440 



Salmon -Fishing. 



touched with the mail, and was to remain two hours. Could the 

 mail be opened at once, and we receive our letters, we might wish 

 to hurry on by that very steamer. We therefore brought all our 

 forces to bear upon the obdurate postmaster, to induce him to open 

 the small pouch with mail for his office, and give us our letters at 

 once while the steamer was still at the landing. His constant 

 reply was : " It cawnt be done. Government business cawnt be 

 hurried. The mail is too lawge, too lawge." 



When the steamer arrived, he was the first to board her. He 

 chatted consequentially with the officers for more than an hour. 

 They were all on our side, and tried apparently to shake him off. 

 Finally, with the little pouch (which he wouldn't intrust to his clerk 

 — also on our side) under his arm, he slowly and with the firm, 

 determined tread of a militia captain on training-day, moved off 

 toward the post-office. Fifteen minutes would have sufficed to 

 distribute the mail ; but not until the steamer's last whistle blew did 

 he put the letters into the boxes. He reckoned without his host, 

 however ; for a friend" was quietly watching, and in an instant took 

 our letters and started for the steamer at full run, yelling at the top 

 of his voice. Good old Captain Davison just then remembered that 

 he had forgotten something, and took time enough with the steamer's 

 agent to enable us to glance 

 hastily over our letters, and 

 ascertain that we could go by 

 that steamer. 



In 1874, Mr. Curtis ex- 

 changed his old river, the St. 

 John, for the Dartmouth, in 

 order that the former might be 

 set aside for the Governor Gen- 

 eral. Earl Dufferin having been 

 called to England in the sum- 

 mer of 1875, it fell to Mr. Cur- 

 tis's lot to have the use of both 

 streams, and I accompanied him 

 for a few weeks' recreation. 



To reach our stream from 

 Gaspe, we were obliged to take 



PART OF THE FUN. 



