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^Sf'

Sff'

MAKING A START
IN CANADA

LETTERS FROM TIVO rOUNG EM/CRJNTS

WHH AX INTRODUCTION
BY

ALFRED J. CHURCH, M.A.

Professor of Latin in University Colki^e, London

LONDON
SKELEY 5- CO., ESSEX STREET, STRAND

1889

INTRODUCTION.

Many young men of what is commonly called
the upper middle class yearly leave their country
to seek fortune, or, to put the case more
modestly, subsistence, in Canada. It has oc-
curred to me, having recently sent two sons to
that country, to publish some extracts from
the letters in which they have described their
experience, and to say something about their
preparations for this undertaking. Many
parents will be glad, I imagine, to know how
their sons should be equipped, and what is the
sort of life which they actually lead.

My two sons, then, when they left England

bitrodnction.

for Caniida, were acjed respectively eighteen

ight(

years one mont

h and sixteen years nine

months, and were both strong and well-grown,

this bei

man'

lads at th(

agt

mentu

trie V(HinG;er or rne two are quite unnt ror tne
work which, as will be seen, fell upon them.
I'his lad was nearly as tall as his brother (five
feet eleven inches), and almost his match in
strength. As the two were veryclosely attached
to each other, and 1 looked for much advantage
to both from their continued companionship,
1 did not like to separate them. Otherwise I
should say that it would not be well to send
out so young a lad.

They had been educated in the ordinary
way at a (irammar School, and, for a short
time before their departure, at University
College, London. I can hardly say that any
attempt had been made to specialize their
education. Indeed, the idea of emigrating,
though long cherished by them, did not take

hitroductiou.

»•
VII

any definite shape till but a few weeks before
it was carried into execution. If it hatl, 1 am
not sure whether I should have cared to divert
their attention from their general instruction.
Still, I do not doubt that if they had realized
the probability of their going to a country
where both the French and (ierman languages
are spoken, they might have applied them-
selves with more diligence to these studies.
When it had been determined that they
should go, they attended, at the college, a
course of lectures on practical geology. I
very much regret that their teaching in this
most valuable and interesting subject extended
over so brief a time.

Of matters that were likely to be practically
useful they learnt at home some simple opera-
tions in cooking ; for instance, how to make a
suet pudding, to boil potatoes, and to make
bread. They received instruction from a shoe-
maker, and under his supervision heeled, soled.

vin

Introduction.

and patched boots. They idso learnt how to
mend a rent in a coat and to darn a hole in a
st(^cking. I am told, and I can well believe,
that they lost much by missing what they
might easily have got, and what is indeed within
the reach of most lads: some practical instruc-
tion in farriery. There was a forge close to
their home, where they might have learnt how
to shoe horses, and acquired some elementary
knowledge of the ordinary diseases of the
animal, and of the remedies with which they
are treated. If more time had been available,
they might have attended classes at the
Veterinary College. I am given to under-
stand that even a very moderate skill in the
veterinary art will be found one of the most
profitable attainments that a lad can acquire.

They had the advantage of using a work-
shop belonging to a kind friend and neigh-
bour. Here they had acquired some skill in
carpentering, enough to enable them in a rude

Introduction.

kind of way to set up, and even to construct,
their own beehives. When it was settled that
they were to go, they received some practical
instruction from a skilled carpenter. They
helped him to fence a field and to construct
a wooden cow-house ; and they worked under
his supervision for some days at various mis-
cellaneous j(jbs.

The lads had, for several years before their
departure, lived in the country, if one
of the remoter suburbs of Lond(jn can
be called country. Here they had learnt
something about gardening, and especially
about the pruning of fruit-trees. They had
kept pigs, which they managed themselves ;
and they had also, in a small way, been bee-
masters.

When the plan of emigration was matured,
they attended the first course of lectures given
by the Ambulance Association, having for its
subject ' First Aid in Cases of Accident.' It

X Introduction.

is impossible to exaggerate the importance
of this point. I should strongly advise all
parents to insist upon their sons acquiring
some elementary knowledge of what should be
done in an emergency before the arrival of
professional aid, often long delayed, as one
may easily imagine, in a thinly - populated
country. 1 sav ' insist,' becuse they will
probabi) tind them unwilling or contemp-
tuo'is, as my sons certainly were. Young
people seem to count upon an immunity from
accident, a delusion which their elders should
not suffer to prevent them from acquiring the
knowledge necessary for dealing with it in its
first and most urgent needs. There is no
necessity for pointing out how often health
or life may be saved by presence of mind,
guided by ever so little acquaintance with
elementary medical facts. When I add that
the lads had received some lessons in riding
(they had not had, it will have been seen,

Introduction.

that thorough country breeding of which
riding is a necessary part), but that they were
not so expert as they might advantageously
have been, I have said enough on this part
of my subject.

They took with them fishing-rods and
tackle. I should particularly recommend,
under this head, a good stock of artificial
bait. In choosing a rod, particular care should
be taken that the wood should be suitable to
the climate, with its extremes of heat and cold,
and especially its dryness. The tackle should
not be too fine. They had also each a gun
— it was a twelve-bore sporting-gun, one
barrel choke, the other cylinder. They
had a box of games, and a small chest
with various medical appliances of the most
necessary kind.

The list of the outfit which the two lads
took with them is as follows (it must be re-
membered that they started their life in a

Xll

Introduction.

gentleman's house, and therefore wanted some
things which might not in every case be
required) :

Dress suit.

Best tweed suit.

Tennis suit.

One cJoth suit of ' leather suiting.'

Extra trousers of ditto.

The three suits that they had in wear.

Two pairs of corduroy trousers.

Ulster coat.

Pea jacket.

Mackintosh.

Dressing-gown (useful as an extra warm

garment).
Twelve flannel shirts.
Two white shirts.
Four pyjamas (of flannel).
Four pairs winter and summer drawers.
Four vests.

Twenty-four pairs of socks.
Six collars (the flannel shirts being furnished
with collars).

Introduction.

Xlll

White cravats and cuffs.

Cardigan.

Two jerseys.

Twelve pocket-handkerchiefs (some coarse

coloured handkerchiefs might be obtained

in Canada).
Six Turkish towels.
Waterproof sheet (should be large, and of

the best quality).
Blankets (should be an undivided pair of

large size, and thick V

Six pairs of dress gloves.

Three hedging and ditching ditto.

Two pair Canada mittens.

A housewife, with buttons, needles, etc., of

all kinds (saddlery needles included).
One pair of high boots (others can be

bought in Canada).
Pair of boots.
Dress shoes.

Pair of shoes (not nailed).
Pair of slippers.
Ambulance braces.
Helmet of Jager wool.

XIV

Introductio)!.

Cholera belt.

Trunk (which should be of a manageable

size

)■

n in

diarubber bath should have been

shirts.]

added, and some coarse cotcon
Portmanteau for cabin.

I must express my hearty thanks to Mr.
A. G. Bradley (22, Great George Street,
Westminster), by whose means my sons
were settled in their first home.

I think that I may mention the names of
the two tradesmen who supplied the outfit
in a manner that has given satisfaction both
here and in Canada : they have gained con-
siderable experience in finding out what is
really suitable for the needs of young men
thus emigrating :

Mr. C. T. Merryweather, tailor and out-
fitter, Bridgegate, East Retford.

Mr. F. T. Clark, bootmaker (same address).

It should be especially remembered that
pieces for repair of garments should be sent

Introduction.

out ; also all old clothes available should be
included. And let everything be made large.
I may say that the total cost of outfit, voyage,
and maintenance of the two lads for the first
year, also of taking up and stocking land, has
been less than ;^500. It may be done for a
much smaller sum.

A.J. C.

CONTENTS.

PART I

ONTARIO,

CHAPTER I.

Our New Home.— The First Week's Work.~A
Few Birds - - . - •

CHAPTER Jl.

Life at the Farm ; Work and Play.— Haying.—
Before the Harvest - - _ _

CHAPTER nj.

Harvesting.— An Awkward Customer.-
Corner. — How to Drive in the Dark.-
ing the Grain Harvest

-A Hot

-Finish-

CHAPTER IV.

A Slight Relaxation.— The Indian Summer.—
Getting in the Root Crops. — What ought to
be Learnt before Coming to Canada -

I'ACE

XVlll

Contents.

CHAPTER V.

Winter Occupations and Amusements. — Christ-
mas. — Sleighing. — A Little Real Cold. — Cow-
Driving. — The Sport here. — Plans for going
North-West. — A few more Hints to Would-be
Immigrants - - - - . -

PACK

CHAPTER VI.

Lumbering. — Signs of" Spring. — Cattle-Driving
again. — Storing Ice. — Reasons tor Thinking
it Best to Move North-West. — How to Start
in a Small Way. — Return of Spring. — Freeing
the Mill Dam.— Skunk

PART II

EXPLORING BRITISH COLUMBIA.

CHAPTER VII.

A Change of Plans. — Our Journey to Victoria.
A Rough Voyage. — Our Destination at Last

9»

CHAPTER VIJl.

The Island.— We go Exploring.— Chase after an
Eagle.— A Savoury Dish.— Jubilee Day

106

Contents.

XIX

("AGE

CHAPTER IX.

PART III.

ALBERTA.

I'AGF.

The Way wc Live Now. — More Exploring. — A
Fine View. — A Sudden Squall. — We Decide
to Leave the Island - - - - ii8

CHAPTER X.

We Move North-West. — On a Ranchc. — About
Taking up Land. — Wild-Duck Shooting

»39

CHAPTER XL

Haying. — A Buck-Jumper. — We Buy a Team. —
Breaking them in - . - -

CHAPTER XIL

A Fight with a Prairie Fire. — The Team turns
out Well. — The Winter here. — Sport During
the Winter - - - - -

CHAPTER XIIL

A Chinook. — Christmas. — A Christmas Gift. —
Horse-Breeding. — Caught by the Cold. — A
Warm Bed. — A Gay Christmas

'5»

171

182

Contents,

CHAPTER XJV.

A Blizzard.-Out in the Bush.-Anothcr Team.
—Driving Downhill.— We take up Land.—
Preparing it for Habitation.-- Wc all Try to
get Drowned - - . _

CHAPTER XV.

Our House. -Work and Plav.-Doing a Hay
Contract.-Rest after Toil.-A Misfortune -

rA(;K

194

211

VAi.ti

'94

211

Making a Start in Canada,

PART I.

ONTARIO.

¥-!

t-M

CHAPTER I.

Our New Home— The First Week's Work.— A few

Birds.

Jioie, 1886. — On Saturday we left Toronto
by the mid-day train, arriving here a few
minutes before six. The country through which
we passed was quite different to that between
Montreal and Quebec. There were still large
forests, but the fields looked more cultivated,
and we saw lots of large orchards. We saw
Lake Sincoe, and in the distance Barrie. This
is a splendid place, with a sort of rambling
old flirmhouse, a large garden and orchard,
and lots of vines. The fruit has all done
blossoming and is forming fast. The farm is
chiefly arable ; there are only about fifty head

I — 2

;.«!..

Our New Home.

of cattle and a few horses. The bh'ds here

in IS a

bout

as bi

are rather pecuHar. A rob
as a thrush ; blackbirds and canaries are flying

re also plenty of

een

bitte

all. I

en-

are

about in plenty. There are

mosquitoes ; but I have on

once, and that hardly itched

close a mosquito. Mr. and Mrs. B

very nice people indeed. The fl^mily consists

of two sons and three daughters. We could

not get our big trunk — which the porters at

Euston christened the Woolwich Infant —

into the house for some time. At last one

of the doors was taken down, and then we

managed it.

We began work on Monday at six. This
work was loading manure from the barn-yard
into waggons, which were then drawn out to
the fields, a waggon being always waiting to
be filled. This was continued till eight,
when we went in to breakfast ; breakfast con-
sisted of fresh meat, tea, bread-and-butter,
and fruit. After breakfast we went to the

'A'

The First Week's JVork.

potato-pits to cut up potatoes for seed — the
potatoes had to be cut into pieces containing
one or two ' eyes ; ' the juice stains the hands
very much, and we found it ahnost impossible
to wash it off during the day, soap only
making it worse. This work was kept on
till twelve, when we returned to the house for
dinner, consisting of roast mutton, potatoes,
beans, and pudding. After dinner we planted
potatoes till six ; we had to plant each seed-
potato by itself along a furrow ; and being
kept in a stooping posture the whole time
our backs soon began to ache. At six we
had a tea of bread-and-butter, stewed fruit,
and tea ; after tea we went into the garden
and worked at getting the tennis-lawn into
order. When it became dark we went
into the house and played whist till ten
o'clock, when we had a supper of bread-
and-butter and milk, and then went to bed.
The next morning, after the usual ' Tumble
up, boys,' at our door, we started on the

The First JVeek's Work.

same work, and, indeed, kept it up just the
same every day till Friday, all the potatoes
being then sown.

On Friday morning we followed a plough
on some quite new ground, our portion of
the work being to make the sods stop in the
places into v/hich the plough turned them ;
this had to be done with our hands, and as
the sods were frequently of considerable length
and size and very stiff, it was no easy job, and
very exasperating when, after a frantic struggle
to push a sod three or four feet long out of
the furrow, you saw it slowly roll back into
its former position. We had also to help
the man at the plough to clear it of roots,
of which there were plenty ; altogether one
had to be pretty lively to keep up with the
plough. We left off at eight to go to break-
fast ; after breakfast we did odd jobs, such as
helping to harness the horses and to fix up
fences. After dinner we dug weeds in the
fields, till tea at six ; after tea we went along

y] Few Birds.

the stream and shot a few birds, and came in
at dark to play whist.

On Saturday we got up at six and fetched the
cows in, and then watched them being milked
till eight, when we had breakfast. After
breakfast we worked in the garden, digging
and spreading manure till twelve. After
dinner we wen. along the creek with our
guns and shot some chipmunks, a woodpecker
and bee-bird, getting back about half-past
four.

About ten that night there was an alarm
that the colts had got on to the railway track ;
we went out with one of the men to try and
find them, but could not do so. As we then
heard that there would be no more trains till
Monday morning, we did not trouble any
further. About half an hour later the boss
came home, and we helped to put away his
horses and ' rig.'

June. — Herbert and I went out shooting in

;' A

1 ! ■. ' !i

I I

^i!ll

.•!.>' til

**»MW1f1WWMWi»^W|0^

R »W >i«J>a !# ■< ;. ■ » ■*;■■ -

A Few Birds.

the bush the other day. He shot an eye-
holder, a bee-bird, and a chipmunk ; and I
shot two chipmunks. An eyeholder is a bird
with a large beak like a woodpecker, a
red mark on its head and a black one on its
breast. Its wings underneath are a bright
orange. It is a splendid-looking bird. When
it is properly cured we will send the skin to
vou. The eve-bird is small, with a black back,
white breast, and a crest of orange-red.
Chipmunks are little brown squirrels, with
dark stripes on their backs. Yesterday we
were sent out to chop down weeds some
distance off. We bird-nested at the same
time ; but we only found some young swal-
lows in the hole of a tree. There is a large
kingfisher here which we have tried to shoot,
but we have not succeeded yet, as it never settles.
We manage now to make our cartridges fairly
well. The tennis-court has now been marked

out, and we are going to challenge the B

Club near here as soon as we have had some

A Few Birds.

practice. The mosquitoes have become per-
fectly awful. They make for my hands when
I am asleep. They do not touch my face, but
sometimes they bite my neck. I have about
thirty bites on each hand, and as many on
each of my feet. Socks are no protection at
all; they manage to get through even the
thickest. We get up about six o'clock, and
bathe in the mill-pond, which is about twelve
feet deep in the middle. On Sundays we
have not much to do, and come down about
eight. Altogether it is a very jolly life,
though the work is nard. We have, how-
ever, plenty to eat, and as much time to our-
selves as we want. There are plenty of
places round about with any quantity of fish ;
but I have not tried yet, as the fish in the
stream are only very small.

CHAPTER II.

Lire at the Farm ; Work and Plav. — Haying. — Before

the Harvest.

June. — We had a tremendous thunderstorm
here a few days ago. Tlie rain came down in
great sheets, and in a few minutes the road
was turned into a stream six or eight inches
deep. We managed to get into shelter just
before it came on. On Friday afternoon we
went to a garden-party nine miles off. There
were six of us in a 'democrat,' a four-wheeled
vehicle with two seats, one behind the other.
The roads were very bad, and one or two
hills were so steep that we had to walk up,
and going down had to hold on to keep the
' rig ' from overrunning the horses. It took

Life at the Farm.

1 1

three hours to do nine miles. We got home
again about half-past nine. A lawn-tennis
match was to have been played against a neigh-
bouring club, but the rain prevented it. The
strawberries have been on for some time now.

The other day Mr. B took a hundred

quarts to market. I am now learning to milk.
At first I took half an hour to half-milk a
single cow. Every morning Dick goes to
bring the cows in, while I have to water and
groom the driving-horse, and sometimes one
or two colts, if they have been used, and to
clean out their stalls before breakfast.

This morning when I took Tiny to the
creek and was riding bareback with a rope
round his neck, he took it into his head to
get excited and canter along the road ; and
as I was not able to stop him (not having a
bridle), I simply let him go and held on tight.
After breakfast this morning we had to go
and head some steers, and got back about
half-past one.

\ i

I ii

I 2

Life at the Farm.

1 can harness a pair of horses, and put
thcni in a rig now ahnost without a mistake.
The canaries here fly about in flocks just as
sparrows with you, and there are some
splendid butterflies and humming-birds.

lliree days ago we began taking in the
hay here ; the work is not at all unpleasant,
bur rather hard. We had breakfast at six
a.m., diiuier at twelve, tea in the held or
lawn, supper at nine. Yesterday we went
on working till nine, so as to be able to have
a picnic to-morrow up the mountain. I was
awfully glad to get to bed, but was all right
this morning. I was dow^n at ten, just in
time for breakfast, as I did not have to fetch
the cows in at six as usual. Of course every-
where people have to work late with the hay
when there is fear of rain, and there is a
certain amount of fun in hurryino; it in, as
those in the field try to put on the loads so
as to race those who are unloading at the
barn. This is really very exciting. I have

Life at the Farm.

been at the barn stowing the hay away as it
is brought. The weather is delightful, not
too warm, with a cool breeze from the lake,
though a few days ago it was awfully hot
(96° in the shade). The mosquitoes are
gradually disappearing, and that is a good
thing.

Sundays here are very jolly, as there is no
work to do except occasionally to herd cattle ;
and that cannot be called work, as we sit in a
shady place and read, and have a dog to look
after the beasts.

July. — As you may like to have a more
accurate account of our work, here is an
extract from my diary :

Saturday.

Up at six a.m. Watered and groomed
Tiny, and cleaned out his stable ; milked
two cows, and fed the calves. They eat
like little pigs. At eight, breakfast. After
breakfast harnessed Tiny to the buggy ;

'' - n

:'i|

It;

Life at the Farm.

fetched the sheep down for one to be killed,
and then took them back. After dinner
herded cattle up beyond the old farm. There
were heaps of wild strawberries and rasp-
berries. Brought the cattle back at five, had
a bathe, and milked two cows.

Monday.

Up at six a.m., and bathed the foreleg of
the mare with hot water ; also had to milk
her, as the colt was not allowed to go near
her. Then did some hoeing in the garden,
and had a bat^e. After breakfast and dinner
did a lot of various little jobs.

Tuesday.
Up at six a.m., and milked the mare again.
Shifted some pea-straw out of the barn. After
breakfast unloaded a waggon of hay, and got
very hot, as we were in a hurry expecting
another load, which, by the way, never came.
In the afternoon we played a lawn-tennis
match with the B Club. Herbert and I

Life at the Farm.

won both our doubles and singles. I played
the captain, who said he had not been beaten
for three years.

When I was running the horse-rakc the
other day, I had a slight shine or two with
Lucy, who was in the rake. Once she reared
up and nearly broke the shaft, which brought
the ' boss ' round to see what was up in pretty
quick time.

, ^<<

Yesterday I got up at six as usual, and
after a piece of bread-and-butter was set
to work at some weeding in the garden
(I usually go and fetch the cows). It
had been raining all the day before, and
during the night too. The clothes I wore
were : large strav/ hat, flannel shirt, pair of
blue serge trousers, socks, and top-boots.
At eight o'clock I came in to breakfast,
which consisted of ham, tea, bread-and-
butter. After breakfast I went out and picked
raspberries (growing on canes or bushes about

1 6 Life at the Farm.

two feet six inches high). This I did till
twelve ; nw back was then beginning to ache.
We then had dinner, which lasted about half
an hour. I picked more raspberries till two
p.m. Afterwards I helped Herbert put a team
of colts into the carriage, and we went off to

play a tennis-match at C . The day I

have just described was one which we should
term decidedly easy, as we generally have not
to pick fruit except when there is a large
supply wanted. Another reas(Mi was that it
had been raining off and on for the last week,
and thus delayed the haying, which had just
begun. We found that hard work, and no
mistake. Three days ago v/e had a picnic
to the shores of the Georgian Bay. We
bathed and ate wild strawberries, and en-
joyed ourselves very much. The roads here
are awfully rough : now and then they are
varied by patches of corduroy roads, which
consist of trunks of trees. This makes
a good deal of bumping.

Haying.

July. — I have only time for a few words.
We have been getting in hay very fast. On
Wednesday there was a sudden and very
severe rainstorm. I only brought in a load
of hay about three minutes before it was
raining bucketfuls ; and then the wind got
up suddenly, and one of the men had to
rush and shut the barn-doors to prevent the
roof being blown off. On Friday and Satur-
day we were working at hay till half-past
eight. l\)-morrow, Monday, we begin the

wheat harvest. I expect we shall have
a fairly busy time of it. We had an

upset driving a team of colts into C

on Wednesday. One of them shied
at a log in the road, and we were all
quietly deposited in the ditch. Nobody was
hurt.

ilwnBr!!

August. — We have just finished taking the
hay in here, and for the next month or two we
shall be employed getting in the harvest ; that

lih

1 8 Before the Harvest.

means breakflist at six, and work till ^ight or
nine in the evening.

We began cutting the wheat yesterday with
a new machine that cuts the wheat and binds
it into sheaves. All the hay-season I have
worked in the barns, taking the hay from the
waggons and putting it away, which is hot and
dusty work, though I have got used to it by
now.

I feed the calves every morning and even-
ing with pails of milk, and most exasperating
they are. As there are four calves and two
pails, three of them get to one pail and one
to the other ; the consequence is that the three
get their heads jammed in and then jump
about.

We have several colts here. I am learn-
ing to ride them bareback, sometimes with-
out a bridle and with only a rope round
their necks. I can manage to stick on now,
though not very comfortably. I have only
been chucked off once. Three nights ago

Before the Harvest,

we had a tremendous thunderstorm. I was
wakened about twenty minutes to three by
the bedclothes being Hfted ofF me by the
wind (we sleep with both door and window
open). There was only just time to get up
and shut the wmdow, when the rain came
down in torrents. The lightning was wonder-
fully bright and incessant. Once I could
read my watch for nearly five minutes con-
secutively.

