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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..ccd7715 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #69432 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/69432) diff --git a/old/69432-0.txt b/old/69432-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index dad4d82..0000000 --- a/old/69432-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3532 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of David Thompson--the explorer, by -Charles Norris Cochrane - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: David Thompson--the explorer - -Author: Charles Norris Cochrane - -Release Date: November 26, 2022 [eBook #69432] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Al Haines - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DAVID THOMPSON--THE -EXPLORER *** - - - - - - - -[Illustration: THIS MAP WILL HELP YOU TO UNDERSTAND (left half)] - - - -[Illustration: DAVID THOMPSON'S JOURNEYS (right half)] - - - - CANADIAN MEN OF ACTION--NUMBER II. - - The Series edited by W. Stewart Wallace, Librarian - of the University of Toronto. - - - DAVID THOMPSON - - - - - DAVID THOMPSON - - THE EXPLORER - - BY - - CHARLES NORRIS COCHRANE - - Associate Professor of Ancient History, - University College, Toronto - - - - TORONTO - THE MACMILLAN COMPANY OF CANADA LIMITED - 1924 - - - - - Copyright, Canada, 1924 - - BY THE MACMILLAN COMPANY OF CANADA LIMITED - - - Printed in Canada - - - - -PREFATORY NOTE - -I wish to acknowledge the great debt which I owe to Mr. J. B. Tyrrell -for the use of material contained in his edition of Thompson's -_Narrative_. - -It was Mr. Tyrrell who first rescued the name of Thompson from the -undeserved oblivion into which it had sunk. Those who are familiar -with his introduction and notes, will recognize how largely I have -borrowed from them in preparing this short life. - -C. N. C. - -June 1924. - - - - -CONTENTS - - -I APPRENTICED TO THE COMPANY 1770-1786 - -II HE FINDS HIS MÉTIER 1786-1791 - -III TRADER, SURVEYOR, EXPLORER 1791-1797 - -IV WITH THE NORTH-WESTERS 1797-1798 - -V EIGHT YEARS OF TRADING 1798-1806 - -VI ACROSS THE GREAT DIVIDE 1806-1810 - -VII THE RACE TO THE SEA 1810-1812 - -VIII LAST YEARS 1812-1857 - - - - -DAVID THOMPSON - - - -CHAPTER I - -APPRENTICED TO THE COMPANY - -On the 30th of December, 1783, the Governors of the Grey Coat School -at Westminster, England, received from the secretary of the Hudson's -Bay Company a request for four boys, trained in navigation, to be -apprenticed to the Company for service at their posts in America. At -that time, there were in the school but two boys so qualified--Samuel -John McPherson and David Thompson. The one was so terrified by the -prospect of perils and hardships unknown, that within a week he ran -away from the school and was heard of no more. The other accepted -the destiny for which he had been marked out, and became one of the -greatest land surveyors that the British race has ever produced. - -When David Thompson was called before the Headmaster to be informed -of his fate, he was in his fourteenth year, and had been for nearly -seven years a pupil in the school. No description exists of the poor -charity boy as he then was; but from accounts given of him in later -life, it is possible to imagine his appearance. Though he was short -of stature, his sturdy frame already gave promise of the strength -that was to enable him to drive his canoe through the currents and -eddies of the western waterways, or trudge at the head of his men -across the plains in the teeth of a December blizzard. His -complexion was ruddy, though his smooth cheeks were not as yet tanned -and furrowed by a life of exposure to the sun and wind of the great -North West. The straight, black hair which hung down over his -forehead combined with a stub nose to give him an odd look. Yet -there must have been already evident, in his expression, the -animation and kindliness which in after years distinguished him, and -suggested at once the boldness and fire of Curran the Irish orator, -and the strength and piety of the puritan Bunyan, both of whom he is -said to have greatly resembled. - -Thompson's parents were Welsh, and had borne the name of ApThomas -until they had come to live in London. It was there in the parish of -St. John the Evangelist, that David was born on the last day of -April, in the year 1770. While yet a mere child, he was left an -orphan by the death of his father. So poor was the family that the -dead man had to be buried at the expense of the parish, and the -widow, with David and a still younger infant, was left alone to face -the hardships of life in the metropolis. The boy, however, must have -shown unusual promise; because, while still quite young, he attracted -the attention of a certain Abram Acworth. Through the recommendation -of this otherwise unknown benefactor, he was at the age of seven -accepted as a scholar by the Governors of the Grey Coat School. - -The Grey Coat School was a royal foundation "the principall designe -of which" was "to educate poor children in the principles of piety -and virtue, and thereby lay the foundations for a sober and Christian -life". Almost within the shadow of Westminster Abbey, the old -building is still to be seen---a red brick house, built in the -Elizabethan manner, its walls covered with grape-vine and Virginia -creeper, standing in the midst of a large garden and playground. - -In the school, Thompson found himself a member of the class in -mathematics, and received such training in geography, algebra, -mechanics, and the art of navigation as was possible with the aid of -texts, many of which were at that time a century old. In those days -books were scarce and dear; and, for their general reading, the boys -had to be satisfied with such miscellaneous works as came their way. -These were passed eagerly from hand to hand, and as eagerly read and -discussed. Youthful imaginations were excited by the romantic -adventures of the Persian and Arabian tales, or by the travels of -Robinson Crusoe and Gulliver in strange lands and among strange -peoples. - -Within five minutes' walk of the school was the Abbey and its -cloisters. His hours of recreation David spent mainly in wandering -through the venerable pile, reading the history of England on the -monuments of her heroic dead, and drinking in the beauty of the -architecture, especially that of the noble Henry VII Chapel. On -other occasions, when chance offered, he would stroll through the -Strand and Fleet Street as far east as London Bridge or westward to -Chelsea, rich in historical memories and famous for its beautiful -lawns. Other favourite haunts were St. James' Park and Spring -Gardens in Vauxhall, across the Thames. Forty years of wandering -through rock and forest, by plain and mountain, served merely to -render yet more vivid his boyish recollection of the city and its -parks "where all was beauty to the eye and verdure to the feet." - -Thompson's school days, however, were now to be cut short. By the -20th of May, 1784, the formalities were completed by which he was -bound apprentice to the Hudson's Bay Company for seven years; and he -at once embarked from the Port of London on the Company's ship, -_Prince Rupert_, en route for North America. The lines were cast -off, and the vessel with its cargo of goods for the Indian trade -drifted lazily down stream with the tide, carrying Thompson away for -ever from the sights and sounds of London, which he knew and loved so -well. - -The voyage was uneventful, except for the usual incidents that -attended the westward journey of the Company's annual fleet. Not a -detail, however, escaped the keen eye of the young traveller, -unaccustomed as he was to anything but the quiet life of the school, -and thirsting to see something of the world, which he knew only in -the pages of Gulliver and Robinson Crusoe. The ship sailed up the -North Sea to Stromness in the Orkneys, there to wait three weeks for -the two vessels which were to accompany her across the Atlantic, and -to receive final instructions and sailing orders. As they lay in the -harbour of Stromness, Thompson's keen eyes noted the strange life of -the kelp-burners on shore, men, women, and children who, half-naked, -gathered the dripping sea-weed in baskets, and lugged it on their -shoulders to the kilns. Gazing at the rocky shore line and the low, -dark cottages with their smoky peat fires, which dotted the barren -hills, he was smitten with regret for the rich meadows and woods of -England, and for a moment he wished himself back amid the scenes of -his school life. Yet in his rambles ashore, the lad found much to -interest him. He observed with amusement the quaint habits of the -cottagers, who combined a brisk trade in smuggled liquor with lengthy -and solemn weekly devotions at the old-fashioned Kirk by the shores -of the harbour. - -Sailing orders finally arrived from London, and the little fleet was -soon off on its hazardous journey across the stormy North Atlantic. -Presently the sight of icebergs drifting south with the Arctic -current, warned the crews that they were nearing Hudson Straits. It -was a month before they had worked their way through the floating ice -of the Straits; after which the three ships separated, one for the -factories at Moose and Albany rivers, the second for York, while the -Prince Rupert, with Thompson aboard, headed _for Churchill_, the most -northerly of the Company's settlements on the west side of the Bay. -Before long, they sighted the granite coast, which they followed -southward. This ended at Churchill in a low point of rock and sand, -surmounted by the grim stone battlements of Fort Prince of Wales, -which two years before had been gutted by the French in their raid on -the Bay. Rounding this point, they found themselves in the mouth of -the Churchill, a noble stream, almost a mile in breadth. Up the -river they made their way for a distance of five miles to a small bay -at the head of the estuary, where they cast anchor before the log -huts of the still unfinished new fort. - -The arrival of the annual ship was the event of the year. Hurried -preparations were made for discharging the cargo of provisions for -the factory and supplies for the Indian trade, and taking on board -the year's accumulation of furs, which were destined to adorn the -persons of the fashionable world of England and the Continent. In -the midst of this confusion, the new apprentice was taken ashore, and -within ten days the _Prince Rupert_ sailed away, leaving him to face -the rigours of his new life on the dismal shores of Hudson Bay. - -It was indeed a new life in which David Thompson found himself. -Apart from the officers, there was a staff of sixty artisans and -servants in the fort. These were all busy from dawn till dark; for, -besides conducting their trade with the Indians, they had to maintain -themselves as a community in an utterly barren land. At six each -morning in summer, and eight in winter, the duty bell summoned to -their toil, accountant, steward, armourer, shipwright, carpenter, -cooper, blacksmith, mason, tailor, and labourers. Assisted by his -officers, the governor, gorgeous in scarlet tunic and ruffles, his -sword and pistols in his belt, supervised the labours of the factory. - -By the early part of October, the myriads of wild geese and ducks -which each summer lived in the vast swamps to the south of Churchill -had winged their way to warmer climes. The middle of the month saw -the marshes stiff with frost, and snow lying on the ground. The -polar bear made his appearance, waiting for the ice to extend some -distance from the shore, when he left to prey on the seal, his -favourite food. By the fifteenth of November, the broad and deep -river was frozen solid from bank to bank, not to break up until the -middle of June in the following year. Till the end of December, the -staff were able to keep the yard of the fort clear of snow. At that -time, a three days' blow from the north-east filled the fort with -snow to a depth of six feet, with drifts as high as the stockades. -Thereafter it was enough if they could keep paths cleared from one -hut to another. - -The cold was intense. The noise of rocks split by the frost broke -the silence of the night with a sound like that of a cannon shot. On -the interior walls of the still unfurnished huts, the rime collected -to a depth of four inches, and on this the shivering inhabitants -threw pails of water in order that it might form a coat of ice to -increase the warmth of the houses. Owing to the haste with which the -huts had been thrown up, there had been no time to lay in a -sufficient supply of firewood for the winter; and all the wood that -could be gathered for fuel allowed only one fire in the morning and -one in the evening. During the rest of the day, if the weather was -bad, Thompson, with the others, had to pace the guard room floor, -muffled to the eyes in his beaver coat, in order to keep himself from -freezing. On clear days, however, he passed his time in shooting -grouse, and this activity he enjoyed except for the tumbles in the -snow and the sore feet and ankles that resulted from his eager -efforts to walk in snow-shoes. - -The dreary winter seemed endless, when, in the middle of June, summer -burst with the suddenness of dawn in the Tropics, bringing with it -torments which made Thompson regret even the discomforts of winter. -"Hudson Bay," he says in his narrative, "is certainly a country which -Sinbad the sailor never saw, for he makes no mention of musketoes." -These pests rose from the marshes in clouds, driving man and beast to -distraction. The dogs in the fort howled in their agony, rolling -themselves on the ground and hiding in the pools. Even the fox was -in a fighting humour, barking and snapping; and, hungry though he -was, he was forced to seek shelter in his hole. - -Such was Thompson's first year on the Bay. He had expected, when he -reached the Fort, to be employed as a clerk, but he soon found that -his only business was to amuse himself, "in winter growling at the -cold, and in the open season shooting gulls, duck, and plover and -quarreling with musketoes and sand flies." Fortunately, however, he -had for company three of the officers of the factory, the deputy -governor, the sloop-master, and the surgeon. To these gentlemen he -felt himself greatly indebted for the loan of various books on -history and natural science, by reading which he was able to put his -hours of idleness to profitable use. - -The governor at that time was Samuel Hearne, a handsome giant with a -rubicund face. It was Hearne who in 1782 had surrendered without a -blow the great stone fort at the mouth of the river. That fort had -cost the Company forty years to build, and it was barely completed -when Hearne raised the white flag at the challenge of the French -admiral, La Pérouse. To the mind of young Thompson, this act was -enough to stamp the governor as a coward. It was, none the less, the -same Hearne who had succeeded in penetrating as far North as the -mouth of the Coppermine river, and was thus the first white man to -reach the margin of the Arctic ocean. Nevertheless, Thompson -disliked him. Like so many others at the close of the eighteenth -century, Hearne was infected with the doctrines of Voltaire, and his -atheism shocked the sensitive mind of the pious boy. To a lad of -Thompson's ambition, the life of a hunter afforded no sort of -satisfaction, and he dreaded lest he should succumb to the deadening -influence of his surroundings. He complained to Hearne that his lack -of clerical employment might lead to the loss of his penmanship, and -was barely satisfied when the governor handed him an invoice or two -to copy, and gave him occupation for a few days upon the manuscript -of his _Journey to the North_. - -The idleness of which Thompson complained was, however, to end before -long. With the arrival of the annual ship in 1785, orders came that -the young apprentice should proceed to York factory, the principal -dépôt of the Company, situated near the mouth of the Hayes river, one -hundred and fifty miles further up the Bay. South of the Churchill, -the rim of granite which hems the coast recedes for some miles -inland, leaving a vast waste of marshy alluvial between the hills and -the water line. Trees there are none, and the monotony of the -landscape is relieved only by boulders which the ice has scattered -over the face of the land. - -To journey on foot the length of this swamp, with two drunken Indians -alone for company, was enough to test the courage and reliance of a -boy of fifteen. Equipped with but a single blanket to protect him -from the chill of the September nights, the young David was ferried -across the river and put ashore on the south bank. The day was fine; -but the Indians had been given their usual gallon of grog on leaving -the fort, and they soon reduced themselves to a drunken stupor. A -night in the open, however, restored them to their senses. The next -morning the party made an early start, marching till evening without -breakfast or dinner. During the day, the Indians had shot a goose -and three ducks. When they finally came to something like a dry spot -by the bank of a stream, the wild fowl were hastily cooked and eaten; -and the wearied travellers, wrapped in their blankets, flung -themselves on the ground to sleep. - -Day after day, they trudged along the beach at high water mark, -always wet and muddy. Innumerable creeks which drained the swamp -crossed their path and interrupted their progress. Finally they came -to the mighty Kissiskatchewan or Nelson river, on the north bank of -which the Indians had laid up a canoe. Paddling across to the south -shore, they crossed the tongue of low land that separates the mouth -of the Nelson from that of the Hayes river; and were at last in York. - -The governor to whom Thompson reported was the notorious Humphrey -Marten. This old tyrant was now in his twenty-fourth year of service -with the Company. Surrounded by his numerous native wives and a -horde of half-breed children, he ruled the fort with a rod of iron. -The Indians who visited the factory he would beat most cruelly, -sending them away with revenge burning in their hearts. In the fort, -his subordinates felt the weight of his unbridled temper; and they -bowed to his brutality only because they feared his vindictiveness. -Amid such surroundings and under such a taskmaster, Thompson passed -the following year. He kept the accounts of the factory in his neat -handwriting, and joined with the rest of the staff in the hunting -necessary to supply the fort with food during the winter. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -HE FINDS HIS MÉTIER - -His first two years of service brought nothing but disappointment and -disillusion to David Thompson. Vaguely sensible of his capacities, -he was conscious of nothing except that as yet he had been given no -scope to realize them. But in the summer of 1786 a new and important -chapter opened in his life. Fitted out with a trunk, a handkerchief, -shoes, shirts, a gun, powder, and a tin cup, he was included in a -party of forty-six "Englishmen" who left for the interior under the -leadership of Robert Longmore to establish trading posts on the -Saskatchewan river to the west of those already occupied by the -Company. - -For over one hundred years from the time when the merry monarch had -vested in them a monopoly of trading rights in the vast territory -whose waters drain into Hudson Bay, the "adventurers of England -trading into Hudson Bay" had maintained their factories on the coast, -and allowed the Indians from the interior to make their way to them -for trade. Great rivers flowed from all directions to the Bay; but -the courses of these rivers were still unknown to the map makers of -the British Admiralty in 1784, the year in which David Thompson -landed at Churchill. For Hudson Bay is encircled from Labrador on -the north-east to the Arctic on the north-west by a giant horse shoe -of Archaean rock, most of it clothed with the dense northern forest; -and so long as the red men were willing to make the tedious journey -up and down the rivers, the slumbering giant on the Bay was content -to accept the annual tribute of furs which they flung at his feet. -Each September, when the ships from London arrived, the factories -were crammed with pelts that meant a fortune on the markets of the -Continent; and the traders eagerly awaited a fresh supply of guns, -axes, and kettles for the Indian, and awls and beads for his squaw, -as well as the fire-water which made him the anxious though reluctant -slave of the great white chiefs on the Bay. - -But the monopoly of trade to which the Company laid claim had not -been accepted without challenge. On the eastern face of North -America, the St. Lawrence river points like a finger to the heart of -the continent, and from the head of Lake Superior it is possible, by -a comparatively easy portage, to cross the height of land and descend -through Rainy lake, the Lake of the Woods, and the Winnipeg river to -Lake Winnipeg. Lake Winnipeg forms a vast collecting basin for the -waters of the interior, before they finally discharge through the -Nelson river into Hudson Bay. Thus it affords communication south -and west by way of the Red and Assiniboine rivers through the prairie -country of southern Manitoba, the Dakotas, and Minnesota; while, from -the north west corner of the lake, the Saskatchewan carries the -traveller to its sources in the Rockies. While therefore the English -had waited for the Indians to bring their furs down to them on the -Bay, the French from Quebec had pushed their way along these waters -to the heart of the hunting grounds, and the advance of these gallant -adventurers was marked by a string of forts that extended from -Dulhut's post at the head of Lake Superior to Fort La Jonquière near -the site of Calgary. - -The fall of Quebec in 1759 had brought with it the destruction of the -organized French fur trade, and the traders were scattered through -the wilds. But new groups of adventurers, mainly of Scotch descent, -swarmed westward from their headquarters at Montreal, and penetrated -into the wilderness further than the French had ever gone. By the -year 1772, the Montreal traders had crossed from the Saskatchewan to -the still more northerly Churchill river, and cut the line of -communication ordinarily used by the Indians of Lake Athabaska in -their long journey to Hudson Bay. The consolidation of the rival -interests into one great firm--the North West Company--was -accomplished in 1784 at the very time of Thompson's arrival in the -West. This achievement brought vastly increased strength to the -Montreal traders by mitigating the evils of their fierce competition. -Thus the Hudson's Bay Company was threatened with the loss of its fur -supply at the same moment as the French war interrupted its convoys, -and La Pérouse swept the Bay, destroying the posts at Churchill, -York, and Albany. - -Energetic measures were necessary if the lost trade was to be -recovered. As early as 1774, Samuel Hearne had taken the momentous -step of founding the first inland post of the Hudson's Bay Company at -Cumberland House. Situated on the Saskatchewan a few miles west of -Lake Winnipeg, Cumberland House stood, as it were, in the centre of a -vast web of waterways. "A canoe could start from this house, and -with no portage of more than a day's length could be launched on the -Arctic ocean, Hudson Bay, the Gulf of St. Lawrence or the Gulf of -Mexico; and without much greater interruption could be floated on to -the Pacific ocean." Despite the disasters of the French war, and the -dreadful epidemic of smallpox which in 1781 had swept across the -West, decimating and demoralizing the natives, the advance of the -Company was continued by the establishment of further posts along the -Saskatchewan river. Thompson was thus drawn into the forefront of -the battle for furs, when he was included in Longmore's party in the -summer of '86. - -On the 21st of July, the brigade of canoes left York factory for the -upper country. Longmore, the chief, was well qualified for the task -of leading the expedition. For many years he had served as -lieutenant to Tomison, the "chief inland" of the dépôt at Cumberland -House. Here he had acquired the difficult knack of dealing with the -Indians, besides earning their love and respect. Thompson's -immediate superior was Mitchell Oman, an old and experienced trader -of the Company, to whom he had been assigned as clerk. Oman could -neither read nor write, but he nevertheless impressed the lad by the -unusual quality of his curious and inquisitive mind. During the -tedious paddle into the interior, he drew from the pages of a -retentive memory endless tales of the Company's early activities -inland. "In those days," he declared, "our situation was by no means -pleasant. The Indians were very numerous, and although by far the -greater part behaved well, and were kindly to us, yet among such a -number there will always be found bad men. To protect ourselves from -them, we had to get a respectable chief to stay with us and assist us -in trading, and prevent as much as possible the demands of these -men." His valuable reminiscences were not lost upon the boy. - -As the boatmen slowly worked their way up the river, Thompson's eyes -gazed for the first time on the country he was afterwards to know so -well. Their course lay up the Hayes river, and thence, by way of -Lake Winnipeg, to the Saskatchewan. Progress at first was rapid, -even against the stream, for they were still in the low and marshy -country that fringes the south-west corner of the Bay. Presently, -however, they encountered the first of the many rapids which mark the -descent of the river to the sea. At each of these, with monotonous -reiteration, the packs were all heaved ashore and shouldered along -the rugged path of the portage to the higher level of the river. At -the same time, the face of the landscape suddenly altered. The -marshy alluvial gave way to naked granite, and they entered the belt -of dark and gloomy northern forest. As they passed through the heart -of the rocky country, the character of the river was also changed. -From point to point the stream was held back by ledges of granite -which broke its progress, giving rise to an irregular chain of wide -and deep lakes. Through these lakes they threaded their way until, -reaching the end of the granite country, they saw before them the -broad expanse of Lake Winnipeg, the "bad water" of the Indians. -Sixty miles along its northern coast brought them to the point where -the Saskatchewan, after a swift and unbroken course of over one -thousand miles through the plains, plunges in a long series of -cascades into the lake. Having portaged past these, and wended their -way through the alluvial flats of Cedar lake, they came at last to -Cumberland House, and the first stage of their journey was -accomplished. - -Their objective was a point on the Saskatchewan about fifty miles -above the present site of Battleford. As they continued their -journey westward from Cumberland House, the forest gradually gave way -to open country, and they found themselves in the vast expanse of the -plains, dotted here and there with clumps of trees--the country of -the bison, the antelope, and the red deer. Passing the forks of the -river, they came to the site which the keen eye of Longmore had -selected. There, on the northern bank of the stream, they cleared -the ground and ran up a series of log huts, surrounded by a wooden -stockade--the future Manchester House. Except for a solitary post -which the North-Westers had for three years maintained about forty -miles further up stream, Thompson had now reached the limit of -country at that time familiar to civilized men. To the west -stretched the unknown wilderness, which it was his destiny, in -considerable measure, to explore. - -The object of the new post was to secure the trade of the natives of -the plains; and during the following winter David was busy learning -the complicated ritual of Indian barter. In the course of a year he -had so far mastered his duties that he was selected to lead a party -of six men across country to the south branch of the Saskatchewan, in -order to open friendly relations with the Piegan and Blackfeet -Indians whose camps lay along the banks of that stream. Each man had -a horse, and among them they carried a small assortment of goods. -The duties of the young diplomat were to find the camps of the -Piegans and winter among them, in order to induce them to hunt for -furs and to make pemmican or dried buffalo meat for the traders. He -was to persuade as many as possible to travel to the post for trade. -With those who were unwilling to do so, he was to bargain for furs. - -The party set forth in October, under their seventeen-year-old -leader. The trail they followed led through a fine rolling country, -everywhere clothed with short grass, and dotted with islands of -poplar and birch. For twenty-three days they rode without seeing any -animals other than a chance bull-bison which they shot for food. To -the south of the Bow river they found an Indian camp pitched in a -spot where the tender grass afforded rich pasture for the buffalo; -but the plains, which were ordinarily black with moving herds, were -at this time strangely deserted. After several moves, they finally -struck a large encampment of Piegans near the present site of -Calgary. Sending some of his men back to Manchester House, Thompson -settled down in this camp to spend the winter. - -The Piegan, Blood, and Blackfeet Indians were three allied tribes of -Algonquin stock who had emerged from the northern forest and taken -possession of the plains, driving their enemies, the Kootenay, -Salish, and Snake Indians, before them to the mountains. Since the -white men had come to trade on the river, they had advanced from the -Eagle hills in western Saskatchewan to the very foot of the Rockies. -This rapid conclusion of an age-long struggle for the mastery of the -grazing country had been due to the fire-arms which they had procured -from the traders. - -The manners and customs of the confederate tribes were in keeping -with their war-like disposition and constant danger. Unlike the -scattered forest Indians, they lived in large camps, and without -yielding their traditional liberty to the control of a single -authority, they had nevertheless evolved a rudimentary form of social -organization. Hunters of the bison, they were in constant need of -horses. Horse-stealing was thus among them an honourable pursuit, -and their raids extended far to the south and west. During the -winter of Thompson's stay among them, a raid on the Snakes took a -part of two hundred and fifty warriors a distance of one thousand, -five hundred miles to the south-west, as was testified by the thirty -well-bred animals that were brought back to camp, and the Spanish -saddles and bridles that lay thrown about among the tents. - -Of the three allied tribes, the Piegans occupied the most exposed -position, and consequently led the most precarious and watchful life. -From boyhood they were trained in arms, and their martial bearing and -enterprising character produced a strong impression upon Thompson. -They had an hereditary civil chief or "orator", as he was called, who -presided at all councils except those of war. Arrayed in his -splendid mantle of otter skin, he paced the camp each day three hours -after sunset, reciting in a loud voice the news which his couriers -had gathered, announcing in particular where the herds of bison were -feeding and what direction they were taking. The war chief, on the -other hand, was a self-made man, whose power and influence had -developed from his conduct in war. Kootanae Appee, as he was called, -was a magnificent giant, six feet six inches in height, and was the -father of twenty-two warriors, no less tall and sinewy than himself. -In after years, when Thompson was battling his way south along the -Columbia river, the bond of friendship which he now forged with this -old chief stood him in good stead. - -The chief in whose tent Thompson passed the winter bore the name of -Saukamappee (Young Man). Saukamappee was broad of shoulder and -strong of limb. Old age had not bowed his grey head, nor had a -troubled life obliterated the mild and playful expression of his -countenance. During the long winter evenings, he entertained his -guest with reminiscences that went back for fifty years. From him, -Thompson learned of the Indian methods of fighting before the time of -firearms, of the first importation of these deadly weapons from the -distant factory at York, of the introduction of the horse among the -Blackfeet, and of the dreadful effects of the small-pox epidemic in -'81, of which Saukamappee himself had been a victim. While Thompson -thus learned the history of the tribes among whom he was staying, he -practised himself in the use of their language. His note books -contain long lists of Indian words with their English equivalents, -gathered from the Piegans and from other tribes whom he encountered. - -The winter over, Thompson returned to the post, from which he was -sent to Cumberland House in the summer of 1789. Here he began to -keep a careful meteorological journal, noting two or three times -daily the temperature, the strength and direction of the wind, and -the general character of the climate. He also began a series of -astronomical observations, as the result of which he was able to -determine the exact latitude and longitude of Cumberland House. This -post was thus the first of a series of widely scattered points fixed -by him on the map of British North America. It was then, too, that -he acquired the large brass sextant which was to be his constant -companion for years to come. - -Having made this start, Thompson attempted in the following summer to -make a survey of the canoe route from Cumberland House to York -factory, by way of the Saskatchewan and the Hayes rivers. In the -autumn, he returned to Cumberland House. While there, he had the -good fortune to meet Philip Turnor, the man without whose guidance -and help Thompson could hardly have realized his future career. - -For several years, the Colonial Office had been urging the Hudson's -Bay Company to proceed with the survey of the vast territory over -which it exercised sway; and to satisfy the pressing demand of the -government, the Company had engaged Philip Turnor as astronomer and -surveyor. Possessed of a sound theoretical training, Turnor had been -employed in England as one of the compilers of the _Nautical -Almanac_; and since 1776 he had added to his qualifications a wide -practical experience drawn from numerous surveys throughout the -region of the Bay. Here was a man who could solve Thompson's doubts -and difficulties, and correct the deficiencies of his education for -the work which he had in view. An eager pupil, Thompson sat at the -feet of Turnor during the winter of 1790; and when, in the following -spring, he returned to York factory, it was as a man with his mind -made up. If a man knows clearly what he wants and has the -intelligence and perseverance to pursue his aims, no obstacle, not -even such as these which confronted Thompson, can keep him from -attaining his goal. - -Thereafter Thompson and his beloved instruments were inseparable -companions in journeys that carried him for thousands of miles -through the wildest parts of the unknown west. By day and night, he -was an object of wonder to his French-Canadian and Indian followers, -as, armed with his sextant, telescope, compass, and other -instruments, he took observations on the sun, moon, and stars. While -he sought to determine the position of rivers, lakes, and mountains, -to be recorded on the map which was to be his life's work, his -activities suggested to their superstitious minds the idea that he -was in communication with powers not of this world, and earned him -the title which he bore among them, Koo-Koo-Sint, "The man who looks -at the stars." - - - - -CHAPTER III - -TRADER, SURVEYOR, EXPLORER - -When Thompson returned to York factory in the spring of 1791, it was -to find that great changes had taken place at the fort. Five years -before, the tyrannous sway of old Humphrey Marten had come to an end, -and he had been succeeded as governor by Joseph Colen. This man was -to direct Thompson's movements during the next six years. - -The new governor was a man of unquestioned ability; but his jealous -and suspicious temperament made him work at cross purposes with the -governor of Churchill, and brought him into frequent conflict with -Tomison at Cumberland House. He had never caught the spirit of the -aggressive policy initiated by Samuel Hearne, and preferred to -develop the fur trade with the Indians who came down to the coast for -trade, rather than to follow them to their hunting grounds. In his -reports to the directors in London, he endeavoured to excuse his lack -of enterprise by hurling vague accusations at his colleagues; while -his subordinates, men like Thompson and Malcolm Ross, were irritated -and provoked by the lack of support from headquarters which -constantly frustrated their efforts to push forward the work of -exploring the more remote interior. - -The seven years of David's apprenticeship were now at an end, and he -was engaged at a good salary as trader and surveyor to the Company. -He was not yet, however, given an opportunity of practising his -profession. The previous spring, an ice-jam at the mouth of the -Hayes river had caused the water to rise, flooding the low land on -which the factory was situated; and for a year or more, Thompson had -to assist Colen in moving the fort to its present site on a high clay -bank about a quarter mile further up stream. - -Meanwhile Philip Turnor had returned from a journey to Lake -Athabaska, and the report of his explorations had reached the -directors in London. Proceeding from Cumberland House, he had worked -his way north through Amisk and Pelican lakes to Frog Portage, a -distance of one hundred miles. After crossing the portage, he found -himself in the basin of the upper Churchill river. This stream he -ascended as far as Isle à la Crosse, and thence he made his way -through Buffalo lake and Lake la Roche to the Methy Portage. This -portage marks the divide between the waters that flow eastward to -Hudson Bay and those that discharge through the Mackenzie into the -Arctic ocean. Crossing the portage, he descended the Clearwater -river to its junction with the Athabaska, whose broad stream soon -carried him to the lake of that name. This was the regular route -followed by the Indians of the far north in their journeys to Hudson -Bay. - -Turnor's report filled the directors with a desire to dispute the -trade of Lake Athabaska with the men of the North West Company; and -they bombarded Colen with instructions to send Ross and Thompson to -that region. But to Colen's mind there was a more pressing necessity -nearer home. The North-Westers had entered the rocky belt to the -south-west of York, and had monopolized trade throughout the -irregular series of lakes and rivers which form the tributaries of -the Nelson and lower Churchill, thus challenging the "English" on -their home front itself. Accordingly Colen ignored the instructions -from London, and despatched Ross and Thompson into this "muskrat -country," as it was called, with orders to build posts at strategic -points and restore the trade of the Company. - -On the 5th of September, 1792, Thompson set forth with two canoes on -his first independent command. Rounding the point from York factory, -the canoes swung into the broad channel of the Nelson river. By the -end of the month they were well above Split lake, Thompson making a -survey as they moved along. At this point one of the canoes turned -aside to ascend Grass river, while Thompson with the other continued -along the main stream until he reached the upper end of Sipiwisk -lake. Here in a little cove formed by two projecting points of rock, -with the dark spruce forest at his back and a view to the south west -over the island-studded lake, he built his first trading post, and -settled down to face the winter in a country almost devoid of fish -and game. - -His heart, however, was set on exploration. From the Indians he -learned that, besides the well-known route which had been followed by -Turnor to Lake Athabaska, there existed another, north from the -Churchill river to Reindeer lake, and thence westward by way of the -Black river to the east end of Lake Athabaska. This route he made up -his mind to explore. - -Accordingly, when the ice had cleared from the rivers, he set forth -alone without any help or encouragement from headquarters. -Descending to the lower end of Sipiwisk lake, he turned to the left -and passed by a series of portages through Wintering, Red Paint and -Burntwood lakes to the Missinippi or Churchill river, up which he -paddled for a distance of thirty-three miles. But the Indian guides -whom he had expected to meet failed to put in an appearance, and he -was forced to turn back. He therefore descended through Burntwood -lake and the Nelson river to York factory. - -Colen had given the English directors to understand that he planned -to send Ross and Thompson to the Athabaska country; and with the -arrival of the annual ship in the autumn of '93, they wrote that they -expected much good to follow from the projected expedition, and that -they wished William Cook, who had accompanied David into the Muskrat -country the previous autumn, to join with the others in the invasion -of the far north. But Cook was not recalled from his post on Split -lake, and Ross and Thompson were sent up the Saskatchewan to -Cumberland House. Thence Thompson was despatched, not to Lake -Athabaska, as he had expected, but westward along the river to a new -post called Buckingham House, from which he rode still further west -to the Beaver hills near the future site of Fort Augustus (Edmonton). -Returning, he surveyed the Saskatchewan east from Buckingham House to -the Forks, and from the Forks he resurveyed the rest of the river. -From Cumberland House, he explored a new route through Goose, Reed, -and Burntwood lakes to the Nelson, and thus opened up a direct line -of communication between the dépôt at Cumberland House and York -factory, much superior to the old course by way of Lake Winnipeg and -the Hayes river. - -Thompson's reappearance at York without having been to the Athabaska -country made it necessary for Colen to do no little explaining to the -impatient London directors. In a long letter to them, he hinted that -it was Tomison who was responsible for the fiasco. Tomison, he said, -had refused to pass his word for the advance of wages promised by the -Council to those who would volunteer to accompany the expedition. -Ross, he declared, was utterly disgusted with the repeated -disappointments, and would have returned at once to England, had not -Thompson prevailed upon him to make one last trial, this time by way -of Reindeer lake. Thompson and Ross, he added, were being fitted out -with canoes and supplies at York, and would be sent up the Nelson -river track. The directors were deceived, and swallowed their -disappointment, hoping to hear that the difficulties which stood in -the way of the Athabaska expedition had been successfully overcome. - -But, even now, Thompson was sent, not to the North, but back once -more to the Muskrat country, this time to Reed lake. Here, in a -district comparatively rich in fish, game, and furs, he built a -house, and spent one of the coldest winters in the history of the -Hudson Bay. While hunting and trading, he also prepared for the -directors of the Company, the maps and surveys of the country which -he had already traversed. In July of the following year, 1795, he -paddled down the river on what was to be his last visit to York. - -On this occasion Colen was absent on a trip to England, but the -factory was seething with discontent. Thompson found the staff -impatiently waiting, in order that he, the youngest and bravest among -them, might take the lead in drawing up a statement of the grievances -which they suffered under Colen's rule. This office he accepted, -although with some hesitation on account of the absence of the -governor. Assisted by his friend the surgeon, he drew up a statement -which Colen declared seriously prejudiced him in the eyes of the -directors; although, according to Thompson, not one half of the evils -were even mentioned of which the staff had cause to complain. -Thompson was not ashamed of the part he had played in this mutinous -outbreak. As soon as he had left the service, he took the -opportunity of explaining to his old chief that he was the author of -the protest which had so much displeased him. "Many of us," his -letter concluded, "acknowledge with readiness that you have some good -qualities, and I once had the greatest respect for you; I have some -yet, but----it is not my wish to say those things which I know you do -not wish to hear. How is it, Sir, that everyone who has once wished -you well should turn to be indifferent to you, and even some to hate -you, although they are constant in their other friendships?