There were the remains of many old camps there, well-
worn paths leading from one to the other. It was the first place
we had come upon which gave evidence of having been an abiding
Place of some permanence. There must have been quite a little
community there at one time. The prospect south, west, and north
was very beautiful.
My tent was pitched in a charming nook among the spruce trees, and
had a carpet of boughs all tipped with fresh green. The moss
itself was almost too beautiful to cover; but nothing is quite so
nice for carpet as the boughs. We were on a tiny ridge sloping to
the south shore of the island, and over the screen of willows and
evergreens at the water's edge, the wind came in strong enough to
drive away the flies and mosquitoes, and leave one free to enjoy
the beauty of the outlook. It was an ideal place to spend Sunday,
and with a sigh of relief we settled into our island camp. The
week had been a wonderfully interesting one; but it had also been
an anxious and trying one in a few ways. I was glad to have passed
Michikamau so quickly and easily. I wished it might be our good
fortune to see some of the Indians.
Through the night the south wind rose to a gale, and showers of
rain fell. On Sunday morning I was up at 7 A.M., and after a nice,
lazy bath, luxuriously dressed myself in clean clothes. Then came
a little reading from a tiny book that had been in Labrador before,
and a good deal of thinking. Just after 9 A.M. I lay down to go to
sleep again. I had not realised it before, but I was very tired.
My eyes had closed but a moment when rat-a-tat-tat on the mixing
pan announced breakfast. Joe had prepared it, and the others came
straggling out one by one looking sleepy and happy, enjoying the
thought of the day's rest, the more that it was the kind of day to
make it impossible to travel. Returning to my tent after the meal
I lay down to sleep. My head had no sooner touched the pillow than
I was asleep, and did not wake till 1.30 P.M.
I could hear Gil outside preparing lunch, and went out to see how
he was getting on. It was the first time he had attempted anything
in the cooking line, and he looked anxious. We were to have fried
cakes and tea, and Gil was cooking the fried cakes. They were not
much to look at, for the wind had coated them well with ashes; but
they tasted good, and the youngster looked quite relieved at the
way they disappeared when we began to eat.
Michikamats was certainly very picturesque in the gale.