I? !/■'

III

111

2 — 2

CHAPTER III.

Harvesting. -An Awkward Customer.- -A Hot Corner.
—How to Drive in tne Dark.- -Finishing the Gram
Harvest.

Jugust. —To-d:iy being Sunday, we had break-
fast at a quarter-past ten, though I have been
up since seven, as I had to look after the
driving horses, and wanted to have time for a
bathe as well. Dick has been out most of
the morning, and is now herding cattle. He
has to drive them to the pastures and then
watch them to prevent their getting to the
crops. We have been very busy all this
week cutting the wheat and barley and then

stacking it up. Yesterday Dick and W

played a tennis match against O , beating

them very easily indeed. We do not expect

Harvesting.

III

to have any spare time for the next month, as
we shall be bringing in the different crops.
There has just been a spell of cool weather ;
but it is hot again now — about 96°. By this
time I can manage to stick on to a horse bare-
back pretty tight. This morning we took
three horses to the creek to water, and raced
back. We had only bridles on, so it was
rather exciting.

We are both well, and so sunburnt that I
don't think you would know us if you met
us in our working dress — a large straw hat, a
gray shirt, an old pair of trousers, and some-
times boots up to the knees, the sleeves of
the shirts generally rolled up to the elbows,
our arms, hands, and faces being just about

the colour of the chess-box which Aunt K

gave us. Tell B that he would be sur-
prised to see the way they garden here ; the
celery trench is a slight furrow, made with
the corner of a hoe, i^ inches deep ; and the
tomatoes are planted out in patches like cab-

. m

I I

I'A

Harvesting.

bilges. I don't think the fruit here is much
better than at home— the gooseberries are not
nearly so good ; they have, however, a very
good kind of red currant, called the ' cherry
currant ' ; the berries are about as big round
as a fourpenny-bit, perhctps a little larger.
M wants to know how we get on with-
out ices. I expect we eat a good many more

than you do. We never go into C

without having nearly a dozen each. Every-
one you meet treats you to an ice or lemonade.

Dick sends S a letter on birch-bark.

It is just the same as they make the canoes
from, the rough outside skin being peeled off
with a knife.

August. — All last week we have been get-
ting in the wheat. We have worked from 6.30
till 12 and from 1 till 8 or 9 — good long hours,
and heaps to do the whole time. Yesterday
I went to the boss's other farm, about six miles
off, to give a hand there. Over twenty acres

''I

i 'I

Harvesting.

of wheat passed through my hands, or rather
through my pitchfork. I pitched ten loads
of sheaves on to the waggons, and then pitched
four loads off — all between 12.30 and 7.30 —
and then I was less tired than on any other
evening this week. We shall have got the
whole of the wheat and barley in by Tuesday
night. You ask about tobacco and cigars
here. They are simply ghastly. As for the
fauna and flora, they are nothing very great.
There are squirrels, musk-rats, mice, chip-
munks (a sort of half-squirrel), ground-hogs
(a sort of prairie-dog, I suppose, about three
feet long), minx, polecat, and, very seldom, a
skunk; garter-snakes; and one or two rattle-
snakes are seen every year. A few humming-
birds, lots of canaries, sparrows, and robins (a
kind of red-breasted thrush), blackbirds (a
kind of small crow), crows, and lots of small
birds of the lark and stone-chat kind. The
flowers are rather poor, the wild iris being the
best.

IMI! j

1.: ; Hi!

lie 'l! i

fi. (J

\\ ii

i'.ih

Harvesting.

August.— "^^^ have been harvesting in real
earnest- -following a reaping-machine and
stacking up the sheaves into groups of
ten (each consists of two leaning against
each other). This I did the other day
from 6.45 a.m. till 7 p.m. — ten acres,
about. I could not work fast as there was
a high wind on. At other times we have
been unloading waggon-loads of sheaves in a
barn. This is done with hay-forks ; the
sheaves have to be tossed sometimes ten feet
above your head, to somebody who catches
them with a fork, and then throws them to
another fellow who shoves them away. I
have done most of the unloading here, and
find it requires good muscles as well as a
certain knack. Yesterday I pitched off loads
of sheaves from 6.30 a.m. till 9 p.m., allow-
ing intervals for meals ; ^he only parts of me
at all stiff were my fingers. This shows that
I am getting pretty well hardened to the
work. I think the harvesting very jolly, and

Harvesting.

I am seldom really tired now after a day of it.
This morning, Sunday, I went down with P.

B to herd cattle about half-past eight.

We came back at ten minutes to eleven. I
was rather hungry, as I had not had anything
to eat since yesterday's tea at 4.30. We have
very fine cucumbers here, and plenty of them.
I ate one about thirteen inches long for break-
fast this morning. The weather now is hot
enough to roast a potato.

August. — We have at last got all the wheat
in, and on Friday we had our first threshing,
from six a.m. till six p.m., with one hour's
stop for dinner at twelve. Dick was in the
wheat-mow handing (or rather forking) out
sheaves, and I had charge Oi two colts in the
straw-mow, and had to drive them round to
tramp down the straw. They had tremen-
dously hard work, and were so tired that they
did not resist at all when we rolled them out
of a hole at the top of the barn on to a heap
of straw. I thought they would never get

i!ili

in yhvk'ivard Customer.

down safe, but they did somehow. We got
the straw packed in so tight that the sides of
the barn buli2:cd out considerably. About
500 bushels of wheat were threshed out of
fifty acres—not very grand, was it? The
boss has been keeping a thorough-bred polled
Angus cow for his brothers. It is a great
job milking it, as it kicks like one o'clock.
It has to have its hind legs roped together,
and then it jumps around pretty lively. As
it weighs over 1,500 pounds, you may imagine
what a business it is. It has a calf, and
charges rouiid in very lively style on every
opportunity. It will run half a mile to get
at a dog. I'he other day it nearly knocked
a colt through the stable wall. Horned cattle
are the only thino;s which it is afraid of, never
having had anything to do with them before.
I have told you that the housewives have come
in very useful. So would the looking-glass
also on the railway journey, if I had but had
a pocket-comb with me. As it was, I could

An Awkward Customer.

only see the state I was in without being able
to remedy it. About half of the harvesting
is don'e now. Oats and barley are being
brought in. Three days ago, when it was
raining, we put all the wheat thai had been
threshed through a fanning-mill to separate
it from the chaff, grass-seeds, etc. I had to
supply the mill, and it kept me going pretty
sharp. The quantity of house-flies is positively
awful. They are most irritating and injurious
to the temper. The heat is fearful. I write
this letter in my shirt-sleeves, gasping for
breath at every word, and the perspiration
pouring down my face into my eyes, and
maddening me almost as much as the flies do.
The pigs of the establishment have been put
in my charge. At present there are ten, but
1 expect many more. IVo are being prepared
for exhibition, and eight for fattening.

■i

September. — We are still hard at work
harvesting, and shall continue to be till the

./ Hot Corner.

end of this mon
Friday vvc were th
The dust was so

th. On Thursday and
reshing barley and wheat,
mething awful. Not get-
ting the wheat done in one day, we started
again the next, and in the afternoon did
a full hour's work in thirty-five minutes.
The machine-men were rushing it. My
place was at the end of the straw-carrier.
Dick was next. I passed it to him at the
rate of thirty forkfulls a minute, and he kept
pace, but the man next him could not, and a
great pile rose up next Dick, compelling
him to fork higher, and so I had to pass the
straw higher too. We built a stack twelve
yards long by six yards broad and about
twelve feet high in the thirty-five minutes,
the whole passing through first my hands and

then Dick's, On Monday P. B and

I drove twenty miles to a place where we
had business. We walked the horses the
whole way there, as we had a cow tied on
behind. We started at eleven a.m.., and

How to Drive in the Dark.

got there at half-past eight, with an hour's
stop halfway. After something to eat, we
started back again at ten p.m., this time with-
out the cow. But after we had gone a couple
of miles we had to stop, as it was so dark
that we could not see over the horses' ears.
I made my way to a neighbouring farmhouse,
which we could see by its light, and fell into
a ditch and ran into two fences before I got
there. I bought a lantern for fifty cents and
returned. I found we had driven right across
the road, and that the horses were standing in
a large ditch about three feet deep. So, you
see, we only stopped just in time. The only
way we had of driving before we got the light
was to go as straight as we could till we felt
the side wheels of the buggy going down into
the ditch, and then to pull the horses a little
the other way till we felt the other ditch.
We hung the lantern on the dash-board of
the carriage, and started agjain. By its light
we could see about two yards ahead of the

i 1^1

MMMI

30 Finishing the drain Harvest.

horses. We got home about eight next
morning, both very sleepy. All yesterday I
was following a selt-bituling reaper setting up
the sheaves. As the thistles were plentiful my
hand became rather like a pincushion full of
pins. On Wednesday 1 bought some common
cotton shirts to w^ork in when barley had to
be couched, as the beards stick into the flannel
ones and make them feel like hair-shirts. The
tiannel our shirts w^ere made of was too good,
and the perspiration made them shrink awfully
at iirst ; they ought to have been of much
coarser flannel.

September. — It would be very nice if you
could send me a drawing of Neighbour's new
hive. From what you say it seems to be handy,
and would indeed suit this climate very well.
It is extraordinary how few people keep bees
here, though they would have splendid honey-
getting facilities, as there are two crops of
clover and heaps of wild raspberries, and

Finishing the Grain Harvest,

hushes of that kind. You will be glad to
hear that vve have nearly finished getting in
the harvest. Indeed, after this week I do
not think there will be any more working
after six in the evening. We shall have, I
think, about three days, and that will about
end up everything except the root-crops, and
they only take about a week to get in. Nov/,
as to wearing something when bar lev-thresh-
ing, I find that it is not anything like so bad
as represented. The last time \ve threshed
barley I had two hours in what is supposed
to be the worst place, and I found no incon-
venience at all. (I took the place while the
man who had it went to get a drink, and
then found it was not worth while to go back
to my old station.) But, anyhow, I shall get
some goggles. They are better than veils,
which it would be impossible to wear — one
gets quite hot enough without them. Ther^
is no danger of our over-working ourselves,
as we generally manage to get into a place

iLiii'

32 Finishing the Grain Harvest.

where nobody can run us. I have been only
tired out once since I came here ; 1 had to do
some very heavy pitching. I pitched eight
loads of wheat-sheaves over a beam seven
feet high and sixteen feet behind me, and
further had to keep pace with the man who
pitched them off the waggon. I managed to

: „ the man who took the straw from me.

I did not feel the least tired about an hour
afterwards, when I had had a bathe. Yester-
day afternoon 1 was running a mowing-
machine, rigged up so as to cut peas. I rather
liked it, after stacking sheaves of barley and

oats.

Perhaps you would like to know something
of our ree;ular expenses here : Three dollars a
month for washing, some postage, a mission-
ary subscription, and one or two other small
things, so you see we do not need much.
What we spend the money on is chiefly those
things we were not able to bring out or did
not know of 1 think it would be worth

Finishing the Grain Harvest. 33

while almost to send you the flannel shirts we
have not used, or get rid of them, as it is ruin
to them to use them and have them washed
here. We could get some more suitable ones
in their place. The Parcel Post is thirty-
five cents a pound for anything under five
pounds.

ill

i;l

!' ri

CHAPTER IV.

A Slight Relaxation. — The Indian Summer. — Getting
in the Root Crops. — What ought to be Learnt before
Coming to Canada.

September. — This week we began drawing in
peas, of which there are fifty acres. I had to
level it, straw and all, and tramp it down. This
was very warm and dusty work. Sometimes I
sank down into it three or four feet deep ; I
rather liked it, as there was some satisfaction
in seeing a heap about eight feet high trampled
down quite level, for it is very soft. The
waggons were unloaded in four forkfuls, the
fork being worked by horse-power, and fastened
on pulleys. On Tuesday morning I herded
cattle. It was awfully hot, so I drove them

A Slight Relaxation.

down close to the bush, and, getting into
the shade, went to sleep. The cattle did the
same, so I had an easy time of it. In the
afternoon I helped lO stow away sheaves of
barley in the ban. In the evening we all

drove to a ball i.i C and had a jolly

time. We came back the same night, ar-
riving at half-past two. Next morning we
got up at seven, worked till breakfast at
eight, and then went to tramp peas and stow
oats. Before breakfast on Saturday I was
half-way home Ncm the stream, where I had
been watering a colt, when a train came run-
ning along the line, which is about ten yards
from the road ; the colt shied, and threw me
off on to my head. I got a goodish cut on
it, but nothing more happened, except that I
was stunned for about a minute. After dinner
I fished in the stream. At first I used grass-
hoppers for bait, with shot or float ; I got a few
small ones this way. The biggest I got by
using only a piece of pink string. On Friday

3—2

'11

?,(>

A Slight Relaxation.

night we went to another ball at C ,

which was rather a big affair. There were
about forty people there. The woods about
here are now beginning to change. The
Virginian creeper has turned a deep red, and
looks splendid as it hangs down from the
trees.

October. — There was an exhibition in C

a week ago. A number of prizes were offered
for exhibits of honey and wax. Only one man
exhibited, and his exhibit seemed to us a very
poor affair. The i-lb. sections could not have
weighed more than lo oz. each. The ex-
hibition was very good for a town the size of

C . There was a splendid show of fruit,

especially apples, some of which weighed a

pound apiece. Mrs. B showed fruit,

vegetables, flowers, and poultry, getting in all
seventeen prizes— ten or eleven firsts. Nothing
from the farm was shown, though they had in-
tended to show two pigs ; but it would have

A Slight Relaxation. 37

taken too much trouble. We have been
having some wet and cold weather lately,
and there was a heavy fall of snow on Friday;
but we hope to get three weeks of fine weather
— the Indian summer — before the cold sets
in. There were three inches of snow on the
ground at mid-day ; it was considered un-
usually early, as they seldom have a fall till
the middle of this month, and not often then.
The wild duck and geese are beginning to
come, though we have had no shooting to
speak of yet ; we hope to get some soon.
Dick and I preserve skins of anything which
we shoot. The woods are looking splendid
now. Imagine Virginian creepers hanging
down from trees some three or four hundred
feet high. On Wednesday we had a football

match at C . I played for them, and

we won by three goals to one. I don't
think that I ever looked forward to Sundays
so much as I do now. The only work which
we have to do is to feed the pigs. After

;*il

The Indian Summer.

breakfast to-day I strolled down to the creek
and caught a few fish. Then came lunch.
After lunch a pleasing repose. The rest of
the family all went to Sunday-school, except-
ing the ' boss;' so he and I cooked ;he dinner.
Towards the end of this month Dick and I
hope to go camping on the islands in the lake
and get a little shooting. There is not much
game to be got round about here.

October. — The last three or four days have
been splendid ; the Indian summer has regu-
larly set in. We have been busy carting in peas
and oats ; it is rather late to do so, but the
rainy weather we have had threw us back very
much. We work now till 6.30; by that time
it is nearly dark. There will be a tremendous
rush for the next fortnight, getting in the root
crops and finishing the harvest. After this
there cannot be much more to do, except pre-
paring for the winter. This morning, after
feeding the pigs, horses, etc., I went with

The Indian Summer.

P in the ' buggy ' to look for the sheep

which had strayed away in the road. We
started at 8.15 and got back at 11, driving
about fourteen miles over roads filled with
mudholes, often quite a foot deep, and in
places covered with boulders. Last night I

went with P , driving round the country.

He was buying up cockerels to fatten for the
winter ; he gave 20 or 25 cents (about lod.
or IS.) a pair for them. Turkeys can be
bought from 60 to 75 or 80 cents ; geese for
45 cents. Still poultry are said to pay pretty
well here.

The wild geese and duck are coming down
from the North in large numbers now ; the
flocks of geese sometimes numbering as many
as a hundred. We are trying to rush the
harvest, and shall get it done in three days
if the weather holds fine. There are huge
quantities of fruit going now ; the grapes are
ripe ; and there is such a quantity of apples
that they are lying by hundreds on the ground.

'il

The Indian Summer.

where they rot for want of eating. We do
all we can to save waste ; but we can't man-
age more than twenty apples each in one day
besides the grapes. Out here it seems the
more fruit you eat the better your health is;

at least, we find it so. Dances at C

are coming on now. I have been learning
the Canadian dances, and am getting quite
clever at them.

Octo ber. — Snow has been lying on the ground
for the last three days. Last night we had quite
a hard frost, and to-day there have been snow,
hail, and rain off and on. On Thursday

Dick went to S (a town nine miles

off) helping a man to drive some cattle which
he bought from the boss ; he walked back,
as he did not care to wait five hours for the
next train. When he got in, the whole front
of his waterproof was a sheet of ice, from the
sleet and hail ; however, he did not get a bit
wet, as he had boots up to his knees, and a

Getting in the Root Crops.

waterproof down to his ankles. We have
just finished getting in the apples and grapes;
we were only just in time to save them from
the frost. On Tuesday I went to a party in

C ; we got there about 8.30, which

was in good time, considering that we only
stopped work at half-past six, and had to
dress, have tea, and drive five miles. Dick
could not go, as he had a cold. All tennis is
over now; we shall get no more warm
weather. We have taken to chess instead.

How does K 's cow do ? Do you know

that the usual cost of a first-class cow here,
except, of course, 'thoroughbreds,' is $20.^ A
good horse costs from $100 to $200, which
is very little compared with what is given in
England. Of course they are not quite such
good ones. I milk the five cows every morn-
ing and evening now ; one of them kicks
furiously. Yesterday afternoon we had a
great time putting up the stoves. They have
no regular fireplaces here, but a stove in one

^
I

(letting in the Root Crops.

of the lower rooms; a pipe runs up through
the ceihng into ti bedroom, luid then into the
chimney, and thus warms both rooms splen-
didly. There is only one coal -stove in the
house, and that is in the ha!i ; it is a ' self-
feeder ;' the hopper only has to be filled
morning and night, and then it feeds the fire
by itself Everyone her; seems to feel the
cold tremendously, though it only seems just
a little cool to Dick and myself. They say
that Englishmen never do \ii<d\ it half so much
the first few winters.

We are still working at the root crops —
grubbing up potatoes with our hands after the
plough has been over the lines. We also have
to grub up mangolds and slice the tops ofF.
This work, VN^hich we have kept up for two
or three days running, is somewhat hard on
the back and hands. To-day we went to the

S Farm, four miles off, and cleaned barley

in a fanning mill. When we drove home
again, the teamster went as hard as he could

. •>-*

What Ought to be Learnt before Coming. 43

over the * corduroy ' bridges and the stones.
The jolting was something appalling, and we
had to hang on with our eyelids, thanking our
stars that it was not after tea. I have gained
5^ lb. in three weeks. During the harvest-
time I weighed 153 lb., now I weigh 158^ lb.
— ^just what I did when I left the old country.
We are told that during the winter we shall
get very fat.

October. — You ask what knowledge will be
of use to you if you join us out here. There are
plenty of things which you might learn with
advantage — carpentering and blacksmithing,
for instance ; but a little veterinary knowledge
would be worth all the rest put together. It
is of the very greatest importance out here, as
everybody has something to do with cattle,
and hardly any have any veterinary knowledge.
I only wish we had been able to learn some-
thing of it before we came out. As it is, we
shall have to read it up now as much as we

:j:i!

JMMWiiiWiWtiliiMi

44 J^yiicit Ought to be Learnt before Coming.

can. Thatching and gardening arc also good
things to know something about. Dick's
fall was not the first, and will not be the last.
I have been thrown off about fifteen or twentv
times already — indeed, I am getting quite used
to it now. We shall have a lot of driving
and riding this winter, as there will be several
horses to be exercised. The life out here is
pretty much what we expected, perhaps rather
more civilized. The country has a most
ejuaint appearance after England. For in-
stance, in pretty nearly every field are large
piles of wood, stones, etc., and now and then
the tall charred trunk of a tree quite bare of
limbs, and burnt into the most extraordinary
shapes. Another curious feature in the
country is the roads, if we may so call them.
You drive over them in a waggon without
springs, sitting on a board or anything that
comes handy. This, as you may imagine, is
the very extreme of all that is annoying and
painful. Bringing in the root-crops is perhaps

ly/iiit Ought to be Learnt before Coming. 45

the most unpleasant work : harvesting, though
hard enough, is rather jolly. We shall have
some ploughing soon. There is a nice piece
of rough ground reserved specially for us, and
it looks very inviting, as it has only lately
been cleared. We don't get much shooting,
as on a big farm like this there is generally
something to do. This time I'm afraid we
shall not be able to get any camping-out, since
the weather has made us late with the root
crops. They will not be done till the end
of this month. The mangolds and potatoes
are done, but there still remain about 12,000
bushels of turnips to be brought in. This
morning we all drove down to church, Dick
and I in the buggy. The others started ahead
of us, and when we tried to pass kept gallop-
ing across the road in front of us. Tiny got
so excited that I could not hold him, and he
ran away. We passed them then sure enough,
but there was a corner just in front, which
we went round at full speed. I made sure we

46 What Ought to be Learnt before Coming,

should have been upset, as the outside wheels
of the buggy were quite two feet from the
ground, and there is a steep hill the other side
of the corner. However, I managed to stop
him. But when we got to the bridge we had
more trouble. Some people who had been
celebrating Hallowe'en had put a big red
waggon on the railing on one side and a large
sleigh on the other. Of course Tiny v/ould
not pass these at first, and when he did he
had his front legs in the air most of the time.
We got down just in time for church.

CHAPTER V.

Winter Occupations and Amusements. — Christmas.-—
Sleighing.— A Little Real Cold.— Cow-Driving.—
The Sport here.— Plans for going North-West.—
A few more Hints to Would-be Immigrants.

November. — The winter is really commencing
now. A day or two ago we had quite a hard
frost ; the water-jugs in two of the rooms were
frozen, and the cold kept on during the whole
of the next day. Last Saturday week a sudden
snowstorm came on while we were pulling
turnips. It was so thick that you could not
see a team of horses forty yards away. As it
was impossible to leave the turnips which we
had been pulling to be frozen while lying on
the ground, we had to goon at it. All hands

I j i

48 Winter Occupations and Amusements.

were started to load them on to the carts and
waggons. This was somewhat cold for the
fingers. Fortunately the storm only lasted
half an hour. Still, it \dx. an inch and a half
of snow on the ground. By the way, if not
too late, the woollen gloves should be like
babies' gloves — a big bag for the fingers and
a small one for the thumb ; those with fingers
are next door to useless.

I got your letter on Tuesday at dinner ;
but had not time to read it as I had to go to
a threshing. We were having a great time
threshing just then ; it lasted all Monday,
Tuesday, and Wednesday. We began at
seven on Monday, and threshed out one barn
on that day. As it is best not to wash the
face in the middle of a threshing, we did not
wash for dinner, and so looked as black as
niggers. The only clean place on the face
was just round the mouth, where we had to
make a road for the provisions. Washing the
face makes the dust stick worse.

