192 WITH GUN AND GUIDE 



quoted men in this section. He was on his way to 

 Vancouver, and would take our stage back to 150-mile 

 house, starting from Soda Creek at midnight. 



Our steamer left at the same hour for Quesnelle, 

 sixty-five miles above, and we, being very tired from 

 our nineteen hours of staging, were soon in bed and 

 sound asleep. 



When we sat down to breakfast we found that the 

 steamer had made extra good time against a six-mile 

 current, and in three hours would be at Quesnelle, 

 about four hours ahead of her regular time. This was 

 on account of the splendid light of the full moon, 

 which enabled us to travel at full speed all night long. 



The first thing worthy of observance about the 

 famous Frazer River is the number of " busted " mining 

 enterprises, the wrecks of which can be seen at inter- 

 vals, first on one side and then on the other mute 

 evidence of blasted hopes, ruined fortunes and perhaps 

 of many tragedies in frontier life. 



We saw a big dredge which had been hauled out on 

 the bank of the river because the finding of gold by 

 dredging had been unprofitable or impossible at that 

 location. The spring and the fall floods had piled up 

 sand, stones and floating snags around it, so that it 

 was all submerged excepting the topmost parts. A 

 man on the boat told us that there were at least twelve 

 of these derelicts on the river between Soda Creek and 

 Fort George. 



