Trails of mist floated among the pines that stretched their ragged¹ branches across the swollen² river. Though there had been rain in abundance, it flowed crystal clear out of the trackless wilderness³ of rock and forest that rolls north from the Lake of Shadows toward Hudson Bay. This rugged⁴ belt, which extends from Ottawa River to the fertile prairie, had until very recent days been regarded as valueless to man, except for the purpose of trapping fur-bearing animals. The pines are, for the most part, too small for milling, and there is little soil among the curiously⁵ rounded rocks. Moreover, the agents of the Hudson Bay Company, which long held dominion⁶ over the Canadian wilds, did not encourage the intrusion of adventurous⁷ settlers into their fur preserves. At last, however, the discovery that there were valuable minerals in the rocks was made, and hardy⁸ treasure-seekers braved the rigors⁹ of the North.