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Yale University Library
39002024997737

HE LABRADOR
WIIPREDT. GRENFELL

YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

1944

DOWN NORTH ON
THE LABRADOR

Wilfred T. GrenfelP s Works

Down North on the Labrador
Illustrated, 12mo, cloth, - net jil. 00
Anew collection of Labrador yarns by the man who
has succeeded in making isolated Labrador a part of
the known world. Like its predecessor, while con
fined exclnsively to facts in Dr, Grenfell's daily life,
the new volume is full of romance, adventure and
excitement.

Down to the Sea
Illustrated, 12mo, cloth, net $1.00
"This new volume shows Dr. Grenfell's character
istics in generous measure." — JVeiit York Times.

The Harvest of the Sea
A Tale of Both Sides of the Atlantic.
Illustrated, 12mo, cloth, - net $1. 00
"Relates the life of the North Sea fishermen on the
now famous Dogger Bank; the cruel apprenticeship,
the bitter life, the gallant deeds. Real sea tales that
will appeal to every one." — A'^ Y. Sun.
By NORMAN DUNCJN
Dr. Grenfell's Parish
The Deep Sea Fisherman.
Illustrated, 12mo, cloth, - net $1.00
"It is a series of sketches of Grenfell's work in Lab
rador. A very rare picture the author has given of a
very rare man ; a true story of adventure which we
should like to see in the hands of everyone."— 0«//oo4

CRUISING DOWN NORTH ON THE LABRADOR

Down North on
The Labrador

By
Wilfred r. Grenfell
M.D., C.M.G.

ILLUSTRATED

Neiv Tork Chicago Toronto
Fleming H. Revell Company
London and Edinburgh

Copyright, 191 1, by
FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY

\5f

New York: 158 Fifth Avenue
Chicago: 123 North Wabash Ave.
Toronto : 25 Richmond Street, W.
London: 21 Paternoster Square
Edinburgh: 100 Princes Street

CONTENTS
I. THE SILVER FOX .
II. THE REGENERATION OF JOHN-
NIE ELWORTH
m. HOW JIMMY HAMPTON MADE
GOOD ....
IV. A VENTURE IN ECONOMICS
V. GIVEN TO HOSPITALITY .
VI. REMEDY FOR WORRY .
VII. ON HIS BEAM ENDS .
VIII. A PARTIAL CONVERSION .
IX. THE SOURCES OF PLEASURE
X. SUZANNE ....
XL "BRIN" 
XII. RUBE MARVIN'S CONFESSION
XIII. "THE SPARS OF THE ROSE OF
TORRIDGE" .

2 +
39 S3
68 83
94
109121 130147 172
206

ILLUSTRATIONS

Cruising Down North on the Labrador . Opposite Title
" It was a Fox, Truly — a Silver Fox ! " . . 21
" The First Silver that had Ever Fallen to His
Share ! "

" Patrols that Weary, Long Coast in Winter "
The Same Coast in Summer
The Last of a Labrador Berg
A Fishing Schooner in the Spring Ice .
" It was a Late Spring Next Year on the Coast '
" I'm Seventy-three Come Michaelmas "
" There were Few Hearts Anywhere Lighter
than Ours " 
Improving the Time in Fair Weather on Board the
Strathcona .....
" A Team of Husky Dogs "...
" He Went by the Name of Brin " .
Sealing : The Harvest of the Winter Sea
" Our Hospital Steamer had Just Dropped Her
Anchor" 

39
S3
61

96
121 148172
207

The Silver Fox
THE capture of a fox would not be
considered a matter of extreme im
portance in most countries, but in
Labrador it may be and has been more than
once the event of a lifetime. If the fox is red,
or white, or blue, or cross, or patch, even in
Labrador it means little enough, but if it is a
silver, and especially if it be black beyond
the shoulders, then it looms very large on the
horizon of a northern settler's economy.
And Anthony Dyson had really caught
one. Yes, there it was. He had just taken it
out of his " nonny " bag, and it lay on the
floor of his humble home, a mass of frozen
hair and ice. A solid ball like a real Christ
mas cake, only with dark black hairs protrud
ing through the frosting. For the ice must
be thawed off carefully, not to injure the
beautiful long hairs. The veriest tenderfoot
would not try to knock it off with a toma
hawk, as from a common skin.
Early in November, before the " runs " be
tween the outer islands were quite caught
9

IO DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
fast, long after the fleets of fishing schooners
had winged their way south, Anthony and
his man Chesley had worked their little boat
through the slob ice to a large island lying
off in the Atlantic, in order to tail their traps
and prospect for chances of winter game.
They had carried with them, as they always
did in the boat, their sleeping bags and some
food, in case they were benighted. For they
were careful men, having little ones at home
depending on them.
It was, however, this very fact which now
betrayed them. The northern sky loomed
very angry when they left, and in their little
sailing skiff they had shipped enough water
to wet their clothing well before they landed
on Sandy Point. It seemed too hard to turn
back now; so, hoping against better judg
ment that the weather would get no worse,
they hauled their boat above high water line,
while they went around the big, long island
tailing their traps. They had calculated on
having plenty of time to recross the arm of
the sea before dark. But, alas I even before
they got back to their boat the sky broke, and
a hurricane of wind leaped down upon them,
so that the water was in an instant a mass of
smoke and drift. The intense cold froze
their already wet clothing. They tried

The SILVER FOX ii
to keep moving, searching the island for
shelter from the storm, but finding none.
The snow on the ground, which they de
pended on in winter for a night's lodging
when travelling, was not deep enough to be
any material help, and was wet and soggy
from the driving salt spray. Capsizing their
boat, they crept in beneath it into their sleep
ing bags. But these, too, were wet with the
spray and as soon as they lay down their
own clothes froze solid, so that they were
obliged to get out and walk down near the
breakers, so that the driving salt spray might
soften their whilom armour, as vinegar would
a crab's shell.
It was too cold to eat, and though they had
dry matches in bottles, like the careful hunt
ers they were, the force of the wind made a fire
utterly impossible. A hare they had killed
that day was as hard as a piece of iron, and
they were too cold and wretched to break it
and eat it raw.
All night they walked up and down and
up and down in the dark. Returning one
time to look for their boat, they found that
the gale had piled the sea so high that she
was actually rolling over in the surf, and
with her their few remaining things were
gone, including their axe and kettle. They

12 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
could do nothing then to save them. Still,
fortunately, the wind was on shore ; so that
when daylight broke and the tide fell the
boat was ten yards up the beach. Oars and
contents were all gone, and she herself lay
a miniature iceberg, with many inches of
frozen spray making her almost unrecogniz
able. Painfully they dragged her beyond
the reach of the sea ; for if she were lost,
with her would go any chance of ever seeing
their homes and loved ones again. Even if
the women and children had endeavoured to
come and look for them, it would have been
impossible for them to launch the big trap
boat in the absence of any men. And they
knew well the men had all left for their
winter homes long ago. All this long day
the fierce storm continued to sweep over the
devoted island, until every high pinnacle
and every blade of vegetation was covered
with snow or was thick with frozen glitter.
Soon after the first streak of daylight they
were able to find a niche in the rocks under
the lea of the island where they could re
move their clothes and beat out the ice.
But they found nothing to make a fire with,
and had to be content again to put on their
frozen apparel to thaw out against the heat
of their bodies if possible. For food they

The SILVER FOX 13
could only nibble a piece of hard bread, the
best friend of the poor man on his winter
travels, for it is cheap and cannot freeze and
become useless.
By dark that night Chesley, the younger
of the two men, was fast showing signs of
failing, and it took all Anthony's spare
energy to rouse and hearten him. Unfortu
nately the lad had been reared as one of a
large family, and in his boyhood had never
really been able to obtain the nourishing
food a growing boy requires. While escap
ing the fate of two of his brothers, who had
for this reason fallen victims to consumption,
he had nevertheless grown up with a dimin
ished vitality, and the few months of better
living in Anthony's house had not yet
brought to him the vital energy he should
have had.
The next was indeed a horrible night for
both of the men, and doubly so because of
what they knew it meant to those in the
cottage across the strip of water. Anthony
declares that with him the night went
quickly, and he remembers little personal
suffering. The need to keep his companion
on the move and to stimulate him not
to give up, lie down and die, apparently
diverted his attention from himself. But he

14 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
admits that every now and again his spirit
travelled over those foaming billows, and
just as really as if his body had been able to
conquer material circumstances, he seemed
to be watching his loved ones in his own
home. So real was the impression that he
seemed almost puzzled as to where he
actually was, and he positively expected at
times that his next footstep would land him
at his own door.
He was perfectly conscious of his young
wife in her agony of doubt, wrestling with
God, rather than "saying her prayers," that
his own life might be spared. He had been
himself too self-opinionated to ask for divine
help against a physical storm, even all
through that long night. Without actually
confessing it to himself, he had been domi
nated by a resentment in his own mind
against any idea that he was not master
of his life and his environment. But the
vision of his stricken wife seemed to soften
his heart, and now, without any particular
consciousness of humbling himself, he cried
for mercy to God ; first for the almost help
less man he was trying to save, and then —
yes, then, odd as it would have seemed to
him at any other time — without any feeling
of meanness he asked God to save him. He

The SILVER FOX 15
thinks now, had it not been for the trust of
his companion's life, he might never have
learned the lesson of that night — a lesson he
firmly believes that storm was sent for, and
for which he has lived to heartily thank a
Father of love in heaven for teaching him.
He still puts it in the half fatalistic way of
the country, " I s'pose my time had not yet
come, doctor." But the sense of a personal
God really watching over the affairs of men
had begun to make a new man of him.
In the dark hours before dawn there was a
sudden lull in the wind, the sea dropped
quickly, and before the splendid sunrise broke
over the exquisite tracery of the hills the hur
ricane had gone as suddenly as it came.
After chafing the limbs and rubbing the
body of his charge until he saw signs of
returning life, Anthony carried and drove
him back to the boat, where he laid him
down in his own oil coat until he could beat
the ice off the boat's sides and bottom, and
once more make her manageable.
Hidden under bulks of seaweed and other
debris he was able to find, alongshore, pieces
of two of the now dilapidated paddles, suf
ficiently large for a man of his calibre to
venture the passage home with. By a great
effort he succeeded in effecting a launch,

i6 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
getting his companion into the boat. After
a weary journey he reached his own shore,
where he had long been spied by his anxious
wife from the lookout. It had been such an
experience as he never wanted to renew ; but
he now confessed that, taken with other of
life's happenings, it had been honestly worth
while. A week had gone by. Both men were so
thoroughly recovered that one would have
supposed they had forgotten their hard
experience. It was now once more time to
cross the run and examine the traps they
had tailed on the island ; and as good signs
of foxes had been apparent where they had
set, Anthony, nothing loth, proposed another
journey to Sandy Point.
They were all in need enough, God knows,
of some reinforcements to the larder. But if
this were true for Anthony it was ten times
more true for his companion. Chesley' s fam
ily at home was a large one, and his father's
credit at the store, thirty miles away, had
"not reached beyond dry flour," so that
while he himself was getting butter and
molasses, he was anxious enough to be able
to carry something home to his parents and
the family. This was his first " winter out " ;
and, full of high hopes, he had begun work.

The SILVER FOX 17
determined to play the man in the eyes of
those loved ones who were in such dire
need. The events of the last round of his traps
had had the effect on Anthony of making
him absolutely certain of a watchful care
over his life. But, strange to say, exactly
the same circumstance had so preyed on
the mind of the younger man that he flatly
refused again to venture the journey. The
more Anthony insisted the more determined
was the refusal — and the day ended with
Chesley's abruptly leaving the house alto
gether, after resigning all interest in the
traps, travelling on foot to the mainland
which he was now able to reach on the ice,
and doggedly holding on his way until he
arrived penniless at his father's door.
Anthony felt he had nothing to blame him
self for. He had reasoned and ordered, all to
no purpose. The outcome was that now he
was left alone, to all appearances unable to
pursue his only method of earning a liveli
hood. His wife had not yet found out the
true state of affairs. She supposed that
Chesley would return in the morning, and
that at least her husband would not have to
add to his inevitable risks the perils of going
these long distances alone. Anthony re-

i8 DO WN NORTH on The LABRADOR
membered that she knew how her own uncle
had come by his death two years before, by
some fit or seizure while away with his
dogs ; the gruesome story of how the dogs
had returned some time later without him,
and that only when the snow had gone in
the spring his half eaten body had been
found, was not likely to be forgotten.
Anthony did not dare suggest to her what
he knew was now the only course open to
him. All the next day he himself still kept
silence, hoping against hope that Chesley
might return. He dreaded asking his wife
to let him depart alone, though he had, like
most of our men, absolutely no fear about
going. But on the second day the real truth
dawned upon him. He would be alone for
the winter now, and must either go by him
self or starve.
Screwing his courage to its utmost limit,
he at length told his wife ; expecting that a
scene would follow that would make his
determination impossible to put into prac
tice. He confesses that in this dilemma he
had forgotten again the good hand of his
God upon him. For it took him utterly by
surprise when his wife seemed to welcome
his decision. Indeed, she had already begun

The SILVER FOX 19
to pack up his outfit and put his things to
gether, almost before he had done explain
ing his reasons.
He had now, he confesses, yet another
lesson to learn ; and that lesson, too, will
stand him in good stead yet, I'm sure. His
brave young wife had read him like an open
book. She had solved his unspoken riddle,
and — showing a courage to my view far
superior to his own — with a smile on her
face but an awful load at her heart she bade
him do as he judged best. He had hardly
learned what trust in God meant to him ;
he now realized what the same trust could
do for another.
As he left the land in the old punt, how
ever, he knew that it was a heavy heart he
left behind him ; and he did not fail to feel
that a pair of anxious eyes were watching
him from the eyrie as once again he skill
fully sought to drive his little craft between
the large " growler " forms of ice that swept
endlessly through the tickle. So much had
this feeling told on him that, when he even
tually landed and hauled his punt up over the
ice barricades which had piled up on Sandy
Point in the few days since he was last there,
he had ceased to expect anything worth
while in the traps. The whole world seemed

20 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
somehow cruel and relentless; and as he
wended his way alone to trap after trap
along the desolate sides of that bleak island
and found one after another empty, once
again life seemed to him to be a blank. His
apathy was, however, half dispelled when he
came to the seventh station. His trap, set
here on the top of a heavy stump — driven
into the ground to prevent its being iced
over — had disappeared. The chain had ap
parently snapped near the peg and whatever
had been in it had gone away also ; while
the driven snow that had fallen the previous
nights had obliterated all trace of the direc
tion in which the quarry had carried it.
Carefully he blew away the surface of the
snow, as in ever-widening circles he eagerly
scanned the ground for some faint trace that
might supply to his keen eyes evidences as
to which way to start in pursuit. But all to
no purpose. The snow, packed as hard as
adamant by the wind, had obliterated every
thing. Now thoroughly discouraged, he
tramped along to the next and last post,
about a mile and a quarter farther on.
A tiny dark speck some hundred yards
out of the path had not escaped his keen
sight, but it had until that moment appeared
like the hundred and one other snags and

'IT WAS A FOX, TRULY-A SILVER FOX!

¦THE FIRST SILVER THAT HAD EVER FALLEN TO HIS
SHARE!"

The SILVER FOX 21
Stone tops that protruded through the snow
on every side. Suddenly it seemed to move.
At first he thought it must be his eyes
deceiving him. But no ; it did move, as a
reed shaken in the wind. In considerably
less than a minute, his gun unslung and
cocked, Anthony was standing, his eyes
staring, his heart bounding, over a tuft of
black hair protruding through the general
level of the snow.
It was a fox, truly — a silver fox ! The
first silver that had ever fallen to his share I
Poor beast, there was no need to shoot.
Amid all the wild sense of triumph now
coursing through every fibre of his body, he
could not help feeling it had found the fate
he and his friend had so recently and so
narrowly escaped — ^with a trap on two of its
feet it had frozen to death on the island.
It was this valuable fox that now lay on
the kitchen floor of the little kitchen. " It's
mine, Bessie ! " he almost shouted. " Mine
all mine, every hair of it ! And I've no
shareman. What will Chesley say now for
having run away and left me? It would
have meant everything to those children — a
diet for the whole winter."
As he was speaking the ice was melting
off the glossy skin. What a beauty it was !

22 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
No tracing of the long hairs, as there would
have been in a spring-caught fox; no thin
mane from hair falling off as it pushed
through bushes ; no faded fur from a Febru
ary or March sun. No. It was a real large
dog silver fox, in prime season — dark to the
shoulders, mane like a lion, and a pure white
mixed with the black, that told him it would
fetch $500 if it fetched a dollar. Five hun
dred dollars 1 A new sail for the schooner, a
new mooring chain that she needed so badly,
tinned milk, a new rifle, a proper boat for his
cod trap, a fleet of new salmon nets, enough
twine to put the old seal nets in order,
visions of plenty of everything dear to the
soul of a Labrador trapper and fisherman I
But Chesley — what of Chesley and the
family? Anthony had yet one lesson to
learn. He had to learn what real faith in
God means. It does not mean singing. It
does not mean praying. " Not every one
that saith Lord, Lord, shall enter into His
kingdom here on earth, or hereafter in
heaven." Into that kingdom which is right
eousness, joy, and peace in believing, en
trance comes only of doing the will of our
Father which is in heaven.
" Dear Anthony," said a quiet voice by his
side, as he stood silently thinking over his

The SILVER FOX 23
good fortune, " it will be good to get a new
sail. How lovely the litde Daryl will sail,
and she'll bring you back safely to me, and
with the new mooring chain I shall have no
fear when the wind blows, and you are away
on the voyage to the Hudson Bay Post.
But, Anthony dear, there is something which
you will love better than that. Let's get the
dogs harnessed up and start right away, and
we will have the best part of all. You will,
won't you? And we'll drive right over and
tell Chesley that half the fox belongs to
him." Without a word of argument Anthony
went out and called the dogs.
For to Anthony had come at last — as it
must often come to many of us also, through
humiliation and suffering, the lesson of
Christmas that God would have all mankind
learn.

II
The Regeneration of Johnnie Elworth
JOHNNIE ELWORTH was as dear a
little chap as ever brightened a home,
but he was not calculated to inspire en
thusiasm in a teacher. He was only four
years old, and only just in the glory of his
first trousers. His parents, brought up on
the coast, had had no chances for " getting
learning," and Johnnie had a strong family
trait that suggested at once, and confirmed
in a very short time, that in spite of our
best efforts his chances of outrunning his
parents in that direction were far from rosy.
His very limbs seemed to be always tied in
inextricable knots, and every time the teacher
unfolded him he succeeded in getting himself
more tangled.
He had a marvellous way of sitting with
one hand in his opposite breast pocket, and
the other in his wrong trouser one, and both
so far in that it was almost impossible to get
them — I had almost said him — out. With
infinite patience our gentle schoolma'am
would unwind Johnnie and straighten him
24

JOHNNIE EL WOR TH 25
out opposite his slate, fixing his pencil in his
hand. But so soon as her attention was di
rected to the other side of the class Johnnie
would, in less time than it takes to write, get
" all snarled up again." What his Hmbs
were, his brain seemed to be, and what his
brain, so his will. He seemed to be naturally
fortified against acquiring any kind of learn
ing. We have emerged from the " putting-it-in-
with-a-stick age," having found that course
harmful, so Johnnie became apparently an
insoluble problem. No doubt this needn't
have been the case had the schoolma'am had
a limited number of " Johnnies " to attend to,
and less limited help to do it with. But our
school was small only in the magnitude of
its accommodation and paraphernalia for
education that we had been able to collect
within its walls. The scholars varied in
nothing so much as their ages, and when an
attempt was once made to add a night school
to our labours we found it impossible to re
cord an average age — our eldest scholars
having long lost any knowledge of the date
of their embarkation on life's voyage.
If age was the main point of difference in
the scholars, the inability to make suitable
provision against the inclemencies of our

26 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
subarctic climate was their greatest point
of similarity; a resemblance that keenly
accentuated the divergence of ingenuity dis
played in overcoming this paramount diffi
culty. How many times the places of our
most interesting scholars would be empty be
cause " Please, teacher, Tommie hasn't any
boots to come in." I can still see our tiny
Elsie trudging to school in a pair of boots,
generously supplied from her own wardrobe
by a somewhat large lady, whose sympathy
was aroused on her chance visit to our village
by the grief she saw caused by a deprivation
apparently so easily remedied.
Arrayed in these " seven leaguers," for a
little while Elsie became a regular attendant
once again, and her prospect of getting
learning flourished. True, she had to make
an earlier start than heretofore, and leave
home long before the rest of the scholars if
she was to navigate successfully such large
craft on the journey to school, but that did
not trouble her as much as not being able to
"keep up" when the others were "seeing
their schoolma'am home." Alas ! a worse
casualty overtook her soon. As she was
missing from her place in school two days in
succession, the schoolma'am " looked her up,"
only to find that " mother thought them boots

JOHNNIE ELWORTH 27
fitted Carrie " (her older sister) better ; a fact
that there was no contesting.
The almost universal scarcity in the matter
of wearing apparel fortunately made a false
sense of modesty never any factor to be reck
oned with. No one remarked unkindly on
Tommie Carlson when he appeared for the
first time in his bread-bag trousers, though
the virtues of its former contents were indel
ibly stamped up and down the legs. The
old trouser leg transformed into a sweater or
jumper for Jimmie MacKenzie, though its
former function was very thinly disguised,
attracted no particular attention ; nor did any
one resent the appearance of Harry Gray
when he succeeded in forcing a passage to
school in the cast-off sea boots of his father,
over the tops of which he could hardly see.
In the mind of our little schoolma'am it only
created a sense of admiration and gratitude
that this dear little chap should set out on so
arduous a venture just to get to school. No
one else, however, was in the least surprised.
For we all knew a little about the power of
magnets. It was, alas ! often the same with food as
with clothing. When proper nourishing
food was not obtainable, it was neither advis
able nor possible to insist on the little ones

28 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
coming for "book learning," and our pa
ternal government has not yet provided us
with the means of supplying a meal at mid
day. In addition to all other disadvantages,
there is the ingrained " cussedness " of hu
man nature ; the universal slowness of all of
us to appreciate the true value of things, and
the inability to discipline ourselves to that we
don't really care for. Most fortunately, we
had, per contra, the personality of our school
ma'am ; which, as one of our apt neighbours
once said, " Be just as good as molasses for
flies." Still education progressed but slowly in
the village, and our aspiration to be ahead of
the rest of the country in mental evolution
seemed improbable of realization.
Christmas had come and gone, and even
here " away down north," we were already
discussing plans for the still distant season
of open water. A flag raised one day on a
high pole across the harbour heralded at
breakfast that a dog mail had arrived that
morning — and as we gathered round the log
fire at night, each one was contributing for
the general benefit titbits from the news re
ceived from our widely distributed homes.
It was our schoolma'am's turn to talk ; she

JOHNNIE ELWORTH 29
evidently had something on her mind. She
was a poor dissembler of emotions. "A
friend of mine who teaches a large kinder
garten near home," she broke in, " has offered
to come down for the summer, and help with
the school. Do you think it would be any
good telling her to come along ? "
In a country like this, conundrums are our
daily portion. But it was unusually unani
mously, as if by instinct, that all hands
plumped for a kindergarten, to be taught by
a friend of our friend. After which, like so
many children, we proceeded to discuss its
possibility. " Experimentum fiat" was the best verdict
we could come to, even after prolonged dis
cussion ; and sure enough our first July boat
deposited a trained kindergartner in our
midst, with mysterious boxes of apparatus
such as the sun had never shone on in our
village before.
The question of installation was settled by
clearing the diminutive schoolroom of all the
impedimenta of rough board, forms and desks,
that we had so laboriously collected and had
previously been so highly prized. They
were replaced by a few chalk lines on the
floor, now resplendent from much soap and
scrubbing. Some dainty little chairs occu-

30 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
pied but little space, while in the corner stood
the marvel of the shore — a real grand piano.
It was no bantling, this piano — on the con
trary, it had an added sanctity of years suffi
cient alone to commend it to our veneration.
Its size was appalling in its setting of our
tiny school, while from the very first day the
gorgeous polish of its mahogany case did for
the ill-lit corners of the room what it has since
been doing steadily for the far less penetrable
corners of many small minds. It has been a
veritable light to them that sit in darkness.
How many of our little scholars stood open-
mouthed and speechless, as, after bounding
through the door with characteristic energy,
its awful presence first dawned on their startled
gaze. When at length they saw their beloved
schoolma'am actually sit down and handle it
with familiarity and force it to give forth
sweet music, enthusiasm knew no bounds.
The grand piano had only one rival for
many days, and that rival also had but just
been unveiled. It was a large " stuff " cow,
that not only was as real as life, but the wise
ones knew that if you "slewed her head
round " she would twist it back herself and
give vent to a loud moo-oo as she did so.
It was long the ample reward of the industri
ous to be permitted to slew that head.

JOHNNIE ELWORTH 31
And so the kindergarten got under way
and our new helper could be seen surrounded
morning and afternoon with an eager crowd
of hitherto unappreciative youngsters, who
in increasing numbers flocked to enjoy the
marvels of modern kindergarten methods.
The hearts of all those who were interested
in the children's welfare rose like sky rockets,
and the gleam in many eyes betrayed that
we were counting once again on leaving our
southern, usually more favoured rivals, "hull
down " on the race for learning.
It was a week after operations commenced
before I managed to get down to a " recita
tion " at the kindergarten. When I entered,
the children were sitting in a ring on the floor
and singing, while one of their number, from
the teacher's feet, took shots at a long line of
coloured balls, while the others counted the
numbers hit and the numbers left in line,
clapping boisterously as each new hit was
made. The vigour of the thrower and the
evident pleasure he got from the game at
tracted my attention. His whole energies
were absorbed in the task. To my astonished
gaze, the profile of this wide-awake, keen,
eager little player slowly resolved itself into
the familiar features of Johnnie Elworth. I
could scarcely believe it wasn't an illusion.

32 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
The humour of the position, however, was
what perhaps most struck me, for, quite off
his guard and unaware of the fact, here was
Johnnie at last, in spite of himself, obviously
"getting learning,"
When Johnnie himself as successfully
counted backwards the balls he was to aim
at, my facetious colleague suggested that
our little schoolma'am at the piano must
surely be in danger of nervous prostration.
Things went along swimmingly with the
kindergarten ; rumours that a weird desire
to acquire wisdom had developed like measles
in all the children reached us daily, at hos
pital. Had we known the sad story of the
Pied Piper of Hamlin we might have had
reason to be jealous of this success, and we
might have been pardoned for listening to
the disquieting rumours that began to creep
along the harbour. These, however, came
from a different cause altogether. Our people
have a very well defined though sometimes
a singular idea of what Almighty God allows
and does not allow. They are people who
stand for fixed principles, and the cost to
them and the sacrifice involved don't count
one iota with those who claim to be Chris
tian men — a trait which has many things to
commend it.

