built in the same
rough fashion.

Hector, drawing near the gate, which stood wide open, looked curiously
in. The whole thing was entirely novel to him, and, boy-like, he
greatly longed to understand it. Dour and Dandy, feeling ill at ease
now, kept very close to him. They did not altogether like the look of
things, and would have preferred retracing their steps, but of course
they had not the slightest notion of deserting their young master.

As Hector stood hesitating, a young man, coming from the interior,
beckoned to him in a friendly fashion, saying: 'You want come in. All
right, you come.' He was clearly a half-breed, and had a dark, evil
face that was far from prepossessing.

Hector instinctively disliked him, but could not very well refuse his
invitation, even though the shrewd collies sniffed so suspiciously at
his legs that the fellow shrank away lest they should bite him. 'Nice
place, eh?' he asked, with a sly ingratiating smile. 'Plenty good furs
in there,' and he pointed, with a very dirty finger, to the largest of
the buildings. 'You stranger, yes? Come I show you the store.'

Hector had a premonition of trouble, but was not sufficiently
strong-minded to beat a retreat, as he should have done. The
half-breed certainly seemed courteous, even if the expression of his
face were sinister.

Following his guide, the lad entered the trade-house, which contained
the goods used in bartering with the Indians for their furs, and was
astonished at the quantity and variety of the stock displayed. Here
were guns, pistols, knives, hatchets, blankets, shirts, caps, mitts,
tobacco, tea, sugar, smoked and salted meats, handkerchiefs, sashes,
snowshoes, moccasins, coats and trousers, and so on, piled upon the
floor according to a rude, but no doubt effective system.

'Plenty goods here, eh?' said the half breed, with a crafty leer, as if
his object were to arouse the boy's envy. 'Company very rich--very
strong--have many forts all about'--and with a sweep of his arms he
indicated a wide stretch of territory. Hector certainly was much
impressed by what he saw, and felt free to say so, whereat his guide
seemed much gratified.

'Come now see furs--oh! fine furs!' he cried, and, taking hold of
Hector's arm, led him off to another building, even more solidly built
than the trade-house. A single door was both the means of admittance
and of lighting the place. Inside were ranged bales of furs, the pelts
of m