272 ABORIGINES 01“ NEWFOUNDLAND.

migration of those animals. The Indians, stationing themselves near where the deer get into the water to swim across, the lake being narrow at this end, pursue the animals in their canoes, and kill them with spears. In this way they secure their Winter provisions before the severity of the winter sets in.

“\ There were other remains of different kinds peculiar to these people, met with about this lake.

“ One night we encamped on the foundation of an old Indian Wigwam, on the extremity of a point of land which juts out into the lake, and exposed to the View of the Whole country around. A large fire at night is the life and soul of such a party as ours; and, when it blazed up at times, I could not help observing, that two of my Indians evinced uneasi- ness and want of confidence in things around, as if they thought themselves usurpers on the Red Indian territory. From time immemorial, none of the Indians of the other tribes had ever encamped near this lake, fearlessly, and as we had now done, in the very centre of such a country; the lake and territory adjacent having been always considered to belong exclusively to the Red Indians, and to have been occupied by them. It had been our invariable prac- tice hitherto to encamp near hills, and be on their summits by the dawn of day, to try and discover the morning smoke ascending from the Red Indians’ camps; and, to prevent the discovery of ourselves, we extinguished our own fire always some length of time before daylight.

“ Our only and frail hope now left, of seeing the 4