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SA3Srr>HAM ill }\ LONDON : 38 Soho Square, W. W. & R. CHAMBERS, Limited EDINBURGH : 339 High Street NW 825 / o /; n Q LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAQI • It's all riglit, Arthur ; I 've got a life-preserver. ... I '11 bring it to you' Frontispiece. Arthur suddenly sprang high in t>e air 6 The cur6 chuckled in evident enjoyment of tlie tale 47 With a wild plunge ... he dashed off at a tangent in mani- fest flight 154 * They look like a lot of cut-throats,' said Bruce 1 84 In the gorge of Bear Creek 283 1 TWO BOY TEAMP8. PAOB . . 47 154 184 283 CHAPTER I. AT SCHOOL AND AT SEA. T seemed in flat opposition to the familiar adage, * Like draws to like,' that Bruce Bar- clay and Arthur Rowe should be the most devoted 'chums' at Merchiston Castle School ; for certainly, to all outward appear- ance, the only point of similarity between them was, that they both had fathers in the Far East, enduring the pains of exile and braving the perils of fever and cholera in the arduous pursuit of fortune. As they came upon the cricket-ground together, they presented a notable contrast one to the other. Bruce was one year the elder, and stood full two inches above his companion. In many respects he was a typical Scotch laddie, and needed only tartan ii; AT SCHOOL AND AT SEA. and sporran to fitly represent the son of a Highland chieftain. He was tall for his years, but his well-knit frame was free from all suspicion of lankiness ; and though his choeks wore no tinge of red, they had that healthy pallor which betokens a sound, strong constitution. His features were regular, and when his clear gray eyes lit up with merriment or tenderness, the most captious critic could not deny that he looked * nae sae ill ; ' although in repose his countenance wore a some- what heavy expression (due in large part to his tendency to * brown studies ') that was not attractive. He had light brown hair, that was always well brushed, and a set of white teeth that owed nothing to the dentist, and was altogether a thoroughly wholesome, stalwart youth, whose seventeenth birthday would soon come round. If Arthur fell short of his friend in height, he so far surpassed him in sturdiness of build that they both tipped the scale at the same weight, to wit, one hun- dred and forty-five pounds. He was a worthy son of John Bull, and promised, if spared to middle age, to attain quite aldermanic proportions. In the meantime he stood five feet six inches in his stockings, had an athletic figure with every muscle well developed, a frank, and decidedly pleasing face, deep blue eyes brimming with mischief, an ever-ready smile, and a stock of crisp, yellow curls that seemed to bid defiance to the discipline of any brush. In their mental characteristics also the boys differed as widely as they did in their physical. Acute as Bruce's intellect was, he never made haste to put his thoughts into action. Beason, not impulse, was his i ii AT SCHOOL AND AT SEA. master, and he often showed a degree of discretion, an amount of ' canniness * in fact, hardly to be expected from one of his years. He had abundance of spirit ; but he kept it so well in hand that one who knew him slightly might imagine him dull, little conceiving what a geyser could burst forth if he were touched to the quick. Arthur, on the other hand, always wore his heart on his sleeve, or to use another simile, had the latch-string of his mind ever hanging out. Of the faculty called reserve he had practically none. He did his thinking at electric speed, and had an opinion ready as soon as the issue was presented. His temper was as quick as his heart was wana, and having once expressed an opinion, or taken a position, he would maintain his ground resolutely, no matter what the odds might be against him. In a word, he was a hearty, health}'- boy, loyal to his friends, fearless before his foes, and fated to make a good mark in the world, pro- vided his impetuosity did not entail some untimely disaster. The one point of similarity between Arthur and Bruce that has been noted needs further explanation. Mr Rowe and Mr Barclay were merchants in Shanghai, the former being engaged in the silk, and the latter in the tea-trade. There the boys had been playmates in the handsome English settlement, and thence, at an early age, they had been sent away from the ener- vating climate to the bracing air of Scotland, in which they had flourished famously. For the past nine years they had been at Merchiston, making their way up from class to class, and winning renown at cricket and football. Bruce was decidedly pi! 4 AT SCHOOL AND AT SEA. lis I'' 11:!'! ■ i!' ill the best scholar, and helped Arthur over many a hard place by patient coaching, although the latter needed only to give his mind to his studies in order to rank with the leaders in the classes. They had both reached the sixth form — Bruce being at the top, and Arthur not far from the bottom — and were beginning to look forward, questioningly, to the future, for it was not decided whether they should go on to the University. They hoped their fathers would allow them to do so; but had no definite assurance in the matter. In the meantime they were making the most of their last year at dearly beloved Merchiston; and a memorable year it proved to be for both them and the school, as it witnessed the signal defeat of Loretto at cricket, and Fettes at football, in the achieving of which g.orious double event they each bore a brilliant pj,rt. The football match took place in February, and it was only due to the intercession of Bruce that Arthur, in spite of his speed and skill and strength, had a place in the team, the trouble with him being that he was impatient of discipline, and apt to take his own way of dealing with the ball instead of implicitly obeying his captain. For this reason Bruce, who played forward, while Arthur was one of the hal" -backs, felt especially anxious that he should cover himself with glory; and before they went on the field, he besought him not only to play his best, but to do exactly as he was bidden, even though he thought he knew a better way. 'It's your last chance, you know, Arthur, to beat Fettes,' he urged ; ' and they gave us a bad licking last AT SCHOOL AND AT SEA. year ; and if they do it again this year, we '11 be sorry for it all our lives, won't we ? ' 'Eat they're not going to do it,' answered Arthur, bringing his teeth together with a snap, and clenching his fists. * I 'm going to get a touch-down right behind their goal, if I die for it.' Then, after a moment's silence, he added, 'All right, Bruce, I'll obey orders. You needn't worry about me.' He|proved as good as his word. Without abating a jot of his energy or enterprise, he played his position in a way that rejoiced the captain's heart, passing with great judgment and accuracy, never failing in a tackle, nor muffing a kick, and obeying every order and signal like a well-drilled soldier. The struggle was a fierce one, and maintained with splendid resolution on both sides. Neither team gained any advantage in the first half, and the second was well advanced before Arthur saw the opportunity to redeem his pledge to Bruce. He secured a mark from a sudden kick out from a maul, but instead of taking his kick, determined to attempt a run in. He gave a quick glance of inquiry at the captain, who divined his meaning, and nodded assent. The next instant Arthur was off like a startled deer, clearing the opposing forwards before they had time to recover from the maul, and thus having only two of the half-backs and the back left to reckon with. The first half-back, having to come to him on a slant from the rear, was easily disposed of. The second gave more difficulty. It was Sangster, un- doubtedly the best player in the Fettes team, and, realising the danger there was of Arthur's dashing v- '^fl! i5'i 6 AT SCHOOL AND AT SEA. ! 'i I charge succeeding, he braced himself to meet him with the low tackle for which he was renowned. The chorus of cheers rose into a continuous roar, like that of a cataract, as Arthur's feet fled over the turf. He was apparently making no attempt to evade Sangster, and Barclay, watching him with throbbing anxiety, wondered what his strategy might be. Another moment made it plain ; for, just as Sangster 's sinewy hands were about to encircle his waist, he suddenly sprang high in the air, and well to the left of his opponent, who, losing his balance in the effort to turn quick enough, fell over on his knees, while Arthur sped exultantly past him. The outburst of applause that greeted this clever feat reached even Arthur's ears, and stimulated him for the task yet before him. He was now within fifteen yardi of the goal, and five yards in front of it stood the full back, with every nerve and sinew alert, like a panther, ready for his spring. Arthur knew he coi:ld not repeat the trick that did for Sangster. But his resources were not yet ex- hausted. His quick mind evolved another no less brilliant. When but five yards remained between him and the back, he dropped the ball upon his toe, kicked it over the other's head, and then, having both hands free, used them to thrust his opponent aside ; and pressing past him, fell upon the ball as it lay just behind the centre of the goal, the most exhausted, but happiest being in the ground. It is one of the accepted statements of the school that never had the * Chief,* as the beloved head-master was called for short, shown so much excitement at a Arthur suddenly s^jrang liiyli in the air. — 1*. G. Tramps. AT SCHOOL AND AT SEA. football match. In spite of his, at times, provoking waywardness, Arthur had a warm place in his heart. Indeed, he had supported Bruce's petition that he be allowed a place in the team, and this really admirable performance consequently gave him peculiar pleasure. Amid a breathless silence, the leather was placed. Arthur himself being assigned to hold it, and Bruce got into position for the kick. It was an easy one to make, to be sure, but many a place-kick fails, and there was anxiety on the Merchiston side, and hope among those of Fettes. As composedly as if it were an every-day occurrence, Bruce took a few swift strides, caught the ball fairly with the point of his toe, and away it went, sailing over the uplifted hands and faces of the baflEled op- ponents, full ten feet above the centre of the cross-bar. The touch-down had been duly converted into a goal, and the match was won for Merchiston. Not one shadow of jealousy clouded Bruce's delight in Arthur's achievement. Under the special circum- stances, he was really more joyful at heart than if he himself had been the hero of the day; and in his enthusiasm he threw aside all his reserve, as he shouted and danced about in as lively a fashion as the youngest boy in the school. Arthur's turn to be jubilant over his chum's prowess came some months later, when, in the annual cricket match with Loretto, Loretto, going first to the bat, had, in spite of the utmost efforts of Gray and Hutchi- son, the Merchiston bowlers, and the faultless fielding of the rest of the eleven, amassed the threatening total of two hundred runs, one of the largest on record in the contests between these schools. i!f 8 AT SCHOOL AND AT SEA. H 1 .»? ! 1 1 1) i Bruce was captain of the Merchiston eleven, and his face grew more and more serious as the score rose steadily, until at last all the batters were out, and it was Merchiston's turn to wield the willow. * Now, fellows, we 've got to play for our lives,' were his words, as the eleven gathered about him for a minute. 'There's not much chance of our matching their score, but we might make a decent draw of it if we play carefully. Let us all do our best.' Bruce went in first, taking Loney, the * Barn-door ' of the eleven, for his companion, and the excitement was unusually keen as the innings opened. Arthur did not shine at cricket as at football, and on this occasion was fain to be content with a place among the spectators, whence his voice rang out from time to time in commendation of some pretty piece of work on the field. The proceedings were tame at the outset, the bowlers being well on the spot, and neither of the batsmen caring to take any liberties with the well- pitched balls. But presently Bruce began to open his shoulders, and the score started to climb after the high mark set by the other side. At the end of half-an-hour Bruce had got thoroughly set, and the bowlers were treated with scant respect. One clever cut followed another, varied by long drives to the off" and to leg. The telegraph figures grew apace, and even stolid Loney caught inspiration from liis captain, and made a gallant effort to emulate him, which, unhappily, cost him his life, but not before he had compiled the respectable total of twenty, so that the score, first wicket down, stood at fifty-five, and the feelings of the Merchistonians took on a brighter hue. AT SCHOOL AND AT SEA. 9 None of the succeeding batsmen made so long a stand as Loney, yet they all contributed their share to the rapidly growing total ; and meanwhile Bruce kept on hitting freely and piling up runs in a way that left nothing to be desired. At the end of an hour, rattling cheers, led off by Arthur, announced that Bruce had completed his half- century; and fifteen minutes later another cheer greeted the appearance of the figures one hundred and fifty on the board. The Loretto boys began to look anxious. The victory that seemed so securely theirs might yet be snatched from them. Nearly an hour of play still remained, and Barclay showed no sign of weariness or failing skill. There were three more wickets to fall, and so stubbornly were these defended that it took another half-hour to get rid of the next. Ten minutes before the time for drawing stumps, the Merchiston score stood at one hundred and ninety. As may be easily imagined, the excitement was now intense. Only ten minutes more to play, and eleven runs yet to make to win the match. All Merchis- ton, from the Chief down to the newest boy, held their breath as each ball was delivered, and gave a sigh of relief when it was well taken care of by the batsman. Presently a roar of 'Well hit! well hit!* and a fusilade of hand-clapping greeted a grand drive to the off from Bruce that cleared the boundary fence, and was good for five. Some anxious minutes of careful play followed, dur- ing which Bruce's partner added two useful singles ; and then, just a moment before the call of time, Bruce ! :!ii i;,« 1 !ft m ;f! 10 AT SCHOOL AND AT SEA. II himself got hold of a short-pitched ball on his leg side, and putting all his strength into the stroke, lifted it far above long leg's head, and the match was won, with two good wickets to spare. Bruce had carried out his bat, after being over two hours at the wickets and having put together the splendid score of one hundred and twenty-eight runs, the highest ever made in a first-class school match in the history of Merchiston. The ovation that he received as he walked back to the pavilion was enough to turn the head of any boy. Even the defeated of Loretto joined heartily in the cheers; and when the head-master wrung his hand, warmly exclaiming: 'Nobly done, Barclay. I never saw better cricket in the school,' Bruce felt that his cup of happiness was full to overflowing. As may be readily understood, the difference in the mental temperament of the two lads showed itself very markedly in their studies. Arthur had great quickness of apprehension and a retentive memory, but chafed against routine work, and sadly lacked steadfastness. Bruce, on the other hand, although slower to seize upon new ideas, forgot nothing that he had once learned, and had the power of pegging away patiently until the most diflScult task had to yield itself to him. As the close of the season drew near, Arthur showed a little deeper interest in his work, but Bruce kept steadily on at much the same pace as he had started. When the prize list was published, both names appeared upon it, but with a big difference, for Bruce, besides winning the Chalmers Mathematical prize, had headed his class in Latin, German, and Chemistry; AT SCHOOL AND AT SEA. 11 while Arthur had gaincrl only one hononr, and that, strauf^o to say, in tho subject least likely to be congenial to one of his lively nature, to wit, Divinity. Like a true friend, however, he took as much pleasure in his friend's prizes as if they had been his own ; and their last year at dear old Merchiston was the happiest of all, the only shadow being the fact that they must take their leave of a place where they had spent so many joyous days, and go out into a world of which they had so little knowledge. Both Mr Barclay and Mr Rowe had provided liber- ally for the boys during their stay at Merchiston, and they had been able during the holidays to join travelling parties, visiting different parts of Great Britain and the Continent; but all this was a mere trifle compared with the experience that was before them now. To the fathers, in far-away Shanghai, had gone regular accounts of their sons' progress ; and they had been looking forward to the time when their course at Merchiston would be finished, and they could go out and show themselves for parental approbation ere their future career was decided upon. As it was not advisable for them to reach Shanghai until the summer had passed, and they had already seen a good deal of the Old World, it was arranged that they should spend a couple of months travelling in the New World, proceeding to Shanghai in the autumn. This fell in with their inclinations entirely. They had read much about the United States and the Dominion of Canada, and were eager to visit those B n i! i it ii 13 AT SCHOOL A>fD AT SEA. countriea, particularly Canada, because it was a BritiRh colony and they thought they would feel much more at home there than they would among their American cousins. The matter being left largely to themselves, it was finally decided that they should go to Canada first; and then, if they had any time to spare, a tour could be made of New York, Boston, Washington, and some of the other chief cities of the United States, before they went on to the Pacific coast, where the steamer could be taken for Shanghai. Thus it came about that the last week in June saw them on their way to Liverpool, with Merchiston, and all the happy days spent there, only a memory to be cherished through life. It was the first time they had really been upon their own responsibility, and they both felt highly elated thereat, although Bruce, with his wonted reserve, managed to conceal the fact tolerably well. But Arthur gave himself away with the utmost frankness. He strutted up and down the platform at the railway station like a young rooster on a sunny morning. He patronised the porters and tipped the guard with what, he flattered himself, was the non- chalance of a globe-trotter. He lolled about on the cushions, affecting a fine indifference to the scenery, and letting it be understood that he was vastly bored by the journey, while all the time he was mentally hugging himself at his good fortune in getting off on this 'grand tour' practically as his own master, and with the best friend he had in the world as his com- panion. At Liverpool they went on board the fine steamer AT SCHOOL AND AT SEA. 13 Britiflh h more nerican , it was a firat; r could d some , before steamer :ne saw ;on, and y to be n upon highly wonted ell. utmost brm at sunny )ed the le non- on the cenery, T bored entally off on jr, and 8 com- teamer Parisiart, of the Allan Line, and were delighted at the state-room which was to be theirs for the next (Mght days, and at the sumptuous tittings of the saloon. ' Won't we have a fine time ! ' exclaimed Arthur, after they had got their things stowed away and were able to look about them. 'There'll be lots of fun, you know ; and DufFus, who has been across in this steamer twice, says the grub is prime, as good as a Christmas dinner every day in the week.' ' But suppose you 're sea-sick,' suggested Bruce, with a queer smile. 'It won't make much matter how good the grub is then.' ' Do you think I 'm going to be such a fool,' answered Arthur indignantly. 'No, sir; no sea-sickness for this child;' and he planted his feet firmly on the deck, and stuck his hands deep in his pockets. Bruce discreetly said no more, although he felt pretty sure that both he and his chum would have to pay the usual tribute to Old Neptune before they had been long at sea. The trip down the Mersey was full of interest, the big steamer threading her way through the maze of shipping with an intelligent accuracy that made her seem like some huge living creature. The weather being fine, the boys spent all their time on deck, Arthur asking numberless questions of the officers and men, and already beginning to scrape acquaintance with some of the passengers, while Bruce kept more in the background, yet lost nothing of what was taking place. They had appetites as keen as razors for dinner, and were among the first to respond when the sum- mons came. They found the fare provided fully •*■■; m 14 AT SCHOOL AND AT SEA. equal to tlieir schoolmate's description. From the point of view oE their Merchiston experience, where the food had, of course, been more substantial than elaborate, as best befitted hearty boys, it was as good as a Christmas diiuier, and Arthur devoted himself so assiduously to the ditlerent items of the lengthy menu, that his vis a vis, a gray-bearded traveller, leaning across the table with a humorous twinkle in his shrewd gray eyes, said, in an undertone : ' That 's right, my lad ; make hay while the sun shines. You may want nothing but a bit of biscuit and a cup of tea this time to-morrow.* Kindly as the tone was in which the words *.vere spoken, Arthur was quick enough to detect the tvjuch of satire that underlay it, and it made him flush hotly. His first impulse was to retort, ' Will you be good enough to mind your own business ? ' but Bruce, who feared something of the kind, gave him a significant look, and what he did say was : 'That's all right, sir; I'll take my chances;* and althougli it was not in the pleasantest tone imaginable, yet the gentleman took it in the best of humour, and went on witli his dinner, saying to himself : * A fine spirited boy, that ! I thought he was going to tell me to mind my own business, but he 's evidently been better trained. I must find out who he is.' Not imagining that he had awakened any interest in his fellow-passenger, Arthur paid him no further attention, nor did he allow his intrusive remark to cabt any cloud upon his enjoyment of the good things before him. By the time the boys thought of getting into their AT SCHOOL AND AT SEA. 15 m bunks, the Parisian was rolling about in the Irish Channel at a rate that made the business of undressing by no means an easy task. Just as Arthur was trying to get out of his trousers the steamer gave a sudden pitch that, finding him unprepared and unable to balance himself, sent him hard against Bruce, who was in his turn toppled over by the sudden impact, and the two boys fell in a tangled lieap of legs, arms, bodies, and braces in the corner by the sofa. They were soon on their feet again, laughing heartily, and none the worse for the collapse ; but Arthur, as he straightened himself out, became con- scious of a dizziness in the head, and uneasiness in the stomach that caused him to hurry off the remainder of his clothes, and climb into his berth with as little delay as possible. He even omitted to say his prayers, so pressing did he feel the emergency to be, and so anxious was he to give no vent to his feelings at the moment. Bruce suspected the truth, notwithstanding, but was too considerate to make any remark. He knew quite well he had his own battle to fight, and was not disposed to be critical of others. They had a very restless and uncomfortable night of it, as the Parisian pitched and tossed unceasingly ; ai^d when morning came Arthur realised that, in spite of his rash boasting, he had fallen a victim to the remorseless power of the sea, and that his place at the breakfast table would be vacant for that morning. He was too wretched to feel much concerned over this. His one thought was how soon would he be himself again. Yet, since misery loves company, he did find some consolation in the discovery that Bruce - i ' ; ■ ';^ 1 u (' 16 AT SCHOOL AND AT SEA. 1 I was no less upset, and that they >;> ere likely to fairly share the confinement of the state-room. * How lung do you think we '11 be like this ? ' he groaned, looking straight up at the ceiling, for he did not dare lean over the edge of the berth, Bruce being below him. *Only to-day, I hope,' responded Bruce, striving nobly to put a cheerful tone into his voice. * If we keep still all day to-day, we will be all right to- morrow.' Keep still, indeed ! The suggestion were easily enough made, but it was far from being easy of execution, with the great steamer apparently making frantic efforts to turn somersaults, and the boys interior departments seeiiing to be in quick and distressful sympathy with her every movement. However, thanks to the kind administrations of an attentive steward, they did manage to get through the long dreary day somehow; and the following morning, being bright and clear, with little wind, they succeeded in crawling out on deck, v*rhere the pure fresh air so braced them up that by dinner-time they felt equal to resuming their places at the table. As the old gentleman, who sat opposite to Arthur, took his seat he gave him a pleasant nod of recog- nition which seemed tc imply, * Well, here you are again ; but I was right, you see, after all.' And the boy, in a sudden impulse to frank con- fession of having boasted prematurely, leaned across, with reddening cheeks, to say ; 'I didn't want even the tea and biscuit this time yesterday ; I was awfully knocked up.' iM mi AT SCHOOL AND AT SEA. 17 'An lionest confession is good for the soul, they S8.y,' the gentleman returned. 'You've shown the right spirit, my lad; and I hope we shall become better acquainted.' That he was sincere in the expression of the hope was manifested when they all rose from dinner and went on deck ; for as soon as he had lit his cigar he joined them, and introducing himself as Mr Gillespie of Montreal, availed himself of the privilege of age to ask them a number of questions about themselves. They were soon deep in talk, Bruce, as usual, allow- ing Arthur to take the lead in the conversation, yet not in anywise standing aloof, but showing by his attentive listening, and occasional shrewd remarks, that he felt thoroughly at home. Mr Gillespie, who had a houseful of sons at home, took a deep interest in the young travellers; and before the voyage ended, gave them so cordial an invitation to spend some days with him in Montreal that they gladly accepted it. The days slipped by very pleasantly on the Parisian, each one finding the boys' list of acquaint- ances extending, until it embraced nearly all the Urst- ciass passengers, the chief exceptions being the men who spent their time in the smoking-room, playing cards and drinking champagne with a zeal and a zest that made it appear they regarded these occupa- tions as the chief end of life. Nor was Arthur content with the saloon as the sphere of his activity. His eagerness for information took him all over the ship. He got himself be- spattered with oil in the engine-room, and grimy with coal-dust down among the furnaces. He even m :i: III 1' !' 18 AT SCHOOL AND AT SEA. penetrated into the steerage, carrying cakes and fruit to the dirty-faced children that swarmed there, like rabbits in a burrow. To one of these youngsters, a pretty, blue-eyed, fair-haired German boy about five years of age, he took a great fancy, and one day brought him on the main-deck to show him to Mr Gillespie. They were having a lively game of romps together, when Arthur, picking up the child in his arms, held him over the railing to give him a bit of a scare, but instead of being frightened, the little chap crowed and kicked so vigorously that Arthur lost his balance, and before he could recover himself, the boy had slipped out of his grasp, and dropped into the waves, twenty feet below ! \\ \ , , I li I I I' k 'il CHAPTER II. SOME ADVENTURES ASHORE. RTHUR'S first feeling, as the child slipped from his grasp, and with a splash scarce audible to him so far above, vanished beneath the breeze- rippled water, was one of paralysing horror. But it was only for a moment. The next instant, throwing off his coat and cap with one quick movement, he raced down to the stern, and not hesitating a second at the height, leaped off the taffrail into the foam of the steamer's wake ! Suddenly as it all took place, Bruce was nearly as quick as his companion, but his cool clear head told him a better thing to do. Snatching up one of the life-preservers ready at hand for just such an emer- gency, he sprang after Arthur, and just as the latter appeared above the waves, with the child firmly held with the left hand, while he struck out strongly with his right, Bruce also appeared, not twenty yards away, with the life-preserver, and called out cheeringly : 'It's all right, Arthur; I've got a life-preserver. Stay where you are. I '11 bring it to you.' V. 20 SOME ADVENTURES ASHORE. 1 :! Never had his chum's voice sounded so sweet to Arthur before. In his noble impulse to rescue he had not stopped to consider how, if he got the child, he would be able to keep it and himself afloat during the time that must necessarily elapse before a boat could be lowered to pick them up. But now the thoughtfulness of his companion had solved that problem, and as the life-preserver came within his reach he gi'asped it with a tremendous feeling of relief, exclaiming enthusiastically : 'What a brick you are, Bruce. We'll save little Dutchie between us all right.' Meanwhile there was intense excitement on board the steamer. Mr Gillespie had at once given the alarm, the engines had been stopped, and preparations made for lowering one of the boats as rapidly as possible. Although not a moment was lost in this, it seemed awfully long to the anxious passengers, crowded at the stern, before the boat got off; the headway of the huge vessel being so great that the boys were far astern, and scarcely visible ere the first oar struck the water. But the rowers put all their strength into every stroke, and the heavy boat fairly tore through the water, which happily was not at all rough; until, after ten minutes of hard pulling, the welcome order, * easy 11,' told them they had reached their goal. Vr n the boat ran alongside the boys, and the men iu he stern lifted them and the child carefully over the gunwale, the rowers held their oars upright in the air, and gave a mighty * hurrah,* which, making its way back to the steamship, was echoed by the m SOME ADVENTURES ASHORE. 21 relieved and rejoicing passengers, who had been watching every movement of the boat with feverish eagerness. The boys had a rousing reception on their return to the steamer, the gentlemen cheering and clapping them on the back, and pronouncing them most emphatically * the right sort,' and * fine manly fellows,' and so on ; while the ladies, their eyes brimming with tears, felt quite ready to kiss them, all dripping as they were. As for 'little Dutchie,' he was fairly overwhelmed with caresses, to which he submitted with the stolidity of his race. He was also the object of many gifts, which he accepted as calmly as he did the caresses. After Bruce and Arthur had changed their clothes, they returned to the deck, where they found Mr Gillespie on the lookout for them. 'You came out of that handsomely, my lads,' said he, giving a hand to each. ' You,' looking at Arthur, 'only did your duty under the circumstances, but it couldn't have been done better; and you,' turning to Bruce, 'acted like a true friend. It warmed my old heart to see you. And I tell you,' he added, his face kindling, 'if I 'd been twenty years younger, I 'd have gone over with you to make sure you were equal to the job.' * Oh, I felt pretty sure of that, thank you,' responded Bruce modestly. 'Arthur and I are good swimmers, and could have kept afloat a long time without the life-preserver; but I thought it was better to have it all the same.' This incident deepened the friendship between the old man and the boys, and they were more together ■ui\ h: i ■ ^ 22 SOME ADVENTURES ASHORE. ri 1 .. than ever. He seemed to keenly enjoy their stories of school life, and they completely exhausted their stories of such for his benefit. In return he gave them many interesting chapters from his long and eventful life, nearly all of which had been spent in Canada ; and they were absorbed listeners as he described some excitincj experience in the early days of the cities, or a thrilling escape from the perils of travel, through regions where not only the railway, but even the post-road was yet unknown. In this way the boys grew so interested in Canada that they began to discuss between themselves whether they would not spend the whole summer in that country, and leave the United States for another time. * We 've only got until September, you know,' argued Arthur, who entirely favoured the idea, * and it 's an awful big country.' ' That 's true enough,' assented Bruce, who, however, had not his mind quite made up. 'But so are the United States, and dear only knows when we'll get another chance of seeing something of them. Don't let us decide now,' he added. * Wait until we 've been in Canada a little while, and then see what we '11 do.' Arthur agreed to this, and the matter then dropped for the time, there being plenty of other things to occupy the boys' attention. They had grand games of ^novel-board and deck- quoits; they read the books in the steamer's library when it was too stormy to be on deck ; and they turned up with a good appetite at each one of the five meals so lavishly provided for all who cared to take them, so that not for a moment did time hang heavily on SOME ADVENTURES ASHORE. 23 their hands. And presently the always welcome cry of * Land ho ! ' was raised, for the Parisian had come to the Straits of Belle Isle, and the ocean voyage was over, the remainder of the trip being practically inland sailing. As they passed through the Straits, and steered southward along the coasts of Newfoundland, Mr Gillespie interested the boys greatly with the tales of the dangers of navigation in the great Gulf of St Lawrence, and how many fine vessels had been wrecked on the pitiless coasts, or through collision with icebergs in the fog, or by running into one another when enshrowded in mist. When darkness came on, the lightliouses placed here and there to warn navigators to keep off, sent their bright rays gleaming through the night ; and so familiar was Mr Gillespie with the course that he knew each one of them as they were opened up. Point Armour on the Labrador coast, and Point Rich on the Newfoundland side, and he had a story for each. That night one of the fogs, so frequent in those waters, enveloped the steamer, and the fog-horn was kept going steadily, much to the disturbance of the boys, who could not sleep for its mournful bellowings. ' Oh dear, I wish that horrid thing would shut up,' groaned Arthur, rolling over in his berth, and trying to shut out the persistent sound by covering his head with the clothes. * It *11 drive me crazy, if it keeps on like that the whole night.' * Wouldn't you rather have it going than take your chance of having some other steamer run us down ? * asked Bruce, whose habit of mind was to take the most reasonable view of anything that occurred. rllpt ' f t . v. k 4 Is 24 SOME ADVENTURES ASHORE. * Oh ! I guess this steamer can take care of herself,* groaned Arthur, determined not to be appeased, for he was indeed desperately sleepy. 'She's too big for anything to hurt her anyway.' * Not a bit of it,' responded Bruce, * They 've got to be just as careful as if she were a steam-launch. But listen ! ' he exclaimed, starting up in his berth ; * is that an echo, or is it another steamer answering us ? * The boys listened breathlessly, and sure enough there could be heard, in the intervals of the blasts of the Parisian's horn, a fainter blast that evidently was not an echo, for it had a different pitch and a briefer duration. ' It Is another steamer, and it 's coming right towards us,' said Bruce. * Now, my boy, don't you think it 's a good thing our fog-horn has been kicking up such a row ? See, they are signalling each other with long and short blasts so as to show how to pass.' The idea of another vessel as big and as swift as the Parisian, emerging suddenly out of the dense obscurity, and charging right at her for lack of knowledge as to her position, came over Arthur so strongly that he gave a big gasp of relief, and said in quite a meek tone : 'I'll forgive the fog-horn, even if it does seem a nuisance when a fellow wants to go to sleep. I wish I could get a look at that other steamer.' But it was altogether too dense for that, even though they had been on deck ; and, as they listened, the sound of her warninor blasts was heard no more. Shortly after this they both fell asleep, despite the incessant bellowing of the fog-horn, and had got well into the land of dreams, when they were suddenly i 1 s c ill '^ ;:;i as mse of so in nd SOME ADVENTURES ASIIORK. S5 aroused by a shock that nearly tumbled them out of their berths. Scrambling on to the floor of the state-room, they cried at the same moment : ' What s happened ? Have we struck ? ' But as neither could answer the other, they both saw there was nothing to be learned by staying where they were. And without more ado they hastened to pull on some clothes and get out into the saloon, where they found many of the other passengers already gathered in various stages of dishabille that might have been amusing at any other time. They were all rushing about in a frantic fashion, demanding to know what had happened, and there seemed nobody competent to answer until one of the officers appeared, and was immediately surrounded by a score of excited men and women, who shouted at him as though they thought him deaf. When he was able to make himself understood, it appeared that the steamer had run down a sailing vessel, striking her almost amidships, but that she had not sunk, being timber-laden, and her crew would all be rescued, while it was not thought that the Parisian had received any serious damage. This announcement was enough to cause Bruce and Arthur to complete dressing, and to hasten on deck. Making their way to the bow, they found that the steamer had not yet entirely disengaged herself from the other vessel, and there was a gr(?nt flashing of lights and shouting of commands going on. Being relieved from all anxiety as to their own safety, or that of the crew of the stricken ship, they could look on at the busy scene with easy minds. Mlf 26 SOME ADVENTURES ASnORE. I What the captain of the Parisian desired waa to get the wreck cleared away from the bow, and drawn alongside, until tlio.se on board had time to remove everything of value to the steamer, when the wreck must be abandoned to its fate. In spite of the admirable discipline which he main- tained, the suddenness of the shock and the darkness of the night confused his men at first ; and they did not execute his orders with their wonted intelligence and rapidity, thereby putting him in a towering rage, which greatly impressed the boys, who had never before seen him otherwise than in a genial mood. Before long, however, despite the difficulties of the situation, the vessel was cut loose, and drawn alongside, and all on board her reached the Parisian's deck with their clothes and other belongings, which being accom- plished, the steamer resumed her course; a careful examination of the fore-hold having established the fact that although the bow had suffered some slight damage, it was not enough to cause a serious leak, and at the worst only the fore-compartment would be flooded. When the excitement had all subsided, the boys went back to their berths, and as they turned in for the second time, Bruce said: 'That settles the fog- horn question, doesn't it, Arthur? If that vessel we ran down had only been blowing a horn like the steamer we met, we 'd have gone by her all right, instead of sm hing into her as we did.* * That's so, Bruce,' assented Arthur sleepily. 'I'll never feel mad at a fog-horn again.' And having delivered himself of this virtuous resolution, he rolled over to finish his much interrupted night's rest. SOME ADVENTURES ASHORE. tr The following; morning they were stoamincj by the bi^ island of Anticosti, \vl\ich stands right in the heart of the St Lawrence Gulf, and as they gave its danger- ous shores a wide berth, Mr Gillespie told them many thrilling tales of the terrible disasters of which the island had been the scene. Well did it deserve the ill-omened title of 'Isle of Shipwrecks,' from the day when Sir William Phipps' troopships ' were cast away upon it, with the loss of hundreds of brave British soldiers, until the present, when the w^'ecks of sev eral fine iron steamships were to be seen prawling upon the merciless reefs. The boys were also told about Gamache, the mys- terious smuggler and wrecker, whose sinister renown had filled the whole gulf in years gone by, and who was believed by the superstitious sailors to be in league with the devil, and to be able to exercise super- natural powers if hard-pressed. They reached Quebec on the afternoon of Friday; and on the advice of Mr Gillespie, got off the steamer to spend a day or two in looking over the old city, whose towering citadel at once made plain to them why it was known as the Gibraltar of America. Arranging to meet their kind friend in Montreal, they bade * good-bye' to the Parisian, and betook themselves to a hotel, feeling glad enough to be on terra firma once more, full of enjoyment and interest as the trip across the ocean had been. Immediately after dinner, they set out to explore the city with its steep, narrow, tortuous streets, its quaint old-fashioned buildings, and its foreign-looking people, chattering away in a language that the instruction 1'^ I ■> ^ j "1 in :t j I u !■ \ f I I '^.v. ' 1 in m I ^ 'S 28 SOME ADVENTURES ASHORE. thoy had received in French at Merchiston in no wise helped them to understand. Presently they were hailed by the driver of a very odd-looking vehicle, who seemed in a gi'eat state of anxiety to be hired. 'That must be one of those caliches Mr Gillespie was telling us about. Let 's hire him for a while, and drive around. We'll get along ever so much better that way,' suggested Arthur, always ready for some- thing new. It was a lovely evening, and there was a full hour of clear twilight still to come, so Bruce thought the idea a good one, and much to the gratification of the cabby, they climbed iato his curious chariot, that very much resembled an ancient two-wheeled gig, and bid him drive them about for an hour. ' What a queer old place this is, to be sure,' exclaimed Arthur, after they had been threading their way for some time through streets so narrow that there was scarce room for two carriages to pass. 'It's a good deal like Edinburgh, isn't it ; though the houses ain't half so high.' But when their driver brought them to DufFerin Terrace, more than half-way up the precipitous flank of Cape Diamond, and from this superb promenade there opened out one of the most magnificent views in the world, they forgot all about the v^ontracted shadowy streets in their admiration for the wonderful panorama spread before and beneath them. Right at their feet lay the old town, dark in shadow. Beyond it the glorious river, bearing scores of veitsels of every variety on its bosom as it swept steadily seaward, it6 farther shore seeming dim in the distance, SOME ADVENTURES ASHORE. 29 ^ n 80 great was its breadth. Above them the citadel rose in successive terraces of mighty masonry, while on their left the new part of the city stretched away in rank after rank of solid stone structures. *Auld Reekie can't show anything finer than this, can she, Bruce ? ' said Arthur. ' It 's certainly worth coming a long way to see, isn't it ? * * It is, indeed,' assented Bruce, letting the comparison with Edinburgh go by unchallenged, because loyal as he was to the Scottish capital, he did not wish to take issue with Arthur on the matter. 'Just look there,' he added, pointing to the east, where the moon was rising like a huge crimson balloon. *I wish we had the Chief here. He 's so fond of a fine view.' The assurance of bright moonlight decided tliem on prolonging their outing until bed-time ; so they directed the caleche driver to take them out of the city a little way, as they wanted to see something else than rows of gray houses. They were accordingly driven out through St John's Gate, and along the Ste Foye Road, on v/hich stood a number of the finest residences Quebec could boast. The driver called out the names of the proprietors; but the pronunciation was so execrable that neither of the boys could understand what he said. 'It's too bad that we're so weak on our parley Frangais' said Bruce, in a rueful tone. 'I'd like to be able to understand that fellow.' His desire to understand him, and to make himself understood by him, was presently intensified by the man's strange behaviour. On the way out the road he had stopped in the dark shadow of some trees to hold a whispered conversation with two other men 1 1 I : l4 ! li! 80 SOME ADVENTURES ASTrOHE. who \v(M*o invisible to ilic boys; and now when ho w^Jia ordered to turn Jiboiit, instead of jjji^in^ back over the same route, lie went aside into a narrow road that Hecnied to lead nowhere in particular. ' What can he be up to ? ' asked JJruce, with an accent of sus}>icion in his voice. ' He 's not goin^ back the same road as we canu» out on.' 'Let us see if we can't lind out.' resjiondod Arthur; and givino; the driver an emphatic poke in the back, he shouted in his ear, as thou«.di he thoui t a I'i! standing, and, in the best French he could command, Arthur asked a drink. The girls blushed and giggled, looked at one another with a puzzled expression, and then, after whispering together, went off to the back of the house, presently returning, each with a piece of wood, which they offered with a graceful curtsy. At once seeing that he had made some mistake, Arthur shook his head energetically, saying : * Non, non, c'est quelque chose du hois que nous voulons' illustrating his meaning by smacking his lips and pointing down his throat; wheicupon the girls' faces lit up with a look of comprehension, and bursting into merry laughter, they darted off, return- ing this time with two bowls of rich milk, which they presented with renewed curtsies. Having quaffed the milk, and offered payment therefor, which was smilingly refused, the boys made their best bow, and withdrew. When they settled in their seats again, Arthur said, in a very meek tone : 'There was evidently something wrong about my French. Have you any idea what it was, Bruce ? ' Bruc*. oked very thoughtful for a moment. Then he broke into a shout of laughter. * Why, of course,' he cried. ' You said du hois, didn't you, and you should have said hoire — quelque chose a hoire ; that 's good enough French for " some- thing to drink." ' Seeing his mistake at once, Arthur joined heartily in the laughter, and as the joke seemed too good to keep, they told it to the driver, who was greatly tickled. 'We ought to stay here a while, and practise up K; f. SOME ADVENTURES ASHORE. 35 our French,* said Arthur. ' It 's a very different thing working out a good exercise in it at school and speak- ing the language so that the people will know what you 're driving at.* 'Right you are,* assented Bruce. *To be offered a stick of wood when you're dying for a drink may seem funny, but it 's rather too dry humour for me.' * Bully for you, my boy,' cried Arthur. ' You 've actually made a joke, haven't you — and not a bad one, either. Bless me, if I don't send that to the Merchistonian by the first mail.' ' Get out with you,' laughed Bruce, blushing furiously. ' You '11 do nothing of the kind. You '11 have to give yourself away too badly to tell it right.' * Well, it 's good enough to be sent anyway,' persisted Arthur. * And, now you 've begun, I hope you '11 keep it up. I 'm immensely fond of jokes, though the only ones I ever make seem to be always at my own expense.* By this time they were nearing the falls, whose mighty roar was already sounding in their ears. 'They say you're apt to be disappointed by your first look at a waterfall,' said Bruce. ' I hope it won't be so in this case.' Following the advice of the driver, they did not go at once to the edge of the falls — in which case they wculd certainly have been disappointed — but made their way down the steep bank by a path through the trees, and then came out at a point where the cataract burst upon their view in all its fury and splendour. As they gazed upward at the foaming flood, falling full two hundred and fifty feet upon the great boulders a little below them, and felt the cool touch of its spray i,.| if' v 36 SOMK ADVKNTITKKS ASHORE. !i upon tlieir cheeks, heated by their exertions, thoy wore for sonic moments silent; the majesty of I\lontmorency had not simply etpialled their expectations, but had far surpjussed them. 'This is jTr.atid, and no mistake,' exclaimed Artlnir, givini; a si<>;h of profound admiration. *I don't wonder they talk so much of their falls. Why, juflt look at that water ! You might think it was milk, it 's so white, mightn't you ?' ' Well, you know the people about hero,' answered Bruce, 'the habitans, Mr Gillespie called them, have given the name of La Vache, the cow, to these falls. I saw it in a guide-book at the hotel.' ' If it really was milk,' said Arthur, ' I 'd like to run a dairy here, and have the contract for supplying the city ; it wouldn't take a fellow long to get rich on those terms.' ' I 'm afraid Montmorency's milk would hardly be as good as that the girls gave us,' returned Bruce, 'and by the same token, I 'd appreciate another bowl of it, if it was handv.' For lack of milk, the boys decided to have a drink of water ; and, despite the warnings of the driver, who told them the rocks were very slippery, proceeded to clamber farther down to where they could see a tiny pool gleaming attractively out of reach of the spray. They were both good rock-climbers, having had a lot of experience in Scotland during the holidays, and the very fact of the presence of a spice of danger made the undertaking all the more attractive. They reached the pool all right, and having slaked their thirst, were about to make their way back again, when Bruce, who was an ardent botanist, caught sight HOME \DVENTlTKi;s ASHOllK. 87 1: of a lovely cluHtor of delicate fern iKJHtlcd on a Icd^e, whore from time to time the breeze blew to it the wpray from the falls. ' I muat have a bit of that fern,' he cried. ' Wait a moment until I get it.' Not being interested in botany, Arthur fiat down on a smooth rock to watch him satisfying his scientific enthusiasm. The ledge was not easy of access, but, undaunted by more than one slip backward, Bruce persevered until he got his fingers within reach of the fern, and care- fully detached a good handful of it. 'IJravo, chum,' exclaimed Arthur, who had been watching his eilbrts, with much interest, from his com- fortable seat. 