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[\k^^ '' ^i^siVti kML .V'^ijTi: •V :> '+ ' 7 >8?Hl»;tii SSR 1 ; iife ' M' I t'i,' vt/ • f « *f E rS> Ij. * /f- ^J-i!*.... r-F^SAt' v.V">">3f'i'V>: ^t^i*: ■^iaX-c. '^^ • • 'tm i ■ ii» W li ■— i^-*.i BC SEV so^ A SKETCH OF BOTH SIDES OF MANITOBA, PERPETRATED BY J" E E" B^. Gr E SI , BEING A NARRATIVE OF SEVEN YEARS' VARIED EXPERIENCES IN THE PRAIRIE PROVINCE OF THE DOMINION OF CANADA. SOMETHING FRESH ON AN INTERESTING SUBJECT. PRICE, 50 Cents. 1 1 NELSONVILLE : Manitoba Mountaineer Book and Job Printing Establishment, 1881. I'C ^3i 7V Z j (•,'■' I INTUODUCTION. " Both Sides of Maiiitolni " was written more to while away the loii^' evenings of a Manitobaii winter, than with any innnediate view to pnbheation. I liad been rea(lin<( one of the average paniphh»ts on M would not he aisconi entertaining reading. mitoba, and had arrived at tlie conclusion that it gly difficult to obtain more le dose of information was too strong, with my knowledge of the dispensary, and being devoid of all flavoring, had a t(nidency to induce nausea. The average man does not care to take his jihysic straight, however good, and doubt- less the individual who invented sugar-coated pills realized a fortune. While turning the subject over in my mind, it oc- curred to me that a book might be written on Mani- toba that peo})lc wcmld i*ea(l purely for the narra- tive, and that into this narrative mi?':ht })e smug<'le(l occasional items of practical information without sin'iously aflecting the ordinary reader's digestion. It also occurred to me that, as J had i)lenty of leisure, and as my ideas in I'egard to what would in- terest the reading pu))lic were so remai'kably coin- l)rehensive, it would ])e in oi'der for me to write this presumed excellent book myself. The reasoning was conclusive, and I at once commenced the task. This, ill brief, is my method of acccmnting for tlu^ perpetration of the following pages. The manu- re )rc to )U. I »ts on that it 1 inovo m was [Misary, nicy to care to (l()Ul)t- \ pills lC( 1, it oc- li Maui- luin'a- without Igestioii. Ifoiity of Wld in- hy com- Ivitc this nisouiug' [ho task. I'dv tlu^ iiiaiui- sciipt is now nearly two years oM, and hcncc^ tlio nairativ(» docs not carry tln^ rcadcM* down to date. 1 know tliis is i)r(»tty ronj^h on the reader, l)ut there is at h'ast the consohition of knowing that in this wretched world it very often hapjxMis that our hij^di- ost (nijoyinents are ruthlessly dispelled. The title, *']ioth Sides of Manitoba," speaks a whole volume for itself. Only «;reat minds can <»;rasp the both sides of ^reat subjects. There is a barer ])ossibility that the I>ook may have def(»cts. At this date, the only' book I renunnber to have n^ad witlunit discoveriu!^ (hrfects, was a small pamphlet recountin;4" the renuirkable performances of a do«^ be- lon^in^ to an old lady named Mother Hubbard. I rtracl that pamphlet some years ai^o. In conclusion 1 wish to state that as I was obli«;e(l to depend solely on my memory for all the incidents recv)unte(l in the narrative, it may be that in that i)art relating* to Winnipeg' slight errors of detail may be found. Whatever information can be tileaned from reliable. my farminu" exoeriences. I ccmsider JeI-K (jEE. Nelsonville. June'2()th. 1881 ma: DOM TWO SOME o o nsr T E asr T s . CHAPTER I. KEY NOTE. < CHAPTER II. MANITOBA -SOME OBSERVATIONS-GOOD FARMS - GRASSHOPPERS-FIRST BOAT-LOST CHILD CHAPTER III. DOMINION DAY-LORD OORDON-AND OTHER MATTERS. CHAPTER IV. TWO PROMINENT MEN—FAME - BURNED TO DEATH IMMIGRATION-THUNDER STORMS-LAND HutT TING EXPEHIENCES-GRASSHOPPEI« AgIin-Poor BROWN— THE KEVER-ELECTIONS. CHAPTER V. SOMS REMARKS ON HOMESTEAD MATTERS- EXIT WINNIPEG. W: CHAPTER VI. V^ALUABLE RECEIPT — ENCOURAGEMENT — MANSION" HOUSE — A STRANGE BLUFF — NARROW ESCAPE — CAMPING OUT — PHENOMENON — THE BOYNE — MY CLAIM — PRAIRIE FIRE — DRIVING OXEN — BED. CHAPTER YIT. OUR COUNTRY RESIDENCE — PEMBINA MOUNTAIN — MONEY IN POTATOES — THE DRY BED — TERRIBLE CUT— JUNE FL06dS--GRASSH0PPERS — MOSQUITOES — BULL DOGS — MONEY IN PIGS — SNOW BLIND — FAMINE — MONEY IN HENS — MAKING DRAINS — INDIAN TRADING — TIMBER SUPPLY — NELSONVILLE — AVERAGE YIELD — HARD TRIP — HALF-BREED : RFiJERVj:. ^ I ■I i is 4 B pear( Press, quii-ed I la thirty tificat ' plars, iiig of I h was 11] tion ; that I withdi enlighl Whi I whole ( BOTH SIDES OF MANITOBA. ♦»•'♦ ( HAPTER I. KEY NOTE. V Early in January, 1873, an advertisement ap- peared in the Toronto Ghjbe to the following effect : Wanted — A compositor, to work on the Manitoba Free Press. Highest waiijes and permanent sitnation. lleferences re- quired. Apply to J. M. McGregoi", Harriston. I applied, and so did others to the number of thirty-two. Amonacked by the increasing severity of the weather and the almost total absence of houses, I felt quite comfortable again, Abont three o'clock, we changed horses for the last time, at the house of Mr. Delorme, M.PP. This was another loi:- honse v/ith thatched roof. Mr. Deiorme was in Winnipeg, the Legislatnre being in session. Eviilently, however, the family were half- breeds. I felt ha})py. A few miles further, the road entered a belt of poplar timber, which extended the rest of the way into Winnipeg. Abont six o'clock, ^ve descended ■^v I' abruptly into a narrow valk\v, as level as a floor at the bottom, prol)al)ly lit'ty or sixty yards wide, and oxtendini; to rii^lit and left as tar as I conld see in tlie dim li;;ht. 1 remai'k(Ml iiow extrcMnely level the bottom was, and my eompanion smiled and said, ''Yes; wc are erossin*;- the Assinil)()ine. T\\\\t is Fort (rarry at the top of tlu^ l)ank." " And how far to Winnipeg: ?" *M)h, Jnst a little distanee. Winnipeg* and Fort (larry — it's all the same." " But I th()n;;ht Fort Gariy was fifteen or twenty iiiiUvs from Winnipe.i;' V *' No, no ; that is Lower Fort Garry. This is the ori<;inal Fort Garry. Five minutes more and the staj^e had pulled up at the Davis House. There was a nund)er of red- coated voluntcei ; in tlie bar-room, nearlv all of them more or less drunk. Just as I expected. While I am waiting supi)er, let me relate an inci- dent tliat occurred in Toronto sluntly before 1 left, Discussinf^ the route to Manitoba with a friend one day, 1 had occasion to refer to Pembina. I called it Pem-bee-na ; my friend objected, and was em l)hatic that it should be pronounced Pem-by-na. We a<^reed, however, that the emphasis should Ix placed on the middle syllable. At Grand Forks, I asked the landlord how far it was to Pembeena. He looked at me with a puzzleii expression. I had evidently pronounced it wron^' so, repeating the question, I inquired, *' How far is it to Pembyna V Still he seemed puzzled ; then, suddenly, his fact cleared, and he said, smiling, ** It is about sixty miles to Pembinaw." Instinctively I glanced at his jaw. t< I HI HI) 1 , iloor lit Id stHi in level the d said, lie. That and Fort or twenty rhis is the pulled nv )vy of red- all of them ite an inci \)re I left, friend one I caUcil 1 was em \mi-l)y-nu. shouhl hi 1 how far ii [1 a puzzleti I it wronj: ly,his fact ?) After .sujipei', I iniiiiired lor the Frr<' Press iAVivc, and was infornuMl it was out on the prairie al)nut half a niih\ " Uetter not 'f.\o to-nii-lit," tlie har-tentU'r said ; "von niii'ht Lict lost." 1 diihri tliink so; it was a cltMn ni^lit, and F wouhl make the (Muh^avor, anyway, if lu; wonld ;^ive nu' bearings. He eanu) to the (h)or and pointed north aloiii;' tln^ street. *' First or second jjousi* on the riii'lit, after vou cross Jirovvn's bridge. Si;^]! board in front." Ther(^ was in) sidewalk, and, aeeordiniL^ly, I took the middle of the road. Came t() a bri(l«;'e, ])re- sentlv, over a narrow jjidlv Ih'own's bridj-c. Pi'airie to the ri;;ht, ])rairie to tln^ left, ])i'airie in front. Stepped of the road, dii'eetly, and went ])]nn;4in;4' thron,i;h the crust in tln^ dee}) snow. JJe- traced my ste])s, and examined points. Couldn't see the road, but could feel it solid under mv feet. Traveled carefully, and jn'esently made out a house on the ri,i>ht. Examined it critically, but found no sijju board. Another house a few hundred vards farther (m. Ah, yes ; there it is. Sign-board, 'Tree IM'css ofhce." I ent(M'ed and walked up to the stove at the other end. There was a lamj) burnini;' on the table. There was a younj^- man, also,— Canadian, evidently, —and a lai'ge, handsome dog'. Thoycmngman was engaged in giving this dog the outward semblance of a zel)ra. lie had him artisticallv decorated with pi'intei''s ink, and was putting on the linishing touches, and looking extremelv sillv, as I entered. I took in the situation, and again remarked, inter- nally— ''just as I expected." I asked for j\Ir. Luxton, and was informed that i 10 lie was Tip-stiiirs, but would bo down in a few nvinutes. Standing- beside the stove, I surveyed my surrounding's. l*resses, type, etc. But liow re- inarkab\v new tlie l)uilding looked ; ah, that was it — no i)aint. Afterwards, 1 found this "newness" to be eharacteristie of Winnipeg, The buildings were all frame, without exception, and most of them were innocent of j)aint. Presently, Mr. Luxton came down, and I handed him my letter. He was not an Indian ; nor a half- breed. I got down off my high-heel boots. Some- huNV the editor of the Free Press had the manners and appearance of a gentleman ; and, strange enough, he ai)peared to be educated. After having kindly inquired concerning my journey, he turned his attenticm to the young man and the doi»' : '' Brown, what liave you been doing with Jack?" " Been i^ivinjj: liim the rudiments." *' You should have l)etter sense. Get some oil and clean it olf." '* All right, just as you say; but if you'd let me alone, I'd make him the most intelligent dog in the North-West, if there's any virtue in printer's ink." During the evening I learned, indirectly, that there w^ere several educated men in town, the Lieu- tenant-Governor, for instance, and others. Worst of all, I received a faint glimmer of the fact that there were native whites and half-breeds who could talk English ! I still, I am proud to state, adhered to my gener- ous resolution to enlii»hten the outer world on all matters relating to Manitol)a. Accordingly, next morning I commenced the task, and, havinj.; thorougldy taken in the country during the night. ])eii: dav' had innn my beyo hatli dav ft/ Avas inten seem there weatl just a ing in at tlie cold ; to tJie TJh and t] sun, t] denlv, nose, 1 Frost'.v accord org[in from a of snoA me a li aged. Toront tem|)til fn si satisliec 11 a few eyed my how re- that was icwncss" xc opt ion, I handed or a lialf- . Some- manners strange •nino- my nrnjj; man th JackT' some oil 'd let mc log in tlic ter's ink." ctly, that the Lien- Worst fact that Ivho could ny gencr- Irld on all jigly, next 11, havin.i; the niglit. 11 penned whole [)ages of foolscap, and after a hard day's work, liad tlie satisfaction of knowini;- that 1 had faithfully i)erfornu^d my duty to intending innnigrants and the Avcn'ld at large. After posting ]ny manuscripts, 1 cx})erienced a sense of relief beyond exjn-essiou. Tlie fate of those manuscri})ts liatli been duly clu'onicled in Cha|)ter one. The second day after my ai'rival was the coldest day of the season- thermometer 42 below zero. I was disa})pointed, for a})i)arently no one had any intention of freezing to death. If anything, people seemed rather livelier than usual, rushing Iiere and there, smart as crickets. If this was the coldest weather they coidd scare up in Manitoba, I might just about as well have remained ui Ontario. Stand- ing in the warm I'oom, looking through the windows at the ])right sunshine, I could hardly imagine it was cold at all ; and even when I step})ed out to walk to the office, I did not at first consider it very sharj). The air was perfectly calm, not a l)reath stirring, and the crisp snow glistened and s})arkled in the sun, tlirowing u[) rays that dazzled the eyes. Sud- denly, I felt a sharp, (piick pain in the end of my nose, like the prick of a needle. That was Jack Frost's arant courier, but I didn't know it, and accordingly wlien I got to the office, my olfactory organ had the ap})earance of having l)een chisled from a l)lock of marble and stuck on. A handful of snow soon remcHlied it. This mischance relieved me a little, but on the whole I felt rather discour- aged. Such a winter might be a little severe for Toronto, l)ut for INIanitoba, it was simply con- temptible. In short, a very few days' residence in Winnipeg satisfied me of what an egregious ass I had been, 'lit l)e bachelors ot })()ssess ^.-ree, thev the entire and the evond the tal and the lid all the I'nnient on e., almost •emarkal)lc as weal tin >etive, and, itidenee in a natural lid became 11 possessed soul with in variou.> [is an ide:! |e to ins[)in Canada. Lintrv, and and if n colonies w )ility liavi ')c sneezei; [itly Cana 1 ♦^ J o dians were neitliei' EiiL^lislimcii nor Anierieans— thev were only Canadians, jind wlio ever heard any one boast of beiui^- a Canadian ? 1 scarcely know l>y \yhat ])rocess 1 l)ecame assured of th(^ ins])irinL>" trulli -all v,iio live in this Vast North-West are compelled to realize it — but I awoke to the pi'oud fact that ] had ihv birth-riw;ht citi/enshi[) in the i;Tand(\st country of the <;'ll)be. flow 1 i'lori(Ml in Canada ! what delicious thrills of intense ])atri()tism swcUcmI throuuli me ! The Dominion of Canada -a country of noble lakes « and miiihtv rivers, of uiilllons of acres of luxuriant prairie, stretchint;' a thousand miles from the im nieiise forests of Ontai-io on the east to the ever- . lasting' hills and snow-caj)penei'- ations of man, and teeming- millions would transform the boundless ])lains to Aylieat tields whose luxuri- ance wouhl hll the granaries of the world. liOokin;;' throui^li the dim vista of the future what more natural than to behold the *' coiiquerini;- armies of the northern hordes " take Uj) their line of yictoi'ious march on the corruj)t and (^ifeminate nations of the soiitli, and thus settle once for all the vexed matte hastil the 111 Rous rowdi of the anoth then (1 to fine \Vh indign re^^'arf lead tc the pu as cow but tt Bird's phatici Sucl ation 1 was till mav be tive C session stages dul^ H «4enei-ally. lonts Avcrc l)ly, wliicli interfcTiiis;' urisdictiou in<»'lv, (lis- obnoxious d\ refused leaker, tlio ait, AViniii- g acce])te(l in ! (This n"v fashion- it lias since led into a a body on itors could le various It was at isposed of )ill to pass, leader ot Attorney- nniittce to individuals Kvdiercwitli fowl — tai [made him Itable piecH lo find the riduals di Bpeaker ui the I.ejjislatlve Assenddy, a (gentleman hi«4]dy esteemed and not at all censured for his official action. Lati' at ni;4ht a ])orse and cutter dashed up to the Doctor's inedicid dispensary. A stranger leaped out and hastily infonned the honorable gentleman that a dyini:' })atient in Kihlonan urgently re(piired his pi'ofessional attendance. After a wearisome chiv of turmoil and excitement, a drive of seven miles on a bitter cold nii>lit v.as no lii>lit matter, ])ut, true to his sense of duty, the Doctor hastily donned his <;Teat-c()at and took his seat with the inessenu'er. Wlien opposite the Point Douglas House, at the noi-thern Hmit of the city, several rowdies rushed forward and upset their victim out of the cutter. While one daubed his head with tar, another stucJv on a handful of feathers, the ruillans then quickly dis})er«ed, and the Doctor was allowed to find his wav lumic as best he mi<>ht. When this outrage became known, a howl of indignation ascendecL The Legislature oifered a reward of 61,000 for such information as would lead to the conviction of the guilty parties, and in the public estimation, the perpetrators were branded as cowardlv rutlians. There is no doubt, however, but that, had the Attorney-General been in Dr. Bird's ])lace, the pej'petrators would just as em- phatically have ])een laud(Ml as heroes. vSuch is the history, in brief, of tlie lirst incorpor- ation l)ii]. What was W'^innipeg's loss, however, was the country's u'ain, for to the defeat of this bill mav i)e directlv traced the abolition of the Legisla- tive Council two years later. At the following session, the incorporation l)ill j^assed its several stages Avithout dilHculty, and Winnipeg became a duly appointed city. 10 In the inontli of April, tlio ii'i'e])i'essil)lo Brown, who was at this tinio a sort of Free Press oiWcv supornunierarv in tlie suiuinor ho sold oi'diuai'v sewing machines at $100 eacli, and necMUos at S'.l per dozen, and sold readily, too, — indneed nie to i;(i land-hunting ; that is, there wer(» three one-acre lots for sale on tlie Ross estate, op})osite our oflicc but two l)locks ])aclv from jMain street, and Brown and I took a half-lioliday and went ])rospectinn. We could get these three lots for $800, on easy terms, and in a few months, Brown assured nic, would double our money. We had scarcely left tlie office Aylien I met witl.i an adyenture. At the other side of the street, and running })arellel y»'ith it, was an abru])t, narrow gully or wash-out, probably ten feet deep or sd, But what did I k'uow of uiirrow gullies ; it was filled to the leyel with drifted snow, and down undcv that snow was two or three feet of ice-cold watc r, the result of the l)riglit, warm, sunshiny weathci', I walked into this gully with the innocence of mi suspecting ycmth ; but the generous, tlie braye, tlio nol)le Brown, came to the rescue, and with hi assistance I regahied the bank. Perhaps I wouldii"; haye tliought so highly of Mr. Brown, if 1 had known that he had purposcdy let me take the leati in ordei' to discoyer if the crust would l)ear — tiu' wretch. We crossed this gully further u]), and stood tli( sole inhabitants of the mighty plain. Behind ii was ciyilization — the Free Press oil ice and anothc: h(mse ; before us stretched the yast wilderness—;' wilderness of swamp willows. Before procc^ediiii a hundred yards, I wanted to turn back, — the slusl of snow ai:d Ayater was up to our knees, and getting a de(*p go (»1 so, ii OIK II ( enthi its p( undo to gr( th('' Ii of th so on Id the \M delive '^]] hated I coul pond, sufficie by kcc rink ii arriye.^ Angus trade theref< A g those 1 he sole hundrc of spt swamp course, On th< eiiable( LV^ )lo Brown, ^^ress ollicc (1 ordiuarv mUos iU >^:\ "(1 me to ^i;o '0 one-Jit're our oflicc. 111(1 Brown )rospectiii!4'. )(), on easv ssured iiic, I met Avitli street, and ipt, narrow leep or sd, lies ; it was lown undci' old watei', V weatliei'. Mice of iiM brave, tlio d Avitli lii- i Iwcmldii'i if I hail :e tlie leai bear — tjic stood till Behind ii ind anotlic; (Icrness— if proeecdiii- tlie slusl Imd i>ettiiiL r o * 17 deepen* as we advanced. Brown i)ersuaded me to go on, however, and after another hundred yards or 80, informed me that riglit here were tliose three one-acre lots. He then discoursed at lenj^th, and with the enthusiasm of an orator. WinnipCL;' liad doubled its ])0]mlation every year since the re])ellioii, and line loubtedlv would this year; the citv was bound to <;r()W in this direction, and everything" ])ointed to the likelihood of this l)ein<;' the fashional)le quarter of th(^ ^reat Winniiieg of the future, etcetera, and so on. I didn't hiteri'upt him, Imt standing there aiiion<4' the willow\s 1 calmly heard him out. Then 1 delivei'ed myself as hjlloAvs : " ]>rown, (j:o tell that to the marines. I ahvavs hated water, and never took a journey by boat ^vlien I could i>o by land. If von want to invest in this pond, all right, do so. Wlu^i Winnipeg has a sufficient poj^ulation you may, })erhaps, make money by keeping a boat-house ui summer and a skating- rink in wdnter ; or, come to think, when the w^ater arrives at the proper stage of decomposition in August, you might bottle it, and drive a lucrative trade in mineral w^ater. But I'm an orphan, and therefore I'll not invest. A gentleman named Burrows ])urchased one of those lots, and cut it into eight. In June, I think, he sold l)y public auction, and realized some fifteen hundred dollars. I attended the sale in the ca])acity of spectator. The land was j)laiiily a willow^ swamp, but has since been draine(l by the city ; of course, it is^all built up now, and for a mile beyond. On the proceeds of this sale, j\Ir. Buitoavs was eaabled eventually to operate extensively in real • -V-.^*. •• w W i 18 estito. His sales of city lots in the Biirrows estate an 1 the ^[nllii^an estate were advertised all over the Dominion. Ahont this time I discovered that (Uir local editor ])er])etrated some hni^e swindles on the Ontarid newspapei's. For instance, he sn])i)lied a local item as follows : '' Enteiipimse. In the northern part of the city a brand new saw mill was i^ot into operation in short or(Un\ At 7 o'clock on Tluu'sday morniii;; the lot was vacant, and at 10 o'clock the bnildiiii; w^as erected and the saw^ rnnning. Winni2)egers do thini's in a luirrv." Of conrse such an item as that was greedily captured l)y the newspa])er men below, and speedily went the rounds of the Ontario press. I felt interested in this mill myself, and aslvcd Jack where it Avas situated. He stepped to tlio window, and said, '' Here it is."' I looked out, and beheld — four upright posts, a log, two men, and a whip-saw. Several similar instances might be recounted but probably the one is sufficient. I must not f()r<>et to relate a conversation I held with a Kildonan farmer in regard to potatoes. Kildonan is a parish seven miles north of Winni peg — the Scotch colony brought out by Lord Sel- kirk fifty or sixty years ago. This farmer had been to town with a load of potatoes, and — thirsty for knowledge — I plied him with questions : *' Are potatoes a good crop in this country ?" " Well, yes ; I've got as much as six hundred bushels off an acre." " That's a big crop. What do you get for them V I. bus] (piai that Thev fr( >/( u quai't Th< was t Af vidua tant, he po; COUl'SC sullicii is Ivin truth, His fii 80uled this 1] settler -did on the I fa space who, j and jn in sovc by all North- River, 'ows estate ill over tlu' local editor le Outarid I local item of the city icratioii iii ty morniiiut no mo7'c could pure 1 I doubt tlie Sprinoiield man. \Vliat was I to faJ''»»'' believe? ' Wood, '' See here, friend," said I ; '' don't you think too mi there mii»ht possiblv be a farm in Springfield e(|ual ^^ bo to voursV' ^ unforti '*' In Si)rinoheld ! AVell, I should say not. Wliv derate I wouldii't <»iy(^ live acres at KScratchinj'' LMverfora ^^ ^"'•'^ whole sectiim in S])rini;tield. Springfield's a poor ^''^'^ affair — don't believe there's a good farm in it. If f^^^ ''^^ you want to see the b(\st S(^ttlenient and the best r^^;"' ''}^' farm in this country, just come to my place." inaivid To make matters wx)rse, later on I chanced across -^ P^'^ a man from Palestine, one hundred miles w^st of -'^anito Winnipeg, wdio was so brim full of the idea that ^"^ ^]^^" /ie had the best farm in ]\Ianitol)a, as to fairly P^^y^^^i bul)l)le over. He was saturated, so to speak, witii "®lds c Palestine, and felt so overjoyed at his remarkable ^'^^ ^\^ good fortune in locating in that paradise of the ^^1^'"? North-west, that he could talk of nothing else. ™" ^^^ Said he, Pl^'«' " I don't see Avhy the deuce people settle along j^ .'^'^^ * the Red Eiver. There's Scratching lliver, now, "®i^f^ bj and Springfield, and Pock wood — ^I suppose they're ^?'Vj^^^'''^ good enough in their way ; but they're not a patcli ? ^'^^'^] to Palestine— not a patch. The Springfield peopK ^^cubati blow and talk, and the Pockwood peoi)le blow^ aml^^^^ "^}'^ talk, but if you want land, young man,- land thai ^^^'|ii^ is land, and any amount of it— go west. No grass- -P ^' ^'f^^. hoppers either/' |l^® ^^f^^ About two years after this, when I located (.i.^^v^'^stat my "claim" at Pembina Mountains, I made tlu ^^^^^^'^^^ startling discovery that I — even I — had c'apturcd , " ^ ^ ^ V, plainly liis farm ore roiild was I t(i :ou tliiuk eld eiiiial lot. Why Jiver for a I's a poor in it. 1! 1 the best ce. leed across 3S west of idea that to fairly peak, witli eniarkabU' ise of the hing else. Icttle along ,iver, now, ise they've it a pat ell eld pe0})K blow and land that N o grass located oi; made tlu capturctl 21 a farm conii)ared witli which all otlier farms were pure ])(),i;' or sandy desert. And what a ma.^niricent farmini'' country it was as a wlH)le- abundance of wood, abundance of water, ])h;nty of hay and not too nuich, and the beautiful rang(M)f hills to shelter us from th(^ iUu'ce western gales. Ah, you pooj unfortunates of l^alestine, and 8i)ringheld, and Scratching River, liow you missed it in not settling in this delectable section. There was one nuitter, however, that was gall and bitterness to nw — in fact, is yet — all my neigh- bors are s(mz(mI with the senseless delusion that the// individually, have the best farm in Manitoba. I ])resume it would hardly do to write of '713 in Manitoba, witliout mentioning the i)lague to which the country is liable and wliicli had visited it tlie previous sunuuer and worked destruction on tlie fields of the husbandman. I refer, of course, to the grasshoppers. In August previous they had come in one vast cloud, anel had settleel along the Red lliver in a broad belt of perhaj)s fifty or sixty miles. The year they conui in the damage they do is not extensive, comparatively, crops generally being too far advanced to suffer much from their ravages ; late crops, however, are destroyed. Ijut all through the warm fall weather the process of incubation progresses, and myriads on myriads of eggs are deposited, which the warm sun of May following will transform into diminutive grasshop- pers, complete save the wings. Immediately they are hatclieel, these insects commence the work of devastation. 'At first they do not travel, and their operations -are scarcely appreciated ; but some bright, sunshiny day in the latter part of June; when about half-developed, the whole vast army ^ •).) Ml ill makos a forward movtMiuMit on tho liop. Cjitcl one, carrv it into tlu5 house, and on rclfwsin^' it voi find that it travels in th{^ same dirrclioii as thosi oiitsi(h\, and in that same dircH'tion will tln»y fly a- soon as tlunr win^s are properly develojxMl. Wliil on the win'% a the i;rain is scarcely above the j^Tound when ini niense swarms of grasshoppers cover it, and in few (hiys a field of raidv, luxuriant ^rain is chan^i to a worthhvss, dreary expanse of desolation. Gar den vej^etables, potatoes, etc., are eaten off to tli ground, and even the bark of trees does not escape the voracious ap])etite of these pests. In soiii instances, tlu^ toui»h, wiry i)rah'ie ^rass, itself, i seriously affected ; indeed, ever}Mn<^ <^rccn sufl'ti to a greater or less extent. Of all that the fariiK <;rows, peas, perhaps, are Vnist appreciated by tli grasshoppers, and even this crop does not csca] scathless, lari^e quantities of the pods being seven from the vines. 