THE 
 
 CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY 
 
 IN THE GULF OF ST. LAWRENCE 
 AND ADJACENT WATERS. 
 
 WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 REPRINTED FROM THE '"CENTURY MAGAZINE: 
 
 BY 
 
 S. G. VV. BENJAMIN. 
 
 ■jit 
 
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 «'",?<> '" <^'' K o 4I M t;j' *o u c " a !!_ ^ ... 0, <i ao 
 
 » iS.- ■■»» " g o .' e • i tjTi ao S <> » o ^L >» 
 
 t >. a w ;f o J Q ., u o J o J a ^. a 
 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 D. APPLETON AND COIVIPANY, 
 
 I, 3, AND 5 BOND STREET. 
 1885. 
 
 i\ 
 
Copyright, 1884, 
 By D. APPLETON AND COMPANY. 
 
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 • •» » : I 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 FROM ORIGINAL DRAWINGS BY M. J. BURNS, 
 
 Off Paspebiac .... 
 
 Beach at Tracadie .... 
 
 The M ail-Boat at Prince Edward Island 
 
 Midship F"rame of the "Northern Light" 
 
 The Steamer "Arctic" crossing from the Mainland to the 
 
 A Fish-Boy ..... 
 
 On Deck. — Our Cook . . 
 
 Amateur Cooking .... 
 
 Burning Refuse from the Lumber Mills 
 
 Millstone Quarries .... 
 
 Our First Fish . . 
 
 Our Crew at Supper .... 
 
 Fishermen at Paspebiac .... 
 
 The Beach at Paspebiac. — A View of the Bay 
 
 A Fish Establishment at Paspebiac 
 
 Cape Gasp^ — Fishing-Houses at Cape Gasp6 
 
 Head of an Old Pilot. — Up GASPfe Bay 
 
 Perce Rock ..... 
 
 Crossing the Ferry at Gasp6. — An Old Oven 
 
 Curing Fish at Perce . . 
 
 Returning from Church . 
 
 Perc6 Rock. (Drawn by Thomas Moran.) . 
 
 The Dash to Amherst 
 
 The Old Skipper .... 
 
 Etang dv Nord .... 
 
 The Fiddler . . . . 
 
 Crossing the Ford to Amherst 
 
 A Few of the Natives 
 
 Old Fire-Place at Entry Island 
 
 The Gale at Entry Island . 
 
 Off Dbadman Island . . . 
 
 Island 
 
 PAGE 
 
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 <\ 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Guernsey Island ..... 
 
 The Bay of Islands ..... 
 
 Cape Blomidon. — Prospectlng ... 
 
 Up the River Humber ..... 
 
 Fishing off the Bay of Islands . . . 
 
 The Mail-Carrier ...... 
 
 The Dance at Petipas .... 
 
 A Street in St. Pierre . . 
 
 A Fishing Gang at St. Pierre 
 
 Government Houses and Town Pumps at St, Pierre 
 
 A Street Corner 
 
 A Sketch off St. Pierre. — A St. Pierre Fishing-Boat 
 
 The Cathedral ..... 
 
 Fishing for Squid ..... 
 
 Curing Fish at St. Pierre .... 
 
 The Town Crier ..... 
 
 Struck by a Squall . 
 
 The Bras d'Or Lakes, Cape Breton Island . 
 
 Indian Camp at Baddeck. — A Wigwam Cradle . 
 
 On the Road to Baddeck 
 
 Cape Porcupine. — Cape St. George, from Hastings 
 
 Lovers* Lane, Hastings .. . - . . 
 
 A Street at Arichat . . . 1 : 
 
 .\n Old Cottage at Arichat . . . 
 
 The Oldest House in Prince Edward Island . 
 
 Heaving the Log ..... 
 
 PAGE 
 
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 LIST OF MAPS. 
 
 Cruise of the Alice May . . . . . , , 
 
 Map of the Trip from Charlottetown to Paspebiac 
 
 Map of the Cruise. (Paspebiac to the Magdalen Isles.) 
 
 Map of the Cruise from the Magdalen Islands to Cape St. Georgs 
 
 The Cruise of the Alice May through the Bay of Islands 
 
 Map of the Cruise from the Bay of Islands to St. Pierre 
 
 From St. Pierpe to Georgetown ...... 
 
 18 
 27 
 45 
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 90 
 
 *I9 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 I. 
 
 VERY one has heard of the Gulf of 
 St. Lawrence, but few are aware of 
 the variety and beauty of the attrac- 
 tions it offers to the tourist and the 
 artist. Even to such as have given 
 it some thought it generally appears 
 to be a region of mists, snow, and 
 storms, and more or less enveloped 
 in hyperborean glooms. But re- 
 cently sportsmen and yacht-sailors 
 have begun to visit the western 
 shores of the gulf, and a suspicion 
 is dawning on the mind of the sum- 
 mer rambler that this part of the 
 world has been maligned, and that 
 during the summer solstice it offers a variety of 
 attractions up to this time all but unknown. 
 
 Anxious to see for ourselves the truth of the mat- 
 ter, and to view some of these points of interest be- 
 fore the tide of summer travel had worn away the 
 novelty, we prepared a cruise round the Gulf of St. 
 Lawrence and the adjacent waters. 
 
 The point of departure was Charlottetown, Prince 
 Edward Island. Through the kindness of a friend residing there, a suit- 
 able schooner was chartered. But when the day for taking possession 
 arrived, the schooner failed to put in an appearance. Here, at the very 
 outset, we encountered one o*^ the most common annoyances which a 
 punctual man and a Yankee is forced to endure in the maritime provinces. 
 Punctuality or appreciation of the value of time is scarce' y understood 
 
6 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY, 
 
 there. Without delay, we threw out scouts in every direction to report 
 on the matter of available schooners. Long search was attended by many 
 pleasant incidents. It gave us an opportunity to see much of this charm- 
 ing island, and to enjoy the genial hospitality of its people, especially the 
 kind folk of Charlottetown. This is a quiet but attractive place of some 
 ten thousand inhabitants. On the outskirts, especially in the neighbor- 
 hood of the Governor's mansion, there is much beauty in the residences, 
 which are surrounded by shrubbery and situated by the water-side. 
 
 Tuesdays and Fridays are the days when Charlottetown shows the 
 most evidence of activity and commercial prosperity. The market-house 
 occupies a prominent place in the square where the Government buildings 
 
 Off Paspebiac. 
 
 are situated. On these days it is crowded by both the city and country 
 folk, the latter including a few Indians. An active barter in provisions 
 takes place between the towns-people and the farmers, while that part of 
 the city bears the appearance of a gala-day. 
 
 Two causes have recently produced great commercial depression on 
 the island. These are the failure of the Prince Edward Island Bank, 
 through the — what shall we call it ? — of the directors, and the decline in 
 ship-building, which, until the primeval forests had been cut down, was a 
 great source of revenue to the island. The failure of the fisheries and the 
 absence of American fishermen from the Gulf, partly caused by the short- 
 sighted policy of the Dominion Government, have also affected the pros- 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 7 
 
 perity of this province. In summer time Prince Edward Island enjoys a 
 delightful temperature : the mercury ranges for three months from sixty 
 to seventy-six degrees, rarely varying from those figures. The air is dry 
 and free from fogs, and, as the wind invariably comes off the sea, the island 
 is exceedingly healthful. The advantages for summer visitors are increased 
 by the abundance of fresh meat and other provisions, the cheapness of 
 living, and the loveliness of the driv^es in every direction over a country 
 that is gently undulating, verdurous, and always in sight of the sea. The 
 rivers, notably the Dunk, the Hunter, and the Morell rivers, abound with 
 
 Beach at Tracadie, 
 
 fine salmon and trout fishing, 
 and the long reaches of sand 
 along the easterly shore are 
 frequented by snipe, plover, 
 and duck. Everywhere a 
 pastoral peace pervades the 
 farms on the edge of the for- 
 ests. Fine droves of horses 
 
 enliven the fields, and remind one of Thessaly, the land of fleet-footed 
 
 steeds. 
 
 It is not singular that these attractions have begun to draw the atten- 
 tion of summer tourists, who find comfortable accommodations at the farm- 
 houses or at the hotels erected at such charming resorts as Rustico and 
 Tracadie. Houses may also be rented by the season on very moderate 
 terms. It is to the influx of such visitors, with pockets popularly supposed 
 to be lined with gold, that the island may reasonably look for a return of 
 
8 
 
 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 some of its vanished prosperity. The faciHties for observing the scenery 
 of Prince Edward Island are greatly aided by a narrow-gauge railroad, 
 which is always sure to be used, as the Dominion agreed to keep it going 
 when the island entered into the confederation ; but no one expects it ever 
 to pay its expenses. The lobster-canning business, which has also assumed 
 great dimensions in Prince Edward Island, might likewise be considered a 
 powerful means of driving the wolf from the door, if but the uncertain 
 crustaceans could be depended upon. But they take no interest whatever 
 in the designs of capitalists and fishermen to ship them to the markets of 
 
 Tfu Mail-Boat at Prince Edward Island. 
 
 the world in elegantly labeled tin cases, and, declining to co-operate in 
 these schemes when the season comes around, may take a notion to forsake 
 their haunts for parts unknown. Then the canning factory is closed, and 
 the fisherman's dory lies bleaching on the shore while he anxiously smokes 
 his pipe and talks of emigrating to the United States, maligning the day 
 when the island entered the Dominion. In default of any better cause, the 
 people generally agree in tracing their ills to this union ; but the sequence 
 is by no means self-evident. 
 
 Gazing over these pleasant landscapes and breathing the soft southern 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 9 
 
 breeze, it is difficult to realize that for many months the island is not only 
 covered with snow to an enormous depth, but also well-nigh shut out from 
 the rest of the world by a tremendous barrier of ice. From January until 
 May, at least, Northumberland Strait is frozen over. The mails are carried 
 across at the narrowest part, near Cape Tormentine, or Jourimain, a dis- 
 tance of nine miles. The carriers drag a boat over the hummocks of ice 
 which is provided with runners like a double keel. 
 
 When they come to open water they cross in the 
 
 boat. It is a dangerous and arduous journey, and / \ 
 
 few undertake it besides the hardy mail-carriers. [ ] 
 
 For two or three winters past the passage has been V--- -^-'-?-*.— •-:-^i.'.T'-T;is.^.....y 
 made sometimes by the steamer Northern Light, \^ / 
 
 constructed especially for this service. She has a \^ X 
 
 frame of enormous strength, somewhat of a wedge n^ / 
 
 form, with a solid shoe of iron at the bow ; every- „.^ ». r- ^ , 
 
 -' Midship Frame of the 
 
 thmg about her was planned to enable her to crush ''Northern Light." 
 
 her way through the ice, which is often from two 
 
 to four feet thick. Her course is from Pictou to Georgetown, a distance 
 of some eighty miles, although she often has to go over two or three times 
 that dis*^ance to reach her port. In all the annals of steam navigation 
 there is no such packet service recorded as this of the Northern Light. 
 Sometimes the ice is so dense that she can make no headway, but is 
 jammed fast for days and weeks, or carried to and fro by the combined 
 fury of ice and storms. The passenger who starts in her for Prince 
 Edward Island in March has before him the horrors of polar solitude and 
 hazard. In the spring of 1882 the Northern Light was three weeks making 
 this brief passage, fast locked 'a the ice-packs. Sometimes she was car- 
 ried close to the shore, but no one could bring aid to the starving passen- 
 gers, owing to the threatening condition of the ice. It was only after 
 burning all the woodwork in the cabin for fuel, and being reduced to the 
 last biscuit, that the worn-out and hopeless passengers reached the des- 
 tined port. Think of a civilized and enlightened people, in this age, shut 
 off from the rest of the world by such a frightful siege of ice and tempest 
 and snow ! Nor is this an occasional thing. As regularly as the winter 
 comes around, the islanders look for\vard to this long hibernation and 
 isolation. Were it not for this drawback, the island might be a paradise. 
 During the long winter the people contrive to exist with some comfort, 
 and find compensations for their solitude. Sleigh-rides and skating are 
 followed with much zest, and thtre is a good deal of merriment and 
 festivity. 
 
lO 
 
 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 Charlottetown is, of course, the center of life in Prince Edward Island, 
 but the social distinctions are drawn with considerable and, perhaps, 
 unnecessary emphasis. Lying as it does on an arm of the sea which 
 ext'^nds east and west some forty miles like a river, this city enjoys fine 
 facilities for aquatic sports, while the drives in the neighborhood are, 
 during the summer, very agreeable. Everything here is, however, on a 
 reduced scale, except the land and water, and the ideas of the country 
 people are on a level with their environment. They tell a good story of a 
 country lout who had never seen any larger place than Souris, at the 
 eastern end of the island, not even Charlottetown. Souris has about two 
 thousand inhabitants. One of his companions made a trip to New York, 
 
 The Steamer '^Arctic" crossing from the Mainland to the Island. 
 
 and on his return expatiated on the vastness of that great city. " And 
 now, and is't as large as Souris, then ? " inquired the former, increduiousxy. 
 Money goes far here, because it is scarce, and time and provisions, th^ 
 chief commodities, are cheap. The people are mostly of Scotch descent. 
 The remnants of a tribe of Micmacs, civilized almost out of existence, still 
 occupy a reservation on Indian Island, in Richmond Bay, and sell baskets 
 and bead-work at the weekly market. Descendants of the original Acadian 
 French yet farm the lands about Rustico and Ingonish. They have a 
 convent at the latter place. By far the most numerous people on Prince 
 Edward Island are the Highland Scotch. They came here originally from 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 II 
 
 A Fish-Boy. 
 
12 
 
 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 the Hebrides, driven from home, it is said, by the religious oppression of 
 the lairds. They have increased and multiplied, and, with the addition of 
 the French habitans, nearly half the population is Roman Catholic. There 
 are, however, many Protestant Scotch mingled with the others, and, with 
 the exception of the annually recurring public school question, they appear 
 to live together very peaceably. 
 
 The Scotch have a Caledonian Club at Charlottetown, and once a year 
 there is a great gathering of the clans, with a correspondmg display of 
 
 plaids. The same clan 
 \ names reappear so con- 
 stantly that, in order to 
 avoid confusion, curi- 
 ous sobriquets are often 
 attached to a person's 
 name ; as, for example, 
 a certain McDonald is 
 called Red Angus Mc- 
 Donald, to distinguish 
 him from White Angus 
 McDonald. One of the 
 most prominent fami- 
 lies of Prince Edward 
 Island is that of James Yeo, who accumulated 
 a very large fortune in ship-building. His 
 sons are members of the Dominion Parlia- 
 ment. He came from England as a cabin- 
 boy, and the rough school in which he was 
 bred always marked his character. Many 
 curious stories about him are current. When 
 annoyed by any family jar, he would secrete 
 Our Cook. himself in the cuddy of an old schooner with 
 
 a keg of rum and remain there until it was 
 exhausted. He once lost a brig, and three of the crew also perished ; 
 when alluding to the misfortune he exclaimed, " i oor things ! two souls 
 and an Irishman ! " 
 
 Prince Edward Island was first discovered by Cabot, who called it St. 
 John's Island, which name it retained until 1800; and the French still call 
 it Isle St. Jean. Verrazzano took possession of it for France in 1523, and 
 the French at once established a number of fishing stations there. But the 
 island was ceded to England by the treaty of Fontainebleau, and Lord 
 
THE CRUISl of the ALICE MAY. 
 
 n 
 
 Egmont was appointed to draw up a form of colonial government. 
 Assuming that tiie Micmac Indians were ferocious savages, instead of the 
 inoffensive beings they proved to be, he laid out an absurd plan to divide 
 the 2,000,000 acres at his disposal into fifty parts, called baronies, of which 
 forty were to be granted to as many colonists, bearing the title of lords of 
 hundreds. They were to owe allegiance to him as lord paramount. The 
 baronies were in turn to be subdivided into manors. Fairs were to occur 
 four times yearly in each barony, and markets twice weekly. Feudal 
 castles were to be built likewise to protect the colonists in a place of 
 which it was said, " The settler can scarce straggle from his habitation five 
 hundred yards, even in times of peace, without risk of being intercepted, 
 scalped, and murdered." 
 
 This was indeed a narrow escape from a preposterous attempt to im- 
 port to the New World an exploded system of the past. But, although 
 Lord Egmont's plan was finally rejected, a scarcely less objectionable one 
 was adopted, by whose provisions the island was divided into sixty-one 
 lots. One of these went to the Crown, and the others were sold in one 
 day to the highest bidders. It is only recently, and after a long struggle, 
 that Prince Edward Island has become independent of this system. 
 
 While picking up these notes by the way, we were pursuing our inde- 
 fatigable search for a schooner, as the season was well advanced, and the 
 time to cruise in those waters is before the September equinoctial. At last 
 we heard of a desirable craft at Miminegash, an obscure port but little 
 known to fame. A bargain was closed after much chaffering with the 
 owner, an owre canny Scot, and the vessel was brought around to Char- 
 lottetown to be manned and provisioned. The Alice May, of Miminegash, 
 was fifty-nine feet long and sixteen feet wide, and with a full set of ballast 
 drew seven feet aft. She registered fifty-six tons, and, being intended for 
 a freighter, had a flat floor and could hardly be called a clipper. But she 
 was very strong and reasonably safe. Being heavily sparred for a coaster, 
 and carrying sail well, she was properly fitted to grapple with the variable 
 weather we expected to encounter. 
 
 The Alice May had no forecastle for the crew, but only a small cuddy 
 aft, with bunks for four men. This also served for a galley, after the man- 
 ner of small coasters. We therefore turned the hold into a cabin, and a 
 very comfortable and spacious place it proved to be. By fixing two bulk- 
 heads of de-^l fore and aft, we obtained a "saloon " eighteen feet long by 
 sixteen feet wide, exactly amidships. A small trunk or booby-hatch with 
 a slide was arranged over the main hatch for a companion-way. Plain 
 bunks were fixed to each side, ample as a divan, thus serving alternately 
 
u 
 
 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 for berth, sofa, or lounge, as circumstances might suggest. Our table was 
 at the after end, and a cylindrical stove, which is indispensable for a 
 cruiser in those waters, even in midsummer, was at the opposite end. Un- 
 der the bunks were lockers for our stores. Numerous cleats, nails, and 
 shelves were soon festooned with coats, caps, sou'westers, storm-boots, spy- 
 glasses, charts, fowling-pieces, water-jugs, pipes, fishing-rods, and the in- 
 dispensable looking-glass and barometer. There was no paint anywhere 
 except such as we daubed in artistic dabs during the cruise, with the pa- 
 
 Amateur Cooking. 
 
 lette knife when cleaning a palette. But the general effect was not by any 
 means unattractive. It certainly suggested comfort, and preparation for 
 any emergency that might occur. 
 
 Our crew consisted of a captain, a mate, and one man before the mast. 
 It was thought this would be sufficient with the cook, who might bear a 
 hand on occasion ; and we were able, in case of need, to stand a watch in 
 bad weather ourselves. These coasters generally get along with one man 
 on deck in good weather to steer and to keep a lookout. Sometimes even 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 1 5 
 
 he falls asleep at the wheel, and everything is left to chance. It is a happy- 
 go-lucky \, ay, which works very well until something happens. A major- 
 ity of the accidents to coasting vessels from collision or squalls are the 
 result of gross laziness or culpable carelessness. 
 
 Captain Welch had mhis day been master of square-rigged vessels, but, 
 being now well along in years, was forced to put up with forc-and-afters. 
 It requires a special experience to sail a schooner well ; but still the sailing 
 of a square-rigged vessel is more complicated, and is, at any rate, consid- 
 ered a grade higher in seamanship. The captain's white beard, the far-off 
 look in his wrinkled eyes, the poetic speech in which he indulged, and his 
 nervous temperament, easily elated or depressed, would far more easily 
 have made him pass for a Celtic bard than an old man of the sea. John, 
 the mate, was a Frenchman, short, quick, and of mercurial disposition. 
 Bill, who in his single person represented the crew, was every inch a sailor, 
 large, lithe, powerful, and efficient if well commanded : he had the real 
 seaman's grip that would enable him to hang on to a foot-rope with his 
 eyelids, and the nonchalant recklessness or stupid dare-deviltry which 
 made him careless of dangers with which he was familiar, while cowardly 
 in the presence of new forms of peril. Fond he was, too, of his grog, and 
 of handling his knife when half-seas-over, and was never without the ever- 
 lasting quid pressing out his cheek like a walnut in a squirrel's mouth. In 
 a word, Bill was a representative blue-water sailor. 
 
 It is needless to go into the details of the provisions stored in the 
 schooner for a cruise of two months. Everything was ready, the rigging 
 overhauled, the last nail pounded in ; the winds were favorable ; and yet 
 we were detained at Charlottetown day after day, unable to sail. It was a 
 cook that we waited for: what was the use of having provisions, fuel, or 
 galley, without a cook? A sea-cook is a peculiar character, requiring a 
 special training. He must know how to prepare a sea hash out of salt 
 horse flavored with onions, incrusted with the variegated browns of pol- 
 ished mahogany, and savory enough to create an appetite in a stomach that 
 the tossing waves have rendered as sensitive as the needle of a compass. 
 He must also understand how to make eatable bread, and take his duff out 
 of the kettle on Sunday as light as cotton and as delicate as sponge-cake. 
 Besides this, he must know how to economize in the use of water and 
 provisions ; and, more difficult yet, he must contrive to keep the crew 
 satisfied with the mess he cooks for them, while at the same time he 
 looks out sharply for the interests of his employer and the captain. He 
 must also be proof against the worst weather, and undeviatingly punct- 
 ual to the hours of meals. It goes without saying that it is not an easy 
 
i6 
 
 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 thing to find such a paragon in the galley ; but when he is there, he is, 
 next to the captain, by far the most important character on board. We 
 had made up our minds that it would be difficult to find a cook in 
 Chariottetown, combining such exalted qualifications, who would be will- 
 
 Burning Refuse from the Lumber Alills. 
 
 ing to go for such a brief cruise, and were prepared to take up almost 
 any one that offered. But we were not prepared to meet such a gang 
 of shiftless, shuffling, vacillating, prevaricating, self-complacent, exorbi- 
 tant, and utterly good-for-nothing varlets as those who applied for the 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 17 
 
 position, or whom we discovered after chasing through the lanes, sailors' 
 boarding-houses, and purlieus of Charlottetown. Over and over again 
 we thought we had engaged a man ; but when the time came to sail, 
 he was not to be found. At last, out of all patience with the whole 
 business, we telegraphed to a friend in St. John, New Brunswick, to send 
 us a cook, and that we wouid pick him up at Point du Chene. No reply 
 had arrived to the telegram when we sailed, and thus we started with- 
 out a cock, in a sort of vain hope of stumbling across one at some port. 
 
 A group of our good friends at Charlottetown came down to the 
 whari to give us a send-off. Healths were exchanged, the canvas was 
 spread, and we shoved off. As the little vessel gathered way before the 
 southerly breeze, they gave a parting hurrah, and we returned the salute 
 by emptying our revolvers and dipping the red colors and jack of old 
 England, which flew at the mast-head. 
 
 With light and variable winds, we reached Summerside the next 
 afternoon. There we came to anchor, and went on shore to learn if there 
 was any telegram regarding a cook. To our intense relief, we learned 
 that we should find one at Point du Chene, waiting for us. Here we 
 also made some of those final purchases of stores which are likely to be 
 forgotten on starting. Then we hurried on board and made sail. There 
 was really but little to detain us at Summerside. It is a new place, 
 which sprang up mushroom-like, and soon threatened with its bustling 
 prosperity to overtop every other port in the island. But its growth 
 stopped before it could become beautified by the slow growth of ver- 
 dure, and it is now a mere naked cluster of warehouses and uninteresting, 
 cheaply-constructed dwellings. But it is situated on Bedecque Bay, a lovely 
 estuary into which empties the Dunk River, whose waters are the delight 
 of the disciples of the gentle craft. Midway in the bay lies Park Island. 
 Some years ago a capitalist of Summerside conceived the idea of making 
 this island a summer resort. He purchased it, and in its center built a com- 
 modious hotel, the largest in Prince Edward Island. Charming walks and 
 drives were cut through the groves, bathing-houses were put up on the 
 beach, and numerous other attractions were offered to guests. A small 
 steamer was bought expressly to carry them over, and it seemed as if the 
 place ought to bring a profit to the enterprising proprietor who had such 
 confidence in the charms of his native isle. But he sunk all his fortune in 
 this ill-starred enterprise, and his anxieties brought him to an early grave. 
 The hotel, standing on the islet, empty and deserted, adds a tinge of dreari- 
 ness to an otherwise pleasing picture. 
 
 As we ran up the strait that evening, we had an exciting race with a 
 2 
 
i8 
 
 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 schooner bound the same way, having a number of boisterous workmen on 
 board going to the mines. She was close alongside, and as we gained on 
 her and were passing, she luffed up, being able to shave the wind a little 
 closer than the Alice May, and tried to run us down. We escaped a collision 
 by putting the helm down quickly. Then keeping away, we passed her as 
 a strong puff gave us increased headway ; and as we left them astern, they 
 gave a wild, mocking peal of laughter that had in it a touch of deviltry as 
 
THE CRUISE OE THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 19 
 
 it rang over the sea. It blew fresh that night, with squalls, and we took in 
 the kites. We tound the schooner stiff and able to carry sail hard. That 
 night, as the previous n ght, we stood our watch on deck. But this was 
 interesting, compared with the responsibility of preparing meals. There 
 were four of us in the main s 'oon, as we styled it, or three besides the 
 writer of this log. The junior member of the party, a youth of sixteen, 
 was nicknamed the Infant. Pendennis, the tallest of the party, went by the 
 affectionate sobriquet of the Cherub, probably because of the remoteness 
 
 Millstone Quarries. 
 
 of the resemblance. Then there was my companion Burns, who was already 
 familiar with sea life. We took turns in preparing the meals, one of the 
 crew being delegated to light the fire. We found it convenient to culti- 
 vate a taste for ham and eggs or plain boiled eggs, little art being required 
 to cook them. The cook for the time being was expected to get his wages 
 in chaff, of which he received an unUmited amount from the others. Fortu- 
 nately, we all knew how to brew a good cup of tea, not so easy an accom- 
 plishment as some might imagine. 
 
 It began to blow hard after midnight, from the southwest. The morn- 
 
20 ^^^ CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 ing broke with a very wild offing and the promise of a stormy day. But 
 we were near to Point du Chene, the line of the long, low shore blending 
 with the scurrying scud and a yeast of white caps flashing angrily in the 
 fierce rays that shot through a rift in the clouds. Lying well over to the 
 blasts, the Alice May beat up toward the land, and there was every prospect 
 of soon reaching a snug anchorage, when with a violent shock she struck 
 on a shoal. The first thought that flashed on us was. Can it be that the 
 cruise is going to end just as it begins ? But the emergency called for 
 instant action rather than for deliberation. The tide had yet a foot to rise, 
 and we must float her then or perhaps never, because she lay in a very 
 exposed position, and a shift of the wind to southeast would have finished 
 her. We got out the boat, carried an anchor well out to starboard, and 
 bowsed on it for two hours with no result. Meantime, the wind had shifted 
 into nor'west and was blowing a perfect screecher. By keeping canvas up, 
 the vessel was finally pressed well over on her side, tending to move the 
 keel and float her, and at length she suddenly started. Then it was, " Heave 
 away, boys ; be smart, now ! " in order that she might not overrun the anchor 
 as she slued into deep water and began to gather way like a bird released 
 from its cage. 
 
 We now ran up and anchored at Point du Chene, and went ashore to get 
 the cook. But no cook was there. We learned that he had arrived, but, 
 not finding us, had unwisely gone on in the boat the previous day to Char- 
 lottetown, and could not return until Monday. Disappointment is a feeble 
 word to express our chagrin. Point du Chene, with its neighbor Shediac, 
 offers few attractions to the tourist. It is merely the terminus of the rail- 
 " oad, where the steamboat plying to Prince Edward Island comes during 
 the summer. But w^e procured some fresh meat, took in a little more bal- 
 last to counteract a list to starboard, and shipped another hand, who proved 
 to be Tom, the son of Captain Welch, who was there in a schooner. We 
 were now able to have two men in a watch, which relieved us from the 
 necessity of passing the night on deck. Monday morning we rowed in the 
 boat up the river to Shediac, a delightful sail. There we found the tide so 
 low we could not come within a hundred yards of the beach, even with our 
 sixteen-foot yawl. Seeing our predicament, a crowd of bare-legged urchins, 
 about the age and shape of cupids, floated a miniature punt off to us ; then, 
 seizing the painter with great glee and noisy splashing, they towed us one by 
 one to the shore. The air rang with peals of laughter from the bystanders ; 
 and it was indeed a merry sight, and comical also, for the punt was in con- 
 stant danger of spilling out its occupant. 
 
