The Home of tJie Wolverene and Beaver. 179 



heart, my father, after shaking hands with his com- 

 panions, took his seat in the beautiful birch-bark 

 canoe and once more turned his face towards 

 Canada, too glad to wash his hands of Astoria, 

 and to be again in the service of the North-West 

 Company. After a pleasant journey, for it was in 

 the autumn, my father found himself once more at 

 Montreal, after such an experience of the blue 

 ocean that he never could be induced to go east- 

 ward of Quebec until the day of his death." 



" But, Pierre, your father's return cuts the story 

 rather short. What became of the factory and the 

 Tonquin, and was Captain Thorn ever brought to 

 justice for his brutality .''" 



" I hardly know the whole circumstances of the 

 case. Monsieur Paul, but I believe the Tonquin was 

 burned, and I know that Astoria was made over to 

 the North- West Company. Nothing pleased my 

 father better than to tell so much of the settlement 

 as he saw, and it is owing to hearing it many times 

 that I remember it so well. But in what took place 

 afterwards he was not much interested." 



As, however, my readers may differ from Baptiste 

 Lefranc, I shall give them a brief outline of the 

 remaining history of Astoria and of the fate of 

 Captain Thorn and his vessel. 



M 2 