JOHNNIE ELWORTH 33
Among the pursuits that have received the
irrevocable condemnation of the local leaders
of religion, in spite of the concession of Solo
mon on this particular point, is dancing. It
comes within the same category as dram-
drinking, and must be unhesitatingly dis
countenanced. The laxity of foreigners on
this particular article of the creed is proverbial.
No wonder then that rumours were soon
afloat that at the afternoon session of our
kindergarten the " thin edge of this wedge of
sin " was being secretly inserted. Now if this
scandal were permitted to spread it spelled
nothing short of ruin for our most promising
effort. It was obvious that this bull had to
be taken by the horns, and that at once.
There were two ministers who were our
oracles on all such subjects at the time, in
our harbour. I left in search of them without
delay. It was agreed we should unexpectedly
drop in at the very next afternoon session,
and, if necessary, nip this poison plant while
yet it was in the bud.
Three o'clock saw us, strengthened by the
company of yet one more expert on vital
matters of this kind, knocking at the kinder
garten door. Our arrival, I must confess,
seemed in no wise to disconcert the new
teacher whose integrity was at stake. She

34 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
certainly could not have realized the magni
tude of the issues this solemn conclave fore
boded. Politely but firmly we were ushered
to the sole remaining wooden bench and told
to perch ourselves well out of the way against
the wall at the end of the room. Arrayed in
a solemn row, and, there is no denying it,
awed into silence by the atmosphere prevail
ing, we must have appeared to an intelligent
onlooker like a tenderfoot jury at a new
quarter sessions. I confess to misgivings of
conscience as I sat watching without a word
the " carryings on " we were shortly to pro
nounce on for good or evil. The first
" game " or two were irreproachable. The
interrupted ball game was reenacted. Every
child was sitting on the floor. No adverse
comment was possible on this or on the
second game, called " Now we turn in, turn
in," " Now we turn out, turn out." For for
tunately no one left the places allotted to
them, though at the magic words " I turn
myself about" every one jumped round
about. This game was certainly permissible.
But now the children are " choosing part
ners," and though, with the perversity of
childhood, the boys had all chosen boys, and
the girls girls to share the intricacies of the
coming evolutions, I noted with trepidation

JOHNNIE ELWORTH 35
that the suspicions of the vigilance committee
were undoubtedly aroused. I could see it in
their eyes, and, being unaware of what was to
follow, I felt proportionally nervous. We
were informed by the teacher that this per
formance would be a " folk game," and was
known under the title " Piggiewig and
Piggiewee." It was to be accompanied by
singing. There proved, to my intense relief, after
all, no danger of our yet incurring theologic
odium from this innovation on the road to
the three R's. The children actually sat
down part of the time, and the undoubted
risks attaching to all forms of motor dissipa
tion were then confined to rhythmic move
ments of the fingers. With a sigh of relief, I
recognized we were still surviving the test.
Our teacher next successfully navigated us
clear of any possible stricture through the
game of " All on the Train for Boston."
For, in spite of the motion, each player only
held on to the shoulders of the one in front,
and shuffled on after the engine along that
apparently circuitous route. So that we
could think of no form of dance (known to
us in our unregenerate days of course) com
prehensive enough to include this, as even a
collateral. But we had scarcely begun to

36 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
breathe freely when we were forewarned that
the whole company would now "join hands,
and move round and round in a circle " to
music. This was a very different matter.
And now the whole committee realized that
the supreme moment had arrived ! With no
little apprehension we saw boys and girls
actually alternated, hands actually held in
hand — and we noted that as all sang the un
deniably secular script of " Louby Loo,"
many of the tiny feet positively left the floor
as the circle went merrily round. We had
seen sufficient. For we had now no doubt
whatever that we had traced to their lair the
very natural suspicions that had necessitated
our visit. Without question there were
those who would classify this proceeding " as
unbecoming to a wholly devoted religious
person." With the most studied politeness we bade
farewell to the prisoners at the bar, and ad
journed to consider the whole problem at
issue — in cczmera — on the nearest fishing
stage. The question now resolved itself into a
very elementary one, viz., what should we
do ? It was no longer the kindergarten that
was on trial, it was the committee. We, we,
the irreproachable — we who were regarded as

JOHNNIE ELWORTH 37
the patterns for the orthodox. It was we
who were on trial. How were we to avoid
becoming a stumbling-block to the feeble-
kneed, and at the same time escape our own
convictions that unregenerate scoffers might
be justified in seeing a humorous sid^ to our
dilemma? I will not describe the vicissi
tudes of the session. There was nothing in
Holy Writ to which " Piggiewig and Pig
giewee" was subversive, that was clear.
Without any fear we decided that by no
subdety of construction could any known
passage of even the most obscure portions of
Scripture be construed into a ban on games
restricted to the " Piggiewig " class. By a
natural process which gave us great relief
and we hoped was not " a falling back," we
soon excluded also all but " Louby Loo "
from the " questionable procedure group."
An end has to come to all things. It was at
length decided to put " Louby Loo " to vote.
On division we pretended to be seriously sur
prised that we were unanimously in favour of
non-interference. I may as well confess right here that the
expression I had seen on Johnnie Elworth's
face, combined with the fact that his bare
legs had unwound themselves voluntarily for
once, and had then dragged his diminutive

38 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
partner off the floor in that game, combined
with the undoubted discovery that he was
actually singing, had seriously prejudiced my
mind in the matter. I was forced to rely on
the hope that my more theologically-minded
brethren had escaped this bias. I cannot
tarry here, for the benefit of posterity, to de
bate the reasons which impelled the minds of
my colleagues to come to a conclusion so
momentous in the annals of our interpretation
of the divine will. It will be more far-reach
ing than most would suppose. The verdict,
anyhow, was for the defense. The crowd in
court alone remained to be dealt with.
I have never suspected the cloth of any
thing but open and aboveboard methods of
attaining their ends. I would be the last to
suggest that any plan of action that com
mended itself to them should suggest the
evil devices of the political arena. I protest
that I hereby acquit my clerical friends of
all suspicions of subtlety in the course we
finally decided on. It was bold. It was wise.
It was successful.
The following Sunday even the " Louby
Loo " group received from the pulpit the offi
cial sanction of the churches, and Johnnie
Elworth is still on the high road to regenera
tion.

t £

'*&..

%.

M

"PATROLS THAT WEARY, LONG COAST IN
WINTER"

THE SAME COAST IN SUMMER

Ill
How Jimmy Hampton Made Good
THERE was a feeling of dampness in
the air, the first for several months.
Still, it was only the second week in
March, and rain is at that time an unexpected
phenomenon away down north in Labrador
The " winter doctor," the title by which the
solitary man is known, who patrols that
weary, long coast, giving help to the sick in
winter, had long since turned his northern
limit and was slowly working south towards
his headquarters at the hospital, located on
an island just where the Straits of Belle Isle
flow into the Atlantic Ocean.
His whole outfit, never a large one, con
sisted of two sledges, with ten dogs each.
The chief pilot and dog-master, with a young
companion, carried on the leading sledge the
food supply for the dogs, and not a little for
the men also. For the poverty of the scat
tered settiers, and the long distances that in
tervene between houses, and the liability to
storms in which neither dogs nor men can
move, make it imperative to haul at least
forty-eight hours' food along with one. The
39

40 DOWN NOR TH on The LABRADOR
doctor, on the second sledge, carried the
medical and surgical supplies and a comple
ment of sleeping bags, axe, rifle and snow-
shoes. It happened this year he had for his com
panion only a lad of some sixteen years. The
boy had been given the chance of this work
to enable him to help out his parents, and a
band of smaller brothers and sisters who were
sorely in need of nearly everything that we
are accustomed to consider necessities. The
doctor had made the selection, though not
without much misgiving.
Jimmy's bright eyes and winsome face
made his mute appeal to be given a first
chance to earn something for home almost
irresistible to a man with a soft heart like the
doctor. Yet the power of endurance that
even a trifling accident might at any time
demand was a possibility that he could not
overlook. The journey meant i,8oo miles'
hard travelling ; often, when the going was
bad, the dogs would be tired, and then all
hands would have long distances to battle
through deep snow on foot. Indeed it
would often be necessary for the men to
trudge ahead of the sledges for miles, beating
a pathway with their snow-racquets for the
toiling teams behind. Now they would be

HOW JIMMY MADE GOOD 41
half carrying sledges over hummocks of ice,
now lowering them down steep hillsides that
it had taken hours of still harder work to
climb — and yet from which they derived no
benefit. The home from which Jimmy came was
among the humblest of the humble ; and one
might add, without consciously stretching
the truth, that it was among the nakedest
of the naked. For the children to take their
day clothes off when going to bed at night
would be as sane a proceeding as to do that
adrift on an ice pan. What is the good of
taking off your day clothes when you have
no night clothes to replace them ? The most
skillfully made wood-fires in a small stove
will burn out before moming, and Labrador
climate in winter soon cools a house down to
the freezing point. I had on one occasion
given these children an excellent large
blanket, but in twelve months all that was
left of it was in the form of patches in
their garments. For, as their philosophic
mother remarked, if five boys all try to get
under one blanket at once every night, it will
wear out in time.
The storeroom also was always so near
the hunger line that, when, on one occasion,
I had tempted the boys to taste some sweet-

42 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
ened cocoa, they had been unable to drink
it, not being accustomed to the taste of sugar
Mother Hubbard's experience is common in
Labrador. Alas, these last years often
enough not only butter but molasses also
had been a stranger to the household, and
even a smaller bit of loaf came their way
than their young and healthy appetites could
easily have disposed of.
It was, therefore, a boisterously happy day
when the final decision was at last made
known to them and Jimmy was promoted by
the doctor to the rank of a wage earner.
To make the arrangement feasible for the
boy to be able to face the Arctic journey, he
had to be newly fitted out from head to toe.
When at length, in his snow-white kossak
and knickers, trimmed with bright braid by
the nurse, and his new leather boots and their
gay tassels, Jimmy stood all ready for the
start, he looked such an attractive little figure
with his jet black hair, large dark eyes and
olive skin, that the doctor felt somewhat rec
onciled to the risk he was taking in relying
on so young a comrade for all that the long
trip might have in store for them.
Nothing extraordinary had happened while
they had been journeying north. Indeed the
new experience of having all the good food he

HOW JIMMY MADE GOOD 43
needed had told so favourably on Jimmy
that when they reached their northern limit
and began to face south once more, the
doctor noted with enthusiasm a real improve
ment in his appearance, and was encouraged
to trust some responsibility to him.
They had been moving south now for some
ten days, taking it more or less leisurely, as
the winter showed no sign of breaking up
and there were many calls for the doctor's
services in the bays and inlets across which
the line of their travel lay. For the most
northern two hundred miles of the distance,
they had hired new dogs, leaving their own
somewhat played-out animals to recruit and
rest with friends, who were fortunately well
supplied with fresh seal meat for them.
Their own faithful teams were thus in over
flowing spirits, when once more they were
harnessed up ; and they needed no undue en
couragement when they knew that their own
masters were with them, and that they them
selves were headed home. Only those who
have handled a pack of these huge Eskimo
dogs, which are at their best and wildest in
the coldest of winter, have any idea of the
difficulties of controlling teams such as those
of the picked dogs the doctor is compelled to
gollect for the exigencies of his work.

44 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
As I have said, on this particular day the
air was muggy and damp — an evil omen at
night, if you have to travel far on snow next
day ; and so it proved to be this time, for
when they inspanned before daylight next
morning, it was drizzling with rain, and a
sticky, soft surface to the snow made travelling
very difficult.
Reports had reached the party of an early
break-up further south, and all were at once
anxious to make no unnecessary delays, for
fear of rivers and estuaries breaking up be
tween them and their goal. The day's trail
lay over a neck of land some fifty miles
across, without human habitation, — an easy
enough journey with picked dogs and in
good weather ; one that could be accom
plished before lunch. As luck would have
it, however, when by noon half the journey
was over, some perfectly fresh caribou
tracks crossed the path, and as meat was
very short and the pilot considered he knew
every inch of the country like a book, they
decided to try to get a shot. The two teams
were accordingly hitched up to tree stumps
and Jimmy was told to "stand by" them,
while the three men made a circuit to cut off
the deer. Before starting they carefully
warned the boy not to move from the place

HOW JIMMY MADE GOOD 45
till they should return. They would not be
more than an hour gone, whether they got
the deer or didn't. But at any cost he was
to " stand by " where he was, so that there
might be no fear of their missing him.
The fresh slots of the deer got more invit
ing as the men pressed on, and every moment
promising to bring them up with their quarry,
they somehow permitted the rapidly chang
ing sky overhead to escape their notice, so
that a sudden snow-squall took them prac
tically unawares. They had scattered some
what to get round their quarry, and it was a
little while before they could get together.
Since they left the sledges, much more time
had elapsed than they expected, and it was
agreed without wasting time in discussion
they must retrace their footsteps without de
lay. Already, however, all marks on the
snow had been obHterated, and they had to
march in file, relying entirely on the guide's
knowledge of the countryside. So confi
dent was he of his own ability that another
precious hour was allowed to pass before the
doctor realized there might be any doubt
about the direction they were travelling.
When at length, however, through the
driving snow-storm which had now settled
down upon them, they found they were fac-

46 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
ing a hillside that they certainly had not
crossed on their outward journey, the truth
suddenly flashed upon them. A summons to
the guide and close questioning showed that
he had certainly lost his reckoning.
There seemed nothing to be gained by
talking, so it was agreed at once to keep
within calling distance of each other, and tak
ing a spot of woods as centre, by circling in
ever-enlarging circles and by shouting and
firing, to see if perhaps they might get an
answer from the boy.
Though this sounds a fairly simple ar
rangement, it worked out as anything but
easy, and when, after losing one another
temporarily, and refinding one another and
restarting the circles, they at length heard an
answer to their shouting, no one could have
been more surprised at the success of their
efforts than themselves. Now, once more,
they gathered together, and agreeing as to
the direction whence the sounds came, started
off by compass in that direction. Half an
hour's hard walking brought them face to
face once more with the very same hill rise that
had first conveyed to them the information
that they had lost their way. It was now
getting dark, and the blizzard still continu
ing, they resolved to camp, though they had

HOW JIMMY MADE GOOD 47
neither food nor axe, and though they were
wet through with the rain and snow.
Fortunately the clump of trees they had
used as a centre was, after somewhat of a
search, refound, and a little protection pro
vided from the driving snow, while even such
a fire as they could make without an axe was
no little comfort. After alternate watches all
night, it seemed rather hard to start in the
morning without any food. The only possible
substitute was obtained by emptying a two-
ounce tin in which the pilot carried his
tobacco. This was first boiled out, and then
served full of boiled snow as a hot drink to
each in turn. Somewhat wearily, steering by
compass, as the weather was still thick, they
started in a southeast direction, thinking that
in that direction the dogs and sledges must
be On and on they toiled, hearing nothing
and seeing nothing but the ceaseless falling
snow. As evening once more drew near, the
guide recognized that they were crossing a
big river, and on this he knew there was a
hut specially built for travellers and always
stocked with some food against just such a
dilemma. A new spirit revived within them
when at length they struck the banks of the
river. But now everything was deep in fresh

48 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
snow ; only the tops of bushes protruded
above the general level, and no possible in
dication could be obtained as to which way
they should follow the stream to find the food
and shelter they so much needed. A con
sultation was hurriedly held, and it was de
cided to follow to the eastward.
It was a hard struggle following the wind
ings of the river bed, for the soft snow hid
all irregularities, and more than once they
nearly fell into crevices in the heaped up ice,
or through " rattles " (rapids), where the boil
ing torrent never froze. But it seemed little
to them, with the expectation of food and fire
ahead. Mile after mile they pushed cheerily
along till slowly again it began to dawn on
them that they must have chosen the wrong
direction, and that it was too late now to re
turn. They had travelled eastward all after
noon. They should have gone westward.
The claims of hunger began now to be
more insistent, for they had eaten nothing
since the previous morning, so, halting in the
brush by the riverside, and making the best
night shelter they could, they kindled a fire,
and filling a skin glove with snow, melted it,
and then tried to broil the skin out of which
the glove was made over the fire. It wasn't
exactly an appetizing morsel, but it was

HOW JIMMY MADE GOOD 49
" something," and with hot water it served to
slighdy revive them. They supplemented
their quota before night by pieces of green
sealskin which they cut from the legs of their
moccasins. The outlook the third morning was so dis
couraging they were driven to the decision
that, to save their lives, they must now aban
don the hope of finding the sledges and go
direct south over hill and dale till they should
strike the north shore of Hamilton Inlet.
They would then follow that, if their strength
held out, till they should reach the houses of
a tiny settiement called Tikoralak. What
had become of Jimmy, they couldn't tell.
They had warned him not to move away,
and they knew that he realized what it might
mean to them if he did go. But they realized
also that he was only a lad, that he had
twenty hungry Eskimo dogs to handle ; and
that they might, if he interfered with them,
at any moment tum on him and tear him to
pieces. Probably, therefore, he had been un
able to remain all that time anyhow, while
there could be no doubt that Jimmy knew if
he climbed up on the komatik, the wonder
ful instinct of the dogs would certainly carry
him to safety at the nearest settiement
It was clear to them all that they couldn't

50 DO WN NORTH on The LABRADOR
hope now to find him, so long as the weather
remained thick, and that might be till all
their strength was gone and it was too late.
It seemed also probable that he must have
moved on, whether he wished it or not, and
after all, he was young — a mere boy — and
they felt they could forgive him if he had
given them up and tried to save himself.
There was nothing to keep them now — sleep,
as they were, was scarcely possible anyhow ;
moreover they all recognized that, unless
they soon reached help, they would probably
never reach it at all.
It was a somewhat desolate party that
trailed south in those dark hours before day
light. Hour after hour went by, and it seemed
as if the goal would never be reached. But the
darkest hour is often just before dawn. Sud
denly, without any warning, the wind changed
to the northwest just before daylight, and the
snow-clouds disappeared like dew ; the sun
rose in most exquisite glory, flooding the
snowy mantles of the east with a deluge of
crimson and gold, and revealing just before
them the shore line of the fjord they were
in search of. Far away, along its winding
shore, a small column of smoke greeted their
eyes. Even that was far better than they
had expected, and reanimated by new cour-

HOW JIMMY MADE GOOD 51
age that the light and warmth gave them,
stimulated by the knowledge now that help
was close at hand, they put their best effort
forth and were soon once more in safety.
But Jimmy and the dogs— what had hap
pened to him ? There was no news to be
had. A messenger was sent at once on to the
next house and returned with a similar re
port. Jimmy must have surely gone back
with his dogs to the place they had left last
on the north side of the neck.
Anyhow, a relief party must instantly be
organized and despatched, the doctor's party
being too exhausted to attempt to retrace
their steps. Careful instructions were given
the rescuers as to where the sledges had been
last seen. Fortunately, as it was certain they
had at that time been on the proper winter
trail, it was entirely unnecessary to accom
pany the relief party to make it certain they
should recognize the spot.
There was much speculating as to what
the result of the search would reveal, but no
one suggested that the boy would still be
where they had left him— that seemed im
possible. There is a kind of sixth sense among these
trappers and lonely settlers, which seems de
veloped to supply the place of telegraph,

52 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
telephone and rapid transit. They seem
often to divine somehow what others are
likely to be doing, or to be experiencing.
But this time they were all doomed to be
mistaken. Before they left, they had all de
cided that either the dogs had eaten Jimmy,
or they had all gone back on their trail and
safely lodged somewhere were just waiting
events. That is just where they were all of
them wrong. When they neared the spot in
dicated by the doctor, some black dots in the
distance greeted their astonished gaze. No
signs of death or destruction developed as
they drew nearer. As in their excitement
they covered the last mile at a stretch gallop,
the scene before them assumed the very or
dinary proportions of two large dog teams
harnessed to two loaded sledges, and a small
boy patrolling quite quietly up and down be
tween them. A lump rose in some of their
throats as they realized that little Jimmy
Hampton was still " standing by."

THE LAST OF A LABRADOR BERG

IV
A Venture in Economics
SAM CARREL'S house stood on the
extreme end of the southern bank of
Big River — a site selected as a com
promise between the fur path in winter and
the fishing ground in the summer, out of
both of which he made, or tried to make, a
living. The isolation of the position was also
a compromise, for when Sam, as a young
man, had decided to settle on the coast, his
choice of a suitable spot had wavered between
a region where game might be expected to
be more plentiful and one where his pro
spective family might enjoy some of the ad
vantages of social life. His mind was largely
influenced by the experiences of his own
youth. His father's had been a very large
family, and he had never quite won out in
competition with his neighbours in the New
foundland village. Indeed, it was that stern
mother, necessity, that had forced Sam at the
age of twenty-two to leave his own country
with his young wife and to search for his land
of promise in Labrador.
The conundrum as to why any man should
S3

54 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
have settled in such an utterly lonely place is,
therefore, not so hard to solve as it might at
first appear. That it was not necessarily an
altogether mistaken conclusion he eventually
arrived at before he started to build his house
on the point, is testified to by the fact that for
many years, till his family became unwieldy,
he got along well enough.
However, when baby number eight made
his appearance while baby number one was
still little better than a "toe biter," one eco
nomic feature peculiar to isolation began to
make itself painfully felt. He still caught as
much fish as any man, and did better with
salmon, seals, and fur than most. But the
lack of competition in the only market he
knew how to reach told so heavily on the
prices of his own produce, and the essentials
of life for which he had to barter it, that the
truth was gradually forced upon him that he
could no longer provide his family with even
bare necessities. His thrifty wife altered and
patched the clothing as it descended from
one to another of the family. But long be
fore it reached the last candidate even she
herself could scarcely tell which patch the
original garment had resembled. The house
became barer and barer — the larder emptier
a.nd emptier — the family nakeder and nakeder,

A VENTURE in ECONOMICS 55
In cold weather the children had to huddle
behind the stove for warmth, and eventually
were unable to go outside, even in the day
time. The house itself had to be contracted
to make it warmer. The nets, through age,
were no longer reliable, for Sam could not
afford "to reach to more twine." His chances
for fur grew less and less, for his traps got lost
and rusted out, and he was unable to replace
them. It was even hard to find paint and
nails and ropes for his fishing boat, or powder
and shot and caps for his gun — moreover,
that trusty but somewhat antiquated weapon
was beginning to show signs of being as
dangerous at the breach end as at the muzzle.
" She would no longer carry a ball true " —
which lost the family more than one dinner.
Such was the. condition when first I knew
Sam Carrel. He had sunk deep into poverty.
His children were ignorant, half naked, and
half nourished. Alas, his own physical con
dition was telling also on his enthusiasm for
making the best of the situation, and dis
couraging his efforts. A hasty judgment
might have called him a lazy fellow, his
family dirty and unkempt, his house a miser
able shack — every single thing he owned in
need of repairing. With such undeserved
conclusions many men anyway dismiss their

56 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
responsibility to their neighbours. It would
have been quite wrong in this case, for I have
come to know Sam well. It has been my
privilege during the succeeding years to be
able to render some slight services to my
friend. Some of these were but sorrowful
ones at best. One of his little lads I had
carried away to our hospital, to die there of
consumption induced by their poverty — to
die without seeing his father and mother
again. Once when Sam had secured a good
fox I had been able to carry it to market
myself and change it into flour, molasses,
tea, and other necessities under circum
stances very favourable to Sam. His family
were all away when on my return journey in
my own little steamer I anchored once more
off his house. The picture of the barrels and
bales we landed on the beach and fortified
with logs and stakes to fend off the attacks
of the somewhat plentiful wolves while his
supplies awaited his return, still rises vividly
to my mind.
So things continued till the competition of
his own sons' families, which were settled
around him, and one or two new arrivals,
made it still harder to get ahead.
It was late one fall, several years later,
when it so happened we dropped anchor in

A VENTURE in ECONOMICS 57
a heavy breeze of wind under the lee of some
islands near the mouth of Big Brook. We
had somehow lost sight of Sam of late, and
his fight for existence was more or less com
pletely out of mind. But before turning in
for the night the bump of a boat alongside
brought me on deck. My joy at recognizing
my old friend was, however, greatly modified
by the obvious impression the battle of life
had left on him. I had no need to humiHate
him by waiting for him to state in so many
words that he was " on his beams ends." I
knew that fishery in the region had been
very poor.
" I may as well own it, doctor," he said
when at last the comfort of the cabin had
given him confidence to say anything, " we
shall starve this winter if you can't do some
thing for us. The Southerners are gone, and
owing to their bad fishery they left nothing
here for the winter. And we couldn't get the
credit of a barrel of flour against our winter's
hunt. I know you've your hands full. But
when I saw your smoke, and then you an
chored right off where we was staying, I
thought I was meant to come off and tell
you, and that's all there is to it."
" How many of you are there now around
here ? " I asked.

58 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
"We're six of us now in all, and then
there's Jack and his two little ones and
there's the two families on the point ; and
then Tom up the bay and his crowd. There
must be between forty and fifty, all told,
doctor." "Let me see, how long will it be before
you can get suppHes again?"
"Nigh eight months," was his answer.
"You can't count on them Southerners
getting through the ice till well into July,
anyhow." " Humph ! That means a heap of pro
visions, doesn't it? Let's reckon up how
much it does mean. There's the seals will
be in soon, and that will give you some fat.
And you have the ducks passing along
directly — we'll have to see the first to the
powder being obtainable. Then you have
got to have some clothing. You can't work
a fur path in winter without some. Fortu
nately, I want some fire-wood cut down here
somewhere and I shall be able to send you
down some warm things I've collected to
pay for it. That will be a start. But how
shall we get the flour and the pork ? "
It proved to be an all-night sitting, and it
was almost time to get our anchors up again
and be off on our journey south before Sam and

A VENTURE in ECONOMICS 59
I had evolved a plan which would in any way
solve the problem without risking the pauper
ization of all concerned and reducing them to
the position of dependence on the govern
ment or private charity. Matters were com
plicated by Sam's inability to compass the
three R's — in which occult sciences, unfor
tunately, none of his offspring or neighbours
could help him much.
The first decision to which we could find no
alternative was that for once I should become
a patron of that which of all things I have
fought against — the credit system, and should
advance food and necessities against their
prospective catches. How it should be done
was the difficulty. How could goods be is
sued with any likelihood of being paid for,
with so little to commence on, and with no
one to keep accounts ?
Fortunately, much of that which was lost
owing to the absence of artificial advantages
is often enough supplied by native wit to our
Labrador friends. It was Sam himself who
evolved the solution upon which at last we
decided. All the goods were to be sent to his
care, the exact price at which each article
could be sold was to be absolutely fixed and
marked up in plain Roman figures which his
wife could decipher. Meanwhile he was t9

6o DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
find out the best prices offered on the coast
that winter for each kind of marketable prod
uct he could accept in return, including all
skins, such as otters, fox, ermine, martens ;
also seal oil, sealskins, feathers, and indeed
anything else that would be saleable. Against
these he was to trade his goods. The prices
marked included a small profit for himself.
But as he himself expected a deficit almost as
fully as experience taught me to, we neither
of us counted that as a part of the project.
Furthermore, he was to estimate how long
each neighbour could last out before he sold
any of his supplies. As the total supply
would certainly be a minimum needed, he
was to hold on to each article as long as pos
sible, that only the neediest should obtain it.
Before winter finally set in I had a cheery
word from him, written in what I might call
" cipher " by his wife, saying the supplies
had arrived and that he himself had had to
begin on one of the new barrels of flour that
very day.
During the early winter, for the first time
in Labrador, a mail courier crossed the Straits
of Belle Isle on the ice. He had made an
unsuccessful attempt with a tiny wood boat
and one companion who, since they had
nearly lost their lives in the first effort, re-

A FISHING SCHOONER IN THE SPRING ICE

"IT WAS A LATE SPRING NEXT YEAR ON THE COAST'

A J VENTURE in ECONOMICS 6i
fused to venture with him again. He then
built a still smaller canoe of canvas, which he
could carry when necessary by himself, and
had safely crossed to the place where we
were wintering on the south side of the
Straits. Word had meantime reached us that there
had been a rise in the prices of furs — ^more
especiall}- in those kinds 1 expected Sam
would have secured. On his retum the
mail man took down letters informing the
trappers of the good news and advising them
not to sell their furs if they could afford to
keep them.
It was a late spring next year on the coast.
Moreover, our vessel was itself dela5-ed, and
August was nearly gone before once again
we saw Sam's fishing punt pulling alongside.
We had been speculating considerably as to
how this particular experiment would tum
out, for, judging by the history of Sam's past
years there seemed no doubt that, now that
it was necessary to settie up, we should be
called on to meet a goodly deficit There
was one satisfaction, anyhow. Sam himself
looked ten years younger as he climbed over
the rail, and we all noticed he shook hands
with a vigour that had not been his for some
time past

62 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
" I think it's all right, doctor," were prac
tically his first words. To him the matter of
meeting that debt was the biggest thing on
earth. The transparency of his intense keen
ness to come out square was perfectly delight
ful. We had supposed, of course, that as all
the fur buyers had come and gone long ago,
he would of necessity have parted with his
returns. He could so easily have done so,
and with the money have purchased supplies
for the summer from the new arrivals. Nor
did it take any particular acumen to see he
stood sorely in need of them. Most men
would most certainly have done this, and
would thereby have involved us, willy-nilly.
in a venture against their summer catch,
though they knew we would have to pay for
their winter supplies at once.
" It's all in a barrel headed up for you," he
went on without waiting for any questions.
" Won't you come ashore and see it ? I
thought you'd likely get more than I could
for it, so I just held on to it. It was a bit
hard till the fish came along, but it's all right
now." People differ as to what "all right"
describes. I confess if the only flour barrel
in my house that wasn't empty contained
dry skins, I should alter it to "all wrong."

