ON THE GANDER RIVER. 197 



in the canoes, one nineteen-foot and two sixteen-foot, we 

 paddled away. 



For the next five days we rowed against a very heavy 

 stream, for in the September of 1906 the river was at least 

 a couple of feet higher than is usual at that season. There 

 were two or three small rapids, but nothing to give us much 

 trouble until we reached Rolling Falls, where a portage 

 became necessary. Here, in the soft sand, we found the 

 trail of a party of four hunters who had left Glenwood the 

 previous week. Their presence ahead of course destroyed 

 our chance of seeing many deer, as by the tracks it seemed 

 that two of the party always walked along the bank, and 

 even days old footsteps serve to turn any deer that cross 

 them. Indeed, for many days we saw but one caribou, a 

 doe, which appeared as we were passing the shores of 

 Birchy Island. 



Bob Saunders alone of our party had any knowledge of 

 the Gander. He told us that on his previous trips up the 

 river stags were almost always to be found, their haunts 

 being on the sandy shores and on the sand banks in the river- 

 bed. But now, owing to the height of the water, there was 

 no sand to be seen anywhere, and our only chance lay in 

 coming upon a stag actually crossing the stream. The 

 volume of water drew from Saunders one of his character- 

 istic remarks : "If this be the tail of the Gander, I wonder 

 what it'll be like when we comes to the beel of he ! " 



He was a cheery old fellow, never disheartened and full 

 of quaint talk. His system of therapeutics was queer and 

 simple, but perhaps not to be recommended for general use. 

 For -instance, as a boy, when not feeling very well he was, he 

 told us, in the habit of dosing himself with gunpowder. 

 When gently admonished, he assured those in authority 

 that they were quite mistaken as to the possibly dangerous 

 results, as it made him well very quickly. This may have 

 been so. At least he did not die. 



