hoe. He was smoking a
cigarette.

"Hello," he said to Norman. "Pretty classy boats these, eh?"

"Yes," responded the boy, "and pretty rare too. You don't see many of
these around any more."

"I thought all the Indians used birch-bark boats in the North," commented
the young man.

"No more!" explained Roy. "They ship cedar boats up to Herschel Island
now. I haven't seen one of these bark boats for years. But these are the
real stuff!"

"Do you live here?" asked the young man, drawing on his cigarette.

"Both of us have lived here all our lives," answered Roy, looking the
unusual young man over carefully.

"Well, I'm a stranger," resumed the young man, proffering his cigarette
case, which appeared to be of gold and bore a crest on it. When the boys
declined he went on: "I'm going to live here now, however. I've just come
from Paris. I'm Mr. Zept's son. You know him?"

The two boys straightened. Mr. Zept was one of the richest and most
active citizens of Calgary. He was even ranked as a millionaire, having
made his money with the other big horse ranchmen in that part of the
world. He was a close friend of Norman's father and had been especially
active in organizing the Stampede.

"Oh, of course!" exclaimed Norman. "Everyone knows Mr. Zept. He's the big
man in this show. I'm glad to know you. I am Norman Grant and my friend
here is Roy Moulton."

"Oh, you're the fellows who are going to give the airship show,"
responded the young man with a marked interest. "I am glad to meet you.
I'm Paul Zept. I'm just through school--in Paris. I've been living with
my grandfather. Now I'm going to live here. My father wants me to go on
one of his ranches. I like horses but I don't think I like ranches."

"Your father has some fine ones," suggested Roy.

"Yes, I know," answered the young man, "but I want to get out on the
frontier. I thought this was the frontier." He smiled as he turned to
wave his hand toward the skyscrapers and factory chimneys and suburban
homes near by on the hills. "But this doesn't look much like it. I want
to get out in the wilds--and that's where I'm going."

"Do you know what that means?" asked Norman with a smile in turn. "Do you
know about the spoiled pork and bannock and mosquitoes?"

"I suppose you mean the rough part," answered the young man. "I've never
had much of that but I want to try it. I want to get beyond civilization.
I want to get where I can see things I can't read about. I'm tir