Mr.
Bakie has his trapping on Beaver River, and he knew all about it,
and tells me that we had come over the worst part of the river.
KEEPING A PROMISE AND SOMETHING MORE
At the New Year I saw Duncan M'Lean again, and he said he would
meet me on the 16th January at Donald's, to start from there up the
bush to get Mr. Hubbard's body, and the things we left, if I can
find them. He would be out from his trapping path then, and
besides the rivers frozen up. All the people round there thought
that I could not find anything whatever.
I did not meet Duncan, and did not get started on my trip till 8th
March. The men were willing to go with me and help me with what I
had to do; but Mr. Wallace wanted the canoe out, and to make the
canoe a present to Mr. M'Kenzie, which the boys didn't care to
undertake, and afraid to try and make a start, because they thought
if they went they would have to bring the canoe. And besides the
snow being so deep, and had been snowing nearly every day for some
time ago, and haven't had chance of settling down, and besides
about 80 miles to where the camp was, and the canoe about 98 miles.
We could not take dogs, because the country being so rough we could
not use dogs whatever. So we have to get on by hauling every man
his toboggan.
Seeing that the boys were almost afraid to try, till at last I told
them, "Never mind, but come along with me and I will tell you
whether the canoe will be taken out or not. Because we are going
up there especially for to bring out Mr. Hubbard's body, and some
films if I can find them, and we will leave the canoe and not
bother with it. So you can put the blame on me, as anyway we will
have more than three men can handle, and especially the country
being so rough."
They said they would come along with me and help me in what I had
to do, as it is something that has to be done. And besides getting
time for the mild, and the rivers burst, and the water runs on top
of the ice, and afraid that we could do no travelling in Susan
Brook, and the mountains so rough and steep we could not haul
toboggans over them, and have to travel on the river. So we got
started in the morning from Northwest River on our way up.
March 8th. - Tom Blake and Duncan M'Lean and I started this morning
to bring Mr. Hubbard's body out to Northwest River. We have two
toboggans and one catmeran.
