INCANAD\ Class 3^tx^L5 Rnok yy -. Gopyiight N" . COPYRIGHT DEPOSn> H •a- K H a-§ r^^ ROY AND RAY IN CANADA BY MARY WRIGHT PLUMMER Author of " Roy and Ray in Mexico " ILLUSTRATED NEW YORK HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY 1908 r IlIBRARY of MIIQRE68. IwoGoDiM Reuive* SEP t8 1»08 ^ 4US» (X- XXe. Nu- ' COPY b/ Copyright, 1908, BY HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY Published September, igoS ^'^C,2Z/ THE QUINN & BODEN CO. PRESS RAHWAY, N. J. To all fair-minded American and Canadian hoys and girls , this record of Canadian travel is dedicated PREFACE Encoueaged by the assurance that " Roy and Ray in Mexico " had met, partially at least, a need in education expressed by parents, teachers, and librarians, the author has prepared this rec- ord of a summer recently spent in the eastern part of the Dominion of Canada, in the hope that it may be equally useful. She takes this occasion to express her sincere appreciation of the assistance received from Mr. Lawrence J. Burpee, author of '' Canadian Life in Town and Country "; from Mr. Charles H. Gould, Librarian of McGill University; and from Mr. Benjamin Homans, formerly editor of the Bankers' Magazine, in the chapter on banking; also of the extra privileges allowed her by the Pratt Institute Free Library of Brooklyn and the New York Public Library through its Washington Heights Branch. New York, 1908. CONTENTS CHAPTEB PAGE I. Making Plaxs 1 II. All Aboard 11 III. Pressing the Button 21 IV. The Federation .33 V. The Chaudiere (Caldron) 48 VI. Philemon Wright and the Lumber Trade . . 59 VII. Playing " Voyageurs " 72 VIII. Ville-Marie 87 IX. Place D'Armes 100 X. Dominion Day: The Indian Village . . . 117 XI. Dominion Day: A Game of Lacrosse . .. . 130 XII. A Division . . . . . . . .140 ' XIII. Early Days 154 XIV. To Quebec 167 XV. The Conquest 180 XVI. A Misadventure . . . . . . . 192 XVII. Quebec and Montmorency 204 XVIII. Indian Lorette 217 vii viii CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE XIX. Jesuits in Canada 226 XX. Jesuits Among the laoauois .... 241 XXI. Politics and Religion , 253 XXII. Saint Anne de Beaupre 263 XXIII. Farthest North 270 XXIV. Pointe Bleue 281 XXV. The Saguenay to Tadousac 298 XXVI. The Land of the Bluenoses .... 308 XXVII. LouisBOURG 319 XXVIII. A Full Day 331 XXIX. Going to Halifax 344 XXX. The Land of Evangeline 359 XXXI. Across the Bay of Fundy 373 XXXII. Over the Border 382 Appendix I 389 Appendix II . . . . . . . . 391 Appendix III 392 Index . . . .393 ILLUSTRATIONS V" Group of Fathers of the Federation . . . Frontispiece Map of Canada Facing page 1 " RtTNUriNG THE SLIDES " " 56 V Rafting Timber " 68 • Crossing the Ottawa " 76 ^ Trappists at Work " 76 A French-Canadian Farm " 84 Tobogganing at Kent House " 150 ^ Chateau de Ramezay " 154 ^ Caleches and Drivers " 194 Winter in Quebec " 204 The Golden Dog " 208 Dora Among the Daisies *' 216 French-Canadian Children " 216 . French-Canadla.n Oven " 282-' The Bear at Roberval " 283 Group of Montagnais Indians . . . . " 286 ' A Hudson's Bay Company's Post . . . . " 294 / Secret Passage at Louisbourg . . . . " 324 ^ Grave of Lord Dundonald . . . . . " 324 The Grand Pre Willows " 366 ' Martello Tower at Halifax " 366 iz ROY AND RAY IN CANADA CHAPTER I MAKING PLANS *' Fathek, are we going anywhere this sum- mer? " asked Roy Stevens, as the family, with the exception of Mrs. Stevens and the two young- est children, sat on the wire-screened piazza, one of the first very warm evenings in June. " I had thought," said Mr. Stevens, " that I would take a little trip into Canada and take all the family, except perhaps Gilbert and Dora, who might hold the fort in our absence. But your mother says she can't leave the baby this summer. ' ' '^ No, it's his second summer," said Ray, thoughtfully. '' But," she added, '' if mother can't go, then Dora can, — she won't have to hold the fort." " True for you," said Mr. Stevens. " Would you like to go, Dora! " " Yes, indeed. I haven't got over my disap- 2 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA pointment yet that I did not go to Mexico with you last summer, — it turned out so much more interesting than I thought it would, I've been cross with myself ever since to think I declined to go." " Canada won't be as interesting as Mexico — at least, it won't be interesting in the same way," said Mr. Stevens; ^' but I imagine we can spend six or seven weeks in looking about with some profit and considerable pleasure." << Why go to Canada? We know all about Canada already, ' ' remarked Gilbert. '' Oh, do we? Well, let's see. We'll begin with the children. Roy and Ray, what do you know about Canada? " asked Mr. Stevens, curiously, turning to the twelve-year-old twins. They looked at each other, hesitating, and finally Ray said, " Well, I don't know much; but it's bounded on the north by British America, and on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, and on the south by us, and on the west by — by — I don't know, it just goes way off somewhere." Everybody had to laugh at this very indefinite limit, and Roy said, '' It goes clear to the Pacific Ocean, — didn't you know that? " ' ' Oh ! " exclaimed Ray. ' ' Then it 's just like a belt across the body of North America." MAKING PLANS 3 ''A pretty wide belt, too," said lier father. ^' Is that all you know? " * ' No, I know more than that, ' ' said Eay. ^ * It 's the country the slaves all used to escape to, when we had slaves, and they used to be perfectly safe when they got across the St. Lawrence Eiver. And when the Indians used to come down and attack the villages in New England, they used to carry the women and children off to Canada." ' ' Yes, ' ' said Eoy, ' ' and when an American does some things against the law, he makes for Canada the first thing, because once he gets there the law can't touch him. Not if he killed a man, though, — then he 'd be sent back if we asked for him. ' ' ' ' And if a woman wants expensive furs at half- price or thereabout, she goes to Canada to buy them and then tries to get them across the line without being found out, ' ' put in Dora. *' What else do you know, Dora, about Canada? " '' I know Evangeline's country is there " " That's in Nova Scotia," corrected Roy. ** Well, Nova Scotia's a part of Canada." "Is it? That's news to me," said Roy, half- doubting. " Yes, Evangeline, and then the early Jesuit missionaries went all over Canada " 4 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA " Oh, yes," interrupted Roy, '' and the Indians tortured them before they killed them! They used to take " '^ Never mind that, Roy," said Mr. Stevens. '* We won't disturb this lovely summer evening with those horrible stories, true as they are." * ' Well, there were the Plains of Abraham, too, ' ' went on Roy, ' ' where the British conquered Que- bec and got possession of Canada ; and Wolfe said — Wolfe said — dear me, what is the matter with my memory? " Everybody burst into a laugh, but Roy was too absorbed to mind, and continued, " Well, I can't remember just now what he said, but the French general Montcalm, he said — he said " " It sounds like a game of ' Consequences,' " said Ray, teasingly. " Anyhow," continued Roy, " they were both killed and they both said something that every- body remembered " *' Except Roy," said Dora, smiling. '' Never mind, Roy, it will come to you, and we've all for- gotten it with you, — unless Gilbert knows." " Wolfe said, ' God be praised! I die happy,' when he was told the English had won the vic- tory," replied Gilbert; " and Montcalm said, when told he was dying, ' So much the better; MAKING PLANS 5 then I shall not live to see the surrender of Quebec' " '' Go on, Gilbert," said Mr. Stevens, " tell us what you know about Canada, or, ' ' slyly, ' ' will it take too long? " Gilbert ignored the little fling, and went on, '^ It's a crown colony " '' What does that mean? " asked Roy. " Means it's governed by Great Britain." " How? " persisted Roy. ''How?" repeated Gilbert. ''Well, I don't know just how — they have a Governor-gen- eral " " Are they represented in the British Parlia- ment? " asked Roy. " Because if they're not, they're no better off than the American colonies were. ' ' " Then I guess they must be, for, as far as I know, they're not kicking," replied Gilbert. " Some of them are," said Mr. Stevens, smiling, ' ' and you are mistaken about their being a crown- colony — Canada is a self-governing colony — and it is not represented in Parliament. ' ' " Oh, well, of course, some people are dissatis- fied, I suppose, but I mean they're not in revolt." " No, that's true. Well? " " Hum! Let me see. It's a great lumber coun- 6 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA try and fur country and fishing country, and every once in a while there 's a row between Canada and the States over fish or gold mines, and I shouldn't wonder if something would happen some day." '' Not likely, while Great Britain has the say," said Mr. Stevens. ' ' Perhaps not, ' ' said Gilbert, who was twenty- three, just becoming interested in politics, and who loved to prophesy, '' but if Canada should ever want to get loose and should succeed in get- ting loose, some things might have to be settled differently. Anyhow, that's what a young Ca- nadian told me, the other day." ' ' Do they have different money — different from ours 1 ' ' asked Roy. ' ' Yes, but anywhere near the border, the money of either country is taken by the other, — at least, in the east. ' ' " Now, father, what do you know about Can- ada? " asked Ray. ' ' Well, I know now what you have all just been telling me, and I know how to get to Canada, be- sides ; and I think I'll get out my maps and secure some time-tables and work out a route. Meantime, you can all put down some of the things or places you want to see, and I'll try to get them in." It had grown dark by this time, and they were MAKING PLANS 7 quite ready to adjourn to the library, where they were soon all at work over their lists of things and places. When they handed in the lists the next morning, Mr. Stevens read them aloud at the breakfast- table. They were as follows : Dora — The Evangeline country. The shrine of Ste. Anne de Beaupre. The view from the Mountain at Montreal. The Bras d'Or Lakes. Eay — Somebody whose ancestors were carried off by the Indians. Somebody that escaped from slavery across the St. Lawrence. A great big nunnery, the biggest there is. The ice-palace at Montreal. Eoy — The Plains of Abraham. The ouananiche. The government, wherever it is. The tide in the Bay of Fundy. *' We shall have to cut a wide swath, not only in place but in time, to see all this, ' ' laughed Mr. Stevens. " From Ottawa to Cape Breton Island, and from midsummer to the dead of winter. It would take six months instead of six weeks to ful- 8 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA fil all your wishes. But, barring the ice-palace, and the Parliament at Ottawa, I should think it might be done." *' But I thought the ice-palace was standing all the time ! ' ' exclaimed Ray. ' ' I thought Canada was so cold the ice never melted and the palace just got thicker every winter." '' My dear child, you'll think differently one of these days when you stand in Montreal or Quebec mopping the perspiration from your brow," said Gilbert. '^ Canadians realize now, I imagine," said Mr. Stevens, ' ' that the ice-carnival they used to have was a mistake as a piece of advertising. It made people believe that Canada was almost wholly a winter country, — a very great error, for the sum- mer in some parts of Canada is as warm and as long as in our New England States, and the time for raising crops is quite as long in many parts of the country." *' Then we sha'n't see the ice-palace? " " Not by going in summer, — and indeed, I don't believe they have it now even in winter. As for Parliament, that opens in November and usually closes in May, so we must take that on hearsay. We'll find some one to tell us about it, probably. ' ' MAKING PLANS 9 *' What do Canadians look like! " asked Eay, innocently. * * How can you tell a Canadian from an Englishman or an American? What is a Ca- nadian, anyhow? " *' What does the child mean? " asked Gilbert, half -inclined to laugh. " She remembers that Mexicans are mixed Indian and Spanish, and I suppose she thinks Canadians are mixed Indian and English or French," explained Mr. Stevens. " A Canadian, Ray, is simply a native or a citizen of Canada. He may be English or Scotch, Irish or French, — but if he was born in Canada or is a citizen there, he is a Canadian. There is no Canadian race.'' *' Oh, I understand," said Ray; ^^ then the In- dians don't count." '^ No, not any more than in the States. They are almost as nearly exterminated in Canada as with us, and where the Indians and whites have intermarried, their descendants are called simply half-breeds. There are not enough of them to cut much of a figure in the affairs of the country, though they have started one or two rebellions which we may hear about later. There's your mother — run and ask her if she can get you ready to go by the 18th of June." The children flew out of the room, and if Mrs. 10 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA Stevens had not been accustomed to their sud- denness, she might have been taken off her feet by the onslaught ; as it was, she caught hold of the newel-post when she saw them coming and braced herself to meet the rush just in time. CHAPTER n ALL ABOARD Me. Stevens' plans were carried out to the let- ter, and the 18th of June saw the party all aboard for the Dominion. " It's queer to start for Canada in the same di- rection as for Mexico, isn't it? " suggested Roy, looking out on the great river and its wooded hills and mountains as the train flew along the bank of the Hudson. " The scenery is much prettier than I thought it was last year when we came along here," said Ray. " That's because you hardly saw it last year, you were so interested in your first journey in a sleeping-car," said Mr. Stevens. " This country that we are passing through now is as full of his- tory as Mexico, and there are stories and stories connected with all this region." '* Yes, I know," said Roy, " it's the Rip Van "Winkle country and the Ichabod Crane country, and Washington had headquarters in several places 11 12 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA along here, and General Wayne did his great stunt, — and it's only a few miles from New York, and yet we've never been up here to see it." " Unfortunately, that's a way people have of neglecting the interesting places near by and crossing mountains and oceans to see those far off. A young American (who thought slightingly of the scenery of his own country, perhaps, in comparison with that of Europe) was once in Eng- land and went with a card or letter of introduc- tion to call on Carlyle, the great writer. After a few words of greeting, Carlyle asked him about Niagara, and when the visitor said he had never seen the Falls, Carlyle turned his back and had nothing further to say to him." '' He wasn't very polite, anyhow, when the young man had come so far to see him," com- mented Ray. " Maybe it wasn't his fault he hadn't seen Niagara. We haven't seen it either, but it's because nobody ever took us there. Do you suppose the Canadians won't think much of us because we haven't seen it? '* '^ Don't worry," said Dora, smiling at Ray's anxious face, " Niagara is their Fall as well as ours and there are plenty of Canadians who haven't seen it." *' We'll visit it one of these days," said Mr. ALL ABOARD 13 Stevens, reassuringly. " And, anyhow, we won't go to see Carlyle until we have seen Niagara." '' No, he's dead, — we can't," said literal Roy. They had taken the train for Ottawa late in the afternoon and were all night on the road, waking in the morning in the midst of level green fields ; and now they must stay for some time at Noyan Junction, waiting for the through train to come along and pick up their sleeper. The children were amused at the railway station contrived from an old passenger-coach which stood on two rails in the fields near the track, with planks leading from the ground across a narrow ditch to the car- steps. << Why, what's that standing there for? " asked Ray when she first saw it. *' That must be the Grand Trunk station," re- plied Roy. ' ' This is where we come to the Grand Trunk Line. Why do they call it that? "he asked. *' They don't carry any more trunks than any other line, do theyl " '' Really, Roy, don't you know any better than that? " asked his father. Roy looked ashamed of his ignorance, but Dora came to the rescue by con- fessing that she, too, had always wondered what the road had to do with trunks in which it was different from other roads. 14 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA '' Well, I don't believe I'll tell you," said Mr. Stevens. '^ See if you can't think it out for yourself. It has nothing whatever to do with baggage." After a few moments, Roy and Dora both ex- claimed, '' I know! " and Roy said, '' A trunk- line means simply the main-line, the trunk, of a railway-system, while the other lines are branches. Is that it? " '' That's just it," was the reply. ** And to think I might have known that years ago if I had only spent three minutes thinking about it! " exclaimed Dora, adding, '' Well, I'm glad I never showed my ignorance by saying anything. ' ' ''I'm not; I'm glad I spoke," said Roy, *' else I might have gone on for years without being clear about it." All the morning the country they ran through was green and level, with here and there white- washed cottages on the banks of picturesque streams, making many a pretty picture. Crossing the St. Lawrence the train ran over bridges which stretched from island to island and back to shore again. ii We're just like the giant in the seven-leagued boots ! ' ' exclaimed Ray. ' ' We step over the ALL ABOARD 15 water as if the islands were stepping-stones, and the first thing we know we're on the other side. My ! But the St. Lawrence is a wide river ! ' ' ' ' And a long one, ' ' added Dora, who had been looking at the map. " It's just as if the Atlantic Ocean had said, ' Here, I'm going to split this country in two and get through to my brother, the Pacific,' and then had torn the land right in two pieces almost half-way across." ** He didn't tear a straight bias, did he? " said Bay. '^ He left jagged pieces here and there," pointing to the Thousand Islands, and to New Brunswick left on the American side of the line. It was not until the train stopped at St. Poly- carp and the children saw the French sign, '' Mar- ckand-tailleur " (merchant-tailor), that they real- ized they had crossed the dividing line and were in a foreign country. *' And we are likely to see more of the saints in Canada than in most countries," said Mr. Stevens, ' ' for the French-Canadians have a great fashion of naming towns and streets and institu- tions after them." It was nearly noon when the train rumbled into the station at Ottawa and the party went through the customs in a merely formal way. '' Why don't they search us hard? " asked Boy. 16 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA " Why shouldn't Americans take valuable goods into Canada as well as the Canadians into the States? " ^' Because Canada's tariff, at present, is not so largely for protection of home industries, as ours. There are duties on fewer articles than with us. Protection, however, is almost as much of a war- cry as in the States. Great Britain, you know, is one of the few free-trade nations left in the world. We put a high tariff on nearly everything she sells us, in order to make people buy our own goods, and she puts none on the great number of things we sell her." '' I don't see how she can keep it up," said Roy. " I should think she would fail. Do you think if she waits long enough she'll see all the other na- tions change their minds? " ' '■ I think she has the right theory — the one that properly carried out would make brothers of man- kind sooner than any other, but there are great difficulties in making it practical, and I would rather see the change come gradually than sud- denly," answered his father. '^ How does free-trade hurt the colonies'? " asked Roy, after a minute's thought. '' One of the grievances they have against the mother-country is that she takes goods from the ALL ABOARD 17 United States and other tariff-countries on the same terms as from her own colonies. They think she ought to be kinder to her own children and give their products and manufactures a better chance by putting a tax on the competing products and manufactures from other countries." " It does seem as if she ought," said Eoy. *' Does Canada put a tariff on English goods? " ** Yes, but she gives England a rebate of one- third the amount. If England ever adopts pro- tection, it will probably come through the colonies in some such way, ' ' said Mr. Stevens. ' * With the exception that the colonies cannot declare war or make treaties, they are independent and govern themselves. Once in every three years, the Prime Ministers of all the colonies meet in London and talk things over with the Home government, and almost always they bring about a better under- standing, until the British Empire is becoming virtually a Federation of States in various parts of the world." '* It's interesting to look on and see things he- coming, I think, ' ' said Eoy. *' Do you think," asked Dora, " that Canada will ever want to be annexed to the States? " ** At one time, a number of years ago, there was a good-sized annexation party in Canada, but 18 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA it has grown smaller gradually, until now it is hardly worth considering. I can hardly think of a catastrophe which would bring about annexation. Independence is a possibility, of course, and in that case the two countries might make an alliance, but each year Canada's enjoyment of self-govern- ment is deepening and she is not likely to give it up." While they had been talking, their big, four- wheeled cab had been carrying them over the bridge across the Rideau Canal, facing their first view of Ottawa; this was a beautiful one, with open gardens and the Parliament buildings on the right and substantial public structures and busi- ness houses on the left. When they came out in front of the Parliament Houses they exclaimed in admiration at the graceful and imposing group of buildings. " That is where Canada presses the button," said Roy. * ' I do wish I could see her do it. ' ' ^' We'll go and see the spot this afternoon," said Mr. Stevens, ^' and perhaps some one will tell us just how it is done." At this moment, as they were alighting at the door of their hotel, a gentleman passing stopped suddenly at sight of them and, after a quick scru- tiny of Mr. Stevens ' features, came up to the party ALL ABOARD - 19 with hand outstretched. ' ' Horace Stevens ! What does this mean? " he exclaimed. Mr. Stevens looked at him a moment, somewhat puzzled, but suddenly his face cleared, and he cried : ' ' Bosworth ? George Bosworth ! Are you living here? " '' Yes, and have been for several years, in the province, at least. I'm the member at present for my district, but of course Parliament is not sitting now, and I have simply run up to town for a few days' private business. My wife and most of my family are in England. I have a daughter at my home in the country, keeping house for me." ''Well, what luck!" exclaimed Mr. Stevens. '^ Children — by the way, let me introduce my daughters, Dora and Ray, and my son Roy, — this is an old school-friend who went to school with me in Maine years ago, when his people lived in New Brunswick, and I have seen him only once since then. Almost thirty-five " '• Hush! Don't speak of it," said Mr. Bos- worth, laughing, '' it makes me feel so like Methuselah. Well, now, what can I do for you I Of course, when you have seen Ottawa, I'm going to carry you off to my country-place for the week- end. But what can I do for you here ? ' ' 20 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA *' You must not let us interfere with your own affairs," said Mr. Stevens. * ' No danger, no danger ! ' ' exclaimed Mr. Bos- worth, hospitably. " What do you want to see, my lad? " he asked, smiling down at Roy. ^' We thought we'd go into Parliament House this afternoon," replied Roy. '^ Start right at the fountain-head, eh? Quite right. I'll come over, about three, if you'll allow me, and go over with you. I can show you my own seat, at least," laughing jovially. *' And afterward, you must dine with us," said Mr. Stevens. '* Many thanks. We'll see, we'll see. And now — what is it you say now down there 1 ' So long ' ? Yes, very expressive, — it will be so long for me, I assure you." And before any one could say anything more, Mr. Bosworth waved his hand and was off. '' George Bosworth all over! " said Mr. Stevens, smiling, as if he remembered many funny things. CHAPTEE III PRESSING THE BUTTON Promptly at three o'clock Mr. Bosworth made his appearance, and the party set out for the Parliament Buildings. More than ever they ad- mired the group of Gothic buildings, as they came up the street facing them. '* They have such lovely colors," said Ray, re- ferring to the various sandstones used in the walls and towers. '' Yes, and they look as if they grew on this spot, like great trees ; they are in exactly the right places," added Dora. '' When the Princess Louise was here as wife of the Governor-general, Lord Lome, she used to have a favorite point of view of these build- ings from a spot in front of Rideau Hall, the Governor-general's residence; and they do make a magnificent picture seen from there, especially in the early morning. From the bridge over the Chaudiere, I have found them very fine, too, though the view is a distant one and a trifle hazy ; but it makes a lovely Turner," said Mr. Bosworth. Roy and Ray looked at each other inquiringly. 21 22 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA '' What is a Turner? " their eyes asked. But there was no answer, and they had to wait until evening to find out from Dora something about the great English painter of that name and the kind of pictures that had made him so celebrated. After her explanation, they were quite eager to see the view that looked like * ' a Turner. ' ' ^' How long has Ottawa been the capital? " asked Mr. Stevens of his friend. " Of Upper and Lower Canada since 1858," replied Mr, Bosworth. " There were several other cities urging their claims, but the Queen decided upon Ottawa. It was a far-sighted deci- sion, for at the time Ottawa looked like anything but a capital city. The streets were unpaved, except here and there with planks, and in bad weather getting about was almost impossible. The houses stood virtually in the woods, as the forests had hardly been cleared, and there were no gardens or orchards or lawns. Even in 1872, when Lord Dufferin came out from England as Governor-general, there was a wretched road leading out to Eideau Hall, and the only time of year when roads were good was when the frost and snow came, and the ground hardened and the snow packed. You see, the town was founded only in 1826, and is not at all old." PRESSING THE BUTTON 23 '* But didn't the early French explorers come as far as this? " asked Roy. '' Yes, Champlain and some of his men came up the Ottawa Eiver, three hundred years ago and more, led on by an Indian description of Lake Huron which sounded to them as if it might mean the Western Sea that they thought was to take them to China. They came as far as the Falls of the Chaudiere — by the way, you ought to go out there to-morrow morning, — but they made no settlement. It was not until 1800 that a settler appeared, an American named Wright, from Mas- sachusetts. He brought with him friends and neighbors, and they established the lumber-indus- try of all this part of the country, rafting their timber down the Ottawa Eiver to the St. Lawrence and thence to Quebec." ^' I want to ask you something about that in- dustry later, ' ' said Mr. Stevens, ^ ^ for I want Eoy to know something about the lumberman's life up here." ' ' I can probably find some one who can tell him about it from first-hand knowledge, ' ' said Mr. Bos- worth, *' which will be better than anything I could do. Here we are at the door. Suppose we go first to the Senate-chamber. ' ' They entered an oblong room of moderate size, 24 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA as assembly-rooms go, and found themselves in front of a great tall chair on a dais under a canopy — the throne of the Governor-general. ' ' What does the Governor-general do ? " asked Roy. '^ He represents the King, and every colony of Great Britain has the same sort of representative, though not always under the same title. In India, they call him the Viceroy. He does not belong to any political party. He names the Prime Min- ister, and the Prime Minister selects his associate- ministers, and after that the Prime Minister, or Premier, is the medium of communication between the Governor-general and the Ministry, or Cabinet, All measures go to the Governor-general for his sanction, which is, of course, the royal sanction. If he refuses to consent to a measure, it must be given up by the Ministry or else the Ministry must resign. ' ' '^ And what if they won't resign and won't give up their measure either? " asked Roy. " Well, the Governor-general has the power to dismiss a ministry, though he very seldom has occasion to use this power and would have to have Parliament to back him in such a case." " When a Prime Minister resigns, or is dis- missed, what happens? " asked Mr. Stevens. PRESSING THE BUTTON 25 '' His departure includes that of all his Minis- ters," replied Mr. Bosworth. '' Then the Gov- ernor-general calls on some prominent Senator or Member of the House to help him select a new Prime Minister who, in turn, selects his associates. If Parliament does not like the new Ministry, and will not pass its measures, the Governor-general dissolves the Parliament and calls for a new elec- tion of members. When the new Parliament comes together, it can support the Governor-general's choice of a ministry, or it can ask for the recall of the one that was dismissed. If it does this, the Crown has to give way." ** So, after all, it comes back to the choice of the people," said Roy. '^ Exactly. You haven't a bit more say in your country's government than we have in ours when it concerns internal affairs, ' ' replied Mr. Bosworth. "It's rather amusing to 'Americans to see our opening of Parliament, ' ' he went on, ' ' because we have some traditional customs that seem to them odd and unnecessary. The cannon announce the moment when the Governor-general and his party leave Government House, and they arrive here in State carriages with an escort of cavalry. There is a guard of honor which presents arms, and the band plays the National Anthem, ' God Save the 26 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA King, ' you know. The ceremony of opening takes place in the Senate-chamber, and the galleries are full of ladies in handsome costumes, and in one gallery only full dress is allowed. The Governor- general takes his seat on the throne, and the Senators sit in these chairs at the sides of the room. A military escort surrounds the throne and the bright uniforms add greatly to the effect. The Prime Minister stands at the right, also in State costume, as Imperial Privy Councilor. The Mem- bers of the Lower House assemble in their own hall at their desks, and wait until the Black Rod or, more fully, the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, enters to summon them to the Senate cham- ber. The Black Rod itself is a short ebony stick. Then they file out, preceded by the Speaker in his cocked hat and the Sergeant-at-Arms carrying the mace, a sort of polite club, you know, that sym- bolizes his authority. This railing is the dividing line, beyond which only members of the Upper House can go. When the members of the Lower House enter, they stand outside the railing. Then the Black Rod stands in this little curve of the railing and, making three low bows, announces the opening. To this, the Senators from their seats respond by a sort of murmur, as token of under- standing and assent. When all are assembled, the PRESSING THE BUTTON 27 Governor-general makes a speecli, called the speech from the throne, and the members return to their own chamber and Parliament gets to work. And each year a bill, known as Bill No. 1, opens the business of the Lower House. This asserts the supremacy of Parliament even over the King or his representatives. The Black Rod receives a salary of eighteen hundred dollars a year for this one ceremony and a similar one at the clos- ing of Parliament; and I believe he issues cards for the proceedings." '' And can he do something else for a living the other days of the year? " asked Ray. '' I daresay he has other occupation. Life would be rather a bore, wouldn't it, if one could be busy only about an hour each year ? ' ' * ' But eighteen hundred dollars just for that ! ' ' The children could not conceal their astonishment at what seemed to them such a waste of money, and their surprise seemed to amuse Mr. Bosworth very much, for he chuckled to himself as he watched their faces. ' ' How do you get your Senators 1 ' ' asked Roy. *' The Crown — that is, the Governor-general in council — appoints them, and they hold their seats for life. We had one Senator, a few years ago, over a hundred years old. I'll show you his por- 28 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA trait presently. When Ms hundredth birthday came, they wanted to celebrate it at the capital, and they sent him word that they would send a special train or car to bring him down; but he replied that they need not take the trouble, as the ordinary cars were entirely satisfactory." ' ' Can the Crown create new Senators as it cre- ates new peers? " asked Mr. Stevens. " No, the nnmber of Senators is fixed, so that when the government wishes a measure passed to which the Senate is in opposition, it cannot make new Senators who would vote for its meas- ure and change the proportion of votes, as the Crown can do in England. In that particular, this government is more like yours, — the Senate can block legislation if it chooses." While this last dialogue was going on, the chil- dren were looking at the desks, all of which had the names of the Senators occupying them, on metal labels. '^ Now, let's see the House," suggested Mr. Bos- worth, and the first thing the children did when they entered the room was to look for his desk. They found it without difficulty by the cardboard label, the desks here being indicated by temporary labels, since the constitution of the House might be entirely changed, any year or at any session. PRESSING THE BUTTON 29 ' ' I see you are with the government, ' ' said Mr. Stevens. *' Yes, at present." * ' How did you know, father ? ' ' asked Eoy. " Because the government members sit on the right, and the opposition on the left, of the Speak- er 's throne." *' Where does the Prime Minister stay? " asked Eay. ^' The Prime Minister represents the people, as the Governor-general represents the Crown, so he sits in the House always and occupies a desk in the front row on the government side." '^ Like the first violin in the orchestra," com- mented Ray. " Yes, and they all watch his lead, in the same way," added Mr. Bosworth. '' I don't quite know what you mean by the * government ' and the ' opposition,' " said Dora. ' ^ Well, the terms have the same meaning as if we should say ' the party in power ' and ' the party out of power. ' When j'^ou have a Republican administration and a Republican Congress, we should say Republicans were ' the government ' and Democrats ' the opposition.' " " I see. But don't you often have men in the 30 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA government party who want to vote with, the opposition on some one question! " ^' Very rarely. The vote is nearly always a strictly party vote. Certain measures are govern- ment measures, and if you have been elected as a member for the government you are ex- pected by your constituents to vote with the government. ' ' ^' And the opposition does everything it can to balk the government ? ' ' ' ' Well, that is not the way in which I should put it exactly, though the word opposition gives rather that impression. The opposition is rather the critic of the government, pointing out objections and weak points, and it often does good service in this way, especially in the interests of purity of administration. The leader of the opposition should be a very strong man, for it may happen any day that the ministry may be overthrown on some question, a new election called, and a new House formed in which the previous party of the opposition may be the party in power. Then he will be called on, probably, to consult with the Governor-general as to a new ministry." " Who does the voting in Canada? " asked Roy. " Nearly every man, for any man who owns real estate or who is head of a family and pays PRESSING THE BUTTON 31 a poll-tax is eligible as a voter. A candidate is nominated by caucuses, as with you in the States ; but a man may put himself up as a candidate and run independently, and if he is a good organizer and politician, may get himself elected. ' ' • " I suppose there is no such thing as a fixed term of service, since a new election may be or- dered at any time," suggested Mr. Stevens. ''Oh, yes, there is a fixed term of five years, but it may be broken off by a dissolution of the House. ' ' ' ' Can women vote in Canada ? ' ' asked Dora. ''In the provinces, they can vote in municipal elections, on school matters, etc., and not only can they be members of school-boards, but in New Brunswick every school-board is obliged to have two women members. You know, our provinces have not uniform laws any more than your States." " What does that mean, please? " asked Roy, pointing to a sign over a door they were passing, " Government whip's room." " Ah, yes, you wouldn't understand that, of course. Each party has an officer called its 'whip,' because it is his business to whip the members into line when a vote is coming off. If they are not in their seats, he goes or sends for them, and sees 32 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA that the full party vote is brought out when necessary." " I shouldn't wonder if you children know now as much about Canadian government as about that of the United States," said Mr. Stevens. " I do," said Dora, '^ for I don't know very much about our own system. What I like about this is that whenever there is any really important question and difference of opinion, in the country, it seems to come back to the people to settle. I should think it would keep everybody very wideawake. ' ' " We have our unsettlement and agitation at fixed times," said Mr. Stevens, " but it is entirely independent of the question of whether the people want a change or not. A great many Americans think the English government a truer representa- tion of the voters' wishes." '' But not so many people are voters over there," objected Roy. ' ' No, the vote is limited to fewer classes of per- sons and in that sense is less representative, ' ' said Mr. Bosworth. '' Now, have you time to go into the library? There is a portrait I want to show you;" and he led the way into the beautiful polygonal library, with its three floors of galleries and its statue of Queen Victoria in the center. CHAPTER IV THE FEDERATION In one of the passages leading out from this central room, Mr. Bosworth paused before a very fine portrait, saying, ^' This is Sir John A. Mac- donald, of whom you will probably hear mention oftener than of any other Canadian statesman, because he, perhaps, more than any other, is re- sponsible for the Federation of the provinces that created the Dominion of Canada." " He isn't exactly handsome," said Ray, in a low voice to Roy, who replied, also in a low tone, " No, he's better than handsome, — he looks as if he knew everything and wasn't afraid to do anything. ' ' '' He took his seat in Parliament in 1844, when it met in Montreal and when there were only two provinces in the Federation, Upper and Lower Canada. As far back as 1808, there had been a proposition to unite all the provinces under one government, and in 1864, the maritime provinces (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Ed- 33 34 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA ward's Island) met to consider a nnion among themselves and admitted delegates from the prov- ince of Canada. This was the beginning of the agitation for complete federation, which ended in 1867 in the Act of Union of the British Parlia- ment. By this Act, Upper and Lower Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick became the Do- minion of Canada. Macdonald was in London, as chairman of the Canadian delegation, and he stayed there until the matter was concluded. The Union was proclaimed on July 1, 1867, and ever since that date has been celebrated as Dominion Day, the national holiday of Canada." * '' But I thought Canada was much larger than that, ' ' said Roy. " Oh, yes, but that was the original Dominion. In 1870, ^the Canadians asked for Rupert's Land and the Northwest Territory, much of which be- longed to the Hudson's Bay Company, the great fur-trading association, and Great Britain bought out the company's interest for £300,000. In the same year, Manito'ba was added, the next year British Columbia, the next year Prince Ed- ward's Island, and in 1905 Alberta and Sas- katchewan were admitted, making ten provinces. * la an appendix are given the names of the successive Governors- general and Prime Ministers. THE FEDERATION 35 There are also some territories governed by a commissioner. ' ' ^' And where does Newfoundland come in? " asked Dora. '' It doesn't come in at all," replied Mr. Bos- worth. '^ Twice there have been efforts made to bring about union between Newfoundland and the Dominion, but the people of the former prefer to remain independent. They have their own Gov- ernor, appointed by the Crown, with two Councils and a House of Assembly, and they seem satisfied as they are, so for a matter of ten years or more Canada has ceased to urge the question of union." " Hasn't Canada got any flag of her own? " asked Eoy. '' I've seen the English flag every- where, but I should think Canadians would want something different. ' ' " Something distinguishing, eh? " said Mr. Bosworth. ' ' Well, now, you look at some of those red flags and see if you don't see a difference between them and the usual English flag." '^ 1 know! " exclaimed Ray. '^ I noticed sev- eral and I wondered about it. It is the English flag and down in one corner is a kind of round thing — with a wreath around it." ' ' The Canadian coat-of-arms — ' a kind of round thing with a wreath around it,' " quoted Mr. 36 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA Boswortli, laughing a little. " That isn't a very complimentary description, and I don't believe you got very close to one of those flags, or you would have a clearer impression. The round thing is a shield surmounted by the Crown, and in the shield are the coats-of-arms of the various prov- inces. Ontario has three maple-leaves and a cross; Quebec, maple-leaves and a lion; Nova Scotia, three thistles and a salmon; New Bruns- wick, a galley and a lion; and so on. The wreath is two branches of maple-leaves joined, with a beaver gnawing at a twig. ' ' " Then is the maple-leaf Canada's national flower ? ' ' asked Ray. ^ ' I suppose you might say so, if you wish to call a leaf a flower. At any rate, it's the only national flower we have, and there are parts of the country where it is as beautiful as a brilliant flower in the autumn. Now, we've had enough of Canadian government. Let's go over to Gatineau Point for an hour or so, while it is still light." The children were on the look-out for everything that differed from things at home, and had soon picked out the men in white helmets and blue uniforms with red trimmings as postmen, and called attention to the fact that the car-conductors carried tin boxes with a slot in the lid into which THE FEDERATION 37 the passenger was required to put his fare, the conductor not being allowed to touch ticket or money, except to make change. They noticed an occasional militiaman, or home guard, in uniform, and grew quite excited over a solitary soldier in Highland costume, kilts and leggings and Glen- garry cap, '' You know," said Mr. Bosworth, " we have no longer any British soldiers in Canada. Until a few years ago, the garrison at Halifax was held by a home regiment, but now even that has departed, and Canada is supposed to be able to defend her- self. And there ' ' — pointing to a gray stone build- ing in process of erection — '^ is the first Mint in Canada. We shall soon be coining our own money. Up to the present England has done it for us." * ' ' How many monks and nuns there are ! ' ' ex- claimed Dora, as their car passed two Catholic Sisters in gray gowns with black cloaks and bon- nets, not the first by any means that she had no- ticed that morning. " Wait until you get to the Province of Que- bec, ' ' said Mr. Bosworth ; ' ' then you may say that indeed! Ontario has not nearly so many. The Grey nuns, named from their costume, look after * As this writing goes to press, we learn that the new Mint is in operation. 38 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA orphans and destitute old people, and the Chris- tian Brothers manage the Catholic schools. When you see a monk in white with a dark cape and a shovel-hat, you may know he is a Carmelite, and when he is in brown with a cord around the waist and, sometimes, with bare feet, he is a Francis- can. There are a great many orders in Canada, but the majority of them are to be found chiefly in Montreal and Quebec and the surrounding country. ' ' While Mr. Bosworth had been talking and the children had been keeping both eyes and ears open, the electric car was carrying them out of the city to the woods that stood along the high banks of the Ottawa River. Finally, at a point where there was a little platform, the party de- scended and made their way by a flight of steps down to the shore of the river. Opposite lay a long, low strip of land jutting out into the water, called Gatineau Point. The Gatineau River at this point joins the Ottawa, coming down from the " County of Ten Thousand Lakes " and through the Laurentian Mountains, the oldest land on the North American continent. " How the oldest? " asked Ray, as this state- ment was made to them by Mr. Bosworth. ' ' Why isn't one piece of land as old as another? " THE FEDERATION 39 " These mountains were the first to show their heads above the water when the seas subsided in this hemisphere," explained Mr. Bosworth. *' Then it is the oldest dry land," said Eoy. *' Yes, to be accurate. I suppose no one knows the relative age of the land under the seas," replied Mr. Bosworth, accepting correc- tion from his literal young friend with some amusement. As they reached the shore of the river, a curi- ous-looking boat approached them from the other side. It was scow-shaped, large enough to carry several teams one behind the other, and had neither steam, sails, nor oars — at least, nothing that the children would have called oars. They saw two youths sitting on wooden stools on the same side of the boat, each pulling on something that looked like an oar, but was fitted into an opening in the side of the boat and attached to a cable running across the river. By pressing on this queer oar the boat was pushed along the chain or cable and eventually across the river. It seemed strange that the strength of only two young men could carry so large a boat, loaded with people and teams, but they did not seem to be working very hard. '' I should think this chain would trip up 40 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA other boats going up and down the river," said Roy. *' No, wlien this boat is not crossing, the chain drops," explained Mr. Bosworth. They were soon on board, crossing the wide, sparkling river, with the heights of Eockcliff be- hind them and the cottages of Gatineau Point before them. After reaching the shore they looked at these cottages with interest and learned that they belonged to a settlement of French Cana- dians, who lived chiefly by fishing and lumbering, and who did not speak English and scarcely under- stood it. Many of the little houses showed a curi- ous sense of color in the people who built them; some of them were white with bright blue trim- mings, some had iron fences around them of or- nate design painted in several colors, and others had balconies of yellow on walls of green. Some of the tiniest ones were almost overwhelmed with mansard roofs. Roy and Ray spoke to several of the pretty children playing about in front of the houses, but were evidently not understood. The sensa- tion of the day met them in the yard at the end of one of the cottages, where a great, flaming sign on canvas invited them to view " The only living lynx. Admission, 10 cents." There was a por- THE FEDERATION 41 trait of the lynx itself, and one of the man who had caught it, and another, doubtless, of the present showman. '' I don't think the lynx in the picture looks as scary as those men," said Eay. " A lynx is just a plain wild-cat, isn't it? " asked Roy, as they looked about for some one with authority to show them the beast. '^ Yes," said Mr. Stevens, " just a plain wild- cat, but not to be despised for all that. ' ' '' I can't imagine where they got him," said Mr. Bosworth; '^ there can't be wild-cats in these woods at this day. Ah, there comes some one ! ' ' Two young men, one of them in hunting costume, were hurrying toward them, evidently eager to show their captive, and they at once lifted the curtains that hung around an improvised cage set up in the yard. The lynx was on his feet and showing his teeth in an instant. He was a splendid specimen, full-grown, with thick tawny gray fur, gleaming eyes, and the tufts in the ears that mark this species of cat. " How much he looks like our pussy, only big- ger ! ' ' exclaimed Ray, She went toward the cage, calling in a soothing voice, ' ' Kitty, kitty ! Poo-er pussy! Poo-er pussy! " and, strange to say, the animal ceased growling, lowered the fur which 42 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA had bristled at the sight of his natural enemies, and seemed actually somewhat calmed: but the moment any of the men or of the boys who had begun to gather around came toward the cage, his eyes blazed and he looked as if he would tear them limb from limb if he could get at them. '' Where did you get the beast? " asked Mr. Bosworth of the men, and in broken English one of them told the story of catching the great cat in a trap set for other game, only a few evenings before, just behind the settlement. '' Most extraordinary! " exclaimed Mr. Bos- worth. '' Such a thing as a lynx in this neigh- borhood hasn't been known before for years, I'm sure. ' ' The party lingered for some time, watching the wild creature, and the children, at least, felt a certain pity for him. '' After all," Ray said, '^ he was made a wild-cat, — ^he can't help it. He couldn't change himself, even if he wanted to." After leaving the lynx and his showman, they walked the entire length of the village, passing the tall church, the bell of which was given by Lady Aberdeen, wife of one of the Governors- general, in gratitude for her escape from death by accident near the spot where the church stands. The tall spire, silvery with luminous paint, was THE FEDERATION 43 a landmark for miles, even at night if there were a moon. As they waited to take the ferry back to Ottawa at the landing near the church, they were surprised to see still another style of boat, and an equally strange kind, coming toward them. It consisted of a two-storied house, with a tower for the pilot, set upon a broad deck where teams could stand. Foot-passengers could stay on the deck, too, if they wished, but the teams sometimes crowded them into the lower story of the house, where one or two seats were provided. None of our party wished to go inside, so they took their chances with the horses. It was growing dusk, and, as they swept gently out into the stream, they heard voices singing over the water. " Some French-Canadian boatmen," said Mr. Bosworth, and, after listening a moment, he added, '^ They're singing ' En roulant ma houle.' " ' ' Oh, tell us how it goes ! ' ' exclaimed Dora. "It's a very old song," said Mr. Bosworth, " and rather a long one. I couldn't possibly re- member all the words, but I'll ask my daughter to send it to you, words and music both. She has it at home." And within a day or two, Miss GeoTgina Bos- worth sent Dora a pretty little note inclosing the song, words and melody ; as follows : 44 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA i fa EN ROULANT MA BOULE. ( Voix seule, puis la reprise en choeur.) •8: m =t= :t: En rou-lant ma bou- le rou-lant, En rou-lant ma EiN. ( Voix seule, reprise en choeur.) -^ E15 :S=p: bou - le. Der-ri6r', chez nous, y'a-t-un 6 -tang, ( Voix seule.) -4^-- :p: En rou-lant ma bou - le. Trois beaux can-ards s'en €: £ -^ Vont baignant, rou - li rou-lant, mabou-le rou-lant. Derrier' chez nous, y'a-t-un etang. En roulant ma boule. Trois beaux canards s'en vont baignant, Rouli, roulant, ma boule roulant. En roulant ma boule roulant, En roulant ma boule. Trois beaux canards s'en vont baignant, En roulant ma boule. Le fils du roi s'en va chassant, Rouli, roulant, etc. Le fils du roi s'en va chassant. En I'oulant, etc. Avec son grand fusil d'argent, Rouli, etc. Avec son grand fusil d'argent, En roulant, etc. Visa le noli*, tua le blanc, Rouli, etc. THE FEDERATION 45 Visa le noir, tua le blanc, En roulant, etc. O tils du roi, tu es mechant ! Rouli, etc. O fils du roi, tu es mechant! En roulant, etc. D'avoir tue mon canard blanc, Rouli, etc. D'avoir tue mon canard blanc, En roulant, etc. Par-dessous Vaile il perd son sang, Rouli, etc. Par-dessous I'aile il perd son sang, En roulant, etc. Par les yeux lui sort'nt des diamants, Rouli, etc. Par les yeux lui sort'nt des diamants, En roulant, etc. Et par le bee Tor et I'argent, Rouli, etc. Et par le bee For et I'argent, En roulant, etc. Toutes ses plum's s'ent vont au vent, Rouli, etc. Toutes ses plum's sen vont au vent. En roulant, etc. Trois dam's s'en vont les ramassant, Rouli, etc. Trois dam's s'en vont les ramassant, En roulant, etc. C'est pour en faire un lit de camp, Rouli, etc. 46 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA C'est pour en faire un lit de camp, En roulant, etc. Pour y coucher tous les passants. Rouli, etc. EN ROULANT MA BOULE. Translation by Wm. McLennan.