Canadian Scenery, Volume 2 (of 2)Willis, Nathaniel Parker
History
Canadian Scenery, Volume 2 (of 2)
Willis, Nathaniel Parker
Canada -- Description and travel; Canada -- History
Imagine you see me perched upon a seat composed of carpet-bags, trunks,
and sundry packages, in a vehicle little better than a great rough deal
box set on wheels, the sides being merely pegged in, so that more than
once I found myself in rather an awkward predicament, owing to the said
sides jumping out. In the very midst of a deep mud-hole out went the
front board, and with the shock went the teamster (driver), who looked
rather confounded at finding himself lodged in a slough as bad as the
“Slough of Despond.” For my part, as I could do no good, I kept my seat,
and patiently awaited the restoration to order. This was soon effected,
and all went on well again, till a jolt against a huge pine-tree gave
such a jar to the ill-set vehicle, that one of the boards danced out
that composed the bottom, and a sack of flour, and a bag of salted pork,
which was on its way to a settler’s whose clearing we had to pass in the
way, were ejected. A good teamster is seldom taken aback by such trifles
as these.
He is, or should be, provided with an axe. No waggon, team, or any other
travelling equipage, should be unprovided with an instrument of this
kind, as no one can answer for the obstacles that may impede his
progress in the bush. The disasters we met fortunately required but
little skill in remedying. The sides need only a stout peg, and the
loosened planks that form the bottom being quickly replaced, away you go
again over root, stump, and stone, mud-hole, and corduroy; now against
the trunk of some standing tree, now mounting over some fallen one, with
an impulse that would annihilate any lighter equipage than a Canadian
waggon, which is admirably fitted by its very roughness for such roads
as we have in the bush.
The sagacity of the horses in this country is truly admirable. Their
patience in surmounting the difficulties they have to encounter, their
skill in avoiding the holes and stones, and in making their footing sure
over the round and slippery timbers of the log bridges, renders them
very valuable. If they want the spirit and fleetness of some of our
high-bred blood horses, they make up in gentleness, strength, and
patience. This renders them most truly valuable, as they will travel in
such places that no British horse would, with equal safety to their
drivers. Nor are the Canadian horses, when well fed and groomed, at all
deficient in beauty of colour, size, or form. They are not very often
used in logging; the ox is preferred in all rough and heavy labour of
this kind.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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