So he put his savings into the railway and worked hard to make it a success.
Everything seemed to go against it. But he stuck to it, and fought against all difficulties, until in the end he came out successful. And to-day the Canadian Pacific is one of the greatest railways in the world, and has opened up Canada to be a great country, peopled by thousands of British colonists.
And so he made his fortune, and later on, in return for his splendid work for the Empire, he was made Lord Strathcona.
Most men leave off work when they are between sixty and seventy, but Lord Strathcona did not. He still continued to stick to it for twenty or thirty years longer than most men. Only a few days before his death he was at work in his office (and he died at the age of ninety-four).
And in his office every day he stuck to it, for he went there about eleven in the morning, but seldom left before seven—often he was there till nine.
When all the neighbouring offices in Victoria Street had turned off their lights and closed their doors for the night, Lord Strathcona's window was to be seen still brilliantly lit up, so much so that the policemen and others about there called it "The Lighthouse."
Now, why should a man go on working overtime like that? He was not making money; he had enough of that and to spare. It was simply because he considered it was his duty, and he stuck to it.
Besides his adventures in Canada, and besides his power of sticking to his duty, Lord Strathcona was also a good scout, because he was kind and helpful to others.
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