133 CANADIAN ENVIRONMENT OF THE OUANANICHE 



from the shore towards which they were swimming, 

 another kayak put out behind them, to prevent their 

 return. Mr. Mackenzie and his three assistants, in 

 two other kayaks, armed themselves with spears to 

 do the killing, and the suction of the water caused 

 by the rapid swimming of the herd down -stream 

 drew the canoes quickly after them. It was, of 

 course, an awful butchery ; but the slayers were hunt- 

 ing for their own existence, and not for pleasure or 

 sport. Upon another occasion Mr. Mackenzie took 

 up his rifle to go out and shoot some fresh meat. It 

 was on the 26th of October, and he took with him 

 fifty cartridges. He spent two hours in hunting, and 

 when he returned had killed no less than forty-four 

 deer. Some of the exceedingly pretty heads of these 

 very same animals are now to be seen ornamenting 

 the hospitable apartments of the Montreal Fish and 

 Game Protection Club. In the winter of 1892-93 

 there was such a scarcity of deer at Ungava that some 

 two hundred Indians died of starvation. 



Like their kinsmen of Mistassini and Lake St. John, 

 the Indians of the far North are extremely supersti- 

 tious. The Eskimos of Ungava are, if possible, even 

 more superstitious than the N^ascapee Indians, and 

 are much addicted to conjuring. They ought to 

 make very good subjects for missionary enterprise, 

 for they are entirely destitute of any religious prac- 

 tices or professions. Their sole religious belief is in 

 the existence of two great Spirits- — one good, the 

 other bad. So long as they are blessed with health 

 and a sufficiency of food they are content, and never 

 trouble themselves about the existence or pleasure of 