8uch was the agricultural outlook in 73. Tl native farmers refused to sow, but the new-conici cropped their land in the face of this mighty cvi hoping against hope. Their efforts were futil however ; there was a seed-time, but inside of tli sixty-mile belt, there was no harvest. Beyond, i the new settlement to the west, immense cro] were reaped, and times were tlush — wheat $2 \y bushel, potatoes, $2 per bushel, etc., and a ravenoi Tnai' Won \\ encc Cone ()i fieas( l()ok( hiid chaii navii wait and ( gl()ri( Wouli a hull botto No what munit from forwai the m from 1 were i was n then Winni ice wa roarini The] had lef takino* was a; Pembi] asin^ it yoi )n as tlios. tlioy fly u« [)(m1. Wliil tli(Mii iron no luiiid, > ;iit, and tlir, Auj-mst, til' the sununt NV his fiel(l> (1 whon ini it, and in ill is dianL;'( ation. Gar ni off to til !S not escapi s. In soiii ss, itself, i Lrreen suff»i the favnit lated by tli not cscai )eing seven In 73. Tl; ncw-conioi mighty cvi were futil iside of til Beyond, ' lense croj heat $2 p d a raveiioi 2i) ma'.krt. Tlie west, it is neeiUess to say, tlirived VoiMh'rfullv. I'uillier on, in tin* eonrse of my farmin;;' experi- ene(\ I will |)i()l»al>ly have a little more to say ConciMMiing grasshoppei's. On the -Jnd of May, I think, the hi'st boat of the Season ai'rived ; and how eagei'ly all Manitobans looked forward to its advent. Nearly every ono had friends to arrive, and the shelves of tho nier- cliants were (nnpty and not to l)e replenished nntil navigation oixMied ; and no one, mind yon, wonld wait for the seeond or third boat ; no, everybody and everything was coming by the first Imat — tho gh>rioiis, gorgeous iirst boat. On papev that boat wonld carry freight and passengers enongli to h)ad a hnndred ocean steamers ; actnally, she w\is a Hat bottomed river boat of two hnndred tons. No one, not similarly placed, can imagine with what intense h)ni»iiiu' the inhabitants of this com- mnnity, shut off, ])y a gap of three humh'ed miles, from the nearest railway communication, looked forward to the opening of navigation. How eagerly the newspapers were scanned for telegraphic news from up the river. From day to day, little extras were issued by the press, announcing that the ice was moving at Moorhead, then at Grand Forks, then at Pembina, then, Heaven be praised, at Winnipeg. The river had risen ten feet, and tho ice was crushing and grimling, and breaking and roaring on its way to Lake Winnipeg. Then an extra announced that the Inteniatlonal had left her winter quarters at Grand Forks, was taking on freight at Moorhead, had left Moorhead, was again at Grand Forks, w^as ten miles from Pembina, w^as at Pembina, was ten miles this 1 I'i to r com T trioH that 24 side of Pembina, l)eliiiid an ice-jam. Then a few hours of bursting anxic^ty, and then, a few miles nj) the river, the long, shrill scream of the steam whistle. What a scramble there was then. Winnipeg; rushed to the steamlxiat landing almost to a man - one and woman, too, f i r that matter — and talked, and Spri laughed, and gesticulated, and wc^nt fairly wild, year The glorious old steandjoat came snorting and hiss- from ing down the Eed lliver, swept gracefully round, find and, entering the rapid Assiniboine, came slowly the and grandly up to the landing, amid huzzas, and Th yells, and waving of hats. Half an hour, then, of wear rapid, excited conversation, shaking hands, and su bors on, and the great event of the season for 73 was had l over. wand All the fresh arrivals, it is almost needless to say. and n had their own ideas of Winnipeg and Manitoba, were Some of them discovered their error in a week, some in a month, and with some it took a whole summer. One old gentleman was really amusing. He was a Government official, and out of pure charity devoted nearly all his spare time to lookinii after tlie physical and moral interests of ^Vinnipei^, Every week he furnished tlie newspapers with com- wantec munications suggesting this and that, assuring tlu' respon citizens of its desirability and practicability, and gen be foil erously offering himself to guide the scheme to a sue not th cessful issue. He always subscribed his name tu search these letters, ai)parently as an assiu'ance of good faitli The This gentlenuin, probably, never learned that lii> ^^ offi ideal Manitol)a was a myth, and, after a few montli« A m residence, left the Province, fdled with suprenu the vai- disgust — wouldn't live in such a country. In ordci^h© pra little 1 other dead, that A\ and h( Woi I slioi lien a fc^v !W miles \\\) the steam Winnipei; to fi man- talked, anil fairly wild [ii>- and hiss- fully round, :ame slowly huzzas, and ur, then, of nds, and bu for 73 was mUcss to say. 1 Manitohii, in a wx^ok, ok a whole msmg. Ho it of pure 3 to looking ^VinnipeL;. s w^ith com ^issuring tlu- ity, and gcii kne to a sue lis name tt [fgoodfaitli ;d that hi^ Ifewmontli? :h suprcnu . In ordci f 25 to relieve my readers, I will just remark that the country survived. There is, I have observed, in all very new coun- tries, or sections of country, a bond of sympathy, that unites each man to his neighbor. So, when, one morning in June, a messenger arrived from Springlield with the announcement that a little four- year-old son of Mr. Wm. Service had strayed away from his home two days before, and all efforts to find him had been fruitless, there swelled through the Winnipeg pulse a great throb of sympathy. The imfortunate parents of the child were wearied out with unceasing search, and the neigh- bors for miles around for two days and two nights had been untiring in their efforts to restore the little wanderer to his home. Springlield was exhausted, and must take a breathing spell ; but the parents were wild wdth grief, they could not rest. The little boy had no food but wild strawberries ; an- other day might be fatal ; even now he might be dead. Would^Winnipeg supply fresh search parties ? that was the burden of the message. An exhausted and helpless community appealed to Winnipeg. Would Winnipeg supply fresh search parties ? I should say so. Every man, woman and child wanted to turn out : the entire comnmnitv would < respond e?i ?nasse, if need be. But, no, that would ^ be follv— 'ictive men were wanted, men who would not themselves get lost, and thus occasion fresh search parties. The men and teams were speedily forthcoming — our office turned out its entire force of employees. A mile from the house of the l3ereaved family, the various search parties separated. They scoured the prairie in every direction ; backw^ards and for- 20 J (( i go, ai don't my w out ai wards, right and left, from early mcrning till diisl; at night, and then, weary and dispirited, returned to their wagons. The search was a failure for thai day. Mrs. Service was postrated ; it distracted hci to think of her little half-clad and starving chili wandering over the great, horrible prairie. Fresh parties arrived and the search continueil The fourth day passed, and the fifth, and the sixt! son-in — no result. Hope was dead. The child was 1)ii *'*J^ scantily clad in summer clothing, and the night '' S( were Cv)ld ; he must long since have perished froii ^^^ iu hunger or cold, or l)oth. As a last resort, a re war thhig. of 8200 was offered for the recovery of the missin; arounc boy, and tiie matter was allowed to drop. back ; On the tenth day from the time little Willie ha quarte strayed away, Winnipeg was electrified with tli and st joyful tidings that the lost child had been foum again, alive and apparently none the worse for his ran thing ^ ])lings. It seemed hardly possible, but was tni' '' '^ nevertheless. The little fellow had lived on gras' enorg lio})i)ers, strawberries, and mud — not a very ep ^ cur can diet, truly. He had wandered five milt I ^top from home, and Avas discovered by a French ha! tnmg. breed. I will let the half-breed tell his own ston ^^in. •* JNIe and my wife, and my son and his wife, ai ^"» ^ my son-in-law and my daughter, go down to Si)rin. ^©ard field and cam}), the seventh day after the child av son lost. We look two days, and find nothing. In t: ^-easy morning of the third day, I get up in my cart a: j: ^^^k look all round ; there was nothing. Then, befoit ■'• P^t j get down, I see one crane rise up 'bout a mile ^Y and fly away, then another crane, then anotl crane. What make crane fly ? must be sometlii there. Then I get down and tell my son, and s '''Go that way.' (I'l nothini See hd draw hand \g till diisl; d, returned are for that stracted liei irving chill 'ie. continued d the sixt' ild was 1)11 I the night id shed fi'oii 3rt, a rewar the missiii; 3 Willie hai ed with til been foum for his ran >ut was trill ^ed on gras : a very e| 3d five mil French hai is own ston his wife, ai wn to Spriii. the child v hing. In t my cart a; riien, befoi'i ut a mile then anotl! be sometlii son, and s 27 " But my son say, *' 'No, go this »vay.' '' And my son-in-law say go this way, too ; so we go, and look and loolc, and walk and walk, and don't find nothini»- again. Then we come back, and my Avoman make fire to Ijoil tea. I think must go out and look where crancc was, but my son and son-in-law say, '''No, won't go ; go yourself." " So I think a little while, and then I take my gun and walk away lialf-a-mile, and don't sec no- uiuig. Walk a little fartlier, and stop and look around — tliere was nothing. Then I think I turn back ; but, no, not turn back, go on to willows quarter mile away. When I get to willows, I stop and stand on mv toes and stretch and look all round again, this way and tliat way, and don't see any- thing yet. Then I say, " ' You old fool, there is nothing. You tired enorgli ; go back and get some tea !' " I turn baclv and walk two, three hundred yards, I stop ; hear a queer noise. I look ; don't see no- thing. Go on ten, fifteen steps ; hear queer noise again. Stop ; look ; don't see nothing. Listen ; an, queer, queer noise. I cock my gun. Never heard such ([ueer noise. I think go back for my son ; no, go on. I get my gun ready and go on e-easy. Hear queer noise again, eight, ten yards off. I look : see dirt like badger hole. I stop. Then I put out my gun and walk close, slow. I point my gun, and look down. Hole dark ; can't see nothing. I bend my licad and look down, close. See hand — l:)lack, black ; four fingers, no thumb. I draw back. I not afraid ; but (pieer noise and black hand without thumb — don't like it. I look again ; band move, and thunil) come out from under. Tliei I make little noise, and two l)i,u; eyes look up — wild wild. I see face. I drop gun, put out my liand.\ and say, *' 'Oil, my poor little boy, come out, come out Your fatlier and niotber look aU over prairie aii< can't find you. C'ome out and I take you to you: motlier.' ''He say notbing, but look — big eyes, scared, i ask bim again come out, but be not move. Tben ; kneel down, and sav, " 'My poor little boy, come out, and I take yoi to your motber, I give you plenty bread, plenty tea you poor little boy, you must be Imngry. Coiii' witb me — I feed you, I warm you, I bring yoi bome.' " I reacbing down all tlie time, and tlien I catcl bim by tbe band, and say, " 'Now, my little boy, I got you, I bring you t my vdfe. Don't be afraid ; I not burt you.' " lie draw back, but I take bim out, and put in arms around bim, and bold bim up tigbt, and pa bim on tbe bead, and be never say notbing. The: T take bim to my w4fe, and my wife, and in daugbter, and my son's v/ife, burry up, and malv brotb, and give bim some in cup. My, but li liungry. Want to drink it all ; l)ut my wife say, '*'No, not too mucb ; I give you more afti awbile.' " Tben be go to sleep, and my wife wake liii soon and give bim more brotb. Tben be slei again, and my son go and tell bis motber, and li: motber come and take bim away." « c DoMix: Doi] ner in Caledc least, 1 the sai out of Brown admire stone, two pi- three also, ai in carr he was new }) strain \ immed throu no moi boat ex off (|ui The of exc Lord been fo LV"*!! idcr. Tliei k up — wild my lland^ come out prairie am on to you: scared. 1 'e. Then : I take yoi , plenty tea gry. Colli' bring yoi lien I catcl ring you t ou.' and put 111 lit, and pa ng. The: f'e, and iii , and nialv My, l3ut li wife say, more afti ) wake hii 3n he slei icr, and h i CHAPTER III. Dominion day — loiu) GoiiDON — and other matters. Dominion Day was celebrated in tlie usual man- ner in Winnipeg—horse races, excursions, pic-nicSj Caledonian gani(\^, etc. Brown was an athlete— at least, he imagined lie was, wliicli amounts to al)out the same thing. He entered for all the i>ames, and out Oi' a possible eight, carried off seven prizes. Brown felt })roud, and so did we, his friends and admirers. He failed to gain a prize for putting tlie stone, l^ecause there were three entries and only two prizes. In the otlier seven there were likewise three entries, but fortunately there were three prizes also, and with reasonable exertion Brown succeeded in carrying off all the third prizes. Unfortunately he was induced to start in the all-fours race for a new i)rint dress. He only started, though ; the strain was too severe, and something ripped. Brown immediately stopped and elbowed his way out throui>h the crowd. He was seen on the grounds no more that clav, neither was he with the steam- boat excursion at night. In Winnipeg things passed oflf quiet enough, but not so in other quarters. The following day the city was in a perfect tremor of excitement over the attempted kidnapping of Lord Gordon, a I'cmarkable individual who had been for some time residing at Headinglv, twelve ■I lolls oJ and '»' triiiiipi people aite]* ( repiita mill's west froin Winiii])t\^'. 'J'lir ld(liiaj)])vM'.> wci Uniti.Ml Statcvs di^tre'tivcs, and liavi^L^' se'i/rd {]\v man at ihr vvs'ulcuc-.' of a iirii^ldxr/iu.;' ^rntk'iaii c'onvevocl him ra])idl\' s^'vcsUv miics to tiic Intoni; tioiial !i(niiidarv i^iiic. IIl'I'o tli ;v \\'c^rr mrt ])\ M * * • Jii'adK'\', J. J*., (.'ustoms otliei*:' at Wr^t Lvmic, "wli ac'tiuj;' upon telei;'raj)]iir iiiiormiitii)!! from \\'i]mi[)t.>L: teniati( ])i'()mptly arrested the deteetives and reK\ise(l Mi receive Gordon. . his ma What a time tliert^ was, to he sni'e. I (Uai't pro nieritec l^ose to dwell on it. (lordon. ii transpired, lia< Gon sharped the sharj)ers of New York, and ohtainci residen ])ossession of a million dollars or so in Americai mer th( railway l)onds. His triek, however, was i)artl; pired. discovered, and himself arrested,! )ut he siieceeded ii suceeet i;ettiiii4' out on bail. ►Shortly after he disgorged ; and otL ])ortion of his ill-in'otten Avealth, and fled with tli fact, a i i>akinee to the then eoni})aratively unknown (Viiiiito a sc djan Nortli-AVest. Ihit the j^'entlcMnan v>'h() hai means, signed his baihhond, a YLv. Jtoherts, succeeded i: got on tracing the luckless Crordon to his retreat, and tli liavinu" detectives, now })risoners, were engaged to l)riii;Edinl)ii liim hack to durance vile. to have When put upon their trial for kidna])})h]g, tli To this detectives, Hoy and Kegan, acknowledged the ar;acou}>l l)ut claimed a legal right in the ])remises, under tli it. L'n old Conmion Law of Kngland. After an exhaiMnducec tive trial, a purely nominal penalty was adjudui them to by the court. ^ ' fact tlu Meantim(% Lord Gordon had started on an c: served i tensive hunting excursion to the .vest, probalicstabl is. with tlie intenticni of ncvei' I'eturning. 8uch ; was lio arrangement, however, did not suit the views of willingn least one individual in Winnipeg, the notoriniinission Attorney-General Clarke. This not over-scru} Slaving I LV*t. u' lutenia iiu^t bv Ml « >K\isc(l Mi I don't pic sph'tnl, liii' id ohtaiiUM 1 Americai ^Vils ])aril' iiu'ceodtMl ii disgoi'Li'iHl ; I'd with til iunvn (ViUii AVilO bill iccocmUmI i. at, and tli ed to hvm. appin.i*", til icd the iu> unikn' til an cxhaib as adjudiii 'S 1 on an e; ■st, prohal'^ . Such i views of i le not or i"' over-scru}' lous oliicial, had tlie iinfoi'tuiiat." (luidoii followiMl and '^''' ii^ 'd hack on a most eo]:tc^iiii)tii)lt' cluiruc tnnupe(hnp for the oeeasion. The syiii])alliy of rlic peoph' liad 1)een witli (ror(h)n tlu'ouinhout, and when aftei' develo})emenLS showed eleai'ly that the dis- repnta1)le Attorney-deneral laid attcnii)te(l a sys- tematic eonrso of Iilackriiail, that hiidi oliicia! received tliat fnll nK^asure of p\d)hc odinni v.hic.i his many ])ohtical and moi'al dehmpiencies Justly merited Gordon was reh-ascd, and a<4ai]i toolv ii]) his residence at IIea(UnLdv, where, the folhfv/inu" sum- mer the hist act in tlie Lord Gor(h)n drama ti'aus- pired. Before comiii;^' to America, Gor(h)n liad sucK^eded in defranchni;' certain EcHnl/uruli jeA\'ehM's and othi>rs, hi a remarkabh^ manner, lie was, in fact, a remarka])le man, and lia^ini;" reduced fraud to a science, he mastered tlie scicMice. By some means, however, Ins American l»ailsmau, Ivohevts, got on track of tliese ohl Scotch swindles, and liavhii;' phiced liimself in connnnnication with the Ediiihvu\i;li jewelers, legal ste})s were ])y them taken to have Gordon arrested and hrou^^ht to account. To tliis end, a warrant was issued at Toronto, and a couple of detectives of that city en<;aL»'ed to servo it. L'n tlie arrival of tliese detectives here, they induced certain well-known citizens to accompany them to Headinj^ly. Gordon at once realized tlie fact that he was undone ; the Toronto Avarrant served in the })resence of Winnipeg' gentlemen of established reputation, convinced him that his case was ho})eless, and he accordingly exjiressed his willingness to submit to the arrest, Init asked i)er- mission to change his wearing apparel. Permission having been readily granted, Gordon .stejijied into .' .|!i If: ^ ii, 32 his sleeping apai'tment and closed the docn'. Tn moment the rejx)!! of a pistol ran<;' out, and win the detectiv^es nished into the room, Gordon lay o the floor with a bullet thnmgh liis brain. Tin had he ended forever a troubled and checqueic existence. I have confined myself in this matter to tli merest outline of the Gordon affair. To g-o into ; in detail AV(mld re<[uire too mueh space ; but I huv endeavored to narrate :dl the leading facts of a casi that, in its several varying incidents, created cpiite sensation in the Wimiijieg mind, and which moi than (Hie jn'ominent citizen will long have occasii to remembei'. I have already remarked on the easy financi feeling of Inisiness men in this metropolis of tl Noi'th-West, and I will now proceed to illustrate i I had arrived in Winni})eg, a perfectly unkno^v stranger, about the middle of February, and : April, finding myself })()ssessed of hoarded treasure' the extent of nearly a lumdred dollars, I concliidi to l)uild a house — no sneak of a house, either, 1)' a g0(jd respectable house, capable of accommo(l;i ing two or three families comfortably, as comic went in those days. The first thing was a buildii lot. I found one to suit me, and purchased it f i^'2{)0, half down — all my capital gone alreml Next, I went to the mill-owners and arranged 1* 81,000 worth of hmiber; I then advertised I tenders for building, and let the contract for'$7i' Being imder age, I had a little trouble in negotii ing my terms, as I could not give a valid bond ; li at the time of which I Avrite, any respectable m of industrious habits could, if he were so miiuli incur liabilities enough to embarrass a millionai Aboi had VYini] montJ W(^alt mvsel In tor, o] meciir then afterw the c( gentle: Mr. F] not 2){ years ; the nol en,suin< his ow] printer necess[ the C03 to tile within refiisec f^d tin ife own cro^\'{lei eeeded profitali Tlie tliird onlj a tri- ^iridge, 33 )()!'. Til and whc Ion lay t; lin. Tlr.i jliec(|ner( ter to til ) had taker up their r(\sidence in the rising city, where the extensive buikling o})erations of the season had, directly and indirectly, given employ ment to all. The immigrants were, f(n- the most part, young men, poss(\ssed Avith a s})irit of adveii ture, rather tlian a desire to settle down to tin practical l)usiness of life. They came from al' parts of the P^astern Provinces, but a remarkabb laro-e number hailed from Western Ontario. Hcit is a stereotyj)ed conversation : " Where did you come from V " Ontario." *' What part f " ('ounty Huron." " Going to farm ?" " No ; I expect to get work on the new buik! mgs. '* Oh, you're a carpenter 1" " Well, no — not exactly ; but I've done a littl at it."' A large number of these young men returned t the East, some immediately, some after the la])> of a few months ; but the majority remained— few to become eventually prominent citizens Manitoba's capital ; others to settle down in the ne^ settlements of the Province, and lend their youu energy to the opening up of this great, feitii ) imnii<;Ta- rased \\v\ wii's \nv ever, had [)()pulali(>ii ini;' to the pall over ew-coiiier> 'isiiiji; city, us of tlu ill employ the inos; of advoii wii to tilt B from al remarkahl) irio. Heii new buiia fNortli-West a j^lorious distiiu'tiou wliicli tliey will tell witli [)i'i(l(^ to tluMi" i^raiKU'liildreii in the ycvirs to come, wIkmi Canada occiipi(\s the jjroiid })()sitioii of the {j;Teatest wlieat procUicini;' country of th(» "svorhl. Even Oi those who (k^parted in that and other y(»ars of orasshoppei' cahruiity, the l)ulk have since returned ; for there is a. cliarm ahout our Prairies l*i'ovince tliat few can withstand, who have breatlied her })ure air and noted her inunense cat»al)ihties, and vear aft(*r vcar these mistaken ones come stra<'<;iin;4' bacdv, j^enerally to deploi'e the rashness which had induced tliem to turn their backs on a land so fair and full of pi'omise ; for the tide of inunigration ev(!r rolls Aveslward, and great sections of country tliat tliis vcar are bevond the limits of civilization, another year will transform into a thriving' settlement, brisk with life and activity and enterprise. Imniigi'ants should Ijear well in mind the w^ords of an old gentleman in Winnipeg, when asked if he liked the country : *' Like it," said lie. "I did not come to this country to like it. I came here to live." me a litti •eturncd t r the kiji^ ;mained- citizens in the ik' heir yoiw •eat, fertii CIIAPTEII IV. TWO ^K<^^' NENT MEN — FAME — IU:UNEI) TO DEATH I.MMKilJATION — THUNDER STORMS — LAND HINT- IN(} EXl'ERIENCES — GRASSHOl'l'ERS AGAIN— POOlI 1JR(>\VN — THE FEVER — ^ELECTIONS. 74 marks an o[)Ocli in Winnipeg's history, for in this 3^ear was she (U'ckod ont with all the attri hutes of a full-lledj^ed city-Mayor and Aldermen. To the lot of Mr. F. E. Cornish, a meml)er of the Winnii)og har and formerly Mayor of London, Out., fell the honor of l)einn' the first Mayor of the first city of the North-West. (^Juick, talented, a fiuent speaker, and possessed of considerable ex- ])crience of pnblic life, added to the fact of hi? democratic sentiments, he was jnst the man to ''sway the masses," and the populace •generally looked upon him as the ''comin,^' man," — a man who would leave his mark on the pages of oiii Provincial history. The term of ofiice of the fir>t Provincial Parliament was drawing to a close, a general election would be held at the end of the year, and his friends and admirers confidently ex pected that Mr. Cornish would come out of the political contest with flying colors ; and, beyond doubt, the prospect was decidedly good. The prizi was the Pi'emiership. Some time before this a vacancy had occurred in the r. ]). A. Ill(Mlll) resign the eicctid j)r()])ri s n c; )f thi> «^ielt ill hiid b( recip )()liti('{ 'jM'eer iihlic ^onsidc aBtignia fBhould ^(vincial •throui'] xperie her, ^nced, i ioJ^e wil the othi listory. 'Inch \ DKATII- SD HUNT- JN — puui; story, for tlie iittri Vldei'iiuMi, )er of the London, or of the ilcntcd, a arable ex- let of lii."^ 1 man to <>'enerall,\ " — a man CS of (Jill the fir>t close, a id of till ently ex ut of the beyoiifl The pri/A curred in 07 ■till' r/\L;islature, o\vin,i;' to tlie resi;^aiatiou of Hon. -al). A. Siiiitli, in(Mul)er for Wiimipei;', who was also jiii(Mnl>er for Selkirk in tlu^ Dominion House, his jrcsi^^iiation having- ])c»en caused by the passing- of the Act to abolish dual re[)resentation. At the gcleetion held to fill this vacancy, Mr. U. A. Davis, |])r()j)rietor of the Davis Hotel, had offered Idniself |as a candidate and had been ehM'ted. Tiie iiiHuenee fof this somewhat ri^narkable nitm was immediately felt in jiolitical circles. T\n) Clarke Government had be(Mi totterin^L;" to its fall, and the event waia ■precipitated by the advent of Mr. Davis in the ])()litical arena. The remarkable part of Mr. Davis' career is that he, utterly devoid of experience in public matt(n's, an indifferent speaker, not at idl considered clever, and lajorini,^ under the social fiti,nina bei^'otten of his business as hot(;bkeeper, ^gliould at once seize the v/luicl and iiuide the Pro- vincial shii) of state safely over dangerous rec^fs and 1;hi'ouL!:h lines of menaciuLC and treacherous break- rs. ])Ut his success is a matter of history : and ven at the close of his short but brilliant career, |\vhen voluntarily retiring from public life, so firm jwas the hand with which he held the reins of power, lis to leave his indelible stamp on tlu^ succeeiiich wall secure it 1 I'l i 38 After all, what is fame 1 — a bauble, it is not worth the trouble. Some seek fame a lifetime ami find it not ; others obtain it without an eiibrt — it is thrown at them. So it was with Joe Cook. Joe was a conii)ositor in the Xor'~ ITester odice, and had no thoufj^ht of fame, but he received it, nevertheless. In this wav : Preparing- the type for press one day, a paragrapli of three lines was needed to till up the l)ottom o*' a colunm. Such a paragraph was not to be had, so, picking up a composing stick, I searched my mem- ory for something suita1)le, and after a giant effort, succeeded in unearthing an almost forgott n news- paper funny item. The w^ords were scarcely suffi- cient, however, and I accordingly added Joe Cook's name, in this way : '^ Joseph Cook, the celebrated philosopher, once remarked : ' You can always see a dam by a mill site ; but vou can't always see a mill by a dam site.'" Novy that item traveled all through the press of Canada and the I'nited States, and the avidity witb which newspaper men in general seized upon it, demonstrated clearly enough that Mr. Cook's philo- sophy was tlioroughiy appreciated and understood, Thus, you see, as if by magic, I had transformed the innocent, harmless Joe C'0(^k into a renowned philo- sopher, whose niost trivial remark received the ad miration it desei'ved throughout the length and breadth of a continent. How easy ; and, yet, sucli is fame ! Let me illustrat;^ this same matter in another di- rection. In the spring of '74, Mr. Frank Lyrai severed his regular connection with the Nor'- Welter but nevertheless contributed an occasional article iwluch V ledge a wester incns of •^^innip Barber, editor," editoria ''AH ''Oh, sonieboi " But " Wr Davis." "All Iwi!] suffice i lime fa came st sul)scri] paper d cessful- iighted and car I'cAV pe kind-he People the ma\ take, h( ed the < the clev finally ^ Frank ] called 3 "Bar it is not time audi 3rt — it is! 