June 24th was my birthday, and early that morning, before we sailed
from Halifax, at which port we lay over for a day, Hubbard came
into my stateroom with a pair of camp blankets that he had been
commissioned by my sisters to present to me. He had told me he had
enough blankets in his outfit and to take none with me. How
strangely things sometimes turn out! Those blankets which Hubbard
had withheld in order that I might be agreeably surprised, were
destined to fulfil an office, up there in the wilds for which we
were bound, such as we little suspected. We reached St. Johns on
the morning of Friday, the 26th, and promptly upon our arrival were
introduced to the mysterious ways of the Reid-Newfoundland Company.
The Virginia Lake, we were told, already had gone north to
Labrador, was overdue on her return trip and might not be in for
several days. Hubbard, however, set immediately to work purchasing
the provisions for his expedition and supervising their packing.
The following day, on the advice of the general passenger agent of
the Reid-Newfoundland Company, we took the evening train on their
little narrow-gauge railroad to Whitbourne, en route to Broad Cove,
where we were informed we should find excellent trout fishing and
could pleasantly pass the time while awaiting the steamer.

The Reid-Newfoundland Company failed to carry out its agreement as
to our transportation to Broad Cove, and we had considerable
trouble in reaching there, but we found that no misrepresentation
had been made as to the fishing; during the two days we were at
Broad Cove we caught all the trout we cared for. Having received
word that the Virginia Lake had returned to St. Johns, and would
again sail north on Tuesday, June 30th, Hubbard and Mrs. Hubbard on
the morning of that day took the train to St. Johns, to board the