OR, THE LAKE LANDS OF CANADA. 243 



no better. It frequently sank deeply into the mud and 

 became entangled with the roots of trees and the adjacent 

 rocks, thus bringing our team to a full halt, and commonly 

 compelling them to remain in this position until levers had 

 been procured, by the proper use of which we were al- 

 ways enabled to elevate and disengage our jumper and 

 finally proceed on our journey. The old jumper after 

 a while became so weakened by these repeated strains as 

 to show marked indications of a rapidly-approaching dis- 

 solution. It, in fact, became necessary to strengthen our 

 frail vehicle in all its parts before we reached the objective- 

 point for which we started with the jumper this morning, al- 

 though it was distant from Harkness's cabin only six miles. 

 The morning hours were thus passed, and it was nearly 

 two o'clock in the afternoon before we reached our first 

 stopping-place. The jumper was now a complete wreck, 

 and the oxen were wet with their perspiration and well 

 bespattered with mud. We had previously arranged with 

 Mr. Cunningham to provide for us a dinner and then take 

 our luggage forward from this point to Burk's Falls with a 

 horse-team. The dinner was awaiting our arrival ; the 

 team was soon placed before the wagon and our luggage 

 was transferred to it. The halt made here did not exceed 

 forty-five minutes, when the tramp was again resumed. 

 The circumstances now seemed more favorable to our 

 progress. We had reached the Queen's Highway. The 

 fall of snow had not been so deep here as in the woods, 

 and had probably melted down rapidly ; therefore there 

 were here visible a few bare spots of earth, although the 

 road on which we are to travel has been recently con- 