Winter Occupations and Amusements. 49

On Wednesday we finished the second barn
and started on another ; I was outside on the
stack while it was raining, snowing, hailing,
and blowing. At twelve I drove a man home
who had hurt himself a bit. As I went
straight from the threshing, and was wet
through when I came back, I had a thick coat
of mud all over. In the afternoon Dick
was on the stack while I went on horseback
to return a lot of sacks which had been lent
to the ' boss.' When I got back the threshing
was over. As they had threshed a few peas
the dust was very bad. Dick, when he
came in, had a quarter of an inch of solid
mud all over his face, and I had to scrape
part of it off with his knife before he washed.
The mud consisted of chaff, barley-beards, and
dust. He began with goggles on, but they
got caked over at once. It freezes every
night now, and sometimes in the day. The
other day it started to freeze about 10 a.m.,
after quite a mild night. Dick and I have

U ll

^■\

50 Winter Occupations and Amusements.

bought some felt overshoes, which go over
light shoes such as we brought out, and are
much warmer than boots ; they are also snow-
proof. The soles and sides are of india-rubber.
They will last at least two winters. Every-
one here wears them, and you can go out to
work with only a pair of slippers and these
overshoes on in the coldest weather. We
don't have such early hours now as in the
sunmier ; we seldom get up before 6.30 or 7.
Our winter has not begun in earnest yet ;
it is most unusually late. The last thing that
we have done is moving the large straw-stacks,
formed during the threshing, into barns. This
finished yesterday, thank goodness ! and thus
ends the regular work. Cattle-feeding has
just begun ; that is, we get up at 6.30 and
give the cattle some food to last till we have
had our breakfast. Then they get turnips
sliced up by a machine, which we have to
turn — and pretty stiff work it is. Afterwards
they are watered, the whole stable is cleaned

BOB

JVinter Occupations and Amusements. 51

out, and the beasts are bedded down with
clean straw. This takes about an hour and a
half, and has to be done every morning and
evening, Sundays included. Dick feeds the
pigs (fifteen of them), and I look after the
horses, so we do not come in for the cattle
work much. You v,'ill be pleased to hear
that Dick weighs 1 1 stone 9, and is in-
creasing. He was 10 stone 10 a month
ago. I am also in good condition, but
I should not like to say how much my
weight is.

Decern be?'. — Dick and I have been staying

with B in Toronto for a few days. When

we left B there was a foot and a half of

snow on the ground, and we were quite prepared
to spend the night in the train. The first train
took one hour to do the three miles between

B and C . It had two engines

and only two cars. However, we were only
an hour late, taking six and a half hours to do

4—2

1 1

Christmas.

ninety miles. We had had a snowstorm during
the whole of the two days before we left, and
it was just clearing a little when we did leave.
On the day before we left we had a shooting-
match, which was almost extinguished by the
snow. We had to stand inside a building and
shoot at a mark outside. There were only
four'^turkeys competed for, and I got two and
Dick one ; we paid ten cents apiece for shots,
and we each had three shots. We sold the

turkeys to Mrs. B for fifty cents apiece.

I'he long boots which we brought out here
are splendid. I spent two days walking about
in snow, sometimes three or four feet deep,
and my feet never got damp. By loosening
the laces, too, we can make them quite warm.
The corduroy trousers are also very warm.
I expect when you receive this letter you will
be making preparations for the Christmas
dinner, such as stirring the plum-pudding, etc.

We were back at B in time to help in

the big stir. I was cutting up beef five or

Christmas.

six days ago, and I cut a round weighing over
thirty pounds to be spiced for Christmas. Do
you know I am getting quite an expert butcher
now ; I can cut up a beef quicker than you

could believe. When we returned to B

we found that our work had become much
easier. Sawing and splitting wood, feeding
horses and cattle, and sleigh-driving were our
chief occupations. As yet we have had no
snow-shoeing or skating. But the sleighing
is simply splendid : you go along so smoothly,
with a light, swinging motion, and as it is cold,
you are able to let the horses go at full speed
without their getting hot. You asked in your
last letter about white foxes. Once or twice
they have come down as far as here, but very
seldom. There are minx, however, and plenty
of partridges and rabbits. Everything now is
in a state of great preparation for Christmas.
Three great rounds of beef are being spiced in
the cellar. In the evening we go and help
decorate the church. As there is no holly

11 i.

■■■■! < ,

Sleighing.

here, all the decorations are in swamp cedar,
a tree which looks something like an arbor
vita\ The sleighing is very good now, though
the snow is only four inches deep. Lately
we have been ^ n <; some teaming. Dick
has charg^e of one ; 'aii and I of another.
We have great fun sometmies when there are
a lot of boys round. They run and try to
get on to the back of the sleigh, and then we
either go so fast as to prevent them getting
on or swing them off going round the corners.
The sleighs are built like this

-™_^-

A/'-' /-

//-

■ji^^_

The top of the sleigh is constructed so as to
turn on the runners, so that when you go
sharply round a corner the back runners swing
right round and run out to one side for a few
moments. It is almost impossible then to

4 Little Real Cold.

hold on to it. Here is a sketch of the posi-
tion of a sleigh turning a corner.

December. — It was snowing hard all day here
on Christmas Eve. During the morning and
the best part of the afternoon the snow was very
soft and wetting. We got nearly wet through
— the only things that did not let in the wet
were the corduroys. However, about half-
past four it began to freeze ferociously, and
one's coat got as hard as a board and crackled
when one moved one's arms about. When I
brought my team into the stable they were
covered with snow and ice nearly an inch
thick, and 1 had to scrape it oif with a large

A I At tie Real Cold.

knife used for topping turnips. That night

the six o'clock train passed B at twelve,

having been snowed up at a place, thirty miles
south of us. We did not have an extra great
time on Christmas Day. We went in to service
at II and got out at 2.15 ; then we had a
small sort of lunch, and did nothing more till
5.30, when there was a great feed. We had
no work to do that day, as we had arranged
with the man who does most of the feeding
that we should give him a goose, and he
should do all the work ; he proposed it, and
we were very glad to accept his offer. Thank
you very much for the Graphic and Illustrated.
The pictures will very nearly finish covering
the walls of our room, which are half covered
already. W^e have got some really heavy snow
here now, and some pretty bad drifts. Last

evening, about 5.30, T and I started in

the cutter — a single horse sleigh to hold two

01 three — to fetch P from a place four miles

from here. We had nearly arrived there when

A Little Real Cold.

we got ofF the beaten track — it was snowing
so hard that I had to let the horse take his
own way, and trust to his keeping on the
track — and in less than half a minute we went
slap into a deep drift. The horse and cutter
stopped dead, and when we got out the snow
was just up to our arm-pits and I could only
see part of the horse's neck and his head. As
we had lightened the cutter by getting out,
the horse managed to pull it through the
drift, and we started again with our pockets
and clothes stuffed full of snow. When we came
back we managed to keep what little track
there was, but we had to walk the horse most
of the way. This morning six more inches of
snow had fallen when we woke ; fortunately
there was no wind, but if it does blow at all
the roads will be nearly impassable.

We are getting some pretty severe frosts now,

and F has already had occasion to have

his nose rubbed with snow. Wc are wear-
ing jerseys over our shirts and under our

'111

J Little Real Cold.

waistcoats, and when it gets really cold we
shall start vests and cardigans too. v '•" have
had one or two small blizzards. I wibh we
could let one loose, by way of effect, on our
friends at home — they would never want an-
other dose. They are truly awful things. The
snow freezes in great lumps on your eyebrows
and chin and nose — every now and then you
have to use your hands to open your eyes,
which get frozen up. It is quite impossible
to keep the snow from getting down your
neck. Dick is getting horribly fat and lazy.
Every evening, nearly, when he sits down in
the sitting-room, he goes to sleep and snores

loudly. The Misses B generally wake

him up by drijpping the cat on to his face, or
something of that kind.

Ja}iuary^ 1887. — You are right in thinking
it cold here; on Thursday the thermometer was
at 1 5° F. all day. I wore a cap in the morning
but in the afternoon a hood showing only my

•/ Little Ren/ Colli.

eyes and nose. My breath condensed into a
lump of ice half as big as my fist on the outside
of the hood. It was impossible to keep always
at work — about every ten minutes you had
to stop, and start jumping up and down antl
bang your arms round to get warm again.
Even the milk got frozen in carrying it from
the stables to the house, a distance ot about
1 50 yards. Ever since 'I'hursday night we
have had a terrific blizzard blowing. The
snow is now three feet on the level, and runs
up to ten or fifteen feet in the drifts.

Y'esterday, Dick, F , and I were in

the pleasure sleigh. We got into a drift, and
broke three out of four traces. In the after-
noon we started to go to C , and took an

hour and a half to go a little over a mile. Then
we got into a drift and stuck completely, the
snow b. 'ng over the horses' backs. They
were quite unable to move either themselves
or the sleigh, so we got out. It looked most
peculiar to see each one, as he got out, sink

I I

! I

"it

A Little Real Cold.

right down to his arm-pits, and his great loose
ulster spread out on the snow alongside. We
trampled the snow dow^n by the horses, then
hfted the sleigh right round and went back.
When we arrived at home our faces were caked
over with frozen snow, leaving only a space
tor eves a?id nose.

All to-day they have been running single
engines, with snow-ploughs, on the railway
track to keep it open. No one thought the
clergyman would be ;ible to get here this

morning from D , five miles off, but he

did so, arriving at about twelve. He had
taken over three hours, and had to walk in
frotu of his horse and sleigh m^ost of the way.
Of course there was no congregation, so he
went back.

January. — We are not having nearly such
cold weather now^ as before. Generally there
are only about 20 (^f frost during the day, and
yi at night. Wliereas we have been havinjr

A Little Real Cold,

6° or 8° below zero during the day, and 19° or
20° below at night.

I wiJl now proceed to gratify your heart by
telling you what I am wearing. On cold days
(8° below zero) I wear vest, pants, corduroys,
flannel shirt, jersey, waistcoat or cardigan, and
leather-trimmed jacket, high boots, one pair of
socks, a pair of wool mitts, a pair of buck-
skins, and a cap. This cap we only pull right
over our faces daring blizzards. On com-
paratively warm days I wear the same, minus
the cardigan or waistcoat.

The work now consists in getting up at
6.30 or 7, grooming our respective teams of
horses ; then breakfast at 7.30, the whole
crowd of us together, eleven in all. After
breakfast I feed the pigs ; then we harness our
teams and draw chafF, hay, turnips, or carrots
from the barn, or from pits in the fields, as the
case may be. It is rather fun driving to the
fields, for in front of the gateway and all
round it there is a large drift. When the

i'l' 1

'> HI

A Little Real Cold,

horses see this they make for it as hard as
they can, plunging and jumping in fine style
in the snow, which is often up to their backs.
Sometimes they get in so deep that we have
to drag their legs out, or the sleigh, or both
— standing up to our waists to do it. After
dinner we do the same till 5.20 ; then we
take the horses to water, feed pigs, colts, etc.,
knock the snow and ice off their feet, and
come in about 6.30 and have tea.

It is great fun to see the steam snow-
ploughs pass here on the railroad ; they come
past at full speed, and run full tilt into a drift
which is often as high as the smoke-stack.
After a short time, amid a tremendous cloud
of snow, you see the plough appearing on the
other side perfectly choked up with snow.
Ir has cut clean through the drift, leaving a
high wall on either side. Sometimes they
have to charge two or three times at a drift
before they can cut through it. The passenger-
trains are often several hours late.

' 1 1

Cow-Driving.

(>3

February. — A few days ago P and I

drove to Mr. L 's to see a friend, who has

got work there. Mr. L is supposed to have

the best stables north of Toronto. They are
certainly very nice, and it is very easy to feed
cattle and horses in them. Here it takes one
man the whole day to feed thirty head, while
there one man in an hour and a half can do
all that is necessary in the morning, and the
same at night. Our friend seemed to like his
quarters very much. He gets $5 a month
and his board, and in the summer he is to get
$!0. The other day I had a great time

driving a cow down here from North L .

I think that I mentioned in a letter about the

end of September that P and I took a

cow there. Well, I had to fetch it back. I
started at 7 a.m., and walked six miles to the

railway track. I caught the train at S ,

which brought me to North L

about

9.30. I then went and got the cow at once
and started to lead it back home, a dis-

fii

M^mm^^jBUi^agmm^ssX/Uii,

Cow-Driving.

tance of some twenty miles. As it had been
kept in the stable and fed very well since
September, it was exceedingly lively, and,
indeed, during the first five hundred yards,
rolled me over three times in the snow.
After that, however, it cooled down, and
walked along quietly for the first four miles.
Then it got tired, and I had to pull it along
by the halter ; it was terribly slow, as the
snow prevented us from going more than two
miles an hour. I got very hungry before we

got to S , the first place where we could

stop. This we reached at about 2.30. After
three-quarters of an hour for food and rest,
both for myself and the cow and its calf — for
it had a calf — we started on again. The cow
was still tired, and the calf rather footsore, so
it was a slow business. About half-way there
the cow stopped dead and refused to move an
inch. I was just wx)ndering what on earth I
should do when a man came along with three
calv^b which he had brought from S ,

The Sport Here.

Starting an hour after I did. With his help
I managed to get them the rest of the way,
though it was anything but easy work. The
cow was a very valuable animal, a thorough-
bred polled Angus, worth $200. Three days
ago we had another blizzard, which left us
another foot of snow. To-day the thermo-
meter stands at 10° below zero, but there is
no wind, and the sun is very hot and the sky
as blue as in summer. Last night we went to
a political meeting. The two candidates had
both called a meeting at the same place and
at the same time. Of course there was a row.
They both set to work to abuse each other.
At last the Liberal had to go, as things were
getting a little too hot for him.

In your last letter you asked mc , parti-
cularly about the sport here. We m'ght have
got some very decent deer-huntini ' we had
had time. Two or three fellows from the
neighbourhood made a camping-ou: expedi-
tion to the mouth of the Nottawasage River,

iii'i

■;'il

The Sport Here.

not very far from here. They had a
great time, and shot several deer. Quite a
number of wild-duck and a few gangs of
geese came in October and November ; but
as they were very wild, and everybody was
our after them, it was not easy to get a shot.
The fish to be obtained in the Georgian Bay
are ' black bass,' which are caught with a
spoon and give plenty of play ; ' white-fish,'
the same as pike, to judge by appearance, and
caught in the same way. There are also
plenty of hike-trout. Occasionally people
use flies for these ; but most of the fish, I'm
sorry to say, are taken with nets. In the
mill-streams anci rivers there are plenty of
chub. For these I usually bait with a grass-
hopper.

And now I wish to tell you something of
our plans for going North-West in the spring.
When in Toronto we asked the advice both

of Colonel D and the G . They

both said it was the best thing we could do.

•

Plans for going North-West. 67

Calgary in Alberta Is where we specially
thought of going. It is just east of the
Rockies, and the climate is very much milder
than here. We thought of spending two
years there, and then, if it still seemed advis-
able, of going on to British Columbia. We
could then decide which of the three we liked
best, before settling down for good — British
Columbia, the North- West, or Ontario. This
we must do at once, as all free Innd grants are
to cease in 1890 ; though probably the time
will be extended. As to getting there, we
shall try and get a passage with some cattle.
Men taking cattle up there employ several
men to look after them, and give them tree
passes over the railway. If we cannot manage
this, we shall, of course, have to pay our fare,
which will be $50 by immigrant-car. We
should have to have about $25 in our pockets
when we got there. Altogether we shcuild
want about $125 — twenty-five pounds. Once
there, we shall board ourselves if we can. That

5—2

mix

Plans f 07' ^oi}ig North-lVest.

will be cheaper than boarding out at $12 a
month. Of course the man with whom we
get work may give us board and lodging as
well as wages. But if we board ourselves we
L.'i do something in the way of keeping bees,
poultry, and a cow. I dare say the cooking
would not be good at first, but practice will
improve that. It would require some outlay
to start this, about $10 ; but we should more
than get this back in six months' time. We
feel that the sooner we learn to do for our-
selves the better it will be. We can eet a
shanty for $1 50 cents per month.

r seems to be learninor quite the riorht

kind of thinojs in England. Horse-shoeino-
he will find most useful ; 1 only wish we had
had time to learn it — in fact, we have thought
of putting in a few n\onths with a blacksmith
ourselves. He ought also to learn welding
iron and steel, brazing, and tempering such
things as the tines of a fork. Carpentering,
too, is very useful ; what we learnt from

Ma 're llif/ts to IVould-be Immigrants. 69

Everson, as the putting up a cow-shed, was
invaluable. He should be able to cobble a
little and mend his own clothes. Book-
keeping is quite indispensable if you mean
to run a farm. Gardening is also a good
thing to know. Our outfit was just about
complete. Some coarse cotton shirts, as they
keep out the thistles and the barley-beards,
would have been an advantage ; flannel shirts
make you like a pincushion directly. A big
fur cap, round and large enough to cover the
ears, would also have been an advantage.
Flannel shirts should be of very coarse
material ; good flannel is useless. Some light
strong breeches, as well as corduroys, are use-
ful for the summer. It is well not to have
many cloth clothes, and a light mackintosh is
better than a heavy waterproof. The india-
rubber baths, which we did not bring, would
have been very useful.

inif

w :\

' • if

CHAPTER VL

Lumbering. — Signs of Spring. — Cattle-Driving Again. —
Storing Ice. — Reasons for Thinking it Best to Move
North-West. — How to Start in a Small Way. —
Return of Spring. — Pureeing the Mill-Dani. — Skunk.

February . — A short time ago we had a bliz-
zard which lasted for four days. It did not
blow very cold, but the snow drifted tremend-
ously. One day the mail-train, which was due
at 12.20, passed at 3 a.m. the next morning.

Next day Mr. B and I went up the

mountain. The roads were in grand condi-
tion, the snow being drifted eight or nine feet
deep in some places. Coming down one steep
slope the horses slipped, or, rather, sat down,
and we all had a sort of toboggan slide for
about a hundred and fifty vards. F'ortunately

Lumljeriug.

the snow was deep enough to prevent our
getting up any very great speed. Twice I
had to jump out and hold up the cutter to
prevent its upsetting. Soon we expect to go
up there to haul lumber to the saw-mill.

Lately we have been drawing firewood
from the bush. It is first sawn into lengths
of four feet, and then split and piled on the
sleigh crossways. It is terrifically hard work
for the horses, as the loaded sleighs have to
be drawn over trunks of trees, and through
the under-bush. There were also numbers of
holes, made by the tearing up of trees in the
high wind. We turned one load clean over,
and had to put it on again. With the other
load we did very well till we reached a big
hole — and then ' chuck ' went the front bob
of the sleigh into the hole, and weight and
jerk together broke the centre of one of the
side-beams. The wood was piled on again, and
then in trying to draw out of the hole the
horses drew clean away from the sleigh and

lib

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IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

1.0

I.I

11.25

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Hiotpgraphic

Sciences
Corporation

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33 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580

(716) 872-4503

<-'

LuniLeriug.

bent the draw-bolt, which is quite an inch
thick. We had to chain them to the sleigh
after that, as we had no means of straighten-
ing the bolt. But after a bit we got away all
right, though the horse's legs were awfully cut
about by their sharp shoes when they plunged
into the deep snow.

March. — The day before yesterday one of
the yearling colts got upset into a manger in the
stable, and, not being discovered, it remained
there for some hours, on its back the whole
time. When we found it, it was necessary to
chop the manger down with an axe to get it
out, and then it was utterly unable to move.
We spent about two hours rubbing its back
and legs, then we rolled it into a flat kind of
sleigh, called a ' stone-boat,' and brought it
down to a warmer stable. We gave it gruel
and linseed-tea several times during the even-
ing, and it seemed so much better at ten
o'clock that we thought there was no need to

Signs of Spring.

sit with it ; but yesterday its head was
awfully swollen, and it could not eat. In the
evening we had to kill the poor beast, as in-
flammation of the bowels set in. That seldom
lasts more than half an hour, so it was better
to put it out of its pain.

To-day the ' Chinook ' is blowing, and we
were able to dress with our window wide
open. Only three days ago the thermometer
was down to 20" below zero.

Dick and I have started to teach our-
selves book-keeping, as it would be little use
to try to run a farm if we could not keep our
books properly. We found it pretty stifle at
first, but now we get on swimmingly. We
spend about an hour and a half at it every
evening.

March. — This morning Dick and I had half
an hour's skating, but the ice was very poor.
It is the first we have had this winter. Sleigh-
ing is nearly gone now, as the roads in some

Cattle-Bi'iving Again,

places are quite bare. Yesterday I drove a

load of lumber to C . We made a road

for the occasion through fields covered with
ice, and over ploughed fields as w^ell, which
were often bare. It is ticklish work to avoid
the stumps and stones when driving over bare
places.

Tv/o days ago I str.rted to walk up the
mountain, to meet some cattle about seven
miles from here. If they did not come, I was
to go on and bring them back next day.
They turned up all right, and then came the
business of driving them home. They were
completely tired out, as they had already
come some eight miles ; added to this, the
roads were in a frightful state — two feet of
soft snow in most places, and where that had
gone, a foot of mud. I had a very lively time.
The cattle tried to take every new road that
we came to, and made a rush for every gate.
However, by dint of a long stick and inces-
sant yelling I got them into a very obedient

Storing Ice.

state. The 'boss' has just sacked the man
who did all the cattle-feeding and milking, or,
rather, the man has just sacked the * boss/ so
the milking has again devolved on me.

To-morrow we begin drawing ice from the
lake. It is cut into blocks about two feet
cube, and then about a ton and a half is put
on to a sleigh. We pack it all in an ice-house,
fill up the cracks with small slips, and then
pour water to freeze it all solid ; after this we
cover with eighteen inches of sawdust. The
ice will keep about fourteen months, perhaps
more.

Dick and I are proceeding like a house
on fire with the book-keeping. We can now
do simple keeping, and can balance and close
the ledger. Do you know, I have quite a
reputation here as a doctor. Twice I have
been asked to look at children, ' as you are
something of a doctor.' One had the measles,
and the other inflammation of the lungs.
You would be astonished at the sudden

76 Reasons for Moving North-West.

changes of temperature which we have here.
The climate is very changeable, much more so
than in the North-West, so far as I can learn.
Here are some temperatures taken at 7 a.m. :

<\*bruary

2 I St ...

-8°

March

ist ...

12°

')•)

22nd..

-20°

2nd...

34^

23rd...

-8°

3rd...

16°

24th ...

-28° '

4th ...

6°

25th ...

0" '

5th ...

18°

26th ...

-3 .

6th...

22°

27th ...

-10'

7th ...

34^

28th...

0°

8th...

20°

March. — I was sorrv to hear the unsatisfac-
tory news which you gave of the X s ; I

should have thought thev would have succeeded
if anyone would. But it is very hard to make
grain-farming pay, unless you have a very
good capital to start with, and, besides this,
thev have had very bad corn seasons lately in
Manitoba.

