THE WEST SHORE.
265
painted; a few of the oldest wore rings on thoir ankles,
and all Lad their noses pierced for them. My guides
painted at Ninstants both black and red, and urged me
to do bo, saying that it would not only improve my
appearance, but prevent the skin from blistering. The
preservation of their complexion I find to be the principal
reason for painting by the women. They are the fairest
on the Coast, and evidently conscious of it One young
woman, exceptionally good looking, ran to a brook uion
our approach, and quickly washed off the unsightly pitch,
deer tallow and charcoal, that she might appear in all her
native charms.
Until we rounded Cape St James, the extreme south
ern portion of the islands, we encountered but little
disagreeably rough sea. Opposite Barnaby Island, how
ever, we were struck by a heavy squall, which swept our
canoe over the surface of the water for more than 200
feet and to within about twenty feet of a precipitous
rocky shore, upon which the waves were dashing furiously,
before we could recover the use of the oars. But, from
the cape northwest, it was a continuous battle amidst
storms from all quarters, encountering strong adverse
winds and much of what the Indians called hyas solid
chuck (very rough sea). I could then understand why,
before leaving, they had inquired so carefully of Mr.
McGregor, who recommended that I had a skookum
iumtum (a stout heart), and of me personally whether I
was subject to sea sickness. We were four days rounding
one point, making three unsuccessful attempts, the Indians
turning back, but not until our canoe hod been nearly
swamped by heavy breakers. The skill of the natives in
handling the canoe is something wonderful. When once
at sea, I left its entire management to their judgment
On one occasion, when off a rocky point, we were struck by
a heavy sea with alarming forca To advance was seen to
be impossible, and to turn back was almost equally
perilous. It was no time for indecision, for another groat
breaker was rolling toward us. With a single signal word
from the helmsman, with perfect coolness, a fow powerf ul
strokes at just the right time reversed our little bark,
and we were soon in safe water again.
For considerable distances on the west coast rocky pre
cipitous mountains face the sea, in places not less than
1,500 feet in height, almost perpendicular, rising over
4,000 feet within a few miles back. When running the
gauntlet of the storms along these forbidding shores we
looked into the mouths of several dark caverns of
unknown depth. Twice Indian Tom raised his paddlo,
placed four small wads of tobacco thereon, and, with a
supplicating motion of his right hand toward these cav
erns, made an offering to the spirits which are BuppoNed
to inhabit them, praying that we might have a safe voy
age. Here we found what I believe to be the grandest
scenery of the Queen Charlotte Islands. We had been
pulling for six hours against head winds, squalls and
rough boas along this rocky, high walled shore, which
seemed to offer no place where a landing would be
possible, when suddenly the canoe turned toward land,
ran through a narrow rock-bound passage into a little
basin about fifty rods square, surround)) by mnnntatna
rising up precipitously from 1,500 to 2,500 feet, down
which ten cataract wore plunging. Grand View Inlet,
or whntovor it may bo railed, is situated about eight miles
south of Tanoo Harbor. As wo wore leaving it two land
otters were scon swimming near the shore. Giving chase,
one of them ran out upon the land, whore, after an excit
ing hunt with dogH, it was killed. One evening, as we
wore camping in a rocky cove, Indian Sam suddenly
seized his gun, ran down to the shore, and mounted a
great nick whore seal had boon soon. Presently ho fired,
and then stripping off his shirt, dove headlong into the
uoa. He booh rose to the surfaco grasping a grout seal,
with which ho Bwam to the shore. Although they had
eaten a hearty supper they sat up until midnight gorging
thomsolvos witli its excessively fat moat Thoy had one
continual feast from the beginning to the end of the
expedition, devouring, Iwsidos the supplies taken with us,
seal, wild goose, duck, octopus clams, halibut, mussels,
soa eggs, birds' eggs, fish spawn, salmon, otc, In groat
quantities. On the thirty-third day after leaving Mossott,
I returned to Bkidogato through Skidogato Channel,
whore I again reilttted for tlio west coast of Graham
Isluud and the Virago Sound country, next to bo
travorsod. Newtoh H. Chittenden.
m m
DISCOVERY OP THE) ROOKY MOUNTAINS.
riUIE Treaty of Ryswick was concluded in 101)5, in which
X was a provision defining the Umndarios of the colo
nial M)ssesHions of the various rival nations in America.
This was definite and positive, but owing to the crude
ideas of American geography which prevailed at that
time, was imjwrfoct iu many resect. Florida, a the
Spanish ossosHion north of Mexico were called, was
bordered on the north by the Carolina, but farther west
the boundaries wore quite indefinite, conflicting with the
Louisiana of the Fronclt. Franco claimed as Louisiana
all north of the mouth of the Mississippi and west of the
Alleghanies, tlio western boundary being indefinite bo
cuuse no one know how far towards the Occident the con
tinent extended. She also claimed the region of the St
Lawrence and the chain of groat lakes under tlio general
title of Canada, those two province joining and inter
lacing without any lino of division either expressed or
understood. The Hudson's Bay country was also claimed
by France, though not with much orlHtoiico, Mid it wa
at that time actually in the jsissossion of England, in the
person of the Huilsou's Bay Comimny. The English
colonies wore east of the Alloghanio, from Maine to
to Georgia. In 1713 France relinquished to England her
claim ujxn the Hudson's Bay region, and turned her
attention to strengthening her position in Canada ami
Louisiana.
During the latter part of the seventeenth century and
the first half of the eighteenth, French explorer and
Jesuit missionaries traversed the Mississippi Valley,
established a chain of stations between Canada and
Louisiana, among them the city of Ht Louis, and ven
penetrated the unknown wilderness lying between the