202 A SPORTSMAN'S EDEN. 



it, protected it from floods, drained it, built upon 

 it houses and barns, the amount of money and 

 muscle, the years of his life and his children's, 

 will represent an accumulated capital sunk in the 

 soil worth more than the seven to sixteen shillings 

 per acre at which land in the provinces of Ontario 

 and Quebec is now let. But the pioneer's 

 reward ' is in the race he runs, not in the prize,' 

 and as we drive past we envy the sturdy fellow 

 his strong health, open-air work, manly labour, 

 and that pleasure which comes of creating, and 

 seeing the home of your own creation grow be- 

 neath your hands. They are quaint homes, some 

 of those inside the heavy snake fences of rough 

 logs, built of heavy pine stems, well fitted and 

 filled in with mud or mortar, roofed with wooden 

 slates, and painted sometimes in the most brilliant 

 of colours, as if the inhabitants had rebelled 

 against the eternal white of winter, and the green 

 gloom of the summer woods. One little shanty 

 was called the Maison Doree, and was gabled all 

 over, had dormer-windows put in wherever there 

 was room for one, and was painted a bright 

 yellow. Before we had been on our way two 

 hours, the Indians and our driver wanted to 

 lunch. No one else did ; but I suppose they 

 were sick of the bitter wind, which cut our ears 

 almost off, in spite of the flaps of our deer-stalkers, 



