must have burned their throats. They told us they had had neither tea
nor tobacco for a long while, and were very hungry for both. These
are the stimulants of the Labrador Indians, and they will make great
sacrifices to secure them.

All the time that this was taking place we were jabbering, each in his
own tongue, neither we nor they understanding much that the other
said. I did make out from them that we were the first white men that
had ever visited them in their hunting grounds and that they were glad
to see us.

Accepting an invitation to visit their lodges and escorted by a canoe
on either side of ours, we finally turned down stream and, three miles
below, came to the main camp of the Indians, which was situated, as
most of their hunting camps are, on a slight eminence that commanded a
view of the river for several miles in either direction, that watch
might be constantly kept for bands of caribou.

We were discovered long before we arrived at the lodges, and were met
by the whole population--men, women, children, dogs, and all. Our
reception was tumultuous and cordial. It was a picturesque group.
The swarthy-faced men, lean, sinewy and well built, with their long,
straight black hair reaching to their shoulders, most of them hatless
and all wearing a red bandanna handkerchief banded across the
forehead, moccasined feet and vari-colored leggings; the women quaint
and odd; the eager-faced children; little hunting dogs, and big wolf-
like huskies.

All hands turned to and helped us carry our belongings to the camp,
pitch our tent and get firewood for our stove. Then the men squatted