C Ihe Ladies c cu. V'VVAN - History and Classics, Department of

202 Appendix 1have 2 or 3 days to wait at Waterways. It all depends on where the steamerlies as regards "the end ofsteel". A Mr Moen. Inspec/orfor Dept. of Interiorsinundates us with stories + information no doubt having read that awfol puffinpapers thinks we're journalists but tis all interesting. Here in the train toWaterwqys we are at last 1 step nearer the unknown north. To begin withour fellow passengers are a queer mixed lot hardly like a mixedlot belonging to the ordinary world + all the talk is of men whohave Itgone in" or "corne out" as if the North were someprison. Yetthry do not speak of it with fear but admiration as ifit were somepossession of their own full of a stern value. Many go there to fly fromdrink because once there they cannot get it. Provisions more expensiveasyou go farther "in" saw a Tom"!Y at Bqyle b'!)ing bananas in Jufy for lasttime. At supper (we splitthe 1.Z5 cent meals but "no plates has" s'1J's the waiterwhen we askfor zl) we sat opp. a rough looking youngish man wetook for a trader or prospector then found he was going N withthe French CanadianJudge on these Eskimo murder trials: hegoes for the defence knowing no Eskimo + having never seenhis client + the Policeman will be his interpreter. It seems theaccused shot a neighbours dog: neighbour walked off to get"shells" for his gun: accused shot the neighbour in self defenseonce, twice + killed him. It was certain death to wait for theneighbours "shell" for when an Eskimo stops smiling he isdangerous. The defence is all for lenient sentence + discussedthe Eskimo outlook on death: how they kill their old folk("Dear old Ma she's 69 tomorrow fetch your gun) + theirfemale babies ("This balry is 8 l/Z o~ too big drop it in the lake) tillthere are 3 men to one woman + of course that leads to fightingspecially as the men have several wives sometimes, I good sewerI good cook, I good hunter +c. At Lac La Biche 7 PM we had anhour ashore. Smooth water beautiful lake untidy tents with halfbreeds: we walked along lake to E sooty (?) terns, cowbells, stillwater. Scent of poplars: wonderful. Afriendfy crowd to see off theJudge + others as we got back to station: "Don't wait for introductionsin the North" says the Judge. We went + hadasmoke with him + the"Defence" in his "stateroom. " + so to bed each in a lower bunk with mountedPolice on top of us.WEDNESDAY 2 JUNEWoke in wooded country poplars +c + saw Ledum + Kalmia from window. About10.30 or so we arrived atthe new Waterways Z miles or so bryond the old one+ 4 miles short ofMcMurr'1J'. W consists of one huge new shed +some slides for luggage + a scow or barge lying alongSide. Weall-ie. about 40 passengers-sat about on piles of wood or ourluggage or wandered among poplars + willows for more than anhour when a tug came up the river with another scow + away wewent 8 miles down stream manoeuvringawkwardfy now tugging, nowpushing, now in double harness with the scow. River so lovely: green waterwooded slopes above thickly clothed with pale poplars amongdark firs: the silver stems of poplars wonderful very tall + slim.Lunch Z o'c in middle of our river boat cabins openingoutfrom dining room allmosquito proof doors + windows. After G + lout along bank had to keepmoving when we plunged into woods for mosquitos: FoundPrim farinosa + blue Sisyrinchium on bank. Sat on beach + watchedclouds + wind among the poplars coming suddenfy out of some great space + stirringevery leaf to delirium. Coming down in tug we saw tarsands sloping to riversupposed to be valuable for asphalt here + different soil crumbling whitishgr'1J'ledges. Green woods sand bars + a great stretch of river bryond + behind + its goodto be out in it all even with 40 fellow creatures round us. We had some chatw. Archd Whitaker a fine man the 1st we have met who has actuallydone the Rat in a canoe Mr. Warner did the portage inwinter: he says he did it with 4 or 5 guides his wife + baby beingin Eskimo skin boat + he himself often chest high in water.However we will not get the wind up the only? that worries usnow being will 2 guides only undertake the job. Fine SunsetTHURSDAY 3 JUNEBell woke us at 7 + up we got re/uc/antfy. Scow + tuggoing up at 8 a 'c we head toWaterwqys + McMurrqy. But we are alreagy learning the unhurried ways ofthe north so we pressed our flowers + about 10 a 'c aw'1J' we went up streamstrong current. hot d'1J'. these lovefy white poplar stems amongfreshgreen. Noticeseverywhere "Help us to prevent Forest Fires". One shack en route where aGerman lives trapping + fishing. These timbered solitudes are lovefy. AtMcMurr'1J' wegot out + walked 1\Z a mile to the settlement about zoo people +walked in + introduced ourselves to a Miss Ross (a Public Health Nurse) who hadbeen mentioned to us Iry the French CanadianJudge Le Beur. She gave us cooldrinks + her friend a fat Mr Bennett accompanied us try asphalt smelling tarsandcliffs along river to saltmines now idle. Some trouble shaking him offbut we did so+ climbed the hill + ate our last Bath Olivers among trees + l)rola leaves +Trientalis +c Mosquitos not too bad if we smoked. Down to Miss Ross again whogave us agood tea in a cool lean to with sacking behind the rough log hut filled inwith mortar which is her home + hospital (Z beds). Fine type of woman trained inMontreal: no church in McMurr'1J': rough lot + a good ma'lJ' seem to drink: optimismagain in her one meets it everywhere: her 8'mpat~ with drunkards make thebest of them. An old logy who came w. us is going to Fond du Lacto see her son shea millionaire from Pittsburg: he a hopeless drunkard. We begin to know ourpassengers: 9 women + about 30 men: the Judge very pleasant: theprosecutor (Howatt) in Eskimo trial: the Defence (O'Connor)ditto. A Yankee trapper rough looking: 10 CMP 3 or 4 RCCS