LONDON FAMILY IN THE BUSH GUIDES. 169 



After partaking of breakfast, we bade adieu to Lamotte, 

 when the little members of the family clusteringar ound, 

 reminded me of the humming-birds seen in the morning, and 

 I could not refrain from stealing a kiss from a curly-headed 

 child, whose soft blue eyes were innocently fixed on the 

 departing strangers. On our way to the Goderich road, we 



were accompanied by Mr T. A , mounted on horseback, 



with an axe over his shoulder, to act as guide, and cut a way 

 for the waggon. As he rode before us, with his slender figure 

 dressed in a clean neat jacket and trowsers, snow-white shirt, 

 wdth exposed collar and broad-brimmed straw hat, I would at 

 one period have thought him ill-adapted for a Backwoodsman, 

 but having, in course of my wanderings in the wilds of 

 Canada, witnessed the advantages of cultivated minds and 

 habits, his appearance was a source of pleasure, while I me 

 ditated on his probable career in life. We fortunately did 

 not require much of his axe services, and parted with him at 

 the end of five or six miles, where the road was good. About 

 two miles farther, the road seemed to terminate at a log-hut, 

 the inmate of which told us a waggon had never penetrated 

 beyond his dwelling, and would have difficulty in reaching the 

 Goderich road, distant four miles. He oifered to be our 

 guide, and provided himself with an axe to clear the way. 

 We had before this time commenced walking, from the bad 

 ness of the roads, and found considerable difficulty in getting 

 the waggon through the bush, when at length its progress 

 was arrested. In this dilemma a person approached, and said 

 it was impossible to proceed in our present route, and offered 

 to show us through the only passage. We were conducted 

 many miles of foot-path, till we at last reached the wished-for 

 road. I felt pleased with our bush guides, one of whom was 

 from Yorkshire, the other from Ireland; they did not take 

 advantage of our situation by stipulating for reward, but 

 seemed to act alone from friendship, and I bestowed on each 

 a trifling gratuity. 



We dined at a tavern on Smith s Creek, newly erected, good 

 of its kind, and a little after nightfall reached one on Avon 

 Creek kept by an intelligent Irishman. On retiring for the 



