
 ' Now you musn't be hard on me, young Johnny Bull. 
 Thar was a fust-rate contract job goin' fui- meat and 
 stores fur the sojers, and the prison and the hospital; 
 and I guess I made some few thousand dollars by 
 turnin' politisliin. I voted for my own tender (put in 
 another man's name of course) and paid a purty han- 
 soms share to a few more what helped me to get it. I 
 sot up a raanch,* and sent over to Pike County, 
 ■Missouri, fur my Sally, riglit away ; and Lor' bless her 
 purty face-^ril bet she's a makin' butter an' a thinking 
 
 Eariii.
 
 THE ROAD AGAIN. 105 
 
 of me at this moment I But I've got thru my perli- 
 tical bisness all right naow, and mebbe on this occashin 
 I'll decrease the number of my constitooents by one.' 
 
 Pete here stroked the long barrel of his rifle in a 
 caressing manner, and our little discussion dropped. 
 
 We had travelled on at a good pace for some time, 
 and now approached the side of the table-land, de- 
 scending into the valley. The tracks of the party we 
 were pursuing became fresher and fresher, evidencing 
 the fact that we were gaining upon them, when Juan 
 rode back from the front and told us to follow quickly, 
 for he fancied he heard the bellow of a bull a long 
 way off. 
 
 In another half-hour the stream we had been follow- 
 ing turned off abruptly to the right. Seeing on the 
 left an open piece of grass land, from which I thought 
 a view might perhaps be gained of the valley, I rode 
 across it for a little way, and was suddenly pulled up 
 by seeing before me an immense chasm, from one to 
 two hundred yards wide where I stood, and at least a 
 thousand feet deep. Its sides were perfectly perpen- 
 dicular, and nothing grew upon them, so that one 
 could see the different strata all the way to the bottom. 
 This singular rent continued, deepening and widen- 
 ing as it went, till it reached the foot of the valley. 
 Near its mouth, about two miles away, I detected a 
 tiny wreath of blue smoke ; but so thin and vapoury 
 was it, that I was quite uncertain whether it was smoke
 
 106 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 or not for some time. I imagined at first it must 
 1)6 an Indian camp, for white men generally build a 
 larger fire, and are not particular whether the wood is 
 green or not. I went cautiously along, skirting the 
 side of the precipice, imtil I got witliin half a mile of 
 tlie smoke ; then dismounting and keeping behind a 
 large tree, I peeped down again into the depths be- 
 neath. Oh, happy spectacle ! with what joy I hailed 
 tliat sight ! Tliere were the lost cattle and our two 
 mules, which had been driven as far as they could go 
 that day, and tliree atrocious-looking ruffians busy 
 cooking their afternoon repast. 
 
 I got back to my horse, and rode as hard as I could 
 across the groimd between me and the stream, where I 
 soon caught up my party, and told tliem they were going 
 off the track. This did not prove to be the case though, 
 fur the tracks we had followed continued fresher than 
 ever, and the water-course soon took another turn, 
 bringing us by a very steep descent into tlie valley, 
 where it joined another stream. 
 
 Tlie thieves, we had no doubt, had gone up tliis. in 
 the water again, so as to hide tlieir track, to the mouth 
 of the chasm, which tiiey had ascended, thinking them- 
 selves safe from pursuit, to refresh tlie cattle for an- 
 other start. Had it not been for my opportune little 
 diversion they would probal)ly have escaped, as we 
 might have searched for them in vain till night 
 stopped us.
 
 THE ROAD AGAIN. 107 
 
 We now tied up our horses and proceeded on foot 
 for greater caution, keeping along the side of the hill 
 to avoid any spy who might be posted on the look-out 
 by the banks of the little river, and who might have 
 ' potted ' one of us from an ambuscade. 
 
 This caution was well founded, for as we neared the 
 mouth of the place where our adversaries were hidden, 
 Pete called my attention to the figure of a man moving 
 stealthily about a little clump of trees. Telling me to 
 remain where I was, and to stop the rest who were fol- 
 lowing, Pete commenced a series of backwood tactics. 
 Crawling along the ground, dragging his rifle after 
 him, then dodging from one tree or bash to another, 
 Pete approached within easy range of the stranger ; 
 when recognising him at once as the veritable ' Slippery 
 Jack ' himself, he levelled his weapon and fired. The 
 man leapt into the air and fell stone dead. 
 
 Knowing that the sound of the shot would arouse his 
 companions we hastened on, and came npon the three 
 men I had seen round the fire, who were just rushing 
 out to see what was the matter. 
 
 Covering them with our revolvers we bade them 
 surrender at once, and told them that as their leader 
 was dead we would spare them for the law to deal 
 with. They did'nt show fight after this, and we bound 
 their wrists firmly with some withes from the banks of 
 the stream. 
 
 Collecting our animals together, and seating the
 
 108 VEKV FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 tliree men on their own horses, we drove them on he- 
 fore us until we found a campiug'-place for the night ; 
 wlieu two of \is returned to bury the body of the 
 wretehed ' Slippery Jack,' the other two keeping watch 
 over our prisoners. We found upon tlie body a gold 
 watch, witli tlie name engra\ed on it of a well-known 
 miner (a former friend of Pete's), who had been unac- 
 countably missing during the preceding winter, and 
 was doubtless one of Jack's victims. 
 
 During the niglit we took it in turns to watcli the 
 tliree men, and in the morning we returned by the way 
 we liad come to our companions, who greeted us with 
 a warmth all the greater when they saw our prizes and 
 heard our story. 
 
 The whole party after this continued their onward 
 
 course, with the prisoners, over the remainder of the 
 
 table land, and througli a more pleasant country, 
 
 past Lake la Hache on to William's Lake, whei'e 
 
 we delivered over the three captives to the tender 
 
 mercies of the law, in tlie sliape of a judge promoted 
 
 by the Colonial Government to tliat desirable position 
 
 from the less remunerative one of a policeman. This 
 
 functionary took our evidence, and sent the ruffians 
 
 ft 
 down to New Westminster for trial during the ensuing 
 
 winter, binding us over to attend there. 
 
 I may mention liere that the result of that trial was 
 
 a sentence of fourteen years in the chain-gang, and I 
 
 often liad the j>leasure of seeing tlie desperadoes at
 
 THE no AD AGAIN. 109 
 
 work upon the roads round the colonial metropolis, or 
 grubbing out its eternal stumps, with balls and chains 
 attached to their legs, under the close surveillance of a 
 well-armed defender of the peace. 
 
 From William's Lake we continued to a place called 
 The Forks of Quesnelle, across which river lay the 
 Cariboo country, the El Dorado we had toiled to reach. 
 
 We had heard doleful stories from descending miners 
 of the hardships of the diggings, the perpetual rains, 
 the spongy ground and consequent wet-sinking, the 
 enormous prices of everything ; winding up in all 
 cases, where the recital came from an unlucky narrator, 
 that we liad better return as soon as we could, or we 
 should have to beg our way down again. All sugges- 
 tions of this kind were at once scouted as unworthy to 
 be followed by bold Britons, and now and then we cer- 
 tainly had the satisfaction of seeing a man going down 
 with his pack appearing remarkably heavy, and once 
 we met some lucky fellows with three mules well laden 
 with gold-dust. 
 
 After crossing the Quesnelle we only had about sixty 
 miles farther to travel before reaching William's Creek, 
 but those sixty miles ! We got our animals as far as 
 Keithley's Creek, after struggling through a sea of mud 
 with a bottom composed of roots of trees, and here we 
 had to get rid of them, for no creature but a man was 
 capable of carrying anything over the remainder of the 
 journey at that season of the year. We therefore sold
 
 110 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 our mules to a returning packer for half price, and 
 thouo^ht ourselves lucky to get so much. 
 
 Tlie cargo was made up into packs weighing about 
 eighty pounds each, and with these comfortable little 
 appendages on our backs we had to travel forty miles 
 on foot. We had to make a double trip too, storing 
 half our load on the first occasion and returning for it ; 
 as there was nearly one hundred and sixty pounds per 
 man all round. 
 
 All the sides of the mountains were soaked with the 
 melting snows and the soft drizzling rain, which seemed 
 to fall for an average of three days out of four. The 
 ground itself was a soft spongy mass, and the inferior 
 vegetation consisted of various mosses growing amongst 
 the roots of spruce and balsam fir-trees. The trail 
 through this had become trodden into a filthy quagmire, 
 with fallen trees across it every few feet, over whicli it 
 was no pleasant thing to clamber with our heavy loads. 
 Added to this the path was generally very steep, often 
 at an angle of forty or fifty degrees, and occasionally 
 skirting precipices, where a false step would have sent 
 t)ie wayfarer to destruction. 
 
 We were glad indeed to pass Antler Creek and reach 
 the Bald Mountain, on the other side of which lay 
 William's Creek. This mountain was some seven or eight 
 thousand feet higli, and from that fact the upper por- 
 tions of it were even then, in the end of June, covered 
 with snow, which a sharp frost every night rendered
 
 THE ROAD AGAIN. Ill 
 
 sufficiently hard to walk upon in the early morning 
 before the sun gained power. 
 
 At last, after sixteen days hard travelling to and fro, 
 we landed the whole of our cargo safely at William's 
 Creek, and took a day or two to rest from our toils and 
 determine the spot upon which our muscle should be 
 exercised in seeking for the evasive spoil beneath.
 
 112 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 "William's creek. 
 
 A GOLD-SEEKEK is eminently a creature of circumstances. 
 He has none of the opportunities of investigating 
 beforehand the path he is about to pursue that are 
 granted to ordinary mortals, but is tlie victim, or, as 
 the case may be, the lucky follower, of the first likely 
 rumour that reaches his ears. He represents in fact 
 but another phase of the desperate gambler. 
 
 Science can assist him but little in liis search for 
 the capricious treasure ; unlike the baser metals, no 
 rules or theories at present known are in reality avail- 
 able for revealing its whereabouts. Practical experience 
 is indeed of some avail, and one might rely better upon 
 the opinion of a few old gold-miners, than upon the 
 whole Geological Society for the probability of gold 
 existing at any given spot. But even the judgment of 
 experi€'nce is overthrown again and again. 
 
 'I'liere are or were in California some diggings called 
 ' (irecnhorn,' and the name arose thus: In 1851, or 
 thereabouts, a largo body of men were at work upon 
 the bars of the riv(^r on which those diggings are 
 situate, and were taking out gold in considerable quan-
 
 WILLIAM'S CEEEK. 113 
 
 titles. One of the recognised axioms of gold-mining is 
 that the precious metal has originally existed in the 
 quartz veins permeating the hills, and that the gold 
 which is collected has been from time to time washed 
 away from these quartz veins, as the surface became 
 decomposed, and has from its superior gravity found its 
 way to the beds of the streams. Judge then of the 
 surprise of the old hands when they saw a party of 
 emigrants just arrived by the ordinary mode of transit 
 at that time, * across the plains,' take their station upon 
 the summit of a detached mount in the centre of the 
 valley, instead of beside the others in the bed of the 
 stream, and commence to dig and delve with all the 
 energies at their command. Still greater was their 
 surprise when it was found that the spot selected by 
 the emigrants in sheer ignorance, and which no pro- 
 fessed miner would have looked at for a moment, 
 turned out to be the richest for miles round, and 
 ' Grreenhorn,' thus named from its pioneers, attracted 
 one of the greatest rushes known. 
 
 We soon found ourselves in the quandary of not 
 knowing where to go ; one advised one thing, one 
 another, and a third another, all equally certain to be 
 'a dead thing,' until we were fairly puzzled to 
 determine. 
 
 For two or three miles down William's Creek all the 
 available ground appeared to be taken up, and the 
 place bore a wonderful resemblance to an ant's nest. 
 
 I
 
 114 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 The unfortunate little stream had been treated in the 
 most ignominious manner. A little above the to\vn it 
 flowed along silvery and clear as it had been wont to 
 do ; but soon inroads were made upon its volume in 
 the shape of ditches cut from it, and continued along 
 the sides of the hills, to feed the huge over-sliot water- 
 wheels that appeared in all directions. Then its 
 course became diverted into five or six different 
 channels, which were varied every now and then as the 
 miners souglit to work the surface formerly covered by 
 them. At intervals dirty streams were poured forth 
 by the sluices, in wliich the earth dug from beneath 
 was being washed by the water ; and here and tliere the 
 stream was insulted by being shut up for a few hundred 
 yards in a huge wooden trough, called a ' flume.' 
 
 Across the breadth of the little valley was a strange 
 heterogeneous gathering of smaller flumes, carrying 
 water to the different diggings and supported at various 
 heights from the ground by props, windlasses at the 
 mouths of shafts, water-wheels, banks of 'tailings' 
 (the refuse earth washed through the sluices), and 
 miners' log huts. 
 
 On the sides of the hills the primeval forests had 
 been cleared for a short distance upwards, to provide 
 timber for mining purposes, and logs for the huts. 
 These abodes were more numerous on the hill sides 
 than in the bottom of the valley, as being more safe 
 from removal.
 
 WILLIAM'S CREEK. 115 
 
 The town comprised the ordinary series of rough 
 wooden shanties, stores, restaurants, grog shops, and 
 gambling saloons ; and, on a little eminence, the official 
 residence, tenanted by the Grold Commissioner and his 
 assistants and one policeman, with the British flag- 
 permanently displayed in front of it, looked over the 
 whole. 
 
 In and out of this nest the humans ants poured all 
 day and night, for in wet-sinking the labour must be 
 kept up without ceasing all through the twenty-four 
 hours, Sundays included. It was a curious sight to 
 look down the Creek at night, and see each shaft with 
 its little fire, and its lantern, and the dim ghostly 
 figures gliding about from darkness into light, like the 
 demons at a Drury Lane pantomime, while an occasional 
 hut was illuminated by some weary kbourer returning 
 from his nightly toil. 
 
 The word here seemed to be work, and nothing 
 else ; only round the bar-rooms and the gambling- 
 tables were a few loafers and gamblers to be seen. 
 Idling was too expensive a luxury in a place where 
 wages were from two to three pounds per day, and 
 flour sold at six shillings a pound. 
 
 The mingling of noises was as curious as that of 
 objects. From the hills came the perpetual cracking 
 and thudding of axes, intermingling with the crash of 
 falling trees, and the grating undertone of the saws, as 
 they fashioned the logs into planks and boards. From 
 
 I 2
 
 116 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 the bottom of the valley rose the splashinn^ and creak- 
 ing of water-wheels, the grating of shovels, the din of 
 the blacksmith's hammer sharpening pickaxes, and the 
 shouts passed from the tops of the numerous shafts to 
 the men below, as the emptied bucket was returned by 
 the windlass. 
 
 In such a Babel of busy mortals it was not to be 
 expected that much reliable information was to be got ; 
 but at length I came across an individual who answered 
 my numerous enquiries, pointing out from time to 
 time the shafts representing the few rich paying 
 claims. 
 
 ' Thar's the Adams claim — they took out five him- 
 dred ounces yesterday ; and that un with the shed over 
 the shaft (guess they're afeard of ketchin' cold), that's 
 the Steele claim ; and away down thar by the carion 
 there's the Black Jack tunnel, and I reckon they'll 
 strike it pretty rich soon 1 ' and so on for some dozen 
 names or so. 
 
 ' And what are all these other shafts around us? 
 am't they taking out any gold ? ' I asked. 
 
 ' Waal no, yer see they're all after it mighty smart, 
 but tliere ain't many of 'em as'll strike it I don't think, 
 for the " pay dirt " don't run wide, and if one gets it, 
 the other five or six on each side of him caan't strike 
 it nohow.' 
 
 My informant was one of a regular type often met 
 with in these places, a regular ' prospector ;' that is to
 
 WILLIAM'S CREEK. 117 
 
 say, a man who gives up all his time and labour as a 
 rule for other people's benefit. Thus, the discoverer of 
 William's Creek was a man named Dutch William. 
 He first crossed the Bald Mountain alone, with his 
 blankets, and a few days' provisions, and his pick, 
 shovel, and prospecting- plan on his back. On seeing 
 the Creek (which for its extent has probably produced 
 more gold than any spot in the world) he hastened 
 back, procured some companions, and with their assist- 
 ance sunk a shaft some fifty feet deep, at the foot of 
 which they came upon a strata of blue clayey gravel 
 rich with gold. When the party returned for a fresh 
 stock of provisions they were followed, and an immense 
 rush took place. The ground all roimd them was 
 speedily taken up ; and, unfortunately for Dutch 
 William and his friends, the spot they had staked out 
 contained but a very narrow portion of the lead, which 
 was exhausted in a few weeks. I remember in the 
 following winter aiding in a subscription to enable the 
 unlucky discoverer of this mine of wealth to leave the 
 country. 
 
 My new friend told me that his name was Jake 
 Walker ; that he was one of the first body of men who 
 had found the Cariboo country, and that previous to 
 that he had been mining with varied success on the 
 bars of the Fraser River since 1858, having come up 
 from California, where he had left his ship in '49, and 
 taken to mining.
 
 118 VERY FAR \rEST INDEED. 
 
 His appearance was singularly battered. His large 
 feet were encased in india-rubber boots (called gum- 
 boots in the vernacular), wliich covered tbe thighs, and 
 fastened round the waist. He pointed with deep 
 chagrin to a large hole in one of them, which rendered 
 them useless against water, and explained that it had 
 been caused by the root of a tree hidden in the mud, 
 whilst he was walking over from Jack of Clubs Creek 
 that morning. His trousers exhibited a strange 
 instance of ingenuity in a place where those necessary 
 garments cost twenty dollars a pair. They were com- 
 posed of discarded flour sacks seAvn together, with 
 remains of the various brands that had once advertised 
 the contents of the sacks appearing in all directions 
 upon the surface. An old blue shirt, a hat, from holes 
 in which the wearer's scanty hair cropped out, and a 
 belt containing a sheath-knife and a rusty revolver, 
 completed his costume. 
 
 Another piece of information he vouchsafed was, 
 that he was ' tarnation hard up ;' so I took the old 
 fellow to our tent, and we had some dinner toge- 
 ther. Whilst eating our frugal meal, I told Jake 
 I wondered he didn't go to work in one of the rich 
 claims where they were paying men sixteen dollars a 
 day to work, as it was certain an experienced hand 
 like himself would readily gain employment. Jake's 
 reply was characteristic : ' Waal, I've been my own 
 boss (master) for the laast thirteen years, and I reckon
 
 WILLIAM'S CKEEK. 119 
 
 I never intend to work for no other man again. Thar 
 ain't a trader on the Creek but what'll give old Jake 
 jawbone (credit) fur his regular hash and whiskey ; and 
 I alius pays sometime. I'll bet the Pacific Oshin to a 
 cup o' cold water, I strike it before the season's run out.' 
 
 Abashed at my presumption, I turned the conver- 
 sation to the subject of Jack of Clubs Creek, and 
 liazarded the suggestion that he had been prospecting 
 tliere. 
 
 ' Yes I hev,' he said, ' and I calculate I'll create a 
 purty sadden sensation thereabouts shortly. But I 
 tell yu it'll be heavy papers gettin' gold out o' that 
 crik ; it's deep, an' it's wet, an' a man'll hev to work 
 like a boss 'fore he'll get to the bottom ; but when he's 
 thar (if he don't get drowned fust) take my word for 
 it, he'll strike it rich ! ' 
 
 ' I tell yer what,' he continued, ' I'll make a trade 
 with yer. I see you've got enough provishuns fur two 
 or three months here ; I haven't got no grub, nor no 
 money, but I've staked out my claim on Jack o' Clubs, 
 and paid that darned Britisher up thar tu dollars and 
 a haaf fur doin' it. Naow there's plenty of ground all 
 round me, and ef you coons like to find the supplies, 
 we'll jine together, and put down a shaaft,' 
 
 About this time my companions dropped in, and 
 we all held a conclave on Jake's proposal, the result of 
 which was that we agreed to go over the mountain and 
 look at the place the next day.
 
 120 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 Jake passed the nij^ht in our tent, and with break of 
 day we all started and reached the summit of the Bald 
 Mountain soon after the sun had risen. 
 
 This mountain is the source of numerous creeks, 
 which diverge from it in different directions. Jack of 
 Clubs Creek took its rise within a hundred yards of 
 the spot from which William's Creek also issued ; and 
 thus, according to the theory of the gold being washed 
 out of the hills by the streams, if William's Creek were 
 rich, Jack of Clubs ought also to be so. Wlierever we 
 went on this mountain, quartz, the matrix of gold, was 
 abundant, and afforded some idea of the wondrous 
 wealtli contained beneath. 
 
 We followed the course of our new creek for two or 
 three miles, and judging by all tliose appearances 
 which miners rely upon, the jDlace was the most likely 
 one that could be imagined. Our hopes rose with tlie 
 prospect, and when our guide showed us the point he 
 had selected, a spot where, if gold existed at all in the 
 bed of the valley, we must hit upon it, we at once agreed 
 unanimously to join our fortunes with-his for the season. 
 
 The next week was occupied in packing over our 
 stores of provisions and the requisite tools, and build- 
 ing a good log hut to contain us all. One day we fell 
 in with Pete the drover, who luid found a capital 
 market for his stock, and in the warmth of his heart 
 gave us a couple of quarters of beef and a sheep ; 
 this enabled us to live ([uite luxuriously for a long time.
 
 WILLIAM'S CREEK. 121 
 
 Our company consisted of five, and we staked out 
 our claim and registered it at once. Two of us set to 
 work in the woods to get out timbers, another com- 
 menced digging a ditch along the side of the hill to 
 bring water power into play, and the remaining two 
 proceeded to sink a shaft. 
 
 After tremendous labour we succeeded in getting 
 down a depth of about forty feet, when a freshet 
 came down the creek one night and swamped the 
 shaft, filling it up almost to the brim with debris. A 
 new sort of pumping gear had then to be invented, but 
 all to no purpose, for we could not get our shaft clear 
 asfain of the mud and water. Then another was sunk 
 a little way off, but just as the bottom was reached 
 again we were drowned out, and we began to despair 
 of ever getting: to the bottom at all. Still old Jake's 
 confidence was unabated, and he kept up our pluck by 
 numerous stories of luck as the reward of perseverance, 
 after the style of Bruce and the spider. 
 
 We worked all through that summer and autumn, 
 and at the end of that time we had a new shaft 
 down for a depth of fifty feet. We knew from the 
 quality of the ground that we were now nearing the 
 bed-rock, close to which we hoped our fortune lay. 
 But our provisions were nearly exhausted, and our 
 money entirely so, and our clothes were worn to rags. 
 Storekeepers were obdurate, and refused credit on the 
 strength of our expectations, and nothing remained,
 
 122 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 therefore, but to leave our claim till tlie next season, 
 in the hope of then reaping our reward. 
 
 We left the greater part of our provisions with old 
 Jake, who intended to winter up there and trap mar- 
 tins, and keep an eye on the claim ; while Pat and I 
 turned our faces once more towards civilisation, with 
 hearts heavier than our piu"ses, but not half displeased 
 either to leave our exile in the wilderness for a six 
 months' sojourn in the pleasanter lower country. 
 
 DowTi the road we tramped, with a pair of blankets 
 apiece on our backs, and a few days' rations, looking 
 out for work at the roadside farms we passed, but 
 failing- to obtain it through every chance of the kind 
 liaving been snapped up long before by broken miners 
 preceding us in their exodus. 
 
 After a few days we were reduced to the frugal fare 
 of turnips, gathered from the fields surrounding the 
 wayside houses, scattered at intervals of ten or fifteen 
 miles along the road. By the time we reached Fort 
 Yale again we were considerably lowered in body and 
 spirits by the unaccustomed poorness of our diet. We 
 made every effort at tliis town to obtain work, but 
 without success. Tired out and faint we trudged a 
 distance of foiu- miles fartlier to tlie landing-stage for 
 steamers at Emery's Bar, intending to appeal to the 
 generosity of the captain for a free passage to Victoria. 
 
 Arrived at Emery's Bar we kindled a fire near the 
 edge of a little plateau, and spread our l)lankets with a
 
 WILLIAM'S CREEK. 123 
 
 view of making- sleep serve the purpose of a supper. 
 A steamer was expected up in the morning, and as at 
 the stage of water which then existed it could not get 
 any farther than this point towards Yale, we had a 
 faint hope of earning a good breakfast the next morn- 
 ing by helping to unload. 
 
 As we were smoking a pipe — luckily a little of the 
 weed that ' cheers but not inebriates ' was left to us — I 
 lieard a cheery laugh a little Avay off on the bank of 
 the river beneath us ; while my nostrils, rendered 
 acute by the privation of my other organs, detected 
 on the evening air the delicious scent of frizzling 
 bacon. Utterly unable to resist the impulse, Pat and 
 I bounded down the little hill, and stood before what 
 to us was a pleasant sight — a roaring fire, and a 
 party of four men sitting down to a hearty supper of 
 bacon and newly-baked bread, spread upon a sail on 
 tlie ground. Moored to the bank close by were three 
 huge canoes, and behind the fire was a large tent rigged 
 up with oars and sails. From this we gathered, as 
 afterwards appeared to be the case, that the men were 
 engaged in boating the freight from the steamers up 
 to Yale in their canoes. 
 
 One of the party, a hardy-looking ex-Californian, 
 immediately hailed us with, ' Well, boys, didn't know 
 we had any neighbours to-night. Take a seat by the 
 fire. Why you com'd out of the woods thar as sudden as 
 a bear out of a hot log ! Kind'er skeared me, 'pon my 
 soul ! Hev some supper ?'
 
 124 VERY F.-Ul WEST INDEED. 
 
 It is needless to say we did not refuse tliis kind 
 invitation, wbicli was followed by one to bring our 
 blankets down, and spread tbem in tbeir tent, as tbey 
 had plenty of room. We did such ample justice to the 
 fare that even our hosts seemed surjarised ; but they vied 
 with each other in placing their store at our disposal 
 till we were satisfied. With all tlieir rough exteriors 
 and manners, there is more kindness of lieart in one of 
 these unpolished denizens of wild countries than in a 
 host of your toAvn parasites. 
 
 After supper we replenished pipes round the fire, 
 and our friends seeing that we looked wayworn and 
 hard up, enquired what we had been doing and what we 
 purposed doing. We told our story, and of course said 
 we were looking for work, offering to lend the party a 
 hand next day in return for our entertainment. 
 
 ' Xo,' said the person who had taken the initiative 
 in addressing us, and who seemed to be the captain of 
 the party, ' I reckon I don't keep a boarding-house, 
 and you're welcome, boys, to what we've got here. 
 We've all of us seen rough times ourselves, 'fore now, I 
 guess. But look here,' he added, ' ef you're the raal 
 grit both on yer, and ain't afeard to risk yer 'tamal 
 carcasses fur good big wages, I guess we ken find a job 
 fur yer. This work of ours is mighty risky though, and 
 you'll run a big chaance every day of losing the number 
 of your mess, for if one of tliem craaft (pointing to the 
 canoes) gits upset in this tarnation river, there's a
 
 WILLIAM'S CKEEK. 125 
 
 rare poor show fur a man to see his mammy again, 
 you bet I ' 
 
 I closed with the offer at once ; and Pat, with tears 
 in his eyes, told the captain, with native warmth, that 
 ' be jabers he'd go to the ind of the worruld for him 
 an' 'ud run Old Nick a race in the nixt, if that was 
 all; 
 
 We turned into our blankets with a more comfortable 
 feeling than we had had for some time past; and at 
 early dawn were aroused by the snorting of the steamer 
 heading up the stream to us. 
 
 Soon we were at work like niggers, amongst a crowd 
 of Indians and deck-hands, unloading the freight and 
 piling it up on the shore ready for transmission to our 
 canoes. In two or three hours the steamer was cleared 
 out, and we proceeded to get ready the canoes, which 
 must have been made of wondrous trees, for they 
 carried about four tons apiece. They were nearly fifty 
 feet in length, with a beam of six feet, and each one 
 burned and chiselled out of a single cedar-tree ! They 
 had been strengthened for their present use by strong 
 ribs and braces, and were fitted up for eight oars, with 
 a twenty-foot oar at the stern for steering : a rudder 
 would not have had enough power in that tremendous 
 stream, and the eddies and whirlpools caused by it. 
 In the bow of each was a strong stanchion to fix the 
 tow-rope to ; and a man was stationed in the bows to 
 watch the run of tlie current, and to look after hidden
 
 126 VERY FAR AVEST INDEED. 
 
 rocks ; helping to steer, moreover, when necessity 
 occurred, witli a paddle. 
 
 The rowers were stout Northern Indians, all picked 
 men ; and each canoe had a white man to steer, and 
 another to take the liardly less arduous place in the 
 bows. It is a curious circumstance that the Indians, 
 who have all their lives been used to the management 
 of canoes, cannot be trusted to take the place of 
 steersman of one of these larger craft ; in bad water, 
 with all their knowledge and skill, they lack the nerve 
 of their white brethren. Pat and I had feo take the 
 place of bowmen, and commenced our apprenticeship 
 to our future post& in a contemplated trip through the 
 canons to Lytton. 
 
