MEETING OF THE WILD MEN 191 



"Oh, the winter; for, when inward bound, it bears the 

 Commissioner's instructions to the district chief factors; and, 

 when outward bound, it contains information regarding the 

 results and the progress of the fur-trade, and orders for addi- 

 tional supplies/' 



"How many miles a day do the packeteers average on their 

 winter trips?" 



"Well," replied the Chief Factor, "I think the rate of speed 

 maintained by our packeteers is remarkable; especially when 

 one considers the roughness of the country, the hardships of 

 winter travel, the fact that the men must make their bread, 

 cook their meals, care for their dogs, and, when on the trail, 

 cannot even quench their thirst without halting to build a fire 

 and melt snow. Yet the packeteers of the Mackenzie River 

 mail cover their two thousand miles on snowshoes at an average 

 rate of twenty-seven and a half miles a day, including all 

 stoppages." 



"That is certainly splendid travelling. Some of the packe- 

 teers, I should judge, have made great records; haven't they?" 



"Yes, that's true," acknowledged the trader, "the packe- 

 teers do make great efforts to break records between posts. 

 But, though they may have succeeded in cutting down the 

 time, their achievement is never mentioned on the way-bill, 

 nor does it affect the time allowed for the completion of the 

 trip; for, though the mail be brought in ahead of time, it is 

 never handed over to the relay until the appointed hour has 

 struck. Otherwise, the whole system would be thrown out of 

 gear. Exceptionally fast runs are not shown upon the way- 

 bills, because they would eventually affect the average time 

 allowed for the trip; and in stormy weather that would be 

 hard upon the packeteers. The time allowed for the transmis- 

 sion of a packet is calculated on a ten-years' average. No ex- 

 cuse for delay, except death, is tolerated. At each post on 

 certain fixed dates relays of men and dogs are kept in readiness 



