Читать книгу The Rocks and Rivers of British Columbia - Walter Moberly - Страница 8

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Steaming away for Victoria the passage was rough and most disagreeable. The vessel had no comforts, and the rain and sleet blew into my state-room on the upper deck. The steamer was crowded and cold, a family of Oregonians keeping so close to the little stove in the saloon as to make it impossible to get near it; we named them “The Happy Family.” I was accustomed to put on my overcoat and riding boots when I went to bed to try and keep dry and warm. We ran into the Columbia River, passed the celebrated “Astoria,” and stuck fast on a mud bar at “Warrior Point.” A small steamer from Portland came and took off the passengers and cargo destined for that city, and we managed to get off with the next tide. Seeing numerous wild fowl in the river and on the mud flats along its banks, I landed and succeeded in killing a number of them. On my return to the steamer I went to my state-room to get a glass of whisky and a cigar—(my Australian friend had presented me with two gallons and a box of cigars on my leaving San Francisco)—but to my horror found they had disappeared, together with two bags containing many articles of clothing and nearly all my supply of boots, a most serious loss when my pockets were empty. I found the waiter who attended the state-room had left by the steamer for Portland, and some uncharitable thoughts passed through my mind regarding his sense of honesty.

We continued our journey, the weather still keeping stormy and disagreeable, and visited Puget Sound, touching at several of the small towns, but the rain and fogs allowed one to see but little of the sound. I noticed it was densely covered with very fine timber—principally the “Douglas fir,” and the numerous Indian log canoes I saw of different sizes and shapes were beautifully modelled and capital sea canoes. I was astonished at the enormous size of some of them made out of single logs. A few more hours brought us to Esquimault Harbour, the naval station in British Columbia, about three miles from Victoria.