68 FRUIT RAXCHING. 



llieni Iruin going lame, lu)\ve\or, aiul allor a while 

 \ve found that their hoofs were wearing down. I 

 decided that the shoes should go on again. But then 

 arose a ditliculty. Who was to put them on? 

 Where should we be able to find a blacksmith? I 

 knew that blacksmiths were to be found in Nelson; 

 but the question was: Would a blacksmith be willing 

 to sacrifice half a day or more to a journey out to 

 Bonnington and back in order to shoe two horses, 

 and, even supposing he were willing to do so, what 

 would the cost be? So far as I was able to calculate 

 it, the cost would run up to thirty shillings or so. 

 Then, we possessed neither anvil nor forge. 



On inquiry we learned that a smith was ex- 

 pected to visit the logging-camp, which I have men- 

 tioned more than once, and it was equipped, we 

 knew, with both a forge and an anvil. Yet it was 

 altogether uncertain when the blacksmith would come. 

 We sent to the logging-camp every day for a week; 

 but no blacksmith appeared, and we were no nearer 

 to getting our horses re-shod. But help came from an 

 unexpected quarter. Our neighbours discovered that 

 their horses also needed re-shoeing, and they were 

 able to arrange with a blacksmith (who had been a 

 farrier in a British cavalry regiment) from a neigh- 

 bouring gold mine to come out on a Sunday and 

 put shoes on all four horses. And by the kindness 

 of the Superintendent of the West Kootcnay Power 

 Plant, we were granted permission to use their forge 

 and anvil. 



Yet another little escapade of our horses, which 

 vied with the cattle in causing us worry, may be 

 chronicled. One day, Maggie, the two children, and I 



