hey saw something
was wrong and with many exclamations the crowd stood staring at us. Just
then a little, stout man, in a black gown, elbowed his way through the
crowd, and asked me in English what was the matter. I told him the
carter had stolen the chest. He spoke to the carter in French. 'The man
denies it,' said the priest, for such I now guessed he was. I hurriedly
narrated what had happened, and for proof pointed to the name painted on
the chest. Speaking with severity to the carter, the fellow turned his
horse towards the river and the priest told me he would take the chest
back to where he got it. 'But he may not do so,' I exclaimed. The priest
gave me a sharp look, as if surprised that I should be ignorant of his
power. 'He dare not disobey me.' I thanked the priest from the bottom of
my heart, and in a few minutes the carter had dumped the chest on the
spot where he had taken it and drove away. On telling the mate what had
happened, he said it was common for emigrants, both at Quebec and
Montreal, to be robbed by fellows who regarded them as fair game.

We followed the cart that took the last of our luggage, forming quite a
procession, and each one of us who was able carried something. I had a
bag in one hand and an iron pot in the other. Grannie held a firm grip
of Robbie, who she feared might be lost in Montreal, for the puir laddie
hadna a word of French. On coming to the canal we were disappointed with
both it and the boat. The canal was a narrow ditch and as to the boat,
it was short and narrow and had no deck, except a few feet at either
end. 'We cannot live in that cockle-shell!' exclaimed Mrs Auld. Her
owner replied 'She was one fine boat, new, built by Yankee.' He was the
only one of the crew who understood English, and was quick in his
motions. He soon had all we brought with us stowed, and when a corner
was found for the last chest, it was a surmise where the crew and
passengers could find standing-room. The decked portions were allotted
the women and children, the men and boys roosted on top of boxes and
bales as they could. When all was ready, the conductor took the helm,
the crew lined up on the bank with a tow-line over their shoulders, and
off we started. The weather was fine and the country we passed
beautiful. At the first locks we came to, the mistress stepped to a
farmhouse beside the canal, and came back with the pail she had taken
with her full of milk. It was the first the children had si