We Reached Calgarry About Five, And Found The
Indians In Great Force, For They Had Received Their Treaty Money Quite
Lately, And Were Arrayed In Gorgeous Blankets Of Red And White And Blue,
And Any Number Of Gold And Coloured Beads!
They are quiet enough, and
don't look at all as if they would venture to scalp us, or make
An
oration like "Chincanchooke" with dignified eloquence; the expression of
the elder ones is unpleasant, and you can see at once the results of
even a _little_ education by the brighter and happier countenances
of the boys and girls. I took a lonely walk on the prairie, over which a
strong cold wind was blowing. I saw several people riding in the
distance. We left Calgarry on 27th, Saturday, by a train partly freight,
and consequently it rocked and jumped, and crashed and crunched, and we
could scarcely play whist, or hear each other speak, and when we went to
bed sleep was banished, at least from _my_ eyes. I watched the
stars instead, and the brilliant morning star about three or four
o'clock shining like a small moon, and then the sun rise over the
prairie. We arrived at Winnipeg about six o'clock, on _Monday,
29th_; our _nasty_ cook had no dinner provided for us, and
though we had authority for remaining that night in the car to sleep,
conflicting orders produced all kinds of unpleasantness, and we were
shunted about and taken two or three miles off from the depot where
alone we could get anything to eat. After making a great fuss we were
taken back and had a good dinner at the restaurant, which we enjoyed
after our monotonous fare in the car. Our maids, who had been a
fortnight at the Hotel doing nothing but spending our money, met us and
brought letters, &c. Dick heard from Augusta for the first time - her
letters had not reached him.
LORD RAYLEIGH, THE PRESIDENT OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION, AND PARTY
RETURN FROM THE ROCKIES.
Lord Rayleigh, the president of the British Association for the
advancement of Science, Lady Rayleigh, Clara Lady Rayleigh, Hon. Hedley
Strutt and Hon. Richard Strutt returned yesterday afternoon from the
Rookies in a private car attached to the regular train.
A TIMES reporter boarded the car about nine o'clock last night, and had
a pleasant chat with Lord Rayleigh and the members of the party. They
went to within a few miles of the Columbia River, saw the rails being
laid on the Canadian Pacific Railway and were very much pleased with the
wonderful rapidity the work was being done. Lord Rayleigh said he
thought the Rockies were one of the wonders of the world - next to the
Canadian Pacific, chimed in Mr. Strutt and Clara Lady Rayleigh. The
latter said the party were struck with the brightness, intelligence and
kindness of the men along the Canadian Pacific Railway line. The
kindness they had shown to them would never be forgotten. The party
could scarcely believe that the towns along the railway had grown up to
their present size within the past two or three years, as they did not
think it possible in a new country like this. They were loud in their
praises of the country, and predicted that thousands of emigrants would
come from England to Manitoba as a result of the Association's visit
here. The party put up at the Potter House to-day, and will leave for
the east to-night - _Winnipeg Daily Times, September 30th._
Letter No. 7
_Washington, Sunday, 5th_
I was obliged to leave off yesterday, and now proceed to take up the
tale begun in the train to Chicago. I was telling you about our arrival
at Winnipeg, &c. We returned to our car after dinner and found
ourselves, during our first sleep, shunted off to a repairing shed, and
presently I heard what seemed a shower of stones thrown all over the
car. I could look out of a window sitting up in my bed, and on doing so,
I saw two men violently throwing water over it from a hose, and some of
it came into my bed, upon which I showed my lovely countenance with
dishevelled hair and indignant expression, and called out: "Are you
going to drown me in my bed?" and then I heard a man say - "La! there is
a young lady at the window! don't disturb her!" however, just at dawn
they were at it again, and at six o'clock began to move us into the
shed. I jumped up and expostulated in my dressing gown on the platform
(all the rest were in their beds) and insisted upon their asking for
orders from headquarters; just then, fortunately, an early bird in the
shape of a representative of the _Press_ appeared, and I got John
to talk to him, and he went off to the authorities, and we were shunted
to the depot again, and so got our breakfast by ten o'clock; the
reporters always think I am John's wife (E - - is generally out of the
way), and I believe the last idea is, that John and I have a grown up
family, of which E - - is one! It is rather fun to be _interviewed_,
and John is now less shy about it, and consents to be pumped (in a
_measure_). After breakfast we all drove in a horse-car up the main
street, and were twice off the rails and sunk into a mud hole, and the
boys had to help in lifting the omnibus out of it. They are slowly
paving the streets, but there _never_ was such a muddy lane calling
itself a street anywhere before, I am sure; there are nice shops,
however, and respectably dressed people walking or driving. We lunched
and _cleaned_ ourselves at _Potter House_, where the maids had
been living during our absence in the Rockies, and it seems Mrs. Smith,
the landlady, came from Lady Ward's, and knew the Claughtons, and lived,
for years with the Miss Bakers at Boss, (these unexpected encounters
make one realize how narrow the world is). The country is ugly about
Winnipeg, and so after paying a visit to the Archdeacon, whom we met in
going there some fortnight ago, and seeing his nice house and wife, we
dined at the depot and left for _Chicago_, our coloured cook was
walking and dawdling about apparently quite well, now that he had got
rid of us.
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