224 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Ociobbb £0, 1881. 



BY-WAYS OF THE NORTHWEST, 

 m.vrn papee. 



THE sail from New Westminster to Victoria is very 

 beautiful. We hurry down the Frascr between the 

 high walls of evergreens, with their background of gray 

 mountains in the distances, and are soon upon the broad 

 •waters of the Gulf of Georgia. In whatever direction the eye 

 is turned, it sees mountains backed by mountains. To the 

 north are those of the mainland, the nearest ones compara- 

 tively low, while those beyond rise higher and higher, themost 

 distant being crowned with snow ; to the west is a stretch of 

 timbered country, level at first, and then becoming more 

 broken, ending at last in a wall of granite, with Mount Baker, 

 the prominent feature of the landscape, reaching its sharp 

 cone toward heaven. To the south lie the blue waters of the 

 gulf, dancing and sparkling in the clear sunlight, with the 

 myrial islands which dot its surface and give to the scene a 

 wonderful variety, while beyond is the main shore of the 

 United States with its ranges of snow-clad mountains, above 

 aud beyond which one may sometimes catch a glimpse of 

 majestic Rainier. The high ranges of Vancouver Island are 

 visible to the eastward, and on these, too, are white patches 

 which shine in the sun. 



We hurry along toward the island, noticing the distinct- 

 ness with which the line is drawn between the muddy current 

 of the Fraser and the clear waters of the Gulf. Something 

 similar one sees at the meeting of the Missouri aud the 

 Mississippi, but it reminds one still more of the union of the 

 Rhone and the Arve, where the waters of the one are blue 

 and of the other muddy, as here. Two or three hours 

 steaming bring us to the point whence we plunge in among 

 the islands. The channel is a difficult one, owing chiefly to 

 the furious tides which are constantly rushing backward and 

 forward through the narrow passages. At times the vessel 

 stands quite still, and all the pulsations of her powerful en- 

 gines, all the splashiugs of her great wheel seems to avail 

 nothing against the rush of waters which swirl and eddy 

 about her. Now she gains a little and moves very slowly on- 

 ward, and then, caught by a favoring eddy, gives a bound 

 like a frightened horse, and rushes forward only to be checked 

 again by the almost resistless water. At certain points, two 

 tides coming from different directions meet in the narrow 

 passage and here the waters, piled up and foaming, boil and 

 toss, as though mad with passion, they would overleap the 

 rocky walls which confine them. Little chance would any 

 vessel, however staunch, have in these whirlpools at certain 

 stages of the tide, aud indeed it is said that the last time the 

 steamer Victoria— a vessel of two or three thousand tons 

 burden— went through Plumper's Pass, she was whirled 

 around like a top, and finally c.une out of the passage stern 

 foremost. 



The sail is a succession of surprises. You enter a passage 

 a quarter of a mile wide and follow it through all its twisiings 

 and turnings, expecting as you make each change of direc- 

 tion to see the open water before you, and each time being 

 disappointed. At last you come to what appears to be the 

 end of the channel— a veritable ml desac; the steamer's 

 nose runs Straight toward a vertical wall of rock, 

 two hundred feet in height, and it seems as if the next 

 moment she must crash into it, when, suddenly she sheers to 

 the right, passes around a rocky promontory into another, 

 and hitherto unnoticed channel, and in a moment glides 

 smoothly out into the open water, and toward another group 

 of islands. As we twist and turn through the labyrinth, we 

 pass many camps of Iudiaus, and see their owners fishing in 

 the eddies, their cauoes anchored behind low points of rock. 

