Robert Service visited Kilwinning to say goodbye to his aunts and that was the moment that he seemed to lose interest in his family. He travelled steerage to Canada and took the train across the great country. It was then that he began to appreciate the costs involved as he sold off goods and chattels to pay for food. In the Cowichan valley he lived for the first six months with a Shetland couple, Mr & Mrs Colvin. After this he moved to live on a remote ranch with a man her called Hank. Here he spend an enjoyable year working hard, learning to play the banjo and reading copious old magazines. His next employment was on a much larger ranch whose owner, George Corfield, a Cornishman, eventually bought up almost the entire land surrounding Cowichan Bay. Robert's work was with the cows and this could entail 16 hours a day.
In 1897 the open road was calling and he set off towards warmer climes in Seattle. He did not stay long and moved on to San Francisco. It was not before he set off south to Mexico. He walked barefoot much of the time to save shoe leather. This was his aimless period, drifting here and there. Along the way he befriended a young bot on his way home from school. The boy remarked on his "funny" way of speaking which Service explained as the remains of his Scottish accent. The boy told him that his family came from Ayrshire and his father was an avid reader of Robert Burns. "What's your name son?" asked Robert. "Jimmy Service" was the reply. "Why don't you come home with me and meet my folks?" Service declined, not wishing to risk making contact with family who would discover how he was and where he was.
He now decided to retrace his steps and return to British Columbia, travelling the wild lands of Utah, Arizona and Colorado. He kept body and soul together by taking odd jobs along the way. As he crossed the Tehachapi mountains he suffered a severe blow. He was walking along a trestle viaduct when he heard a train behind him. In his haste to get clear he unhooked his pack and saw it, with his beloved guitar, take passage to the bottom of the gorge. This made up his mind to continue with all speed to Vancouver Island and Cowichan Valley.
On his return he found employment once more as cowman on the same ranch as he had been before his wandering. After six months he was asked to become store man and postmaster for his employer, George Corfield. This is what Service said of this change in employment: "Once again a white collar man. How happy I was! I wanted to sing and dance. On Monday I was hustling sixteen hours a day. On Tuesday I was watching others hustle and getting the same pay for it." He had his own room over the store. He was in heaven! He soon joined the local tennis club. He was a popular member of local society and found himself invited to many parties and events. There he would sing and recite to the enjoyment of all.
After three years he became bored with his job. It was comfortable but there were no prospects for advancement. By now he had saved 200 dollars and surprised Corfield by resigning and taking a peacefully located shack where he began studies to get into university. He took the matriculation exams and failed. So there he was at the age of thirty, dispirited, a misfit and a dreamer. he was at the end of his tether.
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