ankle and made me rest. When Mr.
X came in I was amazed at his size
and appearance. He was well over
six feet tall and as erect as a ramrod,
with a grand beard. He was over 70
years of age, as I was to learn later.
The couple were both Scotch and
their hospitality was embarrassing as
I could see that they were in needy
circumstances. I shared their frugal
meal with them and found that they
had no sugar in the house. I knew
that I would cffend them if I offered
to give them sugar; so I] made a
deal with them. I gave them five
pounds of sugar for a night’s lodg-
ing. This was very satisfactory to
me until later in the evening when
I was discussing the conditions in
the Naas Valley with Mr. X; the
realization gradually dawned on me
that Mr. X was the reported mental
case; and there, hanging above the
bunk on which he was sitting, was a
gun rack containing several guns.
However to all appearances both
Mrs. X and Mr. X appeared to be

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Page Ten

industrious and hard working set-
tlers, and certainly did not give the
impression of being mental patients.
{ was amazed at Mr. X’s knowledge
of world affairs considering that he
was situated in such a remote area
without even a radio. Later that
evening I decided that I would ‘‘put
my cards on the table.” I explained
to X the reason for my patrol and
with tongue in cheek awaited his re-
action. It certainly came quickly.
Mr. X was convulsed with laughter:
and the old cabin fairly rocked with
the old gentleman's mirth. Mrs. X,
on the other hand, became quite in-
dignant over the complainant having
brought the poor ‘“‘pollis man’’ all
the way into that area for no good
reason.

X explained to me that one of his
neighbors had built a fence across
X's trail to the trading post, thereby
forcing him to travel a considerable
distance further when going for pro-
visions. He had finally rebelled at
this, and had cut the fence. He as-
sured me that had he ever found it
necessary to shoot at anyone, that he
wouldn’t miss.

When Mrs. X showed me to my
bed that night, I was very thankful
to find that matters had turned out
such as they had.

A Home AWAY FROM HOME

The next morning, the Manager
of the Trading Post at Atyansh.
came out to X’s on horseback and
when he learned of my injured foot.
insisted that I take his horse to carry
my pack on to Aiyansh. He advised
me not to ride the horse with my
pack as it was only a very small
Indian cayuse. I loaded the pack
and found that I was able to hob-
ble along fairly well.

On my arrival at Aiyansh, which
consisted of the Post Office and
Trading Post, run by Mr. and Mrs.
Gray, I received a cordial invitation
to spend my stay with them, as I
had to make a patrol over the area
in order to register firearms. It was
indeed a home away from home at
the Grays. They loaned me a saddle
horse for my patrol and I was able
to cover the entire valley during my
stay and I certainly enjoyed visiting
the various homesteaders in the dis-
trict. A district, by the way, as fer-
tile and productive as any in B.C.
but without any method of getting
produce to the markets.

When I had completed my mis-
sion, I found that my ankle was still
badly swollen, and I commenced
making enquiries to find an easier
way of getting out, as I knew the
trail was out of the question. After
some difficulty, I arranged with an
Indian, who was going down the

Naas River to Prince Rupert, to take
me with him and his family. Mrs,
Gray made me a wonderful lunch of
fried chicken and sandwiches to take,
and we set out in the Indian’s gillnee
boat. It was a beautiful trip down
the river and one that I certainly will
never forget. An amusing incident
occurred during the trip down river;
when it came time for lunch, the
Indian women prepared their lunch,
and seeing that I had mine, they gave
me a cup of tea. I unwrapped the
chicken and proceeded to eat it in
the time-honored manner, that of
picking it up with my fingers. I cer-
tainly did not make a very favorable
impression on the Indians who im-
mediately turned their backs to me,

After a quick trip down the river
to the coast, then south along the
coast, we arrived at Prince Rupert
early the next morning. I returned
to Terrace later that same day by
train, having been away on patrol
for ten days.

During the following year, I
gained considerable experience in
bush travel, and was subsequently
transferred to Port Essington, near
the mouth of the Skeena River.
While stationed at Port Essington, I
was instructed to return to Terrace
and again proceed to the Naas Valley
as some further trouble required at-
tention. With the aid of previous
experience, I was able to walk in to
the Valley, clear up the trouble and
walk out again in less than 6 days,
with no ill effects. My pack on the
second patrol weighed thirty-two
pounds. I had learned by experience.

PERSONNEL BRANCH

Interviewing applicant who sat
for the educational test three days
before:

“Can you drive a car?”

eoriesta

“For how long have you been
driving?”

“Eight years.”’

“Have you had any accidents?”

pNowe

“Ever been prosecuted?”

Hesitated and then said, ‘You
remember the other day when I sat
for that three-hour exam? Well, I
left my car parked outside the build-
ing and when I got through with
my test I found a Parking Ticket—
I paid the fine.”

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