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BRITISH COLUMBIA.Perils of Travelling in the New G-old Begion. Victoria, Vancouver’s Island, Jan. 29, 1862.—Ihave arrived here quite safe, but you wil| have thought o this that the Indians have got my topknot, butbefore this that the Indians have got my topknot, __ they did not quite. I am etill alive, thodgh I have seen some very hard times since I wrote you last from Bed Biver. I then calculated to get through ini three months. It was seven months within a few days when I landed in Viotoria. The first month of our journey] we only made 240 miles, to Fort Ellice. We were twice lost in that distance; the country through which we passed being so very swampy, and such a number of creek^ and rivers to cross, we made but little progress; the creeks were swollen into rivers, and the rivers almost impassable; the currents were fearful. Day after day, travelling in mudand water, in aomo places bo deep that horses and carts were well-nigh disappearing altogether—ihey were continually getting stuck—we had to wade though the mudwheels. Theaud water, and put our shoulders to the mosquitoes tormented us almost to madnesk; no rest did they give us night or day. We left our guide at Fort Ellice; he proved to be a lazy, useless fallow. After resting a few days we started for Fort Carlton, on the Saskatchewen (distant 850 miles), without al guide, wherewe arrived on the 30th of July. Here we heard most discouraging accounts of the Indians; wd were told it was madness to proceed farther than FoH Pitt, as the Blackfeet had sworn to kill every white main that passedthrough their country. We were unabtejto procure aguide,-so determined to push on alone, ana on the ninth day arrived at Fort Pitt. The reports concerning theBlackfeet were here confirmed. _ We Tested! several days,algrbought fresh horses, and succeeded in engaging a CreeIndian to guide us to Edmonton. We were now aboutsee any, wecould safely conclude we should not meet with Indians,to enter the Blaokfoot country. Oar only hope of safety depended upon the buffalo. If we did notwrand they were reported to be south of oiir jtrack. Thefirst day we encamped in a small valley to dine, our Indian guide was describing a battle that had taken place on mat 7try spot between ft .small party of jCrees and alarge number of Blackfeet; the Crees were overpowered and scalped, two only escaping, one of whom was our guide. He was in the act of showing us an arrow wound which he had received at the time, when we werestartled by a tremendous yelling and whohping. Wer feet, and in front of us saw descending thesprang to ourhill a band of what we (the guide included) supposed to be Blackfeet. In a moment, we formed the cart into a
Newspaper Details
London Magnet
London, Middlesex, GB
Mon, Jun 02, 1862
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
CA 29 Jul 2020
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Bingleys Journal
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London Daily Mail
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