Life in the Backwoods | Page 6

as this. Now, ghosts, as I understand
the word, are the spirits of bad men, that are not allowed by Providence
to rest in their graves, but, for a punishment, are made to haunt the
spots where their worst deeds were committed. I don't believe in all this;
but, supposing it to be true, bad men must have died here before their
spirits could haunt the place. Now, it is more than probable that no
person ever ended his days in this forest, so that it would be folly to
think of seeing his ghost."
This theory of Mr. D----'s had the merit of originality, and it is not
improbable that the utter disbelief in supernatural appearances, which is
common to most native-born Canadians, is the result of the same very
reasonable mode of arguing. The unpeopled wastes of Canada must
present the same aspect to the new settler that the world did to our first
parents after their expulsion from the garden of Eden; all the sin which
could defile the spot, or haunt it with the association of departed evil, is
concentrated in their own persons. Bad spirits cannot be supposed to
linger near a place where crime has never been committed. The belief
in ghosts, so prevalent in old countries, must first have had its
foundation in the consciousness of guilt.
After clearing this low, swampy portion of the wood, with much
difficulty, and the frequent application of the axe, to cut away the fallen
timber that impeded our progress, our ears were assailed by a low,
roaring, rushing sound, as of the falling of waters.

"That is Herriot's Falls," said our guide. "We are within two miles of
our destination."
Oh, welcome sound! But those two miles appeared more lengthy than
the whole journey. Thick clouds, that threatened a snow-storm, had
blotted out the stars, and we continued to grope our way through a
narrow, rocky path, upon the edge of the river, in almost total darkness.
I now felt the chillness of the midnight hour, and the fatigue of the long
journey, with double force, and envied the servant and children, who
had been sleeping ever since we left Peterborough. We now descended
the steep bank, and prepared to cross the rapids.
Dark as it was, I looked with a feeling of dread upon the foaming
waters as they tumbled over their bed of rocks, their white crests
flashing, life-like, amid the darkness of the night.
"This is an ugly bridge over such a dangerous place," said D----, as he
stood up in the sleigh and urged his tired team across the miserable,
insecure log-bridge, where darkness and death raged below, and one
false step of his jaded horses would have plunged us into both. I must
confess I drew a freer breath when the bridge was crossed, and D----
congratulated us on our safe arrival in Douro.
We now continued our journey along the left bank of the river, but
when in sight of Mr. S----'s clearing, a large pine-tree, which had newly
fallen across the narrow path, brought the teams to a stand-still. The
mighty trunk which had lately formed one of the stately pillars in the
sylvan temple of Nature, was of too large dimensions to chop in two
with axes; and after half-an-hour's labour, which to me, poor, cold,
weary wight! seemed an age, the males of the party abandoned the task
in despair. To go round it was impossible; its roots were concealed in
an impenetrable wall of cedar-jungle on the right-hand side of the road,
and its huge branches hung over the precipitous bank of the river.
"We must try and make the horses jump over it," said D----. "We may
get an upset, but there is no help for it; we must either make the
experiment, or stay here all night, and I am too cold and hungry for
that--so here goes." He urged his horses to leap the log; restraining their

ardour for a moment as the sleigh rested on the top of the formidable
barrier, but so nicely balanced, that the difference of a straw would
almost have overturned the heavily-laden vehicle and its helpless
inmates. We, however, cleared it in safety. He now stopped, and gave
directions to his brother to follow the same plan that he had adopted;
but whether the young man had less coolness, or the horses in his team
were more difficult to manage, I cannot tell: the sleigh, as it hung
poised upon the top of the log, was overturned with a loud crash, and
all my household goods and chattels were scattered over the road. Alas,
for my crockery and stone china! Scarcely one article remained
unbroken.
"Never fret about the china," said Moodie; "thank God, the man and the
horses