CHAPTER SIXTEEN.
RESOURCES OF THE COUNTRY BEGIN TO DEVELOP--BRYAN DISTINGUISHES HIMSELF--FISHING EXTRAORDINARY.
There is a calm but deep-seated and powerful pleasure which fills theheart, and seems to permeate the entire being, when one awakens to theconviction that a day of arduous toil is about to begin--toil of anuncertain kind, perhaps connected with danger and adventure, in anunexplored region of the earth. Ignorance always paints coming eventsin glowing colours; and the mere fact that our adventurers knew not thenature of the country in which their tent was pitched--knew not whetherthe natives would receive them as friends or repel them as foes--knewnot whether the nature and capabilities of the country were such aswould be likely to convert the spot on which they lay into a comfortablehome or a premature grave;--the mere fact of being utterly ignorant onthese points was, in itself, sufficient to fill the poorest spirit ofthe band (had there been a poor spirit among them) with a glow ofpleasurable excitement, and a firm resolve to tax their powers of doingand suffering to the uttermost.
When the sun rose on the following morning the whole party was astir,the fire lighted, and an early breakfast in course of preparation. Muchhad to be done, and it behoved them to set about it with energy and atonce, for the short autumn of these arctic regions was drawing on apace,and a winter of great length and of the utmost severity lay before them.
There was also one consideration which caused some anxiety to Stanleyand Frank, although it weighed little on the reckless spirits of themen, and this was the possibility of the non-arrival of the ship withtheir winter supply of provisions and goods for trade. Without such asupply a winter on the shores of Ungava Bay would involve all thehardships and extreme perils that too often fall to the lot of arcticdiscoverers; and he who has perused the fascinating journals of thosegallant men, knows that these hardships and perils are neither few norlight. The leaders of the expedition were not, indeed, men toanticipate evils, or to feel unduly anxious about possible dangers; butthey would have been more or less than human had they been able to lookat Mrs Stanley and little Edith without a feeling of anxiety on theiraccount. This thought, however, did not influence them in theiractions; or, if it did, it only spurred them on to more prompt andvigorous exertions in the carrying out of their undertaking.
After breakfast Stanley assembled his men, and gave each specialdirections what to do. One of the most important points to ascertainwas whether there were many fish in the river. On this hung much of thefuture comfort and well-being, perhaps even the existence, of the party.Gaspard was, therefore, ordered to get out his nets and set themopposite the encampment. Oolibuck, being officially an interpreter ofthe Esquimau language, and, when not employed in his calling, regardedas a sort of male maid-of-all-work, was ordered to assist Gaspard. Thenext matter of primary importance was to ascertain what animalsinhabited the region, and whether they were numerous. Dick Prince,being the recognised hunter of the party, was directed to take his gunand a large supply of ammunition, and sally forth over the mountains insearch of game; and as Massan was a special friend of his, a good shot,and, moreover, a sagacious fellow, he was ordered to accompany him.They were also directed to observe particularly the state of the woodsand the quality of the timber growing therein; but as this last requiredspecial attention, the style and size of the future fort being dependenton it, Francois, the carpenter, was appointed to make a journey ofobservation up the Caniapuscaw River, in company with Augustus theEsquimau and Ma-istequan the Indian--it being thought probable that ifnatives were to be met with at all, they would be on the banks of theriver rather than in the mountains. It was further arranged that FrankMorton should ascend the mountains in company with Bryan, and ascertainif there were any lakes, and whether or not they contained fish. As forMr Stanley, he resolved to remain by the camp. On entering his tentafter dispatching the several parties, he said to his wife--
"I'm going to stay by you to-day, Jessie. All the men, except Moses,Oostesimow, Gaspard, and La Roche, are sent off to hunt and fish in themountains, and I have kept these four to paddle about thisneighbourhood, in order to take soundings and examine the coast morecarefully; because, you see, it would be an unfortunate thing if webegan our establishment in a place not well suited for it."
