HISTORY OF NEWFOUNDLAND MICMACS 223 



land Indians, and in June 1907 he will go in state with the 

 principal men of Conn River to Sydney and be invested 

 with the full right of chieftainship and the possession of 

 the gold medal which is the badge of office. I have been 

 invited to witness the ceremony, which is partly of a private 

 nature, followed by public feasting, dancing, and the wearing 

 of the old Indian dress, but, much to my regret, shall not 

 be able to see it. 



Reuben Lewis is a quiet unassuming bachelor of about 

 forty years of age. He leads the same life as the other 

 Indians, and is generally accompanied by his sister, Souly 

 Ann, a lady of generous proportions. To him are referred 

 all questions and disputes about territorial trapping areas, 

 and he has the power to give decisions, which are always 

 regarded as final. 



Reuben Lewis is one of the few men who has been 

 badly mauled by a black bear.^ He was hunting some ten 

 years ago with Noel Jeddore near Burnt Hill. Reuben fired 

 at a large dog bear, and badly wounded it. After tracking 

 for a short distance they saw the bear lying still, and Reuben 

 went up to it, and gave it a kick to see if life was extinct ; 

 the bear, which was far from being dead, sprang up and 

 seized the hunter by one leg, at the same time flinging his 

 gun out of reach. Reuben lay as still as he could, but the 

 bear chawed up both his legs and one hand, whilst Noel 

 ran round trying to fire, but fearful of wounding his friend. 

 At last Noel came so near that the bear dropped Reuben a 

 second to growl at him, and whilst doing so he obtained 



' I can only hear of one other authentic instance of a black bear attacking a man. 

 About forty years ago a white man fired at a black bear on the shore near Bay 

 de Nord. He wounded it badly, and then foolishly put down his gun and went in 

 to kill it with an axe. The bear attacked him and bit him to death. Both com- 

 batants were found lying together. 