'If at first you don't succeed, try, try again, works well as a rule. I hope, now you 've got your fern, it '11 be worth all the trouble you 've taken to get it.' The last words had hardly left his lips, when the narrow ledge on which Bruce was standing gave way under his weight, and, with a crj' of alarm, he went slipping swiftly down towards the wild welter of foam and fury at the foot of the fall. i I M ■i m 1 I CHAPTER III. 'A * i 11 I 'I i 1 THE BECIINNING OF THE TRAMP. CHOING his companion'.s cry, Arthur rushed to tlie ed^e of the shelf, and peered over, in an agony of dread. Bruce, still holding tightly to the ferns, had partly slipped, partly fallen full twenty feet below, where, by a happy chance, a projecting point of rock '\ad arrested his descent a few yards short of certain death. When he saw Arthur looking over, he called out to him, in a tone of entire self-possession : * Don't try to come down ; you can't help me that way. Get something to pull me up ; I can't hold on here long.' Now Arthur was as quick at devising expedients as he was hasty in undertaking risks, and Bruce had hardly spoken before a happy thought flashed into his mind, that he proceeded to put into execution with his wonted promptness. Clambering back to where the cabman stood, he said to him : ' Stay where you are. I '11 be back in a minute.* w THE BEGINNING OF THE TRAMP. 89 1 And then he darted up the path by which they had come do'vn. In a wonderfully short time, considering; how far he had to go, and how steep the way was, he was back again, bearing the reins taken from the horse, and without wasting a moment in explanations, he gasped out: ' It 's all right ; come along. Your help 's needed,' and disappeared down the cliff. Sorely puzzled, but convinced that there was some- thing wrong, the cabman followed as best he could, and arrived in time to see Bruce catch the end of the rein, which Arthur had flung to him. 'Now then,' panted Arthur, who indeed had liltle strength left after his tremendous exertion, shoving the end of the rein into the cabman's hands, 'pull away, and we '11 soon have him up here.' Uniting their strength, the man and boy had little difficulty in bringing Bruce up beside them; and a pretty well-drenched and dishevelled-looking creature he was. Yet as he sank down on the rock, utterly exhausted by the strain he had endured, he held up the bunch, saying, with a faint smile : * I held on to it, you see.' 'Well done for you!' exclaimed Arthur, admir- ingly patting him on the back. * But aren't you hurt somewhere ?' *I believe I am,* replied Bruce, rolling up his trouser-legs, and revealing a pair of shins with numerous scrapes and bruises. 'Nothing worse than that,* he said cheerfully. * It might have been ever so much worse, eh, Arthur ?* ' A deal sight worse,' responded Arthur. * Some f el- ■ i f ■ :| 40 THE BEQINNINO OP THE TRAMP. I lows would have broken their necks, if they 'd been in the same box; bub you're one of the lucky chaps, Bruce. Can you climb back to the carriage without help?' ' Of course I can/ said Bruce ; and picking himself up, he began the ascent as though nothing had happened. He looked so comical, with his clothes clinging damply to him, that Arthur could not resist the chances of trying his hand at joke-making. 'Say, Bruce,' he exclaimed suddenly, 'there's no- thing dry about Montmorency's humour, is there ?' It was now Bruce's turn to offer congratulations, which Arthur accepted with the comfortable feeling that they were on even terms once more. The day was so bright and warm that the drive back did Bruce no harm ; and on arriving at the hotel, a generous application of arnica and sticking-plaster so soothed and mended his various hurts, that after a hearty lunch and a couple of hours' rest, he felt quite equal to joining Arthur in a visit to the citadel that afternoon. They went on foot the better to enjoy the glorious prospect, which opeiued more widely at each stage of the ascent, and after a leisurely walk came to tho great gate whose leaves were formed of interlaced iron chains, immensely strong, passing through which they crossed a wide, deep fosse, between high stone walls, and then by a sally-port entered the fortress. Crossing the level space of the interior, they went to the edge of the ramparts, and looked over. A sheer descent of three hundred feet met their gaze, and so narrow seemed the strip of land between the foot of THE BEQINNINO OF THE TRAMP. 41 the precipice and the river that it appeared almost possible to spring from the ramparts clear into the swift current of the St Lawrence. ' What a dive that would be ! ' exclaimed Arthur, who was very fond of diving from a height, and very expert at the rather dangerous amusement. ' Would you care to try it ? ' inquired Bruce. * No, sir-ree,' responded Arthur. * I 'm not that tired of life just yet. But I say, Bruce, wouldn't this be a grand place to try a flying-machine, like the one we were reading about the other day. A fellow couldn't wish a better place to start from, could ho ? ' * What a chap you are, Arthur,* said Bruce, smiling. 'First you think this would be a fine place for a champion dive, then you would try a flying-machine from it. What on earth will come into your head next ? ' Arthur was silent for a while as if thinking deeply. Then lifting his head, his eyes flashing with the brilliance inspired by a new idea, he laid hold of Bruce's arm, saying: 'I'll tell you what next. Let us make a walking-tour of this trip through Canada, and begin by footing it from here to Montreal.' Bruce's answer was a long whistle, and a look that seemed to say : * Well, this beats everything. Are you losing your senses ? ' Interpreting the meaning of this look, Arthur, with- out waiting for it to be followed by speech, hastened to say : ' And why not ? We had many a good long tramp in Scotland, and this wouldn't be any harder ; and it would be ever so much more fun than riding in the stuffy cars in this glorious weather.' 'But, look here, Arthur,' replied Bruce. 'You Hi i f %■■ ;i m 42 THE BEGINNING OF THE TRAMP. know you 'd get sick and tired of it before we had walked fifty miles, and it is nearly two hundred to Montreal.' *I wouldn't do anything of the kind,' returned Arthur, in a tonj touched with indignation. *If I set out to do it, I'll go right through with it. I promise you that.' JSow Bruce was not one to commit himself rashly, and Arthur's proposal was so entirely novel that he wanted time to consider it, so he just said, pleasantly : * It 's a great notion, Arthur, but I 'd like to think it over. We '11 talk about it again to-night, eh ? * 'All right,' responded Arthur. 'There's no hurry. Let 's see more of this queer place.* Going over to the western ramparts, they looked ctut across the Plains of Abraham, where Wolfe had won Canada for England, at the cost of his own life. * It was too bad altogether,' said Bruce, with a deep sigh, * that Wolfe was killec. He ought to have lived to see the British banner take ^he nlace of the French one, and to have enjoyed all the honours he deserved.' 'It was hard lines, wasn't it,' said Arthur. 'But you see he would ^o into the thick of it himself, and the bullets were bound to find him. Suppose we go over and have a look at his monument.' Leaving the citadel, they made their way to the monument, and then, having examined it, roamed about the plain until their growing hunger suggested a return to the hotel. After dinner, Arthur brought up his walking project again, and they discussed it for some time. Bruce, as was character' dtic of his cautious far-seeing nature, dwelling on the difficulties and draw-backs of the iia^t THE BEGINNING OF THE 7RAMP. 43 plan, and Arthur, the most sanguine of optimists, doing his best to remove them, each and all. Finally, after a talk with the manager of the hotel, whom they took into their confidence, and who thought Arthur's idea perfectly feasible, Bruce gave in, saying : ' All right, Arthur ; I '11 try it ; but if we give out half-way, and have to take to the cars, remember I prophesied it.' Too well-pleased at having carried his point to be hurt by his companion's persistent scepticism, Arthur shouted, * Hurrah for you, Bruce ; you 're a trump ! There's no fear of you giving out, and I'll not let you beat me, if I have to crawl along on my hanas and knees.' The following morning, having sent their portman- teaus on by train, they girded up their loins for their long walk. They 'veve well-provided with money, and, upon the advice of the hotel manager, they pro- cured a revolver apiece, and a good supply of cart- ridges. * There 's only one chance in twenty of your needing them for protection; but if you do, you may need them mighty bad,' said he. 'And anyway, you can amuse yourselves with them on the way, only take care and don't shoot any cows or hans by mistake.' * Oh ! we '11 take good care of that,' answered Arthur. 'We're not going to be shooting promiscuously, you may depend upon that.' Carrying nothing in their hands but stout walking- sticks, and with knapsacks on their backs, the two boys made their way out of the city, and striking a good steady pace, took their course along the northern bank of the mighty river. The road was in good D ^1 -}'■ > -5 44 THE BEGINNING OF THE TRAATP. Ill 1* I if I ! » ' 1 \ \ 1 condition, the day was bright and fine, witliout being oppressively warm, and they were both in the best of spirits. 'This beats riding, in those hot dusty cars, out of sight, doesn't it, Bruce ? ' exclaimed Arthur enthusias- tically. ' We 're in no Iiurry, you know, and if we do get tired, w 3 can rest whenever we like, or ask some of the farmers to give us a lift if they 're going our way.* 'But how are we going to make them understand what we want, when we are so weak on our French ? ' inquired Bruce. ' We may have to starve to death, because we can't get it into their heads that we need something to eat.' This, of course, was said with ii smile, that showed the speaker was not serious, so Arthur, carrying oi the pretence, responded: *0h, that's easy enough. We '11 just go into the house, and take what we want, and then pay for it.' 'Yes, and have our heads broken for our imperti- nence,' returned Bruce. ' No, no ; we '11 have to manage better than that.' As they talked, they were walking alon,^ through a country that might have been a bit of Normandy in old France. The haniiuts rhat succeeded one another so closely had a strangely foreign appearance, with their quaint red-roofed houses, rich in dormer windows, their huge chimneys, ai d the big ovens built outside the houses, each one '.eeming capable of cooking enough for a company of f oldiers. 'What folks they must be for eating about here,* said Bruce, noting the size of these ovens. * And as it's pretty close to lunch-time, I vote we try what I ¥ THE BEGINNING OF THE TRAMP. 45 they can do for us in that way,' suggested Arthur, who had a noble appetite. * Very well,' assented Bruce. ' You go ahead, and see if you can get something better than a stick of wood this time.' Entering the gate of a very comfortable-looking farm-house, Arthur went up to the door, and knocked gently. No response being elicited, he knocked more loudly, and at last there appeared an aged dame, into whose wrinkled face came a look of surprise, mingled with suspicion, as her eyes fell upon the two boys. This look was not dissipated, but, on the contrary, deepened when Arthur essayed to explain his object ; and after listening to him for a very brief moment, she shut the door in his face with a bang, whose emphasis admitted of no misinterpretation. * By Jove ! ' cried Arthur, in blank amazement at this summary treatment. ' The old dame 's got quee notions of civility.' 'I suspect she was afraid for her spoons,' said Bruce, with a queer smile. 'We must look like a pair of desperadoes on a foraging expedition.' Involuntarily Arthur glanced at his compan'.on, and then at h'mself. 'Nonsense,' he responded, with a short laugh of derision at the idea. ' We look all right.' ' Well then, perhaps it was your bad French that frightened her,' suggested Bruce meekly. ' Never you mind my bad French,' retorted Arthur, with some heat ; ' if you think you can do any better, I just wish you 'd try. I 'm only too glad to leave it to you.* I < . > U i f , \ i ': I ■f I t HI (r ' .1- ',. i\ 11: il 46 THE BEGINNING OF THE TRAMP. ' We may as well £jo away from here anyway,* said Bruce, waiving the point as to which could do best with the French. ' See, the old lady 's watching us from the window.' With an awkw^ard, crestfallen feeling, the boys returned to the road, and plodded along for some tiMe in silence. Arthur, like all sanguine people, being easily discouraged, already began to fear that his plan would have to be abandoned, while Bruce began to congratulate himself on this being quite probable. Presently they caught sight of a tin-sheeted spire, flashing above the trees, and Bruce said : * That means a church ; and a church means some sort of a villaije, and there 's sure to be an inn. Let us push ahead. We '11 have a good lunch yet.' A few m.ore turns of the road, and they came out into an open space, which at the first glance promised to fulfil all of Bruce's surmises. There stood the church, stone-walled, tin-roofed, solid and attractive, and around it clustered a number of houses looking well-kept and comfortable. * Ha ! ha ! that looks hopeful,' exclaimed Arthur, brightening up ; ' and there 's the priest just coming out of the church. We '11 ask him. He 's sure to give us a civil answer anyway.' Hastening up to the cure, who had a plump, pleasant countenance, and the air of being at peace with all the world, himself not excepted, Arthur began to address him in French ; but the old man, with a courteous wave of the hand, said, smilingly : ' Pray do not trouble yourself to speak our language. I understand your own very well.' Whereupon Arthur, feeling much relieved, proceeded ■p '4 I Tlie cure cliucklnl in evident enjoyinent of the tale.— P. -47. ir.iiiHi>^. ■)W' t h h ne th TJ: pis Th lip{ mis A casj inte was whi( torn] W the 1 struc priesi direct 'Ai evidei 'Oh *We'r and ha better Whi in the questio; "'"'-"""•■"■ ■ ■ T^' ^'li 1 B ■Mi; THE BI i-'GINNlNO OP rptr^ i. ,. nil to state the ca«^P r,«* i? humiliating reception Lytdt^*°t^'' ''"'-* the house down tlie road ^ "*' ^'*'' *' the farm- 'That was Madam! Groth/Cr^ '"* °^ ^"-^ i. ne.vous body who lives air. -^"^^^''^ ■«" Poor, th-nk hard things of her Anl""'' ^°" "^ "ot There is what they eaJla h ^ T"^ <=°'"^ ^"h me P'-ee; but quite efean and tte "l' '* '« '^ ^'^U ■The last words bein,, „ ® Madame can coot • "P«^ 'hat spoke vXTfTthfeY "^ ^"^^ "^^^^ ""Stress of the establishment ""''•>' '"•'' °f ^e As they walked toward, 'fl i . P'«y converse; and trt,od ' °''''' '''^^ f-"' «to «terest in the boys and'^theirT- """''^'^^'i «uch "'as moved to invite him to L T'' *^^^ Arthur which invitation, after ^ome «!«! 'T'^ ^''J" 'hem, iovm-s sake, he accepted "'^ ''^'»"^- &>• mere When they reached the hofpl P the meal should not be spS 1 ^'f "''^^"""^ '^--^ structions to the mistress of Lh "^^ °* P'^P'^ '""- Pnest if he would be so kind a! t°"''' "'"' ''^^"^ *« directions. *"''' ^ to give the necessary 'And what would you l;k» f„ , •^eV; verify "tVr"'^™^™-''- «nd have walked f gool Z,v f" '"''^ ''^^^aat, bettor call this dinner^ I thTnt^"''^^ 3.nce, and we'd - theMl^ oTtte"Cl:tdTf • "•« '''^ -* questions of their new acqua^t ^'' ""'^'^ "''"^ ■,■ k:| {J H s ■ I' -I '1 48 THE BEGINNING OP THE TRAMP. He heartily approved of the idea of walking to Montreal, greatly to Arthur's satisfaction. * It 's like one long village street nearly all the way, with churches every six miles or so; and plenty of little hotels like this one. You need never go to a farm-house.' The waiting for dinner naturally served to whet the boys' appetite to a very keen edge; and they hailed the summons to the dining-room with a shout of delight- Simple and plain as the furnishings of the table were, they could not have been improved upon for neatness; and when the dinner was served it fully justified the curb's promise. First came a delicious soup, slightly flavoured with garlic; then a fine roast fowl that the priest carved with admirable skill ; after that, an omelette aux fines herbes, worthy of Paris, followed by a luscious pudding, with coffee to finish off". The bread and butter was of the best, with cream in abundance; and alto- gether the boys enjoyed their repast so thoroughly that Arthur accurately voiced the sentiments of both when, leaning back in his chair, with a sigh of unspeakable content, he said: 'I'd just like to stay here for a week. This is the best dinner I 've had for ever so long.' The cure seemed highly pleased at their apprecia- tion of the fare and establishment : ' It is very good, is it not?' said he, rubbing his hands together. 'Madame Ouimet understands how to look after her guests. She would be very glad to have you stay with her for a week, I am sure.* 'Oh I we can't do that, thank you,' replied Bruce THE BEGINNING OF THE TUAM1>. 49 quickly, for fear Arthur should show soino willingness to consider tho idea. * We must keep right along, for it 's a long walk to ^Montreal, you know.' After sitting a while over their cofiee, the hoys paid the reckoning, which was only one-half what they expected ; and having thanked the good cure for his kindness, and received his paternal blessing, they set forth again, resolved to keep going until dark, if pos- sible, the cure having told them of a comfortable hotel about ten miles ahead. They both felt in high spirits, and ready for a lark of some kind should opportunity offer. As a rule, persons in that frame of mind have not long to wait before their chance comes, and they had not gone more than a couple of miles when they came to a snug- looking barn, in whose adjoining yard a number of hens clucked and scratched busily. Just as the boys were opposite the gate, a big rooster sprang on top of it, and crowed in a most vigorous manner. There was something peculiarly bumptious and challenging in his part that reminded Arthur, who was a diligent student of Punch, of the * Gallic cock ' so often pictured in its cartoons. * Just look at him,' cried he. * He 's calling us names as sure as you live. I '11 just give him a scare to teach him better manners.' So saying, he pulled out his revolver, and before Bruce could stop him, pointed it at the rooster, and pulled the trigger. Now, he had not intended to injure the bird at all, but simply to shoot over its head, and frighten it with the report. But as luck would have it, his aim proved better than he imagined, and to his horror, the i: ':l| :'''i- i.r !^ '»l ! n 'i\ ; \ ! 1 ■■ i '1 50 THE BEGINNINQ OF THE TRAMP. I I bullet struck the ill-fated fowl full in the neck, almost severing the head from the body, and over it tumbled into the muck of the barn-yard, flapping its wings in the convulsions of death. The boys' first impulse was to take to their heels and get out of sight as soon as possible. But their second thoughts did them more credit, and, standing their ground, they looked about to see if any one would appear to call them to account. They had not long to wait. Out of the barn darted a middle-aged habitant, on whose countenance alarm and anger were curiously blended. He had heard the report, and now saw his pet rooster wallowing in his own blood. As soon as he appeared, Arthur stepped up to the gate, and forgetting, in his agitation, to put his revolver away, but still holding it in his hand, said, in English : ' I am very sorry I killed your rooster. I really did not mean to, and I will pay you what- ever it was worth.* Not understanding a word he said, and terrified at the sight of the revolver, the poor habitant shrunk behind the fence; and then, deeming discretion the better part of valour, took to his heels incontinently, disappearing behind the corner of the house, which stood a little distance from the barn. In spite of their concern at the damage uninten- tionally done, the boys could not refrain from bursting into laughter, the conduct of the frightened farmer was so comical. At the same time, they felt bound to make fitting reparation, so they followed the fugitive to the house, Arthur taking care to put his revolver out of sight. i: THE liEGINNING OF THE TRAMP. 51 Their knocking at the front door produced no response ; and in some perplexity as to what ought to be done, they were about to turn away, when from behind the house came the farmer, accompanied by two sallow-faced black-haired youths, who were evidently his sons. Pointing at the boys, who now began to feel that the situation was in some danger of becoming com- plicated, he spoke with great vehemence, and such rapidity as to be altogether unintelligible to the pedestrians. Anxious to bring the affair to a speedy conclusion, Bruce now stepped forward, and asked: 'Can any of you speak English?' At which the elder of the sallow youths brightened up, and replied, with a conscious blush : * Oh yes, I can myself ; I have been in the big city.' Much relieved at the discovery, Bruce then hastened to explain what had happened, and how sorry they were, and how willing to pay the full value of the defunct rooster. The young French-Canadian having repeated all this to his father, there was a manifest lifting of the clouds, and the atmosphere became less oppressive. Alter consulting with his sons for a few minutes, the one who spoke English said: 'My father understands now, and is not angry any more; and he says he will be content wi-th one dollar for the cock.' It was more than the real value of the creature, but the boys were in no mood for bargaining. They wanted to push on without further delay. Arthur, therefore, paid over the sum asked, in silver; and bidding the trio, whose faces were now wreathed in ■ -1 i'l 52 THE HEOINNINQ OF THE TKAMP. smiles, a hearty 'Good-bye,' the boys resumed their walk at a rapid pace. The afternoon len^^thened out as they trudcjed steadfastly onward, being anxious to reach Pont Rouge, if possible, bufore nightfall. The rooster episode had quite satisfied their desire for a lark, and their mood was one of strict business. The miles slipped by, one by one, and they began to feel leg-weary ; but not a hint of it did the one give to the other, although the entire cessation of talk between them was enough to show that their whole energies were concentrated in the task of keeping their feet going. At last Arthur could not keep his feelings to him- self : * Oh dear ! ' he groaned, * when will we get to that place? It must be ever so much farther than the priest said. I'm more than half -tempted to try another farm-house.' * Yes, and meet with the same warm reception that Madame Grothe gave you,' said Bruce smiling. ' No, no,' he added. * We won't do that unless there 's no other alternative than sleeping in a barn.' Just at this juncture the rattle of a wagon was heard behind them, and through the dark there came one of those long-bodied country expresses that have such fine carrying capacity. It contained two people, presumably man and wife, and there was plenty of room in the back part. ' Here 's our chance,' cried Bruce. * Let 's ask them for a lift.' When the wagon reached them, Bruce took oflT his cap politely, and called out : ' Monsiewr^ voulez-voua nou8 embarquer i ' i \ THE BEGINNING OF THE TKAMP. 53 The farmer at once pulled up his horses, and answered pleasantly : ' Oiu, certaineinent, ^mbarquez a'il vous plaiL Feeling vei7 much elated at the success of his attempt at French, Bruce sprang into the wagon, and Arthur promptly followed his example. There were some sacks of grain that made capital seats, and the tired boys stretched out upon them with a delicious feeling of relief. Their good Samaritan seemed very eager to converse with them, and poured out a flood of questions in his own tongue, the gist of which Bruce could not catch at all; and at last he was fain to confess that his French did not go far, and to ask the farmer if he could not speak English. As it happened, he could do something in English, and managed to maintain a conversation in this language as chey jogged along towards Pont Rouge, which was his destination also. They had gone about a couple of miles, and were descending a steep incline, when a part of the harness suddenly gave way that let the wagon run forward to the horses' heels. They were a sturdy pair of French-Canadian ponies, full of spirit, and this unex- pected assault from the rear frightened them into a wild gallop. There was no brake on the wagon, and it swayed from side to side of the road, as it plunged down the hill at a fearful pace. U'^ '■f' ■. i •^ ,:i 1 i i ! * i:. il M i' U A V VKM I V. TMUO\«n» I in- KAIMPM ANH OVKU Y\\\: \\\{\\HiK \'VV\\\.\ |S>\VtM llVil 1( »> olItM- ;UU' M'lMt.M t.M\("'<\\M oo\iM o\\\y lii»M liyhlly on io i\\o \\os\\ y I>m;'m ol' ;MMiM. \vhili> tl \o >VMO\M\ hunii^ov h a :\\\\ 1 1 >innu lo.l o\ov (ho i\v»»i IImM \( hoow \^■\y^\[ \\t\\\\iA\i, {\\o\v H\{\\i\{u\\\ wouUln 1 \\i\\o \\oo\\ n(» nl;vn\u^\^^•. b\it l\v (his (in\o »i;nkuoas h;ul «M«»,m«mI itt iU\">\u\d (howi. ;vnvi (hoy ivniUi h;vnlly S(v i\\o \o\\y-\\\ of (ho >v;vi. 1( "»vrt,s ;» loM^' \!osO(M^(. :\\\k\ .'V i\ooy -lit oil h(>i(lor«ul tho nvui on bv>(h sivios. (o tho cdro ol' " hioh (h(> \v rluvl s oan\o roiM r iU>nsl V i\(\'U' tron\ (iuK^ to (ini(\ 'is (ho ;v(Vrij;h(Ov^ hoi^os vi.'ishovl vnn\.'ud >vi(h unoondollMhlo \nuv(\^v^si(y. Tho t*avn\ov. hoUHn^- u.nnl'ully (o (ho ri itis, ^Y.•ls (M»o uiv>mo.nt 0,'illir.c v«ivv(hu)i:lv (o his horsos. and (ho noxt iMVorino; oxpUvsivo oj.'U'ul.'Uions of pray or \o his pa(ron js'iint (or supornatural .'Kssis(anoo >v l\ilo his wifo, oviviont.lv ovorvvnio \vi(h (orror. oronohoil down ho- twivn tho sivu and \\\c low dash-Kvwd of tho wa^v>n, r.ttorin^ plamt.ivo n\*.\;ins that woiv vory pitiful. ■j»i¥*« najny*^ '• yi-^^; ' - Timninni Tfiin nAriMfi ani» ovirn tiih: nnn»ufr UT^ % It) (iiiM \\t\\ limy iiiiinl. luivo ^oiio rioinix liiirMlii>«ln ol' vmhIm wIhmi Dim rnlMfil in|»lio wliirli luul Immii run Mnniilly Dirontoniii^ ionh pliuMv Tlio lioavy wn|^;on MNVim^^ oNor llio Midi* ni' Mm mntl iiiin I,Im< «li(«'li, nrMl, \\\ivv ri)llin),^ iiikI piloliiii^ i'or nti iiiMrMiil. ot ivvo lilr M mm M. kirk in Ml m Mi.omn.<- (lull <'omplol(Oy kiiockrd Mm wind oiil, ol' liim , wliilo mIio vvmm llimif oiik over Mm dMnli lion.rd /i,;^n,in:il, Mim liMiik. Hlrikiiii'- il. Iicnd lir.'il- willi nii<-li viol«:hc.n n.fi I o ll|t I'OtK liM'od inMnli.Mihlo l>l. I'iclunt^lj Mj'inHolvrH up nl. oimm", ItoMi hoyn lin.Ml.«:n<,«l lo li(«!p llioir diHM,lilrd <'omp/iiiionH. 'I'l"'y IiimI' {^»i.v«5 a.lloi)(.i(Mi |.o Mm< woiiiMti, Mild l)Miik, Hoii<^lil, I.O niviv(i 'i.-r l»y i'armin;^ licr Inco wiMi Mirir IimI.h. Kindiii^, how(^V(ir, Mini- MiIm Jiv/i.il«'d rioMiin;^, n,fid fivirinjjj from Mm laniKirH ;^roM.iiH Mini, lici vvji.m in a vvoi'Hi^ plin^hl, Hl.ill, Muiy wrni* oviir l,o liim. Jiy Mii.H t.imo lu^ iiad n'/^nincd Ihh wind Homcwiial., and wan M,l)l(> to call out lustily I'or Ii(!l[). ]jir(iu«r him upon liiH I'cct, tlioy hrou^lifc liim to liin ; J 1; 56 THROUGH THE RAPIDS ANF^ OVER THE BRIDGE. i wife; and at once the good fellow forgot his own sufferings in anxiety for his help-meet. His anxiety was quite pathetic as he hold her head in his hands, and besought her to speak to him. At this juncture the welcome light of a lantern appeared upon the road, and the boys saw, with vast relief, that it was in the hands of one man, while another walked beside him. 'Hurrah!' exclaimed Arthur. 'We'll be all right now. We '11 be able to see what we 're doing.' The new-comers belonged to the nearest house, having been attracted by the noise of the disaster; and they at once set to work to put matters right, with a vigour and wisdom of action that showed them to be people of no common intelligence. Bidding the farmer give his whole attention tc his wife a few moments longer, they extricated the helpless horses from the tangle of harness, and got them up on the road, neither of them being badly hurt. Then one of them brought some water in his cap, which, being dashed in the face of the unconscious woman, aroused her from her faint, and enabled it to be made clear that she had no bones broken. The house from which these efficient helpers came was not far distant ; and soon the whole party moved thither, taking the horses, but Paving the wagon where it was until morning. On reaching the house, the boys inquired how much farther on Pont Rouge was, and learning that it was only a mile, they decided to push on, although cordially invited to pass the night at the farm-house. Walking rapidly, they got to Pont Rouge without ir ■'i THROUGH THE RAPIDS AND OVER THE BRIDGE. 57 mishap; and finding the hotel, quickly tumbled into bed, thoroughly tired out. They were both somewhat stiff and sore the follow- ing morning, and in no particular hurry to resume their tramp. But neither had any thought of abandon- ing it notwithstanding. They merely postponed the start until after mid-day ; and then setting forth with good spirit, put a dozen miles behind them ere night- fall, getting rid of all their stiffness, and thoroughly enjoying the exercise. That day and the following one were devoid of exciting incident, but full of pleasant sights and sounds. The road ran through a continuous series of farms, that stretched, like broad ribbons, up from the waterside to the woods above. A decent degree of comfort seemed the common lot, while the great stone-walled, tin-roofed churches, with lofty spires, that were met with every few miles, showed that the people had not only enough for themselves, but good tithes to render to the gi-eat religious system which held undivided sway over that part of the country. The people all appeared happy and contented, and their courtesy never failed, so that the boys began to feel their hereditary contempt for every- thing French weakening considerably under the influence of the new experience. As Arthur bluntly expressed it : ' They 're not a bad lot at all, these Canadian frog- eaters ; are they, Bruce ? I don't mind owning up that I'm getting to like them better than I ever thought I could.' To which frank admission Bruce gave his assent in his own temperate way. 58 THROUGH THE RAPIDS AND OVER THE BRTDQE. The curious names of some of the places they passed through amused them greatly ; and they made zealous efforts to master the pronunciation of such puzzlers as Lachevrotiere, Yamachiche, Maskinonge, Lanoraie, and Sault aux Recollets. Now and then they accepted the offer of a 'lift,' extended by some one driving in the same direc- tion ; and they always managed to reach some village before dark where there was a hotel, in which accom- modation could be had for the night. In this way they came to Montreal, entering the city from the east end, and availing themselves of the tram-cars to roach the Windsor Hotel, at which Mr Gillespie had advised them to put up. They were not a little surprised at the size and splendour of the Canadian city, whose crowded streets, lined with great buildings for business or handsome homes, reminded them of the big cities of the mother- country. 'We must stay here some days,' said Arthur. ' There '11 be lots to see, I 'm sure.' 'Yes, indeed,' responded Bruce. 'It will be quite a treat too, after the country life we 've been having. We must hunt up our boxes and things as soon as possible, and get on some fresh clothes. I'm begin- ning to feel frowsy ; aren't you ? ' Arthur did not take as much thought for his appearance as his chum did; but he liked to look well all the same, and was no less eager than the other to regain the baggage from which they had parted at Quebec. Not just knowing how to accomplish this, they determined on seeking out Mr Gillespie. There was THROUGH THE RATIOS AND OVER THE BRIDGE. 50 m no difficulty about this, as he was well known in the city; and the welcome they received on entering his office showed that they had made no mistake in taking him at his word : * And so here you are at last,' he exclaimed, smiling cordially, and grasping a hand of each. 'You've been so long on the way that I was beginning to wonder if something had happened, and to think quite seriously of making some inquiry about you. Sit down now, and tell me what you 've been up to since you left us at Quebec' Whereupon, the boys gave between them a full and spirited account of their various adventures that Mr Gillespie enjoyed keenly, the shooting of the rooster especially tickling him. * Ah ha ! ' he laughed, throw- ing himself back in his chair; 'that was certainly a great shot, Arthur, and well worth the dollar it cost you. There 's a nuisance of a rooster, somewhere nenr my place, that I wish you 'd treat in the same way.' Having been told of their ignorance about getting their things, Mr Gillespie at once put that matter right by despatching a clerk to have them taken to the hotel, and then insisted that they should dine with him that evening, saying that he would send his carriage for them. Mr Gillespie's was one of the finest residences on the mountain side; and the elegance and luxury of its appointments gave his young guests sensations of surprise that they found some difficulty in politely concealing, the truth being that they had not expected to find in Canada, a country of which their notions were still very vague, such tokens of wealth and refine- ment as now surrounded them. So homelike was the atmosphere of the house, that E " I ->4 h ^ ;l I- 1! [,i 1 60 THROUGH THE RAPIDS AND OVER THE BRIDGE. they were not lonf:^ in becoming entirely at their ease, and spent a delightful evening, which slipped away all too quickly. Among the members of the family were two boys much about their own age, and the next few days were devoted to seeina: 'the lions of Montreal under their guidance. A noisy, merry quartette they made, as they visited the docks, crowded with steamers and shipping: climbed the towers of Notre Dame ; made a pil- grimage to the cathedrals and principal churches; and explored the highways and byways of the Moun- tain Park. It was while on one of these tramps through the Park that they rendered a timely service which caused them to be the heroes of the hour. The four boys had been playing a game of follow- my-leader, and Bruce and Arthur had become sepa- rated from the other two. Being somewhat weary from their exertions, they were resting for a few minutes on a rock by the roadside, when they heard the sharp clatter of hoofs app:.'oaching at no ordi- nary rate, and, rising above them, the shrill screams of a terrified woman. 'That's a runaway, sure,' cried Arthur, springing to his feet; and he had hardly spoken before there came around the bend of the road above them a light carriage, containing two ladies, and drawn by a pair of large ponies, both as black as night. The ponies had taken fright at something, and were coming down the road at a gallop, their heads stretched out at full length, and their hoofs fairly spurning the ground. THROUGH THE RAPIDS AND OVER THE BRIDGE. 61 '1 ll The ladies, having; in some way lost the reins, which trailed at the ponies' heels, were crouching helplessly on the seat, one having her face buried in her hands, as though to shut out the danger, the other with wide- staring eyes and ashen face, looking straight ahead, as she uttered shriek after shriek with the full force of her lungs. ' Now then, Arthur,' exclaimed Bruce, darting across the road so as to be opposite his companion, ' you take one horse, and I '11 take the other.' He had just spoken, when the ponies were before them, and the boys at the same instant sprang for their heads. Being thus assailed on right and left, both ponies tried to swerve, and the simultaneous * shy ' caused them to crush against one another, with the result of causing a momentary stumble and breaking of their furious pace. Of this the boys did not fail to take full advantage; and holding hard upon the bridles, they drairsred at the animals' heads, until at last their weight told, and the pair was brought to a stand- still only a few feet short of a declivity, to have gone over which would have inevitably entailed injury, if not death, to some members of the quartette. As it was, no harm came to any one, not even the ponies being any the worse for their escapade beyond being badly blown ; while the ladies were soon suffi- ciently recovered to be able to express their lively gratitude to their timely rescuers. It was whiles this was being done, that the Gillespie boys came up, and, having the acquaintance of the ladies, were able to formally present Bruce and Arthur, which made matters still more pleasant. IS ■• j'^ t , 62 THROUGH THE RAPIDS AND OVER THE BRIDGE. ^1 I, I The disturbed state of their nerves not permitting the ladies to resume their drive, the Gillespie boys volunteered to take the now subdued ponies home, while Bruce and Arthur escorted the ladies thither on foot; and although the two chums had not hitherto had much opportunity to cultivate feminine society, nevertheless, they managed to acquit themselves very well indeed, and, at the conclusion of the walk, were most cordially invited to call at the first opportunity. The story of their daring feat soon spread through the city ; and for the first time in their lives they found themselves subjects for newspaper notice. Ingenious reporters interviewed them, and put in their mouths many things they had not said at all ; and what purported to be their portraits, and looked far more like two choice selections from the Rogue's Gallery, appeared in an enterprising evening paper. Arthur rather liked the notoriety, but to Bruce it was quite displeasing. He preferred being allowed to go on in his own way, and although Arthur sent copies of all the papers to his father, Bruce mentioned the matter so briefly in a letter to his father that one might have supposed such an event was a compara- tively common occurrence. Mr Gillespie was so delighted at his young friends' exploit that he gave a grand dinner-party in honour thereof, to which, of course, the two ladies were invited, and their rescuers had a fine time, receiving the attention of admiring friends. Another event of their stay in Montreal was the passage of the Lachine Rapids. These rapids, which are in the St Lawrence River, a few miles above the city, are usually passed in large steamboats, which THROUGH THE RAPIDS A'SD OVER THE BRIDGE. 63 make the trip every day during the summer. But occasionally a more exciting and dangerous method is possible, and it was of this the boys had an experience. They had gone up to Lachine in company with the Gillespie boys, to pass the day at that charming summer subui'b of the city, and, after a jolly morning spent in canoeing and bathing, and a hearty lunch at the hotel, they were lounging about on the long pier, down which the railway runs to meet the steamers, when their attention was attracted by a stalwart Indian, who was talking earnestly to a ;;ioup of men in the shade of the station. He was such a splendid specimen of humanity that even if he had not been an Indian, Bruce and Arthur would have wanted to have a good look at him ; but when, in answer to their inquiries, Jack Gillespie replied, * That man ? Oh, that 's Big John, the Caugh- nawaga Indian, who used to pilot the steamers through the rapids/ their interest was aroused to the highest pitch. They had, it is true, seen some Indians on the way up from Quebec, particularly at Lorette; but none of them compared with Big John, and although his dress was much like that of the men with whom he was talking, still there was sufficient of the red man about it to make it appropriate to its dusky wearer. Moved more by the desire to get close to the man than curiosity to hear what he was saying, Arthur drew near the group, and soon gathered the purport of his talk. It seemed that he proposed to make one of the trips 3i m i (;■] .^•i- i4 *\ 1 ! t t f i ■T 64 THROUGH THE RAPIDS AND OVER THE BRIDGE. (; ' i.; :i throuj for which he was renowned, that very afternoon, provided he could get enough passen- gers to make it worth his while, and he was trying to persuade two of those who were listening to go with him. As soon as Arthur understood this, he became fired with a thrilling idea, and, without waiting to consult the others, spoke it out boldly : 'Would you take us boys with you?* ho asked, standing in front of Big John, and looking up eagerly into his face. ' To be sure, young gentleman ; I would, if you pay me.' *And does it cost very much?' Arthur inquired, hoping that no exorbitant amount would be named. Big John glanced across to where the other boys were, and indicating them with a nod of his head, asked : ' They all come ? ' Arthur now felt it necessary to consult the others, and so he called them over to see what they had to say. Big John's terms were ten dollars for the four. Bruce thought it too much to pay, but he was over- ruled by the Gillespies, who welcomed the notion cordially, and Big John succeeded in persuading two of the men to go also; and the Indian pilot said he would be ready to start at three o'clock. Sharp at the appointed time, he appeared in a large boat, of the kind locally known as a lumberman's honne. A craft more admirably adapted for the difficult and dangerous undertaking could hardly be built. Full twenty-iive feet in length, with sharply k„. ::U ■!; TH HOUGH THE RAPIDS AND OVER THE BUIDQE. 65 slanting bow and stern, sloping sides, and broad flat bottom, put together in the strongest possible fashion, and having a crew of forr swarthy sinewy Indians from the village opposite, each holding a short heavy ash oar, while Big John towered in the stern, wielding a huge paddle as tall as himself ; the whole outfit was certainly well calculated to inspire confidence ; and the four boys leaped on board without a twinge of apprehension. Pushing out from the steps, the boat, urged onward by the quick strokes of the oarsmen, rounded the projecting arm of the pier, and at once began to feel the touch of the mighty St Lawrence, the current at that point having a speed of more than six miles an hour. As they shot down with it, towards the superb arch of the Canadian Pacific Railway cantilever bridge, and darted beneath its widest part, the water around them began to break into swirls, and to bubble up as though rising from springs at the bottom. It was of a light green tint, like aquamarine, and looked very pretty and enticing, so that Arthur, who felt greatly exhilarated by his novel surroundings, was moved to say: 'Wouldn't I like to have a swim in that water ! It looks just like the ocean.' *Ah, my brave boy,' said one of the gentlemen who was sitting beside him, 'if you went in there, you 'd never come out alive.' *I suppose not,* replied Arthur, 'but it does look tempting, doesn't it ? ' The nearer they drew to the rapids the more swiftly the boat moved, yet the men did not cease rowing. Big John, alert, watchful, quick, and i^ n \ 66 THROUGH THli UAPIDH AND OVER THE BRIDGE. strenuous of comiimnd and action, seemed like a king, with the sharp-peaked stern for a throne; and the boys looked up from the bubbling, speeding waters to him with feelings of unreserved admiration. He spoke to his crew in their native tongue, so that just what he said could not be gathered, except from the manner in which it was obeyed. The rowers never turned their heads, but, with their eyes fixed upon their pilot, pulled hard upon the right or left, according to command. Presently the roar of the rapids broke loudly on the car, and the snow-white foam that capped the great billows shoved clearly in front. *It looks very dreadful, doesn't it?* said Jack Gillespie, pressing close to Bruce, who, with calm face and steady eye, was gazing ahead, trying to make out what the course would be through that wild welter of waters. *It does that,' responded Bruce. 'But Big John has often been through it before, you know.' Arthur, reckoning nothing of the risk, could hardly keep still on the thwart for very delight. The only thing that could have added to his happiness would have been to exchange places with Big John, provided, of course, he were equal to the situation. Just before the heart of the rapids was reached, a large island divided the river into two branches, and an inexperienced voyager would certainly have turned into the left branch, the commotion of the waters being manifestly much milder there than in the right branch. But it was towards the latter that Big John pointed the boat, and not only so, but directly into that part THROUGH THE RAPIDS AND OVER THE BRIDGE. 67 ' 4 f where the billows leaped highest and the foam was whitest. Here the arrowy stream was opposed by two islets, one indeed being little more than a huge boulder; and right between these and the rock- guarded shore of the large island the bonne was headed. 'Now, boys, hold tight on to the gunwale, and don't mind being splashed a bit,' said one of the gentlemen. * We '11 be into the thick of it in a minute.* Big John took no more notice of the passengers than if they had not been there. His whole attention was absorbed in the difficult task he had in hand. Borne as lightly as if it were a mere chip on the back of a great mass of water plunging downward, the heavy boat poised for an instant at the edge of the first fall, and then dived straight into the smother of foam. The boys did not only hold fast to the gunwale, they held their breath likewise, and their hearts seemed to them to stop beating in the supreme excite- ment of that moment. Stout and strong as the boat had appeared when beside the pier, it seemed a mere cockle-shell now when in the grasp of the Lachine Rapids. The water roared, and whirled, and billowed, and foamed all around them; and to their eyes no way out of the seething turmoil presented itself. But a few sharp orders from Big John, half-a-dozen quick powerful strokes of the oars, supplemented by the huge paddle in the pilot's brawny hands, and the boat emerged from the first watery chaos, unharmed and ready for a tussle with the next. 1'; f 68 THROUGH THE RAPIDS AND OVER THE BRIDGE. Lahore was a briel; space of quieter water, ard tlien another deep dip, after which came a wild v/hirlpool at the side of a ^reat mass of rock whose top had been ■'vorii smooth by the incessant dasli of the waves over it. Just beyond this, tlie boat took a sudden swerve as thou<]^h it had for the moment escaped from the steersman's control, and the bow struck a hidden rock with a startling shock that sent a thrill through the hearts of the six passengers. ' We 've struck bottom ! ' cried Jack Gillespie ; and moved by a connnon impulse, all four boys turned to look into Bifj John's face. Not a trace of alarm or concern did it manifest. The Indian seemed as impassive as the Sphinx, and in response to a curt command, the rowers i^ave two lierce tu^s at the oars that fairly lifted the boat over the obstruction, and off she darted rirain like a livinc: creature. * Hurrah, we 're clear again ! ' shouted Arthur, clapping his haixds in expression of his relief, while Bruce's face lit up with a smile. * We 11 soon be through now, won't we ? ' There was not much more of the rapids left, and they shot through them without mishap, reaching the still water below, a little splashed with spray, but otherwise bearing no sign of their exciting experi- ence. Bruce had not spoken during the passage, but when it was over he went up to Big John, and said in his heartiest manner : * It has been a splendid trip, and I 've enjoyed it more than I oan tell you. I hope you '11 always have as good luck as you 've had with us.' I I * .>^V^ THROUGH THE RAI'IDS AND OVER THE BRIDGE. 60 Big Jolm looked much elated, for, although he performed the feat every year, still the pleasure of success had uot lost its cdife, and he took an honest pride in the skill for which he stood alone. ' That 's all right,' he replied, his bronzed features losing their tense expression and relaxing into a smile. * You like it very much. You tell plenty people come too— eh ? ' Bruce laughed, as he answered : ' Oh yes, 1 '11 tell my friends ; bat most of them would have a long way to come.' The talk now became general as the boat glided on past Laprairie and Nuns' Island, under the gi'eat tube of the Victoria Bridge, and across the Canal dock, where the passengers took leave of Big John and his crew, and the boys then made their way back to the hotel. They spent that evv aing at Mr Gillespie's, discuss ng their plans for the? fui jt'^ Encoura;L'"ed by the success that had, upon tlu whsie, attended their tramp from Quebec, Arthur w£.:s a .. oii.s v-; continue ic along the line so far as practicable.; axid Bruce offered no strong objection. But Mr Gillespie said it was out of the question for them to walk any farther than Ottawa, as bej^ond that the Canadian Pacific Railway ran, for the most part, through a wilderness until it reached Winnipeg, where the great prairies ^ ^gan. ' Well, then,' said Arthur, ' let us walk to Ottawa, ride on the cars as far as Winnipeg, and then walk the rest of tho way, or as much of it as we feel inclined, at all events. Do you agree to that, Bruce ? ' * Yes, that seems fair enough,' assented Bruce. 'If you are determined upon that then,' said Mr 70 THROUGH THE RAPIDS AND OVER THE BRIDGE. Gillespie, 'I'll go with you to see the authorities at the head oflfice of the railway, and have it so arranged that you can take the train whenever you like/ * Oh, that will be splendid ! ' exclaimed Arthur. ' For you know we may get tired of tramping, and it will be jolly to be able to take the cars at the next station if we feel like it.' Accordingly the next morning they went with Mr Gillespie to the chief offices of the railway at Windsor station, and, as luck would have it, they encountered the president himself in one of the corridors. Mr Gillespie, who knew him well, at once accosted him, and hastened to explain the purpose of his visit, at the same time introducing the two boys. The president, who was of large and imposing presence, with a strong, handsome face, regarded the boys in silence for a moment, and then with an amused chuckle, said : ' They '11 soon get sick of that notion, but there 's no objection to their trying. I '11 fix things up for them the way you want. Just come into my office, and I '11 have it attended to.' The boys had already heard a good deal of this wonderful man, who had worked up from the post of telegraph clerk to the presidency of one of the greatest railway systems in the world, and they watched him with mingled feelings of awe and admiration, as he disposed with lightning speed of a lot of business awaiting his attention, and then took their affair in hand, to deal with it in the space of a minute, by some brief directions to a clerk who came in response to the pressure of an electric button. After a few minutes' waiting, the boys found them- THROUGH THE RAPIDS AND OVER THE BRIDGE. 71 selves provided with an unlimited stop-over ticket, without extra charge, and also some important letters to the officials along the line, instructing them to give the young travellers due courtesy and assistance whenever required. Having thanked the president for his kindness, and received his best wishes for a pleasant and pros- perous journey, the boys took themselves off, too full of admiration for the great man who had thus shown his interest in them to feel at all hurt at his scepticism as to their sticking to their programme. ' He thinks we '11 not hold out long,' said Arthur. * But he doesn't know us ; does he, Bruce ? ' 'We'll not give in until we have to, anyway,' responded Bruce, who was now as heartily committed to the undertaking: as his chum. 