Wasa-Wasa : A Tale of Trails and Treasure

by Harry Macfie and Hans G. Westerlund

Published by Readers Union / Allen & Unwin, London, 1953

The book is essentially the selected memoirs of Harry Macfie, a Swede (descended from Scotland) and Sam Kilburn, an Englishman who took part in the gold rushes of Canada and Alaska. It is so much more than a dry history of obsession over gold. There are a plethora of reminiscences ranging from fleeing huge forest fires, being stalked and constantly attacked by wolves to races against time to escape oncoming storms.

Each chapter, tells a story and although the chapters are fairly short, their very nature brings them to life and they remain vibrant with colour and atmosphere.


Arctic
bank
bark
began
Bering Sea
birch-bark
birches
boat
bunk
camp
canoe
caribou
carried
caught
cold
cut
dark
dog team
dragged
draught dogs
drove
dug
edge
Eskimos
farther
fell
felt
fir
fire
fish
Fish River
forest
Fort Frances
frozen
gleamed
gold
gravel
hard
harness
hauled
heard
hides
hole
howled
hung
ice
igloo
Indians
Jenny Lind
journey
kyak
lake
Lake Winnipeg
lay
light
load
looked
Mandamen
meat
moose
morning
mountains
musk rat
Nelson River
night
Norway House
ourselves
paddled
pieces
pitched
provisions
ptarmigan
ran
reached
red
rest
ridge
rifle
river
roaring
Rock Rapids
round
rushed
Sagwa
salmon
sat
saw
sea
shone
shoot
shore
shot
side
skin
sledge
sleep
smoke
snow
snow-shoes
snowstorm
soon
stood
stove
stream
sun
tent
tepee
toboggan
took
trail
trees
tundra
valley
village
walrus
warm
washing
wilds
wind
winter
wolves
wood