56 



THE EARLY DAYS OE 



Tom often declares that he loves his Queen and Country; and I 

 think we may fairly add that Her Majesty, or at least the Post- 

 office, has no more efficient servant in his humble line as "rural 

 letter-carrier." I was in the Riviera at the time of this great 

 snowstorm, but when I returned to England in the Spring, Tom's 

 narrow escape was still a nine days' wonder in the village. 



A deep cutting, thirty feet deep, which divides my farm, was quite 

 half filled with drifting snow, and the railway ganger told me he 

 hastened to the next station and reported the line as "blocked;" 

 but when the first train came in the engine-driver told him to get 

 up into the guard's van behind. 



" What's the use of that ? I tell you you can't get on." 

 " Get up behind!" the driver said sharply, "and I will soon show 

 you whether it is blocked or not." 



The ganger did as he was told, wondering what would happen. 

 The driver, putting on full speed, ran at the drift and got on as far 

 as he could, then reversing his engine, went back some distance, 

 and at it he went again and again, until at last he got right through. 

 The ganger told me afterwards, that when he saw the snow fiying 

 about on all sides, in what he considered a terrific manner, he hung 

 on as best he could to the guard's van, expecting every moment 

 would be his last. " But," I said, " the driver must have known 

 what he was about, and probably had been at that game before." 



In this cutting large 

 quantities of Mammoth's 

 bones were found and sold 

 for beer to anyone who 

 cared to take them away, 

 and thinking I might do a 

 good stroke of business if 

 I could find gravel near 

 the surface, one winter 

 day I took a gang of men 



SKELETON OF THE MAMMOTH. (N UU fcCt high) . whO thCH WCre OUt Of 



