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'■'^'m^ffwmmmm^^^ilimi^^m^

T II E

I i<

S P R T {^ M A K IN CANADA

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SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

FREDERK; TOl.FKEY

AlTllOB OF " THE Sl'oRTHMAN IN F«AN(I-."

IN TWO VOLIMF, S.

VOL. I.

LONDON:

T. C. ^EVM]V, 72,NC)UT1MEU St.. ( AVINIISII Jw.

1845..

To tha-ic Friends and Conipaniuii.'*,

To whuse .sufiety in the mc^ri-ixtoni <>r
in llic field — on the banks of the Jacques ( 'artier
l^iver, or in the snipc-bop:s of Chateau Richer — in
the jjfarrison ball-rooin, or on the boards ttf tlie
■Quebec Amateur Theatre — he is so deeply indebted
for the many happy hours lie passed in Canada,

These two little volumes are dedicated

by their old chum

■»t

and brother Sportsman,

The Author

)f'

it.

■ ,-«• w» irarsrw?*; -i '"■

PREFACE.

In the early part of the year 1841, an unpi*e-
tending little work of mine, having for it's
title " The Sportsman in France," was intro-
duced to the notice of the public.

The transient success my Book met with
has induced me to take a second plunge in
the troubled sea of Authorship ; and whether
I sink or swim must depend upon those humane
patrons of struggling scribblers — the public

If a helping hand be stretched forth in aid
of the attempt, I hope to float comfortably
down the stream of popularity; if otherwise
I must be content to be swamped in the waters
of oblivion.

My' undertaking, therefore, is a matter of
life or death.

•mmimmmsmimm^i

PREFACE.

I i

" i

Acting under the advice of some kind and
partial friends, I have put together a few loose
leaves of an old journal, descriptive of some
adventures with the Rod and Gun, which befel
me some years ago in Canada.

Though the scenes described in the follow-
ing pages are to be number'^d with the things
that were, they may still carry with them
the impression of freshness and novelty to
some of my untravelled readers — and even
those who, in the course of human events,
may have visited the spots which a long ab-
sence can never efface from my memory, will,
I trust, peruse, with a feeling akin to interest,
the feats by flood and field which I have here
recorded.

If the reader look for high flown descrip-
tioES or poetical language in the following
pages, he will be disappointed : but I can
promise him he will find an honest and faithful
account of the amusements to be derived from
a sojourn in our North American possessions.

^ K

PREFACE.

Ill

The two Provinces offer a wide field of enjoy-
ment to the active and enthusiastic Sportsman ;
and I hope in the course of the following nar-
rative to hold out some additional inducement
to the Half-pay Officer, the Settler, and the
Emigrant, to make choice of this land of lake
and mountain, wherein to pass the remainder
of their days in peace, quietness, and content-
ment. A happier lot no man need desire ;
and it has been my endeavour to point out to
those, who may honor these pages by a perusal,
that few beings are more to be envied than
" The Sportsman in Canada."

London, April 12th 1845,

kmimmmmimmmum-

THE

SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

CHAPTER I.

Short petticoats, and clean ankles, the cause of the
Author's leaving home — proceeds to Brussels,
and, thence returns to England — Captain Dicken-
son, and the transport. La Lune — Instead of
Quebec, the Author is shipped off to Caen, until
the Spring — Departure for Canada — The Island
of Madeira — Voyage out — Narrow Escape from a
Shark — Banks of Newfoundland — It's Cod Fish —
The RiAxr St. Lawrence — Arrival at Quebec.

It may be in the recollection of some re-
spectable middle-aged gentlemen, that in
the year of Grace one thousand eight hun-
dred and fifteen, the Ladies, God bless them,
wore their petticoats most captivatingly

VOL. I.

i]^

»'

Ml'

'I:

2 THE SrORTSM.VN IN CANADA.

short, at least, all those who were blest with
small feet, well turned ankles, and good legs ;
and, it came to pass, that, being a susceptible
youth, I fell deeply in lovo with as pretty a
pair of extremities, as ever supported a
lovely form, and a face to match. Fathers
and sons, however, occasionally differ in
these affaires dih cceur et des jambes, and
I was not exempt from paternal interference,
inasmuch, as my excellent, and worthy go-
vernor, being proof against the attractions of
shape and make, and clean legs to boot,
disapproved of my choice, cut short my
love-making and gentle dalliances — firstly,
by certain threats of disinheritance, and,
secondly, by depriving the War Ofl&ce, of one
of its idlest clerks — and, shipping me off to
Brussels, there to think of my " ladye love,"
and be disposed of as the chances of war,
or an ounce or so of lead might determine.
As no friendly bullet put an end to my suf-
ferings, I fed upon grief, (and Flanders
beef) like a true love-sick swain, until the
post brought me intelligence, one fine morn-

fm'im&'^wm^M^^^'-

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

ing — some ten weeks after the Battleof Water-
loo — that I was appointed to a staff situa-
tion in Canada ; and, that I was to make the
best of my way to the paternal mansion,
there to take possession of a liberal outfit,
whicli had been prepared for me, and bid a
long farewell to the best of mothers, and a
host of sorrowing relatives. Within an hour
of the arrival of the post, the old family
butler, presented himself at the Hotel d'An-
gleterre, where I had taken up my quarters.
It required no extraordinary peojstration, or
stretch of imagination, to guess at the ipotive,
which induced my prudent sire, to send
this trusty domestic on such an errand. It
was feared, probably, that the lady with
the legs, would be Uppermost in my thoughts,
on approaching the shores. of England again ;
in short, that love would take precedence of
filial duty — for such reprobate thoughts
will creep into the brain of hot-headed
youths.

Whether such would have been my case,
it behoveth me not to mention at this mo-
3 B

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--^ii'liUM12IStiHI«M»».)#

fl'!'

4 THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

nient — here was a regular stopper to an}
stolen march, (had I been so undutifuUy in-
clined) in the person of the portly, wheezing,
burly, butler. He was constituted a sort oi
respectable family spy ; and, as I knew the
old fellow to be the most conscientious of
cork-drawers, bribery was out of the question.
Making a virtue of necessity, I appeared de-
lighted to see the trusty guardian of my hos-
pitable father's wine-cellar, and expressed —
with much apparent sincerity — the satis-
faction 1 felt, at having so respectable, and
trust-worthy a guide, to lead me home again.
I blush to own — even at this distant period —
that I gave the old fellow as much trouble as
possible, and chuckled with demoniacal
glee, when that impartial invader of men's
stomachs — sea-sickness — laid him flat on
his back, on board the packet which car-
ried us from Ostend to Dover. I allowed
him, nevertheless, to hug his basin in peace,
and left him to the tender mercies of the
steward. Poor old Sadler I he lived for
nearly half a century in my father's service.

masmmkw^

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

and died, as all well-conditioned butlers ought
to do, of gout in the stomach.

On being delivered up in a state of good
preservation, morally, and physically, to
those who were good enough to own me, I
was — after having been duly lectured on
the enormity of my crime, (tliat of betray-
ing a partiality for a pretty woman) — in-
formed that a passage had been provided
for me by government, on board a trans-
port, named La Lune, A. 1., copper-fas-
tened, carrying a surgeon and other con-
veniences, usually enumerated in nautical
phraseology, by those disinterested ship-
owners, who advertise for passengers inclined
by nature, or compelled by duty, to leave
their native shores.

Within eight and forty hours of my arrival
in London, I was posting down to Woolwich
in the old family carriage, with the most affec-
tionate, and solicitous of parents, a brother,
and a sister. Was ray symmetrical dulci-
nea forgotten during the journey 1 Forbid
it, gratitude, gallantry, and true love knots !

I<:

r'tummtmiammHLm

^^ 1

[

6 THE SP0RTSMA5 IN CANADA.

and, if th(^ truth were penned, it is pro-
bablc, that more affectionate thoughts, and
fond regrets, were bestowed upon the fair
enslaver — the undoubted owner of the taper
ankles — than on kindred and friends, at
that moment.

To bring this little love episode to an
end, I must observe, that, from the moment
our tender passion was nipped in the bud,
we have never met. I have sought in vain,
for the legs that captivated my youthful
fancy ; and, since the dowdy introduction of
draggle-tail dresses — which effectually hide
the understandings of our fair countrywomen
— I despair of discovering my little " Venus
de Medicis." But, revenons a nos moutons.
Arrived at the Ordance "Wharf, at Woolwich,
I was conveyed on board The Laa Looriy as
the boatman christened the transport, with*
my kind relatives, who had supplied me with
an equipment, which would have served for
half a dozen more younger sons. Having
been regularly installed in my floating cup-
board — some twelve feet by eight — and

'^if*fsmfi-ii^

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

which, by the way, the captain dignified by
the name of " state-room ;" the mournful
ceremony of leave-taking was got through —
and, to those, who have been subjected to the
same painful ordeal, I need not dcscril)e the
agonizing moment.

In a most desolate mood, and disconsolate
spirit, did I pass the night, of the 16 th of
September, 1815. On the following morning,
as I was performing my ablutions in a bucket
of muddy water, the steward's factotum,
— a heau ideal of a cabin boy, redolent of
grease and tar, with a chubby face, cork-
screw curls hanging from beneath a low-
crowned straw hat, jantily planted on one
side of his head, a red flannel shirt, canvas
trousers, and shoes to match — informed me,
that Captain Dickenson, the Master-attendant
of Woolwich Dock Yard, had sent his boat
for me, with a request, that I would come
on shore immediately and breakfast with
him, as he had a communication of impor-
tance to make. I was sorely puzzled, to
account for this unexpected summons — for,

I
I

1 1>

(

' H

THE SrORTSMAJT IN CANADA.

until that moment, I was unacquainted
with Captain Dickenson, even by name —
and, was equally ignorant of the important
and responsible office he filled, with so much
credit to himself, and advantage to the
government.

I addressed myself to the worthy schipper
of the transport, in the hope of eliciting
something like a clue to the proceeding, but
he was equally mystified — although I could
perceive, that I had risen considerably in
his estimation, in consequence of the un-
known interest exhibited towards me by the
highly, and deservedly-respected, Master-
attendant.

On shore I went, and was greeted most
cordially, and kindly, by Captain Dickenson
— who, after apologising for having sent for
me so unceremoniously, without further pre-
face, thus delivered himself —

" You are the young gentleman, I believe,
who came down last evening with his
family, in a heavily laden carriage, and four
posters ?"

' §

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

I replied in the affirmative.

" Have you any interest at the Board of
Ordnance V

" I think I have," was my answer,

" Do not deem me impertinent," continiu-d
the benevolent interrogator, " in asking the
nature and extent of that interest."

Having satisfied the kind-hearted Master-
attendant on tins point — and, probably,
rather beyond his expectations — I accompa-
nied him to his well-appointed official
residence, where a substantial and tempting
breakfast awaited us. It was not, until the
savoury meal was concluded, that I learnt
the cause of my having been unshipped so un-
expectedly.

As the last cup of fragrant hyson, was
washing down the toast, the muffins, cold
tongue, broiled ham, and new-laid Qg^», my
host taking me by the hand, and with a
kindness of manner, I never can forget,
said —

" The sight of your venerable parents,
who accompanied you to the ship last even-
B 5

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

ing, interested mo much : I knew her desti-
nation of course, and learnt that you were
going out to Canada, in the service of go-
vernment. I need not tell you, tliat you arc
proceeding to an inhospitable climate. The
season is so fur advanced, that I very much
question, if you will reach your destination.
This is the 1 7th of September, and the odds
are, that the ship will either l)e blocked
up in the ice, as she enters the St. Law-
rence, or be compelled to run into Halifax
Hai])or, and there winter. It is possible,
she may be lost ; and, as I think it a pity
such good flesh and })lood as yours, should
be thrown away upon North American
bears, I strongly advise your postponing
your voyage until the spring. To be serious,
my young friend, you must not go out in
this ship. I am an old sailor, and, take my
word for it, you would be shipwrecked ;
and, perhaps, encounter hardships and
misery, if not a lingering, torturing, death.
1 have sent for your luggage : return on board,
pack up your light goods — come back to

>?.#4!fi^^?*;

THE SPORTSMAN U (AXADA.

me, and I will give you a letter tu your
relative and patron, Sir II — — : tell hini'
and your friends, that I sent you back to
town ; and, depend upon it, before this
time twelvemonth, I shall receive their
thanks, for having taken upon myself to ad-
vise this course."

I confess, I was somewhat startled at
this sudden change of affairs ; but, acting
under such good authority — and, having
no very serious objection to remaining on full
pay at home, until the month of April — I
went on board La Lune for the last time,
— collected all my valuables — came on
shore — left my heavy baggage under Captain
Dickenson's charge in a warehouse, thanked
him unfeignedly, for his disinterested advice
— shook him cordially by the hand, and rat-
tled up to town in a post-chaise — not without
certain misgivings, as to my reception on ar-
riving chez mon pere.

To say the truth, I felt a little nervous ;
and, fearing to occasion any alarm by re-
appearing before my family so unexpectedly,

TUE SrORT.?5IAX IJf CANADA.

I drove to the residence of the Lieutenant-
general of the Ordnance, aad presented him
Captain Dickenson's letter — "which, to my
great joy, he approved of.

All difficulties were thereby removed, so
that, after a note had been despatched to my
revered father, announcing my return, I be-
gan to indulge in the hope, that I might see
" the legs" once more. Fate ruled it other-
wise. I was received with open arms of
course — and. never hnd son a warmer welcoinj
under paternal roof ; but, (ominous words
for lovers ?) it was proposed — and, conse-
quently, thought advisable, that I should
make myself master of tho Frencli language,
prior to embarking for Canada — for which
purpose, it was decided, I should pass the
winter on the Continent. Caen was the
town fixed upon — and, to Caen I went, on
the shortest possible notice.

The selection of this old Norman town, I
attributed to the circumstance of some old
friends of my family, liaving migrated thi-
ther attracted, doubtless, hy the excellent

:-■*. Ti-^-*'kii»^mmm^i0^ ^i>.

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

:■■!
i ■

society congregated witliin its walls at the
period I write of. There were, in truth, sonic
charming families — and of the best English
blood too, who had been received with open
arms by the Ancierme Noblesse of that aris-
tocratic city. Where such good feeling pre-
vailed, the intercourse between the English
residents, and the native inhabitants, was
frequent, and kept up with undisguised cor-
diality.

General St. Simon, the present ambassador
from the Court of France to Stutgard, was
the commandant of the garrison, and him-
self and his staff, did all in their power to
promote gaiety and good feeling. Nor were
the old nobles backward in hospitality, or in
testifying the pleasure they derived from the
society of the English. The winter of 1815
and 1816, was one of the gayest that had
had been known in the good old town of
Caen, for many years ; all was feasting, fid-
dling, fun, and frolic : six pleasanter months
I never passed. I have in my little book,
" The Sportsman in France," adverted to the

'<{■

'LL

.■f>

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

excellence of the shooting in the neighbour-
hood of the town ; there are — or, perhaps,
I ought rather to say were — plenty of birds ;
and, the marshes, the whole of the way
along the banks of the river to the sea, are
full of snipes

My old friend. Archer Croft, of Green-
ham Lodge, in Berkshire, and myself, did our
best towards thinning the coveys of part-
ridges, as well as the swampy meadows of
the snipes ; but, we did not succeed in ex-
terminating the race of either, inasmuch, as
a pretty sprinkling of both, is to be met
with to this day. Caen, in short, has lost
none of its attractions ; in proof of which,
one-third of its best houses, is inhabited by
respectable English families of moderate in-
comes, who, in addition to a most agreeable
and intellectual coterie of their own, have
the advantage of enjoying the best French
society — into which, their acquirements,
birth, and education, have insured them ad-
mission.

■ '- ■

THE SPORTSMAN IX CANADA.

In the plenitude of my enjoyment, I
received towards the end of April, an official
letter, containing an unmistakable " notice
to quit," and in obedience thereto, I bade
adieu to my kind and hospitable friends,
French and English, and turning my back
upon the pleasantest of all Continental
towns, once more steered for Old England.

The passage from Havre to Southampton
was a much more serious affair in those days
than at present ; at least, if not of greater
moment, it was of longer duration ; for who
can forget — that has ever undergone the
infliction — the tacking, the pitching, the
rolling and tossing of the sailing vessels,
which carried the adventurous Continental
travellers to and fro across the Channel,
before the Watts's and the Maudesleys (bless-
ings on their engineering heads !) gave us a
fleet of steamers 1 Thanks to their perse-
verance and industry, we have Alonarchs,
British Queens, Harlequins, Columbines,
Grand Turks, Magnets, Ariadnes, Firebrands,
Fireflies, and a host of flyers, which will

•>

■T[iiiTiiiii>iiniwiimiini|i(i||iiiii

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

whisk us from one port to another in less
time, than a crawling cutter would be beat-
ing through the Needles. In the early part
of the month of May 1816, however, slow
coaches were the order of the day, and to
keep up the charter at sea as well as on land,
I had to endure some thirty hours of suffer-
ing, and a blessed relief it was when I found
myself on the box of the Southampton
coach, by the side of that most gentleman-
like of antiquated Jehus, old Wise, or Vyse,
for he answered both appellations.

On arriving in town, I found that my
anatomy was destined to be borne across
the Atlantic, on board of the good ship
Diana, Captain Haig, who had also under-
taken, for a certain consideration, to convey
as many officers, ordered to Quebec, as the
accommodations of a seven hundred ton
vessel would admit of. At the Falcon Hotel,
Gravesend, I took leave of my family for the
second time, and on making myself known
ro the Commanding Officer, on arriving on
board, I had the satisfaction of finding a

-A*

THE SPORTSMAN II< CANADA.

most gentlemanlike well-bred man, and that
my fellow-passengers had all the outward
and visible signs, of being congenial spirits
of the right stamp.

Out of a London population of two millions,
(I believe the last census amounted nearly to
this number,) the odds are fearfully against
any wanderer meeting with sixteen really
good fellows, cooped up within the narrow
compass of a free-trader ; but my good genius
had so willed it, that our party was to l^e a
remarkably pleasant one. It consisted of
Colonel Wells of the 43rd, our Commanding
Officer, who was going out to Canada as an
Inspecting Field Officer of Militia, and his
pretty little wife ; two Captains and one
Subaltern of Artillery ; one Captain of the
99th; one Sub. of the 100th; another ditto of
the 103rd; one Cornet of the 19th Light
Dragoons ; two officers of the Ordnance
Department ; one Captain on the half-pay of
the 56th ; two merchants ; one surgeon, and
my unworthy self.

It was known that our Captain intended

'.i i<

■>fmM*mmtmmmMiMu.> ^

THESrORTSMO IN CANADA.

i r-

to touch at Madeira for a cargo of wine,
and I was fortunate in having some letters
of introduction to one of the principal firms
of that Island, forwarded to me down to
Portsmouth. The inhabitants of this insular
paradise, are as celebrated for their hospi-
tality, as the soil is for the juice of the
grape ; and the firm of Gordon and Murdoch,
stands as pre-eminent for the exercise of
this cardinal virtue, as their wines lor quality
and flavor.

On the evening ol the ninth day, after
leaving the Isle of Wight, the blue moun-
tainous land of Madeira was descried
from the mast-head, and before midnight the
lights of the town of Funchal were discer-
nible. The Portuguese authorities, having a
horror of nocturnal invasion, forbid every
vessel to enter their port after sunset, under
pain of red-hot shot and other missives from
the batteries, to the peril of the rigging,
shipping, crews, &c. ; so that, not being
inclined to hazard so warm a reception,
we lay-to off the harbor all night. In the

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THE SPORTSMiilf IN CANADA.

morning, the chaste Diana floated past the
batteries and anchored off the town. Like
a parcel of school-boys rushing out of school
on a half-holiday, did we scramble into the
boats in our anxiety to get on shore.

On presenting my letter of introduction,
and announcing my name to Mr. Webster
Gordon, his first question was, —

" Where is your baggage V

Having replied that it was on board our
ship, I was most kindly rebuked for not
having brought it on shore, as a matter of
course, and forthwith directed to return and
bring my portmanteau and carpet-bag, and
make that house my home during my stay.
Having complied v/ith these hospitable in-
structions, my kind host asked, if amongst my
fellow passengers, I affectioned one or two
more than the rest. Upon my hinting that
my chum the dragoon, who shared my cabin,
and Captain F. of the Artillery, were those
to whom I had cottoned more especially, I
was desired to invite them also to pass the
few days we remained on the Island, beneath

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THE SPORTSMAN LX CANADA.

his roof. Horses and carriages were at our
command during the day, so that what
with riding and driving about the beautiful
country, and living en Prince, we passed a
fortnight most agreeably.

Ous Commanding Officer, Colonel WellSj
had taken up his quarters at the residence
of Mr. Blackburn, whose house is renommee
for good cheer and good wine.

Mr. Veitch, the Consul, gave us a splendid
entertainment, as did our host, who paid the
gallant colonel the compliment of inviting
him and his better half to his house. In
short, we had a very merry time of it ; and
. with a feeling akin to regret, we perceived
the Blue Peter at the fore-top-gallant-mast-
head one fine morning, as a warning to us
to retpair on board, as well as to announce
that the Caledonian Schipper had concluded
his commercial arrangements, and was about
to sail.

Before we leave Madeira, one word about
its wine, for we know nothing about it in
this country. The stuff sold in this metro-

mutmuMmi.-^

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

polls as East India London Particular, is as
unlike the generous juice bearing the name
of ^ladeira as Hunt's blacking is to genuine
port wine. The East India Madeira is a thin
acid potation, a second growth wine in fact
and is sold to the captains of trading vessels
en route to the Eastern hemisphere, at a much
less price than that asked for the first quality
wine shipped to the West Indies. At the
time I write of, several free traders were in
the port, taking out wine to the several
Presidencies of Madras, Bombay and Cal-
cutta ; the price paid by the captains,
averaged from £38 to £40 the pipe, while
every drop consigned to the West India
Islands, was charged at the rate of fifty
guineas and upwards. My host informed me
that the planters were the best judges in the
world of Madeira, and as the run to the
West Indies occupied little more than three
weeks, the wiue was returred on the ship-
per's hands, if not of the very first quality.
It is true that the Nabobs of the far East,
as well as Governors General, have as fine

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Madeira as can be drunk, but they pay the
best price and obtain good stuff ; but the
wine consigned on commission to the Indian
market, or taken on speculation by the
captains of ships, is of very inferior quality.
The good people of England imagine, be-
cause an enterprising commander has stowed
away divers pipes of Madeira in the hold of
bis vessel, and sailed about with them in
warm latitudes, that the contents must be
superlatively good, little thinking, that all
the voyages round the world, from the time
of Captain Cook to the present day, will
never give to an originally thin ana meagre
wine, the body and flavor which essentially
belong to Madeiras of the first class of
excellence.

Having expressed our sincere and heart-
felt thanks to our hospitable host, who had
entertained us from the moment of our land-
ing, in the most liberal and sumptuous man-
ner, we repaired on board our floating
barrack. As the ship was getting under
weigh, a boat came alongside, and one of the

Tsa n» '

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

crew having inquired for me, presented a
a note from Mr. Gordon, who, not having
forgotten my unqualified admiration of some
splendid claret and sautcrne, from the cele-
brated cellars of Mr. Adamson, the London
wine-merchant, took this method of begging
my acceptance of a three dozen case of each,
to drink on our voyage to Quebec. The gift
was duly appreciated, and the manner in
which it was conferred made it not the less
acceptable. This welcome addition to my sea
stock, was gracefully acknowledged in a
hasty note, and our thanks were reiterated
over many a bumper, while drinking the
health of the donor on the deep waters.
On taking our seats at the dinner-table, as
we left the Island, I observed a large cask
slung in the after-part of the cuddy {Anglice^
dining-room,) and the cause of the intrusion
was explained by the kind-hearted captain
on the cloth being removed. He prefaced
his speech in broad Scotch, by saying, that
we were a set of drunken " loons " — a grace-
less body of " ne'er-do-weels :" that we had

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA,

ill

nwarly drunk all his Port wine, and consider-
ably diminished his stock of Sherry ; but
that as the De'il always took care of his ain,
the firm at Madeira, from whom he had
purchased his cargo of wine for the market
of Quebec, had, according to invariable cus-
tom, presented him with a hogshead of
choice old stuff. The jolly old fellow went
on to say, that he had conveyed soldier offi-
cers from one quarter ofthe globe to another,
for upwards of thirty years, but that he
had never carried sucli a joyous living cargo
as ourselves ; and that, as he was convinced
he should never meet again with such a
batch of merry mad-caps, he had determined
upon tapping the present, and the first glass
he should take out of the " wie stoup" (va
he called the hogshead behind the President'^
chair) would be to the health and prosperity
of the friends around him, and a safe voyage
to the ship Diana. As may be easily ima-
gined, this well-meant harangue was received
with shouts of applause, and I am ashamed
to record the number of times our decanter?,

THE SPORTSMAN IX CANADA.

were rcplcni'>li(;d on the evening from the
• " wie stoop."' "We did ample honor to tlio
" wine offering," I can assure the reader, and
when our noble Commander " turned in " for
the night, he was somewhat " fou," or, in
nautical phraseology, " three sheets in the
wind."

On the fourth day after leaving Madeira,
we were becalmed, and as we were lounging
listlessly on deck sighing for a breeze, a
man from the cross-trees sung out to the
mate on deck that he saw several turtle
taking a snooze on the surface of the
water.

" Hey, sirs ! but it's good eating is the
turtle," said our captain ; and in order to
afford us a practical proof of the soundness
of his judgment, he ordered the jolly-boat
to be lowered, and directed the oars to bo
muffled with sheep skins, that the amphibious
delicacy might be approached with the
greater certainty. The Cornet, Captain F.,
a Lieutenant of Artillery, and myself were
permitted to go in the boat ; and oar coxswain

VOLL. I. c

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

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who was an old hand at the fun, sculled us
noiselessly towards a dark-looking nob, peer-
ing above the unruffled surface of the blue
water; most cautiously did we approach
the object ; we hardly dared to breathe ;
and to us youngsters it was a moment of in-
tense anxiety. The turtle was now dis-
tinctly visible, and as our boat glided up to
the "Alderman's Idol," our pilot, with a
scientific and practiced grip, secured the
prize, which was soon floundering at the
bottom of the boat. About a mile from
this spot we caught another, and, well con-
tent with our morning's work, we're return-
ing on board. A hotter day I never remember,
and being heated with exertion and excite-
ment, I proposed a swim when we were
within about a hundred yards of the ship.
Captain F. and the Dragoon seconded the
motion, and we were soon enjoying a most
refreshing bath under a broiling sun.

Being rather an expert swimmer I was
performing all kinds of ridiculous antics at
some distance from my companions, when a

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

man from the main-top of the ship called
. out to me most lustily, — " For God's sake,
make haste to the boat, Sir, there's a shark
after you " I lost no time in following his
advice, as may be imagined, and struck out
at the top of my speed, and on reaching the
gunwale was dragged in most unceremoni-
ously at the expense of grazed ribs. It was
well for me that this haste was observed,
for the seaman who had watched the whole
proceeding, with no little anxiety, assured
me that the shark was turning under me as
my legs were pulled out of the water. I
was not a little thankful for a deliverance
from one of the most horrible deaths it is
possible to conceive, and was congratulated
by my fellow passengers on my escape as
soon as we reached the ship.

We had not been on board more than
five minutes ere a hook, most knowingly
baited with a huge piece of salt pork, was
lowered over the stern by our Captain, and
it had scarcely descended a yard below the
surface of the water before the shark was
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THE SrORTSMAN IN CANADA.

seen making towards it ; after one or two
preliminary sniffs he turned on his back,
most leisurely swallowed the pork, and was
making off, when a vigorous jerk from the
brawny Scotchman astonished the jaws of
the monster most transcendently : he pulled
and struggled, slashed away with his tail,
but fast he was as we could possibly wish
him. A bowline knot was run down the
line to which the hook was attached, and,
slipping over the shark's head, was pulled
tight by one of the men immediately under
the fins ; here was a double purchase, and
no quarter was shewn : we soon had the
gentleman on deck, where his tail wus
chopped off in a workmanlike manner by
the carpenter ; the ship's cook disembowel-
led the sea-lawyer, and in his craw, or maw,
or whatever repository sharks have for their
food, some halves of lemons were found. It
was evident the brute had followed our ship
for more than four-and-twenty hours, lor
some of our party had indulged in a bowl
of punch the night before, and had thrown

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THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

overboard the lemons as soon as the juice
had been expressed from them : he would,
doubtless, have found one of my legs a more
savoury morceau than the rind of the lemons,
and, as he was evidently on short commons,
would perhaps have helped himself to a
second. This shark measured eleven feet
and a half in length, and when the jawbone
was dissected it passed without touching my
coat over my shoulders and body, so that in
life, when the powers of distension are much
increased, a couple of slender youths like
myself would have afforded him a pretty
morning's picking.

Having despatched the shark, we did not
forget our turtle, which proved excellent.
"We had a West India Nigger on board, who
was well versed in the art and mystery of
turtle-dressing ; our soup was perfect, and
the callipee and callipash worthy of Birch's
best days.

I have said that our party was 9, pleasant
one, and a real blessing it proved, for our
passage was an unusually long one ; the

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THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

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weather was too fine, and we got on but
slowly. "We contrived, however, to amuse
ourselves by playing at chess and backgam-
mon during the day, and with a rubber at
night. "We could muster four or five first-
rate whist players, a talent not much ap-
preciated or liked by the steward, who was
frequently kept up beyond the small hours
mixing our grog, while we were deep in the
study of Matthews and of Hoyle, and our
thoughts on the odd trick rather than our
beds.

We had been for some days busily em-
ployed in preparing our lines and tackle for
a crusade against the cod fish on the banks
of Newfoundland, and we had almost begun
to des >air of tasting one, when, on as foggy
a morning as ever ushered in a Lord Mayor's
day, the mate ran down the companion
ladder to announce the joyful intelligence
of having made soundings on the Green
Bank. In less time than I can write the words,
we were all on deck, and the anxiety to get
the first line out and to catch the first fish

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

caused no little scrambling, confusion, and
merriment. Our chief mate, who was a sort
of salt water Walton, had the honor of
hooking and pulling on deck the first cod.
It was a fine fish, but did not appear to me
to be in particularly good season. His ex-
ample was followed by nearly half a dozen
of us at the same time, and in less than half
an hour I suppose the passengers and crew
had taken nearly seventy fish. One of them
was cut in slices and fried for breakfast,
but we one and all pronounced it woolly.
Another of the finest was well cleansed and
rubbed with salt preparatory to being dressed
for dinner. This was an improvement, and
the fish was eatable, but still immeasurably
inferior to the Doggerbank cod we are ac-
customed to see in London. We found
them better on the second and third day
than on the first, but no process will ever
give the flavor to a Newfoundland fish that
distinguishes those caught off" the Dutch
coast.
After having laid-to until the afternoon.

1 \'i

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

we filled and made sail, passing through a
fleet of small vessels from St. John's, New-
foundland, and the coast of Labrador.
These sloops and schooners are called " Ban-
kers," from their remaining at anchor for
some weeks on the fishing-ground. They
incur considerable risk of being run down in
the night by ships proceeding to the Ameri-
can ports, as well as Halifax, Prince Edward's
Island, and the St. Lawrence. Several fatal
accidents have occurred, and not a year
passes without a considerable loss of life.

In a week from the time of our making
the Banks, the Island of Anticosti, at the
mouth of the River St. Lawrence, was seen
from the mast-head, and here our voyage
may be said to have ended, although we had
from three to four hundred miles of river to
run up. On the following morning we were
boarded by a Canadian pilot, and as we
were passing by a barren, rocky, and inhos-
pitable-looking Island, some thirty miles
above Anticosti, I perceived the wreck of a
large ship on a formidable reef of rocks.

THE SPORTSMAN IX CANADA.

