Ungava
Page 34
CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR.
ROUGH AND TUMBLE--A POLAR BEAR MADE USEFUL--FISHING AND FLOUNDERING, ANDNARROW ESCAPES--AN UNEXPECTED DISCOVERY, PRODUCTIVE OF MINGLEDPERPLEXITY AND JOY.
"You remember, I daresay, that the day on which I left Ungava, lastspring, was an unusually fine one--just such a day, Eda, as those onwhich you and I and Chimo were wont to clamber up the berry-glen. Butthe clambering that we went through there was nothing to the work wewent through on our third day from the fort. Maximus and Oolibuck werefirst-rate climbers, and we would have got over the ground much fasterthan we did but for the dogs, which could not travel easily over therough ground with their loaded sled. Chimo, indeed, hauled like a hero,and if the other dogs had been equal to him we would have been herebefore to-day. Well, as I said, our third day was one of considerabletoil. Leaving the river we struck into the mountains, but after nearlybreaking our sled to pieces, and endangering our necks more than once,we found it necessary to return to the river and follow its windingsinto the interior.
"After many days of as rough travelling as I ever experienced, we cameto the lake district on the height of land, and travelled for some timemore rapidly and with much greater ease. There were plenty of ptarmiganhere, so that we saved our provisions--a matter of importance, as youknow, in a country where we might have found nothing fit for food. Oneevening, towards sunset, as we were crossing a large lake, it came on tosnow heavily, and ere long we could not see the land.
"`What shall we do, Maximus?' said I; `it seems to me that if we go onwe may wander out of our course and lose much time ere we find it again.Shall we turn back?'
"`Better go on,' replied Maximus.
"Oolibuck seemed to be of the same opinion, so I gave my whip a flourishto urge on the dogs, which were beginning to flag, owing to thedifficulty of drawing the sled through the deepening snow. But the tworear dogs could hardly be prevailed on to move. Even Chimo was knockedup. In this dilemma Maximus came to my aid. He hung one of theptarmigan at his belt, and letting the dogs smell it, walked on before.The hungry animals brightened up instantly, and went forward for aconsiderable distance with alacrity.
"But after trudging on for two or three miles, the snow fell so thicklythat we thought proper to call a halt and hold another council of war.
"`Now,' said I, `it is my opinion that we should encamp on the ice;there is no use in wearying the dogs, and ourselves in uncertainty; whatthink you, lads?'
"`Me t'ink so too,' said Oolibuck.
"Maximus nodded his head by way of assent, so we immediately set to workto make our encampment. You recollect the hut we built on the lake whenI was so badly hurt, and when you were lost, Eda? Well, we made asnow-house just like that one; and as we worked very hard, we had it upand were all snug under its shelter in little more than two hours.Meanwhile, the dogs were fed; and a small piece of wood, that wefortunately brought with us on the sled, was cut up, and a fire kindled.But this only served long enough to boil the kettle; and then it wentout, leaving us to eat our supper in the dark, for by this time the sunhad set. However, we did not mind that much; and when we had finished,and were stretched out side by side on the snow, smoking our pipes,while the dogs lay at our feet and kept us warm, I thought that a palacecould not have been more comfortable than our snow-house.
"As we had no wood wherewith to make another fire, and so could notprocure water except by the tedious process of digging through the ice,I resolved to try an experiment which I had once heard had beenattempted with success. This was, to fill a bottle with snow and takeit to bed with me. During the night the heat of my body melted thesnow, and in the morning we had sufficient water to give us each adraught at breakfast.
"When morning came we found that it was blowing and drifting so hardthat we could not venture to move; so we made up our minds to remainwhere we were until the weather should moderate.
"`Maximus,' said I, after our breakfast of cold boiled ptarmigan wasover, `set to work outside and dig a hole through the ice. I have nodoubt we shall find fish in this lake. If we do, they will form anexcellent addition to our fare. I will prepare the lines and hooks.'