'The experience will do you no harm, boys,' said Mr Gillespie ; ' and you 're sure to have more adven- tures than you would if you went in the ordinary way. But I hope you '11 not be in any hurry to leave us. We have not begun to get tired of you yet.' 'Then this is the time we ought to go,' answered Bruce. ' While our welcome is still fresh, and then you '11 be glad to see us again, if we ever come this way.' ' Oh ! you '11 never lack for a welcome so long as I am in Montreal,' returned Mr Gillespie ; ' and you must take some letters to friends of mine in Ottawa and Winnipeg, so that you may have a good time at those places.' 'There's one thing I'd like to do before I leave Montreal,' interjected Arthur, whose mind was ever busy devising fresh adventures, I'i ■V • 72 THROUGH THE RAPIDS AND OVER THE BRIDGE. ' And what may that be, Sir Venturesome ? ' asked Mr Gillespie, smiling on him indulgently. 'Why, sir, it's to walk across the river on top of the Victoria Bridge,' replied Arthur. ' I suppose many people have done it already.' Mr Gillespie gave a whistle of surprise, and regarded his young friend with a look of admiration. * Upon my word,' he exclaimed ; ' you are enter- prising, and no mistake. Here I 've lived in Montreal since before the bridge was built, and such a notion never entered my mind. Indeed, I don't know of anybody but the workmen ^being allowed on top of the bridge.' ' Oh yes, sir,' spoke up Arthur eagerly. * Other people have walked across. I was told about it yesterday ; and they say It isn't so hard to do,' 'All right, my boy; I'll make some inquiry,' said Mr Gillespie. 'I am well acquainted with the chief engineer, and if there 's no objection to your trying it, I will arrange with him about it.' ' Oh ! thank you, sir,' cried the boys together ; for Bruce, as soon as Arthur propounded the scheme, had given it a warrh \velcome in his mind. Mr Gillespie kept his promise promptly, as was his wont, and that evening was able to inform the boys that the chief engineer would allow them to cross the bridge the following morning, in charge of one of the workmen. Jack Gillespie was very anxious to be allowed to accompany them, but his father would not consent, fearing that the boys might get larking together, and have an accident of some kind. At the hour appointed the boys went down to the THROUGH THE RAPIDS AND OVER THE BRIDGE. 73 bridge, armed with a note from the chief engineer of the Grand Trunk Railway, and were met by one of the foremen of the repair shops, who was to be their guide. He had a pleasant, intelligent countenance, and seemed quite to enjoy the taking the boys in charge, and spending the morning with them, instead of in the grimy shops at his dreary round of toil. * You '11 have to be careful, sirs,' said he, as they walked towards the entrance to the bridge. ' There 's a bit of a breeze this morning, and you '11 feel it pretty strong when you 're out in the middle.' * Oh ! we '11 be careful,' Arthur answered. ' We '11 not let the bree/e blow us away.' It was quite an undertaking getting on top of the huge tube which spanned the great river; but the boys made light of it, and were soon standing high above the rushing stream, and able to command an unbroken view of the city and its picturesque sur- roundings. But they had no eyes for this prospect, fine as it was. Their whole attention was absorbed by the wonderful roadway of wrought iron that stretched before them, for the space of almost two miles, curving slightly in its course from the northern to the southern shore of the St Lawrence. ' Wouldn't it bo grand to ride across on a bicycle ? ' said Artliur. * Yes, 8" u3 jwn Into the river before you 'd get half-wa;, .:, cross,' responded Bruce. 'No, thank you — no bicycle for me. We '11 find it quite enough of a job to get across on our feet.' Bruce was right enough in this, for the farther out ■If 74 THROUGH THE RAPIDS AND OVER THE BRIDGE. they went, the more they felt the force of the wind, which did not blow steadily, but in gusts, that tugged hard at the boys' hats, as if determined to carry them off their heads. Pushing ahead, with careful and steady steps, they reached the middle of the bridge, and there rested for a while to look up and down the river, and wait for the passing of the Laprairie ferry-steamer, that was pressing up against the heavy current. The steamer seemed almost at a standstill, so sturdily did the stream oppose her advance ; and when she came to the central span, the boys might have leaped upon her deck far below had they cared nothing for the consequences. They were lying flat upon their chests, and looking down at the people on board, when a sudden gust caught Bruce's hat from off his head, and sent it sail- ing through the air like a bird. Slanting this way and thni , it flew downwards, until, with a big swoop, it fell plump into the lap of a lady passenger sitting on the upper deck, who, startled by this unexpected donation, gave a wild shriek, and tumbled over back- wards, to the great consternation of the other passengers. ' Oh ! my hat,' groaned Bruce, too much concerned at the losd of his head-gear to appreciate the ludicrous scene on board the steamer. ' How can I get it again ? ' * I guess you '11 have to let it go,' said the foreman. * You can get another over at St Lamberts.' ' I suppose there 's no help for it,' sighed Bruce. * I 'm sorry I scared that lady so badly.' ' What a yell she did give ! ' said Arthur. ' You THROUGH THE RAPIDS AND OVER THE BRIDGE. 75 could hear it away up here as plainly as if you were i'i<^ht beside her. I wonder if slie 's got over her fright yet; Crossing to the other side, they looked down, and saw that the lady was still in the hands of her friends, while a big red-faced man, presumably her husband, seeing them above him, shook his fist at them angiily, as though he considered that the hat had been thrown down on purpose. ' He evidently imagines I did it for a lark,' said Bruce ruefully. ' He doesn't know how glad I 'd be to have my hat back again.* There was no possible chance of that, however ; so, tying his handkerchief on his head, he made the best of the situation, and the three resumed their lofty promenade. In spite of the breeze, which bothered them not a little, the boys were enjoying their novel experience very much when the foreman's hat blew oft' his head, and in making a quick spring to recover it, he tripped upon a projecting bolt-head, and fell forward with such violence as to be rendered insensible by the contact of his forehead with the unyielding iron. Not only so, but in an involuntary contortion from the pain of the blow, he rolled so near the edge of the bridge that he would liave gone clear over had not Arthur, who was nearest him, thrown himself upon him, and held him fast, crjdng out in a tone of deep concern, * He 's badly hurt, Bruce. See, he 's bleeding !' The poor man was indeed bleeding freely, from a nasty cut over his right temple, and he lay as motion- less as a log, while Arthur strove to staoch the wound with his handkerc5hief. P Si ml] 76 THROUGH THE RAPIDS AND OVER THE BRIDGE. ' 'i'his is a bad fix,' said Bruce, looking very grave. ' We 11 have no end of trouble in getting him across, if he 's as much hurt as he seems to be.' * He 's had a dreadful blow, that 's certain,' said Arthur, regarding the senseless man with a face full of sympathy. It was some minutes before the poor fellow came to himself, and still longer before he could stand upon his feet again. ' My head 's all going round,' said he, putting up his hand in a bewildered way. * I 'm afraid I can't go on without your help, gentlemen.' 'Oh! that's all right,' responded Arthur cordially. * You just take our arms, and we '11 go slow, and help you along the rest of the way.' Doing as suggested, the foreman was able to make slow progress shoreward, but with manifest diffi- culty, the shock of the sudden fall having been very severe, and the wound in his temple most painful. It was a curious and trying situation for the boys. The breeze had swelled into a strong wind, and now that they had to walk three abreast, and steady the faltering steps of their guide, the top of the iron tube seemed to have grown much narrower. But they put their feet down firmly, and kept right in the middle of the way, both leaning against the foreman, and thus bracing themselves to withstand the force of the wind. At last, to their unspeakable relief, they reached the St Lambert end of the bridge, and all danger was past. * My gracious ! * exclaimed Arthur, when they were once more standing on the solid ground. * But I 'm THROUGH THE BAPIDS AND OVER THE BRIDGE. 77 glad that's over. Once will be quite enough for me.* Then turning to the foreman, he added, ' And now we must hunt up a doctor for you as quickly as possible. That cut needs looking after right away.' The doctor was found without difficulty, and the wound dressed, after which they all went to the station, and took the first train back to the city, where they parted with the foreman, and returned to the hotel, well pleased at having come through the dangers and difficulties of the walk across on the top of the big bridge without any mishap to themselves. vi It ■':. r;( •y M . . !i r CHAPTER V. PERILS AND PLEASURES BY THE WAY. ELIGHTFUL as their stay in Montreal was proving, it could not be protracted indefinitely, and on Monday morning, having parted from Mr Gillespie and his boys with many regrets, and promises of repeating the visit some time in the future, they set forth on their tramp to Ottawa, their trunks being forwarded by train. They cal- culated on reaching Ottawa by Friday at the latest, thus having Saturday and Sunday to spend there before resuming their journey. They were both in the best of spirits, Bruce being now thoroughly reconciled to Arthur's idea, and, indeed, quite as enthusiastic about it as he was himself. Walking rapidly, they soon left Montreal, with its forest-clad mountain behind, and were passing through richly cultivated market-gardens that a little farther on changed to trim farms with spreading fields of grain and wide stretches of orchard. ' I 'd like to be round about here when the apples ■I :l PEItlLS AND I'LEASUKKS BY THE WAY. 79 and pears are ripe,' said Arthur, with a longing look at the trees, already showing promise of heavily- laden boufjhs in the autumn. 'I wonder what the farmers do to keep their apples from being stolen by the Montreal boys ? ' ' They have watch-dogs, I suppose,' answered Bruce. 'Something like that one coming towards us now,' pointing to a big yellow dog, half-mastitf, half -hound, that was running down the road in front of a house, with his mouth open so as to show long white teeth, and to give forth a deepj hoarse, growling bark. The moment Arthur's eyes fell upon the creature, he conceived an intense dislike to him. He was so repulsive in appearance, and seemed so ready for mischief. ' You ugly brute ! ' he exclaimed, stopping to look right into the dog's face. 'You ought to be killed oil sight for being such a fright.' Of course tbe animal did not understand his words, but it really seemed as if he must have read aright the contemptuous expression of his countenance ; for, as Arthur finished speaking, he gave a fierce bark that was almost a roar, and sprang over the gate with hair bristling, and fangs protruding ominously. Now, neither of the boys had had the slightest idea of provoking an attack. They were simply amusing one another with comments upon what they saw, and Arthur was completely taken aback when he found this dangerous customer b.aring down upon him. But he had no notion of being put to flight, never- theless. In his hand hc; held a stout oak walking- stick, V ith which Mr Gillespie had thouglitfully presented him ; and swinging this over his shoulder, i 1 ! f :i i "i J: IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // 7 ^ ,v ,V4 ^ v.. 1.0 I.I l^|2^ 12.5 •^ 1^ III 2.2 "^ K4 III" - Ii£ IIIIIIO 1.8 1.25 1.4 III 1.6 ^ 6" ► ^'^ ■% Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST A»kAiN >Tni«Er WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 <« 'v- ^" ) fc m 80 PERILS AND PLEASUllES BY THE WAY. 1. -S 'i i (ii; m I ' he met the dose's onset with a blow on the head that knocked him oft' his feet. Like a flash, the infuriated creature recovered him- self, and sprang at his throat before the boy, not expecting so quick a return, could put himself on guard again. He missed the throat, but caught him at the shoulder, and might have inflicted a serious bite had not Bruce gripped him at the neck with both hands, and throttled him until he dropped to the ground, limp and powerless. ' Now then, let us run for it,' said Bruce, * before the brute gets his breath again, or his master finds out what 's going on.' So off" they started full pelt, and did not pull up until they had put a couple of hundred yards behind them. Then, as there was no sign of pursuit from dog or man, they stopped to get their breath and to see the extent of Arthur's injuries. Fortunately they were not at all serious, the dog's teeth not having penetrated the sleeve of his coat, and making only blue bruises without drawing blood. 'You've been more frightened than hurt, Arthur, this time,' said Bruce, with a sigh of relief; then adding, with a smile, * but you mustn't call the dogs hard names again ; they 've evidently got very tender feelings in this coinitry.' * So it seems,' laughed Arthur. * That fellow gave me a regular scare. I never thought he was coming at me until he jumped. You just stopped him in time, I tell you, my boy, for he was hurting awfully,' and he rubbed his shoulder to ease the pain. *It can't be much fun stealing apples if all the farmers keep dogs like that,' said Bruce. ' I wonder PERILS AND PLEASURES BY THE WAY. 81 how the rascal feels now. He won't forget that chok- ing I gave him for a while.' Keeping on steadily after this little excitement, they passed Sault aux RecoUets, where they had a chance to admire the noisy rapids of a branch of the Ottawa River, and to wish that big John was at hand to take them through in his big boat. Two miles beyond was St Martin Junction, where they halted for dinner and a rest, having made twelve good miles since starting out. That afternoon they spent in the society of the saints, or rather of the pretty little French village which had been named in their honour; proceeding from St Martin to St Rose, from St Rose to St Therese, and from St Therese to St Augustin, which place they reached just before dark, and there remained for the night, finding comfortable quarters in a diminutive hotel. From St Rose, their road had followed the northern bank of the Ottawa, of which broad stream they were continually getting charming views, as it rolled on- ward to the St Lawrence, bearing many steamboats, lumber-barges, and rafts of timber upon its brown bosom, and the beautiful river was their companion throughout the remainder of their tramp. Leaving St Augustin bright and early, they resolved not to stop until they got to Lachute, some seventeen miles ahead ; and, by dint of very close attention to business, they accomplished the^r object. Their route lay through narrow but well-tilled farms, mostly given to dairy products, and they met or passed many people with pleasant contented faces, who always nodded or smiled in a friendly way. Some, indeed, who were driving ana had room in their •vii \ i\^ M: T 111 82 PERILS AND I'^.EASURES IIY THE WAY. l!^ waggons, invited the boys to jnrap in ; but tliey declined with thanks, as they wanted to do the whole distance on foot. Lachute they found to be a flourialiing town, with huge paper-mills utilising the abundant water-power. These they spent an hour in visiting, and were highly interested by the various processes which turned a block of wood into a roll of white paper. An afternoon's hard walking, aided by a lift in a waggon for several miles, brought them to Grenville in good time for tea ; and they spent a pleasant even- ing there, watching the rapids which at that place break the course of navigation, rendering a canal necessary in order that the steamers may pass up and down. Here they saw, for the first time, a raft of square timber. It had come down from the head-waters of the Ottawa, and was manned by a stalwart, tawny crew of Indians, half-breeds, and French Canadians, who, the day's work being over, were free to indulge their fondness for song, and dance, and boisterous laughter. Being anxious to have a good look at these raftsmen, the boys asked if they might go on board the big raft ; and receiving a hearty assent, joined the group of men around the ' caboose,' where the great fire of logs lit up their swarthy faces and was reflected in their flashing eyes. They were singing one after another of their river songs, and very pleasant it was to listen to them, as their rich and soft though untrained voices, now in solo and now in full chorus, rendered these quaint chansons which had been handed down through generations. PERILS AND PLEASURES BY THE WAY. 83 Both Bruco and Arthur loved music, and they keenly enjoyed this curious open-air concert with its picturesque surroundings. The men were evidently well pleased to have them as listeners, although they made no attempt to enter into conversation with them. After several songs had boen given, and liberally applauded, one of the men produced a fiddle, and drew from it merry strains of music that would have set the toes of an * auld kirk ' elder tapping. No sooner had he begun to play than a half-breed stepped out from the circle, and began dancing in a graceful fashion, snapping his fingers, and giving a shout from time to time by way of emphasis. After he had finished, the foreman of the gang of raftsmen, a ruddy-haired, freckled-faced Scotchman, approached the boys, and said, in courteous tone of invitation: 'Maybe ye can sing or dance a bit yer- selves ? ' Bruce shook his head, with a smile of denial ; but Arthur, whose pulses had been stirred by the moving music, asked : * Would one of our school songs do, do y ^u think ? * *Ay, to be sure,' responded the big Scotchman, heartily. ' We '11 be much obliged for the same.' 'Come on then, Bruce,* said Arthur, 'let us give them a song.' Bruce at first shrank from attempting it, but Arthur urged him strongly, arguing that it would be only civil, seeing how hospitably they had been received ; so in the end he consented^ and they sang a couple of glees, that went very well indeed and were lustily applauded. ' T-TH ,' ;l i i4 it m ^ni .»< II t [ i .1 : r d •14 ** ■ ^ 1 84 PKH1L8 ANM> I»1.KASUHKS MY TIIIC WAY. IN B, Tlum Artlmr, who wjih in f^nvit. Hpiritfl, jj^avo liis companion a start by askinjif : * (.an any ono play Scotch nnisic ? Ho can dance tlio lling and sword danoo H]ilcnditlly.' •What nonsonso!' oxchiimod liruco, l)hiHhin<; furi- ously. ' Don't pay any attention to him.' liut tho I'oronian's faco had bri^hten(;d at tho (pies- tion, and, suntchinjif tho liddlo out of tho hands of tho man who had boon playini:^, ho criod : ' Play Scotch music, is it ? May bo I 'ni your man for that.* And at once tho iiddlo broko forth into tho liveliest kind of a lilt, wd\oroupt)n Arthur shoved l^ruce out into the middle of the circle, saying : ' Foot it featly now, my boy.' Somewhat liositatinHv at first, liruco boijan the dance; but, as the inspiring; strain lired his blood, ho put more and more viu:our into his movements until he seemed the very incarnation of energy, tho Scotch- man unnno' him on with encouraging shouts of enthusiastic approval until he could dance no more, and wjis fain to throw himself upon a big timber, completely blown. A perfect storm of applause gi'oeted this perform- ance, and the delighted spectators were eager for more, but Bruce was not to be persuaded; and to esaipe their importunities he bade them ' Good-night,' and took himself off, Arthur following reluctantly, for he would have liked to stay until the party broke up. Instead of going direct to the hotel, they walked down the river bank some distance, the night being bright and clear, and the rushing waters very attrac- tive. They had gone some little distance past the ■r\) 4 m I'KIULS ANf) I'f,KASTHlKS HV THK WAY. 85 \U liuirMo, luid MvvA'r alxjiit to rntruco their Ht(!|)H, wli(!n tho Hlirill cry of u woinrMi in gi'eat I'oar cauK! from tlio otlior HuUi of a low hill. • What'H that?' (ixclaiincd Arthur, looking' at Jinicu as thou^^'h ho inifjjht have; an answer roa'ly. 'It'H a woman cryin*,' for help,' anHwered Bruce. ' Lit UH j^'o and Hce what's tlxi mattc^r.' Th(;y liurried over the hill, and on the other Hide found a youniij *jirl Htnii;;^lin«4 to frcfi lu^rm^lf from the j^'raHp of a ral'tsirian, who was a[)parently attenij)t- inijj to ki.sH her. Vlli, th(»re! Htop tluTo ! let the «^irl aloTKj ! ' Hhouted Arthur, his "holcu* ri.sin*; in an instant, and ruHhini; forward, ho Ci.njijht the raftsman from Ixrhind, making him loosen lii.s ^rasp of th'j ^'irl, wlio at onco darted oti', no doubt in the direction of her home. FuriouH at this interference, tlie raftsinan, wlio was a Minister-looking lialf-breed, turned upon Arthur with a liorriblo oath; but Bruce was too quick i'or liinj. Putting out his foot, lie tripj)ed him clev(!r]y, and as. he fell prostrate lea2)ed upon his back, pinning liiin to the ground. As he did 80, Arthur noticed a long knife stuclc in a sheath hanging at tlie raftsman's hip. With a (|uick movement he drew it out ; and when the ruffian, throwing off Bruce, regained his feet, he found his other opponent facing him with the keen blade. Having had a sample of the strength of both lads, and being deprived of the weapon to which he natur- ally resorted in a scuffle, the lialf-breed decided that under the circumstances, discretion was the better part of valour ; and, after relieving his feelings by a torrent of abuse, set off for the raft, Arthur calling after him : *' i Fi ; I- T 86 PERILS AND PLEASURKS BY THE WAY. ¥h li i:^ . m. 1 1 i : ; i ' ■ 1 > *If you want your knife again, call at the hotel. We '11 leave it there for you.' Keeping a sharp eye on him, to make sure that ho did "Qot double on them and attack them from the rear, the boys returned to the hotel, and were much gratified to learn that tlie girl to whom they had rendered such timely service was the daughter of tho proprietor, who had been returning from an evening visit at her aunt's when she encountered the raftsman. The proprietor manifested his gratitude in a prac- tical way by giving of hiT best to the boys and absolutely refusing to accept any payment the follow- ing morning. *No, no,' he said, emphatically, pushing away tho proferred bank-note. * Not a copper will I let you pay me. You helped my little girl out of an ugly fix, and the least I can do for you is to charge you nothing for your night's lodging ; and if you 're ever passing this way again, just come right in, and stay as long as you like, and it won't cost you a cent.* Seeing that he was in earnest, and would be hurt if they insisted upon paying for their accommodation, the boys thanked him for his hospitality, and resumed their walk. When they passed the place where the raft had been tied up they saw that it was gone, and with it the owner of the knife, which still remained in the hotelkeeper's hands. There was a threat of rain in the sky as they started, and they pressed with energy, for they wanted to reach Montebello by dinner-time. The road ran through very pretty scenery, the river being usually in plain view on their left, while on their right the woods stretched away to the foot of the r i ii PERILS J^ND PLEASURES BY THE WAY. 87 Laiirentian Mountaius, except where broken by farms that seemed to be well worth the tilling. In one place they came to a wide extent of open country; and Bruce, thinking something might be gained by taking a short cut through the fields instead of following the more roundabout road, proposed that they should make a bee-line across country. Arthur quite approved, and, suspecting no inter- ruption of their progress, they left the highway for the more attractive sward. They had crossed one field and had about reached the middle of another when a rumbling roar in the rear caused them to wheel about suddenly ; and, to their consternation, they saw that they were being pursued by a big black bull that was bearing down upon them with blood in his eye. 'Heaven help us!' cried Arthur. 'We're in for it now. We 've got to cut and run.' There was certainly no other alternative ; so, taking to their heels, they dashed off" towards a clump of trees that had been left to afford shade for the cattle, and which was the only refuge in sight. They were both fleet of foot; but so too was the bull, and he was drawing dangerously near, when, one turning to the right and the other to left, they came to a sudden stop, and the bull, bewildered by the strategy, blundered past between them without touching either. With remarkable quickness for so large and heavy an animal, the bull pulled up short, and, singling out Arthur, charged madly at him. ;i'i 'A n I'i w 88 PERILS AND PLEASURES BY THE WAT. it' I 1 H U 1 t ' $ i ' , ; i i , i * ' ■ ' -; i '■ ■ ; I i ■ V ■ I ■ 1 1 1 i Now, in the brief breathing-space afforded by the successful dodge, Arthur had slipped off his knap- sack from his shoulder, intending to throw it down that he might run the better. But, when the bull came at him so suddenly, he involuntarily swung it in his face. As luck would have it, the horns caught in the straps, causing the knapsack to fall over the animal's eyes, and, for the moment, blinding him, while Arthur stepped aside untouched. Despite his frantic tossings, the knapsack hung on persistently, diverting his attention from the boys and enabling them to get a good deal nearer to the clump of trees before the breaking of the strap relieved him, when, if possible, more furious than ever he resumed the chase. They reached the trees not more than twenty yards in advanc- him, and had not time to climb out of harm's w&y before he was so close that they had to begin a game of dodge among the tree trunks that might have been amusing enough with a less bloodthirsty playmate. Roaring and plunging, the great creature hunted them with extraordinary malignity, until at last, trip- ping over the exposed roots of a big tree, he came down with a crash, and, before he could recover his feet, both boys had sprung into the branches of two adjacent trees and climbed up out of all immediate danger. For a moment the bull lost sight of them; but Arthur's taunting cry of 'Here we are, old Taurus — ;]ust climb up, and get us,' revealed their place of refuge, and it really seemed as if the maddened creature strove to accept the boy's challenge, he mado "^^^ PERILS AND PLEASUBE8 BY THE WAY. 89 such frantic efforts to reach him, while they mocked him merrily. For a time this was well enou<^h, but sorn their situation became very trying. They were both weary and hungry. They wanted to reach Montebello in good season for dinner ; and, moreover, the rain which had been threatening all the morning now began to fall, not very heavily, but in a way that meant a thorough soaking if they were long exposed to it. 'Goodness gracious!* groaned Arthur, 'how are we ever to get out of this ? I 'm starving, and I 'm getting wet through, and I 'm more than half-inclined to slip down on the other side of this tree and take my chances of getting to the road ahead of the bull.* *0h! no! don't try that,* said Bruce, earnestly. * The bull will get tired in a little while and go away.' Whether the animal would have done so was not allowed to be known ; for a few minutes later the bark- ing of dogs was heard, and presently two fine collies came racing through the woods, with a very inquiring look upon their intelligent countenances. They seemed at once to take in the situation, and did not require the urging on of the beleaguered boys to assail the bull in the rear with sundry nips at his shanks that made him right about in short order and give his whole attention to defending himself from their attack. For a short time he stood at bay, and then with a roar of baflSed rage broke away and lumbered off across the field, with the dogs close at his heels. As soon as he had gone some distance away, the boys dropped to the ground; and Arthur having recovered his knapsftck, they made all haste to regain i'! •Uii 'I 11' ! !•. 1 .1 ;« - w 90 PERILS AND PLEASUKES BY THE WAY. lil! I h Hi I! { f ■ « .'I the road, continuing along which, at a rapid walk, they presently reached Montebello, where a comfortable little hotel afforded a welcome refuge. To continue their tramp in the afternoon was quite out of the question, and they were at a loss to know what to do with themselves when the hotelkeeper, a i intelligent, sociable man, suggested that they should visit the Papineau chateau, which stood a short distance beyond the village. On making inquiriee about the place, of which they were fain to confess their ignorance, they learned that it was there the famous Louis Joseph Papineau, who was mainly responsible for the ret o^' ion of 1837, when Lower Canada rose in arms against Upper Canada, had spent the later years of his life in peaceful retire- ment. His son now enjoyed possession, and, having been a great traveller, had built a museum to contain his extensive collection of historical relics and trophies of travel, which were well worth seeing. Being assured that Monsieur Papineau would receive them courteously, and be glad to show them his museum, they set off for the chateau. They had no difficulty in finding the entrance gate, and as they passed up the well-kept drive they saw around them the evidences of wealth and refinement. Soon they came upon the mansion, which was a precise imitation of the chateaux they had often seen in France, having the round towers with sharp peaked roofs, the big dormer windows, and the gray stone walls. Standing in the doorway was the master him- self, a benevolent-looking old gentleman, wearing a velvet smoking-jacket and cap. The boys advanced, with their caps in their hands, TU ^ PERILS AND "LEASURES BY THE WAY. 91 4 and Bruce explained the object of their visit. Monsieur Papineau received them graciously, and after expres- sing his regret that the state of the weather would not permit of his showing them over the grounds, went into the house for the key of his museum, which was a separate building to the right of the residence. Having procured the key, he took them into his treasure-house, and they at once saw that they would be well repaid for their coming. The buildin*' was like a small chapel, except that it was lighted ivox the roof instead of by windows at the sides. All ro'nd the walls ran glass cases filled with objects of inteiest, while the centro of the room was occupied with birds and animals skilfully inounted, and comfortable chairs upon wiiich to be at ease. In the cases were historical relics of unique interest and value, and a thousand and one objects of art, and other curios such as travellers with well-filled purses are sure to gather. To Monsieur Papineau the task of describing these and their associations was evidently a labour of love ; and the boys being most appreciative listeners, the time slipped by unheeded by all three, until Bruce, bethinking him of his watch, glanced at it and was astonished to find the afternoon flown. He at once began to apologise for their having re- mained so long, and they were about to take their leave, having thanked Mons. Papineau mast cordially for his kindness to them, wheii the old gentleman, lay- ing a hand upon the shoulder of each, said in a tone that was as much of command as invitation : * Not at all, my young friends, you shall not depart in this fashion. You have helped me to while away o 'i .ii !"ri . ' 1 92 PERILS AND PLEASURES BY THE WAY. ill I 111 11 (I , isk i? t' what would otherwise have been an afternoon of ennui ; and now you must do me the honour to dine with me, and in the evening my servant will convey you back to the hotel. Shall it not be so ? ' The boys were too honest to simulate reluctance to accept so attractive an invitation ; and, with a glance at Arthur, whose beaming countenance clearly ex- pressed his mind, Bruce said : * You are very kind, sir, and we will be only too glad to do as you say, for we find it lonely at the hotel.' So they went into the house, where they were first shown into a dressing-room, and, having had a wash and brush up, were presented to Madame Papineau, a sweet old lady, who gave them a motherly welcome. The dinner, served in the old-fashioned French style, was heartily enjoyed, and they remained for an hour later, chatting with their kind hosts, and telling them all about their experiences in the past and their plans for the future. Shortly after nine o'clock they took their leave and were escorted back to the hotel by a stout man-servant who could not speak a word of English. * Well, we do seem to have the rarest kind of luck, don't we ? * said Arthur, as they walked away from the chateau. ' No matter what kind of a fix we get into, we come out of it all right; and we're always meeting with people who are as kind to us as if they were our own relations.* 'You're just right, Arthur,' responded Bruce; 'and I hope it will be so all the way across, and then we '11 have a good story to tell our fathers when we reach them.' ft rs PERILS AND PLEASURES BY THE WAY. 93 ' But we 've got a long way to go before that, haven't we ? * said Arthur, swallowing a sigh that he did not want to confess to. * How jolly it would be if only they were with us.' * There wouldn't be much walking for us if they were, my boy/ said Bruce. 'They'd want to travel in the train.* ' That 's so,* assented Arthur. ' They 'd not be bothered going this way. I wonder what they'll think of us when they see us. It's a good many years since we went to school, and we must be very much changed. Do you think they 'd recognise us if they were to see us in the street ? ' 'No, indeed,' answered Bruce. 'Unless they'd know us from the last photographs we had taken to send them.* ' Ah, but our mothers will know us right off,' said Arthur. 'We won't need to tell them who w^e are,* and he gave a glad laugh at the thought of meeting again the mother from whom he had been so long separated. The servant accompanied them all the way to the hotel, and evidently considered himself well repaid by the piece of silver Bruce handed him. They were in excellent humour for their oeds, which were very clean and comfortable, and they did not turn out of them until long past sunrise the next morning. They found the road in capital condition for walk- ing, there having been just sufficient rain to lay the dust without making mud, and they kept steadily at it all day long, save for a couple of hours' rest at mid- day, thereby getting as far as Buckingham, where they halted for the night. 94 PERILS AND PLEASURES BY THE WAY. u II !!i ■ I ■i They were now within twenty miles of Ottawa, and they spent the next day doing this distance in leisurely fashion, so that they reached the Chaudiere Falls before sunset, and crossed the bioad iron bridge between Hull and Ottawa just as the whistles were blowing for the day-gangs at the big lumber mills to leave off work. Mr Gillespie had told them what hotel to put up at ; and they were rejoiced to find their portmanteaus awaiting them there, for the clothes they wore were beginning to show the effects of pedestrian travel. After a late dinner, they went up to Parliament Hill to spend the evening. The grand proportions and admirable architecture of the Houses of Parliament and the Departmental Buildings impressed them deeply * Who 'd have thought to see such fine buildings out in this country ? ' said Arthur, with a touch of the old comitry conceit. * Why, they 're nearly as big and as splendid as the Houses of Parliament in London. Aren't they, Bruce ? ' 'Almost,' replied Bruce, gazing admiringly at the dome of the library, with its beautiful flying-but- tresses and soaring pinnacles. * I wonder, can we go through these buildings to-morrow ? I would like to see what they 're like inside.' A gentleman who was standing near overheard what Bruce said, and answered it courteously : * There is no diflficulty whatever about your seeing the inside as well as the outside. You just go through one of the side entrances, and you can roam about as you please.* Bruce thanked him for the information, and they PERILS AND PLEASURES BY THE WAY. 95 fell into conversation, in the course of which Arthur, pointing to the ChautUere Falls, which were faintly discernible and distinctly audible, to the north of where they sat, and remembering their exciting passage of the Lachine Rapids, asked : 'Has anybody ever come down those Falls in a canoe or boat ? * The gentleman laughed, as he replied : ' Only one man is known to have come through the Chaudiere and lived to boast of it. Would you like to hear about him ? * * Yes, indeed,' the boys chorused eagerly, and, laying aside his cigar, their new acquaintance told the tale. * It happened nearly forty years ago,' said he. ' My father, who was engaged in the lumber business at the Falls, saw the whole thing, and I 've often heard him describe it. A big raft of square timber was being run into the slides above the Falls, and one of the cribs, owing to the men not understanding pro- perly how to steer it, got out of the channel near the shore and into the powerful current which soon swept it away towards the brink of the Falls, over which no human being had ever passed alive. All the men working in the mills quickly heard of it, and crowded upon the suspension bridge which stood w^here you see the iron one now, not one of them supposing that there was anything but death for the two unfortunate raftsmen. It must have been an awfully thrilling sight, as the crib came down through the roaring rapids above the Falls, without its being possible to give the poor men any help. Just as the crib entered the rapids, one of the men — his name was Baptiste Beaudran — made a desperate jump for the 1 m m I i;. .' ) ; i'i, i '1; ■ {■ 96 PERILS AND PLEASURES BY THE WAY. !' .■;'••! 1 '• lii 3 h I shore, but fell far short of it, and vanished utterly, not a trace of him ever being found.' ' The poor fellow ! ' sighed Arthx:r, whose sympathies were readily aroused, and who was listening to the narrative with intense interest. * He must have been drawn right in under the Falls, and kept there by the water.' ' Perhaps so,' said the gentleman. ' The other man, Paul Pilardeau, kept his place, and, to the astonish- ment of everybody, the crib, instead of going right over the Falls, stopped on the very brink, having caught against a bit of rock that held it fast. The spray was dashing over Paul, and drenching him, but so long as the crib held together he was safe enough; and my father and some others who had not lost their heads at once set about devising means to rescue him. They got a thin fishing-line, tied a stone to one end, and, going as near the crib as they could, tried to throw the stone aboard it. After several misses they were successful, and Paul, under- standing at once what was meant, pulled on the string, to which a stronger line had been attached, and then a hawser, which was passed over a high post. A large iron ring was then fixed on the hawser, to which a smaller rope was fastened, a few feet at the end being allowed to hang down for the purpose of securing around the man's body. * The arrangements being completed, the signal was given to Paul to start. It was a risky business, apd no mistake ; but it was his only chance for his life, and he never hesitated. Tying himself to the ring, which ran freely on the hawser, he launched out from the crib, and disappeared in the foaniin to 1' it iji "S"^ PERILS an:: pleasures by the way. 97 water. But at the other end of the rope they were pulling for all they were worth, and the nei t moment he bobbed up again, with his cap still tight on his head. * The crowd gave a great cheer, which was soon fol- lowed by another and still louder one as the man reached the shore, and was lifted out of the water by my father and those with him, not a bit the worse save for the wetting, and that means nothing to a lumberman.* Both boys drew a big breath of relief when the narrative of this thrilling incident had finished. 'That was wonderful, wasn't it?' said Bruce, 'and if the crib had turned a little way to either side it would have gone over the Falls. Is the rock on which it caught there still ? ' 'No,' replied the gentleman. *It wore away some time ago, and there 's no sign of it now.' * But how do the big rafts get past the Falls th'^'^ ? * asked Arthur. * They 'd be all broken up if they went over them, wouldn't they ? * 'Oh, they come down through the slides,' was the answer. * Haven't you seen the slides ? ' 'Why, no,* responded Arthur. 'Where are they, and can we see them ? * ' Of course you can. They 're up there to the left of the xctUs, looking this way. They're so surrounded by lumber piles that you can't see them. You must go up to-morrow and have a look at them; they're well worth seeing.* The boys thanked the gentleman for his story and the information he had given them, and went back to their hotel determined to see both the !i f .•' t\ 1 ^ ' ^'l'»lwi R ItV 98 PERILS AND PLEASURES BY THE WAY. ijifi m I" t n '< ' iii; 'I ]'■ ^ •■ 1 - ■ ■ ; t 1 ■ 1 fi ■ i . ■ 11 Parliament Buildings and the slides the following morning. They returned to Parliament Hill after breakfast; and under the guidance of one of the messengers, who explained everything to them as they passed from room to room, they made the rounds of the buildings. In the Senate Chamber they sat in the chairs of the grave and reverend legislators, and even dared to try the cushions of the great carved chair used by the Governor-General on the occasion of the opening or proroguing of Parliament. Then in the House of Commons they took turns in the Speaker's chair, and faced one another across the floor as leader of tlie Government and of the Opposition respectively. Thence they went into the superb library, and looked over the illustrated papers and magazines until mid-day, making themselves quite as much at home as if they had been members of the House. After lunch they were ready for the slides. On inquiry, they found that a traracar that passed the hotel door would take them to the very spot ; so they jumped on board, and, after a ride through the city, reached the region of the bis: lumber mills. It was easy enough to find the slides, since they passed beneath the bridge over which the tramcar ran ; and, as luck would have it, a number of cribs were going through that afternoon. Making their way to the head of the slides — which were, in brief, gigantic wooden troughs, sloping down- wards and filled with water, whereby the great clumsy cribs of timber floated down from above the Falls to the smooth water below — they stood for some time watching the cribs one by one begin the descent. ■■ PERILS AND PLEASURES BY THE WAY. 99 The longer Arthur lookrd on, the more keen became his desire to try a trip through, and at last he made bold to call out, as a crib slid by : * Please, will you take a couple of passengers ? ' * Certainment, if you not mind getting wet,' was the reply from the man addressed, a pleasant-faced French-Canadian. 'Come along, then, Bruce,' cried Arthur, springing on board, his chum following without a word of pro- test, and, taking the places assigned them by the rafts- men, they began the passage of the slides. J it, A m 111 m i ■ '(■ 4i^ I I'l ll- 1 . ' '(! ! , ■ '' i i 1 '■ ^ ! ■' 1 ,: _ ' 1 i i ': i-- til f i |!|i CHAPTER VI. iipj ■ 5, 1 • I;- 1 Vi! J!M^ iii^ ;r^ ! 1 , : ' i I . ;' t ,11, ! :? . , , H iMii p 1 11 i' ^ 1 ^1 p ''' iiiii i THE PASSAGE OF THE SLIDES. HE curious craft to which the boys had thus committed themselves requires de- scription. It was really a raft composed of huge sticks of square timber, ranging from fifteen to thirty inches square, and averaging twenty < r more feet in length. They were all of white pine, and looked as fresh and bright as if they had just been hewn. The crib was made by placing a dozen of these sticks side by side, and fastening the two outer ones together by cross-pieces secured by big wooden pegs. The intermediate sticks were not attached to anything, but kept in place by their own weight ; on top of all lay three immense timbers, one at either side and one in the centre, called the loading sticks, that bore heavily upon the cross-pieces, and thus the whole crib was held together mainly by the sheer weight of its parts. The place assigned the boys was on the centre timber about the middle. 'You stay there,* said the raftsman who held the stern oar, a huge heavy thing made out of a rough '•'I THE PASSAGE OF THE SLIDES. 101 scantling, ' and you may not get wet, unless,' he added, with a serious expression, * we break up, and then we must all swim for it.' The crib, by this time, had got well started down the narrow canal that led to the slides, and even if the boys had repented of starting they could not have withdrawn from the enterprise. The canal was lined with high wooden walls, past which the clumsy crib was sweeping at a speed that plainly showed the great force of the current by which it was being borne onwards. The passage was so narrow that every few yards the crib would strike the sides, and scrape along with strange groans as of pain, which did not fail to tell upon the boys' nerves ; but it was when they came to the first dip that they began to feel some alarm. After sweeping by tall piles of boards, they saw ahead of them a light wooden bridge, beyond which the water was evidently at a lower level. * See, Bruce,' exclaimed Arthur, pointing ahead ; ' there must be a fall there, and we 've got to go ever it.* Without turning his head, Bruce nodded assent, and the next moment they had reached the bridge, and, not pausing in their swift course, plunged over a fall of several feet, the sudden descent sending the front of the crib deep under water, so that a wave swept over the whole deck, drenching the raftsmen to the knees but sparing the boys who were above its reach. *A miss is as good as a mile,' said Bruce quietly, settling himself more firmly on the timber. 'But that 's only the beginning of it, if I 'm not mistnken.' It was indeed only the beginr\ing, for hardly had they got over the surprise of the first dip when they 2694,13 m ' I '. ■4 I i f V t," i 102 THE PASSAGE OF THE SLIDES. lis ■ 1 ' : , .i '• \'' . '' came to another, and still deeper one, beyond which was a long slope of slimy timbers barely covered with water, whereon the crib scraped throughout its whole length. The creaking and groaning of the great sticks was positively distressing, and as the boys shot past the high wooden walls of the slide they both devoutly wished themselves on top of them, although neither confessed the fact by word or look. The slant grew sharper, and the speed of the crib increased the farther it went, until it was flashing on like a toboggan on an ice-hill, and, realising that they must bring up presently in the river below, the boys gripped the loading stick tightly and awaited the issue with no small anxiety. Now, one of the uncertainties which always lent a big spice of danger to running the slides, except on cribs specially strengthened, was whether the crib would hold together to the end of the passage, as it often happened that the middle sticks would be scrubbed out or the cross-pieces torn away, and the whole thing fall apart. Neither Bruce nor Arthur knew anything about this, but the raftsmen did, and their swarthy faces took on an anxious expression as the groaning and creaking increased in a way that showed there was a more than usual amount of friction. They had almost reached the bottom of the slope, and the smooth level water below was in full view, when the front raftsman gave a cry of warning, and at the same moment made a spring for the side of the slide nearest him, which by good luck he succeeded in reaching, and drawing himself up to the top. XlU: m THE PASSAGE OF THE SLIDES. 103 Neither the boys nor the other raftsman were in a position to hnitate him, and before they could do anything else the front cross-piece snapped like a pipe-stem, and the whole front of the crib opened out like a gigantic fan. When this happened, the big loading stick upon which the boys crouched struck the bottom of tlie slide with a sharp shock that threw them into the water right amongst the other sticks ! Their situation at once became one of great peril. They were just near the bottom of the slide where the water was full twenty feet deep, and they were hemmed in on every side by the disorganised portions of the crib, a blow from any one of which might mean death. Neither of the raftsmen could offer any assistance, one being on top of the wall and the other struggling for his own life. Yet neither boy uttered a cry or lost his self-control for an instant. They clearly recognised that their only chance of life lay in relying entirely upon them- selves for rescue from their perilous plight, and they struggled silently but sturdily with the mighty current that seemed determined to overcome them. At the foot of the slide they were for a moment carried under by the rushing water and buried beneath a bank of foam, but they fought their way to the top again, and, sweeping aside the thick froth of the fall, at the same instant caught sight of a big stick floating near. A few quick strokes brought them to it, and, draw- ing their shoulders clear of the water they saw each other for the flrst time since the collapse of the crib. i if \i\ I i '(■' 1 ^\ f I i I I t ! 'i . 11 : id- 104 THE PASSAGE OP THE SLIDES. ^ \ ' I l!ii 'V .. ;■! ' ' '"l ■ ■,.'; .'i , ; fi !mm '1'! '■ s ' '^!( ■I!'! 'Thank Heaven you're all right/ exclaimed Arthur, his pale wet face lighting up with joy. ' And so are you, I 'm glad to see,' responded Bruce, smiling back to him. 'But we've got a good soaking haven't we ? ' It was ever Bruce's way to take things quietly, no matter how alarming they might be. He really felt as deeply as any one, but he liked to hide his feelings under a mask of composure that came as natural to him as Arthur's excitability did to him. Being in deep, still water now, the boys thought they were pretty well out of danger; but were soon awakened to a new peril by a shout of warning from the raftsmen on the shore. Another crib had been in the slides not far behind theirs, and, having made the passage unscathed, was now charging down upon them with tremendous im- petus, the water foaming fiercely before its massive front. 'Look out, Arthur,' cried Bruce, who was farthest away from where the crib would strike. 'Let go where you are, and make for me.' Arthur gave one startled glance at the charging crib, and then made a dash for Bruce, reaching his side just as the heavy crib struck the timber at the very spot where he had been holding on the minute before. So furious was the onset of the crib that it seemed to spring upon the loose stick, bearing it down under the water that closed over it foaming. The boys went down with the stick, and this time it seemed as if it was all over with them. A horrible sense of sufibcation possessed them. They became m m ..,1|«l!WW I » l> U I! llJtll l l| i JU. ''~?W^ 1^1 THE PASSAGE OP THE SLIDES. 