 The first step of our upward journey of four miles 
 to Yale was to carry the freight about two hundred 
 yards along the shore, to the other side of the rapid 
 that prevented the progress of the steamer. The 
 canoes were then towed empty through the rapid, and 
 precious hard work it was to get them over even then. 
 When this had been done they were reloaded, and we 
 were able to get along at the rate of about a mile an 
 hour with the oars for three miles. Then came 
 another rapid or ' riffle,' called Saw Mill Bar, but we 
 managed to tow the canoes through this loaded, and 
 shortly afterwards landed our cargo at Yale. 
 
 We had to make six trips in all to get up the whole 
 of the freight, and at the end of that time Pat and
 
 WILLIAM'S CEEEK. 127 
 
 I thought ourselves well qualified to start on the more 
 hazardous expedition through the canons. The work 
 was fearfully hard, but its excitement overcame this 
 and the fears of danger too ; and I could realise from 
 it something of the feelings of a soldier entering upon 
 a battle, who, I don't suppose, relishes it much until 
 his blood gets warmed a little.
 
 128 VERY F.\Jl WEST INDEED. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 BOATING ON THE FRASER. 
 
 About a week after this we got our load for Lytton, 
 and after a thorough overhauling of our little fleet, and 
 patching up every possible defect, we made a start at 
 break of day ; reaching Fort Yale about nine in the 
 morning, where we received hearty wishes for our 
 safety and success from the little community of mer- 
 chants. 
 
 We dragged on to the first portage, where all our 
 freight had to be unloaded and carried over the rocks 
 for some distance ; the canoes also being taken . out, 
 and pushed along skids and rollers to the place of 
 re-embarkation. Then a little rowing and a tiresome 
 piece of scrambling over the rocks, with all hands, save 
 the steersman, on the tow-rope. Many a sousing in 
 the river we got, as one of the line of towers would 
 miss liis footing and slip into the water, sometimes up 
 to his knees, but more often to his neck ; only saving 
 himself from being carried away, by liis hold on the 
 rope, and the aid of his companions. 
 
 So were our days employed from morning till night ; 
 wlien, too exhausted often to change our wet clothes,
 
 BOATING ON THE FEASER. 129 
 
 or to cook our suppers, we would coil ourselves in our 
 Wankets by the camp-fire at the side of the river, and 
 dream of rocks and falls, and eddies and whirlpools, 
 with visions and remembrances of our quiet homes 
 every now and then intruding themselves on the 
 picture. Then we would rise with the dawn and enter 
 again on a fresh day's toil, sometimes only to see at 
 the end of it the place we had left in the morning, 
 not more than a couple of miles away. 
 
 It may give some idea of the strength of the cur- 
 rent, when I tell my readers that at a spot some ten 
 miles above Yale, a little over one hundred miles from 
 the mouth of the river, the Eraser, which is twelve 
 hundred miles long, and receives numerous almost 
 equally large streams in its course, flows through a 
 channel in the rocks of only one hundred and sixty 
 feet in width. The sides of this place, graphically 
 called ' Hell's Grate,' are nearly perpendicular, and the 
 high-water mark (in the summer, wlien the snows have 
 melted) is no less than one hundred feet above low- 
 water mark in the winter. 
 
 At the end ot the twelfth day we hailed the sight of 
 the blue waters of the Thompson, running side by side 
 with the sandy-coloured stream of the Fraaer for some 
 distance, and after a sharp pull reached the end of our 
 journey ; blessing our stars that we had escaped all the 
 dangers that had surrounded us, and got over our 
 hardships for a little while. 
 
 K
 
 130 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 The crew and officers both took sailors' licence on 
 getting into port ; and we didn't make up our minds 
 for four or five days to go down again. The trip had 
 been so favourable to the proprietors, in a pecuniary 
 sense, that another one had been determined on ; and 
 we all felt something like the Chinaman who will 
 render himself a substitute for a person sentenced to 
 capital punishment, on being paid a certain sum down 
 (about fifty pounds I have heard) and given a fort- 
 night's grace to spend the money in. 
 
 The passage down was the most dangerous part of 
 the business while it lasted, for instead of dragging 
 painfully up-stream along the shore, Ave were rushing 
 down in the centre of tlie stream almost at the mercy 
 of the current ; gliding with fearful rapidity over the 
 very spots where we had been obliged to take our 
 freight, and sometimes the boats themselves, out of 
 the water, in going up. At only* two places, the 
 Great and Little Falls, we still had to make portages. 
 
 Now was the time that the bowman's eyes had to be 
 strained to tlie utmost for the treacherous rocks, often 
 in full mid-stream, and his voice and muscles exercised 
 to avoid the awful whirlpools which showed themselves 
 in the ever-changing waters. 
 
 In four hours' travelling we liad reached Boston 
 Bar, nearly half way down ; there we stopped to re- 
 cruit ourselves ; for the rowers had been hard at work 
 eveiy inch of the distance, in order to give sufficient
 
 BOATING ON THE FRASEE. 131 
 
 steerage-way to the canoes. This is the great point in 
 strong water ; always get as much way as you can on a 
 boat, so that you can steer her anywhere. We saw a 
 sad instance of the want of attention to this shortly 
 afterwards. 
 
 While at Boston Bar, a peculiar national figlit 
 occured. A peaceful Chinaman had set up a little 
 washing establishment, and given forth to the world 
 an advertisement of his trade in cabalistic characters 
 posted on the exterior of his abode. Although these 
 could not be read by the outer barbarians, yet, coupled 
 with the strong smell of soapsuds and ironing, they 
 were a sufficient index to John's occupation, and many 
 a weary miner gladly availed himself of the opportu- 
 nity of shirking so non-virile a task as washing his own 
 shirt. 
 
 Some of our Indians had somewhere or other, contra 
 honos mores in general, and to the infraction of the 
 colonial laws in particular, got hold of some fire-water, 
 and in the ordinary Indian way became very truculent 
 and unmanageable. 
 
 The party, numbering four, went to the outside of 
 John's shop, and commenced to chaff John in Chinook — 
 a noc very convenient medium for the purpose. 
 Finding chaff to have but an indifferent effect on John's 
 good temper, they assailed him in a more vulnerable 
 spot, his devotion to the alTnighty dollar, by smashing 
 one or two of his windows. 
 
 K 2
 
 132 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 John now began to expostulate volubly in a mixture 
 of Chinese and Chinook, and I observed liim retire to 
 the interior of his den, and prepare one of his irons. 
 These are of pecidiar construction, resembling a 
 saucepan, with the sides perforated, and the bottom 
 polished ; the interior is filled with live coals, and the 
 handle is about two feet long. 
 
 On John's reappearance, his assailants, gaining 
 additional courage, made slight personal assaults upon 
 the unhappy washerman, still without raising his com- 
 bative propensities ; but wlien at length, intoxicated by 
 success, one of the Indians attacked that sanctum 
 saiictoruTn of a Chinaman, his pigtail, John became 
 alive to the situation. 
 
 Rushing into the back premises he seized his iron 
 from the fire ; brandishing it round, he brought it with 
 a sudden swoop fell upon the head of the nearest red- 
 man. A lot of ashes escaped from the receptacle, and 
 immediately fi-izzled in tiie hair of the unlucky 
 Siwash, well lubricated with salmon oil. John used 
 his weapon with sucli success that all four Indians 
 were soon skedaddling towards tlie river, witli their hair 
 full of bm-ning cinders, scenting the atmosphere in no 
 pleasing manner, and shaking themselves as a burning 
 fragment would fall <>n tlieir skins. Into the river 
 they plunged, and, the stream being reasonably still 
 here owing to a large eddy, they soon swam out of the 
 way of the rocks with which the infuriate Celestial
 
 BOATING ON THE FEASER. 133 
 
 pelted them. This termination of the quarrel was 
 
 eminently satisfactory, for it rendered our crew sober 
 
 again, and we knew all their energies would soon be 
 
 called into action. 
 
 As we were getting ready for another start, a canoe 
 
 manned by six rowers and a steersman passed by, and 
 
 we noticed that the navigation of the craft seemed 
 
 very loose. We made off as soon as we could, and 
 
 looked rather anxiously ahead for the party that had 
 
 passed ; for two or three miles below there was a very 
 
 bad place, and our captain hoped to get within hail, 
 
 and direct them how to steer over it. We rowed a 
 
 « 
 good sharp stroke, and just got near them as they 
 
 entered on the bad water. 
 
 A large rock was in the centre of the stream; and it 
 was necessary to steer close past this, with a strong way 
 on the boat, to avoid getting broadside on to a cross 
 current that came round the other side of the rock, and 
 caused a large whirlpool, where any boat must be 
 swallowed up to a certainty. 
 
 We shouted out to them to keep close to the rock 
 and row hard ; but they only attended to our instruc- 
 tions imperfectly, and we saw the boat beginning to 
 swerve round as if it were gradually getting out of 
 control. Again we shouted to them with all our might 
 to row for their lives, but they only got more flustered 
 and excited in the presence of the danger they saw 
 ahead, and the steersman, who was a negro, we could
 
 134 VERY FAR "WEST INDEED. 
 
 see was trembling; and sliakino^ with fear. jNIeanwbile, 
 the boat was drifting along broadside on to the tre- 
 mendous breakers without any sort of command being 
 exercised over her. 
 
 ' God help 'em I ' said our captain, ' they're gone 
 coons ! nothin' but a miracle '11 save 'em now. Some- 
 times the water changes fur a minute er tu, and that 
 tarnation whirl may be smooth water when they gets 
 to it. But no, there's no chance of it now, and there 
 they go, dead on to it, by Heaven I Pull on boys, harder, 
 fur God's sake I we may pick up one er tu of them 
 poor creatures,' he added, as we all saw the sad spec- 
 tacle that followed, and heard the dying shriek of the 
 fated crew. 
 
 Their canoe bad been half filled by the breakers 
 through which we saw them drifting helplessly, broad- 
 side on, and as they neared the whirlpool they lifted 
 up their hands and shrieked aloud, for they knew there 
 was no hope of salvation as the set of the current drew 
 them closer and closer to the watery abyss. 
 
 A scream of Olotherl' I heard, through the roar of 
 the waters, from the lips of a fine young lad, as he jumped 
 far into the current in the hope of clearing the whirl. 
 But no, alas ! the under-tow seized his legs and drew him 
 into the horrible vortex, despite his struggles. At the 
 same moment the Ijoat gave one spin round, and slowly, 
 never so slowly, as it seemed, sunk beneath the waters ; 
 witli the rest of her crew standing up, with hands out-
 
 BOATING ON THE FRASER. 135 
 
 stretclied, and faces sucli as I hope never to see more, 
 till the waters rose over the head of the last of them, 
 drowning their dying cries, and all was a blank ! Never 
 shall I forget that fearful sight ; those weird figures, 
 sinking slowly down into their watery grave, like 
 shadows from another world, drawn out of this abnormal 
 sphere by some unholy machinery. 
 
 Almost before the boat had sunk we shot by the spot 
 on the current at lightning speed, and a little farther 
 on, where the stream abated, we headed our canoe 
 sliarp roiuid, in the hope that one or two of the poor 
 fellows might yet struggle to the surface ; but, after 
 waiting long, no sign came, not even a particle of the 
 boat ; and we were obliged to pursue our way, to escape 
 being shut in by the darkness. No word was spoken 
 for long, and tears stood in the eyes of most of us, 
 including even the stolid Indians. In another five 
 hours we were safe at home, and rendering those tardy 
 thanks to a safe-guiding Providence which are too 
 often forgotten by men inured to danger, until some 
 terrible episode as that we had witnessed brings them 
 to a sense of the perils they have escaped. 
 
 Not a trace was ever found of that boat or its 
 occupants. The negro was known to have had a 
 considerable sum on his person in a belt, and the 
 others had more or less money in their possession, so 
 that there were many needy jackals seeking for their 
 bodies; but nothing ever came save a felt hat, winch
 
 13G VF.RY PAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 was picked up by an Indian next day below Furt Hope, 
 and so the beasts of prey were fain at last to give up 
 their quest and betake themselves to their previous 
 occupations, wliichwewill hope were of a more honour- 
 able nature. 
 
 We rested a few days at Yale, and then got another 
 load for Lytton. We made our second trip safely, and 
 in rather better time than the first, as the water was 
 lower ; but Pat and I had seen almost enough of that 
 kind of work, and were not sorry that there was no 
 more of it to be done if we had wished it. The 
 Indians were all paid off, and it was arranged that four 
 of us and the captain should travel down to Victoria 
 in one of the canoes, taking a himting excursion among 
 the islands in the Gulf of Georgia on our way. 
 
 The day before we started I had an unpleasantly 
 narrow escape myself. The place where we camped 
 (the same where Pat and I first fell in with the party) 
 was on the shore of the river, fronting a large eddy 
 caused by the sand bar, round the extremity of which 
 a very strong current always ran. 
 
 We were in need of a supply of sugar for our voyage, 
 and I was despatched to a Chinaman's store across the 
 river, in a little light canoe, to obtain some. Now it 
 required tolerable skilful work to cross the river at 
 this point ; the great danger was in heading out of the 
 eddy running up-stream into tlie current running 
 down ; if great care were not then exercised the canoe 
 was very likely to get upset.
 
 BOATING ON THE FEASER. ISt' 
 
 The day was warm, so I had no clothes on but a pair 
 of duck trousers and a shirt, with a pair of slippers on 
 my feet, when I started across ; and this was very lucky 
 for me. I had noticed a lot of squaws and Indians 
 bathing in the bend caused by the sandbank, and as 
 I was nearing the edge of the current I heard a tre- 
 mendous shout from one of tlie bathers, which caused 
 me to look round ; it didn't appear to be anything 
 more than that one of the squaws had cut her foot on 
 a sharp piece of rock, and I was about to look ahead 
 again, as I knew I ought not to have taken my eyes off 
 my own position at all, when in an instant I was 
 whisked into the water and saw my canoe flying off in 
 the current. My inattention had caused the frail craft 
 to head the stream in a wrong direction, and my being- 
 spilt was the natural consequence. 
 
 I struck out as hard as I could, but soon found tliat 
 I must relinquish breast-swimming, as it placed my 
 legs too deep, and they were caught by the under-tow. 
 I therefore swam on my side, but was surprised at the 
 little progress I could make, although a very strong 
 swimmer. The water was boiling and seething all round 
 me, and it was as hard to force one's limbs through it 
 as if it were treacle. There was no other canoe or 
 boat on the shore, so I knew that all my chance lay 
 in reaching the latter by my own endeavours. After 
 struggling for some minutes I found myself but little 
 nearer, and knowing that my strength* would be ex-
 
 138 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 pended before I could reach it, I turned upon my back 
 to rest for a few seconds. While in this position the 
 nature of the water suddenly changed, as it often does 
 in these places, and I found myself impelled into the 
 centre of the current without any power whatever to 
 prevent it. 
 
 I now almost gave up all thoughts of escaping, and 
 began to liave unpleasant thoughts of home and my 
 friends, till I found that the current was much the 
 best place to be in after all, as it required little or no 
 exertion to keep to the surface in it ; and I hoped, by 
 allowing myself to be carried on, I should get past the 
 cursed eddy, and be able gradually to near the sliore I 
 had left. 
 
 Relieved of tlie necessity for the vigorous exertions 
 I had been making before, I looked round me, and 
 saw poor Pat running down the bank with frantic 
 gestures and shouts. A little way from me I saw 
 something better yet — a limb of a tree floating quietly 
 along. A few strokes brought me to it, and, placing 
 one arm over it, I used the other to bring me gradually 
 to the shore. 
 
 All this time tlie water w;is deathly cold, and I was 
 getting numbed and powerless ; wlien, after drifting 
 for about two miles, tlie river suddenly narrowed, and 
 enabled me to near the shore rapidly. I perceived 
 soon after the trunk of a fallen tree projecting some 
 distance into the stream ; and leaving my support, I
 
 BOATING ON THE FEASEE. 139 
 
 made a final effort, and reached the tree, to which I 
 chmg with desperation. 
 
 A minute or two after Pat came up, followed by the 
 captain, bearing a rope and a bottle of brandy. The 
 rope was skilfully cast to me ; I seized it, and was 
 dragged ashore, where I fainted dead away for some 
 minutes, until I was revived by the brandy with which 
 Pat and the captain had been bathing my face. 
 
 I took such a pull at that brandy bottle as would 
 have made an ordinary individual stare, and was able, 
 after a little, to get back to the camp with the assist- 
 ance of my partial deliverers. I don't think many 
 other men have ' had such an escape from that death- 
 dealing stream as I had, and it made me remember 
 my early swimming-lessons with gratitude, mingled 
 with the wish that that useful art were more generally 
 taken up by others in their youth. 
 
 Tlie following morning we got up early, and our 
 boat having been got ready, we started off on our 
 downward course, the old canoe travelling along 
 merrily under our oars. We soon passed Fort Hope, 
 where a change in the direction of the river enabled us 
 to hoist our sail and proceed without labour, except 
 such as steering involved. 
 
 About mid-day we reached the mouth of Harrison 
 River, where we took dinner, and then proceeded 
 again. We had occasion to call at a place a little 
 below this, called the Sumass, a considerable tract of
 
 UO ■ VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 open meadow land, fringed with trees and Liusliwood, 
 and covered at the liigh-water season by the overflow 
 of the river. 
 
 The water had now been drained off this land for 
 about two months, and a crop of hay was being 
 gathered by a few men who dared to brave the mos- 
 quitoes. Pat was deputed as the messenger, being 
 furnished for the occasion with a muslin mosquito bar 
 to guard his face and neck, and exhorted to keep his 
 hands in his pockets. 
 
 Following these instructions, Pat pursued his way 
 through the swamp, the winged torments singing round 
 his head in futile rage, and endeavouring to probe the 
 unwilling surface of a pair of short Bedford cords. 
 After a<;complishing his mission, he was returning to 
 the boat by a shorter route, when he came across a 
 herd of .Spanish cattle. One of these took umbrage 
 at his scarlet shirt, and immediately gave chase, 
 followed by the rest. Pat ran for his life to gain the 
 woods skirting the river, and to get breath threw off 
 the mosquito bar. He just reached the woods in- time, 
 as the foremost bull came tearing after him full butt 
 against a big pine-tree. The next minute Pat went 
 in up to his neck in a. bog, from which he had great 
 diflBcvdty in extricating hiniself by the aid of a pro- 
 jecting limb. The cattle knew better than to follow 
 him there ; so he escaped, and came running out on the 
 beach to us in a sad plight, literally black with the
 
 BOATING ON THE FEASER. 141 
 
 mosquitoes that had settled all over him on his 
 emerging from the swamp. 
 
 Seeing the insects flying round him in myriads, we 
 shouted to him to stand off, and pushed the boat out a 
 few yards ; for we knew if the wretches got to the 
 boat they would follow us for miles, and give us no 
 peace. 
 
 ' And ho' am I to git into that boat?' asked Pat. 
 
 'Ye'U hev to swim tu it I reckon,' replied the 
 captain. 
 
 ' But shure I can't shwim a sthroak, cap'n dear ! ' 
 
 ' Waal, then you'll hev to stop whar ye be. I'm 
 blessed if I'm goin' to be chawed up by them infarnal 
 bloodsuckers.' 
 
 'Och ! shure I'll drown like a pig. What'll I do at 
 all!' 
 
 I unshipped the steer-oar, and let it float out towards 
 Pat, holding the end tight. Pat gathered his courage, 
 and goaded to desperation by the insects, made a 
 mighty plunge, and caught hold of the oar as he came 
 up, when we hauled him alongside, and dragged him 
 in, We had some paraffin oil aboard for our evening 
 lamp, and after rubbing Pat's face and hands with this, 
 the pain of the mosquito bites was much abated, but 
 his face looked very like an extra-swollen currant 
 pudding for some time. 
 
 We rowed on down the river, meeting a steamer or 
 two on tlie way, till late in the evening we saw the 
 lights of NeAV Westminster, and tied up at one of the
 
 142 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 wharves of the noble capital ; pretty well tired after 
 our day's journey of ninety miles. 
 
 \N'e all went off to sleep in our blankets in the 
 bottom of the canoe for tliat night ; reserving the next 
 day for a turn round the place, principally witli a view 
 of improving our wardrobe, which was not of the 
 stamp expected in the more civilised latitudes we had 
 come into. 
 
 The little town had grown a bit since the spring, 
 and our appearance, as we passed up the street in the 
 morning, called forth many applications from the 
 enterpi-ising Jewish projDrietors of dry-goods stores. 
 We made ourselves a little tidy, bought a couple of 
 shot guns, some ammunition, and fishing lines, and 
 rowed off again in the afternoon. Just before night 
 we got out of the mouth of the Fraser, and pulled 
 round to Point Koberts, just within the boundary line 
 of American territory. Here we met a retired sailor 
 named Portugee Joe, who had gone in for a comfort- 
 able existence upon a very small farm, supplemented 
 by the proceeds of his gun and fishing-boat. 
 
 Joe had taken unto himself a maid of the forest, 
 and had Ijuilt himself a large snug log-house, in and 
 out of which a number of lusty little half-breeds were 
 scampering. There was plenty of room for all of us, 
 whiskey galore, and any amount of game and fish to 
 be had for the killing ; so we counted reasonably on a 
 very pleasant holiday after the hard season's work we 
 had gone through.
 
 143 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 A HOLIDAY. 
 
 If any of my readers have happened to see the Grulf 
 of Greorgia, with its shores and islands, they will I 
 think bear testimony with me to its almost unequalled 
 beauty. 
 
 Perfectly land-locked for a length of some two 
 hundred miles, with an average breadth of fifty or 
 sixty, its blue surface is dotted with innumerable 
 islands rising majestically out of the water, and covered 
 with primeval forests, in which here and there appear 
 lovely spaces of natural pasturage. 
 
 All along the shores of the mainland tlie horizon is 
 shut in by snow-capped mountains, above which, to the 
 southward, towers the lordly cone of Mount Baker, an 
 extinct volcano some thirteen thousand feet high. On 
 the Vancouver Island side are mountains again, though 
 not so high, forming the requisite contrast to their 
 brethren opposite by the variety of their tints. 
 
 Here, too, are richer signs of savage life than there 
 are inland ; the waters are specked with the white 
 sails of canoes, and the banks are dotted with Indian 
 villages; their occupants swarming round them in
 
 U-t VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 blankets of many lines ; giving the picture the little 
 dash of bright colour which the artist loves. Occa- 
 sionally, too, one comes across a peculiar feature of the 
 scene — an Indian burial-place — generally in some 
 lonely and isolated spot, where the few sombre pines 
 spring up from crevices in the grey barren rock. 
 
 The Indians do not bury their dead ; but when one 
 of their number dies, his corpse is attired in his best 
 apparel, and is placed in a square box about a yard 
 high and long by two teet wide. Tlie knees are thus 
 brought up level with the head, in something the same 
 position as the deceased adopted when sitting on the 
 ground by the camp fire. The box is fixed high up in 
 a tree, and round it are hung the dead man's favourite 
 weapons and belongings, sueli as his musket or bow 
 and arrows, his paddle (sometimes even his canoe), and 
 any article of clothing he particularly affected. Some 
 strange medleys are often exhibited thus, sufficient 
 almost to provoke mirtli in the eyes of the civilised 
 stranger, in spite of the sanctity of the spot. 
 
 I remember once inspecting the relics of a chief of 
 nute. They included a good-sized canoe, suspended 
 from a tree, at a lieight of some thirty feet from the 
 ground, by strips of dressed bark. Fiom the sides of 
 tlie canoe liuug various articles, among which were 
 several paddles, the skeleton of a dog, some blankets 
 (wliich liad once been red, but had now, by the action 
 of the wind and lain, Ijcconie nearly black), the rusty
 
 A HOLIDAY. 145 
 
 barrel of an old flint musket, a bow and spear, two 
 bear skins, a pair of old trousers (very ragged), and— to 
 crown the offerings — an old beaver hat, and a crinoline. 
 The latter had probably been placed there by a devoted 
 daughter, in the hope that when her father's spirit was 
 called away to the happy hunting-ground, he might 
 carry away with him this questionable female appan- 
 age as a dowry for the spouse he should adopt in his 
 new sphere ; while the beaver (not a thing commonly to 
 be found in those parts) was doubtless added as a make- 
 weight for the poverty of the husband's raiment in 
 the matter of trousers, when the celestial pilgrimage 
 should commence. 
 
 The spot that Portugee Joe had selected for his 
 homestead was particularly pleasant. Sheltered from 
 the cold winds of tlie north and east by a protecting 
 headland, it stood close to the margin of the sea, in a 
 little natural meadow fringed with woods ; with a 
 bright sparkling stream rushing past, on its way from 
 the hills to the sea. There is but little rise and fall 
 in the tides here, so the house and meadow were safe 
 from inundation ; but the currents in this little inland 
 sea are very variable, and of such force in many places 
 between the islands that even powerful steamers have 
 great difficulty in making headway against them. 
 
 At break of day Pat and I went out, with a shot 
 gun apiece, to look after some wild ducks, of which we 
 had seen innumerable quantities about the low-lying 
 
 L
 
 146 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 marshes at the moutli of the river. We got into a 
 little canoe, and paddled along till we saw the ducks 
 getting thick ; but they were all the common black 
 ducks, which we could now afford to despise, though 
 they would have been priceless delicacies up at the 
 mines. After a little we started a couple of mallards, 
 and Pat and I each brought down our birds, but 
 owing to the want of a dog we oould not find them. 
 We had better luck soon though, for we got among 
 some teal, and brought home half-a-dozen at break- 
 fast-time. 
 
 Such a breakfast ! just the sort of one our forefathers 
 would have relished centuries ago. Wild profusion of 
 luxiuries, but all dressed perforce in the simplest 
 manner, with no sauce save a hunter's appetite to 
 enhance their richness. Oysters, clams, salmon, trout, 
 venison, wild duck, and grouse, formed the menu ; 
 washed down with good strong coffee a discretion. 
 We had milk and butter too, for Joe managed to keep 
 a couple of cows on his little paddock. 
 
 It seemed strange to me when I first went to 
 America to drink tea or cofTee with every meal ; but it 
 is the custum tliere, and you hardly ever see an 
 American or Canadian drink beer or wine with his 
 dinner. All tlieir libations of that sort are taken at 
 the ' bar,' probably out of respect to the ladies ; for it 
 is considered a heinous offence against public morals 
 that a lady should be anything but a teetotaller. I
 
 A HOLIDAY. 147 
 
 am afraid this idea tends to more cupboard-practice 
 than is good, for it is undoubtedly a bad thing to 
 excite a woman's curiosity by placing a taboo on a 
 thing she would not be likely to abuse if unrestrained. 
 Happily these puritanical notions are now wearing out 
 in the higher circles of American society ; in fact, at 
 this time, New York society approaches almost too 
 closely to that of Paris. 
 
 After breakfast Pat and I resumed our quest after 
 the wild-fowl, the rest of the party going on a fishing 
 excursion. This time we took with us a dog, a rough- 
 looking beast of Indian breed, and wolf-like aspect, 
 but trained by Joe's perseverance into a capital 
 retriever. 
 
 In a little bay we saw a wondeifful flock of ducks ; 
 the sea was literally black with them for a radius of 
 half a mile. We returned post-haste for an old 
 swivel gun of large bore we had seen in the house, 
 which we intended to. use merely to see how many it 
 was possible to kill with one shot. We came again to 
 the spot, and, favoured by a projecting point covered 
 with rushes, we planted the old gun in the bow of the 
 canoe, and fired into the thickest of the birds. 
 
 All the enormous flock took flight on the report 
 being heard, and when we counted our spoil, they 
 numbered (of course my readers won't believe me) no 
 less than eighty-three ! But then it must be remem- 
 bered that game is at a great disadvantage in wild 
 
 L 2
 
 143 VERY FAK WEST INDEED. 
 
 countries, for it is so unacquainted with danger that it 
 suspects nothinn;-, and is an easy prey to the hunter. 
 I have often killed grouse (which in that part of the 
 world lodge in trees) with sticks and stones. One 
 might miss them three or four times without their 
 moving, and when they did move at last, it would only 
 be to fly lazily a few yards to another tree, where 
 the assault was of course renewed till the unhappy 
 birds fell. 
 
 The captain and tlie rest of our party came back 
 with a fine haul of halibut (a very fine fish something 
 resembling turbot) and rock cod, while Joe made his 
 appearance later with a young buck across his shoulders, 
 andthepleasingintelligence that he had met in the forest 
 with the tracks of a herd of elk. After a jolly evening 
 we turned in early in tlie hope of finding the elk the 
 next morning. 
 
