June 15, 1793. (Day 38) 227 Years Ago To-day. Excerpts from the Journals of Alexander MacKenzie’s epic Voyage of Discovery to the Pacific Ocean.
“The weather continued the same as the preceding day, and...my people began at a very early hour to open a road...so that after fourteen hours (of) hard labour we had not made more than three miles.”
Picture 1. Google Earth image showing the valley they must descend.
“Our course was South-East by East, and as we had not met with any accident, the men appeared to feel a renewed courage to continue their voyage. In the morning, however, one of the crew...refused to embark in the canoe. This being the first example of absolute disobedience which had yet appeared during the course of our expedition…”
As with any leader on any ship, he relies on everyone in the brigade to follow his orders no matter what. Anything else could risk everyone’s life and put the mission itself in jeopardy. He chooses a simple management style in order to deal with the obstinate Beauchamp. “I preferred to represent him as an object of ridicule and contempt for his pusillanimous behaviour; though in fact, he was a very useful, active, and laborious man.”
Three miles or more made today, with most of the crew carrying the lading and clearing the road through awful forest and deadfall. Four men lining the lightened canoe down past the “rafts of driftwood, and fallen trees” and the “shoals and rapids” of this bad river.
“At the close of the day we assembled round a blazing fire; and the whole party, being enlivened with the usual beverage which I supplied on these occasions, forgot their fatigues and apprehensions; nor did they fail to anticipate the pleasure they should enjoy in getting clear of these present difficulties, and (to) gliding onwards with a strong and steady stream, which our guide had described as the characteristic of the large river we soon expected to enter.”
Once they are clear of this steep and treacherous bad mountain river, (Picture 1) they will enter what is now known as the MacGregor River, a tributary of the Fraser.
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