84 ARRIVAL AT THE COAST 



Hudson's Bay Company ever since I left Edmonton as, when I 

 left there, I had no money and they paid my way through until 

 I reached Ottawa. Knowing this, I immediately went to the 

 Hudson's Bay store there and explained to Mr. Williamson, the 

 factor at Quesnel, that I had arrived and would expect him to 

 take charge of me until I could get passage to Yale, on the Cariboo 

 stage. He was very kind and arranged everything for me, promptly 

 and effectively, so that in a few days I was on my way to Yale 

 with a company of miners who were returning from the Omineca 

 and Cariboo gold fields. The only exceptions in the company 

 were myself and Judge Sullivan, who, three years after, was 

 drowned in the wreck that took place off Cape Flattery. We 

 had the usual difficulties that are experienced in travelling in 

 winter but the road was good and the horses were in excellent 

 condition and the Barnard Stage kept up its repute and Joe, our 

 driver, was a host in himself and careful of his passengers. I will 

 mention only one or two of the adventures that we had on the 

 way. One that stands out very prominently in my mind was 

 going down a steep hill with a precipice at one side and a moun- 

 tain on the other. We were in a wagon by this time (we had 

 started with a sleigh), as we were passing south, and the whole 

 face of the hill was covered with clear ice upon which neither 

 man nor beast could stand. Joe stopped the stage and said, 

 "Gentlemen, you can do as you see fit, ride down the hill with 

 me, or go down each for himself and I will pick you up at the 

 bottom." We one and all decided to leave the stage and Joe 

 kept his seat and took the lines of his four horses and said, "Good- 

 bye, boys," He knew well that if he went over the precipice he 

 and the horses would be killed and he knew, at the same time, 

 that if he could steer the stage, he could steer the horses. So 

 Joe, the stage and the horses, slid down the hill. We watched their 

 progress and when Joe disappeared around a turn we knew he 

 was safe. Then we began to descend and each man had his own 

 plan and his own difficulty. We all got down safely. I remember 

 that I kept to the cliff and held on to points of rock when it was 

 too difficult to stand. 



The next episode I think of was when we reached Lytton. 



