' JG2 
FOREST AND STREAM 
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'S I 
gest. and made liis family sick. One little girl, however, 
could manage to cat. it better tliau the others, and would 
cut oil a slice, freshen it, lay it on the stove to warm, and 
eat it without a murmur. This child he. called “Hard 
Times.’’ He showed me his account with the traders to 
whom lie was in debt. There were no other items but 
those of flour aud sea biscuit, and a few nails, twine, nnd 
thread; no pork, tea, sugar nor tobacco. They charged him 
$15 per barrel for coarse flour, $0 per cwt. for common sail¬ 
ors’ biscuit, and 15 cents per pound fornails. This unfortu¬ 
nate family had traded off for food alt their furniture, 
little by little, and even the feathers out of their beds. 
Jones asked us to step outside aud he would show us his 
hay, and describe the mode of catching seals; in doing 
bo we passed a small lot which had once been inclosed as 
the burying ground of the family, in which were three or 
four handsome marble tombstones, marking the last rest¬ 
ing place of some of the family who had died surrounded 
with comfort. “I greatly feared,” said he, speaking of 
them, “that several more graves would have been added to 
the number last winter, or may before Ibis spring, but 
there will be no marble tombstones to mark them.” From 
an elevation he pointed out to me the bay, shaped like a 
horseshoe, in which iu fprmer days so many seals were 
caught, and told me from the spol, we were then standing 
upon, last spring when his family were starving, he had 
suen hundreds of seals, but they were too far off, aud their 
sight only made his condition more desperate. From what 
1 could learn, old and young Beals, at the time wheu they 
are iu the best condition to yield oil, seek open water, and 
delight in getting near the shore, aud congregate in large 
numbers in sheltered bays. The fishermen attach one end 
of their long nets (made of cord about the thickness of a 
lead pencil) to a capstan at one side of the bay, and with a 
boat go out as far as it will reach, and gradually work 
around to the other side, where another capstan is placed, 
Hud that end of the net is made fast to it. The men wind 
in the net on both capstans, and as soon as the seals find 
themselves caught they dive ana endeavor to make for 
deeper water, run their heads into the meshes of the nets, 
pushing forward with all their strength, and never draw 
hack. Most of them are thus strangled. Any remaining 
alive are drawn iu as near shore as possible, and dispatched 
by the men with clubs. Jones had servicable nets, and a 
couple of boats, and was otherwise fitted out to catch seals 
if the season should prove favorable. As it was getting 
late, and we had a long walk before us, and wishing to 
Visit other families, we again entered the house to bid his 
family good-bye. I told Mrs. Jones that I saw very well 
that her husband would not leave the bay, and supposed 
he was the be3l judge of whether he should do so or not, 
aud lhat I sincerely hoped their condition would soou 
change for the better, aud that next time I should visit 
Bradore Bay I would find them surrounded with comfort 
and happiness. "Thank you sir,” she answered, “for your 
encouraging words and visit. I hope your good wishes 
may be realized." I had not as yet said a word about leav¬ 
ing them any provisions, and felt the words which would 
inform them of such joyful news leaping to my mouth. 
3 told her that, I must return to Blanc tiablon, and if her 
husband would come with me I would leave with him suf¬ 
ficient food, and anything else I could obtain to keep them 
through the long winter so near at hand; to take courage 
and heaveu would reward her for her patience under such 
trying circumstances. Tears of joy soon streamed down 
her cheeks, and blessings were showered upon those who 
were about saving them from starvation. 1 then told her 
of the generosity of the Government iu sending me down 
to inquire into their condition, and relieve their distress. 
1 shall never forget the looks of that grateful face. A 
silent shake of the hands, for no one could speak, aud 
beckoning Jones to follow, we left that house of suffering 
to hasieti to send them tbe promised relief. Poor Jones 
became quite gay, aud said so many things in an absent- 
minded way that he asked me to excuse his manners for 
the past hour hud so changed his prospects for the winter 
tli at he was quite beside himself, and did’not know what 
he was saying. 
We diverged some distance from our road back to visit 
two other families, who were better off iu clothing, but 
abort of provisions for the winter. I supplied them also. 
