Poetry · Chapter
Land Clearing explained
A first-person account of clearing land in early spring by burning stumps and brush, which nearly leads to a wildfire that threatens a house and barn.
What happens
A first-person account of clearing land in early spring by burning stumps and brush, which nearly leads to a wildfire that threatens a house and barn. The narrator learns a hard lesson about the dangers of fire while also observing the awakening of wildlife.
Themes in this chapter
Pioneer and Settler Struggles
The hard labor and risk of land clearing, including the danger of uncontrolled fire, illustrate the challenges faced by early settlers.
Nature and the Environment
The description of fire spreading through dry woods and the awakening of snakes and bull frogs highlights the settler's interaction with the natural world.
Characters to notice
- James McIntyre
Narrator and protagonist, tasked with clearing a field by burning stumps.
- Bill Brown
Friend who leaves for a barn raising, instructing the narrator to clear stumps.
Key passages
“The first winter which I did spend In Canada was with a friend, And when the snow had passed away Quite early in the month of May.”
I spent my first Canadian winter with a friend, and after the snow melted in early May...
Sets the seasonal context for the land clearing work.
“Friend started off for a barn raising, And told me to get stumps ablazing, Around each stump I heaped a pile Of roots and junks of wood so vile.”
My friend went to a barn raising and instructed me to burn the stumps by piling roots and wood around them.
Describes the method of stump removal and the friend's departure.
“For he wished the field to clear So it a crop of wheat would rear, And there was one high withered pine Which was full of turpentine.”
He wanted the field cleared to grow wheat, and one tall dead pine was full of flammable turpentine.
Explains the purpose of clearing and the hazard of the pine tree.
“As soon as I applied the torch, Blaze quick did start and it did scorch The fences, and the woods were nigh, For the old tree it blazed on high.”
When I lit the torch, the fire spread quickly, scorching fences and nearby woods as the pine blazed upward.
The fire quickly gets out of control.
“I was the only man or boy Near there that day and found employ In saving of the house and barn, Thus early fire fiend did me warn.”
I was alone and had to work hard to save the house and barn, learning a harsh lesson about fire.
The narrator's solitary struggle and the moral warning.
“Fire started and with it a breeze Carried the sparks ’mong leaves of trees, I did work hard but for recompense All was saved but a few rails of fence.”
A breeze carried sparks into the trees, but I managed to save everything except a few fence rails.
The outcome of the fire: minimal damage but a close call.