HIS FIRST JOURNEY ACROSS THE PRAIRIES 47 



the Lake. I made arrangements at the College for permission to 

 stay away longer than the holidays should opportunity offer to 

 go to Manitoba, as I wanted to see the prairies. On the 1 5th of 

 July, I started for Toronto and the next day went to Collingwood 

 to take the boat for Lake Superior. On the way out I noticed a 

 company of gentlemen in peculiar dress and thougt they were 

 English sportsmen. I took passage on the "Francis Smith," and 

 so did they. 



As the boat left for Owen Sound, I was standing on deck look- 

 ing at the scenery we were passing when a gentlemen came up 

 where I was and we began talking. I told him I was admiring 

 the beautiful trees and shrubs. He said that he was considering 

 the strategic importance of the hills. I saw at once that he was 

 a military man. 



Mrs. Roy, of Royston Park, at Owen Sound, where I had 

 spent my holidays in 1871, had promised to meet me in Owen 

 Sound and give me a few boxes of strawberries. I walked into 

 the town and the gentleman that I had talked with on the boat 

 overtook me and fell into step. I told him I was about to meet 

 a lady who was going to give me some strawberries and, sure 

 enough, in a few minutes we met Mrs. Roy with the strawberries, 

 and I introduced the gentleman as a military friend I had met on 

 board the "Francis Smith." He bowed and said, "Colonel Rob- 

 ertson Ross, at your service, madam," and she said, "Am I speak- 

 ing to the Adjutant General?" And he said, "Yes." Mrs. Roy 

 said, "My husband told me yesterday that you were coming 

 West." We had some conversation and came back to the ship. 



On board, a gentleman in semi-clerical costume (Rev. Dr. 

 Grant), came up to me on deck and began to converse. He talk- 

 ed freely with me and shortly retired. He had hardly gone until 

 a fine looking man appeared and entered into conversation and 

 asked me a few questions. I told him what I was intending to 

 do, and he said, "What would you think of going across the prai- 

 ries?" I said, "Nothing would please me better." In a few 

 minutes I found he was the Sandford Fleming who was the chief 

 engineer of the Pacific Railway which was to be built in agree- 

 ment with British Columbia. He invited me to go with him to 



