Bowdoin Boys in Labrador by Jonathan Prince (Jr.) Cilley

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[Red Bay] Our first sight of the long-desired coast was between Belle
Armours Point and the cliffs near Red Bay, the thick haze making the
outlines very indistinct. Just two weeks out from Rockland we made our
first harbor on the Labrador coast. Red Bay is a beautiful little
place, and with the added features of two magnificent icebergs close
by which we passed in entering, the towering red cliffs on the left
from which it takes its name, and the snug little island in the
middle, and the odd houses we saw dotting the shores of the summer
settlement of the natives, it seemed a sample fully equal to our
expectations of what we should find in Labrador.

There is an inner harbor into which we could have gone, with seven
fathoms of water and in which vessels sometimes winter as it is so
secure, but we did not enter it because the captain was doubtful which
of the two entrances to take and the chart seemed indefinite on the
point. There are about one hundred and seventy-five people in the
settlement, some of them staying there the year round, fishing in the
summer and hunting the rest of the time. They have another settlement
of winter houses at the head of the inner harbor, but, for convenience
in getting at their cod traps, live on the island in the middle, and
on the sides of the outer harbor in the summer. Their houses are made
of logs about the size of small railroad ties, which are stood on end
and clapboarded. The winter houses are built in a similar way with
earth packed around and over them.

The party for Grand River--Cary, Cole, W.R. Smith and Young--have
decided to dispense with a guide; very wisely, I think, from what I
have seen of native Labradoreans. While the journey they undertake is
one in which the skill of Indians or half-breeds, familiar with
Labrador wildernesses would be of great value and would add to the
comfort of our party, it is very doubtful if any living person has
ever been to the falls or knows any more about the last, and probably
the hardest part of the trip, than Cary. And, further, the travel is
so difficult that about all a man can carry is supplies for himself;
and the Indians cannot stand the pace that our men intend to strike;
nor, if it should come to the last extremity, and a forlorn hope was
needed to make a last desperate push for discovery or relief, could
the Indian guides, so far as we have any knowledge of them, be relied
on. That the boldest measures are often the surest, will probably
again be demonstrated by our Grand River party.

We tried the exploring boats very thoroughly at Chateau Bay, three of
us getting caught about six miles from the vessel in quite a blow, and
the well-laden boat proved herself very seaworthy. When loaded, she
still draws but little water, and is good in every way for the trip.

This letter was begun in the fine breeze off Newfoundland, but could
not be mailed till the port of entry and post-office of Labrador,
Battle Harbor, was reached. A week was consumed in getting from our
first anchorage in Labrador to this harbor, as the captain was
unaccustomed to icebergs, and properly decided to take no risks with
them in the strong shifting currents and thick weather of the eastern
end of the straits. The wind was ahead for several days, and the heavy
squalls coming off the land in quick succession made us fear the wind
would drop and leave us banging around in the fog that usually
accompanies a calm spell, so we kept close to harbors and dodged in on
the first provocation.

The season is three weeks late this year; the first mail boat has not
yet arrived, though last year at this time she was on her second trip.
The last report from the North--down the coast they call it--that went
to Newfoundland and St. John's was "that it was impassable ice this
side Hamilton Inlet." A vessel--a steam sealing bark--though, that was
here yesterday and has gone to Sidney, C.B.I., reports now that the
coast is clear to Hopedale. Beyond we know nothing about it.

On Henley and Castle Islands, at the mouth of Chateau Bay, are
basaltic table-lands about half a mile across, perfectly flat on top
and about two hundred feet high. We walked around one, went to its
top and secured specimens from the columns. The famous "natural
images" of men, are, to my eye, not nearly so good as the descriptions
lead one to expect. The history of the place could hardly be guessed
from its present barren, desolate, poverty-stricken appearance; but
the remains of quite a fort on Barrier Point show some signs of former
and now departed glory. It seems that it has been under the dominion
of England, France and the United States, all of whom took forceful
possession of it, and England and France have governed it. An American
privateer once sacked the place, carrying away, I believe, about 3,500
pounds worth of property. Now, a very small population eke out a
wretched existence by fishing, only a few remaining, living at the
heads of the bays, in the winter, and most of them going home to
Newfoundland.

