David Thompson

“ Uncle Will then brought down the bird with his revolver, and later, David and Roly plucked and dressed it, with [92] some assistance from Long Peter, and cooked it for their supper.
David awoke, one morning, to find his younger brother observing him with a curious expression in his eyes, the cause of which he was at a loss to discover.
"What in the world is the matter with your face, Dave?" said Roly, as soon as he saw that his tent-mate was awake.
"Matter with my face?" repeated David, sleepily. "Why, nothing. What makes you think so?"
"You don't look a bit natural," said Roly. ”

“ David Livingstone was a missionary of the cross and died among the people he went to serve and we would not diminish in the least the honors due to his name. David Thompson lived the principles of his faith in God amid the debaucheries of liquor in the fur trade as practiced by a large number of those engaged in it. ”

“ David Thompson had an abhorrence for liquor in every form and also was a devout man in his daily life and ambitious to do his work thoroughly, and when it happened that the chief factor at York, who was a surly man and gen- erally disliked, sent orders to do no more surveying, he decided to make a change, 11 and so we find in his journal on May 23rd, 1797, this entry : "This day left the service of the Hudsons' Bay Company, and entered that of the Company of Merchants from Canada. May God Almighty prosper me." ”

“ With an angry growl of pain the great beast came down upon all fours and charged the little group.
"Kneel, Dave!" cried Roly. "It'll steady you."
David dropped on one knee as the bear came on, while Coffee Jack clutched his knife convulsively.
"Bang!" went the rifle the next instant. Through the smoke they saw the bear plunge to the earth within a dozen yards of them with a bullet through her head. The battle was won.
"Well, well, what's all this?" they heard shouted in Mr. Bradford's voice from the foot of the hill. Presently he and Uncle Will appeared breathless upon the scene. ”

“ David and the old Indian were now considerably in advance of Roly and Tom, but when Roly had been carried over what he thought was the last channel, he paid Tom fifty cents, as he had agreed. No sooner had he done so than he beheld David being carried over another some distance in advance.
Tom was a Christian Indian, but he was no more averse to getting the best of a bargain than some Christian Yankees. He saw his advantage instantly and made a motion as if to return to his canoe. ”

“ Bradford, smiling as he contemplated Roly's fruitless efforts to turn over; "and perhaps it's just as well. We shall know where to find him."
"I should think you would," said poor Roly, laughing in spite of himself. "I can't get up till somebody helps me, and I did want to look at the valley."
"Oh, no!" put in David, with exasperating composure; "the sky is far prettier. Just see those beautiful white summer clouds sailing along."
"Let them sail if they want to," said the prostrate youth, impatiently. "I don't care. Have you all conspired against me? Give me your hand, Dave, you're nearest." ”

“ Thompson was the author of:
‘Davidica: twelve practical Sermons on the Life of David,’ London, 1827, 8vo. ‘Pastoralia: a Manual of Helps for the Parochial Clergy,’ London, 1830, 12mo; 2nd edit. 1832. ‘The Life of Hannah More,’ London, 1838, 8vo. ‘Concionalia: Outlines of Sermons for the Christian Year,’ London, 1853, 8vo; 2nd edit. 1862; 2nd ser. 1871. He published editions of Horace (1853, 8vo) , and Virgil (1854, 8vo; 3rd edit. 1862) , and also contributed most of the classical articles to the ‘Encyclopædia Metropolitana’ (1824) , several of which he afterwards published separately. ”

“ Since a trading post was established near Bonners Fer ry , where we now stand, the final stanza of the poem is also appropriate : And here has house was builded , Here let us stand and say , Here was a man full -sized , whose fame Shall never pass away While the stars shine and rivers run , In the land of Kootenai . Closely associated with David Thompson in exploration and trade was a remarkable Scotchman , Finnan MacDonald by name . ”

“ Thompson was a firm Churchman, while most of our men were Roman Catholics. Many a time have I seen these uneducated Canadians most attentively and thankfully listen, as they sat upon some bank of shingle, to Mr. Thompson, while he read to them in most extraordinary pronounced French three chapters out of DAVID THOMPSON AND THE COLUMBIA RIVER 203 the Old Testament and as many out of the New, adding such explanations as seemed to him suitable." The same individual thus describes Mr. Thompson physical- ly : "A singular looking person of about fifty. ”