 At one o'clock we were all on the lookout for the arrival of the steamer 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 21 
 
 Our First Fish, 
 
 from Summerside. The burning question of the hour was to cook or not 
 to cook. Would the cook be on board ? Was he white, black, or yellow, 
 and would he know his business if he actually came? The excitement 
 grew as the hour approached. The steamer hove in sight ; she ranged 
 
22 
 
 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 up to the pier ; the passengers stepped ashore, and after a brief interval 
 our boat was seen coming off with a third man in the stern sheets. It must 
 be the cook. As he drew nearer, his sable complexion not only settled 
 the question, but also added a strong probability, amounting almost to cer- 
 tainty, that he was a good cook. Our sr'mises proved to be correct in 
 just one minute after he stepped on declv. It had already struck eight 
 bells. 
 
 " Have you had your dinner yet, sir?" he inquired. 
 
 Our Crew at Supper. 
 
 " No ; we have been waiting for you." 
 
 " All right, sir ; you shall have dinner right away." 
 
 Stepping into the galley in a trice, he stripped off his coat, rolled up 
 his sleeves, and in half an hour we sat down to the best meal that had ever 
 been seen on board the Alice May since she left the stocks. From that day 
 to the hour we landed again in Charlottetown, Henry Richards proved 
 himself a capital cook, provided with no end of inventive culinary re- 
 sources ; he was indefatigable in the discharge of his duties, sober and 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 33 
 
 faithful to the interests of his employers. Happy the ship that sails with 
 such a cook, and happy the diners who batten on his beefsteak and onions, 
 hash, roly-poly, and tea. 
 
 At sea, action and reflection go hand in hand. One minute after he 
 boarded us Henry was getting dinner, and three minutes later the crew 
 manned the windlass, hove the anchor short, made sail, and we put to sea. 
 We had a staving breeze from southeast and by south, and bowled away 
 merrily for Miramichi. After night-fall the sky became very dark, and it 
 blew heavily. We flew before sea and wind, and made the Escumenac 
 light in the middle watch, but could not run in with such weather without 
 a pilot. We hove to with a tremendous sea running, the darkness aflame 
 with flashing phosphorus, and the little schooner pitching her jib-boom 
 under and knocking passengers and furniture about the cabin without cere- 
 mony. It does not take long to raise a high, wall-like swell in the Gulf 
 of St. Lawrence, owing to the shoal water. The lights of other vessels in 
 our neighborhood, bobbing like will-o'-the-wisps in the gloom, and, like us, 
 waiting for dawn, suggested a sharp lookout. At intervals the long, mel- 
 ancholy cry of the loons floated down the wind like the wail of lost spirits 
 — a sign of east wind, in the opinion of some — which led Captain Welch 
 to observe the next morning : " The loons was a-crying for the east wind 
 all night." r r M 
 
 A dapper little pilot schooner left a pilot with us at daylight, and we 
 ran across the bar, where a vessel was lost with all on board a year or two 
 ago in a gale. It was a long but delightful beat up the Miramichi River 
 that day. After leaving the broad entrance, we found the river winding, 
 and closed in with lovely overhanging cliffs, crested with verdure which 
 festooned the caves that honeycomb the rocks. Picturesque farms on the 
 slopes, surrounded by natural groves of pine and spruce, and fishermen's 
 huts and boats under the cliffs, gave life to what is really an enchanting 
 stream. 
 
 Thirty miles from the sea, we at last anchored at Chatham, the wind 
 blowing in violent squalls, which terminated in a tremendous thunder- 
 storm, attended by terrific gloom. When the clouds cleared away, the 
 glow of the setting sun illumined the wxt roofs and shipping of this 
 bustling little place with wonderful splendor. Chatham, as well as New- 
 castle, two miles farther up on the opposite bank, was once a great ship- 
 building port. This business has left it ; but a great lumber trade has 
 sprung up instead, which brings profit to the neighborhood, while it is 
 rapidly stripping the noble primeval woods of New Brunswick. Upward 
 of three hundred square-rigged vessels arrive there during the summer 
 
24 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 for lumber, chiefly for the foreign market. The appearance of the town 
 is therefore very animated, with its rafts of logs, its stagings and saw-mills, 
 and whar\es lined with large vessels two or three abreast. In 1881 the 
 feet of lumber brought down the southwest boom of the Miramichi 
 reached 140,000,000. At night-time, the river front of the town is lurid 
 with the vivid flames of refuse wood burning in brick-lined furnaces along 
 the river. Another large business here is the salmon fishery. Chatham is 
 on the railroad, and the fish, packed in ice, are sent directly to the United 
 States. Six car-loads have been for»varded from this place alone in one 
 day. The time for catching the fish is from May ist to August 15th. 
 Every farmer by the river spreads his own nets in the water opposite his 
 land, and owns a dug-out to land the fish. During the winter large num- 
 bers of smelts and bass are also caught through the ice, and sent by rail to 
 our markets. 
 
 July 1 2th we filled our water-casks, and, in company with a fleet of 
 Swedish and Norwegian lumber-laden barks, started down the river. The 
 beauty of the shores induced us to land where a ^ang of laborers was 
 engaged in cutting out mill-stones, which are an important source of profit 
 at Miramichi. They w^ere at work in a romantic spot under a cliff, and 
 the chck of their mallets rang musically with the plashing of the dashing 
 current. A little farther on, our boat glided into a fairy-like cove. A 
 farmer was just returning from his nets with some very fine salmon. If 
 we were like some fishermen, we might say we caught salmon ourselves 
 on this river. But truth compels the more prosaic statement that all the 
 salmon we caught on the Miramichi we bought from this farmer. He 
 asked us to climb the cliff to his house, which we found superbly situated 
 on the brow of a noble lawn, terminating at the river in a precipice. The 
 chubby, flaxen-haired children, bareheaded and barefooted, gathered round 
 to stare at us, with their hands uneasily clasped behind them, as we sat 
 in ic " best room." The venerable grandmother brought us a large 
 jug full of fresh milk in her shaking hand. While drinking it, we could 
 see the upper sails of the lumber fleet above the cliff as they glided 
 close by *he land. It reminded me of many a similar and familiar scene 
 on the Bosphorus. I could not but marvel that some of our people 
 in search of summer resorts, who are willing to go to the River St. 
 Lawrence, do not build or hire houses for the summer on this charm- 
 ing spot, the air being delightful, i;he scenery exceptionally attractive, 
 salmon and trout abundant, and the cost of living moderate. " It would 
 do us a great deal of good, sir, if some of your folks in the States who 
 have money would but come here and buy our lands and provisions," 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY, 25 
 
 remarked the old grandmother, with a twinkle in her gray eyes, as we 
 bid her good-by. 
 
 With a leading wind, we sailed down the tortuous channel of the Mira- 
 michi and crossed the bar, with a rosy light of evening flushing the sails of 
 the lumber fleet. One of them we left behind. She grounded in the 
 channel at high water, and probably had to throw over part of her cargo. 
 We headed now for the Bay of Chaleurs. The weather being fine, the 
 crew began this evening the habit of taking their meals on deck, which 
 they did after this whenever the weather permitted. It was an interesting 
 sight to watch them clustered around the dishes, which were placed on 
 the after part of the trunk. The captain had a separate seat at the head of 
 this unique table, where he presided with patriarchal dignity, entertaining 
 the crew with yarns from his own varied experience. There is not much 
 attempt at discipline on these down-east coasters, but the crew are con- 
 trolled by a sort of family arrangement. The captain gives the orders in 
 an easy fashion, and the men sometimes give suggestions regarding the 
 working of the ship which would procure them a broken head if attempt- 
 ed on a square-rigged vessel. Captain Welch and the mate had an 
 animated and by no means amiable discussion one day regarding the 
 course to be followed, without any other result than a continuous mutter- 
 ing on both sides, until eight bells called all hands to supper. The south- 
 west wind prevails in the Gulf of St. Lawrence during the summer time. 
 This is favorable to yachts cruising northward, but must be taken into 
 calculation when they shape a course for home. This wind is generally 
 quite steady, freshening up at night ; but sometimes it increases to a gale, 
 followed by a strong westerly wind for a day or two. But no dependence 
 whatever can be placed upon the Gulf weather after the last of August. 
 Favored by this southerly wind, we flew northward all night, and the tight 
 little schooner put in her " best licks," as her speed was tested better with 
 a free wind. The wake was a mass of gleaming fo^am interwoven with 
 magical green, white, and red sparkles that seemed to come up like stars 
 from the black, mysterious depths below. The galaxy, or " milkmaid's 
 path " as sailors call it, and the northern lights gleamed at the opposite 
 poles. It fell calm before breakfast, and we caught a number of cod. The 
 low shore of N w Brun vick was on the port beam, and numerous fishing 
 boats were out. As we passed near one of them laden with lobsters, we 
 hailed her crew in French, and threw them ten cents fixed in the split end 
 of a stick. In return they hurled a shower of lobsters on board, which 
 came so fast on deck that we were forced to duck our heads below the rail 
 to avoid being hit by the ugly monsters. We thus obtained many more 
 
26 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 lobsters than we could possibly eat. Never have I seen lobsters cheaper 
 or fresher than these. 
 
 At noon of July 12th, we passed the octagonal light-house on the low, 
 sandy point at the northern end of Shipegan Island, and were fairly in the 
 Bay of Chaleurs. Twenty miles across loomed the lofty northern shores 
 of the bay, beautiful ranges of mountains with jagged peaks melting 
 dreamily into the thunderous clouds brooding ominously in the north. 
 The southern shores of the bay are much lower and less interesting, and 
 offer only one safe harbor, Bathurst ; and that is exposed to northerly 
 gales. Caraquette is only good for light-draught fishing craft. The glas'j 
 was now falling, and the baffling winds indicated a blow by u'jhL-uine. 
 The Bay of Chaleurs is ninety miles long, and is a dangerous sheet of 
 water in easterly winds. But it is free from shoals, and has a good bottom 
 excepting near the southern entrance, and there is good holding ground 
 everywhere near to the northern coast. The famous Restigouche River, 
 coming from the gorges of Gaspe county, empties into the bay at its west- 
 ern end, near Dalhousie. A number of other streams, such as the Chariot, 
 the Bass, and Tete a Gauche, also find an outlet here. They abound in 
 fine trout and salmon — a fact which renders this region important for 
 sportsmen, who are already beginning to flock thither during the summer. 
 The bay has also been a noted resort of American fishermen on account of 
 its mackerel. But the fish are now scarce, which, together with the 
 restrictions of the treaty laws, has drawn away the American fishing 
 schooners which once resorted to these waters by hundreds. Owing to its 
 size, it has been a disputed question between the two governments 
 whether the Bay of Chaleurs should be considered a bay or part of the 
 open sea — a matter of importance in the sea fisheries. The bay was 
 discovered by Jacques Cartier, who probably suffered from the heat there, 
 judging from the name he gave it. It was the scene of the defeat of a 
 French fleet by the English in 1760. 
 
 The weather became very thick after sunset, with a strong easterly 
 breeze. We kept a good lookout, and had a narrow escape from collision 
 with a French schooner. As they swept by they hailed us in French, and 
 our mate flung a few choice French epithets in return. At midnight the 
 wind shifted into the nor' west and blew a fresh gale, with a nasty sea. 
 The Alice May beat up against it nobly. It was now a clear starlight, and 
 it was exciting to see the little vessel bending over to her scuppers in the 
 gray sea and flinging sheets of spray over her cat-heads. 
 
 A magnificent dawn succeeded this variable night, and as the sun 
 burst above the sea, it revealed a truly remarkable scene. A slope of 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 27 
 
 i"W^ 
 
 Iiungitudo 'VVwt of 54 Grwinwuh 
 
 'ie Kfiullf 
 
 li E N C E 
 
 t 
 
 extraordinary regularity, as if it had been smoothed with a roller, was 
 discovered extending some fifteen miles along the sea, where it terminated 
 in an unbroken line of red cliffs from forty to one hundred feet high. This 
 fine slope was covered with a carpet of a vivid emerald hue. At the base 
 of the "?d, cavern-hollowed cliffs rolled the sea, deep-purple and blue. 
 This slope was outlined against a distant range of violet-tinted mountains 
 limned against an opalescent sky. It was indeed a noble and exhilarating 
 prospect. But it was rendered yet more remarkable by a line of houses 
 extending for nearly six miles 
 along the crest of the slope. The 
 rising sun smote full on these 
 dwellings, and, at the distance 
 we were from them, they looked 
 like the tents of an army en- 
 camped there ; and, indeed, I 
 thought at first it might be the 
 camp of militia taking their sum- 
 mer exercises. But when the 
 sun struck the windows of these 
 houses, they flashed like stars 
 over the sea or like beaten gold. 
 As we drew nearer to the 
 land, we made out a long, low 
 point, covered with white build- 
 ings and terminating in a light- 
 house, the effect being that of a 
 sea-walled town in the Mediter- 
 ranean. Then we knew that we 
 were off the French town of 
 Paspebiac. It had all the rapt- 
 ure of a surprise for us, because 
 never before that morning had 
 
 I heard of the place. It really seemed as if it might be an exhalation 
 from the sea, a vision of the morning, doomed to fade away as the sun 
 rose higher in the heavens. But the keen gusts off the land, singing 
 through the rigging of our bending barkie, soon brought us so near there 
 was no longer any room to doubt that we had hit upon an important and 
 beautiful town. We anchored off the spit, but soon slipped around to the 
 other side, where we again anchored in a roadstead protected from east- 
 erly winds, and reasonably safe in summer from winds blowing in other 
 
 
 Map of the Ttip from Charlottetown to Paspebiac. 
 
28 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 quarters. With our usual expedition we immediately had the boat put 
 into the water and went on shore. The light-house and an old wreck 
 bleaching near to it on the sandy beach first impressed us as being artisti- 
 cally available, as the genial editor would say regarding a manuscript 
 upon which he is disposed to bestow the smile of acceptance. Having 
 sketched these objects, we adjourned to the Lion Inn to dine. This quaint 
 little hostel is on the point, with water close on either hand. A one-time 
 much gilded lion, but now somewhat rusty, wagged his tufted tail fero- 
 ciously over the door, and a green settle on either side invited the guest 
 to an out-of-door seat overlooking the bay. The buxom landlady was a 
 fair-complexioned, tidy, blue-eyed dame from the isle of Jersey. Wear- 
 ing a huge sun-bonnet, she was feeding her chickens in the road as we 
 approached. She served us a simple but savory repast in a cozy, low- 
 roofed dining-room resembling a ship's cabin ; through the open windows 
 the sea-breeze wafted the roar of the sea, and we could look on the blue 
 of the ocean fading away to distant lands. Everything was delightfully 
 unexpected and charming. Sea life is made up of such contrasts. But 
 a few hours before, we were groping in a fog, grappling with a storm and 
 shc-tening sail ; and now we were enjoying this peaceful hour in a tran- 
 quil haven. 
 
 II. 
 
 AT the close of the preceding chapter we were about entering upon 
 an inspection of Paspebiac. As the name indicates, this was, first 
 of all, an Indian settlement, probably of the Gaspesian tribe. The 
 terminal ac is indicative of place, like the affixes eck or ccque and adie em- 
 ployed by the Micmacs. The French came next, followed by thj: Nor- 
 mans of the Channel Islands. It is to these that this straggling, thriving 
 town of three thousand people owes its present existence and success. We 
 had never heard of the place before, and yet here it has existed for centu- 
 ries, a center of business and a wonder of beauty, on the supposed bleak 
 shores of the Bay of Chaleurs. We found the key-note of the whole matter 
 immediately on landing. One hundred and forty years ago some capital- 
 ists of St. Helier's came over from Jersey and established a depot for cod- 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 29 
 
 fishing on the inner shore of the point of Paspebiac, where boats could 
 liind with safety in ordinary weather. Since then, empires have arisen and 
 fallen, our own great republic has come into existence and has grown to 
 its present dimensions, and still the firm of Robin & Co. carries on its busi- 
 ness with the vitality of youth, and with steadiness of purpose and entire 
 unconcern regarding the rest of the world and its affairs. Not only does 
 the original family of Robin maintain itself at Paspebiac to this day, but it 
 has thirteen other establishments as complete as this one at various points 
 in the maritime provinces, all conducted with the same system and disci- 
 pline. We saw several of these depots at other ports during our cruise, and 
 can therefore say that the one at Paspebiac is typical of the whole. A 
 lofty fence with gates incloses the establishment. Within are immense 
 buildings for storing the fish and storehouses for all the materials that go 
 to the building and victualing of ships, besides smithies and carpenters' 
 shops, a large kitchen and eating-hall, a telegraph office, and the houses of 
 the overseer and chief employes. On the harbor side are extensive 
 wharves, landings, cranes, and the like, built of soUd masonry and iron. 
 There is nothing flimsy about the materials and construction of any object 
 about the place. The extraordinary neatness of everything is like that of 
 a Dutch house. There is not even the odor of stale fish, or of any fish at 
 all. The workmen wear a uniform — consisting of white trousers and blue 
 blouse and cap — and thereby strengthen the first thought that occurs on 
 seeing the place, that it must be an arsenal. This impression is re-enforced 
 by the cannon ranged on the quay, and by the fierce figure of a Scotch 
 Highlander brandishing his claymore from the gable of the central build- 
 ing, which was once the figure-head of one of the company's ships. The 
 discipline of a man-of-war is also strictly preserved here. The employes 
 enter in boyhood and work their way up. Here it is, in this yard, that 
 the firm builds the fleet which it employs to carry the fish to the markets 
 of Europe and South America. No finer fish leave the shores of North 
 America for the feeding of good Roman Catholics on fast days. Few peo- 
 ple have reflected on the fact that one of the most important occupations 
 followed by men is almost wholly dependent on the religious beliefs of one 
 sect. The small amount of salt cod eaten by Protestants is not worth 
 mentioning compared with the amount absorbed by Roman Catholics. 
 Besides their ships for foreign transportation, the Robins also have a large 
 number of schooners and boats directly engaged in catching the fish. 
 Most of the fishermen in their employ are poor, and, as they are paid in 
 kind, they are largely in the power of this great monopoly. As one result, 
 it is very difficult to purchase land at Paspebiac, because a large part of 
 
so 
 
 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY, 
 
 the freeholds there are mortgaged to Robin & Co. on account of advances 
 made to the fishermen. 
 
 Adjoining the establishment of Robin & Co. is a similar but less exten- 
 sive fish depot, belonging to the firm of Le Boutillier, who are also a Jer- 
 sey company, transacting their affairs in the Dominion by means of expe- 
 rienced factors. The original founder of the house was trained by Robin 
 & Co., and, having a difference with them, started a rival house, which is 
 conducted with similar system and owns three or four stations. The 
 
 Fishermen at Paspebiac. 
 
 gradual dying out of the Le Boutillier family indicates, however, the ap- 
 proaching extinction of this firm. To an American familiar with the fish- 
 ing business of Gloucester, Massachusetts, who imagines that the enterprise 
 of that thriving port has contrived to absorb a monopoly of the cod-fisher- 
 ies of the world, there is somethmg rather mortifying in considering for 
 the first time such an establishment as the one I have described ; for it 
 shows that we have yet a few things to learn in regard to making a business 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 3 1 
 
 at once prosperous and permanent. I met a man once in England who 
 was traveling for a tobacco house that was established in the time of Queen 
 Elizabeth and was still engaged in making money. After all, there is a 
 majesty and dignity in the grand fact of permanency that is worth striving 
 for, in a world and an age that is ever shifting. We like to dream some- 
 times that not " virtue alone outlives the Pyramids." 
 
 After having been shown about the establishment of Robin & Co., we 
 turned our attention to other matters of interest at Paspebiac, and found 
 that it abounds in natural attractions. The sandy point is really an island 
 at high water, and a substantial bridge connects it with the main-land. 
 Near to the bridge are the residences occupied by the members of the two 
 fishing firms, when at Paspebiac, or by their agents. The Robin mansion 
 is near the foot of the slope, completely surrounded by a lovely grove 
 agreeably intersected with winding paths. The Le Boutillier house, on 
 the other hand, is on the brow of the rich brown cliff, superbly situated, 
 and commanding an outlook over the Bay of Chaleurs. It is approached 
 from the road through a double avenue of noble willows, which were im- 
 ported, we were informed, from Jersey. There is not a private residence 
 in the Dominion which occupies a finer site for a summer villa. From the 
 bridge, the road rises abruptly until it reaches the crest of the slope. There 
 it meets a post road, or street, running along that height for twenty miles 
 toward Dalhousie. It is along this road that the town of Paspebiac, occu- 
 pied by French habitants, is laid out in an extended street, which contin- 
 ues until it reaches the charming semi-aristocratic hamlet of New Carlisle, 
 which is occupied by Scotch people, and is the seat of a court-house, a jail, 
 and the residence of the judge. 
 
 We decided that we could get over more ground that afternoon by 
 means of a carriage than on foot. But the only vehicle to be found was a 
 ramshackle open carry-all belonging to the postmaster — a jolly, vivacious 
 little Frenchman, whose excellent English speech was yet curiously char- 
 acterized by an accent. The horse was a fit subject for the attention of 
 Henry Bergh, and the carriage was so ancient and dilapidated that ihe 
 spring broke down and the floor split with the weight of five healthy men. 
 But we had a delightful ride to New Carlisle, for all that. The afternoon 
 was so fine that it seemed to have an invigorating effect on the piety of 
 the local clergy. We met the Presbyterian minister, the Episcopal vicar, 
 and the cur^, all engaged in making pastoral visits. The first was in a 
 buggy accompanied by his wife. The other gentlemen, in spotless garb, 
 trudged along the highway, aloi.c and on foot, after apostolic fashion. The 
 physician was also making his rounds on a buckboard. On our return, the 
 
32 
 
 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 postmaster invited us into his humble cottage, which was typical of all the 
 houses at Paspebiac. His best room was decorated with cheap images 
 and prints of the Virgin. The office was in a small adjoining apartment. 
 When a letter was to be mailed, it was taken at the door by some one of 
 the family. We noticed here, as well as in almost every other house in the 
 town, and, in fact, throughout that region, that the windows were always 
 kept tightly closed, even at midday with the mercury at seventy-five to 
 eighty-five degrees. Consequently, the air inside is stuffy and oppressive. 
 For those who may like to visit Paspebiac, it may be well to add that it 
 can be reached by the stage-coach from Dalhousie, which makes the dis- 
 
 The Beach at Paspebiac. 
 
 A View of the Bay. 
 
 tance of eighty-two miles thrice a week; time, twenty -two hours. Better 
 still, there is a steamer from Dalhousie semi-weekly, which touches there 
 in its trip around the Bay of Chaleurs. As we were passing along the road 
 at four o'clock, the village school broke up and the children bounded forth 
 full of glee, the boys separating into one group and the girls into another. 
 But it was beautiful to see them come to a sudden stop when thoy met us, 
 the boys in a row on one side of the road and the girls on the other. Then, 
 with the utmost respect, the former bowed, while the latter demurely 
 courtesied. Having accomplished this feat, they all ran off again in a- de- 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 33 
 
 lightful manner. After all, we can learn a little from the Latins, without 
 being untrue to our Anglo-Saxon convictions. 
 
 The following day being Saturday, we had a capital opportunity to see 
 the habitants of Paspebiac in their best attire, for that is their market day. 
 This really means, in that place, that on that day the two fishing firms 
 make advances of goods to the families of the fishermen they employ. 
 The women came in groups, the matrons garrulous with gossip as they 
 straggled down the road with the heavy swinging gait which they have 
 inherited from the peasants of France. It is curious how the peasant 
 classes change their step with age, the light tripping of the young maiden 
 turning into a long, ungainly stride. The piquant brunettes, still in the 
 morning of life, also collected thither in clusters, toileted in their best, and 
 
 A Fish Establishment at Paspebiac. 
 
 giggling and blushing wi^h zest when some handsome young fisherman 
 went by, throwing a sentimental glance in their direction, or venturing 
 some sally of rustic wit. Many came in rude carts, drawn by oxen or 
 mares followed b}^ their colts. Across the bridge or fording the inlet, 
 these simple folk came in a steady stream until toward noon. It was, for 
 all the world, like a bit of France, for these French habitants change far 
 less from the original type than the English settlers. Later in the day 
 there was a general movement to the other end of the point, where the 
 fish-market was held on the beach. Dogs, swine, geese, fowls, men, women, 
 children, carts and oxen were here gathered indiscriminately on the sand 
 by the surf, in a promiscuous and chattering crowd around the stands, 
 
 3 
 
34 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 where fresh fish were being cleaned for sale. A merry sensation was 
 produced when a boisterous youth dashed by at a tearing gallop on horse- 
 back, shouting Yankee Doodle at the top of his voice. This was intended 
 as a salvo for us, the first American tourists, possibly, who had ever 
 been to Paspebiac. A gentleman connected with the custom-house, which 
 is a wee bit of a hut, officiates as United States consular agent, and war- 
 very polite to us. But it is a question whether his annual fees amount to 
 enough to pay for the matches for lighting his pipe. ' 
 
 Some of our party were enthusiastic anglers, and the afternoon was 
 therefore devoted to a long and heated walk to a trout brook, where those 
 sportive fish were reported to be actually pining to be caught. The rods 
 and flies were of the best quality, and they were wielded by fishermen of 
 skill and experience. The net results of the trip amounted, however, to 
 only half a dozen five-inch trout. We were told that, in a lake beyond, the 
 trout were so numerous there was hardly room for them to swim without 
 scraping the scales off their backs as they jostled each other. But the 
 enthusiasm of r-x- fishermen being now at its ebb, we returned to the 
 schooner and ordered the captain to make sail. 
 
 If the wind had been favorable, we should have continued up to the 
 head of the Bay of Chaleurs. But it was a long beat with the stiff north- 
 west wind that was blowing at the time, and other and more distant scenes 
 forbade us to linger here. Therefore we put the helm up and ran to the 
 eastward. The wind was fresh, and the schooner was staggering under 
 the pressure of her kites, and required delicate steering. Rapidly we flew 
 past the beautiful northern shore of the bay, the jagged peaks assuming 
 the loveliest of tints in the light of the sun, now nearing the west. But 
 our race was suddenly checked. I was looking through the glass at a 
 schooner two miles away, when I saw that she was sailing with a different 
 wind. Hardly had I time to sing out to the captain, *' The wind's coming 
 out ahead ! " than our vessel was taken sharp aback. Everything was at 
 once in confusion. " Let go the guy tackle ! " " Take in the stay-sail ! " 
 " Haul aft the main-sheet ! " were orders quickly given, and in another 
 minute the Alice May was heeling well over, and pitching in a head-sea. 
 Now occurred a series of magnificent marine effects. Brief squalls of 
 wind am! rain followed in quick succession ; the cliffs and the sea were 
 alternately black v/ith brooding gloom or gleaming with blinding bursts of 
 sunlight ; rainbows hung on the skirts<»of the clouds in the offing, and the 
 driving masses of cumuli were warmed by glorious hues. Then succeeded 
 a sight not uncommon in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, but which, wherever 
 seen, inspires the beholder with awe. The sea in the distance appeared 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 35 
 
 suddenly to roll up with a high, angry surge, advancing rapidly toward us 
 as if it would overwhelm the vessel, and naturally suggesting that a very 
 strong wind was coming. But it advanced no farther, always preserving 
 the same appearance, as if held back by some mysterious agency ; and we 
 
 ■^""s^.: 
 
 ."*''' 
 
 /"J 
 
 %i' 
 
 *^a^^'^^5r? ,-;"-- r -_-.■_ - ^^- 1 
 
 
 '.'■ ■--' ^\ 
 
 
 
 
 
 ' .. ^ 
 
 - -*. 
 
 -r- 
 
 
 
 -)' 
 
 
 
 
 ''3r?' - 
 
 -'^'^m. 
 
 -,-'.:.--^>^ 
 
 ^^^^: 
 
 Cape Gasp^. 
 
 ■r .- -v-/*- 
 
 
 v- Mt- 
 
 ^-*V 
 
 i^rS-fe-- 
 
 now perceived that it 
 was a form of mirage, 
 probably reflecting 
 the surf breaking on 
 a distant shore. The 
 turbulence of the 
 elements subsided al- 
 most as soon as it had 
 arisen, and then we 
 had barely enough 
 wind to waft us to 
 
 Port Daniel. The anchorage herebeing very exposed, we did not remain 
 there, but only " looked in," as sailors say. This is a fishing village, situ- 
 ated around a deep cove, which lies at the foot of one of the highest and 
 most abrupt peaks on the bay. The church occupies a hillock at the 
 
 Fishing-Houses at Cape GaspS. 
 
36 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 bottom of the cove, and the houses are beautifully situated on precipitous 
 slopes and ledges. 
 
