JOURNEY TO GULF OF ST. LAWRENCE 173 



much of it has been cut down by the lumberers. Higher 

 up the country, along the road we came, there was com- 

 paratively little forest, it having been destroyed by the 

 settlers for fuel, or for farm purposes ; and of big game 

 we saw none at all. All the deer and bears have been 

 exterminated near the settlements, and only wanderers 

 occasionally appear. There are said to be foxes and 

 gluttons hereabout, and packs of wolves generally appear 

 during the winter ; but their coming is the signal for a 

 general assembly of the farmers for a wolf hunt, and all 

 are destroyed before they have time to do much hurt. 

 The system of hunting is to form a great circle of men, 

 who gradually close in on the centre, killing every- 

 thing that is worth powder and shot. Such a system 

 is only worthy of savages and pot-hunters. It is not 

 sport. 



About thirty miles beyond Mai Bale the road ceased, 

 but still there was a track, showing that we had not quite 

 got to the bounds of tolerably well-inhabited country. 

 For some time the road had been a very rotten affair, 

 and we had several spills, but without much damage 

 done. On this section of our route we passed many 

 lumberers' huts, and a few small outl}dng farms. We 

 generally passed the night at one of the latter, where 

 we were always kindly received, and the best the house 

 could provide placed before us ; but on one occasion we 

 had to stop at a lumberer's hut where the accommoda- 

 tion was simply awful — but of this more presently. 



On the 5th December we arrived at the Duck River, 

 where our sleigh drive terminated, the driver having 

 only bargained to take us so far. Near here I obtained 

 a splendid view of the gulf. The water near the shore, 

 and seemingly for a mile out, was frozen over, presenting 

 a broad sheet of ice. Beyond, the dark blue line of the 

 open sea was visible, full of floating masses of loose ice 

 and small icebergs. A large island could be seen in 

 mid-channel, but the opposite shore was not visible. 



