THE BATTERY AND RED CLIFFS : THEIR DANGERS. 247 



would be obtained by careful study both of the fauna and flora, 

 as well as of the geology of the region. 



Thursday night we reached L'Anse Loup, passing the Battery as 

 it is called and Red Cliffs. The Battery consists of a plateau with 

 perpendicular, stratified cliffs in front, about three hundred feet high, 

 though I did not go ashore to measure it exactly. It forms a most 

 striking, and grandly beautiful feature of the surrounding scenery. 

 I am informed that in winter it hangs with masses of icicles, that, 

 from the strata of colored rock and soil back of it, forms most beau- 

 tiful and almost dazzling reflections of colors of all sorts and plays. 

 It must truly be a grand sight to see this huge mass of rock show- 

 ing forth crystals of water in such mingled brilliancy. 



A path runs below the overhanging cliffs, narrow, but distinct 

 even at high tide. In winter, when blocked with snow, the people 

 are forced to scale the height and travel with great difliculty over 

 instead of beneath this platform of rock. Though travelling below 

 is much more dangerous, the danger is generally laughed at, and 

 the space crossed as quickly as possible. Several very narrow es- 

 capes from serious accident have been recorded here. At one 

 time a huge rock, of several tons weight, fell directly between the 

 dogs and the komatik, as the sledge was hurrying along at its ut- 

 most speed ; no one was injured, though all were very badly fright- 

 ened. At another time a sledful of several young ladies had just 

 passed one of the most dangerous parts of the road when a shower 

 of rocks fell behind and between them and the next komatik which 

 was but a short distance behind, yet nobody was injured. Soon 

 we had passed this place and were snugly anchored in L'Anse Loup 

 Bay for the night. The morning gave us a good view of the bay, 

 which is a simple indenture of the coast, about as deep as it is 

 wide, and nearly a mile and a half in either direction. The eastern 

 and western sides are ridges of hills, while their slopes are rather 

 pretty and picturesque. A small stream enters the foot of the bay, 

 wide but shallow ; while west of this is a huge, low ridge of rocks, 

 and farther west still a beach of pure, clear sand. The extension 

 of country beyond appeared as if it might once have been a part of 

 this same extension of bay, as it no doubt was. 



