70 



FOREST AK£) STREAM. 



"Gonic Lcnvs in Brtef,^^ United States and Ocmacla, 

 iUustratcd, 2o cents. "Book nf the Gome Laws" {full 

 text), 00 cents. 



BARREN GROUNDS OF CANADA. 



Somewhat ovei' a year ago. oil jjiy wa.y tothe Okanagaii 

 country, I stopped for a fev\- clays at Vitrtoria. It was ray 

 wish, while there, to get a bearskin for a friend, Tlie 

 trapping of bears .1 had always despised as a form of 

 sport, and the legitimate eajjture of the animal was, for 

 me at least, higldy um-eliable, so I called on the accom- 

 plished curator of the museuan to get advice about buying 

 a .skin. 



Just outside, on the porch of the museum, lay a pile of 

 hides of LiniisuaL attraction.s — not bear .skins to be sure, 

 but quite as desirable— with their dull, dark, wavy hair 

 relieved bv [latc-hes and sliadniiis o( soft dim color. 1 hese 

 weiL hul( s ol miisiv i(\ bi( u_br ui l)\ \li l-'dv( md hcad^ 

 ut th( - uiH ( K ^ w hi li All 1 iki h id ^i\( ti h llio ( ui "i 

 toi ^^^ i< ih ( kI\ ^1 t iip n lliuii.^ i n tlu w ills \ ( ()ii])U 

 of \\ ( ( ks 1 itii 1 1 imiiiM ( III ( s ol ih( siiiK inUipiismL. 

 spoilMii 111 UK t nit: it L s LM tuj 1) 1(11 1 li id ( n^ d t b d1 

 breed to hunt with ine who bad been lurmei lv in 

 Pikes emplov. and mv guide would jioint out (•aii:i>in!i- 

 spots occu])ied on the earlier trips, and show me t he big 

 stakes dnven m tlie gra.ss\- marsli tor jncketmg the 

 hunter s horse, while Ins master staved on in search of 

 woodland caribou wit h a deliauec nl. rougli \\-e;U.bei- .■ind a 

 -stubborn coiit( mpt hi th |ms-,i^ o( ii^d i h ,,t 

 time which were ampiv illustrated m his later work- Mv 

 gxiide kneAV. e\-en then, that Mr. Pike luul imderuojie 

 -^tlllln„ t v) ( tu iiM s m lb Noith but not miLiI Liu issui 

 ot his Oooic (Hi (be ■ nai ri'ii druimd ol iNortlKO'ii (.laiiada'' 

 has tlu J idl d( I 111 ill 1 11 H ( ( ssilih 



TJie trip therein recit(!d began in June. IHH!). from Ed- 

 monton. The same i)omt wius reachcid on the return in 

 March. lyOl. 



There are tliree mam divisions to the loiiniev- The 

 year 1891 was consumed m trips ov canoes and dog 

 sledges trom Fort Resolution on tlie t.iieat ,Sla\'e Lake to 

 the upper readies ot the Copperinme River about latitudcf 



t;3". 



Starting from l^ort Resolution again m Ma^ . lN!)b. and 

 going 1)^ I moe down the (no it tish Ri\« i \ii I il ^ i 

 a^tainoith is I iki Bei i ho\ about Lit aud« 1> > 0 in<i 

 returned to Itesolution tor a second time at tbe end ot 

 August m that veai . 



riie tbiid di\isi()iiol llicsL dd\(ntiius md tlu most 

 exciting and draiiiatic. notwitbstandiug the more. I.iinil- 

 idi natuit ot tlu countiv and the snui iindm^s mbi a ( s 

 the unsuccesstid attempt to reacJi I'ortMcLt!od bv ascend- 

 ing Peace River m the winter ot 1890. 



It is worth wliile to tolloAv tlie adventurers ste[)s with 

 .some closenciss. tor the countries. th(^ peo])le and the fauna 

 to wluch he jntrcxiuces iis are ail unusual. 



