ear from them weekly, cannot understand
the feelings of men who hear from them only twice in the year. Great
improvements have taken place in this matter of late years; still, many
of the Hudson Bay Company's outposts are so distant from the civilised
world, that they cannot get news from "home" oftener than twice a year.

It was a sight to study and moralise over--the countenances of these
banished men. The trembling anxiety lest there should be "bad news."
The gleam of joy, and the deep "thank God," on reading "all well." Then
the smiles, the sighs, the laughs, the exclamations of surprise, perhaps
the tears that _would_ spring to their eyes as they read the brief but,
to them, thrilling private history of the past half year.

There was no bad news in that packet, and a feeling of deep joy was
poured into the hearts of the people of the fort by these "Good news
from a far country." Even the half-breeds and Indians, who could not
share the feeling, felt the sweet influence of the general happiness
that was diffused among the fur-traders on that bright New Year's Day in
the wilderness.

What a dinner they had that day to be sure! What juicy roasts of
buffalo beef; what enormous steaks of the same; what a magnificent
venison pasty; and what glorious marrow-bones--not to mention tongues,
and hearts, and grouse, and other things! But the great feature of the
feast was the plum-pudding. It was like a huge cannon-ball with the
measles! There was wine, too, on this occasion. Not much, it is true,
but more than enough, for it had been saved up all the year expressly
for the Christmas and New Year's festivities. Thus they were enabled to
drink to absent friends, and bring up all the old toasts and songs that
used to be so familiar long ago in the "old country." But these sturdy
traders needed no stimulants. There were one or two who even scorned
the wine, and stuck to water, and to their credit be it said, that they
toasted and sang with the best of them.

At night there was a ball, and the ball beat the dinner out of sight.
Few indeed were the women, but numerous were the men. Indian women are
not famous for grace or cleanliness, poor things. But they enjoyed the
ball, and they did their best to dance. Such dancing! They seemed to
have no joints. They stood up stiff as lamp-posts, and went with an
up-and-down motion from side to side. But the men did the thing
bravely, especially the Indians. The only dan