by Larry Stuart
Margaret was gone for ten minutes; and while John poured the boiling water into the china pot on the table, they could all hear the sounds of drawers opening and closing upstairs. Margaret soon reappeared, walking towards them while unfolding a newspaper. Smoothing the winkles from the front page, she carefully set it down on the table in front of her brother.
Cameron and Mary’s eyes bulged from their sockets as they took in the headline on the front page of the Montreal Star.
* * *
LADY ELGIN LOST AT SEA!
All Presumed Lost as Ship Founders
During Storm in the Bay of Biscay’
* * *
No wonder Margaret had fainted, thought Cameron. She must have thought she’d seen a ghost. He’d known all along that their showing up in Canada would be a shock to Margaret, especially as he’d told her in a letter that he and Mary were immigrating to Australia, on the “Lady Elgin” on April the 21st. But all of his careful planning could never have foreseen this. What he couldn’t quite understand, though, was why he and Mary had not heard about the sinking.
As he read on, it all began to make sense. The “Lady Elgin” had left Campbeltown the
day before their departure from Liverpool, but would have still been well to the north of them when the “Allepo” passed the southern tip of Ireland heading out into the Atlantic. Therefore, the storm he and Mary had had to endure must have been the same one that hit the “Lady Elgin”; only it her a few days later when she was in the Bay of Biscay. And by the time he and Mary had finally reached Quebec, the loss would already have been old news and no longer on the front pages – particularly in light of the burning of the paddle steamer “Laurentian”.
Cameron looked at his sister. He could tell from her questioning expression that he had a lot of explaining to do, and was now beginning to regret he’d even considered involving Maggie in his escapade. Although she was only six years older, her face told a different story. The wrinkles at the corners of her eyes were those of a much older woman and, even though her hair was well brushed and neatly drawn back into a bun on the back of her head, the first wisps of grey could already be seen creeping from the edges of her temple. My God, he thought, what have I done? She’s already been to hell and back and now I’m starting it all over again.
‘I think you’d better sit down Maggie. I’ve got a long story to tell, and I’m afraid some of it’s no very pleasant. Before I start, though, I just want both of you to know that I’m really sorry I’ve involved you in this…and when I’m finished, I’ll understand if you decide we’d better move on. And one last thing...Mary had nothing to do with what I’m about to tell you. In fact, I didn’t even tell her until the night before we sailed from Liverpool.’
For the next hour, nobody interrupted as Cameron recounted the story. He glossed over his early years, and began at the point where Helen had told him about his family’s history; and then finished by laying bare his soul, leaving out nothing, while at the same time trying to justify his actions.
‘I’m sorry if what I’ve been doin’ seems wrong to you…and just so as you know…I do feel a terrible guilt about the lad bein’ killed. But I still think I was right to try and avenge my father…and will no apologise for gettin’ involved with some other people who were just looking for a way to better their lives.’
Mary listened carefully in case she had got something wrong, or somehow over-reacted. But the confession had been the same, and now two more people knew of his family’s chequered history, and Cameron’s unspeakable deeds.
To Cameron’s surprise, when he finished Margaret’s first words were not of condemnation, but questions of detail. It was almost as if she had made herself judge and jury, and she alone would be the one to decide his innocence or guilt.
‘I understand if you be shocked and aggrieved by what I’ve done. All I ask is that you never repeat this story to anyone else... and if you ever be questioned about us…please just say that, as far as you know, Mary and I were lost at sea on the “Lady Elgin”.’
Cameron got up from the table, and turning to Mary held out his hand. ‘Let’s you and I go have a look ‘round. I’m sure John and Margaret would probably like to be alone now.’
As they stepped out the kitchen door and made their way towards the steps leading to the back garden, Cameron took Mary’s hand and turned to face her.
‘Well…there be one good thing to come out of this…at least the authorities, and old man Campbell, should no longer be lookin’ for us.’
‘I just hope you be right.’
To their surprise, Cameron and Mary discovered that the verandah they had so admired at the front of the house actually extended all the way around to the back. Leaning against the waist high rail, they gazed out in admiration at what Margaret and John had accomplished. On each side of the path leading from the back steps to the outbuildings, there was a large chestnut tree, providing ample shade from the afternoon sun. And running parallel to the verandah were flowerbeds, planted with bright yellow daffodils and flowering shrubs festooned with small pink buds. At the far end of each bed, small conifer trees had been planted marking out the corners of the house, while at the same time they provided a fresh pine fragrance to the summer breeze when carried in through the windows.
The backyard itself was enclosed by post and rail fencing accessed by three five-bar gates. On the right side of the yard a gate gave entry to two small outbuildings, while the one on the left led to a well-worn track meandering off through some planted fields towards a forest in the distance.
Directly ahead of Cameron and Mary was the gate giving access to the corral. On its far side stood a stone and timber barn, while on its right, part of the enclosure was taken up by a stable. The upper part of the stable door was open, and standing with its head and neck through this gap was a beautiful black horse, returning their gaze with one large, round eye and shaking its head as if daring them to approach.
