detained and George found no one to meet him. Despite the fact
that he had never been in a city before, and all was new to him,
his quick eye discovered that the long line of cabs in front of the
station were there to hire. He promptly engaged one, was driven to
Hubbard's office and awaited his employer's arrival as calm and
unruffled as though his surroundings were perfectly familiar.

Our canoe and our entire outfit were purchased in New York, with
the exception of a gill net, which, alas! we decided to defer
selecting until we reached Labrador. Our preparations for the
expedition were made with a view of sailing from St. Johns,
Newfoundland, for Rigolet, when the steamer Virginia Lake, which
regularly plies during the summer between the former port and
points on the Labrador coast, should make her first trip north of
the year. A letter from the Reid-Newfoundland Company, which
operates the steamer, informed us that she would probably make her
first trip to Labrador in the last week in June, and in order to
connect with her, we made arrangements to sail from New York to St.
Johns on June 20th, 1903, on the Red Cross Line steamer Silvia. On
the 19th Hubbard personally superintended the placing of our outfit
on board ship, that nothing might be overlooked.

As the Silvia slowly got under way at ten o'clock the next morning,
we waved a last farewell to the little knot of friends who had
gathered on the Brooklyn pier to see us off. We were all very
light-hearted and gay that morning; it was a relief to be off at
last and have the worry of the preparation over. Mrs. Hubbard was
a member of the party; she was to accompany her husband as far as
Battle Harbour, the first point on the Labrador coast touched by
the Virginia Lake.