cabin to shelter my best girl, and no hay up to feed
my horses! You bet it bothered me."

She hugged him sympathetically, and Bill smiled down at her.

"But it's plain sailing now," he continued. "I know that basin and all
the country beyond it. It's a pretty decent camping place, and there's
a fairly easy way out."

He bestowed a reassuring kiss upon her. They sat on the bowlder for a
few minutes, then scrambled downhill to the jack-pine flat, and built
their evening fire. And for the first time in many days Roaring Bill
whistled and lightly burst into snatches of song in the deep, bellowing
voice that had given him his name back in the Cariboo country. His
humor was infectious. Hazel felt the gods of high adventure smiling
broadly upon them once more.

Before daybreak they were up and packed. In the dim light of dawn Bill
picked his way up through the jack-pine flat. With easy traveling they
made such time as enabled them to cross through the narrow gash--cut in
the divide by some glacial offshoot when the Klappan Range was
young--before the sun, a ball of molten fire, heaved up from behind the
far mountain chain.

At noon, two days later, they stepped out of a heavy stand of spruce
into a sun-warmed meadow, where ripe, yellow grasses waved to their
horses' knees. Hazel came afoot, a fresh-killed deer lashed across
Silk's back.

Bill hesitated, as if taking his bearings, then led to where a rocky
spur of a hill jutted into the meadow's edge. A spring bubbled out of
a pebbly basin, and he poked about in the grass beside it with his
foot, presently stooping to pick up something which proved to be a
short bit of charred stick.

"The remains of my last camp fire," he smiled reminiscently. "Packs
off, old pal. We're through with the trail for a while."

CHAPTER XIX

FOUR WALLS AND A ROOF

To such as view with a kindly eye the hushed areas of virgin forest and
the bold cliffs and peaks of mountain ranges, it is a joy to tread
unknown trails, camping as the spirit moves, journeying leisurely and
in decent comfort from charming spot to spots more charming. With no
spur of need to drive, such inconsequential wandering gives to each day
and incident an added zest. Nature appears to have on her best bib and
tucker for the occasion. The alluring finger of the unknown beckons
alluringly onward, so that if one should betimes strain to physical
exhaustion in pursuit, that is a matter of no moment