e trout in his
most amenable season, the early evening.

After the boat had pulled away from the camp, Rand and Jack cleared up the
remains of the dinner and put things to rights, after which Rand said:

"I say, Jack, I'm going to indulge in a little luxury--a hot bath. This
bathing in the creek is all right, but that water feels as if it came
right out of the snow, and I can't get it to take hold on this 'dope'
stain on my skin at all.

"How are you going to do it? We didn't include anything like a bathtub in
our luggage you know, and we haven't anything big enough to heat more than
a few gallons of water."

"I'll show you; give me a hand and I'll rig up a bath big enough for both
of us." They went to the tent and got the biggest of the tarpaulins lying
there, and taking it to the two seven-foot sawhorses which the Indian
sawyers had used. Placing the two close together they threw the ends over
the horses and fastened them, allowing the middle to hang down almost to
the ground. By drawing the sides a little tighter than the middle of the
ends, they formed a sort of loose bag. While Jack made up a hot fire in
the fireplace, into which he dumped a dozen boulders from the creek, Rand
carried water enough to fill the "bath tub" in the tarpaulin, the texture
of which was so thick and so closely woven that very little of it dripped
out. As the boulders became red hot, Rand and Jack brought the hand barrow
used to cart stones from the stream, with a little sand in the bottom, and
rolling the stones into it carried them to the "tub" and dumped them in.
They soon had the water at a boiling heat, and quickly stripping both
tumbled in and were soon luxuriating the first hot dip they had enjoyed
since leaving the hotel in Skagway.

They were engaged in an effort with strong soap and sand, trying to remove
their lately acquired complexions, when the sound of oars and poles on the
river reached them. They were considerably back of the camp in the timber,
and could not see the landing from the "bathroom," but supposed the sounds
were by their comrades returning. They stepped from the tarpaulin to go to
the creek for a cold plunge as a finishing touch, when over the bank
swarmed the six Siwashes who had so lately deserted them. They were
unarmed and were driven by three men with guns. The two boys seeing the
strangers were about to step aside for their clothing when they were
ordered to stand and throw up their hands. The three ne