n' his debt wi' th' Company gets so big he's
two year behind, whatever, th' best he does." Ed paused to apply the
match to his pipe.

"Were you ever noticin', Mr. Toobridge--"

"Tumbridge," corrected Dick.

"Be it 'Toobridge' or 'Tumbridge,' sir?" asked Ed, unwilling to accept
Dick's correction.

"Trowbridge."

"Leastways Toobridge were nigher right than Tumbridge," declared Ed,
looking disdainfully at Dick. "Were you ever noticin' how bad luck,
when she strikes a man's trail, follows him like a pack o' hungry
wolves? Well, just at th' time I'm speakin' about, Richard's little
maid Emily falls off a ledge an' hurts she so she can't walk. They
tries all th' cures they knows, but 't weren't no good, an' then they
brings Emily here t' Pelican, t' see th' mail-boat doctor when th'
ship comes.

"Th' mail-boat doctor tells un th' only cure is t' take she t' th'
hospital in St. Johns, an' so they fetches Emily back t' Wolf Bight,
for a trip t' St. Johns takes a wonderful lot o' money, an' Richard
ain't got un.

"Bob thinks a wonderful lot o' Emily. He be only sixteen then, but a
rare big an' stalwart lad for his years, an' unbeknown t' Richard an'
his ma he goes t' Douglas Campbell, an' says t' Douglas, an' he lets
he work th' Big Hill trail on shares th' winter, he's thinkin' he may
ha' th' luck t' trap a silver fox, an' leastways fur t' pay t' send
Emily t' th' hospital."

"Who is Douglas Campbell?" asked Shad.

"Oh, every one knows he, an' a rare old man he be. He comes t' th' Bay
from th' Orkneys nigh forty year ago, workin' as servant for th'
Company, an' then leavin' th' Company t' go trappin'. He done
wonderful well, buyin' traps an' openin' new trails, which he lets out
on shares. Th' Big Hill trail up th' Grand River were a new one.

"Well, Bob goes in wi' me an' Dick an' Bill Campbell, Douglas's lad,
we workin' connectin' trails, an' he done fine. He starts right in
catchin' martens an' silver foxes--a wonderful lot for a lad--"

"He only catches one silver, barrin' th' one after he were lost!"
broke in Dick. "Now don't go yarnin', Ed."

"Leastways, he gets one silver an' a rare lot o' martens an' otters up
t' Christmas, an' a plenty t' send Emily t' th' hospital.

"Then Micmac John--he were a thievin' half-breed as asks Douglas for
th' Big Hill trail, an' feels a grudge ag'in' Bob because Douglas give
un t' Bob--Micmac goes in an' steals Bob's tent when Bob were up
country after deer. A snow comin'