A VENTURE in ECONOMICS 63
But Sam and his family had learned in the
school of adversity what it meant to " scrab
ble along," and the occasional pinch of
hunger it entailed was honestly more than
repaid him now when he knocked the head
in and pulled the skins one by one out of the
barrel. The wireless outfit on our ship enabled us
to arrange a meeting with the Southern fur
buyers, and thus we were able to sell the furs
and visit Sam once more before winter.
This time we were more eager than he to
bear the news. With a sense of duty done
he had busied himself with the fishing, and
the excitement of the incident had subsided
when he had handed over the barrel. This
time our boat was out first and we were up at
his cottage before he had pitched the fish out
of his boat, fastened her up and reached his
own doorway.
" Well, Sam," I asked, " how do you think
it turned out? Do I owe you a winter's
diet again, or do you owe me your summer's
fish ? "
Sam said nothing. He just pulled off his
old "sou'wester," his friend of many years,
and stood scratching his head in " offish
thought." At last he ventured, " I'm reck
oning, doctor, there ain't much between us.

64 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
But so be there's a dollar coming my way,
I'd say nothing against it"
" The balance is down in your favour, Sam.
Guess how much ? "
" I've no idea, doctor, no more'n a child.
But I wouldn't take no more than twenty
dollars, anyhow."
" Oh, yes you will. You'll take all there
is. I've sent the money for the goods long
ago." " Square's square," he repeated two or
three times. " Twenty dollars is more'n
enough for what I done, but I'm that glad
you'se is paid. I'd be more'n satisfied if
there weren't none left over."
" Well, there's one hundred and thirty-
seven dollars, Sam, and you'll just take
every cent or I'll throw it overboard. Why,
I can get you a new gun, a breech-loader
with the gear, and a lot of new traps, and
some twine for the old nets. And please
God then there'll be something left over for
a few things for the ' old lady.' "
By a strange coincidence it proved this
very day to be Sam's birthday. Our cook,
who had gone ashore to forage for some
fresh food supplies, had discovered his wife
mixing a few spoonfuls of the ever-scarce
molasses into the loaf she was baking, that

A VENTURE in ECONOMICS 65
the family might, in " lassie loaf," have the
nearest approach to a birthday cake they
could afford, wherewith to celebrate the
occasion. This had given away the secret
and the good fellow had called me out
privately to know if he mightn't give them
a little surprise from our galley. Incident
ally, also, we sent up a "drop o' kerosene"
and a few candles, the lighting of which was
to be the signal to us on board that the feast
was beginning.
Of course we walked in by accident and
joined the fun, for we had looked up a few
little things to serve as birthday gifts. The
feast was a noble one. " Figgy duff," a big
boiling of family-mess pork, some crackers,
a tin of condensed milk, a pot of real jam
(not Labrador berries), and some apples.
There were so many of us present we had to
let the fire go out as well as keep the door
and window open, and though every box
and loose plank was requisitioned for seats,
the old chopping block had to be brought in
to help out. It was a most festive occasion,
a real opportunity to "rejoice with those
that do rejoice."
Later in the evening, when we had seen
that there was ammunition for every pipe
and could as a consequence now scarcely see

66 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
each other, I told Sam how an exactly
similar experiment had failed that I had
tried with another man at the same time
who lived fifty miles further south. The
cause had been that he had used the money
obtained for his fur supply for a summer
outfit, and had not been able to repay it.
" I hardly know what to do, Sam. I
really can't afford to do it again. When you
find you can't trust a man once, you don't
feel Hke helping him again, do you ? "
" No, doctor, I can't say you does. But
it isn't just as easy to hold out as some
might think."
" Yes, but I don't see how I can give him
another chance."
"That's what always seems so queer
about the old Book, doctor. It seems we
has such a lot of chances."
I hardly knew what to say at first, so we
relapsed into silence for a minute or two
while we nursed our pipes. Suddenly Sam
looked up, a gleam in his eye as if he had at
least spied a good fur within reach of his
gun. " I've got it, doctor ; suppose we lends him
that hundred dollars."
But I had learned a lesson that it would
have cost many dollars to obtain in the

A VENTURE in ECONOMICS 67
schools— and I managed to get my anchors
and leave Sam sufficiently pacified with the
plan I outhned, to enable me to send him the
whole hundred and thirty-seven dollars for
his own use, if he ever does use anything
solely for himself.
So this was how Sam Carrel came by his
new lease of life. His balance bought him
the new outfit, for want of which he was
gradually starving. He knew well enough
how to value his acquisitions and to use
them to the best of his ability — and so no
one has ever ventured to say to us he didn't
well deserve to have them.

Given to Hospitality
OLD Uncle Malcolm of Dove Brook,
Labrador, was a world citizen. For
though born on the shores of New
foundland, he had ranged the seven seas in
his youth in every kind of craft and in every
kind of clime. But his " time came," as they
say on this coast, as everybody's else does.
For after a harder trip than usual, reaching
his native shore and tired of roaming, he had
sought and won the hand of as true a partner
as it was ever man's good fortune to fall in
with. Fishing had been Uncle Malcolm's boy
hood occupation and that of his father and
forefathers before him, so he had no diffi
culty in finding a calling that was at once
congenial and would support him nearer
home. It was all the pleasanter that that
industry afforded a livelihood to the bulk of
his neighbours also.
The " shore fishery "as it was called, that
is, the cod fishery in their own bays in New
foundland, was for some reason then just be-
68

GIVEN to HOSPITALITY 69
ginning to fail, and the bolder souls were
venturing further down north each year ;
crossing the Straits of Belle Isle and cruising
the rock-bound coast of Labrador in search
of fish. Among these it was but natural to
find Malcolm. When the fall commenced
and ice beset the Labrador harbours. Uncle
Malcolm's craft, which he had first partially
mortgaged on the strength of his savings as
a sailor and had then paid off from his voy
ages of fish, used always to repair to the
" bay " and " lie up " for the winter, waiting
the new fitout for the succeeding year. On
all his tiips his good wife accompanied him,
cooking for him on the schooner and helping
him " put away " the fish, enjoying, as she
used to tell me, " every bit of the voyage,"
for she too had the genius of the sea in her
bones, an heirloom from many generations
past. -
But as time went on little ones were given
to Uncle Malcolm, and it became harder and
harder to close the home for six months and
carry the children among the dangers of the
Labrador coast, more especially as every
year the " snapper " fishermen were pushing
further and further north, where the coast is
not only unlighted and unmarked but also
unsurveyed and uncharted.

70 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
At last the question had to be settled, as
with many others, should the wife and chil
dren stay home while " dad " took his vessel
on her perilous journeys, or should they
" find a place " on the Labrador coast itself
where fish was plentiful, and selling the
schooner should they abandon the long
cruises and enjoy a home life, even if it in
volved the isolation of the then almost un
populated country ?
To Uncle Malcolm moving was as second
nature and a move of five hundred miles one
way or the other with him did not count for
much. But to the wife and bairns the break
ing up of the home and the leaving of her
people were matters of great difficulty. For
a long while she felt she could not leave the
old folks. But eventually her love for her
husband rang true. To be near him being
her chief end in life, and loving the simple
home ties more than ought else, she at last
gave her consent and the whole family mi
grated, settling on the shores of a huge inlet.
The new home was far enough in from the
open sea to have trees enough for fire-wood
and for protection, growing close alongside
the house ; and was near enough to good
trapping grounds to give Uncle Malcolm a
chance pf furring in winter, without his hav'

GIVEN to HOSPITALITY 71
ing to live practically the whole time away
in tilts on the fur path. Yet the chosen spot
was near enough to the open sea that in their
small boat he and his boys could also work
nets and lines for the abundant cod fishery in
the fall, while from the point jutting out be
low the house and forming their little boat
harbour, they could also tend salmon nets
and so add yet another string to their bows
for earning a living with. Excellent berries
grew in extravagant plenty on the hillsides
above the house and no one could preserve
them better than Aunt Anne ; and along the
land was enough grass to keep his goat all
winter in hay.
It might be supposed that with his long
wanderings "before the mast" the sweetness
and simphcity of Uncle Malcolm's character
might have been much impaired. But this was
far from being the case. The strong religious
upbringing of his old home had been so real,
so fine, and so exemplified in the lives of his
own parents, that he had imbibed his Bible
teachings to as good purpose as he had his
mother's milk ; and that was to very consid
erable purpose, for Uncle Malcolm stood well
over six feet and was far beyond the average
in chest measurement. He stood as erect as
a soldier, but when first I knew him, his hair

72 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
and beard, both of which hung in wavy
abundance around his honest weather-beaten
face, were already gray-flecked. For twenty
years he has been my friend now. And if I
were asked to name a man who, in spite of a
strong personality and no little " temper of
his own " has always appeared to me to de
serve the title of a man, with the prefix of
Christian before it, I should unhesitatingly
say, " You needn't go beyond Uncle Mal
colm." For many years things material went well
with the family and under their hands grew
up a fine house with a large, airy kitchen,
which had twice to be enlarged, as the family
grew and visitors and friends on pleasure
cruises also grew more and more numerous.
Aunt Anne's table was seldom, if ever, clear
of refreshments. For no one may arrive at
any time of the day or night without being
pressed to " sit in " and " take a cup o' tea.''
I've known more folk " stopping off here
over Sunday " as they passed along the kom
atik road in winter with their dogs than ever
I saw in a house party at a country house
ten times the size. " It was all very well
them times," said a sententious neighbour,
" but nothing could stand agin that of late
years. When times began to get bad in the

GIVEN to HOSPITALITY 73
bay half the shore took to cruising, and them
that brought up at Uncle Malcolm's fairly ate
him out o' house and home."
For things have changed both with the
coast and with Uncle Malcolm since first I
knew him, and it is that that caused me to
write this story. To begin with, the Nemesis
that overtook the Newfoundland shore fish
eries has pursued them also to Labrador and
of late the fisheries have " been that uncertain "
that a man " could no longer do as he'd wish
to in providing hospitality for his neigh
bours," though, like Lot, these good folk were
ever on the lookout for strangers. The years
have dealt hardly also with Uncle Malcolm.
One of his lads has left him for those shores
where " bar'les " of flour and gallons of mo
lasses no longer are subjects of anxiety ; one,
following the footsteps of his father, has gone
to sea, joining the crew of an oversea brig-
antine that carried fish to Spain and has not
been heard of since. A third is in "the
States," doing well, but his letters of late
years have been only "scattered," and there
is little likelihood of Malcolm ever seeing him
again. His devoted wife has gone also be
fore him, and only his youngest boy, Anthony,
is left.
It would seem as if it would be no difficult

74 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
matter for these two to provide for themselves
all that was needed. I could not help notic
ing, however, as successive seasons brought
us in the mission vessel once more to Uncle
Malcolm's door, that the house looked barer
each time ; and though a brave show of hos
pitality was still made to us all on our arrival,
there was now no milk for our tea, and even
the bit of sugar gave place to molasses. Still
the home was kept scrupulously clean, though
the bright, home-made rag mats gradually
disappeared from the floors, and all the many
little tokens of a woman's handiwork followed
in their wake. The maid, whom he fed and
clothed in return for doing " his rough work,"
displayed a spirit worthy of her master in
her use of the scrubbing brush, soap and
water, and she had succeeded in inducing
such a sense of utter nakedness in the great
kitchen that unavoidably a sense of sadness
filled one on entering it.
The old man, with the grit that always
characterized him, was silent on all personal
matters, and appreciating the self-respect
which held him from reposing his confidences
in me, I came and went without broaching
the subject of his ways and means. At last
what he could not bring himself to say he
put in writing — an acquirement he had to

GIVEN to HOSPITALITY 75
thank his early sailing days for — and I re
ceived a letter asking me to refer to these
matters on my next visit.
Uncle Malcolm had now passed the three
score and ten years allotted by the Psalmist
as the years of our strength, and in spite of
his erect figure, his clear eye, his steady hand,
it was not difficult to see that in his case this
span of years was probably approximately
correct. The hard life had told on his vitality
and he was no longer the man he had been.
" It's this way, doctor," he exclaimed, when
at last his door was shut and we found our
selves alone together. "The cupboard is
bare at last. There has been hard times these
three years. The neighbours get that numer
ous they have driven most of the fur away.
I got ne'er a skin last winter, and how I'm
going to get through this winter I can't tell.
No, I owes no man anything, thank God, and
what bit o' flour Anthony and the maid eats
don't amount to anything. But you see how
it is, doctor, it isn't ourselves we have to look
for only. There isn't a family to the west
ward what isn't in debt to the company, nor
to the eastward either, this side the big river,
and when them's hungry in winter what's them
to do ? They can't get no more credit.
Lots o' them haven't got no credit now and

76 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
more o' them has got children in plenty.
What's them to do? They can't go away
wi'out a bite, when them is hungry and comes
here. He wouldn't do that, would He?
And He wouldn't 'low His friends to either."
There was no gainsaying the difficulty.
There was no denying that the Christ would
have fed them. In my own mind I couldn't
help fearing I should have somehow avoided
the issue ; possibly by moving off the komatik
track each winter, as many I knew had al
ready done. I even ventured to suggest this.
But Uncle Malcolm stood firm.
" No, no, doctor, as long as God gives me
a bit, I stay right here and share it with 'em.
What I'm afeared of is it won't go round this
time. Still if the Master fed thousands with
a few fishes them times, I got that many any
how, and He can make it go round. It
wouldn't be much trusting Him now after all
these years if I just ran away up the bay wi'
them fishes. It wasn't to complain, doctor, I
wrote to you. I knows the Lord' 11 be true to
His promises ; but we got to do our part, and
I thought I'd like somehow to speak to you
to see what you thinks."
" Uncle Malcolm," I replied, " I'm delighted
you did. I was just looking for some one to
get me a few thousand billets of good dry

GIVEN to HOSPITALITY 77
wood put on some place like your point
where the mission ship could easily call and
get them. We're always short of coal away
down here and I find I can pay enough to
make it worth while. I reckon I'll help out
by giving you flour for the winter, and you
can place the billets right here where you can
keep an eye on them."
I was narrowly scrutinizing his face as I
spoke, and I fancied I saw an even brighter
sparkle in those honest gray eyes than usual,
a sparkle that counts for more to some folk
than that of any jeweled trinkets. A short
silence ensued, and being a man of few words,
he shook hands and went out.
Two days ago we once more dropped our
anchor off Uncle Malcolm's point. Two
years had passed and each time the large
quota of fire-wood has been faithfully pro
cured and ready for us, and now once again
the same problem faced us. His failing
strength made him realize that to haul logs,
which got ever further from his door, and to
cut billets enough to supply his needs had
become impossible.
" Fourteen barrels I used last winter, doc
tor," he began as he saw my eyes roaming
about the great kitchen that outrivalled a

78 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
Mother Hubbard's for bareness. Not a bone
either of beef or of pork would the neediest of
visitors have found ; no, nor a speck of dirt
either ; the place was swept and garnished
like a great skeleton.
" Fourteen 1 " I replied. " Four you mean.
Four is more than enough for you and
Anthony." " Every ounce o' fourteen," he said, " and
but for what you bought for me in the south,
every barrel at $8.50 a barrel."
" Who ate them. Uncle Malcolm ? "
" Well, we had as many as twenty-seven
staying here one week end, and they with
ne'er a bite or sup at home. Isn't us told to
' be given to hospitality,' and that isn't feed
ing them as '11 pay us back, is it? "
" It's you that is the real relieving officer
down here," I answered.
"Thank God," he replied, somewhat
piqued, " I've not had to come to the gover'-
ment yet for help, though we has been on
dry flour all summer."
" What, you are without any fats in the
house for yourself ? Is that true ? "
" Well, you see, doctor, they comes round
first one and then another for ' just a bit to
grease the pot,' till there's none left for our
own pot. I thank God I doesn't have to take

GIVEN to HOSPITALITY 79
none till I catches what to pay for it with, but I
haven't seen a bit o' butter this three months.
There's a few salmon and fewer fish on the
land yet, I know," he went on.
" Isn't it better in here in the bay ? " I asked.
" No, indeed. It'll be a poor lookout for
winter. The best of them haven't a quintal
under salt yet, and t' season be fast slipping
away." " You'll simply have to shut your door to
them this winter then, whatever happens now.
Uncle Malcolm."
He stood and looked at me and said
simply : " I'll not last much longer anyhow,
doctor, and please God it'll never come to
that. I doesn't want to hear Him say, ' I
was hungry and you did not feed Me, a
stranger and you took Me not in.' "
"Well, what can you do?"
"There be that thirty dollars what you'se
sending me for the wood this year, and that'll
do for all Anthony and I needs. Ther'd ha'
been more o' that as there was other years,
but I can't chop like I used to, doctor, and
the folks what visits me doesn't seem to be
able to go at it."
"They ought to do the whole lot But
since they don't, however can you manage ? "
For answer he had already gone to a large

8o DOWN NORTH on Tlie LABRADOR
time-worn seaman's chest and after carefully
unlocking it, was feeling about among a mass
of heterogeneous wraps and relics. At last
he apparently found what he was hunting for,
for closing the lid he came back to the table
with what was evidently a schoolboy's an
cient pencil case. It required much persua
sion to open it, as it had obviously been lying
some years untouched. When at last the
feat was accomplished, with his jack-knife he
picked out a packing of spun yarn that had
been well " caulked " into it, and then holding
it upside down a small roll of greenbacks fell
out on the table.
"If them as killed the fox that brought
them notes had done with theirs as I done
with mine," he began, " there would be less
hunger in the bay this day. There's many
in the bay, doctor, that's caught two to my
one always. But there, they didn't know
how to look after them when they had 'em."
He picked up the notes and handed them
to me.
"There ought to be twelve o' them," he
said ; " that makes sixty dollars. But I can't
read 'em, so you count 'em."
He was correct. The roll proved to con
sist of twelve old five-dollar bills.
" What shall I do with them ? " I asked.

"I'M SEVENTY-THREE COME MICHAELMAS'

GIVEN to HOSPITALITY 8i
" Do with them ? Why, won't you buy
food for me with them ? "
" What food do you want '
" Flour and molasses, and some butter, if
it'll reach to it"
" But you have flour enough already, and
you needn't spend all this on butter and mo
lasses. Is this all that you have laid by for
your old age?"
" Yes, doctor, it's all I has laid up and I
wants it all, every bit, in flour and butter
and molasses; that is," he corrected himself,
" molasses and some butter. No, it isn't me
that wants it, but I've got to have it, and
that's all there is about it."
"But, Malcolm, you are getting old and
you shouldn't cut the last plank away yet."
"I'm seventy-three come Michelmas," he
said, " and I feel more'n that, since the old
woman's took, and I'm thinking maybe I
won't need any flour next winter."
" But maybe you will be spared many
winters yet, and if you spend all you have
now, how will you take care of those years?"
" He'll take care, doctor. I guess I'll trust
Him. It wouldn't do not to have used that
sixty dollars and have sent folks away hungry,
would it, doctor ? It would look as I didn't
have much trust in Him. Doesn't the Book

82 DOWN NOR TH on The LABRADOR
say, ' I was hungry and ye gave Me nothing
to eat ' ? "
What could be said ? I mechanically took
the sixty dollars and put them in my pocket
and was silent. It certainly seemed to be
the Master speaking. I had once imagined
I knew what hospitality meant.

VI
Remedy for Worry
CUT off by the frozen sea for the long
winter months as a general rule, we
enjoy the enforced simple life, and
store up energy for the open season. But
last year it had been a very wearing time
with us at the hospital.
It was not because our patients had not
done well ; on the contrary, we had had more
reason than enough to be satisfied with our
results. Beyond letters of gratitude from those to
whom still a modern surgical operation is a
miracle, and who are also tender-hearted
enough to express their feelings, each suc
cessive mail-steamer had brought us an in
creasing number of sufferers ever coming
from longer distances, whom it was our en
larging privilege to help.
The comparatively small fall of snow had
made some of our longer journeys by dog-
sledge physically exacting, which in our ex
perience is as a rule the best antidote for
worry of mind. It had added, however, its
quota to a strenuous time, and the tax on our
83

84 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
nervous energies had been a fact even if we
had not recognized it.
On the top of this there had been financial
worries ; the doubling of the hospital had in
creased the running expenses greatly ; the
enlargement of the orphanage meant a further
increase in upkeep.
We had discovered that the new school,
simply essential if we were to be able to give
the "whole man" the uplift needed, could
not be built for the money donated.
My colleague looking after the new sailors'
home had written that the contract was much
larger than he had expected or could afford.
The poor price for fish, with a very mod
erate fishery, had made it very hard times
with some of our poor friends and neighbours
along the shore.
The "cooperative" or people's stores that
we had started and been fostering were won
dering whether they could meet their lia
bilities. On account of lack of communication we
were powerless to prevent some plans from
being carried out that from experience,
gained recently, we now knew would in
volve probably considerable loss and suf
fering. Everything seemed to come at once, and

REMEDY for WORRY 85
we were caged in and powerless to do any
thing to remedy things.
The seat of the human emotions is a
physical thing, and even to the optimist the
world will look blue when nervous vitality is
exhausted. Though it certainly goes hard with me to
confess, it was in just such a mood that I was
sitting watching our mission boat, which
some friends had collected the money for,
and which seemed only able to say to me,
" Ought you to go to the expense of my up
keep, when there is more than enough work
coming to you anyhow? "
Its beautiful lines and costly outfit rendered
it a perfect handmaid to our work ; but to my
distorted view, as I was worrying over the
unkind comments of an enemy, who had been
accusing a missionary of being self-indulgent,
even his helpmate was out of joint.
The ice had gone now ; but open water
with all its undoubted blessings had brought
us an incessant stream of poor folk coming
for sympathy and help, and also an endless
delayed correspondence and a complexity of
problems that permitted little relief from
nervous strain.
Every man's lot seemed to be better than
my own ; and, as the white-winged fleet

86 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
flitted north in quest of its harvest of the sea,
the cheering welcome of our many passing
friends seemed only to emphasize my own
troubles. My introspective mood was, however, ab
ruptly interrupted by a maid announcing,
" There are some men to see you, doctor ;
they seems in a terrible hurry."
In the waiting-room I found six broad-
chested, blue-jersey ed vikings, who had
rowed over from their island home twenty
miles away to the southward.
With characteristic bluntness only a vise
like grip of the hand preceded the announce
ment of their business, which was that Paddy
Dunster's wife had " horned her eighth baby
ten days ago," but had " got the fever," and
was very near to dying. Would I go over
at once ?
Our mail-steamer only twenty-four hours
previously had landed forty-nine sick folk at
our door, and we had not only a large group
of surgical operations ahead of us, but some
few patients already fresh from the operating-
room. Even while my colleague and I were de
bating the possibilities of going, another lot
of men were reported by the maid, and they
also were " terrible anxious."

REMEDY for WORRY 87
This time in the hallway I found almost a
replica of the first group, and immediately
recognized them as coming from about ten
miles to the north.
" Ehsha Marston's woman is very sick and
like to die. Her baby was borned two days
ago, and there were no one to see to her.
We wants you to come right along at once.
Us '11 carry you back glad enough."
It wasn't an easy matter to decide, but it
was somewhat the stimulus 1 needed ; namely,
the realization that there was a need for what
one had to give.
While I was still undecided as to what to
do, my eye fell inadvertently on the mission-
boat at the wharf.
Oddly enough, it upbraided me no longer.
Instead it said perfectly plainly, " Come at
once, and I'll take care of you." What
more was needed ?
A few hours later, as happy as a cricket at
the prospect of the trip, I was chasing the
already departed trap-boat, which had dis
appeared at a pace that I have seen ex
hibited only in boats rowed by just these
men, and by them only when they are bound
on sick-calls.
Meanwhile, my colleague, having satisfied
himself that the condition of the "in"

88 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
patients permitted it, left to answer the
northward call, and, preferring shank's pony
over the hills to the longer route by water,
was toiling already through tuckermore and
over bog, through brooks and over rocks
and barrens, for no fee but a woman's life.
As we drew towards the island, a second
hurrying boat met us. The helmsman wav
ing his hands caused us to stop, when he
boarded us with a letter from our poor
patient's husband.
It ran :
"Dear Doctor: I knows you'se coming ;
but Mary's no better, and it's five o'clock,
and there's no signs of you. Do come
along quick, doctor. I knows you will.
"Patrick Dunster."
Without a word except of greeting on land
ing I was hurried right into the sick-room.
It needed no special insight to recognize
the danger. The collapsed condition of my
patient, and the flickering pulse, showed
that if there was any hope of recovery at
all, it lay in immediate action.
It was already dark, and the house I had
come to was very small. The other seven
children were only too obviously at home,
while the baby and its attendants occupied,

REMEDY for WORRY 89
to say the least, all the room that could be
spared them.
Cold is still supposed to be harmful by our
people. Heat is man's friend. Therefore
the windows were closed, and the stove was
in full blast.
I had served a long apprenticeship in
these troubles, and have learned that a
people accustomed to one ritual do not re
sent another, and also that a little trouble
can transform even such an environment into
a possible room for effective surgery.
Without delay the transformation was ac
complished and the last chance given.
Every time the door was open Pat's eager
face asked, even before the words came,
" How is it going with Mary ? "
By ten o'clock all was quiet again, and
every effort was being made to keep life in
my patient till she should reap full benefit of
the work.
At midnight in spite of all precautions
there were no signs of rallying ; the balance
of the scales seemed to hang by a hair.
One o'clock passed safely; two struck;
and still there was hope.
But it was now, alas I only the hope of a
David in the anguish that made him ex
claim, "Who can tell whether God will be

90 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
gracious to me, that the child may live?"
The battle was going against us, and my
tired brain seemed unable to afford any
further suggestions.
I tried to explain it to my poor friend, but
the intuition of love had already revealed to
him the probable outcome.
While there was still hope, yet there was
nothing further I could do. Other duties
would be pressing on us with the returning
day; so I gladly accepted the kindly sug
gestion that I should lie down to await events.
It hardly seemed five minutes later when
my opening eyes fell on the figure of Pat
standing by the couch.
Daylight was breaking, and the infinite
loneliness and silent sorrow in his face made
any questions unnecessary. He had come to
tell me that I had lost.
It was a perfect morning that was break
ing outside ; not a ripple could be seen on
the placid waters of the Atiantic. Only now
and again the flash of an oar or the bump
ing of a boat against a schooner's side broke
the silence, and reminded us that the world
must go on in spite of our sorrow.
The lack of wind to carry us on our home
ward journey gave us time to linger, while
the last sad offices that could be rendered to

REMEDY for WORRY 91
the poor wife and mother were willingly per
formed by kindly hands.
It would be a time that in many homes
would make any attempt at offering comfort
seem an intrusion. But here in the face of the
immediate sad outlook for this large family of
small children an excuse was furnished us for
not hastening away, and an opportunity was
opened for assuring our old friend of so many
years that he might count on us to stand by him,
without appearing to trespass on his grief.
Years ago his right hand had been shot to
pieces by an explosion of his gun while the
hand rested on the muzzle as he loaded the
other barrel. It had been my privilege then
to be able, after many weeks of constant
attention, not only to save his life, but to
patch up the fragments left sufficiently to
enable him to nip a fishing-line while he
hauled it in with the other hand, and thus
follow his calling successfully.
It had ever since been a very close bond
of affection between us. It gave me a priv
ilege that with complete strangers in the
hour of distress I should have hesitated to
exercise ; so that, when at last we started
homewards in the boat, we had the small
comfort in the consciousness of our failure
that we could still be of service.

