, but with no excuse for asking questions, the boys turned and,
with Colonel Howell, resumed the task of getting their cargo ashore. Old
Moosetooth looked at the knife, placed it inside his belt and began
cutting a fresh pipe of tobacco.

"Life in the wilds!" remarked Colonel Howell, as he and the boys regained
the scows. "A lazy man's bad enough, but a booze fighter doesn't belong
in this camp."

"Where could he get anything to drink up here?" asked Norman, a little
nervously.

"Tell me!" responded Colonel Howell. "That's what we all want to know.
Anyway," he went on, "we've done our part towards cutting it out. There
isn't a drop of it in this outfit."

When he could do so without attracting attention, Norman glanced at Paul.
The latter as quickly averted his eyes and plunged with greater energy
into his share of the work.

These events had taken place just before the "cabin passengers" had been
called to supper. Efforts were being made to forget the Chandler episode
and Colonel Howell especially was talkative and jolly. Paul was just the
opposite. At last, when the cook had left them with their tea, the young
Austrian seemed to become desperate. Norman and Roy were just about to
leave the cabin when Paul stopped them, more and more embarrassed.

"I want to say something, boys," he began. Then he turned to his host
and, the perspiration thick on his face, added suddenly: "Colonel Howell,
I don't know how to say it, but I've got to tell you. I lied to you the
other night in the hotel at Edmonton. You didn't ask me to stop drinking,
but you talked to me pretty straight, and that's what I meant to do. Well
I didn't stop--I just put it off, a little. I didn't do the right thing
back at the Landing. I knew it then, but I knew I was going to stop when
I came up here and I just put it off a little longer."

The colonel made a half deprecating motion, as if it embarrassed him to
listen to the young man's confession.

"I thought it was all right," he said, as if to somewhat relieve Paul's
embarrassment, "and I knew you meant to stop. Of course we knew what you
were doing, but you're pretty young," concluded the colonel with a laugh.

Norman and Roy each gave signs of an inclination to relieve Paul's
embarrassment and Norman especially showed concern. But he and his friend
remained silent.

"We'll let that all be bygones," suggested Colonel Howell, "and here's to
the future--we'll drink to what is to come in Canada's