our children to school, and be
able to see them during the holidays," she observed.

"We ourselves can give them such schooling as they require," replied my
father. "You will make Clarice as accomplished as yourself, and I will
take good care of Ralph. It is not book learning a lad requires to get
on in this country. He is a good hand at shooting and fishing,
understands all sorts of farm work, and is as good a rider as any boy of
his age. He will forget all these accomplishments if we go eastward;
whereas if we move westward, he will improve still more. And as he is
as sharp as a Yankee, he will do well enough in whatever line he
follows."

The truth was, my father had made up his mind to go in the direction he
proposed, and was not to be turned aside by any arguments, however
sensible, which my mother might offer. So it was settled that we should
make a long journey across the prairie. As for the difficulties and
dangers to be encountered, or the hardships to which my mother and
Clarice would be exposed, he did not take these into consideration.
There are people with minds so constituted that they only see one side
of a question; and my father was unhappily one of these.

He proposed to unite himself with some respectable party of emigrants,
who would travel together for mutual protection. He considered that
they might thus set at defiance any band of Indians, however numerous,
which they might encounter.

The two farms were no doubt much inferior in value to what they would
have been with buildings, outhouses and fencings, standing crops and
stock; yet, even as they stood, they were worth a good sum, for they
were already cleared--the chief work of the settler being thus done.
However, they realised as much as my father expected, and with a
well-equipped train and several hired attendants we set out.

The first part of our journey was tolerably easy; the emigrants were
good-humoured, we had abundance of provisions, the country was well
watered, and the cattle could obtain plenty of rich grass to keep up
their strength. But as soon as we got out of the more civilised
districts our difficulties began. Some of the rivers were very
difficult to cross, and often there was no small danger of the waggons
sticking fast in some spots, or being carried down by the current in
others; then we had hills to surmount and rocky ground to pass over,
where there was no herbage or water for our beasts.

My father kept