Part 4

Before we had got far up the river, night overtook us, making it necessary for the "gas" boat on which we were travelling to tie up for the night. The beach on which we landed was a sandy one that would permit of walking along the shore for some distance; so my friend, the Englishman, started out to stretch his legs.

Not far up the beach there commenced a large piece of low, swampy country and just before coming to it my friend caught a glimpse of what he thought was a large grizzly bear going speedily through the bush. Wasn't the Englishman excited! A few well-directed spider-like movements landed him back on the launch. After his struggle for breath was over we learned the exciting news. We agreed that our friend should be allowed to do all the execution, while we kept in the background in order to help out should the brute attack.

Guns were made ready and a stealthy advance was commenced. At length the rifle of our friend went to his shoulder and bang! In a moment the monster was dead.

By this time it was quite dark, so we made haste and prepared to drag the game to the launch to be skinned. Finally, after tugging and working with all our strength, with perspiration pouring off our foreheads, we concluded the carcass was too heavy to be handled by only six ordinary men.

A suggestion was then made to run a line from the boat and attach it to the hand capstan and haul him along in that way. This scheme was tried and after working hard (putting more grease on the gears every ten minutes) our enthusiasm began to wane and before another half hour had passed it was decided to leave the monster where it was until daylight, when it would be skinned where it lay.

We were up bright and early the next morning and while breakfast was being prepared the hunting and skinning knives were ground and sharpened to a fine edge and fit to cut the toughest hide or even to shave with.

Breakfast was finished and we trooped off to where lay the king of the forest (especially the low-lying swampy fringed forest) and after coats were thrown off and sleeves rolled up to above the elbows the operation of skinning was ready to commence.

Our friend the Englishman was naturally anxious that the job be a neat one, as he certainly was anxious to have that hide mounted, especially on account of its large size and its being the first specimen of big game killed by him in Cassiar, and he suggested that we wait a few minutes longer until it was full daylight.

At last the light of the rising sun commenced to show brightly in the east until it ended in one great burst of brilliant glory which held us as in a trance admiring its beauty.

Finally we turned to the animal and the work of skinning. One glance in the improved light was sufficient to show that there was something wrong, and that our grizzly bear was not a bear after all.

But what was it? Owing to my years of experience the matter was referred to me, and after making a close examination I was able to announce with surety that the supposed grizzly bear was _only a common, everyday Stikine River mosquito_, of perhaps a little greater size than is usually encountered.

It was then up to everyone to remark that they were sure from the first that it was not a bear. But the climax was reached when the Englishman _expressed surprise that we had any doubts about what the animal really was_ right from the start, because he had killed it _only to get the stinger_, which, he was told, made an excellent golf club.

Pigeon Trap

In the June issue I note a reference to the pigeon trap at H.B.C. Calgary Gun Club.

As a devotee of the gun myself, and without any wish to presume to dictate to Mr. Chamberlain or any member of the Gun Club, I would respectfully draw his attention to the fact that the practice of shooting live pigeons sprung from traps has received severe condemnation; so much so that it is contemplated to discontinue the "sport" at Monte Carlo, Biarritz, and many other fashionable resorts. Also the British parliament intended to set the seal of its disapproval on this pastime by an Act which would render it prohibitive.

_The Times_ of April 27th, 1921, says:

"_A standing committee of the House of Commons, over which Mr. Hodge presided, yesterday considered the Bill introduced by Sir Burton Chadwick to prohibit the use of captive birds in all shooting carried on under artificial conditions._

"_Sir Burton Chadwick moved a minor amendment to Clause 1, which renders any person concerned in shooting of captive birds liable to a maximum fine of £25, or imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months or to both._"

Again on May 27th, _The Times_ reports:

"_We are able to state on high authority that the directors of the Casino at Monte Carlo have decided to abandon the use of living birds in the pigeon-shooting competitions at Monte Carlo._"

_John McMurray, Chief Accountant's Office, Winnipeg_

Old Fur Trader Ill

Joseph Sinclair, 83, a former H.B.C. fur trader at York Factory and in the Saskatchewan district, was admitted to the Winnipeg General Hospital on April 21st. Mr. Sinclair is suffering from cancer, a rodent ulcer on the face. He has had an attack of pneumonia while in hospital, but recovered and according to his physician is doing as well as could be expected.