92 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
Moreover, we also had the welcome as
surance that confidence in our ability to
serve had not been shaken ; for among the
friends present was waiting a young mother
with her only child, a babe of fifteen months,
to accompany me back to the hospital for a
dangerous operation on the brain. This has
since been successfully performed.
As I reached the hospital and began stor
ing away in their places the various ap
paratus that we had chosen to rely on for
help in our unequal task, the nurse informed
me that my colleague had just returned also,
and was now seeking a well-earned rest up
stairs. Success had crowned his efforts ;
and, as I peeped into his room, I could see
he was enjoying the restful repose of the
victor. To many it would seem that the personal
unrest in which this call to service had found
me must have been enhanced by this ad
ditional exaction. To my surprise it proved
absolutely the reverse, A few hours later I
awoke to realize the fact that I had enjoyed
the most refreshing sleep for many months.
The mission-boat was still at her old place
at the wharf when I looked out of the win
dow. There was no upbraiding about her this

REMEDY for WORRY 93
time. She just said : " Capacity is worth
paying for. Here I am waiting again."
On the hill behind her stood the enlarged
hospital, and the long row of patients sun
ning themselves on the veranda and up
stairs balcony seemed all to say, "We may
have cost money, but we pay you in oppor
tunity and a full life."
Further back stood the orphanage ; a batch
of hatless, barelegged children as happy as
sandhoppers were skipping around outside,
waiting to accompany the schoolma'am to
school. They seemed to say, "God will
provide for us ; you have no right to worry."
On the other side of the hilltop rose the
spire of our little church. It had an odd
message this morning, in which it seemed at
first to be stultifying itself, for it said plainly
so that I could not but understand : "I can
not give you peace. Not in creed or sect
can you find it. Kindness is more Christlike
than righteousness. His peace comes only
to those travelling in His footsteps. The
remedy for unrest is work."
" 'Tis something, when the day draws to its close.
To say, ' Though I have borne a burdened mind.
Have tasted neither pleasure nor repose,
Yet this remains : to all raen, friends or foes,
I have been kind.' " — Dawson.

VII
On His Beam Ends
NEW YEAR'S DAY had come and
gone at our little winter hospital,
" The mildest winter this fifty year,
doctor, anyways," the patriarch of the village
declared it, "Why, years ago us'd drive
round heads many times 'fore Christmas, and
now there's open water right to Uncle Adam's
stage," he added in a somewhat querulous
tone, as if that was a modern innovation not
to be accepted without protest, that the open
Atlantic beyond the steep cliffs that formed
our harbour mouth should still be free of the
Frost King's control.
"It's only my second winter on the coast.
Uncle 'Lige," I answered, " but I haven't
noticed any heat to complain of. They
wouldn't call this sultry where I came from,
and so long as the heads keep the seas out of
the harbour I can forgive the ocean, if it
does love Jack Frost's rule as little as I do.
I'm sure there's snow enough on the land to
suit any one."
"Well, well. It all helps to fill up the
94

On HIS BEAM ENDS 95
holes, doctor. But you can't trust to cross
the tickles yet, and it's too long to go round
till we get a drop o' rain to give the snow a
surface. It's this 'twixt and between that's
no use. It's never no use anywhere."
" Well, Uncle, I'll admit it keeps the hos
pital slack of work — people can't get to us
any better than we can get to them. So I'm
going to try a trip on Monday to the west
coast with the dogs, and see how the folks
are getting on. It's a long while since we got
word from them, though I hear the first mail
has come over to Lock's Cove across the
county." " Yes, I know the trail's cut, and you're
young still. Perhaps you may," he reiterated,
" but don't take no risks, doctor. Don't take
no risks."
I thought of his parting words a good deal
next day. For word came from the north
that Jack Byrne had been drowned crossing
a tidal arm of the sea with his dogs, as he left
to get a load of fire-wood. The current, which
had kept the ice from freezing strongly in the
spot he happened to cross, swept him under
when he fell through. His comrade had
only been saved by the heroic action of his
sister running out from the shore. She had
flung herself down and crawled to where he

96 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
was clinging to the ice edge, tangled up in
the traces of the dogs. She held on to him
till help came in the form of a flat-bottom
boat hauled over the ice.
There are few sensations more delightful
on a clear brisk morning than the prospect of
a fifty-mile journey over hill and vale, with
the glorious evergreen trees and the perfect
whiteness of the snow. It is a sight not easy
to forget. It is not lessened by the almost
crazy delight of a well-fed team of dogs
turned out for their first long journey. On
this occasion a good driver had fairly covered
the harness with bright woollen bobbins. Our
gaily decked snow racquets adorned the net
ting on the raised sledge back, and the fa
miliar long box with the big red cross was
firmly lashed amidships. Kettle and axe,
rifle and instrument cases, all were there, and
as soon as I had bade good-bye to our friends
assembled to see us off, I cut the back strap
which, tied to the starting post, alone pre
vented our team from running away from us
too soon. There were few hearts anywhere
lighter than ours, though we were cut off
from many of the most " modern blessings "
of civilization.
It was just two weeks before once again
our dogs brought up at the hospital doors.

'THERE WERE PEW HEARTS ANYWHERE LIGHTER THAN OURS'

On HIS BEAM ENDS 97
We had only covered some three hundred
miles on the trip, having visited a great
number of scattered hamlets and villages.
But we arrived home with a good conscience.
For food for our dogs had everywhere been
plentiful and they got back as fresh and as
sturdy as they started. We had left very lit
tle sickness behind us on the coast, and ex
pected a rest for quite a while among our
own people.
But the unexpected always happens. That
very night we were called out of bed by a
loud knocking at the hospital door. The
voices of men and the sound of dogs on the
crisp snow greeted our half-wakened senses.
" Who's there ? " from the window brought in
stentorian tones the information, " It's me —
Jonas — we've come over from Stark's Cove.
Jennie Gardner broke her arm yesterday, so
them says."
" All right, I'll be down directiy. Go and
call Ben out to give your dogs a feed."
Our visitors, like most of their kind, are
not men to rest easily, when trouble of which
they don't know the extent is hanging over
them, and it was all we could do to persuade
them that a few hours' rest before we started
would not injure the prospects of an ordinary
broken arm. It would have been no use ex-

98 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
pecting them to take anything but their outer
clothes off. A rug and enough room on a
hard wood settee to lie on was all they would
accept, and no sooner had they finished a
huge draught of hot tea and some supper
than their two great forms lay stretched out
near the stove, as motionless almost as if
they had been corpses.
As the messengers were from the coast we
had not visited, and brought us no news of
any further trouble, and since haste seemed
the object most to be desired, we decided to
take no equipage beyond that needed for this
particular case, thus enabling us to load our
sledge as little as possible. This was more
especially desirable as fresh snow having
fallen in the night it became all the more im
portant that the komatik should run lightly.
As it turned out we did well, for the down
fall continued steadily all the morning, and
the drifts were enormous when we had to
force through wooded country. The leading
dogs sank into the feathery blanket almost
out of sight, and though we walked ahead all
day in our racquets to beat a path for them,
we had to give them turn and turn about in
their positions in the train.
Night overtook us, in the middle of the
country, and glad enough we were, in a dense

On HIS BEAM ENDS 99
spruce thicket, called the "Green Rudge,"
locally, to dig out a wayside log tilt or hut,
and to crawl down into it for the night.
With the perversity that sometimes appears
to characterize inanimate things, the down
fall during the hours of darkness was almost
phenomenal, and though we were ready for
starting long before daylight we were forced
to hasten slowly by being unable in the dark
to unearth two recalcitrant dogs who were
hidden snugly asleep under the snow.
The overcoming of physical difficulties is
one of the chief pleasures in life, so when, as
it grew dusk that evening, we emerged on
the southern shore of the Straits of Belle Isle,
we felt quite pleased with ourselves, even if
we had lost twenty- four hours on our usual
time. There were only eighteen miles more
to do. The land in this section is level and
the road is kept more or less beaten by the
numerous teams travelling over it. When
we had " boiled the kettle " and shaken the
snow out of ourselves, we pushed on towards
our destination.
Soon only three miles remained. The
familiar lighthouse out on an island was in
sight and we expected in a few minutes to be
in the warmth of the comfortable cottage of
our patient.

loo DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
But as chance would have it, just as we
came to the parting of the trails, one of which
led out to a little village on a long promontory,
we noticed so many fresh tracks of komatiks
that we guessed something unusual must be
occurring. " Anything wrong out at Safety
Cove ? " I sang out to the messengers who
had come to fetch us. " Nothing we knows
on, 'cept us heard Jim Kempson had a hurt
on his knee, but us 'lows there must be
more than that doing to take all this lot out
there. For they hasn't come back by their
tracks, and there's a power of 'em gone."
" There's a couple of men up on the top,
doctor," one of the men shouted as we swung
round the next hillside, and a little bunch of
houses nestling above the cove loomed up
against the snow. " 'Low them's watching
to see us pass. See, them's got a flag up ! "
he added excitedly. " All right, Charley.
Ouk ! ouk ! ouk ! " (to the right) to the lead
ing dog, and our little cavalcade in less than
a trice was swinging off in the new direc
tion. Evidently we were spotted instantly by the
vidette, for they commenced running down
the hill to meet us, and we were soon in pos
session of the facts that were causing trouble.
Jim's knee had got worse and worse, and

On HIS BEAM ENDS loi
" there was no stopping it." It had swelled
up and down till his leg was as large as his
body, and all hands said he was dying.
According to the custom of the coast under
these circumstances, all his friends had
gathered from far and near to show their
sympathy — " just to see him off," as some
one once put it. Jim had a wife and four chil
dren, and only four rooms all told — a kitchen
and living-room below and two tiny bed
rooms in the slope of the roof above. The
inevitable result was that the house was
packed like a beehive and the air could al
most be cut in slices with a knife. In one of
the small up-stairs rooms lay poor Jim on
his back, struggling for life, encouraged by
as many friends as could get in at once, but
hampered sadly by bad air and heat.
Having succeeded in the delicate task of
persuading this kindly assembly that their
room was really of infinitely more value than
their company, and in sending the four chil
dren to other houses, we retained three good
handy men and started in to work.
With as little noise as possible the board
partition between the two bedrooms was
taken down, and one hand told off to plane it
up, and convert it into a full-length bath.
Assistant No. 2 was detailed to make a win-

I02 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
dow in the roof, and No. 3 to carry away
everything movable to the store outside.
The new room was meanwhile cleansed and
all the kettles of the village set boiling, as
many as possible on our own down-stair stove.
Food was also short ; there was neither a drop
of any stimulant nor a tin of milk obtainable
— much less fresh milk. Messengers volun
teered to try and cross the ice and get some at
the lighthouse ; and fortunately in this they
were successful.
The condition of the patient resembled that
of a rapidly spreading erysipelas. The only
hope of saving his life lay in numerous and
extensive incisions. As no lancet was obtain
able, our hunting-knife had to be impressed
to replace one. An anaesthetic anyhow was
out of the question. For an antiseptic a bot
tle of strong carbolic acid, left in the next vil
lage by our hospital boat for another case the
previous summer, was fortunately brought
in just when we were ready, and after some
hot milk had been .administered, the rough
but most admirably sensible full-length bath,
made out of the old partition — the seams
being well caulked with pitch — also made its
appearance. Filled with its warm antiseptic
solution, it was immediately put to use. The
patient, in whom seven long incisions had

On HIS BEAM ENDS 103
been made, was placed reclining in it. He
described it after as being like crimping a
cod. Blankets and quilts, commandeered
from the neighbours, were now packed all
round, while a cover made with fishermen's
oilskin jackets protected those from getting
wet. In this way it was comparatively easy
to maintain an even temperature. Regular
port and starboard watches were set, and
when morning dawned we ventured to finish
our own journey and settle the broken-arm
patient before turning in for some sleep.
The cheerful woman whom we had origi
nally set out to help almost persuaded us that
it was a pleasure having a broken arm — the
chance for his life it was the means of giving
to her poor neighbour, to her mind quite off
set the inconvenience and the pain which
would make so many people selfishly intro
spective. The need for constant supervision of the
kindly and unremitting efforts of my strange
nursing staff left me little time to visit else
where, and the track from my lodging to the
sick man's house was soon worn as hard as a
macadam road. To get so heavy a man
easily in and out of the bath called for no lit
tle strength and skill, and I had to drill my
squad with a dummy, for Jim had no strength

I04 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
to lose from rough handling. How much
oakum was picked for dressing I cannot say
now, but the occupants of the next door
neighbour's front room came nearer to en
joying the calling of a convict than ever
any one previously has in our north country.
The supply of milk from the lighthouse was
limited, and it had to be served out as if it
were rations for a shipwrecked crew. For
tunately some of the boys came across
ptarmigan on the second day, and the fresh
broth was as welcome as the first flowers of
spring. Numbers of small offerings of this
kind were gladly brought in from a distance
of many miles, as soon as the news reached
along the coast of the reason they were
needed. The unstinted, unselfish kindness of
the poor for the poor made even these anxious
days a benediction to us workers. Surely
the real kingdom of God was deeper in the
hearts of this people than any one could pos
sibly have supposed. The showers of kind
acts, little though they may have appeared,
were no small spur to all the rest of us to do
our best, as night succeeded day and there
still was no improvement in poor Jim's condi
tion — nothing that suggested to us any
chance of ultimate success.
The fourth day was drawing to a close.

On HIS BEAM ENDS 105
Though a crowd of friends sat with me by
the log fire in the fisherman's hut, where I
was being temporarily entertained, my mind
kept wandering over the miles of snow
back to our people on the western coast. I
knew that by now the sick that we had left
behind, and possibly others who had gath
ered since, must be anxiously awaiting my
return. I was too restless to notice even
much of the conversation. So, not unnat
urally, I had failed to realize that the talk
had tumed to Jim and his chances, and what
to do with his little ones if he did not pull
through. "There's no money round here
on Jim's chances, doctor," one man re
marked, "though they does say he seemed
like clawing to windward a bit after them
cuts." " Don't be too sure, Dick," chimed in
another ; " Jim's lived hard o' late, but there's
good stuff in him. There wasn't a soft spot
in his timbers when this took him."
" It was always that way with Jim," added
a third. " Not much to look at in fine
weather, but never no give when t' pinch
came." One of the company, sailor-like, had been
out to get " a sight o' the weather," not for
any particular reason, except that the men

io6 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
find it hard to sit still for long at a time. A
breeze of fresh cold air as he opened the
door roused us to the fact that he was re
turning, and in the conventional way, hardly
even anticipating an answer, he was greeted
with the usual question, "Well, what of it,
Sam ? Anything doing ? "
"Night's fine," he replied. "There's lights
moving across t' hill by Jim's house — seems
as if something was going on over there."
There was at once a general move in the
company, and each man momentarily
searched the faces of the others. Soon the
whole company were on their feet, and one
by one, almost shamefacedly, slunk out into
the night.
For myself, I just sat on staring into the
fire, wondering if all our efforts and prayers
that this humble life might be spared us a
little longer had been in vain. True, when
a skiff sinks before the storm, the tiny eddy
and gap in the waters is noticeable only to
those very close at hand, and the great sea
then rushes in, and no trace of the catas
trophe is discernible. If such were God's
will now we could only bow to it, and face
the aftermath as it becomes a brother, wlio is
one not only in name, to try and do.
The hurry of steps and the lifting of the

On HIS BEAM ENDS 107
latch brought me quickly back from the land
of dreams. A muffled figure, with a large
hurricane lantern, was being ushered in by
the crowd of friends who had just gone out.
The footsteps told me the news was good
before my uncouth looking head nurse with
his irrepressible Irish humour broke out:
" Bedad, doctor, Jim's showing ould Nick a
clean pair o' legs after all. He's hisself
again if ever he was."
" Be sensible, Pat, and tell me what has
happened." " Oh, don't distress yourself, doctor ; 'tis
himself that's woken up and asked for sorae
thing." The diagnosis of a professional nurse
would have given me no more confidence
This was not the first sick-bed Pat had
watched over by a long way, rough fisher
man though he looked, and the instinct of
simple love is often as true a guide as even
text-book or lecture. It was with a load off
my heart that I started to accompany the
faithful watcher back over the snow.
" Prayer is out of date," a man of millions
said to me only a few days ago. " No one
believes now that prayer makes any real
difference." But I like to think still that
there are "more things in God's heaven than

io8 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
man wots of," and though Pat and I said our
prayers differently, we both thanked God
together that night for sparing the life of the
man we had, each in our own way, been
asking God for.
As I harnessed up the dogs next morn
ing and started on a seventy mile drive
home, the very team seemed to be of my
mind also, and even the weather chimed in
and endorsed the verdict that God is in His
heaven, and that so long as He permits us to
believe that we can serve Him, life is very
much worth while.

VIII
A Partial Conversion
FOR two years I had made summer
voyages in our one hundred and
fifty ton hospital schooner from Eng
land to Labrador, returning when the summer
exodus of fishermen was driven south by
the advance of winter. The short seasons of
open water had been spent in doing what we
could to help the fishermen. A local failure
of the fisheries the previous year had brought
me a piteous appeal to try and aid a district
further south than I had hitherto considered
our territory. Moreover there had appeared
that spring a sickness that was painful and
fatal — a new terror to the settiers. Large
black bruises broke out about their bodies.
Joints became suddenly rigid. Mouth and
gums turned purple and fetid. No doctor
ever visited that coast, not even on the oc
casional mail-boat. It was a most pathetic
situation. "Would I at least come in and
see them ? "
So it happened that as we once more
109

no DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
sailed south, in company with the large fish
ing fleet that were again returning home, we
ran in and anchored in the safest and most
central harbour, to decide finally whether we
should stay the winter on "the French
Shore." A cursory visit around the little
settlement left no doubt in our minds that
there existed an undeniable need for such
services as we could render, and an ample
scope for labour that would keep us busy till
our schooner could return to us from England
once more. It was equally and somewhat
painfully apparent, however, that we were not
overwell equipped for the task. Finally, how
ever, we proceeded to disembark, for with
me was a young friend from England who
had volunteered to help me with whatever
work I might be called upon to do.
Our difficulties began at once. It was by
no means such an easy matter as might be
supposed to find a lodging-place among
the cottages of which the village consisted.
When finally we had succeeded in trans
forming two rooms to suit our purposes, it
was still evident that if we were to do any
serious surgical work we must find accommo
dation in some other house for our sick folk.
Owing to the constant calls from far as well

A PARTIAL CONVERSION iii
as near, during the first few weeks after the
schooner left us, we were prevented in spite
of our best efforts from giving the time
necessary to secure that resemblance to a
hospital which we desired. Indeed the
March gales had already broken up much
of the standing ice that all winter had en
abled us to cross the arms of the sea, and
answer quickly the calls of our neighbours,
before half another house was really ready for
surgical occupation.
The great bridge that crossed to some off-
lying islands had just given way before an
angry Atiantic ground swell, heaving in under
the outside ice, and thus had temporarily cut
the inhabitants off from all communication
with the mainland. We were not a little
surprised, therefore, to be suddenly sum
moned out of bed one night by the stentorian
voices of a number of men gathered out
side our cottage. On descending to admit
them we found that they were the crew
of a sealing skiff that had forced their way
in through the running ice. That some
thing serious must have happened was
evident. The men were excited and in
haste. So while some started our fire and
got the kettle on — the universal order of
events all along our coast — the skipper told

112 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
us how "Tim Bryan had shot hisself, and
wanted a doctor bad, right off." Three men
had been duck shooting together and from a
point of vantage where they " were well
stowed away" they had just had "a des
perate shot into a small pond o' water,"
formed by a fissure in the ice. They had
killed or crippled some seventy-six birds, and
Tim had been reloading in so great a hurry
to secure the wounded ones, that a spark
left in his gun had exploded the new charge.
The flash from the muzzle had entered the
powder horn that he held inverted over the
muzzle. To stop the bleeding his comrades
had rushed him home, and plunged the
shattered right hand into the flour barrel.
This had fortunately proved effective. Pain
and weakness from the loss of blood had,
however, caused them to leave him there in
his own home. "Would we come right
along?" There was much heavy running
ice and they were anxious to get back while
the channel they had rowed along might still
make it possible.
After less than an hour's rest and refresh
ment these Vikings were ready to start on
their return voyage, though it was still pitch
dark, and the sea was covered with the slob-
ice. With them on the joumey back went

A PARTIAL COuVVERSION 113
my young colleague, lea\'ing me to "stand
by " our other patients, from some of whom
I dared not risk being cut off.
The mo-ving of the injured man proved
a harder task than was anticipated, and
another valuable forty-eight hours elapsed
before he was carried up to our makeshift
hospital. Tim was a family man — he had five
small children and a wife dependent on him.
He had nothing but his skill as a fish
erman and trapper to count on for his daily
food. Now — alas — his right hand lay before
me, one huge shattered mass of blood, flour,
and corruption. The man himself was
flushed and feverish ; already his face had as
sumed the sunken aspect of general blood
infection — ^the telltale glands in the armpit
were red and swollen. I was forced to put
the position plainly to him — " Tim, boy, if
what's left of your hand isn't cut off it wUl
probably cost you your life."
"Oh, doctor," he rephed, "don't tell me
that It's not the hand I'm thinking of —
but it's my right one, doctor. It will mean
that we shall all star\e together. Can you
do nothing to help me save it, doctor ? For
God's sake, say you can," and the great

114 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
strong man, now utterly overwrought, broke
down and wept like a child.
" Yes, Tim, we can try, if you decide to
chance it. But you should know that the risk
to your life will be very great, and even if we
do save what is left of the hand, it may be of
no use to you."
" Give me an hour to think it over, won't
you, doctor, and then I'll give you my an
swer." Laying the arm on a weighted board and
sinking the whole into a trough of carbolized
hot water, we went off, leaving only his com
rades to give him counsel. The clock
marked one hour exactly when we returned
for his decision, for time then was of the ut
most importance. The patient was quieter
now. His piercing blue eyes seemed trying
to look through me as I walked up to the
couch on which he lay stretched out. He
had evidently made up his mind — and his an
swer was without doubt final. There was no
questioning the tone in which he said, " I'd
rather be dead than live without her, doctor.
You knows what that would mean, to live
like that and see 'em starve. You must just
do your best. They all knows you'll do
that" The preliminary operation had to be done

A PARTIAL CONVERSION 115
without putting him to sleep — for he dreaded
the idea as less familiar than pain, which he
knew well enough how to bear — while we
too were glad enough not to have to incur
the additional risk of an anaesthetic in his
condition. By the time we were through, the handy
owner of our little house had ready for us a
wooden arm bath of large dimensions with
well-rounded and sloping sides, capable of
holding plenty of water. The whole was as
neat and water-tight as the boats he built, its
seams being well caulked with pitch.
Into this the arm was slung, with real blocks
and tackles from the ceiling, so as to be quite
movable. And so the long struggle began.
Messengers had been despatched long be
fore for the priest, who was domiciled fifty miles
to the south and so was considered compara
tively close. The good fellow arrived just
at this juncture, a man of hearty, cheerful
disposition, whose ministrations were, if of
no other value, at any rate a psychological
factor that added yet another chance of suc
cess in the struggle we were dreading.
At the end of the first week victory seemed
ours. The priest had left for the south en
trusting the daily reading of the prayers from

wd DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
the missal to the good house-mother, who,
though herself a very rigid Methodist, was
far too kind of heart to feel any compunction
in rendering a service that might give help
or pleasure to another in trouble. It was
possibly some little offset to her conscience
that the wording was in Latin, in which
language she was not versed, nor for that
same reason did errors in reading seriously
affect poor Tim.
By the tenth day the swelling of the shat
tered limb was in no way reduced — the
powder driven in before being burnt re
sisted all attempts to get a clean wound.
The brave fellow had lost flesh steadily. To
keep his arm under the hot solution he was
forced to sleep in a sitting position, and now
our scanty supplies of antiseptics were get
ting exhausted. Once more we had to ad
vise him that he was risking his life, and
that even removal of the whole arm might
be of little value if there were any longer de
lay. But Tim was as immovable as a rock
" I'd rather die without it, doctor. I
couldn't bear to live and be no use to no
one." It was of course still impossible to
leave him by night or day, and with no
trained nurse to help, we took turns to re-

A PARTIAL CONVERSION 1I7
main in the room at night, getting what
sleep we could in our sleeping bags,
stietched out on an improvised settee.
Our supply of antiseptics finally ran out at
the end of the fourth week, and we had to
do the best we could with well-boiled water.
This involved a material increase in the sup
ply needed, and taxed to the utmost our ket-
tie capacity. The water itself had to be car
ried a long way, as every source of supply
near at hand was frozen solid. Chopped ice
thrown into the kettle served for the limited
needs of the household under ordinary cir
cumstances. We had now to look to our
dogs, or those of some kindly neighbour, to
haul us barrels full of water from a rapid
mountain stream that never froze solid quite
to the bottom.
To add to our troubles we had not again
been able to communicate with the islands
The heavy Atlantic ice outside had been con
stantly gliding through the channels with
strong winds and a heavy swell, so that we
had not the comfort of being able to keep
Tim's wife and friends informed of our views
of the "situation. Moreover, the poor fellow
had been suffering a great deal of pain of
late and it was simply impossible to keep
him constantly under opiates. At his own

Ii8 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
urgent request messengers were once more
despatched to the priest that he might at
least send down a few bottles of water that
he had blessed, in the hope that it might
afford some relief. Of this each moming
and evening a few drops were sprinkled in
the bath before his eyes, and though, of
course, we had had to boil it beforehand, it
didn't lose its efficiency. For it never failed
to quiet him down, and so to render possible
the rest that was a vital necessity in his con
dition. It was not till six weeks had elapsed that
it became no longer necessary to float the
wounded limb. Openings and counter-open
ings had been imperative as high up as the
armpit, and even now, though delighted with
the fact that with improving appetite and
sleep, Tim's life was going to be spared,
we were rather apprehensive that the result
he dreaded more than death would still be
unavoidable. The arm was a veritable wreck
to look at, and as immovable as the broom-
handle, which it much resembled. What a
joyous night it was, however, when at last
we got Tim out of his armchair and into a
bed between real sheets. An event which,
happening on the same day that we once
more got news through from the islands.