* Beliind the manor lies the mere, En roulant ma houle; Three ducks bathe in its water clear, (En roulant ma boule.) Refrain : Rouli, roulant, ma boule roulant En roulant ma boule roulant. En roulant ma boule. Three fairy ducks swim without fear : The Prince goes hunting far and near. {Refrain. ) The Prince at last draws near the lake ; He bears his gun of magic make. With magic gun of silver bright, He sights the black but kills the white. He sights the black but kills the white; Ah ! cruel Prince, my heart you smite. Ah ! cruel Prince, my heart you break, In killing thus my snow-white drake. My snow-white drake, my love, my king; The crimson life-blood stains his wing. * By kind permission of Mrs. McLennan. THE FEDERATION 47 His life-blood falls in rubies bright, His diamond eyes have lost their light. The cruel ball has found its quest, His golden bill sinks on his breast. His golden bill sinks on his breast. His plumes go floating east and west. Far, far they're borne to distant lands, Till gathered by fair maidens' hands ; Till gathered by fair maidens' hands, And form at last a soldier's bed. And form at last a soldier's bed. En roulant, etc. Sweet refuge for the wanderer's head, Kouli, etc. CHAPTER V THE CHAUDIERE (CALDRON) '' To-MOREOw, if it is fair, you ouglit to take a car and go to see the Chaudiere Palls," Mr. Bos- worth reminded the party, as he left them that evening after dinner; and at their invitation he promised to join them at the bridge overlooking the Falls, at a given hour, saying, after a mo- ment's pause, that he would have business which would prevent his going out with them. There was a look in his eyes as he said this which made Roy remark afterward, '' I think Mr. Bosworth's planning something nice to-morrow morning." '' I wonder why he didn't tell us about it, then," said Ray. '' He wants to surprise us, I suppose," said Roy. " I think," said Dora, '^ that it is something he isn't sure of, and so he didn't want to raise our expectations and then disappoint us. ' ' " Now we'll have them raised," said Ray, '' and if nothing happens, we'll be disappointed. He oughtn't to have such a promising kind of face." The distance to the Falls was very short, and, 48 THE CHAUDIERE 49 as they got out of the car, they saw that their friend had not yet arrived; and indeed they were soon so absorbed in watching the rush of the water over the great rocks and so deafened by the noise that they forgot everything except the scene before them. The broad river flowing swiftly along suddenly begins to dip, just above the bridge, for its great plunge, and the mist rises into the air like a cloud as the water dashes down these natural rock-steps. Almost three hundred years before, Samuel de Champlain, the French explorer, in the fourth voyage he made in Canada, then New France, had come up the St. Lawrence and the Ottawa from Quebec, and in the early part of June drew near these Falls. Deceived by the young French- man whom he had sent out two years before to reconnoiter, he thought he was on his way to the Northern Sea for which all the explorers were then searching. This young Frenchman, de Vignan, was now with him as guide, as well as two other Frenchmen and an Indian. He did not stop long to admire the Falls, — falls to him and his company had come to mean a hard climb over the rocky banks with their canoes on their shoulders, for the rivers of the new country were dotted with falls and rapids that made 50 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA portages too frequent to be pleasant. Above the Chaudiere, Champlain and his little party came to a lake, and finally, seventy miles farther, to Allumette Island. Here, de Vignan's deception was discovered through the friendly Algonquins, who lived on the Island and who did not wish the French to go further lest they should open a direct trade with the tribes further inland and the Algonquins lose their profits and honor as ' ' middlemen. ' ' So the Indians told them the dangers of the country and of the waters beyond. Champlain said he was not afraid, as de Vignan had been there and come back unharmed. Upon this, the chief asked de Vignan if he had really had this experience. The young man hesitated, but finally said he had, upon which the Indians, angry beyond measure at the lie, proved to Champlain that de Vignan had never been beyond the Island and had spent the time with them instead. Champlain thereupon turned back, with his disgraced guide, and came again to the Chaudiere. He happened to be at this very spot when the Indians performed a superstitious rite which they thought made them safe from their enemies, who often lay in wait for them at this portage. The canoes were gathered at the foot of the Falls, and one of the Indians passed around THE CHAUDIERE 51 a wooden disli in which each of his companions placed a bit of tobacco. Around this vessel, when it was filled, they danced and sang, and over it a chief made a long speech, explaining why the offering was made. He then tossed the gift into the seething waters, while the others shouted and yelled, and the ceremony was complete. Two years later, a French priest made his way beyond this point to the Huron Indians, south of Georgian Bay, and a week after him came Cham- plain again, better prepared to meet the dangers of which he had been told by the Algonquins. They returned in 1616, and it was ten years before any other white man ascended the river. The Iroquois, whose home was in what is now New York State, were the great scourge not only of the whites, but of the other Indian tribes. They crossed the St. Lawrence at the point where Kingston now stands and went up the Ottawa in canoes to the Falls, where they made an ambush. Here the tribes of the interior had to leave their boats and take to the rocks, carrying their canoes around the Falls, and here the Iroquois fell upon them from their ambush. In this way they destroyed the Hurons, and scattered the tribes dwelling along the river as far inland as Lake Nip'issing. Up to almost the 52 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA beginning of the nineteenth century, the Iro- quois continued to be the terror of French and Indians alike. They wished to close the Ottawa to trade, and so fell upon the Indians carrying skins down the river to sell to the French colonies, and the colonies, to whom the fur-trade was neces- sary if they were to live, made it their first busi- ness to keep the river open. This brought about constant fights. Some seventy miles beyond Ottawa, near the Island of the Grand Calumet, is a wooden cross marking the grave of Cadieux, one of the early voyageurs. He had married an Algonquin and often lived with the tribe, acting as interpreter for them in their trading expeditions. A small party of these Indians were about to depart on one of these expeditions, when they were surprised by the Iroquois. Escape by land was impossible, owing to the women and children, and there was nothing for it but to risk their canoes in the near- by rapids, never before navigated on account of the danger. Two men, Cadieux and a young Algonquin, remained behind in ambush, to delay pursuit by the Iroquois. They were armed, and their first shot was to be a signal for the canoes to start on the perilous attempt. The Algonquins afterward declared that Saint Anne, their patron. THE CHAUDIERE 53 hovered in the air in advance of the boats, a tall, white form, guiding them through safe channels. Cadieux and his companion succeeded in delay- ing the enemy, and Cadieux managed to escape; the young Algonquin, however, was killed. It would have been better for Cadieux if he had shared this fate, for worse was in store for him. He lost his way in the woods and wandered for days, without food or annnunition, subsisting on what he could find in foraging. When three of his party came back to search for him, they missed him, although he saw and recognized them from a little distance ; but he had become too weak to call or walk, and they went on their way, unsuspecting. They came back to the sj^ot some days later, and found the little hut he had built, with a cross beside it. The cross marked an open grave, and in it, covering himself with green branches, the dying man had lain down for his last rest. On a piece of birch-bark he had carved, in verse, the story of his fate. It is called the ' ' Lament of Cadieux, ' ' and is still sung by Canadian boatmen. Dora had read to the party, the evening before, these stories of the early days of exploration, and Eay was full of the romance of the river. Roy was silent for a long time as he watched the tumbling waters. 54 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA ^' What are you thinking of, Royf " asked his father. " I was just thinking of the courage and cour- age and COURAGE it must have taken to explore this country. I don't believe there's any kind of man I admire more than the explorer. ' ' ' ' Without regard to what he is exploring for 1 ' ' asked Mr. Stevens, wishing to get at the boy's thoughts. '' Yes, no matter what he's after: whether it's gold, or enemies, or religion, or a home, — the cour- age is just the same." ** And the perseverance," added Ray. '' They were hungry and thirsty and cold and wet and tired, and they had fevers and nobody to nurse them, and their families were away across the ocean. I don't believe people are as persevering as that, nowadays." '' Yes, there is still the explorer-type. Some day, I'll tell you the story of some of them," said Mr. Stevens. '' But it is true that there is less of the world to explore than there was three hundred years ago, and that most explorers now have the helps that advanced science and civilization can give and which did not exist in those days. Here comes Bosworth! And what- ever plan he had in mind last evening is to THE CHAUDIERE 55 be carried out, I imagine, from his satisfied looks." The children went to meet their new friend, and returned each holding him by a hand. " He has got a surprise, he says so! " they exclaimed. " Good-morning, all! " said Mr. Bosworth. " Now, wasn't I right? Isn't that view of the Parliament Houses a picture? It's just misty enough this morning." The party had forgotten all about looking in the direction of the city, — they had been so ab- sorbed in watching the Falls, but they now looked and agreed that the distant buildings through the haze, dominating the magnificent river, made a picture well worth painting. ' ' It occurred to me last evening, ' ' said Mr. Bos- worth, '^ that it was just possible we might be able to ' run the slides ' to-day, but I didn't want to say anything about it, for fear it might not be practicable and then you would be disappointed. You see, it's too late for one season and too early for the other ; but, as luck would have it, my friend down here on the river-bank says he has a stray load left over and he's going to send it down and let us go with it. ' ' '' If we don't all look overjoyed, George," said Mr. Stevens, as his friend seemed disappointed 56 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA at their quiet reception of his news, * ' it 's because WG don't know what you're talking about. What is ' running the slides '? A load of what? And where are we going with it ? " Mr. Bosworth's face cleared. " Well, I thought something was the matter. So you benighted Yankees don't know what ' running the slides ' means, eh? Come along with me, and I'll show you. ' ' He took the children's hands again and began to walk down toward the river-bank with them, ex- plaining as he went along. ^' You see, we Ca- nadians have to have some way of getting around falls and rapids, we've got so many of 'em. A man can take up his canoe and walk, a steamboat can go through a canal, but when these great square timbers from the lumber camps come float- ing down the river, what are they going to do? We can't let them dash their brains to pieces against the rocks and against one another, so we make them up into rafts we call cribs, and send them down a little chute or canal of their own, and enterprising people like you young folks ride down on the cribs and find it great fun." Roy's face beamed — here was really some ad- venture, — but Ray's got rather pale and her fingers closed nervously on Mr. Bosworth's. He u P3 THE CHAUDIERE 57 felt it at once and looked down at her kindly. " Oh, there's nothing to be afraid of, — that's the beauty of it, — it's thrilling and exciting without being dangerous." They picked their way through a large lumber- yard filled with lumber piled high above their heads, and came presently to the place whence the crib was to start. The owner, Mr. Bosworth's friend, stood there waiting, with the man who was to guide it down the channel. Eay still trembled a little, but when her father said to her, '■ ' Imagine you're an explorer, Ray, and try to have some of the courage you were talking about, ' ' she made a great effort, tried to become interested, as Eoy was, in the way the crib was constructed, and soon threw off her fear. '' The King did this when he was Prince of Wales," said Mr. Bosworth, '' and so did the Princess Louise, and the present Prince and Princess of Wales, — a number of rather valuable lives have been risked on these rafts, and I be- lieve there has never been an accident. You see, the long descent is divided up into a series of small falls which give us a great impetus. We shall land so far away from here that we shall find ourselves obliged to go back to town from quite another direction. Now, sit tight!" And he put 58 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA his arm around Ray, as she clung to the big tim- ber she was sitting on. '' Whoop! " shouted Roy, in great excitement, as the crib made the first plunge and then shot down the incline to the next fall. Ray forgot at last to be afraid, in the thrill of the adventure. She even dropped Mr. Bosworth's hand and ven- tured to join Roy who was standing nearer the bow (if a raft has a bow). The water seethed and curled all about them, and some children on the banks stopped playing to wave their hats and hands and shout at them. By the time the last fall was passed and the crib had reached the level of the river, Ray as well as Roy would have been perfectly willing to do it all over again. '' That sort of thing makes me feel like a boy again," declared Mr. Stevens, and Dora said she could hardly wait to write home to tell about it. ^' It's like tobogganing in the water," she re- marked, " only, you know there are no trees to run against, if you go off the track." They all thanked their friend with so much en- thusiasm that it quite compensated for their previous lack of it, and the morning was voted a great success. CHAPTER VI PHILEMON WRIGHT AND THE LUMBER TRADE * ' I DON 't tliink I ever saw as much lumber in a town as there is here," said Dora, as they were making their way back to the hotel. Mr. Bos- worth had left them, after securing their promise to go with him the next day out to his country place to spend Sunday, and they were walking slowly along, noticing the shops and houses and people as they went. " It seems that it was an American colonist who opened up this country to the lumber-trade, ' ' said Mr. Stevens, " a man named Philemon Wright, from W^oburn, Massachusetts. He came up the river looking for a place to start a settle- ment, and he found it on the banks right opposite Ottawa, where Hull stands now. That was in 1796, some time after the French and Indian wars were over, and things were comparatively safe. He came up again the next year, to make sure that this really was the spot he wanted. It was a wilderness then, with no settlement nearer than 59 60 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA the Long Sault (Soo), about seventy-five miles away; but the shores were covered with the best of timber and no one but himself seemed to know of its existence or understand its value. A third time he visited the spot and a fourth, this last time with two neighbors, so that his report of the situa- tion might be confirmed by theirs. When they went back, they convinced a number of men of the desirability of the spot, and in February, 1800, some twenty-five men started, with all necessary lumbering, milling, and planting tools. Five fam- ilies, with fourteen horses and eight oxen, were also of the party. They were traveling in sleighs, and after they left the last settlement they had to go through two feet of snow in the woods, for there were no roads, and often had to cut down trees in order to get room for the sleighs." '' There's some of the perseverance Eay ad- mires," said Dora. '' Yes, settlers have to have it quite as much as travelers," replied Mr. Stevens. '^ At night, the brave pioneers stopped and made a clearing, cut- ting down trees enough to keep up a big fire all night. They made the women and children com- fortable in the sleighs, and the men wrapped them- selves in their blankets and slept around the fire, first tying the horses and oxen to the surrounding THE LUMBER TRADE 61 trees. When they came to frozen stretches of river, they left the woods for the ice, so as to travel faster, but even here they had to clear away the snow. Once they met an Indian with his squaw and papoose, and the friendly savage sent his family on their way while he went on ahead of the settlers for some distance, trying the ice with his hatchet to see if it would bear the cattle. He could not speak English nor they his language, but the language of kindness is easily understood. "When they reached their destination, he left them, pleased with the gifts they gave him, and went back to join his family, who were by this time miles away. ' ' The Indians of the vicinity were not so friendly at first, thinking, and justly enough, that a settle- ment would spoil their woods and their hunting; but, hearing that the government had granted land for a colony, they changed their attitude and became very friendly. Wright was made one of their chiefs, was crowned and received as one, and the hatchet was buried, never to be resurrected. ' ' ^' Well, that's the way it ought to be! " ex- claimed Ray. " No wars, no scalping, no carry- ing off of little children, — I don't see why a New England man in New England couldn't have had things friendly as well as in Canada." 62 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA '' Perhaps the New England Indians were dif- ferent," suggested Roy, " though they were friendly at first." * * It is nearly always the intention of both sides to keep the peace," said Mr. Stevens, '' but some accident happens : some one's gun goes off by mis- take, or some hothead, regardless of consequences, gets angry and can't wait to have things peaceably settled, and the result is hundreds of deaths and tortures, imprisonment and starvation, that might all have been avoided by a little care and self- control. ' ' '^ Did Wright's colony become a successful one"? " asked Dora. ^' Yes, indeed. In less than five years they had a smithy, a tannery, a shoemaker's shop, a tailor's, and a baker's. Their crops of potatoes and wheat were excellent from the first. In 1807, the first load of square timber was taken down to Quebec, and after that there was a regular in- come from the sale of lumber. Although he had many setbacks in the shape of fires, with no in- surance, Philemon Wright became a rich man, for that period. Hull is in the Province of Quebec, and he was made a member of the legislature of that province, — Lower Canada, as it was then called. He died in 1839, an old man, full of years THE LUMBER TRADE 63 and honor, after a life profitable to himself and many others." " I wish I knew just exactly how lumbering is carried on," said Eoy. '' I could tell you how it is managed with us," said his father, '' but I know very little about Canadian lumbering. Perhaps we shall come across some one who can tell us, while we are here. ' ' The next day, Mr. Bosworth called for them and drove them several miles up the banks of the river to his summer home, which was a comforta- ble, rambling cottage of two stories, with numer- ous piazzas, and a pretty lawn sloping to the river. There they were received most cordially by Miss Georgina, who at once announced that tea would be ready in a few minutes and would be served on the piazza. When they had been to their rooms and brushed oif the dust of their drive, they all came downstairs and were soon enjoying the thin bread-and-butter and tea-cake served with the tea. /' Oh, father, there comes Baptiste! He wants to talk something over with you. Can you see him now? " exclaimed Georgina, suddenly, as a rather gray, middle-aged man was seen coming up the drive. ' ' Baptiste ? Where ? Oh, yes ! Certainly, in 64 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA a few minutes. We '11 offer him a cup of tea first. A lumberman who lives not far away," he ex- plained, turning to Mr. Stevens, " and quite a character. We must try to set him talking. Good- morning, Baptiste," as the man came within speaking distance. '^ You wish to see me about that business, ehf Well, you must sit down with us first and have some tea." Baptiste raised his cap with a smile, and was presented to the party on the piazza, while Georgina prepared for him a cup of tea and the maid handed him the bread-and-butter. He was dressed in ordinary working-clothes and wore an old fur cap, although it was the last week in June. His accent when he spoke English was very amus- ing to the children, but what he said was so inter- esting to them that they soon forgot to notice his pronunciation. Occasionally, he could not think of the English word he wanted and then Mr. Bosworth or Georgina prompted him with the French word, to show they understood, so that he could go on with his story. By skilful questioning, Mr. Bosworth led him on to give a fairly circumstantial account of a winter in a French-Canadian lumber-camp. " Me, I don' work for any other man," he ex- plained; '' I work for myself. I got two son, big, THE LUMBER TRADE 65 grown man, an' my nephew, Antoine, an' we build a cahane (hut) an' a shed for the horse, an' we live there all the winter. Excepting, of course, we go home for the Noel (Christmas) an' the New Year an' the Jour des Rois (Epiphany). That make mos' a free week vacation," '' Who cooks for you, Baptiste! " asked Georgina. *' Cook? Oh, me, Antoine, Jean Baptiste, Christophe — any one! We have the pork an' the potato, an' we make the soup one tarn for all the winter. It ees always on the fire, an' then when we come in, day or night, it ees always ready. When it ees mos' gone, we put more peas and more water and more fat in." '' Don't you have tea — or coffee? " asked Mr. Stevens. '' Yes, sir, some of the tarn, but not always. Miss Bosworth, she give me a good box of tea this las' tarn for a — how you say " " Cadeauf Present? " suggested Mr. Bosworth. '' Yes, for a present, an' it was ver' good, ver' good indeed." " What kind of beds do you have in your cahane? " asked Mr. Bosworth. '' Jus' a leetle — what you call — shelf. He fas' to the wall, an' another shelf on the top of heem. 66 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA Wen we have the companee, Christophe — ^he ees the mos' young — he sleep on the floor before the fire an' give the visitor hees bed, or on the table, perhaps. Once, we have the so great companee that Antoine, he sleep on the floor, Jean Baptiste on the table, me on the bench — the sitting-bench, — and Christophe he sleep on the wood-pile. ' ' The children langhed to think what a funny sight it must have been, and Baptiste, smiling also, said, " But, yes, — one must be polite to the companee, no? " '' Isn't it very cold? " asked Ray, shivering a little as she imagined the snow and ice that must surround the little hut. " Yes, it make some cold, on the outside; but not on the inside. The big fire an' the blanket an' the warm clothes an' the hot soup — no, it is not cold within. But the t'ermometer — he go down to 25, to 35 degree below, an' w'en the win' blow, it ees cold, oui." ' ' I should think so, ' ' shuddered Ray. '' Did you get many logs last winter? " asked Mr. Bosworth. " Yes, a plenty. My ol' horse, he t'ink too many, — he ver' fatigue w'en the spring come, — he haul so many log tied on the sled an' the road so bad. He go firs' up an' then down, an' he hit THE LUMBER TRADE 67 the rock under the snow w'en he don' see them. ' ' " You never use oxen? '^ * * Not yet. W 'en my ol ' horse die, then I get the ox, perhaps." ' ' Suppose your horse should die up there in the winter! " suggested Mr. Stevens. Baptiste shrugged his shoulders and lifted his eyebrows, '' making a mouth," as the children called it, under his mustache, but said nothing. It was not necessary, for even the children under- stood that that meant, " Well, that would be un- lucky, but I jus ' have to do the bes ' I could. ' ' " Of course," he said, presently, '' eef I have the ox and he die, I eat him, but the horse, no." " Is your day a very long one? " asked Georgina. '' It ees as long as possible, — the day in winter ees short, but we chop an' haul while it ees light. I bring the log to the reevaire an' then my work ees done." *' But you did drive logs once, didn't you? " asked Mr. Bosworth. '' Ah, oui, me, I drive the log many year; but it ees the young man must drive the log — now I am too oI' an' too steef. The log-driver, he have to be out day an' night, w'en it rain an' snow, 68 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA he ees always wet, he get sleep an' spmet'ing to eat jus' once a while, an' he reesk hees life many tarn. ' ' "More courage and perseverance," said Roy to Ray, in an undertone. " Tell us something about the driving, do,'* coaxed Georgina. " Once, I drive the log out of a lake ver' high above the reevaire. There was six t'ousand log, an' w'en the dam was open, dem log come down like — I don' know what, — they bump and they jump right over heemself, an' they run the head together like the goat w'en he fight, an' they turn the — the soubresaut " " The somersault, yes," explained Mr. Bos- worth. " An' they roll over one hundr' time, each one," went on Baptiste. " Wen they get down, some of them look like the broom. Well, there was one beeg log he get wedge 'cross the stream an' the other he come piling up behin' an' begin pile on top, and so we get a jam — a log- jam. Then the foreman he sen' my frien' Pierre Robert an' me an' some other to break up the jam. We have to walk on the jam with our hook an' get the big log loose so he start, an' mak' the other log go after heem in good order, an' all the tam more log was THE LUMBER TRADE 69 com' down from the lak'. It was ver' dangerous, for the log turn over all the tam an' we have watch that an' step quick, an' then the new log keep coming fas' an' bumping an' shaking every- t'ing; but we got him out an' all the other log behave like the gentleman an' so we come out all right ; but some tam — some tam — a man lose hees place on the log an' he go under an' he nevaire come up alive. ' ' '' Have another cup of tea, Baptiste," sug- gested Mr. Bosworth, and Baptiste, having told his story, now devoted himself to his second cup and to another piece of bread-and-butter. ' ' We have been lumbering here in Canada, ever since Philemon Wright's time," said Mr. Bos- worth, ' ' and England has been drawing on us for timber ever since the Napoleonic wars, when she couldn't get her usual supplies from the shores of the Baltic. In 1902 we sent her nearly two mil- lion loads of lumber. Now, the United States is taking a tremendous share of our timber: from 1893 to 1903, the export to the States amounted to nearly fourteen million dollars ' worth. About four million logs float down past Ottawa each year." '' What do they use it all for? " asked Roy. " For all the ordinary uses of wood, and now spruce-wood is in great demand for paper-making. ^0 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA Pulp-wood, the kind used in making pulp for paper, is one of the leading exports to the States. Nearly twenty million acres in the Lake St. John basin in the Province of Quebec is covered with timber, of which seventy-five per cent, is spruce. Five hundred thousand tons of pulp could be made there every year for an indefinite time. And this basin is only one of numerous districts of the kind. ' ' '' I believe there is some objection to exporting so much pulp-wood to the States, is there not? " asked Mr. Stevens. '' Yes, there is some, for this reason. Nearly all the mills for manufacturing the wood into pulp are on your side of the border; and some people feel that the building up of such industries should be in the country where the raw material is pro- duced. After manufacture, it comes back here and competes with our own goods. They think that if a very high export duty were placed on pulp-wood, it would lead the American importer to build his mills over here and give this country the benefit of the new industries. On the other hand, exporters claim that American mills could not be made to pay in some sections, on account of the scarce water-power and the high price of coal. I doubt if anything is done about it. The Canadian railways that carry the wood would be THE LUMBER TRADE 71 glad to see sometliing done, for they are without many of their cars a good share of the time ow- ing to the export-trade. They carry the wood to New England from New Brunswick and Que- bec, and the American roads keep the cars the full limit of time allowable, using them all the time and passing them on from one road to an- other; and as there is no return-trade to require sending them back at once, they go back as ' empties ' when the American roads have reached the extreme limit of time permitted. Meantime, the Canadian road has had to get along without its cars as best it could." *' That is certainly exasperating," said Mr. Stevens. '' Yet I suppose the law cannot touch that kind of offense." " The Golden Rule would settle it," said Ray, faintly. '' Yes, my dear, it would, and a great many other vexed questions," said Mr. Bosworth, heartily. ' ' Well, Baptiste, shall we go and attend to that matter of yours now ? You will excuse us, I know, ' ' to the company. And when Baptiste had made his bow to them all, taking off and putting on his fur cap several times, the two men strolled around the corner of the house to Mr. Bosworth 's office at the back. CHAPTEE VII PLAYING "VOYAGEURS" Sunday afternoon, as the Bosworths and Stevenses sat chatting on the piazza, Mr. Bos- worth, looking up, said, " There come Sir Henry and Lady Caldwell," and as they drove up he and Georgina went down the steps to meet them, " Is it a real lord and lady? " asked Ray of her father, much impressed. ' ' Not a lord, but a knight and his lady, ' ' replied her father, in a low voice. ' ' Sir Henry Caldwell was knighted by the Queen about a year before she died, I believe, for his services in some South African matter." '' Well, how do you call them — my lord and my lady? " asked Ray, anxiously. ^' No, just use ' Sir Henry ' and ' Lady Cald- well ' where you would be likely to say * Mr.' or ' Mrs. Smith ' if you were talking to the Smiths." By this time the visitors had mounted the steps and introductions were going on, and, in the re- 73 PLAYING " VOYAGEURS " 73 adjustment of seats, the children found them- selves seated near the three men while the ladies chatted at a little distance. Sir Henry was a fine-looking elderly man, who at once took a liking to the children and began to ask them what they had seen. *' Have you seen ' Lovers' Walk '? Ah, you have! You know they say that is the old path the voyageurs used to take on their way around the Rideau Falls, on their fur-trading expeditions. And Gatineau Point! That, too. And Rideau Falls and Canal? Not yet? The Falls come down so straight and even, you know, that they look like a curtain, and so the first French voyageurs named them ' Rideau ' or ' Curtain ' Falls. And the house where the Governor-general lives is named Rideau Hall, for the Falls. It is too bad the Governor-general and his family are away — we might get you an invitation to something there — a lawn-fete, or something. ' ' '' What is the canal for, Sir Henry? " asked Roy. " Originally, it was built to be used in case of war. After the war of 1812, the Canadians thought they needed a water-way less exposed than the St. Lawrence would be if they should ever have another war with the States, and Colonel 74 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA By came here in 1826 to construct the canal. A little town grew up around one end of the canal- works, and was called Bytown after him ; later this town developed into Ottawa. The corner-stone of the canal was ready to be laid by the next year, when who should come along but Sir John Frank- lin, returning from one of his Arctic journeys. They pressed him into service, and he laid the corner-stone for them, and the canal was finished in 1832." '' "What nice times those were," said Ray, ' ' when you could look up the road and say ' Here comes a stranger,' and you could call him in and give him his supper and a bed and then hear him tell all about the Holy Land and his adventures; or you saw a boat on the river, and when it stopped, there was Sir John Franklin landing, ready to tell you all about the Esquimaux. Those things don't seem to happen now." " They happen, but there's no surprise about them," said Sir Henry, '^ because the wireless telegraph and the cable and the newspapers tell us everything beforehand, and the reporters go to meet the stranger and have everything out of him and in the newspapers before you can say ' Jack Robinson.' " " And they don't walk or come in rowboats and PLAYING " VOYAGEURS " 75 sloops any longer, — they come by the fastest trains and liners," said Roy. '' Yes, there isn't much chance of a good gos- sip any more. Still, once in a while, it happens. It's quite a surprise to me, for instance, to meet you two American children, and I'm going to get you to tell me your adventures," said Sir Henry, jestingly. ' ' Are you going to be long here ? ' ' *' No; we go day after to-morrow, down the river to Montreal," said Roy. ^' Montreal next? You'll find that a nice town, too," said Sir Henrj^, and taking out his pocket- tablets, he wrote a line or two. '' I must give your father a line to a friend of mine who is on the Board of Directors of the Bank of Montreal, so that you can see the Bank thoroughly. Most peo- ple just take a look about the first floor, but there's a good deal to see there besides that. Have you seen a game of lacrosse yet? " "No; but we want to, very much," replied Roy. '' That you'll be able to see in Montreal, too, for there 's going to be a championship game there next week. You mustn't miss that, for lacrosse is the Canadian national game, you know." So Sir Henry went on suggesting one thing after another that must be seen in Montreal and 76 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA Quebec, until the children grew very impatient to resume their travels. It was, therefore, with mingled feelings that they bade good-by to the new friends who had been so kind, and set foot on the steamer " Empress " at Queen 's Wharf, early in the morning, two days later. It was chilly and misty on the river at that hour, but the sun soon broke through the clouds and the day gave signs of being a pleas- ant one. Just as they were leaving the dock, a bird on the shore broke into song as if celebrating their departure. ''There!" exclaimed Dora. "That's the Canada bird Miss Georgina told me about. It says, ' Hard times in poor old Canada, Canada, Canada! ' Listen! " And to be sure, one could make some such translation of it, with a little stretch of the imagination. " We have that bird at home," said Mr. Stevens, '' for it's the white-throated song- sparrow." " Well, what does it say in our country? " asked Roy. '^ It wouldn't sing about Canada there. ' ' '' I think it's called the ' Peabody bird,' because those last notes are supposed to sound like ' Peabody.' " Crossing the Ottawa Courtesy of the Ottawa River Navigation Company Trappists at Work PLAYING "VOYAGEURS" 77 '' Miss Georgina says it has changed its song now to ' Good times in dear old Canada, Canada, Canada,' so as to keep to the facts," said Dora. '' Yes, one can't say poor old Canada, any longer," rejoined Mr. Stevens, '' for it's one of the richest countries in natural resources that there are on the globe, and the fact is at last com- ing to be appreciated." For a long time the " Empress " met or over- took very few craft on the river. A scow loading at a lumber-yard, men working on log-rafts, and an occasional rowboat were all the family saw for some miles. They were very much interested in the log-rafts lying in the river here and there, in great squares or circles, with a chain of logs fas- tened together all around the edge of the circle to keep the logs together. The two ends of the chain were fastened to a sort of wooden crib of piles, filled with stones, out in the river. Frequently, along the banks, they saw specimens of the early French-Canadian architecture, which is copied even in new buildings of a certain kind to this day. Houses of gray stone, with small-paned windows, green shutters divided horizontally in half as well as perpendicularly, and white sashes, with sloping slate or shingled roofs and sometimes as many as three rows of small dormer-windows 78 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA in the roof, — were sufficiently different from any- thing the children were used to to attract their attention. The largest sawmill they had ever seen and the greatest quantity of lumber (in any one spot) they noticed at Rockland; and at Montebello a fellow-passenger tried to point out to them the chateau where Louis Joseph Papineau had lived. This gentleman was very glad to tell them about Papineau, who was the leader in Lower Canada of a rebellion against the government in 1837 and 1838. " The trouble," he said, '' was partly of the same kind as that which led the American colonies to revolt. Canada wanted its own legislative bodies and finally got them, but there was an Executive Council, salaried by the Crown, which had great influence with the Grovernor-general and yet was not responsible either to him or to the Canadian legislature. This Council grew more and more powerful and more objectionable to the people, and, after the war of 1812 was over, the dissatisfaction of the Canadians grew steadily, until it reached a climax in the rebellion. In Lower Canada (the Province of Quebec) the leader was Papineau; in Upper Canada (the Prov- ince of Ontario) it was William Lyon Mackenzie. Strangely enough, a member of the Papineau PLAYING " VOYAGEURS " 79 family is now at the head of the Nationaliste party in Quebec, and a grand-nephew, I believe, of Mackenzie is Deputy Minister of Labor of the Dominion. ' ' Although the rebellion was put down, the peo- ple got the reforms they wanted in two or three years, and Upper and Lower Canada were united and given a new constitution granting responsible government : that is, a government answerable for its acts to the people of Canada, The two prov- inces were then called Canada East and Canada West." " What became of Papineau? " asked Eoy. *' He went to the States for a time, but was afterward pardoned and returned. After that, he had little to do with politics. His heirs show people very willingly through the chateau and exhibit relics of the rebellion. ' ' '' I wish we could stop there," said Ray; '' rel- ics are so interesting." But both she and Roy agreed that the next landing had an even more interesting history. It was Grenville, at the head of the Long Sault Rapids, and here the '' Empress " transferred her passengers to a little train with a wood-burning locomotive which carried them across a neck of land to Carillon, to meet the boat that was to take 80 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA them the rest of the way. From this point on, the land on both sides the river belonged to the prov- ince of Quebec. Dora had read ' ' The Romance of Dollard ' ' and was especially interested in this part of the river. '^ It was here," she told the children, " that one of the bravest acts in all French-Canadian history took place. The Iroquois had determined to make a descent upon Montreal, which was then called Ville-Marie, and to drive the French into the sea, thus getting rid entirely of their only rivals in power. To save the town, sixteen young French- men, headed by Dollard, came up here and rebuilt a small Indian palisaded fort that stood in ruins on the south bank of the river about half-way be- tween Grenville and Carillon, and attacked the Iroquois as they came down the river. The attack was so far successful as to put an end to the Iro- quois plans and save Montreal; but there were eight hundred Indians against the seventeen young Frenchmen, whose forty Indian allies de- serted them in the midst of their trouble, and not one of the brave Frenchmen survived." " Not one? Not even one? " asked Ray, hardly able to believe that such daring and self-sacrifice could have been completely wiped out. " Not even one. Mrs, Catherwood has written PLAYING " VOYAGEURS » 81 a beautiful story about DoUard that you must read when you are a little older. ' ' A number of priests and nuns had come aboard at Carillon, the priests in long black gowns and shovel-hats, the nuns in black with stiff bonnets over their black hoods with white facings. One young priest was apparently in charge of several boys of twelve to thirteen years of age, and, while he smoked a pipe, the boys rummaged his pockets for cigarettes, which he allowed them to smoke. The only remonstrance he made was against their taking so many that they left very few for him. At the town of Oka, the fellow-passenger men- tioned before pointed out to the children on a high hill the place of a Trapx^ist Monastery, where some very celebrated cheese was made and sold by the monks. *' Would they let any one visit the monastery and see them making the cheese? " Ray asked. * * They would let your father and brother in, but not you and your sister. Women are not allowed to visit monasteries, as a rule. And you wouldn't care to visit this one, anyhow," he said, mis- chievously, '' because you wouldn't have any one to talk to. The Trappists are under a vow of silence and there are very few occasions on which they can get a dispensation to open their mouths." 82 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA " They never talk? Not even at meals, when they are not working? " Ray persisted. '' Never, — not even at meals." " Are there any nuns that are not allowed to talk? " asked Roy, curiously. ' ' Not that I know of, — the Church knows better than to attempt the impossible, I imagine." The stranger did not suppose that Ray would understand this last speech, and was surprised when she gave him an indignant look and turned away. Once or twice he said things that he evi- dently expected her to answer, but she paid no attention. After a while, Dora said to her, in an undertone: '' What is the matter, Ray? It's rude of you to sit with your back to us all and take no part in the conversation." Ray made no reply, but pressed her lips tightly together, although she turned a little more toward the company. Pres- ently, the stranger arose and strolled away, and then Ray burst forth: " Well, I guess I've shown him that a woman or a girl doesn't have to talk all the time. I've been still for nearly half an hour, and I was just dying to say something lots of times ! " She could not understand why all the others burst out laughing and was rather offended at first, but the long silence had kept her thoughts PLAYING " VOYAGEURS " 83 busy and left lier so many things she wanted to ask and to say that she quite made up for lost time. They were coming now to Ste. Anne de Bellevue, at the west end of the Island of Montreal, a pretty little village with a church and a convent and the ruins of an old French chateau. A little farther on were the new buildings of Macdonald College, they were told, a new department of McGill Uni- versity of Montreal. These buildings were for the students of agriculture and of domestic sci- ence, and for the students who were going to be teachers. '' This is the town where Tom Moore, the Irish poet, lived while he was in Canada, and I believe they show you the house in which he. wrote the * Canadian Boat Song,' " said Mr. Stevens. " Do you know the song, father? " asked Dora. ' ' I used to, — it was quite popular in the States when I was a boy. Let me see if I can remem- ber it ; " ' Faintly as tolls the evening chime, Our voices keep tune and our oars keep time. Soon as the woods on the shore look dim, We'll sing at St. Ann's our parting hymn. Row, brothers, row ! the stream runs fast, The rapids are near and the daylight's past.' " He tried to go on, but could remember no more of the words, except that the last two lines of this 84 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA stanza were a sort of refrain repeated at the end of the other stanzas. " What was Moore doing over here? " asked Dora. " He came up here for a short time while he was visiting the United States. He saw Niagara, and then went down the St. Lawrence to Montreal in an open boat. They say he set his song to a tune he heard the Canadian boatmen sing frequently. ' ' Roy and Ray had been watching the passage of the boat through the canal at Ste. Anne, with much curiosity. The rapids there made a canal necessary and this one had very large solid gates, wide enough to walk across on when they were closed, and which opened by dividing slowly in the middle to let the vessel through. Roy explained to his sister the principle of the canal-lock until Ray, who was not at all clever about machinery, understood very clearly. Not long after this a certain excitement was noticeable among the passengers, who began to crowd toward the bow and look forward as if ex- pecting something. '* We must be coming to the Lachine Rapids," said Mr. Stevens. '^ Let us go forward, too, and get a good view." PLAYING " VOYAGEURS " 85 As they did so, Roy glanced up at the pilot- house and reported that both wheels were being used and that there were two men at each wheel. ' ' One of them looks like an Indian, too, ' ' he said. *' I daresay he is," said Mr. Stevens; *' they used to take on Indian pilots for these rapids, as they knew the channel and the rocks so well. And I suppose the two wheels and the four men are on account of the strength of the current here. ' ' In a few moments the boat was plowing her way swiftly and sturdily through the seething waters, with the passengers watching her prog- ress with breathless interest. '' Just think — a little turn of the wheel in the wrong direction, and where would we bef " sug- gested Roy. '' Suppose we had a crazy pilot," he added, enjoying the success of his effort to tease, as he saw Ray put her hands before her eyes with a shiver. " Don't, Roy, that isn't kind," said Dora. a There, Ray, it's all over, — three miles of it in no time, and we're in smooth water again." '' It's interesting to know that these Rapids were named in a spirit of ridicule," said Mr. Stevens, who had been consulting his guide-book. *' It seems that La Salle's men started up the river looking for China — La Chine, in French, — 86 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA that they got as far as these rapids and no further, but turned back and reached their companions again in three or four months, and these, making fun of them for the failure, gave the name of La Chine to the place where the explorers had turned back." A little later, just as it was growing dusk, they landed at the Montreal dock and were speedily taken in a carriage through the streets to the great hotel in the center of the city. CHAPTER VIII VILLE-MARIE Whe:!^ Ray awoke the next morning, it was to hear tlie chiming of bells from churches and con- vents, the great bell of St. James ' Cathedral domi- nating all the others. It sounded very foreign, for at home she heard bells only on Sunday. Dora wanted to lie still and listen to them, but Ray couldn't wait, so she dressed and knocked at her father's door. " Is Roy ready to go down? " she asked. " He has already gone," replied Mr. Stevens. '' He said he would not go outside the hotel, so you will probably find him in the parlors." Ray immediately went to the elevator, which came along just then, and was carried downstairs. There were two English ladies in the elevator, and one said to the other, '^ Strange that a child of that age, and a girl, should be going about a great hotel alone I " * ' Oh, my dear ! ' ' said the other. ' ' American children soon learn to take care of themselves, and for the matter of that Canadian children do also. 87 88 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA Provided they're taught to behave themselves and not be a nuisance to other people, it's no harm." Ray thought they might have discussed her in a little lower tone, but she stood back and let them precede her out of the elevator, and had the satis- faction of hearing, " That child seems to have been brought up properly, at any rate. ' ' Roy was not in the parlors nor in the halls, and Ray finally approached the man in livery who sat at one of the entrances and asked, " Have you seen my brother, — a boy about my age, — exactly my age, because we're twins! " ' ' Yes, miss, there was a young gentleman here a few minutes ago. I think he went down the out- side steps there to the street. ' ' '' Oh, no! that couldn't have been Roy, because he told father he wouldn't go out of the hotel." '' I'll just see, miss," said the man, and he went down the steps. In a moment he reappeared with Roy, who looked rather crestfallen, for some reason. " Where were youf " asked Ray. " Just at the foot of the steps. Let's go into the parlor." "I'm much obliged to you," said Ray to the man, who replied, " Not at all, miss," and looked after her approvingly. VILLE-MARIE 89 She caught hold of Roy's arm. '' Oh, I wish we could skip ! ' ' she exclaimed. ' ' I feel just like skipping. Just think, after breakfast new ad- ventures are going to begin." " Mine have begun already," said Roy, rather grimly. *' How? What happened to you? " '' I've just been making a fool of myself, that's all," replied Roy. '' Oh, Roy, you're just teasing me! " ^' No, I'm not. I came down and I thought it would save time if I found out where the dining- room was, so I looked around for some one to ask. Well, presently along came a lady without a hat, dressed in a plain, white dress and going rather fast, as if she had plenty of business on hand, and I said to myself, ' She must be the house- keeper or the stewardess or whatever they have in hotels.' So I stepped up to her and asked her the way to the dining-room. And she stopped and put up her eyeglasses and looked me up and down and said: ' Dear me! W^hat a curious question! How should I know where the dining-room is? ' And I felt about a foot high. Well, I couldn't say I thought she was the housekeeper, so I said, ' I beg your pardon ; I thought perhaps you might know, ' and walked away. And when I passed th© 90 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA man at the door, lie said, ' Do you know who that lady was you were speaking to? ' and I said, ' No,' and he said it was the Countess of Something or other, just over from England. So I thought I'd go down the steps and get out of danger — I didn't know what I might do next. ' ' " I don't think that was very bad," said Eay. '^ We'll ask father;" and when Mr. Ste- vens and Dora came down they related Roy's adventure. " Don't be troubled," said Mr. Stevens, " it's the sort of mistake people are always making in hotels and at parties. Dora here was taken for a news-girl once." * ' Yes, really, ' ' said Dora, as the children looked incredulous. " It was very cold weather and I was all bundled wp with cloaks and veils and mit- tens, and I had two or three papers under my arm, and I was standing just where a certain news-girl was in the habit of standing, though I 'didn't know that, and a man asked me if I had the Times. I didn't know what he meant and I looked at him without answering, and he saw his mistake, I suppose, and hurried away." " Well, that's a pretty good joke," said Roy. '' I think I'd know a news-girl if I saw her, but J can't tell countesses, I'm afraid." VILLE-MARIE 91 '' Where are we going tliis morning, father? " asked Eay. " It is such a lovely, clear morning that I think the drive up the mountain to get the general view of the city would be the best thing for us," re- plied her father. '' What mountain? I haven't seen any moun- tain," said Roy. ^' Mount Royal, or Mont Real, the hill behind the city from which the city is named. While we are at breakfast we can have a little account of the city, so that we shall know what we are look- ing at." So, while they ate their fruit and cereal and rolls and drank their coffee, they put together the knowledge of Montreal they had gained from their reading since starting. '' It's on an island, isn't it? " asked Roy. *' Yes, and there used to be an Indian fortified place on it named Hochelaga. It was here when Jacques Cartier came over from France in 1535, and they have a tablet up somewhere over the site of that village," said Mr. Stevens. " How could they tell? " asked Ray. ** They found remains underground, in dig- ging, I believe, — things that are now in the mu- seum of McGill University. But by the time 92 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA Champlain came over, in the early seventeentli century, the place had disappeared, owing to In- dian wars, it is supposed. In 1642, the present city was founded by Maisonneuve, a French no- bleman, and called Ville-Marie de Montreal. It was a palisaded town from the first, on account of the Indians, and the Iroquois attacked it fre- quently. It was the principal market for furs, and the other Indians used to bring their furs to the Place Royale and trade them to the fur- traders in return for the supplies they wanted. Their annual fair took place in May or June. Most of the explorers who went farther west fitted out their expeditions in the little town — Joliet, La Salle, and Father Hennepin, for in- stance. It was a most important place from the beginning. ' ' ' ' Were there any celebrated Iroquois ? Any chiefs like Tecumseh and Red Jacket? " asked Roy. '' Hiawatha himself was an Iroquois, I have read somewhere," said Dora. *' He really lived in the fifteenth century, and it was he who devised the scheme of federation and government for the Five Nations. He wanted to bring about peace among them first, for they often warred among themselves, and later he wished to extend the fed- VILLE-MARIE 93 eration to other tribes until there should be uni- versal peace. The Mohawks were the first to ac- cept his scheme, then the Oneidas, Cayugas, and Senecas, and finally the Onondagas ; and these five nations are still a federation, the compact never having been broken. When the first explorers found them in what is now northern New York, they were farmers, living in log houses, and rais- ing maize and pumpkins. They were not hunting tribes like some of the Indians, but kept to their own part of the country and their homes. But they were fighters, and from the first they ob- jected to the French invasion of their country as they considered it. ' ' " Was Hochelaga an Iroquois village? " in- quired Roy. ^' No," said Mr. Stevens; " it was Algonquin. It had three rows of palisades, and one entrance, well-guarded. There were some fifty lodges within, much longer than they were broad and divided into several rooms each. They were of wood with bark roofs. Galleries over the doors and along the outer palisades were filled with stones ready for throwing down on the heads of those who might attack the fort. About a thou- sand Indians occupied the place. They were very friendly to Cartier when he came; but when 94 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA Champlain came in 1611, not a sign was to be seen of the fort. ' ' '' What did Champlain do if Maisonneuve founded the city? " " Champlain established simply a trading-post, on the site of the present Custom House. We'll go to some of these old places this afternoon. He called the post Place Royale, and built a wall of clay around it. But the expedition under Maison- neuve was intended to make a permanent settle- ment, and he brought over with him forty men and four women, ready to remain and plant a reli- gious colony in the New World. They reached the trading-post in May, and, after their effects were all landed, they set up a temporary altar and held a service. The Jesuit priest who received them prophesied: ^ You are a grain of mustard-seed that shall rise and grow till its branches over- shadow the earth. You are few, but your work is the work of God. Plis smile is on you and your children shall fill the land.' The first things built were a seminary for priests and a nuns' hospital and school, and the settlement around these was to defend and support them. A few years later a wealthy French lady gave them forty-two thou- sand livres with which to build a hospital. But they did not prosper for some reason, and in 1657 VILLE-MARIE 95 they turned over the settlement and the whole island to the Seminary of St. Sulpice. The Semi- nary is now the richest religious institution on the North American continent." '' Don't tell me any more, please, until I see something, or I shall be all mixed up," begged Ray, and her father laughed, saying, '' I have given you rather a large dose for one time, haven't I? If every one has finished, Roy and I will go look for a carriage while you girls get on your hats." It was not long before they were driving through the tree-shaded streets of the city, with its pleasant open squares, its churches and gray stone convents, its walled gardens and substantial stone and brick houses. " How pretty the gray stone and green trees look together! " exclaimed Ray. '' But gray stone must look cold in winter, sur- rounded with snow, ' ' objected Dora. ' ' In Ottawa nearly everything is built of red brick, — I should think that would look warmer and cozier in winter. Well, look at that ! ' ' she exclaimed, suddenly. An ice-wagon had stopped before a house and the ice-man, standing on the step of the wagon, had hurled some twenty pounds of ice through the air into the front yard. 96 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA '' That's one way of doing things," said Mr. Stevens; and, looking ahead, he remarked: *' He hasn't always taken such good aim. In most places, he has simply hit the sidewalk. ' ' '' It's nice for dogs," said Eoy, pointing to a small dog lapping the water off a cake of ice in front of a cottage. In some places, the ice was melting fast and the water running in little streams over the wooden sidewalks. They noticed in coming back from their drive two hours later that some of the ice was still unclaimed and was very much reduced in size. " I suppose the maids forget to look for it," said Dora. They were told afterward that the ice companies made a certain allowance in their charges for the melting of the ice. ^' I think it would be cheaper to pay the men something and make them deliver it in the ice- box, ' ' commented Ray. *' And it would certainly be better housekeep- ing, ' ' added Dora. Presently, as they drove along, they began to climb up the mountain by a winding road. Occa- sionally through the trees they had glimpses of the streets below, but not until they came to the pavilion and outlook at the top had they any idea of the view that was in store for them. Looking VILLE-MARIE 97 over the parapet they could see, just below, the hillside with its trees and the handsomer resi- dence-quarter; below these were roofs and trees and spires innumerable, — there seemed to be al- most as many churches and convents and monas- teries as houses; lower still the substantial busi- ness quarter of the city and the docks extending along the great river. On the opposite side of the St. Lawrence stretched miles upon miles of green country, dotted with villages and single houses, and away off in the blue distance was a chain of mountains. The Victoria Bridge across the river formed a part of the beautiful picture, as well as the ships and steamers plying up and down. * ' Those mountains are the Green Mountains of Vermont and the Adirondacks, ' ' said Mr. Stevens. *' They are? " exclaimed Roy and Ray to- gether, very much astonished. " Yes, we're fortunate to have a day clear enough to see them. And if you look up in that direction," pointing to the right, " you can see the Lachine Rapids that we came through yester- day." " So we can. I don't think I ever saw as far as this before, even in Mexico," remarked Ray. '' You probably saw farther there, because the 98 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA air is clearer, but you didn't know the places you saw as you do our own mountains, so tliat it didn't impress you so much, ' ' said her father. " As we go back the other side of the mountain, we shall have an equally lovely view of another kind." It was hard for the children to tear themselves away from the wonderful picture spread out be- fore them, but the drive down proved an almost equal delight. Past the park-ranger's house with its neatly laid-out grounds and gorgeous beds of flowers, through fields of daisies, buttercups, and clover, they wound down the mountain side, with Little Mountain and Cote des Neiges (Snowy Slope) in the foreground, and off to the right green fields dotted with farms and villas, the convent-school, ^^ Villa-Maria/' the two ceme- teries, Protestant and Catholic, and in the dis- tance the Back River, a branch of the Ottawa, gleaming in the sunshine. They passed the park toboggan-slide, a mile and a half long, starting from the top of the to- boggan club-house and running down the hill, up another, down that and up another. The driver assured them that there were no accidents of any consequence, as no toboggan was allowed to start until the one preceding had got down the first hill. VILLE-MARIE 99 The morning in the open air had given them all famous appetites, and it was a hungry party that sat down to luncheon at the hotel. ' ' If Mon- treal is as nice as the bird's-eye view of it, it's going to be pretty nice," announced Ray, enthu- siastically, and the others agreed with her, though they smiled at her enthusiasm. CHAPTEE IX PLACE D'ARMES Mr. Stevens gathered his small flock together that afternoon for an excursion to the Place d'Armes, one of the scenes of the city's earliest history, now a pretty inclosed square with a monumental fountain in the center and important buildings, old and new, on