"BANQUESE" ICE. 231 



whole is then put over the fire and heated. As it melts, oil is con- 

 stantly added, a little at a time, and the mixture stirred with a stick. 

 As soon as the substance will drop from the stick, instead of run- 

 ning freely from the end, the pot is taken off the fire immediately 

 and the leaks in the canoe are thickly coated with it while yet hot. 

 An Indian finds a leak in his canoe most ingeniously. After rosin- 

 ing all the apparent cracks, he goes all over the boat again apply- 

 ing his lips to every suspicious looking place, and, exerting both 

 suction and pressure, soon discovers the places where air is still ad- 

 mitted ; these he rosins, and then his canoe is launched and tested 

 by paddling a short distance or rolHng and rocking it violently 

 from side to side. If, after a sufficient time, water appears, the bot- 

 tom is again examined, and redressed with rosin until it is tight. 

 When an Indian has finished with his canoe for the day, he takes it 

 out of the water and turns it bottom side up, and, if possible, throws 

 spruce boughs upon it to keep the sun from melting the seams ; if no 

 covering can be obtained he leaves it bottom down upon the softest 

 place he can find, that the bottom may be protected ^rom scratches. 

 A canoe is always lifted, as so much dead weight both from and 

 into the water. 



One of the peculiarities of a Labrador spring scene is that of 

 drifting or "banquese" ice. This is ice that breaks up in some 

 northern locality, and flows, in greater or smaller masses, through 

 the Straits towards the Gulf and open sea, generally melting by the 

 time it reaches the Magdalene Islands. The "banquese" ice often 

 lies a mile or so off shore, and, to the naked eye, appears to be cov- 

 ered with logs and sticks, apparently from some wreck. A good 

 glass will show the mistake at once, and you find, with surprise, 

 that they are so many seals, both old and young. If they are 

 abundant, boats are put off and the seal-hunting begins. 



Tuesday, May 3d. I spent most of the day in examining several 

 Esquimaux graves, but found only a few old bones, and a substance 

 resembling seals' hair in each case within eighteen inches to two feet 

 of the top of the mound. The graves were five in number, but 



