came from Cartwright Post on
Sandwich Bay with Captain Grey on the Pelican, also predicted the
failure of our enterprise. But Hubbard said to me that he had heard
such prophecies before; that they made the work seem all the bigger,
and that he could do it and would.

At noon on Monday Dr. Simpson came with the Julia Sheridan, and we said
good-bye to Rigolet. The voyage down the inlet to Northwest River Post
was without incident, except that the good doctor was much concerned as
to the outcome of our venture, saying: "Don't leave your bones up there
to whiten, boys, if you can possibly help it." We reached Northwest
River at two o'clock on Tuesday afternoon, and found the post to be
much the same as Rigolet, except that its whitewashed buildings were
all strung out in one long row. The welcome we received from Mr.
Thomas Mackenzie, the agent there in charge, was most gratifying in its
heartiness. Mr. Mackenzie is a bachelor, tall, lean, high-spirited,
and the soul hospitality. Hubbard promptly dubbed him a "bully
fellow." Probably this was partly due to the fact that he was the first
man in Labrador to give us any encouragement. We had not been there an
hour when he became infected with Hubbard's enthusiasm and said he
would pack up that night and be ready to start with us in the morning,
if he only were free to do so.

To our great disappointment and chagrin, we found that Mackenzie had no
fish nets to sell. We had been unable to obtain any at Rigolet, and
now we were told that none was to be had anywhere in that part of
Labrador. Hubbard realised fully the importance of a gill net as a
part of our equipment and had originally intended to purchase one
before leaving New York; but he was advised by Mr. A. P. Low of the
Canadian Geological Survey that it would be better to defer its
purchase until we reached Rigolet Post or Northwest River, where he
said we could get a net such as would be best adapted to the country.
Hubbard had no reason to doubt the accuracy of this information, as Mr.
Low had previously spent several months at these posts when engaged in
the work of mapping out the peninsula. Conditions, however, had
changed, unfortunately for us, since Mr. Low's visit to Labrador.
Seeing the quandary we were in, Mackenzie got out an old three-inch
gill net that had been lying in a corner of one of his buildings. He
said he was afraid it was worn out, but if we could make any use of it,
we might take it.