282 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



fNar 9, 188S. 



JP^ $$ortmtim $pwi$i 



"NUTMEGGERS" ON THE OTTAWA. 



FOllliTH T'APEH. 



MINER and Brady came up from Bissett's Creek, and 

 joined the rest' of our party ai the sen lenient or vil 

 lflgeof Mattawa, Wednesday afternoon, October I. We 

 took our baggage lo the hotel were assigned roonisiind took 

 dinner. Alter so loin; a sojoin n in a log cabin we hardly 

 knew how lo appear at a ho'cl dinner foible, hut we soo'u 

 discovered that it was a very plain lo- hotel, and that the 

 dinner was plainer still, being; composed of bread, hash and 

 tea. This was a lillle. plainer ll.ali our last luxurious din- 

 neis in cunip hud prepared us for. but, the fifty or sixty 

 lumbermen who sat down with us seemed to think it ail 

 right, so we joined in, concluding that '■while in Rome we 

 hail better do as Romans do.' 



Alter this sumptuous repast, we Wept out to view the 

 town. _ ThC village of Mattawa musl be seen, stayed in, 

 dined in and slept in to be appreciated. No description can 

 do it justice. It is the roughest and aaSsA rocky place for a 

 village to grow lhat the most active mind can" picture, we 

 should as soon think of planting- choice llower seeds in a keg 

 of nails, us of starting and expecting to see a village I mi vc 

 here. But here it is 'for all thai, and a tremendously busy 

 place too, with three or four hundred lumbermen arriving 

 and departing daily at this season of the year, (stores, 

 hotels and liquor shoos transact the business of the place and 

 there are some very smart, active business men in. it. The 

 streets are perfectly impassable, except in a narrow roadbed 

 where the rocks and slum- have been moved to one side. 

 In some portions of the village plank walks have been built; 

 no attempt was made to prepare the ground, bul the walks 

 are laid over and above the rocks and depressions in the 

 ground's surface, 



Pigs, dogs, geese and drunken Indians roam the streets 

 with all tlioir native freedom and privileges. 



Mattawa being at the junction of the" Mattawa and On- 

 tario rivers, the only settlement in this section, and the 

 present terminus of the Canada Pacific road (though con- 

 struction trains are now run nearly out to Lake .N'ippissing), 

 it naturally becomes the general headquarters for lumber- 

 men, and they arrive in hundreds every day at thi* season" 

 of the year. They slop over night nt the hotels, leaving the 

 following morning in canoes tor the lumber camps located 

 away up the Ottawa and its tributaries. This being the last 

 chance to spend money until they come down the°river in 

 the spring, they use it' freely Until the last penny is gone, 

 and then get trusted if they 'can. The Mattawa merchants 

 do a large trade with them in clothing, moccasins, tobacco, 

 etc. It is surprising to And such immense stocks of goods 

 away back here in the wilderness as some of filestores cany. 

 t'ntil the advent of the railroad this year all goods have had 

 to be canoed up the river, at great trouble and expense. 



Mattawa must be a perfect paradise to some people, for 

 they need never feel it necessary to dodse around a corner 

 to avoid meeting the sheriff or tax collector. The pkee is 

 not incorporated as a town, borough, village or anything 

 elBe. It is merely a gathering of settlers and Indians; con- 

 sequently there are no taxes, no town officers, no laws, no 

 one to attend to affairs concerning the public, no one to see 

 that roads and bridg.-s arc kept passable, and every man is 

 at liberty to say and do what he pleases. We shall never 

 again hear a man boasting of the "freedom and liberty" of 

 the United Slates without wishing to suggest that he in- 

 clude the village of Mattawa. 



I said that the lumbermen "put up" at the hotels over 

 night, but they never think of undressing or goin°- to bed 

 The whole lower lloor of our hotel was given up°lo them. 

 Blauketswere spread down, and the men stretched mil in 

 rows, side by side, thirty or forty in a room. As we passed 

 through to our rooms that night we had to walk nvr their 

 prostrate furins. A good share of thorn wore hootingand 

 veiling; sOme Swearing in French, some in mixed French, 

 udian and English, and sorne in pure United States: some 

 kneeling in prayer, others chanting and "counting their 

 beads," others chinking and throwing boots and bottles 

 about, the room. The confusion of tongues at the Tower of 

 Babel happened somewhat previous to our time, but after 

 spending one night, at, a Mattawa hole], we can realize and 

 pretty thoroughly understand about what kind of n hubbub 

 they had at the "Old Tower." 