Now about going North-West. First I
must try and disabuse you of the notion that

! ! :

Reasons for Moviug North-West. 77

the work there is harder than it is here. In
this place the work begins at 6 a.m., some-
times at 4.30 — on a small farm it begins
regularly at 5. In both cases it continues till
8 or 9 at night. As all the time you are
working in conjunction with other men, you
have to work your best, for if you fall behind,
it becomes twice as hard at once. In the
North-West, work on a cattle-farm would
begin about 5, and would not last so long,
except on extraordinary occasions ; perhaps
once or twice a month we should require to
be in the saddle all night as well as all dav.
But the work would not require nearly so
much strength, as it would be chiefly herding
cattle. After the first trouble of getting used
to spending so much time in the saddle, it
would not fall so heavily on us. Of work in
the North-West I only speak from what I
have heard ; of the work here I have had
experience. Still, if we found cow-boy lite
too hard we would try to get work on other

\\\

How to Start in a Small Way.

farms — this would not be hard, I understand.
As to living, it would be much the same as it
is here. Of course we should have to camp
out a good deal at night, but that would be a
blessing, and not a hardship. If we go on to
a ranche in the North- West, we could, in a
year or two, save enough to start with, as the
wages there ;ire high. When we have done
this, we should take up a little land, two to
th'' hundred acres, and keep bees, poultry,
anuafew cows — also we could grow fruit. In
addition to this we should keep a team, and
for the first year or two one of us might hire
out with the team by the day, whenever
we had no work of our own for it. He
would earn $2 or $3 a day, and so would
help the farm considerably. This would
require very little capital to start, and is one
of the most paying branches of farming. The
two of us could take up three hundred acres of
land, and by complying with the requirements
of the Land Office, by cultivating a part of

•A '\

How to Start in a Small IVay

it, could, in three years' time, get complete
possession of it. Then if we found we wanted
capital we could sell part of it — say fifty acres
— which, if you had worked pretty well, and
had land well situated, would fetch from
$500 to $1,000. You see, therefore, that
time is a consideration to us. Everybody we
meet advises us to go. We shall earn good
wages there, as by that time we shall be com-
petent book-keepers. Here the wages are
miserably poor. People pay labourers as little
as they can, and get as much as possible out
of them for that little.

Though the 'boss' has said several times that
it is best to stay here, he actually thought
seriously at one time of giving up the farm
here, and going North- West himself. We
shall get on well with riding there, and after
we have acquired some experience there of
cattle, there will be no difficulty in getting
' passes ' to British Columbia, if we should
wish to try that. Another good reason for

8o How to Start in a Small Way.

goinir is the climate. Here, as the residents
themselves confess, it is detestably changeable.
Bv the wav, we have both taken to wearing
cholera belts, so that the weather, however
suddenly it changes, cannot affect our insides.

We are going to speak to the 'boss' to-night
about getting off in the beginning of May, and
as to the chance of getting ' cattle-passes.'
As we shall be unable to let you know what
way we go in time for your answer to reach
us, you had better send the ^30 at once. If
everything goes as we hope, we shall not have
need for anything like this sum; still, it is best
to be on the safe side, and you may be sure
that the money wall not be spent unnecessarily.
The short time which we have put in in this
country has taught us to be economical. A
cheque will, I think, be the best way, though
perhaps a draft is safer.

What yv)u said about woollen underclothing
is certainly right. Even on the hottest summer
davs, when from the nature of our work we

Return of Spring.

have to wear cotton shirts, a thin vest is
always advisable. You asked some questions
about the way of living here. For breakfast
we have meat and bread-and-butter, ad lib.
The meat during the winter is beef, either
fresh or salted. At dinner, meat, potatoes,
sometimes cabbages, or beans and turnips,
also puddings of different kinds. Occasion-
ally soup takes the place of pudding. For
tea there is meat again, fruit, and bread-and-
butter. There is very little hardship about
the living.

'iiii

April. — The winter has really broken u|
here, I think, and the snow is disappearing
fast. The days now are splendidly warm, as
the sun is very strong ; but the nights, till last
night, have still been pretty cold — about 22
F'. of frost. All the roads are about six
inches deep in mud and water. Lambs are
quite plentiful now, and the birds are begin-
ning to come back ; in fact, we can both feel

■si:

Return of Spring.

and hear the spring returning. We have
been breaking In two three-vear-old colts
lately ; one has been in harness four times
and has run away twice. The other day I
rather ast(Miished him. I wanted to take him
down to the driving-horses' stable, so I caught
and bridled him. I had quite n job to do it.
Then, whcti he stood still for a minute, I
jumped on his hack. He had never experi-
enced anything of the sort before, and did
not know whit on earth to do. For about
half a minute he stood stock-still, and then
started to go backwards, chiefly on his hind-
legs. After doing this for a short time I got
him to go forward in a sort of fashion, but
it was mostly sideways. At last one of the
men came up behind with a long stick, and
gave him a couple of whacks, and off he went
in fine style. Now he goes quite easily,
though it is not safe to make him canter, or
go beyond a slow trot, as he would probably
try some tricks, and we don't want him to get

Return of Spring.

into that way. I do not get on him now, as
I'm a bit too heavy for him. The other colt
has only beeii in harness once ; he has a
pretty bad temper, and it would take very
little to make him kick furiously ; also he
is as obstinate as a mule. All this wejk
Dick and I have been cleaning wheat to

send to the flour-mill at C . It is very

slow sort of work ; one turns thj crank of
the fanning-mill, while the other keeps the
hopper full ; when we get about fifty bushels
cleaned, we bag it up, and start on another
lot, Mfrv bushels, or twentv-five baG:s, make
one load for a sleigh, and a pretty heavy load,
too, when the roads are bad. Drawing out
manure from the stable-yards has commenced
now, and we have done a good deal of it ;
still, it is not half bad sort of work, after all,
though, of course, there are other things which
are preferable.

Mrs. B has recommended that we

should get some mittens made here of factory

6—2

Ill

Freeing the Mill-Dam.

yarn, which costs about sixty cents a pound,
and have them faced with skeepskin ; she
said she would get sohic of the people round
here to knit them, for some of our old clothes
— a good plan, I think. The ordinary Berlin-
wool mittens cannot stand the rough wear,
though they are very good and warm to wear
when not at work. A pound of wool would
make four pair.

The snow has not quite disappeared yet ;
yesterday at noon the temperature was 68° F,
in the shade, and at night it did not go below
52°. This very moment it is 72° in the
shade. The thaw has been tremendously
rapid, and on Friday, which is usually kept
as a Sunday here, we were working all the
afternoon, stopping ice at the water-gate of
the dam, in order to let the water get away.
The ice had broken into blocks weighing
about half a ton. These kept striking against
the planks so that we could not take them
off; we had to stand on the blocks, which

, I 111

Freeing the Mill-Dam.

were swaying and heaving in a fairly lively
way, and chop the corners off, so as to let the
water carry them over the edge of the planks.
The really lively part was getting off after
you had set them free and before they v/ent
over. Here is u Uttle sketch of the dam —

III

i;[

- ^

A, solid immovable woodwork ; height 12 to
14 feet. B, movable planks for letting the
water go over faster or slower, by taking
them off or putting them on. c c c^ upright
studs against which the planks were held by
the force of the water. The ice jammed
against the top of B, so that the planks could

Freeing the Mill-Dam.

not be taken off. Blocks too large to go
between c c c had to be stopped. Last night
the ice jammed again, and the water rose so
high in consequence that it flowed over the
top of the dam in several places further along.
The dam itself was only saved by the centre
stud c giving way, when, of course, all the
middle planks v/ent with it. The height from
tlie top of the planks is about i 8 to 20 feet,
and the water falls on to a platform of large
logs.

We are going to send you two or three
skins. Ihe mink-skin is almost large enough
to make a muff. You must be careful
of it, as it is worth something ; I have been
offered $3*50 (14 shillings) for it already. I
shot it by the dam four or five days ago.
This morning we saw the first chipmunk we
have seen since the winter began. It is one
that last summer used to sit on the edge of a
roof just outside our window, and this morn-
ing it appeared in its old place and chattered

Skunk.

away in a manner peculiar to the species. It
evidently took a great interest in the dressing
process, for it watched us intently the whole
time.

Just as I was finishing this letter we had
an alarm of skunk. A fearful odour suddenly
began to come in at the open windows, and a
cry of ' Skunk !' arose at once. Dick rushed
upstairs and came down with a loaded gun ;
but we could not find the animal, for it had
made off, but even out of doors it was not
hard to tell that there had been one.

■ill

EXPLORING BRITISH COLUMBIA

PART II.

r^rl

CHAPTER VII.

A Change oF Plans. — Our Journey to Victoria. — A
Rough V^oyagc. — Our Destination at Last.

In their last letters the lads proposed the plan
of going North-West, and gave some idea of
the way in which they intended to work. A
few days after this an offer w^as made to them

bv an uncle in British Columbia. Mr. Z

and his wife, who had gone there with a view
to settling, were at that time engaged in look-
ing out for a suitable locality. His proposal
was to this effect : that the lads should come
and join him in exploring the island of
Texada. If, as he was inclined to think, this
island should prove a desirable place, he
further proposed that they should join him in
running a farm of the same description as the.

■i i

ill:!

Our Journey to Victoria.

one they thought of starting near Calgary.
The offer was accepted, and at the end of
April they started to join their uncle at Vic-
toria. The next letter, which was written
from Victoria, describes their journey to that
place :

May. — As I have not much time, I will
describe our journey to this place by giving
an extract from my diary. I am afraid it
is not very full, but it is all I had time
for :

Tuesday, April idth. — Rose at 7 a.m., had
breakfast, and finished packing. After dinner
we carried our baggage to the station, came

back and said good-bye to the B s, and

then caught the train at ^i-^S ^^ ^ • ^^

arrived here about 6 p.m., and went to the
house of a fellow we knew. At 12 p.m. we
caught the train for North Bay, which landed
us there at 8 next morning. We slept all

Our Journey to Victoria. 93

night on seats without any cushions, which
were slightly uncomfortable.

Wednesday. — The train which was to meet
us was seven hours late, owing to having a
very heavy load of cars, so we went off to the
Pacific Hotel and had a very good breakfast
for 20 cents each. I don't think they got
much change out of us. Then we strolled
about the place, and inspected the engine
works, which are very extensive. After some
dinner we stayed in the reading-room till
3.30, and then went down to the station. We
got on a car which was going with our train,
but it was an hour before the train itself came
in. When it did come, it shunted about till
6.30.

At last we made a start for the West. At
first there was some very rocky country, and
we passed through two small tunnels, the first
I have seen in Canada. When we came to
the first of these there was an awful uproar
among the colonials — probably they had

■ {

\ W

Our Journey to Victoria.

never seen such a thing before. During the
night we managed to get to sleep, hut woke
up at odd times, thinking it was breakfast-
time. Three times — at ii, i, and 3 — did I
wake up with this hope, only to find that it
was a horrid delusion.

Thursday. — We woke finally at 4 o'clock,
and spent the time till breakfast in looking
out of the window. The country now
abounds vvith small lakes, not Jess than one
every mile of the track. They were abso-
lutely covered with wild-fowl. After break-
fast alternately dozed and looked at rhe
scenery, which has become very rugged. In
the evening we arrived at Port Arthur. There
was just time to buy a loaf of bread, when we
started afjain.

Friday. — At 7 next morning we arrived
at Rat Portage. We got out here and were
driven in a large dray, at full gallop, to the
Queen's Hotel. Here we had breakfast. The
country has now become rather flatter, and is

Our Journey to Victoria.

more or less heavily wooded. Near Winnipeg
itself it is almost absolutely level and void of
trees. At last we found ourselves upon the
* Boundless Prairies.'

At 2 o'clock we reached Winnipeg. Here
we found an immense crowd at the station.
We got out, and rushed about to find the
train for the West. We were only just in
time to get seats, though the train did not
start for another hour or more. It was
awfially crowded, and for the first few stations
many had to stand. The country was, if
possible, more level than before, studded every
now andi then with farmhouses. One of
these, about thirty miles from Winnipeg, was
on fire.

Saturday. — We reached Brandon about 7
in the evening. Here the thermometer stood
at 70° in the shade. The prairie here is roll-
ing and hilly ; there are plenty of streams
and pools which are covered with wild- fowl.
Brandon is a very nice place, and is supposed

il: :

Our Journey to Vic tor ia.

to be the most prosperous town in Manitoba.
The prairies, which have been a brown colour
till now, have begun to get greener. There
has been a scarcity of rain in these parts for a
year or two.

All the prairie about here is strewed with
buffalo-bones, many carloads of which are
shipped to the sugar refineries. During the
morning we saw some deer and, later, a cara-
van of waggons going oer the plain. The
plain is lined v/ith old buffalo-trails leading to
the deepest pools, which have water in sum-
mer. There is still a little snow to be seen
among the recesses of the hills.

Our travelling is at an average rate of
thirty miles an hour. In the train dining-car
you can get a pretty good dinner for 75 cents
— soup, salmon, lamb, four kinds of vegetables
(including green peas), apple-tart, and dessert.
The country through which we have passed
during the latter part of to-day is covered
with about an inch of snow — the reason is

Our Journey to Victoria. 97

that we have run into a snowstorm. As we
approached Medicine Hat the country became
a good deal more varied and interesting ; in
parts it was quite hilly. At Medicine Hat
some Indians came and tried to sell polished
buffalo-horns. Whether they were real or
not I can't say — probably there were some of
both. After this the country again became
absolutely flat and desolate, apparently no
settlements at all. Once we had to stop some
time to allow a herd of cattle to get off the
track.

About midnight we reached Calgary.
Naturally we could not see much of it.
Directly we stopped, crowds of people
swarmed on to the cars to see who was there.
I got on to the platform for a moment, and
immediately a crowd of people poked their
faces close to mine, and inspected me, so I got
back again. We started again in about twenty
minutes.

Sunday. — This morning v;e found ourselves

! i.

Our Journey to Victoria.
the Rockies. As we m

entering the Kockies. As we go on the
scenery becomes splendid. On each side of
us are great peaks covered with snow, and
with great masses of pine-trees. Everywhere
the snow is about three inches deep, and the
weather is rather cold. The railway Hes be-
tween two great ranges of hills thickly covered
with pine forests. The sun is just now rising,
and the snow-topped mountain peaks stand-
ing out against the deep-blue background of
the sky look splendid as the light is thrown
upon them. Occasionally we pass houses which
are inhabited by men who have to look after
the track. We breakfasted at Field.

About 1.30, after another halt, we passed
over a wooden bridge two hundred feet high.
We stopped once because of landslips, which
had to be shovelled out of the track — the
melting snow on the mountains makes the
land very unstable. When we went uphill
we had an engine behind to help shove. We
passed two or three more bridges, about two

Our Journey to I ictoria.

hundred and fifty feet high, and then the
highest on the C.P.R., three hundred feet
high. It seemed awfully steep when we
looked out of window, as there is no railing
at the side. The line is now running along the
edge of the cliff; on one side there is the
sheer rock, and on the other a ravine about
half a mile deep and two miles broad. There
is a river winding along the bottom of it, and
the banks are covered with pines.

The mountains here are about 10,000 feet
above the sea-level, and 4,000 above the level
of the plain. We have just now been passing
under huge sheds, made to prevent the slidings
of mountain snow carrying away the track.
These sheds cover in the track altogether.
The line here takes a most circuitous wind
along by the foot of some tremendous peaks.
About every five hundred yards we cross a
bridge over some awful precipice.

Monday. — We woke at 5 a.m., and still
found ourselves among the mountains, but

7—2

; .|i|('

-I!
II') ■

lit

iii

• ifi'

I I

lOO

Our Journey to Victoria.

they are not quite so high. Now and then
there are some clear spots, and occasional
Chinese settlements.

We reached New Westminster at 2.30, and
caught the Victoria steamer. I was, for-
tunately, not ill. We reached Victoria at
9.30. The place swarms with Chinese with
enormous pig-tails.

I can't write any more now. To-morrow
we start early for Texada, being a party of

five — Aunt K and Uncle W ,

Herbert, myself, and a Greek sailor.

Texada Island.

May. — We started from Victoria on Friday
(6th), and made about forty miles, getting
into a small bay (Maple Bay) at 10.30 p.m.
Next morning the wind was strong and
squally, and we did not start till late. It was
an awful job, the getting out of the bay, for
we had to tack right across it several times ;
and, when we did get into the open, a big

A Rough Voyage.

lOI

i'lMl

squall came, and we had to let the mainsail
fly, and then haul it down. The jib blew out
of the bolt ropes directly after, and we rushed
up the coast at the rate of ten miles an hour,
under bare poles alone.

We got into Horse-Shoe Bay, Chemainus,
at 3, wet through ; though V/c got warm at
the last — the Greek, Dick, and myself
taking the rowing boat, and towing the sloop
down the bay to the wharf We found an
inn, where we dried our clothes and had tea,
sleeping there on Sunday night as well.

On Monday we camped for the night on
the north end of Thetis Island. We lit a fire
and had coffee and biscuits, butter, hot pota-
toes, and fish. We cut some poles, and rigged
up a big tarpaulin as a tent, and then put the
boughs off the fir-poles on the ground, and
spread the bedding on them, and the four of
us slept on the top — the Greek always sleeps
in the boat.

In the morning, after breakfast, we started

''A

I02

A Rough Voyage.

again. The tides run very strong on this
coast, and when we reached a place called
Dod's Narrows (which is about seventy yards
across), the tide running through at about ten
knots, and the wind falling, we could not steer

the boat one bit. W had one of the

long oars out, and pulled a bit on one side to
keep us off the rocks, and went on pulling a
few seconds too long, and we got caught in
the whirlpool on the further side below the
rapids, and were flung round twice, quite
helpless ; and he, not taking his oar out of
the water quick enough, got a dig in the ribs
from the end of it. I got hold of the other
oar, and when we got clear of the whirlpool,
v/e pulled away as hard as we could. How-
ever, we could get no wind, and about a mile
from the rapids we stopped to get some lunch.
Before long we found that a back current was
taking us back to the rapids at about three
knots an hour, so we started to pull again.
The wind came for a short time, and took us

A Rough Voyage.

103

on our way a bit, then it stopped, and we had
to tow into Nanaimo, where we had tea,
beds, and breakfast. All this time we have
been going north, along the east coast ^^
Vancouver Island, in among all the littlt
islands.

We started from Nanaimo in the morning,
with a good wind, and crossed to the main-
land (ten miles) and coasted up to Normanby
Island, where we camped, sleeping on the
boat for fear of wolves. Next morning we
started again up the channel between Texada
Island and the mainland, but, having no wind,
only did ten miles, and then towed into an
inlet on the mainland, where we camped^
The san.e thing happened next day, and, after
making ten miles, we towed into a bay at the
north-east part of Texada Island. Starting
again next morning, the wind failed us, and
we towed into this harbour, our destination.

W and K sleep in a tent, and

Dick and I in an old log-hut with no doors

I04

Our Destination.

or windows, and only one-third of the floor
down. Here the cooking is done with a
stove ; and it serves as general living-room.

W and K have been making

gigantic efforts to bake bread, and till the
last time made it rather like lead. The cook-
ing is a terrible job to them every meal, and
it sounds very amusing to hear them blame
everything but the cook — the wood, the
stove, those who cut the wood, those who
light the fire, all get a share of the credit for
heavy bread, etc.

We have not done much exploring yet, but
at present the island seems to me all rocks
and stones, and one or two swamp meadows.

W , however, seems much taken with it.

I went over to Comox (Vancouver Island) two
days ago ; the land there is first-rate, but
most of it is taken up. Harwood Island, too,
as far as we could see, would be a very nice
place. We may find good land on this island,
when we have explored it a bit more. Last

Our Destination.

105

night the cove here was swarming with dog-
fish, and they made a tremendous noise rush-
ing about. I was lying on a log at the edge
of the rocks, and pulled four out by their tails
in about six minutes. We had a bathe, but
the water was cold. There are a few big
trees on this island ; we saw some yesterday
which would have squared to four feet, one
hundred feet from the ground, and were
seven or eight in diameter at the base.

III I

CHAPTER VIII.

The Island. — Wc go Exploring. — Chase After an
Eagle. — A Savoury Dish. — Jubilee Day.

June. — At last we are seeing something of the
backwoods, as we have come to an island
the population of which, without ourselves,
consists of exactly four. The country is ex-
tremely mountainous, with occasional swamps
of a few acres in extent, and it is in the hope
of finding a good-sized piece of this that we
are staying here. At present we have only
come across several small pieces and two or
three small lakes which might be drained.
There are very good markets for produce not
far off, which would make dairying, and fruit-
growing, poultry-keeping, etc., prosperous

The Island.

107

work. In the harbour there are heaps of fish,
and in the autumn there must be good hunt-
ing, as the place is alive with deer. There
are also plenty of eagles — I know of eight
nests within a mile radius — ravens, crows,
water-fowl, and any number of humming-
birds.

Herbert and I sleep together in the old log
hut. Our bed consists of a big tarpaulin on
the boards, then two grass mats, then a buf-
falo skin, fur upwards, lastly ourselves and
three blankets, our coats being the pillows.
We get up at 5.30, light a fire, get breakfast
ready and eat it, then go for an exploration,
getting back at i ; after lunch we explore
again, and get supper ready about 5.30 ; after
supper we read, or go for a walk ; bed about
9.30 or 10.

I am afraid my writing is not very good,
but I cannot do any better, as I am leaning
on one elbow and writing with the same arm
— we have no chairs or tables. By-the-bye,

! 'I

i 1

jjj

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W ■] I \

io8

IVe go Exploring.

if you wish to improve your writing you
must do it soon, for you are not likely to do
it out here.

The weather now is beautiful, hardly any
rain, as that nearly all comes in the autumn
or winter. The last two or three days we
have been exploring pretty hard. Yesterday
we went to a lake, taking our fishing-tackle,
and on reaching it I started to fish, while

Herbert and W went round the lake.

After a quarter of an hour I had a bite, and
landed a lake-trout weighing half a pound. I
was using paste then. Afterwards I tried
artificial flies, and though the fish rose splen-
didly, I did not catch any, not being an adept
in the art. These lake-trout are very game
fish, and are splendid eating, having beautiful
pink flesh.

To-day we went on another exploration,
taking our lunch with us. After walking for
two hours we arrived at a lake, and went
round it, lunching on the further side. I

V/e go Exploring,

109

fished during the time, having cut a splendid
rod with my axe, and using this time cheese-
paste, there being too many trees for flies. I
used the cork of a bottle for a float, and soon
had a fine bite. After playing a bit, as much
as I was able without a winch, I landed a
beautiful trout, weighing three-quarters of a
pound. We did not stay much longer, so
this was the only one I caught. These lakes
have small, greenish mud-turtles in them, and
a good many duck ; to-day we saw two or
three broods in the reeds. After lunch we
pushed on hard, going up some awful hills of
pure rock covered with thick moss. After
climbing nearly straight up for about four
hours more, we reached about the middle of
the island, where we could see the sea on both
sides of us. We then turned back, taking a
direct course to home as near as we could,
with the help of a compass, which we have
to use always on exploration here. We went
fairly straight, striking our harbour about a

!il

iii.i

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■ 1 :
i

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We go Exploring.

mile and a quarter from the camp, which we
reached about 6.20, feeling that we had had
enough for one day.