Little dreaming of the reply I should re-
ceive, I asked the pilot when and how the

vessel had been lost. To my astonishment
he informed me, that the wreck we were

passing was that of La Lune transport, bound
to Quebec with Government stores ; that she
had arrived out rather late in the season,
was blocked up in the ice, and had stranded
on the desolate spot where we saw her ;
that the master and crew, with the excep-
tion of one man, had perished ; that the
fortunate individual who had escaped, had
suffered indescribable hardships ; and that
all on board had suffered miseries and pri-
vations too horrible to commit to paper.
Thus was I rescued from a lingering, tortu-
ring death by Captain Dickenson, of whom I
have made mention, and but for his benevo-
lence and soundness of judgment I might
have been converted into a pot of bear's
grease, for the survivor of the doomed beings
on board this ill-fated ship reported that his
messmates furnished many a meal for the
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THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

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famished bears, who attacked them in orga-
nized gangs for many nights in succession.

Our sail up the St. Lawrence was none of
the quickest, but I could scarcely regret the
delay, for the scenery on either side of the
river is supremely beautiful, the south shore,
which we hugged (as the sailors term it),
especially so. It is impossible to conceive a
more splendid or varied panorama than that
presented to the gaze of the European
traveller on first entering this Queen of
Rivers, the St. Lawrence. It is in truth a
magnificent water, and its countless islands,
straggling viUages, picturesque churches, and
whitewashed cottages afford a coup cVceil
very difficult to describe.

On the fourth day of our fresh-water
voyage, not having sufficient wind to stem
the ebb-tide, we were compelled to anchor
about twelve miles below the city of Quebec.
My chum the Cornet and myself, becoming
rather impatient at the repeated stoppages,
landed at the village of St. Nicholas, and
hired a cabriolet, which conveyed us to a

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

point of land facing the town on the south
side of the magnificent basin. The view of
Quebec from this spot is perfectly enchant-
ing. We crossed over in the ferry-boat, and
were soon welcomed by those families to
whom we had brought letters.

Behold me now at my journey's end. I
cannot, however, conclude this chapter with-
out stating, that as our voyage had been
prolonged to nearly twice the expected pe-
riod, and as we were convinced that Captain
Haig must have been considerably out of
pocket by his contract, we, at a meeting of
the passengers which was convened at our
Hotel, subscribed ten guineas each without
his being aware of our intention ; and hav-
ing invited him to a dejeuner a la fourchette
a bag containing one hundred and sixty
guineas was presented to him, accompanied
by an address, in token of the sense we
entertained of his kindness, liberality, and
gentlemanlike conduct towards us.

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THE SrORTSMAIT IN CANADA.

CHAPTER II.

Tub Author lands a few miles below the City of
Quebec — and proceeds to Malhiot's Hotel, where
the Comet and himself make all due preparation
for the reception of their fellow passengers. A jolly
night on their meeting. Major Browne and hia
fishing tackle. Breakfast given to the Captain of
the Diana, accompanied by a subscription purse and
a lon^ speech. A parting dinner and dispersion
of the gue.^'vo. Preparations for a piscatorial trip.

The good ship Diana, freighted with our fel-
low-passengers, did not reach the Basin of
Quebec until a late hour in the evening,
long afterthe Coraet and myself had discussed
our claret at Malhiot's Hotel. We had not
been unmindful of the comforts of our friends
even in the plenitude of our own enjoyment,
having commanded a substantial supper to

TUE SPORTSMAJT IX CANADA.

be prepared for them ; for to those who have
endured the misery of being " cabin'd, cribb'd
and confined " on ship-board for some six or
eight weeks, a change of diet is not the least
of the enjoyments to be met with on reach-
ing terra jflrma. The bowels of the sea-
farer yearn for beef, fresh buttei', eggs, and
cream ; for it is engrafted in our nature to
crave after that which is unattainable ; and
for this reason do gastronomic passengers,
for lac!: of better conversation, talk of frie<i
soles, rump-steaks and oyster-sauce, sirloins
of beef, and broiled bones. I blush to own
that towards the end of our voyage this had
been our favorite theme ; and in order to
satisfy the cravings of our epicurean friends,
an appetising repast was repared for them.
Having requested that intimation might be
given to us as soon as our ship rounded the
Point preparatory to anchoring in the Basin,
we went down to the wharf to welcome our
brothers-in-arms on reaching their destina-
tion. We had not waited long before a boat-
load of our messmates were shaking us by

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THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

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the hand, and we forth witli piloted them to
the caravansary where the good cheer was
awaiting them.

Some of my readers may, in the course of
human events, have visited the Eastern Hemi-
sphere ; and to those whose impatience may
have induced them to land at Deal or Dover,
instead of remaining on board until the ship
reached the River, I need scarcely say what
thoir first dinner on shore consisted of : but
to those who may not have experienced the
delights of a voyage home from Bombay,
Calcutta, Ceylon, or Madras, I may be per-
mitted to say that the first thing ordered by
the bilious, parchment-looking passenger on
touching British ground is a fried sole and a
rump steak. Acting therefore upon this
proverbial propensity, we had directed the
worthy proprietor of the Hotel, Monsieur
Malhiot himself, to cater as best he could in
order to satisfy the palates of his new cus-
tomers ; and in compliance with our wishes
he had (lacking soles and rump-steaks) pre-
pared some salmon-cutlets, roasted ribs of

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

beef (cold), lobsters, salad, and broiled bones,
pur party did ample justice to the fare,
which was washed down by copious libations
of intoxicating fluids of every denomination
"from humble Port to Imperial Tokay."
Teetotalism was unknown in those days ; but
even in this water-drinking age I am prone
to believe that Father Mathew himself would
not scruple to pledge a fellow-passenger in a
bumper of sparkling wine when son ted at a
convivial board after a long voyage, the perils
of which, when over, are forgotten in the
moment of hilarity and good fellowship on
that shore whither destiny may have con-
signed a knot of good fellows. Out upon the
cynic, say I, who would not unbend and run
out of the course a little on such an oc-
casion ! Be this as it may, right or wrong,
we were all a little consarned in liquor before
we went to roost ; but this I will say, that
a pleasanter or a jollier night I never passed.
On the following morning I had the honor
of being presented to the Commander-in-
Chief, Sir John Sherbroke, to whom 1 had

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THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

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carried out letters of introduction, as well as
to the Adjutant-General, Quarter-Master-,
General, and some of the Commanding offi-
cers of regiments in the garrison. To the
ceremonies of introduction succeeded a round
of dinners and parties, and as soon as these
very pleasant and conventional forms had
been gone through, I began to look about
me for a congenial spirit in the shape of a
brother Sportsman ; and I was not long in
discovering one of the right sort in the per-
son of Major Browne, of the 103rd Regiment,
to whom I had the good fortune to be es-
pecially commended. My kind old friend
the Major (I may call him so now,) was the
best shot and the best fisherman that ever
pulled a trigger or wetted a line : at least I
never saw his equal. He had served a long
apprenticeship in the North American rivers,
and was as well - acquainted with the habits
and peculiarities of the Yankee salmon as if
he had amphibiously been born amongst
them. On my firs', visit to the Major, I
found him busily engaged in preparing for

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his piscatory campaigu. He was in his
sanctum sanctorum, a perfect snuggery, set
apart exclusively as the receptacle for guns,
rods, and all the paraphernalia appertaining
to a Sportsman. At this my first introduc-
tion I discovered the kind-hearted Major
seated at a table which was strewed with
wings, feathers, pig's down, dubbing, furs, and
silk of every denomination and hue ; and to
these might be added gut of every size,
tT/iS' d and untwisted. It was evident that
the >> n.T of these treasures was in his
glory, and he received me v^ith more com-
placency than I could have anticipated, see-
ing, as I did, that I interrupted him in his
principal amusement. The greeting and
welcome I experienced were unaffectedly
cordial, and in five minutes I was on as
friendly a footing with my new acquaintance
as if I had known him as many years. The
Major had heard of my predilection for the
rod and gun, which circumstance may have
prepossessed him in my favor, for a similarity
of tastes and habits is the sure precursor of

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THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

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1- '^

intimacy ; and to this only can I attribute
the marked kindness of my reception. As
a token of especial favor, the Major's valuable
store of tackle was exhibited to me ; and if
I was surprised at the quantity, I had no
less cause for astonishment at the quality of
the materials, the salmon gear being essen-
tially different from everything of the kind
I had been accustomed to see on this side of
the Atlantic. While I was taking a brief
survey of the contents of the studio, I could
perceive that the kind-hearted Major was
chuckling under the rose at my undisguised
astonishment, and having enjoyed for some
minutes the bewilderment I exhibited, he
thus addressed me.

" It's right, glad I am to hear that you're
fond of fishing and shooting, Mr. Tolfrey,
and ' by the piper that played before Moses'
— (a favorite expletive of the Major's) — I'll
shew you some sport. I like to see a tight
lad like yourself fond o' these diversions ; but
I'll be letting you into a bit of a secret :
you'll be wanting some experience in the

i >

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

Canadian rivers ; for if you're going to fish
for salmon with us, you'll smash your fine
London tackle all to smithereens as sure as
my names's James (or Jemes as he pronounced
it) Browne of New Town Barry. — How old
may you be, Mr. Tolfrey'? — 'Twenty-two,'
was my reply. — And when you've twenty-
two more years clapt on to the back o' that,
you'll be after using the same sort o' tackle
I do. I mane you to be one o' my own boys,
and by the powers I'll make a rale fisherman
of ye. Just come with me now, and 111
shew you my rods."

Whereupon the kind-hearted Major in-
ducted me to a grenier at the top of his
domicile, a long and lofty apartment — three
garrets rolle<l into one in fact — and here did
I behold what in the plenitude of my igno-
rance I conceived to be some mis-shapened
hop-poles, but which the Major dignified by
the name of " salmon rods." He took one
down from its exalted position, and placed
it in my hands. To say the truth, it was
an unsightly tool, but all doubts as to its.

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excellence were soon dissipated the moment
I poised and tried it ; and from the hasty
opinion I was enabled to form by a cursory
handling of this gigantic pole, I was con-
vinced it was a rod of great power, yet so
perfect were the proportions that it appeared
to be under perfect command, and to possess
all the qualifications of a smaller and a
lighter one.

Some rods do too much, and run away with
you, if I may be allowed the expression.
Although but a young hand at the time, I
was certain that this rough looking article
had many hidden merits, of which the Major
alone was in the secret. The gratified owner
appeared much flattered at the attention I
bestowed upon his treasures, and was evi-
dently amused at the undisguised astonish-
ment I exhibited. Having allowed me due
time for examination, the worthy Major first
broke silence : — '* That rod, M. Tolfrey, is
the TIB, plm ultra of salmon-rods. I made it
myself, and a better never threw a line :
you will perceive that there are only two

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

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joints (barring the whalebone top) in it,
and they arc spliced in the middle This is
the rale sacret for making a rod throw a fly
dacently. Your dandy London rods, with
their four or five joints ai. brass sockets
and ferules, are of no use here : they a ^^
mighty pretty to look at, but you will find
that they snap like a reed with a lively
salmon at the end of 'em in the Jacques
Cartier River."

" And where may be the Jacques Cartier
River V I inquired.

" About six-and-thirty miles above this,"
was the Major's reply, " and some eight or
nine to the right of the St. La'\\Tence, into
which it runs. Oh, but it's a beautiful
strame is the Jacques Cartier, Mr. Tolfrey !
and it's soon you'll have an opportunity of
judging of it, for I mane to take you w^ith
me on my first expedition to the Bridge, to-
gether with a couple of my boys, and you'll
find that the widow will make us all right
and comfortable."

The Bridge and the widow were riddles to

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me at the time. The inanin^ate and ani-
mate objects, however, were soon made
known to me But I must not antici-
pate.

Having examined all the rods, for they
numbered nearly a dozen, I returned with
the Major to his piscatory boudoir, where
his store of lines and flies was exhibited for
my inspection. I have said that I was as-
tonished at the rods : the rest of the tackle
afforded no less cause for wonderment. The

Major's salmon lines were composod of

laugh not, good reader, although smile you

must I fear whipcord ! ! — at least so he

told me ; and I had afterwards knowledge
of the fact, for I used nothing else myself.
But the original fabric was in no way dis-
tinguishable ; so much so, that I, in the
innocence of my heart, conceived the supple
sample before me to have been a kind of
round and pliant weed.

The delighted Major soon explained the
mystery, and imparted to me the secret : it
was this — Having provided himself with

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

some sixty yards of the finest and best-
manufactured whipcord (which he invari-
ably imported from a noted twine and net
warehouse in the City — I forget the name
of the firm, but the establishment is still
thriving, and has been removed to a corner
shop in King William Street, near London
Bridge, and which leads down to the Monu-
ment), he steeped it in twice-boiled linseed
oil for some six or eight months during the
winter. By reason of this immersion the
fibre in the line was completely hidden, and
it came out after this process as smooth and
as pliable as a weed. It gained also infinite
lightness, for when it was thrown on the
water it fell like a single hair on the stream.
The foot-lines, bottoms, and collars — these
names signify one and the same thing —
were made in proportion to the line to which
they were to be attached : they had been
twisted by the Major himself, commencing
with three fibres of gut of proportionate
stoutness, and tapering gradually down to
the loop, where two strands finished this

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very perfect specimen of private manu-
facture.

I observed that the gut was dyed of a
peculiar brown color ; the reason for which
was to match the water ; and, from the
circumstance of its flowing over a substra-
tum of ferruginous ore, tliis cocoa-like tinge
was imparted to the stream : the gut, being
soaked in chocolate for a day and a night,
became of the same hue. In short, I could
see during this my first visit that this mili-
tary Walton had left no means untried to
ensure success in the Canadian rivers.

The Major, with a national partiality
truly pardonable, was an ardent advocate
for the Limerick hook. All his flies for
salmon, trout, and bass were tied on them :
in fact, he would use no other. He made
me in time a convert to his system, for to
this day I give the preference to the
rale GShanghnessy. The Major's flies dif-
fered materially from those I had been
accustomed to gaze upon as a youth in the
several London shops : they were not so

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

gaudy, for he abominated everything in the
shape of gold or silver twist. I believe
all good and true salmon and trout-fishers
will concur with me in opinion, that the
generality of trout and salmon flies exhibited
in the windows of fishing-tackle shops, are
miserable abortions, and as unlike that which
they are intended to represent as a cart-
horse is to a race-horse. I know of but one
firm in London that can be quoted as an ex-
ception to this sweeping censure, and that
is Mr. Bowness, sen. of Bell Yard, Temple
Bar. M. Bowness pere, in the plenitude of
his paternity, has a son and daughter, both
of whom are most eificient coadjutors to
their excellent sire. The taper fingers of
the latter are put in requisition for the fly
department of this renowned establishment,
and most ably and scientifically is her branch
of the business performed. Miss Bowness
comes nearer to, if she do not equal the best
amateur fly-makers in the kingdom. All
married piscators know that the ladies excel
in fly-making; and if, as all good wives

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ought to do, they take pleasure in the
amusements of their husbands, why they
will tie their flies for them. There is a
neatness, an elegance, a lightness, an inde-
scribable finish in female fly-making, that
we Lords of the Creation cannot achieve or
even aspire to : hence it is that the flies in
Mr. Bowness's establishment are superior to
all others submitted for sale in the metro-
polis.

But revenons a nos moiitons. — The Major
did me the kindness to shew me his flies
also : they were all of his own make of
course, and were the ne plm ultra of veri-
similitude. The one he found most taking
in the Jacques Cartier water, and which he
pointed out to me, may be thus described :
the extreme end of the body was tipped
with bright yellow, the centre, of a reddish
brown, about the color of bear's fur ; the
shoulder, dark purple ; the wings, from the
pinion of a hen-pheasant ; and the tail, of
two fibres from the downy feather of the
mallard. This I afterwards found a most

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

efficient, general fly. I quitted my newly
formed acquaintance with some reluctance,
for I could have passed the whole day with
him in listening to his humorously-told ad-
ventures by flood and field. I was not jh r-
mitted to take leave of my gallant friend
without receiving a cordial assurance of
being taken under his wing, and initiated
on an early day in the art and mystery of
killing salmon in Canadian rivers.

I found that during my absence my com-
pagnons de voyage at the hotel, had or-
ganised two entertainments, which were to
come off with the least possible delay — one
being a breakfast, a regular dejeuner a la
fourchette, in honor of Captain Haig, our
worthy Caledonian schipper, on which oc-
casion the purse, we had subscribe d uy
unanimous consent, was to be presented to
him. The other, not a whit the less gratify-
ing, was not free from melanclioiy associa-
tions, for it was intended that all the
passengers should dine together prior to the
departure of the majority for the Upper
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Province, where they ;,ere to be stationed.
This was to be a parting reunion: and
when and where we might meet again was,
to say the least, very uncertain.

As I had been nominated to the honorable
post of caterer to the Mess on board the
Diana, I was deputed to invite our Com-
mander in the name of my fellow-passengers.
The following Saturday was the day ap-
pointed, and at eleven o'clock we sat down
to as good a breakfast as our host, Monsieur
Malhiot, could provide, and as the city of
Quebec could afford. This breakfast was in
point of fact a tiffin, which, being inter-
preted, means a luncheon, for little of tea or
coffee was drunk. The refection concluded,
I was deputed to address our guest in the
name of the body corporate who had invited
him to the table, and I believe, if the
Quebec Gazette of that day be still in the
archives of the printing-office, it will testify
as to the correctness of the following ora-
tion, which I was called upon to deliver on
the occasion ; —

THE SPORTSMAir IN CANADA.

" Captain Haig, I am deputed by my
fellow-passengers to convey to you the sense
they entertain of the kindness, liberality,
and gentlemanlike feeling you have ex-
hibited towards them from the commence-
ment to the termination Jof our voyage on
board of the ship under your command ;
and I know that I express the feeling of
every one present, when I assure you how
pleased they are to receive you as their
guest on this occasion. I have the gratify-
ing task of making known to you their
sentiments ; and if anything can possibly
add to the pleasure I experience individually,
it is in the fact that I am authorised to
place in your hands a more substantial,
though I am convinced not a more welcome
acknowledgment, of the generosity and un-
exampled hospitality which have character-
ised your conduct from the day we left the
Thames to the hour we entered the St.
Lawrence.

" We are one and all aware of the very
inadequate sum paid you by Government

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for our passage, and we are equally con-
vinced that the trifling demand you made
upon our private purses for the mess-table
cannot have remunerated you for the boun-
tiful stock of good things with which you
have supplied us from first to last. It does
not in short require a ' Cocker ' to tell us that
you must be a loser, for our voyage has been
an unusually long one ; and I believe your
steward can testify as to our being blessed
with good appetites and thirsty throttles.

" Had you not mixed with us as a friend
— had you not encouraged our conviviality,
we should have felt bound to have ensured
you from positive loss. It is needless, I
trust, for me to assure you by how much our
sense of justice is magnified into a pleasur-
able duty, when we spontaneously offer you
this little contribution which we have levied
upon one another, and which we hope you
will accept in token of the high regard and
esteem in which we hold you. We cannot
allow you to be out of pocket ; and I hope,
in conjunction with my companions around

THE SPOKT^MAN IN CANADA.

O.J

you, that the sum of one hundred and sixty
guineas, which I havd the pleasure of plac-
yv jng in your hands, will reimburse you for
your prodigality.

'' My task is done : but I cannot resume
my seat without proposing your health in a
bumper of champagne, and I but express
the feeling of every one present in wishing
health and prosperity to you and yours on
your return to your native country."

Having said my say, I sate down. Elo-
quence was never my forte^ but whatever I
lacked in this accomplishment was made up
for in sincerity. I liked the old fellow — a
better creature never breathed ; and if, as
some gourmands have asserted, the way to
the heart is through the stomach, our jolly
schipper succeeded to admiration, for he fed
us like fighting-cocks.

Captains of merchantmen are not the
best orators in the world, and I could see
that our guest was, to use a nautical phrase,
completely " taken aback" at this unex-
pected address, and still more unexpected

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addition to his exchequer. He was evidently
struggling with his feelings ; but, screwing
his courage to the sticking place, he got
upon his legs, and thus addressed the party.
His speech was not inserted in the Quebec
Gazette but, as far as my memory serves
me, it was as nearly as possible in the
following words : —

" You'll ken, Gentlemen, that I have no
got the gift o' the gab like my vary gude
friend, who has just been holding forth at
my expense : in fact, I don't know what to
say to you, or how to thank you, for I am
so taken by surprise at this mark of your
''oodness, that I am well nigh fou. When
you asked me to come and eat a wee bit
with you, I never thought what you were
going to do. FU no deny that we've nearly
cleaned out the old ship of her provisions,
but we've had a merry time of it, and I am
sorry to lose you. I can only say, you've
been too liberal, and far beyond what I could
expect, or you'd any right to do. It '11 no
go into my pocket ; but I'll buy a piece o'

I'fiE SPORTSMAN U CAXADA.

silver plate, and give it to Mistress Haig, and
I'll have an inscription of all your names on
it ; and when I brew some good toddy in itj
I'll think o' the many happy days we passed
together in the old ship, and it'll be my
pride to shew that you've been pleased with
her old Commander. Gi' me the bottle — (this
was said to me aside) — I'll fill a bumper to
all your healths, and here's God bless you
all, you noisy troublesome ne'er-do-weels !"

The latter part of this speech was scarcely
audible ; his feelings were evidently getting
the mastery, and he endeavoured, by jocularly
alluding to our fun and nonsense, to check
the rising emotion : but it was in vain : the
tears came in his eyes, and he sate down
while giving utterance to an hysterical laugh
that told more powerfully than any rhetoric
could have done how deeply he felt the com^
pliment we had paid him. Poor old Haig I
he returned to the house of his old friend
Davie Gowdie, the ship-builder at QuebeCj
brim full of champagne, and with a heart as
full as his pockets.
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The major part of my fellow-passengers
were destined to be sent to the Upper Pro-
vince — some to Kingston, some to York
(now called Toronto), and others to different
forts and out-stations within the frontiers.
We had all been as one family on board the
Diana ; for fate had so willed it that our
tempers, habits, minds, and dispositions —
albeit " there were no two alike and every
one different," as the keeper at Exeter Change
was formerly wont to remark of the spots
on the leopard — chimed in most harmoniously
with one another. The odds were fearfully
against this unanimity ; and it will be ad-
mitted as an unusual as well as a fortunate
occurrence for sixteen stangers to be thrown
promiscoushj together, as Lord Dvberly says,
• and to cross the Atlantic without a wrangle,
an angry word, or an unpleasant feeling.

To the curious in human frailties I would
recommend a long sea-voyage with a score or
so of their fellow-men, and if the real dis-
positions of the party be not discovered
before the expiration of a month, there is no

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virtue in salt-water. A man's true character
must develop itself on ship-board : the
good or the evil propensities will betray
themselves ; and a quiet but shrewd observer
will acquire a greater knowledge of human
nature in one week afloat than during a
twelvemonth on terra firma. My com-
pagnons diarmes and myself had been thus
thrown in juxtaposition for nearly nine
weeks : we knew each other well ; and I be-
lieve the friendships that were formed in this
short space have been as lasting as they were
sincere at the time. Some, alas ! have been
taken away, and one or two of those who
remain I regard as brothers to this day.
Well might Captain Haig say that he never
had so pleasant a party : a jollier set never
crossed the Atlantic.

On the evening of the second day after
the vinous breakfast I have recorded, we were
assembled together at Malhiot's Hotel, and at
six o'clock we sat down to dinner preparatory
to our final separation. The steam-boat was
to start for Montreal at midnight, so that we

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THE SPORTSMAN IN CAITADA.

had but little time for the enjoyment of each
other's society. I would fain hope and be-
lieve that there are but few of us who can
look upon our friends and companions for
the last time without a feeling akin to regret
and sorrow ; and when a knot of good fel-
lows are met together at the convivial board,
who can pledge a bumper with his comrade
on the eve of departure without a pang, and
the painfu' conviction that in draining the
j^oblet to his health, he looks on him for the
last time 1 Such thoughts will arise at such
moments, and in spite of the forced laugh
ind the effort to assume a gaiety the heart
but ill responds to, a tinge of melancholy will
cast its gloom over the minds of all assembled
at similar meetings — glass after glass may
be swallowed, but the load will not be re-
moved. I need scarcely add, that many
were the bumpers quaffed on this occasion,
and cordial and sincere were the wishes
expressed for the welfare and happiness of
those who were on the point of departure.
I am afraid to state the number of bottles of

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

claret and champagne which were emptied
on this evening — the quantity was enormous.
Captain Haig came to shake his old mess-
mates by the hand ere they started, and he
told me in confidence the following morning
that he observed a good deal of lateral motion
as we escorted our friends down to the steam-
boat. Thanks tc Bacchus, we none of us
slipped off the plank which led from the
wharf to the deck of the vessel ! We saw
the good fellows all safely on board, and got
back to our Hotel without any mishap — at
least so I inferred from finding myself very
snug between the sheets the following
morning.

An overpowering thirst and a splitting
headache, to say nothing of a most confused
recollection of the previous night s proceed-
ings, gave me to understand most unequivocally
that in drinking the health of my friends I
had not thought of my own. A tumbler of
lemonade, a basin of green tea, and a splendid
shower-bath, cooled me inside and out, and
by eleven o'clock I was discussing deviled

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THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

kidneys with as much gusto as ever. I was
enjoying the savoury meal, when a note was
brought me by Major Browne's servant, in-
viting me to hold myself in readiness for a
trip to Jacques Cartier on the following
morning at five o'clock. In addition to this
welcome intelligence, the Major had sent one
of his rods, a line, and a liberal supply of
flies and foot-lines, accounting for his kindness
by stating that he did not like to see any of
his pupils lose a fish by using London tackle
and jim-crack rods ; that he did not look up-
on me as a Cockney Sportsman ; and that he
had consequently ventured to supply me
with pijper materials, which he was sure I
should not disgrace. Here was I most unex-
pectedly set up with every requisite for the
water I was about to explore, and I was
busily employed the whole day in making
arrangements for the expedition. I called
on the Mayor in the evening to thank him
for his attention and kindness, as well as to
request he would let me know what eatables
and drinkables I was to provide as my share

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA,

of the pic-nic. This with some reluctance
he did ; and having desired my servant \o
procure from our mess-man the necessaiy
comforts, I betook myself to roost betimes,
and was up with the lark as fresh as u four-
year-old.

THE SrOTlTS^IAX IX CANADA.

CHAPTER III.

The Author starts for Jacques Carticr, accompanied
by Major JJrowne, Captain GrifHths, a)\ I Mr.
Hamilton — The Journey — Breakfast at the Post-
Hoiiso of Old Lorette — Arrival at Jacques Car-
tier— The Bridge— The Toll-House— The Widow
— Capital Luncheon — A savoury Cosmetic — The
Hospital — Killing the first Salmon — The Major's
skill, who lands a splendid fish — Return to the
Toll-House — The Major's Fiddle, and a rustic
ball in the evening.

By half-past four I had performed my ab-
lutions, and was dressed ready to start. An
American waggon (a light vehicle on springs),
which had been chartered to convey our
servants, canteens, and provender, drove up
to the door of the Hotel shortly afterwards,
in which I packed my man Friday and a
plentiful supply of prog. The cargo of

THE SPORTSiLVN IJI CANADA.

eatables was scarcely out of sight ere //
Qran* Maestro, the Major himself, made his
appearance in a kind of cabriolet, known in
Canada by the name of a calMe, which
was followed by a well appointed buggy,
containing Captain Griffiths, of the 103rd
Regiment, and Mr. Hamilton, a West India
merchant, both pupils of the Major. I was
greeted with a most harmonious yell, some-
thing between an Indian war-whoop and a
Leicestershire view-halloo, and " Jacques
Cartier for ever !" was the cry, as my brother
anglers drove up. The Major's rod, which
had been unspliced, as well as my new ac-
quisition, were soon properly secured to our
vehicle, our friends in the rear having under
our commanding officer's direction done
ditto ; but even in this dismantled condition
the four rods presented a formidable ap-
pearance, an any passer-by might, with
good reason, have imagined that our crusade
against the salmon was one of extermination,
and that not a fish would be left by us in
the river. In truth, we were bent upon

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mischief ; and in order that we might com-
mence operations as speedily as possible, the
Major gave the word en avant to our Cana-
dian driver, who was perched in front of us
on a most inconvenient seat of triangular
construction, but who bore the buin[)ing like
a martyr as we jolted ovor the rough pave-
ment of the Rue St. Jean towards the
suburbs. We were now fairly en route :
the weather was everything that could be
desired, and the whole party in the highest
possible glee. It had been arranged that
we were to breakfast at the post-house be-
yond old Lorette, a distance of eighteen
miles, and where fresh hoises had been com-
manded to be in readiness for us. The
scenery between Quebec and this village,
presents but little variety ; indeed, ha.d there
been a Stowe or a Blenheim to relieve the
eye of the traveller after gazing on the
monotonous track of a beaten high-road, I
much question if we should have paid much
attention to park, mansion, wood, water, hill,
or dale, so completely absorbed were we by

THE SPORTSMAN I» CANADA.

the object we had in view and the antici-
pated sport. Visions of salmon at the end
of our lines were floating before us ; flies,
lines, and landing-nets were present to our
imagination ; and every hill we ascended in
accomplishing our journey seemed but so
many impediments to the immediate accom-
plishment of our wishes. The longest day
— even the 21st of June — will have an end,
and so have eighteen-mile stages, albeit per-
formed by one Canadian horse in a crazy
cabriolet. Our waggon, with a pair of
American clippers, which had been hired at
the livery stable, (the owner of which was
landlord of the post-house where we were
to break our fast) had completely distanced
our " von os shays," at which we had no
reason to repine, for our " helps," as the
Yankees term English serving-men, had an-
ticipated our wishes in making preparations
for our morning meal. We reached the
post-house by half-past seven, and on
entering the kitchen of the caravansery, our
eyes were gladdened by the sight of certain

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THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

t:,!!;

savoury edibles in the shape of ham, eggs,
cutlets, and sausages, while the odour which
came forth from the frying-pan, independently
of gratifying our olfactories, gave promise of
something substantial for our craving appe-
tites. A morning drive of eighteen miles or so
is an admirable preparative, and we set to in
right good earnest upon the fare provided for
us. A most excellent breakfast we had, and
as soon as our servants had stuffed in like
manner to their hearts' content, we once
more resumed our journey with fresh horses,
and, if possible, increased spirits. Our
steeds did not quite come up to our impatient
notions of progressive motion, for as we ap-
proached the goal of our wishes, our anxiety
to commence operations called forth a few
hearty anathemas on sandy hilly roads in
gftneral and Canadian horses in particular.
For the hundredth time I believe I inquired
of my companion if we were near Jacques
Cartier, when the Major, pointing to a belt
of huge fir-trees, said, " Do you see that ridge
of dark pines extending from South to

THE SPORTSMAN l^' CAKADA.

North ? — (for he invariably reversed the
order of things) — they are on the summit of
the West bank of the river, and, by the
Powers ! we'll be there presently !" Our
driver, who rejoiced in the name of Michel
Gauvin, received another gentle hint to
quicken his pace, and forthwith the charioteer
bellowed forth the well-known marche done,
which had the effect of producing a momen-
tary increase of speed. The impetus, how-
ever, was but of short duration, the shuffling
canter which had succeeded the ambling trot
quickly subsiding into the drawling gait
which had kept us on tenter-hooks for the
last four miles of our journey. To lu)
infinite joy, I thought I could distinguish tiiu
sound of running water, and my hopes wero
contirmed by an exclamation from the Afejur,
Couched in the folio ving words — ' .'iisey,
lads ! we're here, you grumbling divils : get
out at the corner of the road." We here
pulled up, and on looking up a path to the
right, I could perceive some three or four
straggling cottages, which I subsequently

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

■PK

learned belonged to some fishermen, who
rented several miles of the river : but more
of this anon.