The Vanished Buffalo Herds of North America

_Kingly Race That Once Roamed a Continent Almost Wiped Out for "A Dollar a Hide"; Straggling Survivors Carefully Guarded_

By W. E. ANDERSON

About the year 1879 a party of Metis hunters came to the plains southwest of the present situation of Regina, Saskatchewan, to hunt buffalo. The party consisted of the father, a man then on the elderly side of middle age, but who had been in his youth a noted buffalo runner and Indian fighter; his wife, a heavy half-breed woman of some fifty years; and his daughter, a girl of about seventeen of a comely and attractive appearance.

The father, according to his custom, followed the chase on horseback, the old woman, seated amongst robes and camp baggage, drove the creaking Red river cart, whilst the young girl was in and out of the vehicle like an eager young spirit of the prairie.

That season there were very few carts which came to the plains after buffalo. The great herds that used to blacken the country to the rim of the horison had thundered away into the limbo of the lost, and all that was left of them was a few stragglers that still haunted some of the more remote valley bottoms.

The halfbreeds had strange and superstitious ideas about the passing of the buffalo. They could not believe that they had gone never to return. It was only yesterday that the plains were black with the shaggy herds. Their trails and wallows were still to be seen everywhere.

This particular Metis hunter believed that they had gone to some new pasturage, and that if they could be found the hunting would again be as good as in the days of yore.

So for a period of years he led his family up and down the plains. One season they wintered at Wood Mountain, another they wandered as far north as Ile a la Crosse, then again at the Milk River; but in all their wanderings they found none of the vanished herds.

One winter they came to Fort Edmonton, and there the mother who had suffered for years from goitre, and was doubtless wearied with much wandering, lay down and quietly died.

Towards the close of the winter there came to the Post a Touchwood Indian who had been in the Slave River country as a dog driver for a Hudson's Bay officer. He told the halfbreed hunter that in the northern country of the lakes and rivers he had heard strange tales of great herds of buffalo. He had actually seen some himself. They were larger than the old-time buffalo of the plains, and their coats were longer and silkier.

The old hunter brightened at the news. Here at last was the word of the missing herds; making a company of travel with an Iroquois river man, they penetrated through labyrinths of waterways to the region of the far north.

There is no doubt but that the old hunter had been misled by rumors of the herd of wood-buffalo which had existed for many years in the Slave River country, and which are today carefully protected by the Northwest Mounted Police patrol.

The original area over which the buffalo ranged began almost at tide-water on the Atlantic coast. It extended westward through a vast tract of dense forest, across the Alleghany mountains to the prairies along the Mississippi, and southward to the delta of that great stream.

Although the vast plains country of the west was the natural home of the species, where it flourished most abundantly, it also wandered south across Texas to the burning plains of north-eastern Mexico, westward across the Rocky mountains into New Mexico, Utah and Idaho, and northward across a vast treeless waste to the bleak and inhospitable shores of Great Slave and Hudson Bay.

Vast herds of bison seemed to clothe the prairies in a coat of brown. They roamed the country around the headwaters of the Qu'Appelle river in tens of thousands.

Catlin has given some idea of the enormous numbers of bison that were killed during the first half of the nineteenth century. In 1832 he stated that 150,000 to 200,000 robes were marketed annually, which meant a slaughter of 2,000,000 or perhaps 3,000,000 bison. So great was the destruction that he prophesied their extermination within eight or ten years.

The death knell was struck when the construction of the Union Pacific railway was begun at Omaha in 1866. Prior to the advent of the first transcontinental railway the difficulties of marketing the results of the slaughter served as a slight check on the rate of extermination. The destruction began in earnest in 1876 and was complete four years later. The facility for shipping out the hides over the new railways was the cause of the rapid disappearance of the buffalo.

