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Billy Loutit had shot a Pelican; the skin was carefully preserved and the body guarded for the dogs, thinking that this big thing, weighing 6 or 7 pounds, would furnish a feast for one or two. The dogs knew me, and rushed like a pack of Wolves at sight of coming food. The bigger ones fought back the smaller.
On the trail those man he'll take three packets, two hundred seventy poun', an' he'll trot all same dog we'll both told you that before. My onkle, Billy Loutit, he'll carry seex hondred poun' one tam up a heell long tam. He'll take barrel of pork an' ron on the bank all same deer." Rob turned a questioning glance on Alex, who nodded confirmation.
The Hudson's Bay Company had killed and salted about 600 Waveys or Snow Geese; each of the Loutit families, about 500; not less than 12,000 Waveys will be salted down this fall, besides Honkers, White-fronts and Ducks. Each year they reckon on about 10,000 Waveys, in poor years they take 5,000 to 6,000, in fat years 15,000.
A few inquiries proved him to bear a good reputation as a river-man and worker, so William C. Loutit was added to my expedition and served me faithfully throughout. In time I learned that Billy was a famous traveller.
But all were literally and figuratively in the same boat, all paddled all day, ate the same food worked the same hours, and imbued with the same spirit were eager to reach the same far goal. From this on the trip was ideal. Two of these 9 lakes had not been named by the original explorers. I therefore exercised my privilege and named them, respectively, "Loutit" and "Weeso," in honour of my men.
The headwind died away as they came to the boat and again we resumed the weary rowing, a labour which all were supposed to share, but it did not need an expert to see that Beaulieu, Snuff, and Terchon merely dipped their oars and let them drift a while; the real rowing of that cumbrous old failure of a sailboat was done by Billy Loutit and Yum Freesay."
Left Fort Resolution at 9.40 A. M. in the York boat manned by 7 Indians and Billy Loutit, besides Preble and myself, 10 in all; ready with mast and sail for fair wind, but also provided with heavy 16-foot oars for head-winds and calm. Harding says we should make Pike's Portage in 3 or 4 days. "Reached Moose Island at 11.30 chiefly by rowing; camped. A large dog appeared on the bank.
Oh! what a lot of pother a beneficent little bean can make. "At noon that day Billy announced that it was time to give me a lobstick; a spruce was selected on a slate island and trimmed to its proper style, then inscribed: E. T. SETON E. A. PREBLE W. C. LOUTIT 20 July 1907 "Now I was in honour bound to treat, the crew. I had neither the power nor the wish to give whiskey.
He and my old standby, Billy Loutit, did virtually all the handling of that big boat. Any one travelling in that country should secure Yum if they can. He was worth all the others put together. Sweeping generalisations are always misleading, therefore I offer some now, and later will correct them by specific instances. These Chipewyans are dirty, shiftless, improvident, and absolutely honest.
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