Bowdoin Boys in Labrador: An Account of the Bowdoin College Scientific Expedition to Labrador led by Prof. Leslie A. Lee of the Biological Department — John Shaqi
Bowdoin Boys in Labrador: An Account of the Bowdoin College Scientific Expedition to Labrador led by Prof. Leslie A. Lee of the Biological DepartmentCilley, Jonathan Prince
History
Bowdoin Boys in Labrador: An Account of the Bowdoin College Scientific Expedition to Labrador led by Prof. Leslie A. Lee of the Biological Department
Cilley, Jonathan Prince
Labrador (N.L.) -- Description and travel; Scientific expeditions
Our little Julia rewarded our action of the night previous by taking
us out by Mt Desert Rock at a rattling pace Monday morning, bowing
very sharply and very often to the spindle-like tower on the rock, as
she met the Bay of Fundy chop, and at the same time administered a
very effective emetic to all but five or six of the Bowdoin boys
aboard. She is wise as well as bold and strong, and so after nightfall
waited under easy canvas for light to reveal Seal Island to our
watchful eyes. Shortly after daylight the low coast was made out, the
dangerous rocks passed, and Cape Sable well on our quarter. But there
it stayed. We made but little progress for two days, and employed the
time in laying in a supply of cod, haddock and pollock, till our bait
was exhausted. Then we shot at birds, seals and porpoises whenever
they were in sight, and from the success, apparently, at many when
they were not in sight; put the finishing touches on our stowage, and
kept three of the party constantly employed with our long
bamboo-handled dip-net, in fishing up specimens for the professor and
his assistants. As the result of this we have a large number of fish
eggs which we are watching in the process of hatching, many specimens
of crustacea and of seaweed. The photographers, in the meanwhile, got
themselves into readiness for real work by practicing incessantly upon
us.
Thursday, we made Sambro light; soon pilot boat number one hailed us
and put a man aboard, whom we neither needed nor wanted, and we were
anchored off the market steps at Halifax. The run up the harbor was
very pleasant. Bright skies, a fresh breeze off the land, and vessels
all about us made many lively marine pictures. The rather unformidable
appearing fortification, on account of which Halifax boasts herself
the most strongly fortified city of America, together with the
flag-ship Bellerophon and two other vessels of the Atlantic squadron,
the Canada and the Thrush, the latter vessel until lately having been
commanded by Prince George, gave the harbor and town a martial tone
that was heightened upon our going ashore and seeing the red coats
that throng the streets in the evening. Halifax, with its squat,
smoky, irregular streets is well known, and its numerous public
buildings, drill barracks, and well kept public gardens, all backed by
the frowning citadel, probably need no description from me. After
receiving the letters for which we came in, and sending the courteous
United States Consul General, Mr. Frye, and his vice-consul, Mr. King,
Colby '89, ashore with a series of college yells that rather startled
the sleepy old town, we laid a course down the harbor, exchanged
salutes with the steamship Caspian, and were soon ploughing along,
before a fine south-west breeze for Cape Canso.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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