When walking here we generally take a
straight line by the compass, both going and
coming. We can never go more than two
miles an hour, as the country is very rough.
Sometimes we come to a mass of fallen trees
which have to be clambered over, sometimes
to a deep ravine with a thick growth of young
fir-trees which we have to push our way
through, the ground all the time being rough
and stony, full of holes and covered with
rotten and fallen trees. Occasionally we
chance on a green swamp, with from three
to twelve inches of water in it, though many
of them are nearly dry. These we go straight
across, taking advantage of trees lying upon
them. Sometimes in the bush we find gigantic
trees blown down and lying in our direction,
then we have a fair path for from 200 to 300
feet, but rather slippery, and ending in small

We go Exploring,

1 1 1

chasms, from ten to thirty feet in depth. We
have our boots nailed in order to be able
to walk on these trees without slipping, as
sometimes they have no bark, and on others
it is wet, or very loose. We have bathed two
or three times, but the beach is not nice, as it
has quantities of barnacles on the stones,
which make it decidedly unpleasant. There
was a good deal of rain yesterday, though it
soon cleared up again — we hardly felt it under
the trees.

t '

III

June. — A few days ago we went round the
harbour, and just outside it, in the small boats,
picking up drift wood for seats, tables, etc.,
for the camp. We got a boat-load, and
arriving home at half-past one had lunch, and
started to make benches. We sleep in a hut
now above the main camp, about sixty or
seventy feet higher up. To get to this we
have to go up a very steep and winding path-
way. I have seen nobody except our own

- J

I 12

Chase After an Eagle.

party (not counting Indians) for nearly a
month.

Yesterday Herbert and I wetit out shooting
in the open boat along the shore, landing
every now and then, as we were only rowing
about ten yards from land, and stalking
anything worth shooting. After rowing
about twenty minutes, we spotted an eagle
on a tree about a hundred yards in shore, so
I landed Herbert with the rifle to stalk him,
while I kept the gun in case he came my way.
After about five minutes of anxious suspense,
I heard first one, then another rifle-shot, and
then a tremendous crashing, and saw Herbert
coming towards me as hard as he could, carry-
ing a great dead eagle, a splendid bird with
a white head and tail, huge claws, and a beak
that would make you pale to look at. It
turned out that his first shot was successful
\\\ killing the bird ; his second wounded the
mate, which managed to escape. We then
continued our journey, and saw what we

Chase after an Eagle.

113

thought was the wounded eagle settle a little
further on. I landed with my rifle, and made
my way towards him, but he flew away and
settled somewhere ahead, so we followed him
up, and I landed again and saw him perched
about seventy feet up, on a bare tree about
sixty yards from the shore. I saw that I
could not get up the clifl^ to the foot of the
tree, so I fired at him from the beach, and
saw him drop, as I thought. I scrambled up
the clifl^ and, after ten minutes* search, found
a feather covered with blood ; but that was
all. At that moment I heard Herbert shout,
and found that the eagle had contrived to
drop into the sea, mortally wounded. He
rowed after it, and managed to secure it after
some trouble, as it was most ferocious, and
lay on its back in the water, with just its head
and claws appearing. He attacked it with an
oar, which it promptly laid hold of with all
its might, and was thus hauled into the boat.
When I got in it made a savage onslaught on

m:.\

114

Chase after an Eagle.

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ik '<

my legs, but the corduroys were a good
armour against its claws. It turned out to
be the one Herbert had wounded. My shot
had gone through its leg and into its stomach,
thus nearly finishing it off. We had some
difficulty in killing it, as it was still very
lively.

This island positively swarms with eagi-s,
ravens, and crows. At the place where the
stream runs into the harbour, we found cart-
loads of dead herrings, most likely in conse-
quence of a very high tide Jately, when they
had been driven up the stream as far as the
tide went, and when that dropped h^d not
dared to go out, being left dry or killed by
the freshwater. The harbour here is always
full of herrings, sprats, etc., and there is a
great commotion when dog-fish come in,
hundreds leaping out of the water at a time,
and tremendous scrambles ensuing at the
surface. Every night before we go to bed
we have a systematic slaughter of mosquitoes ;

A Savoury Dish.

115

but they are not nearly so bad here as in
Ontario. I have to use the greatest precision
as regards my bed, for, if I alter my position
an inch, I am nearly transfixed by a projecting
eige of rock. If I can avoid this, I am very
comfortable, as I get into a groove lined with
moss.

Herbert and I have already made a kind of
clothes-horse and an easy-chair to hold two
out of the drift-wood.

''I 'I

June. — Last Monday we went for an ex-
ploration up to the north end of the island, pass-
ing by a spot where a forest fire had raged. It
was positively awful walking, all the fallen trees
being out of sight and covered with a thick
undergrowth. We reached the sea on the other
side, and, stopping to rest for ten minutes,
started home again. About a mile and a half
from home we saw a 'coon scuttling up a tree,
so we went for it, and when we reached the

foot of the tree, W went up after it.

8—2

ii6

A Savoury Dish.

When near the top he began cutting it off;
half-way through he turned giddy and came
down. I then went up, meaning to come to
close quarters with the 'coon ; when about two
feet off him, he made a clear spring of thirty
feet to the ground, were he was speedily put
an end to. On Tuesday we skinned the
'coon, and got it ready for cooking, for as we
had heard that the Yankees eat them, we
determined to do so too. At supper we had
roast 'coon, which was all very well if we had
not known what it was, but, as we did, and
had spent some hours skinning it, it was all we
could do to do our duty to it. On Thursday
an Indian came round in a canoe selling a

deer he had shot ; W bought half of it

for fifty cents.

As we are on an island where there is only one
settlement, and that consists of three houses,
we have to go to Comox in Vancouver Island
for all supplies. The sailing is not very good,
as the wind is apt to get up quite suddenly.

Jubilee Bay.

117

The last time we crossed it was very bad
indeed, and we came very near to being cap-
sized. We were very nearly flat on the
water, and two-thirds of the sail and mast
were underneath.

There are some most beautiful humming-
birds here — a sort of bronze all over. They
have backs which shine like gold in the sun-
light, bright crimson throats, and long curved
beaks. Yesterday Herbert saw a panther,
nothing very dangerous, but not a nice
customer. As it was Jubilee Day, we hoisted
the Union Jack on a tree just by our camp.
In the evening we drank the Queen's health
in punch.

•I'll

Ir'

CHAPTER IX.

The Way wc Live Now. — More Exploring. — A Fine
View. — A Sudden Squall. — We Decide to Leave
the Island.

The letter which begins this chapter was
written by the lady of the party encamped
upon Texada Island.

^June, — Where we are now is a little nook in
a very pretty bay. It is a lovely place ; but
when I say that there is scarcely a yard of
level ground, you will understand that it has
its drawbacks. We have, as I dare say you

know, a tent for W and myself, another

tent on the top of a little hill close by for the
boys, and a hut which serves for kitchen and
parlour. (Sailor John sleeps in the sloop.)

The Way we Live Now.

119

The ground our tent is pitched on is very
uneven. I have to run up a hill to get to
the washhand basin, and I invariably slide
down backwards once, if not twice. There
were rather deep holes where we made our

bed, but W filled them up with pieces of

rock ; then we put pine-boughs, then moss,
after that a canvas blanket-cover, a buffalo
robe, and finally blankets. It was really very

comfortable, but lately W has made a

really grand bedstead, as he thought it better
to be further from the ground ; besides, it
gives the spiders and beetles more trouble
to get at us. The hut is a great convenience.
We have our stove in it, with shelves for our
stores. It has, it is true, no door and no win-
dows, and three-fourths of the floor are gone ;

but there is enough left for us. W and

the boys have now made a table and four
good benches, and we get on admirably well.
They, as you know, are busy explorinc
the island, and I sometimes go with them

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I20

The Way we Live Now.

But exploring is not an easy thing in this
country. No words, indeed, will adequately
describe the places that have to be got over.
Sometimes there are large masses of rock
covering the ground, and there are smaller
pieces everywhere. Then there are very
thorny rose-bushes (with small, very red,
sweet-smelling flowers, by the way) and
blackberries, a very pretty shrub called * sal-
lal,' ferns, fir-trees, and any quantity of other
bushes and trees. Then the ground is covered
at intervals with fallen trees. Every few
yards you have to get over one. Some you
can step over, but most require a good climb.
As for trying to go round them, that is out
of the question, for many of them are over
seventy yards long. Many of the large trees
that are thus lying on the ground are quite
rotten, and have a number of young fir-trees,
some of them quite tall, growing all along
their trunks. Sometimes they are useful for
helping us to cross swamps. I am getting

The Way we Live Now,

121

quite used to walking along them over
hollows that are unpleasantly deep. Swamps
there are in abundance, and lovely lakes,
these latter full of trout. The boys have
caught a few of these, but I look forward to
their getting more, when they become more
skilful. Deer are in plenty, but it is now
the close time for them. However, we have
had a taste of them, for two Siwashes (Indians)
came over the other day in a canoe (the
Siwashes seem to be allowed to kill them at
any tim.c), and W bought the hind-
quarters of one for fifty cents and some
tobacco. It was most delicious meat. Some-
times — I know you will like to know how
we fare — we have cod from the bay. John
cooks it cut up in pieces, with onions and
tomatoes. It is eatable in this way, but not
a very good fish after all. I am head-cook,
though John, and indeed all, help. John has
some Greek ways of dressing things which
make them palatable. The bread, at first.

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122

The IV ay we Live Now.

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was a great trial. I brought some bottles of
yeast from Victoria, and made a dreadful
mess of the first batch. Perhaps I used too
little yeast ; anyhow, the loaves would have
done for ballast. Eventually they were sunk
in the harbour, and I assure you that they
went down like lead. At last I made some
yeast for myself Since then, and especially
since I have been able to have some of that
excellent Winnipeg flour, I have managed
very well. We have hot rolls for breakfist.
Imagine that ! Sometimes John makes them,

sometimes W or the boys. Then there

is a supplv of pilot-bread (or biscuits) to fall
back on. One day last week they killed a
'coon, and when they had skinned it, thought
that they would like it cooked for dinner.
I remonstrated faintly, but was overruled.
Indeed, I could not refuse when they ofi^ered
to prepare it. And prepare it they did, and
very nicely too, so that it looked just like a
hare. At first they left the eyes in, but it

The IV ay we Live Now. 123

looked so dreadful that I never could have
basted it, especially as it had to sit with its
head out of the oven-door. Even after the
eyes were taken out it had a quite dreadful
grin. Still, when it was cooked, it really

looked very nice, and W and the boys

seemed to eat it with great appetite. As for
me, I got off* with a very small piece. But,
then, see the inconsistency of these creatures !
Suddenly, when we were eating our pudd'nu^,

W said, ' That 'coon was a trifle green ;'

and one of the boys said, ' I am glad I ate it,
and yet somehow I wish I hadn't,' and the
other chimed in. So they all joined in vilify-
ing the poor beast. I was not altogether
surprised when I remembered that they had
had their noses over it a good part of the
afternoon. But 'coon is not an every-day
luxury. P'or food generally, we have fish,
tinned meats and soups, cheese, butter, syrup,
cake, pie or pudding, and, of course, very
admirable bread. The last thing at night we

The IVay we Live Now.

generally have some chocolate. Our great
want is green vegetables, though the canned
are tolerably good. Milk, of course, we have
none, except the condensed.

As for clothes, the place is simple destruc-
tion to them. Cooking and walking through

the bush would finish anything. W

and the boys dress, if you can call it dressing,

anyhow ; but W always puts on a collar

for service on Sunday. I kept to collars as
long as 1 had any clean. Now I wear em-
broidery. I have made vain endeavours to
starch some collars myself, but, somehow,
they won't come stiff. But I mean to try
again.

We have some minor plagues. The
mosquitoe"; are not much to complain of;
but the midges in the evening are a great
pest. Not that they make any difference to

me, but W and the boys complain of

them loudly. Small flies, I am glad to say,
do not trouble us, either in the house or out

'ihe IV ay we Live Now.

of doors. Other iir^cts are innumerable —
the ants are simply enormous, and there are
bright beetles like those that are sometimes
worn for ornament. There are crowds of
mice, and I am always patching bags that
they have eaten through. Yet they are so
tame that one does not like to be hard upon
them. There are numbers of butterflies, and
some very pretty birds, some of whicri have
a very nice song, but not so nice, I think, as
our larks and blackbirds at home. There is

one, W says, that reminds us of home

with its note, something between a postman's
knock and a policeman's rattle. The crows,
of which there seem to be whole flocks, are
mi musical. When we first came they used
to gather round our tents in the early morn-
ing, and waken us with their quarrelling.
The boys thought of throwing boots at them,
but were afraid they would carry them ofl^.
Besides the crows, there are eagles in abun-
dance. The boys shot two fine specimens

126

The Way we Live Now.

W 1

the other day. When I tell you that there
are panthers in the island, I shall have about
completed my list. One of the boys had a
little adventure with one of them some short
time ago. He went down into a swamp to
cut a stick for a fishing-rod, and lo! in the
bush which h. 'v.' picked out there was a
panther lying. He had nothing but his axe
with him. The panther, happily, moved off;
and so, when he had got his stick, did the
boy. So no harm came of it ; but he had a

scare. So, my dear M , this is ' the way

we live now.'

July. — We are getting on a great deal
better now. Yesterday we came across some
really good land. We dug into it, and
found there were ten feet of very good
peat. This, with the quantities of dead
fish which are thrown up, would make
exceedingly good manure. Without much
difficulty we could get tons of it to the

More Exploring.

127

harbour at low tide, and ship it away.
Things look much brighter than they did a
few days ago. You will be glad to hear that
we are both remarkably well. The large
amount of exercise which we take is making
us grow like one o'clock, especially the scull-
ing and rowing. You will guess what it is
like when I tell you that the waistcoats,
which were made much too large for me,
will not now meet across my chest by some
two inches. Also, it is almost out of the
question to button the coats. The pilot-coats
are now just a nice fit, and are, without ex-
ception, the most comfortable things for wear
that we ever came across. You just put one
on, and lie down anywhere, with something
for a pillow, and you {qq\ as if you were in a
feather-bed for softness and warmth. We
are both very brown, and I think that you
would consider us very dangerous-looking
ruffians if you saw us when we go exploring
in the bush. Long boots, corduroys, a

128

More Exploring.

check shirt, and a felt tennis-hat, with the
brim well pulled down, form our costume.
Sometimes we carry a rifle or a hatchet. The
long knives, too, add something of the ruflian
to our appearance. I have not looked in a
looking-glass for over a month now, and,
what is more, have not the slightest wish to
do so.

To-day we went out to follow the course
of a certain stream, and fix the position of
some swamps. We found about fifteen acres
of swamp and bottom land, and a biggish
lake. On the other side of this was a howling
wilderness of rock and forest. We found
another stream running into the lake, and
followed it. After an hour's hard walking
we found ourselves within five minutes' walk
of the place from which we had started. The
stream had wound about in the most extra-
ordinary fashion. Once we saw a splendid
buck within easy range. Jt stood still and
looked at us. But, alas ! we had not the rifle.

More Exploring. 129

We also found that the beavers had been
mending and raising an old dam within the
last twenty-four hours. Thtre were lots of
footmarks, so there must be some about still.
The Siwashes, however, have killed most of
them. In a day or tsvo we go further down
the island. Here we hope to find larger
stretches of good land.

July. — As you have " '(^cn some time
without a letter, I will give you a descrip-
tion of what we have been doing during
the last few days. On Wednesday the
three of us rowed about four miles down
the islanc^ to find a new camping-ground.
We went to a bay where there is a
river running out. We hope to find some
good land somewhere along the course
of this. We found an old hut in very
fair condition. The only drawback was a
large hole burnt in the middle of it by the
Siwashes. But this we can board over. We

I30

More Exploring.

came across one or two deserted logging-
camps, and shot a brace of grouse. On
Thursday we rowed to a Siwash village,
where there is a Roman Catholic mission.
Most of the inhabitants were out fishing or
shooting. The Padre was also away, so we
started home again. We rowed considerably
over twenty miles that day, and the sun was
awfully hot. In first crossing the channel
we sighted a huge whale. It gradually got
nearer and nearer to us, and then disappeared.
After a bit it suddenly came up about thirty
yards to one side of us, making straight in

our direction. W and I were rowing,

and you bet we didn't stop to watch. We
made the boat go pretty quick, and the whale
passed just by our stern. Coming home we
saw no less than seven whales in different
parts of the channel — now while I am writing
I can hear them blowing. On Saturday we
went to camp by the river which we found on
Thursday. We rigged up a tarpaulin for

More Exploring,

131

K and W , and Dick and I found

a nice little hollow behind a tree under some
bushes. First we spread a waterproof sheet :
then folded our coats into pillows, and, with
our guns and knives handy, lay down and
pulled the blankets and another waterproof
sheet over us. We were very comfortable
indeed, as the sal-lal bushes on the top of
which we were made a sort of spring-mattress.
It was necessary to have our arms ready, as
we were some five-and-twenty yards from the
camp-fire, and the whole place was swarming
with gray wolves. On Sunday we took a
walk up the river. After going some way
we came to a splendid fall. The river ran
through a narrow gorge about thirty feet
broad. The whole gorge was on a tremendous
incline, and it was headed by the fall where
the water came sheer down some twenty feet.
We could feel the ground shake quite a
quarter of a mile away, and a large cloud of
mist and spray hung over the falls. We then

9—2

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132

A Fine View.

climbed on to a hill which was near, and from
there saw the grandest piece of scenery I have
come upon since we passed the Selkirks. The
river came from a large lake several miles long
and one or two broad. All round it were steep
hills covered with timber ; and in the back-
ground rose the Cascade Mountains, capped
with snow. In the evening there was the
most magnificent sunset that I have ever seen.
It was really beyond description. I was look-
ing over the smooth sea dotted all round with
little islands, and lit up with a bright red
light. Behind the sea rose up the mountain-
range along the coast of Vancouver Island,
while behind them again were the snow
mountains, their white peaks shining with
a brilliant flame-colour : the clouds just above
the mountains were edged with the same hue,
and the whole sky was reddened with the light.
This lasted about half an hour, and then the
whole sky changed to a wonderful steel gray,
which was almost as beautiful, though quite

A Fine View.

133

different. You could not realize a quarter of
its beauty from the best description. I only
hope you will be able to see something similar
soon, when you come out here. There is lots
of fun in camping out here, and the scenery
is very grand indeed — almost too grand and
rugged, I think. For my part, I should like
to see a little bit of the scenery you get —
green fields and farmhouses — better than all
the mountains in British Columbia. Before
long, however, I hope we shall be doing
something towards making part of the scenery
a little less wild. Perhaps then the rest will
become pleasanter by contrast.

July. — The day we posted our last letters to
you we went to Comox in the sloop. The
wind fell almost directly after w^ had started,
so we had to pull the sloop by means of the
two sweeps, a man at each. We pulled here
twenty-two miles, and can {^q\ it now in our
left hands, which got rather cramped. Coming

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134

A Sudden Squall,

I'i '

back next day the wind again fell in somewhat
of the same way. We got out the sweeps ;
but after we had been pulling for two hours a
regular storm got up suddenly, and the sea
was running very high indeed in less than ten
minutes from the time when it had been like
glass. We were only just able to beat round
the point ahead of us. If we had failed to do
this, I don't know what would have happened.
Once round that, we made good time down to
the harbour. We have been doing a little
prospecting lately for minerals, but have found
nothing except a few small veins not worth
troubling about. The place is all jumbled up
by earthquakes and upheavals and things of
that kind, so that it is almost impossible to
find really large ledges or veins.

We shall not stay in this island much
longer. There is not sufficient good land to
make it worth our while to start a farm here.
After all, I think we shall go back to our old
plan, and make our way to Calgary. Of

We Decide to Leave the Island, 135

course it is rather a disappointment not find-
ing anything here, but still it is plain there is
nothing, and so we must make the best of
things.

i.h

h \

PART III.

ALBERTA.

•1:

CHAPTER X.

We Move North-Wcst.— On a Ranche.— About Taking
up Land.—Wild-Duck Shooting.

Calgary.

August. — You will be somewhat surprised to
see the name at the head of this letter. We
have been here now about three days, and have
been looking out for work. This, I'm glad
to say, we have got ; it is on a horse-ranche
five miles from here. The pay is $15 each
a month and board. The arrangement is
only for a month, but we shall stay on longer
if we can agree with the man about wages.
$15 is very low; but as we saw no immediate
chance of better, we determined to take it.
The country round here looks very nice as
far as we have seen, but we cannot, of course,

I- .

140

We Move North-West.

judge yet. Perhaps you would like to hear
something of our journey here. We tiok
seven days to go from Comox to Victoria in
the sloop — the distance is about 140 miles.
Of these we had to pull at least 80, as we
had either no winds or head-winds. The
only fair win^' we had was in Victoria Harbour,
a little too late for use. We left Victoria on
a Sundtiy at 2 a.m., reaching Vancouver at- ^.
We had a bath and something to eat, and
then started to come up the Fraser River
Valley. The mosquitoes nearly crowded us
out of the cars. I never saw anything like
them. All the inhabitants wore nets over
their heads. We crossed over 1,200 bridges,
ranging from 5 feet high and a yard or two
across, to 300 feet high and 300 or 400 yards
long. In some places the mountains were
very smoky, though not nearly so bad as re-
presented in reports. Certainly, though, there
have been very large fires about.

When at Comox we were offered $20

On a Ranche.

hear

141

a month each, and board, on separate farms ; I
was for taking it, but Dick didn't like 'it,
and so we came here. I hope you Jike the
eagle's wings. We are both in excellent
health.

You would be amused to see us riding
about on our Mexican saddles, which are, by
the way, awfully clumsy and uncomfortable.
They weigh 30 lb., and sometimes more. The
ponies are the scrubbiest-looking animals I
have ever seen ; yet they carry you wonder-
fully well over the roughest ground. The
saddles have what is called a 'horse' in
front, on which you sling your lasso, and
anything else you wish to carry with you.
The stirrups are large wooden affairs, with
leather in front to keep bushes from catching
your feet.

Our plans must depend on seeing land
which we like. The money, I think, we can
save, as the wages we can get will be from
$20 {Is) to $40 (;^io) a month, and board,

\\ i! !

! A

142

On a Ranche.

and we shall have very few expenses. It does
not seem much to start on, but we can get

320 acres of land for $20 {£s)-> ^*^ ^^^^ ^ ^^^
for living on it, 320 more for $1 per acre, to
be paid in three years (if we still want the
land). We ought to start soon, so as to get
land near the town. It costs very little to
live if you have cows and poultry, and one or
two small things of your own to help you
on ; and, if necessary, one could work out
part of the time with a team and earn $60
(^12) a month. By the way, a first-class
team and waggon would only cost ^70 ; other
prices are equally low, so we could start a
good many small things, to be gradually in-
creased.

