CHAPTER XVII. 



FTER making a hearty breakfast on 

 Rocky Mountain kid, salmon, and sea 

 biscuits, we began our return journey 

 down the creek in a drizzling rain. 

 Our burdens were increased by the 

 weight of the three goat skins, and 

 the walking was rendered still 

 $~ more precarious than before by 

 the logs, grass, soil, pine needles, 

 and everything else having become 

 so thoroughly watersoaked. If we 

 had had hard climbing up the steep pitches on our 

 outbound cruise, we had it still harder now. We 

 could not stick in our toe nails as well now as 

 before, and even if we stuck in our heels going 

 down a hill, they would not stay stuck any better 

 than a second-hand postage-stamp. I remem- 

 bered one hill, or canon wall, that in the ascent 

 made us a great deal of hard work, and much 

 perturbation of spirit, because it was steep, 

 rocky, and had very few bushes on it that we 

 could use as derricks by which to raise ourselves. 

 I dreaded the descent of this hill, now that the 

 rocks were wet, but we made it safely. Not so, 

 however, the next one we attempted; it was not so 

 rocky as the other, and had a goodly bed of blue 

 clay, with a shallow covering of vegetable mold for 



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