 Light and baffling airs now followed, and we spent the greater part of 
 Sunday off Cape Despair. There was a most exasperating glassy swell, 
 which tumbled the vessel about unmercifully. It is said that this swell very 
 rarely goes down at this part of the Gulf. In the morning Captain Welsh 
 sat at the wheel reading his prayer-book while steering. He was in one 
 of his communicative moods, and spun yarn for some time. He expressed 
 the emphatic opinion that " tobacco is good for )me folks." He was sure 
 it had been a benefit to him in the long night watches and the life struggle 
 with storms. All day long, the grandly bold, abrupt precipices of Mt. St. 
 Anne at Perce towered before us like a mighty fortress, guarding the 
 double entrance to the Bay of Chaleurs and the River St. Lawrence. At 
 its foot is the lofty island of Bonaventure, around which we passed with a 
 light air on the night of July 17. At sunrise we were close to the tre- 
 mendous rock of Perce, and could see the long, low outline of Anticosti in 
 the north like a gray wall. In the opinion of our captain, the heavy swell 
 made it inexpedient to anchor at Perce, which is very exposed. We kept 
 on across Mai Bay, past a low, fiat islet which the French call Plateau, 
 and the English fishermen Plato, which is evidently a corruption of the 
 former word. A number of large fishing stations are here, and the fleet 
 of fishing boats was now seen shooting out from the coves after the cod 
 which abound in this bay. These boats are large, and are manned by two 
 men ; they are rigged with three spritsails and a jib, which gives them 
 the jauntiest look of all the fishing boats on the coast of America. This 
 matter of the rig and build of fishing boats is very curious. It is easy to 
 see that the character of a certain beach or of the prevailing weather may 
 in a given locality affect the shape of the boat ; but why there should be 
 such differences in rig is incomprehensible. The fishing boats of every 
 port we visited had their peculiar rig and sails. W^e can understand how 
 whim may incline this or that man to prefer one rig to another ; but why 
 all the boats of one port should uniformly have one rig, while in the very 
 port adjoining all the boats have entirely another rig, is a matter which is 
 not easily explained. 
 
 As the wind died away, we anchored near the southern side of Gaspe 
 Bay to avoid drifting. Water-fowl abounded. In endless flocks the ducks 
 fly at morning to the fen-lands at the head of the bay, and return at night 
 to roost amid the rocks of Perce. We went on shore and succeeded in 
 bagging a few ducks and sea-pigeons under the cliffs ; after which we 
 climbed up the heights to a farmhouse and procured some milk. The 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 n 
 
 people could not speak English. The babies and the sucking pigs were 
 tumbling over each other under the table in affectionate embrace. Outside 
 was the oven, a characteristic feature of domestic civilization in Gasp6 
 
 County. It is built thus: A flat slab of 
 limestone is laid on four posts, and a 
 dome of clay is built over it. This in 
 turn is protected from the rains by a 
 thatched roof. These rustics were 
 specimen bricks of the people who live 
 around the bay. The population of 
 this part of Canada is confined wholly 
 to the coast. Civilization ceases a mile 
 
 Head of an Old Pilot. 
 
 Up Gaspe Bay. 
 
 or two inland, and the bear, the caribou, and the panther still roam 
 through the primeval woods which cover the mountain ranges of the inte- 
 rior. The aborigines of this region were the Gaspesian Indians, who now 
 appear to be entirely extinct. 
 
 A breeze springing up toward noon, we stood across the bay to Cape 
 Gaspe, a noble gray headland three hundred feet high, which from one 
 point looks like the front of a Gothic cathedral. By keeping past it a 
 short distance, we entered the River St. Lawrence and saw Cape Rozier, a 
 tremendous precipice soaring seven hundred feet vertically. Cape Gasp6 
 takes the full brunt of all the gales of the St. Lawrence, and has been the 
 scene of many wild and appalling wrecks. Some years ago, on a stormy 
 
38 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 night, the tide being unusually high, a vessel was swept against the cliff, 
 and, of course, entirely destroyed. The event never would have been 
 known if the bowsprit had not been discovered in a cleft of the rock, far 
 above the usual level of the sea, together with remains of the bodies of 
 the crew. After this we stood up the bay, along the northern shore. For 
 several miles the cliffs are seamed with deep fissures, as if the beach had 
 been partitioned off by walls into retired marine alcoves with soft, sandy 
 floors, where the mermaids could perform their toilets in seclusion. But, 
 generally, these recesses are occupied b}' curious and often highly pictur- 
 esque fish-drying houses, built over the water on extensive stagings. An 
 extraordinary accident occurred here thirty years ago. A ship bound up 
 to Quebec grounded off these cliffs in a fog. The wind was light, but 
 there was a high swell, which made it dangerous to land. Fifteen gentle- 
 men, however, concluded to go on shore, and with the boat's crew got into 
 the boat before it was lowered. One of the poles broke, and they were all 
 precipitated into the water. The tide drew them under the ship, and they 
 were all drowned before the very eyes of their wives and children. Some 
 weeks after, a fisherman caught a cod in whose maw was a man's finger, 
 with the diamond ring yet glittering on the severed joint. 
 
 Here we landed to sketch the fish-houses. The shores were very 
 precipitous, and it required some circumspection to climb up where the 
 houses of the country folk are perched. We had some difficulty on return- 
 ing to the schooner, as the wind had risen, creating a high sea rolling in 
 from the Gulf, and the schooner was handled in such a clumsy manner that 
 the boat was in serious danger of being run down. Our crew were not 
 accustomed to this sort of service. There was yet time to reach Gaspe 
 before dark if the strong breeze held, which was sweeping us up the bay. 
 Near Port Douglas, where General Wolfe anchored his fleet on his way to 
 Quebec, the scenery began to develop extraordinary beauty. Nothing of 
 the sort has so impressed me except the neignborhood of Lake George. 
 The shores were graduallv closing in, and on either hand and ahead of us 
 were mountains descending to the sea, draped in the dark-green mantle of 
 the densest woods. Here and there a little church might be seen perched 
 on a height. At last we reached the light-ship, and in a few minutes we 
 would have been clear of the bar and heading directly into Gaspe Basin. 
 "Are you sure you are heading right, captain ? Aren't you keeping too 
 near inside ? " we said to the captain. " Oh, no ; there's plenty of water ; I 
 guess we are going all right," he replied. At that instant the schooner 
 struck on the bar, and ran her bow up on the sand, with a dull grating 
 sound that made us sufficiently disgusted. A ship is only good afloat. A 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 39 
 
 PercS Rock. 
 
40 
 
 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 ship on shore is like an eagle with a broken pinion. We were in for it this 
 time, there was too much reason to believe, for it was about high water, 
 and the breeze was making a chop on the bar. Two circumstances were 
 in our favor : the night promised to be fine, and Captain Asca, the light- 
 house keeper, who now came on board, was an experienced skipper, and 
 was thoroughly acquainted with the bay. Every effort to haul the 
 schooner off the shoal proving of no avail, we should have been obliged to 
 heave out her ballast if the next tide had not promised to be unusually 
 high, the change of the moon being at hand. Since nothing more could 
 
 An Old Oven. 
 
 be done until the next tide, we 
 therefore accepted Captain As- 
 ca's invitation to go to his 
 house. The hour and the scene 
 were so enchanting that we 
 were quite compensated for the 
 inauspicious circumstances that 
 detained us there. 
 Captain Asca was a fine specimen of a Scotchman ; tall and large- 
 limbed ; his tawny, flowing beard was tinged with the snow of sixty win- 
 ters, but his keen, steel-gray eye had in it the fire of youth, and his voice 
 rang across the ship with the firmness of one born to command. And yet 
 his life had been passed in coasters and fishermen. Both of his grand- 
 fathers were in the army which stormed Quebec under Wolte. His rela- 
 tion to the light-ship was an anomaly in the history of harbor lighting. 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 41 
 
 for he both built the vessel and owned it, besides keeping it for a meager 
 allowance granted by the Dominion. A curious way, this, for a govern- 
 ment to light a harbor by private enterprise ! His father's grist-mill was 
 on the seaside, romantically filling the entrance of a ravine, where a moun- 
 tain stream dashed down near a bar, over which we rowed across the 
 rolling foam. The new moon hung in the west, and the deep glow of 
 twilight yet throbbed over the mountains, as we climbed a winding, wooded 
 
 Cunng Fish at Perce. 
 
 path to Captain Asca's house. His pet parrot had come down to meet 
 him, and was waiting on the stile for his master, on whose shoulder it 
 alighted, while the dog, with a bark of welcome for his master and a sus- 
 picious sniff for us v)unded down the slope to meet us. We were cor- 
 dially invited to enter the house, and were pleased to see an immense fire- 
 place across one third of the kitchen wall ; but we preferred to sit on 
 
42 
 
 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 the door-step, 
 where the 
 light -keeper's 
 daughter 
 brought us a 
 pitcher of 
 fresh milk. 
 Behind the 
 
 I' house the dark 
 I woods arose, 
 ^V^ clothed with 
 shadows ; be- 
 and at our feet lay 
 \y and our little 
 syond — north, east, 
 - were Gaspe, the 
 ver, and the moun- 
 ito night. A great 
 over all the land- 
 quillity and beauty- 
 ideal. We felt like saying, 
 hy should we longer roam ? " 
 But fate and the ship called 
 away. In the middle watch 
 le tide happily floa:ed the 
 schooner, and under the pilot- 
 age of Captain Asca, who 
 V-ii^":^ left the light-ship 
 
 in charge of 
 an assistant, 
 
 Returning from Church. ^^ crlided in- 
 
 to the harbor 
 of Gaspe, called the basin, as it is so snug and sheltered. Gaspe is built on 
 the sloping sides of the Basin. It has eight hundred inhabitants, a mayor, 
 and a United States consul. The houses are embowered in shrubbery, 
 and the little town is really very attractive. All business has left it, and it 
 is now in a state of somnolesccnce. But, like places which have had a pe- 
 riod of prosperity, it retains a certain aristocratic air, and the society is 
 agreeable and refined. The people are largely descended from loyalists 
 of the Revolution. The place is three days' ride from the nearest railway 
 
 "'^^M.! 
 
 V -\. ,-^^^. 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 43 
 
 station. A railway would doubtless greatly add to its prosperity by 
 bringing tourists there, for at present it has only a semi-weekly steamer 
 and a daily stage-coach. The winters are long and the snows deep, and 
 the people of both sexes go to church on snow-shoes, which they leave 
 stacked up in the porch during the services. But the summer is temper- 
 ate, while the scenery, the fishing, and the moderate cost of living combine 
 to make Gaspe a place of unusual attraction. I am thoroughly assured 
 that no one would be disappointed who should make it a summer resort. 
 The fisheries of Gaspe are chiefly in the hands of the Le Boutilliers, who 
 have the finest residence there. The fish are chiefly exported to Brazil. 
 They are not packed in tierces, but in tubs, to suit the mode of transpor- 
 tation in South America. Two of these tubs make a mule load. 
 
 The good people of Gaspe are greatly moved to devise some scheme 
 to restore their departed prosperity. They are agreed in the opinion that 
 a railroad would do it, and the matter comes up before each political 
 election. Theodolites, chains, spirit-levels, pickaxes, surveyors, and labor- 
 ers appear, and the candidate is profuse in his enthusiasm for the railroad. 
 After the election is over, the question is laid on the shelf, and the enthu- 
 siasm is bottled up and kept to help the candidate into office another year. 
 Human nature is pretty much the same, the world over. 
 
 Our consul, Mr. Holt, was very courteous toward us, and exerted him- 
 self to entertain us. We decided to spend a day in trout-fishing, for which 
 the neighborhood is noted, and all the consular influence was brought to 
 bear to procure a suitable vehicle to carry us to the fishing stream six 
 miles distant. But horses and carriages seemed to be the sjarcest articles 
 in Gaspe County. We had about given up expectation of finding a con- 
 veyance, but were still discussing the question in the shady street, when a 
 wood-cart came by. 
 
 Our party presented a truly backwoods aspect as we rode through the 
 streets of Gaspe down to the ferry, coiled up on the floor of this rude 
 vehicle. The St. John's, .o which we were bound, lies on the side of 
 Gaspe Basin opposite the town, and the cart had to be taken over in the 
 ferry-boat. The grasping owner of the Gaspe ferry-boat line had not only 
 contrived to obtain a monopoly of the business, but had also managed to 
 get all the stock into his own hands. Judging from the leakiness of the 
 boat, the stock seemed to have been pretty well " watered." The propel- 
 ling power of this crazy flat-boat was represented by a lad of thirteen and 
 a mere shaver of seven or eight summers. But they managed to get us 
 over without accident, which was more than 1 anticipated. The monopo- 
 list aforementioned had grown so wealthy off the business that he had 
 
44 
 
 THE CRUISE OE THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 built himself a house, which commanded a fine view of the river. In 
 order to save ground-rent or taxes in a country which is now so densely 
 populated that there is probably one inhabitant to every ten square miles, 
 he had bailt his mansion on a raft anchored by the shore. The house was 
 twelve feet square, and was divided into two ample apartments. There, 
 in quiet, unmolested, and luxurious seclusion, this aquatic Croesus was 
 seen smoking his clay pipe in his own door, while his faithful wife and 
 daughter cooked his meals, and his boys raked in the dividends for him 
 by rowing the ferry-boat. 
 
 We had a warm ride of two hours through the spruce forests on a 
 mountainous road. The air was redolent of the fragrance of the gum 
 exuding from the trees. I could not avoid noticing how much more rare 
 singing birds were in these forests than in New England. But the moun- 
 
 Perce Rock. {Drawn by Thomas Moran.) 
 
 tain glens abounded, we were told, with game. An English sportsman 
 killed forty-eight caribou in these wilds during one season. 
 
 The St. John's is one of the three rivers emptying into Gaspe Bay. 
 The others are the York, which empties into Gaspe Basin, and the Dart- 
 mouth, which finds an outlet at the head of the bay. Each of these rivers 
 has a romantic beauty of its own, and all are said to abound in trout and 
 salmon. These reports are given for what they are worth. My own belief 
 in the trout-yielding properties of a stream depends upon actual and 
 personal observation. I have found that so enormous is the capacity for 
 exaggeration of the so-called " trout-liar," that I would sooner believe a 
 horse-jockey or the captain of a yacht. I therefore decline to assume 
 responsibility for any of the rumors I may quote regarding fresh-water 
 fishing in the Dominion. 
 
 At midday our expedition at last stood on the banks of the St. John's, 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 45 
 
 Map of the Cruise. i^Paspebiac to the Magdalen Isles.) 
 
 and gazed with exultation upon its rushing current. The stream is a 
 hundred yards wide at that point. There were woods on each bank, 
 which echoed back the musical carillon of the rapids. We found a boat- 
 keeper's lodge there and a num- 
 ber of canoes. The canoes 
 used now by the sportsmen in 
 that region are shaped exactly 
 like the typical Indian birch- 
 bark canoe ; they are not made 
 of bark, howev^er, but of thin 
 cedar planking, on a light frame 
 of oak or ash. Two of the 
 party went down the stream in 
 a canoe with the guides, whom 
 we found living in the lodge, 
 while Burns and I whipped the 
 stream from the banks. After 
 
 a protracted trial, neither attempt was attended with such success as to 
 kindle the enthusiasm of which we were capable under favorable circum- 
 stances. The guides assured us, however, that farther up the stream there 
 was no end of large trout. This assurance failed to make the impression 
 it might have done if we had been at liberty to cast a fly in that part of 
 the river. But it was leased to a number of Boston gentlemen, and not 
 even the proprietor of the adjoining banks could fish there without being 
 hable for trespass. It may/ be seriously doubted whether so much money 
 goes into the Dominion, annually, by the leasing of the streams as if all 
 tourists were allowed to fish anywhere during the season. Each tourist 
 and sportsman brings money into the country, which is, indeed, sadly in 
 need of it. Now, I maintain that the large number of sportsmen who would 
 come there during a season if allowed to fish without restriction, would 
 bring more money into the country than the revenue now derived from 
 leasing the streams to a few dozen gentlemen. Of course, this view of the 
 question must be to a degree hypothetical. But there can be no question 
 that it is a monstrous usurpation of the rights of property for a govern- 
 ment to usurp the power to lease away the riparian rights of an owner to 
 the half of a non-navigable stream that runs by or through his own lands. 
 
 We found compensation for our poor luck with the rod in the ravenous 
 ap})etite with which we returned to the good supper awaiting us on the 
 schooner. The weather being fine, we decided to move, and ordered the 
 captain to make sail and drop down the bay toward Perce, when the land 
 
46 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 breeze arose with the turn of the tide. Being becalmed off Point Epitre, 
 we anchored to avoid being drawn ashore by the swell. The time was 
 well spent in visiting the extensive fishing establishments, one of which 
 belongs to a clergyman. The following night a breeze sprang up, but it 
 was accompanied by a dense fog. The fates seemed to be opposed to our 
 visiting Perce. But we had taken Captain Asca with us as pilot, until we 
 should leave Gaspe Bay, and felt confident that his familiarity with those 
 shores would get us safely to Perce. He was certainly feeling his way by 
 the aid of some sixth sense, for at sunrise it was impossible lO imagine that 
 we were near land except from the vast, unbroken procession of water- 
 fowl trending northwest to their feeding grounds at the head of Gasp6 
 Bay. But, firmly grasping the wh'^el, and gazing with eagle eye into the 
 fog, Captain Asca kept the schooner going, until we could hear the dull 
 boom of surf tumbling into the caves of the cliffs. There is sometimes 
 about the effects of nature an apparent sensationalism which would be 
 highly censured if attempted by any reputable artist ; but she carries it off 
 so well that we accept it and readily admit that she does it in a way that 
 " defies competition." We had a striking example of this fact on this very 
 morning. For just as the pilot said, " I guess we are getting in pretty 
 handy to it ; we'll take a cast of the lead," the fog parted as if by magic, 
 rolling away on either hand like a curtain, and where, one instant, nothing 
 was to be seen, the next a superb spectacle lay revealed before us. The 
 village of Perce lay not half a mile distant, reposing at the foot of the 
 grand overhanging precipices of Mount St. Anne, whose base terminated 
 at the shore in mighty, precipitous, sea-beaten cliffs ; while on the other 
 side soared the tremendous bulk of the famous Perce Rock, dun and terri- 
 ble against the morning sun, presenting altogether the most varied and 
 effective view on the Atlantic coast of North America. 
 
 " Let go the anchor," cried the pilot at once, and down rattled the 
 cable, in fifteen fathoms. At last we had arrived at Perce. 
 
 There is no harbor there. The mountain range of Gaspe County 
 terminates with Mount St. Anne, which makes to a point, rounded off by a 
 low cliff. Directly off this point, and detached from it at high water, is 
 the rock. Ships can make a lee of it in good weather, dodging from one 
 side to the other according to the changes of the wind ; but it is not long 
 enough to make a lee in severe weather, and the sea rolls around it. A 
 ship lying there, which it would only do in summer, must therefore watch 
 carefully every shift of the wind. 
 
 Perce is a shire town. The houses are cheap wooden structures, but 
 the appearance of the place from the water is foreign. It is shut in by the 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 47 
 
 mountains on the land side. The large Roman Catholic church occupies 
 an eminence in the center of the town ; and the court-house is also a 
 prominent object. Mount St. Anne is peculiarly shaped. A steep^ dense- 
 ly wooded slope rises from the town to a height of nearly one thousand 
 feet, and terminates in a perpendicular cliff richly hued with iron tints, 
 which crowns it like a Roman fortress and soars to a height of fourteen 
 hundred feet. Perce Rock derives its name, as any one familiar with the 
 French language would at once perceive, from the immense arch which 
 pierces it near the eastern end. There was yet another arch thirty years 
 ago ; but it fell in during an earthquake, and left one side of it a separate 
 rock. A columnar rock called the " Old Woman," off Cape Gaspe, was 
 overthrown by the same convulsion. Before this event it was possible to 
 reach the summit of Perce Rock, but at present it must be considered 
 inaccessible. One or two daring fishermen have succeeded in performing 
 the feat ; but several have been killed in the attempt, and to try to scale it 
 is now forbidden. There is a legend that the rock is haunted by a spirit, 
 who may be seen on stormy nights hovering over the summit. Of this I 
 do not feel at liberty to speak with certainty, not having seen this water- 
 wraith myself. Perhaps it was to counteract the unceasing influence of 
 this mysterious being that an immense iron cross was erected on the point 
 immediately adjoining the rock. But whatever the facts regarding its 
 supernatural denizens, this can be affirmed with certainty — the summit is 
 peopled by an innumerable and loquacious colony of sea-birds. Their 
 clanging never ceases until dark, and may be heard for miles and miles, 
 blending with the roar of the tireless surf. Perce rock is about a furlong 
 in length and three hundred and twenty feet high. The abruptness of its 
 shape makes it seem much more lofty. The rock is sublime in shadow — 
 a dark and tremendous bulk. But it is gloriously bean 'ful in the sunlight. 
 The former conveys an effect of grandeur, the latter brings out the variety 
 and brilliance of the coloring. It abounds in ferruginous tints. Golden- 
 yellow, copper-reds, ochres, leaden and roseate grays are either distinct or 
 deliciously blended in a grand mosaic on this marvelous wall, where 
 Nature has shown what she dares in the way of color. On a clear after- 
 noon, when the sky and sea are a deep, dreamy purple and azure, the 
 beauty of Perce Rock baffles description. A foil or background to the 
 picture is the isle of Bnnaventure, a mile distant. The afternoon light 
 bathes its bold outline with the most ethereal roseate grays, which affect 
 the soul like the strains of tender song. The timxC is coming when Perce 
 will be painted and sung and celebiated like the already famed resorts of 
 the Old World. 
 
48 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 While we were at Perce we climbed up to the summit of Mount St. 
 Anne. It is a long afternoon walk ; but there is nothing difficult about it 
 until within three or four hundred feet of the top, when it becomes very 
 steep. The prospect is one of great extent and of enchanting loveliness. 
 On one side one gazes down on Perce and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and 
 on the other he looks down the gorges of the Canadian mountains, which 
 fade away in unexplored solitude into the distant west. 
 
 The fisheries at Perce give to it the animation of human life. But, ex- 
 cepting for the picturesqueness of the fleet of boats going out and return- 
 ing, I should greatly prefer the whole business at another place ; for the 
 smell of the decaying fish on the north beach is not an inspiring odor, al- 
 though it is a curious and interesting sight when the boats come home to 
 watch the women and children flocking to the beach and helping the 
 sterner sex to clean the cod. The women sometimes protect their skirts 
 when cleaning fish b}' getting into empty barrels ! The occasion is also 
 one of mirth and sly sparking ; we detected our crew engaged in this prof- 
 itless pursuit when they were sent ashore to fill the water-casks. A sailor 
 is never quite so comical as when he is making love to a girl on shore. 
 There is a massive bluntness to his speech, a self-confident diffidence in his 
 manner which is exceedingly funny. Giving another turn to the quid in 
 his cheek, and cocking his cap on the back of his head, to gain an appear- 
 ance of nonchalance. Bill sidled up toward a tittering girl who, with knife 
 in hand, was splitting fresh cod, and could not get awa}^ from him at once, 
 because she was buried up to her armpits in a fish-barrel. Before long 
 they had struck up a brisk confabulation. Finally, Bill lifted the girl out 
 of her cage, and helped to carry home her basket of fish. The south beach 
 of Perce is more neat, and far less inodorous. Robin & Co. have one of 
 their fine establishments there ; and to say that, is equivalent to giving the 
 synonym of neatness. Their drying-yard is spread with pebbles brought 
 from the shores of Jersey, which are preferable to a bed of sand, as it 
 allows the air to steal under the fish, and hastens the piocess of drying. 
 When the fish are brought in they are thrown into pens, one for each boat. 
 Thus the respective quantity belonging to each is easily ascertained. 
 When the fish are salted, they are carefully laid in separate rows ; and after 
 they have been dried on the stages or lath platforms, they are piled in 
 neat stacks, protected by birch bark. One can not fully realize what an 
 extensive and laborious occupation the cod-fisheries are, and how large is 
 the number of men and the amount of capital employed in them, until he 
 has cruised over the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Robin & Co. also have an 
 establishment at Bonaventure Island. 
 
THE CRUISE OE THE ALICE MAY. 49 
 
 The sweetest hour at Perc6 is when the sun has just set, and the tips 
 of the ruddy cliffs are yet warmed by its glow. The hyaline swell lan- 
 guidly kisses the shore ; the new moon hangs in the west ; the shadows 
 creep like a mantle over St. Anne's velvet-like slopes, and cast a veil over 
 the town ; the toll of the angelus from the church tower floats musically 
 over the sea, and the lights quiver on the ocean's tranquil bosom. Easily 
 could we have lingered at this delightful spot for months, but the wind 
 shifted so as to place us on the weather side of the Rock, bringing with it 
 a dangerous swell. A dark cloud, brooding intensely over Mount St. 
 Anne at midnight, also suggested a possible squall, a thing to be carefully 
 avoided at Perce, where the flaws from the mountain are sudden and vio- 
 lent. The watch was called, and we made sail and put to sea. 
 
 Hitherto our cruising had been along the western coast of the Gulf of 
 St. Lawrence. But now, with a fresh northwest breeze, we headed east 
 by south for the Magdalen Islands, which lie nearly in the center of the 
 Gulf, about two hundred miles from Perce. At daybreak we were out of 
 sight of land, and the wind fell almost to a calm. We were now out of 
 the track of vessels, and saw none. But there were plenty of whales sport- 
 ing clumsily about us. Toward night we sighted a water-logged wreck 
 at a great distance. We were at supper when it was discovered. On 
 learning of it when we went on deck, we at once ordered the helm to be 
 put down, and turned back in hope of reaching the wreck before the long 
 twilight should conceal it from view. But the wind was so light we made 
 little progress. There were no evidences of life about the wreck, which 
 was probably a schooner ; only the stump of the foremast remained above 
 the deck. The hulk lay very deep in the water, and wallowed in 
 the languid swell as if liable to go down at any moment. There is 
 something indescribably melancholy about an abandoned wreck at sea. 
 We kept up the slow chase for several hours, in the bare hope that, if any 
 one was yet lingering on board, we might rescue him. But we lost sight 
 of the wreck before we could reach it ; probably it sunk. Soon after, the 
 moon went down, and a mysterious starry gloaming settled over the sea. 
 The night was superb. Never were the stars more brilliant, or the silvery 
 clouds of the Galaxy more sublime in the southern heavens. Above a 
 dark bank of cloud in the north, the northern lights flashed like a green- 
 ish fire. The eerie chattering of Mother Gary's chickens in our wake was 
 all the sound that blended with the ripple of the water as the schooner 
 fanned along with a light air in her serge-like sails. At midnight a sough- 
 ing wind from the south piped up in the shrouds. Deeming it useless to 
 grope longer for the wreck, and anxious to take advantage of a fair wind, 
 4 
 
50 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 we headed once more on our course. At dawn the Alice May was tum- 
 bling headlong over the heavy seas, staggering under a press of sail, and 
 taking in toricnts of water through her lee ports and scuppers. Every 
 one was on the lookout for land, alow and aloft. As the sun burst over the 
 sea, a faint hazy line was discerned, looming above the horizon. It proved 
 to be Deadman's Island, the most westerly of the group for which we were 
 heading. It is indeed a singular rock, about a mile long. Not a herb, nor 
 a bush, nor a blade of grass is to be seen on its rocky sides, which rise to 
 a sharp, razor-like ridge in the center. Seen from its side, the island bears 
 a vivid resemblance to a giant body laid on its back and covered by a 
 sheet, and is a fit subject to inspire the wild fancies of superstitious mari- 
 ners. Toward noon we slacked off the main-sheet, and ran for the narrow 
 passage over the bar which makes between Amherst and Entry islands. 
 We kept the lead going constantly, and, as Captain Welsh was not familiar 
 with the channel, we did not feel at all easy when we saw the rollers taking 
 a pale green tint, while the lead announced only two fathoms under our 
 keel. It was a narrow squeak we had ; the schooner was lifted over the 
 shoalest part on the top of a sea, or she would have struck heavily and 
 bilged ! The truth was that we were a little out of our course. But 
 once past that point, the water deepened rapidly, although it is never 
 more thari a few fathoms in the neighborhood of the Magdalen Islands. 
 We would advise no ship, unaccompanied by a pilot, to try this passage 
 without a leading wind and clear weather. It is better to go around Entry 
 Island, even although that would involve two or three hours more of sail- 
 ing. This advice is the more pertinent, because the sand from the dunes 
 of Sandy Hook, the extreme end of Amherst Island, is gradually filling up 
 the channel. 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 51 
 
 III. 
 
 HAVING arrived at the Magdalen Islands, we anchored at Havre 
 Aubert, the chief town. There is a small, snug port here, but 
 difficult to enter, and the channel is narrow and only good for 
 small vessels. The roads are formed by the bight inside of the group, 
 which are so situated as to resemble a boot. This anchorage is reasonably 
 secure in good weather, but is open to northerly and easterly winds. 
 Vessels caught there in a gale of wind dodge around the islands, unless 
 the wind shifts too rapidly for this manoeuvre to be accomplished. 
 
