Wheeling the Barrow. 51 



and when giving him his wages, Mr. Nelson, the con- 

 tractor, said, " I suppose that you have had enough 

 of this work, and that we will not see you on Monday? " 

 Young Robertson asked whether he did not require 

 him, to which he answered, " Oh yes ! if you wish to 

 come." No more was said, though David could see by 

 his looks that the contractor little expected him to 

 re-appear. By this time his hands were feeling better, 

 and the Sunday's rest improved them still more. 

 Consequently, to the astonishment of all, he was 

 among the first on the field on Monday morning. 

 The men then seemed inclined to favour him, in 

 admiration, perhaps, of his pluck and perseverance ; 

 and at any rate he had no longer any cause to com- 

 plain. 



He did not, however, stay long at this work, nor 

 from the first had it been his intention to do so. It 

 was merely a stop-gap, and an employment so very 

 unromantic that a man of less simplicity of character 

 would perhaps have suppressed all mention of it. 

 But Mr. Robertson is free from any false shame of 

 this kind. In May of this present year, when he was 

 taking me out for a dredging expedition, on our way 

 to the boat with a load of pails, bottles, nets, and 

 dredge, the latter with its heavy chain and rope had 

 to be wheeled in a barrow. Naturally I offered to do 

 the wheeling, but my friend of eighty-three positively 

 refused to allow it, laughingly exclaiming, " Oh no ! 

 I am used to it. You remember the time at the 

 quarry." 



During this rather unsettled period of Robertson's 

 life, a little incident occurred which may have helped 



