100 NEWFOUNDLAND 



sitating a portage of the whole of the outfit. Here we saw 

 some salmon jumping, which showed that the lower fall offered 

 no bar to the progress of fish. After a hearty meal in the 

 blazing sun, we resumed our journey up continuous "rattles" 

 of water, through which the men made excellent progress, 

 in spite of the fact that the rocks were covered with "slob," 

 i.e. a green slimy weed. 



We were now in quite virgin country, where the foot of 

 the only two white men had ever trodden, once when Howley 

 made his survey of the river with two Indians, some time 

 in the seventies, and Mr. Willis in October 1901, and again 

 when Mr. Willis went there on a prospecting trip. There 

 was not a sign that Indians had ever been here ; not an 

 axe mark was seen on the trees above this, and we were 

 far beyond the ken of the "White-Ends." The Indians, 

 too, would never come here except for beaver, and of beaver 

 there were none in the main stream. I experienced, there- 

 fore, the delight that every hunter feels in knowing that 

 he has no neighbours except the deer and the bears, and 

 that at any minute he may strike a new country, the veri- 

 table home of the mighty antlered monarchs, and such a 

 sanctuary as the first travellers in the Rockies and South 

 Africa discovered. In a minor form I did discover such a 

 sportsman's paradise, for I do not suppose any previous 

 traveller in Newfoundland ever cast his eyes on so many 

 fine caribou stags in a short time, as I was fortunate enough 

 to do during the next fortnight. 



The bear incident was not the only unlucky event of 

 this day, September 12. I must follow out its incidents 

 with full confession to the setting of the sun. I had travelled 

 on about a mile ahead of the boats, and was keeping a sharp 

 look-out ahead, as well as on the many fresh tracks of big 