 In the memorable cyclone of 1873 a larg( fleet of American mackerel 
 schooners were making a lee at Amherst, when the storm suddenly shifted 
 from southwest to northeast. Thirty-one schooners were driven on shore 
 at their anchors in an hour, and proved a total loss. 
 
 There is nothing very inspiring about the insular metropolis called 
 Havre Aubert. It receives character from the lofty eminence called 
 Demoiselle Hill, which springs vertically from the sea. But there is an 
 extraordinary air of solitude and woe-begoneness over the place, which 
 grows on one, because there are no trees or shrubs, and the wrecks bleach- 
 ing in the slime or on the beach seem to suggest that this is the grand 
 central spot to which decayed vessels come, a sort of hospital for disabled 
 and superannuated ships. And indeed, no place in the world is responsi- 
 ble for more shipwrecks than this savage, solitary cluster of sand dunes in 
 the Gulf of St. Lawrence. 
 
 The Magdalen Islands extend about sixty miles north and south. The 
 main group is practically one island ; that is, it consists of several islands 
 composed of real soil or rocks more or less covered with trees, connected 
 by long stretches of sand which are broken at intervals by inlets. 
 Between are shallow lagoons, generally not deep enough for a boat. Thus 
 Amherst is connected with Grindstone Island, and Grindstone and Alright 
 are connected with Coffin Island. Were it not for the inlets, one might 
 go continuously dry-shod from Amherst to Coflin Island. But the water 
 in the inlets is so shoal that in places they can be forded — not, however, 
 wi*^hout some danger, as quicksands abound. Several detached islands lie 
 outside of the main group. These are Deadman Island, Entry, Bird Rock, 
 
52 
 
 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 and Bryon islands. The last is a great resort of sea-birds, and offers mani- 
 fold attractions to naturalists and sportsmen. 
 
 These islands were a royal grant to Admiral Cofifin in the last century. 
 They arc peopled, with the exception of Entry Island, by Acadian French, 
 who retain all the characteristics of their race. The present population is 
 4,316. It is curious that, although the French were but a short time in 
 Acadie, yet the impression of the life there and their subsequent expulsion 
 is yet so vivid that the good people of these islands visit Canada as an 
 American returns to England, as though it were the old home. They are 
 a quiet, well-behaved folk, somewhat inclined to indolence. But they can 
 hardly be blamed for lack of enterprise and spirit when the circumstances 
 in which their lives have bjen cast are so forbidding. For six m(jnths in 
 the year they are shut (Jut from the rest of the world by the ice which 
 incloses the islands. They might as well be at the south pole. Two years 
 ago a cable was laid t(j l^rince Edward Island, but it does not extend to 
 the detached islands, and does not appear to be of much use to any of 
 them. When we were there, the operator at Havre Aubert was absent; 
 he had actually left for the main-land, to be gone several weeks. During 
 the summer a steamer runs from Pictou to Amherst. She is old as the 
 " remainder biscuit after a voyage," and plies twice monthly on this course 
 when really unfit for service, probably because the good people of these 
 islands are charitably supposed to be more ready to go to heaven by sea 
 than most travelers. Almost the sole means of livelihood is found in the 
 fisheries, and when these fail, which is not rarely, life becomes a burden. 
 Last year a famine occurred which came within an ace of decimating the 
 population. The fisheries had been a failure; then the ship which was 
 expected to bring the winter's supply of flour before the ice formed 
 foundered in a storm. By the time spring came, starvation stared the 
 neople in the face. Many would have died if it had not been that a large 
 si p with produce was wrecked on the ice off Coffin Island. The news 
 spread like wild-fire. The whole population turned out, and from the 
 cargo of a shipwrecked vessel drew a new lease of life. But these repeated 
 calamities are at last having their effect. The people are attached to these 
 naked isles, for here is their home. But fate is against them, and, scraping 
 together a few dollars, they are gradually emigrating to Labrador (jr 
 Canada. During the long winters they sometimes catch seals on the ice, 
 occasionally upwards of 30,000 in one season. The hunt after seals is one 
 of the most exciting incidents of winter-life at these desolate isles. The ice 
 forms for several miles entirely around the group, besides welding them 
 fast tOj^ether with its iron-like grip. The seals have no regular haunt, but 
 
THE CRUISE OE THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 53 
 
 ^2 Li)tM^itUilr- 
 
 are liable to appear at any spot. A keen lookout is kept for them, and 
 from the hills their dark forms can be discerned for a long distance away 
 on the ice. When they are discovered the news spreads rapidly. From 
 every quarter the people hasten toward the prey in feverish excitement, 
 armed with knives, clubs, and spears. In their eagerness these sportsmen 
 often forget all caution, and venture out a long distance from the shore. 
 But this is attended with great hazard, as a sudden wind is liable to break 
 up the ice, which is, in any case, brittle along its outside barrier. Every 
 winter one or two men are lost in the seal hunt. A year or two ago three 
 poor fellows were carried off on a cake of floating ice before the eyes of 
 their neighbors, who were helpless to aid. 
 
 Another winter (occupation here is to go to the forests of dwarf spruce 
 at Amherst and Grindstone islands and build fishing boats and small 
 schooners. When the vessel is 
 completed, the owner invites his 
 neighbors to help him haul her 
 to the beach ; she is drawn 
 thither on rollers and launched 
 on the ice. After that follows 
 a dance, for which he provides 
 simple refreshments. Liquors, 
 it may be added, are little 
 drunk here, chiefly because of 
 a prohibitf)ry law. Seven lob- 
 ster canneries have been estab- 
 lished quite recently which give 
 employment to a number ; 434,- 
 758 lobsters were exported in 
 1 88 1. But the continuance of 
 even this business is precarious, 
 
 as it depends upon the lobsters, which are liable to take a sudden whim, 
 like the mackerel, and leave for other oarts. The cannery of our cour- 
 teous consular agent, Mr. Ogilby, at Amherst, is a very well regulated 
 establishment, and due regard seems to be given to the condition and 
 cleanliness of the lobster before it is canned, which is a matter verv little 
 considered at some lobster factories which we might name. Capitalists 
 have repeatedly offered to purchase the Magdalen Islands of Colonel 
 Coffin, their present owner. There is considerable coloring matter in the 
 soil, which it is thought might be turned to account fot pigments. But 
 the proprietor justly reasons that, if any one is willing to give $30,000, 
 
 ST.PAUL'B l.g - 
 
 CAFE I "*' 
 
 BRtTONI. C.NortiH O 
 
 ,Zv> 
 
 -4* 
 
 u 
 
 Afap of the Cruise from the Mai^a'alen Islands to 
 Cape St. Georire, 
 
54 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 the sum offered, the islands must undoubtedly be worth more. The reve- 
 nue from the islands is trifling ; but to a man of large fortune like him, it 
 is interesting to be called Lord of the Magdalen Islands, and to hold 
 them, as it were, in fief to the Crown. He charges a mere nominal 
 annual rent of one shilling the acre, and does not press his tenants for 
 immediate payment. It would, therefore, be difficult to foment rebellion 
 here. 
 
 The Magdalen Islands were a few years ago one of the most frequented 
 resorts of the Gloucester fishermen. Sometimes one hundred and fifty 
 sail might be seen fishing there at one time. At night or in foul weather 
 they would run in and make a lee in the bight of the islands. At such 
 times there have been upward of ten hundred fishermen on shore. Often 
 they were noisy and " flown " with liquor, and great merriment and riot- 
 ing, as one might easily imagine, was the result, frequently to the annoy- 
 ance of the inhabitants, among whom there were not all told that number 
 of male adults. But these fishermen were, on the other hand, an apprecia- 
 ble source of revenue, the loss of which is greatly felt since our schooners 
 ceased to frequent the Gulf. The great storm previously alluded to 
 appears to have had a depressing influence on the mackerel. 
 
 Havre aux Maisons, or House Harbor, is next in size to Havre Aubert, 
 and the only other inclosed port in the group. But the entrance is tortu- 
 ous and difficult; and in order to avoid getting the Alice May again 
 aground, we decided to leave her at Amherst, with directions to run her 
 into the inner harbor in case it came on to blow from the northeast, while 
 we proceeded to Grindstone Island in one of the large schooner-rigged 
 fishing-boats of Amherst. It was thirty feet long and shaped somewhat 
 like a whale-boat. She was manned by a highly respectable old French 
 fisherman, whose hair was grizzled, and whose features were seamed and 
 bronzed by a life of hardship and danger. His son accompanied us. We 
 were privately informed that they belonged to upper society at Amherst* 
 for the sister of the old man lived in one of the best houses there, and kept 
 a boarding-house, although boarders must be rather scarce. There was 
 much quiet dignity in the bearing of this venerable habitant, albeit he 
 wore a sou'wester and smoked a spliced clay pipe. The crow's feet in the 
 corners of his dimmed eyes, the hard look as he gazed over the sea, and 
 the pursed-up mouth indicated the struggles of a long life of sea toil and 
 suffering. We started with a strong breeze at early morning. It was 
 blowing half a gale, and our sails were reefed down. But the wind 
 moderated as the sun rose higher, and the distance of nine miles across 
 the bay was made in good season. 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 55 
 
 Things were apparently more quiet at Havre aux Maisons than at Am- 
 herst. The liveliest object there was the sail-boat which ferried across 
 the inlet from Grindstone to Alright. But in reality there is more com- 
 mercial activity here than at any other port in the Magdalens. This is 
 due, in part, to the energy of M. Nelson Arseneaux, who owns several 
 schooners and a trading establishment, besides vats for trying out seal oil. 
 He is a man of frank and hearty disposition and of hospitable bent. He 
 
 The Dash to Amherst. 
 
 is ever ready to extend a welcome to travelers ; and those who have ex- 
 perienced his courtesy will always remember him and his amiable family 
 with lively interest. 
 
 We found a comfortable lodging and capital board at the house of 
 Madame Baudreau, a native of Nova Scotia, whose Highland origin is 
 unmistakably evident in her matronly features, her galliard manner, ready 
 wit, and keen intelligence. If a beneficent Providence had placed her in 
 
56 
 
 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 a more active society, she would have been a woman of affairs. Her hus- 
 band superintended a lobster cannery at Grand Entry Island, while she re- 
 mained at home and gave a lodging to such stray wanderers as might 
 come there during the summer. She had the history of the island and its 
 every inhabitant at her fingers' ends. Excellent, aiso, were the meals she 
 served. It is a fact worth remembering that women of masculine strength 
 of character are generally good cooks. The islands are so poor that any 
 attempt at an elaborate menu must prove a failure there. There is much. 
 
 The Old Skipper. 
 
 however, in cooking well what is at hand, and in this quality our hostess 
 excelled. The chops were admirable; the wild strawberries and cream 
 were delicious ; the tea was steeped just enough, and the potatoes were 
 mealy and toothsome. 
 
 To cap the climax, Madame gave us at breakfast trout that LucuUus 
 might have envied. Noble three- and four-pound trout they were, and 
 cooked as if Izaak Walton himself had been there to give directions. 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 57- 
 
 There was no difficulty in swallowing these beautiful fish ; but when it 
 came to swallowing the account of the manner in which they were caught^ 
 there was some demur. I tell the story, but do not vouch for it ; although^ 
 as I heard it elsewhere also, without any collusion between the narrators, 
 it would seem to have some basis in fact. These fish were caught by 
 hand ; not with a net or a gaff, but actually by grasping them with the 
 bare hand, and taking them out of the water ! No fly-makers or rod-fash- 
 ioners need expect custom for their wares in places where trout are caught 
 by hand. The explanation given is that the streams are very small, which 
 is perfectly true ; and that, when the fish get up near the head of the 
 brook, it becomes so narrow and shallow that a three-pound trout finds it 
 hard work to turn around. While the fish are in this predicament, an 
 active lad can get a fast hold of them and land them on the grass. 
 
 After returning from mass, Madame Baudreau placed her carriage at 
 our disposal. It was after the latest style of phaeton in use at the islands ; 
 to be sure, it looked like a very primitive sort of a cart, but it was the 
 only sort of vehicle to be had ; and although its jolting made our teeth 
 chatter, we had a very jolly ride to the fishing village of Etang du Nord. 
 The distance was five miles over a very broken country. This village 
 is by far the most bustling of any settlement in the group. It appears 
 even more populous than it is, because the shore of the semicircular har- 
 bor is lined with fish-houses built on piles, which look very much like the 
 huts of the lake-dwellers of Switzerland. A large fleet of fishing-boats be- 
 long to this place, and when they are at anchor on a holiday, or during a 
 westerly gale, the little port has a most animated appearance. 
 
 At a cost which it would seem must be altogether beyond the means of 
 the poverty-stricken people, a breakwater is in course of construction 
 across the mouth of the harbor, which lies exposed to north and west winds. 
 The great drawback to Etang du Nord is the unspeakable filth around the 
 fish-houses. The stench of decaying fish exceeds belief. A board of health 
 would seem a prime requisite at this place. 
 
 It was pleasant to turn from these fish-houses to a characteristic scene, 
 to which we were attracted by the sweet strains of a violin floating on the 
 calm summer air. On proceeding in the direction from which it came, we 
 discovered the village musician seated bare-headed on the door-step of a 
 small house, absorbed in the harmonies of the fiddle-bow. He was a char- 
 acter whose fine cranial development and sapient eye might have enabled 
 him easily to pass himself off for a philosopher. We set him down as the 
 village pedagogue, if there be one — a question we did not ask. Around 
 him a group of eager listeners had collected. Some were seated on chairs 
 
58 
 
 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 or stools ; others had planted themselves on the ground ; while the younger 
 members of this rustic audience lay on their stomachs, supporting their 
 faces on their elbows and flourishing their feet in the air. It was a delicious 
 bit of nature, unaffected by the restraints of city life. A far greater musi- 
 cian might envy the uncritical delight with which the audience testified 
 their appreciation of the pleasure afforded them. 
 
 The following day opened with a gale of wind, which sang wildly 
 over the lonely wolds of Grindstone Island. As it w^as blowing too hard 
 for the boat, and we had no time to lose, we decided to return to Havre 
 
 Etang du A'ord. 
 
 Aubert by land along the sand dunes. The fords had been shifted by 
 recent storms, and we were told that the passage was more hazardous 
 than it had been for years. But a man had been over the road the 
 previous week without accident, and we decided to take the risk. 
 After scouring the neighborhood, we succeeded in obtaining two carts 
 and a guide, who would also bring back the vehicles. Passing again 
 through ^tang du Nord, we entered on the dunes, and for some ten 
 miles the course lay along a beach of sand, through which the wheels 
 were dragged with difficulty. The strong northwest wnnd drove the 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 59 
 
 ^reat breakers shoreward on our right with deafening thunder. At 
 times the surf encroached on our path and splashed over the wheels. 
 Wrecks, or the skeletons of ill-fated vessels, were seen frequently, either 
 entirely exposed or deeply embedded in the sand. Many a poor ship 
 has been picked up by these dunes at night, or driven on them by the 
 fury of irresistible tempests. Water was on either hand — the open sea 
 on the right and a great lagoon on the left. The gusts swept furiously 
 over that scene of solitude and desolation. The air was misty with 
 
 The Fiddler. 
 
 sprav, and the screaming fish-hawks and cormorants w^heeled past us 
 hke lightning borne down on the wind. Like a gray cloud, Deadman 
 Island loomed faintly in the southern horizon. Not a soul was in sight 
 on that desolate shore. Alone, we labored slowly over the sand to- 
 ward Amherst, which looked far enough away directly ahead. At last 
 we arrived at a place where a long break occurred in the beach on 
 which we were traveling. Before us rolled the sea. We could reach 
 
6o THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 the opposite shore only by venturing to try a shoal which lay across 
 the inlet, curving niward, and somewhat removed from direct exposure 
 to the surf, or it would have been impassable. The ford was marked 
 by twigs fixed in the bottom at rare intervals, and also by land bear- 
 ings known to the guide. But it was narrow, and great care was neces- 
 sary to avoid getting into deep water. The water came up repeat- 
 edly over the hubs into the bottom of the carts. The poor horses panted 
 with the exertion. The passage was successfully accomplished after 
 we had proceeded a distance of a mile through the water. From that 
 point there were no further difficulties to encounter, and we stopped 
 to rest the horses and partake of the lunch we had brought. What 
 we had most apprehended was the quicksands, exceedingly subtle foes, 
 w hich take one unawares, and out of which there is no escape. Hav- 
 ing passed this danger, wje \vere able to enjoy our sandwiches and 
 pipes with unusual zest, as we sat under the lee of a great white sand- 
 hill, over which the wind whistled with a shrill w^ail. 
 
 The shores of Amherst Island, to w^hich we had crossed, were quite 
 different from those of Grindstone Island. There we traversed a bare 
 beach of fine sand ; but here we found a line of high and very pictur- 
 esque sand-hills, covered with long salt grass, running along the coast 
 like a breastwork erected to protect the land from the ravages of the 
 sea. Many highly pictorial effects, replete with sentiment, presented 
 themselves as we slowly rode toward the hills of Amherst. When w^e 
 reached there we found a soil sufficiently rich to support forests of 
 dwarf spruce and pine, and farther on, to yield potatoes and cabbages. 
 From these spruce trees the islanders brew spruce beer, which is the 
 chief beverage in the Magdalen Islands. 
 
 At Anse aux Cabanes the cliffs became abrupt, and we found a small 
 cove where a group of fishing-boats were drawn up on the beach. A 
 little beyond this we came to a lake, forming the foreground of a very 
 agreeable landscape, whose features were so combined as to suggest 
 some fair prospect in southern seas instead of an actual scene in the 
 bleak ^Nlasfdalen Isles. In the extreme distance the noble outline of En- 
 try Island loomed up beyond the blue sea, suffused with a deep, warm 
 lilac hue ; the water was of a superb azure, like amethyst and tur- 
 quoise. Demoiselle Hill gave emphasis to the middle distance, and 
 a lawn-like slope, clothed in verdure, encircled the small lake which 
 formed the foreground of an exquisite natural composition. 
 
 We reached Havre Aubert without further incident, and went on 
 board our schooner hungry as wolves. We found calkers in possession 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 61 
 
 of the deck. The heat at Gaspe had melted the tar out of the seams, 
 and our cabin had for several days leaked badlv. Captain Welsh had 
 succeeded in engaging calkers when at mass on the previous Sabbath. 
 It was difficult to get them at this season, as it was the time for making 
 hay at the Magdalen Islands — that is, for catching fish, which is the 
 chief harvest of the people. >- 
 
 On the following day the sky was reasonably clear, but looked 
 smoky in the southwest, and the glass was faUing ; but we concluded 
 to run over to Entry Island at least, where we could make a lee if it 
 
 Crossing the Ford to Amherst. 
 
 should blow hard. Before starting we laid in a supply of eggs and 
 salt herrings, and were lucky enough to meet a woman with a bucket 
 full of wild strawberries. They were so ridiculously cheap, that for 
 two days all on board luxuriated on the berry of which Walton said, 
 " Doubtless God might have made a better berry, but doubtless He 
 never did." 
 
 A boat having come over from Entry Island to trade, we secured 
 one of her crew to pilot us to a good anchorage there, and made sail. 
 
62 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 A very fresh breeze of wind drove us rapidly across the bay. We 
 came to anchor under the lee of a sandy point and bar. The appear- 
 ance of Entry Island is very impressive, differing altogether from that 
 of the islands already described. It stands entirely isolated, ten miles 
 from Havre Aubert. It is about three miles long, and in proportion 
 to its size as mountainous as Madeira. Abrupt and magnificently shaped 
 clififs, beautifully tinted red and brown, are to be seen in its entire circuit, 
 which at the eastern end are over four hundred feet high. A most 
 beautiful undulating plateau, covered with long waving grass, breast 
 high, on the western half of the island, ■ ises, first gradually, then rapidly, 
 into a central range, terminating in twin peaks, the loftiest of which is 
 called St. Lawrence Hill, and is about six hundred feet high. The ad- 
 joining height is absurdly called Pig Hill. The slopes are partly cov- 
 ered by a miniature forest of dwarf cedars and spruces, which look like 
 forest trees of larger growth. The soil is arable, and affords fine grazing. 
 The summit of St. Lawrence Hill was whitened by a flock of nibbling 
 sheep. 
 
 We landed on a sand beach near two lofty columnar red rocks, gro- 
 tesquely shaped and called the Old Man and Old Woman. These names 
 frequently occur in the nomenclature of those waters. From the fre- 
 quent repetition of geographical epithets in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, 
 one has a right to infer paucity of invention or verbal weakness among 
 the early navigators who opened those regions. It was a good two 
 miles' walk to the settlement, which is near the center of the island. The 
 general aspect of things at Entry seemed like Pitcairn's Island, and I 
 was constantly haunted by the idea that I was there. Entry Island is 
 shaped something like a tadpole, a long point running out toward the 
 west. We first went to the light-house. It is kept by Mr. James Cas- 
 sidy, a very civil and intelligent man, who has been there since the 
 light was first erected. He invited us into his house, which adjoi' s the 
 tower. Mrs. Cassidy also received us with refined affability. Books 
 and magazines were abundant on the tables, and there was a true home- 
 like aspect to everything about the house which seemed very attractive, 
 and was almost unexpected in that solitary spot. Mrs. Cassidy lament- 
 ed the lack of educational advantages at Entry Island, and said she had 
 been obliged to send her children to Nova Scotia for a schooling. She 
 seemed to occupy an unusually lonely position, because the house is a 
 mile from any other, and the Cassidys are entirely unrelated to the other 
 residents at Entry. 
 
 After buying a sheep from Mr. Cassidy, we rambled over to Mrs. 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 63 
 
 Dixon's house. This is the oldest of the ten dwellings on the islet, and 
 she is both the oldest inhabitant and the first settler. Mrs. Dixon is now 
 eighty-eight years of age, and came to Entry Island with her husband in 
 1822, sixty years ago. Still hale and hearty, she is full of animation and 
 keen observation, and is virtually the queen of Entry Island, for she has 
 twelve children and forty-seven grandchildren, besides a number of great- 
 grandchildren, all of whom, with one or two exceptions, live there. 
 There are ten families at Entry, all but one of whom are related to her ; 
 she is looked up to by all with reverence, her advice is asked and her 
 counsels are followed, and she rules by a sort of mild patriarchal sway. 
 
 On reaching Mrs. Dixon's, we were cordially invited to enter, and 
 bowls of fresh milk were brought to us. A flock of rosy, barefooted 
 grandchildren clustered by the door and gazed at the strangers, until 
 gradually they gathered courage to come in and talk with us. Mrs. Dixon 
 welcomed us to her old home with a hearty cordiality, in which one 
 could discern a certain air of authority natural to one who was at once 
 an uncrowned sovereign and the progenitor of the subjects who peo- 
 pled her insular realm. Had she ever wearied of such a lonely existence? 
 we asiked. Oh, no, she replied. She had been once off the island in 
 sixty years ; but there was always plenty to do, and with her children 
 about her she was content. During the long winters they threshed grain, 
 or made butter, or spun yarn, and wove the cloth they wore. Sometimes 
 they had a fiddle and a dance, and at any rate there was always some- 
 thing to be done. She regretted that only during the summer could 
 they have religious services, when a clergyman would come over two 
 or three times and baptize the babies or confirm the young. From De- 
 cember to February Entry Island is cut off from all communication with 
 the other isles of the group. In February or March the broken ice 
 generally becomes solid, and people can then cross over to Grindstone 
 Island until May, when the ice disappears. 
 
 The old lady sat in the ample smoke-blackened chimney corner of her 
 kitchen, while entertaining us, knitting a stocking. There was no dim- 
 ness in her eyes, no quavering in her utterance. Her voice was clear 
 and strong, and her speech was spiced with shrewd and witty remarks. 
 She was evidently a woman of remarkable strength of character. It was 
 with great interest that I heard her talk, for it is not often in this age 
 that a woman is foimd occupying such a position, the virtual sovereign 
 of an island which for six months in the year is shut out from the world. 
 It was interesting to see the deference shown to the old lady by her sons 
 when they entered the room where she was seated. A large family Bible 
 
M 
 
 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 was a prominent object in the best room ; and from all we could gather, 
 these people are honest and piously inclined. 
 
 From Mrs. Dixon's we made our way through the long grass to the 
 grand precipices at the eastern end of the island. These cliffs are up- 
 ward of four hundred feet above the sea, and are remarkable for their 
 
 color and form. At the ex- 
 treme easterly point there is 
 a small inaccessible penin- 
 sula connected with the 
 main island by a narrow cur- 
 tain of rock, which comes up 
 into a very sharp edge, four 
 hundred feet high. A few 
 foxes hide on this point, and 
 at night creep over on this 
 sharp edge, and make a raid 
 on the hen-roosts. There 
 seems to be no way of reach- 
 these stealthy rogues, 
 without great risk of de- 
 • struction to the hunter. 
 The highest of the Entry 
 Island cliffs is four hundred 
 and forty feet high, and 
 comes to a point like a tur- 
 ret erected to watch the 
 coast. It is, in fact, called 
 the Watch Tower. As 
 we gazed over the edge 
 of the precipices on the 
 sea side of these cliffs, 
 I was vividly remind- 
 ed of the celebrated 
 rocks of the Channel 
 Islands. 
 
 A few of the Natives. 
 
 There is great beauty and variety in the formation of Entry Island. 
 Its surface is so broken into miniature valleys, gorges, and plateaus, that 
 it seems very much larger than it is. There are several deep pits near 
 the east end, to which one must give a wide berth, for they contain water 
 to an unknown depth, while the mouths are almost concealed by a growth 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 65 
 
 of rank rass. Everything about the interior of Entry Island suggested 
 pastoral ease and happiness. The flocks and herds grazed on the hills. 
 Healthy children, fowls, calves, geese, and pigs jostled together before 
 the farm-houses in good-natured rivalry of friendship. If there were no 
 evidences of wealth among the good people, there were also no signs of 
 squalor or discontent. As the day declined, and the shadows grew long, 
 the cattle from all parts of the island gathered to a common stock-yard 
 or byre. It was pleasing to hear the bells tinkling as the cattle wended 
 home. When they had all come, the milkmaids entered the inclosure 
 with their pails. 
 
 After purchasing a supply of eggs, we turned our faces toward our 
 floating home riding in the bay. The ramble of the afternoon and the 
 keen sea-wind had whetted our appetites. But the state of the weather 
 also warned us to hasten on board without further delay. All the alter- 
 noon the wind had been rising, until now it blew a gale from the south- 
 west, with every prospect of increasing iji violence. It swept over the 
 hills in shrill blasts, and the reefs were white with the foam of the beating 
 surges. Vessels could also be discerned putting back to make a lee behind 
 the island. A great bank of cloud had gathered in the west like a smoke, 
 and fully an hour before sundown the sun had buried itself in this cloud, 
 and an early and ominous twilight came on apace. Hastening our steps, 
 we at last reached the boat. Mr. Cassidy was waiting there with the 
 sheep. He advised us to remain on shore, and offered us a lodging at his 
 house. Although protected from the direct force of the waves, the cove 
 where the Alice May was anchored showed the influence of the under-tow 
 escaping around the bar. She was rolling heavily, surrounded by a fleet 
 of schooners which had collected there during our absence, seeking a shel- 
 ter. ■ - ---;■:-- -:;■-■■■'--■ 
 
 We found our boat's crew in bad humor, because thev had been 
 detained so long after eight bells, or supper-time. Punctuality at meals is 
 one of the important points in a sailor's life ; his fare may be poor, 
 but it is the best he has, and he looks forward to it. Nothing irritates 
 Jack more than to be late to meals. We desired to go aboard without 
 delay. The fury of the wind soon drove the boat out to the vessel, but it 
 required great caution to round to and get aboard without swamping the 
 boat. As we had but one boat, and it was now dark, it would be all up 
 with us if the yawl capsized. To make matters worse, the men were 
 scared as well as cross, and I found it no small matter to bring her to with 
 the steering oar. 
 
 " Keep cool ; one at a time, boys," was the word as we lay alongside 
 5 
 
66 
 
 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY, 
 
 and grasped the line which was thrown to us. As the schooner rolled her 
 side down toward us, there was a general scramble, and we all grasped the 
 rail at once and leaped safely on board. 
 
 " Well, Henry, is supper ready yet? " 
 
 " Yes, sir, all ready ; it's waiting for you below, sir." 
 
 The faithful fellow had kept the supper warm, and, as soon as he saw 
 us coming off, knowing our eagerness for something warm, he lighted th 3 
 lamp and laid the dishes on the table. Out from the wind, we stepped 
 below into our homely but cozy cabin, and were greeted with the grateful 
 fragrance of a savory meal. Among other dishes was a mess that was new 
 
 Old Fire-Place at Entry island. 
 
 to us. A ragout of lamb, highly seasoned, was surrounded by a wall of 
 potatoes, mashed and richly browned. 
 
