A Yankee in Canada, with Anti-slavery and reform papers. — John Shaqi
A Yankee in Canada, with Anti-slavery and reform papers.Thoreau, Henry David
History
A Yankee in Canada, with Anti-slavery and reform papers.
Thoreau, Henry David
Brown, John, 1800-1859; Québec (Province) -- Description and travel; Slavery -- United States
At a shoe-shop, whither we were directed for this purpose, we got some
of our American money changed into English. I found that American hard
money would have answered as well, excepting cents, which fell very fast
before their pennies, it taking two of the former to make one of the
latter, and often the penny, which had cost us two cents, did us the
service of one cent only. Moreover, our robust cents were compelled to
meet on even terms a crew of vile half-penny tokens, and bung-town
coppers, which had more brass in their composition, and so perchance
made their way in the world. Wishing to get into the citadel, we were
directed to the Jesuits’ Barracks,—a good part of the public buildings
here are barracks,—to get a pass of the Town Major. We did not heed the
sentries at the gate, nor did they us, and what under the sun they were
placed there for, unless to hinder a free circulation of the air, was
not apparent. There we saw soldiers eating their breakfasts in their
mess-room, from bare wooden tables in camp fashion. We were continually
meeting with soldiers in the streets, carrying funny little tin pails of
all shapes, even semicircular, as if made to pack conveniently. I
supposed that they contained their dinners,—so many slices of bread and
butter to each, perchance. Sometimes they were carrying some kind of
military chest on a sort of bier or hand-barrow, with a springy,
undulating, military step, all passengers giving way to them, even the
charette-drivers stopping for them to pass,—as if the battle were being
lost from an inadequate supply of powder. There was a regiment of
Highlanders, and, as I understood, of Royal Irish, in the city; and by
this time there was a regiment of Yankees also. I had already observed,
looking up even from the water, the head and shoulders of some General
Poniatowsky, with an enormous cocked hat and gun, peering over the roof
of a house, away up where the chimney caps commonly are with us, as it
were a caricature of war and military awfulness; but I had not gone far
up St. Louis Street before my riddle was solved, by the apparition of a
real live Highlander under a cocked hat, and with his knees out,
standing and marching sentinel on the ramparts, between St. Louis and
St. John’s Gate. (It must be a holy war that is waged there.) We stood
close by without fear and looked at him. His legs were somewhat tanned,
and the hair had begun to grow on them, as some of our wise men predict
that it will in such cases, but I did not think they were remarkable in
any respect. Notwithstanding all his warlike gear, when I inquired of
him the way to the Plains of Abraham, he could not answer me without
betraying some bashfulness through his broad Scotch. Soon after, we
passed another of these creatures standing sentry at the St. Louis Gate,
who let us go by without shooting us, or even demanding the countersign.
We then began to go through the gate, which was so thick and
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