-~4'7m firewood, frozen beer and pork carcases, made the trip frop Bonshaw, and from Other localities bordering the river. Unlike the roads, the river was always blown free of snow .-- no drifts to hamper travel. But, while roadside trees and patches of shrubbery offered occasional areas of - shelter, the river was wide open to the whistling west wind that never seemed to slacken. Going down river in the morning was tolerable; the wind was at our backs, and we had a couple of hot bricks on the floor of the Sleigh. Coming home in the evening was a test of endurance. The temperature had dropped with the sunset; the wind keened down from the Strathgartney . hills, and we had to meet it head-on. Frost-tipped lances probed for the weak spots in our clothing and in the buffalo robes under which we huddled. The cold bricks were so much dead cargo; the straw-filled sleigh- bottom offered little protection. We must, however, to some degree have a bgcome inured te those accompaniments of winter travel, since we seldom . gave them more than a casual mentions

To a poet, writing from the vantage point of an easy chair before a blazing fireplace, those winters had a charm all their own, but I am sure

facilities that, given a choice, he would select presént day travel/in preference to.

’

those of that era. Modern car heaters possess certain advantanges over

oven-heated bricks on a straw-filled sleigh bottom.

BRERBBEN TREE EE