44 CAMP-FIRES IN THE CANADIAN ROCKIES 



the fording-places of mountain rivers. They seem spe- 

 cially designed to break horses' legs, and the only way 

 to cheat them of their prey is by permitting the horse to 

 creep along, feeling cautiously for each stepping-place. 



On slide-rock, the rocks are horribly angular, sharp- 

 edged and cruel, and occasionally an unshod horse leaves 

 a trail of blood behind him. But the train moves straight 

 forward, even though its progress is slow; and fortu- 

 nately one does not strike miles and miles of continuous 

 slide-rock. 



In travelling by pack-train through rough country, 

 much time is lost by deploying to pass obstructions. On 

 Goat Creek we sometimes climbed from two hundred to 

 four hundred feet up the steep mountain in order to pass 

 above a sheer bluff, and immediately after would lose 

 all our altitude by being forced to drop back to the bot- 

 tom of the valley. When thoroughly tired, such diver- 

 sions, in climbing up only to climb down again, seem a 

 sinful waste of horse-power. 



Beyond the first half -day's travel up Goat Creek, 

 there was no trail, and Charlie and the Norboes had to 

 cut one the remainder of the way to the summit. Mr. 

 Phillips and I elected to go ahead of the outfit, hunting 

 on foot, and reach the camping-place on Goat Pass about 

 the same time as the others. 



At the point where we were to leave Smith and his 

 axe, we halted to rest, and as we looked about for places 

 to sit down, Charlie exclaimed, 



" Here are some red raspberries, all ripe and ready 

 for ye!" 



