down the bank,
into a row of willow bushes, through which, as he rolled with great
speed, he went with a loud crash, and shot head first, like a startled
alligator, into the water, amid a roar of laughter from his comrades and
the people belonging to the fort; most of whom, attracted by the fight,
were now assembled on the banks of the river.

Mr Kennedy's wrath vanished immediately, and he joined in the laughter;
but his face instantly changed when he beheld Hugh sputtering in deep
water, and heard some one say that he could not swim.

"What! can't swim?" he exclaimed, running down the bank to the edge of
the water. Baptiste was before him, however. In a moment he plunged in
up to the neck, stretched forth his arm, grasped Hugh by the hair, and
dragged him to the land.

CHAPTER EIGHT.

FAREWELL TO KATE--DEPARTURE OF THE BRIGADE--CHARLEY BECOMES A VOYAGEUR.

On the following day at noon, the spot on which the late combat had
taken place became the theatre of a stirring and animated scene. Fort
Garry, and the space between it and the river, swarmed with voyageurs,
dressed in their cleanest, newest, and most brilliant costume. The
large boats for the north, six in number, lay moored to the river's
bank, laden with bales of furs, and ready to start on their long voyage.
Young men, who had never been on the road before, stood with animated
looks watching the operations of the guides as they passed critical
examination upon their boats, overhauled the oars to see that they were
in good condition, or with crooked knives (a species of instrument in
the use of which voyageurs and natives are very expert) polished off the
top of a mast, the blade of an oar, or the handle of a tiller. Old men,
who had passed their lives in similar occupations, looked on in
silence--some standing with their heads bent on their bosoms, and an
expression of sadness about their faces, as if the scene recalled some
mournful event of their early life, or possibly reminded them of wild,
joyous scenes of other days, when the blood coursed warmly in their
young veins, and the strong muscles sprang lightly to obey their will;
when the work they had to do was hard, and the sleep that followed it
was sound--scenes and days that were now gone by for ever. Others
reclined against the wooden fence, their arms crossed, their thin white
hair waving gently in the breeze, and a kind smile playing on their
sunburned faces, as they observed the swagge