“ Following them came a round-shouldered old Irishman, riding on a big gray mule, and behind him was a string of mules loaded with sacks and boxes.
The dogs set off toward David with a rush, as soon as they saw him, and it was all their master could do to check them. As it was, David made sure that his hatchet was free before he encountered the pack, and even had he brought that weapon into play, he would have been [300] overwhelmed in a twinkling had not the dogs been in evident fear of the old man. ”

“ Long Peter, who had no scruples, laughed long after Roly had emerged. They all rushed to aid the struggling youngster, who was so hampered by the big shoes [84] that there seemed no possibility of his regaining his feet until they were disencumbered. David, after warning his brother not to kick, quickly loosened the moose-hide thongs and removed the snow-shoes, which done, the fallen youth picked himself up, and brushed the snow out of his eyes, mouth, and neck. ”

“ Shirley's party here, I wonder," said Roly, after a hard day's work.
"If they are wise," replied Uncle Will, "they'll stop at Pleasant Camp. The two young men can make a dash in for claims when the lame one has recovered, but those ladies can never stand this kind of work."
David declared that never before had he appreciated the picture in his room at home, of Napoleon's soldiers dragging cannon over the Alps. He was quite sure he would groan with genuine sympathy when he saw it again. ”

“ You've brought the boys, I see. That's right. They'll enjoy the life, and it'll do them good. Why, I hardly knew David here, he's grown so tall! We'll soon have some tan on that pale face of his. As for Roly," and he eyed that healthy specimen of a boy, "about all he seems to need is hard labor and a bread-and-water diet."
Roly laughed, for he saw the twinkle in his uncle's eye, and had no fears that such a course of training would be inflicted,—or at least the bread-and-water part of it.
"Is that good mother of yours well, Roly, and the little girl?" asked Uncle Will. ”

“ The two exchanged cordial greetings, and David immediately prepared to give his friend a hearty meal.
"How did you leave the people in the Shorty Creek district?" asked the young cook when the new-comer had removed his light pack and seated himself in one of Hovey's rustic chairs.
"Everybody was well when I left," answered Davidson, "except old Tom Moore, the recorder. He's down with scurvy, but I guess our doctor will fix him up. They've sent him a lot of dried fruit and vegetables, and that diet ought to help him. ”

“ This was climbed slowly and with several pauses, for they found themselves out of breath the instant they left the level ground, and the perspiration fairly dripped from their faces. At the top, David threw himself down before a log with his pack resting upon it, but Roly thought he could improve on this arrangement by sitting on the trunk itself and letting [187] the pack come against the great upturned roots. Unfortunately, in the act of seating himself, he leaned too far backward, and instantly his load overbalanced him. ”

“ David Murray, the famous landscape painter, was another frequent visitor among the Academicians, very popular for his wit and camaraderie, very ready to help any one who needed a push in high quarters.
He has altered surprisingly little—only last summer I met him at a ball at Sir St. Clair Thompson’s, the eminent throat specialist’s, whom I knew as far back as 1886 when he was honorary secretary of the Club at Florence. David was dancing as much as most of the young men, and not looking perceptibly older than when I met him a quarter of a century ago. ”

“ Bradford; "but I'll go with you, because the ice is treacherous in the swamp, and, besides, you are not quite expert yet in the use of the gun."
"Bring us the fattest bird in the flock," shouted Uncle Will, as they departed; "and we'll have a royal supper." So saying, he fell to mending the gee-pole of his sled. With David's assistance, the pole was soon as good as new.
"Now," said Uncle Will, "where's your rifle, Dave?" ”

“ David's, Pembrokeshire, in 1746, received his education in the cathedral school of his native city, and at an early age obtained a situation in London in the custom house. Afterwards he entered the Middle Temple, and studied for the legal profession. During his residence there he became acquainted with most of the literary and dramatic celebrities of the day. He knew something of Dr. Johnson, and of Goldsmith, as well as of Garrick, to whom many of his poems were addressed. After being called to the bar he attended the circuits in Wales for several years. ”

