THE MONTAGNAIS INDIANS 
through one eye instead of two. My interpreter 
for this gallant speech was one of the daughters 
of the salmon-fisher. As there was some slight 
redness of the eye, but more for the sake of 
giving the Indian the satisfaction of treatment, 
I presented him with some tablets for an eye 
wash. A few days later he reported that he 
had begun to see again in that eye! 
That some of these people manage to survive 
the onslaught of the white man’s germs of 
disease and live to a considerable age, was 
illustrated by an aged squaw at Mingan who 
was said to be 1roq4 years old. The factor, 
Mr. Wilson, told me that up to within a few 
years she had spent the long winters with her 
people in the interior, but that increasing 
infirmities had at last compelled her to give 
up this strenuous life. She appeared to be 
still active mentally, and her small black eyes 
twinkled with intelligence in her sadly wizened 
face. When she walked she was bent like a 
bow, so that her chin almost touched her knees, 
and she reminded me of some Cape Cod women 
who are said never to die, but in the end to 
dry up and blow away like dead leaves. 
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