THE MONTAGNAIS INDIANS 
felt anxious that a child or bundle or dog should 
not be left behind in the hurry of embarkation. 
Their canoes were drawn up along the beach, 
and into these they hastily threw their bundles 
and deposited themselves, while the dogs and 
children scrambled in as best they could. I 
counted two men, four women, two small 
children, a papoose, a dog and a cat in one 
canoe, — and the canoes were not large. The 
cat looked calmly over the gunwale at the 
alarmingly near-by water, the women smoked, 
chatted and laughed, while the men paddled 
skilfully but nonchalantly to the barge an- 
chored in the stream. There were four of these 
barges, and they were soon well loaded, the 
sails hoisted, and away they went with the 
strong wind and the swift current. Some of the 
canoes were towed, others hauled up on deck, 
and a belated canoe containing two boys, a 
large pack and an anxious dog was picked up 
without disaster by the last barge as it sailed 
along. They were off for their religious feast 
of the year. In religious matters at least it is 
certainly a short feast and a long famine with 
these Indians. Migrations, whether of bird, 
beast or savage, are always interesting, and 
165 
