bread, cook their meals, care for their dogs,
and, when on the trail, cannot even quench their thirst without halting
to build a fire and melt snow. Yet the packeteers of the Mackenzie
River mail cover their two thousand miles on snowshoes at an average
rate of twenty-seven and a half miles a day, including all stoppages."

"That is certainly splendid travelling. Some of the packeteers, I
should judge, have made great records; haven't they?"

"Yes, that's true," acknowledged the trader, "the packeteers do make
great efforts to break records between posts. But, though they may
have succeeded in cutting down the time, their achievement is never
mentioned on the way-bill, nor does it affect the time allowed for the
completion of the trip; for, though the mail be brought in ahead of
time, it is never handed over to the relay until the appointed hour has
struck. Otherwise, the whole system would be thrown out of gear.
Exceptionally fast runs are not shown upon the way-bills, because they
would eventually affect the average time allowed for the trip; and in
stormy weather that would be hard upon the packeteers. The time
allowed for the transmission of a packet is calculated on a ten-years'
average. No excuse for delay, except death, is tolerated. At each
post on certain fixed dates relays of men and dogs are kept in
readiness to forward the mail without delay. A through way-bill
accompanies every packet from point of departure to point of delivery.
At each post along the route the time of arrival and the time of
departure of the mail must be entered upon the way-bill, as well as the
names of the packeteers and of the officers in charge."

"I understand that packets contain not only the despatches of the
Company, but the private mail of the employees, that of missionaries of
all denominations, that of chance 'explorers' or travellers, and even
that of opposition fur-traders. Is that a fact?"

"Yes, sir, and moreover, no charge is made by the Company."

"Do the Company's officers experience much trouble in procuring men to
act as packeteers?"

"Oh, no; none whatever. As a rule, when men enter the Company's
service, they stipulate that they shall be given a place on the packet;
for that affords them an opportunity to pay a visit to the next post,
and to join in the dance which is always held on the arrival of the
mail. Trippers consider themselves greatly honoured on being given
charge of a packet; for it means