France. We should have to do it without help, too, for the United
States, which is the only country we desire to join, does not want us.
So you see there is nothing for us to do but accept the situation, and
get along as best we can."

"Why don't you emigrate to the States?" suggested Cabot.

"Plenty of people whom I know have done so," replied the young
Newfoundlander, "and I might, too, if it were not for my mother and
sister; but I don't know how I could make a living for them in the
States, or even for myself. You see, everything we have in the world
is tied up right here. Besides, it would be hard to leave one's own
country and go to live among strangers. Don't you think so?"

"How do you make a living here?" asked Cabot, ignoring the last
question.

"We have made it until now by canning lobsters; but it looks as though
even that business was to be stopped from this on."

"Why? Is it wrong to can lobsters?"

"On the French shore, it seems to be one of the greatest crimes a
person can commit, worse even than smuggling, and the chief duty of
British warships on this station is to break it up."

"Well, that beats all!" exclaimed Cabot. "Why is canning lobsters
considered so wicked?"

"I don't know that I can explain it very clearly," replied the young
skipper of the "Sea Bee," "but, so far as I can make out, it is this
way: You see, the west coast of Newfoundland is one of the best places
in the world for lobsters. So when the settlers there found they were
not allowed to make a living by fishing, they turned their attention to
catching and canning them. They thought, of course, that in this they
would not be molested, since the French right was only to take and dry
fish, which, in this country, means only codfish. They were so
successful at the new business that after a while the French also began
to establish lobster canneries. As no one interfered with them they
finally became so bold as to order the closing of all factories except
their own, and to actually destroy the property of such English
settlers as were engaged in the business. Then there were riots, and
we colonists appealed to Parliament for protection in our rights."

"Of course they granted it," said Cabot, who was greatly interested.

"Of course they did nothing of the kind," responded White, bitterly.
"The English authorities only remonstrated gently with the French, who
by that time were claiming an exclusive right to all the