Having followed mj companion's example
in alighting, I perceived a road not twenty
paces from us, which appeared to lead into a
wood. The Major followed the direction of my
eye, and, as if to repress my curiosity, said,
sotfo voce, " Be aisey, can't you, a minute !
you'll be after seeing the river directly." I
was wondering how our vehicles were to be
disposed of, when our servants suddenly pre-
sented themselves, having emerged from this
hidden road which had excited my attention.
Our companions having alighted from their
vehicle, tlie buggy and horse were consigned
to tlie care of their " bat-men,'' and the Major
having taken our rods from the cale'che, I
shouldei ed mine in obedience to the word of
command, and Captain Griffiths, Mr. Hamilton,
and myself followed the veteran Walton ian,
who led the way, singing an Irish planxty
with a richness of humor, style, and effect
that none but a native of the Emerald Isle

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THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

can achieve. To my surprise, on reaching the
road, I found it the summit of a winding,
sandy declivity, which led down to the river.
We could not see the water from the top of
this precipice, nor was it until we were half
way down the road that the transcendent
beauty of the scenery was disclosed to us.
A sudden bend of this frightfully steep hill
presented such a splendid view, bursting as it
did sufldenly upon me, that I was positively
riveted to the spot as if by enchantment : as
that most erudite and eloquent of auctioneers,
Mr. George Kobins, would say, it must be
seen to ]je appreciated, for no description
from my feeble pen can convey any idea of
the grandeur and ::iublimity of this part (f
the Jacques Cartier lliver. This magnificent
stream n;i,s from North to South, and dis-
charges itself into the St. Lawrence, about
nine miles from the toll-house at the foot of
the bridge we were about to cross.

After feasting my eyes on the romantic
scenery by which I was surrounded, I followed
my companions to the foot of the hill, where

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THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

the Major had halted, as he had made up his
mind to conduct me himself to the toll-house
on the other side of the river. The bridge of
Jacques Cartier, which connects the strag-
gling cottages scattered on the summits of
the urecipitous banks on either side of the
jiver, is of most primitive cons '.ruction, but
t)icturesque in the extreme. I have said
<,hat the banks of the river are precipitous —
J should not be far wrong if I were to state
tint this impetuous stream feowed through
perpendicular precipices cf solid granite.
Although we had descended a tremendously
long hill, we were still some thirty feet above
the river, which at this point is from ninety
to a hundred feet wide.

Having joined the Major, and taken a
cursory survey of the rustic bridge, he took
me by the arm and led me to the centre of
it, and having desired me to look right and
left, dragged me to tbx nailing, and told me
to take a peep into the water under a ;;helving
projection of rock. 1 obeyed the instruc-
tions, although I wns f.r some time sorely

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THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

puzzled to account for my ]\Ientor's anxiety
that I should turn myself into a hydrometer.
" Do you sec nothing ?" he rather impatiently
observed. 1 replied that I certainly did
observe a mass of objects beneath the surface
of the water, but I could not distinguish
them. — " They're salmon then, 1 tell ye,"
was the rejoinder. And so they were, good
reader. Such a sight I never before had seen,
and coies I shall never behold again. The
fish were positively in layers, and hundreds
upon hundreds were congregated in this deep
pool : but, alas ! for all the salmon-fishers
who visited this spot, the king of the waters
was out of the reach of rods, lines, nets,
snares, spears, and trimmers. The sight of
so many salmon heaped together in one little
nook, however tantalizing, was excessively
interesting and worth crossing the Atlantic
to behold. Other attractions, ho^vever,
awaited us, of which fact the Major lost no
time in informing me. " The luncheon and
the widow will ])e waiting for us, and, by the
Powers ! we must not lose any more time

VOL. I. E

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THE SrORTSMAN IN CANADA.

;'■■■

before we visit the hospital," was the gentle
liint I received to leave off salraon-gazing.
Leaving therefore the finny inhabitants of
this beautiful river in the plenitude of their
Htifety and enjoyment, we traversed the bridge,
and, as we approached the toll-gate, a buxom-
louking lady in black, accompanied by two
(children and some half dozen followers,
issued forth from the adjoining neat little
cottage, and greeted the whole party most
cordially. It was evident that this fascinat-
ing widow stood very high in the Major's
estimation, and vice versa, for his reception
])v our fair hostess was as cordial and as
gratifying as any son of Erin need have de-
sired. The salutations, compliments, and
other conventionalities over, we took posses-
sion of our apartments in the toll-house, than
wliich nothing could be more clean and
comfortable. Our sitting-room, which looked
on to the water, was a perfect snuggery —
the nucleus of enjoyment to a professed
angler — a perfect piscatory boudoir, where a
man could make up his mind to live for ever.

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

•75

A small double-bedded room, wliicli adjoined
this little salon, was devoted to the Major
and myself, and another on the other side of
the kitchen was appropriated to our com-
panions. These arrangements having ])ccn
concluded to the satisfaction of all parties,
orders were given for luncheon, and while
our domestics were unpacking our canteens
and eatables, we occupied ourselves in putting
our rods together, as it was the Major's in-
tention to visit the principal stands l)cfore
dinner. "While we were on the bridge, he had
talked of visting the hospital, as well as the
widow, but what the widow had to do with the
hospital, or the hospital with the widow, I ^vas
at a loss to conjecture. While we were splicing
our rods at the widow's door, I ventured to in-
quire of our leader whether he was about to
visit the sick, as he had expressed an intention
of going to tlie hospital ? The Major smiled at
the question, and gave me to understand if,
was a nickname of his own for the first sheet
of smooth water — the first salmon-titand in
fact below the bridge, where the fish reposed

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THE SPOHTSMAX LV CANADA.

themselves after their fatigue of ascciuling
the numerous scours and raj^ids between
Jacques Cnrtier and the St. Lawrence ; add-
ing, " Oh ! it's a beautiful place is the hospital,
as you'll see presently ! but avc'11 not find
any sick fish there, for they'll be infincsaison."
Having done ample justice to some cold
ribs of roasted beef and a pigeon- pie, washed
down by some of Hodgson's pale ale and a
glass of cold-without, we began to think of
starting for the field of action, and I was
busily engaged in filling my pockets with
the requisite paraphernalia, wlien my atten-
tion was arrested by seeing the ]\Iajor em-
ployed in stu'ring up some hog's lard and
turpentine in a little pewter bowl. I found
upon enquiry that this savoury mixture was
being concocted for the purpose of anointing
our faces and hands to ward ofi" the attacks
of musquitoes and a little blood-thirsty
black fly which assail witli their infernal
probosccs the inexperienced Johnny New-
come, Avho, on his first excursion to the
banks of a Canadian river, is sucked nearly

! i

THE SPORTSMAN' IX CANADA.

dry l)y thcso merciless invaders on ilie com-
fort and repose of man.

The Major, ever alive to his own peaceful
euioyment and the happiness of his friends,
had discovered the virtues of the nostrum
he was preparing for us. It mus l)e ad-
mitted that a thick layer of hog'f d and
turpentine is not the sweetest cosmetic to
apply to the countenance, and many of my
readers would doubtless prefer an applica-
tion of Rowland's Kalydor or Warren's Milk
of Hoses ; but even this villanous admixture
was preferable to the evil consequences that
would inevitably have ensued had not the
precaution been used.

I speak FEELIXGLY : for very early in the
year following this memorable excursion, I
accompanied a friend, the present Barrack
blaster at Quebec, in the month of May to
reconnoitre the best haunts in the river, and
to ascertain if the salmon and trout had re-
visited their old quarters ; I did not carry a
supply of the antidote v/ith me, conceiving
that these venomous insects could not have

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WEBSTER, N.Y. 14S80

(716) 872-4503

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

made their appearance. Sorely did I repent
of my rashness. I went up the river with
my trout-rod, and, meeting with unusually
good sport, pursued my favorite amusement
until nearly dark ; and wliat with slapping
my face and landing my fish, I had pretty
sharp work of it. The excitement of the
sport over, I began to feel rather queer about
the nose and eyes, and by the time I rejoined
my fellow-traveller at the toll-house, there
were unequivocal demonstrations of an en-
largement of the features. Vinegar and
brandy wore applied, and I went to roost in
a high fever. In the morning not a feature
could be discerned, the eyes and nose being
completely hidden by the frightful swelling.
I was in utter darkness, and in this unenviable
state was I conducted back to my quarters in
the garrison. One of my facetious friends
was kind enough to say that my face was an
ugly representation of a badly-mixed under-
done plum-pudding. I was in a pitiable state
for a week ; but, thanks to Dr. Lloyd, of the
Royal Artillery, who fed his leeches at my

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

expense, the application of goulard and other
cooling lotions, the inflammation was speedily
subdued. Let my unhappy fate be a warn-
ing to all brethren of the angle who may
hereafter visit a Canadian salmon river. —
But to resume.

The cosmetic having been skilfully pre-
pared, our faces, necks, and hands, even above
the wrists, were bountifully anointed ; and
over the head, ears, and throat, a handker-
chief cunningly tied to prevent the merciless
attacks of our winged foes. This operation
created no little fun and merriment, and I
am certain four such Guys never sallied forth
on a fishing expedition. The Major's trusty
man-servant, the faithful Dan, brought up
the rear, with the fishing-basket, gaff, and
landing net. At the further end of the
bridge over which we had passed, on the
coping of the wall into which the wooden
frame-work was fixed, a ladder was placed,
by means of which we descended on to the
stratum of granite, which constituted in fact
the bank of the river. Having descended in

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THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

safety to this solid foundation, we followed
the Alajor for nearly half a mile down the
stream, through brake and briar, until we
reached a fine broad sheet of still water
where our leader called a halt. — " Get out
your flies, boys ! Here's the hospital, and
good luck to us !" In this manner did our
kind-bearted guide and master cheer us.
As may be imagined, we were not long in
obeying orders. Captain Griffiths was the
first in the field, and commenced business a
few yards below the spot where the Major
and myself were standing. At the third or
fourth cast he hooked a fish, but he broke
away, much to the annoyance of the angler.
" Aisey, there !" cried our Mentor ; " don't
be after checking 'em too much. Let the
boys go on," whispered my veteran com-
panion, " and I'll engage you'll have a rise in
less time than you'd swallow a tumbler of
whiskey punch." I was not sorry to have
so able and experienced an instructor at my
elbow, for I knew well I should stand in need
of his assistance as well as advice in the event

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

of my having the good fortune to hook a fisli.
To say tho truth, I was apprehensive of
bungling with so large a rod and such stout
tackle, for the whole of the apparatus was so
very much heavier than I had been accus-
tomed to use, or rather to see, that I despaired
of doing any execution. I therefore sug-
gested to the Major the expediency of taking
a few preliminary casts some hundred yards
higher up, for the purpose of getting my
hand in, preparatory to commencing in his
favorite pool. I did so, and was most agree-
ably surprised at finding my rod much more
handy than I could have had any idea of :
in fact, I was quite astonished at the ease,
lightness, and precision with which I could
throw my fly. Having regained a little con-
fidence, I joined the Major, who had been
watching most complacently my movements,
and with an encouraging nod pointed to a
particular spot just above the hospital,
where he wished me to begin. Cautiously
and tremblingly did I make my first essay.
" That'll do it !— that's a fine cast ! by the

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THE SrOUTSMAK IN CANADA.

Powers, that's well thrown for a youngster I"
and twenty similar commendations were be-
stowed on my endeavours.

At last — never shall I forget that moment
— in a sweeping eddy, almost under a rock,
I had a splendid rise — hooked my fish, and
away he went at railroad speed down the
broad water : he had run me out about five*
and-twenty yards of line, when he leaped
out of the water, and tried all sorts of ma-
noeuvres to disengage himself ; but as good
luck would have it, he was too firmly
hooked to get awajr, and as I knew my
tackle to be good, I could afibrd to be a
little resolute. " If he jumps again," said
the Major, give him his head ; for he'll
try and break your line with a flip of his
tail." We had a regular battle for it ; but
I had an old hand at my elbow to check my
impatience, and owing to his masterly direc-
tions, I succeeded in killing my fish, which
he lauded for me. It weighed nearly ten
pounds, and, as may be imagined, I was not
a little elated at my success. I know not of

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

any excitement, attended with such un-
qualified delight, equal to killing a salmon ;
and to a youngster as I then was, and
passionately fond of fishing withal, the
sensation I experienced on taking my first
fish is scarcely to be defined, if expressed.
I was nearly suffocated with joy, if I may .so
express myself, and never to my latest breath
shall I cease to remember this eventful day.
The Major was kind enough to compliment
me on my skill, patience, and steadiness of
hand : in short, he was pleased to say ho was
proud of his pupil, and by flattery and en-
couragement, if so enthusiastic a disciple as
myself wanted encouragement, made me a
confirmed angler from that hour.

It was long ere I completely recovered my
self-possession ; and as I was anxious to take
a lesson by witnessing a display of the
Major's piscatorial powers, I begged of him
to leave me to my own reflections, and set to
work on his own account. Instead of pro-
ceeding to another stand down the streaui,
/// Gran' Maestro commenced operations

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THE SPORTSMAN L\ CANADA.

i'; I

a yard or two above the spot where I had
hooked my libh ; but instead of hugging the
left bank as I had done, the Major threw
across the river under the high and project-
ing rocks. The cast was an extraordinary
one, ahnost incredible as to distance ; yet
the fly fell with a lightness and precision I
never yet saw equalled ; in fact, it dropped
on the surface of the water as gently as
thistle-down. At the third cast, a huge
mass rose to the fly, and in an instant
whirr-rr-r went the reel, the Alajor follow-
ing the captured fish at the top of his speed :
he presently pulled up, for the salmon, in a
fit of sulks, had taken to the bottom, for the
purpose of rubbing his nose in the gravel or
against the rocks to rid himself of the hook.
The Major called to me to come to his aid,
and to collect all the stones I could, and
throw them into the water in the direction
of his line. I lost no time in doing as he
wished, and most industriously did I work.
This manoeuvre had the desired effect of dis-
lodging the salmon from his quarters, for he

THE SrORTSMA>" IX CANADA.

made another desperate rush down the
water, as the Yankees say, like '=a flash
o' liijhting/' " Aisey, lad," said the Major ;
can't you be quiet, you c?/vil !" But the fish
was deaf to these amiable expostulations,
for he shewed fight in a most determined
manner. " By Jasus ! you're a troublesome
customer anyhow, and I'll be after losing you
if you get to the fall below ; so here goes."
Whereupon, having delivered himself of this
soliloquy, the Major waded nearly up to his
middle in a shallow by the side of tlieriver,and
played his fish in a most masterly manner. It
was in truth a sight worth beholding — theskill,
coolness, and steadiness witli which the wary
angler baffled the attempts of his prey toesca' ? *.
Our companions, who had been pursuing
their sport some distance lower dovvn,left their
rods to run and be present at the capture.
" It's a thumping fish, boys, and as strong as
a jack-ass," s^id the Major ; " and he'll lead
us a dance yet :" and so he did, and I began
to fear that we should lose him. My heart
was in my mouth twenty times as he darted,

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THE SPORTSMAN IX CANADA.

leaped, and floundered in the rushing stream j
but there was an old soldier at the but end
of the rod and he won the fight in some-
thing less than three quarters of an hour.
When exhausted and powerless, our prince ol
fishermen drew the salmon to the sliclv-
ing bank, where Captain Griffiths landed
him, much to the joy of the whole party,
It was a splendid fish, and weighed three
ounces over sixteen pounds, and in the finest
possible season. Three hearty cheers were
given, which were wound up by "Jimmy
Browne and Jacques Cartier for ever !"

We all betook ourselves to our rods with
increased spirits and energy. I had the
misfortune to lose a nice little fish in tlie
course of the afternoon, which I believe was to
be attributed to over anxiety. The Major
killed two bUiall fish. Captain Grifl[iths one,
and Mr. Hamilton a large one : so that on
the whole our sport was far from indifferent
— better indeed than we had any right to ex-
pect, as the day was a very bright one. Towards
sunset the fish left off rising, and as our

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THE SPORTSMAN LV CANADA.

Commander-in-Chief had ordered dinner to
be ready by seven, we shouldered our rods
and beat a retreat. It was with some re-
hictance I turned my back upon the hospital,
for if there be one spot on the face of the
earth more lovely and romantic than another,
it is this.

There is a solemn grandeur, a sublimity,
in Canadian and North American scenery
not to be met with in any other quarter of
the globe ; and of all the spots I ever saw in
that part of the world Jacques Cartier is
beyond compare the most enchanting. Our
attentive and provident hostess had prepared
a couple of roasted capons for us : the
smallest of our salmon, the one I had caught,
was cleaned in a trice, popped in a cauldron
of boiling water, and by the time we had
finished a hasty toilette our dinner was
ready. We had brought with us an enormous
boiled Yorkshire ham and a couple of tcngues,
cold meat pies, and ample store of fish-sauces
and cayenne. It will be seen we did not
fare badly. The liquids were worthy of the

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THE SrORTSMAX IX CANADA.

solids ; for we had uiideui.! t/le pale ale,
madeira, and brandy.

■ As wc were sipping (jur wine after dinner
our landlady presented herself all smiles and
curtsies, bearing in her hand a violin, which
she handed to the ^lajor with an earnest re-
quest that he would play one of his favorite
airs. This was the first intimation I had
received of the Major's musical talent. I
soon discovered, however, that he was no
mean proficient on the instrument, and he
gave us some Irish jigs with an Hibernian
gusto that made our toes tingle again. I
found that this said violin belonged to our
military Pagauini, who permitted the widow
to hang it up in hor boudoir in readiness for
an impromptu hop during his frequent visits
in the salmon season. "By the piper that
played before Closes! we'll have a hop to night
— what say you, lads, to a dance with the
Jacques Cartier girls 1"

A ready affirmative having been given to
the tempting proposal, the widow, after hav-
ing partaken of a bumper of maderia, was

*'^f***^p*>

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

deputed to invite the village belles and their
families to "shake a toe" in the kitchen of
the toll-house. The Major despatched his
factotum " Dan" to the cabaret for some of
the eau-de-vie and rum of tlie country where-
with to brew a bowl of punch for his rustic
visitors, wisely remarking that the good stuff
we had brought with us would be wasted on
the Canadian peasants.

In less than half an hour several couples of
lads and lasses, with some old folks bringing
up the rear, were seen wending their way
down the hill to the toll-house. The Major
tuned his fiddle, pledged us all in a bumper,
planted himself on a table in the kitchen, and
struck up " Huisht the Cat,"' a favorite planxty
of his. The votaries of Terpsichore rushed
into the house at the well-known sound of
the inspiriting air, and the ball commenced.
If the ladies danced with more agility than
grace, there was no lack of good humor : per-
fect decorum and good order w^ere observed, and
I retired to rest, not a little pleased with my
first day's sport on the Jacques Cartier River.

THE SPORTSMAN IX CAXADA.

CHAPTER IV.

iiU

M 1

A morning's sport, sweetened by a little Rum and
I^Iilk — A day's amusement after breakfast — A
jolly dinner and an uproarious evening — The
Major's poetical effusion, his fiddle, and another
impromptu ball — Melancholy fate of an Officer of
Engineers — A splendid evening's fishing and ex-
traordinary success — Return to the Garrison.

Our rustic ball concluded before midnight,
and notwithstanding our Terpsichorean ex-
ercise, which knev/ of no intermission from
the moment the inspiring strains from the
Major's fiddle had first set our legs in
motion, we, or rather I should say our
Commander-in-Chief and myself (for our
companions could not be persuaded to quit

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

their downy couches), were up betimes, and
having swallowed the contents of a jorum
filled with new milk, into which a gentle
dash of rum had been insinuated, together
with a sprinkling of nutmeg and a luscious
proportion of sugar, we betook ourselves
once more to the " Hospital."

It is a wholesome, matin beverage is this
rum and milk judiciously seasoned, and in
defiance of the canting denunciations of the
whole tribe of snivelling, humbugging tee-
totallers, I pronounce it especially comfort-
ing to the inward man, and I recommend it
confidently to all those who, like myself, are
up with the dawn, and who, if they betake
themselves to the river's side, must neces-
sarily inhale and swallow a quart or so of
fog and mist before breaking their fast.
Thus fortified, we set to work with a good
heart and in the joyful anticipation of
glorious sport. Our success, however, did
not on this occasion realize our expectations :
for the first hour and a half we had not a
rise, but just as we were about to put up

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THE SPORTSMAN IX CANADA.

■l^-r. ,

our tackle and return in doleful dumps to
our snoring comrades, a shout of exultation
from the Major announced the long wished
for intelligence of his having hooked a fish.
I ran to his aid, but the prize was a diminu-
tive one, did not give us much trouble, and
was soon landed. I had the good fortune to
hook and kill a juvenile salmon, and the
Major caught another.

Here our operations terminated, for a vio-
lent storm of rain, accompanied by tremen-
dous peals of thunder, drove us from the

.J
river side, and we returned completely

drenched to our snuggery at the foot of the

Bridge. We were greeted with shouts of

laughter by our brotlier anglers, who, in the

plenitude of their slumbers, had somnife-

rously imagined that all we had taken by

our motion was a good ducking, and per-

adventure a cold to boot ; but as an erudite

Knight of the Whip once remarked to me,

" they was preciously tooMd in," for the

Major, with an exulting chuckle — and be it

known the Major's chuckle was the ne plus

THE SrOPtTSMAX IX CANADA.

ultra of comicality — exhibited tlie three
fresh-run fish we had taken, and he thus
rebuked the scoffers : —

" Aisey tliere, lads ! don't be after pokirig
your fun at us, as Jonathan says ; bad luck
to your eye-lids ! Look at this, you sleepy
headed villains ! did ye ever catch a salmon
in a blanket 1 Why didn't ye turn out like
rale fishermen and earn your breakfast '?"

These were a few, a very few of the ami-
able interrogatories put by the delighted
Major to his lazy pupils, who, it must be
confessed, looked somewhat chagrined at not
having participated in our sport.

Having had a bath au ?2«^wr^/ out-of-doors,
we tried the effects of a second one under
shelter, while our breakfast was being pre-
pared ; and let me advise my readers to
follow our example whenever they have the
misfortune to be drenched to the skin.
Believe me there is no such effectual preven-
tive against cold, ague, and rheumatism as a
shower-bath or a good sluice in a tub of
cold water after a soaking a la fraiche. It

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THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

brings on a reaction, as the Doctors say,
produces a glow, invigorates the system, and
superinduces appetite — tlie most satisfactory
of all incentives — especially before breakfast.
This matinal meal is but little understood
in this country. With very few exceptions
the English know nothing about breakfast.
In the general acceptation of the term it is
a miserable, starving, Avishy-washy repast,
made up of tea, bread-and-butter or toast.
This may suit the tastes of antiquated
spinsters and love-sick-swains ; but a man
blessed with health and appetite requires
something more substantial than this meagre
fare. Commend me to the man who gives
a good breakfast. I hold him in the high-
est veneration ; and the man who cats a
good breakfast is equally entitled to respect,
for it bespeaks a clear conscience.

In the East and West Indies the art of
breakfast-giving is studied and practised to
a laudable extent, an example well worthy
of imitation in tlie Mother Country. Our
neiglibours the Scotch beat us in this respect ;

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

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their hospitality not being confined tu for-
mal dinners, tlieir breakfasts are worth par-
taking of, and if they have a fault it is
giving tlieir guests too much. The universal
wind-up of marmalade might well Ijc dis-
pensed tvith : no Christian should permit
himself to chew orange-peel smothered in
sugar-candy after partaking of ham or
tongue, cutlets, and broiled haddock. So
much for gastronomy.

Our breakfasts at Jacques Cartier vrere
invariably good, and amongst the salacious
condiments broiled salmon took the lead,
the succulent slices being swaddled in oiled
paper and cooked au petit feu over wood
embers. These, with broiled wood-pigeons
shot during the day by ourselves, or, lacking
these, a pet chicken or two of the Widow's,
and ham and eggs, composed our morning
fare.

Having on the occasion I am recording
done ample justice to the good cheer set
before us, we amused ourselves during the
morning with tying flies under the Major's

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THE SrORTSMAN IN CANADA.

able directions and twisting gut for collars.
The rain descended in torrents tlie whole
of the forenoon, l)ut we heeded it not, for
our Commander-in-Chief had his talking
breeches on, and kept us in a roar for some
hours with anecdote, jibe, jest, and story,
the effect of which was heightened in no small
degree by as delicionsly mellifluous a brogue
as ever glided off the voluble tongue of a
kind-hearted Irishman.

We had been so agreeably occupied in
listening to the Major's fun that we could
scarcely credit our factotum when he an-
nounced, plate and table-linen in hand, that
it was time to lay the cloth for dinner. In
an instant, featliers, dubbing, pig's-down,
cobbler's- wax, and silk were safely deposited
in their respective places, and by the time
we had achieved a hasty toilette, our dinner
was smoking on our walnut-tree table. I
will pass over the excellence of our fare :
otherwise I could have extolled the flavor
and flakiness of our salmon, the tenderness
and juiciness of our roasted ducks, and the

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THE SPORTSMAN IK CANADA.

surpassing haut-goiit of a scientific " devil/'
consisting of the legs of a couple of cold
fowls. This appetizing wind-up to our re-
past begat a desire for an extra allowance of
liquid. The inclination chimed in miracu-
lously with the oceajsion : indeed I very
much question, if, without the incentive, we
should not have voted for " t'other bottle,"
for the Major had given the key-note for
jollity, and we were in the best possible
humor for keeping up the ball. As the glass
circulated, our spirits rose ; and if anything
could have given additional zest to our hila-
rious fun, it was in the announcement by
the Major that he had that morning com-
posed a song in praise of Jacques Cartier ;
and turning towards myself, he added, " and
isn't it a beautiful siramCy Mr. Tolfrey V
Upon my replying unhesitatingly, I might
say enthusiastically, in the affirmative, our
jovial President caroled forth the following :

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THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

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Long lifo to Jacques Cartier, the primest of rivers
For salmon and trout as tliey rise to our flies ;

Sure it hates other strames moat com] •/atclt/ to ahiyers,
It's the first of all waters, at laste in my eyes.

onoRUS.
When with Hamilton, Tolfrey, and Griffiths beside me.
What else should I care for, though Dame Fortune
frown ?
With the ^'v'idow and whiskey no iJl can betide me,
Jacques Cartier for ever ! so sings Jemmy Browne.

Oh ! it's Rweet of a morning, while others are snoring

To see the bright fish rise at feather and .^ilk,
With one's rod in one's hand Nature's beauties explo-
ring.
And tlie spirits revived by some sweet rumand-
milk.

When with Hamilton, Tolfrey, &c.

But .sweeter by far, when you've hook'd a fine salmon,
Is to feel the sly rogue pull with might and with main.

Then land him gen-teely. Och ! Jupiter Ammon !
It's the first of all pastimes. I say it again.

When with Hamilton, Tolfrey, &c.

Then here's to Jacques Cartier, that fast-flowing river !

And here's to the boys that I love to bring here !
Long, long may they live to see the fish quiver,

As they die on their hooks in the " Hospital)' weir !

When with Hamilton, Tolfrey, &c.

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THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

The cheers, the acclamations, and plaudits
with which this unexpected effusion was
received were loud and liearty enough to
have roused all the salmon from the bed of
the river. Even the fair Widow was galva-
nised at our uproarious mirth. As soon as
the applause had partially subsided so as to
admit of the ^lajor's stentorian voice being
heard, he inquired, " Well, lads ! and how
d'ye like the song V But one opinion was
given, one and all pronouncing this im-
promptu the ne plus ultra of excellence.
I am certain we all thought so at the time,
and under the circumstances of its having
been called forth, our enthusiasm might have
been pronounced pardonable, although per-
liaps a month later our cooler judgment may
have led to a different conclusion. Be this
as it may, the Major's poetical talents were
lauded to the skies by his partial and ad-
miring auditory on the occasion I am record-
ing.

The attempt at versification was well-
timed at all events, and whatever it lacked
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THE SPORTSMAN IX CANADA.

in measure, learning, or skill was amply
compensated for by the heartiness and good
feeling which prompted the attempt, and
with which it was also delivered. I was
fortunate enough to persuade our good-
natured friend to allow me to write down
the words, and I have kept them as a me-
mento of one of the happiest convivial
meetings I ever was permitted to enjoy, or
had the good fortune to make one of. Nunc
est bibendtim was our motto for the evening,
and I blush to own, even at this distant
period, that the salmon and fishing shared
but little of our thoughts.

The Widow, with true feminine foresight,
suspecting how the night would end, sent a
messenger to collect all the village Taglionis,
and just as we were holding a council of
war as to the expediency of brewing a bowl
of nectar by way of a wind-up, some half
dozen of smiling, sun-burnt faces were peep-
ing through the windows at us, and as well
as eyes could speak were imploring our mili-
tary Paganini^ for a Dq capo of the Irish

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THE aPOKT.SMAN IN r\XADA.

101

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jigs with which he had doliglitcd the fair
oues on the previous evening. The appeal
was irresistible to the amateur " Scraper/V
and in the shortest possible time bottles,
bowls, glasses, and decanters were cleared
from the table, which, with the help of the
smiling Widow herself, vanished as quiclily.
Our joyous President, with equal pantomi-
mical quickness, was discovered, Cremona in
hand, tuning his instrument prior to doing
a bit of orchestra all alone by himself for
the gratification of his saltatory visitors.

During these preliminary arrangements,
Mr. Hamilton, Captain Griffiths, and myself
had stolen out of the room for the purpose
of selecting our partners from the group of
Hebes congregated in the kitchen. This
manoeuvre was but half accomplished, when
our leader, in every sense of the word, tlie
clief d'orchestref called us into his presence
and thus rebuked us :-—

" And Where's the punch for the girls,
lads ? You drunken spalpeens, do ye think
they can dance to Paddy O'Raflfety without

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THE SrORTSMAB IN CANADA.

some drink ? Brew a bowl for them directly,
or by the Powers the divil a scrape from me
you'll get on the fiddle."

Whereupon the Widow was commissioned
to brew a Canadian mixture after tlie most
approved Jacques Cartier fashion. The com-
pound was highly relished by the Native
visitors, so I will say nothing about the
maple sugar, peach brandy, and adulterated
rum. The Major, like an old soldier, had a
little private mixture of his own in the
corner, to which he did homage by frequent
libations. Heaven knows the number of
jigs played or dances achieved on this occa-
sion ! Such a bout at toe and heel never
was seen. All the villagers, young and old,
were down at the toll-house, and even those
who were not active participators in the
amusement provided for them appeared to
enjoy the festive scene. As for the Major,
he was in his glory : never was cat-gut
scraped so vigorously or with such mirth-
inspiring effect.

All things have an end — even Canadian

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THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

103

hops on Jacques Cartier Bridge. By ten
o'clock the toll-house was cleared of its male
and female visitors, when we, the legitimate
occupiers for the time being, sat down to a
quiet supper after our saltatory labors.
We washed down our cold collation with a
glass of " hot with " by way of a night-cap,
and by eleven were stretched in forgetfulness
on our rustic couches.

Soundly did we sleep until an hour after
daylight, when our Major Domo, with his
never-tiring fiddle, awoke us with a favorite
Irish planxty rejoicing in the euphonious
title of " Huisht the Cat." On first opening
my eyes, or " unbuttoning my eyelids," as
Jemmy Browne termed it, I wished him and
his four-stringed instrument at the bottom
of the river ; but the momentary wrath soon
subsided, and ere many minutes was softened
down into satisfaction on our tormentor
prognosticating unusually good sport after
the late heavy rain of the preceding day.
" If ye want to kill fish, boys, now's your time
after the fresh : get out o' your beds, you

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TUB SPORTSMAN IK CANADA.

sleepy- headed bolster-huggers ; it's half a
dozen young salmon you'll be catching, I tell
you this morning. Creep out o' your
blankets, will ye V It will readily be
imagined that sleep, or even an imitation
bordering on repose, was out of the ques-
tion, so, making a virtue of necessity, we
(for my companions twain were fain compelled
to do ditto) sprang from our lits de sanglCf
and equipped ourselves for the river's side as
speedily as possible. The Major's impatience
would not admit of a lengthened toilette,
scarcely even of our customary ablutions.
" Don't be after polishing your faces like a
dress boot for evening parade, but come
along and catch the salmon, and wash aicer-
wards.'^

Acting upon these gentle hints we were
soon in piscatorial trim, and, rod in hand,
trotted after the Major, who, at a postman's
pace, was making for his favorite stand. We
found the river considerably swollen, and the
water sufficiently cloudy to give promise of
excellent sport.

THE SPORTSMAN IX CANADA.

