diff options
| -rw-r--r-- | .gitattributes | 3 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 6732.txt | 3790 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 6732.zip | bin | 0 -> 80596 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | LICENSE.txt | 11 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | README.md | 2 |
5 files changed, 3806 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/6732.txt b/6732.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..830507b --- /dev/null +++ b/6732.txt @@ -0,0 +1,3790 @@ +Project Gutenberg's A Lady's Life on a Farm in Manitoba, by Mrs. Cecil Hall + +Copyright laws are changing all over the world. Be sure to check the +copyright laws for your country before downloading or redistributing +this or any other Project Gutenberg eBook. + +This header should be the first thing seen when viewing this Project +Gutenberg file. Please do not remove it. Do not change or edit the +header without written permission. + +Please read the "legal small print," and other information about the +eBook and Project Gutenberg at the bottom of this file. Included is +important information about your specific rights and restrictions in +how the file may be used. You can also find out about how to make a +donation to Project Gutenberg, and how to get involved. + + +**Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts** + +**eBooks Readable By Both Humans and By Computers, Since 1971** + +*****These eBooks Were Prepared By Thousands of Volunteers!***** + + +Title: A Lady's Life on a Farm in Manitoba + +Author: Mrs. Cecil Hall + +Release Date: October, 2004 [EBook #6732] +[Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] +[This file was first posted on January 20, 2003] + +Edition: 10 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A LADY'S LIFE ON A FARM IN MANITOBA *** + + + + +Produced by Mark Hamann, Juliet Sutherland, Charles Franks +and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. +This file was produced from images generously made available by the +Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions. + + + + +A LADY'S LIFE ON A FARM IN MANITOBA. + +BY MRS. CECIL HALL. + + + + +PREFACE. + +These letters were never intended for publication, and were only +the details written to our family of an every-day life, and now +put in the same shape and composition; not as a literary work, but +in hopes that the various experiences we underwent may be useful +to future colonists intending to emigrate and farm, either in +Manitoba or Colorado. + +M. G. C. H. + + + + +A LADY'S LIFE ON A FARM IN MANITOBA. + + * * * * * + +Queenstown, April 14th. + +What joy! four hours in harbour given us to recruit our emaciated +forms and write you a few lines of our experiences and trials. You +wished us to keep a diary with every detail, which we will try our +best to do, beginning by telling of the cheerless journey to +Liverpool in rain, the elements even seeming to lament our +departure. The bad weather has lasted more or less ever since, +just one gleam of sunshine brightening us up on leaving the wharf, +but we saw nothing of the Mersey or the surroundings. The only +thing that struck us most forcibly was the smallness of our ship, +though it was 6,000 tons. It has just been re-docked and +overhauled, and still smells horribly of paint and full of +workmen, whom, however, we drop here, in exchange for 1,200 +emigrants. These, with about sixty first-class passengers and a +hold full of potatoes, form our cargo. We began life bravely last +night, enjoying a very good dinner, and after playing a rubber of +whist retired to our berths congratulating ourselves on what +excellent sailors we were going to be; but alas!... Dressing this +morning was too difficult, the ship rolled fearfully, even the +friends who came with us thus far, and consider themselves first- +class sailors, think that it will be more prudent to go by train +through Ireland home, instead of waiting for the return boat of +the same line which calls here on Sunday and is to take them to +Liverpool. We almost wish we could turn tail; the prospect of ten +days more of the briny ocean is not what at this moment we most +fancy. However, in the short time we have been in harbour we have +been recruiting to start afresh, and hope for better weather. + + * * * * * + +Mid Atlantic. + +Dearest M. + +I sadly fear I must have contributed more paving-stones for a +certain region; for many good resolutions did I make in starting, +and not one of them has been kept, not even so much as writing +daily a portion of a letter to be sent home from New York. And now +my long story will have to be cut short, and the doings of the +last fifteen days will have to be crowded into a very limited +space; for we are in sight of land, and our excitement can only be +compared to that of school boys the last day of the term. The joy +of landing will not be unmingled with regrets in parting from our +fellow-passengers, with whom we have become fast friends; and we +are inclined mutually to believe in transmigration of souls, and +that we must have known each other in some prior state. Some are +going into Minnesota, three of them having bought 13,000 acres in +the Red River valley, which they are going to farm on a large +scale, and hope in four years to have made fortunes, another owns +mines in Colorado, having been one of the first pioneers of the +San Juan district; he is in a fair way to a princely fortune. I +fear golden apples will not be strewn on our paths, even though we +are bound the furthest west. Fifteen days have we been out of +sight of land; two days out from Queenstown we broke a piston-rod, +which obliged us to lay to, in a fearfully rough sea, for five +hours. Next day one of our four boilers burst, and again another +piston-rod; which accidents, combined with contrary winds and +heavy seas, reduced our speed to nearly half for the remainder of +the journey. Our spirits have not flagged, as, thanks to various +small games such as pitch-and-toss, running races when the ship +was rolling, quoits, and cards, we have not found time unbearably +long. The last few days we have had big sweepstakes on the run of +the ship; but, unfortunately, none of our party have won them. One +evening we had a concert; but you may imagine the talent on board +was not great when they had to call upon one of us to accompany +the _prima donna_, and the other to sing a second in a duet; +another evening we danced--or rather tried to--our band consisting +of a concertina and a flute, played by two of the steerage +passengers, but the vessel rolled so persistently that we often +lost our equilibrium and reeled like drunken men and women. + +I must stop: curiosity bids me go on deck. We shall shortly be in +the quarantine harbour, the entrance of which is said to be very +fine; though I very much doubt our being able to see anything, as, +in spite of being in this much boasted climate of the new world, +it is raining and is dull enough to rejoice the hearts of true +John Bulls like your daughter's. + + * * * * * + +NAVY YARD, NEW YORK, April 30th. + +I hope you will have got our letters sent off by the ship's boat +the night before we were allowed to land, as, though we arrived in +the quarantine harbour at 7 o'clock, it was too late for the +Custom-house and medical officers to inspect us; we therefore had +to lay to, and only moved up to the wharf about 8 o'clock the next +morning. We were greeted by a most kind letter of welcome, and the +first thing we saw as we got to the dock was the Navy Yard Tug +with the Commodore and daughters on board to receive us; and, +thanks to them, we had no difficulties or bothers. The Custom- +house men went through the form of opening two of our boxes and +inquiring into the age of our saddle, which had been used but +looked terribly new, hardly as if it had been in wear six months, +which is the given period for things to pass in free of duty. We +then steamed round New York through much shipping and under a most +marvellous new suspension bridge, which is to join New York and +Brooklyn, to the dockyard; where we had another most hearty +reception from our hostess. They had all been in a fidget at our +being so many days late, and directly the ship was telegraphed off +Sandy Hook the last night, in spite of the pouring rain, the +Commodore had gone down in the tug to the Quarantine Harbour to +try and get us off. + +Since our arrival we have been "doing" New York, and are woefully +disappointed in the size of the streets. Fifth Avenue I expected +to find a Parisian Boulevard with trees lining the "side walks," +instead of houses of all shapes and sizes, which are good inside, +judging by one of the large ones we went to see, but nothing much +from the outside. Day-light in the streets is almost shut out in +the "City" part of the town by the endless telegraph wires and +advertisements hung across, to say nothing of the elevated +railroads built on iron girders, which circulate round at the +height of second-floor windows. We have made a good deal of use of +the railroad; it is pleasanter than our under-ground, the +atmosphere being "rather" clearer, though at first it is startling +to see the twists and curves the trains give to get round the +corners of the streets, and to watch the moving of objects at +about forty feet below you. + +I am not at all surprised people do not care to drive much, as +tramways pass through every street almost, and all are so badly +paved that paint and springs would suffer. The ferry-boats which +ply between the cities, starting every five minutes from different +wharves, astonished us most; waggons, carriages, &c., all drive on +twenty at a time, and three or four hundred foot-passengers, the +latter paying two cents per passage. + +On the whole I think we have seen almost everything that is to be +seen. We spent an afternoon in the Central Park, lunched at both +of Delmonico's restaurants, dined at the invitation of our banker +at "Pinards," where the roses were lovely, the centre bouquet +measuring two feet across, and each lady having different-coloured +bunches on her serviette; a play at Walleck's, theatre both pretty +and well-ventilated, and a most splendid exit, the stalls on the +same level as the street--the whole place seemed to empty itself +in about five minutes; and a day's expedition to Statten Island, +from which we had a lovely view of New York, its surroundings, and +the whole harbour. To-morrow we are to go for three nights to +Washington, returning here to start westwards on Monday, though +everybody tells us we are going too early in the year. The spring +in Manitoba has been very late. A----, writing on the 26th of +April, says they are just starting work, but cannot do much at +present on account of the water from the melted snow not having +run off. The rivers have broken up. The Red River carried away one +of the two bridges at Winnipeg. He happened to be in town at the +time, and although he didn't see the bridge go, saw it afterwards +and the jam. The ice was blocked for about a mile above, tumbling +all over the place, making the river rise about ten feet an hour, +washing out all the neighbouring houses. It lasted about ten +hours, then crash it all went, floating quietly down the stream, +the water receding at the same time. There has been so much snow +this year, which makes everything backward; but it has all gone in +a week. It must be quite marvellous how quickly it disappears, as, +going from one farm to the other, distance about seven miles, +starting at 4 o'clock A.M. with the thermometer showing twenty +degrees of frost, when the sun got up it was so hot he, A----, +couldn't get back. Next morning, starting equally early, he only +travelled two miles; the snow was so soft the horses sank at every +step above their knees. He was trying to take a sledge-load of hay +over to his "Boyd" farm. The cattle there having run very short +lately, they even had to take some of the thatching, which was of +hay, off the roof of the stable to feed the animals. We may have +difficulty in getting up to Winnipeg, as the railroad is washed +away within about eighty miles of the place, and the passengers +are transferred to a steamer, which takes them twenty miles to +another train. There was a fear of famine in Winnipeg, as no +provisions could be got up. Lots of emigrants, when they saw the +water, turned back. Good-night, we have packing to do to be off +early in the tug which takes us over to Jersey city to catch our +train to Washington at 10 o'clock on the Pennsylvanian Railway. +The Commodore's son, who is home on leave, goes with us, and we +have many introductions. We are bidden to a reception at the White +House, and have been vainly endeavouring to get into some of our +hostess's smart gowns; but, alas! they are all too short, so we +shall have to be content with our own black foulards. + + * * * * * + +RIGG'S HOUSE, WASHINGTON, May 2nd. + +We had our first experience of drawing-room cars coming down here, +with very comfortable arm-chairs, and one seems to do the journey +of 200 miles easily, in about six hours, through very pretty +country. I never saw such people as Americans for advertising; all +along the line, on every available post or rail, you see, "Chew +Globe Tobacco," "Sun Stove Polish," &c. + +We enjoyed the reception at the White House. Our invitation was +from 8 to 10 o'clock P.M.: we arrived before the doors were open, +and had to wait some few minutes in the entrance, which is glazed +in, and where the drums of our ears were sorely tried by a noisy +military band, which when you get into the rooms and at a distance +sounded well, but not just alongside. After depositing our cloaks, +we filed by two and two past the President, shaking hands with him +and the wife of the Secretary of State, who receives when there is +no Mrs. President, and then wandered through the six remaining +rooms, being introduced to several people as Mrs. H---- of +England, and Miss W---- of England, which we thought would not +convey much to their minds excepting that we were two very un-smart +Englishwomen; though we were much consoled about our clothes +which did not look so peculiar, every sort of costume being worn, +even to bonnets. No refreshments are given, so that we were glad +that supper was included in the "Menu du jour" at our Hotel. + +I shall not pretend to describe Washington to you. Any guide-book +would give a more satisfactory account, but it is much more my +idea of a city of the New World; the streets are well paved, are +nice and broad; then the houses are generally standing in their +own grounds, with trees and flowers; altogether it may be called +an "elegant" city. The people were most kind and civil to us. One +afternoon we made two "cabinet" calls on ministers, but the other +afternoon we went for a drive across the Potomac to Arlington, the +ancestral place of the Lees, which was confiscated after the war +and is now a soldier's burying-ground. It has an exquisite view +across the river. The only thing that distressed us was the +bearing-reins on the nice little pair of chesnuts in the buggy. +The reins are crossed over their nose, passed between the ears, +and fastened tight to the saddle, which forces the head right back +and nearly saws the mouth in two. We never rested until we had +loosened them, which was supposed to be the reason why the horses +broke in their trot afterwards, as they were supposed to require a +support. + +The weather has been quite delightful, bright sunny days but not +hot; and if only the houses and hotels were not kept at such a +suffocating temperature, we should be very happy both in and out +of doors. The artificial heat has completely knocked us up in +Brooklyn. We had a lovely big room with a large bay window besides +another window, where we often retired for a blow of fresh air; +the result has been that we both have had bad crying colds. + + * * * * * + +CHICAGO, May 11th. + +We are now half way to Manitoba, and have really done the journey +thus far so easily that it seems nothing of a drag; and if it +wasn't for the Atlantic, A---- would not seem to be at the end of +the world, which we fancied whilst in England. + +We left Brooklyn on Wednesday morning, very sorry to part from the +Commodore and his family, who have been most kind and friendly, +trying their best to make us feel at home. Unfortunately, having +only just got the appointment and lately taken up their residence +at the Navy Yard, they could do no entertaining. Anyhow, we have +had a very pleasant insight into the home life of America, which +differs in small ways a good deal from ours, and in character, +habits, and everything there is a widish gulf between the two +races. + +Our train here was a splendid one, stopping only about sixteen +times, and doing the nine hundred miles in thirty-six hours. We +had a section in the Pullman, which makes a double seat facing +each other by day, and at night the two seats are converted into a +bed, with the second bed pulled down from the roof, on which +mattresses, blankets, and sheets are all arranged with a +projecting board at the head and foot, and a curtain in front, so +that one is quite private, and we slept like tops. We had also a +dining-car on, where every luxury of the season, to strawberries +and cream, were served by the blackest of niggers in the whitest +of garments, for the sum of a dollar a head per meal. + +Only fancy our delight, after leaving Harrisburgh about 3 o'clock +in the afternoon, to find friends in the train, people from an +adjoining county in England who knew all our friends, and with +whom we had much in common. I need hardly tell you that we did +"chin" it until our ways parted at this station, they going to the +Grand Pacific, we to the Treemont which had been recommended to us +as being a quieter hotel for ladies alone. + +Men make these hotels their club, where they smoke and lounge all +day; but as there is a second door for ladies, one is not bothered +in any way unless you want to go to the office for information. + +We are astonished at the enormous piles of buildings in this city; +land, one would think, must be cheap. All the shops cover an +equally large area, though, in many, several offices are on one +floor. It is too marvellous to think, when one looks at this +place, that three and a half square miles in the centre of the +town, which is now in regular handsome broad streets, the fire of +eleven years ago should have so completely burnt everything to the +ground, though now not a vestige of the conflagration is left. The +houses have even had time to get quite blackened with the smoke of +the soft coal they use, which is found in great quantities all +through Pennsylvania; the mines and furnaces we passed on our way +up. + +The country the whole way was very pretty. We crossed the +Susquehana river, which is grand in width and scenery, and started +the Juanita through a chain of mountains turning in and out with +every bend of the river, so that one felt always on the slant and +could generally see either end of the train. Unfortunately it +poured with rain the whole way, so any distant views or tops of +mountains were invisible. Some of the country is like England, +undulating, rolling, well-cultivated fields, enclosed with +pailings which overlap each other and would be awkwardish +obstacles in a hunting country; but one misses, like abroad, the +cattle--we saw one or two stray cows, but little else. Around +Chicago it is a flat plain, and, as there has been a good deal of +rain lately, water is out everywhere. For the last hour of our +journey we came through the suburbs, and, as there is no +protection whatsoever to the line, we had to come very slowly +(about seven miles an hour), ringing a great bell attached to the +engine to announce our arrival, as children, cows, vans, &c. go +along the line in the most promiscuous way; it is extraordinary +that more accidents do not happen. By law, I believe, the train +ought to go very slowly wherever lines cross each other; anyhow +they must ring the bell, the result being that the bells seem +going all day when you are anywhere near the station. We were +given introductions to one or two people here, one gentleman +putting himself at our disposal to show us "around straight away;" +and we visited the principal shops, streets, park, which is land +reclaimed from the lake, and the tramways, which are worked with a +pulley from a centre about six miles off. A Chinaman in San +Francisco was once heard to describe the said tramways as "No +horsey, no steamy, go helly." + +The weather has, unfortunately, been wet and much against sight- +seeing, the streets in consequence are too indescribably dirty, +mud inches deep, and everyone is so busy making money that they +have not time to pull up those who are responsible and insist on +the streets being cleaned, though the money is yearly voted by the +municipality, and generally supposed to be pocketed by the +authorities. We leave this to-night for St. Paul, much impressed +on the whole with Chicago. There are one or two more sights I +should like to have seen, such as the two tunnels under the river, +but I fancy one leaks and the other is unusable for some other +reason. I should also have liked to have been to one of the +Niggers' revival meetings; but not to the pork manufactory, where +pigs go in alive, are killed and cured ready for exportation in +less than twenty minutes. Our friends went there this morning, and +the descriptions they gave were not particularly inviting. The +lady hadn't been able to touch a mouthful of food all day +afterwards, and declared it would be years before she could eat +pork. I also have been dying to see a house on the move, but had +to content myself with looking at a large brick house, which not +three years ago had been moved back 150 yards bodily. Chicago is +getting too old a city, and ground is too expensive, for people to +be able to change the sites of their houses when the fancy takes +them; in St. Paul or Winnipeg we may have the satisfaction of +meeting one coming down the street. + + * * * * * + +THE MERCHANT'S HOTEL, ST. PAUL, May 16. + +We left Chicago Friday night for this place at about 9 o'clock, +and, thanks to a letter of recommendation to the conductor, two +lower berths were assigned to us, and we even had the privilege of +not having the uppers pulled down. It is a curious regulation in +the Pullman cars, that should the upper not be tenanted it must be +opened or else paid for by the occupant of the lower; so unless +one takes a whole section one is bound to have a great board just +above one's head, which in nine cases out of ten prevents our +sitting up in bed, and one never can have much ventilation. + +We were awoke earlier on Saturday morning than we either of us +quite appreciated, to be in time for breakfast at La Crosse at 7 +o'clock. La Crosse is a large settlement of sawmills on the banks +of the Mississippi, for cutting up the wood brought down by the +curiously flat-bottomed steamers worked by a paddle in stern the +same width as the boat, and which push innumerable rafts of wood +before them. We saw several of these steamers, and were detained +for a long time on the bridge which crosses the Mississippi, said +to be a mile and a quarter long, whilst the farther end of it was +drawn aside to allow of two steamers passing through. Our railroad +skirted the banks of the river, and we were very excited at seeing +an Indian and his squaw in a canoe going down stream. The +conductor of the car conversed with us a good deal the whole way, +was most anxious to know all about our comings and goings, and +told us he would be glad to "learn the train by which we returned, +as no ladies would ever be allowed to leave Manitoba." +Unfortunately we took his advice about the hotels in this place, +and on arriving came to the wrong inn. This one is the most +frequented, being close to the station, but certainly is not as +pleasant, either as regards company or situation, as the other, +the Metropolitan. We found one of our fellow Atlantic passengers +at the last-named, and I never saw anyone so genuinely glad to see +friends. He is one of the three men we told you about, who have +invested in thirteen thousand acres in Minnesota. He is down here +trying to hurry the contractors who are to build their houses and +stables at Warren; also to buy farming implements and lumber. His +horses and mules he intends buying at St. Louis. He gives a most +vivid account of all the roughing they have under gone. They are +living in a small way-side inn, nine men in one room with no +furniture. One of them managed one night to get hold of a +stretcher in lieu of a bed, and just as he was settling down to +his first beauty-sleep a carter came and told him to move on, as +the stretcher was his. He suggested that as we are to pass Warren +we should pay them a visit on our way up; that he would take up a +tent and furniture, besides provisions; but I do not think it +sounds inviting enough, as, though I do believe we should do the +community a good turn, besides the pleasure of our company, they +would have a tent and a few luxuries after our departure, instead +of feeding, as they daily do, on