THE MONTAGNAIS INDIANS 



felt anxious that a child or bundle or dog should 

 not be left behind in the hurry of embarkation. 

 Their canoes were drawn up along the beach, 

 and into these they hastily threw their bundles 

 and deposited themselves, while the dogs and 

 children scrambled in as best they could. I 

 counted two men, four women, two small 

 children, a papoose, a dog and a cat in one 

 canoe, and the canoes were not large. The 

 cat looked calmly over the gunwale at the 

 alarmingly near-by water, the women smoked, 

 chatted and laughed, while the men paddled 

 skilfully but nonchalantly to the barge an- 

 chored in the stream. There were four of these 

 barges, and they were soon well loaded, the 

 sails hoisted, and away they went with the 

 strong wind and the swift current. Some of the 

 canoes were towed, others hauled up on deck, 

 and a belated canoe containing two boys, a 

 large pack and an anxious dog was picked up 

 without disaster by the last barge as it sailed 

 along. They were off for their religious feast 

 of the year. In religious matters at least it is 

 certainly a short feast and a long famine with 

 these Indians. Migrations, whether of bird, 

 beast or savage, are always interesting, and 



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