105

The Major was the first in the field, and
at the very first cast rose a fish, but not ex-
pecting that his fly would so soon have
attracted a customer, he struck short and
missed the chance. " May the divil fly away
with ye, ye hungry baste !" was the venerable
piscator's hasty exclamation. His wrath,
however, was but of short duration, for at
the very next cast he hooked a young-'un,
and as lively a specimen of juvenile salmon
as an angler need have desired. My
companions and myself left the Major alone
in his glory as soon as he had landed his
prize, which proved to be a fine young salmon
of about seven or eight pounds in splendid
season and beautiful condition. We took
up our stations below our leader, and found
to our joy plenty of work cut out for us.
To use a hackney'd phrase, the river was
" alive with fish." Our sport was conse-
quently " better as good," as the worthy
Israelites observe when ofiering a bargain.
The pool below the " Hospital," where the
Major was exercising his craft, was full of

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THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA

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salmon, peel, sea and river trout, and there
was no lack of fun. I had the good fortune
to kill three salmon and five peel, and my
companions, each of them did nearly the
same execution.

About nine o'clock the sun's rays sent the
finny tribe to some shady corners, for they
left off rising, and we shouldered our rods
and returned to the Major, whom we found
seated on a rock watching the banks, or
rather over-hanging cliffs on the other side
of the river. Our first question on joining
him was, " Well, Major, what sport ?"

" Just look at that, boys," was the answer ;
and following the index of his right hand,
we beheld a goodly pile of salmon and peel
covered over with fern. Five salmon and
seven peel gave proof that he had not been
idle. Upon our observing that the fish were
no longer in a humor for taking the fly, the
Major said, " the divil a rise will I get here
till the evening : but look at the rogues
playing about there under the bank on the
opposite side. I was looking at them as ye

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THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

107

my
the

came, and thinking of a mclaneholy catas-
trophe which occurred close to that very spot
about this time last year ;" and turning to
Captain Griffiths and Mr. Hamilton, added,
" you know to what I allude, but our young
friend Tolfrey is ignorant of the mournful
fate of our brother fisherman, and as I have
adverted to the subject, I will tell you how
poor Holburton lost his life."

Addressing me, the Major continued : —
You may have noticed yesterday evening that
I never once proposed coming down to the
river. I saw you were more for dipping
your beaks, all of ye, into the punch-bowl
than for wetting a line ; and the scene I
witnessed but twelve months since will for
ever be a warning to me never to allow any
mad-brained divils like yourselves to take
rod in hand — I will not say after dinner,
but after taking a drop more of the cratur
than sober-minded fishermen ought to do.
On the occasion I am about to mention, poor
Holburton, of the Engineers, an Officer of the
Ordnance Commissariat, and myself, drove

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THE SPORTSMAX IN CANADA.

down, or rather up, to this spot for the pur-
pose of salmon-fishing. The day was op-
pressively hot, and on arriving at the Toll-
house, rather more cold brandy-and-water
was swallowed than prudence warranted.
At dinner this doomed young man drank
his wine freely, and large quantities of
bottled ale and porter. We came to this
spot with our rods in the evening, and fished
the Hospital, and the pool, and stands below
it ; but our success was indifferent only one
fish was taken, and that one by myself.

Holburton had been flogging the water
below, near the spot where you have met
with such good success this morning, but,
not succeeding in getting a rise, rejoined me
here, as he was aware I had taken a fish.
As I was describing to him the how and
whereabouts of the capture of my salmon,
his eye was attracted by a splendid rise
under the opposite bank, beyond that rock
before us. The curl on the surface had
scarcely subsided sre another and another
large fish rose to the natural flies as they

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THE SPORTSMAN O CANADA.

109

were swept down the current, or drawn
within the influence of the strong eddy.
"With a wistful eye he watched the playing
of the fish : at length he exclaimed —
" What would I not give to be on the other
side with my rod { There's another rise,
Major. D — n me if I don't swim across to
that rock with my rod, and I shall be sure
of a salmon or two !"

" You'll do no such thing," I replied,
" for, independently of the rapidity of the
stream, the under-current is so strong that
the best swimmer that ever lived could never
contend against it." The only answer I
received was —

" Never you mind me ; I have swum
across the Thames many a time, and the
St. Lawrence as well, and the devil's in it
if I can't get across here."

He now commenced stripping, at least
taking off his jacket, waistcoat, and boots.
Seeing that he was seriously bent upon this
hazardous experiment, I tried every per-
suasive means and every argument to dis-

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THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

suade him from his purpose ; but the more
I reasoned the more unreasonable he became.
We almost came to high words, and, putting
himself in a menacing attitude, inquired if
I meant to prevent him hy force. All fur-
ther remonstrance was, of course, out of the
question. I therefore merely observed that
as he was bent on his own destruction, he
must do as he pleased, but that the attempt
was worse than madness. During this al-
tercation we were joined by our remaining
companion, who, upon being informed of the
nature of the misunderstanding, added his
entreaties to mine to dissuade this self-willed
young man from risking his life. All to no
purpose. The more we urged the folly of
the experiment, the more determined he ap-
peared to put it into execution. Taking his
watch from his fob, he gave it to Mr. Smith
to hold, and nodding to me, he said —

" I'll soon hook you a salmon, Major ; so
here goes."

He plunged into the stream, which for a
moment carried him down at a fearful rate.

THE SPORTSMAN LV CANADA.

Ill

but he soon recovered himself, and struck
out well for the goal of promise, and ap-
peared to be swimming with perfect ease,
although encumbered by the salmon-rod
which he held in his left hand. He was
now within a few yards of the rock, from
which he could throw over the spot where
the rising of the fish had attracted his at-
tention, and I began to entertain hopes that
he would land in safety. Alas ! those hopes
were doomed never to be realized ! As he
neared the rock, he appeared to be strug-
gling with some hidden difiiculty, for it was
evident he was making some extraordinary
exertion. Suddenly he turned towards us,
and, as far as we could judge, the act was
involuntary. The rod, which up to this
moment had been firmly grasped, fell sud-
denly on the surface of the troubled water
and disappeared.

Our infatuated friend was now in immi-
nent danger : we caLed to him to make for
the rock ; a convulsive efi'ort shewed that
our appeal was heard, but it was the strug-

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THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

I'm ■'.

gle of a dying and exhausted victim. In
another moment he was whirled round with
frightful rapidity, having been drawn within
the influence of a devouring vortex. His
hands were uplifted as if imploring for aid,
and he then sank beneath the dark and
turbid water, never to rise again with life.

The Major was here almost overcome by
his feelings. Recovering his self-possession,
he continued the mournful narrative.

You may just picture to yourselves what
I must have felt at that moment. I was
hon'or-struck : I ran as fast my legs could
carry me towards the waterfall below the
stands, which are half a mile from this.
Why I adopted this plan I can hardly say.
for of course I could render no assistance to
a corpse, for that he must have been before
I could have reached the spot. Probably,
on the impulse of the moment, I conceived
I might recover the body in the shallows
before it was hurried down the rapids. Be
this as it may, on reaching the top of the

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THE SPORTSMAN IS CANADA.

113

.tilling water I could see nothing of my
unfortunate friend.

On retracing my steps, I met Mr. Smith,
who had, on witnessing the awful scene,
run up to the ToU-houso for assistance, and
to apprise the native fishermen of what had
occurred. He was scarcely less agitated
than myself ; he informed me that the
villagers were hastening down to the river
with nets and poles, and every available im-
plement for finding the body. They soon
appeared, and made towards me for the
purpose of receiving instructions. These I
gave to the best of my ability, and promised
a hundred dollars to any of them who would
bring the corpse to the Toll-house. I re-
turned with the men to the foot of the fall,
but our search was fruitless. I left them for
the night, as it was then growing dark, and
returned with Mr. Smith to the Bridge, in a
state of nervous excitement impossible to
describe. I slept but little that night, as you
may suppose ; and, as soon as it was light, I
sent off three or four young messengers to the

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THE SrORTSMAN IN CANADA.

fishermen and laborers to ascertain if they
liad succeeded in recovering poor Ilolburton's
body. One of the boys returned about ten
o'clock, and from him I learnt that the men
had been at work all night, and were proceed-
ing gradually down the river towards its
confluence with the St. Lawrence, but that up
to the time of his leaving them, they had
discovered no traces of the corpse. Mr.
Smith and myself, as soon as we had break-
fasted, followed the course of the river
towards its mouth, in the hope of hearing
that the body had been found. We came up
with the men about noon, and found them
dragging the water slowly and carefully, and
they assured us that every spot had been
throughly drawn on their way down. We
remained with the men and encouraged them
in their laborious undertaking, but it was not
until past two o'clock in the afternoon that
the mutilated remains of this ill-fated young
man were found. They were discovered un-
der an overhanging branch or rather trunk
of a tree which dipped in the water, and in

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THE SrORTSMAX LV CANADA.

115

the brandies of which they had become
entangled. The corpse Avas frightfully
bruised and distended — the feature >Ycrc so
swollen as scarcely to be recognised. It was
brought to land, and, as soon as a rude
hurdle could be constructed, we carried it to
the Bridge-house, whence we conveyed it to
Quebec the same night in a rude shell made
by a native carpenter in the village. Poor
Holburton was followed to the grave by his
brother Officers, those of the Artillery, and
many others in the garrison with v.'hom he
was acquainted, as well as myself.

This (continued the Major) is rather a
melancholy tale to be telling before break-
fast, boys ; but let it be a warning to you
never to fish after a drinking bout, for when
the wine's in the wit's out they say, and
you might meet with a fate similar to the
one I have told you of ; and if any one had
proposed coming down to the river last night,
after bothering my whisky as ye did, I
should have prevented you, and stopped
your fun by recounting this sad disaster.

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THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

But come along, lads! shoulder your fish,
and let's be off to the Widow and our break-
fast. I am beginning to feel mighty peckish,
and a slice or two of broiled salmon, some
pullet's eggs, and a broiltd bone will do us
no harm after cur sport."

Thus ended the Major's harrowing tale,
which made a deep impression on me at the
time ; and although I frequently, during the
four succeeding years I was in Canada,
visited the scene of the catastrophe, I never
looked upon that dark and troubled pool
without a feeling of melancholy awe and
shuddering at the idea of a fellow-creature
having met an untimely death in the prime
of life while following the gentle craft. To
our infinite satisfaction we found our break-
fast ready for us on our arrival at the pro-
vident Widow's and we did ample justice to
the excellent cheer.

It had been agreed that we should dine
early, and pay another visit to the Hospital
in the afternoon. Between our repasts, I
put rcy trout-tackle in order, and, under the

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

117

Major's direction, selected such flies as suited
the tastes of the Jacques Cartier trout. I
had seen many speckled beauties in the
morning, and observed several sea-trout of
heavy dimensions ; I therefore determined
on trying my skill on the small fry, while
my companions were coquetting with
the salmon. The most killing trout-flies in
this water, and indeed most of the Canadian
rivers, are, red and brown Palmers, blueMun,
hare's flax, a large description of March
brown, the iron blue (when the water is fine
and the wind cold), the alder fly, yellow
upright in the smaller streams, and another
(a particular favorite with the Major) made
thus— body of the reddish fur of the bear,
two fibres of hare's whisker for tail, a red
hackle on the shoulder, and fieldfare wings.
This is a slaughtering fly on a dark day
from one end of the Canadas to the other.

About four o'clock, as sober as tee-total-
lers, we repaired to the Hospital, and as we
approached the spot, we were gladdened by
seeing the fish on the feed. As the Major

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THE SPORTSMAN IX CANADA.

was putting his tackle together, he amused
us by chanting snatches from his national
ditty, the " Groves of Blarney," laying pe-
culiar emphasis on the following distich : —

" The trout and the salmon

Were playing backgammon,
And the eels they roll'd in the vardant mud."

" Oh ! by the Powers, they're in a merry

mood ! Now, boys, for a salmon 1" Scarcely

had the fly touched the water ere the Major's

reel was " discoursing sweet music," and a

fine fish running out his line at railroad

speed. The salmon's race, however, was

soon run, and he was landed secimdem artem

in a few minutes. The fish were rising in

all directions, and, could they have tuned

their musical voices from the bubbling

stream, might have aptly replied to the

Major's ditty by a quotation from that soul

subduing composition, the imperishable —

" Tow-row-row ;" and thus could they have

held forth —

" Tow-row-row, Paddy, will ye now
Take us while we're in the humor ?

For that's now.""

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

119

It ims now and no mistake. Travellers
tell strange things, and have been accused
of drawing " the long bow" occasionally. As
I have no wish to be classed with these mi-
gratory Munchausens, I will not state the
number of salmon peel, and trout talien by
our party on this eventful evening. Suffice
it to say, the quantity was enormous — I
might add incredible. I have never seen
anything like it since. Of trout I killed a
prodigious number — nearly twenty brace,
and some of them fine fish from two to
three pounds. Even the jAIajor himself ad-
mitted that he had never caught the " sly
rogues," as he termed them, in such a vora-
cious humor. Our fun lasted till dusk,
when we reluctantly returned to our quarters
on the Bridge.

We remained at Jacques Cartier for three
more days, but did not do anything like the
execution I have stated on this evening. We
sent by that night's mail-cart a huge basket
of fish, to be distributed amongst our friends
at Quebec, and on our return to the garrison

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received the thanks of the gourmands who
had partaken of them.

Of the society in the capital of Lower
Canada I shall speak in the next chapter,
when I shall also record some adventures
which befel a snipe-shooting party to Green,
Island, quorum pars minima fiii.

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

121

CHAPTER V.

Quebec the pleasantest of Military Quarters. —
Excellent Society. — Pic-nics. — Arrival of the
Snipes. — Trip to Green Island. — Wonderful sport.
Mr. Grant kills a Decoy Duck by mistake. Rage
of the Landlord. Peace restored by a timely
bribe. — Return to Quebec.

Of all Military Quarters in " foreign parts,"
I should say that Lower Canada is assuredly
the pleasantest, and Quebec the gayest of
Garrisons, at least it was so at the time I
write of; and if report speak truly, the
Guards, who have lately returned, will bear
me out in asserting that it has lost none of
its attractions to this day. The society was

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THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

of the very first order, and some of the
families resident in the capital of Lower
Canada would have shed a lustre on any
"reunion" in the kingdom. At the age of
one or two-and-twenty, one is apt to view
everything couleur de rose ; but where all
that makes life desirable was placed within
my reach, without one iota of alloy to detract
from unqualified enjoyment, it is not to be
wondered at if I passed my time agreeably.
The Heads of the Military Departments were
all happy Benedicts, and their amiable and
fascinating sposas made their houses our
homes whenever we chose to present our-
selves ; and those petticoat-loving youngsters,
who preferred intellectual female society to
the full-dress conversation of a regimental
mess-table and swallowing black-strap, were
sure of a cordial welcome within their
hospitable salons. Dinners, balls, evening
parties (stigmatised by the sobriquet of " tea
and turn out"), were frequently the prelude
to a pleasant impromptu dance, much to the
detriment of Brussels and Kidderminster

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

123

carpets, but which the hostesses as little
heeded as their obliging good-natured
daughters did the fatiguing duty of playing
country-dances and quadrilles for their
Terpsichorean guests. The; dancing beaux
were in great request ; so much so, that I
was seldom disengaged for six days, or rather
evenings, out of the seven. In the year of
grace one thousand eight hundred and six-
teen, those most independent as Avell as
sociable parties termed "pic-nics" were in
great force at Quebec, and two or three times
in a week these unceremonious meetings oc-
ci *red. There is not any spot that I am
acquainted with which presents so many
attractions to the connoisseur in magnificent
scenery, as well as the amateurs of pigeon-
pies and cold lamb and salad al fresco, as the
environs of the city of Quebec. Here the
«' grass-squatter," with knile and fork in hand,
will be in his element ; and whether the
point of attraction be the beautiful falls of
the Chaudiere (which have been justly styled

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THE SrORTSMAX IN CANADA.

Niagara in miniature), tlie imposing cascade
of Montmorenci, the picturesque Island of
Orleans, or the romantic villages of " Indian,"
or " Old Lorette," the eye (if the rambling
votary of pic-nic fare be a lover and ad-
mirer of nature) will be gratified, while the
inward man is being comforted by the
ample cheer provided on such occasions.

These out-of-door feeds are in truth very
j)leasant aifairs if the party be judiciously
arranged ; and as there was no lack of dis-
criuiinating caterers, as well as organizers of
our rural f^tes, they invariably passed off to
the unequivocal enjoyment of all. On the
Island of Orleans, and at the villages of Old
and Indian Lorette, we usually repaired to
the house of the principal resident, where
we were sure of a cordial reception and every
facility being afforded for making us com-
fortable. On these occasions, a Canadian
" Paganini," or one or two scientific scrapers
of cat-gut selected from out of the regimental
bands, were in attendance, and on the tables

THE SrORTSMxVX IX CANADA.

120

being cleared at the conclusion of the
Salmagundi repast, the day's diversions were
wound up by a merry roundelay.

During one of these excursions to the Island
of Orleans about the midile of August, as I
was doing the amiable with one of our fair
friends during a stroll on the borders of the
river, we put up several snipes, some of which
were in wisps. Upon my mentioning the
circumstance to one of my brother Sportsmen
on returning to our rendezvous at dinner, the
landlord of the house gave us to understand
that these delicate migratories had arrived
for the season in considerable numbers, and
that we might anticipate much sport. On
returning to the Garrison that evening, I lost
no time in apprising the Major of the cir-
cumstance, and I also communicated the
joyful intelligence to my other allies, Captain
Griffiths and Mr. Hamilton. To my regret I
found that neither Major Browne nor Captain
Griffiths could absent themselves from the
Garrison for some days to come, as their
regiment (the 103d) was about to be in-

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THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

spectcd by the Commander-in-Chief, and
their time would be fully occupied in pre-
paring their well-disciplined corps for the
grand field-day. Having failed with my
military friends, I tried the civilian, and
proceeded forthwith to Mr. Hamilton, who
being a man of peace, and consequently not
under martial law, I hoped to find prepared
to join me in a crusade to the marshes.
Alas ! I was again doomed to disappointment,
for my brother Sportsman was hors de combat,
as he was laboring under a severe attack of
liver, and was laid flat on his back by the
prostrating enacts of those irresistible floorers
of bilious subjects, calomed and blue pill.
This was damper No. 2, and I returned to
my lodgings in a most disconsolate mood,
sorely discomfited at losing the opportunity
of being escorted to the snipe-ground by one
or more of the above-named experienced
Knights of the Trigger, for I had hoped to
have opened the campaign under their
auspices.

As I was sitting in my dressing-gown and

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127

slippers discussing a glass of " cold-witliouf
preparatory to going to roost, my mournful
reverie was broken in upon by tlie sudden
entrance of Mr. Wood, a jolly Lieutenant of
Artillery, who had been one of our party at
the pic-nic in the morning, and who, on our
return to the Garrison, had gone post-haste
to the dwelling of a Mr. Grant, one of the
most wealthy, influential, and popular
merchants in the city of Quebec.

In addition to his proverbial hospitality,
he wa^ justly renowned for conviviality an'"
good fellowship, and, as a climax to these
good and rare qualities, was a capital sports-
man and first-rate snipe-shot. Having had
the pleasure of being introduced to this
gentleman, I had on more than one occasion
partaken of his good cheer, and he had de-
puted Mr. Wood as his ambassador to wait
upon me, and request I would accompany
them both on the morrow down the River as
far as Green Island, some sixty miles below
the Island of Orleans. I need scarcely say
with what glee I accepted this tempting in-

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vitation ; neither need I describe the plea-
sing transition from doleful dumps to joyful
anticipation. I took a second tumbler of
" cold-vvithout" on the strength of the good
news, in which I was joined by the welcome
messenger.

Mr. Wood informed me that Mr. Grant
had arranged that we were to take an early
dinner with him, and start in his boat with
the ebb tide for the insular swamp, where I
was assured we should find snipes in abun-
dance. Before we parted for the night, Mr.
Wood and myself made our arrangements as
to the quality and quantity of the prog we
should carry, and, late as it was, a message
was sent forthwith to our mess-man (for the
Officers of the Royal Artillery had paid me
the compliment of admitting me as an hono-
rary member of their well appointed mess)
to prepare with the least possible delay a
veal pie, a rump-steak ditto, a ham, and a
couple of tongues ; to which were to be
superadded a proportionate allowance of
bottled stout, Hodgson's pale ale, sherry, and

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121)

brandy. These creature-comforts were in
readiness at tlic appointed hour, and sent to
Mr. Grant's counting-house in the Lower
Town, as from the wliarf adjoining his mer-
cantile premises we were to embark at five
o'clock.

At three we were seated at his hospitable
board, by appointment, in his snug Bache-
lor's Cottage in the Upper Town, and Mr.
Wood and myself having done ample justice
to the good cheer, we accompanied our
liberal host to the water-side, and were soon
comfortably seated in ^Ir. Grant's pleasure
boat.

The tide, as I have before said, was in
our favor, but scarcely a breath of wind, .so
that we were fain compelled to enlist a
stout Canadian to assist Mr. Grant's boatman,
as it did not require a " ^lurphy" to pro-
phesy that the oars would be in requisition.

It was a beautiful evening, and we glided
down the magnificent stream at a very satis-
factory pace, enjoying the splendid scenery
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as we lay in the boat puffing a mild havan-
nah, and picturing to ourselves the havoc we
should commit in the swamp on the morrow.
Our trip by water was a more tedious affair
than I had bargained for ; but we contrived
to while away the hours with conversation,
singing, smoking cigars, and tippling brandy-
and -water.

As the night set in, a breeze sprang up,
but unfortunately right in our teeth. "VVe
consequently did not reach our destination
until one o'clock in the morning — that is to
say, our boat stuck fast, by no means high
and dry, in a long mudbank, forming the
extreme point of Green Island. From this
narrow neck of filth to the farm-house where
we were to take up our quarters was an
uneven surface of morass and bog of above a
mile — a very pleasant prospect at such an
hour. By dint of a trifling pecuniary bribe,
and the promise of a bottle of rum, the
brawny Canadian who had accompanied us
undertook to wade tlirough the ooze, carrying
us in turns on his back from the boat to

THE SPORTSiMAN IN CANADA.

131

terra firma. This with some difficulty he
accomplished, although he nearly spilt the
Artillery man more than once, seeing that he
weighed as much as Mr. Grant and myself
put together, for Mr. Wood stood somewhat
about six feet one or two in his stockings,
and was stout in proportion — rather a
ponderous log to carry over a slimy surface,
or rather through slippery mud.

This operation caused no little mirth ; but
the laborious task was ably perfonned, and
as soon as we were safe on our legs, our sure-
footed biped was sent back to the boat for
our guns, which having obtained, Mr. Grant
led the way to the farm-house, the proprietor
of which owned nearly half the Island, and
under whose roof Mr. Grant invariably lodged
whenever he paid this spot a visit, which was
generally two or three times in the season.
Our " Cicerone" led the way, if way it could
be called, for neither road nor path was there
to guide our steps ; but as the Island ran
from Enst to West, we could not very well

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THE SPO.RTSifAN IN CANADA.

go wrong in walking in a direct line from
our boat.

This said mile appeared to me the longest
I had ever trotted over, for what with hil-
locks, holes, long grass, reeds, ruslies, and
other impediments, our progression towards
the gaol of promise was none of the
pleasantest. To my unfeigned delight, " the
watch-dog's honest bark" gave token of our
approach to some habitation, and in a few
minutes afterwards the white-washed walls
of an extensive building gave promise of
shelter and repose. Nor was I mistaken.
We were at the farm of Pierre Larosse, whom
we incontinently aroused from his slumbers,
as well as his cara sposa and two fusby
daughters. The uxorious landholder tore
himself from the arms of his larger half, and
quitting his warm and comfortable bed,
poked his head, surmounted by half a yard
of white cotton night-cap, out of his window,
and in most delicious patois inquired
*' Qu'est la

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133

'' C'est moi," replied Mr. Grant.

" Mais qiC est vous done f" continued the
interrogator.

" Monsieur Grant et deux amis" rejoined
our master of the ceremonies.

" Hah ! hall ! Monsieur Gran ! pardi !
bien aise vous wir, Monsieur. Dis done,
ma femme (turning himself half round from
the window), leve toi done. Voiei des
/;,' asseurs ! Monsieur Gran est arrive :
J ^. 'C<£ toi done. Appelle Lolotte et Jose-
phine, qiCon allumedufeu : vitedonc — et dis
done ma femme — donne moi mon cor (an
ominous article to ask of a wife, but it was
hoped this was the only one she helped him
to), que feveille Francois."

Whereupon our complaisant host, in em-
bryo, thrust his head, shoulders, and night-
cap out of the window, and blew a lusty
tantarum from his cowhorn, and a villanous
blast it was. This horrible discord, however,
possessed one merit — that of effecting the
object which called it forth, viz. rousing the
slumbering youth of all-work, the slavey of

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the farm. Young Frangois having responded,
in a state of semi-somnolency, to the inhar-
monious call, the worthy owner of the
mansion withdrew his portly person as soon
as he had assured us that we should be
instantly admitted within his domicile ; and
we could hear him repeating to himself sotto
voce, "attendez, attendez un p'tit moment;
vous entrerez de suite" We were not long
kept in suspense, the undoubted proprietor
of the voluminous white cotton night-cap
appearing almost immediately at the door,
which having thrown open, he invited us
most cordially to enter and warm our-
selve^n his cuisine. Here we found
" ma femme" Lolotte and Josephine, all
three en demie-toilette, but cheerfully and
zealously exerting themselves to make us
comfortable and give us a warm reception.
One of the daughters was piling some fagots
on the hearth, while the other, having suc-
ceeded in striking a light, and damaging her
knuckles under the operation (lucifer
matches were unknown in those days), was

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125

*> I

on her knees puffing most vigorously in the
laudable endeavour to kindle a flame. Her
exertions were crowned with success : the
logs and brush- wood were speedily in a blaze,
and we seated ourselves round the cheerful
open chimney, while la bonne fcmme was
dislodging from a huge armoire some snow-
white sheets and pillow-cases for the beds
about to be prepared for us.

Francois (I did not envy: him the trudge)
was sent by our host down to the boat to
assist the two men in bringing her up the
creek, which ran very near the house at
high water. Lacking our well-stored ham-
pers we pitched into some fried eggs and
rancid salt pork, washed down with a most
flatulent frothy beverage, which the worthy
farmer in the innocence of his heart con-
ceived to be beer. As this effervescing
liquid was by no means to my taste, I asked
for some brandy. A stone flagon of very
fiery spirit was placed before me, and the
gentle Lolotte having at my desire boiled

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some water in a tin shaving-pot, I brewed
a glass of toddy, and my companions having
followed my example, we began to think of
our beds.

Before we turned in for the night, we
ascertained from our host that the snipes
were on the Island in great numbers, and
that we were certain of excellent sport
This was a consolatory reflection to go to
sleep upon, and we sought our couches in
high spirits, looking forward to the morrow
with no little anxiety.

Our beds, as indeed they are throughout
the Canadas, were excellent. This is one of
the many French customs religiously ob-
served ; for, as in France, ev(iry farm-house
— indeed I might say every peasant's hut —
is admirably supplied with this luxury. A
thoroughly good French mattress is worth
all the featherbeds that England ever pro-
duced ; and it is an undeniable fact, that
they have the knack, or as they term it the
chique, of amalgamating wool and horse-

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

137

hair so scientifically as to render their
matelas soft and elastic to an enviable
degree.

Upon such a bed was .t my good f^'**'m^
to seek repose on the night I am recoruing ;
and I had scarcely ensconced myself between
the home-spun linen sheets ere I discovered
that my comfortable couch had been well
aired, for a certain unmistakable animal
warmth assured me that the elastic mattress
on which I was enjoying horizontal reflec-
tion had been lately pressed by real flesh and
blood. Thus had the gentle Lolotte or the
facinating Josephine done duty for the
warming-pan during our nocturnal excursion
down the St. Lawrence. One or other of the
chubby daughters of my host had unwittingly
contributed to my comfort ; and I am not
quite certain, before slumber steeped my
senses in forge tfulness, that I was not profane
enough to wish for a closer proximity to the
animated bed-warmer. Be this as it may
(for at two-and-twenty unhallowed ideas will
intrude themselves on the brains of bot-

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THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

headed youths), I hugged my bolster in f 'iigle
blessedness, and slept sou..Jly until six
o'clock, when a thorough English "view-
halloo" from the lungs potential of the
Lieutenant of Artillery disturbed my dreams,
and, instead of the plump and luscious
LoloUey lo ! I beheld six feet and upwards
of animated Wood discoursing of swamps,
marshes, snipe, and wild ducks.

The visions which had been conjured up
during sleep having been thus unceremoni-
ously dispelled, I jumped from between the
sheets, and, after divers sluicings and im-
mersion in a tub of cold water, soon recovered
my equanimity, and was fresh and eager for
the fray by the time I had joined my
companions in the capacious farm-house
kitchen, where I also found Mr. Grant's boat-
man and our volunteer oarsman. They had
on the flow of the tide run up the creek as
Frangois had desired them to do, and, better
than all, our well-filled baskets were paraded
in due form, and were being emptied of their
savoury contents as I made my appearance.

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

139

Our breakfast was soon spead before us,
and, having done justice to the provender,
we prepared to put our threats in execution
of annihilating the snipes. As I was a
stranger in the land, and having the fear of
moveable bogs and quicksands before my
eyes, I determined upon enlisting the in-
telligent Frangois in my service as a guide.
Mr. Grant was en pays de connaissance, and
knew the terrain well, and Mr. Wood was
also tolerably well acquainted with the
localities, this not being his first vist to the
Island. I adopted this plan, as I was and
always have been of opinion that the farther
snipe-shooters are apart the better. With
this understanding, it was agreed that Mr.
Grant should beat down one side, myself the
other, while the jolly Lieutenant should
march down the centre.

In virtue of this arrangement, I set off
with young Frangois rather before my brother
Sportsmen, and having presented the juvenile
Canadian with a quarter-dollar by way of
encouragement, he went to work with right

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good will, and with a significant grin gave
me to understand that he would shew mo
the best spots to be met with during our
walk. I learnt from my talkative guide that
there were one or two ponds or lagoons, by
the side of which his master had erected, or
perhaps I should have been nearer the mark
if I said sunk, huttes (Anglice, huts), for the
purpose of " circumi^enting" the wild ducks,
teal, widgeon, &c. ; and that it was possible
we might put up a stray bird or so. The
communicative Francois informed me also
that this was a new hobby of his master, who
had incurred some expense to entice the
flocks of wild fowl to these sheets of water.
He had been tempted to risk this outlay in
consequence of an incredible number of birds
having congregated at this spot for the last
two or three years, or rather seasons.

I have omitted to make mention of three
dumb companions who had left Quebec with
us, and who contributed in no slight degree
to our sport — a leash of excellent pointers.
Mr. Grant's was a capital old bitch for the

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141

swamp ; heavy, slow, but sure, one of the
old-fashioned clumsy double-nosed Spanish
l)reed, admirably adapted for snipe-shooting.
She was a crafty old lady, and a prodigious
favorite with her master, and no wonder, for
old "Belle" was a useful aily in a marsh.
Mr. "Wood's dog " Sancho " was a more "spicy"
animal, but steady withal, although perhaps
possessing rather more dash than was ne-
cessary for a bog-trotter. He came out of
Kent, and was purchased by his owner
from old Wells, the late Lord Darnley's
keeper, at Cobham Hall. And last, though
not least, I must introduce the reader to my
own quadruped, or rather to the one I had
taken down with me, for he at that moment
was the undoubted property of my kind
friend Major Browne, who had been good
enough to lend me his favorite dog for the
occasion.

As this highly-gifted animal will be made
honorable mention of in the course of this
narrative more than once, I may here state
that he was shortly after this expedition

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THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

given to me by his generous master. Ho
(the (log, not Jemmy Browne) rejoiced in the
name of Slack-back, from the circumstance
of his never backing another dog in the field.
His courage was so indomitable that all the
flogging in the world could never correct this
fault : he would never head a dog at his point,
but he could not resist creeping up to his
fellow quadruped to share the gratification of
sniffing his game. Barring this failure, he
was the most perfect animal that ever man
owned, and, as a single-handed dog, was in-
valuable. He had a very strong cross of the
fox-hound, was not particularly handsome,
but for speed, nose, sagacity, and courage
was unrivalled. Poor old " Slack-back !" he
was my companion in the field, covert, and
swamp for many a-year, and a more faithful
one I never owned. — ^But revenons a nous
moutons, which, being interpreted, means let
us get on with our story.

