"Has he been saying anything against me?"

"No, of course not, you suspicious fellow," I cried. "There, come along
and pack up. We start directly. I say, Esau, you don't want to go back
now?"

He turned sharply, and glanced at the beginning of the dark canon, and
then said angrily--

"Needn't jump on a fellow because he didn't get along so well as you
did. Here you, Quong, we're going on."

"Velly nea leady," came back cheerily.

"Don't seem to mind a bit," grumbled Esau. "I believe he'd go anywhere.
He don't understand what danger is."

"Ready?" said Gunson, coming back. "I can't make anything out of the
Indians, but I suppose there is a way all along here."

"Those settlers said there was."

"Then let's try it if we can find our way. We can't come upon a worse
bit to go along than that yesterday, and if we can't get along we must
come back."

We were on our way again directly after, Quong's load made more heavy by
the addition of two goodly fish, an addition which did not trouble him
in the least, for he showed them to me smiling and patting their rounded
silvery sides as if he had an affection for them.

Our way was very difficult, the traces of a trail being very few, and
faintly marked. But in spite of the difficulties, we kept on steadily
all through that day, and with no worse adventures than a few falls,
with the accompaniments of bruises and scratches, we reached the patch
of wood we selected for our resting-place that night.

It was Quong, when in advance, who suggested it, by stopping suddenly,
lowering his patiently borne load, and pointing out its advantages of
shelter, fire-wood and water, and here we stayed for the night.

The next day passed in a similar way, and the effect on me of our
journey seemed precisely the same as on Esau and the others--for we
reached our resting-place fagged, hungry, faint and low-spirited, with
Esau grumbling horribly and wishing he was back on "old Dempster's"
stool. Then Quong would prepare his fire, make cakes, boil the kettle,
cook bacon or salmon, make a good cup of tea, and we all ate a
tremendous meal, after which the beds were made in shelter, probably
under the tree which produced what Esau called the feathers, that is the
soft boughs. Then our blankets were spread ready, and we lay about
watching the last rays of the sunlight on the snowy peaks of the
mountains, or the bright stars, and listened to Gunson while he smoked
his pipe and told us