8 THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE BY LAND. 



The major was attired in a very seedy military 

 undress snit, too small and too short for him, and he 

 carried, like Bardolph, a "lantern in the poop," 

 which shone distinct from the more lurid and darker 

 redness of the rest of his universally inflamed features. 

 His manner was rather misty, yet solemn and grand 

 withal, and he comported himself wdth so much 

 dignity, that far was it from us to smile at his pe- 

 culiar personal appearance. We all three bowed and 

 shook hands with him with an urbanity almost equal 

 to that of our friend the captain. 



Both our new acquaintances discovered that they 

 were going to the same place as ourselves, and 

 favoured us with their society assiduously until we 

 reached the Clifton House. 



After viewing the Falls, we had dinner ; and then 

 the captain and major entertained us with extra- 

 ordinary stories. 



The former related how he had lived at the Cape 

 under Sir Harry Smith, ridden one hundred and fifty 

 miles on the same horse in twenty-four hours, and 

 various other feats, while the " major " obscurely 

 hinted that he owed his present important command on 

 the frontier to the necessity felt by the British Govern- 

 ment that a man of known courage and talent should 

 be responsible during the crisis of the Trent afiair. 



We returned to Toronto the next day, and lost no 

 time in proceeding on our way to Bed Biver, travel- 

 ling as fast as possible by railway through Detroit 

 and Chicago to La Crosse, in Wisconsin, on the banks 

 of the Mississippi. 



