thick, red moose steak, and a warm place to sleep in," Benson savagely
rejoined. "Anyhow, it will help us to light our fire, and we have a
bit of whitefish and a few hard bannocks left."

Blake shared his comrade's disappointment. He was tired and hungry,
and felt irritated by Harding's satisfaction. For all that, he chopped
wood and made camp, and their frugal supper was half eaten before he
turned to the American.

"Now," he said, "you may as well tell us what you think about this gas."

"First of all," Harding answered good-humouredly, "it indicates that
there's oil somewhere about; the two generally go together. Anyhow, if
there were only gas, it would be worth exploiting so long as we found
enough of it, but judging by the pressure there's not much here."

"What would you do with gas in this wilderness?"

"In due time, I or somebody else would build a town. Fuel's power and
if you could get it cheap I expect you'd find minerals that would pay
for working. Men with money in Montreal and New York are looking for
openings like this, and no place is too remote to build a railroad to
if you can ensure freight."

"You're the most sanguine man I ever met," Blake said, grinning. "Take
care your optimism doesn't ruin you."

"I wonder," Harding continued, "whether Clarke knows about this gas,
and on the whole I think it probable. We can't be very far from the
Stony camp, and there's reason to believe he's been prospecting this
district. It's oil he's out for."

"How did the thing get lighted?" Benson asked in an indifferent tone.

Harding smiled as he gave him a sharp glance. He had failed in his
search for the gum and did not expect his companions to share his
enthusiasm over a new plan. They had, however, promised to support
him, and that was enough, for he believed he might yet show them the
way to prosperity.

"Well," he said, "I guess I can't blame you for not feeling very keen,
but that's not the point. I can't answer what you ask, and I believe
our forest wardens are now and then puzzled about how bush fires get
started. We have crossed big belts of burnt trees in a country where
we saw no signs of Indians."

"If this blower has been burning long, the Stonies must have known of
it," Blake remarked. "Isn't it curious that no news of it has reached
the settlements?"

"I'm not sure," Harding rejoined. "They may venerate the thing, and
anyway, they're smart in some respects. They know that