58 THE LABEADOR PENINSULA. CHAP. iv. 



pointed to his gun. I brought it to him ; he put it into 

 my hand, turned round his head, and died." 



' The Indian sat looking at the fire for many minutes. I 

 did not want to interrupt his thoughts. After a while I 

 filled his pipe, put a coal in it, and gave it to him. He 

 took it, still looking at the fire. Perhaps he saw the 

 spirit of his cousin there, as Indians often say they do. 

 He smoked for a long time. A length he spoke, looking 

 at the body, and pointing to it, saying, " He said last 

 winter that some one would die before the year was out." 



' I knew well enough that it was one of their supersti- 

 tions that had troubled him, for he was a heathen not 

 more than a year ago ; and a man does not get rid of his 

 heathen notions by being touched with a drop of Manitou 

 water. So I said to him, " Did he see anything ?" 



' " He came across tracks." 



'"Tracks?" 



' " A Wendigo," said the Indian. 



' " Have you ever seen one ?" I asked him. 



6 " I have seen tracks." 



'"Where?" 



' " On the St. Marguerite, the Mingan, the Manitou, the 

 Oa-na-ma-ue. My cousin saw tracks on the Manitou last 

 winter, and he said to me and to many of us, ' Something 

 will happen." 



' " What were the tracks like ? " I said to him. 



' " Weudigoes," he replied. 



1 "Well, but how big were they ?" 



' He looked at me and said nothing, nor would he speak 

 on the subject again. 



6 These Montagnais think,' continued Pierre, ' that the 



