Robert Michael Ballantyne - The Young Fur Traders стр 5.

Did you ever explain to him the prospects that he would have in the situation you propose for him? inquired Mr Grant.

Cant say I ever did.

Did you ever point out the probable end of a life spent in the woods?

No.

Nor suggest to him that the appointment to the office here would only be temporary, and to see how he got on in it?

Certainly not.

Then, my dear sir, Im not surprised that Charley rebels. You have left him to suppose that, once placed at the desk here, he is a prisoner for life. But see, there he is, said Mr Grant, pointing as he spoke towards the subject of their conversation, who was passing the window at the moment; let me call him, and I feel certain that he will listen to reason in a few minutes.

Humph! ejaculated Mr Kennedy, you may try.

In another minute Charley had been summoned, and was seated, cap in hand, near the door.

Charley, my boy, began Mr Grant, standing with his back to the fire, his feet pretty wide apart, and his coat-tails under his armsCharley, my boy, your father has just been speaking of you. He is very anxious that you should enter the service of the Hudsons Bay Company; and as you are a clever boy and a good penman, we think that you would be likely to get on if placed for a year or so in our office here. I need scarcely point out to you, my boy, that in such a position you would be sure to obtain more rapid promotion than if you were placed in one of the distant outposts, where you would have very little to do, and perhaps little to eat, and no one to converse with except one or two men. Of course, we would merely place you here on trial, to see how you suited us; and if you prove steady and diligent, there is no saying how fast you might get on. Why, you might even come to fill my place in course of time. Come now, Charley, what think you of it?

Charleys eyes had been cast on the ground while Mr Grant was speaking. He now raised them, looked at his father, then at his interrogator, and said

It is very kind of you both to be so anxious about my prospects. I thank you, indeed, very much; but Ia

Dont like the desk? said his father, in an angry tone. Is that it, eh?

Charley made no reply, but cast down his eyes again and smiled (Charley had a sweet smile, a peculiarly sweet, candid smile), as if he meant to say that his father had hit the nail quite on the top of the head that time, and no mistake.

But consider, resumed Mr Grant, although you might probably be pleased with an outpost life at first, you would be sure to grow weary of it after the novelty wore off, and then you would wish with all your heart to be back here again. Believe me, child, a traders life is a very hard and not often a very satisfactory one

Ay, broke in the father, desirous, if possible, to help the argument, and youll find it a desperately wild, unsettled, roving sort of life, too, let me tell you! full of dangers both from wild beasts and wild men

Hush! interrupted Mr Grant, observing that the boys eye kindled when his father spoke of a wild, roving life and wild beasts.Your father does not mean that life at an outpost is wild and interesting or exciting. He merely means thatait

Mr Grant could not very well explain what it was that Mr Kennedy meant if he did not mean that, so he turned to him for help.

Exactly so, said that gentleman, taking a strong pull at the pipe for inspiration. Its no ways interesting or exciting at all. Its slow, dull, and flat; a miserable sort of Robinson Crusoe life, with red Indians and starvation constantly staring you in the face

Besides, said Mr Grant, again interrupting the somewhat unfortunate efforts of his friend, who seemed to have a happy facility in sending a brilliant dash of romantic allusion across the dark side of his picturebesides, youll not have opportunity to amuse yourself, or to read, as youll have no books, and youll have to work hard with your hands oftentimes, like your men

In fact, broke in the impatient father, resolved, apparently, to carry the point with a grand coupin fact, youll have to rough it, as I did, when I went up the Mackenzie River district, where I was sent to establish a new post, and had to travel for weeks and weeks through a wild country, where none of us had ever been before; where we shot our own meat, caught our own fish, and built our own houseand were very near being murdered by the Indians; though, to be sure, afterwards they became the most civil fellows in the country, and brought us plenty of skins. Ay, lad, youll repent of your obstinacy when you come to have to hunt your own dinner, as Ive done many a day up the Saskatchewan, where Ive had to fight with red-skins and grizzly bears, and to chase the buffaloes over miles and miles of prairie on rough-going nags till my bones ached and I scarce knew whether I sat on

Oh exclaimed Charley, starting to his feet, while his eyes flashed and his chest heaved with emotion, thats the place for me, father!Do, please, Mr Grant, send me there, and Ill work for you with all my might!

Frank Kennedy was not a man to stand this unexpected miscarriage of his eloquence with equanimity. His first action was to throw his pipe at the head of his enthusiastic boy; without worse effect, however, than smashing it to atoms on the opposite wall. He then started up and rushed towards his son, who, being near the door, retreated precipitately and vanished.

So, said Mr Grant, not very sure whether to laugh or be angry at the result of their united efforts, youve settled the question now, at all events.

Frank Kennedy said nothing, but filled another pipe, sat doggedly down in front of the fire, and speedily enveloped himself, and his friend, and all that the room contained, in thick, impenetrable clouds of smoke.

Meanwhile his worthy son rushed off in a state of great glee. He had often heard the voyageurs of Red River dilate on the delights of roughing it in the woods, and his heart had bounded as they spoke of dangers encountered and overcome among the rapids of the Far North, or with the bears and bison-bulls of the prairie, but never till now had he heard his father corroborate their testimony by a recital of his own actual experience; and although the old gentlemans intention was undoubtedly to damp the boys spirit, his eloquence had exactly the opposite effectso that it was with a hop and a shout that he burst into the counting-room, with the occupants of which Charley was a special favourite.

Chapter Three.

The counting-room

Every one knows the general appearance of a counting-room. There are one or two peculiar features about such apartments that are quite unmistakable and very characteristic; and the counting-room at Fort Garry, although many hundred miles distant from other specimens of its race, and, from the peculiar circumstances of its position, not therefore likely to bear them much resemblance, possessed one or two features of similarity, in the shape of two large desks and several very tall stools, besides sundry ink-bottles, rulers, books, and sheets of blotting-paper. But there were other implements there, savouring strongly of the backwoods and savage life, which merit more particular notice.

The room itself was small, and lighted by two little windows, which opened into the courtyard. The entire apartment was made of wood. The floor was of unpainted fir boards. The walls were of the same material, painted blue from the floor upwards to about three feet, where the blue was unceremoniously stopped short by a stripe of bright red, above which the somewhat fanciful decorator had laid on a coat of pale yellow; and the ceiling, by way of variety, was of a deep ochre. As the occupants of Red River office were, however, addicted to the use of tobacco and tallow candies, the original colour of the ceiling had vanished entirely, and that of the walls had considerably changed.