NO. 1105. MAMMALS OF NORrilWEST TERRITORIES— MACFARLANE. ()V)7 



aiy 22, 1870. \\q accompaiiied the old Hudson Bay winter packet, 

 due to leave Fort Simpson annually on December 1, Fort Chipewyan 

 rlanuary 2, Isle a la Crosse January 20, and Carlton House, Saskatclic- 

 wan, early in February; but by rapid travel ing tiie party nianag-ed 

 to arrive at Chipewyan nine or ten days ahead of time. At'tcn- a rest 

 of several days we started witii my own and another team of fresh 

 dogs carrying" our baggage and provisions. No time was lost on the 

 march; in fact, we got over tht> ground between the ditferent company's 

 posts at a very rapid gait, and always had fresh baggag-e, men, and 

 dogs, while the packet was dispatched independently on the usual dat(>s 

 from Fort Chi})ewvan, post to post, to Carlton. By this means I was 

 enabled to give frequent r(>sts, exclusive of Sundays, to my own team 

 and personal sin'vant, and also spend about a month in i\w. aggregate 

 with friends and ac(piaintances on the wav. We ne\'er delaved the 

 packet; on the contrary, when we finalh' overtook its l)earers, our 

 fourth and their seventh day out from Carlton, the united party made 

 l)etter progress, and but for the first Red River I'ebellion of I^ouis 

 Riel it Avould have arrived at Fort Garr}, if not earlier, certainly not 

 later, than the usual date. When we reached the com})any's post at 

 Touchwood Hills, there were orders for the packet to report at Fort 

 Pell}' instead of proceeding by the direct route by way of Fort Ellice. 

 This necessitated the adoption of a nuich longer and moi-e tedious 

 course b}' way of Forts Qu'appelle and Pelly, Shoal Lake, Waterhen 

 River, Manitoba House, Oak Point, and White Horse Plains to Fort 

 Garr}^, which was reached on February 25, ISTo. Having long lost 

 the brief itinerary of this journey 1 can not at this late date give 

 details, but 1 lirmly l)elieve that the time actually consumed in travel- 

 ing was less than seven out of the twelve weeks spent thereon (except 

 at the last A\e always rested on Sundays), and foi" that time we aver- 

 aged more than 4() miles a day, a record probably never before or 

 since attained by the same dogs on a trip of equal extent. Four of 

 the five haulers were of Eskimo breed, and they wei'e engaged thereon 

 from start to finish. A spare dog who lingered behind our second 

 da}^ out from Fort Simpson was killed by a band of wolves not far 

 from our night encampment. Another of the team, which suffered 

 severely from sore paws, was i-eplaced at Chipewyan. With the excep- 

 tion of one or two of the last of the many trade posts between Fort 

 Simpson and Oak Point, the team invarial)ly arriAed at a rattling fast 

 pace. It was the custom in those da3\s, as it still is in some parts of 

 the great interior, for winter voyagers to stop for a short time within 

 a few miles of a post in order to make themselves presental)le to the 

 inmates. The dogs were also dressed with worsted or silk-fringed 

 tapis of fine cloth, richl}' ])eaded or embroidered, and banded with 

 brass or silver-plated round bells. Ribbon-adorned iron branched 

 stands of small open bells screwed on top of their harness collars, 



