sing the boundary of the holding you have come to see. You see that
piece of bark slashed off the trunk of that tree? That is what we call a
blaze, and marks the line of the boundary."

After riding a few minutes further the trees opened, and they found
themselves in a glade sloping down to the river. A few acres of land had
been ploughed up and put under cultivation. Close by stood the hut, and
beyond a grassy sward, broken by a few large trees, stretched down to
the river.

"That's the place," Mr. Mitford said, "and a very pretty one it is. Poor
young Langston chose his farm specially for that bit of scenery."

"It is pretty," Wilfrid agreed; "I am sure my father and mother will be
delighted with it. As you said, it is just like a piece of park land at
home."

The hut was strongly built of logs. It was about thirty feet long by
twenty wide, and was divided into two rooms; the one furnished as a
kitchen and living-room, the other opening from it as a bed-room.

"There is not much furniture in it," Mr. Mitford said; "but what there
is is strong and serviceable, and is a good deal better than the
generality of things you will find in a new settler's hut. He was
getting the things in gradually as he could afford them, so as to have
it really comfortably furnished by the time she came out to join him. Of
course the place will not be large enough for your party, but you can
easily add to it; and at any rate it is vastly better coming to a shanty
like this than arriving upon virgin ground and having everything to do."

"I think it is capital," Wilfrid said.

"Now we will take a ride over the ground, and I will show you what that
is like. Of course it will give you more trouble clearing away the
forest than it would do if you settled upon land without trees upon it.
But forest land is generally the best when it is cleared; and I think
that to people like your father and mother land like this is much
preferable, as in making the clearings, clumps and belts of trees can be
left, giving a home-like appearance to the place. Of course upon bare
land you can plant trees, but it is a long time before these grow to a
sufficient size to give a character to a homestead. Besides, as I told
you, there are already several other natural clearings upon the ground,
enough to afford grass for quite as many animals as you will probably
start with."

After an hour's ride over the holding and the lands adjoining it, which
Mr. Mitford ad