We visted the Hudson Hay foil or trading post (located 

 on a point of land on the north shore of the Mattawa River), 

 where we made the acquaintance of Mr Rankin the gen- 

 Bra] superintendent of all I he forts in Ontario and Ottawa 

 River district. Air. Rankin's whole life since his boyhood 

 days has been spent among the Indians at Ihe different 

 posts throughout Ontario and" the great Northwest. He is a 

 gentleman of culture and refinement, notwithstanding his 

 long severance from civilization, lb; very courteously 

 showed us all about the premises, pointing out many valu- 

 able and interesting relics and curiusilies, ~ We noticed one 

 pair of moose horns with twenty! luce points, live feet 



spread, and weighing over scverny-fivc pounds. 



It was also our good fortune 10 meet, further down Ihe 

 river, Mr. < oiler, the superintendent of all Ihe trading posts 

 about Hudson Bay, and the norlh. He is a Scotchman by 

 birth, and twenty seven years ago, while in his "teens," he. 

 came over from London, in one of the Hudson's Bay Com- 

 pany's vessels. The first four years be was stationed at a 

 post in the northern part of tic bay among Ihe Esquimaux 

 The lasl twenty three years he has been stationed at Moosi 

 Factory (the name of the trading post at ihe mouth of the 

 Moose River, in the lower pari of the bay.) When we 

 hkn he was jusl making a visit to Montreal on business lor 

 Ihe company. Four Indians took him in a, canoe from 

 Moose Factory up the AJibiHibee River to the heigh! of land 

 dividing Hudson's Bay Factory from Ontario, here a half 

 mile carry took them across into the Ottawa. A rapid run 

 of four days down tin- Ottawa brought hint to Maltawa. 

 We held a long and interesting conversation wilh him, 

 during which we learned many valuable (act* about the 

 country, the Hudson's li.-iy Pur Company, and oilier sub- 



i Interest, f was so interested in Iris conversation 



and intelligent statements about, the Hudson's Bay Company 

 that 1 am tempted to give a brief history of toe company 

 and its workings, as obtained from Mr. Cotter, Mr. Rankin, 

 and others whom it was our good fortune to nicel. 



Ft may appear somewhat statistical for these columns, 

 but 1 give jt with the hope that it may serve to refresh the 

 memory of those tvho aire well informed, and that if maybe 

 of interest 8Ud lead lo further study by those who have 

 never given ihe subjeel any utteutiai or thought. It is the 



I, 



oldest and richest corporation in the world, but the field of 

 its operations is so far removed from civilization, that com- 

 paratively little is known or thought about it by the masses. 

 The minute details are the interesting part of' this subject, 

 but of course, these columns will not admit of giving them, 

 but should it ever be your good fortune to meet Mr. Cot- 

 ter, or Mr. Rankin, I can assure you of a long, Interesting 

 and instructive conversation, which cannot, help but awaken 

 a desire to sometime, visit, and see for one's own Self the 

 active field of operations. 



The company was organized and chartered in ll>71. un- 

 der the reign of King Charles H.. Prince Rupert holding a 

 conn-oiling interest in the company. It being known at 

 this time that the country about Hudson's Bay was rich in 

 fur-hearing animals. Prince Rupert, by reason of his con 

 uoelion with the king, was able to obtain a pretty Strong 

 charter, giving the company the exclusive and only right 

 for two hundred years, to all the land then or to be discov- 

 ered, within !he entrance of Hudson's Bay. They went in. 

 established posts, and opened up trade with the Esqui- 

 maux and Indians. Their efforts wore very successful and 

 immensely profitable. They kept gradually establishing 

 new posts further inland, and through the great norlh wesT, 

 territory, until they claimed, audheld by their charter, all 

 the land whose waters drained towards and into Hudson's 

 Bay. This whole territory was I hen known as Rupert's 

 Land, The expense of keeping up these trading posts, so 

 far north of civilization, has always been enormous, but the 

 receipts of furs and skins has been so large as to fully war- 

 rant all outlays, and undoubtedly it stands lo-duy 'by far 

 the richest compauy in the known world, as it is the oldest. 

