flMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) // -m^ ^ t/ ''4s (/.. 1.0 I.I 1.25 ^ til 125 1^ 12.2 - Ii4 I It 1^ 2.0 IIIIIM V] <^ /a /a y % Photographic Sciences Corporation ,-\ 4 V :1? :\ \ <^ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. MS80 (716) 872-4503 o^ CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICIVIH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de nriicroreproductions historiques Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibliographiques The( to thi The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. 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Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la dernidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbole — ► signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbole V signifie "FIN". Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre film6s d des taux de reduction diffdrents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul cliche, il est film6 d partir de I'angle sup6rieur gauche, de gauche 6 droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images n6cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la m6thode. ' errata d to It e pelure. :on ci n 1 2 3 32X 1 2 3 4 6 6 F FIVE YEARS IN CANADA BY W. M. EL KINGTON i i 'I 4 % London' WHriTAKKll i^- CO., PATf:i{NC)STEi; SQUAPvK UuMtV (JEOllGE K. OVEir 1895. ri"" 170117 I'lMNIKI) I'liOM l.INOTVI'K IIAIIS IIV THK licONoMIC IM{INTIN(; AND l'rBLl>IIIN. HoivKKii: Stukkt, Fi.kkt Stki:i:t. K.C. TO HKNIJY II. IIAYWARI), Ksv-. .].!>., IN roKi-\ oi i:sTi:i:.\i THIS l.ooK IS DHDICATKD liV rilK Al'TIIOR. 1*11 KF A c i:. Ill liiyiii;^' tills Jittlc woik Ix-i'oi'c ilic ])ul»lic, I must ;isk tlicir k'\\\(\ iii(lu|i2('ii((' ill icsiiccl (»f the iiiiiii\ >li(iitcoiiiiii<>s wliicli it coiitjuiis. Wluit I have written 1m'1«' mv plain I'actv: 1 have ciKlcavouu'd to trace out the iueideuts con- nected witli my sojourn in Canada, and in doin^- so it lias been mv \vi-;li to point luit. not onl\ the advantai-es. hut the disadvantages pertainiufjt' to the lite of a ^cttlei- in the (jreat .North West. The tacts naifated here are hut the ("veryday lite ot an emi<4-raiit ; they are things that 1 nve happened to inc. and that are likely to ha[»|>en to every youn^' man who may leaNc his home in l'!n;^land to trv his i'ortune "'out West." J have also endeavoured to show in its true torm the pttsition ot a man who has emi^iated with a taiiiih ; and also, in my picture ot ranclie lite, to show what may he d(»nc with capital and energy. liy the statistics i^iven at the end id this luKds 1 hoj)e to have -^hown v. hat is io he i^ained hy the ditterent (lasses ot emifi'iants; and now. in older to L;ive more insight into the everyday lite. I must re(pu>st the i-eadei''s tolerance in ac'-omitaiiyiui:' me through a |H'riod ot live years in Canada. W M. K. l{t(.Hv, February, J 895. 1 I CO NT K N TS. r\iii; CIIAI'Ti:!; I I I- liiml.inil ». "Ciiciii" «'((iiifi>rt-.iii(l l>i-ii.ii,fnit, .M<>\j|1i> I'lii' \(i\;i^i' lhilit',i\ llit<>l'ni|iiiii,'il Itiiilw.'iy (^iii-lii>i Ott.'ivv.'i riif .liMii!ii'> l.;ik»' SiiiH'riiM rile Hii^li 'I'lic ruiric I'mv inn' \>iiiiii jM'u - Toit iiii- I ' I'liiiric •^tiitlnliii \ :M;iiiiliilpii l'';iii 't |i' <'II.\J'1 i;i{ II. Ill' {'.iiiMiiij's SiMMJiii;. - (»iiili ^llcll.ti|ln -(iittinu ituU Kiii'inc — Mii'-iiiiitiif^ A h'lipst ><,ill l,:iki'> -'I'hi' riii|i.-i— NciyhlMiiif, Itrciikiiiu A (■.Mliiiif- Dciiiiliiii'ii l)a> Siiiniiifi 'f;illiiwjiii> — ll:i\iii|i -- liiulsiiii l$,i> .iM|phiii— Tlu' .liMinu'v — ('.iiii|iinn — llcavx |{n>ll - \Vlii,ko\-.i,ic:v> 'I'lii' Nru .Si'tllcuirlit — 'I'llc l^iki- U:i\ ^taik — (»m ('iiiii|iitm liinuinl l»iick< 111(1 (ii't'sc- After ;i Moo.st'- I'r.iiiicl'iir .\ii Advcntmc '.Mtli Wuhcs— Tin lii'tiuii .Iniiiiit'x— Oil \Vcll-.-lniliaii Kiicmiii- inciit — Moi.>ii;,c:it - lloiiii' \:;,iiii 'riiii-.iiiiiu -Mm.il L.iki-— l'i>li -.i'l-i'.t t'lJAI'TKI! I\ .>iiii\v-,!i'iyiiiii;;~|{ii>li Work Aiidtln'i- 'I'lij. t'l l,.ikf |),iM|iiiiii— !>riviii« <',ir;lc -On Ciiaid — ( njil Wt-at lici - 'Hie >i'ttlfiiicn; Ai;aiii-(»m Destiniitioii— 'llif Shiinly- Iiiiinciwincnts-'riu' stalilt'.-.-'! rapiiiiii; \Vi.l\fs — Ilaiiiluu ll.i>-l-'i :{4 . \\ (ilAI'TKI! v.- l{ii>iii- a Farm- Staitiiiy for (^uaiipcllf- A l.orm \Valk-l,.i>t — Fort (^u .ipi't'lli- -'I'lit' Farm — A 'Icaiii of Mari'> -.Scfdinu— 'I'lic Mo.s- ()Uit"e> Ak .iii-'lin' SfttU'iiifiii- Donifjs ,it the I'ort-Au Indian ('iiicf — IltlMtiiiu foi \\ nod— l'ic--iiii- |-J-4l> (IIAI'TKK VI. -Il.\^ A .Misliai.-:iio Croiis -HiintinK Hoi.s.'>-(. aniens- A Slimmer Fins: -Tlie Hinder >tiitiiteLnli()iir— Divisions- Sit tinn Hull — Will our Indians Keliel .'— .Vlixiety— liiiek.settinn — ShootinK— The 'I'liie^lier— .Meals- N'aliieof ( irain— The Trail — Cord-wood — Weaiini; Appaivl— l,mu- lieiiiin- A l*'rr\ ,., ,",(i -.■!'.► CIIAI'TKIt VII -.'iiu' r^itilf linliiu i.. I'.ii«l,iiiil- Hiiiixh S(ijliii-i <»ii IIh' <'iiis I'tnl \illnn An Aniilciii K\|M'riiinntaI {■'iiriiis M.iiitrciil — S.S, "Siinliiiiim - (^lU'licr 'llir ^t l,:i\\ icm*'— A Stiiiiii-Huiiuli \.i_\,iK»' — Irt'liiiil {•'.iiyliiiiil ''<^ 7-' iikiii".« - llif \ ..\.ih,._,\ Niw l.im'-CiHikliiK -li-ejiiiii- A lliici - A ^tiiv in \Viiiiii|i.« - selling (liiiiii A hilly- .Mi>\in(jii llciisc- Kuinlwink — Miit Suiilli >-'ilii' s.mh li l!.iin>\\- in;; .1 IJidiKJin -'I'lir .Mi^^simi 'I'lir I'l.iirif Kilt' I»iiiii*-Nm Ni«s I'ihiiiiI llif Ufll Kiuui-lliit Wciillii 1- H:itliiii;;-'riit' I'll' iiir-A (^imi ivl— lliilf- liiiTils- Tlu' Kx)>frilil*>iit;il l'';mii S't — !»4 illAI'TKI? XI.— \ Suil-iliillrc-'riiilllili' A 'rilllllih'l>tollil IJl;i->fy .Mill Sun- lifMiii I'.tiiiis — StKiif Stiililf liiiliiin I'nw-wiiw - Mint iiii lli'iiii' -The llinAfsl -Stiiiidfjinn \Viifiit-(l I ( rii|is— ( u-c^f— Wjir.ii riii/..'ii - Aki-I- .•iiltmiil show ltr> 1"-.' t II.\I'TI:H XII. — I{:i lulling -Till' si M .Mcxicni smldlfs-- Ci.wliiiys- A Winter Hiilc-Sixty Di'mt-cs liclnw /cin - ll.iiiliim ll;i\ - A Wnlf Hiint-Cuw l.iist lii;i-l'i'' CJIAI'TKU XIII - 'I'lif S|ia,k— lliU. hill- — |{,inii...k .mil Sl.iiijih k - (old W'citlu'v— Lim;; Diiy.-*- (;ir,i|)|icllf M.itiuii- .An .\riivnl finni KiikIiiiiiI - l.tMxJny the Kinii On the Ituni'lif Itiaiulin;; — < iiliiiiii;; IIhI'M's .\ • oir.ii 110 u: <'IIAI'IK|{ XIV.- |)iy;.iii;. n Wi'll - Nciily .m Aciiilfiit A Nfw H.iihviiy-- Kiiihviiy ('(iinj)iiiii»'s— .V liiiryt' Itiiiiciif -'I'lu- Hiiiin ClIAriKH XV.-A KiiK-Maiiitimliii Islaii.l liinlicr -Toronto Mainl I'ark — Nia;;ara Falls— " Ma ill of the .Mi^t " — I'ciniiiiscciici's Ni-w \ork Cential — " KxiiDsitiiin Klyer"— <'atskill .Mimiitaiiis-lliKlsini lliver New Nork — S.S. " I'mliria ' .Man Oveitioanl - (^iieenstown — Kn;;lanil 120— I'U I FIVE YEARS IN CANADA. (IIAPTKK T. Lenve Knglaml S.S. "Conan" CfHiifortN iind DiscrdiifortM Mcivilli' 'V\w N'livuKi' Iliilifax liiti'icolmiiiil liailwav <,>\ifl)i'c Ottnwa 'I'lic .loiirni-y Lakf Sii|pi'ri()r Tlii' liiisli 'I'lic I'lairic I'lovincf - Wiiiiii|K'h' J'ort.'igc la I 'rail if- Stratlu'laii A Mniiitotia Faiiii. (Ml the lltli «tt Ajiii]. 1SS!(, 1 >iiiil('(l titmi Tiivcipool on l»(>iir(l tlic Alhiii liiiu' ■^tcaiiisliij) "" ( orriUi " ioi' JIaliiax and INdtlaiid. It was somcwliat of a relict' aitiT tlu- lius- tlc ointed witli the vess(d ; we had e.\|ie(ied to Hud elaborate state-rooms an«l cabins, hut it turned out that she was only a cattle- boat fittelace \nv one man to --land U])riclit; alon;jr (Uie si»h' of the (■al)in ran a stream of biljie water, and in the roof was a ventihiti-r connected witli tlie cook's ^'aUev. fr(un which wc cau^^ht fi'ccjuent whiff's of boiled cabba- Inoke the ship was rollino. |,;,d|y, ;,„d I so(.n heean to leej «iueer in the stuIVy little cahin, so I manaevd toed some clothes on. and sciamhie.t on drc k in time t(. save myself in>"i an attack u\ si( kness. A. ccdd wiii.l was Idowin- '■""" '''•' "•"••li. .Hid the ship was ](dline- <,n the hit u\ a '^'■''' ''"' '■<':'^' <»i Indaiid lay ahoul two miles to leeward, and se\cial -mail steamers and sailine- vesscds jtassed i»e- twecii u> and the land. Very h'W i)assene(.rs were on deck, i'ltd lh<- hreaklast tahle did not tempt more than a dozen persons. Ahoiit noon the ship's head was turned to the littid. and we entered l.otinh |''oyle, where the mails and pass<-nevis Irom Ktmdonderry awaited us; several other ve,s(ds weic in at the same time, aiu liored (dV the piclur- <'''!"•' lixle Nillanv „t Moville. Ov.-r a hundre.l passen- ger, came (.n hoard h<.iv. makineti,,. miinher up to ahoiit eiehi hnndred; every(.ne \\\u> had heen ill henan to feel nj-ht anaiii now in the smooth water of tlie I.ou^h, and when tlie ship started aeai,,. w<' were all in the best of i Fifi-: Yh'.ih's i.\ r.i.v.i/>.(. 11 spiiil-. All (i|>cii-;iir coiicci I \\;is stmlcd im dci K. Init ;is \\*' I'''' 'Ik- ••ii:i>t nt JrcliilMl :iii(| ciiiiH- (Mil ii|)i)!i the Wiivcs (it llir l.Kijid A'hiiilic, till- |t;i^st.|inr|s oijHiiiiillv went below, ^<'i"<' '!•'> t<' ti.iiH' ii|) ;iL-;iiii till llic end (il l|it> Vdvap', lor wlicii I woke ticM iiioiiiiii I loiiiid \\;is iiii|»os- sildc, lor no >ooiit r Ii:id I titled my lie:id tli:iii I \\;iv sei/ed witli >ie|\iie-. diiriiiH- ulnCii lime I loiielied no tood jind dcilits \ei\ tittte. ( (|ie of tlie oilier orri||i;ilit- of oiil r;it)iii \\;is jii^l ;is tiiid, hut llie other l\\'idi(t not -iilVer -omiieli. Ttie stew ;ird cnnie in with the sooltiiiiL;- intetti^'cnee thnt we IiihI eiieoiintered ;i ;j;ite. niid ttiiil no one Uii> nttowed on deei^ not tlnit we w i-tied to ^o ; lie tcdd 11^ lliere were only three -^eeond enhin [tn^seii- ^',•1,-. who were nol siek, nnd these did not enjo\ them- selves niueh while the ;^;(le histed. ( dl the hmi'tli molli- ilie' I lie;j:in to h'el ;i little more eheelilll, nlld with the li(d|) oi the stewnrd innmijLied to e(-t on deck, where 1 soon reeoveied, ;ind >|ient the time lietueen imMU in ehewill^' shi ps-tijscnit : most of the other |Ms>eimcr- l»e<';iii to "el rielit now. :in,aiii a w ha le or a not liei shi|) w as si ^ hied, Iml on the w hole the scenery was \ei\ nionoloiioiis. ( Mie nij^lit a \e.s^el passed IIS ;it a disi;ince (d three or hnir miles. :ind we were treated to a display of si;^iiallii:;^- hy rockets, w liicli looked very well on the water. Some of the da\s were ncia' line iiiid warm, hiil as we <;dl nearer to the other side we liee-ati 12 11 VK YKAliS l\ C.lXADl. t(i i(M'l the (littVrrncc in tln' cliniiilc. In crossino' the Inink (»1 .\r\vl()Uli(lluii(l we «'li('()liut('ic(l tilt' iisu;il licavv fo<>s, iiiui liiul to lv('('|) the fo^-lioni f^diiii;' rcjiuhiily till wv ^ot cli'iii' of it. W'v \v«'iT now on I lie look out for hind, ;>nidlv canic u]> to it. The foirst-lincd short's seemed to have no o|»enin;i', hut as we ^ot neaicr we saw a uaiiow channel, and steaming' thrtui^h this, found ourselves in the harhoui' of Jlalifa.x, .Nova Scotia. It was rather late wlien we ^ot olV the sliij): tlio l)!!^- jiaiic took so h)noim' jilaces a few lo^^- luits used by lumbeicrs. ]\'o attemjit had been made at .\. 13 called Truro for dinner, iuid after leaving- tliere caiiie upon 11 different kind of countiy altofi'etlier ; train rocked and swayed as if it was ain, and stations were few and far between. At meal times we stoj)i)ed at a small t(t\vn, and once the en<>ine broke down, delaviny us foi- a few hours, when wo walkeh the woods. We bought a i. liU;;(' idiks :iihI tirr«;, with ^iiiiill hikt's ;iim1 jivcis, lull (il; tisli. tidul iilid pikr. A ;iic;il iimiiy lirais iiiiil dtlici' iMii- iiiiils iirc slidt. iiltitni licrc, i* Ix-iii^ cou^kIcic'I (Hic of ihv l)c>t plncc^ lor ^poit in (lie ((niiitiy. Soon alter Icjivin;:- SiidiMny the lr;iiii \v;is si^iiiillcd to stop, iind lip|)cd iiiid Icit ;t ;/i<';it Jn-lc in lioiit of u^ ; it lo(d\ ^onu' time to put this lioiit ;ind ;^t't the i;iils hiid ;i;iiiin, iijid it wii-; not until next mofiiiiii^- tlnit we LOt ;i \ icw of liidic Sujicrior ;it u ^pot culh'd .l;i(kli-h li;iy. The ice hiul not ;ill molted round the slioics. hut f;ii' out we e(Mihl see the white-ciips ( ! l]ie WiiVes. The line i!in tlii'ou^ih rocky tunnels ;ind over hi^ii tres- tle< huii-: it is onlv u small town. !)ut i^ ati important place for wheat sliippin;:'. I'ort W illiani. at the mouth of the lvamini further on, !•> anot her jdace from \\hi(di a ^reat deal (d Maniioha No. I Hard, a> the liest ^\•lleat is called, i^ dnpj»ed. \\'e now hdt the Ijake ajtou'ether, and pa-^'^ed ihrou;jli another haricn tiact of country till we came to Kat I'orta^e, okiii^' farms, where the people wci'e seediiin', :nid after runniii<:' through a few small stations, -aw on tla- latiizon sions of a lar«:(' K.wn, and in a shoit time arrived at the eit y of AV^nnipo^^ tlie capital of Manitoha. This town, formerly ealler a iifty-mile run came to I'ortane hi Trairie. where the Manitoha and Xortli-Westeru joins tlie Canadian Pa- cific, and as I had hooked to Strathclair Stati(m on the tor- liu'i- railroad, I had to channess the tiain I should arrive hv : but I ceased to wonder when I sulise(|nently Icai ill that there was only one train a day each way. I shall not soon foi^et my first ride in a Canadian waj^on and ae joltin^' 1 "ior : thei-e are no sj>rin<>s exce{)t to the seat, and tliev are not of mucli use when the waj^ou j»-oes throu or over a stone. A drive of two miles hrouiiht us to the hn.i. 17 CHATTKR TI. 'I'lic Kllililin^s Scdliii;^ Duck Sliuiitiii;;- Cutting; Kails l'\'!i{!ili.4 Mosi|uiti>cs - A l''ri)st Siilt l.iiko 'I'lif ('mils Xcij^liliniii > IIiiMkiii^ A rvcloiu' - I )iiiniiiiiiii l>ii\ Smiunr: t'lillowiu;; lliiyiii^ Hiiilsim liny ('(Hiipinix - liwlinu Itfscrvc liiiyiii^^ ii I'oiiy An Aiiivnl llnrvcstiii^; iMicguiiuls - I'loii^liiiiH l'rc|iiir!iti^' walls and >traw roofs, and, beiii^i; anxious to >iait work. I was set to (lean the staldes out and look alter the hor-es and cattle. Seedin<>-, I found, was nearlv lini-^hed. and hy the middle of May was a thiuii' of the past, the season heinj^' one (d the earli<'st()ii record. The farm itsell' con^i-^ted of •'{'iO aciv-. ahout SO acres oidy of Avlii<-h was cultivated aud fenced in. tlie rest ludne- oju'ii to tlie i>rairie. whiUt on one ]>art Avas a small lake of -iO acres. Avhich at that time of the year was covered with wild du(d<>;: ai nl^ht, after the work was Hnished, T some- times went down with my p-uu to try and shoot next day's dinner: ai hrst I wasted a o'reat many rartrid<;'os, and tlu^ du( ks didn't seem to mind me. hut after some practice f cotdd oenerally manafie to o-ct a i!Ood l)a<,^ n IP /■/r/-; >/;i//.s' i\ cw \n\ Wlicii sccdiiiL:' AMi^i <»V('r, we went one day to the hush to ncr a load of stakes lor Iciiciii^'. and as 1 could not haiidlc an axe (I had already hfokcii two a\e-liaiidles in my at- tenij)ts at sj)liitin^'' firewood^, I had to dia^' the tree:; (»iit to the wauon, which T found to he iiitlief heavy work, and, toi'cther with the Ileal, eonntei-halaiiced the novidtv of the situation, and when the day"^ woik. was over and we were riding' home on the load, I had made u|i my mind that " faiinin^' in Maiiitoha "' was not all .su^af and plums, and that "hard wcik" was much haidei' than 1 had aiili- ci|»ated. We next --et to woik to do some h-ncinu'. Two >takes aic stuck in tlie uiound ahout six of ei;^ht inclu's a|)ai't; lietween these ate ]»ut the rails, and then the stakes are l.e|»t tou'i'tlier hy l)indin|!,' tliem round with willow hands or withes. Ah(mt this time the mos(|uitoes were hei^innini;' to make their a|)])earance, and at the same time th(> Avheat was com- ing' uj) nicely, Avhen one morninjj' axc found theic liad hiMui tour deerocs of frost in the nieht, whi(di had cut down the wln-at and killed all the mosipiitoes. 'I'hese fi'o.sts peiiorally conu' if the spring' has heeii early, as it A\as that year: (Uie heneHt we derived from it was that we weie not ti'ouhlear, for wlu'cdi we could uot l)e too thankful, f(n' in the short time tliev had hepu with us they had piven us a foretaste of wliat was to c(nne when the S' asou orew (dder. Wo o(,t our mail every day at the station, one of us liav- inrr to /.v r.i.v.i/>.i. I!) .slu-p, i.ii.l •!..• iv.t -piivatr houses"' all luiill. ol' lun.luT. ('[•hi. ,lr>.ii|.tion ivlrrs t., the yvM' ISS'.I; tioi.i ]a1f>l ac- ,.nunt> 1 hear that the place has (hannv.l lu-vciul ivc.o- iiition). AIm.ui iw.. mili's from our platv was au alkiili lake, ^\ .inv ^v,' ottru urut \uv a >wiu., auc. uilh whi. h tlic place >\varu.c(l. These alkali or sah lakes are very uuiuerous in that part of the country, and in some places, owiu- to the continui'd dry summets. have l.een com- ,,let,.lv di ied up, leavin- the suit thick upon the -round like ii l:,ver .d M.ow; needless to -e i)lac,- to spend the had had no lain f(U' some lime, and the ofound was net tin- dry and hard, and tlie wdieat, wddch was recover- i„„. iVom the eireets of the frost, bcoau to luru yelh.w ; .ome days were int»-ns,dy Lot, tlie thonnonu'ter re-ister- in..- one hundred and six de-rees in. tlie shade; we ccmld not (>ven feteli a bucket of cold water from llic well but iv was tepid Ixd'ore we (MUild vea(di the house. On Sundays a rresl,yT(>rian Chundi Service was Indd in a >mall wooden l)uildin- at the stati(m, to whi( h most of tlie people in the district went. We had several nei-li- houis, the nearest heiii- an Ennlishmnn, whose house was a little over a quarter of a mile away. In the hot weath-'r I'. 2 I'd /•/r/v Yi:.\i!S i\ r.i.v.i/M. very little iiiriit is cjitcii, I'oi' sever;! 1 ifii-uii^, llieeliiel l>eili<; that it eniild not he ke]»t tVesh iii;iii\ hniil-, iiinl so hrcad iiiid hiitter iiliil vci^ctiihles t'oiiiied mif staph' I'odd. Alter the h'liein;:' and dthei' wovl alioiit the huihlinos had heen liin>hed, we >et to woih to " hieid< " a piece of hitid. Mr. 'J' stalled with hi> •'>ulk\" ph^n^h, whilst I picked out the stoia'> ;ind stiickcd theni in liea|f> very heavv woi'k in hot weniher, which necessitated l're(pn'nt trips to the lake, which was ehi-e li\, to retroli ouiselves with a drau^^ht of its, t(» say the lcn>t. nnpleasant water; hut in these cases one niu>t not l»e too jiarlicnlar. When we had done ahout fifteen acio. Mr. '1' started me to do the rest with a small walkinu' ])loiit;h and two horses; it was the Hrst time 1 li;id held a ploULih, so T had (piite a |oh to keeji it straifjht ;it tir>t, l»nt after a time I ^ol into the way of it, and did aliout ten acie<. (die day, whilst 1 was ])lou^hinii', I >aw on the horizon to the north a cloud ci' dust, and a few minutes after a terrific wind struck us, upset liu' ])Iou;;li and my-clf and made the luu'ses sla^'^'er; when it had ])assed over it heoan to lit'Iilen, ami seeing- a d fi si^iKii troni tlie luursr, I went in, jiist in tmu' to esca|)e a, leavv thunderstorm. Tl lis rain ( lid -onie iiixx Itotl le crojis, I ut it had come too lat<' t(» eiisuie a i^dod season. The ^'lass and liei I)a;j(' was as dry as a hone, and we fi'ecpuMitly saw ])rairie and hiish fire< in the distance. It was now aliout the Iiciziiin'iii;^' of .1 iily, and on the 1st of that month, liein;^' Dominion J)ay, a ])ic-n:c was hehl at a j)lace calleil Xewdale, eiiilit miles east of us, to wliich were attracted most of the settlers and all the Indians within a, tiftv miles radius, for whom liorse and foot races liad liecui arranf>e( ini: )i:.ii:s i.\ r.\.\.\i>\. 21 Nddii iillcr tliis \\r >iiirttMl to >niniiiri-l'iill(i\\ ; sdiiic of till' ^'I'oiiikI lliat had licfii xiw ii u:i> in mkIi a had slate tliat \\(' |d(ui.c cioiis than ours, sonic licMs hcin;; covered with \\e{(l>, with licre and there a hea«l (d wlieat standiii;i' out. The hay. which i>H'\\ wiM in the h(dhtws ol the |)raiiic. was xfiy >hort, and what there wasol it M(»t e.itei) ii|) hy the cattle, ^n that the only |)eojile wlio ;^ot any hay were those \\ ho had >oine in>iorry wh«n it wiis done. .