A PARTIAL CONVERSION 119
made it indeed a red-letter day in our annals.
A fortnight's massage and passive move
ments worked wonders with the arm and
wrist, but more than that is necessary for a
hook and line fisherman.
To eam a living a poor man like Tim
must be able to row cross handed, that is
with two oars at once — to haul his long
hand-lines he must be able to grip them with
either, and so haul them in hand over hand
— the only alternative being to nip the part
hauled in by one knee against the gunwale
of the boat, while the hand seeks a new grip.
In our deep waters this process makes fish
ing altogether too slow to be remunerative.
It therefore became necessary to try a sec
ondary operation with a view to giving him
something against which to oppose the
thumb, which he was, as if by a miracle,
still able to control. By a little careful
scheming beforehand and a transposition of
fragments, a plan devised to accomplish this
proved successful beyond our anticipation.
Though, through lack of tendon tissue, we
could only make the hand resemble a bird's
bill with but one movable jaw, we secured
the ability to "nip," which, though appar-
entiy only a slight advantage, really meant
all the difference in the world to our friend

I20 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
The final stage was to obtain a covering
for the still large open surface from which the
skin had been destroyed. We were all so
interested by Tim's pluck and gratitude that
volunteers to supply grafts from themselves
for that purpose were not long lacking, and
before the time came for Tim to leave us,
and commence the summer fishing, he was
to all intents and purposes a well man. Once
or twice during the summer his small boat
might have been noticed running in to our
harbour, during a spell in the fishing, just
to report progress. Happily it was so or
dered that the season should prove a good
one for the inshore fishermen, and it added
no little to our pleasure to see now and
again the beaming countenance of our friend,
as he came with some small offering to help
on similar work being done for others.
With a quiet smile on his face he would
sometimes hold up the injured hand, and
point out the similarity of it to the fore fin
of one of our seals, dryly remarking on one
occasion, " Well, doctor, all the rest of me
is Catholic, but I 'lows even I can't stop this
flipper being Protestant,"

IX
The Sources of Pleasure
IN our small mission hospital steamer,
Strathcona, we were as usual cruising
among the fishing fleets of Labrador
during the season of open water.
"There's a big yacht alongside, doctor,
and their boat has brought you over a letter,"
said our steward one morning, handing me a
neat envelope bearing the crest of a big yacht
club. We were working at the time over a
sick man in the little hospital below decks,
where we hold our peripatetic clinic. Thus
we had missed seeing her approach. A
crowd of other applicants were waiting on
deck for such services as we could render.
The caparisons of wealth are so rare in our
northern regions that this unexpected news
brought us all up on deck. Anchored quite
close alongside was a large and beautiful
steam yacht. Her brass work shone in the sun
shine, and her enamelled paintwork gleamed
and glistened so beautifully, it did one real
good to look at her. She carried also the
snowiest of white sails, which were lying still

122 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
" deshabille " on the spars, having been re
cently lowered. The whole was touched off
by the gay bunting flying at her foremast
and flagpole that announced her club affilia
tion and her country. A party of gaily
dressed ladies and gentlemen in yachting suits
were on the bridge, some of whom were spy
ing down through glasses at the crowded
decks of our battered little mission steamer.
Remembering the feelings that scratches on
painted sides inspired in me before mission
work compelled any interest, I confess I felt
momentarily ashamed of the rust marks, where
the banging of many boats alongside had
chipped off our spring coat of paint.
On opening the note it proved to contain
an introduction from a mutual friend, and an
invitation to go on board to lunch which
"would be served shortly." As there was
a thoughtful postscript, "no need to dress
up," I accepted more readily, not to say more
easily, considering the state of a Labrador
wardrobe. She certainly was a beauty. Hard wood
decks in tiny strips, mahogany deck houses,
well nickelled fittings, bright Turkish mats,
setting off red Morocco leather upholsterings.
To the table, laden with southern delicacies
of fruit, fresh from her ice lockers, was added

Tlie SOURCES of PLEASURE 123
all the attraction that the best of silver and
cut glass could afford. The colouring of the
ladies' dresses, the immaculate table furnish
ings, and the almost polished stewards, sent
a sensation down one's back, when thus sud
denly contrasted with our own humble ship,
like that afforded by the morning plunge into
these always stimulating waters.
Yet in spite of it all, the prevailing note in
the conversation was one of discontent, and
there seemed to be more complaints against
the "bad luck" they were having than I had
heard since we put to sea. The sole object
of their cruise was obviously pleasure. They
had hoped to trap that somewhat fickle lady
by catching unsophisticated salmon, large and
numerous, on what our people call a " fly
pole." But it seemed the salmon in the three
rivers they had already tried had not fallen in
with their ideas on the matter. "The largest
we've landed," said my host, "was only fifteen
pounds." " Gerald caught eight in two
hours the other day in one pool, but they only
ran to six pounds apiece." "These con
founded rivers are a fraud," was the general
consensus of opinion.
This decision was emphasized by the fact
that the party had ventured off on one oc
casion without proper provision against mos-

124 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
quitoes, and the results had been neither dig
nified nor aesthetic. They had eventually
heard that the best rivers for salmon fishing
were known to me, and they had sought me
out to ask advice as to which one to try next.
Having explained that an old fox doesn't
readily go to a trap, and consequently the
unwisdom of giving advice to any one, such
charts as exist of our coast were produced
and I marked in a few rivers that the cartog
raphers have overlooked.
Our new found acquaintances proved to be
what I have heard called " good sportsmen,"
in spite of their environment of soft things.
Though a long pull up to the " first pool "
and a poor anchorage " when the wind came
in northeasterly" did not seem to appeal
much to them when deciding the all impor
tant question as where to go next. What a
terrible knotty point it was ! Unluckily there
was a show at  in three weeks' time,
which two at least ought not to miss, and then
there was what appeared to be an exceedingly
important house party, which left two others
just as anxious. For these causes a some
what more distant but almost " dead certain
river " proved a thorn in the flesh which cost
me much valuable time discussing. One
couldn't help feeling sorry that there was any

TJie SOURCES of PLEASURE 125
friction over even a point of, what appeared
to them, such absorbing importance.
But I confess what was troubling me most
now was my own temporary desertion of my
colleague on the mission boat, whom I had
felt mean in having to leave behind at all on
this great occasion. For he was such a good
fellow and had such a keen sense of humour,
and was moreover a volunteer at his own ex
pense, having actually left his own yacht out
of commission for the season to come and
give me a hand among the fishermen.
At length a decision appeared to be arrived
at, and I perceived my hosts were getting
anxious to be off about their business. I felt
also that it would not be right to let them
waste further time. So I rose and bade good
bye to my new acquaintances and prepared
to take my leave. My courteous host accom
panied me to the gangway. As we ap
proached we heard a somewhat acrimonious
discussion being carried on from the ladder.
It proved to be the yacht's boatswain, who
was ordering a fishing boat away from the
side of the ship, to which a stalwart fisherman
had e-vid entiy intended to fasten it. There
was a girl in the stem of the boat, wrapped
round in a warm shawl.
" The doctor says you was gomg to 

126 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
Harbour, sir," said the fisherman, catching
sight of the owner walking with me, " and
perhaps you'd give her a passage down to
hospital. She be very sick, sir, and he says
it wouldn't be far out of your way."
" You keep that boat away from our paint,
I tell you," was the boatswain's only reply,
" You've made a black smudge already. She
wouldn't be fit to look at in half an hour, I
tell you."
I recognized the boat, and knew the kind
ness it would be to get the girl to where she
could be properly taken care of, so I plucked
up courage and explained that we were our
selves bound the other way, and that as they
would have to pass near the hospital before
night, it would only be a deck passage that
she would need.
I could see at once I had utterly failed to
realize the view-point of my friend. It had
absolutely never occurred to me how they re
garded sickness of any kind. He was far
too courteous to say anything to hurt my
feelings, but I could see what a terrible new
feature I had introduced into his already suf
ficiently puzzling dilemma. He merely re
plied, "I'll speak to the others, if you'll wait
a moment." Meanwhile he thoughtfully told
the boatswain to take the boat's painter and

The SOURCES of PLEASURE 127
make it fast. But I felt like a bull in a china
shop all the same as I leaned on the rail, while
he went forward to fling this new thunder
bolt among his guests, leaving me to watch
the evidently chagrined boatswain fending off
the intruding boat with a fine brass-topped
boat-hook, as if it were some dangerous
animal. "Is there no other way to get the girl
where she wants to go ? " queried the owner
on his return. " She might be infectious, you
know, and the ladies are just a little afraid."
Fortunately that point had been agitating
my brains also during " the interim " and I
was all ready with an answer. "Oh, don't
trouble, that schooner over there is going
north soon, and I have no doubt I can ar
range with the skipper to take her. They
are more accustomed to that kind of work,
and will be glad to do it, I know. Indeed I
often get them to do that sort of thing for
me. I assure you it's nothing out of the or
dinary and I'm really sorry to have added to
your worries."
" Do you think they'd go at once?" he re
plied. "I shouldn't be easy if I thought
anything might happen to the girl by the
delay." " I can't be sure, of course, because it would

128 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
not do to ask them, if they are doing well
with the fish here — it might mean losing a
voyage of fish. But I'll certainly do my best,
and I beg you not to worry further."
With a sigh of relief he took out his pocket-
book. "There's one hundred dollars," he
said ; " do you think that they'd run her down
specially to the hospital for that ? "
"I should feel less diffidence in asking
them," I replied. " But the skipper wouldn't
take the money, I can assure you, for carry
ing any sick person along, unless his share-
men will lose by it. I know his men are on
shares, and it might give them cause to com
plain, as they wouldn't feel they were asked
in the matter, and therefore they wouldn't
have the pleasure of doing the kindness."
We never pay on the coast for this kind of
brotherliness. It is the only wealth they have
to give away much of, and they know the
value of the joy of service.
The yacht waited long enough to see that
the schooner master was willing — and then
got up her anchors and left us. But I no
ticed, as she passed the heads, that in spite
of our long conference and final decision she
headed after all in the opposite direction.
Maybe, I thought, they were sent in here to
learn about other things than they expected.

The SOURCES of PLEASURE 129
I found my colleague patiently at work
still, when I returned on board. I narrated
the incidents of my visit to the yacht.
" I hope they won't have anything more
to interrupt their enjoyments," he replied,
" but it sort of makes one feel not desirous to
change places with them."

X
Suzanne
UNCLE JONAS had missed the fish.
For the first time within the memory
of many neighbours in Deep Water
Creek Uncle Jonas' schooner had " come
back from t' Larbador, clean."
Under ordinary circumstances even the
catastrophe of one family being unable to
purchase supplies for the winter would not
have been a matter of deep concern to the
inhabitants of the Creek. For they were
accustomed to having " to make things do "
and no one ever heard a real Livyere from
the Atlantic seaboard " squealing " because
it had "pleased t' Lord they shouldn't be
able to reach to fats after Easter."
But this case was somewhat different.
Uncle Jonas' hospitality was an institution.
It was as much a matter of course as the ice
in the harbour. Every benighted traveller,
every desolate family following the komatik
track because they had no longer any food
in the locker at home, even every starving
130

SUZANNE 131
dog team whose lord and master could no
longer find them a morsel to put in their
stomachs, knew which way to turn when
they caught sight of the blue smoke of the
cottages above the cliffs that made the
harbour of Deep Water Creek. Uncle Jonas'
had ever been a veritable city of refuge for
many miles of coast both north and south.
No one, good, bad or indifferent had ever
been known to knock at Uncle Jonas" door
without getting, whatever the time of day,
the cheery invitation " to sit right in and
have a cup o' hot tea."
But though this unaffected love out of a
pure heart had ever proved to the man's own
soul the truest of God's blessings, it had not
been purchased without cost. For Uncle
Jonas enjoyed yet another blessing straight
from God's hands, and that was a quiverful
of children — possessions of which a million
aire might have well been proud. His four
stalwart boys were already able to help with
the trap net, and though the youngest could
scarcely yet row " cross-handed," i. e., handle
two oars at once, all four were rated in the
crew of the Saucy Lass when Uncle Jonas
cleared in the spring of the year for the
annual voyage " Northward Ho." His five
lasses also, having come early in the sequence.

132 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
had been invaluable, first in helping in the
home and in the garden and with the rapidly
following babies — while the eldest had twice
sailed as cook in the schooner before the
boys had been of an age to leave home. She
was eighteen now, and though as bonnie a
lass as the countryside could produce, with
her clear, rosy cheeks and the curly shock of
black hair she had inherited from her mother,
she was still living at home.
There are no industries in the Creek at
which young women can eam money to
help out on expenses. When the men bring
home a full fare, however, they are able to
earn quite a bit at washing, cleaning and
spreading the fish and so helping to get it
earlier to the market and secure a better
price. This year even that occupation was
denied them.
It is not unnatural that the families in
these out-of-the-world places should cling
together with even more than the tenacity
we are accustomed to in the more crowded
centres. For everything outside is like one
vast unknown land and ghosts of the dan
gers that lurk there unseen haunt the fancies
of our home-loving fisher folk. Indeed, who
shall blame them for the sensitiveness of their
imagination, seeing that the contempt of

SUZANNE 133
familiarity has so often proved the path to
ruin among our own.
However, with Uncle Jonas' failure to secure
a "fare of fish" a crisis of unusual portent
faced the Creek. If he had no fish under salt,
there were certainly others in the same situ
ation, and there could be little doubt that
there would be more mouths than the sup
plies attainable before navigation closed could
be expected to fill. No wonder that a certain
amount of gloom lurked in this usually happy
little cove.
There seemed only one way out of the
dilemma as far as the village fathers could see,
and that was to lessen the number of mouths.
Reluctantly, as Virginius of old. Uncle
Jonas realized that only one way was open
to him. His eldest girl, Suzanne, would have
to go out to service. It was neither a pleas
ant nor easy task to finally bring the matter
to an issue, and it was only after many tear
ful farewells that at length, with her home
made travelling chest filled with all the little
tokens of love that her family and friends
could " reach to," Suzanne finally embarked
on the last schooner from the harbour
that was going south. Thus she fared forth
into the wide and unknown world beyond
the dearly loved, though rugged cluster of

134 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
rocks that closes the harbour in, and that
were not inappropriately known as Break-
Heart-Point. The letters that reach Deep Water Creek
in winter are few and far between. True,
twice during the long months of frozen water,
toiling dog teams bring what we please to
call the winter mails. But they are unsafe
and uncertain at best, and many prefer to
consider no news good news rather than risk
anxious weeks because they have trusted to
what has so often caused entirely unnecessary
worry. One letter, however, did come through,
and it brought the joyful news that Suzanne
had found a home with a fine Christian
planter, whose wife promised well to be a
second mother to her. The maid that helps
is as much one of the family as those she
ministers to in our unsophisticated country.
No letter was ever received frpm Suzanne
again — only a brief line from the planter to
tell Uncle Jonas the sad news that his own
young wife had died during her first confine
ment just before Christmas. Consequently
Suzanne had been thus out and about a good
deal during the spring. She had eventually
sailed north for the summer, having shipped
as cook on a Labrador schooner entirely

SUZANNE 135
against his will. She insisted she had filled
a similar position twice before.
Late in the year I was cruising in our mis
sion hospital boat with the most northern fleet
of vessels. We had been threading our way
through a veritable archipelago of uncharted
islands, seeking a place to bring up for the
night where we might be in the neighbour
hood of other vessels, to the occupants of
which we might be able to give medical or
surgical assistance. Suddenly the watch re
ported a small schooner with flag at half
mast, and a six-oared seine skiff with a
spudger (or sign) up, crossing the ship's run
to intercept us.
It was only necessary to slow down and
throw their bowman a line to soon have the
seine master on board.
"Skipper's compliments, doctor," he said
as he gripped my hand. " We've a girl very
bad on board. We wants you to come along
side if so be you can manage it."
We needed no second invitation. While
our new friends returned to relieve their
skipper's mind, and prepare for our arrival,
we moored for the night and got ready such
accessories as we deemed from the informa
tion derived from our visitors that the cir
cumstances called for.

136 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
The details that impressed this case vividly
on my memory, among so many others, do
not bear retelling here. I was ushered into
the schooner's small and dark after-cabin that
had been abandoned by the kindly men.
There, by the light of a tiny kerosene lamp,
I found a young girl lying in the dark bunk
built into the side of the ship. Her bloodless
face, hollow eyes, parched lips and fevered
cheeks, in the setting of a tangled mass of
endless jet black wavy hair, loomed up as
soon as my eyes got accustomed to the semi-
darkness. I was conscious she was peering
directly into my face with the hungry look of
some wild animal at bay.
A child of fifteen, her only companion, was
crouching at the foot of the bunk, and add
ing to the pathos of the moment by her
pitiful wailing, which seemed to beat time
with the sounds of the waves lapping against
the planking of the vessel's quarter.
It was the old story — a trusting girl — a
false lover, a betrayal — and a wild, unreason
ing flight to anywhere, anywhere that seemed
to offer, however vaguely, still a temporary
postponement of the inevitable harvest of
shame, and sorrow, and suffering. Hither,
hundreds of miles from anywhere, this mere
child had fled, hoping that possibly death.

SUZANNE 137
with its false offer of mercy through oblivion,
might spare her seeing the grief of those who
loved her. For well she knew the inevitable
consequences, when the sorrowful tale should
reach the peaceful hamlet by the sea from
which she had but so recentiy set out.
This was no time for philosophy, however.
Every minute was precious. For it was a
case in which one had to work single-handed.
The baby had been bom four days and
was dead. Every member of the crew was a
stranger to the girl, and anyhow even with
all the sympathy and kindliness so universal
in our men of the sea, they had been far too
frightened lest they might do injury to touch
even a rag of the poor coverings that fairly
littered the bed. For every man had con
tributed generously of whatever he had that
might possibly be of any use.
An hour later my patient, wrapped up like
a mummy in clean linen and blankets, was
tenderly carried on deck, and ferried over in
the ship's jolly-boat to the hospital steamer.
The boat that served us then was indeed so
small that she allowed no special provision
for patients. Beside my own cabin and the
saloon,' there were no spare accommodations
below decks. On the settle of the latter, as
being more airy and convenient for moving

138 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
about in, we built up a bunk which should
prevent at least the risk of a serious fall in a
seaway. As soon as the first rays of dawn permitted
us to weigh anchor we ran south for a Mora
vian mission station, where we hoped we
might induce a kind-hearted married woman
with some knowledge that might be useful to
us in our dilemma to come south with us as
far as our northern little hospital.
It was not until next day, however, that
we anchored once more in the quiet waters
of Okkak Bay. Here, under the great cliffs
that flank the harbour, lies the little sta
tion where for over one hundred years the
self-sacrificing missionaries of the Moravian
Church have been doing their best to uplift
the Eskimos of this bleak north coast. One
might have supposed that a mother with
children of her own would hesitate even in
such a dilemma from venturing forth in so
small a vessel as ours. For the troubles of
the sea are by no means confined to the sen
sitive organisms of those living in civilization.
But she looked upon the opportunity as
only one more gift of Him whose service had
called her from the homeland nearly twenty
years before. Without hesitation, as if it
were an ordinary daily duty, she set about

SUZANNE 139
preparing for the trip, her husband agreeing
to accompany us that he might see her home
when her service should be no more needed.
The evening was by no means idle; to
afford even a chance of saving my patient
an operation became necessary, and the help
from the station and the quiet of the harbour
made it possible and wisest not to risk the
delay that would be inevitable before we
could reach hospital, if the weather should
be boisterous. Things went well. Before
night the patient's pulse had fallen, and the
watchers in turn reported a much better rest.
When morning came the girl herself felt she
could face another stage of the joumey. To
run out to sea, make the necessary crossing
and run in on a parallel of latitude to the
hospital would be our quickest way. But
that, with the wind on the land, made the
heaving and rolling dangerous. By keeping
the inside runs, we got smooth water, but
could not move during the darkness.
A brilliant aurora favoured us the next
night and we pushed on until about mid
night, when its sudden disappearance left us
in such absolute darkness that we were com
pelled to anchor at once. The improving
pulse and temperature and the steady dim
inution of physical symptoms that had caused

I40 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
us much grave anxiety during these first two
days gave me a light heart.
Every time I visited the patient I expected
to recognize the corresponding assurance in
her face that she was really on the road to
recovery, but every time I looked in vain.
It became such a puzzle to me at last that to
cheer her I assured her she would soon be
herself again so that when the mail steamer
should come to hospital we should be able
to send her back as well as ever to her own
home once more. I had watched her care
fully to see whether the thought of an early
return to her loved ones would not act as a
stimulus to the child, an encouragement to her
to bring into play the force of her will, which
to my mind is a most important factor on the
road to recovery. It needed no Sherlock
Holmes to tell me I had failed. She just lay
there looking at me with a far-away look in
her large black eyes, as of some terrified
fawn that is too frightened to fly though
certain of impending danger.
I thought perhaps the loving encourage
ment of the woman who had ventured on the
trip solely that for the Christ's sake she
might be of service to a sister in distress
might help me in the dilemma. So I ex
plained the need to her exactly, and begged

SUZANNE 141
her to do her best to effect that which I
seemed utterly unable to attain. Tenderly
and prayerfully she tried, but only once more
to meet with failure.
In the dusk, just before weighing our
anchor, a trap-boat crew going to their nets
caught sight of our riding light, and came
aboard with a man who had a badly poisoned
hand. They had not expected us to be going
south so soon and were delighted beyond
measure to be able to get relief and dress
ings. When they learned that we were run
ning south with a sick girl for hospital they
at once inquired as to who it could be.
Much to my delight they at once claimed
acquaintance, and expressed a willingness to
wait while I went down and prepared her for
their visit, on the chance that they might be
able to cheer her. I had hoped that so
irresistible a reminder of the love of home
might help her to cry, and so relieve the
soul tension that was killing her. But once
again it was simply to count failure. I could
find no way to get her consent to see them,
and I had sorrowfully to convey that infor
mation to the kindly fellows on deck.
It was no longer possible to avoid recog
nizing the inevitable. I tried a final appeal
to her to live for her parents' sake ; her only

142 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR .
reply at once was, " I want to die, doctor ; I
can never go home again."
The end came sooner than I had antici
pated. She began to fail so rapidly and so
obviously that I decided to abandon the at
tempt to reach the hospital and finally an
chored in the still waters of a lovely inlet
to await the last chapter of the tragedy. We
had not long to wait : it was a scene I shall
never forget. Overhead the sun had all day
long been pouring down out of a perfect sky.
It spoke eloquently of life and the presump
tion of its permanency. Beneath, the ex
quisite blue of the deep waters of the fjord
were so still that the last thing in one's mind
was any realization that storm and danger
lurked in them and on them.
The bold relief of the massive granite
cliffs, flanked here and there with jet black
columns of outcropping trap dykes, gave an
entire sense of security and permanence. A
majestic iceberg, carried in by the tides, lay
only a few hundred yards away. The deep
greens and blues in the great crevasses, that
relieved its dazzling whiteness made one for
get for the moment that even so immense a
mass of matter was, like ourselves and all the
rest, but a thing of a day. Beyond that was
silence — not even a single fishing craft lay

SUZANNE 143
within miles of us to disturb the sense of rest
and security. The sun sank behind the hills.
The tide was returning to the great ocean
whence it had come. It seemed to me after
all not an unfitting setting for the passing of a
soul out on that tide, which is ever bearing
on its bosom all humanity into the great un
known beyond, carrying out with it the
visitor from the arctic which it had brought
us in the morning, as we rendered the last
service within our power to the poor girl
whom we had so hoped to save.
Wrapped in a simple flag, covered with a
monument of unhewn boulders, we left her
on the lonely headland which looked out over
the great Atlantic, to wait till the day when
the graves shall give up their dead. A
simple wooden cross alone indicated the
reason for this artificial interruption in the
course of an untrammelled nature. It is the
emblem of our highest hope, that which signi
fies that what is wrong in this life shall even
tually be put right in that which lies beyond.
The crosspiece bore the legend :
"Suzanne
'Jesus said, neither do I condemn thee.^ "
In a letter to her parents we did our best to
comfort them. For we felt that the tragic

144 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
sequence of events which led to the poor
girl's death ought not to be laid to her
charge. Two years passed away. Meantime many
troubles were poured into my ears, and the
memory of the pitiful little story of Suzanne
had almost faded from my mind.
Once again we were on the Labrador coast.
Guided by the twinkling deck lights of fish
ing schooners " putting away " the day's
catch after dark, we had anchored amongst
them for the night in the roadstead near
some high cliffs behind whose shelter they
were working. We had announced our ar
rival with two blasts of our fog whistle — a
signal known now to most of the fishermen.
The usual crowd of visitors that resort to our
litde vessel for news, or medicine or other
reasons, had come and gone. All was silent
on deck, and we were just "stowing away"
for the night when the sound of yet another
boat alongside brought me up again.
As I came out of the companion, a single
white-haired fisherman was climbing over the
side with his painter in his hand. He was
evidently well on in years, though the feeble
ray of our riding light scarcely did more
than reveal the darkness.
" Anything I can do for you, friend ? " I

SUZANNE 145
inquired, as he finished tying his boat fast
and tumed around as if uncertain what to do
next. "No, not much. Thank ye all the same,"
he replied. And then hesitatingly, " 1 jest
wants to see t' doctor."
" I'm the doctor, friend. What do you
need from me?"
" Be you t' doctor what tended a girl
'bout two years agone on t' schooner Shin
ing Light down north? The baby were
bom dead on board."
" If you mean a girl called Suzanne, yes.
I tended her and buried her."
Without another word the old man rever
ently took off his well-worn sou'wester hat,
and stood bareheaded before me. I re
member in the weird setting of the night
his long white hair and gentie manner sug
gested the visit of some departed saint. I
waited for him to speak, not knowing exactly
what he wanted, though it was plain he had
something of moment on his mind.
" Do you'se think there be any hope us'U
see her again, doctor?" he ventured at
length. " I'd dearly love to tell the old
woman what you think."
" No, friend, I don't think it, I know it.
I'm certain of it — as certain as that I see you

146 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
now before me. But better than that, she
was certain of it too before she left us."
" What makes you say that, doctor ? I'd
give all I have, glad enough, to be able to
think that."
" Well, friend, her face told me so. She was
afraid to go back to Deep Water Creek, but
you would have known also she had no fear
of entering the harbour you and I are bound
for also. The peace of God which the Master
promised to give us was hers."
The old man said no more. But I saw,
even by the feeble glow of our swinging lamp,
a bright sparkle on each of his rugged cheeks.
He took my hand in both of his. The silent
pressure, the wordless good-bye, will remain
with me till my last call also comes.
As the sound of his retreating oars grad
ually disappeared into the night, I found
myself still standing in the hatchway. Surely
for the humblest service done in His name
the Master gives here and now the reward
which is above all else worth while.