 London has always been their headquarters. 1 was un- 

 ahle to learn the original or present capital slock of the 

 ipany. The par value of its shares is £17, and they are 

 now selling at 38. it would be next to impossible to ob- 

 anything liken correct estimate of the actual wealth of 

 the company today. At the time of the confederation or 

 union of the provinces, the Dominion government boueht 

 out the charter and rights of the Hudson Bay Company for 

 the sum of fifteen hundred thousand dollars, the. company 

 rving ten acres about every one of their trading posts, 

 aiu specified plots here and there, and one-twentieth of 

 all the laud remaining throughout the whole North. The 

 most valuable land about, the city of Winnipeg was held by 

 the company. A vessel is annually sent out from London 

 loaded with provisions, guns, ammunition, traps, and all 

 kinds of supplies and materials for trading with the. Indi- 

 ans. She enters the bay sometime during June or July, the 

 only month in the year when the ice will admit of a vessel 

 passing through. She brings the only T mail received during 

 the summer months. After unloading her cargo she returns 

 to London loaded with furs and skins. Only two other 

 mails are received during the year. These arc carried up 

 the Ottawa River and down on the other side by Indians on 

 snow shoes. A second vessel is sent around to Van Couver's 

 Island, where all furs from the different trading posts in 

 British Columbia and the whole Pacific slope are gathered 

 and shipped by this vessel direct to London. 



Furs for all stations in the Ottawa River district and the 

 lower provinces are forwarded to Montreal for shipment. 

 After the stock is all received at the warehouses in Loudon, 

 the furs are soiled, baled, and numbered according lo qual- 

 ity, species, and grade. The whole stock is then disposed 

 of at an auction sale, this sale being attended by all the large 

 fur dealers of the world. 



The Jews from Leipsic figure largely and buy in enor- 

 mous quantities. The sale usually lasts about, three days, 

 and is of such magnitude Mutt the price of furs for the com- 

 ing year throughout the world is governed by it. Mr. Col- 

 ter says that in all bis twenty -seven years' experience, be 

 has never had any serious trouble with Ihe Indians, although 

 he rather prefers "the Esquimaux to deal with. 



All Indians about the Ottawa River district where we have 

 visited are Algonquius, but about Hudson's Ba\ they arc 

 called the Swampy Crees. When a young Iudian starts in 

 the hunliug and trapping business. Ihe company always 

 trusts him with an outfit of gun, amunition, traps, and fill 

 neeessary accoutrements. The guns furnished are of Eng- 

 lish make; smooth bore, currying a large ball, and calcul- 

 ated more especially for use at short range. 



The hunting Hips taken by the Indians usually lasl, from 

 two to three months, when they return to the station from 

 which they procured their outfit and dispose of tlioir furs 

 upon too liesl terms lla-y can make. The company, having 

 the entire monopoly. I suspect that the poor Indian must be 

 content with pretty small prices, anil must accept pretty 

 high prices for the goods be receives in exchange. After 

 the bargain is made, the first business of course is lo pay 

 up for the outfit, alter which they receive Ihe balance due 

 them in goods, or else a credit from which to draw their 

 future supplies, no ready money being required to do busi- 

 ness at Hudson's Bay, " 'the Indian who baa made a suc- 

 cessful hunt and a good bargain, can draw provisions enough 

 and clothing enough so as to be able to spend a season of 

 luxurious indolence. The lazy or unsuccessful ones must 

 keep on hunting, or fail hack upon their rich relations, for 

 luxuries beyond fish, moose and bear meat, or walrus blul 

 her, or if lie happens to have no rich relations at a con 

 venient distance, his wife doubtless cuts down expenses b; 

 pre in over and retrimming her last year's hat and buying 

 Unreserved seals at the opera. Oh, ves, there are kits of 

 ways in which the faithful and devoted wife of a poor 

 Indian can reduce expenses and keep tip OUtSJdC appear- 

 ances wilh the neighbors, and allow her dear husband to 

 snide about the, wigwam with majestic indolence and a full 

 stomach. 