At 7 o’clock iu the evening we reached Blanc Sablon Bay. 
1 requested Jones to wait at the house on the beach for the 
articles I should send him ashore. A signal brought the 
boat for my companion and self, and we were soon on the 
steamer's deck, tired and hungry after our eighteen or 
twenty miles’ tramp without food. We had hardly got on 
board before the wind, which had been threatening for 
some time, sprang up and so rapidly increased to a fearful 
gale that it was impossible to launch a boat with the sup¬ 
plies, ami poor Jones had to wait till the morning. At an 
early hour the steward knocked at my room door aud in¬ 
formed me that the wind had abated, arid there was a man 
on deck who wished to see me. I jumped up at once. 
When I reached the fore part of the steamer, there stood 
poor shivering Jones, who had borrowed a small boat and 
rowed out to us with the fear, no doubt, that something 
might prevent his great hopes from being realized. Wheu 
our kind-hearted captain and engineer saw him tears 
dropped from tlieir manly eyes, for I had related to them 
the condition I had found himself aud family in, and his 
haggard, half-clad, and anxious appearance fully corrobo¬ 
rated all I had told them. Mr. and Miss. Smith gave me 
some articles of clothing, the latter a dress or two for 
Mrs. Jones, ami Mr. Duhamel having them on board be¬ 
longing to his wife and children, also contributed several 
useful articles of female apparel, 1 was able to procure 
from among the crew some second-hand boots, socks, coats, 
.flannel shirts, pants, mittens, caps, etc., and also added a 
quantity of powder, shot, gun caps, some tobacco and 
pipes, matches, and tea and sugar for poor Mrs. Jones. 
These wore ail made up into a bundle, covered with three 
good warm blankets, and left in the cabin. I again went 
on deck to see Jones, whom I found seated at the breakfast 
table iu tlio oflicor’s mess room. Before him were placed 
ham aud eggs, bread and butter, potatoes, and a cup of 
hot coffee. I told him to make a good breakfast. "I 
can’t sir," lie answered; “when I put a morsel of this 
kind of food to my mouth, I Blink of my poor family witli 
nothing to eat, and piy appetite leaves me.” 1 said all I 
could to encourage him iu make a hearty meal, but lie 
booh left the table, evidently anxious to get home with 
something for his wife and children. The boat was 
manned by five sailors, several barrels of flour, Indian 
meal, peas and pork sufficient to carry them through a 
.Labrador winter was put in Jones’bundle crowned’the 
load,'among which were also a few barrels for the other 
families, and Jones seated on one of the barrels was rowed 
ashore. The thanks and blessing of that poor man still 
ring in my ears. I would have gtveu a good deal to have 
been bidden in some cornerjwhen he arrived home with his 
boat load of supplies, and that bundle opened. Jones is a 
good hunter, aud being provided with powder and shot, (he 
has a gun), and some warm clothing, will be able to go 
some distance oyer the mountains, whore he will find cari¬ 
bou, or otbor game which will greatly assist them. 
At Blanc Sablon Bay I was obliged to help several other 
families with flour aud meal us they were very badly off. 
Their bod-fish and herring, as well as seal fishing had almost 
entirely failed, they had, in fact, beeu able to only provide 
about half enough provisions to last the long winter. It 
is u sad sight to see strong, brave fellows, perfectly temper¬ 
ate in habit, whose lives are constantly exposed to great 
hardship and danger in the pursuit of the fisheries broken 
down with disappointment after the season is over, with a 
hard winter rapidly approaching and no resources what¬ 
ever to stave off starvation. Yet such is the life these 
people lead, and they will not give it up. I have known 
several instances where some of them became so dis¬ 
heartened that they came up to Quebec, or oilier places 
with their families, never intending to return, but before 
two years they went- back again. They are unable to com¬ 
pete with ordinary laborers for work, and long to be again 
iving their old independent life on the coast, buoying them¬ 
selves up with the hopes of a successful season’s fishing, 
which when really good is very soon over, and they then have 
eight to nine months comparative idleness till spring. I am 
happy to state that nowhere on -the coast did I hear of dis¬ 
tress being due to the use of liquor. I believe there is 
none to be had. The trading schooners bring down flour, 
pork, tea, sugar, molasses, tobacco, salt, dry goods, clothing, 
trinkets, fiddles and German accordeons, and concertinas. 
