ra IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) / // // /- y. f/. 1.0 I.I 11.25 Mi. 1^ |2 5 |5o "^* M^H U£ m i2.2 2.0 1^ lUl 1*0 U ill 1.6 V] ^2 ^ >s > '^ /a y /^ CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques 1980 Technical Notes / Notes techniques The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Physical features of this copy which may alter any of the images in the reproduction are checked below. D Coloured covers/ Couvertures de couleur L'Institut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a 6t6 possible de se procurer. Certains difauts susceptibles de nuire A la quality de la reproduction sont notis ci-dessous. 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The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes ou les planches trop grandes pour 6tre reproduites en un seul clich6 sont film^es A partir de Tangle supArieure gauche, de gaurhe A droite et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images n^cessaire. Le diagramme suivant illustre la mdthode : 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 8 6 BOWDOIN BOYS IN LABRADOR AN ACCOUNT OF THE BOWDOIN COLLEGE^ o» SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITION TO LABRADOR LED BY PROF. LESLIE A. LEE OF THE BIOLOGICAL DEPARTMENT ..•* o* o* -liV JONATHAN FRINCt: Ol.LEY, Jr. RocKr.AND, .\i.\iM:: Ro( iNi.AM) l'ii{i.isiii.\(, Company !■■■!> ■ ■■■ MliM l rt.li l K. '^'K^.c,l^) NO^UHFRN AFFAIRS & NAriONAL utSOURCES MAP 27 1958 Moil^tem A,^j;rs Library ftirAvVA 15 bi th PREFACE. This letter from the President of Bowdoin College is printed as an appropriate preface to the pages which follow. I thank you for the advanced sheets of the "Bowdoin Boys in Labrador." As Sallust says, "In primis arduum vidctur res <;estas scriberc ; quod facta dictis sunt exaequanda." In this case, the diction is equal to the deed : the clear and vivacious style of the writer is fully up to the level of the brilliant achievements he narrates. The intrinsic interest of the story, and its connection with the State and the College ought to secure for it a wide reading. Very truly yours, William DeW. Hyde. ■■■^■iiroifMTn "••'-'"ifyii iiin ^1( m bit sp( am se> go tini tie? sist wei auc can witl chil the all 1 cair but spe( clos suffi a ch live: BowDoiN Boys in Labrador. 0\ Board the "Jri.iA A. Dfxker," ) Port Hawkcsbury, Gut of Canso, l July 6th. 189 Here the staunch Julia lies at anchor waiting; for a change in the wind and a break in the fog. To-da}' will be memora- ble in the annals of the "Micmac" Indians, for Prof. Lee has spent his enforced leisure in putting in anthropometric work among them, inducing braves, squaws and papooses of both sexes to mount the trunk that served as a measuring block and go through the ordeal of having their height, standing and sit- ting, stretch of arms, various diameters of head and peculiari- ties of the physiognomy taken down. While he with two as- sistants was thus employed, two of our photographic corps were busily engaged in preserving as many of their odd faces and costumes as possible, making pictures of their picturesque camp on the side of a hill sloping toward an arm of the Gut, with its round tent covered with birch and fir bark, dogs and children, and stacks ot logs or wood — from which they make the strips for their chief products, baskets — cows, baggage and all the other accompaniments of a comparatively permanent camp. They go into the woods and make log huts for winder, but such miserable quarters as the e prove to be on clos' ; in- spection, with stoves, dirt ^ chip floor, bedding, and food in close proximity to the six or eight inhabitants of each :int, suffice them during warm weather. We found that they elect a chief, who holds the office for life. The present incumh^-n lives near by St. Peter's Island, and is about forty years c!d. nOWDOIN BOYS IN LA BRA DOR They hold a grand festival in a few weeks somewhere on the shore of Brasd'Or Lake, at which nearly every Indian on the Island is expected, some two thousand in all, we are informed, and after expericncinf Ljood luck and constant attentit)n to sails has thus far kept her word, but is now ste;ulil\' fallinij astern .iml t>> leeward, I will tell )du about the siiul; little har- bors, the l)old headlands, b;irren slo])es. and bird-co\'ered rocks, and also the odorous fishini;' villaijes and tin- kind-he.irted peojile with whom she has made us acquainted. The liowdoin scientific expedition to Labrador is now familiar with six of the seven wonders in this truh' wonderful resjion. It has visited Grand Falls and " Howdoin Canj'on ;" has been bitten !)