are finding one
reason or other for being in a hurry."

"Well, everything in here is in a hurry," was his uncle's answer. "All
the water's in a hurry, and all the engineers are in a hurry. But,
speaking of that, you may notice that below the lake here the slopes
are not quite so steep. The river is getting wider. By and by it will
be so tame that you really can run a boat on it. The Tete Jaune Cache
was what you might call the head of water transportation on the west
side--as far as the canoes dared attempt the Fraser going east. From
the Tete Jaune Cache it is possible to make a canoe journey up and
down the river between that point and Fort George, although every time
one makes the journey he takes his own chances."

"Is the Canoe River a very bad river, then?" demanded John.

"Well, as to that, she's jammed and drifted and overhung and fast, but
not so bad as the Peace River was in many places," replied Uncle Dick.
"I don't think we need have much anxiety as to that part of our
journey. At least, we'll not worry about it yet, for worrying doesn't
get anybody anything. I only hope that Mount Robson will not put on
his cap until we get down to the lower end of the Grand Fork Valley."

They found their trail now as it had been described, less dangerous.
Indeed, there was but one risky crossing, that of a rock slide which
ran down sheer to the river-bank, where a misstep might have been
fatal. They kept steadily on until at length they opened up the wide
valley of the Grand Fork, a tributary which comes down from the great
peaks which surround the noble mountain known as Robson.

When at last the full view up this valley unfolded before them they
pulled up and paused, not saying a word. It was a wonderful sight that
lay before them, one of the most wonderful in all the great Rockies.
On every hand ran frowning slopes crowned with dark forest growth,
flanked here and there by the yet darker shadows of the passing
clouds. But towering above all, and dwarfing all rivalry, there stood
before them one great, noble, white-topped peak, unshaded by any
clouds. As the boys gazed at it instinctively they took off their
caps.

"That's Robson!" said Uncle Dick, smiling. "Any way you look at it
it's big. Here you see a sheer wall of bare rock, thousands of feet.
The approach is steep as the roof of a house, as you can see. All over
it in every little valley there are glaciers. Any way you approach it
it's hard going when you