OE BED INDIANS OP NEWFOUNDLAND. ISl 



" Saw the three Indian women in the street. The ladies had dressed theui in Eng- 

 lish garb, but over their dress they all had on their, to them indispensable, deer-skin 

 shawls. And Shanandithit, thinking the long front of her bonnet au unnecessary append- 

 age, had torn it off, and in its place had decorated her forehead and her arms with tiusel 

 and coloured paper. 



" They took a few trinkets and a quantity of the fancy paper that is usually wrapped 

 round pieces of linen. But their great selection was pots, kettles, hatchets, hammers, 

 nails and other articles of ironmongery, with which they were loaded so that they could 

 scarcely walk. It was painful to see the sick woman, who, notwithstanding her debility, 

 was determined to have her share of these valuable treasures." 



It w^as found that the youngest daughter was in consumption. The mother also was 

 unwell. It was therefore deemed prudent to hasten their return to their people. This 

 work was entrusted to Mr. Peyton, who was furnished with a large number of presents, 

 consisting of such articles as would be most likely to please them. These he was 

 instructed to use as circumstances and his own discretion might render most suitable as 

 " an incitement to these poor creatures to repose confidence in our people in that part of 

 the coast they frequent." 



A vessel was sent to take the women to the place whence they came. The ship's 

 boat took all their things ashore. Then the women went with great reluctance. But 

 when they were landed and the boat was about to leave them, they cried, they screamed, 

 and rushed into the water after the boat. The captain's orders were to put them ashore 

 and leave them. But in the circumstances he felt that this would be cruel. He there- 

 fore determined to leave them with the people who had captured them. The sick daugh- 

 ter soon died and the mother did not long survive. Shanandithit stated that the reason 

 they were all unwilling to go back to their own people was that they would be killed as 

 traitors, having been among the whites, but probably they did not wish to go back to the 

 state of misery in which they had left the remnant of the tribe. 



In the year 182'7 a " Boeothick Society " was formed in St. John's for the special pur- 

 pose of holding communication with the remnint of the tribe, if still existent, and to do 

 what was possible for their improvement. For this purpose an expedition was organized 

 to traverse that portion of the island, which they had been known to occupy, and was 

 placed under the charge of Mr. Cormack, who had crossed the island in 1822. He accord- 

 ingly proceeded to the Bay of Exploits, and from his report laid before the Bœothick Society 

 we shall transcribe those portions which bear upon the special object of his journey : — 



" My party consisted of three Indians, an intelligent and able man of the Abenaki 

 tribe from Canada, an elderly Mountaineer from Labrador, and an adventurous young 

 Micmac, a native of this island, together with myself." 



"On the 3 1st October, 1827, we entered the country at the mouth of the Kiver Ex- 

 ploits, ou the north side, at the branch called the Northern Arm. We took a northwest- 

 erly direction, which led us to Hall's Bay, through an almost uninterrupted forest, and 

 over a hilly country in eight days. This tract includes the interior country, extending 

 from New Bay, Badger Bay, Seal Bay, etc., being minor bays branching from Notre Dame 

 Bay, and well known to have been heretofore always the summer residences of the Eed 

 Indians. 



" On the fourth day after our departure, at the east end of Badger Bay, Great Lake, 