A-s I inii iti\i ol spoit thcie is Ii1il< tlnl is lUi n f i\ i- ni 

 the book. Bv .sixu-t i mean the exertion ol skill, knowl- 

 edge and strength necessarv tor the caiitnre ot warv 

 game. I, he ga-me m t he barren gi-oiinds. when it is to he 

 touiul \\ ill stdiistoln stii])id to till \(,i^( Ol idioi \ ind 

 tbe mniiofoiious md ti dious si iii^lib i < in ohU )k o| m 

 teiisf liom tlu 1 It ol \ K w ot tlu ( omiiiiss m u 



^Nor IS there much ol scieiitiiie moiueiil, l;o be found 

 diiecth slibd \ dii ibh pii tuies oi tin luiiits ol the 

 animals laiiited abound, but there are no estimates of the 

 size, weight or measurements of eitlior musk ox or cari- 

 bou, excej.it the statement that the barren ground cai'ibou 

 IS about tvvo-tlurds the size ot its woodland cousin, whde 

 we feel positivelv robbed of tlie animal stories, winch the 

 halt-breed Kiiii:- Beatilieii told in such prolusion, and 

 , A\hi(]i'\li J ik( -luust 11 i\ e 1 )oki d on muc h as Hotspui 

 looked on tales ol tlie •mold warp and tlie ant. 



The barren ground winch Mr. Pike visited lies south of 

 the Aictic cncle In no mst in< t wis tint puillel 

 leached, but till lIi u u t( usIrs ol nun h oM Ik !(_ioii ul 

 stj tkingl\ an til Notbnu is 1 k kiii„ to m \i lla |i tiiu 

 I onijilcte ( viLpt mountiiiis md st ibond wiib usidiin_, 

 glaciers. the district is tliicklv strewn with grouj)s and 

 chains ot lakes and seamed with rivers, along A\-hicli he 

 the duel lines of travel. bandstone and granite rocks 

 are common, as well as iron stone, wliate\'er that maj' 

 mean, and on one occasion mention is made of a consider- 

 able exjiosure of stratified rocks. CTenerally speaking 

 the land consists of stretches of rolling ground, Avith oc- 

 casional low" buttes and one or two sanil riilges which ex- 

 tend for great distances, and are imjiortant landmarks. 

 At times, fiowever, a rough broken rock covers the entire 

 visible country atid makes progress very ditticult. The 

 timbei' line runs irregularly, according to the expostu'e ot 

 tlie locality. The lUMes, uiiicli are of considerable sizeon 

 the Grreat Slave Lake, become stunted hj the rigor of the 

 climate further north and finally cease about 64" 30' of 

 latitude, taxit scrub willows along the stream reach up 

 much further, wbile mosses abotmd, and during the 

 month or two of stun m ei- grasses and flowers sprout and 

 bloom with rapidity and juofusion. 



The sveather is often astonishingl_y seA'ere, eA^en as late 

 as July, gales and storms of snow and heaA^y frosts fre- 

 quently alternating A\'ith Avarm days, Avhile Ijake Mackay, 

 100 mites long, was still solidly frozen at the end of June. 



But even tins grim waste has moments of beauty, and 

 its mysterious charm cannot be better indicated than by 

 the words of the Indian Saltatha, Avhen he a«ked tbe pries't 

 about the delights of heaven: 'Ts it more beautiful than 

 the country of the musk ox in summer, Avhen sometimes 

 the mist blo^\ s over tbe lakes and sometimes the \A'ater is 

 blue and tlie loous cry A-ery often? That is beautiful, and 

 if heaA'eii is still more beautiful my lieart will be glad and 

 1 shall be i-ontent to rest there till I am very old." 



If that northern country has produced nothing but the 

 delicate poetry of Saltatha's description it is not quite a 

 barren land. 



The last part ot tbe year 188(1 Avas taken up by two jour- 

 neys over nearly tbe same country; the first journey by 

 canoe, the second by dog sledge. On Aug. 19 Mr. Pike 

 started, accom|_>anied by Jialf-breeds and tlieir wives and 

 children to the number of more thantAventy, for Fond du 

 Lac, a point on tlie nortli sliore of the Great Slave Lake, 



Mr. Pike kejit witii hima AVinchesteri'ifleandablanket, 

 A little bactm was brouglit along and tAvo hundred pounds 

 of flour- — supplies vsdiidi Avere only sufficient to provide a 



* Bakren Qkoundb OF NoRTHKKN Canada. By AVarburton Pike, Lon- 

 (lon and Ne«' York; Mawiiillan &. Co, Pilce f2. 



text for reflections on the gTeed of his companions. There 

 was only enough tea and tobacco to last part of the time. 

