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££££ ¦ T^ERjEp lr M M P^B|B>.. ' [No, 29...
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THE FUR HUNTERS OF THE FAR WEST. IZfte F...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Eight Years' Wanderings In Ceylon. Eight...
Government 4 * & eaKta * e tKe m ^ iid iftfewjommiihiofttion . between all parts o £ ^ i-i * n &* nd'there ** imhappify , a never ceasing sapply of penal labour to-be'lKKi from India , unless the Crown hesitate to employ the subjects of tfte'CttWpany . ; But it rather appears to be the policy ofthe Colonial Office td lrinSede'the development of the resources of the colonies . There is every reason to believe that gold occurs in large quantities beneath the " nrby dj <* i » ings" at Newera Ellia , but Sir G . Anderson actually refused a few months * ' subsistence to two Englishmen , who offered on those terms to ascertain its existence . The official answer waft to the effect that Government
declined to interfere with private enterprise ; and yet it is inserted in the title-deeds of every estate that " all precious metals belong to the Crown . " Another Crown monopoly is salt •; the natural consequence being that that necessary of life is both dear and bad , when it might be cheap and excellent , and that the skins of buffaloes , elks , and other animals are thrown aside as a useless encumbrance , instead of being converted into valuable hides . But we should be doing an injustice to Mr . Baker if we allowed our readers to suppose that his very amusing little work is ~ simply dedicated to the abuse of the powers that be . He is , indeed , unavoidably compelled to mark with reprehensioa their strange negligence and apparent ignorance of tie wants , requirements , and capabilities of this charming island . But Ms main object is to describe its natural productions , whether animal or vegetable , and to relate to his less adventurous countrymen the moving accidents that befel himself by flood and field . In this he has succeeded admirably , though we are sorely puzzled to select any particular passages as illustrative of his purpose ana style , and therefore prefer recommending the perusal of the entire work to all genial lovers of the most spirit-stirring sport .
££££ ¦ T^Erjep Lr M M P^B|B>.. ' [No, 29...
££££ ¦ T ^ ERjEp lr M M P ^ B | B > .. ' [ No , 292 , Satttsjpay ,
The Fur Hunters Of The Far West. Izfte F...
THE FUR HUNTERS OF THE FAR WEST . IZfte Fitr Hunters of the Far West ; a Narrative of Adventures in the Oregon and Rocky Mountains . By Alexander Ross , Author of " Adventures of the First Settlers on the Oregon , " & c . Two Vols . Smith , Elder , and Co . The author of this work has traded and travelled during forty-four years in tie Indian territories of North America . A third of this period was spent by him among the wilds and settlements of the Columbia in the extreme J ? ar West . His life has been one of singular vicissitude , hardship , and romance . He has been , engaged in exploring enterprises , in battles , escapes , pursuits , in diplomatic negotiations with the most astute of all savages—in every conceivable variety of strange and perilous adventure . Familiar with to © annals of those great trading companies which have laid open the paths of civilisation to the limits of the continent ^ and experienced in the subtleties of the native character , he embodies in his narrative a mass of practical information , which may , by future writers , be incorporated with the history of th ose important regions .
There is a charm in these relations of trading adventure . A peculiar jgenius belongs to the race of hunters and trappers , forsaking warm cities And'pastoral valleys , to penetrate the frozen recesses of the Far West , to anake voyages on dreary lakes and rivers , beaten by hurricanes , dogged "b y invisible foes , beset by complex dangers . It is easy to believe Mr . Ross 'when he assures us that there are fascinations in such a life . Otherwise few men would encounter it . What has been his own career ?—forty-five years of wandering isolation , exiled from the New as from the Old World , bargaining for furs , and annually depositing them in a ship which seems almost the sole link between the Columbian region and the cultured parts of 4 ho globe .
