e
of the men of a group we had left working a short distance behind, came
running up to say a fire had started. We went back, and in a place
where, ten minutes before, there had been no sign of fire, flames and
smoke were rising over an area of about one hundred yards square.
Little tongues of flame were racing over the "slashings" (_i.e._, the
debris of bark and splintered limbs that litter an area which has been
cut), snakes of flame were writhing up standing trees, sparks blown by
the wind were dropping into the dry "slashings" twenty, thirty and
fifty yards away and starting fresh fires. We could see with what
incredible rapidity these fires travelled, and how dangerous they can
be once they are well alight. This fire was surrounded, and got under
with water and shovelled earth, but we were shown a big stretch of
hillside which another such fire had swept bare in a little under two
hours. The summer is the dangerous time, for "slashings" and forests
are then dry, and one chance spark from a badly screened donkey-engine
chimney will start a blaze. When the fire gets into wet and green wood
it soon expires.

These drives, for us, were the major events in an off time, for there
was very little happening until the night of the 28th, when we went on
board the _Princess Alice_ again, to start on our return journey.

CHAPTER XVIII

APPLE LAND: OKANAGAN AND KOOTENAY LAKES

I

On Monday, September 29th, the Prince of Wales returned to Vancouver
and took car to New Westminster, the old capital of British Columbia
before picturesque Victoria assumed the reins.

New Westminster was having its own festival that day, so the visit was
well timed. The local exhibition was to begin, and the Prince was to
perform the opening ceremony. Under many fine arches, one a tall
torii, erected by Chinese and Japanese Canadians, the procession of
cars passed through the town, on a broad avenue that runs alongside the
great Fraser River. Drawn up at the curb were many floats that were to
take part in the trades' procession through the town to the exhibition
grounds. Most of them were ingenious and attractive. There were
telegraph stations on wagons, corn dealers' shops, and the like, while
on the bonnet of one car was a doll nurse, busy beside a doll bed.
Another automobile had turned itself into an aeroplane, while another
had obliterated itself under a giant bully beef can to advertise a
special kind of tinned meat.