 Many were the expressions of ecstasy and impatience with which we 
 hailed the supper, and especially this dish. It was frequently encored 
 until it was exhausted. Whenever a new dish appeared, w^e gave it an 
 appropriate name. Bean soup we called " Potage a la Pompadour " ; then, 
 too, we had ?i fricassee an cheval de maitre d hotel, which was composed of 
 salt beef. Our favorite dish was ocufs an diudon du Cap Cod, which, freely 
 translated, means fishballs garnished with poached eggs. This dish vvas» 
 perhaps, Henry's chef d'a^uvre. 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 67 
 
 But while we were enjoying oar supper with such zest, the Httle 
 schooner was rolling more heavily, and the hum of the wind in the rigging 
 showed that the force of the gale was increasing. 
 
 When the moon rose, it added to the wildness and splendor of the night. 
 The sky was clear from clouds, but a thin haze slightly obscured the stars. 
 A tremendous surf was breaking on the low spit which protected us from 
 the brunt of the gale. As the spray shot high up in vast sheets of foam, it 
 caught the light of the moon, and was turned into molten silver. Before 
 us loomed the dark mass of Entry Island, vague and mysterious. From 
 time to time the dark outline of a schooner could be seen coming around 
 
 The Gale at Entry Island. 
 
 the island under short sail to make a lee. Then would be heard the rattle 
 of the cable, and soon the schooner would add the gleam of her anchor 
 Hght to those already twinkling and bobbing in the roads. 
 
 The glass was still falling, and if the wind should shift to the northeast 
 or northwest we were in a nice box. But we preferred to regard this as a 
 summer blow that would die out before morning, and accordmgly enjoyed 
 the grandeur of the night without apprehension. About midnight the 
 wind began to cant, with that whiffling uneasiness of direction which 
 always demands a sharp lookout. It was preparing to shift. All hands 
 were called, close reefs were put in the fore and main sails, and the crew 
 
68 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 manned the windlass. This preparation had come none too quickly, for, 
 with a flurry of rain and several vivid flashes of lightning, the wind 
 suddenly came out of the west-northwest. Quickly hoisting the reefed 
 mainsail and jib, we hastened away from an anchorage which, from being 
 a safe lee, had become a lee shore. As we passed from the shelter of the 
 island, we encountered a wild, tumultuous sea, which decided us to head 
 on our original course, instead of running to the leeward of Entry Island. 
 If it should come on to blow hard, we considered that it would beat down 
 the old sea, and we could then run for the southern side of Entry ; while., 
 if the wind moderated, we were gaining in every mile we sailed. Cruising 
 among the Magdalen Islands is not a trifling sport ; it requires judgment 
 and caution, for there are no harbors accessible in bad weather, and the lee 
 under the land made with one wind may become a deadly foe the next 
 hour, while the seas which the winds raise in the Gulf are exceedingly 
 dangerous, not because they are unusually high, but because they are short 
 and steep — just the sort of waves which trip vessels rolling in a calm, or 
 cause them to founder when hove to. 
 
 But the wind sooii began to moderate, and we headed northeast for 
 the Bay of Islands, two hundred and fifty miles away. It was with enthu- 
 siasm that we saw \\\^ Alice May at last shaping a course for what promised 
 to be one of the most interesting points in our cruise. The reports we 
 had heard regarding the grandeur of the scenery on the west coast of 
 Newfoundland, together with the savage reputation of the cliffs and people, 
 had fired our imagination. Bryon Island and Bird Rock bore about west 
 at noon ; the latter was only two miles distant. It is indeed a lonely spot, 
 entirely bare, and occupied only by the three light-keepers. Access can 
 be had to it only by a crane overhanging the water from the precipice. 
 A chair is lowered, and visitors are hoisted from the boat. The Rock 
 has been the scene of two disasters within the last fifteen months. When 
 the keepers were firing the fog-gun it exploded and killed two of them on 
 the spot. It was several days before the poor survivor could contrive to 
 induce a passing sail to touch there and carry the news to the main-land. 
 Previous to this sad event, Bird Rock was at one time destitute of provis- 
 ions after a prevalence of long bad weather, and the light-keepers were 
 forced to consider seriously the possibility that one of the Magdalen It lands 
 might become a cannibal island. But their signals \yere finally seen when 
 the weather moderated, and a passing ship came to their aid at the last 
 moment. It is dreadful that such a condition of things should be possible 
 so near to civilized Hfe. There is not the slightest excuse for a light-house 
 to be allowed to run out of provisions. In this day of canned and pre- 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 69 
 
 served meats and hard bread, a supply sufficient for a year would not spoil, 
 and would prevent peril from starvation. No light-house, difficult of ac- 
 cess in bad weather, should be at any time left with less than a double 
 supply of light-keepers, and stores for fully six months. The smaller Bird 
 Rock lies about half a mile distant from the one on which the light-house 
 stands. It is a low, jagged, dangerous ledge. There is a passage between 
 the two islands, or rocks, but no vessel should try it, unless pressed by the 
 wind too near the rocks without the ability to tack or claw off from such 
 perilous proximity. Although the wind was light, there was still such a 
 high swell that we did not think it expedient to attempt to try landing on 
 Bird Rock. Bryon Island resembles Entry Island, being well fitted for 
 pasturage ; it is occupied by several English farmers. But it is more flat 
 than Entry Island, and every way less interesting, except for its large va- 
 riety of sea-fowl. Owing to its distance from the other islands of the group, 
 and the entire absence of harbors, Bryon Island is rarely visited by boats 
 or ships. A party of naturalists and sportsmen from Boston were there 
 during our visit to the Magdalen Islands. 
 
 The sunset was superb, the colors being brilliant, but tender, and finally 
 merging m a deep orange hue, lasting for hours, until imperceptibly ab- 
 sorbed in the purple veil of night. It was emphatically a fair-weather sky, 
 which was exactly what we hoped for when cruising along the tremen- 
 dous coast of the west of Newfoundland. A light wind fanned the schooner 
 on her course all night, and at sunrise land was made out on the lee bow. 
 Never does the first sight of a new coast, or in fact of any coast, become 
 a commonplace event, even to the most experienced old salt. All the 
 senses seem at once on the alert to ascertain what point it can be. The 
 various bearings are considered, the chart is studied afresh, and each one 
 has his own opinion to express. Of course there are times when the char- 
 acteristics of the land are so salient, or so well known, that there can be 
 no question as to its identity. But, as a rule, when land is first descried 
 at sea, its whereabouts continues for a while a matter of speculation. Then, 
 too, the imagination is stimulated, and actively surmises the nature of the 
 country, its people, and special peculiarities. Particularly is this the case 
 when one approaches an island he has not seen before. When one travels 
 by rail, the social or topographical changes come by gradation, and there 
 is rarely a striking contrast apparent at any one point. But when one 
 arrives in sight of a new country by sea, the transition from the one to 
 the other is rapid, and often violent. When he lands on the new shore, it 
 seems to be like coming to another planet, and he is constantly saying to 
 himself, " How strange it appears to see these people. Here they have 
 
70 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY, 
 
 been existing for ages ; they are real human beings, marrying and giving 
 in marriage, and engaged in human pursuits, and going through the end- 
 less round of destiny like my own people, and yet I nev^er saw them or 
 heard of them before. They seem quite able to do without the rest of the 
 world ! " 
 
 We made out the land in sight to be Cape St. George. It was yet 
 very distant, and loomed like a gray cloud in the ofifing. A long and lofty 
 and forbidding coast-line gradually came into view, trending north and 
 south for a great distance. The larger part of the day a calm prevailed. 
 Numerous whales were to be seen sporting in schools, their smoke-like 
 spouting suggesting the firing of muskets. One of these unwieldy levia- 
 thans passed under our stern near enough to strike the schooner with a 
 stroke of the tail, if he had so chosen. The high westerly swell drifted 
 the vessel shoreward quite near to the inaccessible precipices of Cape St. 
 George. This is a terrible coast in stormy weather. For sixty miles there 
 is not a place where a ship attacked by westerly gales could make a lee or 
 get an anchorage. The coast is many hundreds of feet high, without any 
 beach at the foot except at rare intervals. When south of Cape St. George, 
 a ship can make a lee of it in a nor' wester or run into Georgetown. A 
 lee can also be made in the bight of the cape, which is shaped not unlike 
 a fish-hook. But this bight, or bay, is dangerous in a northeast w4nd, and 
 the entrance is at best hazardous, as it is beset with reefs which are not 
 buoyed. A very precarious lee resembling a forlorn hope may be made 
 behind Red Island, a rock near the outer angle of Cape St. George. Red 
 Island, by the way, is a summer station of the large French cod-fishing 
 firm of Camolet Freres et les Fils de I'aine, whose headquarters are at St. 
 Pierre. 
 
 What adds to the perils of this coast is the scarcity of the population 
 and the desperate character of those who live there, occupying rough 
 shanties among the rocks. It is a matter of fact and not of rumor that, 
 when a shipwrecked vessel happens to be so situated that the crew can not 
 escape, they are in great danger from these ruffians of the sea, whose ob- 
 ject is to plunder the ship. It is most disgraceful that such miscreants 
 should be permitted to live on any part of the British or French dominions. 
 The perils of the sea are already sufficient without adding to them, by al- 
 lowing the coast to be infested with sea-pirates. Probably each govern- 
 ment would shirk the responsibility on the other, because the western and 
 southern shores of Newfoundland are debatable ground, where each claims, 
 but fails to obtain, unrestricted jurisdiction. 
 
 It is also very discreditable to somebody that there is no light-house 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 71 
 
 between Cape Ray and the straits of Belle Isle, a distance of four hundred 
 miles, on a coast passed by many vessels during six months of the year. 
 Some would reply to this that the coast is high, and is easily discernible 
 in all weathers, and that the entrances to the bays are free from shoals. 
 This is true enough ; but this very boldness of the coast makes it difficult 
 to distinguish the ports until a ship is very close in, while it is quite impos- 
 sible at night. The few ports are likewise so very far apart that it is highly 
 dangerous for a ship to make a mistake in a gale of wind, for she is sure 
 to be driven on shore before she can make the next port ; whereas, with 
 four or five prominent Hght-houses, this danger might be mitigated to a 
 considerable degree. Two years ago a fleet of six schooners came out of 
 the Bay of Islands in the afternoon. As it was late in the season, there 
 were many passengers on board who were leaving the bay before the in- 
 
 Off Deadman Island. 
 
 clemency of the season should close navigation. It came on to blow hard 
 from the westward during the night. The schooners could not carry sail 
 against the savage wind and sea ; under their lee was a pitiless coast with- 
 out anchorage or harbor, and haunted by demons in human shape. Before 
 morning every one of this fleet had struck on the rocks and all hands per- 
 ished ; whether any of them came to land and were murdered remains a 
 matter of conjecture. 
 
 Three winters ago a square-rigged vessel struck on the coast north of 
 the Bay of Islands and lodged high up in a hollow of the cliff. All the 
 crew but two were lost in trying to get to land. The survivors lingered 
 on board, looking for a chance to get off safely or to be rescued by the 
 inhabitants. After some weeks the fuel gave out, or at least the means 
 for kindling a fire. Then one of the men died. For two months the single 
 
72 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 survivor lived in this appalling situation, with only a frozen corpse for 
 companionship and without fire, while the deafening din of the breakers 
 constantly reminded him of his own impending doom. In the spring, 
 when navigation opened, the wreck was discovered by some fishermen. 
 They boarded her, and found a man alive lying by the side of a corpse, and 
 in the last stages of despair and glimmering vitality. After receiving suste- 
 nance he revived, and was able to narrate the details of an experience 
 never surpassed by the most harrowing tales of suffering at sea. 
 
 It was a fact attracting attention that, although the weather was fine, 
 we saw no sea-birds in this region excepting Mother Carey's chickens. 
 Even the noisy and ubiquitous gull failed to put in an appearance. 
 
 IV. 
 
 THREE days we were becalmed off the coast of Newfoundland, mak- 
 ing scarcely any progress. The weather was too fine for those 
 waters, urd suggested that it might prove a weather-breeder preced- 
 ing a storm, while we were yet distant from port on a perilous coast. At 
 this time, and in fact through the entire voyage, we found the mornings 
 and evenings cool, and often needed a fire in our stove to take off the chill. 
 We stood in toward Bear Cove on the third morning, and a glimpse was 
 revealed to us of the ranges which give such grandeur to the west coast of 
 Newfoundland. A coast-range of mountains, reaching in places a height 
 of three thousand feet, trends north and south. The abruptness of the 
 slopes, and the savage character of the numerous ravines which intersect 
 these mountains, add greatly to the formidable aspect they present from 
 the sea. At Bear Cove these heights approach the water with a regularity 
 resembling stupendous fortifications, opening here and there like mighty 
 embrasures. They are almost as bare as if constructed of masonry, but 
 their grim and forbidding effect is slightly modified by the variety of 
 colors that beautify the rocky ledges of which they are composed. 
 Nowhere did we discern, far as the eye could reach, the faintest sign of 
 human or animal life, but over land and sea brooded solitude. 
 
 All day the dead calm continued. The slatting of the sails, the jerking 
 of the booms, and the groaning of the timbers, the livelong hours as we 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 73 
 
 tossed helplessly on the regular roll of the westerly swell, were most exas- 
 perating, especially also because the sea was gradually setting the schooner 
 close in under the cliffs. In fact, we were so far in that we lost the influ- 
 ence of a light breeze from the eastward, which the highlands prevented 
 from reaching our sails. We were almost in blue water, having passed off 
 the bank which shoals the water in the center of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. 
 
 After dinner we took soundings, and finding that the vessel had drifted 
 into shallower water, the cod-lines were brought out and dropped over the 
 side. The results were very gratifying. Scarcely had the first Ime 
 reached bottom before a strong bite was felt. The heavy tug on the line 
 indicated large fish, and two cod of unusual size were found attached to it. 
 For several hours all hands were occupied drawing in cod. The fish 
 caught that afternoon averaged a size more than common, and the after- 
 deck was soon heaped up with a fine supply of fresh meat. Barrels were 
 brought out from the fore-peak, and the fish were cleaned, salted, and 
 barreled for future use, reserving a supply for present needs. A cod-fish 
 purchased in the market is not to be compared, when cooked, with one 
 just out 0/ water. 
 
 As ^he day wore on, light puffs from the southward and eastward 
 carried us slowly toward the entrance to the Bay of Islands, which we 
 earnestly hoped to enter before another night should close in. South 
 Head, part of Lark Mountain lying at the lower side of the port, now 
 towered up sublimely, revealing the vast chasm which is hollowed out on 
 its western or sea side. This chasm resembles a crater which has been 
 depressed on one side, and gives a volcanic aspect to a coast which 
 otherwise shows little trace of igneous action in its forms. A singular 
 peak was also opened up in the interior, fixed in the edge of a vertical 
 precipice. It was difficult not to believe it a feudal tower of the dark 
 ages. 
 
 But the aspect of the weather was not encouraging ; for the sky was 
 becoming overcast, and a foreboding gloom accompanied by fog was 
 gathering in the south. The mists dropped over the precipices like 
 waterfalls, and the prospect of entering the Bay of Islands not only grew 
 beautifully less, but just as we were able, as it were, to look in, there was 
 every reason to apprehend that we should have to make an offing. A 
 night 01 intense silence and gloom succeeded. Occasionally we heard 
 the dull echo of the surf beating in the caves of South Head. Although 
 the weather continued calm, it was a night when one prefers not to sleep 
 too soundly. Lest we should drift on the rocks, we headed out to sea, 
 but toward morning a southerly breeze sprang up. 
 
74 
 
 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 SMAG ROCKS'* i '^*' He. 
 
 TAT OF laiANDS^^^^^^-^ 
 
 " Head her in for the bay, Captain Welsh. We want to get in before 
 the wind changes and blows us out to sea again." 
 
 But Captain Welsh was a "blue- water" man. He liked plenty of sea- 
 room, and hesitated. 
 
 " Now's our chance, captain. It'll be daylight before we are up with 
 the entrance to the bay, and then we can see our way in. At any rate, 
 we've got to get there to-day ; we've fooled out here long enough. It's 
 to-day or never. You better set the gaff-topsail and stay-sail, and make 
 all we can before it comes on to blow." 
 
 With visible reluctance the captain sung out : " Put your helm up ! 
 Here, Tom, slack out the main-sheet ! Bill, you go aloft and loose the top- 
 sail!" 
 
 But there was no spirit in the breeze ; it was capricious and ineffi- 
 cient, although it took us to within five miles of the entrance before it 
 
 died away. The gray dawn 
 now showed us a grim outlook. 
 The cliffs were half hidden in 
 driving clouds, and the sun 
 seemed to take no interest in 
 lighting up what promised to 
 be a very dubious day. As 
 the light increased we per- 
 ceived a line of angry foam 
 rapidly coming toward us dead 
 ahead. 
 
 " There's where it's coming 
 out," said the captain, taking 
 the wheel and keeping a sharp 
 lookout. As the vessel payed off to meet the wind, it truck her with 
 great /iolence, laying her almost on her beam ends, in came one sail 
 after another in rapid succession, and the schooner was soon in fighting 
 trim, bavtling with a furious northeaster. A short, violent sea swept 
 often over the deck, and every timber quivered as the little craft jumped 
 from billow to billow. The wind was accompanied by heavy sheets of 
 rain, which at times completely shut out the land. Our only course was 
 to keep hammering away at it, and do our best to beat into the bay, at 
 least so long as it did not blow too hard to carry sail. The squalls off the 
 highland were frequent and violent, although, following the instructions 
 of the navigation guide-book, we took good care not to get too close 
 under its lee. 
 
 J^onRi tudr- \\ ca t 58 Inmi Gretnwjch 
 
 The Cruise of the ^^ Alice May" through the Bay 
 of Islands. 
 
THE CRUISE OE THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 75 
 
 I never shall forget how Guernsey Island looked that morning as the 
 little schooner ran under its tremendous cliffs and tacked. One thou- 
 sand feet above us it towered, a vertical rock over which the mists drove 
 like smoke. Although we were fully a mile from it, it fairly seemed but 
 a stone's throw from the ship. This Gibraltar-like rock lies midway in 
 the channel. Although it is two full miles from South Head, it was im- 
 possible to believe it. The cliffs on each side were so vast, it was only by 
 timing the distance as we tacked from side to side that I could credit 
 
 Giiernsev Island. 
 
 what the chart and dividers stated. But even after I was convinced that 
 it was two long miles between the headlands, I could not realize it until 
 I had seen the heights at all times of the day and in all states of the atmos- 
 phere. 
 
 After struggling at her task all the morning, the Alice May finally 
 reached into the Bay of Islands and came abreast of Lark Harbor. The 
 wind now capriciously died away, and she was in danger of losing all 
 she had gained, owing to the rapid tide and current running out of the 
 
76 
 
 THE CRUISE OE THE ALICE MAY, 
 
 bay, when a sea-wind sprung up and wafted us where we could anchor, 
 if necessary. The sun also came out ; the clouds rolled away, and the 
 magnificent scenery of the Bay of Islands lay around us. We felt more 
 than repaid for the effort required to reach it. The coast scenery of the 
 world offers few prospects more grand, more varied, more enchantingly 
 beautiful than this. Certainly on the i^ tlantic coast of North America its 
 equal is not to be found. 
 
 The Bay of Islands is about twelve miles square. Its entrance is 
 guarded by Guernsey, Pearl, and Tweed Islands, which are all exceed- 
 
 The Bay of Islands. 
 
 ingly lofty. Guernsey is also called Ouibol by the French. Opposite 
 Guernsey is Lark Mountain ; it is isolated and rises one thousand three 
 hundred and six feet, terminating in what is called South Head. This 
 was the scene of a remarkable incident some years ago. In a heated 
 altercation the mate of a French ship killed the captain. A sort of drum- 
 head court-martial held on deck condemned the wretch to die. But he 
 was given his choice either to be swung from the yard-arm, or cHmb to 
 the top of South Head and leap over the precipice. He chose the latter. 
 With his arms pinioned he was conducted to the brow of the fearful 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 77 
 
 precipice, and when the word was given, boldly sprang into the air. His 
 body never was found, having probably lodged in a cleft in the side of 
 the cliff. Such a death seems to suggest that the doomed man was con- 
 scious of being not wholly in the wrong in the quarrel which thus resulted 
 in the death 
 of two men. 
 No ordina- 
 ry criminal 
 could have 
 deliberately 
 
 accepted 
 death in 
 such a form. 
 Adjoin- 
 ing Lark 
 Mountain is 
 Lark Har- 
 bor, a deep, 
 narrow, and 
 
 most romantic cove, almost inclosed 
 by overhanging, densely wooded 
 crags, offering sale anchorage, but lia- 
 ble to furious squalls. Eastward of this 
 opens a lovely bay called York Harbor, 
 protected by a low, wooded isle. Here 
 are two or three huts occupied by miners, 
 the first dwellings we had seen since we 
 left the Magdalen Islands. This delicious 
 sheet of water is dominated on the east by 
 the sublime grandeur of Blomidon, which 
 terminates one of the coast-ranges. Blomi- 
 don is two thousand and forty-three feet 
 high, and is crowned vWth an overhanging 
 rampart of rock, which abuts on a nearly 
 vertical slope that plunges fifteen hundred 
 feet. In one spot the crags take the form 
 
 of an enormous eagle's claw, burying its talons in the side of the moun- 
 tain. From the summit a waterfall slips over the edge of the cliff and 
 dangles downward, like a flexible band of silver, until lost in the impene- 
 trable forests which clothe the base of Blomidon. These forests form one 
 
 Prospecting. 
 
78 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 of the most remarkable features of the Bay of Islands. The southern 
 side of the bay is a mass of tangled woods, generally spruce, birch, and 
 fir, interlocking their boughs, and intertwined by an almost impenetra- 
 ble thicket. There are tracts in that solitude where the axe has never 
 rung since the creation. Bear, deer, beaver, partridges, and hare abound 
 in ' hese woods. The hunters of the beaver assume the right to a certain 
 region, and others venturing to hunt on this claim are liable to get into 
 trouble. The flanking ranges of Blomidon are wild in form, presenting 
 abrupt peaks springing out of the woods, and valleys bathed in delicate 
 hues. Comparisons are considered odious, but I could not help comparing 
 this part of the shores of the bay to the shores of the Clyde and the adjoin- 
 ing Trosachs. 
 
 Blomidon may almost be said to be a solid mass of copper. It abounds 
 in that mineral. It is well known that copper ore has been exported from 
 the northern coast of Newfoundland to the smelting furnaces of Swansea 
 for many years past. But the explorations recently made at the Bay of 
 Islands have shown that these shores are rich in undeveloped mineral 
 wealth. Ore containing silver has been found in some quantity, and gold, it 
 is stated ; but of this the evidence is less satisfactory. The land at the foot 
 of Blomidon has been marked out, and a company is now running shafts 
 into the mountain and prospecting. A claim of three square miles may be 
 obtained for six pounds, good for three years. But the Government of 
 Newfoundland has a claim on two-thirds, or two miles of each claim. The 
 Swansea Company is working the ore, or rather furnishing the capital to 
 develop the veins. The time is not very distant when the world will 
 awake to a consciousness of the mineral wealth and abundant timber 
 resources of Newfoundland. 
 
 The southern side of the Bay of Islands is lined with lofty ranges of 
 precipices, more bare than those already described, but rivaling them in 
 beauty. Their stern and sterile character really enhances the loveliness of 
 the tints in which an afternoon light suffuses them. They are clear-cut in 
 outline, and rose-gray and tender purple in color. Frequently among the 
 higher crags of these mountains of Newfoundland patches of snow, many 
 acres in extent, were seen, although it was now the month of August. We 
 were assured that this snow never leaves these spots, where it lies even in 
 midsummer thirty to fifty feet deep at no greater altitude than fifteen hun- 
 dred feet above the sea. The north shore is cleft by wonderful fiords, 
 called the North and South Arms. The cliffs which inclose them rise per- 
 pendicularly from the water for many hundred feet. 
 
 About the center of the bay lies Harbor Island. We headed for it, 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 79 
 
 proposing to find an anchorage there, the water elsewhere being generally 
 of great depth. We found the wind baffling, and the schooner was 
 repeatedly seized by swirling eddies, and driven back, even with a fresh 
 breeze filling her sails. This was exceedingly perplexing, and drove Cap- 
 tain Welsh to his wits' ends. The full i.ioon arose superbly while we were 
 drifting in the chann^'l between Harbor Island and Blomidon, and we 
 finally anchored near Frenchman's Cove, at the foot of this sublime mount- 
 ain. We seemed to be in a fabled region peopled by giants. The scenery 
 we had seen during the day produced such impressions of grandeur and 
 primeval solitude that I should not have been in the least surprised if 
 gigantic Cyclopean beings had waded out from the vast overhanging 
 forests which draped the cliffs under which our little ship was anchored. 
 
 The following day opened calm and lovely. Far away, a number of 
 schooners could be seen at the mouth of the Humber River. It was fortu- 
 nate we saw them there, for it gave us an opportunity of gauging the 
 height of the cliffs which skirt the bay. Vessels with masts ninety feet 
 high were mere white specks against the clifTs when miles this side of 
 them. Having already lost so much time, we concluded to take advantage 
 of the fine weather to run to the southward, and stood again toward the 
 mouth of the bay. But we had not gone far when vessels were seen run- 
 ning in, bringing with them a strong westerly wind and a high sea. A 
 short trial with the rapidly rising waves proved that we should simply 
 lose time in trying to beat out in so small a vessel. Therefore we put the 
 helm up, and decided to run to the head of navigation on the Humber. It 
 was a wild, exciting sail of some twenty miles, between lofty shores of 
 novel and remarkable loveliness. 
 
 At the very entrance to the river we began to see houses and clearings, 
 and realized that we were entering upon altogether a distinct phase of the 
 attractions of the Bay of Islands. Clusters of houses, enlarging sometimes 
 into hamlets, were frequent ; and new houses were in process of construc- 
 tion in many places, indicating activity and a growing population. At 
 Benoit's Cove and Beechy Cove, pretty chapels were seen, and a number 
 of important dwellings. At the latter place Mr. Evans, the only American 
 in the bay, has a trading and fishing establishment. But we were unable 
 to give undivided attention to the beauty unfolded at each point we passed, 
 for the schooner required careful watching. In company with several 
 other schooners, we were running wing-and-wing before a very fresh and 
 puffy wind. But in spite of the force of the breeze, counter-flaws would 
 come off the land with great suddenness, taking the sails all aback, and 
 threatening to carry away the masts or capsize he vessel. In one of these 
 
So THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 flaws our mainsail jibed with such force as to carry away the boom guy- 
 tackle and belaying-pin. It is a wonder the head oi the mast was not car- 
 ried away, as happened to a schooner which was alongside of us. At 
 another time the Alice May would strike an eddy, and be completely 
 turned around, while the (jther ships would sail past her as if she were 
 aground. At the same moment, perhaps within the space of half a mile, 
 several schooners might be seen running with a stiff breeze, or tacking or 
 becalmed ; and yet all were bound in the same direction. The westerly 
 wind finally succeeded in carrying all before it, and we anchored at Peli- 
 pas, the head of navigation, as the setting sun was mantling the shores and 
 gorge of the Humber with indescribable splendor. We were obliged to 
 anchor within a cable's length, or one hundred and fifty yards, from the 
 shore, as in almost every other part of the Humber below Petipas the 
 water has great depth. In mid-channel it is rarely under sixty fathoms, 
 and often reaches ninety fathoms. If we give what to some ma) seem too 
 many topographical details, it is partly with a view of aiding those who 
 may think of cruising in those waters in a yacht. 
 
 Petipas, pronounced Petipaw by the natives, is named after a Jersey 
 Islander who was the first important settler at the Bay of Islands. He 
 started a fishing establishment, and opened a thriving trade. But he is 
 now with " the majority," and since his death the family has become 
 embarrassed, and the establishment is closed. There is p.o street in this 
 little settlement. It consists of a simj)le aggregation of houses, perched 
 here and there, wherever a foothold could be obtained among the n)cky 
 ledges which compose the precipitous hill on which the hamlet has found 
 a lodgment. To reach these houses, one may land anywhere, and climb 
 over rocks and fences, and scramble up and down rough goat-paths. One 
 of the prettiest spots at Petipas is the old saw-mill, just at the water's edge, 
 at the foot of a picturesque ravine, musical with the dashing of a merry 
 trout-brook overgrown with sedge. Near to this, on the smoothest piece 
 of land in the settlement, stands the Roman Catholic church, rejoicing in 
 a new coat of paint and some stained glass. Near the church is the com- 
 modious mansion of Mr. Carter, at present the magnate of the place, who 
 enjoys a monopoly of its business. A small place like Petipas always has 
 its leading citi/en, who acts the part of an uncrowned chief. His will is 
 law ; for by force of character he has succeeded in getting the business of 
 the place mostly into his own hands, and the poor, who form by far the 
 largest number in such a communitv, look to him for advances and supj)lies, 
 which results, if he is shrewd, in ])lacing them in his power. Mr. Carter is a 
 typical example of this class of local despots, exactly fitted to rule among 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 8l 
 
 the desperate characters with whom he has to deal. His head is set on 
 enormous shoulders with a short thick neck ; a shaggy beard, intensely 
 black, Hows down to his waist, and his quick, keen, eagle eye carries terror 
 to any so daring as openly to cross his will or question the unwritten code 
 by which he reigns at Petipas and regulates its trade. Probably such rule 
 is better than none in a place like this. 
 