Living here is of a somewhat simple nature;
in fact, pork, damper, and tea ; damper, pork,
and tea; and tea, damper, pork, are the
varieties in which we indulge. Occasionally,
however, bread is substituted for damper.
We get up now at 5.30. Dick milks, and

About Taking up Land. 143

I look after two thorough-bred horses. At
6.30 we breakfast, ?nd then draw hay off the
prairies. Twice a week one of us rides round
the fences to see that they are in good order.
We hope soon to get on to a farm where
cattle require to be herded, as that will give
us good opportunities for inspecting the land
round. The country seems to be a very fine
one. It consists chiefly of great rolling hills
with streams winding amongst them. The
mosquitoes, however, are simply awful. Cal-
gary is a very go-ahead town, and is growing
at a tremendous pace.

iiiii

September.— \\v^ son of our host here
has told us of two good spots about forty
miles from Calgary— that is, about a day
and a half's journey by waggon. They
are valleys bordering on streams, with
plenty of timber at hand. There is plenty
of natural hay, and a considerable amount
of game. During the winter there is rather

144

About Taking up hand.

more snow than in Calgary, which is a decided
advantage. This place — I speak now of the
best of the two — is within easy reach of the
projected railway from Calgary to Edmonton,
which is to be commenced next year. To get
a place nearer Calgary, besides being hard to
do, would not be any greater advantage over
a place forty miles off, as under that distance
no good amount of timber can be found. If
possible, we want to secure some land in the
district I have spoken of, and to do this we
must be quick, as considerable tracts of land
are being taken up every year. We have
just seen in a paper that a large party of
Ontario farmers had started West from
Winnipeg to spy out the land. If we cannot
get this place, we shall have to go more than
forty-five miles from Calgary, which means
another day's journey ; and this would make
a great difference.

Now, if we could borrow ^f 200, we should
next spring buy a team and waggon, and go

About Taking up Land.

for a week up country to fix on a location.
If we found one that satisfied us, we should
come back, send in our claim to the land
office, work out for six months, and, iii the
succeeding fall, enter into possession finally. I
think by that time we shall have had sufficient
experience to start for ourselves, as we shall
have been out here for two and a half years.
By next fall we shall have about ;^ioo of our
own to add to the ^^200 which we should
borrow. This would give us a great advan-
tage in starting, as it will enable us to get,
things that will bring in a return the next
year. We expect to be able to pay back the
whole interest and capital in three years.
I think I have given all our plans and

thoughts on this subject. Tell F that

all round Calgary and the North-West
generally there is splendid pike-fishing.
Where we are now, we often change our
salt pork for jack-steaks, and very good they
are. We catch them with a spoon-bait from

146

About Taking up Land.

a canoe, and they give very fine sport ; the
general size is from 4 to 12 lb. I forgot to
say that, though we should buy our provi-
sions for the first six or nine months, yet we
should doubtless be able to supply ourselves
with fresh meat by means of our guns and
rods.

T had better not come to us before

we have been settled six months, as during
that time we shall be roughing it a bit, and
it would not do for him to do too much at
first. Tell him to try and if possible learn
how to thatch both houses and haystacks.

To-day Dick and I have just returned
from Calgary. Dick rode down — looking
a regular * cow-boy ' — on a small white
* cayeuse ' or Indian pony, with a huge Mexi-
can saddle, and stirrups with huge leather
flaps to them. He wore his old gray coat,
and a large gray felt ' sombrero ' on his head ;
altogether he looked an awflil ruffian. I
drove down with Mr. G , the owner of

About Taking up Land.

147

exi-

her

oat,

;ad;

this ranche, as I am unable to walk, owing to
an accidental stab which I gave myself with
my large knife. I was trying a dodge for
opening it with one hand, and it half-opened
without my knowing it, and so I ran it about
two inches into my right thigh. I was quite
lame yesterday, but can get around all right
to-day. The tourniquet braces came in very
useful for bandaging, as we had not our regu-
lar medicine chest with us. We went into
town chiefly to make use of a note of intro-
duction to a Mr. M . He was very kind

indeed, and has taken all our luggage into his
strong room till we get fixed for ourselves.
We told him exactly how we stood, and he
promised to write to a friend of his and get
us places for the winter with a company which
is working up at Reddeer River. He also
said that we ought to start for ourselves at
once if possible, and said we could do so very
well indeed with ;^200 to ;^300. He very
much approved of our ideas as to how and

10 — 2

148

jib out Taking up Land.

with what stock we should start. He was
also very much taken witi t^ notion of
* bee-keeping.* Very little i? done here in
that way, and so we could command i.lmost
any price we wished for honey. Fowls also
he thought well of, and said they alone could
feed us (egg? fetch 30 cents a dozen) ; he
also said that when we had land fenced in we
ought to keep sheep. He told us there would
be difficulties and losses to contend with, but
that if we made up our minds to succeed we
were bound to do it. Further, he gave us
a note to the land commissioner or agent,
asking him to help us in the choice of land;
and said that when we fixed on any section of
country, we might come to him and he would
show us the reports of the Government sur-
veyors on that particular part. Then we
ought to go on a few days' trip to see the
land, and, if we liked it, take it up. If you
object to the idea of borrowing, we can wait
till we have saved enough to start ; but the

About Taking up Land.

149

result would be to place us further from Cal-
gary, and we might not get such good land.
By the way, you will find, I think, somewhere
in my diary (which I sent off to-day), an
estimate we made when we first thought of
the plan. The prices named for horses and
cattle are high, but I think it best to get
first-ra'.e stock at a high price, and not
second-rate beasts; the first always command
a certain value, and with the second you can
never be sure of getting more than half what
you paid for them.

Our first object, Mr. M said, ' is to

get land with good hay on it, good timber
near or on it, and with good water.' This
kind of land is getting harder to obtain every
year ; so, you see, we ought to hurry.

We left British Columbia, firstly, because
the climate is so hideously wet in winter and
spring ; and secondly, because what land is
not already taken up costs from ^5 to ^30
per acre to render it fit for cultivation. This

i«

ISO

IVild-Duck Shooting.

climate, as far as we can judge, is much
superior.

A few days ago we went out duck-shooting
in the slough — there is about two feet of water
standing in it and any amount of mud. So
we put on old clothes, and had a fairly good
time. The duck were very wild, so we only
managed to get five brace during the after-
noon. Our guns have turned out very good
ones, and are the admiration of all that see
them. We could, if we liked, get £2 more
than we gave for them, for people are always
offering to buy them. But we shall stick to
them, as good guns are not always easy to
get out here.

CHAPTER XI.

Haying.— A Buck-Jumper.— Wc Buy a Team.—
Breaking them in.

September. — You will see by my heading that
we have left our last place. We went first to a

ranche on S Creek, which is twenty-five

miles south of Calgary, and were there for a
week haying. Thiswasrather a tough job. To
begin with, we got a lift for twvdve miles after
leaving Calgary ; but then we had to leave
our valise behind, and carry our bedding on
our backs and walk over eleven miles of roush
prairie. We got to the haying camp late in
the evening, to find that the high wind had
blown the tents down and had rendered it
almost impossible to cook ; so we had supper

! <

ill

152

Haying.

W '' (

ofr' cold salt pork and sour hread which you
could pull out in strings a yard long.

There was a severe frost every other nighi,
and we had not enough bedding, and so could
hardly get to sleep. By the way, if you get

T any blankets to bring out, mind and

get double ones — that is, two large ones sewn
together. Single ones are worse than useless ;
a pair of double ones is the only thing to have.
Dick and I, if we get permanent employ-
ment for the winter, are going to invest in a
buffalo-robe, as a supplement to our bedding.
A fellow who is leaving here has two to sell ;
he only wants ^4 for each, and the usual
price is ^6 to ^7. After we left the haying

camp we came to P Creek, which is

half-way to Calgary, and are now living in a
log hut with an English fellow who has been
out here five years. He offered to let us
make his * shack ' our headquarters till we
should get fixed for the winter. It will save
us an awful lot, as hotel charges here are

A Buck'Jumper,

153

gigantic. A day or two ago we went out
shooting, and got -hree brace of snipe and a
prairie chicken or two. They make grand
eating, after living on salt pork and beans.
One job we are trying to get is that of cutting
rails. We should take a tent, stove, and some
provisions, and go up into the bush for the
winter, and spend the whole time cutting and
piling rails, which could be drawn away by
teams every day. We ought to be able to
make from $1 to $2 a day each, besides our
food. We may go up to Reddeer, fifty
miles north of Calgary, to work for a
ranching company there. We don't yet
know what sort of work this last would be ;
but that does not matter much, as long as it
carries us over the wint^. This morning I
tried to get on the only a/ailable horse, to go
to a neighbouring ranche. It was a broncho,
which three months ago was runnir^g wild in
British Columbia; but my right leg being still a
little stiff from the cut I got a fortnight ago,

154

A Buck-Jumper.

I was not quick enough in getting properly
seated before he started to jump and kick
around — ' bucking,' as it is called here. He
threw me a complete somersault. I landed
with my feet in the air, my shoulders reach-
ing the ground first ; it took my breath away
completely for a time ; and for two or three
minutes, when 1 did breathe, I ' roared ' like
a broken-winded horse, only rather worse.

However, I got H and Dick to hold

him while I got seated. When I got to my
destinatioii, two and a half miles away, he
was so much cooled off that I was able to
bring our valise and 4 lb. of butter back,
though I had to walk him all the way.

October. — I am glad you like the skins —
they are hardly worth taking any trouble
about; still, if we go north, we may be able to
send you a few better ones. Yesterday I saw
the rancher from Sheep Creek about cutting
some rails, and he said * he could not say if we

We Buy a Team.

^SS

could have the job yet,' which means he does
not want us. Also, I saw the manager of
some lumber mills here ; he said that he had
promised all his places, but that if any men
failed to turn up we might have the places.
It would be $25 (^5) a month each and
board, to last till the place froze up (one to
three months). This morning I saw Mr

M , who is to write to a friend about

getting us places on the ranche at Reddeer.

Calgary Fall Show is on now. If there
is a chance, it would be a very good notion
for Teddy to get into the way of thatching ;
the great difficulty here is to make a good
roof.

We are seriously thinking of buying a team
of horses, waggon and harness at once, then
getting a few provisions and starting out for
a week or ten days looking at land. Our
reason is this : we can hear of no work just
yet — that is, for a fortnight or three weeks —
and we want to be doing something mean-

' I

.56

JVe Buy a Team.

while. If we could not get work for our-
selves and team — and I think we could —
during the winter, a fellow here has promised
to keep the team all winter for the use of it.
Another reason is that horses are so much
cheaper now than in the spring ; and, if we
can get two mares, we can get a return for
our money next spring, if we care to sell the
colts. If we do get work for them, it means
$1^ a day extra besides their keep. Again,
if we start for ourselves next year, it will
save us a lot of time ; if we don't, we shall
get bigger wages and be more independent,
as we shall have private means of locomotion.
Probably long before you get this we shall
have cabled for some money ; it would
take something between ^40 and ^50 to
do it.

We have lots of shooting now, and have
great feeds of wild duck, grouse (prairie-
chicken), and snipe ; the last are awfully
good. When I was in Calgary last, I was

We Buy a Team.

157

unable to get back for two nights ; the second
I spent at a house three miles from here —
very nice people indeed, English too. Dick
shot a skunk just outside the shack, but its
skin is not worth taking, as the hair is not
tight in. Yesterday morning a lot of prairie-
chicken came and woke us up by running

about on the roof H and I slipped out

at once, but they flew before we could see
them ; however, we each got one as they went .
There are seven or eight hanging in the cellar
now. We go to Calgary on Monday to see
about the team.

P.S. — We have just cabled for ^40. I
believe we have something like this amount
still of our own. There is a team going
which we cannot let slip. We are now going
into Calgary to buy it — waggon, harness,
and all. After that we shall start for a week's
exploring.

October, — 1 am sorry not to have written to

158

We Buy a Team.

you before ; but somehow a wandering sort of
life does not seem conducive to keeping up a
correspondence. Next year, if we have a
place of our own, you may expect more

letters. I hope you and A will come

out and see us as soon as you can. I can
promise you lots of sport — wild duck, prairie-
chicken, snipe, deer, bear (black, grisly, and
cinnamon), wolves (gray, timber, and prairie),
also trout and pike fishing. If we take up
land on little Reddeer River, all on the
estate, except the grislies and cinnamon, and
they will be within a few miles, and with
them mountain lions — a kind of puma. We
are feasting now every day on duck, chicken,
or snipe, which we can shoot sometimes with-
out going ten yards from the house. The
snipe are the best eating we have had for a
very long time.

I have just i")ecr« trying a dodge for wash-
ing flannel thii g5 wiili ammonia. I think it
will answer. X'ht trial I gave it was very

i :

Breaking them in.

159

hard, as the things were exceptionally
dirty.

This winter, in all probability, we shall
stay where we are now, except when we
get work at any distance ofF. If we are not
able to get work for the winter for wages, we
shall stay here, working with our team for
board and lodging, and that of the team also.
The work will consist of hauling Jogs to build
stations from the bush to here, and also in
hauling hay to Calgary for sale.

At present we are engaged in breaking
in our team. We get an occasional job tor a
few days, helping with the harvesting, etc.
We were very grateful for the draft. We
received it (or rather the bank did) the day
after we cabled, and, owing to its coming so
quickly we were enabled to buy a splendid
team of bay mares, before they were shipped
with a lot of other horses to Ontario. We
have also bought a waggon and a set of
double harness with the money we saved this

t \

U (\

i6o

Breaking them in.

summer by our work. So we shall in future
have a team and waggon, and we shall have a
four times better chance of getting work this
winter than we have had before.

We gave ^40 for the team. It consists of
two bay mares, one dark and the other light ;
one is three years old, and the other four.
They do not stand very high, but they are
what is called ' low-heavies,' that is, with short
legs and heavy bodies, very clean cut and
neat, and not by any means what would be
called bulky. They will in another year's
time or so, when they are full-grown, be very
♦o^rong. Everybody vho has seen them has
admired tihem, and when they are thoroughly
broken in they will be worth from ^50 to
^60. We are going to call them ' Belle' and
*Vi.'

It was rather a big business breaking them
in, as they were awfully wild. Three days
ago we started on the work» and this is
what wc did : first of all we separated a small

hem
days
■lis is
small

Breaking them in.

i6i

bunch of horses from the main herd which
was running free on the ranche ; this bunch
we drove into a corral or enclosure. We then
drove out, one by one, all the horses except
the two we v/anted ; then we fastened up
the corral and began work. We first pro-
ceeded to lajso one of them. When this v/as
done, the three of us held on to the other
end and pulled with all our strength — the
horse in the meantime rushing madly about
the corral, rearing and jumping, striking with
its front feet and lashing out behind. After
about ten minutes, a difference became ap-
parent. It had been lassoed with a slip noose,
so it began to gasp and roar, and as the noose
became tighter round its * wind-pipe,* to
stagger and reel, and finally fell over, its
tongue hanging at full length from its mouth,
peifectly black and dripping with blood. It,
however, regained its feet again by a temlic
struggle, but only to fall a second time.
Then two of us sat on its head, and another

ril

h(!

l62

Breaking them in.

tied its four feet together. We then put a
strong rope halter on, and took the noose
from off its n^ck. After a few minutes it
began to revive, and tried to get on its feet.
The end of the halter was next tied to the
horn of the saddle, its feet were untied, and
one of us pulled it round the corral by main
force.

After a while we were able to hold the
halter by hand, and slowly approach it, tickle
its ears, and pat its neck. All this was done
with the greatest cautujn, as the least quick
movement would have terrified it. After
a rest, one of us would hold the halter while
another went at a respectful distance and
drove the horse with a whip. Every time it
flung itself about, a jerk of the halter would
tend to convince it that it was no longer its
, own master.

When a few hours of this sort of thing had
passed it became comparatively tame ; though
when first tied up to the wall of a stable, it

Breaking them in.

163

flung itself against the wall till huge bruises
were raised over its eyes, and on any promi-
nent parts of its head.

We drove them about eight miles, and put
them into another corral for the night, and
gave them hay. 7'he next morning we had
to throw it again, repeating the choking pro-
cess, in order to replace a broken rope on its
halter. For about three hours we led it with
a halter, one going behind as before, till it
would allow itself to be led without anyone
driving it. The other horse was treated
exactly in the same way, and both are now
fairly submissive. Yesterday we put the
harness on them for the first time, as all wc
had done so far was merely halter-breaking, a
very small fragment of our labours.

We started off to fetch them after breakfast.
When we got there we led them round a bit
and took them to water, and then started
home, each leading a horse. About half-way
home wc changed our mode of progression,

II — 2

^i\

til

164

Breaking them in.

and I went ahead, holding a rope with each
hand, Herbert going behind and driving them.
After about ten minutes thev took it into
their heads to get frightened, and both bolted
off at full speed. I hung on for about forty
yards, and then had to let go, as I had abso-
lutely no check on them, only holding each
with one hand ; the rope, pulling through my
hand, blistered and rubbed the skin off all my
fingers. After about fifteen minutes v/e cor-
nered them up against a fence and managed
to get hold of the long ropes attached to their
halters, and then resumed our way home,
arriving in about half an hour. We then tied
them up to posts ; at first they pulled back
and flung themselves about a bit, but soon got
used to it. We next slowly put the harness
on, during which they stood unusuallv quiet.

\em round.

iparate,

harness on, we tried to hitch them together,
and then we had a great commotion. They
twisted all about, and, finally, one threw itself,

Breaking them in.

ir,s

breaking its bridle to pieces. I sat on its
head while Herbert separated it from the
other. Then a fellow we knew arrived with
a horse he had just bought, and which had
been worked before. So we hitched them
together, not till after a tremendous struggle,
as his horse, although it had been worked,
was much wilder than ours. However, after
a regular fight, during which it struck out
with its fore-feet at a tremendous rate, giving
me two whacks, one on the leg and another
on the ribs, but doing no damage, we hitched
them to an empty waggon and drove around.
They both went fairly quietly, one of us
holding the reins and another holding the
halter- rope.

In the afternoon our mail was brought to
us from Calgary. I don't think there is any
chance of our going back to British Columbia,
as we are very much pleased with Calgary.
To be sure, butter is 35 cents a pound, but for
us that will be a greater advantage than draw-

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23 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. MS80

(716) 872-4503

1 66 Breaking them in.

back. For the last month we have had beau-
tiful harvest-weather, not a drop of rain. We
live regally, sometimes having snipe, or teal,
or cold duck for breakfast ; roast duck or
grouse for dinner, and sundry wonderful
puddings of our own manufacture. We have
now a regular supply of wild-duck, as we shot
five brace two days ago ; they are in the cellar,
hanging. We each consume half a duck at a
meal, sometimes a whole one.

This morning we fetched a load of hay from
the stacks, the colt going very well. After
fetching the hay, we let the horses feed for
half an hour, and then put the other colt in
the waggon for the first time ; she ran at full
gallop for about two hundred yards and then
quieted down, and we fetched a load offence-
rails and posts. Herbert and (j then

drove to a place two miles off to see some
logs, etc., and I stayed behind and put up a
small corral to put hay in, so as to keep stray
animals from eating it. After two hours they

Breaking them in.

167

came back — the colt quite tamed down. To-
morrow we shall drive the two new colts into
Calgary, when I shall post this letter.

October. — Th- team is really a splendid one.
Both mares are in very good condition, and well
matched. They pull tremendously. We had
one of them out the other day, getting a load
of logs for building, and when the waggon
got into a mud-hole she pulled steadily, and
so strongly that the old horse in with her
could not hold his own, and was pulled back
against the load — and then the hooks came
off the whiffle-trees, and she nearly turned a
somersault. We fixed up again, and she
pulled almost the whole load out by herself.

We have not worked the other one since
we drove them to Calgary ; she got hot then,
and going through a creek gave her a chili,
resulting in a slight attack of water-farcy, her
hind leg swelling up to twice its right size.
She was very quiet while we bathed it, as soon

i68

Breaking them in.

as she found that it relieved her. It is nearly
right now, and she is feeling in such good
spirits that this morning she tried to have
some fun with Dick, and got on her hind
legs to pat him with her fore-feet — somehow
he didn't see the joke.

We have been building a log stable, and
have got it about half done ; it will take
about fifty logs to build it. I shall be glad
v.'hen it is done, as it is rather hard on the
horses, having to stand out in the cold with
no shelter. We are not getting wages now,
but I don't think our time is wasted, as we
get our own and horses' feed, and we are
breaking them as well as learning log-build-
ing ; when the team is fairly broken we shall
have a very fair chance of getting work at
any rate for most of the winter.

We don't intend to regularly cultivate our
ground in the way of raising crops for sale ;
wc should only plough and sow enough oats
to feed our work-horses, poultry, and pigs —

Breaking tliem in. 169

twenty to thirty acres would more than cover
it. Our chief interest would be dairying and
poultry, as there is a good sale for butter and
eggs, etc., in Calgary. I don't think work-
ing-out here would give us enough experience
to pay for not having land of our own, as all
that people do here is to run cattle out on the
prairie, put up hay for food, and grow oats. I
think we can learn better by Treating our
cattle according to good books, than by fol-
lowing the methods used here by the usual
run of farmers, which are reckless to an
extreme, and by which they lose great quan-
tities of stock, and render their horses almost
unmanageable. Our team, which we have
only handled for about ten days, is now a
good deal gentler than the majority of old
teams round here.

As to good land, there is not any un-
occupied nearer than twenty-five miles from
Calgary. We want to get land which we
can stick to ' for ever and ever.' I don't see

lyo

Breaking them in.

much good in getting your land into good
shape, and then selling it. We don't look
upon it as an investment, but rather as a
means of getting a permanent and indepen-
dent livelihood, and perhaps something more.

This country will be just the place for T ,

as it is a sure cure for asthma

Ill !

CHAPIER XII.

A Fight with a Prairie Fire. — The Team turns (jut
Well. — The Winter Here. — Sport During the
Winter.

November. — On Sunday week (October 30th)
'^-e had a great fight with a prairie fire. I had
driven into Calgary the day before. On Sunday
morning I saw the fire, and made out that
it was about seventeen miles off, and not far
from home. I started at once, and driving
back as fast as I could, got here at 12.30.

Dick and H were just setting off.

