se to
stable their mounts, and thus kept them from the attacks of the insect
pests. They also showed extreme satisfaction at a rather elaborate camp
dinner gotten up by the boys in their honor as a relief from the rather
limited army rations that constituted their portion when riding over the
long trails of the "beat" which they covered four times a year.

The evening was spent around the camp fire; the boys giving an account of
the work that they had done since they left White Horse, and the troopers
relating many wild and hazardous adventures of the lands above Winnipeg,
including the forests, the posts of the Hudson Bay Company, the "land of
Little Sticks," and the "Great Barrens" that stretch north to Hudson's
Bay, and known as the "Silent Places" over to the west, where the Yukon
begins and joins itself to Alaska. To these were added many tales of the
Soudan and Indian by O'Hara, who had served in the British army.

When they retired that night the troopers refused to accept the share of
the tent offered them, but taking the hammocks which they carried, from
their saddlegear, fastened it to trees, and with their ponchos and
mosquito nettings over them, calmly retired for the night.

It was noon the next day when Swiftwater and the Scouts with him slipped
slowly down the river in their barge, and tied up to the bank. He greeted
the Northwest Mounted Police with pleasure, but showed considerable
perturbation when the story of the attack on the camp was related. He at
once investigated the extent of the raid on the stores, and was evidently
much pleased to find that although the robbers had taken considerable loot
with them they had not had time to load up the parts of the machinery
which they sorted out.

On Sunday afternoon the troopers took their departure, saying that they
would cover the creek on their way down, and try to find out where the
gang and their Indians had gone to. Swiftwater promised to follow down the
creek in a few days and up the Lewes and file a formal complaint at White
Horse. The "green stuff" and trout which the expedition had brought back
made a most acceptable Sunday dinner, and after it was over Swiftwater
gave the boys a small talk.

"I propose," said he, "to get to work to-morrow morning and erect the last
and most important building of our little city in the wilderness here, and
that is the cache. I'm going to hang onto this Injun we have here,
although he won't be of any use to us,