276 TRAVELS IN THE EIGHTIES. 



he turned out in every sense of the word, though I 

 managed to get along fairly well with him on the 

 whole. 



The tug-boat was to start for Texada iron mine, on 

 the island of that name, at the early hour of four next 

 morning, and, if the canoe were put aboard or towed 

 behind across the Straits of Georgia, it would enable 

 us to avoid the tedium of paddling or rowing across 

 this somewhat wide channel which divides Vancou- 

 ver's Island from the mainland at this point, or, if 

 it should turn out windy, of escaping the modicum 

 of danger present with the heavy sea which is some- 

 times raised in these wide reaches open to the influ- 

 ence of south- easters. George had been especially 

 enjoined that they were to bring the canoe in good 

 time, but at the appointed hour of sailing no signs 

 of the Indians had been seen. The Irishman, for 

 the first and last time, was now made useful by being 

 despatched in search, while I requested that the 

 whistle might be sounded in as peremptory and jerky 

 a manner as possible. Meantime the engineer was 

 obliged to allow some of his surplus steam, and the 

 captain some of his surplus " swear- words," to escape, 

 directed generally against all Irishmen and Indians. 

 At last, when all the " cuss- words " had been used, 

 and the order to cast off was about to be given, I 

 begged for five minutes more. The only thing that 

 tended towards keeping the captain in good humour 

 was the prospect of leaving the Irishman behind; 

 but, as he would then have been thrown upon my 