}■ black (lies and nioscpiitoes which oiil}- Lal)rador can produce, both in point of ([ualit)- and (luantity; has wandered through the carriai^e roads ( ! ) and Ljardens of Northwest River and llopedale ; has du!.,^ o\er. mapped and photographed the prehistoric l*".skimo settlements that line the shores, to tht- north of Hamilton Inlet; has maile itself thoroughlx^ conversant with the great fishing industry that h.is made Labrador so valuable, to Newfoundland in particular, and to the codfish consuming wa^rld in general ; and tinalh' is itself the sixth wontler, in that it has accomplished all it set out to do. though of course not all that would have been done had longer time, better weather and several other advantages been granted it. It is almost another wonder, too, in the eyes of the Labradore- ans, that we have, without jjilot and yet without accident or trouble of any sort, made such a t.'ip along their rocky coast, entered their most difiicult harbors, and outsailed their fastest vessels, revenue cutters, traders and fishermen. 18 noWPOIN T»OYS IN liAnUADoR. It will l)c a pood many years before the visit of the •' Yankee college i)o)'s," the speed of the \'ankee schooner and the skill and seanianshi[) of the Yankee captain are forLjotten " on the Labrailor." The day after we left, July I9lh, the mail steamer reached Hattlc I larbor with the first mail of the season. ( )n board were Messrs. Hryantaiul Kenaston, anxiously lookin*; for the Howdoin party and estimating their chances of petting to the mouth of Grand River. The)- broUL^ht with them an Adirondack boat, of canoe model, relying on the country to furnish another boat to carry the bulk of their provisions and a crew to man the same. When the news was received that we were a (.hxy ahead, the race b''ni, till thc\' reached North West River, two days after our part}' hatl started up the Grand River. North West Ri\er is the name of the I ludson Hay Co.'s post at the mcnith of the river of the same name, (lowing into the western extremity of Lake McKille, about fifteen miles north of the mouth of Cirand Ri\er. Hamilton Inlet pro])er extends about forty miles in from the .\tlantic to the " Narrows," a few miles beyond Rigolette, where Lake Melville begins. A narrow arm of the lake extentls some unexplored distance east of the Narrows, south of and parallel to the southern shore of the inlet. The lake varies from ll\e to forl\- mik'S in width and .^ ninct}' niiles long, allowing room for an exteiuled vo)'age in its capacious bosom. The water is fresh enough to drink at the upper c\k\ of the lake, and at the time of our visit was far pleasantcr and less arctic for bathing than the water off any point o{ the Maine coast. About twenty miles from the Nar- rcAvs a string of islands, rugged and barren, but beautiful for their \er)- desolation, as is true of so much of Labrador, nearly block the way, but wc found the channels deep and clear, and St. John's towering peak makes an excellent guide to the most direct passage. One night was spent under wa\', floating (.piietl)' on the lake, so delightfuU}' motionless after the restless movements of Atlan- tic seas. ^\ calm and bright da\' following, during which the one pleasant swim in Labrador waters was taken b}- two of us, was varied b)' thunder squalls and ended in fog and drizzle, causing us to anchor off the abrupt break in the continuous ridge ak)ng the northern shore, made b}' the Aluligatawney River. .Mthough in an insecure and exposed anchorage, }-et the fact that we were in an inclosed lake gave a sense of security to the less experienced, that the snug and rt)ck\' harbors to which we had become accustomed, usually failed to give on account of the roaring of the surf a few hundred )'ar(.ls away, on the other side of the narrow barrier that protected the rocky basin. MONTAGNAIS INDIANS. 21 last we ,ys after ^ post at western of the Is about :\v miles row arm of the L- of the li and .-■ ige in its k at the was far off any the N ar- il ti fill for )r, nearly lear, and the most the lake, f iVtlan- hich the o of us, tlri/zle, itinuous atawney ajjje. yet security ubors to t;ive on ds away, tlic rocky The following day was bright and showery by turns, but the heart's wish of our Grand River men was granted, and while the schooner la}- off the shoals at the mouth of the river the}- were to make famous, they started as will be described, and the rest of the expedition turned towards North West Ri\cr, hoping the}-, too, could now get down to their real work. The noble little vessel was reluctant to lea\e any of her freight in so desolate a place, in such frail boats as the Rushtons seemed, and in the calm between the thunder squalls, several