INTO THE TERRA-NOVA COUNTRY 18 



through almost continuous rapids the whole day. To prevent 

 the canoes and their contents from being upset the men were 

 constantly in the water hauling and easing the boats, whilst 

 on the slippery rocks they kept frequently slittering and falling 

 up to their middle the whole day. It was coarse work, and 

 of a kind that none save those inured to hardship could 

 stand. " Jest dog's work," was Saunders' definition of the 

 business. 



About midday I sat down by the side of the river to 

 await the coming of the boats. They were close at hand when 

 I heard Saunders shout, and looking up stream saw a fair-sized 

 caribou stag rushing through the shallows about 150 yards 

 away. My rifle lay resting against a bush, and by the time 

 I had seized it the chance was gone. After dinner the river 

 bed became worse and worse, and the men had to spend all 

 their time amongst very bad rocks, whilst in one part I had 

 to take to the forest to get along. Newfoundland forest is 

 not like that of any other country ; it is principally composed 

 of spruce and white pine, with a few larch, var, birch, dogwood, 

 and maple scattered amongst them ; and the trees, though not 

 large, are placed so close together, and interspersed with so 

 many fallen ones, that progress is excessively arduous. I 

 was getting along pretty well when, chancing to stand on the 

 top of a large fallen white pine, the bark suddenly gave way 

 and I was precipitated over a high rock on to the ground. 

 Natural instinct compels one to save one's face with the arm 

 and whatever it holds. Unfortunately in this case the Mann- 

 licher rifle was the interposing object, with the result that 

 the stock snapped clean off close to the action. This was 

 disgusting, to say the least of it, before one had fired a shot. 

 I had no other rifle, and for the moment I doubted my 

 capacity to mend the weapon. Saunders, however, was nothing 



