Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1896-09-17

white men dependency seemed left be-
hind like the cold night How the sun
Qlistened ON the frosty willow boughs
aud white carpet Of snow! How crisp
and bracing felt the delightful sir,
making the pulses tingle and redoublins
the strength We started by compass.
II was astonishing how hard the prairie
had already become The lakes that we
passed were also frozen.
Desiring some change in our diet. for
the geese and ducks had now oil gone
10 the south and we had found none for
some time. we resolved TO try our hines
at lake. The pemmican was very
"stodgy" and we were soon tired Of il,
although it was well made. Often there
is nothing in il but dried meat pounded
mp and then poured with lot Of melted
fat into bag. But ours had been care
fully made with good berries, so that it
was not disagreeable. Still a few fish
would be a pleasant variety. But now
we found 10 our dismay that the lake
was so alkaline that there was no fish
in it. This was another argument in
favor of getting altogether away from
the fatter country Of the Glluvial earth
which is furrowed so deep by the Sas-
katchevan stream. We resolved on two
or three forced marches, and were glad
TO find again the land swelling into
hillocks crowned with fir trees. Among
these there were again pieces Of frozen
water, and near the first we camped aft
er some days of toll, resolved, if there
were fish, TO rest little.
What joy to find a nibble at the
end of the line let down through hole
made in the ice. The water was large,
the farther shore being all fringcd with
pine. We might hope for good fishing.
What was this, the first catch? 1t was a
good one, for the tugs at the line were
furious. But there was a slackening Of
the efforts Of the fish, and cautiously l
hauled him up to the ice; another tug
and sudden cessation of all feeling Of
weight. Good heavens, have lost him
No. There he was at it once more, but
/ pulled him steadily through the ice,
and, 10, splendid trout lay gasping on
the skyward sidel Well done, pemmican
baitl But perhaps a piece Of this fish
would serve for another. Let us try.
Some time elapsed before there was any
reply vouchsafed to the temptation let
down into the waters. Then came O
jerk, then o long, strong pull. We had
anotherl A similar fight with this, not
50 prolonged. took place, and there soon
lay beside his mutilated comrade anoth-
er fish, but not this time trout. 1t was
whitesfsh or coregonus, kind Of
grayling much liked by all the dwell
ers within reach of the lakes, great or
small, in North America, for of this
fish men never tire. Of trout one can
soon have too much. This is not SO with
the whitefsh, so we were rejoiced at
getting one.
We were more determined than ever
to make n stay at place where we
could have rest and good refreshment.
Some more fish were caught, and we
went to camp, lighting large fire near
q little frozen stream. The fish were
placed on the surface of little pool
close to the fire, and there we left them,
content to stretch ourselves near the
flames and smoke our pipes and look
upward into the dark boughs that
seemed to breathe comfort and warmth
after the snow glare Of the open plains.
Some of the fish were split and put be-
fore the fire on sticks, and very good
they were. But what was our astonish-
ment, some time after supper and pipes
had been discussed, to find that in lit
tie surface pool formed by the melting
Of the brook ice by the heat of our fire,
several of the fish, captured hours be-
fore and frozen stiff, had become alive,
and were deluding themselves into the
belief that they were about again to be-
come free trout and whitefsh. We un-
deceived them. but that they could be-
come alive again after so prolonged an
apparent death was startling and new to
US. Whenever we caught them after,
we did away with the. hope Of this res
direction by knocking them on the head.
So passed this evening and good
many more, for we were loath to leave
our quarters.
The winter became more intense in
cold, but that we looked for, and we
We're astonished at the comparatively
small amount of snow that fell as com
pared to what we had been accustomed
to in Ontario We certainly never felt
SO we'll in Toronto as we did here on
tho border of what the geographers rath-
er affectedly call the subarctio forest.
We had made several excursions to
look ror deer, whose tracks we had OBJ
served On the border of the lake, and
one day came upon q fine buck who
appeared to be seeking some open water
near its shore He stood still, apparently
listening to some noise l must have
made, his dusky brown form clearly de-
fined against the snow. My rifle laid
him low, and we held high carnival
over his flesh, which was excellent II
was q reindeer or Cariboo.
About two weeks later we moved ON.
and, the ice being firmer with the in
creased cold, we had no difficulty II
crossing several lakes whose waters
stretched in the direction we wished te
take. 1t was at the end of one of thest
marches that we saw smoke from fires
kindled on the bank beneath the clumps
of frs and willow. One Of the pleasures
of travelling in the wild parts of the Ca
madam northwest consists in this-that
although in the United States you may
be uncertain what welcome may awai
you among the Indians, in the British
territories there is no fear to be appre
hended from them. Some events shall
| have hereafter to mention, which ma.
seem to prove the contrary, came from
accidental and purely temporary causes
| Al. Al kouino haan loH oyuau h