n head where two or three men might be able to
get a boat up to the carrying trail, although the landing is little
used to-day. But they say if we could get across to the east end of
the canyon they could send men down by the trail after that other boat.
They don't think we can get our boat across. They say they'll find us
in a few days, they think, somewhere on the portage. They ask us if
they can have what's left of our canoe. They say they'll take two
dollars a day and grub if we want them to work for us. They don't say
that no man could make the portage below here, but don't think we
could do it with our crew. Well, what do you say now, Mr. Rob?"

"Why, it's all as easy as a fiddle-string," said Rob. "I'll tell you
how we'll fix it. Jess, you and Moise go with these men on up to the
surveyors' camp, and back down to Hudson's Hope--you can take enough
grub to last you around, and you know that water is easy now. Alex and
John and I will still have enough grub to last us through to the east
side of the Rockies--we're almost through now. It might be rather hard
work for Jess. The best way for him is to keep with Moise, who'll take
good care of him, and it's more fun to travel than to loaf in camp.
For the rest of us, I say we ought to go through, because we started
to go through. We all know where we are now. Moise will bring the men
and supplies around to meet us at the east side. Even if we didn't
meet," he said to Jesse, "and if you and Moise got left alone, it
would be perfectly simple for you to go on through to Peace River
Landing, two or three hundred miles, to where you will get word of
Uncle Dick. There are wagon-trails and steamboats and all sorts of
things when you once get east of the mountains, so there's no danger
at all. In fact, our trip is almost done right where we stand
here--the hardest part is behind us. Now, Jess, if you don't feel hard
about being asked to go back up the river, or to stay here till these
men come back down-stream, that's the way it seems best to me."

"I'm not so anxious as all that to go on down this river," grinned
Jesse. "It isn't getting any better. Look at what it did to the old
_Mary Ann_ up there."

"Well, the main thing is not to get lonesome," said Rob, "and to be
sure there's no danger. We'll get through, some time or somewhere.
Only don't get uneasy, that's all. You ought to get around to us in a
couple of days after you start on the back trail. How does it look to