argo; but as far as light goods, letters, and groceries from town are
concerned, the Indians could do it cheaper in their canoes. However, at
present there is no market for them to come down to. I keep what I call
a grocery store for the benefit of the two or three score of settlers
there are on the river. I do not make any profit out of the matter, but
each season get a hogshead or two of sugar, a couple of tons of flour,
some barrels of molasses, a few chests of tea, and an assortment of odds
and ends, such as pickles, &c., with a certain amount of rum and
whisky, and sell them at the price they stand me in at. I do not know
what they would do without it here. I only open the store on the first
Monday of each month, and they then lay in what stores they require, so
it gives me very little trouble. I generally take produce in return. My
bills run on until they get up to the value of something a customer
wants to sell--a horse, or two or three dozen sheep. That suits me just
as well as money, as I send a cargo off to Wellington every two or three
months.

"In time no doubt a settlement will spring up somewhere near the mouth
of the river, and we shall have a trader or two establishing themselves
there; but at present I am the purveyor of the district, and manage most
of the business of the settlers in the way of buying and selling at
Wellington. So, you see, if you establish yourself here you will have no
choice but to appoint me your grocer."

Wilfrid laughed. "It will be a great advantage to us to be able to get
our things so close at hand. I was wondering how people did in the back
settlements."

"They generally send their drays every two or three months down to the
nearest store, which may, of course, be fifty miles off, or even more.
Here, fortunately, you will not be obliged at first to have a dray, but
can send any produce you have to sell down by water, which is a far
cheaper and more convenient mode of carriage. You will not have much to
send for some time, so that will not trouble you at present."

"Oh, no. We shall be quite content if we can live on the produce of our
farm for the next year or two," Wilfrid laughed.

"It is," Mr. Mitford said, "an immense advantage to settlers when they
have sufficient funds to carry them on for the first two or three years,
because in that case they gain the natural increase of their animals
instead of having to sell them off to pay their way. It is wonderful how
a floc