times turned towards them, as the}- energetically pushed up the river's mouth, and seemed to call them back as she heavily flapped her white sails. The}- kept steadily on, however, while the Julia, bowing to a [)o\\cr stronger than herself, and to a fresh puff from the rapidl}- rising thunder heads, sj)cedily reached North West River. North West River is a sportsman's paradise. Here we found the only real summer weather of the trip, the thermometer reaching j6 ^ V. on two days in succession, and thunder storms occurring regularly every aiternoon. Our gunners and fisher- men were tempted otT on a long trip. One part}' planning to be away two or three da}-s, but returning the following morning, reported tracks and sounds of large animals. They said the rain induced them to return so soon. Here we found a camp of Alontagnais Indians, bringing the winter's si)oils of furs to trade at the post for flour and powder, and the other articles of cixilization that the}- arc slo\\l\- learning to use. The}' loaf on their su[)[)lies during the summer, hunting onl}- enough to furnish themselves with meat, and then starve during the winter if game ha[5[)ens to be scarce. Measurements were made of some twent}--fi\'e of this branch of the Kree tribe, hitherto unknown to anthropometric science, and a full collection of household utensils peculiar to their tribe was procured. Several of the Nascopee tribe were with them, the two inter- marrying freely, and were also measured. The latter are not such magnificent specimens of physical development as the Montagnais, but their tribe is more numerous and seems, if anything, better adapted to thrive in Labrador than their more attractive brothers. oo BOWDOIN BOYS IN LA15KAD0R. The only remains of their picturesque national costume that we saw, was the cap. The women wore a curious knot of hair, about the size of a small egg, over each ear, while the :ien wore their hair cut off straight around, a few inches above the shoulders. In point of personal cleanliness, these people equal any abo- rigines we have seen, though their camp exhibited that supreme contempt for sanitation that characterizes every village except the Hudson Bay Co.'s posts on the Labrador coast, whether of Indians, Esquimaux or " planters," as the white and half-breed settlers are called. Some curious scenes were enacted while the professor was trading for his desired ethnological material. With inexhaust- ible patience and imperturbable countenance, he sat on a log, surrounded by yelping dogs, and by children and papooses of more or less tender ages and scanty raiment, playing on ten cent harmonicas that had for a time served as a staple of trade, struggling with the dogs and with their equally excitea mothers and sisters for a sight of the wonderful basket from whose apparently inexhaustible depths came forth }'et more harmonicas, sets of celluloid jewelry, knives, combs, fish-hooks, needles, etc., ad infinitum. The men, whose gravity equalled the delight of the women and children, held themselves somewhat aloof, seldom deigning to enter the circle about the magic ba-,ket, and making their trades in a very dignified and careless fashion. That these people are capable of civilization there can be no doubt. Missing the interpreter, without whom nothing could be done, the professor inquired for him and learned that he had returned to his wigwam. Upon being summoned he said he was tired of talking. Thereupon the professor bethought himself and asked him if he wanted more pay. The interpreter, no longer tired, was willing to talk all night. The camp was in a bend of the river and at the head of rapids about four miles from the mouth, up which we had to track, that is, one man had to haul the boat along by the bank with a small rope called a tracking line, while another kept her off the rocks by pushing against her with an oar. At that point the river A CARRIAGE ROAD. 23 nie that of hair, en wore ove the ny abo- supreme e except icther of :ilf-breed ssor was exhau st- ill a lov,, Dooses of I ten cent of trade, , mothers m whose •monicas, dies, etc., lelight of »f, seldom d making an be no ng could at he had id he was t himself )reter, no of rapids ;rack, that th a small the rocks the river opened out into a beautiful lake from one to two miles in width, whose further end we could not see. As this river never has been explored to its head, we were surprised that Messrs. Ikyant and Kenaston, who were ready for their inland trip about a week after our party had started up the Grand River, had not chosen it as a field for their work rather than follow in the foot- steps of our expedition. Of all Labrador