The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1928-03-16
WATERS
OF THE FAR NORTH
Continued from first page)

badly frozen at Resolution before
our departure from there. The
first killing frost occurred at Pro
violence on the night of September
IA.
Having nothing to do, and find
ing the mission rather short on
help, all of the Brothers but one,
being away for the fall fishing,
we lent a hand at gathering the
potato crop, and some crop it was.
The yield was splendid, and as for
size and quality, they equalled
anything l had ever seen in Dako-
ia or Montana. There were also
some very fine cabbages, turnips
and other garden truck. Having
assisted Father Michael in plac-
ing some two hundred sacks Of
potatoes in the mission cellar, we
were invited to have supper with
him. We accepted the invitation
and spent a very enjoyable even
ing. Most of the people in the
North are of the Catholic faith
and a Catholic mission is main
tanned at almost every post of i'm
portance. The Providence mis-
sion was established seventy-five
years ago.
Real Work Begins
Eight days rolled by and still
no sign or word of Hay. 1t was
out of the question to wait any
longer, so on September 18th we
pushed off with both canoes heav-
lily loaded. We We're forced to
leave several hundred pounds at
the Hudson's Bay Co., having
more than we could carry. The
pleasure part of the trip was now
at an end and real work lay ahead.
At the island we reloaded, TAX
ing twelve hundred pounds in the
n~ineteen-foot freight conoe for the
first try at the rapids. The motor
was now useless so it was cached
on the island for the winter. We
worked two and a half days TAX
ing this load up about fifty rapids
and then we came to one that
whipped up,-ouT load was too
heavy so it was decided to cache
it there and bring the remainder
that far and then split the outfit
into four loads for the rest of the
way. We brought everything that
far in two more trips, with the eX-
ception of the light canoe. We at
tempted to tow it behind the last
load, but it proved just that much
too much so it was cached at the
second rapid.
Savage Waters
We now took a load of about
seven hundred and fifty pounds
and successfully assembled the
other rapids, reaching Mink Lake
on the evening of September Goth.
A few words about the river we
had just traversed might not be
amiss. It is about two hundred
Yards in width at the mouth, but
to less than half that
width among the rapids Of which
there are eighty-five of major pro-
portions besides numerous RIFLES
and stretches of fast water. There
are rapids of almost every de-
scription. Some being but sever
al rods in length with an abrupt
drop. Some are wide, long and
shallow, others send the water
roaring down a narrow chute at
terrific speed,-but all of them
are full of high jagged boulders
and the water is travelling witt
such force, that lax of vigilance
for a single moment might easily
spell disaster. When taking III
the first load we narrowly missed
having a serious accident when
while attempting to pick a pas
Sag6Way between SOlhS pOUAN
the canoe was permitted to swlni
broadside of the current a trlfl
too far. In the twinkling OF a.
eve the force of the water caugh
the bow and swung the cano
souarely broadside. No man pow
err could hold it or turn it back
The only thing to be done was I
turn and run back down the rapl
and then make a new start up.
was he~artbreaking work asceno
that seemingly endless chain c
rapids, and to make matter
worse, we were wet every day an
it is not pleasant to wade tines
streams in September and Oct'
her. so the sight of Mink Lax
brought joy to our hearts eve
though it was only the first loa
and three more YER yet to b
, brought up.
Continued next week.