beans and bacon, living in a +filthy hotel and having had nothing to wash in until they bought +themselves a bucket. Last night, just after we had gone to bed, a +loud knock was made at our door, and a man asked "if we intended +getting up to-night," at which we were furious; but he persisted +in the most determined way in questioning us as to whether "it +wasn't Mrs. H----'s room," and we had time to get more than angry +before we recognised A----'s voice and simultaneously both jumped +out of bed to receive him, _en deshabille_. It is very nice +of him coming all this way, four hundred miles, to meet us. He +looks much the same as ever, only as brown as a berry from the +reflection of a fortnight's sun on the snow. He is wonderfully +cheery, seems glad to see us, has so many questions to ask of you +all, and swears by the healthiness of the Canadian climate and the +life they lead at the farm. We are none of us ever to be sick or +sorry again! + +We have been a long drive to-day, starting at 11 o'clock, and only +back just in time to do our last packing, send off this letter, +and dine before we go on to Winnipeg at about 7 o'clock. We drove +across a bridge on the Missouri to Fort Snelldon, a miniature +Aldershot, with huts and tents, and a beautiful stretch of grass +for manoeuvres or galloping, on to the Minhaha Falls, where, we +stayed some time gazing and admiring and even walking under the +falls. The volume of water falling seemed extraordinary, but was +completely eclipsed by the falls of St. Anthony at Minneopolis, +which we saw later. The latter originally fell perpendicularly; +but to utilise them for the enormous saw-mills built at the +water's edge they have been under-planked, so that the water goes +down in a slant. We were most fascinated by the sight, and watched +the torrent from various points of view. + +Minneopolis is much like other Western towns we have seen, semi- +detached houses standing in their own grounds, the grass in many +instances well kept, but utterly destitute of flowers, which one +misses so much. This place, St. Paul's, is beautifully situated, +built on both sides of the river, the banks of which are very +steep. Good-night; in twenty-four hours more we hope to be at our +destination in the far North-west. But we are not to go out +immediately to the farm, as we are arriving rather earlier than +A---- expected, and the men who have been living with him all the +winter cannot turn out before Friday to make room for us; so we +are to stay in Winnipeg for a day or two. + + * * * * * + +WINNIPEG, May 18th. + +Here we are, and we do feel ourselves really landed in the far +North, after a most prosperous journey the whole way. We arrived +"quite on time" last night, rather an unusual thing with these +trains, particularly since the floods, when the passengers were +dependent on the steamer, we saw yesterday as we passed high and +dry on the prairie, which had to convey them from one train to +another across the floods close to St. Vincent. + +O the prairie! I cannot describe to you our first impression. Its +vastness, dreariness, and loneliness is appalling. Very little is +under cultivation between this and St. Paul, so that only a house +here and there breaks the line of horizon. There are a few cotton +and aspen trees along the Red River Valley, but with that +exception the landscape for the last fifteen hours' travelling has +been like the sea on a very smooth day, without a beginning or an +end. + +We were met at the station here by one of A----'s friends, who +drove us out about a mile and a half from the town across the +Assiniboine over a suspension bridge built exactly opposite the +old Fort Garry, and somewhere close to the spot where our first +English pioneers must have landed from the river steamer some +twelve years ago to a very comfortable house belonging to another +mutual friend, a dear kind old gentleman whose wife and daughter +being away has placed the whole house at our disposal until we can +get out to the farm, which we find is sixteen miles off. + +It will be very difficult to describe everything to you. To begin +with, the depot or station presented a curious appearance, such +crowds of men loafing about with apparently no other object but to +watch the new arrivals; so different to English stations where +everyone seems in a hurry either coming or going. And then the +roads we had to drive along defy description. The inches (no other +word) of mud, and the holes which nearly capsize one at every +turn. Even down Main Street the roads are not stoned or paved in +any way. We bumped a good deal in our carriage, and for +consolation at any worse bumping than usual were told, "This is +nothing, wait until you get stuck in a mud-hole out west." Then +our route, thanks to the floods which have been very bad this year +and are still out enormously--the upper floors of two-storied +houses only being visible in many places,--was most intricate. We +had to be pioneered over a ditch into a wood, supposed to be +cleared, with the stumps of trees left sticking about six inches +out of the ground for your wheels to pass over, on to a track, and +then through a potato garden to the house. + +We were quite ready for our supper, it being about 8 o'clock when +we got here; and the food at Glyndon, where we stopped twenty +minutes in the middle of the day to "put away" the contents of +sixteen dishes of some various mess or another, had not been of +the most inviting of meals; and though the chops here were the +size of a small leg of mutton and had the longest bones I ever +saw, hunger was the best of appetisers, and we did credit to our +meal, which had been cooked by our host. + +This morning we were awoke by the same kind person depositing a +can of water at our door for our baths. He gets up very early, as +he has to fetch the water, milk the cow, feed the calf, etc., all +before breakfast and starting off for his office. + +There is a man-servant here who gets 5 to 6 pounds a month, apparently +to do nothing, as he is the only one on the premises who can +afford to be idle and smoke his pipe of peace; but servants are so +difficult to get in this country, and our host being on the move, +having got a better Government appointment at Perth, is anxious +not to change now, so, like everybody else, puts up with anything. +The last servant they had in this house was the son of a colonel +in the English Army, who was described as "a nice boy but very +lazy"; but this man-servant hasn't even the recommendation of +being nice. He was out at the farm working for his board and +lodging, and no wages for some months, but A---- could not stand +his idleness. + +We all had to cook our breakfasts this morning, and as everyone +was, by way of helping, either making toast, poaching the eggs, +cooking hunks of bacon, or mending up the fire, the stove was +pronounced much too small. The moment we had finished our meal we +had to retire upstairs and make the beds and tidy up a little; a +half-breed woman living about half-a-mile off is supposed to come +in for an hour and wash up and clean the house, but if it is bad +weather she is unable to get through the mud; therefore when the +ladies of the establishment are away the house is left a good deal +to its own devices, the dust and cobwebs not often disturbed. + + * * * * * + +C---- FARM, May 21st. + +Our last letter to you was written with the first impression of +our colonist life whilst in Winnipeg, where we had a very good +insight of the way English people will rough it when they come +out. It would horrify our farmers to have to do what gentlemen do +out here. They are all their own servants. That lazy servant in +Winnipeg, we were told, gave notice to leave, because one night he +was requested to keep the kitchen fire in so that we might have a +kettle of hot water when we went to bed. + +We spent as little time as we could at our suburban residence, so +as to save him any extra trouble, always lunching and sometimes +dining in Winnipeg; and though all the restaurants are bad, still +the food was almost as good as what we cooked ourselves. Our chief +mistake for our first meals was that we put everything on the fire +at the same time, and, funnily enough, our fish boiled quicker +than the sausages, and they again much quicker than the pudding. +Once there was a bread-and-butter one, about which there has been +a good deal of chaff, as it was supposed to be first cousin to +bread-and-milk! + +The weather was very bad, constant rain, and we had a fair specimen of +Winnipeg mud. To these buckboards (which is a buggy with a board +behind for luggage), or to any of the carriages, there are no wings to +protect one from the mud, so that we always came in bespattered all +over, a great trial to our clothes. But in spite of the rain and bad +weather we were determined to come out here on Friday. We hired a +democrat, a light waggon with two seats, and started during the +afternoon in the rain, hoping it might clear which it eventually did +when we were about a third of our way. It was awfully cold, and the +jolting of the carriage over the prairie so fearful that our wraps +were always falling off. I had always understood the prairie was so +beautifully smooth to drive over; but found it much resembling an +English arable field thrown out of cultivation, with innumerable +mole-hills and badger-holes, and natural cracks about an inch wide, +which drain the water off into the marshes. If your carriage is +heavily weighted it runs pretty easy; but woe betide you if driving by +yourself--you bump up and down like a pea on a shovel. + +We nearly upset, shortly after leaving Winnipeg, as a house was on +the move, or, more properly speaking, had been, as it was stuck in +a mud-hole; a load of hay, trying to get round it, had stuck as well; +and the only place given us to pass was fearfully on the slant down to +a deepish dyke, into which a buggy had already capsized. We caught the +first glimpse of our future home eight miles off, the house and +stables looking like three small specks on the horizon. It is very +difficult to judge distances on the prairie, and the nearer we seemed +to get to our destination the further the houses were removed. The +farm had an imposing appearance as we drove up to it. Mr. B----, who +met us at the gate, was most anxious that on arrival we should be +driven to the front door and not to the kitchen one, which, being the +nearest, is the handiest. He, poor man, has given up his bed and +dressing-room to us, and we find ourselves very comfortable. + + * * * * * + +C---- FARM, May 24. + +The two young men, Messrs. H---- and L----, who inhabit a tent +about two miles from here, and who are building themselves a +stable, are going into Winnipeg to-morrow for more lumber; and as +I don't know when I shall have another opportunity of sending +letters in, I send you a few lines. These two men have been living +with A---- all the winter, and only turned out for us the day we +arrived. It was such bad weather they hoped and speculated on our +not coming; so that when we were seen in the distance there was a +general stampede to clear out. I must say I should have been very +loth to turn out, during this cold weather, of a comfortable house +into a tent, and, had I been they, should have wished us somewhere. We +have already had a taste of the cold in these regions. Friday, when we +drove out here, was bad enough; but on Saturday, when E---- and A---- +went into town again to take our carriage back, they were nearly +frozen with the biting wind and sleet they had to face the whole of +the sixteen miles home. On Sunday the thermometer was down to 22, or +ten degrees of frost, with a bitter north-west wind, and we had an +inch of snow on the ground; and though the sun melted most of it, the +thermometer at night went down again to 24. I don't think I ever felt +so cold in bed, in spite of a ton weight of clothes. Luckily the +stoves are still up in the house--in summer they are generally put +away in the warehouse to give them room--so that we have been able to +make a light both night and day. We are told the weather is most +unusual; anyhow, it is mighty cold. Those poor men in the tent +have suffered a good deal; one night the pegs to the windward +gave, and the snow drifted against their beds as high as their +pillows. They luckily have got a stove, but are obliged to leave +their door open to allow of the pipe going out; unfortunately they +have no extra tin or iron to put on the canvas round the pipe, +which is the usual way to prevent it catching fire. + +To describe our life here will take some doing, and, after the +novelty has worn off, it will not amuse us quite so much; nor +shall we be so keen of helping our Abigail, who is the wife of the +carpenter and maid-of-all-work, in everything, excepting that she +must always have a great deal to do for a large household like +ours, consisting of four men and our two selves, and we shall +always want employment, and I don't think we shall either of us +care to ride or drive much. + +We have fallen into it (the life) wonderfully quickly; completely +sunk the lady and become sort of maids-of-all-work. Our day begins +soon after 6 o'clock by laying the breakfast, skimming the cream, +whilst our woman is frying bacon and making the porridge for the +breakfast at 6.30. Mr. B---- and A---- are out by 5 o'clock, in +order to water, feed, and harness their horses all ready to go out +at 7 o'clock, when we get rid of all the men. We then make the +beds, help in the washing-up, clean the knives, and this morning I +undertook the dinner, and washed out some of the clothes, as we +have not been able to find a towel, duster, or glass-cloth, whilst +Mrs. G---- cleaned out the dining-room. The dirt of the house is, +to our minds, appalling; but as Mrs. G---- only arrived a few days +before we did, and all the winter the four men were what is called +in this country "baching it" (from bachelor), namely, having to do +everything for themselves, it is, perhaps, not surprising that the +floors are rather dirty and that there is a little dust. The +weather is much against our cleaning, as the mud sticks to the +boots and, do what you will, it is almost impossible to get it +off; not that the men seem to have thought much about it, as, +until we arrived and suggested it, there was no scraper to either +door. Poor Mr. B---- was rather hurt in his feelings this morning +on expressing some lament at the late sharp frosts, that all his +cabbages would be killed, when we said that it was a pity he had +sown them out of doors, as he might almost have grown them on the +dining-room carpet. He also amuses us by lamenting that he did so +much cleaning and washed the floors so often; he might just as +well have left it until we arrived. Our time is well filled up +until dinner, at 12.30, at which we have such ravenous appetites, +we are told, no profits made on the farm will pay our keep. At +half-past 1 when the men turn out again, we generally go out with +them, and some out-door occupation is found for us; either driving +the waggons or any other odd jobs. There is a lot of hay littered +about, and that has to be stacked; also the waste straw or rubbish +which is burnt, and the fires have to be made up. Three-quarters +of an hour before either dinner or supper (the latter meal is +about half-past 6) a flag, the Union Jack, is hoisted at the end +of the farther stable--if neither A---- nor Mr. B---- is about, we +undertake to do it--to call the men in; and they declare the horses +see the flag as soon as they do and stop directly. The class of horse +here is certainly not remarkable for its good looks; but they are +hard, plucky little beasts, and curiously quiet. The long winter makes +them, as well as all the other animals, feel a dependence upon man, +and they become unusually tame. The cows, cats, and everything follow +the men about everywhere. They used to have to keep the kitchen door +shut to prevent one of the cows walking in. A---- has got a jolly old +cat who follows him like a dog, sleeps on his bed, and sits next to +him at meals. Mr. B---- has a dear colley with whom he carries on long +conversations, particularly on the subject of the coolness of the +morning and the water in his bath; so you see we have plenty of animal +life about. The men at the tent have a black water-spaniel, which +greatly prefers our fare and warm house to the tent, so is nearly +always here. + + * * * * * + +May 25th. + +We over-slept ourselves this morning, it being a dull day and no +sun to wake us up, so that it was past 6 before any of us made our +appearance. The way we work here would rejoice Uncle F----'s heart +and amaze some of our farmers' wives and daughters. My advice to +all emigrants is to leave their pride to the care of their +families at home before they start, and, like ourselves, put their +hand to everything. We have had some funny experiences; but for +all our hard work we get no kudos or praise, it is all taken as a +matter of course. I would not live in such a place for worlds, but +while it lasts it is great fun; and I think we have done good by +coming out, if only to mend up all the old rags belonging to these +four men. We were much in want of dusters, etc., the first days, +and were told that when the three months' wash which was in +Winnipeg returned we should find everything we wanted, instead of +which there was a fine display of torn under-linen, and stockings +by the dozens, which we have been doing our best to patch up and +darn, but no house linen. We shall do as much washing as we +possibly can manage at home, I expect, as the prices are so +fearful, to say nothing of the inconvenience of being ages without +one's linen. I will just quote a few of the prices from our bill +of the Winnipeg Steam Laundry. Shirts 15 cents, night ditto 10 +cents, vests and pants 25 to 50 cents, blankets 50 cents, +counterpanes 35 cents, table-cloths 15 to 35 cents, sheets 10 +cents, pillow-slips 5 to 15 cents, night-dresses 15 cents to 1 +dollar, petticoats 30 cents to 1 dollar, etc., everything in +proportion. We thought one dollar per dozen all round was +exorbitant, but when hardly anything is less than eightpence (as a +cent, according to the exchange, is more than a halfpenny) it +seems ruinous. + +We get 4 dollars 80 cents only for the sovereign here, being +tenpence short of the five dollars. + + * * * * * + +May 28th. + +Our weather is improving, to-day has been lovely; but alas! with +the warmth have come the mosquitoes. I don't believe you will ever +see us again; they (the mosquitoes) bite so fearfully, even in the +day-time, that they will devour us up entirely. A---- is having +wire coverings made for the doors and windows; but, unfortunately, +owing to the floods after the melting of the snow, all the stores +which ought to have arrived in Winnipeg a month ago have been +delayed, and the shops are very short of goods of all sorts and +kinds. There are said to be 4,000 cars with provisions, etc. +between this and St. Paul. A---- and I spent an afternoon at the +other farm, "Boyd," which he rents of a Mr. Boyd, three thousand +acres for 40 pounds a year. It is covered with low brushwood with a +few trees here and there, and a good deal of marsh, and therefore +unfit for cultivation, so they keep it entirely for their cattle +and for the cutting of hay in summer. It is a much prettier place +than this, the house being surrounded by trees, whereas here we +haven't one within seven miles, though last year they did their +best and planted nearly five hundred round the house as avenues to +the drive; but only a few survived the drought of last autumn and +severe cold of winter, the rest are represented by dead sticks. We +tried to see the cattle at Boyd's, but they were away feeding on +the marsh and could only be looked at from a distance, as we +neither of us felt inclined to run the chance of being bogged or +of wetting our feet. + +In coming home we called at the tent, and I was surprised to find +how quickly Messrs. H---- and L---- were building their stable, +which is to be large enough to hold two stalls and a room beyond, +which, when they have a house, will make a good loose-box; but for +the time being they intend to live in, either sleeping in the loft +or tent. + +To build a house or stable is not very difficult; but with no +carpenter or experienced man to help it wants a certain amount of +ingenuity. You lay out your foundation by putting thick pieces of +oak called "sills" on the ground in the shape of your house. In +town these "sills" are nailed to posts which have been driven +eight feet into the ground; but on the prairie are simply laid on +the flat; on to the sills come the joists, planks 2 x 6 placed on +edge across, two feet apart. Then the uprights, which stand on the +sills two feet apart, form the walls. To these you nail rough +boards on each side, with a layer of tar-paper in between if +building a stable; if a dwelling-house, on the inside you put +against your rough board, laths, and then plaster, on the outside +the tar-paper and siding. + +The floor is made by nailing rough boards on the joists, then +tar-paper, and on the top of that tongued and grooved wood fitting +into each other, to make it air-tight. + +The roofs, which are almost always pointed on account of the snow, +are composed of rafter 2 x 4, two to three feet apart, with rough +boards across, then tar-paper and shingles; the latter are thin, +flat pieces of wood laid on to overlap each other. + +We send you a small sketch of our buildings, which will give you a +better idea of these "frame" houses than any description. They can +be bought ready-made at Chicago, and are sent up with every piece +numbered, so that you have no difficulty in putting them together +again. + +Our own house is twenty-four feet square with a lean-to as +kitchen. The dining and drawing-rooms are each twelve feet square, +separated by sliding-doors; A----'s bedroom, the entrance-hall, +and stair-case dividing the remainder of the house. Our front-door +is not quite in the centre; but, thanks to the verandah, one does +not perceive it. Above, looking due south, we have a bed-room, +dressing-room, and large cupboard for our clothes. There are two +other rooms at the back for the men. + +The other house is for the labourers, of whom there are eleven, with +a woman as cook, the wife of one of them; it is also for a warehouse, +where all the spare implements and stores are kept. + +Besides these houses we have two good stables, one holding +fourteen horses, the other the remaining six (also the cows, pigs, +and chickens during the winter); piggeries; and last, but not +least, my chicken-house. A---- has presented me with a dozen hens, +for which he had to pay thirteen dollars, which with the seven old +ones are my special charge, and are an immense amusement and +occupation. + +His farm here, as he has other land elsewhere besides the Boyd +Farm, consists of 480 acres; half of one section and a fourth of +another. + +All the surveyed country in the North-west Territory has been +divided into townships thirty-six square miles, and they again +into sections of a mile square, which are marked out by the +surveyors with earth mounds thrown up (at the four corners) in the +form of right-angled pyramids, with a post about three feet high +stuck in the centre. The mounds are six feet square, with a square +hole on each side. To the marking of sections a similar mound is +erected, only of smaller dimensions. + +The sections are numbered as shown by the following diagram:-- + + N + +----+----+----+----+----+----+ + | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | + +----+----+----+----+----+----+ + | 30 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 | + +----+----+----+----+----+----+ + | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | + W +----+----+----+----+----+----+ E + | 18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | + +----+----+----+----+----+----+ + | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | + +----+----+----+----+----+----+ + | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | + +----+----+----+----+----+----+ + S + + +The Townships are numbered in regular order northerly from the +International Boundary line or 49th parallel of latitude, and lie +in ranges numbered east and west from a certain meridian line, +drawn northerly from the said 49th parallel, from a point ten +miles or thereabouts westward of Pembina. + +When the Government took over the territory from the Hudson Bay +Company in 1870, two entire sections in every fifth township and +one and three-quarters in every other, were assigned to the +Company as compensation. There were also two sections reserved as +endowment to public education, and are called School Lands, and +held by the minister of the Interior, and can only be sold by +public auction. + +The same was done for the half-breeds; 240 acres were allotted to +them in every parish. Their farms are mostly on the rivers, along +the banks of which all the early settlers congregated; and to give +each claimant his iota the farms had to be cut up into long strips +of four miles long by four hundred yards wide. + +On every section-line running