north of the Straits, North West River alone boasts a carriage road. To be sure, there are neither horses nor carriages at that post, but when Sir Donald A. Smith, at present at the head of the Hudson Bay Co.'s interests in Canada, but then plain Mr. Smith, fjictor, was in charge of that post his energy made the place a garden in the wilderness, and in addi- tion to luxuries of an edible sort, he added drives in a carriage through forest and by shore, for about two miles, on a well made road. Now, we are informed there is not a horse or cow north of Belle Isle. The present factor, Mr. McLaren, is a shrewd Scotchman, genial and warm-hearted beneath a rather forbidding exterior, as all of our party who experienced his hospitality can testify. In spite of all its attractions we could not stay at North West River. In five weeks we were to meet our river detail at Rigo- lette, and during that time a trip north of 400 miles was to be made and the bulk of the expedition's scientific work to be done. Our day's sail, with fresh breezes and favoring squalls, took us the whole length of the delightful lake, whose waters had seldom been vexed by a keel as long as the Julia's, and brought us to an anchor off Eskimo Island. Here we had one of our regulcir fights with the mosquitoes, the engagement perhaps being a trifle hotter than usual, for they swarmed down the companion way every time the " mosquito door," of netting on a light frame hinged to the hatch house, was opened, in brigades and divisions and finally by whole army corps, till we were forced to retreat to our bunks, drive out the intruding hosts, which paid no respect whatever to our limited 6x3x3 private apartments, by energetically waving and slapping a towel around, then quickly shutting the door of netting, also on a tightly fitting frame, and •24 KOAVDfHN r.OVS IN LAP.nADOIt, devoting an lioiir or two at our leisure to deniolisliin;^ the few stra^r^rlers that remained wit in; or possibly the whole nit^dit, if an unknown breach had been found b)- the wil}- mosquito some- where in' our carefuU)' made defenses. A few bones were taken from the l^skimo graves that abound on the island, but the mos- quitoes seriously interfered with such work and the party soon returned to the vessel. The absolutel)' calm nii;ht allowed tiie mosquitoes to reach us and stay; and in spite of its Ijrevity and the utter stillness of the vast solitude about us, broken only now and then by a noise from the little 1 lalifax trader whose acquaint- ance we here made for the first time, ami of whom we saw so much on our return voyage across the gulf or by the howling of wolves and Eskimo dogs in the distance, we were glad when it was over and a morning breeze chased from our decks the invad- ing hosts. A short stop at Rigolcttc, to send about fifty letters ashore, a two days' delay in a cold, easterly storm at Turner Cove, on the south side of the inlet, when the icy winds, in contrast to the warm weather we had lately enjoyed, made us put on our heavy clothes and, even then, shiver — a delay, howe\er, that we did not grudge, for we were in a land of fish, game ano labradorite — this of a poor qualit}', as we afterward learned — and where the doctor hail more patients than he could easil}- attend to. At last a pleasant Sunda)-'s run to Indian Harbor got us clear of Hamilton Inlet. There we found the usual complement of fish and fishing ajjparatus, but with the acUlilion of a tew Yankee vessels and a church serxice. The latter we were quite surprised to find, and sex'eral went, out of curiosit}", and had the satisf iction of finding a small room, packed with about fifty human l)eings, with no ventilation what- ever, and of sitting on seats about four inches wide with no backs. The peoi)le were earnest and respectful, but did not seem to uiulerstand all that was said, as, perha^js, is not to be wondered at, since the)' are the poorest class of Newfoundlanders. Indian Harbor is like so man)' "others on the coast, merely a " tickle " with three ticklish entrances full of sunken rocks and treacherous currents. The small islands that make the harbor STOEM AND FOG. 25 lie few \<^\\t, if I somo- .' taken ic mos- y soon ^ed the Mty and nly now :quaint- : saw so wling of when it ic invad- ashorc, a c, on the ^t to the ur heavy t wo did idorite — here the to. At s clear (^f lit of fish Yankee Till went, Kill room, Lion what- c with no t did not ntvt to be ndlanders. , merely a rocks and he harbor are simply bare ledges, very rough and irregular in outline. The fishing village, also, like all others, consists of little earthen-cov- ered hovels, stuck down wherever a decently level