NEWFOUNDLAND IN THE 'SEVENTIES 203 



where the ocean is, or was at the time of my visit, 

 the principal highway. Roads in those days — and 

 I am thinking of events which happened some 

 years ago — there were none, except in the vicinity 

 of St. John's and one or two other towns. People 

 who, for their sins, had to go from one part of the 

 island to another, travelled in the most uncertain, 

 vague, and promiscuous manner, sometimes taking 

 days, weeks, or even months, in accomplishing 

 quite a short distance, and sometimes never getting 

 to their destination at all. The usual method of 

 procedure appeared to be to embark in the coasting 

 steamer, and go ashore as near the place you 

 wished to visit as the route pursued by the steamer 

 would permit. The traveller might by that means 

 get within ten or twenty or fifty or one hundred 

 miles of his destination, as the case might be. 

 He would then betake himself to a house or cabin, 

 if there happened to be one in the neighbourhood, 

 and wait there, or he would build a big fire and 

 sit on a rock until some coasting schooner, or 

 fishing smack, or open boat happened to pass by, 

 going in the right direction, in which he would 

 embark and get another lift upon his road. By 

 such means he would eventually accomplish his 

 object if he was lucky ; but if, unluckily, no craft 



