cost sometimes
almost a third of that amount to deliver the freight at its
destination. For instance, the charge of the Hudson's Bay Company for
freight from Athabasca Landing to Fort McPherson was thirteen dollars
and fifty cents per hundred pounds. For the use of the little railroad
a quarter of a mile in length on the island itself the charge to
outsiders was one dollar a ton, and ten dollars for every boat taken
across on the cars.

All the boys now began to learn more of the extreme risk and waste of
this, the north-bound transit. It was not unusual, as they learned,
for a scow to be lost with all its cargo, in which case the post for
which it was destined would need to go without supplies until the
brigade came north in the following year. Damage to goods from
wetting, damage to boats from collisions--all these things went into
the large figures of cost which were to be set against the figures of
the large gain in this commerce of the Far North.

John got many of his figures from the Hudson's Bay Company clerk, a
young man stationed here on Grand Island throughout the season, who
was very friendly to all the strangers in the country. He expressed
himself as very glad to see the brigade come north, for it was the
only interesting time in his season's work. He and one associate
remained here, cut off from the world, all through the summer season,
and he was not very happy, although, as he said, he was president and
general traffic-manager, as well as superintendent and board of
directors, of his railroad, and section boss as well. His duties were
to have general charge of the transport of cargoes at the island, and
to keep a record of the day's doings.

Boat after boat now went through, as has been said, but without
accident, although one or two hung up at The Turn, as the dangerous
passage between the two great rocks in midstream now was called by
all. Below that, as Rob expressed it, the bottom dropped out of the
river and the boat traveled very fast.

John timed some of the boats through, and found that it took about
eight minutes from the head of the eddy to the bottom of the chute.
This Rob could hardly believe, as he said that when he went through it
seemed not more than two minutes at the outside.

John and Jesse grew very grumpy over the prestige Rob had gained by
his journey through the rapids, and besought Uncle Dick to allow them
also to make the passage. Late in the third day, when most of the
boa