The icebergs are in great plenty. I counted eighty from the basaltic
table-land at one time, and the professor saw even more at once. Belle
Isle is in plain sight from this place, looking like Monhegan from the
Georges Islands, though possibly somewhat longer.

[Battle Harbor] Finally, as the wind showed no signs of changing, the
captain, to our intense delight, decided to beat around to Battle
Harbor and we anchored here at about 5:50 P.M., July 17th. Many of the
icebergs we passed were glorious, and the scene was truly arctic. It
was bitterly cold, and heavy coats were the order of the day. We
passed Cape St. Charles, the proposed terminus of the Labrador
Railroad to reduce the time of crossing the Atlantic to four days, saw
the famous table-land, and soon opened Battle Harbor which we had to
beat up, way round to the northward, to enter. It was slow business
with a strong head current, but the fishermen say a vessel never came
around more quickly. We found the harbor very small, with rocks not
shown in chart or coast pilot, and had barely room to come to without
going ashore. We went in under bare poles, and then had too much way
on.

The agent for the Bayne, Johnston Co., which runs this place, keeping
nearly all its three hundred inhabitants in debt to it, is a Mr.
Smith, who has taken the professor and seven or eight of the boys on
his little steamer to the other side of the St. Lewis Sound. The
doctor has gone with them to look after some grip patients, and the
professor expects to measure some half-breed Eskimo living there. The
boys are expecting to get some fine trout. The grip was brought to
this region by the steamer bringing the first summer fishing colonies,
and has spread to all and killed a great many.

There is an Episcopal rector here, Mr. Bull, who says everybody had
it. I believe it is owing to his care and slight medical skill that
none have died here. It is hard for this people to have such a
sickness just as the fishing season is best. The doctor has
opportunity to use all and far more than the amount of medicine he
brought, much to Professor Lee's amusement. He is reaping a small
harvest of furs, grateful tokens of his services, that many of his
patients send him, and some of his presents have also improved our
menu.

This place is named Battle Harbor from the conflict that took place
here between the Indians and English settlers, aided by a man-of-war.
The remains of the fight are now in a swamp covered with fishflakes.
There are also some strange epitaphs in the village graveyard, with
its painted wooden head-boards, and high fence to keep the dogs out.
These latter are really dangerous, making it necessary to carry a
stick if walking alone. Men have been killed by them, but last year
the worst of the lot were exported across the bay, owing to a bold
steal of a child by them and its being nearly eaten up. They are a
mixture of Eskimo, Indian and wolf, with great white shaggy coats.

The steamer with mail and passengers from St. John's, Newfoundland, is
expected every day, and as our rivals for the honor of rediscovering
Grand Falls are probably on board, there is a race in store for us to
see who will get to Rigolette first, and which party will start ahead
on the perilous journey up the Grand River. As they have refused our
offer of co-operation, we now feel no sympathy with their task, and
will have but little for them till we see them, as we hope, starting
up the river several days behind our hardy crew.

JONATHAN P. CILLEY, JR.

* * * * *

ON BOARD THE JULIA A. DECKER,
OFF BIRD ROCKS,
Gulf of St. Lawrence, Sept. 10, 1891.

While our little vessel is rushing through the blue waters of the
gulf, apparently scorning the efforts of the swift little Halifax
trader who promised to keep us company from the Straits to the Gut,
and who, by dint of good luck and constant attention to sails has thus
far kept her word, but is now steadily falling astern and to leeward,
I will tell you about the snug little harbors, the bold headlands,
barren slopes, and bird-covered rocks, and also the odorous fishing
villages and the kind-hearted people with whom she has made us
acquainted.

The Bowdoin scientific expedition to Labrador is now familiar with six
of the seven wonders in this truly wonderful region. It has visited
Grand Falls and "Bowdoin Canyon;" has been bitten by black flies and
mosquitoes which only Labrador can produce, both in point of quality
and quantity; has wandered through the carriage roads (!) and gardens
of Northwest River and Hopedale; has dug over, mapped and photographed
the prehistoric Eskimo settlements that line the shores, to the north
of Hamilton Inlet; has made itself thoroughly conversant with the
great fishing industry that has made Labrador so valuable, to
Newfoundland in particular, and to the codfish consuming world in
general; and finally is itself the sixth wonder, in that it has
accomplished all it set out to do, though of course not all that would
have been done had longer time, better weather and several other
advantages been granted it.

