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

by George Bird Grinnell

  CHAPTER XII

  THE ISLAND DEER

  The next morning, after the canoe had been loaded, Hugh said to Fannin:"What's the course of the canoe from here? Are you going to cross overany of those channels, or shall you follow the shore?"

  "We'll follow the shore," said Fannin. "If this canoe wasn't so heavywe could carry it across this little point and save ourselves three orfour miles of paddling, for you see, we've got to go way east and thencome back west again, and follow around the bay that lies just overthere."

  "That's just what I thought," said Hugh. "Now, suppose instead of mygoing into the canoe, and helping you fellows to paddle, I take itafoot across this neck, and along the shore; and see if I can't killsomething. We need meat and there must be lots of deer here, thoughwe've not seen any yet. There's plenty of sign, though."

  "That's a good idea," said Fannin, "and I wish you would do it. You'llhave a lot of time to hunt, but keep close to the shore and if you seeus coming, get down on the beach and make a fire as a signal for us;otherwise we might overlook and pass you."

  "All right," said Hugh, "I'll do so."

  "Don't you want to go along, Jack?" asked Mr. Fannin. Secretly Jack didwant to go, very much, for he had an idea that Hugh would find somegame, and that there would be a chance to kill one of these Islanddeer; but on the other hand, he thought he should not shirk his shareof the paddling, and that one man could kill any deer that was seenjust as well as two. So he said: "No, I'll go in the canoe;" and theypushed off and were soon growing smaller in the distance.

  Hugh started across the open meadow, which lay between them and theother side of the long point. As he passed along through the grass,he saw many deer beds, and a number of tracks of wild animals amongwhich was one in a muddy place, made by an enormous wolf. He walkedslowly and watched the country, and at last came to the shore, followedit and was soon walking under the tall evergreens that grew down tothe beach. Turning into the forest, he moved quietly along among thegreat tree trunks. The ground was free from undergrowth, and mosscovered, and here and there little rivulets trickled over the ground,sometimes bridged by fallen tree trunks, over which great bunches ofsoft green moss hung down to the ground. Here and there, in the moss,were seen the sharply defined tracks of deer, seemingly just made, yetno indication of life was seen, save the occasional shadow of a bird,moving among the tree tops far above him. Hugh had gone perhaps half amile, keeping nearly parallel to the beach, and back from it about ahundred yards, when without warning, a deer stepped out from behind agroup of tree trunks, and stood looking curiously at him. There was nowind, and the animal did not seem in the least alarmed. The shot was aneasy one, and it was the work of but a few seconds to fire. The animalfell at once, and stepping up to him, Hugh found that it was dead. Itwas very small, scarcely larger than a yearling black-tail of the RockyMountains, although it was a full grown buck. It resembled the RockyMountain black-tail somewhat, but its ears were small and the tail wasquite different, being haired below. In a very few moments Hugh hadprepared the animal for transportation to the beach, and putting iton his back walked down to the shore. The canoe was not yet in sight,and Hugh considered a little if it would be better to go on farther tosee whether he could get another deer, but after thinking a few momentshe determined to be satisfied with the one he had secured. So he builthis fire as a signal for the canoe, skinned his deer, and for an houror two sat waiting. At last a black speck was seen on the water closeto the shore of the point, and as it crept forward, it grew larger andlarger, until Hugh could recognize his fellow travellers.

  When they came up to him, they wore broad smiles of satisfaction at hissuccess, and when he had stepped on board the canoe went on again. Itwas not long after this that they were obliged to run Seymour Narrows,a contracted channel through which the tide boils, making eddies,whirlpools, and tide-rips, and where it was hard to see how a canoecould live. Just before reaching it they passed a cliff on ValdesIsland that was full of interest for Jack and Fannin. The dark grayprecipice, crannied and creviced from base to summit, was occupied bya multitude of sea birds which were nesting in the holes and fissuresin the rocks. Of these, by far the most numerous were the pigeonguillemots, thousands of which were fishing in the waters close tothe shore, or flying backward and forward between the water and theirsecure homes in the rocks. It was a pretty sight to see them divingfor food, emerging from the depths with something in their bills,rising from the water, and each one swiftly flying toward some hole inthe face of the precipice into which it disappeared without checkingits flight; or at the mouth of which it alighted, and, clingingswallow-like to the inequalities of the rock, was met by its mate whotook from it the food it had brought. Then the bird would leave itsposition, fly horizontally over the water for a little distance,and drop vertically into the water, striking it with a great splash.The scene was a busy and noisy one, for the birds were continuallychattering and calling among themselves. Gracefully floating on thewater, or winnowing their slow way to and fro over its surface, werewhite-breasted seagulls of several kinds; and fishing and hunting alongthe shore were ravens and crows, while white-headed eagles rested inthe tall trees.