\ rai l\ for c ariAinL;- liay is made (d'li^ht tliin |i(de<, in the form of a cat-'c, and fixed on to the wa^on. After this we had very little to do Init herd the cattle, so one (lav we drove to the Ihidson ]^iy J'ost. seven miles jKtrth; after eoveriiii; iialf that distance we came to the liittle Saskatcdiewan I'ivei'. \\hich runs hetween very steep liilis, and whi(li at thi- point makes a sliai]) heiid from south-west to north, and i:ives the name to the little \ illa;:*' that lias spruiiLi' nji \V\ HTnuiid floor was stotdied with j^'oods, and several In- dians were har-iainin.L:' with ilie factors for Idankots, &.c. /••///■; vi'll.'s i\ r.i.\.i/M. I |i>tiiii> I lie tlunr iiiiil \\iill> wt'H' < (IN ('led w iili i|m -kiii> tliat h;i(l Ix'cii Iddiinlii in: ;ill kiii(U(il tins wnv ili.-ir. -(tine tit tlif iiKisi viiluiilili' Mirii'tics. and iillonfilicr wmili tlioii- saiiiUdt (l(illal>. W'liil-l we wi'lc lliciv an Imliaii liKni-lii in ioiH Idack lH'arskin>. wliiili lie liail iia|i|ird(ii dint.anli(t\\ hini-idi nIV In lii< ,>(|Ua\v. Tlici'c Avas niic i(dl(tw tlu'ic w li(» had Minu' |t(ini('s td scdi. >(• I wmi wiili liini i(» lii> jdacc, ar((iin|)ani('d liy (uir (d' tin- tactois to init'r|>ri'i : he ii\(d (111 ihr rt'M'iN aiidn. a ti'act scNcral mile- in cMi'iit, wlnVli is set a|)ait f\( lusividy lor Indians; ki- >ha<:'s, jdasliTcd and loidcfl with nind. Imt this is only tor winter use. ilu" •^uniiniT r('si(h'nc(^ hcinii'a Icprc. or wigwam, \\hi(di sl(»(id iicaf. lie <:(it \\\> |i(iiu('s into the conaL and we |)i(d;('d ont one, whii li hr kissoi'd, and tof w hi( li I ;^a\('hiui the sum ot tori\ (hd- kiis; it was a inaic willi a (-(dt, whi(di was thi'own into the liait:aiii. It was a icijnkif Indian niusianL;' and had not liccn l>i(d<('ii. and t he coiistMiucncc was that when 1 tiicd to ii(h> it homi'. I loiiiid I Iiad taken on a Iml;' joli. Iiui we k'l hcf LiaHoi) till she was tiled, and then she L'a\t' us less tiouhk'. tliounh >he wouhl occasionally sti(d< lief feet in tiu' iiidiind and itduse to nioNc an in(di, when suddeidy she would spiiiio' into the air, and do hei' hest to Lli't lid of the hurJeu on hef l)a( k. However, we ;^'ol hef home all I'i^ht, and hol)l)led hef on the pfaifie: in time the c(dt u'ot very tame, hut it was several months litd'ore the mare could be tau^i'lil to hehavi' heixdt projxM'ly. \Vi' ^'ot tlu> hay all finished l»y the middle oi Au[iU>t, and altogether "ot ahout lhirt\- Ions ; we had a little Kdt over nri-: yi:.iiis i\ r i.v.i/m. 21 riniii lii^l \«>:ii', iiihI with llii> ;iihI llir ^tliiw \\r I|ii|m'(I tn |iiill tlif I III! If ilm»nL:li ilif w iiili r. All i>M ^1 liiinllclluw , .1 , liiid wrillfii to tut' almiit tli. |»l;icf. ;iliil il \\ii> ;in iiimftl tlliit lie ^ImiiM ((ijiH' oill ;ili -i' tn wink, ;ilii| ■! ;iimI I Inllnwril il liilllnl Id set u|) llif ^liriisr^. I IK' lilliiliT l-iill A liirllciHl piiti'Ill. wliicli riiN tlir coin iiiiij lir^ il ii|i ill >liiM\ i'", llni> >ii\iii'.: ;iii iiiiiiirii'>i- :iiii(iuiil ol hiliiiiir. Il w:i^ iml :it :ill li;iiil work. Iiif tlic wliriil Wiis lliill, :illil >nllirliliir> tlir ^ll^;l\(•^ Wt'H lui'iiU \;iriU ;i|t;iil. W v 1i;m1 iwi-iity uiics nl wIiimI iiliii I ell (iT (iiil> : I lir (i;it> Well' ;i> |Mtnr :i> t lir w IiimI, :illil ill -oiiic |i|;ir("< Iniil lirrli I'lililrly ciili'll olV l>\ llic i:i>|i|u'r^, ;i >lii;ill pii'Uiid .>i|iiiiirl wliirli sw iiriii-. on tlic iniiirir. luiii'.;- in liolr^ w lliill it l»ni tow N nut , I III' (lilt li oiii w liicli lie- in lii';i|i- ill! o\ri' till- pkiiT. \\ r liiiil ti;i|(s M'l ioi' tlicln. iilid Ikm! killtMl mill -lioi sonic liiindrcils. AVc •«ooii I oiiiiuciiccd ^tnckin^i" t lie ;ii;iiii iiillic Held, icndy lor I lii'c^liiiii;. Tlic ii\ci;iL;c ( iinadiiiii Innncr t;ikc> \ciy little lioulile with liis >t;iek>, liiit wlietlicr llii> policy i> liuht depends \('iy iiiindi iipon the went licr : Mr. 'I' , liow- e\-er, lni\iiiv' Icaiiit to Inini |tid|)eily in tlic old country. I)uilt his ill ;i t hoiiMiii'lily I'lujilisk la^hiou. 'I'liey wcic ■>ooii lini^hcd. a> lar a-- the wheat was concerned, lor llic oat> were Hot yet in a lit state to cut. The suuiuier Iro-t- whieli -oinetinies Njinil the wheat ill theXortli West luckily kept olf until tiie nilildle (d Septeinlter, and then we had. all sale lint the oats, wliich, heiiiL;' inertdv for horse I'eed. were not d; iiiaucd. and. tlioui;li rather ;^reeii, we cut them and soon had iheiii staid^ed awa\'. r/ri: yI'Jaiis l\ r.i.v.i/>.i. Tlic next jol) w as to plough '^ood w idc (iic^iiiirds idiiiid the stiicks and lMiildiii;is ; a ^icat many |)iaiii(' liics were ahoiil, hilt round (tnr plarc tlic jjiass was liaidly lon^' cnounli to burn; still, it was hest to lie on tlic -al'c side, and so we !ii;idf s in hotwccn; it i^ llitMi almost im|>o-sihl(' lor a lire to jum|) it, cNccpt in a vciv -troni: w ind. and then notliin^- can pirvrnt the whole place troni lieinij- luifnl up. 'riii> duck^ and i^ecse, which had heen up north lor the hicediu'j' season, now l»einkin;i' ol' our cratt did not deter us IVom our ^port ; indeed, a c(»hl hath was \-er\' «Mijo\ahle alter a liaid da\"s work. We canu' across picntx itf du( ks" nesi-' ronnd the lake, and other' wild hirds' in the woods, sp(.rimens (d' which I took and sent to i'injjland. As the weather u'ot co(der wf set to wink to plou^^h up sonu' ol the land which had heen in crop: we had (hme ahout twenty acres when oncd.iy Mr. 'I" expressed a desire tc' '-ee a new settienM'Ut called Lake Dauphin, which liad sprung up o\er the Jvidin^' .Mountaiirs, ahout eillowin<^ 'I'liuisday, leaviuL;- Mr. T "s son to look alter the cattle in (lur ahsence. ril'E YEA US 7\ fAXADA. i5 CIIAPTKK iir. A lii|. hi \.ukr l);ni|.liiii Th'' .Inuincv ('.iiii|.iM- llciivv r.nsli Wlii.-l,. \ jiicks 'I'hi' New Srttlciiinil 'I'ljr l,iikr lliiv>l;icli>^ ( hir ( '.■iiiipiii- ( Iionml DiicksiiiKlCccs.' Aft.iii .M - Till- Iti'tiiiM •I'liiiiicy (til Wills liiiliini KiiciMii|iiniiil .AliM.sriiiiMt lluinc A^^uili 'riiicsliili- Shoiil l,:ilic Fish. W'c n(,t tli(v \v;i^()ii iiiid lliiii<:s ;ill knkIv iIk" ui^lit hflnif, :iiikat- cliewan Hiver, we cani|)ed ioi' dinner (Ui its Icinks. Soon iiiter re-starling" we passed a stoppi iiu-liou-e, where w^re (■limped a «:anlu'(l In ivi.ch ;i ciThiin >lKUity iIkH wv IukI lu-cn t(.l(l of, and wIh'Ic \\v iiihMidcd lo caiiii) lor tlic ninlit : it was alivady octtii.n- dark, and we tiicn-lit we \un<\ liavr im'ssrd il. wImm. wr .anic to an ojM.nin- in tlic .h'n-c s|.nnv hu.li. and on thr other ^idc sto.ul the (.l.i.'.'t (d our M-anli. Wr |.nt our horM". into a pla.v that ha.l Invn ma.h" tor the i.uiiM.x" by sonic others who had eonie hetoic n>. and hioked round the shanty. It \va> oidv a h'W feet scpiarc'. hnih a ratlu-r curious MMisation tor us wl»o had never l)een (uil hetore, and it Avas II lonii' time Ixdore we c(ndd iivt to sKm']* : the sdence ^vas iiiKMiso. hi'okcn only hv the occa-i(nial h.ooiinu' (d an owl or the veliiinu ot a W(dt,, with wiiiidi the lo)'e>ts ;d)ouml. \Vv weie u|) at dayltreak and tound a little snow failing- soon after, howevei'. the >un eanu' out and made thmi^s Inok ;, little nn.re che(>rful. We soon had a piod liiv ooinu'. ;,nd a pot of tea ready tor lireaktast: the Itacon wa- Imrnl ;i little, hut we wei'c all liuniiiy and didn't mind that. As we w-ercealinij'. sevei'al lurds called whiskey-jacd^-. a si.ecH's (if jay. came down and settled ri,i;lit at our feet and lM>n'an to jiick uj) the ciuml)s: these hirds are well known to all who camp out: no (uu- attempt^ to harm them, and the\ iiave heeii known to eat (.ul of a nnin's hand. We started (dV alxuit sr\ cikm lo(d<. The road from Strath- ( lair had lieeii a (.iradual ri-e: we were now on the top laci's tlie \va<;() 11 had to ^'o (lowu some very slccj) (Ic-cfiits. 11(1 till' oiilv thinu' the lioisi's could do wa- almost jti'ccipiccs, a ,,, Iny iKtck oil their haiinrhcs and slich' (h.wii. Aln-ut noon wo caiiio to the valley oi: the Veiniilion. called a vall.-y. Imt really deservin*:' the name o hills helween which the river r I'oi- dinner. A h-w more miles ( 1 lie r ;i t>(»r«'e, so >tee|> ai iins, and hert' we eainiieii hu-'h. oaK. a^li. >l)iu"e ind maple, and we came < 111 t into the new settlemeii t. It It was \(' IV Hat and ai)l)i'are(l to In- h'rtii -I'veral >!ian- ties w( re dotted ahout, and some \n'i iple wt'ie l)\i--y jtloe.'iii- l)luiV< oi' trees were scattered o\cr the .lain, which oave it a i.ark-like appearance, and aUo made \\\[y ; here and there ten-d up here than m the part of the .■ounny w(- isad iust lelt. We did ]i<» >lav aiivwhere. I)ut ( (Hii iiiur,: uir wav to t he lake: alter pas>,iin' throu-h al.oul tine nil Ics of. hush we came out upon a va>t meat low. dotteil a! o\er wi th havstacks : on ihe tar horizon we >a which, ou ovttiiiLi- closer, we h)und to u a hlue sireal- W he the lake drove \ip tv) some lives and hushes wheiv we couUI maKc nine s helter for the hor.-^t' am 1 where we found a hole whic ma I hceuusedasa lime-kiln Uy half-hree.l^. and a kind of h.an-to made of poles and covered ovi'r with hay Some farmers down m t cuouiili hav ior their cattle he older >etlhMiients. not ha\in,i had come ui) here and cul al thev wail ted, intendin<^' to drive tlu' animal ter, lieiice the numher of hay>taek--. Lake Dauphin is twenty-eiuht miles up hu' I lie w; n- nllL!' alU 1 twek mi los Avidi', and i coniUM led with 1-aUe Winnipeu(«>i> l>y •J8 rnr: v7;j/.'-s ix ('axa]>a. • llic 'I'milc l{ivcr. Then- wcrt" ImiKhvds ot ducks iiiid ovcsc ,,l,„ut tl.ccvc.iiii- we aiiivcd: the water is <1ki11(.w for soni.' (list;. lice out aud n.ukfs a -oo*! tccdili};' phuv icr them. \V,. wcic rather nicd alter our journey, so lurned m ,.;,,lv, .) ' and I slcepiu,-' ill llio lean-to and Mi. 'I' m the wa-on. Next iiM-ruiii- we iua(h" our tire in the liine- Jdlu hole and hi 1 a -ood l.reakiast, alter whi.h we leek our nuns and had a walk alon- the >liore ; there wre pleut;. „1 wildlowK l.ut as they were x.iue .listauee oul and we had no hoat, we did not have very -ood ^\nn\. Alter din- ner we went iidaud anion-' llie hnslies alter rahhits and anythiiij-' that we .'ould lay our hands (Ui. We thought at one time that we liad .ii'ot upon the track (d' a moos,., ;iud i,(. dnuht \M' liae, v>ith the skin, 1)ein,i:' worth ahour ritfv dollars. We ii'ot a h'W l)irds and made a sui)per oft tliem, and then Aveiit to hed in our h'an-to, in wliieli we slept as widl as in a leatJier bed. The next day, l)einu' Sunday, we did muliiuL;' Init look aliout the eouutry : there were a lot of i:(>e^e and swans on tlie lake, hut loo far out to lie ndt at. It was a lieautitul Indian summer day, and we could see the trees (ui tli<' oppo- site shore (piite plainly. Aliout noon ^\(' saw snuike to the south, and found that a prairie lire had s|)iiiiin' u|), and as liie wind was in that direction, and we thought Ave mi^ht lu' in some (lan.i. •2'.r move the liorscs, ;is llicrc \\;i> no |»l;ic',' on the liciicli to ])Ul llu'iii, su ! - jiiid I (Ictciiiiincd to sit up all iiij^lit and watcli, and incase tlic fiiv canic near, to move llicni out of dan comiorlahle : \\v liad some jiotutoes. which we roasted. l)oth to anius(> oursehcs and to keep out the eold. Alxuil midnijiht flic lire went out, ha\in^' evidently come to a river of which we were not aware, so we thought ,ve mi^ht just as well ^(1 to sleep where we were, and, i'ollinn« up in a hianket, I soon doxed olT. It could not have heeii very lon^^- l>eh)i(' -I woke me up and whisitered, "Look. (Uit, there's wolves round!" I uenerallv take a ^i'ood deal of wakiu;:'. hut I didn't that tim(> ; we n'otour ^^uus ready and waited: very so(ui tliey ■-tailed veli)iu^' the most miserahlc noi^e any animal can make. We ;^<)t uj) scNcial times to look |{)UU<1, hut all was dark, and we could see n(»t]iinaw a lar,i;v wolf cr(uich- iuo down and icady to spriu,o knocked .-ome soil (h.wn upon .1 : we hoth jumiH'd up at once, and heard a scam- perin-i', hut as we could see nothing' we did not lire. After lids we left the lude and went to the camp, where we found Mr. T with hisriHe ready todideud himself: he had h(>ard the wolves, and 1u.d sat up all idoht to watch the hor.se-. For the remaiiuh'rof the idnht we took turns to watch, foi- 'M) nil-: )i:.\!;s i\ r.\\.\n.\. ill,. l)u^li s(wiiic(l ;ilivc with tiu' 1»iutcs, to jiKlnc rioiii llic li(,iril)l(' vi'lpiiii;'^ tlmt (•(iiitinuc.l till tliiylirciik. llducvcr. iK.lliiiin- lurllicf tr;iii-^|)iiv(l, :iii(l we (•(Uild iiniic <•! us ovi ;,. ^li(.t nl tlicin. We luMid aflcrwinds that a lew iiK.iith- 1„,|,„,. ,, ,,,;,!, ;,,i,l a tram of (-Ncii liad lu'cn catrii l.v wolves ii; ili;it same placr, so we coiisidnvd oinxdvcs hicky 1o i^vt (,tr vo casih'. Ii 1 TIh- iirxt ir.oiiiiiiH' w.^ had aiiaiiLivd to start Lack, and al'trr :, \v;dk r.Miiid with the -nils, duriiio^ which wc paid a vi.it ,,, ,1„. hole, which wc lomid the wolves Itad visited alter u,- left, and had lett their tra(d;s very plaiidy ahotil. we hiiched up ed lor the niuht in the >-et- thMueni, on the hank of the Vermilion liivei'. where we were joined Uy a youn^- Kn<>'lisliman who lived at Strath- , i.iir. and who was -(.ino. down tliere. W(> o-ot a tent i\\vd uj) and had a i^'ood snjiper. aftei' whi(di we sal round the liiv and listened to tlie yarns of an (dd trapper and hunter, -,\ ho came ovei" to us fiom his shanty a litlh' way otV. W i> ;dl went to sleep and ditl not kee]) the lire np all ni^ht : lie c ■onn this trail wc pass(>d ;i sawmill and oil wells: thev had a hole hored seveal hundred h'ct, hut as vet had not " stiiick ile." AVe campt'd h)r the ni^'ht soon, after ioinin;^- the
.i, :u tlic ^aiiit' pliicc wcic ciunpcd sonic incii \vi«li :t licid of ciitllt' odiii..' up, liom wlidiii we L;(it soinc iiiilU, iiiid made a j^odd sii|)|>rr otr it. Alti;' Ix'iii.U' so cnld tlic liinlit Ix'loiv, Avc di- cidcd 1o take watclics and ki-cp u]) a ^ood tiiv all ni^liI, so iiitri' we had ^ol tln' tent fixcil Wf all scl to work to cut. a bin' pile of lircwddd. ^ ^ At five o'clock llic next nioiniu-:' \vc were at breakfast, and XX. n altei' made a start. A little fiiil her on we came to an Indian encampment, wheic there weic two oi' thre(> tepees, and >everal moosidieads and skins ImnainL'' to poles outside: we went u]) to the lai'Li'est tepee and went inside, whei'c the iai\iily weic scpnitted round a lire in the centre, <'atiu^' out id' a ])(»t, and Iried lo nndl) i'cnts. The meat of the moose is pulled l>y the s(iuaws into strips and is liuni;' (Ui ptdes over a stronji' smoke for several days, aft(M' Avliicdi it .arts the leather-like appearance. It needs boiling!' for two days bidoic it is sutticiently tendei' lo be (N\ten. and <'ven iheu T can't say it is ncod. as it retains too much of the smoke and the ])eculiai" taste and snu'll whicli (diaiacterises e\-erytliinu' tkat Indians lia\-e to do witli. We nu't se\-eial settlers i^oinu' up with w ai^on-loads of o'oods, and some with larue herds of cattle. At one time we were in fear of a bush fire, as we saw sundae ahead, and. tlie wind cominu' from that direction, we could snudl it (piite plaiidy ; we piished on. however, and passed it on tlie left, not a ver^' ^'reat distance off: we were ratlier anxio\is f(n- a time, as to be cauulit in a busli fire with uo water fir J': YKAUs ly r.i.\My>.i. lU'iir iuoiiu> ci'itMiu death, ami a at many tiavt'llcrs and luintcis. who have iiev<'i' lu'eii lieard of since a cer- tain tire, have no (h)iil)t been h)st in this way. As we came out of the \n\<\i on to the ])rairie we saw fiics start up on hdth si(U's ()\ us. l)ut as they were wliere the <^rass was thin and sliort. we took litth» lieed (d them. A i'ew more mih's and we arrived at home, wliere we found things all iis hired labour. A few days aftei' our return from Lake Dauphin, J — and I went out threshing; we found it tough work at first, as we were put on the straw stack behind the carriers, Avhere all the dust conu's out: by night time we were nearly blinded and suffocated, and at that tinu' we thought a few more days like that would kill us; however. sinc(^ then we have survived a good many luuder days even than that. The machine Avas run by steam, and did its wcnk vcny well: at every place we went to we were fed on tlu^ best that could possibly be got, this being the general rule. At our ])lac(> the orain turned out poorlv, thouuli Avhat there Avas of it was of good (pudity. In some ])arts of Manitoba the grain is carried direct to the tliresher, thus saving stacdcing, which is a consid(M'abl(> item on a large farm. After everyone had been threshed out, those who had any corn to spare set about finding a market for it. Having heard that a g'ood price was being paid for Avlieat at Shoal Lake, a station eight miles west, we took a load over there. After we had disposed of it we Avent doAvn to the lake, a fair- sized piece of Avater, and borroAA-ed a boat and some fishing VIVE YlCAliS I\ CANADA. 'Mi tticklo; we did not have niucli sport, liowevor, and con- tonted ourselves with a row up the hike. The hikes of Mani- toba are very rieh in fish, t)ie principal and best eating' being' the whitefish, whilst large numbers of pike are caught and shipped to the Eastern markets. x«v«x -"^K^ 34 nrE y?:.i7?.s: tx canava. niWTVAl IV. iio\VHl(i;,'liiiiH Itiisli Work Aiiotlicr 'I'r i|i to l-akc l>Mii|'liiii I>ii\iii^,' riitflc On (iiinnl Cold AN'fiitlici 'I'lic Scttliiin'iit Anniii <>iir I lotiiiiition The Simnt.v Improvomi'iitH Tlic Stalilcs 'rinpiuiit? \\'o1vim Miiiiliii;,' Unv l'"ro/cii Fi'L't Home Cliiistniiis Ciittiiit,' \.i>nx IJciirs A lili/ziiicl Haul 'I'iiiu'N -Fc'i-'il lumiiiii' Sliort Kaliltits I'laiiic ('liiektii«. Shortly aftci- this tlic tiist snow iVll, and avc soon luul to (liscnrd wagons and take to slciolis; we found tlicv were miu'li nior(» comfortable to ride in, and, when the roads wei'e ji'ood, eordd he drawn nnich easiei- than a wa^on. AVe had some A-ery sharp weather, and when all farm work was sto])]ied, we set to work to eiit and Inuil firewood and rails; two Monld •>•() every day for a load while the other stayed and fed and cleaned the horses and cattle, ^^y this time some of the cows and yonn^i' calves Avere shut uj) in a stable ; the rest ran round the straw stack in the yaid, and at niu'ht and on very cold days were sliut up and fed in an en( losed yard. Our utMirest neighbour, an Knnded drivinj^' forty head of his cattle up for the winter; as he could jjet no one to help him he asked Mr. T- if he could s])are J — and myself, and as av(> were not at all l)usy, we pot off for a month. We were <:lad of the o])])ortuniry to po u]) aiiain, althou than we had before AVe started one dav at the (Mid of XoviMuber. 15 leadiiiii' Fivji yJ'Jahs IX f.i.v.i/>.i, uitli it sl('inli-l();i(l of n«i(Mls, tlicn flic ciittlo with .1- mid I (Iriviiij^- tlicni, the rciii' bciii^- l)i«iu^lit \\\) liy a tcUnw with a team of oxen iind another hiah hcLian, bcfofc ni^ht came on, and we had tocanij) in an ohl -liaiity. Eacli man tool< two liouis' watch to look at'icf tlie riitth', and, witli his rifie I'cady. to kce]» tlie wolves ;ii :i di-.tanie, flud some nijihts this jirovcd to he a na^ty joli. We had fjood skill coats and l)iiifah» fohes. so that we made our- selves fairly comfoitalde when oiif tniii came to >h'e]). ) ' no shanty neai', and as we had no Tent, we were olilii^ed to sleej) under tiie stars: howe\'ei'. we made a roarini; tire, and having' lai the circumstances Avould jx'iniit. Wv had ])lentv ol ^dod food, and indeed we needed it. for the thermometer was constantly as low as twenty deui'ces helow /ein; every nie-jit we milked some of the cows, and partook of a .'rood pot of boiled hreail and milk before turiiiiii:' in to >leep. 'llieie wore three calves that ^'ave iis more trouble than the whole herd, and by day and niuht we were obliged to keeji an eye on these, or they would be off into the bush: one dinner time we left them for a few minutivs, which co>t us ;i Three hours' search before we could recover them. id On the third day we made a little more headway, and at .-)(; riri-: Yj:.