 " Have you seen our police force? " inquired Mr. Carter one morning, 
 when we were in his store. "No? Well, here it is!" and suiting the 
 action to the word, he drew out a massive piece of tarred, three-inch rope, 
 
 "^^^^e*^ 
 
 
 ^^s^^^., 
 
 
 ^r^' 
 
 **^^- it^*e 
 
 r^nf^^t 
 
 .^^•^•li**;'::-!^ 
 
 ^WV-^-at 
 
 '^t|«" 
 
 :--~-si- 
 
 • ■>^— > ,s 
 
 C/p the River Humber. 
 
 I 
 
 about four feet long, and brought it down on the counter with a resound- 
 ing blow. *' Oh, many's the time Pve had to use that," he added, " when 
 this store's been full of fishermen, sailors, half-breeds, and Indians, half 
 drunk and full •^'^ deviltry. There was no authority to call in to keep the 
 peace, and I've had to lay about with this bit of twine, and clear the room 
 by hitting right and left! It isn't (juite so bad as that now, you see, since 
 the herring nshery failed ; there are not so many fishermen about ; our 
 people, too, are getting to be a little more civilized. But this is a sort of a 
 Botany Baj-, you know, with little regular government, and where it won't 
 do to ask too much about a man's antecedents." -^^ 
 
82 
 
 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 The western and southern coasts of Newfoundland are a constant 
 source of entanglement between the EngUsh and the French government. 
 The matter is sufficiently complicated, various treaties having failed to 
 settle the question so that it can stay settled. As the matter now stands, 
 
 Fishing off the Bay of Islands. 
 
 it seems that the French have a right to put up fish-stages and temporary 
 huts for summer use immediately by the water. But they can not erect 
 permanent dwellings, nor are they permitted to purchase land unless they 
 become British citizens. French men-'^f-war may cruise on the coast and 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 83 
 
 have stations, while no French courts of justice are allowed On the other 
 hand, the Government of Newfoundland has at last taken steps to assert its 
 authority on the H umber. A fine residence has been erected at Benoit's 
 Cove, opposite Petipas, for the judge ; and when we were there, a member 
 from that district was to be elected for the first time to represent it in the 
 Legislature at St. John's. But while claiming legislative and judicial 
 rights at the Bay of Islands, the English do not yet dare to give a title to 
 land, and it is impossible for any one to acquire the fee-simple of even 
 enough to build upon. The English Government can only say to the 
 settler, " Turn squatter, and build wherever you like. So long as the 
 French do not claim it for fishing purposes, it is yours ; but we can not 
 sell outright land already liable to the claims of the French fishermen." 
 
 Such a condition of things has naturally made this a safe refuge for 
 outlaws, and the population on the Humber is, therefore, such as one 
 might expect under the circumstances. The herring fisheries and the 
 lumber trade have, however, attracted hither a number of reputable and 
 enterprising adventurers, who contrive that order shall come out of ch?os, 
 and the community is for the most part orderly. The people are English, 
 Irish, French, and Indians. The latter are few in number and peaceable. 
 
 The herring fishery on the Humber was at one time very profitable. 
 The fish were caught mostly in nets let down through the ice in winter. 
 It was not uncommon to see a hundred schooners, barks, and steamers 
 lying off Petipas in the height of the season. Six years ago the herring 
 suddenly left for parts unknown, and the prosperity of the place came to a 
 stop. But a year ago the herring returned, and meantime a thriving 
 lumber trade has sprung up, and the tide of prosperity again sets up the 
 Humber. ^ > 
 
 Another source of income is also gradunUy coming to the worthy 
 Humberites. Two miles above Petipas is the tremendous gorge of the 
 Humber. Here the banks contract to a narrow channel, overhung on 
 either hand, for a space of nine miles, by vertical precipices, between 
 which the river dashes down roaring rapids. Although the current here 
 is dangerous, it is safely passed by the long canoes of the Indian coiirctirs 
 des bois. Beyond this the river widens again until it meets Deer Lake, a 
 long, narrow sheet of water thirty miles in length, lying in a flat country 
 covered with forests. The river and lake abound with trout and salmon, 
 and the forests fairly teem with game. Already gentlemen of leisure from 
 Canada and Great Britain have begun to visit the Bay of T5;lands and the 
 Humber for the purpose of hunting and fishing, and there is no question 
 that this is destined to be ere long a favorite hunting-ground. 
 
84 THE CRUISE OE THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 Directly Opposite Petipas, a mile and a half across the river, lies the 
 very pretty settlement called Benoit's Cove. It is situated on richer 
 ground, is larger, and is peopled by a better class. Some very neat cot- 
 tages are to be seen here, nestling amid clusters of shrubbery and birches. 
 Here are two or three fishing establishments, the magistrate's residence, 
 the telegraph- office, and an Episcopal church. Mr. Curling, the rector, is 
 a gentleman of large fortune, who has built himself an extensive, many- 
 gabled mansion. He is also a practical sailor, infected with a mania for 
 the sea, and has a yacht of forty tons which he constructed there, and in 
 which he cruises in all weathers, having the reputation of being a sort 
 of Flyirg Dutchman who defies the storms. 
 
 The settlers of the Humber must needs find means of entertainment 
 at home, for they nave but little communication with the rest of the 
 world ; their own island even is almost as far off as if it were the other 
 side of the Atlantic. Until within ten years only one white man had been 
 known to cross the Island of Newfoundland ; and to this day a large part 
 of the interior is unknown. A telegraph wire now runs through the 
 woods from Benoit's Cove to Hall's Bay, and a foot traveler, by follow- 
 ing the road cut for the wire, can proceed from Deer Lake to Hall's Bay, 
 on the northern coast, a distance of one hundred and fifty miles. In sum- 
 mer a steamer arrives from St. John's once a month by way of Cape Ray, 
 or, as the natives call it, through the channel. This is the only mail com- 
 munication for that season. For the seven months of winter the mails 
 are still more infrequent. About once every six weeks an Indian comes 
 from Hall's Bay on snow-shoes and stops at Petipas. There he takes the 
 mail-bags and carries them to Codroy in the channel, where he meets the 
 steamer. The bags are carried on a sledge drawn by dogs, and from the 
 time the carrier leaves Hall's Bay he sees houses only twice. 
 
 The second day after our arrival at Petipas it came on to rain and 
 blow. Captain Andrews, the superintendent of the copper mines at 
 Blomidon, a man of large experience and intelligence, visited our schooner 
 and dined with us. As it was still raining, it was suggested after 
 dinner that, donning waterproofs and sou' westers, we should cross to 
 Benoit's Cove and see some of the traders. During the season when navi- 
 gation is open, there is a class of traders who, hiring schooners or owning 
 them, cruise among the out-of-the-way ports of Labrador and Newfound- 
 land, exchanging pork, sugar, tea, tobacco, cotton cloth, sea-boots, and 
 the hke, for dried fish. They are a shrewd and enterprising class, ac- 
 customed to see a great deal of the rough side of life, and willing to run 
 any risk for the sake of earning a few dollars. They might well be called 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 85 
 
 nautical peddlers. Most of the schooners that sailed in our company up 
 the Humber were traders. We ordered out the boat and crossed to Be- 
 noit's Cove, and were introduced by Captain Andrews to Captain Shelley, 
 who invited us aboard of his schooner. '•*- 
 
 Stepping below, out of the drenching torrents of rain, we found our- 
 
 \<v. 
 
 The Mail-Carrier. 
 
 selves among a crowd of traders and skippers seeking shelter in a noi- 
 some cuddy, old and dirty and paintless, piled with wares and recking 
 with the fragrance of bilge water, wet boots, bad rum, and bad tobacco. 
 But although there were evidences that the one glass in the cuddy had 
 
86 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 been circulating pretty freely, washed out at each drink by the more 
 fastidious with cold tea out of a rusty tea-kettle, yet no one appeared the 
 worse for the liquor excepting Captain Shelley, who was full of talk. All 
 were Irishmen, with one or two exceptions. Captain Shelley was himself 
 a man gifted with genuine Hibernian wit, repartee, and unctuous elo- 
 quence ; and, true Irishman that he was, he was deeply interested in 
 politics. The subject then uppermost in his mind, as in that of most 
 residents on the Humber at the time, was the approaching election of a 
 representative for the insular Legislature. The conversation in that little 
 cuddy was lively enough, eliciting much laughter, and vSome shrewd and 
 serious argument. But Captain Shelley, ever on his feet, as if addressing 
 an audience, was the hero of the hour ; and the roar of thunder, and the 
 loud beating of the rain on deck only seemed to add to his eloquent vi- 
 vacity. Among other remarks, alluding to the would-be gentry at St. 
 John's, he said : '' They bring up their sons to despise business ; they 
 educate them for lawyers, and they become mere two-penny-ha'penny 
 button-tossers, without brains enough to last them till morning, be the 
 night ever so short." Again he remarked : '' I have no enemies, or at 
 least, if I have, they don't live long." 
 
 The rain slackened toward sunset, and we returned to supper, when 
 the Humber was all aglow with a magnificent burst of sunlight, and 
 spanned by a perfect rainbow. 
 
 The Captain of the James Diuycr, a schooner lying near to us, gave a 
 dance that night in a vacant loft near the wharf. He wanted to ingratiate 
 the people, and incline them to trade with him, and this was the means he 
 wisely adopted. To him the expense was very trifling, while it produced 
 a genuine sensation at Petipas, and put every one in the best of humor. 
 I don't think that I could ever forget that dance. It left a very singular 
 impression on my mind. The night was perfectly clear and serene. From 
 the schooner we could hear the people picking their way down the rocks 
 to the scene of festivity. Then the squeak of the fiddle floated over the 
 water, and a steady beating sound began, heavy and regular as the drum- 
 ming of a shuttle or the beating of flails. With it was perceptible a cer- 
 tain rhythm at intervals. What we heard was the heavy tramp of the 
 dancers. Evidently, they were not chasing the hours with flying feet 
 shod with Parisian pumps and slippers. When this had lasted for several 
 hours, we could stand it no longer, and decided to go on shore and see 
 the dance ourselves. Part of our crew had already preceded us, and we 
 found them excited with gm, and aiding to give the girls of Petipas royal 
 sport. 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 87 
 
 On landing, we met the skipper of the trading schooner, himself both 
 trader and Captain, a tall, well-made person, six feet in his stockings, 
 straight as a ruler, and combining in his manner and expression shrewd- 
 ness and executive ability. His strong hand and his quick, decisive man- 
 ner, showed the commander ; while his somewhat refined features and 
 clear, sharp, gray eye, indicated the man of business. " Walk up, gentle- 
 men ; walk up and make yourselves at home," he said, in a pleasant but au- 
 
 The Dance at Petipas. 
 
 thoritative tone, as he showed us into the building where the dance was 
 going on, for he was both host and master of ceremonies. There was not 
 a Hght visible to guide our steps as we stumbled across a high threshold 
 out of the moonlight into a darkness that might be felt. 
 
 " Look out for your heads! turn to your right ! " he called out, as he 
 heard us tumbling over each other, groping for something to take hold 
 
88 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 of. Finally we hit on a ladder, and knew by the sound that it was leading 
 us to the festal hall. Some one opened a door suddenly, and revealed the 
 floor of a loft, on which we hastened to plant our feet. 
 
 Through a low door we entered a small, low-ceiled room, dimly lighted 
 by two or three tallow dips, set on a barrel in bottles. The air .vas con- 
 fusedly hazy with the dust beaten out of the floor and the rafters above by 
 the tread of the dancers. Several score of people were crammed into a 
 small compass, and care had been taken to keep doors and windows 
 closed. For people so accustomed to exposure, they showed a wonderful 
 dread of fresh air. The spectators, consisting of matrons, children, and 
 old fishermen, were seated on a bench running round two sides of the 
 room. The music was supplied by an uncouth fiddler, who sat on the 
 window-seat, with a violin to which he beat time, thumping his heels 
 against the wall. The provisions for the entertainment consisted of some 
 very bad gin, set out with glasses and hard-tack on the \ ead of a barrel. 
 In the center of the floor were half a dozen lads and as many lassies en- 
 gaged in a dead-and-alive waltz, without any apparent beginning or end 
 to it. They reminded me of a group of puppets arranged with wires, 
 moving about as they did with the interest and gracefulness of so many 
 wooden figures. It was one of the most amusing sights imaginable. 
 There was no expression in their faces, but they hopped up and down 
 with a steady tattoo on the floor. After this movement had lasted for 
 some moments, without any apparent change in the position of the human 
 puppets, the fiddler sent his tune away up into a diabolical squeak. Re- 
 sponding to the crescendo, each swain fairly lifted his partner off her feet, 
 whirled her about the room, and planted her squarely on the floor in 
 another place, and the tattoo was resumed with a persistent fury for mo- 
 notony, that continued until the next shriek of the fiddle-bow once more 
 altered the position of the couples. This might have continued endlessly, 
 without the least variation, but there seemed to be knots in this rope. 
 When these were reached the dance stopped and a rush was made for the 
 refreshments. In one of these interludes v.e made our escape. 
 
 " The young people seem to be enjoying themselves," said the host, as 
 we emerged once more to the fresh air. •* I hope you enjoyed yourselves, 
 too. Won't you come aboard, gentlemen ? " 
 
 Accepting his invitation, we scrambled into the cabin of his schooner, 
 and were surprised to find what a fine vessel she was, how completely 
 equipped and thoroughly stored vvith goods. The cabin was like a coun- 
 try store, the sides being lined with shelves, on which was piled a little 
 of almost everything required by a rural and fishing population. 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 89 
 
 We straightened out our crew in the morning, by ordering them no 
 shore to fill the water casks and bring off a sheep. After that they were 
 sent to the windlass to heave up the anchor, and we made sail for St. 
 Pierre. We had a dead beat against a strong breeze to South Head ; but 
 the day was superb, as if this noble bay wished to fix a favorable impres- 
 sion upon the memory of the voyagers who had come so far to see it. 
 Blomidon soared majestically above us, the monarch of that mountain 
 land, crowned with a wreath of roseate clouds, and the surrounding isles 
 were suffused with the glow of a peaceful sunset. The water of the Bay 
 of Islands is as blue as that of the Mediterranean. In this case it can not 
 be due to a larger proportion of salt, which is the cause of the intense 
 hues of the sea in warm climates, so it must be attributed to the great 
 depth of the Newfoundland bay. As I gazed entranced on the lovely 
 scene before me, I was able for the first time to realize, by the aid of the 
 golden haze veiling the long slopes and tumbling steeps, the grandeur of 
 the sierras which inclose the Bay of Islands. The silence was intensified 
 by the silvery waterfalls dropping from crag to crag many hundred feet 
 with an ethereal motion, and yet giving forth no echo or sound of their 
 dashing, so distant were they from our ship. But to the eye they ap- 
 peared to be only a few brief furlongs away. The full moon loomed 
 above the mountain-tops, solemn and glorious ; and in that weird stillness, 
 and touched by an awesome feeling creeping over us, as if we were alone 
 in all the mysterious vastness of an unknown and unexplored region, our 
 little schooner, seeming puny as a cork-boat, was fanned past the Titanic 
 cliff's which form the gateway ot the bay. It was two in the morning. 
 All slept save the watch and the writer. No sound v/as heard except 
 now and then the low sighing of a passing gust through the sails, or the 
 long, low, far-away boom of the surf rolling into the caves of the implaca- 
 ble cliffs, and reverberating with muffled thunder down that iron-bound 
 
 COaut. 
 
 But sentiment was soon forced to yield to reality, for we wer: be- 
 calmed on a lee shore, and were rapidly drifting toward it with the heav- 
 ing of the swell. After exhausting every device in vain, we were happily 
 saved from the doom which drew nearer every moment by a light breeze 
 off the land. The following day was of that nondescript character which 
 infuriates the mariner to the last degree. Baffling winds and calms, 
 thunder-squalls, and the prospect of another night in the vicinity of this 
 coast, terminated in a sunset of more than usual magnificence, with a wild 
 burst of rain hurrying over a leaden sea, attended by several rainbows 
 and masses of cumuli rolling up sublime over the Bay of Islands. I never 
 
90 
 
 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 knew the sign of the rainbow to fail at sea. It is the infallible prognos- 
 ticator of bad weather when seen at morning ; while the most cautious 
 mariner may pace the night-watches in hope and dream sweetly of his 
 home when the bow of promise arches opposite to the setting sun. The 
 mercury now rose rapidly, and by midnight a fresh northeaster set in. 
 This was exactly the wind we needed. At breakfast-time every heart on 
 board was exhilarated. We had reason to rejoice, for the little schooner 
 was bounding ahead wing and wing on the rising sea, with half a gale 
 dead aft, and " Ho, for St. Pierre ! " was again the cry. 
 
 B 
 
 V. 
 
 ORNE by the Newfoundland breeze which roused us from apathy 
 the second morning after leaving the Bay of Islands, we cherished 
 hopes of seeing St. Pierre by night of the morrow. 
 
 Cape Anguille appeared in 
 sight about noon, and we were 
 abreast of Codroy at sunset, 
 with the lights of St. Paul's 
 Island bearing about west on 
 the starboard beam. This isl- 
 and lies in the strait between 
 Cape North and Cape Ray, 
 and were it not for the power- 
 ful twin light -houses which 
 warn away the mariner, would 
 be a most dangerous foe to 
 ships, owing to its precipitous 
 cliffs. The current of the St. 
 Lawrence runs on the west 
 side with great velocity, and, 
 in fact, is a serious obstacle to 
 
 Map of the Cruise from the Bay of Islands to St. Pierre. vessels COming on thiscoast 
 
 from the south and east. I re- 
 member once being in a bark which attempted to make Sydney in a gale 
 of wind. Before we could get into port the violence of the northwester 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 9 1 
 
 forced us to heave the ship to on the port tack. This was toward night, 
 and by daybreak she had drifted with the current out of sight of land, 
 eighty miles to leeward. We thought of touching at Codroy, where the 
 scenery is said to rival that of the Bay of Islands, although on a less exten- 
 sive scale; but the heavy sea, together with the fair wind bearing us 
 toward St. Pierre, led us to keep on our course. Cape Ray was passed in 
 the first watch. It is a bold headland, many hundred feet high, like all 
 this remarkable coast. A pyramid island projects beyond it, crested by 
 the star-like gleam of a friendly light-house. All the following day we car- 
 ried the wind with us until night, and to stimulate the wakefulness of the 
 crew we offered a prize to the one who first sighted the light of St. Pierre. 
 The dangers attending approach to these islands, especially the fog liable 
 to appear there at any moment, made it exceedingly desirable to get into 
 port before a change of wind. But no one was destined to win the prize ; 
 for when morning dawned the islands were discerned still so distant that 
 the light-house could not be seen. The fact was that the wind failed us 
 just when we most needed it. But although it was calm, an enormous 
 swell from the southwest set in, indicating a storm blowing in that quar- 
 ter and liable to reach us, bringing with it the dreaded fog that would 
 oblige us to put out to sea again. To make matters worse, a light wind 
 carried us actually within two miles of the passage between Miquelon and 
 St. Pierre. At night-fall we were becalmed, unable to get in or make an 
 offing. The glass was falling, and the little vessel was rolling her scuppers 
 under, entirely helpless. A sublime thunder-squall struck the schooner m 
 the first watch. The lightning resembled rockets shooting from the hori- 
 zon to the zenith, and the thunder rolled over the surface of the sea like the 
 balls that Rip Van Winkle heard in the Catskill Mountains. A sharp wind 
 out of the southeast and a fog of the most opaque character followed, and 
 we were, therefore, in a condition to consider any change as preferable to 
 the existing order of things. We lay off and on all night, entertained by 
 the roar of the surf on the ledges which skirt the islands. We tacked at 
 daylight with an ugly reef just under the bow, and the steam fog-horns of 
 the two islands moaning through the dripping mist. The light-house and 
 fog-horn of Miquelon have been long an absolute necessity ; for on the 
 long low bar between Great and Little Miquelon many a good ship has 
 laid her bones. Two steamers were wrecked there last year. 
 
 " It's no use talking," said our old skipper ; " we can't dodge around 
 here among them ledges. I've got to look out for the ship and the lives 
 on board. You may want to risk trying the passage ; but if this fog don't 
 lift soon, we'll have to stick the jchooner out to sea. This ain't no place 
 
92 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 to be fooling with fogs and reefs." He said this in a tone and with an en- 
 ergy of manner which indicated that the lion in him was aroused, and 
 would not be trifled with. We, on the other hand, were as strongly deter- 
 mined on keeping close in, feeling our way by the lead c'nd the sound of 
 the fog-whistles, and watching for the first break in the fog to work the 
 ship to an anchorage. 
 
 At this critical moment, when a conflict of authority seemed imminent, 
 we were all standing on the bow peering into the fog, and trying to dis- 
 cover something. The roar of the surf was near at hand, and the skipper 
 was about to give the word to put up the helm, when the fog suddenly 
 parted. Directly over our heads loomed the red cliffs of Miquelon, glow- 
 mg with the mornmg sunshine. -^ v, 
 
 " Down with your helm, hard down ! " cried Captain Welsh ; and the 
 little schooner shot up into the wind, with a foam-whitened reef close 
 alongside, and tell off on the other tack. The wind now shifted several 
 points, and the fog reluctantly " scoffed " away, giving us a clear passage 
 with a strong northeast breeze, which enabled us to work up the channel, 
 past the grand rock called Colombier, which lies off the northern end of 
 St. Pierre. On the opposite side, on Miquelon, is a remarkable natural 
 arch bathed by the sea, which merits more reputation than it enjoys. 
 
 On passing Columbier we discovered a scene of maritime activity 
 scarcely equaled on this side of the Atlantic. The transition was some- 
 what sudden, because St. Pierre is a sterile rock, three to four miles long 
 and six hundred feet high, with ragged outline, and offering scarce a sign 
 of life on its sea-side, which bristles with picturesque but inhospitable 
 crags. But the port and roads present altogether a different appearance, 
 and, in fact, a ar^imation scarce equaled by any other seaport in the 
 world. We gained a hint of what we were to see when a pilot lugger 
 darted around Colombier and glided close to us, showing a crew in 
 blouses and tufted French sea-caps. She was exactly like the pilot lug- 
 gers of Bordeaux, and nowhere else in America is such a craft to be 
 found. And yet when we at last opened the . ds of St. Pierre, we were 
 completely surprised by the scene which la^ '. efore us. I had but to 
 close my eyes and open them, and I seemed to be once more in Europe, 
 entering some busy port on the coast of the Mediterranean. The illusion 
 was complete. On our right towered some tremendous cliffs, and a pict- 
 uresque columnar beacon arose in the foreground. On the opposite side 
 lay a group of rocky islets, crested by forts bristling with useless cannon, 
 and succeeded by the fishmg village of Isle aux Chiens, in the center of 
 which stood a great church and the customary cror At the lower end 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 93 
 
 of the roads toward which we were heading, the roofs of St. Pierre clam- 
 bered in a dense cluster up the steep hill-side, smitten by the splendor of 
 the sun's departing glory. Across the water stole the sweet music of the 
 cathedral bell calling to vespers. But still more surprising was the activity 
 and bustle apparent all over the port. Only at the wharves of Liverpool 
 or New York can crowds of shipping be seen gathered in such dense 
 masses of masts interlocked by ropes and yards. Although it was Sunday 
 evening, this hardly seemed to make the slightest difference at St. Pierre ; 
 
 A Street in St. Pierre. 
 
 ships were loading and unloading, and the musical singing of sailors at 
 their work could be heard far and near, softening the creaking of blocks. 
 Schooners and luggers were creeping lazily into port, with the measured 
 stroke of sweeps as in olden time, and women could ue seen fishing or 
 rowing, their babies clustered in the stern of the boat with their fists in 
 their mouths, just as in Brittany. The only sign to show that it was Sun- 
 day evening was the measured toll of the bells from the churches, and the 
 melody of accordions or flutes from boats filled with laughing girls and 
 
94 
 
 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY, 
 
 A Fishing Gang at St. Pierre, 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 95 
 
 their lovers gliding away into the shades of twilight, which gradually 
 drew its veil over the scene as our cable rattled in the port of St. Pierre. 
 
 As soon as our sails were furled and the schooner made snug for the 
 night, the crew demanded leave to go on shore. But previous experience 
 with them had warned us to keep a strict watch on their movements ; and 
 much to their irritation, therefore, we gave decisive orders that the boat 
 should not be lowered into ihe water that night. We also forbade any 
 one coming on board. The latter order remained in force during our 
 whole stay at St. Pierre ; otherwise we should have been overrun with 
 canaille, who would have demoralized the crew, and perhaps have run 
 them off to other vessels. 
 
 Ships for the most part anchor in what is called the roads, between St. 
 Pierre and Isle aux Chiens, which is as snug a harbor as could be desired 
 in most winds. But in northeast storms the roads are greatly exposed, 
 and then the inner harbor is completely packed with vessels. This little 
 port is entirely landlocked, and is provided with docks and wharves. 
 But the low depth of water excludes vessels drawing more than thirteen 
 feet. 
 
 On the following morning the officer of the port came on board in 
 French uniform, and, after extracting a fee, gave us a permit to land or 
 sail free from further charges. We then ordered our boat alongside and 
 went on shore. A nearer approach to the town, instead of dispelling, 
 rather heightened, the impression that we must be in some seaport of the 
 old world, which had been drifted across the Atlantic, away from its 
 moorings, and planted here. 
 
 St. Pierre and its adjacent islands of Miquelon, or Langlade, and Isle 
 aux Chiens, form the last bit of territory in North America on which 
 France has retained her grasp. Tradition states that these islands were 
 known early in the thirteenth century to the Basques, who frequented the 
 Newfoundland Banks, engaged, it is said, at that early period in pursuit of 
 cod-ftsh. We do not see how such a tradition could have arisen unless 
 founded on fact; and yet historians do not seem to have given it much 
 attention. It was not until 1604 that a fishing settlement was begun at St. 
 Pierre. In 171 3 the colony numbered three thousand souls, and had be- 
 come a very important fishing port. In that very year St. Pierre was 
 ceded to Great Britain, together with Newfoundland, the French being 
 merely allowed permission to dry their fish on the adjacent shores. But 
 when the victory of Wolfe resulted in the loss of Canada to France, she 
 was once more awarded this Httle group of isles lying off Fortune Bay, to 
 serve as a depot for her fishermen. The French now gave themselves in 
 
96 
 
 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 Government Houses and Town Pumps at St. Pierre. 
 
 earnest to developing the cod-fisheries, determined, apparently, that what 
 they had lost in land should be made up by the sea. In twelve years the 
 average exportation of fish amounted to six thousand quintals, giving em- 
 ployment to over two hundred smacks, sailed by eight thousand seamen. 
 The English recaptured the isles in 1778, destroyed all the stages and store- 
 houses, and forced the inhabitants to go into exile. The peace of Ver- 
 sailles restored St. Pierre to France in 1783, and the fugitives returned to 
 the island at the royal expense. The fisheries now became more prosper- 
 ous than ever, when the war of 1793 once more brought the English fleets 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 97 
 
 to St. Pierre. Again the inhabitants were forced to fly. By the peace of 
 Amiens, in 1802, France regained control of this singularly evanescent 
 possession, and lost it the following year, when the town was destroyed. 
 In 1 8 16 St. Pierre and Miquelon were finally re-ceded to France, in whose 
 power they have ever since remained. 
 
 Moved by a wise policy, the government aided the unfortunate mer- 
 chants and fishermen, and offered a subsidy on the vessels employed in the 
 fisheries. The results have amply justified the outlay. St. Pierre is now 
 in all probability the most important fishing port in the world. The pop- 
 ulation, it is true, is comparatively insignificant, numbering 5,440 for 
 the three islands, of which 4,804 are resident at the port of St. Pierre. 
 But of these, only 783 are foreigners, and all are more or less de- 
 pendent on the fisheries, while the number of sailors sometimes con- 
 gregated at St. Pierre raises the population for the time to over ten 
 thousand. But it is in the shipping that we learn of the importance of 
 St. Pierre. In 1881 the number of entries at the port reached 2,615, while 
 the clearances were 2,590, representing a total of 254,190 tons. Even tak- 
 ing into consideration the fact that many of these vessels entered more 
 than once, yet it indicates great bustle and activity for so small a place, 
 more especially as the season lasts only for six months. 
 