 In these hopes we were not disappointed, for Joe and 
 the captain and myself started oflF, with the three rifles 
 the company possessed, long before daylight, and as 
 dawn appeared we came upon fresh tracks leading 
 towards a little lake some ten miles inland. We had 
 to follow these with great perseverance and caution, as 
 we had no dogs ; but after some three hours' scrambling 
 through the bush and skirting cranberry swamps, we 
 suddenly came in view of about fifteen of the splendid 
 creatures browsing in a pleasant little space bordering 
 the lake.
 
 A HOLIDAY. 149 
 
 The wood enclosed this space in a semi-circle, so the 
 captain went off in one direction by the edge of the 
 woods, and I in the opposite, Joe remaining where we 
 first stopped. When the captain and I had reached 
 our respective stations, we all three advanced towards 
 the herd with the certainty of getting a close shot, 
 imless they took to the water before we got there. 
 
 Soon the herd saw us, and lifting up their noble 
 heads sniffed the air and formed a close phalanx ; then 
 the leader burst forth, and they all flew off close along 
 the margin of the lake in the direction where I was 
 standing. When well within shot I fired, and the 
 leader fell. At this the rest of the herd stopped short 
 with a bewildered air, until, scenting the blood of their 
 fallen companion, they became aware of a danger they 
 had not realised before, and turning sharp round, fled 
 back the way they had come. Joe and the captain 
 now closed in, and seeing themselves encircled the 
 creatures plunged into the lake, but too late to prevent 
 two of their number falling beneath our rifles 
 
 We didn't at all know how to get our game home 
 for some time, till Joe remembered the little stream 
 running past his house, and which he thought headed 
 out of this lake. On exploration this proved to be 
 correct, and with the aid of a hatchet we carried we 
 formed a raft and a couple of rough paddles. The 
 raft we fastened with withes from the banks of the 
 lake, and then we placed our burdens on it, and with
 
 1.30 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 paddles and poles got it round to the spot where the 
 little stream flowed out. After great labour we got a 
 couple of miles down the stream, wliich was very swift 
 and rocky, and as night was approaching we walked off 
 through the woods, blazing the trees with the hatchet 
 as we went along, so that we might retiu*n next day to 
 the spot without difficulty. 
 
 The following moraing we pressed all the party into 
 the service, and got our load safely home. One of the 
 elk we kept for Joe's household, and his wife set to 
 work to cure the hams ; the other two we put in a 
 canoe and "took back to New Westminster, where we 
 sold them for Ihirty dollars apiece, the horns being 
 valuable trophies, together with a number of the ducks 
 Pat and I had sliot, for wliicli we obtained eighteen- 
 pence a brace. From this it may be seen that hunting 
 is not bad even as a pecuniary speculation in that part. 
 For a fortnight we continued enjoying tliis delightful 
 life, hunting, fishing, shooting, and sailing, till our 
 restless spirits began to get cliafed once more, and we 
 determined (^vith the exc(>ption of Joe) to go on a 
 little exploring expedition, in search of the precious 
 metals, to the head waters of the Squawmish river, which 
 falls into the Gulf of Georgia at Burrard's Inlet, near 
 the mouth of the Fraser. This spot liad not hitherto 
 been visited by any wliite men, and the Indians were 
 reported to be of anything but a friendly disposition, 
 so that we expected some little excitement.
 
 A HOLIDAY. 151 
 
 After laying in a fortnight's provisions, getting a few 
 mining tools, and replenishing our stock of ammuni- 
 tion, we obtained the services of a Squawmish Indian, 
 who had lived some time at New Westminster, as a 
 guide, and embarked in a good-sized Indian canoe. 
 
 We had very strong weather at starting, which tested 
 the sea-going capabilities of our canoe to the utmost as 
 we crossed the mouth of Burrard Inlet, some eight 
 miles wide ; but she rode over the waves like a duck, 
 and beyond getting well drenched with spray we came 
 to no harm. We then entered a splendid salt-water 
 lake, or estuary, some forty miles in length, emptying 
 into Burrard's Inlet ; at the head of this estuary was 
 the Squawmish Eiver, our destination. 
 
 We paddled on steadily all the rest of the day in a 
 drizzling rain, for some thirty miles up the estuary, 
 and finding a stream of fresh water coming down the 
 hills we spread our tent and camped for the night, 
 taking turns to watch every two hours, as we were now 
 in a doubtful country. 
 
 All was quiet during the night ; we had in fact seen 
 no Indians since entering the lake, as nearly the whole 
 of them were away at the ' big salt water,' getting in 
 a supply of fish for the approaching winter season, so 
 our fears on that score were considerably allayed. Next 
 day we travelled on and reached the moutli of the 
 river before noon. We made for what appeared to 
 be the largest of several mouths of the stream, and
 
 152 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 ascended it for some four or five miles through low- 
 lying delta without much difficulty. 
 
 Here, however, the river changed its character, and 
 became very swift and rocky. We were now getting 
 into the heart of the Cascade range, and began to look 
 about us for geological signs. A large Indian village, 
 temporarily deserted, was at hand ; we took possession 
 of one of the huts for the night, and finding one or 
 two natives, who from age or sickness had been left 
 behind, by the aid of our guide and interpreter we 
 obtained the loan of a couple of much smaller canoes, 
 in which to continue the ascent on the morrow, our 
 own being much too large and hea\7' for the strong 
 and shallow water we had to encounter. 
 
 Transferring our effects to the smaller canoes we 
 pursued our way, stopping now and again to test a bar 
 in the river for gold. We found it in very small quan- 
 tities, nothing like sufficient to pay for Avorking, and 
 the general appearance of the country and its moun- 
 tains did not argue the presence of that metal in the 
 beds of tlie streams. There were strong indications of 
 copper, lead, and silver, the principal rock formation 
 observable being limestone ; there was also much quartz, 
 the matrix of gold, but in too highly crystallised a 
 state to allow a hope of any of its buried treasures 
 having been washed from it. We looked in vain for 
 the decomposed slate, which is the best index for finding 
 the king of metals. Coal was frequently met with,
 
 A HOLIDAY. 153 
 
 and if ever the undoubted mineral wealth of this place 
 be brought to light and worked, nature seems to have 
 provided every requisite for assisting in its develop- 
 ment; the greatest advantage, as every mercantile 
 mind will appreciate, being that of ready communica- 
 tion by water with the sea-coast. 
 
 For two or three days we kept on, often progressing 
 with much difficulty, till the river was no longer pos- 
 sible of navigation in any shape. We then pitched 
 our tent, and left two of our number in charge ; while 
 the captain, Pat, and I, put our blankets and three or 
 four days' provisions on our backs, and started off to 
 finish our exploration on foot, with our guide. We 
 kept up our prospecting for gold on the way, obtaining 
 rather better results as we got higher in the moun- 
 tains. 
 
 At the end of the second day we reached the head 
 waters of the river, in a high pass through the middle 
 of the range ; and looked down on the other side upon 
 the chain of lesser hills shutting in the Fraser Kiver at 
 Lillooet, some two hundred and thirty miles from its 
 mouth. The mountains here bore the strongest evi- 
 dence of their mineral wealth, being riddled with veins 
 of quartz and copper, lead and iron ore, whilst in the 
 bottom of the stream we found many pieces of native 
 copper. At this point there was an Indian village, with 
 one or two old men and squaws in it ; but they were 
 of a different tribe from our guide, and although
 
 154 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 neighbours, understood but very little of his language. 
 They had never seen white men before, yet they had 
 lieard much of them, and looked at us with much sur- 
 prise mingled with suspicion. 
 
 We gave them some tobacco and a loaf of bread, 
 which made them regard us mth much more satisfac- 
 tion, and they managed to enquire from our guide 
 what the white people wanted there. He replied by 
 pointing to the mountains and to some specimens of 
 ore that we had, laughing much and tapping his fore- 
 head, as if to intimate that we were harmless lunatics. 
 On seeing this, a very old Indian, who seemed to be 
 the chief of the tribe, went into his hut, and produced 
 a little box, full of fresh cliipped pieces of quartz, 
 covered on the outside \s"ith briglit-shining yellow iron 
 pyrites. This substance he evidently thought was gold, 
 the white man's idol ; and indeed I have known many 
 besides Indians deceived in the same way. I looked at 
 these specimens with great interest, for at the first 
 sight I had detected that many of the pieces of quartz 
 enclosed fragments of silver ore, exactly similar in 
 appearance to the richest veins in Washoe and Idaho 
 territories. 
 
 I tried hard to obtain some of these specimens to 
 take back with us to be assayed, but the owner's 
 cupidity was too great ; the more I offered to barter 
 for them, the more lie suspected the value of the com- 
 modity the white man was so anxious to purchase. I
 
 A HOLIDAY. 155 
 
 tried by signs to get him to show me the place in the 
 mountains from which they had been obtained, but he 
 would give no more than a general sweep of his arm 
 all round the country, and at last, on being further 
 pressed, subsided into the customary Indian stolidity, 
 from which nothing could move him ; so, our provi- 
 sions beginning to get low, we had to return without 
 gaining anything but the knowledge of the infinite 
 wealth there was waiting in store for some enterprising 
 seeker, centuries hence perhaps. 
 
 We got back the next night, after a hard day's march, 
 to our two companions with the canoes, and were glad 
 of a day's rest ; for we had been wet through, and had 
 slept in wet blankets for the three preceding nights. 
 So hardened does the frame become, however, by con- 
 stant exposure, that none of us felt any the worse. 
 
 We now made haste to return to New Westminster ; 
 taking with us one of the small canoes, which we pur- 
 chased. Near the mouth of the river, on the side of a 
 steep hill, we shot a mountain sheep, which is a very 
 rare animal, of peculiar appearance. It looks more like 
 a goat with very long hair than a sheep, except that 
 its horns resemble those of an English ram. 
 
 In another two days we reached our first camping- 
 place in the estuary. We came in at dark, hoping 
 that we had been unobserved by a large camp of 
 Indians, whose fires we saw across the lake, some five 
 miles wide at this point. Late in the evening, after
 
 156 VEKY FAR ^VEST INDEED. 
 
 cooking our supper Ly the aid of a small fire, lighted 
 behind some rocks to screen it from the view of our 
 neighbours, we suddenly missed our Indian guide ; and 
 on making search we found that he had made off with 
 the small canoe, and a good quantity of our provisions. 
 Luckily all our fire-arms and the paddles were in the 
 tent, guarded by the constant presence of one of us, or 
 the rascal would doubtless have taken our means both 
 of defence and escape from us. 
 
 We had no doubt that he meant joining the other 
 Indians, and that they would probably on receiving his 
 information attack us for purposes of plunder ; murder- 
 ing us if they could to save unpleasant consequences, 
 and with the knowledge that they would be safe from 
 pursuit in the inaccessible passes of the mountains we 
 had quitted. On looking keenly across the surface of 
 the water, we descried the traitor about half way 
 across, and knew of course that it was too late to give 
 chase. With all expedition therefore we struck our 
 tent, packed everything into the larger canoe, and 
 paddled off in the middle of the night till we were 
 within ten miles of the mouth of tlie estuary ; when, 
 utterly wearied out, we ran the canoe ashore and fell 
 asleep ; leaving one to keep watch for an hour in turn 
 until day. 
 
 Soon after daylight I woke, and looking back saw 
 an unpleasant spectacle. About ten canoes were 
 coming towards us as rapidly as they could, and were
 
 A HOLIDAY. 157 
 
 within a mile of us. Our look-out had fallen asleep, 
 worn out I suppose, and had nearly done for us all. I 
 soon roused everybody, and as a fresh puff of wind 
 favoured us, we hoisted our sail and paddled off as hard 
 as we knew how. Our canoe was large and heavy 
 though, and we had not enough men to impel her as 
 fast as our pursuers came. Aliead of us we could see 
 the mouth of the estuary, with a tremendous sea run- 
 ning ; too heavy, we feared, to live through. 
 
 It was now a race between us for the open sea at the 
 mouth ; we did not expect the Indians would follow us 
 there, as their canoes were smaller than ours, and 
 consequently still less likely to weather the storm, in 
 braving which lay our only chance of escape. In the 
 consciousness of this we struggled manfully, forgetting 
 our previous exertions and want of rest, but it became 
 painfully apparent at length that we should be caught 
 up with before we could get out in the open. We 
 began to despair, and to curse the unlucky man who 
 had fallen asleep on his watch, till the captain brought 
 us to our senses by swearing he would shoot the first 
 man who ' left off work to take to growling.' 
 
 'Yu bet, boys,' said he, 'we'll fix them "tarnal 
 skunks yet ! Only keep a good grit, and ef we can 
 pick off one er tu of 'em fust, maybe it'll scare the 
 whole bilin' of 'em right off. But ef yer goin' to 
 quirrel like a lot o' squaws, we'd better sell out our 
 chaances to oust I ' At this junctiue we were about
 
 158 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 three miles from tlie outlet, and the nearest canoe was 
 within four hundred yards. In it we recognised our 
 runaway guide. The captain handed me the steering 
 paddle, and carefully inspected the priming of his 
 Sharp's ritle ; directing two others of the party to load 
 two more rifles at the same time. The wind freshened 
 as we neared the sea, and there was too much motion 
 to enable a steady aim to be taken at the distance we 
 then were from the Indians. 
 
 ' Naow,' ?aid the captain to me, ' when I say the word, 
 jes yu bring her head roun' inter the wind, an' that'll 
 surprise our friends some. They won't be able to stop 
 'emsels so sudden, and I'll try ter put a bit o' lead 
 inter the carcass o' that Mr. Squawmish Jack ; aafter 
 that we must cut an' run agin, ef we ken.' 
 
 The increasing wind had brought the foremost canoe 
 a good way ahead of its fellows, as it carried a larger 
 sail. In about five minutes, when everything was 
 ready, the captain said quietly to me, ' Naow Dick I ' 
 and I brought our craft up dead in the wind (not 
 without some danger of capsizing). Tliree reports 
 followed, and afterwards the wliirr of tl\e rifle bullets, 
 and I saw Squawmish Jack fall into the bottom of the 
 canoe, with a full reward for his treachery ; while the 
 steersman, wounded in the arm, dropped his paddle 
 and the sheet of the sail at the same time ; and the 
 canoe, getting broadside on to the waves, filled and 
 sunk.
 
 A HOLIDAY. 159 
 
 This was our salvation, for the rest of the canoes gave 
 up the chase to pick up their comrades, all being rescued 
 but Squawmish Jack, who had probably been shot 
 dead, for he never rose again to the surface. We made 
 the best use of our time, and getting under the lee-side 
 of one of the headlands at the mouth of the estuary, 
 sailed out into the gulf. There was no chance of 
 making the Fraser Kiver, so we headed straight across 
 the gulf for Plumper's Pass, a channel between two 
 islands, in the direct route from New Westminster to 
 Victoria, and got safely across in spite of the elements. 
 
 We found a gun-boat anchored here, and told the 
 officers of the outrage ; they promised to send a couple 
 of boats' crews in pursuit of the Indians, but we learned 
 afterwards that owing to stress of weather they could 
 not do so until it was too late to be of any avail. 
 
 We rested a day or two in the Pass, and determined 
 to proceed at once to Victoria, without returning to 
 New Westminster, and to adopt the former town as a 
 place of residence for the winter. We reached the 
 harbour of Victoria without further mishap, and were 
 not sorry after our little bout to be once more within 
 the domain of ordinary society.
 
 160 VERY FAK WEST INDEED. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 WINTERING IN YICTOIUA. 
 
 Victoria was wonderfully changed for the better since 
 •we had last left it. The pretty little town was now 
 filled with some ten thousand or more inhabitants, 
 and was beginning to grow into an extensive place. 
 Huo-e hotels were springing up to feed and house the 
 roving hordes of gold-seekers. Banks, assaying offices, 
 warehouses, and even churches, appeared in unexpected 
 locations. Particularly, to my intense chagrin, I ob- 
 served a party of miners quarrying aAvay into the rocks 
 composing those ' town lots ' my legal friend had 
 tried to persuade me to purchase on my first visit here, 
 making foundations for some large storehouses. The 
 subuvl)s were opening out in all directions, imder the 
 auspices of miners and others with sufficient means to 
 buy a lot, and to build a house or log-hut on it to live 
 in through the winter. 
 
 But I saw other siglits which did not please me, and 
 filled me with some trepidation. Tliousands of men, 
 without means or work to do, were hanging about the 
 })ar-rooms or their little one-roomed shanties, sponging 
 on tlie firft aoiuaiutance any better off than them-
 
 WINTEKING IN VICTORIA, 161 
 
 selves -for a meal. In my walk down Grovernment 
 Street I was 'tapped' on no less than four separate occa- 
 sions for ' haaf a dollar.' This made me look at my 
 own slender finances witli troubled thoughts, for, with- 
 out the chance of earning anything, I • could not hold 
 out very long. 
 
 I met lots of my old shipmates and acquaintances, 
 and the changes of fortune that had befallen them 
 were strange indeed, varying from the ludicrous to the 
 sad. My original partner I found ' keeping bar ' in a 
 whiskey saloon of decidedly second-rate character ; his 
 person adorned with a ' biled ' shirt of questionable 
 cleanliness, and many sham diamonds. He had not 
 much of interest to narrate. His first experience in 
 the labour market had been the common one of road- 
 making. His next employment was to dig potatoes 
 for a wealthy ' gentleman of colour,' who liad amassed 
 his riches as a drayman, aided by judicious speculation 
 in town lots. This occupation I thought (with my 
 social ideas becoming fast Americanized) to be very 
 low down indeed ; but my friend appeased my disgust 
 by stating that nothing less than impending starvation 
 had driven him into it. Finally, he had happened 
 upon his present berth, which seemed to suit him 
 sufficiently well. 
 
 Groing into a restaurant of humble character to 
 obtain a 'square feed' at fifty cents, I was waited 
 upon (deuced badly too) by a young man of gentle- 
 
 M
 
 102 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 manly appearance, in whom I recognised a quondam 
 associate and first-class through passenger, who liad 
 taken his degree at Oxford the year before, but had 
 been allured from his intended profession, the Church, 
 by the British Columbia excitement. The poor fellow 
 seemed dreadfully down, and did not recognise Ine till 
 I made myself known, when we had a talk together, 
 and he informed me that his employer was a sort of 
 steward's mate, who had worked his way out, and 
 whom we had all kicked and cuffed about the steamer. 
 In the evening, visiting for an hour a place of enter- 
 tainment, which was a dim reflection of a London 
 Music Hall, I was filled with surprise to see in the 
 person of a singer a lady of the most superior attain- 
 ments and connections, who had accompanied her 
 husband with the view on his part, as we all under- 
 stood, of taking up a large tract of land and raising 
 stock. But the husband had taken to drink instead, 
 and squandered his money, and the wife was what I 
 saw her ; and that, alas ! was only a cloak for a viler 
 life. It was no pleasant spectacle to see this poor 
 creature -who, whatever she might be now, had once 
 been a lady, and a virtuous wife — drinking champagne, 
 after her singing was concluded, at a public bar, witli 
 ruffians in mufti, wliose ordinary conversation was blas- 
 phemy, and whose assumed manners fitted them as ill 
 as the ' store clothes ' they wore. Some exception in 
 this respect might be made in favour of one or two
 
 WINTERINa IN VICTORIA. 163 
 
 professional gamblers, whose greater proficiency in the 
 arts of the beau monde had been gained at the expense 
 of their moral perceptions of the principles of meurn 
 and tuum. Well, I thought, surely this poor sinner 
 meets with her punishment in this life, and may not be 
 hardly dealt with in the next ! With a saddened heart 
 I went to rest that night. 
 
 A few days after, Pat, who had been staying with 
 me, went off to one of the logging-camps at the saw- 
 mills across Puget Sound, to ply his former vocation of 
 cook for the winter ; and in order to husband my 
 resources, I took a small shanty in a back slum, and 
 laid in a stock of provisions for a month, with the 
 intention of doing anything that turned up, and 
 raising sufficient money, if possible, to take me back 
 to my claim on Jack of Clubs Creek in early summer. 
 
 I often think of that time now with sentiments of 
 wonder, how we all got through it ; and I must confess 
 that I recognised and thanked the helping hand of 
 Providence more then than I have done since in better 
 days. When those two months and another one were 
 gone, nothing was left to me but a pair of blankets, 
 too old and rotten to fetch anything, and the clothes I 
 stood in, which were getting very ragged, and any- 
 thing but impervious to the cold. My toes had 
 worked perforated patterns in my only pair of boots, 
 and I sviffered from a general absence of underclothing, 
 money, and food. With five thousand destitute men 
 
 u 2
 
 l(U VKRY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 thrown on the town for their livelihood through the 
 winter, the chances for each individual unit were small 
 enough. Still, althoiigh at tliis period I generally 
 coiled up at night in my blankets without the know- 
 ledge of wliere breakfast was coming from in the 
 morning, I managed to exist without sponging on my 
 neighbours, or partaking of the Colonial hospitality 
 through the kind permission of the police magistrate. 
 
 Once an Australian nicknamed Bob Kidley (whom I 
 afterwards lieard was an old ' lag,' or convict) induced 
 me to join him in a little contract for clearing a 
 suburban lot. AVe had to take it at a very low price 
 on account of the competition there was to obtain it ; 
 l»ut we expected to make fair wages for about a 
 month's labour. ]My companion obtained an advance 
 of provisions for a fortnight from our employer, and 
 we worked like a couple of slaves while tliat lasted, 
 chopping, rolling logs, burning them, and grubbing 
 out the stimips ; living in a perpetual atmosphere of 
 wood-smoke, and dust, and looking such begrimed 
 ^:uvages that our very mothers would not have known 
 us. 
 
 In the third week I noticed my new partner began to 
 i^hirk his work a little, and one morning he started for 
 town to get some more pntvi-sions. He came back late 
 at night, dead dnuik, and with only about a couple of 
 days' provisions. Exasperated at this, fur I had been 
 hard at work from daylight till dark, and had had no
 
 WINTERING IN VICTORIA. 165 
 
 supper, I remonstrated with Mr. Bob ; but he only 
 became truculent, and swearing he'd have my life, 
 made at me with an American axe uplifted, the bright 
 edge of which I had just time to see by the dying 
 light of one oY our lires, and to grasp a pickaxe, with 
 which I stopped tlie blow aimed at my head. Quickly 
 disarming the scoundrel (luckily he was a smaller man 
 than I, and not sober), I bore him to the ground, and 
 inflicted upon him with my boot a chastisement which 
 the rules of the ring would hardly warrant, but which 
 was, I think it will be admitted, lenient enough under 
 the circumstances. Not caring to pass the rest of 
 the night in such charming society, I shouldered my 
 blankets, the tools, and one half of the provisions, and 
 marched into the town. In the morning I ascertained 
 that Eidley had got all the money due on the contract 
 out of our employer, and had spent it, so I was fairly 
 on my beam-ends again. 
 
 But at last it became hard times indeed with me. 
 I had reached the end of the third day without a 
 morsel of food having passed my lips, and was walking 
 the streets in no cheerful frame of mind, when I passed 
 a French restaiu-ant, in the window of whicli, tempt- 
 ingly displayed upon snowy napkins, were many 
 dainties of an enviable nature, and a bill of fare giving 
 promise of the many good things to be got within. I 
 was fascinated by this window, and began to revolve in 
 my mind what chances there were of filling the unsatis-
 
 166 VERY FAR WEST I>'DEED. 
 
 factory void that existed in my internal regions. 
 .Should I go straight up to that fat little sleek French- 
 man, address him in the Lest of his language that I 
 could command, represent my condition, and ask him 
 to trust me for a meal? Another glance at the man 
 revealed the hopelessness of such an application. 
 Perfect civility, a huge shrug of the shoulders, and a 
 cold stem refusal, would be the reply. Should I, on 
 tlie other hand, boldly take my seat, eat and drink my 
 till, and swagger up to that little counter, with my 
 hat cocked in full rowdy style, and confront that little 
 Frenchman with the remark, ' Waal, mossoo, I guess 
 you'll hev to charge that meal to my 'count ; I'm 
 broke ! ' and so leave the premises ? Even if a pitched 
 ])attle atose, I could but receive my farewell kick; 
 which I could stand comfortably enough with my 
 weight in the quarter where the kick would be received 
 ])etter balanced by a full stomach. No dread conse- 
 ((uences of another nature could ensue ; the transaction 
 was but a simple contract debt. 
 
 So my mind was agitated for some time, but not 
 made up ; for my pluck was oozing away with my 
 physical strength, my eyes gloating over the spread 
 meanwhile ; till I saw the host inside begin to peer 
 through tlie window at me with glances of suspicion. 
 Knowing then that my game, if played at all, must 
 ])e played at once, and with boldness, I had placed my 
 hand upon the door-handle, and was about to turn it,
 
 WINTERING IN VICTOEIA. 167 
 
 when I felt a heavy slap on the shoulder. Turning 
 round sharply, my heart gave a bound of delight, for 
 I saw my old friend the Captain, of Fraser River 
 memory. 
 
 ' Waal, young Johnny Bull, what air you standing 
 fixed at that winder for, like a bump on a log ? Come 
 and take a drink ! ' said he. 
 
 I did. ' Another ? ' ' You bet ! ' I replied, deter- 
 mined to get liquid refreshment if I couldn't get solid. 
 
 *Now, s'pose we hev some supper at that little 
 Frenchman's yu was lookin' at 'while ago. The trip 
 down on that steamboat's made me kind of wolfish.' 
 
 Of course I acquiesced. 
 
 The bill of fare was a puzzler to the captain, who 
 protested vehemently against ' them tarnation French 
 fixins,' and told me to ' palaver a proper square feed 
 out o' that darned frog-eater, and not to forget the 
 buckwheat cakes ! ' 
 
 • I met the Captain's wishes with little difficulty, and 
 proceeded to satisfy my own desires with so much 
 practical application that there was little time for 
 talking between us ; but when my companion had 
 concluded his part of the repast, ^ind had picked his 
 teeth and expectorated contemplatively for some 
 quarter of an hour, seeing me still devouring raven- 
 ously, he concentrated his faculties of observation upon 
 me, and remarked : — 
 
 ' Why, Dick, old boss', you seem sort'er hungry, an'
 
 168 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 now I notice it, tliem clothes o' yourn 'pear to be a 
 trifle played out. Hev the times bin rough with yer 
 lately ? ' 
 
 I explained that this was my first meal for three 
 days, in spite of all my endeavours and struggles to 
 earn one. 
 
 He leaped up : ' An' they call 'eraselves white men 
 in these parts, du they ? Here,' said he, diving into 
 his trousers pocket, ' take that, my son, and pay me 
 back agin when you're well off I ' 
 
 So saying, he threw on the table a big shining 
 twenty-dollar gold piece, with a flush on his good 
 honest Yankee face, and something like an oath or two 
 on his lips. My eyes had a weakness about that time 
 that they hadn't exhibited since at the age of eight I 
 was spanked by my schoolmistress ; they invohmtarily 
 moistened as I wrung the noble fellow's hand who had 
 tims twice saved me from the direst straits of poverty. 
 
 The captain was off again to the Fraser next 
 morning, and left me with all sorts of good wishes and 
 hopes that I should join him in a few more trips 
 through tlie canoiis. His loan was of wondrous service 
 to me, for it enabled me to hold my head above water 
 till I got employment as a brewer's drayman. This 
 post I held comfortaljly enough till, driving home late 
 at night over a rough cross-country track, I was pitched 
 off the summit of ray load to the ground and broke 
 mv arm.
 
 WINTERING IN VICTORIA. 169 
 
 On getting over this reverse I gained an unexpected 
 promotion in the shape of a berth as assistant in an 
 assayer's office, for which position I deemed myself 
 fully qualified, according to a colonial standard, by 
 having made trifling cliemical experiments in the 
 kitchen at home, to the terror of the servant-girls, and 
 by having once nearly suffocated an usher at school 
 with a jar of chlorine gas surreptitiously introduced 
 into his reading-desk, and dexterously overturned at 
 the right moment by a piece of string. 
 
 I found my new work very pleasant after my rough 
 experiences, the only di-awback being the sensations of 
 envy created by the piles of gold dust brought in by 
 luckier mortals than myself, to be melted down by my 
 agency into shining bars, with their value tested and 
 stamped on the outside. The pay being good I was 
 enabled to wear good clothes, and to put up at a 
 fashionable boarding-house, on Yates Street, kept by 
 Mrs. Meekins and her daughter Angelina. 
 
 j\Irs. Meekins was the widow of the captain of a 
 New England whaler, who liad died some time since at 
 Honolulu deeply in debt, and she and her daughter 
 had met with many vicissitudes since then, until they 
 had settled into their present haven. Owing to this, 
 her temper was of a somewhat vinegary nature, and 
 her habits regarding pecuniary matters of a tenacious 
 character. 
 