\ns ix r.i.v.i/>.i. ni^lit n'aclH'liaiity wliidi \\ii> the lir-t cainiiiii^' idacc on our t'oriiicr trip, ami wliicli wt- IoiiikI hail Ix-cii halt' l)\init down l)v MiiMc caii'h'ss jH'rs()ii"> raiii|i liic I he Imsh was very tliick here, and we Inuiid it aliiin>l iuipossihlc t(» look al'tcf the catth'. I'iaily iit the iimriiiii«i' ]i- and I went mit t<) round them u|). and ji'ot lo^t. and tlic slvv lu'inu- douth'd and no si^^n*; to lu- sct-n. Wfrc >('\t'ial liours hftorr we canit* to a |)hM'»' which we rccooniscd. thou^ih we had |)rohal)ly bocn walking aliotit witliin a >hort distance of the cann). 'llic next (hiy, the fourth, we liot on wtdl, tlu' i(tad l)»'in<; all down hill; on the way a hca^t ran lictwccn two jar^t* sprucr tn'cs. and stuck last there, not beinji' able to niovo either way: eventually we had to cut one tree down, which occasioned some delay, and nearly killed the beast. We wei'e four miles tVom the neare>'t hoirsc when ni^lit came on, but we had made u]) our minds to reach it in order to sleep unch'r a root' and to iven up ho[)es of rea(diin•() to where ]i- - had built a snudl shantv on the bank of the Wilson lliver, a short distance from the lake, and it was an hour after dark befoie we ^dt there. We found it a very small place ; the loj^s had not been j)lastered in I'lrr: v/;i/,'s i.\ r.i.v i/m, 37 lictwfi'ii ; tlicif \\;i> iiddddf or wiiulnw yet ]nit in. ;ili(l no fiddiiii;;' (I(i\\ II. .\rn)>> till' tidzi'ii ii\cr, wliicli \\;i> twenty yiii(U vvidt', nn;!"* ii >tal>lt' :imiI yiiid Ini' tlir ciiitlt'; we >(i(iii liiid flit'Mi t'rd. :ind tlini. Iiiivino' t';ist<'n('d >l-|icnt tlic nr\t lew duy^ in Liciiini: tlic st!d)l('S pliistncd iind tlic slninty uciiciiilly ini|iin\t'd. ;iiid wlit-n we liad ;^(tt the dour and windnw on. and the ladr-. in tin- wall st(t|)j)»'(l n|», we Inund the place a ^ood deal warinci'. \Vc next ^et to W(til< to make cliair^ and tal»le<: we had liitlieito used l)o.\es and iiptuiiKMl Inieket-*; then, not lieiiiL:' eontent with sleeping' on the "iioniid. we made two hunks on the wall, and in a shoit time we weic (piite --uw^'. i >e(a>iion;illy we went idund the Ini^h for a little •^ho(ltinL•■. hut \\r ■^c]- dohi ^ot nuK'h liesides hird> and rahhit>;. allhouijh we otten came u|)on the traek'^ of liear< and other laf;:e aiiimaN. On Very cold ni;^ht> we often heartl >haip leport^ liki cannon; thi«; tniiied out to he the ice (in the lake which hurst through the inteii>c fl•o-^t. ( Mie day uc went out a few miles on the lake, and came to a mcumtaiii of loo>e ice which had heen thr(twn uj* hy oiu' of these eiuption^. In places where the snow had heen hlown away the ice was ■smooth and (dear, and appeared to he not more than a foot thi(dv, thou«ili it was really more than three feet. Ahnifi* the lake shori' were hundreds of tracks of wolves and foxes, and we «^et the traps we had hrotijiht up with ])ieces of meat, hut we were evidently not ex])ert enough, for as a i ule we found the meat liad heen eaten, l)Ut uo ^ii^ns of a wolf. ( )ne (lav we walked oven- to the |)hice where we liad had our little adventure Avitli the wolves, and in the l)uslu'S round there had some ^'ood sport Avith ruLhits; we were .".,« ftvt: yi':.\h's ix r.i.v.i/>.i, I'atlicr t(M) late in stiiitin<:' biifk, ;iii(I it ^^ot (l;iik so very sooti, that wc lost our way and were waiidciiiii; ahoiit for several liours, (iriiin' olV (tur ^uiis at intervals to attract at- tention. Kefoic we could make out oui" wiiereahouts. In Older to water the cattle we cut holes in the ice eveiT moininji-; the: • was ocMieially a Ll'ood deal ol ciushin;^' to P't at lhe>e. and one day one ol' t he cahcs ^'ot pushed in; ^ve I'escued him with ;ireal dilliculty and carried him into the shant\-. w here wf Axiapix'd him in a hutValo rohe in front of the tir«': he seemed nearly dead I'of a time, hut |>|-esently he showed his orahtude Ity oettjnn' \i|) and u|)settin<^' the tahle, on which was spread our dinner, and liiially taking' a Hyin;: leap throu;ih the window; two days later he lell in a^ain, hut this time the slahle was deemed (piite t^ood cnoujih for him. Having' made the house and stahles comfortalde. we next .set to work to haul the hay, which was stacked a lew mile«; away: the snow was about ei^lit inch.es deep and made o'ood slei<^hin;^', so that we weic ahle to |)ut on some lart one of my mocassins wet, but, as my i'oo* kept warm, thought nothiiiin<^' into a ^reat blister. If I had known it was fro/en l)e fore I went Fll'E YE J US L\ CASAI>A. .J9 into tli<' wainitli it would have ht'cii all ri^ht, Uut straiij^e to sav, the part that is Iro/cii always tVcls warmer than the rest of the body. 1 lay in bed three days before 1 (Mtuld set my foot to the <^round, eiidurinn- oicat pain, and for several years after it was very tender, and neeessitated gicat cure during' the winter. Foui- h of that left for the horses, we had even to take the old musty straw off: the roofs, Avhieh the cattle were latest news from anyone who had o'ot off the train. Sometimes a hunter would come down from the north with a doharp-tai!ed urouse; it is very plent iful in the North West, and in win- ter will come into the yards and settle on the stacks to i)ick uj) any or;,ins that may he ahout : it has a very lar-e hreast, nearly the whole of the meat heiiio' there, and makes .,11 exceller.t dish. At Strathclair there were not many, hut; in scmie i)laces I have seen hundreds in a Held ].i<'kiii,n' up seeds, and so tame that they may he knocked over with a stone. 42 FIVK YKAUS IX CANADA. \ CIIAPTKR Y IJuyiiijiii l-'aiMi Starting tor Qu'iiiUK'llf A loiij,' Walk l-i.st Foit (.hrappi'Uc— Tlie Fann A 'IVam of Glares Si'L'.liiiy TIk' Mosiiuitous A({aiii Tlii' Suttlt- iiU'iit Doiii-sat the Fort— An Iii.liaii Cliiof Hunting for Wood l'i(Miic. I liiul lu'iU(i horn some friends at (iu'i>l>lH'Ut', ^'ortli AVest Teiiitoiics, scvi'ial times; they seemed U) think a oieatdeal ot tlie eounti'v, and tohl me of a iarm near there that was ior sale; I ma«h' eminiries and I'onnd it to be very nisonalde, and eventually boupht it ior a small sum. It consisted oi: one hundrtd and sixty acres, thirty of which were ph)u«ihed, with a small shanty and stables built on it. As we had little work to do, and the winter would soon be over, I thou'ust, and wt« were not likely to meet again in the country. The train left Strathclair at nine o'clock in the morning-, and as some snow had drifted during the night, a snow-i)lough was put on. The plough consists of a large plate in front of he engine, brought to a point in the centre, which cuts the snow and throws it out on either side like a plough. Some- times, when we came to a larger drift than usual, the train would be brought uj) with a bump, which threw us into the o])posite seats, and then it had to go back and make another charge before it could get through. By three o'clock \ FIVE YKAUS IX ('A. Win A. 43 V wo aniv(>a at Poitage la rraiiie, Avhero wo o.„t on t.) tlie Cunaaiaii Pacific Kailway. Thoie arc some vovy jvo„d farms noar horo, whicli, in suiumov, with tho oiops -rowing., l„ok vovy well, aiul even tlion, in wiutor, w(> could seo the improvod look about the houses and buildings. On tho train was a North AVost nu.untod policeman with a prisom.r o..,iuj,- to lieoina. tho hoad(,uartors, and capital of the North AVost Torritcnies. The North AVost Mounted l>„li,.o are a fim' bodv oi 1,<)()I) men, the or.ater number in barracks at Kegina, the rest distributed amoi.o. the towns and villages in the Territories, where they are ennagrd m lookimv after tho Indians and suppressing the licium' traffic, which at that time was forbidden. The prisoner, who was ,, h<.rse-stealer, tried to gvt away at one of the small sta- tions, but the p(diceman s revnses, and he oontinm'd his journey under a close watch. I did imt go to sleep, as we wore due to arrive at Qu'ai)pelle at four o'ch.ck in the morning. I now found I had done a very fo(dish thing ; not expect- in... to have mu<-h expense I had brought very little money widi me, but at Portage la Prairie my baggage proved to be overweight, and I was oharg'ed heavily for it, leaving me onlv fortv cents with which to get to my destination. I had brought some sandwiches with me from Strathclair, and these I ate on the train. On arrival at Qu'appelle Staticui I found I had t.> go forty miles north ; a stage-coach ran to Port Ciu'appellc a distance of over twenty miles, overv dav, but as the fare was two dollars, I decided to walk ; so having- bought some biscuits and s.)mething to drink, which left me twenty cents, I set out just as the day began to break. It was a very good road, the sm,w being packed j II M u I'll'!': )■!•:. tits i\ r.Lv.i/M. Iiiird, :iii(l lor the first tew miles I n(it on at a n()0(| puce. Tlicrc wcic scvciiil iiiniis scadcrcd ahdiil, iill in a rougher slate than those in Manitoba, and a, ;^(io(l many shanties whieli had been (h'seited ; the eountiy itsidt' seemed mmdi the same i(dlin<:- piaiiie, with eliimps of tices or IdufVs, as they are eaHed, chitted about, ihonjili thei'e did not ap- pear to be any bin- liiish. I w as n^.ttiiio- Nciy tiled and benan to thiids I liad taken the wioiin' trail, w hen I came to a sleej) hill, down which the road went, windinjj' amony trees and rcteks, and at last came ont on a levid plain, on which I'Ort (^n'a|i|ielle is situated. The |)lain is sheltered l)y steep hills on each side, a mile apart ; the Kiver (iu'apjxdle luns throuiih the \allev, joinim;' two lakes, both seveial miles in extent, and on liie bank ol' the rivei', between the two lakes. |'\»rt (iu"aj»p(dle is i)uilt. 'I"he lakes in summer are covc'red with wildfowl and swarm with lish, and the trees and bushes scattered alxuil the sla-res make it one of the |)rettiest s]>ots in the N(Uth \\'est. 'I"he l''ort is a 1ar;.j'e post of the Hudson Hay Company, and has seveial stoies, a Hour mill, churtdie'<. schocd and other l)uildim;s. W hen I ^'ot there I empiiii'd if an\' one had come to meet me. but fouiaj thev had not, so 1 decided to try and walk it, as it was only another iM^hteen miles north. I bought a ii'w inor(> biscuits and washed them down with snow, and then set mit about noon. I had been pointed ruit tlie way, and l:()I on all ri^'ht till about three o'clock, \\ luMi it bejiau to Mow hard: the trail was soon covertul np, and T was completely lost : after wandiM'ini:' about u]) to my waist in snow for over au luuir, 1 saw a house somi> distance away and with difficulty odt to it, but found it occui>i(Ml l)y In- dians, who didn't seem to like my callinu' in, so I struck off nii'aiu; soon 1 saw tt^leu'iai'h ]ioli>s and fonnd myself on FTVE YKAnS JX CAXAPA. 45 tlio trail \.liicli runs between Qu'iii)i)elle and Trince Alheit, thi'ee liundred miles noilli. I didn't care to n(, on smy furtlier, so started to walk back to the Fort, but a lew miles alon;^' tlie trail saw a li<'lit some (listance olV and made tor it. in the ho|)e (d ficttin^- shelter. 1 was tiled and hunory, havin;^' walked nwr forty miles without food, so I asked at the house if I mi<>ht stay the ni"lit there. The man, who was diunk, and who, I aftei- wards found, was one of the l)ion.(.st lo^ues in the country, icfused me and shut the door in my face. With oivat difH- cultv I ^ot on to the trail a^ain and made for the l-'ort, four miles distant. \ must have n(me to slee]) on the way, for I remember nothin<'' till 1 y, and found my mitts fallen (dV and my finnvis frozen. I went to the hotel and told them where I was o(,inu', and h(»w I had walked all the way; they were veiy ^cod, and <;av(> nu> a bed, and for three days 1 stayed there, scarcely eatino- anythiny arrival: it was Idowin^' half a bliz/ard then, so we did m.t make a start until the next mornin-i'. 1 found that the |)eoi)le who pointed out the road for me were wron Prince Albert trail, instead of the smaller (Uie that I was advised to take. It was u 0C0.1 wav up the trail, and tl;ere seemed to be jdenty of houses alxmt, though I found that nu>st of them were deseited. AVe passed the place T had bou-ht about a mile before 46 ril'K YEAliS i.V CANAJfA. \\{' caiiie to W — 's; it was soiiu' distaiict- iroin tlio trail, and situated on the south slope of a liill, aloii^' the bottom of wliicli was a dried-u}) creek. I arrauoed to stay with my friends till I j^ot my place in order, so 1 at ouce set to work to j^et some thinjis. Thm^hs, liarrows, a wa^^on, and several smaller articles, I Loujiht from some ]»eo)de \\ho wer(> leavin'. The snow Avas a lon; to raise enou' tools. O^c : thi> granary was at the back of the h(uise and near the stackvard, and the stables, such as thev were, were some FIVE YKAliS IX CANADA. 47 Httlcdistanro away; whilst in front cf tin- lioiisp, sl(.])iu, and having- filled themselves with it, lay do\\.. to sleep it off; in the mean- time, the Indians, seeing' some of the whiti' men's horses were not branded, amused themselves by sinoljuo' these out from the rest, and having got them mixed with their own, started off. AVhen the cowboys came to tlu'mselves next uKtrning" they at once missed their nnbranded horses, an : his tunic had once be- longed to a mounted ])olicemav., but had streaks of bhn^ and yellow j)aint over it, and his black trousers were orna- mented with ribbons of all colours, whilst a pair of old i FIVE Yl'LinS L\ ('AX.\n.\. i9 wliito nmiun^' shoos (•(.in])l«'lr(l liis tc.il.'t. At (.uc i.f iho stores ho ^ot out of his chariot and for >oiiio iIum' wa> husily nifj^agod in aovourin-i' a, hanvl <.f sii<:ar till M.iiM'onc >toi.i)r(l him. By tho tinio I had finisliod hivakinn it wa^ the end of Juno, and tho oi'ops wmo looking- voiy well, iar holtrv tl'an I had soon any at Stratliolair. A«; usual, ihoro woro a j;roat many ".(.phois ahout, and unless they uoro rigorously hxdied after, niaih' sad haver with the crops; in some phiees, indeed, laroe patches Mere .-aten off ch.so to the ground. AVo had some very hot Awather. Imt more rain than hist year, so that everytliin!^' i.tomised well tor a prosjU'rous season: the grass en the ].rairie was fr.'sh and green, whilst in the h)W ]daces. or ^loutihs, tlie wild hay hid fair to ho a hirgo cro]). After hrealdng I went to help a man cut s,„no h.gs for his stabh', in return for sonu> other work: it was veiy dif- ferent from Strathelair: instead of cuttin- down the trees as they eame, we were ohliged to hunt ahout for one suffi- cientlvhuge to cut: howev(>r. in time we mamiged to cut the required numher, and started tn haul them home. On tho 1st of July, ])(miini(m Day, a i.ic-uic was hold in the settlement, and i)eoide cam»> frmn mih-s round: there was eri(d.et and otluM- ganu's. and the good things reminded one of a pastry-cool. . shop at homo. 1:1 I) no 11 rK YKAllS IS I'AXAIt.i. CllAl'TKk VI. Mil V - A .'Mi.«li.i|i 'I'ln' Cmiw Fdiiitiii;^ Hoi^cs (liinliiis A Siininici I'lost 'I'Ih' r.iinlii Stiitutc Luliiiiii Divisions Sitting Hull Will Our Indiiins Ki'lii'l? Anxiity liucksettinji Sliuoting 'I'lii' 'riiri'slu'r .Minis \ nine itf (irain 'riic'riiiil ( '(HiI-wimmI Wi'iuinj; Aii|iinfl Linnliciinj; Al'iiit\. Ill liMyiii«:' and luuvcstiii^'. iis in tlir('sliin«;', the lainu'is work tonctlu-r, and ;^tMU'iall_v ^o in i>airs to ^rt their work done; x) 1 aiian<;('d to work with a inaii duiint. W v had hcaiil that then- Avas sonic sj)h'iidid hay a trw niih's north, so \\v (h'ciih-d to canii) tip thcic and cut it. W'c went iij) the I'lince Allx'it trail a few jiiik's, aiul then tuiiu'd olV into a country covered with lar«;e shiu^hs, in which was pk'iity of hay nearly six feet hi^'h; we dett'rniincd to canii) ri^ht here, stack the hay, and haul it down in the winter. 1 liad started to fix up the tent, and W — luul ^one round a few times with the mower, mIumi it hi'oke. and we had to ])ack up and start hack again. 'I'he ])art that was hrokeii was sent to Winnipeg', jnid it was a \\i'ek Ix'foi'c we could stait again, by which time some half-hreeds had heunu where we h'ft olV, so that we were ohjigi'd to cut the sloughs near liome, where we f(mnd a good su|»ply of hay, and altogetiu'r got about fifty h)ads, of whicli we took our sliare^. Tlf course tliis iniy is not to he com])ared with llnglish liay. or even to the eastern hav which is shi|)])ed over to Knghuid. It grows perfectly Avild, and is coarse and thiek-ljladed ; however, it makes "-ood rilH YHAI.'S l.\ ('A\M>\ 51 I'cctl. iiiid li;is s|»lfii imi likf tlic Inok of it. Mild (Idli't ciiii' Id ti^c il until ilii\ liiid llicv ciili 'ji't no other. The (■l()|)'< Ueie coinin;!' on well, the o;its e^peciidly lieilii: a treniendons |('n;^ili. some ol ilie stiaus heinj;' neiiiiy halt' iin in(di thick at thehax-. It i> no mie oeriirreiire loi a fi(d(l (dOats to yield a hundred l>u>heN an aric, and evtii tnore than that. The wheat hxd^ed Nciy well, and it a ti'>>t (lid not eonu' to s|)(»il it. |»ronii^ed laiijc leiiiiii^. W'liiat has (d'leii lieen known to yield >i\iy liu>hel> to the acre, ami in a lair season ncneralh' a\'eia<:e< t(Mt\- Ini-heU. ])urine' the s\imnH'f. Avheii the nio>(|uitoes were not too had. I tethered my hoises on the piaiiie liy dii\ini: ;i -t;d;e in the /^'I'ound, and faM-'iiini;- them with ;i Ioul:' n>|te: I Wii> frequently hot heti'd hy findini:' that one of theni had Inckei! its i'o])e or |)idle(l up the picket and "i'ot away : I then hail to stait aftef it and track it. either hy it<. foot|trint>. oi hy the mark made hy the draji'^inu' i»p|ie: vdiiietiines ir would yii) all oA'er the settlement. ;ind one d;i,y it to(d< me to tin File Hills, tw(d\'e miles ea^t. heloi'e I came up with it. The n'ai'dens were doin«2' well this yem. ;ind \\{ had yoiuii: potatoes six we(d\S aftei' they weie planted; some jicoplt had l)la(d; currant hushes in their l;;i' (liii> : this wa< ;i <_;'.uid season foi' them, and even the wild cui rants and ^(moc- hei'ries were plentiful on the prairie. There i-- aia)fhcr kind of wild fruit, the saskatoon, whiidi was al-o vei'v plentiful : this is a delicious fruit, rather resenihlin;^' a small uia])c, both in form and flavour. Th(\v make spl(>ndid wim-. and are mu(di used foi- this ])urj)ose by the settlers. I) -2 Fill': yi:ai:s l\ cAXAni < Mic iiKti iiiii;^- at the iiid ol August, just u lien llic cidjts wcic iiciiily ii|M', wc 1(11111(1 tlicic liad hccii live ulhcienlly haid, wc cut if. \\ (' worked three liiu' horx-s on tlie hiiwh-r, one ol us drivin;^', the other tolhiwin;.'' and setting- u|) the shea\'e.s. The cro|) altonct hei' was a ;jreat ini |)id\ cnienl on that ot he>l year at Strath(dair, an(| took some lime lo cut. The oats turned out well, the shocks staiidiii'j- thick on the I'found. 'Ilie stackin;^' did not take \cr\ lonj.!', lor wc had altojj-elher tw(i waudiis and three men; I Ituilt my own sta(d\s, and il' ihey did iiol look as sliapeK as ihey nii^iht ha\c done, I had a \cry ;i((0(j excuse in that il was the lirsl, attempt. I'l\cry person owniii;j:' properl\' is ic(|uire(l lo put in a cerlaiii amount ol' wcrk e\cry year on (io\crnnient I'oads or (iic^jiiards : it is called Statute Lalxuir, and this year wc were re(|uiicd to plou;/h a l;(io(| (ire;juard round the seitlemeni or township, that is, six miles each si(h' ol' a s(pnire consist iii;^- (d ihiily-six s(pi;ire miles. 'I'he co\iiitry is divided l)y rane(s, townships and sections. kan^^cs run north and south, and are six miles wide; townships run cast and west, and are also six miles wide, ihi-.s cutting' up the country into scpniics ol ihirly-six sipiaic miles, \\hi(h aic aeain cut up into sections (d' six hundred and Toily acics or one s(pia>c mile eac II. ' M' these the even num- liercd sections are open lor hoinesteadine', the conditions lieiiie' that every man who takes a (|uaiter section, one huii- (lre(I and si\t\- acres, shall work and live on it Tor three Fill-; y HAL'S i.\ r.i.v.i/M. yciiiN, lifter wliicli il l)f((iiiics liis (.wii |.|-o|»rily ship is divided tlius: • N. \V. it\N<;i:. :;() iJ!) . i''^ -7 ■-'•"• IS ' 17 :i -J -J ■-••■'> •-'! c, I :. II I :i 7 , s ;> 10 A tdWll- s. 