north and south and to every +alternate running east and west nine feet, or one chain, is left +for roads. Our farm-buildings are not quite in the centre of the +estate, on account of having to make the drive up to the house +beyond the marsh on the eastern boundary. + +I have drawn you a plan of the farm; the spaces covered with +little dots are the marshes: the one on the west extends for +miles, and has a creek or dyke dug out by Government to carry off +the water. From the drawing it looks as if there was much marsh +around us; but this bit of ground was the driest that could be +found not already taken up. As it was, A---- purchased it of a man +who has some more land nearer Winnipeg, giving him five dollars +per acre. The Nos. 30 and 31 mean the sections of the townships. + +For emigrants wishing to secure a "homestead," which is a grant of +160 acres given by Government free, with the exception of an +office-fee, amounting to ten dollars on all the even-numbered +sections of a town-ship, he will now have to travel much further +west, as every acre around Winnipeg is already secured, and has in +the last two years risen most considerably in value. + +The Canadian Pacific Railroad Company, which was given by Government +25,000,000 acres, besides the 25,000,000 dollars to make the line +across the country from Thunder Bay on Lake Superior to the Rockies, +sell their land (which is on odd-numbered sections of every township +for twenty-four miles on each side of the track, with the exception of +the two sections, 11 and 29, reserved for school-lands) for two +dollars fifty cents, or ten shillings per acre, to be paid by +instalments, giving a rebate of one dollar twenty-five cents, or five +shillings per acre, if the land is brought into cultivation within the +three or five years after purchase. + +A man occupying a "homestead" is exempt from seizure for debt, +also his ordinary furniture, tools, and farm implements in use, +one cow, two oxen, one horse, four sheep, two pigs, and food for +the same for thirty days; and his land cultivated, provided it is +not more than the 160 acres; also his house, stables, barns and +fences; so that if a man has bad luck, he has a chance of +recovering his misfortunes. + +In one of your letters you ask if a poor man coming out as labourer, +and perhaps eventually taking up land as a homestead or otherwise, +would encounter many difficulties. I fancy not, as both the English +and Canadian Governments are affording every facility to emigrants, +who can get through tickets from London, Liverpool, or Ireland at even +a lower rate than the ordinary steerage passenger. They can have +themselves and their families booked all the way, the fares varying +from nine pounds five to the twenty-eight pounds paid by the saloon. + +On board ship the steerage have to find their own bedding and +certain utensils for use; otherwise everything else is provided, +and, I am told, the food is both good and plenty of it. Regular +authorised officers of the Dominion Government are stationed at +all the principal places in Canada, to furnish information on +arrival. They will also receive and forward money and letters; and +everyone should be warned and put on their guard against the +fictitious agents and rogues that infest every place, who try to +persuade the new-comers into purchase of lands or higher rates of +wage. + +We heard the other day of an English gentlemen being taken in by +one of these scoundrels, and giving a lot of money for land which +on examination proved to be worthless. Luckily for him, there was +some flaw in his agreement, and his purchase was cancelled. Men +who intend buying land should be in no great hurry about their +investments; the banks give a fair percentage on deposits, and it +is always so much more satisfactory to look around before +settling. + +E---- has been very busy arranging the garden; a most fatiguing +process, as she has to cart all her own sods to make a foundation +and then heap soil on to them; but having brought a quantity of seeds +from England she feels bound to sow them, and hopes they will make a +grand show later on, and the place quite gay. You should have seen the +beam of delight which shone on the countenance of a stranger who had +come out from Winnipeg for the night, when on arrival he was +immediately pressed into E----'s service to carry water for these said +seeds. The temperature is now at 64 degrees, and, as things grow as if +by magic, we hope they will soon put in an appearance. Oats planted +only a week ago are now an inch above ground. We have had a nice +breeze the last two or three days, so that the mosquitoes have not +worried us so much. + +The prettiest things to see here are the prairie fires at night. +The grass is burnt in spring and autumn so as to kill off the old +tufts and allow of the new shoots growing for hay. The fires look +like one long streak of quivering flame, the forked tips of which +flash and quiver in the horizon, magnified by refraction, and on a +dark night are lovely. In the day-time one only sees volumes of +smoke which break the monotony of the landscape, though I don't +know that it is picturesque. With a slight breeze the fires spread +in a marvellous way, even at the rate of eight or nine miles an +hour. The other day A---- and Mr. H----, whilst putting up their +tent, did not perceive how near a fire they themselves had lighted +at some distance was getting, until it was upon them. They then +had to seize hold of everything, pull up the tent pegs as best +they could, and make a rush through the flames, singeing their +clothes and boots a good deal. + +The pastures on the burnt prairie are good the whole summer, and +animals will always select them in preference to any other. The +wild ponies, be the snow in winter ever so deep, by pawing it +away, subsist on these young shoots and leaves of grasses, which +are very nutritious and apparently suffer little by the frost, +which only kills the upper leaves but does not injure what is +below. The mirage is also very curious; the air is so clear that +one often sees reflected, some way above the horizon, objects like +the river, trees, and even the town of Winnipeg, which we could +not otherwise see; we could actually one evening, at sunset, +distinguish the gas-lights. + + * * * * * + +Sunday. + +This is a real day of rest, and the men really do deserve it. We +all have a respite, as regards breakfast, it being at 9 o'clock +instead of 6.30; and do we not appreciate the extra forty winks! +The whole day is spent more or less in loafing, we having no regular +church nearer than Winnipeg, sixteen miles, though an occasional +service is given at Headingley, eight miles off. The men lie stretched +on the straw-heaps in the yard, basking and snoozing in the sun. We +generally have some stray man out from Winnipeg, and are much struck +with the coolness of their ways. Colonial manners, somehow, jar a good +deal on one; they take it quite as a matter of course that we ladies +should wait on them at table, and attend to their bodily comforts. On +the other hand, they never seem to object to any accommodation they +get, and are perfectly satisfied with the drawing-room sofa for a bed, +even with sheets taken out of the dirty linen bag, which has been once +or twice the case when our supply has run short. I don't object to +their coming, only that our Sunday dinners have to be in proportion, +and as all our provisions come out from Winnipeg it is rather +difficult catering. We have no outside larder or anywhere to keep our +meat and butter, so have instituted a lovely one by putting all our +things down the well, which is nearly dry and is under the kitchen +floor. In winter there is never any need of a larder, as the meat is +frozen so hard that it has to be twelve hours in the kitchen before +they can attempt to cook it. + +Our food is very good and we have the best of all receipts, +ravenous appetites for every meal. Our breakfast consists of +porridge, bacon, and any cold meat, jam, and any quantity of +excellent butter and bread. Dinner, a hot joint and a pudding of +some sort, finishing up with coffee. Supper, much the same. We +have coffee for every meal, and, as the pot is always on the hob, +anybody can have a cup when they like. The men have about two cups +apiece before breakfast when they first get up. We never mind any +amount of coffee, but wage war against the cocktails, taken before +meals as appetisers. A cocktail is a horrid concoction of whisky, +bitters, sugar and water, which are all mixed together with a +"swidel" stick, which stick is always on the wander and for which +a search has to be made. Nipping is too much in vogue in this +country, but we are told that a lot of support is wanted, the air +is so rarefied and the water has so much alkali in it, and +therefore not supposed to be healthy, but it is most beautifully +clear and delightfully cold to drink. + +It certainly does disagree with the horses and cattle when first +imported into the district. + + * * * * * + +June 3rd. + +If you happen to know of anybody coming out here, and so many do, and +you would like to give A---- a present, I wish you would kindly send +him a few table-cloths, dusters, towels, and pairs of sheets; in short +any linen would be most acceptable as we are so short. How these men +managed when the linen went into Winnipeg to be washed, and was +sometimes kept a month ere it came home, is a mystery. These extra men +living in the house have none. They facetiously describe their ideas +of dirt by saying, if the table-cloth, however filthy it might look, +when flung against the wall didn't stick, it went on for another week; +if it stuck, was then and there consigned to the dirty-linen bag. + +Since we have been here we have instituted a weekly wash, every +Monday and Tuesday. E---- and Mrs. G---- preside at the tub all +day, and even then our sheets and towels often run short. + +Every colonist ought to provide himself with two pairs of sheets, +half a dozen towels, two table-cloths, and a few dusters; and as +those things and his wearing apparel, if in use six months +previously, are allowed into the country free of duty, they might +as well bring them over as everything of that sort in Winnipeg is +so fearfully dear I do not like buying anything there. We sent for +some unbleached calico the other day, worth twopence-halfpenny; +was charged twelve cents or sixpence a yard. Besides the four +yards of calico there were ten of bed-ticking, also ten of +American cloth; and the bill was six dollars seventy cents, nearly +seven-and-twenty shillings. Everything is equally dear, the demand +is so much greater than the supply. Beef is tenpence to +thirteenpence a pound, mutton about the same, bacon tenpence, pork +tenpence, chickens four and twopence each. We use a good deal of +tinned corned beef; and very good it is, it makes into such +excellent hashes and curries and is so good for breakfast. + +A---- also wants a pair of long porpoise-hide waterproof boots +sending out; they are quite an essential, as after the heavy rains +water stands inches deep in our yards, and he has so much walking +into the marshes. In the spring, when the snow has melted, the +"sloughs" or mudholes along all the tracks and across the prairie +are so deep that horses and waggons are repeatedly stuck in them, +and the men have to go in, often up to their waist, to help the +poor animals out. The only way sometimes to get waggons out is to +unhitch the horses, getting them on to firm ground, and by means +of a long chain or ropes fastened to the poles, pull the waggons +out which as a rule have previously had to be unloaded. The +clothes these men wear are indescribable. A---- at the present +moment is in a blue flannel shirt, a waistcoat, the back of which +we are always threatening to renew. Inexpressibles somewhat +spotty, darned, and torn, and, thanks to one or two washings, have +shrunk, displaying a pair of boots which have not seen a blacking- +brush since the day they left England. Coats are put on for meals, +to do honour to the ladies, but seldom worn otherwise. The coarser +and stronger the clothes are the better. A----'s straw hat is also +very lovely, it serves periodically for a mark to shoot at with +the rifle on Sunday mornings, or when company come out from town. +We both of us feel much like our old nurse when we are doing our +mendings, cutting up one set of old rags to patch another; but +thanks to ammonia and hot irons, we flatter ourselves we make them +almost look respectable again. + +There is a half-breed called L'Esperance who lives about eight +miles from here, on the banks of the Assiniboine; and one of our +neighbours telling us the other day he had several buffalo robes +to sell, we drove over to inspect them, and saw some real beauties +for ten or twelve dollars; at the Hudson Bay stores, in town, they +ask sixteen for them. L'Esperance himself wasn't at home when we +got there; but his wife, a fine, tall woman, speaking a peculiar +French patois, showed us "around," also the pemmicain, which is +buffalo-meat pounded, dried, and pressed into bags of skins, it +keeping good for years in that way. It looked nasty, but the +children were chewing it apparently with great relish. Whilst in +the shanty we heard a great noise, and, running out, found our +horse, which had either taken right or been stung by some fly, +tearing past us with the buggy through the old lady's potato-field +into the bush. E---- tore after it, and in a few hundred yards +came up to the horse standing trembling, and gazing at the shattered +remains of our poor vehicle. He had tried to turn the corner, when +the whole thing capsized topsy-turvy, and he had almost freed +himself of all the harness; luckily he was considerate enough not +to have given that "one more struggle" which would have indeed +settled the whole question, and obliged us to foot it on our ten +toes home. Curiously enough the shafts were not broken, but the +splinter-bar was. There was quite a procession back to the shanty, +the half-breed woman and one girl dragging the buggy, one child +carrying the cushion, another the whip and wraps, and E---- leading +the horse. We set to work to make good the damage as best we +could, with thin strips of buffalo-hide, and started homewards; +but without buying our robes, not daring to add to our weight. The +man at the ferry-boat gave us an extra binding up, and by going +cautiously we got home, though we feared every moment would be our +last, as regards driving, as the bound-up parts creaked most +ominously all the way, and we fully expected at every rough bit to +go in half. The horse is generally so quiet that we never mind +where we leave him standing. I luckily have just given A---- a new +carriage, which will come in very handy. It is to be a "democrat," +double seats, and one long enough to be able to carry luggage. +These small buggies are beautifully light, but will carry next to +nothing; and we always have difficulty in accommodating all our +parcels every time we come out of Winnipeg. + + * * * * * + +June 6th. + +A waggon is going into town to-morrow to fetch a sulky and a gang- +plough, and some potatoes for seeding; and we hope a few also of +the latter for eating, as hitherto our only vegetables have been +white beans and rice. You may be wondering what these ploughs are: +a sulky is a single-furrowed sixteen inch plough, to which are +harnessed three horses, a man riding on a small seat and driving +them instead of walking; and a "gang" is a two-furrowed twelve- +inch plough, and drawn by four to six horses, and which will break +over four acres a day; the sulky about three. A---- has had one +for some time, but as yet only the deep ploughing or backsetting +of last year's breaking has been going on, and until the seeding +and harrowing is finished, which ought to have been done before +now, but this year has been delayed by the lateness of the spring, +and the snow being so long in melting, no fresh breaking has been +begun. + +There are still about two hundred and eighty acres to break, or, more +properly speaking, two hundred and forty, as forty acres are in marsh, +in which water stands so deep no cultivation would be possible, +though, later on, the marshes yield beautiful crops of hay; rather +coarse-looking stuff, but undeniably nutritious, and not distasteful +to either horses or beast. It has often been speculated as to whether +there was any means of draining the marshes, but, owing to the extreme +level character of the country, you could get no fall, and tiles would +not do on account of the severity of the frosts, which penetrate +deeper into the ground than the drains could be carried. The +Government have cut good-sized ditches at right angles to the river, +and they are found to be the only practical drainage which is +feasible, and, when once cut and the water set running, have no +tendency to fill up, but gradually wear deeper and broader, so that in +time they almost become small rivers. We have one running through our +west marsh, and on a bye-day we sometimes fish in it for pike; not +that any of our party have been successful, but some of our neighbours +catch fish, and very fair-sized ones. + +The land is wonderfully rich and good. A black loam (which colour is +no doubt due, partly, to the gradual accumulation of the charred +grasses left by prairie fires), of about two feet in depth, with a +clay and sandy sub-soil, and in which, they say, they will be able to +grow cereals for the next twenty years, without manure or its +deteriorating; though if there was only time to do it before the snow +falls, it seems a pity not to put the manure on to the land instead of +burning it, as they do at the present moment. Perhaps when all the +land is broken, which they hope will be by the end of next summer, +they won't be so pushed for work as they are. + +The ground here requires a great deal of cultivation. It is first +of all broken with a fourteen or sixteen inch plough, so shaped +that it turns the sod over as flat as possible, generally from the +depth of two to two-and-a-half inches deep, the shallower the +better, and then left to rot with the sun and rain for two months +and a half. + +It has often been tried, and with very good results, to put in a +crop of oats on the first breaking, sowing broadcast and turning a +very thin sod over them; and the sod pulverizes and decomposes +under the influence of a growing crop quite as effectually as if +only turned over and left to itself. There are also fewer weeds, +which is of importance, as it often happens that the weeds which +grow soon after the breaking are as difficult to subdue as the +sod. If the soil is nice and soft a man and team of horses will +break an acre and a half a day, and average throughout the season +an acre. The breaking goes on until the middle of July, and the +end of August the "backsetting" begins, which is ploughing the +same ground over again about two inches deeper. + +The following spring the harrows (which are "disc" of a peculiar +shape, twelve to eighteen razor-wheels on an axle, and in going +round cut through and break any sods), are run over repeatedly +both before and after the seeding; the ground is also rolled and +then left, and for the two-and-a-half bushels of oats or two +bushels of wheat-seed per acre, hopes for a grand return being +always entertained. + +By some experts late autumn sowing is strongly advocated, as, +during the fall, owing to the dryness of the atmosphere, there is +scarcely any growth; so that the grain sown late cannot germinate, +nor can it absorb water or rain enough to rot it, the winters +being so dry. And when the first days of spring come the snow +melts, the starch of the seed has changed to grape-sugar, and +begins to germinate; so that the young plants will in no way be +damaged by subsequent droughts, nor by the frosts which sometimes +come after heavy rains in August and much injure the crops. At the +present moment we are craving for rain, and should the crops not +be as plentiful this year as expected, on account of the drought, +I should feel much inclined to try autumn sowing. + +Before the prairie is broken, the turf is very tough, and requires +a great deal of force to break it; but when once turned the +subsequent ploughings are easy. + +Our chief difficulty and trouble are the stones; they generally +lie just beneath the surface, differing very much in size. Some +are huge and have to be regularly trenched round and horses +harnessed to a chain put round them to raise them out of the +ground; when they are put on to the stone-boat and conveyed to the +boundary fence. It generally falls to E----'s and my special lot +to drive the stone-boat or the waggons, whilst the men with +crowbars and spades go before the ploughs clearing them all away, +for fear they may blunt the shares and throw them out of the +furrow. + +The last two or three days, when not stone-picking, A---- and Mr. +B---- have been stretching the barb-wire with which they are +enclosing the property; and there has been great chaff about our +"Jehuship." The wooden posts along which the wire is run are put +in the ground, and they then have to be rammed down with a +fearfully heavy wooden mallet, which I can hardly lift. To get +purchase on the mallet A---- mounts into the waggon, which +accordingly has to be driven quite close up to the post without +touching it. + +The two old mares we drive are more than difficult to turn or stop +to a nicety, the result being that once I went too near and broke +off a piece of the waggon. Another time, after a corner-post had +been driven in most securely with props, E---- drove up against +it, taking the whole concern away bodily. + +The weather is quite delightful, no mosquitoes as yet to speak of; +but the two big marshes on either side of the farm harbour them +dreadfully. + +Wild duck also abound in these marshes; there are thousands about, +and we have found many nests and been revelling in the eggs, a +delightful change to our regular _menu_. The nests are very +difficult to find; we two went one afternoon in the buggy to look +for some, and the men declare we looked in the marshes themselves +for them, which was not certainly the fact; though after driving +round all the outsides, and not having been warned that the marsh +on the eastern boundary of the farm was very deep, we came home +that way, not at all liking the water coming up to the axle-trees +and the horse floundering about at every step. To turn back was as +bad as to go on, and as we saw wheel-tracks along the fence we +stuck to them, thanking our stars when we got through safely. + + * * * * * + +June 12th. + +We have had a real visitor lately--I mean one who has brought a +change, and a toothbrush; and for the auspicious event we rigged +him up a stretcher bed, the most comfortable of things, canvas +stretched on to a wooden frame, with a mattress on the top. You +could not wish for anything softer. He was one of our ocean +companions; his nickname of Mike still sticks to him. On getting +to Winnipeg at night he had great difficulty in finding our +whereabouts; even at the Club he was told the only W---- known +kept a store in Main Street. Luckily from the Club he went to +A----'s livery stable, which is exactly behind it, where a man +offered to drive him out forthwith, having driven another man here +only four days ago; but he preferred waiting till the morning, +getting here somewhere about 9 o'clock, when he was set down +immediately to work to stone the raisins for a plum cake, and when +tired of that had to help A---- planting potatoes. He declares he +never will come here with his best clothes and a "boiled" shirt on +again, as we have worked him so hard. + +The accounts he gives, in an exaggerated Irish brogue, of his +experiences in Minnesota have kept us in fits of laughter. The +description of their first drive, when both he and his companions +were all bogged; and how that twenty-seven mules and twenty-eight +horses bought at St. Louis all arrived one night at the station +about 5 o'clock, after sixty hours' travelling with no food or +water, had to be unloaded from the cars, and they hadn't a halter +or even a rope to do it with. Eventually they got all the poor +beasts into a yard with wooden pailing round, but, something +startling them, they made a rush, the fence gave way, for which +damage the proprietor charged them ten pounds, and all galloped +straight on to the prairie, and it took the men all night getting +them together again. One pair of horses disappeared altogether; +but were brought back when a reward of thirty dollars was offered; +they had wandered nineteen miles. + +Mike slept in A----'s room. They talked so much, and told so many +funny stories, that we despaired of ever getting them down to +breakfast; Mike declaring he would like to bring his bed along +with him, as he hadn't slept in one, or been between sheets since +leaving New York, six weeks previously. We drove him over one +afternoon to fish in the creek about two and a half miles off; but +as we had to go in a light waggon, and with only one spring seat, +both Mike and A---- had to hang on behind, with a plank as seat, +which was always slipping and landing them on their backs at the +bottom of the waggon. When we were about half a mile from home +E---- made a wager that she would get through the wire fence and +home across the prairie before we could get round and the horses +be in their stable. We had a most exciting race; the gates, which +are only poles run from one end of the wire to another, were a +great impediment, and I believe it was really a dead heat, through +all the labourers entering into the joke and rushing to unhitch the +horses, which were disappearing into the stable as E---- was at +the kitchen-door. + +I fancy that on the whole, in spite of his hard work, Mike enjoyed +his visit, not only for the pleasure of our society, but as he had +never seen a piece of meat, nor anything but pork and beans and +bad coffee at Warren, nor had a bed to lie on, nor as much water +as could be held in a tea-cup to wash in; he must have felt he had +dropped into a land of Goshen by some happy mistake. + +To give you a clearer insight into our daily life, and as I have +nothing really to write about this week, I think I cannot do +better than copy out our journals, which we try to keep regularly, +though in our monotonous every-day life it is sometimes difficult +to find incidents to chronicle. + +_Monday_.