ides you will find grass and little bushes. As this is the
place where the bears are most apt to be, and as you could not see
them anyhow if they were anywhere else, that is where the hunters look
for them. Late in the afternoon is the best time to find a grizzly on
a slide. You see, his fur is very hot for him, and he doesn't like the
open sun, and stays in until the cooler hours of the day. Evidently
Leo has found some creeks down below in the Canoe Valley where the
hunters have not yet got in, and that is why he made such a big hunt
last spring. Indeed, there are a number of creeks which come into the
Columbia from the west where almost no hunting has ever been done, and
where, very likely, one could make a good bear-hunt any time this
month."

The boys all agreed that the prospects of getting a grizzly apiece
seemed very good indeed, and so set to work with much enthusiasm in
the task of re-embarking, on the rapid waters of the Canoe River, here
a small and raging stream, but with water sufficient to carry down the
two bateaux. Their man with the wagon, without saying good-by, turned
and went back to his village on the banks of the Fraser. Thus in the
course of a day, the young travelers found themselves in an entirely
different country, bound upon a different route, and with a wholly
different means of transport. The keen delight of this exciting form
of travel took hold upon them, and Uncle Dick and Moise, who handled
the rear boat, in which all the boys were passengers, had all they
could do to keep them still and to restrain their wish to help do some
of the paddling.

Leo and his cousin George, as has been stated, took the lead in the
boat which the party christened the _Lizzie W._, in honor of Jesse's
mother. The rear boat they called the _Bronco_, because of her antics
in some of the fast rapids which from time to time they encountered.

For a time they made none too rapid progress on their stream, which,
though deep enough, was more or less clogged with sweepers and
driftwood in some of the bends. Uncle Dick gave Leo orders not to go
more than one bend ahead, so that in case of accident the boats would
be in touch with each other. Thus very often the rear boat ran up on
the forward one, lying inshore, and held ready to line down some bad
chute of the stream.

In this work all bore a hand. The lines to be used were made of
rawhide, which would have been slippery except for the large knots
tied every foot