“She’s good boy,” said Moise, who took much pride in his young friends. “She ain’t scare’ go anywhere on the rivière with Moise and his oncle, or even with Leo and George. I s’pose next year she’ll come see Moise again, maybe-so.”
The boys laughed and looked at Uncle Dick. “I don’t know about that,” said Rob, “but we’ll be wanting to go somewhere next summer.”
“That’s a long time off,” said their uncle.
O’Brien, after they had spent some time in this manner of conversation, began to look at his watch. “Carlson’s pretty prompt,” said he—“that’s the skipper of the Columbia. We’ll be hearin’ her whistle before long.”
“Then this about ends our trip, doesn’t it, Uncle Dick?” said John once more; and his uncle nodded.
“I’m going to give O’Brien one of the boats,” said he, “and I’ll let the title to the other and the cook outfit rest in Leo and George—they may be coming through here again one way or the other some day. As for us, we’ve been lucky, and I think we would better wait here a day rather than go on with our boats.”
They passed out into the bright sunlight to look about at the fine mountain prospect which stretched before them from the top of the bluff. They had not long to wait before they heard the boom of the steamboat’s whistle, and soon the Columbia, thrust forward by her powerful engines, could be seen bucking the flood of the Columbia and slowly churning her way up-stream. She landed opposite the wood-chute of the wood-yard, where a crowd of jabbering Chinamen gathered. Soon our party walked in that direction also, and so became acquainted with Carlson, the skipper of the boat, who agreed to take them down to Revelstoke the following day.