 Angelina was a pretty girl ; but most of my readers
 
 170 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 have read that capital book 'The Autocrat of the 
 Breakfast Table.' In that little work the hostess and 
 lier daughter are so closely described that I have often 
 been inclined to think, if it were possible for the world 
 to be unaware of the movements of such a man as 
 Oliver Wendell Holmes for even a short time, he must 
 have paid a visit to Victoria to take Mrs. and Miss 
 Meekins for his models. 
 
 So scarce was female society, however, that the fair 
 Angelina, despite such drawbacks as are inherent to an 
 uneducated Miss, was the centre of attraction, not only 
 to oiu- boarders but to many of the outer barbarians, 
 who, from lack of room, could gain no admission within 
 the pale of our little community. The prototypes of 
 many of INIr. Holmes' characters were there too : three 
 or four very fair likenesses of ' tliat young man John,' 
 a ' Koh-i-noor ' or two, and a young Presbyterian divine 
 of ultra fire-and-brimstone principles. But, alas ! there 
 was no fair young ' sclioolmarm,' and no professor to 
 keep us in order. 
 
 I believe a young bank-clerk and myself ran the 
 principal race for Angelina's favom- for some time ; but 
 I finally gained a signal victory over my rival by 
 pulling up a pair of horses, which, under Angelina's 
 management, were running away with us in a buggy 
 on tlie Beacon Hill Course. I luckily succeeded in 
 checking the mad career of these wild steeds of the 
 prairie (hired (or the occasion at the extravagant
 
 WINTERING IN VICTORIA. 171 
 
 outlay of ten dollars) within about fifty yards of the 
 edge of the cliff, and the yielding Angelina seized 
 tlie occasion to fall upon my breast, and utter senti- 
 ments which could not be misunderstood, ere she 
 adopted the ordinary feminine course of fainting. 
 
 But my only love romance out West was nipped in 
 the bud : for that very day, as ill luck would have it, 
 while I was absent from his office, my employer took a 
 fancy that he had a better right to certain gold bars 
 than the man who had left with him the ' dust ' that 
 composed them the day before, and accordingly look 
 passage to San Francisco (with the said gold bars) upon 
 the steamer, the blue smoke of which I had pointed out 
 to Angelina on our return home, when her conscious- 
 ness had revived. My employer also left me a creditor 
 for the amount of two months' salary. 
 
 Mrs. Meekins was ' very grieved, but her house was 
 high-toned. She was afeard my conneckshin with 
 
 Mr. might be offensive to her boarders. She had 
 
 noticed a sartin amount of familiarity with her dorter 
 that she didn't quite approve, and as she had other 
 
 views for Miss Angelina, would I ? ' Yes I would, 
 
 and did leave in a huff, after many tears and vows from 
 Angelina. 
 
 Spring had now set in, and on transferring my effects 
 from Mrs. Meekins' to an establishment of less pre- 
 tensions, I observed the advertisement of a coming 
 regatta. This I regarded as an opportune chance, and
 
 172 VERY FAR "WEST INDEED. 
 
 determined to avail myself of it; so I looked up a 
 young fellow whom I had rowed with two or three times, 
 and wc entered ourselves for all the pairs and the 
 sculling races. After a week's hard training we con- 
 fidently felt ourselves ' fit ' against any opponents we 
 were likely to encounter. 
 
 The auspicious day arrived — a pleasant bright one — 
 and we siu-veyed the course with feelings of hope 
 tinged with apprehension, for on our success depended 
 the chance of getting up the country again to our 
 claims at the mines, which would otlierwise be forfeited 
 or 'jumped.' The course extended from a bridge 
 crossing part of the harbour out round a small island 
 and back, a distance of about two miles, and as we liad 
 three races before us our work was cut out for that 
 day. 
 
 Our first race was a pair-oared one, and there was 
 only one crew against us — a couple of hardy watermen 
 from the neighbouring harbour of Esquimalt, whom 
 we did not hold in much awe after tlie first luilf-mile, 
 tliat being about the distance they were accustomed to 
 pull to the men-of-war in the harbour, and then to 
 reward their previous exertions by copious draughts of 
 beer. 
 
 The spectators evidently thoiight differently from 
 ourselves, and judged it notliing less tlian effrontery 
 in a couple of striplings to engage witli men half as 
 lieavy again as tliemselves, and, as they imagined.
 
 WINTERING IN \aCTORIA. 173 
 
 better up to the work. Particularly the American 
 lookers-on (who were probably the worst judges in 
 such a matter) favoured us with considerable chaff, and 
 when we asked them to back their opinions did so 
 freely, laying odds of from three to five to one against 
 us. These we took to the full extent of our limited 
 finances, and had a very pretty book by the time we 
 were ready to start. 
 
 The race, as we only had expected, was a very hollow 
 affair. Our adversaries started off at a great burst, 
 thinking to have it all their own way, and left us a 
 long way behind in the first half-mile ; but at the 
 island they were completely winded, and we passed tliem 
 easily, rowing home many lengths ahead, to the great 
 surprise of the betting-men. 
 
 The next was a sculler's race, in which four were 
 entered. I made the running for my friend, who came 
 in at the end an easy winner. The last was a two-paii> 
 sculling race, for which we walked over, as no one 
 cared to oppose us ; and thus, to our great deliglit, we 
 netted sufficient in the day to take us up to the mines, 
 and give us a fair start again. 
 
 I wrote to Pat to come over ; and, our other partners 
 in mining industry being ready, we ail started again 
 together for another venture at Jack of Clubs Creek. 
 
 I had a stolen farewell interview with Angelina, 
 when many promises were exchanged ; but the banker's 
 clerk was too many for me while I was away. With the
 
 174 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 aid of the intriguante mamma he induced the girl to 
 marry liim a month afterwards. Poor thing I he made 
 her a bad husband, took to drinking, and beat her, and 
 wound up by running off with an actress.
 
 175 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 ANOTHER TURN AT THE MINES. 
 
 Locomotion was easier tliis year than tlie last. We had 
 less encumbrance, no mules, no provisions, less personal 
 effects, and less money, unfortunately ; but we had 
 gained considerable experience, and were inured to 
 hard work. 
 
 The Colonial Grovernment had turned all its energies 
 and resources towards the formation of a trunk-road 
 from the head of navigation to the mines, and the 
 work was proceeding vigorously. We passed some 
 lumdreds of men in road camps at different points ; 
 and, being too early by about a month for regular 
 mining operations, we allowed ourselves to be per- 
 suaded to lend our services to the country for that 
 period, and engaged with one of the contractors. 
 
 The reader will have little idea of what one of these 
 road camps is like, if he has not visited a new country. 
 Emerging suddenly from a narrow trail through the 
 .woods, one comes upon a little temporary settlement 
 of one's fellow-bipeds. It is dinner-time, perhaps, and 
 tlie ear is assailed by the clatter of many knives and 
 forks and spoons upon tin plates, while the omnipre-
 
 176 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 sent odour of the inevitable beans and bacon makes 
 itself known to the nostrils. From a huge log fire 
 two or three cooks are bearing gigantic pans, full of 
 this homely but substantial diet, to the expectant 
 heroes of the axe and shovel, who stand at lonf; 
 benches in rows, very like pigs waiting at a trough. 
 Their ravenous anxiety is evinced by an angry silence, 
 unbroken save by occasional objurgation at the delay, 
 until the repast is spread ; wlien a free fight witli cups, 
 plates, spoons, and forks, arises for the first chance at 
 what comes nearest. Still no talking is heard, all are 
 too busy ; nothing but the incessant clatter that marks 
 the stupendous process of demolition that is going on. 
 In a quarter of an hour the human voice begins to 
 assert itself; as the rude tables become deserted, their 
 occupants rush off like a herd of cattle to the little 
 stream that comes tumbling past from the steep moun- 
 tain side, and refresh themselves with deep draughts 
 of the cool waters; after whicli revivifying process 
 their pent-up tongues renew their natural functions. 
 Pipes are lit, and the men betake themselves in little 
 groups to the shade of the picturesque assemblage of 
 wliite tents peeping out of the surrounding woods, and 
 st retelling themselves on their beds of pine boughs, 
 proceed to dreamy conversation, under the soothing 
 influence of tolmcco, imtil that dreadful gong summons 
 tliem again to their toil. Tlicn, at the close of 
 day, the table scene is repeated — with less violence.
 
 ANOTHEE TURN AT THE MINES. 177 
 
 for there is more time to spare — and the same groups 
 congregate again together to pass away the evening 
 till sleep overcomes their willing eyelids. Some- 
 times, but rarely, the glimmer of a candle may be 
 seen through the canvas of a tent, where some gambler 
 in distressed circumstances holds his nightly levee, 
 regretting the smallness of the stakes he plucks from 
 his companions, or where some better-occupied indi- 
 vidual is laboriously editing an epistle to the loved 
 ones thousands of miles away. At length the candle 
 is extinguished, the last spark leaps out of the 
 log-fire, and the little camp is still — stiller than sur- 
 rounding nature, which has seemed so still all day ; for 
 now the beavers are busy at their little dam just up 
 the stream ; and you may almost hear their teeth 
 gnawing away at the pine-tree, which they will fell as 
 surely though more slowly than the hardy Canadian 
 who sleeps close by ; the martin and the mink scream 
 and chatter in the woods; the hungry wolf prowls near 
 the little settlement ; the bear shuffles forth from his 
 den, and his growl is answered by an under-breathed 
 one from the sleepy watch-dog, whose dream over the 
 ashes of the fire has been disturbed by his ursine 
 neighbour. 
 
 There are three grades of men employed ; choppers, 
 who are the pioneers, cut down the trees in the line of 
 road, and fill up ravines with crib-work built of logs, 
 or build log bridges over the streams ; graders, who 
 
 N
 
 178 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 follow the choppers, with pick and shovel, p^ub out 
 the stumps of the trees, and dig away or fill up the 
 soil ; and the blasters, who are a special class, generally 
 Cornish or Welshmen, who assault the rocks, where 
 they are in the way, with drill and sledge hammer, and 
 quickly demolish them afterwards with gunpowder. 
 But the first two classes are made up of all sorts of men, 
 from the escaped convict, or ticket-of-leave man, to 
 the son of the wealthy English commoner, or New 
 York merchant. 
 
 Pat and I thought ourselves qualified by previous 
 use of the axe for engagement with the choppers, a 
 mucli cleaner and more pleasant employment tlian that 
 of the graders. We worked away comfortably enough 
 for a month, and at the end of that time the nature of 
 our labours had placed us some tliirty miles further on 
 our road. Our other partners in the claim stayed to 
 work at a farm for another month, while we pushed on 
 to Cariboo to look up old Jake, and open our summer 
 campaign. 
 
 When we got into the Cariboo country it was about 
 the middle of May ; but the snow was still lying deep 
 on the mountains, and we had to provide ourselves with 
 pnow shoes in order to reach our old abode on Jack o' 
 1/lubs, as no trail had been beaten over the snow. 
 Arrived here, we found old Jake, encompassed by a 
 most impleasant stench, dressing martin skins, of wliich 
 he had obtained a good many during the winter. The
 
 ANOTHER TURN AT THE MINES. 179 
 
 old fellow seemed as happy as a bird in his solitude, 
 and when we asked him how he had spent his winter, 
 replied : 
 
 ' Oh, I've had a gran' time of it, boys, though I'm 
 glad to see yer agin, fur the on'y live things I've seen 
 these two months has been these critters' (the martins) 
 * an' a cariboo ' (a kind of elk from which the district 
 takes its name) 'that I shot while ago. I sold his 
 antlers (they was near six feet across) to Martin at the 
 saloon over thar ' (pointing to William's Creek) ' fur 
 thirty dollars.' 
 
 ' And have you been shut up here by yourself all the 
 winter, Jake ? ' 
 
 ' Waal mostly, 'cept when I've been over to the Crik 
 fur provisions, an' I had a big drunk them times to 
 keep out the water through the summer. Come pretty 
 near bein' friz up one night, had my big toe kinder 
 sore ever since. Heerd aafterwards from Doc Brown 
 that the merk'ry were friz up in that glaas fisin' o' his 
 'shard 's a rock fur three days. That was cold, yu 
 bet ! 'Nother time, when I was over to the Crik, we 
 hed some rare games, Martin guv' a ball down to the 
 saloon thar, an' all the boys roun' 'tended o' co^irse.' 
 ' And what did you do for ladies, then ? ' 
 ' Oh, why we didn't hev none, 'cept old nigger Mary ' 
 (a fat negress who did washing for the miners) ' an' the 
 French madam, an' the blacksmith's wife. But we 
 daanced some, I tell yu! It were stag dancin' of 
 
 K 2
 
 180 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 course, fur a hundred an' fifty men was too many fur 
 three females, but it all came off gay, till some reg'lar 
 skunk went an' put croton ile in the pastry, an' then I 
 reckon aafter supper some of us was a bit queer fur a 
 while.' 
 
 ' I suppose there's nothing turned up about the 
 claim,' I remarked ; ' I saw the shaft was full of water, 
 and frozen up, as I came by.' 
 
 ' Oh, I've got suthin' to show yer, and to tell yer, 
 about that, boys. Look here now ! what d'ye yer say 
 to them ? ' and Jake showed us some nice pieces of gold, 
 weighing altogether a couple of ounces perhaps. 
 
 We eyed our maiden treasures with delight. This 
 was the first gold that had come out of our ground, and 
 we were as proud of it as a mother of her first baby. 
 
 ' An' do yu know,' Jake continued, ' that them 
 specimens purty near cost me my life ? ' 
 
 ' How ? ' we enquired wonderingly. 
 
 ' Waal, it was this way. Aafter you'd all cleared out 
 laast fall, an' I was a-getting my traps ready fur settin', 
 I took a notion one day, 'fore the frost set in, tliat 
 I'd like to put the hole a bit deeper down in the 
 shaaft thar'. So I turned the water on to the wheel 
 agin, an' pumped the shaaft out dry ; but nat'rally I 
 couldn't get down it an' up agin 'thout somebody at 
 the win'lass. I went over to William's Creek next day, 
 an' foun' a feller joafin' about the saloon, sa win' up some 
 wood to 'am his grub ; so I offtredhim a week's board
 
 ANOTHER TURN AT THE MINES. 181 
 
 to come over an' help me a bit. He seemed pleased 
 to come, an' we got over here just about dark. Aafter 
 supper we sat smokin', an' got a-talkin' about the 
 country gen'rally, and this claim in partik'lar. He 
 seemed mighty curious, an' asked me a heap o' ques- 
 tions ; such as how many there was in the claim, when 
 the rest 'ud come back, an' so on ; he looked roun' the 
 place rather strange-like too, and seemed to take stock 
 of everything. But I didn't take no notice of this 
 then. 
 
 ' Nex' mornin' we got the shaaft quite dry, I got into 
 the backet, an' he let me down by the win'lass, with a 
 pick an' shovel. I dug down about three feet, and 
 sent up the dirt in the bucket every now and then as 
 I went on. Then the stuff got very hard, an' my pick 
 struck agin a bit o' soft rock. I cleared the dirt away 
 an' scraped about the rock with my old jack knife ; an" 
 then I picked out them pieces o' gold, and guv' a short 
 bit of a shout-like when I foun' 'em, for the sight 
 pleased me some. " Struck it at last by thunder ! " says 
 I. All of a heap suthin' struck me unpleasant, an' I 
 looked quick up the shaaft. Thar' that man stood, an' 
 I could see his face in the light quite plain, though he 
 couldn't see me much. He was glarln' down at me, 
 with a darned ugly look on him. " Hullo ! " I said. 
 " Hullo, yerself," he says. " Jes' haul me up, Avill 
 yer?" 
 
 ' " We'll see about that presently," he goes on.
 
 182 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 ' I swore some, (I caan't help it when I gets excited) 
 but that was no use; so then I laafed as if he was 
 jokin' ; an' puttin' them bits in my pocket, I sot down 
 for a piece, tellin' him that I guessed he'd get tired 
 first. But he went away then, an' I didn't like the look 
 o' things a bit.' 
 
 ' Still, I didn't think he was reg'lar right down raskil 
 enough to leave me thar, wher' I must ha' starved, an' 
 perished ; for there was no soul likely to come near the 
 place till you come along in the spring ; an' I thought 
 our cabin was too poor fur him to care to rob it. Then 
 I began to think all sorts o' things, p'raps he was mad, 
 more likely he fancied I'd got somethin' considerable 
 hid away in the cabin somewhars, an' was lookin' fur it 
 now. Anyhow, if he meant to leave me down thar, an' 
 he showed himself agin up top, I'd aask him to get my 
 old six-shooter out from the hiding-place over the bimk, 
 whar I kep it, an' shoot me straight, so as to make an 
 end of it. Then I thort I'd like to live a while longer, 
 an' I caast round for a way to get out. The shaaft's all 
 stjuar' timbered, with nothin' but the little wedges in 
 the corners. I couldn't climb up that way nohow. 
 He'd got the bucket up top, an' if he hadn't I s'pose 
 he'd ha' cut the rope. I thort maybe I might get up 
 with the pick an' the knife, by diggin' one in aafter the 
 other ; but if I slipped I it made me shudder all over 
 to dwell on it. However, I didn't see another chaance 
 but to wait till he got away, an' then try it. All this
 
 ANOTHER TURN AT THE MINES. 183 
 
 time the water was tricklin' down, fur he'd turned the 
 water off the wheel, an' the pump was stopped, — thar 
 was some little comfort in that, I should be drowned 
 'fore I was starved or friz up ! 
 
 ' While I was debatin' about this, the feller came to 
 the shaaft again : 
 
 ' " Below thar," says he. 
 
 ' I thought he was goin' to let me out at laast, but 
 when I looked up my heart sickened, for I see he'd got 
 a big pack on his shoulders — all he'd bin able to lay 
 hands on in the shaanty. 
 
 ' " Yu hound," I hollers up at him, " air you goin' to 
 leave me hyar, to die like a darned Injin coyote ? " 
 
 ' " Good-bye," he answered, " sorry you hain't got a 
 better night's lodgin'," an' he sneered at me. 
 
 ' I shouted at him, raved, swore, promised him 
 eveiythin' (meanin' to kill him 'soon 's I got up top) 
 but it was all no use, he walked away. S'pose he was 
 afeard to give me a chaance, an' his head was clear, 
 yu bet ! ' 
 
 ' And how, in the name of goodness, did you get out, 
 Jake ? ' 
 
 ' Waal, after that feller went away, an' I'-d cursed a 
 bit, an' then grown silly, and thort of all the bad 
 things I've done in my time, an' o' what my old 
 mammy used to teach me about the other world, I 
 looked around everything. Of a sudden I saw my way 
 out of it, and felt like to go mad with joy^ — not so
 
 184 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 much even at the idee of savin' my life, as of takin' 
 my revenge upon that scoundrel — thar was the pump I 
 I'd only got to dig my pick through the bottom of the 
 belt into the plank at the side of the sliaaft, to hold it 
 faast, an' then I could climb up the elevators.' (The 
 pump in question consisted of a wide leathern belt 
 working round the drum at the top of the sliaft on 
 which were fixed, at intervals of two feet, little wooden 
 buckets, which filled and emptied on the principle of 
 a dredging-machine. By making one end of the belt 
 fast, Jake was thus enabled to climb up the buckets or 
 elevators.) 
 
 ' That was a Jacob's ladder for you in every sense, 
 Jake ! And did you catch the murderous wretch after 
 all?' 
 
 ' You shall hear. I waited till I j udged he was out 
 of sight, fur if he'd heerd anythiu' he might ha' turned 
 back and cut the belt, and sent me to Old Nick in a 
 minit. An' then I druv' my pick well home through 
 the belt into the timbers, an' climbed up them eleva- 
 tors s' quick 's I knew how. When I got to the top, 
 I threw myself down fur a while, as I was jest about 
 played out. Then I went into the cabin and foun' my 
 old six-shooter all right, aafter which I ate a bit o' 
 victuals. When I'd done, I started off to track my 
 man. 
 
 ' I follered his tracks to the head of the crik, an' 
 tlien I seed 'em turn off on the trail to the P^orks o'
 
 ANOTHEE TURN AT THE MINES. 185 
 
 Quesnelle. I considered a bit whether I should foller 
 him further alone, an' shoot him, or get some more o' 
 the boys to help me ketch him, an' then give him a 
 taste o' Judge Lynch. I thort the laast way the best, 
 an' went to William's Crik an' got haaf a dozen men 
 to come along. 
 
 ' We soon came on his tracks agin, an' at the end o' 
 ten miles I see him walkin' along under his load. 
 He'd just got up from a rest an' had bin cookin' some 
 of my bacon for a meal, I s'pose, as we 'passed the 
 remains o' the fire he'd left. When he heerd us 
 coming behind he looked roun', an' seein' us he shied 
 off his pack an' tried to run for it ; but we were soon 
 up with him. 
 
 ' Then he turned sharply round, and fired his der- 
 ringer at me. The shot grazed my arm and made it 
 bleed a little, but did'nt do no more harm. We didn't 
 give him time to fire agin, but collared him, took his 
 pistol from him and tied up his wrists. Then we took 
 him straight back to the cabin on Jack o' Clubs. I 
 told my story, an' showed the boys the belt faastened 
 to the foot o' the shaaft, an' the man' couldn' deny it. 
 So we tuck him off inter the woods, an' foun' a limb 
 on a spruce-tree that looked convenient, read a chapter 
 out o' the little Bible in the cabin to him (he hadn't 
 taken that, you bet) an' sent him off to his long 
 reckonin'. I guess thar was a heavy balance agin 
 him !
 
 186 VERY F.\R WEST INDEED. 
 
 ' We all went back to William's Creek, for I didn't 
 care to stop that night in the cabin, close to that dead 
 man ; an' in the mornin' two of the boys came back 
 with me, an' they tuk an' buried him at the foot of the 
 big spruce-tree. I'll go with yer and show yer his 
 grave, if yer like.' 
 
 We went to the spot, and saw a little mound, with a 
 rude cross over it, and the dead man's name (they had 
 foimd it on a letter in his possession) carved on a piece 
 of smooth board at the foot of the mound, with the 
 date, 21st December 1862. 
 
 Lyncli-law is a thing hardly to be uplield, looked at 
 from our own civilised point of view ; but harsh and 
 strong measures are necessary in wild countries, where 
 characters such as this man was are too numerous to be 
 pleasant. Tlie rude grave was a saddening spectacle, 
 but we could but concur with old Jake in thinking 
 that the man had died fairly. 
 
 The three of us soon started to work to clear away 
 the snow from our claim, and put things in working 
 order ; then we got tlie water-power to work, but 
 found we could not pump the shaft dry till some of our 
 neighbours also started their pumps ; so we took axes 
 and saws into the woods, and prepared a quantity of 
 timbers for use imderground when we should be able 
 to extend our operations. 
 
 By the end of a month our other partners had 
 arrived, and our neighbours got to work, and we
 
 ANOTHER TURN AT THE MINES. 187 
 
 pumped the shaft quite dry. Old Jake had shown his 
 specimens to the storekeepers, and we had already 
 received offers of a couple of thousand pounds apiece 
 for our interests, which we refused, justly enough on 
 seeing the enormous amounts of gold obtained by the 
 miners on William's Creek from claims which had 
 promised less richly than ours. 
 
 We forthwith proceeded to deepen the shaft, and open 
 out a tunnel, or drift, from the bottom of it. Then 
 we found that our shaft was only sunk on the side of 
 the rock after all, and that the rock pitched off steeply 
 for a greater depth yet, so there was nothing for it but 
 to sink another. Jake's specimens were only lodged 
 in a little 'pocket' which produced a little more than 
 he had already taken out. 
 
 This was disheartening ; but we went at it with a 
 will, and soon got down to a depth of sixty feet. Then 
 came a fight with our old enemy, the water ; we tried 
 all sorts of experiments, but nothing would subdue it. 
 In it poured through the loose gravel at the bottom in 
 a perfect flood, which no pumps such as we had could 
 keep under. 
 
 Our neighbours were in the same plight too; no 
 chance of getting to the bottom, where we knew the 
 gold lay studded richly. Truly this was hard ; but 
 such is the fate of the gold-miner. All we could do 
 was to give it up till the next season, when we hoped 
 that the roads to the upper country would be made,
 
 188 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 and we could bring up steam machinery for a last and 
 powerful effort against the water. How I wished I 
 had taken my two thousand pounds ! as I left, after 
 three months' slaving, to make another start at some- 
 thing. 
 
 A fresh species of industry next attracted me. As 
 I sallied forth from the unlucky Jack o' Clubs on to the 
 main trail, a pack train was passing. I saluted the 
 owner, a jolly-looking English sailor, who looked a 
 strange figure as he sat across a mule covered with 
 Mexican trappings, striving against nature to hide his 
 merry countenance beneath a huge sombrero hat. He 
 wanted an additional hand, one of his ^Mexicans having 
 got pretty badly slashed with a knife the night before 
 in a drunken inelee, and said he preferred to ' have a 
 countryman of his own to talk to, instead of them 
 " greasers," whose lingo he couldn't get hold of much ;' 
 so I gladly took the vacant post. 
 
 Not a bad life either was this in the summer time. 
 Up with dawn of day, hunting up the. wandering 
 animals; then sitting down with ravenous appetite 
 engendered by exercise to the breakfast (of better fare 
 than we got in the mines) prepared in the meantime 
 by the cook ; then saddling and loading the mules, in 
 the midst of the strange oaths and cries of the 
 Mexicans, and the grunts of the quadrupeds as the 
 girths were drawn tightly round them ; and then the 
 pleasant ride through wondrous scenery for fifteen
 
 ANOTHEE TUKN AT THE MINES. 189 
 
 miles or so, seated in a comfortable demi-pique saddle, 
 with little to do but to study the charms of nature, 
 and now and then to tighten up a load, or ride off on 
 a hard gallop after some unloaded animal, who had 
 strayed from the rest. The day's journey was generally 
 concluded by two or three o'clock, and after the mules 
 were unloaded, and the stores piled up, nothing 
 remained but to enjoy ourselves ; keeping an ear now 
 and then to the tinkle of the bell, so that we should 
 know where to find our animals in the mornino-. In 
 the evening our chief kept us merry with songs and 
 stories round the fire, and the Mexicans gambled 
 among themselves at monte while their money lasted ; 
 and at night we rolled our blankets roimd us, and 
 slept beneath the summer sky, with the stars for 
 company, till they faded out under the beams of the 
 rising sun that aroused us from our slumbers. 
 
 So I was sorry when the short summer came quite 
 to an end, and I had to leave my good-hearted 
 employer ; who had made enough money to retire on, 
 and get back to England, to settle down and marry, 
 as he told me, his old captain's daughter. Lucky 
 fellow, packing was a better business than mining. He 
 started with a modest capital of five hundred pounds 
 the year before, and left off now with twenty thousand I 
 No such chance as this for me : I had another winter 
 to get through, and a raise to make in readiness for 
 the development of that unfortunate claim on Jack of
 
 190 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 Clubs Creek. It wasn't at all clear how a raise was to 
 be made, if times were no better this year than the 
 last, and one couldn't expect a regatta to be got up for 
 one's especial benefit again.
 
 191 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 ' RUSTLING.' 
 
 ' KusTLiNG ' is an Americanism, denoting the process 
 of fighting against odds for a living. Such an expres- 
 sion aptly describes the ordinary fortunes of a colonist 
 who has not ' hit his streak of luck,' and that position 
 was strictly my own when I landed at the wharf in 
 Victoria for a second winter's campaign. 
 
 Of course there are many stages of rustling; to 
 begin with the lowest, there is the poor devil who 
 labours for a bare subsistence, as I had done in the 
 preceding winter, and who thinks himself lucky enough 
 if he keeps clear of the pangs of hunger, and gets hold 
 of a softer plank than usual to stretch his weaiy bones 
 upon ; then there is the middle-class rustler, who 
 starts a store or whiskey saloon upon credit (thinking 
 it mighty hard if it don't pay), and whom one finds 
 ever and anon displaying his energies in some fresli 
 field of labour, transformed perhaps from an eating- 
 house keeper to a scientific lecturer, or from a 
 Methodist preacher to a gambling-house proprietor. 
 Micawber would have been a great rustler of this type 
 in America. Above all rises the aristocratic rustler,
 
 192 VEKY FAR Wi:ST INDEED. 
 
 the merchant of many bankruptcies, the politician of 
 undefined principles, save in ' lobhy ' business, the 
 man who always lives at the great hotel, is dressed in 
 the height of transatlantic fashion, patronises news- 
 paper editors (by whom he is alluded to as 'our enter- 
 prising and highly-gifted resident Mr. So and So"), or 
 heads an exploration at the expense of the Government, 
 and the essence of whose being consists in his keeping 
 what our cousins call * a stiff upper lip.' 
 
