A LABRADOR SPRING 



its entire coast line, and concluded that al- 

 though the island was only about three miles in 

 diameter, its periphery with all the sinuosities 

 measured at least fifteen miles. My friend be- 

 lieves the distance is much greater, and as we 

 walked without stopping the last four hours, 

 after we had already gone a considerable part 

 of the way, I am inclined to think he is right. 

 Granite rocks are soft in comparison with these 

 hard, marble-like limestones, and the effect 

 on my hob-nailed shoes was disastrous. It was 

 hard walking, and I was reminded of the saying, 

 " Hit hisn't the 'unting that 'urts the 'oss, 

 hit's the 'ammer, 'ammer, 'ammer on the 'ard 

 'igh way.'* 



The cliffs on the eastern end of the island 

 are particularly fine, and in one of the inacces- 

 sible hollows an ancient nest of a raven was to 

 be seen, made up of a multitude of weather- 

 worn sticks piled up and woven together to a 

 mass the size of a clothes basket. Although the 

 ravens were said to breed there every year, we 

 saw no signs of them on our visits. It was evi- 

 dent, however, that a few black guillemots or 

 sea pigeons were nesting in the deep crevices 

 of these cliffs, for they often flew out on our 



62 



