the man at last, "I'm mighty glad to hear all this. I
wish you'd let me do some talking myself for a few moments. Will you let
me tell you something about myself? It won't take long. I hope," and he
motioned the two boys to the seats on the box, "when I'm through, it will
interest you." That it did, the next chapter will amply prove.

CHAPTER III

COLONEL HOWELL MAKES A NOVEL PROPOSAL

"My name is Howell," began the man; "Hill Howell," he went on, "and in
the places where I'm best known I'm frequently called 'Colonel' Howell,
but I don't get that title because I am a native Kentuckian. I secured it
up in this part of the world--just why, I don't know. I'm not going to
tell you the story of my life or of any remarkable adventures, because
I'm only a plain business man. But I'll have to repeat to you some
account of my experience in the Northwest before you understand why I'm
so interested in your machine and in you young men.

"In Kentucky," resumed Colonel Howell, after he had helped himself to a
cigar from his vest pocket, "we once thought we had oil. To prove how
little we had, I spent my own small means and, while I got no oil to
speak of, I got a considerable knowledge of this industry. This came just
in time for me to make my way to Kansas. That was fifteen years ago.
There I found not only oil but considerable return for my labors. It
didn't make me a rich man, but it gave me all the money I needed.

"Then I discovered that I had considerable of the spirit of adventure in
me and I started for the Klondike. Like many another mistaken prospector,
I determined to go overland and down the Mackenzie River. With a small
party I started down the Athabasca River from Athabasca Landing. I would
probably have gone on and died in the wilderness, as most adventurers did
who took this route, but when we had gone three hundred miles down the
river and were just below the Big Rapids, at a place they call Fort
McMurray, I caught the odor of oil again and the Klondike fever
disappeared.

"When I saw the tar sands and the plain signs of oil in the Fort McMurray
region, I separated from the party and stopped in the new oil region.
There were a few prospectors in the vicinity and having got the oil mania
again, I found I was not prepared to make more than a preliminary
prospect. My former companions had consented to leave me but few
provisions. I had to live practically alone and without adequate
provisions or turn back