Homesteading 



land sloped away down towards the great river 

 Saskatchewan, and though we could not see 

 much of it, we could see the banks rising into 

 hills on the far side. 



The morning was bright and clear, though 

 with a biting wind, and there were still patches 

 of snow lying about, for winter is slow to loose 

 its grip on this great North land. 



The country undulated a good bit, and im- 

 mense areas were, or rather had been, under 

 crop ; there were still large spaces of prairie, 

 with here and there willow and poplar bluffs, 

 as the patches of wood are called. Sometimes 

 the road dipped into hollows, where the mud 

 seemed so deep and sticky that it appeared we 

 must stick fast, but, following other wheel-tracks, 

 we made detours, and, our load being light, the 

 oxen dragged us through. 



After a mile or two, I handed the lines to Tom, 

 and, having had some experience in driving oxen, 

 devoted myself to instructing that young man 

 as the easier work. I carefully told him that 

 if he wished them to go to the right he must 

 shout " Gee " ; if to the left, " Ha " ; and that he 

 must urge on Nigger, who was slow, without hurry- 

 ing Joe, who walked fast. Sometimes we even 

 got quite a good trot out of them, but, though 

 this may be necessary on occasions, I must say 

 it does not seem natural to the poor brutes. 



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