During the stay at camp I saw little sign of attempt at ornamentation.  The moccasins and skin clothing I saw were unadorned.  There was but the one black and red tuque with braided band, and the chief’s daughter alone wore the beaded band on her hair, which was arranged as that of the women in the Montagnais camp.  One woman coveted a sweater I wore.  It was a rather bright green with red cuffs and collar, and the colour had greatly taken her fancy.  I wished that I had been able to give it to her, but my wardrobe was as limited as I dared to have it, and so I was obliged to refuse her request.  In a way which I had not in the least expected I found these people appealing to me, and myself wishing that I might remain with them for a time, but I could not risk a winter in Labrador for the sake of the longer visit, even had I been able to persuade the men to remain.

Already George was showing his anxiety to get away and I realised that it was not yet certain we should be in time for the ship.  It might easily be more than five days to the post.  I could not know how far the Indian mind had been influenced in gauging the distance by a desire to reduce to the smallest possible limit the amount of tobacco the men would need to retain for their own use.  It was not far from the last week in August.  Now I felt that not simply a day but even an hour might cost me a winter in Labrador.

When the word went forth that we were about to leave, all gathered for the parting.  Looking about for something which I might carry away with me as a souvenir of the visit, my eyes caught the beaded band, which the chief’s daughter wore on her hair, and stepping towards her I touched it to indicate my wish.  She drew sharply away and said something in tones that had a plainly resentful ring.  It was, “That is mine.”  I determined not to be discouraged and made another try.  Stretched on a frame to dry was a very pretty deer-skin and I had George ask if I might have that.  That seemed to appeal to them as a not unreasonable request, and they suggested that I should take one already dressed.  The woman who had wanted my sweater went into the wigwam and brought out one.  It was very pretty and beautifully soft and white on the inside.  She again pleaded for the sweater, and as I could not grant her request I handed her back the skin; but she bade me keep it.  They gave George a piece of deer-skin dressed without the hair, “to line a pair of mits,” they said.

As they stood about during the last few minutes of our stay, the chief’s arm was thrown across his little daughter’s shoulders as she leaned confidingly against him.  While the parting words were being exchanged he was engaged in a somewhat absent-minded but none the less successful, examination of her head.  Many of the others were similarly occupied.  There was no evidence of their being conscious that there was anything extraordinary in what they were doing, nor any attempt at concealing it.  Apparently it was as much a matter of course as eating.