106 faint to the verge of insensibility, and indeed they would certainly have been drowned had not a swerve of the crib released their stick, and allowed them to rise to the surface close alongside, where the raftsmen promptly grasped them, and hauled them on board, utterly exhausted yet with breath enough left to murmur thanks to their timely helpers. An hour later they were back in their room at the hotel, putting on some dry clothes, and laughing glee- fully over the exciting experience of the afternoon. 'What between waterfalls, highwaymen, runaway horses, bulls, dogs, and timber slides, we 're having a lively time of it, aren't we, chum ? ' said Arthur, pulling on his trousers. * Yes, and if we get through the rest of our adven- tures as well as we have so far, we '11 have a lot to tell our fathers when we arrive in Shanghai, if we ever reach there,' replied Bruce, arranging his necktie with his wonted precision. 'Never fear, we'll get through all right,' returned Arthur confidently ; * our luck is going to last.* They remained over the Sunday in Ottawa, attend- ing service at St Andrew's Church in the morning because of its name, and going again in the evening because of the attractive preaching. On Monday afternoon, they boarded the transcon- tinental train as it passed through Ottawa on its long journey to the Pacific coast. They were so impressed by the costly and elegant equipment of the cars that they wondered if it were not some special train they had got on board and not intended for ordinary prjssengers like themselves. On looking round at their fellow-travellers, however, their minds were soon made I Ji •is lit 4 J'' ':'A ^t m • '& 106 THE PASSAGE OP THE SLIDES. It. ; '.. 1 ■' ' easy, and they settled down to enjoy the comforts of the most sumptuous railway carriage they had ever rode in. * This beats anything I 've ever seen,* said Arthur, noting with hearty admiration the artistically carved white mahogany, the broad panels of Mexican onyx, tlie gleaming mirrors, and the rich soft plush, which combined to make up so satisfactory a picture. * It 'a quite good enough for a prince, isn't it ? ' ' Quite,' assented Bruce, stretching himself out luxuri- ously on the soft cushions, ' and it makes me feel like a prince to be here.' * This is one of the wonderful Pullman sleeping-cars we 've heard so much about, you know,' said Arthur, ' and I 'm all impatience to see how they 're managed.' * Oh ! you '11 have to wait for bedtime to see that,* said Bruce ; ' see, there 's the porter — they have nothing but negroes for porters on these cars. Jack Gillespie was tellins: me about it.' Arthur looked hard at the porter, who was in truth much more of a mulatto than a negro, and felt inclined to ask him some questions; but, fearing the other passengers would overhear him, he refrained, preferring tu wait a more convenient time. They were beginning to feel very hungry, and to ask themselves how they would manage about dinner, and whether the train stopped at some station long enough to allow the meal to be had in comfort, when a railway official came into the car, calling out loudly : * Dinner now ready in the dining-car,' and forthwith there was a general move of the passengers in the direction indicated. ' Come along, Bruce,' cried Arthur, springing up to join the procession. ' That includes us, I guess.' THE PASSAGE OP THE SLIDES. 107 So they went into the next car ahead, and found themselves in a long, handsomely-decorated room, fur- nished with tables and comfortable seats, where the gleam of glass, the shine of silver, and the snowiness of linen made a very welcome picture for folks with keen appetites. Taking one of the small tables that held only two persons, they looked about them with admiring eyes. It was their first experience of a rilodern dining-car, and they saw much that was interesting to them. To be served with a six-course dinner in the style of a first-class hotel while speeding along at the rate of thirty miles an hour was certainly a very pleasing novelty, and one which they heartily enjoyed. When the time came to make up the berths in the cars for the night, the boys* wonder was aroused anew. They watched every move of the dusky porter, as with quick, deft touches he transformed the seats into broad couches, and drew out from the sides of the car wide berths whose existence until then might never have been suspected, covering them with mattresses and bed-clothing, and tlms, as if by magic, converting them into beds fit for a king to sleep on. 'This certainly beats anything I ever saw or imagined,' sai i Bruce. * It 's well worth coming all the way to see, isn't it ? ' * Right you are,' responded Arthur as he dived into his berth, *and I'm going to be so comfortable here that I won't want to turn out in a hurry.' Comfortable as they undoubtedly were, the novelty of the situation kept them awake a good while, and they were about the last to get to sleep in the car. But they made up for it by over-sleeping the next u <9 ■r ^H i I. i; 11 . ih ■ til 'i I ''I 108 THE PASSAGE OF THE SLIDES. his head through the morning, and when Bruce pu curtain that closed him in, he was dismayed to see that all thu other berths were already made up, and to hear the dining-car conductor call out : ' Last call for breakfast in the dining-car.' Rousing up Arthur, who had not stirred, a hurried toilet was made in the lavatory, and they got into the dining-car only just in time to secure some breakfast, wherefore they determined to get up earlier in future. The railroad ran through rough yet picturesque scenery, and as the boys noted the number of streams they crossed and lakes whose shores they skirted they expressed to one another how they would like to try the fishing in some of these waters, which looked as if they ought to hold plenty of trout and other fish. * There is no trouble about your doing that,' said a gentleman who had the seat behind them, and over- heard their conversation. ' If you can spare the time you may have all the fishing you like.' They were at once interested, and, accepting the gentleman's invitation to come into his section, they questioned him as to how it could be managed. * Easily enough ' said their informant. * You have only to step off at Nipigon station, and the station- master there or the hotel-keeper will tell you just what to do. You '11 need a couple of guides of course, and a good canoe to do the thing properly, and perhaps you might think it too expensive.' * Oh ! that 's all right,* responded Arthur, somewhat pompously, 'we've got money enough to carry us through, and we 're in no liurry as to time.' * In that case,' returned the gentleman, hardly re- straining a smile at the young lad's important manner, THE PASSAGE OF THE SLIDES. 109 'you will have no difficulty. I've been up the Nipigon myself, and can promise you as fine trout-tishing as you ever had in your life.' This information put the boys in great humour. They had often gone a-fishing in Scotland during the holidays, and thus acquired some skill as anglers, and the prospect of trying their fortune with the big trout of the Nipigon was very attractive. They plied their new acquaintance (who gave his name to them as Mr Cooper, and explained that he was one of the divisional engineers of the railroad, having charge of the section over which they were passing) with many questions about the country and the railroad itself, and he interested them deeply by detailing the tremendous difficulties the company had to encounter in building the line. *I spent nearly two years on the north shore of Lake Superior,' he said, * and I hope I '11 never have to work so hard again in my life. We used over one hundred tons of dynamite a month in blasting through the rocks, and removed nearly three million tons of rock. We had fully twelve thousand men working summer and winter, and two thousand teams of horses, besides three hundred dog-teams in the winter time. These were stirring times, I tell you, and you could make a big book out of the strange things that happened. ' One day an Irishman in charge of a team was wait- ing for a load near a huge pile of iron rails that had been laid down on top of a high bank, when the weight of the rails made a landslide that carried cart and horses into the lake where the rails pinned the team to the bottom in twenty feet of water, and it could be seen there for many a day afterwards, the water being i n| « ! 'm I I { t i i 1 1' m no THE PASSAGE OP THE SLIDES. lil; t il :i: 1! ■I n ' 'R f« perfectly clear. The Irishman had a narrow escape from sharing his horses' fate. ' The difficulties we had to overcome were something appalling. Why, for getting material and supplies from the lake shore opposite Michipicoten to the rail- way line, we had first to cut a road seven miles long through the rocks, then traverse a lake for the same distance by steamboat, next came sixteen miles of rough rocky country requiring plenty of blasting and cutting, after that a second lake sixteen miles long, ttien three miles of road, and finally a third lake. * We had to bore tunnel after tunnel through solid rock, and no less than ten rivers had to be diverted from their natural course and carried through tunnels (one of them one hundred and fifty feet in length) excavated underneath the road bed. So you see,' Mr Cooper concluded, * we Canadians feel rather proud of this great railway of ours, seeing how hard it was to build this part of it at all events ! ' As the boys listened to these interesting statements, they thought that the Canadian people had good reason to be proud of so vast an undertaking, and were disposed to congratulate themselves that it had been carried to such successful completion that they could roll comfortably along in luxurious Pullman cars over the iron road that had cost so much human thought and labour to construct. But it was when they came to the stretch between Huron Bay and Nipigon that their admiration for the builders of the road was raised to the highest pitch. Here the track was laid for the most part upon a rock-gallery carved out of the face of the clifi's, and diiectly overlooking the majestic breadth of Lake :!!i ^^ m THE PASSAGE OF THE SLIDES. Ill >' '.Jiii Superior, whose waters were more vividly blue than the heavens above. A hundred feet or more below them lay the lake, while overhead towered massive crags, richly coloured and fantastically adorned with trees, vines, and creeping blossoming vegetation and mosses. ' We never saw anything like that at home, did we, Bruce ? ' said Arthur, whoso quick eyes lost nothing of the grandeur of the ever-changing picture revealed through the broad windows of the car. * I 'm sorry we did not walk this part. We're going so quickly that one hasn't time to see all you 'd like to.* *I would like to be tramping it too,' said Bruce; 'especially on so glorious a day. I hope we'll have weather like this so long as we stay over at Nipigon. Oh ! but Arthur,' he added, his face lighting up at the thought, 'if we're only lucky enough to land a six- pounder apiece! I never caught anything bigger than three pounds in my life.' It was soon after breakfast when the train reached Nipigon station, near the mouth of the Nipigon River ; and the boys, taking leave of Mr Cooper with many thanks for his kindness, let the train go on without them. Mr Cooper had given them a note to the agent of the Hudson's Bay Company at Red Rock post, not far from the station, and, leaving their portmanteaus with the stationmaster, they started to hunt him up. In this they had no difficulty, and on presentation of the note were most cordially received, and invited to stay and have mid-day dinner, at which their doings might be discussed. In the midst of laying out for them a programme ii • V ' f 1 "■ i It ,.' 112 THE PASSAGE OF THE SLIDES. Hi m ( Si If 'i !l!!il ' 1^ V \ 11 ji^i!! ;: |ii ■ 1^ 1 1 i I that would occupy three days or so, their host, Mr Stewart, interrupted himself to ask : ' Look here ! is there anything to prevent your stay- ing a week, if I could make it worth your while ?' The boys looked at one another. They were not indeed in any special hurry, and if the inducements were strong enough, they could remain a week ; but they wanted to know first whether it would be worth while doing so. Mr Stewart divining the meaning of their glance, hastened to add : * What I have in mind is this. I have to go down to our post at Poplar Point very soon, and if you'd care to accompany me I 'd start to-morrow, and on that trip you 'd have all the trout-fishing you could wish, and see something of the country besides. What do you say ? ' Arthur was for accepting off-hand ; but Bruce wanted more light on the subject. When, however, he understood that what was so kindly offered was a long canoe trip, with every provision for safety and comfort, he accepted the invitation cordially. The afternoon was spent in making the necessary arrangements, and the following morning the little party set out. It consisted of Mr Stewart, Bruce, and Arthur, three tawny, sinewy half-breeds, and Mr Stewart's dog Nep, a fine specimen of the 'huskey' breed, which make the best sledge-dogs in the world. They had two canoes, and were divided up in this way: Mr Stewart, with Bruce, Nep, and one of the half-breeds, occupied the first canoe, while Arthur with the other two half-breeds had the second. Mr Stewart thoughtfully provided the required THE PASSAGE OF THE SLIDES. 113 fishing-tackle, and took his rifle. The boys had their revolvers, and the half-breeds hunting-knives and hatchets, so were pretty well armed. The canoes interested the young travellers im- mensely. They had never seen that kind of craft before, much less been in one of them, although they were familiar enough with them in books. They were excellent examples of the means whereby the American Indians have from time immemorial traversed the multitudinous waterways of the north land, and certainly nothing more perfectly adapted to the purposes required has ever been constructed by human hands. A skin of the tough outer bark of the white birch sewed together with the fibrous roots of the spruce, tightly stretched over ribs of cedar, and the seams daubed with the resinous gum of the pine or tamarac — such is the Indian canoe, light, strong, and buoyant, simply constructed and easily repaired if damaged. Floating like a bubble on the water, it will, if not too deeply laden, ride safely over seas sufiicient to swamp an ordinary boat. Astonishingly easy to be upset by a novice, it becomes in experienced hands the safest and most stable of crafts, as it certainly is the most picturesque. Seated in the bottom of the canoes, while Mr Stewart and the half-breeds did the paddling, the boys had nothing to do but enjoy themselves, as they glided across the still water of Lake Helen, to where the swift current of the Nipigon River made its entrance. They were enjoying their new experience to the utmost, and exchanged appreciative comments while the canoes kept side by side. In the course of the ■M ! s i. k i y i !l II !' ■\:!i I* 114 THE PASSAGE OF THE SLIDES. Is !!;. i„ morning, however, Arthur's restless spirit began to tire of inaction, and he watched with longing eyes the steady skilful sweep of the paddles in the half- breeds' hands. At length he could not further contain himself, and, looking across to Mr Stewart, called out : 'Might I try to paddle a little when the men get tired?' Mr Stewart laughed as he answered, 'I'm afraid you'd have to wait a long time for your turn then, J3ay boy. These men of mine can keep this up all day long for a month. They don't know what the word " tired " means when they 've hold of the paddles ; do you ? * he asked, looking around at the half-breeds. They flashed their white teeth in a complacent smile, and nodded an emphatic negative, without saying a word. * But,' continued Mr Stewart, noting the shadow of disappointment on Arthur's countenance, 'there's a spare paddle in each canoe, and you 're both welcome to try your hand at it if you want to.* Bruce was no less eager than Arthur to hold a paddle, and so the next minute they were sitting on the jross pieces in the centre of the canoes, paddling away with great vigour. Seeing that they had never before held a paddle, it could hardly be expected that they should at once put their strength to the best use, and a quiet smile of superiority stole over t-he swarthy features of the half- breeds as Arthur barked his knuckles and scraped his wrist against the gunwale of the canoe in his undue eagerness to be of help to the paddlers. Bruce, taking things more quietly, did not expose THE PASSAGE OF THE SLIDES. 115 '4' ' ■! himself in the same degree, alth' ugh he found some difficulty in managing his stout ash blade. But, by taking pattern from the half-breeds, and giving their whole minds to their work, both boys ere long got into the swing of the thing, and kept at it bravely in spite of aching backs and weary muscles until the canoes reached the foot of the Long Rapids, where, to their relief, Mr Stewart called a halt for dinner. As they got out of the canoes, Mr Stewart said, in a tone of hearty approval : 'Well done, my lads! You'll make right good paddlers in no time.' The boys felt so pleased at this compliment that they quite forgot the blisters on their palms, and Bruce said in reply : * It 's very kind of you to say so, sir. We did our best ; but we never had a paddle in our hands before, and we find that there 's a good deal to be learned in using it.* *0f course there is,' said Mr Stewart, cheerfully; * but you '11 not take long to learn, and you '11 be able to help us a good deal on our trip ; and now,' he con- tinued, *as we'll stay here a couple of hours, you might as well have a try at the trout while Lacroix is cooking our dinner.' This suggestion suited the boys admirably, and in a twinkling they had the rods ready, and directed their steps to a pool at the foot of the rapids which the canoes would have to overcome by being portaged. A more likely-looking spot in which to cast a line no angler could desire, and, comparatively slight as the boys' knowledge of the gentle art was, their hearts '-■n . 1 m Z' T\ ■ m '- ; .)■!!>!! f 1 " s 1 , 1 ■I : • '■ ' } i '' f ! I.! 116 THE PASSAGE OF TFTE SLIDES. IP beat hi^h with hope of success as they dropped their flies into the deep clear water, which eddied and swirled not too swiftly after dashing over a sharp slant of jagged rocks. Nor was their confidence misplaced. Hardly had the flies touched the water than there was a rush, a spring, a quick hard pull on the line, and both boys simultaneously shouted with delight, 'I've got one! I 've got one ! ' CHAPTER VI I. I* ^1 ■■' 'i PADDLE AND PORTAGE. O say that Bruce and Arthur were excited when the strong tug on the Hno and the sudden bending of the rod told them that they were hooked to good big trout is to but faintly describe their feeling. Never since they set out upon their journey had such thrills of joy inspired them. They almost forgot to draw breath in the intensity of their anxiety to land their finny prizes, and they heard nothing of Mr Stewart's warning shout : * Play them carefully, ray lads ; don't be in too much of a hurry. They 're little demons to fight.' But the boys were in no mood for care. Their one thought was to get those trout ashore as soon as possible ; and, in his eagerness to accomplish this, Bruce pressed his fellow so hard that he tore the hook out of his mouth; while Arthur, in attempting to jump to a rock that seemed a superior coign of vantage, slipped and fell, the rod flying from his hand and shooting far out into the middle of the pool. 'I've lost my fish!' cried Bruce, chagrin over- spreading his countenance. ] i -. ; 1 ! ^'' ' 1 1 ' is ; i --.'j t t il , 1 r ■;'i' ^ 1 j^ji i^ M 118 PADDLE AND POUTACE. \\hr' ^ S' i '■ 1 1 V'\ j ; ! ' S ii : { V i Pill i' ''nlw 1 ':{' ' ''pRBfl| ' 1^ 1 ; : 1 V 1 ; ^! ■ : ;■ ¥M J ilii ;.^^ * And I 'vo lost my rod ! ' responded Arthur, picking himself up and rubbing liis bruised shins. *Jiut I'm just going after it,' ho added, and without more ado he phniged into the cool clear water, and struck out vigorously for the rod, while the other members of tlio party looked ou with mingled amazement and amusement. A few (juick strokes put the rod once more in his possession, and returning to the rock from which he had tumbled he took his place again, crying triumphantly : 'I've not lost him yet. See if I don't land him after all.* Sure enough the taut line showed that the hook still held, and, paying no heed to his dripping condition, Arthur, his ardour in no wise cooled by his bath, but his wild excitement considerably abated, played his lively captive like a veteran angler, now letting the line run out and now reeling it cautiously up again, until at length he had the supreme satisfaction of drawing in to the shore within reach of one of the half-breeds as fine a five-pounder as ever the water of the Nipigon yielded. When the speckled beauty was safely landed, Arthur threw down his rod, and capered about for very joy, the drops of water flying from his dripping garments. 'Isn't he a monster?' he cried exultantly. *He's well worth a wetting, I tell you.' Then catching up the tioh he ran over to where Lacroix was busy cooking dinner. 'Can't you put this fellow on your bill of fare?* he asked. 'Please do it ; it is not too late.* The half-breed smiled indulgently at the boy's excitement. '!i PADDLE AND PORTAGE. 119 *To bo suro/ ho replied. 'There ia time enouj;h/ and, taking the trout, he in a twinkling had it decapi- tated and cleaned and ready for broiling. Meanwhile Bruce was going on quietly, replacing the fly on his hook, and dropping it gently into the pool. For a few minutes there was no response, Arthur's plunge having frightened the fish away. But, presently Bruce's turn came and he hooked a good big trout, which gave him a lot of work before being vanquished. It was not a tive-pounder, but it wjj3 well worth catching, and dinner being ready by the time it was landed there was no more fishing that morning. After a hearty dinner, at which Arthur's trout was the piece de rhistance, and a half -hour's rest while Lacroix cleaned up and the other men smoked their pipes in luxurious content, Mr Stewart gave orders for the portage. It being their first experience of a portage, the boys watched the proceedings with great interest. The half-breeds were all sturdy fellows, and the indifference with which they treated heavy bundles made the two young spectators stare with astonishment. A large box of goods for the post at Poplar Point would be swung on the back by a broad leather strap that crossed the forehead — known as the ' tump-line.' This served as a foundation upon which was lifted a heavy bag of flour, a roll of blankets, and a miscel- laneous bundle on top of all. Then, with an axe in his belt and a stout stick in his hand, the half-breed would go off contentedly, and traverse without a stumble a rocky path over which a white man might find it hard enough to pass unencumbered. What elicited the warmest admiration of the boys, [mil i !' i' 1' i'1'i • I I 'I S ! y { t' ii 120 PADDLE AND PORTAGE. Ml Ilii p «' i ■ f . i' ■ -i'^ II i ih ; ' -^ li '* It I n however, was the way tlie canoes were carried past the rapids which they could not navigate in safety. Turning them bottom-up, a half-breed got under each and, seizing it by the middle, shifted and strained until he had it poised fairly upon his shoulders with both bow and stern clear of the ground, when he marched off looking like a gigantic snail. Of course Bruce and Arthur offered to do their share of the carrying, and divided with Mr Stewart the small bundles \yhich made up the balance of the canoes' load. As this portage was more than a mile in length over bare burnt granite ledges, and under the glare of a midsummer sun, the boys found it very wearisome, but they soon forgot that when the canoes were launched again in the still waters of Lake Jessie. Pushing on to the head of Lake Jessie the canoes pressed through the narrows into Lake Maria, whence- forward the scenery was so beautiful and striking that they seemed to be traversing an enchanted land. The Nipigon ran swift and deep through a narrow channel of rock where lofty walls, undulating on either hand and jutting out into headlands, overlapped each other so that the voyagers, as they might be called, seemed to be navigating, link by link, a chain of charming lakelets. ' Just look at those rocks, Arthur,' Bruce called out from his canoe. 'We never saw anything like that in Scotland.' The colouring of the cliffs were indeed remarkable, their hard gray faces being decked by the lichens with orange and yellow and green, in every possible li ! ; PADDLE AND PORTAGE. 121 : l.i 1 shade. The marvellously pure water, the splintered crags lichen-painted, the silver-stemmed birches, aspen- poplars, and balsams crowning the cliffs, combined to make up a picture of unforgettable beauty. At times paddling vigorously, for the men were glad of the help they could render in fighting the swift current, and again taking it easy in the bottom of the canoes, the boys felt that their cup of happiness was for the time full to the brim. Toward sundown they came to Split Rock, where a great mass of rock divided the stream into two branches which poured down on each side of the obstacle in impassable torrents. The way seemed barred to farther progress, and the boys began to wonder what would be done. But the paddlers kept at their work, and presently, sweeping around a dark headland, a tiny bay was disclosed whose gentle eddy bore the canoes to a safe landing-place. * We '11 camp here for the night,' Mr Stewart announced, much to the boys' approval, for they were getting tired and cramped in the canoes, and r, anted to stretch their legs on shore. As soon as the things were landed, they had their rods out, and tried the pool at the foot of the rapids. They had not long to wait. First one fly and then the other was greedily taken, and with little difficulty two fine trout were secured for supper. That night the boys for the first time in their lives slept in the open air, it being so fine and warm that Mr Stewart did not think it necessary to put up the small tent he carried, and the novelty of the thing kept them a long time awake, gazing up at the stars, •':! ' i I f 122 PADDLK AND PORTAGE. 1(1 i; h ) and listeninor to the ceaseless music of the twin torrents created by Split Rock. When they did fall asleep they slept so well that they seemed to have had only a short nap before Mr Stewart's cheery voice summoned them to throw aside their blankets and wash themselves awake in the clear water of the river. A long day of paddling and portaging across Lake Emma and Lake Hannah, and through narrow rock- bound channels, brought the two canoes at last out into great Lake Nipigon, on whose southern shore the little party camped for another night, and the following morning completed the voyage to Poplar Point. Having read much of the famous Hudson Bay Company in the vivacious books of Ballantjme, the boys were eager to see one of the Company's stations. But there was nothing imposing about Poplar Post. It consisted simply of a small group of log-built houses and store-rooms, unprotected by walls, and fringed by Indian wigwams, whose occupants were evidently on the best of terms with their pale-faced brethren. The factor of the fort, Mr Grant, gave Mr Stewart and his companions a warm welcome and the best his establishment afforded. In the evening as they lounged together by the lake shore, enjoying the cool air that came softly in from the great lake, the two oflScials vied with each other in stories of strange and startling experiences while in the Company's service, told principally for the benefit of the boys, who listened to them with absorbed interest. One of Mr Stewart's stories particularly impressed ii t PADDLE AND PORTAGE. 123 : ill ?l them: ifc gave them so vivid a conception of what winter travel on foot in the northern wilds of Canada meant : 'It was in the winter of 1874, and I had set out from the post at Red Rock for Fort William on an important piece of business which could not be delayed. I had only one companion, a half-breed, who was stupid enough to lame himself the first day. Rather than be delayed I sent him back, and pushed on alone, hoping to meet some Indians who might keep me company. But not a living soul did I meet, and I was still alone when night came on. That night, before a blazing fire that threw its light far out among the tall birches and spruces, I thought I heard a noise of some one coming. It could not be the wind; there was none now to sCr the branches. Soon the sound ceased. Just as I was crediting it to my imagination, I heard it nearer and almost behind me. It might be a stray Indian, who would keep me company for the night. But why should he not come boldly into the firelight ? And why should he move frovn '>iace to place beyond its rays ? Now I heard tl ^ and to my left, and was peering in that direction w'h'W tl 3 snow was crunched more distinctly, and I saw a:^\"^ncing two luminous balls which seemed as large as eggs and of prismatic colours. Just then a log of the fire fell down, and a fine blaze rose. There stood, but a few yards away, a great moose ! He gazed for a full five minutes, as if spellbound by the firelight. At a slight movement of mine he uttered 'i ,mething between a snort and a whistle, wheeled ir.ro ihe dark woods, and I saw him no more. In my loneliness I felt the loss of even the animal's company. X ri 4... ' ;! II i ! 11 il if] 1 ** 'i I:-!} ._JJ ill 124 PADDLE AND PORTAGE. I' :• ! :'^ If m w i t 1 ..|ii ^MiM The following morning I half-repented of my resolu- tion to go on alone, and was stronglj'- tempted to return to Red Rock ; but my pride would not let me, and I started off. 'The course took me to a lake of which I knew something, and I diverged a little to have the advan- tage of travelling on the ice down a long bay and outlet stream of which I had heard from an Indian. The sun was obscured all day, and yet I was so perfectly sure I wr.-^ i^ig^t that I went along the ragged coast withou ) consulting my compass. About four o'clock in tii afternoon I was astonished to hear the sound of a waterfall. Pushing on I soon saw the cloud of mist. Then I knew I was off my course. The secret was that there were two outlets, and I had mistaken the smaller for the larger, which begins five miles more to the north, and flows to the falls on a course almost at right angles to that which I had followed. Some distance above the falls both streams unite in a long, deep rapid. The island between this junction is lofty, with precipitous banks. As I ought to have been on the north side, there was nothing for me to do but to cross the river, or go back to the lake and follow the northerly outlet, or else strike out from the lake and make a bee-line for the right trail. There was no crossing below the falls, so far as I could see, for the banks were high and pre- cipitous. To go back to the lake would be a dangerous loss of time. But it appeared not impossible to cross so narrow a stream at the brow of the falls. There the spray and snow, advancing broadly from each side, during the winter had formed an irregular ice-bridge. In the centre it was narrowed to about six feet wide f.-ntf rnt tw/ mx PADDLE AND PORTAGE. 125 — simply a mass of frozen foam and spray. I had no choice but to venture on this or retrace my steps. As either choice seemed about equally desperate, I resolved to cross at all hazards. * If the frail bridge should give way, no one would know my fate unless I left some trace on the bank. For that purpose I cut a large chip out of a birch, and wrote on the white wood : " Feb. 22, 1874. — I must cross this ice-bridge over these falls. If it breaks, you know iny fate and my name " — which I appended. Out on the bridge I went till I reached the narrow place, which was about six feet across. On its edcre I loosened my pack and threw my snowshoes and satchel across. Next moment I would have given the world to have them back asfain ! But now the die was cast. I must go on or soon freeze. It was impos- sible for me to travel without snowshoes. With a pole to steady me, I advanced, with my heart in my mouth, to the narrow space of frozen foam. It seemed honeycombed, but hard. The roar of the water just below me scared me, and the sight of the chasm below the falls made me giddy. I felt my feet crushing the foamy mass ; but I dare not spring on the frail struc- ture. My only hope was in going gently, and submit- ting it to no such shock as I should give it by a jump. Then all was suddenly over — the perilous place was passed in a few seconds — I was safe ! Now it seemed almost childish to have left that messafje on the tree. I would have given a good deal to be able to blot it out — but cross again ? No ! In adjusting my snow- shoes strings for the rest of my journey I missed my knife, but soon remembered that I had put it in my satchel after lunching. Turning out the contents of m :9^ 1 i i ( i ! ■ t ■ i u \ , i k i 126 PADDLE AND PORTAGE. |;- N 'i . \! I' the satchel, I found not only the knife but two matches. I fairly screamed with joy. Now I could rest instead of tramping all night around some tree to keep myself warm. After a frugal supper I did rest well before a great fire of branches that I wrested from dead and living trees. To keep the fire smoulder- ing till morning I hacked down a birch with my tomahawk, cut it into three long lengths and "nig- gered " these each into two by turning them on the coals. Then I put them all on the fire and lay down. On awakening I found three inches of new snow on my blankets. * But last night's embers still smouldered, and I soon blew them to a blaze. Again I breakfasted alone, and resumed my lonely way over fallen timber, hill, and rocks. About eleven o'clock that morning I came to what looked like a river about fifty yards wide. When I had nearly crossed it the ice became " glare." The water had apparently risen here over the first ice formed, and then run along the bank till it swept away the snow, had then been re-covered with ice, and had finally receded, leaving a shell of ice. Here and there a snag protruded. I did not think from appear- ances that there was deep water under the shell and near it, but as I advanced I kept poking cautiously with my pole. When I was not more than five yards from shore my right snowshoe broke bodily through, as if a great bubble or mere scale of ice had been just there. I had time to throw my weight on the other foot, but there I was stuck. My right snowshoe had turned, and was held under the ice. I tried every conceivable plan for extracting it, and all in vain. I dare not try to kick my foot loose from the snowshoe, 1 i' PADDLE AND PORTAQE. 127 for if I lost it in the curient I could not travel farther. I dared not lean back to loosen the strings, and so haul off the shoe, for thus I might lose my balance on the left foot, and plump down through the hole. I was wholly mistaken, too, as to the depth of the river; by my pole the water was nearly seven feet deep. If the ice under my left foot should give away I was done for. I dare not struggle lest it should break down. At the end of a quarter of an hour I was worse off than ever, for my left leg was weakening with the strain. I was at my wit's end, when a way out of my peril suggested itself. There was a small snag near, but it was just beyond my reach. I could catch my tomahawk's head on the snag, but not firmly, and I dare not pull with so slight a hold for fear of losing it and falling backward. It occurred to me that I might chop away the ice around the snag, and then pull it near enough to clutch. In this I succeeded after many minutes* labour. Now I could pull myself free, but dare not try lest I should lose my snowshoe. The hold I had enabled me, however, to move my right foot, which I did in every conceivable way for perhaps ten minutes. At last, when I had almost given up hope, a lucky turn brought the shoe up edgewise, and I carefully made my way ashore over the most treacherous of ice. My right leg was wet nearly to the knee, but the weather was not very cold. I made a fire with my last match, warmed myself well, and resumed my journey. Three hours of precious day- light had been lost, but I managed to reach the main dog-trail about sundown. There I might have spent the night even without a fire, but my pluck was rein- forced, and I resolved to try for camp that night. H W ii.\ii ■ ,f> \: - \ ■■'i " ■!. *■ i 1 ; ; .?? 128 PADDLE AND PORTAGE. t ^-i t r ! ! 1 i 1 j There was a good trail and a clear moon. The line might have gone ahead about seven miles after I left it, I supposed. But it seemed I had been on it for twenty miles, when the trail led me on and off a long, narrow lake. I was so tired that I felt that I could go little farther when I happened to see some patches in the snow. Stooping, I found them to be bits of rabbit's fur, and I knew some Indian wigwam was probably near. Soon I came across new snowshoe tracks diverging from the trail. These I followed about fifty yards and found the wigwam, banked up to the middle with snow and cedar bark. A friendly column of smoke rose up from the pointed roof into the clear, moonlight air, and there I resolved to stay for the night. I entered, with tho. j^verlasting " boshoo " as my saiatation, and, as the Indian etiquette demands, shook hands all round. There were two big Indians making snowshoes at one side, and two squaws with an old one and two papooses at the other. A bright fire blazed on the "caboose," with some flat stones around it on which pieces of rabbit's flesh and beaver tail were roasting. After the first salute no one took the slightest notice of me. 'The men went on with their work and the three squaws looked vacantly into the fire. I put oflf my pack and satchel and sat for a while in solemn silence. Then I took out two whole plugs of tobacco, handed one to each of the men, and gave my whole remaining stock of sugar and tea to one of the squaws, whom. I supposed to be the " mistress of the house." This called out all round a series of onequitches — thanks. Again there was a long silence, after which the squaw to whom I had presented the groceries rose silently, and J 11 PADDLE AND PORTAGE. 129 put some water in a tin can with some tea from one of the little bags I had given her. Then another long silence. When the water boiled, she handed me the can of tea and my little sugar bag, which, after sweetening my tea, I returned to her with the usual " mequitch." She then pointed to the roast on the hot stones, and muttered " Buckate " — " You are hungry." I certainly was, but that mess was too much for me, although I appreciated her hospitality. I excused my- self on some plea or other, and ate instead the remainder of my cheese with some biscuit and tea, dividing the remaining biscuit between the two pa- pooses. The wigwam could not be much more than ten feet across, and I was wondering how eight human beings could find room to sleep in it when one of the Indians took his snowshoes and went out. After a little he returned with some cedar brush, which he laid down by me. Then in a low voice he drawled out, " Nebagan " — " Your bed." Eabbit-skin blankets were then produced, and without a word each Indian curled up for the night. So did I, and slept like a top until late in the morning. I had no difficulty in engaging one of the Indians to accompany me the rest of the way in consideration of sundry pounds of tea and tobacco, whii2h I was glad enough to give him for his services.' After hearing Mr Stewart's story with bated breath a very decided conviction came into the boys* minds that however pleasant might be the life of a Hudson Bay official in the canoeing and fishing season, it was not at all to be envied in the long cold winter of the north. Mr Stewart's business did not take long to transact, ■ vi 130 PADDLE AND PORTAGE. ilir I fr I h ) and he was ready to go back the followinj^ morning. The boys would have very well liked to stay longer at Poplar Post ; but of course they said nothing to that effect, allowing their regret at leaving to find expres- sion in their farewells to Mr Grant, who gave thera a warm invitation to visit him again. The return trip was a much easier undertaking than it had been going up, and there was a great deal more fun for the boys. Once the Nipigon River was entered the paddling became mere byeplay compared with the strenuous toil it had been up-stream. Right out in the mid-channel, courting instead of dodging the current, the canoes glided smoothly down the rippling waters now swiftly, now slowly, occasion- ally pausing to have a try at a big trout in an eddy. Many of the rapids that had to be laboriously avoided by portages on the way up were run without landing, and the paddlers got so in the spirit of this exciting sport that they ventured upon trying one that they had not been through before. It was in two parts, the first rapid being intricate and dangerous from sunken rocks and startling passages through which only unerring skill suflficed to steer the canoes. Then came a wide, still pool, a sharp turn, and a long dark slope with a white fringe at the bottom, as to the meaning of which there could be no mistake. The bow-man in Mr Stewart's canoe looked at it with some dismay, but it was too late to draw back. Whipping off his coat, he quickly unwound and regirded his sash, thus preparing for a swim for life if necessary. * Sit down, boy,' he cried warningly to Bruce, who had been up on the cross-thwart, and who U ; ■;,'!^ PADDLE AND PORTAGE. 131 now instantly squatted down in the centre of tlio canoe with a tickling of his midrift' that was not altogether pleasant. Glancing back at Arthur, whose canoe was just behind, he called out : 'How do you like this, Arthur?' And nervous as he felt himself, he could not help being amused at seeing his chum sitting low in the canoe, and holding tight on to the side with both hands as though he was afraid of the thing slipping away from underneath him. ' Keep a tight hold, Arthur,' Bruce called out, ' wo 're just coming to the worst of it.* Arthur, forcing a smile of indifleronce, contented himself with replying by a nod, and the next instant both canoes were glancing down the smooth incline like toboggans descending a toboggan slide, and almost as swiftly. Anxious as they were at the sight of the foaming billows, the boys did not fail to enjoy this curious sensation, and their hearts thrilled with excitement as, with paddles poised, the canoes reached the great curls which lifted their crests where the dark purple water broke into white. 'Here goes for it,* Bruce said to himself as the canoe plunged right into the midst of the wildly- agitated waters, and a wave sprang aboard, drenching the bow-man to the skin. For some moments it seemed as if the paddlers had over-estimated their ability, and the whole party would pay the penalty of their rashness with their lives. The light birch-bark structures were tossed like chips from billow to billow, the spray repeatedly f 'A 'm m i.V ^u 132 PADDLK AND PORTAGE. B h breakiniT over their occupants, so that the boya were filled with fear. But by dexterous mighty strokes the paddlers won the day, and presently both canoes were tossed safely into the eddy far below the fall. * Very big water,' was the pithy remark of one of the half-breeds as he looked back at the great white waves whose gauntlet had been so skilfully run. The remainder of the return trip was marked by no special incident, but the boys enjoyed every moment of it, and were quite sorry when their arrival at Red Rock brought their canoeing to an end. It fell out that they were in time to catch that day's train as it rolled in from the east, so they made haste to do so, taking leave from Mr Stewart with many expressions of gratitude for the pleasure he had afforded them. The car in which they took their seats was so precisely like the one in which they had ridden from Ottawa to Nipigon that they for a moment looked around with expectation of seeing some familiar faces. But instead of greetings they were met with cold stares of curiosity, for in truth they presented a rather odd appearance, their clothes being somewhat the worse for wear, and they themselves being badly sunburned. They did not mind being stared at, however, and settled themselves down comfortably to talk over the events of the past few days, and to make plans for the future. *We ought to have some fine adventures walking across the prairies,' said Arthur. * I 'm quite impatient to begin ; aren't you ? ' PADDLE AND PORTAGE. 133 i t| were he *I can't say that I am,' responded Bruce, as ho stretched hiinsell* out on the cushions. ' It 'a very comfortable on board these cars, and wo get over the ground so fast.* 'But you're not thinking of giving up the walking, are you?' Arthur asked in an anxious tone, looking into his companion's face. Bruce kept silont for a while, as though meditating on the matter, until Arthur, growing impatient for a reply, caught hold of his arm, and demanded with considerable temper iu his tone : * Answer me, Bruce. Do you want to back out ? * Now, it was not according to Bruce's nature to back out of anything to which he had once fully committed himself, unless it proved to be im- practicable or injudicious; and that Arthur should suggest such a thing nettled him so that he retorted : • Well— and what if I should ? ' In an instant Arthur's face was aflame, and making no pretence of controlling his voice, he fairly shouted : 'If you do — I'll have nothing more to do with you, and I think you 're too mean for anything.' It was the first time since their leaving Edinburgh together that they had had anything approaching a falling out, and Bruce, not trusting himself to reply, for he was stung to the quick, sprang from his seat and made his way to the rear of the car, leaving Arthur in the seat, strangely divided in feeling between anger at his chum's behaviour, and anxious lest he should really have it in mind to give up the walking across the prairies, and perform the journey tamely in the cars instead. ;• i i m I; ill; CHAPTER VIII. r ! h t THE RACE WITH THE TRAIN. OTH Bruce and Arthur were high-spirited boys; and, as each thought the other was at fault, their pride prevented them from making overtures towards a re- conciliation, and they were still at variance when the train reached Port Arthur. Here Arthur jumped off* to have a look at the place that bore hiji own name, and having misunderstood the porter's reply to his question as to how long the trai.x stayed there, strolled up the street some distance with his hands in his pockets. Noticing some enticing candy in a confectioner's window he stepped in to buy a pound of it, intending to make it serve as the olive branch of p'^ace when he returned to the train. The girl who served him was very slew in making change of the note he offered as payment, and on leaving the shop he was horrified to hear the engine whistle and to see the train glide away without him. He raced down to the station shouting frantically, but by the time lie reached the platlorm the train it ' ll THE RACE WITH THE TRAIN. 135 was a couple of hundred yards off, and speeding away at a rate that precluded all possibility of his o^* r- taking it. Out of breath from his effort, and overcome with vexation, he threw himself down upon a packing-case, and had hard work to keep from bursting into tears. * Well, if I 'm not a duffer,* he exclaimed in profound chagrin at what had happened. * What did that black fellow mean by saying that we had fifteen minutes to stay here when the train did not wait more than five ? I 'd just like to punch his woolly head for him. And what will Bruce think when he finds out I'm not on the train ? What will he do anyway ? I wonder will he go on to Winnipeg, and wait there for me to catch up to him ? * Just then, seeing the stationmaster coming along the platform, Arthur went up to him, and with a shamefaced manner, for he felt that he had made a considerable fool of himself, told him the plight he was in. Much to his relief the stationmaster did not seem to consider the case very serious. 'You and your friend weren't going any farther than Winnipeg you say,' he responded. * Well, there is not much harm done. He '11 wait for you there, and you can go on in to-morrow's train.' ' Won't there be another train before? to-morrow ? ' exclaimed Arthur. 'Why, no,' answered the stationmaster smiling at his blank expression. ' There 's only the one passenger train each way a day. But you'll be all right here. They '11 make you very comfortable up at the hotel.' Convinced that there was nothing to do but suffer r w^ 136 THE nACF. WITH TRE TRAIN. 1 - i. , fi f 1 1 pationily tlu> conHoqnonco of bis mistake, Artlmr wont up to i]w hotel, and sat down on the vcrandnli to considiu* tho .situation. Ilo folt sure tluit Bruce would be groatly di.sliu-biHl on nnHHinj:^ liiin from tlio train, and at the thouij^ht of bis concern all resentment aijjainat him vanished ; and had Bruce appeared at that moment Arthur was ready to rush to meet him with open arms. As he sat there moodily turniuir over thes(» things in his mind, a tall man with a wild-western look dropped into the chair beside him, and, elevatiM i^it riled, young fello\^^ I 'm quick on the laugh I know, and its kinder comical the way you're tixed. But don ^ ye worry, you '11 get your partner all right again.' While they wei'e talking a boy came up from the station holding t yellow envelope, and seeing them be called out : * Do you know if Arthur Bowe is around here ? * Arthur at once jumped to his feet, and responded eagerly if not grammatically : to T THE RACE WlTFf THE TRAIN. 137 ' That, 'a mo ! Wliat do yoii wnrjt of Tnc3 ? * The boy was la/ily climl)in<^ Llio ntopa witlionfc troubling liirnHolf to make any reply when Arthur, overcomo with impati(!HCo, and ^ucH.sin;^ that tlio cnvt3lopo was for liim, sprang forward, and snatdiod it out of liis hand. Sure cnouf^h it was addr(\sHcd to him, and t(3arin^ it open, h(3 road tho moH.saLji; : ' Fort Wilh'am. I 'vo ^oi otF Jiore. Como aloiif^ ri<;ht away. — Ikuco Barclay.' Havinf; no idoa wlioro Fort William mi ' ^ J ' H: \ \ ; ] 4 7 ;Hi id k m 142 THE RACE WITH THE TRAIN. [■ ■ i.5^y iMH : ;». t i 1^^ ■ if * Oh ! dear ! ' said Arthur regretfully. ' He *s gone already, and I never thanked him for being so kind to me ; but/ he added, * I expect he 's just taken his horse to the stables, and I '11 see him again.' Having thus relieved his mind, he hastened to tell Bruce all that had happened since the train went oil* without him, and how glad he was that they were together again. When he had finished, Bruce said : * Well, your luck is certainly amazing ; you 're always falling on your feet. Here now, instead of being alone at Port Arthur until to-morrow's train could bring you along, you 've a good dinner and an exciting ride, and you 're all ready for another adventure.' Arthur laughed, and looked well pleased at his chum's words. ' You see I am a lucky chap to ravel with. There must be a good fairy in special charge of me, and you'll be as safe so long as you're in my company. And now what are we eroinor to do with ourselves for the rest of the day ? ' * Why, let us do the lions if there . re any,' suggested Bruce. 