THE LAND AND THE MAN 293 



and harrowed ; of the horses and cattle he had taken 

 two miles to water through that dire winter, and 

 finally of his positive preference for the use of a 

 walking-plough — and John McLeay, and Sandy 

 Stewart, and David Chambers all swore by walking 

 ploughs — I began to think it would be wisdom to 

 strain a last point, and pay him the thirty-five dollars 

 a month he required until the ploughing was through 

 which, with his experience, should not be more than 

 six weeks, and keep Adam on for chores and stone- 

 gathering, haymaking, and carrying. The plough 

 only required three horses, leaving Dick and Nancy 

 for lighter but most necessary work ; and before 

 Mr. Oliver left it was decided that he should come 

 back a week from that day, when the horses would 

 be ready for him. 



I walked across the field to put him on the line 

 for the stage, and we met my neighbour. 



" He has had excellent experience in Manitoba," 

 I explained, as we watched him swing across towards 

 the coming stage, " and if there is anything he doesn't 

 quite understand you'll advise him, wont you ? " 



" A man asking thirty-five dollars a month has 

 no business to need advice on his job from anyone, 

 and you should have hired horses instead of letting 

 yours go north. You haven't nearly enough horse 

 power for three hundred and twenty acres, and how 

 can you expect to run five hundred with them. 

 Adam started on his work well, and you could have 

 got on to the harrowing in his trail with Dick and 

 Nancy, and I think you might have pulled through. 

 This man may be all right, up to his work, but you 

 never can tell ! Any man who has been in the 

 country five minutes will swear to experience." 