“ Suddenly Uncle Will, who was leading, stopped, then threw himself at full length on the ground.
"Down, Roly, quick!" he whispered. "There's a caribou coming. Don't make a sound."
Roly dropped instantly, and the two lay there, quiet but excited, gazing at the crest of the hill not more than forty feet ahead, Uncle Will meantime drawing his revolver. Roly had no weapon but his knife, and the only kind of a shot he could take was a snapshot,—for he happened to be carrying David's camera. Even that might not be possible, for the sun was almost in line with the game. ”

“ Throughout his life Thompson was inspired by a restless impulse to push forward the exploration and mapping of the west until not a corner of it remained unknown. The greatest satisfaction of his career was undoubtedly the discovering of the Columbia valley. West of the Rockies, he was not merely a surveyor and explorer, but in a real sense an Empire builder, for he added a region of vast and varied resources to the territories of the Crown.
It is difficult for Europeans to associate with savages without misunderstandings more or less serious. ”

“ Later, he was moved to David's cottage, whence he was fetched every day to Newbuildings, half a mile away, for luncheon and tea. David and Mrs. David had gained the unwilling confidence of the invalid, and Mr. Wilfrid Blunt, adept in everything, himself saw that medical help was necessary. In September a doctor was consulted, but if no effective treatment followed it was probably because Francis's evasions successfully prevented a satisfactory diagnosis.
To the care he received in Sussex there was no end. On September 6, 1907, a companion of Mr. Blunt wrote:—
"Mr. ”

“ Here was a man who could solve Thompson's doubts and difficulties, and correct the deficiencies of his education for the work which he had in view. An eager pupil, Thompson sat at the feet of Turnor during the winter of 1790; and when, in the following spring, he returned to York factory, it was as a man with his mind made up. If a man knows clearly what he wants and has the intelligence and perseverance to pursue his aims, no obstacle, not even such as these which confronted Thompson, can keep him from attaining his goal. ”

“ The fact is, that from your peculiar manner of conduct, you are also one of those unfortunate men who will have many an acquaintance, but never a real friend."
Thompson's final break with Colen did not, however, occur until two years later. He turned in his furs, and without waiting, except to secure supplies for the coming winter, went back to his duties in the Muskrat country. This time he built a house far to the north on Duck Portage, the link connecting Burntwood lake with the Churchill river. ”

“ In the early years of the nineteenth century, interest in the interior of North America was confined to very few persons. It may have been that the number of subscribers was inadequate. It may have been that no publisher would take the risk of issuing the work. At any rate the map and chart which Thompson projected never saw the light of day.
At the conclusion of his labours on the International Boundary Commission, Thompson felt himself in a position to retire. Throughout his working career, he had always enjoyed a good salary. ”

“ Thompson, nevertheless, was not to be deterred from his enterprise. He proceeded at once to Fairford House, the trading post kept by Malcolm Ross on the Churchill near the mouth of the Reindeer river, where he hoped to get some assistance. To his great disappointment, he found that not a man could be spared from the trade in furs. There were, however, a few Chepawyan Indians lingering about the fort and from among these he managed to engage two young men. ”

“ That for the king implores 'that our sovereign King Charles may be strengthened with the faith of Abraham, endued with the mildness of Moses, armed with the magnanimity of Joshua, exalted with the humility of David, beautified with the wisdom of Solomon;' for the queen: 'That our most gracious queen Catharine may be holy and devout as Hesther, loving to the king as Rachel, fruitful as Leah, wise as Rebecca, faithful and obedient as Sarah,' &c. ”

“ The vast palace of St David’s, on the other hand, displays in all its details, and especially in the ogee-headed doorway of the porch of its larger hall, a sumptuousness of decoration which is not often found in the domestic architecture of the time. The great hall on the west side of the courtyard, the smaller hall and private apartments on the south side, the vaulted cellars which occupy the whole of the basement in each range, are planned upon a scale equal to that of a castle of first-rate size. ”