XI
" Brin "
WE were a hundred miles from hos
pital on the west coast of the long
promontory of north Newfound
land that lies between the two branches of
the polar current. One branch sweeps the
east coast, while the other, entering the
Straits of Belle Isle, chills the waters of the
gulf of St. Lawrence and materially affects
the climate of eastern Canada. Its latitude,
which is that of the south coast of England,
entitles it to no small amount of sunshine,
yet its mean temperature is that of northern
Norway or southern Greenland.
Our harbours remain frozen till late in
May and the brilliant reflection of the April
and May sunshine lends a colour to our faces
like that of tanned leather boots. These
months afford us a combination of germ-
killing light and bracing cold that is equalled
in few parts of the world.
It was a fortnight since we had left hos
pital. As things had been quiet there, my
147

148 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR \
new colleague had decided to accompany me
in order that he might become familiar with
the country which next winter he would have
to travel alone. It was, however, time to be
turning homeward and we were out giving
our dogs an extra feed over night, prepara
tory to the additional call we intended to
make on their capacities on the morrow, for
we had decided to leave at daybreak.
It takes all the attention of two men to feed
a team of husky dogs, if you wish to make
sure that they shall share even approximately
equally. When possible we feed each dog
separately. Here, however, we had only the
open snow for their accommodation, and it
was impossible to serve dinner without the
assistance of our long whips. For not only is
there a master dog who takes all he wants
anyhow, but each single dog knows exactly
which of the others he can bully. It doesn't
in the least matter how good a piece of meat
may fall to his fortune, if he sees another ap
parently with a better he will immediately fly
at him. The result often is that before they
have settled the dispute, both pieces have
vanished, and only fresh assaults and batteries
will save them from going supperless. The
fact that naturally the blocks of meat are
hard frozen and therefore take some time

" BRIN'' 149
even for an Eskimo dog to dispose of safely,
naturally prolongs the period of excitement.
Indeed our minds were so occupied with
our task that the approach of a large team
of dogs from the north escaped our notice.
Stimulated by the well-recognized signs of a
meal, the new arrivals, turning deaf ears to
the cries of the man who was driving them,
and who was now clinging to the sledge with
both hands for dear life, simply leapt into the
middle of the fracas. Before a word could be
said the komatik was capsized and the driver
was sprawling beneath it, while the heaving,
writhing, yelping masses of fur were enjoy
ing the one superior attraction to a meal— a
good straight fight. They were quite regard
less of the fact that the champions of one side
were still tied to their sledge, and were rapidly
snarling themselves and everything else up
in an utterly inextricable tangle. It went
greatiy against the grain to have to whip our
dogs off, but under the circumstances there
was no alternative. Worse still, it left the
victors in possession of the supper, when our
sympathies were entirely with our own gal
lant team, which, if left alone, would have
beaten their opponents off their heads.
The task was all the more galling as our
dogs are not gifted with a retiring disposl-

I50 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
tion, and it took much more application of
the whip than we cared to administer to per
suade them to leave the field and hand over
their dinner, even to entertain strangers.
Moreover, one of my trustiest dogs somehow
hurt his knee and was lame for a week. The
ruffianly Joe, their driver, even dared once
during the evening to inform the crowd
around the log fire that one of his pitiable
curs had bitten it. He did not, however, in
sist on this point later. This irritating
sequence of events had not materially helped
us to appreciate the explanation for his un
timely arrival which Joe blurted out as soon as
he had sufficiently recovered his equanimity.
" They is wanting you in Island Harbour,
doctor. They doesn't know what t' sickness
be." "Oh ! That's it, is it ? Then you weren't
running away from the police. How long
since you left?"
"Only two days, doctor. I got as far as
the Green Ridge tilt first night"
" Why, you came all around by the coast,
didn't you ? "
"Only as far as Caplin Cove Tickle.
None of us had ever been straight across the
Cloudy Hills, and us heard t' Beaver Cove
trappers wasn't in t' Big Mountain tilt t'

"BRIN" 151
winter. So there be no tiack, and it's nigh
impossible to find t' cut path through t' big
drogues o' wood from there out here unless
you know every inch of it."
Now it couldn't be more than sixty or
seventy miles across country to the place we
wanted to reach, and it would be nearly
twice that distance to go round. We could
count on covering the former in a day if only
we could follow the trail. But that was just
where the rub came. If once you lost it, it
would be an endless task getting a team of
dogs through our dense stunted spruce forests,
with their windfalls of ages which make them
like one huge battle stockade with countless
pitfalls hidden under light snow coverings
between the logs, where you crawl over one
only to fall incontinently into the next. We
had had more than one experience of that
kind before, and had to abandon our sledges
and exhausted dogs while we struggled ahead
on foot, footsore and frozen.
It was a great dilemma. For not only did
every sporting instinct within one cry out,
" Have a fling at the cross country route," but
success in the venture also meant reach
ing our desired haven a day sooner.
Naturally it was the topic of the evening
as soon as our pipes were lit, and just as

152 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
naturally half our friends were on one side
and half on the other.
"What would you say, Malcolm?" I asked
of our best but aged woodman.
"I'm thinking I'll no advise you, doctor,
I've been round, and I've been straight in
my time, but I'm no saying I could find the
way myself now. There' ve been no cutting
done on t' line this ten years, and the young
trees have grown that high that I'm doubting
you'll not keep t' track."
Uncle Silas 'lowed he'd come in with us
as far as t' Underground Hole Tilt himself,
and " you'se can see t' hanging marsh from
there." But he didn't know from the Old Deer
Tilt on, as " there's never been no business to
take him out there from the coast."
The odds were almost even on the route,
and we had about decided to settle it in the
way Captain Mose always adopted when he
didn' t know which direction to head his craft for
seals. " I just t'rows up my old cap," he said,
" and if she comes down face up I mostly heads
t' the eastward, and if not I goes down along."
We had indeed just come to the point of
getting the captain to go and search for his
" wisdom cap " when the crackling sound of
footsteps on the crisp snow outside warned
us of the approach of a newcomer.

" BRIN" 153
The door was opened with the assurance
of an old acquaintance, and a chorus of wel
come greeted the muffled figure that stopped
to beat the snow off itself in the porch.
" Harry, you'se just struck it right this
time. Here's t' doctor wants to cross the
countn.' to-morrow. Where have you dropped
from ? They said you was in after deer and
would not be out for ten days."
We found Harry had come in a hurry
to get help from the village to bring out two
stags he had killed, and as he had not " scaf
folded " them out of the reach of animals, he
simply must go right back in the moming.
He was a quiet man, and the vocabulary
of which he could avail himself in the com
pany present was limited and soon exhausted.
It was only after he had sucked in several
deep draughts from his pipe, and was sitting
in the comer almost hidden by the clouds of
smoke he was blowing out, that he broke
into the conversation again.
" I'll tell you what I'll do, doctor," he sud
denly volunteered. " I won't see you left. If
it is a bit of around I'll come with you as far
as the big white marsh, and then if you'se
don't get t'rough before dark you'll surely
find one of the Gray Cove men's tilts." And
I saw his keen black eyes fixed on mine as if

154 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
the sudden inspiration had relieved him of an
intolerable burden.
"A bit of a round! It'll be twenty-five
miles out of you'se line if it's a yard," broke
in the man who would have to go in with
him after the deer carcasses, and who had
listened to the whole discussion from the
background. " But I'm not saying as us
can't do it and get home t' same night all
the same. What do ye say, doctor ? How'll
that suit ye ? "
" A good deal better than relying on Uncle
Mose's cap, Jake. Indeed, that settles it, and
try we will whatever comes of it."
It was unfortunate that my colleague and
I had decided to leave our usual driver at
home on this trip, for he had crossed this
very route the year previous with the doctor
who had been supplying for me. They had
had the unusual opportunity of the company
of the one man living, who years before had
been engaged with a government survey
party in driving a track across from water to
water. When we left, we had intended to
return by the well-worn coast tiail, in which
case a driver's room would have been better
than his weight on the sledges. We had left
him, moreover, our good team of dogs, as
there were a number of logs to be hauled

"HE WENT BY THE NAME OF BRIN'

" BRIN" 155
home from the woods, more, indeed, than we
could expect to handle before the going broke
up. The result was that of all our last year's team
we had only one dog with us, a yellowish
brown fellow with queer black striped mark
ing somewhat like a Bengal tiger. They lent
to his sinister face the suggestion that he
was eternally grinning — an impression inten
sified by an odd way he had of turning up
the corners of his mouth when he caught
one's eye. He went by the name of " Brin."
I had reared this dog myself and run him his
second winter as my leader, though he was
then little better than a pup. On several oc
casions he had displayed unusual instinct for
direction. Very soon after his first promo
tion I had been compelled to run eighteen
miles, mostly over sea ice, without seeing
any intervening house, in a blizzard of snow
and a head wind. It was quite impossible to
do any steering, as the driving snow, with no
windbreak, made seeing to windward simply
out of the question. But the pup had proved
his mettle by coming out without a hitch at
the door of the house we wished to find, as it
marked the spot where the shore trail left the
crossneck of land. Thus, of all the caval
cade, he alone had ever seen the trail we

156 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
were now proposing to take, and that only
once. It had, however, been very bad weather
all the way, and they had taken three days
from land-wash to land-wash. No one could
say, of course, how much Brin's memory could
be counted on, but personally I was prepared
to bank a good deal on it.
An hour or so more was spent in discuss
ing the way, and indeed I traced out a rough
map of the trail according to Harry's ideas
of it. Beginning from our present position
I drew in ponds, barrens, marshes, drogues,
as he called them out, and arranged them in
order as he said the road led next to the right
or left. It was a weird-looking picture when
we finished it, the lines resembling rather the
intricacies of an infant's scribbling than a
sailor's course from port to port. When,
however, it had been doctored by every suc
cessive member of the conclave, and the final
decisions all averaged and inked in black —
for want of an eraser — to hide the earlier
efforts, the chart had at least the merit of
being picturesque and not lacking in de
tail. As soon as it had received the final fiat,
" it's as good as us can do," the company be
gan to break up, and we lost no time in turn
ing in, as we would have to be on foot before

" BRIN" 157
daylight if we hoped to " reach over " before
dark. But there was still one more thing to be
settled. Mark Perrault, well known for his ex
cellent dogs, didn't want to be left out in the
deal. Accordingly he came round to where
I sat and whispered, "I was going to get rid
of old Snowball some time, doctor, though
he's one of the best still on hard travel. I
thought maybe as you'se got one of you'se
dogs badly mauled you might care to take
him along with you. It's nothing but what
us ought to do," he protested, as I insisted
that he would need Snowball himself for get
ting out his fire-wood. " But you'll have to
keep an eye that he doesn't give you the slip,
doctor. He'd come back home a hundred
miles if you gave him a chance, anyhow.
Yes, if you packed him and sent him by sea
in a nailed-up box."
It was no use saying any more, and the
grip of the good fellow's hand as I thanked
him and said "good-night " was such a night
cap as a king might seek in vain.
The sky was overcast and it was cold and
still dark as we collected our dogs next morn
ing for the long run across country. But
they were well trained to respond to our call,
and though hidden away in every conceiva-

158 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
ble corner, or under houses, or often buried
in the snow, they were soon rubbing their
noses against our hands.
Mark Perrault was up before us, and while
we " boiled the kettle " he kept watch over
the unlucky Snowball, against whose intro
duction into their company our own darlings
were breathing out threatenings and slaughter.
For his better protection Snowball was har
nessed nearest the sleigh, that we might the
more readily watch over his safety.
Harry and his comrade with a large team
of their own that knew that section of the
country like a book, made the running all
morning, and as we were climbing most of
the time it was just as well for our teams that
we had only one man on each sledge. Of
course we had had to bring our medical
stores and reserve food supplies with us. Be
fore leaving every man who knew anything of
the route had given us a last word as to the
best way to take " Aunt Sally's Grove," and
what point to steer for when we came out on
" Five Mile Pond," etc., etc. All of this would
have been very useful information if only any
one of the thousand lakes and groves of trees
had been labelled in any way.
Nothing of any particular interest trans
pired till we broke out from the woods about

"BRIN" 159
ten in the morning by the big white marsh.
Indeed nothing well could, for the path was
broken for us by our pilots. However, here
they had to leave us, and we halted under
some large spruce trees to boil a " mug of
tea," while we received our final instructions.
" It was all easy enough if you know'd it,"
was the tenor of Harry's last words, with
which sentiment I found it easiest to
agree. The main thing that interested me, how
ever, while he was talking, was the fact that
there wasn't a trace of any kind of mark on
the virgin face of the Hanging Marsh. If I
had to find my own way to where to leave it
through the surrounding trees, I should cer
tainly have had to go all round the edge, and
then perhaps miss it after all. For I had no
ticed that even the blazes on the trees near
the houses which were far more numerous and
fresher than any we could hope to find for many
miles to come, were so obscured by glitter,
that is ice frozen on the tree stems, that had
we been without our pilots we should have
lost our way a dozen times already. As we
sat discussing over a cup of hot tea and a
pork bun, that most delectable invention as
it won't freeze however cold the day may be,
we dragged out the map which we had made

i6o DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
the night before, and found a new merit to
it — a powerful sense of humour.
Having pointed out that the direction in
which we must steer across the marsh was
towards a tall spruce that towered up in soli
tary state above the rest of the trees, our
good-natured guides returned on their tracks.
It was already obvious to both of us doctors
that we had not the slightest chance of find
ing the trail. Our only assets were our
pocket compasses giving us the general direc
tion, our axes to clear a path when we should
get stogged, and a hopeful disposition which
never spoiled for troubles till they came along
— and Brin.
Whether he knew his importance or not at
the moment I never could tell. But a light
seemed to dance in his eyes like the demons
on Feathertop's magic pipe when he pulled
at it — and his queer face assumed a veritable
Mephistophelian aspect as he strutted about
at the end of his long leading trace. I re
member he kept looking back and grinning
at us as he waited for the word " go."
" Don't say a word," shouted my chum
from the sledge behind. " Let's see if he'd
head right across the marsh anyhow."
" All right," I called back," mum's the word
—go ! " And we simultaneouslv cut the lines

" BRIN" l6i
holding the sledges back to keep the excited
dogs from running away before we were ready.
Prosaic as it may seem to others it was a
moment of real excitement to us when Brin
led off at a stretch gallop in an absolute line
for the tall lone spruce. As we whisked by
it I can almost swear he looked back at me
and winked, and although twelve fathoms
away I fancied I caught an unearthly chuckle
from him.
The snow surface on these highlands was
splendid and the dogs were in a mood to go.
So we just "sat tight" and let them. For
the trail led now through wooded country
and we were Indians enough from years'
experience to notice that we were keep
ing to the old cut path, in spite of having to
circumvent many snags in it. Shortly, how
ever, we struck more open country, and as
the trees were now scattered like those in an
orchard the path might have been anywhere.
We could only watch the dog, who though
he had slackened somewhat was still trotting
along merrily, and as unconcerned as if he
hadn't yet discovered there was any problem
existent. Somewhere about ten miles from
the marsh in just such a setting we had
marked on our map was a forked juniper tree
standing by itself in the middle of a long

i62 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
lead. The top boughs had been stripped
from it and the skull and antlers of old
caribou fixed in the cleft.
The utter inaccuracy of the map had led
me to forget this landmark, and I was more
than surprised to hear my chum suddenly
shout out, " There she is ! "
" There's what ? "
" Why, the skull in the tree," he responded.
As we use no reins in order to guide the
dogs, we rely entirely on our voices to swing
them to the right or left. A good leader
obeys instinctively even at top speed without
apparently otherwise taking notice. But on
this occasion we both thought Brin looked
around and laughed. But even if he didn't,
we did, for our spirits went up with a bound
as we realized we were still all right and an
other ten miles lay behind us.
A little later we passed the top ridge of
the Cloudy Hills, where the going was good,
because there were no longer even scrub
trees to worry us. Moreover, there could be
no doubt of the right direction as there was
only one gap through which we could well
go. From the outlet of the gorge we should
have the sea some twenty miles below us.
But the shadows of evening were already

"BRIN" 163
drawn too close and the sky was still over
cast. There seemed to lie between us and
our goal nothing but endless miles of rolling
forest. It appeared to be mere folly to ex
pect to get through before morning. Yet if
we were going to camp at all, now was the
time to outspan and get a shelter built while
we could see.
How much longer could we trust Brin?
He had swung off almost at right angles after
emerging from the pass, and was now guid
ing his followers along the upper edge of the
woods. It seemed at last as if he were seek
ing something and was uncertain where to
enter. But he showed no doubt about what
to do a minute later, for without even slack
ening speed he dashed into the forest, and I
looked back and caught the eye of my col
league as 1 saw he also had spotted a half-
obliterated blaze on the trunk of a birch to
the side of us. Down, down, down, we went,
the cut path every now and again obscured
by growing saplings or blocked by wind
falls which had to be carefully negotiated.
But they counted for nothing beside the fact
that every minute was shortening the dis
tance and we were obviously still on the track.
Time passes quickly when one is steering
a loaded komatik down through woods. You

l64 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
want all your skill and strength to avoid
stumps and snags. Every now and again,
even with the best of teams, some dog will
tum the wrong side of an obstruction, and
the whole team are suddenly brought up "all
standing." As a rule it is not a very long
matter to haul back the prodigal, and sling
him round after the others, though when he
finds he is being dragged back he hauls for
all he is worth, thinking he is going to get
whipped. But the presence of Snowball, a
stranger in the team, added a very definite
new element of trouble. For a sudden check
would bring the dogs together, and they
seemed invariably to associate him with the
halt which they so greatiy resented. The un
fortunate Snowball was of course forced to
defend himself, and the process of separating
the contestants often enough drove several
more dogs around tree trunks, so that the
fracas had to end by clearing them all out
and making an entirely new start.
At the foot of the first range the valley
contained a long lake onto which we ran out
squarely at right angles. Facing us was a
steep bluff, and below the lake seemed to end
in a narrow defile through which we guessed
the river escaped, and towards which we of
course expected to turn But no such notion

" BRIN" 165
apparently entered Brin's head. He made
exactly for the opposite direction and then
crossing a narrow portion of the lake, started
to climb the hill in front of us. The excel
lent engineering of this move only became
apparent when after a few moments we were
once more through a pass and discovered
that we were at the head of a second valley
that led in precisely the opposite direction.
There were no marks of any kind whatever
that were visible, and it was now a long
while since we had seen any indications that
we were following a trail. We had hoped
before this at least to see racquet marks of
hunters from the opposite coast, but nothing
of that kind either was discernible. How
ever, Brin continued to trot on without a
pause down the sloping hillside and there
was nothing for us to do but " sit tight " and
look on.
As we swung round a big drift of snow,
presumably over an unusually large boulder,
a very fresh fox track ran directiy down the
hill. Without once looking back Brin jumped
right into it, his unquestioning comrades fol
lowing him only too gladly. The pace at
once increased, and it seemed as if we were
being made mere fools of, while the dogs had
a good time hunting. It was mighty hard

i66 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
not to "butt in" and tell a "mere dog"
which way to go. But then we didn't know
which way we did want to go. I looked
round, however, to see whether my comrade
had noticed the turn of events. " It's a case
of walking by faith, I reckon. Do you sup
pose Brin knows what he's after ? " The
sound of his name evidently apprized the dog
that we were discussing him, for even at the
pace at which we were now going, he found
time to fling his impish head around and
fairly grin in our faces.
I never would have believed that an
ordinary fox trail could worry any man so
much. But when we were still following that
unsociable beast's footsteps after a full mile
had elapsed, it became almost impossible not
to interfere. For the likelihood that a fox
was really heading for the village we were
seeking seemed absurd. All of a sudden this
deduction was apparently proven correct be
yond the possibility of doubt, for we crossed
the tracks of a man's snow racquets at right
angles to our path. It was too much for
any one, and so we halted the dogs, and
donning our own racquets, followed the marks
each way to see if they gave any clue as to
how to proceed. Luckily for us we soon
found signs that the man was hunting, for

" BRIN" 167
his tiail doubled on itself twice, and we knew
he at least was not going in or out of the
country. "What's the best thing to do, John?
There's still time to make a camp before
dark. That fiend of a dog seems cock-sure
of his way. But I don't know if the devil
isn't in the beast. Look at his face. He
looks possessed, if ever a dog did."
Brin was sitting bolt upright on his
haunches and was staring directiy at us — for
all the world as if he understood exactiy what
we were sajdng. As he caught my eye he
put his head on one side and actually poked
out his tongue. It was surely quite un
necessary to begin to pant just at that mo
ment. But he maintained so inscrutable a
mien, without even a blink, that though I half
unconsciously picked up my whip as if to
teach him to " quit fooling " I couldn't find
heart to give him a flick. It was getting late
and I felt we really ought to do something at
once. " What do you say to blindfolding him ?
Perhaps he'll leave this miserable fox track,"
I suggested. " I'm for giving him another chance," was
the trustful reply, which almost made me
think my chum also was laughing at me.

\b^ DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
"It seems rather Sunday-school bookish,
but if you're in earnest, ' Barkis is willing,' "
and I threw myself onto the sledge with a
" hist" to the dogs to go just where they jolly
well Hked. Bothered if they didn't again
start off at a trot along that unspeakable
fox track. It was with unfeigned gratitude
that at last as we came out onto the bed of
the river, the fox tracks disappeared into the
willows opposite — for the animal himself was
certainly not very far distant. It was a big
credential on the right side to see the team
leave it.
It was for a time a real relief that we pro
ceeded to follow the river. The low banks
had allowed the wind to blow the snow away
and the resulting good ice surface, together
with the drop of the river, made it easy to
cover the miles at our leisure. Moreover, we
knew the river must lead to the sea some
time. Our hopes rose so high that we posi
tively took the time to warm up the kettle,
and get a second " mug of tea " for the day.
When, however, we opened the tin of pork
and beans which we had boiled with the
water, we realized we were not as confidant
as we thought. For though the under layer
was melted, the centre was still a variety of
ice-cream that was new to us. Moreover,

" BRIN" 169
when we started, the valley narrowed, and
the river bed was blocked with snow with
every here and there great chasms that re
vealed the rushing water beneath. Worse
still, the river ended abruptly in a huge lake
with at least one large island in it. Nor was
there the faintest indication now as to whether
we should turn to the north, south, east or
west. It seemed possible, however, to eliminate
the east, because we could see across the
lake a high range of hills rising. Yet with
out hesitation Brin headed straight for them.
Our only comfort was that there were trees
on the sides of them among which we could
at least camp, though it was already darker
than we cared about.
On — on — on — till at last we came to the
woods flanking the lake. The dogs instantly
went straight into the forest, and in half a
minute were on opposite sides of a dozen
trees, as if a comb had been pushed into hair.
" That's the end of it, John. The sooner
we get to work and make a shelter for the
night the better." And having unlashed my
axe, I whipped out my snow-shoes and
started to find a dry tree to light the fire
with. John stood ruefully looking at the dogs.

I70 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
Apparently, he had banked more on Brin
than I had, and he said afterwards he felt as
if the bottom had fallen out of his faith in
everything. The dogs, glad of a rest, lay
down where they were and started chewing
the icicles out of their fur. Brin, at the end
of his longer trace which was stretched to its
full length, was nearly hidden by bushes, but
I could see he was standing up and looking
back as he did when the team slacked and he
was accustomed to come back and snap at
them. His odd manner influenced me
enough to start off in his direction after I
had turned over the komatik. To my
amazement I found he was standing in a
well cut path which ran at an acute angle up
the side of the hill. He had tried a short
cut into it about ten yards before it opened
onto the lake.
There was no trouble after this. Once
over the hill we struck the wood path of
the Gray Cove men and by 8 P. M. had
brought up outside my patient's house. We
were able to tell him "what t' sickness
was " and also to be of some little service in
saving him pain and trouble.
Before turning in I went out to see what
the night was and to make sure that Snow
ball was safely fastened up. For I knew he

" BRIN" 171
would start directly back the moment he got
the chance. Everything was all right, how
ever, and the tired dogs were stowed away
somewhere asleep. My hand was on the
latch of the cottage door as I was about to
reenter so as to turn in myself, when some
thing warm and furry rubbed gently against
my leg. By the light that stieamed out of
the open door I found myself looking right
down into Brin's eyes. They were asking in
as plain English as could be written, " How
did I please you to-day, master?" I couldn't
help putting my arms around his neck and
hugging him. Then we both went off to
our beds the happier for it.
Three days later we reached home, and
three days more we kept Snowball penned
in and fed even more generously than the
other dogs. The seventh day after he had
left his home we ventured to let him out.
Mark Perrault still sticks to it that Snow
ball reached home on the seventh evening
after we left

XII
Rube Marvin's Confession
IT was the very joUiest part of the whole
year. Snow enough had fallen at Christ
mas time to fill up every inequality in
the countryside, chock to the brim. All the
scrub woods and bushes had disappeared,
and every troublesome snag had long ago
sunk out of sight under the generous white
mantle of winter. A sudden thaw for a single
night late in January had put a perfect sur
face on the snow which was already well
packed down by nor'westerly gales.
We had been enjoying a long three days'
drive with our dogs through the finest part
of the country, over the high white hills,
crossing the frozen bays on the ice from one
wooded island to another, threading our way
along the paths cut through the spruce forests,
and sweeping down the courses of rivers at
a pace that made it no easy matter to avoid
the unfrozen ratties and rapids, as the dogs
tore along the trail like a pack of hounds in
172

CO

wt^faom><!aMHagIj <:
a

RUBE MARVIN'S CONFESSION in
full view of their quarry, with nothing in the
way to stop them.
Night had overtaken us at the head of a
beautiful bay where our lumber mill is sit
uated, and the hard physical exercise of the
journey had prepared us to enjoy to the full
the generous hospitality of the manager's
house, which was freely extended both to our
selves and our trusty dogs.
The perfectiy glorious sunshine which had
continued steadily day after day did not yet
fail us, and the simple fare at our humble
hospice seemed sweeter with our rude vitality
than any feast on earth.
" Have they got the framing of the new
schooner finished yet, Walter ? " I inquired
as we sat at breakfast.
" It's time they had," he answered, " see
ing they had all the knees and timbers ready
before Christmas, and the keel and dead-
wood laid by New Year. I reckon there
must be something wrong with Rube Marvin.
He don't seem to mind if he does or doesn't
this three weeks gone — and the boys can't
get ahead without he's there to show them
what to do."
" What can be wrong with Rube? I should
think he had less right to worry than any
man in the bay. He ought to make quite a

174 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
nice sum out of building the vessel. He isn't
ill, is he?"
" He says he isn't anyhow, though his wife
says he eats next to nothing, and scarcely
sleeps any at nights. Jake Rumford says he
thinks it's a touch o' the moon. They had
worked a bit by moonlight to get all the
knees out before the snow fell."
" What do you think of it yourself, Walter ?
It will be a bad business if we can't launch her
before the men have to leave for the fishery."
" I can't say, doctor. He just seems like
a man a mile away all the time, as if he was
too far off to take notice of any one."
" Let's go and look at her anyhow, and
perhaps I can help Rube some way,"
So we donned our snow-shoes and crossed
over to the sheltered cove on the shore of
which the great white frame of the new
schooner was silhouetted against the dark
green background of the forest,
"Moming, Jake," I shouted to a man
standing away up on one of the deck beams,
who had halted, axe in hand, to make out
who was approaching. "Good-morning.
Where's Rube this morning?"
" Morning," he answered. " Morning.
Where's Rube? Why, he was up here a sec
ond ago. Perhaps he's in the workshed

RUBE MARVIN'S CO^FESSION 175
there — though us generally works out here
fine days."
Following his directions, I tumed into the
shed, and sure enough, there was Rube
standing sheepishly by the bench, only too
obviously ha'ving gone in to avoid us.
" Good-morning, Rube. You're making a
fine job of it"
" I'm glad you think so, doctor," he re
pUed. " I suppose I'm doing my best"
There was such an utter absence of the
usual twinkle about his eyes and the happy
ring in his voice, and such a general tone of
melancholy about him, that I couldn't sup
press the retort — " I can't think you are doing
anything of the kind to look at you. Rube.
What's the matter ? Not going to be hung,
are you ? "
Rube jumped as if he really feared such a
thing, but as I could get nothing further out
of him I went out and chatted with the rest
of the men about the boat. I was at a loss
to know how I could help him, for he did not
seem anxious to speak of his tiouble, though
I knew well enough our foreman had some
thing on his mind.
We had organized a big rabbit drive for
Saturday afternoon, and a huge bonfire to be
held in the woods in the evening, around

176 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
which we were all to gather and partake of a
feast in the open, prepared for all comers.
Rube was crazy about hunting, and every
one fully expected him to direct the shooters.
But no Rube put in an appearance, and to
me his noticeable absence cast quite a gloom
over the proceedings. We had a fine tale of
" bunnies " by evening, and as jokes were
cracked and yarns told around the blazing
log fire under the greenwood trees, hot cocoa
and hot toasted pork cakes were passed
around. Every one seemed just as jolly as
sandhoppers. The frolic closed with singing,
the voices of the men echoing through the
silent forest. But for my part, my thoughts
were all the time in Rube Marvin's cot
tage. After Sunday evening service, it is often
our custom to gather such of the men as care
to drop in and have some singing — and the
following night there was quite an assem
blage. As the men were dispersing and we
were saying good-night, one of them touched
me on the shoulder and said :
" Can I have a few words with you, doctor,
quite in private?"
" Certainly you can," I answered. " I'll
get my racquets, and we'll be able to walk off
the path. We'll be more alone then."

