^°'i^lO^"] Deane, Audubon's Labrador Trip of 1833. 45 



flying above and around uttering peculiar noises, snapping their 

 long, sharp and hard bills. It was wonderful. I cannot give you 

 the events of our voyage in true catenation, except my desultory 

 presentation. We soon came to Wapitagun Harbor which has a 

 tortuous and narrow entrance but when inside one is struck with 

 wonder at being surrounded by high ledges of beautiful, clear gray 

 granite forming sides like a basin, of course irregular, large enough 

 to accommodate a fleet. Sailors call it * Wappitygun,' meaning a 

 whopping great gun — • there being on the top of a high sharp 

 ])innacle a large stone which at a distance, with moderate fancy, 

 resembles in form a large cannon. How could we be there, we 

 boys, and not climb up for a nearer inspection ? In another place, 

 or harbor, there was a similar peak upon which there is an immense 

 boulder said to be movable, rockable ; we proved the fact but could 

 not start it down hill, although we tried. This is a good place for 

 me to tell of the sagacity of our Caj)tain upon getting into the 

 harbor, his manner of doing it and the feeling of responsibility he 

 manifested. The boat launched and manned. Captain with lead- 

 line in hand, and eating tobacco, standing aft, eyes everywhere, 

 excited yet weary, slow, easy, pull hearty, accomplished. He was 

 very alert, always willing and ready. Mr. Audubon being almost 

 all the time aboard at work did not have so good a knowledge of the 

 moss of which he speaks, as we boys did, for we were sent out to 

 different distances from the ship to explore, to gather information, 

 to hunt and to bring ourselves and new species of birds, home at 

 night. 



You must fancy the surface over which we toiled, a rich, thick, 

 beautiful, spongy moss, in lumps as though baskets with rounding 

 bottoms the size of a peck, up to two bushels, turned bottom up- 

 wards and laid together, joined, the rounding elevation being five 

 to ten inches. Do you get it from my clumsy description ? Now, 

 walk. No, proceed for a mile over this carpet and you will experi- 

 ence the fatigue of a walk from Cambridge to Boston and return. 

 It was different from walking through snow six to ten inches deep ; 

 'twas lovely moss to look upon. In some places we found straw- 

 colored berries the size of cherries, the flavor j^retty good. The 

 name we gave them I forget. 



Having described imperfectly the moss I am induced to try a 