We changed horses, had something to eat,
and started. The fire was then about a
mile away, and we reached the place at
I.I 5. About twenty men were already

I 72 yl Fight with a Prairie Fire.

there. We set to work beating with wet
sacks, and kept this up till lo p.m., when
a waggon came along with a supply of food
and a raw hide. The food was very welcome
— we had had nothing, you will remember,
since mid-day — the hide was hitched with
long ropes to two saddle-horses, and started,
one horse on each side of the line of fire,
the ropes being about twenty yards long,
so that the animals were out of the reach
of the flames. We had put a sack of earth
on the hide to weigh it down, and there
were long ropes at the side with men hold-
ing them. This was to guide it. The rest
of the fellows at work went behind with
their sacks to put out any spots of fire
left by the hide. Dick and I were among
these, and very fast we had to run most of
the time, for the horses were terribly scared
by the flames, and went at a great pace. We
had to keep up with them as well as we could,
for a spot of fire, if left for a minute, would

A Fight with a Prairie Fire. 173

have spread and spoilt all the work of the
hide. This we kept up till 4.30 a.m., with
not more than five minutes' rest now and
then, when we had to stop and wet the hide.
Altogether, we went rather over thirty miles,
going round the fire, and leaving ofi-' about
five miles from home. By that time every
one was dead-beat, the horses as much ns the
men. There were two teams and thirte':in
saddle-horses at work ; and those that had
dragged the hide, in one little coulee (or
valley) where the flames were ten or twelve-
feet high, were singed all over. When we
got across, after the hottest three minutes 1
ever had or wish to have, every one's clothes
were on fire. Dick had four large holes
burnt in his breeches, and one side of my
shirt was burnt off. I'he fire destroyed a
few stacks, but did no serious damage. What
would have happened had it been left, no one
can tell. Such a job I hope never to see
again. In the little coulee I spoke of, it was

!«

I 74 A Fight with a Prairie Fire.

like a furnace. Every now and then the
wind would come in a gust, and then the
fire would travel faster than a horse could
go. We got it out just in time, for when
v/e had just finished the wind began to blow
very strongly, and a small piece which we
had not put out got up steam and rushed
away east at a fearful pace. It reached Bow
River (which was six miles off) in less than
twenty minutes, and burnt a streak as clear as
if a road had been made.

There was another fire burning on the
other side of the Bow River. This was not
put out till a slight fall of snow came, and
finally settled it.

Yesterday I drove into Calgary in a *go
cart,' a sort of diminutive dog-cart. The
horse, a * broncho,' had never been driven
single before, so I (expected rather a lively
time, especially as the cart was a borrowed
one, and I had been Warned not to drive fast
over rough places for fear of its coming to

The Team Turns out I I'd I.

'IS

grief. Directly the broncho's head was
loosed, off* he went as hard as he could tear
over the rough prairie. I thought something
would break every moment, but wonderful to
say it held together. We arc very much
pleased with our team — they are real good
pullers. The other day we went to fetch
logs from the bush. We got four long green
logs, awfully heavy. They are quite twenty-
four feet long. Also, we had a shorter one
measuring about eighteen feet. As the
waggon was coupled too short, the weight
was wholly thrown on the hind wheels, over
which the logs were just balancing. Well,
after we left the bush we came to a swamp,
and of course the hind wheels sank in up to
the hubs, and the waggon stopped. We
rested the mares about two minutes, and then
set off again. They pulled till I thought the
harness would go, and the waggon slowly
moved out of the swamp. I'his was pretty
good, considering that they had brought the

176

The Team Turns out Well.

load about nine miles already. Last night
we had rather a misfortune. Something got
into the stable and scared the horses so much
that one of the mares slipped her colt. It is
a great pity, as next spring it would have
been worth $30 or $40.

Dick, you will be pleased to hear, is
bread-maker for the establishment. At this
very moment he is making the dough up into
loaves f>r baking. We are both first-rate
cooks now, and can get up an awfully good
feed out of bacon, beans, and flour, with a
little grease. You would not know what
was in the stuff, and would only think how
good it was.

By the way, judging from your last letter,
you seem to have rather an exaggerated idea
of the winter here. Seven months long you
call it, I think. We are now in the middle of
November, and don't expect winter till after
Christmas, though of course it may come any
day. But if it came at once it could not last

The I Winter Here.

longer than four months: probably it will
only last for two. Ploughing always begins
here in March, when the frost is well out of
the ground. We do, of course, have cold
snaps here, and when it is cold it is cold, and
no mistake.

November. — At last we have got a touch
of winter. There is snow on the ground two
inches thick, and that is as much as they ever
have here; and last night the thermometer went
down to 1 8° below zero. All yesterday it
kept at about 5° below. Our cat was a little
uncertain as to where she should locate her-
self The oven-door happened to be open,
and as she sometimes sleeps there, after sniff-
ing around she got in. But before ten
seconds were gone, she came out again in
a pretty big hurry. The oven was a little
warm even for 5' below zero. Next she got
on to the dresser, which is close to the stove,
and tried first with one paw and then the

I \\

i j

178

The Winter Here.

other to see if the stove-top was too hot.
Apparently it was. Finally, however, she
settled down on the plate in front of the
stove, and remained there for the rest of the
day, barring meal-times. This snap of cold
has found us a little unprepared. We have
been adding a new room on to the hut, and
putting the logs on the roof has shaken down
some of the plaster. The wind gets in quite
a bit. However, we hope to have everything
done in a week's time. To-day I have been
nailing down the floor. While doing this I
was interrupted by ' Vi ' knocking with her
foot against the water-tub to let us know she
wanted something to drink. 1 suppose I had
to get up and go out to her. They —
' Belle ' and ' Vi ' — are wonderfully quiet and
afi-ectionate now. Yesterday they stood quite
still while I was picking the si:ow and ice
off their feet and fetlocks. That means some-
thing, I can tell you, for the ice gets frozen
on to the hair in large lumps, and takes some
pulling before it will come off.

sport during the Winter. 179

November. — You said in your last letter
that you thought our method of taming
horses was a bit cruel. Well, I guess it can't
be helped. You see when we get them they are
quite wild. There are other ways, of course, but
they are far worse than the one we employed.
There is plenty of wat^r here in the winter,
and plenty of sport, too. Snipe in any quan-
tity. They are just like the English bird,
and are brutes to hit, as they clear off at a
terrible lick before you can get a sight of
them. But they are awfully good eating.
Also we have deer, wild cats, gray wolf, and
last, but not least, ' the mountain lion.' They
— the mountain lions — don't often come down
our way. Now and then they make a raid
on farms or ranches, anything in the way of
sheep, calves or colts being very acceptable to
them. They will not, however, attack a man
unless provoked or driven into a corner. In
the Rockies and in British Columbia thue are
plenty of them. The only objection to the

12 — 2

1 80 sport during the Winter,

shooting here is that you have to wade about
in a huge mersh with the water up to your waist.
This takes something ofF the pleasure, though
you don't think so much about it if you are
shooting for your larder. We are very com-
fortable here now, and like the life "v jry much
— it is healthy, and not too slow. Also there
is money to be made if you stick at it, and
don't get into the habit of going into the
town too much. People seem to find it
much harder out here to keep hold of money
than to make it. As far as we can see, the best
way to do that is to keep out of Calgary as
much as is possible.

December, — I suppose this letter will reach
you about Christmas-time ; so please give our
love and best wishes all round. I wish we
were at home to help with the provisions, as
I guess you v/ill miss us a bit in this respect ;
but I know that the others will do their best
to make up for us. The weather here has be-

II. 1

Sport During the Winter. 1 8 1

come pretty cold now. Our team, I'm sorry
to say, are looking rather thin. We cannot
get any oats for them, and hay alone is not
good to work on. In a few days, however,
there will be oats in plenty. To-morrow we
take them to the blacksmith. 1 expect we
shall have a fine time, as they will be terribly

frightened. H 's team will be worse than

ours. One of his horses is, we think, really
crazy ; no matter how kind or gentle you are
to him, he will take the first opportunity
to kick or strike you. A few days ago he
nearly caught me ; but I was a bit too quick
for him, and jumped into the manger just as
his heels went whack against the logs.

Ii fl

CHAPTER XIII.

A Chinook. — Christmas. — A Christmas Gift. — Horse-
Brecding. — Caught by the Cold. — A Warm Bed. — ■
A Gay Christmas.

December. — We are having a regular North-

West winter 1 6°sometimes, and then 2° or 3°

above freezing. Several days ago we watched
the thermometer. In the morning, at 8 a.m., it
stood at 1 6° F. ; two hours afterwards it went
down to -3°. We then started to the bush ;

when nearly there, I remarked to H on

a peculiarity in the atmosphere ahead of us.
It looked just as it does when you see the heat
rising out of the ground on a hot day. Half
a minute afterwards, down came a * chinook '
on us, feeling quite hot compared with the cold
wind before. Herbert, who was about 100
yards behind, heard my yell, but did not feel

Christmas.

183

the wind till about two minutes afterwards, as
it was travelling slowly, though, indeed, it in-
creased to a gale in about an hour's time.
We were not sorry to get it, as we have had
an unprecedentedly early and long spell of
cold weather. As we were going to the
wood, we shot a partridge and a wood-grouse,
also a * whisky-John,' in winter plumage—
the latter has a body as big as a robin, but
larger limbs and tail.

I suppose, when this letter reaches you,
you will be recovering slowly from the effects
of Christmas dissipations. We, I'm afraid,
shall not have much to recover from. Our
Christmas-feed will probably consist of salt
pork, boiled beans, and a jam or treacle tart
with bread. Possibly we may manage to
shoot a chicken or two ; but they are getting
awfully wild now and very hard to kill, owing
to their enormously thick plumage. The
* Chinook' that I spoke of has brought
splendidly fine weather ; while I am writing,

111

184

Christmas,

though, it is freezing hard outside, as the wind
has shifted into a more northerly quarter.

Two days ago we saddled * Belle ' and ' Vi '
for the first time. * Belle' bucked a little,
over a waggon standing near, but was soon
quiet again ; * Vi,* however, put her feet, head
and tail together in real earnest ; but she
slipped and rolled over, frightening herself
so much that she became quite subdued. We
do not intend to use them as saddle-horses at
all, but think it as well that they should be
broken to it, in case it might be necessary.

M has just told me of a good place,

ten or twelve miles out of Calgary, and we
are going out to see it the first chance we get.

If it is as good as M says, we ought to

make quite as much as $500 a year out of
putting up hay and selling it during the winter
in Calgary. What we have to find out is, if
there is good water in the place and timber
near at hand. We shall have no difficulty in
borrowing, as it would be as safe an invest-

A Christmas Gift.

i8S

ment as any out here. However, if there is
any difficulty at all about it, I guess we can
make a start without it next year if we rustle*
hard enough. What is in favour of borrow-
ing, though, is, that if a man starts with a little
capital in this country he can go ahead three
times as fast as one who has to rustle his
start.

(Through the extreme kindness of a relative,
the sum of ^200 was presented to the two
boys in order to assist them in starting for
themselves. The news reached them on
Christmas-eve.)

December. — We have written to X .

The news of his kindness in starting us free
is the best possible Christmas gift you could
have sent us. You can't think what a lot
of anxiety it has taken from us. This gives
us the sure chance of getting really good land,

* Work.

1 86

Horse-Breeding,

and makes us independent to a great extent
of outside work.

The winter is getting on most satisfactorily.
To-day the temperature was above freezing ;
and there was a clear sky and plenty of sun-
shine. We shall stay in this locality now,
and take land north of Calgary. Though
all the land, for some seventy or eighty miles,
has been taken to the south of Calgary, very
little of that to the north has been touched.
The reason is the difficulty of crossing the
Bow River when bringing stock or produce
to Calgary. This winter, however, a bridge
is being built, and will be opened in a few
weeks. Then, of course, there will be a
rush for the best land, and we, being on the
spot, will get a pull over the rest, I guess.
We shall devote ourselves chiefly to horse-
breeding at present. In time we shall get to
selling grain and hay. Horse-breeding, how-
ever, strikes us as the thing to pay most, both
now and in the future. Garden-fruit we shall

Horse-Breeding. 187

have, of course ; but this is rather uncertain,
owing to the small fall of snow here ; indeed,
all kinds of crops here are rather uncertain,
owing to the summer frosts. We are fairly
well satisfied with the winter. There have
been some pretty cold snaps — 27^ below
zero was the worst ; but mild weather has
been decidedly in the preponderance. In this
country horses are turned out during the
winters, just like cattle, and after the hardest
winters have appeared robust, and even fat —
little colts and all. Horse-breeding will not
be such a risky business as it may seem. We
have not had very much experience, it is true,
but ever since we have been out here we have
had more or less to do with them. Again, in
this climate they are subject to very few
diseases. We shall also keep a few cows and
poultry. Our work will be something of this
sort — herding horses morning and evening,
branding them in the spring and fall, putting
up hay for the riding and working horses

i88

Horse- Breeding.

during the winter, harvesting a crop of oats
for our own use, putting up fences and
stables. In addition to this, after three years*
time, there would be buying and selling to be
done, and shipping the animals off to Ontario
or Manitoba, which are the chief markets. Of
course we shall have to work pretty hard at
first, putting up our log-hut, and some corrals,
etc. ; but we shall not mind that. Why doesn't

M come out.^ If the idea that he will

be of no use prevents him, let him forthwith
dispel it from his mind. We would soon
teach him what real work was, and make
him think himself the hardest-worked brute in
creation. At first, of course, we would let him
off lightly as a greenhorn and a tenderfoot.

January^ 1888. — We have been having
a week of real winter. It would not
have mattered if we had been ready for
it. But the * shack ' is not properly plast-
ered, there is no hay for the horses, as

Caught by the Cold.

189

3f oats
;s and

years*
; to be
Ontario
s. Of
lard at
:orrals,
ioesii't
le will
thwith
I soon

make
•ute in
It him

30t.

laving
I not
y for
plast-
es, as

the stacks are a mile and a quarter off, and
the supply of firewood and food is rather low.
The spirit in the thermometer has not been
within shouting-range of zero since Monday
week, excepting on one day, and then we all
rushed off to the bush ten miles away to get
more firewood. The snow is so deep now that
horses can hardly draw a waggon, and sleighs
are rare round here. Yesterday we borrowed
a sort of sleigh known as a jumper : it is very
low, and you sit just behind your team's heels.
Well, we started in this thing to Calgary, to
get some food. When we were three miles
on the way we had to stop and get thawed
out at a house, as the snow thrown up by the
horses' hoofs had frozen on our faces and
made it impossible to see. Finally we had
to turn round and come home. Then I
saddled a horse and rode over to a neigh-
bour's and borrowed enough food to keep us
going till we can get some from Calgary. I
forgot to say that just as we got home the

190

Caught by the Cold.

pole came out of the jumper and the team
went on, leaving us sprawling in the snow.

Tell cook that I've got a new dodge for
bread-making instead of yeast. I think it is
the same plan as that used in Palestine by the
old Jews. The last time dough was made for
bread I took a small piece of it and put it
aside to get sour ; to-day, in making bread,
I am using this sour piece [^of dough instead
of yeast, for we have none of that left. The
bread is not made yet, but is doing very well
so far.

January. — I suppose that Christmas gaieties
have not allowed you much time for writing ;
at least, that is the way we account for
absence of mail last Thursday. Dick and
I walked three miles to the post-office and
back again through snow which was knee-
deep. When we got there, the only thing
for us was a small circular from some book-
seller in Calgary. We felt like going on to

Caught by the Cold.

191

interview him at first, but afterwards thought
better of it.

The day before yesterday we went with
our team to get firewood, and had an awful
time of it coming home. l he snow was
drifted three or four feet in lots of places,
and very often the horses were up to their
bodies in snow ; even where there were no
drifts the trail was awfully heavy. We had
ten miles of this, and, in order to lighten the
horses* work, walked all the way back and
most of the way there ; and this in a deep
snow, with a crust not quite hard enough to
bear your weight, and yet which held your
feet at every step. We had got nearly home
— half-way up the last hill — when the horses
gave out, and tried to make little rushes to
get on, not pulling steadily together. For a
long time we had to stop, and let them get
their strength again. Certainly they had done
splendidly.

There is some talk of Dick and myself

1 i

192

A Warm Bed,

going to the bush to camp out and cut rails
for two or three weeks. It seems a tempting
prospect, living in a tent with the thermo-
meter often going down to -20° and -30° F.
However, a tent is very easily warmed, only
it gets very cold when the stove is out. Still,
if we go, we shall have lots of bedding. I
will tell you how much, to see if you think
it enough. First, a tick filled with hay ; on
top of this one half of a double blanket,
then ourselves, then the second half of the
double blanket, and on top the two big white
blankets and the two blue ones we brought
out with us ; then the two he^vy ulsters, the
two waterproof sheets, the two white water-
proofs and the pea-jackets ; indeed, a man
needs a steam-crane to lift the bedclothes in
order to get up ; but once in, you do not
find it a bit too much. The waterproofs go
half under and half over the bed, and keep
draughts from getting between the blankets.
You talk about fancy-dress balls and dinners,

:ut raiJs
smpting
thermo-
-30° F.
;d, only
:. Still,
ing. I
1 think
ay ; on
)lanket,
of the
g white
)rought
ers, the
water-
a man
thes in
do not
>ofs go
i keep
ikets.
inners,

y^ Gay Christmas. 103

etc., and then say the Christmas has not been
so gay as usual. Why, to us poor devils,
living in daily fear of losing some portion of
our flesh from frostbite, with one long round
of bacon and beans, it sounds like a paradise !
We are considered quite 'old stagers' here,
as people know we have been both in Ontario
and British Columbia, and don't know quite
how long either ; so we can talk of greenhorns.

fii

CHAPTER XIV.

A Blizzard. — Out in the Bush. — Another Team. —
Driving Downhill. — We take up Land. — Preparing
it for Habitation. — We all Try to get Drowned.

February. — You must excuse the long in-
terval between this letter and our last, as
we have been camping out in the bush for
seventeen days, cutting posts and rails. By
the way, you need be under very little
anxiety about the blizzards you hear of in
the N.W. States hurting us. We have them
much modified ; only two or three people
were frozen to death in Alberta this last
one. When it came on we were two and
a half miles from home, with Belle and
Vi and a slight sleigh. It was awfully
sudden, and we could not see ten yards in front

Out in the Bush.

195

of us, and felt nearly suffocated by the wind ;
but Belle and Vi knew what was wanted
when we turned their heads home, and all we
had to do was to hold on while they really
tore home straight across the prairie in what,
I think, must have been a bee-line for the
shack, as we were home in less than no time.
Our thermometer did not go below 22"^ to
1 7° F. until the wind had subsided, when it
went down to -30° F.

We had rather a nice time in the bush, as
we were really warm, there being no wind
among the trees. We worked all day in our
shirt-sleeves. There were only three cold
nights, in one of which the thermometer went
down to -25° F.— that was our last night
there. Three days before, we caught an
awfully pretty little brown owl, about four
inches long, and his head larger than all the
rest of his body ; he was splendid at keep-
ing the mice out of the tent. He was frozen
to death on that last night, which was a great

I 3-2

! r

.11 .'

it i

^ 1

's-A

196

Out in the Bush.

pity, as he was very tame, and would eat from
the hand. There were no animals to be seen,
except birds, though we saw lots of wolf-trail,
and heard them howling and yelling all round
at night. They woke us up one night when
they were killing a cow about a quarter of a
mile off; the noise they made then was tre-
mendous. We saw one bear (black) trail,
and followed for two miles with our guns,
but it got so dark we had to give it up.
Next day the trail was covered with snow.
By the way, the wolves in the bush are called

* timber jacks,' and are larger and fiercer than
the coyote or prairie wolves ; they all have
splendid furs on now. I wish I could get
some.

During the last week in the bush snow-
storms prevented any supplies reaching us,
and for the last three days we had beef

* straight,'* with a little baking-powder and
treacle to eat with it ; and the beef would

* Beef ' straight ' means beef ' and nothing else.'

Lt from
•e seen,
If-traiJ,

round
: when
r of a
IS tre-

trail,

guns,
it up.
snow,
called
■ than

have
i get

now-
: us,

beef

and
ould

Another Team. i^y

not have held out for more than two more

meals. You say in your last letter that G

recommends hiding from a blizzard in the
snow. As far as I have seen in this country,
one could only follow the ostrich's example,
and hide one's head and leave the rest to luck
— not much use in a blizzard, I think. I said
we might be getting some more bronchos any
time, as now is the best time to break them.
We saw three yesterday, and have arranged
to get them if the owner will sell at our
price — $240 (;^48) for the three.

February. — The day before yesterday I

rode over to S Creek. I was to join

another fellow there, and together we were
going to ride up the creek and ' spy out the
land.' He never turned up, so I slept at
a * shack ' there, and came back next morning.
I saw one section of land which I thoufj^ht
would have suited us; but it was not possible
to examine it properly, as the weather was so

\ ■ '

!('

198

inother Team.

bad. I suppose you have heard by this time
that we have bought three new mares — wild
bronchos. They are getting quite gentle
now, though two of them are still very
nervous, one three-year old especially. The
other day we hitched one into the waggon
with Vi. She ran quite a bit, and Dick
says that he had, for about ten minutes, the
roughest ride he has ever experienced. We
also got a little cayeuse, or Indian pony, to do
our rough riding, till the others are better
able to stand it. It was on him that I rode

over to S Creek. When I started I

left Dick laughing at me. He said I was
quite as big as the pony, and ought to take
my turn at carrying.

We are having glorious weather now.
The snow is nearly all gone. It freezes
about 20° at night, but thaws during the
day ; in fact, the winter seems to have quite
broken up. Last night, however, there was
a snowstorm, and the temperature stood at

Driving Bownhill.

199

IS time
— wild
gentle
very
The
aggon

Dick

;s, the

to do

)etter

rode
ed I

was
take

low.
"zes
the
Jite
ivas
at

2 . The roads, as you may imagine, are in a
pretty bad condition. In driving to Calgary
to-day, I came across a cutting where there
was about six feet of water and slush. Con-
sequently I had to go down a place which
was something very like perpendicular. I
give a small plan of the incline, which is no
exaggeration at all.

Belle and Vi had to stiffen all four legs and
slide for about twelve feet, to get down
without upsetting. J had to brace my feet
against the front of the box, and lean back
with all my might, holding on to the reins,
in order to keep them u*^. Happily the
snow was pretty deep, so it was not so
slippery as it might have been.

til

''il

200

We Take up Land.

March, — We should have written last
week, but we were both so awfully busy that
we had not time, and I did not feel up to
writing last night to catch this morning's
mail, as I had just come in from a forty-mile
ride, and was a bit tired. We have taken up
land here, about twenty-two miles from
Calgary, and in a fairly well settled district.
We have each homesteaded i6o acres, and
each pre-empted 1 60 acres, making in all 640
acres. It is a nice little valley, well sheltered
on all sides, and with lots of natural hay on
it, and within easy reach of timber ; it is
about a quarter of a mile from Sheep Creek,
a good-sized stream, which boasts of splendid
trout fishing. We shall also buy eighty acres
of Canadian Pacific Railway land that is
adjoining it, in order to get possession of
certain springs, which are open all the year
round. We shall be allowed ten years to
pay for it, so it will be all right, not more
than ^8 a year. It is almost necessary to

We Take up Land, 20 1

buy this eighty acres, if not absolutely, as the
land we have taken '^up would decrease in
value if we did not, as there is not water
on it through the winter. If we did not take
this section, we should have to go much
further off, or take up an inferior one.

