642 Newfoundland Adventures.. 



At our repeated shouts, the messenger turned round, and at that 

 moment, the party to which he had been advancing, discharged their 

 arrows at him. He was struck ran a little way towards us, staggered, 

 and fell. The Esquimaux rushed towards him with loud shouts; and 

 Mr. English, well knowing the fate that awaited the poor fellow, if they 

 reached him, ran courageously to his aid, and discharged his pistols at 

 the assailants. They returned his fire by several arrows shot in suc- 

 cession, and so well aimed, that if he had not watched narrowly, and 

 jumped actively aside, each shaft would have transfixed him. I was 

 struck with admiration at the intrepid presence of mind and quickness 

 displayed in this dangerous moment by a quiet young man, whose 

 exercises had hitherto been of so different a cast. The old Peruvian 

 gymnasts, who stood as marks on their pedestals,* could not have 

 evaded the hostile missiles more dexterously. The secret of his safety, 

 I believe, lay in the calm, observant mood which was constitutional in 

 him, and now enabled him to look danger steadily in the face to cor- 

 rectly estimate its tendency and, thus collected and forewarned, to 

 move the requisite step in ease and safety. 



The party to the right now made ready to assist their companions. 

 Our crew also ran towards the scene of action. " Stop, lads ! and fire 

 quickly and steadily," cried Simon ; ' f 'tis the only chance to save them !" 

 Each of our men shot in turn, but so hurriedly, from the agitation they 

 felt at the sight of their fallen comrade in the clutches of savages, that 

 they all missed their marks. Simon and I had not yet fired. Some of 

 the fishers stood in my way, so I discharged my piece (which was loaded 

 with swan drops), at the second party, who were now advancing with 

 shouts of defiance, and with good effect, for they instantly retreated, took 

 up their canoes, and we soon lost sight of them. The others had now 

 surrounded their hapless victim ; and one of them (the fellow who first 

 threatened Paul) was in the act of plucking out the arrow he had 

 shot him with, when Simon, resting his long duck-gun on a branch of 

 the withered spruce that our boat was tied to, fired and shot him dead. 

 On his fall, and our approach, his companions speedily retraced their 

 steps, with the exception of one who remained bent in anguish over his 

 body ; but, such is the force of habit, ere they fled they could not resist 

 the temptation of snatching their own particular arrows out of the body 

 of the dying man. They also found time to plunder him of the ill-fated 

 presents. 



As our crew hastened up to their bleeding comrade, the remaining 

 savage fled also. Two of the fishers, who had re-loaded, again presented 

 their pieces with steady, vengeful aim, but Simon arrested their fire by 

 exclaiming, "Hold, lads! 'tis a woman! I see the peak of her head-dress, 

 with its beads and feathers. I '11 stop her without gunpowder. Here, 

 Cabot ! seize her, boy ; catch her by the long cloak, and hold her fast !" 



The dog waited for no more, but stretched away after the waddling 

 bundle of skins which his master's sharp eye had recognized as the dress 

 of a female Esquimaux. He soon came up with her, and effectually 

 arrested her flight by laying firm hold of the ample bear-skin robe. 

 Hoping still to escape, she untied it at the collar, left it in his grasp, and 

 fled again. Again the dog pursued, caught her by the tail of her jacket, 

 and held her securely without further violence. The savage, thus tram- 



* Vide Marmontel's Ir.cas. 



