CHAPTER TWENTY THREE.

MALACHI'S STORY OF A BEAR.

For two or three days, Mr Campbell was very busy making out an
inventory of the articles which he required. His funds at Quebec were
rather low, but the communication which his agent had made to him of Mr
D. Campbell's intention of paying for the green-house and hothouse
plants, made him feel very easy on that score; and he now determined to
procure a small flock of sheep, and one or two of the Canadian ponies or
galloways, as they would soon be required for the farm, as well as two
carts or light waggons used in the country. In the meantime, Alfred,
Martin, and Henry were very busy putting the seed in between the stumps
of the felled timber, merely hoeing up the earth and raking it in, which
was all that was required. The quantity of land cleared was about
twelve acres, half of which was sowed with oats, and the other with
wheat; the piece cleared on the other side of the stream by Malachi
Bone, and railed in, was sown with maize, or Indian corn. As soon as
the seed was in, they all set to putting up a high fence round the
cleared land, which was done with split rails made from the white cedar,
which grew in a swamp about half a mile distant, and which, it may be
remembered, had in a great measure been provided by the soldiers who had
been lent to assist them on their arrival. The piece of prairie land,
on the side of the stream next to the house, was put apart for an early
crop of hay, and as soon as they could, they intended to turn the cows
into the bush, that is, to feed in the forest, that they might obtain
hay from the other side, which had belonged to Malachi; but the prairie
required to be fenced in, and this was the job that they took in hand as
soon as the seeds were sown.

"I hope, when the Colonel comes over," observed Martin to Alfred, "that
we shall persuade him to let us have some soldiers this summer, for we
shall want them both for the fencing and getting the hay-crop in. Our
summers are not very long, and there is plenty to do."

"I think my father intends to make the request," replied Alfred.

"Ah, sir; he will now see the value of this bit of prairie land to a new
settler; instead of having to go in search of hay, as they must do at
the fort now, we have plenty for hay, and plenty for feed. So we are to
have some sheep, I find?"

"Yes, and I suppose we must build a winter-yard for them."

"To be sure we must, for the wolves are very