the four sides. The children sat down in the square, and as their father went over the history of the place, tried to see with their mind's eye some of the things that had taken place there or near there in cen- turies past. First, the landing of Maisonneuve and his devoted followers, who, fired with a desire to plant the true religion on the shores of the new country, made their first act in the new home an act of worship ; then the killing of an Iro- quois chief by Maisonneuve during an Indian at- tack on the young settlement; the founding, be- tween here and the river, of the hospital by Jeanne Mance in which to nurse the wounded in battle, whites and Indians alike; the annual mar- 100 PLACE D'ARMES 101 ket of beaver-skins, at Place Royale in the spring, when the Indian canoes came down the river loaded to the water's edge with bales of skins, worth one hundred crowns apiece ; the bargaining and chaffering in the crowded market-place be- tween the fur-traders and the Indians ; finally, the capitulation of the French to the British on this spot. '' I have to shut my eyes, though," said Ray, *' or I can't really see anything — these modern buildings are so in the way." She began wandering around the monument, reading the inscriptions and looking at the bas- reliefs on the sides; then stood off to get a good view of the figure of Maisonneuve at the top, clad in the picturesque French costume of the seven- teenth century — plumed hat and tall sheath-like boots, a cuirass over his doublet, and in his hand a banner bearing the fleur-de-lys, the emblem of France. She stopped a long time before the bas-relief showing Jeanne Mance binding up the wounded hand of an Indian child. " I wish I knew more about her," she said, wistfully. *' Dora can tell you about her, — she has been reading it up," said Roy. ' ' She was a young nun, Ray, and she came out 102 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA with Maisonneuve and built and took charge of the hospital given by the wealthy Frenchwoman, Madame Bullion. It was called the ' Hotel Dieu ' (God's Mansion). It is not standing now, but the present Hotel Dieu — we caught a glimpse of it as we came down from the mountain yester- day — is its descendant. The Order of nuns which afterward had charge of the hospital was called the Hospitaller es de La Fleche. There were a number of Frenchwomen who took an interest in Canada in those early days and who either con- tributed to its good works or came over to take part in them. A later Canadian heroine was Madeleine Vercheres, only a little girl, fourteen years old, who saved her father's fort in 1692. He was away, and she was out in the fields ; but when the alarm which meant an attack by the Iroquois, was sounded, she succeeded in getting into the fort and getting the gates shut. There were only two soldiers in the fort — and they were frightened half out of their wits, — ^besides an old man and her two brothers, little boys. She sent the soldiers with the women to the blockhouse, and, during the night, had dummy figures prepared and placed behind the walls; then every night she and the old man and the boys patrolled the fort, calling out the usual phrases, so that the Indians thought PLACE D'ARMES 103 it held a full garrison. For nearly a week she did not relax her watchfulness, night or day, so that the Iroquois had no opportunity to surprise the fort, and when reinforcements arrived the commanding officer was astonished to find this little band of children holding off an attack of experienced warriors." "Well!" exclaimed Roy, in admiration. '' That's the bravest thing I ever heard of about a girl of that age." " 1 never could have done that! " said Ray. ' ' Then there was the Lady of Fort St. John in New Brunswick. But father will tell you about her when we are on the spot. Let's go into the church now." " This isn't such a very old church," said Roy. ^' No," replied his father, " it's not the original church of Notre Dame — that was built of bark, a very small church, compared with this one, which will hold fifteen thousand people. A new one was built in 1656 and another in 1672, each larger and better than the last, and finally this one." Ray had been standing, very quiet for her, on the steps of the church, while the others were talking. Suddenly she exclaimed: " They do! They do! I've seen two! Just as they do in Mexico! " 104 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA '' What does the child meanf " asked Mr. Stevens, looking puzzled. " They take off their hats to the church when they go past. First I saw one man do it — just a plain business man — and I thought, ' Maybe he just did it to air his head,' although it looked like a bow, almost, and then in less than a minute came along another man and did the same thing. They just held their hats up over their heads for a second and looked serious." ' ' That 's a very interesting discovery, ' ' said her father. '' We must watch for it in other places, too. Do you know the story about this corner here? " '^ Oh, no! Is there a story? " '' Yes, a story to account for the fact that this is a very windy corner, with a breeze even on the warmest days. Soon after this church was built, the story goes, the Devil and the Wind were walk- ing down the street together when they came to the new church. ' Why, what is this? ' asked the Devil. ' I never saw this before.' ' I dare you to go in,' said the Wind. ' You dare me, do you? You wait here till I come out,' the Devil cried. ' I'll wait at the corner,' said the Wind. The Devil never came out, and the Wind has been wait- ing for him on this corner ever since." PLACE D'ARMES 105 The children thought this a delightful story, and insisted on going to the corner and experiencing for themselves some of the celebrated and long- lived breeze. They came back, assuring the others that the Wind was still waiting, but had grown quite feeble during his long attendance. They all took the elevator and then climbed be- yond it to the belfry and saw '' Le Gros Bour- don," the largest bell in North America, rung only on special occasions. The other ten bells were sufficiently large and heavy, they learned, to re- quire eighteen men to ring them. From the gal- lery between the towers they had a view of all the surrounding city with the river on one side and Mount Koyal on the other. '' What is this old building with those nice gar- dens, just below usi " asked Ray. ' ' That is the Seminary of St. Sulpice that I told you of this morning," answered Mr. Stevens, *' the richest religious institution on the con- tinent. ' ' ^' That old house doesn't look very rich.' ' ' No, but it owns an immense amount of valua- ble property, and it contains some of the most valuable historical papers and relics of those early French days, which it is not easy to get a sight of. When we go down we must take a good look at it. ' ' 106 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA They found it a dark stone building, with the curving French roof they had already noticed in other old buildings, and the fleur-de-lys still visi- ble on its pianacles; it had the ever-present dormer-windows and encircling stone walls, and an ancient clock-face was set into the wall of the house and was visible from the street. " I don't just understand what a seminary means in Canada, ' ' said Roy. ' ' I thought it was a school, but I don't see any scholars here." " The students were here originally, but now they occupy Montreal College, as there are several hundred of them, and the Little Seminary, as they call this, is used as offices. Montreal College stands on the site of the old Fort de la Montague, and two of the old towers are still there. '' Suppose, now, that we wind up the day with something modern. I think the banks are still open and, as I have my card of introduction with me, perhaps we may be allowed to visit the Bank of Montreal, on the other side of the square." ' ' That building with the columns f ' ' asked Roy. ** I thought, of course, it was a church." ''It is the oldest bank in Canada," said his father. " It was chartered in 1817, and is the strongest bank in America. The Canadians have a banking-system somewhat different from ours, PLACE D'ARMES 107 which I will try to explain to you later if I cannot find any one who can do it better." As he spoke they were mounting the steps and soon entered the counting-room. All around the walls were frescoed scenes from Canadian history. Massive pillars of dark green marble upheld the roof, and beyond were the counters where deposit- ors left their money or drew it out. A boy in uniform met the party and took Mr. Stevens' cards, and soon reappeared with a gentleman who greeted them courteously and, after a few mo- ments' conversation, sent for a messenger whom he instructed to take them all about the bank. Mr. Stevens took occasion to ask him if there was any one who could later give a brief explanation of the banking-system of the country, and he at once said he would be glad to explain it if they would call at his office on their return from their tour of the bank. Eoy was delighted to have the chance of seeing this great bank, for he had often noticed the sign of one of its branches in New York. '' Anyhow," he said, "I'd rather see the things people are doing now than hear about the things they used to do." *' I wouldn't," said Ray, stoutly. " The things they used to do were so much more interesting. ' ' 108 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA ^' Not when you understand the things they're doing now, ' ' maintained Roy. The messenger carried them first by elevator to the galJery around the dome, whence they could look down upon the counting-room below. Then he unlocked some doors that opened upon this gallery, and behold! several spacious sleeping- rooms, handsomely furnished and evidently occu- pied, for books and pictures, hunting and fishing equipment, were to be found in every room. ^' It has always been the custom," said the guide, '' for at least three of the unmarried offi- cials to have their residence at the bank, and this is where they sleep." '' How funny, to live in a bank! " exclaimed Ray. " But how nice to live in a building like this, and have great roomy places to sleep in with fine views from all the windows," said Dora. " You'd like a room as big as this, wouldn't you, Roy? And I'm sure Gilbert would." From the dome they descended to the basement, where they found a kitchen and a dining-room at the service of the bank-clerks, and saw some very appetizing sandwiches being made; down below this were the engine- and boiler-rooms, and above on the second floor a private dining-room for the PLACE D'ARMES 109 board of directors. When they came down to the counting-room floor they were shown the interior of the safety-deposit vaults, where an official was conducting a woman depositor to her deposit-box. '' Do you suppose she's getting out her jewelry for a party? " asked Dora, in a low tone. '' More likely she has come to cut off a coupon or two," said Mr. Stevens. " She looks rather elderly for jewelry and parties." * ' What is a coupon 1 What good does it do her to cut one off? " asked Roy. '' Coupons are pieces of paper with certain printing, engraving, and writing on them promis- ing to pay the interest on securities at regular periods, and in this shape the property can easily be taken care of. They are attached to a bond, for instance, and when the owner wants money, he comes here and cuts off a coupon, or as many as represent the sum wanted, and the bank changes it into money for him and records the transaction." ' ' Is this where they keep all the money the bank has 1 ' ' Roy asked the messenger. ' ' Oh, no ! " said the young man, smiling. ' ' We don't take people to see the treasury vaults. They are behind the counting-room and they go down four stories into the earth. Have you noticed this door? " he asked, calling their attention to the 110 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA door of the safety-deposit vaults. "It is two feet thick and it weighs ten tons. It locks with a combination time-lock, set for fourteen and a half hours, so that even those officers who know the combination cannot open it from the time the bank closes until it opens the next morning." " That's mighty safe," remarked Ray, and the guide said, " Yes, indeed, if you've got anything you want to put in here, miss, we'll keep it safely for you." ' ' You might bring them your diary every even- ing," whispered Roy, teasingly. " You're so afraid some one will get hold of it, — it would be quite safe here." Ray made a little face at him, for she was some- what sensitive about her beloved diary, Gilbert having once got hold of it and made fun of some of her entries. " We'll just look into the clearing-house room now," said the guide. '' That's the place where the banks of the city settle their accounts with one another every day. ' ' It was a good-sized room with a desk, or a share of a large desk, devoted to each of the city banks. " How do they settle? " asked Roy. " Well, it's like this. You have your money in a certain bank, say the Bank of Montreal, and PLACE D'ARMES 111 your checks are all made out on blanks supplied by that bank and bearing its name. They are orders for the bank to pay so much to whoever presents the check. You pay a bill with one of these checks. The man who gets it doesn't trou- ble himself to come all the way here to collect the money. He puts his name on the back of it, puts it in with a lot of money and other checks, and deposits it in his own bank, say Molson's. Some- body else has paid you a bill with a check on Mol- son's bank, where he keeps his money. You put your name on the back, add it to the money you have and deposit it in the Bank of Montreal. Hun- dreds and thousands of other people are doing the same sort of thing every day. When the rep- resentatives of the different banks meet here in the afternoon for the clearing-house, they present their accounts with one another, — the Bank of Montreal holds so many orders for Molson's to pay, and Molson's so many orders for the Bank of Montreal to pay; suppose in the one case, the total is fifteen thousand dollars — in the other ten thousand dollars. Then the latter bank owes the other the difference." '' I see," said Roy. " Even I can understand that," said Ray, " and I don't know anything about business." 112 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA *' I see you have a savings-bank department also," said Mr. Stevens. '' Yes, a very important department," replied the messenger. " But here is Mr. Wakefield look- ing for you." * ' Ah ! ' ' said Mr. Wakefield, as he espied them. '' Have you made the whole round of the bank? Then, if you will come to my office a moment, we'll have a cup of tea, and I'll give you the ex- planation we were talking of. Thank you, Mr. Smith," to the young man. The party had al- ready thanked and recompensed the guide, so they followed Mr. Wakefield to his office, quite inter- ested in the prospect of taking tea in a bank as well as in the coming explanation. A tray with a tea service and the always ac- ceptable slices of thin bread-and-butter awaited them, and while tea was being served, Mr. Wake- field gave them some of the main points of differ- ence between American and Canadian banks. '' We have the branch-system," he said. '' The Bank of Montreal, for instance, has branches all over Canada and in a number of places in the States. The thirty-five banks of Canada have more than a thousand branches. Wlien money is tight in one part of the country — that is, when it is hard to get — when the local branch has not PLACE D'ARMES 113 enough money to lend to business-men for their operations — it calls on the main bank, and the main bank, being in daily communication with all its branches, knows which have plenty of money to lend, and transfers funds from these or from itself to the needy branch. At another time of year, when money is needed, say, by the lumbering in- terests, it flows to their locality. It is a very elastic system and it works well. The Government charters all the banks and keeps them under close supervision, and the result is that bank failures are now almost unknown. Every bank has to deposit with the Government an amount equal to five per cent, of its average circulation. " With you, as I understand it, each bank operates over a given territory quite independ- ently of any other bank. Wlien it gets into diffi- culties, other banks may or may not help it out, — there is no obligation upon them to do so. When money is hard to get in one part of the country, the banks there have no claim to help from a head or central institution, and often great distress is the result." '* I have often wished," said Mr. Stevens, '' that one of our leading banks, at least, would adopt the branch system, for I believe it would be found an improvement on our own. I sup- 114 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA pose there is still some of the original feeling of jealousy of a Grovernment bank that there was in the States in President Jackson's time, but by this time it seems as if we should have recovered from that fear of our own Government that was per- haps not unnatural in the early days." ' ' Why, what were we afraid of ? " asked Roy. " It was a case of the States against the gen- eral government; the state banks, the people thought, might be oppressed by a government bank which, holding the government deposits, would have a great deal of power. They also feared this power might be used in politics. We had at one time a United States Bank with twenty- five branches, and it was under the supervision of Congress in several respects and was doing well; but it was made unpopular in Jackson's adminis- tration, and finally, the plan of Sub-treasuries in several of the large cities, to hold the government deposits, was decided upon. You have seen the Sub-treasury at the corner of Wall and Nassau Streets very often, though perhaps you didn't know what it was. ' ' ^' Is that where there is a statue of Wash- ington? " " Yes, taking the oath of office as President, which he did on that very spot. But," continued PLACE D'ARMES 115 Mr. Stevens, ''we do have a means of relieving the country when there is danger of a panic, for the Sub-treasuries are authorized, at such times, to deposit money in the banks. However, that is in extreme cases, and simply to restore confi- dence in the banks." '' And you do have now a system of national banks, holding their charters from the general government, as well," remarked Mr. Wakefield. ^' Yes, those were established during the Civil War; and their notes are secured by the govern- ment in the form of government bonds. So far, the fears expressed at the time that these banks would become bankrupt through government trou- bles or would be hampered by hostile legislation have proved unfounded." ^' Hasn't Canada any Treasury? " asked Roy. *' She has a Ministry of Finance instead of a secretary of the treasury, and she deposits her money in the chartered banks. In this way it is always in use, not lying idle in Sub-treasuries." The conversation was considerably above Ray's head by this time and she was not enough inter- ested, as Roy was, to try to understand it. She was rather relieved, therefore, when, having de- clined a second cup of tea, her father and Dora rose to go, with many and cordial thanks for the 116 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA kindness which, had made the visit to the bank so interesting. " Do all the banks here have tea in the after- noon! " she asked, as they started toward the hotel. ^' Yes, I think they do," said Mr. Stevens. *' I know it is so in London, not only in banks, but in other business institutions; every one knocks off work for a little while between four and five o'clock and takes tea." '^ I don't see how they get so much work done," said Roy, " if they interrupt it that way just before closing-time. It's the busiest time with our offices and shops." '^ But in England, you see," said Dora, '' all the customers and clients are having tea at the same time; so that even if you were ready for them, they wouldn't come." ^' Yes, that's true," said Roy. ** It's a nice, comfortable way to do business." CHAPTER X DOMINION DAY: THE INDIAN VILLAGE EoY tapped on Ray's door one morning, instead of waiting as usual for her to summon him to get up. '' Yes," said Ray; '' what is it? Is anything the matter? " " Yes, it's Dominion Day. Hurry up and let's see the celebration." << Very well, I'll be down soon," she answered, remarking to Dora, ' ' I knew there must be some- thing the matter. Roy never would get up as early as this, for any ordinary reason. It's strange that we don't hear any cannon or crackers going off." '' I believe the Day is celebrated very quietly," replied Dora, sleepily. As no plans for the day had been talked over beforehand, the children did not know what was before them; and when tlicey found that their father was planning a visit for the morning to the Indian Village of Caughnawaga and for the afternoon to the athletic grounds to see a game 117 118 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA of lacrosse, they were overjoyed and could hardly keep still long enough to eat their breakfast, for impatience to begin the day's programme. As they walked to the station to take the train, they met one of the small post-office wagons carry- ing the royal mail. It was red with gilt trim- mings, and on its side was the royal British coat- of-arms, the lion and the unicorn rampant, sup- porting the crown. The children were at once re- minded of the old rhyme: "The lion and the unicorn were fighting for the crown, The lion beat the unicorn all about the town, Some gave them white bread and some gave them brown, Some gave them plum-cake and sent them out of town," and began to say it in concert, with a great deal of expression, so that one or two passersby looked at them with amusement of which they were quite unconscious. " There is another form of the second line," said Dora. ^' Some people say, '"The lion and the unicorn were fighting for the crown, Up rose a little dog and knocked them both down.' I wonder if it means anything. I must ask Miss Layard. ' ' Miss Layard was the librarian of their town- library at home, and the townspeople thought that THE INDIAN VILLAGE 119 what Miss Layard didn't know and couldn't find out was not known by any one. Once on the train, the children began to ask questions about Caughnawaga. '* Shall we see Indians in blankets ? Are they friendly ? Do they live in wigwams? " " They are civilized Indians, mostly Catholics," replied Mr. Stevens, '' and the most interesting thing about them to us is that some of the families are descendants of the captives taken by the In- dians at Deerfield and other New England places. On the Indian side, they are Iroquois." " Dear me, I hope they've got over their dislike for white people ! ' ' exclaimed Ray. '' Why, yes, when they're part white them- selves," said Roy, reassuringly. The day was a lovely one, and after they had crossed the long Victoria Bridge, they found themselves riding between fields full of butter- cups and daisies and blue irises. At Adirondack Junction they left the train and made their way on foot back toward the St. Lawrence, though there was a man at the station who invited them to ride to the village ; but when they looked at his rickety wagon and the horse which seemed to be held up chiefly by the harness, they decided that walking was safer, and strolled slowly along, lis- 120 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA tening to the birds, picking the flowers, and enjoy- ing the cool breezes that blew toward them from the water. On the green commons along the street the village horses, freed from labor, were rolling in the grass or wading and swimming in a stream that ran down to the river. The village consisted of small houses built along two or three narrow streets which were paved in places with irregular flagstones. Some of the houses were of wood, others of stone, and still others of the same stone covered with white plas- ter, and all looked substantial enough, though small. They were nearly all of one story, and, from the glimpses the party had of the interiors, with their shining oilcloth floors and great cook- ing-stoves and glittering kettles, the girls thought they must be clean and comfortable; and nearly all had a small vegetable garden at the back. The first destination of the Stevens family was the church, which, in Catholic countries, is always open and generally contains one or more quiet worshipers. In this one they found several women engaged in their devotions — all in black, with straight features and light skins, so that the children felt sure they were not pure Indian. Some little girls, dressed in their best, were fol- lowing the Way of the Cross around the church, THE INDIAN VILLAGE 121 kneeling devoutly and praying before each idIc- ture. Up in one corner stood a large wooden cross with a crown of real thorns hanging on it, used during some of the Passion Week services. In the sacristy of the church they met the cure, or priest, a blue-eyed young French-Canadian, who was very polite and who spoke English to them, though not very easily. He took them to the pres- bytery, a charming old house of the best French- Canadian style, surrounded by a fine large gar- den in which strawberry beds with ripening fruit and bushes full of white roses drew the children's attention. In the house he showed them with pride a desk that had belonged to Charlevoix, the Jesuit Father who came to Canada in 1720 and traveled as far west as the Mississippi and as far south as Florida, and who wrote a ' ' History and Descrip- tion of New France " partly from a Journal he kept of his own life there. Then he produced some old books which he said were the parish-registers of births, mar- riages, and deaths since 1735. In these were the records of every one who had lived in the village and in the parish, which included several other villages, for generations back. He told them that these Indians have no surnames ; that, when a child is born, the family and relatives hold a council 122 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA and give it a distinctive name which means some- thing and by which it is known, but a name that tells nothing of its relationship to other persons, like our surnames. And when two young people of the village wish to be married, the only way of knowing whether they are nearly enough re- lated for the Church to forbid the marriage is to search through these records for five generations back. '' What suspense the young couple must be in while the registers are being examined! " said Dora. *' Yes, and what a lot of trouble it would save everybody if they would only take family names! " said Ray. " What is this old wall out here? " Roy asked, as they left the presbytery by the door facing the river. The cure laughed slightly. " It was made dur- ing the French occupation, ' ' he said. ' ' There was not any war and they were not expecting any war, but they built the wall just to be doing something. ' ' ' ' You have a delightful breeze here, ' ' said Mr. Stevens. '^ Yes, but in the winter there is also a breeze from the river, ' ' and the cure threw out his h^nds THE INDIAN VILLAGE 123 as if he could not express or make tliem under- stand how cold it could be on that bank of the St. Lawrence in winter. He had promised to find some one to row them across the river and now produced the Indian his messenger had found, a man of sixty, brown and muscular, who spoke and understood a little English. ^' Many of them do not speak English at all, and some do not speak or understand French; so I preach to them in Indian," said the cure. '' I noticed the words on the alms-box were In- dian, ' ' said Dora : ' ' ' lakotcnt Akowenk. ' ' ' '' Yes, that means, ' It belongs to the poor.' " Taking leave of the young priest with many ex- pressions of gratitude, the party followed the Indian to his cottage, where his flat-bottomed boat was drawn up on the rocks in the back garden. The distance across was only a mile and a half, but it took a half-liour of steady rowing to get across. They were only three or four miles above the Lachine Eapids and the current was so strong here that they were kept tacking much of the time, and Eoy and his father noticed how much strength the Indian was putting into his stroke. The priest had told them that twenty-six men of the village, whose daily work was in Lachine, 124 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA rowed over in a long boat, with thirteen on a side, in about eight minutes ; but the children were glad to take longer, for the odor from the water was delicious, and the motion very restful, while the shores both behind and before were very pretty to look at. They were too early in the day to encounter any steamers, so that even Eay found nothing to be afraid of. " Do your remember, father, anything about those New England massacres and captives? " asked Roy. " I don't, and it seems as if this would be more real to me if I remembered some- thing of the history." '' I used to hear about it from some old people when I was a boy, ' ' said Mr. Stevens, ' ' and they had heard of it from people who were old when they were boys and whose parents lived at the time of the massacres. I suppose the most cele- brated one was that at Deerfield, where the whole town was burned to ashes and many of the vil- lagers killed or carried off. A few days after the massacre some eighty men of Deerfield and other villages, who had escaped, returned to secure what property and relics might be left. They thought the Indians had gone entirely, and were going along feeling quite secure when suddenly they were fired upon from an ambush and nearly all THE INDIAN VILLAGE 125 were killed. Some had fastened tlieir guns to their saddles and could not get to them in time to defend themselves. ^' It was between 1685 and 1690, I believe, that the Indians began to carry their captives to Can- ada and sell them. They forced them to follow on foot through the dense woods, dropping with cold and fatigue and want of sleep, afraid to protest against anything for fear of being killed, not knowing where they were going or what was to be done to them or whether they should ever see again any of their families or friends. In all the churches, in those days, collections were taken up to ransom such of these captives as could be traced. Their relatives sometimes went them- selves to Canada on foot through the forests — a journey of weeks and even months — to look for them and buy them back. Two men from Con- necticut once went without guides to find their lost families, and returned after seven months with twenty captives they had ransomed, or secured in some other way. One mother, whose children were restored to her from various places, found that one boy of eleven could speak only Indian and knew only Indian ways, and her daughter of fif- teen had been brought up in a convent and could speak and understand nothing but French. Gen- 126 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA erally, when sold to the French, the captives were treated kindly and educated, and some who were carried oif as little children had so little recollec- tion of the past and of their families that they did not wish to go back — Canada had become home to them. '' Sometimes the Indians kept, instead of sell- ing, the children, and brought them up as members of the tribe. There must have been hundreds of such cases. One Indian village contained a hun- dred people carried off as children, who had for- gotten all they ever knew of English; and in one year three thousand men, women, and children were carried off from Pennsylvania and some of the provinces south of it." " Perhaps Caughnawaga is that very village," said Roy. " Just think! " exclaimed Ray, '' if those little boys and girls we saw had not had their ancestors carried off to become French and Indian, they would have been going to public schools and get- ting ready for college and living in nice houses and going to our church, maybe. Don't you think it would be fair, father, if we could find out which ones had New England ancestors to get our gov- ernment to carry them back and find their rela- tions? " Ray spoke very earnestly, for she al- THE INDIAN VILLAGE 127 ways thought that wrongs must be set right and that she ought to be one of those to see that they were. " Set the United States to kidnaping! " said Mr. Stevens. '' Hardly a practical way of going about it. And at this day, it would be almost im- possible to trace the ancestry of those who show white blood." " I was just trying to recall the story of little Sarah Gerrish," said Dora. '' I remember read- ing it when I was at school." ' ' Oh, do tell it ! " cried Eay. ' ' To know about one child is so much more interesting than to hear of hundreds this and thousands that — though that is interesting, too," suddenly remembering that her fathier's feelings might be hurt, since he had just been telling about the hundreds and thousands. " Well, as I remember it, she was only eleven years old when she was carried off, but she must have been a very smart and plucky little girl. She had to trudge along on foot behind the Indians, who went very much faster than her little legs could travel easily and who paid very little atten- tion to her. An Indian girl, who thought she was in the way, once tried to push her off a cliff into the water, as they went along a river or lake ; but 128 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA Sarah saved herself by catching hold of some bushes. ' ' ' ' Oh, that horrid girl ! ' ' cried Ray. '^ Another time she was so worn out she fell asleep and was left behind; but fortunately awoke while there was still enough light to see the Indians ' tracks and to follow them, ' ' ^' Fortunately? " asked Roy. " Yes, fortunately, — you'll see. What I admire and wonder at is the way she clung to her life. Still another time the Indians built a great fire, and she was told it was for the purpose of burn- ing her to death; and she was so terrified she threw her arms about the neck of the Indian whose captive she was and begged for her life. Whether they had really intended to burn her or only said it to frighten her, no one knows ; but, at any rate, she was not burned, but was taken all the way to Canada and sold to the French. With her new owners she lived comfortably and was kindly treated until she was ransomed, some years after, I believe. ' ' Ray's feelings had been very much stirred and the tears were running down her cheeks. " Don't cry, Ray, ' ' said Roy ; ' ' it happened two hundred years ago and even her descendants are dead now. ' ' THE INDIAN VILLAGE 129 " Yes, I know," faltered Ray, '' but I never heard about it till now, — it's just as new to me as if she were there this minute, poor little thing ! ' ' ''Well, here we are nearing the shore," said Mr. Stevens, ' ' and we must get back to Montreal by trolley." '^ This has been a delightful morning," said Dora, '' and so quiet, — no one would ever know it was a national holiday." ' ' If you will notice, you will see that the shops are closed and that people generally have taken to the woods and fields, to play games and have picnics," said Mr. Stevens. ' ' I noticed the flags flying, ' ' said Roy. " Not all Canadians are enthusiastic about the Federation," said Mr. Stevens; ''it is so short a time since they thought of themselves as sepa- rate provinces that the feeling of being a nation is not yet as widespread as it will be." CHAPTER XI DOMINION DAY: A GAME OF LACROSSE ^' Is lacrosse a French-Canadian game? " Roy asked, as they were proceeding by street-car to the Montreal athletic grounds, where one of the championship games was to be played that afternoon. ' ' No, it 's an old Indian game, ' ' said his father. ' ' The Indians used to be very skilful at it. They had interesting racquets made of deerskin thongs and used balls of deerskin stuffed with moss. Sometimes each player had two racquets, and often hundreds played on a side. It must have been an exciting thing to watch. It is curious that UQW the whites, both English and French speak- ing, have lacrosse teams almost everywhere, while the Indians, with a few exceptions, no longer play it. The English and Irish are especially fond of it as they are of most outdoor games, and it is making its way both in England and the States." When they reached the grounds, Mr. Stevens 130 A GAME OF LACROSSE 131 took his place in the long line leading to the ticket office, while the others waited for him. When he came back he said to the eager children, '' I told the ticket-seller we did not know the game and that we wanted good places for seeing and under- standing, and he said these would be excellent." And so they found them, for on taking their places they saw they were just over the gate through which the players entered, just opposite the place where the game began, and so midway between the two goals. One whole side of the field was lined with raised tiers of seats under a roof, while the high fence on the opposite side was entirely hidden by boys and men, and there were uncovered seats toward the ends of the field, all very much like a baseball game at home. Eoy noticed that the goals consisted of a large net standing, inclined, at each end of the grounds, supported by two upright poles, the lower part of the net having a slight scoop and lying on the ground. " That is so that the ball can't bounce out, I suppose," he said. The children's speculations as to the nature of the game seemed to interest a Canadian boy who sat next them with his sister, and he very kindly offered some explanation. ' ' The game, you see, ' ' he said, ^' is to get a ball into the enemy's goal as 132 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA often as possible; but the other side has a goal- keeper who tries to keep it out, just as you have at your goal. When a ball does get in, the game is finished, and a new one begins. ' ' '' Do they have a time-limit? " asked Roy. '' Yes, each inning has its allotted time, and when that has expired, all go off the field, leaving the ball where it happens to be. Then the whole game has time-limits, being divided into two halves of an hour each, and the side has won that has scored the most balls in the net during that time. ' ' '' How many men can play? " asked Mr. Stevens. " Usually twelve on a side. There they come. They will probably just play a little practice- game at first, to get their hands in, while people are still coming in. ' ' There was great shouting and cheering as the Royals and the Municipals entered the. grounds, chatting and laughing, easily to be distinguished from each other by their costumes. The Royals wore blue tunics with a white R on the breast, short white trousers, and low shoes, leaving the legs bare from above the knees down. Their arms were also bare, and they wore white caps with visors. The Municipals wore suits of the same A GAME OF LACROSSE 133 cut, made of gray, with red trimniings and an M on the breast. When the game began, the party were all eyes, and the Canadian boy pointed out two men in long linen dusters as the umpires. One of the umpires, standing in the center of the field, placed the ball on the ground, while each side had a man hold- ing a racquet at one side of the ball and partially under it. When the word to play was given, each man tried to secure the ball in his own racquet and toss it toward the enemy's goal. The racquets were slightly hollowed so as to hold the ball with- out confining it, and as the ball was given its first toss, other men stood ready with their racquets to catch it and pass it on toward one goal or the other, according to the side they were playing on. It was beautiful to see the graceful way in which the ball was manceuvered from one racquet to another friendly one, while the other side strove, sometimes in vain and sometimes successfully, to intercept it with their racquets and get it into their own possession. '' You see, everything must be done with the racquet, — no touching with the hand or anything else is allowed," said the Canadian boy. 1 1 There ! one man just knocked the ball out of 134 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA the enemy's racquet by hitting it. Is that al- lowed? " asked Roy, somewhat excited. " It is permitted to strike one racquet with an- other, or to strike the other man's racquet-arm with your racquet: — it is called checking; but if you strike him anywhere else or with anything but your racquet, you have committed a foul. If one man trips another, that is a foul, but some- times they get so tangled up in running and reach- ing that it is hard to say whether tripping is done purposely or by accident. The game is played more roughly than it used to be, which is a pity, for it is a beautiful ' gentleman's game.' " It was when the ball, passed along swiftly from racquet to friendly racquet, avoiding all the ene- my's attempts to capture it, began to near one of the goals, that everybody grew excited. Most of the players ran toward that goal, while the goal- keeper there began to feel his responsibility keenly, and the audience shouted instructions, en- couragement, and disapproval to him and to the other players. A middle-aged priest, who sat near the Stevens party and was evidently in sympathy with the Royals, leaned away forward in his seat, his eyes blazing, though he did not say a word. Women and girls, more excitable than men, stood up on the seats and called '' Good! Good! " and A GAME OF LACROSSE 135 when their favorites lagged a little, " Oh, play the game! " But at the last moment, when it seemed as if the ball were almost in the goal, a man of the other side scooped it up skilfully and set off running toward the other goal. Imme- diately interest was transferred in that direction. But the way of the ball-holder was not easy. He was faced, one at a time, by one or another of the enemy trying to check him, and, though he ran away off to one side to get away from them, the time came when he saw he must transfer the ball if he would save it. So he gave it a long curving toss to a friend at some distance who caught it gracefully and in his turn started for the goal. Suddenly, there was confusion at a spot near the runner, and the game was stopped. A man had had his cheek cut open by a blow from a racquet, and was led off the ground by two others, his face streaming with blood. Dora and Eay were greatly troubled by the accident, but the Canadian boy and his sister reassured them, saying that it was noth- ing serious and that, ten to one, the man would be back again shortly, which proved true. At the end of another inning, he reappeared with his cheek bound up in court-plaster and went on with the game. i i There are all sorts of tricks in the game, and 136 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA you can't always punisli them," said the Cana- dian. '^ For instance, a man will pretend to be hurt and drop down, just to get fresh wind or to gain time for his side. Another dodge is to play across the grounds instead of forward. You see, if they are getting near the end of the time al- lowed for the inning, they can appear to be play- ing and yet can keep the enemy from adding to an already victorious score, even if they don't gain anything for their own." * * How mean ! ' ' exclaimed Roy. *' What is the ball made of ? " asked Dora. ** Is it very dangerous if one is struck by if? " ''It is made of rubber stretched over an iron core," replied the young man, '' and I don't sup- pose it would be pleasant to be hit with it; but the danger in this game is not from the ball, which is too precious to be flying at random, but from the racquets. There! There's a foul! That tall fellow tripped up that other one, I saw it as plainly as possible." There was a cry of ' ' Foul ! ' ' from the seats, and the offender turned and made his way slowly off the field with his head down. Sometimes, with- out doubt, a foul is the result of excitement and is the act of a man who, in his right senses and de- liberately, would not think of committing it. A GAME OF LACROSSE 137 * ' All the same, ' ' said Roy, who had been think- ing of this, '* it's when you're excited that you show what it's natural for you to do. If that hadn't been in him, he couldn't have done it." '' Quite right," said the Canadian boy; " that's why I say it's a gentleman's game, — there are so many chances in it for any one but a gentleman to spoil the game." ' ' One thing I like about it, ' ' said Ray, ' ' is that the men look so nice and comfortable. When I see a football or a baseball game, the way the men look in those awful suits and masks frightens me, — it doesn't seem to be men or boys playing, but just monsters." " I daresay you would like to see a cricket- game, then, ' ' said the Canadian girl, whose name, it seemed, was Dorothea. " Yes, wouldn't you! " asked her brother. *' Because we're going to play a match on the University grounds to-morrow morning, and any one can come and look on. We play in white flan- nel suits with guards on our legs and buckskin gloves, and there's nothing fierce or bloody about cricket, as a rule." '' May we, father? " asked Ray. " I shall be very glad to take you," said Mr. Stevens. ^' It is a long time since I saw a game 138 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA of cricket, and I should like to refresh my memory of it." ' ' If you come, ' ' said Dorothea, who was a pleas- ant, red-cheeked girl of fourteen, '' look me up and we '11 sit together and then I can tell you some- thing about the game." '' Thank you," said Dora and Eay together; and Ray added, ^' We're always so lucky to find kind people who will explain things to us every- where. I suppose they see we are strangers." The last inning was very interesting, because at that point the score was a tie. The man who had committed a foul came back upon the field, es- corted by his little son, who held to his father's hand and let him go reluctantly, but turned back with a proud face to rejoin his boy-friends. '' I suppose his father is a real hero to him," said Dora. *' Boys are so wild about athletics in these days," said Dorothea, '' that to have a father who is a champion in some sport is, I suppose, the height of earthly happiness for a boy of that age," But the inning began and they had soon no eyes or ears for anything but the game, which was played with great spirit. The principle of it was so easy to understand and the game so grace- A GAME OF LACROSSE 139 ful that it was almost as much pleasure to the girls as to their father and Eoy, although there were doubtless many little points they did not appreciate so well. When it was finally over and the Municipals had won, Ray gave a little sigh, in the midst of the general cheering and enthusiasm. " What's that fori " asked Mr. Stevens. '' Well, I sort of wanted the Eoyals to win, — they're so good-looking and have such a pretty uniform. ' ' " Well, if that isn't a girl's way of looking at things ! ' ' exclaimed Roy, quite disgusted. " Why did you want the others to win? " asked Ray. " Why, because they're English, of course." '' That's no reason," began Ray, when Mr. Stevens, fearing annoyance to their young Ca- nadian acquaintances, interrupted, saying, ' ' What we ought to want, in all games, is for the best men to win, whichever side they are on." " I think they did this time," said the Ca- nadian boy, cheerfully. CHAPTER XII A DIVISION ** We think," said Dora, next morning, '* Ray and I, that we don't care much to see the cricket- game and that we'll go down to the Bonsecours Market, as it is a market day. When we come back, we'll pass the University grounds and, if the game is still on, we'll join you." " But perhaps Roy would like to see the mar- ket, too," said Mr. Stevens. *' No, I don't care half as much about it as I do about the cricket," said Roy. *' Let them go, — we'll tell the Canadian girl they're coming later." So it was arranged, and Dora and Ray set off at once, as it was advisable to get to the market as much before nine o'clock as possible. It began really at the Nelson Monument in Jacques Cartier Square, and all the way down the steep street leading to the river wagons and carts in four rows were backed up to the walk that ran 140 A DIVISION 141 down the middle, and the owners were selling or trying to sell most busily. Some of the carts were fairly overflowing with lettuce, parsley, onions, carrots, chives, green sage, etc., besides some herbs and vegetables which the two girls did not recognize. Farther down, they came to the mar- ket proper, a long two-story building, full of little booths and shops facing the sidewalks and others inside facing the central aisle of the market-house. Here they found strawberries, " wild and tame," as Ray said, the former in charming little round baskets on a bed of fresh strawberry-leaves which set off the red berries to perfection. Oranges, apples, bananas, and nuts were also for sale, while here and there were booths for wares made by the habitants. '' Why do they call them habitants, these French-Canadians? " asked Ray. ' ' I believe it was to distinguish the people who came to settle here permanently from the soldiers and fur-traders and explorers and other visitors," replied Dora. '' Well, they make mighty nice things," said Ray, looking admiringly at the baskets, the splint- bottomed chairs, the golf-stick holders, in one booth, and in another, farther on, at the mats and rugs, the home-knit woolen stockings and gloves 142 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA suggesting warmth in the Canadian winters*, the homespun and home-woven dress-goods and curtains. '' They call that catalogne/' said Dora, touch- ing a pretty blue-and-white rug. '< Why, Dora, it's just rag-carpet, that's what it is! " '' Yes, it does seem to be just the same; but these are not like anything I ever saw before," pointing to mats made of carpet rags and braided strips of oilcloth. " Well, I don't care if I never see them again," said Ray, '' for they're anything but pretty. See those flat, broad-brimmed, black straw hats," she added, to which Dora rejoined : *' Yes, and see how many of the market-women are wearing them, both French and Indian. They must be a favorite style." When they came to the meat and poultry shops they saw several curious things, such as tiny pigs, pinky-white like sea-shells and shining like satin, hanging up in appealing attitudes, their little fore- hoofs bent together almost as if they were pray- ing, and fowls perfectly bare except for a fine tuft of tail feathers. " They must have got that fashion from the Indian warriors with their scalp- lock," said Ray. They bought a small basket of A DIVISION 143 strawberries, and were starting homeward, when Dora said, " Let's go into the Bonsecours church, — it's so near and we may not be as close to it again." The little church was founded in 1657 by a French nun, and Maisonneuve himself cut down the trees used in its construction. It was rebuilt in 1771 and again about 1885, and is surmounted by a large statue of the Virgin with her arms ex- tended toward the river and the sailors, who are supposed to be under her especial protection. Within the church toy ships suspended from the ceiling showed that in some cases her care had been effectual and that the sailors had sent these offerings to show their gratitude. " Do you know," said Ray, as they came out, '^ I think that's a very nice way to do, when you think the Virgin or any of the Saints has saved you or helped you, — it looks so grateful and as if you didn't mean to forget it." ' ' In some of the Protestant churches, you know, there are prayers offered for the recovery of sick people and afterward prayers of thanksgiving for their recovery," said Dora. '' Well, I think it's only polite, when you've begged for a thing and got it, to say ' Thank you,' " replied Ray. *' I don't see why people 144 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA should be rude to their Heavenly Father any more than to their father down here." They looked into an old gateway at this moment and saw a large, square, walled-in space with a little church at the farther end. Venturing in, they found it to be the church of the Congregation of Notre Dame. It was built near the site of a wooden church called Notre Dame de Victoire, erected in 1711 to commemorate the destruction by storm of an English fleet which had sailed to attack Canada while it belonged to the French. " Now that/' exclaimed Ray, '' isn't so nice. It may be gratitude, but it's something else, too." The church of the Congregation fiad a miracle- working image of the Madonna, holding on her knees the dead body of Jesus after it had been taken down from the Cross. There were crutches and canes standing in front of this group as a testimony that cripples who came to pray there had been cured and able to go away without their aid. While they were looking at the image, a sweet-faced little nun approached them and of- fered to show them some tablets, one to the founder of the church and convent. Mile. Bour- geois, and one to Mile. Jeanne le Ber. Dora sum- moned up all her French, finding that it was hard A DIVISION 145 for the nun to speak English, and asked, " What did Mile, le Ber dol " *' Ah," said the little Sister, "■ she was a saint. When she was quite a young girl, she felt the call to live a religious life, and she left her fam- ily — her mother was dead, but there were her father and several little brothers and sisters — and she gave up her lover to whom she was soon to be married, and she wished to give up her fortune, but that was not allowed. For ten years. Made- moiselle, ten years, she never left her room, and at last she had a cell built behind the altar in our old church, and there she lay on a bed of straw for twenty years, with only one garment, until she died. Even when her father was dying and sent for her, she did not go, she was so religious ! ' ' Eay listened with all her ears, but could not understand, so that Dora had to translate for her. Eay was indignant. ' ' Ask her what good all that did, when her family needed her so much, — to just lie on the straw and do nothing ; ' ' and as Dora showed no signs of making the inquiry, she ex- claimed, '' Oh, if I could speak French, I'd ask her! " " It is because of her saintliness that this image here does such miraculous works," said the little nun, but Ray remained unconvinced that any good 146 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA could come from giving up one's nearest duties in such a way. " I wonder if we may see the convent," asked Dora, thanking the Sister and dropping a coin into the alms-box. '* It is not usually allowed, but you can look into the garden," was the reply; then, as she saw the disappointment on Dora's face, she added, " But I will see what I can do." They stepped through a doorway into the convent-garden surrounded on three sides by the gray stone buildings, — an old-fashioned place full of tall trees and shrubbery, through which gleamed white marble images of saints. At the back was a building where the men who were em- ployed about the church and convent lived with their families. A little ice-house of gray stone occupied a corner of the grounds and looked very old. The nun, who had preceded them and entered the convent, now reappeared and admitted them with a smile, as if she were pleased to have per- mission to do so. She showed them the neat and severely plain parlor where the nuns received their visitors, and which contained portraits of Mile. Bourgeois and Mile, le Ber, and then con- ducted them to a room where the funeral of a nun had just been held. The standards for the coffin, A DIVISION 147 the candle-holders surrounding it, and the prayer- stools for the relatives were still in the room. They then saw some of the rooms where work was done, such as the washing and starching of the nuns' caps and of the linen for the altar. '' This is the Mother-house," said the nun, " and our work is teaching — we have many, houses and more than twelve hundred members, — indeed, it is the largest teaching order in America. If you have time to go to Villa-Maria, our school out on the slopes of Mount Royal, you will see a more modern building." Presently, she said, wistfully, ^' Many ladies come here to make their eight days' retreat. It is a time of great happi- ness to them, — they do not speak in all that time except to confess." '' Not even at meals'? " asked Dora. '' No, for then they are read to, from magnifi- cent books. Ah, you do not know the delights of such a retreat ! ' ' And her sweet face quite shone as she thought of it. Eay had been watching her closely, as if by watching she might come to understand what was said, and summed up her conclusions as they came away, leaving the nun smiling after them, by say- ing, " "Well, she's all right, anyhow. She's a dear ! ' ' 148 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA '' It's so late," said Dora, " that I don't be- lieve we shall find that game still going on, but we'll keep our engagement anyhow." Taking a cab they soon reached the University grounds, whose velvety turf, flecked with the light that shone down between the branches of the tall trees, was like an exquisite carpet. ' ' Wouldn 't you love to go to college here ! ' ' exclaimed Ray, as they walked up the stone walk under an avenue of trees. '^ They don't take girls here," said Dora. " The girls go to the Royal Victoria College, a block away, and come here for many of their lectures. That college is a part of the University." ' ' Oh, yes ! Where Queen Victoria is sitting out in front on a pedestal." ^' Yes, and that monument was done by her daughter, the Princess Louise, who is a sculptor." '' I thought princesses didn't do anything like that, — I thought they just had a good time and everybody waited on them." '' Perhaps sculpture was Princess Louise's idea of a good time," said Dora, laughing. '' At any rate, your kind of princess belongs to the days of fairy-tales. All the princesses one hears of nowa- days have plenty of duties." Just here Roy saw them and beckoned to them. A DIVISION 149 and they crossed the grass beyond the cricket- ground and found seats beside Mr. Stevens and Eoy and Dorothea, who seemed very glad to see them. Eoy began at once to explain the game, having watched it to some purpose. " After all," he said, '' this is only a practice-game, not a match, and that makes it a little easier to understand, I think, because you don't get excited and they don't play fast. You see those two wickets at the two ends of the grounds, with two little pieces of wood on top. Well, the game is to knock those off, — they're called