346 INTRODUCTION 



with provisions.^ The hold of the vessel has been 

 floored, and our great table solidly fixed in a toler- 

 ably good light under the main hatch; it is my 

 intention to draw whenever possible, and that will 

 be many hours, for the daylight is with us nearly 

 all the time in those latitudes, and the fishermen 

 say you can do with little sleep, the air is so pure. 

 I have been working hard at the birds from the 

 Grand Menan, as well as John, who is overcoming 

 his habit of sleeping late, as I call him every morn- 

 ing at four, and we have famous long days. We 

 are well provided as to clothes, and strange figures 

 indeed do we cut in our dresses, I promise you : 

 fishermen's boots, the soles of which are all nailed 

 to enable us to keep our footing on the sea-weeds, 

 trousers oi fearnought so coarse that our legs look 

 like bears' legs, oiled jackets and over-trousers for 

 rainy weather, and round, white, wool hats with a 

 piece of oil cloth dangling on our shoulders to pre- 

 vent the rain from running down our necks. A 

 coarse bag is strapped on the back to carry pro- 

 visions on inland journeys, with our guns and hunt- 

 ing-knives ; you can form an idea of us from this. 

 Edward Harris is not to be with us; this I regret 

 more than I can say. This day seven vessels sailed 

 for the fishing-grounds, some of them not more 

 than thirty tons' burden, for these hardy fishermen 



1 These terms were not, however, held to by the owners of the vessel, 

 and the provisioning was left also to them, the whole outlay being about 

 If 1 500 for the entire trip. 



