Page:Ornithological biography, or an account of the habits of the birds of the United States of America, vol 2.djvu/193

Rh intended to return to it. " The country around," said he, " is all my own, much farther than you can see. No fees, no lawyers, no taxes are here. I do pretty much as I choose. My means are ample, through my own industry. These vessels come here for seal-skins, seal-oil, and sal- mon, and give me in return all the necessaries, and indeed comforts, of the life I love to follow ; and what else could the world afford me r I spoke of the education of his children. " My wife and I teach them all that is useful for them to know, and is not that enough .? My girls will marry their countrymen, my sons the daughters of my neighbours, and I hope all of them will live and die in the country !" I said no more, but by way of compensation for the trouble I had given him, purchased from his eldest child a beautiful fox's skin.

Few birds, he said, came around him in summer, but in winter thou- sands of ptarmigans were killed, as well as great numbers of gulls. He had a great dislike to all fishermen and eggers, and I really believe was always glad to see the departure even of the hardy navigators who an- nually visited him for the sake of his salmon, seal-skins, and oil. He had more than forty Esquimaux dogs ; and, as I was caressing one of them, he said, " Tell my brother-in-law at Bras-d'Or, that we are all well here, and that, after visiting my wife's father, I will give him a call .'" Now, reader, his wife's father resided at the distance of seventy miles down the coast, and, like himself, was a recluse. He of Bras d'Or was at double that distance ; but, when the snows of winter have thickly covered the country, the whole family, in sledges drawn by dogs, travel with ease, and pay their visits, or leave their cards. This good gentleman had already resided there more than twenty years. Should he ever read this article, I desire him to believe that I shall always be grateful to him and his wife for their hospitable welcome.

When our schooner, the Ripley, arrived at Bras d'Or, I paid a visit to Mr ——, the brother-in-law, who lived in a house imported from Quebec, which fronted the strait of Belle Isle, and overlooked a small island, over which the eye reached the coast of Newfoundland, whenever it was the wind's pleasure to drive away the fogs that usually lay over both coasts. The gentleman and his wife, we were told, were both out on a walk, but would return in a very short time, which they in fact did, when we followed them into the house, which was yet unfinished. The usual immense Dutch stove formed a principal feature of the interior. The lady had once visited the metropolis of Canada, and seemed desirous of acting