spot fifteen feet square can be found, and of fislung stages running out from every little point and cove, in which the catch is placed to be taken care of, and alongside of which the heavy boats can lie without danger of being smashed by the undertow that is con- tinually heaving against the shore. A two days' run brought us up to Cape Harrigan, rounding which we went into Webeck I larbor. little thinking that in that dreary place storm and fog would hold us prisoners for five days. That was our fate, and even now we wonder how we lived through that dismal time. One day served to make us familiar with the flora, fauna, geog- raphy and geology of the region, for it was not an interesting place from a scientific point of view, however tlie fishermen may regard it, and after the departure of the mail steamer, leaving us all disappointed in regard to mail, time dragged on us terribly. Two or three of the more venturesome ones could get a little sport by pulling a long four miles down to the extremity of Cape Harrigan, where sea pigeon had a home in the face of a mag- nificent clift", against the bottom of which the gunners had to risk being thrown by the heavy swell rolling against it, as they shot from a boat bobbing like a cork, at " guillemots " flying like bullets from a gun out of the face of the cliff. C)ne evening a relief part}' was sent off for two who had gone off to land on a bad lee shore and were some hours overdue. To be sure the missing ones arrived very soon, all right, while the search party got back considerably later, drenched with spra)' and with their boat half hill of water, but the incident gave some relief from the monotony. Another evening several visiting captains and a few friends from ashore were treated to a concert by the Bowdoin Glee and Minstrel Club. All the old favorites of from ten years ago and less were served up in a sort of composite hash, greatly to the delight of both audience and singers. 26 BOWDOIN BOYS IN LABRADOR. At Wcbcck Harbor, which \vc came to pronounce " Wayback," probably because it seemed such a lontj way back to anything worthy of human interest, we saw the business of catching cod at its best. They had just " struck a spurt," the fishermen said, and day after day simply went to their traps, filled their boats and bags, took the catch home, where the boys and " ship girls " took charge of it, and returned to the traps to repeat the process. An idea of the amount of fish taken may be given by the figures of the catch of five men from one schooner, who took one thou- sand quintals of codfish in thirteen days. We obtained a better idea of the vast catch by the experience of one of our parties who spent part of a day at the traps, as the arrangement of nets along the shore is called, into which the cod swim and out of which they are too foolish to go. They are on much the same plan as salmon weirs, only larger, opening both ways, and being placed usually in over ten fathoms of water and kept in place by anchors, shore lines, and floats and sinkers. Once down they are usually kept in place a whole season. The party were in a boat, inside the line of floats, so interested in watching the fish- ermen making the " haul," as the process of overhauling the net and passing it under the boat is called, by which the fish are crowded up into one corner where they can be scooped out by the dozen, that they did not notice that the enormous catch was being brought to the surface directly under them till their own boat began to rise out of the water, actually being grounded on the immense shoal of codfish. It was a strange sensation and makes a strange story. All the time that we were storm-stayed at Webeck the " spurt " con- tinued, and the trap owners were tired but jubilant. The " hand- lining " crews were correspondingly depressed, for, though so plenty, not a cod would bite a hook. It is this reason, that is, because an abundance of food brings the cod to the shores in great numbers and at the same time prevents them ^rom being hungry, that led to the abandonment of trawling and the univer- sal adoption of the trap method. We did not see a single trawl on the coast, and it is doubtful if there was one there in use. ( ABUNDANCE OF CODFISH. 