--Wash and cook all the morning; E---- and A---- plant +willows in the marsh during the afternoon. I wander about the prairie +in search of a duck's nest I saw yesterday and thought I had marked; +but the tracks, stones, and ridges on the prairie are so alike, that +it is almost impossible to remember any place; anyhow, I cannot find +the nest. I could not take it yesterday, as I was riding, and the +animal will not stand still to let you mount, and had I had to +scramble up on to her I should certainly have broken all the eggs I +took. An exhausting day with a hot wind blowing; we are craving for +rain, and thankful for the slight showers that fell during last night. +It is marvellous how quickly vegetation will grow. Some sample wheat +planted in the garden, of which there was no sign yesterday, thanks to +the rain and sun has grown quite an inch by 6 o'clock this evening. +The grass is beginning to look so green and nice. + +_Tuesday_.--E---- and Mrs. G---- finish their wash which they could +not get through yesterday. I go up to the tent, with Mr. H---- to +drive his waggon, and help to unlumber the wood he brought out +yesterday from Winnipeg. Riding on these waggons loaded, and +without a spring seat, is anything but pleasant over the prairie, +but Mr. H---- is so accustomed to it now that he can stretch +himself on the top and sleep soundly; and once or twice, coming +out from town, has found himself in quite the wrong direction by +allowing the horses to go their own way. + +E---- and I spend our afternoon cleaning up the tent. + +_Wednesday_.--A---- and I drive into Winnipeg. We have had various +commissions to do, and A---- had to attend a meeting at the Club. Mr. +W. H---- has most amiably put his house, consisting of two rooms and a +kitchen below, at our disposal whenever we want to rest; so I spent my +whole afternoon there, nominally reading the "St. James's Gazette," +but, I fancy, indulging in "forty winks" whilst waiting for A----. We +afterward dined with the judge in his very nice pretty house called +"The Willows," driving home later. The cold was so great that A----, +who had brought no great-coat, was forced to run behind the buggy some +way to get warm and produce circulation. The prairie fires quite +lovely, on all sides, quivering high flames for miles, and the night +being dark, they looked very bright. + +_Thursday_.--Was so tired after my day in town that I breakfasted in +bed; disgraceful! By the time I get down the family have all dispersed +to their various works. After dinner E---- and I drive a waggon over +to the Boyd Farm to fetch oats for Mr. H----. The students, who +haven't much to do, are enlisted into the filling and loading of the +sacks; rather glad, we fancy, of some occupation. On our return we +found a friend of Mr. B----'s, who, having heard of our proximity, he +living at Headingley, has come over to dine and sleep. Our "parlour" +sofa, as usual, is called into requisition. It will soon be worn out, +so many sleep on it. I think last week it was occupied nearly every +night. + +_Friday_.--We have had very smart company to-day, as the judge, his +wife, niece, and another man came over. We hoped they would star to +dinner, and had "killed fatted calf"; but I fancy the ladies dreaded +the prairie by night, and insisted upon returning--we could hardly +persuade them to take a cup of tea--fearing that they might be +benighted. + +_Saturday_.--Hard at work cleaning all the morning. Mr. B----'s friend +leaves after dinner, and I drive the mares in the waggons whilst the +men stretch the wire-fencing. E---- rides to the tent with letters. We +sustained rather a shock to our nerves to-day; about 12 o'clock a +buggy was seen coming towards the house just as we were sitting down +to dinner, and as our food was scanty we did not know how we possibly +could feed three extra men. Luckily they only came to enquire their +route to the tent, and it was a relief when they drove on; though we +felt we ought to have given them some food, as the tent could only +provide bacon and biscuits. + +_Sunday_.--Mrs. G----, our factotum, has a holiday, and goes over with +some of the other labourers to spend the day at the other farm. E---- +and I have to undertake the _menage_ for the whole day. Our mutton, a +leg, was very nicely done, also our vegetables, rice, and beans; but +the "evaporated" apples, which we use much, required boiling previous +to being put in a tart, which we neither of us knew. Therefore they +were not done, and the crust was all burst. The men from the tent, who +generally spend their Sundays here, were allowed some dinner, on +condition they washed up afterwards. + + * * * * * + +June 18. + +I am afraid our letters will not be so interesting as the novelty +wears off: the monotony of our life may begin to pall upon us. We +hardly ever go two miles beyond the farm; to take our neighbours +at the tent their letters or parcels brought out from town, is +about the limit to our wanderings. We did drive one of the waggons +to our neighbour Mr. Boyle to fetch home some oats the other +night, and we also have been into town to pay our respects to the +Governor and his wife. We happily don't want much outside +attraction, for we have so much to do on the farm. The men work us +pretty hard, I can tell you; as, besides all our indoor work, we +have had three afternoons cutting potatoes for seed, until our +hands are too awful to look at, and the water is so hard that we +never shall get them a decent colour again. Some "white elephants" +potatoes, planted three weeks ago (thirty in number we cut into +420 pieces) already make a great show, and will want banking up +next week. About ten acres of ground close to the house have been +reserved and are called "the garden," in which have been planted +turnips, flax, beet-root, lettuce, tomatoes, and potatoes; in +short, all the luxuries of the season. But I am afraid none will +be ready before we leave, if we carry out our idea of going to +Colorado early in August. + +We have been craving for rain, and at last, luckily, had a +delightful shower a few days ago, which has freshened us up and +will make things grow. There is no grass as yet above four inches +in height, and this time last year they were hay-making. The men +are beginning to fear there will be none; but with a little warm +weather and a certain amount of rain everything grows as if by +magic, so we may still hope to have a good season. + +Only very few of the garden-seeds have made their appearance, +which is disappointing after all the trouble they were; but the +wild flowers are beginning to come out on the prairie, small +bushes of wild roses are all over; there are also very pretty +sunflowers, a tree maiden-hair, several different vetches, +sisters, yellow-daisies, &c.; many we cannot name, indigenous to +this country we conclude. + + * * * * * + +June 26. + +We quite feel as if we had been here years instead of about five +weeks; and though it was prophesied before we left England that, +after turning the house up-side down and making the men very +uncomfortable with our cleanings, we should then go on strike, it +has not been altogether fulfilled. We certainly did try to clean +up a bit, but we still help in housework, and have to do as the +servants at home. If we expect visitors, or on a Sunday, put on a +tidy gown; otherwise we generally live in the oldest of frocks +(which are more or less stained with either mud or the red paint +with which we have been painting the roofs of both the stable and +the labourers' house), very big aprons, sleeves to match, and our +sun-bonnets. E---- has concocted for herself a thin blue-and-white +shirt, and as she generally lives with her sleeves tucked up, her +arms are getting quite brown and sunburnt. Our boots are the only +things we do not much like cleaning, they get so soon dirty again; +and we have come to the happy conclusion that unblacked boots have +a "cachet" that blacked boots have not. When we first arrived the +men promised to do them for us every Sunday; which promises, like +so many, have partaken of the nature of pie-crusts. + +We are both of us delighted to have come, the whole experience is +so new, and what we couldn't have realised in England; and I am +sure, in spite of the _bouleversement_ of the bachelor _regime_, it +is a great pleasure to the men we are here. Our Winnipeg acquaintances +tell us that A---- is quite a changed man, so cheery and even +bumptious, and that everything is now "What we do at the farm." + +It is all very well, however, in the summer; if obliged to stay +through the winter, it would be quite another "pair of shoes." The +thermometer often registers forty degrees of frost, though the +effects of this extreme temperature in the dry exhilarating +atmosphere is not so unpleasant as might be imagined, but the +loneliness and dreariness of the prairie with two or three feet of +snow would be appalling. The cold is so great that you have to put +on a buffalo coat, cap, and gloves, before you can touch the stove +to light the fire, and notwithstanding the coal stove which is +always kept going in the hall to warm the up-stairs room (through +which the pipe is carried), the water in buckets standing +alongside gets frozen. + +Then the blizzards, which are storms of sleet and snow driven with +a fierce wind, and so thick that it is quite impossible to get out +of doors, or see at all, would be too trying. + +Even to get across the yard to the further stable the men have to +have a rope stretched as guide so as not to lose their way; and +these storms sometimes, as they did this last year, continue for +three weeks consecutively. + +The snow on the prairie is never very deep, but it drifts a good +deal, and was to the depth of twelve feet on the west side of the +house. + +No work can be done much in the winter on account of the cold and +snow, so that from the middle of April, when the snow begins to +go, until the beginning of October everything has to be rushed +through and as many hands put on as they can possibly get, who are +all discharged at the end of the summer and only two or three kept +to look after the animals. After threshing, these men have little +or nothing to do: digging out the well to water the horses, +teaming hay into the town on sleighs, and fetching timber over +from the other farm, is about their only outdoor occupation. All +the animals in the shape of horses, cows, pigs and chickens are +huddled together in the stables for warmth. + + * * * * * + +July 5th. + +We have received our letters most unexpectedly to-day; two of our +gentlemen coming out last night from town brought sundry parcels, +newspapers, etc., but never thought of turning round to see if all +was safe in back of carriage, declaring it was such rough driving +they could only think of how to hang on and not be jolted out, so +that by the time they got home, letters, a horse-collar, spare +cushions, etc. were all gone. It was too late to send after them; +but one of the men started back at 3:30 this morning, finding most +of the lost things strewn broadcast over the prairie, even to +within a short distance of Winnipeg. He went on to feed and bait +his horses, at the same time enquiring for letters, finding ours +just come in, and which would have lain there until our next +opportunity. + +Our variety to-day has been the absence of our cook, and we are +again left in charge, and we flatter ourselves the dinner was +"immense." Stewed-beef, rice, mushrooms, (of which some were +rather burnt, others not quite done enough, but that is a trifle), +yorkshire pudding (baking-powder making an excellent substitute +for eggs), and an apple tart. What more could you want? We are +quite ambitious now, and have curries, rissoles, etc. A---- used +to say he hoped, we should not expect either him or his friends +to eat our dishes, as they would have to go to bed afterwards for +at least three or four hours; but they very much appreciate any +change made in the _menu_. + +We are longing to make bread, which takes up a great deal of our +factotum's time, as it has to be set over night and kneaded three +or four times the following day; but are begged to defer that +amusement until within a few days of our departure, as it would so +entirely upset our American trip if we had to attend A----'s +obsequies. The bread is perfectly delicious, so light and so white +in colour. The flour is excellent. It is not made with brewers +yeast, but with a yeast gem dissolved in warm water, to which is +added a handful of dried hops boiled beforehand for about ten +minutes, and strained. To that is added a cupful of flour a +teaspoonful of salt, and one of sugar, and the whole is put into a +warm place to ferment; when fermented, which takes about twelve +hours, into a cool place, where it will remain good and sweet some +time. + +_A Receipt for Bread-Making_. + +Put ten large spoonfuls of flour in a breadpan, and add enough +warm water to make it into a thin batter, add half a pint of +yeast, mix well, and, having covered the bread-pan with a cloth, +put it in a warm place near the stove over night. During the night +it should rise and settle again. In the morning add enough flour +to make it in into a thick dough, and knead it on a bread-board +for ten minutes. Put it back into pan for two hours and let it +rise again. Grease your baking-tins, knead your dough again, and +then fill the tins half full, put them close to the stove to rise, +and when they have risen thoroughly, grease the tops of your +loaves with a little butter (preventing the crust breaking and +giving it a nice brown colour) and put them into the oven and bake +for an hour to an hour and a quarter. + +As E---- had not Mrs. G---- to wash up with her, she enlisted one +of the men, and it was very funny to see him in a hat three times +too big for his head, pipe in his mouth, sleeves turned up, drying +the dishes and putting a polish on them. Talking of hats, E---- +has at last got one and a half, it literally covers even her +shoulders, and at midday she declares she is as much in shade as +under a Japanese umbrella; for trimming a rope is coiled round the +crown, the only way to make it stay on the head. Of her gloves +there is only the traditional one left; the other is among the +various articles we have left on the prairie, bumped out of the +buggy one day when she took them off to take care of them in a +shower of rain. + +That driving on the prairie is loathsome, but if we want to get +about at all we must do it, as we don't like the riding horses. At +the present moment we have got one of the plough animals, which is +rideable. The poor beast was frightened one night three weeks ago, +during a fearful storm of thunder and lightning, and ran into the +barb wire, wounding itself horridly on the shoulders and neck. The +skin had to be sewn up, and it cannot wear a collar for the +present so we have it to ride if we like. It is not a slug like +the other two. + +The thunder-storms here are frightful; they are also very grand to +watch, as we can see them generally for miles before they come up. +We, luckily, have about ten lightning conductors on the houses and +stables, so that we feel safe. A thunder-bolt fell pretty near the +other day, destroying about six posts and the wire of our north +fence. Thanks to the rain we have lately had, and the warm sun, we +find such quantities of mushrooms all over the prairie. They grow +to such a size! We measured two, one was 21 1/2 inches round, the +other 21, very sweet and good, and as pink underneath as possible. +The labourers have been so pleased with them that last Sunday they +began picking and cooking them in early morning, going on with +relays more or less all day, so that by the evening they couldn't +look another in the face, and it will be some time before they +touch them again. We have them for every meal. + +Our diaries here are more or less public property, and as we have +been nowhere or seen anything at all exciting since we last wrote, +I am going to copy down from the journals the incidents, if any, +of the last week. You seemed to appreciate it the last time we +sent you home a copy, but you must forgive if it is somewhat of a +repetition to our numerous letters. The weather, for one thing, is +daily chronicled, as it takes up much of our thoughts, so much in +the future depending on its being propitious just at this time of +year, when the seeds are all sown and the hay almost ready to cut. + +_Tuesday_.--Beautiful day, so warm and nice, without being +hot; everything growing, too, marvellously; even the seeds in the +garden, which we began to despair of, are coming up. + +The men have been very low, on account of the scarcity of rain; +but we have had one or two thunder-storms lately which, have done +good, and in this climate I do not think one ought ever to give up +hopes. E---- has been painting wild flowers, which at this moment +are in great profusion and variety all over the prairie, most of +the day, varying her work by painting the doors of the room, which +were such an ugly colour, a pale yellow green, that they have +offended our artistic eyes ever since we have been here. I am said +to have wasted my whole morning watching my two-days-old chickens, +supposed to be the acme of intelligence and precocity. The +afternoon was spent in shingling the hen-house. It was only roofed +over with tar-paper laid on to the rafters, which answers well if +the wind doesn't blow the paper about, or that it has not any +holes; but as the hen-house is only a lean-to of the stable, the +roof of which we have been very busily painting, it has been +trodden upon a good deal in getting on and off the roof, and, in +consequence, the paper is much like a sponge, letting any rain in, +and drenching the poor sitting fowls; but with the shingles +overlapping each other on the tar-paper, the roof, will be quite +water-tight. + +_Wednesday_.--Our factotum has gone into town, and we are +left in charge, E---- parlour-maid, Mr. B---- scullery-man, and I +cook. We have heaps of mushrooms at every meal, a most agreeable +change to the rice and white beans we have only hitherto had. + +_Thursday_.--Hot day. A---- went into town to some meeting at +the Club. We have been dreadfully tormented with mosquitoes today, +also the big "bull-dog" fly, which, whenever the kitchen door was +left ajar, came into the house in myriads; but we find that +Keating's powder most effectually destroys them, and in a very few +seconds. We have been busy making a mattress and pillow for Mr. +H----, really one does not realise how clever one is until our +genius is put to the test in an establishment like this. E---- and +I drove up to the tent after supper with our handiwork, and had +great pleasure in seeing it filled with hay. Our drive was not of +the most enviable: we had a waggon with no spring seat, only a +board, which was always moving, to sit upon; one horse would tear +along, the other not pull an ounce, in spite of applying the whip +a good deal, and we were nearly smothered with mosquitoes, I never +saw such clouds of them, and on our return home there was a +general rush for the bottle of ammonia, which is the only thing +that allays the irritation. + +_Friday_.--Excitements have been crowding in upon us to-day. +Bob, one of the labourers, who went into Winnipeg yesterday, only +arrived home at 3 A.M. this morning. He left town at 6, but the +night being dark he lost his way, and finding himself on the edge +of a marsh, having a feed of oats with him, wisely unhitched his +horses, tied them to the wheels, and waited patiently for +daylight. Just as we were sitting down to dinner, three men who +have been surveying the Government ditch near here, came and +begged to be fed. Luckily we had soup and plenty of cold meat; but +our pudding--the less said about that the better. We always have +the evaporated apples as a stand by, and they are delicious; so +with quantities of butter and milk we never need starve. + +Then in the evening, when Mr. B---- was going to the stable to +serve out the oats for the horses, he came in for the finish of an +exciting race between two of the plough horses. The jockeys or +riders were told forthwith that a waggon was going into town the +following morning, and that their services would be dispensed with +in future. Just as we were going to bed we heard A---- coming in, +and with him a stranger who turned out to be our cousin, only +fifteen days out from England, _via_ Canada. He looks very +delicate. + +_Saturday_.--We had made no preparation for E. P---- last night, so he +had to occupy the "parlour" sofa, and says he slept like a top; +doubtlessly did not require much rocking, as he had travelled through +almost without stopping. We were busy all this morning writing letters +for the discharged miscreants to take into town. It has been very hot +and close all day. I, rode up to the tent, and hurried home, seeing a +thunder-storm coming up, which was grand; and it was very lucky that I +got home, as it began to rain at 3 o'clock, and is still pouring in +perfect torrents at 10 o'clock P.M. + +_Sunday_.--The yard is in such a fearful state of dirt, and the water +standing inches deep, that it has been nearly impossible to move +beyond the door. I put on A----'s long waterproof boots, and managed +to get as far as my hen-house, and found two of my chickens dead. + +Another sitting hen has been a source of great anxiety, as she +will peck her chicks to death as they hatch, and out of a sitting +of eleven eggs we have only been able to save five birds. A wet +Sunday hangs very heavily on our hands here, as there is nothing +to be done. + +_Monday_.--Big wash as usual all the morning, and just as E---- and I +were to drive a waggon over to Mr. Boyle for some oats which required +fetching, we had quite a scare. A _lady_ and gentleman were seen to be +riding up. We both of us rushed up-stairs to put on some clean aprons +to do honour to our guests, who, with another man, also out from town, +remained the whole afternoon. We have never dined as many as nine +people in our vast apartments before, but we managed very nicely. + +We have had heavy showers with a high wind, and the thermometer +down to 50 all the afternoon. We tried to persuade our lady +visitor to stay the night, A---- offering to give up his room; but +she persisted in going back, and, I am afraid, will have got very +wet, in spite of E---- lending her waterproof jacket. + +_Tuesday_.