Ungava
Page 4
CHAPTER FOUR.
EXPLANATORY, BUT NOT DRY!--MURDEROUS DESIGNS THWARTED BY VIGOROUSTREATMENT--THE CATTLE PAY FOR IT!--PREPARATIONS FOR A LONG, LONG VOYAGE.
In order to render our story intelligible, it is necessary here to say afew words explanatory of the nature and object of the expeditionreferred to in the foregoing chapters.
Many years previous to the opening of our tale, it was deemed expedient,by the rulers of the Hudson's Bay Fur Company, to effect, if possible, areconciliation or treaty of peace between the Muskigon Indians ofJames's Bay and the Esquimaux of Hudson's Straits. The Muskigons are byno means a warlike race; on the contrary, they are naturally timid, andonly plucked up courage to make war on their northern neighbours inconsequence of these poor people being destitute of firearms, whilethemselves were supplied with guns and ammunition by the fur-traders.The Esquimaux, however, are much superior to the Muskigon Indiansphysically, and would have held their adversaries in light esteem hadthey met on equal terms, or, indeed, on any terms at all; but the evilwas that they never met. The Indians always took them by surprise, andfrom behind the rocks and bushes sent destruction into their camps withthe deadly bullet; while their helpless foes could only reply with thecomparatively harmless arrow and spear. Thus the war was in fact anannual raid of murderers. The conceited Muskigons returned to theirwigwams in triumph, with bloody scalps hanging at their belts; while theEsquimaux pushed farther into their ice-bound fastnesses, and told theircomrades, with lowering brows and heaving bosoms, of the sudden attack,and of the wives and children who had been butchered in cold blood, orled captive to the tents of the cowardly red men.
At such times those untutored inhabitants of the frozen regions vowedvengeance on the Indians, and cursed in their hearts the white men whosupplied them with the deadly gun. But the curse was unmerited. In thecouncils of the fur-traders the subject of Esquimau wrongs had beenmooted, and plans for the amelioration of their condition devised.Trading posts were established on Richmond Gulf and Little Whale River;but owing to circumstances which it is unnecessary to detail here, theyturned out failures, and were at length abandoned. Still, those incharge of the districts around Hudson's Bay and Labrador continued touse every argument to prevail on the Indians to cease their murderousassaults on their unoffending neighbours, but without much effect. Atlength the governor of East Main--a territory lying on the easternshores of James's Bay--adopted an argument which proved eminentlysuccessful, at least for one season.
His fort was visited by a large band of Muskigons from Albany and Moosedistricts, who brought a quantity of valuable furs, for which theydemanded guns and ammunition, making no secret of their intention toproceed on an expedition against their enemies the Esquimaux. Onhearing of this, the governor went out to them, and, in a voice ofextreme indignation, assured them that they should not have an ounce ofsupplies for such a purpose.
"But we will pay you for what we ask. We are not beggars!" exclaimedthe astonished Indians, into whose calculations it had never enteredthat white traders would refuse good furs merely in order to prevent thedeath of a few Esquimaux.
"See," cried the angry governor, snatching up the nearest bale offurs--"see, that's all I care for you or your payment!" and hurling thepack at its owner's head, he felled him therewith to the ground. "No,"he continued, shaking his fist at them, "I'll not give you as muchpowder or shot as would blow off the tail of a rabbit, if you were tobring me all the skins in Labrador!"
The consequence of this vigorous conduct was that the Indians retiredcrestfallen--utterly discomfited. But in the camp that night theyplotted revenge. In the darkness of the night they slaughtered all thecattle around the establishment, and before daybreak were over the hillsand far away in the direction of their hunting-grounds, loaded withfresh beef sufficient for the supply of themselves and their familiesfor the winter! It was a heavy price to pay; but the poor Esquimauxremained unmolested that year, while the Indians received a salutarylesson. But the compulsory peace was soon broken, and it becameapparent that the only effectual way to check the bloodthirstypropensity of the Indians was to arm their enemies with the gun. Thedestruction of the first expedition to the Esquimaux, and the badfeeling that existed in the minds of the natives of Richmond Gulfconsequent thereon, induced the fur-traders to fix on another localityfor a new attempt. It was thought that the remote solitudes of UngavaBay, at the extreme north of Labrador,--where the white man's axe hadnever yet felled the stunted pines of the north, nor the ring of hisrifle disturbed its echoes,--would be the spot best suited for theerection of a wooden fort.
