The West was never so wild, nor so woolly as pictured in the movies, according to Jim Firky, one of the last of the Pony Express riders.

At 93, Uncle Jim, who lives with his niece, Mrs. Herbert Hill, at 85 Sussex St., still likes to recall the many years he spent in the West. He especially likes to reminisce about his Pony Express days.

Those were the days when he used to carry the mail from Fort Qu'Appelle to Prince Albert, a 600 mile round trip which took about two weeks.

Most of the time it was uneventful, he recalled. There was a change of horses every 50 miles along the route, but there wasn't any particular trouble with the Indians.

His most exciting time was during the Riel Rebellion. On one occasion, he almost ran into a group of rebels near Batoche.

On this occasion he had reached Humboldt, the halfway mark, and was setting out for Batoche, where Louis Riel had incited many followers, who were encamped near the town.

He said he had just passed through Humboldt and was riding north, when he met a soldier scout coming toward him. The scout warned him about the rebels and they both turned around and took off across the prairie, taking the shortest route to safety.

While the rebellion was on he used to carry the mail only to Humboldt where he handed it over to an army scout to take it the rest of the way.

Born in Haldimand County in 1858, he went to the West when he was in his early twenties. At first he tried his hand at farming near Qu'Appelle, Sask., but gave it up next year when he had a miserable crop.

With only $5 in his pocket he moved into town. Later he got a job as an express rider between Fort Qu'Appelle and Qu'Appelle Station, 21 miles away. He worked this route for two years before signing on with the Pony Express.

He remained in the West for several years at various jobs before returning east. He worked at Sault St. Marie in the shipbuilding yards but soon got homesick and returned to Haldiman County to take up farming.

In his more spry days, Uncle Jim used to take his nephews and nieces to the movies. His preference in movies: Westerns