  Before attempting the passage of Seymour Narrows, it was necessary toascertain the stage of the water. To pass the Narrows when the tide wasagainst them was obviously impossible; nor would it do to attempt apassage at half tide, even if it were in their favor, for at that timethe tossing waters would prove extremely dangerous to the canoe,--sothe Indians told Fannin, and so Fannin reported to the others.

  The bowman and two or three of the party landed near the head of theNarrows and climbed high enough on the hillside to see the whole ofthe sluice-way, and as soon as the Indian had looked at it, he turnedabout and started back, declaring that it was just at the end of theflood, and they should start without delay. To Jack, the sight of theboiling water, the tossing waves and hurrying tide-rips seemed ratheralarming, but there was no time to think of this. They embarked, anda few strokes of the paddle sent the canoe dashing along the rapidcurrent. For the white occupants of the canoe, there was nothing todo but to paddle hard, each in his own place. It was interesting towatch the skill with which the Indians guided the craft. It was ofthe first importance that steerage way should be kept on the canoe,for there were constant eddies and whirlpools, which must either beavoided or taken advantage of; and yet at the rate at which the craftwas being hurried along by the tide, it was not easy to add to herspeed. Before long, the run became very exciting. Hats were torn offand thrown into the bottom of the boat, perspiration started from everybrow, and the men tore at their paddles as if their lives depended onit. Even Hugh, who was rarely moved, seemed to partake of the generalexcitement and his eye glowed and his color rose as his white hair andbeard flew out in the wind. Hamset, standing erect, in the bow of thecanoe, flourished his mighty paddle, and in his own language shouteddirections to Jimmie, and in Chinook to the remainder of the crew. Atlength the channel was reached, and here it became evident that thevessel had been a little late in starting; for, meeting the beginningof the ebb-tide, the canoe was checked, and presently it stood stilland for nearly half an hour obstinately refused to move forward. But atlength the efforts of the paddlers seemed to overcome the current andthe boat started on, very slowly at first but fast enough to encouragethe motive power. Redoubling their efforts they rounded a little point,and taking advantage of a favoring eddy, passed out into quieter waterand camped half an hour later in a little bay, which Fannin said mightfairly be named Fatigue Bay.

  That night, after the evening meal had been eaten, there was still anhour or two of daylight; and while Fannin and Charlie got out theirlines and prepared to go fishing, Hugh and Jack took their rifles andclimbed a thousand feet or so up the hillside to look at the viewthat lay before them, up and down the channel. During the climb theysaw fresh bear-tracks and a number of familiar birds,--the Louisianatanager, the black-throated green warbler,
and some others. Not faraway, a ruffed grouse was heard drumming.

  While perched on the face of the hillside, Hugh told Jack the simplestory of the killing of the deer.

  "There was no special hunting to it," he said, "I just went through thetimber, quietly, and presently the deer walked out and got shot. Ididn't even know that it was there, but I'm glad to have the meat."

  They sat there until the sun had set, delighted with the calm beautyof the scene. In the trees above their heads, the little birds movedabout uttering soft, faint notes. Up from a ravine on the right came,again and again at short intervals, the vibrating thunder of the ruffedgrouse's drumming, low and muttering at first, and finally dying awayinto the silence.

  Twilight was upon the hill before they returned to camp, and as theypicked their way down the steep rocks they heard from the directionof the boat a shot, and then another--both from Hamset's rifle, andlearned a little later that the Indian had been shooting at a seal.Fannin and Charlie had caught some rock-cod, curious red and black fishwith staring eyes, said to live at great depths.

  As the cliff rose straight up from the water's-edge, and there was nobeach on which the canoe could be drawn, it was necessary that night toanchor it at a distance, and the two Indians slept in it and chantedtheir plaintive songs until the middle of the night. Around the campfire the white men sat in silence, watching the strange shadows castby the dancing flames on the overhanging rocks, or listening to thefaintly heard rushing of the waters in the Narrows, which they had justpassed; or to the moonlight drumming of the grouse on the mountain sideabove them. It had been a hard day, and there was little inclination totalk. Charlie, however, who was gratified at the killing of the deer,commented on that, and on deer hunting in distant lands.

  "Why," said he, "you ought to see them Pueblo Indians go deer huntingdown in Arizona! They start off without anything but a knife, and whenthey find a deer, they just start to run after him and don't stop untilthey get him."

