per spring of the Missouri River.

"Now here I am, all alone in the world, as you see. Would you like to
see my pressed flowers and my other things?"

The young explorers looked at the tiny, thin little old lady with
reverence, and did not say anything for a long time, before they began
to look at the treasured belongings of the faraway cabin home.

"Do you boys want to go up?" she asked, after a time.

"We came for that," said Rob.

"You couldn't climb up the canyon all the way, maybe. Do you think you
could get up over the mountain, the way we did?"

"You don't know these boys," remarked Uncle Dick to her. "They're old
mountain climbers and can go anywhere."

"They'd want a guide, and I couldn't go, now. And they'd want horses."

"Well, we'll leave out the guide, and we could leave out the horses,
like enough, for we can go to the foot of the mountain in the car. But
on the whole I can think we'll ride up, for a change."

"You can get horses down at the ranch a little way. I have none here
now."

"All right. To-morrow we'll outfit for the climb."

"Well, I rode all the way. Now you go on the shoulder of this mountain
back of us, above the spring, and work up the best you can, but keep
your eye on Jefferson. Get up right high, before you head across to the
canyon of the Missouri, so you can be above the high cliff that you
can't get over in the bed of the stream. Then you go down in the canyon
and cross, best you can, and then ride up on the far side, and then work
off for the top of Jefferson.

"You'll know the little bowl on top the mountain. That's the top sponge.
But the real head stream is even beyond that. You'll find my tin plate
there, I guess, with my name and date.

"I'm glad you had some good fishing here. We'll have some of your trout
for breakfast. The feather beds are made from wild-goose and duck
feathers. It's been a great country for them."

CHAPTER XXIX

THE HEAD OF THE GREAT RIVER

Bright and early they were in the saddle and off for the crowning
experience of their long quest for the head of the great Missouri. Billy
brought up the horses from the ranch below. The chauffeur from Monida
said he "had not lost any mountains" and preferred not to make the
ascent, so only five were in the party, Billy, of course, insisting on
seeing the head of the river, in which he had had such interest all his
life.

They took one pack horse, a few cooking implements, and such blankets as