Two itinerant missionaries called at the Lake of Two Mountains and distributed a number of religious tracts among the natives, together with a few copies of the Gospel according to St. John, in the Indian language.  My Algonquin interpreter happened to get one of the latter, and took much pleasure in reading it.  Towards the latter end of the season I received a packet from my superior at the Lake, and, to my surprise, found in it a letter with the seal of the Church affixed, addressed to my interpreter, which I put into his hands, and observed him perusing very attentively.  Soon after he called me aside, and told me that the letter in question conveyed a peremptory command from the priest to destroy the bad book he had in his possession, or else his child that died in autumn would be denied the rites of Christian sepulture.

We are told that the age of bigotry is past:  facts like this prove the contrary.  I asked him if he intended to obey the commands of his ghostly father.  “Not exactly,” said he; “I shall send the book to him, and let him do with it what he pleases; for my part, I have read it over and over again, and find it all good, very good; why the ’black coat’ should call it bad is a mystery to me.”

CHAPTER XII.

JOURNEY TO MONTREAL—­APPOINTMENT TO LAC DE SABLE—­ADVANTAGES OF THIS POST—­ITS DIFFICULTIES—­GOVERNOR’S FLATTERING LETTER—­RETURN FROM MONTREAL—­LOST IN THE WOOD—­SUFFERINGS—­ESCAPE.

Early in spring I returned to the Chats, and after the close of the trade took my departure for Montreal, having finished my apprenticeship.  I renewed my contract for three years, and was appointed to the charge of Lac de Sable, a post situated on a tributary of the Ottawa, called Riviere aux Lievres, two hundred miles distant from Montreal.

I embarked on the 15th August, 1826, and arrived at the post on the 1st September; where I was gratified to find a comfortable dwelling-house, and a large farm with pigs, poultry, and cattle in abundance.  All this was very well, but there was also a powerful opposition, and I had experience enough to know that the enjoyment of any kind of comfort is incompatible with the life we lead in opposition.

The difficulties of my situation, moreover, were from various causes extremely perplexing.  The old North-West agents, acting for the Hudson’s Bay Company in Canada, had declared a bankruptcy the preceding winter; the principal manager having quitted the country rather precipitately, as was supposed, and forgotten to appoint a successor; the management devolved in consequence upon the head accountant, Mr. C——­e, who, however well he might be qualified for the duties of the situation, felt the responsibility of acting without authority to be too great, and confined himself accordingly to such measures only as he was confident would subject him to no inconvenience when the day of reckoning arrived.  Meantime the business of