Accordingly, it was appointed that Mr George Stanley should select acoadjutor, and proceed with a party of picked men to the scene of actionas early in the spring as the ice would permit, and there build a fortas he best could, with the best materials he could find; live onwhatever the country afforded in the shape of food; establish a trade inoil, whalebone, arctic foxes, etcetera, etcetera, if they were to begot; and bring about a reconciliation between the Esquimaux and theIndians of the interior, if that were possible. With the carefulminuteness peculiar to documents, Stanley's instructions went on topoint out that he was to start from Moose--with two half-sized canoes,each capable of carrying ten _pieces_ or packages of 90 pounds weighteach, besides the crew--and _bore_ through the ice, if the ice wouldallow him, till he should reach Richmond Gulf; cross this gulf, andascend, if practicable, some of the rivers which fall into it from theheight of land supposed, but not positively known, to exist somewhere inthe interior. Passing this height, he was to descend by the rivers andlakes (if such existed) leading to the eastward, until he should fallupon a river reported to exist in these lands, and called by the natives_Caniapuscaw_, or South River, down which he was to proceed to the sceneof his labours, Ungava Bay; on reaching which he was considerately leftto the unaided guidance of his own discretion! Reduced to their lowestterm and widest signification, the instructions directed our friend tostart as early as he could, with whom he chose, and with what he liked;travel as fast as possible over _terra incognita_ to a land of ice--perhaps, also, of desolation--and locate himself among bloody savages.It was hoped that there would be found a sufficiency of trees wherewithto build him a shelter against a prolonged winter; in the meantime hemight enjoy a bright arctic summer sky for his canopy!
But it was known, or at least supposed, that the Esquimaux were fierceand cruel savages, if not cannibals. Their very name implies somethingof the sort. It signifies _eaters of raw flesh_, and was bestowed onthem by their enemies the Muskigons. They call themselves _Innuit_-men,or warriors; and although they certainly do eat raw flesh when necessitycompels them--which it often does--they asserted that they never did sofrom choice. However, be this as it may, the remembrance of theirmisdeeds in the first expeditions was fresh in the minds of the men inthe service of the fur-traders, and they evinced a decided unwillingnessto venture into such a country and among such a people,--anunwillingness which was only at length overcome when Mrs Stanley andher little daughter heroically volunteered to share the dangers of theexpedition in the manner already narrated.
Stanley now made vigorous preparations for his departure. Some of themen had already been enrolled, as we have seen, and there were more thanenough of able and active volunteers ready to complete the crews.
"Come hither, lads," he cried, beckoning to two men who were occupied onthe bank of the river, near the entrance to Moose Fort, in repairing theside of a canoe.
The men left their work and approached. They were both Esquimaux, andgood stout, broad-shouldered, thick-set specimens of the race they were.One was called Oolibuck, [_This name is spelt as it should bepronounced. The correct spelling is Ouligbuck_], the other Augustus;both of which names are now chronicled in the history of arcticadventure as having belonged to the well-tried and faithful interpretersto Franklin, Back, and Richardson, in their expeditions of north-westdiscovery.
"I'm glad to see you busy at the canoe, boys," said Stanley, as
theycame up. "Of course you are both willing to revisit your countrymen."
"Yes, sir, we is. Glad to go where you choose send us," answeredOolibuck, whose broad, oily countenance lighted up with good-humour ashe spoke.
"It will remind you of your trip with Captain Franklin," continuedStanley, addressing Augustus.
"Me no like to 'member dat," said the Esquimau, with a sorrowful shakeof the head. "Me love bourgeois Franklin, but tink me never see himmore."
"I don't know that, old fellow," returned Stanley, with a smile."Franklin is not done with his discoveries yet; there's a talk ofsending off another expedition some of these days, I hear, so you mayhave a chance yet."
Augustus's black eyes sparkled with pleasure as he heard this. He was aman of strong feeling, and during his journeyings with our great arctichero had become attached to him in consequence of the hearty andunvarying kindness and consideration with which he treated all under hiscommand. But the spirit of enterprise had been long slumbering, andpoor Augustus, who was now past the prime of life, feared that he shouldnever see his kind master more.
"Now I want you, lads, to get everything in readiness for an immediatestart," continued Stanley, glancing upwards at the sky; "if the weatherholds, we shan't be long off paying your friends a visit. Are bothcanoes repaired?"
"Yes, sir, they is," replied Oolibuck.
"And the baggage, is it laid out? And--"
"Pardon, monsieur," interrupted Massan, walking up, and touching hiscap. "I've jest been down at the point, and there's a rig'larnor'-wester a-comin' down. The ice is sweepin' into the river, an'it'll be choked up by to-morrow, I'm afraid."
Stanley received this piece of intelligence with a slight frown, andlooked seaward, where a dark line on the horizon and large fields of iceshowed that the man's surmise was likely to prove correct.
"It matters not," said Stanley, hastily; "I've made arrangements tostart to-morrow, and start we shall, in spite of ice or wind, if thecanoes will float!"
Massan, who had been constituted principal steersman of the expedition,in virtue of his well-tried skill and indomitable energy, felt that thetone in which this was said implied a want of confidence in hiswillingness to go under _any_ circumstances, so he said gravely--
"Pardon, monsieur; I did not say we could not start."
"True, true, Massan; don't be hurt. I was only grumbling at theweather," answered Stanley, with a laugh.
Just then the first puff of the coming breeze swept up the river,ruffling its hitherto glassy surface.
"There it comes," cried Stanley, as he quitted the spot. "Now, Massan,see to it that the crews are assembled in good time on the beachto-morrow. We start at daybreak."
"Oui, monsieur," replied Massan, as he turned on his heel and walkedaway. "Parbleu! we shall indeed start to morrow, an it please you, ifall the ice and wind in the polar regions was blowed down the coast andcrammed into the river's mouth. C'est vrai!"