so sleepily that Uncle Dick laughed.

"It's a shame to wake you up so early. How are you?"

"All right, except my knees are a little sore from riding so long
yesterday."

"Well, if you'll all roll out, I'll explain why I'm anxious to make so
early a start."

"Yes, Uncle Dick," grumbled John, rolling over in his blankets; "you
always want to make an early start, and you've always got some
reason."

Uncle Dick laughed and called Moise from his tent. "Well, I'll tell
you," said he. "We've got to make the Leavings to-day."

"The Leavings--what's that?" asked Rob.

"I'll tell you at breakfast," said Uncle Dick. "Now hustle out and get
the horses up."

In half an hour they were all at breakfast, the better for some warm
food and a cup of tea. "Now I'll tell you," said Uncle Dick, "why I'm
in a hurry to-day. If we can make the Leavings by night, we'll have a
good camp-ground with plenty of grass for the horses. Besides, it
gives us a good starting-place for the next day's march."

"But the 'Leavings'--what is that or what are they?" demanded Rob.

"It's the old traders' name for the place where the trail leaves the
McLeod River and starts west for the Athabasca."

Rob fished his map out of his pocket. "I see," said he. "The river
bends south from here, and I suppose we go up the Sun Dance Creek and
cut across to the other end of the bend--the place they call White Mud
Creek. Then we hang to the McLeod straight on to the Leavings?"

"That's right. It's the best part of twenty-five miles, but it's a
good trail and not much muskeg."

"Well, what is a muskeg, anyhow," asked Jesse, "unless it's just a
mud-hole?"

"That's precisely what it is--just a mud-hole," answered Uncle Dick.
"Under a muskeg there is clay or hardpan which won't let the water
through. So it is always full of mud. Drain the water off a muskeg,
and it soon gets dry. They'll have to do a lot of that work up here
one of these days. But now I've told you why I want to make an early
start this morning; and I want you to help hustle with the packs too.
It's time you're learning about that diamond hitch."

"All right," said Rob, "we'll take half the horses, and you and Moise
take the other half. Mollycoddles are no good on the trail."

"They're no good anywhere. And the way to learn to do a thing is to do
it. Rob, take the off side of the first horse, and let John see if he
can remember how to throw the hitch on the near side."

"I'll tell you wh