Winter, with its snow and its ice; winter, with its sharp winds and white drifts; winter, with its various characteristic occupations and employments, is past, and it is spring now.
The sun no longer glitters on fields of white; the wood-man’s axe1 is no longer heard hacking2 the oaken billets, to keep alive the roaring fires. That inexpressibly cheerful sound the merry chime of sleigh-bells, that tells more of winter than all other sounds together, is no longer heard on the bosom4 of Red River; for the sleighs are thrown aside as useless—lumber-carts and gigs have supplanted5 them. The old Canadian, who used to drive the ox with its water-barrel to the ice-hole for his daily supply, has substituted a small cart with wheels for the old sleigh that used to glide6 so smoothly7 over the snow, and grit8 so sharply on it in the more than usually frosty mornings in the days gone by. The trees have lost their white patches, and the clump9 of willows10, that used to look like islands in the prairie, have disappeared, as the carpeting that gave them prominence11 has dissolved. The aspect of everything in the isolated12 settlement has changed. The winter is gone, and spring—bright, beautiful, hilarious13 spring—has come again.
By those who have never known an arctic winter, the delights of an arctic spring can never, we fear, be fully14 appreciated or understood. Contrast is one of its strongest elements; indeed, we might say, the element which gives to all the others peculiar15 zest16. Life in the arctic regions is like one of Turner’s pictures, in which the lights are strong, the shadows deep, and the tout17 ensemble18 hazy19 and romantic. So cold and prolonged is the winter, that the first mild breath of spring breaks on the senses like a zephyr20 from the plains of paradise. Everything bursts suddenly into vigorous life, after the long death-like sleep of Nature, as little children burst into the romping21 gaieties of a new day after the deep repose22 of a long and tranquil23 night. The snow melts, the ice breaks up, and rushes in broken masses, heaving and tossing in the rising flood, that grind and whirl them into the ocean, or into those great fresh-water lakes that vie with ocean itself in magnitude and grandeur24. The buds come out and the leaves appear, clothing all nature with a bright, refreshing25 green, which derives26 additional brilliancy from sundry27 patches of snow that fill the deep creeks28 and hollows everywhere, and form ephemeral fountains whose waters continue to supply a thousand rills for many a long day, until the fierce glare of the summer sun prevails at last and melts them all away.
Red River flows on now to mix its long-pent-up waters with Lake Winnipeg. Boats are seen rowing about upon its waters, as the settlers travel from place to place; and wooden canoes, made of the hollowed-out trunks of large trees, shoot across from shore to shore—these canoes being a substitute for bridges, of which there are none, although the settlement lies on both sides of the river. Birds have now entered upon the scene, their wild cries and ceaseless flight adding to it a cheerful activity. Ground squirrels pop up out of their holes to bask29 their round, fat, beautifully-striped little bodies in the sun, or to gaze in admiration30 at the farmer, as he urges a pair of very slow-going oxen, that drag the plough at a pace which induces one to believe that the wide field may possibly be ploughed up by the end of next year. Frogs whistle in the marshy31 ground so loudly that men new to the country believe they are being regaled by the songs of millions of birds. There is no mistake about their whistle. It is not merely like a whistle, but it is a whistle, shrill32 and continuous; and as the swamps swarm33 with these creatures, the song never ceases for a moment, although each individual frog creates only one little gush34 of music, composed of half a dozen trills, and then stops a moment for breath before commencing the second bar. Bull-frogs, too, though not so numerous, help to vary the sound by croaking35 vociferously36, as if they understood the value of bass37, and were glad of having an opportunity to join in the universal hum of life and joy which rises everywhere, from the river and the swamp, the forest and the prairie, to welcome back the spring.
Such was the state of things in Red River one beautiful morning in April, when a band of voyageurs lounged in scattered38 groups about the front gate of Fort Garry. They were as fine a set of picturesque39, manly40 fellows as one could desire to see. Their mode of life rendered them healthy, hardy41, and good-humoured, with a strong dash of recklessness—perhaps too much of it—in some of the younger men. Being descended42, generally, from French-Canadian sires and Indian mothers, they united some of the good and not a few of the bad qualities of both, mentally as well as physically—combining the light, gay-hearted spirit and full, muscular frame of the Canadian with the fierce passions and active habits of the Indian. And this wildness of disposition44 was not a little fostered by the nature of their usual occupations. They were employed during a great part of the year in navigating45 the Hudson’s Bay Company’s boats, laden46 with furs and goods, through the labyrinth47 of rivers and lakes that stud and intersect the whole continent, or they were engaged in pursuit of the bisons, (these animals are always called buffaloes48 by American hunters and fur-traders) which roam the prairies in vast herds49.
