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a piece of my boot. Now I can shoulder my axe, and march
down to the Bush, and tumble the 'Lords of the Forest' down in
quick style. To give you an idea of our work with the axe, yesterday
in my bed-room, the thermometer stood at 20 degrees below freezing
and out of doors all day in has been intensely cold, we have of a
morning to thaw, the bread before we can get a knife into it, the
milk is taken to market in bags, water freezes, within a yard off
the fire - yet all day I have been chopping with my coat off, and no
neckerchief on. I am dressed as under. jack-boots up to my knee,
2 pairs knitted socks, corduroy trousers and vest, and check shirt
buck skin mittens, and velveteen coat. I chopped 1/2 an hour, and
off comes my coat, about a quarter of an hour, then off come the
mitts, and I perspire profusely - recollect the thermometer stands
20 below freezing. Of course, the breath freezes about one's mouth, ma
-king the beard look first grey and then white. We have about 9
inches of snow on the ground, and it is snowing to-night. The snow
is so cold that it does not wet you, as it does in England. I can
walk all day in it, and not get my shoes even damp. This fall
of snow will make the sleighing splendid. Canada is a very
different country to Old England. It is not so pretty. Generally
speaking the country is flat, and uninteresting, though in some
parts, the scenery is magnificent, and altogether beyond my powers
of description, for instance the river St Lawrence, the Lake of a thousand