'What can those big buildings on the other side of the railway track be ? ' * I 'm sure I don't know,* responded Arthur. ' Sup- pose we go over and find out.' So they made their way across by the over-head bridge, and on reaching the great wooden wharves that lined the bank of the river Kaministiquia, and above which the big buildings towered high and broad, they were delighted to find a fine iron steamer moored alongside. *Why, that's an ocean steamer!' exclaimed Bruce, ^'!^ THE RACE WITH THE TRAIN. 143 in surprise. 'I never expected to see one like that away up here.' ' I wonder will they let us on board,* said Arthur, with a longing look at the gangway. 'Suppose we try. They can only turn us back, and that won't hurt us.' ' I 'm agreed,' answered Bruce. They accordingly climbed the gangway, and no one making any objections or asking any questions, they went all over the steamer, admiring the solid comfort of her appointments, and surprised that such a steamer should be needed for fresh-water naviga- tion. Encountering an officer with a gilt-trimmed cap they ventured to ask him some questions, which, being politely answered, led on to a conversation, in the course of which they learned that the steamer was one of three belonging to the Canadian Pacific Railway, which voyaged between Fort William and Owen Sound on Lake Huron, while the big buildings were grain elevators storing vast quantities of wheat from the cars, and pouring it out again into the holds of the steamers. Having seen the steamer, nothing would satisfy Arthur but that they should see the inside of one of the elevators. This was not so easily managed, how- ever ; but thanks to the intervention of the officer they were permitted to go over one, and got themselves finely powdered with grain-dust in the process. The afternoon was gone by the time they were through with the sight-seeing, and they went back to the hotel where Arthur was glad to find the man who had given him so thrilling a drive. y't ;'!i !(!' !,'1-1 "f V ■ «i ' ' y ■ t 1 i 144 THE RACE WITH THE TRAIN. t i f < ; ! ! >, I i * : 1 i ■■ ■ : ■ rf 11 ■f^- ' J ijljjjj V^ \ '''■ m ■i: i - 1- at mBI M m a uK i Hi |L *0h, sir,* he cried, running up to him, 'please forgive me for nob thanking you for that splendid ride. But you went off before I had a chance to. Is your horse all right ? * *I reckon he is, young fellow,* answered the man pleasantly. *A little burst like that don't hurt him. But say, didn't those galoots on the train look sick when we made the station a hundred yards ahead of them?' 'They did indeed,* said Arthur. 'They never imagined that a horse could beat them, and they found out their mistake.' The man from the West then went on to talk about Blackie and other horses that ho owned, and the boys learned that his name was Kalston, and that he was a horse-dealer who was there awaiting a consignment of horses from the ranches near the foot-hills of the Rocky Mountains. He had many good stories to tell that evening as he sat with the boys on the verandah, and they were sorry enough when he took his departure for Port Arthur, having urged upon them to be sure and visit some of the cattle-ranches when they were out in that part of the country. Among those at the hotel waj a man who might have stood as a model for some painter depicting Methusaleh, and the boys happening to look at him with a good deal of interest, the hotelkeeper said: 'That is our oldest inhabitant. Would you like to be introduced to him ? He used to be in the Hudson Bay Company, and he can tell you a good many interesting things about the place long before the railway came here.' !»! THE RACE WITH THE TRAIN. 145 :^! Bruce replied that if the old man wouldn't mind they would like to know him, so they were presented in due form to the veteran, whose name was Mr Graham, and who readily responded to their request to be told something about the early days of Fort William. Considering the weight of years he bore, Mr Graham was a remarkably vigorous man, and evidently found keen enjoyment in recalling the past when the Hudson Bay Company held sovereign sway over the whole North- West, and Fort William was one of the most important of its posts. Situated at the very head of lake navigation, and connected by a wonderful network of rivers and lakes with both the semi-arctic waters of Hudson Bay and the vast grass-covered prairies that began at Red River and stretched clear across to the Rocky Moun- tains, every one coming and going between Montreal and the North-West Territories stopped at Fort William on their way, and it was always full of life and bustle. Mr Graham had been a clerk at the Fort in the palmy days of its prosperity, and he made the boys' eyes shine with delighted interest as he graphically described the visit of the chief officers of the company, swelling with dignity and surrounded with luxury; the coming and going of the bronzed voyagers and fur-hunters, as dark of skin almost as the Indians themselves, the Chippeways, Sioux, Crees, who were so apt to give trouble if they succeeded in getting hold of the fire-water for which they were always willing to barter their very souls. So romantic was it all that the sentiments of the I '■' i V - ft: « \U] T1IK HACK WITH TIIK TRAIN. 1^ o\{\ }\v,\u Un\\u\ >i rcfidy n's|>(>ns«> iti (ho boyH* 1i(Mirtn Nvhon h(» ro^roiriilly i^xoliiinuMl : 'All !(linHo won* llio ^mmI old dnys, my IikIn, wIum» a nuvii had (o ho a man ov\v il H all clmnixod. Tho furdrado iHii't a (MixMnustMMOo io \\\v,\i it um(m1 ((> ho, and tho railroad 'rt t.'ikon all tho romaniv* owl of om* lil\». Eh, ho! il/n iho w.'iy of (ho >vtM-M, 1 suj>poHO, and wo old chupM (ha( OMn't. koc\y np with it mnN(, ho HatisruMl to lio hy in a oornor. as 1 'm tU)ing, nntil tho time comos to go nndor (ho so«l.' For (ho 8ako of stuping ror(. William in i(H glory tho boys W(>nld gladly havo had (ho railroad and (Jio big grain-olova(ors and (ho lino stoamships vanish, and tho por(ago path and tho canoo rosnmo their placo. .l>ut thoro was no ohanoo of that, and thoy liad to contont thomsolvos wiih acoompanying Mr (irahani (ho followiniT morninir (o soo the only rolic of tho old Fort s(ill visible, a shabby stone bnilding used as an ongino-houso ! Having exhausted the rcso\n*cea of the placo by mid-day, they were very glad when tho train from the East came in to tho station, and they could take their places to complete their journey to Winnipeg. It was about nine o'clock of the following morninoj when they rolled into Winnipeg, and before doing anvthincj else set about seeins: that the trunks for- wjirded from Montreal had duly arrived and were awaiting them. After some little difficulty they were all found in good order and condition ; and their minds being made ii TIIF. It ACT. WITH TMIC TIlAIN. ^M onny cm llial. poiiil, Mi(^y Htiirtrfl out. to |)H, and crowdo*! wiMi liurryiri;^ ctirlH and wa^^onH. 'Woll!' (pKiriod Hiuco, 'and wliafc (dno did yon oxpecfc it U) l)«?' ' I don't know,' annvvonsd ArUinr, with a Hhru/^ of liiH HliouldcrH. ' SonicUiinj^ of Mio Hanio kind of a phico an Port. Artliur or FoH William, 1 HUpiioso.' ' But tliiH in till) ca[)ital of tlio I'rovinw;, and it ou^lit to 1)0 a frood deal nioro of a city than tlioy an;/ niturnod Jkuco. ' By tluj way wo inuHt.n't for^^ot thoHo lottorH of introduction Mr (jlilloHpio /^avf5 uh. )'adn't wo hotter ^o to a lioU;!, and put on hohhj ;;oo<1 to^H, and Rco if wo can find tho people to whom they 're addrcHsed ? ' 'I HUppoao tliat is our best plan,' aHHented Arlliur. So they strolled alon^ until they camo to a hotel whose appearance was Hatisfactory ; and having engaged quartern, sent for all their baggage, as they wanted to overhaul their belongings before setting out from Winnipeg again. While they were thus engaged they had a visitor in the shape of a reporter from one of the evening papers, who had been told something about themselves and their plans by one of their fellow-passengers on the train, and who was determined to interview them. Bruce would have much preferred declining to say anything ; but Arthur, feeling flattered by the attention of the press, welcomed the caller cordially, and talked U\ m i [if 1 148 THE RACLi WITH THE TKAIN. I y. - * freely with him, the result being that the Evening PalladiuTn contained nearly a column of brightly- written matter relating to the boys, their experience since coming to Canada, and their novel idea of walking across the remainder of the continent. Of course this made them the object of much notice, and several gentlemen called upon them to express their interest in the una ^rtaking. They also received numerous invitations to lunch and dinner, were put up at the club for the period of their stay ; and Arthur happening to mention something about Bruce's skill in the cricket-field, the latter was invited to play in a match against the Brandon Club the following Saturday. As much to please Arthur as himself, Bruce accepted the invitation, and made a very creditable performance, his score of thirty-five runs being a substantial con- tribution to Winnipeg's success, wbile he did very good work in the field. So hospitable did they find the good puople of Winnipeg, and so many were the forms of amusement ofiered them, that they might have spent a month there without having a dull hour. But Bruce soon grew impatient to start on their long tramp, and they had to forswear many social beguilements in order to set about the necessary preparations. The advice they received was sufficient in quantity and variety to have bewildered much older and more experienced heads, w^hile of solemn warning against the possible perils of the route they had enough to have frightened less daring spirits out of the enter- prise entirely. Arthur was inclined to pay a good deal of heed to THE RACE WITH THE TTrtAIN. 14y the different counsellors, and would eagerly endorse this suggestion and that, and want them immediately acted upon. But Bruce took things more coolly, listening with due courtesy to the often conflicting counsel offered, yet not committing himself to the adoption of any of it. Eve!'y day added to the number of friends who were anxious to do something for them ; and one of the pleasantest incidents of their stay was thf.ir visit to Silver Heights, which occupied an afternoon. They drove out in a big open waggon behind a spanking team of bays, there being half-a-dozen in the party, and the going was so smooth and pleasant that they felt sorry when they reached their destina- tion. Silver Heights, so called because the prairie knoll on which it stood used to shine as with a silver rim when the sun was reflected from the polished culms of the buffalo-grass, stood near '^he loft bank of the Assiniboine River about five miles from the city. It was formerly the residence of the Chief -Commissioner of the Hudson Bay Company, who had taken an old log-house, and enlarged and beautified it until it was a stately mansion, surrounding it with garden, farm, and orchard until It became the show-place of the prairie province. * I think I wouldn't mind spending a summer here,' Arthur remarked, with significant smile as they sauntered through the grounds, and noted the abun- dance of fruit-trees — apples, cherries, currants, goose- berries, and on the sunny side of the walls sprawling grape-vines that promised luscious bunches in due time. 3 i\ iS': liii Ill m 150 THE RACE WITH THE TRAIN. '1 * - > ■ t ' i 1 K-' ;;IWr: * ' iii'i' 3 |! j|||9t "With a wild plunye . . 'I IMIllllS. he dashed off at a tanyeiit in iiiauifcst Hidit. -1'. 154. p\ c I it; ■: I ■•■I'l ''■ .'I d| .i^ „f . BY FOOT AND BY BUCK-BOARD. 155 * Jump off — Barclay — jump ! ' shouted Mr Martin, seeing a new danger for the boy, unless he promptly dismounted. To jump was out of the question, but Bruce did the next best thing — he let go — and came flop on the ground, while his strange steed went careering off, no doubt immensely relieved at being rid of his rider. Bruce got his clothes very dusty, but suffered no other damage, and when the others had congratulated him upon having come off so well, and he had regained his breath, he was not disposed to deeply regret the experience, which would in all probability be a unique one, and well worth telling about. Feeling themselves responsible for the buffalo being at large, Mr Martin and his companions did not rest until, by their united efforts, he had been driven back into the field, and the broken gate secured again. They then returned to Winnipeg in high hilarity over their memorable outing. Amid the pleasant surprises of Winnipeg the boys found one great disappointment, and that was the almost total disappearance of Fort Garry; nothing remaining of the famous old Fort save the dilapidated stone gateway, standing solitary and shame-faced, in the middle of r. grassy common. They had looked for strong high walls and sturdy towers, such as the pictures had promised, but this was all they found, and they felt as if they had been cheated. *I think they might have left the Fort just as it used to be,' was Bruce's regretful remark. ' Every- body who came here would want to see it. Wouldn't Ballantyne be disgusted if he were to come back here K ,-', i ■ 1 ' • { J !,)-„ ,. 156 BY FOOT ANP BY BTICK-BOAUD. i .,1 \\' ^ 1 i .if ■ 1 f| ; y 1 ', - - f t 1 • ::^ M . . r.^ - ■■■ 1* '■■^ and iind tluit thoy Iwid torn the old phico to pieces, just, to turn it into building lots?' Arthur luid not much Htintiincmt in his composition, and just liovv nallaniyno mi<;ht fool did not concorn liim ijroatly ; but ho shared in Bruco's disappointment, because any kind of a forlihcation appealed to his mili- tary spirit ; and ho would have appreciated the peculiar interest of one sot in the heart of the Canadian wilder- ness, which had been tlu; centre of so many stirring episodes. But, barring this, the few days spent in Winnipeg were filled with enjoyment, and only their impatience to begin the really importjint part of their noble enter- prise enabled them to withstand the i' x\y temptations they had to prolong their visit. It was on a bright sunny Monday morning when they finally got started, with all the omens in their favour, despite the kindly croaking of some friends who would fain have persuaded them to at least take horses, since they would have nothing to do with the cars. ' You are very good,' was Arthur's reply, to which Bruce gave assenting silence. ' But we 've pledged ourselves to try walking it, and we'll do our best first, of course if we 've got to give up, why, we 'II do so, but not before we 've made the attempt.' They arranged matters in this wise: Their trunks were forwarded by train to Regina, three hundred and fifty miles ahead, to await their arrival, so that they might be able to get a fresh supply of clothing which they would then be sure to need. They themselves went in as light marching order as possible, their only baggage being light knapsacks, BY FOOT AND liY HUCK-HOAIin. 157 containinoj extra Ht()ckin<:js, liandkorchioF.s, inatchcH, and a few other nocoHsarie.s, and tlicir rcvolvors which hun<^ at tlioir l)elt. In thoir hands thoy carried stout sticks tliat could 1)0 uh(m1 us weapons of dcl'enco it* necessary, and in thiiir breasts as Iif;l\t a pair of hearts as ever crossed the biUowy prairies. The track of the Cann/lian Pacific I'ailway was to bo their pathway, and they lost no time in passing throuiijh tho maze ol: sidings and railway shops that covered nearly a square mile on the western edge of tho city. Having shaken off tho cinder-strewn suburb, they found themselves riu^ht out on the prairie with a sud- denness that was surprisinrr. The city did not taper off gradually, but came to a full stop, and Oio level green prairio began, seeming as little influenccfl by tho proximity of a centre of population as if it had been only a collection of Indian tepees. The reason of this sharp division lay in tho greed of the speculators who held the land all about tho city at altogether too high a price for the settlers, and tho latter were therefore driven farther afield. 'Isn't this just glorious!* Arthur exclaimed, after they had left the city some miles behind, pausing to look back at the line of yellow buildings and then ahead at the long green level, stretching away to the verge of the horizon. ' Aren't you glad we are going to walk instead of flying across in the train and hardly seeing anything at all ? ' ' I don't mind saying I am,' answered Bruce, his own face lit with a glow of pleasure at the beauty of the landscape, which, however monotonous when viewed '^ t » 158 BY FOOT AND BY BUCK-BOARD. m I' ) f ! ;f \ , ' i. i 1 : m .V J ^ day after day, could not fail to inspire when seen for the first time. North, south, and west of them lay a world of ver- dure. 'Vast emerald meadows where the slightest breeze marked its progress in waves of glancing light as the pliant grasses yielded to its undulating pressure.' * Why, this is just like the ocean ! ' Arthur went on. ' And those houses away over there,' pointing to a far distant farm, with its little group of buildings, ' might be vessels coming toward us. Oh, if we had only wings, so that we could fly here and there, and see everything, instead of having to keep on in a straight line as the railway does, there 'd be any amount of fun in that.' 'How would a balloon suit you?* queried Bruce, who liked to humour Arthur in his flights of fancy, although he rarely indulged in them himself. * Tip-top ! ' responded Arthur ecstatically. ' It would be the very thing, and then think when we come to the mountains — how grand it would be to be able to go right up to their summits without any risk of slipping and breaking your precious neck. I tell you what it is, Bruce, I'm going to have a balloon some day.' 'You'll certainly never be quite satisfied till you do, Arthur,' responded Bruce smiling, 'but in the meantime we had better be pushing on if we want to reach Rosser Station in time for dinner.' A few miles out from Winnipeg they were able to leave the track, and take to a road that ran parallel. They were glad to do this, as they found it tiresome work walking on the ties, they being placed too close together to allow of a good stride between them and iji BY FOOT AND BY UUCK-BOAllD. 159 yet far enough apart to make it impossible to skip one without jumping. ' I do wish the people who built this road had been more considerate in placing the ties,' Arthur had said in quite an injured tone after they had been making use of them for over an hour. *If they'd only put them about a foot farther apart they'd just suit my stride to perfection.' * I don't imagine they took pedestrians into account, Arthur,' answered Bruce. ' This line was built for people to ride over in cars, not to walk upon. See, there comes the train now. How line it looks rushing down upon us ! * They stood to one side as the train swept by, and waved their hats to the passengers looking out of the windows. * Do you wish yourself on board ? ' Bruce iisked with one of his quizzical smiles. ' No, sir, not a bit of it,' responded Arthur stoutly. ' What adventures would one have ridinor in one of these cars ? Nothing to do but sit, and sleep, and eat all day long.* The train presently vanished among the billows of shimmering grass, and the boys kept on a steady tramp until not long after mid-day they came to Rosser Station, a cluster of some half-a-dozen houses, at one of which they were able to obtain a simple but substantial dinner that they were in excellent humour to appreciate. After an hour's rest they set forth again, and plodded on diligently until sundown, by which time they reached Marquette, when they halted for the night, feeling very well satisfied with the day's piogress. > ' 'I • 1 "Vi 160 BY FOOT AND BY BUCK-BOARD. m n Kefrcshed and strengthened by a f^^ood night's rest in comfortable beds, and rejoicing in the continuance of perfect weather, they kept very close to their work all next day, and thus had the satisfaction of getting into Portajxe la Prairie that afternoon. They were pleased to find this place quite a flourish- ing little city, with a cluster of big elevators and flour mills near the railway station, and a capital hotel, whose comforts were particularly welcome after the plain fare of the past two days. After their evening meal they strolled about the city, which is situated upon high-level ground sloping southward to the Assmiboine River, and were tempted by the long twilight to continue their walk down to the river bank, about a mii 3 distant. No sooner had Arthur seen the water than a desire for a swim took possession of him. ' Happy thought ! let 's have a plunge, Bruce/ ho cried, giving a joj'-ous snap of his lingers, ' I 'm just grimy with dust, and it '11 be ever so much more fun taking a bath here than at the hotel.' 'I'm with 3'ou,' responded Bruce. 'Though the water doesn't seem very clear, and the bank is decidedly muddy.' Seeking cut a spot where the grassy bank jutted well into the stream, they lost no time in throwing off their clothes and diving into the brown flood of the Assiniboine. The water was deliciously warm, and had a soft smooth feeling tliat was inexpressibly grateful to them after their two days of steady walking under a bright sun. ' Isn't this just fine ? * exclaimed Arthur enthusiasti- I : ( BY FOOT AND BY EUCK-BOARD. 161 cally. 'Come now, Bruce, I'll race you across the river and back.' 'All right, my boy,' answered Bruce, and in a moment they were hard at it cutHng swiftly through the tawny water. Arthur was first to touch bottom on the otl er side, but on the way back Bruce drew up to him, aad they were head and head together, puffing and blowing like a piir of porpoises. Arthur in his eagerness to win hardly looked ahead, but Bruce, not being familiar with the river, kept a good look-out forward, and was not a little startled to see through the gathering gloom a dark figure stealing stealthily over the grass towards the spot where they had left treir clothes. * Arthur ! Arthur ! ' he called softly to his companion, who at once stopped his vigorous strokes, fearing th£ t something had happened. Tiook there,' he continued. ' What 's the meaning of that ? ' Arthur glanced towards the shore. 'Some rascal is trying to pick our pockets, or perhaps steal our clothes. What shall we do ? ' he whispered. Bruce thought for a moment, then answered : * You go up the river a little, and I '11 go down, and we '11 get ashore as quietly as we can, and try to run the fellow down.* Arthur approved of the plan, and so they separated, and swam shorewards in different directions, not uttering a word, although they could easily make out the figure of the person, who was evidently taking some liberties with their clothing. Strangely enough lie did not seem to be looking n 162 nv FOOT ANO IIY lUJCK-llOARD. J out for them, l)ut was j;ivin<]j lii.s vvholo attention to the examin.itiou of their beIonL!;in«j;s, and they con- sequently were enabK?(l to huul before lie took alarm. Then, aa if wakiTin^ up to his danpjer, lio gathered an armful of clothes, and started to i-un in tho direction of the city, at whicli proceed ini:^ botli boys set up a shout, and, reekin of arlich^s, prrliapH with the hopo t/lial- tli(5 boys would paii.sn to ])ick tlicni iij). But his pur.siK^r.s wun; nob to bu i"ool(3(I by any Hiidi device, rayiii;/; no heed to t}H;.S(3 lures tluy kept rit^lit on, and tlieir lino runnin(]j-powers commenced to tell in their favoiir. The (liHtance between them and the object of their j)nrHuit IcH.sened ho rapidly tliat in .sheer friglit he dropped everythin;^ lie had pickcid up, and with empty hands 8wingin i •■;. ; t. ^4 IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 1.25 ItilM 12.5 1^ 1.8 U ill 1.6 V] <^ /i %^ '^ t ^'^Z /: y Photograpliic Sciences Corporation 7Z WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 672-4503 ^ if: 172 BY FOOT AND BY BUCK-BOARD. Ifl jj. -' I' i I ll|! § i l-tn i ■ said he enthusiastically. 'We beat everything that had ever been done on the line of railroad making, and we were mighty proud of our job. I was foreman of a gang of Scotchmeii, big chaps every one of them, mostly from Glengarry county in Ontario, and we weren't going to let any other gang give us the go-by in our work. ' Of course it was like child's play building the line across these prairies compared with what it was along the north of Lake Superior, and I had a pretty good taste of that too before I settled down here. But there was lots of hard work in it all the same. ' You see this prairie ain't all level, as the city folk think it is. It 's all up and down hill when you come to look at it, and in laying the track we had to keep the rails on a level, and put the line out of reach of the winter snow. And do you know it took nearly twenty thousand cubic yards of earthwork in each mile to fix that all right. * Then you understand we were building a road that had to last, not a temporary track, and we made everything as solid as we knew how. The line was laid from one end only, full tied and full spiked as we went, and the rails were laid one right after the other. They were never hauled ahead by teams. * That being so, now how fast do you think we built this railroad ? ' Having propounded this question, Mr Edwards paused for a reply, and Bruce, seeing that he was expected to hazard a guess, said tentatively : ' I don't know much about building railways, but it seems to me that if you got ahead at the rate of a mile a day you did splendidly.' m % lade was I as the milt rards was |>ut it mile BY FOOT AND BY BUCK-BOARD. 173 Mr Edwards laughed long and loud. Bruce's modest estimate evidently tickled immensely. ' A mile a day ! ' he shouted with a vigour that made his horses jump, so that Arthur nearly performed an involuntary somersault over the back seat. * Wouldn't my gang laugh to hear that! Just listen now, and I '11 make your eyes open. * In 1882, in seven weeks, the construction company laid no less than 134 miles of main track, or an average of three and a-fifth miles a day, not counting sidings.' ' Phew ! ' came from the boys simultaneously. * Just think of that!' * But we did better still the next year,' continued the ex-railway builder exultingly. * In forty-eight work- ing days 166 miles were put down, five and a-half miles a day ! and one day we actually laid six and one- third miles ! requiring 640 tons of steel rails ! ' The boys were silent, these astounding figures taxing their credulity to the utmost. Yet they felt full confidence in the truthfulness of the narrator, who went on to put the marvellous progress of the railroad in another way. ' Work was begun in the month of May 1881, and before the end of that year trains were running 165 miles westward from Winnipeg. Next year 419 miles more were done, and 1883 another 376, the whole distance between V^innipeg and the Rockies being completed in three seasons' work. I don't think any railroad building in the world beats that,' concluded Mr Edwards triumphantly, 'and there's no man deserves more credit for the same than him that 's now president of the road.' * We know him ! ' exclaimed Arthur, jumping up in N ) /,i. \S^' I i I 1 1 fii 174 BY FOOT AND BY BUCK-BOARD. his seat. ' We saw him in Montreal, and he was very nice to us, and he had our tickets fixed so that we can ride on the cars whenever we don't care to walk.' The fact that they had the acquaintance of the great man who ruled over the Canadian Pacific evidently caused the boys to rise in their companion's ''aspect, and he asked a number of questions about him and about Montreal which gave them a chance to do the talking, of which they fully availed themselves. Steadily and swiftly over the undulating road the horses trotted hour after hour, passing an occasional solitary rider or a buckboard with a single horse whose driver responded cordially to the greeting Mr Edwards never failed to give. There were some good farms along the way whose grain-fields spread out on the flats in the bends of the Assiniboine River and swept up the sloping sides of the hills to the level of the plateau. The river itself, although nearly one hundred yards in width, was hardly visible through the dense growth of Cottonwood, willow, and maple trees that lined its banks, and made a welcome break in the monotony of the prairie. Soon after mid-day tall elevators hove into sight ahead, and half-an-hour later the buckboard came to a stop before the chief hotel in Brandon, the second largest city in Manitoba. Enjoyable as they had found both the drive and Mr Edwards' companionship, they were very glad to get to their destination, for they were as hungry as bears, and needed no sauce in order to whet their appetites for the excellent dinner soon set before them. After dinner Mr Edwards went off to attend to his business, and left them to their own devices. Having BY FOOT AND BY BUCK-BOARD. 175 been * c^ the go * steadily for several days it quite fell in with their inclination to ' take a loaf ' that after- noon, and they strolled about the well-kept streets of the prosperous little city, looked in at the elevators, Wv.nt over the big flour-mills, sipped ice-cream at the confectioner's, and thus whiled away two hours very pleasantly. They saw nothing more of Mr Edwards until late that evening, and then it was under circumstances which enabled them to do him a service that made a good return for his kindness to them. They had been roaming about the streets in an aimless fashion, the night being too fine and warm to spend in the hotel, when their attention was attracted by the sounds of men's voices raised to so angry a pitch that a coming to blows could not be far off. 'Let's see what's the row,* said Arthur, hurrying off in the direction whence the voices came. Bruce would have protested had Arthur given him time, but he had darted away so quickly as to leave Bruce no other alternative than to follow him. They were in one of the lower streets of the city where bar-rooms abounded, and before one of these they saw their friend of the morning in fierce alter- cation with a big shaggy-bearded ranchman. Both men had evidently been indulging too freely in strong drink, and were just in the mood for a fight, their furious dialogue flaming with fierce oaths, and their fists being clenched ready to strike. F - if V 1 i ■ ! ; } '1 ■; i ; .i^ tving t Il ' Ma I CHAPTER X. I- > I I i\ mi CREE AND CONSTABLE. ASCINATED by the exciting scene, and stirred to fervent sympathy for their friend, whose side they as a matter of course espoused, the boys stood not far from him, wondering in what manner they could be of assistance to him. Mr Edwards' opponent was unmistakably his superior in size and strength, but lacked his agile frame and knowledge of the noble art of self-defence, and when at last they did come to blows the big ranchman soon found that the task he had undertaken was by no means so easy as he had imagined. Making no pretence of parrying his opponent, he struck out furiously with both right and left fists, swinging his long arms around like the sails of a windmill. In this way he did get in some heavy blows at Mr Edwards that made the boys wince and utter horror- stricken murmurs; but the railroad-builder was as tough as he was active, and he returned these favours with more than interest. In the meantime, although there was no sign of the CREE AND CONSTABLE. 177 police, a crowd of deeply interested spectators had gathered, who evidently thought it a very pretty fight and a welcome bit of amusement for a fine summer night. Not so the boys. It was all horrible to them, these two strong men smiting one another, and besmearing their faces and hands with blood ; and the boys would have put a stop to it at once had they possessed the power to do so. Only anxiety for their friend kept them among the onlookers, and but for this they would gladly have hunied away. Presently the two men came to close quarters. They clinched, they strained for a moment in a fierce wrestle, and then with a sudden pitch the big ranch- man went over Edwards' shoulder headlong to the ground, while the crowd broke into a roar of applause at the latter's clever tactic. Filled with murderous fury at being thus ignomini- ously worsted to the manifest approval of the spec- tators, the giant sprang to his feet, and, drawing his revolver, levelled it at Edwards, while the startled crowd scattered to right and left, thinking more o9 keeping their own skins whole than of protecting their endangered fellow-being. But if they had no generous impulse to interfere, there were others present who had. Like a flash, Arthur darted forward and struck up the ranchman's hand with a smart blow of his fist, just ae the trigger was pulled, the bullet flying harmlessly over the roofs of the houses ; and when the foiled ruffian turned madly upon the daring boy, Bruce, who had followed close, threw out his foot, so that the ranchman tripped heavily over it and measured his length on the ground. i ^1 ;'■+ If X i > ■I ■^ i 'l! :ll ^' i II 1^ m ■- M ! ^11 ii|^:4 .11 "'•« W ^ Vil ill J. |ii r I I i I J X ,_jl 178 CREE AND CONSTABLE. At that moment the police put in an appearance, and the crowd vanished like spectres, leaving Edwards and his prostrate antagonist, with the two boys, to explain what was the matter. The ranchman being already down made an easy capture, and Edwards, stating that he would quietly go with the officers to the station, the boys accom- panied them, resolved not to desert Edwards until they knew what would befall him. As they walked along, Edwards thanked them warmly for their timely interference on his behalf. ' It was a pretty close call for me, young fellows,' he said. ' That chap can shoot straight even v/hen he 's drunk, and he was just in the humour to kill me, although he'd have been sorry enough when the liquor was out of him again.* On arriving at tho police station, the sergeant in charge made a preliminary investigation into the affair, as the result of which Edwards was released on his promising to appear before the magistrate in the morning, while the ranchman was locked up, as he had fought the officers every inch of the way, and given them any amount of trouble. Having washed off the marks of the fight, Edwards returned to the hotel with the boys, and there related to an admiring audience how they had rushed to his rescue and saved him in all probability from death, so that they found themselves objects of quite a bothersome amount of attention, receiving many press- ing invitations to ' have something ' or at least to take a cigar. The next morning they went with Edwards to the court, and were called as witnesses in the case. It a CREE AND CONSTABLE. 179 was their first appearance in that capacity ; but they both acquitted themselves very well, although Arthur was inclined to say too much and Bruce to say too little. The magistrate's judgment was that both Edwards and the ranchman should be fined, the latter's impost being much heavier than the former's, and should also be bound over to keep the peace for six months. They were then discharged ; and both hy this time having forgotten their anger, they shook hands heartily, and came away together quite reconciled. Having parted from Edwards with many expressions of mutual esteem, the boys set out from Brandon in the best of spirits, and quite ready for some more walking. The railway, whose course they followed closely although they preferred the prairie turf to the ties, now drew away from the Assiniboine River, which had been in sight so long, rising from its valley to a rolling prairie over which the eye could sweep un- checked clear to the horizon. The weather which had been so fine and favourable ever since they left Winnipeg took a sudden change for the worse as they tramped along. Heavy clouds darkened the sky, and the wind began to blow in angry gusts that betokened a nearing storm. * I 'm afraid we *re in for a wetting,' said Bruce, glancing apprehensively at the sky, * and there 's no shelter in sight, so we *11 have to grin and bear it.' * I suppose we '11 have to bear it, but I 'm blest if I '11 do any grinning,' responded Arthur. * It 's bad enough to get a soaking without pretending to like it.' The rain at first fell in stray drops, which soon, li •I I i' t- ■ ■■• I'" 1 1 I" ^ 1 i: f la i h >1 i 180 CREE AND CONSTABLE. ;H': iM ,' * ' I \ liii Hi. ffi' [1 ■ 11 i-j however, thickened into a heavy pour ; and, quite un- protected as they were, it did not take long for the boys to become thoroughly drenched. * Dearie, dearie me ! * sighed Arthur, as he wiped the teeming drops off his rain-beaten face. * What a time we are having ! Is this your idea of fun, old chap ? ' Bruce laughed and shrugged his shoulders. 'Not quite,* he replied. * I 'd rather have the sunshine, hot as it was sometimes. But keep your spirits up, chum. If my poor damp eyes don't deceive me, that 's a station ahead, and we '11 be able to get shelter there until the storm is over.' Cheered by the sight of the house, they plodded resolutely on until they reached it. They looked so disreputable in their dripping and be-mired condition that the stationmaster evidently hesitated about offer- i. hem any hospitality. But when they showed iheir through railway tickets and their well-filled purses in proof of their not being ordinary tramps, all his suspicions vanished, and he was ready to do his best for them. Their clothing was so thoroughly soaked that in order to dry it properly they had to strip completely ; and the stationmaster kindly lending them some of his spare garments, they lolled about, looking very absurd but feeling thoroughly comfortable, while the woman of the house dried their own things in the kitchen. As the rain showed no signs of ceasing, the stationmaster suggested that they take the west- bound train, which was due at four o'clock, and by which they could get to Broadview, one hundred and twenty-five miles ahead, by ten o'clock in the evening. so the the est- by and ing. CREE AND CONSTABLE. 181 Then, if they felt like it, they could resume their tramp the next morning. The suggestion approved itself at once; and their clothes being fit to put on again in good time before the train appeared, they paid the stationmaster liber- ally for his hospitality, which had included a sub- stantial dinner, and got on board well pleased to be able to progress in spite of the rain. They did not take places in the Pullman, as they would be on board the train so short a time, but were content with seats in the first-class car. Having no books to read, and finding nobody to interest them, they wandered into the colonist car, which w^as crowded with men, women, and children coming to settle in the rich wheat-lands of the North- West. Some of the children were quite pretty little crea- tures, albeit somewhat grimy, and the boys began to play with them. The boy who sold candy and pea- nuts came along just then, and his appearance gave Arthur a happy thought that he put into execution with his wonted impetuosity. * Hold on there ! ' he cried. * What 's your basket worth ? ' * Do you mean with all that 's in it ? ' the boy asked, looking surprised. 'Certainly/ answered Arthur. *I don't want the basket. I want the contents.* The boy made a hurried calculation, and said : * You can have the whole thing for a dollar.* * I '11 take it,' said Arthur, pulling out his purse, and handing over a dollar bilL Looking as if he felt sorry he had not asked more. ^il m I. )j 182 OREE AND CONSTABLE. i u ± .'1 seeing how promptly iiis price had been agreed to, the boy gave up the basket, and Arthur at once called out : ' Now then, children, come along. I 'm going to give you a regular blow-out.' For a moment or two the children hung back. The news seemed too good to bo true, and they were in- credulous. But whon Arthur pressed packages of candy and handfuls of pea-nuts into the hands of the youngsters nearest him, those farther away quickly closed in, and the two boys were surrounded by a regular crowd of children thrusting up eager, dirty little hands, and crying : * Give ME some .nd3^,* ' Give me some nuts,* and so on until the basket was completely emptied. As may be readily supposed, the parents viewed with lively approval the liberal distribution of dainties among their offspring, and in their own rough way sought to express their gratitude, so that Arthur felt that he was well repaid for his investment. After spending an hour with the immigrants, the boys returned to their own seats, just in time to hear the announcement that supper was ready in the dining- car. They lingered at the table as long as they thought seemly, and with this and a comfortable snooze man- aged to put in the time until their arrival at Broad- view. Not feeling in any hurry for bed when they got to the hotel, they looked around for something to read. Arthur found a paper-covered novel that satisfied him, and Bruce a copy of the poems of William CuUen Bryant, in which he had not been reading long before he called out : am i. CREE AND CONSTAnLE. 183 I .' to len * Arthur, listen to this a minute. It 'a such a splendid description of these prairies we're now in the midst of.' Arthur, who had no passion for poetry, lifted his head with a very resigned air, and Bruce read the following lines with admirable expression : * These are the gardens of the desert, these The unshorn fields, boundless and beautiful, For which the speech of England i.v. no name — The prairies. I behold them for the ii lut, And my heart swells, while the dil.ted sight Takes in the encircling vastness. Lo ! Lhey lie In airy undulation, far away, As if the ocean, in his greatest sweU, Stood still, with all his rounded billows fixed And motionless for ever. Motionless ? No, they are all unchained again. The clouds Sweep over with their shadows, and, beneath, The surface rolls and fluctuates to the eye. Man hath no part in all this glorious work ; The hand that built the firmament hath heaved And smoothed these verdant swells, and sown tlieir slopes With herbage. . . . The great heavens Seem to stoop down upon the scene in love, A nearer vault, and of a tenderer blue Than that which bends above the western hills. Upon these plains the bison feeds no more, where once he shook The earth with thundering steps — yet here I meet His ancient foot-prints stamped beside the pool.' ' Now Arthur, isn't that fine ! Wouldn't it be grand to be able to write such poetry ? ' *I suppose so,' assented Arthur, burying himself again in his book, while Bruce, giving an expressive shrug of his shoulders, went on to read * Thanatopsis,* and to let his heart go out in longing for the gift of IsJ^' ,1 I ■ }■ ( <.. X 1: T ' ; ■ ^''; t >. ' ; I i \ 1 f 1^ t i • i i 1 M ii -nr -■r^L UII I IW JBP I' , t' S 1 I I ■ ' 1 ■ ? 1 , m } 1 'J i.,i.j 1 i ; .1 184 CREE AND CONSTABLE. poetic expression, of which, so far as he knew, he had not a trace in his composition. During the night the storm came to an end, and the next morning dawned clear and cool. For an hour or two after setting out, the boys kept to the railway track, the turf being too wet for walking upon. But as it got towards mid-day they wearied of the uneven sleepers and took to the prairie, which felt very soft and pleasant under foot, and had by this time dried suflSciently not to wet their feet. About ten miles from Broadview they were over- taken by a small band of Cree Indians on their way to Indian Head, some forty miles farther on. They had such a shabby, disreputable appearance, being dressed principally in dirty and tattered hats, shirts, and trousers which seemed to have been cast-otf by the white brethren, that the boys viewed them with considerable distrust, and hoped they would ride on past them. But the Crees had no idea of so doing. Curiosity and cupidity combined to make them eager to offer their company to the boys, and they were evidently not to be easily got rid of. The band was composed of four men and two squaws, and there was not a pleasing countenance among them. Prepared as the boys had been by the Indians seen at different stations along the route for the upsetting of their cherished conceptions of the 'noble red man,* yet the disillusioning these roamers of the prairie gave them was unpleasantly sharp. ' They look like a lot of cut-throats,' said Bruce in an undertone to Arthur, after an apprehensive glance at their unwelcome fellow-travellers. Lty ■» er tly iWS, em. at of an/ ave t • t •They look like a lot of cut-throats,' said Lruce.— P. 184. Tniiiil).'*, "Sy H : ! 1 ■ j tslH if 1 il iit^H II n^V l{ j .; i f ■ I ' ll^l l^ij |l CREE AND CONSTABLE. 185 I * That they do/ responded Arthur, putting his hand on his hip to make sure that his revolver was in its place. The Indians were all mounted, the women riding in the same way as the men. Their mounts were poor, scraggy creatures, mere ponies in size, with dirty blankets for saddles and bits of rope for bridles, and they had some spare ponies which followed in the rear along with the dogs. Having surrounded the boys, who had kept walking on stolidly, as though unconscious of their nearness, the Indians strove to enter into conversation. 'Fine day, boss,' said the senior member of the party with a wolfish grin that was intended to ex- press an amiable respect. *You taking big walk. Perhaps you tired, eh ! ' Seeing that it was impossible to avoid an exchange of speech, Bruce looked up at him, and answered briefly : ' We 're not at all tired. We prefer walking.' The hint seemed too broad even for an Indian to miss its meaning, but it made no impression upon this fellow. * Riding heap better than walking. You take pony. We give you pony to ride.* Without waiting for the boys to accept or refuse his offer, the Cree then said something to the squaws in his own language, at which they halted their ponies, and slid off to the ground without a word of protest, whereupon the Indian, taking hold of the rope bridles, led the ponies up to the boys, saying in his most en- gaging manner : ' Good ponies — you take them — you like them.' % i • ' if'' ,1-'! •J, I i\ :■ ! ! i t ' (: I \' H 1 ■ .1 ■ ! , 1 1 liii 1 >' m li I ' ! ifii 194 CREE AND CONSTABLE. I was then stationed, that a most notorious whisky- smuggler and horse-thief, whose hands were freshly stained with the blood of United States marshals, was reported by a scout as having fled across the boundary- line on his way northward. ' One afternoon, not being on duty, I rode out across the prairie with no special object in view, but thinking that possibly I might light upon some track of the undesirable immigrant. * Cantering rather carelessly along I came upon an encampment concealed in a gully that at once aroused my suspicions. I had only my revolver, but I resolved to investigate a little nevertheless. *0n getting close to the camp a sinister-looking man, whom I at once recognised from the description sent us as the fugitive desperado, came out and gruffly demanded what I wanted. 'Determining to put a bold face on the matter, I replied that I wanted him, at the same moment cover- ing him with my revolver. *He swore furiously and vowed he wouldn't stir, but I kept him at the point of my revolver, and after some little difficulty drove him before me back to Winnipeg, and landed him safely in jail.' 'That was capital, wasn't it!* exclaimed Arthur. ' I 'd like to do something like ohat.* 'You'd better join the force then, and you may have the chance,* the officer responded. Then adding : 'While I am about it I'll tell you another incident. Word was brought to our post at Fort Macleod that three noted horse-thieves we were most anxious to catch were spending the night at an encampment about thirty miles distant. Taking ten picked men CREE AND CONSTABLE. 195 tir, m- with a good scout I set oft' soon after sundown. Wo rode liard but warily through the gathering darkness until wo reached a thick clump of trees within half-a- mile of the camp. There we halted to rest our horses and wait until midnight. When midnight came six of us, led by the scout, crept cautiously into the midst of the camp, and reached the tepee in wliich the horse-thieves were sound asleep. * Not a dog barked nor an Indian moved, and in a trice wc had entered the lodge and gi*abbed our men, hurrying them away at the muzzle of our revolvers before the bewildered Indians could offer any resist- ance. By breakfast time next morning they were secure in the cells of the post.' * While you 're about it you 'd better tell the boys the story of the pinto horse,' suggested one of the officers, with a laugh, in which the others joined. ' Not a bit of it,' was the response. * Let Harrison tell that himself, as he was the hero of it. Speak up now, Harrison.* At this an inspector, who had been reading a magazine looked up and said good-humouredly : ' Oh ! all right. If the boys would like to hear it, I don't mind telling the yarn, even if I didn't figure quite as brilliantly as Baker did in what he told. * It was this way : a large theft of horses had been reported at our post, and I went off with six men to try and recover them. We had been searching fruit- lessly for several days, and were inclined to give up, when, late one afternoon, while the men were getting ready to camp for the night, I rode out across the prairie alone for several miles. 'Suddenly I came upon a narrow gully with a !: i! i , I , ;i j ,i ! 1 1: ■■ * i i' I V ' ■ 1;- ^ 196 CUEE AND CONSTAllI,E. (hk'k(*t lllHui; its hoUoiii ; and wliat did 1 hiu* puiiially comvalod in tluH Muckcl, bub |r ; ||i ^ ' ! f:H^ f ■ f t^::: . 1 . It - M I' II muHtn't Htop otr 'ind besides we liavo no fijuna. Wo '11 have to let them alone until some other time.' * I 'm afraid that some other time 's a lon^]^ way off,* said Arthur, with a rueful expression. ' JJut look, Bruce, do you see those marks on the prairies like paths worn in the sod — what can tliey be ? There are no sheep out here surely.' ' I 'm suro I don't know what they are,' responded Bruce, * and see those curious round places like gitrantic saucers that are so much greener than tlio grass all around th(>m. Tliey all scorn to be about the same size and shape. I 'd like to know what they are.' Just at that moment the conductor passed through, and Artliur put the inquiry to him. * Why,' he replied with an expression of surprise .at his questioner's ignora,nce, ' those long dark lines are the old bulfalo trails, and the round ones are their wallows. There 've been no buffalo in these parts for a good many years, but they've left their marks vso plain that they won't bo forgotten in a hurry.' The boys looked at the prairie still bearing these pathetic memorials of a vanished race of noble animals with renewed interest. Along those narrow paths the shaggy hump-backed bison had passed in Indian tile by uncounted thousands until their myriad hoofs had WTitten their signature so deep that the changing years had done little to blur it, and in the cool soft mud which once filled those circular depressions they had luxuriously wallowed for relief from blaze of sun and bite of insect undisturbed by the twang of the cruel bovv or the crack of the murderous Winchester. Unconsciously Bruce sighed deeply. What senseless BEAR AND BRONCHO. 