'k. J()(> , and luid ertheles.s. laragra})]' ;t()ni o^ a had, 80, iiy mcni- nt effort, u news- 3ely snfli- oe Cook's ler, once )y a mill y a dam press of idity witi' upon it, >k H pliiio derstood, )rmed the led pliilo .1 the ad igth and yet, sucli lother (li- nk Lyriii •'- Webtrr, I artick'. 89 kvhich were always wx'lcome, he being an acknow- ledge able and elegant writer— indeed the Xor'- UVester contained at this perioil articles from the l^ens of several Avell known and clever citizens of ^Vinnii)eg. It chanced one day, however, that Mr. ;Barber, l)eing hurried, asked the youthfid " local editor," that was myself, to write something for the editorial columns. ; '' All right," I said ; " what will I write ?" " Oh, anything. Write something that will make somebody mad." " But what about ?" " Write about the election, and take a dig at Davis." *^V11 right." I will not intlic^t that article again on the public ; sutfice it to say that it duly appeared in all its sub- lime faultiness. Early next morning subscribers came straggling in, asked wdiat was due on their suljscriptions, paid the amount, and ordered the paper discontinued. The article was grandly suc- cessful — everybody was mad. ]Mr. Barber was de- lighted ; his soul was filled with joy. He went out and came in again presently, beaming with smiles. 3^ew people enjoyed a joke so immensly as generous, kind-hearted E. L. Barber, and this was huge : People generally fathered the miserable article on the mayor, no less, Mr. Cornish. Learning their mis- take, however, probably from himself, they attribut- ed i\u) authorship to first one and then another of the cleverest and wittiest of Winnipeg's citizens, and iinally settled the burden on the shoulders of ]\lr. Frank Lynn. That gentleman was disgusted, and called at the ofiice to see al^out it. Said he : "Barber, wdio wTOte that article on II. A.Davis V 40 ■' Well, the people seem to think it was ^Ir/^rovidec Lynn. '' It wasn't thongh, and I (hjn't see why the d— 1 they think so ; d — n it, its a ])erfect outrage on hit stvie. Didn't Cornish write it ?" ''No ; try again." Mr. Lynn did try again, Imt without success ; for, although denouncing the article as contemptible, lie persisted in attril)uting it to the cleverest men in the city. Finally he left the office, without haviiii; his curiosity gratified, and the real criminal escaped undetected. The local contemporary press took tin* matter up, and discussed it at length, but finally the feeling en- gendered calmed down, and our subscribers return ed to us. Xow, this article was in every sense, a conteni])- tible production, containing nothing in the world to aggravate any sensible citizen ; it was ridiculous- ly weak, and yet what an unexpected result. It the local fame those several accused gentlemen pos- sessed for alnlity Avas not sufficient to prevent the attributing to them of so mean a literary effort- why, again I am forced to exclaim, What is fame! In March of this year, one of those horrible oc currences which occasionally shock communities, transpired at Pemlnna Mountain, an unsettled dis- trict in the south-western part of the province. The previous summer, Mr. Kobert Stevenson, a well-to-dn farmer from Ontario, had prospected in that neigli borhood for land, and finding a suitable location for himself and his ihree or four grown up sons, had decided there to locate and erect for himself a home in the vast and lonely wilderness. Leaving his wife and younger children carefully \vith tw( |o their «ettleme the drea jBcene of Arrivi rough, t( Innnedia Out buil( ivliere m I Their io all ba fiewed k lending ( corner of |o die ( turns br ^ight an coals, ne Igain sei Mie broa< In a sho] becomes %nite r bursts f(i ^ey thoi Siey pile to iiJieir catastro} IHiother ^ornity. -a voke in the d-i e on iiiv OSS ; for, )tible, lip men in t havinii I escaped atter up, ;elini»' en- s return- ;ontem]> le woilil diculous- suit. It men pos- 3 vent the effort- is fame! •rible oc munities, ittled (lis- ince. The ^vell-to-(lo lat nei.u'li- cation iVir sons, IkkI 'If a home carefullv 41 provided for in Y\^innipeg, the energetic old man, Avith two of his elder sons, early in 74, bid farewell to tlieir loved ones, and struck the trail for the new settlement of the Boyne, thence twelve miles across the dreary, trackless, snow-covered prairie to the jBCone of their future lal)ors. Arriving at their destination, they occu})ied a rough, temjjorary shanty, and with hearty goodwill immediately connnenced the glorious task of taking- outbuilding timber, fencing, etc.. to build a home i\iiere never was civilized home l)efore. Their shanty w^as of the description well known to all backwoodsmen, with its rough walls of un- hewed logs, and rude though cheerful fire place, Sending out its l)right warm rays to every nook and eornerof the uncouth hut. The fire is never allowed to die out ; a great log thrown on at l)edtime burns briskly through the long hours of the wintry l^ight and leaves a mass of glowing, glimmering coals, needing only the addition of fresh fuel to ggain send the bright liames leaping and dancing up tiie broad chimney to the sharp, frosty air without. In a short time, the rough bark on the inside walls becomes dry as tinder, and a spark is sufficient to . ^nite V fire that, smouldering for a time, suddenly bursts forth a fierce, roaring liame. Such was the shanty of the Stevensons, and little they thought that bitterly cold night in March, as tiiey piled the genial fire with fresh fuel ere retiring to iheir hard couches for the night, what a fearful catastro})he Avas at hand. Death was at the door, and another dawn w^ould anchor two fresh souls in eternity. :i Some hours after retiring-, the elder Stevenscm fu^oke in a frenzy. His eyes were blinded with i I' I 42 the terrible cra'-.'kinu* and roarin agony was eating into his vitals. i.ike a maniac he rushed half-naked from the doomed hut, out into the winter's nighi:, and for a time his unsettled mind failed to comprehend the fearful situation. The smouldering ruins of the shanty, and tho l)lackened, charred remains of his boys recalled him, and slowly the old man realized that a dire calamity had befallen. He knew that he, too, was a doomed man ; felt the flutter of his anxious soul, and knew that but a thread held it to the pain- racked body, burned beyond hope of recovery. His thoughts flew to his wife and remaining children. Who would bear the ghastly tidings ^ He was him- self the sole occupant of tlie wilderness, and he must be the messenger — dead or alive, he must reach the settlors on the Boyne, twelve miles dis- tant over a trackless prairie. With the fier 7 seeds of death in his heart, and the keen, frosty March wind cutting through and througli his unprotected, flame-seared body, the brave old man succeeded in hitching his horses to the sleigh, tumbled himself in, and then, turnin*;' their heads to the Boyne, gave the word. How he ever survived that journey is a mystery, Init when the team found their way into the yard of Mr. James Cami)bell, on the Boyne, ]\Ir. Stevenson was still alive. These kind peo])le used every en- deavor to ease the pain of the unfortunate suiferer, and had the satisfaction of seeing him rally sufli- ciently to allow of his being conveyed to Winnipeg, where alone proper medical attendance could be obtained. He was beyond the power of medical skill, liow- vcv, and t flowed ] ^ Thus p jjiin conn tibe Provi : With t lirge flow pi'ovince. tibe land, ^mmunit @ice of tl ]i|ore or le ^e visitat quently fti and trade part the n pearance i through tl imniigratii gatliered structures sent time Tlie im River, nea fiHed to o\ —men, wc scattered 1 porary abc in their tui Most of Lake Koui TQuie, via dian Dawt? tion was h t\m low fai [ fiei'co L01Til)lc maiiiac >ut into ;d mind lid tliu 'cealled a dire 3, was a s soul, 3 pain- Y. His liildrcn. ras iiiin- aiid lie le must :es dis- rt, and igli and ly, the )rses to turning lysterv, yard of 3venson cry on- uii'erei', y sulii- nnipo.u, )ul(l l)e 1, how- i 43 or, and after a few weeks of agony, the old man followed his l.)oys to eternity. Thus perished the pioneersof the Peml)ina ^loun- tain country, since become the hxi'gest settlement of the Province, and one of tlio most prosperous. With the opening of navigation this season, a large How of immigration poured into the prairie Province. The grasshopj^ers had disappeared from the laiul, and the outlook for all 2)ortions of the community was decidedly bright. In the experi- ence of the native inhabitants, a period of years more or less extended invariably intervened l)etween the visitations of the destructive insects, and conse- quently ftirmcrs looked forward to abundant crops and tradesmen to al)undant barter. For the most part the new-comers were delighted with the ap- pearance and i)rospects of the country, and all through the months of Mav and June the tide of immigration swelled fuller and stronger. Merchants gatiiered confidence, and some of the fine brick structmx\s which ornament Main Street at the pre. sent time were erected during the summer of 7-1:. The immigrant sheds on the bank of the lied River, near the confiuence of the Assinil)oine, were filled to overfi owing vv^tli active, bustling humanity — men, women and children ; and all around were scattered tents, board shanties, etc., each the tem- porary abode of incoming parties of immigrants, who in their turn, would scatter and give place to others. Most of the new-comers, this season, came by the Lake Koute, via Duluth ; many chose the all-rail route, via Chicago, while a few came l)v the Cana- dian Dawson Koad. Last year this latter institu- tion was largely patronized, chiefly on account of tlie low fare, although many traversed it mainly to : li {';<■ I ' I 44 view the tremondous sc(m(^iy Jiloii.i;' the route from the Nor'- West aii.ule of tlie Lake of the Wornls tn Thunder Bay on Lake vSuperior — .scenery subhiu(Mii its stupendous grandcnir, and well worlhy the atteii tion of all lovers of the grand and beautiful in na ture. However, as I have said, 1)ut few traveled tlie Pawson l\oad this voar, niainlv on account of tlii very unsatisfactory manner in which it was con- ducted. The managers were sul)8idized by Govern- ment to carry passengers through at low fares, and it thus phunly was to tlieir interest to carry no pas- sengers at all, as tlie less the outlay on unprofital)le tralfic, the larger the portion of the .^G(),()00 subsid} they would be enabled to put into their own pockets, At any rate, those who traveled by that mucli abused route, had hard tales to tell of scarcity of provisions, length of time on the road, lack of pro per shelter from the inclemency of the weather, and general mismanagement. The result was that even the low fares would not induce people to travel it and towards the close of the season the Dawson Koad was finally closed, and is now^ an institution dl the past. Writing of these immigrants and their varied troubles ])rings to my mind a peculiarity of Mani- to])a that, to nervous people, is not a source of posi- tive enjoyment — in fact, rather the opposite. I re fer to her thunder storms. The summer of 74 alwunded in electrical exhil)itions, but I fear tliev were scarcely appreciated. For myself, I am free to confess to a sneaking desire to crawl under the l)e(l when one of these flashing, flaming, dazzling, roar- ing, tumbling, rattling, crashing demonstrations puts in an appearance ; and yet the accidents by light- > 'I nmg m Ibably t I I rei while a ing up !- flashes .J battle, , boom, I Joe J , ly at til I sleep]) * obstrej: i^awaker .) treat as- just as Onw, '|the van ■ed a ti .grape i fstorm t- and rac magazi] Just ^anie, r llinder t. one ficr the mid tinder h "WL fishly. ; "Oh, lest stoi ''Wh And Again. utc fi'oii: mblimcii! :lie attoii ul ill iia veled tlu' lit of till was cou- y Govern- arcs, and y no pas profitable subsidy 1 pockets, lat miuli carcity ol k of prtj ither, and that even travel it Da\vs(3ii titutioii d Dir varied of Mani ?e of posi te. I re icr of 74 fear tliev im free to r the bed iiig, roar- tionspiit> by light- 45 I iiiuL? in tliis country are not numerous, thougli \)vo- y ])ably this maybe owing to scarcity of settlement. I remember one night in June lying awake in bed while a furious, enraged tlumder storm came sweep- ing u}) from the soutli. For an hour or so, disjointed $ flashes of light gave due notice of the a])proaching |])attle, and alter a time could be heard the boom, boom, of the advance guns. ^ Joe ('ook, the philosopher, Avas sleeping peaceful- dv at tlie otlier side of the room, and I wanted to f slee[) i)eacefully too, but c(mldii't, in the face of this ] obstreper(jus thunder storm. I would like to have |awak(^ned Joe, so that he might enjoy the electric I treat as well as myself; but I forbore, thinking that, ■ just as likely as not, he might prefer to di(*- asleep. Onward came the grand electric army, and now the van lias reached the South Ward and has open- ;;ed a tremendous cannonade with shot and shell, Igrape andfcaimister. The furious elements next Istoriii the city, and in the midst of the infernal din 'and racket of falling houses and bursting shells, a ^magazine suddenly exploded directly overhead. Just then I heard a sliaq), piping voice call my iiamc, and cautiously w^ithd rawing my head from flmder the bedclothes, I peeped out. The room w^as one fierce glare of yellow sulphurous light, and in the middle of the floor stood Joe, his legs shaking under him and his eyes rolling. He called again. " What did you 'waken me for ?" I asked, snap- pishly. ^ " Oh, for Heaven's sake ; here's one of the awfnl- lest storms !" *' What do I care; I don't want it." And pop went my head under the bedclothes Ugain. .^^ O s J J O 46 For a c'oii])UM)f' hours tliis liorri1)lc stcn-m clonion coiitiniUHl his vcii^i;efiil work, shattering' and tcarini' pnd levolin!'' the voun<;' citv in tlie (hist. Then the Mack ch)U(ls roUed awav, tlie bright moon shone out mihl and 1 beautiful from the elear, cahn sky, and J ventured to take a mournful k)ok at the ruins of an enterprising" eity. AVonderful ! After all the racket, Winnipeg- lay before me, unharmed ! Well, well ; after that ex- i^erience, who could ever again j)lace any confidence' in noise. In one of the stoi^ms of this season, however, a soldier named Cameron was almost instantlv killed in a tent near the barracks. He was standing with his hand on the tent pole at the moment of the elec- tric discharge, and tlie fluid ran down the pole until it reached his hand, when the current separated, one portion contimiing to the ground, the other ])assinu along Cameron's arm, thence down his l)odv and legs. At the instant of the shock, the unfortunate man turned to a companion standing m the open- ing of the tent and said, distinctly: •' I'm struck." As soon as the words were uttered, he fell l)ack dead ; but I have alwavs considered it remarkable that he should s])eak at all, as the electric charge ])assed directlv along him, running two or three strands of his watch-chain into one, and knocking the heels off his boots. In July of this year the local papers w^ere filled with an account of the massacre of a half-breed family near St. Joe, Dakota, ])y Sioux Indians. St. Joe is near the boundary line at the base of Pemlnna Mountain, among the hills of which the Indian> were said to be encamped. But, of course, no one in Mani inst;iHC( It hai reacheil had eu« ing' in ti t|in, wh aftcc, I and pre- to view tofiiul s Tlie li hends, s( full SU})}) We trav( on the s( of our m Jam })le; aipse vie TOs a hoi house if 1 sarno mi] Accon thehalf-l ed to ato: house we I perfect sonietliini *' Preni rtench, ] friend in and on m e^tliey I taineirtlK 11 (I onion 1 1 tcariiii': riieii the dunie out V, and I tins of an lipcg lay ' that ex- jnfidence Avever, a tlv killed Ain*;' witli :' the clci'- pole nntil •ated, one i^ passing )odv and ■ortunate be ope]i- fell bade [narkable char.ue lor tbi'L't' knocking; U'G filled led family It. Joe is IPembina Indian^ no one 47 ^lanitoba felt the least alarmed at this isolated istance of crime. Iltha[)])ene(l, however, that at the time this news Iiached Winni})eg, myself and several new-comers ||d en<;aged a donl)le wai'on to <^o land ju-ospeet- i||)- in the neighborhood of the same renil)ina jNlonn- in, where on the reconnnendation of an accpiaint- ice, I had l)een indneed to enter for a homestead d })re-emption a few months j)reviously. I wanted I vi(nv my landed property, and the others wanted tofiud snitable '' claims " to locate. The Indian matter, of conrse, never entered our feliads, so otf we started, joyous and happy, with a sui)i)ly of canned fruit, biscuits and shot-guns. e traveled to Headingly that night, and camped the south side of the Assinil)oine ; at least part o| our nund)er did — I didn't ; even at this early date, ni })leased to reniend)er, I held good common- se views on the subject of camping out. There il^lis a house near, and I intended to sleep in that * iuse if possil)le, two others of the party l)eing of the nc mind. Accordingly we ap})lied for accommodation, and half-1)reed owner informed us in English, smash- ei to atoms with French, that l)y going to the next blfuse we would find a man who could talk English, r perfectly understood what the man meant, but something tempted me to say : *' Premier maison ?" Now, I did not understand the first thing about rreuch, I had heard those two words used by a frfend in reply to an ap])arently puzzled stranger, aad on my incpiiring the meaning had been inform- ed they meant ''first house." My memory had re- tcmied the words, and finding this grand opening for 4^^ slidiiii;' them in, I luid proudly Imt I'oolisldy done n My cniupanioiis looked at me {idiiiii'iii;^ly, and m^ of them i'emarke(l, heartily : '' ])y George, old fellow, I'm j^lad you're aloii; you'll be useful iii the Freueh settlenuMits." I smiled and hurried them away, while the lialij breed stood jabberini;' and L;i'inning" till iinally | clum}) of wiHows hid liim from sii;lit. On rei)aii'in<;' to the camp fire next njornin*;', tl superior wisdom of myself and companicms in slcq] inu" under a roof, manifested itself. Of those wli slept in the open air, one had a s(>re throat, anotliej a sore ])ack, a third did not sleep a wink, and >i with the others. In theory, eamping out is delinlii| fully w^ild and romantic ; in practice, it is misera lonesome and dreary. Apart from the raw\ va<;raiii feelinu' of the night air, sleep is rendered almost iiii| })ossible by the constant attacks of great clouds i| ])loodthirsty mos(piitoes, eager for human gore an perfectly indifferent to slaughter. Under these en: ditions life becomes a burden, and even old, estai lished sinners resign the contest in (les})air, an mentally pray for the coming dawn, ^everthk- it is with feelings of almost unalloyed pleasure that look back on my varied experiences ofcamphigou not that I have the slightest desire to })ass throne the same scenes of misery again, but simply, I ]>i sume, because they are past experiences. While preparations for breakfast were j)rogressi!i. the chat went round, and in (hie course the balaii' oi the party were informed of my recently deiitoi strated powers as a linguist. They were deliglitt The individual who voluntrrily acted as guide, liii self a new-comer, although he had been over tl same road once before, nodded kindly, and said : tlie all I you'l 1 .^ cons Iv so this C()in( fsav 'in Iniglit straig [bread land ] '' \] I hi He ?trini>- iie ap[ the ca ^Jinouth 'clown other ; The "be, th %\\\, ai me, an 5! kiiev ■ Aga fcrute ( how, a fie and to a dr genera ily (lono sf| Yf iuiil (II, U Vi) aloii. le tho ha! ill linallv tl lornini^', ms ill sUm'i * those \\\\ oat, aiiotlii Luk, and ^ it is (leliji: is miscral"! raw, vai^rai (I almost ii: at clouds ' in li'oro aii er these m old, estal lespair, ai everthlc- asurc that aminii*;' en lass throne iply, I ])r Iprogressiii. the balam Itly (leiiioi |e delight (1 jguide, hii! leii over tl hid said : 49 ''Likely eiiougli our grub will l)e getting low by tlie tiiiK* we reach IJed River, and as the ])e()})le are all l^'i'tMieh I'roni the boundary line to Winni])eg, you'll be ot'sei'viee." I smiled eonndaeently, — evidently my eom])anions I considered hum )f considerable importance. Present- I ly some one iiKpiired how to say "wagon" in French, 'i* This Hooi'imI me lor a moment, but 1 rallied, and I coined a word. Another wanted to know how to sav '"bread," and I coined aiiain, and so on. In the midst of this, (mr French friend of the §night before appeared upon the scene. Hu walked straight to where I was sitting with a large slice of bread cm (me side and a cu^) of hot tea on the other, and ])utting (mt his hand, said : " IJoshoo." I handed him the slice of bread. He took it dcmbtfully, and rattled off a great long ^string of (to me) senseless gibberish ; then, pausing lie aj)peareil to wait for an answer. The eyes of the camj) were u])on me. I nodded, smiled, took a .'mouthful of scalding tea that burned a broad track down to my vitals, and hastily moved around to the other side of the camp lire. » The Frenchman followed, and again addressed hie, tliough not so confidently. He paused occasion- ally, and I noddcMl. Tlie sweat was oozing out of Jne, jind I dare not look at iny companions, though |[ knew they were looking at me. ^ Again I moved around the lire, and again that ■l^rute of a Frenchman followed. He eni})hasized llow, and gesticulated ; he picked u]) the cam}) ket- W^ and made motions with his hands, and jjointed §0 a drove of cattle, and made a clown of himself generally. Finally, he paused expectant. ')0 T put niv IkukI ill ui} pt)c:kot iiiid luuulcd him a dollar l.ilir IninicMJiatrly a blaze of iiiti'lli<;(Mi(*(' lit up hi- swarthy (M)Uiit{Miau('(\ lie was more than i)loas('(l, he was d('li<;htL'd, and quietly takiuj;- the iioti, pointed at tli(^ eaiup kettle and hastened awiiy across the prairie to his liousi\ I felt instantly iv lioved. "Say," said the <;uide, slowly, "what did that Freiiehnian want ?" "The tact is," I rei)lied, "I didn't understand liin. exactly niyselt" -these half-hreed French alwav< mix so much Indian with their talk ; l)ut as well ii« I could make out, lie was vcny poor and needivj m(mey so I ^ave him a dollar." " The fact is," repeatedthe^uide, " 1 don't Ix^licv you understand a word of French. Anybody hulai idiot wouhl have known that the man was trvini; ! sell you simie milk. See, luTe he comes with i: now. You're a frau(h" Sure enough, back came the half-breed with . tiowin*.*" pail of milk, and set it down at my fec^t wit' immense j^usto. The unfeeling wretch wanted ' talk more ; but I didn't, I wanted to go shootini;. About four miles from our camping i)lace, we ii: rived at the first marsh — a long, narrow stretch luxuriant grass four or five feet high, that wavt and rustled in the wind. When hi these marshi- for some cause, I always feel a soi't of sinking at tli heart or stomach, I don't know which— a feelini;;! though a crisis was ap})roacliing. In mid-suiinii these marshes generally contain a foot or two stagnant water, aboun(lini>' in diminutive sllell-li^ This, added to the tall, rank grass, and the t;i that the trail is seldom distinct — owing to passii ;eams tioit ol ^vihls, i that yo l^limy (j yt't so I licN'ertI fiafety, grass, ] ftiiiitv. ( hiv 1 us ; he .|;''"iss, a ■the wa; ,|)ufled i 'imiddy ^i^tlbrts, The I ter get [east, n Agaii '^'hip, a faiiity ; then, m theii )e t( gone t i Tlu; iea[)mg tmliitch iliey rc|he lon<^ i 1 beli folation f''" ei out. „, tiler wd 'A il liiiii aBt*:ii»i''< •'*t''i^^'''n <>^^ to ri^^lit and \c\\, leads to a dim it of 'alley tliat you aro travcrsiiii;- t\\v. unexplored it \\\) \\b %ilds, and a stroii<4" susj)icMon lui'ks iu your l)osoni II pleased, ^liat you may at any monuMit disaj)|)(»ar forever iu a the note. umI away tantly iv jlimy (pia.n'mirc^ or bottomless lake. I have never 'et so disappeared, fortunately foi* civilization ; hut, , did that •stand hill. :\i ahvav> as well a> id needrii )irtl)(^lit'V' )ody hnlai. s try in u t 3S with i. d witli . y fec^t wit: wanted i hootin.L;. ice, wo ai stretch lat wavt e iiiarslu- viui»' at tli I feel.il i,u a id-suniiii or two ! shell -li>' d the ta to pas^i! Iievertheless, no matter how often I cross a marsh in jsah^tv, next time 1 tind myself amouii- the waviu" grass, J am all eyes and eai's for the im[)en(lini;' cal- aniity. (hir teamstei' cautiously invaded the marsh before jis ; he swerved to one side and kej)t in the Iouil;' i|^!"iss, and for a time wc made good j)ro<^ress. Then |the wa;4;on wheels cut deei)er and deeper, thelun'ses puffed and snorted, and churned the water into a imiddy foam, but presently, after a few spasmodic ^efforts, came to a stand-still, panthig and exhausted. The teamster suuuested that some of us had bet- Jter get out, but his observation ^yas unheard — at least, no one budg(uL i' Aiiiiin the teamster seized the rehis, cracked his whip, and rolled out peal after peal of artistic ju'o- fauity;the willing horses tugged and jerked, and then, making one grand eft'ort, down they went till their bellies rested on the tough sod. They had "gone throun'h." The teamster ceased his furious exertions, and lea[)iiig out into the foot-deep water, hastened to tiiihitch his helpless animals. A plunge or two and Jthey regained the tough sod, and stood trembling in rjthe long grass. f 1 believe that wretched teamster took grcnit con- solation from the i\ict that we were now obliged to for out. He positiyely grinned, as one after an- ther we solemnly climbed out of the wagon. How ■M. m 52 ridiculous ; licrc we had cng-agod this man to convojl us to a certain (k\sthn\tion, and just at tlie very tiiii, tliat conveyance Avas most needed, we were o1)h'»'e(l to make horses, v)r asses, of ourselves, and haul lii^ old wagon out of the swamp. A few years later on, 1 had occasion to i>o from the Bovne to Headindv, and endeavored to engage a seat with the mail-car rier. I asked him if he cariied passengers, and Ik said: " Yes ; occasionally." *' What's the fare V' " Foiu' dollars."' " Can von take me V "Yes I guess so ; but you'll have to walk ovci the l)ad places." " Humph ; it's the l)ad places I don't want to wall; over." " Can't take you, then." "^ Well, how much of the road is l)ad V " I reckon, about half or two-thirds." "Guess I'll walk." But to return to my narrative. On reaching ten' Jim, a, our guide informed us that we had tv more similar marshes to cross before reaching ; stream with the "high " sounding and wonderfiill' appropriate name of " Stinking Kiver." Once tlieiv he assurrcd us, our troubles would ])e at an end, a the marshes beyond, though extensive, had "gofi' l)ottoms." We met a couple of men from the I^oym presently, and they confirmed the words of (ni guide, and supplied us with additional informatin! to turn to the right at the next marsh we came ti and to the left at the third and last. They told ib also, that if we had turned to the left in the (mejii- passed, we would have got tln'ough without difficult' Toll.) fiver, t 1(1 can Stink never 'cr it either archill whole j^rcam, with grc lakes ith Lit htlL ITcr, h( noli is in accc i*oni afii ' Havii prci'isioi Routed ■ Ife get V I Last 1 ioino 1\\ etl, is no Witli the fee enteri J&ould b li(hi't b( kettle, a Willi a g Into whi H on the t Somel nil \\m\{\ to the ac 1 to coiivct! e very tiiiii 3rc o])lii^x'(l (1 lituil lii« Ts later on, Headiniilv, le mail-car Ts, and Ik walk ovt'i ant to ^valli ehing' t<'ri\ e had U' eachinLi ; i^onderfiill; 3nce tliei'i an end, a )ad '\!