The company have always been very strict to see thai 

 every promise made an Indian is honorably, faithfully and 

 certainly fulfilled, in consequence of which, although they 

 at times establish and allow insignificant prices for their 

 furs, the Indians are their lirnf friends, and never cause 

 trouble or serious disturbance. Thus pointing out to the 

 United Stales government that ihe red man is human, after 

 all, and possesses but the while man's sensibilities, feelings 

 and resentments, and that broken promises and solemn 

 treaties means Woodshed and a standing army of Indian 

 fighters, while a strict fulfillment ai.d a little exercise of the 

 golden rule, under similar circumstances, means "Peace on 

 earth, good will towards men," quite as much in the Indian 

 wigwam as in the while man's sanctury. 



Mr. Cotter says that lie believes large game and fur-bear- 

 ing animals to be just as plenty at Ihe present time through 

 the northern part of Ontario as about Hudson's Bay. A 

 great many furs are brought, in to the company's station at 

 Mattawa, and Ihe stores about the village are getting in the 

 way of Inlying them of the Indians. The proprietor of one 

 little store told me that he took in over seven hundred 



beaver skins lasl winter. But to return to our pattj at 

 Mattawa. The Indian (Jawbone by name) whom we were 

 about engaging as guide being Indisposed, Dorsey and 

 Rendell took a canoe and paddled up the river about three 

 miles, to an Indian cabin, where they engaged' Jawbone's 

 irother Alexion to start up the river with us early the 

 , est. morning. In honor of the engagement he went im- 

 nediafely down to the village and sol." beastly drunk. 



We spent the remainder of the afternoon in' looking about, 

 the place, watching the departure of canoes up tie ,,,,, 

 etc. The last thing we heard upon retiring, was, that our 

 ' noble red man" had been pitched out of n store into ihe 

 street, where belay as inanimate as a, bag of meal, hut he 

 presented himself 'to us next morning somewhat improved 

 yet we dare not risk him, so we employed another] u dian 

 (Joe), hut we finally concluded. tq lake Alexioii along al SOj 

 as he had the reputation of being a good guide, as soon m 

 we could get him Out of the reach ofliquor. 



Upon computing the days necessary to make the proposed 

 trip up the river, it was found that 'iwo of our party had 

 business at home, which would require their attention before 

 the return trip could be made, so with feelings of regret tliaj 

 the old adage "business before pleasure," could not be iv- 

 ersed, they bade good bye to the comrades, and started 

 otneward, intending to spend a few ilavs in visiting places 

 of intererest on the line, but it is my purpose in this letter 

 to follow only the fortunes of the "parly up the river. A 

 supply of flour and necessary provisions bavins- been pro 

 cured, a start was made in two canoes at 9:30. 



Those who have never taken a canoe voyage with a 

 drunken Indian as propeller and pilot, cannot thoroughly ap- 

 preciate our situation, and had we not been taught by former 

 experience something about bundling a canoe, this would 

 have been a risky voyage. As it was we proceeded until noon 

 without serious mishap, and by this time Alex had worked 

 off the effects of whisky, until he seemed more like him- 

 self again. 