"Maximus, whose huge body was stretched out at full length, while heenjoyed his pipe, rose to obey; but as he was about to leave the hutOolibuck said a few words to him.
"`Please, sir,' said Oolibuck, with his usual oily smile, `my countrymenfish in igloo when blow hard. Pr'aps ve make hole here, if you like.'
"`Very good,' said I; `make the hole where you please, and look sharpabout it, else I shall have my lines prepared before you reach thewater.'
"The two Esquimaux immediately set to work, and in less than an hour ahole about six feet deep was yawning in the middle of our floor.Through this we set two lines, and our usual luck attended usimmediately. We caught five or six excellent white-fish, and one or twotrout, in the first half-hour, so that we were enabled to give the dogsa capital feed. Moreover, we froze as many as we could carry along withus for future use; but we had not the satisfaction of having a gooddinner of them that day, as we had no wood wherewith to make fire. Youwould have been greatly amused had you peeped in at the ice-window ofour igloo that day, as we sat round the hole in the floor with eager,excited looks. I confess, however, that I left the work principally tothe two men, who seemed to relish it amazingly. Maximus was earnest andenergetic, as he always is; but the expression of Oolibuck's faceunderwent the most extraordinary transformations--now beaming withintense hope, as he felt, or thought he felt, a _tug_; anon blazing withexcitement, while his body jerked as if a galvanic shock had assailedit, under the influence of a decided _pull_. Then his visage waselongated as the fish escaped, and was again convulsed by another pull,or shone in triumph as he hauled the wriggling captive into the light ofday.
"Towards evening the wind fell, and we resumed our journey. We were notagain interrupted by weather for more than a week after this, but weremuch perplexed by the chains of small lakes into which we came. At lastwe reached Clearwater Lake, and had a long consultation as to the bestcourse to pursue, because it was now a question whether we should followthe chain of lakes by which we came up to Ungava in our canoes, or makea straight cut for the coast and take our chance of finding it. Whilewe were yet uncertain what to do, our course was decided by a polarbear!"
"A polar bear!" cried Edith, in surprise.
"Ay; a polar bear and her cub settled the question for us, as you shallhear presently," replied Frank. "But first hand me papa'stobacco-pouch, please, as my pipe is exhausted.
"There, now," continued Frank, re-lighting his pipe, and throwing afresh log on the fire, "that's comfortable. Well, as I said, we weresomewhat perplexed as to what we should do, when, in wandering about thelake endeavouring to find the outlet, I came upon the track of a polarbear; and by the side of it were little foot-prints, which showed methat it was a she-bear with her cub. I observed that the tracks werequite fresh.
"`Now, then, Maximus,' said I, pointing to the tracks, which went to thewestward, `there is a sure guide who will conduct us by the quickestroute to the coast.' I could tell this, Eda, because I knew that thebear had found food rather scarce in those high regions, and woulddescend Clearwater River in order to fish in the open water at thefalls, which are very numerous in that river. On reaching the coast itwould find plenty seals in the sea. In the meantime I had nothing to dobut follow its track to be conducted by the shortest route to ClearwaterRiver, the commencement of which was difficult to find owing to theflatness of the margin of the lake at this end. Away we went then, and,as I had expected, were soon led to the river, down the banks of whichwe scrambled, over rocks and crags, through bushes and snow, until wecame to the coast at Richmond Gulf.
"But it took us many weeks to accomplish the journey which I havebriefly sketched thus far, and when we reached the coast, worn with hardtravel, and our clothing uncomfortably ragged, the spring was welladvanced--rivers were breaking up, ducks and geese were passing to thenorth, and there
were thousands of deer, so that we found ourselvessuddenly in the midst of abundance. Just before reaching the gulf Iwitnessed the breaking up of a river, which was one of the grandestsights I ever saw.