 They are taking the herrings, considerable schools of which 

 lie in thee mparatively qui* t water in such places. The 

 tackle employed wo Id puzzle the average fly-fisher. A 

 slender pole, from twelve to fifteen feet long, oval in cross 

 section, being about one inch in diameter from side lo side, 

 and two inches from before backward, is studded along its 

 eckc, with a row of sharp nails about an inch long and two 

 inches apart. The unarmed portion of the pole is held in 

 the hands, and the Indian, sitting in his canoe, sweeps it 

 vertically through the water, with exactly the same motion 

 that he uses in paddling. The herrings are impaled upon the 

 points, and the stroke is continued until the lower extremity 

 of Ihc pole is clear of the water. The instrument is then 

 brought in hoard, and a tap on the side of the canoe loosens 

 the fishes, which drop to the bottom of the craft. Every 

 sweep brings up from two to half a dozen of the silvery fish, 

 and as the Indian makes from twenty to thirty-five strokes 

 a minute, it will be sceu that, under ordinary circumstances, 

 no very long time elapses before he has a bushel or two of 

 herrings. The hoolichans, a very delicious little fish, some- 

 what smaller than the birring, aud only found during the 

 month of May in these waters, are taken by the same method, 

 and in enormous quantities. When fresh this fish is said to 

 bo supetlaiivtly delicate eating, and I can testify to its ex- 

 cellence when smoked or salted. Besides their value as a 

 food product the hoolichans furnish a most excellent oil, and 

 of late years a very considerable trade has sprung up in this 

 commodity, ami fngtoties for expressing it have been estab- 

 lished at several points in the Province. The only bar to the 

 success of this new industry is the short duration of the 

 run, which lasts only ten days or two weeks. The fish are 

 so fat that it is said that when dried they will, if lighted 

 at one end, burn like a candle, aud from this fact they are 



often called candle fish. There is no doubt that, if pre- 

 pared like sardines, the hoolichans would find a ready 

 market. 



The run from New Westminster to Victoria occupies but 

 six or seven hours, aud about 8 o'clock I found myself once 

 more at the Driard liouse. As I had reached here just too 

 late to catch the regular Alaska steamer, I was auxious to 

 charter some small steam vessel on which lo make the north 

 trip. Several days were occupied in searching the wharves 

 of the town and in telegraphing to other places to try aud 

 secure what was wanted, but all my efforts were unavailing. 

 There were three or four small launches which exactly 

 suited me, but. in every case I found that they had been en- 

 gaged for the fishing on the Fraser. The salmon commence 

 to run about the 15th or 20th of July, "and the run usually 

 lasts a monlh or six weeks. Every four years, the fishermen 

 say, there is a very heavy run, the next year thereafter a 

 good run, the next it is poor and the fourth almost a total 

 failure. This year the big run was expected, and all the 

 canneries were making great preparations f <r the fishing. 

 Every available boat and man had been engaged. The 

 Indians, who ordinarily are paid a dollar a day, got this year 

 two dollars, and even at ibis price could not be had in num- 

 bers sufficient lo supply the demand. A steamer was not to 

 be had for love or money, and it was evident that the hope 

 of reaching Alaska must for the present be abaudoned. 



The next best tiling was lo take a canoe and proceed by 

 that slow means of conveyance as far north as the time at 

 our disposal would admit. Mr. II. had kindly given me a 

 note to Mr. T., one of the Government officials, and through 

 the kind offices of this gentleman, who;e long residence in 

 the Province and thorough acquaintance with the inhabitants 

 and their mode of life enabled him to understand precisely 

 what was needed, our canoe trip was made a success. 

 Through his influence (he Sergeant was given a month's leave 

 of absence, and was allowed to go with us as interpreter, 

 and, in one sense, manager of the expedition, and certainly 

 no set of men ever fell more emphatically on their legs than 

 did our little parly when it was decided that the Sergeant 

 should accompany us. He has lived long iu the Province, 

 knows the Indians thoroughly, speaks Chinook aud several of 

 the native dialects, is a man of untiring energy, al ways will- 

 ing to do his share and more than his share of the work, 

 good natured under the most adverse circumstances, and 

 with no small fund of anecdote aud humor — withal a keen 

 sportsman and a close observer of nature. He is one of the 

 very best fellows with whom 1 have ever been in the field, 

 and by the time that our trip was ended, had so endeared 

 himself to each one of us that to part with him was a real 

 paiu. 



