Undertake, and afraid to try and make a start, because they thought
if they went they would have to bring the canoe. And besides the
snow being so deep, and had been snowing nearly every day for some
time ago, and haven't had chance of settling down, and besides
about 80 miles to where the camp was, and the canoe about 98 miles.
We could not take dogs, because the country being so rough we could
not use dogs whatever. So we have to get on by hauling every man
his toboggan.
Seeing that the boys were almost afraid to try, till at last I told
them, "Never mind, but come along with me and I will tell you
whether the canoe will be taken out or not. Because we are going
up there especially for to bring out Mr. Hubbard's body, and some
films if I can find them, and we will leave the canoe and not
bother with it. So you can put the blame on me, as anyway we will
have more than three men can handle, and especially the country
being so rough."
They said they would come along with me and help me in what I had
to do, as it is something that has to be done. And besides getting
time for the mild, and the rivers burst, and the water runs on top
of the ice, and afraid that we could do no travelling in Susan
Brook, and the mountains so rough and steep we could not haul
toboggans over them, and have to travel on the river. So we got
started in the morning from Northwest River on our way up.
March 8th. - Tom Blake and Duncan M'Lean and I started this morning
to bring Mr. Hubbard's body out to Northwest River. We have two
toboggans and one catmeran. Taking little stove, and tent and
enough provisions. Each has a good load, and the new snow makes
heavy going. Got dogs at Tom Blake's. Douglas Blake going up the
lake with us. We came 18 miles to-day.
March 9th. - Still snowing heavy and stormy. So we had to lay up
to-day, being too rough to travel on the lake, and the snow deep.
March 10th. - Still snowing. Tom Blake got discouraged, as he
thinks it will be too hard to do any travelling in the bush, as it
is heavy going even on the lake. He and Douglas went home this
morning with the dogs to Northwest River. The young lad Duncan
stays with me. I found hard to think of what I have to do; but
Duncan promises me that he will be brave, and we will try and go on
as soon as the weather settles, and the snow will pack and make
better travelling.
March 1lth and 12th. - Snowing and kind of mist. Could not go on
again.
Sunday, March 13th. - In the afternoon it cleared up and we started,
Duncan and I, and being only two could not take all we had, and
left some grub and our blankets. Just taking tent, stove, and
enough grub. Our loads still heavy to drag, and travelled slow and
good part of the night. At last Duncan broke his snowshoe, and had
to stop. Duncan is a nice boy and willing, and not particular when
to start in the morning and when to quit.
March 14th. - This morning Duncan fixing up his snowshoes, and took
part of the day. In the afternoon we started. Hope to make a good
early start in the morning as the snow is settling fast.
March 15th. - This morning, as we were just starting off, saw Mr.
Blake coming. He has changed his mind and came on again to follow
us up. We were so glad to have him come again.
March 16th. - Stormy and cold. Last night very cold. We have to
keep fire on all night, and especially when we have no blankets.
Our toboggans being so rimey to-day, and very often scraped the
rime off so as it wouldn't draw so hard.
March 17th. - The weather changed and settled down, and made a good
day's journey to-day.
March 18th. - To-day I shot six partridges with the pistol. This
evening I knew we were coming opposite where we left the cartridges
in the summer. It was in July, when one day Mr. Hubbard thought he
had too many cartridges, and we took and dug in the sand and left
them and covered them up, about five hundred rifle and pistol
cartridges. So I told Mr. Blake and Duncan about it, and left our
loads there and crossed over to where I thought it would be. We
hadn't marked the place, for any way we thought of never coming
back that way again. We came to the place where I thought we had
left them, and dug into the snow. The boys were not sure about it
at all, and thinking that I would not find the cartridges.
When we came to the sand they asked me, "Is this the place?"
I said, "Yes."
A chisel I had with me to cut the frozen sand with. We dug into
the sand and just came on them. The boys were surprised and would
have bet anything before we started that I wouldn't find anything
whatever, as the snow in winter makes things look different.
March 19th. - To-day made good time. Duncan snow blind.
Sunday, March 20th. - Early before noon we came to the camp. The
tent was all buried in the snow; but when we dug down were
surprised to find it standing. We wrapped Mr. Hubbard in the
things we brought along with us, and did the best we could.
