Part 21 (2/2)
”Good old Peter!” Donald exclaimed, huskily He rose suddenly, the tears in his eyes He fuun uncertainly while the Indian filled a pipe Then, he gave his directions
They were far enough from the camp for Rainy to re his co as an excuse the fact of his own being drowned He would secure provisions, and ht He specified where
Both knew that to get the Indian off unknown and unseen on his long journey would be a desperately difficult thing to do, particularly as the young reat, so was the deterht heart
CHAPTER XVIII
IN NEW CLUTCHES
Four hundred and fifty eon Lake, as the hawk flies, is Winnipeg--formerly the Fort Carry of Hudson Bay falas of battle, murder, and sudden death As Peter Rainy expected to make the journey, the distance was nearer seven hundred eon Lake, he would strike east to the north branch of the Sachigo, and follow that down to its junction with thesouth, for two hundred o and through a chain of lakes that almost would carry hih Favorable Lake, Deer Lake, Little Trout, and unimportant ays, until he reached Fort Alexander on a thu (that three-hundred- blizzards, he could make seventy-five miles a day down that fine ay to the mouth of the Red River, and, fro capital of Manitoba
Such was the course that McTavish pricked for him on a map, and the old Indian studied it all that day, until it was a part of the vast lore that lay behind his expressionless eyes
Night fell, and a pure ht over snow-fields and through forest aisles Peter Rainy cursed heartily at the reat mass of soleay young ht with thegled down the blast, Donald al-train, and provisions In answer to Rainy's inquiries, he o anywhere, and, as for these things--I have friends in the camp!”
Loath to part with his faithful companion, he accompanied the Indian a little way on the journey, and then returned to the camp, happier and more hopeful than he had been in many hours
Because of the storathered under the that of the trappers hohted his pipe, and started in to satisfy his curiosity in regard to the caainst the Free-Traders'
Brotherhood His companions, one of as Timmins, a clerk in the Company's store at Fort Severn, and the other a trader at the warehouse, enlightened hi into the fire conte But, before that, shots popped around here considerable Fitzpatrick thought, and still thinks, I guess, that the only way to nip this free-trader business in the bud was to go at it in the old-fashi+oned ith bullets So, as soon as we had a camp here, we started after those fellows But they were ready for us, and, when it was all over, three or four of ourwas accoot a touch himself, as you know, and, since that, there hasn't beento work out a sches once and for all”
”I expect there'll be action pretty soon, won't there?” Donald asked
”Yes, I reckon there will Now that you've brought Miss Jean back, and the old ine he'll have a brand neay for us to die worked out in a short while”
”What are these fellows free trading for, anyhow? Don't we treat thenation
”Aw, sure we do,” drawled Buxton, the trader; ”too right, I guess
If they had the old discipline in force, I guess they'd knoas good to therand idea of their own iained with a French fur coather The Frenchies have been successful in the Rockies and on the Mackenzie, and they're figuring on starting a post or so in this territory Of course, they offer better terms than we do--more tobacco and flour and truck for a 'beaver' of fur--but I don't think they can ainst old Fitzpatrick He's as set as a hill, as tough as an old oak limb, and as cussed as a stoat”
Fro has been carried on in terms of ”beaver” That is, a prime beaver skin is the unit of currency between the Co since, an otter skin equaled ten ”beaver,” twenty rabbit equaled one ”beaver,” one marten equaled two and a half ”beaver”; and so on down, or up, the scaleThis, from the Company's point of view
From that of the hunter, a ”beaver” in trade (usually represented by a stae red handkerchief, or a hunting-knife, or a looking-glass
Two ”beaver” would buy an ax, twenty a gun of a certain quality, and so on through the list of necessities
When a hunter brings in his bales of fur, he takes them to the warehouse, where they are assorted and appraised by the chief trader, afterWhen the value is determined, the trader pushes over the counter as many ”beaver” (lead pellets), as the furs are worth The hunter takes these to the store, and, after es theaws that strike his fancy In this priantic trade that covers woirl with her scraggly muskrat or rabbit
As the talk went on around hinized the old story of the free-traders, iance to one company or another, and disposed of their catch to the best advantage As he had known all his life, the ”barrens”
about Hudson Bay remained the only country that had successfully kept the independents at bay There had been other atteanized or determined in spirit as this present one The old, inbred loyalty to the Coot out of the way As far as he was concerned, he hoped action would come quickly--he did not wish too much time by himself to think