The Lower St. Lawrence. 23 



known as Batture mix Comeillcs, you may at times see a 

 dense vapor, to all appearance, hovering over it, that you 

 might take for a squall of rain or hail, but soon the snowy 

 breasts of myriads of chubby little northern strangers, the 

 ring-plovers, are to be seen settling on the sand ; now is 

 your time, — enfilade their ranks ; fire low — one shot suffices ; 

 to fire again, would only cause .unnecessary carnage. The 

 Seigneury of these islands belongs to the McPherson family, 

 who, to their praise be it said, are indefatigable in enforcing 

 the game laws and punishing trespassers ; but their permis- 

 sion is easily obtained for a day's shooting, by a true sports- 

 man. Within the last five years, two guns in two days killed 

 fifty wild geese there. Crane Island has its legend attached 

 to it. More than a century ago a French officer left Old for 

 New France, as Canada was then called. He obtained the 

 grant of a Seigneury comprising a group of islands called 

 the Ste. Marguerite, including Goose and Crane Islands, and 

 thereon he built, not a baronial castle, not a crenelated tower, 

 but a plain, massive, stone house- — a prison, as it proved sub- 

 sequently, for himself — or for his son ; tradition has failed to 

 elucidate the point. There for many a long year a solitary 

 prisoner was immured. His keeper, perhaps his friend, his 

 relative — was a woman of rank and wealth. The prisoner, it 

 was said, was insane. The question was often asked, Were 

 there no lunatic asylums in France fit to receive him ? 

 Dark surmises were circulated. Who was this new Masque 

 • de Fer ? Why was he thus immured ? The name of the 

 fair occupant of the manor was Madame de Granville ; the 

 prisoner was . . . her brother — sisterly love made her his 

 jailor — she said so. Years rolled on, the captive died, and 

 though till recently the ruins of the grim old house were 

 standing, on its site a modern structure has been erected. 

 It required great effort to disjoint the masonry of the old 

 walls. 



Steaming down the North Channel after passing Chateau 



