Snowflakes and Sunbeams

Snowflakes and Sunbeams

The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Young Fur Traders, by R.M. Ballantyne #2 in our series by R.M. Ballantyne
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Title: The Young Fur Traders
Author: R.M. Ballantyne
Release Date: August, 2004 [EBook #6357] [Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on December 1, 2002]
Edition: 10
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE YOUNG FUR TRADERS ***

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THE YOUNG FUR-TRADERS.

UNIFORM WITH THIS BOOK.
_THE CORAL ISLAND. MARTIN RATTLER. UNCAVA._

[Illustration: Pierre was standing over the great kettle. "_The Young Fur Traders_]" Frontispiece

SNOWFLAKES AND SUNBEAMS; OR, THE YOUNG FUR-TRADERS
A Tale of the Far North.
BY ROBERT MICHAEL BALLANTYNE

PEEFACE.
In writing this book my desire has been to draw an exact copy of the picture which is indelibly stamped on my own memory. I have carefully avoided exaggeration in everything of importance. All the chief, and most of the minor incidents are facts. In regard to unimportant matters, I have taken the liberty of a novelist--not to colour too highly, or to invent improbabilities, but--to transpose time, place, and circumstance at pleasure; while, at the same time, I have endeavoured to convey to the reader's mind a truthful impression of the _general effect_--to use a painter's language--of the life and country of the Fur Trader.
EDINBURGH, 1856.

CHAPTER I
Plunges the reader into the middle of an arctic winter; conveys him into the heart of the wildernesses of North America; and introduces him to some of the principal personages of our tale

CHAPTER II
The old fur-trader endeavours to "fix" his son's "flint," and finds the thing more difficult to do than he expected

CHAPTER III
The counting-room

CHAPTER IV.
A wolf-hunt in the prairies; Charley astonishes his father, and breaks in the "noo'oss" effectually

CHAPTER V
Peter Mactavish becomes an amateur doctor; Charley promulgates his views of things in general to Kate; and Kate waxes sagacious

CHAPTER VI
Spring and the voyageurs

CHAPTER VII.
The store

CHAPTER VIII.
Farewell to Kate; departure of the brigade; Charley becomes a voyageur

CHAPTER IX.
The voyage; the encampment; a surprise

CHAPTER X.
Varieties, vexations, and vicissitudes

CHAPTER XI.
Charley and Harry begin their sporting career without much success; Whisky-John catching

CHAPTER XII.
The storm

CHAPTER XIII.
The canoe; ascending the rapids; the portage; deer- shooting and life in the woods

CHAPTER XIV.
The Indian camp; the new outpost; Charley sent on a mission to the Indians

CHAPTER XV.
The feast; Charley makes his first speech in public; meets with an old friend; an evening in the grass

CHAPTER XVI
The return; narrow escape; a murderous attempt, which fails; and a discovery

CHAPTER XVII
The scene changes; Bachelors' Hall; a practical joke and its consequences; a snow-shoe walk at night in the forest

CHAPTER XVIII
The walk continued; frozen toes; an encampment in the snow

CHAPTER XIX
Shows how the accountant and Harry set their traps, and what came of it

CHAPTER XX
The accountant's story

CHAPTER XXI
Ptarmigan-hunting; Hamilton's shooting powers severely tested; a snow-storm

CHAPTER XXII
The winter packet; Harry hears from old friends, and wishes that he was with them
CHAPTER XXIII
Changes; Harry and Hamilton find that variety is indeed, charming; the latter astonishes the former considerably

CHAPTER XXIV
Hopes and fears; an unexpected meeting; philosophical talk between the hunter and the parson

CHAPTER XXV
Good news and romantic scenery; bear-hunting and its results

CHAPTER XXVI
An unexpected meeting, and an unexpected deer-hunt; arrival at the outpost; disagreement with the natives; an enemy discovered, and a murder

CHAPTER XXVII
The chase; the fight; retribution; low spirits and good news

CHAPTER XXVIII
Old friends and scenes; coming events cast their shadows before

CHAPTER XXIX
The first day at home; a gallop in the prairie, and its consequences

CHAPTER XXX
Love; old Mr. Kennedy puts his foot in it

CHAPTER XXXI
The course of true love, curiously enough, runs smooth for once; and the curtain falls

CHAPTER I.
Plunges the reader into the middle of an Arctic winter; conveys him into the heart of the wildernesses of North America; and introduces him to some of the principal personages of our tale.
Snowflakes and sunbeams, heat and cold, winter and summer, alternated with their wonted regularity for fifteen years in the wild regions of the Far North. During this space of time the hero of our tale sprouted from