Mrs Stanley and Edith were, of course, quite pleased with thisarrangement, and while the males of the party were absent, the formeremployed herself in dressing the skin of the deer that had been shot theday before. She accomplished this after the Indian fashion, by scrapingand rubbing it with the animal's brains. Afterwards she smoked it overa fire of green wood, and in this way produced a soft, pliant substancesimilar to chamois leather, but coarser and stouter. As for Edith, sherambled at will among the bushes of the nearest ravine, under thefaithful guardianship of Chimo, and hurried back to the camp almostevery hour, laden with cloudberries, cranberries, blaeberries, andcrowberries, which grew in profusion everywhere.
Opposite to the camp the water was found to be eight fathoms deep. Thiswas of great importance, as affording facility for unloading the shipabreast of the establishment. Higher up the river the ground was morefavourable for building, both on account of its being more sheltered andbetter wooded with timber fit for the construction of houses; but thewater was too shallow to float the ship, and the island beforementioned, which was named Cross Island, proved an effectual barrier tothe upward progress of any craft larger than a boat. But as Stanleysurveyed the spot on which the tent was pitched, and observed thesheltering background of mountains, with their succession of terraces;the creek or ravine to the right, with its growth of willows and stuntedpines; the level parcel of greensward, with the little fountain underthe rock; and the fine sandy bay in which Gaspard and Oolibuck werebusily engaged in setting a couple of nets,--when he surveyed all this,he felt that, although not the best locality in the neighbourhood, itwas, nevertheless, a very good one, and well suited in many respects forthe future establishment.
"Please, sir, the net him set," shouted Oolibuck from the shore to hismaster, who floated in the bay at the distance of a hundred yards,busily engaged with the sounding-line. On receiving this piece ofinformation, Stanley ran the canoe on the beach, and said to hisfollower--
"Oolibuck, I have been thinking much about that river which we sawyesterday, off the mouth of this one; and I cannot help fearing that theship will run into it, instead of into this, for the land is verydeceptive."
"Me t'ink dat is true," answered the Esquimau, with a look of graveperplexity. "If de ship go into dat riv'r he t'ink we no arrive, and sohe go 'way, and we all starve!"
"Nay, Oolibuck, I trust that such would not be the sad result of theship failing to find us; but in order to prevent this, if possible, Iintend to send you down to the coast, with a few days' provisions, tokeep a look-out for the ship, and light a fire if you see her, so thatshe may be guided to the right place. So get a blanket and your gun asfast as you can, and be off. I can only afford you four days'provisions, Oolibuck, so you will have to prove yourself a good hunter,else you'll starve. Will four days' provisions do?"
Oolibuck's eyes disappeared. We do not mean to say that they flew away,or were annihilated. But Oolibuck was fat--so fat that, when helaughed, his eyes reduced themselves into two little lines surrounded bywrinkles; a result which was caused by a physical incapacity to open themouth and eyes at the same time. As a general rule, when Oolibuck'smouth was open his eyes were shut, and when his eyes were open his mouthwas shut. Being a good-humoured fellow, and of a risible nature, thealternations were frequent. It was the idea of Stanley doubting thesufficiency of four days' provisions that closed the eyes of theEsquimau on the present occasion.
"Two days' grub more dan 'nuff," said Oolibuck. "Give me plenty powderand shot, and me no starve--no fear."
"Very well," rejoined Stanley, laughing, "take as much ammunition as yourequire, but be careful of it; if the ship fails us we shall need itall. And don't be too eager after the deer, Oolibuck; keep a sh
arplook-out seaward, be on the hill-tops as much as you can, and keep youreyes open."
Oolibuck replied by closing the said eyes with a smile, as he hurriedtowards the tent to prepare for his expedition. In the meantime Stanleydirected Oostesimow and La Roche to set about building a small canoe outof the birch bark which they had carried with them for the purpose, thelarge canoes being too cumbrous for the purpose of overhauling the nets.
