"
On grounds of sentiment, Octavius assured him, they were
absolutely at one, but in practical matters a man had to
proceed on business principles. He went about at this
time expressing great esteem for Hesketh's capacity to
assimilate facts. His opportunity to assimilate them was
not curtailed by any further demand for his services in
the South Fox campaign. He was as willing as ever, he
told Lorne Murchison, to enlist under the flag, and not
for the first time; but Murchison and Farquharson, and
that lot, while grateful for the offer, seemed never
quite able to avail themselves of it: the fact was all
the dates were pretty well taken up. No doubt, Hesketh
acknowledged, the work could be done best by men familiar
with the local conditions, but he could not avoid the
conviction that this attitude toward proffered help was
very like dangerous trifling. Possibly these circumstances
gave him an added impartiality for Mr Milburn's facts.
As the winter advanced his enthusiasm for the country
increased with his intelligent appreciation of the
possibilities of the Elgin boiler. The Elgin boiler was
his object-lesson in the development of the colonies; he
paid, several visits to the works to study it, and several
times he thanked Mr Milburn for the opportunity of
familiarizing himself with such an important and promising
branch of Canadian industry.
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