A. Boys made famous in his
well-known poem "The Riders of the Plains," from which we quote the
following verses:

"We muster but three hundred
In all this Great Lone Land,
Which stretches from Superior's shore
To where the Rockies stand;
But not one heart doth falter,
No coward voice complains,
Tho' all too few in numbers are
The Riders of the Plains.

"Our mission is to raise the Flag
Of Britain's Empire here,
Restrain the lawless savage,
And protect the Pioneer;
And 'tis a proud and daring trust,
To hold these vast Domains,
With but three hundred Mounted Men,
The Riders of the Plains.

"And though we win no fame or praise
But struggle on alone
To carry out good British rule,
And plant old England's throne;
Yet when our task is ended,
And Law and Order reigns,
The peaceful settler long will bless
The Riders of the Plains."

Meanwhile down in Eastern Canada the left wing of the Force was being
recruited and, permission being obtained from the United States, three
divisions, rather over strength, left Toronto on June 6, 1874, and came
west via Chicago and St. Paul to the end of steel at Fargo in North
Dakota. Colonel French had gone back East to come out with them. It was
a motley outfit that dumped itself out of the train on that Dakota
plain. The men were a carefully selected and fine appearing lot, and the
horses were of the handsome Eastern type; but the wagons in pieces to be
assembled, and the saddles shipped from England in parts, were strewn
over the ground for acres. The Fargo people rather enjoyed the idea of
these men with their interesting mission being amongst them for a week
or so getting ready for the trail. But to the amazement of those
townsfolk the Police starting at four o'clock in the morning and working
in four-hour relays "hit the trail" within twenty-four hours and pulled
out their cavalcade for the trip to Canadian Territory. It had taken two
weeks from Toronto, including the rather testing experience for men of a
day off in Chicago and St. Paul, so that we like Colonel French's note
at this point saying, "I must say I felt a great load off my shoulders
at again being on Canadian soil." But the Police had begun early to
create a good impression, and he adds, "The conduct of the men had been
most exemplary, their general appearance and conduct invariably
attracting