The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1883-08-09
R0ughing Tt.

More lndu ONCE nave tales OF per-
sonal experience been told which con-
vince us that life in the backwoods of
Canada has hardships greater than
those very severe ones of our own
pioneers. It is difficult to decide which
is more distressing to see, the rough
ness and toughness of the successful
settlers, or the heroic vain courage of
delicately-bred men and women who
have mistakenly left the society where
alone they could be of any use There
was a gentleman who went out from
England with his wife and child and
two servants to undertake the clearing
of farm in the remote forests Of
Canada. He writes of their house
building and housekeeping in the Corn
hill Magazine First he cleared half an
acre of land, and summoned his neigh
bors to help raise a log house, accord
ing to the custom. He had TO supply
whisky, and they all got furiously
drunk. The house consisted of four
walls with openings, where the logs
were crooked, large enough fora dog
to jump through. The roof was of
''scooped out timbers. and let in the
rain. The floor was of split (not
sawed) planks, and had holes wide
enough to put your foot in, boot and
all. The crevices of the wall were
stuffed with grass, moss and mud.
From first to last. he says, it cost him
the price of a decent house, and was a
sort of open shed. Housekeeping be-
gan. The Inan-servant whom they
brought with them looked about for
one day and disappeared, and may
now, for aught his old master knows,
''be President of the American
Republic, or member of Cana
diam Parliament The woman-serv-
ant, after three or four days, could not
resist the innumerable offers of mar
riage she received. So the wife had to
do the cooking for the family, and for
half dozen to dozen men-servants.
They all slept in one room. The men
stretched themselves out on the floor
before the FIRE, not undressing at night
nor washing ever. The emigrantfamily
slept behind shawl on two-story bed,
built of poles nailed to the sides and
roof of the house, father and mother
above and child beneath. The food was
bread, tea and salt pork. There was a
mutiny among the men on account of
the bread, for the poor lady did not
know how to make it. It was as heavy
as lead, as dark as oatmeal, and had to
be cut with an ak. Poor ladyi how she
cried and sighed and did her best, but
over and over again this cold plum pud-
ding without sugar orraisins, figured on
our board, or rather trestles. At last
she got hints aud made regular chop
rising with dried hops and hot water,
and her bread became palatable, to our
infinite relief and the benefit of their
health. The pork and -four soon ran
short, which forced him to go to the
nearest store, about thirty-fve miles
away, over road that was no
road at all His wife was left
alone all night. with the back
woodsmen, and, coming home, the
wagon tipped over and the whole load
of four-bags and pork-barrels was
pitched on to the man. This was, as he
truly says, more dangerous than being
in battle. They got no game to eat,
excepting for short time of the year.
From salt pork, milk, butter, eggs, and
bread and tea, they came down tobread,
milk nd tea, and then the milk gave out.
At the end of six years they came to
the bread and tea plain Then they for
sock house, land and ALI their little
property and drove their horses back to
Ottawa