--The household had a long turn in bed this morning, +Mr. B---- only getting down at about 7.15, when various things +were offered him to prop open his eye-lids when he did appear. + +The weather has been slightly better than yesterday, but the wind +has been high, and it was really quite cold; varied by slight +showers of rain in the morning. In the afternoon we all made hay. +I worked my rake until my horse beat me by refusing to move in any +direction excepting homewards; and I had to call A----, who was +stone getting, to my rescue. He, with judicious chastisement in +the shape of a kick or so, made the horse work. E---- and E. P---- +loaded hay. Thanks to the late rains the marshes were heavy, and +they very nearly stuck once or twice in going through them. There +were no mosquitoes, which was a blessing, but one is never +troubled with them in a high wind. + + * * * * * + +July 9. + +You should have seen A---- and his equipage start into Winnipeg +two days ago. He and the men from the tent had to go in and bring +out a waggon and the new "Cortland waggon" (my present), and they +had to take in the broken buggy to be mended. So they started with +a four-in-hand to their cart, the broken buggy tied on behind, and +another pair of horses behind that again. The buggy they say very +nearly capsized going over the bridge of the creek when near +Winnipeg, otherwise they got on beautifully; but it was a funny +arrangement altogether, and they seemed to cover a quarter of a +mile of ground as they left here. Winnipeg grows in a most +astonishing way; every time we go in, a new avenue or street seems +to have started up. Emigrants, they say, are coming in at the rate +of a hundred a day. A few years ago the population was about five +thousand, in 1878 about ten, now over forty thousand, a fourth of +whom are living under canvas. + +It was estimated last winter that the building operations this +season would amount to four million dollars, but double that +amount is nearer the mark, and many are obliged to abandon the +idea of building on account of the difficulty of getting timber +and bricks. Every house or shanty is leased almost before it is +finished. Winnipeg, as you know, was formerly known as Fort Garry, +and one of the chief trading stations of the Hudson Bay Company. +Of the old fort, I am sorry to say, there is very little left, and +that is shortly to be swept away for the continuation of Main +Street. The Governor, now occupying the old house, is to have a +splendid building, which, with the Houses of Legislature, are in +the course of construction, rather farther away from the river. + +The town is built at the confluence of two great rivers, the Red +and Assiniboine, the former rising in Minnesota, and flowing into +lake Winnipeg 150 miles north, navigable for 400 miles. The +Assiniboine has many steamers on it; but the navigation being more +difficult, the steamers often sticking on the rapids, it is not +much in vogue with emigrants going west, particularly now that the +railway takes them so much more rapidly. + +There is a large suburb of the town the other side of the Red River +called St. Boniface face, the see of a Roman Catholic Archbishop; +possessing a beautiful cathedral and a great educational school for +young ladies; for some reason or other we never managed to get over +there to see it, though the cathedral is a grand landmark for a great +distance. + +The railway traffic also is enormous. During the flood 4,000 +freight waggons were delayed at St. Vincent; now they are coming +in at the rate of 4,000 per week, and still people cannot get +their implements, stores, &c. fast enough. We have asked several +times for some turpentine at one of the shops, and the answer +always given is, "It is at the depot, but not unloaded." + +We have been wanting turpentine to mix with the brown paint with +which we are painting, the dining-room doors. But first of all the +paint fails, and then the turpentine, and I fully expect our +beautiful work of art will not be finished before we leave. + + * * * * * + +July 12th. + +It is very certain that no gentleman ought to come out to this +country, or, when here, can expect to prosper, unless he has some +capital, heaps of energy, and brains, or is quite prepared to sink +the gentleman and work as a common labourer. + +The latter command the most wonderful wages, there is such a +demand for them that one can hardly pick and choose. A plough-boy +gets from four to six pounds a month, an experienced man from +eight to ten pounds, besides their board and lodging; a mechanic +or artisan from fourteen to sixteen shillings a day; women +servants are very scarce, they get from four to six pounds a +month. We were so astonished at the wages in New York; the head +gardener in the Navy Yard was receiving one hundred and fifty +pounds a year, his underling, seventy-five pounds, the groom one +hundred pounds. It is surprising to me that the whole of the +poorer classes in England and Ireland, hearing of these wages, do +not emigrate, particularly when now-a-days the steerage in the +passenger ships seems to be so comfortable, and that for about six +pounds they can be landed on this side of the Atlantic. We have +nine Britishers and two Canadians on this farm, and the amount of +ground broken up does everyone great credit, considering that the +whole place is only of a year and a half's growth. Since we +arrived we can mark rapid and visible strides towards completion. +The house has been banked up and grassed, a fence put to enclose +all the yard, and we have actually had the audacity to talk about +a tennis ground, which would take an immense deal of making, from +the unevenness of the soil. The water, having no real outflow, +makes itself little gullies everywhere, which would be very +difficult to fill up level; but I don't know that, until we are +acclimatized to the mosquitoes, said to be the happy result of a +second year's residence, that we should feel inclined to play +tennis, as we could only indulge in that diversion of an evening +when work was ended, and that is just the worst time for these +pests. They spoil all enjoyment, we never can sit out under the +verandah after supper which we should so like to do these warm +evenings. They bite through everything, and the present fashion of +tight sleeves to our gowns is a trial, as no stuffs, not even thin +dogskin, are proof against them, and our faces, arms, and just +above our boots are deplorable sights. Ammonia is; the only remedy +to allay the irritation. I am not drawing a long bow when I say +that in places the air is black with them. + +The poor horses and cows are nearly maddened with them if turned +out to graze, and the moment the poles across the road are +withdrawn they gallop back into their stables. The mosquitoes are +great big yellow insects, about half an inch long. + +The house and country at Boyd's farm is much prettier than this, +from the lot of trees round it, and the ground not being so flat; +but we wouldn't change for all the world, it is so stuffy, and the +flies and mosquitoes are much worse there than here, where we +catch the slightest breeze of wind, which always drives them away. +We were dreading making the hay in the marshes on account of them. + +I do not think we shall suffer much from the heat, as nearly +always, even in the hottest part of the day, there is a breeze; +and as yet the nights are deliciously cool, we have never found +one blanket too much covering. + +We talk of going an expedition up west next week, taking the +carriage and horses, and driving as far as Fort Ellice. I don't +know that we either of us look forward to the expedition very +much, as we fear we shall have to rough it too greatly; but, on +the other hand, it seems a pity not to see something more of the +country. There are hardly any inns or resting-places; the +accommodation may be fearful. We hear that about fourteen people +are lodged in one room as an ordinary rule. A---- has gone into +Winnipeg to make arrangements; and if he finds we cannot depend on +the inns, we shall take a tent, and camp by the towns, going in +for our meals to restaurants. + + * * * * * + + In the Train 200 miles West of Winnipeg, July 24, 1882. + +As we seem to stop every two or three miles for some trifling +cause or another, I am in hopes I may get through a long, maybe +disjointed letter to post to you on our way through Winnipeg +to-night, which we wish to reach about 6 o'clock, giving us time to +drive out to the farm before it is quite dark. I told you we were +proposing a trip up North-west, and we really have had a most +successful journey. A---- has a friend, Manager of the Birtle Land +Company, who with others has bought up land, intends breaking so +many acres on each section and then reselling it, hoping thereby to +clear all expenses and make a lot of money besides; and as he had +to go up and look after the property, it was settled we should all +go together, and very glad we are that we did do it, though we have +had some very funny experiences. We are pleased to find that all +the North-west is not like the country around Winnipeg, so awfully +flat and without a tree; on the contrary we have been through +rolling prairie, almost hilly and very well wooded in places. + +We started last Monday, the 18th, having got up at 4:15, which we +did not think so terribly early as we might have done before the +days we were accustomed to breakfast at half-past 6, but had even +then a terrible run for the train. We had had some heavy thunder +storms on the Sunday; and though we allowed two hours and three- +quarters, to do our sixteen miles into Winnipeg station, the roads +were so heavy, and the mud so sticky and deep, that we really +thought we should be taken up for cruelty to animals, hustling our +poor little mare. As it was, we arrived just in time to get into +the cars, our packages and bundles being thrown in after us as the +train was on the move. Luckily we managed to get all on board, and +found plenty of friends travelling west; one a Government +inspector, a most agreeable man, who has to certify and pass the +work done on the line before Government pays its share of the +expenses. He was telling us how he and two other men spent three +hours finding names for all the new stations along the line, and +could only think of three! The stations are placed at the distance +of eight to ten miles apart, and they are bound not to have any +name already taken up in Canada, so that for a railway extending +over three thousand miles to the Rocky Mountains names are a +difficulty. We did him the favour of writing out a few, taking all +the villages one was interested in in the "Ould Countrie," for +which attention he seemed much obliged, and has promised a time +table of the line with the nomenclature of its stations when +opened. They are building the Canadian Pacific at the rate of +twenty-five miles a week, and every available man is pressed into +the service, so that it is not so surprising the poor farmers +cannot find labour. The wages, two dollars to two-and-a-half a +day, are more than we can pay. There has not been much engineering +required or shown on this line, as we went up and down with the +waves of the prairies, had only two small cuttings between +Winnipeg and Brandon, three hundred miles, and were raised a few +feet above the marshes; but considering how fast they work and how +short a time they have been, it is creditably smooth. + +We disembarked at a city called Brandon, which last year was +unheard of, two or three shanties and a few tents being all there +was to mark the place; now it has over three thousand inhabitants, +large saw-mills, shops, and pretentious two-storied hotels. We +found our carriage, which had been sent on two days previously, +waiting for us at the station, as we were to have driven on that +night to Rapid City; but, owing to the Manager not being able to +get through all his business, and his not liking to leave the two +labourers he had with him on the loose, for fear they should be +tempted by higher wages to go off with someone else, we decided to +remain that night at Brandon, and were not sorry to retire to bed +directly after dinner, about 8.30. We were given not a very +spacious apartment, the two double-beds filling up the whole of +it. In all the hotels we have been into, they put such enormous +beds in the smallest of space, I conclude speculating on four +people doubling up at a pinch. We luckily had brought some sheets; +the ones supplied looked as if they had been used many a time +since they had last been through the wash-tub. I cannot say we +slept well, chiefly, I think, owing to lively imaginations and the +continual noise of a town after the extreme quiet of the farm; and +as there was only a canvas partition between us and the two men, +who snored a lively duet, we had many things to lay the blame to. + +We were on the move again about 5.30, intending to breakfast at +half-past 6, and start on our travels directly after; but somehow, +what with one thing and the other, the various packing away of our +different packages and parcels into our three waggons, it was past +8 o'clock before we got off. + +We were rather amused at the expression at breakfast of our +waiting-maid when asked to bring some more bread and then tea. She +wanted much to learn if we had any more "side orders." + +Alcoholic spirits are quite forbidden in this territory; to bring +a small keg of whisky and some claret with us we had to get a +permit from the Governor. I am afraid the inhabitants will have +spirits. The first man we met last night was certainly much the +worse for liquor; and though in our hotel there was no visible +bar, an ominous door in the back premises was always on the swing, +and a very strong odour of spirits emanated therefrom. + +Our cavalcade, A---- and the Manager in the democrat, we two in a +buggy, and the two labourers with a man to drive in another +carriage, produced quite an imposing effect. We had to cross the +Assiniboine on a ferry, and then rose nearly all the way to Rapid +City, twenty-two miles, going through pretty country much wooded +and with hundreds of small lakes, favourite resorts of wild duck. +The flowers were in great profusion; but we saw no animals +anywhere, excepting a few chipmunks and gophirs, which are sort of +half-rats, half-squirrels. The chipmunks are dear little things +about the size of a mouse, with long bushy tails and a dark stripe +running the whole length of the body. + +Rapid City is a flourishing little town of some fifty houses, and +is growing quickly. It is prettily situated on the banks of the +Little Saskatchewan, and has a picturesque wooden bridge thrown +over the river. We had lunch, picnic style, and a rest of two +hours. There was a large Indian camp just outside the town, and as +we sat sketching several Indians passed us. Their style of dress +is grotesque, to say the least of it; one man passed us in a tall +beaver hat, swallow-tail coat, variegated-coloured trousers, +mocassins, and a scarlet blanket hanging from his shoulder. The +long hair, which both men and women wear, looks as if a comb never +had passed near it, and gives them a very dirty appearance. They +all seemed affable, and gave us broad grins in return for our +salutes. + +The Indian tribes on Canadian territory are the Blackfeet and +Piegans. The former used to number over ten thousand, but now are +comparatively few. The small-pox, which raged among them in 1870, +decimated their numbers; also alcohol, first introduced by +Americans who established themselves on Belly River, about 1866, +and in which they drove a roaring trade, as the Indians sacrificed +everything for this "fire-water," as they called it, and hundreds +died in consequence of exposure and famine, having neither clothes +to cover them nor horses nor weapons wherewith to hunt. Luckily in +1874 the mounted police put an entire end to this abominable sale +of whisky. + +The Indian is naturally idle--to eat, smoke, and sleep is the sole +end of his life; though he will travel immense distances to fish +or hunt, which is the only occupation of the men, the women doing +all the rest, their condition being but little better than beasts +of burden. The Indian of the Plain subsists in winter on buffalo +dried and smoked; but in spring, when they resort to the +neighbourhood of the small lakes and streams, where innumerable +wild fowl abound, they have grand feasting on the birds and eggs. + +The tribes living near the large lakes of Manitoba, Winnipeg, and +Winnipegosis have only fish as food, which they dry and pack for +winter use, and eat it raw and without salt--which sounds very +palatable? + +When the Dominion Government obtained possession of the North-west +Territories, by the extinction of the Hudson Bay Company's title +in 1869, it allotted to the tribes inhabiting the country, on +their resigning all their claims to the land, several reserves, or +parcels of ground, which were of sufficient area to allow of one +square mile to every family of five persons. On these lands the +Indians are being taught to cultivate corn and roots. Implements, +seeds for sowing, and bullocks are given them, besides cows and +rations of meat and flour, until they are self-sustaining. They +are also allowed five dollars a head per annum, so that several +wives (polygamy being allowed) and children are looked upon as an +insured income by a man. + +This treatment by Government has been very successful, and many +tribes are abandoning their precarious life of hunting. +Horsestealing in former days was looked upon by the young men as +an essential part of their education; but now the settler need be +in no dread of them, as they are peaceably inclined and kept in +check by the mounted police, a corps of whose services and pluck +all who have had any dealings with them cannot speak two highly. +The officers are men of tact and experience, and the corps numbers +about 500 strong. They move their head-quarters from fort to fort, +according to the movements of the Indians and the advance of +emigration. + +On leaving Rapid City, we took a shorter track than what is +generally taken, thereby saving ourselves at least forty miles to +Birtle. Our first night, distance about twenty miles after +luncheon, we spent alongside of a small store-house on the Oak +River; we had passed some very comfortable-looking settlements +that afternoon, one, where we got information about our road, +belonging to a man called Shank, who had been settled about four +years, and had quite a homely-looking shanty covered with +creepers, and garden fenced in. At Oak River we had rather +speculated on getting both food and lodging; but when we found the +fare offered no better than ours, we decided to have our own +supper, getting the woman to boil us some water for our tea. We +also refused the lodging. The house was scrupulously clean, ditto +the woman, but we couldn't quite make up our minds to share the +only bedroom with her, her husband and two other men, one ill with +inflammation of the lungs, rejoicing in an awful cough, and rather +given to expectoration; so we had our first experience of real +camping out. Our tent was an A tent, just big enough to allow of +two people sleeping side by side; the only place to stand up in, +was exactly in the middle, but we arranged it very fairly +comfortably by putting some straw under our buffalo robes, and our +clothes as pillows. The men had to make their couch under the +carriage with whatever cloaks we didn't want, to keep the dew off +them; and by lighting a large "smudge" to keep off the mosquitoes, +we all slept pretty well, though Mother Earth is very unrelenting. +If, however, we wanted to change our position we were sure to +awake. The following morning, Tuesday, the men had a bathe in the +river, which we very much envied them; though, having brought our +india-rubber bath, and there being plenty of water handy, we did +very well. We were off again at 7 o'clock. Our breakfast bill of +fare not much varied from that of last night--tea, corned beef, ox +tongue, and bread and butter. The country through which we passed +was not so pretty as on Monday, with fewer trees. Our cavalcade +was increased by another man in his buggy, who was on his way to +Edmonton, and he travelled with us most of the day. Mid-day, after +eighteen miles, we came on a small settlement of four Canadians, +who were just finishing their dinner. They were very nice, +delighted to see ladies, placed the whole of their place at our +disposal, and though, of course, they could do but little for us, +we were not allowed to wash up our plates nor to draw our own +water. They had everything so tidy and nice, rough it was bound to +be. Like thousands of Canadians, they have taken up land, 240 +acres apiece, and are working them together, with two yoke of oxen +and a pair of Indian ponies. Whilst we were resting, the Manager +drove on to find his farm; but as they have bought several +sections in different townships from the railway company, it was +difficult to find out on which section his men were working. The +only thing he knew was two of the numbers of the section and that +the Arrow river ran through the property. The Canadians told us +that Ford "Mackenzie," for which we had been steering all the +morning, was six miles further on; so that when we left them about +2 o'clock (amidst many expressions of regret; they repeated to us +several times how delighted they were seeing ladies, not having +seen a petticoat since they came up last spring), we had to wander +many a mile before finding either the ford or the farm. As it was, +we mistook the ford and had to cross and recross the river three +times, which we, in our buggy, didn't at all appreciate; the banks +were so steep we felt we might easily be pitched out. + +At Mackenzie's Ford we found a wretched man who, having settled +here two years ago, and was getting on well, had last month +brought his wife and children up by steamer on the Assiniboine, +where they had caught diphtheria; two children had succumbed to +the disease, and his wife, he greatly feared, couldn't live. We +luckily had some whisky with us, and were glad to be able to give +him some, as the doctor had recommended stimulants to keep up the +poor woman's strength. + +From him we heard where the Manager's camp really was, and reached +it, very tired, about 7 o'clock, to find everything in the most +fearful state of disorder and mismanagement; not even a well dug +to provide water for man or beast. The men had mutinied, ten of +them gone off, and only three and a woman as cook left; she had +known much better days, and was perfectly helpless and unable to +manage the stove or the cooking in a shed made of a few poles with +a tarpaulin thrown over. + +A---- is the most splendid man; whatever difficulties there are he +makes light of them; and directly the horses had been unharnessed +he set to work to put our tent up and lay out our supper, which +was improved by the addition of some fried potatoes. Our table was +the spring seat of the waggon, our seats the boxes; the stores +have come in, or our bundle of rugs; and though the ground was +harder to sleep on, as we had no straw under our buffalo-robe, +still we got a fair amount of rest at night. Two very pretty +Italian greyhounds we had brought up with us kept our feet warm, +as it was quite chilly, the dews being very heavy. The men were +horribly disturbed all night by the mosquitoes, which were in +myriads. No smoke of the smudges really keeps them off, though it +stupifies and bothers them a good deal. + +On Wednesday, contrary to expectation, we got some water to wash +with, the Manager having had a hole dug. Water is so easily +procured with digging, and at no great depth, that there is no +excuse for not having it in abundance. We then spent our morning, +whilst the men were going over the various sections, in trying to +teach the woman to, cook, making biscuits, which were not a +success, mending clothes, and writing up our diaries; so that the +time flew all too quickly. + +We drove on twenty-two miles in the afternoon, and, being all down +wind, were pestered with mosquitoes and most fearfully bitten. + +The country much the same as the previous day, very little taken +up; but the wild flowers lovely. We counted forty-two different +specimens; those yellow orchids you are so proud of at home, also +red tiger-lilies, phloxes, and endless other varieties. Birtle, +another mushroom town, looked so pretty and picturesque as we came +down upon it, by the evening light, situated in a deep gorge much +wooded on the Birdtail-Creek. + +You would have laughed to see us arrive at what we thought our +destination--a nice house on the top of the opposite hill +belonging to a friend of the Manager's, where we were to be +hospitably entertained. The house was locked up, but that was no +obstacle; we forced the windows open, and whilst A---- put the +horses up, the Manager went down the hill for water, I foraged for +eatables, E---- for wood to light the fire, and we very shortly +afterwards sat down to a very fair meal; our neighbours' bacon and +tea, but our own bread. Luckily a Winnipeg lady, hearing of our +arrival, came up to offer her services in the shape of food or +lodging; the latter we two gladly accepted, instead of pitching +our tent outside the house, which was already full, three +bachelors living there and our two men intending steeping between +the walls, _coute que coule_. The house we spent our night in +was a log one, and though unpapered, looked very comfortable, and +was prettily hung round with Japanese fans and scrolls, and +various photographs. We had a funny little canvas partition in the +roof allotted to us; but were not particular, and did great credit +to our feather bed. + +And how excellent our breakfast was next morning, porridge and +eggs; we hardly knew when to stop eating. We started early to Fort +Ellice, one of the Hudson Bay forts, hoping to find the steamer on +the Assiniboine to take us back to Winnipeg; but unfortunately it +had stuck on the rapids. So after waiting twenty-four hours at the +fort, we determined to drive down to the end of the Canadian +Pacific Railway, and so home. The old fort is very little altered +from what it used to be, surrounded by its wooden pailings, and +having a store on the left side of the entrance gate, where all +the Indians come to make their purchases in cotton-goods and +groceries in exchange for their blankets, moccassins, or furs. The +Assiniboine we crossed just before getting to the fort, on a +ferry. It is a grand winding river with fearfully steep banks, 380 +feet almost straight up, which was a pull for our horses, the +tracks being very, bad, and not well engineered, going perpendicularly +up the hill. Mr. Macdonald is the "boss" at the fort, and had known +two of our friends who were up here several years ago. + +There is a Lincolnshire man farming on a large scale settled not +very far away from the fort; but we had neither time nor +inclination to go further north. We hoped against hope that the +steamer might get up, but on Saturday gave it up as useless, and +settled to drive towards Gophir Ferry, trying to find a friend +who, when out at C---- Farm, told us he was living on section xxvii +by 13, and near two creeks. For the first five miles our road lay +along the Beaver Creek, which was pretty; but afterwards the +scenery much resembled Winnipeg, flat and uninteresting, not a +tree, and without even the beautiful vegetation and flowers we had +had on our previous drives. We had to stop several times to look +at the section-posts, it was quite an excitement to mark every new +number we came to. Our road took us pretty straight to the Mouse +Mountain trail; but at a shanty being advised to leave the track +and go straight over the prairie, we overshot the tents we were in +search of by a short distance. + +Our friend had not returned from Winnipeg, but we made ourselves +quite at home, pitching our tent alongside of his men's. He had +four Englishmen working for him, two of them were tenant-farmers +at home; one man, who had been out two years, had had a large farm +near King's Lynn, and has taken up a section close by; but as he +bought his land too late in the spring to do anything to it; +beyond hoping to build himself a shanty before the winter set in, +he is working for our friend, who has 2,000 acres. Another of the +men was a newly-arrived emigrant; he and his three children were +nearly devoured by mosquitoes, and were most grateful for some +concoction we gave them to allay the irritation. He had been quite +a "gent" in his own country, but bad times and alcohol I had been +too much for him. I don't think he at all relished the work he had +to do, ploughing with oxen all day, &c. They plough almost +entirely with oxen up in this country. The oxen are easier to +feed, and don't suffer so much from the alkali in the water. But +most of the Englishmen when they first get out here dislike using +them, they are so slow; and I should agree with them. + +A great many new-comers find the ways and means difficult to +conform to, and would give a good deal to go back; but after they +have been out a year or two they drop into fresh habits and seem +to like the life. + +On Sunday we started late, for two reasons. The horses which had +been very restless all night, driven mad by the mosquitoes, could +not be found, having wandered over the brow of the hill to the +river edge, to catch the slight breeze blowing; and secondly we +thought we would have a rest, and did nothing but regret it all +day, as the heat, was fearful, and as we went down wind the +mosquitoes were ditto. Also we got into camp very late at Flat +Creek, where we had hoped to find a freight train, to get on as +tax as Brandon, whereas we had to camp close to a marsh just +outside the city--the "city" comprising a cistern to provide the +engines of the train with water and half a dozen tents all stuck +on the marsh. We were rather amused by the name of one lodging +tent, "The Unique Hotel"; in other words, beds were divided off by +curtains, so that you were quite private! + +We pitched our tent on the highest spot we could find; but the +mosquitoes, to accommodate us, left the marshes and came in +perfect myriads around us. We lit smudges on all sides, but as +there was hardly a breath of air the smoke went heavenwards, and +consequently we had to sit almost into them and could hardly see +to eat for the denseness of smoke. Query, which was the worst, the +evil or the cure? That last night was the most uncomfortable of +the whole lot, and I don't think any of us disliked the prospect +of a comfortable bed. But in spite of all our roughing we have +enjoyed it, and very glad we went. It is satisfactory to know that +all the prairie is not as flat as around us at C---- Farm, that it +is rolling, and covered with bluffs or brushwood. A---- is pleased, +as he has seen no ground as good as his own, and declares he +wouldn't exchange his 480 acres for thousand up west. The land is +certainly of a much lighter nature, having more sand in it, and is +easier to get into cultivation in consequence, but he doesn't +think it will stand the same amount of cropping. + +The trails, which are only tracks made by the half-breeds and +Indians on the prairie, have been good throughout, but in spring +are full of mud-holes or sloughs. + +The new carriage has turned out quite a success and been very +useful, as it has carried all our clothes, buffalo robes, buckets +and oats for the horses, our provisions, etc., even to our tent, +the poles of which were slung along the carriage just above the +wheels, and the whole so light that A---- pushed it easily three or +four hundred yards when we were moving our camp at Fort Ellice. + + * * * * * + +QUEEN'S HOTEL, WINNIPEG. + +July 25. + +We cannot fancy ourselves in this elegant brick edifice; but it's +an ill wind that blows no one any good, and had we not been +nervous of driving sixteen miles in a raging thunderstorm last +night you would not have received a letter by this mail. The heat +is so great that I am afraid my ideas won't flow. It is a hot +thundery day, cloudy and close, the thermometer is at 109 degrees in +the shade, and everything one touches seems to be at melting point! +Unfortunately we have had all our cool things for our journey, and +they are too dirty to wear in a "live" town. These three last days +are the only days we have had to grumble at the heat; and, I +expect, if we bad been out at the farm, quietly doing our various +works, we should not have felt it so much; but a tent on a hot day +is like a stove-house, quite fearful. + +We have had a very successful tour of seven days, sleeping five +nights on Mother Earth, which was mercilessly hard. Lived chiefly +on corned beef, tea, and marmalade, three times a day. Driven 173 +miles, nearly the whole time in pretty, sparely inhabited, wooded, +and undulating country. Had another 300 miles to and fro in the +train, and arrived here last night hoping to get home to our own +beds, when we distressed at finding no buggy from the farm, though +we sent them a telegram early in the morning before leaving Flat +Creek, which we conclude they haven't received. + +Just as we were starting, and before our small packets could be +fetched from the station, a fearful thunder-storm, preceded by a +dust-storm, came on; and we had to take refuge in an hotel, which, +contrary to our expectations, was not only clean, but comfortable. +The climax to all our troubles has been that the man from the +livery-stable was unable to get our hand-bags, so that we actually +had to go to bed last night and get up this morning without a +sponge, comb, toothbrush, or any blessed thing. We were nearly +sprinkling ashes on our heads and rending our garments when the +fact was broken to us; but, considering we had no other clothes to +fall back upon, we suppressed our feelings (and drowned our tears) +in sleep, putting in nearly twelve hours, as it was 9.15 when we +woke this morning, and it was not very late when we retired. We +had neither of us slept well the night before, and it had been a +hot, suffocating day for travelling, so that we were very tired +when we got in. What useful things hair-pins are! I have always +found them excellent bodkins, button-hooks, wedges for misfitting +windows, &c., but until to-day had never realized what a capital +comb they would make, held tightly. + +I don't know that we have had any very amusing adventure; but the +whole expedition has been an adventure, and therefore, as it +proved the business of the day, it was taken seriously--I mean, we +hardly laughed when we all shared the same drop of water in a +bucket to wash our face in turns, and then hands, drying ourselves +with the same towel, which was not always of the cleanest, and +when we shared the same tin cup to drink out of. Of course we +managed to get in a very fair amount of chaff. I used often to +drive, and it was said that if ever there was a hole or stone on +the trail I used to bump, bump over it, shooting the others almost +out of the carriage, so that there were cries of "danger ahead," +when they declared they had to hang on to each other for safety. + +We had to leave A---- behind us yesterday at Flat Creek with the +carriages and horses, to follow us in a freight train, and he has +just turned up, very hot and weary and out of temper with the +railway authorities, as they make so many unnecessary difficulties +in unloading. Instead of following us directly yesterday, as he +was told he would do when he first put the horses on the train, +they did not start until late in the afternoon, and have been +travelling all night, A---- sleeping very peaceably in the +horsebox. + +We are to go out to the farm as soon as the horses have been fed +and we can reclaim our lost baggage of last night. + +I am thankful to say that we never came across any snakes during +our expedition, though they are said to abound by Brandon and +further west. The only one we saw was when the conductor on our +train brought us a parcel and showed one coiled up inside. It was +a trial to our feelings, but I believe it was dead. There are none +around Winnipeg, not even a worm. + + * * * * * + +C---- FARM, July 30th. + +We found the most lovely batch of letters, almost worth being away +from home for ten days, on our arrival here at 12 o'clock P.M. on +Tuesday, which completely revived our drooping spirits; we were +feeling rather limp and tired after a long day in Winnipeg, and +losing our way across the prairie coming home. It was very dark, +and the only guide we had was when the vivid flashes of lightning +reflected the farm-buildings; as it was, we drove through the big +marsh, the mosquitoes nearly eating us up; and A---- so worried by +them that he couldn't think of the trail, and trusted to the +horses finding their way. The joy of coming upon our own fence is +better imagined than described. I pictured to myself that we +should be like one of our labourers, who, having gone into town +just before we started up west, lost his way coming out, +unharnessed his horses and picketed them, and sat down quietly, +waiting for daylight before he ventured on. It is marvellous that +anyone finds their way on the prairie. There are numberless trails +made during the hay-harvest, which may mislead; and in a country +which has been surveyed, some time back, the section-posts have +almost entirely disappeared, the cattle either knocking them down +or they having been struck by lightning. + +We found our bedroom very full of mosquitoes, so that our sleep +was much disturbed, in fact we never slept properly till after the +sun rose; but our letters cheered us up and were far more +refreshing than ten hours' sleep. + +The netting over our windows had got torn from the tacks, so that +the mosquitoes had come in by shoals just to show how they +appreciated the attention of having things made easy for them. +Otherwise, we are not generally much bothered with them in the +house, netting being over every door and window. + +The cat sometimes thwarts our protection by jumping through them in +the morning, and no thumpings seem to impress her with respect for the +said net. + +We are told the mosquitoes will be gone in a fortnight; certainly +the big yellow ones have lived their time and are, not so +plentiful, but they have been succeeded by a small black species +which is quite as venomous, and not so easy to kill. + +We went to Church yesterday at Headingley: quite a red letter day. +It was only the second time we have been able to manage it in the +ten weeks we have been here; and though it was very hot in Church +we were ashamed to take our gloves off, on account of the scars. + +The Church is quite a nice little building, and the service +delightful after so many weeks of not hearing it. We had to take +our horse out, tie it to the churchyard paling, and put the dog, +in the buggy to take care of our goods and chattels. + +We are getting quite low at the thoughts of leaving this in ten +days' time; being rather like cats, attached to any place where +one has heaps of occupation, and where one is kindly treated and +well fed, however ugly that place may be. + +We have been very busy haymaking since we got home, and a grand +stack is in the course of erection nearly opposite the dining-room +window. You never saw anything so astonishing as the way the oats, +potatoes, etc., have shot up in our absence. Even the puppy, which +we left a fluffy ball, seems to have grown inches. Then, all my +chickens are hatched, and are an endless pleasure and anxiety. I +am supposed to spend hours over them. + +We have received four sheets of official paper from Mr. W----, +full, of directions about our journey to Colorado, describing his +home, etc., even to the nickel-plated tap we shall find in his +kitchen, which is to supply us with an unlimited amount of water. +He tells us we need bring nothing but a saddle and a +toothbrush,--he will find all the rest; and that we are to make it +a note that it is one of the strictest rules of mining camps that +guests are never allowed to pay for anything. As we hope he is +making a fortune by his mines, we shall not have so much +compunction of accepting these terms. We are to sight-see, climb +I mountains, go into the mines, fish for trout, and do nothing the +live-long day but amuse ourselves. + +I am afraid A---- will miss us terribly, dear old soul! He is very +fond of having us here, and is always bemoaning our departure. I +think it will make a great difference to him and to his humdrum +hard-working life, as we are always cheery and have never had a +difficulty or annoyance of any sort. + + * * * * * + +August 6th. + +We are rejoicing now that we have settled to go to the Rocky +Mountains, as the hot weather we speculated on avoiding has come +in with a rush, and for a whole week the thermometer has been at +80 to 85 degrees. One morning before a thunder-storm, when it fell +forty degrees in a few hours, it was up to 90 degrees. We have had +some rain, but not the heavy if storms we have seen wandering round +which generally follow the course of the Assiniboine--a relief to our +minds, as our hay is still out. + +It has been cut nearly all round the property outside the fence, +in spite of the risk one runs of having it subsequently claimed by +the owner of the section, who is generally a half-breed, a loss +only to be avoided by leading it home at once, which we are doing. + +This has happened to our neighbour, with whom, I am afraid, we do +not sympathise very keenly, as he had taken up the marsh which our +men cut last year, and had the full intention of doing again this +year, so they looked upon it in the light of their special +property. + +We have only two waggons working here, as nearly all the men and +horses are gone over to Boyd's; and as our hay is a mile and a +half away, we don't get much more than five loads a day, so that +the stack does not grow very fast. + +Our excitement this week has been a cricket match with Boyle's +Farm; four of their men we challenged. It really was too amusing. +They had a bat and ball, stumps, but no bales, and played on the +prairie, which was so fearfully rough that it was almost +dangerous, the ball shot in such various directions after hitting +the tufts of grass. Everybody fielded, but a ball going into the +wheat-field behind the wickets was not counted as a lost ball. The +total score of the two innings was only ten, and in one our +opponents went out without a single run; so you may fancy the +howls of either applause or derision at every ball. + + * * * * * + +August 17th. + +The Farm with all its toils and pleasures is a thing of the past; +we were both very low when we turned our backs upon it and its +inhabitants just a week ago. We have been in such robust health +the whole of our three months, hardly a headache or finger-ache. +Our maid-of-all-work life has suited us, and we have acquired such +an immense deal of practical knowledge that for those reasons +alone, we might be gratified and pleased we came. Since then we +have been staying with Mike in Minnesota, where we were either +riding or driving (anything to do with horses) all day long. +Driving four miles, jumping the horses over a pole, taking them +down to water, having a mule race (which was truly amusing as the +course was just in front of the house and several bolted home), +and driving, a gang plough, were a few of the "diversions" found +for us. Our host was most kind and anxious to make us comfortable; +he worked heaven and earth to get his house ready, the contractors +having taken so much more time than they said; anyhow, he turned +the carpenters out of the house the day previous to our arrival, +carried in the furniture, nailed up mosquito blinds, and did many +things himself, so that everything should be in spick and span +order. + +As these men, Mike having two partners, are farming thirteen +thousand acres, they are on a much larger scale as regards +buildings, numbers of horses, etc., to anything we have seen +before. Their living-houses are about double the size of C---- +Farm; they have also huge stables, which A---- fancies will be cold +in winter, but have a most imposing appearance, as have also their +implement house, sheds, etc. The land seemed much the same as +ours, a rich black loam, but very much wetter, marshes everywhere. +They have broken two thousand acres since the beginning of June, +and were busy, whilst we were there, cutting hay, Mike hoping he +had already got over five hundred ton up! + +We drove one day to see a neighbouring farm which is said to be +the "boss" one in all the country, belonging to a man who has been +out five years. He was just starting to cut his two square miles +of wheat, and we watched the seven self-binding machines with +great interest. They seem as light as a reaper, and the machinery +comparatively not intricate. + +We were driven through some standing corn, which was rather +agonizing to our British ideas, but he thought nothing of it. The +straw was four and a half feet high, and he hopes to get forty-two +bushels to the acre. His farm being on the Snake River, and having +many creeks running through as drainage, is a great advantage. His +vats were pronounced no better, if so good, as ours at C---- Farm. + +We remained at Warren a day longer than we had intended, as we got +to the station just in time to see our train move off. We accused +Mike's Irish groom, who is quite a character, of bringing round +the carriage too late on purpose. If he did, I think all the party +forgave him; we were very happy, it gave us another night of +A----'s society. Mike was low at our going. Poor man! one cannot +be much surprised at his liking to keep us, as, besides the +fascinations of ladies' society, he has no neighbours whatsoever, +and, excepting the two men he has in the house, there is not a +gentleman nearer than Winnipeg. He offered me seventy-two dollars +a month to be his housekeeper. E---- was to have two dollars a +week as parlour-maid, which she considers an insult; or she might +have seventy-five cents a day if she would drive the ploughs. + +Servants and labourers get higher wages there than in Manitoba, +all the men were averaging thirty-five to forty dollars a month +and their keep. They were all Swedes and Germans, of whom there is +an enormous colony in the state. + +We are now trying to spend our day at Council Bluff, a large +junction of the Grand Pacific Railway, having come in here at 8 +o'clock this morning, and our train to Denver not leaving till 7 +o'clock this evening. The hotel is right on the station. The +weather is so hot, that as yesterday, at St. Paul's, where we also +had to spend a whole day, we have never summoned up courage to go +beyond the door. It was suggested we might take the tram and go up +into the City; but E---- has a notion that one city is much like +another, particularly on a hot day. + +It is curious how Americans live in hotels; there are several +families in this, and if my letter is not very intelligible you +must forgive me, as I am writing in the grand corridor to try and +catch the slight draughts of air blowing through, at the same time +that half a dozen children are playing up and down. + +The scenery yesterday from St. Paul's all along the banks of the +Missouri was very pretty. We both of us sat outside the Pullman as +long as daylight lasted, feasting our eyes oh the water, trees, +etc. The height and luxuriance of the latter seemed quite +incomprehensible after the total absence of forest scenery for so +many months. It is pretty round here; and by the time we get to +the Rocky Mountains we shall have got beyond the stage of thinking +a hillock a mountain, and fairish-sized trees not so wonderful +after all; but at the present moment we are in that pleasing +state, ready to admire anything and everything. We hope to get to +Denver on Saturday night, and rest there Sunday and part of +Monday, and we also hope to get to Church there. Mike offered to +drive us into Warren last Sunday; but as the service was a Swedish +Presbyterian, we didn't think we should be much edified. + + * * * * * + +DENVER, August 2lst. + +We arrived here Saturday evening, very tired and not at all sorry +to exchange the Pullman for a comfortable room and bed, which we +had telegraphed for, and therefore not, like so many of our +fellow-passengers, obliged to seek shelter elsewhere. The +Pullman's are most comfortable, and for a long journey like ours +nothing could be so good; but I am glad that in England we don't +have either these or the ordinary American car in general use. The +publicity is so odious, and one does get bored by the passengers +constantly wandering up and down the train, and the boys who pass +and repass every ten minutes selling books, newspapers, cigars, +candy, and the unripest of fruit, which they are always pressing +you to buy; to say nothing of chewing, spitting Americans one has +to countenance all day long. The last four-and-twenty hours of our +journey have been very tiring. The scenery has been so monotonous; +endless long undulating plains like the waves of the sea, covered +with grass quite dried up, a few flowers, and a bee-shaped cactus. +The heat was very oppressive, a hot sirocco, wind blowing which; +obliged us to keep our windows shut on account of the fine +alkaline dust. E---- had her window open last night, and awoke this +morning to find herself in a layer of ashes. + +We skirted the South Platte River most of the time; it was only a +bed of shingles, wide and shallow, with not a drop of water in it. +These plains, extending for thousands of miles in all directions, +are the great "ranching," or cattle-farming districts, formerly +the favourite breeding-grounds and pastures of the buffalo, which, +alas! have all disappeared. We only saw a few tame ones amongst +the herds of cattle; they have been killed in the most ruthless, +indiscriminate way for their furs, and will soon be "things of the +past." + +We wondered much, with the river and every visible stream so dry, +how the large herds of cattle and horses were watered; but have +since been told that water is so near the surface the herdsmen +have no great depth to dig to procure any quantity. We thought we +could have made a good pick or two amongst the horses, but we +didn't care for long-legged ugly big-horned cattle brutes. Here +and there was a herdsman mounted on a small Indian pony with a +high Mexican saddle, enormous spurs, and a long lasso, galloping +and dexterously turning his animals. + +Our train had to pull up several times and whistle loudly to turn +the animals off the track, there being, as usual, no rail or +protection; but pulling up for them was not half as exciting as on +Thursday night, when we stopped repeatedly to turn a man off the +train who, not having paid his fare, nor apparently intending to +do so, had swung himself in some marvellous way under the cars, +hanging on by the break. Whenever we slackened speed he jumped +off, walking quite unconcernedly alongside; but the moment we +moved on he got on again. We never knew how far he continued his +perilous ride, I fancy that even the officials gave up +remonstrating; anyhow, as long as daylight lasted and we could +watch the men, no efforts on their part seemed to make the +smallest impression. + +Three hours before getting into Denver we had our first glimpse of +the Rockies, and although they were then only in the blue distance +we were quite excited about them; and at Greely Station (much +impressed on our minds by having read Miss Bird's book just before +coming here), we came in full view of Long's Peak,--almost wishing +"Mountain Jim" might still be alive to ascend it with us,--and +the whole of the gorgeous range; and quite one of the loveliest +sights I ever saw was watching two thunder-storms on either