The Yellow and White Agony. 355 



cleared, nor anything washed up. " Are you going to clear up 

 to-morrow morning?" said I. But I found he intended to go for 

 good, and although I told him he would not get his 2odols. wages 

 for the fortnight he had been with us, he said, " No matter, I got 

 plenty money, I make him cards last night ; never work any more 

 now." The next morning, as my friend and I were engaged upon 

 our new household duties, we saw our Chinaman with a basket 

 slung over his shoulder and a fishing rod in his hands, walking 

 towards the river behind the house. He was looking for grass- 

 hoppers. "Good morning, you all light?" he asked. Having 

 informed him that we were all right, he told us he thought we 

 should be able to cook and wash up without him. At this moment 

 " boss " appeared on the scene, and used such emphatic language 

 towards the bland Sing that he went speedily to hunt for grass- 

 hoppers on more distant banks of the river. It was some satis- 

 faction a month later to see him wheeling a barrow and employed 

 in the hard work of excavating, where he got much less pay 

 and less food than he would have done as our cook. 



Given good health and spirits, with a little patience, and a 

 general resolution to take things as they come and not worry about 

 trifles, housekeeping with Chinese servants is rather entertaining 

 than otherwise for a short time. I have no doubt after some years 

 the novelty would wear off, and when John disappears without 

 warning, as he often will, and the intervals between Chinamen 

 become too long and tpo frequent, the situation is apt to pall, 

 especially when the dinner has to be cooked and the thermometer 

 registers ninety in the shade. This is what it registered when our 

 man left us in Kootenay to enjoy himself fishing. A good 

 fortnight had to elapse before we could possibly get another man 

 from Victoria, so I established myself as cook, and my friend, 



Miss D , kindly came to the rescue by turning housemaid 



for the occasion. At first our new duties were the subject of 

 much fun and laughter, but when there is no water laid on, 

 and all has to be fetched from the river, and when there was 

 no firewood cut, things did not go so smoothly. With forest 



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