bails. The batter is on one side and all the rest on the other, — it's really the batter against the field. It's the batter's business to keep the bowler — he's the man that throws the ball — from knocking off the top of the wicket. He stands at one end and bowls — it's different from throwing, you know, — and the batter stands near the wicket and tries to bat the ball away from it. If he sends it so far that he can run to the other wicket be- fore any of these catchers gets it, he makes a run. Sometimes, he can make three or four runs on a single ball. If the wicket is struck by the ball, he is out and he can't come in again until all his eleven are out. If the ball is batted poorly and picked up at once, it counts nothing either way. ' ' 150 ' ROY AND RAY IN CANADA *' What does it mean when all the boys at one end change to the other? " asked Ray, seeing that this was being done. " That's what they call an ' over,' " explained Roy. ^' Once in so often, every seven balls, I think, they do that, to let the second batter play and rest the first one. ' ' '' I see," said Ray. '' Do you think it's as in- teresting as lacrosse! " *' I don't know how interesting a match-game might be, but there doesn't seem to me to be half as much in it for all the players as in lacrosse. There everybody is on the go, every minute, and cricket seems very quiet compared with it." " They don't play cricket in Canada as much as other games," said Dorothea; " if you could be here in winter you would see them play hockey and see a curling-match, and tobogganing and snow- shoeing, and all sorts of things. Here comes Hal! " she cried, as she saw her brother coming toward them, rolling down his sleeves. ^' The game must be over." "I'm sorry," Hal said to Mr. Stevens, when he came within speaking-distance, " that the match- game was postponed and that you could see only this bit of practice. I don't believe we shall win the match, though, for the fellows coming here 'A ^ A DIVISION 151 from Toronto are good players and in better prac- tice than we are. Perhaps you'd like to look through McGill University buildings a bit. It's not term-time, but I think we can get into some of the rooms." The party gladly accepted the invitation, and their morning ended with a visit to several of the buildings — the Libraiy, the Redpath Museum, the Observatory, and one or two other of the newer houses. They learned that the founder of the University, James McGill, a Scotchman who came to Canada before the American Revolution, had endowed a college as early as 1813, but the royal charter was not given until 1821, and, through legal difficulties, was not really available Until 1829. *' So it is not an old University? " asked Ray. *' No, you might almost call it brand-new com- pared with some in your country, ' ' said Hal. ' ' It had a hard time, too, up to about the middle of the century, as the Government did not give the help it promised ; but Sir William Dawson, who became Principal in 1854 and held the position until 1893, brought it out of its difficulties after a long time of tremendously hard work. A man who has done two years' work here and passed certain examina- tions, can go to Oxford or Cambridge and get his 152 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA degree there in a shorter time than usual. That is what I hope to do," he added, modestly. " Really I Are you going to Oxford? " asked Roy, eagerly. " No, I hope to go to Cambridge," was Hal's reply. '' I should think you would choose Oxford," said Roy. " Why? " asked the young Canadian, smiling. *' Oh, I don't know, — ' Tom Brown at Oxford,' you know, and all that. ' ' "Ah, yes! You've read that? Well, I suppose the real reason I go to Cambridge is that we al- ways have gone there." '^ 'We? ' " " Yes, my family, my father and uncles and grandfather, etc. I think we have been at Cam- bridge, when there was any one to go, ever since the Restoration." Roy's eyes grew large, and to Ray's great amusement he said not another word until they had wished good-by to Hal and Dorothea, and were on their way to the hotel. Then he suddenly burst forth. " Well, there is something in it, — there must be ! " '' In what, Roy? " asked Mr. Stevens. *' Oh, ancestors, and the same college, and A DIVISION 153 knowing wliat your family were doing several hun- dred years ago, and all that. ' ' " Yes, there certainly is something in it, more than some persons and less than others suppose," replied his father. CHAPTER XIII EARLY DAYS One entire morning was spent by the Stevenses at the Chateau de Ramezay, the ancient residence of the French governors, built in 1705. After about forty years, it was sold to the " Indian Com- pany, ' ' a great fur-trading company, and after the British conquest of Canada it became the resi- dence of the English governors. It is a long, low stone and plaster building, with old cannon planted on its narrow lawn, French windows, and a row of dormer-windows in the roof. Roy was exceedingly interested to find that it had been occupied all one winter by American col- onists, who came to persuade the Canadians to join in the Revolution. That was in 1775, only fif- teen years after the English conquest, yet the French refused to listen to the persuasions of the Americans. ^' I wonder why," said Roy. '' Perhaps they had had enough of war, after 154 EARLY DAYS 155 so many years of fighting with Indians and Eng- lish," suggested Dora. '^ And perhaps they thought that the English would conquer the Americans in the Revolution just as they had conquered them,^^ said Ray. *' And it is just possible," said Mr. Stevens, ' ' that they found things going so well under their conquerors that they thought they might do worse than stay as they were." '" What Americans were up here? " asked Roy. ' ' General Wooster made his headquarters here while Montgomery was in possession of the town, and sent out his call from this house to the Ca- nadians to join the revolutionary forces, and the American Congress sent three commissioners, Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Chase, and Charles Carroll of Carrollton, to talk over the people," replied Mr. Stevens. " Benjamin Franklin up here, too! " exclaimed Roy. " Yes, and with his printing-press, run by a French printer he had brought from Philadelphia. From this press he issued proclamations and manifestoes, but all in vain. The priests, in par- ticular, were opposed to the idea of a revolution. When the Americans were defeated at Quebec the last day of 1775, the commissioners finally ceased 156 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA their efforts and went back to the American col- onies, Benedict Arnold conducting the American retreat." '* Just think," said Eay, " if the Canadians had joined us, what a tremendous country we should have had. Why, we should have owned almost the whole continent, all but Mexico. It makes my head spin to think of it." " The same printer who ran Franklin's press stayed here and started ' The Gazette ' three years afterward, a paper which has been published ever since without interruption, the third oldest paper in North America. The first number is still in existence, and, like so many of our early news- papers, contains advertisements of runaway slaves." " But I thought there were no slaves in Can- ada ! ' ' exclaimed Ray. ^ ' Not after 1793, seventy years before we freed our slaves ; but you remember the Indians used to sell their captives into slavery here." '' Oh, yes, so they did." ' ' It seems as if this building had been used for almost everything," said Dora, who had been consulting her guidebook. '' Yes, it certainh^ has been," replied Mr. Stevens, '' and it is only since 1893 that the city EARLY DAYS 157 has owned the building, having bought it from the Government. ' ' *' I forget the year the English took Canada," said Roy. *' It was in 1760 that they entered Montreal, — there is a tablet in the wall on one of the streets we passed this morning," said Dora. " Yes, it took the British two years to conquer these brave Frenchmen, ' ' her father said. ' ' They sent out their fleet in 1758, took Quebec and other posts in 1759, and Montreal was the last ground left to France. It was not really attacked, but as the British forces approached the city from three directions — Haviland on the south, Murray on the east, and Amherst from the west, — the French had no choice but to surrender. The British agreed to send the French armies back to France, to allow freedom of religion, and not to interfere with private or church property. They came in through the old Recollet Gate, and the next morn- ing met the French army at the Place d'Armes, where the latter laid down their arms." ' ' And that was the last of the French upon this continent, wasn't it? " asked Dora. *' !No, the French government still had Lou- isiana, and even now owns two small islands out beyond Cape Breton Island — St. Pierre and 158 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA Miquelon, — and the French still have some fishing rights about Newfoundland." All this time the party had been gradually ap- proaching the Chateau, and they now entered the low-ceilinged rooms. ' ' That Amherst, ' ' said Roy, just as they entered; " was he the Amherst the college was named for? " " Yes, the same," replied Mr. Stevens. " There are the girls beckoning us to come on. ' ' Dora and Ray had reached the '' habitant's room," and found it so full of interesting things that they could hardly wait to point them out. '^ See! " said Ray, " this is the way the living- room looked in a French-Canadian farmhouse. That old seat over there is really a bed. You unhook the ends and " — suiting the action to the word — '' there's a bed — and a box, too, to put the bed-clothes in. It's really a kind of folding-bed." ' ' What wide armchairs they have ! ' ' exclaimed Roy. '' Either they must have had some very big people or else they sat two in a chair. They don't seen! to have any rocking-chairs." ' ' And here 's a spinning-wheel with a history, ' ' said Dora. " This belonged, Ray, to a captive of the Indians from New England, who was adopted by a French family and would not go back." '' Well, surely, she didn't bring her spinning- EARLY DAYS 159 wheel with her all the way from New England on foot through the woods, ' ' protested Ray. ^' Oh, no! I didn't mean that," said Dora, laughing at the picture this produced in her mind. ''I suppose she didn't own the spinning-wheel until she was grown." ' * Why, they had ' grandfather 's clocks ' ! " cried Ray, incredulously. " Why not? " asked Mr. Stevens. '' They had grandfathers, and it's quite likely their grand- fathers had clocks. Perhaps they were sold to them by Sam Slick's ' Clockmaker.' " " Who was he? " asked the twins together. " He was a character you'll hear about when we get to Nova Scotia," said Mr. Stevens; " not a real person, but a very amusing one." ^' Oh, look at that bandbox made of birch- bark! " cried Ray. '' The label says it was made in 1780. What enormous bonnets they must have had! Still, some of our hats to-day would almost fill that box," said Dora. '' What's this, I wonder? " asked Roy, ap- proaching an armchair which had a great square of wood standing behind it and apparently fas- tened to it. Mr. Stevens examined it curiously. ''It's a 160 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA combination table and chair," lie said, finally. " This wooden top at the back is drawn forward over the chair and makes the top of the table. The label says it was in nse for seventy years in a French-Canadian farmhouse." << We've seen everything in here," said Roy. " Let's go down into the vaults." They found it rather cool and damp as they de- scended, and Mr. Stevens said they could form a faint idea of how cold these cellars were in winter when Franklin's printer worked at his press in one of the vaults. ' ' He had a fireplace, so I suppose he kept a good fire going," said Roy. '' And here's a funny old fire-engine," he cried, '' made in 1805! Wouldn't a fireman laugh to see one of these now! " In one of the vaults they found an unusually large fireplace, and Mr. Stevens -said that room had been the kitchen of the Chateau. ^' In those times kitchens were generally in basements, I im- agine. I know it is so in the old Jumel Mansion in New York, built about the time of our Revolu- tion. The fireplace had to serve in place of a stove or range. They had a crane — we saw one in that second vault — to hang their pots on over the fire, and there was an iron rod up the chimney on which they put hams and bacon to be smoked. EARLY DAYS 161 Then they had a turn-spit standing in front of the fire and on that they did their roasting. Some- times the spit was turned by a wheel off at the side — in this little recess, see! — and they often em- ployed a dog to turn the wheel that turned the spit. ' ' ' ' Oh, I wish I could just see a kitchen like that at work! " cried Ray. " We see all the things and we suppose they did this and that with them, but I want to see them going! " Another vault had been the bakery, and in this was an immense oven in very good condition. ' ' I wonder if things tasted as good then as now, ' ' said Dora ; ' ' if they really did know how to cook and season, and if we should like their dishes I ' ' " I've sometimes thought that they must have been much heartier eaters than people nowadays," said Mr. Stevens, '' because they lived in the cold so much more than we do and had to warm them- selves from the inside by putting fuel into their bodies instead of into stoves and furnaces. We have so many resources now for regulating heat and preventing smoke that our cooking must be more delicate; but, judging from some of their descriptions, they were quite satisfied with theirs. ' ' When the party finally left the Chateau, hav- 162 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA ing lingered among the historical relics in the upper rooms until nearly twelve, Dora said: '' Why not take a carriage and go to the Grey Nunnery? Their hour for visitors is from twelve to one, and we can get there in time if we hurry. ' ' '' A very good idea," said Mr. Stevens, '^ and, as it is rather an asylum than a nunnery, I sup- pose men are admitted also." '' An asylum for what? " asked Ray. *' For destitute children, and for sick and crip- pled people of all ages who have no friends or relatives to take care of them." " Why is it called the Grey Nunnery? " asked Roy. *' Because the nuns wear a gray gown, I be- lieve," replied Dora; "it's a greenish-gray, not at all a pretty color." When the}^ finally reached the great gray stone building, with its grounds surrounded by high walls, they found a service going on in one of the chapels for a number of visitors, excursionists from the States. So they joined the party, and at the close of the brief service were conducted through the long corridors and the numerous rooms, all very clean, but very bare. The Sister who led them was a little woman who spoke Eng- lish and French equally well. She wore the gray EARLY DAYS 163 gown, with a black cape and a tight, Shaker-like, little cap. In the quarters occupied by the little boys, from five to six years of age, the party were evidently expected, for they found a number — some twenty or twenty-five — of the boys drawn up in rows, each with a tin or brass trumpet in his hand, with the exception of one who held a triangle, and the leader who stood before them with his baton. When all was quiet and the Sister gave the word, the music began — if it could be called music. The orchestra was very, very sober and blew as stead- ily as if it had been going round the walls of Jericho and expected every moment to see results, but Ray said afterward : '* I don't think they were all blowing; I think some of them were just sing- ing the tune through the trumpets, without any words. But didn't they look cunning, keeping time with their little feet ! " When the concert was over, the ladies of the excursion-party scattered pennies for the chil- dren to scramble for, but they did it rather life- lessly, without the laughter and jollity that the game generally produces. Another lady divided among them a bouquet of daisies, and they seemed to care quite as much for these as for the pennies. The larger girls sang a song in very nasal French 164 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA about vacation, and the little girls also sang a little song, one that required much gesticulation, but they, too, looked very shy and serious, and it was hard to get a smile from any of them. The larger boys were out in the playground, where they were making use of swings and trapezes and indulging in shouts and laughter in keen contrast to the subdued and silent ways of the children indoors. The old women they found sewing, knitting, crocheting, and making carpet-rags, always with a Sister or two in the midst of them. They seemed fairly cheerful, though one old English- woman said she was homesick for New York, where she had stayed with the Little Sisters of the Poor. The dormitories where the children slept, and the general washrooms opening out of them, where each child had her little compartment, with basin, brush, and comb, were the last rooms exhibited. ' ' How white, how white ! ' ' exclaimed Ray, as they looked into a dormitory, for all the beds were white from head to foot. '' And do you see what these coverlets are? " said Dora. " They are catalogue, or rag-carpet, made entirely of white rags." EARLY DAYS 165 *' So they are! Isn't it pretty, and doesn't it glisten! " ^' I don't believe in asylums, not for little chil- dren," said Ray, emphatically, as they drove away. '< Why don't you believe in asylums? " asked Mr. Stevens. '' It isn't natural to dress two hundred children all alike, and have them all sleep in great rooms like that, and go out walking all together, and do everything and say everything in concert. ' ' " I agree with you," said Dora. *' It must make machines of the children. There's poor Mrs. Jonas who had to put her children in the Half- orphan Asylum, and when they come to visit her she says they don't know enough to get a drink of water or open the door without being told, — they've lost all their independence and just wait for instructions all day long." ** If they only had little asylums, with a few children and a mother to every, say, ten children, that would be better," said Ray. *' You might say twenty children," said Mr. Stevens, " for it's not at all unusual for a French- Canadian family to have that many children. ' ' ' ' Dear me ! How dreadful ! How can they re- 166 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA member all their names even? Why, one family would almost fill a schoolroom! " cried Ray. ' ' If half of them were boys, they could have a baseball nine all in the family, ' ' said Roy. " But think of having to spread your affection over so many brothers and sisters! I tell you, Roy," said Ray, "if we had eighteen brothers and sisters, I don't believe I could love you as much as I do now. Oh, and think of the money that would have to go for birthday presents — twent}^ birthdays a year — and at Christmas time ! I think six children a plenty and jast right, like our family! " CHAPTER XIV TO QUEBEC It had grown rather warm in Montreal, and the Stevenses thought it was time to move on, though they had enjoyed their stay so much that it was hard to go. After a last trip up the mountain, this time on foot and by elevator, they bade farewell to the beautiful city and set out for Quebec from the Place Viger station. It was a sultry day, and soon after they started a heavy rain laid the dust, so that the journey was a " nice, clean one," as Eay put it, while the fields, which were a mass of buttercups and daisies and of the mixed pink- and-white clover, looked even fresher and more animated than usual. Sometimes the train would run for miles through unsettled country, at other times through country villages, generally French, where each house had its long, narrow strip of ground at the back, part of it planted with garden- vegetables, part with field-corn. '* I wonder why they have their yards all so long and narrow ? ' ' said Roy, much puzzled. 167 168 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA Mr. Stevens was able to solve the problem. "The French-Canadian who has a farm," he said, '' divides it lengthwise, equally among his sons, when he dies ; and they equally among their sons, so that at last the ' farms ' are mere strips like this, and sometimes much longer than this, making the farthest field or patch a long distance from the house." " And do they still call those little scraps ' farms ' ? " asked Roy. " Yes, a French-Canadian still speaks of his farm. In that way, if the farm is on the river, each gets an equal share of river frontage and an equal share of road frontage." " But where do they stop dividing? " asked Ray. ' ' After awhile, each one would have nothing more than a long path to walk in." " They say," said Mr. Stevens, " that they draw the line at enough ground to raise peas for soup. When they can no longer plant enough peas to keep the family in soup, they subdivide no further. ' ' " Wouldn't ten brothers look funny, all plowing their little strips at once? " suggested Roy. '' It would be very sociable," said Ray, *' and if the ends of the farms were very far from the TO QUEBEC 169 house they could all sit down and eat their lunches together when they got to the end." ' ' But if the strips were very narrow, they couldn't turn their horses without stepping on each other's ground. But I suppose they could unhitch their horses, and turn the plow around without doing so much damage. " ' The children rang the changes for some time on the difficulties and absurdities that -might arise from this way of dividing land. ^' Oh, the sun's beginning to shinp! " exclaimed Ray. ^' How do you make that out? " asked Eoy. *' It's still drizzling." " But I certainly saw the sun shining on a field back there, ' ' maintained Ray. ' ' There it is again, on this field! " ^' That's mustard," said Mr. Stevens, '' and it does look like streaks of sunshine. We seem to be running into acres of it." Not long after this the train reached Three Rivers, or Trois Rivieres, one of the oldest towns in Canada, founded in 1634. The ocean tides reach this point in the St. Lawrence, and Mr. Stevens heard afterward some discussion of the possibility that Three Rivers might take away much of the river trade from Quebec, for various 170 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA reasons. The children noticed thatched barns near this place, the first thatch they had seen since the tropical ones of Mexico. For two hours before entering Quebec they ran along the river, and at one place were quite astonished to see a light- house standing in a field. '^ What can it be doing there? " asked Roy. '' It doesn't mark any rocks." '* It's probably one of a series of range-lights," said his father, '' We shall find them at various places in Canada, I believe, where there is naviga- ble water. They mark the channel at night as range-posts do in the daytime and are used chiefly along rivers." It was dusk when the train reached Quebec. The station was in the Lower Town, and the little cab- horses had to climb some pretty steep hills to reach the hotel where the party were to stay for the night. " To-morrow," said Mr. Stevens, " we'll look up some of the addresses we have and settle down somewhere for about ten days, but to-night we'll stop at the Chateau Frontenac, because it is a cele- brated hotel and on a celebrated site." Lights were shining all about the great inn when they arrived, and many guests — ^mostly tourists — were coming and going through the halls and par- TO QUEBEC 171 lors. It was the second really large hotel the chil- dren had visited, and they were greatly interested and kept their eyes and ears open. While they were at dinner, Eoy said, " I heard some one say this hotel was on the site of an old French chateau. ' ' ' ' Yes, of the Chateau St. Louis, built by Cham- plain, and the cellar of the old chateau is under the terrace outside. They say that the architect of this building followed the style of that period — the seventeenth century — as it prevailed in France. We must look for the gilt Maltese cross over the gate through which we entered. The stone that bears the cross is dated 1647, and was found by some workman in 1784. The supposition is that the Knights of Malta were to have a house here and that this stone was to go into the walls. One of the governors of Quebec belonged to that Order." Although, after dinner, they all strolled out on the Terrace before the Chateau, it was too dark for them to appreciate fully its situation ; but they knew from the lights in the town below and across the river that a delightful view was in store for them with the morning light, and they fell asleep that night to the sound of the band-music played in a pavilion on the Terrace and to the steady 172 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA movement of hundreds of feet as citizens and tour- ists paced the boards of the great promenade, back and forth, back and forth, listening to the music. The last thing Roy said was, '' Just think, it's five hundred yards long and we're one hun- dred and eighty feet above the Lower Town ! ' ' It was with wide-awake minds and faces that the twins first stepped out on to Dufferin Terrace the next morning, sniffing the fine air and turn- ing their eyes swiftly from one point to another, trying to see everything at once. '^ Oh! " ex- claimed Dora, " I wish that I had a revolving head! I want to see on all sides at the same time, or nearly that. When I am looking up the river and over at Levis, I want to be seeing down the river and the Isle of Orleans, too, and to have one eye left for the Lower Town and another for the Citadel." " You would look queer, Dora," said Ray. ^' I daresay I should," replied Dora, laughing, " but I don't mean for always, — it's only while we are right here." And it was no wonder she felt as she did. For generations, travelers have been enthusiastic over the situation of Quebec, now more than three hun- dred years old. The Lower Town, clustered at the foot of the great rock on which the Upper TO QUEBEC 173 Town is built, with its old, dingy picturesque houses — hardly any two of them with roofs of the same slant, their rows of dormers catching the sunlight, — and with its steep, narrow streets, some of them so steep that stairs have had to be made for going up and down and an elevator to be constructed to carry people from the foot to the top of the cliff, — had an endless fascination for the twins. Then there were the docks and ware- houses and railway-stations, the great river with ocean-steamers anchored in midstream — for the river is not deep enough at the docks for the lar- gest boats; — and opposite, the hilly shores on which the city of Levis is built with its numerous churches and convents, their windows blazing at sunset and their bells sometimes heard across the river. Turning from the river, there was the Citadel, even higher than the Terrace, with its ramparts and cannon, the Governor 's garden with its monument to both Wolfe and Montcalm, the quaint old houses around the Place d'Armes, the fine monument to Champlain, the Grand Battery with its green park and its old-fashioned guns, — it seemed as if they should find material in all this for many days' excursions. '' And the beauty of it is," said Ray, '' that we're living right here in the middle of things, 174 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA where we have to go only a few steps in any direction and we come to something interesting." The first thing to be done, however, was to find a boarding-house; and before evening they were settled in one of the queer old houses fronting on the Place d'Armes. The walls of their rooms were full of cupboards, but there were no real closets ; one of the rooms was in the deep, sloping roof, and Roy could sit in the seat of the dormer- window very comfortably and see what was going on in the streets. The walls seemed nearly two feet thick in some parts of the house, and the back windows looked out into a square courtyard, entirely enclosed hj walls and paved with planks. Some queer old paintings hung on the walls of the lower room, one of which turned out to be the front of a large concealed music-box, the key of which was forever lost. When the children learned that a part of the house had once been occupied by the Barons' Club, a famous club in the early days of the nineteenth century, and that Charles Dickens had been a guest in the house at the time of one of his visits to America, they would not have changed lodgings with the Gov- ernor of the Province himself. '' It makes me feel so old and historic," said Ray, proudly. TO QUEBEC 175 '• Well, after this," said Roy, soberly, ^' they can say this is the house where Miss Ray Stevens stayed, a celebrated little American girl who was once a prisoner in Mitla. ' ' '' Yes, so they can," assented Ray, laughing. After luncheon, it was rather hard to decide where to go first. '' Suppose," said Mr. Stevens, ' ' we follow up the story of Wolfe and Montcalm, taking a carriage when we get to the city gates, if we should be tired by that time, — though I be- lieve there is a car that will take us as far as the battlefield." " That will be good," said Ray. '' Shall we take one of those queer carriages that stand in front of the Chateau 1 ' ' *' A calechef No, not to-day, for they will hold only two, — ^we'll take a regular carriage, and some day we'll try a couple of caleches just for the fun of it. '' To begin with, the English tried to conquer Quebec a long time before they were at last suc- cessful. As early as 1690 they were attempting it. Sir William Phipps came over from England and sent a messenger to the old Chateau St. Louis — here where we are standing — to demand the sur- render of the fort. The French blindfolded the messenger before taking him into the fort, and 176 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA when they removed the bandage, he found himself in a large room, confronted with the governor, Count de Frontenac " '^ Oh, that's the man this Chateau is named for! " exclaimed Roy. *' Yes, he was a great man in the history of French Canada, — ^with Count de Frontenac and his officers, all in uniform. He gave his message and demanded the surrender within an hour, on pain of an attack from the British ships. Fron- tenac replied at once that he recognized only the Stuart Kings of England and that William of Orange was not King and had no authority to speak for England, He refused to write his reply, saying he would let his cannon reply for him, which he did and with such effect that the vessels that were not disabled beat a speedy retreat, the flagship even cutting its cable and leaving its anchor behind. Again the English tried in 1711, and again failed, owing to the shipwreck of the fleet by a storm. When they finally succeeded, in 1759, it was not because the French generals were less brave, but because the civil government had become so very corrupt and all patriotism seemed gone from among the ruling classes. The poorer people had been so oppressed by their landlords that almost any change of government would have TO QUEBEC 177 seemed to them a change for the better, and it is true that as soon as the English took command conditions began to improve." As Mr. Stevens told them all this they were walking toward what is called the Governor's Garden, where stands a unique monument, erected to the leading generals of both the French and the British, Montcalm and Wolfe, the vanquished and the victor. It is a tall shaft, simple in design, bearing the words, '' Mortem, virtus, communem, famam, Mstoria, monumentum, posteritas dedit." ' ' Translate it, Eoy, ' ' said his father. '' Not yet," said Roy, "I'm only in the First Latin Reader." " You, Dora, then," urged Mr. Stevens. *' Posterity gave a monument, history a com- mon fame, and virtue death." '' Not so bad. A freer translation would be, ' Posterity gave them a common monument, his- tory a common fame, and valor a common death.' " " Is either one of them buried here! " asked Ray. * ' No, Wolfe is buried at Greenwich, England, in his home-parish, and Montcalm in the chapel of the Ursuline convent here. I think we may as well go over there now, as it is not far. Montcalm was 178 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA not killed on the field of battle, but, though wounded, was able with help from two soldiers to ride his black horse back inside the walls. They met some women who exclaimed that he was dying, and Montcalm begged them not to weep, as he was only slightly wounded ; but he died the next morning, early. The house in which he died is no longer standing. That little house, with a barber- pole in front of it," pointing to a house on the corner of St. Louis and Parloir Streets, '^ is said to have been Montcalm's headquarters." ' ' What an odd name for a street — ^Parlor ! "ex- claimed Dora. ' ' The old path that preceded the present street led right to the door of the convent-parlor, I understand," said Mr. Stevens. '' Oh, does parloir mean parlor? " asked Ray. '' Yes, and they both mean the talking-room. The parloir was the room in which people met for conversation, just as they meet in jDarlors now for the same purpose. '' In the days after the conquest a regiment of Highlanders was stationed in the convent, but now no man is allowed to visit the cloisters except the Governor-general and Members of the Royal Family. ' ' TO QUEBEC 179 '^ Ah, there is Montcalm's tablet! " said Dora, as they stepped into the chapel. " Yes, he was brought here and buried on the day of his death, and they placed his remains in an opening in the wall made by a shell that had struck the convent. When the walls were being repaired in 1833, an old nun who, as a child, had been present when Montcalm was buried, pointed out the place to the workmen, and the bones were found there." '' She must have had a good memory for such an old person," observed Ray. " She would not have had to be more than eighty-three or four," said Roy. *' Well, when I'm as old as that I don't expect to be able to remember anything, especially not things that happened so long ago." *' That is just what old people do remember," said Mr. Stevens, ' ^ the things that happened long ago rather than the things that happened yes- terday or last week. ' ' " Take a good look at Quebec, Ray, and you'll be able to tell your great-grandchildren what it looked like under British rule, long after Canada has become independent, ' ' said Roy. CHAPTER XV THE CONQUEST Fkom the convent the Stevenses walked out St. Louis Street, past the courthouse, the former commissariat with its heavy iron shutters, the Duke of Kent's old headquarters, and long blocks of substantial dwelling-houses, all flush with the street, their gardens, if they had any, being at the back. ".This street," said Mr. Stevens, " and the Grande Allee into which it opens have had the same names since the time of Louis XIII., when Cardinal Richelieu busied himself in the affairs of New France. The Cardinal's nieces also were much interested, and one had a street named for her, while the King's wife, Anne of Austria, was similarly honored. It is full of history, both French and British and even American, for pres- ently we shall pass the site of the house where the American general Montgomery died after his defeat in the American attack on Quebec in 1775. It was a cooper's hut, and had been standing then 180 THE CONQUEST 181 for over one hundred years, and it was not de- stroyed until 1889, when it was about two hundred and fifty years old, ' ' '' All this history makes me feel so young," sighed Ray. *' It doesn't seem as if I could ever live long enough to see great things happen." <' Why, they're happening all the time," said Roy. '' There was the Spanish- American War and the Russian War with the Japanese — you can remember them. And they were great enough, I'm sure." * * Oh, yes, they happened, but not where I could see them and remember them." *' You ought to be glad of that," said Dora; *' I'm sure no one who has ever seen a war wants to see another one. I suppose those people who saw the changes here didn't realize in the least what great changes they were." " No, they probably thought only of the small ways in which they themselves would be affected, in the price of food and of skins, etc.," said Mr. Stevens. By this time they had reached the Esplanade, a green sloping park just inside the old city walls. Roy, spying a tablet, crossed the street to see what it was and quickly beckoned them over. '^ See! " he exclaimed, ''it's a tablet to some 182 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA of Montgomery's troops who fell in battle near here, and it was put up by some American children. ' ' '' Montgomery himself was once buried some- where about here, I believe," said Mr. Stevens, '^ but in 1818 the State of New York, where his widow lived, had the remains transported to New York City and buried them with military honors and at State expense in St. Paul's churchyard." '' Our St. Paul's? " asked 'Ray. '^ Yes, our St. Paul's, on Broadway, and Ben- jamin Franklin wrote the inscription that is on the monument." '^ Roy, we must go there the very first thing when we get back! '' exclaimed Ray. " Just to think, we had to come to Canada to find out all this American history ! ' ' ^' I wonder where this road goes that turns off to the left," said Roy. '' It's so green and country-like, it looks as if it went to some nice place," commented Ray. '' It is the road to the Citadel. If you are not too tired when we come back, we'll turn off here and go up to the fort," replied their father. Outside the St. Louis Gate — a new gate on the site of the old one — they found themselves facing the building of the Provincial Parliament, with a THE CONQUEST 183 great lawn stretching out before it and a mag- nificent view over the St. Charles Eiver and its tributary country. " I thought we saw the Parliament buildings at Ottawa," said Ray. " We did, but that was the Dominion Parlia- ment, and this is the Parliament of the Province of Quebec. Every province has its legislature and provincial capital, just as our States have," said her father. " Oh, I see ! Then this is a capital like Trenton or Albany? " ^' Exactly. This road that we are following is the road Montcalm's army took back to the city, after its defeat by Wolfe, — the soldiers entered by the old St. Louis Gate. And it is off to our left, along the river, but at the top of the cliffs, that the battle of the Plains of Abraham was fought. When you see a couple of martello towers, you will know that you are looking at the spot where the heaviest fighting of the battle took place. ' ' " What is a martello tower? " Roy asked. " It is a round stone tower erected somewhere on the coast of a country to prevent invasion. It used to be supplied with a swivel gun, usually on the top of the tower, which covered the surround- ing roads by land and sea." 184 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA " Then why didn't the French use them to repel the British? " " They hadn't them. These towers here were not built until about eighty years ago, and they belong to the Citadel fortifications." " Why do they call them martello? After the man that invented them? " pursued Roy. '' No, martello is Italian and means a small hammer. Originally these towers were put up along the Mediterranean in Italy, to watch for pirates and give the necessary signal, which was made by striking a bell with a hammer. But, of course, there is no such apparatus nowadays, since pirates are pretty well exterminated. Ah, here we are, at our real destination! " Turning to the left into the grounds of an in- stitution which, it appeared, was the district prison, they came to a tall granite shaft which marked the exact spot of Wolfe's death, his wound having been received at a spot somewhat nearer the city walls and in the midst of the battle. His men carried him to the rear, and he lived long enough to realize that the British attack had been successful and that the French were fleeing. " There is a well-known story about General Wolfe, the day before this battle " began Mr. Stevens. THE CONQUEST 185 ' '■ Oh, yes, father, tell us all about the battle ! ' ' interrupted Roy. " I've had it in my history, but I seem to have forgotten so much of it. Tell us from the beginning." '' "Well, it seems — it was in June, by the way — that the British fleet was standing just off the Isle of Orleans that you have noticed in the river. The French army, with Montcalm at the head and composed of 13,000 men, was stationed at Beau- port, a village on the St. Lawrence and across the St. Charles from Quebec. We got a glimpse of it from the Terrace this morning. ' ' '' Yes, I remember." *' The British had seized Levis Heights, right across from Quebec and were bombarding the city, — that was the division under Monckton, — and Wolfe with his men had camped at Montmorency, just beyond Beauport. On the last day of July, he attacked Montcalm's forces at Beauport and was defeated and wounded; after which he lay ill in a farmhouse for some time. In September, the British carried out a plan they had been form- ing, their ships carrying the troops up the river beyond Quebec, and the ship's boats taking them ashore at what is now called Wolfe's Cove. We'll take a carriage and drive out there when we leave here. This was done after dark and very quietly, 186 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA so that the French did not know what w:as going on. At night, the soldiers climbed up the face of the steep cliff that had been thought inaccessible, surprised the sentinels, and took their position on the Plains just below here. Montcalm hastened from Beauport with his troops and the famous battle was fought on September 13th." '' Did the whole 13,000 take part in the battle? " asked Eoy. '' No, only about 5,000 French, against a little over 3,000 British, and among the French were some Indian allies. The French did not give up without a struggle, and the next year defeated the British general in command, and besieged the British garrison for some time, until reinforce- ments came." " What was the story you were going to tell, father? " asked Ray. ^ ' I was going to speak of the story that Wolfe, the night before the battle, while reconnoitering in one of the boats, began to quote Gray's ' Elegy in a Country Churchyard,' saying to the officers who were with him, ' Gentlemen, I would rather have written that than to beat the French to-morrow.' " '^ He was more than just a soldier," said Ray, thoughtfully. THE CONQUEST 187 ** Yes, and that is why his death has been so generally mourned and considered especially un- fortunate, probably, — he was a fine man as well as a good soldier. Wolfe's attempt showed the way to the American revolutionists, and in 1775 when they under Benedict Arnold " '' Under Benedict Arnold! I thought he was a traitor! " cried Ray. " Not all his life," said her father, smiling. ' ' His treachery was yet to come, and he was still trusted with important undertakings, as you see. When he brought the American troops to Quebec, he followed Wolfe's path up the Heights, and it was here that Montgomery's forces joined him, only to suffer defeat." '' Well, let's go on," said Ray. ''I'll be glad to get into a carriage now, — I'm getting tired." So they gave one last look at the gray shaft with its inscription, " Here died Wolfe, victorious, Sept. 13, 1759," and retraced their steps to the road, took one of the carriages nearly always standing there, and were soon trotting swiftly out the country road that led to Wolfe's Cove. There were pretty suburban houses along the way, and the driver took them into Spencer Wood, the beau- tiful grounds of the Lieutenant-Grovernor 's resi- dence, where from the top of the cliffs at the rear 188 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA they could look down upon Wolfe's Cove and see the rocks np which the successful army had climbed. They left the carriage in order to reach this point of view, and gathered daisies and but- tercups as they came and went, bringing great masses of them back to the carriage. " How did they ever do it? " asked Ray, in wonder, as she gazed at the steep heights. " Some of them were Highlanders, and I sup- pose they had kilts on and that made it easier for them to climb," said Roy. '' But think of the weight of their arms and ammunition, and of those heavy helmets some of the soldiers wore in those days ! ' ' said Dora. " And it was in the dark, too, — they couldn't see where to step, ' ' added Ray, ' ' and they might easily have fallen and got crushed to death on the rocks below. ' ' ' ' Yes, it is one of the pluckiest and most pictur- esque assaults in all history," said Mr. Stevens, ' ' and seeing the spot makes one realize it as noth- ing else can. A very interesting fact, too, is that among the British were the great navigator, Cap- tain Cook, and the grandfather of the celebrated English general called' Chinese Gordon.' '' Still another interesting thing is this, that some of the 60th Regiment — recruited in the THE CONQUEST 189 American colonies and called the Royal American — were a part of the first British garrison of Que- bec, and that in 1871, more than one hundred years later, when the Imperial government withdrew its soldiers in favor of the Canadian troops, it was another battalion of this same regiment that turned over the fort to its new garrison. The motto of the Regiment was ' Celer et Audax ' (Swift and Bold), and was given to it by Wolfe. ' ' Next summer, 1908, ' ' said Mr. Stevens, in con- clusion, *' Quebec will celebrate her tercentenary or three hundredth year, and I understand the Plains of Abraham are to be publicly dedicated as a national park. They say a great Statue of Peace is to be placed upon the heights, overlooking the river, with her arms outstretched as if in blessing." * ' What a splendid idea ! ' ' cried Dora. ' ' There 's been war enough and bloodshed enough, when you count in the martyrs and captives, to do for all time. ' ' '' Now, where are we going? " asked Ray. " I thought, while we were about it, we would let the carriage take us down to Champlain Street in the Lower Town and see the place where Mont- gomery fell," replied her father. *' I don't see how he and his soldiers were killed 190 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA so far apart, ' ' said Roy, — ' ' the soldiers out at the St. Louis Gate and the general down at the foot of the cliff." '' It does seem a little hard to understand; but I believe Montgomery was attacking a barricade held by fifty men, when he was mortally wounded. ' ' ' ' My, what a steep street ! ' ' cried Ray, as they descended, leaning as far back as she could in the carriage, to ease the horse's difficulties. "It is called Mountain Street; isn't it an ap- propriate name 1 ' ' said Dora. ' ' The ' Breakneck Stairs ' are quite near here," she added, '' but they have given up the old wooden steps and put down iron ones, with railings, not half so picturesque. ' ' ' ' But probably safer, ' ' suggested Mr. Stevens. " It seems such a pity," said Ray, *' that whenever a place looks interesting and pictur- esque, it's sure to be uncomfortable and incon- venient for the people that live there. It seems as if it ought to be possible to have things con- venient and picturesque at the same time.'* They soon found a tablet inserted in the cliff, commemorating the death of Montgomery. This ended their excursion for the morning, though Mr. Stevens suggested a visit to the little church of Notre Dame des Victoires, not far away. They THE CONQUEST 191 were all tired and hungry, however, and sympa- thized with Ray when she said, '' I'm so tired that I don't seem to care who fell or how far he fell, or anything "; to which Roy added, '' Well, I'd like to fall — on my luncheon — with a good, sharp knife." CHAPTER XVI A MISADVENTURE It was a warm afternoon. The Stevenses liad been sightseeing all the morning, had taken naps in the mid-heat of the day, and had had their tea at the little tea-room in the Duke of Kent's old headquarters. ' ' It makes me feel like Little Nell, sitting here and drinking tea among all these curiosities and old, old things, ' ' said Ray^ who had recently been reading the story of Little Nell from '^ The Old Curiosity Shop." '' Well, don't imagine I'm the old grandfather," joked Mr. Stevens. ' ' And I won 't be Quilp, either, ' ' warned Roy. '' No, indeed, I should hope not," laughed Ray. *' It's very warm," sighed Dora. " Isn't there anything we can do to get cool? " " Why wouldn't this be a good time to take a drive in a caleche? " suggested Mr. Stevens. '' We can go out into the country and come back in time for a late supper, just at sunset." 193 A MISADVENTURE 193 ** Oh, good! I do love to drive! " exclaimed Eay, and the idea seemed a good one to all of them. So they went out to the Place d'Armes, where there were always cabs and drivers, and soon picked out two of the curious vehicles. They looked like big shells slung on rockers over two wheels, Eoy said. The shell had a seat that would hold two people, with a hood that was usually folded back, but that could be put up over this seat if necessary. The poor driver sat on a sort of " swelled dashboard," as Roy described it, though it was really a very narrow cushioned ledge over which he threw a carriage-robe, and had the real dashboard, a very low one, in front of it. When they had climbed in, they felt very high up and conspicuous and envied the driver the calmness with which he took his seat. At the twins ' earnest request they were allowed to take one caleche, while their father and Dora occupied the other. Mr. Stevens made his driver, who was French, understand that he was to take the lead and ordered the other driver, also French, to follow, and they started off just as a number of tourists came out from the Chateau Frontenac in search of carriages and caleches. So for a few moments they were the observed of all observers. 194 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA for every newcomer in Quebec wishes to ride in a caleche and is half afraid and looks with interest at other tourists who have dared. At first the peculiar motion was rather disa- greeable and Ray clutched Roy with some anxiety when they turned corners, for it seemed as if she would certainly be tossed out. The fact is that it is not hard to be thrown out of one of these vehicles, and that, a few years ago, before certain improvements were made, such accidents were not uncommon. In a short time, however, the chil- dren had grown used to the gentle up-and-down movement, and were ready to be interested in what they saw along the road. The route they were following took them through the Lower Town, the districts of St. Roch and St. Sauveur, which were among the poorer quarters of the city. Most of this part of the city is comparatively new, as there was a great fire in 1866 which swept away many of the houses there. Over many of the doorways of these poor homes the children noticed little medal- lions of some Saint or of the Virgin, putting the house so marked under the protection of that power. ' ' They are almost as religious here as they are in Mexico, it seems to me, ' ' said Roy, ' ' and I cer- A MISADVENTURE 195 tainly never did see so many priests. In Mexico we saw hardly any." " Well, we saw them, I suppose, but we didn't know they were priests because the government makes them wear silk hats and long cloaks over their gowns," said Kay. " Here, you can tell right off when a man's a priest." ' ' We must get father or Dora to tell us about some of the Jesuit adventures here in the early days," said Eoy. " Oh, no, don't! I can't bear to think of those Iroquois Indians and the things they did." '' But it's history, all the same, and we've got to know history," maintained Roy. '' Yes," sighed Ray, " 1 suppose we have; but I do wish history wasn't made up of such dreadful things." They were now passing the dark, mysterious- looking St. Charles Cemetery, and had soon crossed the Scotch Bridge and were driving along the Little River, as it is called. Under some trees, on the river bank, two French-Canadians sat and sang with much gusto, but without much voice, simply because they felt like singing. Several times they met country people, looking more nearly like European peasants than any they had seen,— the women wearing short skirts and 196 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA bodices and combining red and blue in hardy fashion. " Now they look like the pictures," declared Ray. At one place by the wayside was a tall wooden cross of black and white, on the top of which had been carved a cock. ^' What's that rooster doing up there? " asked Roy, without thinking. '' Whj, Roy, that's the cock that warned St. Peter!" " Oh, yes, of course. I never saw him on a cross before." The hayfields, in which the hay had been newly mown, and other fields full of clover, filled the air with fragrance. The farmhouses along the road looked comfortable and thrifty. Across the river, in the distance, they could see the ever-present Laurentian range, and a little to the left the tall •spire of the church at Lorette, miles away. As they climbed the hill to the St. Foye road and turned back to look behind them, the sunset filled the sky over the mountain-tops with a red glow and the whole valley of the St. Charles was bathed in the lovely light. When they turned into the St. Foye road, which is one of the leading thoroughfares into Quebec, A MISADVENTURE 197 they found a number of vehicles traveling the same road and became interested in watching the occupants as they passed, for their own driver was taking things in a very leisurely way. Suddenly Roy came to a realization that he had not been keeping his eye on the other caleche for some time past, and that they had come to several turning-oif places, any one of which his father's driver might have taken. He looked at the vehi- cles ahead of them and there was but one caleche in the procession. ' ' Well ! " he suddenly exclaimed, without thinking. '' What is it? " asked Ray, taking the alarm from his tone. " We've lost father and Dora," said Roy. ^' That caleche ahead isn't theirs, for their horse had only one white leg and that horse has two." " And besides their caleche was green and this one is white," said Ray. '' What shall we do? " ' ' We can tell the driver to turn back, I suppose, but it's too late now to see them on any of those roads that turned off, — they must have got too far, by this time." ■ ^ ' If we don't give him some orders, he'll just go on for ever and ever, for father engaged them by the hour," said Ray, beginning to feel already 198 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA like Hans Andersen's little girl with the dancing red shoes that would not stop. "I'll tell him we're lost and that he can take us back to the hotel, — that will be the best way," said Roy. '' Yes, so it will, — ^but, Roy, how are you going to tell him? He doesn't understand English and you can't speak French." Roy had not thought of that. A cloud came over his face and he began to feel rather helpless. ' ' I wish I had studied French instead of Latin, ' ' was his first thought. " Well, I'll try it, anyhow," he said, aloud, and he touched the driver's arm. When the man turned, he said very plainly and rather loud, '' Where is the other caleche? " The man grasped the word caleche, and seemed to understand. He pointed ahead with his whip. Roy shook his head, " No, that is not the right one," he said. This, the driver did not under- stand, but he knew from Roy's looks and from Ray's eyes, in which tears were rising, that some- thing was wrong. So he took a second look at the white caleche, saw that it was not the one he had been told to follow, and stopped short, so short as almost to be run into by the carriage behind. " Mon Dieu! " he exclaimed, looking back and seeing that there was no green caleche coming A MISADVENTURE 199 after them. Then he shrugged his shoulders and looked at the twins, as much as to say: '* It's my fault, but it can't be helped now. What is to be done? " " He doesn't know where to go," half-sobbed Eay. " Oh, we're all right, — I can always point the way I want to go, ' ' said Roy. " But how do you know which way you want to go? " asked Ray. '' Father didn't go this way and maybe it isn't the way back. Perhaps it will take us away off somewhere — and we haven't any money to pay the driver or to stay anywhere till morning;" and the tears came faster. " Oh, do stop crying. It doesn't help matters," said Roy, rather roughly. Then he pointed ahead and said to the driver, " Back to Quebec? " . Quebec was near enough to ' ' Kaybec, ' ' which is the French pronunciation, for the man to under- stand, and he nodded his head, said, " Oui, oui " (Yes, yes), and started his horse. ' ' When we get back into town, I '11 tell him to go to the Chateau," said Roy, '' they all understand that name, and then we'll be just as good as at home." The driver evidently felt he had been much to blame, for from time to time he turned back to 200 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA smile at them and nod his head reassuringly, and presently they came to something the children had seen before. It was a gate standing right across the road, just where the road became a city street. At the side of the gate, which stood open, was a little house like a sentry-house, and from this stepped out an old man with a small box. '' It's a tollgate," said Roy, " the one we have seen from the cars — and we haven't any money." He held out his empty hands and shrugged his shoulders and shook his head, when the driver turned to him inquiringly, and was just like a French-Canadian, Ray said afterward, when they were telling the story to Dora. *' Well, I was driven to it," said Roy, apolo- getically, as if it were something to be ashamed of. The driver explained something to the toll- keeper, produced the toll from his own pocket, and they drove into the city. " Chateau Frontenac," said Roy, boldly. '' Oui, oui/' said the driver, nodding as if to say that was the only place to go. However, when they had gone through a num- ber of streets, some of them very steep and nar- row, they were surprised to find him turning off into what seemed like an alley. In a moment they A MISADVENTURE 201 came out in view of a deep quarry, and in tliat quarry, piled up to a height of about twenty feet, was what was left of the last winter 's snow. The driver pointed proudly to this natural curiosity in the month of July, and the twins forgot their troubles entirely. A large boy, seeing the caleche, ran and got a handful of snow and brought it to them. He, fortunately, could speak a little English. '' Snow," he said, ^' ever since las' winter." '' Doesn't it ever all melt? " asked Eoy, as- tonished. '^ Sometime it stay till nex' winter, — sometime it all gone. One hundr' feefty feet deep in this place in the winter. ' ' /' Where does it come from? " asked Roy, feel- ing sure one hundred and fifty feet of snow could not fall from the sky, even in Quebec. '' From the street. They dig the street an' bring the snow here." *' Oh, I see! Well, I don't wonder it doesn't all melt, with one hundred and fifty feet of it. Much obliged! "said Roy. " Dear me, I haven't got a cent to give him." '' Here's one penny I found in my pocket just now," said Ray, and Roy handed it to the boy, and gave the signal to drive on. 202 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA Afterward, they were told that in earlier days the snow had been allowed to melt in the streets, and that the winter had lasted until some time in May. Now that the streets were kept clear of snow down to a depth of two feet, by carrying the surplus snow to this old quarry, the winter ended almost a month earlier, about the middle of April. " I wonder if father and Dora came this way," said Eay. '* If they didn't, we've got something to tell them." As they drove up to the Place d'Armes and alighted, they found Mr. Stevens standing there, who paid the driver and seemed quite unaware of the fact that anything had happened. Indeed, he and Dora had never suspected that the other caleche was not following them all the way, and had simply thought it was some distance behind. When the twins told their experience and showed a lump of snow, the others were very much sur- prised, but not frightened, as Ray thought they would be, at the risk the children had run. i( There's always some way of making people understand if you keep your wits about you," said Mr. Stevens. " Well, I don't want to go to any more cities where they don't understand my language," said Ray, her voice still shaking a little. A MISADVENTURE 203 ** I do," said Roy, " but before I go again I shall study French, or whatever the language is, and have enough to get myself out of a hole, anyhow. ' ' *' And into a quarry," added Mr. Stevens, laughing, and so the misadventure ended satis- factorily, even to the driver, who had evidently expected to be scolded. lie patted Roy on the shoulder approvingly, and, catching Mr. Stevens' eye, said, ^* Un brave g argon! " (A fine boy!). CHAPTER XVII QUEBEC AND MONTMORENCY The days in Quebec went very swiftly, for there was always something to see. One morning, it was the citadel, after a winding walk np a lane just inside the walls and between the inner and outer fortifications. The soldier who showed them about had very little to say, beyond ' ' There 's the officers' quarters," '' That's where the Governor- general stays when he comes," etc.; but to the children even these were interesting bits of infor- mation, for they had never been inside a fort be- fore. The thick walls, grown over with grass, the massive gateways with sentries on guard, the long rows of stone barracks, the parade-ground with its seats for visitors, the cannon peeping over the ramparts, and the magnificent view the guns might have if they had eyes to see, were all novel ; but the baby cannon taken from the Americans at Bunker Hill aroused their interest more than any- thing else. ' ' You might walk off with it under your arm, ' ' 204 QUEBEC AND MONTMORENCY 205 said Eoy. ' ' Is that the best they could do in those days, father"? " ' ' No, I suppose this is one of the smallest speci- mens, — in fact, I have never seen a smaller any- where. Do Americans ever want to buy it? " Mr. Stevens asked, turning to the guide. '' Yes, there's a many would like to buy it," replied the man, " but it's not to be sold." ^' No, of course not," said Roy; adding, '' Well, they've got the cannon, but we've got the country. ' ' *' That is almost what Thoreau, the New Eng- land writer said, when he saw it," rejoined Mr. Stevens. " He remarked, ' Well, you've got the cannon, but we've got Bunker Hill.' He didn't care much for citadels, and said : ' What a trou- blesome thing a wall is ! I thought it was to de- fend me and not I it.' " '' How many soldiers have you here? " asked Eoy. '* From 350 to 375, or thereabouts, sir," was the reply, '' and about 35,000 men in the whole Canadian militia." '' And what is that queer thing over there? " asked Ray, pointing to a tall wooden construction with one high wall and two sloping half -walls at the sides. 