THE MOUNTAINEER INDIANS. 1 89 



They are called Montaignais by the French Canadians, 

 Mountaineers by the English, but referred to the Nas- 

 copi tribe by the more intelligent of the latter. The 

 tribe is a branch of the Algonkin stock, and is the only 

 tribe known to inhabit the Labrador peninsula. They 

 are more commonly met with at Rigolet, the trading 

 port of the Hudson Bay Company up the Hamilton In- 

 let (Aivektok Bay) ; they are also described by Hind, 

 who encountered them at the mouth of the Moisie River, 

 which empties into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Along 

 this part of the coast they are rapidly diminishing : last 

 winter many of them starved to death — several hundred, 

 according to Cole's statement.* It now appeared th^t 

 the large fire, the smoke of which we saw before reach- 

 ing Dumplin Harbor, was from an area of over forty 

 square miles situated back of where we were lying at 

 anchor, and it burnt up some of the traps belonging to 



northern borders, and all along the east main to 56° and 57° latitude, and on all' 

 the islands adjacent, who are the seamen and fishermen on salt waters, as those 

 are on inland lakes and fresh water rivers. Both one arid other getts great 

 quantities of deer; but whales, seels, and sea-horses, are the principle support 

 of the Usquemews; wether these retreat and retire to any distance from the sea- 

 side uppon-the approach of winter, or are wearid with their long summer day, 

 and creep into their winters cave to rest, this is certain, we never saw but once 

 or twice a single Usquemew in many years experience in the homeward bound 

 passage, altho we have been detained by contrary winds at all their haunts. 



"The interior parts of Labrodore affords good shelter, and woods plenty for 

 the northern Indians, who dress their victuals as we do; and dry'd fish supply 

 the want of bread; they are very nasty in their persons, as all the Indians are; 

 but not offensive in their filth, as the Usquemews." (Coat's Geography of 

 Hudson's Bay, pp. 88-go.) 



* "Returns of the Hudson Bay Company show that about 4,000 Indians 

 frequent the company's posts throughout the whole of Labrador; and this ac- 

 count probably includes nearly their whole strength; nineteen twentieths of 

 them are nominally Roman Catholics." (Encyclopaedia Brittanica, article 

 Labrador.) Undoubtedly since this count was 'made their number has con- 

 siderably diminished. 



