CHAPTER VIII 

 1875 



Down the Peace River 700 Miles in a Dugout from Fort 

 St. John to Fort Chipewyan — Provisions run out — 

 Reaches Fort Chipewyan Sick and Starving — Returns 

 East via Athabasca. River, Buffalo Lake, Clearwater 

 River and Lake, Isle-a-la-Crosse, and Green Lake — 

 Across Country to Fort Carlton and on to Winnipeg — 

 Many Interesting Incidents en route — Home on Nov. 

 13th after Travelling about 8,000 Miles. 



WHILE at St. John's, Dr. Selwyn decided to build a canoe so 

 that he could proceed up the Pine River on his exploration. 

 The canoe was made out of a poplar tree and was thirty- 

 six feet long and very unwieldy but it served its purpose. He 

 decided that the canoe was not large enough to take all of the 

 party and he left Anderson and myself behind. I was to go down 

 the Peace River with Mr. King, who was going down the river to 

 meet the Hudson's Bay boats bringing up the outfit for the posts 

 on the river. Dr. Selwyn permitted me to accompany him with the 

 understanding that I should not be away more than forty days 

 and that I should rejoin his party either at St. John's or Dun- 

 vegan. I was supplied with forty days' provisions and from the 

 time Dr. Selwyn left till the morning of the 4th of August I was 

 busily engaged drying and packing plants and had little time to 

 think of the arduous journey of seven hundred miles that loomed 

 before me. Had I known what was to occur, I would never have 

 thought of going on such a foolish errand with a man who was 

 on his way to meet his wife. 



Early on the morning of the 4th, we packed up and proceeded 

 to load our canoe, which was just an old cotton-wood dugout, but 

 found that it was so small that three men and our provisions were 

 too much for its capacity, so a man and a bag of pemmican were 

 left behind. With light hearts, we pushed off, believing that our 