206 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA '^ Yes, I've seen that kind of thing in some of the big schoolyards," said Roy, " and I couldn't imagine what it could be. " '' It's for hand-ball," said the guide. '' You throw the ball against that high wall, and the side walls keep it from rolling or bounding off at the sides." '' I see. Do they play that very much? " " Yes, it's almost the only game of ball, except lacrosse, that they care about up here. It takes two people to play it; or four, playing partners. There's a good deal of skill in it." On this morning of which we are speaking, the party finished up their visit to the fortifications by a walk around the city walls, on the top of which they could go for a considerable distance. Alto- gether it is about a three-mile walk, and the fact that occasionally they all had to jump across open- ings in the wall made it all the more delightful to the twins, while Mr. Stevens and Dora were con- tinually exclaiming over the views of town or country to be had from different points. Another morning, they took the elevator on the Terrace and went down the cliff side to the Lower Town to see the Champlain Market. It was not nearly so large as the market at Montreal, but had very much the same kinds of things for sale. QUEBEC AND MONTMORENCY 207 There were some Indian girls selling cheap trim- mings from their baskets, and a Frenchman in a silk hat and Prince Albert coat extolling the vir- tues of a certain soap which he himself manu- factured, and which he said was approved by the highest chemical authority in Paris. It was good for one's beard, or for one's baby. Dora trans- lated his remarks, and the twins thought he was very funny; but they did not want his soap, and indeed did not invest in anything but a penny's worth of pansies and a little basket to carry them in. From the market it was but a step to Notre Dame des Victoires, the little church commemorat- ing two English naval defeats, one in 1692 and one in 1711, of which we have already spoken. It is a dark, little, old church, with tablets explaining the events which it commemorates. '' I shouldn't think the English would like it very much for their subjects to be crowing over the English defeats in that way," said Dora. *' Well, it amuses the French, and it doesn't hurt the English," replied Mr. Stevens. *' It would be foolish to forbid a little pleasure like that to an old enemy whose past had been full of brave deeds. What happened more than two 208 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA hundred years ago isn't worth being sensitive about if one has redeemed oneself since." ** See this," said Ray, as they were leaving the church. It was a painting given by the cap- tain of '' VAimahle Marthe," saved from ship- wreck in 1747, a picture of the ship sailing on a rippling sea, with the Madonna looking down upon it from the sky. ' ' It makes me think of those miracle-pictures in Mexico, ' ' said Roy, ' ' only this is better done. ' ' Whenever the children went to the Post-office, they entered by the door over which the Golden Dog gnaws his bone, with the lines underneath : " Je suis un chien qui ronge I'os, En le rongeant je prends mon repos. Un temps viendra qui n'est pas venu, Que je mordray qui m'aura moi'du.* " 1736." Athough the stone was originally in the house, now torn down, which stood on the site of the Post-office and not in the Post-office itself, they felt almost historic as they went in and out be- neath it. Their father had told them about Phili- * Translation : — "I am a dog gnawing my bone, While I gnaw I take my repose. The time will come, though not yet, When I will bite him who now bites me." o QUEBEC AND MONTMORENCY 209 bert, the owner of the original house, who had had a French officer quartered upon him with whom he quarreled; and of how Philibert was slain by the officer and of how Philibert 's brother had followed the murderer to India and avenged his brother by killing the officer. ' * If it had happened last week, ' ' said Eay, ' ' I would go a block out of my way to avoid the house ; but when a murder is over a hundred years old, it seems to get romantic and you want to go and look at the spot. Why did they tear the house down, I wonder. ' ' *' It stood for a long time, and there is still another story connected with it," said Mr. Stevens. '' In 1782, one of Wolfe's soldiers lived in the house and kept it as a hotel, who had a very beautiful niece. And young Horatio Nelson " *' Lord Nelson? " interrupted Eoy. " Yes, the same, only he was a very young man at this time and not yet Lord Nelson. Young Nel- son came out from England to bring some mer- chant ships, and stayed at the house and fell in love with the niece. He was anxious to marry her, but his friends got him away before he had committed himself, because they thought marriage at that age would ruin his career as a naval officer. ' ' 210 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA '' And what became of the young lady? " asked Eay, with interest. " She married some one else, another officer, and went to England to live." " If they had only let him alone, how different things might have been ! ' ' said Dora. '^ Yes, history might have been altogether dif- ferent written with all the ifs left in," said Mr. Stevens. Another and a memorable day was spent at Montmorency Falls. They set out at about nine o'clock, by the electric train that makes the trip an easy one for tourists, carrying luncheon in a couple of small baskets which Roy and Ray took charge of. The day was beautifully clear, and the ride along the great river, with cottages and farm- houses of old French construction scattered along its banks, and, beyond the tracks, the fields white with daisies — ' * the biggest ones I ever saw, ' ' Ray said — leading up to the heights on which stood the village of Beauport, was as charming an ex- cursion as one could wish. They passed the cross set up to commemorate the winter spent on the banks of the St. Charles by Jacques Cartier and the crews of the vessels that came over with him in the sixteenth century ; and, a little later, came to the large farmhouse QUEBEC AND MONTMORENCY 211 belonging to the Quebec Seminary, where the stu- dents are sent for their weekly holiday. It was really an immense old house, quaint in its con- struction, surrounded by large trees, and provided with an unusually large hand-ball platform. Both Eoy and Eay thought they could spend a holiday there very delightfully. The Falls of Montmorency burst upon their sight as the train turned a curve in the road, and they gazed in admiration at the tons of water plunging down a rocky height of two hundred and fifty feet, as the Montmorency Eiver reached its ^ ' jumping-off -place. ' ' '' These Falls have a lot of work to do," said Mr. Stevens. ^' They run the trains which bring us out here, give light to the citizens of Quebec, and run several mills." '' The Giant Electricity has to work, just as the Giant Steam does," said Eay. '' A little stream can't just play along and enjoy itself any more, for people are so full of work they have to make even the streams help. It seems almost a pity." ^' It doesn't hurt the streams," said Eoy. *' Sometimes it does, when there are Falls," maintained Eay. '^ Sometimes it takes so much water it spoils the look of the Falls. I hope we sha'n't let them spoil Niagara by making it work 212 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA too hard. My teacher told me they would if we didn't watch and prevent it." The train backed up by a switch to the foot of the hill, and the passengers all climbed into the three-story elevator which carries people to the top. Here they found themselves directly in front of Kent House, now a hotel, formerly the country- home of the Duke of Kent, the father of Queen Victoria, when he was in command of the British troops in Canada from 1791-94. It is a large, white wooden house with a fine prospect ; but the party were not ready yet to sit down and rest. After a walk through the menagerie part of the grounds, in which a firm of Canadian furriers had placed a collection of fur-bearing animals, they turned their steps toward the Falls, by way of a shaded walk through the woods along the top of the cliff. There were large chair-swings along the way, which, at another time, would have been tempting, but not while they still had the Falls to see. They came finally to something which stopped them for at least a minute or two, the stone piers of a bridge that had once spanned the river just below the Falls and that had fallen, a number of years ago, carrying with it a habitant and his wife who were crossing in their cart. *' They had so far to fall, they must have had QUEBEC AND MONTMORENCY 213 time to think of lots of things," said Ray, shuddering. The steps that led down to the side of the Falls, where one could really get some idea of their mass and of the volume of water, were the first point of view, — then they all went to the roof of tha power-house, an unobtrusive building among the trees, and finally, crossing the bridge over the river to the parish of VAnge Gardien (Guardian Angel), they made their way through a thick grove to the pavilion overlooking the Falls, and here they decided to stop for awhile. It was a beauti- ful spot, with a view not only of the Falls, but of the upper and lower river and of the hills on the other side. '' This is where Wolfe's troops were, all along on the east side of the river, while Montcalm's were at Beauport, on the other side," said Mr. Stevens. ^' I don't see how men could fight in such a lovely spot," remarked Ray. ^' Battlefields ought always to be ugly and bare and desolate, I think." " Was this where Wolfe was wounded, and ill for so long? " asked Roy. *' That was at a farmhouse farther along," re- plied Mr. Stevens, " and it was from there that 214 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA he sent out his famous dispatch to Pitt, in Eng- land, from which we often see quoted, ' There is such a choice of difficulties that I am myself at a loss how to determine.' " For some time the party wandered through the little park, gathering the splendid daisies and swinging in the chair-swings, until Dora thought it time to unpack the lunch-baskets, which they had had filled at a tourist-shop in Quebec. The sandwiches of ham and tongue, the hard-boiled eggs and pickles, cake and fruit, and finally a bot- tle of lemonade, seemed to be exactly what they wanted, out in the clear air and the cheerful sun- shine, and when they had finished luncheon they felt at peace with all the world. For awhile after luncheon they watched a little party of French children playing hide-and-seek behind the trees. At last Dora ventured to speak to them, and they all came and stood together while the eldest girl answered her questions. They said they lived near by and that this little park was their daily playground, and the game they had just been playing was " en cachette/' like our hide-and- seek. They were such nice children Ray thought she wouldn't mind joining in the game if she could only speak French. '' Ask them how they say, ' You're it/ " she QUEBEC AND MONTMORENCY 215 begged Dora, and was very mucli interested to find that the French phrase was simply '' pris " (taken, or caught). The walk to the Natural Steps in the afternoon, past a glorious flower-garden with a row of his- toric cannon at the rear, along a shaded country road and through the fields, was delightful, but, alas, for the Natural Steps ! a great dam or some- thing of the kind was in process of construction and the beauty of the river at that point was spoiled. So they strolled back, and the children spent the rest of their time watching the beavers. A family of these little animals, so important to Canada, on account of their fur, as to be among the emblems in its coat-of-arms, has been domi- ciled in the grounds around Kent House, and here they carry on their industries of felling trees, building huts, making dams, etc. One beaver is said to do the cutting down of a tree, while the others wait for it to fall and then have a good time stripping off the bark and gnawing the branches. The older beavers take the little ones out on wood-gathering expeditions, to show them how to bring in wood. The land allotted to the beaver family was quite large enough to enable them to carry on all their industries, and there was a small brook running through it; and the 216 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA busy little animals did not seem to mind at all the fact that they were being watched. It was four o'clock before the twins could tear themselves away from the beavers, foxes, wolves, wild cats, bears, and deer living on the reserva- tion, and turn their faces cityward. After such a day spent entirely in the open air, and in the purest of air, at that, filled with the breath and odor of pines and balsams, they were so hungry and so sleepy that they did not know whether to eat first or sleep first when they again reached Quebec. Dora Among the Daisies French-Canadian Children CHAPTEE XVni INDIAN LORETTE ** I THINK we would better take advantage of this delightful weather to go out to Indian Lo- rette," said Mr. Stevens one morning. ' ' What place is that ? ' ' asked Roy. '•'■ A village of Indians some nine miles out of Quebec, though none of the people, I believe, are of purely Indian blood. There are also some very pretty falls. We can take a train at ten or there- about, have luncheon at the village, and spend the afternoon, or as much of it as we please, ram- bling about." '' I love these trips out of town," said Ray, enthusiastically, '' and it's such fun to start with- out a lunch-basket and trust to luck to find some place where you can get something to eat." ' ' You wouldn 't think it such fun if there turned out to be no such place," said Roy. ^' Well, there always has been," replied Ray. '' It gives you such a feeling of adventure." The ride out by train, a matter of half an hour, 217 218 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA was as charming as that to Montmorency, except that they did not go along the St. Lawrence, but between fields and farms and villages on both sides of the way. When they reached Lorette, they learned that the Indian village at which they alighted was only a part of the town, and that by crossing a bridge they left the Indian reserva- tion and came to St. Ambroise, or French Lorette. The French village had no access to the railway- station except through the Indian village, and had had to buy the right of way through the reserva- tion, and there did not seem to be a very friendly feeling between the two, the children thought. They were fortunate in the very beginning in encountering the wife of the chief Indian of the reservation, a very obliging woman, who spoke English so as to be understood, and supplemented it with gestures and many changes of facial ex- pression. She said her husband was away at work, but that she would show them some interest- ing things they had in their house. She said there were about three hundred and fifty families on the reservation and that her husband, the chief, who was about sixty years old, had control of the business of the reservation and through him the tribe communicated with the provincial govern- ment. When they were seated at the table in her INDIAN LORETTE 219 living-room, she pointed out the desk at which the chief attended to his business, with its pigeon- holes full of papers, and then brought out a silver medal sent him by Queen Victoria for the help he had given to the English at the time of the Eiel, or half-breed, Eebellion in 1885. " We haven't heard about that Eebellion," said Eoy. " True, I must tell you about it sometime," said Mr. Stevens. " That is not so long ago that I cannot remember about it myself, as we had the whole story in the papers." *' Here is another medal, sent by George III. to my husband's uncle, who was then chief," said the woman; '' and here are his regimentals," showing a long-tailed blue coat with embroidered epaulettes fringed with fine hair, and further adorned with gold buttons. * * This was his Indian costume," went on the chief's wife, bringing out a pair of red leggings embroidered with sweet- grass, and a bead crown with short nodding feathers, covering the top of the head. The chief's son, a boy of Eoy's age, looked on with some interest while these things were being exhibited, but the secret of his interest was re- vealed when he made believe to wrench off one of the gold buttons. 220 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA " I must take you to see the churcli," said the woman, in her broken English, '' for if I do not go, you will see only what is to see when you open the church-door. There are very nice things there, but few people see them because the woman that show the church is very seldom there. ' ' " We must have luncheon first," said Mr. Stevens, to whom Roy had been whispering, ' ' and perhaps you can tell us where we can get some." *' Oh, yes, there is a hotel, just as you turn the corner before you come to the bridge. They will give you what they have, — they do not receive many visitors." '' Then we shall stop for you after luncheon, when we are ready to see the church? " ' ' Yes, I will be here, and I will get the woman that show the church. ' ' The hotel was a wooden house, somewhat larger than the others, with a long piazza, and its parlor very much darkened, so that it was some time be- fore they could make out that it contained a table covered with articles for sale. By the time they had looked at these luncheon was announced in the next room, and they sat down to slices of cold meat and mashed potatoes, with cups of strong tea. They could hear so plainly what was going on in the kitchen, though the door was closed, that INDIAN LORETTE 221 it would have been rather puzzling had they not noticed, almost as soon as they entered, that the immense kitchen-ran 2;e stood half in the kitchen and half in the dining-room, with the partition cut away all around it to make this arrangement possible. ''Isn't that a good idea!" exclaimed Eay. ' ' They warm both rooms with one stove. I think I never saw so large a range as that. ' ' '' I suppose they have to have immense fires here, having such very cold winters. How glad they must be to see spring come! " said Dora. "When they had finished luncheon, they departed again to the chief's house, and found Mrs. Chief waiting for them. On the way they met a little Indian girl with a basket of wares made of straw, sweet-grass, and beads, and bought from her an ingenious toy called handcuffs. It was a cylinder of straw braided in such a way that by putting the forefingers in the two ends one was made a prisoner. Pulling seemed only to tighten its hold ; and it was some time before the twins discovered that pushing toward the ends of the cylinder was the only way of loosening its grip. Eay at one time was almost in a panic, thinking she might have to go fettered back to Quebec, but no sooner 222 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA was she free than she bought a second pair of handcuffs with which to trick her school-friends. The little church, built in 1788, was rather bare at first sight, but examination showed it to be full of treasures. There was a bambino (Christ-child) some two hundred and fifty years old, sent from France when the Jesuits first started their mission at Lorette. The chancel-rail was covered with some fine hammered, brass, also an early gift from friends in France. Over the altar, fastened high up on the wall, was a little gray wooden image of a house, with doors, windows, and chimneys, like any little American or Canadian farm-cottage, and two angels in blue seemed to be supporting it. '' AVhat does that mean? " asked Dora, point- ing to it and turning to Mrs. Chief. The latter hesitated, tried to remember, and finally said, solemnly, '' That's the house where God was brought up." The children kept their faces straight, because this answer seemed to them strange rather than funny, but Dora had some difficulty to hide her amusement. They found afterward that it was supposed to be a representation of the house of Saint Anne, the mother of the Virgin. The woman who was to show the sacristy now appeared, with her little girl to help her, and un- INDIAN LORETTE 223 locked the door leading to the treasures of the church. These seemed at first to be only the vari- ous vessels used in the church-services, all of solid silver, richly carved and chased, gifts from inter- ested friends in France in the time of Louis XIII. and XIV., and to the twins the most striking piece was a solid silver cross as tall as a man, with a finely-carved figure of Jesus at the top. This was too large to go into a cupboard and stood unpro- tected against the wall of the sacristy. The guide now began to open some chests and uncover some shelves, and produced, one after another, mag- nificent vestments of brocade embroidered heavily in gold and colors by Mme. de Maintenon, the wife of Louis XIV. '' Didn't she have patience, to do all that beau- tiful work! " exclaimed Dora, and she and Eay were quite lost in admiration before the final mas- terpiece, an altar-front on which the same great lady had embroidered a portrait of Louis XIV. as a youth. *' I didn't know they cared so much about Can- ada, over in France," said Roy. ** Yfes, for a long time after the first religious settlements, it was the fashion to be interested in the little missions scattered here and there. From the time of Louis XIII. and Anne of Austria, his 224 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA wife, almost down to the British conquest of Canada, France kept a friendly watch over the Indian converts and at times made pets, as one might say, of these outlying missions. When the Jesuits were expelled from France in the reign of Louis XV., their colonial work became less popular." " Why do they get expelled everywhere they go? " asked Roy. '' That is a long story," replied Mr. Stevens. '' Remind me as we go home on the train and I'll tell you something of their history in Canada. If we are going to see the Falls, we must go now." So the family bade good-by to their two guides, and, securing permission to enter the private grounds through which it was necessary to go to reach the Falls, they were soon on their way. They climbed down the mossy rocks by the aid of a rustic handrail, and, by grasping at trees and saplings and bushes, soon came to the foot of the Falls. They are really a succession of falls, and they too have to work, like those of Montmorency, for their power is used for electric lighting; but the children did not think of this as they sat watching the twisted streams pouring over the rocks, feeling the cool spray on their faces, and admiring the tiny ferns, turf, and moss. INDIAN LORETTE 225 kept as green as emeralds by the constant mois- ture. The lulling noise of the water, the fresh- ness of the air, and the rest after their sightseeing made them so sleepy that they had hard work to rouse themselves when it was time to retrace their steps and take the train. CHAPTEE XIX JESUITS IN CANADA '' Now, father," said Roy, when they were seated in the train, " about the Jesuits." '' You don't forget anything that promises in- formation, do you? " said his father. " Well, first, let's hear something of the char- acter of the order. It was founded in 1540 by Ignatius Loyola, a Spaniard, who had been a sol- dier and who carried out in this religious society his former ideas of strict military discipline and military rank. His followers took the usual vows which monks take of purity of life and of poverty, but especial emphasis was laid on obedience tp superiors. The head of the order was called the General, and every one was expected to obey him implicitly. " Another peculiarity of this order was that its members did not live in cloisters, but out in the world, so as to influence as many persons as possi- ble. They went where they were sent, whether to foreign courts to make converts and political 226 JESUITS IN CANADA 227 friends or to savage countries to teach the heathen. Their especial work was to bring people into the Church, and, as a branch of this work, they have schools and colleges for the education of boys and young men all over the world. As they cannot have schools for girls, they are obliged to make converts among women by their preach- ing, and many of their churches are fashionable among influential women because of the eloquent sermons preached there. They can also reach women and girls through their positions as con- fessors. '^ It was in 1639 that they founded their first college on this continent on the Isle of Orleans, — out here in the river. In a short time they were in the midst of their work, preaching to the Indians; and the stories of the conversions they made, of their sufferings and martyrdom, were sent back to France and aroused the pity and the zeal of many Frenchwomen of rank and means. Cardinal Richelieu's niece, the Duchess • of Aiguillon, was one of these, and as she was not allowed to carry out her wish of entering a sisterhood, she spent all her enthusiasm on missions to the heathen, and particularly on the missions in New France. The reports sent to France were printed and are called the ' Jesuit 228 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA Relations, ' and they are full of wonderful tales of heroism and self-sacrifice, so it is not strange that they aroused the zeal of the good Catholics at home. Mme. de la Peltrie, a wealthy woman, came over, her husband remaining in France and acting as her agent there for the interests of the colony; also Marie de 1 'Incarnation, who has been called the Saint Theresa of New France, and who left her only son to be brought up by relatives; and a third enthusiast, an unmarried woman whose family in vain tried to detain her. Mile, de la Troche-Savonnieres. They formed the nucleus of the first convent in Canada. " The Duchess of Aiguillon vowed to found a hospital, and the present Hotel Dieu Convent and Hospital in Quebec is the result of her vow. The oldest part of the buildings dates from 1654. The management of this hospital was intrusted to an order called the Hospitalieres. They came over with some Ursuline nuns under the protection of some Jesuit Fathers. The queen of Louis XIII., Anne of Austria, took them under her protection, and many noble ladies conducted them to their vessel and saw them off. They had an adventu- rous voyage, — high seas, pursuit by Spanish cruis- ers, storms, an encounter with an iceberg, and fi- nally came near shipwreck in the Gulf of St. Law- JESUITS IN CANADA 229 rence itself. They were two months on the voyage and landed at Ta'dousac, where they changed to another boat for Quebec. This boat was so unsea- worthy and so poor in accommodations that they had to stop and camp on shore every night, in the woods. When they reached Quebec they were wel- comed by the Indians, who thought it miraculous that there should be women devoted to the single life and to the care of the poor and miserable, and were very ready to bring their children to be educated and their sick to be taken care of and healed, no easy or pleasant task, for the malady that raged most fiercely among them was small- pox. During the hunting-season all who were not able to hunt, the old and infirm and the little chil- dren, were brought to the Sisters to be fed and looked after, where, formerly, the Indians had felt obliged to kill them since they could neither be taken nor could take care of themselves if left." '' How dreadful! " exclaimed Ray. '' To kill their own sick people and old people and little children! " '' You see the hunt was not for fun, but was a necessity," said her father. '' Food must be gained for the tribe, and the squaws had to go along, too, to help in the work of the camp. They 230 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA took their little babies with them, and the children who were old enough to be of use, but the others would have hindered the work, and if left behind, would have died of starvation or disease or been killed by wild beasts and hostile Indians, so that it was really the less terrible fate of the two to be killed by their own tribe. ' ' '' I see," said Ray; '' they didn't mean to be cruel. ' ' " Quebec had about two hundred and fifty in- habitants at that time, and until their hospital was finished — and some of the nuns helped with the actual masonry and carpentry, to hasten matters — the nuiis had only wretched, borrowed quarters. They had on land as many adventures as on sea — earthquakes, sieges, bombardments, fires, — all sorts of things happened to Quebec during their first hundred years. When the British conquered Canada, a great-niece of the Duchess of Aiguillon, with the same title, befriended the French nuns and secured the protection for them of Lord Chatham, the English minister. Since then they have had smooth waters and plain sailing. Well, I see I have gone off the track and talked of the Sisters instead of the Jesuits." " I 'm glad of it, ' ' said Ray. ' ' I wanted to hear about them and I am glad to know they were just JESUITS IN CANADA 231 as brave as the men, though it was in a different way. ' ' *' Yes, they had wonderful courage, the courage that sets tremendous tasks and then perseveres and endures in spite of all difficulties and dan- gers. The sisterhoods have remained and are carrying on their work to this day, while the Jesuits were expelled from Canada in 1772, and not allowed to return until 1839. They have never regained their original influence and power." *' Was Quebec always called Quebec? " asked Boy, who had been following for a few moments a line of thought of his own. * ' No, the Indian name was Stadacona, but when the first explorers arrived, Cartier and his asso- ciates, they were greeted with the Indian word Kepek, which they thought was an invitation to land. Others say that the word means strait and applies to the narrowing of the river St. Lawrence just opposite the promontory on which the city stands. The latter explanation has met with more favor from historians. Stadacona means ' a cross- ing upon floating wood,' as the Indians used often to cross the St. Charles Eiver on the driftwood that blocked the stream. ' ' '' Well, now we're done with interruptions," 232 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA said Ray, settling herself comfortably to listen; " let's hear about the Jesuit Fathers." '^ The first commander of the Jesuits, in Can- ada, under French rule, was Father Le Jeune, who, with two others, left France in 1632, in April, reaching Quebec in July. Out of this long period they spent a few days at Tadousac, where they first landed. All the rest of the ten or eleven weeks was spent on the water, and the long, wretched voyage was only the beginning of their hardships. They found themselves poorly lodged in Quebec, and their first task was to get some one who knew both French and the local Indian dialects, so that they might learn of him to speak to the Indians in their own language. Then they had such winters to contend with as they had never dreamed of. The trees in the forest around them cracked with frost like so many pistols going off. The ink froze in their bottles and the water in their casks so that they had to break it with hatchets every morning. Their breath froze into icicles on their blankets and they could not see out for the thick frost on the windows. Often they could not write for the numbness of their fingers." ' ' Ugh ! It makes me shiver just to hear of it ! " exclaimed Roy. '^ Another thing they had to learn was to walk JESUITS IN CANADA 233 on snowshoes, the usual method of getting about in winter, and by no means an easy thing to learn. The Indians loved practical jokes and made fun of their awkward first attempts, their falls and dives into the snowdrifts. '^ The next spring four more Jesuits joined this first company, and it was decided that now some of them must go out to preach to the In- dians farther away. In a general way they knew they would have a hard time, but they proba- bly had no idea of the trials they would have to undergo. ' ' Le Jeune began by going, alone, with a party of Indians who were starting on the hunt one October. They had to carry all their hunting and camping outfit on their backs, through the deep snow which soon began to fall, over rough ground full of gullies and encumbered with fallen trees, through swamps and ravines, and over ice-covered streams. Every night they had to build camp before they could eat or sleep. When they found a good hunting-ground they built a wigwam about thirteen feet square, whose walls on three sides were formed partly of snow, and in this nineteen Indians with their dogs lived until the game in the vicinity had all been taken and eaten. The hut was bitterly cold at the edges where the wind 234 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA came through the chinks, and in the center, nearer the fire, was almost unbearably hot. At times the smoke of the fire, instead of going out at the top, settled down and spread through the wigwam until the missionary could hardly see or breathe, and his eyes watered and smarted so that he could not read his prayer-book. The dogs, which sometimes kept him warm at night, were a great nuisance in the daytime, playing and fighting over him, snatching his food, and even upsetting him in their rushes at times. The medicine-man who accom- panied the party hated him and thwarted him in every way possible, thinking him a rival with a different sort of incantations and charms. When any one became ill, the sorcerer used the Indian method of cure, which was to frighten off the demon of sickness by ear-splitting noises. At times, the whole party came near starvation, and grew weak and thin. It was in April that the Indians came back to the place where they had hid their canoes for the return- journey. The river was still full of ice, making the canoe voyage very dangerous, but they finally reached Quebec, though they were risking their lives by the trip. You may believe that when Father Le Jeune reached his convent again, poor as it was, it seemed a home and even a palace to hiin after such JESUITS IN CANADA 235 a winter. Yet that was the customary winter of the Canadian Indians. *' Le Jeune saw that it would be very difficult, almost impossible, to do anything for Indians who had no fixed home, but wandered about from place to place, and it was decided that the Hurons, who had towns and lodges, were the most hopeful sub- jects for conversion. To be sure they lived a long way off, between Lake Huron and Lake Erie, and the road was a long and roundabout one, up the Ottawa, across Lake Nipissing, and along the shores of Georgian Bay, an inlet of Lake Huron." Mr. Stevens pointed out all these places on the map, and the children got a very good idea of the distance to be covered. '^ Every year a party of Hurons came to Que- bec to sell furs and tobacco, staying four or five days. Three of the missionaries who had arrived in the second party from France were detailed to visit the Hurons and went with these Indians on their return journey, after many objections and refusals on the part of the Indians. It took them weeks to make the voyage of nine hundred miles, in canoes. They had to go barefoot, lest their heavy shoes injure the frail canoes. Their food was Indian corn, raw, crushed between stones and mixed with water. The missionaries were in sepa- 236 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA rate boats and could rarely comnmnicate with one another, and only one of them could speak the Huron language. Thirty-five times the boats had to be carried around rapids and cataracts, and fifty times the travelers had to get out and wade, pushing the boats before them or dragging them after them. These portages were so hard that even the Indians were at times quite exhausted. ' ' Two of the missionaries were deserted by the Indians in whose canoes they belonged, their writing-materials and books were thrown into the river, and some of the French laymen (helpers who were not priests) were robbed of all they had. Father Breboeuf was the first to reach the Huron town which they were to make their headquarters, and at last the others arrived, more dead than alive, and the Huron mission was organized. They built a house, with the help of the Indians, who always helped one another build, and one of the three rooms was a chapel which they fitted up as well as they could." " What kind of house was it? " asked Roy. " Like the Indian houses. You will find a very good account of them in Parkman's ' Jesuits in North America,' a book so fascinating that every boy and girl in the country ought to read it. The Indians admired the Frenchmen's furnishings, JESUITS IN CANADA 237 especially their clock. They would sit by the hour, waiting for it to strike, and thought it wonderful that it would stop when the missionaries told it to. The missionaries had a hand-mill for grinding corn and seeds, a prism, a magnet, and a mag- nifying-glass, all of which the Indians never ceased to enjoy. They called the clock ' The Cap- tain, ' and they would ask, ' What does the Captain say? ' whereupon the missionaries would reply that when the clock struck twelve times, it said * Put on the kettle, ' and when it struck four times, it said ' Get up and go home.' " Roy and Ray laughed at the clever device of the Fathers for getting rid of the Indians, and their father said : " It was really necessary, for otherwise they would have had no time to themselves at all. The Indians were very friendly for a time and let their children come to be taught and Christianized, but when it came to themselves, they said, ' It is good for the French; but we are another people with different customs.' Several other priests joined the mission in 1636, two of the first three having gone back to Quebec to found a school for Huron children. Almost as soon as the new mission- aries arrived a pestilence attacked the town, and the only medicine the priests had was some senna. 238 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA They administered raisins in sweetened water, and the sick Indians thought these had some mys- terious power to cure. But when the Jesuits tried to get them to be baptized and become Christians, so as to go to Heaven, the Indians said, ' Heaven is a good place for Frenchmen, but I wish to be among Indians.' Another Huron asked if there would be hunting or war or feasting in Heaven. ' Oh, no ! ' replied the priest. ' Then I will not go. It is not good to be lazy,' was the reply. ' ' It was their anxiety to baptize that finally brought the Jesuits into trouble. When they found any one dying, adult or child, they sprinkled water on the sick one and murmured the words of baptism, and the Indians at last, seeing that these patients always died, came to look upon the baptismal rite as the cause of the death, and for- bade its use. The Jesuits resorted to various tricks to get around this prohibition, for they firmly believed that without the baptism every In- dian who died would go straight to a burning Hell and suffer there forever. The Indians, on their part, began to believe that the Jesuits had caused the pestilence as a means of getting rid of them, and everything the Fathers used, even to a home- made weather-vane, the Indians took to be a charm to be used against their tribe. At one time a JESUITS IN CANADA 239 council was held, to decide what should be done with the intruders, and soon afterward the Fathers made a great feast such as the Hurons about to die were obliged to give. This showed that they were not afraid of what the Indians could do to them, and aroused the admiration and awe of the whole town. ' ' *' Wasn't that clever! " exclaimed Roy. ** When the pest had passed, the Indians built a new town, and the Fathers decided to have a central mission not far from Lake Huron, on the river Wye, and to send out their missionaries from here to the other Huron settlements at in- tervals. Two visited the Tobacco Nation, two others the Neutral Nation, tribes allied in some ways to the Hurons, but, after a few months of extreme suffering and danger, all returned without results. The Indians had refused them shelter and food, had turned them out in the cold winter nights, reviled them and cursed them, and even tried to kill them, and they had not made a single convert." " I don't see how they kept it up," said Dora, thoughtfully. *' Well, we should all, I hope, do a good deal to prevent any one from burning forever in a lake of fire, if we really believed in such a fate," 240 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA said Mr. Stevens. " But here we are in Quebec again. ' ' " You haven't told us about any tortures," said Roy. '' That was among the Iroquois, and we'll have to save those stories for another time," replied his father. ' ' I want to hear them, ' ' said Ray, ' ' but I do dread them, — they must be awful." CHAPTER XX JESUITS AMONG THE IROQUOIS It was a rainy evening and there was no pos- sibility of the usual promenade on Dufferin Ter- race. The Stevens party had gathered in Mr. Stevens' room, the one with the dormer-windows, where they could hear the rain pelting the stones of the street, the occasional slipping of a cab- horse's hoofs, and the ring of the trolley-bell at the corner, almost the only sounds that broke the silence, for Quebec is a very quiet city in the even- ing. Dora and Ray were writing up their diaries of the journey, Mr. Stevens was writing a letter, and Roy was the only one at a loss for something to do. A long sigh from him finally aroused his father's attention. * ' What is the matter, Roy ? "he asked. " Oh, I've got nothing to do," said Roy, '^ and I'm not sleepy yet — besides it's only eight o'clock. Can't you tell me some more about the Jesuits'? " " It would disturb the girls, I'm afraid," re- plied Mr. Stevens, but Dora and Ray, who had 241 242 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA looked up quickly at the word Jesuits, immedi- ately began to put away their work and protest that nothing would suit them better than to hear more of the early French missions. So they set- tled themselves comfortably, and Mr. Stevens, put- ting aside his letter, went on with the story. ' ' The Iroquois, ' ' he said, ' ' had been beaten by Ohamplain years before and had not forgotten it. Their chance for revenge came when the Dutch traders at what is now Albany, then Fort Orange, sold them firearms, and some three hundred of the Mohawks, the most easterly of the Five Nations, were armed. Father Isaac Jogues was one of their first victims among the missionaries. He was with the Huron mission and had been down to Quebec with the annual trading-expedition to get supplies for the mission. Returning, accompanied by two young Frenchmen who wanted to help con- vert the Indians, the twelve Huron canoes were attacked by some Iroquois from an ambuscade, and not with arrows, but with bullets. The heathen Hurons landed and fled, but the French and their converts fought until finally, outnum- bered, they tried to escape. Father Jogues might have succeeded, for he found a hiding-place in some rushes, but, as one of his friends and all the Indian converts were taken prisoner, he came JESUITS AMONG THE IROQUOIS 243 out and gave himself up, not wishing to abandon them. ' ' ' ' Do you think he did right to do that 1 ' ' asked Ray, much impressed. '' He could not do them any good." '' He could not be sure of that; and, anyhow, though we might not have blamed him if he had saved himself, we must admire him for the cour- age that led him to stand by his friends." '' Well, / couldn't have done it," said Ray, with conviction. '' One of the Frenchmen, attacked by several Iroquois, shot one," went on Mr. Stevens. '' The other savages fell upon him and stripped him, pulled his nails out with their teeth, bit his hands, and drove a sword through one of them, and when Father Jogues tried to stand between them and him they bit him also. They then put the twenty- two captives in their own boats and returned to their camp. When they met a war-party of Iro- quois, the capture was celebrated by forcing the prisoners to run the gauntlet. The Indians, armed with clubs and thorny sticks, ranged themselves along a rocky hillside in two lines facing each other, and the prisoners were forced to climb the hill by the path between the lines and receive the blows of each Indian as they passed him." 244 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA '* Oh, father! " cried Eay. " I canH bear to hear it." *' Perhaps you would better not, my dear, — in- deed, I don't know why any one wants to hear it." '' It isn't that I like to hear it," said Roy, '' only it seems only fair to know, when anybody says anything against the Jesuits, what dreadful things they went through and what heroism they showed. Ray can stop her ears when you come to the torture part." " Yes, so I can, and I don't want to lose the rest, — only you must tell me when the bad part is coming, ' ' said Ray. * ' Very well, you would better keep your fingers in, at present," replied Mr. Stevens, '' for there were more horrors. Father Jogues was treated worse than the others, so that he nearly died from the blows. When the party made their final land- ing and began their march to the Mohawk town, which was their destination, they made their weak and maimed captives carry heavy loads, and none of them, the captors included, had much to eat except wild berries plucked as they went along. On reaching the town they had to run the gaunt- let again, and afterward to be ' caressed,' as the Indians called it: that is, any one had a right to go and inflict on the captives any injury or JESUITS AMONG THE IROQUOIS 245 insult that stopped short of killing, for the Iro- quois were not ready yet to have them killed. Even the Indian children, when the prisoners were at last bound and helpless, played at torture, put- ting live coals on their naked bodies which they could not always shake off. At every Mohawk town they came to — for they were taken about to be exhibited — they went through fresh tortures. All this time Father Jogues never lost an oppor- tunity to baptize an Indian, even in the midst of his sufferings. He shook the raindrops off an ear of green corn given him to eat, and with them baptized two Huron prisoners, sprinkling others when they crossed a stream on their journey. ^' One of the two French laymen had shown such bravery and stoical endurance " ** What is stoical, father? " interrupted Roy. '' It comes from the name of a school of Greek philosophers, the Stoics, who did not believe in showing any signs of feeling, no matter what hap- pened to them." " Oh, I see. Yes, the Indians would admire that, ' ' remarked Roy. *' This man had shown such endurance that the Indians adopted him into the tribe, — the other, who had been teaching the Indian children to make the sign of the cross, was killed, and his body 246 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA hidden away. Months afterward Jogues found his bones and gathered them together, hoping to give them burial in consecrated ground if he should ever escape. The time at last came, after over a year of captivity, when he was taken to Fort Orange with a party of Indian traders. Some of the Dutch at the post assisted him, though the Dutch farmer in whose barn he and the Indians slept was not among them. He crept out at night to a rowboat on the river and got aboard a Dutch vessel, but the Indians came out threatening to search the vessel. He was then taken ashore at night and hidden for six weeks, until the Iroquois thought him really lost and accepted a ransom from the Dutch. He was brought down then to Manliattan " *' To New York? " cried Roy. ^' Yes, Manhattan at that time, — it was just a fort with a few soldiers and necessary buildings, — and here he was put upon a ship for England, was transferred there to one going to Brittany in France, and in January, 1644, appeared before the door of the Jesuit college in Rennes." " That's where Dreyfus was tried! " exclaimed Dora. * ' Yes, it was the same town. There was a great stir over his return, for some of the ' Relations ' JESUITS AMONG THE IROQUOIS 247 written by him had reached France and every one interested in the Canadian missions knew his story. ' ' '' Well, I'm glad he got back safe," said Ray, adding, *' but I thought, father, you called him a victim." ^' Yes, because he waited only until spring to return to Canada and persecution. The next year a peace was concluded between the French and the Mohawks, and this gave the former a breathing- spell ; but the other tribes of the Five Nations had not signed the treaty and there was fear that the Mohawks might be persuaded by them to vio- late it, so Father Jogues was sent as an envoy to the Mohawks, and went willingly. He found some of them very unfriendly, and he had been with them only a short time when he was killed by a blow from a hatchet. His fellow-missionary, Lalande, was killed the next morning. Their bodies were thrown into the river, and their heads displayed on the palisades of the town." Ray's eyes were big with excitement, and Roy, less impressionable, was evidently much stirred by the heroic story. *' Was Father Jogues the first martyr? " asked Dora. " No, an old priest named De None, was the 248 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA first. He was unable to learn the Indian dialects, so his duties were among the French and the In- dians who lived near the forts. lie started, with two soldiers and a Huron, to go to a fort at the mouth of the Richelieu River, to hear confessions and say Mass. They traveled on snowshoes to the frozen St. Lawrence, and at night dug away the snow and slept among the heaped-up walls of snow, with their fire in the midst. The old priest, waking at two o'clock in the morning, found it bright moonlight, and he thought it would be a good plan for him to go on in advance and send help from the fort to the soldiers, who were worn-out with their eighteen miles' walk through the snow and with the weight of their sledges. He started, therefore, but soon lost his way, and when a snow-storm came on he had no compass and no materials for making a fire, for he had been so sure of reaching the fort before another night that he had left these articles behind. So, when night came on, he lay down without a fire or a blanket, and there he was found a day or two later by a search-party from the fort. He had wandered quite near the fort without seeing it in the storm, and then had wandered away again. When they found him, he was kneeling with his hands crossed on his breast, like a marble image." JESUITS AMONG THE IROQUOIS 249 " But that was a beautiful way to die, com- pared with the other ! ' ' cried Ray. ^' TheHurons and Algonquins and the other Ca- nadian tribes," continued Mr. Stevens, " were almost exterminated by the Iroquois during these years of warfare with the firearms they had se- cured, and the fur-trade was quite destroyed." " Why did the Dutch sell them guns and am- munition? " asked Roy, severely. *< Why do Indian traders almost always pro- vide the Indians with the things that are worst for them? " asked his father in reply. '' In the earlier days of our own traffic with the Indians it was the same. We crazed them with fire-water, put guns in their hands, and then when they did damage we killed them." '^ The Indians have never had a really fair show, I think," said Dora, " though, of course, it would be hard to say what would be a fair show for such fiends as those Iroquois. Do you think, father, that things were really any better in Can- ada for the Jesuit missionaries? " '^ Yes, there were a few real converts who got some understanding of goodness and who held fast to their new ideas of right and wrong; but I imagine it was the pure, self-sacrificing life and heroic death of the priests that was the real influ- 250 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA ence. The Indians became much less cruel in their treatment of their enemies and prisoners, and the Hurons who were left alive after these Iroquois onslaughts came in numbers to the missions to be helped and baptized. The central Huron mission at Ste. Marie on the Wye became very power- ful, and eleven other missions were established, as its branches, among the Hurons. Some of these were among wandering Indians, and the Fathers had to wander with them and take part in their privations, their fatigues, and their dangers. One priest, Father Daniel, was killed as he came out from his church to meet the enemy, having bap- tized and absolved and dispersed his Huron con- gregation, who at once fled to the woods. Father Breboeuf was burned at the stake with horrible tortures, and Lalemant, after being tortured, was killed by a blow from a hatchet. By 1649 there were no Hurons left, as a tribe. The few sur- vivors had scattered and joined other tribes and their towns were deserted. And this was the end of the Huron mission of Ste. Marie. ' ' But by degrees some six thousand of the fugi- tives came together, and with the help of the missionaries set up another town on the Island of St. Joseph, where they suifered from famine and illness almost amounting to pestilence. This, JESUITS AMONG THE IROQUOIS 251 too, was given up, most of the people being driven to the mainland by hunger. The Iroquois fell upon them there and butchered nearly all. A few of the survivors persuaded the priests to lead them to Quebec, where they would be safe. Others joined the Senecas, becoming like that tribe in everything, except that they remained Catholic. Still others fled farther and farther westward until they reached the Sioux in what is now Iowa ; finally they rested near Detroit and Sandusl^y, where they were called Wyandots. ^' And where do you think," asked Mr. Stevens, suddenly, " where do you think descendants of this once-famous Huron tribe can still be seen within a few miles of us? " '* Oh, where? " cried Roy. *' We have seen them," replied Mr. Stevens, " for the Quebec Hurons at last settled at Indian Lorette, which we visited a day or two ago." " Really! " exclaimed Ray. *' Then that chief's little boy is a Huron? " ' ' Partly. He has Huron blood in his veins, at any rate." ' ' I wish I had looked at him harder, ' ' said Ray. ^' I didn't know he had such a romantic past." ^' Well, didn't anything happen to the Iro- quois ? ' ' asked Roy. 252 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA '' They were greatly reduced in number, for they had often been defeated, but they lived as a tribe for some fifty years, pushing their way as far north as Hudson's Bay, and as far south as the Tennessee River, and carrying terror wher- ever they went. The only tribe they ever encoun- tered which had a courage and spirit equal to their own, and which they found very hard to conquer, was the Andastes, afterward known as the Cones- togas. It was hopeless for the missionaries to try to convert these Iroquois, and when the Hurons and Algonquins were dispersed there seemed little use for missions. Some of the Fathers returned to France, and others remained and interested themselves in the French settle- ments. Some twenty had been killed by the Iro- quois or had died of hunger and hardships." ' ' So it was all for nothing, ' ' said Roy, thought- fully. " Do you think so? " asked his father. " Think of that over night and see if you really believe it." CHAPTER XXI POLITICS AND RELIGION '' I don't know wliich I'm most excited about," said Ray, ' ' seeing the Prime Minister or going to Ste. Anne de Beaupre." " They don't come at the same time, so you can be excited about both," said Roy. '^ I don't see the people here getting very much worked up over the Prime Minister," he added. '' And yet Sir Wilfrid Laurier first went to Parliament from the City of Quebec," said Mr. Stevens, ^' and he has been Prime Minister since 1896." " Is he French? " asked Ray. '' Yes, and at the same time a very loyal sub- ject of the King and one of the cleverest Prime Ministers Canada has had." '^ Well, what has he been doing now, that they are going to welcome him with banners and torches I ' ' asked Roy, looking up at a legend over a shop which spelled in electric lights, '^ Welcome to the silver-tongued Laurier." 