EXPLANATIONS GIVEN. 39 



taken the Indians ; and, filled with this idea, they ran 

 towards the canoe, into which the gentleman handed 

 his companion, and was preparing to follow himself 

 when Pierre called out, 



" Don't fear, sir ! we are friends." 



"Ay," said old Jake, "we're the raal articles, I 

 guess. ' A friend in need,' they say, ' is a friend in- 

 deed ;' and I reckon that's just what we ur." 



The gentleman, however, seemed only half assured, 

 and looked uneasily towards the hunters, who were 

 not now many yards from the boat. 



" Don't be skeert, old hoss," said Jake ; " though ye 

 mout 'a been, a leetle agone, if you'd knowed who wur 

 behint yer. But I guess ye're safe enufF now." 



Pierre now explained what had occurred ; and when 

 the gentleman had recovered from his surprise, he ac- 

 companied Jake and Gaultier to the spot where the 

 bodies of the savages lay. 



No sooner did the stranger see these than he ex- 

 claimed, 



"Ah! I know these fellows, and I see now what 

 prompted them to attack us. You must know," he 

 continued, " that I am a chief trader in the Hudson 

 Bay Company's service, and these two Indians applied 

 to me some time since for a further advance of goods 

 of one sort or another, while at the same time they 

 refused to pay for what they had already got, notwith- 

 standing that they had had a good hunt and had plenty 

 of furs. Seeing that they could not obtain their ob- 



