All summer they had been taking an occasional caribou, enough for present needs, but little more than that, and the hunters on their return from the coast found the hands at home as empty as their own.  Now the long winter stretched before them with all its dread possibilities.

We enquired of them how far it was to the coast, and found that they make the outward journey in five days, and the return trip in seven.  They informed us that they had this year been accompanied part of the way in by an Englishman.  All white men are Englishmen to them.  As George interpreted to me, he said, “That must be Mr. Cabot.”

Instantly the chief caught at the name and said, “Cabot?  Yes, that is the man.  He turned back two days’ journey from here.  He was going away on a ship.”

When during the winter I had talked with Mr. Cabot of my trip he had said, “Perhaps we shall meet on the George next summer.”  Now I felt quite excited to think how near we had come to doing so.  How I wished he had sent me a line by the Indians.  I wanted to know how the Peace Conference was getting on.  I wondered at first that he had not done so; but after a little laughed to myself as I thought I could guess why.  How envious he would be of me, for I had really found the home camp of his beloved Nascaupees.

Meanwhile the old women had gathered about me begging for tobacco.  I did not know, of course, what it was they wanted, and when the coveted tobacco did not appear they began to complain bitterly, “She is not giving us any tobacco.  See, she does not want to give us any tobacco.”

George explained to them that I did not smoke and so had no tobacco to give them, but that I had other things I could give them.  Now that we were so near the post I could spare some of my provisions for the supply was considerably more than we should now need to take us to our journey’s end.  There was one partly used bag of flour which was lifted out of the canoe and laid on the beach.  Then Job handed me the tea and rice bags.  Two, not very clean, coloured silk handkerchiefs were spread on the beach when I asked for something to put the tea and rice in, and a group of eager faces bent over me as I lifted the precious contents from the bags, leaving only enough tea to take us to the post, and enough rice for one more pudding.  An old tin pail lying near was filled with salt, and a piece of bacon completed the list.  A few little trinkets were distributed among the women and from the expression on their faces, I judged they had come to the conclusion that I was not so bad after all, even though I did not smoke a pipe and so could not give them any of their precious “Tshishtemau.”

Meantime I had been thinking about my photographs.  Taking up one of my kodaks I said to the chief that I should like to take his picture and motioned him to stand apart.  He seemed to understand quite readily and stepped lightly to one side of the little company in a way which showed it was not a new experience to him.  They had no sort of objection to being snapped, but rather seemed quite eager to pose for me.