England and Canada: A Summer Tour Between Old and New Westminster, with Historical NotesFleming, Sandford
History
England and Canada: A Summer Tour Between Old and New Westminster, with Historical Notes
Fleming, Sandford
Canada -- Description and travel
Twelve miles distant from Spillman’s Camp the waggon road, bad as it
had been, comes to an end, and our supplies must now be carried on
pack horses. Here we met Mr. Neilson, a Kingston man, who renders us
great service; and it is here also, that Dave Leigh joins our service
as cook and pack man. There is always great delay in getting a pack
train ready; horses, saddlery and men must be collected. Our first
calculation was that three horses would suffice, as we know the weights
of all the packages and our calculation had been based upon them; but
from the badness of the roads we reduced the theoretical weight of the
pack by increasing the number of our animals. Our whole load amounted
to eleven hundred pounds, and our packers assured us that over the
bad roads it could not be carried by less than six horses. Experience
proved that the judgment of the men was correct; the consequence was
that the pack train could not leave that night.
Our party, however, started. One of them, who left after the rest, took
a wrong direction and narrowly escaped losing himself, at least for the
night. George shewed wonderful judgment in hunting up the wanderer and
putting him on the right track, relieving us all from great anxiety.
Our course took us across two forks of the Bow River and thence along
the banks of a rapid stream called Bath Creek, so named from one of the
engineers having fallen into it. We ascended for a few miles, when we
turned to the west by Summit Creek, a small glacier-bed stream, which
we followed till we arrived at the engineer’s camp at the Summit, 5,300
feet above sea level.
I had here to take leave of my friend Mr. Dunbar, who had to return
to his duties. He had been good enough to accompany us this far, and I
had found his presence of great use. Sitting around the camp fire at
night he was an admirable companion, for he had a fine voice. I have
particularly a very pleasurable recollection of the hymns he sang on
the Sunday evening in the first mountain pass. All music has a peculiar
effect under such circumstances, especially when it brings back
thoughts of the past and of distant friends; and there is to men of my
age a peculiar feeling in listening to devotional music, the influence
and power of which, however simple, are not easily forgotten.
To-night we fall asleep on the continental “Divide.” Hitherto we have
passed over ground draining to the east. To-morrow we follow a stream
flowing into the waters of the Pacific.
CHAPTER XIV.
_DOWN KICKING-HORSE VALLEY._
The Descent--Summit Lake--The Kicking-Horse River--Singular
Mountain Storms--An Engineering Party--A Beaver Meadow--A Dizzy
Walk.
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