, on
the Little Slave, a hundred miles below here. I never had a
better time in my life than the first 250 miles. The
mosquitoes don't bother us quite so much. John eats a great
deal, and Jesse is getting fat. Having a bully time."

VI

ON THE STEAMBOAT

As Rob indicated in his diary, the start from McMurray was made early
on Monday morning, but the stop was long enough for the boys to gain
an idea of the importance of this busy frontier settlement. Here also
came in the Clearwater River, down which, by way of a chain of lakes,
all the brigade traffic used to come before the discovery that the
Grand Rapids themselves could be run. When it is remembered that the
start was made from Athabasca Landing on May 29th, and the arrival at
McMurray on June 7th, it will be seen that, crude as the system and
the means of transport had been, a great deal of results had been
attained. Rob figured that at the rate of two hundred and fifty miles
a week they would not get very far, but Uncle Dick pointed out that
now, since they had reached steamer transport, the journey would
advance very rapidly.

The steamboat, after its start, passed the string of scows, among
which were some boats of independent traders, and a few hardy
adventurers bound north, for what purpose they hardly knew.

The _Grahame_ advanced steadily and rapidly down-stream. Some of the
passengers excitedly tried to point out to Uncle Dick the value of the
oil-lands in this part of the world, but Uncle Dick only smiled and
said he was out for a good time, and not building railroads now.

The weather grew quite warm, and in the state-rooms the boys found
that the thermometer stood at ninety degrees. With one stop for wood
at a yard where the natives had piled up enormous quantities of
cordwood, the boat tied up after making perhaps sixty miles.

On the following day she continued her steady progress down-stream
between the green-lined shores. The banks of the river now grew lower
and lower, and by nine o'clock in the evening, at which time it still
was light, there began to show the marshes of the Peace River Delta,
one of the most important deltas in all the world. The boat ran on
into the night, and before midnight had passed the mouths of the
Quatre Fourches, or Four Forks, which make the mouth of the Peace
River.

The boys wondered at the great marshes which now they saw, and Uncle
Dick explained to them that here was one of the