'I'll., sections :ire iiuiuheivd, :in.i, x'lidiis, \()v Sitliii;^- Hull cse, and one wet day. when a flock of over two hundred, had settled, I ciawled flat on the u'lound throuctol)er a hoisc-powei' tlinvsher eanu^ I'ound, W :i :» FIVE YEAliS IX CAXAPA. ■).) nnd, as usri.l, av(> all wont with it ;nul liolpcMl on. an..tlu«r. It was a v(TV jx-oi' c-ouccin, owned l.y two l.i-, ne, get their money for it, and on on to the n.'Xt phue. We had to pnt up with these felh.ws he.-ause we e.mhl -et no other thresher t.. come up. It was rather hard work: w.> uere ri]) at four o"ch.. k, and fed and .leaned ..ur horses, breakfast was at six, an were workin-, uvnerally takin- rohes a.a blankets and nrnkin- a shakedown on the Hoor : otimes there would be a bed to spar.', an.l then there sonu Avas u li-ht for who slnmld sleep in it, as nianv as t.mr ..r five s(pieezin<> into one bed. Then, in leavin- a j.lace there was always a row over the blankets: s.un.« to the west and also up north were u lot oi small blutts, ant liijili, and is wo; th two and a half or tlircc d(dlars; it is chiefly 'boiiji'ht hy the mill ])('o])li', and tho stor('k('('})('rs and others use a they sell it to the livery stahles or anyone who needs it ; there is a larffe amount sold (luriii<>' ii Annter. as nearly eveiN'one in the toAvn lvee])s a horse and a cow. The Indians often come into town, a small mustan:'^in>s in ch»thes cut out of blankets, Avitli hoods, mocassins and mittens. The Avhite. men always wear mocassins in winter, with two or three ])airs of socks, and sometimes a ])air of ruhher overshoes: for Avorkinair over them made of leather, are Avorn, and are sufBciently Avarm for Avorkinu', hut Avhen ridin()t noses and ears frozen : fur caps luiA'e to he AA'orn, Avhich ])ull down Avell OA'er the ears. Many people have lon<^' fur coats, made of hear, p'oat, or dots, Avhich are excellent thino's for lidino'. Ifound our place the trees Avere all poplar, a soft Avood, not at all like luifi'lish po])lar, hiit in places AA'here there are ])lenty of pine and sjiruce lumber camps are formed, and men Aviiitpv. Christmas Dav wa^ ^pont muclitlu' same as at Strathclair, tlumoh w. had verv littU- aiuusruuMit, hut on Now Icar s Kve one .i the settlor^ -avo a rarty tc, which cv.ry.m. was invited; it was held in his own house, a small h.o- place, and went ott very well, considering' the crowded state ot the room. I ) 311 ! 1 hi. 00 FIVK YEA US IX C AX ADA. 11 I CHAPTKU YII. Sflling Wheat— A .Journey— l'roliil)iti(jii Laws— Suii-dogs- I'lieuomena Scaicib of Tiiiiher- .Suow(;oiii},'— Kiglitint,' a I'niirie l-"iie A AViiv Vvur.v A "J!ee" - Fisliiiig -He-so\vii)g(;iaiii A KuiiL'ial -'I'lie Valley — Kxtiaonlinaiy (loiis — I'leuty of Hay — Reaily tor Harvest. Soon after tlic New Year we lieiird that Irozeii wheat was being- bought at (iu'ap[)elle Station, so 1 arranged to take a load down, in coni])any witli anotlier fellow. We each put about sixty bushels on our sleighs and started very early one nu)rning-; as niy team was the best I "(it a good way ahead, and airived at the Fort about noon. ] had to wait for the other fellow, and he came in an hour later witli his team nearly done up ; after resting for another hour we started off for the station, tAventy miles distant. We had a big job getting up the hill, and were obliged to double all the way, that is, ])ut the two teams to one load and then go back for tlu' other. By the time we got to the top of the hill it was thret^ oVdock. and tlu' wind was beginning to drift the snow on to the trail ; conseciuently, in a short time we found ourselyes off the track, and floun- dering' about in deep snow with the loads upset. The wind was getting- very strong-, so, seeing that a bad bliz/ard was coming' on, we left our loads and took the horses back to the Fort, where we stayed the night: it was lucky we did so, for that night we had one of the worst blizzards of the season. FIVJ-: YE. ins JX VAX ADA. 61 it\ 1 1 IS Thore was a vorv orderly crowd tliat iiioht in town, owiny to a raid having- lately boon made a})on sonio \vliiskoy !. All throujrh the winter avo were busy cutting' and haul- inff wood, unless the weather threatened to be boisterous. I \ { ■; I I*.' {',-2 riri-: v ha lis l\ caxada. Sdiiii' vci'V cold iiMHiiin^s we saw w liat arc called '"^1111- (1(»<^«;," lliat. is, ii'Hcciidus cil' iLc sun on cither >idc ct it; they arc su|)|K>sed to denote the ai»i)r(»a( li (d' rotieh weather, and arc uscd'ul sijiiis to tra\(dlcrs ai..! iiuntcrs. Several times wc saw halos round the sky witli small >un>. at icuu- iar intervals, wliicdi |.Iienom( 11a have l)ccn juit down as the leHcction of the earth upon the -; Utdow zeio. and for da\> to^i'cther w'' had forty de;i'rce jiiid a stroiii:' wind, wliich is almost uiilu>aral)l('. Very (dten the frci;.;hlcrs on the tiail wduld he coni]»(dled to come over to ^tay the ni^ht with us, and we have had to turn the cattle out (d' the stahles to make room for their hoise<. A year or twolicfore, liord Lons- dale went u|) this trail on his Arctic I']x|iedition ; he kept to the road as far as Prince Alhcrt. where he strutd; oft' into the (Ireat Cnknown. The winter nmnth^ weic very monotonous, snow lyiiin^ ow the ground all the time, and the only work we could do was in the hush. On veiv fine diiys I stalled out early in the nuunine', tahin<: a hundio oi hay and some luiudi ; it oc'uerally to(d< two or tinee hours to cut and tiim a load of rails, and then another two to load up, li'ct honu' and nidoach It was a joh to e(>t any lree> a foot thicdc, and we j^'cncrally had to he content witli •^i>; iindies. Some nif^hts the ])cople in the settlement met 'o^cther at the ditVereiit h()Tis('s for a u'ame (tf cards, and the>e nights hel])ed to vaiy the monotony. Wo wore naturally v^ry jilad when, about the end of March, tlu> snow he^au to melt: it went vcrv slowlx". hut ill n few days we could ^ee the toj)s of the hills hare, and little hy little it w(>nt away alto'ivtluvr, leavinu" ])ools of water in the low ])laces. ]Jefore the snow had I)eeii eone II- r ; r. i-al rii- ;!■■« ly 11 t'l' (iSt Fivi': )i-:ai!s ix r.\\A])A. Cu) niiiiiy |)IU1i;^- U|» a lew iiiil('« ^oulli: a ■"Ikuil:" wind was hlctwiiiH ill ihi' time Iroiii tli.il (iiiaitci'. and we lic!j;iii to make ])r('|)aiali(>iis to tijiilit ii ; haricU of water wnc hrnujjiit up t(i tlic liousc"^, ;iii(l ('Vi'iydiic was armed w itli Ihiik lie- id willows and wet (dothe> t(i lieat it diit. Jt jiiiiiiied (.\ci' 'he t(>wiislii[) lii'eiiuard, and eaiiie ii;^Iit towanU my jdare ; befoic 1 knew wliat had kappi'iUMl my I'enre was Ida/.nii;' away, and tliu life was creeping' slowly up tlie 'lill tn\\;iids tlie liuildin;^s. Now was the time toi' it to lie ^topped. ;ind after ^'ettiii;^' sinjicd all (iNCf, I niaiiai^ed to 1>imI ir oui in the must ed my j)laee (Ui both sides. (>thei's escajied altoi:"('t her. liul one man, alter tiulitiny it iof a huii^time. had to i^'et in i lie well while tin' lire passed over him and liuint lii^ hou^e and luiildines. ^My loss was about twenty tenee-iaiN. and >onie lost all theif I'ences. The |)iairic was cpiite bhud'C attei this, and the cattle had to pi(d< about in pait- whii h the hie had missed, till the youn;^' ;^ra-s came uj) attain. So(ui at'tei' this we b(>ixtecu aeio of oats and oidy two (d wheat, leasinu' twtdse acic> to be summei'-fallowed : last year's expciieuce bad tauLihi us that oats paid better than frozen wheat, and >o a ureat many had ^one in b»r oats excdu^ivtdy. A iter seediuLi' I had to see to the fence and put e.p a new one r(Mind tiic field I bad l)r(d\eu la>t year, so F turned the hor>e> on to the ])raiiie to pick up streiiLith after the bard winter. A- I inteiuh'd to break sonu' more ;^-ronnd shortly. 1 built a. fence to enclo■^e all : barbed wire was about the clieape^t ill the end aiul the most serviceable th; t eoub.i be niit. so I bou'iht a mile (d this and put iiL posts twcdve feet apart. aud to these nailed two strands of wire, with a rail above 04 I'iri-: YKAIIS l\ (IXADA. to slunv up ill till' (lurk, iiiiikiii('s were (III us; we had Imrdly "i'ot ovor tlic ctVi'cts dt tlic win- !('!• Ix'tdic tlu'M' |)i'sts canic to torment our lives. Tlie i)eoi)le ill ( *;uiii(lii are very ^^odd in ]ieI|(inL;' one ano- tlier: it' a man \\ants ii new lion>e or stahle init u]), he ;^t'ts the material ready and ^'oes round amonu' hi> nei<:hlioiirs and a>ks ihem to come and lielp him on a certain day; this is called a " l»ee," and it is not only done hn- Luildin^', l»ut for |)lou<^hiiin', sowine'. reajiin^'. or if a man hA< had a misfortune and is liehind with liis wdik, the iieie luiilt in a day l)y a Lee would ])rol)ably take three men a fortniulit, and verv few farmers at the itresent time could afford to ])ay men at the hit their jilaccs into fair state of improvement. Ono day after seedinjif a few of us went down to Fort //r/-; v/;.i/,'s i\ r.i.v.i/y.i, g:> (ill'i>|'|"'llt' In ciilrli >(iiiit' li>li : llif ire luid dlily ju^t lii(ltf(] on tlic hikes :iii(l lixcr, iiml llir li>li, which Iiiul hrrii lio/fii U[) all thi' wiiitci'. WTic N\\ inmiiiij^' nhoui on the lllt;ice we shot them; they j^nve ;i dive, and floated to tjie top on theif bueks, when we lished them out with poles. Some Indians were spearing' them, and ;ip|>eared to lie \v\y ele\ei' iit it, fof neai'ly every time they ihicAv the s|»ear they pidled ont a lon<^ iish on the end ot it. I'indin^ that the >hot tVom tlie ii'llli spoilt the lle^ili ot the H^li, we tart«'d Hshin>i'; it> wa^ very exelt inu' spoit, vefv ditt'eient Irom iishinu' in l'in;^land, toi' as soon as av(> tlii'ew' a line ont and he^aii to diaw it in. a jeik wa^ felt, ami for the next two minutes we had our liaiaU lull: some- times the fish bit the line, but as a iiile we landed them faiily W(dl. AVe fished in the rivef at its eiitiance into the laki', and in a couple (d' houi's had canulit foity line tl>li, the lai'^cst wei^hin^' fifteen pounds: tlie^e. toll-to-do peojjh' come in sum- mer to cam]) for a month by the lake slior(\ wherc^ bathing, boating, fishing and shooting can be indidged in to the heart's content. Foit (iu'ap])elle has long bi>en a i)rominpnt post of the Hudson liay Company : the vxoodiui fortifications AV(ue only pulled down a year or two back. The ( 'hief Factor of the district, !Mr. Archibald Mc.J)onald, has had a varied experience in the ("ompanys service, from the Arctic Ocean to the ]ioinidai'y liine, and has had great influence over the nei<>hb(nirin<>' tribes of Indians on th(» occasion of any uprising. ])uring th(> s(>cond Louis liiel rebellion Fort Qu'a])])(dle was in danger of being demolished by the hostile redskins, being surrounded by them for several days, undecided to strike a l)h»w : at last relief came, and the scene of hostilities was transfencd to the north, round liattleford and Prince Albert. Tt is not moie than twelve years since there was not a wooden building at the Fort beside the Hudson liay Post, but when the settlers came in they found it necessary to build a billiard and whiskey saloon, which was followed in time by stoics and dwelling house. The town is well situated, and if the huin -jiromised FIVE YJ'JAUS IX CAXADA. 0( (lavs, 1 1 sod railway coiild l)i' l)i()\iy had been before, and when, at the bepnnin could do to p\it up with them. I Cimtrived to «;'et rid of ihem to a certain extent bv hanuinu- a bucket of smohinu' chips on io the plon,i:li, but as the wind could not blow two ways at once, 1 was either covered with mosijuitoe^ and tin- horses with the smoke, or vice versa. The pic-nie on Dominion Day went off as usual and was a nice break in tlie summer's work, liy the end of .luly the hay was (piite ready to cut, so -we at once started on it, not •'•oino' \ii) north, but cuttinu round home first : it w;is very lono' in some ]dace<. com]iletely coverini;- the horpily nothing serious, and we managed to get about eightv loads of good hay. Tf we had not the harvest to got a lot more: one man, having no -ro]). hucd two men and ]mt u]) six hundred tons, which he sold in the winter at five or six dollars a ton. I', '' I i ^ ' ll I ill il ' J ■ Hi MM r.,^ fill'] YI'LinS /A' CANADA. CllWTVM Vlll. Mount...! I'oli.'.. MV..UI.I..S..U,.. Cat.l.. C.in, t., Kn^lan,! llritish S,,ilo.s (M, tl,.. (\us l'.,rt Aitliui AuAcci.l.i.t Kx|KTin..Mtal h.nns M.... Ileal S>. '•SMi.liniMi. ■ (.Uu'lKr Til.. St. I,avvn.n.v ASt.inn K.M.gl. \ oya;if Iirlan.l l-!ii;4laii.l. 'llu' crops nou- ,lcniaiul('(l our whole attention. W - aii.l Iworkin-tourtluTasuMial; nv.> lirst. cut a licldofhis wl.cat, wliicli was a woudcilul crop, Uvv iVoui tVost, and ([uitc lipc and hard; so thick on the -round was it, that the ))inder, which usually takes :i six-loot swath, became choked il „„.re than two f.'ct was taken, so this hehl alone took us nirly a wetdv. The two acres (d wheat on my l)lace was 'xt cut, and proved to he a. ^'ood ci'oi> inid free from frost. }\\ tills time the late sown oats weic leady, and were really a marvellous croj), considering, that they were sown on the 1st of .lune and veai)ed the Hrst week in September, ^row- inr. The land I had broken needed backsettinj"-, and several other jobs bad to be done before I could start. Winter be<>an rather early, vnd by the time I had finished backsetting' the snow was on the oTound; I fireouarded my jdace all round, made every- thing' as secure as possible, and left my horses in charg-e of a neigldxiur, who looked after them and woiked them for me. Threshing was not to be done till late, but the neiohbours assured me thev would look aftei- mine in my absence, so, having booked a berth on board the Allan Line s.s. "Sardinian," sailing- from M(»ntreal, T left my ]»la('e at the end of October. From the l""ort I took the st:!ge to the station, and waited there b»i' the train, which was due at midnight. ^ly old Stiathclair chum, .1 . who had bet>n to Vancouver, was also going- to llngland, so T wi'ote to him to be on the same tiain, but had doubts il he would <'-et mv b'tter in time, and as it tui'ued out, he did not. When I got on the tiain 1 settled myself down loi- a sleej), and on waking \ip next morning I buind the cai- was chietlv occupied by Jbitish sailors, going home to l']ngland 1 ■ 4 , i \ I ■i 1 T ( ■ •< . 1 i' I - ! I i ' 70 FIVE YEAliS IN CAXADA. on sick leave from the ships of the Pacific Sqiuulroii. They were a jolly set of fellows, and seemed to enjoy the long- railway ride, and when Ave stopped at any station where Indians were about, they crowded round the ])oor redskins till they were glad to take to their heels. We stopped at a place called ]^roadview for breakfast, and in turn passed Brandon, Virden and Portage la I'rairie, till at last we arrived at "Winnipeg, where we stayed nearly two hours. Here we laid in a stock of ])rovisions for the remainder of the journey, which were much cheaper than in the western towns. AVe started from "Winnipeg at four o'clock, and in a short time had left the ]n'airie province behind us and wei"e plunging into the thick bush. The journey, to one who had already covered the ground, seemed veiy monotonous, and we were glad when the in- terminable forest, rock and swamj) was broken by some small station, where we could alight for a few minutes. By the time we arrived at Itat Portage and Keewatin it was midnight and nearly all Avere asleep, and on waking next morning Ave found ourselves close to Port Arthur. • "We had breakfast at that place and looked round the docks on the lake shore ; the ice had not yet formed and navi- gation was open, a good many steamers and sailing- A-essels being about. "We h'ft there at ten o'clock and soon came into the rockA' cuttings and tunnels along the lake shore, noAv anil then catcliing a vicAV of the lak(>, Avhich at that time Avas g'etting rough. At one ])ei-iod of our journey AAT had rather an exciting time ; it Avas along the noT'th shore, among the big trestles, that the train AA'as signalkd to stop, and on alighting- Ave found that a trestle in front had broken doAvn. On the other side Avas a train Avaiting- for us, Avith some Avagons to convey the baggage across iivi': yp:.ii!s ix <:axai>a. 71 tlio <>ai). Willi soiuo trouble I'vcivthin^' was couvi'vcd to the otluT sick', whoro we ^ot on hoard tlii' train and once more resumed our journey. ]iy nij^ht we had left the roeky north shore, and next morning' arrived. at Ottawa, where we stayed some time : it was harely li just here. The Government has established ex])erimentai farms in. diil'erent parts of the country, for the bem^tit of farmers; at these farms all Lnui^ of j.jrain and hay seeds are grown, and the result is something' for the farmers to go by when they sow their <,a-ain. Small samples of the grain and also pami)hlets are sent to all who apply for them. Catt It- are also kei)t, and it is by this means that the breeds best suited to the differi'ut ])arts of the country are found. The farms cost the (iovernnu'nt a g'reat deal of money, being- kept in first-class order, but whether it would pay a man to keep his farm in that style is very doubtful. However, tney are a g'reat boon to the settlers, who thus have the different kinds of grain, hay, cattle, &c., prov(>d for them. The farm for the Xorth West Territories is situated at Indian Head ; the Manitoba Farm at Ikandon. whilst at Ottawa is situated the Central Tarm, at which the profes- sors of the various de])artments residi\ The land is divided into plots for different kinds of giniu, and chemical, botanical and other buildings are scattered round the main residence and stables. After leaving Ottawa the track ran through a very beau- tiful and fertile country, passing now and a^'am a large lake, with its sawmills and ])iles of logs and lumber. The trees, which were just shedding their autumn leaves, were :s; 11 t , _ 72 FIVE YEAliS ly CANADA. I i V- •'! iniq)li', asli and various other kinds, foiniin^' in sonu> places an arcli over tlu' itiili'oad. In a lew hoiiis' time Ave ap- peared to be jiettiiifi^ near ^lontreal, for we ])assed several stations with French names, and at last came in. si^ht of blocks of hnildin^i's and masts of shi]»s, and in a short time drew into Montieal. Having veiy little l)a<:st snhstantial stvnc- tnre. The " Sardinian " lav in her dock, takin<>' in a caryo of wlieat, flour and a])])les. llavini>' occasion to ask my way, I accosted a dozen ])eo])le alonu' the docks l)t>fore I could find one who s|)oke Fh> found ourselves steaming down the St. liawrence River; the banks were lined with tr(>es. broken now and again by little F'rench villages: avc were particulaily struck by the number of small white lioman Catholic chaj)els, and Firi': YEjns ix can a pa. 73 M jiulji-ed that tlicro must luive hccii (inc of these to I'veiy halt-do/eu houseti. Some hiijic couutiy resi(h'iices were sciitteretl about am()Uh'asant retrj'ats for husy Montreak'rs. We were to arrive at liui'hee at five p.m., and were to stay there all night, but it was mueh earlier tliau tliat when we came in siyht of the frowniuff fortress, and after exchangin<>' salutes, we drew up alongside the wliarf, di- rectly under the ('itadcd. As soon as the gan; way was across, several of us weiit on shore, and going up the steej) hill into the lower town, (diml)ed up on to the walls, from whence Ave had a sj)lendid view of the liver, the Heights of Abraham, the .scene of AVolfe's great victory, and in the far distance the Falls of Montmorenci, after which wc went over the Citadel, and recognised its im])regnuble defences. A short time befor;' wi' weri' there a large portion of over- hanging rock had fallen on to some cottages l)eneath. and had buried a great number of the inhabitants: they were still clearing away the drbris, and continually linding bodies. After lookinu' over the Citadel we had tea on board and walked up through the lower town to th(> u})])er town, more than a mile away; this is the ([uaiter inhabitcil by the English, and contains some good buildings and shojis. Having explored the town we made our way back to the ship, taking care in going through the low 1' reach (piartcr to keep a good look-out, for it is said to be a terrible j)lace for thieves at nii>ht. On getting uj) next morning wc found the hawsi'rs being let go, and very soon we were ofl', passing the Dominion Line s.s. "Vancouver," which had just arrived, reporting terrible seas outside the river: indeed, she looked a-- tliouiili 74 I' in: YKAUS IX CJXADA. bIu' liiid \n\'U kimckcd about, and we Iclt her with aiiytliiu<>- l)tit a nice j)r()s|)i'{t Ixdoic us. Tlu'io was a j^'ood deal ol navijiatioii on tlu' livcf, which bo^au to <>'(>t very wich', but was still (|iiit(> calm, and, it bcin^' Sunday, a st'ivicc was held in the saloon. That ni^ht wc had a ntinient that oui' restinj^' place nii<^ht not be so steady for the u'xt '■'. a' ) iuhts. The n( 1 ■{.