270 TRAVELS IN THE EIGHTIES. 



same coal, stretching far away to the north along the 

 eastern coast. The railway curves and winds as it pro- 

 ceeds, walled in by encompassing conifers of compara- 

 tively overpowering height, mingled with a proportion 

 of lesser trees of stunted growth, standing amid 

 thickets of wild roses in blossom, alders, willows, and 

 oaks, the latter appearing to be confined to this 

 extremity of the island ; otherwise the journey 

 seemed monotonous, offering few attractions, but a 

 considerable saving of time compared with the route 

 by sea. 



It happened to be Saturday night when I reached 

 Nanaimo, and, moreover, the mining population had 

 lately received their monthly wages. Unfortunate is 

 the visitor who has unknowingly arrived at Nanaimo 

 at such a time, and is compelled to become an occu- 

 pant of one of the hotels for want of any other place 

 to go. I found that it was only a step from the rail- 

 way station to the Eoyal Hotel, which was said to be 

 the best, in front of which I was deposited for half 

 a dollar by a waggonette and a fine pair of horses, 

 which had attended the arrival of the train probably 

 because the horses were for sale. The rooms were 

 exceedingly diminutive, about 10 ft. by 12 ft., divided 

 from each other by plank walls, which " offered no 

 impediment" to the passage of sound. Men with 

 heavy boots and loud, gruff voices, entered and quitted 

 their respective rooms at various hours of the night as 

 they returned from carousing, the mines not being in 

 operation on the last day of the week. 



