The Border Boys in the Canadian Rockies

n to a feverish imagination. Even the professor suggested a dose of quinine; but Mountain Jim walked over after the mo

ure might be verified. But the ground was rocky, and the soft bed of the forest beyond held no tracks, so t

it?" questioned Mountain Jim as they made their way back to camp where the others were b

n that what I saw was a man, I would have fired. But who could it

lad to dream things, I can see that. But it's got me. If we'd been in the gold country now it might have been a

later in a startling manner, but for the present even Ralph began to[83] believe that he might have been the victim of some

t did they see. The day following the night on which Ralph had seen, or thought he had seen, the figure of the watching man, they encountered, for the first time, a tract of country commo

from their bare trunks, tower out of a desert expanse of[84] gray-black ash. Horses or foot travelers passing through, churn

n Jim had at first thought of making a detour up a mountain side, but after a consultation it was decided to press

ace the water in their canteens was gone, and their throats were clogged and lips[85] cracked from the dry, acrid dust that rose in clouds. From time to time the boys were compelled to rub their eyes to relieve the tingling smart in them, and speedily their faces were blackened like those of coal hea

ich needed urging with whip and voice through the desolation of the brulee. Now and then, far off, they could hear the crash of some forest giant as its

h things, and as Ralph and Harry Ware rode along they kept a bright an

r's fire," was the graphic way in which Hardware expressed his feelings, as

on. There was no knowing how far the brulee extended and they must push on and get to water, for already the ponies were beginning to show signs of distress. The poor animals' sweaty sides were caked with

a majestic forest, they pushed on. The only life in the brulee appeared to be th

led over a blackened trunk that lay across the trail, "but this beats anyt

they could see the forest of blackened trunks extended, the same carpet of ashen dust was everywhere. The sun, growing lower,

ed and cut by the charred logs and rocks. It was heartbreaking traveling, but of a kind th

ck animals. Mountain Jim never swore, but his range of words which were forceful and expressive without being profane, was amazing. Evidently, too, his adjurations had their effect o

on every hand, the close heat of the brulee made him drowsy. The voice of Mountain Jim f

of this beastly place," he rema

my face than you can help," rejoine

y, ordinarily the best and

loud of choking dust was spurned in his face by the heels of Harr

d to himself, "and it's a fact that this place would make

9

paces in front of Ralph. He did not apologize for his unthinking act of sm

n warned of the dangers of the brulee. In fact, the frequent crashing of half burned-through trees, as a vagrant wind caught them and snapped them off, would have been sufficient indicatio

fully drowsy, thought he saw a great blackened trunk directly ahead

driving his pony straight in a path whic

lung back Hardware crossly, and

had used on the border. He drove these into his pony's side and brought down his

pt to recover its equipoise. Directly under it was Harry Ware, sullenly riding on wit

hand fell on Hardware's bridle. He gave a tug that brought the latter

re was a deafening crash almost under the feet of the plunging ponies, and bo

killed!" shouted the pr

lunged wildly, almost unseating them, but Ralph held on till

ound that rang in thunderous reverberations along the steep rocks. The echoes flung back and forth till the[93] uproar was d

less and less frequent and a brooding sil

nt not two yards from them. His eyes filled with tears. He held out a b

choked out. "If it hadn't been for you, in my silly temp

ut Ralph's fingers closed

n as their fingers clasped. Hardware had learned a lesson there in the brulee t

ntain Jim, as the others rode u

r or more. By that time, as they rode on, the charred trunks were fewer and fewer, and an hour before sundown they came out of that "Valley of Desolation" into a

r of the mountain stream and watched Jim getting supper, assisted by Jimmie, while the ponies ravenously cropped the fresh, juicy grass. But it was days before[95] the last t