things will be common. People
will come out here on the cars by thousands, and complain about the
sleepers and the dining-car, when they are crossing the Rocky
Mountains, very likely. One day they'll have horseback trails through
here, as they do around Banff, and I suppose even old Mount Robson
will get more or less common one time or another. But at least we've
seen this country before those things happened.

"This is all there is to the old Cache. It's mostly a memory, but
history has written it down as one of the important places in the
Rockies. John, you must bring your map up to date here, at the Tete
Jaune Cache. And here your trail bends to the south, for now we're
going to follow the Columbia, and not the Fraser, after this, although
my railroad goes on down the Fraser.

"We'll ride over now to the village and see if we can find Leo," he
concluded, as he turned his horse back and started off in the
direction of the tepees.

XVII

LEO THE GRIZZLY-HUNTER

As our party of adventurers approached the Shuswap village, a little
bit removed from the bank of the Fraser, they were greeted with a
chorus of barking dogs. A number of children who had been playing in
the grass fled in fright into the tepees, from the doors of which,
none the less, presently appeared many heads alike of young and old.

As the horsemen pulled up in front of the central tepee there came out
to meet them a slight but hardy figure, not very tall, but erect and
strong, dressed in ordinary western garb, and a wide hat such as is
common in that part of the country. His face was dark, and his hair,
worn long, was braided, and fell to his shoulders on his neck. Grave
and unsmiling like most of his people, none the less his eyes wrinkled
a little bit about the corners as now he recognized the leader of the
band of horsemen. Advancing, he extended his hand to Uncle Dick and
greeted him very pleasantly.

"How-do," said he.

The party now dismounted, and their leader turned to his young
companions. "This," said he, "is Leo Tennes, the man I told you would
be our guide down the Canoe River. When I tell you that he has run the
Big Bend of the Columbia more than once I have said all there is to
say about his fitness."

He now introduced each of his young comrades in turn to Leo, who shook
hands with them gravely and with dignity, but looking at them keenly
meantime. He was evidently surprised at their youth, and perhaps none
too well pl