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 ^ APPLIED IIVMGE Ir 
 
 ^^ 1 65 J tost Mam Street 
 
 r.a Roctiester, New York 14609 USA 
 
 ^= (716) 482 - 0300 - Phone 
 
 ^S (716) 288 - 5989 - Fa» 
 
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 iiiiSf'^^'^TI^ 
 
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 '~.ffi~ ■ iii 
 
 
 
 
 .■«i||mi«!8«ju(Hf;K«R!ft.^,«;.^^ 
 
The MARCH of the 
 WHITE GUARD 
 
 By GILBERT PARKER 
 
 R. F. FENNO & COMPANY 
 
 9 AND II East i6th Street, New York 
 I 9 o I 
 
L ^ 
 
 Ps<^vs/./-'s/^^ 
 
The Makch of the White Guahu 
 
 ^cX-7, J 
 
THE 
 
 March of the White Guard 
 
 " Ask Mr. Hume to come here for 
 a moment, Gosse," said Field, the 
 Chief Factor, as he turned from the 
 frosty window of his office at Fort 
 Providence, one of the Hudson Bay 
 Company's posts. The servant, or 
 more properly, Orderly-Sergeant 
 Gosse, late of the Scots Guards, de- 
 parted on his errand, glancing curi- 
 ously at his master's face as -"t* did 
 so. The Chief Factor, as he turned 
 round, unclasped his hands from be- 
 
 7 
 
Cbe flSarcb of tbe TBlbtte a »»rs 
 
 hind him, took a few steps forward 
 then standing still in the centre of 
 the room, read carefully through a 
 letter which he had held in the 
 fingers of his right hand for the last 
 ten minutes as he scanned the wastes 
 of snow that stretched away beyond 
 Great Slave Lake to the Arctic Circle 
 and the Barren Grounds. He medi- 
 tated a moment, went back to the 
 wmdow, looked out again, shook his 
 head negatively, and with a sigh 
 walked over to the huge fireplace. 
 He stood thoughtfully considering 
 
 the floor until the door opened and 
 Sub.factor Jaspar Hume entered. 
 The Factor looked up and said: 
 
 Hume, I ve something here that's 
 been worrying me a bit. This letter 
 came m the monthly batch this 
 8 
 
Cbe Aarcb of tbe Mbite Ouatb 
 
 morning. It is from a woman. 
 The Company sends another com- 
 mending the cause of the woman and 
 urging us to do all that is possible to 
 meet her wishes. It seems that her 
 husband is a civil engineer of con- 
 siderable fame. He had a commis- 
 sion to explore the Copper Mine re- 
 gion and a portion of the Barren 
 Grounds. He was to be gone six 
 months. He has been gone a year. 
 He left Fort Good Hope, skirted 
 Great Bear Lake, and reached the 
 Copper Mine River. Then he sent 
 back all of the Indians who accom- 
 panied him but two, they bearing 
 the message that he would make the 
 Great Fish River and come down by 
 Great Slave Lake to Fort Providence. 
 That was nine months ago. He has 
 9 
 
not come here, nor to any other of 
 the forts, nor has any word been re- 
 ceived from him. His wife, backed 
 by the H. B. C, urges that a relief 
 party be sent to look for him. They 
 and she forget that this is the Arctic 
 region, and that the task is a weU 
 nigh hopeless one. He ought co 
 have been here six months ago 
 Now, how can we do anything > Our 
 fort is small, and there is always 
 danger of trouble with the Indians. 
 We can't force men to join a relief 
 party like this, and who will volun- 
 teer? Who would lead such a party 
 
 and who will make up the party to 
 be led? " 
 
 The brown face of Jaspar Hume 
 was not mobile. It changed in ex- 
 pression but seldom; it preserved a 
 
 lO 
 
 ill 
 
tSbe Aarcb of tbe TObfte Ouarb 
 
 steady and satisfying character of 
 intelligence and force. The eyes, 
 however, were of an inquiring, de- 
 bating kind, that moved from one 
 thing to another as if to get a sense 
 of balance before opinion or judg- 
 ment was expressed. The face had 
 remained impassive, but the eyes 
 had kindled a little as the Factor 
 talked. To the Factor's despairing 
 question there was not an immediate 
 reply. The eyes were debating. 
 But they suddenly steadied and Jas- 
 par Hume said sententiously, "A 
 relief party should go." 
 
 "Yes, yes; but who is to lead 
 them?" 
 
 Again the eyes debated. 
 
 " Read her letter," said the Factor, 
 handing him it. 
 
 It 
 
 t 
 
gbe Aarcb of tbe m bite Ouard 
 
 Jaspar Hume took it and mechan- 
 ically scanned it. 
 
 The Factor had moved toward the 
 table for hi-, pipe or he would have 
 seen the other start, and his nostrils 
 slightly quiver as his eyes grew con- 
 scious of what they were looking 
 at. Turning quickly, Jaspar Hume 
 walked toward the window as if for 
 more light, and with his back to his 
 superior be read the letter. Then 
 he turned and said, "I think this 
 thing should be done." 
 
 The Factor shrugged his shoulders 
 slightly : " Well, as to that, I think 
 so too, but thinking and doing are 
 two different things, Hume." 
 
 " Will you leave the matter in my 
 hands until the morning? " 
 
 " Yes, of course, and glad to do so. 
 
 12 
 
H 
 p) 
 
 Q 
 
 I 
 
 S 
 
 H 
 % 
 
M M, 
 
 I 
 
JOie Aarcb of tbe TKlbite Ouarb 
 
 You are the only man who can ar- 
 range tbe affair, if it is to be done at 
 all. But I tell you, as you know, 
 that everything will depend upon a 
 leader, even if you secure the men. 
 ... So you had better keep the let- 
 ter for to-night. It may help you to 
 get the men together. A woman's 
 handwriting will do more than a 
 man's word any time." 
 
 Jaspar Hume's eyes had been look- 
 ing at the Factor, but they were 
 studying something else. His face 
 seemed not quite so fresh as it was a 
 few minutes before. 
 
 " I will see you dt ten o'clock to- 
 morrow morning, Mr. Field," he said 
 quietly. " Will you let Gosse come 
 to me in an hour? " 
 
 " Certainly . Good night. " 
 >5 
 
 r 
 
 M 
 
 •• {, : 
 
 ! h 
 
 1 ,3. 
 
 i i 
 
 w 
 
(Tbe Aarcb of tbe xmbiu 0uar» 
 
 Jaspar Hume let himself out. He 
 walked across a small square to a 
 log-house and opened the door, which 
 creaked and shrieked with the frost. 
 A dog sprang upon him as he did so, 
 and rubbed its head against his 
 breast. He touched the head as if 
 it had been that of a child, and said, 
 " Lie down, Jacques." 
 
 It did so, but it watched him as 
 he doffed his dog-skin cap and buf- 
 falo coat. He looked round the 
 room slowly once as if he wished to 
 fix it clearly and deeply in his mind. 
 Then he sat down and held near the 
 firelight the letter the Factor had 
 given him. His features grew set 
 and stern as he read it. Once he 
 paused in the reading and looked 
 into the fire, drawing his breath 
 i6 
 
Cbe Aarcb of tbe Wbite euart 
 
 sharply between his teeth. Then 
 he read it to the end without a sign. 
 A pause, and he said, "So this is 
 how the lines meet again, Varre 
 Lepage!" He read the last sen- 
 tence of the letter aloud: 
 
 " In the hope that you may soon 
 give me good news of my husband, 
 I am, with all respect, 
 
 " Sincerely yours, 
 
 "Rose Lepacjk." 
 
 Again he repeated, " With all re- 
 spect, sincerely yours, Rose Lepage." 
 
 The dog Jacques looked up. Per- 
 haps it detected something unusual 
 in the voice. It rose, came over, 
 and laid its head on its master's 
 knee. Jaspar Hume's hand fell 
 gently on the head, and he said to 
 »7 
 
 t 
 
Sbe Aarcb of tbe TKlbUe Guard 
 
 ii 
 
 the fire, "Rose Lepage, you can 
 write to Factor Field what you dare 
 not write to your husband if you 
 knew! You might say to him then, 
 • With all love,' but not ' With all 
 respect. ' " 
 
 He folded the letter and put it in 
 his pocket. Then he took the dog's 
 head between his hands and said: 
 " Listen, Jacques, and I will tell you 
 a story." The dog blinked, and 
 pushed its nose against its master's 
 arm. 
 
 "Ten years ago two young men 
 who had studied and graduated to- 
 gether at the same college were 
 struggling together in their profes- 
 sion as civil engineers. One was 
 Varre Lepage and the other was 
 Jaspar Hume. The one was bril- 
 i8 
 
tCbe Aarcb of tbe mbtte 0iMr5 
 
 liant and persuasive, the other was 
 persistent and studious. Varre Le- 
 page could have succeeded in any 
 profession; Jaspar Hume had only 
 heart and mind for one. Only for 
 one, Jacques, you understand. He 
 lived in it, he loved it, he saw great 
 things to be achieved in it. He had 
 got an idea. He worked at it night 
 and day, he thought it out, he de- 
 veloped it, he perfected it, he was 
 ready to give it to the world. But 
 he was seized with illness, became 
 blind, and was ordered to a warm 
 climate for a year. He left his idea, 
 his invention, behind him — his com- 
 plete idea. While he was gone his 
 bosom friend stole his perfected idea 
 —yes, stole his perfected idea, and 
 sold it for twenty thousand dollars. 
 19 
 
 
Cbe Aarcb of tbc VObite Ouard 
 
 He was called a genius, a great in- 
 ventor. And then he married /nr. 
 You don't know her, Jacques. You 
 never saw pretty Rose Varcoe, who, 
 liking two men, chose the one who 
 was handsome and brilliant, and 
 whom the world called a genius. 
 Why didn't Jaspar Hume expose 
 him, Jacques? Proof is not always 
 easy, and then he had to think of 
 //rr. One has to think of a woman 
 in such a case, Jacques. Even a 
 dog can see that." 
 
 He was silent for a moment, and 
 then he said, " Come, Jacques. You 
 will keep secret what I show you." 
 
 He went to a large box in the 
 corner, unlocked it, and took out a 
 model made of brass and copper and 
 smooth but unpolished v/ood. 
 
 20 
 
 ^^w^^^tS^sas 
 
(Tbe Aaccb of tbe VIbtte euarb 
 
 "After ten years of banishment, 
 Jacques, he has worked out another 
 idea, you see. It should be worth 
 ten times the other, and the world 
 called the other the work of a genius, 
 
 dog." 
 
