Start for new home--Miss seeing father--Am very lonely--Join Mr.
Woolsey.
Father was now at his objective point in the west, and as the season
was advanced he must make haste to return to Norway House.
His plan was to go down the river in a skiff. I was to remain with
Mr. Woolsey as a sort of assistant and interpreter.
Our present plan was for Mr. Woolsey to accompany father in the skiff
to where we had crossed the river on our southward journey some weeks
since, and Peter and I were to take the horses down on the north side
to meet them at this point.
William had gone on to Smoking Lake and would meet us there.
We were to leave Edmonton the same day, and hoped to reach our
rendezvous about the same time; but Peter and I had quite a bunch of
horses to drive, and most of the road was dense forest, with the path
narrow and almost overgrown with timber. Our horses, too, would run
off into the thicket, so that when we came to an open space beyond,
and counted up, we would generally find some were missing. While I
guarded those we had, Peter would go back and patiently track up the
rest. Thus, instead of reaching the spot where we were to meet
father and party the second evening, it was long after dark on the
third evening when we came there.
I had not seen father to say "Good-bye," at Edmonton, and I had many
things to say to him before we parted for the year, and now I
expected to meet him camped on the banks of the river, but as we rode
down the hill into the valley all was darkness. There could be no
mistake; this was the spot, but no camp and no sign of father. We
wondered what was up; presently I saw something white, and, riding to
it, found a note stuck in the end of a small pole, and we lit a match
and I read:
"My DEAR BOY,--
"We came here early to-day and waited some hours, but the season
urges me on. Am sorry to miss meeting you. Play the man. Do your
best to help Mr. Woolsey.
"God bless you, my son. Good-bye.
"Your loving father,
"G. McDOUGALL."
If I had been alone I could have cried heartily in my great
disappointment. Oh! what a fit of lonesomeness and homesickness came
upon me, but there was no time for long lamentation.
We found that Mr. Woolsey and William had gone on towards Smoking
Lake, and we followed and came up with them late at night, and I
began my service with Mr. Woolsey; but it took days of constant
change to lift from my mind the shadow of my disappointment in
missing father.