every once in awhile."

"Well," said Rob, "we could sit under a tree if we had to. I don't
suppose we could make a bark shelter, and we have nothing that would do
for a tent; but we have our _kamelinkas_, and the blanket we made out of
the sea-parrot breasts. We'd get along somehow. What do you say,
Skookie?"

Skookie grinned, understanding what was on foot. "All light--all light!"
he said.

"Agreed then, fellows," said Rob. "And we'll start this very morning,
because the bay is perfectly calm and there seems no danger of rough
weather. It'll be cold up in the mountains, so we'll take one blanket
for each two of us, and those that don't carry blankets will carry grub.
We two will take our rifles, John, and Skookie the axe. We'll get on
famously, I am sure."

The boys began to put out the different articles on the ground for
packing. "Now we don't want to make our packs too heavy," said Rob. "The
best way to pack is with a pair of overalls."

"How do you mean?" asked John.

"Well, you put all your things down on a piece of canvas or something,
and you lash it tight with a rope, making a bundle about twice as long
as it is wide, so that it will lie lengthwise on your back. You put your
cord around each end, and then around it all lengthwise. Now you take
your pair of overalls and straddle the legs across the lengthwise rope
until it comes to the cross rope around the lower end. Then you take the
ends of the legs and spread them apart at the other cross rope, wide
enough for your shoulders to go in, leaving enough of the legs for
shoulder-straps. Then you tie the ends of the legs fast to the cross
ropes with small cords. There you are with the best kind of pack straps,
which don't weigh anything and don't cut your shoulders. The legs of the
overalls are soft, you see. Big Mike showed me how to do this, back
home. He used to pack two sacks of flour up the Chilkoot Pass on the
snow."

"Yes," said Jesse, "I've heard about that way, and seen men pack that
way, too. There's only one thing that makes me against it now."

"What's that?" asked Rob, thoughtlessly.

"We haven't got the overalls!"

Rob's face fell as he rubbed his chin. "That's so," he admitted, "we
haven't! And our trousers are getting pretty badly worn and wouldn't do
for pack straps. I suppose we'll have to cut strips of seal leather or
take a piece off our bear hides. Well, we won't make the packs heavy,
anyhow, and we'll take it slow and easy."