58 



EXPLORATIONS IN THE FAR NORTH 



panies in 1821, the Hudson's Bay Company occupied Coal 

 Island calling their station Fort Wedderburne. 1 Then, as now, 

 the rivalry between the traders induced them to visit the Indian 

 camps to procure furs and meat. During the winter preceding 

 my visit each establishment kept men and dog teams ready to 

 start at a moment's notice, whenever the hunters sent in a 

 report that they had some "fur." If an Indian secured a few 

 marten skins, worth ten or fifteen dollars, a boy would be sent 

 in with an empty sled to report the fact to one of the traders, 

 who would at once send his interpreter for them. The other 

 would soon hear of it and dispatch a courier in hot pursuit. 

 When the messenger arrived at the camp, the Indians had to be 

 given a little tobacco, flour, tea and sugar before furs were 

 mentioned. Then the whole story would be repeated — how the 

 Company had always looked after its red children and fed 

 them when the fisher)' failed, how they had brought them goods 

 when others could not, and goods of a quality far superior to 

 those of the opposition, which was not going to be in the 

 country another year anyway; if they deserted the Company 

 now, they would be left then to shift for themselves. Or, if it 

 happened to be the free trader's interpreter who was speaking, 

 he would tell the Indians of the many years during which they 

 and their fathers had been defrauded by the Company, which 

 never paid well for furs until his employers came, that now they 

 brought the best of goods to give their red brothers, at ridicu- 

 lously low prices, all of which would finally result in a bargain,, 

 wherein the furs were bought at the Edmonton price. If a 

 hunter is fortunate enough to secure one of the dozen silver 

 foxes which are trapped each winter, he is feasted and fawned 

 upon until he thinks he is conferring the greatest favor in part- 



" 1 The post was first established by Roderic Mackenzie, on the south 

 shore of the lake, just east of the debouchure of the Athabasca, pitched upon 

 a conspicuous projection which advanced about a league into the lake, the 

 base of which appeared in the shape of a person sitting with arms extended 

 the palms forming, as it were, a point. On this we settled and built a Fort 

 which we called Chipewean. It is altogether a beautiful, healthy situation, 

 in the centre of many excellent and never failing fisheries, provided they 

 are duly attended to at the proper season. Consideration importante dans 

 ces tristes regions ou le poisson etail a peu pres la seule ressource des Bour- 

 geois et de leurs employes pendant les longs mois d'hiver." Masson, L. R., 

 Les Bourgeois, Vol. I, p. 37. 