 There seems to have been nothing else, not eA-en a sack of 

 salt, not even a thermometer nor a compass. 



The expedition Avas "heinously unprovided;'" but the 

 explorer was the possessor of a capacity for endurance 

 wdiich went far to remedy all Avants. Alinost impeiwious 

 to arctic cold, always ready for aecessary labor, patient, 

 or at least tmduring, in the face of star a at ion, and able to 

 thrive on a long course of '■meat straight," wdiether the 

 meat were raw or sodden, fresli or far aitvanced in decay, 

 the traveler Avas in one sense provided with the best pos- 

 sible equipment. 



At Fond du Lac half of the ' half-breed army AVas left 

 behind. Eight men and tAvo Avomen started north in two 

 canoes on Sept. 7. One canoe was soon abandoned, and 

 by Sept. 13 the party had paddled and i)ortaged up to a 

 lake called Lac du Rocher, a distance, on the map, of 

 some sixty miles. There they Avaited, eating wolverine 

 and a few fish, until caribou AA^ere found. On Sept. 15 and 

 l(j thirtv-tour caribou Avere killed, some ot A\'hich Avere 

 cacheil. 



On the I'lth Mr. Pike started, with five, men. alter musk 

 ov but soon suit bai k two ot his itd nd mis On ihi 

 ■i^M miK f II iboii w ne killi d \it<)iiib( Mthwi lindthi 

 piit\ _l I I t< di \t oil the 1 i\i Us ind \^ si n < n is- i 

 month dead. On the ^oth eight ea.ribon win-e killed and 

 on the iit\\ two musk ox were captured, alter which the 

 [larty turned liack to rejom the iletadiinent left behind 

 and await the advent ot winter. Retracing their steps 

 thev killed enough caribou for immeiliate use on Oct. 3 

 and 8. 



On Oct. 9 thev killed twelve carilioii atid louiid their 

 triends. a-h-eadv re )oicmginau abuiiaance ot meat, where 

 thev had left tJiem at a point about ball wav betAA-een 

 I'ond du Lac and the nortluirn terniimis ol the hnnt. 



This dry recital of a list of victims sliovvs the amount 

 of killing done under lavoraJili! circumsiaix.'es, when 

 there was no wanton deslriietjoi i ;ind w-heii much of tbe 

 meat kilk'd Avas cached tor luture iise. 



It miisl, not lie imde,isl;Ood that Mr, Pike approved ol 

 us(l(ss si uighti 1 111 sjiedvswnh \\ > i di-,_iisi i sik b 

 unvvortliv deed.s. But the principles on w hieh Ins expi-- 

 dition was conducted — namelv. to eari \ m it Innu' and kill 

 the rer{nisite lood— neeessiinied alleratioiis of strirvation 

 ind w ist( wliik till ( il Is-, 11 iiiiK (I 111- iinpinioiis 

 made restraint ditbcnlt. LatiM' on Mf. Pilce tell m with a 

 cainp o) A, ellow l\.mte Indians, wfiohad waited at a river 

 crossing .-md sjiea.red a herd ot over ,)(H) earibon m tbe 

 Avater. more than ,:,'()0 ot aa-IucIi were left to I'ot w here thev 

 floated, without bi'ing eA-en ilraggiMt aslaire. W hen sneh 

 thm„s in [lossibk tlu Lvtinitioii ot gum is, a< le ist not 

 improbable. 



