very foot, because Mackenzie did
when he came down. At least, he doesn't say he didn't."

"It was done by the traders for a long time," said Alex, "all but
those two rapids and that canyon. There is no trail even for horses
between Hudson's Hope and Fort St. John, but that is easy water. They
serve St. John now with steamboats, and the old canoe days are pretty
much over. But, anyhow, there is the main ridge of the Rockies east of
us, and we've got to get through it somehow, that's sure. Back
there"--he pointed up the valley down which they had been coming now
for so long--"we were between two ranges of the divide. The Finlay
yonder comes down out of some other range to the northwest. But now
the doubled river has to break through that dam of the eastern rim. I
suppose we may look for bad water somewhere. Look here," he added,
examining the map, "here are the altitudes all marked on by the
government surveyors--twenty-five hundred feet above sea-level at
Giscombe Portage, twenty-two hundred and fifty at Fort McLeod. I
suppose it was about three thousand feet where we started across. At
the mouth of the Finlay it's only two thousand feet--a big drop. But
she drops nearly three hundred feet more to the west end of the
portage, and two hundred feet more at the east end. That's going
downhill pretty fast--five hundred feet in less than one hundred and
fifty miles--and some of it not very fast water."

"Well," ventured Rob, "why don't we drop down as far as we can, and if
we get caught by a flood then stop and take a little hunt somewhere
back in the hills? You know, we haven't got that grizzly yet you
promised us."

"Sure enough," said Alex, with no great enthusiasm; for he did not
relish the idea of hunting grizzly bear in company with such young
companions.

"But we have come through good grizzly country already," ventured
John.

"Very likely," Alex smiled. "I've seen considerable bear sign along
the shores, as well as a good many moose tracks close to where we
camped."

"If you think we're afraid to go bear hunting, Alex," Rob began, "you
certainly don't know us very well. That's one of the reasons we came
on this trip--we wanted to get a real Rocky Mountain grizzly."

"It is not too late," the old hunter rejoined, "and I shouldn't wonder
if there was as good country east of here as any we've come to. The
grizzly is a great traveler, anyhow, and is as apt to be found one
place as another. At this time of year a