--there -must be a defect somewhere. The fact is, that from your peculiar -manner of conduct, you are also one of those unfortunate men who will -have many an acquaintance, but never a real friend." - -Thompson's final break with Colen did not, however, occur until two -years later. He turned in his furs, and without waiting, except to -secure supplies for the coming winter, went back to his duties in the -Muskrat country. This time he built a house far to the north on Duck -Portage, the link connecting Burntwood lake with the Churchill river. -When spring opened, instead of returning to York, he made ready for -his dash to Lake Athabaska. - -Formal permission had reached him from Colen, sanctioning his venture -into the unknown wilds. This, however, meant nothing, because it was -not accompanied by help of any kind. At that moment, indeed, the -Company was seriously crippled for lack of men to keep up the few -inland trading posts that then existed, for the war which was raging -between England and France had drained the Orkney islands of all men -who were fit for service in the army and navy. The few miserable -dwarfs who could be obtained for the fur trade excited the contempt -of even the Indians. - -Thompson, nevertheless, was not to be deterred from his enterprise. -He proceeded at once to Fairford House, the trading post kept by -Malcolm Ross on the Churchill near the mouth of the Reindeer river, -where he hoped to get some assistance. To his great disappointment, -he found that not a man could be spared from the trade in furs. -There were, however, a few Chepawyan Indians lingering about the fort -and from among these he managed to engage two young men. Kozdaw and -"Paddy" had hunted for two winters in the country he was about to -explore, although neither of them had ever been on the rivers and -lakes in summer. Their only practice in canoes had been to lie -offshore in the lakes on a calm day, watching for the deer to take -refuge from the flies, and this gave them no experience of the -currents and rapids of rivers; yet, such as they were, Thompson had -no choice but to take them. - -The first task was to construct a canoe. Having searched the forest -for a supply of birch bark, they made a boat seventeen feet in -length. Into this they packed their meagre outfit, a fowling piece -with forty balls, five pounds of shot, three flints and five pounds -of powder, a fishing net, a hatchet and a small tent of grey cotton. -These articles, together with a few handfuls of beads, rings, and -awls for trading, made up their terribly inadequate equipment. - -In the grey dawn of a June morning, 1796, Thompson launched his canoe -on the turbid waters of the Missinippi. The party advanced rapidly, -making a survey as they went. For supplies they relied on their -solitary net and gun. Turning into the Reindeer river, they worked -their way north against a moderate current to Reindeer lake. A -hundred miles up the west coast of this lake brought them to a point -clothed with tolerably good pines. This point Thompson noted as a -suitable site for building a trading post on his return. - -The whole distance through which they had come had a barren, rocky -appearance, relieved only by patches of stunted birch, aspen, and -spruce. Since there was little or no soil, the trees stood with -their roots interlaced like the trees on the frozen lands of Hudson -Bay; and, like them, they were kept moist in summer by the wet moss -with which their roots were covered. Through wide stretches the -forest fires had passed, leaving the country unsightly and ghostlike, -and destroying the wild animals of the forest. Thompson was now in -fact approaching the northern limit of trees, beyond which stretch -the barren lands, the home of the musk ox and caribou. - -In order to avoid the wide circuit of the Cochrane river, which flows -to Reindeer lake from Lake Wollaston, the guides directed Thompson up -a stream that emptied from the west a few miles north of his point of -pines. From the head of this stream there was a passage by a series -of ponds and brooks to the south end of Wollaston lake. But the -water was low, and they were forced to carry their packs for the -better part of fifty miles, stumbling over the rocks and wading -through the marshes, while clouds of mosquitoes buzzed about their -defenceless heads. It was a welcome relief when they launched out on -the clear and deep waters of Lake Wollaston, which they crossed -without trouble to the Black river. Here they made camp on the -evening of June 23, and rested while Thompson took observations and -made up the notes of his survey. - -Two days later they were once more under way. Lake Wollaston, as -Thompson discovered, was situated on the height of land between the -basins of Hudson Bay and the Mackenzie river. Part of its waters -discharged eastward and south into Reindeer lake, while part flowed -westward through the Black river into Lake Athabaska. From this -curious circumstance, the lake was known to the Indians as "Lake -Manito," and was considered to be of supernatural character. -Entering the Black river, the party passed at first through the quiet -reaches of the upper river, in a wretched country of solitude, where -the wild laugh of the loon alone woke the echoes of the barren hills. -Presently the banks closed in, and as the current stiffened, they had -to paddle vigorously to avoid the projecting rocks. Finally an -expansion of the stream brought them to Black lake. It was during -this stretch that they came upon the only human beings they had so -far encountered--five tents of Chepawyans, hunting and fishing in an -otherwise deserted land. - -They could afford but one day to enjoy the hospitality of the -Indians. From Black lake, the river tumbles in two wild cascades to -the level of Lake Athabaska. A series of rapids, cutting through a -high hill, warned them that they were approaching the first of the -falls. For half a mile they shot the rapids to a point where the -river is compressed within a channel only twelve yards in width. At -the end of this channel, the current rushed against a projecting -ledge of rock with such force that the whole river seemed to be -turned up from its bottom. The dashing of the water against the -rocks, the deep roar of the torrent, the hollow sound of the fall, in -the midst of the dark, high, and frowning hills, made a sight so -grand and terrible that Kozdaw and Paddy were awe-struck, and offered -their simple tributes to the manito of the fall--the one a bit of -tobacco, the other a ring. Past this fall the travellers descended -by a well-beaten native trail. A second series of rapids and a -second fall brought them to the last lap of their journey, and they -paddled quietly for six miles into the east end of Lake Athabaska. -Here they passed the night, resting from their dangers, toils, and -sufferings under a pine tree which had been lopped and marked by -Philip Turnor in his survey of 1791. - -Thompson's heart was thrilled by the thought that he had finally -accomplished the journey on which for the last five years his heart -had been set, and that in so doing he had blazed a trail through the -wilderness over ground which the feet of white men had never trod -before. He was sobered, however, by the prospect of the long and -difficult journey home. His net and gun afforded but a scanty supply -of food, and should these fail him, there was but slight hope of -succour. But gloomy as were his forebodings, it was well that he did -not know what lay before him. - -Half way up the Black river, he encountered one of the rapids which -was broken about the middle by a twelve-foot fall. Portaging past -the fall, he attempted to "track" the canoe up the rest of the rapid. -The two Indians were ashore tugging at the tow-line, while Thompson -in the canoe tried to steer and at the same time direct their -movements. Near the head of the rapid there was at the water's edge -a tree which blocked their progress, and as the Indians stood -hesitating which side of it they should pass, the canoe sheered off -across the current. An upset was inevitable, had not Thompson waved -to the Indians to let go the line and leave him to his fate. -Springing to the bow, he cut the rope off short with the clasp knife -which he kept in his waistcoat pocket, and got the head of the canoe -around into the stream just in time to take the plunge over the -cataract. For an instant, Thompson was buried beneath the boiling -water at the foot of the fall. Striking his feet against the bottom, -he pushed himself to the surface close to the upturned canoe. This -he seized and dragged through shallow water to the beach. The -Indians came rushing to his assistance, and, while he lay on the -rocks, bruised, bleeding, and exhausted by his exertions, they -searched the shore below the rapids for what could be recovered of -their precious kit. - -The gun, the axe, and the tent had remained fastened in the canoe. -In half an hour's time, the Indians brought back the cork-lined box -containing Thompson's instruments and the maps of his survey, -together with their three paddles and a pewter basin. Not one moment -was to be lost. Thompson's body was naked except for his shirt and a -thin linen vest, and his companions were in like condition. The -small tent they tore into three pieces with which to wrap themselves -as a defence against flies by day and chill by night. Worse still, -Thompson found as he painfully raised himself from the rocks that the -flesh of his foot had been torn away by the impact of the jagged -stones of the river bed, and a part of his share of the tent had to -be taken to bind the wound. - -The first duty was to repair the canoe, and the Indians were sent to -the woods to procure gum from the pines. The question was then how -to light a fire, for they had neither flint nor steel. Thompson -pointed to his gun from which they took the flint, and with the steel -blade of his pocket knife they struck a spark. When the gum was -melted, they repaired the canoe and carried their kit above the fall -and rapids. The Indians shouldered the canoe, while behind them the -wounded leader hobbled painfully along under the burden of gun, axe, -and sextant case. - -Night had fallen before they found time to make a fire and warm -themselves. Their situation was enough to strike terror into the -boldest heart. Destitute, almost naked, and suffering from the -weather, they faced a journey of three hundred miles through a barren -country. Yet Thompson did not despair. For two days they paddled -and portaged up the river without a bite to eat. On the afternoon of -the second day they saw two gulls hovering over a reedy bay as if to -protect their young. They found the nest and in it three young -gulls, but the few ounces of meat which they were able to pick from -their miserable carcases sufficed only to sharpen their hunger. - -The next day as they went along, Thompson remembered an eagle's nest -on the banks of a small lake before them. When they came to the lake -they found the nest in the spreading branches of a birch tree, about -sixteen feet above the ground. Kozdaw had barely time to climb to -the nest before the old birds arrived. Paddy and Thompson, with -shouts and stones, succeeded in preventing them from attacking -Kozdaw, while the latter threw the two young eagles to the ground. -The birds fought with beak and claw for their lives, but were finally -killed and flung into the canoe. - -In the evening, they opened the eagles by the gleam of the camp fire, -and divided the meat and yellow fat into three equal portions. While -Kozdaw roasted his meat and oiled his body with the fat, the others -ate only the fat, reserving the meat for next day. In the night they -were both awakened by a violent dysentery, which continued to plague -them for many days, although a strong infusion of a certain dried -moss, known as Labrador tea, brought them some relief. - -Day by day they continued their voyage, subsisting on the wretched -crow-berries of the far north. By the sixteenth of July, Thompson -and Paddy were like skeletons, from hunger, dysentery, and cold. On -that day Thompson scratched what he thought was his dying message on -a scrap of birch bark which Kozdaw was to carry back with him to -civilization. Late in the afternoon, as they paddled weakly and -painfully along, they came upon two tents of Chepawyans. The savages -pitied their condition and restored them with broth. From them -Thompson procured some provisions, a flint and a few rounds of -ammunition, together with a pair of shoes each for himself and his -men. Thus they were able to proceed on their journey, and arrived -without further adventure at Fairford House after an absence of -thirty-one days. - -At Fairford House Thompson was joined by Malcolm Ross with a stock of -provisions for the northern trade, and together they returned to -build a trading post on Reindeer lake. Along with the supplies, Ross -brought a letter from Colen to Thompson, containing a curt order that -he should cease his surveys and explorations. This was his reward. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -WITH THE NORTH-WESTERS - -The chilly reception which Thompson met after his return from Lake -Athabaska was enough to quench the enthusiasm of any man. He might -have lain down under the blow. In that case he would no doubt have -ended his days as an obscure and broken-spirited trader, embittered -by his fate, but powerless so late in life to change it. Another -course, however, was open to him, if he had the courage and -self-reliance to take it. This was to throw up his post with the -Hudson's Bay Company, and seek employment in other quarters where his -talents would meet with the recognition they deserved. - -In the long winter evenings at Reindeer lake, he weighed the problem -before him. Colen, his chief, had undoubtedly failed to appreciate -the value of his work. Worse still, he had hampered it, since for -the last two years he had neglected even to supply Thompson with the -_Nautical Almanac_ so necessary for his surveys. But behind Colen -stood the Company. How far had they given him the sympathy and -encouragement which he needed? The directors, he felt, might easily -have had the northern part of the continent surveyed as far as the -Pacific coast, and thus greatly extended the range of their trade. -This they could have accomplished at trifling expense, for in England -there were numbers of highly-trained naval officers on half pay, who -would have jumped at the chance of employment. But any explorations -which they had undertaken were solely at the behest of the Colonial -Office. His feelings toward the Company may not have been altogether -justified. Nevertheless, he could only conclude that there was -little or no future for him in the service. With Thompson to think -was to act. On the 28th of May, 1797, he left his post on Reindeer -lake and walked south through the bush for seventy-five miles to the -nearest house of the North-Westers. After ten days spent there, he -proceeded to Grand Portage, the headquarters of the Company at the -west end of Lake Superior, in order that he might offer his services -to the merchants from Canada. - -Situated on a small bay at the mouth of Pigeon river, Grand Portage -had been for several years the general dépôt for the trader of the -North West Company, the lair from which those "sly wolves of the -North" had sallied forth to work such havoc with the trade of the -English on Hudson Bay. Along the shore ran a line of docks, which -each summer were piled high, now with the parcels of merchandise for -the interior trade, now with the packs of furs which had been -gathered from the distant trading posts for the market in the east. -Along the bay front and up the bank of the river sprawled the village -of log huts in which dwelt the half-breed families of the French -voyageurs. - -The fort itself was in keeping with the dignity of the Company and -the magnitude of its operations. A palisade eighteen feet high -enclosed the great square in which stood the various -offices--storehouses, servants' quarters, and lodgings for the -clerks. In the centre of the courtyard towered the main building, a -stout log structure surmounted by a high balcony. This contained the -apartments of the partners, and the great hall, its walls covered -with portraits of the leading members of the Company in all the glory -of ruffles and scarlet coats. Here took place the grave -deliberations of the merchants, and here each evening they dined in -solemn state. The stone powder magazine, the jail with its barred -windows, and the sentry in the archway of the great gate lent a touch -of grimness to the picture of this far-flung outpost of commerce. - -At Grand Portage, Thompson received a warm welcome from those of the -partners who were at the time present in the fort. On his way down -he had met Roderick Mackenzie, cousin to the famous Sir Alexander, -and Simon Fraser, soon to win distinction as the discoverer of the -Fraser river. At the post he found the Honourable William -McGillivray, prominent in the councils of the Company, and Sir -Alexander Mackenzie himself. Sir Alexander had been the first white -man to descend the Mackenzie river to its mouth, and he had blazed a -trail across the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific. He had but recently -returned from England, wearing the honour of knighthood which he had -earned for his explorations. All of these gentlemen impressed -Thompson as being men of enterprise and vision, and among them he -found the liberal and public spirit which in his former employers he -had sought in vain. - -At that time, questions of serious import were agitating the minds of -the partners. By the treaty which closed the American Revolutionary -War, the boundary between the British dominions and the territories -of the United States had been fixed as a line drawn from the -northwest corner of the Lake of the Woods to the source of the -Mississippi, which was then thought to lie considerably north of its -true position. Nine years later, the forty-ninth parallel of -latitude had been accepted as the boundary; and by the Treaty of -Amity and Commerce subsequently passed, it had been agreed that all -British trading posts south of this line should be withdrawn. This -made it necessary for the Company to fix at once the location of -their houses on the upper Red river, and incidentally if possible to -discover the true source of the Mississippi. The partners were also -anxious to have a route surveyed to the headwaters of the Missouri -river, where there existed the villages of an Indian people who got -their living from the cultivation of the soil. The scientific spirit -of the merchants was shown by their further desire to search for the -fossil bones of prehistoric animals and any monuments which might -throw light on the earlier condition of the regions surveyed. -Finally, they wished to ascertain the courses of the rivers and the -situation of the lakes, in order that they might rearrange their -network of trading houses so as to cover more completely the -territory under their sway. - -Thompson's arrival came therefore at an opportune moment. He was -promptly engaged as astronomer and surveyor to the company, and the -partners and agents all agreed to send orders to their various -trading posts that he should be given any assistance he required. In -August, the great canoes arrived from Montreal with the goods for the -Indian trade. When these were unloaded, the merchandise was assorted -and made up in parcels each of ninety pounds' weight, so that the -boatmen might be able to shoulder them over the portages. These were -then taken in charge by the various agents and their shouting crews -of voyageurs. Five days of hard labour were needed for the carry -over Grand Portage to the upper waters of Pigeon river. When all was -ready, Thompson climbed the long trail from the lake. Armed with his -precious instruments, he joined the Swan river brigade of four -canoes, and embarked on what was to be the longest, fastest and most -brilliant piece of survey in his whole career. - -Progress was tedious until the party had crossed the watershed beyond -which all streams flow north-westward into Lake Winnipeg and thence -into Hudson Bay. They then made a rapid descent through Rainy lake -and the Lake of the Woods to the Winnipeg river (the mad or foaming -water of the Indians), down which they paddled and portaged to its -mouth. Coasting along the south shore of Lake Winnipeg under the -shelter of its low limestone cliffs, they came to the mouth of the -Dauphin or Little Saskatchewan river. The ascent of this stream -brought them to the waters of Lake Manitoba. They had only to paddle -to the head of this lake, and from thence the length of Lake -Winnipegosis, in order to find themselves at the mouth of the Swan -river. Twelve miles up this stream was their objective--Swan River -House. - -As they approached their goal, Thompson observed that the land was -rapidly improving in character; until at Swan River House he found -himself in the heart of a fine varied country of hill and plain, -woodland and meadow--the beaver country _par excellence_. Here on -every side were to be found traces of the labours of these -industrious animals; the dammed brooks, the flooded meadows, the -dome-like huts in which they lived and the burrows to which they fled -for refuge when attacked. All this fine country was the hunting -ground of the Cree Indians, the possession of which they had from -time immemorial disputed with the beaver, the bison, and the red deer. - -When the early French traders arrived, they brought with them -chisels, knives, and other implements of iron. The Indians, having -got possession of these, were able to cut through the dams, drain the -waters of the ponds, and thus expose the huts and burrows of the -beaver. Then, assisted by their small half-savage dogs, they would -chisel their way through the thick walls of the huts until they came -to the beaver. Since there was a ready market for his skin among the -French traders, they soon became rich, and for several years men, -women, and children were gay with brooches, ear-rings and beads, and -gaudy with scarlet coats. - -But then the Nipissing and Iroquois Indians, who had exhausted their -own countries, spread to the north and west. Armed with their new -steel traps, they began a war of annihilation upon the beaver; and by -the year 1797, when Thompson travelled through the Swan river -district, almost the whole of that extensive region was denuded. The -short phase of prosperity was over. The greed of the white man and -the improvidence of the Indian had done their work, and while the -native might still hope to gain a bare subsistence from hunting the -deer and the bison, he was once more poor, thus to remain for ever. - -Over this country, Thompson made a series of rapid excursions by -horse and canoe, in order that he might fix the location of the -various trading houses of the North West Company. In the course of -five weeks, he had crossed to the basins of the Red Deer and the -Assiniboine rivers, and surveyed each of these streams to its source. -He then descended the Assiniboine to its confluence with the Souris, -near where the city of Brandon now stands. Here toward the end of -November he put up at Assiniboine House, which was at that time kept -by a trader called John McDonnell. - -McDonnell's house was the natural point of departure for the journey -across to the Mandan Villages on the upper Missouri. The trail lay -in a south-westerly direction along the south bank of the Souris -river as far as the great bend, and from thence across the open -plains to the heights of the Missouri. As the country was generally -treeless, the custom of travellers was to move from point to point -where patches of wood growing in the river bottom or at the higher -levels afforded firewood and shelter for the night. - -Winter had come, and three inches of snow lay upon the ground, making -travel both disagreeable and dangerous. Worse still, the road passed -through the hunting grounds of the Sioux Indians, those wild riders -of the plains who lived by pursuit of the bison. The Sioux had -lately suffered the loss of several men at the hands of the Mandan -Indians; and these losses they blamed on the whites who had supplied -the Mandans with guns and ammunition. They were therefore in a very -menacing temper, and had determined to waylay, scalp, and plunder the -next party of traders who ventured the journey to the villages. - -Thompson, however, was not to be deterred; and he made his -preparations for the dash across the plains. As guide and -interpreter, he engaged a man who had resided for eight years among -the Mandans, by name René Jussomme. He also picked up a -light-hearted Irishman, Hugh McCrachan, who had often been to the -villages for months at a time. The rest of the party was made up of -French Canadians, gay and gluttonous vagabonds, who could -nevertheless work as hard as they boasted, and hunt as much as they -ate. All these men enlisted for the expedition as free traders; that -is to say, each of them borrowed from McDonnell goods and trinkets to -the value of fifty beaver skins, which he undertook to repay on his -return. Thompson himself was supplied with two horses, and -ammunition and tobacco for trade. Jussomme had one horse; while the -men each bought two half-savage dogs from the Assiniboines. These -were to haul their sled-loads of goods across the plains. - -Thus equipped, the party set forth on the 28th day of November. The -dogs were unaccustomed to hauling anything. Snapping and barking, -they dashed hither and thither in all directions, hardly restrained -by the loud _sacrés_ of the Frenchmen, reinforced by lashes freely -administered with their stout rawhide whips. The motley procession -crossed the Assiniboine on the ice, and camped that evening in a wood -by the side of the Souris river, hardly six miles from the point from -which they had set out. Meanwhile, the temperature was falling. At -eight that night Thompson observed that it was 20° below zero. By -the following morning it had dropped seven degrees more, and a -stinging west wind had sprung up which kept them in camp. Here they -remained for five days, in a temperature that sank as low as 40° -below zero; while the high wind whistled through their canvas, and -filled the tent with smoke from their fire. During this time, they -devoured the flesh of three bison which the Frenchmen had brought -into camp, while the dogs rejoiced in the offal. - -The wind had by this time shifted to the north-west, and the weather -turned milder with snow. When the storm was over, they renewed their -journey, keeping close to the river in order that they might not lose -sight of the familiar landmarks, for the men neither knew the compass -nor would trust it to guide them. After making eleven miles, they -came to a grove of hardwood, in which they found five tents of -Assiniboine Indians. These gave them a hospitable welcome, but -warned them that the Sioux were on the warpath. Nevertheless, they -pressed forward, and by the following morning had reached the point -where the trail led away from the river across the wind-swept plain -to Turtle Mountain on the international frontier. - -Jussomme now announced that they must prepare for an early start, as -they faced a long journey across country before they could reach the -shelter of the wooded heights. At seven the following morning they -were on their way. Mile after mile they trudged over the boundless -plain until one o'clock in the afternoon, and still no Turtle hill -was in sight. The weather had now turned threatening, and anxiety -was in every face. At this point Jussomme threw up his hands and -confessed that he had lost his way. - -It was a critical moment. Springing to his horse, Thompson galloped -to the nearest knoll, from which with his glass he scanned the -horizon on every side. Not a vestige of wood was in sight, but far -to the north-west his eye caught what seemed to be the tops of a -clump of trees. On this he took a bearing with his compass, and -called to the party to follow him, which after some hesitation they -made up their minds to do. Meanwhile the wind came on with -increasing force, and the darkness closed in before they could see -whether it was really a wood to which their painful and tedious march -led. However, they kept in file and close together, and the dogs -gave no trouble. It was black night before they finally reached the -wood. Utterly wearied, the men hurriedly threw up their canvas and -sought shelter from the storm. - -The blizzard continued through the next day, and the men were too -exhausted to proceed. They remained in camp with nothing but the -meat of two tough old bulls to relieve their hunger. The day -following two of the three horses went lame, their hoofs eaten away -by the hard crusty snow. Luckily they encountered a small party of -Assiniboines on their way to McDonnell's house to trade, and were -able to send the horses back with them to the fort, purchasing dogs -from the Indians in their stead. Two days later they met another -party of Indians, and from them got a good meal. These Indians -warned them that the Sioux were in waiting at the Dog Tent Hills; and -no offer would induce anyone of them to go forward with the party as -a guide. - -They were now in the neighbourhood of Turtle Mountain, and Thompson -had taken sole command. Another gale, another blizzard, and another -march till nightfall brought them to the hill. On this occasion -again the compass proved a trusty guide. In the darkness, Thompson's -face brushed against the overhanging branch of a tree, and he knew -that he had guided his men safely to the wood. Thus they continued -as far as the Dog Tent Hills, near the elbow of the Souris. On -approaching the broken country, Thompson espied a long line of -horsemen descending the slope and moving off to the south. It was -the Sioux, who had made up their minds that no traveller would -venture forth in such tempestuous weather. Thompson signalled his -men to throw themselves flat on the ground. This they did, and -remained unperceived until the enemy was out of sight. They then -entered the hills, and while they rested and hunted, cut tent poles -and firewood for the dash across the barren plain. The fifty miles -that still divided them from the waters of the Missouri were passed -without adventure, and they arrived, tired but triumphant, at the -upper village of the Mandans after a journey of thirty-three days. - -Thompson was now introduced by Jussomme to a chief who bore the name -of "Big White Man." To this chief he explained that his business was -not to trade, but to visit the various tribes of natives, in order to -see how they could be more regularly supplied with arms, ammunition, -and other articles which they much needed. Surprised and pleased at -this agreeable information, the chief led the white man to his own -hut, where he and his servant Boisseau were comfortably installed and -entertained with all the rites of native hospitality. - -In company with Jussomme and McCrachan, Thompson then paid a visit to -each of the five villages in turn. These, he found, were all built -alike of domelike huts constructed of mud plastered over a framework -of wood, each with an aperture in the centre of the roof to carry off -the smoke of the fire and admit light to the solitary chamber of the -dwelling. In front of each house stood a porch made of stretched -bison skins, affording an approach to a doorway large enough to admit -a horse. Passing the door, one entered a circular chamber about -forty feet across, and, from the earthen floor to the aperture in the -roof, eighteen or twenty feet in height. To the left of the doorway, -sat the master of the house on a couch covered with buffalo robes. -Before him was the fire, built in a circular space hollowed out of -the floor, and surrounded by vessels of native pottery containing -maize and boiled meat, the food of the household. Around the walls -were a series of frame bunks about three feet from the ground, each -of them enclosed by hides except for the front and made comfortable -by a soft buffalo robe. To the right of the entrance were the stalls -for the two or three horses which belonged to the household, to which -every evening they were led back after pasturing on the plains. In -the smallest of these villages, Thompson counted thirty-one such -huts, in the largest one hundred-and-thirteen, each hut containing a -family of from eight to ten souls. - -Surrounded as they were by fierce and violent enemies, the Mandans -had constructed their villages with an eye to defence rather than to -comfort. For this purpose a site was selected on elevated ground, so -that no attack could be made from above. The houses were then built -irregularly without regard for streets, and the whole village -surrounded by a stockade of timbers at least twelve feet in height. -On more than one occasion, Thompson learned, the Sioux had taken -advantage of a dark and stormy night to approach the villages and -fire the palisades. But the flames had no power to destroy the -earthen houses; there were no straight streets down which the enemy -could shoot; and, as a regular siege was beyond the power of any of -their foes, the Mandans had hitherto escaped destruction. - -The tribe, when Thompson visited them, were already acquainted with -the use of iron. Their flint-tipped spears and arrows they gladly -laid aside, when they could, for a long spear, headed with a flat -iron bayonet nine or ten inches in length. Thus far, however, they -had been visited only irregularly by traders; and so had but few guns -among them. Iron was so precious for purposes of war that it had not -yet come into common use for agriculture. Their ploughs were made of -the shoulder blade of a deer or bison, neatly fastened by thongs to a -handle. For hoes, they used pointed sticks hardened in the fire. A -council of old men allotted to each family its portion of ground in -the rich alluvial of the river bottom. From this they were able with -their rude implements to raise a sufficient quantity of the maize, -pumpkins, beans, and melons which were native to America. - -Thompson was anxious to find out the origin of this interesting -people, for they had not been many years on the banks of the -Missouri. Their traditions, however, went back no further than the -days of their great-great-grandfathers. These, they said, had dwelt -to the eastward, possessing the rich flats about the upper waters of -the Red river and the Mississippi. There the wild rice grew in -abundance and the deer were in plenty, though the horse and the -buffalo were unknown. On all these streams they had villages and -cultivated the ground as at present from before the memory of man. - -The Sioux to the south of their ancient home were their enemies, but, -armed only with stone-headed spears and arrows, could do them little -harm. To the north-east, in the depths of the gloomy forest, dwelt -the Chippewas, who were likewise powerless to hurt them. But the day -came when the Chippewas, armed by the white traders with guns, -ironheaded arrows, and spears, silently collected under cover of the -forest, and sallied out to harry their villages with fire, and cut -off their men as they were scattered in hunting parties far and wide. -Hard pressed by the attacks of an enemy whom they could not resist, -they gave way from point to point until they arrived at the banks of -the Missouri; and thus put the width of the great plains between them -and their implacable foes. - -Having made friends with the natives and taken the observations -necessary to determine the position of their villages, Thompson -prepared to depart. As the Mandans dwelt in the territory of the -United States, and it was contrary to the treaty of 1794 for a -British company to plant trading posts among them, commerce was -possible only if they were willing to make the journey to McDonnell's -house to trade. Accordingly a chief in the prime of life, together -with four young warriors, was selected to accompany Thompson on the -trip home. These were joined by an old man and his squaw, who said -that they wished to see the houses of the white men before they died. -But the heights of the Missouri were too much for the aged couple, -and they dropped out. Fourteen days of storm and tempest on the open -plain sufficed to kill the spirit of two of the warriors, and they -also dropped out. With the remainder, Thompson arrived at -Assiniboine House on the 3rd of February, 1798. Unfortunately, the -attempt to open up trade with the Mandans turned out to be -unsuccessful. The journey was long and difficult in winter; and, in -summer, the Sioux were active and cut off parties who tried to make -the passage across their land so that the Mandan villages proved to -be beyond the reach of the merchants from Canada. - -At McDonnell's house, Thompson prepared the maps and notes of his -survey to be sent by the next convoy to headquarters at Grand -Portage. He then took leave of his hospitable friend, and set forth -on his explorations up the Red river. With three French Canadians -and an Indian guide, he started down the Assiniboine, hauling his -baggage and provisions by dog sleds on the ice. The tedious windings -of the stream and the ever increasing depth of snow made progress -difficult. Nevertheless, by the 7th of March he had reached the -junction of the Assiniboine and the Red rivers, where the city of -Winnipeg now stands. He then turned up the Red river, and in six -days' travel came to the international boundary, beyond which it was -his duty to warn all traders that they were trespassing in the -territory of the United States. - -By the 25th of March he had worked his way south as far as the post -of Baptiste Cadotte, which was situated on a tributary of the Red -river, near the present site of the town of Red Lake Falls. From -this point he purposed to cross the height of land to the western end -of Lake Superior. Could he do it before the break-up of winter, and -while the mantle of snow still lay on the ground to give passage to -his dogs? He had, it will be remembered, no experience of southern -latitudes. His last winter had been spent by the shore of Reindeer -lake, where the ice stood firm till a windstorm broke it up on the -fifth day of July. Cadotte warned him that the season was too far -advanced; but he took the risk. - -On the 27th of March he began his his journey eastward up the -Clearwater river into Minnesota, picking up a guide from some -Chippewas whom he found on the way. As the day wore on, the rays of -the sun increased in power, and walking became difficult in the -thawing snow. The night was mild, and the following morning the -guide took care to break his snow-shoes that he might have an excuse -for returning to camp. The day was wasted, while Thompson waited -impatiently for another guide to be sent to take the place of the -first. At sundown a storm came on with thunder, lightning, and rain, -which continued the night through and far into the next day. The -snow was now so heavy that progress was impossible. The continuous -rains had soaked the clothes and the baggage of the party through and -through. The fourth day opened with gusts of hail and sleet. The -country before them was like a lake, and Thompson was compelled to -admit himself beaten. Splashing and stumbling through the bush and -along the treacherous ice of the river, the party struggled to make -their way back to the protecting shelter of Cadotte's roof. But -their baggage was too much for them, and they had to give in. -Finally Thompson with one man, travelling light, pressed forward to -the post for help; and by the afternoon of the second day the weary -travellers were brought safely into camp. - -When the rivers were finally clear of ice, Thompson, with his three -Canadians and a native woman, made a fresh start, this time by canoe -and with dried provisions to last for twelve days. They had first to -battle their way against the current of Clearwater river, to the -portage which brought them to Red lake. The country was everywhere -soaked with water, so that at night they were forced to cut down -trees and sleep on the branches. Red lake, they found, was still -covered with patches of broken ice. Hauling and paddling their canoe -in turn they crossed the lake, and entered an immense area of pond -and marsh to the south. Everywhere stretched beds of wild rice, the -haunt of innumerable geese, duck, and loon. With infinite toil they -made their way from lake to lake and brook to brook, until after five -days in the marsh they arrived at Turtle lake. - -This lake Thompson took to be the true source of the Mississippi. -Twenty years later American surveyors reached the conclusion that, of -all the ponds whose waters join to form the Mississippi, Lake Itaska -most deserved the name. Lake Itaska lies a few miles to the south -and west of Turtle lake. Yet this fact hardly suffices to rob David -Thompson of the glory of being the first man to fix the point from -which the Father of Waters takes its rise. - -There was still a long journey ahead to the coast of Lake Superior; -and the canoe was leaky from bumping about among the ice floes. -Luckily two boats of Chippewas came along on their way to John -Sayer's post at Red Cedar or Cass lake. With these Thompson and his -party embarked. A carry of two hundred yards took them past the -narrow and shallow waters of Turtle brook, to a point where the -stream was enlarged by a tributary from a nearby lake. Here they -launched their canoes and followed the stream through its incredible -windings to the lake. This was the country of wild rice and maple -sugar, and on these the poor Indians were compelled to subsist. Not -a deer or a beaver was to be seen; all had been destroyed. The geese -and ducks flew overhead in safety; for the impoverished natives could -not even afford the price of guns and ammunition, and they had lost -the art of making and using the bow. - -Sayer supplied Thompson with a fresh canoe, which enabled him to -continue his voyage. From the south of the lake, the valley of the -Mississippi now lay clear before him to the south east--a wide -expanse of marshy ground through which the channel meandered like a -writhing snake. As he advanced, however, the marsh gave way to a -sandy loam, heavily clothed with resinous fir. Arriving at Sand Lake -river, he turned east along this to Sand lake. Before him was a -great swamp, nearly five miles in width and stretching north and -south as far as the eye could reach. This was the last barrier -between him and the headwaters of the River St. Louis. Shouldering -their canoe and baggage, they advanced along the rude corduroy road -which the traders had laid across the bog. As often as they missed -their step, they sank to their waists in the mire. A long day's work -was needed before they had reached the other side. From thence a -brook carried them to the main stream of River St. Louis. They -passed into the forest country that surrounds the lake; and were soon -at the trading house which the North-Westers maintained at Fond du -Lac on the present site of the city of Duluth. - -Here they found an old twenty-eight foot canoe, which they patched up -and fitted with oars, for their slight river craft was unequal to the -winds and waves of Superior; and they had still to make a survey of -the lake. The weather was fine; and they made the circuit without -adventure, east along the south shore to Sault Ste. Marie, and -westward along the north shore to Grand Portage. Late in the evening -of the 7th of June, Thompson set foot on the pier, his long journey -over. - -At Sault Ste. Marie he had encountered Sir Alexander Mackenzie and -William McGillivray travelling east to Montreal. When they heard -what he had done, they were warm in their praise, and told him that -he had accomplished as much in ten months as might have been expected -in two years. His reputation was thus established, and his future -with the North West Company was assured. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -EIGHT YEARS OF TRADING - -The report which Thompson made to his employers after his return to -Grand Portage was of immense value to them. They now had a clear -idea of the whole stretch of country from Sault Ste. Marie to the -upper waters of the Missouri river, and were in a position to -rearrange their trading houses to meet the needs of the time. -Similar work remained to be done in the other regions to which the -interests of the Company extended. But the same haste was not -required, and the surveys could be pushed forward with less -difficulty and expense in connection with what was the main object of -the partners, that is the prosecution of the trade in furs. Thompson -was therefore requested to undertake some of the actual work of -trading, with freedom to make such journeys of exploration as he saw -fit. - -The eight years following therefore mark a new period in his service -with the North West Company, during which his activities carried him -far and wide along the great waterways of the interior. Throughout -these years he exercised, to the full, the qualities of mind and -character which made him such a unique surveyor. His bulky note -books were crammed with memoranda gathered with painstaking accuracy -and checked with minute care. From time to time, where a less -hurried visit to one of the more comfortable trading houses made it -possible, he added his newly acquired information to the map which he -had in hand. With each report that he made to Headquarters, the -picture of the Great West gradually took shape. Its physical -features were delineated; its wild life was noted and classified; its -native populations, their numbers, their racial affinities and -languages, their manners and customs were as far as possible -described. This was indeed wizardry, as his ignorant French-Canadian -and Indian followers imagined; but it was the wizardry of science, -which, by the slow accumulation of ascertained facts, lays the whole -world of nature at the feet of civilized man. - -In the summer of 1798, the attention of traders was largely directed -to the western forest country, which lies beyond the divide -separating the waters of the upper Saskatchewan from the basin of the -Peace and Athabaska rivers. Twenty years before, Peter Pond had -penetrated into this region as far as Lake Athabaska, and there -established a post. At Lake Athabaska, ten years later, Roderick -Mackenzie had built Fort Chippewyan, from which Sir Alexander had set -out on his two famous voyages, the one down the Mackenzie to the -Arctic, the other up the Peace to its headwaters and from thence -across British Columbia to the Pacific. Apart, however, from the -activity centred in Lake Athabaska, little had been done as yet to -explore the possibilities of trade in what is now northern Alberta. - -Thompson was therefore instructed to proceed to Lake la Biche or Red -Deer lake, whose waters fall into the Athabaska river about fifty -miles below Athabaska Landing. On the 14th of July, he set forth -from Grand Portage with the Churchill river brigade. By the middle -of August they had reached Cumberland House, and a week later they -had crossed over Frog Portage to the main stream of the Churchill. - -From this point west the route lay through a region as yet new to -Thompson. As he ascended the river to Isle à la Crosse, he found -that the country was still composed of the denuded rock with which he -was familiar on the lower stretches of the river. Ridges of this -rock, crossing the valley of the stream from point to point, gave it -the character of an irregular chain of lakes with many portages and -falls. Like the rest of the stony country, it was somewhat poor in -game and fur-bearing animals, although many of the lakes teemed with -fish. - -From Isle à la Crosse to the valley of the Athabaska there were two -possible routes. To the north there was Turnor's old course by way -of Methy Portage and Clearwater river. To the south, the Beaver -river led through a district of plain and forest to its headwaters at -Beaver lake, from which there was an easy portage over the height of -land to Lake la Biche. Thompson followed the Beaver river, and -arrived at Lake la Biche in time to build a post before the beginning -of winter. - -He was now at the southern end of that vast stretch of country which -he calls the Great Western Forest, and almost in the same latitude as -that of Reed lake in the Muskrat country where he had spent the -winter of 1794-5. He was thus in a position to compare the climate -and soil of this region with that of his old home on the eastern or -"Siberian" side of North America. Throughout the long winter months, -he kept as usual a careful record of the temperatures registered from -day to day by his thermometer. At Reed lake, the temperature for -December had varied from +31° to -45° with a mean of -10° F. For -January it had varied from +11° to -47° with a mean of -21.3°, and -for February from +39° to -31° with a mean of +6°. At Lake la Biche -he found that although in each of the three winter months, the -mercury sank as low as 48° below zero, it rose at times as high as -43° above, and that the mean for December, the coldest month, was not -lower than -6.5°. Then, too, while Reed lake was hardly above the -level of Hudson Bay, the country about Lake la Biche was high and -dry, and the snow did not lie so thick on the ground at the end of -winter. Accordingly, the rays of the sun had a chance to exert their -power on the face of the land much earlier in the year, and spring -burst at Lake la Biche long before winter had loosened his iron grip -on the region about Reed lake. - -The forests with their wild life responded generously to the less -rigorous climate. In the Muskrat region, the wretched traders and -Indians were forced to scour the country for fish and game in -quantities sufficient to keep them alive. At Lake la Biche the -waters yielded an abundant supply of fish; and during the five months -that he spent at the post, Thompson saw no less than forty-nine moose -and several buffalo brought in, all of which had been shot within -twenty miles of the house. There also all the animals, including the -precious beaver, attained their full size and development. - -Thompson wished to get an idea of the extent and general character of -this western forest land, and the quickest way to do so was to survey -the Athabaskan waters from their sources. Accordingly, when spring -opened, he rode across country southwest to Fort Augustus and from -thence westward to the headwaters of the Pembina, which at this point -was divided from the valley of the Saskatchewan by a narrow neck of -land. Embarking on the Pembina, he followed it down till it merged -with the main stream of the Athabaska river. A short excursion up -the Slave Lake river enabled him to explore the shore line of Lesser -Slave lake. Returning to the Athabaska, he continued along its broad -stream past Athabaska Landing to the mouth of the Clearwater river, -and from thence he made his way along the well-known track by Methy -Portage and the Churchill to Grand Portage. Throughout the region -embraced in his survey, he found little exposed rock and therefore -few lakes, but what was better for the beaver many small brooks and -streams which they could dam for their ponds. The country thus -promised a steady yield of furs from year to year, and this, with the -generous supply of game which the forest offered to trader and -trapper, was enough to justify the name which it bore, "The -fur-traders' paradise." - -In the mad competition for pelts, the different companies could not -rest content with the trade of regions already within their grasp. -Each of them sought always to push further afield; for he, who could -anticipate his rivals in opening new country, might plant his trading -houses on the most advantageous sites and bind the Indians to himself -with ties which later comers could not break. In 1790, Peter Pangman -for the North-Westers had pressed along the course of the North -Saskatchewan to a point five miles above its junction with the -Clearwater. There from a hill top he had gazed along the line of -snow-capped Rockies, and his eyes had travelled up the winding course -of the river to the gap through which it issued from the mountains. -From that time the partners had never ceased to dream of the wealth -that lay beyond the Great Divide. In a decade the line of their -trading posts had been extended to a point but three miles short of -"Pangman's Pine." There, in a wide plain not far from the forks of -the river, rose the walls and blockhouses of Rocky Mountain House, -destined to serve as a point of departure for the invasion of the -last great area as yet unknown. - -But much tedious work remained to be done before it would be possible -to hazard the passage of the Rocky Mountains. Besides the North -Saskatchewan, there were two main branches of the South river, the -Red Deer and the Bow rivers, and these had to be surveyed to their -sources in the foothills in order to determine the best routes for -trade. The Blackfoot, Blood, and Piegan Indians, whose encampments -lay along the courses of these streams, were suspicious and hostile. -They held these regions by right of conquest from the Kootenays and -Snakes whom they had driven to the mountains; and these needed only -to procure the muskets and ammunition which the white men could -supply in order to sweep down through the rugged passes and revenge -themselves for the defeats of many years. The Indians therefore -steadily opposed any movement of the traders toward the Rockies, and -even the stoutly fortified trading posts were hardly secure against a -sudden assault. - -In these circumstances, the partners at Grand Portage could think of -no one better qualified than David Thompson to accomplish the objects -of the company. They remembered the early connections which he had -made among the Piegans during his service with the English, and they -had complete confidence in his skill and daring. Thompson was -accordingly taken away from his work in the Athabaska country, almost -before it was well begun, and despatched up the Saskatchewan to Fort -George, in order that he might draw the maps of his recent surveys -and complete his preparations for the work that was now in hand. - -In the spring he took horse and rode overland to Fort Augustus, and -thence south along the Edmonton-Calgary line to a point just short of -the present town of Lacombe. Turning west, he struck the Clearwater -near its mouth and found himself at Rocky Mountain House. While he -himself descended the North Saskatchewan to the elbow, making a -survey as he went, he sent four French Canadians south to the Red -Deer river, with orders to follow it to its junction with the main -stream of the South Saskatchewan. A short distance below Rocky -Mountain House, he found a party of Hudson's Bay men encamped for -building. The English, as well as the Canadians, were bent on -crossing the Great Divide; and it would be a serious blow if they -were allowed to anticipate the North-Westers in so doing. - -Accordingly, on his return to Rocky Mountain House, Thompson brought -with him Duncan McGillivray from down the river, in order that he -might have assistance in pressing forward his explorations. Along -with McGillivray, he rode across to the Red Deer river, where he -found a camp of Piegans. A short stay among them was enough to lull -their suspicions; and Thompson was then able to ride twenty-two miles -west to the foot of the mountains, where he expected to meet a band -of Kootenays. These he found, twenty-six strong. With their women -and children they had crossed the divide to meet the white traders. -These Kootenays were the first of the British Columbia Indians whom -Thompson had encountered. He warned them of the presence of the -Piegans only a few miles east, and sent them back across the -mountains. In order to avoid the Piegans, they travelled by way of -the North Saskatchewan and succeeded in reaching their homes -unobserved. - -Meanwhile, with McGillivray and four men on horseback, Thompson -crossed the Red Deer river and rode still further south to the banks -of the Bow, not far from Calgary. This stream he surveyed as far -east as the bend and westward to Exshaw at the foot of the mountains. -McGillivray then made a traverse across from the north fork of the -Saskatchewan to the valley of the Athabaska, the results of which -were carefully incorporated in Thompson's notes. Thompson himself -spent the rest of the winter at Rocky Mountain House, trading with -the natives and taking observations to fix the location of the post. - -When spring opened, he resolved to attempt a journey into the -mountains by land. With a party of eight men and an Indian guide, he -started westward from Rocky Mountain House. In the narrow valley of -the Sheep river, the horses could go no further; and as the guide -knew of no other route, they returned to the post. A second attempt, -this time by canoe up the Saskatchewan, was equally unsuccessful -because of the floods on the river. When Thompson returned to -eastern headquarters in the spring of 1802, he was not yet able to -report that he had opened a practicable route to the west of the -Rockies. - -What was the effect of this news upon the minds of the partners? -From Thompson's subsequent movements, it is possible to surmise. The -attempt to pierce the mountains from the headwaters of the -Saskatchewan was for the time being abandoned, and attention was once -more transferred to the north. According to the surveys already made -by Thompson, the west end of Lesser Slave lake could not be more than -fifty or seventy-five miles from the valley of the Peace river, up -which Alexander Mackenzie had travelled ten years before. Thither -Thompson was sent, with instructions to explore a route across the -watershed. - -From the upper end of Lesser Slave lake, he pushed his way west -through a wide valley until he came to the banks of the Smoky river. -On the different branches of the Saskatchewan, he had noted the seams -of coal exposed along the banks. At Smoky river, the coal beds, -ignited by spontaneous combustion, had been burning from beyond the -memory of the oldest Indians on the river, and the dark clouds of -smoke which they sent forth gave the river its name. Smoky river was -a tributary of the Peace. A short journey down stream brought him to -the Forks where now stands Peace River Landing. - -Thompson spent the winters of 1803 and 1804 developing trade from the -old posts built by Mackenzie at the Forks of the river, and westward -beyond the frontiers of British Columbia. Here, as at the headwaters -of the Saskatchewan, he found rivals. No sooner was he settled at -the Forks than a party of XY traders from Montreal landed a few yards -from the post and made preparations for the erection of a house. -Thompson prosecuted his work with his accustomed vigour. In the -winter of 1805, when Simon Fraser set forth on the journey that was -to make him famous, he found that a base for his exploration of the -Fraser river had been soundly established on the Peace by his friend -and colleague David Thompson. He honoured him accordingly when he -gave the name of Thompson to the greatest tributary of the Fraser -river. - -By the summer of 1804 Thompson was once more back at headquarters, no -longer at Grand Portage (for that had been surrendered to the -Americans), but at Fort William on Thunder Bay, where the dépôt of -the company had now been established. In that year, the trade war -with the XY Company had reached an acute stage. The Hudson's Bay -Company had also reorganized their enterprises, and between them -these rivals had almost succeeded in wresting from the North-Westers -the trade of the Muskrat country. Thompson was therefore withdrawn -from the fields of his recent activity, his chance of crossing the -mountains was indefinitely postponed, and he was sent into the -Muskrat country to restore the trade of that region to the Canadians. - -With a heavy heart he turned his back on the far west, and entered -the cold and dismal forest which he knew only to loathe. But loyalty -was one of the deepest instincts of his nature, and so, with -indefatigable energy, he proceeded to build new posts and explore new -routes in the region north-east of Lake Winnipeg. In the course of -his efforts, he carried the flag of the North-Westers to a point on -South Indian lake not more than two hundred and fifty miles distant -from Churchill itself. In his relations with rival traders, he -exhibited a friendliness and courtesy that stands in marked contrast -with the cut-throat methods too frequently adopted at critical -moments of competition. The surveys begun years before, when he was -working under Joseph Colen, were now triumphantly finished. Of them, -a member of the Canadian Geological Survey says, "After Thompson had -completed his surveys of this muskrat country, no further information -was obtained about it for nearly a century, and when in 1896, I -travelled through it, the only map of any service which was available -was that drawn by David Thompson in 1813 from surveys made at this -time." - -It is sometimes imagined that the Indians a century ago existed in -vast numbers; and that they were universally of a warlike and -bloodthirsty disposition. This is a complete mistake. It was only -in especially favourable localities that conditions were such as to -promote the evolution of large bands, and generally speaking the -Indian was a poor and humble creature. Lacking the power of -invention, he was often satisfied to make use of utensils of the most -primitive character, and he was almost, if not quite, unarmed. - -Throughout the whole of the Muskrat country Thompson was able to -count but ninety-two widely scattered families, each of them -numbering perhaps seven souls. This gave to every human being from -two to three hundred square miles of hunting country. Yet so poor -was the region and so great the improvidence of its inhabitants that, -in unfavourable seasons, the population was often reduced to the -verge of starvation, and it was only by means of the greatest efforts -that they wrested a livelihood from their gloomy land of rock and -forest. - -All of Thompson's efforts therefore did not avail to bring -satisfactory returns from a region so poor in furs, and inhabited by -such a sparse and wretched population. It was with joy in his heart -that he handed over the district to a partner in the early summer of -1806, and once more wended his way back to Fort William. - -Two events of personal interest in the life of Thompson occurred -during these eight years. The first was his marriage to Charlotte -Small, the half-breed daughter of Patrick Small, an early trader in -the West. Small was a member of a famous Irish family, which had -given generals and admirals to the service of the Empire. He had, -however, followed the custom of the country and taken a native woman -to wife. Thompson's marriage took place at Isle à la Crosse in the -summer of 1799. The other event took place on November 8, 1804, -although the news of it did not reach Thompson until some time later. -On that date the North West Company and the XY Company agreed to -cease their ruinous competition and join forces for the expansion of -their trade. In the terms of agreement, the name of David Thompson -appears as a partner of the United Company. This was good news in -itself; but better still was the prospect that loomed up before his -eyes. With the wounds of competition healed, and the Canadian -trading interests now presenting a united front, the last obstacle to -an aggressive forward movement was removed, and the conquest of the -Rockies might finally be achieved. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -ACROSS THE GREAT DIVIDE - -There are long stretches in human life when the contest with fate -seems endless and the result uncertain, but it is such periods that -test the mettle of a man. In the life of David Thompson, the eight -years just past had been marked by no striking achievement. Yet with -unflagging patience and zeal he had discharged his routine duties, -constantly adding to his equipment the knowledge and judgment that -come from maturer years and wider experience. When therefore his -hour at last struck, he was not unready. Expert surveyor, skilled -trader, he was now to crown his life-work by a piece of original -discovery and exploration on a scale grand enough to place him in the -foremost rank among the builders of British North America. - -It was summer of the year 1806 when Thompson returned from the -Muskrat country to headquarters at Fort William. There he found a -new excitement and a new enthusiasm in the air. During the preceding -year the American officers, Lewis and Clark, had crossed from the -upper Missouri to the valley of the Snake river, and followed that -stream to its junction with the lower Columbia, down which they had -made their way to the Pacific ocean. John Jacob Astor, the great -American merchant, was exerting all his strength to build up a fur -trading empire on the Pacific slope under the flag of the Republic; -and the full extent of his ambitions was now disclosed. For some -years the Hudson's Bay Company had been knocking at the barrier of -the Rockies, and, spurred by competition, they might at any moment -burst through. Fraser for the North-Westers had already advanced -from the Forks of the Peace, and accomplished the difficult and -dangerous feat of descending the Fraser river. But between the -Fraser river on the north and the Snake on the south was a vast -region on which the feet of white men had never trod; and the North -West Company, no longer crippled by their civil war with the XY -traders, were resolved to claim this region for themselves. Thompson -was at once despatched to Rocky Mountain House, with definite -instructions to cross the mountains, this time as senior officer at -the post and in full charge of the operations. - -The winter of 1806-7 was spent in preparation; and John McDonald of -Garth, trader of the Company, together with Quesnel and Finan -McDonald, clerks, lent a hand in the work. The route selected was by -way of the North Saskatchewan, which Thompson knew must be -practicable, because it was along this road that the Kootenay Indians -had returned, when he sent them back to their homes some years -before. He therefore despatched one of his men, a half-breed called -Jaco Finlay, up this road into the mountains, with instructions to -spy out the land. Everything was done with the utmost quietness. -The Piegan Indians suspected nothing, although they were at all times -visiting the fort. Even the Hudson's Bay people, encamped on the -river just below the North-Westers, had not an inkling of Thompson's -plans. - -In the spring Jaco Finlay returned to the post with his report. He -had penetrated through the gap in the mountains to a large valley -near the head of the river, where he had built a small outpost and -got in touch with the Kootenays. From this valley he had crossed the -watershed to a small stream which flowed south-westward and emptied -into a mighty river. At the mouth of this stream he had built a -canoe, which he had carefully "cached" for Thompson's use. - -At this moment an incident occurred in distant Montana, which, tragic -in itself, was not without advantage for Thompson. Captain Lewis, -the American officer, had became embroiled with the Blackfeet. They -attacked his camp and two of their warriors were killed. Suddenly -all the allied tribes were inflamed with the passion for revenge. -War parties gathered throughout the plains, and the Piegans in the -neighborhood of Rocky Mountain House were drawn off to the south. -Perceiving the passes unguarded, Thompson gathered his equipment and -made an immediate start. With his wife and children, Finan McDonald -and a party of half-breeds to help him, he moved up the river by -horse and canoe and entered the mountains. - -As he advanced, the country became rougher and wilder. The grassy -hills were left behind, and the mountains raised their heads in mad -confusion height on height, bald and precipitous masses of solid -rock, except for the patches of pinewood that clung here and there to -their slopes. At times, the crags came together compressing the -river to the width of a few yards, through which the current rushed -against them. Again, when the valley widened, the stream would -divide into many channels dotted with rugged islets and marked by -shoals of rock and sand. Finally they reached the valley in which -Jaco Finlay had built his house--a low and level plain to the north -side of the river, about five miles long and not less than a mile in -width. On every hand were to be seen the remains of old tepees -erected by the Kootenays, who frequented the spot to make dried -provisions from the buffalo and mountain goat. For this reason -Thompson gave the valley the name of Kootenay plains. - -Above Kootenay plains, the river contracted to a width of barely -fifteen yards, and so continued to the forks, at which point the -canoes had to be laid up. From the forks, there was a splendid view -of the mountains still ahead, their peaks more elevated and craggy -than they had so far seen, for they were in fact the main range of -the Rockies. Taking the left branch of the stream they followed it -to within a mile of its end in Glacier lake. At this point, between -Mount Balfour on the right and Mount Forbes on the left, was a gap -opening to the west. Into this gap they turned. A march of two -miles through heavy pinewood brought them to a rivulet whose waters -flowed to the west. "May God in his mercy," says the pious explorer, -"give me to see where its waters flow into the ocean and return in -safety." Thus he marked out his programme for the next four years. - -This rivulet (Blaeberry creek) descended sharply through a narrow, -winding valley between the heights; and it was necessary for the -party to force their way through the thick woods along the steep and -rugged slopes, and to cross and recross the stream through water -knee-deep, in order to reach the mouth. A full day's travel, -however, brought them to the valley of the Columbia. The weather had -done its work on the canoe built by Jaco Finlay; and it was quite -unseaworthy. They had to halt while they scoured the woods for -materials and built new canoes. Finally they embarked and paddled -south up the Columbia until they came to its headwaters. There, a -short distance from Lake Windermere, they hewed logs of heavy fir and -built a cabin which they strongly stockaded on three sides, the -fourth resting on the steep bank of the river. This was Old Kootenay -House, the first trading post erected by white men on the waters of -the Columbia. - -In this remote spot, the safety of all depended upon the courage and -resource of the leader. Additional supplies were needed from Rocky -Mountain House, and Finan McDonald was sent back across the mountains -to fetch them. Until the end of autumn, provisions were scarce, for -the red deer and antelope had not yet descended from the higher -levels, and the mountain goat was hard to shoot as he leapt from crag -to crag. The party therefore relied on fish and the flesh of wild -horses whose feeding grounds were not more than two miles from the -house. For the purpose of trade, it was necessary to get in touch -with the natives and to examine the country as well as possible. The -season was late, but Thompson was able to make one short excursion -with a chief of the Flatbow Indians. - -When Finan McDonald rejoined his chief, he brought with him alarming -intelligence. In the course of the summer, the brother of Old White -Swan, a Blackfoot chief, had with his band assaulted and pillaged -Fort Augustus, possessing himself of many guns, much ammunition and -tobacco and various other articles. Whether or not he had murdered -the traders at the Fort, McDonald could not say; but it was clear -that the spirit of unrest and resentment against the whites which had -for some time pervaded the whole Blackfeet confederacy was now coming -to a head; and Thompson could hardly hope that he himself would -escape serious trouble. - -Trouble came rather sooner than he expected. The fort was not yet -finished when twelve Piegan Indians appeared on foot from across the -mountains. A month later twenty-three more arrived. These set up -their tents along with the others just outside the gates. For over -two months they hung about the stockade, making themselves very -objectionable, and forcing the garrison to remain together within the -walls. But Thompson had a small stock of dried provisions on hand, -and he put his men on short rations, so that there might be no need -to scatter over the country for hunting. For water, he let down two -large kettles nightly from the steep river bank and this was enough -for the daily needs of the post. Towards the end of October, two of -the Indians disappeared from the group, and the garrison feared a -general attack. Nothing, however, materialized, and before winter -set in, the savages drifted quietly away. - -Yet their peril was not yet over. One morning, two more Piegans -presented themselves at the fort. Thompson was anxious, but he did -not flinch. He showed them the strength of his stockades and -bastions, the walls bored with loopholes for his muskets. "I know," -he said, "that you are come as spies and intend to destroy us, but -many of you will die before you succeed. Go back to your countrymen -and tell them this." At the same time, he loaded them with presents -of tobacco for their friends. A fortunate circumstance hastened -their departure. Two of the Kootenay Indians came to the fort while -they were there, and when they saw the Piegans, they glared at them -like tigers. Meanwhile the little garrison watched and waited, six -hardy voyageurs ready to die if necessary in order to make good the -words of their chief. And while they waited, winter came on, -covering the mountains with snow and placing them in safety. - -It was some time before Thompson learned the details of his escape. -The two Piegans were, as he guessed, the advanced guard of a large -war party that was being formed at the instigation of the civil chief -to crush the white men and the natives to the west side of the -mountains before they became well armed. The war chief (Thompson's -old friend Kootanae Appee) had opposed this venture. How, he urged, -could they smoke to the Great Spirit for success, if without warning -they invaded the lands of a people with whom for ten summers they had -been at peace? Such, however, was the influence of the wilder -spirits, that the old war chief was compelled to yield to their will. - -In fifteen days about three hundred warriors under three chiefs -assembled at the rendezvous named by Kootanae Appee, and under his -leadership marched through the mountains to within twenty miles of -the post. There they awaited the return of their scouts. It was not -long before the latter arrived. The Kootenays, they said, were -gathering under the white man to fight for the protection of their -post. At the same time they presented the chiefs with Thompson's -gifts, six feet of tobacco for Kootenae Appee, eighteen inches for -each of the lesser chiefs, and a fine pipe of red porphyry with an -ornamental stem in which to smoke it. - -Thompson's knowledge of the Indians was thorough, and in this case, -his guess as to their intentions had hit the mark. When the war -chiefs heard his message of defiance, they were dumbfounded. "What -can we do with this man," they exclaimed, "our women cannot mend a -pair of shoes but he sees them" (alluding, of course, to Thompson's -astronomical observations). Then the eldest of the three war chiefs, -wistfully eyeing the tobacco, of which they had none, observed: "I -have attacked tents, my knife could cut through them and our enemies -had no defence against us. I am ready to do so again. But to go and -fight against logs of wood that a ball cannot pierce, and with people -we cannot see and with whom we are at peace, is what I am averse to. -I go no further!" So saying, he slowly fitted the pipe to the stem -and handed it to Kootenae Appee. Led by Kootenae Appee, they all -smoked; and, having accepted Thompson's present, were unable to go -further against him. Thus by his own resource and by the support of -an old friend won in the days of his service for the Hudson's Bay -Company, David Thompson prevented the destruction of the first -trading post on the Columbia. - -With the coming of spring began the work of exploring the country. -Leaving McDonald in charge of Kootenay House, Thompson embarked with -four voyageurs on the 20th of April, 1807, and paddled through Lake -Windermere to the source of the Columbia. From thence, an easy -portage of two miles across a grassy plain brought him to a fine -stream flowing south, the Kootenay river of today. Launching his -canoe, he proceeded to search for Indians. - -The river flowed swiftly along between high and steep banks of rock, -their slopes clothed with magnificent timber of all kinds. From time -to time the stream narrowed so that the travellers were forced to -paddle briskly in order to keep ahead of the current. As they -approached Kootenay Falls, in Lincoln county, Montana, the river -entered a cañon no less than a mile in length, terminating in a gorge -where the trail left the river side and meandered along the dizzy -slope of steep bed rock, three hundred feet above the level of the -stream. An hour and a quarter was necessary for the carry; and they -cut their shoes to pieces. The least slip would have meant sure -destruction; and they struggled along over the jagged rocks without a -grain of earth or sand on them to relieve their crippled feet. On -the 14th of May, having followed the winding course of the stream -southward across the present international boundary and northward -again as far as Kootenay lake, they at length came upon ten tepees of -Indians. - -During all this time, they had shot nothing except for a few antelope -and they were nearly famished. Once they came upon the carcase of an -antelope, on which an eagle was feeding. Chasing the bird, they -seized the meat, but it was tainted and made them all sick. The day -following, they encountered the Indians. These, however, had nothing -to offer the white men except a few dried carp and some bitter black -bread, made of the moss collected from the bark of the resinous fir -and the larch. - -The snows of the mountains were now melting, and the water of the -river had risen six feet, overflowing the wide meadows. Owing to the -floods, none of the Kootenays were willing to come to the house to -trade. To paddle home against the current was impossible. Thompson -therefore laid up his canoe, bought horses from the Indians and -engaged a guide who undertook to lead him overland by a well-known -native trail northeast along the valley of the Grand Quête river to -Kootenay House. - -A day's travel brought them to a large brook, so deep and rapid that -the horses could not cross. Thompson selected a large cedar growing -by the bank. This he felled so that it lay across the stream and -served as a bridge over which they carried their luggage. The horses -were taken separately, and by means of a heavy strap of rawhide, -dragged kicking and struggling to the further bank. The guide then -went hunting, but returned empty handed, and the party went -supperless to bed. Early next morning, he killed a small antelope, -which was eagerly devoured. But the faint-hearted guide had already -had enough. Without warning, he decamped and returned to his people, -leaving the white men stranded among the hills, without provisions -and utterly ignorant of the country. - -For two days they waited with faint hopes of his return. Thompson -then sent two of his men back to the tepees to ask for another guide. -In the presence of these men, Ugly Head, one of the chiefs, made a -bitter attack upon his followers. He reproached them for their lack -of spirit, contrasting their conduct with that of the white men who -braved every danger and hardship to bring them arms, ammunition and -other things which they needed. "How many of you," he said, "will -volunteer to accompany the strangers back to their home?" Not a man -answered the call. They knew too well the dangers of mountain travel -at that season of the year. In this crisis Ugly Head himself -announced that he would act as guide; and, with the voyageurs to lead -him, made his way to Thompson's camp. - -The noble and manly conduct of the Indian inspired the little party -with great confidence and hope. Under his leadership, they made -their way among the rugged hills, avoiding the inundated meadows. -The raging torrents they passed by throwing bridges of trees across -them. Finally they reached the Kootenay river not far below the -portage; and here, after building a canoe to complete their journey, -they took leave of their guide. In a short time they were safe at -Kootenay House. - -Thompson had now to conduct the winter's hunt all the way east to -Rainy River House, and bring back supplies for the following year. -Among these supplies were two kegs of alcohol, which his partners -insisted that he should take with him. Thompson was well aware of -the deplorable results that had followed the introduction of spirits -among the Indians, but he was overruled. When he came to the defiles -of the Saskatchewan, he caused the two kegs to be loaded on the back -of a vicious horse. By noon the kegs were empty and broken to -pieces. He wrote to his partners, telling them what he had done, and -vowing that so long as he was in charge of the fur trade across the -mountains, he would do the same with every keg of alcohol which was -sent to him. He was as good as his word; and thus for a few years at -least succeeded in keeping the curse of spirits from the Indians of -the Pacific slope. - -When Thompson reached Kootenay House, the season was too far advanced -to allow of further exploration. He therefore sent Finan McDonald to -open a trading house at Kootenay Falls, while he himself remained for -the winter at the post, taking observations and trading with the -Indians. In the following spring, he had once more to cross the -mountains with the furs, but by midsummer he was back at his house -ready to prosecute his discoveries further to the south. - -In the neighborhood of the Falls, Thompson had found that the -Kootenay river bent sharply to the west and north. In this -direction, he had traced its course to Kootenay lake, before the -floods came on, compelling him to cross overland to his home under -the guidance of the chief Ugly Head. To the south of the Kootenay -was a ridge of mountainous country, intersected however, by -well-marked Indian trails running north and south. These trails, he -was told, led to another great river, parallel with the Kootenay and, -like it, flowing mainly to the west. This river (now known as -Clark's Fork) he made up his mind to explore. - -His point of departure was from Ugly Head's encampment, near the -present site of Bonner's Ferry, Idaho. There he laid up his canoes, -and borrowed horses from the Kootenays for the journey across -country. A two day's ride brought him to Clark's Fork at the point -where it expands to form Lake Pend d'Oreille. Here he was met by a -large deputation of Salish Indians, who welcomed him with presents -and gave him every assistance in finding a site suitable for the -erection of a post. Their joy was easy to understand, for they were -armed merely with a few rude lances and flint-headed arrows, utterly -useless in warfare against the Indians of the plains. Thompson had -guns, ammunition, and iron arrow-heads for trade, but he warned them -that in order to procure these advantages, they must learn to be -industrious in hunting for beaver and other furs, and cease spending -their days and nights in gambling--the pet vice of the savage. This -they eagerly promised to do. - -It was the end of September before he had finished the construction -of his new post (Kullyspell House), and he followed it up, by -constructing a second post, Salish House, sixty miles further east -along the river. From Salish House, he had only to ride out to the -great camp of the Salish Indians near Flathead lake in order to -secure the promise of their trade. He was now thoroughly established -along the whole course of Clark's Fork river. - -From information he had gathered, Thompson judged that both the -Kootenay river and Clark's Fork were tributaries of the Columbia, and -that if he followed them westward to their mouths he would strike -that mighty river. From the unwelcome visitations he had experienced -at the hands of the Piegans, he realized that the line of approach -from the defiles of the Saskatchewan to his new trading post was -exposed throughout its length to raids of the plainsmen through the -easy passes of the mountains. He therefore attempted to explore -Clark's Fork to its junction with the Columbia, hoping that from -thence he might discover a route further west and less accessible to -his foes. - -For some time he followed the course of the river westward through a -country of extensive meadows and forests, enriched by innumerable -streams of pure water, and already in March responding to the -generous rays of the sun, and the warm breezes from the ocean. But -as he approached the mouth, the appearance of the land was changed. -Rude blocks of basalt made the country difficult for horses; the -stream, tumbling in countless rapids and falls, was unnavigable for -canoes. He was forced to turn back; and as the winter's furs were -waiting for his arrival, he made his way to Kootenay House and -thence, to the dépôt on Rainy river. - -In the course of the winter the Salish Indians had traded upwards of -twenty muskets and several hundreds of iron arrow-heads, and by dint -of constant practice had become so proficient in their use that they -felt themselves a match for the Indians of the plains. In the month -of July, when the bison bulls were getting fat, they formed a camp of -not less than 150 men to hunt and make dried provisions as Thompson -had asked them to do. With Finan McDonald, Michel Bourdeaux and -Baptiste Buché to help and encourage them, they crossed the mountains -by an easy defile to the east of Flathead lake, and boldly preceded -to hunt for the buffalo. - -It was not long before the Piegans got wind of their presence. One -morning, the scouts came riding into camp at breakneck speed with the -cry, "The enemy is upon us." Down went the tents, and tent poles and -baggage were quickly formed into a rude rampart. This was barely -ready, when the enemy's horsemen came dashing at the rampart with -wild shouts of rage. The Salish stood their ground; and neither a -second nor a third charge was able to shake them. The battle was now -to be of infantry. The Salish lay quietly behind their ramparts -awaiting the assault; while all day long the enemy advanced in -parties of thirty or forty, shouting insulting cries and doing their -best to lure them from their cover. As often as they came within -gunshot, they were met with a fusilade of bullets. At nightfall they -retired discomfited, leaving the Salish in possession of the field. - -This was the first occasion on which the Salish had ventured to face -the Piegans in the open field, and although no scalps were taken on -either side, they counted it a victory to have stood their ground. -As for the Piegans, their hearts were full of bitterness; and they -swore an oath to wreak vengeance on the white men who had crossed the -mountains to the west, and furnished arms and ammunition to their -age-long foes. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -THE RACE TO THE SEA - -By the middle of October, 1810, Thompson was once more at the foot of -the Rockies en route for the Columbia with four canoe loads of -supplies. At Rainy River House, he had learned that a vessel -chartered by J. J. Astor and loaded with goods in charge of two -former North West traders was on her way around Cape Horn, bound for -the Columbia; and his orders were to anticipate this ship in reaching -the mouth of the river. He was therefore anxious to get through the -passes without delay, and at all costs to avoid a conflict with the -Piegans. - -Since the 24th of September the brigade had been held up in the -neighborhood of Rocky Mountain House. The post was thronged by noisy -bands of Piegan, Sarcee, Blood, and Fall Indians, who had come -ostensibly to trade, but really to head off any movement of the white -man toward the mountains. Alexander Henry, the trader in charge, -endeavoured to get rid of these unwelcome visitors, but all in vain. -In such a crisis, the time-honoured expedient was rum. While some of -the Indians were drunk, however, others were sober, and for some -weeks it was impossible to get the canoes away without observation, -either by day or night. Finally, however, Henry got the frightened -voyageurs under way, and by the 13th of October, the brigade was -already within twenty miles of the mountains. - -Thompson himself with a partner, William Henry, and two Indian -hunters had ridden ahead to the gap, scouring the country for game -and keeping a sharp watch for possible enemies. The party had killed -three red deer, made a scaffold, and placed the meat on it for safety -against wild animals. Days passed, and the canoes did not put in an -appearance. On the 17th the oldest hunter, rising as usual very -early in the morning, looked at the scaffold and remarked, "I have -had bad dreams; this meat will never be eaten." So saying, he -saddled his horse and rode away. - -Thompson could no longer conceal his anxiety. He ordered Henry and -the other Indian to proceed down the river in search of the canoes; -with positive orders not to fire a shot except in self-defence. At -eight in the evening they returned, and he heard their story. Some -miles down the river, they had seen a number of Piegans encamped on -the bank. A short distance below this camp, they had descended the -slope to the river, where they found the marks of canoes and near -them in the bottom a rude rampart of stones on which there were -traces of blood. Proceeding further down stream, they had fired a -shot as a signal to the lost canoemen, but it was not returned. - -Thoroughly alarmed by their rashness and folly, Thompson prepared to -fly for his life, for he knew that the Piegans would be on them in -the morning. At dawn of day, they took horse and made their way east -by a wide detour through the forest. Fallen trees and undergrowth -interrupted their progress, and their horses' hoofs made their track -easy to follow. Fortunately the afternoon brought with it a light -fall of snow, giving them some hope of shaking off their pursuers, -and late in the evening they ventured to halt and kindle a small fire. - -Racked with fear for his own safety and anxiety for the fate of his -men, Thompson passed a sleepless night. His first care was to find -the brigade. Avoiding Rocky Mountain House, he continued east for -sixty miles along the river, and there, on the second afternoon, he -came upon his men, safe and sound, encamped in an abandoned -trading-post known as Boggy Hall. - -All hope was now abandoned of passing in safety by the defiles of the -Saskatchewan, and Thompson determined to blaze a new trail across the -Rockies by way of the Athabaska river. The route projected lay over -an old path of the Assiniboine Indians to a point on the Athabaska -not far from the present line of the Canadian National Railways; and -from thence along the valley of the river past the mouth of -Yellowhead Pass to its headwaters some miles further south. From -this point a pass led across the height of land to the Wood river, a -small tributary of the Columbia. In later years this pass (known as -the Athabaska Pass) was the regular route for traders of the Hudson's -Bay Company on their journeys to British Columbia. - -Horses and dogs were rapidly collected for the trip over land. The -men were detailed to their several duties, four to hunt, two to clear -a path through the woods, and the remainder to look after the animals -and perform the labour of the camp. By the 28th of October all was -in readiness; and the little party set off with Thomas, an Iroquois -Indian, to act as guide. - -It was a full month before they had crossed the belt that lay between -them and the Athabaska. The road ran through a wretched country, -over mountains and across muskegs. Here and there the fires of the -forest had cut wide swathes through the woods, leaving in their wake -a tangled mass of fallen timber, through which they had to hack their -way. In the bogs the horses lost their footing, shifting their packs -and bruising their knees, until in a short while they were almost -useless. To complete the misery of the travellers, there was the -difficulty of securing food. Their dried provisions were soon -exhausted. Game was scarce; and the hunters often returned -empty-handed after a long day's chase. - -By the first of December they had reached the Athabaska. Four days -later they had come to a point on the river a little above Brulé -lake, where the guide informed Thompson that owing to the lateness of -the season, all thought of crossing the mountains with horses had to -be given up. The greater number of the beasts were therefore sent -back to Rocky Mountain House; four only were retained to ease the -burden of the dogs. - -The thermometer now registered 32° below zero; and the party threw -themselves into the work of building a rough shelter of logs to serve -while they prepared sleds and snow shoes with which to complete their -journey. At the end of the month they made a fresh start. Urged by -the shouts and lashings of the voyageurs, the dogs with their burdens -scurried along the ice of the river. In five days they came to the -grassy ponds that marked its headwaters--the last possible pasturage -for horses. Here, therefore, the poor animals were turned loose to -survive the winter as best they could. - -Four days more brought the party to the height of land. The -landscape, as far as the eye could reach, was clothed with a heavy -mantle of gleaming snow. Round about towered the lofty peaks, their -sides scarred by avalanches which had swept the slopes bare of trees -and rocks in their descent. To the right lay an enormous glacier, a -mass of blue-green ice, the eastern face of which was not less than -two thousand feet in height. The night was fine, and the stars shone -with such brilliance that one of the men told Thompson that he felt -he could almost touch them with his hands. - -Early next morning they began the descent to the valley of the -Columbia. On the eastern face of the mountains, the approach to the -height of land had been a long and steady climb. To the west, the -ground fell away in a series of abrupt slopes, so steep in places -that it required sure footing to avoid a tumble. A short advance -therefore was enough to produce an amazing difference in the climate. -The snow which to the east of the mountains was thin and dry, here -lay heavy and wet upon the ground; and they entered a forest of clean -grown pine of gigantic height and girth. So heavy were the loads and -so steep the slope that the dogs were unable to guide the sleds, and -from time to time they came against the base of a pine tree with -considerable force, dog on one side, sled on the other, so that they -were disentangled with difficulty. To relieve the animals, Thompson -had a portion of the loads removed from the sleds. The men grumbled -as they were forced to lug these packs forward through the heavy -snow. Finally after fifteen days' travel they arrived at the banks -of the Columbia. - -Mutterings of discontent were now openly heard among the French -Canadians. They had had enough, and would follow the madman no -further. Four of them suited the action to the word and deserted. -Two of the others Thompson despatched with letters to William Henry, -describing the route he had discovered, and ordering Henry to follow -him along it with an additional supply of goods. With the remainder, -Thompson set forth on the journey up the Columbia. They had gone but -one day when they, too, balked at the restless energy of their -leader. Faced with incipient mutiny, Thompson had no choice except -to return to the mouth of the Wood river, and there pass the rest of -the winter. - -The place of his enforced residence was the famous "Boat Encampment" -of later days. At this point, the Columbia, after having pursued a -north-westerly course for upwards of two hundred miles from its -sources, bent sharply around the head of the Selkirk Mountains, and -flowed off to the south. At the bend, the stream was joined by two -tributaries, the Wood and Canoe rivers, coming in from the north, and -forming at their mouths a wide meadow of rich alluvial soil. There -in the midst of a forest of giant pine and larch, the party cleared a -site, and built themselves a rough cabin. Thompson, never idle, -spent his time exploring the neighbourhood, and constructing a boat -for the remainder of the journey. As there was no birch bark -available, he built it clinker-fashion of cedar boards split thin; -and these, in default of nails, he sewed together with the fine roots -of the pine. - -The snow was not yet off the ground when he was once more on his way. -He had counted on reaching the mouth of the Columbia not later than -the first of August, and would gladly have made the descent by way of -the river itself, which here lay clear before him. Of his canoemen, -however, three only had the courage to risk the chances of the -voyage. With so few men it would have been madness to venture a long -journey on unknown waters and in the midst of possible enemies; so he -determined to make his way past his old trading posts to the Salish -country. There he knew he could find plenty of free hunters to help -him in accomplishing the voyage to the sea. - -It was six weeks before he had reached Salish House, where he hoped -to find Finan McDonald. But neither McDonald nor Jaco Finlay was at -the post, and, as they had left no letter to indicate their -whereabouts, Thompson prepared to descend Clark's Fork by himself. -The river presented an appearance vastly different from that of the -autumn of 1809, when he had passed down it before. The spring floods -were now at their height, and the water was rising at the rate of two -feet each day, inundating the meadows to the foot of the hills, and -dashing along with such violence that every island became a -water-fall, with a strong eddy at the lower end. Down this raging -torrent they paddled, keeping in midstream, and thankful as they -passed each danger spot in safety. The antelopes had retired to the -hills, and they lived on the meat of horses which they traded from -the Indians. - -On the 8th of June they arrived at the point where the river entered -the Box cañon and became utterly unnavigable. There Thompson found a -small camp of Kullyspell Indians, who informed him that Finan -McDonald was now at a post which he had built on the banks of the -Spokane river further south. Thompson engaged two of these Indians -to inform McDonald of his presence; while he himself waited until the -latter should join him with horses to carry his goods overland to the -new post. Four days later McDonald, with thirteen horses, arrived; -and Thompson with all his possessions was transported overland to -Spokane House, about ten miles northwest of the present city of -Spokane. - -The Spokane river, like Clark's Fork, was a tributary of the -Columbia, and, like it, unnavigable toward the mouth. Thompson -therefore left a small assortment of goods with McDonald, and -proceeded northwest along a well-beaten Indian trail to a point on -the Columbia, just below Ilthkoyape or Kettle Falls. Here the stream -dropped several feet in two magnificent cataracts, the roar of which -could be heard for many miles around. - -Just below the falls was an Indian village, the first of its kind -that Thompson had seen. It was composed of a number of huts, each -from thirty to sixty feet in length, roughly built of large cedar -logs which had drifted down the river, and roofed with mats of woven -fibre stout enough to withstand the rain. The Indians who dwelt here -subsisted mainly on fish. Each spring, as the spawning season drew -near, they propitiated the manito of the salmon with elaborate dances -and ceremonies. Thus purified, they took their stand just beneath -the falls and speared or netted the fish, which they smoked in -quantities sufficient to last them through the year. - -Thompson enquired of these people regarding the course of the river -both up and down. From them he learned that the village at Kettle -Falls was the highest along the stream that had survived the -incursions of the Piegans. Below them there was a journey of ninety -miles of rapids, at the end of which stood another village of salmon -fishers. Beyond this they could tell him nothing. Meanwhile the -canoemen were busy preparing a boat. In this region timber was very -scarce. They had to journey seven miles from the river before they -found a clump of cedar from which they could hew the planking of a -canoe; and it was not until the third day of July that the boat was -finished. - -With five French Canadians, two Iroquois Indians, and a couple of the -natives for interpreters, Thompson now embarked on the last stage of -his journey to the sea. He remembered how, following the settlement -of the international boundary west of Lake Superior, the traders of -the North West Company had been driven from a country which they had -made their own. By that settlement, the forty-ninth parallel had -been accepted as the line from the Lake of the Woods to the watershed -of the Rocky Mountains. West of the Rockies however, all was still -debatable land; and in that vast region, with its timbered mountains -and rich valleys, the wealth of fish in its rivers and of minerals -hidden in its bosom, he claimed the right of a discoverer. At the -stern of his little craft, the Union Jack floated proudly in the -breeze; and at each halting place, Thompson posted a written notice -in the name of the North West Company of merchants from Canada, -formally taking possession of the country for His Majesty, King -George the Third. - -Down the river sped the canoe, the paddlers with long swinging -strokes easily keeping abreast of the stream. Most of the rapids -they were able to shoot; and before nightfall they had completed the -ninety miles to the village of which they had heard above. Tents -were pitched and Thompson summoned the chiefs to smoke with him. - -In a short while the chief arrived, followed by his men in single -file. All sat down in a circle about the tent, and the chief made a -brief speech, welcoming the strangers and offering them presents of -dried salmon and native herbs. Pipes were then lighted and solemnly -passed round. Following this the chief delivered a long harangue, in -which he expressed the hope that the white men would provide his -people with guns, ammunition, axes, knives, awls, not to mention -steels and flints and many other articles of which they stood sadly -in need. They were, he said, able and willing to hunt, and would pay -for everything they got. At present, however, they had only their -hands with which to procure food and clothing. - -Thompson explained that his object was to explore the course of the -river to the sea. If it proved navigable, very large canoes would -come from over the ocean with goods of all kinds, and industrious -hunters would be supplied with everything they required. - -The colloquy finished, permission was given for the women of the -tribe to approach. A dance of welcome followed, at the end of which -the weary travellers were left to their repose. In this way Thompson -made friends with the natives wherever he found them along the river. - -As he advanced, Thompson passed out of the forest country, and -entered the arid plain that lies about the confluence of the Snake -river with the Columbia. Occasional willows and cottonwoods were to -be seen, growing in the neighbourhood of streams; but over the -greater part of this region, the only shrub capable of finding a -lodging was the hardy sage. The natives he now encountered were of -the unhappy Snake family, who had been driven for refuge to this -barren country by the relentless pressure of their foes. Some of -them fled in terror at his approach. Others, less timid, gazed with -admiring eyes upon the guns, kettles, axes, and other paraphernalia -of his camp. Their eagerness to obtain such wonders was in -proportion to their need; for they did not appear to possess even -bows and arrows or the stone axes and knives that were common among -the Eskimos of the far north. - -The river now turned to the west; and far ahead on his left Thompson -discerned the snow-capped cone of Mount Hood, which marked the line -of the Cascade Mountains near the coast. Fifty miles short of this, -he came to a village at which, as usual, he put ashore. Here the -natives warned him of the treacherous Dalles or rapids just ahead, -where the river for a distance of two miles glides noiselessly -through a cañon never more than two hundred yards wide, and the -ledges of basalt, projecting into the stream, create whirlpools and -eddies in which the traveller is sucked to his death. At the same -time, the natives informed him that at the mouth of the river, a -party of white men who had come in a great canoe from the ocean, were -busy erecting a house. Thus he learned that the Astorian party had -anticipated him in reaching the mouth of the Columbia. - -A guide from the village carried him safely through the Dalles, was -paid, and returned to the village. Fifty miles further down stream, -Thompson approached "the Cascades," where the river cuts through the -deep lava beds of the Cascade mountains and makes a descent of about -three hundred feet. Here the cañon was no less than six miles long, -and nearly a mile in depth. Trying in vain to secure a guide, -Thompson entered the rapids alone. For three miles he "ran" the -rapids; a portage of one mile followed, taking him past the worst -stretch of the river; he then re-embarked, and emerged in safety to -the quiet water below. - -There was still one hundred and fifty miles to the mouth of the -river; but the magnificent forests of Douglas fir, cedar, and hemlock -which now clothed the country told them that they had come within the -beneficient influence of the sea. Two days' paddle brought them to -Tongue point, beyond which they had a full view of the ocean. To the -left, not more than a couple of miles distant, they beheld four low -log huts, constructed of timbers newly cut--in the words of Thompson, -"the famous Fort Astoria of John Jacob Astor and the United States". - -At Fort Astoria, Thompson was welcomed by Duncan McDougall and David -Stuart, old colleagues in the service of the North West Company. As -their guest, he spent a week at the post taking observations for its -position and preparing for the return voyage. Toward the mouth of -the river, the natives had been demoralized by their association with -wandering traders from the sea; and remembering their surly behaviour -and menacing looks, Thompson saw to it that his men had their arms in -readiness. On the 22nd of July, he embarked. At the Cascades, he -was forced to appeal to the natives for assistance in climbing the -rapids. The scoundrels were importunate in their demands. With -knives in their hands and poisoned arrows in their bows, they were -ready to kill and plunder the travellers. But the courage and -resolution of Thompson warded off the crisis; and once above the -Cascades he was again among the poor but friendly savages of the -interior. Thompson was anxious to avoid the ninety miles of rapids -below Kettle Falls. When he came to the mouth of the Snake river, he -turned up this stream and ascended it as far as the present Lyon's -Ferry. From thence, having borrowed horses of the natives, he -journeyed overland across the sterile, sandy plain as far as Spokane -House; and from Spokane House, with the assistance of Jaco Finlay, he -once more reached the Columbia above Kettle Falls. There, building a -fresh canoe, he re-embarked and made his way through the Arrow lakes -to the Boat Encampment, thus completing his survey of the Columbia -from its source to its mouth. - -The following winter Thompson spent inspecting his various posts, and -distributing among them additional supplies of goods which he had -received from beyond the mountains. From Salish House, he rode east -along Clark's Fork to a hill top within the limits of the present -city of Missoula; and from thence he was able to trace the route of -Lewis and Clark through the Bitter Root Mountains to the banks of -Snake river. - -In the spring he was once more back at Kettle Falls, where the furs -from the winter's hunt were being collected. The results were -excellent; six canoes had to be made ready to accommodate the packs. -By the 22nd of April, his preparations were complete. The brigade -set off by way of the Columbia, Athabaska pass, and Churchill river -route to Fort William. - -In the summer of 1812, when Thompson arrived at Fort William after -his last journey from beyond the Rockies, he was in the forty-third -year of his life. It was twenty-eight years since he had landed as -an apprentice on the shores of Hudson Bay; and twenty-three years -since he had actively embarked on his career as a surveyor. During -all this time he had been constantly accumulating materials for his -great map of the North West. His work was now complete; so that -instead of returning to the interior, he joined the annual brigade of -great canoes bound for Montreal. Thus did David Thompson bid adieu -forever to the Great North West. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -LAST YEARS - -In 1812, hostilities had broken out between the British Empire and -the United States, and the flame of war was raging along the -international border. In the St. Mary's river, the voyageurs of the -North West convoy with which Thompson was travelling feared that -American troops might intercept their rich cargo of furs, but they -passed through the narrows without being molested and were soon safe -among the islands of the north shore of Lake Huron. From thence they -made a speedy passage up the French river and down the Ottawa to -Montreal. - -His country endangered, Thompson accepted a commission in a battalion -of infantry then being raised by his old colleague Roderick -Mackenzie, but it does not appear that he was ever on active service. -The winter of 1813-4 he spent in preparing a final draft of his map. -This map, in which was embodied the record of his life work, became a -proud possession of the North West Company. For many years it -occupied a place of honour on the walls of the banqueting hall at -Fort William. - -When the war was over, Thompson was selected as British -representative on the commission which surveyed the international -boundary from the River St. Lawrence to the Lake of the Woods. This -task occupied him for the next ten years, and was concluded in the -autumn of 1826. - -At this time, Thompson planned to offer to the public an edition of -his map, and even went so far as to prepare a prospectus. This -prospectus is worth reproducing, because it sets forth in Thompson's -own words the achievements of his career as a geographer: - - -"PROSPECTUS" - -"To be published in England, by David Thompson, a new and correct map -of the Countries in North America; situated between the parallels of -45 degrees; and 60 degrees of North Latitude; and extending in -longitude from the east side of Lake Superior, and Hudson's Bay, -quite across the Continent to the Pacific Ocean; and from his own -local knowledge; being the result of 22 years employment in -discovering, and laying down the several rivers, lakes, hills and -mountains on this extensive tract of country; many parts of which had -never before been explored; these discoveries were only finished in -1812. The whole founded on astronomical observations, the author -being an astronomer by profession. - -"A small part of this work has already found its way to the public, -being copies of a rough map laid before the North West Company of -Canada. - -"Of these regions the map makers have no doubt given the best -delineation they could acquire; but of what was known, so little was -founded on astronomical observations; and their being obliged to fill -up the vacant space with what information they could procure, has led -them into many errors. - -"In this map now offered to the public, almost all the great rivers -on the above part of the continent, on both sides the great mountains -are traced to their sources; the sources of the Mississippi, and -several other great rivers, and the shores of Lake Superior, have -been examined and laid down by the author only. - -"The position, extent and height of the hills and mountains, have -engaged much of his attention; of which he has many landscapes. The -last six years of his discoveries were on the west side of the -mountains to the Pacific Ocean. Each Indian Nation's Territories, -with their limits, and the places of the trading settlements will be -marked out. - -"The courses and distances, (taken when necessary to 100 yards,) with -their calculations, etc., the astronomical observations, and rough -maps on the scale of one inch to a mile, on which these maps are -founded will be open to the inspection of the curious, while the work -is publishing; and it will doubtless afford much speculation to the -scientific, to find many of the great rivers of North America taking -their rise in a small compass, and going off to the different seas -like Radii from a centre. - -"To render the map more general, and to give connection to all the -parts, the author will avail himself of the Sea Coast of Hudson's Bay -and the Pacific Ocean, etc., etc., as laid down by the latest -navigators and travellers; whatever he has not personally examined -himself, will be in a different colour, and the authority mentioned. - -"Nothing less than an unremitting perseverance bordering on -enthusiasm could have enabled him to have brought these maps to their -present state; in early life he conceived the idea of this work, and -Providence has given him to complete, amidst various dangers, all -that one man could hope to perform. - -"The map will be engraved in a neat, chaste manner, combining -elegance and economy, on the scale of 3 inches to one degree of -longitude and will form either a map or an atlas at the will of the -subscriber. - -"The arduous survey, on which the author is at present employed does -not permit him to present the Public with a description of these -Countries and the nations of aborigines. This he hopes to perform as -soon as time permits. - -"It is expected the geographical map will be ready for delivery to -the subscribers by the latter end of the summer of 1820 at the latest. - -"These parts of North America have long been a desideratum on -geography. - -"He also offers to the scientific public, of the same size as the -general map, a chart to contain only the grand features of this part -of the Continent, such as the great mountains and hills, the -principal rivers and extensive lakes; as he proposes to delineate on -this chart, the position and extent of the coal mines; of the various -beds of different kinds of stone and rock; of the great meadows and -forests; the limits of the countries on which the Bison, Elk, Red -Deer, Wild Sheep, etc., etc., are found; the line of the old, and new -portions of this part of the continent; the line of the position of -the Countries, over which, is the most constant appearance and -greatest brightness of the Aurora Borealis; and the line that bounds -their appearance to the westward, beyond which they are not seen; and -whatever else he may deem worthy of remark; all of which could not -have been delineated on the geographical map without causing -confusion." - - -The terms of this prospectus reveal in striking fashion the -scientific spirit in which Thompson's great work was conceived; but -if he hoped that the learned world would welcome and support his -efforts, he was doomed to disappointment. In the early years of the -nineteenth century, interest in the interior of North America was -confined to very few persons. It may have been that the number of -subscribers was inadequate. It may have been that no publisher would -take the risk of issuing the work. At any rate the map and chart -which Thompson projected never saw the light of day. - -At the conclusion of his labours on the International Boundary -Commission, Thompson felt himself in a position to retire. -Throughout his working career, he had always enjoyed a good salary. -With part of his savings, he purchased a comfortable house at -Williamstown in the county of Glengarry, where he settled down with -his wife and growing family. It was there, on the 4th of March 1829, -that the last of his thirteen children was born. With characteristic -public spirit, he entered into the life of the community. When the -Presbyterians of Williamstown desired to build a church, he lent them -money with which to do so. As his sons grew to manhood, a -considerable amount of his savings was required to set them up in -business. - -Thompson's declining years were clouded by financial worries, which -were largely the result of his generous and honourable disposition. -The congregation whom he had assisted were unable to pay off their -mortgage, so he deeded to them the church and grounds. His sons -failed in business, and in discharging their debts, he seriously -crippled himself. He sold his home at Williamstown, and removed to -Longueuil, near Montreal, where there were greater opportunities of -securing employment. Resuming his old occupation, he surveyed the -canoe route from Lake Huron to the upper Ottawa. This was in 1837, -and some years later he surveyed the shores of Lake St. Peter. - -During these years, Thompson worked on the narrative account of his -explorations which he had undertaken to give the world at the time -when he planned to publish his map. He was anxious also to earn what -money he could from the publication of his book. It is said that -Washington Irving, the great American writer, and the author of -_Astoria_, wished to buy the manuscript. Irving, however, was -unwilling to promise that in using it he would give to Thompson the -recognition which he felt was his due; and, jealous to the last of -his reputation, the old man refused to part with his work. The -manuscript therefore, like the map, lay forgotten, until it was -discovered in recent years, and published in 1915 by the Champlain -Society. - -The American Revolutionary War had left a legacy of boundary disputes -which were destined to disturb peaceful relations between Great -Britain and the United States for years to come. Owing to his work -both for the North West Company and on the International Boundary -Commission, Thompson was better acquainted than most men with the -issues involved in these disputes; and he was convinced that on -account of the stupidity and carelessness of British diplomats, the -just claims of British America had been continuously ignored or -overridden from the time when the original treaty of peace had been -drawn in 1783. In his narrative, Thompson relates an interesting -story regarding the settlement made in that year. The story is worth -repeating, not only because it illustrates his attitude toward the -boundary question, but also because of the light it sheds on -conditions in the North West at the time, and the greatness of the -service which Thompson and others performed in mapping the country. - -Among the traders, he says, who made their way from Montreal into the -fur countries was a certain Peter Pond, a native of Boston. Pond was -a man of violent and unprincipled character. In the winter of -1780-1, he was stationed at Lake La Ronge with orders to act in -concert with Wadin, a fellow trader of the North West Company. One -evening, while dining with Wadin, he made himself drunk; and in an -outburst of passion shot Wadin through the thigh. His unhappy victim -expired from loss of blood. - -Pond, however, was an energetic trader; and since in those wild times -and remote places the arm of the law was weak, he escaped the -punishment which he richly deserved. A few years later he had -penetrated to Lake Athabaska, the first white man to do so. There he -disputed the fur trade with a certain John Ross, who followed him -into the country in the interests of a rival firm. An altercation -took place between the two traders, and Pond shot Ross dead. - -On this occasion Pond was arrested and brought to Canada for trial. -But the authorities at Quebec did not consider that their -jurisdiction extended to the territories of the Hudson's Bay Company, -and the prisoner was set at liberty. He thereupon returned to -Boston, his native city. - -The peace negotiations were at that time in progress. The -commissioners for great Britain were two honest, well-meaning -gentlemen, who however knew nothing of the geography of the countries -with which they had to deal. The maps at their disposal were -wretchedly inadequate. One of them, Farren's, dated 1773, showed the -country as far west as the middle of Lake Ontario. Beyond that point -the interior was represented as made up of rocks and swamps, and -described as uninhabitable. Such maps gave every advantage to one -who was personally acquainted with the west, and the United States -commissioners had at their service the expert advice of Peter Pond. - -Had the British possessed the slightest idea of the value of the -territories in question, and had they been disposed in the slightest -degree to press their claims, they might have insisted on a line -drawn due west from the middle of Lake Champlain. Such a division -the Americans would have been glad to accept, for it gave them more -than they could justly demand. But Pond was at the elbow of the -United States commissioners. He suggested to them a line passing -through the Great Lakes to the north west corner of the Lake of the -Woods, and from thence westward (as he imagined from his own rough -surveys) to the head of the Mississippi river. This demand, -exorbitant though it was, the British commissioners accepted, and it -was confirmed by both nations. Such was the hand (concludes Thompson -grimly) that designated the boundary between the dominions of Great -Britain and the territories of the United States. - -The settlement of 1783 was in Thompson's eyes merely the first of a -series of unfortunate arrangements, by which the British dominions -were robbed of extensive and valuable territory. Edmund Burke had -remarked that a malignant fate seemed to attend all the operations of -Great Britain on the continent of North America. Thompson, who from -his personal experience knew the land and the people who disputed its -possession, was able to explain in a less mysterious way the failure -of the British to defend their claims against American pretensions. - -Accordingly, in the summer of 1840, Thompson addressed a number of -letters to Sir Robert Peel, Lord Stanley and the Hon. W. E. Gladstone -on the subject of disputed points along the border. His object was -to urge a prompt and just settlement in each case. Such a -settlement, he felt, was important if peace was to be maintained with -"so litigious a neighbour." It was vital, if the steady -encroachments of that neighbour were to be brought to an end, and -Britain was not to be gradually deprived of her hold upon her last -possessions in America. - -Thompson therefore endeavoured to arouse the leading statesmen of the -Mother Country to the significance of American policy as he saw it. -The leading men of the United States, he pointed out, all held it as -a maxim that no foreign power had any right to any part of North -America; and that every means ought to be employed to expel this -foreign power. They were well aware of the insecurity of their -position. On their northern frontier a powerful foreign nation was -in possession for upwards of one thousand miles. Their sea coast was -open and exposed. The numerous slaves in their southern and western -states were ready for revolt; while to the west were seventy thousand -Indian warriors, who had been compelled by force or fraud to quit -their lands, and who could readily be aroused to a war of revenge. - -Accordingly, he alleged, the Americans had aimed ever since the -treaty of 1783 to restrict as far as possible the territory of Great -Britain and to destroy her influence over the Indians. Their method -was to advance claims which, though exorbitant, would be softened and -rendered familiar by the operation of time, and in each case, when -the settlements came to be made, they aimed to be in possession of -the areas in dispute. British subjects on the other hand had been -compelled to yield ground from point to point, because they could not -rely on the support of the Imperial government if they stood firm. - -As he wrote, the situation was acute along the whole length of the -frontier. On the Quebec border, all the way from St. Regis on the -St. Lawrence to the Connecticut river, the Americans were holding -fast to a line some distance north of the true parallel of 45° which -had been named as the frontier in the original treaty of peace and -confirmed some years later by the award of the King of the -Netherlands. In the St. Mary's river, American commissioners were -claiming two of the three boat channels and all but two or three -hundred yards of a river bed four miles wide. If their demands at -that point were granted, Great Britain would surrender the keys to -her northern and western dominions, and shut herself off from -communication with them except by the frozen shores of the Hudson -Bay. At the head of Lake Superior, the Americans had driven the -British traders from two of the three possible routes joining the -Great Lakes with the Lake of the Woods, and were claiming that the -treaty of 1783 implied a boundary running along the line of the third -and last possible route (the Kaministiquia river), although the very -existence of that route was utterly unknown until at least seventeen -years after the treaty was drawn. In the present congress they were -again urging the necessity of taking possession of what they called -the "Oregon Territory," and demanding a line down the middle of the -Columbia river to the Pacific ocean. - -Thus did the old man endeavour to arm British statesmanship for the -diplomatic contests which he foresaw were inevitable; but his efforts -bore little or no fruit. On the part of Great Britain, conciliatory -motives continued to prevail; and within a few years, Thompson had -the mortification of seeing even the Oregon territory (that is, all -the fine country south of 49° north latitude which he himself had -discovered) lost to the Empire. It is not surprising that he fumed -at British diplomats in general, and in particular at "the stupidity -of that blockhead Lord Ashburton." - -There is little more to record in the life of David Thompson. -Presently, his eyesight failed, and he suffered the misery of a -destitute old age. One by one his possessions fell into the hands of -money-lenders. So poor did he become that he was forced to part with -his precious instruments, and even to pawn his coat in order to buy a -little food. A late entry of his diary reads, "This day borrowed 2/6 -from a friend. Thank God for this relief." On the 10th of February, -1857, the long ordeal was ended and Thompson passed away in the -eighty-seventh year of his age. He was buried in Mount Royal -cemetery without even a stone to mark his grave. - -For a long while after the death of Thompson, it seemed as though the -memory of his achievements had perished with him. But of recent -years his fame, so nearly eclipsed, has shone with renewed -brilliance, and it is now possible to estimate in some degree the -greatness of his character and the magnitude of his work. - -In the sheer length of his journeys, few western explorers have -equalled the record of Thompson, for he travelled in all not less -than fifty thousand miles. Much of this was through country -untrodden by the feet of white men; nearly all of it was in regions -as yet unsurveyed. The unvarying exactitude with which Thompson -mapped this vast area excited the surprise and admiration of members -of the Canadian Geological Survey who with infinitely better -equipment traced his progresses nearly a century later. There are -certain districts which since his day have never been re-surveyed; -some of his work therefore still appears on the published maps of -Canada. - -Throughout his life Thompson was inspired by a restless impulse to -push forward the exploration and mapping of the west until not a -corner of it remained unknown. The greatest satisfaction of his -career was undoubtedly the discovering of the Columbia valley. West -of the Rockies, he was not merely a surveyor and explorer, but in a -real sense an Empire builder, for he added a region of vast and -varied resources to the territories of the Crown. - -It is difficult for Europeans to associate with savages without -misunderstandings more or less serious. The savage governs his life -by an elaborate ritual which he has inherited from his ancestors. -His code is sufficient to cover his dealings with his fellows; but it -fails to guide him in his relations with the strange new beings who -burst in upon him from what is in truth a different world. The white -man, unless he is gifted with unusual tact and sympathy, treats with -contempt and scorn the customs of the natives and seldom attempts to -understand their ways. Worse still, he feels himself freed from the -restraints which bind him in civilized life, and frequently gives -rein to the basest passions of his nature. Thus mutual -misunderstanding too often breeds hatred, and results in the shedding -of blood. - -To a surprising degree, the traders of the Hudson's Bay and North -West Companies were able to overcome the difficulties and dangers of -dealing with the Indians, and their relations with them were -correspondingly successful. Yet even successful traders often lacked -the imaginative sympathy which would have enabled them to submit with -patience to the complicated ritual of Indian life; and standing aloof -as they did from the Indians, they were involved in constant broils -and, not infrequently, in danger at their hands. - -Moreover, in the fierceness of their competition, the traders were -too often willing to play sharp tricks on one another, and these -practices taught the Indians evil ways. To drug the natives with -liquor and steal furs destined for rival firms was a habit only too -common. It sometimes happened also that small independent traders -had their supplies taken from them, their canoes destroyed and -themselves beaten senseless, so that they were driven from the fur -countries, ruined men. Individuals like Peter Pond were guilty of -offences more serious still. Their hands were stained with the blood -of their competitors, and in the rough and tumble of life in the -wilds, their crimes were hard to detect and harder still to punish. -The Indians had learned that the Great Spirit hates to see the ground -reddened with blood. But when they saw thuggery and murder flourish, -how could they preserve their simple faith? - -Throughout his career in the west, Thompson was one of those whose -influence among the Indians was almost wholly for good, and whose -activities shed lustre on the history of the Hudson's Bay Company and -the North West Company, whom they served. His travels carried him -into the rocky belt south-west of the Bay, over the prairies, through -the western forest, and across the mountains of the Pacific slope. -Wherever he came in contact with the natives, he easily won their -admiration and respect. This was due to the insight with which he -studied their customs and to the sympathy with which he regarded -their way of life. For Thompson was infinitely more than a trader: -he had the mind of a scientist and the soul of a poet. - -Love of country springs from many roots; but perhaps the deepest -patriotism is that which comes from an intimate knowledge of the face -of the land itself. Thompson loved the great North West with the -love of a man who knew it in all its moods; for he had journeyed -through it and studied it carefully over a long period of years. He -foresaw the day when the rolling prairies would be covered with -smiling farms, and the Columbia valley would be the seat of a rich -and vigorous civilization. In one respect, his vision of the future -fell short of reality. Living in an age prior to the development of -railways, he failed to see that these regions were destined to be -linked by steel bands with the Canadas in a Dominion stretching from -sea to sea. He thought of them rather as isolated communities, the -middle west looking mainly for its outlet to Hudson Bay, the Pacific -coast joined to civilization by the paths of ocean. - -Characters such as David Thompson are all too rare in the annals of a -nation. So long as honour is due to great men, his memory deserves -to be enshrined in the hearts of his countrymen; and his high -qualities should be a model to those who inherit the Dominion which -he did so much to make. - - - - -BIBLIOGRAPHY - -The most important source of information regarding the life and work -of David Thompson is to be found in the _Publications of the -Champlain Society_, Vol. XII. (Toronto, 1915). This volume contains -the Narrative of Thompson's explorations, edited by Mr. J. B. Tyrrell -with a full general introduction, an itinerary or catalogue of -Thompson's journeys year by year, and notes on the text. The -manuscript journals of Alexander Henry and David Thompson have been -published, under the title of _New Light on the Early History of the -Great North West_, by Elliott Coues (2 vols., New York, 1897). In -this work, Henry's journal has been published as a continuous -narrative, and extracts have been made from Thompson's journal to -throw additional light on specific points. Thompson's original note -books are in the Crown Lands Department, Parliament Buildings, -Toronto. They are too bulky, and too much encumbered with -mathematical data, to be of interest to the general reader, and so -have never been published as they stand. An article by Mr. L. J. -Burpee in the _Canadian Historical Review_, vol. IV., 1923, p. 105 -ff., contains the prospectus of Thompson's map, and the series of -five letters which he addressed to English statesmen on the subject -of boundary disputes in 1840. - -Washington Irving's _Astoria_ presents a graphic picture of the -occupation of the mouth of the Columbia by the agents of John Jacob -Astor. The narrative contains an interesting account of the -appearance of David Thompson at the newly erected fort, and of the -impression which his arrival made upon the Astorians. - -There are short chapters on Thompson in G. Bryce, _History of the -Hudson's Bay Company_, Agnes Laut, _Conquest of the Great North -West_, and W. S. Wallace, _By Star and Compass_. - - - - - - - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DAVID THOMPSON--THE -EXPLORER *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following -the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use -of the Project Gutenberg trademark. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: David Thompson--the explorer</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Charles Norris Cochrane</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: November 26, 2022 [eBook #69432]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: Al Haines</p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DAVID THOMPSON--THE EXPLORER ***</div> - -<p><br><br></p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-map1"></a> -<br> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-map1.jpg" alt="THIS MAP WILL HELP YOU TO UNDERSTAND (left half)"> -<br> -THIS MAP WILL HELP YOU TO UNDERSTAND (left half) -</p> - -<p><br><br></p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-map2"></a> -<br> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-map2.jpg" alt="DAVID THOMPSON'S JOURNEYS (right half)"> -<br> -DAVID THOMPSON'S JOURNEYS (right half) -</p> - -<p><br><br></p> - -<p class="t3"> - CANADIAN MEN OF ACTION—NUMBER II.<br> -</p> - -<p class="t3"> - The Series edited by W. Stewart Wallace, Librarian<br> - of the University of Toronto.<br> -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p class="t2"> - DAVID THOMPSON<br> -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h1> -<br><br> - DAVID THOMPSON<br> -</h1> - -<p class="t2b"> - THE EXPLORER<br> -</p> - -<p class="t3b"> - BY<br> -</p> - -<p class="t2"> - CHARLES NORRIS COCHRANE<br> -</p> - -<p class="t4"> - Associate Professor of Ancient History,<br> - University College, Toronto<br> -</p> - -<p><br><br></p> - -<p class="t3"> - TORONTO<br> - THE MACMILLAN COMPANY OF CANADA LIMITED<br> - 1924<br> -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<p class="t4"> - Copyright, Canada, 1924<br> -<br> - BY THE MACMILLAN COMPANY OF CANADA LIMITED<br> -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p class="t4"> - Printed in Canada<br> -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<p class="t3b"> -PREFATORY NOTE -</p> - -<p> -I wish to acknowledge the great debt -which I owe to Mr. J. B. Tyrrell for -the use of material contained in his edition -of Thompson's <i>Narrative</i>. -</p> - -<p> -It was Mr. Tyrrell who first rescued the -name of Thompson from the undeserved -oblivion into which it had sunk. Those who -are familiar with his introduction and notes, -will recognize how largely I have borrowed -from them in preparing this short life. -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -C. N. C. -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -June 1924. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<p class="t3b"> -CONTENTS -</p> - -<p><br> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -I <a href="#chap01">APPRENTICED TO THE COMPANY 1770-1786</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -II <a href="#chap02">HE FINDS HIS MÉTIER 1786-1791</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -III <a href="#chap03">TRADER, SURVEYOR, EXPLORER 1791-1797</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -IV <a href="#chap04">WITH THE NORTH-WESTERS 1797-1798</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -V <a href="#chap05">EIGHT YEARS OF TRADING 1798-1806</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -VI <a href="#chap06">ACROSS THE GREAT DIVIDE 1806-1810</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -VII <a href="#chap07">THE RACE TO THE SEA 1810-1812</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -VIII <a href="#chap08">LAST YEARS 1812-1857</a> -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<p><a id="chap01"></a></p> - -<p class="t2"> -DAVID THOMPSON -</p> - -<p><br><br></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER I -<br><br> -APPRENTICED TO THE COMPANY -</h3> - -<p> -On the 30th of December, 1783, the -Governors of the Grey Coat School at Westminster, -England, received from the secretary -of the Hudson's Bay Company a request for four -boys, trained in navigation, to be apprenticed -to the Company for service at their posts in -America. At that time, there were in the -school but two boys so qualified—Samuel -John McPherson and David Thompson. The -one was so terrified by the prospect of perils -and hardships unknown, that within a week -he ran away from the school and was heard of -no more. The other accepted the destiny for -which he had been marked out, and became -one of the greatest land surveyors that the -British race has ever produced. -</p> - -<p> -When David Thompson was called before -the Headmaster to be informed of his fate, he -was in his fourteenth year, and had been for -nearly seven years a pupil in the school. No -description exists of the poor charity boy as he -then was; but from accounts given of him in -later life, it is possible to imagine his -appearance. Though he was short of stature, his -sturdy frame already gave promise of the -strength that was to enable him to drive his -canoe through the currents and eddies of the -western waterways, or trudge at the head of -his men across the plains in the teeth of a -December blizzard. His complexion was -ruddy, though his smooth cheeks were not as yet -tanned and furrowed by a life of exposure to -the sun and wind of the great North West. -The straight, black hair which hung down -over his forehead combined with a stub nose -to give him an odd look. Yet there must -have been already evident, in his expression, -the animation and kindliness which in after -years distinguished him, and suggested at -once the boldness and fire of Curran the Irish -orator, and the strength and piety of the -puritan Bunyan, both of whom he is said to -have greatly resembled. -</p> - -<p> -Thompson's parents were Welsh, and had -borne the name of ApThomas until they had -come to live in London. It was there in the -parish of St. John the Evangelist, that David -was born on the last day of April, in the year -1770. While yet a mere child, he was left an -orphan by the death of his father. So poor -was the family that the dead man had to be -buried at the expense of the parish, and the -widow, with David and a still younger infant, -was left alone to face the hardships of life in -the metropolis. The boy, however, must -have shown unusual promise; because, while -still quite young, he attracted the attention -of a certain Abram Acworth. Through the -recommendation of this otherwise unknown -benefactor, he was at the age of seven accepted -as a scholar by the Governors of the Grey -Coat School. -</p> - -<p> -The Grey Coat School was a royal foundation -"the principall designe of which" was "to -educate poor children in the principles of -piety and virtue, and thereby lay the foundations -for a sober and Christian life". Almost -within the shadow of Westminster Abbey, the -old building is still to be seen—-a red brick -house, built in the Elizabethan manner, its -walls covered with grape-vine and Virginia -creeper, standing in the midst of a large -garden and playground. -</p> - -<p> -In the school, Thompson found himself a -member of the class in mathematics, and -received such training in geography, algebra, -mechanics, and the art of navigation as was -possible with the aid of texts, many of which -were at that time a century old. In those -days books were scarce and dear; and, for -their general reading, the boys had to be -satisfied with such miscellaneous works as -came their way. These were passed eagerly -from hand to hand, and as eagerly read and -discussed. Youthful imaginations were -excited by the romantic adventures of the -Persian and Arabian tales, or by the travels of -Robinson Crusoe and Gulliver in strange -lands and among strange peoples. -</p> - -<p> -Within five minutes' walk of the school -was the Abbey and its cloisters. His hours of -recreation David spent mainly in wandering -through the venerable pile, reading the history -of England on the monuments of her heroic -dead, and drinking in the beauty of the -architecture, especially that of the noble -Henry VII Chapel. On other occasions, when -chance offered, he would stroll through the -Strand and Fleet Street as far east as London -Bridge or westward to Chelsea, rich in -historical memories and famous for its beautiful -lawns. Other favourite haunts were -St. James' Park and Spring Gardens in Vauxhall, -across the Thames. Forty years of wandering -through rock and forest, by plain and -mountain, served merely to render yet more -vivid his boyish recollection of the city and -its parks "where all was beauty to the eye and -verdure to the feet." -</p> - -<p> -Thompson's school days, however, were -now to be cut short. By the 20th of May, -1784, the formalities were completed by which -he was bound apprentice to the Hudson's Bay -Company for seven years; and he at once -embarked from the Port of London on the -Company's ship, <i>Prince Rupert</i>, en route for -North America. The lines were cast off, and -the vessel with its cargo of goods for the -Indian trade drifted lazily down stream with -the tide, carrying Thompson away for ever -from the sights and sounds of London, which -he knew and loved so well. -</p> - -<p> -The voyage was uneventful, except for -the usual incidents that attended the westward -journey of the Company's annual fleet. Not -a detail, however, escaped the keen eye of the -young traveller, unaccustomed as he was to -anything but the quiet life of the school, and -thirsting to see something of the world, which -he knew only in the pages of Gulliver and -Robinson Crusoe. The ship sailed up the -North Sea to Stromness in the Orkneys, there -to wait three weeks for the two vessels which -were to accompany her across the Atlantic, -and to receive final instructions and sailing -orders. As they lay in the harbour of Stromness, -Thompson's keen eyes noted the strange -life of the kelp-burners on shore, men, women, -and children who, half-naked, gathered the -dripping sea-weed in baskets, and lugged it -on their shoulders to the kilns. Gazing at -the rocky shore line and the low, dark cottages -with their smoky peat fires, which dotted the -barren hills, he was smitten with regret for -the rich meadows and woods of England, and -for a moment he wished himself back amid -the scenes of his school life. Yet in his -rambles ashore, the lad found much to interest -him. He observed with amusement the -quaint habits of the cottagers, who combined -a brisk trade in smuggled liquor with lengthy -and solemn weekly devotions at the -old-fashioned Kirk by the shores of the harbour. -</p> - -<p> -Sailing orders finally arrived from London, -and the little fleet was soon off on its -hazardous journey across the stormy North -Atlantic. Presently the sight of icebergs -drifting south with the Arctic current, warned -the crews that they were nearing Hudson -Straits. It was a month before they had -worked their way through the floating ice of -the Straits; after which the three ships -separated, one for the factories at Moose and -Albany rivers, the second for York, while the -Prince Rupert, with Thompson aboard, headed -<i>for Churchill</i>, the most northerly of the -Company's settlements on the west side of the -Bay. Before long, they sighted the granite -coast, which they followed southward. This -ended at Churchill in a low point of rock and -sand, surmounted by the grim stone battlements -of Fort Prince of Wales, which two -years before had been gutted by the French -in their raid on the Bay. Rounding this -point, they found themselves in the mouth of -the Churchill, a noble stream, almost a mile -in breadth. Up the river they made their -way for a distance of five miles to a small bay -at the head of the estuary, where they cast -anchor before the log huts of the still -unfinished new fort. -</p> - -<p> -The arrival of the annual ship was the -event of the year. Hurried preparations -were made for discharging the cargo of -provisions for the factory and supplies for the -Indian trade, and taking on board the year's -accumulation of furs, which were destined to -adorn the persons of the fashionable world of -England and the Continent. In the midst of -this confusion, the new apprentice was taken -ashore, and within ten days the <i>Prince Rupert</i> -sailed away, leaving him to face the rigours of -his new life on the dismal shores of Hudson Bay. -</p> - -<p> -It was indeed a new life in which David -Thompson found himself. Apart from the -officers, there was a staff of sixty artisans and -servants in the fort. These were all busy -from dawn till dark; for, besides conducting -their trade with the Indians, they had to -maintain themselves as a community in an -utterly barren land. At six each morning in -summer, and eight in winter, the duty bell -summoned to their toil, accountant, steward, -armourer, shipwright, carpenter, cooper, -blacksmith, mason, tailor, and labourers. -Assisted by his officers, the governor, gorgeous -in scarlet tunic and ruffles, his sword and -pistols in his belt, supervised the labours of -the factory. -</p> - -<p> -By the early part of October, the myriads -of wild geese and ducks which each summer -lived in the vast swamps to the south of -Churchill had winged their way to warmer -climes. The middle of the month saw the -marshes stiff with frost, and snow lying on the -ground. The polar bear made his appearance, -waiting for the ice to extend some distance -from the shore, when he left to prey on -the seal, his favourite food. By the fifteenth -of November, the broad and deep river was -frozen solid from bank to bank, not to break -up until the middle of June in the following -year. Till the end of December, the staff -were able to keep the yard of the fort clear of -snow. At that time, a three days' blow from -the north-east filled the fort with snow to a -depth of six feet, with drifts as high as the -stockades. Thereafter it was enough if they -could keep paths cleared from one hut to -another. -</p> - -<p> -The cold was intense. The noise of -rocks split by the frost broke the silence of -the night with a sound like that of a cannon -shot. On the interior walls of the still -unfurnished huts, the rime collected to a depth -of four inches, and on this the shivering -inhabitants threw pails of water in order that -it might form a coat of ice to increase the -warmth of the houses. Owing to the haste -with which the huts had been thrown up, -there had been no time to lay in a sufficient -supply of firewood for the winter; and all the -wood that could be gathered for fuel allowed -only one fire in the morning and one in the -evening. During the rest of the day, if the -weather was bad, Thompson, with the others, -had to pace the guard room floor, muffled to -the eyes in his beaver coat, in order to keep -himself from freezing. On clear days, however, -he passed his time in shooting grouse, -and this activity he enjoyed except for the -tumbles in the snow and the sore feet and -ankles that resulted from his eager efforts to -walk in snow-shoes. -</p> - -<p> -The dreary winter seemed endless, when, -in the middle of June, summer burst with the -suddenness of dawn in the Tropics, bringing -with it torments which made Thompson regret -even the discomforts of winter. "Hudson -Bay," he says in his narrative, "is certainly a -country which Sinbad the sailor never saw, -for he makes no mention of musketoes." These -pests rose from the marshes in clouds, -driving man and beast to distraction. The -dogs in the fort howled in their agony, rolling -themselves on the ground and hiding in the -pools. Even the fox was in a fighting humour, -barking and snapping; and, hungry though -he was, he was forced to seek shelter in his -hole. -</p> - -<p> -Such was Thompson's first year on the -Bay. He had expected, when he reached the -Fort, to be employed as a clerk, but he soon -found that his only business was to amuse -himself, "in winter growling at the cold, and -in the open season shooting gulls, duck, and -plover and quarreling with musketoes and -sand flies." Fortunately, however, he had -for company three of the officers of the factory, -the deputy governor, the sloop-master, and -the surgeon. To these gentlemen he felt -himself greatly indebted for the loan of various -books on history and natural science, by -reading which he was able to put his hours of -idleness to profitable use. -</p> - -<p> -The governor at that time was Samuel -Hearne, a handsome giant with a rubicund -face. It was Hearne who in 1782 had -surrendered without a blow the great stone fort -at the mouth of the river. That fort had -cost the Company forty years to build, and it -was barely completed when Hearne raised the -white flag at the challenge of the French -admiral, La Pérouse. To the mind of young -Thompson, this act was enough to stamp the -governor as a coward. It was, none the less, -the same Hearne who had succeeded in -penetrating as far North as the mouth of the -Coppermine river, and was thus the first white -man to reach the margin of the Arctic ocean. -Nevertheless, Thompson disliked him. Like -so many others at the close of the eighteenth -century, Hearne was infected with the -doctrines of Voltaire, and his atheism shocked the -sensitive mind of the pious boy. To a lad of -Thompson's ambition, the life of a hunter -afforded no sort of satisfaction, and he dreaded -lest he should succumb to the deadening -influence of his surroundings. He complained -to Hearne that his lack of clerical employment -might lead to the loss of his penmanship, -and was barely satisfied when the governor -handed him an invoice or two to copy, and -gave him occupation for a few days upon the -manuscript of his <i>Journey to the North</i>. -</p> - -<p> -The idleness of which Thompson complained -was, however, to end before long. -With the arrival of the annual ship in 1785, -orders came that the young apprentice should -proceed to York factory, the principal dépôt -of the Company, situated near the mouth of -the Hayes river, one hundred and fifty miles -further up the Bay. South of the Churchill, -the rim of granite which hems the coast -recedes for some miles inland, leaving a vast -waste of marshy alluvial between the hills and -the water line. Trees there are none, and the -monotony of the landscape is relieved only -by boulders which the ice has scattered over -the face of the land. -</p> - -<p> -To journey on foot the length of this -swamp, with two drunken Indians alone for -company, was enough to test the courage and -reliance of a boy of fifteen. Equipped with -but a single blanket to protect him from the -chill of the September nights, the young -David was ferried across the river and put -ashore on the south bank. The day was fine; -but the Indians had been given their usual -gallon of grog on leaving the fort, and they -soon reduced themselves to a drunken stupor. -A night in the open, however, restored them -to their senses. The next morning the party -made an early start, marching till evening -without breakfast or dinner. During the -day, the Indians had shot a goose and three -ducks. When they finally came to something -like a dry spot by the bank of a stream, -the wild fowl were hastily cooked and eaten; -and the wearied travellers, wrapped in their -blankets, flung themselves on the ground to -sleep. -</p> - -<p> -Day after day, they trudged along the -beach at high water mark, always wet and -muddy. Innumerable creeks which drained -the swamp crossed their path and interrupted -their progress. Finally they came to the -mighty Kissiskatchewan or Nelson river, on -the north bank of which the Indians had laid -up a canoe. Paddling across to the south -shore, they crossed the tongue of low land that -separates the mouth of the Nelson from that -of the Hayes river; and were at last in York. -</p> - -<p> -The governor to whom Thompson reported -was the notorious Humphrey Marten. -This old tyrant was now in his twenty-fourth -year of service with the Company. Surrounded -by his numerous native wives and a -horde of half-breed children, he ruled the fort -with a rod of iron. The Indians who visited -the factory he would beat most cruelly, -sending them away with revenge burning in their -hearts. In the fort, his subordinates felt the -weight of his unbridled temper; and they -bowed to his brutality only because they -feared his vindictiveness. Amid such -surroundings and under such a taskmaster, -Thompson passed the following year. He -kept the accounts of the factory in his neat -handwriting, and joined with the rest of the -staff in the hunting necessary to supply the -fort with food during the winter. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<p><a id="chap02"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER II -<br><br> -HE FINDS HIS MÉTIER -</h3> - -<p> -His first two years of service brought -nothing but disappointment and disillusion -to David Thompson. Vaguely sensible of his -capacities, he was conscious of nothing except -that as yet he had been given no scope to -realize them. But in the summer of 1786 a -new and important chapter opened in his life. -Fitted out with a trunk, a handkerchief, shoes, -shirts, a gun, powder, and a tin cup, he was -included in a party of forty-six "Englishmen" -who left for the interior under the leadership -of Robert Longmore to establish trading posts -on the Saskatchewan river to the west of those -already occupied by the Company. -</p> - -<p> -For over one hundred years from the -time when the merry monarch had vested in -them a monopoly of trading rights in the vast -territory whose waters drain into Hudson -Bay, the "adventurers of England trading into -Hudson Bay" had maintained their factories -on the coast, and allowed the Indians from -the interior to make their way to them for -trade. Great rivers flowed from all directions -to the Bay; but the courses of these -rivers were still unknown to the map makers -of the British Admiralty in 1784, the year in -which David Thompson landed at Churchill. -For Hudson Bay is encircled from Labrador -on the north-east to the Arctic on the -north-west by a giant horse shoe of Archaean rock, -most of it clothed with the dense northern -forest; and so long as the red men were willing -to make the tedious journey up and down the -rivers, the slumbering giant on the Bay was -content to accept the annual tribute of furs -which they flung at his feet. Each September, -when the ships from London arrived, -the factories were crammed with pelts that -meant a fortune on the markets of the -Continent; and the traders eagerly awaited a fresh -supply of guns, axes, and kettles for the Indian, -and awls and beads for his squaw, as well as -the fire-water which made him the anxious -though reluctant slave of the great white -chiefs on the Bay. -</p> - -<p> -But the monopoly of trade to which the -Company laid claim had not been accepted -without challenge. On the eastern face of -North America, the St. Lawrence river points -like a finger to the heart of the continent, and -from the head of Lake Superior it is possible, -by a comparatively easy portage, to cross the -height of land and descend through Rainy -lake, the Lake of the Woods, and the -Winnipeg river to Lake Winnipeg. Lake -Winnipeg forms a vast collecting basin for the -waters of the interior, before they finally -discharge through the Nelson river into Hudson -Bay. Thus it affords communication south -and west by way of the Red and Assiniboine -rivers through the prairie country of southern -Manitoba, the Dakotas, and Minnesota; while, -from the north west corner of the lake, the -Saskatchewan carries the traveller to its -sources in the Rockies. While therefore the -English had waited for the Indians to bring -their furs down to them on the Bay, the -French from Quebec had pushed their way -along these waters to the heart of the hunting -grounds, and the advance of these gallant -adventurers was marked by a string of forts -that extended from Dulhut's post at the head -of Lake Superior to Fort La Jonquière near -the site of Calgary. -</p> - -<p> -The fall of Quebec in 1759 had brought -with it the destruction of the organized French -fur trade, and the traders were scattered -through the wilds. But new groups of -adventurers, mainly of Scotch descent, swarmed -westward from their headquarters at Montreal, -and penetrated into the wilderness -further than the French had ever gone. By -the year 1772, the Montreal traders had -crossed from the Saskatchewan to the still -more northerly Churchill river, and cut the -line of communication ordinarily used by the -Indians of Lake Athabaska in their long -journey to Hudson Bay. The consolidation -of the rival interests into one great firm—the -North West Company—was accomplished in -1784 at the very time of Thompson's arrival -in the West. This achievement brought -vastly increased strength to the Montreal -traders by mitigating the evils of their fierce -competition. Thus the Hudson's Bay -Company was threatened with the loss of its fur -supply at the same moment as the French -war interrupted its convoys, and La Pérouse -swept the Bay, destroying the posts at -Churchill, York, and Albany. -</p> - -<p> -Energetic measures were necessary if the -lost trade was to be recovered. As early as -1774, Samuel Hearne had taken the momentous -step of founding the first inland post of -the Hudson's Bay Company at Cumberland -House. Situated on the Saskatchewan a few -miles west of Lake Winnipeg, Cumberland -House stood, as it were, in the centre of a vast -web of waterways. "A canoe could start -from this house, and with no portage of more -than a day's length could be launched on the -Arctic ocean, Hudson Bay, the Gulf of -St. Lawrence or the Gulf of Mexico; and without -much greater interruption could be floated on -to the Pacific ocean." Despite the disasters of -the French war, and the dreadful epidemic of -smallpox which in 1781 had swept across the -West, decimating and demoralizing the -natives, the advance of the Company was -continued by the establishment of further -posts along the Saskatchewan river. Thompson -was thus drawn into the forefront of -the battle for furs, when he was included -in Longmore's party in the summer of '86. -</p> - -<p> -On the 21st of July, the brigade of -canoes left York factory for the upper country. -Longmore, the chief, was well qualified for -the task of leading the expedition. For many -years he had served as lieutenant to Tomison, -the "chief inland" of the dépôt at Cumberland -House. Here he had acquired the difficult -knack of dealing with the Indians, besides -earning their love and respect. Thompson's -immediate superior was Mitchell Oman, an -old and experienced trader of the Company, -to whom he had been assigned as clerk. -Oman could neither read nor write, but he -nevertheless impressed the lad by the unusual -quality of his curious and inquisitive mind. -During the tedious paddle into the interior, -he drew from the pages of a retentive memory -endless tales of the Company's early activities -inland. "In those days," he declared, "our -situation was by no means pleasant. The -Indians were very numerous, and although -by far the greater part behaved well, and were -kindly to us, yet among such a number there -will always be found bad men. To protect -ourselves from them, we had to get a -respectable chief to stay with us and assist us in -trading, and prevent as much as possible the -demands of these men." His valuable -reminiscences were not lost upon the boy. -</p> - -<p> -As the boatmen slowly worked their -way up the river, Thompson's eyes gazed for -the first time on the country he was afterwards -to know so well. Their course lay up -the Hayes river, and thence, by way of Lake -Winnipeg, to the Saskatchewan. Progress at -first was rapid, even against the stream, for -they were still in the low and marshy country -that fringes the south-west corner of the Bay. -Presently, however, they encountered the -first of the many rapids which mark the -descent of the river to the sea. At each of -these, with monotonous reiteration, the packs -were all heaved ashore and shouldered along -the rugged path of the portage to the higher -level of the river. At the same time, the face -of the landscape suddenly altered. The -marshy alluvial gave way to naked granite, -and they entered the belt of dark and gloomy -northern forest. As they passed through the -heart of the rocky country, the character of -the river was also changed. From point to -point the stream was held back by ledges of -granite which broke its progress, giving rise to -an irregular chain of wide and deep lakes. -Through these lakes they threaded their way -until, reaching the end of the granite country, -they saw before them the broad expanse of -Lake Winnipeg, the "bad water" of the -Indians. Sixty miles along its northern coast -brought them to the point where the Saskatchewan, -after a swift and unbroken course of -over one thousand miles through the plains, -plunges in a long series of cascades into the -lake. Having portaged past these, and -wended their way through the alluvial flats of -Cedar lake, they came at last to Cumberland -House, and the first stage of their journey was -accomplished. -</p> - -<p> -Their objective was a point on the Saskatchewan -about fifty miles above the present -site of Battleford. As they continued their -journey westward from Cumberland House, -the forest gradually gave way to open country, -and they found themselves in the vast expanse -of the plains, dotted here and there with -clumps of trees—the country of the bison, the -antelope, and the red deer. Passing the forks -of the river, they came to the site which the -keen eye of Longmore had selected. There, on -the northern bank of the stream, they cleared -the ground and ran up a series of log huts, -surrounded by a wooden stockade—the future -Manchester House. Except for a solitary -post which the North-Westers had for three -years maintained about forty miles further up -stream, Thompson had now reached the limit -of country at that time familiar to civilized -men. To the west stretched the unknown -wilderness, which it was his destiny, in -considerable measure, to explore. -</p> - -<p> -The object of the new post was to secure -the trade of the natives of the plains; and -during the following winter David was busy -learning the complicated ritual of Indian -barter. In the course of a year he had so far -mastered his duties that he was selected to -lead a party of six men across country to the -south branch of the Saskatchewan, in order -to open friendly relations with the Piegan and -Blackfeet Indians whose camps lay along the -banks of that stream. Each man had a horse, -and among them they carried a small -assortment of goods. The duties of the young -diplomat were to find the camps of the Piegans -and winter among them, in order to induce -them to hunt for furs and to make pemmican -or dried buffalo meat for the traders. He was -to persuade as many as possible to travel to -the post for trade. With those who were -unwilling to do so, he was to bargain for furs. -</p> - -<p> -The party set forth in October, under -their seventeen-year-old leader. The trail -they followed led through a fine rolling -country, everywhere clothed with short grass, -and dotted with islands of poplar and birch. -For twenty-three days they rode without -seeing any animals other than a chance bull-bison -which they shot for food. To the south -of the Bow river they found an Indian camp -pitched in a spot where the tender grass -afforded rich pasture for the buffalo; but -the plains, which were ordinarily black with -moving herds, were at this time strangely -deserted. After several moves, they finally -struck a large encampment of Piegans near the -present site of Calgary. Sending some of his -men back to Manchester House, Thompson -settled down in this camp to spend the winter. -</p> - -<p> -The Piegan, Blood, and Blackfeet Indians -were three allied tribes of Algonquin -stock who had emerged from the northern -forest and taken possession of the plains, -driving their enemies, the Kootenay, Salish, -and Snake Indians, before them to the -mountains. Since the white men had come to -trade on the river, they had advanced from -the Eagle hills in western Saskatchewan to the -very foot of the Rockies. This rapid -conclusion of an age-long struggle for the mastery -of the grazing country had been due to the -fire-arms which they had procured from the -traders. -</p> - -<p> -The manners and customs of the confederate -tribes were in keeping with their war-like -disposition and constant danger. Unlike -the scattered forest Indians, they lived in -large camps, and without yielding their -traditional liberty to the control of a single -authority, they had nevertheless evolved a -rudimentary form of social organization. -Hunters of the bison, they were in constant -need of horses. Horse-stealing was thus -among them an honourable pursuit, and their -raids extended far to the south and west. -During the winter of Thompson's stay among -them, a raid on the Snakes took a part of two -hundred and fifty warriors a distance of one -thousand, five hundred miles to the south-west, -as was testified by the thirty well-bred -animals that were brought back to camp, and -the Spanish saddles and bridles that lay -thrown about among the tents. -</p> - -<p> -Of the three allied tribes, the Piegans -occupied the most exposed position, and -consequently led the most precarious and -watchful life. From boyhood they were -trained in arms, and their martial bearing and -enterprising character produced a strong -impression upon Thompson. They had an -hereditary civil chief or "orator", as he was -called, who presided at all councils except -those of war. Arrayed in his splendid mantle -of otter skin, he paced the camp each day -three hours after sunset, reciting in a loud -voice the news which his couriers had gathered, -announcing in particular where the herds of -bison were feeding and what direction they -were taking. The war chief, on the other -hand, was a self-made man, whose power and -influence had developed from his conduct in -war. Kootanae Appee, as he was called, was -a magnificent giant, six feet six inches in -height, and was the father of twenty-two -warriors, no less tall and sinewy than himself. -In after years, when Thompson was battling -his way south along the Columbia river, the -bond of friendship which he now forged with -this old chief stood him in good stead. -</p> - -<p> -The chief in whose tent Thompson passed -the winter bore the name of Saukamappee -(Young Man). Saukamappee was broad of -shoulder and strong of limb. Old age had -not bowed his grey head, nor had a troubled -life obliterated the mild and playful expression -of his countenance. During the long winter -evenings, he entertained his guest with -reminiscences that went back for fifty years. -From him, Thompson learned of the Indian -methods of fighting before the time of firearms, -of the first importation of these deadly -weapons from the distant factory at York, of -the introduction of the horse among the -Blackfeet, and of the dreadful effects of the -small-pox epidemic in '81, of which -Saukamappee himself had been a victim. While -Thompson thus learned the history of the -tribes among whom he was staying, he -practised himself in the use of their language. -His note books contain long lists of Indian -words with their English equivalents, gathered -from the Piegans and from other tribes whom -he encountered. -</p> - -<p> -The winter over, Thompson returned to -the post, from which he was sent to -Cumberland House in the summer of 1789. Here -he began to keep a careful meteorological -journal, noting two or three times daily the -temperature, the strength and direction of the -wind, and the general character of the climate. -He also began a series of astronomical -observations, as the result of which he was able to -determine the exact latitude and longitude of -Cumberland House. This post was thus the -first of a series of widely scattered points fixed -by him on the map of British North America. -It was then, too, that he acquired the large -brass sextant which was to be his constant -companion for years to come. -</p> - -<p> -Having made this start, Thompson attempted -in the following summer to make a -survey of the canoe route from Cumberland -House to York factory, by way of the -Saskatchewan and the Hayes rivers. In the -autumn, he returned to Cumberland House. -While there, he had the good fortune to meet -Philip Turnor, the man without whose guidance -and help Thompson could hardly have -realized his future career. -</p> - -<p> -For several years, the Colonial Office had -been urging the Hudson's Bay Company to -proceed with the survey of the vast territory -over which it exercised sway; and to satisfy -the pressing demand of the government, the -Company had engaged Philip Turnor as -astronomer and surveyor. Possessed of a -sound theoretical training, Turnor had been -employed in England as one of the compilers -of the <i>Nautical Almanac</i>; and since 1776 he -had added to his qualifications a wide practical -experience drawn from numerous surveys -throughout the region of the Bay. Here was -a man who could solve Thompson's doubts -and difficulties, and correct the deficiencies of -his education for the work which he had in -view. An eager pupil, Thompson sat at the -feet of Turnor during the winter of 1790; and -when, in the following spring, he returned to -York factory, it was as a man with his mind -made up. If a man knows clearly what he -wants and has the intelligence and perseverance -to pursue his aims, no obstacle, not -even such as these which confronted Thompson, -can keep him from attaining his goal. -</p> - -<p> -Thereafter Thompson and his beloved -instruments were inseparable companions in -journeys that carried him for thousands of -miles through the wildest parts of the -unknown west. By day and night, he was an -object of wonder to his French-Canadian and -Indian followers, as, armed with his sextant, -telescope, compass, and other instruments, -he took observations on the sun, moon, and -stars. While he sought to determine the -position of rivers, lakes, and mountains, to be -recorded on the map which was to be his -life's work, his activities suggested to their -superstitious minds the idea that he was in -communication with powers not of this world, -and earned him the title which he bore among -them, Koo-Koo-Sint, "The man who looks at -the stars." -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<p><a id="chap03"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER III -<br><br> -TRADER, SURVEYOR, EXPLORER -</h3> - -<p> -When Thompson returned to York -factory in the spring of 1791, it was -to find that great changes had taken -place at the fort. Five years before, the -tyrannous sway of old Humphrey Marten -had come to an end, and he had been -succeeded as governor by Joseph Colen. This -man was to direct Thompson's movements -during the next six years. -</p> - -<p> -The new governor was a man of -unquestioned ability; but his jealous and -suspicious temperament made him work at cross -purposes with the governor of Churchill, and -brought him into frequent conflict with -Tomison at Cumberland House. He had -never caught the spirit of the aggressive -policy initiated by Samuel Hearne, and -preferred to develop the fur trade with the -Indians who came down to the coast for trade, -rather than to follow them to their hunting -grounds. In his reports to the directors in -London, he endeavoured to excuse his lack of -enterprise by hurling vague accusations at his -colleagues; while his subordinates, men like -Thompson and Malcolm Ross, were irritated -and provoked by the lack of support from -headquarters which constantly frustrated their -efforts to push forward the work of exploring -the more remote interior. -</p> - -<p> -The seven years of David's apprenticeship -were now at an end, and he was engaged at a -good salary as trader and surveyor to the -Company. He was not yet, however, given -an opportunity of practising his profession. -The previous spring, an ice-jam at the mouth -of the Hayes river had caused the water to -rise, flooding the low land on which the -factory was situated; and for a year or more, -Thompson had to assist Colen in moving the -fort to its present site on a high clay bank -about a quarter mile further up stream. -</p> - -<p> -Meanwhile Philip Turnor had returned -from a journey to Lake Athabaska, and the -report of his explorations had reached the -directors in London. Proceeding from -Cumberland House, he had worked his way north -through Amisk and Pelican lakes to Frog -Portage, a distance of one hundred miles. -After crossing the portage, he found himself -in the basin of the upper Churchill river. -This stream he ascended as far as Isle à la -Crosse, and thence he made his way through -Buffalo lake and Lake la Roche to the Methy -Portage. This portage marks the divide -between the waters that flow eastward to -Hudson Bay and those that discharge through -the Mackenzie into the Arctic ocean. Crossing -the portage, he descended the Clearwater -river to its junction with the Athabaska, -whose broad stream soon carried him to the -lake of that name. This was the regular -route followed by the Indians of the far -north in their journeys to Hudson Bay. -</p> - -<p> -Turnor's report filled the directors with a -desire to dispute the trade of Lake Athabaska -with the men of the North West Company; -and they bombarded Colen with instructions -to send Ross and Thompson to that region. -But to Colen's mind there was a more pressing -necessity nearer home. The North-Westers -had entered the rocky belt to the south-west -of York, and had monopolized trade throughout -the irregular series of lakes and rivers -which form the tributaries of the Nelson and -lower Churchill, thus challenging the "English" -on their home front itself. Accordingly -Colen ignored the instructions from London, -and despatched Ross and Thompson into this -"muskrat country," as it was called, with -orders to build posts at strategic points and -restore the trade of the Company. -</p> - -<p> -On the 5th of September, 1792, Thompson -set forth with two canoes on his first -independent command. Rounding the point -from York factory, the canoes swung into the -broad channel of the Nelson river. By the -end of the month they were well above Split -lake, Thompson making a survey as they -moved along. At this point one of the -canoes turned aside to ascend Grass river, -while Thompson with the other continued -along the main stream until he reached the -upper end of Sipiwisk lake. Here in a little -cove formed by two projecting points of rock, -with the dark spruce forest at his back and a -view to the south west over the island-studded -lake, he built his first trading post, and -settled down to face the winter in a country -almost devoid of fish and game. -</p> - -<p> -His heart, however, was set on exploration. -From the Indians he learned that, -besides the well-known route which had been -followed by Turnor to Lake Athabaska, there -existed another, north from the Churchill -river to Reindeer lake, and thence westward -by way of the Black river to the east end of -Lake Athabaska. This route he made up his -mind to explore. -</p> - -<p> -Accordingly, when the ice had cleared -from the rivers, he set forth alone without any -help or encouragement from headquarters. -Descending to the lower end of Sipiwisk lake, -he turned to the left and passed by a series of -portages through Wintering, Red Paint and -Burntwood lakes to the Missinippi or Churchill -river, up which he paddled for a distance -of thirty-three miles. But the Indian guides -whom he had expected to meet failed to put -in an appearance, and he was forced to turn -back. He therefore descended through -Burntwood lake and the Nelson river to York -factory. -</p> - -<p> -Colen had given the English directors to -understand that he planned to send Ross and -Thompson to the Athabaska country; and -with the arrival of the annual ship in the -autumn of '93, they wrote that they expected -much good to follow from the projected -expedition, and that they wished William Cook, -who had accompanied David into the Muskrat -country the previous autumn, to join with -the others in the invasion of the far north. -But Cook was not recalled from his post on -Split lake, and Ross and Thompson were sent -up the Saskatchewan to Cumberland House. -Thence Thompson was despatched, not to -Lake Athabaska, as he had expected, but -westward along the river to a new post called -Buckingham House, from which he rode still -further west to the Beaver hills near the -future site of Fort Augustus (Edmonton). -Returning, he surveyed the Saskatchewan -east from Buckingham House to the Forks, -and from the Forks he resurveyed the rest of -the river. From Cumberland House, he -explored a new route through Goose, Reed, and -Burntwood lakes to the Nelson, and thus -opened up a direct line of communication -between the dépôt at Cumberland House and -York factory, much superior to the old course -by way of Lake Winnipeg and the Hayes -river. -</p> - -<p> -Thompson's reappearance at York without -having been to the Athabaska country -made it necessary for Colen to do no little -explaining to the impatient London directors. -In a long letter to them, he hinted that it was -Tomison who was responsible for the fiasco. -Tomison, he said, had refused to pass his word -for the advance of wages promised by the -Council to those who would volunteer to -accompany the expedition. Ross, he -declared, was utterly disgusted with the repeated -disappointments, and would have returned at -once to England, had not Thompson prevailed -upon him to make one last trial, this time by -way of Reindeer lake. Thompson and Ross, -he added, were being fitted out with canoes -and supplies at York, and would be sent up -the Nelson river track. The directors were -deceived, and swallowed their disappointment, -hoping to hear that the difficulties -which stood in the way of the Athabaska -expedition had been successfully overcome. -</p> - -<p> -But, even now, Thompson was sent, not -to the North, but back once more to the -Muskrat country, this time to Reed lake. -Here, in a district comparatively rich in fish, -game, and furs, he built a house, and spent -one of the coldest winters in the history of -the Hudson Bay. While hunting and trading, -he also prepared for the directors of the -Company, the maps and surveys of the -country which he had already traversed. In -July of the following year, 1795, he paddled -down the river on what was to be his last -visit to York. -</p> - -<p> -On this occasion Colen was absent on a -trip to England, but the factory was seething -with discontent. Thompson found the staff -impatiently waiting, in order that he, the -youngest and bravest among them, might -take the lead in drawing up a statement of -the grievances which they suffered under -Colen's rule. This office he accepted, -although with some hesitation on account of -the absence of the governor. Assisted by his -friend the surgeon, he drew up a statement -which Colen declared seriously prejudiced -him in the eyes of the directors; although, -according to Thompson, not one half of the -evils were even mentioned of which the staff -had cause to complain. Thompson was not -ashamed of the part he had played in this -mutinous outbreak. As soon as he had left -the service, he took the opportunity of -explaining to his old chief that he was the author -of the protest which had so much displeased -him. "Many of us," his letter concluded, -"acknowledge with readiness that you have -some good qualities, and I once had the -greatest respect for you; I have some yet, -but——it is not my wish to say those things -which I know you do not wish to hear. How -is it, Sir, that everyone who has once wished -you well should turn to be indifferent to you, -and even some to hate you, although they -are constant in their other friendships?