Volume 2 - ElectricCanadian.com

146 HISTORY OF THE BANKwind had shifted, and at 5 a.m. a heavy scow, manned by thecrews of several boats, attempted to break a channel throughthe ice. After about two hours' work she succeeded and thebank's canoe followed in her wake. 1The going through themush ice was exceedingly heavy as far as Tagish Post, which wasreached about noon. As the sun was very hot, one of the partyby way of bravado took a swim, or rather two or three headers,among the ice floes a drastic plunge, but invigorating enoughwhen one was out again in the hot sun. At Tagish Post a callwas made on Inspector Strickland of the Mounted Police, whohad his wife and baby with him, and like all his colleagues,proved most hospitable. Here the party saw four Indian ladschained to an anvil in a tent. They had murdered a mannamed Meehan, and wounded his partner, Fox, in an attemptto get possession of their supplies. It was a most coldbloodedaffair, and the murderers mere boys had just beenrounded up by the police, in spite of the efforts of their tribe toassist them in evading capture. Some of the gang weresubsequently hanged at Dawson.The party left Tagish that afternoon and the canoe waspushed along the right-hand bank of Marsh Lake until lateevening, when it was again stopped by ice. The water herewas very shallow and although the canoe drew but little, it hadto be unloaded by packing the kit ashore. This could only bedone by wading through about three hundred yards of mud,in which one sank to the knees at every step, and the processproved most exhausting. An attempt was made to getsupper, but the myriads of mosquitoes caused intense suffering,even preventing sleep that night. The following morning astart was made at four o'clock, the first task being the arduousone of reloading the canoe. The only open water in the lakewas along the shore, and this was so shallow that the canoe hadto be pushed along by its crew, who sank into the muddybottom at every step. The manager was by this time quite ill,and had to remain in the canoe. About six miles of progress'Sec plate 23, facing page 146.