RANCHING INCIDENTS. 69 



went down to the station intending to take train to 

 Nelson. After waiting some minutes, we saw the 

 smoke of the engine, telling us that the train had left 

 Slocan Junction, a mile and a half away. Ours was 

 the next stopping-place, so that it would not be 

 many minutes before the train arrived. Just at this 

 moment we caught sight of the grey mare, plunging 

 on the higher ground immediately above the station. 

 " Look! " cried Leslie. " She's got her foot fast 

 in the wire netting! " 



I realised that in her efforts to release herself the 

 mare might pull off her shoe, if not her hoof. Yet 

 if I went to her to set her free, I should to a certainty 

 miss the train, which would be tantamount to post- 

 poning our journey until the following day, for the 

 next train into Nelson did not arrive until too late 

 in the evening to be of any real use, unless we were 

 prepared to stay all night. However, there was 

 nothing for it : I could not go off and leave the mare 

 in difficulties. Off I started, therefore, to her relief. 

 But just as I was crossing the line, Leslie called to 

 me, " There's Calaby, father! Can't you hear him 

 whistling?" Then, lifting up his shrill voice, he 

 called, "Calaby! Calaby!" and proceeded to warn 

 him what was amiss. As it happened, Calaby had 

 seen the predicament the mare was in, and was 

 already hastening to her rescue. 



Although both Maggie and I had been familiar 

 with the usual domestic animals when we were 

 young, neither of us had had much to do with them 

 personally. Hence, now that we possessed animals 

 of our own, we were immensely taken up with them, 

 and studied all their habits and doings with the 