27 jack," .'thing g cod ti said, boats girls" roccss. figures : thou- L better parties of nets out of le same d being )lace by \n they ■ere in a he fish- the net fish are out by itch was icir own nded on ry. AH rt " con- le " hand- lough so , that is, shores in )m being le univer- ^gle trawl n use. During these spurts, the day's work just begins, in fact, after the hard labor of rowing the heavy boats out, perhaps two miles, to the trap, hauling, mending the net, loading and unloading the fish — always a hard task and sometimes a very difficult one on account of the heavy sea — has been repeated three or four times ; for the number of fish is so great that the stage becomes over- loaded by night, and the boat crews then have to turn to and help take care of the catch and clear the stage for the next day's operations. Till long after midnight the work goes mer- rily on in the huts or shelters over the stages, for the hard work then means no starvation next winter in the Newfoundland homes, and the fish are split, cleaned, headed, salted and packed with incredible rapidity. The tired crews get an hour or two of sleep just as they are; then, after a pot of black tea and a handful of bread, start out to begin the next day's work, resting and eating during the hour between the trips, and then going out again, and repeating the some monotonous round over and over till we wondered how they lived through it, and what was to be done with all the fish. When there is a good breeze the boats are rigged and a large part of the weary labor of rowing is escaped. How tired the crews would look as the big twenty-four feet boats went dashing by our vessel in the fog and rain, on the outward trip, and how happy, though if possible more tired, as they came back three or four hours later, loaded to the gunwale with cod, and think- ing, perhaps, of the bags full that they had left buoyed near the trap because the boat would not carry the whole catch. It is a hard life, and no wonder the men are not much more than ani- mals ; but they work with dogged persistence, for in a little more than two months enough must be earned to support their families for the year. When the " spurt " ends the crews get a much needed rest, and attend to getting a supply of salt ashore from the salt vessel from Cadiz, Spain, one of which we found lying in nearly every fishing harbor, serving as a storehouse for that article so necessary to the fishermen. As to the magnitude of the industry, it is estimated that there are about 3,000 vessels and 20,000 men employed in it during 28 BOWDOIN BOYS IN LAURADOR. 1 .iij t \ 1 il 1 1, the season. Some of the vessels are employed in merely bring- ing salt and taking away the fish, notably the great iron tramp steamers of from 1,500 to 2,000 tons, which seem so much out of place moored to the sides of some of the little rocky harbors. The average catch in a good year is, we were informed, from four to six hundred quintals in a vessel of perhaps forty tons, by a crew of from four to eight men. The trap outfit costs about $500 and is furnislied b>' the large fish firms in Newfound- land, to be paid for with fish. As the market price, to the fish- ermen, is from five dollars to si.x dollars a quintal, the value of the industry is at once apparent. The great bulk of the fish go to Mediterranean ports direct, to Catholic countries, chiefiy, and also to Brazil. The small size and imperfect curing which the Labrador summer allows make the fish almost unsalable in hLnglish and American mar- kets. Many of the cod are of the black, Greenland variety, which are far less palatable, and are usually thrown away or cured separately for the cheaper market. All storms come to an end finally, and at last the sun shone, the windlass clanked and we were underway. The long delay seemed to have broken our little schooner's spirits, for after being out three or four hours we had gone but as many miles, and those in the wrong direction. At length the gentle breeze seemed to revive her and we gently slipped by the Ragged Islands and Cape Mokkavik. That Sunday evening will long be remembered by us, for in addition to the delight we felt at again moving northward, and the charm of a bright evening with a gentle, fair wind and smooth water, allowing us to glide by hundreds of fulmar and shearwater sitting on the water, scarcely disturbed by our pas- sage, the moon was paled by the brightest exhibition of the aurora we saw while in northern waters. Its sudden darts into new quarters of the heavens, its tumultuous waves and gentle undulations, now looking like a fleecy cloud, now like a gigantic curtain shaken by still more gigantic hands into ponderous folds — all were reflected in the quiet water and from the numerous bergs, great and small, that dotted the surface, till the beholder HOPEDALE. 