4. EARLY HISTORY OF SETTLERS. 
back to assist in bringing around the stock as tar as York, now 
Toronto. In an extract from a letter written to the Hon. Harvey 
Burk, I find that his uncle, Jessia Burk, was one of the persons 
then engaged in driving this stock. He says, in his letter, “ I was 
fourteen years and one month old, when we landed in Darlington. 
{ came all the way on foot, and helped to drive the cattle with 
one Tom , who lived with the Trull’s. When we came to 
Big Bay, I was to swim the three year-old colt, belonging to old 
Conat, and Tom said, he could swim across. We waited until 
the cattle got safely over; I then, being on the colt, put forward, 
and soon came to where there was a short break off into deep 
water, and the colt went down, clear under; I saw that he 
could not swim with me on his back, so I placed my left foot 
against his side, and shot myself clear from him. We came ashore 
again, and went around the head of the bay, where we found the 
cattle on the beach. After surmounting numerous obstacles and 
delays, this small band of emigrants reached their destination in 
safety.” They were surrounded by a primeval forest, the only 
human inhabitant being the rude, savage Indian, who looked ‘with 
jealous eyes upon the encroachment of the whites. 
Landed in a new and wild country, and winter fast approach- 
ing, the people comprising this settlement set at once to work, to 
construct log shanties, which were plastered on the inside with 
mud, and had bark covering for a roof. Mr. John Burk built his 
house on the bank of the lake, being the southern portion of the 
farm, now owned by his grandson, Wm. K. Burk. In another 
extract from the letter, before quoted, Mr. Jessia Burk says: “We 
had no neighbors but the Indians for two or three years, save old 
Benj. Wilson, and the Trulls, who lived at Baldwin’s Creek. 
There: was not a house within thirty miles to the west, save an old 
French trading house, that Wilson got in, and old Conat’s, two 
miles to the east of Wilson’s ; and none east of us, short of Smith’s 
Creek,” (Port Hope.) During the winter, these pioneers spent 
most of their time in trapping and hunting ; the deer and bear 
being so plentiful, that an abundance of animal food could be 
procured with but very little trouble. The furred animals were 
also very numerous, and required but little skill to trap them, their 