RUBE MARVIN'S CONFESSION 177
" Doctor," he began, " if you tells anything
you knows is there anything in it for you?"
" What on earth do you mean ? "
" I means, doctor, you's a magistiate,
isn't you ? And if a fellow tells of something
done wrong, will them pay him anything for
it?" I had walked to windward, as the men say,
while we were talking, and now I stopped
suddenly and looked straight in the face of
my companion. There I could see written
in unmistakable language the expression of
greed — so rare among our men, and so hate
ful, that I shuddered.
He was pawing the snow uneasily now
with one foot, and his eyes fell before my
gaze. " Jacob," I said, " if you know of a crime
and conceal it, you are guilty of it yourself
in man's sight ; and if you sell your guilty
knowledge merely for private gain, you are
doubly guilty in the sight of God — and of
all good men, too. Yes, you can sell your
soul and your honour, too, if you want to ;
there are plenty of buyers ; but I won't let
you do it without thinking of it again.
Good-bye. I'm going back to the house."
And I left him standing there motionless
where he was, till I had turned the corner

178 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
of the wood path, and he was no longer in
sight. Nothing further happened in the matter
next day, and I tramped around the village
from house to house as my business called
me, wondering if I should hear more of the
affair of the previous night.
The manager of j^the mill had built on to
his house what he was pleased to call "the
prophet's chamber," and in this I was wont
to close the day alone, making up my note
books and finishing the day's round. The
light shining through the windows apprised
the people of the fact that I was in, and it
was by no means unusual for some of them
to avail themselves of the opportunity to
come and speak about anything that might
be troubling them.
I was glad that no one had come this
evening, as I had so many things to occupy
my mind, and I was just about to put out
the light and " turn in," when a timid knock
broke the silence, and in response to my in
vitation to come in, the door opened and the
figure of my informant of the previous even
ing stood in the doorway.
" Shut the door, Jake, and sit down. I'm
quite alone. No. No. Shake hands. You
don't know how glad I am you've come out

RUBE MARVIN'S CONFESSION 179
on top. Thank God for it, if ever you did in
your life for anything."
He realized at once that I knew he had
won out, for he looked me straight in the
face and the beauty of a right purpose beamed
out of his eyes so that to me it made the poor
littie room in which we sat better than a
conqueror's palace. Something seemed to
be choking the throats of both of us, as we
just looked at one another in silence. It was
I who found voice first.
" Let's have it, Jake. God be praised,
there's nothing we can't get right when He's
behind us, as I'm sure He is now."
" Doctor," he began, " it's about Rube
Marvin. I knows why he isn't hisself these
days. He done a wrong thing two years
ago, doctor, and he can't keep it to hisself no
longer. He got going to prayers again last
fall, and t' preacher at Christmas time seemed
to know just what was wrong with all o' us.
Leastways them things he preached to we
about, just got hold. I've been to see Rube
since last night, and he wants to come and
tell you all about it, only he can't bring hisself
to do it"
" Then you have nothing to say yourself?"
" No, doctor, nothing, unless you or Rube
wants me to."

i8o DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
"It's best that way. Let Rube alone,
and let whatever he does come from him
self and not from us. It will help him after
wards." As I started out on my rounds next morn
ing I took occasion to pass the new schooner
and sing out a greeting to the men.
" All well, I hope, Esau. You'll be ready
for the top side planking soon."
" Ready now," he replied cheerily, " but
we can't begin without Rube."
"Hasn't Rube shown up this fine mom
ing?" " Not a sign o' him, doctor. I guess you'll
have to fix him up with a dose o' sorts. His
nose has been out o' joint this three weeks."
"I'll call round and see if I can set it,
Esau. But I'm thinking the cure may take
longer than we expect. Meanwhile, get
ahead all you can." And I swung off in the
direction of Rube's cottage.
As I struck up the pathway from the side
of the inlet — I had been obliged to walk
on the sea ice owing to the thick trees
along the land-wash — I heard the sound of
children's voices, and found Rube's three
little ones simply revelling in the crisp, dry
snow and the bright sunshine streaming
through the trees.

RUBE MARVIN'S CONFESSION i8i
" Daddy dorn out," the oldest volunteered
as she saw me heading for the front door
" Where has he gone, dearie ? "
" He's dorn in the trees ever so long."
I expected as much and went on into the
house to chat with his wife as an explanation
for my morning call.
As I tramped back along the edge of the
woods and was nearing the Devil's Head
land, I heard the crackling of bushes, and
suddenly the tall figure of Rube strode out
on his snow racquets into the trail ahead of
me. As I looked into his eyes, I could not help
smiling at the transparency of these simple
men. It was quite superfluous for him to
begin without any other word of introduc
tion — "I wants to tell you something, doc
tor. I wants you to send me to prison for
it" "There's no time like the present. Rube.
If you've got anything on your mind the
sooner you out with it the better for you."
" It's about the Silver King, doctor, what
was lost three years ago come September."
There was a long pause during which
neither of us spoke. Rube was fighting for
his life ; I silent, lest I should rob him of the
help which I knew would come to him if he

1 82 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
won out alone. It was very cold, and the
crisp crackle of the snow, as we strode along
on our racquets, was for a full ten minutes the
only accompaniment to the laboured breath
ing of my companion, in whom a contest was
raging, ten times as exacting as any physical
struggle. Suddenly he stepped ahead, and facing
around, stopped me dead in the path.
" I done it ! " he exclaimed almost fiercely.
" I hadn't nothing for t' winter, and Downer
promised if I did it, he'd give us all t' back
debts, and a winter's diet for all o' we as well.
He come three times afore I gived in. He
were sailing for home t' next day, and
threatened he'd take every bit o' grub away
with him — and he would, too. He knowed
what us had, and that us would be hungry
before Christmas, to say nothing o' no butter
for e'er a one o' us, and ne'er a tin o' milk
for t' baby. And Mary was sick too, then, as
you knows, doctor, and  "
And the great strong man turned away
from me, and burying his face in his hands
stood there with his broad shoulders heaving,
sobbing like a child.
More than once it has been my lot as a
surgeon to see a man learn that the trouble
of which he had come to know the nature

RUBE MARVIN'S CONFESSION 183
spelled for him inevitable death — and to see
his courage waver, and fail him at the
thought of it. I have had to break to a
loving wife and fond mother the news that
her protector and breadwinner would never
come back again till the sea gives up its
dead. But this experience was new to me,
and somehow hit me harder. Indeed a lump
rose in my throat, and I wished with all my
heart I might have been spared this expe
rience. " Rube," I broke in at last, " the best way
is to play the man now, and regardless of
what it costs, get this matter put right. Let's
go to the mill, and you shall give me the
whole story on oath. We'll have it properly
witnessed, and then we'll send it off for good
or ill to the chief of police in St. John's. If
the worst comes to the worst, there are plenty
of us who would just love to see that Mary
and the kids want for nothing while you're
away. Come along right away." I put
my arm in his, and we swung off at a pace I
haven't tried to equal since. We seemed
scarcely to touch the snow now, though only
a minute ago it had clogged our footsteps
like so much glue.
When at last we stopped at the lintel of the
"prophet's chamber" there was a flush on

i84 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
our cheeks and a throb in our pulses rather
like that of boys working off superfluous
vitality than of a magistrate and his criminal
looking for punishment.
" I think we had better have Walter for a
witness. It's wiser, seeing he employs the
men, that he should know the whole story
from the beginning," I said. " Who would
you like for a second? It's better to have
two." For a minute he answered nothing, as if
he were thinking things over carefully, and
then he said suddenly, " Jake Rumford."
It was a strange party that gathered round
the tea table that night. The two men to
whom I had sent word came straight in from
their work, and I had dispatched a message
to his wife that I was keeping Rube for
supper. The following is the confession, taken and
abridged from the long tale Rube told me :
" It was on Sunday evening, September
14, 19 — . Captain Adam Downer came to
my house after evening prayers and said he
were going to sail from this place after mid
night for the winter. He asked me if I had
changed my mind, and would I help him to
scuttle his schooner, the Silver King, and
promised if I would do as he told me there

RUBE MARVIN'S CONFESSION 185
would, be no more said about it, as o' course he
wouldn't and t' skipper didn't know nothing
about it. He said it would only be t' skipper
what would have to swear to the protest for
t' insurance. He'd never know how 'twas
done, and so he'd never be found out, and
there' d be no need for me to get into trouble
swearing to lies. I remembered then they'd
been loading her with rocks the best part o'
Friday and Saturday, and my Jimmie had
said, ' They's taking in a fine lot o' ballast.'
Downer said he'd give we all our old back
debts, and a winter's diet besides for me and
t' family out of what he'd landed. He said
t' skipper didn't know, but he'd emptied every
box aboard, and there were nothing now
aboard for trading except old packing cases
and rocks.
" ' Come, Rube,' he says, ' don't be a
coward. There's nothing to it. It's better
than going hungry. You don't want t'
kids to starve, do you ? ' Then he got up
and took his hat and said, ' Well, I must be
off and get some one else, if you's going to
stand in your own light. I thought you had
more spunk.' And then it came in my mind
that it had to be done now, and some one 'd
surely do it, so them insurance folk would be
no worse off if I done it than any one else.

l86 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
and why not Mary and my kids have t' grub
as well as t' next man ? And so I said, ' Well
here goes.' God forgive me. And Downer
says, 'That's right. Rube, I always thought
you was no milksop. Just get your auger
and come down along o' me.'
" We went on board, unknown to any one,
and into the forecastie, where he had taken the
ballast deck up. He lit a candle and showed
me where to bore some holes in the planking,
and I bored about a dozen, till there were
only a shell left on the outside. Then us put
back t' planking and roused all hands to get
the anchor.
" It were a lovely fine night in harbour ;
there were no wind, and to get outside t'
heads us had to tow the old Silver King in
t' dory. Downer kept saying, 'There'll be
lots o' wind outside, boys. Give her t' wood-
sails.' " It were pitch dark and us couldn't see
hardly what was happening, but us found a
nasty cross lop running what made it terrible
hard rowing ; then jest as we was getting
tired of it, something seemed all of a sudden
to loom up under our lea, and us knowed
we'd drifted with the southern tide in under
the White Bear Cliffs. You knows them
cliffs, doctor, and you knows what them is.

RUBE MARVIN'S CONFESSION 187
Pull as us liked us couldn't even keep her
head off shore. The skipper he was cursing
Downer up and down deck for being such a
 fool for coming out on a night like this,
and swearing he'd lose him every cent of
insurance if ever he lived to get alongside a
magistrate. " Meanwhile the roll of the sea on the
rocks was making a cruel noise and us
could see the white of the breakers as they
rose against the cliffs. Of course t' skipper
never looks to leave t' deck, but even now
the Silver King were beginning to roll heavy
in the back-bound from the rocks. Us could
hear him cursing Downer and telling he to
get over in the boat and help save t' ship.
But Downer were far too afeared to do any
thing, and at last t' skipper shouted to us
he'd come in t' boat and do it himself, and
give we a hand,
" As us come along for him the schooner
'd lift on t' swell as it rushed in on the
cliffs, and the back-bound would take her
and nigh roll her on her beam ends.
Downer were praying hard for God to save
her, for he were a pious man most times, but
he had no stomach for rough water, and he'd
'a' been drowned sure if the Silver King had
struck. Yet I dunno, but I reckon Downer's

l88 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
prayers were answered somehow. For what
we couldn't do for she, t' old schooner done
all of a sudden for herself, and she come
walking off again after we'd scraped along
by the Devil's Headland as if she'd just been
playing wi' we afore.
" There were a hatful o' wind now and t'
schooner were slipping along well. Downer
had said he'd take the watch forward, while
t' skipper steered and us got a nap after
t' night's work.
" It must have been just about coming day
light, though it seemed as if us had only just
turned in, when some one touched me on
the shoulder quiet-like, and I saw Downer
leaning over me.
" 'It's all ready now. Rube,' he said ; ' us is
in near about to Roaring Meg wi' a fair
wind in for Frenchman's Light. T' skipper's
away aft at t' helm, and I've got the two half
hundred weights way out along her bowsprit,
and a line fast. I'm a-going to jerk 'em off
so they'll hit her bow hard, and then I shall
shout to the skipper for striking a piece of
ice. You go at once and push out the rest
o' them broken holes forward, and then I'll
call to you to know if there's any harm done.
You'll just shout out, " She's stove in forward
and sinking," and then you'll run and tell the

RUBE MARVIN'S CONFESSION 189
skipper she's started a couple o' butts for
ward. Only give her time to get down by
the head a bit before he can come and see
for hisself.'
" I was more than half minded then and
there to up and swear at him for a devil
that he was. 'Deed Downer saw plain
enough I was nearly ready to go back on
my word, and he just hissed into my ear,
'There's the holes that you bored in her
now, Rube. If you goes back on me now I
swear to God I'll have you in jail for try
ing to sink my ship. And I guess they'll
listen to me, for I've got your bit what
fits them holes stowed away feared I might
want it,'
" If I'd had a gun, I believe I'd 'a' shot him
then and there, for I seed I'd been fairly
trapped. Then I began to think o' home
and I sort o' half give way. I reckon
Downer must 'a' seen that, for he says,
'What'll your woman do, and you in jail
all winter, and she nothing in the house?'
You remembers Levi's three kids, doctor,
don't you, what all died that winter he were
in trouble for breaking into a vessel ? Well
then Downer went on calling me a coward,
and saying I was false to my word, ' Do you
think they'll take your word or mine?' he

I90 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
said, till I just got up and knocked out
the holes afore he was up the companion
ladder, "In a minute or two there were a huge
crash agin her bow and I heard the skipper call
out, 'What's that?' 'You've struck a pan
o' ice,' shouted Downer, ' and I reckon you've
stove in a plank. I'll rouse t' hands,'
With that he jumped below, and seeing the
water was already up to the flooring forrard
and well above t' auger holes, he rushes up
hisself and shouts, ' She's a-sinkin'. Get a
boat out and let us save what we can.' The
old skipper knew Downer for a coward and
come forrard and peered over the fore-hatch
hisself, and sees me with a hurricane lantern,
peering round. ' Is it really bad with her.
Rube? I wouldn't believe that ole vermin
if he swore by all the saints, good and bad.'
' Skipper,' I says, ' t' boards is afloat already
as you can see, and there's three feet o' water
over t' leak. There's no man living able to
save her unless t' pumps does.' ' Get up at
'em,  ^ ye I ' he replied. ' And Dick, too.
I guess I'll stay and see if I can do anything
below here myself.' And down he comes
just as if he suspected something.
" I was glad enough to slink off up the nor'-
west passage. Dick mounted t' pump handle

RUBE MARVIN'S CONFESSION 191
in less time than I cared about, and began
pumping hard. I were afraid he might gain
enough on t' water to give the ol' man be
low a chance to learn the real truth. But
pump as hard as he liked, not a drop of water
did he get. I soon guessed Downer had
fixed the pumps — in case of accidents !
" Seeing there were no good doing any
thing, while Dick tried to start the pumps with
a bucket or two of water, I went forrard to
peep into the fo' castle. There were the
skipper, sure enough, lying on the settie and
trying to reach down into the water to find
out the rights o' things. But I knowed he
were too late by the way he were swearing,
and already the water was nigh up to the
locker tops, and the vessel sinking head
foremost. " As soon as Downer saw the skipper com
ing aft, he started shouting, 'For God's
sake, help us to save the freight. I'm a
ruined man, if us can't save t' goods.' And
he had already lugged up a couple of boxes
which he left full, as if every old case were
full too — and some of 'em did have a nice lot
o' rocks in.
" The skipper, he said nothing, but he put
the helm hard up and headed in for t' bight.
' Skipper,' says Downer, ' seeing it'll all be

192 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
lost, if you'll put her head up in the wind and
let me save a few things, I'll give you half
when we get on shore.' But the skipper
didn't answer one way or t' other, but just
held her right on for the headland. It did
seem a terrible long time, but t' Silver King
just wouldn't sink. A plucky ol' craft she'd
been, and it seemed as if she just wasn't goin'
to be killed. And I believe now she' d 'a' held
on and got in to the beach and told her own
tale if it hadn't been for that same ol' cross
swell near t' land. For us could see t' skipper
meant holding on to her till her sank, and
no one dare even look up at t' boat without
his leave.
" That were the worst time I ever saw —
them hours doing nothing. Downer were
praying. The dawn were breaking fast,
and I could see his lips a-moving to his
self. For he daren't pray the kind o'
prayer he were praying out loud for fear t'
skipper'd hear un. And he were far too
scairt anyhow, to move any farther than he had
to from the boat. Anyhow, it got answered
again somehow all right, for the very first
roll that took the Silver King sent her lurch
ing right over to starboard, and she never
recovered herself one bit. Slowly and
steadily she keeled over. There wasn't e'er

RUBE MARVIN'S CONFESSION 193
a kick in her, and it were plain enough that
it were her death struggle.
" '  her for a crinker ! ' shouted t'
skipper. 'If her hadn't such a belly full I'd
ha' saved her even now,' and he flung t'
tiller from him as if it had been a serpent.
" It was too late, however. Her big main
sail were under water, and there were no
chance now even to get below to save any
thing. Lucky for him, t' skipper had sent
Dick to get his kit bag for him in t' boat be
fore and lucky for us all he saw Downer
sneaking into t' boat. He yelled to Dick,
just in t' nick o' time to follow him. For I
really believe he'd a cut t' painter and let her
go fear she'll be dragged down with the
schooner and he be damned forever and
ever as he knew he ought to be. It's likely
enough, too, he never would have got back
to we, if he had once cut her adrift. But
thank God he didn't, or I'd 'a' been in hell now
too, having ne'er a chance for repentance."
At this point Rube suddenly stopped and
there was a dead silence in the room —
broken only by the scratch of my pen as I
continued to take down his story. The
thought of the awful peril he had run seemed
to have robbed him temporarily of his power
of speech. He sat for a minute or two with

194 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
his head buried in his hands. Then ap
parently without even noticing the pause, he
went on again.
" Well, t' skipper just wouldn't let t' boat
leave the ol' Silver King. ' Stand by,' was
his orders, and stand by us had to.
" There seemed no good any longer stand
ing by t' ol' schooner. It was only foolish
ness, though I were no longer afraid, know
ing us could make t' land in t' boat any time
we liked. But it did seem nonsense to be
holding on if us were only just going to
watch her go down. All of a sudden I
guessed it. The port rail were going up and
up and up, and t' starboard were already
under water. Already we were almost
climbing up her side, and I knowed if she
didn't go down in a minute or two, the place
where she'd been hit 'ud be out o' water. T'
skipper knowed it too, I reckon, and all the
time he were just enjoying seeing the fright
Downer were in anyhow, and keeping it up
as long as he could, while he were grinning
to hisself that he'd find out yet what had
done the damage to any craft in his care. I
knowed it, for I could fair see him a-swearing
under his big beard.
" ' Let go the boat. Rube,' the skipper called
at last. I thought then even he were forced

RUBE MARVIN'S CONFESSION 195
to leave her, for any moment she might dive
down with all them rocks in her, and then
she'd surely suck us all down with her. But
no such t'ing.
" ' All hands in the boat,' he says. ' You and
Rube take the oars and stand by till I calls
you.' Now he was actually sitting on the
side of the vessel, by the fore channel plates,
holding on to the lanyards. The swell was
a-lapping up over her and over him every
now and again, but he seemed to take no
notice that he was getting wet Dick leant
forrard and whispered to me, ' The ol' man's
got a devil, I reckon, or he wouldn't be fool
ing any longer round this ol' bunch o' boards.
And what's more the devil'll get him sure
enough if he stays many minutes longer.'
But all of a sudden again the truth of it came
to my mind. The skipper had guessed it long
ago : the ol' schooner couldn't sink for the air
bottied up in her, and so long as it didn't
come on to blow, she'd float about forever like
a murdered corpse on the water. And what's
more, her 'ud show every one where she'd
been killed.
"It was dawn now, and bitter cold and
shivery, when suddenly Downer called out,
' There's a schooner coming out of the bight.
Seems to me she's a-coming right for us.'

196 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
The skipper just looked round for a second.
' Maybe she is,' he said, and then he glued
his eyes again on the schooner's forefoot
which every now and then came nearly out
of water on the swell. Not a catspaw of
air now, only the swell of the sea. And it
was so silent, I thought every now and again
I could catch the click of the oars of the boat
that we guessed was towing the schooner
away off from under the heads of the cliffs,
just as we did in the night.
" Once more the sweat nearly came out on
me, for I thought that schooner 'ud surely be
out to us and find out all about it. Downer
were sitting in the stern. He looked the
colour o' mud now, and he were praying hard
to hisself again, and I know for what It
did me good to see him taking it so ill, for
though I knowed I was as bad myself I just
hated him, and hated him for driving me into
it. And I knowed, too, even if us wasn't
found out and was drowned, the devil would
only be getting what was due to he.
" All this time the schooner were getting
nearer. Us could plainly make her out now,
heading right for us. At last Downer couldn't
stand it no longer. ' For God's sake, skip
per,' he kind o' prayed, 'let's be going.'
There were no spunk left in him, and his

RUBE MARVIN'S CONFESSION 197
voice sounded more like a dog's whine,
though it were much like his reg'lar prayer-
meeting voice.
" Old Abe were standing up high on t'
schooner's side, and, looking round right into
Downer's face — 'What's t' hurry?' he an
swered. ' She's been a good ship all her life
long. She's served me well in many a tight
corner, and I ain't a-goin' now to heave off
and let her die alone. I'm a-going to stand
by and see her through the last fight. Guess
I shan't just want to go out alone myself when
I gets my anchors up for the last time. No,
no, there's no hurry. Mister Downer. You
and me '11 get safely back to land, don't you
have no fear of that^ and he looked at Downer
as if he meant a good bit more'n that.
" The light were only duckish yet, and it
made old Abe loom up right large, stand
ing straight up there on the schooner's
bilge. It seemed almost as if he was t'
preacher at t' meeting speaking, and us sit
ting there in t' pews a-listening. No one
said nothing. 'Deed it was for all the world
like a prayer-meeting when the skipper
hisself began to hum a line o' one o' the
hymns us sings about — ' I hopes to meet my
Pilot face to face, when I puts out to sea.' I
thought Downer were going out of his mind

198 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
now. He fair forgot hisself altogether like he
done once at our revival, only this time he
were shouting to t' skipper instead of to t'
Lord. He started calling out, ' Why doesn't
she sink ? For God's sake, Abe, why doesn't
she sink ? Let's get away from her. I knows
I shall die if I stays here any longer. I can't
stand it. I can't stand it. You shall have
all I owns if you'll only come.'
" ' Can't you think why she won't sink,
Mister Downer ? ' Abe went on that slowly
you'd think he were just beginning a sermon,
' Can't you guess why she won't sink ? '
Downer didn't answer, so the skipper did it
for him. ' No, it ain't just cause the devil is
in her,' he said, ' though I'm not saying
there's not been enough devils in her to float
her on a sea o' fire — on times,' he added.
' No, it's because she's got air in her bilge
what can't get out. That's what's making
her forefoot stick up that way out of water.
I thought myself maybe it was just old Nick
a-playin' with her at first, and I wouldn't
wonder now if he was sorry to have such a
trophy lost sight on — fear he might need it one
o' these days just for a witness against people.'
" Downer's jaw dropped like at a wake
when the cloth comes off t' corpse's head, and
he pulled hisself together once more.

RUBE MARVIN'S CONFESSION 199
'"We'll have to let it out, Abe, We'll
have to let it out. She'll be a danger to the
other schooners if us leaves her floating here.'
" ' Yes, maybe she will,' he said, but that
slowly that I knowed well enough what he
meant, that if any of 'em saw how easy it was
to lose a schooner they'd likely do it them
selves. Just then Downer suddenly looked
up at the heads again, and there us could see
a catspaw o' wind off the land and the sails
of the strange schooner just bellying out and
airing her aloft slowly straight towards us.
Downer took it all in at a glance. She'd be
alongside us in a few minutes if the breeze
held on,
" ' Let's be through with it at once, Abe,
It needn't take Rube two seconds to make a
hole in the bilge. Here's the axe. And for
God's sake, let's be quick, or I'll be dead o'
cold, I knows I will,'
" But the skipper was not through with his
sermon, and went on just as if he hadn't heard
him, " ' Yes, she'd be a danger to some on 'em,
sure enough. Lead us not into temptation,
t' ol' Book says. So I reckon us won't leave
no stumbling-block in t' way o' the least on
'em.' " I dunno whether Downer seed what he

200 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
were driving at, but to help him out the
skipper added, ' Money be a shocking deceit
ful thing and there's no knowing what us
poor creatures won't do to get it.' And then
at last, seeing it was that cold and wet, he
come slowly down and got into t' boat. For
t' holes was now well out of water and t'
white splinters was sticking out on t' outside.'
" T' strange schooner were drawing nearer
quite quickly now, and Downer couldn't stand
it no longer. So grabbing the axe hisself, he
ran forrard in the boat and climbed out on
the ol' schooner's side, the devil o' fear sit
ting on his back. No one else said anything.
Us just stayed as us was, while he started
chopping at the planking, wild like. He
didn't seem to mind what he hit so long as
he got through, and he'd hardly begun be
fore he hit an iron bolt and nearly spoilt his
axe blade. My, he looked queer up there
hacking and hacking like a wild man and as
if his life depended on it. What's more, t' air
in her made her something like a sounding
box, and the noise must surely have reached
the hilltops, much more the schooner coming
towards us. Bang, bang, bang, went the
axe. Meanwhile the skipper got into the
boat and stood up in the stern with the steer
ing oar in his hand, just waiting.

