12 FOUR YEAES IX THE WHITE NORTH [July 



and anchored the ship about three hundred yards from 

 the shore, just at dusk. 



Appreciating the danger of our proxunity to land and 

 the probabihty of an increase of wind and sea at any 

 minute, we turned instantly to the work of reloading 

 our cargo, seriously handicapped as we were by a heavy 

 mist and the blackness of the night. ^Ye were about 

 to congratulate ourselves on the probable success of our 

 arduous work, with no sleep and very little food, when 

 a man arrived from the shore to report that the fisher- 

 men, upon whom I depended for the reloading of the 

 ship, demanded one dollar and fifty cents an hour for 

 their services! I visited the shore at once, impatient 

 to examine this new species of Labrador fisherman who 

 valued his services so highly. There stood the men 

 with hands in their pockets, looking a bit sullen. A few 

 words resulted in their acceptance of fifty cents. 



That night's work seems like a nightmare. The rat- 

 tle of the steam-wmch, the cries of the men, the flicker- 

 ing lights, the boats appearing and disappearing in the 

 darkness, the aching body, the sore hands, the drunken 

 crew! Thank God! at davlight everv box and everv 

 single item of our equipment were again restored in our 

 hold and about our decks, one farmer-fisherman ejacu- 

 lating: "\Miat do ye think! I didn't even get a board 

 for me barn door!" I ordered the ship to proceed to 

 Red Bay for the boxes which the three fishing-schooners 

 landed there, and I jumped over the rail of the deeply 

 loaded mail-boat, walked dizzily to a state-room, and fell 

 asleep trying to remove my boots. Forty-two hours 

 without sleep, combined ^'ith hard physical labor and 

 continuous mental strain, inexorably demanded rest. 



On the 19th the Diana came steaming proudly up the 