■■. was much colder and the shij) be Straits of Belle Isle before dark, and as we were still sonu> distance off and night was coming' on, it looked as though we might have some trouble in getting through. I went down to tea, but feeling' rather bad, came bacdc on decdc ; a teiriHc snowstorm was blow- ing in our face, and the ship was pitching and rolling on the enormous waves, which continually dashed over her. Occasionallv a rocket was sent ui), and it seemed as if thev were not (jiiite certain of the ])osition of the ship. Just then a sailor came along- and told me to go down^.tirs ; I went down, got into my bunk, and, sea-sickness coming- on, soon forgot about the wild scene on deck. Morning- came und we knew that we were safe; the ship had got through the Straits, thanks to the knowledge of the captain and ofH- cers, but had encountered a severe storm outside, and for t"wodays we were k(>])t in the cabins, whilst the waves daslied ol |)Ut '1(1 lad Idv to («d tlu' FIVE YKAIfS IX r.l.VJ/).!, 75 over the slii|», tliicatciiiiin' to hicak \\vv up. On the thii'd day tln' wind went down and \\v . for a walk alonj^' the deck, n o'clock rockei -^ere sent up, and we found ourselves outside Moville, Miure a i)ilot came on board. Early next moining' we came in sight of th(> Isl(> of ^lan, and pass<>d several towns on the south coa^t of that island. The water now began to change from bhu' to vtd- low, and we soon bt'gan to see plenty of shipping. pas>- ing- several outward-bound Atlantic liners. About four o'(doek we caught sight of iMigland through the fog, and before long- were steaming- up the Mt'rsey, among a crowd of other vessels. The anchor was dropj)ed, the tender came alongside, we were turned inside out by the Customs othiers, and turn- ing" our backs on the old "* Saidinian," wliicli had brought us safely across, we were soon put on English soil. M^^' 70 riri: ykaks ix caxada. ( IIAI'TKU 1\. S.S. "I'aiisian" I.n igh Koylc St'iisickiirHs The N'ltyngt' A New l,iiu' ('(xtk- ill,:; Ic ■ jiiiii A 'riiicf A Stii.v in \ViiiiiiiPi',j: Selling ii>c - Koail Wdik Start Soiitli S iiilii'iiin I'aini 'I'lic Ctinp-- liiiliaii llcail. After spciHli'iifj' ;ni ciijoyabK^ time in I'ln^lantl I Looked a ])assa<2'e on board the Allan Line s.s. '* Paiisian." .1 — , MJio had heon in I'^n^land, -was ^'oino- h-ick on tlie same hoat, and also a fellow nanu'd 1* . who lived on the Manitoulin Island in [iake TInicni ; there Meic also three otlier fellows in onr ])arty, one (d' Avhoni was in onr foni-l)iiid\ eahin, so that we had T)lentv of r()mi)anv on the vovaiie. The "Tar- isian " sailed on March IMth from her dock, Avhere she had been hiid nj) for i('j)airs: it took some time to i^cf cleai' of the docks, and then, sti".;niin';' out to sea, we soon lost sij^ht ol' Knen o\it before soon settled down in our cabins, and turned in early to >«t'nL;('!'> tuic by (Mic rctrcatt'd down tile coiujiaiiioii. We tour l't'llii\\>- in our hiTtli tiied to k('('|t ourselves up. hut eettinn' tiled ot walkiug altout. streteiu'd ouiselvvs out on the derk. ll out very I'ou^h and I'ohl. so .1 — and 1, leaving- the other two sick on (leek, efept down to our heith, and tuiiilth'd into the two lower hunks. l*re>eetly one ot the others ( aeie down, and secine- the lower hunks hdl, tried to -.eraiuhle into oiu! of the upper ones, hut, toe«'thor with his halt-dead state and the rolline and came in and helped the other two into bed : we lay there all that (lav, but the followino' morninf>' the wind dmpjx'd, and we D'ot on d(^(di, wher(^ we siieedilv reeoveicd. The vovac'f was verv uneventful: two or three shins, a whale and a few porpois(>s bein^" the only thinus we saw. These ])or])oises follow tlu^ shij) for mih's, ])iekin^- u]) any scraps that are thr;)wn overboard. We had the usual kind of fare on board the " Parisian," and for second cabin it was not at all bad; a concert was la^ld. both in the saloon and the second cabin, for the benefit of the Seamen's Or- phanafje. On the ninth day after leavinrj- Liverpool we 1 /I 78 ini-: Yi':.M(s ix r.ix.iD.i, <'ani(' ill siji'lit ol' liiiid, iind iti a slioit time stciniii'd into Halifax liail»(tur: it was cvciiiii^', and uc had to wait, in the shed on the \ liait' until nt'Xt indinin^' laddie a liain ranic tor as. WC had tlnu' to talvc a little \\;dk, luit a- ihr streets round the wliarl' were nearly a loot (h'cp in mud and we could find no jdacf to cross, we went liack to the (hick, where we I'ound the "Parisian" had discharp-d our hae- ^•a;^'e, and was just "^tartii;)^ oft' f(M' Portland, Maine, her destination. At last the train eaine and we took our seats; we not into a f^ood cai' and settled ourscdves down and at oiu'e started to cook our breakfast ; we h.'d hrouylit a ketth' and pot with us, also a j^'ood su])])ly of food, lea. A:c., and the stove in the car was almost entirtdy monopolised by our cook- iiie. Since I Clime this way Itel'ore, the old Intei'coloniid line, by way of (Quebec, had been superseded by ii uew line direct to Montical, built by tlie Caiuidian Pacific IJailway ("omi)any, cutting' thiounb the nortliein part of tla> State dis- tance throu in aftei' us. These ])eo])le are eeiuu'ally ke])t by thenisidves, as indeed they need to be, and th(» English peo])le in the car soon made U]) their minds to have them shifted, for the ])lace was becoming iup: y]':Ai:s /.v rj.v.i/>.i. 70 Id ill n ](' xl iiiilx'iiriililc ; the ((itKliictor ('(nild nnf jHisiiiidf 'litiii tit pM iiit«» it ciir liy fliciiisflvcs, S(t at oin- sfjitinii a 'liiir^c \v;is iniulc. and very soon, after u slioit li}:lu, we had tin- rur tr«'i' of tluMU. Tlif train stai'tcd IVoiii Moiitifal ;it midiii^jlit, and next nu>rnin^ arrived at day. we sat on the steps (d' the car enjoyiii;j' tht- tir^li air and l»eautit'nl scenery. I'nrt Anhui' \\a< reached almnt noon; tlu' ice had not yet tliawed dlV the lake, and tlie l'i\i'i' Kaniinistic|nia, wliieli flows into the hd\e liere. was hhw ked with ])ieees of ice, whicdi Inul thawed up in the i)U>li and floated down. In the fcdlowinji' year the ri\er wa< full of ice, wliieli caii'ied away seveial hildecs and landini,'' stafj'es, and did a ercat dealof daniap'. It was in the month ot May, and tlie wind, l)h)\\ in<;' olV the lake. ( ansed this ict- jain at the month of the rivei', which was very hi^ii at tlie time. Tlie followinu' dav we came to |{at I'ditaLie. where we jiad a walk alone- the shoic of the l-ake oi the AVoeds, out ef which some Indians were pidlinc^ -fivh as ta'-t a< they were al)le. At a small station some di>tance fuiflier on a man jot on the car to sell some a])j»Ies, and ■^eeiiiL:' a yonnir fellow take ont his ])nrse. snat(died it ont ot his hand and holted ont of the car; there was somi a Im'l; ci(e,\d after him, and a r(>e-nlar chase was made. Imt ihMit.)i .»>me took a sliot at him. he a'ot awav to the hn^h. Xext morning we eame ont on to the prairie: the sntAv I'} 80 FTJ'K YKJliS IX r AX ADA. had nearly all fjoiu', but tlio water lay all over this low ground, causing- it to resomblo an inimenso lake. On ar- rival at \Viuni])og avo made up our minds to stay there a day and go west on next day's train, so crossing over to the Clifton House, a good hotel on Main Street, we had a good wash and dinner and started out to explore the town, which, considering its age, cannot he beaten. We were accosted several times and ottered work at i^-ood wau'es, and some fellows who came across with us obtained good em])loy- ment on farms and ranches. Once a gang of Yankees stopped us and tried to bribe us to cross the line, but we knew all about tlieir game, so we em})loyed ourselves in watching them for a time, and warning others whom th(>v accosted. AVe heard afterwards that they wanted to riddle us, but we left by next morning's train, and arrived at (iu'ap])ellc eaily the following morning. -T - was going on to A"an- couver, so, taking the stage, I got to Fort Qu'a])])elle at dinner-time, and found my friend had brought my team down to meet me ; they were looking well and seemed none the worse for the Avinter. I found my j)lace just as I had left it ; the snow had not yet all thawed oft' the fields, so we could not expect to be- cin seeding for another week at least. In mv absence the neigh))ours had done my threshing, and had turned out forty bushels of Avheat and five hundred bushels of oats, which sold at fifteen cents ])er bushel ; those who had wheat for sale obtained forty-five to ^rty cents ])er bushel. There beintr son'c little time left till seeding, I s(>t to work and got a sup])ly of Avood ready for the summer ; the snow be- U'an to <•'!) oft' nicelv, when one dav we had a bad storm, and a few inches more of snow was left on the ground. 1 was anxious to get my seeding done as soon as possible, so as FIVE YEJnS IX C AX ADA. SI low ar- e a the rood eh. tod mxo oy- :oos UO"\V soon as tlio ground was sutticicntly dry. I start(Hl to ]mt in ten acres of wlieat, alter Avliicli I put in twelve acres of oats on last year's s\nnnier-fallow, and then put >oine more onts on the remaining tliirteen acres, making alto^i.tlu'i' thirty- five acres of cro]). One day, having gone to the hn-^Ji for a load of wood. I had occasion to light a hre to prepaid some tea : I had hurnt a ])atch a good way ronnd to prfvcnl the fire from ■^])rea(ling and had gone hack to my worl;. when a strong wind came suddenly across tin' pr;iirie, and '.'aught hold of the Hanu's of my fire, slotting alight the mass half a do/en yards away; there was >oon a hig blaze, hut happily it went in the direction in which I ];new there were no setth'rs within a hundred inik's; -till, it Avould soon have traversed that distance, had tlieie not ocen a river to stop it. IM After seediniT. several of ns went to the Fort tor a ilii\' ~ fishing, and nuide a good haul. The Fort was lathei- (piict that day, and in the absence of the usmd noise and rabble seemed to have imju'oved a great deal. About tins fime one of my mares foaled a fine filly; 1 soon turned thciii on to the prairie, M'here the mother ])ickcd up Ht'sh. and the foal grew strong and healthy; in this pait of the country a foal, having fairly got a start, can put \ip with manv in- conveniences, and it is a good thing, foi' it is a fre(juenf sight to see a colt only a few days old running besid,> if- mother in the wagon or ])longh. Not beinn' able k* (l(^ much with one horse, I let both go. and set to work u\ do up the fences and other odd jobs, for T intended, when the horses liad had a month's rest. io go down ^outh to ^onic place along' the line, aiul there get Avoik for the stmnnei. Whilst I was re])airing the fences a neighbour came up and asked me to attend a bee at his ])lace next day : he ir fr 8:J FIVE YEAliS IX VAX A DA. k i: had huuii'ht a iiaiiic house fiom a man who was IcaN'iiio', soiiH^ thit'c iiiih's away; it couhl not 1)(' taken to ])it'ces, so ill the winter, whiUt the snow was not too (h'ep, he liad mnnai^ed to hoist it on to sh'inli-iimneis, and with two teams of oxen liad drawn it across the prairie to within a short distance of !iis phiee, where he was obli^vd to leave it, and now 1"> v'anted ;(U the men in the st>ttUnnent to n(.t it fixed in its pi'OjH'r phictv Xearly twenty turned u]), with chains, roj)es, h'vers and all kinds of im])lem(Mits. and at onci^ he- g'an to mak(> roUer>, whi.'h were ])laced under th(> hv.ihlinu', and uirh cdnsidtMahh' difficulty we jjor it to move, verv slowlv at iir->t. i)ut in time the distance was covered. ^^^" had two hard days .»t it, and on the ev(s.in<^ of tlie second P'ot it fixed, much t(t the satisfaclioii of the owner and our- selves. l'>\-ery yeai' the Municipal Council expended a certain sum in each district u])on the roads antl lu'iili>'es, the work to he tlone by the settlers in th' locality. A\ho r(>ceived two and a halt dollars a day for a loan and team, and one dollar a day for a ican alone. This year am* haed of loup~hed on to tli(> <;'ra»le, the others Ijeinp' employed in loadin*: waijons and iev(dlin^ the jii'ad(> ; the fainunvs are very jj'lad to i>'et a few days of this work, foi' the monev is very acceiuahle in this cnunti'v. Havini;' di>j)osed of nu)st (d' my »»ats at the poor |)rico of fifteen cents per hu^hel, 1 got my team ready to start soiitli in -lnfts, socks and hoots, with '■ones, I FTf'K YE Alls TX f AX. ID A. 83 axes, iS:('., we started early (ine luoriiiim-, and •ioiii'i- slowly, {"■(it to tlie Fort in the at'lernooii. There was verv little doinj; there, and I was advised to ^o to (iu'a]>[)elle Station, so I strucdv out that way. eani])in^' for tlu^ ni<:ht at the lialf- way house, wliere I was ninirly (>aten hy nios([uitoes. The next niorninfi- was very wet. but we started otV a'er of liord lirassey's Sunbeam Farm, which is situated at Indian Head. I found him in town and (M)n- traeted with him to break his land at two and a half dollars an acre, keepinj^- myself and team. I had <:'ot a new ]ilongh. well suited for the work, and started off after dinner for the Sunbeam l''arm. about ei^ht miles east of (hi'!i]»])elle, and one mile south-west of Indian Head ; the trail ran alono- side the railway track ne;irly all the way. Hound (hi'n]*' pelle the country was very hilly and a tt'ood many bluifs and biislio were scattered about. l)Ut a> we ;:()t ne;irer to Indian Head these all disap])eared, and the ])rairie be- came (piite Hut. the railway line bein^ seen acro-> tlie phuii as far as the eve could rea(di. )'' ' 'n\ m Before comino to Indian Head I saw a lot of tea]>is plon<>h- ing, and took this to be the Sunbeam Farm, so I went up and found a small rough fi'ame building, nsed as a sleeping and cooking i)lace. The man cook Mas inside getting ready for su])i)er. so, liaMug unhitcdied my team and picketed them out on some good grass. I went back to the shack, as it was called, and waited for the meal. The ])lace was built of boards, which had cracked and shrunk in the sur till the daylight came in all ronnd ; it was about twenty- five feet s(piare, and had a window on two si(h's. whilst alon*'' one siile were the bunks, two deei) : the talile I'aii ¥ 2 84 FIVE yj'JJliS JX CANADA. across the rodiii, ami a ])laiik on each side of it served as the scats, whilst lli(> side op])ositt' to the l)\inks was used for k('('i)in^' oats and feed for the teams ; iliere was no floor- in;^' besides the s(did eartli, and Avlien it rained thronf^li the era( Ivs tlu' nnnl was several inches (h'cp. Tlie stov(\ Avhiidi was near tlie (h)or and was very dirty, was loaded Avith kettles and fryint (»f them were horses, the rest oxen, the latter bein;^' turned loose every ni^ht. ( )n I'cturninj^' to the cam]) at dai'k avc found most of the men asleep, so I j)i(dt iour. and -ot (Uir luu-es ready; breakfast was at six, aiul aiter that we went out to work. Eaeh man had a piece pi'^-v.l out to hiiuselt; the iurrow> were one mik' in U'U,!>th, and the piairie wa^ perie.tly fiat. with scarcely a tree or bii^h to l.c seen. I started at >eveu o'clock and nia(h' two rounds before dinner: we alway> re.dvoned four rounds and a (punter to make an acre, takin- u furrow twidve in.'hes wide. At dinner time we to.dv an h.mr's rest, and parm.d; of the usual meal of ba.'on and po- tatoes, with tea. withcuit milk, and which was always too >tron that the hist man up in the mornin- ^h'-ihl fct.'h ic dav"^ wasliiuo' water fr.mi a sh.u-h s.uue diMance . >y. <>„ roumin- work after dinner I -ot .u. very well lie sod .udy needed to be plou-hed very liohtly. two in ,.s bein- enon-h, so that at six o'ldoidv I had done thn uwn- roiin.N. nuikmo' hve for the whole day. It was n n hot work and much harder than the ordinary i.louohino-. and l)y the time a ,nun had done Hve rmuids. which meant over ten miU>s, walkm-, he was pretty tired and readv for 1h> nioht's reared to be doing a roaring tra(h'. The railway station and goods sheds are some little distance from the town: all the station-liouse.s on tlu» (MM{. are built oi' lumbei'. painted ri'd v.ith white facings, and are good substantial structui'es. In the town I came across two fellows fidm i'ort (in a]>])elle who were working there for a time ; they ihought it a good deal wor were ex])ecting to sec ])i>tol< drawn, but they kept them down, and some others going' to the rescue, the ('(>wboys W(M(> soon locked up, and next morninji weic brough'i before the local magistrate. I'hat nigbt, on ar- riving back at the camp, we found our teams all ri-iht. and turned in; theie was still one more man to come, but we did not ex])ect him until after the saloons closed. The next day being Sunday, we did not get np until seven, and on going to look alter the horses, found, they lind disappeared: on closer insjiection we dis(>evered most of the ])icket roj)e> lelt, but evciy horse in the can!]» was missino'. It afterwards transpii-ed that the .uan who Avas out last, and who came home pertcctly ^(»l)cf, had g" :u' to look at his team and hul changed one of their pickets, when the horse suddeni . (.'ave a jump and got away from him. lent Ih.v hw- liaii (.t Till HilM' Firi'! YI'JAKS !X C.lXAJLl. 87 and llic otlu'!' Ikuscs. srciii';' it l(t(l•^('. licLiiiTi tn nni rdiiiid ti 11 tl, 'V all broke ciflicr llicii' r(>|)('^ di- halt cr: ■;fiiicii \v •as at once Ix'Litiii. and a few mile i\va\' we e;i]iie acid'-s the band feediiii:-. but to my di>«m;iy I iouiid tha' mine wei'e not M'ith them : I soon made iiji m\' mind tliai the\- \voul(i natiii'allv strike ont t'oi' home, wheu 1 mn-r at once i(dj(>w tliem. Takin<>- a bit of food. 1 st;irted otit i.i tli ■ (b- feetioii in Avliieli I knew the l''oit la\': the >iii 1 wa^ tei'iibh li( time 1 liiid come half the distance to the Fort, and i\-^ a little bit-e/.t was blowing', walkines U'o by that mornitiii', whicdi enconia^'ed nn- in my beliel' that they had strm'k ont for home: the wind al-o wa- com- ing' fron the north, and in summer, wiien the mo: niut'ies are bad, hfu'ses and cattle will invariably travel aj^'aiiist the wind, thus, to a certain extent riddi]ii;' Thfrn-'-lve-: of tiieir tormentors. Hn airi\inn' all round the setrleincnt. but fiom cacij jxmmmi L;'(it the same aU'^wcr. that notliin>:' had lieen ^een o1 tiie tt am. Tlien T was in a hole; for a ttani o1 hor^'-^ •--lanue 8S riVE YEAUS IX C AX ADA. I I K- rlif couiitiy not to make fcti' lioiiic with the wind favour- able was au iiiexj)liral)le niysterv, and 1 was (juite at a loss to Know where to looU next. I staved at niv j)lace tliat tu>:lit. and went hack to the Fort next niornin' them. I ' It was (piite dark when I got back to camp, wlu>re they had been constantly on the watch; on the day I left they liad all tuined out and had searched lound the neighbour- hood, comint;' across a man who had setMi a team answiMiu*: t-) their descri})tion Invading' north early in the morning-; Sut that was the only information that could be obtained. < )ne of the fellows in camp, having- a broncho to spare, kindlv lent it me to hunt about till I could find my own horses, and the following- morning- I struck out for the i^u'aj)i)elle A'alley, where I came across a large horse raiu'he. I emjuired of the cowboys in charge, but could get no news, >o, having- camped for dinner with them, 1 started oft again and soon .i 89 lU- oss lat 11 M' nunv or less u failure, and tlu'V have coiuc to the ((inclusion that the only way to improve the race at all is to start on the youiifi ones. From the Mission I struck uorth-east. and niuht comiui'' on, I'outul myself in a strange part; so, picking' out a s|)ot with some jiood ^lass and M'ater, I picketed my horse and lit a fire to j)repare some tea, after >vhich, usin^' the saddle as a j)illow and the saddle-cloth as a coverlet. I had a <.;()od sleep till daylifi'ht. After a little hit of food, a su})plv of which I had broud to have hard work to kecj) far in front of it. I was disa[)i)ointed in not seeiiin' a place to yet through, for it stretched several miles across the j)iairie, ami I was about to turn ba(dv when a foolish idea came intf) my head. I had often heard of fellows riding through big fires, and as this ap|)eared to be a very small one. 1 h)oked out for a place where the grass was shor»^er tliaii usual, and waited for it to come uj). When within a short distance I sj)urred my horse, and we made a lUsh. I s,>( n b(»gan to regret it. for as we came to the fire a laru'c fiame sprang- up. as if on pur]iost\ li(dving round my leus and body; in a few moments, which seemed like minutes, we were through, but the other side was all charred and -^till \'crv liot, whilst the smoke was suffocatinif. and niv leus were in such pain that I could scarcely sit in the saddle, !Kt III' I'! )■/■:. I US IX r.i.v.i/M, s(t wlicii we 1i;hI L!