THE LAND AND THE MAN 287 



furrow on a piece of land which I intended to add 

 to the big wheat-field beneath its left arm. 



When I returned about an hour later shouts and 

 shrieks guided me to the place where he stood 

 raving at the horses. I followed his furrow which, 

 barring the fact that here and there the plough 

 had slipped out allowing the soil to remain unbroken, 

 reminded one of a winding, curling, English stream, 

 bent in reaching a river some day in its own 

 particular time and place. 



" I thought you told me you had ploughed before, 

 Adam," I said. 



" Quite a bit down East," he answered without 

 turning a hair. 



" Take the horses in now. Supper will be ready 

 in an hour." 



I was within a few yards of my neighbour's gate, 

 and I thought it wisdom to ask his advice. He came 

 back with me to see the furrow and laughed until he 

 reached its end. " By Jove ! you had better stick 

 to the chap," he said. " He is certainly not lacking 

 in perseverance. I heard a great noise going on, 

 and thought you must be killing pigs. His quarter 

 of a mile furrow stretched out would measure a 

 mile from point to point, and by the look of it 

 the shear is blunt as a board. Well, I'll swear the 

 greenest Englishman that ever ploughed with horse 

 or ox has never left a furrow on the Canadian 

 prairie to beat that." 



" But what am I to do ?" I said wrathfully. 

 " I can't afford to hire a man with horses, so I 

 couldn't keep on Roddy McMahon, and men are 

 as usual scarce and expensive." 



" You have no business to be breaking in any case," 



