CHAPTER II.

Departure from Halifax-A Black Settlement-Beech Woods-French Girls-Wild Strawberries-Evangeline -Corduroy Roads-Roland's Inn-First View of the River-A Capital Meal-The Aurora Borealis-The Nova Scotian Nightingale-Breakfast of Cold Tea-A Well-Stocked Pool-The First Fish-Famous SportThe Narrows-A Race-Catching a Bull-Frog-A Commotion in the Pond-Return to Halifax-The Drive Home.

It was on one of those delicious mornings, about the middle of June, when the summer has fairly commenced, and a rural drive in Nova Scotia is really delightful, that we started in a single waggon from Halifax, for the river Musquedoboit, distant twenty-eight

miles, in which we had heard from reliable sources that the sea trout were running in great force.

The rods, fishing baskets, landing nets, and such like, were securely attached to the light Yankee waggon, which the "old hoss rattled along at an average speed of seven miles per hour-pretty good going, considering the rocky nature of some parts of the road, over which it was necessary to walk for the sake of our springs.

About seven miles from Halifax, we passed through the Black Settlement of Preston-an assemblage of most miserable log huts, with here and there, growing on patches of ground between the rocks, stunted crops of potatoes or Indian corn.

In and around Halifax, there is a very large black population; some of them refugees from the States; but, the greater part, the descendants of those six hundred

negroes who were transplanted from Yankeeland to Nova Scotia, towards the conclusion of the last American war, by Sir George Cockburn.

Generally inert, averse to employment as labourers, and unhealthy-for the climate is too cold for them-their advent to this country has been much deplored by the white colonists. In the capacity, however, of servants in private houses or hotels, these people seem to succeed very well, probably from their being able to gratify their love of smartness in dress, and ludicrous affectation of gentility.

However, one must not run down poor Sambo; for he is a good-humoured, harmless, and amusing fellow, and when met with in any condition, in America, is to be pitied.

"E'en he, the favour'd man, from thraldom free,
Yearns to behold his tutelary tree."

Out of Preston finer timber appeared in the woods on either side. I noticed, in particular, some groves of magnificent beeches, which would have done honour to an English park. Moose-wood, as the striped maple (Acer striatum) is generally called, from the partiality of the moose for its broad juicy leaves, appeared amongst the under-growth of the forest in great abundance; and the reflection of the patches of sunlight on its broad leaves of brightest green, might be seen far back in the shady woods.

The banks on either side of the road were covered with wild strawberries, now in their prime; and we took advantage of every walk up the hills, to pick a handful of these small but delicious fruit.

A little farther on, we met a party of French girls, who were trudging on to the Halifax market, with large baskets containing wild strawberries, put up in pint cases, neatly

manufactured out of birch bark.

We stopped

and bought two cases to eat on the way, partly out of charity to the Acadian damsels, whose merry laugh and jest, uttered in their own patois, lighted up their finely chiselled features as they took our coppers.

They came from Chezetcook harbour, a few miles farther on our road, where there is a large settlement of these unfortunate creatures the remnants of the people who inhabited Nova Scotia, and parts of the other provinces, when, under the name of "l'Acadie," they belonged to France.

Longfellow, in his poem of "Evangeline," having treated of their expatriation from Nova Scotia, thus makes mention of the few who still reside on the eastern coast.

"Still stands the forest primeval; but under the shade of its branches.

Dwells another race, with other customs and language. Only along the shore of the mournful and misty Atlantic