he stage trail. Into the special car
there came not only hunters and traders, but many women and children who
had prevailed upon the railway officials to help them forward on the last
stage of their journey into the river land.

As the pitching train made its way slowly beyond the city limits, Norman,
Roy and Paul also found themselves on the platform, ready for the first
sight of a new country. They were looking for sterile plains. Instead,
they found black land freely dotted with clumps of trees, with walls of
wild flowers on each side of the track. Magnificent strawberries almost
reddened the ground, while, by the fences, the ripening Saskatoon berry
gave the first positive sign of the new vegetation of which they were to
see so much.

For three hours the train crept forward, stopping now and then at little
stations, and at last reached the considerable settlement of Morineville.
Here, Colonel Howell expected to meet the construction train to which the
special car was to be attached, and from this point they were to make the
remainder of their journey of seventy-five miles to Athabasca Landing as
the sole passengers of their car.

But bad news awaited the travelers. The construction train had not
arrived but it was expected during the afternoon. The superintendent,
taking leave of his guests, left orders that their car should be
forwarded on the returning construction train and at noon he left on the
passenger train for Edmonton. Colonel Howell's car was switched onto a
spur and then began a wait for news of the construction train.

An affable telegraph operator did what he could to appease the anxious
travelers. By telephone he learned that the expected train had not yet
made half the journey between Athabasca Landing and Morineville, and in
that distance had been off the track four times. On the operator's
suggestion, the adventurers made their way to the village for dinner and
then returned to their car and spent the afternoon in hearing from time
to time that the construction train was off the track again.

"Promises well for a night ride!" suggested Roy.

"It doesn't mean anything," explained Colonel Howell. "They just slap
down an iron frog and run on again. Don't get scared about that."

When time for supper arrived, the agent gave it as his judgment that the
train couldn't get in before midnight and, in that event, that it
certainly would not go back until the next morning. Being assured by this
employ