In the morning, Nov. 6th, nice wind and fair for us, and got to Northwest River.  The people were so sorry to hear the sad news of Mr. Hubbard, especially those who have seen him.

I also came across Mr. Bakie, who knew about Beaver River, and enquires if we came to where it branches and connects again, on the south side of a high half barren hill.

I said, “Yes, that is just the place where we left our canoes and went over to Susan Brook.”

He tells me, “If you had come over that rapid where you left the canoe, you would go 6 miles and just come to another.  Only about 50 yards you would carry your canoe, and from there smooth and deep water, no rapids, but swift current.  Even if you didn’t have the strength of paddling, the swift current would have brought you down, right down to my house.”

Mr. Bakie lives just near Donald Blake’s at Grand Lake, just near the river—­Beaver River.  How sorry I was when we did not follow Beaver River.  It would only take us two days to come from where we left the canoe to where Donald Blake or Mr. Bakie’s house.  Mr. Bakie has his trapping on Beaver River, and he knew all about it, and tells me that we had come over the worst part of the river.

KEEPING A PROMISE AND SOMETHING MORE

At the New Year I saw Duncan M’Lean again, and he said he would meet me on the 16th January at Donald’s, to start from there up the bush to get Mr. Hubbard’s body, and the things we left, if I can find them.  He would be out from his trapping path then, and besides the rivers frozen up.  All the people round there thought that I could not find anything whatever.

I did not meet Duncan, and did not get started on my trip till 8th March.  The men were willing to go with me and help me with what I had to do; but Mr. Wallace wanted the canoe out, and to make the canoe a present to Mr. M’Kenzie, which the boys didn’t care to undertake, and afraid to try and make a start, because they thought if they went they would have to bring the canoe.  And besides the snow being so deep, and had been snowing nearly every day for some time ago, and haven’t had chance of settling down, and besides about 80 miles to where the camp was, and the canoe about 98 miles.  We could not take dogs, because the country being so rough we could not use dogs whatever.  So we have to get on by hauling every man his toboggan.

Seeing that the boys were almost afraid to try, till at last I told them, “Never mind, but come along with me and I will tell you whether the canoe will be taken out or not.  Because we are going up there especially for to bring out Mr. Hubbard’s body, and some films if I can find them, and we will leave the canoe and not bother with it.  So you can put the blame on me, as anyway we will have more than three men can handle, and especially the country being so rough.”

They said they would come along with me and help me in what I had to do, as it is something that has to be done.  And besides getting time for the mild, and the rivers burst, and the water runs on top of the ice, and afraid that we could do no travelling in Susan Brook, and the mountains so rough and steep we could not haul toboggans over them, and have to travel on the river.  So we got started in the morning from Northwest River on our way up.