York Factory, and they were forced to
surrender. After receiving their humble acknowledgments Macdonell was
not disposed to treat them severely, and he took them back into service.

But what of jovial Father Burke since his arrival on the shores of
Hudson Bay? To all appearances, he had not been able to restrain his
flock from mischief. He had, however, been exploring on his own
account, and thoroughly believed that he had made some valuable
discoveries. He had come upon pebbles of various kinds which he
thought were precious stones. Some of them shone like diamonds; others
seemed like rubies. Father Burke was indeed sure that bits of the sand
which he had collected contained particles of gold. Macdonell himself
believed that the soil along the Nelson abounded in mineral wealth. He
told the priest to keep the discovery a secret, and sent samples of
sand and stone to Lord Selkirk, advising him to acquire the banks of
the Nelson river from the company. In the end, to the disgust of
Macdonell and Father Burke, not one sample proved of any value.

Weeks before the ice had left the river, the {51} colonists became
impatient to set forward on the remainder of their journey. To
transport so many persons, with all their belongings and with
sufficient provisions, seven or eight hundred miles inland was an
undertaking formidable enough to put Captain Macdonell's energies to
the fullest test. The only craft available were bark canoes, and these
would be too fragile for the heavy cargoes that must be borne. Stouter
boats must be built. Macdonell devised a sort of punt or flat-bottomed
boat, such as he had formerly seen in the colony of New York. Four of
these clumsy craft were constructed, but only with great difficulty,
and after much trouble with the workmen. Inefficiency, as well as
misconduct, on the part of the colonists was a sore trial to Macdonell.
The men from the Hebrides were now practically the only members of the
party who were not, for one reason or another, in his black book.

It was almost midsummer before the boats began to push up the Hayes
river for the interior. There were many blistered hands at the oars;
nevertheless, on the journey they managed to make an average of
thirteen miles each day. Before the colonists could reach Oxford
House, the next post of the Hudson's {52} Bay Company, three dozen
portages had to be passed. It was with thankful hearts that they came
to Holy Lake and caught