hink not the less but much the more of you,
because of the love and affection for your mothers, between whom and you
now rolls the wide Atlantic. Months will elapse ere letters from home
will reach you, or you will have the opportunity of writing again; and
so now, while you have the chance, send loving letters to the precious
mothers, whose love excels all other earthly love. Frank, Alec, and Sam
all have, as you have, good mothers. They never gave bad advice, but
always the best counsel. They never led the boys astray, but ever
stimulated to a noble life. They always loved and were ever more
anxious to forgive and forget than the boys were to be forgiven.

Great was the noise and excitement at the fort next morning, and very
early were the boys astir to see what was the cause. The long-expected
brigades of boats had arrived with the cargoes of furs. As they were
all sorted in well-packed bales, weighing each about eighty or ninety
pounds, the work of transferring them to the ship did not take very
long. One boat in running some wild and dangerous rapids had been
submerged and nearly lost, with all its crew, who escaped only because
they could swim like otters. The cargo of furs had all gone under the
waves ere rescued, and so it was necessary to open all the bales of fur,
with which the boat had been loaded, and dry them in the bright sun as
quickly as possible. This work very much interested the boys, and, as
the assortment of furs was a varied one, they had their first
opportunity of seeing what rich and valuable furs this wild country
could produce.

There were no less than six varieties of foxes, the most valuable being
the black and silver ones. Then there were cross foxes, blue foxes, as
well as white and red ones. The rich otters and splendid black beavers
very much interested them, and especially the prime bear and wolf skins.
And as they looked at them and many other kinds their mouths fairly
watered at the prospect of during the few months being engaged in the
exciting sport of capturing the comrades of these in their native
forests.

Yes, they would succeed in some instances, as our book will tell; but
now as they looked at these splendid skins lying so quiet and still they
little imagined the dangers and hardships which would be theirs ere the
fierce bears and savage wolves they were to assail would render up their
splendid robes.

Very much interested also were they in the hardy voyageurs,