RUBE MARVIN'S CONFESSION 201
" ' Keep her close, boys,' he said ; ' maybe
she'll go down sudden when the fool gets
through her planking.'
"I guessed then he didn't know I'd had
any hand in it, and I was sure later, when
just as there were a gurgle kind o' explosion
o' air, and Downer made a rush for the boat,
I heard him say half to hisself, ' Maybe it's as
well to let it go at that — " Vengeance is mine,
I will repay." ' For the skipper were as good
at t' Bible as he were at swearin'.
" And so the ol' ship went down and us
rowed in for the heads. The schooner passed
us by without hardly noticing us, except one
hand on the deck at the wheel waved his
hand to we. Maybe they took us for a boat
out fishing — maybe them didn't.
" That's all, doctor, 'cos soon as us got into
harbour. Downer just told his story and no
body else said nothing. No, I dunno if he
ever got his insurance. Most likely he did.
The skipper could only have got hisself into
trouble by saying anything, for he had noth
ing to show. He knowed nothing more than
that he'd seen holes in her bow with the
splinters on the outside, and the jury wouldn't
care about that. It 'ud never have put
Downer in jail, and so he let it go at that
"No, I never got one cent or one cake o'

202 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
bread. Downer cursed me for a fool as soon
as I put foot on shore. He swore he'd never
give me a cent, and if I said a word about it,
it would be me what they'd send to jail for
boring the holes. I couldn't have swallowed
a bite of it anyhow, and it would have
poisoned my family, I thought. So I just let
it go at that, I had come to myself partly
with the morning light, but I daren't go and
tell any one, and it has been worse than be
ing dead ever since, I knowed I ought to be
in jail, and yet I was afraid it would kill my
wife and starve the children if I told. At last
I couldn't keep it up no longer. It strangled
me by nights, and I couldn't work anyhow
by day. So I just telled Jake here. And a
bit later he got me to go to prayers with him
one morning. That were the end of it, doc
tor. I couldn't keep it in no longer, and
that's all there is to it. It were like a great,
awful pack on my back everywhere I went —
I were never a minute free from it. I reckon
every one must know, and I must take t'
punishment to get peace in my soul again.
So I come to tell you, and now you knows it
all." There was a pause for a moment ; and then
I said :
" You've told me a lot of details, Rube,

RUBE MARVIN'S CONFESSION 203
Do you remember it so well that you want
to swear to it all ? "
" I remembers every bit as if it was burnt
into me," he answered. " Is that how I told
it you, Jake ? "
"Nigh as I can remember it's word for
word. Rube."
" You understand I must send this on to
St. John's, once you sig^ it, and that means
you will be arrested and sent to prison,
possibly next spring ? "
"Yes, I understands it, and I'll be
glad of it, too. I be a happy man once
more." I read over to him the strange tale he had
told me, and then both he and Jake signed
it, after taking an oath that the statement
was the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but
the truth. And there for the time the matter
ended. Rube went back to his work an absolutely
new man. The crew of the new vessel didn't
know what to make of it. Early and late he
kept them at it, and she grew so fast that all
doubts as to her being ready for spring were
soon things of the past. The next time I
went down to Rube's little cottage, his good
wife told me he almost beat the baby sleep
ing now, and if it weren't that she hauled him

204 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
out of bed in the morning to go to work she
reckoned he'd sleep the clock round.
But meantime the big envelope with the
" story " in it was winging its way around
our barren coast from dog train to dog train,
and ever getting nearer the dread courts of
the judges whose fiat would come down to
us on the first mail steamer after the sea
opened up, and would be pregnant with such
big issues for poor Rube and his family.
Knowing as I did their desire in St. John's to
temper justice with mercy, I had ventured
to attach an appendix of my own, humbly
praying that the voluntary confession, the
man's otherwise clean record and sterling
character, the dire results to his innocent
family if he were deported before the fishing
season, might all be taken into account and
the warrant for his arrest delayed until the
fall at least.
The arrival of the first mail steamer is
always a matter of importance. One may
almost say the whole settlement runs riot
with excitement. But it certainly was if
possible heightened this spring to me when
from among my letters there fell out a long,
solemn-looking, blue envelope, stamped with
the royal crest and official insignia of the
Supreme Court of Justice. With almost

RUBE MARVIN'S CONFESSION 205
trembling fingers I tore it open, and then to
my joy I found that my petition was granted,
and Rube was not to be sent up with the
witnesses for the trial of Mr. Downer on the
charge of barratry, till the following October.
This would give him a chance to get the
season's fishing for his family.
The case came on in due time. Downer
was sent to prison for two years, Rube for
one. But when I was passing through the
next spring on my way north, just as the
fishing began once more, a petition we pre
sented to His Excellency the Governor for
the King's pardon for Rube was successful.
I had the infinite joy of carrying the news to
him in the penitentiary myself. I found him
in excellent spirits and perfect health" and as
I shipped him as a hand on my steamer the
moment he stepped out of prison, and as I
walked down the street with him myself to
the boat, he felt the coming out into the
world again less than, alas, many a poor
fellow does. He has been one of my best
friends and helpers from that day to this, and
to-day I know of no man living on our long
coast whom I love more, whether he be in
broadcloth or fustian, than my ever happy
and optimistic colleague, Reuben Marvin.

XIII
" The Spars of the Rose of Torridge "
MALCOLM ENGLISH was a Scotch
man in spite of his name — at least
he had potentially come over from
that country in the loins of his grandfather,
who seventy years back had served the great
Hudson Bay Fur Trading Company as a
cooper for the salmon and seal oil. It must
be remembered, however, that the one or two
carefully preserved letters which the good
man had received after first settling on the
coast bore the superscription of Malcolm
Macintosh. But when you are the northern
most white man and live entirely among
Esquimos, what reason is there to be fighting
for a pesky soubriquet just because it chances
to label one's grandfather, especially when it
happens to be as difficult to spell as it is im
possible to pronounce. The ciphering on the
old letters meant nothing anyhow to the
present Malcolm, for he had " no learning."
He was a modest, retiring fellow, and to
all his world he was just plain "Malcolm
English." When I first met him he had just come out
206

"OUR HOSPITAL STEAMER HAD JUST DROPPED HER ANCHOR"

" The SPARS of The ROSE" 207
of one of the long northern Labrador fjords,
at the bottom of which he lived. He was on
his way to baiter some fur for food supplies
with the schooner-men of a small fleet of
southern fishing vessels.
Our hospital steamer had just dropped her
anchor in the midst of these craft and the
watch on deck had at once called my atten
tion to a queer looking boat which was ap
proaching them. She was low and flat,
evidentiy built for the bay only. But it was
the speed with which she was advancing that
first gained our attention. Our curiosity was
greatly increased when our glasses revealed
a girl standing up steering, while two more
were each stoutly pulling a pair of sculls in
perfect time with a tall man's rowing stroke.
Naturally we were at once eager to know more
about them.
An invitation issued by the mate, though
conveyed in his usual unconventional manner
through a megaphone from the quarter-deck,
was successful in bringing the strangers along
side and aboard, where a few minutes' ex
planation as to who we were soon served to
put them entirely at their ease. The natural
grace of these tall, splendidly set up young
women was something to remember. Though
their home-made, simple dress was an odd

2o8 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
contrast to ours, they were just as much at
home among us strangers as if they had
studied deportment in a New York finishing
school. Moreover the unaffected gentlemanli-
ness of their big clean-cut father gave him an
atmosphere of superiority with which no
veneer of civilization can compare.
He had only brought in his " nonny bag "
a couple of red foxes and an otter skin to
barter. They were all he had been able to
" hold " until the fishermen who had be
friended him before could get down north
through the ice, though he well knew they
would trade with him out of their supplies,
flour, molasses and pork, at less than half the
cost he could get those necessities of life from
any of the trading posts. As Malcolm's home
proved to be " 'way back " up the bay, and as
it was late before his trading was satisfacto
rily accomplished, we persuaded "all hands"
to stay for the evening and tell us yarns of
their isolated life " down north." The even
ing ended with some singing and the simplest
of simple services. The complete absence of
any attempt to hide their delight became to
us all the more enjoyable when we under
stood that not one of our new friends could
either read or write. They were familiar,
however, with most of the hymns and the

" The SPARS of The ROSE" 209
transparent satisfaction which they found just
in the singing of them was a real lesson for
us in the philosophy of the sources of happi
ness. It was not a great effort, at their earnest
request, to run up the bay in the morning and
visit the log cottage, which served them for a
salmon fishing station in summer, for trap
ping in winter, and for sealing in spring.
Their mother had "gone before" and there
were no boys, so the girls took naturally to
their share of all these occupations. I very
much doubt if anywhere there could be found
a more simple, wholesome and charming
family. Nor was this due entirely to the set
ting of their life, for men can be slaves to
self-indulgence in squalid surroundings as
well as in luxurious palaces. But the simple
piety of this little home made us literally take
our hats off.
After the inevitable cup of tea and a visit
around the house, we went up to the trout
nets, set in the fjord from points of van
tage. Each fleet of nets was watched
over in friendly rivalry by one of the girls.
Though one fleet was set from the face of a
sheer overhanging cliff, and could only be
approached by boat, we managed in the
wake of one of the girls to scramble up above

2IO DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
it, and there lying out on our faces we could
see fathoms down over the edge into the
clear water below. Even as we watched,
several large sea trout came swimming la
zily along, and disdaining to swim under or
jump over the barrier, they continued to butt
straight into the nets, till having succeeded
in getting their heads into the meshes as far
as their gills, they were unable to get out, and
so lay there kicking and panting until their
captors should come after them. Our friend,
owing to his Scotch stock, had some knowl
edge of agriculture, and by the side of his
house was a small garden in which he had
some nice heads of lettuce in addition to a
few straggling cabbage and turnip plants.
Moreover we could not help noticing, even
in our short walk, how few things escaped the
girls' observant eyes. They knew, though by
names of their own coining, the birds, the
beasts, the flowers. The very marshes held
friends for them in their abundant lichens and
mosses ; while the native blueberry, red cran
berry, yellow cloudberry, black teaberry and
white maidenhair berry formed an orchard pre
pared for them by nature which appeared to
them none the less generous because it offered
none of the more luscious southern fruits of
which they knew nothing. The simple jams

" The SPARS of The ROSE" 211
served at tea were made from the arctic cran
berry, picked in May, after it had been sweet
ened by a long winter under the snow. This
with some yellow "bake-apple" or "cloud
berry" jelly, made from the new crop which
had just been gathered, left our kindly hosts
no cause to apologize for the lack of any
thing. The same attiactive simplicity character
ized everything about them. They possessed
no spring hats, no rings, no earrings, no rich
brocades, no frills of any kind — and yet there
seemed nothing lacking. Their hair, the
sole covering of their heads that they either
wore or needed, could not have been im
proved by either puffs or curls culled from
other people. There was in everything an
entire absence of that coarseness which the
environment of "mean streets" is so apt to
engender. Indeed they seemed in every
respect like a breeze fresh from unspoiled
nature, a genuine product of their simple life.
The pride with which we were shown the
dogs' house, the store, the new splitting stage
covered with boards, sawn by the girls them
selves with their large pit-saw, the sledges,
and indeed all the winter outfit, left us im
pressed with the fact that contentment is,
after all, a greater asset than riches, and we

212 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
felt almost like envying our new-found friends
their quiet life in the bay. They would not
let us leave them at night till we had
had together again a word from " the old
book," and also sung several of the hymns
with the tunes of which they were fa
miliar. We had noticed in the cottage a lamen
table absence of pictures, due to the complete
isolation. They had picture frames hung up,
made out of birch and ornamented by elab
orate whittling. Also some made of smoked
deerskin strips ornamented with coloured
beads, but all pathetically empty. The de
light afforded by the gift of some old illus
trated papers with a few of the Christmas
coloured inserts was in itself a reward for
our journey. These simple gifts were such
an obvious addition to the brightness of the
rooms that the ruling passion, so manifest in
our northern folk, namely their beautiful
home love, simply dissipated any remaining
reserve. " You isn't going to give us them, is
you, doctor ? " " Not really, is you, though? "
was a chorus rather than a monologue. It
made us almost afraid even to suggest that
they might like to trade for a few simple
household devices of civilization that we
wished they could have.

" The SPARS of The ROSE" 213
At last it was time to leave, and as we
steamed out of the bay we realized that there
are sermons in other things besides pulpits
and stones.
A couple of years passed away and our hos
pital steamer was again lying at anchor off the
northern hospital. The season was late and
much floe ice was still around, while the
snow had by no means gone from the land.
For the sake of the work of this station,
which is with the fishing schooners that come
down for the cod fishery, the hospital is
placed among a group of islands lying well
out in the Atlantic. Here, owing to the
extreme coldness of the polar current, the
land offers nothing but barren rocks, with the
result that early in the season before the
return of the summer fishermen has wakened
it up into something like activity, the environ
ment is about as depressing as one can easily
imagine. The sound of some one shooting from the
shore roused me one morning from my rev
eries as I sat in the chart room. As I arose
to go out, the deck hand announced that a
man on the rocks was beckoning, and asked
my permission to take away the jolly-boat and
bring him aboard. " Certainly^ Abe, go off

214 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
at once," for indeed I was glad enough to
find another human being moving around.
Soon a tall, familiar, yet unfamiliar, figure
climbed over the rail, and after looking at me
a moment with a twinkle in his eye, said, " I
see you's forgotten me, doctor ; it's Malcolm
English, whom you came over to see two
years ago in Tikkertane Bay."
" Shake hands," I replied. " I remember
you now as if it were yesterday. Whatever
are you doing up here ? What induced you
to leave home, and where are your girls ? "
" It's a long story," he answered, somewhat
wearily, " and that's just what I come over
here to tell you, doctor."
" Come right in, Malcolm ; you found me
idle and I will be just delighted if I can be of
any service to you."
" No thanks, I don't smoke," he said as I
pushed him the tobacco jar. " I had to give
it up for want of tobacco, and I can't afford
to learn to want it now. Well, first of all,
doctor, I t'ink you knows that there were no
chance to get ahead down where we lived in
Tikkertane Bay. You couldn't get any cash
for anything ever, and so us never could
put anything by. There is only me to fend
for the three maids, and so I got to t' inking
I would like to come where perhaps we might

" The SPARS of The ROSE" 215
get some money. T'ings was terribly dear
down there too, and it didn't matter how
much us bought we was always just a bit in
debt to the store. You knows Captain Abe
Niccols of the Quickstep? Well, one day
he said I might get a chance with Mr. Flash-
man at Wild Cove, who wanted some one to
mind his rooms in the winter. So he wrote
him a letter for us, and sure enough he said
if us would come up to the cove, he would
give us our living and forty dollars for
t' winter, so long as we would mend his
nets, and boats, and gear, and watch his
place and paint everything up ready for
the fishery. We could trap in the winter as
well if we liked, and if we would sign on for
a year, he would fit us out and take our fish
next summer as well. So Uncle Abe brought
us up in t' schooner last fall, and us has been
working for Mr. Flashman ever since."
" Well, what's the matter ? Do you want
a passage down again with all the money you
have made ? " Malcolm noticed at once an
odd ring in my voice, and looked up sharply
to see what I meant by it.
" Money I " he said. " Money ! Well, that's
just the trouble. It's eighteen months now
and us has worn out all our things and us
has no money yet, Mr. Flashman has just

2i6 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
come back yesterday for t' summer, and he
says again, ' There's no cash coming to you,
boy, this year. Your winter's diet has swal
lowed up all that.' He wouldn't listen to
nothing I could say, and threatened to drive
me and the girls right out-of-doors if I said
any more about it. Then there's worse than
that, doctor. There's men drinking there all
the while, and it's bad enough to see the
goings on. For the poor fellows soon gets
so they doesn't know what they's doing,
and then they just parts wjth the fish that
they ought to be carrying to their women
folks at home. Then I am terribly feared for
my girls, doctor. There's been several fisher
girls round there drunk since t' big schooner
come down, and I seed one poor creature
lying out there on the hillside as I crossed
over to see you. It means no good for them
poor things, and us wants to go back down
to our home again."
" It's far and away the best thing you can
do, Malcolm. I never yet knew any one get
rich out of Flashman. I wish you had asked
me about it before you came up at all. It
might have saved you this. But, of course,
you couldn't do that without any mail service.
How are you going to get back ? "
" That's the trouble ; us hasn't got nothing

" The SPARS of The ROSE" 217
left. Captain Abe could call in for us in t'
schooner if he knowed, but he doesn't call
in nowhere going down in the spring if he
can help it, fearing some one might get down
before him and get his trap berth."
" You say Flashman won't pay you any
thing for the winter ; perhaps there is some
way to make him. Let's see what you have
done all winter."
" Well, t' girls mended t' nets, and t' twine,
and sails, and cleared up t' rooms, and
helped me fit out the stages and fix up t'
boats. Them is almost as handy with an
axe as with a needle. We got everything
just ready for Mr. Flashman's men to go
right to work the day they come down.
And yet he says there is nothing coming to
us." " Did you have any visitors in the winter
who hadn't any food of their own ? "
" Well, there is always one or two, doctor,
and maybe there was more than usual this
winter. But what can you do, doctor ? You
can't see folk go hungry."
I had been listening as a magistrate,
though I didn't think he knew 1 was a
magistrate. However, I was certain from the
nature of the man that he had not come for
help by physical force. But after all, I had

2i8 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
the power of a justice of the peace, and even
if there wasn't any one in Labrador who
could try civil cases, I might find some loop
hole to help out. But this last information
seemed a mighty weak spot. Neither he nor
his daughter could figure. With his frank
nature, and what I,mightcall his "uncivilized"
sensitiveness for truth in the smallest matters,
he insisted, " Maybe I used a bit more
molasses and flour than if I had been alone
all winter. There was nothing said in the
agreement about us giving a meal to them as
might come along, and o' course I doesn't
want to rob Mr. Flashman." But even he
felt sure that twenty dollars would pay for
what he might have had more than his
allowance, as there were few folk that came
off to the island, since it wasn't near the
komatik track. There certainly should be
twenty dollars coming to them for their
winter's work.
" Is there nothing else, Malcolm, that you
can think of ? "
" Yes, doctor ; there be a few coals that
had been left over since the time when there
was a steam launch. There is no wood out
on t' island, and us couldn't get through t'
slob ice to go in t' bay afore us had to be
painting and fixing t' boats. Mr. Flashman

" The SPARS of The ROSE" 219
agreed to find us wood, but there wasn't
enough to last out, and so us had to use a bit
of coal or perish."
It was clearly a more difficult matter to
decide than I had hoped. I knew I had
heard every word of the truth. I knew the
family were destitute, if Malcolm would con
fess it. I knew there was no other course
possible than to get them straight back
home. But how to find the money to renew
their nets, boats and outfit, to keep them
from starving when they got there, I couldn't
see, for there was nothing left after two years.
If law and equity were synonymous I could
manage it easily. For then I should have
taken my crew down and helped my poor
friends to the full amount promised them out
of Flashman's store. But even if there were
a written agreement Malcolm had no copy ;
and probably as he was illiterate there never
was one, I had more than once given
judgment where only verbal agreements had
been made. Indeed, being a surgeon and
not a lawyer, and having no knowledge of
precedents, the deck of the vessel was always
a court of equity rather than of law. In spite
of which, hitherto its working has been more
rapid, less expensive and I think as satis
factory, so far as we had found, as that

220 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
in more ornate and conventional surround
ings. But Flashman had the right, and undoubt
edly would use it, to appeal from any de
cision I might make. We had been at issue
more than once before, and I had neither
time nor desire for mere recrimination, as
our aim is to be remedial, and not retributive.
An appeal meant no possible trial until next
winter, and then neither Malcolm nor I could
by any chance be there to proceed with the
case. It was a hard problem, and I sat chew
ing my pencil, while Malcolm, who in spite of
his statement couldn't resist filling and light
ing the new pipe I had pushed over to him,
smoked in silence, " Isn't there anything else
you can think of at all? Haven't you any
thing left of your own?"
" Well, doctor, I thought I had ; there's
them two pitch pine spars ; I reckon them's
worth a hundred dollars, and I 'lows I ought
to have something for saving them,"
" Tell me about them."
" Well, doctor, t' winter before last there
was a large brigantine from England called
t' Rose of Torridge that had come out with a
cargo of salt for Mr. Flashman, She were
loaded with fish for the market, and was just
beating out of Wild Cove when she missed

" The SPARS of The ROSE" 221
stays and struck on Dead-man's Reef at the
mouth of t' harbour. There be plenty that
says they could ha' got her off easy enough
if they had liked. Leastwise she had no right
to strike at all on a fine morning with a light
westerly wind blowing. But she were put
up for sale right away, and Mr. Flashman
bought her for a wreck. She weren't floated
for a week, but then they towed her right up
and anchored her in the * run ' to leave her
for the spring. For, of course, Mr, Flashman
had no crew for her. Somehow a lot of talk
about her got around, and some said that
men were coming down from t' government
to see about how she were lost, and then
suddenly she got on fire and burnt to the
water line,
" Well, doctor, last spring t' ice all broke
up, and my Maggie saw what was left
of the wreck driving down alongshore in
a big pan of ice. There wasn't nothing
worth saving but the spars. But it seemed
a shame to let them go, and them pitch pine,
without a try to get 'em. So us all four set
out to try and cut them out of t' ice, and get
them fast to a point of rock as they went by.
It took us all day to get them loose from the
ice and we got wet and cold enough. But
at last we got a line to the cliff, above where

222 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
the ice was carrying them along, and just as
the floe swept by the point us rolled them off
into the water and they drove into t' back
water behind it. Us had a big enough job
to get back to land ourselves, and we didn't
get t' spars safe for a few days. But at last
t' wind stopped, and there was a lane of
water along the ballicater ice, so us could
tow 'em around and haul 'em up to safety."
Knowing the Labrador winter ice as I do,
and having lost my own steamer exactly the
same way, I just jumped up and shook
hands with him.
" Well done ; good for you and the girls,
Malcolm. That was worth while if you never
get a cent for it," Think of it, a solitary
man and three girls out with axes and bars,
prizing out that old vessel's spars from the
floe as it drove by their island, and saving
them at the foot of a sheer cliff, and then
getting safely ashore again 1
" Splendid. What did Mr. Flashman say ? ''
I added, suddenly recollecting what led up to
the story.
" Mr. Flashman said the spars was all his,
doctor. He said he had paid for my time,
and all I got was hisn."
" I guess I'll come over and see Mr. Flash-
man myself," I said, " though he did say he

" The SPARS of The ROSE" 223
would throw me into the sea if I landed
again on his wharf. Come along ; there is
no time to waste."
It was only a couple of miles by sea, and
two pairs of sculls soon made that look
small. As we neared the point, I landed
Malcolm and rowed on alone, not wishing to
complicate matters unnecessarily for him.
I had learned from Malcolm where the spars
lay, and went to estimate their value before
going up to the house. But evidentiy I had
been recognized, for while I was fastening
the boat an ugly crowd of men had come
down and were standing by the spars, as if
it were possible for me to carry them off
single handed like Samson did the gates of
Gaza. However, when I gave them " good-morn
ing " they retumed my greeting, and I knew
then I had guessed right They had littie love
for their task for Flashman, for they did not
offer to interfere with my measuring and esti
mating the value of the masts, which I found
had been chopped off at the gammon as the
only way to get them free from the sub
merged hull.
This being done, I proceeded towards the
house, and on the narrow path by the cliff
edge met Flashman, evidentiy watching me.

224 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
His men, who had posed all the while
as chance onlookers, remained by the spars.
" Good-morning, Mr. Flashman."
"Good-morning; can I do anything for
you ? " he answered,
" Yes, you can ; you can pay me one-third
the value of those pitch pine spars, or I shall
have to seize them, . , ,"
There is no need to record the conversa
tion that followed. It wouldn't be helpful,
and foolish language isn't generally a Labra
dor failing. Suffice it to say, we soon under
stood each other,
"The sun is already long past midday, Mr,
Flashman, and the matter will have to be
settled elsewhere anyhow. So I will bid you
good-bye for the present." And I tumed to
go down the edge of the cliff to where I had
left my boat.
As I did so, I caught sight of the well-knit
figure of Malcolm, standing in the shelter of
the rocks about half-way between me and
the water, while sitting on the bank by him,
but well out of sight from above, were his
three bonnie girls. Exactly like Flashman's
men, they were playing at being there by
chance. I could not help smiling, for I knew the real
reason, and I wondered whether Flashman

" The SPARS of The ROSE" 225
had also seen them, and had suspected that I
had arranged for this Amazonian body-guard
to be in reserve. The strain of the interview
had been somewhat intense, and the possi
bility that he had pictured them as Valkyries
swooping down upon him from their native
heights was so irresistibly ludicrous that I
fairly burst out laughing.
The sound reached Flashman, He was
standing, evidentiy in doubt, just where I
had left him. Suddenly he called loudly
down to me that he wanted to say something
to me. To my utter surprise it was, "You've
a long way to go, doctor. I suppose you
wouldn't care for dinner before you start?"
With the extraordinary versatility that char
acterized the man, he had altered in an
instant from the sordid, heartless money-
grabber, to the chivalrous mediaeval host,
who took pleasure in feeding his enemy. He
was a veritable " Jekyl and Hyde," where the
wizard's potion was a sense of humour. He
had obviously spied my volunteer body
guard. "Will I take dinner in your house? Cer
tainly I will, I shall tmst you not to poison
me," — and we solemnly marched off togethet
up the hill.
As half an hour later I sat at the table, with

226 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
Flashman carving, the sense of the ridiculous
was once again too much for me, and I broke
out laughing incontinentiy. What made it
worse was the expression on his face, which
betrayed that he was just dying to know the
cause of my merriment Nor, though we
had called a truce during the hour of refresh
ment for the sake of Labrador hospitality,
could I refrain from describing to him how I
felt certain I should one day live to pick his
bones instead of those of the fat sea birds on
which he was regaling me.
We parted as we met, without shaking
hands. Both of us meant war. I saw no
way but the gospel of the maily fist for Flash-
man, And he — well, he had no fear of a 

 missionary.
When I went out, the faithful Malcolm was
still " standing by," though, thinking it safe
to do so, he had sent the Amazons to get
their dinner. I walked up to his cottage with
him and told him how matters stood, and
that he was to come over and see me in the
evening. Then we could settie what to do
next "Bring your girls along with you,
Malcolm, and we can give you all one good
time anyhow aboard the ship, if you never
have another."
That evening, as once more Malcolm sat

" The SPARS of The ROSE" 227
opposite me, smoking the pipe I had given
him, my inspiration came,
" I'll tell you what I'll do, Malcolm. I want
some pitch pine badly to panel the hospital
hallway and staircase. I'll buy your share of
the spars, and as we can't do anything else
we'll just pray that the good Lord may send
Skipper Abe into Wild Cove as he goes
nortii." It took some persuading to make my friend
agree to the first part of the bargain, and I
am certain it was only an unlimited confi
dence in my powers to have my way, that I
at last reconciled him to seUing what he knew
he could not hand over in person at once.
Seeing my advantage, I forced the matter to
an issue directiy, and we drew up a written
deed of sale signed with the humble X of each
of the vendors, none of whom could sigfn
otherwise. Meanwhile, we had secretiy packed a small
box with some useful things from our cloth
ing department, and secreted it in their boat,
and when finally we shouted " good-night "
from the rail to our friends, they at least had
enough warm garments to get home with, if
only Captain Abe came in. There was no
possible way to insure this otherwise, so we
just asked the good Lord before we tumed in

228 DOWN NORTH on The LABRADOR
for the night to give Captain Abe Niccols, of
the Quickstep, a rousing head wind when he
should reach down to latitude 56° 25' north.
We had to leave during the night, and it
was nearly three weeks before I ran in to
Tikkertane Harbour. By this time my crew
knew the story of poor Malcolm only too
well, and they were all on deck as we stood
in towards our anchorage, for they were just
crazy to hear if the schooner Quickstep had
brought down Malcolm English or not.
We had not long to wait Even as our
anchor chain rattled out through the hawse
pipe we saw a quaint but familiar flag being
rapidly hoisted on a tall mast among the
bunch of schooners in the bay.
"She's there all right, doctor 1" my mate
called out somewhat needlessly, with his
characteristic enthusiasm. For which, how
ever, we make concessions on these occasions,
seeing he is a family man himself.
" Yes, the Quickstep is there all right, Bill.
And what's more, you may be sure she's got
'em, or they wouldn't think of hoisting that
flag in such a hurry. Get out the jolly-boat
and go and see."
But there was no need for that. In less
than no time a large fishing boat was sweep
ing along straight for our steamer, and the

" The SPARS of The ROSE" 229
style of oarsmanship spoke as clearly to us
all as ever did a Galilean accent to a Jew of
old. There was a man steering and three
girls each pulling double sculls.
No, I never got those spars. The victory
cannot always be on one side. But worse
even than to lose them, Flashman had the
laugh on me. For I was foolish enough to
steam over to try and take them " willy-nUly,"
only to find that they were already miles
away, sailing the sea as spars in one of
Flashman's own schooners. They were good
spars, and I hope they brought no trouble to
the good fellows whose safety depended on
them. It was some years before I got even with
Flashman, But his reckoning did come later,
though in another manner. There was to be,
however, one more chapter to this story.
Some years later a much battered package,
evidentiy hailing from the far north, made its
appearance on my chart room table. To my
dismay, when I opened it there fell out in
postage stamps the price I had paid for the
two pitch pine spars of the good ship Rose of
Torridge. It was Malcolm English's last
word.

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