, 1890-05-03
WONDERS OF THE NORTH.
INTERESTING THINGS FOUND IN
BRITISH COLUMBIA.

Curious Formations OF Ice-NaturalB Bridges
Are Found in Many Rivers-A Shattered
Indian TraditIon-Chasms Six Miles Long.
Deep GorEes. IS
There are 4 few very curious things
about British Columbia rivers. Every
body knows that they flow in the wrong
direction while they are young. For in
stance, the Peace and Lizard persist in
going to the Arctic ocean, in defiance Of
the Rocky mountains and the laws of
nature, while the Columbia, Fraser and
Kootenay only consent to travel seward
after going in the opposite direction some
hundreds of miles. But they also have
very peculiar ways of making ice, quite
opposite to that laid down in the text
books. In the Skeena / nave observed
the ice in autumn to form on the river
bed among the powders in globules, like
a mass Of fish spawn, this often growing
until the reef actually reaches the sur-
face, but more often 1t breaks away in
large pieces and floats off down stream,
bearing pebbles and even powders for
many miles.
IneIt are many hdluldA bliubto vi Jul
rivers also. In the Kicking Horse, three
miles below Field station, there is a rock
bridge in a slate formation which is in.
clined so as to present sharp edges-very
unpleasant to walk upon. Every observ-
ant passenger on the Canadian Pacific
railroad has noticed the snow bridge on
the Illecillewaet, but there are records
of ice bridges also. / think | nave heard
of one on the Homathco river, but of the
Stickeen a marvellous story is told. There
is a great glacier descending out Of the
high snowfeld to the north, and this in
ancient times flowed right across the
valley, meeting a lesser ice stream from
the heights opposite. The Stickeen flowed
under the ice in a tunnel, and at very
low water the passage was too small for
It, although the water must ave been
banked up into a lake at the spring
freshet.
A SHATTERED TRADITION.
Now, the Sloane Indians of the upper
valley used to regard this tunnel in the
ice as leading to the sweet by and
by" They were therefore very anN-
ious to avoid the place. But c the
tribe was encamped not far above the
glacier, and there was a very old man
and his wife with them who were too
mean to die because of the expose of Civ
ing a funeral feast. They were very rich
and Of no use, and had large appetites,
and their relatives at last consented to
part with them. They were therefore
set adrift in a leaky canoe and consigned
10 the current, and all he people, con
Gcious OF self sacrifice, TODD on h bank
and watched the canoe vanish into the
tunnel, and felt good. Now, the old
people were very Heightened and squealed
a good deal, but when the blue shadows
OF the ice closed over them they thought
they were dead Indians, and behaved
accordingly. Presently the old lady
thought it was getting light, and became
curious and looked about her. Then she
kicked the old man IND asked II he
didn't wish they were at the funeral feast.
He looked up and found the canoe out in
the open again, the glacier behind them,
n the world pretty much as usual
They got ashore, cut paddles and poles,
and prepared TO go home again. The old
man began to be hungry for the grease
boxes; the old lady set her heart on
grease and berries, and they both deter
mined to get home for the banquet, since
they had assisted at the funeral. Well,
by dint Of making the old lady work,
while he steered and gave good advice,
they succeeded in making their way W
through the tunnel and home, and were
in ample time for the feast. In fact they
lived happily every afterward. But how
shall we condole with the relatives, whose
sweetest and most pious traditions had
been shattered about the sweet by
and by?