In the United States, buffalo hunters grew prosperous shooting down the animals for "a dollar a hide."

While the accompanying map is approximately correct, the feeding ground was necessarily subject to food material. In such years, for instance, as the grasshoppers spread devastation over large tracts of the Northwest--when for miles and miles not a blade of grass could be seen--it is only reasonable to expect that the buffalo changed his regular stamping ground.

William T. Hornaday, the naturalist, estimated, January 1st, 1908, the number of wild bison in the Rocky Mountains at 25, and the number in Canada at 300. About 130 are captive in Europe, and 1116 in the United States, bringing the total number of pure bred bison up to 2047. A large herd is under the protection of the Canadian government in the park at Wainwright, Alberta. The more notable American herds are found in Corbin's game preserve, New Hampshire; in Oklahoma; in the Yellowstone national park; and on various private ranches in the western part of the United States.

FAMOUS H.B.C. CAPTAINS AND SHIPS

(Continued from the June issue)

By H. M. S. COTTER, Cumberland House

The "Pelican" once scraped the sunken ledges near Cartwright, but no H.B.C. ship has left her "bones" to rot on that iron-bound shore.

Little is known of the wrecks that do take place on this coast, but I have heard of appalling disasters amongst the hardy fishermen. On the Nova Scotian coast, collision with ice and subsequent loss of life is not infrequent. Every year there are wrecks of some kind. Ocean-going steamers have been forced ashore and become total wrecks. And so it is remarkable that H.B.C. ships have never met with disaster, especially considering their many ports of call.

In 1908 I was a passenger on the "Pelican" (Captain Alex. Grey) bound for Fort Chimo, Ungava. From the time we left Quebec till we passed Cape Harrison, North of Hamilton Inlet, Labrador, we had enjoyed fair weather. But the clouds and rising sea denoted a change.

We were then standing off the coast nearly twelve miles and steaming at about seven knots. The wind kept veering between N. and N.E., finally blowing straight down the coast about north. We stood farther out to sea. At nightfall it was blowing half a gale with rain coming down--and mist. Our speed then was not more than three knots and gradually getting less till about 2 o'clock in the morning when the wind increased to a living gale, screeching and howling through the rigging and stopping all progress. It was then decided to run for shelter, but the nearest harbour was forty miles south, a place named _Webek_. Captain Grey had been in this harbour only once, about twenty-five years before, and no one else aboard had ever anchored there. They turned the ship and we came scudding south in the blackness of night, then lay-to till dawn, and picking up the land approached at half speed.

To give some idea of the gale outside, when we finally came to an anchorage about 8 o'clock in the morning, the swell was so great in the harbour with the continued violence of the wind that we kept steaming to the anchors to prevent dragging and as the sailors say we were rolling "like maggots in an oak apple." Several fishing schooners had run in the day before and even in shelter the crews had abandoned some of the vessels, as they were dragging their anchors and in imminent danger of going ashore.

The Captain was on the bridge all night. For hours he stood in the bow of the boat hanging in the starboard davits peering through the gloom and mist, looking for landmarks and the harbour entrance. He had on a black sou'wester and oil-skin coat and great long sea-boots. His face was streaming with the rain and spray--a gigantic, picturesque figure, and on this particular morning, unusually silent.

When the ship was snug and safe he came off the bridge, and all he said was, "Aye, aye, a little wind," and then he turned in.

The entries in the log were quite commonplace--all in the day's work, as it were--and one would never glean from them that a ship and cargo worth a quarter of a million had been safely brought to a haven of refuge through exceptional seamanship and courage.

It was in 1894 that Captain Grey in the "Erik," when near Resolution Island at the entrance of the Straits, ran into an iceberg. It happened at night in a thick fog. The ship was moving slowly at the time and before the lookout saw or could give warning she had poked her nose into the 'berg. Her long bowsprit of pitch pine was crumpled up like so much matchwood, and the gear attached to it and one of the catheads was carried away.