You can hardly find a hut hut what boast of its concertina, 
aud the airs played are very simple, and generally jigs, 
which upon some of these cracked instruments, especially 
when accompanied by that horrid tremolo, are perfectly 
unbearable. I much prefer the fiddle, for this instrument 
seems better adapted to their style of music. 
On Tuesday the 15th October we left for Bonne Esper- 
anee, where we arrived at 2 o’clock in the afternoon, and 
cast anchor in a fine harbor among the islands. A very 
neat white bargo about twenty-four feet long, pointed at 
each end liko a whale boat, carrying two masts, with sails, 
soon made its appearance. The flag at the mast head was 
recognized by the Rev. Mr. Butler as that of a missionary. 
Upon its arrival alongside of the steamer we greeted the 
Rev. Mr. Wainright, Church of England missionary at St. 
Augustin, who, accompanied by an Esquimaux Indian aud 
fisherman, had sailed down to Bonne Esperance in hopes of 
hearing of some Government assistance being sent to the 
people in his district. We were now within nine miles of 
the Rev. Mr. Butler’s mission house, and Mr. Wainright 
kindly volunteered to sail us up to it in his barge. Hear¬ 
ing that there was a lady there, Miss Smith accepted his in¬ 
vitation to visit her. We arrived at the end of our sail, 
Salmon Bay, at the entrance of Esquimaux River, at 5 
o’clock, and the Rev. Mr. Wainright carried us ashore on 
his back. My weight being over two hundred pounds 
tried his strength, but he tottered on, and landed me all 
right. He was the only one provided with long water¬ 
proof boots. The bell of the little chapel was rung, flag 
hoisted, and hurrahs greeted the return of the missionary. 
We paid a short visit to this chapel in the wilderness, 
which is little more than a large log cabin, then entered 
the house where we were hospitably received by a Mon¬ 
treal lady, Miss Baylis, a member of the Congregational 
Church, who volunteered her services on this bleak coast 
two years previous to our visit to teach the poor fisher¬ 
men’s children, and aid in carryiug out the work of the 
mission, and lias been there since. The house is a simple 
log building divided into rooms. A quantity of deals were 
washed ashore last summer, supposed to have belonged to 
some wreck, and afforded material for making a porch, 
which rather improves the appearance of the building. 
There were several girls boarding and attending the school, 
which numbers from thirty to forty children. The mis¬ 
sionary also visits around, teaching the Gospel over a wide 
district of more than a hundred miles in summer in boats, 
and iu winter on kommeticks, or sledges, drawn by dogs. 
They also supply medicine and doctor the sick, set bones, 
draw teeth, aud do a variety of other useful things to as¬ 
sist the people, frequently greatly stinting themselves by 
dividing their provisions with the starving fishermen. 
Around the mission house there are eight or ten families, 
all very poor from the failure of the codfish and herring 
fisheries. Accompanied by Mr. Butler 1 visited them, and 
inquired thoroughly into then' condition, and apportioned 
out provisions according to the number in each family, 
which were left the next day in charge of the principal 
person at Bonne Esperance, the nearest point. We spent 
a pleasant evening at the mission house, and next morning 
at an early hour left for the steamer. W c were overtaken by 
heavy rain, and reached the Napoleon thoroughly wet 
through. The supplies intended for tiie people were handed 
over to,a Mr. Whitely, witli a list of the quantity to be al¬ 
lowed each person, under Mr. Butler’s supervision. 
On the 18th October (Sunday) we reached Cumberland 
harbor, and at 8 o’clock loaded two boats with supplies for 
one portion of Mr. Wainright’s district, nine miles off, and 
iu the afternoon sent two more loads as far in another di¬ 
rection, which were left in charge of proper persons to be 
distributed by him. I visited the people, and found them 
as badly off us those I had already seen, but nowhere else 
ou the coast did I meet such utter distress as at the Joneses. 
