and abundant sunshine, but still the frost-king
held sway, and all the earth was snowbound, the rivers were mute,
and the waterfalls existed only in name. The men in the store were
saying one night that some Indians had got through from Thunder Bay
by way of the Albany River with mails; but as this meant about four
hundred miles on snowshoes, Katherine regarded it only as a piece
of winter fiction, and thought no more about it. There were fifty
miles of hill and valley between Roaring Water Portage and the
Albany River at its nearest point; but this was undoubtedly the
nearest trail to civilization and the railway, and when the waters
were open it was easier than any other route.
Two days later Katherine was in the cellar overhauling the stores,
which were getting so shrunken that she was wondering how they
could possibly be made to hold out, when she heard Phil calling,
and, going up the ladder, found a tired-looking Indian standing
there, who had a bag of mails strapped on to his back.
"Have you really come from Thunder Bay?" she asked in a surprised
tone.
"Yah," he responded promptly, and, dislodging the burden from his
back, showed her the name Maxokama on the official seals of the bag.
Her father being too unwell to leave his bed that day, Katherine
received the mail as his deputy, and, giving the Indian a receipt
for it, proceeded to open the bag and sort the letters it
contained. There were only a few, and as they were mostly directed
to those in authority in the fishing fleet, and to Astor M'Kree,
Katherine was quick in coming to the conclusion that it was Mr.
Selincourt who had arranged with the post office for the forwarding
of this particular mail. A shiver of fear shook her as she thought
of him. As a rule she preferred to keep him out of her remembrance
as much as possible; but there were times when the fact of his
coming was forced upon her. The broad glare of sunlight streaming
in through the open door of the store was another reminder that
spring was coming with giant strides, and from spring to summer in
that land of fervid sunshine was a period so brief as to be almost
breathless.
The Indian made some purchases of food and tobacco, but as his
conversational powers did not seem to go beyond a sepulchral "Yah",
which he used indifferently for yes and no, neither Katherine nor
Phil could get much information out of him. When he had gone,
Miles came back from wood-cutting on the slopes a
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