"The river was not a very large one. On reaching it we were much struckwith a curious barrier of ice that was jammed across it. On examinationI saw that the ice had given way some time before we arrived there, andan enormous cake, of many yards surface and fully six feet thick, had,while being hurled along by the swelling water, caught upon the ruggedrocks and been tilted upon end. Thus it formed a temporary barrier,against which other masses were forced until the outlet was completelychecked, and the water began to rise with great rapidity. As we stoodon the high cliff, looking down on the wild ravine in which this wasgoing on, I heard a loud crack. In another instant the obstructingbarrier burst like a thunderclap, and the pent-up waters leaped with onemighty roar into their accustomed channel! The devastation created wasinconceivably grand. Rocks of many tons weight were torn up, cast likeplaythings on the rushing ice, and hurled on the cliffs below, whiletrees, and ice, and water swept down the gorge in a mad whirl, that mademy brain reel as I gazed at it. In an hour the worst of this awfulscene was over, but the unutterable desolation that was left will remainfor centuries, I believe, to tell of the mighty _rush_ that happenedthere.
"Our first experience of Richmond Gulf was not by any means pleasant.When we arrived it was covered with ice; but we did not know that,although it appeared to be solid enough, it was in reality little betterthan frozen sludge or foam. Oolibuck happened to be walking first, withthe line of his little sled over his shoulder. For a short distance weplodded on, intending to cross the gulf; but I was suddenly aroused froma reverie by a shout from Maximus. Looking hastily up, I beheld nothingof Oolibuck except his head above the ice, while Maximus was trying topull him out by hauling at the tail-line of the sled. Luckily Oolibuckhad kept fast hold of the line which was over his shoulder, and aftermuch trouble we succeeded in dragging him out of the water. A sharpfrost happened to have set in, and before we got back to the shore thepoor fellow's garments were frozen so stiff that he could not run.
"`This is a bad job, Maximus,' said I; `we must carry him. Do you lifthis head, and I'll take the feet.'
"`Oh be queek! I is frizzen up,' cried Oolibuck, casting a rueful lookthrough his tangled locks, which were a mere mass of icicles!
"Maximus gave a loud chuckle, and before I could assist him he seizedhis comrade in his powerful arms, heaved him over his shoulder like asack, and ran towards the shore as lightly as if his burden were a childinstead of a big over-fed Esquimau!
"Arrived at the woods, we wrapped Oolibuck in our blankets; then wekindled a fire, and in two hours after his clothes were dried andhimself ready to proceed. This might have turned out a more seriousaccident, however, and we felt very thankful when we had our dampcompanion steaming beside a good fire. The lesson was not thrown away,for we coasted round Richmond Gulf instead of attempting to cross it.
"And now," continued Frank, stirring the fire and re-lighting his pipe,which invariably went out at the interesting parts of hisnarrative--"now I come to that part of my story which bears on the fateof Maximus.
"As I have said, we had arrived at the coast, and began to look forwardto Moose Fort as the first resting-place on our journey. By far thegreater part of the journey lay before us, Eda; for, according to mycalculation, I have travelled since last spring a distance of threethousand miles, nearly a thousand of which have been performed on foot,upwards of a thousand in boats and canoes, and a thousand by sea; and inthe whole distance I did not see a civilised spot of ground or a singleroad--not so much as a bridle-path. As Bryan's favourite song has it--
"`Over mountains and rivers I was pelted to shivers.'
"But I'm happy to say I have not, as the same song continues, `met onthis land with a wathery grave.' I was very near it once, however, asyou shall hear.
"Well, away we went along the coast of James's Bay, much relieved tothink that the mountains were now past, and that our road henceforth,whatever else it might be, was level. One evening, as we were ploddingwearily along, after a hard day's march over soft snow alternated withsandy beach--for the spring was fast advancing--we came suddenly on acamp of Indians. At first I thought they must be some of the MooseIndians, but on inquiry I found that they were a party of Muskigons, whohad wandered all over East Main, and seemed to be of a roving, unsettleddisposition. However, we determined to encamp along with them for thatnight, and get all the information we could out of them in regard totheir hunting-grounds.
