Canada for Gentlemen | Page 3

the "other end of her" rose again, higher still, but I only leant further
back, and by the time it was all over I had resumed an horizontal
position, and resolved, like the man in "Happy Thoughts," not to move
again whatever happened. I soon felt all right again, and was able to
reply in a very swagger voice to Henry's rather meek enquiry
concerning the state of the weather. By-and-bye a short interchange of
experiences occurred between Henry and a boy who had been put into
our third berth at the last moment, the latter in the innocence of his

youth frankly avowed himself "awful squashy inside," and soon
proceeded practically to demonstrate the truth of his assertion. Henry
embraced the opportunity of confession, and soon became equally
demonstrative. I still felt happy, and gave them some excellent advice,
so much in fact, that I began to feel I had been too liberal, and that I
wanted some myself; however I dressed quickly, and went on deck, and
once there I soon began to feel hungry, though when I went down
below to have breakfast I didn't make a very hearty meal. After that the
weather began to get bad, and continued getting bad for a long time.
Then for some days, as sure as I went down below for a meal I did
violence to the sentiment of the old proverb "wilful waste makes
woeful want." However, in a few days I recovered sufficiently to
withstand the noxious influences of the saloon long enough to satisfy
my hunger. We had bad weather, more or less the whole way across to
Belle Isle; not a gale exactly, except once on Saturday or Sunday night,
I forget which, but it just blew more or less, hard enough to keep the
decks always wet, and to preclude the possibility of a smoke, or even of
walking up and down. Then as we got over to the Canadian side there
was a good deal of fog knocking about--in fact take it all round I did
not enjoy myself very much, it was cold and wet and I couldn't smoke.
However, when it did come to an end it was A1. The day we sighted
Belle Isle was beautiful, and after that we had no more bad weather, it
was all clear and bright, which was very fortunate at that part of the
voyage, as it is in going down the Straits and through the Gulf that fog
is such a source of delay. There was lots to be seen there in the way of
coast scenery, Belle Isle, Labrador, Newfoundland, Anticosti, and the
Banks of the St. Lawrence. At first all the land was uncultivated and
wild looking, but as we got into narrower waters farther up the river it
began to get cultivated--lots of white houses with red roofs kicking
about, and very often not a hedge or a tree to be seen except just near
the river, all cleared and consequently ugly.
Everybody about this part of the world is French, and such French too
as they talk. I have'nt caught the meaning of one word since I have
been here. I forgot to say that though I began this letter on board the
"Montreal" I am now writing at an Hotel in Sherbrooke. It was very
funny to see the changes that took place in the attire of some of the
passengers when we were nearing Quebec. People (among whom

perhaps I ought to class myself) who had remained unshaved and
disreputable during the voyage, in old clothes, etc., now come out of
their cabins looking Bond Street mashers (bar me); they were all those
who had come out for amusement and whose journies mostly finished
with the voyage; the others who preserved a travel-stained appearance
were all going further on, some long distances, and some short. Among
the long-distance people was a doctor Marsh, who was going to
Brandon, some distance beyond Winnipeg, with his family, or at least
with part of it--the rest are there already. He was a nice man indeed,
and gave us some very useful advice and information, including his
address. He is strongly of opinion that the North West is the place for
both Henry and me, but at the same time he quite agreed with me that it
would be foolish to go out there in the face of the near approach of
winter without the certainty of work, which would keep us going
through it. He has a son on a survey staff somewhere out there, and he
says he thinks I should be able to get on too. When at last we got up
alongside the wharf he was of great service to us; he has been
backwards and forwards several times