^' the Boviii fls of on: nforniatin! came ti ey told n- lie one jii< t difficult' 53 I \)lh)wini;" these instructions, Ave reached Stinkini;- ti\ er, twenty-five miles from home, about 11 o'cloek, d cam})ed for dinner. Stiiikini>' Jtiveris not by any means a lovely stream, never yet heard of any tourist goino- into ecstacies rvv its limpid waters or })ictures(|ue sceneiy. [either is it in the least degree majestic — by arching earefully you might perhaps hiid a })lace whole rod in width, or even more. It is a shallow ream, A\ith a deep smell, and its waters are thiclv •fith green, seed-like atoms of vegetable matter. It kes its rise in a niarsli, and eonsequently contains it little water in a dry season. This reniarka])le pver, however, has a peculiarity all its own : tlie lell is louder in winter than in summer, and vou II aceordingly at that season of the \ eiir scent it oni afar. I Having kindled our camp fire and opened our uN'ision store, we suddenlv found ourselves eon- onted with a serious eonundrum : Where v» ould e i-et water for our t(^a ? i Last iiii.rht and this morninij: we had used Assini- loiiie iliver water, wliicli, though slightlv discolor- ', is not ill -flavored ; but the idea of making tea ^itli tlie nauseous liuid of Stinking Iciver could not entertained for a moment. Our guide said we ould be thanlvfal to have water at all, but we dii't believe him. Finally he }>ieke(l u}) the eamp Jettle, and walking away a short distance, returned Vth a gallon or two of clear, ])ure-loo];ing water, Dto Avhicli he dum])od a handful of tea, and ])laced I on tlie lire to boil. Somehow, the tea had a despicable ilavor. Vv^e I'lmiarked it, ])ut attributed it to the boiling, or the action, t»f the strong liquid on the sheet-iron It '' 54 kettle. There was another, and all suiHcient, roaj son, however. The ^iiide explained it. After dinner he took a pail and tilled it with watel at the same liole where he had got the su])ply fir tea. Setting this pail down in front of him, li, made the following remarks : i *' Boys," said he, " yon're mighty partienhir ahoii drinking water, l)nt yon'll have to come down. IV made this trip l)efore, and know how it goes. I'v. learned to drink any kind of water, and be thankfii if it is wet withont l)eingpoison;and ycni'll learn, toi- You turned up your delicate noses at Stinking IaIvi; wiiter, so I got you some more to your liking. 1 strained what you had for dinner through my haml kerchief, but here's the article in its natural purity. Saying which, he upturned the contents of tli little pail into the lid of the camp kettle. Oh, Lord ! V )ur tender stomachs twisted aiii turned and heaved in sym})athy with the twistiu: turning and heaving mass of wigglers, grubs an worms in the shallow water. Three orfour hidcmi shell-fish an inch long traversed slowly around, tliei: disgusting, tiabby l)odies protruding from the slieli- as they closely hugged the smooth bottom of tli; kettle lid. Ugh ! the horrible flavor of that tea ! We moved away from the camp-kettle lid, ; order to give our stomachs a chance to settle, uu getting oar pi})es, commenced a vigorous, soIcmih putting. Indeed, since leaving our camp of la>: night, the spirits of the entire ])arty had torn downwofully. In my own particular instance, tin was easily account for, — that horrid Frenchman, ye' know ; but what shadow had fallen on the othciv Presently, some one suggested that camping on ■I ■■4i wasn't all it was craclvcd up to bo. That was my o])inion, and I said so. Another remarked that he'd hate to bo an Indian and cam]) out all the time. Carried unanimously. The teamster thought an vthino- was rrood enou^fU for an Indian ; and the i^'uide seconded him, addiuLj tliat an Indian was a treacherous devil, ar.yhow, and didn't deserve anythiui^- better. I ol)jected, and tlioughtthe Indian had someL,ood points. The i^'uido didn't lielieve it : as a rule all Indians were sneaks and cowards. I ventured to think that tlie Sioux, for instance, possessed a slight degree of bravery. The teamster didn't see anvtliini*' brave a])out massacring a family of defenceless half-breeds. A pause then, and after a wliile some one remark- ed that it was a deuce of a long way to Pembina Mountain. No one objected. The guide expected we'd have some troul)le get- ting through the marshes. T reminded him that we had passed all the ])ad ones. I^•otracted silence. The guide picked up a chi}), stuck it on a stump, and fired at it with his shot-gun. Except the teamster, we all carried double-1 barrel- ed shot-guns, and each in tui'n tried his hand, till tlie chip was riddled with shot. Another pause. The guide raised the hammer of his other barrel, took aim and, zip, a bullet toie a grove in the side of the stunij). 50 I tiiod next, and scut a great roiiiul ball wlii.st- liii;^' over the prairie. Then the others followed, for, hy some remark- able chance, one bariel of eacli gnn wns loaded with ball. None of us hit the chi]). The teamster stood to one side, whittling a stick witli a long vicions looking dirkdcnife, and appar- ently regretting that he had no gun. Nobody s})oke. The u'uide (iii'ain toed the mark, and drawing a little revolver from his breast pocket, rattled oH' seven shots in quick succession. I followed with two froni the old Derringer. The rest followed suit, with various styles of pis- tols and revolvers ; but no one hit the chip. The teamster lifted the lid of the l)ox in front of his wagon, and drawingout a monstrous tive-shooter, one of Colt's largest, half-a-yard long, sent the chip tiying first shot, and emptied four cluunbers at a harmless squirrel without success. We all carefully reloaded our shooting utensils, and gathering iq) our cuj)s and dishes, })repared to make a fresli start. Arrived the ford the teamster stopped his team at the edgf jf the water. '' That'.v .ii ugly crossing," said he. '' Yes," said the guide ; '' it's changed since I vras here ])efore." " Better get out and sec what it's like." No one seemed anxious, so IJumped out myself and Avaded across. The Avater was scarcely knee deep, and the nuiddy bottom was filled with old logs and Ijrush. '* It's all right, teanister," said I ; '' the logs in the d.ottom '^ It's Avant to '' Wei ' " Not 1)0(1 V ev "'We '' If I ^to be re? "All Tlie terms. foi' not \ place ; 1 ilio must W(^ll, :;at all, an |cu})ied n two j)erfi) other. Thatn aj^ain, sc ' The di . foi' Mani hoverinq Jiat or ill tiooa sui are not si^lit pe distinqu hi 10' up .flake is ; Counties tion. There wliist- loaded a stick iil)par- tied oil' 3r. of pis- front of jliooter, le chip s at a torisils, ired to is team I ^yl\i olf and dee}), j;s and in the ]:,)[[( )ni won't let the wagon sink." " It's tlie logs I'm afraid of," said he, '•' I don't want to break my horses' legs." '' Well, cross higher n])." *' Not much. I ain't going to cross v.liere no l)0(ly ever crossed before." " Well, wdiat are you going to do." '' If I put my team in tliere, I want you follows to 1)0 res])onsible for accidents." " All right ; I'm willing if tlie rest are." The rest, however, ol)jected in the strongest tornis. They said thov didn't ])himo the teamster foi' not wanting to put his horses into sucli an ugly ])lacc ; but they wouldn't take the res])onsil)ility. llo must do it at his own risk, or not at all. Well, to make a long story sliort, he didn't do it at all, and the twentv-five mile iouriu'v tliat oc- ru[)i(Ml nearly a day and-adialf, traveling one way, Avo performed in less than half-a-day, traveling the other. That night found the party back in Winnioeg again, scalps and ail. The day foU()win<>" our return Avas a uloomy one for Manitoba. The grasshoppers, in myriads, were lioverinii' over the land. Shade your eyes with your hat or iiand, and look towards the rim of tlie briglit ;ii()on sun. At first, you see notliiiig, ])ocause you tiro not looking lar enough ; but ])resentiy, yoiu' s^iglit penetrates farther, and you are ei^nbknl to (listiniiuisli the semblance of a lurce Mx.vr st( rm, iiigh u}) in the upper cun-entsof the air. Each snow Hake is a grasshopper, and the vast, li\ing cloud of Countless millions extends for miios in every direc- tion. There is just a bare possibility that they may pass over, .111(1 anxiously wc scan tlio invadiiiLi" liost^ Towards evening', they settle lowei', and the apjx'ai ance is now of iinmense quantities of tliistle-down iioatin<>' in the air. The win:]^s of t!ie insects ulisteii in the sun, and those to whom tlie sii-ht is new, aiv sh)w to believe tliat the downy at(mis sailing" bad and fort II, as thouuli wafte I by thi^ circUn<4' air cm rents, are regally tlie mucli dreaded <.>;rassliopp('rs, But such is the case, clearlv demonstrated ere iiii>lii fall by immense numbers fiiKbn*^ tlieir way t.i earth. For a time, ]\ranitoba's young enerufios were par- alized. The visitation was tlie most extensive ever known, and all portions of tlu* Province suftei;'il alike. Worst .(^f all, myriads of eggs Avei'e being di- posited by the insects in the rich soil, a dire thrcai to next year's husbandry. ! The effect on immigration manifested itself at (mce ; the outgoing boats carried most passengeis, and the bustbng life at the immigrant sheds rapidly died out. Of tlios(j wdio remained, uiidoubtedlv numl)ers did so from pure necessity, and manv a father, looking at his little children, cursed the day he came to ^Manitoba. The debilitating effect was aj)parent every whev. — cnteri)rise was shocked and building o])erati()n> languished. A few days before this, I had sold my house, before referred to, and let the contract for another and better one. I cancelled this contract, and decided to invest my })ile — some ,Sl,r>()0 in Hour, then selling at $13 per sack, rnfortunatidy 1 changed my mind. The following April, when I moved from the city to the farm, flour was selling at .^8 ])er sack, and the supply was so short the Hud- son's Bay Company, the only establishment haviii:: I ilour 1( one cu Aftc to the wont, 1 liiiiiiii'. too fin (lestro^ % i(i'assh( awav, I polity. I ^ ^^^ 1 One UK I thrown murder early m liacrbc i Callii Iticulars Itliat wa I Brown, isiou to ] I was sta i clothes tillod m Two wore su and iiui liaiid, blood. Ever^ I. citomen A\'ith till close uf l)i'inces, ng liosts. ic ap])cai- stlo-dowii *t8 L>'listlMl 5 now, ai'.' liiii;' back ^ air ciii- slioppers, ore iiii'li; • way u .vcre })ar- isivo ever suffer;'! 1 beiiii>' di' re tluvar itself at sseiii^ei's, s rapidly oii])te(riy iiianv a the (lav crywliei'' ])erati()ib I sold lilV V itract for contract, r>()0 in Linatelv I « when 1 ^ ell in i;' at he Ilud- t haviuL; ■■ Ti 59 lionr for sale, considcn-ed it a eoniidinient to let any one customer have more than lialf a sack. After a few weeks, Winnipei;- became hardened to tlie swarmini;' insects, and (nice more, as was her wont, looked l)ehind the dark cloud for the silver hiiinii'. Faith in the m-and future of Manitoba was too lirndy implanted in the A¥innip(\£,^ mind to bo ■ destroyed, or (^ven seriously shaken, by a dozen Hi'asshopj)er visitations. ^Vdversity would })ass away, and give place to tlie glorious dawn of pros- })erity. . 1 have now another deplorable inci(h'nt to relate. ' One morning hi August the people of Winnipeg were ' tliiown into a state of intense excitement. A l)rutal murder had been committed in their midst. In the early morning, the victim, liorri])ly slashed and cut, IkkI l)een found on the l\)rtage Koad. Calling at the temporary dead-house to learn par- ticulars, I was terribly shocked to see l)cfore me all that was mortal of the harmless, moffensive J. A. . Brown, the younii: man to whom I have had occa- .ision to refer several times during this narrative. Ho fwas stabbed in no less than sixteen places, and his 1 clothes were covered with blood. The horrible sight 4tillo'i']' in the anL>ry mob. Hap- pily this feelini;' of lawlt\ssn(\ss Avas bnt ti'ansient, Lvnch-hiAV is an institution tliat finds hut Httle favor in the Canadian Xortli \\ ^s<-, — Manitoba's inhabit- ants are pre-cnnn'-t' lan' abint. tie fivvor iiiluibit- 's Bciicii and coii- locliatoly to show I .0 drunk. til kini'c. At this He had ran gh 111; t ask tlio 11 Balvcr. dvancoil ked Avitii ody wa^ jssed [lis al siilTn- the tils' IV in CO 01 mahi;- ime epi- ally suli- Novc-in- ato ^va>^ len, A\'o- 01 iiuMi and cliiUli'on, all sniforod alike; Imt it was ()l)S(n'val)le that the disease prevailed to a niueli ^•(^ater extent anion^- those newly arrived. Of tliose attacked, an unnsuallylarge perceiita<^'e succunil)ed to tlie fatrl malady, and dnriiig its progress an intense panic prevailed. The medical men of AYiimipeg call this disease tvphoid lever bnt I have always ])een of the opinion ([H)ssil)ly one so ntterly nnlearnelit-iuaiv, I (le})jii'te(l from l*(Miusylvjiiiia, never to return. Afterwards, in Winni[)(\ii', ohscM'vin'^^ tlie (loctor; a|>parently ])Liee iiill eonlidenee in the well-known fever speeitic, (jninine, with ealaniitous results, I could hardly restrain an au(hicious desire to request them to try hemloek tea ; for, s(mieliow, in its action this Winni[)eg' fewer a])])eared to ])ear a ^I'eat resem])lance to the spotted fever of l^ennsylvania, more es})ecially in the matter of the spinal affection —cer;'hr<} ii}>tu(il ineifeitaltln, or, as the j)hil()sophi('al Joe Cook called it, cerebro ^jnnifl come-a nd-yet-a.^. I fancy tliat, owinii; to the larL>e area of marsli land, the l^rairie Province is more or less liable tu this fever, tliou^h, doubtless, very seldom in an e})ideniic character, ('ertainly a few cases invari- ably occur towards the close of the warm weatlicv each season. 1 hope tlie doctors of Winnipeg will receiye those remarks kindly, not the slightest reflection beint'' in- tcnr of the Lep;islatnre, was tlio important object to lie gained l)y thns nnitin;^- the op[)osini>" factions in tlie Ilonse, and thanks to Mr. l)avis the nieasnre ' was hnally carriecl, in the very teeth of a conple of exceedingly nnpatriotic Lej^islative Conncillors. At the close of the year were also held the civic elections, and strani^e as it may api)ear, Mr. Com- isli, the clever, was overwhelminj^ly beaten in the contest for the niayoraltv, bv Mr. W. N. Kennedy, a gentleman of few words and almost nnknown to ith(^ bnlk of the people. I jnst menti(ni this as an indication of the nttor fickleness of the AVinnipeu' electorate, for really, Mr. Cornish was jnst as dcservhig of the good-will of tlio puhlic in 74 as he was in 73. I As I shall not again refer to political matters in tliese pages, I will briefly carry down to date the ^history of the two })olitical o})ponents to whom I diave referred. Mr. Davis snccessfnlly administered tl!(* ])nblic affairs of the })rovince for five years in «iii all. His policy was one of strict econcnny, and inider no consideration wonld he allow the expen- diture to overrnn the revenne. This was in exact accord with the desire of the electorate, as ex- pressed l)y the elections of 74. Nevertheless, the ireo and inde})endent electors, finding tliat the Gov- eninient readily met their views, and by carefnl ()4 cfoiioiniziiii;', wcvc oiiji1)1lm1 to make lM)tli c'lids iiui m'adiiallv aiTivtvl at tlic coiu'lusioii that tluM'c \\\\\>' he soiiu'tlmi;^' wroiii;'; ir tlii'V couldii t sec tho spcctiv, all tluMHorcrcasou lor hclicviii'^' it must l)o there, 'J'his is a jxH-nliarit y of fvvv and independent eln tors. The lion. Trc^niier, knowiiii; this, wisely eon elnded to I'etire i'l'oni a thaid^less otliee, and havin- (l(/no so, the intelli^'ent ])n]>lie I'eadily anil i^ladh tend(M'ed to Mr. Davis that meed oi' praise wliidi thev deni(Ml the rremier and l^rovineial TreasuiM. ]\Ii'. Cornish, undaunted l)v the overwlielniiir majority of the Ministerialists, eontiiuied in wiak oi)position. The coura,L;e he displayed in attacking every and all measures introdueed hy the Govern ment, regardless of conseiiueiiees, raiscMl him I'apid!} in the public esteem, and there is little doubt that, had he lived to partiei})ate in another election cnm paiij,!!, the yerdict passed u])on him four years l)e{oiv would haye been reversed. In Noyend)er, l87^, Francis Evans Cornish was gathered to his fatluMs. I will now close this chapter, and with it my sketch of two years' residence in Winnipeg. SOMK Ul ■♦ Wlien Mountaii tcntion o woi'd '' d (lulv subf tor lionicf desirable (Ii'imIs of ( l)re('isely iiRMition church m Jed of a (I I'ver, 1 ai must be c " I, - vei' eiiih ly o))tain( >oiiiinioi lOWf^S to t here is n hereon, xclusiye Ujj(/u and Tlie It ids nut, TO 1UI1>! 'SjXMtlt', >e tluMv, >(Ay (.'Oil- ;l haviiii: J -ladh ,0 which ivasuiM'. vhcliniiiL in ucak ittackiiiL GoviMu n i'a|)i, ill it IHV S()^^I^ rj:MA!;Ks ClIArTEU Y. 0\ llOMIvSTKAl) WINXiPKC. MATTE US — i:.\IT WluMi I iirst took np my ''claim" at Pembina Mountain in the sprini;' ot"74, I had no ^Icjiitite \\\- tcntion of IjecominL*' an actnal settler. I put that woi'd '' d(^iinite " in tliere advisedly, because, liavin^' (hily sul)scri))ed to the oath recjuired ot'all ap[)licants for homesteads, 1 feel tluit some such word is really (lcsii'al)le in that particular place. Of coui'se, hun- (h'cds of others subscribed to this same oath under })rc<'isely similar circumstances ; and 1 could ev(Ui iiKMition a dozen or so of ;4()0(l citizens and worthy church members ..'ho so subscribed thouj^di i)ossess- ed of a defmite intention exactly o])posite. Hoav- cver, I am not a church nunnber, and therefore 1 must be a little circumsj)ect. The oath is as follows: '' I, , do solemnly swear that 1 am )ver eii;hteen years of a<;e, that 1 have not previous- ly ol)tained a homesteu-l under the provisions of the LoHiinion Lands Act, that the land in cpiestion ])c- loiii»s to the class o})en for homestead entry ; that tliere is no j)erson residing or havint;" improvements thereon, and that the application is made for my exclusive use arid benefit, with intejition to reside 'iipon and ciilticate l/iesffld hunl. So hel}) me God." Tlie Italics arc mine. Any one, by taking' this 66 o'dih, jnid payiiiL>' a fee often dollars, is entitled tn: hoinest(\i(l eiiti'v for one hundred and sixty acii and a pre-emption rii^ht to one Inindred and sixii acres adjoiiii il;. At any time, after a pei'iod m three years from the date of (Mitry, tlie liomesteadti may claim a ]>atent from the cro\yn for the hoiii" stead ^vithout additional char<^e, a.nd a })aLent t'w; the })re-emption on payment of one dollar per aciv, ])royided he fulfils tlie I'eijuirements of thehuyin iv ^U'ard to settlement. If he (h.)es not perform sudi (hities, he cannot, of course, claim a patent, an i nioreoyei', his entry is liable to be cancelled if in neglects to make simie little impi'oyements witliiii six months from date of entiy. Hoyreyer, at the time of Ayhich I write, if tii liomesteader Ayent out and looked at his claim, tluii was considered sullicient im])ru\'ements for a vcai or two ; if he was lazy lie mi^ht enLia<»e sonieoi' else to look at 't for him ; or, as a last resort, Ik could ta//: of L:oni<>' out to look at it. Under tli(\<'' remarkably liberal cojiditions, almost eyery citizr:! of Winni])eL!," adyentured ti^n (h)jlars in a three-lmii dred-and-twenty-acre ''claun" in the outhino" sctth ments. In the course of a year or two, these clair.'.^ Ayould Ix^come com])aratiyely yaluaJ)le, and weiild then be disp' that homesteaders should haye no trai ferable ri^i^ht in any homestead until the issue oiti patent. A honu^steader, ho\yever, was permittr-l > abandon a hrst claim and enter for a second,;- thus full swee]) Ayas allowed for the yery eyil to ' L'liarde tain CO first a] to entc like a ( cnterin have h; tliey ])( Astl rii^ht t( (lividua ylule ti C'l' from of .StU'U covetor AVinnip (.'omini!' of so 1 (h'aw])ri , aiice wi si\ssi()n the Wii tlie (>]iti cancelk ; settler This always i r, liaye hi: ' 'Jflal steads ; foi'iuerf « tain lim llavii f'pecnlat position 07 itlcd to I niiardcd a.L>'aiiist ; cliiims wero not sold, l)utf'oi' a cor- :tv aci>\ iikI sixi\ })eri{)(l 111 nest eai 111 le lioiii" atent U: |)CT aciv law in ir [n'ni siu!i tent, aui led if 111 its witliiii ite, if til laim, tlui; 1)1* a \'-'ai sonieo.i'' resort, in (lev tli(*M' rv eitizi'ii :hree-huii ini>' settli- ese (ihMw id wdul'! rs ''clR'a;' 11 GoVl^nl idenitic': lation, 1 ' no tiai: sue of ti' nnittr*! > 5 eond, i^ii' :vil to '' lain consideration tliey were abandoned, and as the first ap})licant tluToafter ha' h)r a second homestead. I know men who have had no less than fonr homesteads, l)nt of conrse they ])erjnred tliemselves k\u,ally Jis well as morally. As the land iv;;nlations expressly stated that the rii^ht to any dispnted claim, slionld vest in the in- (lividnal who made Ih'st inqn'ovements, it once in a vrliile trans[)ired that some i;Tas])ino' wretch of a farm- er from the east, intent on settlement, and desirous of secnrini>' a favorable location, wonld allow liis covetons eve to wander over the <>'oodlv acres of the AVinnipei;- homesteader, till, his ideas of justice he- t'oining })erverted, he came to believe that the fact of so many homesteads lyimi' vacant acted as a (h'f late years the rei>nlations relating to home- .-toads are nincli more stringently enforced than formerly, thongh speculation still continues to a cer- taii! limited extent. Having thus ''sat (hnvn " on the homestead s[H"cidating])usiness, I will now return to tlie })ro- position with which this cha})ter ot)ened, viz : that 08 '■>■ ' I at the tiiiio T toolc ii[) my claim, I had no (h'fmiti' iiitoutiop of hcH'omini;" an actnal settler. I have 1)e{'ore remarked that, notAvithstandinL;' ad- verse eh'cnmstances, the peo})le of Manitoba p(*s- sessed nnAvavering faith in the ultimate ^^reat futiiit' of their Province. Tnthis ])elief, I, ofcoursOj shareil. It was to he an an aiiricnltnral futnre, for wliicli il pe< •nliar aihant; W( hi, (^ we possess( perhaps, mannfactvu'e ^voollens and leather to ;i limited extent ; hnt wheat was the j^reat stand-hy wheat was to brini;- ns weaJth. Tliese views heiiin extensively held, the natural result followed : tlic mass of the])eople turned their attention to a;L;i'icul- ture, and of the farmers of Manitol)a an unusually lar^e ])ropo]'tion are professional men, tradesmei!. mechanics, etc. Farmin.i;' is the trade of the coun- try, and accordinsdy in tliat occupation will befouiid tlnmsands of successful tillers of the soil, wlio turned their first furrow on the ]\laiiitolKin prairies. For myKjjf, the desire to become a horny diandiMJ iarmer never entered my head until I became pos- sessed of the claim at Pend)ina Mountain aforesaitl. llienceforth, I rejoiced no more at "fat-takes" (tr " pick-ups." It was nt^ i)leasur(* to report a meeting by stealin,^' the Free Fre>\^ I'eport, and chani»iu*^' the top and bottom line. These thin^-s had all lost thrii interest ; I wanted to l)e a farmer. I didn't know anvthin!>' about farminu;, Init this Avasa small mnttcr that time would speedilv remedv. ITavinu' arri\i'M at this conclusion, I felt eased inmiediatelv. ami mana'. Now, Mr. Keader, if y(m had been standin.i;" on the Poi'taj^'e Koad about half a mile from Winnipei:. at three o'clock in the afternoon of A])ril 1st, 1^7."', vou nn'^ht have observed a Ava^on laden Avith hiiii- 1 l)er, pi drawn vou mi were d oxen i^raph ] })art of west, a you Avo oxen w This to obsei on the swingin " Gee-h liclhn^l large Iji There h probabl Havii vou nuu of vou a or even have tr< wagon y faced yo I have € hoots ar acity of (lefiiiito liu^' ad- ba p(*s- it futlU'O slianMl. r Avliicli e iniL;iil, er to ;i iid-bv rs beiiiLi red : till' ai>Tici\l- niisiially idesmeii, ho couii- 1)C found iO tun KM I rliaudiMJ uie po,^- foresaiil dves" or meet ill', o'inu' tlic ost tlirir )'t ku(»^v II nuittf'i' f arrivi'ii elv, ami ; 09 lu'V, plow, slieet-iron stove, aud other articles, aud (Irawu hy a yoke of unusually large oxen. At ih'st you mii^ht be puzzled to know whether the oxen were drawing' the wagon, or the wagon drawing the Qxcn ; but by getting in line v>'ith a fence or tele- graph })ole, you would observe a tendency on the part of the oxen and wagon to take ground . die Avest, and jis the oxen A\^ere headed in tliat direction, you would naturally, and correctly conclude that tlie oxen were drawing the wagon. This point being settled, youv»ould iiowhave time to observe a young man with a very red face, sit ting- on the wagon and devoting his whole energy to swinging a long whip, and vociferating hoarsely, "(xcediaw, whoadiaw, back-haw." Following up lichin^l the wagon, you ndght also observe a very large Ijrimmed hat and a very large pair of ])oots. Tl)(M-c is a young man located in the boots, but you probably hardly notice that fact at first. Having made these observations, ]\Ir. Header, you may return to the city ; I have no furtlier need of you at present. If you had been a "fair reader," or even a "gentle reader," I would probably not liave treated you so summarih^ The oxen and wagon you saw, are my oxen and wagon ; the red- faced young man, is "Joe," arelative of mine, whom I have engaged to ''run" my farm for a year ; the 1 loots are my boots, and I accompany tliem in cap- acity of guide. Depart. ding oil innipty. ^t, IST.