199 wicked waste there had been wlien the monarch of the prairieH was liarried out of existence ! Despite his adventure with the bull at Silver Heif^hts, no sight would have been more welcome to his eyes than that of a herd of bison. Jjut they were not to be seen out of the books, and he must fain content liimsclf with gazing at the plains over which they once had roamed in plethoric regiments. As he went back through the cars the conductor stopped to say : ' They 've got a fine bear at Medicine Hat you mustn't miss seeing. He 's down past the end of the platform. Be sure and look at him.' Both boys pricked up their ears at this bit of infor- mation, and Arthur promptly responded : * We '11 look at him, you may dcfjend, and the bigger he is the better we'll like him.' They got to Medicine Hat, a thriving town situated on the bank of the South Saskatchewan Kiver, about the middle of the afternoon, and the moment the train pulled up they raced off to see the bear. They found him a little beyond the railway platform, securely confined in a large pen fenced with strong pickets, and having a stout platform in the centre and a strong cage at one end for his bearship to retire into when he felt sulky or sleepy. He was a superb specimen of the grizzly, of great size and many hundred pounds in weight. His fur was very thick and of a dark brown colour slightly touched with gray. So big a bear the boys had never seen before, and they watched him for some time with lively admira- tion, while one of the residents of the place told how ) i ! ■ H - : i ii fprr ill' 200 BEAR AND BRONCHO. fierce the creature was, and how he had torn out the arm of a man and bitten off the hand of a woman who had been so incautious as to put them within his reach. Some of the people were feeding the bear with biscuits, which he evidently relished, and Arthur, not to be outdone, ran oif to a neighbouring shop and procuring a quantity, amused himself tossing them to the insatiable monster. After a little of this he took the notion of getting the bear to stand on his hind-legs, as he wanted to see how tall he was in that position ; so, going round to the other side of the pen, he got on top of the pickets, and, despite the warnings of the others, held up a biscuit for the bear to rise to. The bear responded promptly, reaching up his huge paws, and snapping at the biscuits as Arthur let them drop from his fingers. Thus standing on his hind-legs and straining up as far as he could, the bear made an imposing picture, which the spectators heartily applauded ; and Arthur was feeling rather proud of himself when, in changing his position on the pickets, he lost his balance for a moment, and lurched forward just as the bear flung up his right paw in quest of another biscuit. The gi'cat curved claws that projected from the paw by an unfortunate chance caught in the boy's coat- sleeve, and the next moment, amid a chorus of horror- filled cries from the onlookers, he was dragged over the picket and tumbled headlong in the mire at the grizzly's feet ! Had the bear been endeavouring to seize him, and been counting upon his fall, it is likely that a most 1 BEAR AND BRONCHO. 201 pitiful tragedy would there and then have taken place. But he had not expected anything more than a biscuit, and Arthur's sudden descent so startled him that, with a strange compound of grunt and roar, he shambled hurriedly oft* towards his cage. Then did Bruce's calm good sense manifest itself in brilliant fashion. Arthur's respite from attack was perhaps only momentary. For him to attempt to climb back over the lofty pickets might mean that the bear, recovering his wits, would be upon him ere he was out of reach. But in the middle of the enclosure was the stout platform, and underneath it Arthur might be safe until the brute could be secured. So, while others were shouting all kinds of foolish advice, Bruce's voice rang out steady and clear : * Get under the platform, Arthur, quick ! ' Arthur heard him, and, without waiting to straighten himself up, scuttled under the platform on his hands and knees. He accomplished it just in time. Turning at the door of his cage, the bear, having got over his first fright, hurried back to the spot where Arthur had fallen, and was evidently much surprised to see nothing of him. A little nosing around, however, told him where the boy had fled, and he began to circle about his refuge, rubbing his nose against the planks, and reaching in his great paws. Happily, while the planks were too close together to let the bear get more than his head through, there was sufficient space to allow Arthur to move about freely and keep out of reach of the creature's claws. Unless, 4 i ■it » ■I i V 1- ■■i I I i rH i^ j!i 202 BEAR AND BRONCHO. ?i * ! . 1 .ll '■ * ■< 1 1 had safe the sense to enough from rip off the planks, him for the time therefore, he Arthur was being. But how long would it take the shrewd animal to find this out, and in the meantime how was Arthur to bo rescued from his perilous position ? There were almost as many suggestions as there were anxious spectators, and a furious shower of sticks and stones descended upon the bear's back in the hope of driving him to take refuge in his cage. But neither the multitudinous suggestions nor missiles accomplished anything, and rifles and re- volvers were being called for, when a couple of cow- boys from the Fort Macleod district appeared on the scene with their lassos in hand. They at once took in the situation, and proceeded to work as coolly as if lassoing a bear was quite in the ordinary routine of their lives. Mounting the pickets, they tried one after the other to get their ropes over the bear's head ; but the clever brute, rearing on his hind legs, parried their most art- ful throws with his forepaws as skilfully as a practised boxer could have done. Again and again it seemed as if the noose must settle down over the shaggy head only to be astutely evaded ; and even the cowboys began to despair, when one of them bethought him of going to the opposite side of the pen, and then having the two lassos flying simultaneously. The plan proved successful. In parrying one rope the bear missed the other, and it fell around his neck, while a glad cheer went up from the excited crowd. The next moment the second rope was in place ; and V\\ ''if BEAR AND BRONCHO. 203 then, both being hauled taut, the great creature in spite of his enormous strength was practically powerless. The moment Bruce saw this he called to his chum : ' Now then, Arthur, this way, quick ! ' Arthur instantly crawled out of his shelter, and darted across the pen to where half-a-dozen ha^^ds were eagerly extended from the top of the pickets. He sprang up to grasp them. They caught his wrists, and he was hauled up and over the palisade, while the half- choked bear was still struggling with the lassos. Bruce gave him a hug almost worthy of the bear itself, and the people crowded around to clap him on the back and wring his hands, and otherwise express their relief and delight at his fortunate escape, until Arthur broke away from them in order to get to the cowboys and thank them for their timely service. While all this was taking place the time spent by the train elapsed, and as it could not of course be detained for the benefit of the boys, it rolled away without them. But they were not very deeply concerned. They had saved so much time by the run from Regina that to lose a day did not matter ; they let the train go without regret, and went up to the hotel with the cow- boys, who showed a desire for closer acquaintance. They were fine manly fellows, whose air of good- breeding rather surprised Bruce until he learned that they were both gentlemen by right of birth, and had taken to ranching life because they liked it, not from necessity. A basis of good-fellowship was quickly established between them and the boys as they took their evening meal together, and the result of a long talk afterwards N 11 '■t i M" t ■ wr^ \ 204 BEAR AND BRONCHO. H! f ' H was that Bruce and Arthur agreed to accompany the cowboys to their ranch near Fort Macleod, which lay to the south of the railway, afterwards returning to the railway at Calgary. The cowboys, whose names were Cochrane and Harper, promised to supply bronchos for the boys, and they regarded the prospect of the long ride across the prairies with lively delight. Soon after breakfast the following morning the horses appeared before the hotel ; and, full of pleasur- able anticipation, the boys essayed to mount. But they found the doing so a good deal more diffi- cult affair than it had ever been before in their experi- ence. The bronchos had been shut up in the stable for several days, and were consequently as wild as colts. They refused to stand still for an instant, in spite of the commanding shouts of their owners, rearing and plunging and lashing out with their heels whenever their would-be riders attempted to get into the saddle. Had Bruce and Arthur been made of softer stuff they might have given up in despair ; but the former's stern resolution and the latter's fiery temper were roused to the utmost, and they were both in the spirit to hazard broken necks rather than acknowledge defeat. It did not take long for a deeply interested crowd of spectators to gather, some of whom were disposed to be merry at the expense of the two * tenderfoots,' as they were pleased to regard the boys. But the ranchmen quickly put a stop to that. They would not allow their friends to be laughed at before BEAR AND BRONCHO. 205 their faces, although they were quite ready to enjoy the humour of thi situation themselves. The bronchos certainly did behave most outrageously. More than once they tried to bite the boys, and, fail- ing that, to trample them under their feet ; but their vicious endeavours were deftly evaded, and the lads stuck to them resolutely. At last the wild creatures sobered down a bit, and almost simultaneously Bruce and Arthur succeeded in springing into their saddles, with shouts of exultation. But if they thought their troubles were all over they were sadly mistaken. Their triumph over the bronchos were not yet by any means complete. Having got into the saddle the difficulty was to stay there, and this proved to be a no less trying feat than the getting in, for before they were fairly settled into the stirrups the provoking animals began to buck ! Now the boys had read accounts of 'bucking bronchos,' but they had never witnessed their perform- ance before, much less been made the subjects of it, and that it transcended all their expectations is to state the case very mildly. This was the way the horses went about it : Bound- ing high into the air they gathered their feet closely together under them until their legs were rigid at every joint, and, arching their backs so that the riders had nothing before or behind them, came down on the ground with a thud like that of a pile-driver. The shock that went through the boys' bodies at this made them feel as though their spines were being driven up through the back of their head. It was more than electric, it was well-nigh paralysing. * Oh ! Bruce ! ' gasped Arthur, gripping the front i i m4 : i i I wr n. ' 1 ' 1 1 M r^ HI ! • \ Ji »■; ii I nil 206 BEAR AND BRONCHO. of his saddle to save himself from an ignominious tumble. * This is awful ! ' Bruce said nothing, but his face whitened, and a thin red line running down his chin told that his teeth had been driven into his lip. Yet both of them held their seats, and the cowboys shouted approvingly : * Well done, boys ! Stick to them. You '11 get the better of them soon. Give them the whip ! ' In their right hands the boys held stout raw-hide riding-whips called 'quirts' which they had not let drop in spite of the horses' struggles ; and, acting upon the advice given, they began to ply these vigorously. Again and again the animals buckei, but their riders refused to budge, and responded to each vicious effort with fresh blows of the quirts, until at last, stung into forgetfulness of everything but their own suffering, the bronchos put up their heads and darted off at a mad gallop down the street. Putting spurs to their own horses, Cochrane and Harper made after the boys, and thus the quartet vanished from the town in a cloud of dust if not of glory. The runaway bronchos were happily going in the right direction, so their owners, seeing that the boys held their seats firmly, gave themselves little concern, knowing that the burst of speed was only temporary, and they would soon be able to catch up. So it proved. The boys' animals only went about a mile at top speed, and then came under control suffi- ciently to enable their riders to bring them down to a moderate canter, which made the riding easy and com- fortable. ^ ,t BEAR AND BRONCHO. 207 a When the cowboys came up they congratulated Bruce and Arthur warmly on the way they had stuck to the bronchos through all their antics. * No one who saw you would ever think of calling either of you a " tenderfoot," ' Cochrane said. ' I don't think I ever saw fellows who were new to bucking keep their saddles as well as you did. You wore cer- tainly cut out for cowboys, both of you.' * You 're just right,* assented Harper heartily. * They did well, and no mistake, and,' turning to the boys, * if you'd like a job at looking after cattle just say so, and I know a rancher that '11 have you right off on our recommendation. Isn't tliat so, Cochrane ? ' As Cochrane nodded affirmatively, Bruce, with a well pleased smile, replied : ' It 's ever so good of you to say such kind things about us, and I 'm sure we would both like to try it for a while any way ; but we couldn't spare the time. We've got to be in Shanghai by the end of October at the latest, you know.* 'Oh, well,* responded Harper, 'perhaps you'll be along this way again some time, and if you do come, be sure and look us up at Fort Macleod. We '11 pro- bably be there for some years yet.' The long ride to Fort Macleod was rendered very delightful by the pleasant companionship and by the beautiful country through which the little party passed. The prairie was not so monotonous as it had been between Regina and Medicine Hat. Many streams diversified its character, while ponds and lakes much resorted to by wildfowl were not uncommon. The bronchos the boys bestrode, having realised the ,, i ^:f 11 n: '■ .1 !i !^- mi. Ill PI !■ • N •iu 'M ^ ' f ' 1 i 11: ; . , 1 !:!i:!iitif p! s f' - 1^ nHi 1 ^H^^H ' w ' ^^^H' i 'ill -ifllHI i-i' ;|-- i Ml' jf'.fii )l. iff -j i|i«itt|| : ' :{^ : iHI ^H, ^1' ' fr •- II 1 ^-iiinn ill |i i^. ; jiHHfl; 1 - ' ^' w :^Hi ' 1' '- "f^B^M §,• ' ^fyiM f; ei 1 208 BEAR AND BRONCHO. futility of attomptinf]f to get rid of their riders, behaved very well, and proved most comfortable mounts. One feature of this region that was new to the boys interested them keenly, to wit the antelopes, of which small bands were visible from time to time. Arthur was full of the idea of chasing some of them ; and although the more experienced cowboys laughed at him, saying, that ho might as well try to catch his own shadow, he kept hankering after the making of at least an attempt, until finally his ardour would no longer be restrained; and a band of four suddenly springing up from a hollow just a little in front of his horse, he dashed oft" in hot pursuit. Bruce shouted to him to come back, but the ranch- man said : * Oh, let him alone. He '11 soon find out that he 's on a wild-goose chase.* Away over the prairies the antelopes flew in long light bounds as if they had wings to help them, while Arthur galloped after, his horse entering into the spirit of the chase, and putting forth its utmost speed. As it happened, the course taken by the antelopes was in the very direction the party was travelling, so that even though Arthur got nothing for his pains ho would not be going out of his way to have his sport. Quickening their pace so as to keep Arthur in sight, the ranchmen watched the progress of the chase with amused interest, but Bruce felt a little anxious. The prairies were by no means as smooth as a tennis- lawn. There were lots of holes into which if a horse should put its foot a tremendous tumble would be 1 BEAR AND RUONCIIO. 209 W, inevitable, and Arthur was at the best of times any- thing but a careful rider. However, for a time it seemed as if his fears were groundless. Arthur kept bravely on, and indeed seemed, so far as could be made out, to be positively gaining on the antelopes. His horse certainly was a good one, and was doing its level best. * Why, look ! ' Bruce exclaimed. ' He 's catching up to them, isn't he? Do you think he'll run them down ? * * Not much,' laughed Coclirane. ' They 're only fool- ing with him. They '11 let out a few more links in a moment, and then you '11 see how they *11 leave him.' Sure enough, just as he spoke the antelopes mani- festly increased their speed, while Arthur could be seen digging his heels into his horse's sides and plying his quirt with unstinted vigour. The next moment the broncho dropped as if he had been shot, and Bruce gave a cry of horror as Arthur described a long parabola in the air, and landed violently upon the prairie sod, where he lay motion- less. •I i-^% ■f i; 1 (' I? 1. I 1il« 1^ n 11 ^ I h 11 1 \ 1!^ il i^l 1^ .*; li i : i; I CHAPTER XII. FROM THE PLAINS TO THE PEAKS. ^UTTING their horses to the gallop, the three were soon boside Arthur, and while Coch- rane and Bruce sprang to the ground to lift him up, Harper went after the horse, which had scrambled to its feet again, and seemed disposed to bolt. Arthur lay as still as though dead, the fact being that the shock had knocker^ both the wind and the senses out of him. Bruce felt greatly alarmed, but Cochrane re-assured him. To be thrown in that fashion was no uncommon experience for a cowboy. He had been in precisely the same situation himself more than once. * Just get your cap full of water,' said he, pointing to a pond near by, ' and if there are no bones broken I *11 bring him to in no time.* Bruce ran off and got the water, which Cochrane dashed vigorously into Arthur's face, and almost at once the latter revived sufficiently to ask in a faint voice, full of bewilderment and pain : * What has happened to me ? My head hurts so.* 'You're all right, old chap,' responded Cochrane m :en me at Lint ine FROM THE PLAINS TO THE PEAKS. 211 cheerily, for Bruce somehow could not find his voice at first. * You 've had a bad toss, that 's all. Just stay where you are until you feel better.' Arthur lay still a little longer, and then he woke up completely, saying brightly : * I did have a toss, didn't I ? Serves me right for not taking your advice, and letting the antelopes alone. But I '11 know better next time, I tell you.' With Bruce's assistance he got on his feet, and it was a relief to all to find that he had not even a sprain let alone a broken bone, and that after the dizziness passed away he would be none the v^orsc for his tumble. * You may thank your stars you lit on a nice soft bit of our prairie, and not on hard ground, my boy,' said Harper, as he led up Arthur's horse for him to remount. ' Yes,' replied Arthur, ' that 's so. But if I had been riding on hard ground my horse wouldn't have put his foot in a hole and pitched me over his head, you see.' The ranchmen laughed at the ready response ; and Arthur having got into his saddle, the party set off again, and in due time reached Fort Macleod without further mishap. The cattle ranch to which Cochrane and Harper belonged lay to the westward of the settlement, almost in the shadow of the foothills ; and, after a couple of hours' stay at the Fort, they pushed on thither, arriv- ing at their destination in time for supper. ' Here we are ! ' cried Cochrane, throwing himself off his horse. 'This ia Bachelors' Hall. You mu tn't expect any of the luxuries of a first-class hotel, you t • .iS •I :.'! il ,» ' ■' 212 FROM THE PLAINS TO THE PEAKS. u ^it ■ t ;l tl f m ! ; , ! r ^ ! II I in ,rn 'I know. We '11 give you the best we Ve got, but you mustn't be too hard to please.' 'You needn't worry about that at all,' said Bruce, looking about him with a pleased smile, for he was delighted to be at a real ranch. 'Don't take any trouble on our account. We'll just share pot-luck with you.' There were other four young men at the ranch, to whom the boys were duly introduced, and then they all sat down to a plain but bountiful meal for which they had rare good appetites. Two very happy days were spent with their kiiid hosts, during which the boys were in the saddle nearly all the time, riding over vhe ranges to see the cattle as they were scattered in herds here and there, and visiting some of the neighbours, if that term could be accurately applied to the people living from five to ten miles distant. It was during the second afternoon that Bruce had an adventure which made a deep impression upon him. They had been away off to a distant range, and on the return he had fallen behind the others, because his interest in flowers moved him to study them more closely than was possible while riding rapidly. In a little dale he caught sight of a flowtx he had not seen before, and determined to pick some blossoms. So he dismounted, and, slipping the bridle rein over his arm, was walking towards the flowers when his horse suddenly started, and, jerking the rein free, ran off a little distance, then stopped, and looked back at him as though to say : * Catch me now if you can.' Bruce glanced in the direction of the others, but .'.■.* ;:{. • but FROM THE PLAINS TO THE PEAKS. 213 they had disappeared beyond a swell of the prairie, and even his vigorous hail fell short of them, so, with an exclamation of vexation, he started after his horse. The provoking animal, without running far from him, would not permit him to approach near enough to grasp the rein, and kept moving towards a large herd of cattle that were grazing quietly a couple of hundred yards away. ' You miserable sinner ! ' cried Bruce angrily, * once I get on your back again I '11 make you pay for play- ing me such a trick.' But his threat of punishment had no effect upon the horse, which certainly laughed, or at all events curled its lip, in derision at his vain effort to overtake it, although he pursued it almost to the edge of the cattle, around whom it circled in manifest enjoyment of the situation. Bruce was not many yards from the herd, or ' bunch ' as the ranchmen call it, when some of the big oxen lifted their heads from the buffalo grass they were lazily munching, and looked at the intruder with wonder in their big dark eyes. They were not accus- tomed to see human beings on foot; and the sight aroused their curiosity. They presented so fine an appearance that Bruce paused in pursuit of his horse for a moment to look at them, and then he became aware that the interest was mutual. The cattle were all returning his stare, and, more than that, were moving towards him as if for a closer inspection. They had come within ten yards of him, moving filowly yet steadily, before Bruce realised ais danger. ,:ni -1 i^ !;;■, s I' {1;; ' I j! ' 'Si ■m V :i' •i ! . |. I i 214 FROM THE PLAINS TO THE PEAKS. Alone and on foot with that great mass of cattle full of curiosity concerning him, unless he got away from them at once he must inevitably be borne down by their irresistible advance, and crushed out of all life and recognition beneath their heavy hoofs. They would not mean him harm, but in their ponderous ignorance they would kill him as surely as if they thirsted for his blood. * Heaver help me ! ' the poor boy cried, as this flashed into his mil How can I escape them ? ' There was b one way — to run for his life, with the certainty of starting a stampede among the cattle, and then having to keep ahead of it until some avenue of escape presented itself. Ejaculating a prayer, he began to run in the direc- tion of the ranch, bending his head and putting forth his whole energy. He had run many a race before, but never anything approaching this one, for, the moment he started, the cattle quickened their pace until they broke into a gallop, and with tossing horns and flying tails came thundering after him. He had the advantage of the start, and gained a clear fifty yards by it, but once the cattle were fully under way they got through the long grass far more quickly then he did, so that it could be only a question of time when they must overrun him. Bruce could see them gaining upon him as he cast anxious glances over his shoulder, and the fear of death fell coldly on his brave young heart. To attempt to evade the great creatures' onset by a sudden dodge to one side was out of the question. As they ran they had broadened out so that they pre- sented a wide-extended front which could not be thus ^m I a iast of a lAs Ire- ms FROM THE PLAINS TO THE PEAKS. 215 avoided. He could do nothing but keep straight on, praying for deliverance he knew not how. It was difficult running, the grass being rank and strong, so that more than once he narrowly escaped a tripping, and soon his breath came short, and his heart seemed as though it were nigh to bursting. Nearer and nearer drew the mob of cattle, excited by their own foolish action until its original cause was forgotten in the frenzy of their charge. They were not really pursuing Bruce now. They were running simply because having got started they knew not how to stop until exhausted by their preposterous efforts. But Bruce was right in their path, and that meant an awful death for him unless he could get out of their way. He felt his legs failing beneath him and his lungs refusing their office, when there came a shout from the swell of the prairie just ahead, and Harper and Cochrane appeared galloping at full speed towards him. Another moment and they would have been too late. They had just time to race up and place them- selves between Bruce and the herd, waving their hats and shouting with all their might, before the bovine regiment thundered down on them. The horns of the front rank were almost touching the horses' breasts before the brutes swerved aside, and, those behind following their example, a lane was opened through the mob which then swept on leaving Bruce and the horsemen unscathed. * Oh ! what an escape I 've had ! ' panted Bruce, look- ing the gratitude to his rescuers that he felt no words could adequately express. * It was perfectly awful to 'U i S!^ ^1 ;i'" ^ ;i '■ \ k K •?•■: : ;y ■ 1 ■ 1 i'' 4 -. t' * ;,'! m\ 1 10 •?i|: ill :f;i 1 pi; m 1 i ■ .' ' , ■'■ ' N" 1 * ^ i 1 ^ 1 1 ' ••' ' |(; ■ i. ' J i . ■ i 1 . 216 FROM THE PLAINS TO THE PEAKS. have all those cattle rushing down on me, and not to be able to get out of their way. It was like a dreadful nightmare.' ' You had a close call for it, certainly/ said Cochrane. * They 're clean crazy when they get running like that, and if they 'd got on you they 'd have trampled you as flat as a pancake. I saw one man that had been dis- posed of that way, and I tell you I never want to see such a sight again.' Bruce shudderrd at the idea, and. Harper having brought his horse up, he remounted and rode on for some time in silence. The flowers had for the time lost all interest. His thoughts were engi'ossed with the thrilling experience through which he had just passed. The boys would have been glad to spend some time at the ranch, where they were being so hospitably treated, but felt bound to make farther progress in their journey, so the following morning they bade 'good-bye' to their kind friends, and set off for Calgary, mounted upon horses which they were to leave there at an appointed place for the ranchmen to get them back subsequently. The road ran along the valley at the edge of the foothills, and allowed distant glimpses of the higher peaks of the Rocky Mountains. The picture was very beautiful, illuminated by the full rays of the summer sun, and the boys' hearts grew full of eagerness for a closer acquaintance with these glorious mountains. ' We must take our time going through the Rockies,' said Arthur. ' I don't want to be whisked along in a railway train at the rate of forty miles an hour. We '11 walk it, won't we, Bruce ?' FROM THE PLAINS TO THE PEAKS. 217 ■ '}{ ; 11 ' I 'm quite agreed,' responded Bruce. ' We still have three weeks before we take the steamer at Vancouver, and we can't do better than spend the time among the mountains.* Being thus of one mind, they laid out their pro- gramme as follows : Starting from Calgary they would foot it as far as Banff, without delaying on the way, and there spend several days, proceeding thence by easy stages according to the interest of the route until their tramp ended at salt water. * We '11 find the walking a good deal harder through the mountains than it was anywhere else,' said Bruce ; * but we needn't hurry, and there '11 be plenty of places to stop at when we 're tired.' They rode to Calgary without mishap or adventure, left the horses at the stables appointed, and, having got their trunks from the station, went to the hotel for general refitting. Having the evening on their hands they spent it looking about the city, and were much impressed by the many signs of wealth and prosperity. The streets were lined with big warehouses and handsome resi- dences. They were paved, and brilliantly illuminated by electricity, and were filled with throngs of well- dressed, well-mannered people, among whom the boys felt thoroughly at home. 'Who would ever have thought of seeing such a fine city as this away out in the prairies ? ' said Arthur. * Before we came out here I used to think that the people lived in tents and little log-huts. Wouldn't they laugh at us if we were to tell them that ? * * You may be sure they would,' replied Bruce, * if the idea of it didn't make them angry. We certainly are ii< ii: iirt Li »Ui m t «| ■w i-ii MM ' m 218 FROM THE PLAINS TO THE PEAKS. getting our eyes opened on this trip in a way that I never imagined.* It was a perfect morning when they set forth] from Calgary with their faces towards the white peaks of the Rockies, which would henceforth dominate their route for many a long mile. In the clear calm air the mountain range seemed far nearer than it really was, and Arthur, in his usual sanguine way, predicted that they would be at the base of the great barrier which lifted itself so proudly above the plateau before nightfall if they put in a good day's work. But Bruce took a more cautious view. * There are more miles between us and the moun- tains than you imagine, Arthur,* he said. * Why, my idea is that we will do very well if we get to that by mid-day to-morrow.* Arthur laughed jauntily, and stepped out as though he would keep right on to the Rockies without stopping ; but as the sequel showed both he and Bruce were out in their estimate of the distance, for it was not until the evening of the second day that they reached Kananaskis Station, where the mountains really began. The scenery through which they had passed was of exceeding beauty and remarkable variety, and they appreciated it all the more after the monotony of the plains. Each mile they had tramped they were getting higher up in the world, passing through the region of rounded grassy foothills and up the river 'benches* or terraces, where the ranchmen with their multitudin- ous animals held sway : great herds of horses grazing in the lower valleys, thousands of cattle upon the terraces, and flocks of sheep sprinkling the hill-tops, FROM THE PLAINS TO THE PEAKS. 219 \ting of Ihes' [din- jzing the bops, every creature of them looking well-fed and contented, although they spent the year round in the open air, and had never fed from crib or stall. Just beyond Cochrane Station they crossed the Bow River, a rushing mountain stream in which they would have liked to have taken a bath but that its waters were so turbulent, and, had they known it, too icy cold to be endured for more than a moment. Presently they reached the top of the first terrace, and got the first glimpse of the glorious panoramas in store for them, as, looking towards the left, they saw the foothills rise in successive tiers of sculptured heights to the snowy range beyond. It was at this point that Arthur developed a taste for landscape that he had not previously manifested. Ke liked to halt from time to time, and look around him, taking a comfortable seat on a boulder or tree- trunk for the purpose. Bruce, who had hitherto shown the most interest in the beauties of nature was very glad to recognise the new phase of his companion's nature, yet, his exultation over, it was somewhat dampened by a lurking suspicion ill his mind as to whether a desire to rest a bit had not something to do with it. In fact he could not keep from gently hinting as much to Arthur, who hereupon fired up, and, asserting that he was not tired in the least, strode away at a pace that would soon have left Bruce far in the rear had he kept it up for any length of time. But he didn't. After a mile or so of rapid walking he came upon a lovely little spring of water bubbling clear and delicious from the breast of the cliff, and it gave him an opportunity to cool his indignation and o A !| •!• » ; 220 PROM THE PLAINS TO THE PEAKS. ■•.5 1 ; ■.' ' I •ii'i f'."i ':: ]'■ wait for Bruce to catch up, of which he did not fail to avail himself. At Morley Station, where they stopped for dinner on the second day, they saw something of the red men in what was to them a new relation, namely, as tillers of the soil. It was the headquarters of the Assini- boine reserve, and under the teaching of Wesleyan missionaries, and the fostering care of a considerate Government, these roamers of the plains had settled down to the prosaic occupations of farming and stock- raismg. - 1 Arthur could not conceal his feelings of disappoint- ment at seeing the Indians thus domesticated. They did not look at all so natural or interesting in red woollen shirts and gray homespun trousers as in feathered buckskin and brilliant blankets. But Bruce took a more practical view of the matter. ' If they hadn't taken to farming they d just become extinct like the buffalo,' he said. 'The^^e's hardly anything left for them to hunt, and who was going to support them in utter idleness ? * 'That's so,' assented Arthur, recognising the logic of his chum's argument. * But it seems a pity all the same that they've had to choose between dying out and turning into such scarecrows as that,' and he pointed at two Indians who certainly might have done good service in a wheat-field. Bruce laughed, and the Indians, noticing this, smiled and bowed in return, their dusky countenances light- ing up so pleasantly that Arthur felt quite ashamed of having spoken in such disparaging terms of them. As they neared Kananaskis the mountains towered right up before their face, and seemed to offer an 1 i FROM THE PLAINS TO THE PEAKS, 221 fail nner men illers jsini- leyan erate ittled itock- point- They n red as in atter. lecome ardly ^ing to logic ill the out id he done smiled [light- lamed iem. ered fer an impenetrable barrier to farther progress. They looked very grand and beautiful, with their purple-tinted bases and their white and gold-flecked flanks, while high above, dimly showing through a veil of mist, soared their snowy peaks. * This alone is well worth coming all the way to see,* said Bruce, with a deep sigh of content, for his eye was one that lost nothing of nature's varied beauty. ' And if the beginning is so fine what must it be like in the heart of the mountain j ! But hark ! what is that deep roar coming from below there ? It sounds like a big waterfall. I 'd like to have a look at it.* They were just crossing 'Jie Kananaskis River on a high iron bridge when Bruce said this, and, Arthur being always ready for anything that offered variety, they followed the sound, which led them away from the Kananaskis and up the Bow River for half-a-mile, where they were rewarded for the tramp by getting a view of the great falls of the Bow, vouchsafed to none of those who travel that way by train. * Do you happen to see any ferns growing anywhere out of reach that you 'd like to have a try for ? ' asked Arthur, giving Bruce a roguish look. ' No, thank you, my boy,' responded Bruce, smiling back at his companion. 'No more Montmorenci ex- periences for me, if you please. Once is mite enough. But these falls are grand, aren't they ? I suppose we '11 see lots of cascades in the next two weeks.' The falls deserved their warmest admiration; but they could not linger long beside them, for the sun was setting, and they had to arrange for accommodation for the night at the station. In this they had no difficulty, finding both board n \\i ijii 1 \ . '.f I , 1 : i . 1 ; 'i' iL tiM 222 FROM THE PLAINS TO THE PEAKS. and bed very comfortable and welcome, weary and hungry as they were. Making an early start the next morning, they soon carao to Gap, where the railway, taking advan- tage of the portal prepared for it by the Bow River, ran boldly in between two almost vortical walls of dizzy height ; and the boys keeping steadily along on the track, which indeed ottered the only pathway, presently passed through this glorious gateway into precincts of the Rocky Mountains. It took them all that day to get to Banff, and when they reached the big hotel there, which the railway company maintains so luxuriously, their eyes were as tired as their legs, for every turn of the track had opened up some fresh vista of grandeur and beauty. Wind Mountain, its summit wreathed in writhin<^ clouds, and bearing on its shoulder that projecting spur so strangely resembling the Bull's Head, after which it is called; the Three Sisters, rising into the azure side by side and overhanging the valleys in terrific precipices laden with snow that was ever melt- ing yet never lessened ; Cascade Mountain, its perpen- dicular massive front streaked with a multitude of varied tints glowing in the sunshine, and marked by a slender waterfall, glacier-fed, trailing almost from brow to base ; the tongues of tree-growth creeping up the gulches, the broken outlines of the ledges, and the snow-white torrents splashing down the ravines — of these and a thousand other wonders the boys missed nothing as they tramped along, Arthur finding it delightfully' easy to call a halt whenever he felt dis- posed, for Bruce could not get enough of the ever- changing panorama of nature's magnificence. CHAPTER XIII. srpen- of |ed by from ig up id the is — of lissed ig it It dis- ever- 1) Y MOUNT AND STREAM. HK boys li.ul not been an lionr at Banff before they were both entirely of one mind as to remaining for several days. The hotel was the acme of comfort, the views in all directions were superb, there were mountains to be climbed, rivers to be buated upon, lakes to be sailed over, and fish to be caught to their heart's content. Their portmanteaus had come on from Calgary, and they could dress like gentlemen or like tramps according to their humour. They had ample funds in thoir purses, having drawn on their letter of credit at Calgary. Therefore they had nothing to prevent them from putting in a real good time, and this they were very determined to have. *We must see all there is to be seen and do all there is to be done before wo leave this place,' said Arthur, 'and then we can hurry over the rest of it if we want to.' And this way of putting it expressed Bruce's ideas as well as his own. The first thing of course was to map out some sort ;i |/ 1. !'■ ; *\ ; 224 BY MOUNT AND STREAM. h (. I. ' ■ iiiiiMii i r ii ' ill oi* a programme ; and with the assistance of Mr Mark, the hotelkeeper, this was presently accomplished to their satisfaction. In accordance therewith, their first undertaking was a trip to the Vermilion Lakes. Going down to the boat-house on the Bow River, they came near to having a serious falling out over the question as to what kind of craft they would take. Bruce wanted to take a boat. They were light, graceful affairs, easily rowed and safe to manage, and the current running swiftly, and the course of the stream being entirely unknown to them, his natural CiAution declared in favour of the boat. But Arthur would have none of it. * Why, Bruce,' he exclaimed, * the very idea of taking anything but a canoe ! Isn't this the country of the canoe, and aren't we right out in the midst of it ? We can have boats anywhere, but this is the place for canocr, and we 'd be just disgracing ourselves to take anything else.' It was all very well for Arthur to adopt this exalted line of argument, but the simple truth was that the taste of canoeing he had always enjoyed at the Nipigon had been so pleasing that he was delighted to have another opportunity of wielding a paddle, and the question of the risk involved counted for nothing. The canoes were not the broad, deep, birch-bark .iffairs of the Nipigon. They were of the wooden variety, even lighter, stronger, and prettier than their bark prototypes, but quite as cranky, if not indeed more so. 'That's all well enough, Arthur,' responded Bruce, BY MOUNT AND STREAM. 225 4 :> I Bruce, 'but let us take a boat first anyway, and if we get along all I'Ight then we can try a canoe ' But Arthur was obdurate ; he must i. ^ ,e a canoe at the start, and the boat-keeper supporting him (for the excellent reason, which of course he kept to himself, that he charged more for the canoes than for the boats), Bruce reluctantly yielded, taking his place in the ticklish craft with a good many misgivings. Fitted out with cushions and paddles, they pushed off from the platform into the stream, and at once realised that, as the saying is, they had their work cut out for them if they wanted to go far up the river. The current of the Bow ran strong, swift, and silent, and to propel a light canoe against it meant the ex- penditure of much elbow-grease. Bruce who had the stern paddle, being the heavier of the two, smiled grimly as he plunged his blade in deep, and put his whole strength into each stroke. * I guess Arthur will soon get tired of this,* he said to himself, * and then he '11 be quite willing to take a boat.' But Arthur did not get tired, or rather, if he did, he successfully concealed the fact, toiling away resolutely stroke after stroke, while the perspiration poured down h^ lace, and his breath went out in sharp panta like those of a high-pressure si .imer. Of course such exertions had to tell. Steadily if slowly the canoe crept up stream, Bruce holding her straight in her course, and presently they came to a point where there were two courses to choose between. On the left lay a long stretch of river like that over which they had passed, while on the right was a narrower stream flowing more slowly. ;i I Kl '\ . '1 ; Ill 236 BY MOUNT AND STREAM. I 1 A plank walk extended around the pool, and from it steps led down into the water, which was not more than five feet deep at the most. Pure quartz sand lined the bottom of the pool, and looking down care- fully the water could be seen bubbling up with constant vigour. The temptation to have a plunge in so novel a bath was not to be resisted, and the boys wasted no time in doffing their clothes and donning a bathing-suit. They entered the water gingerly, fearing it might feel too hot at first, but soon were rolling and splash- ing about in its luxurious depths, for they found the temperature just right and the taste not unpleasant, charged with sulphur though it was. 'Isn't this perfectly delicious!* exclaimed Arthur, floating lazily on his back. * I 'd like to stay here all the afternoon, wouldn't you, Bruce ? * 'I'm afraid we'd be pretty limp creatures if we did that,' replied Bruce, 'and then we've got the Basm to see yet, you know.' * That 's so,' assented Arthur with a sigh. * But we needn't hurry over there. It can't be much better than this.' When, however, after dressing again, they did go on to the Basin, Arthur was inclined to modify his opinion. Here was the same circular pool of pellucid water bubbling up through the same white quartz sand, but instead of being closed in by high walls of limestone that permitted only a glimpse of the sky, it was wide open to the sky, so that the steam escaped at once and the atmosphere was entirely free from it. Thus, flooded with sunlight, it was a veritable Naiad's bath, and looked so irresistibly attractive that, I BY MOUNT AND STREAM. 237 from 1 more 5 sand I care- } with a bath time in ) might splash- md the )leasant, Arthur, lay here s if we got the But we better in did go )dify his pellucid quartz walla of the sky, I escaped Bree from veritable 3 bive that. although his hair was not yet dry from his sousing in the Cave, nothing would satisfy Arthur but that he must have a dip in the Fasin also. Bruce would not be bothered undressing again, and lounged comfortably on a bencli while Arthur amused himself trying to stand on the places where the water gushed up, the force of the springs being sufficient to send him floating off in spitb of all his efibrts. The afternoon was well spent before they came away from this enchanting place; and the idea of being able to have such a bathe every day if they liked increased their desire to spend at least a month in this wonderland, had it been at all practicable. The next morning they set forth to scale Mount Bundle, whose massive front filled half the landscape as one looked from the rear balcony of the hotel. They prepared for a day's outing, and, on the advice of the hotel manager took with them as guide ar^ Indian boy rejoicing in the nickname of One Cent, probably because of the coppery tint of his com- plexion. Mr Mark guaranteed that One Cent knew the easiest way to the top of the mountain, and his services were well worth the half-dollar he demanded of them, so the boys were only too glad to have him. In his impatience to reach the mountain's foot and begin the climbing, Arthur started off at a lively pace that caused One Cent to shake his head sagely and murmur : * Better go slow. Get plenty tired soon, you bet.* 'Good advice that, Arthur,' said Bruce, smiling. 'He knows what he's talking about. There's more work ahead of us than you imagine perhaps,' n rf ,1. ! i' is ' ■ t 1 1 It : ¥\: 5 !'»■■■. 238 BY MOUNT AND STREAM. And flo it proved indeed. In the first place the mountain turned out to bo a great deal farther from the hotel than it looked, and in the second place its lower slopes were much steeper than they appeared. At first tliey had to make their way through dense masses of scrub pine, which grew thinner as they ascended until they disappeared altogether over wide spaces, leaving the bare rock to be beaten upon by the rays of the hot summer sun. The heat was trying enough, but the mosquitoes were worse. They came in clouds, blowing tlieir tiny trumpets for joy at having such fine fresh victims, and leaving One Cent almost untouched while they devoted themselves with striking unanimity to his white brothers. The boys had not accomplished more than one-hali of the ascent before they realised that the undertaking was no mere holiday task, but one that would test their endurance and strength to the utmost. As might be expected, Arthur was the first to cry out for a halt. A tiny stream of water gushing cool and clear from a gray crag furnished a good excuse of which he was not slow to take advantage. ' Let 's stop and have t%. drink/ he suggested. * I 'm as dry as a lime-kiln.' The pause gave them a chance to look back over the way they had come and to take in the view frc»a their elevation. They could command the whole valley of the Bow, and the grandeur of the picture inspired them to renewed eflTort. ' If it 's so fine from here, Arthur/ said Bruce enthu- siastically, * what must it be like from the top.' The remaining portion of the climb proved exceed- BY MOUNT AND STBEAM. 239 'I'm over frCxH whole >icture tceed- ingly difficult, in spite of the intelligence shown by One Cent in picking out the moat practicable way. There was no pretence of a path, but the Indian's instinct for the right direction never failed liim ; and, although their line of progress was much after the manner of a corkscrew, they had the constant satis- faction of realising that if the top was not drawing rapidly nearer the bottom was certainly falling farther beneath them. The mosquitoes contested every inch of the way. It seemed as if they must be the guardians of the mountain, commissioned to oppose intrusio^i upon its solitary state. Arthur was driven nearly frantic by their stings, and his hands were going continually in furious though futile endeavours to protect himself. Higher and higher thfc three boys worked their way until the curious saddle-back which forms the topmost ridge of Mount Rundlo was left to be con- quered. ' Must take plenty care now,' said One Cent, looking very grave. * Heap easy get bad fall* The difficulty was that the «jteep slope which led to the crest of the mountain was composed of a soft rock that crumbled and broke away under the foot, and the footsteps had to be planted slowly and with much circumspection. At the last the boys had to crawl painfully up on their hands and knees, One Cent setting them the example. But when they did leach the summit, and, seating themselves upon it, were able to sweep the whole superb amphitheatre of mountain peaks with unchecked vision, they at once forgot all the toil and torment of the ascent. Hi ii I' y. kill I'll' il mm Mum 240 BY MOUNT AND STREAM. # One Cent kt.ew the name of every mountain within sight, and pointed them out one after another, pro- nouncing their names in his quaint Indian way that wa3 not always quite intelligible. Right across the Valley of the Spray the broad tree-clad flanks of Sulphur Mountain were bathed in sunlight, while at the riglit the rounded shoulders of Tunnel Mountain showed gray and bare. Northward the huge mass of Cascade Mountain was streaked with snowdrifts, and farther away Mount IngKs- raaldie and Mount Peechee towered above all their fellows, the one falling a little short of and the other exceeding ten thousand feet in height. Away below them lay the hotel, looking little larger than a summer cottage. So close beneath them it seemed that Arthur pretended he could throw a stone upon its roof, and wished he had a parachute to try a flying descent to it after the manner of the aeronaut at the exhibition. They remained for over an hour at the summit, Arthur being in no hurry to leave, because there was a most refreshing breeze up there and moreover the mosquitoes had ceased from troubling, having been parted company with some hundreds of feet below. When they did get out upon the return journey Arthur would not consent to retracing their steps. *No, sirree,' he exclaimed emphatically. 'I'm not going to let these pestiferous mosquitoes have another feed off me. I'll let a fresh lot have a chance if there 's no help for it. But I believe if we go down the side of the mountain where the wind's blowing we won't be bothered half so much. It 's worth trying anyway.' BY MOUNT AND STREAM. As they were not pressed for time, Bruce had no objections to taking another way down, but One Cent shook his head, saying : 'Better go back same way. Other side plenty steep.* ' Oh, come now. One Cent,' responded Arthur, in a bantering tone, ' you 're just lazy, that 's all. You 're anxious to get back to the hotel. But you are not going to do it, so start ahead down this other side, and we '11 follow.' With a decidedly glum look, One Cent did as he was bid, but so slowly and reluctantly that Arthur, growing impatient, pushed past him, saying rather roughly : * Tut ! you 're slower than a funeral. Let me show you how to move along.' This he did so recklessly that Bruce had for the second time warned him to be more careful, and was just about hastening forward to lay a restraining hand upon him, when the rock crumbled underneath Arthur's feet, and, uttering a shrill cry of terror, he went sliding down a sharp declivity which led towards a tremendous chasm. ^ u ■ .ll 1 1 i! I CHAPTER XIV. 1,1 •iiii ' i . . 1 !!