the same direction with myself; quickening my
pace I soon came up with him, and asked him if he was bound for the
Fort?

"I guess I don't know of any fort in this part of the world," said he.

"What! not know of Fort Coulonge, and you so near to it? are you not
going there?"

"I have heard of such a place," said Jonathan; "but I'd take a
tarnation long time to get to it, I calculate, if I followed my nose
as it points now."

I told him who I was, whither bound, and where I slept last night.

"I guess then you had better sleep there again, for it is not quite
three miles off."

This was the result of making a short cut, and I resolved to follow
the long and sure road in future.

A shanty that had been recently occupied, afforded me comfortable
lodgings for the night, and I arrived at Fort Coulonge about noon
next day, where I passed the night, and started for the outpost.
Here I remained two days, and would have remained still longer, had
it not been discovered one morning that our opponents were off in
the direction of my outpost on the Bonne Chere. As the Indians in
that quarter were excellent hunters, and owed me much, I deemed it
advisable to follow them; my friends, too, sent an interpreter and
three men along with me, for the purpose of trading what they could on
account of their own post--_chacun pour soi_ being the order of the
day.

We soon overtook our opponents, and I resolved, if possible, to give
them the slip by the way. Accordingly, when within a day's journey of
the establishment, I pretended to have sprained my foot so badly, that
I walked with the greatest seeming difficulty. My men, who were aware
of the ruse, requested me to place my bundle on their sledges, to
enable me to keep up with them. This farce commenced in the evening.
Next morning my leg was worse than ever, until we came on the river at
about ten miles' distance from the post. I was delighted to find but
little snow upon the ice, so that I had a fair opportunity of putting
the metal of my legs to the test, and the opposition party having
sledges heavily laden, I walked hard, my foot on a sudden becoming
perfectly sound, in order to tire them as much as possible before I
bolted. Having apparently effected my purpose, I set off at the top of
my speed, and never looked behind me until I had cleared the first
long reach, when turning round, I saw a man in pursuit about half-way
across; I started again, and saw no more of my pursuer