80 THE RED MOUNTAIN OF ALASKA. 
enemy of their departure. In this way they moved slowly 
but steadily on their course down the lake, the little 
waves rippling against the sides of the raft, and a startled 
Quack ! now and then betraying the presence of a duck 
paddling about in the water. 
It was now near midnight, but they were so far north 
that they could have read a newspaper easily had such a 
commodity been furnished by the Alaska press. 
The mosquitoes were so voracious that the skeleton 
tent " was pitched on the raft, and afforded intense relief 
to those of the crew w^ho could be spared to take refuge 
under it. 
Hugh, Nat, Teddy, and Carlo were the first to take 
advantage of the netting, and in five minutes all four 
were fast asleep, Nat's head resting lovingly on Carlo's 
black fur. 
Robert came over to his father's side. 
" Where are you aiming for, father ? How far do you 
expect to go ? " 
" If the traders' and travellers' stories are correct, this 
lake is about a dozen or fifteen miles long, by an average 
of three wide. At the foot of it, the river Pelly starts in 
a series of rough but not dangerous rapids. I studied this 
all out at home, for I could see that we were likely to 
travel on or beside the river, from its source to its union 
with the Yukon proper." 
" And do you expect to cross those rapids to-night, 
sir?" asked Robert, in amazement. 
