THE INDIANS 193 



the woods were green. But for the coming of a careless 

 race, they would be so now. 



Along the Gulf the principal trading-stations are Ber- 

 simis, Seven Islands, Mingan, and St. Augustine. From 

 Seven Islands the Moisie is the main highway to the interior, 

 and several of its families make their hunts within two hun- 

 dred miles of Ungava on eastern branches of the George. 

 Nearly parallel with the Moisie is the St. Marguerite, or 

 Tshimanipishtuk. Its principal western branch inter- 

 locks with the Maniquagan. The network of Indian travel 

 about and far beyond the heads of these rivers is intermi- 

 nable. 



From the Gulf near Mingan, the hunters ascend the St. 

 John, pass a difficult high portage to the Romaine, and 

 proceed toward the Grand Falls region of the Hamilton. 

 They know the lower Hamilton as the Winikapau Shibu, 

 or " River of Willows," and the falls as Pitshetonau, "It 

 steams," from the column of white vapour which is seen from 

 a distance. Low gives the tradition of two maidens swept 

 over the falls, who spend their time behind the falls dressing 

 skins. The lower part of the Romaine is not navigated, 

 and is perhaps unknown to the Indians of the present day. 

 Its Indian name "Alimun," meaning difficult, has passed 

 through a rearrangement of sounds unusual in the ad- 

 justing of Indian names to French organs of speech. From 

 "L'Alimun" to "La Romaine" the transition is easy, sur- 

 prisingly so, considering that no less a feat is involved than 

 the introduction of the full rolling r into a language which 

 has not the r-sound at all. 



In general, while the French learn readily enough to 

 make practical use of the Indian dialects, they seem to 



