They were rather tired; and, feeling
that their trip was practically over, with little excitement
remaining, they slept soundly and did not awake until the sun was
shining in their faces.

"Come on, fellows," said Jesse, kicking off his blankets. "I suppose
now we'll have to get used to washing in a real wash-basin and using a
real towel. Somehow I feel more sorry than happy, even if it was
rather rough work coming down the river."

This seemed to be the feeling of both the others, and they were not
talkative at the breakfast-table, where O'Brien had supplied them
with a fine meal, including abundance of fresh-laid eggs from his own
farm-yard.

After breakfast they employed themselves chiefly in making themselves
as tidy as they could and in packing their few personal possessions in
shape for railway transportation. Most of their outfit, however, they
gave away to the men who were to remain behind them. Toward noon the
whistle of the steamboat announced that she was ready to take up her
down-stream trip; so the young Alaskans were obliged to say good-by to
O'Brien, in whose heart they had found a warm place.

"Good luck to ye, byes," said he, "and don't be diggin' all the gold
up in Alaska, for 'tis myself'll be seein' ye wan of these days--'tis
a foine country entirely, and I'm wishin' fer a change."

Leo and George, without any instructions, had turned in to help the
boat crew in their work of pushing off. Moise, once aboard the boat,
seemed unusually silent and thoughtful for him, until Rob rallied him
as to his sorrowful countenance.

"Well," said Moise, "you boy will all go back on Alaska now, and Moise
she's got to go home on the Peace River. I'll not been scare of the
horse or the canoe, but this steamboat and those railroad train she'll
scare Moise plenty. All the time I'm think she'll ron off the track
and bust Moise."

"You mustn't feel that way," said Rob, "for that's Uncle Dick's
business--finding places for railroads to run. That's going to be my
business too, sometime, as I told you. I think it's fine--going out
here where all those old chaps went a hundred years ago, and to see
the country about as they saw it, and to live and travel just about as
they did. Men can live in the towns if they like, but in the towns
anybody can get on who has money so he can buy things. But in the
country where we've been, money wouldn't put you through; you've got
to know how to do things, and not be afraid."

"