degree
of comfort during the remainder of the night, and with the assistance of
the other lads he saw that it was carried out.

An hour later the excitement had all died away; the spot where the house
of the factor had stood only contained a pile of ruins, still
smouldering, with an occasional tongue of fire shooting upward; but ere
dawn this was fully extinguished by a fall of rain.

They never fully settled how the fire had caught; it may have been an
accident, but there were those who believed that the prisoner had taken
a hint from Alexander Gregory's bitter words and really fired the house;
at any rate he had disappeared utterly, whether finding safety in
flight or meeting death in the flames none could say.

Mr. Gregory was well enough inside of a week to accompany the boys down
the big Saskatchewan to the nearest town where he could obtain those
supplies which were needed to replace what the fire had devoured; they
had a fine time of it swinging along with a couple of great batteaus,
manned by the French-Canadian _voyageurs_, who sang their boat songs as
they rowed, and made things merry around the fire at night time.

Cuthbert and Eli hated to part from the chum who had so quickly won his
way to their hearts, and they readily promised to come back again to
this charming country, when another year rolled around--Eli had his mind
set upon working that copper mine, and Cuthbert had promised to see that
the necessary capital was secured with which to provide all the
paraphernalia such as is used to advantage--if his chum was of the same
mind after he had roamed around the world with him.

Owen's little cousin had accompanied grandpa to town, since a "woman's
judgment" was considered essential in choosing some of the household
effects; and the last glimpse our twain had of dear old Owen, the
erstwhile lad, was standing with his arm about Jessie, while the proud
factor beamed upon them both, and waved his hat with just as much
enthusiasm as the youngsters.

Eli after all never found a chance to develop his copper mine, but with
such a chum as Cuthbert ever with him there promised to be small need of
his looking to that source as a means of travel; together they have seen
nearly all the countries on the map of the world, and at present are
doing South America.

Stackpole and Dubois had sense enough to cruise in other timber than
that surrounding the trading post.

So Cuthbert after all had found much pleasure