he long, whistling sound that made
Albert cry out in wonder. But Dick laughed.

"It's the elk," he said. "I saw one when I first came into the
valley. I think they are thick hereabout, and I suspect that
they will furnish us with some good winter food."

Albert found the valley all that Dick had represented it to be,
and more. He watched the regular eruptions of the geysers with
amazement and delight; he insisted on sampling the mineral
springs, and intended to learn in time their various properties.
The lake, in all its shimmering aspects, appealed to his love of
the grand and beautiful, and he promptly named it "The Howard
Sea, after its discoverer, you know," he said to Dick. Finally,
the cabin itself filled him with delight, because he foresaw
even more thoroughly than Dick how suitable it would be for a
home in the long winter months. He installed himself as
housekeeper and set to work at once.

The little cabin was almost choked with their supplies, which
Dick had been afraid to leave outside for fear that the
provisions would be eaten and the other things injured by the
wild animals, and now they began the task of assorting and
putting them into place.

The full equipment of the wagon that Dick had found in the gully,
particularly the tools, proved to be a godsend. They made more
racks on the walls--boring holes with the augers and then
driving in pegs--on which they laid their axes and extra rifles.
In the same manner they made high shelves, on which their food
would be safe from prowling wild beasts, even should they succeed
in breaking in the door. But Dick soon made the latter
impossible by putting the door on strong hinges of leather which
he made from the gear that he had cut from the horses. He also
split a new bar from one of the young ash trees and strengthened
the hasps on the inside. He felt now that when the bar was in
place not even the heaviest grizzly could force the door.

The task of mending the roof was more difficult. He knew how to
split rude boards with his ax, but he had only a few nails with
which to hold them in place. He solved the problem by boring
auger holes, into which he drove pegs made from strong twigs.
The roof looked water-tight, and he intended to reenforce it
later on with the skins of wild animals that he expected to
kill--there had been no time yet for hunting.

Throughout these operations, which took about a week, they slept
in the open in a rude tent w