A TRIP TO THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.*

TDB Saskatchewan, or as we have heard it called, "the river with the unpronounceable name" — the name, we believe, signifies "the river that turns"—is so little visited, that an interval of some fifteen years between the jotting-down of these journals and their appearance in print seems to be of small con- sequence. A few works, such as Captain Butler's, have drawn momentary attention to these wild western lands, which now form part of the Canadian Dominion, but for the most part, general knowledge does not reach beyond the fact that they are cold in winter. Lord Southesk found them so. "It is unpleasant," he remarks, "to pass the night with a collar of ice round one- neck and a sprinkling of icicles on one's pillow."

"Not unnaturally during the height of the cold the thought occurred to me. Wily am I enduring this ? For pleasure—was the only reply„ and the idea seemed so absurd that I laughed myself warm: Then, as embe aererdt of du thateInwasratankce an a taking lesson hsoiethatrle ntn most circulationvaluablof returned, human studies, th perforce, and the rich do well to teach themselves ; though, truly, they have their own trials too, in a different fashion. I often think of the story of an officer who was so anxious to harden himself before a cam- paign against the Caffres that he used to leave his comfortable quarters and sleep uncovered in the open air during the worst of weather ; the end was, that, when the marching order came, he was too rheumatic to go- with his regiment. So in life we are apt to doctor our souls so much with medicine of our own mixing, that when Providence gives us our- regular allowance of affliction-physic, we have not vigour enough to swallow it with resignation or benefit by its power, and sink into despondency, instead of finding our strength renewed like the eagle's."

We have given this quotation rather in full, because it is very characteristic of the whole book. Facts and philosophy, bear- hunts and religious discussions, hardships of travel, and criticisms. of Shakespeare's plays are mixed up together pretty much at random ; but it is quite excusable if in a journal of travel tho. mind wanders in sympathy with the body, if each varying scene

• Saskatchewan and the Rocky mountains. By the Earl Of Sontheak. liairayargh Edn2onstou and Douglas.

calls up fresh ideas, or slenderly linked associations of ideas, tempting it into manifold digressions. So long as these digressions are not tedious, and the main narrative bears the stamp of truth- fulness, and there is a reasonable amount of freshness in the incidents, unity of design and treatment may be done without :-

"Towards the close of 1858," writes Lord Southesk. "while visiting at the house of a friend, I happened to mention my desire to travel in some part of the world where good sport could be met with among the larger animals, and where, at the same time, I might recruit my health by an active, open-air life in a healthy climate."

"Why not go to the Hudson's Bay Company's territory ?" was the answer of his friend ; and as the advice was followed up by an introduction to Sir George Simpson, and the consequent smooth- ing-away of all difficulties of travel that money and influence could smooth away, Lord Southesk started in May, 1859, for Fort Garry with a party of seven men, eleven draught and four riding-horses, one waggon, and many carts, for the sources of the north branch of the Saskatchewan, by way of the Assiniboine river, and up the South Saskatchewan from its elbow to the junction of the two branches. Lord Southesk has his own views about the exact angle made by the river at the southern elbow, differing from those of Messrs. Hind and Palliser, for a full explanation of which we refer the reader curious in geographical detail to the neat little map at page 76. We cannot too highly commend the exactitude of all the scientific and descriptive portion of this book. Indeed, it everywhere bears marks of a painstaking spirit and high regard for truth. On one other point we must give Lord Southesk the justice due to him. He has had to defend himself, since the publication of this work, from charges of cruelty in the pursuit of game, charges for which we see no foundation in his narrative. Its whole tone is that of a humane man, averse to cruelty in any form, one who felt for the suffer- ings of his horses when winter overtook them on their home- ward march, and for the brutal treatment of the sledge-dogs by their Indian or half-bred masters; he excited, indeed, the liveliest surprise in the minds of his drivers by his orders that they were not "to hammer their dogs about the head." After describing some of the ways in which the teams were goaded to their work, he adds, "Worse cruelties than these I have heard of,—I record svhat I have seen, and should blush to record it, if I had not done my best to atop such hellish practices."

One other passage will introduce to our readers a dog which, half-bred, ugly, and a coward, was, by its funny looks and ways and confiding trust—spite of some sudden spasms of fear—in its adopted master, one of the greatest alleviations of the tedium of the return journey :—

" Poor Whisky filled the place of the ancient domestic jester ; one look at him dispelled melancholy ; every movement ho made was a farce. With his cunningly timorous countenance, and sleekly rounded plebeian body, he was a true Sancho Panza of dogs. He was a daily delight. I would not have exchanged him for the best dog in the Company's territories."

One day while shooting wild sheep on the sides of the Rocky Mountains, he chanced to open his telescope rather quickly. 44 Whisky uttered a squeak that might have been heard a mile off, and took to his heels, evidently thinking that I had got a whip of a new and dangerous pattern. I never struck the poor creature in my life, nor spoke harshly to him ; but these Indian dogs are so fearfully beaten and ill-treated at home, that they almost breathe in yells and squeaks." It is quite possible indeed for a man to be humane to his horses and dogs, and yet reckless and even cruel towards the objects of his sport ; but if sport is to be allowed at all, there is nothing illegiti- mate in the mode in which Lord Southesk pursued it. He .had a plea to urge which cannot be made by fox-hunters at home, that the produce of his skill was sorely needed, for the most part, -to fill the hungry stomachs of himself and his men, who were often ' reduced to great straits for eatable food when game ran short.