The weather was now Very cold, and snowing hard. In 
the evening Mr. Wainright. delivered an excellent sermon, 
with appropriate prayers, on board the steamer. He is 
just the mao for a missionary, kind hearted, always ready 
to assist any one, a good bone setter, surgeon, physician, 
and pilot, liis services are constantly iu requisition in some 
of these capacities, and he is often sent for from distances 
of from fifty to one hundred miles. Ue has a small chapel 
at St. Augustin, where he resides with his family, his ODly 
neighbors being the Hudson Bay Company’s agent, and 
four or live fishermen and their families. 
From Cumberland harbor we went to Great Meccattina 
Island, where we anchored in its fine sheltered bay. Hav¬ 
ing learned from Mr. Samuel Gaumond, a young and very 
intelligent fisherman, that the people in the neighborhood 
had done pretty well, and were not iu as destitute condi¬ 
tion as those we had already visited, and consequently little 
assistance necessary. I left in charge sufficient to supply 
some poor families at Bay des Moutoii aud Bay Platte, 
which I had been.unable to visit. Owing to a dense fog 
we remained nearly two days at this place, during which 
time I walked all round the island, and saw a good many 
seals, which were loo ally to get a shot at. I shot a young 
loon, which was eaten onboard, and pronounced very good. 
While at Gaumond’s house he harnessed five of his four¬ 
teen dogs to a kommetick, a novel sight to me. The dogs 
acted as sporting dogs will when they see their master take 
a gun. Their delight when shown their harness was very 
marked. The kommetick is a narrow sledge about niue 
feet long and two and a half broad, the runners are low 1 
aud pointed in front, and shod with whalebone. Instead 
of an ordinary bottom narrow cross pieces about three 
inches wide are fastened to the tup of the runners with 
strings of seal skin. After shutting up all the dogs, ex¬ 
cepting the five to be harnessed, Gaumond called up the 
leader, a fine, straight-oared, short-haired black dog with a 
large white-tipped tail, his harness consisting of strips ofi 
seal skin decorated with bits of colored Cloth, was put on. 
From the back of the harness is a seal sltiu trace about 
sixty feet long, this was attached to the front of the sledge.' 
The next dog was harnessed just the same, but his trace 
was some twenty feet shorter than the leader’s. The next 
dog’s trace being about three feet shorter than that of the 
second, aud so on till the last, each dog being harnessed 
and traced independent Of the others. YVlieu all five were 
attached to the sledge Gaumond asked me to get on. I did 
so, when by his shouting some Esquimaux words the dogs 
placed themselves ouc after the other, an another unintelli¬ 
gible word, to me, stal led them off at full speed over rocks I 
and up a steep liill howling like wolves, which they re- J 
semble. At the top of the hill a word stopped them, when.I 
Gaumond rau the sharp points of the sledge, after turning! 
it over for the purpose, into the ground anil anchored the I 
dogs so they couid not start till all was ready. He ilien.I 
asked me to get on again, but I had enough of the ride up -■ 
hill, and did not like the idea of going down by tho same ■ 
conveyance. The dogs were again talked to in Esquimaux, I 
and ail got ready, at the word off they started at. a break- ■ 
ueelc speed down hill. Gaumond's hat flying off, and his U 
hair streaming in the wind. 1 expected every second to 
see him tossed over some rock, hut he arrived safe at tliCM 
house, and the dogs were again let loose. The lash of the II 
whip used by these people is from forty to sixty feet long, the 
handle not more than a foot long. Very few persons can 
manage this whip. It is ueoessaiy to he ot this length for 
two reasons, first io reach the leader, and secondly to keep 
at a respectful distance any dogs they may meet with when 
traveling. A snap from it sounds like tin* report of a rifle, 
and will set- a pack of dogs trembling in every limb. We 
had a meal at Mr. Qauuiond's, which consisted of pork 
aud potatoes, tea sweetened with molasses, and a tremend¬ 
ous Labrador pie, made of small craubet ries all covered 
with molasses, of course. In tbe evening some of the I 
crew of the steamer came ashore and amused their host J 
with yarns; a fiddle was brought out, and the jigs played I 
were very gay, the players keeping time willi both heels* 
which is a style of beating peculiar to the Labrador mu-1 
sicians; the everlasting concertina was also brought inter! 
