CHAPTER XVI.FORT CHURCHILL.

With our arrival at Fort Churchill, with its well-filled storehouses, the successful termination of the long journey seemed pretty well assured. Here was abundance of provisions to feed our small party for an indefinite length of time, so that we could either spend the winter at the post, and go south by canoes in the spring, or else remain long enough to recruit, and then continue the journey on foot.

Adjoining the Master’s house, and ranged in two irregular, detached rows on the rocky bank of the Churchill River, were four or five old frame buildings, used as storehouses and servants’ lodges. Two or three hundred yards down the shore was a neat little church and mission-house.

Drawn up on the beach near the church were several large open coast-boats, used during the summer by the Hudson’s Bay Company in carrying on trade with the Eskimos, and beside these was a small landing and warehouse, while down at the mouth of the river, five miles distant, could be seen the ruins of old Fort Prince of Wales, once a massive cut-stone fortification.

The buildings of the traders were very old, some of them being in a half-wrecked condition, but those of themission were new and trim, having been only recently erected by the Rev. Jos. Lofthouse, who, with his family, occupied the dwelling. In this ideal little home, from the hour of our arrival at the Fort, we were given a most hearty and hospitable welcome.

One of the first duties requiring attention, after arranging for rations and shelter, was the treatment of poor Michel’s frozen feet, which upon examination were found to be in a shocking condition. Fortunately in a pocket medicine-case the proper remedies for treating him were found, and with attention and care his condition from the first began to improve, though it was evident that at best it would be many weeks, if not months, before he would again be able to walk.

Having arranged almost immediately upon our arrival at Churchill that we should proceed southward on foot as soon as the condition of the party (and that of the Churchill River, now running full of ice) would admit, we lost no time in getting into training for the tramp, which would amount to nearly one thousand miles. Daily walks were prescribed for all but Michel, and the stronger of the men were sent out to shoot ptarmigan, so that they might not only exercise their limbs, but, at the same time, supplement their daily rations, in which endeavors they were quite successful.

As regards my brother and myself, our short constitutionals almost invariably ended at the Mission House, where many pleasant hours were spent with Mr. and Mrs. Lofthouse and their little daughter Marjorie.

From the time of the establishment of the Churchill Mission—the history of which would of itself form an interesting chapter—to the time of our visit, Mr. and Mrs. Lofthouse had been devoting their lives to thenoble work of teaching and helping the natives, both Indians and Eskimos, wherever they found them, and already the fruits of their labors were apparent.

REV. JOSEPH LOFTHOUSE AND FAMILY.Fort Churchill, Hudson Bay.

REV. JOSEPH LOFTHOUSE AND FAMILY.

Fort Churchill, Hudson Bay.

Close to their home stood a neat substantial church, capable of seating three hundred people, and every nail in the structure—which would be a credit to many a village in Ontario—was driven by the missionary’s own hand. Part of the year, during the absence of the moving population of the district, such a seating capacity is unnecessarily great, but at other seasons, when the nativescome in with the produce of the hunt, the little building is usually crowded.

Mr. Lofthouse preaches in the Cree, Chippewyan and Eskimo languages, and having won the esteem and affection of his people, he has a powerful influence over them, and is teaching them with much success. He and Mrs. Lofthouse together conduct a day-school for the benefit of the children of the permanent residents. These number twenty-one, and the total population of Churchill is only fifty-one. On visiting the school I was much pleased with the advancement of the children, even the smallest of whom could read from the Bible. The girls were being taught by Mrs. Lofthouse to do various kinds of needle-work, and by way of encouragement were being supplied with materials.

At the trading station, besides Mr. Matheson, Capt. Hawes and his family were staying at the time, he in an unofficial capacity. He was shortly to succeed Mr. Matheson, who was to be removed to some other post. Although not so well acquainted with the Captain as with Mr. and Mrs. Lofthouse, his face was also a familiar one to me, as we had met at Churchill in former years, when he was master of the Hudson’s Bay Company’s ship,Cam Owen, since wrecked on the coast.

For nearly two hundred years it had been the practice of the Hudson’s Bay Company to send out from England every year one or two small sailing vessels with supplies to their trading stations on Hudson Bay. Almost without exception these little crafts were able to make their passages successfully, deliver their cargo, and return to England with a wealth of furs, oil, and other goods obtained in trade from the natives.

Now this practice is all changed. Instead of the small sailing vessels, one large steamship is employed for the trade, and Churchill, possessing the only safe harbor on the west coast, is made the shipping port for the Bay, all goods being distributed from this centre by schooners to the other posts, and the furs here collected for shipment. Over this work of distributing and collecting goods the Captain was to have charge.

During the stay at Churchill every day brought noticeable improvement in the condition of our party. On several occasions, the weather being favorable, snowshoeing expeditions were formed and much enjoyed, though usually accompanied by great fatigue. Knowing, however, that by means of such travel we must return home in a short time, we realized the necessity of gaining strength for the long journey.