 Then he became silent, the animal 
 watching him the while. It had 
 seen him working at this model for 
 many a day, but had never heard 
 him talk so much at a time as he had 
 done this last ten minutes. Jaspar 
 Hume was generally a silent man; 
 decisive even to severity, careless 
 carriers and shirking under-officers 
 thought. Yet none could complain 
 that he was unjust. He was simply 
 stiaightforward, and he had no sym- 
 pathy with those who were not the 
 same. He had carried a drunken 
 
 21 
 
Cbe Aarcb of tbe Toabfte 0uard 
 
 Indian on his back for miles, and 
 from a certain death by frost. He 
 had, for want of a more convenient 
 punishment, promptly knocked down 
 Jeff Hyde, the sometime bully of the 
 Fort, for appropriating a bundle of 
 furs belonging to a French half- 
 breed, Gaspe Toujours. But he 
 nursed JefT Hyde through an attack 
 of pneumonia, insisting at the same 
 time that Gaspe Toujours should 
 help him. The result of it all was 
 that Jeff Hyde and Gaspe Toujours 
 became constant allies. They both 
 formulated their oaths by Jaspar 
 Hume. The Indian, Cloud-in-the- 
 Sky, though by word never thanking 
 his rescuer, could not be induced to 
 leave the Fort, except on some mis- 
 sion with which Jaspar Hume was 
 
 22 
 
trbe Aatcb of tbe Wbite Ouatd 
 
 connected. He preferred living an 
 undignified, an un-Indian life, and 
 earning his food and shelter by 
 coarsely laboring with his hands. 
 He came at least twice a week to 
 Jaspar Hume's log-house, and, sit- 
 ting down silent and cross-legged 
 before the fire, watched the Sub- 
 factor working at his drawings and 
 calculations. Sitting so for perhaps 
 an hour or more, and smoking all the 
 time, he would rise, and with a grunt, 
 which was answered by a kindly nod, 
 would pass out as silently as he came. 
 And now as Jaspar Hume stood 
 looking at his "Idea," Cloud-in-the- 
 Sky entered, let his blanket fall by 
 the hearthstone and sat down upon 
 it. If Jaspar Hume saw him or 
 heard him, he at least gave no sign 
 «3 
 
Zbe Aarcb of tbe Tiabite Ouarb 
 
 i I 
 
 3'' ' 
 
 at first. He said in a low tone to 
 the dog, " It is finished, Jacques ; it 
 is ready for the world." 
 
 Then he put it back, locked the 
 box, and turned toward Cloud-in-the- 
 Sky and the fireplace. The Indian 
 grunted ; the other nodded with the 
 debating look again dominant in his 
 eyes. The Indian met the look with 
 stoic calm. There was something 
 in Jaspar Hume's habitual reticence 
 and decisiveness in action which ap- 
 pealed more to Cloud-in-the-Sky than 
 any freedom of speech could possibly 
 have done. 
 
 Jaspar Hume sat down, handed 
 the Indian a pipe and tobacco, and, 
 with arms folded, watched the fire. 
 For half an hour they sat so, white 
 man, Indian, and dog. Then Jaspar 
 24 
 
Hbe Aarcb of tbe Tmbite Ouarb 
 
 Hume rose, went to a cupboard, took 
 out some sealing-wax and matches, 
 and in a moment melted wax was 
 dropping upon the lock of the box 
 containing his Idea. He had just 
 finished this as Sergeant Gosse 
 knocked at the door, and immedi- 
 ately after entered the room. 
 
 '• Gosse," said the Sub-factor, " find 
 Jeff Hyde, Gaspe Toujours, and Late 
 Carscallen, and bring them here." 
 Sergeant Gosse immediately departed 
 upon this errand. Jaspar Hume 
 then turned to Cloud-in-the-Sky, and 
 said, "Cloud-in-the-Sky, I want you 
 to go a long journey hereaway to 
 the Barren Grounds. Have twelve 
 dogs ready by nine o'clock to-mor- 
 row morning." 
 
 Cloud-in-the-Sky shook his head 
 as 
 
 i 
 
 
,-. _ .- .arriffiB-g 
 
 "H 
 
 i: * 
 
 Vbe Aavcb of tbe Wbite Ouatd 
 
 thoughtfully, and then after a pause 
 said, " Strong-back go too? " (Strong- 
 back was his name for Jaspar Hume.) 
 But the other either did not or would 
 not hear. The Indian, however, 
 appeared satisfied, for he smoked 
 harder afterward, and grunted to 
 himself many times. A few moments 
 passed, and then Sergeant Gosse en- 
 tered, followed by Jeff Hyde, Gasp6 
 Toujours, and Late Carscallen. Late 
 Carscallen had got his name " Late " 
 from having been called " The Late 
 Mr. Carscallen " by the Chief Factor 
 because of his slowness. Slow as 
 he was, however, the stout Scotsman 
 had more than once proved himself 
 sound and true according to Jaspar 
 Hume's ideas. He was, of course, 
 
 the last to enter. 
 
 36 
 
 itii 
 
Hbe Aarcb of tbe TUnbite Guard 
 
 
 The men grouped themselves 
 about the fire, Late Carscallen get- 
 ting the coldest comer. Each man 
 drew his tobacco from his pocket, 
 and, cutting it, waited for Sub-factor 
 Hume to speak. His eyes were de- 
 bating as they rested on the four. 
 Then he took out Rose Lepage's let- 
 ter, and, with the group looking at 
 him now, he read it aloud. When 
 it was finished Cloud-in-the-Sky 
 gave a guttural assent, and Gasp^ 
 Toujours, looking at Jeff Hyde, said, 
 "It is cold in the Barren Grounds. 
 We shall need much tabac." These 
 men could read without difficulty 
 Jaspar Hume's reason for summon- 
 ing them. To Gasp6 Toujours's re- 
 mark Jeif Hyde nodded affirmatively 
 and then all looked at Late Car- 
 27 
 
 ■ ■ I 
 
TTDc ittarcb o t tbc TlBlbtte CuatO 
 
 scallen. He opened his heavy jaws 
 once or twice with an animal-like 
 sound, and then he said, in a gen- 
 eral kind of way, 
 
 "To the Barren Grounds. But 
 who leads?" 
 
 Jaspar Hume was writing on a sHp 
 of paper, and he did not reply. The 
 faces of three of them showed just a 
 shade of anxiety. They had their 
 opinions, but they were not sure. 
 Cloud-in-the-Sky, however, grunted 
 at them, and raised the bowl of his 
 pipe toward the Sub-factor. The 
 anxiety then seemed to be dis- 
 pelled. 
 
 For ten minutes more they sat so, 
 
 all silent. Then Jaspar Hume rose, 
 
 handed the slip of paper to Sergeant 
 
 Gosse, and said, " Attend to that at 
 28 
 
 ilj 
 
tn)e Aarcb of tbe VAbtte euard 
 
 once, Gosse. Examine the food and 
 blankets closely." 
 
 The five were left alone. 
 • Then Jaspar Hume spoke: "Jeff 
 Hyde, Gasp€ Toujours, Late Car- 
 scallen, and Cloud-in-the-Sky, this 
 man, alive or dead, is between here 
 and the Barren Grounds. He must 
 be found — for his wife's sake." He 
 handed Jeff Hyde her letter. Jeff 
 Hyde rubbed his fingers before he 
 touched the delicate and perfumed 
 missive. Its delicacy seemed to be- 
 wilder him. He said in a rough but 
 kindly way, " Hope to die if I don't," 
 and passed it on to Gasp€ Toujours, 
 who did not find it necessary to 
 speak. His comrade had answered 
 for him. Late Carscallen held it in- 
 quisitively for a moment, and then 
 29 
 
: 
 
 f 
 
 PI 
 
 9be Aarcb of tbe TPOlbite euarb 
 
 his jaws opened and shut as if he 
 were about to speak. But before he 
 did so the Sub-factor said, "It is a 
 long journey and a hard one. Those 
 who go may never come back. But 
 this man was working for his coun- 
 try, and he has got a wife — a good 
 wife ! '* He held up the letter. 
 " Late Carscallen wants to know who 
 will lead you. Can't you trust me? 
 I will give you a leader that you will 
 follow to the Barren Grounds. To- 
 morrow you will know who he is. 
 Men, are you satisfied? Will you 
 do it? " 
 
 The four rose, and Cloud-in-the- 
 Sky nodded approvingly many times. 
 The Sub-factor held out his hand. 
 Each man shook it, Jeff Hyde first; 
 and he said, " Close up ranks for the 
 30 
 
 ill 
 
Zbe Aatcb of tbe mbite OtiarD 
 
 H. B. C. ! " (H. B. C. meaning of 
 course Hudson Bay Company.) 
 
 With a good man to lead them 
 they would have stormed, alone, the 
 Heights of Balaklava. 
 
 Once more Jaspar Hume spoke: 
 " Go to Gosse and get your outfits at 
 nine to-morrow morning. Cloud-in- 
 the-Sky, have your sleds at the store 
 at eight o'clock, to be loaded. Then 
 all meet me at lo : 1 5 at the office of 
 the Chief Factor. Good night." 
 
 As they passed out into the semi- 
 arctic night. Late Carscallen with an 
 unreal obstinacy said, " Slow march 
 to the Barren Grounds — but who 
 leads? " 
 
 Left rlone the Sub-factor sat down 
 to the pine table at one end of the 
 room and after a short hesitation be- 
 31 
 
Vbe Aarcb of tbe TRBbitc Ouarb 
 
 
 gan to write. For hours he sat 
 there, rising only to put wood on the 
 fire. The result was three letters: 
 the largest addressed to a famous 
 society in London, one to a solicitor 
 in Montreal, and one to Mr. Field, 
 the Chief Factor. They were all 
 sealed carefully. Then Jaspar 
 Hume rose, took out his knife and 
 went over to the box as if to break 
 the red seal. He paused, however, 
 sighed, and put the knife back 
 again. As he did so he felt some- 
 thing touch his leg. It was the dog. 
 Jaspar Hume drew in a sharp breath 
 and said, " It was all ready, Jacques ; 
 and in another three months I 
 should have been in London with it. 
 
 But it will go whether I go or not 
 
 whether I go or not, Jacques." The 
 3« 
 
(R>e Aarcb of tbc tnbttc Otuird. 
 
 dog sprang up and put his head 
 against his ^uiaster's breast. 
 
 "Good dog! good dog! it's all 
 right, Jacques; however it goes, it's 
 all right!" 
 
 Then the dog lay down and 
 watched the man until he drew the 
 blankets to his chin, and sleep drew 
 oblivion over a fighting but masterly 
 soul. 
 3 
 
 33 
 
tii \i 
 
 11 
 
II. 
 
 At ten o'clock next morning Jas- 
 par Hume presented himself at the 
 Chief Factor's office. He bore with 
 him the letters he had written the 
 night before. 
 
 The Factor said, "Well, Hume, I 
 am glad to see you. That woman's 
 letter was on my mind all night. 
 Have you anything to propose? I 
 suppose not," he added despairingly, 
 as he looked closely into the face of 
 the other. 
 
 "Yes, Mr. Field, I propose this: 
 that the expedition shall start at 
 noon to-day." 
 
 " Shall— start— at noon— to-day? " 
 35 
 
ISbe Aarcb of tbe TKIbfte Ouarb 
 
 "In two hours." 
 
 " But, who are the party? " 
 
 " Jeflf Hyde, Gasp6 Toujours, Late 
 Carscallen and Cloud-in-the-Sky." 
 
 "And who leads them, Hume? 
 Who leads? " 
 
 " With your permission, sir, I do." 
 
 "You, Hume! You! But, man, 
 consider the danger! And then 
 there is— there is, your invention ! " 
 
 " I have considered all. Here are 
 three letters. If we do not come 
 back in three months, you will please 
 send this one, with the box in my 
 room, to the address on the en- 
 velope; this is for a solicitor in 
 Montreal, which you will also for- 
 ward as soon as possible; this last 
 one is for yourself; but you will not 
 open it until the three months have 
 36 
 
 If 
 
 ■; i 
 
XSbe Aarcb of tbe TBSbtte 0ttar^ 
 
 passed. Have I your permission to 
 lead these men? They would not 
 go without me." 
 
 "I know thai., I know th;,t, Hume. 
 I hate to hav- you go, nut I can't 
 say no. Go, and good luck go with 
 you." 
 