My attendant garden's gabble did not pre-
vent " Slack-back !" from going to work, and
we had scarcely passed through three in-

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143

closures after leaving the house, before he
got a point, and his stcru was as stiff as the
tail of the lion over the gateway of Northum-
l)erland House. I had the good fortune to
kill my first shot, and this was the prelude
to I dare not say how many more. I- were
bootless in fact to record the number of
snipes I put up during the morning, for no
one who has not visited a Canadian swamp
can form the remotest idea of the myriads
that are to be found in every bog towards
the fall of the year. As I was but a tyro at
the sport in those days, I missed more birds
than I knocked over. In spite, however, of
my bungling, I contrived to kill upwards of
thirty couple before the day's work was
over. %

As I had a few minutes start of my com-
panions, and being fleet of foot witiJu^I, I had
walked over the strip of land assigned to
me by the time my fellow chasseurs had
performed but half of their work. Before I
edged towards them, I was desirous of in-
specting the ponds and " huttes," indulging

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THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

in a hope at the ."^me time of flooring a duck.
Having exchanged my No. 10 for No. 2 shot,
we crept stealthily along for the sheet of
water. All my precautions were vain, how-
ever : a mallard and a couple of ducks,
having their wits about them, made their
exit from the pool before I could get within
shot. They flew in the direction of my
friends, over their heads, towards the South
bank of the St. Lawrence, but out of reach
of their barrels. Before I proceeded to join
my companions, I inspected the two ponds'
in both of which I found decoy-ducks
tethered to stakes about fifteen or twenty
yards in front of the " huttes," and so ad-
mirably did these gay deceivers act their
parts, that I confess, for the moment, I was
nearly taken in, and was in the act of putting
my gun to my shoulder, when young
Frangois screamed out, " Ne tirez pas^
Monsieur ! ils sont des canards prives, les
canards-d!appel de Monsieur Larosse mon
maitre.

" Diablo !" said I ; " a pretty kettle of fish

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THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

145

r '!

I should have made of it had I pulled the
trigger."

Thankful for having escaped the snare, I
made my way across the Island, and, on
coming within speaking distance of Mr-
Grant and Mr. Wood, I was besieged with
questions concerning the ducks, where I had
found them, &c., to all of which I answered
becomingly, and pointed out the spot to the
inquirers. I found that my brother Sports-
men had not seen so many birds as myself
and Mr. Wood proposed that I should beat,
my road home on his side of the Island
while Mr. Grant and himself went to explore
the duck-ponds, and return by the route I
had followed in the morning. I of course
assented immediately to the proposal, and,
wishing them all sorts of luck, I posted
onwards in the direction of the extreme end
of the Island, where the faithful Francois
predicted I should nnd q few straggling
birds.

The land hereabouts was tolerably well
cultivated, and in passing through one of the

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meadows I Ml in with our jolly landlord,
" Pere Larosse." He was busily occupied
with his agricultural pursuits, but left his
workmen to inquire if I had met with good
sport. He was pleased — at all events he ex-
pressed himself so — to find that I had been
so successful, and, wishing me once more a
honne chasse, he left me to pursue my sport,
while ho returned to the superintendence of
his laborers.

I had not left the worthy farmer a quarter
of an hour — I should say not more than ten
minutes — when Francois, almost convulsed
with laughter, or rather by his efforts to
restrain the cachinnation, pointed towards
my countrymen, and then and there I saw a
sight which would, of a verity, have excited
the risibility of the "Crying Philosopher" him-
self. It appeared that both Mr. Grant and
Mr. Wood, on approaching the ponds, being
on somewhat of an eminence, had descried the
decoy-ducks of which I have made mention.
The highly-respected merchant was a little in
advance of his military companion, and by

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the most emphatic gestures, such as lifting up
his hand in dumb show, and suddenly drop-
ping it, and divers other pantomimic antics
which to the initiated are understood to
enjoin silence and caution, was instilling into
the mind of his attentive follower the neces-
sity of approaching the enemy as stealthily
and as nioselessly as possible.

No Red Indian in his endeavours to entrap
a foe and secure his scalp could have gone
to work more systematically. It was the
richest scene I ever witnessed in my life,
and to this day I never think of it without
chuckling. The reader may give me credit
for sincerity when I say that I enjoyed the
fun ; and my innate propensity for mis-
chief forbade the thought of apprising the
perpetrators of the inevitable slaughter of
the hobble they were sure to get into. All
I could, and did, do was to hold my sides
and watch their movements.

When the duck-blazers were within about
fifty yards of their unconscious victims (who
were swimming about and sending forth
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notes of blandishment to their free and
roving web-footed brethren, little thinking
of the quietus in store for them), down
flopped Messrs. Wood and Grant on their
knees, and with one hand in the mud,
while the other poised their double-barrels
in mid-air, they sneaked along in this posi-
tion, much after the fashion of a crawling
infant after a toy, until they opined they
were sure of their shots.

During the whole of this wa^y proceeding,
my companion Frarifois was exclaiming at
intervals, in most delectable patois " Mais,
mon Dieu ! qu'est qu'il dira-t'-on che maitre
ii^ils tuent les canards prives ! Mats regardez
done ! — ih vont tirez sur ces pauvres betes."

All my fear was that Monsieur Larosse
himself should have been aware of the in-
tended havoc before the catastrophe was
consummated. Luckily for my amusement,
no interruption occurred. Gradually raising
themselves to the perpendicular, the
unfortunate wights brought their guns to
their shoulders, took an unerring aim at the

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luckless decoy birds — auother second, and
"bang bang" resounded over the peaceful
pool, where, oh, horror of horrors ! lay
floundering the mutilated and dying ducks
fast tied by the leg. Three of these ill-
fated pets fell before the barrels of the crest-
fallen Sportsmen, for Mr. Grant's experienced
eye soon enabled him to discover the
ludicrous error he had fallen into.

Having laughed my fill, and recovered
from the eflfects of keeping my almost un-
controllable mirth within bounds until my
sides fairly ached, 1 made for the scene of the
exploit. I was hardly en route ere I saw our
host, the farmer, pulling foot at the top of his
speed towards my companions. The truth
had burst upon him, and he looked like
one demented. What little breath he could
spare during his frantic rush towards the
pond was vented in French-Canadian
anathemas portending no good towards the
offenders. Fearful of an angry encounter,
and that the farmer might exceed the l^ounds

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of decorum in his remonstrance, if indeed he
did not proceed to actual violence, I trotted
up in double-quick time, and reached the spot
in time to hear the first outpouring of wrath ;
and thus old Larosse began : —

''Mais, sacre nom de Dieu, Monsieur
Gran ! vouz avez tuez mes canards-dappel,
mes canards prives, savez vous f Nom de
Dien ! vous m'avez ruine. — Ik m'ont cout4
une somme enorme — il-y-en-a pas depareils
dans tout le pays. Bites dona — eh ? Mes-
sieurs" — Here he put himself in a most
imposing attitude of attack — ''peut-^tre vous
ks avez tue expres — eh — Nom de Dieu !
est-ce-vrai f Sapristie ! Je vovs assommerai
tous, tons, tons !" — Here he jumped about
pretending to pull his hair out by the roots,
and stamping the ground like a mad bull. —
" Je suis brave, moi ! je vous batterai tous !"

At this period of the harangue old
Laros'je was evidently short of wind, and
Mr. Grant, taking advantage of the pause,
took the opportunity of assuring the ex-

THE SPORTSMAN IX CANADA.

151

asperated fanner that the slaughter of his
favorite decoys was purely accidental ; that
he regretted his misadventure most sincerely,
and was willing to make any reparation
demanded for the unintentional calamity ;
and, as far as money would go, any sum
asked for would be cheerfully paid. There
is not a being under the sun so alive to his
own interest as a French-Canadian : he will
do anything for gain. Mr. Grant, as an old
stager, was doubtless aware of the ruling
puosion, and having dexterously struck the
chord of his affections, it was miraculous to
behold the change which operated upon the
farmer. The very mention of money worked
like a charm. The froth and effervescence
of his ire having been allowed to evaporate,
peace and good-will took possession of his
bosom : he grinned applause, and, turning to
the cause of his wo, said — " Pardi, Monsieur
Oran ! Je vous connais depuis long-temps —
vous ^es un brave homme — votis vmts etes
tromp^ — et Sapristie ! puisque vous mepaie-

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rez pour ces canards, enfin que fachete des
autres — (mais Us sont tres chers, savez vous)
— (this in a parenthesis). Liable ! n'importe /
retournons a la maison, ei nous boirons la
ffoutfe, comme des vrais amis !"

Thus was harmony restored much more
speedily than I anticipated ; but before we
beat our retreat homewards a mournful
ceremony had to be performed, that of col-
lecting the slain and wounded, for one of the
doomed decoys had not quite given up the
ghost, and I feared that the removal of these
very chere treasures might give rise to another
ton'ent of expletives and exclamations, ^ot
so however : Francois was left behind to
paddle a canoe to the prostrate birds, bring
bring them to land, and up to the house.

By the time we reached the farm, old
Larosse had so far forgotten his disaster as
to join me in laughing at my countrymen for
their maUadresse, and a few glasses of old
cognac from one of our bottles of good stuff
completely restored our host's good humor»

THE SPORTSMAN IX CANADA.

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The three decoys turned out nithov ox-
pensive shooting to Messrs. Grant and Wofil,
as they had to pay at the rate of five dollar^
a-head for them, making a total of fifteen
dollars for what did not, I am certain cost
the crafty Canadian a fifth of that sum. A
good dinner, good wine, good grog, and, more
than all, good temper, soon caused my com-
panions to forget the misadventure of the
morning : in short, we made a jolly night of
it ; in consequence of which our hands were
not so steady, neither were our heads so cool
as they ought to have been on the following
morning. We none of us saw or shot par-
ticularly straight until after luncheon. We
then did some execution, and had capital
sport : we shot until dark, as we had decided
upon returning to Quebec the next morning.

It was agreed, at the suggestion of Mr.
Grant, that on our return to the Garrison not
a word should be said touching the untimely
death of the decoy-ducks : an embargo was
also laid on the tongues of our boatmen.
But, alas ! Fama volat, and the story got
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wind ; for some Officers of the 10.? -d, having
heard of the prodigious number of snipes we
had killed, hired a boat, and went down to
Green Island a few days after our return,
and I presume learnt from the chattering
Francois a full, true, and particular account
of the mishap. Poor Grant and Wood were
sorely badgered by their friends, and many
were the jibes and jokes levelled at the
Artilleryman when a couple of roasted ducks
graced our mess-table.

As it is time this Chapter was concluded,
I will not obtrude longer upon the patience
of the reader, save to observe that the three
double-barrelled guns in the two days pro-
duced nearly one hundred and seventy
couples of snipe, an incredible number to the
European shooter : but this sum total, great
as it must appear, falls far short of Avhat was
done a little later in the season at Chateau
Richer, an account of which will appear in
the next Chapter.

We started early in the morning with the
flood-tide, and arrived in the Basin of

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155

Quebec before three o'clock, highly delighted
with our trip, and when separating for our
respective domiciles, on reaching the Upper
Town, the parting caution whispered to me
was, not a word about the ducks f

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THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

CHAPTER VI.

The Author steals a march accompanied by Major
Browne to the " Riviere Chaude" above Jacques
Cartier. — Anecdotes of the Commander-in-Chief.
— The Commissary and the Adjutant. — A visit
to the Riviere Chaude with the Indian Guides. —
Extraordinary success. — Spearing Salmon. — An
excellent recipe for dressing this fish after the
Indian fashion. — Comfort of a Wig-wam, — Return
to the Garrison.

As might have been anticipated, the news
of our success down the River was soon
circulated throughout the Garrison, and our
sport on Green Island begat an emulative
spirit amongst the body corporate of mili-
tary and civilians within the walls of
Quebec.

THE SPORTSMAN IX CANADA.

157

I m

Every person of high and low degree who
was fortunate enough to possess a gun was
employed in rubbing up rusty barrels and
polishing flint locks preparatory to expend-
ing his ammunition in the marshes. As
soon as Mr. Wood and myself had recounted
all our adventures (save and except that of
the decoy-ducks) to our brother convives at
the artillery mess, I betook myself, after
having discussed a quantum su^ of very
palatable Port, to the quarters of my kind
old friend Major Browne, the Major par ex-
cellence^ who was delighted to hear how
well and how profitably we had passed our
time.

" If you're pleased at your sport on this
Green Island, Master Tolfrey, I'll be after
shewing you something at Chateau Richer
that'll bate your squibbing down there all to
smithereens. I'll engage you shall have
four times as many shots in one day. But
I'm going on a sacret expedition after the
trout a few miles above Jacques Cartier as
soon as our inspection is over — and good

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luck to us ! that's the day after to-morrow
— and as soon as we have expended our
blank cartridges and shewn the Commander-
in-Chief (and it's no small m.atter that'll
plase him) what the ould 103rd can do, I'm
oflF for the Bridge as soon as you can cry
pase. Now, you spalpeen, if you can keep
a secret, and not be after saying a word,
or even talk in your sleep about what I'm
about to tell you, why you shall go with me,
for I'd like to shew you the Riviere Ghaude."

After this fasliion did the Major deliver
himself, and I was not a little flattered at
this mark of confidence as well as prefe-
rence ; and having thanked him for afford-
ing me an opportunity of visiting this trout-
stream under his immediate auspices, 1 left
him to return to ray own rooms, and there
to indulge in all sorts of pleasing anticipa-
tions, and to select and prepare my trout
tackle.

The day succeeding this interview was
passed in making arrangements for the trip,
and our messman (the discreetest of eater-

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TIIE SPORTSMAN LN CANADA.

159

ers) undertook to furnish a basket of edibles
without letting any one know for whom or
for what purpose they were required. On
the following morning, the 103rd were on
the Plains of Abraham (the scene of Gene-
ral Wolfe's signal victory) by day-light, and
shortly afterwards Sir John Sherbrooke and
his Staff arrived on the ground. The
General, being in a good humor — rather an
unusual occurrence by the way — was pleased
to express his approbation of the appear-
ance, the discipline, and soldier-like bear-
ing of the men. The manoeuvres and evo-
lutions were executed with neatness, steadi-
ness, and precision : in short, the Field
Officers of the corps had every reasoi< to be
gratified at the conclusion o( this .dehl-
day : everything went well, and we vecurned
to the Garrison ii high spirits.

The Major had invited me to a tete-a-tete
breakfest, and, prior to the riding out to
the Plains, I had desired my servant to bring
the prog, rods, lines, basket, as well as my
fishing costume, up to the Major's quarters.

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Having dismounted at his door, I proceeded
to take off my harness, and equip myself
for the journey as became a brother of the
angle. We were not long in discussing our
meal, and ere his brother officers had half
finished their i)reakfast in the mess-room,
we were jogging along in a hired caleche for
the Jacques Cartier River.

We reached the goal of promise about
three o'clock in the afternoon, and having
refreshed ourselves with some of the good
things we had brought with us, we walked
down to the River, not without being duly
anointed with the Major's specific, and
which was applied by the Widow's delicate
hand.

The water was very low, and, to use the
Major's own phrase, " as clear as a bell."
He rose a fish in the Hospital pool, but that
was the only ghost of a salmon we saw.
After trying every turn, scour, and eddy in
the River without success, we turned moodily
homewards to the Bridge to console ourselves
with a cigar and some " cold without."

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161

We were soon seated at the little table in
our snuggery overlooking the River, and
to atone for any disappointment I might
have felt at our want of success, the Major
was in a right merry mood, in a communica-
tive vein withal, and had evidently got his
" sitting breeches " on.

Having remarked to my companion that
His excellency the Governor appeared much
pleased at the creditable manner in which
the 103rd had acquitted themselves in the
morning, he replied, " Faith, Master Tolfrey,
we were in luck, for it's not always that the
Giniral's plased. He's a terrible ould Turk
to deal with, and it's the toss up of a half-
penny whether he l^lackguards you or not.
By Jasus, he made the Commissaries keep
their eyes open when he c<,i iiuindcd in the
Peninsula, and he astonished the natives in
Halifax (Nova Scotia) before he came to
Quebec. I'll tell you a few stories about
him which will make you stare a bit.

Our peppery Commander-in-Chief, who is
now Colonel of the 32rd, entered that regi-

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ment at an early age, aad served in that
distinguished corps for many years — and it
numbered amongst its ofl&cers the late Sir
John Moore, the present Duke of Wellington,
Sir Hildebrand Oakes, and many other orna-
ments of our service. He commanded a di-
vision of the army under the late lamented
Hero of Corunna : but J.ord Wellington,
who was Sir John Sherbrooke's junior in
the service, having been sent out from home
as Commander-in-Chief of our Forces in
Spain, our Grovernor wrote to the Horse
Guards in a fit of splcc^j to be recalled, which
request was ultimately complied with. You
may be sure that the officers and men of Sir
John's division had the devil's own time of
it after he was compelled lo play second
fiddle. By the Powers, it was a word and a
blow with the ould boy then, and sometimes
the blow came first. Oh, the thundering
passion he'd be in if the Commissary hadn't
the rations ready for ids men after a day's
march ! It is related, and I've no doubt it's
gospel truth, that he actually perpetrated a

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THE SPORTSMAN L\ CANADA.

163

nice little bit of Lynch law, by hanging a
commissariat clerk on a branch of a tree by
the road-side for disobedience of orders, in
not having his provisions at a given spot
and at a given time on the arrival of tne
division after a long and harassing forced
march.

One circumstance I can vouch for, and
which came under the observation of a
brother officer. I told you just now that
the Giniral kept a sharp eye upon the Com-
missaries, and it came to pass one day, as
Sir John's division was about to join the
head-quarters of the army, that on arriving
within a day's march of Wellington's camp,
where they were to halt for the night, the
Commissary attached to the division was
behind his time, and the rations were not
forthcoming. Nearly two hours elapsed be-
fore the prog made its appearance, during
which interval the Commander was raging
and fuming like a mad bull, and, as you
may imagine, the Commissary's reception,
when he waited on the Giniral to apologize

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as well as account for the delay, was none of
the politest or pleasantest, and the stormy
interview ended thus : Sir John Sherbrooke
loquitur : * Get out of the houth, thir, or
111 kick you down stairs !' Whereupon the
indignant Commissary retired in high dud-
geon, and on reaching his billet, mounted
his horse, and gallopped over to head-
quarters to report the circumstance to Lord
Wellington, as well as to complain of the
extraordinary treatment and abusive lan-
guage he had received at the hands of the
Second-in-command. An interview with the
Great Captain of the Age having been ob-
tained, the ill-used purveyor of bread, beef,
and mutton, having fully exculpated him-
self from all blame regarding the alleged
unreasonable delay in the supply of the
provisions for the troops, proceeded to relate
how warmly he had been received by the
Giniral commanding the division, and wound
up his remonstrance by stating that Sir
John Sherbrooke had actually threatened to
kick him down stairs.

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THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

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" * Lord Wellington : He threatened to
kick you down stairs, did he V
" ' Commissary : Yes, ray Lord.'
" ' Lord Wellington : And did he not
carry his threat into execution V
" ' Commissary : No, my Lord.'
" ' Lord Wellington : Then, Sir, allow me
to congratulate you upon being a very fortu-
nate individual ; foi ever since I have known
General Sherbrooke, which is now upwards
of a quarter of a century, he has always
been a man of his word, and my only
astonishment is that he did not kick you
down stairs.' ! ! !

" This was all the satisfaction the Deputy-
Assistant- Commissary-General received, and
may serve as a sample of the manner in
which His Excellency our Governor carried
on the war in the Peninsula. His constitu-
tional irritability, however, would not admit
of his remaining in juxta-position with a
junior Officer, placed by the Authorities at
home over his head, and soon after this
skrimmage with the Commissary he returned

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to Eujland, and by dint of grov/ling and
complaining incessantly at the Horse Guards,
he succeeded in obtaining the command in
Nova Scotia, a preliminary step to the im-
portant post he at this moment fills. You
mav have heard that the Generalissimo of
the Canadas is a very nervous as well as
irritable person, and his greatest horror and
aversion is a fidgetty, fractious, capering
horse coming near his own charger when he
is mounted. While he commanded in Hali-
fax, Sir John frequently attended the even-
ing parade of the regiments in garrison, and
he was to ])e seen on horseback by the side
of thr Commandant of the garrison watch-
ing the manoeuvres of tlie several corps. It
so happened that the Adjutant of one of
those regiments had become possessed of a
capering, prancing divil of a quadruped,
that would hop and skip about like a parched
pea on a drum-head, and which was never
known to stand upon two legs at any one
time.

" The unsuspecting Adjutant, little dream-

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

167

iiig of the annoyance these curvetings caused
the sensitive Governor, used to sliew off the
dancing qualities of his nag, much to the
delight of the spectators, while reporting
the state of his men to the Colonel '^f his
corps. I believe, to do poor Sir / 'hn justice,
he had submitted to the tortus its unwit-
tingly inflicted upon him as many as three
times : at length his impatient spirit could
brook the infliction no longer, and on the
fourth occasion of the annoyance he called
out in a stentorian voice, and with his never
failing lisp, * If you come on parade with
that horth to-morrow, thir, I'll shoot him.'
This extraordinary threat was deemed merely
as a little outporing under the influence of
excitement, and was, unfortunately, un-
heeded. Another reason may have operated
towards the disobedience of this command,
and that was the inability of the Adjutant
by reason of straightened means, to comply
with the order. Be this as it may, the ill-
fated Adjutant did appear on parade the
following evening, bestriding in all his glory

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the identical Bucephalus, which, unconsci-
ous of impending danger, cut as many-
capers as two opera dancers rolled into one.

But lo ! the Commander-in-Chief was also
on the ground, looking on with a scowling
eye from the back of his well-trained, steady
chesnut charger, and gazing with astonish-
ment at the prancing steed as its rider ad-
vanced towards the conclave of Field Oflficers
assembled in front of the ranks.

" The Adjutant had scarcely dropped his
sword and tendered his report ere Sir John
presented himself before this officer, and,
drawing a pistol from one of his own hol-
sters, shot the horse through the head on
the spot, which fell dead and rolled over its
bewildered and astonished owner on the
esplanade.

" The Governor, as soon as the astounded
young man had regained his legs, thus ad-
dressed him : ' I told you yetherday, thir,
that if you came on parade thith evenin with
that horth, I'd thoot him. You thee I'm a
man of my word, and I hope I have taught

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THE SPORTSMAN IX CANADA.

1(J0

you a lethon for the future.' This summary,
not to say arbitrary proceeding took every
one by surprise, and, in the midst of the
confusion consequent upon so unusual an
act, the author of it rode off to Government
House, where it is to be hoped he repented
of the injustice his violence of temper had
caused him to commit.

"You will doubtless think tiiis the ne
plus ultra of tyranny and oppression, and it
is in truth unjustifiable ; but with this
lamentable failing and such uncontrollable
passions, Sir John Sherbrooke is a kind-
hearted, generous, humane, and brave fellow.
He is the victim of impulse, and whether tluit
impulse be good or bad, it is sure to get the
upper hand of his judgment, aud to give the
Devil his due, he is as ready to confer an
act of khidncss as to offer an insult. On the
occasion I have recorded he made the amende
honorable as far as laid in his power, by
sending the unhorsed Adjutant a valuable
charger from his own stables. You'll hear
and know plenty of our Governor Giniral

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THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA

when you've been amongst us a few months
longer, and I think the specimens I have re-
lated of his fiery disposition will suffice for a
while, and I am sure you will admit that I
have reason to rejoice that we got through
our field-day so quietly this morning. St.
Patrick's day in the morning was nothing to
it ; so now for another cigar and the laste
taste in life of the cognac and cold water.".
Thus ended the Major's lively anecdotes
of our irascible Governor : but during their
narration I could not refrain from interrupt-
ing him by frequent expressions of surprise
that Gentlemen could be found who would
tamely submit to such indignities, and, I
believe, I did go so far as to say, upon hear-
ing the outrage of shooting the unoffending
Aujutant's horse, that had it been my own
case, I should have shot the man who could
have committed so barbarous an act. Little
should I have heeded military discipline, the
articles of war, or the law of manslaughter.
Thank God, however, my patience and self-
command were never put to the test during

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THE SPORTSMAN IK CANADA.

171

St.

the brief term that I was under the com-
mand of this military pepper-pod. That Sir
John Sherbrooke was a warm-hearted man,
and benevolent by fits and starts, I firmly
believe ; but he was no more fitted to rule
and govern his fellow-men either in a civil
or military capacity than an inmate of
Bedlam. His antipathy to the commissariat
service was that of a Scotch terrier to a rat ;
and whenever he could give these semi-
military officers a bite and a shake, he never
omitted availing himself of the opportunity.
One or two circumstances which came under
my own observation may not be out of place
here as a tag to the Major's anecdotes, before
we proceed to the River Chaude in search of
the trout.

It came to pass that one fine morning the
Commissary-General waited on the Governor
to state officially that some one had made
free with the military chest, and that some
five or six hundred pounds were missing ;
and wound up his report by requesting that
His excellency would be pleased to order an
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THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

investigation and inquiry into the circum-
stance. The following was the quaint and
characteristic reply : — " There ith not the
thlightht occathion fur invethtigation or
inquiry, thir ! Whenever there ith a robbery
in your department it ith amongtht your-
thelves, tho go back to your offith, and find
the money ath quick ath pothible !" Strange
to say, the abstracted cash luas eventually
found : but for obvious reasons I suppress the
names of the parties implicated in the trans-
action.

Upon a newly-imported Dcputy-Com-
missary-General waiting on the Governor
General of the Canadas to pay his respects
after liis arrival, Sir John said to him, " I
believe, thir, you are the relathion of a gen-
tleman of your department upon whom I
was compelled to inflict thunnuary punitli-
nient — {only hanging, good Reader !) — in
tlic Peninthula ; I hope I tliall never have
occathion to path a tliimilar thentence on any
other member of liith family"' — a pleasant
i-eception this for a new-comer ! !

\ \

THE SrORTSMAX LN CANADA.

173

But turn we to a more amusing subject
than a relation of tjrranny and oppression,
and resume the thread of our narrative, which
the Major's loquacity had well nigh cut short.
As we were sipping our grog and puffing off
our cares in the cool of the evening, the
Widow announced the arrival of a brace of
copper- colored Indians, who came true to an
appointment made with the Major during a
recent visit of these wandering people to the
city of Quebec. I now learned for the first
time that the Prince of piscators had gleaned
from these celebrated hunters and salmon-
spearers the exact locality of a remarkable
little stream tributary to the Jacques Cartier
River some few miles above the Bridge, and
which, as they described it, was full of
delieious little trout. As the information
was so authentic, and these friendly savages
were such excellent judges of the quality of
the finny inhabitants of every lake and river
in the country, the Major had resolved upon
exploring this strame in secret, in order that
he might be the first to announce the im-

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174

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA. '

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portant discovery. Ills permitting me, there-
fore, to accompany him on the expedition
was doubly kind, and I appreciated the favor
accordingly. One thing was certain, not a
European had ever wetted a line in this little
river — called by the natives the Riviere
Chaude, from the circumstance of its being
the last running-water iu the province to
yield to the rigor of the climate ; indeed
some of the superstitious and over-believing
inhabitants of the neighbourhood went so far
as to say that it never would freeze in the
winter. This assertion, however, must have
been fabulous, for a Canadian frost would
congeal all the waters of that steam-shrouded,
city Bath in less than a quarter of an hour
by any stop-watch in the kingdom.

Our friends the pilot Indians having been
accommodated with a corner of the kitchen,
a bottle of rum, and a pouch of strong-
smoking tobacco, the Major, before we went
to roost, gave me to understand we should not
only have capital sport, but that the scene
we should witness on the morrow would be

THE SrORTS.\lAN L\ CANADA.

175

uovel and interesting, as he had engaged the
services of these two Indians for the purpose
of witnessing their extraordinary quickness
of sight and their dexterity in spearing
salmon and trout.

" You've heard of a wigwam I've no doubt,
my lad, and you'll see one by this time to-
morrow," said the Major ; " for I intend to
bivouac with my dark-complexioned guides
on the bank of the River Chaude : and as
they tell me there are some deep-pools and
stands in the Jacques Cartier water just
below this hot strame, 1 intend that you and
I shall go with them in their canoes and see
them spear the salmon, and I'll go bail we
have some excellent sport."

After this cheering assurance, I ventured
to hint at the expediency of discussing one
of our cold pies, and mixing a tumbler of
toddy preparatory to retiring for the night.
It was waxing late, and it had been arranged
that we were to start with our dusky pilots
immediately after an early breakfast on the
following morning. With some difficulty I

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THE SrORTSMAX IN CANADA.

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succeeded in persuading the Major to get be-
tween the sheets, for he was in a talkative
humor, and would willingly have sat up till
daylight if I had been disposed to listen to
his long yarns, and started on our excursion
without indulging even in a forty-wink dose.
Luckily I carried my point, and after a sound
and refreshing sleep, I was aroused by one
of the Indians, who had crept to my bed-
side soon after day-light, and with a gentle
pat on the cheek gave me to understand it
was time to be up and stirring. The Major
was still snoring, and by way of revenge for
his having abridged my quantum of sleep by
keeping me up to a late hour on the previous
night, I whispered to the Indian in French
a wish that he would indulge me with the
war-whoop of his country, stating that I
had never heard it, and as I was anxious for
a genuine specimen I begged he would not
spare his lungs.

He pointed to the Major, who at the
moment was sending forth the most discor-
dant nasal sounds and in a most enviable

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state of somniferous forgetfiilness. To ease
the considerate Indian's conscience, I assured
liini that nothing would afford tlie Major
so much pleasure as a well-delivered war-
whoop, in fact that he rather preferred being-
awakened by any harmonious noise, as the
trumpeter of liis own regiment had orders to
l)lay under his window to warn him of morn-
ing drill. Tiius assured, the unsuspecting
Indian put his fingers to his ears, and
bellowed forth such an uneartldy screeching
yell that all but split my tympanum. The
effect on the prostrate Field OIHcer was no
less sudden and astounding. He sprang
from his pillow with a bound that threatened
destruction to the Widow's bedstead, and
staring with bewilderment, cried out in
veritable Milesian, " Bio >d and thunder !
what's that 'i Get out o' this, you ill-looking
thief ! what do you mane by this infarntd
whooping? Is that the way to wake a
Christian soul, you murdering villain V

Seeing the Major was waxing wrath, the
Indian pointed to me as the author or rather
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178

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA,

the cause of this sudden intevraption to his
slumbers ; and when, on turning to me for
an explanation, he saw I could hardly sup-
press a hearty fit of laughing at his surprise
and the comical figure he cut, the truth
burst upon him, and, giving himself a shake,
laughed as heartily as I then permitted my-
self to do ; and having shy'd his bolster at
me, and desired the Indian to leave the
room, I followed the scalper'^s example, fear-
ing some more substantial article of bed-room
furniture than the ticking and feathers might
follow the bolster. A tub of water and a
promise of breakfast restored my kind-hearted
Hibernian friend to good humor, and by the
time we were seated at the breakfast table
the Major had completely recovered from the
sudden shock occasioned by the Indian war-
whoop.

" By the Powers, Master Tolfrey, that's a
short way of waking a man out of a sound
sleep you hit upon this morning, and I shall
recommend our Colonel to hire this screaming
fellow to rouse our Subs out of bed in the

li'

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

179

mornings, for they don't mind the regimental
bugles a bit. That was a murderous screech
anyhow he gave us ; and I think I'd rather
be scalped first, than hear that d — d noise
before they took my crown off. He's got a
tight pair of lungs that chap ; and as we
walk through the woods to the River Chaude,
we'll ask him to give us another yell or two
to keep him in wind."

