is ridge-pole they laid others, and
thatched it all with pine boughs until they had quite a respectable
house. On the floor they spread out a deep bed of pine boughs, and so
sat back under their shelter, with their fire roaring and crackling in
front of them; and all agreed that they had a very comfortable camp.
Pretty well worn out by the hard work of the day, for their packs and
rifles had grown unspeakably heavy, they ate their supper of dried meat
and smoked salmon, and so curled up in their blankets, too tired to stay
awake.

The next morning they were up, feeling much more courageous after their
good rest.

"I think it might be a good plan," said Rob, "to leave one of the grub
packs here; and if we camp farther on to-night, and decide to go yet
deeper into the island, to leave a little grub at each camp, of course
swung up so that nothing can get at it to eat it."

"How far do you want to go?" asked John, whose legs were rather short,
and who was feeling a little stiff after his first day's travel.

"Well, I don't know," answered Rob, "but if you fellows agree, I'd be
for going at least a day's march farther up this valley. It'll be
colder, and it'll be harder climbing, but the footing will be better and
we can take our time. I'd like to see if there isn't some sort of a pass
up here, the other side of which leads down into the interior. I've
always heard that the arms of the sea came pretty near cutting this
island in two, along about the middle somewhere. We might have to take a
look over on the other side of the island sometime, if we stayed here
five or ten years, you know!"

The other boys looked sober at this sort of a jest, but pluckily agreed
to go on for at least one more day. This they did not regret, for they
found themselves now in a country savoring more of the mountains than of
the sea. Snow lay just above them, but the tops of the mountains seemed
fairly open. Their little valley had a steady ascent, although by this
time its watercourse had dwindled to a stream over which they could step
as they pleased. Along the stream there showed the inevitable trail of
the giant Kadiak bears which for hundreds of years had made these paths
over all the passes down to the streams. Fresh bear signs the boys saw
in abundance, but did not stop to hunt.

Once, as they crossed their stream, they passed the mouth of a short,
steep little ravine which opened down into the valley. Here Rob's eye
detected somethi