to be played, it strikes me that you two gents would be
stronger if you made a sort o' co. along of us. Don't if you don't care
to. What do you say to trying how it worked for a bit?"

This was gladly acceded to, and on the third day a move was made as far
as the spot where the grim discovery had been made.

Here the party halted, and the corpse of the unfortunate was reverently
covered by a cairn of stones, along with his faithful dog; after which a
discussion arose as to what should be done with the poor fellow's
implements and stores.

"Pity to leave 'em here," said one of the men. "Only spoil. Hadn't we
better share 'em out."

"Perhaps so," said Dallas. "You three can."

"Oh, but there's five on us, sir."

"No, only three."

"What do you say, Bob?" said the first speaker.

"I says bring the poor chap's sled along with us. If we're hard pushed
we can use what's there; if we're not we sha'n't want it; and--well, I
don't kind o' feel as if I should like any one to nobble my things like
that. Same time, I says it is no use to leave 'em to spoil."

The next morning, with the young men little the worse for their
adventure, they started onward, and for a couple of days made pretty
good way, leaving the snow behind in their downward progress, till all
further advance was stopped by the change for which they had been
prepared before starting. The watershed had been crossed, and they had
reached the head waters of one of the tributaries of the vast Yukon
River of the three thousand miles flow.

The spot they had reached was a long, narrow lake, surrounded at the
upper end by fir-woods. The rest of the route was to be by water, and
here a suitable raft had to be made.

"Fine chance for a chap to set up boatbuilding," said Big Bob. "What do
you say? I believe we should make more money over the job than by going
to dig it out."

"Let's try the gold-digging first," said Dallas; and with a cheer the
men set to work at the trees selected, the axes ringing and the
pine-chips flying in the bright sunshine till trunk after trunk fell
with a crash, to be lopped and trimmed and dragged down to the water's
edge ready for rough notching out to form the framework of such a raft
as would easily bear the adventurers, their sledges and stores, down the
lake and through the torrents and rapids of the river in its wild and
turbulent course.

The sledges were drawn up together in a triangle to form a shelter to
the f