  "You don't mean," interrupted Jack, "that they run him down?"

  "They do," said Charlie; "run him down, catch him and cut his throat.Why, sir, they are the best trailers in the world, and as fortravelling, they can kill any horse that was ever foaled. They startafter the deer, and when he sees them coming, of course he lights out,and is not seen again for some time. The Indians take his trail, andstart off at a dog trot, which they can keep up all day. Every timethey start the deer, he lets them get a little closer, and at last he'sso tired that he only keeps a few yards ahead of them, but they keepon until he fairly drops, plum give out! I have known them, when thedeer got pretty tired, to turn him and drive him right into the campand kill him there, to save themselves the trouble of packing in themeat--make the game pack itself, you see."

  "That's a pretty tough story," said Hugh, "but I guess it's all right.I've heard something about those fellows, though I never saw them. Ionce walked down an antelope, myself, and I wouldn't have believed it,if I hadn't done it. The antelope was wounded, of course.

  "The camp needed meat the worst way, and nobody seemed to be able tokill anything. There were antelope in the country, but very wild. Istarted on foot one afternoon, to try to get something, and aftertravelling two or three miles I looked over a little ridge, and sawthree buck antelope feeding up a ravine toward a table-land above thevalley where I was hunting. I could easily get around to the head ofthe ravine up which they were going, and if I could get there beforethey reached it, I would be sure to kill one of them. I started runningas hard as I could, and had got within a quarter of a mile of theravine, when, on taking a look, I saw that they had nearly reached thetop. I was still about a hundred and fifty yards away when I saw thehorns of one of them, as he walked up on the mesa. I dropped, and,when I had a fair shot, fired. I ought to have killed of course, butwhether it was because I was so anxious to get him, or because I hadbeen running hard and my hand was unsteady, I only broke the buck'shind leg just above the hock. All three started off, but the woundedone soon tailed out and then turned down a broad valley which led intothe one up which I had come, but several miles farther from camp. Well,I started after that buck, and after a long walk found him lying downin the valley. He saw me and ran off down the valley, long before Iwas able to shoot. I followed as fast as I could, running till my windgave out, and then walking till I got it again. Whenever I could getnear enough, I fired a shot, just to keep him going. At last he grew sotired that he would let me get pretty close up to him before starting,and finally he lay down behind a bank, where I could creep up and killhim. I carried the meat into camp that evening, but when I got thereI was so thirsty that I could not speak. My throat was swollen and mytongue was half as big as my fist."

  "Well," said Jack, "the antelope is a tough beast and will take a lotof killing, and of course you know better than I do, Hugh, that theplains Indians always speak of it as the swiftest and most long windedof animals."

  "Yes," said Hugh. "A man often ties an antelope's horn round hishorse's neck by a string, to make the horse swift and long winded."

  "I saw a few antelope," said Fannin, "when we crossed the plains, butnot many, and I never killed one. They are mighty interesting animals,and what always seemed to me the most extraordinary thing about them isthat they shed their horns."

  "Yes," said Hugh, "that's so, of course, all mountain men have alwaysknown that, but I heard only a few years ago that them professors thatclaim to know everything about all animals only found it out within thelast fifteen or twenty years. Something strange about that."

  "Yes," said Fannin, "but I suppose, maybe, these professors never had achance to see many antelopes or know much about them."

  "Yes, likely," said Hugh.

  "Well," he added, "it's getting late, and I expect we're all ready forbed. Let's turn in;" and they did so.

  The next morning an early start and a full day's paddling carriedthe travellers to a point known as Struggle Cove, which they reachedseveral hours before sundown. The country here looked better forhunting than any Jack had seen, and he determined to start out to seeif he could not find a deer. The woods were open, the ground carpeted,and the trees draped with a luxuriant growth of bright green moss, onwhich the foot fell as noiselessly as on a cushion. Higher up on themountain side there was the usual tangle of underbrush, but a littlevalley that skirted its base was comparatively open. As soon as dinnerhad been eaten Jack set out. He had not gone far from camp when he cameon to fresh deer tracks, which, after a little, turned up the hill andinto the thick brush, where it seemed useless to follow. Two or threeother tracks were seen, all of which led into the same thick place;but at length he saw one that kept up the valley, and as it had beenmade but a short time before, he had strong hopes that he should seethe deer. He followed the track very slowly and carefully, and as itgrew more and more fresh, his caution became greater. He entered a lowgrowth of hemlock, going very slowly, and, just as he was passing out,on the other side, he heard a deer jump, not fifty yards away, and in amoment saw it bound off up the mountain side. He threw up his gun andwas just about to press the trigger when the animal stopped and lookedback, giving him a certain shot. With the sound of the rifle the deersank and rolled part way down the hill.

