160 LABRADOR 
band of Indians belonging to the post congregate with their 
furs, which are soon packed in bundles of one hundred 
pounds and loaded into large bark canoes for the voyage 
to the coast. All the active males are required as canoemen, 
leaving behind only the very aged, cripples, and children. 
Many of the women accompany the brigade in small canoes; 
the remainder scatter about the lakes to convenient fishing 
places. The post is practically abandoned until the return 
of the brigade, late in the summer, with canoes deeply 
laden with provisions, ammunition, and goods for the next 
season’s trade. A few days after the arrival, each Indian 
has received his outfit and departs for his winter hunting- 
grounds, leaving the inhabitants of the post to themselves. 
The early fall is employed in securing a supply of trout 
and whitefish for the winter, and nets are set on the spawn- 
ing-grounds for the fish. This ends the work of the year, 
and everybody becomes a trapper of fur until Christmas 
time. With the new year, the cutting of fire-wood for the 
coming year is commenced; the wood is drawn home with 
dog-teams. As the spring approaches, the canoes are 
mended and preparations made for the annual trip to the 
coast, which is eagerly anticipated, as it means the annual 
mail and contact with civilization. 
The Ashuanipi, at the entrance to Petitsikapau, bends 
sharply to the south, where it flows out of a large lake of 
the same name, situated near the southern watershed, 
close to the head waters of the Moisie River, which flows 
southward into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The distance 
from the bend to the head of the lake is upwards of 
one hundred and fifty miles, about half of which is un- 
surveyed. 
