2-2 THE LABEADOR PENINSULA. CHAP. n. 



His wife then turned the canoe in disgust to shore and 



stepped straight to her father's lodge. After much bother, 



Louis prevailed upon her to come with him again to 



hunt, and give him a chance. So she agreed to go again, 



and on the following day she steered him close to a seal : 



he fired, and missed. She brought him up to another : 



he fired again, and missed a second time. She looked 



so Louis told his people just looked, said nothing; 



but that look made Louis nervous. She brought him to 



a third seal - - close to it he missed again. She said 



nothing, but paddled to shore, and then ran to her 



father's lodge. She says she '11 never live with him again. 



Up to this time she 's kept her word ; but they say the 



priest will make her when she goes to Seven Islands next 



month we shall see.' 



I turned to look at Louis' wife. She stood near to the 

 place where we were talking ; a handsome, determined 

 woman ; lips full, but tightly closed ; a dark, intelligent 

 eye, which, when it met yours, rested upon you with a 

 tranquil, self-possessed gaze. Her arms were folded 

 beneath a shawl she drew tightly round her waist. Her 

 hair was neatly bunched up, Montagnais fashion, on each 

 side of her face ; she wore the picturesque Montagnais 

 cap of crimson and black, ornamented with braid round 

 the edges ; neat moccasins and mistassins peeped from 

 beneath her dress as she stood motionless, watching her 

 sisters cutting up a seal, and apparently paying no atten- 

 tion to their jeers and scoffs, which the interpreter near at 

 hand said they were ' throwing at Louis.' Altogether 

 she seemed to be a very unfit life companion for the indo- 

 lent and careless Louis, who always wore a look of happy 



