Jack the Young Canoeman: An Eastern Boy's Voyage in a Chinook Canoe

by George Bird Grinnell

  CHAPTER II

  HOW JACK AND HUGH CAME TO BRITISH COLUMBIA

  Two days later Hugh and Jack started by steamer for the town of NewWestminster, near the mouth of the Fraser River, on the mainland. Thetrip was one of great beauty, for the boat wound its way here and thereamid the many islands of the gulf; and as each one was passed a newvista of beauty burst on the view. And, while the two travellers aresitting on the steamer's deck, admiring the wonderful scenery openingon all sides, wondering at the new birds and animals which appeared,and talking over the possibilities for their summer trip, it may beexplained how it came to pass that these two friends found themselvesso far from their homes and from the high, dry plains where the summersof the three previous years had been passed by both.

  It was six months before--to be exact, it was on Christmas Day--thatthe thought of the trip to British Columbia had first been broached.Mr. Sturgis, Jack's uncle, had come back from the ranch and wasspending the winter with Jack's father and mother at the house onThirty-Eighth Street; and it was while they were sitting at dessertduring their Christmas dinner that Mr. Sturgis had announced thatduring the next summer it would be necessary for him to go out toBritish Columbia to inspect a mine in which he was interested, and hadproposed that Jack should go with him.

  For three years past Jack had spent the summer on the western plains.Ill health had been the first cause of his going out to SwiftwaterRanch, where he had learned to ride, to hunt big game, and to live thelife of a ranchman. So greatly had he been benefited by this trip, thatthe next summer he was permitted to return to the ranch. Then he andold Hugh Johnson had travelled north, across the lonely, buffalo-dottedplains, until they had come to the country of the Piegan Blackfeet,where they had spent the summer in the Indian camp, and Jack had seenmuch of Indian life--of its charms and its dangers. He returned atlength down the Missouri River to the railroad, and so back to his homein New York for the winter's schooling. The third year, still in Hugh'scompany, he had gone up the Missouri River; and starting southwest fromFort Benton, had gone through the Yellowstone Park and back to theranch, having a great deal of shooting and fishing and not a little ofadventure.

  In this out-door life, in knocking about with Hugh Johnson and withother people who had been brought up to take care of themselves, Jackhad learned many lessons of the plains and the mountains. He had pickedup a great store of the lore of the prairies, could find his way about,even though there might be neither road nor landmarks to guide him;and, under Hugh's tuition, had become a good prairie man. He had alsobecome very fond of the West; and when his uncle suggested that heshould go with him to British Columbia, he was delighted at the thoughtof the trip. Being a boy of good sense, he said nothing when thesuggestion was made, but watched the faces of his father and mother, tosee how they felt about it.

  "British Columbia seems a long way off, doesn't it, George?" said Mr.Danvers to his brother-in-law.

  "Yes," said Jack's mother, "it seems a terribly long way off. I havebeen badly enough frightened these last three years, when Jack wentout into a country full of cowboys and Indians and wild animals; andI always let him go with the feeling that I shall never see him again.Certainly the plains are far enough away for him. British Columbia mustbe more than twice as far, and I don't feel as if I could think ofthat."

  "You and Mary have hit it exactly," said Mr. Sturgis. "You both say itseems a long way off, but in practice it is no further off than whereJack has been before, and, indeed, it is not nearly so far. BritishColumbia is at least within reach of the rest of the world by steamcommunication and also by telegraph. You can learn in a very shorttime what is happening in British Columbia, but when Jack was outon the plains, between my ranch and Fort Benton, he was practicallyas far off as he would have been in Central Africa. The distance ofBritish Columbia is all in imagination. The country is one that we hearvery little of, and for that reason we think it far away, but it isnot so. Now, I would like to have Jack go with me. I don't mean thatI want to take him up into the mountains to have him spend his daysloafing around a mine while I am working; but I thought--if you feellike letting him go with me--we would have Hugh Johnson join us at therailroad, all go on together to British Columbia, and let Hugh and Jacktake a hunt or a canoe trip along the coast, while I go back to mymine in Washington Territory. I shall be there a month or six weeks,and after I have done my work and they have made their trip, we couldmeet and come across overland and home by the new railroad that's beingbuilt north from the Union Pacific to the mining regions of MontanaTerritory."