 Here the manly old Factor turned 
 away his head. He knew that 
 Jaspar Hume had done right. He 
 knew the possible sacrifice this man 
 was making of all his hopes, of his 
 very life ; and his sound Scotch heart 
 appreciated the act to the full. But 
 he did not know all. He did not 
 know that Jaspar Hume was starting 
 to look for the man who had robbed 
 him of youth and hope and genius 
 and home. 
 
 " Here is a letter that the wife has 
 37 
 
 _ 
 
u 
 
 (Tbe Aarcb of tbe mblte 0uarb 
 
 written to her husband in the hope 
 that he is alive. You will take it 
 with you, Hume. And the other 
 she wrote to me, shall I keep it?" 
 He held out his hand. 
 
 " No, sir, I will keep it, if you will 
 allow me. It is my commission, you 
 know." And the shadow of a smile 
 hovered about Jaspar Hume's lips. 
 
 The Factor smiled kindly as he 
 replied, "Ah, yes, your commission 
 — Captain Jaspar Hume of — of what, 
 Hume?" 
 
 Just then the door opened and 
 there entered the four men whom 
 we saw around the Sub-factor's fire 
 the night before. They were dress- 
 ed in white blanket costumes from 
 head to foot, white woollen capotes 
 covering the gray fur caps they 
 38 
 
 
Cbe Aarcb of tbe mbite (3uacd 
 
 wore. Jaspar Hume ran his eye 
 over them and then answered the 
 Factor's question: "Of the White 
 Guard, sir." 
 
 "Good," was the reply. "Men, 
 you are going on a relief expedition 
 — one in which there is danger. 
 You need a good leader. You have 
 one in Captain Jaspar Hume." 
 
 Jeff Hyde shook his head at the 
 others with a pleased I-told-you-so 
 expression ; Cloud-in-the-Sky grunt- 
 ed his deep approval; and Late 
 Carscallen smacked his lips in a 
 satisfied manner and rubbed his leg 
 with a school-boy sense of enjoy- 
 ment. The Factor continued: "In 
 the name of the Hudson Bay Com- 
 pany I will say that if you come 
 back, having done your duty faith- 
 39 
 
t9 
 
 XLbc Aarcb of tbe TSlblte <5nzvb 
 
 fully, you shall be well rewarded. 
 And I believe you will come back, 
 if it is in human power to do so." 
 
 Here Jeff Hyde said, "It isn't for 
 reward we're doln' it, Mr. Field, but 
 because Captain Hume wished it, 
 because we believed he'd lead us; 
 and for the lost fellow's wife. We 
 wouldn't have said we'd do it, if it 
 wasn't for him that's just called us 
 the White Guard." 
 
 Under the bronze of the Sub-fac- 
 tor's face there spread a glow more 
 red than brown, and he said simply, 
 "Thank you, men" — for they had 
 all nodded assent to Jeff Hyde's 
 words — " Come with me to the store. 
 We will start at noon." 
 
 And at noon the White Guard 
 
 stood in front of the store on which 
 40 
 
 A-i M. 
 
CTbe Aarcb of tbe Wbite Oiuicd 
 
 the British flag was hoisted with an- 
 other beneath it bearing the magic 
 letters, H. B. C. : magic, because 
 they have opened to the world regions 
 that seemed destined never to know 
 the touch of civilization. The few 
 inhabitants of the Fort had gathered ; 
 the dogs and loaded sleds were at 
 the door. The White Guard were 
 there too — all but their leader. It 
 wanted but two minutes to twelve 
 when Jaspar Hume came from his 
 house, dressed also in the white 
 blanket costume, and followed by 
 his dog, Jacques. In a moment 
 more he had placed Jacques at the 
 head of the first team of dogs. They 
 were to have their leader too; and 
 they testified to the fact by a bark of 
 
 approval. Punctually at noon, Jas- 
 41 
 
 a. . 
 
 n 
 
 ri 
 
Zbe Aarcb of tbe TSnbtte (Buard 
 
 par Hume shook hands with the 
 Factor, said a quick good-bye to the 
 rest, called out a friendly "How!" 
 to the Indians standing near, and to 
 the sound of a hearty cheer, heartier 
 perhaps because none had a confi- 
 dent hope that the five would come 
 back, the March of the White Guard 
 began. 
 
 *» 
 
III. 
 
 It is eighteen days after. In the 
 shadow of a liltle island of pines, 
 that lies in a shivering waste of ice 
 and snow, the White Guard camp. 
 They are able to do this night what 
 
 they have not done for days dig a 
 
 great grave of snow, and building a 
 fire of pine wood at each end of this 
 strange house, get protection and 
 something like comfort. They sit 
 close to the fires. Jaspar Hume is 
 writing with numbed fingers. The 
 extract that follows is taken from 
 his diary. It tells that day's life, 
 and so gives an idea of harder, 
 sterner days that they have spent 
 43 
 
Zhe Aarcb of tbe mblte 0uar5 
 
 and will spend, on this weary jour- 
 ney. 
 
 ''December 25///.— This is Christ- 
 mas Day and Camp twenty-seven. 
 We have marched only five miles to- 
 d£.y. We are eighty miles from 
 Great Fish River, and the worst yet 
 to do. We have discovered no 
 signs. Jeff Hyde has had a bad two 
 days with his frozen foot. Gasp6 
 Toujours helps him nobly. One of 
 the dogs died this morning. Jacques 
 is a great leader. This night's 
 shelter is a godsend. Cloud-in- 
 the-Sky has a plan whereby some of 
 us will sleep well. We are in lati- 
 tude 63° 47' and longitude 112° 32' 
 14". Have worked out lunar obser- 
 
 JH 
 vations. '^ '-"'' " * "^^ — ' 
 
 Have marked a tee 
 
 27 
 
 44 
 
Zbe A«ccb of tbe TPQblte OuarO 
 
 and raised cairn No. 3. We are 
 able to celebrate Christmas Day with 
 a good basin of tea, and our stand- 
 by of beans cooked in fat. I was 
 right about them: they have great 
 sustaining power. To-morrow we 
 will start at ten o'clook." 
 
 The writing done, Jaspar Hume 
 puts his book away and turns toward 
 the rest. Cloud-in-the-Sky and Late 
 Carscallen are smoking. Little can 
 be seen of their faces; they are 
 muffled to the eyes. Gasp€ Toujours 
 is drinking a basin of tea, and Jeff 
 Hyde is fitfully dozing by the fire. 
 The dogs are above in the tent, all 
 but Jacques, who to-night is per- 
 mitted to be near his master. The 
 Sub-factor rises, akes from a knap- 
 sack a small tin pail, and puts it near 
 45 
 
 I 
 
Zbe Aarcb of tbe TKnblte Ouard 
 
 the fire. This operation is watched 
 by the others. Then he takes five 
 little cups that fit snugly into each 
 other, separates them, and puts them 
 also near the fire. None of the party 
 speak. A change seems to pass over 
 the faces of all except Cloud-in-the- 
 Sky. He smokes on unmoved. At 
 length the Sub-factor speaks cheer- 
 ily: "Now, men, before we turn in 
 we'll do something in honor of the 
 day. Liquor we none of us have 
 touched since we vStarted; but back 
 the in the Fort, and maybe in 
 other places too, they will be think- 
 ing of us; so we'll drink a health 
 to them though it's but a spoonful, 
 and to the day when we see them 
 again ! " 
 
 The cups were passed round . The 
 46 
 
tTbe Aatcb of tbe TKlbite Ouar^ 
 
 Sub- factor measured out a very small 
 portion to each. They were not 
 men of uncommon sentiment; their 
 lives were rigid and isolated and 
 severe. Fireside comforts under 
 fortunate conditions they saw but 
 seldom, and they were not given to 
 expressing their feelings demonstra- 
 tively. But each man then, save 
 Cloud-in-the-Sky, had some memory 
 worth a resurrection, and hearts are 
 hearts even under all uncouthness. 
 Jasper Hume raised his cup; the 
 rest followed his example. "To 
 absent friends and the day when we 
 see them again! " he said; and they 
 all drank. Gasp^ Tou jours solemn- 
 ly, and as if no one was near, made 
 the sign of the cross ; for his mem- 
 ory was with a dark-eyed, soft- 
 47 
 
 I 
 
Cbe Aarcb of tbc Mbitc OuarO 
 
 cheeked peasant girl of the parish of 
 Saint Gabrielle, whom he had left 
 behind five years before, and had 
 never seen since. Word had come 
 from the parish priest that she was 
 dying, and though he wrote back in 
 his homely patois of his grief, and 
 begged that the good father would 
 write again, no word had ever come, 
 and he though of her now as one for 
 whom the candles hud been lighted 
 and masses had been said. 
 
 But JeflF Hyde's eyes were bright, 
 and suffering as he was, the heart in 
 him was brave and hopeful. He 
 was thinking of a glorious Christmas 
 Day upon the Madawaska River 
 three years agone ; of Adam Henry, 
 the blind fiddler; of bright, warm- 
 hearted Pattie Chown, the belle of 
 48 
 
Vbc Aarcb of tbe mbtte euarb 
 
 the ball, and the long drive home in 
 the frosty night. 
 
 Late Carscallen was thinking of a 
 brother whom he had heard preach 
 his first sermon in Edinburgh ten 
 years before. And Late Carscallen, 
 slow of speech and thought, had 
 been full of pride and love of that 
 brilliant brother. But they, in the 
 natural course of things, drifted 
 apart; the slow and uncouth one to 
 make his home at last not fai '"om 
 the Arctic Circle, and to bt ; i s 
 night on his way to the Barren 
 Grounds. But as he stood with the 
 cup to his lips he recalled the words 
 of a newspaper paragraph of a few 
 months before. It made reference 
 to the fact that " the Reverend James 
 Carscallen, D.D., preached before 
 4 49 
 
tTbe iftarcb ot tbe TO btte Ouarb 
 
 Her Majesty on Whitsunday, and 
 had the honor of lunching with Her 
 Majesty afterward. " And Late Car. 
 scallen rubbed his left hand joyfully 
 against his blanketed leg and drank. 
 Cloud-tn-the-Sky's thoughts were 
 with the ^ resent, and his " Ugh ! " of 
 approval was one of the senses pure- 
 ly. Instead of drinking to absent 
 friends he looked at the Sub-factor 
 and said, " How ! " He drank to the 
 Sub-factor. 
 
 And Jaspar Hume, the Sub-factor, 
 what were his thoughts? 
 
 His was a memory of childhood; 
 of a house beside a swift-flowing 
 river, where a gentle widowed 
 mother braced her heart against 
 misfortune and denied herself and 
 slaved that her son might be edu- 
 50 
 
QDe Aarcb of tbe Tmbite (Buarb 
 
 cated. He had said to her that some 
 day he would be a great man, and 
 she would be paid back a hundred- 
 fold . And he worked hard at school , 
 very hard. But one cold day of 
 spring a message came to the school, 
 and he sped homeward to the house 
 beside the dark river down which 
 the ice was floating — he would re- 
 member that floating ice to his dying 
 day — and entered a quiet room where 
 a white-faced woman was breathing 
 away her life. And he fell at her 
 side and kissed her hand and called 
 to her ; and she waked for a moment 
 only and smiled on him, and said, 
 "Be good, my boy, and God will 
 make you great.'* And then she 
 said she was cold. And some one 
 felt her feet — a kind old soul who 
 
 li 
 
Cbe Aarcb of tbe mblte Ouard 
 
 
 ! j- 
 
 i I 
 
 II 
 
 shook her head sadly at the mother 
 and looked pityingly at him; and a 
 voice rising out of a strange smiling 
 languor murmured, "I'll away, I'll 
 away to the Promised Land— to the 
 Promised Land ! It is cold— so cold 
 —God keep my boy!" And the 
 voice ceased, and the kind old soul 
 who had looked at him pityingly 
 folded her arms about him, and drew 
 his brown head to her breast and 
 kissed him with flowing eyes and 
 whispered, "Come away, dear, come 
 away." 
 