 There is another feature attending this movement in shipping which it 
 would also be difficult to parallel in any other important port at the pres- 
 ent time. There is a small tug owned at St. Pierre ; two steamers also 
 touch there bi-monthly from Halifax and St. Johns. But, with these ex- 
 ceptions, it is exceedingly rare to see anything but sailing-ships at St. 
 Pierre. The appearance of the port conveys almost the illusion that one 
 has returned to the age before steam, while the wholly foreign and old- 
 time aspect is strengthened by the curious and picturesque yawls, luggers, 
 top-sail schooners and full-rigged brigs which swarm in the hai bor. The 
 tricolor and gay burgees are also seen on all sides, giving color to the 
 scene. This is indeed a place for the marine artist to visit. By far tiie 
 greater part of these vessels are French. Many of them are employed, of 
 course, in catching the fish. But the remarkable fact remains that the 
 greater part of the fishermen come from Normandy and the south of 
 France in spring, and return thither for the winter. The values repre- 
 sented by the exports of St. Pierre in 1882 reached the large figure of 
 20,88^,624 francs. The total commerce was nearly 40,000,000 francs 
 ($8,000,000). These data relate chiefly to cod-fish and the salt imported 
 for preserving it. iVU the salt used by the French fish-stations elsewhere 
 on the coast of Newfoundland is first brought to St. Pierre, and thence 
 7 
 
98 
 
 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 reshipped. Ample, massive quays of masonry have been constructed, and 
 everything about the harbor indicates that paternal policy which in France 
 
 supervises the commercial inter- 
 ests of the country. 
 
 Perceiving that we could 
 best see the various aspects 
 of life at St. Pierre by spend- 
 ing a few days on shore, we de- 
 cided to take rooms at the Pen- 
 sion Hacala. As only one room 
 could be obtained there, one of 
 our party lodged at the Hotel 
 Joinville. These establishments 
 are exactly the counterparts of 
 such houses in France. The for- 
 mer furnished an excellent table 
 
 dhdte with 
 wines; the 
 latter af- 
 forded 
 meals on 
 reasona- 
 ble terms 
 a la carte. 
 The beds 
 were pre- 
 cisely the 
 beds of 
 Havre or 
 Bordeaux, 
 witli red 
 canopies 
 and dense 
 coverlets 
 of down. 
 We were 
 lighted to 
 bed with 
 the brass 
 candlestick familiar to all who have been in France. Always during the 
 
 Street Comer. 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 99 
 
 day the cafe of the hotel was noisy with the talk of ruddy Gascons or 
 pale blue-eyed Normans, playing checkers and quaffing absinthe, cognac, 
 or caf^ noir, or chaffing with Jeanne, the piquant waiter-girl. Every type 
 of the French race was to be seen in this thriving little town. 
 
 The cafes and cabarets of high and low degree are found at every 
 turn. On 
 the Cathe- 
 dral square 
 is the Casi- 
 no, which 
 includes a 
 theater for 
 the private 
 theatricals 
 acted and at- 
 tended by 
 the elite of 
 St. Pierre. 
 Owing to 
 the large 
 number of 
 sailors some- 
 times in 
 port, which 
 
 occasionally exceeds that of the 
 entire resident population and 
 garrison, unusual precautions are 
 taken to insure quiet and secu- 
 rity. At ten o'clock at night the 
 roll of a drum orders all the 
 cafes and public houses to be 
 closed, with the exception of the 
 Casino and the Hotel Jcinville, 
 which may be kept open until 
 eleven. This rule is enforced with imdeviating strictress, and helps to 
 convey an impression of military discipline, which at once distinguishes 
 the place from any other town in America, and transports the imagination 
 back to Europe. A small garrison occupies barracks at the terminus of 
 the principal street. 
 
 This little colony of scarce five thousand souls has all the machinery of 
 
 A St. Pierre Fishing Boat. 
 
 i , " • • • . •/ • < 
 
 • , . . . 
 
 • > • • • 
 
 * * 1 1 e i> - 
 
lOO THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 a large government, and seems as if it were made to put under a glass 
 case, as a complete and portable epitome ot civil and military organiza- 
 tion. With the exception of the governor, who is appointed by the home 
 government, the colony of St. Pierre is left to take care of itself. The 
 governor, who is the Count of St. Phalle, occupies a commodious and 
 picturesque residence facing a terrace, and approached from the place by 
 a double stair-way, flanked by the lodges of the porter and the guard. 
 The Count is assisted by an elective council. The judiciary is elaborately 
 arranged and conveniently lodged m an elegant stone court-house. It in- 
 cludes a chief-justice and all the various grades common in French admin- 
 istration of justice. There is also an insular department of marine affairs, 
 a marine court, departments of war and finance with separate buildings, a 
 board of health, a department of religion and one of public instruction, a 
 chamber of commerce, besides, of course, a careful system of pilotage, a 
 bureau of charities, a superintendent of roads, and the like. The fact is, 
 that the system of government is so complete, while the population i? so 
 small, that every prominent citizen has an office, and some actually serve 
 in several official capacities. This is, indeed, the paradise of office-seek- 
 ers. Furthermore, not to be behind the mother country, this tight little 
 isle actually boasts of owning as citizens not less than eight chevaliers of 
 the Legion of Honor. 
 
 The day after our arrival we found out that St. Pierre may be consid 
 ered famous for something besides its fisheries, that is, its fog. I am in- 
 clined to think that this is the central depot where this article is stored for 
 the rest of the world. We remained at St. Pierre eight days, and during 
 seven days a fog as opaque as the walls of Babylon enveloped the harbor 
 and the hills. At rare intervals it would roll off the hills and give a view 
 ot the town ; but for seven unbroken days the lighthouse and the harbor 
 were concealed, and it required great care to row about the port and dis- 
 cover one's own ship. For seven long days the steam fog-horn never 
 ceased blowing ks shrill warning once a minute. While that horn blew 
 we knew, whatever the time of day or night, that St. Pierre was an iso- 
 lated islet shut out from approach, and the sensation produced by the 
 thought was peculiar, and different from anything I had previously expe- 
 rienced. The town, strange to say, seemed to be quite free from fog dur- 
 ing all this interval. In thick weather the approach to the islands is haz- 
 ardous, and three vessels went ashore during that week ; one of them, a 
 large English bark, proved a total wreck. Many is the noble ship that 
 has gone to pieces on these inhospitable reefs. But during all this time 
 we found no lack of entertainment. There was a zest, a piquancy, to 
 
THR CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. loi 
 
 every scene and object about us, which gave the place a human interest 
 I have rarely enjoyed to such a degree on this side of the Atlantic. The 
 natural vivacity of the French seems to have lost nothing by being trans- 
 planted to these bleak isles. The superstition and the intense worldliness 
 of the Latin, tempered by streaks of religion, were evident, one might Ut- 
 erally say, at every corner; for images of the Virgin, or of saints, more or 
 less quaint, are common on the street corners, sometimes protected by a 
 roof and lit by a dip-light, or candle. Indeed, among the first objects to 
 confront the eye as one enters the port are an immense crucifix crowning 
 the hill on which the town is built, and an image of the Virgin in a nat- 
 ural niche in the cliff overlooking the port, two hundred feet above the 
 water. Pretty maidens, reminding one of Languedoc, trip to the street- 
 fountain with their water-jars, and cross themselves one moment as they 
 pass the image of a saint, and the next instant exchange merry glances 
 with a passing lover. Perhaps that interested person is clad like a peas- 
 ant in the south of France. Every other man one meets in the streets 
 wears the French blouse, heavy sabots, and a blue beretta. The latter is 
 a felt cap peculiar to the peasants of Beam. Perhaps, too, this blouse- 
 wearing lout is driving a cart drawn by oxen yoked with the immense 
 carved and tasseled yoke employed in the south of Europe. When you 
 see this creaking wain laden with barrels of wine approaching, drawn in 
 this wise and guided by the aforesaid slouching figure past the image of a 
 saint, you say involuntarily to yourself : " Is there not some mistake about 
 this? I thought I was in America, but surely I must be in Biscay." The 
 Gallic love of dogs is also prominent at St. Pierre. The number of dogs 
 actually licensed is out of all proportion to the population. They appear 
 at every corner, and even the peddler's cart is drawn by dogs. Many of 
 them are of the Newfoundland breed — large, handsome, and dignified, as 
 who should say, " Before the French came we were lords of this island." 
 A fight of Newfoundland dogs is of daily occurrence on the quay, and is 
 characterized by a massiveness truly colossal. I saw nine of these noble 
 fellows engaged one day in a general battle. A crowd collected at once ; 
 but no one seemed inclined to interfere, for the very good reason that 
 there is scarcely a man who does not confess to himself a certain zest in 
 watching a dog-fight, a feeling society sometimes obliges us to conceal. 
 
 One of the most common street sights of St. Pierre is the town-crier. 
 Does a merchant receive a fresh invoice of goods, he advertises them by 
 this means. Is there to be a f^te, or a rifle-match, the place and date are 
 proclaimed by the same personage. He wears a uniform, and calls atten- 
 tion to his proclamation by a preliminary, soul-stirring fanfare of a bugle. 
 
I02 
 
 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 As he marches from street to street he is followed by a crowd of boys fil- 
 ing behind him, and keeping step like soldiers, while they sing " Enfants 
 de la Patrie ! " or the Marseillaise. When he reaches the bronze fountain 
 in the great square facing the harbor, the interest aroused by the ap- 
 proaching bugle reaches its climax ; every one stops in his work, and all 
 gather in a crowd to learn the news. This is indeed a livel> spot, where 
 merchants with wise heads discuss trade ; where the idlers about town 
 
 The Cathedral. 
 
 stroll with their dogs ; where the ships unload their cargoes ; and where 
 the ladies promenade at evening. One of the most characteristic features 
 of St. Pierre well illustrates the French love for the beautiful. There is 
 scarcely a tree on the island, and but little grass, the vegetation being 
 confined to moss on the hills, and minute vegetable gardens in the city. 
 But as one walks through the little town he hardly feels the barrenness of 
 nature, for every window glows with the splendor of house plants in full 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 103 
 
 bloom, generally geraniums of vivid hues. It matters not how humble the 
 dwelling, its windows are radiant with scarlet, and orange, and emerald. 
 
 Society at St. Pierre is by no means dull ; on the contrary, it is emi- 
 nently French. One of the wealthiest citizens is an aged widow, who in 
 her own right carries on fishing, builds ships, and conducts the largest 
 trading-house on the island. One finds the same restraint regarding the 
 women obtaining here which is so common in all Latin countries. A lady 
 must not walk abroad without a companion. She would be liable to in- 
 sult, or suspicion at least, if she were to do so. The English ladies, of 
 course, do as they please about this as in other matters, while the French 
 shrug their shoulders and spread out the palms of their hands with a 
 grimace, as if to say, " What more could you expect from them, for they 
 are English ? Peste ! " At the same time there is a license in conversation 
 permitted, which would be considered singular in English or American 
 society. Considering that it is a French sea-port town, St. Pierre seems, 
 however, to be unusually correct in its morals. 
 
 These peculiar ideas regarding the conduct of women were strikingly 
 illustrated by a trifling incident at the Hotel Joinville. The maid of the 
 inn was a charming young girl, who attracted much attention and flattery 
 by her piquant manner. It was considered almost a matter of course that 
 the men who frequented the cafe would chaff her with questionable jokes, 
 and put their arms around her waist. But when the landlady heard that 
 my companion was taking a sketch of Aer, she hustled the girl out of the 
 room in high dudgeon. 
 
 " Oh, but, madame, why not let me finish the sketch, now it is begun?" 
 
 " No, never, monsieur. What would become of her if it were known 
 that a gentleman had taken her likeness awa)'- with him to New York? 
 It would never do ; je vous assure qu'il est impossible ! " 
 
 The people are mostly devoted to business, which they follow with 
 that extreme thrift peculiar to the French. But there is much intelligence 
 among them. The education of the girls is quite satisfactorily promoted 
 by a nun's school, which has considerable repute in the maritime prov- 
 inces. I was surprised to find it resorted to by English girls from Nova 
 Scotia. Until recently, the French have shown much jealousy regarding 
 the intrusion of foreigners into the business of St. Pierre ; but this preju- 
 dice is less strong than it was. There is, however, little social intercourse 
 between the French residents and the English, who now form a colony 
 of several hundred, with a chapel of their own. They preserve all their 
 national traits with emphasis. With true British fervor they engage in 
 athletic sports, such as rowing and swimming — in which the French take 
 
I04 
 
 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 not the slightest interest — and have festivals, picnics, balls, and a rink by 
 themselves. Many of the English at St. Pierre are connected with the 
 management of this, and of the French Atlantic cable which lands at that 
 island. It is a little singular that, although the cable is owned chiefly by 
 French capitalists, it is operated entirely bv English electricians. The 
 director at St. Pierre is Mr. Walter Betts, a man of fine scientific attain- 
 ments. We were indebted to him and the other gentlemen of the tele- 
 graph commission for many kind courtesies. Our party was also very 
 
 Fishing for Squid. 
 
 kindly entertained by another prominent English citizen, Mr. Trecker, the 
 United States consular agent. Never did we find the time hanging 
 heavily on our hands. There is a charm in the isolation of a small island 
 which is most delightful, at least for a while. One of the most interesting 
 spots at St. Pierre is the place on the quay, already alluded to, and the 
 center of which is adorned by a jet d'eau issuing from a bronze fountain. 
 The handsomest fountain in the city is. however, the square bronze struct- 
 ure in front of the cathedral. This structure, by the way, although one of 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 105 
 
 the few buildings of St. Pierre constructed of wood, is possessed of some 
 architectural merit. 
 
 The establishments for the drying and preservation of fish, which are 
 of such importance here, are fortunately on the outskirts of the town, and 
 in no wise obtrusive. It can not be by any possibility affirmed that there 
 is anything aesthetic about the drying of fish ; but as offering a study of 
 human nature, it is not without its advantages. 
 
 One of the sights of St. Pierre is the fishing for squid. These fish, it 
 may not be generally known, belong to the species called the cuttle-fish,, 
 or octopus, although, of course, »-y much smaller. During the latter 
 part of the season, the cod-fish caii be caught only with squid. He is an 
 aristocratic fish, is the cod ; for he has decided tastes of his own, and lives 
 up to them. He knows his ultimate destiny, but proposes that it shall be 
 accomplished in his own way. He is resigned to being caught ; but it 
 must be with squid at one time, and with hake at another. Now, there is 
 a fish with a character to him ! For the convenience of the fish trade, the 
 squid very accommodatingly consent to make the waters of St. Pierre their 
 resort, and the number caught in the harbor during the season is enor- 
 mous. They are all taken by hand, and they collect in such dense masses 
 that if one but drop a jig surrounded with sharp points, it is sure to catch 
 something, as long as there are any squid there. Men, women, and chil- 
 dren collect in boats wherever a school of squid has settled. The scene 
 is of the liveliest. Sometimes fifty boats, large and small, may be seen in 
 a solid cluster, with several hundred persons flinging the squid into the 
 boats as fast as they can lower the jig- and vociferating at the top of their 
 lungs. This will continue for several hours, till a moment comes when 
 every one becomes aware that the squid are satisfied with their share of 
 the sport, and have taken French leave. One by one the boats detach 
 themselves from the group, and wander aimlessly about the harbor, 
 searching for the lost squid. Finally, a solitary boat is discovered attached 
 by a line to a vessel and slyly drawing up squid. Immediately the word 
 goes around the harbor, and from all quarters the boats are seen shooting 
 with the utmost earnestness toward this quarter, and in a moment, as it 
 were, a crowd has again collected. The squid bring half a cent apiece, 
 and form one of the most important sources of revenue at St. Pierre. 
 
 The Sunday before we sailed a great annual shooting-match was held 
 on the hills above the town. Owing to the density of the fog, the sport 
 was somewhat impaired ; but the occasion brought together a good 
 crowd after the morning mass. The followirg day the fog cleared away, 
 and we seized the opportunity to slip out of the port before it should close 
 
To6 
 
 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 Curing fish at St. Pierre. 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 107 
 
 in thick again. Our crew were getting restless, also, and needed some 
 occupation to keep them out of mischief. Two of them had already suc- 
 ceeded in getting themselves drunk on bad wine, and, after trying their 
 best to stab the by-standers, were compelled to pass the night in the guard- 
 house. : • 
 
 But before taking our leave of St. Pierre we were treated to an amus- 
 ing incident. There was staying at the Pension Hacala a Canadian of un- 
 
 The Town Crier. 
 
 limited loquacity and assurance, who made the landlady believe that while 
 ostensibly we were pleasure-seekers, newspaper men, and artists, we were 
 really Americans of leisure and money, who thought no more of five-dol- 
 lar gold pieces than a Frenchman does of a sou. 
 
Io8 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 " Now, if you follow my advice," he said, "you'll make a round penny 
 out of them, and you'll see they won't even notice it ! " 
 
 The advice fell into willing ears. We said nothing, but waited to see 
 the result when the time for setthng arrived. Madame wrs an absurdly 
 long while figuring on the bill. Besides svi^elling the usual items far in 
 excess of the customary charges, Madame Hacala actually had the assur- 
 ance to charge full board and lodging for the member of our party who 
 had lodged at the Hotel Joinville. 
 
 "How's this, madame? I haven't stayed at your house; I've only 
 dined here two or three times. What's the meaning of this item ?" 
 
 " It is true you did not stay here ; but you engaged a room, and you 
 must therefore pay for it." 
 
 " But I did not occupy the room, as it was already occupied. I only 
 engaged it in case it should be vacant on a certain day ; but it has not 
 been vacated. No ; we shall not pay that charge, madame. Permit me 
 to say it is an outrage and a swindle." 
 
 " Then monsieur does not intend to pay his hotel bill ? " she said, shrug- 
 ging her shoulders and making a sickly grimace in reply. 
 
 After some palaver the widow was forced to recede from some of her 
 charges, which would not bear scrutiny. 
 
 The sun shone out brightly over the crags of St. Pierre as our little 
 schooner drifted out to sea through the northern entrance. It had been 
 blowing a gale of wind for two or three days and we encountered a high 
 swell. Captain Welsh had been very reluctant to leave, and was full of 
 forebodings when a dark night closed us in with a light head wind. 
 With his usual caution, he steered for a good offing ; and at daybreak we 
 were well to the southward of our course, but heading for Sydney with a 
 heavy wind. 
 
 VI. 
 
 AT day-break of August i8th we had hoped to see the high land of 
 Cape Breton Island, but were greeted instead by a boisterous 
 southwest gale, attended with fog, which turned into violent 
 squalls of wind and rain and a savage sea, which, by its short, steep 
 waves, showed that we were coming under the lee of the land. When the 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 109 
 
 Struck by a Squall. 
 
 southwest wind concludes to swell to a strong gale it is of short duration, 
 either backing around to southeast or shifting to west-nor'west. We kept 
 a sharp lookout in the rapid squalls, and at noon the wind shifted to north- 
 west. At once the murky horizon began to clear away, and the lookout 
 at the mast-head cried " Land ho ! " There, indeed, was the land, twenty 
 miles away ; but the prospect of reaching it before night was slim, as the 
 wind now fairly screeched, raising an ugly, cobbling sea which, with the 
 strong tide and current, scarcely allowed the little Alice May to hold her 
 own under the short canvas to which she was stripped. 
 
 But toward evening the wind moderated, and, with the change of the 
 tide, we stood in quite near to the land, and gazed astonished on the noble 
 coast lost to view far away in the broading north. After sunset the wind 
 came out stronger than ever, and, as Captain Welsh was unfamiliar with 
 the harbor of Sydney, to which we were bound, we gave up all hope of 
 getting in that night, greatly to our disappointment, as the time allotted to 
 
no THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 our cruise was now getting short and every day was valuable While we 
 were discussing the prospect below in no very amiable mood, the mate put 
 his head down the companion-way and shouted : 
 
 " There's a tug alongside, sir, bound in ! Do you want to hail her? " 
 
 We cleared the stairs at a bound, and, as we saw the tug passing us at 
 the rate of twelve knots, did not stop an instant to deliberate, but hailed 
 her Vi^ith, " What do you ask to take us in? " 
 
 " Ten dollars ! " 
 
 '* All right ; lay alongside and take a line aboard ! " 
 
 In two minutes we were attached to the tug, our canvas was lowered 
 and furled, and in an hour we dropped anchor in a snug haven amid a 
 cluster of ships' lights twinkling in the water around us. We had arrived 
 .at Sydney. This port depends entirely for its importance upon its coal 
 mines. The island of Cape Breton is completely seamed with veins of 
 coal, which are worked at various places. Louisburg and Sydney are, 
 however, the chief mining centers, and the latter has a large export trade. 
 The harbor is large and secure, but owing to the character of the weather, 
 insurance is doubled on ships going there between the first of October 
 and the first of April, Sydney really consists of North and South Syd- 
 ney, which are situated five miles apart on the same bay. The former, 
 although the larger of the two places, has little to attract. But South 
 Sydney, where our courteous consul, Mr. Lever, resides, is a charming 
 village, with green, sloping banks gracefully meeting the placid waters of 
 a beautiful cove. The water is so deep near the land that the largest ves- 
 sels can moor within a few yards of the shore. This is a magnificent bay 
 for boating, and South Sydney can be safely recommended as a summer 
 resort. Two large French ships of war were lying there at the time of 
 our visit. The house of the French consul comes close to the water ; its 
 ample veranda, overhanging willows, and smooth-shaven lawn aided to 
 give a semi-tropical air to the town. Both here and at North Sydney 
 churches abound, and the kirk and the papacy seem to be diligent in 
 gathering flocks into the fold, the Catholics outnumbering the Protestants. 
 The natural limits of each would appear, however, to have been reached 
 for the present. The emigration from Cape Breton to the United States 
 keeps pace with the natural growth of the population, which is very mea- 
 ger. It does not exceed seventy-five thousand, on an area larger than 
 Massachusetts. North of the Bras d'Or, between vSt. Anne and Cape 
 North, is an immense tract covered with primeval woods, which has never 
 been fully explored. The axe has not touched the dense forests, nor has 
 the rifle of the settler disturbed the bear, the deer, and the caribou, which 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. Ill 
 
 still roam there at will. Judging from the character of the coast, which 
 is broken and sublime, the interior must be rich in attractions to the artist, 
 the sportsman, and the adventurer. There is little enterprise at Cape 
 Breton. " What our people want," said a gentleman to me, " is money." 
 
 But something more is needed, and that is that willingness to dare 
 which is called enterprise. It must be conceded that the long winters 
 tend to check immigration and to foster emigration, while the yield of the 
 mines and the fields and the large exportation of beef cattle are sufficient 
 to keep the people comfortable, at least, if not wealth)'. It is rare to see 
 any signs of poverty at Cape Breton. The result is to make them gener- 
 ally contented. They all own their farms and homesteads, and every 
 commodity is cheap. Most of the worthy islanders are of Scotch descent, 
 and a hale, hearty, buxom race they are. Those who come thence to the 
 United States should be welcomed, for thev are of a nature to add real 
 strength to the race now building up in this country out of the various 
 p joples flocking to our shores. 
 
 There was nothing to detain us long at Sydney, while the famous Bras 
 d'Or yet remained to be seen. Louisburg we decided not to visit, because 
 our time was short and little remains of the former town. We therefore 
 took a fresh stock of water and provisions on board, and the second morn- 
 ing at dawn stood out to sea. It was a superb day, one of those which 
 make the heart light, and we had a fair wind to carry us to the Bras d'Or, 
 only two hours' sail from Sydney. 
 
 The conformation of Cape Breton Island is peculiar. It is divided 
 into two nearly equal portions by an arm of the sea some sixty-five miles 
 in length. These two halves are united at the western end by a neck only 
 a mile wide. A canal was cut through this some years ago, allowing the 
 passage of ships of one thousand tons, and the island now virtually forms 
 two islands. At the eastern extremity the entrance is nearly occupied by 
 Boulardrie Island, and the narrow passages on two sides are called the 
 Great and the Little Bras d'Or entrances. The latter is very narrow and 
 tortuous, and hardly accessible except to boats. But the former is nearly 
 a mile wide in parts, and the approach is, in nautical language, clear, or 
 free from reefs. On emerging from this strait, one comes into two noble 
 sheets of water, called the Great and Little Bras d'Or Lakes. It is evi- 
 dent at a glance that this conformation of land and water must offer a fine 
 opportunity for inland cruising. 
 
 Our fair wind suddenly shifted into our front, and we now found we 
 should have a dead beat under press of sail to get in before night. The 
 winds around these highlands are very puffy and capricious, but we were 
 
112 THE CRUISE OF TEE ALICE MAV. 
 
 amply repaid by the beauty of the frowning clifTs toward which we were 
 heading ; the colors of land, water, and sky were the most harmonious 
 and beautiful we had yet seen during our cruise. The light showers and 
 magnificent rolling masses of cloud added grandeur to the cliff, over one 
 thousand feet high, trending north and south, and suffused with the most 
 exquisite gray and purple and blue and pale gieen. 
 
 In the afternoon, as we were drawing near to St. Anne's F xy, the wind 
 shifted again with a violent squall, carrying away our stay-sail. But it 
 was in our favor, and the little craft responded to the blast with wild glee, 
 bounding through the water at a rate which soon carried us past Cape 
 Dauphin's cliffs to the entrance of Bras d'Or. The channel widened after 
 we entered, but the wind failed when we had proceeded two or three 
 miles, and we anchored under a magnificent precipitous mountain, ten 
 hundred and fifty feet high. It is called Mount St. Anne, or Kelly's 
 Mountain, and forms part of a range which extends along the coast to 
 Cape North. Farm-houses were to be seen snugly situated on velvety 
 slopes, and the crow of chanticleer floated over the water like a welcome 
 to this favored region. 
 
 The following morning at day-break we were aroused by the familiar 
 click of the windlass, orders having been given to start for Baddeck 
 as soon as it should become sufficiently clear to sail without running 
 ashore. But the wind was ahead, and we had ten miles to beat with short 
 tacks against a strong current. Only one shoal lay in the channel, and 
 that was buoyed. We therefore gave ourselves, without thought, to 
 preparation for breakfast, and were discussing the probabilities of dining 
 at Baddeck, when a harsh grating sound was heard under the keel, as the 
 schooner lifted her bow and brought up all standing with an ominous 
 shock. 
 
 " Isn't this a pretty way to end our cruise — in broad daylight, too ! " 
 we all exclaimed in chorus, as we tumbled on deck. We were hard and 
 fast on a rocky shoal, and the prospect was good that we should stay 
 there, or at least be forced to heave out our ballast. The wind was light, 
 and we could get little help or comfort from that quarter. The vessel 
 had missed stays when near the shoal, and the current had carried her 
 right upon it. There was a good depth under the stern, fortunately, and 
 once more we carried the anchor out in the boat and dropped it in deep 
 water ; but no one on board had any idea that it would prove of any avail, 
 the vessel seemed to be so firmly fixed on the rocks. We all bowsed on 
 the cable with a will, but were not surprised to find that our efforts made 
 no impression. We had about concluded to start the ballast, and a gen- 
 
THE CRUISE or THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 113 
 
 eral feeling of depression and disgust prevailed, altogether too deep for 
 tears, when, to our surprise, the ship made a sudden movement, then 
 yielded yet further to the gentle coaxing of the hawser, and finally slid 
 easily into deep water and floated. We could only account for her get- 
 ting off on the presumption that she had lodged on a ledge which had split 
 away by the pressure of the keel. But apprehensions and surmises now 
 
 The Bras d'Or Lakes, Cape Breton Island. 
 
 gave place to rejoicing. Soon after, a staving easterly wind added to 
 our good luck, and drove us up the strait as if we were bound to the gold 
 mines instead of the Bras d'Or. The approach to the first, or smaller, of 
 the two lakes is exceedingly beautiful ; the hills, receding on either hand 
 from the shore, are crowned with tuft-like forests, nodding over the lovely 
 slopes. The scenery here is much like that of the Hudson. As we opened 
 the lake, palisade-like plaster cliffs began to appear, greatly adding to 
 8 
 
114 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 the effectiveness of the prospect. In some places they were shaped like 
 the columnar bastions of the Giant's Causeway ; or, anon, their grayish- 
 white rocks, spotted with lead-colored tints and overgrown with vines or 
 dwarf cedars, bore a marvelous resemblance to some of the old castles of 
 Europe. 
 
 These plaster cliffs form one of the prominent features of the scenery 
 in many parts of Cape Breton, not only by the water-side, but inland as 
 well. When the rock is broken, it has a beautiful creamy white color ; but 
 the weather gradually tones this down into mellow, harmonious grays. 
 The plaster is a deposit of lime, which has proved a considerable source 
 of profit to the island — more, perhaps, in the past than at the present — 
 both for plastering houses and for enriching the soil. 
 
