ut of Francois La Certe; it is nearer than
our house, you know--and get him to help you."

"Surely, Tan, that will be wasted time," objected the Highlander. "Of
all the lazy useless scamps in Rud Ruver, Francois La Certe iss the
laziest an' most useless."

"Useful enough for our purpose, however," returned Davidson. "Send him
up to Fort Garry with a message, while you lie down and rest. If you
don't rest, you will yourself be useless in a short time. La Certe is
not such a bad fellow as people think him, specially when his feelings
are touched."

"That may be as you say, Tan. I will try--_whatever_."

So saying, the two men parted and hurried on their several ways.

CHAPTER TWO.

A LAZY COUPLE DESCRIBED--AND ROUSED.

Francois La Certe was seated on the floor of his hut smoking a long clay
pipe beside an open wood fire when Fergus McKay approached. His wife
was seated beside him calmly smoking a shorter pipe with obvious
enjoyment.

The man was a Canadian half-breed. His wife was an Indian woman. They
were both moderately young and well matched, for they thoroughly agreed
in everything conceivable--or otherwise. In the length and breadth of
the Settlement there could not have been found a lazier or more
good-natured or good-for-nothing couple than La Certe and his spouse.
Love was, if we may venture to say so, the chief element in the
character of each. Love of self was the foundation. Then, happily,
love of each other came next. Rising gracefully, the superstructure may
be described as, love of tobacco, love of tea, love of ease, and love of
general comfort, finishing off with a top-dressing, or capital, of
pronounced, decided, and apparently incurable love of indolence. They
had only one clear and unmistakable hatred about them, and that was the
hatred of work. They had a child about four years of age which was
like-minded--and not unlike-bodied.

In the wilderness, as in the city, such individuals are well-known by
the similarity of their characteristics. It is not that they can't
work, but they won't work--though, of course, if taxed with this
disposition they would disclaim it with mild indignation, or an
expression of hurt remonstrance, for they are almost too lazy to become
enraged. "Take life easy, or, if we can't take it easy, let us take it
as easy as we can," is, or ought to be, their motto. In low life at
home they slouch and smile. In high life they saunter and affect
easy-g