THE HALCYON IX CANADA 197 



any other term. I noticed, also, that when a dis- 

 tance of a few miles or of a fraction of a mile is to 

 be designated, the French Canadian does not use the 

 term "miles," but says it 's so many acres through, 

 or to the next place. 



This fondness for the " bush " at this season seems 

 quite a marked feature in the social life of the aver- 

 age Quebecker, and is one of the original French 

 traits that holds its own among them. Parties leave 

 the city in carts and wagons by midnight, or earlier, 

 and drive out as far as they can the remainder of 

 the night, in order to pass the whole Sunday in the 

 woods, despite the mosquitoes and black flies. Those 

 we saw seemed a decent, harmless set, whose idea 

 of a good time was to be in the open air, and as far 

 into the " bush " as possible. 



The post-road, as the new St. John's road is also 

 called, begins twenty mUes from Quebec at Stone- 

 ham, the farthest settlement. Five miles into the 

 forest upon the new road is the hamlet of La Chance 

 (pronounced La Shaunce), the last house till you 

 reach the lake, one hundred and twenty miles dis- 

 tant. Our destination the first night was La 

 Chance's; this would enable us to reach the Jacques 

 Cartier Kiver, forty mUes farther, where we proposed 

 to encamp, in the afternoon of the next day. 



We were now fairly among the moimtains, and 

 the sun was well do^vn behind the trees when we 

 entered upon the post-road. It proved to be a wide, 

 well-built highway, grass-grown, but in good condi- 

 tion. After an hour's travel we began to see signs 