 At last a light-house appeared, perched on the brow of a lofty cliff. It 
 seemed strange to see light-houses in a small lake, conveying the impres- 
 sion that it was a miniature sea. This idea was emphasized when another 
 small light-house was discovered at the end of a wee bit of an islet which 
 helps to form the quaint little harbor of Baddeck ; and there, too, lay 
 Baddeck itself, a miniature sea-port in a miniature sea ! The effect was 
 almost whimsical. Here is a capital city, compact and complete as cities 
 abroad, with its light-houses, its ship-yard, its wharves, its custom-house, 
 its bank, its court-house, its jail, its suburbs, its hotels, its old mansions, 
 and what not besides, and yet numbering only about a hundred houses and 
 a population of five hundred! 
 
 We arrived at Baddeck, the capital of Cape Breton, about three P. M., 
 and immediately landed to get the letters we expected to find there. 
 From the day we left Charlottetown we had not heard fiom home, nor 
 for six weeks had an opportunity been offered us to send letters that 
 would rqach home sooner than if mailed by us at Cape Breton, so meager 
 are postal communications in some of the places we had visited, while, in 
 several cases, the monthly boat had sailed the day before we could reach 
 it. It was Sunday afternoon, and, of course, the post-office would be 
 closed. But we determined to make an effort to get a sight of our corre- 
 spondence before another sun should set. 
 
 The post-office was in the residence of the post-master, a picturesque 
 cottage half concealed in shrubbery. That dignified official had been to 
 church, and was at home reading the weekly newspaper and the latest 
 monthly magazines from the United States. He received us politely, but 
 blandly declined to desecrate the Sabbath by entering the office and giving 
 us our letters, which, he kindly informed us, were there awaiting us and 
 would be given to us on Monday. But he was willing to listen to reason. 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 115 
 
 and when we told him we had not had a word from home for two months, 
 he saw the point, and graciously relented. In a few minutes we had a pile 
 of letters in our hands, and hastened to the hotel to read them. 
 
 The situation of Baddeck is exceedingly beautiful, on the slope of a 
 steep hill whose summit commands a superb view over the Bras d'Or 
 lakes. One of the most interesting houses in Baddeck is the residence of 
 Mr. Campbell| who represents this district at Ottawa. A fine stone wall, 
 bearing marks of age, and a venerable »"ow of poplars give a certain air of 
 decayed gentility to the place. The jail is a low, brown, black-roofed 
 stone building adjoining the post-office. It is the oldest as well as the 
 most interesting structure in the town. It stands directly on the street, 
 without any inclosure, but the windows are secured by iron bars, which 
 give a grim aspect to what might otherwise be taken to be a granary. 
 No prisoners were confined in the jail at the time of our visit, nor was 
 there evidence that any had been there for a long time. But the jailer's 
 family occupied it ; and it was not unusual to see two pretty faces gossip- 
 ing idly behind the bars, and embroidering the while, as one sometimes 
 sees gayly tinted flowers clambering over the crumbling walls of an old 
 fortress. 
 
 On market day the streets of Baddeck are lively with Highlanders 
 coming in from the 'country-side to barter their produce, and Gaelic is 
 heard on all sides. It is by no means uncommon to find some among them 
 still v.'ho speak only Gaelic. We saw a lassie at the school-house door 
 gayly discoursing with a grave young man, possibly one of the trustees, 
 and her flaxen elf-locks, bright blue-gray eyes, rosy cheeks, tall, shapely 
 form, and elastic step were for all the world so thoroughly Scotch one 
 might have sworn she was Burns's Highland Mary. 
 
 The suburbs of Baddeck extend east and west along the water-side. 
 The east suburb, if we may so term it, consists of a most beautiful and ro- 
 mantic road, somewhat elevated about the beach, and extending to the 
 bottom of a deep cave where ships load coal and lime. It is skirted on 
 the water-side by birch and cedar, gracefully overhanging the bank. At- 
 tractive cottages are on the other side at rare intervals, hidden in groves 
 of natural growth thinned out. A church, finely situated on a knoll mid- 
 way, gives a point d'appui for the eye, and accentuates one of the loveliest 
 drives in British America. Along the entire distance one gazes upon the 
 grand heights of Mount St. Anne and the island-studded waters of the 
 Bras d'Or. Anywhere near New York, this noble natural esplanade 
 would be greedily seized by land speculators, and would soon be lined 
 with elegant country-seats. For a combination of attractions, including 
 
Ii6 
 
 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 views, driving, boat- 
 ing, fishing, hunt- 
 ing, and a delightful 
 air during the sum- 
 mer, Baddeck is un- 
 doubtedly one of 
 the finest spots in 
 the gulf provinces, 
 and it is a great 
 matter of surprise that some of our people do not make it a summer 
 resort. Land and provisions are at present exceedingly cheap. The 
 difficulty is, in going to any new place, that no sooner do the people 
 imagine there is to> be a demand for their property than they ask inflated 
 
 A WigvMtn Cradle. 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 117 
 
 prices, which tend to drive away the new-comers, who might eventually 
 give land a fixed and reasonable value. 
 
 The other suburb of Baddeck is on a low point adjoining the western 
 end of Cape Breton's capital. Doubtless without deliberate intention, this 
 has been made very attractive to tourists. The houses are exceedingly 
 picturesque, and give the impression that their occupants are enjoying a 
 sort of perpetual picnic. To be more precise, we will say that we found 
 there a genuine aboriginal camp, composed of bark wigwams and inhabit- 
 ed by real Indians, who, in spite of the tattered vestments which a neigh- 
 boring civilization has forced upon them, retain a certain savage aspect 
 
 On the Road to Baddeck. 
 
 that is not without interest and piquancy. As one approaches the camp, 
 through a grove of dwarf cedars, he discovers unmistakable evidence 
 of Indian life in the groups of dogs sleeping on the turf or fighting over a 
 bone. Then papooses, more or less nude, are seen tumbling on the grass 
 in rude sport — black-eyed, black-haired, copper-colored, and unspeakably 
 filthy and stupid. There is no mistake in the symptoms. We are on the 
 edge of an Indian settlement pure and simple. The wigwams are con- 
 structed wholly of birch bark, and are occupied, summer and winter, in 
 preference to any other habitations. We found the inhabitants of this 
 suburb not unwilling to receive visitors with a gruff, surly courtesy. 
 
Il8 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 Their speech is pure Algcnquin, although some of them speak broken Eng- 
 glish. In two or three ot the wigwams we noticed stoves — a concession 
 to a progressive civilization which was very amusing, especially when the 
 pipe could be seen peering above the pointed roof of the conical bark struct- 
 ure. The infant papooses, tightly swathed in swaddling bandages, were 
 suspended in leather hammocks, and were curious and nondescript objects, 
 little dreaming that they were the rightful owners of Cape Breton Island, 
 yet were destined to be robbed of their inheritance by the law of the 
 strongest. It is a fact that the Indians of Cape Breton still consider 
 themselves to be the rightful owners of the island, and, while living on 
 friendly terms with the whites because obliged to do so, bear them no good 
 will. It is not so many years since an open attempt was made to assert 
 these views, when, under the influence of liquor, a number of them under- 
 took to break into a house, violently declaiming against the invasion of 
 their rights. At present no one is allowed to sell liquor to these Indians, 
 and they are, for the most part, an inoffensive race, devoted to a life of in- 
 dolence, with intervals given to fishing and the making of tubs and 
 baskets. Th e Indians of Cape Breton are Micmacs, and number, perhaps, 
 two thousand. There is a large settlement of Ihem at Whycocomagh, 
 where they live in neat huts on a reservation of two thousand acres. 
 Near the western end of the Bras d'Or they own an islet, called Indian 
 Island, on which there is a large Roman Catholic Church. Once a year, 
 on the third of August, they assemble there from all this region, put up 
 wigwams for the occasion, and spend a week in reviving Indian games 
 and ceremonials. Religious services are also performed in the church, 
 which are intended to sanctify them for the ensuing twelvemonth. Each 
 individual is expected to give the priest ten cents before he can be ab- 
 solved. As these Indians are wretchedly poor, receiving pay in kind for 
 what they produce, it is said that many find it difficult to contribute even 
 this minute offering. 
 
 The day after our arrival at Baddeck it blew a violent gale of wind. 
 But the weather moderated the following day, and, after laying in the 
 usual stock of fresh provisions, we headed our little vessel once more to 
 the westward. The Little Bras d'Or Lake is about ten miles square, al- 
 though really much larger, owing to the deep bays which make in several 
 directions. It comes to a narrow passage, when it merges in the Great 
 Bras d'Or Lake, which is called Barra Strait, or Grand Narrows. This 
 is one of the prettiest parts of the Bras d'Or. The large lake is about fif- 
 teen miles in width. The northern side is picturesquely clustered with 
 islets ; but the southern side is fringed with vertical plaster palisades, 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 119 
 
 which tend to make this lovely sheet of water dangerous to small vessels 
 in northerly gales, owing to the under-tow. The short waves raised here 
 in a storm are sometimes quite dangerous, and small vessels have been 
 known to founder in the Great Bras d'Or. It came on thick with rain 
 and half a gale, which made it a Uttle difficult to discover the outlet for 
 which we were heading ; especially as the mate and the captain were at 
 variance as to the location of the gray headlands looming faintly through 
 the mist. But the Sydney steamer came along at this time, and by watch- 
 ing her course we were able to find the point we were seeking. 
 
 When it was no longer of much consequence whether it was clear or 
 cloudy, the sun came out in a blue sky and a lovely afternoon attended our 
 onward course. As we entered the narrow channel of the west Bras d'Or, 
 we had Indian Island close on the port beam, and obtained a clear view 
 of the church and the wigwams. On the starboard was the light-house of 
 Cape George. The light-keeper occupied a unique residence ; it was the 
 cabin of a large vessel which had been wrecked there some years before. 
 
 At this place we met a fleet 
 of rakish schooners, standing 
 eastward and looking very 
 saucy as they danced over the 
 waves and careened over in 
 the brisk breeze. 
 
 We now entered on a very 
 enjoyable and interesting part 
 of the Bras d'Or, suggesting by its features the Thousand Isles. It is 
 thronged with little islands, and the shores are deeply indented with fairy- 
 like coves. The channel is very tortuous, requiring many short tacks . nd 
 the greatest circumspection to avoid getting aground. The farm-houses 
 were scarce, and sometimes we seemed to be in a primeval solitude. 
 There was an c^bundance of water-fowl, and the gray eagle could be seen 
 soaring far up in the azure above. The air was soft and balmy, and 
 the temperature ranged at sixty-five. The wind was dying out, and it 
 soon became evident that we should be unaJle to pass the canal at St. 
 Peter's that day, as we had hoped. But there were compensations in the 
 delay. We anchored between two lovely islands, and went on shore to for- 
 age and " view the landscape o'er." Stopping at the farm-houses, we 
 found the people courteous and ready for a chat, and we decided that one 
 might find less agreeable ways of passing an August afternoon. At sun- 
 down some of our party took the boat and tried a few shots at the ducks, 
 which abounded, but with rather indifferent success ; our boat was not 
 
 From St. Pierre to Georgetown. 
 
I20 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 suited to such sport. But there is no question that, with the right appa- 
 ratus, a good sportsman could bag many a fine bird in the Bras d'Or The 
 abundance of animal life in the woods was vividly impressed on us :t sun- 
 rise. The placidity of the scene was phenomenal ; the Si/'oke arose 'n spiral 
 columns from the farm-houses, the cattle bells tinkled in th^ Ticaaows ; and, 
 in every grove and thicket about us, we heard or saw plover, yellow-ham- 
 mers, and squirrels. Indians were also on the shallows in canoes spearing 
 eels. One of them came alongside and begged for a crust of bread. He 
 was a miserable, sickly, blear-eyed being, the very last dregs of a race 
 that has run out, A Highlander also visited us, with a lamb killed that 
 morning in the hope of supplying some passing schooner. We bought it 
 for five cents a pound, and found it sweet and tender. The wind and tide 
 favoring, we now sailed up to St. Peter's, at the extreme end of the Bras 
 d'Or. This canal is of great advantage to coasters, especially during the 
 autumn. Of course, there is no navigation here during the winter and 
 spring, owing to the ice. Eleven hundred vessels pass through this canal 
 annually. Our "ew towed the A /ice Af ay to the lock, and at dinner-time 
 we were once more afloat on the waters of the broad Atlantic, in St. 
 Peter's Bay, and heading for the Lennox passage between Madame Island 
 and Cape Breton. The scenery was quiet but pleasing, and Indian en- 
 campments were seen in several places on the sea-shore. As we sailed 
 out we met a most dilapidated schooner coming in, on the way to the 
 Bras d'Or for plaster. She belonged to Charlottetown and was of unknown 
 antiquity. She and her skipper. Captain Foley, who was also the owner, 
 had sailed together for some thirty years. As she went by us, Captain 
 Welsh hailed him, but received only a sardonic grin in return, although 
 they had been acquainted since boyhood. 
 
 This Captain Foley was just such a character as Victor Hugo likes to 
 portray, being indeed an example of human nature exaggerated to carica- 
 ture The schooner herself was a character. Her rusty sides had once 
 been painted black ; her rotten rigging hung slack from the gray masts ; 
 and the evening wind seemed to sing through her sere, tattered sails, as 
 she slowly glided by us on the glossy tide with the silence and weird- 
 ness of a phantom ship. Often had Captain Foley sailed her alone ; once 
 he took her without assistance from Charlottetown to Arichat. The con- 
 stant watching, together with the bad weather, exhausted the old fellow, 
 and, after dropping anchor, he went below for forty winks ; but the winks 
 ran together in an uninterrupted sleep of three days. When the old man 
 awoke he had lost his reckoning, as he had likewise nearly lost the num- 
 ber of his mess, and he had to go on shore and inquire the day of the 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 12 1 
 
 week. Latterly this nautical hermit had selected a humpbacked compan- 
 ion to accompany him, as guide, protector, and friend. This precious 
 specimen of misshapen humanity seemed to be well suited for the exalted 
 position to which he had been elevated. He was seated on the taffrail, 
 looking over the shoulder of Captain Foley, who was steering. He was, 
 without exception, the most satanic-looking being I have ever seen. His 
 distorted features were covered with a ragged black beard ; he was blind 
 of an eye, and one of his teeth projected like a tusk. The pair reminded 
 me of Caliban and an ape holding idyllic converse on a bark " built in th' 
 eclipse," and " rigged with curses dark." Although the evening was fine, 
 there were numerous indications besides the falling barometer that we 
 were about to have a heavy storm. There was a large ring around the 
 moon, and that sad, foreboding wail in the rigging which strikes the mari- 
 ner with apprehension. The signs rapidly accumulated which indicated a 
 gale before morning ; and here we were, becalmed and unable to get any- 
 where. We launched the boat, and the crew made an attempt to pull us 
 around a certain vexatious buoy, which being once passed we could keep 
 away several points and take advantage of the sou'west air now trying to 
 blow. After rowing awhile, the crew began to grumble ; the captain 
 went out on the forecastle, fairly aroused to senile wrath, and, in the quav- 
 ering tones of old age, thundered out : *' Row away like good fellows ! 
 get her around that buoy ! don't let's hear any more of this laziness ! What 
 are you made of, I should like to know, that you can't pull an oar ten min- 
 utes without howling ? Shut up now, and pull away ! " 
 
 This had the true ring in it; the men fell to with a vim, and struck 
 up a song whose variations were vocal more than verbal, as all there was 
 to it was " Hurrah, my boys, we're homeward bound ! " The time of sea 
 songs is, alas, over ! The poetry of the sea is not found in studied lyrics 
 or epics now, but in the hearts of those who love to wander over its wide 
 and desolate wastes of gray and listen to the piping of its storms. 
 
 By midnight the breeze had considerably freshened, and, as we were 
 then near the land, we anchored for the nonce until we could have day- 
 light. At dawn it whistled a living gale of wind out of the northeast. 
 As we were in an exposed position, we made sail and ran for a lee. We 
 found a snug place at Grand Digue, and rode with both anchors close to 
 the shore of Madame Island. A number of other schooners also ran in 
 there for shelter. It blew violently all day, and, as we afterward learned, 
 a number of wrecks occurred on the coast. 
 
 But we seized the occasion to enjoy a ride to Arichat. The wind was 
 accompanied by a pelting rain, but, armed with India-rubber coats and 
 
122 
 
 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 heavy boots, we could afford to defy its worst. We hired two open bug- 
 gies and started. The distance was seven miles across Madame Island, 
 over solitary, rolling, russet-lined moorlands, whose monotony was broken 
 by thickets of whortleberry bushes, or clumps of alder and dwarf cedar, 
 
 Cape Porcupine. 
 
 Cape St. George., from Hastings. 
 
 or here and there a rain-dashed lake nestling like a dimple in a hollow, the 
 haunt of water-fowl. On our left we saw the village of Biscouche, a small 
 sea-port on the northern side of the island. The landscape, if not strictly 
 pictorial, was full of sentiment and delicate suggestions of color, and con- 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 123 
 
 veyed a grand impression of space. It reminded rae of Millais's famous 
 painting, " Over the Hills and Far Away." 
 
 Arichat is in reality a French town under the English flag. It was at 
 one time a place of considerable importance on account of its fisheries, in 
 which were employed a large number of pinks and schooners. From one 
 cause and another this source of revenue has fallen off. But the great 
 firm of Robin & Co., of whom I have already spoken, have one of their 
 establishments at Arichat, conducted with their usual method and neat- 
 ness. A cannon announces the hours for work and rest, while the bell of 
 the convent rings over the isle at the same hours. An island across the 
 entrance to the harbor is called Jersey, after the island where Robin & 
 Co. originated. Their establishment at Arichat was first on Jersey ; but 
 it was burned, together with a number of their ships, by American priva- 
 teers during the Revolution, and they then removed it to its present loca- 
 tion. The cod sent from here goes chiefly to Spain. 
 
 Arichat is a very interesting little town, albeit now in its sere and yel- 
 low leaf. It straggles chiefly along one street, facing the sea on a bluff. 
 It was at one time a place of considerable wealth, evidences of which re- 
 main in some of the very pretty cottages, decorated with carved cornices 
 and embowered in shrubbery. As these houses face the sea, they all have 
 a covered porch, to protect the entrance from the cold sea- winds of win- 
 ter. The willow appears to thrive better there than any other tree, and a 
 number of venerable and noble examples are seen in the main street. As 
 at St. Pierre, the windows are all filled with house-plants. The physician 
 of the place advertises himself by a large pink-colored mortar, peeping 
 through the shrubbery in front of his house. His name is De L'Esp6- 
 rance — not a bad cognomen for a doctor. There is a large church at Ari- 
 chat, and a conventual school for young ladies, which has a wide repute 
 throughout the maritime provinces. I thought to myself that the poor 
 girls who go away from home to study in that dormer-windowed hall, 
 without a tree around it, and overlooking the vast solitude of ocean, must 
 sometimes think it a bleak and sad place, and especially those whose 
 windows overlook the hill-side cemetery adjoining, which reminded me of 
 the old grave-yard at Plymouth. It is affecting to ramble through the old 
 cemetery at Arichat ; for, in the frequently repeated family names and the 
 tokens of affection, which appear oftener than in any other cemetery I 
 have seen, one seemed to read the sad story of a society once happy and 
 prosperous, but now gone to decay. The McNiels seem to have been one 
 of the leading families of Arichat, who, although of Scotch descent, often 
 intermarried with tjieir French coreligionists. 
 
124 
 
 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 We dined at the minutest and quaintest of little inns, kept by Mr. Fin- 
 lay, whose wife laid before us a capital meal for only thirty cents each, 
 and seemed so anxious to please that it is only just to call the attention of 
 strangers to their house. A curious and absurd breed of dogs was pointed 
 
 Lovers^ Lane, Hastings. 
 
 out to us as peculiar to Arichat. They are like Newfoundland dogs, large, 
 black, and shaggy, but some waggish fate has robbed them of their tails, 
 leaving only a shortish stump. 
 
 We had a wild, windy ride back to the Alice May, but one of Henry's 
 choice ragouts and smoking cups of tea in a cosy cabin were ample com- 
 pensations. On the following morning we sent our boat across the strait 
 to procure some potatoes from the farmers. The sailors were directed to 
 dig them out of the ground themselves. With the aid of the spy-glasses 
 we could easily perceive the rogues flirting with the rural maidens. 
 
 After dinner the gale had sufficiently moderated for us to beat up the 
 Lennox Passage, and we made sail. The channel is well marked by buoys, 
 but care should be taken, nevertheless, to cast the lead, and not venture 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 125 
 
 too near in shore. The Alice May raked up the mud once, but got off 
 immediately. Both she and her captain did their prettiest that day. 
 Toward night we opened the Strait of Canso. It was still blowing a very 
 fresh breeze, making it next to impossible to work up the strait. A fleet 
 of vessels was, therefore, lying in the Habitants River Roads, near Bear 
 Head, waiting for a change of wind. We followed suit and came to an- 
 chor for the night. Ere long we were visited by the captains of two 
 square-rigged vessels, bound, like ourselves, for Charlottetown. This in- 
 terchange of courtesies by ships on a voyage is a very pleasant feature of 
 sea life. Good-will is at once established, and notes of experience are ex- 
 changed in a friendly, chatty manner, with perhaps a social glass, and then 
 they part, probably never to meet again in their wide wanderings. 
 
 The wind was still ahead the following morning, but we concluded to 
 take advantage of the in-going tide and beat up as far as Hawksbury. 
 But the rest of the fleet decided to wait for a change of wind. The tide 
 through the Strait of Canso, or Canseau, when going with the current, 
 runs from five to seven miles an hour, and, when opposed by a southerly 
 wind, produces a violent sea, which it is impossible for a vessel to breast. 
 But with the aid of this tide a fore-and-aft schooner can beat up when it is 
 not blowing too hard. The strait averages from one to two miles in 
 width, and is about twenty-five miles long. The entrance is very beautiful 
 and impressive, and the prospect increased in loveliness and variety as we 
 proceeded. On one side we had Cape Breton Island, and on the other the 
 shores of Nova Scotia. 
 
 Previously we had had much reason to find fault with the captain dur- 
 ing a dense fog, when we discovered him sleeping in his bunk below, and 
 only one man in charge of the wheel and the deck. No fog-horn was 
 blowing, nor was a lookout kept at the bow. 
 
 "Where's your fog-horn. Captain Welsh?" we demanded with indig- 
 nation. " Is this the weather to lie below ? You ought to have a sharp 
 lookout on the bow, and keep the horn going ! " 
 
 "Oh, never you bother yourselves about the ship ; I'm looking out for 
 her. It don't make mu'^h odds about blowing the horn; other vessels 
 coming this way will bluw their horn, and we can keep out of the way 
 when we hear them." 
 
 " Suppose every shipmaster should reason in the same way, where 
 should we be ? " we cried, thoroughly out of patience with such inane and 
 childish recklessness. And thereafter we compelled him to keep a lookout 
 forward, and to have the horn blown every two minutes whenever there 
 was any fog. 
 
126 
 
 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 I 
 
 m 
 
 A Street at A tic hat. 
 
 By noon we succeeded in anchoring 
 in a snug berth at Port Hawksbury, 
 where we were forced to lie two days 
 with a fleet of vessels waiting for a 
 change of wind, which had set in with 
 vexatious persistency from the north- 
 east. But we might have been in a 
 worse place, for the scenery is of the 
 most exquisite character, and I often 
 wondered while there that so little has 
 been written about the loveliness of the 
 Strait of Canso. The shores of Cape Breton are here more varied and 
 picturesque than in any other part of the island, while the opposite shore 
 of Nova Scotia rivals it in attraction. There is, also, more of the human 
 element in this neighborhood than one sees in many of the prettiest parts 
 of the maritime provinces ; and this, in my opinion, always adds greatly 
 to natural scenery, by contributing aids to sentiment, such as old mills, 
 old granges, old orchards, leafy lanes, dilapidated wharves, church spires, 
 quaint inns, and the like. Now, the region around Port Hawksbury and 
 Port Mulgrave, which lies directly opposite, is abundantly provided with 
 all these features, which make it of especial interest to artists, and, in fact, 
 to all of cultivated minds. In a lesser wav, of course, it reminded me 
 frequently of the finest parts of the Bosporus. There are some delicious 
 bits of picturesqueness at Port Mulgrave, to which we crossed by a steam 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 127 
 
 ferry-boat, and found ourselves at last in the land of railroads. On that 
 side, also, a little further up the strait, broods Cape Porcupine, a magnifi- 
 cent precipitous headland, six hundred and forty-three feet high, but easily 
 looking as if it were ten hundred feet. From its shape and position Cape 
 Porcupine commands the entire strait, and gives character and force to 
 every prospect from all points. 
 
 But if we had to choose between the two shores, in a region where a 
 comparison would seem especially invidious ancj superfluous, give us the 
 inexhaustible beauty of the Cape Breton 
 side. For three days we explored its 
 attractions on foot, proceeding well up 
 toward Port Hood on the Gulf of St. 
 Lawrence, and it seemed as if it ex- 
 ceeded all the beautiful scenery through 
 which we 'had passed, for giving the 
 largest variety of pleasure to the sum- 
 mer tourist. 
 
 On the third day we managed to beat 
 up to Port Hastings, the most beautiful 
 spot on the strait, and anchored there in 
 a small cove, desiring to ha^ the ves- 
 sel near at hand, in order that we might 
 the more readily study the neighboring 
 scenery. The high sea and wind for- 
 bade any attempt to proceed further. A 
 fleet of schooners was lying there, also 
 
 wind-bound. When rounding up to anchor, the Alice May fouled with 
 one of them, carrying away her starboard cathead, and receiving some 
 slighter injury. The result was a vigor of spee<"h on both vessels which 
 nearly terminated in blows. 
 
 Port Hastings was formerly called Plaister Cove. Some noble cliffs 
 are there, at the mouth of a beautiful stream which empties into the strait. 
 The town is built upon an abrupt height, and from a distance seems to be 
 about to slide into the sea. 
 
 Port Hastings might easily pass itself off for a village on the Rhine, 
 with its rambling lanes embowered with willows, its houses straggling 
 down a steep, and its church perched on the highest coigne of vantage. 
 The road toward Port Hood follows a plateau, below which the farmers 
 were raking in their hay, close to the sea ; beyond, on the left, to^yered Cape 
 Porcupine ; while on the right towered the craggy coast ranges of Cape 
 
 An Old Cottage at Arichat. 
 
128 
 
 THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 Breton. Many a buxom Maud Miiller, raking hay in a straw hat, was to 
 be seen in the meadows, and the whole scene was pervaded by an air of 
 pastoral peace, and rounded into completeness by the blue waters of the 
 sea, fading into the cloudless azure above us. 
 
 Tl e wind at last seemed inclined to relent and give us a chance to get 
 home. Accompanied by a fleet of schooners, we beat out into the gulf 
 past Cape Jack on a beautiful quiet morning. But the wind freshened 
 again, and we had a hard beat all day to get around Cape St. George, 
 after passing which we could keep away and have the wind abeam. 
 
 The breeze fell at night and the moon arose at the full, sheening the 
 oily surface of the swell with a broad band of quivering silver. The pre- 
 siding p: »t of that region evidently intended that we should have pleas- 
 ant recollections of the last night of our cruise. 
 
 At daylight we had a chance to form one of the quick decisions com- 
 mon in sea life. By our charter, wc could leave the schooner at any port 
 
 The Oldest House in Prince Edward Island. 
 
 in Prince Edward Island. The captain and the owner were anxious that 
 we should take her back to Charlottetown ; but it was a matter of time with 
 us now. The wind seemed to favor continuing to Charlottetown, and we 
 were heading in that direction, when the wind suddenly canted several 
 points. Instantly the word was given to alter our course and head for 
 Georgetown, at the eastern end of the island, where there was a railroad 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE ALICE MAY. 
 
 129 
 
 Heaving the Log. 
 
 station. In an hour we sighted land ; at noon we found ourselv^ passing 
 through a crowd of fishing schooners, and toward evening we entered the 
 port of Georgetown and beat up to an anchorage off the town. Ten 
 minutes later the anchor was down, our traps were in the yawl, we shook 
 hands all around, and took our last farewell of the good little schooner 
 Alice May, which had carried us to many places and safely over many 
 waters. 
 
 Before closing the journal of our cruise in the Alice May, it would be 
 doing injustice to our feelings to omit a cordial acknowledgment of the 
 many courteous and hospitable attentions for which we are indebted to 
 Col. Dunn, United States Consul at Charlottetown, since promoted to the 
 post at Valparaiso ; and also to Frederick Hyn.dm?n, Esq., United States 
 Vice-Consul at Charlottet^wfei arid nitototQ^^^.^taer'. hospitable friends who 
 aided us to enjoy our su^imeiriiifg a'bout the 'Gulf o\ St, Lawrence. 
 
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