 It will be observed that the members of all these 
 bodies start with an equal capital, or rather want of 
 capital. The goods with which the gentleman of the 
 second stage opens his store are other people's ; the 
 fine clothes of the aristocrat and liis hotel bill are only 
 matters of hope or despair, as the case may be, for the 
 creditor. Success in the profession depends on the 
 assurance and self-assertion of the individual ; energy 
 is a quality easily exercised by the man who has 
 nothing to lose. Few rise upwards to eminence from 
 the lowest stage, for hard manual labour has certainly 
 a depressing influence on the ambitious instincts; but 
 many sink into the lowest depth from the middle and 
 upper stages, and when such a catastroplie happens, 
 it may always be set down to a temporary failure in 
 what sliould be the victim's first principle — cheeh 
 
 With the recollection of previous hard times before 
 me, I now determined that circumstances should daunt 
 me no longer ; I would assert myself as a rustler, and
 
 'RUSTLING.' 193 
 
 conquer if I could. So my first step was to invest in 
 some ' store-clothes ' of the highest-toned description, 
 and most perfect Yankee cut, and to take up my 
 residence at a somewhat swell hotel. Here I found 
 for fellow-boarders a judge from Washington Territory, 
 an Oregon statesman, a newspaper editor of the town, 
 a British Honoiu^able who had come out to colonise 
 and lose his money, and several nondescripts, prin- 
 cipally members of my new profession, I found out. 
 
 To get on with Americans a man must be able to 
 talk, and to talk well. No people can catch others 
 with bunkuTYi so readily as they, and none are them- 
 selves so easily caught by the same means. This is 
 why all sorts of bogus companies and schemes flourish 
 to such an extent over there. It was something won- 
 derful to hear the talking-matches launched by my 
 rivals against the judge and the ' Britisher.' I sat 
 and listened at first, and took many jottings by the 
 wayside to enable me to open out my own line of attack 
 when opportunity offered. I selected the newspaper 
 editor as the means for my personal advancement. I 
 should not be at war with my fellows then, and a 
 rustler should make no enemies if he can avoid it. 
 
 I rather liked our ' Honourable ' boarder ; and he 
 had deigned several times to question me as to the 
 upper country, and to ask my advice on minor points 
 connected with a trip he proposed making. I think 
 our newspaper editor liked him too, or rather would 
 

 
 194 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 have been well pleased to get some of his capital 
 invested in the ' Cosmopolitan ' (the editor was of 
 course a rustler, though a prosperous one, himself). 
 One morning before breakfast the Honourable and I 
 were taking our cocktail at the bar, and holding a 
 conversation on the general prospects of the country, 
 when we were joined by Mr. Amo. D. Como (so 
 .Scriblerius styled himself). 
 
 ' Swallowin' yer reg'lar pison I perceive, gentlemen? 
 I reckon a cocktail's a institooshiu not properly appre- 
 ciated in the old country, Mister,' he added, turning 
 to my companion. 
 
 ' Aw well, no ; I'm sorwy to confess the infewiowity 
 of Bwitish ideas in that wespect, sir. When I go home 
 again, I intend to take a hogshead of 'em " all weady 
 fixed up " as you'd say, ha, ha ! ' 
 
 ' Yes, I s'pose we're some few degrees ahead of the 
 folks to home in mos' things,' I cliimed in. ' Look at 
 our newspapers alone, now ; why they're near ten times 
 as many as in Great Britain ; that shows how much 
 Ijetter they are, else people wouldn' read 'em, an' the 
 proprietors ( like our frien' here) wouldn' live.' 
 
 ' Yaas ; but the Thnes, you know,' deprecated the 
 Honoura}>le. 
 
 ' The Times,'' sneered Mr. Como ; ' waal, my ambishin 
 lias bin this long wliile to start a little consarn in that 
 great metrop'lis of yoiu-n, jist a purpose to chaw up 
 that old one-hoss vehicle of antiquated corrupshin you
 
 'RUSTLING.' 195 
 
 call the Times ! I guess if I got a fair start they'd 
 soon hev to sell their laast printin' press to pay their 
 washin' bill ; I'd plaaster 'em with the righteous mud 
 of indignashin that thick ! ' 
 
 The Britisher collapsed at this outbreak, which 
 I vehemently applauded, and so earned the immediate 
 friendship of Mr. Como. 
 
 ' This yer is a promisin' country, sir,' he remarked 
 to me. 
 
 ' It is, it needs only the aid of journalism to publish 
 its resources and develop 'em,' I said. 
 
 ' You've travelled over it some, I s'pose ? ' 
 
 ' I know 'most every inch of it.' 
 
 ' And what air your gen'ral impreshins consarnin' 
 it' (on the look out for food for a fresh article on 
 ' Our Eesources Internal and Otherwise,' I thought) ? 
 
 ' They're too long to tell 'fore breakfast, Mr. Editor, 
 but I have no objeckshin to contribute a small series of 
 papers to your valu'ble journal if you like. I des'say we 
 can arrange terms.' 
 
 ' Quite right, stranger, that's a bargin ! Don't you 
 sell yer stock for nothin'. I've rustled upwards from a 
 picayune printin' office down to New Orleens, an' I've 
 done it by never givin' nothin' for nothin' ('cept bad 
 advice p'raps) ; you'll favour me, sir, by steppin' over to 
 the office aafter a while me'bbe, an' we'll set out our 
 programme.' 
 
 This was the chance I wanted. Dreams of the magic 
 o 2
 
 196 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 letters M. L. A. (Member of the Legislative Assembly, 
 I may inform the uninitiated) appended to my name, 
 when my beard had grown a little, capital stock in 
 mining companies, and other happy tricks of fortune, 
 passed before my mental vision in pleasant array. The 
 Editor and I took breakfast, and had considerable 
 conversation over that pleasant meal ; during which I 
 listened to his history, which he narrated with the na- 
 tive pride of an American, who had risen in the world. 
 I wanted him to do this for my own purposes, so that I 
 could be ready when his tui-n for questioning me came, 
 as it soon did. 
 
 ' An' now, sir, I've told you my story, let me aask 
 where you were raised.' 
 
 ' Well, sir, I was raised down East, but I've travelled 
 some, an' ain't got any wooden nutmegs left about me.' 
 I didn't say hoiv far East " I w^as raised," for a betrayal 
 of British origin would have ruined my connection at 
 once. 
 
 ' Ah, down to Bostin I s'pose ; waal, there's smart men 
 comes from them parts, though I'm a Marylander 
 myself, an' don't quite cotton to New England folks as 
 a rule. The fact is, yer see, they rid me on a rail once 
 out that way for abusin' Wendell Phillips.' 
 
 After breakfast we walked over to the ' Office,' and 
 entered the Editor's sanctum. 
 
 ' An' what is your perlitical platform, mister ? ' my 
 friend asked.
 
 'BUSTLING.' 197 
 
 * To say the truth, I ain't got any in this settlement 
 to speak of.' 
 
 ' A p-ood thino: too. You shall read a few back num- 
 bers, an' you'll soon find what we advocate. Never you 
 mind the " Slasher " across the road. I ain't got no pre- 
 judice, but that Editor's a most uncompromising 
 scoundrel ; I guess I'll have to cowhide him pretty 
 soon. But what's your idees about this war, back in 
 the East; I don't mind tellin' you I'm right down 
 Secesh, so I s'pose we shaan't agree there ? ' 
 
 ' You're wrong for once, sir, my sentiments goes en- 
 tirely with the South. I've seen enough of them cursed 
 Abolitionists. My father was English in his young 
 days, an' a purty game that West India 'mancipation 
 was for him ! ' All this was true enough, and I got up 
 and held out my hand to Mr. Como, which he grasped 
 warmly. 
 
 ' Waal now, fust principles bein' satisfactory, I guess 
 we can hitch together well enough. You'll jest write 
 me out a good screamer 'bout the Cariboo country, an' 
 let them cussed fools up to New Westminster have it 
 hot, will yer? I'd take a dozen Injins straight out of 
 the rancherie, an' make a better government out of 
 'em than they've got up thar.' 
 
 I returned to the hotel and penned what I thought 
 might justly be deemed a ' screamer,' " suggesting ^at 
 once the formation of a company to promote the use of 
 steam machinery in the mines ; by which I hoped our
 
 198 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 claim on Jack of Clubs would benefit, and bullying the 
 New Westminster folk right and left. 
 
 Como liked tlie suggestion of the company well, and 
 said at once, ' Ah, we must have a good pull together 
 at that affair, my friend ; but I say, you New England 
 gents are too polished in your langwidge. See here,' 
 showing me an article full of such complimentary 
 epithets as one too often sees reported in the political 
 proceedings at Washington, ' this is the current style of 
 writin' about here. Jes' you touch that production up 
 a little.' 
 
 I did, inserting sufficient virulent abuse to gain me 
 a good thrashing I expected, if my identity were dis- 
 covered ; and Como was well pleased this time. My 
 article appeared next morning, and received consider- 
 able attention, and I went on with a series of a similar 
 nature. 
 
 Soon I was hunted up by a number of merchants and 
 speculators with reference to the ' Cariboo Steam 
 Machinery Company,' and had my name placed upon 
 the direction list ; receiving a considerable honorarium 
 in the shape of paid-up shares for my exertions as a 
 promoter. I halved the shares witli Como for his 
 assistance in placing me on the first step of what I 
 fondly hoped was the ladder to fortune. 
 
 I thus passed the winter in liigh feather, expecting 
 shortly that Como would ask me to join him in partner- 
 ship. As the spring came round, the share list of the
 
 'EUSTLING.' 199 
 
 new sclieme was well filled, a large number of steam- 
 engines were imported from San Francisco, and con- 
 structed on the spot ; and arrangements were made 
 to get them forward to the mines. That was where the 
 shoe pinched, however ; the idea was a good one, like 
 thousands of others ; but we hadn't taken enough 
 account of the difficulties in the way. First, the 
 Grovernment of the other colony mulcted us in almost 
 prohibitive duties — short-sighted souls — then the 
 steamboat owners swindled us ; the spring was a late 
 one, and the roads, only made the preceding summer, 
 were blocked in many places by the floods acting on 
 the weak spots passed over by careless Grovernment 
 inspectors. 
 
 In fact, when at last our lumbering cargoes reached 
 the mines, it was too late in the season for them to be 
 of the service intended ; and the charges we were 
 obliged to make for the use of the engines were too 
 great for the miners to bear. So we had to sell them 
 at a sacrifice, and the company collapsed. I had used 
 interest to get one placed at our claim on Jack of 
 Clubs, but as no other claim there could afford to have 
 one it was of no use alone ; and my partners were 
 compelled to go through another season of hard labour 
 with no result. 
 
 I had stayed below for that year, paying friend Pat 
 to represent my place in the claim, and was sadly dis- 
 appointed when he came down in the autumn with the
 
 200 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 information that they had been compelled to desert 
 the expected seat of wealth, and had given it up as a 
 bad job. 
 
 Como had got very ' riled ' over the failure of the 
 company, for it had enabled the opposition ' Slasher ' 
 to get the best of him ; so he visited his spleen upon 
 me, and discontinued his patronage of my services. 
 The circle at the hotel had broken up ; the judge and 
 the statesman had returned to their vocations, the 
 ' Britisher ' had gone off on a cattle-buying expedition, 
 in which he was grossly swindled, I learned, by his 
 partner, and returned home afterwards with very 
 imfavourable impressions of our Yankee cousins — let 
 us hope he found consolation in his hogshead of cock- 
 tails — and I had to seek again a fresh path of action. 
 
 This I found as ' clerk ' in a dry goods store (at home 
 in England they call such a personage a counter- 
 jumper). The friend who introduced me to this 
 laughed at my scruples of incompetency. 
 
 ' But,' I said to him, ' I know nothing at all about it ! ' 
 
 ' What does that matter ? He ' (my proposed 
 employer) ' don't know nothin' about it either. He 
 made his money minin", and has taken it into his head 
 to set up a big store. He's jest married one o' them 
 English gals what was shipped out here, an' I guess 
 Iie'U be purty well occupied till you get warmed to 
 your work.' 
 
 I put a beild face on the matter accordingly, and on
 
 'RUSTLING.' 201 
 
 my applying for the vacant post was accepted. In a 
 few weeks' time, when my employer arrived home with 
 his bride, I was able to measure otf yards of calico, and 
 sell ' notions ' in a way that delighted him and sur- 
 prised myself. But ill luck seemed to pursue me; 
 nothing stuck to my fingers. I passed through a series 
 of varied employments, till I found myself purser of 
 one of those river steamboats I had often travelled on 
 as a passenger, and which I had helped to imload when 
 boating in canoes with my old friend the captain and 
 his crew. From this post I was one day, to my great 
 delight, promoted to that of captain. 
 
 This was the life of all that charmed me ; the privi- 
 lee-e of command could not fail to be dear to the heart of 
 a youngster, who had by that time borne no mean share 
 of cuffing about the world ; while the exciting sense of 
 constant danger suited my ardent temperament. I had 
 seen that nerve and coolness were the great qualities 
 required, and I flattered myself I possessed both. 
 
 Well I remember the sense of absolute power I used 
 to feel, as the old boat was almost held still, by some 
 specially ' bad place ' in that terrible river — with its 
 furnaces roaring, and its frame quivering throughout, 
 till its decks warped and curled up and down under the 
 full power of its high-pressure machinery! How I 
 knew that one false or careless turn of the wheel would 
 seal the fate of all on board, by letting the current gain 
 the mastery of us, and dash us against the staring and
 
 202 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 jsjrimly-beckonin^ wall of rocks, past which the stream 
 rushed in maddened fury ! At such a time, alone in 
 my little glass house, with teeth set, eyes fixed, and 
 chest expanded, ignoring the unseen presence of my 
 fellow mortals below, I felt as if I were the last man 
 fighting a battle with nature, and gaining it. And 
 after this excitement came the pleasant relapse of 
 safety, when my place could be supplied by the mate 
 or a deck-hand, and I could enjoy the convivial society 
 of my passengers and guests, and take pleasure in 
 chatting gaily with the ladies, when I was fortunate 
 enough to have any on board. 'Tis strange how reck- 
 lessness grows upon us in a short time, for custom 
 begets the power of doing or feeling anything, and 
 how, moreover, a dash of the comic element is apt to 
 be infused in us, at what would seem the most inoppor- 
 tune moments — as the man who is being married, or 
 waiting to be hanged, diverts his attention to the 
 trivial contemplation of the fabric of the minister's 
 garment, or the shape of the hangman's boots — the 
 eddy of absurdity running up beside the full down- 
 ward-flowing stream of serious life. 
 
 I call to mind an instance in support of these two 
 well-defined propositions. One day we were heading 
 at a dangerous ' riffle,' and the river was swollen to 
 such an extent that everyone said we should never 
 get over the place. All steam was clapped on, and 
 the steam-gauge showed some unprecedented figures.
 
 ' BUSTLING.' 203 
 
 We got to the top of the 'riffle,' where the water 
 changed from rough to smooth, and there we stuck 
 sure enough, not able to advance an inch. After a 
 time I felt it was no use, unless something else could 
 he done by our engineer to get more steam. Then I 
 blew down my pipe to him to ask if nothing could be 
 done. 
 
 ' No, not a darn' thing ! ' he shouted up ; ' an' if we 
 don't get out o' this purty sudden, we shall all be 
 blown to ' (a very tropical latitude indeed). 
 
 But I determined to see for myself. Blowing down 
 another pipe to my trusty mate, I summoned him to 
 the pilot-house, and directed him to hold the boat's 
 head steady while I went below. Descending to the 
 lower deck I saw that indeed the engineer had done 
 his possible, except in one thing — there was the 
 safety valve at the back of the boilers ! Eound the 
 latter were clustered a group of stolid-looking Indians, 
 greasy and sleepy from the excessive heat. A sudden 
 thought struck me. 
 
 ' Come,' I said, in his native tongue, to the heaviest 
 and most obtuse-looking of these gentry. He rose, 
 and came to me with an injured grunt. 
 
 'You like to be great chief, all the same as me, 
 steamboat chief ? ' I asked. 
 
 'Yes, captain,' he replied, his eyes dilating at a 
 glimpse I allowed him of a five-dollar gold piece. 
 
 ' Then, very good you sit down on tl\at little iron
 
 204 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 tiling. Very soon you all see steamboat go up quick.' 
 (I wasn't quite clear in my o\vn mind whether it would 
 'go up ' stream or into the air, but one or the other I 
 was determined on). 'I am great medicine man; 
 presently you all see I speak true.' 
 
 Mr. Indian mounted on his seat without another 
 word, and I placed the five-dollar piece in his hand, 
 telling him not to relinquish it ; it was a talisman, 
 and the spell would be broken if he did. He sat there 
 clutching tightly his piece of money, with a look of 
 disdainful pride at his comrades, and such an appear- 
 ance of majesty as a savage alone possesses. Thank 
 Grod, the boilers were new and sound, and stood the 
 strain I In tw^o minutes we were over, and then I 
 ordered the fires to be almost drawn, and a large 
 quantity of the steam blown oif. I made the Indian 
 earn his five-dollar piece by keeping his throne for a 
 long time though, after the danger was over. 
 
 He gained from that time the soubriquet of 'Safety- 
 valve Jack,' and I gained the full credit from the 
 Indians of being a very great medicine-man indeed. 
 
 After this my readers will probably think it lucky 
 for the sake of others I didn't hold my position of 
 steamboat captain long. Lucky or the reverse, the 
 episode made me a consideraV)le favourite in steam- 
 boat circles for some time ; Ijut my owners becoming 
 suddenly bankrujjt, one fine morning as I left my cabin
 
 ' RUSTLING.' 205 
 
 to step on shore to get breakfjist (we had tied up for 
 the night alongside the town wharf), I found my dear 
 old boat in the hands of the sheriff, and thus I was 
 cast adrift once more.
 
 206 VERY F.VR WEST INDEED. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 MORE RUSTLING. 
 
 'Well, bad luck sticks in a wonderful way to some 
 people ; I thought I had a safe tiling to make a 
 fortune at here,' I said aloud to myself, as I stepped 
 ashore. 
 
 ' That's so, you bet its rough ! ' a voice replied to me ; 
 and turning round I saw my colleague, the engineer. 
 ' Le'ss talk over this bis'ness some,' he continued. 
 
 ' Naow, look here,' the man of steam commenced, 
 when we had seated ourselves together at breakfast at 
 a retired table in a neighbouring restaurant ; ' our boss 
 has been a reg'lar tarnation aass in this affair. I'd a- 
 thort he'd bin a heap smarter man. Why didn't he 
 give you an' me the oflfis laast night, and we'd ha' 
 whipped the Occidental (tlie name of our boat) down 
 to Portland, with him aboard of her, an' ha' got clare 
 of all this ? ' 
 
 * I suppose he didn't think that quite honest,' I 
 said, ' and anyhow, it's no use crying for spilt milk. 
 I suppose we've both lost a good bit in the way of 
 arrears of wages. Wliat do you propose to do ? 
 
 ' Wliy this. To-night we get ^Ir. SheriflTs man into
 
 MORE RUSTLINa. . 207 
 
 your cabin, an' make him blin' drunk ; he takes kindly 
 to pison ; then we slip the lines, an' drop down stream 
 quietly ; there's a clear run of two or three miles. 
 There's a good stock o' wood aboard, an' I'll have an 
 Injin or two ready to fire up. 'Soon as we get below 
 the town lights, we'll lock that unpleasant companion 
 of our'n up in the cabin, and get up the steam, an' 
 make straight to Paget Soun'. Then we'll get some 
 coal, an' pick up another man or two, an' run straight 
 down the coast to Columby Eiver, an' up to Portland, 
 sell the boat there, pay ourselves what's due to us, and 
 send the rest back by our friend the dep'ty sheriff. 
 What d'yer say to that ? That's honest enough, ain't 
 it, if yer feel squeamish ? ' 
 
 ' But you know that our boat isn't fit for salt water,' 
 I urged ; ' the first bit of wind 'ud knock ' us all to 
 pieces in a minute. I don't know the coast a bit, 
 either ; an' we havn't any charts or anything aboard. 
 Besides these people might find an ugly name for a 
 transaction of that sort.' 
 
 ' Ah, I see, you ain't half the man I took yer to be 
 when you sot that fat Injin on the safety-valve. Ha ! 
 ha I that was the rale grit! Well, if you're a-mind to 
 try it, we'll change places. I know the coast well 
 enough by this time. I don't care two cusses what 
 these yer Britishers 'ud say to the bisness — we'd be 
 out of their way pretty sudden, an' I call it a square 
 tiling myself : I'm sick of this country anyway, an' so 
 vou'd ought to be, I think.'
 
 208 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 The proposition was a bold one, savouring slightly of 
 romantic novelty, and as such took my fancy a little. 
 It was not an absolutely dishonourable one either ; but 
 was sufficiently characteristic of American ideas of 
 commercial integrity. A little calm reflection showed 
 me, however, that it wouldn't do, and so I told the 
 engineer. He went away grumbling, evidently disap- 
 pointed at my want of spirit. 
 
 I am inclined to think he would liave tried his plan 
 by himself, if he hadn't the same day met with a better 
 engagement than he had had before. So tlie steam- 
 boat community was saved a scandal. 
 
 I made the best terms I could with my late em- 
 ployer's creditors, and went down to Victoria again to 
 make a fresh start at something. ' Something ' seemed 
 very loth to turn up though. I got a little employ- 
 ment on the newspapers now and then, but having lost 
 my friend Corao I could not make much way at this, 
 and found the balance of expenditure versus income 
 running steadily against me. 
 
 One night I was walking along the main street, 
 contemplatively smoking a cigar, and jingling in a 
 mechanical way in my trousers' pocket the last few 
 dollars tliat l)elonged to me ; wondering where tlie 
 deuce any more were to come from, and feeling on very 
 bad terms with myself and the world generally for the 
 wasted years I liad lately passed ; wuen I was saluted 
 by an acquaintance :
 
 MOEE BUSTLING. 209 
 
 ' Say I you sir, ain't the side walk wide enough for you, 
 without treading on people's toes ? Hullo ! Why, it's 
 you, is it ? Come and have a game of chess with me 
 at Oysterman's, will you ? ' 
 
 I was glad to do anything, and went. When we got 
 inside the place, we saw in a smaller room some people 
 sitting down to play at loo, (unlimited of course) and 
 they immediately asked us to join them. I had 
 liitherto steadily evaded gambling, and at first refused ; 
 but presently I thought to myself, ' What's the use of 
 these few dollars I've got left ? They'll keep me a day 
 or two, and then I shall infallibly be " broke." I may 
 as well be " broke " at once, if it's to be so ; and on the 
 other hand, I may win a good stake.' 
 
 I know this reasoning was wrong, and though the 
 impulse that seized me was lucky enough at the time, 
 my good fortune did me little good in the long run, as 
 the sequel will show. I soon lost down to my last 
 dollar, and then the luck took a sudden turn, and 
 pursued me. We played all night ; and in the early 
 morning, when our party broke up, I rose from the 
 table with all my pockets well stuffed with gold and 
 five-dollar bills. 
 
 My head ached, and I took a turn down by the 
 wharves in the harbour, to get the fumes of smoke and 
 drink blown away by the fresh morning sea-breeze. 
 The glorious sun was streaming forth his splendour 
 over the scene, tinting the snow-capped mountains to
 
 210 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 the southward with rose and gold, and making my eyes 
 blink as if I had been an owl. Kather shrinking from 
 the bright morning glare, with a kind of sensation 
 that I was somewhat out of place in it, I stretched myself 
 out on some sacks of grain to think over my strange 
 luck and how I should turn it to account ; when I fell 
 fast asleep in the act of vowing not to try fortune in 
 the same way again. 
 
 I might have lain in this state for an hour or so, 
 when I became conscious of some one being about me ; 
 and as my dormant faculties became more aroused, 1 
 felt a hand inserted into one of my pockets. I jumped 
 up immediately with a shout, and seized the erring 
 hand, which I found to belong to a nigger drayman. 
 He dropped a handful of notes and gold, and a good 
 deal of the latter rolled away through the chinks in the 
 planking into the water beneath. 
 
 I shouted for assistance, as my adversary had drawn 
 a large bowie knife with his other hand, and I Avas un- 
 armed ; but vmluckily at that moment no one was 
 within hail. The negro was a large powerful man ; so 
 I had enough to do to keep him from having a chance 
 of using his knife, and we struggled about together 
 for two or three minutes, till we got to the edge of the 
 wharf. 
 
 I thought he wanted to pitch me over into the 
 water, and didn't care very much if he did do so ; for I 
 had now begun to tliiiik more of my life than of my trea-
 
 MORE RUSTLING. 211 
 
 sure, with that unpleasant-looking knife so close to 
 me. Besides I knew I had still another pocketful, if 
 Mr. Nigger got off with what he had dropped in the 
 scramble; and I could get hack most of the gold 
 pieces that had rolled through the planking, by diving 
 for them. 
 
 Suddenly I bethought me of an old ruse, and 
 shouted out to an imaginary individual behind the 
 negro, ' Come along, look sharp ! ' The result was 
 happy ; my opponent's attention was diverted for an 
 instant, I let go my hold on him, and then gave him 
 a vigorous push. He tripped over the cross-piece 
 along the edge of the wharf, and fell into the water ; 
 whilst I, unable to restrain myself either, shot head 
 first some distance over him. Coming to the surface, 
 I looked and saw the coloured gentleman (who couldn't 
 swim) holding on like grim death to a pile, with his 
 lips blue, and his face changed from its shiny coal-like 
 black to a dead black-lead looking colour. 
 
 He glared at me with horrible hatred, expecting 
 that I should turn the tables on him in the other ele- 
 ment we found ourselves in. I certainly felt strongly 
 tempted to force the brute to leave his hold on the 
 pile and sink ; and I can remember spying on the 
 shore under the piles a sharp piece of rock, with which 
 I might have struck his hands till he let go ; but I 
 overcame the temptation, and swimming close up to 
 him, said : — 
 
 p 2
 
 212 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 ' Hold tight, Ciiffey ! I'll send a friend to help you 
 
 round to Mr. 's (the police magistrate's) hotel in a 
 
 minute.' 
 
 I scrambled up some steps, Oind ran roimd to the 
 scene of our struggle, where I found the remains of 
 the spoil all right. I took a parting glance over the 
 edge at the negro, who swore at me considerably ; and 
 walked up into the street, where I found one or two 
 people beginning to open their stores. When I told 
 my story, two or three of these rushed to a boat, and 
 pulled round to the nigger, who was all but dead with 
 fear and cold. He was a well-known bad character, 
 and subsequently met with the attentions he deserved 
 at the hands of the law, in the shape of ten years in 
 the chain-gang. 
 
 After a sleep round the clock, I went at about the 
 same early hour the next morning to the wharf ; and 
 taking a boat imderneath the piles, stripped myself 
 and dived for the escaped gold pieces, of which I got 
 thirty or forty. I then counted up the total of my 
 winnings, and found it amounted to some fifteen hun- 
 dred dollars, wliich I changed into paper money and 
 carefully stowed into my belt this time. 
 
 I hadn't decided on any plan yet, and was sitting in 
 tlie sun to get warm after my plunges ; for it being 
 early spring, the water was cold ; wlien an old acquaint- 
 ance, a runaway midshipman named Walton, came up 
 to me, and by his conversation brought me to an unex- 
 pected decision.
 
 MORE RUSTLING. 213 
 
 ' Looking at that schooner, eh ! Dick ? Pretty little 
 thing, ain't she ? ' he said. 
 
 ' Very. Who does she belong to ? ' I asked. 
 
 'Well she's for sale — and don't I just wish I had 
 enough money to buy her, that's all ! I'd soon make a 
 fortime among those red-skins. She's about thirty 
 tons, and I'd stow eno\igh whiskey aboard to buy all 
 the skins 'twixt here and Sitka.' 
 
 ' Yes, and get her forfeited with all your plunder to 
 the Gfovernment when you got back, you flat. Do you 
 know wliat tliey want for her ? ' 
 
 ' About two tliousand dollars I think, but I've only 
 got one, worse luck ; and there's no chance of borrow- 
 ing any these times.' 
 
 ' Well now, look here ; you're a sailor, and I shan't 
 be quite a green hand. Suppose I find tlie other 
 thousand dollars, and we buy her and start off on a 
 trading trip together. What do you say ? ' 
 
 ' By Jove, it's just the chance I've been praying for I 
 Done with you ! ' Walton said ; and we at once went to 
 make the necessary enquiries, inspected the little vessel 
 and found her perfect in all things, and before the day 
 was out we were her joint owners. 
 
 The next thing was the cargo ; that we readily got 
 on credit as owners, and we spent two or three days in 
 running round the town hunting up the articles we 
 wanted, such as jManchestej prints, flour, blankets, 
 molasses, boots and shoes, and other staples in favour
 
 214 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 with the Indians. I set my face against whiskey, for 
 although three times as great a profit was to be derived 
 from it, the risk was too great, putting moral conside- 
 rations on one side. 
 
 Still, the honest trader who does not traffic in whiskey 
 is at a great disadvantage, for the rascals who do sell it 
 get all the finest? skins and furs, and pay only about a 
 third of the price for them. Walton warmly urged 
 this, but finding I was obdurate, he agreed that we 
 should only take enough for our own use. 
 