It is almost another wonder, too, in the eyes of the Labradoreans,
that we have, without pilot and yet without accident or trouble of any
sort, made such a trip along their rocky coast, entered their most
difficult harbors, and outsailed their fastest vessels, revenue
cutters, traders and fishermen.

It will be a good many years before the visit of the "Yankee college
boys," the speed of the Yankee schooner and the skill and seamanship
of the Yankee captain are forgotten "on the Labrador."

The day after we left, July 19th, the mail steamer reached Battle
Harbor with the first mail of the season. On board were Messrs. Bryant
and Kenaston, anxiously looking for the Bowdoin party and estimating
their chances of getting to the mouth of Grand River. They brought
with them an Adirondack boat, of canoe model, relying on the country
to furnish another boat to carry the bulk of their provisions and a
crew to man the same.

[Rigolette] When the news was received that we were a day ahead, the
race began in earnest, the captain of the "Curlew" entering heartily
into the sport and doing his best to overhaul the speedy Yankee
schooner. When about half way up to Rigolette, on the third day from
Battle Harbor, as we were drifting slowly out of "Seal Bight," into
which we had gone the previous night to escape the numerous icebergs
that went grinding by, the black smoke, and later the spars of the
mail steamer were seen over one of the numerous rocky little islets
that block the entrance to the bight. The steamer's flag assured us
that it was certainly the mail steamer, and many and anxious were the
surmises as to whether our rivals were on board, and earnest were the
prayers for a strong and favoring wind. It soon came, and we bowled
along at a rattling pace, our spirits rising as we could see the
steamer, in shore, gradually dropping astern. Towards night we neared
Domino Run, and losing sight of the steamer, which turned out to make
a stop at some wretched little hamlet that had been shut out from the
outer world for nine months, at about the same time lost our breeze
also. But the wind might rise again, and time was precious, so a
bright lookout was kept for bergs, and we drifted on through the
night. The next morning a fringe of islands shut our competitor from
sight, but after an aggravating calm in the mouth of the inlet, we
felt a breeze and rushed up towards Rigolette, only to meet the
steamer coming out while we were yet several hours from that place.

Here we had our first experience with the immense deer-flies of
Labrador. Off Mt. Gnat they came in swarms and for self-protection
each man armed himself with a small wooden paddle and slapped at them
right and left, on the deck, the rail, another fellow's back or head,
in fact, wherever one was seen to alight. The man at the wheel was
doubly busy, protecting himself, with the assistance of ready
volunteers, from their lance-like bites, and steering the quickly
moving vessel.

At last the white buildings and flag-staff which mark all the Hudson
Bay Co.'s posts in Labrador, came in sight, snugly nestled in a little
cove, beneath a high ridge lying just to the north-west of it, and
soon we were at anchor. Our intention was to get into the cove, but
the six knot current swept us by the mouth before the failing breeze
enabled us to get in.

After supper the necessary formal call was made on the factor, Mr.
Bell, by the professor, armed with a letter of introduction from the
head of the company in London, and escorted by three or four of the
party. A rather gruff reception, at first met with, became quite
genial, when it appeared that we wanted no assistance save a pilot,
and called only to cultivate the acquaintance of the most important
official in Labrador.

With a promise to renew the acquaintance upon our return, we left, and
after a hard pull and an exciting moment in getting the boat fast
alongside, on account of the terrific current, we reached the deck and
reported.

Our rivals were there, and had hired the only available boat and crew
to transport them to North West River. This threw us back on our
second plan, viz: to take our party right to the mouth of the Grand
River ourselves, which involved a trip inland of one hundred miles to
the head of Lake Melville. This it was decided to do, and after some
delay in securing a pilot, owing to the transfer at the last moment of
the affections of the first man we secured to the other party, John
Blake came aboard and we started on our new experience in inland
navigation. Just as we entered the narrows, after a stop at John's
house to tell his wife where we were taking him, and to give her some
medicine and advice from the doctor, we saw our rivals starting in
the boat they had secured. That was the last we saw of them, till they
reached North West River, two days after our party had started up the
Grand River.

