journey to the second portage, 'Duke Radford went first, drawing a
laden sledge, followed by Katherine, who looked after the dogs.
There would be no riding either way to-day, and the daylight would
be only just long enough for the work, the snow on the trail not
being hard enough as yet to make the going very easy.

Fort Garry was reached without incident, although, to Katherine's
secret dismay, her father had not spoken to her once, but had just
gone moodily forward with his head hanging down, and dragging the
sledge after him. He roused up a little when the fort was reached,
and talked to Peter M'Crawney, the agent, an eager-faced Scot with
an insatiable desire for information on all sorts of subjects.
Mrs. M'Crawney was an Irishwoman who was always sighing for the
mild, moist climate and the peat reek of her childhood's home. But
Peter knew when he was well off, and meant to stick to his post
until he had saved enough money to live without work.

"Teaching school, are you? Well it's myself that would like to be
one of your scholars, for it's bonny you look with that scarlet
thing wrapped round your head!" exclaimed Mrs. M'Crawney in an
admiring tone, when Katherine sat down to have a talk with her
whilst 'Duke Radford did his business with the agent.

"You can come if you like; we don't have any age limit at Roaring
Water Portage," Katherine answered with a laugh. She had to be
bright and vivacious despite the heaviness of her heart, for it
would never do to display her secret uneasiness on her father's
account, or to betray his changed condition to strangers.

"And pretty I should look at my age, sitting among the babies