Part 7 (1/2)

Greatly relieved, Norman and Roy fell to work on the elaborate a.s.sortment and in a short time had but little more left in the heap than one man could carry.

”What's this?” asked Roy, as they reached a soft leather roll about the size of a big pillow, carefully strapped.

”It's my blankets,” explained Paul, opening the flap and exhibiting two soft fleecy articles. ”They're from London.”

”Well,” exclaimed Norman positively, ”you give them to your sister for her picnics. Then you go down to-morrow morning and get a four-point Hudson's Bay blanket, fourteen feet long, pay your twelve dollars for it, get a strap to hang it on your back, and I reckon you'll have about all you need.”

A little later, when Paul's father and Colonel Howell visited the room and Paul good-naturedly explained what his friends had done, Mr. Zept laughed.

”I told you all that,” he exclaimed, ”but I guess it was like the advice of most fathers. These young men know what they're doing. Hill,” he said, turning to his guest, ”I guess you haven't made any mistake in signing up these kids. There's a lot they may have to find out about the wilderness, but it looks to me as if they weren't going to have very much to unlearn.”

The next morning was a long one. The baggage car secured by Colonel Howell for the aeroplane crates was soon loaded. Then nothing remained to be done except, as Colonel Howell put it, ”to line up my Injuns.”

Moosetooth and La b.i.+.c.he were yet in camp at the Stampede Grounds. The boys, including Count Zept, accompanied Colonel Howell to the Grounds about noon. Here the oil prospector was able to change his program somewhat, and much to his gratification.

Colonel Howell knew that his old steersmen were accompanied by quite a group of relatives but he did not know the exact extent of the Martin and La b.i.+.c.he families. They were all in charge of a man from Athabasca Landing, who was of course under contract to return the Indians to that place. Colonel Howell had thought it would be necessary to look after the immediate relatives of Moosetooth and La b.i.+.c.he, but when he found that the women and children belonging to these men would just as soon return to the North with their friends, he was able to arrange that the two old river men might precede the main party and accompany him alone.

The Indian makes very little ceremony of his farewells to the members of their families and after Colonel Howell had talked a few moments with them the dark-skinned boatmen announced themselves ready. The matter of luncheon seemed to worry neither Moosetooth nor La b.i.+.c.he. Each man had an old flour bag, into which he indiscriminately dumped a few bannock, some indistinguishable articles of clothing, and relighting their pipes, were ready to start for Fort McMurray.

It was the first ride either Indian had ever had in an automobile, but the quick run back to the city seemed to make no impression upon them.

Leaving the taciturn Crees in the baggage car, well supplied with sandwiches, fruit, and a half dozen bottles of ginger ale, the others once more headed for the Zept home. In two hours the expedition would be off.

CHAPTER VI

THE EXPEDITION STRIKES A SNAG IN EDMONTON

At three o'clock the fast express pulled out of the big depot at Calgary on its way to Edmonton, then the northern limit of railroad transportation on the American Continent. A part of the train was the sealed baggage car carrying the airs.h.i.+p. In the day coach, with their bags in their laps, and still stolid of face, sat Moosetooth Martin and old La b.i.+.c.he. For the moment their pipes reposed in their vest pockets. Each was eating an orange. Far in the rear of the train, Colonel Howell's little expedition was making itself comfortable in a stateroom. Somewhat to the surprise of the younger members of the party, Mr. Zept had joined them.

The corners of the stateroom and the near-by vestibule of the car were crammed with the personal belongings of those headed for Fort McMurray.

Even in the excitement of leaving and the farewells to the members of their families and friends, neither Norman nor Roy failed to notice that the young Count's face again bore the flush that did not come from exertion. Mr. Zept's face also bore the look that the boys had come to know, the expression that they could not fail to connect with the indiscretions of his son.

If Colonel Howell saw these things, nothing about him indicated it.

Having divested himself of his coat, he put himself at once in charge of the party, and was full of animation.

Within a few moments young Zept left the stateroom, without protest from his father, and the two boys partly lost themselves in a close view of the country through which they were pa.s.sing.

”Things are changing very fast in this region,” explained Mr. Zept, motioning to the irregular hill-dotted country, in which patches of vegetation alternated with semi-arid wastes. ”See how irrigation is bringing the green into this land. Ten years ago, for fifty miles north of Calgary, we called this The Plains. It's all changing. It's all going to be farms, before long. You'll be surprised, however,” he continued, addressing the boys. ”Long before night we'll run out of this onto the green prairies. Long before we get to Edmonton, we'll be in some of the best farming land in the world. And it goes on and on, more or less,” he added with a faint smile, ”a good deal farther than we know anything about--maybe as far as Fort McMurray,” he concluded.

”There isn't any reason why Fort McMurray can't be a Calgary some day,”

replied Colonel Howell; ”that is, when the railroads start towards Hudson's Bay.”

”You'll have to have some land too,” suggested Mr. Zept. ”If you just had a few good prairies and some gra.s.s lying loose around up there, that'd help.”

”How do you know we haven't?” answered the colonel.

”I don't,” exclaimed Mr. Zept. ”If you have, just send me word. We might start a few horse ranches up there.”

As the train sped on and all had adjusted themselves to the limits of their little room, after a time Mr. Zept spoke again: ”I wish I had the time to go up there with you,” he began, ”but of course, that's impossible. I'm going to see you away from Edmonton in good shape. By the way,” he remarked, ”I've been wondering just how you're going to find things up there, after a year's absence. You say you left three men there. What are they doing?”