(>t to a liimkI (listiiiici' w-' -tuppid. Willi (litiicillly I li'dl (itr Ills' Ikh-^c ,11x1 \\;i< l;1;ii1 In lind liim iiu- iniurctl. sdmc nt ihr Imirs mi ilic (hiiik- dulv liciii';' siiiucd. l';irl (il tin- >;i(|(lli'-cl(il li iiml llic Icl;< nt iny tinu>cr> wcrr burn; wliiUi my -liiii mid liiii luid imi -iilTi'icd nmcli : my leys were 'ciy -^nic. niid my luce iuid ;iiiiis sccmrd lo he l)Uiiiili^'. I 11 [cd tn liiid a sldiinh nt w.it-r to Initlic. bm tlic pi'iiiric wa- ])cit('(tly flat a>^ far a^ ilin eye i mild I'cacli, so we pushed on ^-lowly. and at la^l caiiit to ;i settler's house, wliei'e I stayed that (hiy and iii^lit, and had some oil put on mv hums. The next morning' I slatted ior hniiu . hopiii<:' that hy tliis time tlie horses ANouhl haxc pot thiie. hut wlieii I ar- rive(h after a liard (hiy's richii},;', there wa- no si^ti (d' theui, nor liad auyone st'en or lieard (d' them. I had now been out a week, and benau to tliink tliey liad bt . u -i(den and (b'iveii soutli ovei' tlie line into the State<, w hei: I heard troin a inau that the\- had beeu seen near ( iu";;'>pelh' Station, so I at once set out for that ]daee, oiilx" to ir.id that they were not mine after all. 1 liad not yet been i.ir south in sear'ch of tlieni, but I iU)W set out in that dire( tin-.,, ])a>>inu' thron<:h an unsetth'd country, witli ])at( lies (d Lcod laiu liiufi" land. For tlip remainder of the we(dv I wa> huutinn' about thronj.>li a stranji'e tract of country, .sleepinji' our at nifihts, and dro])- ping- in for a meal at any house I came to, when one day I came across a man who had just seen a t(am (d' bii.^' mares and a foal es mav be compared to searchin"" for a needle in a haystack. Ill u- ■d. II y lilt I'irh: >■/•;. I /.'>■ i.\ ct: ida. 01 I \va^ very ^'liul imw thiit I Imd it'covt icil tlinn, cspfcialK' ;iH they looked so well, iiiid uiid(iiil)tfdly ilic tnriiiiulit- holidiiy luid been a ^ood lliiiitj' for tliciii. altJioiiL;Ii a l>ad liiuc for nic. AVr lost no tihic in ^cftiiiji' liack io ilic caiiip, wlu'i'c (licv had 1)('' work in consideration of ihe lo^s of time I Lad sustained, and I ;^ot on at a ^ood |)aee, avei'ag- iii^i' an a -re and a half a day. A little over u mile from the Sniilieam ( aiii|i. on the othei- side of the railway, is situated the tamou- liell l''ai!ii. now owned hy Major iUdl ; at one time it hehuiiu'd to an Ijil;- lish syndicate and consisted of one huiitlred >(|uare miles olland. hut since it ha> hecmne the piojicity of Major JJell. lar;^e tracts have heen sold to the Hra^sey and Sunheam Farms, whilst the (lovei'niiieiit J'lxpei ineutal I'arm occii- l)ies one s(|uare mile, and the uumlicr ot teams and im]>le- inents has been reduced. The residence and stables are built of concrete, whilst tlie iiranary and implement shcd- are of lumber. Major liell has distributed his men and teams all over the farm, so that each man has a small cot- tafi'e to live in. and one hundred and >i\ty acres to look after; he is entitled to a -mall ])ieci' of garden land, and can keep a row for his own use. AVe were having' some very hot weather, and the nios([ui- tnes w(M'e very bad in the cani]> at niiiht. necessitatinj:' bucdvets of snudvin}.;' chi])S beiiiy^ ])laced in-ide the slnuds. Half a mile frcnn cam]), at the end of the plouLihini;'. was a larg-e dam : it was originally a deep ravine, but had been well dammed u]), and now a lar^c sheet of water had fathered to the de])th of fifteen feet at the dee|)er end. I'lvery day IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) / w^ v.. 1.0 I.I 1.25 1:^1^ 125 11= U III 1.6 ^n ^ /a e. ^yj" e. M '/ Photographic Sciences Corporation 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (716) 872-4503 V ^^ ^ ^ ^ <> ^ ■.■A. 'f\ 6^ % n>'' <» %\<^ o-> J'lVt: YE Alts IX CAXAPA. '1": / ! 1 after dinner, before re-srartiii^" worl\. we went tliere for u (lip; it was veiv refreshinhbourhood, w(>nt home in the morninj,''; the rest of us occupied ourselves by readinf>", ^^Titin«»• let- ters, or shaving; and cutting- one another's hair. In the afternoon we all took our dirty clothes up to the dam and washed them, after which w(> swam about while they were dryinu' in thi> hot sun, and then ])ut them on. Atniht, and soon after ])assin for an hour at tlio Fort, anivcd at Indian Head late at ninht. and foimd tho men all asleep, set, after putting- up tin- horses we soon followed their example. I was awoke next morning- hv hearino- hi<;h words, and hMdcino- out, saw one of our huUies havin«i' a row witli anotlier fellow who was lyin<'' in his hunk : they were both in a passion, and tiie man in the hunk ])ulled one of his lon<;- hoots of^' and ])it(died it at the other, and ho. ])i(kin' it hack with all his strength, and stru(dc the man in th(» hunk hetween the evi-s with the h(>avv lieel, cuttin<' his head o])en. The man tho\io'ht lie had killed him, and made a holt; oue man took a shot at him, hut he uot awav and went east, so that we saw nothinj; of him aii'aiu. The other man reeovered in a short time, hut had a terrible "rash in his foreliead. f ^1 AVe had several lialf-hreeds on the farm emjihtyed in j)ic'kiuf,^ stones, and some of these fellows ])layed the fiddle very well ; they did not live in the earn]), hut had tents out- side. AVe often ^■«it them in to lay cards amontt:ii xi. A Sun-.iM.ct— lr„Ml,k.-.\ Tln„„k.rstonM-l:rasst.v an,! SumIm,,,,, FMn,,.. S,.,,,.. St.blt.-In.lin.i l-,.«.w„w StMit fc.r M.-nu-Tl,.. Harvest S„.u,lgi„s \Vl,..at — (.uuU ( •n.i.s-( i«.s,.-Wli,Mt Im-.wii A-iicultuiiil s1„av One Sunday in July an Indian Sun Dauco was to take jdare on the reservation a few miles south of Indian Head; two other fellows from th(> cam]) were ooino- down, so wo borrowed three hroncJios. and I arranged to <:o with tluMU. On the way down we passed some othei' fidlows who wen.' evidentlv out for a hit of fun, and had a lot of whiskey with them ; we could sei' that it would he hest to keej) a •I'ood distance from them, for thev were sure to <>i't into trouhlp, and we didn't care to be mixed u]) in it. When we came to the Indian lieservc we found a lot of tents, and in one ])lace a crowd of redskins in full war ])aint formed in a lard ])aint. came out into the rin lojx' tliicw liinisclf Lackwiiids jiud tcrwiiiils in liis rndoiivouis to ivnr nwiiy the fic^li ;ni(l let liinisclf loose. For scvciiil lionis tln'> continued, llio crov/d yelling' and cheeiin'i' the suiVerer on to iVesli eiVoit». and lie, his Lrenst nearly torn tlirou^li, was throwing- liiinstdf about and ready to dioj) i'roni ]iain and fatigue: but lie dare not e flew back to the ])ost, and he was left nnconseious on the jiround. A medi- cine man came to heal his wo\inds, and he was taken out to sit in the sun till it sank in the west. All this jduck, endurance and determination is wasted on an old relip'ioun superstition that no man can be called ii brave until he submits to go thr(m<>h this ordeal. We were glad there was to be no more of it, and oiot. our horses and were preparing to start, when we saM- the men Ave had ])assed on the way surrounded by a crowd of drunken Indians, some of whom were brandishing' knives ; we rode up to see what had ha])j)ened, and at that moment one of the white men drew his revolvei- and fired at the nearest Indian, who fell a])])arently dead. In tli(> confusion the white men got thnmgh the crowd, and got their horses and rode oif, we followed at once, for the redskins seemed dis- j)osed to Avreak their vengeance on us, and actually fired at us. The matter was hushed up, as the d(>ed was done in self-defence, but it was a warning to playful persons not to give spirits to the Indians, which is strictly forbid- den by law. The mosquitoes, v/hich had been bad during June and ini-: yjJAL's /.v r.i.v.i/>.i nr July, 1k,(1 iiliiH.^t cntiirlv disipiMMrcd. and w,. toutid lit.- much plrasiiufcr in the riiiu|). (Jur ^liack u;.s nut l.uilt to witlistuiid iiiufli licavv wcatlici-, tln-ndoiv Wf uviv latlicr disniay.Ml wIh-h onr day we saw a tivni.'ndnus tliimdci >t..rni coniino-. Howtncr, wv .(.vcivd up tlic hunks as uvU as we could, and waited for it: all at once it was upcn u^ : the wind toic uj) sc^('l•al hoards (,f the ••,„,{, ;,,i,I ;, dclun.. of rain poured through cvciy crack and hole, till the Hoor of the place was two inches (hrp with water, and when at hist the storm passed over, we had not a dry thinn- in th.« camp. However, as usual after .terms in thi. country, the sun came our as strong- as ever an -ct on to a |>ierc of tlii> : hickiK it was a piece that had ben wrlj |)jounhcd b.-tore. and it beinp- fairly rotten, I was able to make a o(„h1 job of it : it was much easier work than breakinn'. and neai ly two ancv a dav could be done. About this time a liand of (iermnns came to work on the farm; they did not live in the cam]), but existed oufsid,. as cliea})ly as they could, and seemed to think onlv of the money they were earning', without a thouoht for the ])0(u half-starved horses they were drivino- to death. If there is one thino- a Canadian dislikes, it is to s(>e a horse worked to death and criudly treateatened U> blow every man's brains out unless thev t(»ok more care of their horses, and would have turn(>d them off th(> j)lace at once had they not promised to v.ork three hoises to a plough instead of two. "We who worked near them alway.s G !)« IIIK Yl'Lins IX CAXAJ).!. made it a jMtiiit 1<» ^o and take tln-ir lioisos (uit if tlicy did not st(i|> \\(iik at the time \\v did, and many a iVed of oats did our fellows ix'iw their liorses wlien tliev came njund hunt inn- for food. W i ^ 'Ihe wlieat on th(> Hiiissey I'aiiii. adjoining' tlie Sunlteam, and on the Bell l''arm \va^ lieLiinninji' t(» ri]»en. Tlie liias- M'V and Sunheam l''arni>; are owned hy an J'lntili^h syndi- cate, at the head (d' whicli i•^ I, old lira^sey : it i^ inteiah'd to ]Hdinote eini^ration, and will in the fntiiie let out ])ieces of the hind to intending- settlers. The land was Ijouj^lit fiom the J^'ll l''armiiij»' Company, and consists of over twelve s(|uare miles, all of Vvhich in time is to he hronuht under cultivation. I had now finished l)acksetfin;i my jtiece. and as harvest would soon he coniinji- on, and my hoi-c> had done very well. T j^ave tlaMii a rest, Avhile I lo(»ked out for a job for mvself for a few WM'cks. A larLii' stone stable was to he huilt near th.e shack ; the holes had heen diiu- for the foun- dations, and the contraitor was ahotit to commence, so I yot a joh from him at the rate of a dollar and three-(|uar- ters a day. I found it vu])])lied with stones, handiuL;' them up and helpiui! to ])Ut them in ])lace, and, when I had time, to break and lace the stones, and lielp caitv mortar: the consequence Avns that 1 had my hands full, and didn't liav much time to look rouud. Alxuit the middle u\ Auiiust tluu'e was a bip- ])ic-nic at < Ju :>PP*'l^^' Station; the day was uiade the occasion for a ycneral liolidav (ui the Sunbeam, and most of u^ went over. I Th.'v li;„l all kinds (,f sjM.rt.s Ihts. ra.cs. a.ul an Jn.lian PONv-m.w, a strano.. kind nf .lan,,.; a lot ol l.alt-nakrd ^vi'mnr. sn round in a .inl.. ;.nd Im-o,-,, „.„„,,, , ,„,|^., . sen... j.Iay it an.l look .m HI sih.nt adini.ati..n of th.-ir huds and nia>i..rs: f,,,n. th." •.•mount tlH-v ..at, on,, would inni-in.. that (hoy sta.vrd Ir.un one j)o\v-\vow to another. The en.j.s on the dinVivnt farms i,, the n.-i-hhouiho.,,] w.-re n.'afly rip.., an.l I thoM-ht it wa> fully time to -tart for lionie: I had ..anied a nice little ])it of monvy : after my l)oard was .h.dueted I drew a rhe.iue foi' -^1 10 from the Sunbeam Farm, an.l aiother of .Si:> fmrn the stahle .on- traetor. My team had piek.'d up a lot duiinn' their rest, ami the filly, which had -rood tli,. wheat: in one fi.dd .)f six hundr.'d and forty acres there av.u'.' n.i less than fifteen liiuders wii^dint:' r.miid the field, and ov.'r thirty men followinir and s.^ttinn- up the sheaves in slio.'ks. It was a V(.ry o-.io.l crop, and sh.uil.] have been w.uth a c iniderable sum to th.. .)wiier. }U dinn(.r-tim.' I not to th.. Fort, where there wer.> a •••nod Ml h ■■ 1; lot) inn yi:Aiis is r.\.\.\i>.\. \\ I 1i inaiiv tVllows t'roMi tlic scttU'iiicut, Intrvt'Nt imi li;iviiii: (tun- llH'iHcd U|) tlicif; tlu' luUi'> ;iii(l tit'c> lunUcd >]>lt'ii(li(l, a ^•rcaf ('(tiifriist to tli(> fiat. Iiaic plain I had ju^t \v\\. I ar- rived hmiu' iu g(»(»d tiiiu' aud found t'\H'i'\ tliin^'- Ti;:lil ; tlic (•ro[)«; Wi'i'c hardly lijn", so I sliouhl have jih-nty of lime to yet a hit of hay. The heavy stoiiii uhich \\v »'.\]M'rit'i»<('d at Indian Head liad (hnit* Wi^n niort» (hmiap' uj) licii' ; scv- (Mal stahh' and ji;ianary roofs had hvi'U l)ln\vn off, and one man had the roof lifted clean off his hou^e and deposited several yards away. T started as soon as T eonld to ciit some hav. and ^dt ten loa u]) the trrain. It has heen mm li debated wiiether tliis really pi'events tbe pain from beiuii- frozen, but from what I have seen I should say it does to a considerable extent. The binder did not withstand the strain of the hoavv cro]i hjst year, and we had to ji'et several new co^'^-wheels and (diains, and with these it was as <:ood as ever, and we at once started on one of mv fields of oats, which had ri])ened before any; it was a ^rand crop, just ripe, and totdv some time to cut. W 's oats weie th(» next ready, after which his wheat was cut. Tlie wheat iu this nei'i'hbourliood was not nearly such a ^ood cr(>]) as that round Indian Head, althou<;h one or two small pieces were fairly «rood ; my own wheat was not a bad croj). but from beiny sown on last J'ln: )f:.ii;s i\ r.i.v.i/M 101 y«'iu's l.icakinj:. \viis nm. li latrr than the n-st. tlu- «.se and cranes, wliich setth-d in lar up within iifty yards, and dis- charge the two barrels into the middle of the flock. brin<.>- inj; down three or four at a time. At the l-'oit the si»ort>- men were havin^^ ^ood times with the ducks on flic lake, some <:oin^' out for tlie day and l)iin^in a li^ht job with us. for we had tw(» wajjdtis. and could hi in;^'' in a i^ood many loads in the ((uir-t' of a day. 'i'he Cana- dians never take nuu-h trouble in buildin*:' their st;i(k^. conse(|uently. if there is much rain the niain ^cts wet and is spoilt; luckily there seldom is much rain in the fall of the year, or lialf the stacks in the countiy would be ruined. Every year, durinjj: the month of < (ctober, the Fort (iu'iijt- " j)plle Agricultural Society liolds a show, at. which tlicie is always u jiood dis])lay of ^rain. roots, and cattle and horses; the latter have im]>roved a Lircat deal. A few Ncai'i ajj-o the onlv horM-s in the cuuutrv ^\(■l(' bron( hos anil in- dian *' shairaiKi])pies." as they are called: now iheic arc a lot t)f fine well-bi'ed Ontario teams, which have been bi()u<:ht up by settlers and dfalers. and the number of ^^ood entire horses increases every year. 'J'here was a wonderful i'iim('iital I-'arin, iiiul |»n'>it'rvf(l loi- rxliildtioii at the Chicago W'oilds I'air in the t'ollnwiu^ year. Stibstaii- tial nioncv prizt's an- ;iivt'ii at tlicsc sli()\v>, and tlirv aio I'Xcclli'iit lliiiiji's for riicduta^iii^' tltt- tafiucrs to pivc cafe aixt attention to their stock and efojis. IJel'ore the iVo-;t set in, fii'e' down nearly every day. which neces- sitated sj'udinii' to the Fort or the station for repaiis ; the (•i-ain was turninu' out rather badly, and the nu'ii didn't seem to care how thev threshed it. One dav, throuii'h some stranjie coincidence, we all ran short of tobacco, not on(> man in the whole band having' a bit; wi- were in the thick of the work and could not leave oft' to fetch it. so had to do as the Indians do, smoke " knick-knick," which is baik j)eeled oft' willow bushes; it is not at all bad mixed ^\^tll tobacco, but Mhen smoked alone has rather a stronj^- fia- vonr; however, we were very ^lad of it in the absence of anvthino' better. My oats threshed out fairly well, yield- inti" over six hundriHl bushels, and the wheat turned out two hundred bushels, but tlu' frozen was 'o mixed up with tho fjnod that it would be im])ossible to separate it. I I. riVK YHAl'S /A fM.V.!/M UK% (•IIAI'TK1{ Ml. KulH'liiii;;— 'llu; Stock ('iitt!ll_, :'il(\V(Micl ■• llriiiiclin liil.-Iiii^ — 'll..- (olf. WolvfM— I'lli/znnls -Hiding llimiflios - .Mt\icaii SiuIiIIch -r.iwlMiv-- A Wiiit.i i;i,li' Sist.v l)<';4iif.H Ixlcisv /.lu — l|;mlm- ll,i\ - A Wuli Jl mt - < 'ow I.Oit. Tlicl'c \vii> 11(1 liKti'i' work t(» lie (IniH^ (tli the iaiiii liciw, ami the price of wlu-at mid (•;it> not hciii;^' i:i'(;(l ciihuliIi t( sell at pii'sciit, 1 Was ollVrcd a jol) oii a. raiii lir (twiird liy an Mn^lisliniaii, ahout four iiiih'> away; I liad dnm- a ijo'id (leal of riding' and lhouo 1 acct'jded it. It wa< tiot a \iiy lar^c raiichc; there was a nice herd (d' cattle, and a ;;'ood-si/ed hand (li [»oiiie>, the younii' ones oi whi(h wi-re to he hi(d;en in th;' winter; there were two other l»(tys, the owner's two son- and the owner hiniscdf, so that we had a ^ood .landful ot nun. The j)resent saddle horses were rather poor ones, Imt we hoj)ed durinij: the winter to break in a few of the best (ult-. ready for next summer's work. The snow was already on the u'lo'ind and we had a -jiell of very cold weathei' ; the c(tws and calves wcic kept in the stable at ni^ht. but the youn^' cattle and sieer> laii out amone' the bushes, where we feil them with hay. The band of ponies ran out on the r-cairie all the winter, scraping- away the snow with their feet and eatin;^' the pl•a^s under- neath ; they nevei' '.a'Ut far away, and soiuetiuies would even come uj) to the buildinjis for a bit of hay, so that we could alwavs o'et them when thev were wanted. Tirewond (11 Fill': YKJKs i\ ri.\.\n.\. wiis niiiiiiiiii' >li(irt, s(» we set to work ;it mice to rut :i lot w «' liiid to n(i nciu'h' two miles I'of it to ii ;.'oo(l-si/,c(l MulV lien- tlicic Wiis ;i ;.'-oo(l sMppIv of lo^'s, r;iil.s, :iihI dry liic- \voo(I iii'd tr:iil. winch wc iii:iriii<>rod piicc tlio c(dt hcciin to show si^ns of distress, and very soon after, hiivin^- just, jdiiiiccd through n deep snowdrift, he stopped ; this w;is just whiit we wiinted. /••/I /•; ) i:.\i .■; i.\ c i.v i/m in.