ill hang closer to the river;
although, of course, we'll not be following it."

"But what'll we do with our boat?" began Jesse, ruefully. "Hate to leave
the little old _Adventurer_."

"Well, now," answered his uncle. "We couldn't so well take her along,
could we?"

"I'd like mighty well to buy her," interrupted the editor. "That is, if
you care to sell her."

"I never knew my boys to sell any of their sporting equipment," said the
other. "But I expect they'd give it to you, right enough. Eh, boys?"

They looked from one to another. "If the gentleman wanted her," began
Rob, at last, "and if we've done with her, I don't see why we couldn't.
But I think we ought to take the motors along as far as we can, because
we might need them."

"Good idea," Uncle Dick nodded. "We can get a trailer here, can't we?"
he asked of their friend.

"Sure; and a good car; too. I'll drive you up to Buford, myself, for the
fun of it--and the value of it to me. I'll get a car at Bismarck. We can
pack your outfit in the trailer and the motors, too, easily. You can
check and express stuff through to Great Falls from Buford--and there
you are. How'll you go from there--boat?"

"I don't believe so," replied Uncle Dick. "I believe we'd have more
freedom if we took a pack train above Great Falls, and cut across lots
now and then, checking up in our _Journal_ all the way."

"That's the stuff!" exclaimed John. "Horses!"

"Lewis and Clark used horses for some distance, at the crossing," said
Uncle Dick, "so I think we may dare do so. We want all the variety we
can get, and all the fun we can get, too. What do you say, young
gentlemen?"

"It sounds good to me," said Rob. "I'd like to see the mountains pretty
well. You see, a great part of our lives has been spent in Alaska and
the northern country, and we're just getting acquainted with our own
country, you might say. The Rockies this far south must be fine in the
early fall."

"It suits me," assented John. "I'd like to take the _Adventurer_ along,
but Lewis and Clark didn't take their boats through all the way,
either."

"And if we had time," added Jesse, "we could run some river late in the
fall, say from Great Falls down to here."

"All good," nodded Uncle Dick. Then turning to their new friend,
"Suppose we cross our camp to Bismarck the morning of July 5th, tie up
our boat there for you, and then go on in the way you suggest--motor and
trailer?"

"Agreed," said the other. "I'll be