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

AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS. 69
and steersmen crowded round our three travellers,
and plied them with questions ; for it was so
unusual to meet with strangers in that far-off
wilderness, that a chance meeting of this kind was
regarded as quite an important event.
“ You’re bound for York Fort, no doubt,” said
Jasper, addressing a tall handsome man of be¬
tween forty and fifty, who was the principal guide.
“ Ay, that’s the end of our journey. You see
we’re taking our furs down to the coast. Have
you come from York Fort, friend i ”
“ No, I’ve come all the way from Canada,”
said Jasper, who thereupon gave them a short
account of his voyage.
“ Well, Jasper, you’ll spend the night with us,
won’t you ? ” said the guide.
“ That will I, right gladly.”
“ Come, then, I see the fires are beginning to
burn. We may as well have a pipe and a chat
while supper is getting ready.”
The night was now closing in, and the scene in
the forest, when the camp-fires began to blaze,
was one of the most stirring and romantic sights
that could be witnessed in that land. The men
of the brigade were some of them French-Cana-
dians, some natives of the Orkney Islands, who
had been hired and sent out there by the Hud¬
son’s Bay Company, others were half-breeds, and
a few were pure Indians. They were all dressed