*'. lith hull- CIIAPTER YI. VALUABLE HECEIPT — ENCOURAGEMENT — MANSION HOL\SE — A STRANGE BLUFF — NARROW ESCAPE— CAM PING OUT — PHEN OMENON — THE BO YNE — MY CLAUM — I'RAIRIE FIRE — DRIVING OXEN — -BED. The (listanco from W-nni[)eL;' to Pembina Moun- tain is a])0ut sixty-five miles, 1)nt owini*- to the alt- sence of houses it is a rather awkard trip to niakt with oxcn^ — inirticularly sh)w oxen. I had ahx\i twelve miles ; from lleadingly to Stinking Ivivei', twelve miles without a house ; Stinking JJiver to tin Boyne, thirty miles Avithout a house : Boyne t' Pembina Mountain, fifteen miles. Joe and I traveled toSturgeon Creek, seven niik^, the first aftei'uoon, in order to have an easy dav t" Stinking Biver, so that our cattle would be com parali^ ely fresh for the thirty mile trip the following day. "^Ve luid beautiful Aveather the first two dav^ l.nt t])c roads as iar rs Headingiy Avere vile, i A\ti'k'' 1 ivr far as Stinking Biver for tAVO reascll^ firs!, I'L cause I purchased my boots expressly ki walkihi^' i'.n\'jL''h mud and Avater : secondly, beeau^' I felt s loaded, us to a iiiy Avei that AV( (U'cd, a hut on( tliat an therefo In \ walcefu hie till now a 1 tree of lioaAy 1 loot dei (.'overeci l)eg anc might li someAvl it for til and wit W^c^ s fn'st niYNE — MY — UED. .a jMoiiii- I the ali- to make ,d alrcadv vn otluns; here im ; 1 knov stance i> [vj, Ivivcr. ver to till >ovne t' veil mill'-. sy day t^' be com following two (lay^ vile. reascii- li'csslv til , bccaii 71 1 Iclt satisfied that the oxen were already over- loaded, and that any additional l.mrden Avonhl bring us to a full stop. Joe constantly assured me that inv weight would not make the slii'litest diiference, that we did not have on more than five or six hun- (ii'od, and that the oxen were easily good for a ton , I)ut one glance at the laboring cattle convinced me that an additional pound woidd be dangerous, and therefore I walked. In Winnipeg, I used often to l)e troulded with wakefulness at night — sometimes I'd toss and turn- lile till near morning before going to slee}), I have now a receipt for this trouble, which I here give free of charge : A pair of the heaviest kind of heavy boots, and a seven mile walk through nunl a loot deep. This receipt is infallible. It was dis- covered on the 1st of April, I87r>, between Winni- peg and Sturgeon Creek, Manitoba. Xo douljt it might be patented, and a fortune realized ;l)ut being soniewdiat of a })hilantro})liist, I prefer to publish it for the good of suilering humanitv, without monev and without price. We sto})ped at the Sturgeon Creek hotel that first night, and having instructed the landlord to call US early, immediately retired. There was no Iboling about going to sleei) this time ; it was solid I'usiness. As near as 1 could guess I had be(>M sle(^l)ing about two minutes and-a-half, when i frightful thunderstorm broke out ; a l)and of Sioux Indians, yelling like fiends, stormed the hotel, a nxMumerie of wild beasts broke loose on the roof, and a brass band performed a serenade round the 1)(m1, the felloAv with the cyml)als standing close to my head and In-eaking my system into snudl frag- ments everv time he lu'ought them together. 72 Under those eoiiditioiis I awoke in a tei'rible state of excitement. The hori'il)ie noise had ceased, and Joe was liLditini^^ tlie hinip as cahn and soleiim as an oyster. No Indians, no thnnder storm, no brass baud. Said F : ''For lieaven's sake, Joe, wliat's tlie matter?" " flatter," said he ; "time to get np, tliat's wluitV the matter." "But wliat made tliat luiearthly racket V '' Tliere was no particuhir racket. Guess you've been (U'eaming — you h)ok scared. Landlord knock- ed at the door and called out that it was live o'clock." " And Avhat did he d(^ that for ?" '' Because we told him to, last night." '' Last night, fiddlesticks ! You don't believe it's five o'clock, do you ?" "Of course I do." " Well, I don't- -he lied. I'll stay here till moiii- "But it's morning now, I tell you." "No, it isn't." " Yes, it is." "Kawin." " Look there then, you mnle," and Joe stnck Im watch up in my fiice ; tin\e, 5:30. " She's stop})ed," said L '' Listen," said Joe. I listened, and being satisfied, slowly crawled caii of bed, weary and exhausted ; but an idea occurri"! to me presently, from which I derived inimcu- comfort. Here is tlie idea : When I returned froi this trip I would go to bed and sleep two weeks. By this time Joe was putting on his boots iuiu | grimacing most horribly. I saw him glance at i iuufcll Said [ "J( ()( vised \' « \vonl(hi are the Sayii mv too: Now K'g was foot, fit il'h a H the ))ot it was a H'ciiera] Well die 1)00 1 put a Sunieho fused t ;iL;aiii, a culty. 'liilindt • lown, a : Ti iiie mi}: >iuiilar After •'oe had now wal ' '"casiun 1 did iK ■ died i'oots to ' 'ast Uvi , terrible (I ceased, (I soleniu tonn, no tGvr t's AvliatV 'ss you've 'd knock- was live elieve it's till morn- stuck lii> w'lecl Mil occii/rt"] immci!- icd fl'dl weck.^. )Oots ami i ICC at 111 •-o 4 ') iiin fellows occasionally, andl knew lu; was envious. Said I: ■Sloe, I warned youa^^ainst tliose Isoots, and ad- vised you to <;et a ])air of heavier ones ; l)ut you wouldn't, and I jjiiess vou wish vouliad novv'. ddiese are the boots lor walkinn' in." Sayin^i;- which, T ])icke(l up one of mini' and stuek my foot down the le.u' of it. Now, these l^oots were not altoi^csther lar_L;e -the li\H' was almost gigantic, hut the important i)art, the foot, fitted me nicely, and wheji in these l)oots 1 felt a little vain, because mv foot looked so neat at the liottom of such huge legs, that I was persuaded it was a. small foot and a })retty foot, e\en though 1 ut lUM'allv Avore Xo. 10, Well, as I said, I stuek my foot into the Ic; <»f I the hoot, and gently drew it uj) over my knee ; thv-n f I }mt a finger in each sti'ap to finish the operation. ': Somehow juy foot stuck solid at the instep, and re- ■iised to go further. I therefore puUed it ott" ; uaiji, and ran down my hand to discover the dilli- 'ulty. However, there didn't appear to he any deep across the Big Plain and there w\as no use (1 our attempting it without a sleigh. Joe was discouraged, and I was flattened rii^li: out. Howeyer v,'e concluded to make an endeavtn, and behold the first difliculty vanished from befui lis lilv Assin licst ] ti'ip. aiiv d * those ViS to onrsel terms, inaniK Jlo^ can ui cliai'g( edlv^h their i tiers, t such t tliat it tempt Abo th(^ sw already near tli ray, av] for tra 8tiid:ii either \ the chi Marram reserye hibited As I iin})resj time w dition ( / .) ^Vt tllc'.i; iiut that [)L of it. K! liisttirv Christ iai. I'd CM 1 ami )i'oianitv: i;-]'a(lual]y 'jilk aloiii;' : toiuU'iK'v Iltnuliim- soro s}iu! '• beconn's TIkmv e, and ^ve them said ccouiit n: icross, ^v(' ■/ was all we hail^ to Stink- snow v\a> Ino use i! ned riu'i' endeavor. Dm hefoJ'. lis Hko mist Ijefore tlie sun. The traek aei OSS tl le Assinil)oine wasn't a hit sh[)[)ei'y ; in fact, it was the l)est })ieee of road we encountered (hu'iiii;' tlicMvliole ti'ip. As we traveled furtlier and tailed to discover aiiv dillicultv to ])ar the way, we coiiehuled tliat those I^oyne men, for sonu* hiihh^i reason, wanted us to rei;ui']i to Winnipei;', and therefore, l)etween ourselves, we chuiounced those IJoyne ruen in round inikfast, 1 1 terms, and sliowed uj) tiieir vih' selrislmess in a ce inches I nianmn' not the least Ihitterini^'. resuU (it B However, with the experience of a^hknl years, I Lupronusc, my boots 1 charges. Like all riew settlers, they were undoubt- edly highly pleased to have others go and settle in their neighborhood ; and like the generality of set- tlers, they manifested their pleasure by assuring all such that tli(5 ditticnlties ahead were invincible, and that it wouhl be vastly safer and wiser not to at- tempt furtiier j)rogress. About three o'clock Ave arrived on the l)anks of th(^ sweet-savored Stinking Iviver, which I have already brietiy described. Turning to the right, near the ford, we put up at the house of Sandy ]Mur- ray, Avho pretended to keep a sort ofstopt)ing place for travelers. There were very fcAV settk'rs on Stiiddng River, the land for eight or ten miles on either side haviuii- been reserved bv Government for the children of half-breed heads of families. Mr. Murray had located })rior to the setthig ai)art of the reserve, and the fact of the latt(?r temporarily pro- hibited further settlement. As I had insisted on walking all day, under the iini)ression tliat the oxen had load enough, by the time we reached Stinking River T was in that con- dition of bodily fatigue when the one great desire of < ') 1 1 life is to lirdowu soiiu^wlu'iM^ iind stay. I ^va^I usimI to siu'li violent ])liysi(':il exercise, iind I wasn used to siieli hoots siieli vile, monstrous boots, iii; ju'ide and deli,!j.lit tliouu'K they were only yesterday luornini;'. If! ])aused for a moment, evmT joint ii ny l)ody settled stii^" and solid, and it reiiuirei! | \y.^y^\^^ tni'iMl 1 of sue fir am "Oh 1 di( tion foi _i>i'eat moral eoura,L;(' to unliniber a«^ain ; and as \\y, my feet \v(^ll, I didn't know forsurethat I had ain feet, uothini;' hut a 1um[) of a,L;ony at the hottom oi eaeh leii;'. On arrival at ^Murray's, Joe put thc^ ox(M1 in tlu stahleand I entered tlie house. I shall ever irmeiii her that house with feelini;'s of ^i^ratitude and aifec tion- not heeause it was a i)artiLularly j^'ood house, hutheeauseit r(>ally was a house, and had a roof on it, and eontaine'd limited sui)i)lies of^ provisions, and a lari^e hox-stove, and ehau's to sit down on. and, lastly, heeause it marked tlu^ end of our dny'> j(mrnev. ' These several items united, formd a eon "dition of things horderin,^' elosidy on paradise. I pulled mv hoots off lirst thin-', and iindin,-' tha . in the main, niv feet Avere still left to m(\ 1 hatluMJ them in hot water, after which I sat down on tw: or three chairs, and for a time resii;ned myself to ;; state of ecstatic hliss. After supper I revived sonunvhat, and took r.i mv surroundim>-s. It was a remarkably comfortahl liouse built of logs, neatly put to- ether and wimi plastered. I noticed that it wasn't a very lar-v huildinu', but to my mind it was sulliciently laru* ai\d roomy for -enuine comfort aaid convemcnLV. The more I pondered the matter, sittin-" on tv^^ chairs, with mv feet turned to the big l)OX-stovc, tiif more 1 felt convinced that it was in every way i. most desirable countrv residence, and linally 1 vcr.- r.iit th( with sji me, tin hut a li and tha As n( the roa point tc po.ssihh miles, t was no " within ti off to th w' lean (laik wc were un T said tie, and '' Yes so had 1 the trac' dan-'cr ; winter h Murri and I re or rathe " Wa] ready !" I i I wasu'i )()ts, i!i; L\stt'r(lii\ joint ill "(Mjuircd I as fo! liad aii\ )tt()iii oi II ill {\w 11(1 aifcM' (1 lioiisc. I a roof ovisioiis. loAVll oil, 11* day"^ 1 a coil so. hl;' tlia . Itatlu'il on tW' olf to ;; took i'.i [fortalil'' 11(1 >V('li rv laru'i • ' Iv larui' eiiieiiL't (^11 t\' :ove. tii« A\'a}' ; 1 Vl'll- i( tared t() con«^Tatulato AFr. .Murray on tlio possession of such a snuL;' doniicilo. 11(^ looked at mo liar(l for a nioiuont or two, tlu'ii ho turncMl away and said : "Oh, it's ,L''o()d onou,!L;li for th(» present. " 1 didn't uiKh'rstaud this man's lack of a]>|)i'e('ia- tioii for a Ion;.'" time. Stoppin<^' there, teudays after- wards, on my return trij), I wasstill pii/zHiiiiovcM' i*:. l)Ut the next time I eame aloii^i,^, some weeks hiter, with spirits hi,!L;li, and a horse and I)ii,L;xy ^<> carry iiie, the ])n/zl(; was solved : the house was nothiiii;' Init a little one-story !()<;• shanty, plastered with iiukI and thatched witli ,L;rass. AsneitluM" Joe nor J had any acquaintance Avitli the road i'rom here to the ]ioyne, we nia(h» it a point to gain as much information from ]\Im'ray as ])(t.ssil)le. We learned that the distance was thii'ty '■ inikvs, that there was no houses between, that there was no timher, that there was om; trail only nntil within a few miles of the lioyno, where ithranched otf to the houses of the varicms settlers, and lastly w<> learned that in order to reach the IJoyiie ])efore (laik wo must start before (hiylight, unless our catth' were unusually good trayelei's. T said J thought it Avas a })retty hard trip for cat- tle, and ]\Iurray said : " Yes, it's hard ; but it can't be heli)ed. It's not so l»ad now, though, for if y(m do liapixm to lose the track, you can camp until morning without any danger ; but Avheii a man starts on that I'oad in winter he must go through or i)erish." Murray agrcHMi tt) giye us an early start and Joe and I retired. It was daylight when I awakened — i>r rather when Jo(^ succeeded in arousing me. r(>a( Wak( up. 11 aid h( A\^a ke up. Ih'eakfasts' .%.^%. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) /. ^ .^4fc> 1.0 ■50 ^^ Wii ^^= 1^ Ui 12.2 IIM I.I 1.25 1.8 u 11.6 III V] vl ^;. 7 Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAI. J STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 \ s? s^ :\ \ 6^ ss^ > I' .•;': 78 " Dash l)reakfast." ''Tf we don't malve a start soon we'll not uot i., the Boyne to-ni,i>ht." '*Dash tlie liovne." However, tlie situation forced itself upon nir imd I aroused myself. Joe remarked (m my miseralilc appearance. "Yes, Joe," said I, "I am miserable. I'm tired, and I'm sore, and I'm sleepy. I told you yesterday morn ingthat when I got home again I'd sleej) two Ayeeks; hut now I intend to sleep three weeks." Joe had l)een up for some time and had attendcij to the oxen. I asked him liow he got along with his boots this morning. He said : '* Pretty tough." '* Worse than yesterday morning?" ''You bet." " I'm afraid of mine." " Shouldn't wonder. You (Uight to hayc got linlit ones like mine." " Did the grease help them V " Hel})ed mine a good deal. Yours are pretty hard yet." ''I won't put them on till we're ready to start." "All right." After breakfast, Joe went to yoke up, and I i)iv- ])ared for a contlict with the boots. It was soon oyer, the first skirmish satisfied me that I liad undertaken a hopeless task, and I sorrowfully n- signed the contest. To cut the boots would haw availed l)ut little, as my feet were swelled out of all proportion. I tried to procure a pair of moccasins or something, from Murray, l)ut he had nothing to offer, and conseipiently I was obliged to ride evi'ii : u'ot t( me ;unl iiiscralik' irtMl, and liiyniorn- X) weeks; attend Oil oivji with o'ot lii;lU •e in'etty start." 1(1 I piv- Nvas soon t I had vfully v^'- )ul(l luwv Dut of all 3asins or )tliin\iiy tlirouii'li of tliem a deph)!'- oe and I we were ed as ve- lid. Tlio Hi land continued to rise ,c;Ta(hiai]y, theto'p oftlie sv/ell 1)ein54" stiil tlu'ce or four niik\s distant, and again crowned Avitli a Mutf oi'timlicr. ])Ut Joo and I received tliis MiilF cautiously, and awaited developnuMits. .As we advanced, it (liminislicd gi'adually, lioth In sijiture aud distance, and finally resolved itself into a second |):itcli of willows, with ]-isiu;^ grouiitl Ixyond crowned with auother Mnif of tind)er. Couldn't ibol us novv' t!iouL;ji, v/o had lost all con- Hdeuco in ap})earances. We didn't care ahout the tinibcH", but it grieved us to iind ourselves always at the bottom of a rise of land. However, tliere was one grain of ccmsolation : if we had to travel all up hill now, we would have it all down hill coming luK'k. Alas, for self-confident humanitv, v\'o had already foi'gotten the lesson of the bluti'c^f timber. Ifeturn- ing, we found the grades on the tniil exactlv re- versed, and we had to travel all u}) hill back to Stinking Eiver. Discouraging, wasn't it 'I I stowed the lesson carefully away after that, and found it useful on more than one occasion. I will relate an instance : Some months later, I was crossing the same ])lain on foot and alone. I sat down on a knoll for awhile, to eat a bit of lunch, and was just about to start on ai^ain, Avlien I happened to glance along the road I I had just passed over. Goodness, wdiat a sight ! ]My hair stood up on end and rolled my cap off. Al^out three miles dis- tant, and advanciug at a terrific i)ace, loomed up Uho towering form of a giant from Brobdignag. lie jliad on a pair of boots akin to the seven league boots [of Jack the Giant-Killer, or some such hero, and t : I 82 every time lie t(jok a stej) I could see vast stretc]\'.'s of sky and prairie tlirougli the openiiii;- betwixt lii> legs, lie was at least a hundred feet high, and swung his arms around like tin? long brandies ol' some mightv forest tree in a hurricane. I gave a gasp or two, preparatory to giving u|) the ghost, Init fortunak^ly recalled the episode ot the bluff of timl)er. This saved m(\ I concluikMl to wait a few minutes, and behold the monster gradually diminished, till i)resently a mild-voi(*oe, hiii, in'osoutly, like all the others, it ,i;Tadually sank lowfr and lower — willows a^'ain. evidently. Oh, sucli a weary, wcniry r(xul. For the iirst tinu) T wished niy- solf back in Winnipe.i;' sticking typo. I had enoni^h farniini' out in the country. I heiian to think tliat the young" men from Ontario wdio Avantcd farms in- side the city cor})oration were i)retty level-headed, after all. I used to despise them ; but I didn't nov;. They probably knew^ what they were about. A farm butting on Main Street or the Market Scpiaro, 1 could see clearly enough, liad several important Ivantages over one out in the country. I knew it would be rather difiicult to get a farm anywhere near thecentrc of thecity;but if 1 couldn't get(me,I conM do as these voung men did — go l)ack to Ontario in disgust. While these matters are passing tlu-ough my mind, we ha^'e slowdy advanced, and now I become aware that the blulf has disappeared entirely. I consider this circumstance, turn it over three or fonr times, and then a wdiole flood of conviction rushes in and Avarms up my soul. ''Joe," said I, "thank heaven ^ve'll now reach the top of that long hill we commenced at the Ijot- tom of this morning." " How do you know ?" '' I know ])ecause the bluff has disappeared. There must be a hill between here and that bluff, or w^e would see it yet. There is no telling, what an hour may bring forth." M 85 '* I liope it may l>riii^* forth sliclter for oursoh'os ami cattle. It will l)o dark in less than two hours, and I'm afraid it will be an ii;^dv ni<;ht." '^ Wait till we ^ct to the top of the hill." In less than hour, we aj^ain came in si<;ht of the l)hiff of timl)er— just the toj) at first, but gradually the trunks of the trees became visible, and present- ly we found ourseh'es at the top of the hill. It was only a rise of land, and the level })rairie still lay be- fore us. Looking back Ave could see for miles over the broad plain, a lonely dreary expanse. Ahead, our view was shut in l)y clumps oi' tall willows and little poplar bluffs, but over and beyond these we could distinguish the dark line of heavy oak timber on the Boyne, seven miles away. Half a mile to the right, w^as the bluff of i)oplars that had cheered us a few miles back, looking so honest and friendly after the many delusions we had experienced, that I felt almost tempted to drive up and camp for the night, now rapidly closing in. How^ever, after a consultation, we concluded w^e had better make the Boyne if possible, and soon our little bluff disappear- ed in the rear. At dusk, I was fortunate enough to stumble across a survey post, and with the aid of a match succeeded in decii)herhig the figures. By a sim})le calculation, I was thus (enabled to learn our where- al)outs, and the distance from the Boyne — nearly five miles. I dare say I could explain the extremely simple though unsurpassed survey system of this country if I tried, and the information nn'ght prove useful ; but if I try to crowd too much infor- mation into this narrative I run a great risk of being considered a bore, and I am not ambitious in that Ir so lino, tlir more so as uumerous otlier writers on Mauitol)!! already occiii)y iirst places. The iii^hl set in, dark, cold and stormy. Two or three times we i^ot ort'the trail, l)ut mana,i;ed to find it again. At last we concluded to camp till morniiiLf. We were in danger of finally losing the trail at any time, and thei'e was no telling where we nn*i;'ht wander to during the night. ]>etter to stay avIutc we were, and get through the night the best way wc could ; at the first ])eej) of day in the morning we would 1)0 all ready to continue our journey. Joe unyoked the oxen, and I took down oui' slieet-iron stove. Then we took some of our hnn l)or, and leaned it up against the wagon to shelter us from the cold, raw wind. We might have made ourselves ouito comfortable if we had onlv had sense enough ; l)Ut we didn't. Although, perhaps, after all, it was ex})erience we lacked. We were cold and miserable — too misera1)le to make any efiort to im- prove our condition. I filled the stove full of wood, tmd touched a match to it. It flared a moment and went out, and I felt too inditterent to light it again. This seems ridiculous, and wcsuffering with the cold, but it's a fact all the same. Joe got down a l)ag containing bread and Baloi^'na sausage. We ate all we could, l)ut didn't recover our spirits. At noon, we felt wonderfully better after lunch ; but there Avas no such improvement now. i didn't know" the reason then, though I soon learned it. It was the dispensing with tea — notliini: like strong, hot tea for camping out. If we bail drunk a gallon or so of tea, we would have felt like diflerent individuals, and would have taken j)ains to make ourselves comfortable for the niaht. But Ave ,.' i 87 (lid noithor the one nortlie other and eon-iMjuently passed a niisei'al)h% niiseral)h' ni;;]it. Lookin<;" over the hist i)ai'a.i;i'ai)h it oeenrs to nie that p(jssihly I may l)e eonsi(h'r(Ml extravagant, speaking- of drinking" tea hy the ^^allon, l>nt really that is tlie pr()i)er way to ^mt it. Di'inkini;' tea at a camp lire out on the i)rairie, is a diti'erent matter alto*'ether from drinkini*' tea at home, and plenty of ])eo])le who liave no })artieular aj)petite for tea in the latter case, are re<;ular swills in the former. A (jnart is sufticient for me at any time ; but there are very few of my neighbors who would not dispose of a •gallon each meal cami)ingout ; and I know at least one of the ohl pioneers who had no diiiiculty in<;(^t- tini^away with a f^allon and a half, that beini;" the full capacity of his camp kettle. Utterly dejected, Joe and I crawled under the waj^^on and disposed ourselves for sleep. We didn't make the least endeavor to spread our bedding- to the best advantage, but threw down our l)lankets, and one way or another mixed ourselves through them. Shortly after dark, it conmienced to sleet and snow, and the cold wind whirled the fine i)articles through the cracks of our tenii)orary shelter, and enveloped us in a thin coating of dreary white. For- tunately, the weather soon improved somewhat. The snow and sleet ceased, though the wind ccm- tinued violent until near morning. After hours and hours of silent misery, I l)egan to wonder how the night was passing. Was it early in the night, or early in the morning ? It seemed ages ago since we had stopped to camp, but I dared not venture to hope that tlie night was far spent. Joe carried a watch, but I dreaded to ask the time. 4 88 After anotlicr w^eiiry si)c'll, I could bear it im lon<;or. I would know the worst if it extiii«^uislud 1110. 'Moo." " Well." *' Have you been asleep ?" "No. ilaveyou?" ** No. What time is it ?" After three or four unsuccessful endeavors to light a match, Joe finally succeeded. " Twenty minutes past twelve." **Not so bad," said I, with a great sigh of relief, '* I was afraid it wasn't more than nine o'clock." " It's a long time time till daylight yet, though, ' said Joe. " Are you cold ?" *' Most horrible. Are you 1" '' Numb." *' I've got enough fiirming." *' What will you do ?" " Don't know — I'm too cold. Wait till we get to the Boyne and get warmed." Another long, dreary silence. Was it near morn ing ? It must be, surely — four o'clock, anyhow. ''Joe." " Well." " Have you been asleep ?" "No ; too cold. Have you ?" " No. Don't you think it's near morning ?" " Don't know — too miserable." " Look and see." *' Strike a match, then." I struck a match, and Joe opened his watch: Half-past two. I groaned, and lay do^vh again. Would daylii^'lit never come ? After a while the wind calmed down, [\v it iiH niruisluMl ?avors to of relief, thouj-lj,"' wc got to lear morn- lyliow. 0" Id dayliglit mod down, H9 ;i];(l Ji star Ikm'c ."iiid {]wvv liraiiinl (,ul l.ri;;litlv ilii'oUL'h I'ifts in lli(» clouds. The wrathcr had hkmI- ci'atiMl, and 1 connncMiccd to \'rv\ the least Mt sl-cpy. ll imist l)e ncai' live oVloek, tlioiiL'li. and 1 liad l»e\- tcr not fall aslee]). oe << (i «< J Well, >) ave von neen asleep II; Mo ; hut I'm p'ttini;' sleepy So am I, — tlie weallier has turned wai'uu'i'. It must be n{»ar daylight. "l;4U(\ss so. I'll look." Joe lii^lited a nuiteli, and opened his wateh : i^juarter past three. I <;asped. do(» lific^d the wateh to his ear- it iiiiiht, She's sto})ped. I for;^ut to w ind her up last "Thank heaveu 1 l^(4ter not (all as]e(^[), Joe ; I'm sure it will soon be daylii^ht." u All ritiht. T don't know how huig' T lay awake, but finally I dropped oli' into a sound sleep. I awoke v.ith a. start. Joe was snoring loudly, an"ot turned around, and that we wero simply retracing our ste})s ; but three or four miles ahead we could see the dark line of the Boviie woods rpiite plainly, so beyond a dou])t the road was right enough. What then ? Must have l)eeii some great convulsion of nature : no other way to account for it. I leaned my head in my hands and considered the matter ])r()foun(lly. " Do you know," said Joe, '* I don't believe the sun is setting at all." '' You don't, don't you '?" said 1, looking up. '' No ; blame if I do. He's getting higher even minute." "■ I believe you're right." '' It's sunrise instead of sunset. We're a pretty pair of jack-asses." " Does seem to be sunrise ; but how do you ac- count for the sun rising in the west ?" '' It's not the west — it's the north." " Oh you're crazy — rising almost due west." 91 '' Kawiu." " Oh, well, WG won't discuss it. Have it so, if you like." Joe said no more, and for an hour or two I coix- itated over this startlini;' phenomenon of tlio sun rising in the west, without arriving at any satisfac- tory conclusion. Comuig ])ack, 1 stopped wliere we had camped, and not till I liad taken bearings uiid thoroughly reasoned the matter out, did I finally feel convinced tliat it was I who had been turned round and not the sun. Soon we are close up to the heavy oak timber on die Boyne, and presently the ringing sound of an axe conies floating to our ears, tfoyful sound ! I never before heard anything half so pleasant. I\Iy heart swelled up with gratitude to tlie sturdy arms that swung the sjlittering steel. I Iiad no idea there could be such happy, cheerful music in the sound of an axe. The regular stroke and mellow ring told of bright, blazing fires, and chairs set invitingly around ; it told of hot biscuits and golden Initter, fresh eggs and delicious cream ; it went straight to the hearts of us weary travelers, and told of a farmer's thrifty home, and shelter and warmth, and rest, and comfort. We are at the house of James Campl)ell, and the good people stir around and get us breakfast, and set us up to the dancing fire, for we are chilled through, and it takes some little time to properly thaw out. We didn't know we were so cold until we got into the warm room ; but the hot breakfast and l)riglit fire rapidly revive us, and soon we are ourselves again. Here we meet a couple of settlers from Pembina Mountain. Tiiey are returning homo from Winni- 02 peg, but tlunr cattle are used up, and they are afrai.l tlioy will uot l)e altle to get through with their loads. 