e
summer, when the river was full, we could reach in a canoe, by making
three or four portages past the rapids.

Martin was rather younger than I was, and Rose was somewhat older. She
was a sensible, clever girl, and we were all much attached to her and
her brother.

Mr Meredith, who had charge of Fort Ross, had a daughter, Letty. I
admired her very much. She was a fair, blue-eyed little girl, just a
couple of years younger than me, and I would have gone through fire and
water to serve her.

I was much disappointed at not finding her at Fort Ross, for she had
been spending the summer with Mr and Mrs Crisp, for the purpose of
receiving instruction with Rose from Mrs Crisp, who was a highly
educated lady.

Mr Meredith looked a little more careworn than usual. Reports had been
brought him that a large party of Sioux had made an incursion into our
territory, and it was not known in what direction they had gone. He had
advised us to keep constant watch, and to push forward as fast as our
horses could move.

Should Sandy and Pierre not have returned to Fort Black, I felt
confident that Alick would send to Fort Ross to ascertain when we had
set out, and to obtain assistance in searching for us.

Remembering, however, that it was wrong to indulge in anticipations of
evil when we had already been so mercifully taken care of, I succeeded
in putting away my anxious thoughts.

The next day was like the past. The sky was clouded; there was not a
breath of air, and we had no certain means of knowing in what direction
we were proceeding. We ate the last fragments of meat we possessed,
before starting, to give us strength for the journey.

On we went, but still I was unable to recognise any of the features of
the country. Noon approached, and we were getting desperately hungry.
After the danger we had run of being poisoned by the roots Pat had dug
up, we were afraid of trying others, for neither of us was certain which
were wholesome and which poisonous, they both looked so much alike.

We were passing the border of a small wood, when Pat gave a shout.

"It's my belafe there's the remains of a camp-fire," he exclaimed,
pointing to a spot a little distance off.

We hurried towards it. There was a black spot round which the snow had
been scraped away, and near it was a pile of sticks, but none of the
embers remained, the ashes having apparently been blown away by the
wind. There were marks of several feet around,