As it was still early in the day, it was evident the ship would be at the mouth of the river by nightfall. It would have been an interesting visit if the little party had pressed on and met the captain and his crew. It is not impossible, too, that had it not been for Deerfoot’s anxiety over his horse he would have modified the original plan to the extent of rounding out the journey across the continent by touching the Pacific itself.
But after all, what did it matter? The continent had already been crossed and, as the leader had said, the days and nights had become of the utmost value. Mul-tal-la believed it was safe to return to his people, and in point of fact he had grown homesick. Moreover, there was something in the fact that they were so many hundred miles from home that made George and Victor Shelton quite ready to give up the plan of going any farther.
And so our friends now turned their backs upon the Pacific and once more faced eastward. “Now for home!” was the thought in the minds of all four.
And here we must pause for the time. The incidents through which our friends passed and their adventures will be told in the final volume of the New Deerfoot Series, under the title of
“Deerfoot in the Mountains.”
[THE END.]