After dinner we worked through and around a succession 

 if falls and rapids about a mile in length. At Ihe upper 

 falls we found a fleet of lumbermen's boats and canoes 

 anchored to the rocks. The men were fiusily unloading 

 and portaging around. One batteaux was manned by six- 

 teen men, and. Ihe captain said, had on board ten tons of 

 pork, flour and provisions. All this, of course, had to be 

 carried around. The boat was then hauled over the falls 

 by topes. Above here we found smooth sailing for quite a 

 distance, but another obstacle, worse than falls and rapids, 

 here presented itself. Our Indians had in some way pro- 

 cured whisky of the lumbermen we passed, and were rap- 

 idly becoming intoxicated again. We were completely dis- 

 gusted with them and would have been glad to have soW 

 out all our "right and title" to them for a half pint of pea- 

 nuts. We held a consultation, at which it was decided that 

 we must give up our trip to Lake Temii liiemuug, as the 

 iiver was too large, rocky and dangerous to attempt going 

 up with drunken guides, and we knew it would be impossi 

 ble to keep them sober, as we should be liable to meet lum- 

 bermen and other Indians all the way up, so we decided to 

 strike into a small river a few miles beyond and go to Men- 

 win Lake. We had heard much about its fine trout fishing, 

 excellent hunting, and grand and picturesque scenery. We 

 managed to get most of our supplies into one canoe and both 

 Indians into the other. Wo (hen told them we proposed to 

 "paddle our own canoe for Menwin Lake," and we should 

 politely advise and urge them to "go to thunder, " "the bol 

 torn of the river," or "anywhere eisethev saw fit" (such lau 

 guage, perhaps, is not neeessary, and may seem out ol place 

 in these columns, but at the time it was made use of it, 

 seemed quite necessary and just as appropriate as a prayer i 

 at a funeral). Jn tho mcau time we informed hem wliere 

 they could find us if they survived this "drunk" and bi (!$ 

 sober enough to paddle "on after us. 



A few miles beyond we overtook a iNorwegiau lumber- 

 man wilh a diunken Indian in his canoe. The Indian would 

 not keep still and kept Upsetting the boat. They were in 

 shallow water, so that there was no danger; but the lumber 

 man became fearfully excited, and threatened lo shoot him, 

 At lie 1 ho.i upset, he drew his revolver and would have car- 

 ried out his threat had it not been prevented by two other 

 lumbermen. We paddled on until, jusl a i eight, we came 

 in sigh! of the rnoutti of the river' we were to go up it he 

 river litis no name as we could learn). Thewaiers of this 

 ri,er fall inlo the Ottawa over a precipice about one hun- 

 dred feet in height. The northern Or eastern bank of the 

 Ottawa from the Mattawa up is very precipitous, 



A short distance above' the tails a I 'auadiau Frenchman 

 has built a log house and small sawmill. Keilher the 

 Frenchman, his wife, nor the six men working for him could 

 speak a word of English, uor we a word of French; lau. 

 while they Were trying lo make oiii wha! we wanted, we 

 drank a pan of milk which happened to be conveniently 

 near. We stopped oyer night With them, 'file evening's 

 entertainment consisted of pantomimes acted in three dll- 

 ferr-nt languages. The acting was very fine and brought 

 applause, bul the audience were too stupid lo understand all 

 of it. vYV starl ed again early in the morning alter hiring 

 our landlord to html us across a mile and a half cany, 

 where we pul into the river and went on again. At !)-:t0 

 we were surprised (1 came near felling a falsehood by saying 

 pleased) to see our Iwo "noble red men" pill in an* appear- 

 ance. Instead of being full of whisky now, they were lull 

 of penitence, so we received them bark like "prodigal sons," 

 We passed through two or three small lakes, Upon the 

 shores of one of them Joe pointed out w here he lulled and 

 dressed off three large moose, only a shoil lime before. 



Upon halting fordinner we found that we had lefl on the 

 lower carry a bag containing flour, bul tcr and ei.ul.er,, 

 bul after taking an inventory of what remained, We eon 

 eluded not to go back for it, but to pusll ou for Men win 

 Lake, and send the Indians back next day. The river 

 above here is very rapid, and for a long distance Ihe Indi 

 ans waded along shore and drawee! Ihe canoes. Alter 

 about three hours more of carrying, paddling and wading. 

 we arrived at the foot of M< nwin Lake. It is very beau 

 ti fill, and lot.-dly unlike any lake we ever saw- hefoic. It 

 takes upon itself the form of a devil fish, with narrow 

 points of land running far out into ihe lake, ami uai row- 

 anus of the lake extending far in among the dark I'ecesaffl 

 of the mountains. The shores rise; abruptly, and. in sue 

 places, dark, towering cliffs, hundreds of 'feel above, al- 

 most overhang the water. The scenery that unfolds, itself 

 to view, as we pass point after point, is grand HI the sj 

 treme. We never saw anything equal lo ii, and we were 

 so Wrapped in wonder that it was a lorn; time , ,i 

 discovered that, our lazy Indians had taken advantage M 

 the situation, and weje moving the canoes along 

 suail's pttC'. The shadows on the water arid a glance 'up- 



