Homesteading 



their home there should realize that it cannot 

 be played with ; and it is well for the settler in 

 a new district to be (as the sailor who knows 

 his business should be) constantly on his guard 

 against deceptive and apparently harmless, and 

 eVen pleasant, weather conditions. Otherwise he 

 may be caught napping, and awake, as it were, 

 to find himself in almost desperate straits. Espe- 

 cially is this the case with those who may have 

 to move about from some cause, or who, quite 

 sensibly, pay visits or attend social gatherings 

 with wives and children. 



In the early stages of settlement the distances 

 covered may mean hours of travel through a 

 little-known country, and the weather may have 

 been fine for weeks, and people congratulating 

 one another on the beautiful winter they are 

 enjoying, when a real blizzard may spring up 

 with very little warning and place the party in 

 great peril. 



We had recently heard that a neighbour near 

 whose house we had to pass had just killed a 

 beef, so we stopped to see if he would sell us 

 some. He readily agreed to, and asked how 

 much we would take. As the winter, or freeze-up, 

 as it is called, had now fairly come, and one of 

 its advantages is that meat can be frozen and 

 will keep for months, we were glad to purchase 



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