Belle had her first long ride yesterday
(about forty miles), and came through the
ordeal very well indeed, though she was a bit
tired. In the evening I went to her and
found her lying down ; I sat on her shoulder
and patted her. She was not a bit frightened;
most horses won't stand anyone near them
when they are lying down. We bought a
stallion last Saturdr.y for $225 (^^45); it was
a very good bargain, and a chance not often
got, or we should not have bought it. It
took down our cash account quite a bit ; but
as we shall be working out all the summer, it
will be no inconvenience, and we have no
debts. It will save us its own value in two
years, besides the work it does ; and it is a

:■!

:: t

202 Preparing it for liabiiation.

splendid team horse, and wonderfully gentle.
We shall camp out in a tent on our land next
week, I think, and put up a log-house, and du
a little fencing and ploughing. Then we
shall work out till the winter, except for three
weeks to put up our own hay. Herbert is at

C Ranche, about eighteen miles west of

Calgary, buying another mare. We shall sell
our saddle-pony and one of our saddles to
help pay for her. You thought in your last
letter that going in for horses would bring us
into connection ^ ith a low set. But here it
is quite different ; two-thirds of the ranchers
go in for cattle, and it is impossible to
draw a distinction between cattle-dealers and
horse-dealers regarding their characters ;
from what I have seen, the proportion of
gentlemen among horse-raisers is quite as
great as among cattlemen and farmers. Our
experience of them is that they are
very decent fellows, and quite straight, and
bearing excellent characters through the

Preparing it for Habitation. 203

country. In fact, the horse-dealers are quite
a different sort of people here to some that
are to be found in England, though there are
black sheep here as well as anywhere else.
We were at an auction the other day, and
bought a mower, rake, and stove, and two
or three other things, very cheap, which saved
us quite a bit ; among other things we picked
up a turning-lathe, very cheap ; it will come
in handy in winter evenings. Our money is
invested as safely as it could be ; and as we
mean to do a lot of work this summer, we
hope to show you a model ranche when you
come to see us.

We send you the temperature (Fahrenheit)
for January, to give you an idea of our worst
month.

A.M.

January ist i

2nd
3rd
4th
5 th
6th
7th

8.
10.
1 1.

9-
9-

A. M. P. M.

,.-16° 10. ..26° 10... -3"
.. 15° lo--- f

...10° Lowest at night -18"
..-17° » -25°

.. -6° „ -16°

204 Preparing it for Habitation.

-4
24°

A.M. P.M.

January 8th 9... -8° Lowest at night -lo*

*> 9tii 7--- »i" » 24°

„ loth 10... 0° „

„ nth 10... 28° „

f» I2th \

,f 13th I Gale of wind.

„ 14th jTlicrmomcicr out of order.

» i.^th J

„ i6th 10... o'

„ 17th 10. ..-I r

„ i8th 10. ..-20° Lowest at night -25'

„ 19th 10. ..-22° „ -29

f, 20th 8. ..-25° „

„ 2ist 8. ..-12" „

„ 22 nd

„ 23rd 8... -20" „

„ 24th 8... 1 8* „

,) 25th 8... 0° „

,> 26th 8... 22° „

,» 27th 8... 33° „

28th 8... 34°

» 29th 8... 34° „

» 30th 8... 34° „

» 31st 8... 34° „

■12
■26°

.26'

■ 12°

18"
18°
18°
18°
18°
18°

5"
o

3
CfX)

Creek.

April. — You will see by the heading of my
letter that we have changed camps. We are
now living with a fellow whose land adjoins
our own, and are working tremendously
hard, hauling logs to build our house, and

h i

Preparing it for [labitation. 205

rails to fence with. The house, of course,
will take some time. After we have done
that, we shall turn to the fencing. We shall
want about a mile and a half of that. As
soon as the frost goes we shall break thirty
acres, as we want to get a crop next
spring. We shall have a few potatoes and
vegetables in this spring.

A man who lives near here told me the
other day that once when he was fishing in
the creek he pulled out about eighty pounds
of trout. This may be a little tall, but still
it shows that the stream is a pretty good one.
He said also that none of the fish weighed
under a pound.

Last Sunday I had a small adventure with
a horse in the pasture here. I was trying to
catch him. Well, I got the lasso round his
neck, but he got a start on me, and as the
ground was very slippery, and I was on foot,
I could not stop him, so he pulled me over.
I thought that if I hung on to the rope a bit

2o6 Preparing it for Habitation.

perhaps he would stop ; but I guess he didn't.
The further he went the faster he went, and
after doing ten miles an hour over hard, rough
frozen ground for the distance of some two
hundred yards, I decided to let go. I got
rather bumped, and am stiff now from it.
Dick then went to the stable to saddle
* Bull ' the stallion, and run the horse in.
He had broken out of the pasture, and when
he arrived at the stable, a quarter of a mile
from the hut, there was our friend standing
with Belle and Vi.

You talk about the difficulty of getting
a good house in England now. Here we
have to be thankful if we can't crawl in and
out through the walls. In our last residence
we could see through them on all sides.
However, we have determined that ours shall
be a model house ; I hope the determination
will last.

May. — We have been hard at it all this

Preparing it for Habitation. 207

month hauling logs and lumber for the house.
Three or four days ago we had just started
home with a load from the bush where we
had been at work, when we got into a morass.
The wheels of the waggon sank in as far as
the axles. I had just time to get one of the
horses on to firm ground ; but Belle sank till
she looked as if she were lying on the ground.
We unharnessed her, got her out, and started
again, having thrown off half the load. We
hadn't gone half a dozen yards when she got
in again deeper than ever. She pulled till
she was so embedded that she could only
move her head. We were pretty near two
hours before we managed to get her out.
She did exactly what we told her in the way
of lying still and jumping, or rather trying to
jump. At one time I thought we should
have had to pull her out with the logging
chain and the other horse. We did not
get home that night, and had to put up at a
friend's house ten miles off.

20 8 We all Try to get Drowned,

When there is not a heavy load on the
waggons, we ride on the coupling between
front and hind wheels. Of course, when we

cross S Creek, the water comes over

this ; and as there is no higher place to go to,
we have to grin and bear it. The water
is snow water from the mountains, and, as
you'll guess, not remarkable for its warmth.
Yesterday we went to Cilgary. When about
seventeen miles off we saw a rair^torm
coming down from the mountains, so we
raced it. Belle and Vi did the distance with-
out a stop, and hardly seemed at all tired.
We arrived ten minutes before the storm.

We got back from Calgary to-day all safe,
in spite of mud- holes and swolJcii creeks.

But we nearly all came to grief at F

Creek, owing to false information. Two
men whom we met told us that it was not
too deep to cross with a load. When we got
to the bank it looked to me too deep ; but
as they had just crossed, we determined to go

We all Try to get Drowned. 209

by what they said. We hadn't gone three
yards when I saw what was up. Still, it was
no use turning back then. A few yards more
and the horses were out of their depth, and
the stream began to take horses, waggon and
all along with it. Belle and Vi, however, did
not see the fun of this, and did their best
to struggle across. Fortunately they got
foothold on some shingle. We then waited
till the stream slewed the waggon round on
to the same bed, and then unhitched them,
and got them to the other side. The next
business was to unload the waggon as quick as
we could, for the water was rising fast. We
did all we had time for, and then hitched the
two mares on to the end of the waggon-
pole. They pulled it out, and about nine
hundredweight of lumber with it. Had this
happened fifteen feet lower down there would
have been little chance of saving either waggon
or horses, as the banks are four or five feet
high and perpendicular, and there is a good

t i

i 1

no We all Try to get Drowned.

fifteen feet of water. The waggon, too, was
pretty heavy, having got thirty-three hundred-
weight on board.

By the way, you asked for a description of
Dick. He is a little taller than when we
came out, and very much broader. His face
is the colour of a mahogany sideboard.

L and I think if he were to appear in

B in his usual costume, there would be

a general stampede out of the town.

P.S. — Mab has got a little colt, which does
nothing else but run races all day with its
own shadow.

f). •

CHAPTER XV.

Our House. — Work and Play. — Doing a Hay Contract.
— Rest after Toil. — A Misfortune.

May. — Having finished chinking and plaster-
ing, we are at last installed in our new house,
and are very comfortable. It is twenty-four
feet by twenty inside, which is considered big
in this country ; and, indeed, it seems so to
us, after having lived for some time in a house
twelve by fourteen. There is a sod roof on,
and we are going to put lumber over it,
though as yet the rain has not come through.
There are two windows, and we shall make
another as soon as we have time. Our cellar
is six feet square. There is a timber partition
up the middle of the house ; in one half we
have the stove and cook, in the other we sleep,

14 — 2

212

Our House.

sit, read, etc. There

going

to be a veranda

in front when we have time.

We have ploughed a fire-break round the
place, and a corral to one side of it, to keep
the colts in while we are breaking-in their
mothers. There is also a * snubbing-post '
close to the house — that is, a post fixed into
the ground very tight, used for tying wild
horses to while putting on the saddle or
harness during the breaking-in. Our water
comes from a hole we dug in the coulee, a
few yards in front of the house.

In the room we sleep in there is a table in
one corner, a double bed in the one next to
it ; in the third corner the big trunk, known
generally as the * Woolwich Infant,' and in
the last, a lot of sacks of oats for the horses.
We sit, at present, on our two gun-cases
placed across two kegs ^{ nails. In the
kitchen there is a stove at one end with the
cooking things hung up behind it ; a pile
of oats heaped up in one corner ; saddles,
harness, and bridles in the other.

IVork and Play.

213

We have broken-in Queenie to the saddle.
When we first put the saddle on her she
bucked tremendously, but quieted down after-
wards. The next day she bucked even worse
than before, and when I got on her, t^e first
thing I knew was that I had lost my stirrups,
which were much too long for me, and I
slipped on one side, one leg over the saddle
and one under her body. It was awfully hard
work to hang on while she bucked. I clung
with one hand to a strap round the horn ot
the saddle, and I guess it skinned my knuckles
just a bit. Until to-day she used often to
run away with us, going round in a circle so
small that it seemed possible to touch the
centre of it.

We did not buy the Canadian Pacific Rail-
way land after all : they asked too much, and
we found v/ater on our own place. There is
a clump of timber on one corner of our sec-
tion, and we can get all we want beyond
within a few miles by paying $50 for a

214

PFork and Play.

* timber permit.* Timber-land costs $5 an
acre, besides the surveying fees. Our house
faces south-west, and we get a glorious view
of the Rockies, which we can see through the
window when lying in bed.

We are trying now to get a contract for
putting up hay for some of the people round
here. I think we shall manage it.

June. — We are just finishing railing-in our
pasture-land. For the last week Dick has
stayed all day in the bush cutting and piling
rails, while I hauled them down to our place.
We landed four loads a day — that is, about
200 rails — and took about two hours and a
half to each load ; so you can guess that we
have had good busy days. Towards the end
of the week Belle and Vi thought that they
had had about enough of it, and became
rather bad-tempered. They didn't show it
to me, but would bite and kick one another.

This summer we intend to break- in a new

IVork and Play.

215

team, Mab and Dolly, enlarge our pasture-
land to 180 acres, and put up about thirty
tons of hay for our own use. Then we want

to get a contract for hay at the S Creek

Ranche. I went to see the manager, and made
him an offer ; he will let me know in a day
or two whether he takes it or no. I rode
over to see him on Queenie. When we got
to the river, two dogs began to jump about
and bark on the other side ; so my lady
insisted on walking down the river till I was
just wet through, and madder than anything
with her. On the whole, though, she behaves
very well, considering that she has only just
been broken to the saddle.

Everything round here is looking beautiful
just now. The birds are present in flocks.
We have had no time for fishing yet, though
the river is not 500 yards from us.

Our room looks quite jolly now. We
have put up some bookshelves and the photos,
also our bats, rackets, and guns. The round

2l6

Work and Play.

log walls show the things off very well.
Dick has been trying, unsuccessfully, to
sketch the house lately ; but he makes it
look rather like a pigsty, so I won't send
any of his attempts just yet.

July. — We have started putting up our own
hay (twenty-five or thirty tons), and every-
thing is going splendidly. We are having
grand weather ; no rain at all till last night,
when there was a short storm which could do
us no harm, as we had stacked all the hay
that was raked up. We have ten tons in the
stack, and about as much more lying on the
ground cut. To-morrow morning 1 shall
hope to cut enough to finish it. After that,
I have twenty-five tons to cut and rake for a
neighbour (at 75c. per ton). This will be
three days' work. Then we start on a con-
tract we have got for the R Ranche, at

$2.62^ per; ton. This we expect will keep
us going to the :middle of September. After

fVork and Play,

111

that we come back to our own place, and put
up stables, and fix up generally for the winter,
besides training Queenie for the October races.
Since she has been broken in she has shown a
good deal of speed, and two or three fellows
have been after her. One man offered me a
big mare and a horse for her. We hope she
will take the half-mile or three-quarters of a
mile. We expect to clear over $300 on the
200 tons contract. If we do, we shall be able
to put in the whole time till next haying on
our own place.

Yesterday, as I was running the mower,
driving Vi and Mab, Mab's colt kept getting
in the way, and had one or two near shaves
of getting her feet cut off in the knives. So
I stopped the machine, and we tried to catch
her. As we had no long rope to lasso her in
the open, we ran her into the corral and roped
her there. Though only ten weeks old, she
fought furiously. I did not think she was
strong enough to do any harm, and so was

2l8

IVork and Play.

I, )
p I

slightly careless how I handled her. She sud-
denly got up on her hind-legs, and hit me on
the nose with one of her forefeet, making it
bleed and knocking me down. After that I
was more careful. Mab and Dolly are now
broken, and are wonderfully gentle.

A few days ago we went fishing for two
evenings, and caught seventy-four trout, run-
ning from half a pound to two pounds and a
half The whole outfit weighed seventy-seven
pounds. Two rods were going one day and
one the next. The baits we used were little
gilt minnows and sa'mon-flies, also spoon-bait
of the size used for black bass. For about an
hour the first evening, they would get on just
as fast as you could throw the minnow in,
haul the fish in, and unhook him. One big
one got away from Dick with a spoon, and
another with a minnow, in each case breaking
the gimp.

There is an awful quantity of mosquitoes
here now. In the early morning or evening,

Doing a Hay Contract. 219

we cannot do any work without a smoke to
work by ; and we have to set smudges
(smokes) going for the horses.

On Friday I came across a piece of ground
where one could make a tennis-lawn very
easily. It is quite level and very fairly
smooth.

Hay Camp.

September. — You will be surprised at not
having heard from us before, but I have been
quite unable to post a letter, though I've had
one written in my pocket for some days.
We have been camped here for about a
month. We got the contract that I men-
tioned before, and have got to get the hay up
by September 15th. There are 200 tons of it.
We had about ten days' wet weather to start
with, which delayed us a good deal, so now we
have to rustle in good earnest. We have
been working seven days in a week, from
5 a.m. to 8 p.m. I think we shall just
manage it if the weather holds.

220

Doing 2 Hay Contract,

V\ \ i

¥\

Fm afraid you would not think much of
our camp if you saw it. The cooking place
is just eight feet square, and consists of four
posts in the ground, and a few boards nailed
on to three sides. Our sleeping-place is a
tent eleven feet long by six broad. Four
of us sleep in it ; and it is lucky that the
nights are cool, or we should be roasted
alive.

Last night we helped to tie up a wild cow
a hundred yards from camp. A cow-boy had
separated a cow from the herd, and was trying
to drive it to the ranche to be killed for beef ;
but as he was on a bad horse he could not do
it. He lassoed it over the horns, and yelled
to us to bring a rope and help him. The
end o^ his lasso was round the horn of his
saddle, and he was holding it in. We went
up just outside the cow's reach to throw a
rope round its forelegs. The cow made for
us, and the lasso became so tight that the
cow's horns touching it now and then made

Boing a Hay Contract.

221

It sound like a banjo string ; if it had broken
there would have been some ticklish work, as
the cow was perfectly furious. However, we
managed to throw it over, and then it was
killed.

September. — At last we are through with
our hay contract. It has only got to be
measured and paid for now. We were
awfully glad when it was finished, and have
been taking it easy ever since. We have put
up another three tons for ourselves, and I have
cut about ten tons more for a neighbour.
Most of our time, however, since the 1 5th,
has been employed in shooting and fishing.
Some of the fish we catch are being salted
for the winter. Dick goes down regularly
in the morning and catches about fifteen
pounds of trout. Yesterday we both went,
and just at the south-west corner of our place
we found fresh deer trail, and a few minutes
later saw two deer. Unfortunately, we only

222

Rest after Toil.

had shot-guns with us, and loaded with
small shot, so we had to leave them. The
ducks are now in full swing, and the
geese are beginning to show up. Also
there are quite a number of prairie chickens
around.

We ought to come out of our hay con-
tract pretty well, I think. It has cost us
about $150 in labour and provisions, and
we ought to get somewhere between $550
and $600 for it.

October. — I have only just time to write
a line. We had rather a misfortune last
Saturday afternoon. Nearly half our con-
tract hay was burnt by a prairie fire just
before the ranche took it over. Thus the
loss falls on us. About seventy or eighty
tons went, worth $200, so that we shall only
clear about $125 now for our summer's work.
We had to put in all Saturday night keeping
a look-out on the fire, and since we came

A Misfortune. 223

home have had a saddle-horse always ready
in case of a wind getting up and scattering
the burning hay over the prairie, and firing
the range. There are two big fires raging
around; one twenty miles off, the other
about six. They will not tiouble us how-
ever, unless a big west wind gets up.

I was out shooting this afternoon, and got
four brace — three brace of prairie chicken,
and one brace of ruffled grouse, called wood-
partridges here. There arc immense quan-
tities of game round here, but one is entirely
dependent on luck in putting them up with-
out a dog. When T comes out he

ought to bring a setter. It would really pay,
as we could then, without any difficulty, keep
the house supplied with fresh meat. While
I was shooting Dick was fishing, and caught
two trout, one weighing two pounds and the
other two and a half pounds. To-morrow
we go into Calgary to get some things for
the winter. After that we shall not, I hope.

224

A Misfortune,

have to take a team in till next spring.
Bull goes with us to be sold, though I'm
afraid it is rather a bad time of year for
selling.

THE END.

BILLING AND SONS, PRINTERS, GUILDFORD.

ing.

I'm

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THREE GREEK CHILDREN. A Story of Home in old

time. With Twelve Illustrations. Price 3s. 6d.
"This is a very fascinating little book." — Spectator.

SEELEY &^ CO., 46, 47, atjd ^^^ Essex Street, Strand.

BOOKS FOR THE YOUNG.

IN HIS NAME. A Story of the VValdenses. By E. E
PIALE. With many Ilhistrations hy G. P. Jacoml, Hood. Price 6s.,
cloth, gilt edges. '

l^^yr~S^.^'^ ^^°"^^ ^' ^^^ ^'^^■■- • • • '' '^ ^''^-'^ to praise this book too

JOHN STAN DISH; or, The Harrowing of London. \
Story of Wat Tyler's Rebellion. By F. Gilliat. With Coloured
Illustrations. I'rice 5s., cloth.

T ^ T '"" 'v'^ '" interesting and well told,_and the pictures of the life and manners of the
StafiTard ""^ ' Richard II. are alike graphic and accurate."-

FOREST OUTLAWS ; or, St. Hugh and the King. By the
Rev. E. Gilliat. With Sixteen Illustrations. Price 6s., cloth.
•' Distinctly one of the very best books of the SQ^son."— Standard.

BELT AND SPUR: Stories of the Knights of Old. With
Coloured Illustrations. Price 5s.

•'A very high-class gift-book of the spirit-stirring WmA."—S/,rciator.
A sort of boy's Froissart with admirable illustrations."— /^a// Mail Gazette.

THE CITY IN THE SEA: Stories of the Old Venetians.
With Coloured Illustrations. Price 5s.

_'' Very stirring are the tales of the long struggle between Genoa and Venice . . . boys
will read with keen interest the desperate battles between the rival fleets of galleys."—
Standard.

STORIES OF THE ITALIAN ARTISTS : from Vasari.
With Coloured Illustrations. Price 5s.

"The book is full of delightful reading, carefully chosen from a rich treasury of
curiosities."— 6"/^<:/'rt2'^; .

"Another very charming \o\\imt."— Saturday Review.

BORDER LANCES : a Romance of the Northern Marches.
By the Author of "Belt and Spur." With Coloured Illustrations.
Price 5s., cloth.
"The book is a good one ... the illustrations are excellent."— .S"/(:r/rt/t»r.

THE CAPTAIN OF THE WIGHT. A Romance of
Carisbrooke Castle in 1488. By F. Cowper, With 12 Illustrations.
Second Edition. 5s,, cloth.
"A very attractive story, and one which deserves many readers."— .S'/,r/rt/i;r.

C^DWALLA : or, the Saxons in the isle of Wight. By F.
Cowper, M.A. With Illustrations. Second Edition. Price 5s., cloth.
"The story abounds in incident, both exciting and amusing." — Athenceum.

SEELEY ^ CO.., 46, 47, an(^ 4S, Essex Street., Strand.

BOOKS FOR THE YOUNG.

FATHER ALDUR : The Story of a River Ry A. Gibkrne.
With Sixteen Tinted Ilkistrations. Price 5s., cloth.

"The nature of tides, the formation of clouds, the sources of water, and other kindred
subjects are discussed with much freshness and charm." — Saturday Review.

SUN, MOON, AND STARS. A Book on Astronomy for
Beginners. By A. Giherne. With Coloured Illustrations. Twelfth
Thousand, Price 5s., "cloth.

" Ought to have a place in village libraries and mechanics' institutions ; would also be
welcome as a prize-book." — Pall Mall Gasctte.

AMONG THE STARS ; or, Wonderful Things in the Sky.
By A. GiiJKRNE. With Illustrations. Third Thousand. Price 5s.

" We may safely predict that if it does not find the reader with a taste for astronomy,
it will leave him with one." — Knowlcclgc,

THE WORLD'S FOUNDATIONS: Geology for Beginners.
By A. GibERNE. With Illustrations. Third Thousand. Price 5s.,
cloth.

" The exposition is clear, the style simple and attractive." — Spectator.

Vk \ -J

THE PHARAOHS AND THEIR LAND : Scenes of Old
Egyptian Life and History. By E. Berkley. With Coloured Illus-
trations. Price 5s., cloth.

"An account of that wonderful land which is not only interesting, but valuable." —
Leeds Mercury.

CHAPTERS ON ANIMALS. By P. G. Hamerton. New

Edition, with eight Etchings. Price 5s., cloth.

Also a larger Edition with Twenty Etchings. Price 12s. 6d.

" Admirable in the thoughtfulness of its contents and the beauty of its illustrations." —
Scotsman.

THE SYLVAN YEAR. By P. G. Hamerton. New Edition,

witli Eight Etchings. Price 5s., cloth.

Also a larger Edition, with Twenty Etchings. Price 12s. 6d.

" Wise young people will not desire better books than these, and wise old onei.- may
read them with a j,ood deal of advantage." — Scotsman.

SEELEY &^ CO., 46, 47, and ^^, Essex Street., Strand.

rIBKRNE.
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Price 5s.
astronomy,

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Price 5s.,

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