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Snowflakes and Sunbeams; Or, The Young Fur-traders: A Tale of the Far North

Chapter 1: The Young Fur-Traders
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About This Book

Set in a remote northern trading district, the narrative follows young members of a fur-trading community as they grow from childhood into early manhood while learning wilderness skills. Episodes alternate between life at the trading-post and life on the rivers and prairies: voyages, portages, hunting, storms, and encounters with local Indigenous camps. The plot mixes practical detail about commercial routine and voyageur labour with adventurous incidents—surprises, narrow escapes, a murderous attack and its pursuit—alongside camaraderie, practical jokes, and a romantic thread that is resolved by the end.

The Project Gutenberg eBook of Snowflakes and Sunbeams; Or, The Young Fur-traders: A Tale of the Far North

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Title: Snowflakes and Sunbeams; Or, The Young Fur-traders: A Tale of the Far North

Author: R. M. Ballantyne

Release date: August 1, 2004 [eBook #6357]
Most recently updated: August 17, 2021

Language: English

Credits: Charles Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SNOWFLAKES AND SUNBEAMS; OR, THE YOUNG FUR-TRADERS: A TALE OF THE FAR NORTH ***

The Young Fur-Traders

by R. M. Ballantyne


Contents

PREFACE

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