 We had now to complete our crew. Walton, of 
 course, was to be captain, while the trading functions 
 were to be turned over to me. We hired another 
 hand, a stalwart old tar, and sent a messenger across the 
 Sound to the Saw Mills for Pat, wlio would be invalu- 
 able as cook and man-of-all-work. Of course, we should 
 all have to work ; though there was little necessity to 
 divide us into watches, as the trading craft in those 
 parts usually anchor at night ; the navigation in the 
 gulf, and among the neighboturing islands, being intri- 
 cate and dangerous. 
 
 Pat came over next day, highly delighted at his 
 change of occupation, and to be once more in my com- 
 pany ; for he had been much attached to me since I had 
 saved his life. We all worked hard the next day or 
 two getting the cargo on board, and after that was done 
 we got our clearance made out, and prepared to start 
 for a six months' cruise amongst the savages.
 
 MOEE RUSTLING. 215 
 
 I felt extremely happy with the prospect of what I 
 looked forward to as a six months' pleasure trip, and as 
 proud as a peacock at being suddenly transformed into 
 the owner of a vessel, however limited its size. We 
 all spent the last evening at the theatre together, where 
 I remember the late Mr. Charles Kean played that 
 night, and brought people in some cases for hundreds 
 of miles to see him. 
 
 With a light breeze we started off the following 
 morning, bidding adieu to our fellow whites for a long 
 time. Fort Kupert was our first stopping-place, some 
 two hundred miles to the northward ; and after dodging 
 and waiting for the currents and tides among the 
 islands for three or four days, we anchored off the Indian 
 village. 
 
 Walton and I went ashore to inspect the stock of 
 skins in the possession of the natives, and inform them 
 of what we had on board. The red-skins rather turned 
 up their noses when they found that whiskey was not 
 one of our commodities, and Walton said, ' Ah, I told 
 you so, we shall only get a few mangy old rabbit-skins 
 at this rate.' 
 
 However, by trying another tack, and inflaming the 
 minds of the squaws with the idea of the finery we had 
 for them on board, they sufficiently worked upon the 
 minds of their lords and masters to induce them to put 
 their wares into canoes, and come off to inspect our 
 stock.
 
 216 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 An Indian market is something- like a Dutch auction ; 
 an inordinate price is put on everything at first, which 
 descends gradually till a reasonable bargain is struck. 
 The Indians are very keen bargainers, and very soon 
 know the exact value of things, as well as the store- 
 keeper himself. We didn't, tlierefore, get on very well 
 with these Indians, who were too near civilisation and 
 knew too mucli ; and moreover, for the same reason, 
 they were far greater rogues and thieves tlian their 
 more savage brethren. Depend upon it, all civilisation 
 does for an Indian is to develop the bad side of his 
 nature ; poor Artemus Ward was quite right : ' Injins 
 is pison wherever foun' ; ' but they are better au 
 naturel than any other way. 
 
 We went on to Bella Coola on the mainland, and 
 thence to Queen Charlotte's Island and Fort Simpson, 
 northwards still to Stickeen River, on the boundary be- 
 tween British Columbia and what was then Russian 
 America, and continued our voyage far past Sitka to 
 the Aleutian Isles near Behring's Straits. 
 
 We were poachers in tliis part of the world, for the 
 Russian Government allowed no foreign traders in their 
 waters save the monopolising Hudson's Bay Company ; 
 but we didn't care nuicli for tlie prohibition, as there 
 was only one Russian man-of-war about, and she we 
 knew was comfortably docked at Petropolauski then. 
 This was the best field for our enterprise too, and we 
 didn't feel inclined to give it up for nothing.
 
 MORE RUSTLING. 217 
 
 We got a lot of very valuable skins here, such as 
 •would gladden the eyes of a Eussian prince or English 
 dowager. Sea-otters, silver-grey foxes, and many other 
 valuable furs abounded ; and though we met with 
 some difficulty in trading, owing to not being acquainted 
 with the numerous different tongues spoken by these 
 natives, who did not understand the Chinook jargon, 
 which is the medium of conversation with the Indians 
 from Stickeen Kiver south to the Columbia, we 
 managed to get rid of most of our cargo, and had to fill 
 up with ballast for the return voyage, which we intended 
 making outside the islands, taking the west coast of 
 Vancouver's Island (then almost terra incognita) on 
 our way. 
 
 I found this kind of life frightfully monotonous 
 and wearisome after a little. There was at first the 
 excitement of constantly beholding new scenery, the 
 study of the different tribes we came across — most of 
 them differing considerably in minor particulars from 
 one another — and a certain sense of possible danger to 
 be encountered, which kept one from getting dull ; but 
 after a time the tedium grew to be insufferable, for the 
 feeling of danger soon wore off from custom, and even 
 continued novelty becomes tiresome. I was never 
 better pleased than when we had got rid of everything 
 but a lit-le stock we had reserved for our hitherto 
 untempted friends on the west coast of Vancouver's 
 Island.
 
 218 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 We had already done capitally in a pecuniary sense; 
 and I hugged myself with the idea, that after we had 
 concluded the trip with our venture amongst these 
 untried savages, I should be sufficient of a capitalist to 
 reap the profits of future expeditions without being an 
 active participator in them. 
 
 The reader shall hear what these anticipations 
 came to.
 
 219 
 
 CHAPTER XVr. 
 
 AN UNPLEASANT ADVENTURE. 
 
 Leaving Queen Charlotte's Island, we made for a place 
 called Quatseemo, at the north of Vancouver's Island. 
 At this point we picked up a native to act as our inter- 
 preter on the west coast of the island. This Indian, 
 named Jack, proved of great service, and, wonderful to 
 relate, was faithful to us to the last. 
 
 I think this result was produced by our determina- 
 tion to adopt a different moral tone with him, to that 
 ordinarily practised with his brethren ; in other words, 
 to make a merit of trusting him instead of constantly 
 showing suspicion. We found the experiment answer ; 
 for it put the youngster on his mettle to prove that 
 our faith in him was not misplaced. I believe this 
 to be the only course to adopt with a savage ; it acts on 
 his vanity to think that a white man will trust him at 
 all ; and the sense of having one's particular vanity 
 gratified is the largest motive for gratitude in return 
 that is known to man. How we like the man or 
 woman who dexterously (or better still, unwittingly) 
 flatters us ! Depend upon it, both Damon and Pythias 
 were first-rate flatterers, and each knew the other's 
 weak points, while ignoring his own.
 
 220 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 At the next place where we stopped we found the 
 savages to be a miserable, under-sized, and villainous- 
 looking set of scoundrels. We traded but little with 
 them, and kept a very sharp look-out while they were 
 about, f(^r fear of a surprise. At night we had now the 
 broad Pacific to sail away into, and we took care to 
 avail ourselves of the opportunity to keep clear of such 
 bad company as the people on shore. 
 
 The following day we reached a considerable village, 
 situated on the shore of a little natural harbour a few 
 miles westward from Esperanza Inlet. We traded 
 away the rest of our stock here, taking the precaution 
 to allow only one canoe at a time to come near us, and 
 prepared to start home to Victoria — now only a few 
 days' sail away. 
 
 We had noticed the wind to be blowing strongly from 
 the nortli-west, a rather unusual circumstance at that 
 season of the year (the end of September), but the little 
 harbour was so siu-rounded by tree-clad hills that we 
 knew nothing of the extent of the gale that was blow- 
 ing, till we came round a little headland, and in sight of 
 the bar and tlie open ocean. The tide was nearly out, 
 and from the appearance of things there could be but 
 little water over the bar ; • and we didn't know the 
 channel, if there were any indeed. We liad of course 
 come in at high-water. 
 
 There was plenty of water in the harbour, and we 
 found good anchorage behind another little headland
 
 AN UNPLEASANT ADVENTURE. 221 
 
 near its mouth. Here we were obliged to stay until 
 the tide should have risen sufficiently high for us to 
 pass over the bar safely ; though the prospect outside 
 was so unpleasant that we should have been glad 
 enough to stop for the night at our anchorage, but for 
 the danger to be apprehended from the Indians, whose 
 village we were unpleasantly close to, now we had 
 shifted our position. 
 
 Walton kept a close watch on the shore, and once 
 or twice directed my attention to the unusual amount 
 of excitement among the savages. One old man, who 
 as Jack informed us was the tyhee or chief, was 
 haranguing a crowd of the men just at the skirts of 
 the village, and we could see by their gestures that 
 we were the subjects of attention. However, we 
 thought this naturally explained by the fact that we 
 were the first white men who had been there for years 
 probably, if any indeed had preceded us; and we saw that 
 none of the men carried arms about with them, so we 
 hardly anticipated mischief, though I felt a strong 
 presentiment myself that the sooner we were out of 
 the place the better. 
 
 Jack, when appealed to, corroborated this view, and 
 told us they were a bad lot on sliore. Many, many 
 moons ago, he said, a little Russian schooner, ' all the 
 same as ours,' had been wrecked close by, and this 
 tribe had murdered the crew, and eaten them. Jack 
 seemed in terror about his own life, and strongly
 
 222 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 advised us to <;:et away as soon as possible, even now if 
 we could. We knew his advice must be disinterested, 
 for an Indian doesn't much care to venture his skin at 
 sea in bad weather when he can avoid it. 
 
 We didn't like the cannibal story a bit, but it 
 looked like rushing on certain death to attempt to 
 cross that foaming bar then, and we cast about with a 
 glass for any spot where the smoother water might 
 indicate a channel. We thought we saw such a place 
 nearly close to the farther side of the entrance, but we 
 could not be sure without a closer inspection, and we 
 feared to separate our forces by sending any one away 
 in the little canoe we kept on board to survey the 
 place closely. Under the circumstances, all we could 
 do was to watch the operations of the natives as long 
 as daylight helped us, and when night came on to 
 redouble our vigilance. 
 
 As twilight gathered in we saw still greater com- 
 motion on shore. The natives were hauling up their 
 canoes, and clearing out all superfluities in the shape 
 of matting, dried fish, masts, &c. This might be only 
 on account of the bad weather, but the signs didn't 
 look pleasant. Poor Jack got in a dreadful fright 
 when lie saw these preparations, and prayed us t^> 
 make for the bar at all hazards, as he was sure the 
 'Siwaslies' meant to attack us in their canoes as soon 
 as night came on. 
 
 So impressed were we by all these things, that I'at
 
 AN UNPLEASANT ADVENTURE. 223 
 
 and I at once launched our little canoe, and paddled 
 off towards the patch of smooth water, keeping a keen 
 eye as we went on any movements going on behind us. 
 We found, as we expected, that there was a channel, but 
 t was narrow, and the turmoil of the waves outside was 
 50 great that we could not be sure whether or no any 
 hidden rocks existed. On the whole our survey could 
 not be pronounced satisfactory, but we returned with 
 the confidence that at least a chance was open to us in 
 the event of things coming to a pass. 
 
 On reaching our little vessel again we made the 
 canoe fast to the stern, without hoisting her on deck. 
 Walton and I went below to examine our stock of 
 firearms, and to plan what should be done in an 
 emergency, leaving Pat on deck to watch and report. 
 It was now nearly night. At midnight the tide would 
 be full we knew, for the tides in the west coast of the 
 island are not subject to the same breaks and variation? 
 as they are on the eastern side. 
 
 The first thing we did was to send Jemmy, the old 
 sailor, up on deck, with orders to cut out of the 
 bulwarks on each side a couple of loopholes, about 
 five or six inches square, and level with the deck. Our 
 bulwarks were only about two feet in height, so that 
 we meant, if we had to open fire, to lie along the deck, 
 and fire through the loopholes. The Indians had 
 nothing but bows and arrows, and wooden spears, we 
 expected ; and thus even our slight bulwarks would be
 
 224 VERY F.\R WEST INDEED. 
 
 an efficient protection, until the rascals were able to 
 board us. 
 
 Next we examined and loaded all our weapons. We 
 had two or three Hudson's Bay muskets, part of our 
 stock-in-trade ; these we loaded with bullets and slugs ; 
 and four good Colt's revolvers, one each for the white 
 fraternity, and the muskets for Jack to attend to. We 
 were doubtful about Jack now, for we hadn't put him 
 fully to the test yet. I brought him into the cabin. 
 The white tint of fear was plainly visible through his 
 native bronze, and his scared look communicated no 
 pleasant sensations to Walton and me ; but he had the 
 courage of despair, I suppose, for he answered boldly 
 enough that the tribe ashore was not friendly with his 
 own, and would be sure to kill and eat him, and that 
 he would fight all he knew how if he had to. 
 
 If the worst came to the worst, we had oiur little 
 cabin to retire into should the savages gain possession 
 of the deck, and if we could not get away through the 
 channel before that came to pass, we could pepper them 
 pretty nicely from that place of vantage, which com- 
 municated by a little door with the for'ard hatchway ; 
 whence a favourable diversion might also be made. 
 We found some blue lights, too, whicli we relied upon 
 considerably to frighten our enemies away if they got 
 on deck, and we prefaced a charge upon them by 
 lighting one. 
 
 Walton and I agreed that if we saw them cominsi:
 
 AN UNPLEASANT ADVENTURE. 225 
 
 near us in force, we should all get on deck and fire a 
 few shots among them before they got close. If we 
 should hit one at a long range, it would probably 
 impress them with a salutary fear of our unknown 
 resources. Everything was to be ready for immediate de- 
 parture, and the cable cut, if they still persisted in their 
 attack. The gale that was blowing outside was mode- 
 rated to a gentle breeze in the harbour, sufficiently 
 favourable to carry us to the channel, though but 
 slowly. In the mean time we hoped to keep our 
 assailants off during the few minutes it would take us 
 to reach our point of escape. 
 
 All doubt as to the intention of the wretches on 
 
 shore was soon set at rest by an exclamation from Pat. 
 
 ' Below thar, bhoys ! the blaygairds are stirrin' ; an' 
 
 there's no few of 'em. nayther. Com' an' look at 'em 
 
 for the Lord's sake ! ' 
 
 Walton and I looked round and saw everything trim 
 Tjelow, buckled on our six-shooters, put the muskets 
 close to the hatchway ready for use, and hurried on to 
 the deck. 
 
 We could see nothing much at first ; but when our 
 eyes got accustomed to the deep twilight we saw dimly 
 a number of canoes full of men, moving off from the 
 shore at a distance of about half-a-mile. The canoes 
 were all large ones, and the encumbrances had been 
 removed to enable them to be moved along with greater 
 rapidity and ease.
 
 226 VERY FAE WEST INDEED. 
 
 Soon the two foremost got within a distance of two 
 or three hundred yards, and we told Jack to shout out 
 to them and ask what they wanted. No response came, 
 so we told him to say that if they did not turn back 
 we should fire on them. 
 
 This had no effect ; they still kept steadily on. Then 
 Pat said to Walton — 
 
 ' Will I shoot, Captain ?' (Pat was a crack shot with 
 a revolver.) 
 
 ' Yes, curse 'em ! Pick off that old scoundrel standing 
 up in the stem if you can ; but don't fire too high ; we 
 can't waste shots.' 
 
 Pat rested his revolver on the edge of the bulwark 
 and fired. One of the Indians dropped his paddle and 
 fell doAvn with a howl, shot through the arm, we sup- 
 posed, for he immediately stood up again and bran- 
 dished a spear or some other weapon with the other 
 arm. The two canoes stopped then, amidst much con- 
 fiLsion and shouting, and the others came up alongside 
 of them. We again tried Jack's offices as spokesman, but 
 he couldn't make himself heard for the din of voices. 
 
 We could see now that they numbered a hundred 
 and fifty or two hundred men, with about twenty canoes, 
 and by this time they were little over a hundred yards 
 away. They hesitated for some time, but they knew 
 nothing of the effect of firearms, and though they 
 were disconcerted by the sliglit check they had received, 
 the impression plainly was not strong euuugh to drive
 
 AN UNPLEASANT ADVENTURE. 227 
 
 them back. They knew, from having been on board, 
 that there were only five of us, including Jack, and 
 they trusted in their numbers. 
 
 They were evidently holding another council as to 
 the plan of attack, for the canoes were all close 
 together, and two or three men were holding forth to 
 the rest. Seeing that they remained quiet, Walton 
 sent Jemmy, Pat and Jack forward to heave the anchor, 
 and thus avoid the necessity of cutting the cable, while 
 I cut the line of a smaller anchor which had held our 
 stern. Sail was set in two or three minutes, and we 
 moved out slowly towards the break in the bar which 
 Pat and I had looked at. 
 
 Directly they saw us moving they paddled off sharply 
 towards the place of exit, and, as they travelled very 
 swiftly, were soon ahead of us ready to bar the passage. 
 Then they divided their force, and half the canoes got 
 on the port bow and half on the starboard, still keeping 
 a distance of about a hundred yards. 
 
 Walton and I were standing at the tiller discussing 
 what we could do to get out of the scrape with as little 
 bloodshed as possible, when whizz came two or three 
 arrows over our heads, one sticking in the mainsail. 
 Tliere was no mistake about it now, they plainly meant 
 plunder and murder to boot. 
 
 ' This'll get hot in a minute,' I said, ducking behind 
 the bulwark; 'sit in the hatchway, Walton, with the 
 tiller ; don't stand there, for God's sake.' 
 
 Q 2
 
 228 VERY FAR WEST IM)EED. 
 
 Walton followed my advice. 
 
 'Now, Dick,' said he, 'you do the best you can to 
 drive 'em off. I can't leave the tiller while there's a 
 chance of getting out ; but I can manage to take a pop 
 at 'em now and then. Put some cartridges alongside 
 here, and then blaze away at 'em.' 
 
 Pat and I took the starboard side, stationing our- 
 selves at the loopholes we had made ; and Jemmy and 
 the Indian took similar positions on the port side. 
 
 ♦ Now boys,' I said, ' Jemmy and I will fire off our 
 six shots first, and get loaded again while Pat fires his, 
 and Jack shoots off the muskets ; and fire steady.' We 
 had already gathered a sufficient stock of ammunition 
 on deck. 
 
 I led ofi" by taking aim at the point where the figures 
 looked thickest ; for it was bkck night now. I heard 
 Jemmy's shot follow mine each time, and three or four 
 groans and yells, that made my blood turn cold, 
 assured us that we had not missed our mark every 
 time. Numerous arrows flew through the rigging, and 
 stuck in the sails, but could not toucli us under cover. 
 
 Quickly reloading, we heard Pat commence to fire ; 
 then there was a tremendous noise, and poor Jack's 
 musket blew to pieces ; doing no harm luckily, beyond 
 splintering the bulwarks, and frightening Jack out of 
 his wits. 
 
 We heard the sound of paddles in all directions ; 
 and could not tell at first whether the enemy wei*e
 
 AN UNPLEASANT ADVENTURE. 229 
 
 coming upon us, or running away. To our relief it 
 proved to be the latter. They all joined again, and 
 stood off some quarter of a mile ahead. 
 
 We had time to think again. What was to be done ? 
 The night was so dark, it was madness to face that 
 channel through the bar, unless we were forced to try it. 
 The chances were more than even that we got aground, 
 and were knocked to pieces in a few minutes by 
 the tremendous surf running outside. So we resolved 
 to stand off and on, about where we were, in the hope 
 that the savages would take their lesson and draw 
 off. 
 
 The excitement had been so great during the half 
 hour preceding, that we hadn't had time to get afraid 
 even ; but when this pause came, I felt a cold perspira- 
 tion trickling down my back, and rushing down into 
 the cabin for the whiskey bottle I found it was gone. 
 Ah ! that was the secret of it all, no doubt ; one of the 
 prowling wretches had found it in the daytime, and 
 had stolen it unobserved ; two or three of them had got 
 drunk on it, and inflamed the rest with the hope of 
 reaching the same blissful state, 
 
 I quickly got another bottle, and we took a good 
 pull all round. 
 
 We knew what lengths Indians would go to get fire- 
 water ; and my discovery of the loss of the bottle made 
 us more uneasy than before, for it caused us to doubt 
 whether the wretches were finally repulsed, or were
 
 230 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 merely counting their losses and taking breath for a 
 fresh attack. 
 
 The latter surmise was the correct one. Soon we 
 heard the strokes of the paddles again, as they came 
 down upon us in a body, eWdently bent on a coup de 
 main. We let them come quite close this time ; and 
 then all of us together in the bows (except Walton, who 
 still stuck to his post) blazed among them in rapid suc- 
 cession. Some of them must have been wounded, and 
 one or two killed probably, for groans and splashes 
 arose on every side. 
 
 Then I heard two shots from Walton, iired at a canoe 
 which had left the rest and come round towards the 
 stern. I joined him immediately, and we succeeded in 
 driving all our assailants away from that quarter. 
 
 'We must run for it now and take the chances, 
 Dick,' he said ; ' the Siwashes won't dare to follow us 
 outside, and they're bound to be too many for us here, 
 if they mean business, as they seem to.' 
 
 At this moment we heard the splash of a paddle 
 behind us, and ducked instinctively as three or four 
 arrows flew over us, and a heavy spear quivered through 
 the bulwark. 
 
 A scuffle was heard forward ; they were attempting 
 to board us in the bows! I rushed below for a couple 
 of blue lights, lit one, and ran forward in time to see 
 Jemmy (who was a very powerful man) heave a couple 
 of Indians overboard, and then slash the hands of two
 
 AN UNPLEASANT ADVENTURE. 231 
 
 or three clinging to the bow-chains with his bowie 
 knife. 
 
 I had just fixed the blue light, when I heard a blow 
 dealt at some one else behind me ; and turning sharply 
 round, I saw Pat holding a hatchet over the dead body 
 of an Indian. 
 
 'That was a close shave for ye, misther Dick, an' no 
 mistake,' he said ; ' that dead raskil had sneaked 
 aboard, and was jist on the p'int of dhrivin* his spear 
 into ye, whin I settled him ! ' So saying, he threw the 
 dead body overboard. 
 
 The sudden light altogether paralysed our adver- 
 saries, and gave us a moment's respite to reload, and 
 commit once more severe execution by its aid. It lit 
 the surface of the water a long way round, and showed 
 us the coveted smooth place in the water close ahead 
 of us. We hoisted our topsails to increase our steerage 
 way, and started a couple more of the lights, amid an 
 exclamation of wonder from the savages, who evidently 
 thought us under the protection of their Grreat Spirit, 
 and were sore afraid. 
 
 Still a few of the bolder ones shot furtive arrows 
 amongst us, out of spite at seeing their prey escaping 
 them. We were nearly out into the open sea, and were 
 making ready to furl the fore and mainsail, which we 
 could barely stand when we got outside into the full 
 force of the gale, from which we had hitherto been 
 sheltered, when poor Walton gave a fearful scream.
 
 232 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 and fell down dead — shot through the heart by a stray 
 arrow ! 
 
 The helm swung round listlessly, and nearly knocked 
 me overboard. Before I could seize it there was a 
 stunning crash ; we had struck, and the waves were 
 pouring over us, the spray dashing out the lights in an 
 instant. The others came rushing aft at the same 
 instant, and saw the full extent of our disaster. 
 
 Poor brave Walton ! my long pent-up feelings gave 
 way at last, even under the dangers that surrounded 
 us. I could only think at the moment of him, who 
 had stuck to his post through it all, without the ex- 
 citement of actual fighting to bear him up, and he was 
 tlie only one who had suffered ! I cried like a woman 
 over his body, as I thought of his mother and sisters 
 at home, of whom we had often conversed round that 
 little cabin fire, and shuddered as I thought of how I 
 sliould break it to them. At this point of my thoughts 
 I was roused. How should I break it to them, indeed ! 
 ^^'ho would break the news of all our deaths to friends 
 at home, for what hope was there of any of us ? Who, 
 indeed, would ever know of it ? After the lapse of 
 many months, people would begin to wonder what had 
 bt'(Come of us ; they would hear of our leaving 
 (^uatseemo, and that would be the last of it ; they 
 would give us up for lost, and there it would all end ; 
 no one would think of exploring that savage coast for 
 traces of us.
 
 AN UNPLEASANT ADVENTURE. 233 
 
 Here was the climax indeed ; there seemed but 
 little hope for us now. There was no immediate fear 
 of the Indians ; they dare hardly venture near where 
 we were again, till daylight showed us to them, and 
 the storm abated ; but long ere daylight would come, 
 our little vessel would be dashed into a thousand pieces 
 probably. 
 
 ' Well, Cap'n, (I calls you Cap'n now poor Mr. Walton's 
 gone) I don't see as we can do anything but stay 
 where we are, and hope for the gale to go down ; 
 though a nor'-wester don't often do that in a hurry in 
 these parts, but it might shift a bit and blow off the 
 land more, an' then we can get into the little canoe, 
 and paddle off down the coast.' 
 
 Talking was difficult ; we were all jammed together 
 in the hatchway to save ourselves from being washed 
 or thrown overboard, as every wave lifted and bumped 
 us on to the shoal. 
 
 ' Do you think we can last it out till morning as the 
 wind is ? ' I asked. 
 
 'We might, perhaps, for the old boat's mighty 
 strong ; but then we shall have them darned skunks 
 around agin. We must get away as soon as ever we 
 see a chance ; but that canoe wouldn't live a minute 
 now.' 
 
 The canoe was floating all right under our lee, 
 bobbing up and down like a cork, while we lay on our 
 beam end almost. We managed with great trouble to
 
 234 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 s:et together some biscuits, a few bottles of brandy, 
 and other provisions, and some }>lankets, ready to ship 
 into the canoe ; we also found some more paddles 
 below, and I stowed some lucifer matches in an oilskin 
 covering in my belt. Then each of us secured his 
 stock of money and valuables about him, and buckled 
 on his revolver, and we stood together ready to get 
 into our frail little canoe if an opportunity should 
 offer, trembling meanwhile lest we should go to pieces 
 beforehand. 
 
 In about an hour, as Jemmy had hoped, the wind 
 lulled, and then blew afresh from off the shore. We 
 ceased to bump violently on the sands now, and I even 
 began to have hopes that we might get off altogether 
 when the tide liad risen to the full, as the hull did not 
 seem much injured, not more tlian a foot of water 
 having got into the hold. 
 
 I found another blue light, and lit it to examine 
 our position more closely. Then I saw all liope of 
 saving the vessel was gone. Far out beyond us the 
 breakers extended ; we liad drifted completely out of 
 the channel, and without the aid of a tug at high 
 water we should not be able to move. But there was 
 evidently a smaller channel branching off close beside 
 us, running close round the edge of the western en- 
 trance, by which we might get off in the canoe. 
 
 We waited a couple of hours longer, when the sea 
 had abated considerably ; and hauling in the canoe, we
 
 AN UNPLEASANT ADVENTURE. 235 
 
 placed poor Walton's body in her, and the few neces- 
 saries we had accumulated, and embarked ; keeping- 
 along the little channel past the headland at the en- 
 trance. We had heard nothing of the Indians for 
 a long time, and concluded they had gone back to 
 their village. The land sheltered us completely when 
 we had passed this point, though it was blowing great 
 guns a little way out. Creeping along shore for five or 
 six miles we came to a tiny little bay, where we ran in, 
 drew up the canoe, and dragging forth our blankets, 
 fell asleep upon them on the shore thoroughly ex- 
 hausted, and did not stir again till the sun told us 
 it must be midday. 
 
 We took a hasty meal and started again, anxious to 
 get farther away from the Indians ; although they 
 would be little likely to pursue us, as they would 
 think we had all perished, when they examined the 
 wreck and found none on board. The weather had 
 brightened, and we paddled out at once into deep water, 
 and gave poor Walton a sailor's grave. 
 
 In eight or ten days we reached Victoria, thoroughly 
 worn out, and with a hard story to tell, and for me 
 the prospect of another winter to drag through ; with 
 enough to live upon comfortnbly, certainly, for the 
 schooner herself was insured, but with the unpleasant 
 recollection that a nice little fortune had come to grief 
 with her, and without the heart to make another ven- 
 ture of the same kind.
 
 236 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 No incident worthy of mention occurred during the 
 winter, which Pat and I, having now become inse- 
 parable, passed together ; and in the early spring we 
 determined to try our luck once more at the mines, as 
 a final effort, and, if it deserted us again, to leave the 
 country.
 
 237 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 A BAUE ESCAPE OR TWO. 
 
 ' No more Jack of Clubs, I s'pose, Pat ? ' I said, as we 
 once more stood on the deck of the steamer bearing us 
 towards the upper country for our final venture. 
 ' Jack o' Clubs be d — rowned ! ' said he. 
 
 ' So he would have been, no doubt, if he'd stayed on 
 that charming spot that was christened after him. But 
 I feel spiteful enough to wish him hanged — a more 
 probable ending for him, I guess.' (Jack of Clubs, the 
 founder of the creek of that name, was a noted gam- 
 bler.) 
 