1 volunteer to take a few lunulred weight fur tliem, and they are grateful. They show me Peiii- oina ^Mountain through the window — a long, low hill fifteen miles jiway. I ask concerning the settle- ment, and learn that at i)resent it consists of tiv(^ houses, distributed over a hundred square miles ot countrv. But the T Juncans — that is the name of my informants — arc brim-full of hope and entlui- siasm. They think there is no country erpial to T\Ianit()ba, and no })art of Manitoba equal to l*em- bina Mountain. We will continue our journey in the morning. In the afternoon I stroll out and interview the ])oyne. The prospect charmed me. I doulit if, for natural advantages, the ecpud of the Boyne can be found on the American continent, for agricul- tural purposes. A belt of heavy tind)er— oak, elm, ash, basswood, poplar, etc., — ])erhaps half a mile wide, through the centre of which nieanders the Boyne river, a little stream of pure water with clay banks and solid l)ottom. Beyond the timber, on either side, lie vast stretches of rolling prairie. On the north side, this j)rairie is thickly studded with poplar bluffs, and broken here and there with small hay marshes ; on the south, far as the eve can reach, extends a vast expanse of undulating })rairie — the soil rich, black and loamv. Along the south side of the timber are scattered the settlers' houses, with the prairie sweep- ing grandly up to their very doors. The haj)})}' possessors of good water, good land, good timber, aiul good hay, the Boyn people feel justly proud of their settlement. The name '* Boyne " doubtless are afruiil heir loads, veigiit fur ■ me Pciii- long, low the settle- ts of tiv(> •e miles of B name of 1(1 eiitlui- eqiial to 1 to I'em- )rni^'^ rA'iew the (loiil)t if, )Oyiie can L' agricul- oak, elm, ilf a mile iiders tlie with clay lie vast side, this luffs, and rshes ; on Is a vast :;h, black imber are fie sweep- lie hap})}' I timber, r proud of doubtless 93 sprang from a corrupticm of the old French name ''Riviere aux Isles du Eois." We start in good time next morning. I have add- ed five or six sacks of Ihnir to my load ; l)ut I ob- serve no difference in tlie ])ainful gait of the oxen. When we started fi'om \Vinnii)eg, they appeared liarelv able to draw tlieh)ad; witli my weiuht added, coming across the Big Plain, they seemed barely able to drav/ it ; and now with six hnndred weight additional, they still ai)})ear barely able to draw it. I began to have a suspicion that they were playing off, and a few days later, when we started fc? home without any load at all, and the big, lazy brutes seemed only al)le to draw the empty wagon, I felt that I hacl been scandalously imposed upon. Six miles south of the Boyne, we crossed Tobacco Creek — a deep, narrow gully, dry at mid-summer, 1)ut a raging torrent in the spring and after })ro- tracted rains. I presume tins creek takes its name from the red willows growing abundantly along either side. This willow is tlie kind called Sally- rod in Ontario^at least, it seems so to me. The Half-breeds and Indians call tlie inner bark " Kin- iii-kin-nick," and they smoke it, mixed with tobacco. Shortly after crossing the creek, I separated from my coiii})anions. Joe went on with the Duncans, so as to get hay for the oxen, and I struck off for the house of a settler named Kilgour. I had some trouble finding the house, but finally succeeded, and ^Ir. Kilgour yolunteered to hunt up my claim for me. Now, as I said before, I took up this claim on the recommendation of a friend, who assured me that it was in every way desirable, and as I had 94 every confidence in tlie man, I felt satisfied tliat I liad a i)eculiarly eli<4il)le farm. Judi;e, tlien, of mv disinist, wlien Mr. Kili2'onr led me out next morniii". to !ind that tlie claim I had dotcnl over for twelve wearv months, Avas Avet and lovr, and naked and dreary. Not a stick of timber, and my friend bad almost w(Mit into ecstacies when describing.;' to nio the acres of splendid oaks and thrifty poplars. Oh, the wretch — if I only had hold of him ! Com ' to think, however, I was just as avcII |)loa.^e ! ii )V liave hold of liim. He was three or four sizes 1 ;i/'?:'^ t]i:ui me. FortiLi .rr'b', I had a land-oHire |);im})hlet Avitli me, :nid y/'tl; tlie aid of this J sriceeded in hiiutiiin' Ti}) a c^aim uiire to my mind. I'v) lie ^"re the tinilioi' wasn't iirNclass ; but ri<>ht alono- sid M^as a scliodl secti:>:i he rily tindjered, and that Avas an important advanta'jw Besides, the moro I examined tlu' thnl^er :i->;~3?taininy to tlie claim it'veli", the niinv .^atistled I became that it just precisely suited mc. There aa^is oak, ash, ma])le, ])assAV()od, poplar, \)qv- haps tAventv five acres in all, and Avhat more could a reasona''- ^ :ni'i Avisli. I ncA^er thought oflookiiiu' at the lan<' ui t]i:)se davs nol)odv ever looked at land — if the tiubor suited the land had to. NotAvithst;. ivi a • the a])parent absurdity, it is a faci that tho^o v\iij had the whole country to chose from, almost invariablv chose the Avorst farms They idcked fv.r lush and they <>'ot it ; but aloui;' Avitli it they ijot co'l, i,>wdyuig' prairie — for in this sec tien the two p;;;:.3rally ii;) together. I know uumi Avho rejoiced in the possession of claims almost en tirely Avooded. Four or five years ago, they rejoiced; tluvv' don't now. While they are clearing off an {icrc of Imsh, tlieir neigh- )or.; ;il>:igside, can break 1)5 up tWv'iity or tliii'l V acres of i)rairie. T know other iiuMi, ainonL;' tlio very first vv'lio visitinl tliis section of ilu' Province, who honiesteaded tine pieces of bush in the midst of vile l)o^L»y hay niaislK\s. Having- tliorouiildv satisfied myself that tln^ new claim 1 luul found was tlie ])est in tlu^ nei^hltoi-jiood. i started down to Duncan's for Joe and the oxen. Ml'. Kilg'oiu" had a httle hay and kindly ollered me the use of his stable. Joe and I i>'ot back to tlie claim late in the eve- ■m'y We drove into a ]>av in the woods and un- hitched. Then we took the lnm])er off, and endea- vored to nail it uj) anmnd our wagon box, so as to form a sort of shelter for us while we were gettini; out h)i>\i for a little slianty. Joe i>ot at one end of a ])oard wit -I a hammer, and I ,i^ot at the other end vrith a hammer. The vrealiier was raw and cold, imd our fia<>'ers were so numl) v/e couldn't hold the nails properly. Joe made three or four enxlccivors to nail his end, raid after In'uising his fingers severely, threvr down his hammer and stam})ed on it. Then I tried to nail my end, and bang, tlie hannner hit my thund) ;ui(l flattened it out. I threw down the board, flung the hammer at it, and jerked off the board we had succeeded in nailing u[). ^Vi) looked at each other a few seconds in silence. Finally I sat dow^n on the wagon tongue, solemn as (Ul owl. " Joe," said I, "what do you thiidv uf this claim f *' Don't think much of it. That timber's all dead." ''No, not all. Quite a lot dead, thvuigli. Det US go through and look at it." \Ve walked diagonally through the bush and scru- tinized the tind)er closely. i't I •I' 00 " It's a misoraMo })ioce of luisli," said Joe. ''Not very j^ood," said I ; " not half as good as I tboivuht it was." " Fire's l)eeii tliroui^li it badly." *' Yes ; ruined it." " I only saw tlu'ee or four living trees." " I didn't notice any at all." A pause. " If I were you," said Joe, " I wouldn't take it. The folks where I stoj)ped last nijj;ht told me of sev- eral claims a i^ood deal lietter than this." " All right. We'll go up and stay at Kilgoiii's to-night, and to-morrow we'll go down and have a look at them. Dead certain, this one is not vrortli takini*'." We left our wagon and lumber where we had halted, and traveled up to Kilgour's with the oxen, Next morning, after a good warm breakfast, we re- turned to our w^agon. I sat down on the box, and viewed the timber while Joe prepared to hitch up. Within a few feet stood a mighty oak, straight as an arrow, and vigorous with thrifty growth. If there were only a few more like that one, I thought, and looked around. Why, goodness, a little to the right was another one, and a little further on, an- other, and another. I could coimt dozens of them, to say nothing of a long row of towering, graceful topped elms. " Joe," said I, " let us go through that bush agahi. Someliow, it looks different this morning;" 'M've just been thinking that myself," said Joe. We follow^ed our steps of the night before. At the other side we paused and looked around. *' I don't think that's such a bad bush at ah;' said I. 07 '• It's not very tliick, but tlicrc's some first-cliiss timl)er," said Joe. " Don't sc'eiii to be mucli of jt dead eitlier." " I thought it was all dead last iiii'lit ; but come to look close, it's not Ijadly burned — scorched a little here and there." "Joe, I'm i;'oini;" to take this ))lace." " It's not a bad ijlace at all. You miuht do worse. *' And, look here, Joe. That l)lu(r opposite is vacant ; you can take that." '' Let us i'-Q and look at it." Wo went, and Joe expressed himself thorougldy satisfied. To this day, these two claims are a stancl- iiii; (piarrel between J oc and I. lie thinks his is the best claim in the Nortli-West, lait I know l)etter. We returned to our camp, nailed uj) our boards, set up our stove, and prepared for work. In a few days we had raised the walls of a little shanty, twelve by eighteen feet. I intended to live in this shanty for a few months, until I could erect a more commodious houses and I would then use the shanty for a stable. As the weather had set in extremely mild, I con- cluded to make a start for Winnipeg innnediately, for fear tlie Assiniboine river shoidd break up and thus delay us crossing. Besides, our provisions were about done. I had bi'ought what I considered an extravagant sup])ly from Winnipeg, but evidently Pembina JNIountain air was rather hard on pro- visions. Every time I sat down to eat — generally, live or six times a day — I used to feel astounded at tlie (piantity I could stow away. It always remind- ed me of the man who fed two pails of feed to a small pig, watched the little beast devour the whole » ri \u w 93 of it, and tli(Mi })icke(l liiiu up and dropped liim into one of tlie pails and liad room for more. I enii'aii'ed a neiulibor to tliateli tlie slumtv, uii;! started on the I'etnrn tri[). The snow was now all i^'one off tlie pi'aii'ie, and Just before leaving I put ;; mateli to a elump of grass to see how it woulii burn. It bunKMl lirst-elass — whoophig and roaring aiul eraekingaway off before the wind like a raee-horsc. When I saw it spreaK I put Ji it would ai'hio- and ace-lioi'sc. >ul(l liavc 'OMsidei'cd ost tliiiiM's tion a])()iu niakt\s a ve way to 1 of Jioav} uiuls and jvastatiiiij' ;■ onward, liort grass up in a I plunges The })0()r ute h(d|)- contcnip- led itself ea.son to L'fore our ind, tra- :y would he grass 09 AVe had another extremely inipleasint day for enx^sing tlie ]>ig Phiin. The sky was oveivast, and a cold, chilly north wind beat in our laces. During the day I tried my hand at driving oxen i'or the lirst time. Ever since v>'e started from \Vinni[)(\g, I had secretly held tlie o})iiiion that rJoi^ did not proju-rly understand driving oxen. I thouijht he mixed mat- ters uj) too much, but I ke}>t this (minion to myselt', and let him get aloni^- the ])est way Jie could. To-day, however, I concluded to try what good, straightforward talking would do. The oif ox — that is the one on the right-hand side — was named liion ; but he didn't look a very great deal lik(^ a lion for all that, no more than his nuit(% who was named Lamb, looked like a lamb. Lion, the old I'eprobate, had a great fancy for cropping olt the old, dead prairie grass as lie travc^hnl along, and was constantly swinging olf to his side of the V(rd'\ aiul drau'^ino' the innocent Lamb with him — though 1 believe in his secret soul, Lamb liked it a litth^ himself. I made up my mind to sto}) this work. Whip in hand, I took up my ])osition within con- venient striking distance, and presently, v/hen Lion hauled off to the right, I touched him gently and said, '' Haw, Lion." He didn't pay the least attention. I t(mched him again, a little harder this time, and repeated, " Haw, Lion, haw !" He stepped up a little, Imt swung around still farther from the trail. I struck him full force and yelled : '' Haw, Lion, haw ; you old l)rute, why don't you hav^ !" The oxen were then traveling at nearly right m I ' loo anijlivs to tlio trail, and stq)pin<4" <^iit ])riskly, I n(,t excited, and belabored them unceasin;^ly/ keeping up a steady — '' Haw, liaw, tben ; Lion/Lion, you old l)nit(', haw ; haw, haw, now ; why don't you haw ; Til teaeh you ; haw, liaw, haw ; oh you brute !" ]^y this time they were turned clean around, and travelin;;' for the Boyne on a trot. I knew Joe wiis laughing in his sleeve, and I tell you it was a .^ood thini;' ha liad a sleeve to lau2;h into. I jumiicd out of the wagon, and l)y dint of runnini'' from one side to the other, succeeded at last in j^*etting the stuh- ])orn lu'utes straight on the trail again. Tlien the whole ])lay commenced over again, with in-ecisely the same result. This was repeated throe times, and half of another time. I succumbed, ex- luuisted and demoralized. Joe took the wlii}), and this is what he said : *' Haw, whoa haw, l)ack haw, Avhoa back haw; whoa, whoa Ijack haw ; gee haw, back gee haw ; whoa back gee haw !" Yes, that's what he said, and tlic old brutes of oxen immediately swung around into the pro})er track, and traveled along as contented as could be. It beats me. We Avere very late starting this morning, and con- sequently darkness came on while we were yet several miles from Stinking River. I shall never forget that night. Towards evening it commenced to freeze keenly, and little ponds of water here and there l)ecame coated with a thin layer of glarin^;, slippery ice. At first we did not mind this much, and the oxen smashed through it indifferently ; but after a few hours the ice became strong enough to almost bear the cattle, and after a fall or two the initbrt we w( now t \V1 siiddo j^larin! iind J' went could miles, himdr ded w across make I w 101 nnfortunate animals refuscnl to venture on it. Thu.s wo were o))lii,^e(l to veer around, now to this side, now to that, in order to avoid these i)onds. When within a few miles of Stiidvin^^^ Itiver, we .suddenly found ourselves eonfronted with a great, o]arin<^ expanse of slippery ice. The cattle stopped, and Joe and I looked at each other in dismay. I went to one side and Joe to the other, to see if we could get around, hut apparently it extended for miles. I ran out on the ice, and found that a lumdred yards away, the ice field was thickly stud- ded Avitli clumps of willows. If we could only get across to the willows, perhaps we might be able to make our way through. I went back to eJoe and reported. There was noting else for it, so at it we went with the axes, and cut a road through. The water was not more than a foot deep, but what with splashing and wad- ing, we wet ourselves pretty thoroughly. Gracious, but it was cold ! If we had had time, we might luiA e frozen ito death right there, easily ; but we didn't have time. The ice once broken, the oxen traveled along well enough till we reached the willows. Then the sprawling and slipping, and sliding, and holding l)ack commenced. Wherever there was a few yards of ice between two clumps of willows, we were obliged to cut our way. I don't know how far we traveled in this way — it might be a mile, or only half a mile ; but I do know that about two o'clock in the morning two utterly exhausted youths and a yoke of played out cattle found their way into Murray's, rejoiced to feel themselves once more under shelter. We succeeded in crossing the x\ssiniboine all 102 rii;lit next day, l)y putting" ono ox across at a time, and liaidiiii;' the wa;4()n over afterwards. \ tli(ii struck out lor Winnipci*, leaving;' »J()(^ t() follow with the oxen. I arrived in duo time, and went to l)cd. CaiArTKll VIT. orU COrNTllV KHSIDKNCE — I'H.MIIINA mointaix — MONKY TN rOTAToKS — TIIK DllV I5KI) TKUIJIIlLr, CUT— JINK FLOODS- (JIJASSIIOI'I'KIIS — MOSi^HlTOKS — HULL DOtiS — M0M:V in i'KiS — SNOW HLINI) — FAMINE— MONEY IN JIENS- MAKINli DRAINS — INDIAN TKADINO — TIMIJEU SUITLY— NELSON VILLE — AVEUAOE YIELD —il A III) TIIII' --HALF-HKEEI) RESEliVE. As soon as the river was ()i)eiie(l, and the ferrv at Headinj^ly eomnieiiced ruiiuiiii', I started fFtJe back to Penibma Mountains with niv househohl ^00(1 s. A few weeks later I hired a horse and rig* and followed with my wife. On the twelfth of May, I crossed the IVv^ IMain for the third time. We brought cold tea with us, from Murray's, to drink on the road, as there was no water to be had. I often hearil peo})le speak of the Big Marsh on this road, but 1 was at a loss to know where it was ^situated. As well as I could see, the land was all dry, though perhaps if the grass had not been burned off, I would have found this Marsh sooner. However, I discovered it after- wards all right enough, and several others along with it. At Tobacco Creek the water had been high enough to carry away the little temporary bridge. 104 l3ut had since siil)si(led, and we crossed without difficuUy. The prairie now, as far as we could sec, was burned over, and as we approaclied the timber after dusk, a Hglit here and there would shine out, flare up, and die away again. I couldn't make out what those lights were at first. Soon I discovered that the fire had played sad havoc with the timber in places, and the lights were the last flickering sparks of the conflagration. For a while I feared the shanty might have l)ecii destroyed, but presently its rude outline loomed up in the dusk, and I realized what a very pleasant thing it is to have even an old log shanty to call home. The dog barked, Joe opened the door, and I jumped out and handed Mrs. G. down. " This, my dear," said I, ushering her in, "is, for the present, our country residence." Goodness, what a difference circumstances make in one's sentiments. Coming in out of the lonely night, my wife thought our rough, mud plastered shanty was a nice comfortable little cabin, small but cheerful; and I thought so, too. After supper and a chat with Joe concerning his trip, we prepared to retire. The beds were already in their places, and, after the style of the country, a quilt nailed up separated my bed-room from the rest of the house. In the morning I discovered that the first thing to be done was to dig a well. Joe had been using water from a pond-hole in a little gully at the back of the shanty, and vile stuff it was, sure enough. In order to save digging, I commenced in the bot- tom of the gully, and was fortunate enough to strike a bed of water-bearing gravel four feet down. I have dug three wells since, but none of them equal (( without )ul(l sec, e timber line out, lake out scovered 3 timber lickering Lve l)eeii )med up pleasant ' to call oor, and "is, for es make e lonely )lastered mall but ning his already country, roni the st thin«^ sn usino" le back enough, he bot- :o strike 3wn. I 11 equal 105 that first one for quantitj^^ or quality. The water, I think, was the best I ever tasted in tlio Province ; nevertheless, the well in the bottom of the gully was a, terrible nuisance. Every freshet, the well would fill full of sand and rubbish, and until the gully en- tirely ceased running, the water was not good. Having thus settled the water question, I will now have time to describe Pembina Mountain and surrounding country, as seen through my spectacles, ^iountain, in ]\Tanitol)a, does not mean — to use the school geography definition — "a lofty elevation of land." For instance, the first time I was down in Springfield, it suddenly occurred to me that there was a Springfield INIountain, and I asked my com- panion concerning it. He said it wasn't a very high one — didn't hardly deserve the name, " In fact," said he, '' we have been ascending it for the last ten minutes, and in another hundred yards we'll be straddle of the highest peak." I looked around to see if he was in earnest, and finding that he was, I ventured the opinion that it would take an acrobat, and a mighty good acrobat, to straddle that peak. Properly speaking, Pembina INIountain is not a mountain at all, though considerable of an improve- ment on Springfield Mountain. It is simply a rise of land, and marks the western limit of the Red Kiver Valley. In my neighborhood, it is perhaps three hundred feet high, and runs in a north-west and south-east direction. The east side is coated more or less with groves of poplar, balm of Gilead, and scrubby oak, with here and there large patches of bare clay, thickly studded with immense bould- ers. There is no Avest side. For a prairie country, 1 ■■' 10(5 Pembiiita Mountain exhibits some excellent bits of Avild and romantic scenery. At the foot of the main elevation are numerous groves of thrifty oak, growing on a sandy soil mixed with gravel, the wash, probably, of the ancient lake that ages ago covered the lied Itiver Valley. Traveling east, we cross a mile stretcli ol' flat, heavy, clay land, without a particle of sand, and without the least sign of ever having grown timber of any kind. We now come to a gentle fall of several feet, and here we find a Avell delined line of thrifty oak, growing on a sandy soil mixed with gravel. Traveling east again, we cross anotlun* fiat of clay land, with spots here and there mixed with sand and growing oak timber. This flat is half a mile wide, and also terminates in a gentle fall of several feet. Again Ave find a well-defined line of thrifty oak, growing on a sandy soil mixed with gravel. Still traveling east, yse traverse another such flat, terminating similarly, and again growing oak on a sandv soil mixed with gravel. We have now reached the last of the timl)er. Eastward a mighty plain with a more or less sandy soil, extends to the lied liiver, over forty nvilps away. These are the characteristics of the country in my neighborhood, and I presume the same ol)tain throughout. This vast plain, to which 1 have re- ferred, extending from the boundary line to the Boyne, and from Pembina jMountain to lied liiver, comprises some of the best land in the Korth-W(\st, and is by far the largest section of contiguous good land in the Province. In the centre a stretch six miles wide by twelve or fifteen long is at the pre- sent time occupied Ijy a vast marsh, but beyond a 'lit ]jit.s of immeroiis i'dndy soil y, of the lied liiver strctcli of 3 of sand, ng thrown g'cntle fall alined line .ixecl with lotlu^r liat ixed with . is lialf a tie fall of ed lino of ixed with G another 1 (>Towiiii:' 10 tinil)er. ess sandy jrty milps country ia no o1)taiu Jiavo ro- ue to the uod River, )rtli-We.st, loiis j^ood tretcli six , the i)rc- beyoiid a 107 doul)t in tlie course of time the water will be drain- ed otr and the land redoeined. In 75 the few settlers at Pembina ]\Iountain fondly hoped that in the course of fifteen or twenty years, this plain would become settled, notwith- standing the absence of timber. Before the sunmu^r was over, a long dne of cam}) fires, extending for miles and miles, announced to the lonely settler,- that six thousand Mennonites had located on seyen- teen townships. It is 1879 now, and farms on that plain are as hard to get, and are as valuable, as our much vaunted timber claims along the mountidn, and west a hundred miles to Turtle Mountain, rolls the tide of immigration. My claim and Pembina INIountain, those are two subjects I love to dwell on, and now I've got started on Pembina Mountain, it requires consi(leral)le of an effort to drop it and strike on to something else. I could easily strike off into an elo(pient discri})tion of my claim, but I fear it won't do. I am a gener- ous, erood-natured individual, and therefore freely sacrifice my own feelings in the matter. Well, where was I? Loafing around, I guess. Whenever I Avant to know what I w^as doing at any given time, I conclude that I w^as loafing around, and I nearly always hit it to a dot. This time I was loafing around after digging a well. I had to quit it, though, in order to go to the Boyne for l)otatoes with wdiich to make my fortune. You see, on account of the grasshopper ravages, l)otatoes were selling high — two dollars per l)usliel ; and as I had no land ready for grain, I concluded to go it strong on potatoes. I purchased fifty bushel of seed potatoes at the Boyne — of all the Province, 108 the Boyne alone escaped the grasshopper visitation — with wliich I calculated to plant four acres of scrub land ; four acres of potatoes, at five luuKh'ed l)ushels to the acre, two thousand bushels ; two thousand bushels of potatoes at two dollars per bushel, four thousand dollars. That was straight, honest figuring, wasn't it ? Talk about farming not paying ; 1 rather fancied I could make it pay. There was just one tiling pre- vented me making that four thousand dollar pile. Something entirely unlooked for, and over which I had no control, and this was it : The grasshoppers came along and ate up my potatoes the same as they did other people's, no less. I felt terribly grieved at the outrage. After I got through planting potatoes, I made a trip across the country from the Boyne to the neigh- borhood of Baie St. Paul, on the Assiniboine, to purchase a cow. A settler from that section Avas along Avith me — I could never have made the trip alone, as we struck across the trackless prairie thirty miles. We found no water on the road, al- though we passed through several extensive hay meadows. For the most part I thought it was a fine, rolling country. My companion, David McKinnon, lived on wdiat is known as the Dry Bed, at one time the bed of Stinking River, six miles south of Baie St. Paul. I bought a cow and a calf there from an old ac- quaintance, a man I could rely on. My wife told me to be sure and get a quiet cow, and I did, though she had an awful suspicious look about her. That cow was the best investment I ever made. Nearly five years after, I sold her for almost what I gave, and had still on hand five cows, and twelve head of I ll 109 young stock, seventeen liead, nil the proceeds of that one cow. Before leaving the Dry Bed, I arranged to pur- chase a number of pigs in the fall. I thought that, next to potatoes, [)ork was the most })rofitable article I could raise. I intended to ixo stronu' on pork, then selling at fifteen dollars per hundred. I proposed to fat my pigs on acorns. When I got back home with my cow, I tied her to a tree and called my wife out to look at her. Mrs. G. said it was the most savage looking cow she ever saw. I said I was positive she was per- fectly quiet, and recpicsted JNIrs. G. to get a pail and try milking. The cow was as quiet as a lamb, but a little un- easy at the strange hand. Mm. G. was afi'aid of her life. She stood as far l)ack as possible, and stretched out her hand to the farthest limit, and every time the cow moved a foot, or turned her head, Mrs. G. bolted behind a tree. We had an awful time milkinij: that cow for a few weeks. Used to tie her up short to a tree ; then I'd hold her by the horns, and Joe would hold her by the tail, and Mrs. G. would reach away over, and say, '^ So, C^herry ; so, now. Cherry," and dribl)le out a thin stream of milk. Neither Joe nor I could s(|ueeze out a drop, so there was nothing for it but to persevere. After awhile the difficulty diminished, and eventually old Cherry got to be a great favorite with my Avife. But for a week or two, it would have been just about as easy to milk a South African lioness. 