BACK TO BOSTON AND EASTPORT 163 



ure ; but the traversable ways were few. At one point not many 

 miles from the ship was an exposure of the Oriskany section, 

 where we obtained a great quantity of fossils. I managed to 

 get a horse and wagon near the place and thus to satisfy the 

 natural greed for quantity. We brought along about a thou- 

 sand pounds of these treasures. 



At Mingan we had heard from some Canadians rumors of a 

 great battle between the Union and Confederate troops near 

 Washington, but it seemed probable that it was no more than 

 rumor; at Gaspe*, however, where we arrived early in September, 

 we learned about the battle of Bull Run and saw clearly that the 

 two sections of the country were in the clutch. To me the sit- 

 uation was somewhat less exciting than to the others, for I was 

 sure that my own state would cling to its neutrality, a course 

 of action which I knew had been well determined on and which 

 I individually meant to follow so long as the commonwealth did. 

 But Hyatt, who was a Marylander, felt that the combat was 

 near his doors. The others of the party were likewise impatient 

 of the wilderness. So a month sooner than we had reckoned 

 for the earliest possible start on the return, we tugged our an- 

 chor for the last time in the St. Lawrence and set out for home. 

 For the first time in three months the winds favored us, and 

 we had a swift straightaway run through the Northumberland 

 Channel, close to the beautiful shores of Prince Edward Island, 

 thence again through the Strait of Canso, now unpeopled of 

 ships, and thence to Boston to discharge our cargo, some ten 

 tons of fossils and much of pickled specimens. As sailors were 

 not to be had because of the government demand for them on 

 the improvised war fleet, I helped work the ship back to East- 

 port to settle accounts. I there found Stimpson, who showed 

 his merry humor in the meeting. The tide was low when we 

 laid the craft to the wharf, and it was near dark. Learning of 

 our arrival, he stood above us, asked who we were, and was 

 given other names than our own, with a yarn of our having 

 been left behind in the wilderness. He slid down the stays and 