‘Isn’t it beautiful here, Cameron? Do you think we could have a farm like this, one
day, and maybe a nice house as well? ’
‘I don’t see why not. Of course, we have a lot to learn first. As it stands right now, I barely know the back end of a cow from the front.’
At that moment the kitchen door opened. Margaret went over to Mary, wrapping her arms around her, while John – with a smile on his face – put out his hand as he approached Cameron.
‘I know I haven’t said much since you two got here…but as Margaret will probably tell you…I like to listen and think awhile before opening my mouth. Now, it seems to me the story I’ve just heard is about a man who just wants justice, and a little better life for his family. What you did might be wrong in the eyes of the law, but in my mind, you were trying to make a point that should have been made a long time ago. All right, it went wrong, but if enough people took a similar stand maybe the bloody English would learn a lesson…and everyone would be better off.’
Cameron raised his finger.
‘I know…I know,’ John said, putting up both his hands. ‘Yes…I’m English. But believe me…we people south of the border suffered almost as much as you. Dare I say…if Bonnie Prince Charlie had got to London things might well have been a whole lot different…and Canada might not be getting twenty thousand people a month arriving on its shores. Let me just finish by saying that Margaret and I will help you as much as we can…and you’re welcome to stay with us until you’re settled. We can’t condone what you did, but we do understand why you did it.’
CHAPTER NINETEEN
The dull light of sunrise brought a knock at the door, followed by Margaret breezing into the room.
‘Good morning,’ she said cheerily, placing two cups of tea on the bedside table before throwing open the curtains. ‘Just so you know… makin’ a success in this type of life means out of bed at sun up, and doin’ chores until mid-morning. Then it’s breakfast, followed by field work…then.…’
‘All right…all rig
ht, I get it,’ grumbled Cameron.
‘Oh, and one more thing. This is the first and last cup of anythin’ that you’ll be gettin’ in bed…so make the most of it,’ she chuckled. ‘I’m always up first…and downstairs you’ll find coffee in the pot and water on the boil for tea and a wash.’
By the end of that first day every muscle in Cameron’s body was complaining, and he was seriously beginning to have doubts about his change in career. The day had been a blur: trying to learn how to control a horse as it pulled a plough; wielding an axe to restock the kitchen woodpile, lifting and bracing wagons and hayricks, as John removed, repaired and refitted wheels to ensure the equipment was ready when needed. It had been a while since Cameron had been outdoors doing manual labour, but even when he had started out track laying, they hadn’t done it from sun up to sun down with barely a break.
What Cameron and Mary hadn’t appreciated was that certain jobs like feeding animals, milking cows and collecting eggs had to be done every day, irrespective of weather, illness, tiredness or relatives just happening to drop by!
Mary found the change in lifestyle quite invigorating, although at times she did wonder if Margaret had once been trained as a matron by the ease with which she gave orders. But what she didn’t as yet know was that the really hard work hadn’t even started.
It was during their second evening that John sat down in his easy chair with a pen and some paper, and began the first of many long evenings planning Cameron and Mary’s new venture.
‘Right…now that we’ve caught up, tomorrow after breakfast we’re going to the registry office in Lacolle to make enquiries about land availability in the area. Now, the first thing you’re going to need is…let me see….’
It soon became apparent to Cameron that they wouldn’t have stood any chance of doing this on their own. To start with, it had never dawned on him the most important consideration was access to good water, while at the same time ensuring they weren’t so close to a major water source that flooding could become a problem during the spring thaw. Next on John’s list of essentials was a sizeable amount of woodland. Trees were obviously necessary to provide buildings, fuel and fencing. But what Cameron hadn’t appreciated was that their location was just as important, as one of their primary roles was to act as a buffer against the wind, which if left unchecked could destroy nearly any crop.
Lastly, if at all possible the land needed to be on rolling hills, so the house and
outbuildings could be set high and dry, well above the cold, damp valleys.
‘But how am I supposed to achieve all this on just ten acres of land?’ asked Cameron, with frustration beginning to creep into his voice.
‘You’re not. What we have to do is find a suitable ten acre plot surrounded by this type of land. Then you buy as much land as you can afford around your initial plot. If you don’t have enough money you can sign for the land, and then make annual payments – with interest – to the government. The only requirement is that the payments must start within one year of the date of the agreement, and you must clear the debt within ten years. I believe the current price for purchasing land is $2.00 per acre for arable, and $1.50 for woodland, so over the next few days you want to be thinking about how much land you can actually afford.’
The following morning, Cameron sat up in bed with a start. Moments later, it became obvious what had woken him as he listened to John and Margaret’s roosters trying to out-crow each other. One thing was for sure. The sun did not rise peacefully in this part of the world.