253 254 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA * ' He has just been in London attending a con- ference of England's colonial Prime Ministers with the home government, and he has come back with a fair prospect of securing what he went for, — a subsidy for a fast line of ships connect- ing Great Britain with Australasia by way of Canada. ' ' " What is a subsidy? " asked Roy. '' Yes," said Dora. '' Do tell us, — that's one of the things I have always meant to find out about and never did." " In this case," replied Mr. Stevens, '' subsidy would mean a grant of money from the home gov- ernment to build, equip, and partially run the ships of the ' All-red Line,' as they have begun to call it. Where an undertaking is of a public character and destined to be a benefit to the na- tion, a government often helps it with money." While they were talking the family had been pacing up and down Dufferin Terrace among the large crowd gathered there to witness the land- ing of the " Lady Grey," which had been sent down the river to meet the liner on which Sir Wilfrid was expected. The children, seeing so great a crowd, were prepared for a tremendous demonstration, but as the hours wore on and no vessel arrived they saw that the crowd was gradu- POLITICS AND RELIGION 255 ally melting away, until by ten o 'clock there were only about fifty or a hundred people around the Place d'Armes, through which the carriages were to drive to the Chateau. ** Let's go home," said Ray. ''I'm sleepy." '' What do the others say? " asked Mr. Stevens. ''I'm ready," said Dora. " There isn't enough light to see him by when he comes, and it may be hours yet." "I'd just as lief go," said Roy, " because I can see the carriages from my window-seat about as well as I can here, and these people aren't going to be able to make much rejoicing, there are too few of them. Why don't they have bonfires! " Roy was evidently rather displeased by the lack of enthusiasm, as it seemed to him. They strolled slowly homeward, and it was about a half-hour later that Roy, sitting sleepily in his dormer- window, saw a half-dozen carriages drive up rapidly to the Chateau, heard a faint cheer from the little group loitering about the entrance, and saw a few handkerchiefs waving. He grunted. " Call that a demonstration? " he said to him- self. " Couldn't sit up till half -past ten to see the man they're so proud of! Wish they'd come and see one of our great men on a tour through the States." 256 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA The next day things were better. All the public buildings and some of the leading shops had mot- toes in electric lights, '' 1871, Equal share of lib- erty "; '' 1871-1907, Thirty-six years devoted to his country "; '' Bienvenu " (Welcome) ; '^ Que- bec reconnaissant au patriate de fait et de nom " (Grateful Quebec to the patriot in name and in deed), etc. The shops along the line of march of the procession to the hall where Sir Wilfrid was to speak were trimmed with Chinese lanterns and had lights in the windows, and by taking the street-cars the family found they could ride along- side of the procession in the evening. But, al- though they were pleased with the decorations, they missed something, and finally decided that it was noise. *' There's no crowding nor cheering nor any fireworks," said Roy; and Ray added, " I thought the French people were so noisy when they were excited. ' ' '^ I used to think so, too," said Mr. Stevens, '' but I was in Paris once on July 14th, the day they celebrate, and, though there were immense crowds in the streets and boulevards, I heard not a single cheer, not a note of the ' Marseillaise,' and the only singing was that of some Latin Quar- ter students, chiefly foreigners. And there was POLITICS AND RELIGION 257 no pushing or struggling, the stream of people flowing in and out among the carriages like so much water and all as quietly as if they had been indoors, so that it didn't seem like a crowd." The next morning, bright and early, the party started for Ste. Anne de Beaupre. Mr. Stevens had decided on that day for their visit, because it was July 26th, the Saint's own day, when there were always many pilgrims to her shrine. The children were interested to see that the same train which had carried them to Montmo- rency took them to Ste. Anne. It was filled with people of all ranks of life, many of them carrying provisions, and all looking as if the day were for them a holiday. The children saw one woman being carried into the train in a wheeled chair, and a boy on crutches and a little girl with a bandaged head were among the passengers in their car. ^' I wish I could see them when they come back," said Ray. " I should so like to see some- body cured. How did Saint Anne come to be such a powerful saint in Canada! " she asked her father. ' ' I suppose because she was a favorite Saint in Normandy and Brittany, from which many French-Canadians emigrated. According to tra- 258 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA dition, Saint Anne was the mother of Mary the mother of Jesus, — she is not mentioned in the Bible. The original chapel in her honor in this country was built by some sailors from France whom she had saved from shipwreck on the St. Lawrence, about the middle of the seventeenth century. And for many years afterward sailors, before going out on voyages, would come here to the little chapel and put themselves under her protection. As years went on others besides sailors came, and very soon cures began to be operated, and the place grew more and more famous, until now nearly two hundred thousand persons come every year." '' My! What a crowd there's going to be ! " ex- claimed Ray. '' Oh, I don't mean on any particular day, but throughout the year. Still, I daresay we shall find a crowd there." '^ Well, what is it about Saint Anne's bones I " asked Roy. ' ' The legend goes that the body of Saint Anne was buried in Bethlehem, then carried to Jerusa- lem, and finally deposited in the town of Apt, in France. Lazarus, after being raised from the dead, became first Bishop of Marseilles, Catholic tradition says, and it is supposed that he had the POLITICS AND RELIGION 259 remains brought to France. There are various stories to explain the fact that the bones are there, according to Catholic belief. They were placed in a grotto in the foundations of the church at Apt and finally forgotten, and rediscovered in the eighth century while Charlemagne, Emperor of the West, was visiting the town. During services at the church a young man, blind and deaf and dumb all his life, came in with his attendants, pointed to a place in the floor of the chapel, and made signs that they should dig at that place. The Emperor gave the order, and in digging they soon came to an underground chapel, then to a crypt in which a lighted lamp was shining. As they came to this the young man suddenly re- ceived his sight, hearing, and speech, and cried out, joyfully, ' This hollow contains the body of Saint Anne, mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary, mother of God.' They opened the recess in the crypt before which the light stood, and found the relics in a shrine, wrapped in a veil, and on it the words, in Latin, ' Here is the body of Saint Anne, mother of the Virgin Mary.' ' ' Of these relics, five are in the church at Beau- pre, a finger-bone, a bone from the hand, wrist, etc., four of them given during the nineteenth century, and the original one in 1670. 260 " ROY AND RAY IN CANADA " There is a church in Jerusalem where they claim to have the house of Saint Anne, and Beau- pre has a piece of rock from the walls of this house. So it is very rich in relics. There was also an image of Saint Anne from France, brought over in 1661, which began very soon to work miracles." ''Is that all she does, just cure people? " asked Eoy. " No, many people have been converted and turned from their sins by the Saint's influence, it is said. Wolfe's soldiers did not molest the little church of Ste. Anne, though they devastated the country roundabout, and it stood from 1676-1878, when it was so badly out of repair that it had to be torn down." The train was slowing down at the station, and the pilgrims began to gather up their belongings. When the Stevens party alighted they found the church, called the Basilica of Saint Anne, very near, in a fenced-in inclosure filled with flowers- set out in formal fashion, and trees and walks. At one side of the church was a line of sheds con- taining tables and benches, where many people were already eating their midday meal. And everywhere were small booths with rosaries, cruci- fixes, etc., for sale. POLITICS AND RELIGION 261 The large churcli was full of people, but no service was going on, so there was nothing to hinder our party from pressing forward toward the great image of Saint Anne, in the middle of the church, in the shrine under which the princi- pal relic, an armbone, is exhibited under glass for only one week in the year. A long line of people wound around the shrine, each person in turn stooping and crossing himself or herself and kiss- ing the glass under which the relic lay. < ' Why, they don 't even touch the bone ! ' ' said Ray, in a whisper. " It does them just as much good," said Roy. '' Yes, if they think so," rejoined Eay, seri- ously; adding: '' I feel so sorry for them, — they must be so sick or unhappy to come here, and some of them won't be any better for it, I suppose. Let 's go back to the chancel. ' ' Here a long row of persons knelt at the chancel- rail and a priest passed a relic, in a glass-covered box, to each in turn to kiss, wiping the box with a cloth each time before presenting it. As each one stooped over it, the priest said some words in Latin. Upstairs, in a small chapel, another relic was at work, and here the priest applied it to the eyes, ears, and afflicted parts generally, while the 262 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA people prayed solemnly, awaiting their turn with evident eagerness. On a third side of the room was a sort of office, at which information was given, books and leaflets sold, etc. Dora wanted a souvenir of the day, and bought a little book of hymns, in French and Eng- lish. They were to be sung as solos, and all the pilgrims to the shrine were to join in the refrains ; the time of singing was specified for each hymn, — some while on the boat traveling to Beaupre, some while moving in procession toward the church, etc., but none in the church. Later in the day they saw a procession and heard one of the hymns sung, a priest being the soloist, while the members of his congregation whom he had conducted on the pilgrimage joined him in the chorus.* * This hymn, with the music, will be found in the appendix. CHAPTER XXII SAINT ANNE DE BEAUPRE From the church the family found their way out by a side exit, and saw several people filling bottles with water from a small fountain in the churchyard. '' I should think they would have brought pitchers or glasses to drink from," said Ray. " They're not drinking it," observed Roy. '' They're going to take it home when they go, I suppose." '' Yes, this water is supposed to have miracu- lous powers also," confirmed Mr. Stevens. '' It comes from a well farther up the hillside. The church has not declared the well miraculous, but the people believe that it is." << I'm glad there's something they can take home," said Ray, '* for there must be some sick people too sick to get here, and if there is any one that needs it it is those poor invalids. Did you see the crutches and canes and things, Roy? " '' Yes, piles of them, just as we went into the 263 264 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA church," replied Roy; adding: '' They say all those were left by persons who came here crippled in some way and went back home cured. I heard some one say, father, that there was a big delega- tion of pilgrims here from Duluth, Minnesota." "■ I'm not surprised," said Mr. Stevens. ^' If it weren't for the distance and the expense of the trip, I should expect to see a great number of Catholic pilgrims from the States. It is the most celebrated shrine north of Guadalupe in Mexico. ' ' The next thing to do was to eat luncheon, and as they had been a little uncertain of being able to get refreshments on the spot, owing to the great crowd, the Stevenses had brought some luncheon with them. They sat down on a bench in one of the sheds I have spoken of, and dis- cussed a hearty cold meal, talking over what they had seen and heard. Dora had bought a rosary of shining beads to take home to Katy, the cook, and Ray had purchased for her a little cross of olive-wood. " Won't she be delighted! " exclaimed Ray, as they passed their purchases around and admired them. She seemed to hear Katy saying, joyfully : '•' Sure an' did ye remimber me? Oh, an' the beautiful rosary! 'Deed, I'll take it to church wid me, sure! " SAINT ANNE DE BEAUPRE 265 After luncheon there was still one more inter- esting place to visit, the Scala Santa, or Holy Stairway. '' This is a representation in wood of the Holy Stairway in marble preserved at Eome, and said by tradition to be the very steps which Jesus ascended when he appeared before Pilate," said Mr. Stevens. ' ' The steps Martin Luther was climbing on his knees when he suddenly became a Protestant? " asked Roy. '' The same," replied his father, ^' only I hardly think you could say he suddenly became a Protes- tant. For some time his mind had not been satis- fied, and it was while ascending those steps with other pilgrims that his will refused to perform any longer acts that his reason did not approve of. There are other Holy Stairs or representations of them — one in Brittany, for instance, which is wearing away from use." As he spoke they were making their way up the outside steps of the building which shelters the Stairway, preceded and followed by pilgrims of both sexes, though the greater number were women. It had been raining early in the morning, and Ray had noticed that the outside steps were rather muddy. ' ' Look ! ' ' she said to Dora, ' ' They must carry 266 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA some mud in with them, — do you suppose they get the Holy Stairs all muddy, too? " *' We'll see," said Dora, '' but I think they are not allowed to put their feet on the Steps, only their knees." Once inside, they had still another set of curv- ing steps to climb and then they were at the foot of the Holy Stairway. It was full of pilgrims, men and women, going up more or less awkwardly and painfully on their knees, the women drag- ging their skirts forward to give them room to climb in, and all were entirely absorbed in the prayers they were saying and the effort they were making to climb. After the family had watched for some time the procession of climbing pilgrims there remained still to be seen the Memorial Chapel, made of some of the material used in the two-hundred-year- old church that was torn down. The same fur- niture, even to the pews, and the same bell in the belfry, made it seem very venerable, though the building was erected only as far back as 1878. As they went toward this chapel they met an Irishwoman who thought that they must have come from the Holy Stairs. " Sure, can ye tell me is the Golden Stairs inside there f " SAINT ANNE DE BEAUPRE 267 *' Yes, you'll see it when you go in," answered Dora. " Is it very harrd to go up thim? " was the next question. '' I really couldn't tell you," replied Dora; '' I can only say that a great many persons are doing it." The Irishwoman looked as if she would like to do all that was expected, but doubted her ability to climb stairs on her knees. However, she went on, but Ray felt sure that twenty-eight steps would be too much for her. ** Suppose you should find you just could- n't go any further, would you have to turn round and come down on your knees'? " she wondered. " You couldn't, child," said Roy. " If you did, that would be a miracle, sure enough. You'd fall over the very first time you tried it. ' ' '' Well, if you can't put your feet on the steps, what ivould you do ? " '' You wouldn't come down at all. It isn't in- tended you should change your mind on the way up." '' Well," sighed Ray, '* then I should certainly think a long time about it before I started. ' ' " They say this little cemetery, opposite the 268 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA church, contains every parishioner who has died since 1670, nearly four thousand in all, ' ' said Mr. Stevens. " Then they must be buried in layers, because so many people as that couldn't even stand up in the place at one time, ' ' calculated Roy. It was now after three o 'clock, and they all went back to the Basilica to see the blessing of the ob- jects bought by pilgrims at the various stores and booths. This was done by priests who extended their hands over the rosaries, crosses, prayer- books, etc., uttering words of blessing. Most of these articles were to be carried home as gifts, doubtless, and would be doubly acceptable for hav- ing been sanctified. While they were watching this they heard sounds of singing outside, and, supposing at once that another band of pilgrims had arrived, they went to the door to see the procession. About a hundred pilgrims, headed by their parish priest and including several nuns, were advancing down the gravel walk from the station, the priest sing- ing and the others taking up the refrain of the hymn already mentioned. Many of them were evi- dently there for the first time and they had come from some country parish, for the size of the church, the gardens, the convents, all seemed to SAINT ANNE DE BEAUPRE 269 fill them with wonder. They moved slowly on account of the cripples in their midst. " They are coming in to confession and com- munion first, ' ' said Dora, who had been studying her handbook, ' ' and then they will have a regular service and a sermon about Saint Anne, and go in procession around the gardens. It must be very beautiful when they do this in the evening, with the Basilica lighted up and the hundreds of lighted candles carried in procession under the trees." ' ' Oh, I wish we could stay to see it ! " cried Ray. ''I'm afraid we mustn't," said Mr. Stevens, " for we have our packing to do and must be off betimes to-morrow morning." " Oh, yes, I had quite forgotten that we were to start on again to-morrow morning. I believe I could stay years in Quebec and there would still be something to see." "■ So it seems to me," said Dora, " and I'm coming again some time. This is just a taste, enough to show how much we would like more of it." CHAPTEE XXIII FARTHEST NORTH The children were always ready to move on to '' fresh woods and pastures new," and they were quite fidgety with excitement and eagerness when they took the train for Roberval on Lake St. John. But as they slowly steamed out of Quebec a sud- den gloom fell upon them, — they were going to Roberval, but they were leaving Quebec ! If they had not expected to return later for a twelve- hour stay I think they would have been very gloomy indeed. They had begun to feel at home in the quaint old city, with its steep-roofed houses and hilly streets and French speech everywhere and its magnificent views; and during their stay its varied and intensely interesting history had gradually taken hold of their imagination. '' But we'll come again," said Eay, hopefully. '' I don't suppose any one comes to Quebec just once. ' ' The ride to Roberval, a matter of about eight hours, was both interesting and comfortable. At 270 FARTHEST NORTH 271 first they ran through the same low-lying, flower- bedecked farms they had seen on the way to In- dian Lorette ; and from the train, which soon be- gan to climb, they could get wonderful glimpses of Quebec. Then they came to regions where hunting and fishing and, occasionally, lumbering were the only occupations possible, and where they saw almost no sheep or cattle. Late in the afternoon they reached the Batiscan River, a beautiful stream full of rapids and tiny falls, and ran through the Laurentian Mountains, which hitherto they had seen only from a distance. As they proceeded northward the houses ceased, for the most part, to be of the picturesque French- Canadian type and became plain, ugly structures of wood, making the occasional villages quite un- attractive. It was late supper-time when the train drew up at Roberval, and the hotel people met the travelers on the long platform, which turned at right angles finally and was converted into a board walk through the hotel grounds up to the door. To the right, although it was beginning to be dusk, they could just see Lake St. John, not many yards away from the station, and the air was full of the delicious odor of new-mown hay, for the hotel had been having the grass cut on its extensive grounds. A good supper and excellent 272 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA beds gave the party a favorable impression of the place to begin with, and they all looked forward to the morning, as they sank to sleep. The next day proved to be clear and sunny, and the light on the ripples of the Lake was the first thing that greeted them. ' ' Just imagine it ! " exclaimed Dora, at break- fast. ^' Here we are at the very farthest north summer resort on the continent, and it is so sunny and warm that it seems like home." " Yes, and what do you think Ray and I found a little while ago? " said Roy. " We were ex- ploring about the hotel and back here, right at the border of that grove of trees, we found wild straw- berries so thick that you could just sit down in one spot and eat all you wanted without moving." ^' Ah, that accounts for your not wanting any fruit this morning! " said Mr. Stevens. ^' Yes," replied Roy, " when you can get real ripe wild strawberries from the vines you don't want pears and peaches that come from 'way off somewhere. We're going out again after break- fast, if you aren't going on any excursion this morning. ' ' " No, I think we shall rest, as it is Sunday, and this afternoon perhaps take the ' Mistass'ini ' across Lake St. John, just for the ride." FARTHEST NORTH 273 *' Oh, good! How far is it across? " " About twenty-five miles to Grand Discharge. I think there are some people here going over there to stay several weeks and fish." " Is Roberval very old? " asked Ray. *' The town of Roberval itself is not, but this region has some history. The Jesuits came as far north as this in 1672." "Was there anywhere they didn't go!" ex- claimed Ray. '' I don't see how they found their way. ' ' *' Perhaps they had Indian guides, — the Mon- tagnais Indians have a settlement near here, and they are Catholics. Probably their ancestors were among the early converts," replied Mr. Stevens. ' ' There must be bears around here, ' ' said Roy, * ' for that big black bearskin in the office belonged to one that the hotel caught and owned and tamed. ' ' " I think I saw some bears from our window this morning," said Mr. Stevens. ' ' You did ? ' ' Roy was half-way out of his seat, ready to start in pursuit. ' ' Oh, they were chained ! They won't get away, so you may as well finish your breakfast." ^' That's better even than strawberries," said 274 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA Roy. ^' We can sit down and watch, them if they're chained, as long as we like." " I must get a snap-shot of them," said Dora, and they were all so eager to get to the bears that very little more breakfast was eaten. Leaving Mr. Stevens reading on the piazza, the excited children hastened back of the hotel to a long platform on which three kennels had been erected. Three bears were taking their morning constitutional, walking about the platform at the length of their chains, and two paid no attention to the visitors, but the third, the middle-sized bear, as the children called him, immediately arose on his hind legs and, whether by accident or inten- tion, put his right forepaw to his head in the atti- tude of saluting. The children shrieked with laughter, at which the oldest bear was so offended — at least they supposed so — that he retired into his kennel and would not come out again. '^ Do you know," said Dora, " I believe this middle-sized bear is used to being photographed. He must have noticed my camera, for he has been taking one pose after another ever since I appeared. ' ' ' ' Yes ; and look at him now ! ' ' cried Roy. The bear had his back to them, with his fore- paws extended and dropped languishingly and FARTHEST NORTH 275 his head lolling back over his shoulder, while he rolled his eyes at them, as much as to say, '' This is my favorite pose, — do take me now." Dora laughed so that she could not manage her kodak and so lost her chance, but later she got him in an attitude almost as funny, when he seemed to be wiping tears from his eyes. They sat watch- ing the creature for a long time, and he looked so mild and wise and friendly that it seemed impossible to believe he would do any one any harm. '' If he were hugging you to death," said Eay, '' he would do it with a kind smile, I'm sure. He isn't a bit like that wildcat we saw at Gatineau Point." ^' A keeper told me once that he thought the bear was the smartest of the wild animals, — said he was the only one that ever tried the strength of the bars of his cage," said Eoy. '' Well, they look smart. Do you remember the time Katy lost her Sunday hat in the bear-pit in the Park? " *' Oh, don't I? And came home all the way bareheaded and crying? ' They was playin' bahl wid it, an' didn't have no respect for it at ahl, at ahl,' she said," replied Roy, imitating her. Suddenly Bay jumped up, her finger pointing 276 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA at the bear, but so frightened she could not move. ** He's loose, he's loose! " she cried. Roy and Dora looked. The bear had really got unfastened by accident, as a link in his chain had given way at the end nearest the kennel. Roy thought quickly. " Don't run," he said, '' he doesn't know he's loose yet, — just walk away backward toward the hotel, and I'll keep between you and him. Don't turn around, for if you do you'll run, and then he may come after us." It took considerable courage to advise this and still more to carry out the advice, but the girls felt that if Roy were going to save them, they must do as he said; so they walked, I must say, rather fast, but backward and with watchful faces, Dora with her skirts gathered up, ready to run if necessary. Roy also backed away, but more slowly. The bear was still going through what looked like military tactics, and did not discover what had happened until the party had got nearly to the hotel ; then he set off after them, or rather toward the hotel, at a gentle trot. They burst into the office, crying '^ The bear's coming! The bear's coming! " and looking for safe places from which to watch him, for, in spite of their fright, they wanted to see what he would do. To their surprise the clerk did not seem in the FARTHEST NORTH 277 least discomposed, as he took a leash down from a hook and ordered a bellboy to close the door of the parlor, in which a church service was going on. Then he took from a drawer some lumps of sugar and came outside the counter to meet the bear, who was just walking in at the front door. When the bear saw the clerk, he rose on his hind legs and waved his paws as if in greeting. ' ' Hello, Gi-ypsy ! ' ' exclaimed the clerk. ' ' What are you doing here? Want some sugar? " The bear assumed another of his languishing attitudes, and as the clerk held out his left hand full of sugar, the big brown muzzle bent over it and sucked up the lumps greedily. At the same time, with his right hand, the clerk fastened the leash to the bear's collar, and then went with the bellboy to lead him back to his kennel and refasten him. When he returned, the children had hardly got over their astonishment, though they were no longer frightened. '' Isn't he a wild bear? " they asked. *' Oh, no! He was bom in a kennel and has played with the farmhands ever since he was a baby. He might possibly hurt some one without meaning to, but his intentions are always peace- able. Still, it's just as well to keep him chained, 278 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA as so many people are afraid of bears and it might not be safe on the grounds for little children." '' My brother was pretty brave," said Ray, proudly. '' No, I wasn't brave, — I was scared, too," said Roy, '' but I wasn't so scared I couldn't think. Anyhow, there wasn't any danger, it seems." '' Yes, but we didn't know that," insisted Ray. "I'm sure I call it brave." In the afternoon they all embarked on the ''Mistassini," a small steamboat named for one of the rivers that flows into the lake, and steamed across to Grand Discharge. There were some vil- lagers from Roberval on board just for the excur- sion, and two or three guests from the hotel, but beyond that the Stevenses had the boat almost to themselves. The sail was very pleasant, though there was no scenery to speak of, the shores be- ing low and covered with trees. " Now, Roy," said Mr. Stevens, " I daresay you will see some of the ouananiche you put down on your list." ' ' Oh, is this where they live *? ' ' asked Roy. '' Yes, this region is one of the homes of the land-locked salmon, a fish that makes as much sport for the fisherman as the trout and the salt- water salmon." FARTHEST NORTH 279 ' ' I know, ' ' said Roy, ' ' one of the boys at school says his father has fished for it up here some- where. ' ' * ' At this time of year we should be more apt to catch them at Grand Discharge, though earlier they can be caught in this part of the lake," re- marked his father. " How does it make sport for the fisherman? " asked Ray. ** The fish is so smart that it takes great skill and patience on the part of the angler to secure him even after he is hooked. He has to be played like a trout until he is tired out and cannot fight any longer." ' ' Poor thing ! ' ' exclaimed Ray. '' Yes, one does pity any creature that strug- gles for its life," said her father, ^' and sport, simply as sport, always seems a little cruel." When the boat reached Grand Discharge, so named because here the lake discharges its waters into the head-waters of the Saguenay River, they found it merely a landing, with no village, only the fishing-hotel and here and there a boathouse or private dock. Two or three per- sons from the Hotel Roberval landed here in small boats, as the steamer could not get close to shore ; and Roy quite envied them as he saw they were 280 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA dressed and equipped for fishing. The hotel at first looked rather lonely, perched upon gray rocks with only scruhby evergreens about it, but they could see a number of persons standing around the doorway, waving to the steamer and to the newcomers, and the children finally con- cluded that, if one wanted to fish or to row, the place had decided attractions and advantages. Roy even thought it would be advisable to forego the pleasures of some future stopping-place for the sake of a week living on a rock almost sur- rounded by water. ^' Anyhow, I'll know where to come next time," he said. CHAPTER XXIV POINTE BLEUE '' I'm so glad we're going somewhere this morn- ing! " exclaimed Eay. " It's such a beautiful blue day, — the sky is so blue and the lake is so blue " " And we're going to Blue Point," added Roy. ' ' Oh, is that the name of the place ? ' ' " Yes, Point e Bleue/' said Dora, " though no one seems to be able to tell me why it is called so." '' Perhaps they catch blue-points there," sug- gested Roy, at which Ray sniffed scornfully. ' ' I think it must be that on certain days, when sky and water are very blue, there is a blue haze about this point of land when you see it from a distance," Dora said, and they agreed that this explanation was probably correct. The road by which they drove was along the waterside, and bordered by fields of wild flowers and by pasture-land. The cottages that were scat- 281 282 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA tered along the way looked fairly substantial and thrifty, and the children were very much amused to see sitting on the veranda of one of these the seat and top of a buggy, removed from the wheels and used as a porch-seat. ^' What is that? " asked Roy, pointing to a queer sort of shed beside the road, sheltering something that looked like an enormous bee- hive. '' Oh, that's one of those French-Canadian ovens they told me about at the market! " ex- claimed Dora. They found that a great many of the cottages had these ovens, built of clay and set up out of doors on a sort of wooden platform with a roof over it. There was no chimney ; the smoke escap- ing at the front of the platform, which was open. '^ I think I should like bread cooked out of doors," said Ray. " It seems as if some of the nice outdoor smells and the sunshine would get into it." '^ Oh, look! " exclaimed Roy, pointing toward the shore. On the stones, under some trees, a number of women were washing, not in the primitive fashion of the Mexicans, however, who wash their clothes in the streams and rub them on the stones. These French-Canadiax 0\t:n The Bear at Roberval POINTE BLEUE 283 women had a fire burning and a great caldron of water boiling over it, and they had modern clothes-wringers. '' What a nice laundry! " exclaimed Eay. '' Out under the trees, with the lake just beside them and the breeze to keep them cool ! ' ' At one place, where the driver stopped for a few moments on business, the girls took the oppor- tunity of looking into one of the houses. There seemed to be three rooms: two small, for bed- rooms, and a large living-room. In this were the great cook-stove, a table, chairs, a sewing-machine, and a cupboard. A bright oilcloth covered the floor, and at the double windows there were flowered curtains. When the driver took his seat again he re- marked that he had stopped to invite the family to a merry-making in the town of Roberval, particu- larly the man of the house, who was a famous story-teller and very much in demand. " He tell fine the story of Dalbec," he re- marked. *' Who or what is Dalbec? " asked Mr. Stevens. '' You not know Dalbec? Ah, he was a great hunter, Dalbec. Every Canadian know Dalbec." 284 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA ' ' Tell us something about him, ' ' urged Roy. " No, you not believe," said the driver. '' Yes, we will. We'll try to believe, anyhow," replied Roy. ' ' Well, then, I tell you one story. This Dalbec he live in Ste. Anne, an' he hunt mos' every day. One time he hunt an' not get much, an' comin' home he come to a leettle round lake — round, you see. An' on the odder side he see a fox. He want to shoot heem, naturally, but jus' w'en he raise hees gun six duck come out the bush quite near heem. He not know which to shoot, the fox or the duck. So he put hees long gun between two tree and bend it like this," — ^making a quarter- circle with his arm, — ' ' shoot at the duck, and kill them, at the same time shoot the fox on the odder side, an' the bullet come back roun' the lake an' hit hees dog that stand by hees side." The driver looked hard at Roy as he finished, and Roy tried to look sober, but could not accom- plish it. His face slowly broke into a grin, as he looked up at the story-teller. '' You not believe that? " the driver asked. '' Then perhaps you believe this odder story. Dal- bec he in the wood making the maple-sugar. He see a bear, an' the bear always like maple-sugar. Dalbec he have no gun, so he get into an empty POINTE BLEUE 285 hogshead. The bear come smelling around, an' Dalbec he reach hees hand through the bung-hole an' catch the bear by the tail " '' But a bear hasn't got any tail," interrupted Roy. '' Not now — that is w'at I am telling you. The bear he is scared, naturally, an' he start to run down the hill, but Dalbec hoi' on to the tail; and w'en the hogshead run into a tree, he hoi' on still, but he can't go any more. The bear he pull hard to get away, and Dalbec keep the tail. That is why the bear have no tail, they say." '^ He was a great man," said Roy, slyly. *' Yes, an' I know another story w'at he done. One night he goin' home w'en he hear a flock of wild goose up in the air. It was so dark he couldn't see, but he fire up in the air. an' not'ing fall, so he think he not hit anyt'ing. He go home and go to bed, an' in the mornin' he jus' comin' out again w'en a goose drop down in front of him. It was so high in the air w'en it was shot that it was fallin' all the night. That was a good shot, eh? " '' It was a good gun," said Roy; while Ray said softly to Dora, ' ' Oh, ivhat a story ! ' ' " Here we come to the Indians," said Mr. Stevens. '' Do they all live in tents? " 286 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA " No, some have tlie house, but not many," re- plied the driver. There was a half -circle of tents along the road- side, occupied by Montagnais Indians, a branch of the Hurons and more nearly of unmixed blood than most of the Indians of this part of Canada. They seemed not to mind visitors at all, and when the Stevenses strolled along looking into the tents, which were nearly all open toward the road, they continued to work or to smoke or to talk without paying any attention. One old woman was read- ing what seemed to be a prayer-book, — all the women were occupied, in fact; but several of the men, even the younger ones, lay on their backs in the tents, sleeping or smoking. They were the only ones who seemed to object to the visitors^ and Ray thought it must be because they were ashamed of themselves. Quilts, clothes, and rags were all tossed together in a mass inside the tents, while dinner was cooking in a pot suspended on a stick hung between two posts outside. Beside one tent a baby red fox was tethered, a recent captive. It was a spiteful little thing, refusing to be tamed and snapping at every one who came near it. What interested Roy more than anything else was the making of a birch-bark canoe. The men had long strips of bark laid flat on the ground, and j " *^^B '0 ^^^^^BI^^H ^^^ T^--^^^™ i '^^^^BkS^^b^^/ ' ' ^jf^^ o POINTS BLEUE 287 on this had placed the frame-work of the bottom of the canoe, by which they were to cut out the bark. A row of similar canoes lay half out of the water on the beach of the lake. Dora and Kay were interested in watching the women at work and in seeing that several of the older ones were smoking pipes. '' They must have belonged to the Tobacco Nation, I think," said Ray, seriously. ' ' You know father says that nation was a branch of the Hurons." Having watched the Indians for some time, the party strolled on a little farther to the Hudson's Bay post, the first they had seen. The Company's agent had a pretty little cottage with a gay flower-garden, just above the beach, while farther back stood the Company's store, of which he had control. It was a one-story building, the shelves of which were full of blankets and heavy woolen goods and articles of clothing. Several Indians sat on the counter dangling their legs and smok- ing, but they got down and strolled out as the visitors came in. The children were disappointed that the Montagnais did not wear Indian costume, but Ray said, apologetically: '* Well, I suppose they are good Catholics and would be ashamed to go around in blankets like heathen. Anyhow, they wouldn't want blankets on a day like this." 288 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA The Hudson's Bay agent was very kind in offer- ing to give them any information he could. When they admired his blankets and broadcloths, he said that they were still manufactured in Huddersfield, England, and were of the same quality that had been supplied for one hundred and fifty years. " One hundred and -fifty years! " exclaimed Ray. ' ' Is the Company as old as that ? ' ' asked Roy. " Yes, indeed, it was here nearly a hundred years before the British captured Quebec. It's of no use to offer these Indians anything but the best, in the way of goods, — they know what's what and they won't have any cheap substitutes. This red cloth is worth four dollars a yard, for in- stance, and this is what they buy and wear in the winter. Here are some things they bring in to sell;" and he took out a bunch of ermine-skins, tiny white furs worth almost their weight in gold, and a marten skin for which he had paid an In- dian forty-five dollars. There were a few beau- tifully worked moccasins of real caribou skin, as soft as velvet to the touch. A pair of snowshoes attracted Roy's attention, and the agent told him it was an unusually well-made pair. Thej^ were almost round, worked in red, white, and blue. There was a hole for the toes to work in, in the POINTE BLEUE 289 middle of the shoe, and a strap around the heel which left the heel free to rise and fall. '' The longer we stay at this post the more things we discover," said Ray. The agent was pleased with the interest the children showed in the Company, and at last brought out a map on which the trading-posts were clearly marked. ' ' Why, there must be a hundred of them, ' ' said Mr. Stevens, '' and I had an idea the days of the Hudson's Bay Company were about over." '' Not yet," said the agent, smiling. '' There are over two hundred posts, and they still do busi- ness, I can assure you. Of course, the purchase of the Company's rights to its land by the gov- ernment soon after the Federation, made a limi- tation of its powers. The Company got its charter from King Charles II., in 1672. ' ' '^ Just think! From one of the Stuarts! " ex- claimed Dora. " Didn't the government have some trouble at the time of the transfer? " asked Mr. Stevens. '' Yes, in 1869 and again in 1885 there was a sort of half-breed rebellion. The contract of the government with the Company had expired and the government was willing to pay a good price for the land, so it was not very hard to come to 290 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA terms witk the Company itself; but the Indians and half-breeds who had worked for the Company, and had before that been paid in land and sup- plies, were not consulted in the deal and the Riel Rebellion was the consequence. Riel was a half- breed and a graduate of the Jesuit College at Montreal. However, the Rebellion was quelled, the other leaders were put in prison, and Riel was executed in 1885. This was in the autumn. The winter was pretty hard on the Indians of the ter- ritories that had been taken over from the Com- pany, and they were in danger of starving." ** What territories were theyf " asked Roy. ** What is now the province of Manitoba was made out of most of it. A friend of mine, with one clerk, was agent of the Company's stores out there somewhere and had been for fifteen years or so, and he knew the Indians pretty well. Two half-breeds who worked for him, and lived near by, told him the Indians about the post were on the warpath and that the better course would be to abandon the store and get away. Far from doing this, the agent sat up all night, with his clerk, expecting the Indians every minute. At last, toward morning, they saw them coming, armed, though they stopped and hid their guns in the bushes before they came into the office. The POINTS BLEUE 291 storeroom opened out of this office and tlie key was in the lock. The chief announced that they had come to take the government stores and that they would kill the agent if he interfered. Before their eyes my friend went over, locked the store- room door, and put the key in his pocket. Then he said, ' There! Take the goods now.' They were taken aback, for they had expected him to yield at once, owing to their superior numbers. After a parley among themselves they began to beg, describing their destitute condition. Wlien it came to this the agent unlocked the room, and gave out barrels of flour and sides of bacon, etc., until they all had enough to keep them from starving. ' ' " He was pretty cool, wasn't he? " said Roy. '' Yes, and he knew it would never do to let them think they could take things from the gov- ernment by force, — they would never have any respect for it afterward." *' Didn't the government do anything for them? " asked Ray. ** Yes, each Indian or half-breed had received an allotment of land, in settlement of his claims, but unfortunately, as often happens, speculators got them to part with their land for much less 292 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA than its value, and they were almost as badly off as before." " Are the winters very long up here"? " asked Dora. '' They begin in December, and end in May. The snow is so deep that the children have to go to school on snowshoes. They have good school- buildings, for the most part, with double windows. ' ' " And I've noticed there is generally one window-pane on hinges," said Roy. ^' Yes, that is to let in a measured amount of air when the room gets close. They have school for ten months of the year." " Are these Indians all Catholics? " Dora asked. ^' Nearly all, — there are a very few Church of England Indians, and they go to the little Protes- tant church you saw as you came along. ' ' '' Well, I'm sure we have taxed your kindness long enough," said Mr. Stevens, '' and we must be getting toward home." ' ' If there is anything more I can tell you about the Company, I'll be glad to do it," said the agent. ^' I'd like to know just what it does now, and how it does it," said Roy, ^' but perhaps that's asking too much." POINTS BLEUE 293 '' No, not if you have time to wait a little longer. As I told you, the Company got its char- ter in 1672. The land was virtually given to the Company, with all fishing and mining rights, and all they had to do in return was to present to the King or his heirs two elks and two black beavers whenever the King or his representatives entered the country, — which was most unlikely, — and to look for the Northwest Passage. The territory was to be called Rupert's Land, after Prince Rupert, Duke of Cumberland. " In the first hundred years, the Company did very little exploring, but stuck pretty close to the Bay region. Its motto, in Latin, was ^ Pro pelle cutem ' (A skin for a skin), and so long as it got plenty of skins and a splendid profit on them it was not anxious to explore. But, in 1783, the Northwest Company was founded, which, unable to get a charter, went to work without one, and in 1818 they had forty posts to the Hudson's Bay Company's twenty-four. Then the Hudson's Bay Company began to work in earnest. They es- tablished a colony at what is now Winnipeg, the capital of Manitoba, and whenever there was trou- ble between the two companies the Indians sided with the colonists and the old company. In 1821 the two companies combined, and got a charter. 294 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA which ran until 1858, giving them rights across the Rockies to the Pacific. In 1858 the gold excite- ment occurred in what is now British Columbia and the government took that territory over as a crown colony. In 1871 the Company gave up its original rights for $1,500,000 in cash, fifty thou- sand acres surrounding its posts, and half of all the surveyed lands within the fertile belt." ' ' Whew ! ' ' exclaimed Roy. '* Now there are more than two hundred posts, reaching from Labrador on the east to Queen Charlotte 's Island on the west, and up into the Arctic circle. Originally many of the posts were stockaded forts, but that is unnecessary now, and a number of them have become towns and even cities. The Company has from one thou- sand five hundred to two thousand men employed, many of whom are away off in the fur country. They have to go from post to post on dog-sledges, and in canoes, with frequent portages. A great many half-breeds are employed, who live in camps, wear moccasins, etc. ' ' Up around the Bay the land is a great marsh, so that many buildings have to be on piles. Be- yond the marsh it is forest clear to the Rockies, and in the forest are musk-oxen, moose, deer, and wood-buffalo. The mercury goes to 40° and 50° POINTE BLEUE 295 below zero in winter, but the posts are com- fortable. Mail reaches them twice a year, I be- lieve, on dog-sledges ; of course, here we get mail every day in summer, though not so often in winter. Up around the Bay, June to September covers spring, summer, and fall, and the rest of the year is winter." ' ' Do the Indians hunt the same way they used to? " asked Eoy. '' Yes, they spend the year from November till May in hunting, and even hunt bear pretty well into June. Then they come in parties — squaws, papooses, and all — to the posts, to sell their furs." '"Do they ever make any trouble now? " asked Eoy. *' No, no band of Indians has gone on the war- path since the early part of the nineteenth cen- tury. What trouble there has been has been made by half-breeds. No one, you see, is allowed to sell rum to the Indians, which accounts for much of this peaceful record." " It must be dreadfully lonesome to be the agent in one of those far northern posts," re- marked Dora. < < Very few of the factors seem to mind it. They like the life, and sometimes come back to it after they have left it. Some of them who supervise 296 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA several posts walk hundreds of miles during the winter. The whole distance from Calgary, a southern post quite near your border, to the most northern post, is three thousand miles. You see, we're not so nearly out of business as you thought," said the factor, with a twinkle in his eye, to Mr. Stevens. <■'■ Very far from it, I should say," replied Mr. Stevens, " and I am very glad indeed to know better. My young people are growing so fond of travel that I shouldn't wonder if they'd try to induce me to visit that northernmost post with them one of these days." '' Oh, father, you wouldn't really take us ! " ex- claimed Ray, while Roy's eyes were fixed eagerly on his father's face, as he waited for the answer. '' Perhaps not just there, but we may find our- selves farther north than this, some day, and may hunt up a post." '^ I believe he means Alaska," said Roy, in an undertone, to Ray, who at once began to build new castles in the air on this very flimsy foundation. It was time to go, however, and they all thanked their entertainer cordially, and climbed into the carriage to drive back to the hotel. The air was full of the odor of clover, and the fields a mass POINTS BLEUE 297 of buttercups, clover, Queen Anne's lace, and the graceful sprays of the purple vetch. Daisies were almost gone. Growing about the hotel-grounds they had found purple iris, marigolds, bachelor's buttons, phlox, clove pinks, and nasturtiums, be- sides the wild flowers, while a bowl of splendid pink clovers decorated the writing-room. ^' It doesn't seem possible," said Dora, " that we are so far north. At this time of the year it is just like any other country, as far as I can see." CHAPTER XXV THE SAGUENAY TO TADOUSAC The evening run to CMcoutimi, where Mr. Stevens and his family were to take a boat down the Saguenay River, was a matter of only a couple of hours or so, and they had the great good luck, when they arrived, of finding that their boat would not go until the next morning, so that they could have an undisturbed night's sleep. As these boats depend on the tide for their departure, it often happens that passengers dare not go to bed at the hotel, but are obliged to sit up and be ready to go when the tide serves. Not only were the Stevenses fortunate in this respect, but they had time also to stroll about the village of Chicoutimi in the morning, and visit the Cathedral and one or two of the smaller churches, before they embarked. The situation of the town is admirable, on the high banks of the great tide-river, with the rugged hills of the opposite bank dressed in their green summer clothing and topped by the little village of Ste. Anne de Saguenay, and a long line of 296 THE SAGUENAY TO TADOUSAC 299 similar hills following the bends of the river as far as the eye could see. '' Is this an old town? " asked Eay. It Tj^ere was a Jesuit mission here as far back as 1670, the guidebook says, ' ' replied Mr. Stevens, * ' and that little chapel down by the lumber-mills stands on the site of one that was built in 1727. The town now is noted for its export of wood-pulp to Europe." '' Didn't you feel funny, Ray, when we began to climb, last evening? " asked Eoy. '^ You mean when we got out of the train at the foot of the hill and began right off to climb those steps? " '' Yes," replied Roy. '' It seemed so queer to climb a flight of stairs right from the train to the door of the hotel." '' It was very mysterious because it was all in the dark, except for those two or three porters with lanterns; and they never said a word, but just took your bags away from you and began to climb, and there was nothing else for any one to do but climb after them; but this morning, now that I can see it all, it doesn't look so mysterious." When the boat finally signaled her passengers to get aboard the morning was well-advanced and a fine day was assured. The waves of the river 300 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA rippled in the sun, the hills looked green and sunny and cheerful, and there was none of the' gloom generally associated with this great river on account of the shadows that the high hills throw across the water and the blackness of the stream. Neither was the trip a cold one, as is often the case, and the passengers did not need an extraordinary amount of wraps. Altogether, no more delightful conditions could have been found. The charm of the river is chiefly in the scenery, but it had some history and legend con- nected with it as the children found. In one place, a cove called the Descente des Femmes (Descent of the Women) was so named because a number of squaws had once climbed down to the river by this ravine, steep and impassable as it looked, to get help for the braves of the tribe who were almost starving in the hills beyond. A great cave, never yet visited by man, was visible at another point, hidden, until a few years ago, by a gigantic rock which yielded at last to winter frosts and fell into the river, disclosing its well-guarded secret. As the opening to the cave is about a thousand feet above the river, it is doubtful if any one ever will explore it. But the great event of the trip was the passing through Eternity Bay, with the great Capes, Eter- THE SAGUENAY TO TADOUSAC 301 nity and Trinity, on either side, towering above the river — one to the height of one thousand seven hundred, the other to one thousand five hundred, feet. The boat whistled, and again and again the echo bounded from side to side as the waves of sound reached the granite walls and were thrown back. It was not until they were almost at the end of their journey that there were any signs of life in or about the river, and every one, more or less oppressed by the silence and lifelessness, ran eagerly to the side of the boat when some one pointed out a '^ white whale," or kind of porpoise, that shone on top of the water like the foam on waves. It was hard to tell them from whitecaps, in fact. '' Well, this is the strangest river I ever saw," said Ray. '^ No houses, no towns, no camps, no landings, no birds or animals or fish, hardly any other boats, — it seems like a river in a fairy-tale or a ghost-story." ' ^ Or in a dream, ' ' said Dora. ' ' 1 think I have dreamed about rivers something like this. But I believe it really isn't a river; is it, father? " " No, properly speaking, it is a fjord like those in Norway, — an inlet of the sea into an opening made by the wearing away of the bed of a great glacier," replied Mr. Stevens. 