Mr. Pike remained in camp with ttlo Italf- breeds for ai 

 month, imtil dog sledges Avere brought uj) tor a winter 

 expedition, wlucli AV'as reallv the better wav ot reacbmsi 

 the musk ox. 



it was on Oct. 20. while tlms waiting m camp, that the 

 mam herd ot banded caribou, called by the halt-breeds In 

 /o/^/c, betian to iiass and continued streannng by soiith- 

 \ 11 I I li 11 i\ livb All tlu south sidf ot Abu kaA 



Pik 



■was aliA'C AA'ith moving beasts 

 1 1 I tt(d ill o\<i with bl 



n tlie norlJi shore, ^\■lth the an 

 ■iheni coming like regiiiients 



Lil I i\s Ah 

 A\-bile the ice se<'ni 

 islands, aiiil strill a,w 



tlu ,,1 ISSt s W ( ( olllll 



the march. 



Ml Pik( s 'ic( omn of the habits ol these jnimals en en 

 on i-tage 4."> is so conqilete that it slionld lie ijuol-i^d entire. 



rin I in„( ol till biiun^ioimdi uibou ij | us ti le 

 Ironi the islands m the Arctic Sea to tlie sonthern part of 

 Hudson s Ha V, while the McJ\enzie Iciver is the limit of 

 their AA^estern Avandermg, although not manv years ago 

 thej ai( known to h in c i lossi d ihi Sli\( Ri\(i in rhe 

 iieighborliood ol Fort Smith, In the .sum iner tune they 

 keep to the true barren ground, but m the autumn, when 

 then IcLdmg „iounds in lOAiied with snow tlu) seek 

 the liangmg moss in the woods, i'rom what I could 

 gathci iioni tin A dlow Knili liidniis u tin i isf tnd of 

 the Oh it Si i\( 1 iki iml fiom nu t w n pi i sou il i vjh ii 

 mil it w IS 1 iti inOitobei imiiii di m U liii i tlu luttuu 

 sea.son. that- the great bands ot caribou, coiiiinonlv known 

 as /a /oute, mass U[) on the edge ol the woods, and start 

 for lood iiidshtltLi aflmdtd b^ thestioi^ei ioA\th ot 

 pines iLiriher souihwaid. A month alierw ard ihe niaies 

 and females separate, the latter beginnmg to Avork their 

 way north again as early as the end of February; they 

 reach the edge of the Avoods in April, and drop their young 

 far out toward the sea coast in Jime, by Avhich time the 

 snoAv is melting rapidly and the ground shows in patches. 

 The males .stay in the Avoods till May and never reach the 

 coast, but meet tlui females on their way inland at the end 

 of July, and from this time they stay together till the 

 rutting season igover and it is time to seek the woods once 

 more." 



Add to these details the fact that the female caribou 

 has horns Avhich are annually shed like those of the male, 

 and we have a clear idea of this interesting animal. Mr. 

 Pike thinks that these cariboti are not diminishing in 

 numbers, but his pages give ample reason to distrust his 

 conclusions. 



It is true that few Avhite men invade the barren ground, 

 but the Aveapons of the AA^hite man, the repeating Win- 

 chesters, are playing on the herds at all seasons, without 

 regard to the necessities of the hunter; while the old- 

 fashioned wasteful slaughter of swimming game, Avhich 

 has been spoken of, keeps on in full vigor; so that the 

 future of the barren ground caribou ma \ well be com- 

 pared to that of deer in the Adirondacks. The caribou 

 are A'astlj" more numerous and (heir eountj-> more difficult 

 of access, but the beasts are more stupid ami their enemies 

 quite as blindly determined on extermination as those of 

 more southern Cervidta. 



Mr. Pike makes an interesting comparison between the 

 numbers of existing caribou and those of ljulfalo in early 

 times; and from the truly extraordinary extent of la 

 foule as he saAv it, he is inclined to think tliat the btdfalo 

 were not more numerous. It seems to me that Mv. Pike 

 leaves out of account the fact that tlie buffalo lierds never 

 contained praiCtically the whole race, as does la fouJe, 

 but that, in the vast extent of territory ranged over by 

 the buffalo tmtil after the transcontinental railroads were 

 btiilt, there Avere several bands, any one of Avhich could 

 be regarded as the • 'main herd"' of its great but distinct 

 region. It is not now supposed that the bison emigrated 

 annually from Manitoba to Mexico; but that perhaps the 

 Texan bands ranged as far as the Canadian River. The 

 herds that fed the PaAvnees might have traveled hundreds 



of miles north and soutli of the Platte, AvhUe the northern 

 masses Avould cross the Missouri and return to the Belly 

 River and the SaskatchcAvan, 



Although many of the '-tall stories" told about the 

 swarming crow ds of buffalo may be justly discredited, 

 there is a mass of reliable CAidence as to their immense 

 range which seems to put the army of the caribou into a 

 decided minority. 



