398 THE ATLANTIC. [CHAP. Vv. 
panding great patches of its ruddy-veined vases in the swamps. 
I took a quantity of it to Bermudas, and when we left it was 
still looking fresh and coming into flower; but I should think 
there was not the least chance of its succeeding there, the con- 
ditions are so entirely different. But by far the most charming 
of the Nova Scotia spring flowers was the May-flower (Epiga@a 
repens), Which a week or two before had been struggling to 
form its buds beneath the snow, and was now stretching out its 
long, trailing sprays, covered with trusses of pale flowers, among 
the grass and moss. Day after day we filled our cabins with 
wreaths of it, and enjoyed its delicate perfume, which reminded 
one of that of the fields of Zinnwa borealis in the pine forests 
of Dalecarlia; and our thoughts wandered back to the old ay- 
Jlower and the devoted little band who left all and went so far 
for the love of God. 
We drove a few miles beyond Dartmouth one day to see 
some gold mines, which they are still working actively. The 
mines are in a wild, bleak piece of country. From a height 
you can see the long line of little square sheds with their iron 
chimneys and their winches, and heaps of rubbish thrown out 
from the workings, stretching along the strike of the metamor- 
phosed schist, while here and there is a crushing-mill which 
does the work of several of the mines. The schist is crushed 
in the usual way by ranges of heavy steel pestles. working by 
steam in steel cylinders, and the gold is then extracted by amal- 
gamation with mercury, being shaken in contact with it by a 
vibrating motion communicated by the engine, down a long in- 
clined trough. The yield is small, but tolerably certain, and 
now and then they come upon a comparatively rich vein to 
keep up the gambling stimulus which makes the direct search 
for gold so attractive; still, it seemed to me that there was less 
of the gambling spirit among the gold-diggers of Nova Scotia 
than elsewhere, and they seemed more steady and industrious. 
May 16th.—We went with the photographer to “ The Point,” 