Having despatched our breakfast, we set
forth with our pilots, and had no little dif-
ficulty in keeping up with the fleet-footed
Indians. The pace these people walk at
through brake and briar is perfectly astonish-
ing : there is not the slightest effort at
exertion, and they creep along noiselessly
and with an ease perfectly marvellous, but
which long ha,bit, if not nature, has made
familiar to them. After three hours' smart
walking — or I might say, as far as the ^lajor
and myself were concerned, running — we
reached a narrow clay-coloured rivulet, whicli
discharged itself in the Jacques Cartier. We
had occasionally during our walk had a peep

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THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

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at the ould river, as the Major termed it, but
at the termination of our journey we came
upon a magnificent bend or rather basin of
this beautiful stream, into which the Riviere
Chaiuh emptied itself It was in truth an
enchanting spot ; and after having seated
ourselves on a most tempting turf bank, we
remained gazing for several minutes on the
beautiful scenery by which we were sur-
rounded. Of course we had not forgotten
our trout-rods, and as soon as we had in-
dulged our love of the picturesque, we began
to think of going to work. The Major had
tied some flies for the occasion ; and with
his usual forethought, having ascertained the
peculiar color ol the water we were about to
try, had dyed his collars and foot-lines in
onion-water, which had given them the exact
hue we Avanted. I commenced operations
with a red palmer, a blue dun, and the
Major's pet brown fly, the body of which was
composed of bear's fur, but, as my worthy com-
panion observed, it was of little consequence
what flies I used, for the trout would take

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

181

anything. And so they did : and I need
scarcely add that our sport was most ex-
traordinary. The fish were none of them
large, seldom reaching a pound in weight,
but they rose to our flics with aldermanic
voracity, and we had soon a most goodly
show of these delicate fish.

While we were employed so pleasantly,
the Indians were occupied in constructing a
wigwam, and making preparations for our
shelter and comfort at night. By two o'clock
in the afternoon a most comfortable wind
and water tight cabin was erected, and while
the Major and myself were partaking of
some cold provender we had brought with us,
our guides went in quest of their canoe,
which they had left in a creek higher up
the river prior to their coming down to us
at Jacques Cartier Bridge.

Having refreshed ourselves, the ]\lajor and
myself took to our rods again, and by his
advice I fished with only two flies ; for,
strange as it must appear, I had frequently,
during the morning, hooked three fish at a

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TUE SPORTSMAN IK CAKADA.

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time, or rather had three fish on my line
before I could land the first I had caught.
This little Riviere Chaude is beyond com-
pare, the most prolific stream in the two
Canadas ; and, at the time I write of, had
never been fished by a European. It is situ-
ated about eight or nine miles above Jac-
ques Cartier Bridge, and runs through a Avild
and uncultivated woody territory seldom in-
vaded by the foot of man. The water is at
every season of the year discolored, as if it
were impregnated with a blueish clay : it is
decidedly warmer to the touch than any run-
ning water I ever met with, and a stretch of
the imagination might lead to the supposition
that it is tepid. Be this as it may, the fish
are of a superlatively fine flavor, excessively
rich and delicate, and in appearance very
handsome, the colors being more brilliant
and distinctly defined than those taken in
the Jacques Cartier itself. We caught more
of them at the confluence of the two rivers
than up the stream, although I might say,
without exaggeration, that from its source

TUE SPORTSMAX IN CANADA.

183

rce

to its mouth the Riviere Chaude is alive
with trout.

We were enjoying a quiet snooze on some
dried fern leaves, under the shelter of our
newly constructed wigwam, when the Indians
returned with their canoe, which they had
contrived to steer safely down the impetuous
river. We gave them some rum and to-
bacco, and proceeded to blow a cloud our-
selves to keep them in countenance. We
found our sable friends very amusing com-
panions, and we listened with real pleasure
to their narratives, all of which were on
topics interesting to us, seeing that fishing
and hunting were the themes. Shortly after
dusk, these useful attendants kindled fires
around our little hut, especially in front of
the rude entrance, to keep off" those un-
pleasant intruders the musquitoes ; for in
spite of the unctuous preparation of hog's
lard and turpentine, with which every come-
at-able inch of our skins was anointed, they
would have molested us while napping but
for this precaution.

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184

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

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It having become sufRciently dark soon
after ten o'clock, to visit the deep pools
and still water on the Jacques Oartier, the
Indians lighted their torches, and we em-
barked in their canoe. A more interesting
sight I never witnessed than the spearing
of salmon by these adept professors. I
have, in a little work published by Mr.
Colburn, the great Bibliopolist. of Great
Marlborough Street, intitled " The Sports-
man in France," described this scene, and I
must, therefore, refer the reader to these
unpretending volumes. I may, however,
permit myself to state, that the adroitness
of the spearers, their wonderful quickness
and acuteness of vision, and the novelty of
the scene altogether, made an impression
on me that time can never obliterate.

After passing two or three hours most
pleasantly, we returned to our rude habita-
tion, and partook of a supper cooked by
the Indians after the most rural fashion.
Having washed and gutted one of the sal-
mon they had taken, it was swaddled in

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THE SPORTSMAN IX CANADA.

185

leaves with the scales on, tied to wooden
spits with fibres, and roasted on the embers
at our feet. In half an hour it was ready,
the scales pealed off, and the juicy, flaky
morceaux which fell to our share were the
most delicious I ever partook of. No fish-
dinner at Blackwall or Greenwich ever pro-
duced such appetizing samples of piscatorial
excellence as did these juicy pieces of Jacques
Cartier salmon, cooked by the hands of the
rude Indian in a North American wood.

We slept soundly that night on our
heathy bed, and after catching ten or fifteen
brace of trout at the morning's dawn, we
trudged back to the Bridge, and arrived in
time for a late breakfast. The Major was
tied to time, as he was the Field Ofiicer on
duty for the following day. We therefore
paid one more visit to the Hospital after
breakfast, caught a brace of fine salmon for
our friends in the Garrison, and started from
the Toll-house for Quebec about two in the
afternoon. We reached our quarters between
seven and eight in the evening, but during

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THE SPORTSMAN IX CANADA.

our ride we had organised an expedition to
Cliateau Richer, where we determined on
dealing death and destruction amongst the
snipes. The following Monday was the day
fixed upon ; and on the following Monday
we did go, accompanied by Mr. Hamilton
and Captain Griffiths — a full, true, and par-
ticlar account of which will be found in the
following Chapter.

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

187

CHAPTER VII.

A Divan held at Malhiot's Hotel after dinner on the
day of returning from Jacques Cartier. — A trip to
Chateau Richer, determined upon by Major
Browne, Captain Griffiths, Mr. Hamilton, and
the Author. — The party proceed by water in Mr.
Hamilton's boat. — Beauty of the Scenery. — Arrive
at Chateau Richer. — Marvellous sport and capital
cheer. — Return to Quebec after a week's unqualified
enjoyment.

' <i

Our arrival in the Garrison soon became
known amongst our friends, for the Major
and myself had scarcely shaken off our
sporting gear ere our quarters were besieged
by a host of inquisitive idlers, anxious to
learn where he had been, what we had done.

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188

THE SPORTSMAN IX CAJfADA.

' i''

&c. ; and before their curiosity was half
gratified, we learnt from them that our
brotlier Sportsmen had been greatly mystified
by our sudden disappearance. Not a word
was said about the Riviere Chaude — our
answer to all inquiries being couched in the
following laconic terms : — " Jacques Cartier
— water very low — bad sport — only three
salmon."

As we reached Quebec some two or three
hours after the usual dinner hour of our re-
spective messes, the Major and myself had
agreed to discuss our cutlet and bottle of
Claret at Malhiot's Hotel, and by the time
we had completed our toilettes, the chef of
this very excellent caravansery had prepared
a most apetising repast for us. A celebrated
hon-vivant of my acquaintance has asserted
that the period devoted to the duties of the
dinner-table is the pleasantest part of the
day, and, according to this epicurean maxim,
I may say, that while we were thus agreeably
occupied in doing justice to the culinary
skill of the Coquus Magnus of the establish-

THE SrORTSMAN IN CANADA.

189

iiieut, one of our servants was dcpatclied to
the mess-room of the 103rcl Regiment for
Captain Grifhtlis and to Mr. Hamilton's re-
sidence, for the purpose of inviting botli those
thorough-bred Sportsmen to take their wine
with us, as we intended, while paying due
homage to IMonsieur Malhiot's fragrant
Chateau Margaux, to broach our plan of
operations concerning the trip to Cliateau
Richer, and to make all preliminary and con-
clusive arrangements for a war of extermina-
tion against the snipes.

We were in the act of si[)ping our first
bumper of Bordeaux at the conclusion of our
savoury and satisfactory repast, when our
companions twain made their appearance.
From that moment the cork-screw had no
sinecure : the long corks were drawn in rapid
succession, and as the generous juice was
l)eing quaficd, our projected excursion to the
\iiarshes of Chateau Riche?'\ynfi duly discussed
and the modus operandi finally determined
upon. As I ma^ce it a point never to tell
tales, the Reader must remain in ignorance

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190

THE SPORTSMAN I.V CANADA.

of the sum total of bottles emptied on this
occasion, and my innate discretion also for-
bids me to recount the adventures which
befel us after our council broke up, otherwise
I miglit have related how the sign indicative
of the calling of the Garrison washerwoman,
which carried with it the equivocal announce-
ment that she added " mangling " to her
other accomplishments, was discovered on
the following morning fastened to the door
of our Staff-Surgeon : how an overgrown
portrait (painted by the Major himself) of
Charley Harvicker, the little German tobac-
conist, adorned the Bishop's portal : — how a
colossal Turk's head, weighing some ten score
or so, was abstracted from the sadler's shop-
door, and carried in triumph to the quarters
of Captain Ord of the Engineers, to whom
its grim visage bore a striking resemblance : —
how three golden balls were dexterously re-
moved from the usurious pawnbroker's, and
tastefully hung in front of the windows of
our friend of the Artillery, Mr. Wood, as a
pledge of our regard for him, as well as to

THE SrORTSMAX IN CANADA.

101

le: —
ly re-

p, and
^s of
as a

las to

indicate liis vocation, for \vc in thepk-nitiKle
of our wisdom conceived the halh to be more
in his line tlian that of the sn^'ring silver-
smith : — how we disturbed from their
slumbers some half dozen cock-and-hen
midwives, whom we despatched in different
quarters of tlie city to Ladies. ..who did not
require their attendance : with many more
miscliicvous pi anks "too numerous to men-
tion in this here adver/Zzcment," as Lord
Duberly says. In fact, a nice sense of propriety
bids me draw a veil over our concluding
frolics. Suffice it to say, A\e did not seek
our respective homes until nearly daylight,
neither did we separate until we had jointly
and severally undertaken to have everything
in readiness by the following Monday, it
having been agreed upon that we were to
start for Chateau Richer on that day. That
we made a jolly night of it cannot be
doubted. We were sorely rated by Captain
Griffiths and Mr. Hamilton for having stolen
a march upon them, and as the wine did its
duty, and the Major's heart opened, the im-

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192

THE SrORTS^'AN IN CANADA

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portant secret of the discovery of the Riviere
Chaude was disclosed, but under a solemn
promise that the existence of this wonderful
strcviie should not be revealed to any one
else. A ready assent was given, and the
l)ledge waslied down in a bumper of ruby
wine.

The celebrated marsh of Chateau Richer
— for celebrated it ever will be so long as
snipes are sent to regale us here on earth —
is situated about sixteen miles below Queber
on the North shore, and some nine or ten
beyond the Falls of Montmorency. The
drive from the Garrison to this magnificent
cascade is extremely beautiful, though beyond
the village from which the roaring cataract
takes its name the road has not much to
boast of in point of scenery ; but the en-
thusiastic snipe-shooter cares little for the
picturesque when a swamp full of liis favorite
game is at the end of his journey. Tlie
hamlet of Chateau Piicher skirts the high
road, between which and the river lies the
niaibh., extending along its banks for a dis-

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

193

high

tance of six or seven miles. Of the incon-
ceivable number of birds found in this chosen
spot I shall speak anon : Munchausen him-
self could never have done it justice ; for
even the fertile imagination of this far-
famed traveller could scarcely have conceived
anything equal to the sport to be met with
in the season on this swampy strip of
land.

Having gone to church on Sunday like
repentant sinners to atone for our misdeeds
of the previous Friday, we repaired after
Divine Service to Mr. Hamilton's snug little
bachelor's habitation facing the Government
gardens, and at a convocation then and there
holden it was decided, contrary to our ori-
ginal plan, that we should run down to
Chateau Richer in his boat, and not per
American waggon. This arrangement, origi-
nating with Mr. Hamilton, had for its object
the safe and undisturbed conveyance of our
provender, especially the liquid portion of
it ; and as our hospitable friend proposed
adding some of his superlatively fine old Port

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194

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA

ii *

to the joint contributions of good things to
be consumed during our trip, he wisely and
<X)nsiderately bethought him of his pleasure-
l)oat, for the jolting over Canadian ruts will
turn the very best of old Port into a thick
hlach draught, to say nothing of endanger-
ing the bottles which contain the good stuff.
These and other weighty considerations led
to the change in our mode of transit, which
I for one did not regret, inasmuch as I pre-
fer the comparative ease and comfort of
Hoating in " a well-trimmed wherry" on the
surface of a beautiful river, to bumping over
uneven roads in an indifferently hung vehicle
on unyielding springs. Of all the bumps,
phrenological or otherwise, defend me from
the bump of dislocativeness !

About half-past nine the following
morning, a well-poised truck might have been
seen wending its way to one of the wharves in
the Lower Town, freighted with hampers " of
sizes," and which contained pasties "of sorts,"
to say nothing of cold joints, poultry, ham,
and tongues. The Madeira, bottled stout,

( I

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

195

Hodgson's pale ale, aud some excellent brandy
were not forgotten, and the whole of these
much-loved treasures were under the care
of the faithful " Dan," the Major's Leporello.
Our rendezvous in the morning was at Mr.
Hamilton's, who, in order to ensure punctu-
ality, had invited us to break our fast beneath
his roof; and the result of this tempting
provoke was our being seated at his hospita-
ble table as the clock struck ten, where we
regaled ourselves with such a breakfast as a
thorough-bred West Indian alone knows how
to give ; and to those of my Readers who
are ignorant of this very commendable and
never-to-be-sufficiently-extolled accomplish-
ment, I recommend a voyage to the "' An-
tilles," and there will they be initiated in
the art and mystery of giving a matutinal
meal in perfection.

All sublunary pleasures have their termi-
nation : even the fleeting enjoyments of
broiled fish, deviled chickens, stewed kid-
neys, maintenon cutlets, and omelettes, are
wound up by satiety af^.er an hour's unin-
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196

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

terrupted devotion to their several merits,
for bj eleven we were ungrateful enough to
prepare to quit the scene of recent gastro-
nimic indulgence, and proceed to the Lower
Town, where our little bark was moored to
the quay, well laden with the stores we had
sent for the occasion.

Our worthy host, with proverbial Occi-
dental hospitality, had not been unmindful
of the creature comforts, for as we left his
house a well-drilled domestic preceded us
with a steady hand and as motionless a gait
carrying a wine basket, from the sides of
which protruded, like bristling cannon from
the port-holes of a frigate, half-a-dozen
necks, bearing a certain green seal, known
by the owner's intimate acquaintances to
confine the most genuine juice that ever
was shipped from the shores of Portugal ;
while in the other hand was poised a goodly
shaped basket wherein were deposited three
bottles of Jamaica rum some thirty years
old, a dozen of limes, coifee, tea, sugar,
and some Havannah cigars.

^is;

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THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA,

197

merits,
ough to

gastro-

Lower
)ored to

we had

il Occi-
mindful
left his
ided us
3 a gait
sides of
311 from
a-dozen

known
ices to
at ever
•rtugal ;

goodly
d three
J years

sugar.

On arriving at the wharf, we found our
servants with our guns, dogs, powder, shot,
&c. : the only domestic, however, who was
permitted to accompany us was Dan, the
most useful of campaigners, for to his other
numerous good qualities he added that of
being a tolerable impromptu cook. As we
were to journey by water, and not on terra
firma, the Major had ordered his travelling
canteen to be sent down to the boat, for he
knew by experience that knives, forks (silver
ones at least), fish-sauces, cayenne peppei;
and other indispensable luxuries, were rather
scarce in Canadian farm-houses, and Madame
Fran^oise, to v/hose accommodating tenement
we were hurrying, although the most obliging
and civil of hostesses, was but ill supplied
with these aristocratic appliances.

Mr. Hamilton's boat had been constructed
for use as well as show and amusement :
she was a roomy little craft, broad in the
beam, and as stiff under canvas as a three -
decker in Plymouth Sound. It was high

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TIIB SPORTSMAN LN CANADA.

t n

water whcu avc reached the wharf, and by
the time all our cargo living and dead were
comfortably stowed away, the ebb-tide was
running down merrily. We were soon under
weigh (or way, which is it, kind nautical
Reader ?), and sailing with a light as well
as a fair wind between the beautiful Island
of Orleans and the magnificent scenery on
the North shore of the main land. The
view from the water on every side is posi-
tively enchanting, and when we were abreast
of the Falls of Montmorency, I thought I had
never seen anything so lovely and at the
same time so grand as the coup-d'ceil which
presented itself ; and not the least imposing
part of this splendid picture, or the least
important feature in this unrivalled panorama,
was the city of Quebec itself.

Its elevated position and glittering house-
tops — for every public building and many
private dwellings are roofed with tin, which,
strange to say, never rusts — added in no
slight degree to the extraordinarily pictu-
resque and (to me) novel effect.

THE SPORTSMAN I.\ CANADA.

19 J)

We passed as near to the bottom of the
Fall as prudence would admit of, and my
companions were kind enough to allow the
boat to be hove to, that I might for a few
minutes enjoy the unequalled loveliness and
grandeur of the scenery we were passing
through. Having gratified my taste for the
picturesque, our coxswain rounded the boat's
head towards the spot we were bound to,
and having hauled aft the sheet, we were
once more swiftly gliding down the noble
River St. Lawrence under the influence of a
delicious breeze and a favorable tide.

The sixteen miles were soon accomplished,
and having landed opposite the village — if
jumping up to one's knees in slimy mud
can admit of such an interpretation — we
waded towards the swamp with our quartet
of quadrupeds — for we were each provided
with a pointer — leaving the boatmen and
the factotum Dan to haul the boat up a
yawning creek as best they might, and
(which feat accomplished) to convey our

If'

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i .

200

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

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' .. I"

i^ii

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baskets of provender up to the farm-house
of the fascinating Madame Fran^oise.

At the Major's particular request we
followed him straightway to the rustic
dwelling, without diverging to the right or
left, as we had proposed doing, in the hope
of knocking over a few snipes in transitu ;
but his well-known "be aisey, boys, can't
you !" had the effect of restraining in some
degree our anxiety, although it did not pre-
vent Captain Griffiths and myself taking a
snap-shot each as we flushed two or three
couples while following in the Major's wake.

It was with some difficulty that our dogs
could be made to comprehend the motive
for such a manoeuvre, or rather to obey the
(to them) strange mandate.

My recent acquisition, " Slack-back," the
Major's kind gift, was greatly mystified, for,
according to his invariable rule when there
was game " a-foot," having taken the lead,
he would, although trudging in a line with
us, occasionally make a dead point, leaving

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THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

201

his companions to back him, and the good
old dog was sorely discomfitted at being
whistled off, and no notice being taken of his
powers of scent.

I believe I was the first to disobey the
Major's orders, by flooring one of a couple of
snipes which rose within five yards of me.
" Quiet, you devil, can't you V roared the
Major ; " wait till we've secured our rooms
at Mother Frangoise's I tell you, for fear
some of the boys in the town should come
the ould soldier over us, and drive down and
get there before us. There are two or three
other houses in the village to put up at, but
none so comfortable as hers."

As our leader was delivering himself of
this very sensible speech, which, as a pre-
cautionary measure, was highly to be com-
mended, " bang, bang, !" went both the
barrels of Captain Griffiths's gun. "Aisey
there. Master Tom," roared the Major ;
" don't be after wastin^* your powdher :
we'll have plenty of fun yet before dinner,
K 5

202

THE SPORTSMAN FN CANADA.

' m

for I can see with half an eye that the birds
are here. So come along boys."

This put a stop to any further disobedi-
ence, and we were soon beneath the threshold
of the worthy landlady.

On entering tlie kitchen, Madame Fran(;oise
greeted us most cordially : my three com-
panions were well-known guests, and were
welcomed accordingly. The room and beds
were disengaged, and we became the tenants
thereof at a stipulated price for the time
being.

We were now ushered into a spacious
salle, which was to serve for sitting room,
dining-room, and bed-room to boot for half
our party, for two corners of the apartment
were occupied by a couple of most comfor-
table-looking beds. One side of this very
useful salle had been partitioned off for the
purpose of converting the enclosed s{)ace
into a couple of " cabinets," which had each
a diminutive window looking on to the high
road : these little snuggeries contained each

lit

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THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

203

a bed, so that we were pour ainsi dire, all
lodged in one room, and as comfortably housed
as four sportsmen need to be.

Our useful ally, Dan, was equally well
provided for, Madame Frangoise, with whom
he was an especial favorite, having assigned
him a comfortable cupboard off the kitchen,
into which a liberal supply of mattresses
had been piled.

Our quadrupeds were billeted on the
stables, where a bountiful quantity of straw
left them nothing to wish for after the toils
of the day, save and except a savory meal
which the provident Dan was sure to gratify
them with.

Having secured good quarters, and given
our hostess instructions to make certain
preparations by the time we returned from
the swamp, we set off in quest of the snipes,
much to the delight of Slack-back, who,
with his companions, " Don" (another capital
dog of the Major's), "Belle," and "Juno,"'
(the property of Messrs. Hamilton and
Griffiths,) were yelping a mellifluous chorus

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THE SPORTSMAN IX CAXAD.i,

' ■ 'it

as we crossed the farm-yard in our way to
the marsh

It was now past three o'clock, and as
dinner had been ordered for half-past six,
we had not much time to spare. " This'll be
only a small taste for you, Master Tolfrey,"
said the Major ; for I don't intend we should
go far from the house this afternoon ; but
you'll be after seeing more birds in the short
time we'll be out than you'd fall in with in
a week in ould Ireland or England either :
so now set to work, boys/' We soon sepa-
rated, each chasseur taking a beat of his
own, and right glad was I that the Major
was not at my elbow, for during the first
half hour I am certain I did not kill more
than one shot out of five. The anxiety,
excitement, and the novelty of the scene all
combined, I believe to make me shoot any
Ivay but the right The fact is, there were
ioo many birds for a novice like myself, and
as they were getting up in every direction
around me, I was so bewildered and nervous
that the trigger was almost invariably pulled

TIIR i=?P()FlTSMA.V IN CANADA.

205

way to

and as
)ast six,
lis'll be
olfrey,"
! should
>n ; but
le short
with in
either ;
n sepa-
of his
Major
le first
1 more
nxiety,
ene all
)t any
J were
If, and
ection
jrvous
pulled

at the wron;^ moment. I liad contrive*!,
however, to Kill five or six couple l)y five
o'clock, and having swallowed a " wee dro])"
of brandy l)y way of bracing up tlie nei'ves,
I rallied after the dose, and acquitted myself
rather more creditably during tlie rest of
the afternoon. My companions had been
blazing away with scarcely any intei'uiission,
and had done great execution, es})ecially the
Major, tliau whom a })etter snipe-shot I have
not seen from that hour to this. I worked,
and toiled, and kept on firing, missing and
killing, until a " wlio-whoop" from the lungs
potential of our Commander-in-Chief gave
us warning that it was time to return to
our quarters.

On meeting at the gate which led to our
rural lodging, we stopped to compare notes
when I found, to my confusion and shame,
that I was in an awful minority as far as
the return of killed went.

If I remember rightly, the " bulletin" ran
thus : — the Major (for he was ever the " top-
sawyer" with gun or rod) iiad floored one-

t '

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206

THE SPORTSMAN L\ CANADA.

and thirty couple ; Mr. Hamilton, twenty-
three or twenty-four couple ; Captain
Griffiths, nineteen couple ; and my bung-
ling self, ten-and-a-half couple, and as far
as the number of shots went I ought to have
beaten the Major himself. I submitted to
the '■ roasting" bestowed upon me from my
lack of coolness and skill with as good a
grace as a disappointed youngster can be
imagined to have done, and being moreover
ravenously hungry at the moment, I forgot
my temporary disgrace in the joyful antici-
pation of a good dinner. In the full deter-
mination of retrieving my character as a shot
on the morrow, I followed my companions to
the house, where we found that Dan and the
landlady had not been idle.

To a hungry and tired Sportsman I know
not a more cheering sight than a well-spread
and well covered board oil arriving at his
home after the fatigues of the day are over,
and this soothing consolation had we in
every sense of the word.

On entering our salle a manger we

THE SPORTSMAN IX CANADA.

•207

beheld the cloth laid as syni metrically and
with as much taste as the limited quantity
of plate and glass would admit of : the cold
joints were fancifully decorated with parsley,
an herbaceous embellishment Dan had seen
employed by the mess-man of the regiment,
and we learnt from this zealous serving-man
that a couple of our pies were undergoing a
fiery ordeal for the second time, he having
availed himself of the opportunity of the
landlady's baking to surprise us with
" sumraut hot" (as he termed it) out of the
oven after wetting our feet in the l)og.

Upon the principle of seniores priores^
the Major and Mr. Hamilton had the choice
of beds, and these Gentlemen having selected
the well-furnished couches in the " common
room/' or room " in common," Captain
Griffiths and myself took po'jsession of the
cabinets.

" I've got the tubs and the hot water, Sir,"
said Dan to the Major, " if the Gentlemen
would be after cleaning themselves before
dinner ;"and in good truth we did require a trifle

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208

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

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of cleansing after our walk, for the heat and
mud rendered such an operation a matter of
necessity as well as comfort. A good scrub-
bing and a change of under garments caused
us to sit down to dinner with an additional
gusto, and no four Knights of the Trigger
ever did more justice to good cheer than we
did on this day. Our pasties were none the
worse for having been rechaufe'd, and as
our appetites were somewhat of the keenest,
the cold and hot condiments were highly
relished. - -" By the Powers ! the ating and
the drniking's not the worst part of our
divarsions,'' chimed in the convivial Major,
as he smacked his lips after swallowing a
jorum of Hodgson's pale ale ; " so jist be
after giving me the smallest taste in life of
that tongue, for it's an elegant tit bit to wind
up with is that same." As this request was
addressed to myself, I sent him a couple of
slices of true gastronomic proportions, for I
was even so far back as six-and-twenty years
ago, of the opinion expressed to me at a
later period by my old and lamented friend

I (

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THK SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

209

poor Theodore Hook, that a man who cut
tongue thin and ham thick should be " cut''
himself by all his acquaintances.

After we had sipped a few glasses of old
Madeira, Mr. Hamilton suspected that
Captain Griffiths and myself were looking
out for a little of his good port, from one or
two glances that were interchanged between
us, and, not to keep us longer in suspense,
told us that he would not do his wine such
injustice as to draw a cork that evening ;
that we must wait patiently until the
following night, when he hoped it would be
in good order ; but to atone for any dis-
appointment as to the bee's-wing, he proposed
brewing a bowl of punch after the fashion of
the West India planters ; and that, as he
knew his materials to be unimpeachable, he
was convinced we should not object to the
substitute. " By the Powers !" said the
Major, " and a very pretty substitute you'll
fiiid it, boys : only don't drink too much of
it, for it's as mild as mother's milk, and if
you let it steal down your throats too often,

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THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

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the devil a snipe will you hit in the morning.
I spake from experience, for I found myself
in somebody else's bed after sucking a quart
of it."

While Dan was prevailing upon some
water to boil in a huge vessel in the kitchen,
we discussed one more bottle of Madeira, and
by the time the last glass was tossed off, he
made his appearance with a respectably-
sized bowl, an enormous jug of boiling water,
and a large paper-bag filled with sugar.
Our punch-maker then commenced opera-
tions, and having extracted from his secret
store a bottle of his matchless rum, his limes,
and a small pot of Guava-jellj^ he brewed
about a pint of green tea, or, as he termed
it, caught the aroma of two ounces of best
gunpowder, and the infusion finished, the
sugar, or rather two-thirds of the proportion
required, was dissolved in it. After the tea-
leaves had been thrown aside, the remainder
of the sugar was rubbed on the rind of the
limes, Mr. Hamilton observing, that the
essential oil which conveyed the exquisite

■t

THE SPORl'SMAN LV CANADA.

211

flavor was more equally distributed through-
out the compound than when the skin wus
peeled ; then the delicious acid of the fruit
was added to the already-impregnated sugar,
and as soon as the several lumps had im-
bibed the proportion required, the Guava-
jelly (and without this Occidental confection
no punch can be pronounced perfect) was
dissolved in a point or so of boiling water.

This done, the tea, the sweets and acid were
commingled, and the foundation, or sherbet,
tested by the experienced palate of the
" grand compounder :" six glasses of cognac,
two of Maderia, and the bottle of old rum
were added, and over all about a quart more
of boiling water, and, as a finishing touch,
the slightest possible sprinkling of nutmeg.
Here was the punch ; and, oh ye gods, what
punch ! it out-nectared nectar ! Such tipple
never before had passed my lips. I have in
the West Indies, since the period I am record-
ing, drunk some very luscious and fascinat-
ing mixtures very nearly resembling it ; but
I never knew it surpassed, if equalled, even

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212

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

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! •

in the tropical region of yellow fever and
land-crabs ; for my old friend Hamilton was
the best, the very best concoctor of punch I
ever met with. Whether it was the tea, the
limes, or the Guava-jelly, I will not pretend
to say ; but the truth must be told : Captain
Griffiths and myself were very curiously
' bosky" by ten o'clock ; and, as we were in-
formed the following morning by the Major
and Mr. Hamilton, poor Dan had a trouble-
some job of it in tucking us up for the night.
Our companions were old stagers, and knew
the danger that lurked beneath the concealed
strength of this insinuating mixture ; and I
believe we, the victims of this deceptive stuff,
afforded them no little amusement as its
effect worked on our inexperienced heads ;
for, if our tormentors spoke truly, we uttered
and committed numberless extravagances,
and were sent to b^d with a splendid pair of
moustaches each — ^at least so my own
looking-glass and Captain Griffith's Seraskier-
looking visage assuifed me in the morning.
We were aroused from our slumbers at

. /

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

213

eight o'clock, and having but a very indis-
tinct recollection of the previous night's pro-
ceeding, I was for the moment rather puzzled
to account for my being packed in so small
a room. The Major's good-humored face
soon dispelled all doubt, and I jumped from
mv couch without the slightest head-ache,
but as thirsty as a crocodile in a dry ditch.
The Major brought me a tumbler of rum-
and-milk brewed after his own fashion, and
a wonderful restorative I found it ; and by
the time I had performed my ablutions and
the sluicings, I was as ready to attack the
bieakfast as my more prudent elders.

Dan had been up with the lark and
washed our guns, so that everything was in
order for our day's work. The Major had
proposed beating down the swamp, for he
was led to believe we should find a greater
number of birds about two miles below the
village, a spot seldom beaten by the generality
of Sportsmen from Quebec, and where he had
two seasons before met with extraordinary
success. While we were sleeping off the

I, .

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214

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

ii.'

effects of our little debauch, he had walked
into the village, and having found out one
of the habitants, upon whose information he
could depend, he had gleaned from the com-
municative Canadian that the hecassines
were down below en masse. Having obtained
this desirable information, he returned to us,
and OS soon as we had despatched our
morning meal we put our guns together and
set off in high glee.

The only drawback upon unqualified en-
joyment in the swamp of Chateau Richer is
tlie number of gulleys and dykes by which it
is intersected. The wading through and
jumping over these infernal trenches is an-
noying in the extreme to the sanguine
shooter ; but in spite of these impediments
we shot our way downwards, and as much
in line as circumstances would admit of.
Captain Griffiths and myself felt the ill effects
of the insidious draughts of which we had
so heedlessly partaken on the previous night,
but we in time overcame all nervous feeling
and trepidation, and shot very respectably.

\\\

THE SrORTSMAN L\ CANADA.

213

As we left the village behind us, the birds
increased in number, and by the time we
liad traversed a mile of the marsh they were
literally and truly swarminfj around us. It
so happed that we vvere the first Sportsmen
who had come down for the season, and as
consequently not a gun had been fired
amongst the new arrrivals we had the cream
t)f the fun, and fun it was, as far as the shoot-
ing went. I had but one fault to find with
it, and that was the birds being too plentiful,
for in truth there were sufiicient even
scattered over the short distance I had
traversed to have stocked the Lincolnshire
fens for a century to come.