They were dressed in the costume of the country: most of them wore light-blue cloth capotes, girded tightly round them by scarlet50 or crimson51 worsted belts. Some of them had blue, and others scarlet, cloth leggings, ornamented52 more or less with stained porcupine53 quills54, coloured silk, or variegated55 beads56; while some might be seen clad in the leathern coats of winter-deer-skin dressed like chamois leather, fringed all round with little tails, and ornamented much in the same way as those already described. The heavy winter moccasins and duffel socks, which gave to their feet the appearance of being afflicted57 with gout, were now replaced by moccasins of a lighter58 and more elegant character, having no socks below, and fitting tightly to the feet like gloves. Some wore hats similar to those made of silk or beaver59 which are worn by ourselves in Britain, but so bedizened with scarlet cock-tail feathers, and silver cords and tassels60, as to leave the original form of the head-dress a matter of great uncertainty61. These hats, however, are only used on high occasions, and chiefly by the fops. Most of the men wore coarse blue cloth caps with peaks, and not a few discarded head-pieces altogether, under the impression, apparently63, that nature had supplied a covering which was in itself sufficient. These costumes varied64 not only in character but in quality, according to the circumstances of the wearer; some being highly ornamental65 and mended—evincing the felicity of the owner in the possession of a good wife—while others were soiled and torn, or but slightly ornamented. The voyageurs were collected, as we have said, in groups. Here stood a dozen of the youngest—consequently the most noisy and showily dressed—laughing loudly, gesticulating violently, and bragging66 tremendously. Near to them were collected a number of sterner spirits—men of middle age, with all the energy, and muscle, and bone of youth, but without its swaggering hilarity67; men whose powers and nerves had been tried over and over again amid the stirring scenes of a voyageur’s life; men whose heads were cool, and eyes sharp, and hands ready and powerful, in the mad whirl of boiling rapids, in the sudden attack of wild beast and hostile man, or in the unexpected approach of any danger; men who, having been well tried, needed not to boast, and who, having carried off triumphantly68 their respective brides many years ago, needed not to decorate their persons with the absurd finery that characterised their younger brethren. They were comparatively few in number, but they composed a sterling69 band, of which every man was a hero. Among them were those who occupied the high positions of bowman and steersman, and when we tell the reader that on these two men frequently hangs the safety of a boat, with all its crew and lading, it will be easily understood how needful it is that they should be men of iron nerve and strength of mind.
Boat-travelling in those regions is conducted in a way that would astonish most people who dwell in the civilised quarters of the globe. The country being intersected in all directions by great lakes and rivers, these have been adopted as the most convenient highways along which to convey the supplies and bring back the furs from outposts. Rivers in America, however, as in other parts of the world, are distinguished70 by sudden ebullitions and turbulent points of character, in the shape of rapids, falls, and cataracts71, up and down which neither men nor boats can by any possibility go with impunity72; consequently, on arriving at such obstructions73, the cargoes75 are carried overland to navigable water above or below the falls (as the case may be), then the boats are dragged over and launched, again reloaded, and the travellers proceed. This operation is called “making a portage;” and as these portages vary from twelve yards to twelve miles in length, it may be readily conceived that a voyageur’s life is not an easy one by any means.
This, however, is only one of his difficulties. Rapids occur which are not so dangerous as to make a “portage” necessary, but are sufficiently76 turbulent to render the descent of them perilous77. In such cases, the boats, being lightened of part of their cargo74, are ran down, and frequently they descend43 with full cargoes and crews. It is then that the whole management of each boat devolves upon its bowman and steersman. The rest of the crew, or middlemen as they are called, merely sit still and look on, or give a stroke with their oars62 if required; while the steersman, with powerful sweeps of his heavy oar3, directs the flying boat as it bounds from surge to surge like a thing of life; and the bowman stands erect78 in front to assist in directing his comrade at the stern, having a strong and long pole in his hands, with which, ever and anon, he violently forces the boat’s head away from sunken rocks, against which it might otherwise strike and be stove in, capsized, or seriously damaged.
Besides the groups already enumerated79, there were one or two others, composed of grave, elderly men, whose wrinkled brows, grey hairs, and slow, quiet step showed that the strength of their days was past; although their upright figures and warm, brown complexions80 gave promise of their living to see many summers still. These were the principal steersmen and old guides—men of renown81, to whom the others bowed as oracles82 or looked up to as fathers; men whose youth and manhood had been spent in roaming the trackless wilderness83, and who were, therefore, eminently84 qualified85 to guide brigades through the length and breadth of the land; men whose power of threading their way among the perplexing intricacies of the forest had become a second nature, a kind of instinct, that was as sure of attaining86 its end as the instinct of the feathered tribes, which brings the swallow, after a long absence, with unerring certainty back to its former haunts again in spring.