By this time my two friends had reached Victoria from 

 San Francisco, and our party was made up. For some little 

 time after reaching Vancouver the Profrssor and the Admiral 

 could think and talk of nothing but the woes that they had 

 endured on their passage from San Francisco to Portland. 1 

 do not exactly remember whether it was eleven or fifteen 

 steamers that they had "sunk, burned and destroyed" by the 

 very simple, but, as it appeared, effective, method of taking 

 passage on them for Victoria, but the number was large. 

 When at last they did succeed in safely passing the Golden 

 Gate, their sufferings had only commenced. To judge from 

 the graphic narrative of the Admiral, that nautical hero's 

 agonies during his voyage of four days resembled nothing so 

 much as the sufferings on board a slave ship in the middle 

 passage, or an old-time emigrant vessel, wheu the terrible 

 ships fever had laid its blightiug hand upon the passengers. 

 The curses which were showered upon the Geo. W. Elder by 

 my ordinarily mild-mannered and temperate friends quite. 

 made my hair stand on end. 



By the Sergeant's advice we determined to take our canoe 

 from Nanaimo, distant from Victoria about seventy miles. 

 It was thought best, however, to procure all the necessaries 

 for the trip at Victoria, aud a day or two was employed in 

 getting together mess kit, blankets and other essentials. We 

 also decided to take with us another white man, and engageel 

 Arizona Charley, a Virginian, whose wanderings, after includ- 

 ing almost the whole United States, had at last led him to 

 Victoria. A most excellent man he proved himself, faithful, 

 willing and good-humored. The Indians who were to con- 

 stitute our crew, and on whom we fondly relied for the loco- 

 motive force of the canoe, we expected to hire at Nanaimo. 



To one who has been accustomed only to the Indians of 

 the Western plains and the m umtams, the aborigines of the 

 norlh west coast are a surprise, la the vicinity of the settle- 

 ments a blanket Indian is never seen, all of them wearing 

 white man's clothing, including shoes and hats or Caps. Very 

 many of them work regularly, and lay up money, and for 

 certain kinds of labor they are admirably adapted. They 

 make good deck hands, longshoremen and fishermen, and are 

 largely employed in the lumber mills aud canneries. They 

 are very strong, and are able to carry loads that a white man 

 could by no means stagger under. They are almost brought 

 up in canoes, and as all their journeys are performed in this 

 manner, they are most expert boatmen. I have seen little 

 children not more than three or four years old wielding a 

 tiny paddle for hours at a time, aud can well understand how 

 it is that the adults can undergo so much work of this kind 

 without manifi sting the slightest fatigue. 



In British Columbia an iodia i is catted a Siwash. This is a 

 Chinook word which is evidently a corruption of the French 

 mucttye, and the term J.udian is rarely, if ever, employed. 



The Siwashes of the coast arc essentially a race of fisher- • 

 men. Their main dependence is the salmon, of which enor- 

 mous numbers are caught, and not. only eaten fresh, but also 

 dried for winter consumption. They do some hunting, and 

 kill not a few deeraul mountain goats, but they rely chiefly 

 for food on the salt water fish. During the months of June 

 and July, before the salmon have begun to run up the rivers, 

 they c itch them in the salt water with the trolling spoon in 

 considerable numbers, but it is not until the fish reach the 

 fresh water that they arc taken in sufficient abundance to 

 make it worth while to dry them for their wiulcr provisions. 