side +of the Peak break and disperse, whilst the reflections from the +sunset-glow lit up the rest of the heavens. The railway and Denver +City itself is about thirty miles distant from the mountains, but +the atmosphere is so clear that they look as if quite within an +easy gallop. + +It is difficult to understand why the town has been built so far +from the mountains, situated as it is on a sandy, treeless plain. +It is growing, like most of the western towns, at a tremendous +pace, and we are lodging in a luxurious hotel, our room on the +fourth floor numbers 454. We found the avenues of trees lining +every street an immense boon this morning in going to church at +the cathedral. + +The heat, though great, is not so oppressive as either at St. +Paul's or Omaha, but then we are at the height of 5,000 feet; and +this afternoon the air has been cleared by a thunderstorm preceded +by a great sand-storm, which we watched from our windows +encircling the town, so thick that mountains and all view was +obliterated for the time being. + +Denver is a great resort for invalids, chiefly those suffering +with asthma. + + * * * * * + +August 22. + +Before leaving Denver we went to a gunsmith and invested in a +fishing-rod and numberless flies, with which we intend to do great +execution. We also went to the exhibition, opened a month ago and +still unfinished; one of the leading men, to whom we had a letter +of introduction, showed us everything. It is chiefly interesting +to miners, as the display of minerals from Western America is +unrivalled. There seemed, in the specimens, enough gold and silver +to make us rich for ever; unfortunately our ignorance on the +subject of ore is too great to thoroughly appreciate it. + + * * * * * + +OURAY, August 24. + +It is not easy to sit down and write after forty-eight hours +travelling, as we have been doing since leaving Denver on Monday night +at 7 o'clock; but in such scenery and air so exhilarating we do not +feel as tired as we expected. You should have seen the omnibus, +stage-coach, charridon, or any other name you please to give the +lumbering vehicle in which we performed our last twelve hours' drive; +it looked truly frightening when it drove up to Cimarron depot, one +tent, last night, to pick us up, intended for twenty passengers and +any amount of luggage, and swung on great straps. It was wonderfully +well horsed, and we changed our teams every ten miles; but only then +came at the rate of five miles an hour. We both of us started for our +sixty-four miles' drive on the box-seat with the driver, who happened +to be an extremely nice man and an experienced whip; in former days he +had driven the stage-coaches across from Omaha to San Francisco, a +journey of three weeks. But he took up much room on the seat, and +every time he had to pull up his horses his left elbow ran into me, +until "he guessed my ribs would be pretty-well bruised." + +About midnight, when our only other fellow-passenger turned out +from the inside of the coach, I entered it, though I expected +nearly every moment would be my last, the bumping was so fearful. +I managed to get a few winks of sleep towards morning. E---- sat +outside all night, finding it very difficult not to drop off the +coach from drowsiness. The early hours of the morning, after the +moon went down until dawn, were truly wretched, what between the +outer darkness, the flickering of our lamps, the unevenness of the +road, and the clouds of dust, and one almost began to wonder if +the journey was worth so much trouble. + +But with daylight we quite altered our opinions; as really I do +not think, if you searched the whole world over, you would find +anything more beautiful than the Uncompahgre valley and park +looked in the morning light. + +Mr. W---- met us at 5 o'clock A.M. at the "Hot Springs," so called +from the boiling water that gushes out of the ground, and which is +said to give the name of "Uncompahgre" to the district, that being +the Indian word for hot water. He brought us out hot coffee and +food to refresh us, and drove us the last nine miles up the +valley. We came slowly, thoroughly enjoying the scenery. On either +side of the road are well-cultivated farms. Within two miles of +Ouray the park narrows into a magnificent gorge, bounded on each +side by precipitous cliffs of red sandstone, covered with pines +and quaking aspen, the whole crowned by arid peaks. From this +gorge you suddenly come upon the town, situated in an amphitheatre +of grand gray, trachyte rocks. + +Our house is in Main Street. The ground floor is an office; our +four rooms are on the first floor, to which we ascend by a wooden +staircase outside. + +Every nook and corner is filled with some curiosity or mineral +specimen. Our host being a great sportsman, there are various +trophies of the chase--a mountain lion, wild sheeps' heads, bears, +cranes, even to a stuffed donkey's head; there are also cabinets +of fossils, specimens of ore, etc., and great blocks of the same +piled on the floor. + +Our family consists of our two hosts, Messrs. W---- and B----, two +Indian ponies, a mule, two setters, and two prairie dogs, which +are reddish-buff marmots. We are only to remain here one night, +and, if thoroughly rested after our journey, go up to the log +cabin in the Imogene Basin, 3,000 feet higher. We are both looking +forward to it immensely. It is right in the heart of the +mountains, 10,600 feet, and with no one near us, as all the mines +surrounding the cabin belong to a company which had to suspend its +works last month for want of funds, so that they are not being +worked. The air is glorious, and we feel already perfectly +restored to our usual health, though we are warned that strangers +cannot walk much at first, the air is so rarefied, that one is +soon out of breath. Anyhow the atmosphere has been so clear that +it much added to our enjoyment in seeing the ever varying beauties +and distant mountain view all along our journey from Denver here. + +We unfortunately came through the "Grand Canyon" at night. Had it +been clear the porter on the car was to awake us to see it; we +could quite picture to ourselves its beauties by the scenery in +the Black Canyon we came through yesterday by daylight. The +engineering all along the line is marvellous, the way we rose +nearly 7,000 feet by a zigzag over the Marshall Pass, or the Great +Divide, going down nearly as many feet on the other side and then +through these canyons, which are only narrow gorges for a raging +torrent to rush through on its headlong career. + +Our train was a very narrow gauge with bogie wheels, and we +twisted so, in and out of the bends of the river, that the engine +often looked as if it might easily come into contact with our +carriage which happened to be the last. It is the great advantage +of the Pullmans they are always on last to the train when passing +through any pretty country, and when there are no other carriages +of the same, so that one can sit on the rear platform and see all +the scenery. + +We entered into conversation with two Germans, and were amused by +one of them surreptitiously bringing us two pink trout from his +luncheon at the wayside hotel, we having remained in the carriage +for our frugal meal; and though we had got to the "Sweets" stage +felt hound to begin again, and much enjoyed our fish. The food +provided at these wayside inns is generally so bad and dear, a +dollar a head charged for sixteen to eighteen dishes, of almost +uneatable messes, that we prefer the tinned meats and fruits we +have, in our luncheon basket; and for drinks we have beautifully +iced water in all the carriages, the ice being replenished at +every big station. + +The last forty miles of our railroad journey was over a line only +opened ten days ago, by which, I am thankful to say, we avoided +twelve hours more of the stage-coach and a night in a Colorado +inn, which, we are told, is anything but pleasant, there always +being many more bed fellows than what one bargains for; and we +should not have seen the Black Canyon and its thirteen miles of +grandeur and sublimity. The railway track is cut out of the sides +of the over-hanging rocks, and in places is built on a bed of +stones in the creek itself. + +The rocks at times almost seemed to meet overhead, then widened, +we crossing and re-crossing the torrent by wooden bridges which +shortly are to be replaced by iron ones. The colouring was so +beautiful, the chasm being generally in shade with the mountains +above standing out in glorious sunshine, covered as they were in +many places, even as far down as the water's edge, with pines. +Nature is marvellous in its productions, but the ingenuity of man +is also wonderful, and we quite came to the conclusion that the +scenery of that canyon was worth coming all these thousands of +miles to see. + + * * * * * + +OURAY, August 27th. + +The name of Ouray, given to this town, is from the last chief of +the Utes, who, with his tribe, lived to within a couple of years +on a reserve down in the Park. The first stake is said to have +been struck by white men in 1865, but no cabin was built until +1874, and from that time the town has been growing rapidly, having +now about 1,000 inhabitants. In the south-west portion of the +basin in which it stands, and where the waters of Canyon Creek +flow into those of the Uncompaghre, there are some lovely canyons +and picturesque gorges, and here, in places where the hot springs +overflow the banks of the main stream, the rocks are covered with +maiden-hair and other ferns. These hot springs serve to keep the +river unfrozen even in the severest weather. + + * * * * * + +MOUNTAIN BAT'S NEST, IMOGENE BASIN, + +August 29th. + +This is a glorious region, and we send you the enclosed sketch to +show our picture of comfort and perfection. I assure you, nightly +as we sit down to our evening repast, or later round our wood fire +in our "parlour," we congratulate each other, and fancy we would +not change places with the highest of the land, the air and life +are so intoxicating. + +After twenty-four hours in Ouray we came up here, sending the +darkie Henry and our luggage on before us in a waggon. We have +brought nothing but the bare necessaries of life--all our heavy +boxes are gone to Chicago to await our return--being warned to +bring as little as possible, on account of the difficulties of +transport in the mountains, also of only being allowed 50 lbs. +weight on the coach, every extra lb. charged ten cents. We +ourselves rode up here, arriving about 6 o'clock, and found poor +Henry waiting outside, not having been able to get into the cabin, +the door-key being carefully in Mr. W----'s pocket; but as +everything is always left in order it didn't take us long to make +ourselves comfortable; and as at sunset the cold had been piercing, +a fire soon lit was very acceptable. + +This cabin is quite unique. It consists of two rooms on each side +of the front door, with a tiny passage used as larder, wood-hole, +saddle-room, &c. + +Our room is our bed and drawing-room combined, which is hung all +round with every imaginable skin, wolf, skunks, lynx, &c., stuffed +animals and birds, guns and traps, to say nothing of shelves +covered with different specimens of ore taken out of the adjoining +mines. It was quite creepy, the first night, having to sleep with +a bear's head at the foot of our bed, with a stuffed fox just over +our head, which has the most awful squint, and is the first object +that catches the eye on awaking, and a dried root, the fibres of +which so much resemble a man's beard that it looks horridly like a +scalp. The hay-mattress on our bed has to be; shaped into grooves +for our poor bones to rest comfortably. In the day-time it is +covered up with skins, and then is called the "lounge." + +Our washing-stand is primitive, a box standing on end, in which +our tin bason and cans are concealed, so that we can consider our +"parlour" quite correct. Our other room is the kitchen, and fitted +up with four bunks against the wall, which Mr. W---- and Henry +occupy. We breakfast and dine out of doors, at a table placed just +outside the cabin, and on the only bit of flat ground we have +near, as we are situated on the slope of a mountain, and a most +beautiful stream of water runs about forty feet below us with the +clearest and coldest of water. One of our first occupations in the +morning is to take the animals down to water, and afterwards to +picket them in amongst the long grass, growing in great profusion +and height during the short summer on all the foot hills and +wherever there is an open space. The first afternoon we were up +here we went for a ride round Imogene basin, and were delighted +with the wild flowers, which are quite innumerable--columbine, +phloxes, blue gentian, dandelions, harebells, vetches, and fifty +other species. E---- picked a good many, and hopes to draw them +for the benefit of you all at home. The flowers shoot up almost +before the snow has melted, and make the most of their short +existence which lasts about two months and a half. We tasted the +"bear berry," which grows as a bush and has a round brown berry, +quite bitter, but, as its name shows, is much appreciated by the +bears, who come any distance to get it. + + * * * * * + +September 4th. + +We are enjoying this mountain life; the weather is all we can +desire, and we are in the most robust of health. We live almost +entirely out of doors, sketching all the morning, in the +afternoons making expeditions either into some of the mines, or +over a mountain-pass; and for "tender-feet" the name given to all +new-comers, are pronounced to be good mountaineers; but our ponies +and mules are so sure-footed and pleasant that we follow any +trail, however narrow and uneven, with the greatest confidence. + +The scenery everywhere is far beyond our sketching capacities, but +we find spoiling many sheets of drawing-paper a never-failing +amusement and occupation; and we can sit out anywhere, as neither +snakes nor mosquitoes are known in these altitudes. Our darkie's +criticism might be discouraging, he saying he cannot understand +our wasting so much time on "things not at all like nature," were +it not counterbalanced by the praise given us in the "Ouray Times" +which paper we sent home to you last week. The balsam pine, which +is about the only tree we have, is rather monotonous and sombre- +looking, being of a blackish-green; and we have not here, as in +the valley around Ouray, the beautiful sandstone and porphyry +rocks for background; only never-ending blue distances, brought +out so clearly on account of the extraordinary dryness and purity +of the atmosphere. + +We have been escorting two men to-day over a pass 12,500 feet, +part of the way to San Miguel, going as far as the ridge, from +whence we had a most glorious view and panorama, as we could see +into the valleys and canyons some miles below; Mount Wilson, which +unfortunately was shrouded in dark, stormy clouds; a range of +mountains in Utah called Sierra la Sal, about 120 miles distant; +and a long way into New Mexico. + +In returning home we got into clouds, and could hear a thunderstorm +raging in the valley below us, for some little time losing our trail, +and not sorry when we found it again and were able to descend from +higher regions, the cold was so intense; not so surprising, as we +found when the mist lifted that snow had fallen on all the surrounding +peaks. + + * * * * * + +IMOGENE BASIN, September 12th. + +Two days' after our expedition to San Miguel we awoke to find +ourselves in a "white world," the snow being two inches deep. It +is said to be a most unusually early storm, but it was not +altogether a surprise: the glass had been falling and storms had +been audibly growling all round us. The snow only lasted about +twenty-four hours, just long enough for us to realise and admire +Imogene in its winter garb, and enable us to try and walk in snow- +shoes. We did not attempt either going up or down hill in them, so +that our performance was confined to the small space in front of +the cabin. + +With the exception of this one storm our weather continues lovely; +bright, sunshiny, warm days--we do not even require an extra +jacket out of doors until after sunset--with a slight frost every +night. + +Last Monday we started early, taking provisions with us, and spent +a long day in Red Mountain Park, sketching the marvellously +brilliant scarlet peaks, whilst Mr. W---- shot grouse, of which he +got three and a half brace. The grouse are much like ours, only +larger, and roost in trees. These parks abound in game. We have +been wishing to see a bear; at a safe distance, perhaps, but have +never succeeded, though several have been killed since our +arrival. Whilst shooting, Mr. W---- came upon the fresh trail of +one and its unfinished meal of a gophir not very far from where we +lunched; only fancy what a stampede there would have been had the +bear appeared. We are always looking out for thin trees round +which a bear's claws would overlap, and therefore they could not +climb, to take refuge up in case of danger; but they very seldom +attack, unless wounded or a she-bear with cubs. In the spring and +autumn these parks abound in deer; but in summer they go above +timber line to graze on the succulent bunch grasses and to be free +from flies. There are also mountain-sheep, coyotes, and foxes, and +along the streams several beaver; but we never have seen any +animal bigger than a prairie-dog, or smaller than a coney. + +Chipmunks and the mountain-rats disturbed our slumbers at night, +running about the cabin, and I do not at all think we should like +our dormitory were we not watched over during our slumbers by a +cat, the most sociable of beasts, who as a rule sleeps between us, +and protests loudly if we either of us move or wake him. + + * * * * * + +September 7th. + +By degrees we are learning something of the mines and miners; also +are beginning to know all the packers who daily go up and down the +trails, each with a train of ten donkeys carrying the ore from the +mines. The men's appearance is of the roughest, but they, one and +all, are most civil, both of speech and manner. Women are rare in +these districts, the wife of the manager of the Wheel of Fortune +Mine being the only one living up here. She has been here two +years, and is quite idolized by the miners and trappers, as she +has never been known to refuse hospitality to any. We were much +amused, whilst going through the Wheel of Fortune tunnels last +Saturday, to hear one of the miners ask who we were, and when told +with the ready answer, natural to this country, that "we were +Duchesses," he wished much to know if that was not something like +the Prince of Wales. + +We went into a lower shaft whilst two fuses were fired in an +upper. The anticipation of the shock was worse than the +realisation. Each of us carried a candle, and the concussion blew +them all out; but beyond that, the smell of gunpowder, and smoke, +we experienced no harm, and as we had matches and the candles were +soon relit, we had not to grope our way back in darkness. + +We have been into several of the tunnels on the eight well-defined +lodes in this basin, also into some in Sneffels; these veins may +be all traced through into Red Mountain Valley, which seems to be +the volcanic centre of this neighbourhood. The porphyry vein +matter or ore-bearing quartz, having decomposed more readily than +the trachyte of the mountains which they intersect, in some +instances, as in the peak just above our cabin, they have cut deep +notches in the summit of the ridges, making the outline very +jagged and rugged looking. + +The mineral wealth around us is astounding, hundreds of rich mines +have been discovered in all the surrounding mountains, and are +being discovered now. Three men, whilst at dinner a month ago in +Red Mountain Valley, in picking round with a small axe where they +were sitting, knocked off a piece of rock which, when analysed, +proved to be so valuable a lode, that they have since then sold +their claim for 125,000 dollars. + +Any man can stake a claim of 1,500 feet on a vein if not previously +done; but he has to expend 100 pounds on it in the first five years to +enable him to obtain a patent from Government, which secures the +property to him for ever. + +There must be a certain amount of excitement to miners as to what +treasure will be produced after every blast of gunpowder; but oh! +how I should hate the life, living underground in these +subterranean passages, which are all more or less wet from the +water percolating through the rock, and never able to see the sun +or the beauties of nature. The wages of the men are enormous, able +miners getting four dollars a day; sorters, or the men who break +and turn over the stone, three and a half. + +Mr. W---- had a hard life when he first came out here in 1877; as +he and his partner worked with no other help for four years +underground mining, besides having to build their cabin, being +their own blacksmiths, assayer, cook, &c., and he declares he +enjoyed it immensely, with the exception, perhaps, of the first +winter, when, getting in their supplies very late, they had to +live on bacon (and that rancid) and flour, but little else. + +Stores for the winter have to be brought up in October, as the +trails early become impassable, and all outer communication can +only be kept up on snow-shoes. The snow averages about seven or +eight feet, though in this basin it has been known to be thirty- +eight deep, but in the Uncompaghre Valley and down by Ouray it +averages only a few inches. Animals are left out to graze there +all the winter. + + * * * * * + +THE RANCH, UNCOMPAHGRE PARK, September 16. Ten miles below Ouray. + +Amidst many tears and regrets, we have torn ourselves away from +the cabin, where we could have spent another month or six weeks in +perfect contentment; but a storm being predicted, and duck-shooting +and fly-fishing being part of our Colorado programme, we accepted the +loan of a house on a farm down in the valley, and are installed in it. +It wanted a certain amount of pluck, on first seeing our +accommodation, to come down. Our house is one room, thirty feet long +by about eighteen wide, an open roof with plenty of air-holes, and no +partition whatsoever, excepting what we have made by hanging three +blankets from a rafter, behind which is our bed (or lounge in +day-time), the washing-stand, a box set up longways, and a tin bason, +an arm-chair which consists of two pieces of wood, and an old +wolfskin, much worn, and a rickety table, at which I am writing now, +lighted by a candle stuck into a bottle. On the other side of the +blanket-partition is the kitchen stove, big table, store shelves, a +pile of saddles, &c. Mr. W---- sleeps in a tent outside; Henry in a +waggon: he, poor man, is not at all happy, as he imagines bears and +coyotes are nightly intending making their evening meal off his portly +form. He is the greatest coward I ever saw, and came in horror +confiding to me that he had seen a snake, yards long, which Mr. W---- +killed the day following, and it proved to be a small water-snake, +hardly ten inches. + +Henry affords us a great deal of amusement; he does not at all +presume, but, in his quaint way, wishes to tell, and asks so many +things, queries which often are almost unanswerable. The day we +spent in Ouray on our way down from the cabin here, we much +distressed him by not "striking a show" in the street, and not +wearing smart clothes which had a "tong," if it were only to show +that we consider Mr. W---- a "big bug." + +He left his wife in the South eleven years ago, and, in spite of +all our protestations and lectures, informs us he is going to +marry again, as in the Bible he reads "that it is wrong for man to +live alone." + +It is a matter of infinite surprise to him how we can remain out +of doors with no covering to our heads, he could not stand the +rays of the sun as we do; and why our complexions in consequence +are not as dark as his is a mystery to him. + + * * * * * + +THE RANCH, UNCOMPAGHRE PARK, September 24th. + +Although this house does consist of only one room, is situated in +a stony field, with not a tree near us, and that we are not having +good sport, either trout-fishing or duck-shooting, we should be +quite happy and contented were it not for the B flats which +abound, the first we have come across, which, Henry assures us, +are not from dirt, but grow in the pine-wood. Why are they not, +then, in the log cabins which are entirely built of pine? We have +not disclosed the fact to Mr. W----, he is so thoroughly enjoying +his holiday, as we know that we should be instantly ordered back +to Ouray, where he would have to begin his work. Whilst he is out +shooting, we make expeditions, exploring over all the foot-hills. +One day, after wandering up a beautiful valley, we came upon a +Park or "Mesa," and I do not ever remember having seen such a +view: miles of grass on which wild cattle and horses were feeding, +with clumps of trees artistically dotted here and there, and for +background the orange and scarlet tinted foot-hills, pines on +higher regions, and a glorious panorama of snow-capped mountains +beyond. But for the mountains, one might almost fancy oneself in +some English park, and at every turn we felt we ought to come upon +an Elizabethan House. There were many tracks of deer, but none +were visible. We overtook a man driving a team of ten oxen with +lumber, and of him asked our way, as one might very easily lose +oneself in these rolling park-like glades, intersected with deep +canyons, with no trails or roads, excepting here and there one +made by lumberers. In coming down the hill again, close to a large +saw-mill, we watched a man breaking in a horse of five years old. +He had secured a dozen, all wild, in a corral or fenced enclosure, +and had thrown a noose over this one's head. He was trying to draw +it up by means of a thick rope to the fence, the rope getting +tighter and tighter as the animal backed or tried to gallop round +with the other horses. Finally, when the poor brute was almost +choked, and perspiration was streaming down him, he allowed the +man to go up to him, who very dexterously and quickly slipped a +halter over its head. The horse then was tied up to the post, the +others turned out, and the man intended keeping him there until +the following morning without any food, when he would put a saddle +on, and ride him, and hoping to sell him as broken for eighty +dollars. + +Many of these horses are not broken at all; we were shown a +good- looking mare of thirteen years old who had never had a bit +in her mouth. + + * * * * * + +THE RANCH, September 29th. + +This is the country I should like to have a farm in, were I bound to +emigrate. In this valley every sort of grain and vegetable seem to +grow in the most luxuriant way, and we have been feasting on tomatoes, +cabbages, beets, lettuces, etc. The butcher, who is also greengrocer, +sent a potato twelve inches long by nine round, "hoping the ladies +would take it in their trunks to England as an average specimen." Then +on the "Mesa" or parks above the foot-hills, large herds of cattle can +always graze through the winter. We have had jelly made of +squawberries and the Oregon grape, which is excellent. There are also +wild gooseberries and black currants, both of which we have found. +This ranch is 160 acres; the only buildings the owner has put up are +the dwelling-house and one shed as a stable and implement-house. Hay +last year was selling at 10 to 12 pounds a ton, potatoes 3d. to 6d. a +lb., oats 4d. a lb., and everything in proportion; eggs 3s. to 4s. a +dozen all the year round, milk 6d. a quart; so that any man ought to +make a very large profit, the land originally costing him nothing, +and, excepting in hay or harvest time, very little labour required. +Oats are cut very green and stacked for winter fodder. These fertile +valleys are very limited in number, and as the consumption must be on +the increase, mines being discovered and opened out, some time must +elapse and the railway come nearer, ere competition reduces the +prices, or the farmer's profits are lessened. + +The people round are most kind and friendly, and would be more so +had they received the slightest encouragement; but Mr. W---- gave +out we wanted to know no one, that we were not to be in Ouray, and +that all our time was to be taken up seeing the country. We went +one day up Bear Creek, as Mr. W---- was asked to see a mine, and +dined with the manager and his wife. They gave us a sumptuous +repast, and tried to persuade E---- and I to remain the night, +though we were only about four miles from home; but even we two +are not enough un-Englishified as yet not to object to sleeping +with two other people. They had only one room for kitchen, bed, +sitting-room, &c.; and it is curious how little one now thinks of +the bed standing in one corner, the washing-stand in another, +whilst kitchen-stove, and scullery fill up a third. I suggested +that when strangers did sleep there they gave them the adjoining +cabin; but was told that a trussel bed put alongside of the host's +"took no room whatsoever." Mr. W---- tells a funny story of a +picnic party in the mountains in an old cabin of his, which only +contained one room, and where five women and six men had to sleep +the night, the women occupying the bunks, the men (after +promenading outside whilst the women were getting into bed) +sleeping on the floor. They all laughed and talked so much that +daylight almost appeared before any of them got to sleep, and +there was a regular stampede under the blankets among the ladies +when a match was struck, one of the men objecting to his neighbour +lying alongside of him with all his clothes on. + + * * * * * + +October 3rd. + +How the time flies! in forty-eight hours from now we shall have +said good-bye to the most fascinating of regions, and Ouray and +the Rocky Mountains, with all the glorious scenery, will only live +in our memories and be things of the past. + +I fancy one could never tire of it, and wish so much I could describe +the view we had from our Ranch looking up the Uncompahgre.--the valley +bright yellow with the grasses and aspen trees turning colour from the +frosts, the scarlet dwarf oak on the foot-hill, and the mountains lost +in the blue distance. During our six weeks' stay we have tried all the +different phases of life. The cabin life in amongst the mountains and +miners, the Ranch, and town, and certainly give the palm to the +first-mentioned. As we anticipated, our Ranch life was brought to an +abrupt end the moment we owned to Mr. W---- how our slumbers were +disturbed with the B flats; we had to return into Ouray, and have been +living here some days. + +Mr. W---- found such an accumulation of work on his return, that, +excepting at meals, we never see him; and have to content +ourselves wandering and exploring on our ponies all the different +trails, and we shall soon be acquainted with every one within +miles. The only ride we do eschew is the Toll Road up the park, +the only piece of flat ground anywhere about, and fit for +cantering along. It is the favourite resort of the ladies of the +town, who are smartly arrayed in very long-skirted habits +ornamented with brass buttons and velvet jockey-caps, and who must +naturally look down upon us as disgracefully turned out in our +every-day gowns and broad-brimmed hats, which, to say the least, +have seen better days. + +Ladies riding alone are required to pay no toll; a custom we think +ought very much to be encouraged all over the civilized world. + +We have spent one more night at the cabin in Imogene, leaving +Henry in Ouray and "doing" for ourselves; and whilst Mr. W---- and +the "expert," for whom we went up, were inspecting mines, we two +fetched the water, made bread, and had a general sweep out. The +cat was supremely delighted to see us, and could not apparently +make enough of us when not allowed on our knees, stood up against +or walked round us. + +The heavy snow-storm of last week destroyed all the grass and +flowers; they were so high when we left that a mule could hardly +have been seen whilst grazing, and now they are laid quite flat +with not a vestige of their beauty left. The wind was very high as +we went up the canyon, so we had to hurry past the patches of +aspens growing on the rocks and having very little hold for their +roots, which were being blown over unpleasantly near us. + +This will be the last letter you will receive, as when once +started we shall go as fast as the stage-coach, rail, and steam- +boat can take us to England, I having had a telegram which hurries +us home. + +Good-bye, we look forward immensely to seeing you all again; but +we have had such a pleasant trip throughout, without a single +_contretemps_, that we can but be delighted we came, and shall +always look back with immense gratification on our six months' +sojourn in the Western hemisphere. + + * * * * * + +LONDON, December, 1882. + +Since arriving in England I have received the following letter +from my brother in Manitoba, and as I want this book to be a sort +of guide to colonists I think it well to add it:-- + +C---- FARM, November 14th. + +I am writing now to send you a kind of statement of our farm +accounts; though it cannot be quite correct, this year's crop of +oats not having been thrashed out, so that the calculation can +only be approximate. + +1st. _The Land_.--The cost of the land is taken as the first +purchase-money and the amount it has cost to bring 410 acres under +cultivation. + +2nd. _The Buildings_.--They consist of two dwelling-houses and two +stables; one of the houses, being for the men, is also used as a +warehouse and granary. + +The contract price was very low, and also the price of timber; now +both gone up, but put down at the original cost. + +3rd. _The Horses_.--Valued, I think, rather low at 250 dollars a team; +500 dollars for the stallion. The 4,326 dollars include their cost; +the amount of oats and hay they have eaten. + +_The Cows_.--Include their original cost, hay and percentage of keep. +The price of cattle now is high; we sold two cows this summer at an +average price of 75 dollars. + +_Implements_ have been reduced about 35 per cent for their two years' +wear. + +_Carriages_ being new, we have taken nothing off them. + +_Pigs_ have the cost of their feeding added; the young ones taken at +an average of ten dollars. + +_Furniture_.--A slight deduction for wear and tear. + +_Oats_.--We are calculating 2,500 bushels off 181 acres. + +_Hay_ is difficult to calculate; I do not think we have 400 tons. The +price now is very low; 5 dollars a ton, and it would cost us three +dollars to get it into Winnipeg. + +_Potatoes_ are uncertain. They are worth one dollar a ton now, and if +we can manage to keep them during the winter they will be worth a good +deal more; but they are difficult to keep, although we have a good +root-house; If the frost happens to get to them they will all spoil; +and it is difficult to keep the frost out, going as it does twelve +feet into the ground. + +_The Fence_ is quite worth the money; so you see that putting most +things at a low price, one has a certain profit, though not in hard +cash; and it is satisfactory to find that one hasn't been working for +two seasons for nothing. No one expects a farm to pay in this country +during the first two years. + +Original Value. Dollars. Present Value Dollars +Land, 480 acres 4,110 worth 30 dollars an acre 14,400 +Building 2 houses and 2 stables 4,814 4,814 +Horses--2l horses 4,326 3,000 + 1 stallion +Cattle--84 cows 2,668 80 cows and 46 calves 3,700 +Carriages 229 229 +Harness 407 300 +Implements 1,810 800 +Pigs 125 Pigs and 29 young 350 +Poultry 20 33 chickens 40 +Furniture 495 400 +Profit and Losses 10,681 +Oats 2,500 bushels at 50 cents 1,250 +Hay 400 tons at 5 dollars 2,000 +Potatoes 1,000 bushels at 1 dollar 1,000 +Flax 100 +Wire Fence 500 + ______ ______ + 29,180 32,888 +N.B.--The profit and loss comprises the wages to labourers and cost +of living of both masters and men. + +This estimate is given after two years' farming. + + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of A Lady's Life on a Farm in Manitoba +by Mrs. Cecil Hall + +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A LADY'S LIFE ON A FARM IN MANITOBA *** + +This file should be named 6732.txt or 6732.zip + +Produced by Mark Hamann, Juliet Sutherland, Charles Franks +and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. +This file was produced from images generously made available by the +Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions. + +Project Gutenberg eBooks are often created from several printed +editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the US +unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we usually do not +keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. + +We are now trying to release all our eBooks one year in advance +of the official release dates, leaving time for better editing. +Please be encouraged to tell us about any error or corrections, +even years after the official publication date. + +Please note neither this listing nor its contents are final til +midnight of the last day of the month of any such announcement. +The official release date of all Project Gutenberg eBooks is at +Midnight, Central Time, of the last day of the stated month. A +preliminary version may often be posted for suggestion, comment +and editing by those who wish to do so. + +Most people start at our Web sites at: +https://gutenberg.org or +http://promo.net/pg + +These Web sites include award-winning information about Project +Gutenberg, including how to donate, how to help produce our new +eBooks, and how to subscribe to our email newsletter (free!). + + +Those of you who want to download any eBook before announcement +can get to them as follows, and just download by date. This is +also a good way to get them instantly upon announcement, as the +indexes our cataloguers produce obviously take a while after an +announcement goes out in the Project Gutenberg Newsletter. + +http://www.ibiblio.org/gutenberg/etext03 or +ftp://ftp.ibiblio.org/pub/docs/books/gutenberg/etext03 + +Or /etext02, 01, 00, 99, 98, 97, 96, 95, 94, 93, 92, 92, 91 or 90 + +Just search by the first five letters of the filename you want, +as it appears in our Newsletters. + + +Information about Project Gutenberg (one page) + +We produce about two million dollars for each hour we work. The +time it takes us, a rather conservative estimate, is fifty hours +to get any eBook selected, entered, proofread, edited, copyright +searched and analyzed, the copyright letters written, etc. Our +projected audience is one hundred million readers. If the value +per text is nominally estimated at one dollar then we produce $2 +million dollars per hour in 2002 as we release over 100 new text +files per month: 1240 more eBooks in 2001 for a total of 4000+ +We are already on our way to trying for 2000 more eBooks in 2002 +If they reach just 1-2% of the world's population then the total +will reach over half a trillion eBooks given away by year's end. + +The Goal of Project Gutenberg is to Give Away 1 Trillion eBooks! +This is ten thousand titles each to one hundred million readers, +which is only about 4% of the present number of computer users. + +Here is the briefest record of our progress (* means estimated): + +eBooks Year Month + + 1 1971 July + 10 1991 January + 100 1994 January + 1000 1997 August + 1500 1998 October + 2000 1999 December + 2500 2000 December + 3000 2001 November + 4000 2001 October/November + 6000 2002 December* + 9000 2003 November* +10000 2004 January* + + +The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation has been created +to secure a future for Project Gutenberg into the next millennium. + +We need your donations more than ever! + +As of February, 2002, contributions are being solicited from people +and organizations in: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, +Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, +Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, +Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New +Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, +Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South +Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West +Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. + +We have filed in all 50 states now, but these are the only ones +that have responded. + +As the requirements for other states are met, additions to this list +will be made and fund raising will begin in the additional states. +Please feel free to ask to check the status of your state. + +In answer to various questions we have received on this: + +We are constantly working on finishing the paperwork to legally +request donations in all 50 states. If your state is not listed and +you would like to know if we have added it since the list you have, +just ask. + +While we cannot solicit donations from people in states where we are +not yet registered, we know of no prohibition against accepting +donations from donors in these states who approach us with an offer to +donate. + +International donations are accepted, but we don't know ANYTHING about +how to make them tax-deductible, or even if they CAN be made +deductible, and don't have the staff to handle it even if there are +ways. + +Donations by check or money order may be sent to: + +Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation +PMB 113 +1739 University Ave. +Oxford, MS 38655-4109 + +Contact us if you want to arrange for a wire transfer or payment +method other than by check or money order. + +The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation has been approved by +the US Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) organization with EIN +[Employee Identification Number] 64-622154. Donations are +tax-deductible to the maximum extent permitted by law. As fund-raising +requirements for other states are met, additions to this list will be +made and fund-raising will begin in the additional states. + +We need your donations more than ever! + +You can get up to date donation information online at: + +https://www.gutenberg.org/donation.html + + +*** + +If you can't reach Project Gutenberg, +you can always email directly to: + +Michael S. Hart <hart@pobox.com> + +Prof. Hart will answer or forward your message. + +We would prefer to send you information by email. + + +**The Legal Small Print** + + +(Three Pages) + +***START**THE SMALL PRINT!**FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN EBOOKS**START*** +Why is this "Small Print!" statement here? You know: lawyers. +They tell us you might sue us if there is something wrong with +your copy of this eBook, even if you got it for free from +someone other than us, and even if what's wrong is not our +fault. So, among other things, this "Small Print!" statement +disclaims most of our liability to you. It also tells you how +you may distribute copies of this eBook if you want to. + +*BEFORE!* YOU USE OR READ THIS EBOOK +By using or reading any part of this PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm +eBook, you indicate that you understand, agree to and accept +this "Small Print!" statement. If you do not, you can receive +a refund of the money (if any) you paid for this eBook by +sending a request within 30 days of receiving it to the person +you got it from. If you received this eBook on a physical +medium (such as a disk), you must return it with your request. + +ABOUT PROJECT GUTENBERG-TM EBOOKS +This PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm eBook, like most PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm eBooks, +is a "public domain" work distributed by Professor Michael S. Hart +through the Project Gutenberg Association (the "Project"). +Among other things, this means that no one owns a United States copyright +on or for this work, so the Project (and you!) can copy and +distribute it in the United States without permission and +without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set forth +below, apply if you wish to copy and distribute this eBook +under the "PROJECT GUTENBERG" trademark. + +Please do not use the "PROJECT GUTENBERG" trademark to market +any commercial products without permission. + +To create these eBooks, the Project expends considerable +efforts to identify, transcribe and proofread public domain +works. Despite these efforts, the Project's eBooks and any +medium they may be on may contain "Defects". Among other +things, Defects may take the form of incomplete, inaccurate or +corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other +intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged +disk or other eBook medium, a computer virus, or computer +codes that damage or cannot be read by your equipment. + +LIMITED WARRANTY; DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES +But for the "Right of Replacement or Refund" described below, +[1] Michael Hart and the Foundation (and any other party you may +receive this eBook from as a PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm eBook) disclaims +all liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including +legal fees, and [2] YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE OR +UNDER STRICT LIABILITY, OR FOR BREACH OF WARRANTY OR CONTRACT, +INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE +OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE +POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. + +If you discover a Defect in this eBook within 90 days of +receiving it, you can receive a refund of the money (if any) +you paid for it by sending an explanatory note within that +time to the person you received it from. If you received it +on a physical medium, you must return it with your note, and +such person may choose to alternatively give you a replacement +copy. If you received it electronically, such person may +choose to alternatively give you a second opportunity to +receive it electronically. + +THIS EBOOK IS OTHERWISE PROVIDED TO YOU "AS-IS". NO OTHER +WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, ARE MADE TO YOU AS +TO THE EBOOK OR ANY MEDIUM IT MAY BE ON, INCLUDING BUT NOT +LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A +PARTICULAR PURPOSE. + +Some states do not allow disclaimers of implied warranties or +the exclusion or limitation of consequential damages, so the +above disclaimers and exclusions may not apply to you, and you +may have other legal rights. + +INDEMNITY +You will indemnify and hold Michael Hart, the Foundation, +and its trustees and agents, and any volunteers associated +with the production and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm +texts harmless, from all liability, cost and expense, including +legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of the +following that you do or cause: [1] distribution of this eBook, +[2] alteration, modification, or addition to the eBook, +or [3] any Defect. + +DISTRIBUTION UNDER "PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm" +You may distribute copies of this eBook electronically, or by +disk, book or any other medium if you either delete this +"Small Print!" and all other references to Project Gutenberg, +or: + +[1] Only give exact copies of it. Among other things, this + requires that you do not remove, alter or modify the + eBook or this "small print!" statement. You may however, + if you wish, distribute this eBook in machine readable + binary, compressed, mark-up, or proprietary form, + including any form resulting from conversion by word + processing or hypertext software, but only so long as + *EITHER*: + + [*] The eBook, when displayed, is clearly readable, and + does *not* contain characters other than those + intended by the author of the work, although tilde + (~), asterisk (*) and underline (_) characters may + be used to convey punctuation intended by the + author, and additional characters may be used to + indicate hypertext links; OR + + [*] The eBook may be readily converted by the reader at + no expense into plain ASCII, EBCDIC or equivalent + form by the program that displays the eBook (as is + the case, for instance, with most word processors); + OR + + [*] You provide, or agree to also provide on request at + no additional cost, fee or expense, a copy of the + eBook in its original plain ASCII form (or in EBCDIC + or other equivalent proprietary form). + +[2] Honor the eBook refund and replacement provisions of this + "Small Print!" statement. + +[3] Pay a trademark license fee to the Foundation of 20% of the + gross profits you derive calculated using the method you + already use to calculate your applicable taxes. If you + don't derive profits, no royalty is due. Royalties are + payable to "Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation" + the 60 days following each date you prepare (or were + legally required to prepare) your annual (or equivalent + periodic) tax return. Please contact us beforehand to + let us know your plans and to work out the details. + +WHAT IF YOU *WANT* TO SEND MONEY EVEN IF YOU DON'T HAVE TO? +Project Gutenberg is dedicated to increasing the number of +public domain and licensed works that can be freely distributed +in machine readable form. + +The Project gratefully accepts contributions of money, time, +public domain materials, or royalty free copyright licenses. +Money should be paid to the: +"Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." + +If you are interested in contributing scanning equipment or +software or other items, please contact Michael Hart at: +hart@pobox.com + +[Portions of this eBook's header and trailer may be reprinted only +when distributed free of all fees. Copyright (C) 2001, 2002 by +Michael S. Hart. Project Gutenberg is a TradeMark and may not be +used in any sales of Project Gutenberg eBooks or other materials be +they hardware or software or any other related product without +express permission.] + +*END THE SMALL PRINT! FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN EBOOKS*Ver.02/11/02*END* + diff --git a/6732.zip b/6732.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..86f2adc --- /dev/null +++ b/6732.zip diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..1d7099c --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #6732 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/6732) |