CHAPTER XXXVII. 



THE MISHAPS OF RALSON. 



Among the many young apprentice officers 

 who have been under my orders in the Hudson's 

 Bay Company, none was so conspicuously un- 

 fortunate as Ralson. His bungling into trou- 

 ble became so frequent that it got to be a by- 

 word amongst the other clerks and employes 

 and at last they came to me and said, "Mr. Hun- 

 ter, you ought really to forbid Ralson's going 

 outside the stockades unless some one is along 

 to take care of him." 



For the short while he was in our service 

 (three years) he had, as far as I know, the rec- 

 ord for varied mishaps. These were of so fre- 

 quent occurrence that at the end of his contract 

 he was allowed to leave and, by my advice, he 

 returned to his people in England. Good luck 

 appeared to go hand in hand with his mis- 

 adventures, for somehow he came out alive, still, 

 to say the least, the uncertainty every time he 

 left the post as to whether he would return, kept 

 one's nerves forever on the ragged edge and not- 

 withstanding, he quickly became an adept at 



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