  When Jack heard this fascinating plan he had to hold hard to his chairto keep still; and he couldn't help drawing in his breath with a sortof whistle, making a slight noise, so that his father looked at himand laughed a little.

  "You both know," continued Mr. Sturgis, "what these western tripshave done for Jack, and yet, really, I am not quite sure that you doknow; I am not quite sure that you remember what a wee little bitof a white shrimp he was when he first went out to the ranch; howhe changed during that summer, and how, when we came back in theautumn, you, Mary, hardly knew the boy. See how he has grown, squaredup--what a picture of health he is! You don't know--and perhaps Idon't either, altogether; except so far as I have been told by HughJohnson, what a change has taken place in the boy's character. He hasdeveloped mentally as much as he has physically. He has gained balance,self-reliance; is sensible beyond his years in all matters that pertainto the out-door life, and is already, in many essentials, a man and agood companion, so far as his strength goes, in any situation wherehard work, judgment, coolness, and discretion are required. All thismeans a great deal, more perhaps than any of us quite understand. Ifthe boy had never gone west, he might have had a greater share of booklearning, might have been further advanced toward entering college;but also, he might have been dead, and certainly he would have beenvery different in appearance from what he is now. You two had betterthink over the question of this trip. It will mean for the boy anothersummer spent out of doors, in surroundings that are wholly new to him.The life will be one of hard work whether they make a canoe trip, ora hunt; and it certainly will do them good. Then, of course, it willgive him a great deal of pleasure, will enlarge his ideas, and will be,in all respects, helpful to him. Now, think it over, and when you areready we will talk it over again."

  During the months of the winter, the subject had often been broughtup. Jack, when he was consulted, was, of course, eager to go, doublyso after he had learned that his uncle proposed to take Hugh Johnsonalong. At last his parents consented to his going.

  In the spring Mr. Sturgis went west to the ranch, as was his custom,and arrangements were made for Jack to come west over the Union PacificRailroad as soon as school had closed.

  On the appointed day, the train bearing Jack drew up at the littlestation nearest to Mr. Sturgis's ranch, and Jack's uncle and HughJohnson stepped on board the train, while Jack waved an enthusiasticgreeting to Joe, who sat in the wagon that had brought them from theranch.

  Then the three travellers sped on westward, plunging through theWasatch Mountains, and at length reached the Great Salt Lake Basin.They stopped for a day at Salt Lake City, interesting for its beauty,its surroundings of great mountains, and its wonderful lake. Jack had aswim in Salt Lake, and though he had been warned about it, experienceda curious sensation in swimming in its waters, it being impossible forhim to sink. He swam about, or stood upright with his whole head out ofthe water, but found that diving was very difficult. Then, as he beganto dry off, after coming out of the water, it was curious to feel hisskin become rough with a crust of salt which had to be washed off withfresh water before he could dress.

  As they were going back to the city on the railroad Jack said to hisuncle: "I wish you would tell me, Uncle George, why this lake is sosalt. Of course I have heard you say that it has no outlet and that therivers which flow into it are constantly bringing down a little salt insolution, which, in the course of ma
ny ages has become concentrated inthe lake; but is that the whole story? It doesn't seem to me enough toaccount for it all."

  "It isn't, Jack; you are quite right about that. The Salt Lake Basin,of which the Great Salt Lake now occupies but a comparatively smallportion, is simply the bed of another far older and grander sheet ofwater that was once here, which the geologists called Lake Bonneville.If you take the trouble to look along the mountains while we arehere you can see, at various levels, the terraces which indicate theheight, on the mountains, of the waters of that inland sea at differentperiods. You will see, and in fact you can see from here," and hepointed toward the mountains, "these terraces running straight alongthe mountain sides, hundreds of feet above the level of the plain.Now, Lake Bonneville was far larger than any body of water that nowexists on this continent. Its outlet was to the northwest, in Idaho,toward Snake River; and it extended southward for several hundredmiles. At last a time came, when, by the elevation of the land, thisoutlet was cut off, and we had a body of water without any outlet.Gradually evaporation, working for centuries, dried up this lake, andnow all that remains of it is the Salt Lake, in which we have just beenswimming. In that water is concentrated much of all of the salt andsoda that was in the greater lake, as well as much of that brought downby the streams during the ages that have passed since the old outletclosed up. Even Salt Lake is believed to be steadily growing smaller,drying up, and the flats around its border are now so full of salt andof alkali of one kind and another that they are wholly infertile andcannot be farmed.

