ke them so long to come down as it had to
ascend, but they were all tired when late that afternoon they arrived
at their camp on the little promontory.

Moise was overjoyed at their success, and was all for cooking some of
the meat at once; but Uncle Dick checked him.

"No," said he, "it's too fresh yet. Skin it out, Moise, and hang it up
overnight, at least. You may set a little of it to stew all night at
the fire, if you like. Soak some more of it overnight in salt and
water--and then I think you'd better throw away all the kettles that
you've used with this goat meat. It may be all right, but I'm afraid
it's going to be a long time before I learn to like goat. If this were
a mountain sheep, now, I could eat all that saddle myself."

Moise asked who killed the goat, and when told that it was John he
complimented him very much. For Rob's work with the camera he had less
praise.

"I s'pose she's all right to make picture of goat," said he, "but
s'pose a man he's hongree, he couldn't eat picture, could he?"

Rob only laughed at him. "You wait, Moise," said he. "When I get my
pictures made maybe you'd rather have one of them than another piece
of goat meat."

In spite of Uncle Dick's disgust, Moise that evening broiled himself a
piece of the fresh goat meat at the fire, and ate it with such relish
that the boys asked for a morsel or so of it themselves. To their
surprise, they found the tenderloin not so bad to eat. Thus, with one
excuse or another, they sat around the fire, happy and contented,
until the leader of the party at last drove them all off to bed.

"I like this place," said John, "even if I did come pretty nearly
getting drowned out there in the lake."

And indeed the spot had proved so pleasant in every way that it was
only with a feeling of regret that they broke camp on Yellowhead Lake
and proceeded on their westward journey.

XIV

DOWN THE FRASER

Up to this time on their journey the weather had continued most
favorable, there having been little rain to disturb them either on the
trail or in camp. Now, however, they were on the western slope of the
Rockies and in the moister climate of the Pacific region. When they
left camp on Yellowhead Lake it was in a steady downpour which left
them drenched thoroughly before they had gone a mile.

The trail, moreover, now proved not only uncomfortable, but dangerous,
the rain making the footing so soft that in many cases on steep slopes
they we