NORTH-WEST REBELLION OF 1885 



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with the water. Another day, which may be set down as a red- 

 letter day in our lives, dawned on us at Six Mile Creek, when the 

 authorities were invited, and we also, to go to Stoney Creek 

 Bridge, which was just completed and was three hundred feet 

 high, and this, the first day that cars could cross it, Willie and I were 

 passengers on the first train and went up and the train stopped 

 for some hours at Rogers' Pass. We were so absorbed in our work 

 that we took no note of time and let the train go back to Six Mile 

 Creek without us. We had no alternative but to walk back. 

 When we reached Stoney Creek Bridge and saw its condition, I 

 confess that I was more than frightened. There was a wide 

 chasm that we could hardly see the bottom of and the ties were 

 placed at uncertain distances apart and it was very difficult to 

 stride from one to another and, there being no parapet, but 

 just the bare ties and the iron rails, I feared to venture across. 

 I thought more of my son than I did of myself, but he said : "We 

 can do it very well," as I think he remembered the difficulty in 

 climbing down the 1,000 feet on our former trip. So I led die 

 way across, carrying my parcel of plants, while Willie came behind, 

 carrying the gun. On the way-across, I never spoke to him, but, 

 when I reached the far side, and he reached it shortly after, I 

 asked him if he had been dizzy in coming across. He said: "Oh, 

 no, I was not dizzy, but I often had doubts as to where I was 

 placing my feet." This was exactly the trouble I had had myself, 

 and it showed how near we both had been to being dizzy. This, 

 I think, was the most foolhardy trip that I have ever taken and, 

 I believe, now, that we were preserved that day for better things. 

 I have never crossed that bridge since, but I shudder at the 

 thought of what might have happened that day. 



After this trip, we moved up to the summit of the Selkirks 

 to the camp which was pitched between Rogers' Pass and Glacier. 

 Here, we settled down for the remainder of our stay in the moun- 

 tains, as we could not get any further west, as the Loop was still 

 unfinished. 



While at the Summit, we made frequent trips to various 

 points, three of which I may mention, as, evidently, we were the 

 first who climbed in the vicinity of Glacier. Our camp was pitched 



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