LOST IN THE WILDERNESS 207 



very keen about accepting this job, but as I never 

 kept nor used any liquor myself and knew that 

 little or none could be had on the North Shore in 

 winter, I accepted the task, provided, of course, 

 that my uncle could persuade William to leave 

 with me, which I very much doubted. However, 

 this was finally accomplished, due mostly to the 

 influence of his mother, who was a most excellent 

 woman, and constantly in dread lest William 

 should some day get into serious trouble. 



We left Quebec about the 1st of September on a 

 small fishing schooner of twenty tons owned by 

 Capt. Ferguson, of Sheldrake, and had a rather 

 long passage down and rough weather. Poor 

 William was very sea sick and miserable. He 

 had not even the desire to join the Captain when 

 the latter offered him some grog. I was not yet 

 married at that time, but had at home my eldest 

 sister, who kept house for me, together with two 

 of my brothers, one of whom, Firmin, was my 

 partner in trapping. On the way, William had 

 often talked of and asked questions about In- 

 dians, which I thought at the time were suggest- 

 ed by mere curiosity; but I found, later on, that 

 he was in great dread of them. He had read of 

 their scalpings and barbarous treatment of pri- 

 soners and their torture of the missionaries, and 

 he believed that the Montagnais Indians still re- 

 tained these customs. 



We had a bedroom on the first floor which we as- 



