The Icelandic Canadian - 01.11.2007, Síða 32

74
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
Vol. 61 #2
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We were grateful for the wordbook
that the immigration agent gave us, as we
have been able to make ourselves under-
stood enough to buy some bread and
cheese to take with us on the voyage. We
have also brought with us, some hardfish
from home. It has been thoroughly dried,
so that it will keep well during the journey.
October 3rd, 1893
It is late afternoon, and we have now
boarded the ship that will take us to our
new home!!! We sail for Quebec, Canada,
in the morning. This journey will take us a
little more than one week, depending on
weather.
This ship is quite large, but very
crowded. There are many families aboard,
with babies and small children.
October 10th, 1893
There are many Icelanders on this ship,
some from Skagafjordur, others from
Vestur Hunavatnsysla. The vessel pitches
and rolls, making many of us very ill. Three
of the passengers have died from some sort
of fever, borey and I are very sad to know
that their dreams of a better life will never
come true.
October 20th, 1893
We arrived in Quebec this morning.
This is a strange place where the streets are
made of small stones and there are tall
buildings very unlike our little Hofsos. We
are taken aside by a man whom we do not
know and he begins talking to us in a for-
eign, unknown language. The man leaves
and sends another man to watch us. We try
to leave but he tells us “nei.” Confused, I
start speaking to him in Icelandic. To my
surprise, he says to me, “I don’t speak
Icelandic.” We wait for half an hour when
finally a plump and short Icelander, who I
assume is the man we have been waiting
for, comes out with his hand outstretched
exclaiming “sadl vinur!” We are happy to
see another Icelander and I shake his hand
immediately. Tonight, he tells us, we are to
spend the night in a small barn-like build-
ing, which he calls an immigration shed. He
tells us that in the morning we shall go by
train to Toronto; then by steamship to