65

Letter 5th
My dear Mother, November 1st 1858
I have adapted a better plan for my letters, instead
of scribbling down every night, the work of the day, in the sheet
I intend sending, which I found very inconvenient, I dot down
my movements in a memorandum book in pencil, and copy
therefrom in quiet in my own room. Thursday. At work
all day on the farm. Thermometer in my bed-room 75, at
night 60. Friday. Took the waggon and team to Delaware
to fetch meal from the grist-mill. It is 16 miles from here
eastwards. A very bad sandy road. The sand is very deep
nearly up to the axles in some places, twas terribly heavy work
for the team. By team you must understand two horses
driven, as you would a pair in England. All horses out
here are worked side by side, and never one in front of a-
nother. In fact I have never seen in Canada, what at home
(England) we should call a team. I got home in pretty
good time, and going down to the creek, I saw a large
musk-rat. I went to the house, fetched my gun. came back
and shot the beast. I saw a lot of Indians on my way
to Delaware, decked out very grandly. They had a great
deal of tinsel ornament. I had not time to examine
them closely. They were going to some meeting of Indians.
Saturday. We spent the day housing Indian corn stalks