Mr W. E. Cormack's Search for the Red Indians. 319 



My party consisted of three Indians, whom I procured from 

 among the other different tribes, viz. an intelligent and able 

 man of the Abenakie tribe, from Canada ; an elderly Mountain- 

 eer from Labrador ; and an adventurous young Micmack, a na^ 

 tive of this island, together with myself. It was difficult to ob- 

 tain men fit for the purpose, and the trouble attending on this 

 prevented my entering on the expedition a month earlier in the 

 season. It was my intention to have commenced our search at 

 White Bay, which is nearer the northern extremity of the island 

 than where we did, and to have travelled southward. But the 

 weather not permitting to carry my party thither by water, af- 

 ter several days delay, I unwillingly changed my line of route. 



On the 31st of October 1828 last, we entered the country at 

 the mouth of the River Exploits, on the north side, at what is 

 called the Northern Arm. We took a north-westerly direction, 

 to lead us to Hall's Bay, which place we reached through an 

 almost uninterrupted forest, over a hilly country, in eight days. 

 This tract comprehends the country interior from New Bay, 

 Badger Bay, Seal Bay, &c. ; these being minor bays, included 

 in Green or Notre Dame Bay, at the north-east part of the 

 island, and well-known to have been always heretofore the sum- 

 mer residence of the Red Indians. 



On the fourth day after our departure, at the east end of 

 Badger Bay-Great Lake, at a portage known by the name of 

 the Indian Path, we found traces made by the Red Indians, 

 evidently in the spring or summer of the preceding year. Their 

 party had had two canoes ; and here was a camoe-reat^ on which 

 the daubs of red-ochre, and the roots of trees used to fasten or 

 tie it together appeared fresh. A canoe-rest, is simply a few 

 beams supported horizontally about ^vq feet from the ground^ 

 by perpendicular posts. A party with two canoes, when de- 

 scending from the interior to the sea-coast, through such a part 

 of the country as this, where there are troublesome portages^ 

 leave one canoe resting, bottom up, on this kind of frame, to 

 protect it from injury by the weather, until their return. 

 Among other things which lay strewed about here, were a spear- 

 shaft, eight feet in length, recently made and ochred ; parts of 

 old canoes, fragments of their skin-dresses, &c. For some dis- 

 tance around, the trunks of many of the birch, and of that spe- 

 cies of spruce pine called here the Var {Pmus balsamifera) had 



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