Many thanks for all the help, whomever suggested I use disklabel put me
on the right track:

7 partitions:
#        size   offset    fstype   [fsize bsize   cpg]
  a:       32      144   unknown                        # (Cyl.    0*- 0*)
  b:        2   196606   unknown                        # (Cyl.   95*-
95*)
  c:   196608        0    unused        0     0         # (Cyl.    0 - 95)
  g:   196430      176    4.2BSD        0     0     0   # (Cyl.    0*-
95*)

  After seeing it several times, it somehow hit me that a:/b:...g: are
partition letters corresponding to /dev/sd1a thru g... thus I was trying
to mount a partition that really doesn't exist as far as netbsd is
concerned.  Thanks for the answers, sorry for the dumb questions. =)

-MDP

-A genius is simply someone who can retain that stunningly
brilliant thought long enough to write it down.