 The natives do considerable trading with the whites, and oil 

 is one of the main articles of trade. The dogfish, a small 

 shark, abounds in these waters, and is taken with Ihe hook 

 and line iu great quantities. The liver is the only part used, 

 and the worthless carcases of the fish are left to rot on the 

 shore, and furnish food for the ravens and crows. Porpoise 

 oil is also a staple article of trade. The Iudiaus are very 

 expert at basket weaving, and some of their work of this kind 

 is wonderfully well doiie. I have seen baskets that were 

 perfectly water-tight, and in which one could easily boil meat 

 or fish. They also make mats, both of reeds and of the bark 

 «f the cedar, which arc both useful and ornamental. These 

 are admirable to sleep on, and keep off the wet as well as a 

 rubber blanket. From the bark of the cedar too tbey make 

 ropes and lines which are stroug and durable. The dwell- 

 ings of the Siwashes are utterly unlike those of the Indians 

 of the interior. They are, in fact, housi s made of boards 

 split from the cedar, and though not very tight, are sufficiently 

 so to keep out thewa'er, and lo forma good protection 

 against cold and snow. They arc without floors, and the fire 

 is built on the ground in the middle of the room, the smoke 

 escaping through the crevices in the roof. In the villages of 

 the Northern Indians one may see before each dwelling a 

 long pole, set in the groued and most elaborately carved 

 through its whole length. These poles, which are sometimes 

 eighty feet iu height, are, in fact, a sort of family tree, and 

 the images carved upon them denote the ancestry of the 

 owner of the house before which they stand. The carvings 

 usually represent animals of one kind or another, somewhat 

 grotesque to be sure, but still admirably carv. d. A bear 

 will perhaps be the lowest figure on the pole, and on its 

 head will be seated a man; above this figure a crow, then 

 a llsh, anolher man, a seal, a wolf, and so on, the figures 

 being sometimes repeated, to (he lop of the pole. All thesa 

 tribes are remarkable for their skill in carving. The prows 

 of their canoes are often very highly ornamented, as are 

 many of their utensils. They display. great ingenuily in 

 fashioning curious masks and rattles for their medicine 

 dances, and many of their carvings in a black slale which 

 ihey make use of for this purpose are wonderfully well 

 done. I was shown a model of a large house, which was 

 certainly one of the most elaborate and highly-finished 

 pieces of workmanship that I have ever seen. Two large 

 platters iu the possession of a friend at Victoria were ex- 

 quisitely ornamented in alio relitvo, and were also inlaid 

 with small pieces of carved ivory, Any design which pleases 

 them they will copy with the utmost fidelty, and bracelets 

 hammered out from a silver dollar and ornamented wilh a 

 spread eagle or some other design furnished by a white man 

 are frequently seen. 



Scattered along the coast are a very considerable number 

 of small tribes, some of them consisting of not more than 

 half a dozen families. Each of these tribes has a language" 

 of its own, and this language is often not understood by any 

 of its neighbors. The Chinook jargon is the c immon 

 tongue by which the Indians of one tribe hold communica- 

 tion with all other Indians and with the whites. This jar- 

 gon is exlremely limited as to its vocabu'ary, and has abso- 

 lutely no grammar. There is no' passive voice, no declen- 

 sion of nouns, no inflection o( verbs. Drawn from the Eng- 

 lish, the French aud u dozen Indian tongues, it serves, how- 

 ever, as a medium of communication between the whites 

 and the aborigines. 



I have said that the. Siwashes are admirable canoemen, i-nd 

 must conclude this letter with a word or two about their ves- 

 sels. They are of various sizes, varying in length from eight 

 to eighty feci, aud eneh one is made from a siugle piece of 

 limber. The largest one of which I have heard is at the 

 Bella Bella village. It is eighty feet in length, and is so* 

 deep that a man standing upright in it cannot be seen by one 

 standing on the ground by its side. The canoes are roughly 

 shaped and then laoilowed out by fire. Then, by means of a 

 piece of steel attached to a wooden handle, they chip the 

 wood off in little flakes and reduce it to a proper thick- 

 ness — about an inch or an inch and a half for a vessel 

 thirty feet inlength. They have no models and the eye is their 

 only guide iu shaping the canoes, but the lines are as uuvary- 

 ingly coi reef, and as graceful as could be made by the most 

 expert boat-builder. There arc two different types of cauoes, 

 the Chinook, which has a square stern and is approximately 

 Hat on the bottom, and the Northern, which is round- 

 bottomed and has an overhanging stern. The former are the 

 most steady in a seaway, aud somewhat the most roomy, but 

 on the other band are much less fast than the Northern 

 canoes, but both are perfectly safe. After being shaped, the 

 gunwales of the canoe are slightly sprung apart, so as to 

 give some flare to the sides, aud are held thus in position by 

 narrow pieces of timber, stretching across aud sewed to them 

 with cedar withes. The canoes arc always made from the 

 cedar, the superb Thuya yiyunlea of NutUtll, the wood of 