play, and its tremulous sounds mixed up with those of the 1 
fiddle, aud the laughter of the party wore wafted upon l.liel- 
breeze, and reached our ears on board the steamer far mlo-5 
tlie night. Mr. Gaumond is a young man, at that time-V 
aged about 21, and his wife but 18 years old. They bail a j 1 
good season's fishing, having caught some 300 seals, with 1| 
herrings and cod-fish, lie is very comfortably housed,! 
and employs four men on shares, There is another fisher- j 
man on the same island nearly as well off. 
Before proceeding further with my notes I shall sum up li 
the conclusions we arrived at of the prospects of the fish-1 
errnen between Blanc Sablon and Macealtiua, and a dis- {j 
irict covering about 200 miles Of the coast. Tlie inhabit-lj 
ants number about 500 souls; of this number about 200 are* 
able-bodied males; lirey are in part natives of Jersey, New-# 
foundland, Canadiau aud Acadian French, and a few Es-i 
quimaux Indians. Owing to the immense number of J; 
islands every family occupies one island. Each islund, off 
course, has a name, and instead of the names of places on J 
the coast one reads of representing a small village, you find! 
but one or two families. One is astonished that peoplflS 
could think of making a home on such barren spots; not a-| 
pots toe or other vegetable will grow, fish! and only fish(1 
is what these people must depend upon, and when the trail 11 
do not come to then- very doors tlieir Ashing lias failed. 
At one time these points were, no doubt, very good fishing 
posts, aud were taken possession of by tho proprietors for 
tlie purpose of keeping them for themselves. These people- 
brought tlieir families and settled there; they fished there, 
and largo fleets of schooners also came for tlie same pur-: 
pose, Whether from over fishing, or other cause, for 
some years past the fish seem to have almost forsaken them, 
The poor fishennuti expecting every year to be better tliau 
the lust has grown poorer aud poorer; liis boats and nets J 
are old, and he has no means to replace them. Govern-J 
ment has on several occasions sent aid, which lias been l 
verv gratefully received, and tbe missionaries have divided! 
their last barrel of flour to help to keep them alive. Tliol 
Government of the Province of Quebec wishing .to do j 
Bomcthiug to improve their ctmdiLion intrusted me witli al 
mission to visit the coast, to distribute aid for Hie last time,! 
and to take away any families who would leave. From* 
the liberal quantity of funds furnished I was enabled to j 
put on board the steamer a large supply, aud while posi-j 
tively warning the people that they would receive uoi 
further assistance, 1 at the sumo lime strongly recom-1 
mended them to leave and go to some place on the Intei^ 
colonial Railroad, where work would be plenty and thuya 
could cultivate land. 1 gave each family requiring it if 
liberal supply to carry them through the whiter, with tins 
understanding that it was to help them to save whatever' 
earnings they might make to get away with, and offered ta 
lake any away at once, but they wished to make anotlhffl 
trial. 1 greatly fear that few will ever leave, they like the 
life they load with all its hardships and dangers, and look, 
to their missionaries to help them in time of want. When 
they do catch a few fish they are entirely at the mercy of 
the traders, who go down in schooners to traffic; they 
usually allow from $3.50 to $3 a barrel for herrings; $2 to 
$3 a owt. for cod-fish; 40 cents to 50 cents per gallon lor 
oil, aud in exchange charge $12 to $15 a barrel for com* 
mon flour, aud everything else in proportion. LaUmljj 
these traders, excepting three or four, have passed by tliq 
Mtinuiiiliiiii mill RfftTlfi Sablon. Uieru bfcmsr 
district between Maccattina aud Blanc Sablon, there hem 
so little to bo done. Tho winter sets in early, and emlsj, 
late—eight or nine months of snow and ice. During thjjj 
time there is no communication with any other part of thej 
world. The people make long trips over the mountains? 
with their dogs aud kommeticks for the stunted spruce lot 