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1
axe
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| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
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2
hacking
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| n.非法访问计算机系统和数据库的活动 | |
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3
oar
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| n.桨，橹，划手；v.划行 | |
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bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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supplanted
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| 把…排挤掉，取代( supplant的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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glide
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| n./v.溜，滑行；(时间)消逝 | |
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smoothly
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| adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地 | |
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grit
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| n.沙粒，决心，勇气；v.下定决心，咬紧牙关 | |
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clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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willows
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| n.柳树( willow的名词复数 )；柳木 | |
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prominence
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| n.突出；显著；杰出；重要 | |
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isolated
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| adj.与世隔绝的 | |
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hilarious
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| adj.充满笑声的，欢闹的；[反]depressed | |
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14
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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zest
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| n.乐趣；滋味，风味；兴趣 | |
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tout
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| v.推销，招徕；兜售；吹捧，劝诱 | |
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ensemble
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| n.合奏(唱)组；全套服装；整体，总效果 | |
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hazy
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| adj.有薄雾的，朦胧的；不肯定的，模糊的 | |
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zephyr
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| n.和风，微风 | |
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romping
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| adj.嬉戏喧闹的，乱蹦乱闹的v.嬉笑玩闹( romp的现在分词 )；（尤指在赛跑或竞选等中）轻易获胜 | |
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repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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tranquil
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| adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的 | |
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grandeur
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| n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华 | |
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refreshing
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| adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的 | |
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derives
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| v.得到( derive的第三人称单数 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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27
sundry
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| adj.各式各样的，种种的 | |
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creeks
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| n.小湾( creek的名词复数 )；小港；小河；小溪 | |
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bask
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| vt.取暖，晒太阳，沐浴于 | |
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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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marshy
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| adj.沼泽的 | |
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32
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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swarm
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| n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入 | |
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34
gush
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| v.喷，涌；滔滔不绝(说话)；n.喷，涌流；迸发 | |
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croaking
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| v.呱呱地叫( croak的现在分词 )；用粗的声音说 | |
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vociferously
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| adv.喊叫地，吵闹地 | |
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bass
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| n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴 | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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manly
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| adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地 | |
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41
hardy
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| adj.勇敢的，果断的，吃苦的；耐寒的 | |
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42
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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43
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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44
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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45
navigating
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| v.给（船舶、飞机等）引航，导航( navigate的现在分词 )；（从海上、空中等）横越；横渡；飞跃 | |
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46
laden
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| adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的 | |
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labyrinth
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| n.迷宫；难解的事物；迷路 | |
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48
buffaloes
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| n.水牛（分非洲水牛和亚洲水牛两种）( buffalo的名词复数 )；（南非或北美的）野牛；威胁；恐吓 | |
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49
herds
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| 兽群( herd的名词复数 )； 牧群； 人群； 群众 | |
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50
scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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52
ornamented
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| adj.花式字体的v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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53
porcupine
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| n.豪猪， 箭猪 | |
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54
quills
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| n.（刺猬或豪猪的）刺( quill的名词复数 )；羽毛管；翮；纡管 | |
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55
variegated
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| adj.斑驳的，杂色的 | |
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beads
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| n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链 | |
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afflicted
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| 使受痛苦，折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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lighter
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| n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级 | |
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beaver
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| n.海狸，河狸 | |
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tassels
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| n.穗( tassel的名词复数 )；流苏状物；（植物的）穗；玉蜀黍的穗状雄花v.抽穗， （玉米）长穗须( tassel的第三人称单数 )；使抽穗， （为了使作物茁壮生长）摘去穗状雄花；用流苏装饰 | |
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61
uncertainty
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| n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物 | |
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oars
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| n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 ) | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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ornamental
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| adj.装饰的；作装饰用的；n.装饰品；观赏植物 | |
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bragging
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| v.自夸，吹嘘( brag的现在分词 )；大话 | |
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hilarity
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| n.欢乐；热闹 | |
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triumphantly
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| ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地 | |
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sterling
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| adj.英币的(纯粹的，货真价实的)；n.英国货币(英镑) | |
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distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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cataracts
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| n.大瀑布( cataract的名词复数 )；白内障 | |
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impunity
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| n.(惩罚、损失、伤害等的)免除 | |
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obstructions
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| n.障碍物( obstruction的名词复数 )；阻碍物；阻碍；阻挠 | |
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cargo
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| n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物 | |
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cargoes
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| n.（船或飞机装载的）货物( cargo的名词复数 )；大量，重负 | |
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76
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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enumerated
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| v.列举，枚举，数( enumerate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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complexions
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| 肤色( complexion的名词复数 )； 面色； 局面； 性质 | |
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renown
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| n.声誉，名望 | |
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oracles
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| 神示所( oracle的名词复数 )； 神谕； 圣贤； 哲人 | |
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wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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eminently
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| adv.突出地；显著地；不寻常地 | |
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qualified
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| adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的 | |
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attaining
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的现在分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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