1 now made a start on my new house. Joe hauled out a few logs, and I sharpened up the broad-axe, preparatory to commencing hewing operations. I never did how, but neither did Joe ; and therefore :/l 110 1 considered myself as cai)al)le as he. On the other liand, J(3e was well used to plowing, and I was not. With a view to economy, therefore, I kept Joe at tlie plow, breaking up prairie, while I undertook the dressing of house timber. I intended to build a first-class house, and havinti several unoccupied homesteads besides the school section, to steal from, I was careful in selecting my ''sticks." Joe told me I needn't be so particular, as, whatever house I built now, would be but a tem- porary one at best. The idea ! and I fully prepared to devote the en- tire summer to the erection of a mansion house worthy to acconmiodate a worthy family for several succeeding generations. I never positively settled how large it should be ; but I designed it so that the present structure would be but a portion of the imposing edifice of the future, successive wings having been added to meet the requirements of my increasing famil3^ Axe in hand, I took up position on a stick of timber one morning, and soon succeeded in getting in t\ree score-hacks; this satisfied me that 1 could score-hack successfully. Score-hacking is cutting little notches a foot apart or so, along the side of a stick of timber ; the blocks are then split off, and the flat surface smoothed with a broad-axe. Having put in the tln-ee little notches, I took a rest. Then I tried my hand at splitting off blocks. Zip ! the axe glanced on a knot, swung around witli great force, and caught my right foot across the in- step. I looked at my foot, and immediately dropped the axe. I didn't feel the least bit of pain, but the boot was cut from the sole on one side almost around to the sole on the other side. I stood still the otlior was not. •t Joe at ndertook d havino' le school iting my articular, ut a tem- the en- 311 house r several y settled )d it so )ortion of ve wings ts of niv V' stick of 1 n'ettinu' 1 could 5 cuttin;^" dde of a off, and • I took a F blocks, und witli s the in- dropped , but the ) almost ;ood still 112 and called Joe fi'om the plowin;,^ He came down and looked at the cut, bleeding freely now. ** I'm afraid it's a l)ad cut," said Joe. " Awful," said I. '' How did you do it ?" " Axe glanced." ''Does it hurt much?" "No." " Good gracious ! I don't know what to do." " Neither do I. Oh, Lord ! I'm afraid I'm a goner. There's no surgeon nearer than Winnipeg, and that w^ould take six days." Joe was terribly excited, and I was scared half to death. Our nearest neighbor lived two miles and a half away. Finally, w^itli Joe's assistance. I hobbled over to the shanty. My wife thought I was bleeding to death, sure. Joe wanted to take the boot off, l)ut at first I wouldn't let him, for fear the end of my foot would draw off along with it. Evidently, however, something had to be done, and at last I consented to have the boot drawn oft very carefully. I fully l)elieved my foot was almost severed. AVlien Joe slowly pulled my boot off, I expected my toes would hang down limp, but they didn't ; and Avhen I took the sock oft", behold, there was just the least little bit of a cut on the ridge of my foot. I felt mean for making such a big fuss over such a little cut. I couldn't understand how I managed to cut such a terrible gash in the boot, and such an insignificant one in the foot. Joe said he didn't Ijclieve I could do it again if I tried a month ; but I kept my curiosity in check, and didn't try. After a night's meditation, I concluded that I couldn't hew% and that, after all, Joe would perhaps Ill mako hotter licadway at the logs than I would. Accordingly, Joe and I changed round. I followed the ])low, and found myself in my proper groove, or furrow. No cutting feet about this work, antl it was so easy a child could hold tlie 2)low. But a child couldn't (h'ive oxen — not worth a cent. I had several contests with old Lion and Land), and I alwavs came out second best, with mv dignity teri'ibly rutHed. The okl brutes imposed on me most shamefully. They knew their advanta<^c', and wlien I'd yell at them, they'd k)ok around and view me calmly, as though to say, " C)h, it's all right, mister ; you needn't apok)gize." Nevertheless I succeeded in breaking up tAventy acres before fall. A few days after 1 came from Winnipeg, 1 got Joe to plow up a little patch around the shanty for a garden. Just in front of the door w^as a consider- a])le stretch of luxuriant grass, of the kind called *'bone" grass by the settlers. A little patch of this I also had plowed up, on which I sowed a couple of pails of oats, to see how they Avould do on sod. About the middle of June, my garden stuff was looking splendid, and the oats were thriving won- derfully. So far, we had beautiful weather, but one evening towards the middle of the month, the sky became overcast with dark clouds, and presently it commenced raining steadily, accompanied by a cold raw east wind. It must have rained unusually heavily during the night, althoiigh we did not hear it, on account of the thatched roof. In the morning "when we arose it was still raining. I took the pail and started to the well for some water. What a sight met my eyes on opening the d(jor. My oat patch w^as in the centre of a pond, I would. I foll(nV('(l groove', or I'k, {UK I it t worth a Lion tiiid t, with mv mposcd oil [idviiiita<;e, round and 's all right, 3rtlicless I )efbrc fall. 3eg, I got shanty for \ consider- ind called patch of sowed a Avould do stuff was dug woii- ^r, but one the sky fesentlv it by a cold lunusually not hear morning I for some ming the 11:] and on turning tho ctnuicr of tho lionso, I found that tho dry gully in tho rear was (dumgcMJ to a foaming torrent, and tho water was overHowing tho bankSj and ru.shing hi diniinutivo rivulets over my uarden, carrving av/av tho loosened soil, and with it die growing plants, down jiast the shanty in a broad stream to tho bono-grass (ie[»ression in front. iMy garden was ruined forever. The rain con- tinued for two days longer, and at the end of that time tho whole country v\'as more or less under water. At one tirue it stood a foot deep on my pateh of oats. Fortunately, when it cleared up, it cleared u}) for good, and the water ra})idly dissapi)eared. My oats recovered, and in a few days were as thrifty as ever. We have learned to recognize this down jjour of rain as an institution of tlu^ countrv, and it i>'oes under tlic name of ''June Floods." I iiave now i)cen farming here five years, and each succeedin,i a pond, year these rains have l)ecome more violent and long continued. That first one convinced me that I nuist (ind a different site for mv new^ house, and accord- iiigly, ndiile the water wjis still high, I picked out a Iry plai'O near my breaking, well satished that I would there be al)ove liood mark. During the high water of 70 that site was covered with water three inches deep. After the watcn' had all disappeared, vegetation took a fresh start, and tlie astounding growth of my potatoes was delightful to behold. I used to go at and look at them three times a day, and plan out how I vrould expend those four thousand dol- lars. It was jiretty hard to decide on the most de- sinible method, and preyed considerably on my mind. At last, however, I settled the matter, by «? lU det'idiiijL;' to iiiv(\st all my s]iai'(' ca]>ital for a few years in real estate, iintil I had a farm of two or tliree townships. Just ^v]len I hav1i()1l' 3iit to viinv m1 with the discovered one eiitire- lhI. I walk- othiiig- l)ut vered with e no stalks. iin<.>; alxnit exist enee enie, undi and retire ember. T ee of them, 1 is undei' ira'4'ini^ lor can't help nd to hold '. rccoi2'iiise I intry. In I IL') ora.sshopper time, I always want to raise stock ; i!i Hood time, I want to live on the top of Tembina IMonntain ; in winter, I want to sit in the house by the fire, and have ii boy to carry in wood ; in mos- (]uito time, \ want to leave the country forc^ver. Ofii cloudv evenini;-, the diminutive* insects en- com[)ass the land in one vast, uid)roken cloud. They oet into your eyes and nose; and mouth ; they cover your hands and neck and face; they are every- where ; they send the cattle home snortin«4' and bellowin!>' to the snuuli>e fire ; thev make the dou* yel}) with agony ; they till the house and swarm the bed-room ; condort is banished and slei^j) handcuffed. I have seen settlers, anxious to<;'ets(miebreakin<^* done, endeavoi'in<4' to drive the horrid ])ests away by lightim^,^ a smnd<^e fii'e at each end of the furrow and one in the centre ; jind I have sat on a cane-bottom- ed chair withcmt a cushion, and rolled off clouds of ])rofanity that, economized, might have lasted a life time. This picture is not over-drawn in the least ;but of course it is only odd days, under exceptionally favor- able meteorological conditions, that such a description holds good, though the insects are bad enough all through the sunnner months, goodness knows. Another insect we have here goes by the very ap- ])ropriate name of bull dog." I don't see any dif- ference between these bull dogs and the horse-fly of Ontario. They somewhat resenil)le a wasp in size and api)carance. There the resendjlance ceases — the bull dog's head is his business end. Cattle and horses suffer terribly from these flys. They settle on any old sores, in the nostrils, and under tlie eyes, and every time they bite they cut the skin. Apparently they have no relish for human blood, tl Imt wluMi tli(\v do tak(» hold oc('asl(.nally,you always litid it out without auv])o(lv tolling;' you. Mos(|uito(\s h)VC' th(M'h)udy (hiys, and hull do^s love tho suushiuc, so hc^twccu them th(\v kccj) thini;.s ^'oin;;' ])rotty i'(\L;uhu'. Fortuiiati^ly, {\u) hull do^s' tc'i'Ui ot'ollico is hi'i(»i-- tVoui ji uionth to six weeks. Ahout the twelfth oi'dulv, I eoiuuuMieed havini'' opiM'atious. I cut the houe ^lass {( "hou" ^rass) in front of uiv shantv, and found it made exeellent hay, notwithstanding' that souie of my neij^hhors as- sured me it was uttei'ly worthless. For a j;iven <|uantity of hay, a ^ood deal more ground must \)v. cut over of hone i^rass than of marsh i^rass ; but after live years' trial I am satisiied that hone j^rass makes tho most mitritious hay. It requires to be cut early, 1)eforu the to}) shoots, and the cattle will then eat it up clean ; but if it is allow^ed to get a little ripe, the stalks hai'den and become unlit for food. l^one i^rass has a lonj;*, narrow blade, wiry to look at, and where it growls thick is an infallible sign that the land is wet, though not necessarily low. I have heard })eoplc mention dozens of weeds and shrul)s, that only grow on this kind of land or that kind of land, but 1 know that this is an error. I have taken 2)ains to ol)serve that almost all kinds of weeds grow on all kinds of land. As a general thing, where rose Inishes grow thickly, the land is dry and good ; Init they will grow on wet land and they will grow on poor land — that is, poor land for this country. There are a few weeds that grow on wet land only ; but the surest test for wet land is the dense covering of grass. I have referred to the excellent water in my well. For some unaccountable cause, a peculiar flavor at- tached to it about the middle of July. It gradually 11 o-S I always I ilctorioraUvl, imlil liiially it Itccaiuo so outrjij^ooiisly vile tliat \vv could drink it no loiij^cr. I I'cMnovcd tlir covcriii;;', and hailed out tli;* water. [ ohsorved that it was pai'tially filled, jind I •;()t tlu^ spjule and startecl to work. 1 soon found tlii^ di{'- tieultv. Wliat do vou thiidv it was ^ I'll tell vou, and savo hlundcn's : there wasjust two l'e(»t solid ot'dead <;rass]io[)i)ers in the bottom of that well. We had heen drinking' grassho[)|)er souj) for over two weeks. While I am on tlu^ suhjeet 1 will tell the balance of what 1 know about ^grasshoppers. Thes(» pests ('nii<;rate(l in the be^inninn' of Aui^nist, as soon as their win^s became) properly developed. I don't know where they emii^rated to ; it never trans[)ired. Those learned in grasshoj)})er anatomy, say the climate of Manitoba is not suited to the ^grasshopper constitution, and that, therefore, after aiew <^auiera- tions, they become debilitat(»(l, and ])arasytes attack them, and are deposited with their e«;j;s, and <^row with their growth, until iinally the niml)le pass- hopper succumbs to the increasing ju'essure and ex- pires in misery. It is claimed that the swarm of 7.") was so infected, and that in all probal)ility the bulk of them exi)ire(l while en route. In Minnesota, during the grasshopper plague, the State Government offercnl a bounty for grasshopper eg^s— not to eat but to destroy ; after the insects were hatched they paid so much a bushel for the 'hoppers themselves, decreasing the price as the grasshoppers increased in size. They did this more to give enn)loyment to the destitute, than for any other reason. In Manitoba the Dominion Govern- ment expended a considerable amount on provisions and seed grain, wdiich they loaned to all settlers dl do ]> thini;s II dogs' weeks. havinii' •I'ass) in xcellent bors as- 1 given must be lut after s makes it early, len ec\t e ripe, Bone at, and hat the ds and or that •or. I inds of general and is d and id for ow on is the y well, or at- dually desiring aid. 118 The United States Government finally took up the matter, and appointed two commissioners to in- vestigate the grasshopper question to the hottoii). These gentlemen traversed immense sections of country, gained all tlie information possi])le, and in due course published an exhaustive rejxjrt. We thus learn that this })articular kind of grass- hopper is a native of the ±tocky Mountains. There on elevated plains, the insects luxuriate. Once in a while, at irregular intervals, and for some reason not vet known, vast swarms leave the old homestead and try their luck in foreign parts. These swarms sometimes locate in ]Manitoba, sometimes in ]\Iin- nesota, or Dakota, Nel)raska, Kansas, or Texas. For a few seasons thev travel back and forth, but eventually, as])eforo stated, their constitution gives way, and the insects disappear. Although we have had no grassliop})ers, now, for four years, still, in view of that Eocky Mountain l)reeding ground, I always feel a little uneasy during the latter part of July and beginning of August. After the grasshoppers left, my potatoes took a fresh start. For over a month they had been ke])t eaten off close to the ground, and consequently the bulk of the seed had rotted. However, a small portion survived, and these now sprouted and threw up stalks with wonderful vigor. The growth was astounding, and I had hopes of a considerable quan- tity '; f potatoes yet. Unfortunately, the frost came unusually early, and this last hope collapsed. How- ever, the new" potatoes were formed, and although tiny were not large enough to market, they would do for pig feed, and I therefore concluded to get in my pigs from the Dry Bed immediately. In 8epteml)er, I decided to return to Winnipeg get took up crs to in- l)0tt011). !tions of e, and in of <^Tass- 5. There Once in a easonnot omestead e swarms in ]\Iin- r Texas, orth, bnt ion gives I now, for ^louiitain sy during igust. ^s took a icon kept ently tlio a small lid tlirew )wtli was )le ([uan- )st came d. How- altliougli y would :o get in V^innipej 119 for the winter. Joe agreed to stay behind and get out rails. Owing to various delays, I had been un- able to get my new house ereeted, though the tim- l)er was all ready. Joe undertook to attend to that, too, and have it raised during the f^ill. The house was to be twenty by twenty-four feet. What a sad lowering of my j)retciisions ; I don't like to think about it. Still, at the time it was raised, it was the largest building on Pembina Mountain. I sold it afterwards for forty-five dollars, and the man who bought it moved the noble structure seven miles out on the prairie. After moving myself and wife into Winnipeg 1 instructed Joe to call around by the Dry Bed, and get all the pigs he could. I knew I could make money out of pork. ]\Iy potatoes would make tirst- class pig feed and were good for nothing else. In the spring I would turn the pigs out in the bush, and tliev would live on roots and one thing or an- other until fall. They would then fatten on acorns, Thus, I would have a large quantity of pork, and probably a couple of hundred little pigs, for the trifling cost of the first ones. It was a wonderful speculation, profitable beyond anything I could think of, and I congratulated my- self on being the first to grasp it. Fine thing to have a clear business head ; not much of a plodding farmer about me. Nothing like enterprise. Joe succeeded in purchasing twenty-seven little pigs at tw^o dollars each. Some time afterwards one of my plodding neighbors, called at my house in Winnipeg, and asked me if I would sell some of those pigs. lie said they were all dying off — ten or twelve dead already. t concluded to sell, and wrote out to Joe to sell the whole of them if he n it i h -5 120 cmildn't keep tlicm alive. lie sold all but two. Those two tried hard to live ; but one cold day to- wards spring, they got discouraged, and kicked the ])ucket. Thus ended my pig speculation. I have, of course tried raising pork since, and have probably been as successful as others. I tried the native breed of pigs, called ''prairie racers," and lost money. I paid high prices and got good pigs, and still lost money. I ani going out of pigs. While ])ork was selling at from ten to fifteen dollars a hun- dred, I could do well enough ; but now that it will not bring more than six or seven dollars, and acorns a decidedly uncertain crop, I have decided to retire from the business. My pork, the present season, 79, cost me nine cents a pound and I sold it for seven. Don't pay. On the 2nd of April, 76, I again moved to the farm. In town tlie snow was pretty much all gone, ])ut after crossing the Assiniboine, we found the sleighing excellent — roads as hard and smootli as a pavement. At Headingiy I purchased a dozen hens, put them in a box, and covered the box with a quilt. At the Boyne, I took off the quilt to throw in some grain, and discovered that close confinement don't agree w^itli hens ; four of them were terribly sick and low spirited, and the others were dead — suf- focated. Crossing the Big Plain this time, I experienced slightly that disagreeable affection of the eyes known as snow^-blindness. This is caused by the rays of the bright sun reflected up from the glittering snow. It only occurs on broad expanses of plain, where there is nothing to relieve the glaring sheet of mo- notonous white, and in the spring of the year, when tlie snow is crystal ized. (( ut two. »lay to- Liked the Lce, and I tried 3rs," and od pii>s, . While 's a hu li- lt it will ars, and decided present :1 I sold to the all gone, imd the )oth as a :en hens, 1 a quilt. in some nt don't bly sick ad — suf- erienced ?s known e rays of ivji snow. , where of nio- ir, when ipoleon's soldiers experienced a similiar affec- tion in the sand deserts of E eves of their cattle wdiile traveling at such times. My oxen suffered consid- erably, their eyes being weak and watery for a week or two. A few days after reaching home, I sent Joe back to the Boyne for a load of seed wheat. He started early in the morning with a wagon, as the snow was now all gone, and late at night returned with the report that Tobacco Creek w^as running and he was unable to cross. I couldn't w\ait for the water to go down, as we had also a couple of trips to make tor potatoes. Accordingly, I accompanied Toe as far as the creek to see what could l)e done. I was obliged to confess that the prospect was not good. The creek was running full, perhaps twelve or fifteen feet deep, and fifty or sixty feet wide. On the the other side was camped a man and his wife, with an ox cart, w^aiting for the water to sub- side. The man shouted across : " I guess you'd better turn back, had'nt you ?" ** Not yet. We'll make a try, anyhow." " I wish you luck. I rather guess this is the worst place I've come to since leaving Winnipeg." " Have you a claim out here ?" " No ; but I'll hunt one up." Just then a rooster stuck his head out through a m *' you've got some chickens this 122 box on the cart, and expanded his hnigs in a joyous, exultant crow. " Hallo," said I, alouL*" V " Yes, you bet ; it wouldn't do to come to country without stock of some kind." I smiled and closed tlie dialogue. Joe and I lifted olf die wagon box and placed it in the water. It made an admiraljle ferry — half raft and half boat. I padd^^d across and back as an experiment, before proceeding further. "We then unhitched the oxen and drove them into the creek, first one and then the other. They didn't like to go into the water, but we meant ])usiness, and soon they were on the other side. 1 then ferried across oin- enterprising settler and his wife, helped him across with his ox and cart, saw them resume their journey, and we then resum- ed ours. Joe and I ferried thirty bushels of wheat and thirty -five bushels of potatoes across Tobacco Creek in the w^ay I have described, two bags at a time, that being the utmost capacity of our ferry boat. This creek is now spanned by a good substantial bridge. For three seasons the settlers fruitlessly petitioned the proper authorities to put on a bridge, but finding that their requirements were utterly ignored, they turned out men and teams and bridged it themselves. Tlie bridge, at the time it was built, was one of the best in the Province. For various reasons, I had been very late with my breaking the previous summer. To rot properly, the sod should be turned over as thin as possible, and not later than the middle of July at furthest. Turned back, then, late in the fall or early in the joyous, hickcns to this ed it in lalf raft V as an Vg then creek, ke to go id soon tier and id cart, 1 resnm- eat and o Creek a time, boat. )stantial uitlessly L bridge, utterly bridged as built, witli my )roperly, possible, furthest. [j m the 123 spring, with a little of the sul)-soil, it works up well with the harrow. I was perfectly aware of this, and as I could get no breaking done in time, I conclud- ed to plow deep, so as to turn up enough soil to cover the seed well without ploughing again in the spring. This was another of my biilliant ideas, by follow- ing out which I hoped to raise just as good crops on the late breaking, and moreover save one plow- ing, thus effecting a considerable saving of time and labor. I always was an economical manager, and I confidentially informed Joe that I would show the farmers around here some new wrinkles in agricul- ture. Alas, when harvest time came, my neighbors who stuck to the old wrinkle, had abundant crops, and my field was scarcely worth cutting. ■ Some of it I cut, and some of it I didn't. After seeding I fixed up my new house and moved into it. I now found that the old shanty being half a mile away, was scarcely convenient enough to use as a stable. I had to build another stable. I now thoroughly realized the truthfulness of Joe's remark that the new house Avould be but a temporary one at best. Already I could see that the hewing was not first-class, and that the logs were rough and uneven ; but I consoled myself with the thought that it would make a first-class granary when I built my next house. This summer quite a few settlers came in and located in our midst, and finally one scjuattetl down within a mile and a half of me. I felt it a real luxury to have a convenient next door neighbor. In the midst of this rejoicing, however, a sore 124 affliction Ccist a gloomy sliadow of melancholy over the entire male i)ortion of the community. Famine Avas ram})ant throughout the settlement. Not bread famine, alas, but tobacco famine ! This sorrowful condition of affairs lasted two dreary des- olate weeks. Tea, kin-ni-kin-nick, oak bark, grated nutmeg, wild sunflower leaves, coffee, potato tops, and various other articles, were tried as substitutes without success. Once in a while, a vehicle passing along the road, half a mile in front, would shoot down a bright, warm ray of hope to my agonized soul, and I would rush up only to meet with dark, dismal disappoint- ment. Preachers — nearly always preachers. Alas for human nature. At length a worthy setter, unable longer to en- dure the gloomy misery, and actuated by a noble desire to aid his fellow men, started for Winnipeg amidst popular rejoicings. Eagerly his return was watched for, and when, a week later, the w^hite top of his wagon gleamed over the prairie, the glad tidings rapidly Hew round, and the heart of the people throbbed in swells of joyous gratitude. Once more dark desjmir gave way to bounding hope, and cheery joy again beamed round the fire- side. That man was voted a hero and the saviour of this country, and the settlement took a wreck's holidavs to luxuriate in tobacco smoke. It was shortly after this, that one day a young man named Westover called at mv house. lie had been land-hunting, and was returning disgusted. I asked him if he could not find a claim to suit, and he said he could get lots of prairie land, but he didn't want land without bush. He said that he w^as going over to Dakota, and that he believed he ly over lemcnt. ! This ary dcs- , grated to tops, )stitutcs lie road, briglit, I would ippoint- 1. Alas to en- a noble 'innipeg irn was lite top he glad ) of the le. oundiiig he fire- saviour week's , vomig lie hail vted. I nit, and but he that he 3ved he 125 could get what \Vould suit liim there. 1 tried to dissuade him, but it was no use. TTnfortunately, AVcstover was no exce})ti( )n thousands of good Canadian fanners have settled and are settling in ])akota. In general, I think the land is not nearly as good as in Manitoba, a great deal of it being very sandy ; nevertheless, there is no denying t'lat considerable sections are really desiral)le, and the inducements held out ^ / the American Government have prevailed on num- bers of intending Manitoba settlers to locate there instead. However, I want to tell about Westover, I met him at West Lvnne in the fall, and he told me he had taken up land on the Tongue Eiver in Dakota — ■ splendid claim, he said, l)eautiful land and lots of bush. He was going home to Ontario now, and would return in the spring with his wife and family. The foUoAving spring I had occasion to go to West Lynne to buy a yoke of cattle. I heard of a re- markably cheap pair across the River, and went across to see them and their owner, and, lo ! West- over was the man. " Hello, Westover," said I, " I thought you were in Dakota." ''So I was," said he. '' And what's the matter," I asked. *' Oh, d— n such a country. It's a regular lake — two feet of water all over my plowing." " Why, you told me last fall it was nice land." '' So it was, then ; but I tell you it's different now. Tongue River is over its banks and the wholo country flooded." '' And what are you going to do now ?" ** Going back to Ontario." 