  This was very satisfactory. They had now two deer--enough to keep themin fresh meat quite a long time, for the weather was so cool that meatwould not spoil.

  The deer taken was a buck, whose horns, still in the velvet, as didalso his teeth, showed that he was full grown. Yet, compared with theRocky Mountain deer that Jack had seen, he was quite a small animal.

  Jack was doubtful about his ability to carry the carcase to camp, whichwas quite distant. But after dressing the deer and removing the headand shanks, he got it on his shoulders and slowly staggered toward thecamp. It was a heavy load, and he was often obliged to stop and rest.Before he got half way to his destination he was rejoiced to see Hughstriding toward him.

  "Well," said Hugh, as he came up to where Jack was sitting, "I had halfa notion
that you had killed something, and knew that if you had youwould find your meat a pretty heavy load, so I came up to spell you incarrying it in. Pretty heavy, isn't it?"

  "Yes," said Jack, "it weighs something, and the hardest part about itis to get it upon my back again after I've dropped it off to rest."

  "Well," said Hugh, "I'll smoke a pipe, and then take it the rest of theway. I guess I'm something more used to big loads, to say nothing aboutbeing some bigger and stronger."

  After Hugh had finished his pipe he swung the deer on his shoulderswith hardly an effort, and Jack could not help envying him thesplendid strength that he displayed. The advent of the second deer incamp was greeted with rejoicing. The Indians grinned at the prospect ofunlimited meat; Charlie was delighted because he knew that the partywould rather eat deer than bacon; and Fannin and Hugh realized that theprovisions would hold out just so much longer for this reinforcement offood.

  It was at this camp that a slight modification of the manner ofpropelling the canoe was proposed and carried out. When the party hadleft Nanaimo a couple of long, heavy, rough oars of Indian manufacturehad been thrown into the boat; and during the many days of paddlingthat had elapsed, the idea had occurred to Fannin that if these oarscould be used, more power could be applied to them than to two paddles.He therefore consulted with Hamset on the question of rigging somerowlocks for the canoe, and this was easily arranged. The Indianschose a couple of cedar saplings, each of which had two small branchesgrowing from it on the same side, at right angles to the stem and threeor four inches apart. He cut off about six inches of the main stem,trimmed down the side branches to within three inches of their point ofoutgrowth, and then split the main stem lengthwise so as to leave thebranches standing up, looking like two thole pins. With a large awl hepunched several holes in the side of the canoe just below the gunwale,and, taking some cedar twigs, warmed them in the ashes of the fire, andwhen they had become hot and pliable he sewed the piece of wood holdingthe thole pins firmly to the gunwale, afterward driving wedges beneathit so as to make it tight. This formed a capital rowlock. This was doneon both sides of the boat, and thereafter Fannin and Charlie handledthe oars, and their influence was felt at once in the increased speedof the canoe.

  Rowing was much harder work than paddling, but it was also much moreeffective.

  The next day, however, the oars were not needed; the wind blew fair,the sail was hoisted, and the party ran through Cardero Channel and upLoughborough Inlet to its head, camping late in the afternoon.

  The scenery was very beautiful, with rounded or dome-shaped mountainstimbered to their summits, and occasionally a sharp granite peak whichran up much higher and was covered with snow. The hills stood back atsome distance from the water, and thus looked lower than they reallywere.

  It was not easy to find a good place to camp here. The meadow at thehead of the inlet looked as if it might shelter many mosquitoes, but alittle farther down the inlet was a flat, grass-grown but dangerouslynear to high-water mark. Fannin shook his head doubtfully when helooked it over, for on the grass were a few fragments of seaweed;though the fresh meadow grass seemed to show that the flat was seldomcovered by the tide. Camp was made, and after supper Fannin and both ofthe Indians started off to look for game. Jack and Hugh were keepingcamp, when suddenly Jack observed that the water was rising higher thanhad been expected, and it was soon evident that a few inches more wouldcover the flat. They waited for a little while, in the hope that itwould recede, but presently all hands had to rush about to keep thingsfrom getting wet. It took but a short time to roll up the beddingand carry it into the forest, to pull down the tent and to lift theprovisions and mess kit up on drift logs. Half an hour later camp hadbeen remade in the forest, and six inches of water covered the flatwhere they had expected to sleep.