"Go ahead," said Mr. Anderson, "but for your own sake, be careful."
"We'll promise not to get into trouble," said Pud. "We just need a little exercise and that climb will about fill the bill."
They started off and in a short time Mr. Waterman and Mr. Anderson, who were busy down on the water front putting the finishing touches to the landing place, saw them seated in the lee of a big rock looking out over the country. There they sat and for nearly two hours they could be seen with heads close together, evidently very much interested in their conversation. The fact of the matter was that Pud and Bill had asked Bob to tell them what the guides had told him the previous evening. As they sat up on the mountain, they looked far off to the south and saw the mighty St. Lawrence dividing the country as if with a giant silver knife.
"The Indians have had lots of experiences up north of here, hunting and trapping in the winter time," Bob began.
"What did Pierre tell you?" asked Pud. "Has he ever scalped any one?"
"You big dub," said Bill. "Indians don't go on scalping expeditions any more."
"Well, I thought that maybe some other Indian tribe might have tried to attack them," said Pud.
"Don't be foolish," said Bob. "There are few Indians up in this country and I guess from what Pierre tells me that they have enough troubles fighting for their lives against the forces of nature to keep them from thinking of fighting one another. In addition, the Canadian Government would soon put a stop to that. Anyway, these Indians are just as peace loving as any white man."
"I suppose you're right," said Pud. "All the same, I like to think of an Indian with tomahawk in hand having a fierce fight for his life with some other Indians or with the pale faces."
"You've been brought up on Nick Carter," laughed Bill. "Get that foolish rot out of your mind. Indians are just ordinary human beings and that is all."