VIII 

 BUSINESS AND ROMANCE 



FAREWELL ATHABASCA 



Though Wawe Pesim (The Egg Moon), or June, had al- 

 ready brought summer to the Great Northern Forest, the 

 beautiful Athabasca still waited in vain. Son-in-law had not 

 yet appeared. After all — was he but a fond parents' dream? 

 I wondered. 



Soon the picturesque and romantic Fur Brigade would be 

 sweeping southward on its voyage from the last entrenchments 

 of the Red Gods to the newest outposts of civilization — a civili- 

 zation that has debauched, infected, plundered, and murdered 

 the red man ever since its first onset upon the eastern shores 

 of North America. If you don't believe this, read history, 

 especially the history of the American fur trade. 



Meanwhile, canoes laden with furs and in charge of Hudson's 

 Bay traders or clerks from outlying "Flying Posts" had 

 arrived; and among the voyageurs was that amusing character, 

 Old Billy Brass. A little later, too, Chief Factor Thompson 

 arrived from the North. Now in the fur loft many hands were 

 busily engaged in sorting, folding, and packing in collapsible 

 moulds — that determined the size and shape of the fur packs — 

 a great variety of skins. Also they were energetically weighing, 

 cording, and covering the fur packs with burlap — leaving two 

 ears of that material at each end to facilitate handling them, 

 as each pack weighed eighty pounds. 



A fur pack of one hundred pounds — for the weight varies 

 according to the difficulty of transportation in certain regions — 



297 



