Adventure and adventurers > Away in the wilderness, or, Life among the red Indians and fur-traders of North America

AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS.
27
“ Well, lad, I’ll tell ye what it is—it’s the old
story ; the love of woman has brought me here.”
“ And a very good old story it is,” returned
Heywood, with a look of interest. “A poor
miserable set of creatures we should be without
that same love of woman. Come, Jasper, I’m
glad to hear you’re such a sensible fellow. I know
something about that subject myself. There’s a
pretty, blue-eyed girl, with golden hair, down away
in Canada that’’—
Heywood stopped short in his speech and
sighed.
“ Come, it aint a hopeless case, is it ?” said
Jasper, with a look of sympathy.
“ I rather fear it is; but I hope not. Ah !
what should we do without hope in this world ?”
“ That’s true,” observed Jasper, with much
gravity, “ we could not get on at all without
hope.”
“ But come, Jasper,” said the artist, “ let’s hear
about your affair, and I’ll tell you about mine
some other time.”
“ Well, there is not much to tell, but I’ll give
ye all that’s of it. You must know, then, that
about two years ago I was in the service of the
Hudson’s Bay Company, at one o’ their out-posts
in the M'Kenzie’s River district. We had little to
eat there and little to do, and I felt so lonesome,
never seein’ a human bein’ except the four or five