emselves
confronted, even when going a hundred yards or so, with a forest
growth whose like they had never seen. Giant firs whose trunks were
six feet or more in diameter were everywhere. Sometimes they would
find one of these giants fallen in the woods, crashing down through
the other trees, even great trunks spanning little ravines or gullies
as bridges.

They were willing enough to make their path along any of these trunks
which lay in their way, for below them lay the icy floor of the
forest, covered with wet moss, or with slush and snow, since the sun
hardly ever shone fair upon the ground in these heavy forests. Dense
alders and thickets of devil's-club also opposed them, so that they
were at a loss to see how any one could make his way through such a
country as this, and were glad enough to reach even the inhospitable
pathway of their mountain river and to take to the boats again.

Unquestionably they made a long run that afternoon, for Leo evidently
was in a hurry to reach some certain point. Late as the sun sank in
that northern latitude, it was almost dark when at length they pulled
inshore on an open beach at the mouth of the brawling stream which
came down from the west out of a deep gorge lined with the ancient and
impenetrable forest growth.

"I wish we had some fish to eat," said John. "Couldn't we catch any in
this creek, or in the river?"

"No catch 'um trout," said Leo. "Too much ice and snow in water. Some
trout in Columby. In summer salmon come."

"And in spring mosquito come," said Jesse, slapping at his face. "I
think we'd better put up our new mosquito-tents from this time on."

"All right," said John. "That's a good idea. We haven't needed them
very much yet, but it looks as though the warm weather was going to
hatch out a lot of fly."

They now proceeded to put up on the beach one of the tents which had
earlier been brought along to the Cache by their uncle from Seattle,
where much of the Alaskan outfitting is done. This tent was a rather
curious affair, but effective in its way. It had about a three-foot
wall, and the roof extended for two inches beyond the sides, as well
as the two inches above the top, or ridge, where a number of grommets
allowed the passage of a rope for a ridge-pole. The boys pitched the
tent by means of a ridge-pole above the tent, supported by crotched
poles at each end, and lashed the top firmly to the ridge-pole.

The interior of the tent was like a box, for t