 But he came back in the night and 
 sat beside her, and would not go 
 away, but remained there till the 
 sun grew bright, and then through 
 another day and night until they 
 bore her out of the little house by 
 52 
 
Sbe Aarcb of tbe TSnbfte Ouacb 
 
 the river to the frozen hill-side. 
 And the world was empty and the 
 icy river seemed warmer than his 
 heart. 
 
 And sitting here in this winter 
 desolation Jaspar Hume beholds 
 these scenes of twenty years before 
 and follows himself, a poor dispens- 
 ing clerk in a doctor's office, work- 
 ing for that dream of achievement 
 in which his mother believed; for 
 which she hoped. And following 
 further the boy that was himself, he 
 saw a friendless first-year man at 
 college, soon, however, to make a 
 friend of Varre Lepage, and to see 
 always the best of that friend, being 
 himself so true. And the day came 
 when they both graduated together 
 in science, a bright and happy day, 
 53 
 
Cbe asMcb of tbe TBlbltc euard 
 
 Hi 
 
 succeeded by one still brighter, when 
 they both entered a great firm as 
 junior partners. Then came the 
 meeting with Rose Varcoe; and he 
 thought of how he praised his friend 
 Varre Lepage to her, and brought 
 that friend to be introduced to her. 
 He recalled all those visions that 
 came to him when, his professional 
 triumphs achieved, he should have a 
 happy home, and a happy face, and 
 faces, by his fireside. And f/ie face 
 was to be that of Rose Varcoe, and 
 the others, faces of those who should 
 be like her and like himself. He 
 saw, or rather felt, that face clouded 
 and anxious when he went away ill 
 and blind for health's sake. He did 
 not write. The doctors forbade him 
 that. He did not ask her to write, 
 54 
 
Vbe Aarcb of tbe mbite Guard 
 
 for his was so strong and steadfast a 
 nature that he did not need letters 
 to keep him true ; and he thought if 
 she cared for him she must be the 
 same. He did not understand a 
 woman's heart, how it needs remem- 
 brances, and needs to give remem- 
 brances. 
 
 Looking at Jaspar Hume's face in 
 the light of this fire it seems calm 
 and cold, yet behind it is an agony 
 of memory, the memory of the day 
 when he discovered that Varre Le- 
 page was married to Rose Varcoe, 
 and that the trusted friend had 
 grown famous and well-to-do on the 
 offspring of /its brain. His first 
 thought had been one of fierce anger 
 and determination to expose this 
 man who had falsified all trust. But 
 55 
 
Vbe Aarcb of tbe TUBbfte 9uatb 
 
 then came the thought of the girl, 
 and, most of all there came t'le 
 words of his dying mother, "Be 
 good, my boy, and God will make 
 you great," and for his mother's sake 
 he had compassion on the girl, and 
 sought no revenge upon her hus- 
 band. Rare type of man, in a sor- 
 did, unchivalric world! And now, 
 ten years later, he did not regret 
 that he had stayed his hand. The 
 world had ceased to call Varre Le- 
 page a genius. He had not fulfilled 
 the hope that was held of him. This 
 Jaspar Hume knew from occasional 
 references in scientific journals. 
 
 And he was making this journey 
 
 to save, if he could, Varre Lepage's 
 
 life. And he has no regret. 
 
 Though just on the verge of a new 
 
 56 
 
Vbe Aarcb of tbe VBbtte Ouatb 
 
 era in his career— to give to the 
 world the fruit of ten years* thought 
 and labor, he had set all behind him 
 that he might be true to the friend- 
 ship of his youth, that he might be 
 loyal to his manhood, that he might 
 be clear of the strokes of conscience 
 to the last hour of his life. 
 
 Looking round him now, the de- 
 bating look comes again into his 
 eyes. He places his hand in his 
 breast, and lets it rest there for a 
 moment. The look becomes certain 
 and steady, the hand is drawn out, 
 and in it is a Book of Common 
 Prayer. Upon the fly-leaf is writ- 
 ten, "Jane Hume, to her dear son 
 Jaspar, on his twelfth birthday." 
 
 These men of the White Guard 
 are not used to religious practices, 
 57 
 
 
XLbe Aatcb ot tbe TObite ©uiitb 
 
 whatever their past has been in that 
 regard, and at any other time they 
 might have been surprised at this 
 action of Jaspar ^xume. Under 
 some circumstances it might have 
 lessened their opinion of him, but 
 his influence over them now was 
 complete. They knew they were 
 getting nearer to him than they had 
 ever done; even Cloud-in-the-Sky 
 appreciated that. He spoke no 
 word to them, but looked at them 
 and stood up. They all did the 
 same, Jeff Hyde leaning on the 
 shoulders of Gasp6 Tou jours. He 
 read first, four verses of the Thirty- 
 first Psalm, then followed the prayer 
 of St. Chrysostom, and the beautiful 
 collect which appeals to the Almighty 
 to mercifully look upon the infirmi- 
 S8 
 
ttbe Aarcb of tbe TSBblte OuarO 
 
 ties of men, and to stretch forth His 
 hand to keep and defend them in all 
 dangers and necessities. Late Car- 
 scallen, after a long pause, said 
 "Amen," and Jeff Hyde said in a 
 whisper to Gaspe Toujours, "That's 
 to the point. Infirmities and dangers 
 and necessities is what troubles us." 
 Immediately after, at a sign from 
 the Sub-factor, Cloud-in-the-Sky be- 
 gan to transfer the burning wood 
 from one fire to the other until only 
 hot ashes were left where a great 
 blaze had been. Over these ashes 
 pine twigs and branches were spread, 
 and over them again blankets. The 
 word was then given to turn in, and 
 Jeff Hyde, Gasp€ Toujours, and Late 
 Carscallen lay down in this comfort- 
 able bed. Each wished to give way 
 59 
 
Vbe Aarcb of tbe White OuarO 
 
 to their captain, out he would not 
 consent, and he and Cloud-in-the- 
 Sky wrapped themselves in their 
 blankets like mummies, covering 
 their heads completely, and under the 
 arctic sky they slept alone in an 
 austere and tenantless world. They 
 never know how loftily sardonic Na- 
 ture can be who have not seen that 
 land where the mercury freezes in 
 the tubes, and there is light but no 
 warmth in the smile of the sun. 
 Not Sturt in the heart of Australia 
 with the mercury bursting the fever- 
 ed tubes, with the finger-nails break- 
 ing like brittle glass, with the ink 
 drying instantly on the pen, with 
 the hair falling off and fading, 
 would, if he could, have exchanged 
 
 his lot for that of the White Guard. 
 60 
 
 11 
 
Cbe iftarcb ot tb< TTOblte g uard 
 
 They are in a frozen endlessness 
 that stretches away to a world where 
 never voice of man or clip of wing 
 or tread of animal is heard. It is 
 the threshold to the undiscovered 
 country, to that untouched north 
 whose fields of white are only fur- 
 rowed by the giant forces of the ele- 
 ments; on whose frigid hearthstone 
 no fire is ever lit : a place where the 
 electric phantoms of a nightless land 
 pass and repass, and are never still ; 
 where the magic needle points not 
 toward the north but darkly down- 
 ward, downward! — where the sun 
 never stretches warm hands to him 
 who dares confront the terrors of 
 eternal snow. 
 The White Guard sleeps! 
 
 61 
 
IV 
 
 " No, C*ptain ; leave me here and 
 pttsii on to the Mauitou Mounts n. 
 You ought to make it m two days. 
 
 I'm lust is sai.^ aere as oa tbe sleds 
 
 1 maf ' s no 
 re*^ vhile 
 m 
 y fooi 
 
 and less trouble a b* 
 good I'l have a g» 
 you're go^t, and thei 
 eyes viil Ci*me rig 
 
 is ^matiy weM no^. 
 
 f^, j«B H 
 This, the giai ; 
 suffered most 
 
 Bi Jaspi'- ime said, "I won't 
 
 leave you ioac, my nan. The dogs 
 
 can carry , as i ley've done for 
 
 the ast teu <iays." 
 63 
 
 was snow-blind, 
 i the party, had 
 
 I 
 
gbe Aarcb or tbe Wbite 6uard 
 
 But Jeff replied, " I'm as safe here 
 as marching, and safer. When the 
 dogs are not carrying me, nor any 
 one leading me, you can get on 
 faster; and that means everything 
 to us; now don't it?" 
 
 Jaspar Hume met the eyes of 
 Gasp6 Toujours. He read them. 
 Then he said to Jeff Hyde, "It shall 
 be as you wish. Late Carscallen, 
 Cloud-in-the-Sky, and myself will 
 push on to Manitou Mountain. You 
 and Gasp^ Toujours will remain 
 here." 
 
 Jeff Hyde's blind eyes turned to- 
 ward Gasp^ Toujours, and Gasp€ 
 Toujours said, "Yes. We have 
 plenty of tabac." 
 
 A tent was set up, provisions were 
 put in it, a spirit-lamp and matches 
 64 
 

 trbe Aarcb ot tbe TOblte Cttar^ 
 
 were added, and the simple minage 
 was complete. Not quite. Jaspar 
 Hume looked round. There was 
 not a tree in sight. He stooped and 
 cut away a pole *hat was used for 
 strengfthening the runners of the 
 sleds; fastened it firmly in the 
 ground, and tied to it a red woollen 
 scarf, which he had used for tight- 
 ening his white blankets round him. 
 Then he said: "Be sure and keep 
 that flying, men." 
 
 Jeff Hyde's face was turned to- 
 ward the north. The blind man's 
 instinct was coming to him. Far 
 off white eddying drifts were rising 
 over long hillocks of snow. When 
 Jeff turned round again his face was 
 slightly troubled. It grew more 
 troubled, then it brightened up 
 5 •S 
 
gbe Aarcb of tbe Wbltc 6narO 
 
 again, and he said to Jaspar Htime, 
 "Captain, would you leave that book 
 with me till you come back— that 
 about infirmities, dangers, and neces- 
 sities ? I knew a river-boss who used 
 to carry an old spelling-book round 
 with him for luck. It had belonged 
 to a schoolmaster, who took him in 
 and did for him when his father and 
 mother went into Kingdom Come. 
 It seems to me as if that book of 
 yours. Captain, would bring luck to 
 this part of the White Guard, that 
 bein' ou: .it the heels like has to stay 
 behind." 
 
 Jaspar Hume had borne the suffer- 
 ings of his life with courage; he 
 had led this terrible tramp with no 
 tremor at his heart for himself; he 
 was seeking to perform a perilous 
 66 
 
tn>e Aatcb of tbe TRDbtte enatb 
 
 act without any inward shrinking; 
 but Jeff's request was the greatest 
 trial of this momentous period in 
 his life. This book had not left 
 his breast, save when he slept, for 
 twenty years. To give it up was 
 like throwing open the doors of his 
 nature to such weaknesses that assail 
 and conquer most men at some time 
 or other in their lives. 
 
