- On Wednesday, 24th, after John had
gone off riding, Dick and I waited about for the directors' car, which
we expected that morning, but alas!
Though it arrived at eleven, they
only stopped at the telegraph office a moment, took no notice of us, and
went on to the end of "construction," returning in about an hour, (John
got back much later, and we wondered why Mr. Ross advised him to go, as
it obliged him to miss this car); they again only made a pause, during
which Dick spoke to Mr. Angus, and E - - also had a few words with Mr. D.
Smith, but she was too modest in urging our claims to be helped on up
the incline and they went and left us in the lurch. I heard afterwards
that the American part of the company were in a great hurry to get on,
Mr. Angus Field having telegrams following him all along the line, but
we should not have detained them, and they would only have had to drop
us at Laggan, where our own car was waiting. So we had to wait another
night, and all went to bed very grumpy!
_Thursday, 25th_. - After breakfast we walked some way, and then
Hedley and I remained at the telegraph station (this is the only source
of information in these parts), and the others went on. An hour or two
later the freight train began to think of starting up the incline, and
Hedley and I got into the cab of the engine. We soon came up with E - -,
who joined us there. Some two or three miles further on John and Dick
appeared, wildly gesticulating as they stood on the middle of the line
to try and stop us, but the engineer declared we were now on too steep
an incline, and on we went, much to our dismay, for this entailed thirty
or forty miles walk for rheumatic John and not over-strong Dick. We
reached the top all right, and found ourselves at "Kicking Horse Lake,"
and to our great relief up walked John and Dick. It seems they made a
rush at the train as it passed, and John jumped on an open car all
right - but Dick caught his foot in a sleeper and fell down, but had the
presence of mind to pick himself up very quickly, and caught the last
engine (we had one at each end) and jumped on the cow catcher! I
shuddered to think what _might_ have happened to Dick when he fell,
but he only got a bruise on his knee and a severe injury to his
trousers! We reached Laggan about half-past one, and found our cook
still much of an invalid, with a real negro to assist him! I think the
negroes are much more manly and altogether pleasanter than the
half-breeds, who are mean, discontented, and impertinent when they dare.
This negro was a capital servant, and had lived with his present master
(to whom he was returning after the said master's absence in Europe)
twelve years.
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