We continued, however, to jolt on night and day, without rest, save during the short time necessary for changing or baiting cattle.  The roads became worse, if possible, as we proceeded.  A considerable quantity of snow had fallen lately, which rendered travelling in a wheeled carriage not only disagreeable in the extreme, but also dangerous.  We broke down several times, but without serious inconvenience.  On one of these occasions we picked ourselves up opposite a farm house, in which we took shelter while the driver was putting matters to rights.  It being yet early, the inmates were still in bed; we nevertheless found a rousing fire blazing on the hearth, and seated ourselves around it.

All of a sudden the door of a small apartment flew open, and a large black cat sprang in amongst us.

“Ha! what do you think of that, now?” said one of the passengers, addressing himself to me.  “What do you think of the ingenuity of our Yankee cats?  Had Boz witnessed that feat, we should have had a page or two more to his notes; and I am sure it would have proved at least as interesting to the reader as the nigger driver’s conversation with his cattle.”

“That’s a fact,” said I.

After being jolted and pitched about until every bone in my body ached again, I reached St. John’s on the 12th; and the snow being now sufficiently deep to admit of travelling with sleighs, the remainder of the journey to Montreal was accomplished in comparative comfort.

CHAPTER XIV.

    EMBARK FOR THE NORTH—­PASSENGERS ARRIVE AT FORT
    WILLIAM—­DESPATCH FROM GOVERNOR—­APPOINTED TO MACKENZIE’S
    RIVER DISTRICT—­PORTAGE LA LOCHE—­ADVENTURE ON GREAT SLAVE
    LAKE—­ARRIVE AT FORT SIMPSON—­PRODUCTIONS OF THE POST.

I spent the remainder of the winter enjoying the good things of this life, and on the 28th of April received orders to proceed to Lachine, preparatory to embarking for the north.  I embarked on the 29th, but the crews were so intoxicated that we were compelled to land on an island near by, to allow them to recover from the effects of their carousals.

I was joined here by Captain Stalk of the 71st, and Lieutenant Lefroy of the Artillery; the former accompanying us on a jaunt of pleasure, the latter on a scientific expedition.  There were also four junior clerks in the Company’s service.  Our brigade consisted of three large canoes manned by about fifty Canadians, and Iroquois Indians.

We were detained in our insular encampment by stress of weather until the 2d of May, when we set out.  Our crews being now perfectly sober, plied their paddles with the utmost good-will, singing and whooping, apparently delighted with their situation.  Ignorance here was bliss; they little dreamed of the life that awaited them.  I may here premise, that as I have already narrated the particulars of a similar voyage, I shall pass on to the different stages of our route without noticing the uninteresting incidents of our daily progress.