t, Leo," he resumed.

"All right. Got two boats," said Leo. "I make 'um." And he led the way
to an open spot in the bushes where there stood two newly completed
boats, flat-bottomed and double-ended, with high sides, the material
all made of whip-sawed lumber gotten out by Leo and his people.

Uncle Dick walked up to the boats and looked them over carefully.
"Pretty heavy, Leo," said he, "but they'll do to run downhill all the
way."

"She's good boat," said Leo. "Need 'um strong."

"Yes, about twenty-two feet long each one--that will carry us and our
supplies nicely. You and your man will take one boat, and Moise and I
the other. I think I'll put the boys in our boat. What man are you
going to get to go with you, Leo?"

"My cousin George; he's good man. We make hunt last spring down the
Canoe River."

"What were you after?"

"After grizzlum bear."

"Did you get one?"

"No, not get one."

"Not one? And I thought that was a good bear country!"

"Not get _one_," said Leo. "Get sixteen."

"Sixteen! That's something different. That looks as though we might
expect some bears ourselves this spring."

"All right, plenty grizzlum. Maybe-so forty, fifty mile."

"What does he think about the running on the Canoe River, Uncle Dick?"
inquired Rob. "Is it going to be bad water?"

"Not too bad water," said Leo, turning to Rob. "Snow not too much melt
yet on big hills. We take wagon first."

"A wagon!" exclaimed John. "I didn't know there was a wagon within a
thousand miles."

"My cousin other side river," said Leo, proudly, "got wagon. Bring 'um
wagon two hunder' miles from Fort George on canoe. His horses heap
kick wagon sometam, but bime-by all right. We get work on railroad
bime-by."

Rob and John stood looking at each other somewhat puzzled. "Well,"
said John, "I thought we were coming to a wild country, but it looks
as though everybody here was getting ready to be civilized as fast as
possible. But even if we have a wagon, where are we going with it?"

"There's a perfectly good trail up to Cranberry Lake, the summit of
this divide, as I told you," said Uncle Dick. "I think Leo would
rather take one of the boats by wagon. The rest of us can push the
other boat up the McLennan, part way at least."

"Good trail," said Leo. "Suppose you'll like, we got horse trail down
Canoe River forty mile now. Many people come now. I been to
Revelstruck [Revelstoke] three tam, me and my cousin George--part way
horse, pa