8 CANADIAN WILDS. 



at the mouths of the principal rivers that fall 

 into the bay on the east, south and west shores, 

 such as East Main, Rupert's, Moose, Albany, 

 Churchill and a few intermediate small out- 

 posts along the seashore. They endeavored to 

 draw the interior Indians down to the coast to 

 trade but after a few years they found that the 

 long journey to the factories took up so much 

 of the Indian's time and left them, after their 

 return to their hunting grounds, so exhausted 

 from their strenuous exertions in negotiating 

 the turbulent and swift flowing waters, that the 

 company's management decided to stretch out 

 and establish trading places up the different 

 rivers. 



This small beginning of a post or two up 

 each river was gradually continued ever further 

 south, ever further west, as the requirements of 

 the fur trade necessitated, there the company 

 pushed in and followed their own flag, a blood 

 red ground with H. B. C. in white block letters 

 in the center. 



This flag is known from Labrador to the 

 Pacific and from the St. Lawrence river to the 

 Arctic regions. Several would-be wits have 

 given these mysterious letters odd meanings. 

 Among several I call to memory, "Here Before 

 Christ," "Hungry Belly Company" and "Here 

 Before Columbus." 



