you, Alex?"

The old hunter nodded his approval. "Yes," said he; "I think the
three of us will take the _Jaybird_ loaded light and run down
to the head of the mountain without much trouble. I don't hear of
anything particularly nasty down below here until you get nearly to
the gorge. I think we had better hire these two breeds for a time,
put them on pay from the time they start up the river with Moise and
Mr. Jess. They say they would like to go with Mr. Jess for their
'bourgeois'--that's 'boss,' you know. They also say," he added,
smiling, "that they would very much like to have some sugar and tea."

After a time Alex rose, beckoned to the two breeds, and they all went
back up the beach to the place where Moise by this time was building
his camp-fire and spreading out the cargo of the _Mary Ann_ to dry.

The two breeds expressed wonder at the lightness of the boats which
they now saw, and rapidly asked in their language how the party had
managed to get so far across the mountains with such little craft. But
they alternately laughed and expressed surprise when they lifted the
fragments of the _Mary Ann_ and pointed out the nature of the injury
she had sustained.

"Those man'll been my cousin, too," said Moise, pointing to the
new-comers. "She'll been glad to see us, both of her. Her name is
Billy and Richard. Ole Richard, his Injun name was been At-tick--'The
Reindeer.' Also she'll say," he added, "she'll ain't got some tea nor
sugar. _Allons!_ I think maybe we'll eat some dish of tea."

Soon they were seated on the ground, once more eating tea and bannock,
piecing out their meal, which, by the way, was the third during the
day, with some of the dried caribou meat which they had brought from
far above.

"They'll ask me, my cousin," said Moise at last, his mouth full, "what
we'll take for those busted canoe."

"What do you say, Mr. Rob?" asked Alex.

"I don't see how it's going to be worth anything to us," said Rob,
"and it will take us a long time to patch her up at best. Tell them
we'll give them what there is left of the _Mary Ann_ if they'll take
good care of Jess on the way around on the trail. And we'll pay them
two dollars a day each besides."

When Moise had interpreted this speech, the older of the two breeds,
who did not speak any English, rose and gravely shook each of the
boys by the hand, then not saying anything further, he rose, took
his big buffalo knife from its sheath, and proceeded to finis