Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1901-10-25
JAMES AND holland
CONTINUE The CRUISE,


The nineteenth of August, just q
month from this date, we bid adieu
to Mr.. Noble and his hospitable
home at Mont Louis aud to the easy
life of watching our effects repaired
and OH the calm Monday morning
that it was, with the tide running
ebb down the st. Lawrence Gulf, we
began in real earnest to try to find
the northermost point Of our journey
before night.
Said a French Canadian to us
before we left Mont Louis: "You
will find the Gaspe Peninsula very
rough, very rough. The fishermen
use ladder to climb up the banks
The whole of it must be only a solid
rock with some soil on top for the
habitants to till during their idle
hours from fishing, and with some
har bors chiseled out of the precipi-
tous cliffs for the accommodation of
rough boats of the natives. 1t is an
interesting country for shore rugged
ness. OF course there is great deal
of sameness travelling through it as
we did. But now and then a rare
scene would strike our fancy and our
enthusiasm would be easily awakened
The scenery from Mont Louis fol
fifty miles east is noun famous. On
farther the surface becomes more
uniform. The banks range from
fifty to hundred feet high and vary
but little. Harbors are scarce, the
rock rushing boldly out to meet the
waters. 1t is on this eastern end o.
the peninsula that one sees ladders
running from the water up, where
the fishermen, unable to find land
ing, climb to safety. We ran dowr
this coast with our weather eye oper
for wind. We saw flaw on tn,
water the second day out of Mon
Louis. Says the log right here: ave
started In to eat dinner before i
became rough. Nevertheless on,
white-cap becamef familiar, upsettinl
the pickles and dampening the bread
l go into town to buy fish, purchas
ten pounds of cod and pay twenty
five cents for it. Camp site Lowell,
and satisfactory; potato patch nearby
also pea patch; no moon at night. w
ease our conscience by agreeing tha
We paid too much for the Goldfish any
way" And according to the way W
usually get them, we did. There wa
always to be found aboard the Dip
per in the Gaspe country bottle o
cheap gin. In the language of tn
country, "a square-face of gin,"
you known what that means.
you do not, it refers to an ugly bottl
with bad face, which according t
law is not citizen Of Maine. Dur
ing the day when we want littl
rest from rowing we run alongside 0
one of the rough looking fishin
boats anchored OH the fishing grount
leap on board, be high-fellow-wel
met with the captain, as we cannc
speak his language, produce the gi
and tell him to drink bonnie sauf,
While heis doing this we take charg
of his lines and catch Goldfish fc
dear life. Thus it was that we seldoI
had to pay twenty-five for ten pound
of the fish.
We were the curiosities of the hou
, journeying down the Gaspe coas
Fishermen grown gray at their traG
told us that We were the first trav
elers down their coast in small bo,
they had ever seen. Some we
familiar, some were afraid of US, bl
they were all curious. One fello
came into camp late In the evenir
of August the 21st, speaking broke
English. He told us that the who
village was afraid of us, but that
J wasn't. "No, man alive, Pm n
'fraid on ye," be said. WhereupC
we gave him drink of gin. +
must have told great tales in the vi
lage, judging from the assemble,
that watched us off the next mornir
from the top of the bluff.
The memories of the journ,
around that peninsula's end will q
ways cast sort of shadow over th
era of the trip. Even our journ,
down the notorious Bay of Fune
would shed light over it. The
seemed to be lack of zest for II
adventure that we met with ther
with our hearts on one side of tn
wide rocky bar and our bodies on h
: other. There was no sunshine
speak of on these three days and l
rain, sort of pale light that carri
wind with it and sea.
Looking back oyer it we can 8