74 ARRIVAL AT THE COAST 



the services of three other Indians who, with Mastie, were to 

 conduct me to McLeod's Lake by that route, while Mr. Macoun 

 was to proceed by the River to the same point. But all my ar- 

 rangements were soon broken through by one of my chosen band, 

 a newly married man, backing out and his example, being con- 

 tagious, decided the others to refuse, point blank, to go on the 

 journey, which they now pronounced to be hazardous and 

 difficult." 



Before proceeding up the river, it was decided that we should 

 make a supply of pemmican for the passage of the mountains. 

 Being interested in the making of it, I decided to watch the pro- 

 cess. To make fine pemmican, thirty pounds of pounded lean 

 meat, then thirty pounds of fat are taken, and in our case, thirty 

 pounds of Saskatoon berries as well, the three making a total 

 weight of ninety pounds. A small trough was obtained and the 

 thirty pounds of pounded meat thrown into it with the thirty 

 pounds of bear's grease, or moose grease, and then the thirty 

 pounds of Saskatoon berries which had been dried. With a scoop, 

 we mixed it all up together. Then a bag, which had been made 

 of green moose skin with the hairy side out, received this mixture, 

 by being shovelled and pounded in and, as soon as it was cold, 

 it became almost as hard as rock. Pemmican made, as this 

 was, is almost impervious to water. While at St. Johns we did 

 not eat pemmican because there was an abundance of moose 

 meat and before we started on our trip each man was given a 

 supply of eight pounds a day moose meat for rations. I, myself, 

 got thirty-two pounds of moose meat for a four-day trip, which 

 we now took up the Peace River. 



It was fifty miles from St. Johns to Hudson's Hope by the 

 river and we were expecting to go up in four days. Our start 

 was not very propitious. We had two canoes, two Indians in 

 each canoe, myself in one, and Armstrong in the other. Mastie, 

 the chief, steered my canoe, and Armstrong had charge of the 

 other. The population of the post came down to see us make 

 our start. When I gave the word to shove off, Armstrong's canoe 

 gracefully turned down the river, while Mastie turned up and of 

 course we had to go on shore again until the other canoe had been 