 Jeff Hyde felt, if he could not see, 
 the hesitation of his chief. His 
 rough but kind instincts told him 
 something was wrong in his request, 
 and lie hastened to add, " Beg your 
 pardon, sir, it ain't no matter; I 
 oughtn't to have asked you for it. 
 But it's just like me; I've been a 
 chain on the leg of the White Guard 
 this whole tramp." 
 67 
 
^ ^ 
 
 gbc iftarcb of tbe mbite euard 
 
 < 
 
 The moment of hesitation had 
 parsed before ]eS Hyde had said 
 half-a-dozen words, and Jaspar 
 Hume put the book in his hands 
 with the words, "No, Jeff Hyde, 
 take it. It tvt// bring luck to the 
 White Guard. Put it where I have 
 carried it, and keep it safe until I 
 come back." 
 
 Jeff Hyde placed the book in his 
 bosom, but hearing a guttural " Ugh " 
 behind him he turned round de- 
 fiantly. The Indian touched his 
 arm and said, "Good! Strong-back 
 book-good ! " Jeff was satisfied. 
 
 At this point they parted, Jeff 
 Hyde and Gaspe Toujours remain- 
 ing, and Jaspar Hume and his two 
 followers going on toward Mani- 
 tou Mountain. There seemed little 
 68 
 
 ii 
 
XSbe Aarcb of tbe TSSlbtte OuatD 
 
 probability that Varre Lepage would 
 be found. In their progress east- 
 ward and northward they had cov- 
 ered wide areas of country, dividing 
 and meeting again after stated hours 
 of travel, but not a sign had been 
 seen ; neither cairn nor staff nor any 
 mark of human presence. 
 
 Jaspar Hume had noticed Jeflf 
 Hyde's face when it was turned to 
 the eddying drifts of the north, and 
 he understood what was in the ex- 
 perienced huntsman's mind. He 
 knew that severe weather was before 
 them, and that the greatest difficulty 
 of the journey was to be encountered. 
 Yet, somehow, the fear that possessed 
 him when the book was taken from 
 his breast had left him, and he 
 
 reaped in his act of self-sacrifice a 
 69 
 
(Tbe Aarcb of tbe tmbfte Ouarb 
 
 t 
 
 larger courage and rarer strength 
 than that which had heretofore 
 stayed him on this cheerless journey. 
 That night they saw Manitou 
 Mountain, cold, colossal, harshly 
 calm; and jointly with that sight 
 there arose a shrieking, biting, fear- 
 ful north wind. It blew upon them 
 in cruel menace of conquest, in 
 piercing inclemency. It struck a 
 freezing terror to their hearts, and 
 grew in violent attack until, as if re- 
 penting that it had foregone its 
 power to save, the sun suddenly 
 grew red and angry and spread out 
 a shield of blood along the bastions 
 of the west. The wind shrunk back 
 and grew less murderous, and ere 
 the last red arrows shot up behind 
 the lonely western wall of white, the 
 70 
 
XLbe Aarcb of tbe VBbfte Ouatd 
 
 three knew that the worst of the 
 storm had passed and that death had 
 drawn back for a time. What Jas- 
 par Hume thought we shall gather 
 from his diary; for ere he crawled 
 in among the dogs and stretched 
 himself out beside Jacques, he wrote 
 these words with aching fingers: — 
 
 "January loth: Camp 39. — A bit- 
 ter day. We are facing three fears 
 now: the fate of those we left be- 
 hind ; his fate ; and the going back. 
 We are thirty miles from Manitou 
 Mountain. If he is found, I should 
 not fear at all the return journey; 
 success gives hope. We trust in 
 God." 
 
 Another day passes and at night, 
 after a hard march, they camp five 
 miles from Manitou Mountain. And 
 7» 
 
Zbe Aarcb of tbe TSlblte (Buarb 
 
 not a sign ! But Jaspar Hume knows 
 that there is a faint chance of Varre 
 Lepage being found at this moun- 
 tain. His iron frame has borne the 
 hardships of this journey well; his 
 valiant heart better. But this night 
 an unaccountable weakness possesses 
 him. Mind and body are on the 
 verge of helplessness and faintness. 
 Jacques seems to understand that, 
 and when he is unhitched from the 
 team of dogs, now dwindled to 
 seven, he goes to his master and 
 leaps upon his breast. It was as if 
 some instinct of sympathy, of presci- 
 ence, was passing between the man 
 and the dog. Jaspar Hume bent 
 his head down to Jacques for an 
 instant and rubbed his side kind- 
 ly; then he said, with a tired ac- 
 7-2 
 
Sbe Aarcb of tbe TBUbite Onatd 
 
 cent, "It's all right, dog; it's all 
 right!" 
 
 Jaspar Hume did not sleep well at 
 first that night, but at length obliv. 
 ion came. He waked to feel Jacques 
 tugging at his blankets. It was 
 noon. Late Carscallen and Cloud- 
 in-the-Sky were still sleeping — inani- 
 mate bundles among the dogs. In 
 an hour they were on their way 
 again, and toward sunset they had 
 reached the foot of Manitou Moun- 
 tain. Abruptly from the plain rose 
 this mighty mound, blue and white 
 upon a black base. A few straggling 
 pines grew near its foot, defying lat- 
 itude, as the mountain itself defied 
 the calculations of geographers and 
 geologists. A halt was called. 
 Late Carscallen and Cloud-in-the-Sky 
 73 
 
! ?i 
 
 (Tbe Aarcb ot tbe mbite 9mtb 
 
 looked at the chief. His eyes were 
 scanning the mountain closely. Sud- 
 denly he paused. Five hundred feet 
 up there is a great round hole in the 
 solid rock, and from this hole there 
 comes a feeble cloud of smoke ! Jas- 
 par Hume's hand points where his 
 eyes are fixed. The other two see. 
 Cloud-in-the-Sky gives a wild whoop, 
 such a whoop as only an Indian can 
 give, and from the mountain there 
 comes, a moment after, a faint re- 
 plica of the sound. It is not an 
 echo, for there appears at the mouth 
 of the cave an Indian, who sees them 
 and makes feeble signs for them to 
 come. In a few moments they are 
 at the cave. As Jaspar Hume en- 
 ters, Cloud-in-the-Sky and the stal- 
 wart but emaciated Indian who had 
 74 
 
9be Aarcb of tbe wmte Ouard 
 
 beckoned to them speak to each 
 other in the Chinook language, the 
 jargon common to all Indians of the 
 West. 
 
 Jaspar Hume saw a form reclining 
 on a great bundle of pine branches, 
 and he knew what Rose Lepage had 
 prayed for had come to pass. By 
 the flickering light of a handful of 
 fire he saw Varre Lepage — rather 
 what was left of him — a shadow of 
 energy, a heap of nerveless bones. 
 His eyes were shut, but as Jaspar 
 Hume, with a quiver of memory and 
 sympathy at his heart, stood for an 
 instant and looked at the man whom 
 he had cherished as a friend and 
 found an enemy, the pale lips of 
 Varre Lepage moved and a weak 
 voice said, " Who — is there? " 
 75 
 
CDc iftarcb of tbe ITOMtc gmtP 
 
 "A friend. '• 
 
 "A friend! Come — near — me, — 
 friend!" 
 
 Jaspar Hume made a motion to 
 Late Carscallen, who was heating 
 some liquor at the fire, and he came 
 near and stooped and lifted up the 
 sick man's head, and took his hand. 
 
 " You have come — to save me — to 
 save me ! " said the weak voice again. 
 
 "Yes; I have come to save you." 
 This voice was strong and clear and 
 true. 
 
 " I seem — to have — heard — your 
 
 voice before — somewhere before 
 
 I seem to — have " But he had 
 
 fainted. 
 
 Jaspar Hume poured a little liquor 
 
 down the sick man's throat, and 
 
 Late Carscallen chafed the delicate 
 76 
 
Sbc Aarcb or tbe Tnbttc OuarD 
 
 hand— delicate in health, it was like 
 that of a little child now. When 
 breath came again Jaspar Hume 
 whispered to his helper, "Take 
 Cloud-in-the-Sky and get wood; 
 bring fresh branches; clear one of 
 the sleds, and we will start back 
 with him in the early morning." 
 
 Late Carscallen, looking at the 
 skeleton-like figure, said, "He will 
 never gt there." 
 
 "Yes," said Jaspar Hume; "he 
 will get there." 
 
 "But he is dying." 
 
 " He goes with me to Fort Provi- 
 denct " 
 
 "Ay, to Providence hi ^ o>e;%, > at 
 not with you," said Late Ca-«;r.'tr8n, 
 sadly but doggedly. 
 
 Anger flashed in Jaspar Hume's 
 77 
 
(Tbe Aarcb of tbe mbite Ouard 
 
 1 I; 
 
 eye, but he said quietly, "I shall 
 take him to his wife; get the wood, 
 Carscallen." 
 
 And Jaspar Hume was left alone 
 with the starving Indian, who sat 
 beside the fire eating voraciously, 
 and the sufferer, who now mechani- 
 cally was taking a little biscuit sopped 
 in brandy. For a few moments 
 ihi:r>, and his sr^iken eyes opened 
 and he looked dazedly at the man 
 bending above him . Suddenly there 
 came into them a look of terror. 
 " You— you— arc Jaspar Hume," the 
 voice said in an c»w ;d whisper. 
 
 " Yes " ; and the hands of the Sub- 
 factor chafed those of the other. 
 
 " But you i i you were a— friend, 
 and come to save me. " 
 " I am come to save you." 
 
Obe Aarcb of tbe Mbfte (3u«rb 
 
 There was a shiver of the suffer- 
 er's body. This discovery would 
 either make him stronger or kill 
 him altogether. Jaspar Hume knew 
 this, and said: "Varre Lepage, the 
 past is past and dead to me; let it 
 be so to you." 
 
 There was a pause. 
 
 " How — did you know — about me ? " 
 
 " I was at Fort Providence ; there 
 came letters from the Hudson Bay 
 Company, and from your wife, saying 
 that you were making this journey, 
 and were six months behind " 
 
 " My wife, my wife ! Rose ! " 
 
 " Yes, I have a letter for you from 
 her. She is on her way to Canada. 
 We are to take you to her." 
 
 "To take me— to her!" He 
 shook his head sadly, but he pressed 
 79 
 
Sbe Aarcb of tbe mute Guard 
 
 . I :} 
 
 J 
 
 the letter that Jaspar Hume had just 
 given him to his lips. 
 
 "To take you to her, Varre Le- 
 page." 
 
 "No, I shall never — see her — 
 again." 
 
 "I tell you, you shall. You can 
 live if you will. You owe that to 
 her — to me— to God ! " 
 
 " To her— to you— to God. But I 
 have been true— to none. To win 
 her I wronged you doubly — and 
 wronged her too; and wronging— 
 both of you, I wronged That Other 
 One. I have been punished. I 
 shall die here." 
 
 " You shall go to Fort Providence. 
 Do that in payment of your debt to 
 me. Varre Lepage. I demand that." 
 
 In this sinning man there was a. 
 80 
 
Vbe ItKcb of tbe Tnbtte 0tttr^ 
 
 latent spark of honor, a sense of jus- 
 tice that might have been developed 
 to great causes, to noble ends, if 
 some strong nature, seeing his weak- 
 nesses, had not condoned them, but 
 had appealed to the natural chivalry 
 of an impressionable, vain, and weak 
 character. He struggled to meet 
 the eyes of Jaspar Hume, and doing 
 so he gained confidence and said, " I 
 wi// try to live. I will do you justice 
 — yet. But, oh, my wife ! " 
 
 "Your first duty is to eat and 
 drink. We start for Fort Provi- 
 dence to-morrow morning. " 
 
 The sick man stretched out his 
 hand: "Food! Food!" he said. 
 