29 gentle was at times awe-struck and silent, utterly unable to find words with which to express himself. The next day we rounded Gull Island, which we identified with some difficulty, owing to the absence of the fiagstaff by which the coast i)ilot says it can be tlistinguished, antl, after a delightful sail up the clear souiul leading through the fringe of islands to Iloiiedale, we spied the red-roofed houses and earth- covered huts, the mission houses and I'^skimo village, of which the settlement consists, snugly hidden behind little " Anatokavit," or little Snow Hill Island, at the foot of a steep and loft}' hill surmounted by the mission llagstaff. Here we were destined to pass five days as pleasant as the five at Webeck had been tedious. The harbor at Hopedale is the best one we visited on the coast. The twelve miles of sound, fringed and studded with islands, completely broke the undertt)W which hdu kept our ves- sel constantly rolling, when at anchor, in every harbor except those up Hamilton Inlet and Lake Melville. About two miles south of us a vast, unexi)lored bay ran for a long distance inlanil, while to the north, K)oking from Flagstaff Peak, we could see Cape Ilarrigan and the shoals about it, the numberless inlets, coves and bays which fill in the sixty miles to Nain. We were very much disappointed at our inability to go north to that place, but before our start from the United States Hope.dalc had been named as the point with which we would be content if ice and winds allowed us to reach it, and that point proved the northern limit of our voyage. About half a mile across the point of land on which the mis- sionary settlement lies, is the site of the pre-historic village of " Avatoke," which means " may-we-have-seals." It consisted of three approximately circular houses, in line parallel with the shore, at the head of a slight cove, backed to the west by a high hill, and with a fine beach in front, now raised considerably from the sea level. Along the front of the row of houses were immense shell heaps, from which we dug ivory, that is, walrus teeth ; carvings, stone lamps, spear heads, portions of kyaks, whips, komatiks, as the sleds are called, etc., etc., and bones innumerable of all the varieties of birds, fish and game on which 80 DOWDOIN HOYS IN LAHKADOR. the early Eskimo dined ; as well as remnants of all tlic imple- ments which l*lskimos used in the household generations ai^o, and which can nearly all now be recognized by the almost iden- tically shaped and made implements in the houses of Eskimos there in llopedale, so little do they change in the course of centuries. The village has been completely deserted for over one hundred years, and was in its prime centuries before that, so the tales of its greatness are only tlim I'Lskimo traditions. The houses were found to average about thirty-five feet across on the inside; are separated by a space of about fifteen feet, and each had a long, narrow doorway or entrance, being almost exactly in line. The walls are about fifteen feet thick and now about five feet high, of earth, with the gravel beach for a foun- dation. The inside of the wall was aj^parently lined with some- thing resembling a wooden bench. When, in one of the houses, the remains of the dirt and stone roof that had long since crushed down the rotten poles and seal skins that made the framework and first covering, had been carefidly remcjved, the floor was found to be laid with flagstones, many three or four feet across, closely fitted at the edges and well laid in tbj gravel so as to make a smooth, even floor. This extended to the remains of the bench at the sides, and made a dwelling which for Eskimo land must have been palatial. The evidences of fire showed the hearth to have been near the center of the floor, a little towards the entrance, in order to get the most from its heat. The Hope- dale Eskimo were themselves surprised at the stone floor, but one old man remembered that he had been told that such floors were used long ago, in the palmier days of Eskimo history, if such an expression is fitting for an arctic people. A village arranged on a similar plan, except that the houses were joined together, was found to constitute the supposed remains of a settlement on Eskimo Island in Lake Melville. In both cases the front of the row is towards the east, and the houses are dug down to sand on the inside, making their floors somewhat below the level of the ground. A more thorough investigation than we were able to make of the remains at Eskimo Island would undoubtedly yield much of ESKIMOS. 