THE POST AGAIN

InsrDE the store, Thomas was busy baling up beaver.
Marten and fisher and link and fox hung upon nails
or lay over the counter. It was cool and dark in
there, but he had many mosquitoes for company.
The rest of us sat on the wooden platform in front
of the store. An impromptu gun-practice was in
full swing, and every crack meant several cents for
the Hudson’s Bay Company. The respective merits
of two revolvers and three rifles were being demon-
strated and discussed; a wooden box on the bank
took part of the punishment, and a small boulder
on the farther shore came in for the remainder. A
strong breeze blew across the bench, keeping the

_ mosquitoes at bay, and the sun sank warmly through

our clothing and glanced off the whitewashed
planks behind us. The lowest of the three steps sup-
ported three pairs of boots and two pairs of moc-
casins, and was visited by various Liard spiders. The
middle one was untenanted. The top one was hon-
oured by the seated portions of five white men, and
by a steady procession of ants. We were making a

great deal of noise; it was pleasant and exciting to
87 G