In the course of one of our outings we reached a place called Sloops Cove, about half way to Prince of Wales Fort, and there made some interesting observations. This cove owes its name to the fact that in the year 1741 the two sloops,FurnaceandDiscovery, sent out from England in command of Captain Middleton to search for the long-looked-for North-West Passage, spent the winter there. How two vessels could have been forced into this cove is a question which has given rise to much speculation on the part of Canadian scientists, for the cove does not now contain more than sufficient depth of water, at high tide, to float a small boat, and it is doubtful if even such a boat could get in through the rocky entrance. The historical fact remains, however, that this cove was the winter quarters of these two sloops, and as proof of the fact a number of ring-boltsto which the vessels were secured may still be seen leaded into the smooth glaciated granite shores. Besides the ring-bolts, many interesting carvings are to be seen cut on the surface of the smooth rocks. Amongst them are the following:—“FurnaceandDiscovery1741,” “J. Horner 1746,” “J. Morley 1748,” “James Walker May yᵉ 25 1753,” “Guillford Long May yᵉ 27 1753,” “J. Wood 1757,” “Sl. Hearne July yᵉ 1 1767.” In addition to many other names are several picture carvings, and notably one of a man suspended from a gallows, over which is the inscription, “John Kelley from the Isle of Wight.” According to local tradition Mr. Kelley is said to have been hanged for the theft of a salt goose.

As yet during our stay at Churchill we had not been successful in reaching the ruins of old Fort Prince of Wales, but on the 3rd of November, the weather being cold and good for snowshoeing, we started off, and after an enjoyable five-mile tramp reached the memorable spot, now a scene of utter desolation. Not a tree or other sign of life could be seen on the long, low snow-driven point of rock, but there in all its solitary, massive grandeur stood the remains of what had more than one hundred years ago been a noble fortress.

The construction of this fortification—which appears to have been planned by the English engineer, Joseph Robson—was commenced in the year 1743 by the Hudson’s Bay Company, which was then, as now, carrying on fur-trading business in northern Canada. So large and expensive a fortification was built probably not so much for the protection of the Company’s interests as for the purpose of complying with a provision of itsRoyal Charter, which required that the country should be fortified.

The building of the fort appears to have been carried on for many years under the direction of the famous Samuel Hearne, already referred to as having traversed the Barren Lands to the mouth of the Copper Mine River. In a stone barrack within the Fort, Hearne lived and carried on business for the Company for many years.

RUINS OF FORT PRINCE OF WALES.

The fortress was in the form of a square, with sides three hundred feet long; at the corners were bastions, and on top of the massive stone walls, twenty feet in height by thirty feet in thickness at the base, were mounted forty-two guns. With such a defence onewould suppose that Churchill should have been safe from attacking foes, but this does not seem to have been the case, for history informs us that on the 8th of August, 1782, the gallant La Perouse and his three vessels of war, with, it is said, naught but scurvy-smitten crews, made their appearance before the much-amazed garrison of thirty-nine men, and demanded an unconditional surrender, which was granted without resistance, and the gates of the great stone fort thrown open to the invaders. Taking possession, they spiked and dismounted the guns, in places broke down the walls, burned the barracks, and sailed away to France with Hearne, his men, and all their valuable furs.

As La Perouse left the Fort so did we find it. For the most part the walls were still solid, though from between their great blocks of granite the mortar was crumbling. The guns, spiked and dismounted, were still to be seen lying about on the ramparts and among the fallen masonry. In the bastions, all of which were still standing, were to be seen the remains of wells and magazines, and in the centre of the Fort stood the walls of the old building in which Hearne and his men had lived. The charred ends of roof-beams were still attached to its walls, where, undecayed, they had rested for the past one hundred and eleven years.

With a continuous low temperature, such as now existed at Churchill, the ice in the river, much to our satisfaction, began to set fast. This was necessary to enable us to continue the journey. On Saturday, November 4th, the thermometer registered 14½° below zero (Fahr.), and with that temperature the movement of floating ice ceased and the river was bridged fromshore to shore. Being anxious to get away as early as possible, arrangements were made with the Company’s agent for a start for York Factory on Monday morning. The assistance of one dog-team, with driver and guide, was with some difficulty secured, but three other teams were to accompany us a great part of the way, viz., to Stony River, where in the month of September the Company’s servants had been obliged to abandon a boat-load of supplies because of severe weather, the month in which we had been canoeing on the coast five hundred miles farther north.

ICE-BLOCK GROUNDED AT LOW TIDE.

A bill of necessary supplies was prepared, and these were weighed out and put into sacks. Men and teams were sent off to obtain a supply of dog-meat—an indispensable commodity—from a shanty on the south side of the river. When they reached the place they found it in possession of five polar bears—three large ones and two cubs. Along with the dog-meat were brought back the skins of one old bear and the two cubs. During Sunday the thermometer fell to 21° below zero, making the river-ice strong and perfectly safe.

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