\\'.*f ' 



CHAPTEB \ 



AVIN<; sp.-nt u i lay ami night in | the 



ights <!' Winnipeg, tin- following afternoon found 

 is seated in anothei I M"\V t'"i the 



BJC^^^ Stage of our journey. Looking through tin- train 

 nv^fr- w- tinl but few of our fellow passengei 

 'jv. .lay. Nt-arly e\.-ryl>dy stops at Winnipeg for a longer 



' inif, Minn- t" it-inaiii jM-riiiain-iitly, Ol 



t> ]>urchas.- vu|>ilirs i.r mat. rials tor thrir m-w prairie homes. 

 . ini; Winuij" rikc out at ouc- UJ)DII a l>r>al plain, 



U I'-v.-l ami ^r.-i-n as a l>illianl tal-l.-. .-xti'ii'lin^ inih-s t< the 

 north ami west ami bordered on tin- s. .nth l>y a lim- of trees 

 marking tin course of the Assinilxinc riser. Thisivn.,1 

 the prairi", 1-ut a <^ivat \vilening of th- valleys of the Red 

 ami Assinilioim- rivers which unite at Winnipeg. The plain 

 is i lotted with countless cattle, halt' hidden in the ^rn^. The 

 railway atretehfifl away befon- u- without a curve as far as 



the ejQ can reach, and the motion of the train is hardly felt as 

 we fly along. A U-lt of almost unoccupied land surrounds 

 Winnipeg, due to the fact that it is mostly held l.y sj.ecula- 

 tars, and the few scattered farms are chiefly devoted to dairy 

 lucts ami cattle breeding. Beyond Poplar Point, farms 

 1-egin to appear almost continuously, and for I :>0 miles the 

 railway follows the course .>f the Assiniboine riv.i. We are 



in the alert f.,r the sight of birds, which now appear to l.e 

 nuimTi' 1 : ,\ e tra\e| along we disturb the ducks tV..m 



very slough; Franklin's gulls and black terns are in sight 



the time, and sandpipers and snipe are ^-,-u .>u the 



ry small she. t of wat.-r 



< >ne of our fellow pass. .v ho came up with us from 



Toi-.-nto. ask- us to have a game at checkers, to pass the 

 time away, but w.- resjx.'ctfully decline, informing him we are 

 t'><> much interested in the country. W 1 - he. " I don't 



