354 Sport and Life. 



knew how to saddle and harness horses. The first morning 

 after his arrival his master went out to the stable, saddled his 

 own horse, and went for a ride. Later on the Chinaman was 

 told to bring round the pony chaise to the door. When he 

 did so, it was discovered that he had saddled the pony and 

 shoved the shafts through the stirrups, tying them in with pieces 

 of cord. 



If you want your lawn mown or your garden planted, John 

 Chinaman is quite in his element. Once I was rash enough to 

 turn off my Chinese gardener and give the work to a white 

 working man, who came round with a pitiful story of having been 

 out of a job for weeks. I said I could only give him a dollar a day, 

 which was what the Chinaman had been earning, but that I would 

 give him his breakfast, dinner, and tea. It was a bad exchange 

 for me, he was three substantial meals to the good a day, and he 

 took three days to do badly what John would have done well, in 

 one, and at the end of the third day he came to me, and, in an 

 insolent manner, said if I was only going to pay him Chinaman's 

 wages he wasn't going to stay. So he went. Not that I would 

 infer the Chinese gardener is always better than a white gardener, 

 but that it is much easier and cheaper to get a good Chinese 

 labourer than any other, and too many vagabond white loafers 

 have been " dumped" on the Pacific coast. 



I said good-bye to Gee when I went to spend a summer with 

 my husband in the wilds of Kootenay, as Gee refused to go so far 

 from his beloved Chinese quarter. When we got there I engaged 

 a Chinaman, who had been used to up-country ranches, at 4odols. a 

 month. He was to cook for my husband, a friend, Miss D and 

 myself, and three young. Englishmen who were also up at Grohman 

 in my husband's employment. Everything went on swimmingly for 

 the first fortnight, but one evening after supper he called me into 

 the kitchen, and there displayed his apron, his knife, his shoes, and 

 various odd garments. " You see, these all mine, I no take 

 anything of yours." " Yes," said I, " but where are you taking 

 them to ? " " Oh, I go away now." The supper table was not 