On Nov. 11, t889, Mr. Pike started Avith six sleighs, 

 twtiuty-four ilogs and scA'en men L<_> look for musk ox. , 

 The dog sledges were for the transjjortation of baggage. 

 The men walked, and here, as throughout their journeys, 

 ma,rches were short and progress very slow. 



The dogs and their ways are full of hiterest. There 

 seems to be no pretense of affection or attachment be- 

 tween the dogs and their masters. The dogs are beaten 

 until the\- pull the loads. After the camp is made, the 

 dogs are lieaten to keep them out of the kettle. The dogs, 

 therefore, <:)ccupy their leisure by (luarreling among them- 

 selves until after theA^ get their siijiper. When the men 

 |iotob(<l|li I Ini'kmlothi lo<l„t md cm 1 up on top 

 ol the ueares! sleeper. It an attempt be matle to shiweor 

 lakthi il >^ < II II ])iompflA mist d ( s 1 1I m in s foot toi 

 I h isf ill <[ )_ III I < 111 \\ s it \\ li( nil I d ( w II ^ his mas 

 Ills )i hi- ( )inj uiions till do^ iluws tin suowsboes 

 siedocs. nlo\cs. ui'erskin lodges and other lurmtiire. The 

 (log.s have to lie watched. 



8ihortlA' alter starting, the parl\ saw ;in animal in the 

 tog w hich was tlion^iit to be eitiiei' a niuslv ox. a caribou 

 or a AvoU. It tunii'd out to lie a mouse, maunilied by the 

 liaze. 



A\, hist the ]iartv ate the meat trom the caches. Soon, 

 however. Ihev killed more caribou, and got to the end of 



imisk o.s. The next dav after 

 owever. two lierds ol musk ox 

 \'ere ler loos<> and In^ld a iiortion 

 UK n kill d (ill m ^ nil iw i iitv 

 iiH II tioiiliK 111 111 killm^ ittir 



all provi: :' I : : ■, ' lindm 

 their snci: , init. h< 



w ( I si_|m 1 d ^ w 



of the lirsi, herd while 

 III iiunioer. •without 

 m il vard. 



A cou])le ot dav.s after 18 musk ox were killed out ol 

 the second band m a similar inartistic vva\'. and tlie party 

 then turned liack with their loads, reaelimg Fond du Lac 

 on Dec. 10, and arriving at Fort Resolution shortlv after. 



Air. 1 ike.savsot the musk ox he killed on lus canoe 

 trqi; ■ In erossinu' an occa.sional jnece of level ground he 

 walked with ;i eunoiis rolling motion, probablv accounted 

 lor bA" the Avaviiii.: ol the long hair on the flanks. 



Ihe young mail's ha ve round, sharp horns, sejia rated on 

 e;ieh side ol the hi'ad. like ;i \-oimg bull s. As the males 

 i:row older, f hidiasi's ol the horns sav ell and grow until 

 Ihev meet m tne in ii idle ol iJie head. In the summer the 

 lierds consist onh- ol cows and calves, while the bulls are 

 tomid Nvaiiderm;,:' snmlv. 



Air. I'lke siavid at tdrt Resolution, luinting in the 

 netghliorhooil. until .dav 21. 1M90. when he set out for a 

 trip down i.lie ( ,rr;u !• ish Idver. whi(;h he descended m a 

 canoe as lar down as l,;iki' l)eel,•he\^ there is nothing m 

 this trip except the geograpli\' which calls tor remark, 

 t aribouand musk ox. half-lireeds ami Indians haA^e al- 

 read\ oe(^n well piirtra \ ed. and Mr. Pike met no Lsquimaux 

 except a liov that he took with him. 