-) so, uillioiil Id'^iii;.' ;iii\ nine, uc liiriicd kmiikI :iimI stinted tlieiii (ilV lot' lidliie; we li:itl no iiioie ll'oillile, l(ir lie uciit, liiiek ;is (jiiiet ;is ;iiiy lini^e, ;iii\e f;i>-lei' lli.tii ;i \\;dk. Tliedllier lioivc \\;iv not, a l)it knocked ii|i liy tlie iiin. lor he u;is n^ed to it, :iiid li;id liel|ted l(» Itreiik in dozens ol e(dts in tliis iii:iiiiiei'. \\ f were niistiikeii in tliinkiii;j llie nioniiiin's nin \\,h\ lieeii eiioiipli lor tlieeolt, lor. until his month jjot ri;jlit several weeks alter, we iiiid the -nine |iei loiniiinee every nioininp', the distance <'ettinii- slioitei' c;ich tinie. ri The next to he l)iad first into ]-. whilst I droj)j)i'd ovor his heail into a nic*' soft hvd of snow; thi> (•oni])lpt(.dy bewikk'n-d him. and on «:!.ttin«i' up anain I liad very littk; trouhk- with him. and eventually nide after tii.' other boys to lielp diivt> in the band. I was olad to find that my day's breakinn- was over, and that I had n()t off so easily, for I had fully expected to be nearly killed; there- fore, it wa.s with , satisfaction tnat I stood by and M- boys tackle the filly; we had >uble. but were very mucli niis- b than I had had. We had a few more ((.Its to vide, .^Mi.■h all _o'av(> moi'e oi- less ti'onble except the lazy one. whidi was very easily bi'oken, evident!v not thinkinn- it worth the trouble to make a disturliaiice. watched one of ti thoug-ht she would taken, for he had a w '■( H About thi.s time there was lo lie an amateur minstrel en- tertainment at the Fort, and three of us o'ot leave to «•(( ■ the thormometer stood at tbrty decree.-, below zero wIumi we left at five o'ck)ck in the evenint:. and a north-west wind m'arly cut iis through, but we had a team of good colts in the sleigh and went down in good time. \\"e were oMi^rii to get back that night, although everyone thought we ran a risk of getting frozen, for it wa< sixty degrees below zero when we started from the l-'ort ; we went at a good j)a( c for some miles, but tht> hoi>es seemed to get overpowered bv the cold, and could not be made to -lo above a walk ; on; noses, ears and finders weie continually freezing', whilst we had each to g(>t out and \\alk in turn, to keep the cir- culation in our feet. At one time we got off the trail and ^^ere liunting about lor half an hour before we i ould re- gain it. and then the hor^e^ were so done up and -hivering with the cold that we could haidly get them to mo\e. til! someone thouglit of a dodge, and getting out his revolvei. 'I 108 FiriJ YUAns jx cAy.inA. fired it in llii* air, at wliicli tlic horses started off at a "(ind pare AVe r«'aclied lionie at two o'clock in tl le iiKtniniu' CI' the horses ' short, we fixed the hay-rack on the sh'ijihs and set to work to iicrally went, and we found it very plea- sant work on fine days, for we always took our guns, and sometimes managed to get a wolf and some rabbits. The prairie-chickens Avere very plentiful this winter, settling- in the yard to ])ick uj) the seeds, and we kept our- selves well su])]die's, which we sold without any difhculty at the Fort. One day we all had a hij-' hunt after a cow that we supjJOM'd had calved somewhere on the prairie: it was a hitterU coM day, and we Avere afraid the calf mioht p'ot fiozen. so we had to o-et ahout smart: we had heen out all dav, ^caich- inp' throu,uh all the hluffs, aiul wei'e coming' home to-^cther. havin bushes, which turned out to he a white calf, al- most frozen to death. whiUr the mothei' was not far away. I rode on and came hack with a '! ; I no J'lVK YEAliS IX CAXAD.i ("IIAPTKIi .XIII. .•■ Sl'i"l<-i:at.'lm,^'-i:a„,„K.k a,„l Si,,,, jack Cul,! MVMtlH,..-!.,,,.^ Dnys- ^nM,K.|I. St.,..„.-A,. Aniv.1 f,,,,,, Mn.lan.l-Lonving tho Fan.^-On'the ! iiclit— I, Mm.lii.--< 'ntclinij; H, ..,-.■« Ar,„,i,I. ' I i: I ^ / ■ ■ B.V fl„. ,.,1.1 „f :\liuvl, (!,(. MH.W i:,,M-.il,v l„.o;ui t,. 1 lunv, :"iunw co,, on ,nv cwii ],l:,r,>, 1 l'>r>.n t.. uv, ,lu. sluM'k fixr.l „,, to Mi.k.. ir lu.l.ifMl.lr. 1 ^'■' walls lui,l s.^urTly anv I'li.st.T l,.ft in iu.tw.vn tlu'h.ns: so I ..t to w..,k an.l mixcl =' '"• "linn.K i.n.I with it .-ovcv,] up the n.of an,] fill,.,] tli,. i'"h>s in th,> walls. At la^t I ,„.t th. ,,Ia.v in onl.r, ami li;.vin,u' fixed np a stov,> atul nKu!,> a Im.I out ,.f son.(> unvjU •Mils I .'stahlish..,] n.ys,.lf in thr hon^. to wait till t].,> o,,,im,l was iva.ly to sow. My fniiiitun' . on, fryinn. ,,;,„. .,u,.,.pan. an,] two ,ir 'Inv,. tin plates an,] cups: it was not a vrvv nram] ,lisplav. '«Ht, havin.oM.nly mys.df t,. ph'as... an,! v.ot rxpootin- n.anv vivitots. J concliul,.,] that th,. I,.ss I lu,,l the l,..s w,nk it would ni\(. nic. I had .lon,> a -...hI .h'al oi .■ookiti- in fire dut and sui)]M'r lo l)c pivpaicd. Ir is a fic- (lucnt tliiiiu' inr lucii in this |.(i (.ven, inakinn- a ]dai:i cake, and although the insidi' sometimes turns out raw, it is retdioiu d by l)a(di(dors to be a V( ly nood sultsfitute for bread. Another favourite dish, whieli I frequently indid«:v(l in, is also made of flour and water, mixed into a l)atter ami iried in fat; it is eaten with syrup or ^ut^ar, and is called " slap-ja(d<." I also had a j.ieee of very ^alt bacon and a few ])otatoes. and with tlicM'. and occa'^ionally some butter and eop;, I mad,, as mucji variety a< i)ds>il,h.. The first ni^'ht in the j);ace was very (■(•Id, !,„• the Minter had not yet jiassed. and in the nioinin^' 1 fdund a ]>iece of plaster had fallen (Uit dl tlie wall jiiM aln.ve my head, let- tnin- in more fresh air than was necessiry. {-'(.r the next lew days the weather was very severe, and 1 Irecinentlv had to leave the house and no into the siiun- little stal)h\ wheic the liorsc-s were, to keep myself warm. All thi> time I >c]- (h)iu saw a soul, and. liavin- v ])(;st ofHce. where everyone went for the mails du Friday evenino'. At last, after waitiu- a fdiiiiinht. the ]a to < last six inoiiths, so I selccttMl the host ot niv fields and h( th h' and plonu'h it inuh Li (I M'oan to sow wiicat on tnc sniohie and plonii'n it inuuT. I had sonu' h>n^ days' woik then, <>t'ttiny up at five, ft>('tlin<'\ ^i'ooniin of land and ucttinu' out to j)]ou^]i as soon as possihU' ; at dinner-time there was a meal to he <»'ot r(»ady, after which I resunu'd ])lou<:hin are always used as often as ])ossihle, and then ])iled up until everything" is dirty, when a l)if>' washing' take^ ])lace. In these lon<;- hard days Sunday came as a d(>liyhtful re>t, and on these op- portunities I •.'•enerally made a suj)ply of hannock and othor thin<>s to last the whole of tlu> wei^k ; one Sunday the boys from the ranche came over, hiinaiui'' a few ('•'■}•■>, with which we made some special "slap-jacks," fully equal to English ])ancakes. Some three hundred yards fiom my place was a larg'o flat sloueese. I was in m^ed of a little variety of food, so one evenin<>', haviu"' left off Avork earlier tl>an usual. T walked over that way with the gun; in order to g(>t within range of the ducks I had to creep for some distance thrcnigh the giass to get hehind a small hush, from whence I got a good shot, and, on the smoke idearing away, saw a do/en struggling in the water. I had to wade through the cold water after mosr of these, 71 /•; vy;.i/.'> ix cax.ida. ]13 hut WHS fully rc])iii(l l)y ii (liiiiicr <•! ro!i>t duck, lliiviu}: sown lialf the twclvc-ucic Held with wlii-Mt, I hcu;'ii td juit oats on the nMniiindci', and soon had it all tiuislu'd. 1 had had a Icttci' from a friend in l"",nuland wli< was (■onnn«!' out, advisinn' me on what shi]) la- had sailed. 1 M'as expecting' a tideniiuu fi'oui him to ainiounee lii>aiii\ai, and havin<:" ^ ne (htwn to the Fort to eateh s(uue ti>h, I found one theic waitin^' lor me. lie had left (iuehee at a certain tim(\ and I co\ild jud^'e ])retty well how lonu' he would he j^'ettin^' from there to (iu'a|)])elle Station, where I was to meet him. One of the hdlows fiom ihe ranche wanted to ^o down, so we started oiV one morninu' with the Avaffctn, takinun sn liot that the skin he^an to peel off our faces. \\ e arrived at tlie station in odod time, and L;-ot our horses into a stahle and the tent fixed and made comh)rtahle, aftei' winch we made a ;:'ood sup])ei' off tea and a kind of ])emmican. soiue- what resemhlin""' corned beef. Qii'appelk Station, h.rmerly called Tnty, is much lar,L"cr than Fort Qu'appt-dle, and is pleasantly situated amoni:' the LlufVs: two mihvs from the town are the A<:iicultural Collefz-e, s(diools, and the icsidenciM.f the F:pisco])al J?i>^ho]i of Qu'apiudle, Avho arrived from Kn<:land on the -ame train as my friemh On en(piiry at the station-lunise wi- huind that the train from the east was twenty-three hours late, so we went hack to the tent and settled ourselves comfort- uLly for the mont on with the mails and rc^uhir [Jasst'npTs. 'I he nirst(trni, ;ind nuah'our tent st'cni'c hcfoic we turned in ; we h;id not heen ash'ep h)np before we weic roused l>y ;i terrihle peal of thunder, and the ruin he^'aii to pour down in torrents, whilst our little tent was in constant daimer of heiim- carried awav l)v the wind. The canvas kept out the rain very well, hut in a few minutes a stream of water he^an to How underneath, w«>ttinr j^touihI. •<(» that we liad ])l('nty()f tinu' to pn'j)ai'(' adcopnt im-al, dui" j)iiii('ii)al di^li Ix'iii^' " slaj)-ja(k." f wanted to ^('t w(»ik t'oi' If. — sonu'wlu'rc in tlit> nciiihlKmrhood, so that 1 couhl . and Hoon canu' aci'oss a man who was w.lliny' t(» keep hiui for liis work until lie had U'arnt liis way ahou^, so we ijot oiii' ha^<^a shoulder, leaviufr a mark bj' which they can he easily recognised, no mattt'r how far tliev may stray away on the praiiie, for (>very rancher has a reo'istered hrand. Some of the stahles had, durinp- the winter, been rather cold for want of irood roofs, so we set to work to remedv this by pitchinji' off the old straw and plou^hin^' up some <;ood stilf sods of turf, which w(> laid doiible thickness on the rafters, coverinonip all the cracks with loose soil. These II 2 ! Ui J'll'K YKAllS l.\ r,LVJ/>.l, ar(» the Itrst roofs to lie olitiiiiicil in this couiiti v lor stables, iind iiiT hccoimii'T uiiivcr^iil: llic one ilriiwliacU is tlip weight, wliirli iicct'ssitatrs rxtra jnops liciii^'" ]ila(»'(l under the* beams; no lain ran ^ct tlirotinli ;i |)r(»|M'ily made foof, and ill wintei- tliey keep tin- stables veiv (Jtniloi table. Sods are rapidly lu'coniiii}^ |)opular for bnildin;: stables and even houses. AVe went to a bee one day to help put u]) a sod stable Irfty feet lon;,^ twenty feet wide, and with walls tliree foet thick; there were a «lozen men theie, some ])lon^-hin;,'' the sotls. others haiilin^- them to the place in wagons, while tlie rest bnilt up the walls; it took two days' hard work to conijdete, but when finished it made a splendid stable, cal- culated to last manv vears. The weather bciuji" very fine and the ^rass fresh, Ave h't most of tl' youn^' calves out on the prairie to lun with tlu^ heiil, but very soon found we had done wrong-, for nearly every day they wei'c missino', jnid caused a great deal of extra work; many of the calves ran with the mothers, but we wer(> milking six cows, so that these six calves liad to be reared by hand, and j)roved to be more trouble than the rest of the rauche ])ut tog"ether. We had one fenced grass field, b\it it was small and in ])oor condition, only feeding the Avorking horses and a few sheep, or we should liavp ke])t both the calves and the milking cows there; but, as it was, tlie latter Avent off Avith the rest of the herd in the morning-, necessitating one man to go Avith them to herd them and brinj; them in at night. On getting uj) in tlie morning Avp generally had an hour's Avork catching the horses A\]nch we Avere to ride or Avork that day; they Avere in the field. but AA-hen they saAV us coming: Avith bridles and lassoes they began to tear round, trying: to gvt through the fence ; Ave sometimes managed to catch one or tAvo Avith a liandful of / 11' i: y i: !/,•> i.\ r w i/» i IIT (t;if^, Imf flic l'('-.r were tdo old tn lie cini'^lil 1)\ tllilt tiicK, M) \\t' had to iiiniiiit llic Olio Wf liiul caitHirctl till wr roiijd iilii tliclii tlowii aiid |;i->(t lliciii. 'I'lif cattli' wen- always* kept ill a lai'^ic ('(tiial at iii^ilit ; tiit'cdiial i> luiilt (d sir(iii;» |»()«.ts and I'aiU t(i a u'dud lici^iil. and i> ui'in'ialls ( (in>li in tt'd at the corner (d a tcnc*-. xt that the (attic ina\ he ca«iily driven into it. wjiil-i in the eeiitie is the indi'>jicn>ahle sniiulge to kci'j; away the nio>(|nitoes. 'S ii 1 118 I'll I': )/;.i/.'N /.v ri.v.i/>/. < ii.\i'Ti;i{ \i\. A LiiiK-' KiHMl,,. 'IIm |;„u,„I M|, (■■•iK.M .Mi.ss,,,., st,nl, |,„ i:„.,|„„.| KcK.Hs ■|l,..l,„„,M.v \V„.Mi|MK F.Ml WillmiM S.,^. "A I In, I -MM.,, " |,K.. Sm|..M.m Sm„|I si. ,M:Hir Tl.rl,„rkh I.,, K- 1 1 M, „i, - « I,,,, ^n,!, I o SoiiikI. 'ii\ <»«iii DmiliollM. winlrr ur I,;,,! I.r..|i vnv ^li..lt nl' u;it.T, seme "' '''•' •• = '•<''' "ll''ll Ili.Vllin- In n,, uillinill, ,0 U,. |,;„| |(. s, • | <" u'.rk ;.l .„,.•<■ l.> ,|i- i, w.-ll: l,;.viiiu ^,.|...•l,..i ;, s„,i:,|,|,. spot, \v.-.„i„„M.|,r(..|, ImH s.MMi I.miihI timl il,,. |,,.s( |,i„| ,„,( VH ^n,„. O..I „|- ||„. u,,MnMl; licurvr, u,. u,.,.. in ,,,.,.,1 „| \v:., lu'i.t .,,1, ;,imI :,I iIh- ,|,.|,||, ,,| twelve Irrt v.nur to a ^ocMJ s,„i.in, iroiiMr us ;.t iiiulit, I. lit \v<- li:«l iIk-iii :iII t In (.ii ;iir \civ ln't ;iii(l uiicdiii loi I- iiMf, :iMil ;ii<' |M'ili;i|)- lln' wdislol t \vn i-viU. TliiTf Ii;mI l;ilrl\ Ihtii ;i ;.-lv:il (l<';il tiiit \va^ made, and iImii iI liau-|uii(l t|,;,l tl,,. roiii|taliV liad a|)|dicd to I lie ( io\ cilinirnt lor lill- llici' aid anil .■.\tfii>ifui \' till' (lov.'iiiiiMiil ; it' llii- is niaiiird Imuiu.-,; tlii-c iiK^icy-and the va-t t rarts ot laud «'i;iiitrd ;jo a lon;j' uav toward- lloatin;.' llir coiHt'iii. lint, iiidrrd, ii i-, II. •fdrd, tor l.uildiii^i' a nru railway in soiiir ol' the oiitl\in;j' |tart^ i- not always a miiv -pcciilal i-ui, and, i,s it i^ lor tli<- liciirlit oi' tlir srttlcl'S it i-ouly ri<.dil tl'.i' thf (oiM'inincnl -liould a-M-t. \t |ii.- aiv licili;.'- ,;,iri(d on with tlic (loxcinninit , and all roin(iii"d iia\f lloiM'S that it iiia\ In- mkui i-oiiiliicnrcd, lo open n|) oil" of tlir lilic-l piece-, ot eoillil ly ill ( 'aliada. One Siindav in Mav we drove lirtccn inilc- .'loilli to a II, I, (he ouiied h\ an Mneli^hiiiaii ; H was a niucli laiiver p|;,,(. iliim our-,, and wa-, nicely situated near home all through the jear. A cowboy's dress is principally composed of leather, this being- the most serviceable material for riding; a great feature of the costunu^ is the leath(>r fringe which adorns (he sleeves and shouldei's of the shirt and the legs of the j)ants, and without which none is complet(>. The nuigh work of the ranche had now become faniiliar t!) me. and I had ho])es of staying on foi' some time, when I wa>; again compelled to return to England. I had still a fortnight to stav, when one dav ei<>'ht or nine calves v.'hich had ji'one out with the held were missed, liavinu" evidejvth' been driviMi away by the moscpiitoes : being only a few /nonths old, we weri> natui'ally anxious about them, so next moruinu' I set out on one of the colts to scour the countrv, and bv win(lin<«' in and out, round bluffs and through everv place where they might conceal themselves, I covered eighty miles before night. Xext morning I got a fresh horse and started (mt with provisions, going furtlier than before, but still winding about, and camped f(n' the night under a tree, tethering the horse out to feed. I'or several days I kept on like this, camping out at night, iiud getting a meal when- ev(>r I canu^ across a house. At last I started back home, l)ut had not gone very far when I passed a shallow sloui:h nVK YKAlfS IX r AX AD A. (){ wator with hijili ^lass and iveds, from wliicli provoi'di'd a noise very inucli r('st'iul>liii<^' a liuiiiiiv calf's bawl; I rodi"- in and tliciv found the objects of my scaicli, nearly covered with o'rass and mud; Avlien tliev saw me tlu*v soon nulled tlieniselves out of the mud. and bi'fore long' I had them a I home, k)okin<;' very dirty and hung'ry. I had sohl all my helonj^'ing's except the farm, for which I did not expect to find a customer until tlu- railway ( ainc in. and I now he^'an to <>et my thint^s in readiuexs to start for England. The skins I had shot ami traj)ped Imd heen dressed by an old squaw who lived luntr, n most miserabli looking- object, who>e saving virtue, perhaps, was her clever- ness in dressing' skins. It Avas with many regrets that I turned my bacl< on the place I had begun to regard as houu', and to leave the work to which I had beconu' attached, to ri'turn to a country the wavs of which I had almo>t forgotti-n. and to give u]) a lif*' of freedom such as can only be enjoyed in a country like Canada. Some of the feUows drove me to the Fort, where, after seeing a few old chums, 1 took the stage for (iu'aj)- pelle Station, which place was reached late in the afternoon. 1 stayed at the Lelaud Hotel during the night, and next morning' boarded the tniin, which left at eleven o'clock. taking a ticket for AVinnipeg. where I intended to book my passage to Knglanil. We soon came to Indian Head, The ground we had ploughed the previ(Ui> vear on the Sunbeam harm was in crop and looked in splendid condition, as did the wheat on tlu> Jiell, Ibassey and other farms in the neighbourhood. At Broadview we stayed half an hour for dinner, and ar- rived at JJraiidon about three, reaching rortai:e la Prairie 122 FIVE YE A US IN CAN AD J. it 5' 1 1 1 i 1 'i ' 1 1 '. I 15 two lioius lator ; round licre the rrops looked excellent, and promised a good season. It was nine o'clock at nif!:ht when we reached AVinnii)e«2', and g'oin*,^ across to the Clif- ton House, I had a good rest, and next day Avent to the sta- tion to get a tick(>t to l^higland. The next boat to suit me was the Cunarder " Tmhria," on Avliich I accordingly booked ; I still had a fortnight to spare, and as a trip across the lakes and through Ontario could he taken for the same amount as the old route, via Montreal, I decided t)n going that way. The boat in Mhich I was to cross the lake was not due to start from Fort William for two days, so, until then, i decided to stay in AVinnij)eg'. I fell in with another fellow from the Avest, and as it A\as A'cry hot Aveather, aac passed mos+^ of our time sailing; on the lied and Assiniboine RiA'crs, Avhich join just here. In the cA^ening' there AAcre some trot- ting' races on a track outside the city, and here avc saAv some of the best trotting' horses in Canada. The next day a train of emigrants came in, mostly English people, and. remembering' that avc AA'ere once in the same ])osition, avc Avere able to g-iA'e some of them a little adA'ice as to obtain- ing Avork. That night I started for Port Artluu', AAliere I arriA'cd the folloAAino' eA-enin<>', and staA'ed the ni \t'>>t'I, IooIumI v^\)v- ciaOy tenii)tin^'. Bv four o'clock Avc were under wciali and >tcaniini:- down the Xainiuisti(pua River: coniinu' out on to the lal -^in.r.ted, and in an houf's time came abicast ot 'riiuiider (ape, a rocky pro- montorv 1,-iIO feet liioli. At six o'ldock the ludl -otindcd for dinnt'V, after wliieli the Avater j^'ot rathei- choi)|)y. and as a thick foji' came on, the vcssid was oblii^cd to ^o ^hi\vl\-, the foo'-liorn hlowin^' contimnilly. We found our hcrths very comfortable, and as the ship was fairly steady, we ^,,1 a <:()od night's rest. The next mornin<>- the h)'^ was still veiy thick, ami as there Avas u bit of a sea on, a jiood many |u'o|)lc did not iivi up for breakfast, which, like the dinnt'r, was >crvcd uj. in hrst-class style. AVe passed a «ireat many vesstds. both >iailin<>' and steamers, and also some whalehacks, whi( li h)ok very curi(ms ; they are built of iron and roimded over the top, rather resembling' a, lar^c torpedo: the en,uincs are in the stern, where thei'c is also a, Hat dec k hu' na\i- f''atin<>' the vesscd ; like most shins on the lake, tlie\ are used principally for cairyin-i' ;^iain. and flour. About mid- day the fooon