SALMON Cache, Bear River,
21st January, 1875.
My Dear Edward,—
I left camp No. 7 yesterday at 11 and with the light trains over very bad snow made 22 miles to last night’s camp. I would have gone further than that but Quaw, who broke track, was used up, so I stopped. This morning we were at the portage early and started across it, Quaw said it was good for dogs. Quaw is a liar, and I believe he never saw the portage before, at any rate he couldn’t find it half the time. However, after much climbing, hauling the dogs up and letting them down perpendicular places by ropes (the truth) we got to Bear River at 4 p. m. Distance across portage about 3 miles, which we did in 7 hours hard travelling, I am mad to-night and have been giving Quaw a piece of my mind. After getting to Bear River, we came up 5 miles and found the cache in a good state of preservation. Quaw has quite a house here and in it we now sit. Brush on the floor, a good fire and a dry roof overhead, all make a very good picture, which I’d like to sketch.
The salmon caches are outside in some large pine trees, where the bears and wolverine cannot get.
HANINGTON CACHE, 26th January, 1875.
My Dear Edward, —
On the 22nd entered into a discussion with Quaw as to the benefit to be derived from a cheap sale of salmon. Among other things I told him he would certainly have a fair chance of going to Heaven when ho died, all of which being spoken in the chaste language of the Chinook, he took into his heart. The end of it was, that after breakfast he handed over 650 salmon at 10 cents each, and he also helped to pack them on the two dog sleds. The noble red man is a strange individual. Last summer when the salmon were running up the river, and we wanted some, fresh, Quaw wanted us to pay $1.50 each for them, now after having cured and dried them he sells ten for one dollar. Quaw says he has been up the pass we are going to explore and that it is good, but he won't go as guide at any price I tried him again when at his cache, but no go; he says "In three days journey you will got to a fork of the N. Fork, take the left. In two days more you will strike a fall as high as a tree, which you will have to portage around. In 5 days more you will see meadows and a very small stream running through. After that you will travel 3 days when you will find water running east, and you will see the sun rise out of the prairie." This is a very good prospect for us, if his word can only be depended upon, but I’d rather see the old chap go up as guide than hear all his ways and means of getting through the pass.
The great point is, how long are Quaw’s "Suns" or days, but that we'll find out in time. Well, as I said before. I got the salmon loaded on the sleds and having given Quaw an order on the H. B. Co. for his money (which they will probably pay in goods at 500 per cent profit) I said good bye, wishing him success in his trappings, &c., and left. Te Jon takes one train and I my own and we came around by Bear River, the portage being as I said before; the travelling on Bear River was very bad and I soon had to make Te Jon drive both trains while I broke track. We got only live miles down river and camped, the dogs being completely played out. I broke track a few miles ahead after we got comfortable for the night. The next day was a little better and we made 8 miles, getting two miles below the mouth of Bear River, but I had to leave one sled at Bear River, and putting 8 dogs on the other drove to camp. Then while I made ready for the night, Te Jon went back and brought up last sled. In the evening I broke track ahead. The next day we found the river frightful, the water having overflowed on account of the heavy snow. As you can imagine, the sleds stuck fast in the slush, and we have to get poles, turn them (the sleds) over and scrape off the bottoms, then we go on a few more yards, when we repeat. It was fearful both on men and dogs, and I was delighted when I saw the N. Fork on which hoped to see some remains of the track we made on the way down; we got there about
3 o’clock on the 25th, with one sled and 8 dogs hauling, so I set Te Jon at the camp and went back for the remaining sled; 8 dogs make a fine train, I can tell you, but they have had such a hard time of it that their spirits are about broken. It was late when I got that sled to camp and it didn’t take much cradling to send me to sleep. This morning I made up my mind to leave one sled here, and with the other and all the dogs, go to my cache before night. This I did and we left camp early. It snowed hard all day but we got here at 4 o'clock, altho' we had some overflowed ice to work with.
I forgot to say that three miles from here we found a fresh track and after that we came in in fine style. I found Jarvis and the others here, having returned today from the trip up river. They report a good track ahead now, but to night will till it up I think. A heavy snow storm. So far we have never seen a track remain open more than one day, but this may be an exception to the rule.
I have had a square feed to-night. My stock of grub having given out some time ago, and my taste for salmon not being developed yet, I have been hungry.
Jarvis is sorry that Quaw didn’t come back as guide, but as usual we agree in saying that so far " the country’s quite Safe. "
But I'll turn in—good night.
C. F. H.
No comments:
Post a Comment