 In .-ttle bits food and drink were 
 given to him, and his strength sen- 
 sibly increased. The cave was soon 
 6 8i 
 
Cbe fl^accb ot tbc TOblte Ouarb 
 
 aglow with the fire that was kindled 
 by Late Carscallen and Cloud-in-the- 
 Sky. There was little speaking, for 
 the sick man soon fell asleep. Varre 
 Lepage's Indian told Cloud-in-the- 
 Sky the tale of their march— how 
 the other Indian and the dogs died; 
 how his master became ill as they 
 were starting toward Fort Provi- 
 dence from Manitou Mountain in 
 the summer weather; how they turn- 
 ed back and took refuge in this cave; 
 how month by month they had lived 
 on what would hardly keep a rabbit 
 alive; and how at last his master 
 urged him to press on with his 
 papers; but he would not, and stayed 
 until this day, when the last bit of 
 food had been eaten, and they were 
 found ! 
 
 83 
 
V. 
 
 The next morning Varre Lepage 
 was placed upon a sled and they 
 started back, Jacques barking joy- 
 fully as he led off, with Cloud-in- 
 the-Sky beside him. There was 
 light in the faces of all, though the 
 light could not be seen by reason of 
 their being muffled so. All day they 
 travelled, scarcely halting, Varre Le- 
 page's Indian being strong again and 
 marching well. Often the corpse- 
 like bundle on the sled was disturbed 
 and biscuits wet in brandy and bits 
 of preserved venison were given. 
 
 That night Jaspar Hume said to 
 Late Carscallen : " I am going to start 
 «3 
 
_Cbe Aarcb of tbe TBObtte Oiuird 
 
 at the first light of the morning to 
 get to Gasp^ Toujours and Jeff Hyde 
 as soon as possible. Follow as fast 
 as you can. He will be safe if you 
 give him food and drink often. I 
 shall get to the place where we left 
 them about noon ; you should reach 
 there at night or early the next 
 morning." 
 
 "Hadn't you better take Jacques 
 with you? •• said Late Carscallen. 
 
 The Sub-factor thought a moment, 
 and then said, "No, he is needed 
 most where he is. " 
 
 At noon the next day Jaspar 
 Hume looks round upon a billowy 
 plain of sun and ice, but he sees no 
 staflF, no signal, no tent, no sign of 
 human life: of Gasp€ Toujours or of 
 JefiF Hyde. His strong heart quails. 
 84 
 
Sbe Aarcb of tbe Wbitc Oniird 
 
 Has he lost his way? He looks at 
 the sun. He is not sure. He con- 
 sults his compass, but it quivers 
 hesitatingly, and then points down- 
 ward ! For a while wild bewilder- 
 ment which seizes upon the minds 
 of the strongest, when lost, masters 
 him, in spite of his struggles agfainst 
 it. He moves in a maze of half- 
 blindness, half -delirium. He is lost 
 in it, is swayed by it. He begins tc 
 wander about ; and there grow upon 
 his senses strange delights and reel- 
 ing agonies. He hears church bells, 
 he catches at butterflies, he tumbles 
 in new-mown hay, he wanders in a 
 tropic garden. But in the hay a 
 wasp stings him, and the butterfly 
 changes to a curling black snake that 
 strikes at him and glides to a dark- 
 H 
 
ii 
 
 i: • i 
 
 U i 
 
 K. J 
 
 r ■ 
 
 Cbe flSarcb of tbe TBlbltc gwitd 
 
 flowing river full of floating ice, and 
 
 up from the river a white hand is 
 
 thrust, and it beckons him — beckons 
 
 him ! He shuts his eyes and moves 
 
 toward it, but a voice stops him, and 
 
 it says, " Come away ! come away ! " 
 
 and two arms fold him round, and 
 
 as he ^oes back from the shore he 
 
 stumbles and falls, and .... What 
 
 is this ? A yielding mass at his feet ! 
 
 A mass that stirs! He clutches at 
 
 it, he tears away the snow, he calls 
 
 aloud — and his voice has a far-away 
 
 unnatural sound — "Gasp€ Toujours! 
 
 Gaspe Toujours ! " Yes, it is Gasp6 
 
 Toujours! And beside him lies Jeff 
 
 Hyde, and alive! ay, alive! Thank 
 
 God! 
 
 Jaspar Hume's mind is itself again. 
 
 It had but suffered for a moment 
 86 
 
 . i 
 
*'U VOTZi XH A HUM OX KA£r*BU2{81liai, MSOS' 
 

Sbc Aarcd of tbc WMtt •sard 
 
 what comes to most men when they 
 recognize first that they are being 
 shadowed by the awful ban of " Lost. " 
 
 Gasp^ Toujours and Jeff Hyde 
 had lain down in the tent the night 
 of the great wind and had gone to 
 sleep at once. The staff had been 
 blown down, the tent had fallen over 
 them, the drift had covered them, 
 and for three days they had slept 
 beneath the snow ; never waking. 
 
 Jeff Hyde's sight was come again 
 to him. " You've come back for the 
 book," he said ; " you couldn't go on 
 without it. You ought to have taken 
 it yesterday " ; and he drew it from 
 his bosom. 
 
 " No, Jeff, I've not come back for 
 that : and I did not leave you yester- 
 day : it is three days and more since 
 89 
 
MICROCOPY RESOLUTION TEST CHART 
 
 (ANSI and ISO TEST CHART No. 2) 
 
 A APPLIED IIVMGE Inc 
 
 1653 East Main Street 
 Rochester, Ne* York 14609 
 (716) 482 - 0300 - Phone 
 (716) 288 - 5989 - Fax 
 
 USA 
 
I 
 
 Zbc Aaccb of tbe mbite Ouard 
 
 we parted. The book Aas brought 
 us luck, and the best! We have 
 found Aim; and they'll be hereto- 
 night with him. I came on ahead 
 to see how you fared." 
 
 In that frost-bitten world Jeff 
 Hyde uncovered his head for a mo- 
 ment. "Gaspe Toujours is a Pa- 
 pist, " he said ; " but he read me some 
 of that book the day you left, and 
 one thing we went to sleep on: it 
 was that about 'Lightenin' the dark- 
 ness, and defendin' us from all the 
 perils and dangers of this night. ' " 
 Here Gasp^ Toujours made the sign 
 of the cross. Jeff Hyde continued 
 half apologetically for his comrade, 
 " It comes natural to Gasp6 Toujours 
 —I guess it always does to Papists. 
 But I never had any trainin' that 
 90 
 
JLbe Aarcb of tbe TnUbfte Guard 
 
 ht 
 
 0- 
 
 id 
 ff 
 
 3- 
 l- 
 
 le 
 d 
 it 
 
 way, and I had to turn the thing 
 over and over, and I fell asleep on 
 it. And when I wake up three days 
 after, here's my eyes as fresh as 
 daisies, and you back, Captain, and 
 the thing done that we come to do ! " 
 
 He put the book into the hands of 
 Jaspar Hume, and Gasp^ Toujours 
 at that moment said, " See ! " And 
 far off, against the eastern horizon, 
 appeared a group of moving figures! 
 
 That night the broken segments 
 of the White Guard were reunited, 
 and Varre Lepage slept by the side 
 of Jaspar Hume. 
 
 9t 
 
I 
 
VI. 
 
 To conquer is to gain courage and 
 unusual powers of endurance. Na- 
 poleon might have marched back 
 from Moscow with undecimated le- 
 gions safely enough, if the heart of 
 those legions had not been crushed. 
 The White Guard, with their faces 
 turned homeward and the man they 
 had sought for in their care, seemed 
 to have acquired new strength. 
 Through days of dreadful cold, 
 through nights of appalling fierce- 
 ness, through storm upon the plains 
 that made for them paralyzing cover- 
 lets, they marched. And if Varre 
 Lepage did not grow stronger, life at 
 93 
 
gbe Itntch of tbe TBUbfte Oiuird 
 
 '2 
 
 11 
 
 ilf 
 
 •r ! 
 
 ! 5 
 
 ! II 
 
 least was kept in him, and he had 
 once more the desire to live. 
 
 There was I nle speech among 
 them, but once in a while Gasp€ 
 Toujours sang snatches of the songs 
 of the voyagers of the great rivers; 
 and the hcirts of all were strong. 
 Between Jacques and his master 
 there was occasional demonstration. 
 Jacques seemed to know that a load 
 was beii:g lifted from the heart of 
 Jaspar Hume, and Jaspar Hume, on 
 the twentieth day homeward, said 
 with his hand on the dog's head, 
 " It had to be done, Jacques; even a 
 dog could see that ! " 
 
 And so it was "all right" for the 
 
 White Guard. One day when the 
 
 sun was warmer than usual over Fort 
 
 Providence, and just sixty-five days 
 
 94 
 
TTbe Aarcb of tbe TDSlbfte OuarO 
 
 since that cheer had gone up from 
 apprehensive hearts for brave men 
 going out into the Barren Grounds, 
 Sergeant Gosse, who every day and 
 of late many times a day, had swept 
 the northeast with a field-glass, 
 rushed into the Chief Factor's office, 
 and with a broken voice cried, " The 
 White Guard ! The White Guard ! " 
 and pointed toward the northeast. 
 And then he leaned his arm and 
 head against the wall and sobbed. 
 And the old Factor rose from his 
 chair tremblingly, and said " Thank 
 God," and went hurriedly into the 
 square. But he did not go steadily 
 — the joyous news had shaken him, 
 sturdy old pioneer as he was. As 
 he passes out one can see that a 
 fringe of white has grown about his 
 95 
 
trbe Aarcb of tbe mbite OtuirD 
 
 ?r 
 
 temples in the last two months. 
 The people of the Fort had said, 
 they had never seen him so irascible, 
 yet so gentle ; so uneasy, yet so re- 
 served; so stern r ^vLt the mouth, 
 yet so kind about . eyes as he had 
 been since Jaspar Hume had gone 
 with his brave companions on this 
 desperate errand. 
 
 Already the handful of people at 
 the Fort had gathered. Indians left 
 the store and joined the rest; the 
 Factor and Sergeant Gosse set out to 
 meet the little army of relief. God 
 knows what was in the hearts of the 
 Chief Factor and Jaspar Hume when 
 they shook hands. To the Factor's 
 "In the name of the Hudson Bay 
 Company, Mr. Hume," there came 
 "By the help of God, sir," and he 
 
 
 i 
 
Zbe Aarcb of tbe Tnbtte 0uatd 
 
 pointed to the sled whereon Varre 
 Lepage lay. A feeble hand was 
 clasped in the burly hand of the 
 Factor, and then they fell into line 
 again, Cloud - in - the - Sky running 
 ahead of the dogs. Snow had fallen 
 on them, and as they entered the 
 stockade, men and dogs were white 
 from head to foot. 
 
 The White Guard had come back ! 
 
 They were met with cries of praise, 
 
 broken by an occasional choking 
 
 sound from men like Sergeant 
 
 Gosse. Jaspar Hume as simply ac- 
 
 t. ^ledged his welcome as he had 
 
 I' uQ the Godspeed two months and 
 
 more ago. He with the Factor bore 
 
 the sick man in, and laid him on his 
 
 own bed. Then he came outside, 
 
 and when they cheered him again, 
 
 7 97 
 
gbc ABarcb of tbe xabite Ouard 
 
 ='* 
 
 f! 
 
 he said, "We have come safely 
 through and I am thankful. But 
 remember that my comrades in this 
 march deserve your cheers in this as 
 much as I. Without them I could 
 have done nothing in the perils that 
 lay between here and the Barren 
 Grounds." 
 