after we pa-: they were kepi to^jdher by the outside h)os bein«i- fa^tened together A\ith (hain-, and were evidently bein<:' taken from some of the Inmbeiiii};' districts on the north shore to one of the maikets in tin States. Luncdi was served at twcdve o'(do(d<, after whi( h. the weather now beinfi' fine and warm, we -at out on the uppei- iL'l I'lrj'! yi:.ii!s ix v ax adj. (Icciv \\iit(liiiiv than oui'solvc^ ; this is accoiintiul for hy the hias which are so conunoii on Tiake Sn])t'rior and r.ake Ilni'on. AW were Ineky in havinji' very fine weather, hut it was haid to ht'lieve that we were on a fresh-water hikt', and not on the o])en sea. Fiake Suj)ei'i()r uevtM' en- tircdy t'rcn'/es ovi'r, hut all through the summer tlu' water is icy cold, and any unf'ortuiuite sailor who falls overhoard (-1 is Avrecked has no chance of swimming', hut goes to the bottom immodiatelv. Jiakes Superior and IliU'on are joined hy the Sault St, Marie Itiver, which at its western end falls sonu> twenty feet hy ia])ids ; a canal has been huilt round these on the American side, and larye locks, said to he the tinest in the woild, enable shi[)s to ])ass into the smooth water beyond the ra|)id>. Towards four o'clocdc m (> canu' in sight of land, and soon after were in the river and entering the canal; iti was croAvded with shipping, and we heard that we could not g'.'t through the hnd^s that night, so several of us went on shor»> at the town, of Saidt St. Afarie, in the State of Michi- gan. It was Suiulay afternoon, hut all the shops were open ami bu'^iness ooinu- on as usiuil, whilst a small theatre Avas in full >wing. There is a large Fort situated near here, and some of the gariisim wtMe parading- the str(H>ts with um- breUas to kee]> oft' the heat of the sun. The streets were well built, and the people were evidently proud of their country, for on ni'arly every house Avaved the Stars and Stripe^;; fruit Avas very cheap, and after laying in a stock, we walked down to the locks to Avatch the shipping' pass /•'/r/v y HAL'S IS <'.LV.1/M, \'2b tlnouji'li. (Ml tlir i»|)])(>>it(' ^idc (it tilt' ii\cr is tlif lit lie ( 'aiui- dian town of Sault St. Mai'it', a (piii't and picttiiCMHH" plarc. very dilViTcnt fi'oiii tlu' fowdv town on ilic Aiiici icaii ~idi'. ^ It was not \intil ten o'clock thai niolit that ilic " Ai!i;i- basca " ji'ot tliroiiLlh the l(ud<>. and. tlio iiiiilit liciii;^' very dark, we an(lioi»>d in the river till dayli<:ht: our si-tcr ship, the "Alhcrla." v.as tluM'c waitinn' to Lict tliroiii^h the hu'ks, bound for Fort AVilliatn. (hi i^cttinu u]i next morniiij;' \vc were already on our cour-hore(d the lake. " We were now steaminjj' at a j^-ood speed, and licfore dai k came into tlie (ieornian liay, noted alike for its Ij^h :ind its heavy slornis. \\'e passed ii arcat number of -mall islands, on one of which the ('aiiaih'an I'acifif •steamer *' Manitoba '" was wrecked only a lew weeks Ijcioic: lia]ipily very little dama<;-e was done, and she was towed into doei;, where she was speedily ])ut rii^lit. W'c wcie tlwr at Owen Sound, our destination, durin;^ the niiilit. no aftei' enjoyni^'- a cool eyeniniR'oiisto\vu — Kiiglaiid. I was not ^oinii' on at presont, as I wanted to ])ay a short visit to my friend ]'- on the ^Nfanittmlin Island, and as there was nr hoat nntil kite at ni^ht, I went to a hotel to wait until then. Owen Sound is a vt>ry j)retty phiee, situated at the south- east corner of Lake Huron ; the streets are well laid out with rows of maple trees, a ^reat contrast to the hare look- ing" places on the ])rairie. I was told of a, waterfall some three miles away, so after breakfast I set out to walk tlnnv, passin<>' on the way some really odod farms. Injilis Falls I found to he fully worthy of the admiration ascribed ro them, and after enjoyinj>' the scene for some time, I re- turned to Owen Sound, and after dinner Avent for a row in tht> harhcmr and amon<>' the ships, which were principally en<>aoe(l in unloadin<>' wheat at the elevators. At nine o'clock that nioht I went on hoard the Xorth Shore Xavioation Co.'s steamer "City of Midland," hound for Manitowanino' ; she Avas a small vessel, but well fitted up and comfortabl(\ and althouuh the berths were not like those on the " Athabasca," we nianani(>d to sleep well, and nu g-ettin thorouulily lost, and bffon' lon^' stojuxMl >lu' boat. ][avinn' waited for soiiu' time we stai'tcd olV ajiain at a slow pace, but had not procecch'd fai' Ix'fore wo saw a small island just in front, the enuines were immediateU' icvevsiMl and the orouri''^s stopped, ])ut not befoi'e we had felt a sli<:ht bump. .\ft(r t]iis we layby for an lumr until the i'ou' cleared olV. ulien we once more j)roceeded on our way and soon came in ^i^ht of the north shore. An hour's run bronj^ht us to our !ii>i slopping' ])lace. Killaitiey, a small fiar under the ship'> bottom six feet or more. '1 hi-- district of Alhini:. lum- bering' and mining. Leuvinii" Ivillarnev, we were not ]onsiu<: to tln' Mauitoulin Island, and entering a bay >oi)u came to tin- little town of Manitowaning. It is only a very >mall place, not e"S'en as laro'e as nianv towns out we>t, but its sit\iatii>n on the lake is favourable for commerce. I en([uired lor my friend's place, aJid having been dii-ected. >et out. There were several u'ood farms al)out, but the counti\- ^.eenu'd very stony, and in some places was nothing but >olid rock. P^'s farm was two miles from the town, and wa-^ not so rouiili and stony as some I had i)a<-t. The houses were mostly franu'. and the [armerN altogether seemed very prosperous : the croj)s did not look at all well, for rain was needed hadlv. but the hav, which has to be IL'.S Fill-: yi:.\i;s i.\ cwada. 1 •:ultiv;il('il ill tlicsc piiits, was doiii^' well, ami was ahead; tliico Icct liiuli. 71 ,1 I Th'.' inlldwinj'' «lav we went into tlic lui'^li to yet sonic < cdar lo^i's. and succcrdcd in oLtainin^' a lew Ijcaiitihil jiicccs of timber, over I'oity tcct lonL' inid pcriVctly stiaij^lit. tliat would liavr Ik'cu v.ortli a small t'ortnnc in the Noitli West. Wo saw tracks of l)cais altout the hii'^li. hut althouLih we walk»'.l ahmit for hours, and came a('id>s sev- 4ial stiaiin'c hirds and animals, common only to these jiaits, we failed to hud a heal'. One day we went lisliino' (m tlie lake and cauulit (hi/ens of perch and other ti>h. The In- ilians, who are of tlic Mic-Mac trihe, aiul are «[iiite civi- lis 'd. i^io in for fisliin^', and make a uood living:' hy it. At lir>t I was not })articiihirly stiiu k with the couutry, hut when I came to see more of it, and recoj^nised its ad- v; ita^'cs in the way of tiniher and means of transit, Iheuan to overlook in sonic way its drawbacks, anre had been a. ])ic-nic from Killarney, and the boat, the " City of Midland," was crowded with people as far as that ]dace. after whicli av(> had room to move about and find a comfortable berth. Karly next m()rnin% I spent the day walkin*;' alonu' the shore and amon<>' the busli in the neiuhbourhood. This Smi lay Avas a <;Teat contrast to the last, s])ent at Sault St. Marie, for now Ave were in Canada, Avliere the j)e()])le, as far as possible, make it a day of rest. Ill I I'lVH v/'.'.i/.'s i\ ('\y\v.\ 1 20 Tlic train ^tailed I'oi' Torr^nfo ciiilv In ili<' nininiiiu'. and Tl ic hill' ran I Inonuli a lairlv we canic near to ini»sin<:' it, "•Odd coiinlrN. ita--iiiu' sc\cial lowii-. and in Ir-s than tour hours' time we rcaclii'd tlic ontskiiis ot 'roroiiio, and |iii- scntlv df'w np at the ->tat Ion. on tlic ^liorc cd' Lake < •niai io. Att(>r making; niy licadcinaitci <. I walked round part (d the eitv. and eoiiM not help adinirinu' the line linildin;;s and sliops in the principal streets. In the at'leriioon I. eros "d on. the I'erry to the Island. a1»out a niil(> distant from tlie maiidand, \vhi(di is the pleasure «:'ronnd o\ 'loronto. and wliere theri> aie jileiity of hoats. hathin^' machines. anv fairy lamps. ;iiid a military hand and other thinLis at- tracted a Li'iciit crowd; this is kept up all tliroU'jh ihc-nni- nier, and the people td' 'loKiiiio uduld l>e at a lo-> wiihoiit tli(> Island I'ark. At seven o'clo(dv next morninu' I hd't T(»fonto forXiapira Falls by the (nand Trunk Railway, and after niniwnn' ulon^^ tlio lake shore for some distanecN came to Hamilton, one of the largest towns in Ontario, and a <:ieat farniinji' centre. From here to the I'alls we ])nssed throuLih a hean- tifiil country, with fiidds of <>Ta])es, i)ea(dies, and all kinds (d' fniit in splendid condition: in this jiart fiuii is niown to a lar«ie (>xtent, and. l)ein tlic livci' ill tlic new (iiiciMi Victoria I'ark till I ( iUiic to tlic New Siis|(t'iision hi i«l;^(' near tin- I'alls, whicli I (•ios>,(«(l. and (l('-;(('ii strainciN. Iiiitli callnl "• Maid o| tlic Mixt." staff on tlicif tti|»^ tliroiii:li tlic spiav. (ittin^' on Iioaid one of these tiny vessels, \\c were ^iveii a suit id' oilskins, and, liiiv- in;^' put tjiesc on. took our scats in tlie how of the bout, wliicdi started olV at I'nll f<\n'{'{\ against the stron;,^ eiinent. In a lew niinntes we hejian to leel the henelit an to toss and pitch on the tionhled waters. We were not sorry to ^ct clear ol' the spray. I'or we conld scarcely breathe, so (h'tise was the «h)wnpoiir: and now the little boat, had to strain its etVorts to make headway acainst the current, but b"tth' by little we drew near to the Canadian, or TTorse Shoe Fall, which is by lar the larf^'er (d' the two; the water was very ronu'h here, and our little ciaft. buried her bows into the waves as they came rushin down fiom the Fall. Gradually wi> foot and adniii'etho mass of n-reen water come rollinu" over, burvinr thin<)s to hv seen, one mig'lit stay lier(> rnd admire it all dav ; it was down here that I nil-: ) /;.i/,'> i.\ < .\.\ i/m. i.'-i met ill! I'!ii;ili-Ii clci-nyniiin, who tdil iiif ilmt. alter scciji^" IIKist (»f tlir sio-lits (it llir ( lid W'ullil, lir |i:iil at la^t vrliluictl ilcK'ss t(t \i>it the l''all>. ami lin\v lir \\;i> li"lr. lie IoIIImI it tliflicillt Id li'iM' llilil>i'll a\\a\ tl .11 »U(il a m'Oic ot n-i;,il(!rilf and niaj;nili< i'lKc. Crossing' (ivrr td tin- Ainciii an -idr a^^aiii, I llim wnit acfus^ 1 lie Itiidlic tolinat Ulaiid. and down l»y atmi Imt flr- vatdf to llir ( 'ave (d ilic W'iiitU. a |ia>^auv on ilif Kxd^^ under jiai't (d' llie Anieli'ali I'all ; tlie lioi^e and >I'iay i- diead- lul. and tlie l»laee i^ eoii'-ideifd daiif^cidU^. owiii;^' to the pieces of fo( Iv which ocea>ionany hdh Sidendul views ai'c oliiained tVom (io;it Nhind and l.nna I>hind. aial attei adniii'iiiji' tln-se ior some time. I uent (hiwii the livei' to the l{a])ids iind Whiilpool. as fur n^ i lie tei lilde ]dace w hcfe (Jaittain A\'el)1) lost liis life. Af'tef a walk found tlie Ameiicaii ttininL:' incident- he had wii- iK'ssed; how a man nanu'd Aveiy had heen caiiied dowi, llie river in a hoat. and had ( lunv.' to a small rock in>t visihh' amon^' the swiilinu' waters : hnw the people lined the l)anks and endeavoured to help him. Init after t wclve iiours of fruitless a1temi»ts they saw him loo>e his hold and sjo over tliel''all: how one (d the old '" .Maid of the M i-ts." IteinLT heavilv inort^aLicd. had rnii down tin- lapids witli- out an accident, and out oti to the lake heyond. to escajie h(«inu' seized: and how when Captain \V(d»l) stalled out on his hist trip, the people liad advised liim to keep (dear ♦ 'I I'll- 1'! )■/';. 1/7.S L\ CAXADA. I ; I'' I i' i « I'M ,1 :l '11 ■r-( ot tlif wdiM part, l)Ui lie !(i(»k no notice ol tlicir wiiriiiiifj^ w((i(ls, and |i1uiil;(m1 into tlic midst of it, wlicic tlic tciiibU' waters hioke ,'\t'r\' hone in liis l>ody. I^'oi' liours J sat Avitli this n(Mitlenian, lisleninj^- to his stories, till at hist, as tlie niiiht n'ot (hirk, 1 went to the liolel, v. iiere all thrunnh tlu> nitiht I was sensilih' (d' a iiinlHed runiblinL!'. eansed by the ^■ivat WaterlaM 1 was sorry to liave to hsnc Nia^^aia as eaily as six o'tdoek the h)nowinL:' (hiy, l)nt the railways do not as a rule make time-tahles to aeeomnntdate visitors, so at that early hour I was on my way to Mew York l»y the New York Central and Hudson JJiver Railway, the j^reat lour-tiack load owned hy Yandeil)ilt. (Joiny slow train to .{{ocliester, wheic the line runs thi'ouuh the jjiincipal streets, we there <^\)\ (HI hoard the celehiated " Jv\]>osition I'Myer," th(> fastest tt'ain in the world, running- between ClnCauo and New York. This wonderful train was advertised to tra\(d ;.t the late ol' seventy miles an houi', and this it did without the least bit of jcdtin;^', runninj^- so smoothly that writin*"' was (|uite easy. I'or sonu' bonis wc h)llo\\cd the .Mohawk \'allev, one of the oldest and ri( best farming' countries in America, |iassini!' the towns of I tica, Troy an A'aii Winkle's sluniheis, line the rivei' on the oj>i)Osit(^ side. Tliese mountains aic a lavoiiiite place i'oi' New Voi'k touiists, and "iood Inintin;^' and fisii- iM were piH-^ini!' alonu' liy tin Catskills, a lieavy thundei'slonn came on. and the llashe> of li^hlnin;^- lit up the hii^li jieak.s and mad(^ a e'land scene. After ])assinie Sin^'-Sini:'. ^here the State ])ris()u i-; situated, and other small towns, it ])e;^an to j^ct dark, and it was nine o'clock before we hist saw llie li;:'hts of Xew Voi'k, and after ])assii)^' tln'ouj^h Harlem and otiier suburbs, we at last, pulled u]> at the Central Station, situated ou Sixtji. Avenue and l'"orty--;e( (Uid Street. Tii Xew York the avenues run tlic lenjjth (d' the town, whilst the streets cross them at risiht aniiles, all l)ein«:' luimbeied. I went to a hotel opposite the Central Station, where, if tliiniis were dear, thev weic certainh' u'ood, and duiiui:' tlu' three, days I was in the city, visited the Statue of Ial)erty, J5ro(tklyn ]iri(le-e, the elevated railroad, and the ])i'incipal ])laces of interest. On the Satur the ri\cr for some distaiu c, and Lidinjj t the liuiie Statue id' Liberty, out on to the .\tlantie. It wa-^ a beautiful day, and num- bers of va(dits were sailiuij' on l,on^v I>lan fifth day out, wlu'U, whilst octtiuj^- up in the morninj.;', 1 heard a cry, "Man overboar*! ! " and felt the engines sto]». We all rushed on deck, lul looking' asteiii, we saw u man's head bobbing' u]) and down, but being' rapidly left behind ; some- one had thrown him a lifebuoy, but it was doubtful if he lad seen it. Before the vessel could be stoi)ped he Mas a mile astern, and we who had swarmed u]) the ligging- could see him now and again rise on a wave. A boat had been lowered, and was about half wav to him when we suddenlv lost sitiht of him, but presently our hoj)es were again revived by seeing' the lifebuoy with what ap])eared to be a man's head in it; the boat's crew saw it, and at once strained every effort, and nnule their little craft fly through tlu^ water, amid the cheers of thos(^ on board, which suddenly changed to a g-roan wlien one of the nu-n picked u]) the em])ty lile- buov, when we saw that what we took to be a man's head was onlv a shadow. After rowing' about for some time the boat returned to the ship, and we were mustered for a roll call, to ascertain who was lost ; it turned out to be a Xew York g-entleman in the saloon, but bow he came to g-et overboard was not hnmd out. On the Saturihiy morning' we ariivcd at Queenstown. and. after gi'h'ng' good views of th(> coast of AVales, ari'ived in tbe moutli of du* Mersey at ten o"<'lock that night. The tend(>r was soon alongside, and h>aving" (Uir floating' palace, we were soon set on iMiglisli soil, witli naught but the memories of the ]iast few years to remind us of our work and journeys on the g-reat Western Continent. riri': y/;.i/.'S' ix caxada. 135 ! coxcTj srox In conclusion, the followinji- ])lain statements may he found useful to intendin*;' emii^rants. Let us liist take tlie case of a youno- man Avho fjoes out witli, say, £'"i()(). liy this time it is very well known in En<:land tliat ])U])il-farmin^' witli lar to i'dO wagons, ploughs, hari'ows materials for lumse. tV:c. mower, horse rake, i^c. ... ••• * seed grain & horse feed with household ex])ens(>s until tlie second year, when the first return c(mies in Total £80 £!-)() to £1S() In the first year, besid(>s l)uil.ling house and stables, he may break and bacdvset •.'() acres: at the end of the secoml year he gets a return on this. Presuming that the gram ? 13() FIVT: YJ'JAIiS IN CAXADA. is not frozen, and putting' aside tliroo arros for sood and liorse feed, m c can sum up tlie (>xtent. of tin's I'eturn : — 17 acres of wheat at 30 busliels an acre (a moderate crop) yields 010 bushels, which, at 40 cents per bushel (a j^'ood price nowadays), is wcnth ^'2m. or £41. Every year he may break more land, thus every year having larger crons ; he may also go in for a cow or some mares, which pay for themselves in a short time. From these figures a conclusion mav be tahen ; a livinsi- may be made, but, beyond this, unless the seasons are ex- traordinarily fruitful, a young man, alone and unaided, with all the work (»f the farm and the lutuse upon his hands, can expect little. 1 Vii/i i i liut a man with a. family, es]i(M'ially if some are grown up, has many more advantages; h(> can devote his whole time to the farm ; he can keep a number of coavs, the butter from which will supply him with provisions from the stores ; he or some of his family may go out to work during the summer, or he may put up a lot of hay, which is readily s(dd in winter. Thus may be seen tlu> advantages he has over the ])oor baclndor. I Let us now take the case of a ])()or man, who emigrates with his family and next to nothing in the way of ca])ital. He may go out to work and ke(>]) his family Tintil returns come from his labour on the farm ; with his earnings he may buy a team of oxen, and in time work his farm into order; he has nothing to lose; ]w has everything to gain, li. i- In ■ III \ FIVE YKAllS IX I : AN AHA. ]'M and witli steady iudusti y lio raises liiiiistdf above Ivi.s for- mer lev(d, and makes a lionie for In's children in tlie new <'ountrv. Lastlw let us consider the position (d' a man witli ca|ii- tal and with a kn(nvledo(. of stock, wlio noes in for rancli- in oacli >^:\ om or i'7IIO and -JO mares at m) each - §1.200 or £2A^) Total *4.70O or £940 He cannot ex])ect a return from tliese for tliree years, but in the meantinu» he may fi'o in for ])i<2s and sheej), whi(di brinji' in a fair percenta^'e in a short time. At the end of three years he has on his ranche. with good luidv, beside the original stock. 100 two-yeai-old cattle woi'th -^MO each lull vearlinus worth '^'.'O eacdi 101) calves worth -^1'.' each sav 1-0 twd-veal-(dd colts woilh -'^•J•> each say 1-J yearlinii' colts worth ^'■'>'') each sav !•'> foals worth ^Jlt each .^;5.U0() >=l.-.'ltl> >< 7.0(1 >^ ::l(iO Total ^7,77-"j or ill. ■')■>■> He has no rent to pay. the feeding orouud> in -umnic!- and the hav for winter cost him nothing. Thu<. at the end of three years, his investment of ff^t-tO has increased in value to £\. ■')■')■'). from whi(di must be deducted -everal xmall expenditui'es. His stock is continuaTly iiicreasiuLi. r- 138 FIVE YEAltS IX CAXADA. and from a herd of 100 cows he may, in a few years, raise up an extensive ranclie. Tf lie lias a family his sons can do most of the work, hut if such should not he the case, he must hire cowhovs at the rate of 'ii'^'O or ^'JO a month. pi. Therefore, it will he seen that ranching is hy far the most profitable hrancli of farming', and, provided tijo ca])i- tal is forthcomin*:', can be made a ])leasant as well as a re- munerative occupation, thou<:h a new settlei' must b(> pre- pared at fii'st to pay for his experience. For Canada, and especially the AVest, there is un(h)ul)tedly a great prospect; but it will take much time and money before the whole of this vast country is settled u}), and the western prairies are reclaimed from their wild state, to form one of the most prosperous countries in the world. I r & XsVey