 ' An' where will we thry nixt ? Faith, it's the Wick- 
 low mountains I'd like to prospect shortly ! ' 
 
 ' Well, you'd better take some lessons in salting 
 first, and get up a company when you go back there, 
 Pat.' 
 
 ' Bedad I would, if I thought I'd be able to catch 
 some of the Sassenachs in London — but I wouldn't 
 rob me poor counthrymen sure !' 
 
 Salting a claim is a well-known process in gold coun- 
 tries. The value of a claim for gold-bearing purposes is 
 ascertained by washing out a portion of the ' dirt ' or
 
 238 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 gravel in whicli the gold is expected to be contained, in 
 a large tin pan, about eighteen inches in diameter, and 
 four or five inches deep. This pan is always carried 
 by the ' prospector,' who uses it for mixing his bread 
 in, and sundry other offices, as well as for its original 
 purpose. The panful of dirt is taken to the water, and 
 by a peculiar shaking and shifting process the whole of 
 the dirt is washed away, except a small quantity of black 
 sand, composed of small fragments of iron, lead, and 
 other metallic substances, through which the gladdened 
 eye of the miner sometimes sees the yellow sparkle of 
 little pieces of gold. Very frequently small rubies, 
 garnets, and other precious stones are in this black 
 sand, as also platinum in minute quantities. But when 
 the spot is likely, and the expectations of speculators 
 are fastened upon it, if the miner is a rascal he will 
 cheat the speculator into a purchase by introducing 
 dexterously some particles of gold into the ' prospect.' 
 He will carry them in his mouth, and drop them 
 quietly into tlie pan while stooping over it engaged in 
 the process of wasliing, or he will even hide tliem in 
 his finger-nails, and work them out into the dirt, or he 
 will sow the bottom of the hole with them over night. 
 These processes are called ' salting ; ' but they are all 
 clumsy ones after all, and it is only the very inex- 
 perienced who are to be tlms caught. I've heard of 
 something like it being successfully tried on in North 
 Wales, though, on one occasion.
 
 A BARE ESCAPE OR TWO. 239 
 
 Poor Pat got into sad trouble the first night at New 
 Westminster, on our way up. He left me to take an 
 evening stroll, and falling in with some old com- 
 panions, he at the same time fell in with his old vice, 
 drink ; and got thoroughly intoxicated. In this state, 
 trying to find his way back to our hotel, his course be- 
 came erratic, and he stumbled against an Indian. The 
 Indian called him an insulting name, in Chinook, and 
 pushed him roughly, at which Pat's Milesian blood 
 being roused, he found his feet for a few minutes and 
 thrashed the copper-coloured gentleman heartily. The 
 Indian retired from the field, ana sought the services of 
 the solitary policeman the proud capital could boast of. 
 This personage, after a search of some hours, found Pat 
 extended comfortably on the side walk, and had the 
 bad grace to arouse him from his slumber, and march 
 him to the strong-house for the few remaining hours of 
 the night. I did not learn his fate till the next morn- 
 ing, when I was sent for, and attended at his worship's 
 court in time to be a witness of the following exposi- 
 tion of the wisdom of its satellite, the policeman. 
 
 The Court was crowded with dirty natives, and still 
 dirtier squaws and papooses, and the loafing appendages 
 of the town. Pat appeared in the small space reserved 
 as the dock, somewhat crestfallen, and the complainant 
 stood near with his face considerably mauled. En- 
 quiring as to the state of the proceedings, I found Pat 
 liad hired the services of an advocate, and had pleaded
 
 240 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 drunkenness in mitigation of the assault ; but the 
 Judge, notably prejudiced in favour of the Indians 
 against the whites, was inclined to be severe. The 
 policeman, who was in the witness-box, told his story, 
 and the Judge enquired of that functionary : — 
 'What did the man say when you arrested him?' 
 ' He said he was drunk.' 
 
 Judge. ' I want his precise words, just as he uttered 
 them. He did not use the pronoun Ae, did he?' 
 
 Witness. Oh ! yes he did ;• he said he was drunk — 
 he acknowledged the corn ! ' 
 
 The Court (getting impatient at witness' stupidity). 
 ' You don't understand me at all. I want the words as 
 he uttered them. Did he say " / was drunk ? " ' 
 
 Witness (zealously). ' Oh ! no, your Honour ; he 
 didn't say you was drunk. I wouldn't allow any man 
 to charge that upon you in my presence I' 
 
 A fledgeling attorney, occupying a seat in the court, 
 here desired to air his powers, and said, ' Pshaw ! you 
 don't comprehend at all. His Honour means. Did 
 the prisoner say to you, " / was drunk ? " ' 
 
 Witness (reflectively). '■Waall, he might have said 
 you was drunk ; but I didn't hear him.' 
 
 Counsel for the Prisoner. 'What the Court desires 
 is to have you state the prisoner's own words, preserving 
 the precise form of pronoun he made use of in his 
 reply. Was it in the first person, /; second person, 
 thoa or you\ or in tlic tliird person, he^ she^ or it'^
 
 A BARE ESCAPE OR TWO. 241 
 
 Now then, sir, (with severity) upon your oath, did not 
 my client say, " / was drunk " ? ' 
 
 Witness (getting riled) : ' No, he didn't say you was 
 drunk neither ; but if he had I reckon he wouldn't 
 have lied any, for I helped pack yer home from the 
 " Eureka Saloon " about an hour before.' (Gruffaws 
 from the loafers). 'D'yer suppose the poor feller 
 charged the whole Court with being drunk ? ' 
 
 The Judge was obliged to give way after this, and 
 let Pat off with a small fine, and we got aboard the 
 up-river steamboat at once. 
 
 After a toilsome foot journey we reached William's 
 Creek, the mining head-quarters, once more. We had 
 agreed that this being our last effort here, we would 
 try some entirely new ground, where no white men had 
 hitherto penetrated. With this intention we purchased 
 a stock of flour, bacon, and other provisions, to last us 
 about a month ; took a pick, shovel, and prospecting- 
 pan, and shaped our course towards Bear Eiver, our 
 loads weighing about a hundred pounds a-piece. 
 
 Though it was the end of May the snow had not 
 nearly disappeared, there being an average depth of 
 two or three feet left in the woods, through which our 
 route principally lay. This made travelling very 
 difficult, with the loads we carried on our backs. There 
 was no track to follow ; we could only keep as close, 
 as possible to the course of the river, which rushed 
 impetuously, swollen by the melting snows, through 
 
 R
 
 242 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 rugged canons in the mountains, or rolled along through 
 osier-covered swamps, where the beaver built its dams, 
 and thereby added to the marshy character of the soil. 
 In the very early morning, just after the sharp frost 
 that happened every night and rendered the surface of 
 the snow hard, was the only time that travelling was 
 tolerable. So soon as the sun gained any power the 
 surface of the snow softened, and at every few yards 
 down we went through the snow, over the trunk of 
 some fallen tree hidden from* sight by the continuous 
 white sheet that met the eye. Then we had occasion- 
 ally to climb the most impossible-looking places, where 
 I should shudder to go near now, and tx) go roimd the 
 backs and over the crests of high mountains, that came 
 down with a sheer unbroken face to the brink of the 
 torrent. Descending the sloping side of such a moun- 
 tain one morning, I nearly came to grief. 
 
 Looking down from the summit, the whole seemed 
 a nice convenient slope at an angle of about 45°. 
 ' Here's a cliance,' I said, '^I'll slide down tliis. Come 
 along, Pat.' Pat didn't see it ; but shouldered his 
 pack and plodded carefully down on foot. ' I'll have 
 breakfast ready at the bottom by the time you get 
 there, Pat,' I said, and laying back on my pack, I 
 allowed myself to slide smoothly down on the surface 
 of the snow at a great pace. About half-way down 
 I saw suddenly, breaking through the white space, 
 tbe top of an enormous spruce-tree about thirty yards
 
 A BARE ESCAPE OR TWO. 243 
 
 ahead ! while the snow-covered tops of other trees 
 appeared sloping away beneath it, at about the same 
 angle as that at which I had been descending, looking 
 quite like a continuation of the snowy slope at a short 
 distance. There was evidently a precipice of nearly 
 two hundred feet from the tops to the roots of those 
 nearest spruce-trees, and in a couple of seconds more 
 I should have dashed over it ! Close ahead of me, a 
 little on the left, was a young fir. I had no time to 
 stop myself; but I managed to push myself in the 
 direction of this tree, and as I was passing, threw out 
 my arms and clenched hold of it. The impetus I had, 
 aided by the weight of the pack, was so great that it 
 caused the young tree to bend nearly double, and I 
 feared it would break and then I was gone. As it was, 
 my arms were nearly wrenched out of the sockets; 
 but the tree held firm, and I was safe, with a revulsion 
 of feeling that made me as nervous as a baby. Care- 
 fully picking my way across, I espied Fat, who had 
 found a way farther round which avoided the sudden 
 break. I was so overcome, and shook so, that I 
 couldn't carry my pack any longer, so taking it off 
 I rolled it down ahead of me till we reached the bottom 
 safely, when I calmed my nerves with a good drink of 
 the miner's beverage, tea^ which Pat prepared. 
 
 For several days we plodded on in this wise, making 
 but slow progress on account of the terrible roughness- 
 of the country and the loads we had to carry. We 
 
 B 2
 
 244 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 were far away from the haunts of white men, and were 
 alone with Nature in its grand primeval beauty. The 
 river began to spread itself into a large stream, marked 
 in its course by piles of bleached drift-wood, in a valley 
 whose width was correspondingly increased. Natural 
 meadows extended for a few miles on either bank till 
 they met the sides of the mountain ridges, clothed 
 with huge fir and spruce-trees sloping mistily upwards 
 in the purple distance, till the vegetation gradually 
 decreased in size and density, and ultimately became 
 lost in the regions of eternal snow, where naught dis- 
 turbed the sameness of the great horizon of blinding 
 whiteness save a few jagged black peaks too steep for 
 the feathery substance to light upon ; and far away to 
 the eastward, in the clear mountain air, could be seen 
 the stupendous and fantastic summits of the Rocky 
 JSIountains ; these were in the shapes of castles, needle- 
 points, men's faces, and every other curious conceivable 
 thing, and in a brilliant sunrise, or a glowing sunset, 
 the scene was utterly beyond words to describe, or the 
 artist's pencil to paint, in its immeasurable grandeur. 
 
 As the valley widened the air grew warmer, the 
 vegetation changed its character, and sterility gave 
 way to plenty. The climate was two months in advance 
 of that in the inhospitable region of Cariboo that we 
 had quitted. The snow had long since melted from 
 the flats ; trees, shrul)s, and wild flowers bloomed in the 
 warm sun, while numberless berries of all kinds grew
 
 A BAKE ESCAPE OH TWO. 245 
 
 on every bush. Game was abundant, and fish plentiful 
 in the rivers. At night we heard the cry of the moose^ 
 the growl of the bear, and the scream of the coyote ' 
 and in the daytime grouse and partridges whirred 
 across us at almost every step. It would have been a 
 summer paradise for the hunter, or the lover of wild 
 nature, had access to it been a less arduous task. Pat 
 and I lived like fighting-cocks on the game and fish 
 we killed with such rude weapons as an old revolver (of 
 Irish pattern apparently, for it shot round the corner 
 in the most unmistakable manner) and a little net 
 constructed out of the threads of a flour sack and bent 
 round a branch of willow. 
 
 But we had an eye always on the main chance, and 
 tried our prospecting-pan in many a likely-looking 
 spot, though without success sufficient to induce us to 
 undertake the difficulty and expense of conveying 
 implements and provisions to the scene of action. One 
 morning, after tramping for four or five miles, we saw, 
 coming down from the mountain's side across the river 
 at a place where the valley narrowed, a little creek, 
 the banks of which had a favourable appearance for our 
 enterprise, and we resolved to get over to it and end 
 our pilgrimage farther east, as the general lay of the 
 country we were getting into, though beautiful to the 
 artistic eye, was not of tlie nature to cause rapture to a 
 miner in his industrial capacity. 
 
 It was a difficult matter to get across the river, to all
 
 246 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 appearances, at the point we stood at. Some forest 
 fire years before had cleared oflf every stick of timber 
 for miles round, so there was no chance of making a 
 raft. About two miles above, at a narrow part of the 
 stream, where the river rushed past with frightfvil 
 velocity, we had observed a tall, slim sugar-pine which 
 had been spared from the fire, lying across from bank 
 to bank in the position in which it had been thrown by 
 some Indian a year or two before, judging from its 
 appearance, to effect a crossing ; but it was so very thin ! 
 like the longest scafifold pole one can imagine, and 
 none of the side branches were trimmed oif. We dared 
 not venture to cross on it with oui* heavy loads, which, 
 with our own weight, would make it sway up and down 
 like a rope, and one false step, or a kick against one of 
 those little side twigs, would "have sent either of us to 
 inevitaVjle destruction in the rushing torrent ; so we 
 took our way farther down, in hope of finding more 
 trees to enable us to make a raft. 
 
 Fortune favoured us sooner than we expected, for in 
 a couple of miles we saw an island in the middle of the 
 stream, and a large pine-tree that had escaped the fire 
 from having stood quite alone, growing close to the 
 bank on our side. We speedily set to work with the 
 axe we carried, and by cutting the tree judiciously, 
 felled it so that the top portion of it fell across on 
 the island, and afforded us a comfortable bridge. The 
 channel on the other side was narrow, and about three
 
 A BAEE ESCAPE OR TWO. 247 
 
 feet deep ; so we managed to wade it, though the 
 strength of the stream nearly took us off our legs once 
 or twice. Arrived across we soon made our way back 
 to the little creek we had noticed from the opposite 
 bide, and as night was drawing near we lit a fire and 
 cooked supper, after which we lit our pipes, and 
 spreading our blankets on some fir twigs we had chopped 
 off, lay down upon them with our feet to the fire, and 
 talked on our ordinary evening topics after the day's 
 labours were over — home, and the chances of reaching 
 it with a fortune. We meant to prospect the little 
 creek which ran close to us in the morning ; and if we 
 failed to find anything, to. get back as soon as we could 
 and leave the country altogether to try our luck in 
 Mexico or Australia, or any other place circumstances 
 or our fancy might lead us to. After a little while we 
 crawled under our blankets, and fell into the sound sleep 
 that results from hard work and vigorous health. 
 About two hours after, as near as I could tell by the 
 height of the moon, Pat and I were simultaneously 
 aroused by a terrible growl close by, and, starting up, 
 I seized the axe which lay near to my hand, while Pat 
 drew out the old revolver from under the sack of flour 
 that composed • his pillow. We could see nothing at 
 first for the glow of the fire, which still burnt brightly, 
 but we heard a long heavy tramp, and straining our 
 eyes we saw, when accustomed to the darkness, a huge 
 cinnamon bear prowling round and round us in an
 
 248 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 almost perfect circle, preserving a distance of about 
 twenty yards. The animal (the most ferocious of its 
 tribe and rarely met with) liad no doubt lately come 
 forth from his wintiy torpor in some cave up the 
 mountain side, and scenting our cookery, perhaps a mile 
 or two away, with the wonderfully keen scent these 
 creatures possess, had been attracted to satisfy the raven- 
 ous appetite he would feel after his long abstinence. 
 
 We watched him for some minutes, thoroughly on 
 the qui vive, as the reader may suppose. He still 
 kept up his steady perambulation in the circle, with a 
 persistent and untiring slouch that was not pleasant to 
 look upon. How Pat and I both prayed for a rifle, as 
 we followed the steps of his ursine majesty with 
 wary eyes ! Seeing at length tliat he approached no 
 nearer, we took a certain amount of confidence, and 
 discussed the plan of action we should adopt in case of 
 an attack. 
 
 In the first place, we knew well that he would 
 never come to very close quarters while the fire kept 
 ])urning, but there was not so much as a chip within a 
 hundred yards of where we were to make it up with ; 
 and it must bum itself out within an liour or two at 
 most. It was plain from Bruin's pertinacity that he 
 meant to have something, either our stores or our- 
 selves ; and the latter depended on tlie former, for we 
 must have starved before we got l)ack if our provisions 
 were lost. It was also certain, whichever object he
 
 A BAKE ESCAPE OR TWO. 249 
 
 had in view, (perhaps he hadn't decided which for 
 himself yet) he would make for it as soon as the fire 
 ceased to deter him. He might think better of it and 
 go away, but he didn't look like it. So a quiet escape 
 looking improbable, we had to discuss our fighting 
 resources. The only weapons we possessed were the 
 old revolver of latitudinarian tendencies before-men- 
 tioned, the axe, and a pick. It would never do to 
 provoke our enemy by a chance shot, which probably 
 would take no effect, save to wound him, and make 
 him overcome his repugnance to the fire even. We 
 must wait the attack, and not fire till we couid make 
 sure of hitting a vital spot. Carefully I took the 
 venerable engine of destruction in hand, and greased 
 its gear with some bacon fat, looked to the loading, 
 and made sure that it would act ; for if it played us a 
 trick, as it ofttimes had done, there was a good chance 
 of the life of one of us being forfeited. 
 
 Then there were strategical advantages to be looked 
 to. Immediately behind us was a little bank about 
 three feet high, almost encircling us in a horse-shoe 
 form, under the shelter of which we had lain to keep 
 the wind from us. That might be a place of vantage 
 in case of a scrimmage. I proposed at first a bold 
 plan of action, for one of us to run pretty close up to 
 Mr. Bear, and shy a firebrand in his face ; rushing 
 back to the shelter of the fire before he could turn. 
 This might frighten him olf altogether, if the shot
 
 250 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 with the firebrand were a lucky one, and hit him in 
 the face ; and we could then hastily gather up some 
 more firewood, and make a big blaze to keep him ofi* 
 till daylight, when he would probably retire altogether. 
 On the other hand it might drive him into uncon- 
 trollable rage, with ourselves less ready to meet his 
 attack than if we waited patiently for him. But Pat's 
 head, in spite of his nationality, was cooler than mine. 
 
 'I have it, jewel!' he exclaimed; 'I'll stand jist 
 here, an' wait fur me gintleman with the ould pepper- 
 box. Whin he gits tin yards ofi", I'll plug him, and 
 jimip on to the bank besyde ye. Ye'U be standin' 
 there, wid the axe riddy to bring on to his head, av 
 I don't hit him right, an' he springs up afther me. 
 I'll have a sicond thin to give this ould baste (the 
 revolver) a fresh turn, an' take another crack at him. 
 That ought to settle him, shure I ' 
 
 I fully concurred with Pat, substituting the pick (a 
 heavier weapon, and less likely to turn oflF) for the axe, 
 and we sat down by the fire calmly awaiting what 
 should happen, but in a state of consideraVjle trepidation 
 I must confess. Mr. Bear didn't go away — not a bit 
 of it. As the fire waxed lower the radius of his circle 
 gradually became less, till, as the last flash of flame 
 leaped out of the fire, he was but a dozen yards away. 
 We followed him round in a smaller circle, keeping 
 the tot embers between hitn and us. At length he 
 stopped in his shambling gait, stood up on his hind
 
 A BARE ESCAPE OR TWO. 251 
 
 legs, and took a couple of steps towards where we 
 were standing. 
 
 ' Ready, Pat ? ' I shouted, and sprang on to the 
 little bank, with pick uplifted, ready to dash into 
 Bruin's skull. 
 
 ' Yis, me bhoy, here goes ! ' and at the same moment 
 Pat fired straight at the bear's chest, and jumped 
 nimbly on to the bank beside me, cocking his revolver 
 ready for another shot. 
 
 The bear staggered an instant, for he was wounded 
 almost mortally ; and then, with a snort of rage, he 
 rushed at Pat. I struck full at his skull with the 
 pick, but owing to my having to hit sideways at him, 
 it failed to penetrate his brain ; it went through his 
 cheek, and sunk deeply into his breast. The second 
 shot from Pat, however, fired at the same instant, did 
 for the monster ; it went clean through his heart ; he 
 fell down stone dead, and rolled over close to the ashes 
 of the fire. 
 
 With a sense of intense relief we looked on our 
 prostrate enemy, and then hastened to gather fuel for 
 a large fire, determined to have no more nocturnal 
 scares, in case the dead bear's mate should come to 
 look for her lord. We soon made an immense blaze, 
 coiled ourselves up once more in our blankets, and 
 after our excitement, and the wakeful hours we had 
 spent, slept like dead men, till the sun was high in the 
 heavens in the mornius:.
 
 252 VERY FAR WEST INDEKD. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIIL 
 
 THE LAST CHANCE. 
 
 OcR first business next day was to take the skiu from 
 the bear, to carry back to William's Creek as a trophy. 
 Then we dug a little hole, cut Bruin's paws off, and 
 rolled them round in clay, put them in the hole, and 
 piled a fire on the top, so as to hav^e them cooked in 
 the Indian fashion ready for dinner. There is no 
 dainty in the world to come up to the paws of a young 
 bear cooked in this fasliion. 
 
 We tlien set to work manfully on the banks and 
 bars of the little creek for some hours, but failed to find 
 anything, and retuined to our dinner dispirited. The 
 comforting influence of that meal, and a subsequent 
 pipe, however, once more put us in a proper frame of 
 mind, and we went about two miles farther up towards 
 the soiu-ce of tlie creek for a final attempt. Here the 
 ground was shallower, the bed-rock occasionally crop- 
 ping out close to the surface. When we had cleared 
 away the surface rubbish in an inviting spot, we quickly 
 worked down to the rock, and Pat took a panful of the 
 dirt lying next it to tlie water, and washed it out. 
 Before he had half done, he shouted out for me. 
 ' Come here, Dick, for the Lord's sake ! '
 
 THE LAST CHANCE. 253 
 
 I dropped my pick, wiped my forehead, and scram- 
 bled over the rocks and trees to him. 
 
 There Pat sat on the ground, with the pan between 
 his legs, looking at it and grinning like an idiot. 
 
 ' Well, what's up now, another bear ? ' I said, look- 
 ing round and puffing hard after my rough scamper. 
 
 ' Bear be hanged, honey ! something betther nor 
 that, sure ! What the divil's that, d'ye think ? ' poking 
 his finger into the dirt left in the pan. ' Ou, Bridget ! 
 shure ye'll be a lady now ! Pathrick, ye're a gintle- 
 man for life ! ' and he sprang up and danced a wild and 
 heathenish dance, completing it by bringing his hand 
 down on my head with a tremendous smack that nearly 
 stimned me. 
 
 Not dreaming of what was really the case, and 
 thinking Pat had certainly gone mad, I got rather 
 savage, and spoke to him in language less polite than 
 forcible. 
 
 ' Och, ye fule ! jist look in the pan, will ye ! ' was 
 all he deigned to reply. 
 
 ' What ! you don't mean to say we've struck it at 
 last, and in this place ? ' I said, getting excited myself, 
 though hardly crediting the possibility of luck. 
 
 I looked into the half-washed pan of dirt and saw 
 nothing hut dirt. Pat still kept capering round me, 
 till at last he sat down out of breath and collected. 
 
 ' Stirr it round wid yer fingers, man !' 
 
 I did, and turned over a number of large pebbles,
 
 254 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 A moment after, I saw a yellow glitter through the 
 mass ; the comer of a little nugget the size of a walnut ! 
 
 Now I was as excited as Pat. I couldn't do any- 
 thing, but threw myself down on the ground and closed 
 my eyes ; the rush of delight was almost too much for 
 me. Then I got up and rushed to the water again 
 with the pan, washed it out clean, and found at 
 the bottom the little nugget, and several other very 
 small pieces. 
 
 How we gloried over our new-found treasure I We 
 sat down and looked at it, filled with ecstatic visions for 
 many minutes, neither of us saying a word. Suddenly 
 an unhappy thought struck me, and I jumped up: — 
 
 ' But this may be only a little pocket in the rock, 
 Pat, and we may get little or nothing else. Remember 
 we've been sold before many a time.' 
 
 ' I'd be afraid of* that too, 'gin we only had the big 
 lump, but look at thim little darlints' (pointing to 
 the small pieces) ; ' they look the rale thing 1' 
 
 We worked away again, clearing a larger space, re- 
 filled the pan from a place some yards away, and care- 
 fully washed it out. There was no large lump this 
 time, but plenty of little pieces, as big as millet seed, 
 round the rim of the pan. Some dozens of panfuls we 
 tried, with an average result that made us feel sure we 
 had indeed struck the right spot at last. 
 
 We would waste no time we resolved, but get back 
 to William's Creek at once for tools and supplies ; so
 
 THE LAST CHANCE. 255 
 
 we cut down a young fir, fashioned six large smooth 
 stakes out of it with the axe, measured off two hundred 
 feet apiece down the creek (the extent allowed for a 
 * discovery claim '), and drove the stakes deep into the 
 ground, writing our names with a pencil on their 
 sraoothened surfaces. Then we went back to the side 
 of the main river, ate our supper, and went to bed hap- 
 pier than I have ever done in my life before or since. 
 
 All night it poured with rain, but it couldn't touch 
 us much, sheltered under the branches of a giant 
 spruce-tree, wliich shed the water like an umbrella. 
 "We heard the river roaring louder than ever as it rose 
 with the storm, but we heeded not the weather, or the 
 river, or where we were — far away from the world — or 
 aught else but our wondrous luck that night. 
 
 In the morning, when we arose, we found the river 
 had risen three feet on its banks in the night, and 
 there was the problem of recrossing before us. The 
 tree we had crossed to the island upon, some miles 
 lower down, would have been carried away by the 
 freshet ; or if not, we could not now ford the channel 
 of the river between us and the island. A mile above 
 us an enormous bluff came sheer down to the water's 
 edge, while round this moimtain came from another 
 direction a branch of the river nearly as wide as the 
 main stream where we now stood. Just at the foot of 
 the big mountain was the long thin tree we had seen 
 thrown across the stream. This seemed our only
 
 !i')6 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 cliaiice, without we wandered down many miles farther, 
 and foimd trees growing near enough to the water to be 
 of use for a raft. Now in our new sense of prospective 
 wealth, the value of our lives seemed to be increased 
 a thousand per cent, since the moment when we had 
 doubtfully glanced upon tliis very tree from the other 
 side, and shunned it. Time, on the other hand, was im- 
 portant to us, and we did not want to lose three or four 
 days by going farther down the stream than we then 
 were ; so we resolved to try the tree, of wliich we had ob- 
 served the butt-end was fortunately lying on our side. 
 
 We cached, or hid in the Indian fashion, half our 
 provisions, and the tools which we should not want ; 
 and then, making up our packs, (of much smaller 
 dimensions than before) we started for the crossing- 
 place. 
 
 The spot looked terrible indeed when we reached it. 
 In the centre of the stream, where the tree, from its own 
 weight, was depressed for two or three feet, the water 
 was just rushing against it, and when the weight of a 
 man was placed upon tliis it would .sink it some inches 
 lower. The stream was dashing on with fearful fury, 
 every now and then loosening from its banks large 
 rocks, which fell in >vith dull lu-avy splashes, just heard 
 above the roaring of the waters. All the loose drift- 
 wood had been carried down before the river had 
 reached its present height, or it would have dashed 
 against our frail bridge and broken it; but we were
 
 THE LAST CHANCE. 257 
 
 still uncertain that some huge tree, torn up with its 
 roots by the flood, might not come tumbling down, 
 carrying destruction before it. 
 
 The rapid above was about a mile long and quite 
 straight, so we could see far enough ahead to make 
 sure that no such accident as this would happen while 
 we were crossing. To give us a small chance of escape, 
 if we should miss our footing and fell over, we altered 
 the fashion of our packs, just fastening them across 
 our chests by a piece of cord, which could be immedi- 
 ately cut with a knife, that each held ready in his hand, 
 in case he felt unable to prevent his going over. If 
 such a catastrophe happened to either of us, he would 
 then at least be free from his pack, and have a chance 
 of getting ashore. Pat's chance would certainly have 
 been a slim one, as he could not swim ; but swimming 
 would have been but little use in that place after all ; 
 it would simply be a question of whether the current 
 threw a man on shore or into some deep eddy, or pos- 
 sible whirlpool. In the first case, either of us might 
 manage to catch hold of something and scramble out ; 
 in the second I should escape easily, but Pat would 
 not, as he would sink so soon as the current failed to 
 hold him up ; and in the last, it was certain destruction 
 for either of us. 
 
 As we stood deliberating on the bank, not liking the 
 prospect A bit, Pat looked up the stream and ex- 
 claimed — 
 
 s
 
 258 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 ' Here comes somethin' that'll decoide us, anyhow ! ' 
 
 At the head of the rapid a huge mass of tangled 
 roots, timber, and branches made its appearance ; every 
 few seconds it would catch against some projection, and 
 stick there for an instant or two, and then the current 
 would again bear it forward. 
 