—there -must be a defect somewhere. The fact is, -that from your peculiar manner of conduct, -you are also one of those unfortunate men -who will have many an acquaintance, but -never a real friend." -</p> - -<p> -Thompson's final break with Colen did -not, however, occur until two years later. He -turned in his furs, and without waiting, except -to secure supplies for the coming winter, -went back to his duties in the Muskrat -country. This time he built a house far to -the north on Duck Portage, the link connecting -Burntwood lake with the Churchill river. -When spring opened, instead of returning to -York, he made ready for his dash to Lake -Athabaska. -</p> - -<p> -Formal permission had reached him from -Colen, sanctioning his venture into the -unknown wilds. This, however, meant nothing, -because it was not accompanied by help of -any kind. At that moment, indeed, the -Company was seriously crippled for lack of -men to keep up the few inland trading posts -that then existed, for the war which was -raging between England and France had -drained the Orkney islands of all men who -were fit for service in the army and navy. -The few miserable dwarfs who could be -obtained for the fur trade excited the contempt -of even the Indians. -</p> - -<p> -Thompson, nevertheless, was not to be -deterred from his enterprise. He proceeded -at once to Fairford House, the trading post -kept by Malcolm Ross on the Churchill near -the mouth of the Reindeer river, where he -hoped to get some assistance. To his great -disappointment, he found that not a man -could be spared from the trade in furs. There -were, however, a few Chepawyan Indians -lingering about the fort and from among these -he managed to engage two young men. -Kozdaw and "Paddy" had hunted for two -winters in the country he was about to -explore, although neither of them had ever been -on the rivers and lakes in summer. Their -only practice in canoes had been to lie -offshore in the lakes on a calm day, watching for -the deer to take refuge from the flies, and this -gave them no experience of the currents and -rapids of rivers; yet, such as they were, -Thompson had no choice but to take them. -</p> - -<p> -The first task was to construct a canoe. -Having searched the forest for a supply of -birch bark, they made a boat seventeen feet -in length. Into this they packed their meagre -outfit, a fowling piece with forty balls, five -pounds of shot, three flints and five pounds of -powder, a fishing net, a hatchet and a small -tent of grey cotton. These articles, together -with a few handfuls of beads, rings, and awls -for trading, made up their terribly inadequate -equipment. -</p> - -<p> -In the grey dawn of a June morning, 1796, -Thompson launched his canoe on the turbid -waters of the Missinippi. The party -advanced rapidly, making a survey as they -went. For supplies they relied on their -solitary net and gun. Turning into the -Reindeer river, they worked their way north -against a moderate current to Reindeer lake. -A hundred miles up the west coast of this -lake brought them to a point clothed with -tolerably good pines. This point Thompson -noted as a suitable site for building a trading -post on his return. -</p> - -<p> -The whole distance through which they -had come had a barren, rocky appearance, -relieved only by patches of stunted birch, -aspen, and spruce. Since there was little or -no soil, the trees stood with their roots -interlaced like the trees on the frozen lands of -Hudson Bay; and, like them, they were kept -moist in summer by the wet moss with which -their roots were covered. Through wide -stretches the forest fires had passed, leaving -the country unsightly and ghostlike, and -destroying the wild animals of the forest. -Thompson was now in fact approaching the -northern limit of trees, beyond which stretch -the barren lands, the home of the musk ox and -caribou. -</p> - -<p> -In order to avoid the wide circuit of the -Cochrane river, which flows to Reindeer lake -from Lake Wollaston, the guides directed -Thompson up a stream that emptied from the -west a few miles north of his point of pines. -From the head of this stream there was a -passage by a series of ponds and brooks to the -south end of Wollaston lake. But the water -was low, and they were forced to carry their -packs for the better part of fifty miles, -stumbling over the rocks and wading through the -marshes, while clouds of mosquitoes buzzed -about their defenceless heads. It was a -welcome relief when they launched out on the -clear and deep waters of Lake Wollaston, -which they crossed without trouble to the -Black river. Here they made camp on the -evening of June 23, and rested while Thompson -took observations and made up the notes -of his survey. -</p> - -<p> -Two days later they were once more under -way. Lake Wollaston, as Thompson -discovered, was situated on the height of land -between the basins of Hudson Bay and the -Mackenzie river. Part of its waters -discharged eastward and south into Reindeer -lake, while part flowed westward through the -Black river into Lake Athabaska. From this -curious circumstance, the lake was known to -the Indians as "Lake Manito," and was -considered to be of supernatural character. -Entering the Black river, the party passed at -first through the quiet reaches of the upper -river, in a wretched country of solitude, where -the wild laugh of the loon alone woke the -echoes of the barren hills. Presently the -banks closed in, and as the current stiffened, -they had to paddle vigorously to avoid the -projecting rocks. Finally an expansion of the -stream brought them to Black lake. It was -during this stretch that they came upon the -only human beings they had so far -encountered—five tents of Chepawyans, hunting and -fishing in an otherwise deserted land. -</p> - -<p> -They could afford but one day to enjoy -the hospitality of the Indians. From Black -lake, the river tumbles in two wild cascades to -the level of Lake Athabaska. A series of -rapids, cutting through a high hill, warned -them that they were approaching the first of -the falls. For half a mile they shot the rapids -to a point where the river is compressed within -a channel only twelve yards in width. At -the end of this channel, the current rushed -against a projecting ledge of rock with such -force that the whole river seemed to be turned -up from its bottom. The dashing of the -water against the rocks, the deep roar of the -torrent, the hollow sound of the fall, in the -midst of the dark, high, and frowning hills, -made a sight so grand and terrible that -Kozdaw and Paddy were awe-struck, and -offered their simple tributes to the manito of -the fall—the one a bit of tobacco, the other -a ring. Past this fall the travellers descended -by a well-beaten native trail. A second series -of rapids and a second fall brought them to -the last lap of their journey, and they paddled -quietly for six miles into the east end of Lake -Athabaska. Here they passed the night, -resting from their dangers, toils, and sufferings -under a pine tree which had been lopped and -marked by Philip Turnor in his survey of 1791. -</p> - -<p> -Thompson's heart was thrilled by the -thought that he had finally accomplished the -journey on which for the last five years his -heart had been set, and that in so doing he -had blazed a trail through the wilderness over -ground which the feet of white men had -never trod before. He was sobered, however, -by the prospect of the long and difficult -journey home. His net and gun afforded but -a scanty supply of food, and should these -fail him, there was but slight hope of succour. -But gloomy as were his forebodings, it was well -that he did not know what lay before him. -</p> - -<p> -Half way up the Black river, he -encountered one of the rapids which was broken -about the middle by a twelve-foot fall. -Portaging past the fall, he attempted to "track" -the canoe up the rest of the rapid. The two -Indians were ashore tugging at the tow-line, -while Thompson in the canoe tried to steer -and at the same time direct their movements. -Near the head of the rapid there was at the -water's edge a tree which blocked their -progress, and as the Indians stood hesitating -which side of it they should pass, the canoe -sheered off across the current. An upset was -inevitable, had not Thompson waved to the -Indians to let go the line and leave him to his -fate. Springing to the bow, he cut the rope -off short with the clasp knife which he kept -in his waistcoat pocket, and got the head of -the canoe around into the stream just in time -to take the plunge over the cataract. For an -instant, Thompson was buried beneath the -boiling water at the foot of the fall. Striking -his feet against the bottom, he pushed himself -to the surface close to the upturned canoe. -This he seized and dragged through shallow -water to the beach. The Indians came -rushing to his assistance, and, while he lay on -the rocks, bruised, bleeding, and exhausted by -his exertions, they searched the shore below -the rapids for what could be recovered of their -precious kit. -</p> - -<p> -The gun, the axe, and the tent had -remained fastened in the canoe. In half an -hour's time, the Indians brought back the -cork-lined box containing Thompson's -instruments and the maps of his survey, -together with their three paddles and a pewter -basin. Not one moment was to be lost. -Thompson's body was naked except for his -shirt and a thin linen vest, and his -companions were in like condition. The small -tent they tore into three pieces with which to -wrap themselves as a defence against flies by -day and chill by night. Worse still, Thompson -found as he painfully raised himself from -the rocks that the flesh of his foot had been -torn away by the impact of the jagged stones -of the river bed, and a part of his share of the -tent had to be taken to bind the wound. -</p> - -<p> -The first duty was to repair the canoe, -and the Indians were sent to the woods to -procure gum from the pines. The question -was then how to light a fire, for they had -neither flint nor steel. Thompson pointed to -his gun from which they took the flint, and -with the steel blade of his pocket knife they -struck a spark. When the gum was melted, -they repaired the canoe and carried their kit -above the fall and rapids. The Indians -shouldered the canoe, while behind them the -wounded leader hobbled painfully along under -the burden of gun, axe, and sextant case. -</p> - -<p> -Night had fallen before they found time -to make a fire and warm themselves. Their -situation was enough to strike terror into the -boldest heart. Destitute, almost naked, and -suffering from the weather, they faced a -journey of three hundred miles through a -barren country. Yet Thompson did not -despair. For two days they paddled and -portaged up the river without a bite to eat. -On the afternoon of the second day they saw -two gulls hovering over a reedy bay as if to -protect their young. They found the nest -and in it three young gulls, but the few -ounces of meat which they were able to pick -from their miserable carcases sufficed only to -sharpen their hunger. -</p> - -<p> -The next day as they went along, Thompson -remembered an eagle's nest on the banks -of a small lake before them. When they -came to the lake they found the nest in the -spreading branches of a birch tree, about -sixteen feet above the ground. Kozdaw had -barely time to climb to the nest before the -old birds arrived. Paddy and Thompson, with -shouts and stones, succeeded in preventing -them from attacking Kozdaw, while the latter -threw the two young eagles to the ground. -The birds fought with beak and claw for their -lives, but were finally killed and flung into -the canoe. -</p> - -<p> -In the evening, they opened the eagles -by the gleam of the camp fire, and divided -the meat and yellow fat into three equal -portions. While Kozdaw roasted his meat -and oiled his body with the fat, the others ate -only the fat, reserving the meat for next day. -In the night they were both awakened by a -violent dysentery, which continued to plague -them for many days, although a strong -infusion of a certain dried moss, known as -Labrador tea, brought them some relief. -</p> - -<p> -Day by day they continued their voyage, -subsisting on the wretched crow-berries of the -far north. By the sixteenth of July, -Thompson and Paddy were like skeletons, from -hunger, dysentery, and cold. On that day -Thompson scratched what he thought was -his dying message on a scrap of birch bark -which Kozdaw was to carry back with him to -civilization. Late in the afternoon, as they -paddled weakly and painfully along, they -came upon two tents of Chepawyans. The -savages pitied their condition and restored -them with broth. From them Thompson -procured some provisions, a flint and a few -rounds of ammunition, together with a pair -of shoes each for himself and his men. Thus -they were able to proceed on their journey, -and arrived without further adventure at -Fairford House after an absence of thirty-one -days. -</p> - -<p> -At Fairford House Thompson was joined -by Malcolm Ross with a stock of provisions -for the northern trade, and together they -returned to build a trading post on Reindeer -lake. Along with the supplies, Ross brought -a letter from Colen to Thompson, containing -a curt order that he should cease his surveys -and explorations. This was his reward. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<p><a id="chap04"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER IV -<br><br> -WITH THE NORTH-WESTERS -</h3> - -<p> -The chilly reception which Thompson met -after his return from Lake Athabaska -was enough to quench the enthusiasm of -any man. He might have lain down under -the blow. In that case he would no doubt -have ended his days as an obscure and -broken-spirited trader, embittered by his fate, but -powerless so late in life to change it. Another -course, however, was open to him, if he had -the courage and self-reliance to take it. This -was to throw up his post with the Hudson's -Bay Company, and seek employment in other -quarters where his talents would meet with -the recognition they deserved. -</p> - -<p> -In the long winter evenings at Reindeer -lake, he weighed the problem before him. -Colen, his chief, had undoubtedly failed to -appreciate the value of his work. Worse -still, he had hampered it, since for the last -two years he had neglected even to supply -Thompson with the <i>Nautical Almanac</i> so -necessary for his surveys. But behind Colen -stood the Company. How far had they -given him the sympathy and encouragement -which he needed? The directors, he felt, -might easily have had the northern part of -the continent surveyed as far as the Pacific -coast, and thus greatly extended the range -of their trade. This they could have -accomplished at trifling expense, for in England -there were numbers of highly-trained naval -officers on half pay, who would have jumped -at the chance of employment. But any -explorations which they had undertaken were -solely at the behest of the Colonial Office. -His feelings toward the Company may not -have been altogether justified. Nevertheless, -he could only conclude that there was little or -no future for him in the service. With -Thompson to think was to act. On the 28th -of May, 1797, he left his post on Reindeer -lake and walked south through the bush for -seventy-five miles to the nearest house of the -North-Westers. After ten days spent there, -he proceeded to Grand Portage, the -headquarters of the Company at the west end of -Lake Superior, in order that he might offer -his services to the merchants from Canada. -</p> - -<p> -Situated on a small bay at the mouth of -Pigeon river, Grand Portage had been for -several years the general dépôt for the trader -of the North West Company, the lair from -which those "sly wolves of the North" had -sallied forth to work such havoc with the -trade of the English on Hudson Bay. Along -the shore ran a line of docks, which each -summer were piled high, now with the parcels -of merchandise for the interior trade, now -with the packs of furs which had been gathered -from the distant trading posts for the market -in the east. Along the bay front and up the -bank of the river sprawled the village of log -huts in which dwelt the half-breed families of -the French voyageurs. -</p> - -<p> -The fort itself was in keeping with the -dignity of the Company and the magnitude -of its operations. A palisade eighteen feet -high enclosed the great square in which stood -the various offices—storehouses, servants' -quarters, and lodgings for the clerks. In the -centre of the courtyard towered the main -building, a stout log structure surmounted by -a high balcony. This contained the apartments -of the partners, and the great hall, its -walls covered with portraits of the leading -members of the Company in all the glory of -ruffles and scarlet coats. Here took place the -grave deliberations of the merchants, and -here each evening they dined in solemn state. -The stone powder magazine, the jail with its -barred windows, and the sentry in the -archway of the great gate lent a touch of -grimness to the picture of this far-flung outpost -of commerce. -</p> - -<p> -At Grand Portage, Thompson received a -warm welcome from those of the partners who -were at the time present in the fort. On his -way down he had met Roderick Mackenzie, -cousin to the famous Sir Alexander, and -Simon Fraser, soon to win distinction as the -discoverer of the Fraser river. At the post he -found the Honourable William McGillivray, -prominent in the councils of the Company, -and Sir Alexander Mackenzie himself. Sir -Alexander had been the first white man to -descend the Mackenzie river to its mouth, -and he had blazed a trail across the Rocky -Mountains to the Pacific. He had but -recently returned from England, wearing the -honour of knighthood which he had earned -for his explorations. All of these gentlemen -impressed Thompson as being men of enterprise -and vision, and among them he found -the liberal and public spirit which in his -former employers he had sought in vain. -</p> - -<p> -At that time, questions of serious import -were agitating the minds of the partners. By -the treaty which closed the American -Revolutionary War, the boundary between the -British dominions and the territories of the -United States had been fixed as a line drawn -from the northwest corner of the Lake of the -Woods to the source of the Mississippi, which -was then thought to lie considerably north of -its true position. Nine years later, the -forty-ninth parallel of latitude had been accepted -as the boundary; and by the Treaty of Amity -and Commerce subsequently passed, it had -been agreed that all British trading posts -south of this line should be withdrawn. This -made it necessary for the Company to fix at -once the location of their houses on the upper -Red river, and incidentally if possible to -discover the true source of the Mississippi. The -partners were also anxious to have a route -surveyed to the headwaters of the Missouri -river, where there existed the villages of an -Indian people who got their living from the -cultivation of the soil. The scientific spirit of -the merchants was shown by their further -desire to search for the fossil bones of -prehistoric animals and any monuments which -might throw light on the earlier condition of -the regions surveyed. Finally, they wished -to ascertain the courses of the rivers and the -situation of the lakes, in order that they -might rearrange their network of trading -houses so as to cover more completely the -territory under their sway. -</p> - -<p> -Thompson's arrival came therefore at an -opportune moment. He was promptly -engaged as astronomer and surveyor to the -company, and the partners and agents all -agreed to send orders to their various trading -posts that he should be given any assistance -he required. In August, the great canoes -arrived from Montreal with the goods for the -Indian trade. When these were unloaded, -the merchandise was assorted and made up -in parcels each of ninety pounds' weight, so -that the boatmen might be able to shoulder -them over the portages. These were then -taken in charge by the various agents and their -shouting crews of voyageurs. Five days of -hard labour were needed for the carry over -Grand Portage to the upper waters of Pigeon -river. When all was ready, Thompson -climbed the long trail from the lake. Armed -with his precious instruments, he joined the -Swan river brigade of four canoes, and -embarked on what was to be the longest, fastest -and most brilliant piece of survey in his -whole career. -</p> - -<p> -Progress was tedious until the party had -crossed the watershed beyond which all -streams flow north-westward into Lake -Winnipeg and thence into Hudson Bay. They -then made a rapid descent through Rainy -lake and the Lake of the Woods to the -Winnipeg river (the mad or foaming water of -the Indians), down which they paddled and -portaged to its mouth. Coasting along the -south shore of Lake Winnipeg under the -shelter of its low limestone cliffs, they came -to the mouth of the Dauphin or Little -Saskatchewan river. The ascent of this stream -brought them to the waters of Lake Manitoba. -They had only to paddle to the head of this -lake, and from thence the length of Lake -Winnipegosis, in order to find themselves at -the mouth of the Swan river. Twelve miles -up this stream was their objective—Swan -River House. -</p> - -<p> -As they approached their goal, Thompson -observed that the land was rapidly improving -in character; until at Swan River House he -found himself in the heart of a fine varied -country of hill and plain, woodland and -meadow—the beaver country <i>par excellence</i>. -Here on every side were to be found traces of -the labours of these industrious animals; the -dammed brooks, the flooded meadows, the -dome-like huts in which they lived and the -burrows to which they fled for refuge when -attacked. All this fine country was the -hunting ground of the Cree Indians, the -possession of which they had from time -immemorial disputed with the beaver, the bison, -and the red deer. -</p> - -<p> -When the early French traders arrived, -they brought with them chisels, knives, and -other implements of iron. The Indians, -having got possession of these, were able to cut -through the dams, drain the waters of the -ponds, and thus expose the huts and burrows -of the beaver. Then, assisted by their small -half-savage dogs, they would chisel their way -through the thick walls of the huts until they -came to the beaver. Since there was a ready -market for his skin among the French traders, -they soon became rich, and for several years -men, women, and children were gay with -brooches, ear-rings and beads, and gaudy -with scarlet coats. -</p> - -<p> -But then the Nipissing and Iroquois -Indians, who had exhausted their own countries, -spread to the north and west. Armed -with their new steel traps, they began a war -of annihilation upon the beaver; and by the -year 1797, when Thompson travelled through -the Swan river district, almost the whole of -that extensive region was denuded. The -short phase of prosperity was over. The -greed of the white man and the improvidence -of the Indian had done their work, and while -the native might still hope to gain a bare -subsistence from hunting the deer and the -bison, he was once more poor, thus to remain -for ever. -</p> - -<p> -Over this country, Thompson made a -series of rapid excursions by horse and canoe, -in order that he might fix the location of the -various trading houses of the North West -Company. In the course of five weeks, he -had crossed to the basins of the Red Deer and -the Assiniboine rivers, and surveyed each of -these streams to its source. He then -descended the Assiniboine to its confluence with -the Souris, near where the city of Brandon -now stands. Here toward the end of -November he put up at Assiniboine House, which -was at that time kept by a trader called -John McDonnell. -</p> - -<p> -McDonnell's house was the natural point -of departure for the journey across to the -Mandan Villages on the upper Missouri. The -trail lay in a south-westerly direction along -the south bank of the Souris river as far as -the great bend, and from thence across the open -plains to the heights of the Missouri. As the -country was generally treeless, the custom of -travellers was to move from point to point -where patches of wood growing in the river -bottom or at the higher levels afforded -firewood and shelter for the night. -</p> - -<p> -Winter had come, and three inches of -snow lay upon the ground, making travel -both disagreeable and dangerous. Worse still, -the road passed through the hunting grounds -of the Sioux Indians, those wild riders of the -plains who lived by pursuit of the bison. The -Sioux had lately suffered the loss of several -men at the hands of the Mandan Indians; -and these losses they blamed on the whites -who had supplied the Mandans with guns and -ammunition. They were therefore in a very -menacing temper, and had determined to -waylay, scalp, and plunder the next party of -traders who ventured the journey to the -villages. -</p> - -<p> -Thompson, however, was not to be deterred; -and he made his preparations for the -dash across the plains. As guide and -interpreter, he engaged a man who had resided for -eight years among the Mandans, by name -René Jussomme. He also picked up a -light-hearted Irishman, Hugh McCrachan, who had -often been to the villages for months at a -time. The rest of the party was made up of -French Canadians, gay and gluttonous -vagabonds, who could nevertheless work as hard -as they boasted, and hunt as much as they -ate. All these men enlisted for the expedition -as free traders; that is to say, each of them -borrowed from McDonnell goods and trinkets -to the value of fifty beaver skins, which he -undertook to repay on his return. Thompson -himself was supplied with two horses, and -ammunition and tobacco for trade. -Jussomme had one horse; while the men each -bought two half-savage dogs from the -Assiniboines. These were to haul their sled-loads -of goods across the plains. -</p> - -<p> -Thus equipped, the party set forth on the -28th day of November. The dogs were -unaccustomed to hauling anything. Snapping -and barking, they dashed hither and thither -in all directions, hardly restrained by the loud -<i>sacrés</i> of the Frenchmen, reinforced by lashes -freely administered with their stout rawhide -whips. The motley procession crossed the -Assiniboine on the ice, and camped that -evening in a wood by the side of the Souris -river, hardly six miles from the point from -which they had set out. Meanwhile, the -temperature was falling. At eight that night -Thompson observed that it was 20° below -zero. By the following morning it had -dropped seven degrees more, and a stinging -west wind had sprung up which kept them in -camp. Here they remained for five days, in a -temperature that sank as low as 40° below -zero; while the high wind whistled through -their canvas, and filled the tent with smoke -from their fire. During this time, they -devoured the flesh of three bison which the -Frenchmen had brought into camp, while the -dogs rejoiced in the offal. -</p> - -<p> -The wind had by this time shifted to the -north-west, and the weather turned milder -with snow. When the storm was over, they -renewed their journey, keeping close to the -river in order that they might not lose sight -of the familiar landmarks, for the men neither -knew the compass nor would trust it to guide -them. After making eleven miles, they came -to a grove of hardwood, in which they found -five tents of Assiniboine Indians. These gave -them a hospitable welcome, but warned them -that the Sioux were on the warpath. -Nevertheless, they pressed forward, and by the -following morning had reached the point -where the trail led away from the river across -the wind-swept plain to Turtle Mountain on -the international frontier. -</p> - -<p> -Jussomme now announced that they -must prepare for an early start, as they faced -a long journey across country before they -could reach the shelter of the wooded heights. -At seven the following morning they were on -their way. Mile after mile they trudged over -the boundless plain until one o'clock in the -afternoon, and still no Turtle hill was in sight. -The weather had now turned threatening, and -anxiety was in every face. At this point -Jussomme threw up his hands and confessed -that he had lost his way. -</p> - -<p> -It was a critical moment. Springing to -his horse, Thompson galloped to the nearest -knoll, from which with his glass he scanned -the horizon on every side. Not a vestige of -wood was in sight, but far to the north-west -his eye caught what seemed to be the tops of a -clump of trees. On this he took a bearing -with his compass, and called to the party to -follow him, which after some hesitation they -made up their minds to do. Meanwhile the -wind came on with increasing force, and the -darkness closed in before they could see -whether it was really a wood to which their -painful and tedious march led. However, -they kept in file and close together, and the -dogs gave no trouble. It was black night -before they finally reached the wood. Utterly -wearied, the men hurriedly threw up their -canvas and sought shelter from the storm. -</p> - -<p> -The blizzard continued through the next -day, and the men were too exhausted to -proceed. They remained in camp with -nothing but the meat of two tough old bulls -to relieve their hunger. The day following -two of the three horses went lame, their hoofs -eaten away by the hard crusty snow. Luckily -they encountered a small party of Assiniboines -on their way to McDonnell's house to -trade, and were able to send the horses back -with them to the fort, purchasing dogs from -the Indians in their stead. Two days later -they met another party of Indians, and from -them got a good meal. These Indians warned -them that the Sioux were in waiting at the -Dog Tent Hills; and no offer would induce -anyone of them to go forward with the -party as a guide. -</p> - -<p> -They were now in the neighbourhood of -Turtle Mountain, and Thompson had taken -sole command. Another gale, another blizzard, -and another march till nightfall brought -them to the hill. On this occasion again the -compass proved a trusty guide. In the -darkness, Thompson's face brushed against the -overhanging branch of a tree, and he knew -that he had guided his men safely to the wood. -Thus they continued as far as the Dog Tent -Hills, near the elbow of the Souris. On -approaching the broken country, Thompson -espied a long line of horsemen descending the -slope and moving off to the south. It was -the Sioux, who had made up their minds that -no traveller would venture forth in such -tempestuous weather. Thompson signalled -his men to throw themselves flat on the -ground. This they did, and remained -unperceived until the enemy was out of sight. -They then entered the hills, and while they -rested and hunted, cut tent poles and -firewood for the dash across the barren plain. -The fifty miles that still divided them from -the waters of the Missouri were passed without -adventure, and they arrived, tired but -triumphant, at the upper village of the Mandans -after a journey of thirty-three days. -</p> - -<p> -Thompson was now introduced by Jussomme -to a chief who bore the name of "Big -White Man." To this chief he explained -that his business was not to trade, but to -visit the various tribes of natives, in order to -see how they could be more regularly supplied -with arms, ammunition, and other articles -which they much needed. Surprised and -pleased at this agreeable information, the -chief led the white man to his own hut, where -he and his servant Boisseau were comfortably -installed and entertained with all the rites of -native hospitality. -</p> - -<p> -In company with Jussomme and McCrachan, -Thompson then paid a visit to each -of the five villages in turn. These, he found, -were all built alike of domelike huts -constructed of mud plastered over a framework -of wood, each with an aperture in the centre -of the roof to carry off the smoke of the fire -and admit light to the solitary chamber of -the dwelling. In front of each house stood a -porch made of stretched bison skins, affording -an approach to a doorway large enough to -admit a horse. Passing the door, one entered -a circular chamber about forty feet across, -and, from the earthen floor to the aperture -in the roof, eighteen or twenty feet in height. -To the left of the doorway, sat the master of -the house on a couch covered with buffalo -robes. Before him was the fire, built in a -circular space hollowed out of the floor, and -surrounded by vessels of native pottery -containing maize and boiled meat, the food of the -household. Around the walls were a series of -frame bunks about three feet from the ground, -each of them enclosed by hides except for the -front and made comfortable by a soft buffalo -robe. To the right of the entrance were the -stalls for the two or three horses which -belonged to the household, to which every -evening they were led back after pasturing on the -plains. In the smallest of these villages, -Thompson counted thirty-one such huts, in -the largest one hundred-and-thirteen, each hut -containing a family of from eight to ten souls. -</p> - -<p> -Surrounded as they were by fierce and -violent enemies, the Mandans had constructed -their villages with an eye to defence rather -than to comfort. For this purpose a site was -selected on elevated ground, so that no attack -could be made from above. The houses were -then built irregularly without regard for -streets, and the whole village surrounded by a -stockade of timbers at least twelve feet in -height. On more than one occasion, -Thompson learned, the Sioux had taken advantage -of a dark and stormy night to approach the -villages and fire the palisades. But the -flames had no power to destroy the earthen -houses; there were no straight streets down -which the enemy could shoot; and, as a -regular siege was beyond the power of any of -their foes, the Mandans had hitherto escaped -destruction. -</p> - -<p> -The tribe, when Thompson visited them, -were already acquainted with the use of iron. -Their flint-tipped spears and arrows they -gladly laid aside, when they could, for a long -spear, headed with a flat iron bayonet nine -or ten inches in length. Thus far, however, -they had been visited only irregularly by -traders; and so had but few guns among -them. Iron was so precious for purposes of -war that it had not yet come into common -use for agriculture. Their ploughs were -made of the shoulder blade of a deer or bison, -neatly fastened by thongs to a handle. For -hoes, they used pointed sticks hardened in -the fire. A council of old men allotted to -each family its portion of ground in the rich -alluvial of the river bottom. From this they -were able with their rude implements to -raise a sufficient quantity of the maize, -pumpkins, beans, and melons which were -native to America. -</p> - -<p> -Thompson was anxious to find out the -origin of this interesting people, for they had -not been many years on the banks of the -Missouri. Their traditions, however, went -back no further than the days of their -great-great-grandfathers. These, they said, had -dwelt to the eastward, possessing the rich -flats about the upper waters of the Red river -and the Mississippi. There the wild rice -grew in abundance and the deer were in -plenty, though the horse and the buffalo -were unknown. On all these streams they -had villages and cultivated the ground as at -present from before the memory of man. -</p> - -<p> -The Sioux to the south of their ancient -home were their enemies, but, armed only -with stone-headed spears and arrows, could -do them little harm. To the north-east, in -the depths of the gloomy forest, dwelt the -Chippewas, who were likewise powerless to -hurt them. But the day came when the -Chippewas, armed by the white traders with -guns, ironheaded arrows, and spears, silently -collected under cover of the forest, and -sallied out to harry their villages with fire, -and cut off their men as they were scattered -in hunting parties far and wide. Hard -pressed by the attacks of an enemy whom -they could not resist, they gave way from -point to point until they arrived at the -banks of the Missouri; and thus put the -width of the great plains between them and -their implacable foes. -</p> - -<p> -Having made friends with the natives -and taken the observations necessary to -determine the position of their villages, -Thompson prepared to depart. As the -Mandans dwelt in the territory of the United -States, and it was contrary to the treaty of -1794 for a British company to plant trading -posts among them, commerce was possible -only if they were willing to make the journey -to McDonnell's house to trade. Accordingly -a chief in the prime of life, together with -four young warriors, was selected to -accompany Thompson on the trip home. These -were joined by an old man and his squaw, -who said that they wished to see the houses -of the white men before they died. But the -heights of the Missouri were too much for -the aged couple, and they dropped out. -Fourteen days of storm and tempest on the -open plain sufficed to kill the spirit of two of -the warriors, and they also dropped out. -With the remainder, Thompson arrived at -Assiniboine House on the 3rd of February, -1798. Unfortunately, the attempt to open -up trade with the Mandans turned out to be -unsuccessful. The journey was long and -difficult in winter; and, in summer, the -Sioux were active and cut off parties who -tried to make the passage across their land -so that the Mandan villages proved to be -beyond the reach of the merchants from -Canada. -</p> - -<p> -At McDonnell's house, Thompson prepared -the maps and notes of his survey to be -sent by the next convoy to headquarters at -Grand Portage. He then took leave of his -hospitable friend, and set forth on his -explorations up the Red river. With three -French Canadians and an Indian guide, he -started down the Assiniboine, hauling his -baggage and provisions by dog sleds on the -ice. The tedious windings of the stream -and the ever increasing depth of snow -made progress difficult. Nevertheless, by -the 7th of March he had reached the -junction of the Assiniboine and the Red -rivers, where the city of Winnipeg now -stands. He then turned up the Red river, -and in six days' travel came to the -international boundary, beyond which it was -his duty to warn all traders that they were -trespassing in the territory of the United -States. -</p> - -<p> -By the 25th of March he had worked -his way south as far as the post of -Baptiste Cadotte, which was situated on a -tributary of the Red river, near the present -site of the town of Red Lake Falls. From -this point he purposed to cross the height -of land to the western end of Lake Superior. -Could he do it before the break-up of winter, -and while the mantle of snow still lay on the -ground to give passage to his dogs? He -had, it will be remembered, no experience -of southern latitudes. His last winter had -been spent by the shore of Reindeer lake, -where the ice stood firm till a windstorm -broke it up on the fifth day of July. Cadotte -warned him that the season was too far -advanced; but he took the risk. -</p> - -<p> -On the 27th of March he began his -his journey eastward up the Clearwater river -into Minnesota, picking up a guide from some -Chippewas whom he found on the way. As -the day wore on, the rays of the sun increased -in power, and walking became difficult in the -thawing snow. The night was mild, and the -following morning the guide took care to break -his snow-shoes that he might have an excuse -for returning to camp. The day was wasted, -while Thompson waited impatiently for another -guide to be sent to take the place of the first. -At sundown a storm came on with thunder, -lightning, and rain, which continued the -night through and far into the next day. The -snow was now so heavy that progress was -impossible. The continuous rains had soaked -the clothes and the baggage of the party -through and through. The fourth day opened -with gusts of hail and sleet. The country -before them was like a lake, and Thompson -was compelled to admit himself beaten. -Splashing and stumbling through the bush and -along the treacherous ice of the river, the -party struggled to make their way back to the -protecting shelter of Cadotte's roof. But -their baggage was too much for them, and -they had to give in. Finally Thompson with -one man, travelling light, pressed forward to -the post for help; and by the afternoon of the -second day the weary travellers were brought -safely into camp. -</p> - -<p> -When the rivers were finally clear of ice, -Thompson, with his three Canadians and a -native woman, made a fresh start, this time -by canoe and with dried provisions to last for -twelve days. They had first to battle their -way against the current of Clearwater river, -to the portage which brought them to Red -lake. The country was everywhere soaked -with water, so that at night they were forced -to cut down trees and sleep on the branches. -Red lake, they found, was still covered with -patches of broken ice. Hauling and paddling -their canoe in turn they crossed the lake, and -entered an immense area of pond and marsh -to the south. Everywhere stretched beds of -wild rice, the haunt of innumerable geese, -duck, and loon. With infinite toil they made -their way from lake to lake and brook to -brook, until after five days in the marsh they -arrived at Turtle lake. -</p> - -<p> -This lake Thompson took to be the true -source of the Mississippi. Twenty years -later American surveyors reached the -conclusion that, of all the ponds whose waters -join to form the Mississippi, Lake Itaska -most deserved the name. Lake Itaska lies a -few miles to the south and west of Turtle lake. -Yet this fact hardly suffices to rob David -Thompson of the glory of being the first man -to fix the point from which the Father of -Waters takes its rise. -</p> - -<p> -There was still a long journey ahead to -the coast of Lake Superior; and the canoe -was leaky from bumping about among the -ice floes. Luckily two boats of Chippewas -came along on their way to John Sayer's post -at Red Cedar or Cass lake. With these -Thompson and his party embarked. A carry -of two hundred yards took them past the -narrow and shallow waters of Turtle brook, -to a point where the stream was enlarged by a -tributary from a nearby lake. Here they -launched their canoes and followed the stream -through its incredible windings to the lake. -This was the country of wild rice and maple -sugar, and on these the poor Indians were -compelled to subsist. Not a deer or a beaver -was to be seen; all had been destroyed. The -geese and ducks flew overhead in safety; for -the impoverished natives could not even afford -the price of guns and ammunition, and they -had lost the art of making and using the bow. -</p> - -<p> -Sayer supplied Thompson with a fresh -canoe, which enabled him to continue his -voyage. From the south of the lake, the -valley of the Mississippi now lay clear before -him to the south east—a wide expanse of -marshy ground through which the channel -meandered like a writhing snake. As he -advanced, however, the marsh gave way to a -sandy loam, heavily clothed with resinous fir. -Arriving at Sand Lake river, he turned east -along this to Sand lake. Before him was a -great swamp, nearly five miles in width and -stretching north and south as far as the eye -could reach. This was the last barrier -between him and the headwaters of the River -St. Louis. Shouldering their canoe and -baggage, they advanced along the rude corduroy -road which the traders had laid across the bog. -As often as they missed their step, they sank -to their waists in the mire. A long day's -work was needed before they had reached the -other side. From thence a brook carried -them to the main stream of River St. Louis. -They passed into the forest country that -surrounds the lake; and were soon at the -trading house which the North-Westers maintained -at Fond du Lac on the present site of -the city of Duluth. -</p> - -<p> -Here they found an old twenty-eight foot -canoe, which they patched up and fitted with -oars, for their slight river craft was unequal -to the winds and waves of Superior; and they -had still to make a survey of the lake. The -weather was fine; and they made the circuit -without adventure, east along the south shore -to Sault Ste. Marie, and westward along the -north shore to Grand Portage. Late in the -evening of the 7th of June, Thompson set -foot on the pier, his long journey over. -</p> - -<p> -At Sault Ste. Marie he had encountered -Sir Alexander Mackenzie and William -McGillivray travelling east to Montreal. When -they heard what he had done, they were warm -in their praise, and told him that he had -accomplished as much in ten months as -might have been expected in two years. His -reputation was thus established, and his -future with the North West Company was -assured. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<p><a id="chap05"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER V -<br><br> -EIGHT YEARS OF TRADING -</h3> - -<p> -The report which Thompson made to his -employers after his return to Grand -Portage was of immense value to them. They -now had a clear idea of the whole stretch of -country from Sault Ste. Marie to the upper -waters of the Missouri river, and were in a -position to rearrange their trading houses to -meet the needs of the time. Similar work -remained to be done in the other regions to -which the interests of the Company extended. -But the same haste was not required, and the -surveys could be pushed forward with less -difficulty and expense in connection with what -was the main object of the partners, that is -the prosecution of the trade in furs. -Thompson was therefore requested to undertake -some of the actual work of trading, with -freedom to make such journeys of exploration -as he saw fit. -</p> - -<p> -The eight years following therefore mark -a new period in his service with the North -West Company, during which his activities -carried him far and wide along the great -waterways of the interior. Throughout these -years he exercised, to the full, the qualities of -mind and character which made him such a -unique surveyor. His bulky note books were -crammed with memoranda gathered with -painstaking accuracy and checked with minute -care. From time to time, where a less hurried -visit to one of the more comfortable trading -houses made it possible, he added his newly -acquired information to the map which he had -in hand. With each report that he made to -Headquarters, the picture of the Great West -gradually took shape. Its physical features -were delineated; its wild life was noted and -classified; its native populations, their numbers, -their racial affinities and languages, their -manners and customs were as far as possible -described. This was indeed wizardry, as his -ignorant French-Canadian and Indian followers -imagined; but it was the wizardry of -science, which, by the slow accumulation of -ascertained facts, lays the whole world of -nature at the feet of civilized man. -</p> - -<p> -In the summer of 1798, the attention of -traders was largely directed to the western -forest country, which lies beyond the divide -separating the waters of the upper -Saskatchewan from the basin of the Peace and -Athabaska rivers. Twenty years before, Peter -Pond had penetrated into this region as far as -Lake Athabaska, and there established a post. -At Lake Athabaska, ten years later, Roderick -Mackenzie had built Fort Chippewyan, from -which Sir Alexander had set out on his two -famous voyages, the one down the Mackenzie -to the Arctic, the other up the Peace to its -headwaters and from thence across British -Columbia to the Pacific. Apart, however, -from the activity centred in Lake Athabaska, -little had been done as yet to explore the -possibilities of trade in what is now northern -Alberta. -</p> - -<p> -Thompson was therefore instructed to -proceed to Lake la Biche or Red Deer lake, -whose waters fall into the Athabaska river -about fifty miles below Athabaska Landing. -On the 14th of July, he set forth from Grand -Portage with the Churchill river brigade. By -the middle of August they had reached -Cumberland House, and a week later they had -crossed over Frog Portage to the main stream -of the Churchill. -</p> - -<p> -From this point west the route lay -through a region as yet new to Thompson. -As he ascended the river to Isle à la Crosse, -he found that the country was still composed -of the denuded rock with which he was -familiar on the lower stretches of the river. -Ridges of this rock, crossing the valley of the -stream from point to point, gave it the -character of an irregular chain of lakes with many -portages and falls. Like the rest of the stony -country, it was somewhat poor in game and -fur-bearing animals, although many of the -lakes teemed with fish. -</p> - -<p> -From Isle à la Crosse to the valley of the -Athabaska there were two possible routes. -To the north there was Turnor's old course -by way of Methy Portage and Clearwater -river. To the south, the Beaver river led -through a district of plain and forest to its -headwaters at Beaver lake, from which there -was an easy portage over the height of land -to Lake la Biche. Thompson followed the -Beaver river, and arrived at Lake la Biche in -time to build a post before the beginning of -winter. -</p> - -<p> -He was now at the southern end of that -vast stretch of country which he calls the -Great Western Forest, and almost in the same -latitude as that of Reed lake in the Muskrat -country where he had spent the winter of -1794-5. He was thus in a position to compare -the climate and soil of this region with -that of his old home on the eastern or "Siberian" -side of North America. Throughout the -long winter months, he kept as usual a careful -record of the temperatures registered from day -to day by his thermometer. At Reed lake, -the temperature for December had varied -from <b>31° to -45° with a mean of -10° F. -For January it had varied from </b>11° to --47° with a mean of -21.3°, and for February -from <b>39° to -31° with a mean of </b>6°. -At Lake la Biche he found that although in -each of the three winter months, the mercury -sank as low as 48° below zero, it rose at times -as high as 43° above, and that the mean for -December, the coldest month, was not lower -than -6.5°. Then, too, while Reed lake was -hardly above the level of Hudson Bay, the -country about Lake la Biche was high and -dry, and the snow did not lie so thick on the -ground at the end of winter. Accordingly, -the rays of the sun had a chance to exert their -power on the face of the land much earlier in -the year, and spring burst at Lake la Biche -long before winter had loosened his iron grip -on the region about Reed lake. -</p> - -<p> -The forests with their wild life responded -generously to the less rigorous climate. In -the Muskrat region, the wretched traders and -Indians were forced to scour the country for -fish and game in quantities sufficient to keep -them alive. At Lake la Biche the waters -yielded an abundant supply of fish; and -during the five months that he spent at the -post, Thompson saw no less than forty-nine -moose and several buffalo brought in, all of -which had been shot within twenty miles of -the house. There also all the animals, -including the precious beaver, attained their -full size and development. -</p> - -<p> -Thompson wished to get an idea of the -extent and general character of this western -forest land, and the quickest way to do so -was to survey the Athabaskan waters from -their sources. Accordingly, when spring -opened, he rode across country southwest to -Fort Augustus and from thence westward to -the headwaters of the Pembina, which at this -point was divided from the valley of the -Saskatchewan by a narrow neck of land. -Embarking on the Pembina, he followed it -down till it merged with the main stream of -the Athabaska river. A short excursion up -the Slave Lake river enabled him to explore -the shore line of Lesser Slave lake. Returning -to the Athabaska, he continued along its -broad stream past Athabaska Landing to the -mouth of the Clearwater river, and from -thence he made his way along the well-known -track by Methy Portage and the Churchill to -Grand Portage. Throughout the region -embraced in his survey, he found little exposed -rock and therefore few lakes, but what was -better for the beaver many small brooks and -streams which they could dam for their ponds. -The country thus promised a steady yield of -furs from year to year, and this, with the -generous supply of game which the forest -offered to trader and trapper, was enough to -justify the name which it bore, "The -fur-traders' paradise." -</p> - -<p> -In the mad competition for pelts, the -different companies could not rest content -with the trade of regions already within their -grasp. Each of them sought always to push -further afield; for he, who could anticipate his -rivals in opening new country, might plant -his trading houses on the most advantageous -sites and bind the Indians to himself with ties -which later comers could not break. In 1790, -Peter Pangman for the North-Westers had -pressed along the course of the North -Saskatchewan to a point five miles above its -junction with the Clearwater. There from a -hill top he had gazed along the line of -snow-capped Rockies, and his eyes had travelled up -the winding course of the river to the gap -through which it issued from the mountains. -From that time the partners had never ceased -to dream of the wealth that lay beyond the -Great Divide. In a decade the line of their -trading posts had been extended to a point -but three miles short of "Pangman's Pine." There, -in a wide plain not far from the forks of -the river, rose the walls and blockhouses of -Rocky Mountain House, destined to serve as -a point of departure for the invasion of the -last great area as yet unknown. -</p> - -<p> -But much tedious work remained to be -done before it would be possible to hazard the -passage of the Rocky Mountains. Besides -the North Saskatchewan, there were two main -branches of the South river, the Red Deer and -the Bow rivers, and these had to be surveyed -to their sources in the foothills in order to -determine the best routes for trade. The -Blackfoot, Blood, and Piegan Indians, whose -encampments lay along the courses of these -streams, were suspicious and hostile. They -held these regions by right of conquest from -the Kootenays and Snakes whom they had -driven to the mountains; and these needed -only to procure the muskets and ammunition -which the white men could supply in order to -sweep down through the rugged passes and -revenge themselves for the defeats of many -years. The Indians therefore steadily -opposed any movement of the traders toward -the Rockies, and even the stoutly fortified -trading posts were hardly secure against a -sudden assault. -</p> - -<p> -In these circumstances, the partners at -Grand Portage could think of no one better -qualified than David Thompson to accomplish -the objects of the company. They -remembered the early connections which he -had made among the Piegans during his -service with the English, and they had -complete confidence in his skill and daring. -Thompson was accordingly taken away from -his work in the Athabaska country, almost -before it was well begun, and despatched up -the Saskatchewan to Fort George, in order -that he might draw the maps of his recent -surveys and complete his preparations for the -work that was now in hand. -</p> - -<p> -In the spring he took horse and rode -overland to Fort Augustus, and thence south -along the Edmonton-Calgary line to a point -just short of the present town of Lacombe. -Turning west, he struck the Clearwater near -its mouth and found himself at Rocky -Mountain House. While he himself descended the -North Saskatchewan to the elbow, making a -survey as he went, he sent four French -Canadians south to the Red Deer river, with -orders to follow it to its junction with the -main stream of the South Saskatchewan. A -short distance below Rocky Mountain House, -he found a party of Hudson's Bay men -encamped for building. The English, as well as -the Canadians, were bent on crossing the -Great Divide; and it would be a serious blow -if they were allowed to anticipate the -North-Westers in so doing. -</p> - -<p> -Accordingly, on his return to Rocky -Mountain House, Thompson brought with -him Duncan McGillivray from down the river, -in order that he might have assistance in -pressing forward his explorations. Along with -McGillivray, he rode across to the Red Deer -river, where he found a camp of Piegans. A -short stay among them was enough to lull -their suspicions; and Thompson was then -able to ride twenty-two miles west to the foot -of the mountains, where he expected to meet a -band of Kootenays. These he found, twenty-six -strong. With their women and children -they had crossed the divide to meet the -white traders. These Kootenays were the -first of the British Columbia Indians whom -Thompson had encountered. He warned -them of the presence of the Piegans only a few -miles east, and sent them back across the -mountains. In order to avoid the Piegans, -they travelled by way of the North Saskatchewan -and succeeded in reaching their homes -unobserved. -</p> - -<p> -Meanwhile, with McGillivray and four -men on horseback, Thompson crossed the -Red Deer river and rode still further south to -the banks of the Bow, not far from Calgary. -This stream he surveyed as far east as the -bend and westward to Exshaw at the foot of -the mountains. McGillivray then made a -traverse across from the north fork of the -Saskatchewan to the valley of the Athabaska, -the results of which were carefully -incorporated in Thompson's notes. Thompson -himself spent the rest of the winter at Rocky -Mountain House, trading with the natives -and taking observations to fix the location of -the post. -</p> - -<p> -When spring opened, he resolved to -attempt a journey into the mountains by -land. With a party of eight men and an -Indian guide, he started westward from -Rocky Mountain House. In the narrow -valley of the Sheep river, the horses could go -no further; and as the guide knew of no other -route, they returned to the post. A second -attempt, this time by canoe up the -Saskatchewan, was equally unsuccessful because -of the floods on the river. When Thompson -returned to eastern headquarters in the -spring of 1802, he was not yet able to report -that he had opened a practicable route to the -west of the Rockies. -</p> - -<p> -What was the effect of this news upon the -minds of the partners? From Thompson's -subsequent movements, it is possible to -surmise. The attempt to pierce the mountains -from the headwaters of the Saskatchewan was -for the time being abandoned, and attention -was once more transferred to the north. -According to the surveys already made by -Thompson, the west end of Lesser Slave -lake could not be more than fifty or seventy-five -miles from the valley of the Peace river, -up which Alexander Mackenzie had travelled -ten years before. Thither Thompson was -sent, with instructions to explore a route -across the watershed. -</p> - -<p> -From the upper end of Lesser Slave lake, -he pushed his way west through a wide valley -until he came to the banks of the Smoky -river. On the different branches of the -Saskatchewan, he had noted the seams of coal -exposed along the banks. At Smoky river, -the coal beds, ignited by spontaneous -combustion, had been burning from beyond the -memory of the oldest Indians on the river, -and the dark clouds of smoke which they sent -forth gave the river its name. Smoky river -was a tributary of the Peace. A short journey -down stream brought him to the Forks where -now stands Peace River Landing. -</p> - -<p> -Thompson spent the winters of 1803 and -1804 developing trade from the old posts -built by Mackenzie at the Forks of the river, -and westward beyond the frontiers of British -Columbia. Here, as at the headwaters of the -Saskatchewan, he found rivals. No sooner -was he settled at the Forks than a party of -XY traders from Montreal landed a few yards -from the post and made preparations for the -erection of a house. Thompson prosecuted -his work with his accustomed vigour. In the -winter of 1805, when Simon Fraser set forth -on the journey that was to make him famous, -he found that a base for his exploration of the -Fraser river had been soundly established on -the Peace by his friend and colleague David -Thompson. He honoured him accordingly -when he gave the name of Thompson to the -greatest tributary of the Fraser river. -</p> - -<p> -By the summer of 1804 Thompson was -once more back at headquarters, no longer -at Grand Portage (for that had been -surrendered to the Americans), but at Fort -William on Thunder Bay, where the dépôt of -the company had now been established. In -that year, the trade war with the XY Company -had reached an acute stage. The Hudson's -Bay Company had also reorganized their -enterprises, and between them these rivals had -almost succeeded in wresting from the -North-Westers the trade of the Muskrat -country. Thompson was therefore withdrawn -from the fields of his recent activity, his -chance of crossing the mountains was -indefinitely postponed, and he was sent into the -Muskrat country to restore the trade of that -region to the Canadians. -</p> - -<p> -With a heavy heart he turned his back -on the far west, and entered the cold and dismal -forest which he knew only to loathe. But -loyalty was one of the deepest instincts of his -nature, and so, with indefatigable energy, -he proceeded to build new posts and explore -new routes in the region north-east of Lake -Winnipeg. In the course of his efforts, he -carried the flag of the North-Westers to a -point on South Indian lake not more than -two hundred and fifty miles distant from -Churchill itself. In his relations with rival -traders, he exhibited a friendliness and courtesy -that stands in marked contrast with the -cut-throat methods too frequently adopted at -critical moments of competition. The -surveys begun years before, when he was working -under Joseph Colen, were now triumphantly -finished. Of them, a member of the Canadian -Geological Survey says, "After Thompson -had completed his surveys of this muskrat -country, no further information was obtained -about it for nearly a century, and when in -1896, I travelled through it, the only map of -any service which was available was that -drawn by David Thompson in 1813 from -surveys made at this time." -</p> - -<p> -It is sometimes imagined that the Indians -a century ago existed in vast numbers; -and that they were universally of a warlike and -bloodthirsty disposition. This is a complete -mistake. It was only in especially favourable -localities that conditions were such as to -promote the evolution of large bands, and -generally speaking the Indian was a poor and -humble creature. Lacking the power of -invention, he was often satisfied to make use of -utensils of the most primitive character, and -he was almost, if not quite, unarmed. -</p> - -<p> -Throughout the whole of the Muskrat -country Thompson was able to count but -ninety-two widely scattered families, each of -them numbering perhaps seven souls. This -gave to every human being from two to three -hundred square miles of hunting country. -Yet so poor was the region and so great the -improvidence of its inhabitants that, in -unfavourable seasons, the population was often -reduced to the verge of starvation, and it was -only by means of the greatest efforts that they -wrested a livelihood from their gloomy land of -rock and forest. -</p> - -<p> -All of Thompson's efforts therefore did -not avail to bring satisfactory returns from a -region so poor in furs, and inhabited by such -a sparse and wretched population. It was -with joy in his heart that he handed over the -district to a partner in the early summer of -1806, and once more wended his way back -to Fort William. -</p> - -<p> -Two events of personal interest in the life -of Thompson occurred during these eight -years. The first was his marriage to -Charlotte Small, the half-breed daughter of -Patrick Small, an early trader in the West. -Small was a member of a famous Irish family, -which had given generals and admirals to the -service of the Empire. He had, however, -followed the custom of the country and taken -a native woman to wife. Thompson's marriage -took place at Isle à la Crosse in the -summer of 1799. The other event took place -on November 8, 1804, although the news of it -did not reach Thompson until some time later. -On that date the North West Company and -the XY Company agreed to cease their -ruinous competition and join forces for the -expansion of their trade. In the terms of -agreement, the name of David Thompson -appears as a partner of the United Company. -This was good news in itself; but better still -was the prospect that loomed up before his -eyes. With the wounds of competition -healed, and the Canadian trading interests now -presenting a united front, the last obstacle to -an aggressive forward movement was removed, -and the conquest of the Rockies might finally -be achieved. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<p><a id="chap06"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER VI -<br><br> -ACROSS THE GREAT DIVIDE -</h3> - -<p> -There are long stretches in human life -when the contest with fate seems endless -and the result uncertain, but it is such periods -that test the mettle of a man. In the life of -David Thompson, the eight years just past -had been marked by no striking achievement. -Yet with unflagging patience and zeal he had -discharged his routine duties, constantly -adding to his equipment the knowledge and -judgment that come from maturer years and -wider experience. When therefore his hour at -last struck, he was not unready. Expert -surveyor, skilled trader, he was now to crown -his life-work by a piece of original discovery -and exploration on a scale grand enough to -place him in the foremost rank among the -builders of British North America. -</p> - -<p> -It was summer of the year 1806 when -Thompson returned from the Muskrat -country to headquarters at Fort William. There -he found a new excitement and a new -enthusiasm in the air. During the preceding -year the American officers, Lewis and Clark, -had crossed from the upper Missouri to the -valley of the Snake river, and followed that -stream to its junction with the lower -Columbia, down which they had made their way to -the Pacific ocean. John Jacob Astor, the -great American merchant, was exerting all -his strength to build up a fur trading empire -on the Pacific slope under the flag of the -Republic; and the full extent of his ambitions -was now disclosed. For some years the -Hudson's Bay Company had been knocking at -the barrier of the Rockies, and, spurred by -competition, they might at any moment burst -through. Fraser for the North-Westers had -already advanced from the Forks of the -Peace, and accomplished the difficult and -dangerous feat of descending the Fraser river. -But between the Fraser river on the north -and the Snake on the south was a vast region -on which the feet of white men had never trod; -and the North West Company, no longer -crippled by their civil war with the XY traders, -were resolved to claim this region for -themselves. Thompson was at once despatched -to Rocky Mountain House, with definite -instructions to cross the mountains, this time as -senior officer at the post and in full charge of -the operations. -</p> - -<p> -The winter of 1806-7 was spent in -preparation; and John McDonald of Garth, -trader of the Company, together with Quesnel -and Finan McDonald, clerks, lent a hand in -the work. The route selected was by way of -the North Saskatchewan, which Thompson -knew must be practicable, because it was -along this road that the Kootenay Indians had -returned, when he sent them back to their -homes some years before. He therefore -despatched one of his men, a half-breed called -Jaco Finlay, up this road into the mountains, -with instructions to spy out the land. -Everything was done with the utmost quietness. -The Piegan Indians suspected nothing, -although they were at all times visiting the fort. -Even the Hudson's Bay people, encamped -on the river just below the North-Westers, -had not an inkling of Thompson's plans. -</p> - -<p> -In the spring Jaco Finlay returned to the -post with his report. He had penetrated -through the gap in the mountains to a large -valley near the head of the river, where he had -built a small outpost and got in touch with -the Kootenays. From this valley he had -crossed the watershed to a small stream which -flowed south-westward and emptied into a -mighty river. At the mouth of this stream -he had built a canoe, which he had carefully -"cached" for Thompson's use. -</p> - -<p> -At this moment an incident occurred -in distant Montana, which, tragic in itself, -was not without advantage for Thompson. -Captain Lewis, the American officer, had -became embroiled with the Blackfeet. They -attacked his camp and two of their warriors -were killed. Suddenly all the allied tribes were -inflamed with the passion for revenge. War -parties gathered throughout the plains, and -the Piegans in the neighborhood of Rocky -Mountain House were drawn off to the south. -Perceiving the passes unguarded, Thompson -gathered his equipment and made an immediate -start. With his wife and children, Finan -McDonald and a party of half-breeds to help -him, he moved up the river by horse and -canoe and entered the mountains. -</p> - -<p> -As he advanced, the country became -rougher and wilder. The grassy hills were left -behind, and the mountains raised their heads -in mad confusion height on height, bald and -precipitous masses of solid rock, except for -the patches of pinewood that clung here -and there to their slopes. At times, the crags -came together compressing the river to the -width of a few yards, through which the -current rushed against them. Again, when the -valley widened, the stream would divide into -many channels dotted with rugged islets and -marked by shoals of rock and sand. Finally -they reached the valley in which Jaco Finlay -had built his house—a low and level plain to -the north side of the river, about five miles -long and not less than a mile in width. On -every hand were to be seen the remains of old -tepees erected by the Kootenays, who -frequented the spot to make dried provisions -from the buffalo and mountain goat. For this -reason Thompson gave the valley the name of -Kootenay plains. -</p> - -<p> -Above Kootenay plains, the river contracted -to a width of barely fifteen yards, and -so continued to the forks, at which point the -canoes had to be laid up. From the forks, -there was a splendid view of the mountains -still ahead, their peaks more elevated and -craggy than they had so far seen, for they were -in fact the main range of the Rockies. Taking -the left branch of the stream they followed -it to within a mile of its end in Glacier lake. -At this point, between Mount Balfour on the -right and Mount Forbes on the left, was a gap -opening to the west. Into this gap they -turned. A march of two miles through heavy -pinewood brought them to a rivulet whose -waters flowed to the west. "May God in his -mercy," says the pious explorer, "give me to -see where its waters flow into the ocean and -return in safety." Thus he marked out his -programme for the next four years. -</p> - -<p> -This rivulet (Blaeberry creek) descended -sharply through a narrow, winding valley -between the heights; and it was necessary for -the party to force their way through the thick -woods along the steep and rugged slopes, and -to cross and recross the stream through water -knee-deep, in order to reach the mouth. A -full day's travel, however, brought them to the -valley of the Columbia. The weather had -done its work on the canoe built by Jaco -Finlay; and it was quite unseaworthy. They -had to halt while they scoured the woods for -materials and built new canoes. Finally they -embarked and paddled south up the Columbia -until they came to its headwaters. There, a -short distance from Lake Windermere, they -hewed logs of heavy fir and built a cabin -which they strongly stockaded on three sides, -the fourth resting on the steep bank of the -river. This was Old Kootenay House, the -first trading post erected by white men on the -waters of the Columbia. -</p> - -<p> -In this remote spot, the safety of all -depended upon the courage and resource of the -leader. Additional supplies were needed from -Rocky Mountain House, and Finan McDonald -was sent back across the mountains to -fetch them. Until the end of autumn, -provisions were scarce, for the red deer and -antelope had not yet descended from the higher -levels, and the mountain goat was hard to -shoot as he leapt from crag to crag. The -party therefore relied on fish and the flesh of -wild horses whose feeding grounds were not -more than two miles from the house. For the -purpose of trade, it was necessary to get in -touch with the natives and to examine the -country as well as possible. The season was -late, but Thompson was able to make one -short excursion with a chief of the Flatbow -Indians. -</p> - -<p> -When Finan McDonald rejoined his -chief, he brought with him alarming -intelligence. In the course of the summer, the -brother of Old White Swan, a Blackfoot chief, -had with his band assaulted and pillaged -Fort Augustus, possessing himself of many -guns, much ammunition and tobacco and -various other articles. Whether or not he -had murdered the traders at the Fort, -McDonald could not say; but it was clear that -the spirit of unrest and resentment against -the whites which had for some time pervaded -the whole Blackfeet confederacy was now -coming to a head; and Thompson could hardly -hope that he himself would escape serious -trouble. -</p> - -<p> -Trouble came rather sooner than he -expected. The fort was not yet finished when -twelve Piegan Indians appeared on foot from -across the mountains. A month later twenty-three -more arrived. These set up their tents -along with the others just outside the gates. -For over two months they hung about the -stockade, making themselves very objectionable, -and forcing the garrison to remain together -within the walls. But Thompson had -a small stock of dried provisions on hand, and -he put his men on short rations, so that -there might be no need to scatter over the -country for hunting. For water, he let down -two large kettles nightly from the steep river -bank and this was enough for the daily needs -of the post. Towards the end of October, -two of the Indians disappeared from the group, -and the garrison feared a general attack. -Nothing, however, materialized, and before -winter set in, the savages drifted quietly away. -</p> - -<p> -Yet their peril was not yet over. One -morning, two more Piegans presented -themselves at the fort. Thompson was anxious, -but he did not flinch. He showed them the -strength of his stockades and bastions, the -walls bored with loopholes for his muskets. -"I know," he said, "that you are come as spies -and intend to destroy us, but many of you will -die before you succeed. Go back to your -countrymen and tell them this." At the -same time, he loaded them with presents of -tobacco for their friends. A fortunate -circumstance hastened their departure. Two of the -Kootenay Indians came to the fort while they -were there, and when they saw the Piegans, -they glared at them like tigers. Meanwhile -the little garrison watched and waited, six -hardy voyageurs ready to die if necessary in -order to make good the words of their chief. -And while they waited, winter came on, covering -the mountains with snow and placing them -in safety. -</p> - -<p> -It was some time before Thompson -learned the details of his escape. The two -Piegans were, as he guessed, the advanced guard -of a large war party that was being formed at -the instigation of the civil chief to crush the -white men and the natives to the west side of -the mountains before they became well armed. -The war chief (Thompson's old friend Kootanae -Appee) had opposed this venture. How, -he urged, could they smoke to the Great Spirit -for success, if without warning they invaded -the lands of a people with whom for ten -summers they had been at peace? Such, however, -was the influence of the wilder spirits, that -the old war chief was compelled to yield to -their will. -</p> - -<p> -In fifteen days about three hundred -warriors under three chiefs assembled at the -rendezvous named by Kootanae Appee, and -under his leadership marched through the -mountains to within twenty miles of the post. -There they awaited the return of their -scouts. It was not long before the latter -arrived. The Kootenays, they said, were -gathering under the white man to fight for the -protection of their post. At the same time -they presented the chiefs with Thompson's -gifts, six feet of tobacco for Kootenae Appee, -eighteen inches for each of the lesser chiefs, -and a fine pipe of red porphyry with an -ornamental stem in which to smoke it. -</p> - -<p> -Thompson's knowledge of the Indians -was thorough, and in this case, his guess as to -their intentions had hit the mark. When the -war chiefs heard his message of defiance, they -were dumbfounded. "What can we do with -this man," they exclaimed, "our women -cannot mend a pair of shoes but he sees them" -(alluding, of course, to Thompson's astronomical -observations). Then the eldest of the -three war chiefs, wistfully eyeing the tobacco, -of which they had none, observed: "I have -attacked tents, my knife could cut through -them and our enemies had no defence against -us. I am ready to do so again. But to go and -fight against logs of wood that a ball cannot -pierce, and with people we cannot see and -with whom we are at peace, is what I am -averse to. I go no further!" So saying, he -slowly fitted the pipe to the stem and handed -it to Kootenae Appee. Led by Kootenae -Appee, they all smoked; and, having accepted -Thompson's present, were unable to go further -against him. Thus by his own resource and -by the support of an old friend won in the days -of his service for the Hudson's Bay Company, -David Thompson prevented the destruction -of the first trading post on the Columbia. -</p> - -<p> -With the coming of spring began the -work of exploring the country. Leaving -McDonald in charge of Kootenay House, -Thompson embarked with four voyageurs on the -20th of April, 1807, and paddled through Lake -Windermere to the source of the Columbia. -From thence, an easy portage of two miles -across a grassy plain brought him to a fine -stream flowing south, the Kootenay river of -today. Launching his canoe, he proceeded -to search for Indians. -</p> - -<p> -The river flowed swiftly along between -high and steep banks of rock, their slopes -clothed with magnificent timber of all kinds. -From time to time the stream narrowed so -that the travellers were forced to paddle -briskly in order to keep ahead of the current. -As they approached Kootenay Falls, in -Lincoln county, Montana, the river entered a -cañon no less than a mile in length, terminating -in a gorge where the trail left the river side -and meandered along the dizzy slope of steep -bed rock, three hundred feet above the level -of the stream. An hour and a quarter was -necessary for the carry; and they cut their -shoes to pieces. The least slip would have -meant sure destruction; and they struggled -along over the jagged rocks without a grain -of earth or sand on them to relieve their -crippled feet. On the 14th of May, having -followed the winding course of the stream -southward across the present international -boundary and northward again as far as Kootenay -lake, they at length came upon ten tepees of -Indians. -</p> - -<p> -During all this time, they had shot nothing -except for a few antelope and they were -nearly famished. Once they came upon the -carcase of an antelope, on which an eagle was -feeding. Chasing the bird, they seized the -meat, but it was tainted and made them all -sick. The day following, they encountered -the Indians. These, however, had nothing -to offer the white men except a few dried carp -and some bitter black bread, made of the moss -collected from the bark of the resinous fir and -the larch. -</p> - -<p> -The snows of the mountains were now -melting, and the water of the river had risen -six feet, overflowing the wide meadows. -Owing to the floods, none of the Kootenays were -willing to come to the house to trade. To -paddle home against the current was -impossible. Thompson therefore laid up his canoe, -bought horses from the Indians and engaged -a guide who undertook to lead him overland -by a well-known native trail northeast along -the valley of the Grand Quête river to -Kootenay House. -</p> - -<p> -A day's travel brought them to a large -brook, so deep and rapid that the horses could -not cross. Thompson selected a large cedar -growing by the bank. This he felled so that it -lay across the stream and served as a bridge -over which they carried their luggage. The -horses were taken separately, and by means of -a heavy strap of rawhide, dragged kicking and -struggling to the further bank. The guide -then went hunting, but returned empty -handed, and the party went supperless to bed. -Early next morning, he killed a small antelope, -which was eagerly devoured. But the -faint-hearted guide had already had enough. -Without warning, he decamped and returned -to his people, leaving the white men stranded -among the hills, without provisions and -utterly ignorant of the country. -</p> - -<p> -For two days they waited with faint -hopes of his return. Thompson then sent two -of his men back to the tepees to ask for another -guide. In the presence of these men, Ugly -Head, one of the chiefs, made a bitter attack -upon his followers. He reproached them for -their lack of spirit, contrasting their conduct -with that of the white men who braved every -danger and hardship to bring them arms, -ammunition and other things which they needed. -"How many of you," he said, "will volunteer -to accompany the strangers back to their -home?" Not a man answered the call. -They knew too well the dangers of mountain -travel at that season of the year. In this -crisis Ugly Head himself announced that he -would act as guide; and, with the voyageurs -to lead him, made his way to Thompson's camp. -</p> - -<p> -The noble and manly conduct of the -Indian inspired the little party with great -confidence and hope. Under his leadership, they -made their way among the rugged hills, -avoiding the inundated meadows. The -raging torrents they passed by throwing bridges -of trees across them. Finally they reached -the Kootenay river not far below the portage; -and here, after building a canoe to complete -their journey, they took leave of their guide. -In a short time they were safe at Kootenay -House. -</p> - -<p> -Thompson had now to conduct the -winter's hunt all the way east to Rainy River -House, and bring back supplies for the -following year. Among these supplies were two -kegs of alcohol, which his partners insisted -that he should take with him. Thompson -was well aware of the deplorable results that -had followed the introduction of spirits among -the Indians, but he was overruled. When he -came to the defiles of the Saskatchewan, he -caused the two kegs to be loaded on the back -of a vicious horse. By noon the kegs were -empty and broken to pieces. He wrote to -his partners, telling them what he had done, -and vowing that so long as he was in charge -of the fur trade across the mountains, he -would do the same with every keg of alcohol -which was sent to him. He was as good as -his word; and thus for a few years at least -succeeded in keeping the curse of spirits from -the Indians of the Pacific slope. -</p> - -<p> -When Thompson reached Kootenay -House, the season was too far advanced to -allow of further exploration. He therefore -sent Finan McDonald to open a trading house -at Kootenay Falls, while he himself remained -for the winter at the post, taking observations -and trading with the Indians. In the -following spring, he had once more to cross the -mountains with the furs, but by midsummer -he was back at his house ready to prosecute -his discoveries further to the south. -</p> - -<p> -In the neighborhood of the Falls, Thompson -had found that the Kootenay river bent -sharply to the west and north. In this -direction, he had traced its course to Kootenay -lake, before the floods came on, compelling -him to cross overland to his home under the -guidance of the chief Ugly Head. To the -south of the Kootenay was a ridge of -mountainous country, intersected however, by -well-marked Indian trails running north and south. -These trails, he was told, led to another great -river, parallel with the Kootenay and, like it, -flowing mainly to the west. This river (now -known as Clark's Fork) he made up his mind -to explore. -</p> - -<p> -His point of departure was from Ugly -Head's encampment, near the present site of -Bonner's Ferry, Idaho. There he laid up his -canoes, and borrowed horses from the Kootenays -for the journey across country. A two -day's ride brought him to Clark's Fork at the -point where it expands to form Lake Pend -d'Oreille. Here he was met by a large -deputation of Salish Indians, who welcomed him -with presents and gave him every assistance -in finding a site suitable for the erection of a -post. Their joy was easy to understand, for -they were armed merely with a few rude lances -and flint-headed arrows, utterly useless in -warfare against the Indians of the plains. -Thompson had guns, ammunition, and iron -arrow-heads for trade, but he warned them -that in order to procure these advantages, they -must learn to be industrious in hunting for -beaver and other furs, and cease spending -their days and nights in gambling—the pet -vice of the savage. This they eagerly -promised to do. -</p> - -<p> -It was the end of September before he -had finished the construction of his new post -(Kullyspell House), and he followed it up, by -constructing a second post, Salish House, -sixty miles further east along the river. -From Salish House, he had only to ride out to -the great camp of the Salish Indians near -Flathead lake in order to secure the promise -of their trade. He was now thoroughly -established along the whole course of Clark's -Fork river. -</p> - -<p> -From information he had gathered, -Thompson judged that both the Kootenay -river and Clark's Fork were tributaries of the -Columbia, and that if he followed them -westward to their mouths he would strike that -mighty river. From the unwelcome visitations -he had experienced at the hands of the -Piegans, he realized that the line of approach -from the defiles of the Saskatchewan to his -new trading post was exposed throughout its -length to raids of the plainsmen through the -easy passes of the mountains. He therefore -attempted to explore Clark's Fork to its -junction with the Columbia, hoping that from -thence he might discover a route further west -and less accessible to his foes. -</p> - -<p> -For some time he followed the course of -the river westward through a country of -extensive meadows and forests, enriched by -innumerable streams of pure water, and already -in March responding to the generous rays of -the sun, and the warm breezes from the ocean. -But as he approached the mouth, the appearance -of the land was changed. Rude blocks -of basalt made the country difficult for horses; -the stream, tumbling in countless rapids and -falls, was unnavigable for canoes. He was -forced to turn back; and as the winter's furs -were waiting for his arrival, he made his way -to Kootenay House and thence, to the dépôt -on Rainy river. -</p> - -<p> -In the course of the winter the Salish -Indians had traded upwards of twenty muskets -and several hundreds of iron arrow-heads, -and by dint of constant practice had become -so proficient in their use that they felt -themselves a match for the Indians of the plains. -In the month of July, when the bison bulls -were getting fat, they formed a camp of not -less than 150 men to hunt and make dried -provisions as Thompson had asked them to do. -With Finan McDonald, Michel Bourdeaux -and Baptiste Buché to help and encourage -them, they crossed the mountains by an easy -defile to the east of Flathead lake, and boldly -preceded to hunt for the buffalo. -</p> - -<p> -It was not long before the Piegans got -wind of their presence. One morning, the -scouts came riding into camp at breakneck -speed with the cry, "The enemy is upon -us." Down went the tents, and tent poles and -baggage were quickly formed into a rude -rampart. This was barely ready, when the enemy's -horsemen came dashing at the rampart with -wild shouts of rage. The Salish stood their -ground; and neither a second nor a third -charge was able to shake them. The battle -was now to be of infantry. The Salish lay -quietly behind their ramparts awaiting the -assault; while all day long the enemy advanced -in parties of thirty or forty, shouting insulting -cries and doing their best to lure them from -their cover. As often as they came within -gunshot, they were met with a fusilade of -bullets. At nightfall they retired discomfited, -leaving the Salish in possession of the field. -</p> - -<p> -This was the first occasion on which the -Salish had ventured to face the Piegans in the -open field, and although no scalps were taken -on either side, they counted it a victory to -have stood their ground. As for the Piegans, -their hearts were full of bitterness; and they -swore an oath to wreak vengeance on the -white men who had crossed the mountains to -the west, and furnished arms and ammunition -to their age-long foes. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<p><a id="chap07"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER VII -<br><br> -THE RACE TO THE SEA -</h3> - -<p> -By the middle of October, 1810, Thompson -was once more at the foot of the -Rockies en route for the Columbia with four -canoe loads of supplies. At Rainy River -House, he had learned that a vessel chartered -by J. J. Astor and loaded with goods in charge -of two former North West traders was on her -way around Cape Horn, bound for the Columbia; -and his orders were to anticipate this ship -in reaching the mouth of the river. He was -therefore anxious to get through the passes -without delay, and at all costs to avoid a -conflict with the Piegans. -</p> - -<p> -Since the 24th of September the brigade -had been held up in the neighborhood of -Rocky Mountain House. The post was -thronged by noisy bands of Piegan, Sarcee, -Blood, and Fall Indians, who had come -ostensibly to trade, but really to head off any -movement of the white man toward the -mountains. Alexander Henry, the trader in -charge, endeavoured to get rid of these -unwelcome visitors, but all in vain. In such a -crisis, the time-honoured expedient was rum. -While some of the Indians were drunk, -however, others were sober, and for some weeks -it was impossible to get the canoes away -without observation, either by day or night. -Finally, however, Henry got the frightened -voyageurs under way, and by the 13th of -October, the brigade was already within -twenty miles of the mountains. -</p> - -<p> -Thompson himself with a partner, William -Henry, and two Indian hunters had -ridden ahead to the gap, scouring the country -for game and keeping a sharp watch for -possible enemies. The party had killed three -red deer, made a scaffold, and placed the meat -on it for safety against wild animals. Days -passed, and the canoes did not put in an -appearance. On the 17th the oldest hunter, -rising as usual very early in the morning, looked -at the scaffold and remarked, "I have had bad -dreams; this meat will never be eaten." So -saying, he saddled his horse and rode away. -</p> - -<p> -Thompson could no longer conceal his -anxiety. He ordered Henry and the other -Indian to proceed down the river in search of -the canoes; with positive orders not to fire -a shot except in self-defence. At eight in the -evening they returned, and he heard their story. -Some miles down the river, they had seen a -number of Piegans encamped on the bank. -A short distance below this camp, they had -descended the slope to the river, where they -found the marks of canoes and near them in the -bottom a rude rampart of stones on which there -were traces of blood. Proceeding further down -stream, they had fired a shot as a signal to the -lost canoemen, but it was not returned. -</p> - -<p> -Thoroughly alarmed by their rashness -and folly, Thompson prepared to fly for his -life, for he knew that the Piegans would be on -them in the morning. At dawn of day, they -took horse and made their way east by a wide -detour through the forest. Fallen trees and -undergrowth interrupted their progress, and -their horses' hoofs made their track easy to -follow. Fortunately the afternoon brought -with it a light fall of snow, giving them some -hope of shaking off their pursuers, and late in -the evening they ventured to halt and kindle -a small fire. -</p> - -<p> -Racked with fear for his own safety and -anxiety for the fate of his men, Thompson -passed a sleepless night. His first care was -to find the brigade. Avoiding Rocky Mountain -House, he continued east for sixty miles -along the river, and there, on the second -afternoon, he came upon his men, safe -and sound, encamped in an abandoned -trading-post known as Boggy Hall. -</p> - -<p> -All hope was now abandoned of passing -in safety by the defiles of the Saskatchewan, -and Thompson determined to blaze a new trail -across the Rockies by way of the Athabaska -river. The route projected lay over an old -path of the Assiniboine Indians to a point on -the Athabaska not far from the present line of -the Canadian National Railways; and from -thence along the valley of the river past the -mouth of Yellowhead Pass to its headwaters -some miles further south. From this point a -pass led across the height of land to the Wood -river, a small tributary of the Columbia. In -later years this pass (known as the Athabaska -Pass) was the regular route for traders of the -Hudson's Bay Company on their journeys to -British Columbia. -</p> - -<p> -Horses and dogs were rapidly collected -for the trip over land. The men were detailed -to their several duties, four to hunt, two to -clear a path through the woods, and the -remainder to look after the animals and perform -the labour of the camp. By the 28th of -October all was in readiness; and the little -party set off with Thomas, an Iroquois Indian, -to act as guide. -</p> - -<p> -It was a full month before they had -crossed the belt that lay between them and -the Athabaska. The road ran through a -wretched country, over mountains and across -muskegs. Here and there the fires of the -forest had cut wide swathes through the -woods, leaving in their wake a tangled mass -of fallen timber, through which they had to -hack their way. In the bogs the horses lost -their footing, shifting their packs and bruising -their knees, until in a short while they -were almost useless. To complete the misery -of the travellers, there was the difficulty of -securing food. Their dried provisions were -soon exhausted. Game was scarce; and the -hunters often returned empty-handed after a -long day's chase. -</p> - -<p> -By the first of December they had reached -the Athabaska. Four days later they had -come to a point on the river a little above Brulé -lake, where the guide informed Thompson -that owing to the lateness of the season, all -thought of crossing the mountains with -horses had to be given up. The greater -number of the beasts were therefore sent back to -Rocky Mountain House; four only were retained -to ease the burden of the dogs. -</p> - -<p> -The thermometer now registered 32° -below zero; and the party threw themselves -into the work of building a rough shelter of -logs to serve while they prepared sleds and -snow shoes with which to complete their -journey. At the end of the month they made -a fresh start. Urged by the shouts and lashings -of the voyageurs, the dogs with their burdens -scurried along the ice of the river. In -five days they came to the grassy ponds that -marked its headwaters—the last possible -pasturage for horses. Here, therefore, the poor -animals were turned loose to survive the -winter as best they could. -</p> - -<p> -Four days more brought the party to the -height of land. The landscape, as far as the -eye could reach, was clothed with a heavy -mantle of gleaming snow. Round about -towered the lofty peaks, their sides scarred by -avalanches which had swept the slopes bare -of trees and rocks in their descent. To the -right lay an enormous glacier, a mass of -blue-green ice, the eastern face of which was not -less than two thousand feet in height. The -night was fine, and the stars shone with such -brilliance that one of the men told Thompson -that he felt he could almost touch them with -his hands. -</p> - -<p> -Early next morning they began the -descent to the valley of the Columbia. On -the eastern face of the mountains, the -approach to the height of land had been a long -and steady climb. To the west, the ground -fell away in a series of abrupt slopes, so steep -in places that it required sure footing to avoid -a tumble. A short advance therefore was -enough to produce an amazing difference in -the climate. The snow which to the east of -the mountains was thin and dry, here lay -heavy and wet upon the ground; and they -entered a forest of clean grown pine of -gigantic height and girth. So heavy were the -loads and so steep the slope that the dogs were -unable to guide the sleds, and from time to -time they came against the base of a pine tree -with considerable force, dog on one side, sled -on the other, so that they were disentangled -with difficulty. To relieve the animals, -Thompson had a portion of the loads removed -from the sleds. The men grumbled as they -were forced to lug these packs forward -through the heavy snow. Finally after fifteen -days' travel they arrived at the banks of the -Columbia. -</p> - -<p> -Mutterings of discontent were now openly -heard among the French Canadians. They -had had enough, and would follow the -madman no further. Four of them suited the -action to the word and deserted. Two of the -others Thompson despatched with letters to -William Henry, describing the route he had -discovered, and ordering Henry to follow him -along it with an additional supply of goods. -With the remainder, Thompson set forth on -the journey up the Columbia. They had -gone but one day when they, too, balked at the -restless energy of their leader. Faced with -incipient mutiny, Thompson had no choice -except to return to the mouth of the Wood -river, and there pass the rest of the winter. -</p> - -<p> -The place of his enforced residence was -the famous "Boat Encampment" of later -days. At this point, the Columbia, after -having pursued a north-westerly course for -upwards of two hundred miles from its -sources, bent sharply around the head of the -Selkirk Mountains, and flowed off to the -south. At the bend, the stream was joined -by two tributaries, the Wood and Canoe -rivers, coming in from the north, and forming -at their mouths a wide meadow of rich -alluvial soil. There in the midst of a forest -of giant pine and larch, the party cleared a site, -and built themselves a rough cabin. Thompson, -never idle, spent his time exploring the -neighbourhood, and constructing a boat for -the remainder of the journey. As there was -no birch bark available, he built it clinker-fashion -of cedar boards split thin; and these, -in default of nails, he sewed together with the -fine roots of the pine. -</p> - -<p> -The snow was not yet off the ground -when he was once more on his way. He had -counted on reaching the mouth of the Columbia -not later than the first of August, and -would gladly have made the descent by way -of the river itself, which here lay clear before -him. Of his canoemen, however, three only -had the courage to risk the chances of the -voyage. With so few men it would have -been madness to venture a long journey on -unknown waters and in the midst of possible -enemies; so he determined to make his way -past his old trading posts to the Salish -country. There he knew he could find plenty -of free hunters to help him in accomplishing -the voyage to the sea. -</p> - -<p> -It was six weeks before he had reached -Salish House, where he hoped to find Finan -McDonald. But neither McDonald nor Jaco -Finlay was at the post, and, as they had left -no letter to indicate their whereabouts, -Thompson prepared to descend Clark's Fork -by himself. The river presented an appearance -vastly different from that of the autumn -of 1809, when he had passed down it before. -The spring floods were now at their height, -and the water was rising at the rate of two -feet each day, inundating the meadows to the -foot of the hills, and dashing along with such -violence that every island became a water-fall, -with a strong eddy at the lower end. Down -this raging torrent they paddled, keeping in -midstream, and thankful as they passed each -danger spot in safety. The antelopes had -retired to the hills, and they lived on the meat of -horses which they traded from the Indians. -</p> - -<p> -On the 8th of June they arrived at the -point where the river entered the Box cañon -and became utterly unnavigable. There -Thompson found a small camp of Kullyspell -Indians, who informed him that Finan -McDonald was now at a post which he had built -on the banks of the Spokane river further -south. Thompson engaged two of these -Indians to inform McDonald of his presence; -while he himself waited until the latter should -join him with horses to carry his goods -overland to the new post. Four days later -McDonald, with thirteen horses, arrived; and -Thompson with all his possessions was -transported overland to Spokane House, about ten -miles northwest of the present city of Spokane. -</p> - -<p> -The Spokane river, like Clark's Fork, was -a tributary of the Columbia, and, like it, -unnavigable toward the mouth. Thompson -therefore left a small assortment of goods -with McDonald, and proceeded northwest -along a well-beaten Indian trail to a point on -the Columbia, just below Ilthkoyape or Kettle -Falls. Here the stream dropped several feet -in two magnificent cataracts, the roar of -which could be heard for many miles around. -</p> - -<p> -Just below the falls was an Indian -village, the first of its kind that Thompson -had seen. It was composed of a number of -huts, each from thirty to sixty feet in length, -roughly built of large cedar logs which had -drifted down the river, and roofed with mats -of woven fibre stout enough to withstand the -rain. The Indians who dwelt here subsisted -mainly on fish. Each spring, as the spawning -season drew near, they propitiated the -manito of the salmon with elaborate dances -and ceremonies. Thus purified, they took -their stand just beneath the falls and speared -or netted the fish, which they smoked in -quantities sufficient to last them through the -year. -</p> - -<p> -Thompson enquired of these people regarding -the course of the river both up and -down. From them he learned that the village -at Kettle Falls was the highest along the -stream that had survived the incursions of -the Piegans. Below them there was a journey -of ninety miles of rapids, at the end of which -stood another village of salmon fishers. -Beyond this they could tell him nothing. -Meanwhile the canoemen were busy preparing a -boat. In this region timber was very scarce. -They had to journey seven miles from the -river before they found a clump of cedar from -which they could hew the planking of a canoe; -and it was not until the third day of July that -the boat was finished. -</p> - -<p> -With five French Canadians, two Iroquois -Indians, and a couple of the natives for -interpreters, Thompson now embarked on the last -stage of his journey to the sea. He remembered -how, following the settlement of the -international boundary west of Lake Superior, -the traders of the North West Company had -been driven from a country which they had -made their own. By that settlement, the -forty-ninth parallel had been accepted as the line -from the Lake of the Woods to the watershed of -the Rocky Mountains. West of the Rockies -however, all was still debatable land; and in -that vast region, with its timbered mountains -and rich valleys, the wealth of fish in its -rivers and of minerals hidden in its bosom, he -claimed the right of a discoverer. At the -stern of his little craft, the Union Jack floated -proudly in the breeze; and at each halting -place, Thompson posted a written notice in -the name of the North West Company of -merchants from Canada, formally taking -possession of the country for His Majesty, -King George the Third. -</p> - -<p> -Down the river sped the canoe, the -paddlers with long swinging strokes easily -keeping abreast of the stream. Most of the -rapids they were able to shoot; and before -nightfall they had completed the ninety miles -to the village of which they had heard above. -Tents were pitched and Thompson summoned -the chiefs to smoke with him. -</p> - -<p> -In a short while the chief arrived, followed -by his men in single file. All sat down in a -circle about the tent, and the chief made a -brief speech, welcoming the strangers and -offering them presents of dried salmon and -native herbs. Pipes were then lighted and -solemnly passed round. Following this the -chief delivered a long harangue, in which he -expressed the hope that the white men would -provide his people with guns, ammunition, -axes, knives, awls, not to mention steels and -flints and many other articles of which they -stood sadly in need. They were, he said, able -and willing to hunt, and would pay for -everything they got. At present, however, they -had only their hands with which to procure -food and clothing. -</p> - -<p> -Thompson explained that his object was -to explore the course of the river to the sea. -If it proved navigable, very large canoes would -come from over the ocean with goods of all -kinds, and industrious hunters would be -supplied with everything they required. -</p> - -<p> -The colloquy finished, permission was -given for the women of the tribe to approach. -A dance of welcome followed, at the end of -which the weary travellers were left to their -repose. In this way Thompson made friends -with the natives wherever he found them -along the river. -</p> - -<p> -As he advanced, Thompson passed out -of the forest country, and entered the arid -plain that lies about the confluence of the -Snake river with the Columbia. Occasional -willows and cottonwoods were to be seen, -growing in the neighbourhood of streams; but -over the greater part of this region, the only -shrub capable of finding a lodging was the -hardy sage. The natives he now encountered -were of the unhappy Snake family, who had -been driven for refuge to this barren country -by the relentless pressure of their foes. Some -of them fled in terror at his approach. Others, -less timid, gazed with admiring eyes upon -the guns, kettles, axes, and other paraphernalia -of his camp. Their eagerness to obtain -such wonders was in proportion to their need; -for they did not appear to possess even bows -and arrows or the stone axes and knives that -were common among the Eskimos of the far -north. -</p> - -<p> -The river now turned to the west; and -far ahead on his left Thompson discerned the -snow-capped cone of Mount Hood, which -marked the line of the Cascade Mountains -near the coast. Fifty miles short of this, he -came to a village at which, as usual, he put -ashore. Here the natives warned him of the -treacherous Dalles or rapids just ahead, where -the river for a distance of two miles glides -noiselessly through a cañon never more than -two hundred yards wide, and the ledges of -basalt, projecting into the stream, create -whirlpools and eddies in which the traveller -is sucked to his death. At the same time, -the natives informed him that at the mouth -of the river, a party of white men who had -come in a great canoe from the ocean, were -busy erecting a house. Thus he learned that -the Astorian party had anticipated him in -reaching the mouth of the Columbia. -</p> - -<p> -A guide from the village carried him -safely through the Dalles, was paid, and -returned to the village. Fifty miles further down -stream, Thompson approached "the Cascades," -where the river cuts through the deep -lava beds of the Cascade mountains and makes -a descent of about three hundred feet. Here -the cañon was no less than six miles long, and -nearly a mile in depth. Trying in vain to -secure a guide, Thompson entered the rapids -alone. For three miles he "ran" the rapids; -a portage of one mile followed, taking him -past the worst stretch of the river; he then -re-embarked, and emerged in safety to the quiet -water below. -</p> - -<p> -There was still one hundred and fifty -miles to the mouth of the river; but the -magnificent forests of Douglas fir, cedar, and -hemlock which now clothed the country told -them that they had come within the beneficient -influence of the sea. Two days' paddle -brought them to Tongue point, beyond which -they had a full view of the ocean. To the -left, not more than a couple of miles distant, -they beheld four low log huts, constructed of -timbers newly cut—in the words of Thompson, -"the famous Fort Astoria of John Jacob Astor -and the United States". -</p> - -<p> -At Fort Astoria, Thompson was -welcomed by Duncan McDougall and David -Stuart, old colleagues in the service of the -North West Company. As their guest, he -spent a week at the post taking observations -for its position and preparing for the return -voyage. Toward the mouth of the river, the -natives had been demoralized by their -association with wandering traders from the sea; -and remembering their surly behaviour and -menacing looks, Thompson saw to it that his -men had their arms in readiness. On the -22nd of July, he embarked. At the Cascades, -he was forced to appeal to the natives for -assistance in climbing the rapids. The -scoundrels were importunate in their demands. With -knives in their hands and poisoned arrows in -their bows, they were ready to kill and plunder -the travellers. But the courage and -resolution of Thompson warded off the crisis; and -once above the Cascades he was again among -the poor but friendly savages of the interior. -Thompson was anxious to avoid the -ninety miles of rapids below Kettle Falls. -When he came to the mouth of the Snake -river, he turned up this stream and ascended -it as far as the present Lyon's Ferry. From -thence, having borrowed horses of the natives, -he journeyed overland across the sterile, sandy -plain as far as Spokane House; and from -Spokane House, with the assistance of Jaco -Finlay, he once more reached the Columbia -above Kettle Falls. There, building a fresh -canoe, he re-embarked and made his way -through the Arrow lakes to the Boat -Encampment, thus completing his survey of the -Columbia from its source to its mouth. -</p> - -<p> -The following winter Thompson spent -inspecting his various posts, and distributing -among them additional supplies of goods -which he had received from beyond the -mountains. From Salish House, he rode east -along Clark's Fork to a hill top within the -limits of the present city of Missoula; and from -thence he was able to trace the route of Lewis -and Clark through the Bitter Root Mountains -to the banks of Snake river. -</p> - -<p> -In the spring he was once more back at -Kettle Falls, where the furs from the winter's -hunt were being collected. The results were -excellent; six canoes had to be made ready to -accommodate the packs. By the 22nd of -April, his preparations were complete. The -brigade set off by way of the Columbia, -Athabaska pass, and Churchill river route to -Fort William. -</p> - -<p> -In the summer of 1812, when Thompson -arrived at Fort William after his last journey -from beyond the Rockies, he was in the -forty-third year of his life. It was twenty-eight -years since he had landed as an apprentice on -the shores of Hudson Bay; and twenty-three -years since he had actively embarked on his -career as a surveyor. During all this time he -had been constantly accumulating materials for -his great map of the North West. His work -was now complete; so that instead of -returning to the interior, he joined the annual -brigade of great canoes bound for Montreal. -Thus did David Thompson bid adieu forever -to the Great North West. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<p><a id="chap08"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER VIII -<br><br> -LAST YEARS -</h3> - -<p> -In 1812, hostilities had broken out between -the British Empire and the United States, -and the flame of war was raging along the -international border. In the St. Mary's -river, the voyageurs of the North West convoy -with which Thompson was travelling feared -that American troops might intercept their -rich cargo of furs, but they passed through -the narrows without being molested and were -soon safe among the islands of the north shore -of Lake Huron. From thence they made a -speedy passage up the French river and down -the Ottawa to Montreal. -</p> - -<p> -His country endangered, Thompson -accepted a commission in a battalion of -infantry then being raised by his old colleague -Roderick Mackenzie, but it does not appear -that he was ever on active service. The -winter of 1813-4 he spent in preparing a final -draft of his map. This map, in which was -embodied the record of his life work, became -a proud possession of the North West Company. -For many years it occupied a place of -honour on the walls of the banqueting hall -at Fort William. -</p> - -<p> -When the war was over, Thompson was -selected as British representative on the -commission which surveyed the international -boundary from the River St. Lawrence to the -Lake of the Woods. This task occupied him -for the next ten years, and was concluded in -the autumn of 1826. -</p> - -<p> -At this time, Thompson planned to offer -to the public an edition of his map, and even -went so far as to prepare a prospectus. This -prospectus is worth reproducing, because it sets -forth in Thompson's own words the achievements -of his career as a geographer: -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p class="t3"> -"PROSPECTUS" -</p> - -<p> -"To be published in England, by David -Thompson, a new and correct map of the -Countries in North America; situated between -the parallels of 45 degrees; and 60 degrees of -North Latitude; and extending in longitude -from the east side of Lake Superior, and -Hudson's Bay, quite across the Continent -to the Pacific Ocean; and from his own local -knowledge; being the result of 22 years -employment in discovering, and laying down -the several rivers, lakes, hills and mountains -on this extensive tract of country; many parts -of which had never before been explored; -these discoveries were only finished in 1812. -The whole founded on astronomical observations, -the author being an astronomer by -profession. -</p> - -<p> -"A small part of this work has already -found its way to the public, being copies of a -rough map laid before the North West -Company of Canada. -</p> - -<p> -"Of these regions the map makers have -no doubt given the best delineation they -could acquire; but of what was known, so -little was founded on astronomical observations; -and their being obliged to fill up the -vacant space with what information they -could procure, has led them into many errors. -</p> - -<p> -"In this map now offered to the public, -almost all the great rivers on the above part -of the continent, on both sides the great -mountains are traced to their sources; the -sources of the Mississippi, and several other -great rivers, and the shores of Lake Superior, -have been examined and laid down by the -author only. -</p> - -<p> -"The position, extent and height of the -hills and mountains, have engaged much of -his attention; of which he has many landscapes. -The last six years of his discoveries were on -the west side of the mountains to the Pacific -Ocean. Each Indian Nation's Territories, -with their limits, and the places of the trading -settlements will be marked out. -</p> - -<p> -"The courses and distances, (taken when -necessary to 100 yards,) with their calculations, -etc., the astronomical observations, -and rough maps on the scale of one inch to a -mile, on which these maps are founded will be -open to the inspection of the curious, while -the work is publishing; and it will doubtless -afford much speculation to the scientific, to -find many of the great rivers of North America -taking their rise in a small compass, and going -off to the different seas like Radii from a centre. -</p> - -<p> -"To render the map more general, and to -give connection to all the parts, the author -will avail himself of the Sea Coast of Hudson's -Bay and the Pacific Ocean, etc., etc., as laid -down by the latest navigators and travellers; -whatever he has not personally examined -himself, will be in a different colour, and the -authority mentioned. -</p> - -<p> -"Nothing less than an unremitting -perseverance bordering on enthusiasm could -have enabled him to have brought these -maps to their present state; in early life he -conceived the idea of this work, and -Providence has given him to complete, amidst -various dangers, all that one man could hope -to perform. -</p> - -<p> -"The map will be engraved in a neat, -chaste manner, combining elegance and economy, -on the scale of 3 inches to one degree of -longitude and will form either a map or an -atlas at the will of the subscriber. -</p> - -<p> -"The arduous survey, on which the author -is at present employed does not permit him -to present the Public with a description of -these Countries and the nations of aborigines. -This he hopes to perform as soon as time -permits. -</p> - -<p> -"It is expected the geographical map -will be ready for delivery to the subscribers -by the latter end of the summer of 1820 at the -latest. -</p> - -<p> -"These parts of North America have -long been a desideratum on geography. -</p> - -<p> -"He also offers to the scientific public, -of the same size as the general map, a chart -to contain only the grand features of this part -of the Continent, such as the great mountains -and hills, the principal rivers and extensive -lakes; as he proposes to delineate on this -chart, the position and extent of the coal -mines; of the various beds of different kinds -of stone and rock; of the great meadows and -forests; the limits of the countries on which -the Bison, Elk, Red Deer, Wild Sheep, etc., -etc., are found; the line of the old, and new -portions of this part of the continent; the -line of the position of the Countries, over -which, is the most constant appearance and -greatest brightness of the Aurora Borealis; -and the line that bounds their appearance to -the westward, beyond which they are not -seen; and whatever else he may deem worthy -of remark; all of which could not have been -delineated on the geographical map without -causing confusion." -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<p> -The terms of this prospectus reveal in -striking fashion the scientific spirit in which -Thompson's great work was conceived; but -if he hoped that the learned world would -welcome and support his efforts, he was doomed -to disappointment. In the early years of -the nineteenth century, interest in the interior -of North America was confined to very few -persons. It may have been that the number -of subscribers was inadequate. It may have -been that no publisher would take the risk of -issuing the work. At any rate the map and -chart which Thompson projected never saw -the light of day. -</p> - -<p> -At the conclusion of his labours on the -International Boundary Commission, Thompson -felt himself in a position to retire. Throughout -his working career, he had always enjoyed -a good salary. With part of his savings, he -purchased a comfortable house at -Williamstown in the county of Glengarry, where he -settled down with his wife and growing -family. It was there, on the 4th of March -1829, that the last of his thirteen children -was born. With characteristic public spirit, -he entered into the life of the community. -When the Presbyterians of Williamstown -desired to build a church, he lent them money -with which to do so. As his sons grew to -manhood, a considerable amount of his -savings was required to set them up in business. -</p> - -<p> -Thompson's declining years were clouded -by financial worries, which were largely the -result of his generous and honourable disposition. -The congregation whom he had assisted -were unable to pay off their mortgage, so he -deeded to them the church and grounds. His -sons failed in business, and in discharging -their debts, he seriously crippled himself. -He sold his home at Williamstown, and -removed to Longueuil, near Montreal, where -there were greater opportunities of securing -employment. Resuming his old occupation, -he surveyed the canoe route from Lake Huron -to the upper Ottawa. This was in 1837, and -some years later he surveyed the shores of -Lake St. Peter. -</p> - -<p> -During these years, Thompson worked -on the narrative account of his explorations -which he had undertaken to give the world -at the time when he planned to publish his -map. He was anxious also to earn what -money he could from the publication of his -book. It is said that Washington Irving, -the great American writer, and the author -of <i>Astoria</i>, wished to buy the manuscript. -Irving, however, was unwilling to promise -that in using it he would give to Thompson -the recognition which he felt was his due; -and, jealous to the last of his reputation, the -old man refused to part with his work. The -manuscript therefore, like the map, lay -forgotten, until it was discovered in recent years, -and published in 1915 by the Champlain -Society. -</p> - -<p> -The American Revolutionary War had -left a legacy of boundary disputes which were -destined to disturb peaceful relations -between Great Britain and the United States for -years to come. Owing to his work both for -the North West Company and on the -International Boundary Commission, Thompson -was better acquainted than most men with -the issues involved in these disputes; and he -was convinced that on account of the stupidity -and carelessness of British diplomats, the -just claims of British America had been -continuously ignored or overridden from the -time when the original treaty of peace had -been drawn in 1783. In his narrative, -Thompson relates an interesting story -regarding the settlement made in that year. The -story is worth repeating, not only because it -illustrates his attitude toward the boundary -question, but also because of the light it -sheds on conditions in the North West at the -time, and the greatness of the service which -Thompson and others performed in mapping -the country. -</p> - -<p> -Among the traders, he says, who made -their way from Montreal into the fur -countries was a certain Peter Pond, a native of -Boston. Pond was a man of violent and -unprincipled character. In the winter of 1780-1, -he was stationed at Lake La Ronge with orders -to act in concert with Wadin, a fellow trader -of the North West Company. One evening, -while dining with Wadin, he made himself -drunk; and in an outburst of passion shot -Wadin through the thigh. His unhappy -victim expired from loss of blood. -</p> - -<p> -Pond, however, was an energetic trader; -and since in those wild times and remote -places the arm of the law was weak, he escaped -the punishment which he richly deserved. -A few years later he had penetrated to Lake -Athabaska, the first white man to do so. -There he disputed the fur trade with a certain -John Ross, who followed him into the country -in the interests of a rival firm. An altercation -took place between the two traders, and -Pond shot Ross dead. -</p> - -<p> -On this occasion Pond was arrested and -brought to Canada for trial. But the -authorities at Quebec did not consider that their -jurisdiction extended to the territories of the -Hudson's Bay Company, and the prisoner -was set at liberty. He thereupon returned -to Boston, his native city. -</p> - -<p> -The peace negotiations were at that time -in progress. The commissioners for great -Britain were two honest, well-meaning -gentlemen, who however knew nothing of the -geography of the countries with which they had -to deal. The maps at their disposal were -wretchedly inadequate. One of them, Farren's, -dated 1773, showed the country as far -west as the middle of Lake Ontario. Beyond -that point the interior was represented as -made up of rocks and swamps, and described -as uninhabitable. Such maps gave every -advantage to one who was personally -acquainted with the west, and the United -States commissioners had at their service the -expert advice of Peter Pond. -</p> - -<p> -Had the British possessed the slightest -idea of the value of the territories in -question, and had they been disposed in the -slightest degree to press their claims, they -might have insisted on a line drawn due west -from the middle of Lake Champlain. Such a -division the Americans would have been glad -to accept, for it gave them more than they -could justly demand. But Pond was at the -elbow of the United States commissioners. -He suggested to them a line passing through -the Great Lakes to the north west corner of -the Lake of the Woods, and from thence -westward (as he imagined from his own -rough surveys) to the head of the Mississippi -river. This demand, exorbitant though it was, -the British commissioners accepted, and it -was confirmed by both nations. Such was -the hand (concludes Thompson grimly) that -designated the boundary between the dominions -of Great Britain and the territories of the -United States. -</p> - -<p> -The settlement of 1783 was in Thompson's -eyes merely the first of a series of -unfortunate arrangements, by which the British -dominions were robbed of extensive and -valuable territory. Edmund Burke had -remarked that a malignant fate seemed to -attend all the operations of Great Britain on -the continent of North America. Thompson, -who from his personal experience knew the -land and the people who disputed its possession, -was able to explain in a less mysterious -way the failure of the British to defend -their claims against American pretensions. -</p> - -<p> -Accordingly, in the summer of 1840, -Thompson addressed a number of letters to -Sir Robert Peel, Lord Stanley and the -Hon. W. E. Gladstone on the subject of disputed -points along the border. His object was to -urge a prompt and just settlement in each -case. Such a settlement, he felt, was -important if peace was to be maintained with "so -litigious a neighbour." It was vital, if the -steady encroachments of that neighbour were -to be brought to an end, and Britain was not -to be gradually deprived of her hold upon her -last possessions in America. -</p> - -<p> -Thompson therefore endeavoured to -arouse the leading statesmen of the Mother -Country to the significance of American policy -as he saw it. The leading men of the United -States, he pointed out, all held it as a maxim -that no foreign power had any right to any -part of North America; and that every means -ought to be employed to expel this foreign -power. They were well aware of the -insecurity of their position. On their northern -frontier a powerful foreign nation was in -possession for upwards of one thousand miles. -Their sea coast was open and exposed. The -numerous slaves in their southern and western -states were ready for revolt; while to the -west were seventy thousand Indian warriors, -who had been compelled by force or fraud to -quit their lands, and who could readily be -aroused to a war of revenge. -</p> - -<p> -Accordingly, he alleged, the Americans -had aimed ever since the treaty of 1783 to -restrict as far as possible the territory of Great -Britain and to destroy her influence over the -Indians. Their method was to advance -claims which, though exorbitant, would be -softened and rendered familiar by the -operation of time, and in each case, when the -settlements came to be made, they aimed to -be in possession of the areas in dispute. -British subjects on the other hand had been -compelled to yield ground from point to point, -because they could not rely on the support of -the Imperial government if they stood firm. -</p> - -<p> -As he wrote, the situation was acute -along the whole length of the frontier. On -the Quebec border, all the way from St. Regis -on the St. Lawrence to the Connecticut river, -the Americans were holding fast to a line -some distance north of the true parallel of 45° -which had been named as the frontier in the -original treaty of peace and confirmed some -years later by the award of the King of the -Netherlands. In the St. Mary's river, -American commissioners were claiming two of the -three boat channels and all but two or three -hundred yards of a river bed four miles wide. -If their demands at that point were granted, -Great Britain would surrender the keys to her -northern and western dominions, and shut -herself off from communication with them -except by the frozen shores of the Hudson -Bay. At the head of Lake Superior, the -Americans had driven the British traders from -two of the three possible routes joining the -Great Lakes with the Lake of the Woods, and -were claiming that the treaty of 1783 implied a -boundary running along the line of the third -and last possible route (the Kaministiquia -river), although the very existence of that -route was utterly unknown until at least -seventeen years after the treaty was drawn. -In the present congress they were again -urging the necessity of taking possession of -what they called the "Oregon Territory," -and demanding a line down the middle of the -Columbia river to the Pacific ocean. -</p> - -<p> -Thus did the old man endeavour to arm -British statesmanship for the diplomatic -contests which he foresaw were inevitable; but his -efforts bore little or no fruit. On the part of -Great Britain, conciliatory motives continued -to prevail; and within a few years, Thompson -had the mortification of seeing even the -Oregon territory (that is, all the fine country -south of 49° north latitude which he himself -had discovered) lost to the Empire. It is -not surprising that he fumed at British -diplomats in general, and in particular at "the -stupidity of that blockhead Lord Ashburton." -</p> - -<p> -There is little more to record in the life -of David Thompson. Presently, his eyesight -failed, and he suffered the misery of a -destitute old age. One by one his possessions -fell into the hands of money-lenders. So -poor did he become that he was forced to part -with his precious instruments, and even to -pawn his coat in order to buy a little food. A -late entry of his diary reads, "This day -borrowed 2/6 from a friend. Thank God for -this relief." On the 10th of February, 1857, -the long ordeal was ended and Thompson -passed away in the eighty-seventh year of his -age. He was buried in Mount Royal cemetery -without even a stone to mark his grave. -</p> - -<p> -For a long while after the death of -Thompson, it seemed as though the memory -of his achievements had perished with him. -But of recent years his fame, so nearly -eclipsed, has shone with renewed brilliance, -and it is now possible to estimate in some -degree the greatness of his character and the -magnitude of his work. -</p> - -<p> -In the sheer length of his journeys, few -western explorers have equalled the record -of Thompson, for he travelled in all not less -than fifty thousand miles. Much of this was -through country untrodden by the feet of -white men; nearly all of it was in regions as -yet unsurveyed. The unvarying exactitude -with which Thompson mapped this vast area -excited the surprise and admiration of -members of the Canadian Geological Survey who -with infinitely better equipment traced his -progresses nearly a century later. There are -certain districts which since his day have never -been re-surveyed; some of his work therefore -still appears on the published maps of Canada. -</p> - -<p> -Throughout his life Thompson was inspired -by a restless impulse to push forward -the exploration and mapping of the west until -not a corner of it remained unknown. The -greatest satisfaction of his career was -undoubtedly the discovering of the Columbia -valley. West of the Rockies, he was not -merely a surveyor and explorer, but in a real -sense an Empire builder, for he added a region -of vast and varied resources to the territories -of the Crown. -</p> - -<p> -It is difficult for Europeans to associate -with savages without misunderstandings more -or less serious. The savage governs his life -by an elaborate ritual which he has inherited -from his ancestors. His code is sufficient to -cover his dealings with his fellows; but it fails -to guide him in his relations with the strange -new beings who burst in upon him from what -is in truth a different world. The white man, -unless he is gifted with unusual tact and -sympathy, treats with contempt and scorn -the customs of the natives and seldom -attempts to understand their ways. Worse -still, he feels himself freed from the restraints -which bind him in civilized life, and frequently -gives rein to the basest passions of his -nature. Thus mutual misunderstanding too -often breeds hatred, and results in the -shedding of blood. -</p> - -<p> -To a surprising degree, the traders of the -Hudson's Bay and North West Companies -were able to overcome the difficulties and -dangers of dealing with the Indians, and their -relations with them were correspondingly -successful. Yet even successful traders often -lacked the imaginative sympathy which would -have enabled them to submit with patience to -the complicated ritual of Indian life; and -standing aloof as they did from the Indians, -they were involved in constant broils and, not -infrequently, in danger at their hands. -</p> - -<p> -Moreover, in the fierceness of their -competition, the traders were too often willing to -play sharp tricks on one another, and these -practices taught the Indians evil ways. To drug -the natives with liquor and steal furs destined -for rival firms was a habit only too common. It -sometimes happened also that small independent -traders had their supplies taken from -them, their canoes destroyed and themselves -beaten senseless, so that they were driven -from the fur countries, ruined men. Individuals -like Peter Pond were guilty of offences -more serious still. Their hands were stained -with the blood of their competitors, and in -the rough and tumble of life in the wilds, their -crimes were hard to detect and harder still to -punish. The Indians had learned that the -Great Spirit hates to see the ground reddened -with blood. But when they saw thuggery -and murder flourish, how could they preserve -their simple faith? -</p> - -<p> -Throughout his career in the west, -Thompson was one of those whose influence -among the Indians was almost wholly for -good, and whose activities shed lustre on the -history of the Hudson's Bay Company and -the North West Company, whom they served. -His travels carried him into the rocky belt -south-west of the Bay, over the prairies, -through the western forest, and across the -mountains of the Pacific slope. Wherever -he came in contact with the natives, he easily -won their admiration and respect. This was -due to the insight with which he studied their -customs and to the sympathy with which he -regarded their way of life. For Thompson -was infinitely more than a trader: he had the -mind of a scientist and the soul of a poet. -</p> - -<p> -Love of country springs from many -roots; but perhaps the deepest patriotism is -that which comes from an intimate knowledge -of the face of the land itself. Thompson -loved the great North West with the love of a -man who knew it in all its moods; for he had -journeyed through it and studied it carefully -over a long period of years. He foresaw the -day when the rolling prairies would be -covered with smiling farms, and the Columbia -valley would be the seat of a rich and vigorous -civilization. In one respect, his vision of the -future fell short of reality. Living in an age -prior to the development of railways, he failed -to see that these regions were destined to be -linked by steel bands with the Canadas in a -Dominion stretching from sea to sea. He -thought of them rather as isolated communities, -the middle west looking mainly for its -outlet to Hudson Bay, the Pacific coast joined -to civilization by the paths of ocean. -</p> - -<p> -Characters such as David Thompson -are all too rare in the annals of a nation. So -long as honour is due to great men, his memory -deserves to be enshrined in the hearts of his -countrymen; and his high qualities should be -a model to those who inherit the Dominion -which he did so much to make. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<p><a id="chap09"></a></p> - -<h3> -BIBLIOGRAPHY -</h3> - -<p> -The most important source of information -regarding the life and work of David -Thompson is to be found in the <i>Publications -of the Champlain Society</i>, Vol. XII. (Toronto, -1915). This volume contains the Narrative -of Thompson's explorations, edited by -Mr. J. B. Tyrrell with a full general introduction, -an itinerary or catalogue of Thompson's -journeys year by year, and notes on the text. -The manuscript journals of Alexander Henry -and David Thompson have been published, -under the title of <i>New Light on the Early -History of the Great North West</i>, by Elliott -Coues (2 vols., New York, 1897). In this -work, Henry's journal has been published as a -continuous narrative, and extracts have been -made from Thompson's journal to throw -additional light on specific points. Thompson's -original note books are in the Crown Lands -Department, Parliament Buildings, Toronto. -They are too bulky, and too much encumbered -with mathematical data, to be of interest -to the general reader, and so have never been -published as they stand. An article by -Mr. L. J. Burpee in the <i>Canadian Historical -Review</i>, vol. IV., 1923, p. 105 ff., contains the -prospectus of Thompson's map, and the -series of five letters which he addressed to -English statesmen on the subject of boundary -disputes in 1840. -</p> - -<p> -Washington Irving's <i>Astoria</i> presents a -graphic picture of the occupation of the -mouth of the Columbia by the agents of John -Jacob Astor. The narrative contains an -interesting account of the appearance of David -Thompson at the newly erected fort, and of -the impression which his arrival made upon -the Astorians. -</p> - -<p> -There are short chapters on Thompson -in G. Bryce, <i>History of the Hudson's Bay -Company</i>, Agnes Laut, <i>Conquest of the Great -North West</i>, and W. S. Wallace, <i>By Star and -Compass</i>. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br><br></p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DAVID THOMPSON--THE EXPLORER ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™ -concept and trademark. 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