■■:; ' lir. . ' : ' i " il' , Jl i%a m 1 •1 i 1 n ^ i ■ |i !i«i !' BANFF AND BEYOND. ^AD it not been for the interposition of One Cent, Bruce would have gone sUding down after Arthur. But the sharp-witted Indian laid hold of him just as his feet were slipping, and by a quick, strong jerk threw him back in a sitting posture that enabled him to retain his place. * Plenty fool chap that,' said the Indian, with a sig- nificant shrug of the shoulders, as he watched the unfortunate boy making frantic though futile endea- vours to stay his fall. * But we must save him,' cried Bruce, in a tone of agonised anxiet3^ * Oh ! what can we do ? ' Down went Arthur stirring up a small avalanche of loose stones in his descent, and it seemed as if nothing could save him from the fatal plunge over the precipice, when, happily, his course was arrested by a projection of harder rock than the debris which composed the slope. He came upon this projection in such a way that one leg went on each side, and he got astride of it, so to speak. » I ^ BANFF AND BEYOND. 243 The instant he felt the firm rock underneath him, his self-control, which had deserted him in the first fright of his fall, came back to him, and, clasping the friendly pinnacle firmly, he turned his head towards where he had left Bruce, and shouted back : * I 'm all right. This thing 's solid.* ' Thank God ! ' exclaimed Bruce fervently. * He says he 's all right. Now, how can we get him up out of that?' One Cent had no suggestion to offer. He was glad Arthur had not gone over the precipice; but that danger being past, he felt no especial concern about getting him out of his uncomfortable if not dangerous situation. Bruce could see about that. And Bruce did proceed to see a-bout it without a minute's delay. His clear, active brain quickly had a scheme of action devised. * Look here. One Cent,' he said impressively, laying his hand upon the Indian's arm, * I 'm going to stay here to keep Arthur company, and you must hurry back to the hotel and get help. Bring back a good strong rope and a lantern, for it may be dark before we all get out of this. Hurry up now, and be back as quick as you can.' One Cent looked sulky. The idea of racing down to the hotel and toiling back again was not at all attractive, and he hung back in evident reluctance to start. Bruce's first impulse in noting this was to wax wroth, and to express his indignation at such cold- blooded indifference to another's peril in no measured terms. But he checked himself promptly. A more politic #1 it I! fe ill hi I Is ' 244 BANFF AND BEYOND. method of deal in gj with the phlegmatic red man was imperatively necessary. He therefore adopted a dif- ferent style of argument. Taking out his pur>se, he extracted a two-dollar bill, and waved it before the Indian's avid eyes, saying : * See now, One Cent, bring me what I told you as soon as you possibly can, and this note is yours.' Not another word was necessary. After one long- ing look at the note, One Cent darted off, descend- ing the mountain-side in long leaps from ledge to ledge, which no white man would have dared to attempt. When he had started, Bruce shouted cheeringly to Arthur : * You '11 be all right soon, chum. One Cent has gone back to the hotel for a rope, and we '11 pull you up out of that before long. Keep a tight hold there, and be as patient as you can.' * You '11 stay there, won't you, Bruce ? ' Arthur called back in a most pitiful tone. * It would be awful to be left here alone.' 'Of course I will,' responded Bruce heartily, *if I have to stay all night. And say, Arthur, couldn't you manage to turn round, so as to be facing up this way ? It '11 be more sociable than haviixg your back to me.* ' I '11 try,' said Arthur, and ho begr^n to squirm around very carefully, moving only a few inches at a time, for the loose stones had a startling way of getting dislodged, and making mimic avalanches. After some minutes of anxious work, he succeeded in changing his position, so that his face was turned towards Bruce. BANFF AND BEYOND. 245 * Ah ! ' said his companion, ' that 's better now. We can talk to one another properly.' It was certainly a curious situation in which to sustain a conversation, and little wonder if it flagged during the long minutes that dragged themselves on BO slowly while One Cent was on his mission. Arthur's position was both awkward and wearisome, and he gave many a groan of tribulation as the after- noon slipped by, and still there was no sign of One Cent. *Do you think he'd leave us here, and not come back for us at all ? ' Arthur asked with pathetic anxiety in his voice. 'Not a bit of it,' replied Bruce in a most positive tone. ' He hasn't a chance to make a couple of dollars very often, and he '11 be here before another half-hour 's gone.* Nor was Bruce's judgment in the matter at fault. The half-hour had about elapsed when One Cent appeared, his face shining with perspiration and pride, and over his arm a coil of rope, while in his right hand was a lantern. *Me get 'em all,' he panted, as he put the lantern down at Bruce's feet, and let the coil of rope drop from his shoulder. * Well done. One Cent ! ' cried Bruce, not until that moment realising how terribly anxious he had been, the load being now lifted from his mind. *You couldn't have done it better. Here's your money. You 've earned it nobly.' One Cent's dusky fingers closed exultantly over the note, but with not a whit less joy did Bruce lay hold of the precious rope which meant his companion's release from peril. if \:H I" ^ ■^ m •'■i !ii :i ifmi^n^-L .■" ■" ■ i : ■ , ' ^;|^ ^ " i i i • ■ i ; 1. '■ : k 'Ini^i 1 ' iU Uk ■ m 246 BANFF AND BEYOND. * Here 's the rope, Arthur ! ' he shouted gleefully, as he gathered it in a coil and then flung it down the slope. The first throw fell short, but the second carried it within Arthur's reach, and he grasped it with a hearty 'hurrah' that showed he had plenty of vigour still left. ' Now then, Arthur,' Bruce called out, ' take a turn of the rope around your waist, and grip it with all j'^our might. We'll have to pull you up slowly for fear of your starting an avalanche.* Settling themselves firmly against the rocks so that they could not possibly overbalance, Bruce and One Cent joined forces and proceeded to haul Arthur up hand over hand. It was slow work ; but, with characteristic caution, Bruce would not allow of any haste, and all in good time Arthur was brought back to safety with only some slight injuries to his hands and some rents in his trousers to show how narrow an escape from death had been his. After resting a little while they set out for the hotel; and, before the journey was more than half completed, Bruce's foresight in ordering One Cent to get the lantern was amply justified, as it grew so dark that without it even the Indian could not have kept the trail, and they would have been compelled to remain out all night. When they did reach the hotel they found Mr Mark and many of the guests awaiting their return with a good deal of anxiety. In fact, a volunteer relief expedition was already in process of organisation, some of whose members seemed rather to regret that BANFF AND BEYOND. 247 ully, as wn the rried it hearty ur still a turn nth. all vly for so that id One hur up ;aution, ,n good h only in his death or the n half lent to •ew so have pelled Mark dth a relief ition, that this opportunity to distinguish themselves was not allowed them. When the story of escape had been told, the general opinion was that Arthur had been extremely fortu- nate; for if that projection had not stopped his fall he must infallibly have gone over a precipice hundreds of feet in height, to be dashed to pieces on the pitiless boulders below. The interest this incident awakened, combined with the novelty of the boys' method of travelling, led to their receiving an invitation for the following day, which they were not slow in accepting. Among the guests at the hotel was a prominent member of the Canadian Parliament, and the Inspector of the Mounted Police in charge of the National Park at Banff had offered to take the member and a limited number of his friends for a drive to Devil's Lake in a four-in-hand turnout. The member, having taken a fancy to the boys, was moved thereby to offer them seats in the big waggon, and they of course jumped at the chance, which was one that fell to few of the many tourists visiting Banff. They were sitting in the shade of the verandah the following morning when the four-in-hand appeared; and as it came up the hill at full gallop and swung round in the narrow space before the door, coming to a stop at exactly the right spot, they could not refrain from expressing their admiration aloud, it was such a superb piece of driving. * Wasn't that splendidly done ? ' cried Arthur, clap- ping his hands. 'It'll be grand fun having a drive with a man who can manage his horses like that.* ' I r I ! of: S ; i ■, 1^ i:i ; :<»'>■ '. 1 viii*!'! i E'' . I 248 BANFF AND BEYOND. The driver was the officer in command of the Mounted Police, Inspector Taylor, a magnificent speci- men of manhood, to whom the control of four strong, spirited horses was a mere holiday task. The conveyance, which was a kind of long, heavy oxpress-waggon with four seats, quickly filled up, the boys being put in the rear seat with the member's daughter, a bright attractive young lady, with whom they were soon on excellent terms. The seat of honour beside the whip was given to a bride spending her honeymoon at Banff*, while the other seats accommodated the Member of Parliament and his friends. It was a merry, noisy party ; and, without any con- ception of the exciting time in stoi' for them, they rolled away amid a shower of dust and a round of cheers from the other people who were not lucky enou2i;h to be with them. 'They say we go over some roads that will make your hair stand up,' said Bruce. 'I suppose we've got a good strong brake on the waggon.' 'Oh! you may be sure of that,* replied Miss Montague, with a sunny smile. 'It's a Government turnout, and my father's a member, you know, and they 're bound to take the best care of hir)i' The boys both laughed, as it was evident their fair companion was sj)eaking more in jest than earnest. 'Your father, then, is our guardian angel,' said Bruce, ' r.nd we '11 be all safe so long as we keep close to him — is that it ? ' 'If you like,' returned Miss Montague. 'He's my guardian any way, and he'll take good care that nothing happens to me that he can help.' lUNFF AND BEYOND. 240 As they were pleasantly chatting, the heavily- freighted carriage rattlod down into the valley, crossed the iron bridge and began the series of ascending curves by which the height of Tunnel Mountain was scaled. The road, admirably built, albeit soiTiowhat narrow, made long loops in the mountain side, and it was collar-work for the horses every inch of the way ; but the glorious views that successively opened out made the passengers content with the slow progress. Indeed, as they climbed higher and higher, and yawning declivities opened out on their right, they were glad enough to creep along rather than hasten, when a slight (Uvorgcnco from the road might be attended with such disastrous effects. They had all but completed the ascent, and were just turning a sharp bend where the road was built out by trestle-work on a shoulder of the mtjuntain in such a way that one had a clear look into the rapids of the Bow River hundreds of feet below, when the bride, who had been evincing a good deal of nervous- ness, gave a shrill cry, and, throwing up her hands, would have pitched forward out of the carriage in a dead faint had not Mr Taylor, rapidly shifting all the reins into his right hand, cleverly caught her with his left, and held her firmly. It was a critical moment not only for the helpless woman and the Inspector but for all the other occu- pants of the waggon. The strain of the steep climb having ended, the relieved horses had started off briskly, and needed the full attention of the driver. But this he could not give because of being encumbered with his fair burden. Yet no one could take either "i 1 ■ mI > ! :. illi ]-m l', i 250 BANFF AND BEYOND. the woman or the reins from his hand^ until the horses had been brought to a halt, and this could not be done at once. Happily Mr Taylor's wonderful strength and self- possession proved equal even to so trying a dilemma. Keeping his left arm around the bride, he skilfully reined up the horses at a favourable place, and the moment he did so the lady's husband sprang to the ground and lifted her out of the waggon. She showed considerably more sense on that point, but vowed she would under no circumstances re-enter the waggon ; and the result of it all was that the newly-wedded couple decided to walk back to the hotel, leaving the remainder of the pc-rty to continue the drive without them. As the waggon rolled on, leaving the couple standing in the road, Arthur remarked with a significant laugh : 'Tied to his wife's apron-strings, eh, chum? We won't be in a hurry to get into that scrape ourselves, will we ? ' With such-like harmless banter the young people amused themselves, while the four-in-hand went charg- ing down the mountain road, often turning corners so sharply that the leaders disappeared from sight until the waggon swung round after them. Inspector Taylor's handling of his handsome team was a revelation in driving. He rarely spoke to them above a conversational tone. His hand on the reins was as soft as velvet yet as firm as steel ; and although he cracked the long whip over the horses* heads, it never touched their shining flanks. They fully under- stood its music, and needed not to be startled by its sting. 1 the d nofe . self- 3mma. ilfully id the bo the point, 3-enter at the to the >ntinue landing laugh : ? We fselves, people charg- •ners so t until e team io them e reins though eads, it under- by its BANFF AND BEYOND. 251 * *How in the world would we manage if v/e met another team on this road ? ' asked Bruce, looking thoughtfully down into the abyss below. 'There's certainly not room enough for us to pass each other.' The words had barely left his lips before the precise problem he had been pondering over presented itself. Swinging around a sharp corner, they came upon a light phaeton drawn by a single horse and containing two people, a man and a woman, whose faces blanched with fright as the four-in-hand bore down upon them. There was but scant space in which to bring the heavy waggon with its impetus to a full stop, yet Mr Taylor did it as easily as though it were nothing at all difficult, the wheels ceasing to revolve just as the leader's noses touched that of the horso in the phaeton. ' Please keep quite still now,' Mr Taylor called out to the frightened couple. * There 's no danger if yo a do so.' The lady was just about to spring from the phaeton, but fell back in the seat on hearing these re-assuring words ; and Mr Taylor handing the reins over to Mr Montague who took his place on the box, jumped down, and after patting his own horses, and telling them to stand steady, went to the head of the other animal. Then, bidding both the lady and gentleman to get out, he carefully backed the team until it came to a place where the road had been widened bj' cutting into the bank, so as to make room for passing. Crowding the phaeton against the bank, and directing its driver to hold the horse there, he went back to his own seat Q i:;i: f^'M! 252 BANFF AND BEYOND. m "H li I i:l il '■ ',1 gathered up the reins, released the brake, and drove gaily past the other carriage, saying, as he did so : ' Good-bye, and keep a shrtrper look-out ahead next time.' The boys had followed every move of the Inspector with glowing admiration for his coolness and resource, and when the difficulty was over, Arthur exclaimed enthusiastically : * Well, if Mr Taylor isn't equal to anything ! ' little imagining that before the drive vias ended a crisis should develop which would put his powers to a far severer test than either oi the previous incidents. After the crossing of Tunnel Mountain, the road ran through a valley and then by hill and dale to Devil's Lake, where it ended at a pretty little vine-covered hotel, before which the party alighted. There was a small stea^n-launch moored to the end of a long wooden pier, and this the visitors hired for a run up the lake, which they all found extremely pleasant after the drive along the hot, dusty road. Arthur took care to secure a place in the launch near the bow, but Bruce was content with one at the stern ; and while the former had the best of it at first, on the return trip he would gladly have exchanged places, for, a fresh breeze having sprung up, the waves rose sufficiently to send many a liberal splash over the bulwarks, and by the time the pier was regained Arthur had got pretty well drenched. The views obtained while on the launch were very impressive ; the mountain rising sheer from the water's edge in beetling crags and sky-piercing pinnacles, their manj' - coloured sides made white with snow wherever the drifts coi:tld linger, and here and there BANFF AND BEYOND. 253 drove i next spector isource, jlaimed !' little 1 crisis a far .s. oad ran Devil's covered the end ed for a tremely ad. launch at the at first, changed waves Dver the retrained 3re very water's innacles, h snow id there ribboned witli glacier-fed streams that came cascad- ing down to add their waters to the volume of the lake. There were fish to be caught in the lake had the tourists time to try for them ; but, much as the boys would have liked to do so, they could not tarry for that purpose. /Ifter partaking of some refreshments at the hotel, the waggcn was filled up again and the return drive begun. Thev went back over the wime road and quite un- eventfully until they came to the famous Corkscrew, as it is called, on Tunnel Mountain. Goincr out thev had ascended this, and it was not a very difficult matter; but returning they had to descend it, which was a very different attair. This Corkscrew was certainly a remarkable bit of road-building. It would seem as if the engineer of the work, getting tired of overcoming the heavy gradient by long loops, had determined to ma]i:e a great gain in a small compass by g^ttacking the steep slope with a series of short curves that made of the road a gigantic double letter S lying upon the mountain-side. So sharp were the turns tnat, going up, the wheelers had to practically pull the waggon by themselves, there not being room for the leaders to make their traces ia'^i. , and the consummate ease with which Mr Taylor managed his spirited team had drawn forth unqualified tributes of admiration from the passengers. On the return trip fchey w^ere just in the middle of the Corkscrew, and with reins held firmly, and brake pressed hard, Mr Taylor was skilfully turning the dangerous corners, while everyone in the waggon was scarce breathing with suppressed excitement, when the n m 1 t! P' W I! ^'' I ,1^ ji M 254 BANFF AND BEYOND. •)l ! off wheeler stumbled over a loose rock, and went down in a heap, almost dragging his mate with him. For one thrilling moment there was harrowing sus- pense, as the good horse strove to recover his footing, and then came a crash that startled even the iron- nerved driver. The wheeler did succeed in getting up again, but in the struggle the pole was somehow snapped in tv/o just a little in front of where it was set in the fore-axle ! Here, indeed, was an emergency calculat'^d to test the most superb self-control. The safety, if not the lives of half a score of people depended upon the action of the next minute. Were the horses to breal' away, and dash down the mountain-side, it woula mean naught save horrible injury, and perhaps death, to tho helpless beings behind them. But not for an instant was Inspector Taylor flustered or dismayed. Putting his whole vast strength upon the brake so that the hind wheels skidded until the waggon came to a full slop, he spoke quietly to the horses, bearing hard upon the reins all the while, yet not jerking them nervously, and thus retaining per- fect control over the frightened animals. 'Now then, ladies and gentlemen, will you please jump out as quietly as possible while I keep the waggon steady,' he said, without taking his eye off the horses, and in as calm a tone as if there waa nothing unusual in the situation. The boys were the first to touch the ground, and Miss Montague was promptly assisted to alight. The others followed in good order, and in a trice the waggon was empty. :i:t, ^flHrrihr" rft'*i/tf'pVi.'4 f-'f-f BANFF AND BEYOND. 255 [ went 3 with ng sus- iooting, e iron- ting up •inehow ) it was to test not the e action k away, a. mean 1, to tho lustered ih upon ntil the to the lile, yet ng per- please eep the 3 off the nothing nd, and it. The ice the Actuated by common impulse, Bruce and Arthur, as soon as they had set down Miss Montague, went to tlie leader's heads, receiving from Mr Taylor a quick nod of approval for their forethought. Mr Montague showed similar wit by blocking the front wheels with stones, and thus the peril was met and provided against without one of the party compli- cating the situation by displaying great excitement or making any blunder. The members of the party cer- tainly well merited Mr Taylor's brief yet comprehen- sive compliments: * You 're a lot of bricks ; you couldn't have done it better.' After complimenting their driver on his perfect mastery of the situation, and congratulating each other on having escaped so handsomely, the next thing in order was to contrive how to fix the pole so as to complete the drive home. Here again it was the Inspector who filled the breach. With the aid of a tough young fir tree cut down with a jack-knife, and sundry bits of rope, the broken pole was so spliced as to do, with careful management; and after the delay of an hour, the drive was resumed, to be completed without further mishap ere sundown. Next day the boys bid 'good-bye to Banff.' Very gladly would they have lingered there for many days longer, but Bruce felt bound to move on, as there were many things yet to be seen and done before they reached the ocean side ; so they set out in the cool of the morning for more tramping along the railway track which her*e furnished the only pathway through the wilderness of mountain. They were anxious to get as far as Laggan station ii'i ',,ll' 256 BANFF AND BEYOND. ilii^ :;! fm :. w4 fi before nightfall, and to accomplish this meant strict attention to the business of walking, as the distance exceeded thirty miles. * We '11 have to peg away like good fellows, Arthur,* said Bruce, setting his companion a good steady pace. * We can get to Eldon anyway, even if we don't make Laggan.' The road ran alongside the Bow River for some distance through a densely-timbered valley, stupen- dous mountains guarding it on either hand — one of them bearing the curious name of Hole-in- the- Wall, because of a big cavern high up its craggy side which was reputed to be a great resort of the wild goats and big-horn sheep. The boys could see the mouth of the cavern quite plainly, and Arthur would have liked very much to try the climb up there. * It -wcnld be splendid to say that we'd really seen some of those strange animals,* he said, ' and I wouldn't mind staying over a day for the sake of it.' Bruce looked thoughtfully up at the cavern. ' We 'd need a regular outfit of guides, provisions, and things to get there,' said he. * We couldn't pos- sibly manage it by ourselves. Let us wait until we get to Laggan. That 's a better place still for sheep and goats they say. We '11 have a chance to get a sight of them there perhaps.' This suggestion satisfied Arthur, and they plodded on steadfastly, with occasional pauses for a refreshing drink from the ice-cold waters of the Bow, reaching the station at Castle Mountain not long after mid-day, and remaining there for dinner and a good rest. Their stopping-place was at the base of the great peak whoso name it bore, and which towered up live u mm m w ita .v w MmMn wi W -*!^ *■ BANFF AND BEYOND. 257 I I t strict listance A.rthur,' iy pace, 't make )r some stupen- -one of le-Wall, 3 which )ats and 1 of the ^e liked illy seen vouldn't ^visions, pos- we sheep get a n't ^ mtil )r plodded freshing reaching QDiid-day, lie iireat up live thousand feet above it like some vast giant's-keep, with turrets, bastions, and battlements complete. In every direction rose ranges of snow-covered peaks ; and when the boys resumed their tramp, fresh vistas of grandeur and beauty opened out at every turn of the road. Pilot Mountain, Copper Mountain, Mount Temple, and, beyond it, standing supreme over all, the pro- digious, isolated, helmet - shaped mountain named Lefroy, the loftiest and grandest in the whole pano- rama. Such were the glorious objects upon which the young pedestrians feasted their faculties of apprecia- tion of the sublime and beautiful, the varied tints of the scarred and splintered mountain-sides contrasting tinely with the absolute whiteness of the snow-wreaths about their summits. As the afternoon waned, the boys began to weary with the steady walking. It was five o'clock when they reached Eldon, and Laggan was still ten miles ahead, so that they had pretty well made up their minds to stay for the night, when Artliur noticed a couple of the section-men getting a hand-car ready to go in the direction of Laggan. ' I wonder would they take us in,' he said to Bruce. * 1 11 ask them anyway.' ' Certainly, if you 11 work your passage,' was the prompt reply when he had proffered his request. To tills condition the boys readily acceded, and the next minute they were off for their first ride on a hand-car. For some time they were permitted to be simply passengers, and they found the experience highly en- joyable, the hand-car running along smoothly and steadily, while the sturdy section-men toiled at tho i.C ,i w 258 BANFF AND BEYOND. "I I I ill I handles of the motive power, which worked up and down like those of a vessel's pump. To sit on the front of the platform and command a perfect view of the glorious landscape while thus being carried on their way pleased the boys im- mensely; but when after oie-half the distance had been accomplished, one of the section-men suggested that they might now take a hand, they found that the work of pumping out motion was no child's play. The perspiration was soon pouring down their faces, and aches that were increasingly hard to endure de- veloped in their arms and backs. But they would have stuck at it until they dropped in sheer exhaus- tion rather than cry out for relief. So they kept to it valiantly until one of the men, taking pity on their evident distress, said good-humouredly : ' You 've got lots of sand, you have, young fellows ; but I guess you 're pretty sick of that pumping. Let us take the handles for the balar ce of the trip.' Right gladly did the boys resign their places and resume their seats on the platform, where the cool evening breeze fanned their heated brows luxuriously as they rode at their leisure to Laggan By great good fortune they found Mr Ashdown, who kept the chalet-hotel at Lak*^ Louise, which was their objective point, just about to leave the station, and lost no time in securing seats in his express waggon. A rousfh and rather tedious ride over a newlv-made road, which climbed the mountain-side by cautious curves, broujjht them to the margin of the lake by nightfall, and thoroughly tired with the day s under- U I > BANFF AND BEYOND. 259 and Imade Itious [e by ider- takings, they were glad to dispose of a bountiful supper and tumble into bed immediately after. They were up with the sun next morning, and were well rewarded for their enterprise by a spectacle the like of which had never greeted their eyes before. Before them lay the full expanse of Lake Louise, the first of the famous Lakes in the Clouds, a beautiful sheet of water set in the midst of towering mountains whose wonderful variations of tint and outline were repeated with marvellous fidelity in its unruffled bosom. On their right the tree-clad steeps slanted sharply up until their peaks seemed to touch the clouds; on their left a mighty mountain rose righb from the water's edge two thousand feet or more, its precipi- tous face glowing in the bright morning sunshine with gorgeous hues of red and brown and }/ellow, while off at the far end of the lake there was an opening as of a vast proscenium revealing range upon range of gleaming glaciers and snow-wreathed cliifs. The almost supernatural beauty of this scene awed the boys into silence, and they had been looking long upon it before Bruce broke the stillness by saying as he drew a deep breath of admiration : * This is fit for the home of the gods ! * Arthur assenting to his chum's classical suggestion, added one more practical, as he gazed at the aque- marine tinted water : ' Let 's have a dip ; it looks lovely.' Seeking out a s(»cluded cove, they stripped off their clothes and plunged in without waiting to try the temperature of the water. The first splash was instantly followed by howls of ■\ 260 BANFF AND BEYOND. •:;f >'i,' pain and dismay. The lake, fed by melting snow, was deathly cold, and to swim in it was utterly impossible. Chilled to the very marrow, the boys struggled franti- cally ashore, and had to lie in the warm sun for some minutes before they could reclothe their numbed bodies. * Jerusalem ! ' chattered Arthur. * That was a cold reception with a vengeance. No more dips in moun- tain lakes for me,' As soon as breakfast was over, they proceeded to make arrangements with Mr Ashdown for the day. * We want to do two things here,' Bruce explained. 'We must see all the lakes of course, and if at all possible we want to get a sight of the mountain sheep and goats. We don't want to shoot them, but simply to see them.' * Well, I can't just promise you that I can manage the sheep and goats for you,' replied Mr Ashdown, * but I '11 do my best. It '11 be an all day job.' A bright-looking Indian lad, who could be trusted as a guide, was placed at their disposal ; and, taking a good supply of sandwiches, they set out, having no other arms than their revolvers, although Mr Ashdown offered them one of his own rifles. They expected to be away until evening, and they impressed upon their host to have a good dinner awaiting their return, for they would assuredly be as hungry as wolves. Fifty yards from the house they plunged into the dense pine woods, through which a rough trail crept in an undulating fashion up the steep ascent. There was no pretence of a path. Roots of trees, rocks, and fallen trunks had to be avoided as best BANFF AND REYOND. 261 w, was Dssible. franti- >r some lumbed a cold moun- oded to iay. plained. £ at all in sheep b simply manage wn, but trusted taking having U£ch Mr They npressed ng their ngry as ed into igh trail 3ent. of trees, as best one could ; and, sturdy as they were of limb, the boys soon realised that they had a tough job, seeing that the third lake lay some two thousand feet above Lake Louise, and that from its maririn the mountains and glaciers rose to still loftier heights. But the climbin':: was not half so bad as the insect pests. There were mosquitoes in troops, gnats in myriads, and ' bull-dogs ' in battalions. The bull-dogs were the worst when they got their work in properly. They were large powerful flies, something like blue- bottles, which took a piece right out whenever tliey bit, the pain inflicted being intense for a while, but soon passing away, as there was no poison in their fangs. It was not until the boys bound up their faces in their handkerchiefs that they got any relief from their persistent tormentors, yet the Indian lad slipped lightly along without the slightest discomfort. ' Look here, Brownie,' said Arthur, giving the guide a name off-hand, not knowing what he ought to be called, ' how is it the flies and mosquitoes don't bother you, when they 're biting us as if they 'd been starved for a month ? ' 'Wah! that's all right,' was the grinning rer'y. 'They get plenty tired bitin' me. Give it up for a bad job. But you — you're fresh They glad to git you, um ! ' and he smacked his lips as if he could fully enter into the insects' appreciation of new victims. • Confound the pests ! whatever were they created for?' cried Arthur, swiping savagely at a bunch of buzzing bull-dogs. * Why can't a fellow be left in peace ? ' 262 BANFF AND BEYOND. illlil ,','■1 '111 1 'They're to teach us the virtue of patience, I suppose,' said Bruce consolingly, ' and to prevent our getting too fond of this beautiful world.' As he spoke the forest opened before them, and they found themselves at the edge of Mirror Lake, a smaller sheet of water than Lake Louise, yet no less lovely in its way. So deeply was it sunk amidst the apikey pines that not a breath of wind rippled its surface, and every detail of the mountains towering above it was repeated in its glossy bosom. Thence the trail, ever growing steeper and rougher until finally it became almost perpendicular, led up past the tree limit to the third and last of the Lakes in the Clouds, Lake Agnes, filling a great cup carved out of the mountain top with its dimpling azure- hued waters. The boys had accomplished the main part of their climb, and were glad to throw themselves beside the outlet and have a good rest, while the brisk breeze not only cooled their heated countenances but blew away from them the provoking mosquitoes which were on hand even at that height f: 'i' 'i : 'i ) ! ■li ' ^ . [ i» ::l| i J . , 1 •1 i:' 1 s ' 1 k kt^ i; i ! ii 1 - ...,— ^ pines CHAPTER XV. GOOD LUCK IN THE MOUNTAINS. ROM their lofty eyrie the boys could look down upon both the other lakes, Mirror Lake showing little more than a gleam of blue amidst the dark green of the pines, Lake Louise spreading out its smiling breadth with the chalet nestling cosily in a cove at the lower extremity. A couple of sandwiches washed down by the ice-cold crystal-clear water that tumbled joyously past them made a refreshing lunch, and they were then ready for farther explorations. Bruce, who had great faith in the potency of the * almighty dollar,' held up one before ' Brownie's ' eyes as he said : * Bring us within sight of some sheep or goats, and this dollar is yours, besides your wages for the day.' Brownie's eyes glistened. He was a very intelligent- looking chap, and had quite a pleasing countenance. * You want to shoot 'em ? ' he asked, with a doubtful glance at the revolver at Bruce's hip. ' No,' Bru'jo replied. * Not to shoot them, but simply to see th^.m. You bring us as near to a band of them as you can. That s all you 've got to do,' IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) A 1.0 ;!:>- 1^ I.I 1.25 1^ 1^ 2.2 11= M ill 1.6 Photographic Sciences Corporation 2i /VST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 873-4503 '^ I'll 264 GOOD LUCK IN THE MOUNTAINa i': SH * All right, boss,' responded Brownie. * Me do it, you bet, but' — and he gave both boys a scrutinising look — * you '11 have plenty climb.' * Oh ! we '11 do the climbing right enough,* said Arthur confidently ; * you just show us the way and we 11 follow you.' They accordingly set off along the left-hand shore of the lake, picking their way over the boulders which King Frost had hurled down from the heights above. Near the upper end of the lake lay a great snow-bank ; and, on reaching it. Brownie, his dusky features lit up with excitement, pointed to a line of tracks plainly marked in the snow. * Bear ! ' he exclaimed eagerly. * Big bear make that.* The announcement sent a curious thrill through the boys. It was the first time in their lives that they had seer, the actual footmarks of a wild animal, nearer acquaintance with whom might be dangerous, and their feelings at first were by no means innocent of fear. In fact, either of them would have been rather glad if the other had suggested going no farther. But they were both too proud io be the first to speak, and, moreover, there was a twinkle in Brownie's dark eyes that helped to silence them. By way of concealing their temporary embarrass- ment, they proceeded to give the bear-tracks as close an inspection as if thereby they would be enabled to pronounce upon the exact variety of bruin that made them, and the length of time that had elapsed since they were made. Of course, as a matter of fact, they had to depend upon Brownie for information on both points; and in response to the inquiring looks they turned to him, he said, with a kind of chuckle : iii li GOOD LUCK IN THE MOUNTAINS. 265 i do it, tinising h,' said ^ay and id shore ra wliich is above, w-bank ; •es lit up J plainly eagerly. ougli the hat they il, nearer md their of fear. ler glad first to Jrownie's ibarrass- as close ■abled to lat made led since act, they on both »ks they 'Yas — plenty big boar that. He make tracks last night. Gone away now verra far,' and he gave an expressive sweep with his arm in the direction of the distant peaks. * All right we '11 follow him. Go ahead ! ' said Arthur, putting a bold face in the matter, and Brownie, starting off with a smiling countenance, they completed the circuit of the lake and attacked the terminal moraine of the glacier at its head. It was hard climbing, the boulders being heaped upon one another in wild confusion, and they could make but slow progress, yet they kept at it sturdily until they had overcome the moraine and reached the rocky slope beyond. Not being provided with the proper appliances for mountain climbing, such as hobnail boots and alpen- stocks, they had to proceed very cautiously, and they were fortunate in having an unusually intelligent and careful guide in their dusky companion. Onward and upward they made their way, taking in little of the majestic and awe-inspiring scenery around them because of their intense absorption in the search for the animals they hoped to see. Such manful energy and enterprise deserved success, and yet it was not until long after mid-day that there seemed any hope of the boys being rewarded. Indeed, they were growing quite discouraged, and were in the mood to give up the chase, when Brownie, who had climbed a sharp ridge in advance of them, suddenly drew back his head from the summit and beckoned vigorously to them. Creeping to his side as silently as shadows, they peered expectantly over the edge, and their hearts : 13 ' ! I i i i 'in 266 GOOD LUCK IN THE MOUNTAINS. leaped simultaneously for joy at what their eager eyes beheld. Beyond the ridge lay a wide cleft in the range, and on the farther side of this, too distant even for rifle-shot, a fine band of mountain sheep was going slowly in single file, led by a superb ram whose massive horns were fit to adorn a ducal mansion. The boys drew deep breaths of grateful admiration as they saw this monarch of the mountain moving in his pride from one pasture to another with his docile following of ewes and lambs, and it seemed almost too good to be true when the sheep had hardly disappeared before a pair of goats, white and shaggy, bearded like ancient druids and looking quite as wise and solemn, came up over the other side of the ridge beyond the valley and picked their way deliberately downward as though to cross to where the boys were concealed. 'Oh — if they will only come right close to us,* whispered Arthur, trembling all over with excitement. It really seemed as if his desire would be granted, for the curious-looking creatures had advanced one- half the distance when suddenly they stopped, sniffed the air suspiciously, and, the larger one giving a peculiar whistle of alarm, the two dashed away up the steep slope at a rate that soon carried them out of sight. * See ! ' hissed Brownie, grasping Bruce's arm. * Big bear scare them,' and there was a strange expression in his eyes, whether of fear or mere excitement was not clear. Sure enough, lumbering lazily along as though nothing was farther from his thoughts than a supper of mutton chops, a great brown bear came into sight at the upper end of the valley. He was apparently looking neither to right nor left, and the three human GOOD 'UCK IN THE MOUNTAINS. 267 ^er eyes in the mt even as going massive miration Dving in is docile most too ippeared :ded like solemn, ^ond the )wnward cealed. J to us,' itement. ^ranted, ced one- , sniffed peculiar le steep ght. a. 'Big pression ent was though a supper to sight parently human spectators watched him with bated breath until he went on past them and vanished in the direction taken by th ^ sheep. t ' Upon my word ! * exclaimed Arthur, when bruin had undoubtedly disappeared. 'What an afternoon we 're having ! Sheep, goats and bear on view almost at the same time. Brownie, you shall have an extra dollar from me as well as from Bruce.* 'And now,' added his cool-headed companion, 'let us start for home. We 've no time to lose in getting there.' Bruce's statement was true enough. In the ardour of their search for the sheep they had taken into account neither the flight of time nor the distance tra- versed; and now that their ambition had been grati- fied and their excitement had subsided they were rather dismayed to realise what a long way it was back to the chalet-hotel beside Lake Louise. However, it was a case of the less said the sooner mended, and off they started, resolved to spare them- selves no exertion until they had come within sight of Mr Ashdown, who would no doubt ere long be looking out for them. But the fates, which had been so propitious hitherto, betrayed them shamefully ere they had got more than half-way back to Lake Agnes, for a mountain mist, arising as if by magic, enveloped them in its blinding bewildering folds, so that even the shrewd sagacious Indian lost his bearings, and, after wandering about for some time, refused to proceed any farther for fear of falUng over some precipice. Their situation now became decidedly serious. They were practically lost on those wild bleak moun- 268 GOOD LUCK IN THE MOUNT/ INS. tain-tops, where they stood a fair chance of having to spend the night without tire, food, or shelter ; and moreover, besides all the risk of injury through such exposure, there was the well-grounded fear of bears which might see fit to attack them for daiing to intrude upon their hunting-grounds. They were brave enough boys, as has alreaay appeared ; but such a state of affairs was sufficient to try the stoutest heart, and it must not be put down to their discredit if at the first they both gave way to a kind of petulant despondency that was not at all like them, and made Brownie regard them with wondering looks. But they did not allow this mood to hold them long. * Tut ! tut ! ' exclaimed Bruce, jumping up from the boulder upon which he had been seated, and shaking himself as if to be rid of something, 'there's no use in our acting like children, even if we are in a bad fix. Try again. Brownie, and see if you can'jj make some headway in the right direction.* 'That's the idea,* said Arthur, brightening up in his turn. 'Go ahead, Brownie, you'll hit the trail soon again.* Thus encouraged. Brownie began again to work out a way home, the boys cautiously following a little behind him. It was an arduous, dangerous task, and one that tested the Indian's native instinct and intelligence to the utmost; but he persevered in it until even his sinewy frame had to yield to fatigue, and still Lake Agnes had not been reached. ' We 've got to stay here all night if that mist does not disappear soon,' said Bruce, in a tone more of GOOD LUCK IN THE MOUNTAINS. 269 having er; and gh such )£ bears BLking to alreaay Bcient to )ut down gave way as not at hem with lold them ) from the id shaking Ithere's no le are in a ■ you can *j ling up in ifc the trail in to work following a gerous task, instinct and evered in i* d to fatigue, 1. at mist does ione more of resignation than of despair. Brownie nodded affirma- tively, while Arthur groaned ; and just at that moment, as if the fates were satisfied with the sport they had made of them, the enfolding mist began to roll up toward the peaks, and in a few minutes there was not a whiff of it between them and the sky, already crimsoned b}'' the setting sun. 'Hurrah!' shouted Arthur, gleefully, 'now we can see where we're going. Fire ahead, Brownie, we'll follow you.' Brownie led off at the best pace possible under the circuii tances, and the three youths slipped and scramblrl and slid and jumped from ledge to ledge and from boulder to boulder, taking all chances rather than lose time. It was really remarkable how rapidly they pro- gressed. Nevertheless, so far had they to go that darkness closed in around ere they made Lake Agnes, and only the subtle instinct of the Indian enabled them to finally reach its rocky margin. There was no moon, only the jewel-like stars gave light ; and although Brownie seemed perfectly confident of his ability to guide them safely down to the hotel, whose lights they could just discern twinkling like fire-flies in the dim distance, Bruce thought it best to spend the night beside the lake. There was wood at hand in plenty. They had matches, and no harm could befall them with a blazing fire for comfort and protection. This plan commended itself to Arthur more because of its romantic aspect than as a measure of prudence, and he heartily assented to it, while Brownie had no particular objection. iilliSriil '» f 'M 'i i 1!' ' i .1 - ^ I' i h J ' m <: i^ ::- ?l : ; k i > < ^m '} ■■■: MM I a 270 GOOD LUCK IN THE MOUNTAINS. Accordingly the wood was gathered, the fire started, and, basking in its genial warmth, the boys quickly forgot weariness and cold. That night in the mountains was a wonderful experience. Their camping-place was a broad turf- covered ledge that formed the boundary of the lake, and through a channel in whose centre the waters rushed musically down the mountain-side. Behind them lay the lake itself, reflecting in its placid bosom every antic of the leaping flames, while before them opened out a stupendous amphitheatre, now filled with darkness but displaying by daylight a sceno of unsurpassed majesty and beauty. Brownie took first watch while the tired boys stretched themselves out for a sleep, and they had got well into the land of Nod when a moving light appeared in the darkness below, and presently a strong voice shouted up. * Hullo ! is that you. Brownie ? ' The Indian sprang up joyfully, and going to the edge of the clift", replied: 'It's me, boss. We's all right.' So soundly were the boys sleeping that they did not awaken until Mr Ashdown shook them, saying : 'Wake up, gentlemen, and I'll show you the way back to the hotel.' When they did get their eyes open they both felt somewhat reluctant to leave so romantic a sleeping- place; but in view of Mr Ashdown's kindness in coming for them, and of the attractions of a good dinner followed by a more comfortable bed than the best of turf, they decided to go back with him. Guided by his lantern, the descent of the mountain GOOD LUCK I\ THE MOUNTAINS. 271 was made rapidly and safely, and they got to the chalet in fine form for the substantial repast Mrs Ashdown had awaiting them. They amused their host very much by an account of the day's adventures, and he congratulated them warmly upon their rare success in getting a good view of the wild creatures of the mountains. 'I can tell you, my young friends, that many a chap has come up here with a full climbing and hunting outfit, and has gone away again without a sight of a horn or hoof. The goats and sheep are getting shyer every year, and soon they'll disappear altogether, I suppose.' The boys slept late the following morning, for they were thoroughly tired, and the sun had got well on its way toward the zenith ere they left Laggan behind. But this did not matter seriously, as they were not going to make a hard day's tramp of it. Field Station, less than a score of miles ahead, being as far as they planned to get before night. Seven miles steady walking brought them to the highest point reached by the railway in crossing the Rockies. Thenceforward they would be on the down grade until the ascent of the Selkirk range was begun. A little beyond the summit they came to the beautiful Wapta Lake, on whose margin was Hector Station, where they were able to get a satisfactory lunch. From this point the scenery became almost terrible in its sublimity, and the boys were glad that they had not to hurry through it behind a panting engme. The railroad track was cut into the mountain-side 272 GOOD LUCK IN THE MOUNTAINS. (h miim Li at the left, while on the right the valley dropped sharply away, with the Kicking-Horse River foaming furiously along its bottom and showing a ribbon of snowy white through the dark green of the close-set pinesL All that afternoon they walked in the shadow of Mount Stephen, the monarch of the range, whose mighty dome, glowing with many colours, soared high above the nearer peaks, and upon whose broad shoulder they noted with admiring wonder a huge glacier, nearly a thousand feet in thickness, pressing forward and over a dizzy precipice, its translucent green contrasting finely with the stern gray rock. Arri^ at Field Station just as the sun sank behind ^i, mountain-tops, they were delighted to find there a pretty little hotel, fitted up in the most modern style of comfort and convenience, where they secured a room, and hastened to brush up for dinner. This meal was served to them in the same style as if they had been in a large city instead of in the midst of the mountains, and they relished it all the more on that account. ' I tell you, my boy,' said Arthur, at the end of the fourth course, laying down his knife and looking about him with an air of supreme content, 'this tramp of ours is the greatest scheme we ever hit upon. Why, we've been having simply no end of fun, haven't we, and we're not by any means through with it yet.' * We '11 have to be through with it by the end of a fortnight at the most,' responded Bruce, who never allowed present enjoyment to make him oblivious of duty. 'If we miss the steamer at Vancouver we'll dropped foaming ribbon of close-set hadow of re, whose rs, soared ose broad Br a huge 1, pressing ranslucent rock, sun sank ed to find the most here they r dinner, e style as of in the it all the ind of the d looking bent, 'this hit upon, of fun, s through end of a who never blivious of uver we'll i GOOD LUCK IN TJIE MOUNTAINS. 273 have to wait a month there, and that would never do. But a fortnight's long enough to walk the rest of the way, and of course if we should get pressed for time we can take the train and hurry up that way.' They were up betimes the next morning, and had despatched breakfast and settled their bill before the west-bound train rolled into the station. While its passengers were having breakfast at the hotel the boys got into conversation with the engine-driver, who was standing by his engine, and Arthur with his wonted communicativeness told what they wore doing. The engineer showed a great deal of interest in them on hearing this, and, after asking a number of questions which they readily answered, said : 'You're a bright pair of lads, and you've got lots of grit. How would you like to have a ride on the engine with me as far as Donald, where my run ends ? ' Arthur looked at Bruce, and Bruce looked at Arthur, and they each read eager assent in the other's eyes. * Oh ! thank you ! * they answered together. ' We 'd like it ever so much.' 