"We spent a great part of the night in the leathern wigwam of theprincipal chief, who was a sinister-looking old rascal, though I mustsay he received us hospitably enough, and entertained us with a gooddeal of small-talk, after time and the pipe had worn away his reserve.But I determined to spend part of the night in the tent of a solitaryold woman who had recently been at Moose Fort, and from whom I hoped tohear some news of our friends there. You know I have had always apartiality for miserable old wives, Eda; which accounts, perhaps, for myliking for you! This dame had been named Old Moggy by the people atMoose; and she was the most shrivelled, dried-up, wrinkled old body youever saw. She was testy too; but this was owing to the neglect sheexperienced at the hands of her tribe. She was good-tempered by nature,however; a fact which became apparent the longer I conversed with her.
"`Well, Old Moggy,' said I, on entering her tent, `what cheer, whatcheer?'
"`There's no cheer here,' she replied peevishly, in the Indian tongue.
"`Nay, then,' said I, `don't be angry, mother; here's a bit o' baccy towarm your old heart. But who is this you have got beside you?' Iasked, on observing a good-looking young girl, with a melancholy cast ofcountenance, seated in a dark corner of the wigwam, as if she soughtconcealment. I observed that she was whiter than Indians usually are,and supposed at first that she was a half-breed girl; but a secondglance convinced me that she had little if any of the Indian blood inher veins.
"`She is my only friend,' said Old Moggy, her dark eye brightening asshe glanced towards the girl. `She was to have been my son's wife, butthe Great Spirit took my son away. She is all that is left to me now.'
"The old woman's voice trembled as she spoke the last few words, and shespread her skinny hands over the small fire that smouldered in thecentre of the floor.
"I was proceeding to make further inquiries into this girl's history,when the curtain-door of the tent was raised and Oolibuck thrust in hisshaggy head.
"`Please, sir, de ole chief him wants baccy. I have smoke all mine.Vill you give some?'
"`Here you are,' said I, throwing a lump to the Esquimau. `Send Maximusto me; I want to speak with him.'
"`I is here,' said Maximus, outside the tent.
"`Ah! that's right.--Now, Old Moggy, I'll be back in a few minutes, sodon't go to sleep till I return.'
"As I was about to issue from the tent, the young girl passed mehastily, and, drawing the hood over her head and face, darted throughthe opening. I found Maximus gazing after her in surprise.
"`Hallo, Maximus! what's wrong? Do you think the girl's a witch?'
"`No; but I t'ink she be funny. She look close into my face, and fly'way when you come hout o' tent.'
"`That's odd. Did you ever see her before?'
"`I not see her yet. She keep face covered up.'
"`Well, come along, it doesn't signify. I want you to go with me to thechief's wigwam, to ask where we are to put the dogs for the night, andto see about our own quarters.'
"Old Moggy's wigwam stood at the distance of several hundred yards fromthe other tents of the village, from which it was separated by a belt ofstunted trees and willows. Through this copsewood Maximus and I tookour way, following one of the many beaten tracks made by the Indians.The night was clear, and we found no difficulty in picking our stepsamong the low shrubs. When we were about half-way through this wood, Iobserved a female for
m gliding among the bushes. She ran towardsMaximus, who walked in advance and concealed me with his bulky form.But a slight bend in the road revealed my figure, and the woman paused,as if uncertain what to do.
"`Surely that is your unknown friend again,' said I, as we both halted.Then I beckoned her to approach. At first she appeared unwilling to doso; but suddenly she seemed to change her mind, and walking boldly up toMaximus, she threw back her hood and stood before him. I observed thatshe was Moggy's young friend, but a wondrous change had come over her.The pale cheeks were now covered with a bright blush, and the sad eyeswere sparkling with animation, as she gazed intently into the face ofthe Esquimau. For a few seconds Maximus looked like one thunder-struck.`Aneetka!' he exclaimed vehemently, and, striding forward with asuppressed cry, clasped the girl in his arms.
