The Young Alaskans on the Trail

d what they were doing in allowing them to go so far and into a wild region, we shall be forced to leave as

light of a remote valley at the crest of the great Rocky Mountains; near that point, indeed, properly to be called

tter get some more wood together. The men'll be back

ey'll come back?" a

e noticed that he always does thi

, who was, by nature as well as by years perhaps, not

ry far," replied Rob, "bec

s out, carrying them on their backs all the

hat work isn't new to them. And, you know,

t the end of his pack here. I bet it weighed two hundred pounds at l

f complain about things. Alex is quieter than Moise, but I'll venture to say they'll both do their pa

king at the new watch which his mother had given him to take

quite agre

roughs. They beat any boat going for their weight,

ty small to me,

he Aleuts last year," ventured John. "Besides, I've not

boats as good as th

-ten men in her, and three thousand pounds of cargo besides. She was twenty-five feet long. Uncle Dick told me the Indians have dugouts farther down the river, but not ver

pretty good before we get through," was Rob's

of the journeys of the old fur-traders, Alexander Mackenzie, Simon Fras

ing as though he would be gladder to get back h

t's no trouble to go fifty miles a day straightaway traveling, or farther if we had to. Some

ong to go clear through

e not out to beat Sir Alexander's record,

very well," said Jesse; "I

ay understand it better when we get through," ventured

voice of Moise break out into a little song as he saw the light of the fire flickering among the trees. He laughed gaily as he stepped into the ri

asked of the boys, smiling and s

demanded Rob. "Here they are,

as lightly as though it were but an ordinary pack. Indeed, these two woodsmen were among the most

. Each of them had had an Indian mother, and the father of each was a white man, the one a silent Scot, of the Hudson Bay fur trade, the ot

d tall that the boys suddenly felt all uneasiness pass away from their minds. The twilight came on unnoticed, and in the light of the fire, freshly piled up with wood, the camp scene became bright and pleasant.

ise, "you must be tire

'll been leetle boat, not over hondred-

to push in to the lake. We load here in the morning, and I think there'll be plain sailing from here. It'

d Jesse, frankly, looking up from where he s

head, and making a better seat for him closer to the fire. Here h

the boys still slapping at their hands. "Well, bimeby he'll n

over with the

. But going down the river we'll camp on the beaches or bars, where the wind will strike us. In two or three weeks we'll be far

b, "and we have bars and gloves, of course. But

uietly. "You'll not be tenderf

t those boy," said Moise, from the fireside. "

t his queer way of speech, for by this time they h

comes cool breeze from the hill. Now those mosquito he'll hun

d come in with the packs. This he now finished cooking over the renewed fire, and by and by the odors arose so pleasantly th

just the way I've been taugh

. "I was thinkin

n. S'pose you ask me to put your hat on for you so you wouldn't need to touch it. I coul

," said Rob.

know," sm

eap and pushes the ends in when they burn throu

this, but ventu

to do as little work as possible, because there is always so much to d

te man long to get int

leave when they hear you chopping. So when we come into camp we build our fire as small as possible, and without cutting any more wood than we are obliged to. You see, we'll be gone the next morning,

the steaming tea-kettle by the side of the fire. And very soon th

e that," grinned Moise, pleasantly, drawing a little

ion," said John. "This stew i

per before all began to feel sleepy, for they had

lt. With this he hacked off a few boughs from the nearest pine-tree and threw them down in the first sheltered spot. Over this h

. "I don't think you'll sleep well, A

pipe. "We make our beds small when we have to carry them

down his own single blanket under a tree. "A dog she'll sl

under the edge of

our Uncle, who employed me. But you're to make your own beds, and

for those boy,

o do that for themselves. That's what their Uncle

a little bit," ven

You've got a good many boughs. They took noise and took time to gather. We'll see how simple a camp we can make after we get out on

Jesse. "You haven't got any tent ove

-night, that's certain," he added, knocking his pipe on the heel of his moccasin. "Throw the door of your tent open, beca

something which sounded a little like a snore

oor, and spoke in low tones, so that he might not di

said Rob,

eady. But say, isn't it comfy