s to imitate Lumley, who was
unfortunately a great smoker; but Spooner, like myself, had been born
with a dislike to smoke--especially tobacco smoke--and a liability to
become sick when he indulged in the pipe. Hence, whilst foolish
ambition induced him to smoke, outraged nature protested; and between
the two the poor fellow had a bad time of it. He had a good deal of
determination about him, however, and persevered.

The dinner-bell rang at the moment, and put an end to further badinage.

Lumley was right. Spring was in truth at hand, and a host of new
anticipations began from that day to crowd upon our minds.

About the same time there came another break in the monotony of outpost
life which had, if possible, a more powerful and exciting influence on
us than the arrival of the winter packet.

Now at this point I must beg the reader's pardon for asking him to go
with me to a still more desolate and remote outpost than our own.
Between one and two hundred miles nearer to the pole the little post of
Muskrat House lay under a beetling cliff, near the banks of an affluent
of the great Saskatchewan river. It was in charge of Peter Macnab,
before mentioned, who, in command of his army of six men and two women,
held the post against all comers--the chief comers there being the North
Wind and Jack Frost.

Poor Macnab was a jovial and sociable Scottish Highlander, who had been
condemned to worse than Siberian banishment because of being one of the
most active, enterprising, and pushing fellows in the service of the
Fur-Traders. His ability to manage men and Indians, and to establish
new trading-posts, excelled that of his fellows. He regarded it as a
complimentary though trying circumstance when Mr Strang sent him to
establish the post which was named by him Muskrat House, but he faced
the duty--as he faced everything--like a man; did his best for his
employers, and made the most of the situation.

But it is not easy for even the strongest mind and lightest heart to be
jovial when buried for eight months in snow more than twelve hundred
miles beyond the influences of civilised life; and it is hard to be
sociable with six uneducated men and two Indian women for one's
companions. Macnab tried it, however, and was in a measure successful.
He had his Bible with him--the one given him long ago by his mother--and
a bound volume of Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, and three copies of the
_Times_ newspaper nearly two years ol