The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1895-12-11
On SnoW-Shoes to the Barren
Ground.

Far to the northwest, beginning
ten days journey beyond Great
Slave Lake and running down to
the Arctic ocean, with Hudson Bay as
its eastern and Great Bear Lake and
the Coppermine River as its western
boundaries, lies the most complete
and extended desolation on EARTH
That is the Barren Grounds, the land
whose approximate 100000 square
miles for its exact area is unknown
is the dwelling place of no man, and
its storms and sterility in its most
nostherly part are withstood the year
round by no living creature save the
musk OK. There is the timberless
waste where ice-ladened blasts blow
with hurricane and ceaseless fury
that bid your blood stand still and
your breath come and go in painful
singing gasps where rock and
lichen and moss replace soil and trees
and herbage and where death by
starvation or freezing dogs the foot
steps of the explorer.
There are two seasons and only
two methods of penetrating this
great lone land of the North-by
canoe, when the watercourses are
free of ice, and on snow-shces dur
ing the frozen period, which occu-
pies nearly nine of the years twelve
months The deadly cold of winter,
and greater risk of starvation, make
the canoe trip the more usual one
with the few Indians than hunt the
musk.ox But, because Of the many
portages, you cannot travel so rapidly
by canoe as on snow-shoes, nor go so
far north for the best of the musk-ox
hunting, nor see the Barren Grounds
at their best, or worst, as you care
to consider it. That is why chose
to make the attempt on snow.shoes.
Arthur Heming, the artist, and |
found ourselves, December 27, 1894,
at Edmoudton, the end of the rail
road. We had travelled on the Cana
dian Pacific via Winnipeg and Cal.
gary, and through the land of the
Crees. Blackfeet and Sarcee Indians,
without seeing anything so pic.
turesque in the way of costuming as
the Winnepeg dragoon and Sarcee
young woman resplendent in beads
and glittering tinsel. really ought to
include the mounted policeman,fo he
too has uniform which, with scarlet
jacketand yellow-stripped breeches, is
deserving of greater attention. But
the mounted policeman has that which
is far worthier of comment than uni
form He has the reputation of be-
ing the moss effective arm of the
Canadian Interior Department And
he lives up to ii. These "Riders of
the Plains" as they are called. patrol
country so large that the entire
force may lose itself within its do
mains and still be miles upon miles
apart. Yet this comparative handful
maintains order among the lawless
white men and stays discontentment
among the restless red men in a man
ner so satisfactorily and 50 unosten-
tatiously as to make some of our
United States experiences read like
those Of tyre
The success of the Northwest
Mounted Police may be accredited to
it's system Of distribution through
out the guarded territory. Unlike
our army, it does not mass its force
in forts adjacent to Indian reserva.
tons Posts it has, where recruiting
and drilling are constantly going for
ward. but the main body Of men is
scattered in twos and threes over the
country riding hither and tither-a
watch that goes on relief after relief.
This is the secret of their success,
and system it would we'll repay our
own government to adopt The
police are ever on the spot TO advise
or to arrest. They do not wait for
action until an outbreak has occur
red they are always in action.
They constitute most valuable
peace assuring corps, and | wish we
had one like it.
A NEW YEARS DANCE IN THE NORTH.
WEST.
Half:breeds-French and Cree
constitute the larger share of popu-
lation al La Biche, If may class as
its population those scattered over
the Immediately surrounding country,
and where the settlement consists of
Just three cabins besides the Hudson
Bay Company's. But, after all, the
French blood reveals itself chiefly in
few Christian names and in the
more fanciful coloring and use of
some articles of wear. for there is
little French spoken, the children Of
mixed parentage almost invariably