nies. I met a young fellow who had just finished a seven years’ enlistment with the Guards in India. A few months of Lon- don life was enough for him, so we decided to go as far away as possible. We had a little money, and paid our way to San Francisco on a windjammer around Cape Horn. We stayed in ’Frisco a short time doing odd jobs to get a few dollars, and then decided to go to Victoria, British Columbia, for we were both a little home- sick, and wanted to see the old “Jack” again. So, up the coast we came on a small trading schooner, and landed in Webb's Drug Store D. J. WEBB Phone North 425 PRESCRIPTION and FAMILY DRUGGIST 1103 Lonsdale at 8th NORTH VANCOUVER. B.C. WALLACE CU. McPHERSON DEPENDABLE INSURANCE FIRE, AUTOMOBILE AND CASUALTY AUTO FINANCING Phone North 1420 92 Lonsdale NORTH VANCOUVER NORTH VAN TIRE SERVICE DOMINION TIRES VULCANIZING A SPECIALTY Phone North 1834 260 E. Esplanade NORTH VANCOUVER JOHN THOMSON BAKERY TOBACCO — CANDIES SUNDRIES — 201 Lonsdale Phone North 1208 NORTH VANCOUVER, B.C. Victoria. There was lots of work for those who wanted it. The town of Victoria was the jumping off place for the gold fields, and was crowded with men either on the way “in” to make their fortunes and spending all their savings outfitting and buying grub, or with others, broke, both in pocketbook and spirit, on the way “out” from the country of gold and hardship. “My pal, having been a soldier, did not take to many of the jobs that were being offered. Bartenders, store clerks, sailors, teamsters, blacksmiths, carpenters were all in demand. We had considered going to Yale, which was the end of navigation, to make charcoal. This was a profitable business. You could get $1.00 a bag at the wagon road for it, and the demand was very high as most of the charcoal was brought in by ship from San Francisco. The miners needed charcoal to sharpen and forge steel. But anyway, we dropped the idea, because my pal said that he wanted to see the colony, and the best way of doing it was by joining the con- stabulary. We called in at constabulary héadquarters, and it was not long before we were both constables, and sent up to the goldfields. In those days, the con- stables took their orders from the local Gold Commissioners who had full authority in all things. The pay was one dollar per day and rations. We went up the Fraser River in a stern-wheeler till we reached Yale. Furnished with horses we continued up the Cariboo Road which had just been completed by a company of Royal Engineers from Sapperton on the lower Fraser. It took us over a week to get up to Barkerville. A ToucH LiFe “When I arrived, life was pretty rugged. Lots of gamblers and renegades from many parts of the world had come to this outpost of the Empire, and it was our business to bring law and order to the motley crowd. First, we had to curb ‘gun-toters’ from the American side, and then we had to deal with the whisky pedlars who debauched the Indians of the Cariboo. But enough of the work I did. Wouldn’t you like to hear about the other men of the Force?” I replied, “Indeed, anything you tej me I am sure will be interesting, Hoy about the pay generally? You know, tha is a topic of frequent discussion in these days of high prices.” The stranger leaned back, and laughed heartily. “Yes, we found it so in the olj days. Miners were getting twenty dollars a day, while we earned one dollar, $0, many of our fellows left the force to 5 mining. Sooner or later they came back. There was something about the life tha attracted them. It’s a good job that ye had rations furnished. The price of flour went up to one dollar a pound in some places. Talk about your freight rates Can you imagine the cost of moving g hundred pounds of freight from Say Francisco, to Victoria, then up the Fraser to Yale and on up the Cariboo highway for two or three hundred miles by ox team? “As time went on,’’ continued the stranger, “more police posts were opened, and new statutes were put through for the governance of the police and the estab- lishment of lock-ups”. He paused then resumed. “When the Provincial Police Act was passed in 1895, there were only seventy constables on the force. These men were under the direction of a Super- intendent assisted by a sergeant. Of these seventy men, scattered about the entire province, many were doing very little police work, the bulk of their duties being in collection of revenue, assessment of taxes and government agent’s work in general. For instance, there was William Stephenson. He was stationed at Quesnelle Forks, and besides being a con- stable, he was also Mining Recorder, Col lector of Revenue and Justice of the Peace. He also acted as District Magis- trate, and therefore could not do any actual police work. For his many duties he received a very high salary and in fact only the Superintendent topped him. | think he received $133.33 per month. The Superintendent got the princely sum of $150.00 per month. PoticE Oxp-tTrmEersS Mapr History “Perhaps you would like to hear of some others?” Without stopping for my reply he continued: ‘There was Bill PHONE: NORTH 1550 Limited East Keith Road Highland Sand and Gravel Company Associated with Highland Brick Limited Sand — Gravel — Crushed Rock CONCRETE BRICKS Lynnmour P.O., B. C. Page Fifty-eight Sampson s S upper Club Under the active management of Sampson Brothers Open nightly at 6 p.m. for Dining and Dancing Wedding Parties Catered To Private Rooms for Banquet Parties PHONE NORTH 685 FOR RESERVATIONS Just North of the Second Narrows Bridge IT’S DIFFERENT AT THE “NARROWS” North Vancouver, B.C. ¢ THE SHOULDER STRAP