“I don’t believe your children are troubling you very much now, Moise,” said Uncle Dick.
“No, my hooman, she’ll know how to herd those childrens,” said Moise, calmly. “S’pose those baby start out for eat grass, she’ll told him, no, not do that, and he’ll learn pretty soon. Now if a little baby can learn, why can’t a three-year-old horse with white eye—I’m going to talk to that fool yellow horse, me, before long.”
“Well,” said Uncle Dick, “we’ll get all the packs off now and finish the camp.”
“Whoa, there!” called out Moise to the offending claybank cayuse which had caused him most of his trouble that afternoon. “Hol’ still now, or Moise, she’ll stick his foot in your eye.”
But Uncle Dick only laughed at the threatening Moise, knowing that in his heart he was kindly. Indeed, he smoothed down the warm back of the cayuse with a gentle hand when he took off the pack. Soon all the packs were in a row on the ground, not far from the fire, each with a cover thrown over the saddle. Our three young companions helped put hobbles on the fore-legs of the horses, and soon all the horse band, twelve in number, were hopping away from the camp in search of grass and water. They found the latter in a little slough a short distance back on the trail, and did not attempt the steep descent to Wolf Creek.
The three young friends assisted in unpacking the animal which carried their tent and blankets. They had lashed on the cow-saddles of their own riding-horses the little war-bags or kit-bags of soft leather in which each boy carried his own toilet articles and little things for personal use. Their rifles and rods they also slung on their riding-saddles. Now, with the skill of long training, they put up their own tent, and spread down their own blanket beds, on the edge of which they placed their guns and rods, making pillows out of their folded sweaters. Soon they were helping Moise with his cooking at the fire and enjoying as usual their evening conversation with that cheerful friend.
It did not take Moise, old-timer as he was, very long to get his bannocks and tea ready, and to fry the whitefish and grouse which the boys now brought to him.
Uncle Dick looked at his watch after a time. “Forty minutes,” said he.
“For what?” demanded Jesse.
“Well, it took us forty minutes to get off the packs and hobble the horses and get supper ready. That’s too long—we ought to have it all done and supper over in that time. We’ll have to do better than this when we get fully on the trail.”