Then I told Mr. Wallace what John Groves had told me,
that he could help us with his team as far as Rigolette any way,
and that he had a good team of dogs.
Friday, April 8th. - Lots of teams from Muddy Lake. Edward Michline
also arrived. He has been at Goose Bay a few days ago, and tells
me that his brother-in-law John Groves said, that if Mr. Wallace
would ask him to help him along, he could go as far as Rigolette
with his team of dogs, as at the time he did not have very much to
do and he could have time to go to Rigolette and back before he had
any particular work to do for himself. Then I told Mr. Wallace
about it, what John Groves has said. He said that he would write a
letter to him and ask him about it.
But Mr. Wallace and Mr. M'Kenzie still thinking of getting the
canoe out, and wanted me to go up the Grand Lake and up by Beaver
Brook, to get the canoe out to Northwest River.
I was not careful of undertaking the trip. My reasons why - I knew
how long it would take me to go up and back again to Northwest
River. It would take me nearly two weeks. I thought it would be
pretty late when we could make a start on our trip to Battle
Harbor, and would miss the boat that Dr. Macpherson told us would
be in Battle Harbor about the 1st of May. Also I was sure that the
canoe would be crushed to pieces with the weight of the snow, as we
left it in a place where it had a good chance of being crushed to
the ground. If we had put it in some shelter where it would be all
right, or if we had put it on a stage to keep in good shape; but
when we had just taken it out of the river, and just left it along
the open, I knew it could not be safe. I thought it was a piece of
nonsense to try and get it out, and would be only a trip for
nothing. Even then I would be willing to go if it hadn't been so
late. Also I thought it was hardly fair to try and force me to go
any way, because I knew that I wasn't under either of them. I was
hired by Mr. Hubbard on the trip and we had to do all the planning.
It was Mr. Hubbard's expedition, and we had to obey him and try to
help him in all we could while we were yet together. Also Mr.
Hubbard had done and has always left things in my care to which I
thought it would be better for us to do, and has gone by my plans a
good deal, though he was the head of the party.
