ngers seem to travel on purpose
to indulge in drinking!

I arrived at Albany late on the 7th, our progress having been much
retarded by the quantity of ice drifting in the river. Finding that
the mail was to start for Canada in the course of the night, I decided
on going with it, without seeing the capital of New York. Owing to the
mildness of the season up to the present time, the roads were in
the worst possible condition, and the motion of the carriage passing
rapidly over the rugged surface of the muddy roads recently frozen
solid, was not only disagreeable, but even painful.

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,
preparator