Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-22

hon. a Russian half-breed and JOB
Chapies, pure-bIood Cree Indian All
three had been born and brought UP in
the Hudson Bay country. and were ex-
pert hunters and canoemen. They had
come TO me from Missanabie, some eight
hundred miles west of Montreal
Monday morning. June g. found US at
our real starting point in Labrador, North
west river post, Lake Melville, and at work
In earnest. There was really perplextng
array of stuff when the outfit was I'M
packed and spread out in the store 1t
seemed as If the little canoes could never
hold 1t all. The men looked little doubt
ful. too. I wondered what I should have
to leave behind
M. Duclos of the French post and Mr..
Cotter of the Hudson Bay Company, cheer
fuily raided their kitchens to supply my
lack in utensils, the flour bags were fin
ished and filled and before noon Tuesday
most or the outfit was packed, and the men
tried 1t in the canoes. There were two of
THESE, canvas-covered, and nineteen feet
long, thirteen Inches deep and thirty-four
inches wide, and with each three paddles
and a sponge. The remainder of the outfit
consisted of balloon-silk tents, / stove.
I2-lnch waterproof canvas bags, 2 9-inch
waterproof canvas bags, l dozen l0-Ib
waterproof balloon-silk bags, 1872 lbs.
OF -four, lbs. baking powder Is lbs of rice
70 lbs. erbswurst, 20 cans of standard
emergency rattons, II lbs. tea. GO lbs. sugar,
l ounce crystalose, cans condensed milk
IL lbs chocolate. cans condensed SOUP. :
lbs. bareback, 200 lbs. bacon, IA lbs salt
There were kitchen utensils, three small
axes, one crooked knife. two nets. two rifles
and three tarpauhns. For each of the men
there were .22-caliber 1o-inch barrel sin
gle-shot pistol for partridges and other
small game, bowie knife and a pair of
Hight wool blankets. They took also two
pairs of shoe packs each.
For myself / had a revolver a hunting
Knife and some fishing tackle. one pocket
foioang Kodak. one panorama kodak, sex
tant barometer, thermometer. l wore
a short skirt over knickerbockers short
sweater and belt to which were attached
a handsome embroidered cartridge pouch
ana my revolver and knife. My hat was a
rather narrow-brimrned soft felt l had
one pair of heavy leather rnoccasins reach
ing almost to my knees, one pair of high
sealskin boots. one pair low ones which Nj.
Ducios mad given me, and three pairs of
auhei or underwear ] had four suits and
hye pairs of stockings--all wool I took
also rubber automobile shirt, a long
Swedish dogskin coat, one pair leather
gloves, one pair WOODEN gloves and a shirt
Waisl-ior sundays. For my tent had an
air mattress, crib size, one pair light gray
camp blankets. one light wool con,fortable
weighing three and half pounds one lit
tie feather pillow and one f1ot-water bottle.
Thanks to the courtesy OF M Duclos, Gil
bert Blake had been added TO my crew
Gilbert was one of the two young lads of
the rescue party George Elson had sent
back two years before when his desperate
efforts to get help had brought him to bon
aid Blake's house
We started at BIS In the afternoon of
June ~ 1905. with few days more than I
had hoped added to the time We should
have to do the work 1t was alarmingly
short at best. / had been Informed at the
Hudson Bay Company's post at Rigoiett
that their ship Pelican would be at the
George river post at Ungava the last week
in August This ship was my only means
Of returning to civilization before winter.
That left just two months To cross the
country, distance OF COO miles
Thirteen miles above Grand lake we
came to where the Red Wine river flows In
from the south. Here on the north bank
the first of the portage foutes by which the
Indians avoid the toughest parts of the
river leads out TO run through a chain of
lakes entering the river again at Seal
lake. BY this, route the Indians reach Seal
AXE from Northwest river in less than two
weeks, taking just twenty-one days to
make the journey through TO Lake Mschi-
kamau
: When al Northwest river I had secured 4