RIGOLETTE. 19 



Here we had our first experience with the immense deer-flies 

 of Labrador. Off Mt. Gnat they came in swarms and for self- 

 protection each man armed himself with a small wooden paddle 

 and slapped at them right and left, on the deck, the rail, another 

 fellow's back or head, in fact, wherever one was seen to alight. 

 The man at the wheel was doubly busy, protecting himself, with 

 the assistance of ready volunteers, from their lance-like bites, 

 and steering the quickly moving vessel. 



At last the white buildings and flag-staff which mark all the 

 Hudson Bay Co.'s posts in Labrador, came in sight, snugly nestled 

 in a little cove, beneath a high ridge lying just to the north-west 

 of it, and soon we were at anchor. Our intention was to get 

 into the cove, but the six knot current swept us by the mouth 

 before the failing breeze enabled us to get in. 



After supper the necessary formal call was made on the factor, 

 Mr. Bell, by the professor, armed with a letter of introduction 

 from the head of the company in London, and escorted by three 

 or four of the party. A rather gruff reception, at first met with, 

 became quite genial, when it appeared that we wanted no assist- 

 ance save a pilot, and called only to cultivate the acquaintance 

 of the most important official in Labrador. 



With a promise to renew the acquaintance upon our return, 

 we left, and after a hard pull and an exciting moment in getting 

 the boat fast alongside, on account of the terrific current, we 

 reached the deck and reported. 



Our rivals were there, and had hired the only available boat 

 and crew to transport them to North West River. This threw 

 us back on our second plan, viz : to take our party right to the 

 mouth of the Grand River ourselves, which involved a trip 

 inland of one hundred miles to the head of Lake Melville. 

 This it was decided to do, and after some delay in securing a 

 pilot, owing to the transfer at the last moment of the affections 

 of the first man we secured to the other party, John Blake came 

 aboard and we started on our new experience in inland naviga- 

 tion. Just as we entered the narrows, after a stop at John's 

 house to tell his wife where we were taking him, and to give her 

 some medicine and advice from the doctor, we saw our rivals 



