ose three peaks on ahead? Well, we've got to get on the
other side of them just as soon as we can. We can't afford to lose a
minute at this time of the year, for the fords will be bad enough even
as they are."

When at length their little pack-train began its slow course up the
valley of the Miette all the boys turned and looked behind them to say
good-by to the great valley of the Athabasca, which had served them as
a highway for so long. The excitement of their new adventures,
however, kept them keyed up, and certainly the dangers of the trail
were not inconsiderable.

The old pass of the traders now swung away from the river, now crossed
high ridges, only to drop again into boggy creek-bottoms and side-hill
muskeg. Several times they had to ford the Miette, no easy thing, and
at other times small streams which came down from the mountains at the
right also had to be crossed. The three white peaks ahead still served
as landmarks, but it was not until the second day that they reached
the flat prairie through which the Miette River now wandered, broken
into many little channels. Even here they found the going very soft
and difficult, now impeded by down timber, or again by a rushing
torrent where the ford had to be selected with the utmost care. John
and Jesse were tired by the end of their second day of this hard
travel; and even Rob, muddy to his knees from wading bogs, was glad
when at last their leader halted.

"It's all right, boys," said Uncle Dick. "I don't want to drive you
too hard, but I know perfectly well that every day counts with us now.
We've got bad country on ahead as well as bad country behind us, and
we must make it through before the spring floods are on. I suppose
you've noticed that all the creeks are worse late in the afternoon?
But I've waited at some of these little streams four and five days
without being able to ford at all."

They pushed on up through the open prairie-like country which now lay
on about them, continually a panorama of mountains unfolding before
them, all strange to them. An angle of the trail seemed to shut off
all the valley of the Miette from them, so that they seemed in a
different world.

"When will we get to the summit, Uncle Dick?" inquired Rob, after a
time, as they halted at the edge of a wide green valley in whose deep
grass for a time no running stream could be seen.

Uncle Dick smiled. "We're at the summit now, you might say," said he.
"I knew you couldn't