Yet he and hi * companions learned to prefer the precarious independence of the wilds to the restraints of artificial society . There human life is long , active , and healthy ; the trader loads his table with venison , fowl , and lish ; he drinks pure water , enjoys the excitement of endless voyages , is busied in the river , fort , or desert camp , sports with the deer and buffalo , is interested in the politics of his employers and of the Indian tribes , and , in the fixed settlements , is not without the solaces of social and famil y life . ' . The earlier adventurers participated in few of these advantages . Their hazardous ¦ enterprises often failed : ignorant of the native character , they excited perpetual hostilities ; they were sometimes murdered , and more frequently
-compelled to abandon their , schemes . As the trade prospered the great country between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific was laid out for regular operations : paths were traced , forts were erected in central positions , the Indians were conciliated . An immense chain of communications was established between the Atlantic and Pacific , and as far as the Frozen Ocean . Men of talent and education were allured into the trade by the magnitude of its . profits and the temptations of a half-military , halfmercantile life . A pleasant and even polished society sprang up among the wilds—the . adventurers married and were given in marriage to the daughters of aborigines—and now in many a young Columbian town may be heard the comfortable rustle of silks . River and lake life is picturesquely described by Mr . Rosa : —
The bourgeois is cantled on board hla canoe upon tho back of some sturdy follow generally appointed . for this purpose . He scats himself on a convenient mattress , somewhat low in . the oentre of bis canoe ; hla gun by his' side , his little chorubs fondling around him , and his faithful spaniel lying at his feet . No sooner is he at his ease than his pipe is presented by his attendant , and he thon begins smoking , "while hla silken banner undulates over the atom of his pointed vessel . Then the bonding paddles are plied , and the fragile craft speeds through the currents with a degree of floetness not , to be surpassed—yell upon yell from the hearty crow proclaiming their prowess and skill .
A hundred miles performed , night arrives ; the hands jump out quickly into the watery and their nabob and his companions are supported to ierra jtrma . A roaring 8 ra is kindled and supper is served ; his honour then retires to enjoy hla repoao . At dawn of day they set out again ; the men now and then relax their arms , and light their pipes . ( , but no sooner does the headway of tlio oanoo dlo away than they renew their
labours and their chorus , a particular voice being 1 ever selected tolead the song . The guide conducts the march . At the hour of breakfast they put ashore on some green plot . The tea-kettle ia boiling ; a variegated mat is spread , and a cold collation set out Twenty minutes—and they start anew . The dinner hour arrives . * They put aground again . The liquorcan accompanies the provision-basket ; the contents are quickly set forth' in simple style ; and , after a refreshment of twenty minutes more , off they set again , until the twilighf checks their progress . When it is practicable to make way in the dark , four hours is the voyageurs ' allowance of rest ; and at times , on boisterous lakes and bold shores , they " keep for
days and nights together on the water , without intermission , and without repose . They sing to keep time to their paddles ; they sing to keep off drowsiness , caused by their fatigue ; and they sing because the bourgeois likes it . Through hardships and dangers , wherever he leads , they are sure to follow with alacrity and cheer fulness—over mountains and hills , along valleys and dales , through woods and creeks , across lakes and rivers . They look not to the right , nor to the left ; they make no halt in foul or fair weather . Such is their skill , that they venture to sail in the midst of waters like oceans , and , with amazing aptitude , they shoot down the most frightful rapids ; and they generally corne off safely . When about to arrive at the place of their destination , they dress with neatness , put on their plumes , and a chosen song is raised . They push up against the beach , as if they meant to dash the canoe into splinters ; but most adroitly back their paddles at the right moment , whilst the foreman springs on shore and , seizing the prow , arrests the vessel in its course . On this joyful occasion every person advances to the
waterside , and great guns are fired to announce the bourgeois arrival . A general shaking of hands takes place , as it often happens that people have not met for years : even the bourgeois goes through this mode of salutation with the meanest . There is , perhaps , no country where the ties of affection are more binding than here . The Pacific , North West , and Hudson's Bay Companies , directing , in succession , the trade of these regions , have largely developed their capabilities . In the more accessible territories , the agriculturist has followed the hunter , and has partially superseded him . The woodman's axe has opened a way for the plough—towns and villages are springing to life , and the barbarian horizon recedes—the shadows of the Indian race receding with it . The interior wilds still compose the natural realm of adventure . Mr . Ross , who seems to possess the instincts of a traveller , fell frequently into dangers from which he was only extricated by his untiring patience and caution . He was engaged in the first grand movement of the North-West Company on the
