NAT'S SHAGGY PUP. 
161 
tomed to hardship as they were, endure the fearful stram ? 
Besides, what if they reached the fort, as now seemed 
inevitable, too late to connect with his brother and wife ? 
True, it had been agreed that, in absence of any letter or 
sign at the trysting-place, either party reaching it alone 
should wait for the other, if it took all summer. But 
what if the Sitka expedition should fancy, by some sup- 
posed traces or by false advices, that he and the boys had 
gone on, down-stream ? 
The more poor Mr. Button thought about it, the worse 
he felt, and the more bitterly he upbraided himself for 
taking his family upon such an unheard-of trip. His best 
tools and half his provisions were swept away. Yes, and 
a large package of lucifer matches, which had been left on 
the raft that unlucky night. Without sure means for a 
fire, without provisions, without ammunition, — how long 
could such a large party subsist at Fort Selkirk, a mere 
patch of blackened ruins in a tract of country as desolate, 
save for wandering tribes of Indians, as if it had been 
smitten by a plague ? 
Mr. Dutton buried his face in his hands, and groaned 
aloud. His anxiety and self-reproach seemed almost more 
than he could bear, as he turned his weary steps back 
towards the camp, where he must speak cheerfully, and 
keep up the spirits of the rest. 
Hugh and Rob were entirely absorbed in a discussion 
over the cooking of the salmon. Hugh maintained that 
it should be laid on a previously heated rock, and so 
