rk the
boats up the Abbitibbi River to Hannah Bay. The men, although
there were plenty of them, looked askance at the luggage which had
to be unladen from the steamer and packed into the boats. They
were thinking of the portages, and the numberless times those bags,
bales, bundles, and boxes would have to be carried over miles of
portages on their shoulders. But the pay was good, quite twice
what they could have earned in any other direction, and as they
were too wise to quarrel with their daily bread, which in this case
was only biscuit, they accepted the burdens in silence.

Mr. Selincourt and Mary travelled always in the second boat with
the personal luggage which had surrounded Mary in the hotel porch,
while the boat which went in front and the one which came after
were laden with the heavier luggage. For many days after this
their journey went on. Sometimes they would make not more than
seven or eight miles in a day when the portages were bad, and on
one record day the total distance covered was only four miles. The
weather was well-behaved as a whole, although occasionally the rain
came down at a pour. Being so early in the summer, the rivers were
very full, so there was never any danger of running aground,
although they had to face many risks in going down the rapids, when
they had crossed the height of land on a ten-mile portage, and
began to descend the Mattagami River. The longest journey must
come to an end at last, however, and one hot afternoon late on in
June the three boats skirted the last headland of James Bay, and
caught sight of the flag flying from the staff above the fish shed.

"Father, look, there is my flag!" cried Mary, in great excitement.
"Don't you remember I made an especial flag for the fleet, and sent
it up by Mr. Ferrars? Why, how nice it looks, and somehow I feel
Just as if I were coming home."

"That is how I feel," responded Mr. Selincourt. "It is pretty
country too, but it makes me feel downright bad to think of all
these square miles of territory going to waste, so to speak, with
no one but a few Indians for population, and then to remember the
land hunger in England and----"

But Mary had put her hands over her ears, and cried: "Oh, if you
love me, spare me hearing any more about that land hunger just now!
I am very sorry for all the poor people who want to own three acres
and a cow, but can't afford the luxury; only just for a little
while I want to forget them, and