64 FRUIT R.WCHIXG. 



tun I""alls 1 engaged three young men to stump and 

 clear by contract the piece of ground on which we 

 afterwards planted our tomatoes. They accomphshed 

 their task, and left us on the Monday morning. Next 

 day, in the afternoon, when the steamer from Nelson 

 to Kaslo put in at a landing-stage on the west arm 

 of Kootenay Lake, she was asked to take on board 

 a badly-wounded man. It was one of the three young 

 fellows who had been at work on our ranch only two 

 days before. It seems that he and his companions 

 had drilled two holes, one on each side of a large 

 stump, and that, having inserted the charges of 

 powder, the injured man proceeded to light the one 

 fuse, while his cousin simultaneously applied a match 

 to the fuse on the opposite side of the stump. The 

 first man's fuse burned without a hitch; his cousin's 

 refused to catch. The first man thereupon leaned 

 over the stump and endeavoured to light the refrac- 

 tory fuse with another match While he was doing 

 this his own charge exploded, and shattered his thigh, 

 besides inflicting other serious injuries. After he had 

 lingered in agony for something like twenty-four 

 hours, death mercifully put an end to his sufferings. 

 We all felt this tragic incident, for not only was the 

 sufferer a fine young fellow, with a w-inning and 

 attractive personality, but he was also well-known 

 to people with whom we were acquainted in the Old 

 Country. 



His cousin, who had been on the other side of the 

 stump at the time of the accident, suflered injury, 

 especially to the eyes. At first it was feared that he 

 would lose the sight of one, if not of both ; but 

 eventually he recovered, and was very little the worse 