Masses of ice came thundering down on her forecastle head, doing much damage to the woodwork. In the meantime the lookout sprinted aft, the watch below came tumbling up on deck and made for safety. The ship was put astern and hove to till daylight. They steamed up next day close enough to see a hole as big as a house which they had punched in the side of the 'berg. All the damage to the ship fortunately was done above the water line.

When the "Erik" returned to Rigolet in October she was sporting a dinky little jib-boom made from one of the spare spars carried on deck for just such an emergency.

Mr. John Ford, a passenger on his way to Georges River Post, told me he never saw Captain Grey more cool or collected. He gave orders as if nothing unusual were taking place. And at breakfast next morning all he said in reference to it was, "Aye, aye, a little ice."

F. T. C. O. Notes

Ralph Parsons, district manager for Labrador, left St. John's, Newfoundland, June 1st for inspection of fur trade posts in his district, including Cartwright, Rigolet, Northwest River and Davis Inlet. Mr. Parsons will later board the H.B.C. supply ship at Grady, off the Labrador coast, and proceed north to the Hudson Straits section of his district.

_L. Romanet_, fur trade general inspector, left Vancouver at the end of May for inspection of posts in the British Columbia district. He will return in August.

_T. P. O'Kelly_ was to go on Company's business with the "Lady Kindersley," which was scheduled to sail from Vancouver for the Western Arctic, June 28th.

_W. R. Mitchell_, post manager at Fort Churchill, left Winnipeg June 17th for his station, going via The Pas and York Factory.

_John Bartleman_, district manager for Keewatin, left Winnipeg June 20th for his regular summer inspection trip of fur trade posts.

_The Company has engaged_ twelve apprentice clerks in Scotland for service at H.B.C. fur trade posts in northern Canada. The party of young men sailed from Southampton June 15th on the "Corsican" for Montreal.

_J. J. Barker_, district manager for Saskatchewan, left Prince Albert June 18th on summer inspection trip. He will return August 1st.

_Mrs. Owen Griffith_, wife of the post manager at Albany, James' Bay district, was in Winnipeg during June visiting her mother, Mrs. Allan Nicolson.

KAMLOOPS, B. C. STORE NEWS

_Miss Smith_, of the ready-to-wear department, returned June 1st after two weeks' vacation, part of which was spent with her mother and sisters at Barriere.

_Mr. Madill_, of the shoe department, made a short visit to Calgary to meet Mr. Purves, manager of shoe department of Winnipeg Depot.

_Miss Weatherby_, of the dry goods department, is on a two weeks' vacation trip to the coast cities.

_Mrs. Munn_, wife of our grocery manager, who has just undergone two very trying operations in Vancouver Hospital, is home again and we are pleased to note her marked improvement.

_Harry Campbell_ is the latest addition to our grocery staff and is welcomed by all.

Who is it? Send your guess to the Photograph Editor, _The Beaver_ and watch for the name next month.

_Mrs. L. G. Mayer_, wife of the post manager at Great Whale River, was visiting relatives in Fort William during June and has returned to the post. _Nixon, our esteemed_ checker and shipper, is a recognized expert in all matters pertaining to horticulture. When the North Kamloops May-Day committee was making preparations for their celebration this year and wanted something very special in the way of flowers for the May Queen's crown they appointed Mr. Nixon a committee of one to grow flowers for this purpose and to make the crown.

A True Fish Story

By GEO. R. ROBSON, Esquimalt, B.C.

If one chanced to be in the neighbourhood of the Naas river in the early spring of the year, when the bolachan (candle fish) run begins, he could not fail to notice the large number of ducks gathered in the bays and the eagles perched on almost every tree skirting the beaches, all on the watch for the coming feast.

Sit down for a while and notice what is going on. Ah! there is a fishhawk darting into the water of the bay. It is up again with a fish clutched in its talons; see, there comes an eagle in full chase rapidly overtaking the hawk which is now soaring up and up. It is useless; the eagle soon rises above and swoops down on the osprey. The fish abandoned and falling is followed by the eagle and caught before it reaches the water. So it goes on day by day while the run continues.

