FISHERIES OF THE PROVINCE OF QUEBEC 97 



them, littering the most frightful yells, in the hope that the 

 fishermen would abandon their property and flee. Such was 

 the terror in which they were held that this often had the 

 desired effect. If, however, the Europeans stood firm, the 

 Esquimaux at once came forward in the most friendly way 

 and began a barter trade ; but if the fishermen relaxed their 

 vigilance for a moment, they were attacked and murdered in 

 the most barabarous fashion. 



There is nothing surprising in the fact that the Esqui- 

 maux wrought destruction as far south as Belle Isle in 1763, 

 tor the French had found them in 1702 as far west as Anti- 

 costi in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and tradition tells of a 

 series of battles between the Montagnais Indians and the 

 Esquimaux, one of which is said to have been fought near 

 Pointe des Monts. 



LOONS MISTAKEN FOR ESQUIMAUX. 



For some years after the cession, Labrador was under 

 the Government of Newfoundland, and a curious story quoted 

 by Mr. W. G. Gosling in his history of Labrador, from the 

 manuscript journal of Sir Joseph Banks, illustrates in an 

 amusing manner the terrors inspired by the Esquimaux of 

 those days. Admiral Sir Hugh Palliser, Governor of Newfound-- 

 land, visited Chateau Bay, Labrador, in his 50-gun ship, the 

 "Guernsey," to attempt to open friendly relations with the 

 natives. One dark night in a thick fog, the ship's company 

 were alarmed by a noise they had never heard before. Every- 

 one awake conjectured what it could possibly be. It came 

 nearer and nearer, grew louder and louder ; the First Lieu- 

 tenant was called up. He was the only man in the ship who 

 had ever seen an Eskimau. Immediately he heard the noise 

 he declared he remembered it well. It was the war-whoop 

 of the Eskimaux, who were certainly coming in their canoes 

 to board the ship and cut all their throats. The commodore 

 was acquainted; up he bundled upon deck, ordered the ship 

 to be cleared for action, all hands to the great guns, arms in 

 the tops, everything in as good order as if a French man-of- 



