s
existence at all that it should reign there for ever!

But although everything was thus wintry and cold, it was by no means
cheerless or dreary. A bright sun shone in the blue heavens with an
intenseness of brilliancy that was quite dazzling to the eyes, that
elated the spirits, and caused man and beast to tread with a more
elastic step than usual. Although the sun looked down upon the scene
with an unclouded face, and found a mirror in every icicle and in every
gem of hoar-frost with which the objects of nature were loaded, there
was, however, no perceptible heat in his rays. They fell on the white
earth with all the brightness of midsummer, but they fell powerless as
moonbeams in the dead of winter.

On the frozen river, just in front of the gate of the fort, a group of
men and dogs were assembled. The dogs were four in number, harnessed to
a small flat sledge of the slender kind used by Indians to drag their
furs and provisions over the snow. The group of men was composed of Mr
Rogan and the inmates of Bachelors' Hall, one or two men who happened to
be engaged there at the time in cutting a new water-hole in the ice, and
an Indian, who, to judge from his carefully-adjusted costume, the
snow-shoes on his feet, and the short whip in his hand, was the driver
of the sledge, and was about to start on a journey. Harry Somerville
and young Hamilton were also wrapped up more carefully than usual.

"Good-bye, then, good-bye," said Mr Rogan, advancing towards the
Indian, who stood beside the leading dog, ready to start. "Take care of
our young friends--they've not had much experience in travelling yet;
and don't overdrive your dogs. Treat them well, and they'll do more
work. They're like men in that respect." Mr Rogan shook the Indian by
the hand, and the latter immediately flourished the whip and gave a
shout, which the dogs no sooner heard than they uttered a simultaneous
yell, sprang forward with a jerk, and scampered up the river, closely
followed by their dark-skinned driver.

"Now, lads, farewell," said the old gentleman, turning with a kindly
smile to our two friends, who were shaking hands for the last time with
their comrades. "I'm sorry you're going to leave us, my boys. You've
done your duty well while here, and I would willingly have kept you a
little longer with me, but our governor wills it otherwise. However, I
trust that you'll be happy wherever you may be sent. Don't forget to
write to me.