Daylight breaks early in the month of July, and I had been but little more than three hours on the march when the first sign of dawn began to glimmer above the tree tops of the Red River.  When the light became strong enough to afford a clear view of the country, I found that I was walking along a road or track of very black soil with poplar groves at intervals on each side.

Through openings in these poplar groves I beheld a row of houses built apparently along the bank of the river, and soon the steeple of a church and a comfortable-looking glebe became visible about a quarter of a mile to the right.  Calculating by my watch, I concluded that I must be some sixteen miles distant from Fort Garry, and therefore not more than four miles from the Lower Fort.  However, as it was now quite light, I thought’ I could not do better than approach the comfortable-looking glebe with a double view towards refreshment and information.  I reached the gate and, having run the gauntlet of an evilly-intentioned dog, pulled a bell at the door.

Now it had never occurred to me that my outward appearance savoured not a little of the bandit—­a poet has written about “the dark Suliote, in his shaggy capote” etc., conveying the idea of a very ferocious-looking fellow but I believe that my appearance fully realized the description, as far as outward semblance was concerned; so, evidently, thought the worthy clergyman when, cautiously approaching his hall-door, he beheld through the glass window the person whose reiterated ringing had summoned him hastily from his early slumbers.  Half opening his door, he inquired my business.

“How far,” asked I, “to the Lower Fort?”

“About four miles.”

“Any conveyance thither?”

“None whatever.”

He was about to close the door in my face, when I inquired his country, and he replied, “I am English.”

“And I am an English officer, arrived last night in the Red River, and now making my way to the Lower Fort.”

Had my appearance been ten times more disreputable than it was, had I carried a mitrailleuse instead of a fourteen-shooter, I would have been still received with open arms after that piece of information was given and received.  The door opened very wide and the worthy clergyman’s hand shut very close.  Then suddenly there became apparent many facilities for reaching the Lower Fort not before visible, nor was the hour deemed too early to preclude all thoughts of refreshment.

It was some time before my host could exactly realize the state of affairs, but when he did, his horse and buggy were soon in readiness, and driving along the narrow road which here led almost uninterruptedly through little clumps and thickets of poplars, we reached the Lower Fort Garry not very long after the sun had begun his morning work of making gold the forest summits.  I had run the gauntlet of the lower settlement; I was between the Expedition and its destination, and it was time to lie down and rest.