In sober earnest, the quantity of snipes
congregated in this said marsh of Chateau
Richer was, dans toute la force du terme,
marvellous. It so far exceeded my most
sanguine expectation at the time, and what
I have seen since in all the marshes I have
visited in diiferent parts of the world, that I
am rather apprehensive, in giving an account
of the prodigious slaughter committed by

< •

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216

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

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our party, of being classed with those
highly imaginative archers who are proverbial
for using long bows — or rather setting up
as a target the credulity of their friends,
and drawing upon it with their powers of
invention. But as 1 am not the only snipe-
shooter by many hundreds who have dealt
death and destruction amongst the Canadian
snipes in this unrivalled swamp, and as I
can conscientiously refer the Reader to one
and all of my fellow-countrymen who have
had the good fortune to sail up the St.
Lawrence, T stand not in awe of the
hackneyed sarcasm, "travellers tell strange
things ;" and as an honest chronicler I will
state facts, startling though they be, as they
fell under my own personal observation.

To resume then, fjefore twelve o'clock I
had expended my ammunition ; not a charge
of powder or shot had I left : and, as a
sigijal of distress, I held up my empty
powder-flask to the Major after giving him
a view-halloo to direct his attention to my
forlorn situation, He pointed to a large tree

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THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

217

those
^erbial
ing up
riends,
?ers of
snipe-
B dealt
nadian
id as I
to one
have
,he St.
)f the
strange
I will
as they
ion.
clock I
t charge
as a
empty
Qg him
to my
rge tree

about a couple of hundred yards from the
spot where I stood, and which appeared to
be close to the high road. I was not mis-
taken, for on reaching it, I found the estimable
Dan, with a basket containing canisters of
powder, a bag of shot, a huge bundle of tow,
and lots of wadding. — "Maybe your gun's
foul, Sir," said the civil feUow : " the Major
always makes this tree his randij-voiu, and I
wash his g\in when he's down here at this
spot, wh'ie he takes a small sup and rests
himself : there's a nice little spring quite
handy, and I'll have your barrels as clane as
new in no time." Whereupon he set to
work instanteVy and by the time my com-
panions joined me, my little " Nock" (one of
old Henry's, and the best little double for
covert I ever owned during the dynastj'' of
the flints) was ready for action again. All
the other guns stood in need of a similar
restorative, and while Dan was pumping
the filth out of the soiled barrels, we sat
down and compared notes, The Major had
^:illed close upon forty couple ; Mr. Hamilton

VOL. I. L

218

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA

■;■

nearly as many ; I had iiuuiaged to knock
over twenty-eight and a half; and Captain
GriflSths some three or four birds short of this
number : and this was the work of very
little more than three hours. Having refreshed
ourselves with a small drop of the "cratur",
diluted with some deliciously cool water from
the neighbouring rill, we betook ourselves
once more to the bog, as Dan would persist
in ciiUing it ; but before he took his leave
of us, or rather we of him, he informed his
master, that, in obedience to his instructions,
he had forwarded to Quebec by one of the
market-carts the snipes we had killed the
night before, the larger proportion to the
messman of the 103d Regiment, and the rest
to the caterer for the mess of the Royal
Artillery.

After thanking the provident Major for
thinking of my brother convives in, the Gar-
rison, I followed the example of my comrades,
and went to work right merrily, by no means
sorry to have emptied my pockets : indeed
we had all of us loaded Dan with our birds.

'\^\

knock
aptain
of this
f very
freshed
:ratur".
Br from
irselves
persist
3 leave
Qed his
ictions,
of the
ed the
the
le rest
Royal

or for

le Gar-

nrades,

means

indeed

birds,

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

219

which would scarcely have been eatable had
they remained in our pockets, jammed to a
mummy, and under so warm a sun as we
were out in ; for upon more than one occa-
sion, while shooting in Canada early in the
autumn, I liavc brought home snipes in a
state of putrefaction although not shot above
a few hours. Our afternoon's sport was fully
equivalent to that of the morning, and
although exceedingly tired and ov^austed by
our exertions, we returned home by five
o'clock in high glee at our success. My
pockets were crammed full of birds ; and
even at this distant period I can well re-
member the feeling of exultation with which
I displayed the proofs of my skill on the
dresser in the kitchen of Madame Fran^oise.
The sums total of the day's work ran as
follows : — Major Browne, 89 couple ; Mr.
Hamilton, 76i couple ; myself, 59 couple ;
and Captain Griffiths, 51^ couple. This must
to the European Reader 9|)pear extraordinary,
if not incredible : the statement, however,
is strictly and to the letter true ; and in
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THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

' MM

1 »;

corroboration of it I have only to add, that
in the early part of the fcJlowing season*
Major Browne and Mr. Hale, the Paymaster
General to the forces, did much more than
this — the former killing 116^ couple, and the
latter 111 couple ; but they were both first-
rate shots, and fell in with the birds as they
arrived in the swarms we found them.

Having washed off our mud and cleaned
ourselves, as Dan would have it, we fell to
at the prog like so many famished aldermen ;
and oh, joy of joys ! after dinner the long
wished-for green seal made its appearance :
the verdant wax was shaved off with a skill
that long practice alone renders perfect ; the
yielding, velvety cork was scientifically ab-
stracted, and the purple, bright, and fragrant
juice was soon transferred by the masterly
hand of its owner into an old narrow-necked
French decanter, which bore more resemblance
to an antique water-bottle than anything else,
but which I will be ^worn never before held
such exquisite stuff : only three bottles of
this nectar did we drink ; but the unspeak-

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

221

able comfort the contents afforded us is not
to be described.

We went to bed as sober as Father Mathew
himself, and repeated our visit to the swamp
on the following day. The birds were more
scattered, and not so numerous ; but our
sport was still excellent, as our messmates in
the Garrison could testify, for we supplied
them with snipes during our stay, reserving
only a few for our own consumption. We
remained until the Saturday, when, having
consumed everything eatable and drinkable,
and thinned this portion of the swamp very
perceptibly, we took boat with the flood-tide
after breakfast, and reached Quebec safe and
sound after six days of unqualified enjoyment
in the swamp of Chateau Pticher.

! i

222

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA,

CHAPTER VIIL

1-,i

I » i

A few observations on ^ns. — ITie merits of Flint
and Percussion compared and discussed. — Joe
Manton and other makers alluded to. — One more
visit to Jacques Cartier. — Extraordinary capture
of a magnificent salmon by a youth, with a bit of
rag and scarlet cloth on a rusty hook. — Dogs in
Canada — Mr. Brailsford's breed at Melton Mow-
bray, and his plan for ensuring a stud of good
dogs.

And now for a word about Guns. Some
respectable, middle-aged sportsmen, — the
"Quidnuncs" of what is termed the Old
School, are pleased to affirm that the flint-
guns of their day — I presume their retro-
spections carry them as far back as thirty

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

223

years since — shot stronger and consequently
killed at greater distances than the copper-
cap doubles of the present enlightened age.
With all due submission to these venerable
bigots, who wear cotton-shirts and put their
drawers on in bed, I take leave to state that
I cannot admit tho justice, and I might go
the length of adding, the truth, of the
observation. I am getting into the " sear
and yv^^'ow leaf" myself, seeing that I was
usheK I -0 this sinful world towards the
latter ena of the year 1794, and having
served my apprenticeship under the flint-
and-steel dynasty, and when out of my
time made myself master of the copper-cap
system, I may be permitted, by reason of
the experience acquired in the ardent pur-
suit of a favorite amusement, to give an
opinion on the relative merits of the two
systems, if such a term as " relative merits"
can be applied where comparison is out of
the question.

When one hears a sexagenarian disciple of
the Old School make the startling assertion

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224

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

i ' ' 11

that the flint-lock is superior to the percus-
sion principle, one naturally asks oneself a
few questions, and the first of these would
be, upon what basis does the old gentleman
found his opinion 1 Here is the question ;
but where is the answer 1 This I suspect
would be rather difficult to find. We all
know that a flint-lock is manufactured with
an encumbrance termed a pan, which, to
those of my more juvenile Readers who ha\e
never shot with any other than a percussion-
gun, may be compared in appearance to the
paddle-boxes of a steam-boat. This pan is
or was the receptacle for the priming,
which being ignited (every now and then)
by means of intermittent sparks from the
flint, communicated through the touch-hole
with the charge of powder in the chamber of
the barrel. But where was this said perfora-
tion termed touch-hole ? Why, in every gun
that was turned out of hand thirty years
ago, exactly where it should not have been —
introduced into the centt^e of the charge of
powder. What was the consequence ?

percus-
eself a
would
tleman
3stioii ;
suspect
We all
3d with
lich, to
bo ha\e
jussion-
to the
pan is
riming,
d then)
om the
ch-hole
nber of
3erfora-
erygun
y years
Deen —
arge of
uence ?

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

225

Simply this : from half the charge lying
before the orifice through which the ignition
was communicated, and the other half behind
it, the powder on exploding had a two fold
office to perform — a struggle for escape right
and left, at the back and front door ; and
by this double action, if I may so term it,
and not finding egress at the breach, an extra
degree of recoil was the result, and because
the gun kicked, as the phrase goes, the idea
was doubtless entertained that it shot stronger.
Now it is notorious that the weakest shoot-
ing guns recoil or kick more than any others,
lean readily imagine that a man who had been
accustomed for the first fifteen or twenty
years of his shooting existence to use the
flint-and-steel would find himself marvellous-
ly puzzled on taking the field with a
gun mounted on the copper-cap principle.
The distance he had been accustomed to
allow himself in firing before his birds would
infallibly cause him to miss every feather
he aimed at ; and as disappointment, if not
disgust, would as infallibly ensue, it is pos-
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2261

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA

sible, that, without giving the new system a
fair and patient trial, the old family slow-
coach double-barrel has been resumed. The
veteran sportsman, therefore, because he
has missed shots with an implement of
superior and quicker power — which shots
would have told with unerring effect with
his old trusty, rusty, fusty fowling-piece —
stigmatizes the novel invention, of the merits
of which he has not made himself master, by
roundly asserting that a flint-gun will carry
further than a percussion. In nineteen
cases out of twenty this is idle prejudice.
As far as reason and common sense can guide
us, I am of opinion that of the two the copper-
cap ought to be the harder-hitting and the
better-carrying gun. I have paid some at-
tention to and bestowed some pains upon
this subject, and my experience has enabled
me to come to the conclusion, that a
thoroughly well-made double by a first-rate
workman on the percussion principle does
carry further and vUl kill longer shots if
held straight than an> an on the old flint-

•

THE SrORTSMAX IN CANADA.

227

im. a

ilow-

The

e he

.t of

shots
with

ece —

DCierits

.er, by

. carry

Qeteen

feudice.
guide

opper-

iid the

me at-
upon
nabled
hat a

rst-rate
le does
shots if
d flint-

and-steel plan. I have owned, from the year
1 8 1 2 up to the present time, eight guns in all.

The first was a little b.jgi^ ^y Grierson of
Bond Street (flint) ; the second, a douU >
by Sykes of Oxford (ditto) ; the third, a
little double covert-gun, by Smith, now of
Princes Street, then of Lisle Street ; the
fourth a little double by H. Nock, the
fifth, a double, by old Joe Manton, then of
Edwards Street, Portman Square, made in
1817, with two sets of locks, flint-and-steel
and percussion ; the sixth, by Staudenmeyer
of Cockspur Street (altered to copper-cap) ;
the sixth, by John Manton of Dover Street
(copper-cap) ; and the eighth, by Westley
Richards (copper-cap and his patent primer).

It will be seen that I have afforded myself
ample opportunity for trying both systems ;
and I can unhesitatingly assert that not one
of the flint-guns (and they were top-sawyers
in their day) shot a yard further, if so far as
the copper-caps ; and of the whole eight,
the last, by Westley Richards, is the strong-
est and quickest-shooting gun by many

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THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

bL ,

degrees, and I will back it against any {llnt-
and-steel double of old Joe Manton's palmy
days that ever was turned out of his justly-
celebrated establishment.

The grand "desideratum," as far as my
humble judgment goes, is so to construct
barrels as that the orifice communicating
ignition may be placed at the extreme end
of the breach or chamber ; for the nearer
the inflammable material which causes ex-
plosion is introduced to the hinder grains of
powder, the greater will be the impetus
given to the discharge, as it will not only
acquire additional strength, but the fore a
will be more equable as well as sudden.
This I suspect to be the principal secret of
Westley Richards's guns shooting stronger
and sharper than any others ; and if any
of my readers will take the trouble of
paying a visit to that worthy and honest
prelate, the " Bishop" of Bond Street, who is
the appointed and approved agent for the
sale of Mr. Richards's guns, they will have
an opportunity of seeing some of the most

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

229

' {lint-
palmy
justly-

as my
nstruct
licating
me end

nearer
ises ex-
rains of
mpetus
ot only
e fore 3
sudden,
lecret of
stronger

if any
uble of

honest

, who is

for the

ill have

be most

perfect specimens of workmanship, and of
examining the manner in which the nipple
is inserted in the breach.

It is as far back as is consistent with
safety, and (if anything) behind the last
grain of powder in the chamber; so that
the whole charge is propelled forward
instead of the powder being permitted to
struggle for vent by becoming ignited in the
centre of the compressed mass.

The advocates of the ancient system
admit that a copper-cap gun shoots sharper
than the flint-and-steel As this is a self-
evident axiom, may we not fairly ask, " and
why should they not shoot stronger also ?"
I will appeal to any sportsman of fair and
honourable repute, and whose word is
unquestionable, if he have not fairly killed
his birds at greater distances and with
greater certainty since the introduction of
copper-caps than before ; and I anticipate
from the impartial Reader a ready affirma-
tive.

The gun No. 7, which I have alluded

Hi I

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230

THE SPORTSMAN IX CANADA.

*i A

to, and made by Mr. John Manton of Dover
Street, was an excellent one, and I was sure
of killing longer shots with it than I ever
could reckon upon with any of its five
predecessors. I had it with mc in Brittany,
and its powers of throwing a ball with
unerring precision were extraordinary.

It made sad havoc amongst the wild ^
boar ; it was almost equal to a rifle in this
respect : but the Dover Street guns are
renowned for this qualification.

I am bound, however, in justice to Mr.
Westley Richards, to say, that for fur and
feather (I have never tried it at bristles) the
last on my list. No. 8, the gun I now
possess, is the very best I certainly ever
owned or ever saw. In point of workman-
ship and finish it never was surpassed, if
equalled, and its powers of throwing shot
are wonderful — strength, concentration, and
that rare quality, an equi-distant distribution
of the pellets, being all combined in this
invaluable weapon.

The Reader may form some idea of its

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

231

its

extraordinary exoellence when I state that
I have killed hares and rabbits at sixty-
five and seventy yards, partridges at seventy-
six, seventy-seven, and seventy-nine yards,
the distances all measured, and last season
I killed a jack-snipe at the almost in-
credible distance of eighty-five yards,
measured also; but it was with one of
Eley's wire-cartridges ; the others were
loose shot.

On one occasion, about two years since,
during a private pigeon-match which was
being shot off in Mr. Croft's Park at Green-
ham Lodge, near Newbury, as I was amusing
myself by playing the part of an outskirter
and having a pop at the missed birds, I
brought one down, stone dead, at fifty-seven
yards with No. 6 shot ; and it will be
admitted that a double-barrelled gun must
be a clipper that will do this, as my Readers
do not require to be told that a pigeon, a
good stout blue rock, takes a stinging dose
of shot, with plenty of impetus to boot,
to bring him down.

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THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

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I never knew a flint-gun to conic near
this in point of execution ; but sliould any
stubborn sceptic be found who would wish
to try the experiment, I shall be happy to
make a match with him in the field or from
a trap at any distance he may name and
for any sum he pleases.

Before I conclude this (I fear) rather
prosy prelude on guns, I must be permitted
to say that Mr. Westley Richards is entitled
to the thanks as well as the good opinion of
every Knight of the Trigger, not only for
supplying them with unmatchable doubles,
but for having set an example well worthy
of imitation by his competitors in the craft
— that of charging a reasonable price for a
first-rate article. Mr. Westley Richards is
satisfied with a fair remunerating profit :
the consequence is that he has more
customers than any one in the trade, and
amongst them the most influential sportsmen
of the present day.

Mr. Richards is a theoretical as well as
practical artist, and from the earliest period

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

233

of his acquiring an insight into the art and
mystery of gun-making, his whole aim and
study have been the bringing to perfection
the double-barrelled fowling-piece ; and I
should not be far wrong in asserting that
not a day passes without his devising ome
plan or alteration whereby an improvement
may be effected.

The new patent primer may be cited as
an example ; and I deem it so perfect and
at the same time so simple an invention,
that it must in the end supersede the copper-
cap. It is nearly as much quicker than the
copper-cap as the copper-cap is to the flint.
I have neither time nor space at this moment
to recapitulate its surpassing merits, or to
enter into an elaborate description of the
principle, I will therefore merely ^ofer the
Reader to that most urbane, intelh^cut and
gentlemanlike dignitary, the honest " Bishop"
of Bond Street, who will not only readily
and comprehensively explain the nature of
this ingenious and ef Icacious invention, but
will deliver a sound and practical orthodox

.'I

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THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

as well as eloquent discourse on the superior
merits of Mr. Westley Richards's super-
naculums ; and to quote the Reverend
Bishop's emphatic words, " it's a pleasure to
be hilled by one of his guns"

But it is time to hop across the Atlantic
once more, and learn how the war was
carried on in the Garrison of Quebec during
the year 1816.

Before, however, I resume the thread of
my narrative, I may here state, that one
evening after our return from Chateau
Richer, as Major Brown and myself were
discussing some of Mr. Hamilton's exquisite
Port wine at his hospitable table, the
subject of guns was introduced, and the
merits of the several masters of that day
duly canvassed.

The result of this learned disquisition by
" The Council of Three" was my being
deputed to order as many guns from the
celebrated Joe Manton, at that period living
in Edwards Street Portman Square.

There was not any restriction as to price,

'^V

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

235

and as a near and kind relative had placed
a hundred pounds at my disposal for the
purchase of a good double, my letter to Mr.
Manton gave him carte blanche, and he was
requested to send out by the earliest of the
spring ships three guns of his best make,
and with every improvement that he had
recently introduced to the notice of the
sportsman.

On the 8th of May of the following
spring it came to pass, oddly enough, that
Major Browne and myself were dining with
Mr. Hamilton when the " Eweretta," generally
the first ship of the season, rounded the Point
and groped her way through the fragments
ol broken ice into the Basin of Quebec,
Ere the second course was commenced, a
servant was despatched to the Lower Town
with directions to take boat and proceed on
board to inquire if a case had been shipped,
directed to myself. As we were sipping
our second bottle of nectar, the messenger
returned, followed by a cart, in which, to
our great joy, was a most respectable-looking

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236

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

<i<

i!,J,

deal package superscribed with my patro-
nymic. The welcome box was forthwith
brought into the dining-room, and by aid of
hammer and chisel the lid removed.

The ancient custom of seniores priores was
here acted upon. The Major took the first
gun-case, Mr. Hamilton the second, and
myself the third and last ; and, strange to
say, they were so parcelled out by Mr.
Manton ; for, on opening the brass-bound
mahogany, the names of each of us were
legibly written on one of the wrappers.

The price charged by Joe Manton in
those days for one of his doubles was
seventy guineas, without extras; and we
found, by an interesting memorandum in
one of the compartments of our gun-cases,
that we were to pay ten guineas for an
extra set of detonating locks, and a like sum
for a little ki'^kshaw appended to the lock-
plate, having for its title " the gravitating
stop," and for its object the prevention of
suicide while loading one barrel with the
other cocked.

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

237

' W,

It was a pretty bauble to look at, and
cert-ainly answered the purpose for which it
was intended ; and as far as the preservation
of the lives of children and cockneys went,
it was an exceedingly humane adoption :
but for a sportsman, and the man who
knew how to handle a gun in the field, it
was a superfluous if not a useless appendage,
and adding an unnecessary expense to an
already-overcharged (pecuniarily speaking)
gun.

No three school-boys with a new toy
could have exhibited more anxiety to inspect
its construction than we did in the examina-
tion of our newly-imported doubles. Nothing
was wanting to please the eye : the guns
were finished and turned out of hand in the
best possible style, and the fitting-up of the
cases and all the concomitant furniture and
appurtenances were complete in every respect.
The price, however, was somewhat start-
ling : for ninety guineas one has a right to look
for something out of the common way.
Having amused ourselves by a minute in-

i^t

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238

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

spection of our splendid acquisitions, we sat
down to our Port, and in honor of the
occasion tapped a magnum, and, while
quaffing the generous juice, resolved upon
paying a visit to the corn-fields above the
village of Beauport, on the Montmorency-
road, about three miles from the Garrison,
for the purpose of trying our Joe Manton's.
In the spring of the year the snipes are
generally found in the higher grounds, at
least in Canada ; and by ten o'clock the
following morning we were at the appointed
spot. We found a very fair sprinkling of
birds, and Major Browne and Mr. Hamilton
floored the long-bills right and left : in fact,
they made some extraordinary shots, par-
ticularly the Major, who was in ecstasies with
the performance of his new purchase. But
how sh all I describe my own mortification !
Not a feather could I touch. The first four
or five shots which I missed I attributed to an
over-dose of the good stuff from the magnum
of which I had partaken on the previous
night ; but when some ten or dozen snipes

'W.

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THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

239

got away unscathed, I began to suspect that
a screw must be loose somewhere.

The gun had the same mount as my little
double (No. 3) made by Smith : it came up
handily and well, and to all appearance
suited me admirably. The Major and Mr.
Hamilton, having pretty well thinned the
fields of snipe, proposed an adjournment to
the banks of the River Charles in the marshes
near the town. Before we did so, I was re-
solved upon trying my own gun by firing at
a sheet of paper, for, as may readily be
imagined, I was by no means satisfied with
the result of the morning's experiment.
" Wait a bit," and the Major, ' until we have
put a sandwich or two under our belts, and
then may be I'll be after lending you a
newspaper to blaze at, for I've some pretty
slices of tongue, consoled in some bread-and-
butter, and when we've finished them you
shall drill some holes through its advertising
page." Having partaken of the provident
Major's luncheon, half a sheet of the journal
was fastened to a tree, and having stationed

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240

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

[.?<i

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myself at thirty yards distance I fired a re-
spectable dose of No. 8 at it, but not a pellet
struck the paper ! I then decreased the
distance to five-and-twenty yards, and at the
second trial some two or three shot perforated
the paper, but so widely that it was evident the
gun scattered to an unusual degree, and from
repeated experiments I subsequently made, I
found the gun was next to useless — one
could hardly make sure of hitting a barn-door
at ten paces. Of one thing I am quite posi-
tive, that so perfectly harmless a weapon was
never made : it scattered to an extent
perfectly incredible. This may be quoted
as one of the very many slices of ill-luck
which have befallen me through life. In
justice, however, to Mr. Manton, it is but fair
to say that the guns which fell to the share
of Major Browne and Mr. Hamilton were
superlatively good, especially the Major's,
which was a clipper in every sense of the
word,

I have seen him make some wonderful
shots with it, and if it had a fault it was

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

241

that of carrying its shot too closely. The
gun was returned to ]\Ir. Manton, -who, I am
sorry to say, only allowed thirty pounds for it
w^hen exchanged for another, and I think the
reader will agree with me that sixty guineas
was rather too much to lose. Such, however,
was the case. This anecdote of my Joe
Manton gun has carried me into the year
1817 rather before the time, so, with the
reader's permission, we will skip back to the
month of September 1816, when my com-
panions and myself had returned from
Chateau Richer after our successful trip to
the marshes.

The season for salmon-fishing was drawing
to a close, and as I was anxious for another
trial on the Jacques Cartier River, I started
for the Widow's cottage at the foot of the
Bridge with Mr. Coultman of the 76th Regt.,
a capital fisherman, inferior only to the
Major, and a youth of sixteen, the son of
Captain Bvarrington of the 60th Rifles, brother
to the celebrated Sir Jonah of that name.
A light, four-wheeled American waggon held

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242

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

I J'

US and our prog, and the Widow accom-
modated us in her usual comfortable manner.
Having arrived late in the evening, we did
not commence operations until the following
morning. We were by the river's side soon
after day-light, but we did nothing : our
young companion killed a few small trout
below the Fall, but neither ^Ir. Coultman
nor myself rose a salmon.

jV bout two o'clock in the afternoon we re-
turned to the Hospital pool, but for the first
hour we did not get a rise. Soon after
three, however, I hooked a fine fish, which
made for the bottom, and, as ill-luck would
have it, he ensconced himself beneath a pro-
jecting shelving of rock which was as sharp
as an oystcr-shcll. My foot-line became
flistened in some crevice, from which it was
impossible to extricate it. The salmon, how-
ever, which we had most industriously pelted,
having reco\ered from his fit of the sulks,
made a rush for the centre of the stream,
and in his struggle snapped my twisted-gut,
and went jumping and capering off with one

THE SPOKTSMAN IN CANADA.

243

accom-
Qanner.
we (lid
llowing
de soon
J : our
.1 trout
mltman

I we re-
:he first
•n after
which
would
a pro-
.8 sharp
became
it was
11, how-
pelted,
sulks,
stream,
ed-gut,
ith one

of my best flies in his jaws ; and to add to
my mortification, I lost nearly all my foot
length before I could extricate my line from
its stronghold. Nothing daunted, liowcver,
I set to work again, but the salmon would not
notice our flies, although Mr. Coultman and
myself had as goodly and likely a collection
as any pair of piscators need have desired.
Young Barrington, having watched us for
some time, came laughingly up to me, and
said,

" Look here, Mr. Tolfrey, my little si^tcY
(a chubby rosy-cheeked urchin of ten years
old) heard me say the night before last that
I was coming up to Jacques Cartier witli you
to catch salmon, and she tied me a fly on
one of my father's hooks : here it is, and I
will have a try now, since you can't catcli
any." Now this said fly was neither more
nor less than some strips of white rag
wrapped round a large unwieldy liook, and
by way of a tail the little minx iiad tied a
piece of scarlet cloth. Young Barrington's
rod was little better than a hazel twig, but
M 3

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244

THE SPORTSMAN !X CANADA.

liis line (composed of packthread principally)
was honored by a winch-reel fastened in the
most uncouth manner possible to the but-
end. Well, the boy went to the head of the
pool, and made a surprisingly good cast :
I could not help watching him, for he set
about his task in the most good-humored
manner possible, and with all the fun and
insouciance which are inseparable from the
thorough-bred Irishman. At the second cast,
up came a splendid fish, took the white and
red rag, and went down the stream at a
racing pace. The boy ran on with him
shouting and screaming, and calling for me
to come to his assistance. I went to his side,
and told him to take it coolly ; but the
youngster trembled so from anxiety and ex-
citement that I took the rod from his hand,
and did my best to secure his magnificent
prize.

I had my misgivings as to the tackle ; but,
strange to say, by dint of great caution and
manoeuvring, we succeeded in landing one of
the finest salmon I ever saw taken in the

sf.

..»»»., »*<!«tt»#»«»-»

THE SPORTSMAN LN CANADA.

24i5

Jacques Cartier River : it weighed sixteen
pounds and an ounce or two, and was in
splendid condition. As good-luck v luld
have it, the packthread, by twisting and un-
ravelling, had by some accident taken a turn
or two round the head of the fish, and had
thus materially assisted in the capture. Our
young companion had fairly the laugh against
us ; for there were we, with a choice col-
lection of splendid flies, tied expressly for the
water, unable to rise a fish, while he, with
literally a piece of rag, had captured a
beautiful salmon. I mention this fact — and
it occurred precisely as I have related it — to
shew how capricious and fanciful the finny
tribe are occasionally ; and I am certain
that neither before nor since has a salmon
been taken with so unsightly a bait or with
such extraordinary tackle. If ray old friends
Captain Barrington and Captain Coultman
be in the land of the living, and should
happen to honor my book by a perusal, they
will not fail to recollect the circumstance.
I have the pleasure of being acquainted

246

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

i' '

with a first-rate trout-fislicr, who, unlike the
generality of his brethren in the gentle art,
pays no attention to the description of fly
which may be on tlie water, but for the most
part selects from his book those of a totally
opposite character and color ; and I am bound
to admit he fills his creel as speedily, if not
more so, than others who endeavor to copy
nature. As far as contrast goes, there cannot
be a better example quoted than the one I
have given ; for young Charles Barrington's
achievement would tend to confirm the old
adage tht.t " variety is charming.^' We re-
mained at Jacques Cartier for one more day.
Mr. Coultman and myself did succeed in
killing a small salmon each and a few trout,
but on the whole we were disappointed in
our sport. I must not omit to mention that
my young friend Charley, like a dutiful son
and afiectionate brother, sent his lucky cap-
ture up to Quebec the same evening by the
mail-cart, with a letter to his ingenious little
sister, thanking her for having tied him so
captivating a fly.

ii' '

THE SrORTSMAN IX CANADA.

247

iim so

This was my last excursion to Jacques
Cartier for the year 181G, but I fouiul plenty
of practice for tlie trout-rod in the River
Charles, about two or three miles above
Quebec, as well as in the River Chaudiere,
above and below the Falls on the South side
of the River St. Lawrence. This beautiful
stream runs into the St. Lawrence about two
miles above Quebec, nearly opposite Wolfe's
Cove, and works the extensive saw-mills the
property of the late Sir John Caldwell, then
the Receiver- General of the Province, which
are situated on its bank. At the tail of the
dam I have frequently met with excellent
sport, as well as immediately under the
beautiful Fall of the Chaudiere, about three
miles up the stream. If any of my brother
fishermen should perchance visit the capital
of Lower C.aiada, and heed not a walk of
two miles and upwards through a swamp
and thick brushwood, I can assure them that
they will be amply rewarded for their labor
by going as far as they can penetrate above
the Falls.

It'

248

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA,

ivi

I discovered the secret accidentally, in
consequence of having accompanied an in-
timate friend on a pedestrian expedition np
this river, which he was engaged to survey
as an Officer of Engineers by the Legislative
Assembly of Lower Canada. Captain Catty
and myself set out on this exploring tour,
accompanied by Indian and Canadian guides,
bivouacking in the woods and living al fresco.
While he was employed in taking bearings,
levels, sights, distances, and other little tri-
gonometrical and geometrical observations, I
amused myself with my trout-rod, and it is
more than probable that an artificial fly had
never been thrown on that water before.

My talented companion had no reason to
regret my having armed myself with my
fishing-tackle, for during the week we were
out in the woodt. I supplied the whole party
with trout, which were dressed by our fol-
lowers in the most primeval manner imagin-
able. The fish were particularly well-flavored
and delicate ; so that, with cold ham,
tongues, biscuits, and plenty of cognac and

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

249

lly, in

an in-

,ion up

survey

islative

L Catty

J tour,

guides,

fresco.

jarings,

:tle tri-

tions, I

id it is

ay had

ire.

iSOll to
til my
were
party
ur fol-
magin-
avored J

ham,
ic and

cigars, we contrived to pass our evenings in
the "wigwam very cheerfully ; and I know
not when I passed six days more agreeably
than with this well-informed and gentleman-
like companion.

Captain Catty subsequently completed his
survey of the Chaudiere, having ascended
nearly to its source, and he was compli.
mented by the House of Assembly for the
able manner in which the arduous and diffi-
cult task hod been performed. Poor fellow !
he is one of the very many of my old Canadian
friends who have been taken away ; and but
few remain of those kindred spirits with
whom I was on the most intimate terms and
in daily and hourly intercourse. But a truce
to melancholy reflections ! Let us " return
to our muttons," as the French schooimaster
says.

There is very good trout-fishing in the
neighbourhood of Quebec. In the Montmo-
rency River the fish are numerous, but
never run to a large size, seldom exceeding
half a pound, and but few even up to that
5 M

•J*

?; n

Jii

950

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

V U

weight : small dark flies are the best for this
river. In the Chaudiere, a showy red palmer,
brown drake, red ant, and yellow dun will
be found the most taking. In the Charles,
dark flies must be used also : brown palmers,
spiders, blue duns, hawthorn and willow flies,
all dressed on larger hooks, will commuud suc-
cess. In the upper part of the Charles,
towards Old Lorette, there is very capital
pike-fishing at the bend of the river in the
still- water. In this, as well as all the smaller
rivers in Lower Canada, will be found a
voracious and very delicate fish called the
Poisson Bore. It aff'ords capital sport, and
is taken either with a li\e-bait or by trolling.
I have killed as many as a dozen and a half
during a morning's fishing : they average
from a pound and a half to three or four
in weight, and afford very pretty picking.

