102 EXPLORATION TO THE PEACE RIVER 



all means, to keep close in shore as we passed out of the Parsnip 

 into the main river. I had my note book and showed Dr. Selwyn 

 what we did and how we passed the eddy three years before. He 

 paid no attention to what I told him and, after breakfast the next 

 day, he gave orders that we were to proceed down the river and 

 ignored what I had told him about the eddy. I refused to start 

 and told Mclennan to hold on to the bushes where we were and 

 let Dr. Selwyn proceed first. The other men in the canoe stayed 

 with us and Dr. Selwyn and his two Indians went on and rounded 

 the point out of our sight. In a short time, we saw them going 

 at a great rate backwards into the middle of the river and they 

 were pulling with all their might to get out of it. By good luck, 

 the eddy was nearly full at this time and it burst and they made 

 the shore in a short time. We waited to see what would happen 

 next and Dr. Selwyn and his men came back looking rather pale 

 and said that it was impossible to pass the eddy, at this stage of 

 the water, on that side. He now gave orders that we were to 

 cross the Parsnip and we went along the right bank of the Finlay 

 and when we got about a quarter of a mile up, Dr. Selwyn said 

 that we were far enough and that now we would cross and run 

 down the left bank of the Finlay. We all crossed and went up 

 the Finlay and he, with his two Indians, went first and crossed the 

 Finlay, and ran down and were in safety. Then, they called to 

 us and the canoe started and they succeeded the same way; we 

 in the "Nechaco" had a big punt to handle and she would never 

 steer or go anywhere but with the current and when we reached 

 the far side of the Finlay, we found the trees had fallen into the 

 water and we couldn't make the shore and had to keep out in 

 the current. However, we were able to round the point with the 

 aid of a rope thrown to us by Mclennan. Late in the afternoon , 

 we ran down to the rapids about a mile below us and camped. 

 Here Dr. Selwyn thought that it was a good place to fish and got 

 on his long rubber boots that reached to his hips and waded in 

 and stood on a stone, but received no bites except from mosquitoes, 

 and, in his efforts to beat them off, slipped and sat down on the 

 stone. When he got on his feet again, he found that he was 

 anchored as his boots were full and he was unable to walk out. 