Beside him, Mary yawned, and then reached out for a hug; smiling at his grumpy face.
‘Oh…dear. Someone’s no very happy.’
‘You know what Mary? I think I’ve almost gotten used to this early rising. And I can’t wait until I be first up…so I can go and scream in those bloody birds’ ears!’
‘You were late last night. How did you get on yesterday?’
‘Great! I can barely walk and I can’t lift my arms above my head…apart from that, just great.’
‘Well, I really enjoyed my day. I fed the chickens and collected the eggs. Then we went off to the barn…where I learned how to milk a cow. After breakfast, Margaret and I went down to the root cellar, where we picked out the vegetables that be startin’ to rot and took them out to feed the pigs. Muckin’ out came next, which were no much fun, followed by back to the kitchen for cookin’ and bread makin’....’
While they both got dressed, Mary carried on, excitedly talking about the rest of the previous day. Cameron listened without comment, but each time she turned and he caught sight of her face, her cheeks were glowing and her eyes sparkled. Pregnancy must suit her, he decided. She seems to become more beautiful each day. And, if this life really does make her happy then, after what I’ve put her through, the least I can do is try to make sure we make a success of this.
It was a lovely, late spring morning. Cameron rode in the buckboard with John on their way to Lacolle for their meeting with the land registry. Although the rig jolted and swayed each time they got caught in a rut, Cameron was now beginning to feel much more secure. While John occupied himself trying to miss the worst of the potholes, Cameron’s mind went back over the previous night’s conversation.
‘So, tell me, John…how much land do you think we need?’
‘Well, to start with, you need to have enough pasture for a cow, a couple of horses and an ox…which is about four acres. Then you’ll need another four acres to grow winter feed. Now let’s see…the house, barn and a couple of other buildings will take up about two acres…and Mary will want about half an acre for kitchen vegetables. Oh…and you’ll need at least an acre for a couple of hogs.
‘Well that sounds o.k.’
‘Hang on a minute, Cameron. That’s just what you need to feed yourselves and your animals. We now have to figure out what crops you’re going to grow for market. I would suggest you plant maybe 10 acres of wheat, 5 acres of oats, 2 acres of peas and maybe an acre of potatoes. As I told you before, woodland is where people make their biggest mistake. They just don’t buy enough…and don’t forget, some of it can always be cleared in the future if you need more growing land. If I had my time again I’d try to get at least 30 acres of woodland. Oh, and keep in mind, you need to allow for more pasture and hay if you plan to increase the number of animals you own. So what it boils down to is this. If you can afford to carry the loan for a couple of years…I’d say you want to be looking for about 65-75 acres. Ten of that’s free… so the rest will cost you about $115.00.’
‘That be fine. Mary and I can afford that… I don’t think I’ll need to go into debt with the government.’
‘Wait a minute, Cameron. You’ve got to buy livestock, farming equipment and seed, not to mention a house, barn and other buildings…and keep in mind you won’t have any income for nearly a year.’
‘Get on Blackie,’ bellowed John as he snapped the reins, dragging Cameron back to the present.
Ten minutes later they arrived in Lacolle.
John took over the meeting with the registrar, and thanks to his knowledge of the area, managed to narrow the available plots down to two. The registrar was happy to reserve both parcels of land for Cameron for a seven-day period; and after promising to return with a decision within a week, he and John left.
‘I’ll tell you what we should do,’ said John as they headed for home. If it’s a nice day on Sunday, why don’t we get the girls to make us a picnic? Then after church, the four of us can go and have a look at those two plots, and have lunch down by the river.’
‘I guess that would be nice,’ Cameron said rather hesitantly, after glancing over his shoulder at the bouncing buckboard.
Sunday soon arrived. Cameron and Mary were now both aware that cows, hens, pigs and horses did not have a day of rest; but as it turned out, with four people in the house to share the chores, the livestock’s needs were easily taken care of by mid-morning.
After a filling breakfast of bacon an
d eggs, followed by oatmeal topped with John’s own maple syrup, the ladies retired upstairs to change into their Sunday best. In the
meantime, the two men headed out to the stables to harness up the buckboard – or so Cameron thought.
‘Cameron…can you go to the stable and bring Blackie over to the small barn for me? I’ve just got to get the harnesses sorted out. I’ll meet you there.’
Cameron did as told, even though he was still a little uncomfortable handling the stallion. Ten minutes later, he led Blackie by his bridle towards the front doors of the small barn. On his arrival, the doors swung open. Cameron’s mouth hung open. In the doorway stood John with a grin on his face, while behind him was a pretty little trap, all ready to be harnessed up. Two padded, bench-type seats mounted on curved steel supports spanned the carriage from side to side. Above the seating area was a white canvass top, with sides extending down about a foot to protect the passengers from rain or too much sun. The carriage sat on four equal-sized wheels, whose axles were mounted on sprung-steel suspension, thereby ensuring a comfortable ride for all the passengers.