THREE COMPANIES IN CONFLICT 17 



Indian runners brought vague rumours of thirty 

 white men building a fort on the Upper Columbia. If 

 these had been the overland party, they would have 

 come on to Astoria. Who they were, MacDougall, who 

 had himself been a Nor Wester, could easily guess. As 

 a countercheck, Stuart of Labrador was preparing to 

 go up-stream and build a fur post for the Pacific Com 

 pany; but Astoria was suddenly electrified by the ap 

 parition of nine white men in a canoe flying a British 

 flag. 



The North- West Company arrived just three months 

 too late ! 



David Thompson, the partner at the head of the 

 newcomers, had been delayed in the mountains by the 

 desertion of his guides. Much to the disgust of Labra 

 dor Stuart, who might change masters often but was 

 loyal to only one master at a time, MacDougall and 

 Thompson hailed each other as old friends. Every 

 respect is due Mr. Thompson as an explorer, but to the 

 Astorians living under the ruthless code of fur-trading 

 rivalry, he should have been nothing more than a 

 North- West spy, to be guardedly received in a Pacific 

 Company fort. As a matter of fact, he was welcomed 

 with open arms, saw everything, and set out again with 

 a supply of Astoria provisions. 



History is not permitted to jump at conclusions, 

 but unanswered questions will always cling round 

 Thompson s visit. Did he bear some message from the 

 Nor 1 Westers to MacDougall? Why was Stuart, an 

 honourable, fair-minded man, in such high dudgeon 

 that he shook free of Thompson s company on their 

 way back up the Columbia ? Why did MacDougall lose 

 his tone of courage with such surprising swiftness? 

 3 



