Of the body, affixed to the common sledge which is painted and
ornamented according to the taste of the proprietor. Besides snowshoes
each individual carries his blanket, hatchet, steel, flint, and tinder,
and generally firearms.
...
The general dress of the winter traveller is a capot, having a hood to
put up under the fur cap in windy weather or in the woods to keep the
snow from his neck, leathern trousers and Indian stockings which are
closed at the ankles round the upper part of his moccasins or Indian
shoes to prevent the snow from getting into them. Over these he wears a
blanket or leathern coat which is secured by a belt round his waist to
which his fire-bag, knife, and hatchet are suspended.
Mr. Back and I were accompanied by the seaman John Hepburn; we were
provided with two carioles and two sledges, their drivers and dogs being
furnished in equal proportions by the two Companies. Fifteen days'
provision so completely filled the sledges that it was with difficulty we
found room for a small sextant, one suit of clothes, and three changes of
linen, together with our bedding. Notwithstanding we thus restricted
ourselves and even loaded the carioles with part of the luggage instead
of embarking in them ourselves we did not set out without considerable
grumbling from the voyagers of both Companies respecting the overlading
of their dogs. However we left the matter to be settled by our friends at
the fort who were more conversant with winter travelling than ourselves.
Indeed the loads appeared to us so great that we should have been
inclined to listen to the complaints of the drivers. The weight usually
placed upon a sledge drawn by three dogs cannot at the commencement of a
journey be estimated at less than three hundred pounds, which however
suffers a daily diminution from the consumption of provisions. The sledge
itself weighs about thirty pounds. When the snow is hard frozen or the
track well trodden the rate of travelling is about two miles and a half
an hour, including rests, or about fifteen miles a day. If the snow be
loose the speed is necessarily much less and the fatigue greater.
At eight in the morning of the 18th we quitted the fort and took leave of
our hospitable friend Governor Williams whose kindness and attention I
shall ever remember with gratitude. Dr. Richardson, Mr. Hood, and Mr.
Connolly accompanied us along the Saskatchewan until the snow became too
deep for their walking without snowshoes. We then parted from our
associates with sincere regret at the prospect of a long separation.
Being accompanied by Mr. Mackenzie of the Hudson's Bay Company who was
going to Isle a la Crosse with four sledges under his charge we formed
quite a procession, keeping in an Indian file on the track of the man who
preceded the foremost dogs; but as the snow was deep we proceeded slowly
on the surface of the river, which is about three hundred and fifty yards
wide, for the distance of six miles which we went this day. Its alluvial
banks and islands are clothed with willows. At the place of our
encampment we could scarcely find sufficient pine branches to floor the
hut, as the Orkney men term the place where travellers rest. Its
preparation however consists only in clearing away the snow to the ground
and covering that space with pine branches, over which the party spread
their blankets and coats and sleep in warmth and comfort by keeping a
good fire at their feet without any other canopy than the heaven, even
though the thermometer should be far below zero.
The arrival at the place of encampment gives immediate occupation to
every one of the party; and it is not until the sleeping-place has been
arranged and a sufficiency of wood collected as fuel for the night that
the fire is allowed to be kindled. The dogs alone remain inactive during
this busy scene, being kept harnessed to their burdens until the men have
leisure to unstow the sledges and hang upon the trees every species of
provision out of their reach. We had ample experience before morning of
the necessity of this precaution as they contrived to steal a
considerable part of our stores almost from underneath Hepburn's head,
notwithstanding their having been well fed at supper.
This evening we found the mercury of our thermometer had sunk into the
bulb and was frozen. It rose again into the tube on being held to the
fire but quickly redescended into the bulb on being removed into the air;
we could not therefore ascertain by it the temperature of the atmosphere
either then or during our journey. The weather was perfectly clear.
January 19.
We rose this morning after the enjoyment of a sound and comfortable
repose and recommenced our journey at sunrise but made slow progress
through the deep snow. The task of beating the track for the dogs was so
very fatiguing that each of the men took the lead in turn for an hour and
a half. The scenery of the banks of the river improved as we advanced
today; some firs and poplars were intermixed with the willows. We passed
through two creeks formed by islands, and encamped on a pleasant spot on
the north shore, having only made six miles and three-quarters actual
distance.
The next day we pursued our course along the river; the dogs had the
greatest difficulty in dragging their heavy burdens through the snow. We
halted to refresh them at the foot of Sturgeon River and obtained the
latitude 53 degrees 51 minutes 41 seconds North. This is a small stream
which issues from a neighbouring lake.