"You may easily conceive my surprise at this scene. Immediately therecollection of the attack by the Indians on the Esquimau camp, and ofMaximus's young bride having been carried off, flashed upon me, and Ihad no doubt that the Esquimau girl now stood before me. Indeed, thefact of the broken exclamations uttered by the pair being in theEsquimau tongue put this beyond a doubt. A feeling of great delightfilled my heart as I looked upon the couple thus unexpectedly reunited;while they, quite oblivious of my presence, poured out a flood ofquestion and reply, in the midst of which they ever and anon embraced,to make sure, no doubt, of their physical identity. Then it suddenlyoccurred to me that I was behaving very ill, so I wheeled about andsauntered away to a little distance in the direction of the shore, inorder to take some astronomical observations of the sky, and gazeinquiringly up at the moon, which at that moment broke through a bank ofclouds, tipping the icebergs on the sea and the branches of theoverhanging trees with silver light.
"In quarter of an hour Maximus came to me and presented his long-lostbride, Aneetka, whose pretty face beamed with joy, while her lover'sframe appeared to expand with felicity until he looked like anexaggerated Hercules. But we had no time to waste in talking of thepast. The present required our instant and earnest attention; so we satdown on the stem of a fallen tree to consult as to how we were to getAneetka out of the hands of her Indian captors. Her brief history,after she was captured at Ungava, was as follows:--
"The Indian who had intended to make her his bride found her resolvedrather to die than to marry him; but hoping that time would overcome herobjection, he placed her under the care of his widowed mother, OldMoggy, on returning to his village in the interior. Soon afterwardsthis Indian was killed by a brown bear, and the poor mother became asort of outcast from the tribe, having no relations to look after her.She was occasionally assisted, however, by two youths, who came to suefor the hand of the Esquimau girl. But Aneetka, true to her first love,would not listen to their proposals. One of these lovers was absent ona hunting expedition at the time we discovered Aneetka; the other, asurly fellow, and disliked by the most of his comrades, was in the camp.From the day of her son's death, a feeling of sympathy had sprung upbetween Old Moggy and the Esquimau girl, and this had graduallystrengthened into affection.
"Thus matters stood when we fell in with her. After much deliberation,it was resolved that I should go to the old chief and tell him that OldMoggy and her adopted child wished to quit the tribe and go to Moosewith us, to live there; while Aneetka should go and acquaint her oldprotectress with our plans and her own altered circumstances.
"`Adieu, then, Aneetka,' said I, as the girl pushed her lover away andbounded into the woods.--`Now, Maximus, nothing will do for it but stouthearts and strong arms. Come along, lad.'
"I found, to my surprise, that the old chief had no objection to thearrangement I proposed. A few of the others did not seem inclined topart with their captive; but I explained to them the advantage it wouldbe to them to have friends at court, as it were, and said that thefur-traders would be glad to support Moggy in her old age--which wastrue enough, for you all know as well as I do that there is not a postin the country where there are not one or more old or otherwise helplessIndians supported gratuitously by the Hudson's Bay Company. The onlyman who resolutely opposed the proposal was Meestagoosh, the rejectedlover; but I silenced him in a novel manner. He was a tall, powerfulfellow, of about my own size.
"`Come,' said I to his assembled comrades, in the Indian language, for Ifound they understood my bad mixture of Cree and Sauteaux verywell--`come, friends, let us deal fairly in this matter. My man therehas taken a fancy to the girl--let Meestagoosh and Maximus wrestle forher.'
"A loud laugh greeted this proposal, as the Indians surveyed the hugeproportions of my Esquimau.
"`Well, then,' I continued, `if Meestagoosh is afraid of the Esquimau, Ihave no objections to try him myself.' The Indian looked at me with anangry glance, and seemed, I thought, half inclined to accept thechallenge; so, to cut the matter short, I took him by the throat andhurled him to the ground--a feat which was evidently enjoyed by hiscountrymen.
