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Black Rock

A TALE OF THE SELKIRKS

by Ralph Connor






INTRODUCTION


I think I have met ;Ralph Conner。;  Indeed察I am sure I haveonce
in a canoe on the Red River察once on the Assinaboine察and twice or
thrice on the prairies to the West。  That was not the name he gave
me察but察if I am right察it covers one of the most honest and genial
of the strong characters that are fighting the devil and doing good
work for men all over the world。  He has seen with his own eyes the
life which he describes in this book察and has himself察for some
years of hard and lonely toil察assisted in the good influences which
he traces among its wild and often hopeless conditions。  He writes
with the freshness and accuracy of an eye´witness察with the style
as I think his readers will allow of a real artist察and with the
tenderness and hopefulness of a man not only of faith but of
experience察who has seen in fulfillment the ideals for which he
lives。

The life to which he takes us察though far off and very strange to
our tame minds察is the life of our brothers。  Into the Northwest of
Canada the young men of Great Britain and Ireland have been pouring
I was told察sometimes at the rate of 48000 a year。  Our brothers
who left home yesterdayour hearts cannot but follow them。  With
these pages Ralph Conner enables our eyes and our minds to follow
too察nor do I think there is any one who shall read this book and
not find also that his conscience is quickened。  There is a warfare
appointed unto man upon earth察and its struggles are nowhere more
intense察nor the victories of the strong察nor the succors brought
to the fallen察more heroic察than on the fields described in this
volume。

GEORGE ADAM SMITH。





BLACK ROCK


The story of the book is true察and chief of the failures in the
making of the book is this察that it is not all the truth。  The
light is not bright enough察the shadow is not black enough to give
a true picture of that bit of Western life of which the writer was
some small part。  The men of the book are still there in the mines
and lumber camps of the mountains察fighting out that eternal fight
for manhood察strong察clean察God´conquered。  And察when the west
winds blow察to the open ear the sounds of battle come察telling the
fortunes of the fight。

Because a man's life is all he has察and because the only hope of
the brave young West lies in its men察this story is told。  It may
be that the tragic pity of a broken life may move some to pray察and
that that divine power there is in a single brave heart to summon
forth hope and courage may move some to fight。  If so察the tale is
not told in vain。

C。W。G。



CONTENTS


CHAPTER I

CHRISTMAS EVE IN A LUMBER CAMP


CHAPTER II

THE BLACK ROCK CHRISTMAS


CHAPTER III

WATERLOO。  OUR FIGHTHIS VICTORY


CHAPTER IV

MRS。 MAVOR'S STORY


CHAPTER V

THE MAKING OF THE LEAGUE


CHAPTER VI

BLACK ROCK RELIGION


CHAPTER VII

THE FIRST BLACK ROCK COMMUNION


CHAPTER VIII

THE BREAKING OF THE LEAGUE


CHAPTER IX

THE LEAGUE'S REVENGE


CHAPTER X

WHAT CAME TO SLAVIN


CHAPTER XI

THE TWO CALLS


CHAPTER XII

LOVE IS NOT ALL


CHAPTER XIII

HOW NELSON CAME HOME


CHAPTER XIV

GRAEME'S NEW BIRTH


CHAPTER XV

COMING TO THEIR OWN




CHAPTER I


CHRISTMAS EVE IN A LUMBER CAMP


It was due to a mysterious dispensation of Providence察and a good
deal to Leslie Graeme察that I found myself in the heart of the
Selkirks for my Christmas Eve as the year 1882 was dying。  It had
been my plan to spend my Christmas far away in Toronto察with such
Bohemian and boon companions as could be found in that cosmopolitan
and kindly city。  But Leslie Graeme changed all that察for
discovering me in the village of Black Rock察with my traps all
packed察waiting for the stage to start for the Landing察thirty
miles away察he bore down upon me with resistless force察and I found
myself recovering from my surprise only after we had gone in his
lumber sleigh some six miles on our way to his camp up in the
mountains。  I was surprised and much delighted察though I would not
allow him to think so察to find that his old´time power over me was
still there。  He could always in the old 'Varsity daysdear察wild
daysmake me do what he liked。  He was so handsome and so
reckless察brilliant in his class´work察and the prince of half´backs
on the Rugby field察and with such power of fascination察as would
'extract the heart out of a wheelbarrow' as Barney Lundy used to
say。  And thus it was that I found myself just three weeks laterI
was to have spent two or three dayson the afternoon of the 24th
of December察standing in Graeme's Lumber Camp No。 2察wondering at
myself。  But I did not regret my changed plans察for in those three
weeks I had raided a cinnamon bear's den and had wakened up a
grizzly  But I shall let the grizzly finish the tale察he probably
sees more humour in it than I。

The camp stood in a little clearing察and consisted of a group of
three long察low shanties with smaller shacks near them察all built
of heavy察unhewn logs察with door and window in each。  The grub
camp察with cook´shed attached察stood in the middle of the clearing
at a little distance was the sleeping´camp with the office built
against it察and about a hundred yards away on the other side of the
clearing stood the stables察and near them the smiddy。  The
mountains rose grandly on every side察throwing up their great peaks
into the sky。  The clearing in which the camp stood was hewn out of
a dense pine forest that filled the valley and climbed half way up
the mountain´sides察and then frayed out in scattered and stunted
trees。

It was one of those wonderful Canadian winter days察bright察and
with a touch of sharpness in the air that did not chill察but warmed
the blood like draughts of wine。  The men were up in the woods察and
the shrill scream of the blue jay flashing across the open察the
impudent chatter of the red squirrel from the top of the grub camp
and the pert chirp of the whisky´jack察hopping about on the
rubbish´heap察with the long察lone cry of the wolf far down the
valley察only made the silence felt the more。

As I stood drinking in with all my soul the glorious beauty and the
silence of mountain and forest察with the Christmas feeling stealing
into me察Graeme came out from his office察and察catching sight of
me察called out察'Glorious Christmas weather察old chap'  And then
coming nearer察'Must you go to´morrow'

'I fear so' I replied察knowing well that the Christmas feeling was
on him too。

'I wish I were going with you' he said quietly。

I turned eagerly to persuade him察but at the look of suffering in
his face the words died at my lips察for we both were thinking of
the awful night of horror when all his bright察brilliant life
crashed down about him in black ruin and shame。  I could only throw
my arm over his shoulder and stand silent beside him。  A sudden
jingle of bells roused him察and察giving himself a little shake察he
exclaimed察'There are the boys coming home。'

Soon the camp was filled with men talking察laughing察chaffing察like
light´hearted boys。

'They are a little wild to´night' said Graeme察'and to morrow
they'll paint Black Rock red。'

Before many minutes had gone察the last teamster was 'washed up'
and all were standing about waiting impatiently for the cook's
signalthe supper to´night was to be 'something of a feed'when
the sound of bells drew their attention to a light sleigh drawn by
a buckskin broncho coming down the hillside at a great pace。

'The preacher察I'll bet察by his driving' said one of the men。

'Bedad察and it's him has the foine nose for turkey' said Blaney察a
good´natured察jovial Irishman。

'Yes察or for pay´day察more like' said Keefe察a black´browed
villainous fellow´countryman of Blaney's察and察strange to say察his
great friend。

Big Sandy M'Naughton察a Canadian Highlander from Glengarry察rose up
in wrath。  'Bill Keefe' said he察with deliberate emphasis察'you'll
just keep your dirty tongue off the minister察and as for your pay
it's little he sees of it察or any one else察except Mike Slavin
when you're too

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