170 THE GREAT NORTH-WEST 



a dozen feet of slush and water, they laugh ; if you 

 lose your temper, they go into ecstasies ; in a word, what- 

 ever accidents happen, everything seems to be a source 

 of amusement to those used to this form of travelling ; 

 and, I am afraid, the point of the game is to "get your 

 shirt out," as they elegantly phrase it, and which seems 

 to be synonymous with failing to " keep your hair on." 



At places there were very good roads, made, it would 

 seem, by the private enterprise of the farmers and the 

 inhabitants of the adjacent hamlets. Sometimes the 

 road was formed in the old American fashion, by laying 

 tree trunks side by side ; but this is a frightful sort of 

 pathway when it is out of repair. When the snow lies 

 thick, and is hard frozen, filling up the interstices between 

 the trunks, the sleigh travels well on it, and smoothly ; 

 but at the first hole ! — mention it not ! It is my opinion 

 that the very horses enjoy the " spill " that then occurs. 

 I am sure the dogs do. Strange ; but it is the " new- 

 chum " that invariably gets the sleigh atop of him ; and 

 he is the only being, man or beast, that does not seem to 

 see the fun of the thing. " Never mind, old horse. Get 

 up. We have all been through the mill. Eh ! ! ! Broken 

 a bone ! Oh ! I see you want the girls to take you on 

 their lap." And the guftaw that greets this sorry sally 

 effectually shuts you up at anything under a broken 

 back. 



On this occasion we got on pretty well until nearing 

 the village of Ma] Bale, when the sleigh plunged through 

 the snow into a hole so deep that the horses failed to 

 pull it out again ; but instead went sprawling with 

 terrific results. I went up first, and came down with 

 my legs and wings spread out in elegant cruciform style, 

 an involuntary " Oh ! " being forced from me as I came 

 down face undermost ; while behind I heard an energetic 



in strong Scotch accents, and a jabber of very 



wicked-sounding French from the driver. " There, my 

 friends," said I, when I had picked myself up, " perhaps 



