It excites no pity from the more experienced companions of
the journey who travel on as fast as they can regardless of your pain.
Mr. Isbester and an Orkney man joined us from Cumberland House and
brought some pemmican that we had left behind, a supply which was very
seasonable after our recent loss. The general occupation of Mr. Isbester
during the winter is to follow or find out the Indians and collect their
furs, and his present journey will appear adventurous to persons
accustomed to the certainty of travelling on a well-known road. He was
going in search of a band of Indians of whom no information had been
received since last October, and his only guide for finding them was
their promise to hunt in a certain quarter; but he looked at the jaunt
with indifference and calculated on meeting them in six or seven days,
for which time only he had provision. Few persons in this country suffer
more from want of food than those occasionally do who are employed on
this service. They are furnished with a sufficiency of provision to serve
until they reach the part where the Indians are expected to be; but it
frequently occurs that on their arrival at the spot they have gone
elsewhere, and that a recent fall of snow has hidden their track, in
which case the voyagers have to wander about in search of them; and it
often happens when they succeed in finding the Indians that they are
unprovided with meat. Mr. Isbester had been placed in this distressing
situation only a few weeks ago and passed four days without either
himself or his dogs tasting food. At length when he had determined on
killing one of the dogs to satisfy his hunger he happily met with a
beaten track which led him to some Indian lodges where he obtained food.
The morning of the 21st was cold but pleasant for travelling. We left Mr.
Isbester and his companion and crossed the peninsula of Mosquito Point to
avoid a detour of several miles which the river makes. Though we put up
at an early hour we gained eleven miles this day. Our encampment was at
the lower extremity of Tobin's Falls. The snow being less deep on the
rough ice which enclosed this rapid we proceeded on the 22nd at a quicker
pace than usual but at the expense of great suffering to Mr. Back, myself
and Hepburn, whose feet were much galled. After passing Tobin's Falls the
river expands to the breadth of five hundred yards, and its banks are
well wooded with pines, poplars, birch and willow. Many tracks of
moose-deer and wolves were observed near the encampment.
On the 23rd the sky was generally overcast and there were several snow
showers. We saw two wolves and some foxes cross the river in the course
of the day and passed many tracks of the moose and red-deer. Soon after
we had encamped the snow fell heavily which was an advantage to us after
we had retired to rest by its affording an additional covering to our
blankets. The next morning at breakfast time two men arrived from Carlton
on their way to Cumberland. Having the benefit of their track we were
enabled, to our great joy, to march at a quick pace without snowshoes. My
only regret was that the party proceeded too fast to allow of Mr. Back's
halting occasionally to note the bearings of the points and delineate the
course of the river* without being left behind. As the provisions were
getting short I could not therefore with propriety check the progress of
the party; and indeed it appeared to me less necessary as I understood
the river had been carefully surveyed. In the afternoon we had to resume
the encumbrance of the snowshoes and to pass over a rugged part where the
ice had been piled over a collection of stones. The tracks of animals
were very abundant on the river, particularly near the remains of an old
establishment called the Lower Nippeween.
(*Footnote. This was afterwards done by Dr. Richardson during a voyage to
Carlton in the spring.)
So much snow had fallen on the night of the 24th that the track we
intended to follow was completely covered and our march today was very
fatiguing. We passed the remains of two red-deer lying at the bases of
perpendicular cliffs from the summits of which they had probably been
forced by the wolves. These voracious animals, who are inferior in speed
to the moose or red-deer, are said frequently to have recourse to this
expedient in places where extensive plains are bounded by precipitous
cliffs. Whilst the deer are quietly grazing the wolves assemble in great
numbers and, forming a crescent, creep slowly towards the herd so as not
to alarm them much at first but, when they perceive that they have fairly
hemmed in the unsuspecting creatures and cut off their retreat across the
plain, they move more quickly and with hideous yells terrify their prey
and urge them to flight by the only open way, which is that towards the
precipice, appearing to know that when the herd is once at full speed it
is easily driven over the cliff, the rearmost urging on those that are
before. The wolves then descend at their leisure and feast on the mangled
carcasses. One of these animals passed close to the person who was
beating the track but did not offer any violence. We encamped at sunset
after walking thirteen miles.
On the 26th we were rejoiced at passing the halfway point between
Cumberland and Carlton.