"Meestagoosh rose and retired with a savage scowl on his face, and I sawno more of him. Indeed, I believe he left the camp immediately.
"After this no opposition was offered, and I made the matter sure bydistributing a large quantity of powder, shot, and tobacco to thechiefs. Old Moggy made no objection to our plan, so we set out the nextday with an additional dog purchased from the Indians in order to makeour team strong enough to haul the old woman when she got knocked upwith walking. Six days brought us to Moose Fort, just as the ice on theriver was breaking up. Here, as I have already told you, Maximus andAneetka were married in due form by the Wesleyan missionary, after theyhad received some instruction and expressed their desire to becomeChristians. Then they were supplied with a canoe and all necessaryprovisions, and sent off to go round the coast to Ungava, accompanied byour good dog Chimo, for whom we had now no further use, and by OldMoggy, who would not consent to be separated from her friend Aneetka.They started along the coast on a fine spring day, and the back of hissealskin coat, shining in the sun's rays like velvet, as the canoe sweptout to sea, and disappeared behind a low point, was the last that I sawof Maximus.
"I will not weary you just now," continued Frank, "with the details ofmy subsequent journeying, as, although full of incidents, nothing of avery thrilling character occurred except once. At Moose I remained tillthe rivers were clear of ice, and then set off into the interior of thecountry with a small canoe and five men, Oolibuck being bowsman. Formany days we voyaged by rivers and lakes, until we arrived at theMichipicoten River, which is a very rough one, and full of tremendousfalls and rapids. One day, while we were descending a rapid that rushedthrough a dark gorge of frowning rocks, and terminated in a fall, ourcanoe was broken in two, and the most of us thrown into the water. Weall swam ashore in safety, with the exception of one man, who clung tothe canoe, poor fellow, and was carried along with it over the fall. Wenever saw him more, although we searched long and carefully for hisbody.
"We now found ourselves in a very forlorn condition. We were drippingwet, without the means of making a fire, and without provisions orblankets, in the midst of a wild, uninhabited country. However, we didnot lose heart, but set off on foot to follow the river to its mouth,where we knew we should find relief at Michipicoten Fort. The few daysthat followed were the most miserable I ever passed. We allayed thecravings of hunger by scraping off the inner bark of the trees, and by afew of last year's berries which had been frozen and so preserved. Onceor twice we crossed the river on rafts of drift-wood, and at night laydown close to each other under the shelter of a tree or cliff. Atlength we arrived at the fort on Lake Superior, quite worn out withfatigue and starvation. Here we waited until the canoes from Canadapassed; and after a somewhat similar voyage, through woods, rivers, andlakes, arrived at length, about the beginning of autumn, at York Fort,on Hudson's Bay.
"Here I spent some weeks in recalling to memory and recording on paperthe contents of my dispatches, which had been lost, along with our canoeand baggage, in Michipicoten River; and whe
n these were finished anddelivered, I embarked, along with our outfit of goods, in the _Beaver_,and sailed for Ungava. I need scarcely add that the voyage was aprosperous one, and that the brightest day in it all was that on whichwe found the boat, with our dear little Edith, beset among the ice nearthe entrance to Ungava Bay."
While Frank was thus occupied in narrating the events of his longjourney in the hall of Fort Chimo, Oolibuck was similarly employed inentertaining the men. After the day's toil of unloading the ship wasover, he was placed in the middle of the circle, directly in front ofthe blazing fire, by Dick Prince and Massan; while Moses, Oostesimow,Gaspard, and Ma-istequan sat on his right; and Bryan, La Roche,Francois, and Augustus supported him on the left--all having pipes intheir mouths, which were more or less blackened by constant use. A pipewas then handed to Oolibuck, and the order given, generally by Bryan,"to blaze away."
This the oily-visaged Esquimau did with right good-will; and the shoutsof laughter which issued from the house occasionally, as he proceededwith his interminable narration, proved that the spirit and humour ofthe stout voyageur had not been crushed by the trials and dangers of hislong, eventful journey.