302 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA In spite of the beauty of the day and the grandeur of the river, the children were glad to land at Tadousac, the little settlement — now chiefly a summer-resort — where the Saguenay joins the St. Lawrence. The village to which they drove from the boat was beautifully situated : its main street climbed up along the top of the cliffs and disappeared among the firs and spruces and cozy summer cottages, while the hotel was down on the harbor, where numerous small yachts and pleasure-boats were at anchor. '* This is an old, old place," said Mr. Stevens. '■ ' It was visited by Cartier on his first voyage in 1535, and for many years it was the chief meeting- place of the Indians and fur-traders. It is the place where the English first fitted out an expedi- tion to capture Quebec in 1629. It was one of the Hudson's Bay Company's posts for a long time. ' ' *' Did the Iroquois ever get as far as this, father? " asked Roy. " Yes, they killed the whole garrison here once." *' Dear me, a body wasn't safe from them any- where ! ' ' exclaimed Ray. *' What is that cunning little church down there? " she asked, pointing to a little wooden THE SAGUENAY TO TADOUSAC 303 building with a small belfry, to the left of the hotel. *' It seems the Jesuits had a mission here as early as 1615, ' ' said Mr. Stevens, ' ' and that they put up a small chapel, but this one, on the same site, dates from 1747. We must see if we can get inside of it. It is no longer used except to show sightseers, I believe, as the villagers have that larger church beyond. ' ' It was a matter of a half-hour to find the priest and for him to send a messenger for the caretaker, and then the party were admitted to the little old church, the smallest they had found anywhere. '' They cannot have service here any more," said the caretaker, '' because there is no way of heating the church and the dampness is so great that moss sometimes grows on the walls inside. ' ' '' Ugh, it makes me chilly to hear about it! " exclaimed Eay. " Where did they get this little, old-fashioned, gray-haired doll? " she asked, sud- denly, coming upon a glass case in which lay a small wax figure, dressed in the fashion of cen- turies ago. " That is a Bambino — the Holy Child, — sent over from France as a gift to the mission. It is more than two hundred and fifty years old. The embroidery on its dress was done by Anne' of 304 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA Austria, the queen of Louis XIII.," said tlie caretaker. '' And nothing has happened to it in all these years ! ' ' exclaimed Ray. ' ' My wax-dolls used to be broken at the rate of about two a year. ' ' " Ah, but this is a holy image, not a doll, and no one ever touches it." Roy was examining a painting of the Bambino — a charming picture in colors made rich and brown by time, which was labeled as having been saved from fire at the time of the scattering of the Acadians by the English. ' ' Here, ' ' said the young girl who was showing them about, '' is some of the hair and the skull of the last Jesuit missionary, Father de la Brosse. The little bell in the belfry is about three hundred years old, and was on the original mission-chapel, and Father de la Brosse rang it every day to call the Indians to Mass. But one day he came early, and was praying before the altar all alone when he was stricken with death and died alone, not be- ing able to call any one. And then, they say, the little old bell that he had rung so often began to toll of itself, and the Indians came and found him lying before the altar. And there he is buried. ' ' " Wasn't that strange^ " said Ray, her eyes large and wondering. THE SAGUENAY TO TADOUSAC 305 ' ' It would be if you could believe it, ' ' said Roy., ' ' I do not know, ' ' said the girl, ' ' but it is what they say. Would you like to ring the bell? " " Oh, yes — yes, indeed! " cried the children, and the rope was put into their hands. Such a faint tinkle as they were able to produce could hardly be heard farther than the hotel, and they did not see how the bell could ever have called people from any distance. '' But perhaps it was stronger and younger then," said Ray, " and had a louder voice." The next day the family spent in walking up along the cliffs, sitting and sunning themselves on the rocks among which the Indian cabins were placed. These were simply planted on a little round hill which was nearly all rock and bore nothing but a few pine-trees and a little grass that grew in crevices. Why the winter winds did not blow the small shanties away the children were at a loss to imagine. " Think what it must be to spend a winter here! " exclaimed Dora. " The hotels and cot- tages all closed, and the people just living on a rock with the water nearly all around them, and the cold winds sweeping in from the river." '' It makes me think," said Mr. Stevens, '' of something I heard an old woman say once, of some 306 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA very forbidding spot where there were houses, ' People must want to live awful bad to live here.' " Tadousac proved so attractive that the whole party were sorry when the time came for them to take the boat for Quebec ; and, though they sat up on deck, well-wrapped, and enjoyed full moon- light on the glorious St. Lawrence, their thoughts kept turning back to the sunny bay, the spicy walk along the cliffs, and the picturesque village they had left. Their last day in Quebec was a rainy one, be- ginning with a hard pour when their boat docked in the morning and ending in a drizzle when they went over to Levis on the ferryboat to take their train for Nova Scotia, late at night. ' ' See here ! ' ' said Roy, pointing to his time- table. " This says our train leaves at thirteen o'clock." '' No, that was to-day's train at one o'clock. We leave at one in the morning, ' ' said his father. '' Why do they say thirteen o'clock for any train? " asked Ray. " It's a custom in many European countries — and I found it on some of the Mexican railroads, also — to continue counting from twelve o'clock on to twenty-four, which would be midnight. The THE SAGUENAY TO TADOUSAC 307 moment that you hear or see any number after twelve, you know it means afternoon, and there is no need of printing ' a.m. ' and ' p.m.' over and over on the time-tables." '^ But suppose it says ' sixteen o'clock,' you have to stop and count every time, — at least, I should," objected Eay. " No, you would just say, ' Twelve from six- teen, four o'clock,' — it would be so easy you wouldn't have to say it, you'd just think it," said Eoy, who, for once, found a foreign custom he ap- proved of and would have liked to see adopted in the States. " Well," said Ray, yawning behind her hand, * ' one 'clock or thirteen o 'clock, I wish that train would come." As if in answer, a long whistle was heard, and presently the Ocean Express, nearly an hour late, thundered into the station. It was not at such a time as this that Roy and Ray felt inquisitive about any differences there might be between Canadian and American sleeping-cars. They saw at once that these cars had berths and that the berths were ready, and they were in their own and fast asleep almost before the train had pulled out of the station. CHAPTER XXVI THE LAND OF THE BLUENOSES '^ Time to get up, Roy," said Mr. Stevens, pok- ing his head into Roy's berth, the next morning. *' We are in the country of the Bluenoses." " All right," said Roy, sleepily, and, after a final nap he did get up and join the rest of the family in the dining-car, where they were having breakfast. '^ It makes me feel like Gulliver, when I hear you say we are among the Bluenoses," said Ray to her father. " What are they like? I haven't seen any very little or very big people, or any people trying to save their breath, the way they did in ' Gulliver's Travels,' — ^how are we going to tell a Bluenose? " ' ' I suppose their noses will be blue, ' ' said Roj^ '' I imagine that is really the origin of the name," said Mr. Stevens, '' because Nova Scotia is a very cold province and the inhabitants' noses would very naturally be blue sometimes. But some persons say the natives are so called after 308 THE LAND OF THE BLUENOSES 309 a certain species of potato named the Blnenose. They have a train on one of their railroads called the Bluenose Express, — so they don't seem to mind the name at all. ' ' A few minutes later Mr. Stevens ' attention was drawn from his newspaper and Dora's from her time-table by a discussion going on between the twins. " She was — she must have been," said Eoy, standing by something he had already said. " She wasn't — she was French." " That doesn't make any difference, — ^whatever nationality you are, you are a Bluenose if you live in Nova Scotia," maintained Eoy. *' Father," appealed Ray, " ivas Evangeline a Bluenose? " adding: '' If she was, don't tell me, for I couldn't bear it, — it would just take all the poetry out of her and her story. ' ' Mr. Stevens laughed. " So that is what you are both so heated about ! Well, Ray is in the right this time, for the name of Bluenose is much later than Evangeline's time. If she were living now, however, she'd have to be a Bluenose." '' Oh, well, she isn't living now, so I don't care for that," replied Ray, relieved to find she did not have to associate the homely nickname with her favorite heroine. " Where was it we were to see the * bore '? " 310 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA asked Dora, suddenly looking up from ker time- table. '' It is said to be highest at Moncton," replied her' father. " Then we came through there in the night or early morning, so we have missed it, ' ' said Dora. " What is the ' bore 'I " asked Roy. '' Can you see it from the train? " ^' No, we should have had to get off there and wait for the tide to come in," said Mr. Stevens, " and that would have interfered with our plans somewhat. From now on we shall hear and see more of the tide than hitherto, because Nova Scotia is penetrated in every direction by the sea and the important towns are all on tide-water. ' ' ' ' But what is the ' bore ' ? " persisted Roy. '^ The bore is the first wave of the tide coming into a narrow place such as the head of some of the inlets. It cannot spread out, so it makes up in height what it lacks in breadth. At Moncton it runs into the bed of the Petitcodiac River, and makes a wave from four to six feet high, and there is a difference of thirty feet there between low and high tide. We shall see the effects of the tide in various places. At Truro, for instance, there is a slight bore, I am told." The scenery they passed through before reach- THE LAND OF THE BLUENOSES 311 ing Truro was as beautiful as any they had ever seen, the Matapediac Valley proving a succession of lovely views. At Matapediac the whole family would have got off, if they could have done so, simply to stay awhile in such a charming spot, a combination of hills, islands, and winding streams, all as green as emeralds. A number of fishermen left the train at stations all through the Valley, for it was a famous place for fishing. *' Some day," said Roy, "I'm coming up here with my tackle and going to get Jimmy Black to come along; may I, father? " " A very good idea," said Mr. Stevens. " You could come by boat to Halifax and then up here, in a very short time, or by rail and boat through St. John and Annapolis, and stay here several weeks. I don't know about the quality of the fish- ing, but from the number of men going about it at these stations it must be plentiful, at any rate. ' ' When they reached Truro, by taking a carriage and driving out to the Board-landing bridge, they saw the tide coming in^with an apparent sudden- ness such as they had never seen anywhere else. The wave was about three feet high at its highest. " Now, would you call that a tidal wave! " asked Roy. 312 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA '' It certainly is a tidal wave, though not what we usually mean when we use the term," replied Mr. Stevens, ' ' for a tidal-wave, as usually under- stood, is started by some convulsion of the earth on the sea-bottom which lifts the water above its ordinary level." Although they did not remain long in the little town of Truro, they had time to see that it was a pretty place with a beautiful park and looked not unlike a New England town. The people they met seemed more or less like New Englanders, and the children thought this was quite accounted for when they found the town had been settled by Scotch-Irish people from New Hampshire in the colonial days. During their drive they saw several colored people on the streets, and on inquiry found that there was a settlement of them in Truro consisting of about five hundred people, — a rather rare thing in Canada. They were told that the majority of these had originally come from the island of Jamaica. ' ' My ! What a change of climate ! ' ' exclaimed Ray. ' ^ I should think they would have been shiv- ering ever since." " Why, most of these people were born here," said Roy; ''they don't know anything diiferent." THE LAND OF THE BLUENOSES 313 " Well, I should think they would inherit shiv- ering from their ancestors," insisted Eay. '' Of course, it's lovely now, just cool enough to be comfortable, but in the winter the contrast to Jamaica must be awful. ' ' " I don't think we shall be uncomfortably warm anywhere during the rest of our trip," said Mr. Stevens, '^ for we are always within reach of the sea-breeze from now on "; and his prediction proved true. As they left Truro, running along the Salmon Eiver with its red clay banks and shining ever- greens, they ran into a less picturesque country, dotted with towns, at many of which the train stopped. Once they saw a Trappist monastery from the train, its irregular roofs and chapel- spires standing out black against the evening sky ; and at Mulgrave they all went out on the deck of the great boat that carried the train across the ferry between the mainland and Cape Breton Island. It was the first time the children had ever traveled on a train and a boat at the same time, though they had seen boats carrying portions of trains in New York harbor, and they had heard of the great train-ferry at Detroit. *' You could make quite a story of it," said Ray. *' Here comes our train steaming along until sud- 314 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA denly it reaches the water's edge. ' Dear me! ' says the train. ' I didn't know there was going to be water. I can't swim and the water's too deep to wade in, and anyhow I shouldn't want to get my feet wet. What shall I do, with all these passengers wishing to get to their destinations? I almost wish I hadn't said I would take them. Why don't these people have a bridge? ' Then a great, black boat comes over to meet her, and he bows and salutes, and says : ' Madam, it will give me pleasure to take you and your friends across, for a fee. I can swim, and I don't in the least mind getting wet. But I'm afraid you're too heavy to be carried over all at once. Would you mind letting me take your head and shoulders over first and come back once or twice for the rest of you? ' And the train says: ' Well, you cer- tainly are a friend in need, sir. I don't exactly like to be taken to pieces, but if there is no other way, beggars mustn't be choosers.' So he picks her up a little at a time and carries her across and sets her down nice and dry on the other side, and she fusses and fumes while she gets herself put together again, and then she says ' Toot, toot! ' (that means Thank you, sir) and ' Toot, toot, toot! ' (that means Good-by), and off she goes again. And the polite boat retires and sits THE LAND OF THE BLUENOSES 315 down in a corner to wait for some other passenger that can't swim." They all laughed at Eay's story, though Eoy pooh-poohed a little; still he had to admit it was founded on fact. The sky darkened gradually as night came on, and it was quite midnight when they reached Syd- ney, the end of their journey. They were glad enough to get to bed at the hotel, for they knew they had a full day ahead of them. *' Is Cape Breton Island a part of Nova Sco- tia? " asked Eoy at breakfast. ' ' Yes, it is now, ever since the early part of the nineteenth century, I believe," said his father, '' but if you should address a letter to Sydney, Cape Breton Island, or C. B. I., it would not need any further direction. It is settled almost entirely by Scotch people, and there are x)laces where the inhabitants speak Graelic almost entirely. Indeed, they say there is a settlement of negroes here somewhere who speak only Gaelic." " Was it ever a part of Acadia, then? " pur- sued Eoy. '^ Yes, and it contains a French- Acadian popu- lation in some parts still. There are also several hundred Micmac Indians." '' I've been looking out the front windows and 316 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA I think Sydney has a beautiful location," said Dora. ^' Yes, it's a pity it isn't a prettier town, with such natural advantages as it has. But it has been growing so fast in size and importance that perhaps it hasn't had time to think of its looks. You see, it is a seaport for vessels from almost every country under the sun; it has one of the largest steel-works on the Continent and is be- tween two great coal-mines. It is only a few miles from the Marconi wireless telegraph station for Europe, and it seems impossible that it should not continue to grow in importance. ' ' " But I should think this harbor would freeze over in winter, so far north as this," objected Roy. '^ It does sometimes, but not for more than a couple of months. This morning I think we might walk about the town a bit and see what it's like, and then take the ferry to North Sydney ; the ride is said to be a very pleasant one and we shall see the mining- settlement beyond North Sydney. Some of the mines have been worked since 1735, and the old miners' cottages are still standing, I am told. The pit is very deep and very extensive, reaching away out under the sea, so that the ships come in over it when tliey enter the harbor." THE LAND OF THE BLUENOSES 317 '' Dear, dear! You don't know what's under you nowadays! " exclaimed Ray. '' There's the Subway in New York with thousands of people going about under your feet, and there's all that money of the Bank of Montreal down under the street, and in Mexico the train ran right over the silver-mines, and here we sail over the coal-mines. It makes you tired to think of all that's going on that you can't see." The family carried out Mr. Stevens' programme to the letter. They walked awhile and rode awhile about the town itself, continually surprised at the number of nationalities and races represented in the streets, — for they met Americans, English, Irish, Scotch, Germans, Italians, Norwegians, Chinese, and people whom they could not assign to any country by their looks or their language. Most of these were workingmen, and some of them were evidently just off the ships in the harbor on shore leave, like some French sailors who were rolling through the streets, visiting the shops and making acquaintance with the townspeople. The little ferryboat then took them through the harbor to North Sydney, a delightful sail, near enough to the land to see what was going on there, and past the Steel Company's works and the great coaling-docks. Three French warships, with their 318 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA boats plying to and fro, made the harbor lively with flags and music. At North Sydney they found a trolley which took them out to Sydney Mines. It was toward evening when they reached this point, and they saw many of the miners coming home from work or already seated on the low doorsteps of the quaint cottages built so long ago. These were mostly of stone with brick trimmings, in long rows, one-and-a-half story high, with a little fenced-in garden at the back of each. Some of the cottages had flower-pots on the sills, in front of the little, small-paned, old-fashioned windows, and, perhaps because of the warm colors of the bricks, they looked much more attractive and com- fortable than so many wooden cottages would have done. The sun was setting over Sydney Harbor as they returned, tinging everything with a pink glow. A stiff breeze blew around the ferryboat and made the children glad to stay close to the smoke-stack, and gladder still to have an open fire in their sitting-room at the hotel, when they reached it. While Eay was writing in her diary, Roy sat brooding over the fire, and thinking of the trip to Louisbourg to be taken the next day. CHAPTER XXVII LOUISBOURG ** Now we're going to have some more history," said Roy, with great satisfaction, as they took their seats early in the morning on the little train that made one journey each way daily between Sydney and Louisbourg. As he spoke a gentleman seated in front of them, who had evidently been overhearing their conversation, turned and bowed pleasantly to Mr. Stevens, asking, *' Is this your first visit to the Island I " ** The very first for us all," said Mr. Stevens. *^ I am almost a native," said the gentleman, ^ ' and my children were born here in Sydney. If you are to be here any length of time I should be glad to bring the young people together. We may be able to show your party some things you would not otherwise see." Mr. Stevens thanked him cordially, and it was arranged that Mr. Cameron and his son and daughter should call at the hotel the next morn- ing with a programme for the day. Mr. Cameron 319 320 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA did not say what it would be, but tbe children were convinced that, as in the case of Mr. Bosworth, he had some delightful plan he was not yet ready to speak of. The train moved slowly out of the station, the two cars quite filled with people. "■ I thought Louisbourg was a ruin, — ^why are so many people going there? " asked Ray. ^' They are not going to Louisbourg, most of them, ' ' said Mr. Cameron, ' ' but there are stations all along the road, and several of them are sta- tions for coal-mines of the Dominion Coal Com- pany. It's very uninteresting country, for the most part, as coal-country is likely to be. Here's something, however," as the train stopped at Glace Bay, fifteen miles out from Sydney, " here's something that will interest you. Do you see over there those curious constructions, like the steel framework of several towers? " ^' Yes," replied the children, and Roy, with a sudden suspicion, cried, '^ Oh, is that — ^is that ? " ' '■ Yes, ' ' replied Mr. Cameron, with a smile, * ' it is. That's the third to be erected of the Marconi wireless stations on this side the water. Your wireless news comes here from Clif den, Ireland, and is transmitted all over Canada and the States." LOUISBOURG 321 '' Just to think! " exclaimed Ray. '' To this little, flat, uninteresting spot! " " The first message was sent from Canada to England in 1902, when Lord Minto was Governor- general," continued Mr. Cameron. " Now mes- sages go back and forth continually, and the lead- ing dailies have their regular wireless news just as they have their cablegrams. The town of Glace Bay has grown very fast and now has more than twelve thousand people, owing to the importance of the coal-pits here," Most of the passengers got off here, includ- ing Mr. Cameron himself, and, barring the lit- tle station of Mira, where a small steamer stood in the river waiting for passengers, there was no other station that looked in the least interesting. '' I wonder where that little boat goes," said Dora. '' I feel as if I should like to go aboard and take a trip, even though I don't know where she's going, — she looks so attractive." '' I believe she's just a pleasure-boat running some thirty miles up the Mira Eiver," said Mr. Stevens. " Perhaps we can arrange for a trip in her. It would take the whole day, though, for she comes back just in time to meet the return train." 322 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA It was not very long after this before the train drew up at Louisbourg, and, while Mr. Stevens was negotiating with a driver to take them over to the fort, the twins found some dilapidated old cannon in the station-yard. " What are they? How did they get here? " said Ray, more to herself than to any one else; but a boy who was hanging about promptly made answer. " They're French cannon, miss. The French tried to block the harbor of Louisbourg by sinking seven ships across the entrance, and these cannon were on some of the ships. It's the sea- water makes them so ragged and rusty, — ^when they were first dug up, a few years ago, you could dig into them with a spoon. The diver that got them, he's still living, and he says he found the chain, too, that the French had stretched across the harbor." ''Oh, and look at the gun-carriages!" ex- claimed Roy. " They're the ricketiest I ever saw. ' ' ^' Yes, we'd all be rickety if we'd been at the bottom of the harbor for over a hundred years," said the boy, so soberly that the children could hardly keep from laughing. He evidently thought they were finding fault with the cannon, and his local pride was aroused. LOUISBOURG 323 Just here Mr. Stevens called, and the children ran to climb into the carriage in which they were to drive to the fortifications. It did not take them long to traverse the town, which, their driver said, had become an important port for shipping coal ; and then they began to skirt the bay over a road that reminded them forcibly, by its stoniness, of the road to Mitla. " Before we get there, father, won't you tell us something about the history? " asked Eay. " Yes, if I can talk without biting my tongue off, over this rough road. As you know, England had made two attempts to conquer Canada before the eighteenth century. In the war of the Span- ish succession, from 1701-13, England, France, and Germany were the chief antagonists, and the colonies, of course, felt the effects. When this war was finally settled in 1713 by the Treaty of Utrecht, France ceded to England the whole of Acadia (that is. Nova Scotia), the island of New- foundland, and Hudson's Bay, and they have never since changed hands. f' But the French still held Cape Breton Island, and they realized its importance and the im- portance of Louisbourg Harbor as the key to Canada, so they decided to erect a great fortress on the bay. They made it as strong and as 324 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA complete as possible at a cost of ten million dollars " * ' Whew ! ' ' exclaimed Roy. " It did not seem foolish at all, at the time," said his father, "and Louisbourg itself was soon a good-sized town, for the French flocked to it from Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. It was the headquarters of the French navy on this side of the water, and a large fishing-fleet went out from here every year. The American colonists felt the place to be dangerous to colonial commerce and fisheries, and in 1745, under English orders, they came up here and attacked it. The leader of the troops was Sir William Pepperrell, of Kit- tery Point, Maine " " That little place we went through once on our way to Portland! " asked Roy. " The very same. Sir William's house stands there now, and his tomb is there, and a monument has recently been put up telling of his deeds. He wasn't Sir William then, however. He had four thousand three hundred troops, and within seven weeks they had captured the ten-million-dollar fortress." '' Well," said Roy, "I'm not surprised. Those American colonials could do anything they tried to do, it seems to me." Secret Passage at Louisbouko Geave of Lord Dundonald LOUISBOURG 325 " The French were surprised, and the world generally," said Mr. Stevens, '' for it was really supposed that the fort was as impregnable as Gibraltar." " I shouldn't wonder if the American colonials could take that, if they were alive to try it, ' ' main- tained Roy. " They must have felt pretty sore, I think," went on Mr. Stevens, *' when by a new treaty, only four years later, England gave the place back to France. ' ' *' I daresay they thought, ' Oh, well, if we ever want it again, we'll just go and take it,' " said Ray. '' That is what they did in 1758, the year be- fore the capture of Quebec. The siege lasted two months this time, and General Wolfe commanded a division. The British had decided to make Hali- fax their fortified place, so they destroyed the fortifications at Louisbourg and left them in ruins. And in ruins they are still." *' Well, now I feel as if I could look at them and know what I am looking at, ' ' said Roy. They had reached the spot where they were to leave the carriage, and a local guide offered to take them about and show them the various points of interest. They strolled after him, among the 326 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA daisies and clover, the little eyebrights and the irises, and heard him say that his great grand- father had been on the British side at the time of the siege, and had been given the fifty acres of ground on which the fortifications were located, as a reward for his services. After pointing out the outlines of the fortress, as shown by the em- bankments and trenches, their guide took them to the casemates, underground chambers in which the French had put their women and children during the siege. These were paved and walled with brick and some of them had been fairly well restored, while others, all fallen in, gave some idea of the original destruction. There was a dungeon, too, for prisoners, a dark, damp place under the embankment, and a secret passage between the citadel, or inner fortress, and the shore, by which escape could be made, if necessary, or reinforce- ments and supplies be brought in. This passage had been cleared for about fifty feet, and was vaulted over with brick. ^' They hope," said the guide, '' to have Sir William Pepperrell's remains brought here, one of these days, and they're raising a monument to him. At the base of it they're making this mortuary chamber in which to place the bones;" and he showed them the opening. LOUISBOURG 327 ** What is that monument over there? " asked Koy. *' That is to the New England troops who fell in the siege. It gives the number of men and, guns on each side and the number of colonials as well as British troops. The Society of Colonial Wars, an American society, erected the shaft. Now, if you like, we'll go outside the inner forti- fications and see Lord Dundonald's grave." ^' Lord Dundonald? Who was he? " asked both children. '' He was in charge of a detachment of High- landers which landed in the Bay and was attacked by a sudden sally of French and Indians from the fort. Lord Dundonald was killed with many of his men, and his grave is out here on the hill." " I don't see any monument," said Ray. " No, the only mark the grave has is two slabs of this stone that you see lying about here : one at the head, and one at the foot. ' ' The children looked with interest at this very simple monument, which had not even an inscrip- tion. Then their gaze wandered to the surround- ing hills formed by the earthworks, on which flowers were growing and sheep and lambs were feeding, and to the beautiful blue bay with 328 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA the spray dashing upon the rocks under the fortifications. "It's a lovely place to be buried in! " ex- claimed Ray. "I'd just as lief not have any monument, myself." " But I do think Canada ought to pay more attention to this place, and restore it and keep it up, ' ' said Roy, firmly. ' ' When a place has been as important as this, there ought to be something to show that the country appreciates it. ' ' " Still," said Dora, " there's something fas- cinating in these ruins, just as they are. If they were all fixed up, they wouldn't give the im- pression that things had happened to them so long ago and that there really was total destruction. ' ' (I There's a happy medium between restoring a place too much and letting it fall into still further ruin," said Mr. Stevens. " There should be a museum here for relics, too, so that they should not all be carried off. ' ' " I've got a bullet myself," said Roy. " And I've got a piece of slate from the roof of one of the casemates," said Ray. " Canada is so full of history everywhere that I suppose it would take a great deal of time and money to keep up all the places," remarked Roy. "I'll be a ruin pretty soon, if I don't get re- LOUISBOURG 329 stored by something to eat," said Eay. '' Is there a place where we can get something? " she asked the guide. '' Yes, if you don't mind waiting a bit," he replied, pointing out a cottage near the fort; and here, soon after, they sat down to an excellent fish-dinner, which equipped them for an after- noon of still further exploration. They went off to the old burying-grounds where the victims of the two sieges, on both sides, had been put into the great trenches that served as a common grave. There was no monument, not even a cross : noth- ing to show where the French were buried as dis- tinguished from their besiegers; nothing to show that the ground had ever been consecrated by any church. *' When I go back to school," said Ray, ''I'm going to start a subscription among the girls to put up some kind of a little monument here. Do you think it would cost much, father? " '' No, and I see no reason why you shouldn't, with the help of Roy and his friends. Some American children were permitted to put up the tablet to Montgomery, and yours would be in- tended for the American colonial soldiers, I suppose." " Yes, for them, first, — but they wouldn't mind 330 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA if it said something about the others, too, — ^like that Wolfe and Montcalm monument. Will you help, Roy? " *' Yes, I'll do what I can. You'll have to get permission first from somebody before you begin to raise the money. ' ' And so it was settled, but whether the twins have yet set about the work I do not know. It was quite dinner-time by the time the Stevenses reached their hotel. They had not yet finished talking about Louisbourg, and the re- marks of the children at dinner seemed to prove very entertaining to some people who sat near their table and who had lived in Sydney so long that Louisbourg and its drama had long been an old story to them. CHAPTER XXVIII A FULL DAY The next morning the Camerons appeared quite early, which somewhat mystified the twins, — they could not imagine where they could be going that necessitated so early a start. Angus and Beatrice Cameron were very near of an age and made de- lightful companions for Roy and Ray. Angus was a little older than his sister, and was a sturdy, red-cheeked, sandy-haired Scotch-Canadian, with the bluest of keen blue eyes and the whitest of white teeth. Beatrice was only ten years old, — a bright, intelligent girl with a jolly smile that showed several dimples, and the most complete confidence in her brother, — there was nothing he could not understand and few things he could not do, she thought. The four children chattered at a lively rate as they followed the two fathers down the street, and paid scant attention to Dora, who brought up the rear and was very often amused at the remarks she heard. *' Sydney's quite a place, I see," said Roy, politely, to Angus. 331 332 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA '^ Yes, it's not bad," replied Angus, ^' but I suppose New York now is bigger. ' ' " Well, rather," said Roy, trying to suppress a smile. " You ought to come and see New York sometime. It's on an island, you know, and " '^ Is it, indeed? Then you have the ferry, as we have here between Sydney and North Sydney? " ' ' Oh, dozens — scores of ferries ! And bridges, too, you ought to see them." '* My father does say he will take us to New York sometime, Beatrice and me, and my mother. But it's a long way. I have been part way, how- ever, for he took me to Halifax once. But Bea- trice has never been oif the Island." ' ' Look, Eoy ! ' ' exclaimed Ray. ' ' We 're com- ing to the Louisbourg station again." " Yes, we're going to take the train there," said Angus. '' My father will explain it all to you when we get aboard. He's got a very nice plan, only we have to divide into two parties. The girls can't do what we're going to do-! " " Oh, aren't we all going together? " cried Ray. '' He'll tell you about it, my father will," re- plied Angus, and when they were seated in the train Mr. Cameron did explain. A FULL DAY 333 He had secured permission — a rather rare privilege — to take the men and boys of the party through the Dominion Company's coal-mine, No. 2, at Glace Bay ; but Dora and the little girls could not be admitted, so the plan was for them to take the little steamboat and go up the Mira River and back. This explained a certain plump-looking basket that Angus was carrying ; and though Ray was always sorry when she and her brother had to separate, she knew she should enjoy the river more than a coal-mine, and fast became reconciled when Beatrice, who had made the trip before, told her how delightful it was. ^' We know the captain," she said, " and he'll take very good care of us." So, when the train reached Glace Bay the party divided, all in high good-humor over their pros- pects, and Ray watched her father and Roy as they walked away toward the mine, without the least feeling of dissatisfaction. When the train reached Mira the captain was standing at the sta- tion, and Beatrice went right up to him as if she had known him for a long time. " We are going on your boat. Captain Mac- Lean, ' ' she said : ' ' these two American ladies and myself, and my father says, will you please take fifood care of us." 334 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA " 'Deed, an' I will that! Get right aboard and we'll show the American ladies a river that's prettier than the Mississippi, though not so big, perhaps. We'll be starting in a very few minutes." Roy looked back once or twice as the train sped on with his sisters aboard, and felt rather sorry they were not allowed admission to the mine, but he was soon so absorbed in what Mr. Cameron was saying that he forgot everything but the present. '^ The coal company operates six or eight mines : some of which are numbered, while some have names such as ' The Hub,' ' The Reserve,' etc.," Mr. Cameron said. " It's not very long ago that the ' Hub ' caught fire, and they had to let the ocean in to put out the flames, — for much of the mine is underneath the Bay, you understand. As it was winter, the water froze and the mine was full of cakes of ice, a very strange sight. This mine that we're to visit, No. 2, is said to be the largest in the world. I don't know how that may be, but it is true, I believe, that it's the best- equipped. We must stop here, in this office, and get our guide and our permit, and put on the required costume for visiting the mine." Roy and Angus burst out laughing when they saw each other finally equipped, for the rubber A FULL DAY 335 waterproof coats and firemen's rubber bats tbat were kept for visitors were expected to be worn by men and were very large and ample for the smaller figures of boys of twelve. They bad to hold up the skirts of their coats a little and to set the hats back on their heads if they would not have them come down to their ears. The boys themselves soon forgot how they looked in their interest in what the guide was telling them, but the two fathers and the guide himself had occa- sionally to turn away and smile. Each of the party carried a lamp which could be unlocked only at the lamp-house where they were kept and taken care of, and at one point in the mine, where it was safe to open them. The top of the lamp was covered with double gauze for safety, and a certain measure of air could be admitted at an opening in the bottom. If there were any gas or fire-damp mixed with this air at any point, the lamp would be extinguished auto- matically, and the miner would be warned not to venture farther. " You see," said Angus to Roy, " coal is always giving off a little gas, and when there is enough of it a light will explode it and the mine will be wrecked and perhaps catch fire. This mine is a "^ very dry one and explosions would happen quite 336 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA often, if they did not do everything possible to prevent it." " They have to have lamps for three thousand five hundred men at the lamp-house, and it takes the entire time of two men to keep them in order, give them out, etc.," said the guide. *' Here is the elevator. Step in, please." Roy felt very venturesome as he got into the cage which was to take them a thousand feet below the surface of the earth. If his father had not been with him I think he might have been just a trifle nervous, though he would not have owned it. But he remembered that in Mexico he would perhaps have had to go down in a bucket or even down a series of ladders, and he was thankful that this mine had all the modern improvements. When the elevator finally deposited them on the ground, or in the ground, they walked a short distance to the mine-level, where they found a long horizontal passage from which all the other passages branched off, with rails laid in all of them for the little coal-cars that ran about the mine. Loaded cars were coming in constantly by these passages, and the guide said mining was going on as much as a mile and a half away on either side of the main passage, and that in one direction the miners were working under the sea. A FULL DAY 337 They watched several loads of coal weighed before it was carried to the surface in a large receiver. ' ' Won 't you tell my friend exactly the way the mine is worked? " asked Angus of the guide. ' ' Have you never been in a mine before 1 ' ' asked the guide, turning to Eoy. " No, not in any kind of a mine," replied Eoy. '' Then you do need some explanation, to be sure. We go at a face of coal — that is, a wall with coal in it — with a machine that works a little on the plan of a steam-hammer, — a rod of steel, one and one-half feet long, that chips away the outside coal until it has undercut a place a foot or two from the ground, about five feet in depth and sev- eral feet in width. About twenty feet apart, this process is repeated all the way along the wall. Props of stone — later of wood — are put in to sus- tain the undercut, by men who have especial charge of this work. Between these cuts there is left some sixty to one hundred feet of coal, as a temporary support, but when the undercut has all been supported by timbers, this coal is taken away also. The men who attend to this are paid by the ton, and they are often so absorbed in getting out a lot of coal that they do not hear the cracking that predicts a fall of coal, and have to flee for their lives when the crash comes. Some- 338 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA times, in undercutting, charges of explosive are put in the extreme upper corners of the cut, and twelve to fifteen tons are brought down at one time. ' ' " What do they do when they have got all the coal out of a given place? " asked Mr. Stevens. ^' They take the props out, sir, and leave the wall to settle," answered the guide. '' I see," said Mr. Stevens, " that this mine does not seem to slope like some of them." ' ' No, there is only the perpendicular shaft here, which increases our danger, of course, in case of fire or explosion. Generally coal-seams are in the form of a great saucer, and there are slanting or horizontal exits from a mine. We've just lately discovered a seam forty-five feet thick." " This is certainly a tremendous mine," said Mr. Stevens. '' Where do you keep the mules that drag the coal-cars? " '^ We have about two hundred and fifty horses and mules, and they are all stabled down here. They never go to the top, except when they are sick or injured and sent to the hospital. There are about sixty- two miles of railway in No. 2." " Do miners like to be miners? " asked Roy, curiously. " Yes, indeed. We can hardly get the miners' A FULL DAY 339 boys to finish their schooling, they are so anxious to get into the mines. And small farmers often desert their farms and go to mining. We have some fourteen nationalities represented in the mines. ' ' ** The temperature seems to be very com- fortable," remarked Mr. Stevens. ^' Yes, fans are kept going so that the air cir- culates freely, and the miners do not seem to suffer while they are down here. The even tem- perature is a contrast to that at the surface, of course, and a man runs a risk in going back and forth from one to the other. ' ' '' Do the men work by the day? " asked Mr. Stevens. ' ' Not exactly. They begin at eight in the morn- ing and they can go as soon as they have mined a given amount. There is a night-shift, men who come on duty at five in the afternoon." " Does the company have its own stores'? " " Yes, it is obliged to. Formerly, in winter, when shipping facilities for the coal were very poor, the men were often out of work and had no money coming in to pay for supplies for their families. The independent stores would not trust them, so the company started stores of its own, to carry the men over the dull season." 340 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA *' I suppose those were tlie miners' houses we saw, as we came along," said Roy. " Yes, those cottages all the same size and color. They have five or six rooms and are fairly comfortable. ' ' ^' I don't see but that mining is as safe as some other ways of making a living," said Angus, * ' only, when accidents happen, they happen to so many people at one time that they seem more dreadful. ' ' "I'd as lief be a miner as a motorman or a chauffeur or a sailor," said Roy, " or even just a plain human being in New York. You have to skip lively, there, I tell you," he said, turning to Angus, " to keep from being killed by some- thing or other." " Do you, indeed? " said Angus, wonderingly. '' It must take brave people to live there." They were on their way toward the elevator as he spoke and were soon speeding upward to the light of day, where they divested themselves of their borrowed clothing and returned their lamps to the keeper. It was rather late, but they were still able to get dinner at the hotel and then strolled over to see the Marconi station. There was not much to see, the operator's build^ ing and the mast, connected with the building by A FULL DAY 341 its aerial wire and supported by several sets of rigging, composing the plant. The whole was as near the water as possible, and with nothing be- tween it and the water to obstruct communica- tion. It seemed so simple that when a message was received from Clifden, Ireland, and jotted down in their presence, the boys found it hard to believe that it was a genuine message, gathered out of the air by the receiver they had been look- ing at, after traveling on the back of an air-wave, perhaps, thousands of miles. * ' Talk about fairy-tales ! ' ' exclaimed Eoy. ' ' This is the kind of fairy-tale I like. ' ' ' ' My father says that was a great day when the first message was sent to King Edward, but I was too little to understand then," said Angus. '' He sent a message to his own King, too, Marconi did, — the King of Italy. ' ' When they at last took the return train in the afternoon they found Dora and the two little girls on board and looking out for them, and all exchanged lively accounts of the day's doings. Eay got as close to Roy as she could, saying : " I'm so glad the mine didn't explode while you were in it. I kept thinking of you all day, and I was so afraid you wouldn't come out safe and sound." " There didn't seem to be a bit of danger,'^ 342 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA said Roy, '' but of course I don't know, — ^we may have had some narrow escapes. They always keep those things from passengers, you know. Our guide had been in several accidents. Once he was cooped up by falling coal for several days and was nearly dead when they dug down to him at last. He hadn't had anything to eat but his chewing-tobacco. ' ' ''I'd rather starve than eat that," said Ray. " Oh, no, you wouldn't; you'd eat worse things than that." " Well, we had much better things to-day. Beatrice's mother put up a very nice luncheon for us, and we sat on deck and ate it, and the cap- tain made tea for us, — at any rate, he brought it to us, — I don't know who made it. Oh, that Mira. River is the loveliest little river! Some places in it are so narrow you can almost touch the rocks, or you seem to be gliding along over the grass because it comes so close to the boat. And we saw some old French cemeteries and places where they used to make their bricks. It's been a lovely day, and we haven't had to learn anything. I suppose you know all about coal- mines now." '' No, not everything," said Roy, laughing, ' ' but more than I did before. You ought to have A FULL DAY 343 seen Angus and me in waterproofs and rubber hats five or six sizes too big for us. I thought we'd surely scare the mules in the mines and there 'd be a runaway. Does Mr. Cameron know we're leaving Sydney in the morning, I wonder? " '' I told Beatrice we were going, and she said she was going to send me something to remember her by. I shan't need anything, — she's such a dear I'm sure I shan't forget her. Won't we have fun if their father does bring them to New York? " *' Wouldn't I like to see Angus's eyes get big when he sees the sky-scrapers and the docks and the bridges and the Subway! Still — Sydney's an important place, even if it isn't very big. I'd rather live in a little live town than a large dead one." The Camerons parted from the Stevenses at the station, but promised to call at the hotel in the evening for a few minutes ; and Mr. Cameron came, bringing messages from the children, whose mother thought they were too tired to go out again. They sent Eoy and Eay some small sou- venirs of Sydney, however, — a tiny model of a miner's lamp and a small framed slate made of the historic slate at Louisbourg, — also many in- junctions to be sure to come again and stay a long time. CHAPTER XXIX GOING TO HALIFAX '' We'ke getting into a dreadful habit of early rising," said Ray, the next morning, yawning sleepily as she laced her shoes. ' ' Yesterday and the day before, it was to take that early train and this morning to take the boat. It makes very long days." ^ ' Yes, but I think it's rather nice to have break- fast on the boat, don't you? " said Dora. " If the breakfast is nice, yes," replied Ray, and as she sat down a half -hour later at the Cap- tain's table on the little boat " Marion " that runs down the Bras d'Or Lakes, she looked with ap- proval at the spotless linen and china and at the hot, appetizing, freshly-cooked breakfast. A considerable number of persons seemed to be taking the trip, and all day long passengers were embarking and disembarking at the landings along the shores of the Little Bras d'Or. Quaint vil- lages dotted the shores at rare intervals, and the leading citizens came to the landings to get the 344 GOING TO HALIFAX 345 bags of flour, boxes of oranges, crates of macbin- ery, etc., tbat tbe boat was bringing. All tbe men on shore shouted jokes to the boat's crew and the boat's crew gave tit for tat. The men seemed to be all Malcolms and Anguses and Ferguses and Sandys, and the women all Jeans and Maggies. There was invariably a dog at the dock, and the moment the boat tied up he came aboard and went sniffing about, apparently on a visit of inspection. " Maybe he's the health-officer," said Roy. " Well, he won't find anything the matter with this boat," remarked Ray. The day was gray but not rainy, and the hills all along one side of the lake gradually came out of the mist. The children were rather tired of sight-seeing, and the restfulness of sitting still and looking at the lovely scenery about them was delightful. They had not had so quiet a day for a long time. At Baddeck, a very prettily placed town on a hillside, they lost most of their passengers, and almost regretted they were not going ashore them- selves, the place looked so attractive; but when they caught sight of their destination, the little village of Whycocomagh, somewhat further on, they were not sorry they had waited. Just before reaching it they passed a beautiful country-place, 346 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA situated on a high hill overlooking Baddeck Bay, and were told it belonged to Professor Bell, in- ventor of the Bell telephone. There were some curious constructions of triangular shape standing up very prominently in one part of the grounds, and they learned afterward that with these Pro- fessor Bell was carrying on a series of experi- ments with a new flying machine or air-ship, a sort of kite. '' Isn't it funny," said Roy, " that inventors come away up here to try their inventions? I wonder why they do it? " ' ' So far as Professor Bell is concerned, he has had a summer home here for some time, and it is natural he should do his studying and inventing where he spends so much of his time. As for Marconi, the reason given is that the Canadian government offered him special privileges to continue his experiments in the country," said Mr. Stevens. The Sunday at Whycocomagh was a quiet one, but Roy made one or two discoveries that af- forded himself and Ray a little excitement. They had been interested to hear that their landlord, who did the cooking for the house, had once been cook on the '^ Marion," but were infinitely more interested to know that a splendid, shining, plumed GOING TO HALIFAX 347 helmet and sword in the sitting-room had been worn by one of his ancestors at Waterloo, — and that another sword, also hanging there, had been worn at Culloden by one of his family. This seemed to them to be coming very close to history. ^' Don't you know," said Dora, " it was Cul- loden that old Scotch seer was talking about when he said, ' Lochielj Lochiel, beware of the day When the Lowlands shall meet thee in battle-array ! ' Father used to recite it to Gilbert and me when we were little bits of things, and he stood up and made gestures, and we used to get so excited, even though we didn't know what it was about." The twins laughed at the picture this brought before their minds of their sedate father declaim- ing and gesticulating and of Gilbert and Dora as '' kids." *' Mustn't it have looked scary to see a whole troop coming at you with those horse-tail helmets on, glittering in the sun, and every man with a sword in his hand ! ' ' exclaimed Eoy. ''I'm thinking what a brave man it took to carry the weight of such a helmet and such a sword," said Ray. " I should think, when men are going to fight, they would want to be just as light as possible." 348 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA '' Not always," replied Roy, '' because some- times they want to bear down on the enemy with as much weight as they can bring to bear and crush him. ' ' " It's just horrible," said Ray, '' to be thinking of ways of killing people. ' ' Another thing the children found interesting was the shoe of a young giant of the neighbor- hood who had died years before. It was seventeen inches long, and belonged to a man who weighed 297 pounds without being at all stout, because his height was seven feet, nine and a half inches. The twins measured this height on the wall of the sit- ting-room and found he could barely have stood in the room. He had been carrying a heavy anchor, it seemed, and carrying it rather carelessly, and one of the flukes struck him in the side, injuring him so that he died from the effects. The next morning they resumed their journey to Halifax, going by wagon eight miles to the rail- way station. The road ran halfway up the hill- side, around the inlet, and was very muddy after heavy rains, but very beautiful because everything in the woods along the road was as green as emerald and washed clean and bright until it glistened in the sunlight. About two miles and a half of the land along this hillside, or mountain- GOING TO HALIFAX 349 side as the natives called it, belonged to the Mic- mac Indians, the driver told them. He seemed to think the Indians of the province were rather bet- ter off than the white men. '' They don't pay any taxes," he said, *' and the government provides a school and a teacher for their children, and it won't allow any squatters on their land, so as the whites and Indians won't get into any trouble together, — and they ain't any good," he concluded, contemptuously. '' Don't they work? " asked Ray. ^' Oh, just enough to keep goin'," answered the driver. '' They raise hay like everybody else around here, and they have sheep and cattle. ' ' '' Well," said Ray, '' if these are their cows, it's a great credit to them. I never saw- such clean cows, — they look as if they had been curried. ' ' " There's some shaggy cattle up here — have you seen them 1 ' ' asked the driver. '' Yes," said Dora, '' and I thought maybe they were the descendants of the Highland cattle in Scotland, — they are so long-haired and shaggy, almost like goats." ' ' Yes, I reckon there was some of them brought over in the early days." '' What's that man running for? " asked Roy 350 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA suddenly, pointing to an Indian who passed them, running steadily and looking neither to right or left. ** Oh, yes, I'm glad ye saw that. That's the way the Micmacs send messages from one reserva- tion or one village to another. They don't write letters — not on tribe-business, anyway, — and they don't telegraph. They just pick out a young man and a good runner — sometimes two if the trip is long, — and give him the message, and he runs every step of the way. I s'pose this man is goin' to invite the next lot of Micmacs to a funeral, be- cause there 's an old Indian dead back here on this reservation. A funeral is a very solemn 'casion. They set three hours in the church before the burial, and all the friends kiss the coffin before it is put in the ground. After the burial his family gives a big dinner, and after that, if they need money, they auction off his property, — ^partly to pay for masses for his soul. They're goin' to have a big time at St. Peter's, down near the Straits of Canso, next week. It's the annual round-up of the Micmacs, and they 'tend to all their tribal business and then feast and dance and tell stories for a whole week." " Oh, I wish we could be there! " exclaimed Eay. GOING TO HALIFAX 351 ** Did ye ever hear of Glooscap? " asked the driver. '' No, never," replied the children. *' What is it? " i( i j^<^ > 5) repeated the driver, laughing. ' ' Glooscap was a man, at least he was a kind of a man, — the Indians had him for one o ' their gods, a long time ago. The's a lot o' stories about him. He was a good-natured sort o' chap, an' he used to go around with his huntin' dogs, tryin' to straighten things out for the Indians. Once, they say, the moon was a great beast that went up and down killin' an' eatin' all the animals. Glooscap, he took his dogs and chased it into the woods an' give it a good whackin' with his club, so that he most killed it. It climbed up into the sky to get away from him and begun to dwindle away, the way we see it dwindle now every month. ' ' ** Oh, tell some more! " cried the twins. *' "Well, the's some tales about his uncle. Great Turtle, too. They used to go huntin' together. Once Great Turtle was caught by his enemies. They said they was goin' to burn him at the stake, but he rushed into the fire just as if he liked it, so they pulled him out again. Then they thought they'd cut his throat, but he grabbed a knife an' began hackin' himself fierce, as if that was nothin' 352 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA either, so tliey give up tliat idee. Then they said they'd drown him, an' that worried him an' he begged 'em not to. They got him down to the water, however, an' all of a sudden he dove in out o' sight an' got away from 'em." '' Good! " exclaimed Roy. '' Where do they think Glooscap is now? " asked Ray. '' He went away soon after the English came because the Indians learned from the white man to be bad. Glooscap always preached goodness and good manners to the men and animals, but the men would not listen any longer, so he made up his mind to go away. But first he invited 'em to a big feast and no one come but the beasts. "When it was over, Glooscap got into his canoe, told 'em he was never comin' back, an' paddled away to- ward the settin' sun. They watched him as fur as they could see, an' then they begun to talk about how good he was an' all that, and not one of 'em could understand the other. Instead of havin' the same language as before, every kind of animal had a different language ; so it was no use ever to meet all together again, an' that was their last council. When you hear the owl hootin' an' the loon cryin' at night, they're mournin' for Glooscap. Some says the 's two rocks at the foot of Cape Blomidon GOING TO HALIFAX 353 that used to be Glooscap's dogs an' that he'll come back an' wake 'em up some day, an' others says the dogs are alive an' always lookin' for their master, an' though nobody can see 'em you can often hear 'em howlin' in the woods." ' ' Ugh ! That 's scary ! ' ' said Ray. '' The' was some young men that went an' found him, the story goes. He was livin' away over the mountains, in a wigwam, with an old squaw for housekeeper an' a boy fairy to do his work an' his errands. They come back and told the story, but nobody else ever found him. ' ' It is a question whether, if the twins had been given the opportunity to stay over another day to hear more stories of Glooscap, they would not have said at once, '' Yes, let's stay. We can find some place to sleep and can take to-morrow's train." But the time for their journeyings was growing short, and they were obliged to bid good-by to their companionable driver and board the train for Halifax. Again the great boat bore the train safely across the Straits, and again they passed through the station at Truro, the children recognizing as if they were old friends the station- agent and the baggage-man there. It was raining and dark when they reached Hali- fax, but they were soon comfortable in the spa- 354 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA cious rooms of their quiet hotel and, not long after, sound asleep. A bright day greeted them when they awoke, and at breakfast it proved that their brief rest at Whycocomagh had made them quite ready for more sight-seeing. " Is this a very important place? " Ray asked. '' It's the capital of the Province, and the meet- ing-place in Canada for the British navy. Its harbor is nearer to Great Britain than any other harbor in Canada and is a good winter harbor, not freezing over as the more northern harbors do," said Mr. Stevens. *' Is it as old as Quebec and Montreal? " asked Roy. ' ' Oh, no, it was founded about the middle of the eighteenth century, Great Britain sending out over two thousand emigrants at one time under the guidance of the governor of Nova Scotia. 