 " In our infirmities and in all our 
 dangers and necessities," added Jeff 
 Hyde, "the luck of the world was 
 in the book ! " 
 
 In another half-hour the White 
 Guard was at ease, and four of them 
 were gathered about the great stove 
 in the store, Cloud-in-the-Sky smok- 
 ing placidly, and full of guttural 
 emphasis; Late Carscallen moving 
 his animal-like jaws with a sense of 
 satisfaction; Gasp6 Toujours talking 
 98 
 
in Chinook to the Indians, in patois 
 to the French clerk: and in broken 
 English to them all ; and Jeff Hyde 
 exclaiming on the wonders of the 
 march, the finding of Varre Lepage 
 at Manitou Mountain, and of himself 
 and Gasp€ Toujours buried in the 
 snow. 
 
 99 
 
i i 
 
VII. 
 
 In Jaspa Hume's house at mid- 
 night Varre Lepage lay asleep with 
 his wife's letters — received through 
 the Factor — clasped to his breast. 
 The firelight played upon a face 
 prematurely old — a dark disappoint- 
 ed face — a doon:4ed face, as it seemed 
 to the Factor. 
 
 "You knew him, then," the Far- 
 tor said, after a long silence. 
 
 "Yes; I knew him well, years 
 ago," replied Jaspar Hume. 
 
 Just then the sick mar stirret' In 
 bis sleep, and said disjoimi dly, " 1 11 
 make it all right to you, Jaspar." 
 Then came a pause and a quicker 
 
 lOI 
 
•■I — 
 
 Zbe Aarcb of tbe TOOlbite (Buarb 
 
 utterance, "Rose — I — love you — 
 Forgive — forgive ! " 
 
 The Factor rose and turned to go, 
 and Jaspar Hume, with a despairing, 
 sorrowful gesture, went over to the 
 bed. 
 
 Again the voice said, " Ten years 
 — I have repented ten years — My 
 wife — Don't, don't! — I dare not 
 speak — Jaspar forgives me, oh. 
 Rose ! " 
 
 The Factor touched Jaspar Hume's 
 arm. "This is delirium," he said 
 " He has fever. You and I must 
 nurse him, Hume. You can trust 
 me — you understand." 
 
 "Yes, I can trust you," was the 
 reply. " But I can tell you nothing." 
 
 " I do not want to know an3rthing. 
 If you can watch till two o'clock I 
 
 I02 
 
JSbc Aarcb of tbe 'Ullbtte Ouacb 
 
 will relieve you. I'll send the medi- 
 cine chest over. You know hov/ to 
 treat him." 
 
 The Factor passed out and the 
 other was left alone with the man 
 who had wronged him. The feeling 
 most active in his mind was pity, 
 and as he prepared a draught from 
 his own stock of medicines, he 
 thought the past and the present all 
 over. He knew that however much 
 he had suffered, this man had suf- 
 fered more. And in this silent 
 night there was broken down any 
 slight barrier that may have stood 
 between Varre Lepage and his com- 
 plete compassion. Having effaced 
 himself from the calculation, justice 
 became forgiveness. 
 
 He moistened the sick man's lips 
 103 
 
(Tbe Aaccb of tbe HQlbite Ouarb 
 
 and bathed his forehead, and roused 
 him once to take a quieting powder. 
 Then he sat down and wrote to Rose 
 Lepage. But he tore the letter up 
 again and said to the dog: "No, 
 Jacques, I cannot; the Factor must 
 do it. She needn't know yet that it 
 was I with the White Guard who 
 saved him. It doesn't make any 
 burden of gratitude for her, if my 
 name is kept out of it. And the 
 Factor mustn't mention me, Jacques 
 — not yet. And when he is well we 
 will go to London with It, Jacques, 
 and we needn't meet her; and it 
 will be all right, Jacques : all right ! " 
 And the dog seemed to under- 
 stand ; for he went over to the box 
 that held It; and looked at his 
 
 master. And Jaspar Hume rose 
 104 
 
tlbe Aarcb of tbc XQlbtte Ouarb 
 
 and broke the seal and unlocked the 
 box and opened it ; but he heard the 
 sick man moan and he closed it again 
 and went over to the bed. The 
 feeble voice said, " I must speak — I 
 cannot die so — not so — Jaspar." 
 
 And Jaspar Hume murmured, 
 "God help him." And he moist- 
 ened the lips once again, and put a 
 cold cloth on the fevered head, and 
 then sat down by the fire again. 
 And Varre Lepage slept. As if 
 some charm had been in that " God 
 help him," the restless hands grew 
 quiet, the breath became more regu- 
 lar, and the tortured mind found a 
 short peace. With the old debating 
 look in his eyes, Jaspar Hume sat 
 until the Factor relieved him. 
 
 105 
 
 
I 
 
 II 
 
 ii 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 1 1 
 
VIII. 
 
 Februarv and March and April 
 were past and May was come. Varre 
 Lepage had had a hard struggle for 
 life, but he had survived. For 
 weeks everj' night there was a repe- 
 tition of that first night after the re- 
 turn : delirious self-condemnation, 
 entreaty, and love of his wite, and 
 Jaspar Hume's name mentioned now 
 and again in shuddering remorse. 
 With the help of the Indian who had 
 shared the sick man's sufferings in 
 the Barren Grounds, the Factor and 
 Jaspar Hume nursed him back to 
 life. Between the two watchers, no 
 
 word had passed after the fiist night 
 107 
 
tn>e Aarcb of tbe WLbitc Ouar^ 
 
 regarding the substance of Varre 
 Lepage's delirium. But one even- 
 ing the Factor was -vatching alone, 
 and the repentant man from his 
 feverish sleep cried out, "Hush, 
 hush; don't let them know — I stole 
 them both from him — and the baby 
 died because of that ; God took it — 
 and Rose did not know! She did 
 not know ! " 
 
 The Factor rose and walked away. 
 The dog was watching him. He 
 said to Jacques : " You have a good 
 master, Jacques — too good and great 
 for the H. B. C." 
 
 loS 
 
IX. 
 
 It is the loth of May. In an 
 annchair made of hickory and birch- 
 bark by Cloud-in-the-Sky, sits Varre 
 Lepage reading a letter from his 
 wife. She is at Winnipeg, and is 
 coming west as far as Regina to 
 meet him on his way down. He 
 looks a wreck; but a handsome 
 wreck! His refined features, his 
 soft black beard and blue eyes, nis 
 graceful hand and gentle manners, 
 one would scarcely think belonged 
 to an evil-hearted man. He sits in 
 the sunlight at the door, wrapped 
 about in moose and beaver skins. 
 This world of plain and wood is 
 109 
 
 
 III 
 1 1 
 
VbemAtcb of tbe TiDlblte euard 
 
 ; . 
 
 * ■ 
 
 11:' 
 
 glad. Not so Varre Lepage. He 
 
 sat and thought of what was to come. 
 
 He had hoped at times that he would 
 
 die, but twice Jaspar Hume had said, 
 
 " I demand your life : you owe it to 
 
 your wife— to me—to God!" And 
 
 he had pulled his heart up to this 
 
 demand and had lived. But what 
 
 lay before him? He saw a stony 
 
 track, and he shuddered. The Bar 
 
 of Justice and Restitution raised its 
 
 cold barriers before him; and he 
 
 was not strong ! 
 
 As he sat there facing his future 
 Jaspar Hume came to him and said, 
 "If vou feel up to it, Lepage, we 
 will start for Edmonton and Sho- 
 vanne on Monday. I think it will 
 be quite safe, and your wife is anx- 
 lous. I shall accompany you as far 
 no 
 
TTbe Aarcb of tbe 'QSlbtte Otuitb 
 
 as Edmonton ; you can then proceed 
 to Shovanne by easy stages, and so 
 on east in the pleasant weather. 
 Are you ready to go? " 
 "VesI I am ready." 
 
 XII 
 
!■ ! 
 
X. 
 
 On a beautiful May evening Varre 
 Lepage, Jaspar Hume, and the White 
 Guard are welcomed at Fort Edmon- 
 ton by the officer in command df the 
 Mounted Police. They are to enjoy 
 the hospitality of the Fort for a 
 couple of days, before they pass on. 
 Jaspar Hume is to go back with 
 Cloud-in-the-Sky and Late Carscal- 
 len, and a number of Indian carriers, 
 for this is a journey of business too. 
 Gasp6 Toujours and Jeff Hyde are 
 to press on with Varre Lepage, who 
 is now much stronger and better. 
 One day passes, and on the follow- 
 ing mortiing Jaspar Hume gives in- 
 8 Hi 
 
Obe iAarcb of tbc Vllbtte euarb 
 
 ) 
 
 ill 
 
 structions to Gasp^ Toujours and Jeff 
 Hyde, and makes preparations for 
 his going back. He is standing in 
 the Barracks Square, when a horse> 
 man rides in and inquires of a ser- 
 geant standing near, if Varre Lepage 
 has arrived at the Fort. A few 
 words bring out the fact that Rose 
 Lepage is nearing the Fort from the 
 south, being determined to come on 
 from Shovanne to meet her husband. 
 The trooper thinks she is now about 
 eight or ten miles awiy ; but is not 
 sure. He had been sent on ahead 
 the day before, but his horse having 
 met with a slight accident, he had 
 been delayed. He had seen the 
 party, however, a long distance back 
 in the early morning. He must 
 
 now ride away and meet Mrs. Le- 
 114 
 
Sbc iftarcb of tbc Vlbttc Ouitb 
 
 page, he said. He was furnished 
 with a fresh horse and he left, bear- 
 ing a message to the loyal wife from 
 Varre Lepage. 
 
 Jaspar Hume decided to leave 
 Fort Edmonton at once, and to take 
 all the White Guard back with him ; 
 and gave orders to that effect. He 
 entered the room where Varre Le- 
 page sat alone, and said : " Varre Le- 
 page, the time has come for us to 
 say good-by. I am starting at once 
 for Fort Providence." 
 
 But the other replied : " You will 
 wait until my wife comes. You 
 must," There was pain in his voice. 
 
 "I must not." 
 
 Varre Lepage braced himself for 
 a heavy task and said: "Jaspar 
 Hume, if the time has come to say 
 "5 
 
 : 'fi 
 
tTbe ASarcb of tbe Wbite (3uard 
 
 good-by, it has also come when 
 we should speak together for once 
 openly : to settle, in so far as can be 
 done, a long account. You have 
 not let my wife know who saved me. 
 That appears from her letters. She 
 asks the name of my rescuer. I have 
 not yet told her. But she will know 
 that to-day, when I tell her all." 
 " When you tell her all? " 
 "When I tell her all." 
 *' But you shall not do that." 
 " I will. It will be the beginning 
 of the confession which I shall after- 
 ward make to the world." 
 
 " By Heaven you shall not do It. 
 Coward! Would you wreck her 
 life?" Jaspar Hume's face was 
 wrathful, and remained so till the 
 
 other sank back in the chair with his 
 ii6 
 
 ■ f 
 
^1 
 
 Zbe Aarcb of tbc TRUbite (9uar& 
 
 forehead in his hands: but it soft- 
 ened as he saw this remorse and 
 shame. He began to see that Varre 
 Lepage had not clearly grasped the 
 whole situation. He said in quieter, 
 but still firm tones: "No, Lepage, 
 that matter is between us two, and 
 us alone. She must never know — 
 the world therefore must never 
 know. You did an unmanly thing : 
 you are suffering a manly remorse. 
 Now let it end here— but I swear it 
 shall," he said in fierce tones as the 
 other shook his head negatively ; " I 
 would have let you die at Manitou 
 Mountain, if I had thought you 
 would dare to take away your wife's 
 peace — your children's respect." 
 " I have no children ; our baby 
 
 died." 
 
