CROSSING THE NELSON 



struck across country to Duck Creek, where we found a 

 second Indian camp, occupied by two Crees and their 

 families. 



From one of these Indians, named Morrison, we pur- 

 chased an additional dog with which to supplement our team. 

 The price asked was a new dress for one of the squaws, but 

 as we had no dress goods with us, the best we could offer was 

 that the dress would be ordered at the Hudson's Bay Com- 

 pany's store at York, and delivered when the first oppor- 

 tunity ali'orded. After some consideration, and several pipes 

 of tobacco, the offer was accepted, and with seven dogs in our 

 team the journey resumed. We followed the creek till it led 

 us out to the low, dreary coast at the mouth of the Nelson, 

 where, having left the woods several miles inland, we were 

 exposed to the full sweep of a piercingly cold, raw, south- 

 west wind. 



We are accustomed to thinking of a coast as a definite, 

 narrow shore-line; but to the inhabitants of the Hudson 

 Bay region the word conveys a very different meaning. 

 There the coast is a broad mud and boulder flat, several miles 

 in width, always wet, and twice during the day flooded by 

 the tide. At this time of the year the mud flats were covered 

 by rough broken ice and drifted snow, but above high-tide 

 mark the surface of the country was level and the walking 

 good. Tor several hours we tramped southward down the 

 coast, with the cutting wind in our faces. During the after- 

 noon we sought shelter, but finding none, our course was 

 altered and shaped for the nearest wood, several miles inland. 

 The great advantage of travelling on the open plain is that 

 there the snow is driven hard, and hence the walking is much 

 better than in the woods, where the snow is soft and deep. 

 Nevertheless, when the weather is rough— as it was on this 

 occasion— the heavy walking is preferable to travelling in the 

 open country in the teeth of the storm. 



For the remainder of the day we bore southward, and 



211 