Columbia , and started with a hundred aqd ten men , embarked in fourteen boats . Advancing up the stream three 6 r four hundred miles into the interior , the traders dispersed for the wintering stations , widely scattered over the immense valley . Mr . Ross himself proceeded with a small party to the vale of Evakema , two hundred miles distant , to buy horses of the Indians , who assembled there in the spring to hold their Parliament . From this vast concourse of tribes horses would be easily procured , but the perils of a hostile collision were enhanced proportionately . Arrived at the Eyakema "Valley , the travellers saw in front an Indian camp , covering more than six miles in every direction , with at least three thousand men and ten thousand horses congregated within , exclusive of women and children . Here the traders purchased eighty-five horses , which in due course we ' re stolen from them by the vendors . However , a friendly chief assisted in their recovery , and , under his protection , Mr . Ross explored the vast camp : —
We visited every street , alley , hole and corner of the camp , which we traversed lengthway , crossway , east , west , south , and north , going from group to group , and the call was " Deliver up the horses . " Here was gambling , there scalp-dancing ; laughter in one place , mourning in another . Crowds were passing to and fro , whooping , yelling , dancing , drumming , singing . Men , women , and children were huddled together ; f lags flying , horses neighing , dogs howling , chained bears , tied wolves , grunting and growling , all pell-mell among the tents ; and , to complete the confusion , the night was dark . This is a specimen of the intercourse which then took place between the native tribes and the traders . To illustrate the nature of the region thus explored , we will quote a description of the Grand Coule—a chasm eighty or a hundred miles in length , in the midst of a dreary plain : —
The sides , or banks , of the Grand CouM are for the most part formed of basalt rocks , in sorao places as high as 150 feet , with , shelving steps , formed like stairs , to ascend and descend , and not unfrequently vaults , or excavated tombs , as if cut through the solid rocks , like the dark and porous catacombs of Keif . The bottom , or bed , deep and broad , consists of a conglomerate of sand and clay , hard and smooth whore not interrupted by rocks . The whole presents in every respect the appearance of the deep bed of a great river or lake , now dry , scooped out of the level and barren plain . The sight in many places is truly magnificent : while in one place the solemn gloom forbids the wanderer to advance , in another the prospect is lively and inviting , the ground being thickly studded with ranges of columns , pillars , battlements , turrets , and steps above stops , in every variety of shade and colour . Here and there end loss vistas and subterraneous labyrinths add to the beauty of the scone ; and what is still more singular in this arid and sandy region , cold springs are frequent ; yet there is never any water in the chasm , unless after recent rains . Thunder and lightning are
known to bo more frequent hero than in other parts ; and a rumbling in the earth is sometimes heard . According to Indian tradition , it is the abode of evil spirits . In the neighbourhood there is neither hill nor dale , lake nor mountain , creek nor rivulet , to give variety to the surrounding aspect . Altogether it is a charming assemblage of picturesque objects for the admirer of nature . It is the wonder of the Oregon . In other directions tracts of rugged and broken country intervened with banks of snow and forests , haunted by wolves , the most terrible of the wild beasts in the Columbian territory . The bear and the buffalo , unless wounded , fly from man ; the wolf will not . It is ona of the few brutes that feed upon their kind . The trader ' s chief peril , however , lay in the hostility of the wandering , warlike tribes , moving in great multitudes between one station and another to surprise the settlers . The Fur Companies no doubt stimulated their fury by many lawless and wanton acts . Mr . Ross , in tho course of his own experience , discovered moans to establish considerable sympathy between the fur hunters and the aboriginal lords of the fur forests .
The practice of the traders is to disperse , near tho foil of winter , to tho interior ports , scattered over tho bleulc countries of Columbia and the Oregon . There they remain , during tho « old season , occasionally visited by the agents of tho Company , who direct their plans , gain information of their proceedings , and supply them witk necessaries . No sooner does tho
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Oct. 27, 1855, page 18, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_27101855/page/18/
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