The Major, Captain Griffiths, Mr. Hamil-
ton, and myself, made three or four trips to
Chateau Richer during the latter part of
September and the month of October, and
•eat was the slaughter we committed.

^■AYi.iiit'(^-ii>^!:t'^^'^**^^iyk¥'i^»i'40>'i^^

*V)^

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

251

Img.
half

Those of my brother bog-trotters wlio may
have had the good fortune to wade througli
a Canadian swamp will bear me out in tlie
assertion that the saipes are finer and fatter
in North America than in any other quarter
of the globe : they are in truth splendid
birds, and superior in flavour to the Euro-
pean or Asiatic migratories. The woodcocks,
however, are very much smaller, and inferior
as a luxury for the table to our birds at
home : they differ materially in colour also :
their plumage lias a light reddish tinge, which
to the covert-shooter on his first essay in a
North American wood, is apt to take him
by surprise ; so much so that a friend of
mine, on bringing down one of th-.i^;''; birds
for the first time, called out to me and owore
he had killed a double robin red-breit A
Canadian partridge, or at least the thing so
called, for it is a libel on our plump and
juicy bird to designate it as a partridge, is
a dry, stringy, tasteless (no not tasteless, for
it is a mass of turpentine) morsel ; it par-
takes (in appearance at least) more of the

:!'

THE SPORTSMAN IX CA>^ADA.

ptarmigan : it is never found in stubble or
field, but it perclies on the pine tree, and
from feeding on the berry, mast, and gum,
its flesh is so strongly impregnated with the
turpentine which exudes from the bark, that
the only chewable substance to which 1 can
compare it is a piece of deal board — phaugh !
the very recollection of this pitch-pine
abomination makes me shudder to this very
day ! To make up for field-shooting, how-
ever, the swamps afi'ord the finest sport it is
possible to conceive : the snipe-shooter of
Europe can form no idea of it ; and the
enthusiast in this exciting sport would be
amply repaid by a visit to the marsh of
Chateau Richer ; and he would moreover
have an opportunity of seeing the finest
country in the world. The trip to Xew
York, in these days of steam navigation, is
performed in a fortnight. From the States
let him proceed to Upper Canada, visit the
Falls of Niagara, cross Lake Erie to King-
ston, come down the Ottowa, and " hi
presto 1" he will find himself at Montreal,

/?)

i^ifertB**W M. I | .> < »M i*wa i i . i'ir. -

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

253

only one hundred and eighty miles from
Quebec.

In the days I write of, good dogs were
scarce in the capital of Lower Canada ; but
there have doubtless been many excellent
sportsmen there of late years, who have
left a good breed of setters and pointers be-
hind them. The Guards, tlie Seventh
Hussars, and the Royals, I have no doubt
took out some high-bred ones with them.
In the year 1816, however, so much atten-
tion was not paid to the breeding and
judicious crossing of tliese valuable and
useful animals as in the present day : and
even in this enlightened age much remains
to be done ; for while cups aiid prizes are
held ot;i as rewards to the breeders and run-
ners of greyhounds, and enormous sums are
given for pet- spaniels with pug-noses — (why
not cross them with a Coast-of-Guinca Nig-
ger, and make them quite flat '() those noble
animals, the setter and the pointer, are com-
paratively neglected. It is strange that no
one of our aristocracy should have originated

254

THE SPORTSMAN L\ CANADA.

the idea of encouraging the improvement in
the breed of these useful allies in the field ;
but a suggestion has been made, and that
too by a practical man, and one well quali-
fied to carry out the idea, which he has with
praiseworthy zeal given publicity to. This
individual is j\lr. Brailsford, the celebrated
dog-breeder and breaker of ^lelton Mowbray.
He has addressed an admirable letter to the
Editor of BeWs Life in London, dated, I
think, on the 19th of February 1843. In
this manly, straightforward communication
he stands forward as the champion of our
four footed-companions in the field. ^Ir.
Brailsford proposes, as an encouragement to
dog-breeders, that a cup, prize, or sweep-
stakes should be contended for in the field
before competent judges, and that the dog
which behaves the best and gets the greatest
number of points :• louid reward his owner,
breeder, and brc.'aker, by winning for him
the purse or cup. Mr. Brailsford's reputa-
tion as a breeder of rfctters and pointers is
well established. There is no man in Enir-

■:_mm^

t{f--=aaahianiilrt»i imn nii i ^-»i|fff"t«ff|iMrw||i-i|f|l||,nnM;ttnt||,iimrf

THE SPORrSMAN IX CANADA.

255

land who possesses so fine a stud of high-
bred dogs, and certes no man has sent such
splendid specimens from his kennels. All
our influential sportsmen and crack shots of
the day have been supplied by him, and
those matchless animals wliich Lord Cheste-
field lately disposed of \Yere all bred by Mr.
Brailsford. I trust and hope that some
public-spirited individual will second this
admirably conceived idea, and that some of
our nobleman and landed proprietors, all of
whom shine conspicuously in the field, will
afford him the benefit of their countenance
and support, not so much for his individual
advantage, as with a view to the melioration
and perfection of the breed of those noble
and most intelligent animals which contri-
bute so largely to our amusement.

Half the

dogs

miscalled sett-^rs and

pointers are mongrels ; and it is only by
pu'olic exhibition, as well as competition,
that the true merits of a really thorough-
bred dog can be tested. There are more
curs shot over during a season tlian people

■ it

'hi

i«

.»
■t'

m,M^^:i

256

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

■il;

f'1

are aware of ; and I for one hope to see the
day when the breeding of setters and
pointers will occupy tlie attention of my
brother sportsmen, which I am convinced has
only to be awakened to induce them to fall
in with Mr. Brailsford's suggestion, who de-
serves the thanks of every true lover of the
dog and gun for having started the idea, and
I wish him every success in his projected
enterprise.

Here I am disgressing again from Canada
to Melton iMowbray ; but as our shooting
season at Quebec was dravving to a close,
I ventured to say a word or two about a
good dog, without which the sportsman in
Canada would be out of his element. Our
winter commenced on the seventh of
November ; but a Canadian winter is a
winter per se, and is deserving of a separate
chapter to do it justice.

;;i

■RM, : -■ttaifiimitiniaMHi'i.UiMi^'U

THE SPORTSMAN' IN CANADA.

257

CHAPTER IX.

t i-

Canadian Winter. — The "Pont." — Sleighing. — Cana-
dian Houses. — Cahots. — The Habitans. — Dress for
Cold Weather, — Emigrants and Settlers. — Dis-
tress of the Impoverished Farmer and Labourer. —
Relief afforded by Private Theatricals, and the
Military Araateura. — Wild Turkey and Black
Duck. — The Canadas, a Pleasant Couutry for
Half-pay-othcers.

'41

III

1:1

1 -l •(!

Those of my Readers who liave never left
the firesides of their family mansions, or
migrated from the shores of Old England,
can form no idea of a Canadian winter.
The contrast presented to the eye of the
new comer is as extraordinary as it is
striking • and yet this consists not so much

Via

258

THE SrORTSMAX IN CANADA.

in the extreme cold — intense though it be —
as in the startling appearance of the face ' ^
the country ; to say nothing of driving over
hedges and ditches (for the face of the earth
is not seen from the first week in November
to the first week in ^lay), the various
vehicles of high and low degree, the sleighs,
the sledges, the carrioles, and train eaux —
the dresses of the drivers, the costume of
the Ilahitans — the bufialo-hides and bear-
skins hung over the carriages — the furs, the

in short, I could fill a chapter, if not a

volume, in attempting a description of a
Canadian climate and a Canadian carriage.

The climate of Canada rejoicos in the
two extremes of heat and cold — an Oriental
maximum in the summer, and a Russian
minimum in the winter.

The heat in the months of July and
August is oppressive beyond conception ;
and in the winter — odds fingers and toes !
we tarnation " Brittainers," as the Yankees
call us, can form no idea of the intensity ol
the cold : but in spite of this chilling draw-

THE SrORTSMAN IX CANADA.

259

back it is a most delightful season ; and
the snow once on tlic ground, tlie atmosphere
is cleared, a bright and cloudless sky sheds
a gladdening ray over the glittori surface
on which you walk or drive, while ao, dry,
elastic air cheers and exhilarates the spirits.
The houses are of course adapted to the
climate — double windowshermetically scaled ;
while the interiors arc kept at an even
temperature by stoves and Hues running
through the apartment.

The sojourner in Canada sho.dd bo well
armed against the cold in the way of clothing.
All the great-coats, box-coats, pilot-coats,
cloaks, Taglionis, and Avi'appers of every
kind that man ever wore, will avail not
unless there be an undercasing of chamois
leather. An invisible waistcoat with con-
tinuations to match of this impervious
material are worth all the woollen materials
that ever came from Manchester. A leatliern-
casing worn over the under-drapery will bid
defiance to the keenest blast that ever chilled
the North American traveller : and the

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260

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

usual winter-garments of our own climate
will suffice with the hidden precaution 1
have made mention of.

The Canadians of high and low degree
invariably adopt a fur or seal-skin cap for
winter-wear ; but a stout beaver hat of an
extra size, to admit of a strong lining
throughout of the aforesaid chamois leather,
will Ije found a more comfortable covering
for the head -piece.

To proceed to extremities — a word about
the feet : the Indian moccasin is the light-
est, warmest, and best protection ; a large
boot made of cloth with a sole of felt is a
favorite adoption with some ; but a moccasin
over an easy boot is the best of all.

But methinks I hear the impatient Reader
exclaim, " This is all very well ; but the
nose — what is to become of the nose V
Ay ! there's the rub, as I shall presently
show.

A Canadian Frost is no respecter of
persons ; his rude, uncouth hand twitches
the prominent feature of all : and well do I

V.r-i!»i«J»i-..-9U-<«

>.4Mf«rH^'(ttf.4i»ti'

THE SPORTSMAN IX CANADA.

261

:liniatc
ition 1

degree

:ap for

of an

lining

leather,

overing

[ about
e light-
a large
bit is a
occasin

Reader
ut the
nose i
esently

;ter of
rvitches
dl do I

remember, in tlic first weelc of my campaign,
when a private of one of the Regiments
came to up me, and saluting me with his right
hand, ru])l)cd my nose most unceremoniously
with his left. To draw Ijack, Avith a
clenched fist preparatory to knocking the
fellow down, was the work of a moment ;
but ere I had carried into effect this pug-
nacious resolution, the man had retreated,
and respectfully announced that the most
remarkable feature in my countenance was
frost-bitten, and that unless I submitted to
instant friction with a bountiful application
of snow, I should in all probability rue the
consequences, and carry with me, to say the
least, very equivocal symptoms of having
been deprived of my nasal proportions in a
less glorious cause. I gave the fellow a
trifling reward for his timely assistance, and
have frequently tendered a similar service
to the greenhorns. The sensation attendant
upon returning circulation in the proboscis
is painful in the extreme ; and but for
pulling one another's noses occasionally,

2G2

THE SPORTSMAN L\ CANADA.

some of my Canadian friends would have cut
but sorry figures at tlie present day.

One of the principal amusements during a
Canadian winter is the sleighing, and a most
delightful one it is. Some of the equipages
arc fitted up v.'ith great taste and at a
considerable expense. The Canadian gentle-
men decorate their vehicles Mith costly furs,
some of them being lined throughout with
this handsome material.

Tlie ordinary sleigh or carriole, as used
bv the iii]iabitants, is on low runners
or sledges ; and from the body of the
carriage beinnj so near the crround, tlie
driver is so much below his horse as to
have but little command over him.

The common country traineau, as used by
the Iluhllans, is open to the same objection ;
and from the floor of the vehicle, if I may
so express myself, being so close to the
surface over wiiicli it passes, the loose snow
is driven before it in heaps, and the hillocks
so formed are termed bv the Natives cahots.
Of all the afflictions under Heaven, the

W..jJBy^iAUM.i^ « » it 'i i a i »^r;i -^-^«.w«<uiai^***i6aUitillKl»t».ttiH^u*'

THE SPORTSMAN IX CANADA.

263

ised by
ction ;
I may
the
snow
illocks
xdiots.
\.\, the

driving over those dislocating unevennesses
is beyond compare the greatest ; the undu-
latory motion caused by these frozen, national
nuisances can be compared to nothing but a
badly-stcercd ship in the Bay of Biscay
against a licad-wind, with tlie additional
misery of being mercilessly bumped and
shaken to the excruciating pitch of losing
every tooth in your head.

Tliis abomination, however, is onlv to be
met witli on the high and nmch-frequented
roads, or where tlie snow has not become
sufficiently hardened before the traffic be-
comes general.

On the rivers the driving is remarkably
pleasant : the draft to the horse is nothing ;
in fact, he has little else to do than to get
out of the way of the carriage.

All my fellow-countrymen, especially
those who at home had i^nbiljed a taste for
coaching, invariably adopted the high-runner;
and if the Legislature were to enact a law
prohibiting the use of tiio traineau and low
sledge throughout the country, much iucon-

t ii

264

THE SPORTSMAN L\ CANADA.

I'H

veiiicnce would be avoided, and considerable
good would result to every class in the coni-
niunitj ; ])ut tlie French Canadian is a
bigot, and could no more be induced to adopt
an innovation (although he might be com-
pelled doggedly to admit the ulterior benefit
to himself) than Mr. Joseph Hume to
forego his parliamentary calculations.

The motion of a sleigh when driven over
a smooth surface is remarkably pleasant ;
and the velocity with which you travel, and
with such apparent case to the horse, adds
much to the enjoyment.

It was my good fortune in this my first
winter to see what is termed by the Natives
the Prnit — that is, the River St. Lawrence
frozen over from the town across the basin
to Point Levi, a distance of one mile and a
quarter. This happens but once in every
four or five years, and then only when the
season happens to be an unusually severe
one. The winter of 1816-17 was a pinch-
ing one dans toute la force du terme, and
for a Johnny Newcome a better specimen of

. ■klmK )l ^'iit* :iWt-s,'SiU-.:'ti

n-'i^Mj^ itimimmmttmutiiWKn

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

2G5

a Canadian climate could not have been
aflforded mc.

By the month of January, I had, by dint
of observation as well as unremitting practice,
acquired some little knowledge in the art
and mystery of sleigh-driving ; and having
also gained a few wrinkles from ray more
experienced brother-dragsmen, I started from
Quebec to Montreal, a distance of two
hundred miles, on a visit to my old friend
and fellow-passenger the Cornet, whose
regiment (the 19th Dragoons) was quartered
at Chambly, a cavalry station on the South
side of the St. Lawrence opposite Montreal,
and distant from that town — I beg its pardon
— city — some eight or nine miles. I drove
the whole of the way on the ice, and as but
little snow had fallen after the Pont had
taken, the travelling was particularly
pleasant. I returned by the grande routey
and was jolted to a mummy by the time I
reached my journey's end — I shudder to this
day at the bare mention of the word cahot,
I am told, that, in spite of all remonstrance,

VOL. I. K

26(1

THE SrORTSMAN ^V CANADA.

the Hahitans with a Ligoted resolution
adhere even up to the present time to the
low-runner system of their forefathers, and
bump over their snow hillocks as uncon-
cernedly as ever. I marvel much that they
do not break their stubborn necks ; for they
one and all drive at a reckless pace, and on
returning to their farm-houses at the con-
clusion of the market day, brim-full of eau-
de-vie, they stick at nothing, and would
rather drive over you than otherwise.

The stiff little ponies of the country are
most serviceable hardy animals, and shuffle
over the ground at an astonishingly quick
pace : the gait, however to an English eye
is an unganily one — a kind of amble, between
a trot and a canter. A Ilabitanfs pony is
out in all weathers, and is inured to hard-
ships and rough usage from the day it is
foaled : the countrymen who drive to market
will leave their horses exposed to the biting
atmosphere for hours in the streets, while
they, the aforesaid countrymen, are drinking
<their poisonous drams in the public-houses.

tV^"»^«W«l««J*l#-»*W*.»(t« -

nnnnmii

olution

J to the

irs, and

uncon-

at they

for they

and on

he con-

of eau-

woiild

itry are
shuffle
y quiek
ish eye
etween
Ipony is
hard-
ly it is
[market
biting
while
•inking
louses.

THE SPORTSMAN IX CANADA.

2G7

As the hour for returning home approaches
they are to be seen in large j»arties of ten or
twenty at a time rusliing with one consent,
to their rudely-constructed vehicles, into
which they jump, flourish their whips, and
start off at full speed across the squares,
round corners, and down streets to the
imminent jeopardy of the limbs and lives uf
the pedestrians.

The major part of these villagers arc
drunk at the close of the market hour, and
no magisterial interference can check their
propensity for furious driving.

The Officers of one of the regiments in
Garrison entertained the romantic idea that
retoonstrance would have the desired effect ;
this, however, tliey soon found out was of no
avail ; and they at length hit upon the ex-
pedient of personal annoyance, which was
effected by removing a little wooden bolt by
which the shafts of the ti-ahieausLVC fastened
to the body of it. The unsuspecting Hahifans,
according to their invariable rule, jumped

into their seats, and grasping the reins
N 3

.( 1

268

THE SPORTSMAN IN CAJfADA.

f, i

I .1

previously t^visted round their fingcrless
gloves, as usual belabored their half-frozen
quadrupeds to ensure a good start. The
animals, in obedience to the well-known
signal, and too happy to be off, gallopped
merrily down the market-place, dragging
after thom the astonished drivers instead of
the traineaux, which, as a matter of course,
were left behind. Even this practical re-
proci did not stop the nuisance, and the
consequence was that many similar tricks
were played off upon them. But a Canadian
is not to be diverted from his purpose by
any such means.

The peasantry, however, generally speaking
are a harmless inoffensive race ; I saw a
good deal of them during my fishing and
shooting excursion in both Provinces ; but
when a French Canadian is under the
influence of strong drink, he is as great a
savage as the wildest Indian of the back
settlements.

House-rent, lodgings, and fuel are exor-
bitantly high at Quebec ; but of course the

'■\^'**mmiitmMaimmmiMm

fingcrless
ilf-frozen
rt. The
ll-known
jallopped
dragging
Qstead of
f course,
!tical re-
and the
ir tricks
janadian
'pose by

speaking
[ saw a
ling and
;es; but
der the
great a
he back

re exor-
•urse the

THE SrORTSMAN IN CANADA.

2f>l>

military resident is exempt from this outlay,
as they are provided for him. Not so the
civilian, or cursory visitor ; the expcnce to
them will be found considerable ; but by
way of a set-off to this outlay, provisions of
all kinds are cheap, and wines are drunk
free of duty. The necessaries of life will be
found in great abundance, and all excellent
of their kind — beef and poultry exceedingly
good, and reasonable withal. The more
wealthy of the Canadian farmers, when the
winter sets in, kill their stock for the season,
and bring their meat to market in a frozen
state. To the eye of the stranger, a Canadian
market presents a scene as extraordinary as
novel : if he covet a rump steak, the slice
will be severed with a saw ; if peradventure
he lacheth milk, a pound or less will be
chopped off from the congealed mass with a
hatchet ; butter, ditto ; and the eggs will
be found to resemble those marvellous imi-
tations we are occasionally favored with from
the Spas in Derbyshire.

■M

'. *i*

270

THE SrORTSMAj: IN' CANADA.

It was in tlic full of the year 1815 that
emigration to the Canadas took place to a
great extent ; and it would appear that about
that period the humbler classes of laborers
were inoculated with the mania for " trying
their luck," as they termed it, on a foreign
soil ; and hundreds, I should not be very
far wrong if I said thousands, of the deluded
and dissatisfied beings left their homes and
their native country without the means of
commanding the common necessaries of life ;
yet, in the expectation of finding a land
flowing with milk and honey, in the years
1817, 18, and 19, ship-load after ship-load
of pennyless husbandmen were landed at
Quebec ; and on presenting themselves to
the Head of the Military department, who
was deputed to allot the several tracts of
land to the applicants, they found to their
dismay that their several locations, or lots,
were many miles up the country, and, worse
than all, that they themselves had to fell
the timber and clear the land ere it could
be prepared for cultivation.

THE SrOllTSMAN LV CANADA.

271

15 that
Lce to a
it about
laborers
' trying
foreign
)e very
Jcluded
nes and
cans of
of life ;
a land
2 years
ip-load
ded at
Ives to
t, who
acts of

their
>r lots,

worse
Ito fell

could

The exaggerated accounts forwarded l)y
designing speculators who liad iiurcliasod
tracts of land in the back settlements liiid
induced hundreds of these misguided men
to emigrate to the Canadas : the consequence
was, that tliesc poor people, with large,
helpless families, reached Quebec, but had
not even the means of proceeding up the
country to take possession of the land which
might have been granted to them by Govern-
ment.

The middling farmer, with a few hundred
pounds at his command, who was fortunate
enough to obtain an allotment of acres, did
very well, as he had sufficient means to
support himself and his family through the
winter until the little property was cleared
of timber and brushwood and ready for
cultivation in the spring : with the pauper
it was different ; and many were the priva-
tions and miseries endured by the lower
order of emigrants during the winter of
1816-17.

Amongst the pastimes in which we idlers

1 *;

}/l

272

THE SPORTSMAN IN ( aNADA.

were wont to indulge were private theatricals,
and at the time of which I write the Garrison
of Quebec could boast of as talented and
efficient a company of amateurs as ever trod
the boards. The lower orders in this country-
are the first to run down, and cry out against,
the military, but they ought to know that
every Officer in the service is always ready
to assist a fellow-countryman in distress ;
and in the instance I am recording, a con-
vincing proof of their kind and generous
conduct was afforded in the fact of a Garri-
son Theatrical club having been formed for
the purpose of relieving the unfortunate
emigrants who were swarming in the city
and suburbs of Quebec, without the means
of proceeding to the different townships,
and who were reduced to the verge of desti-
tution.

Luckily for these poor people, chance had
in th^5 instance thrown together some first-
rate actors. I never yet saw any amateurs
equal to them ; and I have seen some of our
standard comedies performed in our Garrison

! i

MMM

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

27:3

atricals,
jarrison
;ed and
^er trod
country
against,
•w that
3 ready
istress ;
a con-
3nerous
- Garri-
ned for
rtunate
le city
means
nships,
desti-

cehad
) first-
lateurs
of our
irrison

Theatre of Quebec in a style that would not
have disgraced the patent theatres. By this
faint praise, I do not mean, as the phrase
goes, " respectably by amateurs," but really
and truly well-gotten up and well acted,
and which would have reflected credit on
Covent Qarden or Drury Lane Theatres.
The First Part of Henry the Fourth — tlie
Castle Spectre — f,he Honey moon — The School
for Scandal — Speed the Plough — She Stoops
to Conquer — The Heir at Law — The Poor
Gentleman — John Bull — Who wants a Gui-
nea *? — and the farces of High Life below
stairs — Who's the Dupe "? — Raising the
Wind — Miss in her Teens, and others of the
same stamp were amongst the entertain-
ments given.

The theatre was invariably crowded on
the nights of performance, and this occur-
red twice in every month, and occasionally
once a week in very severe weather. This,
at the first reading, may appear an extraor-
dinary reason ; but it will cease to excite
surprise when I state, that, when the weather
5 N

^1^^ i

274

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

>' '

J^'l

was unusually severe, the major part of the
settlers had neither food nor fuel, and that
the receipts were appropriated to the pur-
chase of wood, blankets, meat, and vege-
tables. The pit and gallery were converted
into boxes — or rather, I should say, the
seats were fitted up conveniently and ele-
gantly, and box prices charged. The price
of admission was a dollar, and our house
would yield between seventy and eighty
pounds on an average. The expences were
trifling, the rent was low, and the lighting
cost but little. The officers found their own
dresses, and after paying the salaries to two
very talented actresses who had been engaged
by us for the season from New York, the
proceeds were handed over to the Garrison
Chaplain for the distressed settlers and
emigrants who had been improvident enough
to leave their native shores to pass the re-
mainder of their days in an inhospitable
clime — leaving a certainty for an uncertainty,
or perhaps I should not be far wrong if I
reversed the case, and said an uncertainty

ij;

MMM

THE SrORTSxMAN IN CANADA.

2/0

for a certainty — that is, an uncertain sub-
sistence for certain starvation. Our Manager
was the Lieutenant-Colonel of one of the
Regiments in the Garrison, and is at this
moment a General Officer serving with dis-
tinction in the East Indies. By dint of
economy and good management we generally
contrived to leave in the hands of the
Treasurer, our excellent and worthy Chaplain,
nearly £60 on every night we played ; and
this sum, judiciously distributed, saved some
hundreds of our fellow- creatures from cold
and starvation in a strange country. Thus
were these unfortunate beings supplied v/ith
fuel, soup, and blankets from the fund pro-
duced by our private theatricals ; so that, in
addition to any amusement we may have
afforded our friendly auditory, we had the
satisfaction of knowing and feeling that if
we made " players and vagabonds" of our-
selves, we at least did some good to our
countrymen who were in distress.

The Reader, however, must not figure to
himself that this statement applies to every

. ? .

276

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA

class of settler ; those small farmers who
had a sufficient amount of capital at their
command, say from £300 to £400, and who
had sons grown and growing up, did re-
markably well, and are to this day thriving
and wealthy men. It is in vain for the
farmer to attempt to emigrate to any one of
our foreign possessions without the means of
clearing the land allotted to him, and of
living through a long and dreary winter until
his land is put into a fair and proper state
for yielding produce. If he have enough for
this, he will be sure to do well ; but lacking
that indispensable adjunct — a well-filled
purse — he will be doomed to misery and dis-
appointment.

During a residence of nearly five years in
the Canadas, I saw the two extremes — perfect
enjoyment and unmitigated misery. We
will, however, turn to the more pleasing side
of the picture, and take a glance at the
dwelling of the emigrant who has had suf-
ficient prudence and forethought to bring
out with him, in addition to a numerous

limtMiiMAmmiitJmtm

THE SPORTSMAN IX CANADA.

277

family, a sufficient capital to turn to good
account the acres ceded to him by the
Crown. Here will be found plcnteousness
and enjoyment : the rivers and woods (the
former abound in every township) supply
his dependants and himself with fish and
game in profusion : every stream abounds
in salmon and trout, and in some the
muskanungee (a manmoth pike), poisson
dore, and black-bass ; while over every
portion of the Canadas will be found the
woodcock, the snipe, the partridge (which by
the way is no partridge at all, but a kind of
ptarmigan which roosts in the pine tree) ;
and — odds lemon-juice and cayenne ! — two
delicious samples of wild-fowl, the canvass-
back and black-duck ; and last, though not
least, the wild turkey : this is the bird of
all others for a man blessed with a large
family ; it is the true " cut-and-come-again"
fowl of the creation ; and when the master
of the house is so fortunate as to sit behind
this delicate mountain of white flesh, with
what joy and satisfaction must he distribute

Il !

278

TUE SPORTSMAN IX CANADA.

. •

t V '-'I

!' 1

: I

the white and juicy slices from the breast
of this gigantic bird ! Only picture to your-
self, most courteous reader, 40lb. weight of
this snoAv- white food ; my very mouth waters
at the thought of it ! The native country of
this king of the feathered tribe extends from
the North Western territory of the United
States to the Isthmus of Panama, south of
which it is not to be found.

In Canada, and the now-densely peopled
parts of the United States, this bird was
formerly very abundant, but the progress
and aggressions of man have compelled the
wild turkey to seek refuge in the remotest
parts of the interior. Notwithstanding the
invasion of the turkey territory, I do not
conceive that the range of this bird ex-
tends beyond, if so far, as the Rocky
Mountains : Mr. Townsend docs not men-
tion them in his work. I need not here
describe the appearance of a bird so well
known in its tame state : the difference con-
sists chiefly in the supsrior size and beauty
of plumage in the wild turkey : for, under

'■^kmmm^Mi^fim^^'iiii'^i'i^im

MiMiki

iltii-iii

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

279

the care of man this bird has greatly de-
generated, not only in Europe and Asia,
but in its native country also : their
favorite food is unquestionably the acorn, on
v^hich they fatten wonderfully. However
juicy and plump the finest Norfolk turkey
may be, they fall very far short of the wild
bird of North America : it is in truth the
king of the feathered tribe — at least to the
lover of good eating, I know of no kind of
poultry or game equal to it. The wild tur-
key is rarely met with in the Province of
Lower Canada, although they have been
seen and shot by the settlers on their first
an'ival to clear their land. The first wild
turkey I ever saw was about eighteen miles
above Toronto, in Upper Canada, and I had
the good fortune to kill him.

Two of my brother sportsman, who had
left me for the purpose of exploring a river
which discharges itself into tiie lake some
five and twenty miles above the town, had
the good luck to stumble on, I can hardly
bring myself to write the word, a flock of

i1
1

280

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

'"."

luild furkies! and they shot three of them.
I was told that the Americaus in the back
settlements, as well as the Indians, hunt
them with dogs, but I never saw this nuvel
method of pursuing winged game. For so
large a bird they take but a comparatively
small charge of shot : an ounce and a
quarter of No. 3 from a strong, close-shoot-
ing gun will do the business.

The flesh of the bird in its wild state is
infinitely more juicy and tender than that
of the farm-yard turkey, and to the full
as delicate ; added to which there is a game
flavor about it which renders it very at-
tractive and appetizing. In short, the
epicure would do well to run across the
Atlantic in the Great Western steamer, were
it only to taste a slice from the breast of
one of these colossal dainties. He would
not begrudge the expense, time, or trouble,
take my word for it.

We must take it for granted that the
emigrant has something better to do than to
run after the wild turkey, and in truth his

it; Ji

n:^

•»!t^

mimttmmm

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

281

time can be more profitably and at the same
time as pleasantly employed. His .land
cleared and his crops in, he will be fully
occupied at home ; but even in the midst of
his agricultural duties he will be enabled to
spare a few hours for rational recreation,
during which he will find ample employment
for his rod and gun. He will meet with
abundance of snipes and woodcocks in the
spring and fall of the year, wood-pigeons,
and wild-fowl of every description.

Nine out of ten of our farmers and
higher orders of laborers are fond of field
sports, and some of them are very tolerable
shots as well as fishermen. They learn the
elements of poaching in their youth, and as
they grow up they put into practice the
theory they have acquired in their boyhood.
Almost everv Ofticer in our service is a
sportsman, and when on half-pay I know
not a better or a more healthful manner of
spending the time than in the field or at
the river's side.

The military settler in Canada, if he have

282

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA

a predilection for field sports, will be in his
clement, and the produce of his commission
will enable him to clear and stock his land
most advantageously. In less than three
years he will be a comparatively rich man
— living on his own estate with every neces-
sary comfort about him, his own master,
and commanding enjoyments he might in
vain have looked for in his own country.
The expediency of holding out encourage-
ment to half-pay Officers to settle in the
Canadas is obvious, for in the event of a
war with " brother Jonathan," these gentle-
men would be on the spot to train and
organize into a respectable and efficient force
the thousands of emigrants who have settled
for life and fixed their residences all over
the townships of the two Canadas.

I shall, in the course of these volumes,
advert again to this subject, for with all due
submission, I conceive it to be one which
calls for the serious consideration of the
Government. A local militia might be formed
at a trifling expense, and our thorough-bred

•'iririi.«iahlri-a'>*fci.<;

THE SPORTSMAN IN CANADA.

283

English settlers would to a man unite as one
body to repel an invasion of their peaceful
homes ; and their having property at stake
Avould, in the event of any additional sti-
mulus being required, operate in no slight
degree in rendering this rural body unani-
mous as well as zealous iu the cause,

I have made favorable mention of the
wild turkey, and alluded to its manifold
merits : the canvass-back and the black-
duck of Upper Canada are equally deserv-
ing of eulogy : the latter is by far the finest
bird that ever was tasted, and is a justly-
esteemed delicacy — Quin himself would
have swam the Atlantic to have tasted
of it.

Our winter of 1816-17 was a particu-
larly pleasant one, as I shall have occasion
to shew in my next volume.

END OF VOL. I.

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