Friday, August 28, 2009

Cypress Mountains, August 27, 1874 [ctd.]

Aug. 28th I had to stop owing to borrowed ink. To go on with what I was saying – we will have two mails during the winter perhaps three we were also talking about having reading matter sent up to us a list of books that each one wishes will be made out and any duplicates struck out. So our winter evenings will not be altogether unprofitably spent. I have found an ardent admirer of chess – who was bewailing the want of a set of chess-men. I gladdened his heart by telling him that I had brought mine along with me – we will have some grand old games – Jack can busy himself making problems for our solution. Every one speaks well of Edmonton as being a nice place – with quite a settlement in the vicinity of the Fort who knows perhaps I may make a good thing out of a private practice enough to keep me in kid gloves up there. What have you been doing with yourself? Has Miss Taylor been to pay you a visit yet? You must remember me kindly to her – when you write or see her. Dearest girl I have been reading in your dear old book you must have carried it with you & used it for a long time. It seems like a beautiful souvenir of yourself reading over the pages which you have so often perused & it seems like reading it with you. I can almost hear your dear voice reading with me. I have not felt so very blue or so very lonely as to justify me in opening your note but often often have I looked at your old crabbed hand & wondered what words of comfort & consolation I would find there it acts like a charm even tho’ I read nothing but my own name – but that has been written by your own dear hand. I carry the little book in my pocket always about with me – and often take it out sometimes only to look at my name on the envelope and yours just opposite on the fly leaf. Remember you are to tell me everything you do no matter how trivial it is – you keep a journal and are able to recall any little incidents I cannot do this. I can only recollect the most important ones. My diary was kept in a large book which I had to send on to Edmonton from Roche PercĂ©e. When I get to the end I will be in better form then to let you know almost exactly what I do all thro’ every day. I feel it will not weary you and the trouble that it will give me will be amply repaid by the thought that it is for you that I am doing it. You must give only warmest love to Mannie Cameron. Tell him that I intend to use him as my encyclopedia. I have not a few subjects upon which I wish light to be thrown and will apply to him before long. When does he go to Philadelphia? I am sorry that I did not get a large stock of Postage stamps to bring along with me but as I have not if people wish to hear from me they will have to pay the postage. We are now in the hostile Indian country and greater care & watchfulness will be required now consequently the guard has been doubled around the camp in place of four sentries we now have nine the corral formed by the wagons is in the form of a number of squares the horses are picketed there every night and a guard mounted over them – outside of the wagons are the tents of the men & outside of these of course the line of sentries. Now no stragglers are permitted either in front of the advance guard or at a great distance on the flanks & the rear guard hustles any who lag behind. The wagons themselves now keep in a close train each team at about 4 yards distance behind the preceding the ox carts keep together. You should see these carts – huge rough unwieldy looking things that appear ready to fall to pieces at the slightest concussion – all bound together by bits of shagannappi – they make the most aweful squeaking & squealing as they are drawn along by their single horse or ox – one man manages three four or five carts – the ones he looks after the oxen being tied behind each forward cart. These ox carts always go first on the march then by troops according as each one is ready first. Our assistant commissioner the one who will be in charge at Edmonton has gone off to White muc[mud?] river to get oats & we are waiting here for his return after that we will move on. Bow River according to the matest calculations is 160 miles from here we thought it nearer. They say 100 that all the grass between here and there has been devoured by grasshoppers and Buffalo – a bad look out for the horses that – yesterday evening I took a sketch of a sunset. I do not know if it is a success or not this afternoon I put in a foreground and altogether it does not look so bad. It does not look much like the sunset for which it was intended but no on will ever see that to compare it. I must give up on my ink again – so goodbye