old to watch for, and soon after they came to a green bank from which
the forest had been cut away. Softly, rather regretfully, they pushed up
and made landing on the banks of a small stream, tributary to the great
river, that marked the end of the water route.

This stream, Ezram knew, was Poor Man's Creek, the stream of which his
brother had written and which they must ascend to reach Spruce Pass.
Only five miles distant, in a quartering direction from the river, was
Snowy Gulch, the village where they were to secure supplies and, from
Steve Morris, the late Hiram's gun and his pet, Fenris.

For a time, at least, they had left the utter solitudes of the wild. Men
had cut away the forest and had built a crude wagon road to Snowy Gulch.
And before they were fully unpacked they made out the figure of a
middle-aged frontiersman, his back loaded, advancing up the road toward
them.

Both men knew something of the ways of the frontier and turned in
greeting. "Howdy," Ezram began pleasantly.

"Howdy," the stranger replied. "How was goin'?"

"Oh, good enough."

"Come all the way from Saltsville?"

"Yes. Goin' to Snowy Gulch."

"It's only five miles, up this road," the stranger ventured. "I'm goin'
up Saltsville way myself, but I won't have no river to tow me. I've got
to do my own paddlin'. Thank the lord I'm only goin' a small part of the
way."

"You ain't goin' to swim, are you? Where's your boat."

"My pard's got an old craft, and he and I are goin' to pack it out next
trip." The stranger paused, blinking his eyes. "Say, partners--you don't
want to sell your boat, do you?"

Ben started to speak, but the doubtful look on Ezram's face checked him.
"Oh, I don't know," the old man replied, in the discouraging tones of a
born tradesman. In reality the old Shylock's heart was leaping gayly in
his breast. This was almost too good to be true: a purchaser for the
boat in the first hour. "Yet we might," he went on. "We was countin' on
goin' back in it soon."

"I'd just as leave buy it, if you want to sell it. In this jerked-off
town there ain't a fit canoe to be had. Our boat is the worst tub you
ever seen. How much you want for it?"

Ezram stated his figure, and Ben was prone to believe that he had
adopted a highwayman for a buddy. The amount named was nearly twice that
which they had paid. And to his vast amazement the stranger accepted the
offer in his next breath.

"It's worth something to bring it up here, you