At Nelson one Sunday afternoon when walking towards town, looking towards the lake I saw a hawk rise with a fish, and sure enough an eagle just starting in pursuit. (I pointed them out to my wife and children who were with me.) They were coming in our direction, flying low.

Thinking the eagle might be driven off, I gathered a few pebbles, and when the birds were almost above us threw them and shouted loudly. To my surprise the hawk dropped the fish and both birds wheeled about and flew in the direction of the lake. The fish fell in the brush about a hundred feet away. I ran to the spot; there was a fine trout wriggling in the grass. Jack Gibson, the drug store man, had appeared on the scene and called out, "What have you got there?" "Oh, only to-morrow's breakfast," I replied.

Gets Wheelbarrow-full of Aluminum Pans

Miss Smith, manager of the ready-to-wear department, who is leaving shortly to be married, was the guest of honor at a kitchen shower given at the home of Miss Stella Cozens by the lady members of our staff and friends, who represented in almost every instance former members of the staff.

The shower consisted of aluminum kitchen utensils in a wheelbarrow decorated with crepe paper and flowers, surmounted by two kewpie dolls dressed as bride and groom.

After lunch was served and everybody felt happy and comfortable, Miss Dougans gave a little exhibition of acrobatic skill.

MONTREAL

* * * * *

_H.B.C. Eastern Buying Agency News_

The following buyers for the new H.B.C. Victoria store were in the East during June:

Miss J. Murdock. Miss A. G. McLaren. Mr. Hunter. Mr. Gordon.

_Miss F. O'Grady and Mr. Frankish_, from the Winnipeg retail branch, were with us June 17th, and Mr. Thomas Ross, of the Winnipeg Depot, also spent a few days in Montreal.

_Miss Kate Currie, of Vancouver_, recently paid us a visit and is now en route for home.

WINNIPEG

_Retail Store News_

_At a recent meeting_ of the managers and buyers of the store two of our associates were honored for their service records. Miss F. Smith had just attained ten years' service, all of which was given in Winnipeg store. Mr. Roland Hoccon had just completed twenty years in the Company's employ.

In the name of the Governor, Mr. Sparling commented upon the creditable records of both Miss Smith and Mr. Hoccon, and presented Mr. Hoccon with a twenty-year bar to his long service medal.

_Tom Johnson_, of the men's clothing department, was a busy man during the week of June 1st. Tom is a hard working member of the Manitoba Football Association and was on the reception committee from Manitoba to welcome the visiting aggregation of Scottish football experts.

_Everyone regrets_ that we are losing Miss Netta McEwan, who will occupy an important position in the new Victoria store. Miss McEwan's pleasing personality has won her many friends during her years of association with us and we are, frankly, jealous of Victoria store.

_Suppose Mr. Saalfeld_ would probably like to present us with a crate of retired eggs--one at a time--for saying so, but it just occurred to us that an advertisement of the following character should be productive of considerable business during the summer months:

"_The Beauty Parlors announce for Wednesday a sale of stylish new moustaches. These will be made up for two simoleons, in color desired to match any facial decoration scheme--waxed, fitted and attached free of extra charge. Line forms on the left!_"

_Miss Kandie, Miss Garnier and Miss Girourd_ have all left us, amid showers of confetti, during the last little while. Object, matrimony.

Who is it? If you "have a hunch" send in your guess and watch for name in the August issue.

Listening-in at an H.B.C. Dance!

(Imaginary Scraps of Desiccated Conversation Collected at a Company Dance).

"_I have just two left open." "Say, isn't he lanky!" "Who is that dressed in Copen?" "There--I've lost my hankie!_"

"_Hear that saxophone whine!" "Who's your friend, may I ask?" "Have yu tried the grape-vine?" "Whew! This three-step's some task!_"

"_Now, you take a pace back." "See here--when do we eat?" "Like a sea-going hack-- "Stepped all over my feet!_"

"_Such a long intermish!" "Do you wish lemonade?" "She's like Dorothy Gish." "Yes, that's imported Jade._"

"_I could fox-trot all night." "And never grow weary!" "M-m-m! My face is a sight; "Slip me your puff, dearie._"