46 NEWFOUNDLAND 



sudden and dreadful dangers, seldom foreseen and often 

 incapable of being warded off. In both, the advent of 

 sudden storms may cause the grinding heavy mass to pack 

 on the coast, and thence whirl it seawards again where it is 

 dispersed in fragments with its human freight. The ships 

 can often, and generally do, rescue their men when these 

 untoward circumstances occur ; but the lot of the poor coast 

 hunter who snatches his precarious living from the outports 

 is hardness itself, for when difficulties come he has but his 

 own wits and bravery to help him. The wind that sweeps 

 the ice in, bearing on its bosom the tempting whitecoat, 

 may veer at any moment and drive the whole mass off 

 shore again, and then only the watchfulness of the land 

 look-outs and the ready resources of the men can save a 

 disaster. It takes real and solid courage to make a good 

 seal hunter ; not the somewhat theatrical bravery of the 

 soldier who leads a forlorn hope, but the dogged three 

 o'clock in the morning article that takes things humbly and 

 expects but little reward. 



The true story of the Newfoundland ice-fields is not nor 

 ever will be written, nor will the names of its many heroes 

 be penned in the pages of an undying history, but in the 

 minds of many to-day who have taken part in that annual 

 strife with the forces of nature there live scores of instances 

 of marvellous courage and unselfish devotion. 



Down on the barren east coast they tell the story of 

 Matilda Barworth and her half-witted son, born out of wed- 

 lock. She loved the boy who grew almost to man's estate, 

 and when he crept off in his quiet way after the others in 

 the spring-time she used to watch in the dusk for his 

 return, going with the other women of the village ; for, in 

 their universal charity, she had long since been forgiven. 