1?he French had used the harbor for fitting out an ex- pedition against the British colonists, and as Nova Scotia belonged to England it was thought advis- able for the English to make use of the fine harbor advantages themselves and prevent a repetition of the affair. The fleet against Louisbourg met here, Wolfe's troops assembled here before and after taking Quebec, and in the wars with the American GOING TO HALIFAX 355 colonists Halifax was very important. During our Civil War, boats that intended to run the blockade and enter Southern ports were in the habit of fitting out in Halifax. ' ' * ' Well, who first said ' go to Halifax ! ' and how did they come to say it ? " '' There you have me," answered Mr. Stevens. ' '■ When I was a boy, that was a very familiar ex- pression. If any one displeased you, you said, ' oh, go to Halifax ! ' I have a theory that it may have originated after our Revolution when so many British sympathizers emigrated to Nova Scotia from New York and New England. They were called United Empire Loyalists, and you will often hear Canadians speak of them as U. E. Loyalists. So many of them came that whole towns were founded by them. ' ' *' I wonder if they've ever been sorry they left us," said Roy, '' when they see how the United States has gone ahead and got into the front rank. ' ' Mr. Stevens smiled. " She had not accom- plished that when the original Loyalists lived and died, and their descendants, being natives here, have probably hardly given a thought to what might have been. I imagine, if there were ever a war between Canada and the States, we should find 856 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA them quite as good Loyalists as ever, perhaps more so than other Canadians who never had any- thing to do with the States." '^ Where do we go this morning "? " asked Dora. a There are not many sights in Halifax," re- plied Mr. Stevens. " We may stroll np to the Citadel and get the magnificent view of the Bay, and through the Parliament buildings, and see the Governor's residence or Province House, as it is sometimes called ; and this afternoon we can take a car to Mt. Pleasant Park and spend a few hours there." And accordingly the day was spent in this fashion. The thing that interested the twins most was the portrait of Joseph Howe, in the Parlia- ment Building, the ' ' father of responsible govern- ment " as he is called by Canadians. The guide told them that in Howe's day, the legislative coun- cil of the province always kept its sessions secret, so that the people of the province did not know what was going on in council that might affect their interests favorably or unfavorably. Against this Howe protested, saying the people had a right to know what was being considered and done, and should be admitted. His protests finally had some effect, and the council decreed that a small door should be cut in the wall of the legislative GOING TO HALIFAX 357 chamber, where one or two people at a time might stand and listen to what went on. ' ' It was big enough for the camel to get his nose in," said the guide, referring to the old Oriental story, ' ' and now he has his whole body inside. ' ' The children were also greatly interested in some full-length portraits of English kings and queens, of an English nobleman by the early American painter, Benjamin West, and of Judge Haliburton whom their father called " Sam Slick." <' We're in Nova Scotia now, and you said you would tell us about Sam Slick and the Clockmaker when we got here, ' ' Ray reminded her father. '^ Yes, so I will, when we take the train again." As they passed the Governor's house they ob- served two sentinels pacing up and down in front of the doors and Mr. Stevens stopped a passerby to ask if that was customary. " No," replied the man, " but the Governor- general and his lady are here and staying with the Governor. There'll be all sorts of celebrations to- night and to-morrow." ' ' Well, aren't we lucky ! ' ' exclaimed Roy. ' ' In Quebec, we saw the Prime Minister and here we are going to see the Viceroy and the — what do you call his wife? " 358 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA ^' Vicereine is the proper title, but I believe the Canadians usually say ' The Governor-general and Lady Grey.' " The day ended with two or three hours in the de- lightfully natural park at Point Pleasant, over- looking the sea and odorous with pines and firs. Ray with her head on Dora's knee actually fell asleep, while Roy and his father were strolling about, looking at the martello tower called Prince of Wales' Tower and the masked batteries con- cealed here and there. CHAPTEE XXX THE LAND OF EVANGELINE The great day was bright and clear, and when Mr. Stevens came down to breakfast he found the children studying the morning paper to learn the programme. ' ' It says they arrived last evening, so that man was mistaken when he told us they were already here, ' ' said Roy. *' And the band is going to play — the garrison band — at the Parliament buildings this morning, ' ' said Ray, " and this afternoon the children will sing for the visitors and this evening there will be a reception, and all kinds of games to-day and — everything! " '' They know how to celebrate here/' said Roy, remembering the quiet demonstration in Quebec. " Well, they've got more time," said Ray, *' be- cause the Governor-general's going to stay several days." *^ Yes, and they don't go to bed so early any- how," rejoined Roy. ^' We'll go out, won't we, father? It says the decorations are very fine." 859 360 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA ' ' Oh, yes ; we '11 spend the whole day in the wake of the vice-regal party, if you wish. ' ' And so they did. From the morning band-con- cert, for which they secured a window in the empty assembly-chamber in Parliament House, to the Public Gardens and the reception by the school- children at the club grounds near by, and to the aquatic celebration in the evening, out on the Northwest Arm of the harbor, the party jour- neyed without thinking of fatigue or being in the least bored. Dora had her kodak with her and had a fine opportunity to snapshot the Governor- general, who saw what she was doing and smiled courteously, lifting his hat ; and the children were sure he must be an admirable representative of the King, ' ' who is just the politest man in Europe, our old English nurse told me once," said Ray. Roy was more interested in the exhibition out on the Arm than in anything else. The water- carnival was supposed to represent Haligonian history, and the bay was covered with boats, ca- noes, launches, and steamers, all hung with lighted Chinese lanterns. The early settlers from England, with Governor Comwallis in command, were seen approaching up the Bay, and there was an on- slaught of savages and a general routing of the Indians by the colonists, all of which seemed quite THE LAND OF EVANGELINE 361 real to the twins, who said afterward it was a great pity history could not be taught to school- children in that way. " Then we should like history and remember it," said Ray. '' I suppose," said Roy, ^' it would be alto- gether too expensive, acting out everything every year for the different grades ; and you couldn't let a grade see any of the acting until they came to that point in their studies or they'd get all mixed up in their history and wouldn't know what came before what. If they happened to see this before they saw the founding of Montreal, they'd get it fixed in their minds that Halifax was older than Montreal." '' Yes, they'd have to be kept at home until the right time came, ' ' said Ray, ' * and I suppose that would be very hard on their parents. I daresay some children would have to be tied or locked up to keep them from going, — and the trouble now is just the other way." '' I like Halifax," said Dora, as they came back to town in a crowded car, " and if we weren't going to Grand Pre, I should be sorry we had to start off to-morrow morning. ' ' ^' Oh, is it Grand Pre next? The real Evan- geline country? " cried Ray. 362 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA '' Yes, we go there to-morrow," replied her father. '' And on the way, we pass through the town in which ' Sam Slick ' lived, though I believe we shall not be able to see his house from the train. We are going on ' The Flying Bluenose,' so we must all be up early for the start." When the children found out how often the Fly- ing Bluenose stopped at small stations, not very far apart, they were greatly amused. '' It's just like our accommodation trains, ' ' said Roy. '' It can't fly very far at a time," added Ray, ' ' so it has to stop every so often and get its breath at a station." *' I like it," said Dora, '^ because one sees the native people getting on and off, and it's very pretty country and the villages are quite picturesque. ' ' At Windsor, where Judge Haliburton was born, Mr. Stevens told them something about him. ' ' He was a very clear-sighted observer, ' ' he said, ' ' and he realized that Nova Scotia was behind the States in many ways and that his fellow-country- men needed stirring up. So he invented the char- acter of the Yankee clockmaker who went about Nova Scotia selling clocks, and in the mouth of this Yankee he put some of the criticism he him- self wished to express. He found fault with the THE LAND OF EVANGELINE 363 people for expecting the provincial government to do everything for them while they themselves did nothing toward improving their circumstances and their country; and for neglecting to make use of their wonderful and abundant falls and rapids as waterpower, saying the Yankees would have had the country humming with mills and factories. He said much harsher things than any American would have liked to say, and said them in such a droll way that he was considered a great humorist. When he touched on American affairs, he was equally critical, and he made his clockmaker very boastful and shrewd to the point of dishonesty, though he gave him some good qualities. His books are interesting reading to-day to any one who visits Nova Scotia and wishes to compare the past with the present, but much of their humor is lost because conditions have changed and we no longer see the point of some of his sayings." " Come to think of it," said Roy, '' I've seen almost no mills or factories in Nova Scotia." '■ ' Here and there, there are progressive places, but, as a whole. Nova Scotia is not a very lively province. It was not at all anxious to belong to the Federation, but its law-makers brought about its adhesion against the will of the majority of the people, and now, I believe, it is doing its part very 364 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA well. I was told in Halifax that in the provincial parliament there were only five members in op- position to the Government." " Can't you read us something from ' The Clockmaker ' ? " asked Dora. " Yes, I'll read you one of the Judge's conver- sations with the peddler. Here is what the Clock- maker says about Windsor, the town we have just passed: ' This place is as fartile as lUanoy or Ohio, as healthy as any part of the globe, and right alongside of the salt water; but the folks want three things — Industry, Enterprise, Economy; these Bluenoses don't know how to valy (value) this location — only look at it and see what a place for business it is — the center of the Province — the nateral capital of the Basin of Minas, and part of the Bay of Fundy — the great thoroughfare to St. John, Canada, and the United States — the ex- ports of lime, gypsum, freestone, and grindstone, — the dikes — but it's no use talkin' ; I wish we had 'em, that's all. Our folks are like a rock maple tree — stick 'em in any where, but eend up and top down, and they will take root and grow; but put 'em in a rael good soil like this, and give 'em a fair chance, and they will go ahead and thrive right off, most amazin' fast, that's a fact. Yes, if we had it we would make another guess place THE LAND OF EVANGELINE 365 of it from what it is. In one year ive ivould have a railroad to Halifax which, unlike the stone that killed tivo birds, would he the makin' of both places. I often tell the folks this, but all they can say is, '' Oh, we are too poor and too young." Says I, '' You put me in mind of a great long- legged, long-tailed colt father had. He never changed his name of colt as long as he lived, and he was as old as the hills ; and though he had the best of feed, was as thin as a whippin'-post. He was colt all his days — always young — always poor; and young and poor you'll be, I guess, to the eend of the chapter." ' " '' My! wouldn't they have been mad if a real Yankee had said all that ! ' ' exclaimed Eoy. *' I don't think they liked it any too well, as it was," said Mr. Stevens. '' It is a good book for Americans to read, even now, for though his prophecies of evil to the United States have not yet come true, he said many true things about our national faults and weaknesses." ' ' My ! look at the mud ! ' ' exclaimed Ray. ' '■ This is the river Avon, ' ' said her father. '' Eiver? Why, it's just a great mud-hole! " said Ray. *' It's a tide-river, and a very large one when the tide is in, but just now the tide is out. See 366 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA those ships stuck in the mud? Two or three hours from now they will be floating off most gallantly. ' ' It was not long before the train entered the Cornwallis Valley, the great apple-producing region, called the Garden of Nova Scotia. Miles upon miles of apple trees surrounded them, but the season for blossoms was past and that for apples had not yet come. They ran through the site of Grand Pre, the old Acadian village, with its rows of willows more than a hundred and fifty years old, and looking across it saw Cape Blomi- don in the distance, its bold outline standing clear and distinct against the blue sky. Soon the brake- man called " Wolfville," and they left the train, this being their headquarters for the visit to the Evangeline district. '' We must go on to-morrow morning, so it's lucky we have a good day," said Mr. Stevens, ' ' and I think we '11 engage a driver and go over to Grand Pre this afternoon, early. Then, if it should rain — and I think rain is not far off — we shall not mind." " ' This is the forest primeval,' " quoted Eay from " Evangeline," as they started on their drive after luncheon, '' but I don't see any signs that there ever was a forest here, — no stumps nor anything of that kind." ^H W^^ The Grand Pee Willows JMartello Tower at Halifax THE LAND OF EVANGELINE 367 '^ No, there never was, I believe," said Dora. '' Longfellow drew upon his imagination for much of the setting of his poem, they say. ' ' '' Oh, dear! And weren't there any 'murmur- ing pines and the hemlocks ' ? " ''I'm afraid not even that. There were young willows, instead, for those old trees we saw must have been planted about 1755." " Well, anyhow, there were Acadians. And the poem is beautiful and part of it is true, ' ' persisted Ray. " Yes, we may say that." " Well, that leaves something for us." " What are these ridges running across the country? " asked Eoy of the driver. " Dikes," was the reply. " The Acadians covered the whole region with dikes, to keep the water out of their fields. And what do you think they made them of ? " " Of dirt, I suppose, — isn't that what dikes are made of generally? " ' ' These were made of bricks of earth and were put into the dike all moist. The seeds in the bricks sprouted and the roots held the bricks to- gether. It was a splendid piece of work and the dikes have broken only once, when there was a big storm and the whole land was flooded. Right along 368 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA the waterfront, there on the Cornwallis River," pointing with his whip, ' ' the dikes are braced up with wooden palisades. ' ' When they reached the site of the village, marked by two rows of ancient willows, at right angles with each other, the children jumped eagerly from the carriage and began to hasten at once from one point of interest to another. There were signs on boards planted in the ground here and there, bearing such legends as " Site of vil- lage church," '' Site of house of cure," " Village- well," '' Cemetery," etc. '' How do they know where all these things were"? " asked Ray. '' The Commission appointed to restore the place had the use of two maps, an old French one and an English one found in the Parliamentary library at Halifax, made at the time of the ex- pulsion, and they began to dig according to the indications on these maps. They soon came to foundations which were easy to trace. They've built up the well and fitted it with an old- fashioned well-sweep ; and the intention is to make a sort of pleasure-garden of the site, plant flowers, etc.," replied Mr. Stevens. " Shall you like that, Roy? " asked Ray, doubt- fully. THE LAND OF EVANGELINE 369 ' ' Yes, why not ? ' ' asked Roy, in return. '' Oh, I can't explain it, — it's all very well to have these signs, only I'd really rather imagine where things were, — but I wouldn't put the kind of things here that didn't use to be here." '' You're too particular," said Eoy. ' ' Maybe I am, but that 's the way I feel. ' ' ' ' Are you from the States ? ' ' asked the driver, when the children climbed up beside him for the return drive. " Yes, — couldn't you tell? " asked Roy. " 1 thought likely you were. I s'pose you didn't know that it was Americans that drove out the Acadians ? ' ' " Americans? It was the British. How could it be Americans 1 ' ' " They were all British, then; but it was the American colonial troops that did it. ' ' " Who says so? " asked Roy, rather more fiercely than he realized, which made his father and the driver laugh. '^ Do you believe it, father? " ^ ' I have heard it before, and it is not unlikely. The orders came from Governor Lawrence, who was certainly British. The American colonials seem to have been used all through Canada, when 370 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA there was work to be done, — it is quite natural tliey should have been here." " There are two theories about the Acadians," said the driver. ' ' One says the Government was justified in driving them out, because they were so hostile to their rulers and made so much trouble ; and the other story says the Government didn't send any instructions to drive them out and that the colonies acted on their own responsi- bility. The Acadians had been promised they shouldn't be required to bear arms against the French and Indians, and the generals wouldn't keep that pledge. And they say it was the gen- erals that refused to let them go somewhere else in Canada, but scattered them to the ends of the earth. ' ' " I think it was the dividing of families and friends by putting them on different ships that was so cruel," said Ray. " That's how Gabriel and Evangeline were separated." ^' They weren't real people," said Roy. * ' Maybe nothing of the kind happened. ' ' ' ' I daresay several things like that happened, ' ' maintained Ray. ^' It would be very easy, going off in a hurry and thinking about the things you were leaving behind and not knowing where you were going, and all that. I'm going to look up THE LAND OF EVANGELINE 371 that story of the American colonials, when I get home. ' ' " Yes, so am I," said Roy, '' but, anyhow, it was the generals that gave the order, — maybe the troops were rather rough in carrying it out." '' Here is where Basil the blacksmith had his forge," remarked the driver, as they came to a crossing of the present village street; and a little later he pointed out the Covenanters ' church, the first Protestant church built after the dispersion of the Acadians. ^' I don't want to look at it," said Eay, crossly. " What's the use of building a church when you've just done something cruel like that? " " I don't suppose the troops built the church," said Dora, gently. " There's something you will like to see, right over the top of the hill here," said Mr. Stevens, '' for we're going to drive home along the road that looks into the Gaspereau Valley, one of the loveliest valleys in the world. ' ' And, truly, the whole party were so enthusiastic that the horse, hearing their exclamations of de- light, stopped several times of his own accord, to give them a longer time to look at certain views. At least, that is the way in which the twins ex- plained several pauses in the drive. 372 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA '' It looks so prosperous and thrifty! " said Dora. The white houses and barns, the fields of grain, the orchards and gardens and groves, with the lit- tle river flowing below, made a perfectly satisfying picture ; but the driver assured them that when the apple-orchards were in bloom it was even lovelier. " Do they catch fish in that river? " asked Roy. '' Yes, the gaspereaux or ale-wives — they're a kind of herring. That's why the river is called Gaspereau ; and there are trout in Gaspereau Lake farther on, ' ' replied the driver. ^' Let's stay here, father. Let's have a summer cottage here, ' ' pleaded Ray, really in earnest. ' ' I never have seen any place that looks prettier, and it's so quiet and the air is so soft. The tamarack trees smell so good, and just look at the wild-roses and the golden-rod! " " There are a great many pretty places in the world," said Mr. Stevens, smiling, " and we can't live in all of them, even for a part of the time. But some day we'll come up here again when we can stay longer." CHAPTER XXXI ACROSS THE BAY OF FUNDY '' I ALWAYS want to stay longer in these nice places, and yet when we get to the new place I'm always glad we didn't stay away from it longer," said Ray, as the train sped with them from Wolf- ville to Digby, with North Mountain — a long high ridge of land — on one side of them, and South Mountain on the other. Through Annapolis Royal, seated picturesquely at the head of Annapolis Basin ever since its first founding in 1604 by the Sieur de Monts, they passed reluctantly, for they would all have liked to stop there, not only for its historic interest but because of its beautiful situation and the quiet charm of the surroundings. At Digby, they took the ' ' Prince Rupert, ' ' one of the fine boats which crosses from Digby to St. John, New Brunswick, in about three hours. Roy was disappointed in the Bay of Fundy. '' I thought we'd see a great big tide rushing in," he said. 373 374 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA ' ' We are very fortunate in not meeting a swift tide and a strong wind," said Mr. Stevens. " If we had had that combination we might all have been on our backs in the cabin and very sick. The Bay of Fundy, especially Digby Gut, this channel between these high hills of rock, can be very rough indeed. Once when I crossed nearly everybody on board that was not quite sick in the cabin was a livid green, almost as green as the water was that day. ' ' The Harbor of St. John was a beautiful one. A peculiar lighthouse, with fences around it in- closing galleries, interested* the children and they said, as they had often said before, how nice it must be to live in a lighthouse. The tide was so low that getting from the deck to the dock was like climbing a hill, the gangplank was so steep. They spent all the next day in strolling about through the busy streets of St. John, eighth in size of the towns of the Dominion, which seemed to them more like an American city than any they had seen in Canada. The little old graveyard in the heart of the town, kept up like a park and used as a thor- oughfare, with the graves of the United Empire Loyalists who founded the city after the American Revolution, — the beautiful public garden and the rocky park filled with cedars and pines of all kinds ACROSS THE BAY OF FUNDY 3V5 and commanding wonderful views, occupied them fully ; and they found time at the proper hour to go out by trolley to the rapids of the St. John Eiver, where they sat on the high banks for nearly two hours watching the coming in of the tide. The rapids have been called, in fun, the Reversible Falls, because when the tide is out the water runs over the rocks in one direction with quite a percep- tible descent, while, when the tide turns and the water begins to pour in, it rushes over the same rocks in the other direction, giving the same effect of descent. The twins thought it must take some imagination to make falls of them, though they agreed that reversible was a good term. '' I wonder why they have the street-car steps so high here, ' ' said Ray, as they seated themselves in an open car on their return journey. '' Because of the tide," said Roy, soberly. ^' Oh! " said Ray, — then, as it dawned on her that she did not understand the connection, she added, " I don't quite see^ — " when Roy suddenly began to laugh and she saw she had been fooled. She felt rather sheepish as she explained, ' ' Well, everywhere we've been they've had things dif- ferent on account of the tides, and so I didn't think it was so strange here. But I couldn't under- stand it." 376 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA '' Did you ever eat any dulse f " asked Mr. Stevens, stopping suddenly before a shop-window, as they left the car. " No, what is it? " asked Dora. ' * Here 's some in the window. ' ' ''That thin, brown stuff that looks like thin India-rubber? " asked Ray. " Yes, it's a sort of seaweed. Some people are very fond of it, and they say every one becomes so after getting used to it, but it's an acquired taste. Let's try some," and Mr. Stevens entered the shop and soon came out with a cent 's worth, a large package. At first they all made wry faces over the salty mouthfuls, but they disliked it less and less as they grew accustomed to the taste. ' ' They say that people brought up where dulse grows have a real longing for it when they live where they cannot get it, ' ' remarked Mr. Stevens. * ' Well, then, I 'm nof going to keep on till I like it," said Ray, '' because I know we can't get it in New Jersey. It would be foolish to learn to like something you never could have." '' You said there was a story about a lady and this town, father," said Ray, the next morn- ing, reminding her father of something he had promised to tell them when they should reach St. John. They had been packing for the return ACROSS THE BAY OF FUNDY 37V journey on which they were to start the next day, and were all together in the larger of their two rooms. '' About a lady and the Fort St. John, not the town, ' ' replied Mr. Stevens. ' ' There was no town to speak of at that time. This isn't a very good place to tell it. I propose that we go out to Eock- wood Park again, where we can see our surround- ings, — it will make the history more real. ' ' '' Is it really history? " asked Roy. * ' Yes, indeed, and interesting history, too. ' ' *' Well, then, let's hurry," said Ray, shutting her traveling-bag with a snap. " It's beautiful out there on the rocks, anyhow. Any kind of a story would sound interesting out there. ' ' In a few minutes they had taken a car and were on their way, and a short ride brought them to the Public Gardens, blazing with gorgeous flowers, through which they walked to the Park. ' ' It seems to me that every large building here has a separate hill to stand on," said Roy, and really it did almost appear so, the city was so hilly and so many public institutions crowned the tops of the hills. "When the party finally sat down on some rocks that were comfortably level, with the city and har- bor and Bay in front of them, the gardens to the 378 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA right below, and behind them the rocky, fir-covered slopes of the Park, they declared it an ideal place for a story. '' We cannot see very well from here all the places connected with the history, but we have seen most of them already," said Mr. Stevens. '' For instance, Navy Island we saw yesterday when we went out to see the Reversible Falls. That was occupied by the Micmac Indians when Champlain and De Monts sailed into the harbor in 1604. It was quite twenty-seven years later that the first settlement was made. A French sub- ject named Charles de la Tour built a fort op- posite this island, having received a grant of all the land thereabout from the King of France. He flourished for some time, having a good trade in furs ; but he had a rival, D 'Aulnay Charnisay, who, unfortunately, had considerable influence at court and used it to injure la Tour. When la Tour had held his possessions some twelve years, Charnisay who was at Port Royal, or Annapolis, set sail to attack the fort ; but la Tour managed to get to Boston and secure reinforcements and Charnisay had, to retreat. For a short time the fort was left in peace. Two years later, however, la Tour being absent, and many of his men with him, Charnisay returned to the attack. Mme. ACROSS THE BAY OF FUNDY 379 de la Tour, a French Huguenot, who had not gone with her husband, fought manfully with her small garrison, and Charnisay might have had to retire unsuccessful if it had not been that the fort was betrayed into his hands by a Swiss sentinel." * ' Oh, the mean thing ! ' ' exclaimed Ray. * ' I hope he got what he deserved, ' ' added Roy. ^' Charnisay brutally hanged the whole garri- son, and forced Mme. de la Tour to witness the executions. ' ' '' Oh! " cried Ray, again, unable to keep her feelings to herself. '' The poor lady died of a broken heart soon afterward. Charnisay destroyed the fort and built another on the other side of the harbor, and took possession of all the lands owned by la Tour. He died seven or eight years after, and la Tour, who was now a widower, got all of his property back again by marrying the widow of Charnisay. ' ' *' I shouldn't think he would have wanted the property enough to marry her/' said Ray. '^ Perhaps she didn't like her first husband any better than he did, ' ' suggested Roy. '* Well, she ought to have given him back his land without making him marry her to get it," persisted Ray. '^ It's just possible they fell in love with each 380 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA other, ' ' said Dora, ' ' each of them hating Charni- say to begin with." '' I wouldn't want a wife that reminded me of so many disagreeable things, I think," said Roy. ' ' Whittier has a poem about Fort St. John and its defense by Mme. de la Tour. We must look it up when we get home, ' ' said Mr. Stevens. " Was that the end of St. John's history? " asked Roy. " No, for Oliver Cromwell sent a successful ex- pedition against it, and within the next century there was considerable fighting about the harbor between the French and the English or the Amer- ican colonials. Some of the latter settled here just a little while before the Revolutionary war, but the majority of the settlers came after the evacuation of New York by the British. In one year some 10,000 U. E. Loyalists arrived from the States, and within three years a British legisla- ture was held at St. John. It is the oldest in- corporated town in Canada. It was not long the capital of the province, however. It was too open to invasion and so the capital was fixed at Freder- icton, farther up the St. John River, as early as 1788. After he was forced to leave the United States, Benedict Arnold lived here for some five years." ACROSS THE BAY OF FUNDY 381 '' He did? I wonder how they treated him here, ' ' said Roy. '' I shouldn't think they could have been friendly with him, even if he had tried to do what the British wanted," said Ray. ' ' No, no one has any use for a traitor after he has done his work, — but it's a question whether those who tempt him to be a traitor are not equally guilty," said Mr. Stevens. '' Those cannon we saw in Queen's Square yes- terday are said to have been used at Fort St. John," remarked Dora. ' * Oh, I wish I had looked at them harder, ' ' ex- claimed Ray. '^ Were they used under la Tour or under Charnisay? " asked Roy. ' ' Probably under both. ' ' '' Oh, well, then I don't care. I like cannon to be on one side or the other, ' ' said Roy. That evening the family strolled through the lighted streets, where the entire population seemed to be promenading and listening to the band, and their last waking hours in St. John were spent in securing souvenirs of Canada and of New Bruns- wick at the excellent shops. CHAPTER XXXII OVER THE BORDER The early morning saw the Stevenses eating a hurried breakfast, fastening trunks and bags, and rattling to the station in a carriage before most of the citizens were awake. For about three hours of their day's travel they were still in Canada, passing Lake Magaguadavic — which the twins tried in vain to pronounce and which they were relieved to find was called ' ' for short ' ' Lake Magadavy — Eel River, Skitf Lake where there were also ouananiche to be caught, and finally while it was still early morning arriving at Vance- boro, the little frontier-station where the customs officers awaited them. The examination was very simple, and then the St. Croix River was crossed and they were again in the United States. " We have been British subjects for about seven weeks, ' ' said Ray. '' Not a bit of it," said Roy. '' Traveling in a country doesn't make you a subject, or a citizen, either, does it, father? " 382 OVER THE BORDER 383 *' No, not unless you become naturalized by tak- ing out naturalization papers. But when you are in another country than your own, you must obey the laws of that country, no matter how different they may be from yours. Otherwise they can arrest you and try you in their courts. But if any one does anything to injure you, your own country will take the matter up in case you do not get justice or if you have been unjustly arrested. As a rule, the best citizens of a country do not get into trouble in other countries, for they try to observe the laws and adapt themselves to the customs." '' I've seen half a dozen places in Canada where I'd like to live," said Ray. " Anyhow, I'd like to spend my summers in some of them, ' ' * ' A great many Americans do spend their sum- mers in Canada, putting up summer cottages along the lakes and rivers, buying and building on the small islands, etc," said Mr. Stevens. " And set- ting aside the French-Canadian population, there is very little in the border states and provinces by which to distinguish between the Canadians and ourselves. We are of the same race, we explored and settled the two countries at the same time, many of the Canadians lived in the American colonies for several generations before coming to Canada, the people of the two countries live under 384 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA much the same conditions, so far as the northern states are concerned, and have much the same problems to meet. They should be the best of friends as well as the closest of neighbors, and with a little give and take on both sides I think they can be. " ^' Hurrah for Canada! that's the way I feel," exclaimed Ray. '' Me, too," said Roy, more soberly. A Canadian gentleman in front of them turned his head and smiled. " You're the right sort of travelers, ' ' he said. ' ' I hope Canada may see an increasing number of the same kind. ' ' '' I don't understand," said Roy, " why we don't have more about Canada in our history at school, when you think how much the American colonists have had to do with her. It's all Eng- land in the books." a There are very good Canadian school-his- tories, I understand," replied Mr. Stevens, '' in which we should probably find a great deal of material that would interest us. No history of the United States can be studied properly without a knowledge of the history of Canada." After a night in Portland, Maine, to rest from their travels, the Stevens children thought their sight-seeing was done, and were surprised to find OVER THE BORDER 385 themselves getting out of the train at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and running to catch a little local train. '' Why, what are we doing this for? " asked Ray, out of breath. " Yes, where are we going now? " asked Roy, quite puzzled. '^ You'll see," said their father. '' It's just a last glimpse of Canadian history I thought it would be nice to have. ' ' In fifteen minutes the brakeman called "Kittery Point," and then the children understood. ' ' Oh ! " exclaimed Ray, ' ' we 're going to say good-by to Sir William Pepperrell ! ' ' '' Is that it, father? " asked Roy. '' Yes, that's it. It won't hinder us from getting home to-night, though it may make us a little late. And it will connect Louisbourg and the colonies in our minds and finish the story. ' ' They strolled up the road from the little station until they came within sight of the old fort and blockhouse that had figured long ago in American history ; and a turn to the left through the village street brought them to the heart of Kittery Point. Here, on a knoll beside the trolley-track, stood a new monument, a simple slab of stone commem- 386 ROY AND RAY IN CANADA orating the hero of the Louisbourg siege. Across the way the old Pepperrell mansion, a wooden house with a high-pitched roof and the original paneled doors and small-paned windows, looked out upon the traffic and excursionists in the trol- ley cars instead of on the deer-park that at one time surrounded it. The harbor-view from its upper windows was a busier one, but the scenery itself was the same, and it was not hard to imagine the outlook of a hundred and fifty years before. Over the main door was the Pepperrell coat of arms, trying to ignore the paling fence that limited what had once been a vast domain. Across the street again and up a little hill, under a group of pines growing low, stood the tomb of Sir William, a plain rectangular stone structure on which some admirer had lately laid a wreath of roses. " Somebody remembers him and Louisbourg, anyhow," said Ray. "I'm glad of that." It seemed a long way from this little, peaceful but active village to the no less peaceful desolation on Cape Breton Island, where the hero had earned his fame, but the twins said that the seeing of Kit- tery Point had made the story " ever so much more real. ' ' It was late that night when the party of tired travelers mounted the steps of their New Jersey OVER THE BORDER 387 home. Bright lights shone in the windows, for Mrs. Stevens was expecting them. ' ' Oh, mother ! ' ' exclaimed Ray, ' ' it was so nice, hut we needed you ! ' ' " You would have liked it, mother," said Roy. '' Next time you must go, too." " And Canada was all you anticipated? " asked Mrs. Stevens, with an arm around each of them. ^' Oh, more, more," they answered, while Roy added, " It's chuck full of history, you know. We're going to see more of this continent too. We 've just got started. ' ' Mr. Stevens caught his wife's eye and smiled. *' I'm afraid I'm in for it," he said. '' They're determined to make a globe-trotter of me. But next time we won't trot without you." ' ' No, indeed, ' ' said Dora, ' ' for father is almost worn out, providing information. It's too much of a task for one person, with two such interroga- tion-marks as the twins." APPENDIX I CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF CANADIAN HISTORY 1497. Cabot discovers Nova Scotia. Foundation of British claim. 1504. First French expedition to Cape Breton. 1506. French exploration of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. 1524. Verrazzano sent by France to annex " New France." Foundation of French claim. 1534. Discovery by Jacques Cartier of Canada proper, Stadacona (Quebec), and Hochelaga (Montreal), 1603. Champlain's first voyage, to secure furs. 1604-5. Settlement of Annapolis Royal by Europeans. 1608. Colonizing of Quebec by Champlain. 1629. Quebec taken by Sir David Kirk. 1632. Quebec restored to the French. 1642. Colonizing of Montreal by Maisonneuve. 1713. Cession of Acadia, Newfoundland, and Hudson's Bay by France to England, (Treaty of Utrecht.) 1745. Capture of Louisbourg. 1755-63. Seven Years' War, between France and Eng- land. 1759. Capture of Quebec by Wolfe. 1760. Capture of Montreal and Surrender of Canada by France to England. 389 390 APPENDIX 1774. The Quebec Act, extending bounds of Canada from Labrador to the Mississippi, from Hudson 's Bay to the. Ohio. 1775. Taking of Ticonderoga, Crown Point, Forts St. John and Chamblay, and Montreal, by the Americans. American defeat at Quebec. 1783. Treaty of Versailles, establishing boundary be- tween Canada and the United States. 1791. Division of Canada into Upper and Lower. 1812. War between England and the United States, and Canadian victories at Queenston Heights and Chateauguay. 1837-8. Papineau's Rebellion. 1840. Union of Upper and Lower Canada. Recognition by Great Britain of principle of responsible government. 1867. Union Act of 1867 (British North America Act), resulting in Federation of Canada, New Bruns- wick, and Nova Scotia, as the Dominion of Canada. 1870. Province of Manitoba created from land bought of Hudson's Bay Co. 1871. British Columbia added to Federation. 1873. Prince Edward's Island added to Federation. 1876-95. Rupert's Land divided into following districts: Keewatin, Assiniboia, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Athabasca, Mackenzie, Yukon, Ungava, Franklin. 1905. Provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan created from territories of Alberta, Assiniboia, Saskatch- ewan, and Athabasca. 1908. Celebration of ter-centenary of Quebec. APPENDIX 391 APPENDIX II GOVERNORS-GENERAL SINCE CONFEDERATION Viscount Monck. Baron Lisgar. Earl of Duiferin and Ava. Marquess of Lome (now Duke of Argyll). Marquess of Lansdowne. Baron Stanley of Preston (now Earl of Derby). Earl of Aberdeen. Earl of Minto. Earl Grey. PRIME MINISTERS Rt. Hon. Sir John A. Maedonald. (In office for eighteen years.) Hon. Alex. Mackenzie. Hon Sir John Abbott. Rt. Hon. Sir John S. D. Thompson. Hon. Sir Mackenzie Bowell. Hon. Sir Charles Tupper. Rt. Hon. Sir Wilfrid Laurier. PARLIAMENTS 1st, 1867. 6th, 1887. 2d, 1873. 7th, 1891. 3d, 1874. 8th, 1896. 4th, 1879. 9th, 1900. 5th, 1883. 10th, 1904. 392 APPENDIX APPENDIX III. Hymn to Ste. Anne de Beaiipr^, sung by pilgrims wbile approaching the shrine. s S: Vers son sane - tu - ai - re, De - puis deux cents :p=s=q -f'v- ^^E3 i:=t: t=t= ans, La Vierge k sa mfe - re con - duit ses en - Refrain. fants. Dai - gnez, Sainte Anne, en un si beau g i ^— • ^S ¥ jour, De vos en - fants a - gr6 - er Pa En touchant la plage, Nos p6res jadis Lui firent liomniage De ce beau pays. La bont^ de mfere, Depuis ce grand jour, Guarda notre terre Avec grand amour. Ah, soyez propice, Sainte Anne, i nos vceux, Gardez-nous du vice, Rendez-nous pieux. Puisque le Saint P6re A nous vous donna, Montrez-vous la Mfere De ce Canada. INDEX Acadians, Dispersion of the, 369-371 Army, The, in Canada, 37, 205 Bank of Montreal, The, 106- 112 Banking in Canada, 112-116 Bear, Friendly, The, 974-278 Beaver, Canada, The, 215-216 Ber, Mile. Jeanne Le, 145 Bore, The, 309-312 Brosse, Father de la, Legend of, 304 Cadieux, Story of, 52-53 Caliche, The, 193-194 Canada-bird, The, 76-77 Caughnawaga, 119-124 Champlain, 23, 49-51 Chateau de Ramezay, 154-161 Chateau Frontenac, 170-172 Chaudiere Falls, 49-52, 55-58 Chicoutimi, 289-299 Church Treasures, 222-223, 303-304 Citadel, The (Quebec), 204- 206 Clockmaker, The, 362-365 Coal-mine, The Dominion Company's, No. 2, 333-340 Convent, Old, An, 146-147 Cricket, Game of, 149-150 Dalbec, Stories of, 283-285 DoUard, Adam, 80-81 Dominion Government, The, 24-32 Dominion Parliament Build- ings, 21 Duiferin Terrace, 171-173 " En roulant ma boule," 44-47 Evangeline Country, The, 366- 372 Farms, French-Canadian, 167- 169 Federation, The, of the Prov- inces, 33-36 Flag, Canadian, The, 35-36 Fort St. John, Lady of. The, 378-380 Frenchwomen in Canada, 227- 231 Gatineau Point, 38-43 Gerrish, Sarah, Little, Story of, 127-129 Glooscap, Stories of, 351-353 Golden Dog, The, 208-209 Grand Discharge, 279-280 Grand Pre, Village of. The, 368-369 Grey Nunnery, The, 162-165 Haliburton, Judge, 362-365 Halifax, 353-361 393 394 INDEX Hiawatha, 92-93 Hochelaga, 91-93 Holy Stairs at Ste. Anne de Beaupre, 265-267 Hudson's Bay Company, The, 287-296 Huron Missions, 235-240, 249- 251 Indian Captives, 124-127 Indian Lorette, 217-225 Indian Names, 121-122 Iroquois Indians, 51-52, 92-93, 242, 252 Iroquois Tortures, 243-245 Jesuit Experiences, 232-240 Jesuit Martyr, First, The, 247-248 Jesuit Order, The, 226-227 Jogues, Father, 242-247 Kent House, 212 Kittery Point, Maine, 385-386 Lachine Rapids, 84-86 Lacrosse, Game of, 130-139 Lake St. John, 278-280 Laurier, Sir Wilfrid, 253-256 Le Jeune, Father, 232-235 Little Bras d'Or, The, 344-345 Louisbourg, 320-330 Louisbourg, Siege of, 323-335 Lumber-trade, Canadian, The, Origin of, 59-62 Lumbering in Canada, 64-71 Marconi Station, Glace Bay, 320-321, 340-341 Market, Bonsecours (Mon- treal), 140-142 Martello Towers, 183-184 McGill University, 148, 151 Micmacs, The, 349-350 Montagnais Indians, 285-287 Montcalm, Death of, 178-179 Montgomery, Richard, Gen., 180, 182, 189-190 Montmorency Falls, 211-216 Montreal, 87-166 Montreal, British Capture of, 157 Montreal, Founding of, 94-95 Montreal to Quebec, 167-170 Mount Royal, 96-99 Nelson, Horatio, 209-210 Notre Dame, Cathedral of (Montreal), 103-105 Ottawa, 22-75 Ottawa River, 76-86 Ovens, French-Canadian, 282 Papineau's Rebellion, 78-79 Parliament, Opening of, 25-27 Pepperrell, Sir William, 324, 385-386 Place d'Armes (Montreal), 100-101 Plains of Abraham, Battle of, 185-186, 188 Pulpwood, 70-71 Macdonald, Sir John A., 33- 34 Maisonneuve, 94-95, 101 Quebec, 170-225, 253-269 Quebec, British Attempts to Conquer, 175-177 INDEX 395 Quebec, British Conquest of, Sainte Anne de Bellevue, 83 183-189 Snow in Quebec, 201-202 Sydney, 316-318 Revolutionists, American, in Sydney Mines, 318 Canada, 154-156 Rideau Canal, The, 73-74 Riel Rebellion, The, 289-292 Roberval, 271-278 " Running the Slides," 55-58 Tadousac, 302-306 Tariff in Canada, The, 16-17 Time-tables, Nova Scotian, 306- 307 Truro, 312 Verch^res, Madeleine, Story of, 103-103 Village, Algonquin, An, 93 Saguenay, The, 300-301 Saint John, City of, 374-381 Saint Sulpice, Seminary of, 105-106 Sainte Anne, Legends of, 258- Whycocomagh, 346-348 260 Wolfe, James, Gen., 184, 186 Sainte Anne de Beaupre, 257- 187 269 Wright, Philemon, 59-63 By Mary W. Plummer Director of the Pratt Institute Library School Stories of Modern Travel For boys and girls from 10 to 16 years With maps and illustrations from photographs, national songs with music, and index. Large i2mo, each $1.75 net ; by mail, $1.90. Each in special library bindings, 10 cents net additional. JUST ISSUED ROY AND RAY IN CANADA The increasing popularity of the author's book of Mexican travel for children assures a warm welcome to the story of Roy and Ray's trip to the land of Wolfe and Evangeline as it appears to-day. The volume embodies very much that is interesting concerning Canadian history, manners and customs, as well as descriptions that describe and pictures that really illustrate. The book will be useful as a travel guide, but it is primarily intended to cover a hitherto neglected field and should be particularly useful to teachers and school children. RECENTLY ISSUED ROY AND RAY IN MEXICO A story of Mexican travel for children. Roy and Ray Stevens, twins " going on twelve," with their parents, spend a summer in Mexico. The book tells from the children's standpoint what they see and do, and what they learn about Mexico. They visit eight Mexican cities, going as far south as Oaxaca. They meet President Diaz, learn Mexican habits and customs, particularly those of the mass of the population, take part in the Fourth of July celebration of the American colony in the City of Mexico, visit the ruins of Mitla, learn some very interesting Mexican history, and spend much time in comparing things Mexican with things American. Many minor responsibilities of travel are in the children's hands, and they learn much of traveling customs and etiquette. The spirit of travel permeates the book. " Will be welcome to many readers of mature years as well as to the juveniles for whom it is primarily written. . . . Embodies very much that is of interest respecting Mexican history, manners and customs as well as descriptions of scenery. It deserves the widest circulation in this country, and no public library can afford to be without it." — Boston Tratiscript. "Very bright and accurate. . . . All the novel sights of this tropical land come before the vision of these children like a moving-picture show. They visit eight cities, and what they don't see is not worth telling about. . . . Pictures are good and really illustrate." — Mexican Herald CCity of Mexico). If the reader will send his name and address the publishers will, from time to time, send information about theirnew books, Henry Holt & Company, Vwll'f CANADIAN TYPES OF THE OLD REGIME By CHARLES W. COLBY, Professor of History in McGill University. With i8 illustrations. 357 PP- Svo. $2.75 net. A series of papers that has a peculiar timeliness in view of the Champlain celebration. The history of French colonization is grouped around the personalities of Champlain, the explorer; Brebeuf, the missionary; Hebert, the colonist ; D'Iberville, the soldier ; Talon, the intendant ; Laval, the bishop ; Frontenac, the gov- ernor. There are also chapters on the historical back- ground of the subject and the results of the English conquest. THE BUILDERS OF UNITED ITALY By RUPERT SARGENT HOLLAND. With eight portraits. 343 pp. $2,00 net. There is no history more alternately desperate and hopeful than that of the scattered Italian states in their efforts to form a united nation. The men treated in this book — Alfieri, the Poet ; Manzoni, the Man of Let- ters; Gioberti, the Philosopher ; Manin, the "Father of Venice"; Mazzini, the Prophet ; Cavour, the States- man ; Garibaldi, the Crusader ; Victor Emmanuel, the King — represent the most potent forces in this history ; and the reader may follow history from the interesting viewpoints of the great Italian patriots of the nine- teenth century. If the reader will send his name and address, the publishers will send information about their new books as issued. HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY 34 W. 33d St. New York By CARROLL WATSON RANKIN TWO STORIES FOR GIRLS Dandelion Cottage Illustrated by Mmes. Shinn and Finley. $1.50 Four young girls secure the use of a tumble-down cottage, on condition that they shall keep the grounds in order. They set up housekeeping under numerous disadvantages, and have many amusements and queer experiences. '■'A capital story. It is refreshing to come upon an author who can tell us about real little girls, with sensible, ordinary parents, girls who are neither phenomenal nor silly. Simple, wholesome, and withal most entertaining." — Outlook. "The humor of the tale is well borne out in the pictures." — Dial. " The story is one of cheerfulness and fun, and is to be warmly commended as one of the best of the season."— ^c^i-^tiM Herald. "The story is a story for its own sake, brightly and cheerfully told." — Chicago Tribune. The Girls of Gardenville Illustrated by Mary Wellman. i2mo. $1.50 Interesting, amusing, and natural stories of a girls' club — "The Sweet Sixteen" of Gardenville. The doings of these girls at home, among themselves assem- bled, or on excursions, are pleasantly, healthfully, and wholesomely related. " It is pleasant to have another book about a group of merry, natural girls, who have the attractions of innocence and youth- ful faults. 'The Sweet Sixteen ' Club made fudge, and went on picnics, and behaved just as jolly, nice maidens should." — Out- look. '* The same cheerfulness of activity that hovered around ' Dan- delion Cottage' is perceptible around 'The Girls of Garden- ville ' "—C^zca^^ Tribune. " Will captivate as many adults as if it were written for them. . . . The secret of Mrs. Rankin's charm is her naturalness . . . real girls , . . not young ladies with 'pigtails,' but girls of six- teen who are not twenty-five— deserves much credit ... as original as amusing . . . positively refreshing."— ^oj^iiw Tran- script. Henry Holt and Company Publishers (viii "06) New York By MARION A. TAGGART AUTHOR OF " THE LITTLE GREY HOUSE," " MISS LOCHINVAR," ETC. Two Stories for Young Folks DADDY'S DAUGHTERS Illastrated by G. W. BRECK. ^1.50 "Daddy," an admirable, patient, "literary" man, who, like many of his kind, finds it a trifle hard to make both ends meet, and four girls, his daughters, are dis- tinctly individualized. More girls live on the other side of Daddy's garden hedge and have three jolly brothers. Their adventures and home life make a book full of natural, lively young folks and their doings, yet tinged throughout with the delicate refinement of the sympathy between the artistic father and his girls. "A lot of sound, hearty children provide the proper sort of tnn."~N'. V. Sun. " Miss Tag-gart's pleasant story is admirably adapted, not only to the tastes but also to the needs of young girls. May be heartily commended."— Providence Journa/. NUT BROWN JOAN With frontispiece and decorations by BLANCHE OSTERTAG Joan is an energetic, lovable girl, who has all the fun and most of the tro ubles of a member of a large family. Her experiences, when the cares of a house- hold fall on her shoulders, will strongly appeal to any girl's housekeeping instincts ; while her love of fun, and especially her friendships, will find sympathetic re- sponse in the hearts of older boys and girls. " A wholesome and pretty story of a family of young people not the least attractive of whom is their ugly duckling, Nut Brown Joan. Her pleasant fellowship with a boy nicknamed Darby is one of the nice things in this little homely history."— Out/oo/i. " A story for older girls, well worth while, and one which it will be well to bear in mind for a gift at the holiday season."— Brooklyn Eagle. Henry Holt and Company Publishers ^v, '07) New York By JOSEPH B. AMES Western stories for boys from 10 to 16 years Illustrated by VICTOR PERARD Each, $1.50 JUST ISSUED PETE, COW PUNCHER This is another Western tale in which the author and illustrator of " The Treasure of the Canyon " have again combined with still happier results. While orig- inally intended for growing boys, it will also appeal to their elders. Perhaps nowhere else can a more faith- ful picture, absolutely devoid of straining for glamor, be found of the cowboy's life by one who has lived it. Its monotony, hardships, and frequent griminess are clearly shown, but the spice of adventure and mortal peril is not lacking. The story is told from the viewpoint of the tenderfoot who becomes a cow- boy. The tone is manly and elevating, but beautifully escapes any obvious moralizing. RECENTLY ISSUED THE TREASURE of the CANYON A story of adventure in Arizona. i^l-SO Dick Carew, a likable young fellow of sixteen, joins an expedition which is fitted out to search for relics of the Clifif Dwellers in Arizona. The strange appearance of an ancient document, giving the key to the hiding- place of a portion of the treasures of Montezuma, is followed by the search for it through the entire length of the Grand Canyon of the Colorado. Later, Dick and a companion scale the cliffs and start for civiliza- tion to get help. Their subsequent adventures furnish enough thrills for even the most captious boy reader. It is a clean, wholesome story for boys from nine to sixteen years. " A bright, wholesome book . . . full of the joy of youth . . . well-written, readable."— Zo«zJZ'2"//