which stuck
all over his dress in little patches, producing a somewhat piebald
effect,--"so you are pleased to jest, gentlemen. Pray, who placed that
piece of snow over the door?" Mr Rogan glared fiercely round upon the
culprits, who stood speechless before him.

For a moment he stood silent, as if uncertain how to act; then turning
short on his heel, he strode quickly out of the room, nearly overturning
Mr Hamilton, who at the same instant entered it, carrying his gun and
snow-shoes under his arm.

"Dear me, what has happened?" he exclaimed, in a peculiarly gentle tone
of voice, at the same time regarding the snow and the horror-stricken
circle with a look of intense surprise.

"You _see_ what has happened," replied Harry Somerville, who was the
first to recover his composure; "I presume you intended to ask, `What
has _caused_ it to happen?' Perhaps the skipper will explain; it's
beyond me, quite."

Thus appealed to, that worthy cleared his throat, and said:--

"Why, you see, Mr Hamilton, a great phenomenon of meteorology has
happened. We were all standing, you must know, at the open door, taking
a squint at the weather, when our attention was attracted by a curious
object that appeared in the sky, and seemed to be coming down at the
rate of ten knots an hour, right end-on for the house. I had just time
to cry, `Clear out, lads,' when it came slap in through the doorway, and
smashed to shivers there, where you see the fragments. In fact, it's a
wonderful aerolite, and Mr Rogan has just gone out with a lot of the
bits in his pocket, to make a careful examination of them, and draw up a
report for the Geological Society in London. I shouldn't wonder if he
were to send off an express to-night; and maybe you will have to convey
the news to headquarters, so you'd better go and see him about it soon."

_Soft_ although Mr Hamilton was supposed to be, he was not quite
prepared to give credit to this explanation; but being of a peaceful
disposition, and altogether unaccustomed to retort, he merely smiled his
disbelief, as he proceeded to lay aside his fowling-piece, and divest
himself of the voluminous out-of-door trappings with which he was clad.
Mr Hamilton was a tall, slender youth, of about nineteen. He had come
out by the ship in autumn, and was spending his first winter at York
Fort. Up to the period of his entering the Hudson's Bay Company's
service, he had never been more than twenty miles from home, and