Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1913-10-22
CHAPTER III.
The Caribou Carnival.

NHE education OF the little Me-
lisSe began at once, while the
post was still deserted. 1t be-
a gan, first of all, with Maballa.
She stared dumbly and with shattered
faith at these two creatures who told
her of wonderful things in the up
bring of a child-things Of which she
had never so much as heard rumor be-
fore. Her mother instincts were arous-
ed, but with Cree stoicism she made
no betrayal of them.
The leather tanned immobility of
her face underwent no whit of change
when Cummins solemnly declared that
the little Melissa was about TO begin
teething. She sat grimly and watched
them in silence when between them
upon bearskin stretched on the floor
they tried vainly to persuade Melissa
to use her feet.
Weeks passed and Williams came in
from the southern forests. Mukee fol-
lowed him from the edge Of the Bar
rens. Old Perez, partly Eskimo, re-
turned from the Eskimo people, three
quarters starved and with half of his
dogs stolen. From the north, east,
west and south the posts fur rangers
trailed back. Life was resumed.
There was a softness in the air,
growing warmth in the midday sun.
The days of the big change were near.
And when they came, John Cummins
and Jan Thoreau, of all the factors
people, wore patches at their knees.
One afternoon in the beginning of
the mush snow long team of rakish
malemutes, driven by an Athabasca
French-Canadian, raced wildly into the
clearing about the post. The entire
post rushed out to meet the newcomer.
He was Jean de Gravois, the most i'm
portant man in the Fond du Lac coun-
try, for whose goodwill the company
paid a small bonus. That he had made
a record catch even the children knew
by the size of the packs on his sledge
and by the swagger. in his walk.
Grayois was usually one of the last
to appear at the annual gathering of
the wilderness fur gatherers. He was
a big man in reputation as he was
small in stature. He was one of the
/ few of his kind who had developed
personal vanity along with unerring
cunning in the ways Of the wild. Ev-
erybody liked Gravois, for he had a
big soul in him and was as fearless as
lynx, and he liked every body, includ-
ing himself.
He explained his early arrival by an
nouncing in nonchalant manner that
after be had given his malemutes
days rest be was going on to Fort
Churchill to bring back a wife. He
limited with punctuating crack of his
whip that he would make a second
visit and a more interesting one at
! just about the time when the trappers
were there in force.
| Jan Thoreau listened to him, bunch
ing his shoulders little at the others
manifest air of Importance. In turn
the French Canadian scrutinized Jan
good naturally.
Every hour after the half breeds ar
rival quickened the pulse Of expectan-
cy at the post. For six months it had
been a small and solitary unit of life
in the heart of a big desolation. The
first snow had smothered it in a lone
liness that was almost the loneliness
of desertion. With that first snow be-
gan the harvest days Of the trappers.
Now the change was at hand. It
was like the breath Of spring to the
awakening wilderness. The forest
people were moving. Trap lines were
being broken, shacks abandoned,
sledge dogs put to harness. On the
day that Jean de Gravois left for
Hudson bay the company's supplies
came in from Fort Churchill-seven
toboggans drawn by Eskimo dogs,
laden with -four and cloth, fifty pounds
Of beads, ammunition and a hundred
other things, to be exchanged for the
furs that would soon be in London
| and Paris.
Fearfully Jan Thoreau ran out to
meet the sledges. There were seven
Indians and one white man. Jan
thrust himself close to look at the
white man. He wore two revolver
| holsters and carried an automatic.
PROFESSIONALLY he was not a mission
! arv. but an agent of the company. we'll
| prepared TO care for the company's
treasure.
Jan hurried back to the cabin, his
heart bubbling with strange joy.
There ees no missioner, Melisse!'