CHAP. xvm. NASQUAPEE INDIANS. 293 



men, and the robe noire (the priest), had excited their 

 curiosity. 



As he was descending the Moisie in his canoe a few 

 miles from the station, he saw a cow on the edge of 

 the river. A cow to the Nasquapee was a new species 

 of animal, larger than the caribou and as strong as a 

 bear. He saw it drink in the Moisie when half a mile 

 away. What could it be ? He took it for a large deer 

 of a kind he had never seen or even heard of before, and 

 with stealthy caution he landed, left his canoe in charge 

 of his squaw, and advanced through the forest to stalk the 

 cow. Fortunately he was seen by two men, born on the 

 coast, and in the employment of Mr. Holliday, who were 

 going up the river in a flat to set salmon nets. They had 

 landed to prepare some stakes, and at the time when the 

 canoe appeared round the bend of the river were sitting 

 half hid in the long grass on the bank, smoking a pipe 

 near the spot where the cow was drinking. They saw 

 the canoe stop, then turn towards shore, and an Indian 

 clothed in deer skin get out and cautiously ascend the 

 bank. They immediately suspected that the stranger was 

 a JSTasquapee who had never seen a cow before, and that 

 he had mistaken the animal for a large kind of deer and 

 was going to stalk it. Creeping up the bank so as not 

 to be seen by the squaw in the canoe, they got between 

 the cow and the place where they thought the Nas- 

 quapee would come, concealing themselves in the under- 

 brush. 



Five minutes after they saw him approach with great 

 caution, bow and arrow in hand. 



He reached the top of the bank, peered over it, gazed 