  "The Mormons have made out of the valley of the lake, however, aperfect garden spot. Once it was a sage desert, as barren as anythingthat you have ever been over, more so perhaps. Now you can see foryourself what grows here,--wheat, rye, barley, oats, green stretches ofgraceful corn, great patches of potatoes, orchards and hay fields; andto me it seems more like one of the farming States east of the Missourithan it does like a sage desert."

  "Well, that is mighty interesting, Uncle George, and I am glad to hearit. I sometimes think that I would like mighty well to study geology.It seems as if the history of the earth we're living on ought to be asinteresting a subject as one could take up."

  From Salt Lake the travellers hurried west, and before very long foundthemselves at San Francisco. From there a steamer took them north alongthe rough and dangerous coasts of California, Oregon, and Washingtonto the Strait of Fuca and Puget Sound, where Mr. Sturgis left them;and finally to Victoria. Before the three parted, it had been decidedthat Jack and Hugh should get a canoe and some Indians and make a tripthrough the Gulf of Georgia; and returning, should meet Mr. Sturgis inTacoma, Washington, whence they would return to the East.

  It was almost sundown, when the steamer which bore Jack and Hughapproached the wharf at New Westminster. After they had entered themouth of the Fraser River the ride had still been very interesting, foron either side of the steamer appeared at intervals great barn-likewooden buildings, which some of the passengers on board explained weresalmon canning factories. Loitering about these were a few Chinamen,apparently attached to the factories; but not many people were about,for as yet the salmon had not begun to run.

  As the boat drew up to the wharf, a good many people from the townsat, awaiting its landing. Among these, Hugh and Jack noticed atall, well-built man, who seemed to keep his eyes constantly fixedon them. At last he bowed, and waved his hand, to which salutationthey responded. They wondered who it could be, for they did not knowthat Mr. MacTavish had telegraphed to Mr. James to look out for thetravellers on this boat. As soon as the gangplank was run out, Mr.James boarded the vessel, and coming up to them introduced himself. Hetook them to the hotel; and, seeing that they had comfortable rooms,left them there, saying that he would come back a little later and takethem up to spend the evening at his house.

  Two or three hours later the three were climbing the road, on theirway to Mr. James's house which was situated among the stumps of theancient forest, which still stood in the suburbs of the town. Here theyspent a delightful evening, and before they parted for the night it wasarranged that the next morning Mr. Hughes should take Jack out for alittle hunt, and try and show him one of the deer of the country.

  "We don't hunt here," said Mr. James, "as you do back in the States,because we cannot. If it were practicable, I should prefer, as I shouldthink most people would, to go out and take up a deer's track, followhim until I got within range and then, if I could, kill him; but thatis impossible in the forests we have here. The trees grow over threehundred feet in height; there is much fallen timber in the woods, andthe logs are from four to ten feet thick. Besides that, the greatprecipitation produces such a heavy undergrowth that it is impossibleto go through it noiselessly. Therefore, if we want deer we are obligedhere, to run the game into the water with dogs, and kill them there.It is not a sport that I greatly esteem, but at least we can kill anoccasional deer when we want venison."

  "I should like very much to see it done once, Mr. James," said Jack,"as most of my hunting has been done in running buffalo, or finding mygame and crawling up to it; and I have been taught that was the mostsportsmanlike way to do it. Yet, at the same time, it is easy to seethat it cannot be done in a country such as you describe."

  "Well," said Hugh, "I guess I'll let you two go and do your huntingto-morrow morning alone. I don't think that it's worth while for me togo and see a deer shot over in the water. Maybe I'll get up and walkout there with you, though. I'd like to stretch my legs after havingbeen in that boat for so many days."

  Before they parted, then, it was agreed that Hugh and Jack shouldpresent themselves at Mr. James's house next morning as near to fouro'clock as possible, when they would start to hunt for a deer nearMirror Lake.