OR RIîD INDIANS OF NEWFOUNDLAND. 129 



no adniiuistration of justice on the island, except what they set up themselves, and the 

 rude aborigines they regarded as having no rights v^'hich white men were bound to 

 respect. Their avarice, too, was excited by the skin dresses or the rich fur robes in which 

 these poor creatures wrapt themselves at night, or even in which they laid their dead to 

 rest, and they did not hesitate to take possession of them, even if this involved the shoot- 

 ing of the owners. And when such wrongs led to retaliation on the part of the injured 

 red men, it only excited their enemies to a more determined effort to exterminate them as 

 they would so many wolves. In this warfare what chance had the poor natives, with 

 their bows and arrows, against the deadly firearms of the whites. 



But another circumstance must be mentioned. In the year 16(30 the French had 

 established themselves at Placentia, and in subsequent years extended their authority 

 along the southern coast. On the mainland they had secured the attachment to their 

 interests of the various Algonkin tribes with whom they came in contact, but in this 

 respect they were as iiusuccessful with tha Beothiks as they were with the Iroquois. 

 Some misunderstanding having arisen between the French authorities and them, the for- 

 mer offered a reward for the heads or persons of certain of their chiefs.' A number of 

 Micmacs had been brought over from Cape Breton or Nova Scotia. They are said to have 

 been friendly to the Beothiks up to this time, but this offer excited their cupidity, and, 

 according to tradition, there occurred a scene, thus described by Hon. A. W. Des Barres, 

 formerly one of the judges of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland : " Some of the Mic- 

 macs were tempted by the reward, and took off the heads of two of them. Before the 

 heads were delivered to obtain the reward, they were by accident discovered concealed in 

 the canoe which was to convey them, and recognized by some of the Eed Indians as those 

 of their friends. The Red Indians gave no intimation of the discovery to the perpetrators 

 of the outrage, but consulted among themselves and determined on having revenge. 

 They invited the Micmacs to a feast, and arranged their guests in such order that every 

 Beothik had a Micmac by his side. At a preconcerted signal every Beothik slew his 

 guest. They then retired quickly from those places bordering on the Micmac country. 

 War of course ensued. Firearms were little known to the Indians at this time, but they 

 soon came into more general use among such tribes as continued to hold intercourse with 

 Europeans. This circumstance gave the Micmacs an undisputed ascendancy over the 

 Beothiks, who were forced to betake themselves to the recesses of the interior and other 

 parts of the island, alarmed, as well they might be, at every report of the firelock." - 



I am inclined to believe, for reasons to be given hereafter, that the Micmacs and 

 they were hereditary foes. If, however, they were on the first arrival of the latter in 

 Newfoundland friendly, this state of things was soon superseded by one of mutual and 

 relentless hostility. Jukes ("Excursions in Newfoundland") says that in IVTO a battle 

 took place between the two tribes at the north end of Grand Pond. There must be a 

 mistake about the date. It is more likely to be in 1670. He also says that the Beothiks 

 called them Shonaks or Shawnaks, ie., "bad Indians." At all events, in the historic 

 period the Micmacs were their most implacable foes, and members of the two tribes sel- 



' This is told by M. Tocque, as well as by Judge Desbarres, in the speech to be quoted immediately. But they 

 do not give their authority for the statement. 



^ Speech delivered at the meeting of the Boeothic Society in tlie year 1827. The story, without the first inci- 

 dent of the Micmacs' treachery, was told by an old Micmac to Mr. Peyton. 



SiC. II, 1S91, 17 