The nets had been set by Gaspard in the usual way--that is, with stonesattached to the lower lines to act as sinkers, and floats attached tothe upper lines to keep them spread; and it was with no littleimpatience that the party in the camp awaited the issue. Indeed theyscarcely permitted an hour to pass without an inspection being ordered;but to their chagrin, instead of finding fish, they found the netsrolled up by the conflicting currents of the river and the tide into theform of two ropes.
"This will never do," cried Stanley, as they brought the nets ashore."We must set stake-nets immediately. It is nearly low tide now, so ifwe work hard they may be ready to set up before the tide has risenmuch."
In pursuance of this plan, Stanley and his men went to the ravine, ofwhich mention has been already made, and proceeded to cut stakes for thenets; while Oolibuck, having explained to Mrs Stanley and Edith that hewas "going to look _h_out for de ship," shouldered his wallet and gun,and ascending the ravine, speedily gained the first terrace of themountains, along which he hastened in the direction of the sea-coast.
While the party in the camp were thus engaged, Frank Morton and Bryaninstituted a thorough investigation of the country that lay directly inthe rear of the camp, in the course of which investigation they madesundry interesting discoveries.
After ascending the ravine in which we left Stanley and his men cuttingstakes for the nets, Frank and Bryan reached the first terrace, andproceeded along it in the opposite direction from that pursued byOolibuck. A walk of a quarter of a mile, or less, brought them toanother ravine, into which they turned, and the first thing that greetedthem as they pushed their way through the stunted willows that thicklycovered this gorge in the mountains was a covey of ptarmigan. Thesebirds are similar in form and size to ordinary grouse, perhaps a littlesmaller. In winter they are pure white--so white that it is difficultto detect them amid the snow; but in summer their coats become brown,though there are a few of the pure white feathers left which neverchange their colour. Being unaccustomed to the sight of man, they stoodgazing at Frank and Bryan in mute surprise, until the latter hastilythrew forward his gun, when they wisely took to flight. But Frankarrested his follower's arm.
"Don't waste your powder and shot, Bryan, on such small game. There maybe something more worthy of a shot among the mountains; and if you onceraise the echoes among these wild cliffs, I fear the game will not waitto inquire the cause thereof."
"Maybe not, sir," replied Bryan, as he fell back a pace, and permittedFrank to lead the way; "but there's an ould proverb that says, `A birdin the hand's worth two in the buss,' an' I've great belaif in thatsame."
"Very true, Bryan, there is much wisdom in old proverbs; but there areexceptions to every rule, and this is a case in point, as you will admitif you cast your eyes over yonder valley, and observe the edge of themountain-top that cuts so clear a line against the sky."
Frank pointed, as he spoke, to the shoulder or spur of one of themountains which rose at a considerable distance in the interior, andfrom which they were separated by a dark glen or gorge; for none of theravines in this part of the country merited the name of valley, savethat through which flowed the Caniapuscaw River. The ravine up whichthey had been toiling for some time led into this darksome glen, and itwas on rounding a bold precipice, which had hitherto concealed it fromview, that Frank's quick eye caught sight of the object to which hedirected the attention of his companion.
"'Tis a crow," said Bryan, after a gaze of five minutes, during which hehad gone through a variety of strange contortions--screwing up hisfeatures, shading his eyes with his hand, standing on tip-toe, althoughthere was nothing to look over, and stooping low, with a hand on eachknee, though there was nothing to look under, in the vain hope toincrease by these means his power of vision.
Frank regarded him with a quiet smile, as he said, "Look again, Bryan.Saw you ever a crow with antlers?"
"Anthlers!" exclaimed the Irishman, once more wrinkling up hisexpressive face, and peering under his palm; "anthlers, say you? Sorraa thing duv I see 'xcept a black spot on the sky. If ye see anthlers onit, ye're nothin' more nor less than a walkin' spy-glass."
"Nevertheless I see them, Bryan; and they grace the head of a noblebuck. Now, you see, it is well you did not fire at the ptarmigan. Awaywith you, lad, down into that ravine, and clamber up the mountainthrough yonder gap with the fallen rock in the middle of it--d'ye see?--and wait there, lest the deer should turn back. In the meantime I'llrun round by the way we came, and descend to the water's edge, toreceive him when he arrives there. Now don't lose yourself, and takecare not to fire at smaller game."