126 " I'll tell you what, you come out to the oMcun- taiu with me, and I'll hunt you up a place that won't flood." '^ No. Going back to Ontario—got enough of this country." '' Where's your family ?" '' Over here at the h >tel, i-eady to start back as soon as I can sell the stuff." '* What do you want for the oxen V " I want to sell all together — oxen, cow, plow, stove, and some small it'^ns. < ^ome down and look at them. They cost me three hundred and fifty dol- lars, and I'll let them go for two hundred." This was more money than I had, and as West- over would not sell the oxen alone, we did not make a deal. He easily sold, though, and returned to Ontario, and thus the North- West lost one good settler. I must now tell you of another grand speculation I conceived. I have already mentioned purchasing some hens in the spring. I had wonderful luck with hens after that sad mishap when eight of them de- parted to that land from whose bourne no hen ever returns. The surviving four, however, performed their duty nobly. In the foil I had forty-eight chickens, besides the old hens. This, I felt, Avas something like the thing ; this was replenishing the earth in magnificent style. I concluded to go into hens. Hens were worth fifty cents each, and eggs were worth thirty cents per dozen. I made a calculation, and, remembering my pig investment, I figured down fine. Now, forty-eight chickens from four hens, is an average of twelve to a hen ; but in order to be on the safe side, I put it at ten. Next summer, then, Jciin- that )f this ck as plow, 1 look y dol- West- : make led to good Idation aliasing k with HI de- ^n ever formed y-eight It, was ing the 5 worth cents ibering is an be on % then, 127 my fifty-two would increase to five hundred and twenty; but throw of the twenty for contingencies. The next sunnner I would have five thousand, the next fifty thousand, and the next summer five hun- dred thousand. I proposed to sell out then and retire. Of course, by continuing another year, I could have five millions, l)ut I am, and always have been, a moderate man. The eggs I didn't coimt anything on ; let them go for the keep of the hens. Now, then, I have said hens sold at fifty cents each. But I had too much good sense to figure at that price. I brought the price down to twenty cents each, and counted it up. One Hundred Thousand Dollars. There was a si)eculation ! and jverything figured close, too. That was just my ideal *' pile," and I spread myself for it, accordingly. If I had only thought of hens before, I might have been a year or two ahead. Sometimes a neighbor would call, and, noticing my fifty chickens, would remark that I had a nice flock. 1 used to smile, and say ''just wait — I'll show you chickens." Often I used to laugli to myself, when I'd conjure up to my mind's eye, those five hundred thousand chickens strutting and cack- ling over the prairie. Before going further I will now tell you the result of this speculation. In the first place, then, of those forty-eight chickens, I soon learned that twenty-six were roosters, and I knew I never could get those lazy wretches to lay anyway half-regularly or to hatch decently, and therefore I killed ofi' most of them. Secondly, a fox got into my hen-house one night and carried off eighteen before morning — pretty liberal allowance for one fox, I thought. 12^ Tims I found my flock riMlucod to twelve. 1 lijul hopes yet, however. I bou^dit forty nioi'o, and started next season with fifty. Very often, when people wish to express a low opinion of a l)ers()n's intelligence ; they'll say : *' lie's a <^^ander," or ''He's a j^oose." I don't. The last few years, under such circumstances, I always say : ** He's a hen." To my mind this is expressing the very low- est possible grade of intelligence. The w^ay those hens of mine bungled their hatch- ing l)usines8 was something sad to l)ehold. Eight or ten of them ahvays Avanted to sit on the same nest. After a great deal of trouble, I would at length get them separated, n.nd establish each in a business of her own. I didn't like joint stock affairs. Sometimes, these hens would stick to their re- spective nests for a few days, sometimes for a week, but some morning I'd go in and find them all on the one nest again, and not always on the same nest, either. Thus one outfit would be eternally ruined. The hens that did bring out chickens, n^ould al- ways leave ^he nest as soon as four or five were hatched, and th^ balance would of course perish. Then these several hens would get out in the yard, and fight a pitched battle ; but it was always the chickens that suffered, the hens acting commanders- in-chief, and the old reprobates didn't seem to feel the least distressed so long as they had one chicken to trot around after them. Lastly, in the early spring, the hens that Nature was fool enough to permit to have chi( kens, used to march off with the brood through the snow and slush and water, and leave the little creatures dying here and there behind them, utterly indifferent ; and K ty more, y oftcMi, on of 11 andor,'' w ycjus, lie's a cry low- r liatcli- Eioht 10 same vould at acli in a nt stock their re- r a week, xU on tlio me nest, f ruined, ould al- ive were 3 perish, the yard, rays the nanders- ni to feel chicken t Natnro used to low and •es dyin^;- ent ; and 120 if there was one place i)articularly fatal to chickens, that place was sure to ])o a favorite resort of all motherly hens —a piL'-])(Mi, for instance. 1 (hm't keep many chickens now, and have given up the sj)eculation. In the sping- of 77 I sold my old ox(Mi to »Toe and he c(nnmenced farmini^ on his own account. I bought another yoke, and did pretty nuich all my lalxn* — with hired help. I found that I had made a serious mistake in plowing deep the first sunnner. The sod did not rot properly, jind it was three years before it would harrow \\\) good. One end of my field was rather wet, and I con- ceived the idea of draining it down into a ravine at the south. It seemed all down hill to the ravine, and I wondered the water didn't run thereof its own ac- cord. However, as it did not, I concluded to help it with a few plow furrows. With these jiroperly opened out, I felt i)repare(l for the June flood. It arrived in good time, and I went down to see how my water furrows were operating. Grand. Every one of them full, and running the water with a powerful current — on to the field. With as little delay as possible I closed those furrows up again. Now, sir, I would have been willing to bet all the united monies I made out of my potatoe speculation, my pig speculation, and my hen spei ulation, that my field sloped to the south and to the west. But as water will not run in either of these directions, and will run freely to the north or east, I supi)Ose I would have lost my money, and have therefore good reason to be thankful that I didn't find any one to bet with. At threshing time I found that mv wheat turned out twenty bushels to the acre. Counting up I dis- covered that it co.st luo seventy cents jxt Inishel, and us I sold for sixty, it really was not a very pay- in<^^ piece of bnsiness. I decided to rent in futnn*. Potatoes were an abundant crop this year. One of my nei;^lil)ors ^athereil six hundred bushels oft' an acre, but mine did iu)t turn out more than half that ([uantity. ])esides bein<^" a nnich lar^^^u' yield than in Ontario, I thiiiL th M 1), J tiHiiL tnev are also of finer ftavor. any rate 1 never careil to eat potatoes till I came to this country, and I am very fond of them now. The Early Hose is almost the only variety <^^rown here for cro]). Other varieties are experimented with. During the winter I tried Indian trading for a change. There were a few ('hippewa Indians l)ack and foi'tli through the settlement, with elk meat, moccasins, etc., which articles they used to ti'ade for flour, tea and tobacco. I bought some of their elk meat at cui'rent price — three cents per pound. In Winni])eg I sold this meat for fifteen cents per pound. This gave me the idea tluit I might drive a limited though prolital)k^ trade with the noble red men. In my innocence and simplicity I was foolish enough to consider myself })erfectly able to hold my ow^n with the nntutored savage. Privately, I had a considerable regard for the Red Man, the result, I su})pos{^, of Coopcn-'s novels. I knew they were an ill used race, and I thought they possessed more good points than people generally credited them with — at least, people who had any- thing to do wdtli them. It was one of my f()il)les tliat the red man was naturally honest, and that it only required fair-deal- ing to bring out all his latent Iionesty. This was the fundamental principle underlying my system of Indian trade. Accord inglv, to the disgust of the P'-^- r ])Us]iol, y^ny pay- in fntiiro. ar. OiH* u*ls oft' an half tliat t'ld than A'or. .'\t I came to low. The II here for ith. ng for a iaiis l)ac'lv elk mcnit, to ti'ade of their ? pound. iciits per it drive a noble red as foolish ) hold niv r the Red 3vels. I Li<'lit thev li^enerallv had any- man was fair-deal- This was ystem of yt of the l:ll settlers, T raised thepi'iee of elk meat to ten eents l)er pound as soon as I eommenceil re;^ndar tradin_L(. 1 sold my goods at a reasonal>le profit of a Iminlred j)er cent., the sanu^ as Winnipc^g mercliants, and al- lowed the Indians a fair market ])ri(*e for their fui's. Evervthinj' was lovely. The Indians came Irom nuh'S around, and brought all tiieir fi'iends. If an Indian came to mc^ bankrupt and jjoycMty- sti'icken, r sup})lied his innnediate wants on ti'ust. I wasn't afraid of them cheating a man who dealt H([uarely by them. In a very short time wtny In- dian of my ac(piaintance became Itankiupt and poverty-stricken, but they ai)i)eare(l to have no de- sire to run in debt l)eyon(l a few tlollars. Lik(^ honest men they always came ^ack with furs and })aid the auKmnt up, and at the same time avaiU'd themselves of the opportunity to run another lall of an equal amount. There was one Indian that I especially admiivd. His name was Shelxmsy ([dionetic spelling), and he was a fine specimen of the red man. lIi* used to brinj; me customers, and linally I let him have a few goods to trade on his own account, lit? always ap- pointed the day he would return and he never failed inputting in an appearance. One day,towardsspi'ing, he returned with most of his goods disposed of, and no furs. He said he had had an awful hard time, and had to trade the goods for jn'ovisions. lie asked me for a small outfit to try again. He already owed me forty dollars, but I wasn't afrkid to trust him — an Indian is ditfereiit from a white man — so I let him have an additional twenty dollars' worth of goods. As he was leaving, I said, '' See here Shebousy ; in a few weeks more I will 132 1)0 -/ riiiL;- np trading, and I want you to try hard now and u:et me all thn furs you can." " Not trade any more," said he. - No." " Oh, well," said he, "me get furs now — me pay ; get furs after awhile — me pay ; get furs next winter — me pay ; always pay. You good, not cheat In- dian. White man always cheat Indian ; you not cheat. Me pay — always pay." There, wasn't that a triumph for fair dealing? If he got the furs no\y, he would pay me ; if not, he would pay me as soon as he did get them. That is thi'ee yeors ago, and Shebousy hasn't got those furs vet. Last sunnner I learned that he lost the outfits I su2:)plied him with at gambling, and since that I liaye ceaseeople )neral lotlier It \i, and kept Q^G la s, al- trail ler at •il. farm id the d we ay of elson, erior, mill, four )f the lately 1 mill, port- 1 site ly on ' the Pro- 135 I have said that the land here in the immediate neighborhood of timber is inclined to be wet. There is very little of it that could be called low, ])ut peri- odically great floods of water come down the moun- tain from the elevated land beyond, and this water spreads out on the several flats I mentioned as com- jDrising the timbered section. If the supply were not sustained the water would soon run ofl", as the land has a positive, though scarcely perceptible, in- cline to the east and to the north. All that is ve- quired therefore, to make the land perfectly dry, is some sort of arrangement bv which the water will be prevented from spreading on it. During the summer of 78 I made a start at solv- ing this problem, by digging a ditch along the south side of a hundred-acre field — ditch on the outside, bank on the inside. This ditch I placed on the line between myself and neighbor. I drove little pickets along the top of the bank, twelve feet apart, nailed a small poplar pole on the pickets about a foot and a half from the ground, and thus made one of the best fences in the settlement. It will turn anything in the shape of stock. I proposed to extend it the following summer. My wheat this year was excellent, but in the midst of harvesting operations, and when about half through, one of the mostviolenthail stormsit has ever been my fortune to witness set in, and in the course of half an hour all the standing grain was flattened down, broke up, and beat into the ground. For- tunately, the storm was a limited one, confined to a strip three or four miles wide. Inside of that belt, however, the reapers went out to reap no more that season. I do not exaggerate when I say that lumps of ice as larije as lien's euus covered the ground. oo- 130 Even tlie scrub and oak trees were partly stripped of their foliaf,^e. If this bail storm bad arrived otlier rears, wben I was working tbc farm myself, I would not bavc tbongbt so bad of it, considering tbo large saving effected in barvesting operations ; but to come this year, wben an otlier fellow bad all the labor to per- form, was really too l^ad, and I felt myself severely iil-iised. Ob, well, tbe ways of Providence are inscrutable; I always felt that when I bad any w^^rk to do. At threshing time our grain turned out twenty- eight bushels to tbe acre for the ground we cut, ^vitllout allowing anything for the damage done by the hail while the sheaves were in stook. This I consider a good return. Some of my neighbors have bad crops yielding as much as forty busbies per acre, but if any man tells you, as I have been told, that forty bushels to the acre is an average crop in Manitolja, put that man down as a liar ; if a man tells you that thirty-live bushels is an average crop, consider that he prevaricates ; if he says thirty bush- els, consider him honest ; but if he mentions twenty- live bushels, believe him. The fall of 78 was a very wet one— tbe only wet one during the seven years I have been in the country. In consequence, very few of the settlers got any fall plowing done. The spring of 79 opened with a rapid thaw and heavy rains. The w^ater was imr'sually high, and the ground beingalready soaked full, it was late before farmers could get on their land — indeed, owing to the continuous rains, the soil was never in proper condition for the reception of seed. In April we bad a Hood, in May we had a flood, in June we bad a flood, and in July we bad no m Bi grain shuc it? I CO] ly in and tivat devo fond B( ed a my nortl on tl est a the t stripped rs, when not liavo :o saving' ome this )r to per- t'severeh' 'iital)le ; I twenty- we cut, done by This i ors have iiles per een told, crop in ■ a man ige crop, ty bush- I twenty- Dnly wet L in the settlers opened iter was ^ soaked on tlieir ins, the iception ilav we July we 137 had a flood. The weather then settled, and we had no more rain during the season. But the damage was done. On all flat land the grain was drowned out. ]My crop didn't amount to shucks. Good thing I had rented on shares, wasn't it ? This system pleased me so highly this yea., that I concluded to always rent on shares. I according- ly traded off' my implements and oxen for breaking, and as a half crop oft the land 1 have now under cul- tivation will keep me in moderate comfort, I can devote the most of my time to that pastime I am so fond of — loafing. Before settling down to it, however, I construct- ed a ditch half a mile long across the west side of my field, and another one a little longer on the north side. Thus I have my farming land fenc(Ml on three sides with a ditchfence — the easiest, auick- est and best fence that can be constructed. Inside the ditch is a bank a foot and a half or two feet higher than the surrounding prairie, and when I view that ditch and that bank, I feel like telling the June floods of 1880 to come right along and investi- gate. In the spring of '79 I found that my house was in the wrong place altogether. It was in the middle of my farm, half a mile from a road, and this, I felt, would be inconvenient. I concluded to build again. On the east side of my farm runs a high, sandy ridge, and here, in the lee of a little oak bluff, I erected a small frame house, — my present establish- ment. If I had had sense enough in the first place to choose this most desirable building site^ my other buildings could now be utilized for stables and granary. As it is, I have yet to erect all my out- buildings. 138 This is a common error with new .settlers. Tliev po}) their house down in the most convenient phieo for the time being, erect otlier buiklings around, and then awake some day to the fact tliat they are in the wrong place entirely. For one thing, water cannot always be found where you want it on the prairie, and I know numbers of settlers who built their houses first and dug their wells afterwards, who would giye a good deal to-day if they had just re- versed the programme. Of course, during these years, I have made num- erous trips here and there around the country, and 1 will n(3w briefly outline one of these to show the deplorable change in the country caused by the ever- increasing rainfall. It is to 1)0 hoped, however, that the cycle of wet seasons is finished, and there appears some reason to believe that such is the case in view of tlie wonted dryness of the latter part of '79. In July of this year, I had occasion to go to Portage la Prairie, and, as I had some idea of the condition of the roads, I started on horseback. At the Bo} ne, owing to representations of people there, I left my horse and continued on foot. A few miles out, I struck across the country to the Dry Bed, over the prairie I had traversed a few years before with David McKinnon. I was an old stager now, and not a bit afraid of getting lost. This section I remembered as a high, rolling prairie, with here and there a little marsh with the water all dried away. I remembered, also, Joe telling me how he had suffered with thirst while crossing this same prairie with a cargo of pigs. Re- membering these things, I believed I could reach the Dry Bed without much difficulty. A few minutes after leaving the trail, I struck Thoy nt pliK'o aroiiiul, hey are g, Avater on the ho Iniilt 'ds, ^vho just re- de iiiini- tiy, and low the the ever- ver, that 3 appears 3 in vievv 79. O 2^0 to a of the ick. At )le there, ew miles 'ry Bed, s before ^er now, rollino' vith the Iso, Joe St while igs. Re- el reaeh struek 180 swamp, and for the remaining twenty-eight miles, did not travel altogether a (piarter of a mile on dry land. A mile or two of swamp alternated with a narrow ridge of dry land a few yards aeross, that is a fnll deserii)tion of the eonntry. If I had known at any time before noon Avhat lay ahead of me, no- thing eonld have indnced me to continue the journey. I was constantly expecting to reach the high rolling prairie, and l)elieved I nuist some way have got off the jjroper track. About noon I reached a few straggling poplars that I rememl)ered to have passed the former time, and I climbed one of these and inspected the coun- try in advance. A mile away the land seemed higher, rising up with a gentle swell, and away twelve or fourteen miles beyond, lay the dark bush on the Dry Bed. I sat down on a fallen tree, with my feet dangling in the water, took out my lunch, ate a little, rolletl up the balance and resumed my tramp, hoping soon to reach the high land. I should have known that at a little distance a stretch of low land has the ap- pearance of high land, but for the time I forgot it. I don't know the cause of this delusion, perhaps the top of the long grass really is higher than the surrounding prairie, for the marshes are seldom much depressed ; but it is a fact that strangers are very apt to imagine that they are reaching high ground when in reality they are about to enter a swamp. And this was my cxj^erience in the pres- ent instance — a swamp three or four miles across lay before me. Beyond this, higher land with two or three lonely trees, and I hoped to find it coni})ar- atively dry from there in, It might, however, prove to be only a ridge. 140 So far, the grass f\)r the most part, was the ordi- nary (lark green, rank marsh grass, standing al)ont two feet higli above the water, the water beinti'from a foot to two feet deep. Half-way through tliis marsh, however, 1 passed a narrow strip of tall, Avhite-topped grass, very nuieh resembling Indian corn in appearance, but nuich finer, and here the water was up to my waist. To my dismay, on reaching the high ground, I discovered that it was but a ridge a hundred yards across, and thence extended a vast marsh of white- topped grass reaching to the timl)er on the Bry Bed. Behind me twenty miles of marsh and bone-grass low land ; before me, seven or eight miles of des- perate swamp. Which would I attempt \ that was the question I put to myself. I chose the latter, and entered the marsh with set teeth. That was a terrible journey. The tall, white- topped grass waved a foot or two above my head, and prevented my keeping the timber in view, so as to hold a true course, and I had no compass. I dare say I would never have got through that marsh had I not here and there came across great patches of grass twisted and matted and flattened down with the wind. These openings enabled me to get a view of the timber again, and I would then correct my course ; but the exertion required to force my way through these tangled thickets of rank, matted grass, was something terrible. The water v/as nowhere less than waist deep, and every now and again I would come to extended tr.acts of bull-rushes, with treacherous looking stretches of open water in all directions. Here the water would be up to my arm-pits. I dare not waste time in the attempt to go around these |e ordi- aboiit i<>' v^ from \;h tins (of tall, I Indian 'TO the nnd, I yards Avliitc- y Bed. e-grass )f des- at was latter, wliite- ■ head, 'i, so as LSS. I h that great ttened ed me I then •ed to ets of p, and ended oking re the 3 not these 141 lagoons — I had to travel as direct as possible ; I must either get through the swamp in daylight or perish. 1 knew it, and I was prepared to swim if need be. Often, while among these bull-rushes, with the bottom springing under my steps and bub- bles rising to the top of the water for yards around, I desj)aired of ever getting through, but I struggled on. Wild ducks in thousands flew screaming on every side, and millions of little shell hsh floated in the water. After hours of this, I became so weary that I was obliged to pause for a time. For the most part the wind had leaned the grass in one direction, and I was crossing it at right angles. My right leg traveled comparatively free, but I had to force the left one through the matted grass. Tlie violent hibor had partially paralysed the muscles of this leg, and for some time I had been endeavoring to ease it a little by helping it forward with my hands. I didn't know what to do, but presently it occur- red to me that if I would eat a little it might help me. I wasn't the least hungry, but I took out my water-soaked lunch and ate all I could. It revived me wonderfully, and again I worked painfully for- ward. At dark, I was close enough in to see the shadowy outline of the trees, and a little while after, more dead than alive, I reached the house of i avid Mc- Kinnon. . - Here I remained a few days to recover, and I then got Mr. McKinnon to guide me to the Assini- boine. Marsh, marsh, nothing but marsh, save the little belt along the Dry Bed, and another little belt along Stinking River; but thanks to my guide I had no further hardship. "' .;/■ 142 It is a goiiei'iil opinion with Ontario p(30ple, and witli a ;^reat many puo])le here, too, for tliat matter, that the Half-breed reserves comprise a hirge por- tion of the most desirable lands in tlie Province. This is a ^reat mistake. Beyond all doubt, some of the Half-breed lands are most excellent, but a tre- mendous ])or*^ion consists of lands at the present time utterly worthless, and consideral)lc of it, per- ha])s, irredeemable. A ^'reat deal of the worst land in the Province is Half-breed reserve land. All this land that I have been describing, from the neighborhood of the Boyne to the Assiniboine, is Hiilf-broed reserve -and. Returning, I came around by Headingly, thence to Stinking River, and so, over the old road, to the Boyne. This road, being the most direct from the Mountain to Winnipeg, is still used, but only in the winter. For three summers it has been all but im- passable. On this, my last trip over it, I found water the entire distance — scarcely an acre that wx^uld be considered fit for farming purposes. "What a change from the first summer, when we used to have to carry water with us to drink on the way. The trail, of course wound round the marshes as much as possible, and except at the Big Marsh, w^hich I had long since discovered, I had little dif- ficulty in getting through, though for miles at a stretch I w^aded in water a foot deep. I was too old a settler, however, to mind the water, and on the old trail there was no grass to mat and tangle and bar my way. Another thing, before starting I dined on salt fish, and therefore when I did come to a narrow ridge of dry land, I hurried rapidly across it in order to plunge into the marsh again. The road now chiefly used in summer leads i:^. Dple, and t matter, rge 1)0 r- *i'ovinee. , some of it a t re- present it, i)er- le worst ve land. Prom tlie boinc, is thence 1, to the "rom the ily in the . but im- I found Lcre that s. What used to ) way. rshes as Marsh, ittle dif- les at a was too and on d tangle arting I come to y across 143 thr{)u<4h the Mennonito settlement to Emerson — cars there to Winni[)e<;'. This is a dry section of country, and the road is nearly always ^ood. There is plenty nun'e that I could tell al)out, l)ut a feelhig of compassion for the reauer induces me to cut it short, and as I have now brout'ht nn* sketch down to the period of writing', I })ropose to close the narrative with a rather laughal)le ei)isode that occurred a few weeks ago : [I have exercised my brain for the last houi*, tid- ing to recollect what this episode was, l)ut J can't recall it to save my life. I know it was an awful funny episode, and the reader will have to be sati.s- lied with this assurance.] 3r leads