North West River is the name of the Hudson Bay Co.'s post at the mouth
of the river of the same name, flowing into the western extremity of
Lake Melville, about fifteen miles north of the mouth of Grand River.
Hamilton Inlet proper extends about forty miles in from the Atlantic
to the "Narrows," a few miles beyond Rigolette, where Lake Melville
begins. A narrow arm of the lake extends some unexplored distance east
of the Narrows, south of and parallel to the southern shore of the
inlet. The lake varies from five to forty miles in width and is ninety
miles long, allowing room for an extended voyage in its capacious
bosom. The water is fresh enough to drink at the upper end of the
lake, and at the time of our visit was far pleasanter and less arctic
for bathing than the water off any point of the Maine coast. About
twenty miles from the Narrows a string of islands, rugged and barren,
but beautiful for their very desolation, as is true of so much of
Labrador, nearly block the way, but we found the channels deep and
clear, and St. John's towering peak makes an excellent guide to the
most direct passage.

One night was spent under way, floating quietly on the lake, so
delightfully motionless after the restless movements of Atlantic seas.
A calm and bright day following, during which the one pleasant swim in
Labrador waters was taken by two of us, was varied by thunder squalls
and ended in fog and drizzle, causing us to anchor off the abrupt
break in the continuous ridge along the northern shore, made by the
Muligatawney River. Although in an insecure and exposed anchorage, yet
the fact that we were in an inclosed lake gave a sense of security to
the less experienced, that the snug and rocky harbors to which we had
become accustomed, usually failed to give on account of the roaring of
the surf a few hundred yards away, on the other side of the narrow
barrier that protected the rocky basin.

The following day was bright and showery by turns, but the heart's
wish of our Grand River men was granted, and while the schooner lay
off the shoals at the mouth of the river they were to make famous,
they started as will be described, and the rest of the expedition
turned towards North West River, hoping they, too, could now get down
to their real work.

The noble little vessel was reluctant to leave any of her freight in
so desolate a place, in such frail boats as the Rushtons seemed, and
in the calm between the thunder squalls, several times turned towards
them, as they energetically pushed up the river's mouth, and seemed to
call them back as she heavily flapped her white sails. They kept
steadily on, however, while the Julia, bowing to a power stronger than
herself, and to a fresh puff from the rapidly rising thunder heads,
speedily reached North West River.

North West River is a sportsman's paradise. Here we found the only
real summer weather of the trip, the thermometer reaching 76 deg. F. on
two days in succession, and thunder storms occurring regularly every
afternoon. Our gunners and fishermen were tempted off on a long trip.
One party planning to be away two or three days, but returning the
following morning, reported tracks and sounds of large animals. They
said the rain induced them to return so soon.

[Montagnais Indians] Here we found a camp of Montagnais Indians,
bringing the winter's spoils of furs to trade at the post for flour
and powder, and the other articles of civilization that they are
slowly learning to use. They loaf on their supplies during the summer,
hunting only enough to furnish themselves with meat, and then starve
during the winter if game happens to be scarce. Measurements were made
of some twenty-five of this branch of the Kree tribe, hitherto unknown
to anthropometric science, and a full collection of household utensils
peculiar to their tribe was procured. Several of the Nascopee tribe
were with them, the two inter-marrying freely, and were also measured.
The latter are not such magnificent specimens of physical development
as the Montagnais, but their tribe is more numerous and seems, if
anything, better adapted to thrive in Labrador than their more
attractive brothers.

The only remains of their picturesque national costume that we saw,
was the cap. The women wore a curious knot of hair, about the size of
a small egg, over each ear, while the men wore their hair cut off
straight around, a few inches above the shoulders.

In point of personal cleanliness, these people equal any aborigines we
have seen, though their camp exhibited that supreme contempt for
sanitation that characterizes every village except the Hudson Bay
Co.'s posts on the Labrador coast, whether of Indians, Esquimaux or
"planters," as the white and half-breed settlers are called.

Some curious scenes were enacted while the professor was trading for
his desired ethnological material. With inexhaustible patience and
imperturbable countenance, he sat on a log, surrounded by yelping
dogs, and by children and papooses of more or less tender ages and
scanty raiment, playing on ten cent harmonicas that had for a time
served as a staple of trade, struggling with the dogs and with their
equally excited mothers and sisters for a sight of the wonderful
basket from whose apparently inexhaustible depths came forth yet more
harmonicas, sets of celluloid jewelry, knives, combs, fish-hooks,
needles, etc., _ad infinitum_. The men, whose gravity equalled the
delight of the women and children, held themselves somewhat aloof,
seldom deigning to enter the circle about the magic basket, and making
their trades in a very dignified and careless fashion.

