that they are held to be trustworthy,
and thoroughly familiar with the topography of the district."

"Before the advent of the railroad and the steamboat, which was the
longest of the Company's packet routes?"

"By all odds that of the Yukon packet. It made the journey from
Montreal to Fort Yukon, which was then situated at the junction of the
Porcupine and Yukon rivers. It was routed by way of the Ottawa River,
Lake Huron, Lake Superior, Lake of the Woods, Lake Winnipeg, the
Athabasca River, the Slave River, and the Mackenzie River. It was
forwarded in summer by canoe, in winter by dog-train, for the enormous
distance of four thousand five hundred miles. And let me tell you, it
is to-day, as it was two hundred years ago, the pride of the Company's
people that not one packet was ever lost beyond recovery. Packeteers
have been drowned, frozen, burned, shot, smothered, and even eaten; but
the packet has always reached its destination somehow."

BEAR HOLDS UP MAIL

A sudden burst of laughter from the men at a neighbouring fire
attracted the attention of Chief Factor Thompson, and glancing over, he
remarked to me:

"Telling yarns, eh! Let's go over and listen."

Twelve or fifteen men were crowded round that fire--including Factor
Mackenzie, the Rev. Mr. Wilson, Father Jois, and Oo-koo-hoo--and they
were now coaxing "Old Billy Brass" to tell the next story. He was a
wiry little white man of about sixty who had seen much service in the
Hudson's Bay Company. He hesitated. They clamoured again, and he
began:

"But talkin' 'bout bears reminds me of a little affair I once had on
the Peace River," said the old man, glancing slyly from the corner of
his eye to see what effect his statement made upon his campfire
companions. Billy was sitting cross-legged upon his caribou robe; and,
as he turned the browning bannocks before the fire, he continued:

"Well, as I was sayin', me an' Old-pot-head's son once had a go with a
great big black bear away up on the Peace River. But, don't you forget
it, Billy Brass didn't lose the packet."

"Come, Billy, tell us all about it," coaxed the Chief Factor, well
knowing that if he were once started there would be on his part little
need of urging in order to extract from the old tripper all he knew, or
could invent to suit the occasion.

"Well, gentlemen, if you ain't too sleepy, an' if some o' you boys'll
watch the bannock, I don't mind tellin'," replied Billy as he leaned