When the party started on their western road, they were told that it might be October before they could again reach Fort Carlton. "Be it so," said Lord Southesk, in the first ardour of travel, but, " alas ! the impassioned hunter did not know" what travelling across the plains in early winter meant. It turned out to be November before he again reached Fort Carlton, and then1 he records his feelings and anticipations in very different words :—

" November 9.—We set out in the teeth of a snowstorm drifting I furiously before a light north wind, the cold intense. My beard and moustaches were frozen harder than before ; my left eye had an icicle banging from the eye-lashes ; I expected to be frost-bitten' and kept rubbing my nose and ears continually. It was positive suffering. It is melancholy to think that more than a month of this hardship lies before us between this and Fort Garry. Then a fortnight more of it i to St. Paul—frail nature shrinks—all work and sorrow and smalLhopes

of sport; nothing now or curious to be seen. Mere labour, labour, labour."

This is very pathetic. Indeed, we think the ecstaey of his first glimpse of the Rocky Mountains, and the pleasure of the dan- gerous chase over their sides after mountain-sheep, even the exciting encounter with an occasional grisly, was dearly bought by the sufferings of himself, his men (who, by the way, were so hardened by habit that they can scarcely be said to have suffered), and horses, many of which broke down in the road and had to be left behind. Occasionally, one of these waifs turns up again at a fort, or joins a passing company of hunters, but as a rule, they perish by hunger, or are eaten by wolves. It would seem a more humane method to put a bullet at once through the poor creatures' brains.

Buffalo-hunting (always associated with the recovery of a sound condition of body) was the primary object of Lord Southesk's travels, and he was fortunate in falling in with large droves of these animals, now, like the seals of the South Seas and the elephants of Ceylon, fast disappearing under the careless slaughter of man ; the Indians, blind to the future, killing bulls, cows, and calves indiscriminately. The following spirited sketch will show what the attraction of a buffalo-chase is :—

" Mt this time the bands of buffaloes were streaming past me ; the plains were alive as far as the eye could reach. While debating whether or not to go on, I suddenly observed in one of the passing herds the very specimen I sought for,—an exceedingly fine, sleek, round-barrelled bull, not so large as some of the patriarchs, but with very long, perfect horns, and a most luxuriant mane and beard. Hail- ing this welcome sight, I marked the noble animal for a prey. I re- mounted Bichon, who, greatly refreshed by the halt, went on as gallantly as before. Never did bull run more fast or strong. For ten miles or more I stuck to him, but by no means could I get within fair shooting distance. It was interesting to ride in the midst of that vast, black mass of buffaloes, for as I went on, the scattered bands seemed more and more to unite, and I sometimes found myself moving in a sort of triangular enclosure, with living walla around me, as the nearer animals strove to edge away on either hand, while the ranks were closed in front, and the ever-increasing numbers came thundering up behind. As long as Bichon kept his footing there was little risk ; the buffalo were thinking only of escape, the crowd was not dangerously large or dense, and there was plenty of room. for I was still on a gently undu- lating plain. At last my bull began to slacken his pace. By what strange instinct did he know that I had chosen him for my own? The same band was still together, his companions were all with him, not one had yet quitted their ranks. Yet, with a sudden movement, he sprang from amongst them, and held away by himself, rushing off at right angles through an opening in the crowd, and seem- ing to gather fresh speed as ho ran on his separate career. It was but for a while ; he abruptly checked himself, faced round, and stood at bay. I closed on him, trying for a flank shot. Down went his head, onward he came in full charge. Knowing the nselessness of firing at a buffalo's forehead, I cantered out of his way. He followed me n few yards, then turned and resumed his course. Another mile — again ho slackened, breaking into a trot as he drew near to the top Of a gentle rise; and there he took up his stand, and once more came to hay. I approached till but a few yards were between him and me. and then up went his tail in sign of battle, down went his head for a charge, but this time I was too quick ; the Bichon had slipped round him, and before he could make one stop, I sent a bullet through his heart. He stopped, staggered a few paces, then fell to rise no more."

The part of the Rocky Mountains visited by Lord Southesk is little traversed even by Indians, and of one place he writes, "I am the first European who has visited this valley." The scenery he describes as magnificent ;—the chase after the fine breed of small mountain-sheep, which live on the almost inaccessible sides and summits of the mountains, was exciting but almost too I fatiguing for a frame already tired with the hardships of the journey there. By his own confession, such great exertions do not tend to strengthen the frame immediately, whatever after- wards may be their beneficial results on the whole. On this point we are left in doubt, but that Lord Southesk looks back upon the months spent in the far North-West of America with satisfaction is certain ; and his readers, sharing in a moderate , degree that satisfaction, may thank him that, although the IHoratian rtile is hardly so applicable to travels as to poetry, he has at length given his to the world.