As Frank concluded these orders, which he issued in a quick low voice,he threw his gun into the hollow of his left arm and strode rapidlyaway, leaving his companion gazing after him with an expression of blankstupidity on his face. Gradually his cheeks and brow were overspreadwith a thousand wrinkles and a smile took possession of his lips.
"`Don't lose yersilf!' Faix, Master Frank, ye're free an' aisy. Arrahnow, Bryan dear, don't lose yersilf; you that's crossed the salt saes,an' followed the Red Injins to the prairie, and hunted in the RockyMountains, and found yer way to Ungava--not to mintion havin' comedoraginally from ould Ireland--which ov itsilf secures ye agin mistakesof every kind whatsumdiver. Lose yersilf! Musha, but ye had better gitsome wan to look after ye, Bryan boy. Take care now; go softly and kapeyer eyes open, for fear ye lose yersilf!"
As Bryan mumbled forth this bantering soliloquy, he lifted up a largebag which contained a couple of fishing-lines and a few hooks, andthrowing it across the stock of his gun, and both across his shoulder,he took his way down the rugged but well-beaten deer-path which led tothe ravine or glen. The idea of losing himself seemed to have takensuch a hold of Bryan's mind, and afforded him so much amusement and suchscope for the continued flow of bantering soliloquy to which he was intruth much addicted, that he failed to note the fact that he was walkingalong the edge of a steep declivity, at the foot of which lay a small,dark sheet of water, which was connected by a short river or strait witha larger lake, whose wavelets rippled at the base of the mountainbeyond. The scene was magnificently wild and lonely, and would haveriveted the attention and excited the admiration of any one less absentthan Bryan. High, rugged, and to all appearance inaccessible mountainssurrounded the vale on all sides; and although there were severaloutlets from it, these were so concealed by the peculiar formation ofthe wild mountains that they could not be seen until they were actuallyentered.
Had Bryan's eyes been more active, he would have seen that the fringe ofbushes by the side of the deer-track, along which he walked, concealed adeclivity so steep that it almost merited the name of a precipice. ButBryan was lost in philosophic contemplation, and the first thing thatawakened him to the fact was the slipping of a stone, which caused himto trip and fall headlong over the bank! The Irishman graspedconvulsively at the bushes to arrest his fall, but the impetus withwhich he had commenced the descent tore them from his grasp, and afterone or two unpleasant bounds and a good deal of crashing through shrubsthat tore his garments sadly, he found himself stretched at full lengthon the margin of the river that connected the two lakes. So nearly hadhe been hurled into this strait by the violence of his descent that hishead was hanging over the bank ere he stopped! Being partially stunnedby the fall, Bryan lay for a few seconds motionless. As his shakenfaculties returned, however, he became aware of the fact that a fish offully two feet long lay at the bottom of the pool over which his headhung. Starting up, and totally forgetting his bruises, he turned tolook for the bag conta
ining the fishing-lines, and observing it lying onthe ground not far distant, still wrapped round the gun, he ran to pickit up.
"Oh! wow! poor thing!" he exclaimed, on lifting up his gun, which,though fortunately not broken, was sadly bent, "ye're fit for nothin'but shootin' round the corner now! It's well for you, Bryan, yespalpeen, that your backbone is not in the same fix."
While he thus muttered to himself, Bryan drew from the bag a stoutcod-line, to which he fastened a hook of deadly dimensions, and dressedit into the form of a fly, much in the same manner as was formerly doneby La Roche. This line and fly he fastened to the end of a short stoutpole which he cut from a neighbouring tree, and approaching cautiouslyto the bank of the strait--for there was too little motion in it toentitle it to be called a stream--he cast the fly with a violent splashinto the water. The violence was unintentional--at least theexclamations of reproach that followed the cast would lead us to supposeso. The fish here were as tame as those caught in Deer River. In a fewseconds the fly was swallowed, and Bryan, applying main force to thepole, tossed a beautiful trout of about two pounds weight over his head.