 ' I'm goin' to risk it, Dick,' Pat said, and giving a 
 sailor's hitch to his nether garments, clapping his old 
 hat tight on his head, and gripping his knife firmly, 
 he placed his foot on the end of the tree and walked 
 onward with steady steps, steering well clear of the 
 numerous little branches which cropped out of the 
 tree. Of coiu-se we would not both go on at once, so I 
 watched Pat till he got to the centre, where the water 
 now rushed half-way up his knee-boots. He wavered 
 a second, but I dared not speak to him. However, he 
 only paused an instant to steady himself, and then 
 went carefully on and reached the other bank in safety, 
 to my great delight. 
 
 Then came my essay. I too got along all right 
 over the thicker part, till I reached the centre; but 
 when the water began to nih;li against my legs, and I 
 could not see plainly where to plant my foot for the 
 next step, it was anything but a pleasant sensation. 
 Like Pat, I stopped for a second or two, and braced 
 myself up. Glancing upwards, I saw the big tree 
 approacliing very near, and knew I dare not stand still 
 another moment; so I started again; but just as I was
 
 THE LAST CHANCE. 259 
 
 getting over the worst part, and nearing the shore, I 
 caught my foot against one of those cursed twigs, and 
 as nearly as possible went over. My heart was in my 
 mouth then, but I regained my balance somehow. It 
 made me nervous though, and I felt I could not go 
 on steadily as before ; so I made a sort of rush for it, 
 and got close to the bank, where I fell, half in the 
 water and half out, grasping tightly a twig on the bank. 
 Pat seized me by the shoulders at the same moment, 
 and dragged me clear of the raging current that had 
 nearly had me in its deadly embrace. A couple of 
 minutes after down came the great mass of logs, roots 
 first, and with an awful crash broke our bridge into 
 splinters. 
 
 We felt quite at home on the other side of the river, 
 and with our loads so much lightened, trudged back at 
 a much quicker rate than we had come, till after a few 
 days we again stood on William's Creek. 
 
 The first thing we did there was to register our 
 claim with the Gfold Commissioner, giving the nearest 
 description we could as to its locality, and paying 
 proudly the fee of five dollars with some of the gold 
 we had taken from it. Then we had to get a stock of 
 provisions for the season, and tools, such as picks, 
 shovels, axes, whip-saws, hand-saws, and nails. We did 
 not wish to make our party any larger at that time, as 
 two of us would be quite sufficient to work a claim 
 that required no deep-sinking ; but we took care to let 
 
 s> 2
 
 260 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 our old pai'tners on Jack of Clubs know of it as a 
 secret, and told them to come and take up ground as 
 soon as they could alongside of us. We urgently 
 desired that no strangers sliould hear of our discovery, 
 as they might come and seek to disturb us if they did 
 not meet with the same luck as ourselves. How to get 
 all those tools and provisions on the spot and to pay for 
 tliem we did not know. It was several days' journey, 
 and nearly as much as a man could do over that rough 
 country to carry enough to feed himself on the way 
 there and back, without taking the tools into account. 
 
 It was therefore evident we should require a small 
 pack-train, and to obtain this boon we should have to 
 tempt some more tlian usually speculative merchant. 
 I tried several men I had known in the lower country 
 who had set up stores here ; but they all declined the 
 venture. At last I met a very decent sort of German 
 Jew, who had a store and a train of animals just in 
 from the lower comitry. The sight of our gold (quite 
 <lififerent in appearance from any he had seen, for a 
 merchant or miner can at once tell what particular 
 creek in the neighbourhood 'dust' comes from) and 
 our accounts, excited him to a great pitch. 
 
 ' Veil poysh,' said he, ' 1 guess I'm in mit you.' 
 
 'On what t«rms?' I asked. 
 
 ' I viiids (Ic grub uiid de tools, und you givesh me 
 half sliares, de hot' ov you.' 
 
 >^ ' Oh ! that's played out,' we said ; ' that's rather too 
 much interest on the money.'
 
 THE LAST CHANCE. 261 
 
 ' Veil, poysh, ye sees, it might pe all a schvindle, do' 
 if de bag-drain goes to dat blase, I don't see vot you're 
 to do mit de dingsh excebd ead 'em. Bot de oder day 
 I vosh had de vorst vay by a green yong Englishman as 
 I dought, mit de hair still growin' on his teeth. I 
 dells you.' 
 
 ' He zees a pair ov green planket pantsh hangin' op 
 in de shtore ; 'e vos all raggit as der teufel, aber eesh 
 bootsh vosh goot. I seed de bootsh, und I dought 'e 
 vosh on de shkvare. " Ow mosh vor de pantsh, mishter ?" 
 'e sayd. " Dwenty dollarsh," I says. 'E didn't zeem to 
 mind mosh, und dook 'em down from de nail ; dehn 'e 
 says, " Gan I dry dem pantsh on behint dat pile ov 
 vlour, mishter ?" " Zaretainly," I says, und 'e dries 'em 
 on. Dey didn't vit 'im very veil, bot 'e didn't zeem to 
 mind mosh. 'E drew eesh ole rags outside, und 'e 
 valksh op to me. I deedn't like to zee 'im drow dem 
 ole dingsh avay, vor I dought, " Vare dehn is eesh cole- 
 dost ; 'e deedn't dake nodin' out ov de bockids." 
 
 'Ven 'e getsh to me 'e says, "My name'sh Peel 
 Shnooksh." I pows to 'im. " I vorksh in de Meadowsh 
 Claim ; vill you pook dem pantsh to me till nexsht 
 veek after ve voshes op?" "No, I von't," I says. I 
 knew dey never voshes no gold op in dat claim, und 
 never vill. " Bot you mosht," he says. " Dake 'em off 
 direc'ly und gehen sie aus,''^ I says, for I vos kvite riled, 
 " I only teals foor cash mit stranchers." " Vy, you tarn 
 Chew," 'e vent on ; " vould you dake de pantsh off a
 
 262 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 man's legsh ? '' und 'e valked out into de ztreet, mit my 
 coot green planket pantsh. I zhouts afder 'im ; aber it 
 vosh no coot, 'e didn't zeem to mind mosh ! ' 
 
 The son of Israel was much carried away by emo- 
 tion here, and nearly wept. When his feelings became 
 soothed by a drink, in whieli he invited us to share, 
 we proceeded again to our immediate business with 
 him, and came to an arrangement. 
 
 Ten animals out of his pack-train were to be retained, 
 and loaded with the provisions and tools, while the 
 rest were sent back down the country again. Pat, 
 Schwartz (the Jew), and myself, witb only one extra 
 man, were to go with these ten animals to our desti- 
 nation. The arrangement was that Schwartz should 
 supply our cargo, in consideration of our taking up an 
 additional hundred feet for him besides our own, and 
 throwing it into one claim, paying the extra man to 
 represent Schwartz's interest ten dollars a day out of 
 the total proceeds. 
 
 We carefully avoided telling the extra man where 
 we were going to, lest he should get talkative at some 
 of the saloons overnight. 
 
 We had a festive evening together, and next morn- 
 ing packed the animals with every necessary, and a 
 few comparative luxuries, such as dried apples, &c., 
 which we thought ourselves qualified to enjoy now, 
 and drove them quietly down William's Creek, intend- 
 ing to reach Antler Creek, the head waters of Bear
 
 THE LAST CHANCE. 263 
 
 River, by a different and less known route than that 
 ordinarily taken. We took this time a couple of good 
 rifles, which Schwartz got for us, and a sufficient supply 
 of ammunition. 
 
 Groing down the creek (close by the Meadows 
 Claim, that name of sorrow to Schwartz) we turned off 
 to the right, through a broad pass in the mountains, 
 and readily got out of sight of all enquiring eyes. 
 The way across was very decent for the first day's 
 travel, at the end of which we came to a tremendous 
 canon where Grouse Creek falls into Antler Creek, or 
 Bear River. After this, for a couple of days, the tra- 
 velling was something fearful ; we only made about 
 twelve miles, and the poor animals were dread- 
 fully used up even then. But when we came to the 
 more open country I have before described, we got on 
 famously, and soon reached a spot a couple of miles 
 above our creek, on the opposite side ; and here, as 
 there were plenty of trees, we cut logs and made a 
 raft, pegging it together, and binding it with osier 
 branches. 
 
 The snow had all melted off in the upper country 
 during the time we had been absent, and the river had 
 come down to its ordinary summer level. We found 
 no difficulty in floating our empty raft, checked by a 
 tow-rope from the shore, down the rapid, till it reached 
 a point a little way above the creek. Here the water 
 was much more still, and we could, by the aid of some
 
 264 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 poles we had cut, easily push the raft across after we 
 had loaded it. 
 
 We unpacked the animal's loads, and turned the 
 creatures oflf to feed on the rich natural grass ; and in 
 two or three trips with the raft we got everything 
 across to the moutli of tlie little ci*eek. Then we all 
 (including the merchant, who shouldered his hundred 
 pounds' weight like a man) aided in packing our stores 
 for two or three miles up the claim. Tliis took us a 
 couple of days in all to accomplish, as we had to make 
 many journeys to and fro. 
 
 After this we cut down and fashioned some logs to 
 build a snug log-hut with, and got them up in three 
 days, when by preconcerted arrangement Schwartz and 
 I left Pat and the extra man to complete the cabin, 
 saw some boards for sluice-boxes, and bring a head of 
 water, from some distance above, on to the claim by 
 means of a ditch ; while we drove back the horses to 
 William's Creek, where Schwartz also registered his 
 claim ; I returning as soon as possible alone to the 
 scene of wealth. Before we started we fully satisfied 
 Schwartz, and ourselves too, of the bona fides of our 
 concern. 
 
 When I got l)ack I told our old particular friends on 
 .lack of Clubs whi-rc they might find us, and invited 
 them to come; and then I set ofi" alone, with a light 
 pack and my rifle, and on my retin-n foinid tlie cabin 
 nicely finished, with the water brought on to the
 
 * THE LAST CHANCE. 265 
 
 claim, and running through a string of sluices, just 
 completed the day before, into which Pat and Jim, 
 the extra man, were shovelling from alternate sides. 
 They had certainly w^orked like tigers during the 
 fortnight I had been away. 
 
 No one appeared during the first three months, but 
 at the end of that time Schwartz and another man 
 turned up with four or five horses laden with more 
 provisions and a fresh supply of tools, for we had no 
 blacksmith's shop at which to sharpen our picks. We 
 had a pretty little heap of dust to place on the horses' 
 backs on the return journey, when Pat accompanied 
 Schwartz, and placed our treasure in safe custody in 
 the bank. 
 
 Several persons of enquiring mind got wind of this 
 second expedition, and shortly after Pat's return we 
 had an invasion of twenty or thirty men, at the head 
 of whom I recognised the man whom Schwartz had 
 last brought with him. They did not molest us, how- 
 ever, as there was plenty of room for all of us, but set 
 to work diligently, and we were rather glad of their 
 company than otherwise. The little colony in the 
 wilderness looked quite lively with its six or seven 
 log-huts. The soimd of the axe rang through the 
 woods ; the voices of men cheered the solitude, and 
 the hitherto pellucid waters of the tiny mountain 
 stream were rendered muddy and turbid by the un- 
 known uses it had been put to in disintegrating
 
 266 VERY FAR WEST INDEED: 
 
 the banks that had held in its course for countless 
 centuries. 
 
 By the end of the season our claim was nearly 
 worked out, and we disposed of the remaining ground 
 at a moderate price to some of our old Jack of Clubs 
 friends, who had lately come over and been at work 
 close to us. 
 
 Our ground, the first picked upon, had by a chance 
 often met with in the precarious pursuit of mining, 
 turned out to be by far the richest spot on the creek ; 
 and after clearing everything, we found ourselves 
 the lucky possessors of a very considerable sum for 
 about five months' work. Schwartz made a better 
 investment with us than he did in the case of the 
 ' creen blanket pantsh.' 
 
 Pat and I rode to the mouth of the Quesnelle, took 
 the steamer (lately constructed) thence to Soda Creek, 
 and travelled down from there in the stage (a luxury 
 also only recently started) like the great swells we were 
 by that time. It is needless to say that in Victoria, as in 
 other places, we were much more respected than we 
 had ever l)een previously, when folks knew that we had 
 something considerable to our account at the Bank. 
 Once more did the great Como air his rustling powers, 
 but without appreciable effect. One or two more 
 glowing articles on ' Our Resources, Internal and Other- 
 wise,' appeared, in which Pat and myself were grace- 
 fully alluded to as 'two of our leading and daring
 
 THE LAST CHANCE. 267 
 
 pioneers ;' but they were soon stopped when it was 
 discovered by judicious pumping that we did not mean 
 to sow our newly-gotten riches in that country ; and a 
 counterblast inveighing against the greedy ungrate- 
 fulness of persons who made their money in the 
 country, and would not spend it there, was given forth 
 to an outraged public.
 
 268 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 Pat turned out to be the wisest man I knew. Ambition 
 was no leading feature of his character, and he had 
 now enough to make him rich for life ; so, after ran- 
 sacking the dry-goods stores for suitable apparel, and 
 getting a gorgeous gold chain and a diamond brooch- 
 pin, he took a first-cabin passage home ; whence he 
 wrote to me a couple of years after (and the letter was 
 nine months reaching me), to say that he and Bridget 
 were the lucky possessors of a little freehold farm close 
 to his old home, where they were as happy and contented 
 as the day was long. He had no present inclination, he 
 hinted, to prospect the Wicklow mountains, but he hoped 
 that I'd short'l^^ return home and settle down, when I 
 might attempt that feat if I wasn't tired of gold-hunting 
 vet; if I were, I might prospect his fiirm at any rate, 
 and sure I'd soon find the bed-rock of a welcome home 
 witli liim and ' darlint Bridget,' wlio sent lier love to 
 the Sassenach, with a message that she'd regretfully 
 christened their boy with ' that haythenish Saxon name 
 Kicliard,' for the sake of old associations. 
 
 For my own part, I was not content to go home and 
 settle down so soon. 1 felt inflated with a sense of
 
 CONCLUSION. 269 
 
 modest capital, and deemed it a natural certainty that 
 I could soon increase it to absolute wealth. Delusive 
 vision ! — the run of luck did not last long. 
 
 I hunted up my old friend the captain, and found 
 that Fortune hadn't been very kind to him lately. It 
 was one of the happiest moments of my life to be able 
 to repay his kindness to myself by starting him on his 
 legs again. 
 
 I saw something of him for two or three years after 
 this, and his good and bad fortune varied as it does 
 with most men. The last time I heard of him he had 
 settled down in Salt Lake City, the part-owner of a 
 silver mine which he had the good fortune to discover in 
 Nevada, and one of Brigham Young's deacons. He says 
 his life is joyous and contented ; he, too, has a farm, 
 and flocks and herds (whether of cattle or children, I 
 know not). Whiskey is scarce in the settlement, but 
 otherwise there is naught of bitter to tinge the sweets 
 of existence. There is no fighting to be done there ; 
 he leaves all that to his wives. ' Will I come over the 
 Nevadas an' take a hand ? ' Well, I may some day, 
 perhaps. 
 
 My first partner, who accompanied me to the coun- 
 try, I found still engaged in the whiskey business, and 
 prospering. He had no intention of leaving it while 
 there was no duty on alcohol, and thirsty souls 
 abounded at twelve and a half cents a time. The only 
 thing that could injure his prospects was the fact that
 
 270 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 he had become sufficiently Mormonised to take unto 
 himself a ' spiritual ' wife — at least so intimated in 
 plainest terms, by its excessive redness, the most pro- 
 minent feature of the lady's frontispiece. If she had 
 been ' sealed over ' as tight as LL whiskey and kept 
 so, it would have been well. 
 
 Most of my other old friends I came across, too, in 
 the course of that winter, which I spent very pleasantly ; 
 and in the spring I started off with one of these for a 
 fresh series of wanderings in the new territories, the 
 old Ishmaelite leaven being still strong within me. 
 
 I close this little volume with our re-arrival at San 
 Francisco, whence we intended journeying to Washoe, 
 the great silver-mining district. 
 
 Taking now a bird's-eye view of my own career 
 during the three or four years I spent in British 
 Columbia, and a side glance at the lives of others, 
 some less fortunate, and some more so, than myself — 
 and striking a balance of easy lives and hard lives, 
 good results and })ad, in a pecuniary sense and other- 
 wise — I find it a difficult matter to draw even my own 
 conclusions as to the advice that should be given to 
 any man who feels the impulse to shake the dust from 
 his feet, and try a new life. To the cool calculating 
 man, who hesitates before he takes the step, and well 
 considers his chances beforehand, advice is hardly 
 necessary ; he may be unlucky for a time, but he can 
 in the main be depended on not to let an opportunity
 
 CONCLUSION, 271 
 
 escape when it is presented to him. On the ardent 
 and sanguine- tempered youth, who reasons not on his 
 prospect, but simply acts straight upon his impulse, 
 letting to-morrow care for itself (be he scapegrace or 
 not), advice is thrown away, for he certainly will 
 not heed it ; nothing but hard experience will teach 
 him the lessons of prudence and forethought. But 
 there is a middle type between these two, to whom 
 the general experience of others who have walked 
 before them over the ground they mean to try may 
 possibly be useful. 
 
 Well then, referring to emigration in its most gene- 
 ral sense, there are three words which will sufficiently 
 indicate the three classes of people to whom I address 
 tliese few remarks. The three words are Brains, Money, 
 and Muscle. 
 
 The reader must not fancy that I have placed these 
 three words in the order in which the properties they 
 represent are to be appreciated from the point of view 
 we are taking. On the contrary, they should rather be 
 valued in the order in which Bassanio valued the three 
 caskets for his purpose — gold, silver, lead. As I will 
 presently show, the last of the three, having regard to 
 capital invested, gives the best return. 
 
 We cannot expect every man to be an Admirable 
 Crichton, and own a combination of all these three 
 desiderata (I don't remember, by the way, whether 
 Mr. Crichton had his pockets well lined or not) ; of
 
 272 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 course the more of them that are centred in one man 
 the better for him. Such fortunate people, however, 
 can have no necessity to leave home ; if they do so, 
 they are only to be regarded as pleasure-seekers or 
 eccentrics, and accordingly these triple-barrelled gentry 
 may be dropped out of the list. 
 
 Brains. — The possessor of this commodity, with 
 nothing to qualify it, is far better off in remaining where 
 he has a market for it ; in polished and appreciative 
 communities, where he may have the sympathetic aid 
 of his fellows and of wealthy patrons. The problem of 
 life is simplified in new countries ; rnan is brought 
 more directly in relation with mother earth, who sup- 
 plies all our wants, than in old ones ; the numerous 
 classes of middle-men tliat spring forth from the 
 luxurious habits and superabundant wealth of thickly- 
 populated districts, and flourish upon them, exist not 
 here; the only middle-men are traders and artisans, 
 and these have no aristocracy of birth, wealth, or posi- 
 tion, for patrons ; they are but the necessary servants 
 of the great producing element — the tillers of the 
 earth, and the delvers for its buried riches. Jiut there 
 must yet be satellites to hang upon so simply framed a 
 society as this even, you will say ; there must be law- 
 yers, doctors, parsons (I preserve the same 'casket' 
 order, reader, if you please). Yes, while flesh is weak, 
 there will always be need of a greater or lesser number 
 of these gentlemen everywhere ; but wlicu you hear
 
 CONCLUSION. 273 
 
 the old colonial cry of ' There is room for all,' bear in 
 mind that it applies to a colonist pure and simple, and 
 not to a satellite. There is room for any number of 
 the one sort, who only bring forth for their own benefit, 
 and that of their fellows, what would otherwise remain 
 unproductive on the surface of the earth, or hidden in 
 its bowels; but there is little room for the other, who 
 take their honey from the bees themselves, and not 
 from the limitless bounty of nature ; they but im- 
 poverish the section of humanity they dwell with, and 
 do not enrich it. Therefore, be you lawyer, doctor, or 
 parson, if you have made up your mind to go to a new 
 country, be sure to get there among the first batch, 
 or your chance will be comparatively small. 
 
 Money. — When I speak of a man with money, I 
 don't mean a Croesus; — he, as an American would 
 forcibly, if not elegantly, say, ' can do just as he darn 
 pleases ' anywhere — but of a person who has a respect- 
 able sum at his disposal, hardly sufficient to keep him 
 in the position he would like to move in at home, but 
 enough to give him a fair start in a place where the 
 absence of excessive competition enables him to turn a 
 small capital to good account. Still less do I allude 
 to any one of my species who may happen to be in the 
 condition I have just pointed out, but to whom nature 
 has denied a fair share of brains. On the faith of the 
 old saying, ' That fools and their money are soon 
 parted,' such a one had better stick to his place of 
 
 T
 
 274 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 birtli, where be may be presumed to be better ac- 
 quainted with, and able to detect, the arts in vogue 
 amongst those great Communists, thieves in general, 
 than he would be in a strange land, where the first bait 
 held out to him wliich had the spice of novelty about 
 it would prol)ably entrap him. I have in mind now 
 the average man of moderate means and enterprise, 
 with the requisite ability to hold his own as a store- 
 keeper or former, and with sufficient virility to turn 
 his hand to whatever should turn up, if through evil 
 fortune he should find himself reduced to a lower level 
 tlian he expected. To him I would say, if you are 
 content to risk the loss of the modest competence you 
 now enjoy, in the hope of becoming rich, emigrate by 
 all means ; the new worlds are before you ; there your 
 capital will fructify rapidly, or as easily and swiftly 
 dissipate itself. But if it does the last you may soon 
 start afresh — that you cannot hope to do if ruin falls 
 upon you here ; there your home comforts will be less, 
 but so also will be your cares ; for there, though you may 
 meet with temporary failure and trouble, perseverance 
 and a stout heart will land you clear at last ; and in 
 the knowledgt- of t))is you may be happy, and free 
 from the harassing fears that beset you now. 
 
 Muscle. — Now the man of sinews is essentially a 
 free agent anywhere in many respects ; he has no ties 
 of property to chain him to a particular spot, and he 
 carries his capital in a bank that can only be robbed
 
 CONCLUSION. 275 
 
 or fail from the common natural causes of sickness or 
 death. But in the old world there are many and 
 almost insuperable obstacles to his upward path in 
 life ; society is overburdened with the numerical 
 strength of his class, and thus he dreads each one of 
 his fellows as a rival, and is tempted to use all means 
 to secure to himself, at the expense of his brethren, 
 the bare sustenance that alone he can hope to obtain ; 
 as flies, thrown into a glass of water, will clamber on 
 the backs of others, and submerge them to keep their 
 own heads above water : his market is limited, and, 
 unlike the moneyed capitalist, he cannot live upon the 
 fund itself, it must be exercised to produce a living 
 for its owner. So small here also is the interest his 
 capital bears, that he can never hope to attain a higher 
 grade than that in which he hrst started ; all he can 
 expect to do, by means of great industry and economy, 
 is to save a small sum to provide against evil days, or 
 to take him away from his present surroundings. In 
 new countries, however, all these latter conditions are 
 reversed ; he is not the slave of society, society is his ; 
 for it is by his aid alone that it can hope to found 
 itself in its new home : he is sought for, and welcomed 
 with open arms, not repulsed ; his strong frame there 
 represents one added unit of production from a bound- 
 less and untouched field of wealth which would other- 
 wise be fallow, not an additional supplicant for the 
 alms of society, derived from a circumscribed and
 
 276 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 over-farmed enclosure. Therefore it seems plain, from 
 every point of view, that the labourer or mechanic is 
 the most fitting subject to emigrate ; he has few ties 
 to break ; no capital to risk, save such as he cannot 
 lose ; he leaves a bare precarious existence for the 
 certainty of a comfortable home, with the impending 
 chance of much more than that always open to him 
 as the result of energy. For him emigration is no 
 speculation, it is a sure venture. 
 
 But there is one temptation to all classes against 
 which a special warning is necessary ; for prevalent as 
 the vice is here, it is as nothing to its almost universal 
 sway in many new countries — that temptation, of course, 
 is drink. It is very easy to explain the hold it takes 
 upon men there; they have left behind them the 
 customary checks of their family circle, and from the 
 spareness of tlie female population, they meet with 
 little of the restraining influence of women's society. 
 They are deprived of most of their former innocent 
 pleasures and excitements, and hasten to create a 
 spurious conviviality in their stead. Xow I care not 
 who or what the man may be, if he abstains from 
 drink (yet I don't at all mean to say he need be a 
 teetotaller), he must liave a chance ; and even if after 
 a few years' trial he has not succeeded in a pecuniary 
 sense, he will have gained a rich and varied experience 
 of the world and the people in it, wliich no money can 
 ]>urchase.
 
 CONCLUSION. 277 
 
 I abstain from saying- anything of my opinion of the 
 best place to emigrate to. It is far too wide a question, 
 and depends almost entirely upon the qualifications 
 and capabilities of the individual ; but the scene of 
 this book is laid almost entirely in British Columbia, 
 and therefore, perhaps, with reference to others going 
 there, I should add a few concluding words concern- 
 ing it. 
 
 In the first place, then, as the reader may have 
 gathered, it is one of the roughest, wildest countries 
 on the face of the earth. The climate is variable, but 
 on the whole exceedingly healthy for persons of decently 
 robust constitutions. I don't think it a place for a 
 delicate person to go to, for he could not bear the 
 hardships he may expect to encounter in the course of 
 the many changes in calling and location that are 
 likely to be necessary to him. Judging from statistics, 
 the colony has not yet answered the first expectations 
 formed of it ; the population has decreased, instead of 
 multiplied, in the last eight or nine years. The gold 
 mines in it were very rich, but circumscribed in 
 extent ; they are the main stay of the country ; and as 
 those first discovered are nearly worked out, and no 
 new ones of sufficient importance are found to supply 
 their places, the decline of the population is to be 
 accounted for. Another great drawback is the 
 deficiency of agricultuial land. I have seen many 
 shameful accounts published by interested persons.
 
 278 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 from which one would imagine the country to have 
 been the original site of the garden of Eden. The 
 real fact is that it depends on California and Oregon 
 for almost every pound of flour that is consumed in it ; 
 and that, compared to the?e neighbouring countries, it 
 is what I have heard it before described by a person 
 who knew it well — ' a howling wilderness.'' 
 
 On the otlier hand, I maintain that, owing to its 
 inherent defects of sterility and impracticability for 
 travelling purposes, the colony has never had a fair 
 chance. It is not from its nature a place to entice 
 people of wealth to stay in it ; many a fortune has 
 been made there, and carried away to pleasant er lands 
 to be spent in. So great is the expense and difficulty 
 of exploration, that denuded as it constantly is at the 
 close of every declining season of a great part of the 
 capital produced in it, there has been hitherto small 
 opportunity of developing the splendid resources that 
 exist in it. These resources, and its sole ones, are, as 
 I have pointed out in a previous cliapter, mines, 
 timber, and fisheries. 
 
 It is absurd to suppose that so wonderfully rich a 
 spot as William's Creek stands alone in a territory of 
 the extent of British Columbia ; yet the wliole of the 
 other mines so far discovered in it have not produced 
 as much as this one little creek. The forests contain 
 some of tl\e finest timber in the world, and have the
 
 CONCLUSION. 279 
 
 immense advantage of being close to the sea and the 
 numerous rivers and inlets that indent a great stretch 
 of sea-board. The fisheries- — so far as salmon are 
 concerned, at any rate — are simply unapproachable in 
 their wealth. 
 
 There is no doubt that an immense impetus will be 
 given to the progress of the colony through its entry 
 into the Canadian dominion. 
 
 The great public works contemplated will bring 
 labour and capital to it, the two agents required to 
 generate its progress ; and will, coupled with its repre- 
 sentation in the Canadian parliament, create a wider 
 and more intimate acquaintance amongst strangers 
 with its real status, at present little known or appre- 
 ciated. The liberal grants made by the dominion 
 towards its revenue should almost serve to keep it 
 clear of taxation, for I don't believe there are at the 
 present time over eight thousand white men in the 
 country, and they solely will reap the benefit of 
 Canadian liberality ; the Indians, estimated to number 
 fifty thousand, may be put out of the question in this 
 respect. 
 
 It is likely, therefore, that in a few years we shall 
 see British Columbia taking a more prominent stand 
 among our dependencies than it has yet done, and it 
 will then be no bad place for the adventurer to turn 
 his regards to. 
 
 To the lover of the chase, who is content to accept 
 the excitement of that life without the lust of gain
 
 280 VERY FAR WEST INDEED. 
 
 interrupting- his pursuits, the country should be a very 
 paradise. No better sport, nor more varied, is to be 
 found anywhere, and a man may live well on the 
 produce of his g-un and fishing-boat. 
 
 Those inhabitants who have for some years now 
 stuck bravely to the colony, in spite of its hardships 
 and their disappointments, deserve all praise. They 
 are a generous, high-spirited people, above petty 
 meannesses, and well imbued with that spirit of good 
 fellowship, without which indeed existence would be 
 almost out of the question in such a place. I bid all 
 my friends there a kind adieu. May they floiurish ! 
 
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