 117 
 
 s 
 
Sbe Aarcb of tbe Mbtte Guard 
 
 'III 
 
 Jaspar Hume again softened; 
 "Can you not see, Lepage? The 
 thing cannot be mended." Just 
 the2 his hand touched the book that 
 he still carried in his bosom, and as 
 if his mother had whispered to him, 
 he continued : " I bury it all, and so 
 must you. You will begin the world 
 again — old friend — and so shall I. 
 Keep your wife's love and respect. 
 Henceforth you will deserve it." 
 
 Varre Lepage raised moist eyes to 
 the other and said : " But you will 
 take back the money I got for 
 that ! " 
 
 There was a pause, then Jaspar 
 
 Hume replied: "Yes, upon such 
 
 terms, times, and conditions as I 
 
 shall hereafter fix. And you have 
 
 no child, Lepage? " he gently added. 
 ii8 
 
Cbc ittarc b ct tbe TObtte guarP 
 
 " We have no child ; it died with 
 
 my fame." 
 
 Jaspar Hume looked steadily into 
 the eyes of the man who had wronged 
 him : " Remember, Varre, you begin 
 the world again. I am going now. 
 By the memory of old days, good- 
 by"; and he held out his hand. 
 Varre Lepage took it and rose trem- 
 blingly to his feet, and said, " You 
 are a good man, Jaspar Hume. 
 Good-by!" 
 
 The Sub-factor turned at the door. 
 " If it will please you, tell your wife 
 that I saved you. Some one will 
 tell her; perhaps I would rather— at 
 least it would be more natural, if 
 you did it." He passed out into the 
 heat of sunshine that streamed into 
 the room and fell across the figure 
 119 
 
(Tbe Aarcb of tbe TTObtce Ouarb 
 
 I M 
 
 of Varre Lepage, who sat and said 
 dreamily, "And begin the world 
 again." 
 
 Before Jaspar Hume mounted, al- 
 most immediately after, to join the 
 White Guard now ready for the 
 journey back, Jacques sprang upon 
 him and pushed his nose against his 
 master's heart. And once again, 
 and for the last time that we shall 
 hear it, Jaspar Hume said, " It's all 
 right, Jacques." 
 
 And then they started for the 
 north again. As they were doing 
 so, a shadow fell across the sunlight 
 that streamed upon Varre Lepage. 
 He looked up. There was a startled 
 cry of joy, an answering exclamation 
 of love, and Rose Lepage was locked 
 in her husband's arms. 
 
 I20 
 
trbe Aarcb of tbe tKnbite 0navb 
 
 A few moments after and the 
 sweet-faced woman said : " Who was 
 that man who rode away to the 
 north as I came up, Varre? He re- 
 minded me of some one, but I can't 
 think who it is." 
 
 " That was the leader of the White 
 Guard, the man who saved me, my 
 wife." He paused a moment and 
 then solemnly said, " That man was 
 Jaspar Hume ! " 
 
 The wife rose to her feet with a 
 spring. " He saved you! He saved 
 you ! Jaspar Hume ! — oh, Varre ! " 
 " He saved me, Rose ! " 
 Her eyes were wet: "And he 
 would not stay and let me thank 
 him! Poor fellow: poor Jaspar — 
 Hume ! Has he then been up here 
 these ten years? " 
 
 121 
 
Vb€ Aarcb of tbe Mbite Ouarb 
 
 
 Her face was flushed, and pain 
 was struggling with the joy she felt 
 in seeing her husband again. 
 
 "Yes, he has been up here all 
 that time." 
 
 "He has not succeeded in life, 
 Varre ! " and her thoughts went back 
 to the days when, blind and ill, 
 Jaspar Hume went away for health's 
 sake, and she remembered how sorry 
 then she felt for him, and how 
 grieved she was that when he came 
 back strong and well, he did not 
 come near her or her husband, and 
 offered no congratulations. She had 
 not deliberately wronged him. She 
 did not know he wished her to be 
 his wife. She knew he cared for 
 her; but so did Varre Lepage. A 
 promise had been given to neither 
 
 133 
 
«be Aatcb ot tbe TObite Ouat& 
 
 when Jaspar Hume went away; and 
 after that she grew to love the suc- 
 cessful, kind-mannered genius who 
 became her husband. Even in this 
 happiness of hers, sitting once again 
 at her husband's feet, she thought 
 with a tender and glowing kindness 
 of the man who had cared for her 
 eleven years ago; and who had but 
 
 now saved her husband. 
 
 "He has not succeeded in life," 
 
 she repeated softly. 
 
 Looking down at her, his brow 
 
 burning with a white heat, Varre 
 
 Lepage said, "He is a great man, 
 
 my wife." 
 
 "I am sure he is a good man," 
 
 she added. 
 
 Perhaps Varre Lepage had bor- 
 rowed some strength from Jaspar 
 123 
 
■' I 
 
 TCbe Aarcb of tbe Mblte Oiurd 
 
 fi 
 
 Hume, for he said almost sternly, 
 " He is a ^reat man." 
 
 His wife looked up half-startled at 
 the tone and said, "Yes, dear; he is 
 a good man — and a great man. " 
 
 The sunlight still came in through 
 the open door. The Saskatchewan 
 flowed swiftly between its verdant 
 banks, an eagle went floating away 
 to the west, robins made vocal a 
 solitary tree a few yards away, troop- 
 ers moved back and forward across 
 the square, and a hen and her chick- 
 ens came fluttering to the threshold. 
 The wife looked at the yellow brood 
 drawing close to their mother, and 
 her eyes grew wistful. She thought 
 of their one baby asleep in an Eng- 
 lish grave. But thinking of the 
 
 words of the captain of the White 
 124 
 
«be Aaccb of tbc TObite guatP 
 
 Guard, Varre Lepage said, " We will 
 begin the world again, my wife." 
 
 She smiled, and rose to kiss his 
 forehead as the hen and chickens 
 hastened away from the door, and 
 a clear bugle call sounded in the 
 
 square. 
 
 "Yes, dear," she said, "we will 
 
 begin the world again." 
 
 "S 
 
 ■■■I 
 
XL 
 
 Eleven years have gone since 
 that s-^ene was enacted at Edmonton, 
 and the curtain rises for the last act 
 of that drama of life which is con- 
 nected with the brief history of the 
 White Guard. 
 
 A great gathering is dispersing 
 
 from a hall in Piccadilly. It has 
 
 been drawn together to do honor to 
 
 a man who has achieved a triumph 
 
 in engineering science. As he steps 
 
 from the platform to go he is greeted 
 
 by a fusilade of cheers. He bows 
 
 calmly and kindly. He is a man of 
 
 vigorous yet reserved aspect ; he has 
 
 a rare individuality. He receives 
 127 
 
 \i 
 
gbc iftarcb of tbc VBbite Otuirb 
 
 with a quiet cordiality the personal 
 congratulations of his friends. He 
 remains for some time in conversa- 
 tion with a royal Duke, who takes 
 his arm and with him passes into the 
 street. The Duke is a member of 
 this great man's club, and offers him 
 a seat in his brougham. Amid the 
 cheers of the people they drive away 
 together. Inside the club there are 
 fresh congratulations, and it is pro- 
 posed to arrange an impromptu din- 
 ner, at which the Duke will preside. 
 But with modesty and honest thanks 
 the great man declines. He pleads 
 an engagement. He had pleaded 
 this engagement the day before to a 
 well-known society. After his health 
 is proposed he makes his adieus, and 
 leaving the club, walks away toward 
 128 
 
 m 
 
 YWW' 
 
Vbe Aarcb of tbc VBbftc Ouatd 
 
 a West-end square. In one of its 
 streets he pauses and enters a build- 
 ing called "Providence Chambers." 
 His servant hands him a cablegram. 
 He passes to his library, and stand- 
 ing before the fire, opens it. It 
 reads: "My wife and I send con- 
 gratulations to the great man." 
 
 Jaspar Hume stands for a moment 
 looking at the fire, and then says 
 simply, " I wish my poor old Jacques 
 were here." He then sits down and 
 writes this letter : — 
 
 "Mv DEAR Friends: — Your cable- 
 gram has made me glad. The day 
 is over. My last idea was more suc- 
 cessful than I even dared to hope; 
 and the world has been kind. I 
 went down to see your boy, Jaspar, 
 at Clifton last week. It was the 
 9 "9 
 
gbe Aarcb of tbe TBUblte Ouart 
 
 S.t.! 
 
 13th, his birthday, you know, ten 
 years old, and a clever, strong-mind- 
 ed little fellow. He is quite con- 
 tented. As he is my god-child I 
 again claimed the right of putting 
 a thousand dollars to his credit in 
 the bank-I have to speak of dollars 
 to you people living in Canada— 
 which I have done on his every 
 birthday. When he is twenty-one 
 he will have twenty-one thousand 
 dollars— quite enough for a start in 
 life. We get along well together, 
 and I think he will develop a fine 
 faculty for science. In the summer, 
 as I said, I will bring him over to 
 you. There is nothing more to say 
 to-night except that I am as always, 
 "Your faithful friend, 
 
 "Jaspar Hume." 
 
 130 
 
tTbe Aarcb of tbe IQlbite (Suatb 
 
 A moment aftc tbc ittter was 
 finished the servmt entered and 
 announced "Mr. itt Carscallen." 
 With a smile and hearty greeting 
 the great man and this member 
 of the White Guard meet. It was 
 to entertain his old Arctic com- 
 rade that Jaspar Hume had declined 
 to be entertained by society or 
 club. A little while after, seated at 
 the table, the ex-Sub-factor said, 
 " You found your brother well, Cars- 
 callen?" 
 
 The jaws moved slowly as of old. 
 "Ay, that, and a grand minister, 
 Captain." 
 
 " He wanted you to stay in Scot- 
 land, I suppose." 
 
 " Ay, that, but there's no place for 
 
 me like Fort Providence." 
 131 
 
^beAatcb of tbe mbite 9Mtb 
 
 " Try this pheasant. And you are 
 Sub-factor now, Carscallen ! " 
 
 "There's two of us Sub-factors— 
 Jeff Hyde and myself. Mr. Field is 
 old and can't do much work, and 
 trade is heavy now." 
 
 " Yes ; I hear from the Factor now 
 and then. And Gaspe Toujours? " 
 
 " He went away three years ago, 
 but he said he'd come back. He 
 never did though. Jeff Hyde be- 
 lieves he will. He says to me a 
 hundred times: 'Carscallen, he made 
 the sign of the cross that he'd come 
 back from Saint Gabrielle ; and that's 
 next to the Book with a Papist. If 
 he's alive he'll come.' " 
 
 "Perhaps he will, Carscallen. 
 And Cloud-in-the-Sky?" 
 "He's still there, and comes in 
 13a 
 
XSbe Aarcb or tbe White Ouarb 
 
 and smokes with Jeff Hyde and me, 
 as he used to do with you, sir; but 
 he doesn't obey our orders as he did 
 those of the Captain of the White 
 Guard. He said to me when I left, 
 ' You see Strong-back, tell him 
 Cloud-in-the-Sky good Indian — he 
 never forget. How ! ' " 
 
 Jaspar Hume raised his glass with 
 smiling and thoughtful eyes: "To 
 Cloud-in-the-Sky and all who never 
 forget!" he said. 
 
 I3J