to the boys small vials of a swarthy looking mixture
compounded of oil of cedar, oil of tar and pennyroyal. With this they
bathed their faces and hands frequently, which had the effect of
discouraging the pests and greatly reducing their attacks. The mixture
entered the pores of the skin, however, and it was not many days before
everyone of the Scouts was as tawny colored as the Siwashes who had left
them.

"You're not the only Injun in camp, now," said Jack, addressing Don, who
had been adopted into a tribe of Crees in the Canadian Rockies. "If this
Patrol should step into an Indian village now we'd be adopted offhand on
our complexions alone."

"I'm na so certain," replied Don, "but I think I could get along the rest
of my life in comfort if I never smelled pennyroyal again. 'Tis not a
perfume that grows on ye."

"It certainly has grown on us the last week," said Rand, "and I notice
that lately the mosquitos seem to be taking a liking to it. At least they
don't seem to mind it as they did at first."

It was true that the insects seemed to be growing larger and fiercer as
the summer advanced, and it became essential to secure better protection
for the workers in the daytime. The miner brought out a half dozen
ordinary linen hats, and cutting up sufficient netting for the purpose
with his sailor's "palm," sewed it around each of the headgear. This, when
placed on the head, allowed a fall of netting to drop down on the
shoulders, protecting the face and neck. This was found to be a great
protection, and as the boys had grown somewhat hardened to the stings they
got along very nicely.

The next job undertaken was the foundation for the sawmill itself. For
this purpose, Swiftwater had brought along some bags of cement, and a
small excavation similar to that made for the house was dug about eighteen
inches deep and filled with boulders rammed in with clay. On this a wood
fire was built, and the clay burned hard, resting on this around the edges
a form of boards was placed, making a sort of bottomless box. The cement,
mixed with sand and water from the creek, was made into a concrete which
was poured into the form upon the baked clay and boulders. The plastic
mass when it filled the boxlike structure to the top was smoothed off and
allowed to dry. Forty-eight hours after it had hardened into stone and the
foundation was complete.

The camp duties devolved upon the Scouts as well as the hard labor which
had been a leg