In a few days the matter of my own grant on the St. John had been fully arranged. Since I was not yet of age, the grant—it consisted of four hundred acres some miles up the river in what Mr. Simonds had told me was the most fertile part—was made out in my mother's name. My sister Caroline, who was still engaged with the Halifax family, was delighted with the prospect of having a new home of our own.
'Mother, won't it be grand?' she said one evening as we sat and talked together, 'simply grand. Four hundred acres—all ours—a big river in front and mountains behind. We'll be far richer than ever we were. When are we to go, Roger?'
'Not till next spring,' I said. 'David Elton has secured a lot alongside of ours; he is to do some chopping on both places this summer, then during the winter we shall prepare for building houses. Next spring the Government is to give us seed, tools, and a cow.'
A few days later, accompanied by Doctor Canfield and Duncan Hale, now free from his former duties as secretary, along with David Elton and several other farmers not yet settled about Halifax, I bade a cheerful goodbye to my mother and sisters and again set off for the St. John.
It was the middle of August when we arrived.
'The Indians are acting finely up the river,' Mr. Simonds told us on our arrival, 'and as for the pirates, we have not seen hilt nor hair of them since they scuttled out of the harbour in the spring. That was a settler we gave them that day.'
'How's business been since?' I said.
'Fine, fine; looking up wonderfully ever since the peace with the Indians. Fishing couldn't be better, and as for the lime, it's turning out first class. We've almost all our plans made, too, for sending up the largest masting crew this fall we ever put in the woods. You are to go with them. You'll be quite near your own grant.'
A few days later, and before entering finally on my duties with the trading firm, with David Elton and some other farmers I went up the river to my grant secured in Halifax. Though I was little accustomed to the use of an axe, I felled the first tree myself. Before the second day had closed my hands were much blistered. However, I continued to work every day from early in the morning till late at night for two weeks.
This was the limit of time given me by Mr. Simonds. But before returning to the mouth of the river, I engaged with David Elton to spend at least a month in chopping upon my grant.