THE FUR-TRADE OF THE HUDSON'S BAY TERRITORIES. 305 



carried on without a boat made of materials at once flexible and touj^h, and ca- 

 pable moreover of being easily repaired without the aid of hammer and nails, 

 of saw and plane. This invaluable material is supplied by the rind of the jiaper- 

 birch, a tree whose uses in the Hudson's Bay territories are almost as manifold 

 as those of the palm-trees of the tropical zone. Where the skins of animals 

 are rare, the pliant bark, peeled off in large pieces, serves to cover the Indian's 

 tent. Carefully sewn together, and ornamented with the quills of the porcupine, 

 it is made into baskets, sacks, dishes, plates, and drinking-cups, and in fact is, in 

 one word, the chief material of which the household articles of the Crees are 

 formed. The v/ood serves for the manufacture of oars, snow-shoes, and sledges ; 

 and in spring the sap of the tree furnishes an agreeable beverage, which, by 

 boiling, may be inspissated into a sweet syrup. Beyond the Arctic Circle the 

 paper-birch is a rare and crooked tree, but it is met witli as a shrub as far as 

 89° N. lat. It grows to perfection on the northern shores of Lake Sii])erior. 

 near Fort William, where the canoes of the Hudson's Bay Company are chiei- 

 ly manufactured. 



A birch-bark canoe is between thirty and forty feet long, and the I'inds of 

 which it is built are sewn together with filaments of the root of the Canadian 

 fir. In cas£; of a hole being knocked into it during the journey, it can be patch- 

 ed like an old coat, and is then as good as new. As it has a flat bottom, it does 

 not sink deep into the water; and the river must be almost dried u]) which 

 could not carry such a boat. The cargo is divided into bales or parcels of from 

 90 to 100 pounds; and although it frequently amounts to more than four tons, 

 yet the canoe itself is so light that the crew can easily transport it upon their 

 shoulders. This crew generally consists of eight or ten men, two of whom 

 must be experienced boatmen, who receive doul)le pay, and are placed one at 

 the helm, the other at the poop. When the wind is fair, a sail is unfurled, and 

 serves to lighten the toil. 



The Canadian voyageur combines the light-heartedness of the Frenchman 

 with the apathy of the Indian, and his dress is also a mixture of that of the 

 Red-skins and of the European colonists. Frequently he is himself a mixture 

 of Gallic and Indian blood — a so-called " bois-brille," and in this case doubly 

 light-hearted and unruly. With his woollen blanket as a surcoat, his shirt of 

 striped cotton, his pantaloons of cloth, or his Indian stockings of leather, his 

 moccasins of deer-skin, and his sash of gaudily-dyed avooI, in which his 

 knife, his tobacco-bag, and various other utensils are stuck, he stands high m 

 his own esteem. His language is a French jargon, richly interlai'ded with 

 Indian and English words — a jumble fit to drive a grammarian mad, but 

 which he thinks so euphonious that his tongue is scarcely ever at rest. His 

 supply of songs and anecdotes is inexhaustible, and he is always ready for 

 a dance. His politeness is exemplary : he never calls his comrades otherwise 

 than " mon f rere," and " mon cousin." It is hardly necessary to remark that 

 he is able to handle his boat with the same ease as an expert rider manages 

 his horse. 



When after a hard day's work they rest for the night, the axe is immediately 

 at work in the nearest forest, and in less than ten minutes the tent is erected 



20 



