the shore behind, and, moreover, seeing human
beings in the boat just ahead, struck out sturdily for the other side.

The swift icy current of the Athabasca carried the animals far
down-stream, and this time Uncle Dick did not try to keep the boat
up-stream, but allowed it to drift with the horses, angling down. It
seemed to those left on the hither shore at least half an hour before
a call from the other side announced that the boatmen had reached
shallow water. Of course it was not so long; but, whether long or
short, it certainly was fortunate that the journey had been made so
quickly and so safely. For now, one after another, they could see the
horses splashing and struggling as they found solid footing under
them, so what had lately been a procession of heads and ears became a
line of pack-horses straggling up the bank; and a very cold and
much-frightened train of pack-horses they were, too, as Uncle Dick
could have told his young companions. But what he did was to give a
great shout which announced to them that all was safe.

After that, of course, it was simply a question of freighting over the
remainder of the supplies and the others of the party, and of rounding
up the scattered horses from the grazing-places in the woods. Moise
insisted on having tea before the last trip was made; and by this time
the boys realized that at no time in these operations had they been
left alone with no one older than themselves to care for them in case
of accidents, nor had they been left without supplies close at hand.

"You're a pretty good manager, Uncle Dick," said John, while they sat
on a long log by the fireside before the last trip across the river.
"I'm willing to say that you're a pretty good engineer as well as a
pretty good contractor."

"Nothing venture, nothing have," said Uncle Dick. "You have to use
your head on the trail a little bit, as well as your nerve, however.
We'd have had to swim the Athabasca anyhow, and I'd about as soon swim
a train over a broad, steady river as to try to cross a rough mountain
river with a loaded train, and maybe get a horse swept under a
log-jam. Anyway, we can call the river crossed, and jolly glad I am of
it, too."

"When do we get any fishing?" asked Jesse. "That water looks too muddy
for trout."

"We won't get any fishing for a couple of days yet, probably," said
Uncle Dick. "And as to shooting, you must remember that we are now in
Jasper Park, and if we struck a game war