Ill elosmu- this dis isioii ot Mr. lake's trave^ls. it is need- 

 tul lor a, lull imdersliindmg of his troubles to cionsider tlie 

 anomalous rd.-mon.s he had with liis men. Mr. Pike is 

 cert,aiiilv not a. born lea.der. lie seems l,o have k'l'pt on 

 terms ol a rough comradeship with Ins eompanions. I'li- 



hA^Mted bA^ perjietual (jiuirreb 

 were respeettnl m address lust In 

 Imlians Avere sulimissive tint, heo< 

 these ii-eneral statements it appeal 

 consultation with tlie lialt-breeils 

 ■ tlie same old Avrangle and aliuse 



i \ stl it till b lit bleeds 

 acheroiis. anil that the 

 lars. ,\s side lights to 

 ^ that when he held a 

 ill Hint a musk ox hunt 

 ot each other ensued. 



On one occasion he states that lie oppiosed a scheme 

 .stronglv and - for once managed to get his OAvnAA'ay, and 

 as a croAvnmg conmient I cite the passage on page 145: 

 ••Ba' the Avay. it is as Avell when going tor a himtmg ex- 

 pedition in the North to leaA'e at liome all tlie old lasluoned 

 notions ot shootinii- fHupielle. Ii voii sei; a. iri;in in a, u'ood 

 position for a. shot, rtui up. jostle lus i;ll)ow. and let vour 

 gun off: it an animal tails, sw-ear von killed n. and claim 

 tlie back-tat and tongue, no matter whether you tired or 

 not: never admit that you are not <.|iijte sure which animal 

 von shot at. It is onh^ bA* a strict attention to these rules 

 thai a white man can get a fair di\ ision ol plunder when 

 sliooting Avith half-breeds and Indians," 



It is hardly necessary to call attention to the impro- 

 priety of these remarks. If yon haA e engaged men to 

 help you hunt, the men should be controlled, for the shot 

 is yours. Either make them leave their guns. or. if you 

 call trust them to ■carry gtms, tell them not to shoot until 

 you ha ve had your chance. If this method fails it might 

 be well to select a lar,ge, conv^enient stick and rc^ason oA'er 

 the matter. If the men are merely compiauious and not 

 subordinates, above all if you supply the auimuniciou for 

 thein, as Mr. Pike did, they haA^e as much right to shoot 

 as you, and it is at least indelicate under those circum- 

 stances to jostle the shooter or trifle Avith the truth for a 

 piece of back-fat. I can only think that the passage 

 quoted is meant to be humorous. 



In one Avay Mr. Pike's relation of seihi-equality with his 

 men is of benefit to us. Perhaps in no other manner could 

 Ave have got an account of such evident truth, such trans- 

 parent hdelity. about the lives and natures of the dwellers 

 in the barren gi\:>und. EA-ery ]:iage has the stamp and 

 color of tbe great Avilderness, and we turn from the book 

 Avitb a sense of refreshment begot from studyuig a vast 

 new region and a strange life. 



Returning from tlie Great Fish River to Resolution at 

 the end of August, 1890, Mr. Pike set [out to ascend the 

 Peace RiA^er to Fort McLeod. 



The plan was unusual and atlA^enturoiLS, to go by canoe 

 up the Peace RiA'er to Fort McLeod on a lake of the same 

 name high in the mountains, and from there to go south 

 by snowshoe and Avagon until the Canadian Pacific Rail- 

 road should giA'e access to the civilized world. A.s far .as 

 Vermillion, on the Peace River, progress was slow, but not 

 difficult. 



At this point itwas necessary to engage anew crew Avith 

 the exception of the faithful Murdo Mackay. who f oIloAved 

 Mr. Pike's fortunes from Fort F'esolution. 



One additional man, an Englislrrna n called John by Mr. 

 Pike, was the only reinforcement taken on at this point, 

 and Jolui seems to have been uf no adA'antage; lazy, self- 

 ish. coAA-ardly and insttljordinate, he stands out a solemn 

 Avarning against engaging men rashly. 



From Vermillion up the rivei- to St. John's and Hud- 

 son's Hope, touching at various posts and settlemente, Mr, 



