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

218 Appendix 1TUESDAY 20 JULYI write under mosquito baron muskeg 8.30 PM sun not yet down record earJy bedbut we were up at 6.15 aw'!Y at 8.15 + have paddled about 8 hours in all. Hadsome nasty bits of water to negotiate swift + swirling + the wideriver intersected with sand-bars so that we had to land + scanahead with glasses-current very swift too + we went whirlingdown. Passed fine roc~ bluffs eagles screaming + peregrine falcons. Ratheranxious work now the river is so big. Sun hot but pleasant. We lunched on R bankbehind us a 10veJy group ofdark blue delphinium. Glimpses of mountains behindVery long reaches 6 or 8 miles. Vast country. Saw a few geese, scoterducks, loons. Some strongpuffi head winds other bits smooth as glasswith that wonderful downhill glide.WEDNESDAY 21 JULYDelicious scent of Ledum + muskeg on which we lay last night.Gleams in the s~ all night: wolf tracks on beach but no wolf came.We slept without tent. Up at 6.30 threw our bedding down cliff + aw'!Y at9.30 About 10 met a tent + 4 empty huts on R. bank stopped +talked to 2 old Indians who knew little English. On + on riververy wide now perhaps nearJy 1/2 a mile in parts Passed a slough who weguessed to be Old Crow R. David Low's reckoning of timecoincided: ditto old Indian woman's who said we'd reach it 120' c: ditto our own reckoning of time: ditto Lazarus account ofWillow Island. One or 2 spasms about spits + swift water. Clouds rollingup heavy shower. Lunched on L. bank expecting to see OldCrow next corner. Went on I o'c + after an hour concludedwe'd missed Old Crow looked at map felt sure of it + floatingdown down with Rampart-like rocks on left made up ourminds to the worst i.e. 70 miles more on to Rampart Housealone with chance of gasboat + a cabin or so. One tremendousbattle with waves + wind. Passed what looked like a backwater +at 5 o'c carne suddenly as those who dream on Old Crow a longline of huts!! Indians crowded out to meet us. Swift current aswe pulled in after 7 1/2 hours paddling. Indian Chief carne down +shook hands: ditto others We said "Is Harry Anthony fteretrader here?" "No." "Any white man here?" "One." And hepulled up canoe + led us to him shaking hands as we went. Thetrader a youngish man (Frost) welcomed us in a spotless 2roomed log cabin + gave us such a meal of salmon (fresh) coffeefigs. Indian chief sat there + another, eyes gleaming in darkcorner still + silent. A 3rd slipped in. Discussed guides. Chiefslipped out "See if catch im feller perhaps catch im perhapsno." 2 mins. later appeared, caught David 5 dollars a day food+ return fare (days) David came in, a fine fellow. We went upvillage bartered beads + silk for mocassins with Martha sawchurch, pressed flowers, had a long chat with host saw photos o'wild life. He was in M.P. but got out + cannot leave the countrynow, likes his independence. To bed at 9 o'c "Gee-whiz but it'sfierce"-Came down the river like 2 squawsTHURSDAY 22 JULYPorcupine R. I write peacefolJy in the canoe: water glas!) still: sun 112 veiledwonderfol soft clouds + shadows on green + gr'!Y mountains that face us. Rivermust be 1/2 a mile wide now: spruce: willow: eagles. The river bank mostinteresting last 2 days: sometimes deeply overhung banks 12 ft.high of black soil where the water swirls round quickly on concaveshore. Sometimes rocky ramparts high cliffs topped + backedby forest in fact just a rocky face shOWing through leagues offorest + marking far ahead the winding course of the river.Great chunks of dirty ice embedded like tree trunks in blacksoil. On shallow bank of river endless stony spits + shoals whichare seen so far off down these long reaches that they appear tointersect + one can hardly guess where to steer. Sloughs + backwatersvery deceptive too: we cd. have sworn y'day Old CrowRiver flowing in was a backwater flowing down: + vice versa thebackwater we mistook for the river. Just now while Gwen + ourstalwart guide David are paddling we are passing high mud cliffschannelled by melting ice + every now + then a dull reverberatingsound rolls about + echoes thinly over the woodedcountry as chunks of ice roll or shoot down looking like bits of blacksoil The cliff face is furrowed with these channels + mud splayedout fanwise at bottom: so the river's work goes on river everwidening its banks eating into land: we had a happy thoughstuffy night in darkened room no windows open. Woke at 4.Mr Frost cooked us such a good breakfast. All the villagesleeping turning day into night after night of dance. We got 2pairs moccassins, from Martha who sat up all night makingthem + we gave her beads + silks; also another pair for pork +biscuits. Mr ~ full of interest tales of North. Away at 6.45we passed one cabin just on edge of bank next yard's fall it willslip in: David says in 1910 it was 100 yards in: river banks eatenaway. Very hot sun middle day: we paddled turn + turn about 2 hoursin a 12 hour day 10 hours going 2 hours meals Some wind. Eveningcame to Ramparts fine scenery red black white yellow + graycliffs enclOSing swift water in icy cold wind blew us onward +such a sinister wind blowing down all the little gorges. Everysound intensified in this silent land. Carne at 7 to Rampart House in alittle break of this double barrier: MP barracks Trader Cadzow