Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Anacortes, Wash. Ter.) 1882-1887, 1884-12-27
An Old Time Mystery.

Nanalmo, was taking his pleasure III the
woods of Dcnnah Island, Georgian Gull,
in company with "a Cowlchan man, they
came TO tree strongly walled around
with stone, and bearing on its bark the
inscription 1917, L. |. Mr. Horne has
preserved a portion OF the inscribed bark,
the remainder having been taken by the
Cowichaner. Now, what are We to con-
lecture as to the individuality and tate of
the unhappy man who, thus barricaded
in his loneliness, cut out the above figures
and letters9 The notion that the cutting
may have been doue in sport IN later days
is RENDERED impossible by the existence of
| the stone wall. In 1917 there were only
on this coast the Russian possession north
of N. lat. 54oi0 the Mexican in Calitor-
MA and the solitary ssabord post of Aston,
ia at Columbia mouth, owned by the
much advcnturing Canadian North West
Fur Company, which had tar out-stripped
in successful enterprise thu Hudson's Bay
Company, by long period its forerunner
in the same business in North America.
There were on this coast in 1917 and
for some twenty years later. when the Ii.
B. Co.'S steamer Beaver, by trading the best
iurs at the inlct-heads, checkmatee sail
Ing vessels schooners. briggs and larger
crafts. Amelcan ana British. trading iurs,
and accordingly visiting Fuca Strait and
the Georgian Gull. From some such YES
sci poor. P. l. may have deserted when
ashore wooding or watering. He nay
have been put to death by Indians at
sight. More likely he was enslaved by
them, to be for the rest of his oays ~
newer of wood and drawer of water, !"
comparatively well or i'll used according
to the natural disposition OF his temper
airy master, tor he may have had many
Trading off and kidnapping slaves, or be-
ing kidnapped, or beheaaed by the enemy
as sex or age may indicate were, seventy
years ago and later, events of every
months occurrence amongst. the
aborigiues Of tho Georgian Cult, and all
our Coast. Some families around, or In
the seaports OF Massachusetts may, should
"these presents meet the proper eye, yet
ideatiiy the hapless p. l. Mr.. Horne or
some one about Nanaimo might next
summer pull the wall (drystone it must be)
to pieces, IN case any memento OF P. I.
may yet exist underneath or IN it. Apro-
pos OF cruel shipmasters of whom I'M
pressive mention is made in that excellent
work "Dana's Two Years before the
Mast" and by Plimsoll and Chamberlin,
N. P.'s, in their later endeavors TO inn
prove matters generel.y for merchant
mariners of the United Kingdom, we,
while never gainsaying that shipmas-
ter afioat must needs have absolute power,
as!far as reasonable, conclude b y giving a
case where u mastermarinsr endeavored
to exercise that power to an intoierable
extent. In Dec, 1910, the American ship
Tonqsing, bringing an outfit OF goods,
many laborers, some clerks and several
partners for John Jacob Astor's company
to engage in fur trading in the extreme
west, was anchored in Egmont Bay, Fslk-
land Islands, repienishing watercasks. A
few OF the partners and some clerks were
ashore after wild fowls, and the latter 81
tame and numerous on these islands.
The captain, Jonathan Thorn, so violent a
man as to be thought touched in the
head" and already at variance with the
passengers, furious at tri1ing incident
on shore, put to sea without Notifying the
people on land. They followed Id their