The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1906-12-28

rough. and here we made our first
camp In the snow and repeated the
operation for twelve days, using
boughs for our beds, with our blan-
kets over them. We had tent 6X7 feet
for FIVE men. No rooms to let there
On the following day the Indians dug
up two canoes. Mac and George occu.
pying one, the chief and Louie (the
Frenchman) in the other. You see |
left myself out, but | was with the
chief. Our canoes leaked miserably
and we landed on a point about two
miles down on the north side of the
lake for the Indians to stop the leaks
some with fir pitch. On leaving this
point we met with our first accident
Just as our canoe was leaving the
shore we struck a rock and our YES
sci was bottomside up before you
could have batted your eye. FQrtu-
nately there was only about four feet
of water and we scrambled ashore. OF
course that water Is like coast rain
IL isn't wet But Oh, Gee! its cold
Out on the shore we built big bon
fire, changed our underwear and all
the clothes we could and in one hour
made second start. O. *. this time,
but that canoe didn't look like stan
dard sleeper to me- We made the east
end of Manhood lake by about I o'clock
which was the time we had to stop
dark. Here we cashed every article
we could at all dispense with, hanging
bundles In the trees to keep away
from cougars, and as early as we
could started, the men carrying about
so to GO pounds apiece, except myself
carrying about twenty pounds, and
found that plenty.
To hurry along | will say that we
made the seventeen miles in snow
from one to three feet deep Just at
evening of the third day, camping at
the south end of Clearwater lake. The
next morning the boys dug up two lit
tie canoes that any white man would
be ashamed to attempt to ride in. We
dashed them together with poles, leav-
ing them about six feet apart. Chief
wanted to make a deserted cabin and
we had hard time. Darkness came
on and a binding snowstorm made OBJ
jects on shore very hard to see, but
that chief is like a cat and finally said,
Pull ashore" If you ever saw five
chilled men we were when we crawled
into that cabin door about 2X4 feet,
with no windows. Here we camped
To- Iii hun cd fri, To ~
timber and back at night. First day
out from here our second accident.
Mac, the two Indians and | were max
ing our way up Deadman's river from
Clearwater to Blue lake, a distance of
mile and a half. Part of the way
we padded. The water got so swift
we had to use poles, and finally the
current caught the end of the canoes
and we lost control and we were
thrown with great force against the
bank of the river. OF course my ca
noe was on the outside. When Mac
and George hit shore they jumped out,
but hung on to the canoe. The cross
poles broke with a snap and we
jumped for the boat they were holding
and got it with our hands, but of
course went in the river. When we
scrambled on shore. The water being
deep here, George remarked, Dead
man river pretty near got four more
dead men that time" We dragged
those canoes on up along the shore
and finally got to Blue lake, all of us
wet to the waist and nothing to eat.
We did not try to dry, just kept NOV
| ing. Did our stalking for timber, fas-
tened the canoes together again and
went down that river like a toboggan
slide. But my letter is getting too
| long. OF course we had not figured on
so hard trip and our provisions were
giving out. Suffice it to say we had
to make from the north end of Clear
water lake to Mahood lake, twenty
nine miles, in two days, which distance
took us four days to go. On the last
day we had twelve and half miles
to walk on one flapjack in the morn
ing and one at noon. At noon | Of
fered the chief $3.50 to carry my pack
| six miles to Mahood. He took it and
I got in, but would certainly have
thrown my new heavy overcoat away
if he had not But he was a sick look
ing Indian when he got in. We had
left little -four and some beans here,
so we got something to eat Crossed
Mahood lake and the portage without
accident, but had our troubles on Ca.
MIN. A storm came up and blew us
ashore. We were powerless against
it. Waves washed clear over us and
our coats were blocks of ice The
storm queted in a couple of hours and
on we went again. We had to stop
once and thaw out our chief. He said
he was cold. We made fire and he
was so cold he was helpless-could not
unite his shoes, and he just shook all
over. Think we were an hour thawing
him out and he had on two shirts of
mine at that.
This day we travelled from o'clock in