You remember that when Cartier went to Canada hoping to find a
comfortable place where his people could settle, he stopped first at a
large island off the eastern coast, giving it the name of Newfoundland.
But he did not stay there. The high crags reaching out into the sea and
the rocky shores seemed to frown upon him and he decided to go farther
where Mother Nature should give him a more friendly welcome. At that
time Indians were living along the coast, getting their food by catching
fish and trapping wild animals. No white men came to settle in
Newfoundland till many years after Cartier's visit, for like him, they
chose to make their homes in a more inviting country.
Now, however, many rosy-cheeked boys and girls live on the island. Their
fathers are fishermen who have settled there because they have found it
is one of the best fishing-grounds in the world. Off the southeast coast
stretches a sandbank at least three hundred miles long, and in the
waters nearby millions of cod and haddock are found every year. It is no
wonder, therefore, that not only the fishermen who live in Newfoundland,
but people from Canada and the United States, and even from countries
across the ocean, gather on the shores of the island every year to fish.
Heavy fogs hang over these shores for a large part of the year, and are
caused in a curious way. There is a warm current that flows northward
through the Atlantic Ocean, making the western coast of Greenland so
much warmer than the eastern that most of the people there choose to
live on that side of the island. But there is also a very cold Arctic
current flowing southward, filling the air along the eastern coast of
Labrador with frost. These two currents meet off the Newfoundland shore,
and as the warm and cold come together, clouds of vapor rise in the air.
It is the smoke of a water battle.
Notwithstanding the fogs and the dampness, the children of Newfoundland
love their home dearly. They love the deep and narrow bays that reach
far into the land, and they often make up sailing parties to the small
islands that dot the clear, deep waters. They love the blue sky of the
summer. They watch with delight the icebergs that float by from time to
time in their journey from the frozen north. When winter comes these
children search along the shore for the seals that play on the floating
cakes of ice and bask in the sunlight. Best of all they enjoy the famous
"silver thaw" of Newfoundland, perhaps the most beautiful sight in all
the world.
This "silver thaw" or ice-storm, is seen only in winter. It is caused by
a heavy fall of rain when the air is very cold. As the rain falls, it
turns to ice on everything it touches. The branches of the trees and the
tiniest twigs upon them are coated with garments of ice which grow
thicker and thicker as the storm continues. Every bush and shrub
receives the same beautiful dress. At last the clouds pass and the sun
shines out in all his glory. Then the world around is changed in an
instant into a wonderland of beauty. It seems as though one were
surrounded by myriads of diamonds, each one glowing with all the colors
of the rainbow. The riches of Aladdin seem nothing beside them.
Neither the fishermen nor the children care to explore the inland
country very far. There are many high hills there, but they are bare and
rocky. Cattle could not be raised easily in such places, nor could
gardens be planted. So the people are content to stay near the shores
and get a living from the waters near by.
During winter the men and boys are busy mending their nets and putting
their boats in order. They also go out in the woods to cut down the
trees to get fuel enough for the coming year. Yet they have much spare
time, so there is a good deal of visiting between the homes, and many
merry parties are held where both old folks and young dance and sing and
play games.
As soon as the spring opens the fishing season begins. The boats are
brought out from winter quarters, the sails are spread, and the harbors
seem alive once more. There is work enough for everyone now. The men and
boys are on the water from morning till night, while the women and girls
are as busy as bees curing the fish after it is brought on shore.
The children of Newfoundland are taught to salute the English flag
because they, as well as Canada, are under the rule of Great Britain.
Yet Newfoundland and the peninsula of Labrador never became a part of
the Dominion of Canada.
The capital of Newfoundland is the city of St. Johns. Its deep harbor is
very beautiful. High cliffs of red sandstone rise on each side and
protect the ships anchored in the waters below from the fiercest gales.
The city is built on the slope of a hill on the northern side of the
harbor. On the summit of the hill, above the rows of houses in the
streets below is a beautiful cathedral where many of the people go to
worship on Sunday. In good weather the children of the city, who wake
early enough, can turn their eyes out towards the ocean and watch the
lovely clouds of the sunrise,--fairy palaces of crimson and gold which
vanish from their sight as they are looking.
After the Birds.
Great numbers of visitors come to Newfoundland every year. Many of them
are hunters who have heard of the game to be found in the forests and
along the shores of the lakes and ponds. The ptarmigan, the wild duck
and goose, the plover, the curlew, and still other birds are to be found
there.
The best time for bird hunting is after the flies and mosquitoes have
said good-by to the country. Then it is that many strangers step off the
steamer at St. Johns. With guns and game-bags they make their way
towards the "barrens" of the inland country. These barrens are often
stretches where there are no trees, and little else grows. The wild
birds flock there in great numbers, for they have found that there are
wild berries to be had for the picking even in that barren country, and
they feast and feast till they are plump and fat and ready for the
sportsman's game-bag.
It seems so quiet and safe out on the lonely barrens that the birds are
not on the lookout for danger, when suddenly bang, bang! sounds through
the air and some of the birds out of a happy flock fall to the ground,
while the rest fly away in great fright.
Herds of reindeer wander over the lonely parts of the country in search
of the moss that is their favorite food. They have beautiful branching
horns and their short legs are very strong. They have a wonderful scent,
which warns them of danger, and they easily take fright. Often, when a
hunter has crept upon them ever so softly, they have discovered his
nearness and away they scudded over the hills and rocks where he would
not dare to venture, and he has been obliged to give up the chase for a
time, at any rate.
The Indians of the island do much better than the white hunters. They
know how to outwit the reindeer and to approach them from such a
direction that the wind will not carry the scent. For this reason the
white sportsmen have learned that if they wish to be successful they had
best take an Indian guide with them. Even then they have to be so
careful that they think it great sport, and are very proud when they can
show their friends some fine antlers which they have brought home after
a hunting trip in Newfoundland.
The Copper Mines.
On the eastern coast of Newfoundland there is a beautiful bay to which
the French gave the name of Notre Dame or, Our Lady. It has many arms
which reach far into the land; some of these are so deep that they make
good places for ships to anchor. Others are very small and the water is
so smooth that little children can paddle about in it without fear.
This bay of Notre Dame is now famous for something besides its beauty,
as copper mines have been discovered on its shores. One of the richest
of these is at Bett's Cove and many men are now at work getting the
precious ore and shipping it to other lands.