"Och! ye purty crature," exclaimed the delighted Irishman, rubbing hishands with glee as he gazed at the fish after having unhooked it."Shure ye'll make a beautiful fagure in the kittle this night. An'musha! there's wan o' yer relations to kape ye company," he added, as,exerting an enormous degree of unnecessary force, he drew another troutviolently from the water. The second trout was larger than the first,and Bryan soon became so excited in the sport that he totally forgotFrank's orders, and the deer, and everything else in the world, for thetime being. Having caught six or seven trout, varying from two to fourpounds in weight, he changed his position a little, and made a cast overa deep pool nearer to the large lake. As heretofore, the fly wasengulfed the instant it fell on the water; but Bryan did not, asheretofore, haul the fish violently out of its native element. It istrue he attempted to do so, but the attempt proved utterly futile;moreover, the fish darted with such velocity and strength towards thelake, that the angler, albeit entirely ignorant of his art, experiencedan inward conviction that the thick cord would snap altogether if noteased of the enormous strain. He therefore followed the fish at the topof his speed, uttering incomprehensible sounds of mingled rage andamazement as he went, and tripping over rocks and bushes in his headlongcareer. After a smart run of half a minute the fish stopped, turned,and darted back so rapidly that Bryan tripped in turning and fell intothe water! The place was shallow, but having fallen on his back, he wasthoroughly drenched from head to foot. He did not lose the grasp of hisrod, however. Spluttering, and gasping, and dripping, he followed thefish in its wild career until it turned again at a tangent, and dartedtowards the bank on which he stood. There was a shelving bed ofpebbles, where the water shoaled very gradually. Bryan saw this.Availing himself of the fish's impetus, and putting all his force to therod, he dragged it into two inches of water, when the line broke.Instantly the fish struggled towards deep water; but it was so large,and the place to which it had been dragged so shallow, that it affordedthe excited angler time to rush forward and throw himself bodily on thetop of it!
The battle that now ensued was of an energetic and deadly character onthe part of both man and fish. Those who have not grasped a live salmonin their arms have no conception of the strength of a fish; and perhapsit may be said with equal truth that those who have never wielded aforehammer have but a faint conception of the strength of a blacksmith'sknuckles. Bryan had thrown his whole weight on the fish, and graspedit, as with a vice, in both hands; but at every struggle of its powerfulframe he felt how uncertain was the hold he had of its slippery body.Once it almost escaped, and dashed the spray over its adversary's facewith its tail, as it wriggled out of his grasp; but with a desperateplunge Bryan seized it by the head and succeeded in thrusting his thumbunder its gill and choking it, while himself was well-nigh choked at thesame moment by unintentionally swallowing a gulp of the muddy compoundwhich they had stirred up in their struggles. Slowly and with cautionBryan rose on one knee, while he crushed the fish against the bottomwith both hands; then making a last exertion, he hurled it up the bank,where it fell beyond all hope of return to its native element.
The fish thus captured was a beautiful trout of about twenty poundsweight. The lake trout of North America are, some of them, of enormoussize, being not unfrequently taken of sixty pounds weight, so that as aspecimen of those inhabiting these lakes this was by no means a largeone. Nevertheless it was a splendid fish, and certainly the largestthat had ever been captured by the worthy son of Vulcan.
The thick coat of liquid mud with which his face was covered could notentirely conceal the smile of intense satisfaction with which heregarded his prize, as he sat down on the bank before it.
"Kape quiet now, honey!" he exclaimed, as the trout made a lastfluttering attempt to escape; "kape quiet. Have patience, darlint.It's o' no manner o' use to hurry natur'. Just lie still, an' it'll besoon over."
With this consolatory remark, Bryan patted the fish on the head, andproceeded to wring the water from his upper garments, after which herepaired his broken tackle, and resumed his sport with an eagerness andzest that cold and water and mud could not diminish in the smallestdegree.
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