the service of the fur-traders at the end of the late
expedition. Opening the door, Mackenzie called him in.

"Where are you bound for just now, Reuben?"

"To dinner, monsieur."

"Reuben," said Mackenzie, with a peculiar look, "has all your pioneering
enthusiasm oozed out at your finger ends?"

"No, monsieur," replied the man, with a slight smile, "but Lawrence and
I have bin thinkin' of late that as Monsieur Mackenzie seems to have
lost heart, we must undertake a v'yage o' diskivery on our own account!"

"Good. Then you are both ready, doubtless, to begin your discoveries
with a canoe journey of some extent on short notice?"

"At once, monsieur, if it please you."

"Nay, Reuben, not quite so fast as that," said Mackenzie, with a laugh;
"you may have your dinner first. But to-morrow you shall become a
genuine pioneer by preceding me towards the far west. You know the
position of our most distant settlements on the Peace River?"

"Perfectly," said Reuben, whose eye kindled as he began to see that his
master was in earnest.

"Well, I intend to visit these settlements this fall, and push on
towards the Rocky Mountains. It will take me to the end of the season
to accomplish this, so that our real voyage of discovery will not begin
until the following spring. Now, there is a certain locality beyond our
most distant outpost, which I shall describe to you afterwards, where I
intend to build a fort and spend next winter, so as to be on the spot
ready to begin the moment the ice breaks up. Preparations must be made
there for the building of the fort. Timber must be felled, cut, and
squared for the houses and palisades, and two able and willing, as well
as experienced men, must go there to begin this work without delay. It
occurs to me that the two best men I have for such work are Reuben Guff
and his son. Are they prepared for this duty, think you?"

"Say the word, monsieur," was Reuben's laconic but significant reply.

"Well, then, it is said. Come back here after dinner with Lawrence, and
I will give you instructions: you shall start to-morrow at daybreak."

Reuben bowed and left the hall with a light step. Next day he and his
son started on their journey in a small birch-bark canoe; on the 10th of
October Mackenzie followed in a canoe of larger dimensions. He visited
several establishments of the district of which he had charge; ascended
the Peace River towards its unknown sources, gave good advice t