That these people are capable of civilization there can be no doubt.
Missing the interpreter, without whom nothing could be done, the
professor inquired for him and learned that he had returned to his
wigwam. Upon being summoned he said he was tired of talking. Thereupon
the professor bethought himself and asked him if he wanted more pay.
The interpreter, no longer tired, was willing to talk all night.

The camp was in a bend of the river and at the head of rapids about
four miles from the mouth, up which we had to track, that is, one man
had to haul the boat along by the bank with a small rope called a
tracking line, while another kept her off the rocks by pushing against
her with an oar. At that point the river opened out into a beautiful
lake from one to two miles in width, whose further end we could not
see. As this river never has been explored to its head, we were
surprised that Messrs. Bryant and Kenaston, who were ready for their
inland trip about a week after our party had started up the Grand
River, had not chosen it as a field for their work rather than follow
in the footsteps of our expedition.

[A carriage road] Of all Labrador north of the Straits, North West
River alone boasts a carriage road. To be sure, there are neither
horses nor carriages at that post, but when Sir Donald A. Smith, at
present at the head of the Hudson Bay Co.'s interests in Canada, but
then plain Mr. Smith, factor, was in charge of that post his energy
made the place a garden in the wilderness, and in addition to luxuries
of an edible sort, he added drives in a carriage through forest and by
shore, for about two miles, on a well made road. Now, we are informed
there is not a horse or cow north of Belle Isle. The present factor,
Mr. McLaren, is a shrewd Scotchman, genial and warm-hearted beneath a
rather forbidding exterior, as all of our party who experienced his
hospitality can testify.

In spite of all its attractions we could not stay at North West River.
In five weeks we were to meet our river detail at Rigolette, and
during that time a trip north of 400 miles was to be made and the bulk
of the expedition's scientific work to be done.

Our day's sail, with fresh breezes and favoring squalls, took us the
whole length of the delightful lake, whose waters had seldom been
vexed by a keel as long as the Julia's, and brought us to an anchor
off Eskimo Island. Here we had one of our regular fights with the
mosquitoes, the engagement perhaps being a trifle hotter than usual,
for they swarmed down the companion way every time the "mosquito
door," of netting on a light frame hinged to the hatch house, was
opened, in brigades and divisions and finally by whole army corps,
till we were forced to retreat to our bunks, drive out the intruding
hosts, which paid no respect whatever to our limited 6x3x3 private
apartments, by energetically waving and slapping a towel around, then
quickly shutting the door of netting, also on a tightly fitting frame,
and devoting an hour or two at our leisure to demolishing the few
stragglers that remained within; or possibly the whole night, if an
unknown breach had been found by the wily mosquito somewhere in our
carefully made defenses. A few bones were taken from the Eskimo graves
that abound on the island, but the mosquitoes seriously interfered
with such work and the party soon returned to the vessel. The
absolutely calm night allowed the mosquitoes to reach us and stay; and
in spite of its brevity and the utter stillness of the vast solitude
about us, broken only now and then by a noise from the little Halifax
trader whose acquaintance we here made for the first time, and of whom
we saw so much on our return voyage across the gulf, or by the howling
of wolves and Eskimo dogs in the distance, we were glad when it was
over and a morning breeze chased from our decks the invading hosts.

A short stop at Rigolette, to send about fifty letters ashore, a two
days' delay in a cold, easterly storm at Turner Cove, on the south
side of the inlet, when the icy winds, in contrast to the warm weather
we had lately enjoyed, made us put on our heavy clothes and, even
then, shiver--a delay, however, that we did not grudge, for we were in
a land of fish, game and labradorite--this of a poor quality, as we
afterward learned--and where the doctor had more patients than he
could easily attend to. At last a pleasant Sunday's run to Indian
Harbor got us clear of Hamilton Inlet. There we found the usual
complement of fish and fishing apparatus, but with the addition of a
few Yankee vessels and a church service.

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