'Climb up then, and take seats on the left side of the engine. We '11 start right away.' In a veritable ecstacy of delight — for a ride on an engine had been a long-cherished dream with both — they disposed themselves on the narrow bench that was set under the window on the left side, and with a delicious sense of superiority watched the passengers hurrying into the cars. ■i al n lii 1 : "''m 274 GOOD LUCK IN THE MOUNTAINS. Presently the bell rang — the engineer opened the throttle-valve, the wheels began to revolve, and they were off for a two hours' ride in the cab of a locomo- tive, without a doubt the two happiest boys in the country. >M llJ It m \ m i I ■'■"^' A^ 1 vi mod tho nd they locorno- s in the CHATTER XVI. TIIllOUGII THE ROCKIES TO THE SELKIRKS. HE entriiicer waa a hi;,'hly intcili^jcnt man, who took as much pride in the scenic splendours of his ' run ' as if they liad been his private property, and he v^as careful that the boys should miss nothing that ought to be seei:. The Ottertail Moujitains on the left, and the Van- home on the right, bearing glaciers high up on their massive shoulders, shut in the valley through which the train sped, the line now rising from the flats beside the Kickinij-Horse River, and aojain descendins: to follow its impetuous course until it reached Mount Hunter, where the famous canyon began, along whose narrow bottom the darinfj constructors of the road had disputed for room with the furious torrent. The ride through this canyon was a wonderful experience ; and the boys, who at Palliser Station had with some difficulty obtained permission to ride on the cow-catcher on the very front of the engine, were glad beyond description at having such an opportunity. Just beyond Palliser the mountain-sides became '.'. i' V.' ?!i'"' t (iPl i I H' lii pi il 276 THROUGH THE ROCKIES TO THE SELKIPKS. absolutely perpendicular, rising straight up for tliou- sands of feet, and so close together that a schoolboy's throw would have carried a stone from one to the other. Down this stupendous chasm went railway and river together, the former crossing from side to side to ledges cut out of the living rock, and twisting and turning like some gigantic serpent, every minute or two diving through projecting angles of the rock that were easier to tunnel than to turn around. With the towering cliffs almost shutting out the sunlight, beautiful bright day though it was, and the roar of the train and of the river, that seemed to be competing with each other, echoed and re-echoed from the mighty walls, the full sublimity of their situation revealed itself to the boys, and they made no attempt to speak, but clung to their precarious seats in silence. It was not until the train suddenly emerged into the bright valley where the city of Golden stretched itself beside the broad Columbia that either of them found speech. * Wasn't that a glorious ride ! ' exclaimed Arthur. * We may never have a chance like that again in our lives.' * I shall never forget it as long as I live,' responded Bruce. 'But say, Arthur, what would have become of us if we had run into something on the track. We 'd have been done for, sure, wouldn't we ? ' 'I suppose we would,' assented Arthur. 'But I never thought of that; I was enjoying myself too much.' * Well ! I 'm very glad I 've been through it,* rejoined Bruce ; * but I don't think I 'd care to do it again. We RKS. for thon- choolboy's lie to the Iway and to side to sting and minute or rock that y out the 3, and the ned to be [loed from situation attempt n silence. pged into stretched of them Arthur, in in our esponded become ne track. 'But I ^self too rejoined dn. Wo THROUGH THE ROCKIES TO THE SELKIRKS. 277 must get back into the engine cab as soon as the train stops.' When the train pulled up at Golden they resumed their seats, and remained there during the rest of their friend's run, which terminated at Donald a little before mid-day. After a good dinner at the hotel, they resumed their tramp, being minded to reach Bear Creek Station by evening, and there spend the night. Crossing the Columbia River they left the Rocky Mountains behind, and began the ascent of the Selkirk Range, wh'ch looked supremely beautiful, as, bathed in the afternoon sun, it rose from forest-clad base to ice- crowned peak, presenting a radiant warmth and glory of colours that made it seem more like an outlying province of fairy-land than a section of British Columbia. Indeed, it was this aspect of these mountains that impressed Bruce most deeply. 'Just look, Arthur,' said he — sweeping his hand across their unbroken line, matchless in form — 'how perfect they are ! and how easy it is to imagine them the home of some marvellous gv.nii like those we used to read about in our fairy-books ! ' As they advanced they ascended rapidly, the grade of the railway being as high as 116 feet to the mile, and the river sank almost out of sight in the densely- wooded valley below. By keeping up a steady pace, they got to Bear Creek Station in good time for supper, and secured accommodation for the night which was comfortable if iiot particularly commodious. The next day brought them to so many new wonders, 51/,. f t ■ m 278 THROUGH THE ROCKIES TO 'JHE SELKIRKS. that it was in some respects the most memorable of the whole tramp. Making an early start from Bear Creek, the road took them away from the Beaver River, which had now diminished to a silver thread one thousand feet below, and they went up the gulf -like gorge of Bear Creek, with majestic trees — firs, spruce and cedar — casting cool shadows on their path. In this portion of the railway, a tremendous diffi- culty the brave builders had to overcome was that caused by the numerous torrents, many of them indeed splendid cascades, which pitched furiously down the steep slopes, cutting deep channels in the mountain- sides. These Iiad to be spanned by iron-girder bridges or lofty wooden trestles, whose construction called for the highest skill and the most liberal outlay. The most remarkable of all was the one at Stony Creek, a single arch of superb sweep, springing clear across a gorge but little short of three hundred feet in dizzy depth. When the boys came to it they thought it the most beautiful bridge they had ever seen, and they halted a while to look down from its centre to the foaming torrent beneath, and to have a little chat with one of the section men, whose cabin stood at the western end. * How did they ever manage to get that bridge across ? ' asked Arthur in a tone of mingled wonder and admiration. *It looks to me as if the builders must have been hung from balloons or something like that.' Tiie section man laughed. He had small knowledge THROUGH THE ROCKIES TO THE SELKIRKS. 279 of balloons, but he knew that they had not been called into requisition for the construction of Stony Creek bridge. * Oh ! they managed it right enough with false work and all that. But, look ye here, young strangers, how long do ye think it took them to put that bridge up?' Bruce studied the iron viaduct, as graceful as a spider's web, but as strong and enduring as the crags which it united, for some moments in silence, and then hazarded a guess : * Three months at least,' he said, feeling sure that he had kept well within the mark. The section man slapped his thigh, and chuckled until he got quite alarmingly red in the face, for he was inclined to aldermanic proportions. * Three months ! ' he exclaimed, and then after another violent chuckle he repeated it. * Tliree tnonths! and would you believe me if I told you it didn't fairly take three days ! ' The boys suddenly found themselves between the horns of a dilemma. To express incredulity would not only be a very rude proceeding in view of their short acquaintance, but it might be a perilous one. The section man might be as ready with his cuffs as he was with his chuckles. Yet he had directly challenged them as to belief in his statement, and they certainly could not conscien- tiously accept it without some further explanation. ' It seems hardly possible,' began Bruce cautiously, *but' * I knew ye wouldn't believe it at first,' rejoined the section man with a fresh chuckle, for he was evidently ti'^■ 280 THROUGH THE ROCKIES TO THE SELKIRKa i! ■:] i if i ! II I LI; J' 1 enjoying this little bit cf 'gossip* very much, his op- portunities for such social relaxation being very limited at his lonely post. * But it 's true all the same. Ye see,' he went on, 'there used to be one of the biggest and highest bits of trestle in all the world across that there Stony Creek, and it was costing a pile of money to keep in order and to guard from fire, so the company decided to tear it down and put an iron bridge in its place, and now I 'm telling you the truth, that great big trestle was pitched out of the way and the new bridge all put together in its place, and the trains were delayed little over twenty- fcur hours ! ' There was no doubting the man's sincerity, and, marvellous as his story seemed, the boys felt bound to believe it, yet Arthur had to ask one more question : * And how did they do it all so quickly ? * 'Well, you see it was this way,' was the ready answer. * Every bit of the bridge — every girder and bracket, panel and plate — had its number, and every man knew just what pieces he had to handle, and what he was to do with them, and they were all drilled afore- hand ; and so they went to work just the same as so many soldiers, and not a slip did they make. Oh ! it was a fine job, and no mistake. It 's not easy to beat this company when it means business.' The boys were quite convinced by this time, and having delayed as long as they had intended, they thanked the section man for his courtesy, and continued their walk with an increased admiration for the com- pany whose extraordinary enterprise made such engineering achievements possible. But they had not long left the bridge behind before THROUGH THE ROCKIES TO THE SELKIRKS. 281 a new wonder broke upon them, to wit, the first of the snow-sheds ! These remarkable constructions, which might indeed be more fitly called artificial tunnels, had been devised to save the railway from destruction by the avalanches, that, all the way from Bear Creek to Glacier, are a fruitful source of danger in late winter and spring. They were built of heavy squared timber, dove-tailfxl and bolted together, backed by rock and fitted into the mountain-side in such a manner as to bid defiance to the most terrific * snow-slide ' that could possibly occur, because the roof of the tunnel formed a continuous line with the slope of the mountain, so that the mass of snow would shoot across it, and plunge harmlessly into the valley below. Never having seen anything of the kind before, the boys were at a loss to fathom the purpose of the shed ; but this did not daunt Arthur from avowing his pur- pose to go through it. They found the cool shade of the interior very grateful after the heat of the sun, and were walking leisurely along, noting the tremendous strength of the structure, and speculating as to its purpose, when a thunderous sound in their rear warned them of the swift approach of the train. Yielding to a sudden impulse of fear, they both started to run in the hope of reaching the end of the snow-shed before the train overtook them. Skipping two ties at every spring they put forth an admirable burst of speed, but it proved a vain efibrt. The dark heavily-timbered tunnel was far longer than they imagined, and the train, coming on with an M!i 282 THROUGH THE ROCKIES TO THE SELKIRKS. m -V' 1 ( ii' k I 3! J m Ji , vfP h ; 1 . 11^' ' S . - 11 1 k ( 1 appalling roar, overhauled them with unpitying rapidity. * We can't beat it/ gasped Arthur, his breath being pretty well spent ; * on which side shall we stop ? ' Bruce looked to right and left, on the one side was the scarped rock so close to the track that there could be no safety there, on the other the sharply slanting side of the snow-shed. * Let us get in there,' he panted, pointing to a nook where two massive beams made an angle. Stopping short they went down on their hands and knees in tliis refuge, just as the locomotive dashed past like a thunderbolt, sending a jet of steam that blinded them for an instant, and following it with a dense volnine of smoke that nearly suffocated them. But that was all the harm it did them ; and when the cars had rolled by the boys crept out of their corner and looked at one another laughing : 'Well, what a precious pair of fools we've been,* said Arthur. * We were in no danger at all, and instead of getting ourselves all out of breath we might just as well have stayed where we were when we heard the train first.' * Oh ! we '11 be wiser next time,* responded Bruce, taking a philosophical view of the matter. ' There '11 be no next time so far as J. 'm concerned,* rejoined Arthur. 'The next one of them affairs we come to I intend to take an outside ticket. It may not be quite so cool.' * But we won't miss any of the scenery,* interjected Bruce, whose appetite for tine views was insatiable. After that, accordingly, whenever they came to a snow-shed, and they passed a good many of them KS. mpitying ith being >P ?' side was lere could T slanting to a nook lands and ^e dashed :eam that it with a I them, and when \, of their 've been/ all, and we miorht when we ed Bruce, oncerned,* ifFairs we It may Qterjected jiable. ame to a of them ' Jj lu the Gorge of Bear Creek. — :'. 28.S. TlMlIlp' |i' ! \^\ MfJf-Tfr lii' 1 • ■ ■i.- ' iS i ; fi 1 ■ i , I Mi il 5 ' .! il 1 I Lv ill THROUGH THE ROCKIES TO THE SELKIRKS. 283 before they were done with the Selkirk mountains, they walked along the top, unless as in some places there was an extra railway track outside for summer use. They were much struck with the abundant provision against fire in connection with these sheds. At nearly every one of them a stream had been captured on the mountain above, and led down by wooden channels so as to run the whole length of the roof ; and every day during the heat of the summer the section men would drench the roof so that no spark would find a ready reception there. Between Stony Creek and Glacier Station, where they made a halt for the day, the boys passed through the grandest scenery of all the route. The gorge of Bear Creek deepened into a tremendous ravine, with Mount Macdonald towering up on one side to the height of a full mile and a quarter above the railway track, its base being but a stonesthrow distant, while it rose sheer into space, a bare stupen- dous monument of surpassing grandeur. On the other side of the ravine, and scarcely less lofty, stood Hermit Mountain, to whose base the line clung care- fully until, through the majestic portal formed by these mighty mountains, it ventured into the famous Roger's Pass, whereby the crossing of the Selkirks was achieved. Continuing on through this narrow valley, with mountain monarchs looking down upon them at every turn, the boys presently reached Selkirk Summit, an unimportant station, where they rested a few moments; and then resuming their tramp, made no further halt until they arrived at Glacier Station a little before mid-day. s m n >\ • BU||jHBnM| K Pli** : , 1' ^ 111 .l«i ii^« 1 > : .1 ■i 1 i.! * i I 284 TimOUGII THE ROCKIES TO TUE SELKIRKS. There was a fjood deal to be seen here, so they decided to remain over-nif^ht, there being a very comfortable railway hotel for the accommodation of tourists. Dinner would be served upon the arrival of the west-bound train in the course of an hour; and while waiting for it they amused themselves playing with a brown bear which was chained to a post at the rear of the hotel. Being a very tame, good-natured creature, and only half-grown, the bear had the range of a bit of lawn so far as his chain would allow him, and readily responded to the boys' overtures of friendliness. They procured some pieces of biscuit and lumps of sugai from the hotel, and were still engaged with their acquaintance when the train rolled into the station. Among the passengers was a globe-trotting English- man, duly attired in knickerbockers, checked stockings, Norfolk jacket and deer-stalker hat, who came up to have a look at the bear before going in to dinner. * Ah ! ' he drawled, regarding boys and bear through his eye-glass as though they were all three of the same order of creation, 'what a rum little beggar, and quite harmless of course ! By Jove ! but I must bring him something after dinner.' Sure enough, as soon as he had finished his dinner, he filled his pockets with lumps of sugar and sweet biscuit, and returned to the bear. The boys were also on hand, and were rewarded by witnessing one of the most ludicrous sights they ever beheld. After emptying his pockets to the insatiable creature, the Englishman began to maul him about and to try in; I THROUGH THE ROCKIES TO THE SELKTRKS. 285 JO they 1 very ,tion of . of the ir ; and playing post at ,nd only of lawn readily s. d lumps red with into the English- ockings, me up to ner. through of the beggar, I must t IS dinner, id sweet pys were ^sing one 1 creature. Id to try his strength, not noticing that this proceeding brought him well within the circle round which the bear had ranged. Indeed he was not far from the post when the conductor's 'all aboard/ summoned him back to his place in the train, and exclaiming 'By Jove ! I must cut and run for it/ ho let go of the bear, and started for the train. But Master Bruin had found him quite too generous and genial an acquaintance to be willing to part with him so hurriedly, and accordingly, as the English- man turned to leave him, he rose suddenly on his hind legs and threw his fore-paws around the man's waist. Somewhat startled by this demonstration, and fearful of missing the train, the Englishman strove to wrench himself free, and, after a momentary strujTnrle succeeded. But alas ! the bear's claws had sunk too deeply into the soft cloth of the knickerbockers to be readily loosened, and as the creature, not of course with any malignant intent, but simply in affectionate zeal, held on the more tightly, the consequence that was inevitable ensued. There was a sound of rending cloth, a volley of by no means edifying exclamations from the English- man, and a chorus of uncontrollable laughter from the many spectators, then, with the whole back of his breeches left in the bear's possession as some consola- tion, may be, for this unceremonious leave-taking, the unfortunate tourist dashed madly down the slope, across the platform, and disappeared in the Pullman car. The two boys, whose proximity to t^.is most comical scene had given them a perfect understanding of it. m 286 THROUGH THE ROCKIES TO THE SELKIRKS. hi' I, ij' threw themselves clown on the gross and fairly rolled over one another in paroxysms of laughter. The broad humour of the whole affair was perfect in its completeness, and it was some time before they regained composure. Then Arthur went up to the bear — who, after paw- ing over, in a puzzled way, the fragment of cloth left in his possession, had evidently come to the conclusion that he had no use for it — and patting the animal on the head, said effusively : 'Oh, Brownie, you did that to perfection. It was the funniest thing I ever saw in my life.' Whereupon Brownie, seeming much pleased at the compliment, rubbed his nose lovingly against the boy's hands, and they had a good time of it together. But the bear was not the main attraction at the station. Only a mile and a half away the great glacier showed white and vast above the thick green forest between it and the hotel, and a visit to this wonder — whose bulk was said to be equal to that of all the Swiss glaciers combined — was to be the busi- ness of the afternoon. It was a comparatively easy matter getting to the foot of the glacier, for a good path led through the forest, along which the boys could walk at their ease. But when they reached the terminal moraine their difficulties began. Here were piled in riotous confu- sion the multitude of boulders of all shapes and sizes that the irresistible might of tlie icy monster had torn from the mountain-side and carried down with its slow advance. Over these boulders, many of them smooth and RKS. irly rolled ter. The 'ect in its fore they if ter paw- cloth left conclusion animal on I. It was THUOUOH THE ROCKIES TO THE SELKIRKS. 287 slippery, and across the numerous torrents that got their vigorous life from the glacier's decay, the boys had to pick their way back with exceeding care. More than once they narrowly escaped a nasty fall, and Arthur did, by a sudden slip, plunge one foot into an ice-cold bath. That, however, was the worst that happened to them ere they reached the foot of the great glacier, and after a brief rest then ventured upon its ascent. ed at the the boy's Br. 3n at the the great lick green it to this to that of the busi- ig to the •ough the at their line their IS confu- and sizes had torn with its ooth and H: m i\i ■\ i CHAPTER XVir. DOWN THE GLACIER AND INTO THE CANYON. [OT having provided themselves with crampoons or ice-sticks, both of which they could have obtained at the hotel for the asking, the boys were in no wise fitted out for climbing glaciers, and the enterprise was a foolhardy one had they known it. But of this they had no suspicion, and there was no one at hand to warn them ; so, without taking much thought about it, they began the ascent. At first they had not much difficulty. The lowest portion of the glacier was of course the oldest, and the ice which composed it was seamed and scored with cracks and wrinkles which afforded a good hold for their feet, and enabled them to make promising progress. 'Why, it isn't so hard as I thought it would be,' cried Arthur exultaiitly. 'We'll be able to get right up on to that beadtif al white place, and see the whole glacier, won't we ? ' * It looks like it,* said Bruce ; ' and I '11 be very glad if we do, for I 'd like to see the view from there. It must be very fine.' • 1*1 IL •%^-' DOWN THE GLACIER AND INTO THE CANYON. 289 The higher up they climbed the more difficult became the work, for they came to fresher ice, and their feet were prone to slip. Still the slope was comparatively slight, and by digging their heels in well, and not pressing on too fast, they continued to progress. But presently, after they had ascended some hundreds of feet, they came to a place beyond which Bruce's caution would not allow him to go. The slope grew suddenly steep, and what he feared was that even if they should succeed in getting up some part of the way, a slip of the foot might send them flying back again at imminent risk of broken bones. Arthur did not want to stop. He quoted some verses of 'Excelsior,* as illustrating his spirit, and vowed he would go on alone. An argument ensued which soon waxed warm enough to endanger the happy relation that had hitherto existed, and which Arthur brought to a close by exclaiming, in a tone of mingled indignation and contempt : * You 're just a coward, Bruce ; you 're always think- ing of you're precious neck, and afraid of its being broken. You can stay where you are and watch me, if you daren't come along,' and then he continued the climb. Bruce's face blanched and then flushed. Hot, stinjr- ing words of retort sprang to his lips ; but, by a heroic eftbrt, he held them back, and stood in silence, the same power of self-control which had closed his mouth enabling him to resist the temptation to respond to his companion's challenge. For a little distance, Arthur, by dint of digging his toes deeply into the crumbling ice, managed to make I 1 •fit** m i ! ' Hj|"' ! -. ' i i H i •: r i 1 I . 290 DOWN THE GLACIEU AND INTO THE CANYON. headway ; and feeling p^oud of his success, he glanced back to see what Bruce was doing. That moment both feet slipped from under him, and, falling over on his back in a frantic effort to recover his standing, he glissaded down the slippery- slope, gathering speed with every yard until he struck violently against Bruce, who had stood his ground, hoping to stop him. Then a curious thing happened. The collision did check Arthur sufficiently to enable him to get his lingers into a convenient crack, and thus bring himself to a full stop. But the headway he had acquired transmitted itself to poor Bruce, who, all unwillingly, was sent spinning down the slope towards the foot of the glacier, while Arthur watched him with helpless horror and concern. * Oh ! Bruce ! Bruce ! ' he cried, * can't you stop your- self ? ' The question seemed one that answered itself. Short of a miracle no chance appeared of Bruce's swift descent being checked, in spite of his own frantic endeavours to find something to grasp with his eager hands, until he was dashed against the pitiless boulders at the glacier's foot. Reckless of consequences to himself, Arthur began to scramble down the treacherous slope in the wake of his chum, without any definite plan for helping him, but determined to share his fate, whatever that might be. Now it happened that a lump in the ice changed the course of Bruce's c.escent, and sent him off to the left, where there was a kind of hollow, half filled with water. DOWN THE GLACIER AND INTO THE CANYON. 291 As he was going down feet first he could not see w^hat was before him, and knew nothing of this icy bath until he plunged into it with a splash that sent the water flying up on all sides. The sensation was far from pleasant, yet that pool of water undoubtedly saved him from injury, if not from death, for it acted as an effectual check upon his perilous slide, and he was able to bring himself to a full stop in its farther edge. Arthur noted this with a cry of joyful relief, and, changing his direction also, slid down toward the pool, and was carried right into it, so that he got nearly as wet as his companion. But he recked nothing of this. Bruce was safe, and that was all he cared for; and he felt so glad that he threw his arms about him, and gave him a great hug, while saying in a voice that had more than a hint of a sob in it : 'You're all right, aren't you, Bruce? And I'm so sorry for acting as I did.' * Well, I 'm not much hurt, but I 'm pretty wet, and so are you, for that matter,' responded Bruce, shaking himself to get rid of some of the superfluous water. * But,' he added, cheerily, * it might have been ever so much worse, and we mustn't grumble, but get back to the hotel as quickly as possible.' The remainder of the descent of the glacier was safely accomplished, and, once across the troublesome moraine, they raced back to the hotel, where they had to go to bed until their clothes were dried, as they had no change of garments with them. They did not mind this, however, for they were both very tired, and the long rest quite fell in with their i AT ;):f r^ 1 i?ii 1"' ' : j . . i ■ ' '- ■ 1 i i I i;5.-:. f^ii d 292 DOWN THE GLACIER AND INTO THE CANYON. inclination, so that they stayed between the sheets until early the following morning. After breakfast they were idling about the station, not being in any hurry to set out again, when a hand- car came down from the Roger's Pass with two men aboard, and stopped at the station. Remembering the pleasant trip they had enjoyed on the other side of Laggan, the boys looked at the car with longing eyes, and when the men, after a brief talk with the stationmaster, resumed their places, Arthur made bold to speak to them. * Would you mind taking us with you as far as you are going ? ' he asked, in a most appealing tone. The men grinned and glanced at each other. * Take you to Illecillewaet for a quarter a-piece,' said one of them curtly. *A11 right,' responded Arthur, springing on the car. * Come along, Bruce ; ' and in a trice they were both seated on the front edge of the platform as com- posedly as if they belonged there. The men started the car immediately, but that was all they had to do; for once they were beyond the level stretch in front of the station their business was to check its speed rather than to increase it, and they gave their attention to the brakes instead of to the ' pump.' As it chanced, the boys could not have chosen a finer bit of the road to traverse in a hand-car, for they were about to make the descent of the famous Loops, the most remarkable piece of engineering on the whole route, by means of which the extraordinary difficulties here presented by nature were successfully sur- mounted. DOWN THE GLACIER AND INTO THE CANYON. 293 less was The Loops began around the mountain-side, and as the car whirled swiftly down the gleaming rails, turn- ing now to the right and again to the left, rattling over long and lofty trestles and across strongly- timbered bridges, the boys were astonished to see that their course was much like that of the well- remembered Corkscrew on Tunnel Mountain, only on a greatly enlarged scale. First crossing a valley leading down from the Ross Peak glacier, and touching for a moment the base of Ross Peak, the line doubled back upon itself a mile or more to the right, until hardly a stone's-throw sepa- rated the two tracks ; then, sweeping around to the left, it brushed Cougar Mountain on the other side of the Illecillewaet River, and, crossing again to the left, went on down the valley parallel with its former course. ' Look, Arthur, look ! ' exclaimed Bruce, as the car spun around the final curve. * That 's the way we came down. Isn't it wonderful ? * It did indeed seem wonderful, for, far above them, were two long gashes in the mountain-side, showing plainly against the splintered crags, and running parallel to each other, that were the handiwork of man, indicating where he had ventured to build the iron road down which the car had swiftly sped. The ride over the Loops was a memorable experi- ence. Seated comfortably at the front of the hand- car, and having absolutely nothing to do but to hold on and gaze about them, the boys were enabled to enjoy it all to perfection. So smoothly and steadily did the car roll along that they took no thought of the distance traversed ; and when they reached the end i i • I f ! I II ■*v liir i ; t| I li. m n wt m ■11 , ' ;:■■'; :i|| ; fe tti^i 294 DOWN THE GLACIER AND INTO THE CANYON. of the descent, and ran into Illecillewaet Station, they were no less surprised than sorry. * I wish we could do it all over again,' said Arthur, after they had paid and thanked the section men. ' It didn't last half long enough.' * That 's so,' responded Bruce. ' But it was splendid while it did last.' Then, glancing back over the way they had come, he added, with a quiet smile, * But just think, Arthur, what a job it would be working back again ! I 'm afraid it would take as many hours as we were minutes coasting down.' Arthur shook his head very decidedly. Such an undertaking had no attraction for him. Even to walk up that steep grade would have more than contented him. Losing no time at Illecillewaet, they kept on until they reached Albert Canyon, the most striking of several deep fissures in the mountain, whose edges the track skirted. Here they halted for a good look at this remarkable rift in the solid rock, many hundreds of feet deep, and holding at the bottom the river within such narrow limits that it boiled and foamed like a cauldron as it forced its way through into larger space. As they stood near the edge of the chasm, Bruce challenged Arthur to a contest in stone-throwing. The other side of the canyon seemed within easy range, and there was plenty of small stones lying at hand. * Do you think you conid throw a stone across that?' said Bruce, indicating the widest part of the chasm. ' Of course I could,' answered Arthur confidently. DOWN THE GLACIER AND INTO THE CANTON. 295 *I believe I could jerk one over/ and he stooped to pick up a stone. ' Don't be too sure,* rejoined Bruce. * The distance is greater than it seems.' They had some difficulty in finding just what they wanted, but eventually were suited ; and after Arthur had made a couple of vain attempts to jerk a stone across, they both threw with all their might. To their great chagrin, the missiles fell short, Bruce's hitting the clitf far down, and Arthur's not going even so far. This naturally roused them to greater efforts, and, in his eagerness to accomplish the feat, Bruce forgot his wonted caution, and went so near the edge of the cliff where it was shaley and soft that a piece of it broke away beneath him, and with a wild cry of fright he disappeared. Arthur had his back turned at the moment, being engaged in looking for a stone ; but, hearing the cry, he wheeled round just as Bruce's head vanished. Uttering an exclamation of horror, he rushed to the spot, fearing nothing less than the sight of his com- panion falling headlong into the boiling torrent far below. But happily Bruce's case, though desperate enough, was not so hopeless as that. By a marvellous piece of good fortune, his fall had been arrested by a stunted spruce tree, which was making a brave struggle for life on a narrow ledge, and he was clinging to this precarious hold with the strength that is born of despair. ' Oh, Bruce ! * cried Arthur, with a sob of relief, ' can you hold on there until I help you up ? * iir f> : ir ■ P.ii! 5^; ^I'l' 296 DOWN THE GLACIER AND INTO THE CANYON. * I can hold on all right,* was the calm reply ; for, in spite of his appalling situation, the boy had not lost his self-control. * But I 'ra not so sure about the little tree. Get help as soon as you can." Arthur looked around with anxious eyes. Bruce was too far down to be reached without a rope or a long pole, and neither was at hand. He hated to leave him for an instant, but he must do it if he would help him. * Hold on tight, Bruce dear, and I '11 try and hunt up something,' he said, and darted back to the rail- way track. Not a human being was in sight, nor could his sharp eyes discover anything to suit his purpose. His anxiety was intense. He was desperate enough to attempt the impossible if it would do poor Bruce any good. A little way up the track there was a railed platform, erected by the railway company to enable the passengers to get a good view of Albert Canyon, the trains always stopping a few minutes for that purpose. The sight of this gave 'Arthur an idea. Running to it he strove to wrench off the rail. It would not budge. But he was not to be foiled. Taking a short run, he hurled himself against it with all his force. His shoulder got a cruel bruise, but his expedient suc- ceeded. With a crash the rail broke away from the posts, and, shouting for joy, he dragged it over the chasm, calling out : * I 've got it, Bruce ! I 've got it ! * The rail was of suflficient length, and, letting go his hold on the tree, which indeed could not have borne him many minutes longer, Bruce grasped it firmly and strove to pull himself up. DOWN THE GLACIER AND INTO THE CANYON. 297 But now a new peril presented itself. The side of the cliff was too perpendicular to allow him to get any sort of a purchase with his feet, while Arthur had not strength enough to pull him up to the top, Bruce being much the heavier of the two. All that poor Arthur could do was to keep him suspended against the cliff side, and this for but a few minutes, the strain being too great to be longer endured. Neither of the boys spoke, but they looked into each other's faces with a pitiful expression of parsionate anxiety. Arthur's strength was waning, and it seemed as if he would have to let go, or himself share his com- panion's doom, when there broke upon his ears the whistle of an approaching train. 'Hurrah, Bruce!' he gasped, for he was well-nigh exhausted. * There 's a train coming. Keep your grip, and you '11 be all right.' ':;; w / i i l 1 ' ill 'ill !!i>i U\ l/i . I i i : 1 ■■ Is- I ! II- ii :i| .iH :! i ;ii CHAPTER XVIII. THE END OF THE TRAMP. T was well for both boys that the passenger trains made a rule of pausing at Albert Canyon, for to this circumstance alone did Bruce owe his escape from an awful death that would have thrown a dark shadow over Arthur's life. The moment the locomotive appeared, Arthur began to shout for help, and soon the brakesman and con- ductor were running towards him. They did not require the situation to be explained. They took it in at a glance, and relieving the ex- hausted boy of the strain he had borne so nobly, and encouraging Bruce to 'hold on like the' they drew him up slowly and carefully to the top of the cliff, where he sank down at their feet, limp and cilmost fainting. The passengers quickly gathered about, and many were the questions Arthur had to answer, and very hearty the congratulations showered upon both boys at the fortunate termination of their adventure. Being too wearied for farther walking that day, the boys boarded the train ere it started again, and passenger at Albert alone did ful death c shadow lur began and con- ixplained. the ex- ►bly, and they of the imp and many id very boys ^at day, bin, and THE END OF THE TRAMP. 299 I went with it as far as Sicamous Junction, which they reached shortly after sundown, remaining there for the night. Thoroughly set up again by a good night's rest, they took to the road in good time; and for the following two days had most delightful walking along the south shore of the great Shuswap Lake. This superb sheet of water, which, as Bruce aptly said, was just like a Scotch loch magnified many times, lay among mountain ridges, filling the interven- ing valleys with its placid, pellucid waters; and the builders of the railway had thought it more economical to run around the numerous arms than to bridge them. The road therefore turned and twisted like a mighty serpent, but always had the lake on the one side and the mountain on the other, the view ever changing as point after point was rounded and now vistas opened up. The boys did not hurry. Twice each day they halted for a bath in the inviting waters, and frequently they came upon flocks of wild ducks, which they amused themselves by scaring with stones, sending them off with a wild whirr of beating wings. They were always able to obtain some sort of meal when they got hungry, and they met a good many people by the way, with whom they would stop and chat for a little while. And so they came to Shuswap Station, where, to save time, for they had not many days left, they took the train as far as Savonas, thus getting through that part of the Thompson Valley where the scenery was least remarkable at a rate that left them more time for the wonders which were to follow. 300 THE END OF THE TRAMP. I fi'l l> i U : !J Just beyorid Savonas, the mountain drew cloao to the railway, and the series of Thompson River canyons was entered wliich led westward throucjh marvellous scenery. Their first day's tramp ended at Ashcroft, a busy little town, which was the point of departure for the Cariboo and other goldtields in the northern interior of British Columbia. Hero they were much interested by the big freight- waggons drawn by six, eight, or even ten span of sturdy oxen, which took the place of the railway train over the difficult mountain roads; and where there was no road at all, but merely a trail, the patient, sure- footed mules, bearing heavy packs, went in long trains which were made up at Ashcroft. And then there were the Chinamen, met with for the first time in numbers, who worked away as busy as bees and quite as oblivious of the curiosity with which the boys studied them. 'They're funny little fellows, Bruce, aren't they?* said Arthur, after watching their ceaseless activity, and listening to their incomprehensible chatter. * They don't seem to be quite the same kind of beings as we are. They 're more like some sort of educated monkey.' Bruce laughed, for a similar train of thought had been running through his mind. * I must say I don't feel much inclined to call them my brothers,' he responded, ' although of course they are, all the same. But they know how to work, don't they, and tc talk too ? Wouldn't you like to be able to make out what they're saying to each other? Perhaps they 're making remarks on us.' 'I'd be inclined to punch their pig-tailed heads if THE END OF THE TRAMP. 301 I thonuht so ! ' exclaimed Arthur, with assumed indiir- nation. *Como along, or they'll think we're achniring them.' Leaving Ashcroft, the boys kept on stefidily, and pre- sently came to Black Canyon, a winding gorge of almosb terrifying gloom and desolation cut by the Thompson River, which reminded them of Albert Canyon. The marvellous skill and daring shown bv the builders of the road in combating witli the tremendous difficulties here encountered called forth their constant admiration. They I'elt glad they were on foot, if only to get a full view of what had to be done to make a smooth, solid highway. Emerging from the canyon, they saw before them, rising rank upon rank and peak upon peak, the glistening pinnacles of the Cascade Range, the last mountain barrier between them and the Pacific Ocean, and they gave a loud hurrah, and waved their caps at the sight, for they were now growing weary of their long journey. A little beyond Black Canyon they got their first sight of the famous old waggon road, built in the days of the Cariboo gold-rush to connect the mining camp with the coast ; and as soon as Arthur's eyes fell upon it, he exclaimed : * Look here, Bruce, let us take that road. It would be ever so much better fun than this tiresome track ; don't you think so ? ' Bruce looked long and carefully at the road. It certainly had an attractive appearance as it stretched along the rocky bank of the rushing stream, and, knowing nothing of its ruinous condition farther on, he said : 'ii:'!ii ; M ^i 802 THE END OF THE TRAMP. m I ( 1 I lull nil r a.i.i ' All nVht, Arthur. Wo can try it for n while any way, and if we tlon't like it we can come back to the track by one of the bridges.' So they deserted the railway for the road, and were delighted with the change, the old highway, though considerably the worse for wear and neglect, still affording excellent walking, although it would have been impossible to drive a four-horse coach over it, as used to be done in by-gone days. The scenery of this part of the Thompson Valley was full of interest. The river whirled down its wind- ing path us green as an emerald where not lashed into snowy foam, and on either side of it the hills were carved into infinite variety of form, and decked with constantly-changing colours. Sometimes the banks were rounded cream-whHe slopes, then came clitis of richest yellow dashed with maroon, followed by masses of rust-red clay, or slopes of brilliant olive-green grass. As the mountains drew together, and the valley deepened into another canyon, the scenery grew wild beyond description, so that the boys marvelled at men having the daring to run a waggon road, not to speak of a railway, through such a place. Yet there, just across the gorge w^as the iron high- way cut into the face of the crags hundreds of feet above the struggling river, and overcoming every obstacle stern nature had presented by means of tunnels bored through th^ solid rock, or iron bridges flung across yawning ravines, or abutments of massive masonry so securely fastened to the clift's as to become part of itself. Nor was the road upon which they were walking THE END OF THE TRAMP. 303 much less worthy of admiration. Twisting and turn- ing around the corners of the cliffs, it sometimes descended to the river's edge and then climbed again far up the inhospitable crags, seeming rather to beg its way along than force it, as did the railway. No portion of their long tramp made so deep an impression upon the boys as this; and had they not been so nea** the end of their time limit they would gladly have lingered over it instead of hurrying on. At the small trading town of Lytton, whose popula- tion seemed to consist chicHy of Indians and ranch- men, they put up for the night, and the next morning's walk took them into the famous Fraser Canyon, where that greatest of British Columbian rivers, coming down from the north between two great lines of mountain peaks, had cub for itself a strangely jagged and con- torted passage through the rocky barrier. The clear green waters of the Thompson were exchanged for the turbulent yellow flood of the Fraser, which surged and splashed its way downward with fearful velocity. 'Not much temptation to take a .r,vim here,' said Bruce, as he stood watching the furious torrent from a projecting point. * I suppose Captain Boyton himself could not live in it many minutes.' * And to think that it 's going as hard as that all the year round,* said Arthur musingly. 'How tired one would get of its everlasting noise if you had to live close to it. I 'm sure I couldn't stand it for a week.* *0h! you'd get used to it in a little while,' said Bruce, * and then it would be a sweet lullaby for you, to sing you to sleep. Don't you remember how 304 THE END OF THE TRAMP. '■■' i "Ml , II ■ f! ■■': delightful it was at Banff to have the waterfall just below our window ? ' ' Oh, yes ! but that was very different,' responded Arthur. 'There was music in that waterfall, but there 's none in this tremendous roar.' They were close by the river as they talked; but soon the road mounted again, and went on climbing higher and higher until at length it reached an altitude of a thousand feet above the yellow flood, being secured to the face of a gigantic precipice by a succes- sion of timber trestles that were fast rotting away, rendering extreme care necessary in passing over them. Their attention was now attracted by small parties of Indians stationed on projecting rocks at the water's edge, and spearing or scooping out with dip-nets th3 salmon which abounded in the eddies. ' That 's a funny way to catch salmon, isn't it ? ' said Arthur. * I wonder if we could do anything at it.' 'I'm quite sure we couldn't,' responded Bruce so decidedly that it nettled Arthur sufficiently to make him reply : ' Well, if you are, I 'm not. It doesn't seem so very difficult.' * If you think so you had better try it for yourself,* rejoined Bruce, with a smile. * So I will, if one of the Indians will lend me his sc. op-net,' retorted Arthur. * I '11 ask them at all events,' and so saying he made his way down to where a stumpy, swarthy Indian was balancing himself in what seemed a very perilous position upon a point of rock, and sweeping the boiling whirlpool below him with a large scoop-net at the end of a long elastic pole. Sb ^ THE END OF THE TRAMP. 305 over Arthur watched his dexterous movements for some little time in silent admiration before he plucked up courage to proffer his request. Then he said in a humble, hesitating voice, for the Indian had anything but a prepossessing appearance : ' Would you please lend me your scoop-net for a few minutes? I want to see if I could catch a salmon with it.* The Indian's only response was to give Arthur a suspicious, inquiring look, and with an expressive * Ugh ' to resume his fishing operations. This put rather a damper on Arthur's ardour ; but, when he saw the brown-skinned fisherman deftly land a big salmon he was stirred up to a second attempt to get the scoop-net into his own hands. This time he bethought himself of trying the effect of money as an argument ; and putting a quarter of a dollar in his palm, held it out, saying : * I '11 give you this if you '11 lend me your scoop- net.' The aborigine's eyes sparkled in their circle of dirt like stars in an ebony sky, and, making a quick snatch at the quarter, he thrust the pole into Arthur's hands, grunting out : * Take him — try little while — all right.' Arthur grasped the pole, his cheek flushing, and his eyes flashing with excitement, and, taking the Indian's place, he plunged the net into the foaming eddy fifteen feet or more beneath him. It was no easy task to balance upon that narrow jagged point of rock and to sweep the swirling waters with the big scoop-net, which became so heavy the moment it sank beneath the surface. I ■. : ■■-.' ,■ 306 THE END OF THE TRAMP. r :n: • I- (■('. \h in ■ . 1 : yi f ji,. 'Hi i ': • i But when, by a strange freak of fortune, two heavy salmon were netted simultaneously, and the strain upon the slender pole became so great that the Indian, fearing for the precious apparatus by which he got his livelihood, sprang forward to Arthur's assistance, the rashness of the boy's undertaking was manifest. The Indian, grown expert through long practice, would have landed both salmon without much difficulty, but the achievement was one beyond Arthur's powers ; and it would have been better for him if he had given it up at once, an . ^ned the pole to its owner. To do that, howe v , was not according to his nature. His blood was up, and he would at least make a brave attempt at the feat. In spite of Bruce's warning cry: 'Take care, Arthur, let the Indian have it,' he took a firmer grasp upon the pole ; and thinking he saw better footing on a projection slightly below him, tried to leap down to it. Just at that moment the salmon gave a violent bounce in the net sufficient to impart a twist to Arthur that made him miss the projection with one foot. Encumbered as he was, he could not regain his balance with the other, and down he went into the whirlpool, just missing by a hairbreadth smashing his skull against the ragged edge of a shattered boulder. Both Bruce and the Indian uttered cries of horror at the sudden accident. The latter perhaps thought more of the scoop-net than he did of the boy, but as they were equally imperilled, he was no less eager than Bruce to effect a rescue. Poor Arthur had disappeared completely at the first ■ ' : I rV li^ -1. THE END OF THE TRAMP. 307 his the V Then came the rush for the station. Summoning all his strength for one final effort, Arthur bravely hopped along with the aid of his dusky supporters, and reached the station platform just as the engine appeared around the point not fifty yards away. It was a narrow victory, but it was suflScient. The Indians were paid and thanked, the boys clambered into the car, and Bruce had just time to get Arthur to a seat when the poor lad, exhausted as he had never been in his life before, collapsed in a faint. But he soon recovered from this, and was able to share with Bruce the enjoyment of the wonderful scenery which marked the remainder of the run through the Fraser Canyon, the great river being forced between vertical walls of sullen sombreness where, repeatedly thrown back upon itself by opposing cliffs or broken by ponderous masses of fallen rock, it foamed out its fury with unceasing thunder. The railway was cut into the side of the cliffs two hundred feet or more above the raging torrent, and the jutting spurs of rock were pierced by tunnels that followed so fast upon one another that the boys got tired counting them. On through the morning the train sped, flying past Yule, the head of navigation in the Fraser River, and Port Moody, which once hoped to be the ocean terminus of the railway, and at last coming to a full stop at the fine new city of Vancouver, which marked the end of its transcontinental journey. The railway station was on the pier, to the outer side of which the superb white steamship Empress of China lay moored, and the boys had only to cross the wharf in order to change their quarters. THE END OF THE TRAMP. 313 Having helped Arthur aboard, Bruce bustled about looking after their luggage, which was found intact, and seeing to the securing of state-rooms and so forth, in all of which he found the President's letter of immense assistance. Tliat afternoon the stately steamer began her voyage to the far Orient ; and as the boys sat on the upper deck, watching the Canadian shore recede, they were glad that their long tramp was over, but gladder still that in the main they had so faithfully adhered to their programme, and that they had so interesting a story to tell to their fond parents anxiously awaiting them beyond the broad Pacific. THE END. w I l'\ '■i' nn I Edinburgh : Printed by W. & R. Chambers, Limited. ll iri :u f -- .'1 ' i •' i ,i 't s 'A i t 1 M ,, .^4 gn| A^ srt>3^^