31 louses pposcd Ic. md the floors interest and value, for they were if anythin• LABRADOR. wharf. There \vc saw a ragged looking individual, smoking a ver)' short and black clay pipe, with one arm in a sling, who seemed to recognize us, and waved his hat vigorousl}' with his well arm. Soon we recognized Young and were pumping awa\- at his well hand in our delight at finding his injuries no worse, and that Gary and Cole were )'et pushing on, determined to accomplish their object. Young's hand had been in a critical state ; the slight injury first received unconsciously, from exposure and lack of atten- tion had caused a swelling of his hand and arm that was both extremely painful and dangerous, and which, the doctor said, would have caused the loss of the thumb, or possibl)- of the whole hand, had it gone uncared for much longer. Of course it was impossible to leave a man in such a condition, or to send him back alone. So Smith ver)- regretfully x'olunteered to turn back — at a point where a few days more were expected to give a sight of the Falls, and when all thought the hardest work of the Grand River part}' had been accomplished — and accompany Young back to Rigolette. It was a great sacrifice of Smith's personal desires, to be one of the re-discoverers of the falls, to the interests of the expedi- tion, and it involved a great deal of hard work, for, after pad- dling and rowing all day, he had to build and break camp every night and morning, as Young's hand grew steadil)- worse and was all he conld attend to. At the mouth of the ri\er, which was reached in shorter time than was expected, and without accident. Young obtained some relief from applica- tions of spruce gum to his hand by Joe Michelini, a trapper and hunter, famous for his skill in all Labrador. Northwest River was reached the following day, and after a few days of rest for Smith, during which time Young's injur}- began to mend also under the influences of rest and shelter, they hired a small schooner boat to take them to Rigolette. On the passage they were struck by a squall in the night, nearly swamped, and com- pelled to cut the Rushton boat adrift inorderto save themselves. The next day they searched the leeward shore of the lake in vain, and had to go on without her, arriving at Rigolette with- ANXIOrS WAITING. :^7 cr, and ica- and vivcr -t for also ;mall they com- clves. Kc in with- out further accident, and had been there about a week when we arrived. The boat was picked up later in a badly daniai,'ed condition, and '^Wcn to the finder. While Younij outlined his experience we hunted up Smith, who had been makin;^ himself useful as a clerk to the factor at the Post, ^Ir. Bel!, and all went on bixu'd the Julia as soon as she arrived, to report and relieve in a measure the anxiety of the professor and the boys. The day appointed for meeting the river party was the day on which we reached Rigolette, August 25th, and so a sharp lookout was kept for the two remaining members of the part>-, on whom, now. the failure or success of that part of the ex- pedition rested. /\s they did not appear, we moved up to a cove near Eskimo Island, at the eastern end of Lake Mel- ville, the following day, and there spent four days of anxious waiting. Some dredging and geological work was done, and an attempt was made to examine more carefully the re- mains of the Eskimo village before referred to on Eskimo Island, which some investigators had thought the remains of a Norse settlement. The turf was too tough to break through without a plow, and wc had to give it up, doing just enough to satisfy ourselves that the remains were purely Eskimo. All the work attempted was done in a half-hearted man- ner, for our thoughts were with Gary and Cole, and as the days went by and they did not appear, but were more and more overdue, our suspense became almost unbearable. Added to this was the thought that we could wait but a few days more at the longest, without running the danger of being imprisoned all winter, and for that we were poorly prepared. The first day of September we moved back to Rigolette to get supplies and make preparations for our voyage home, as it was positively unsafe to remain any longer. The Gulf of St. Lawrence is an ugly place to cross at any time in September, for in that month the chances are rather against a small vessel's getting across safely. It was decided that the expedition must start home on Wed- nesday, the 2nd, and that a relief party should be left for Gary 38 EOWDOIX BOYS IN LABKADOE. and Cole. With heavy hearts the final preparations were made, and many were the looks cast at the narrows where they would be seen, were they to heave in sight. At last, about 3.30 p. m. Tuesday, the lookout yelled, " Sail ho ! in the narrows," and we all jumped for the rigging. They had come, almost at the last hour of our waiting, and with a feelin^ of relief such as we shall seldom again experience we welcomed them aboard and heard their story. -°^=^