His companion thought a minute. “Mor’ queeck go h’ovaire Mont d’Ours, mais harrd travaille!” he said.
“Bah! dat notting; Ah have attend so long taime for see Marie, Ah vant go so queeck possible!”
Le Grand smiled. “Eef you had seulement comme avec moi long h’ago h’at Isle la Crosse, den ve have feenesh dat Annaotaha, et puis tu vould have Marie maintenant.”
“Jules beeg fou dose taimes,” Verbaux answered, and let his eyes roam over the forests that rose hill on hill to mountain heights beyond; for a second a hateful figure passed in his brain and he shivered.
Le Grand saw and understood. “She h’ask h’all taime for toi, Verbaux, dese sev’n mont’ passé,” he said softly.
The disagreeable thought was gone, and Jules nodded gratefully to his friend.
“B’en go!” As he spoke Le Grand lifted the canoe to throw it on his shoulders, but put it down with a groan.
“Mon pauvre vieux, dat woun’ do dat, hein?”
Jules threw the little craft on his own broad back and led the way into the green thickets. For a long time the woods were level and the two picked their way among windfalls and tangled masses of last year’s undergrowth. Twice they put the canoe in little lakes and paddled across their clear waters. Then they began to rise; unnoticeably at first, the walking sloped uphill, then it grew steeper and steeper until they were climbing slowly up the bouldered side of a mountain whose top looked down at them through the trees from far above. They came to a little brook that dashed refreshingly among the rocks and mosses, and Jules put down the canoe to rest. The forest was hot and breathless, but the little stream gave off a sense of coolness that was grateful to the two men. They drank of its strengthening flow and started on. Upward and onward they toiled, Jules always carrying the canoe, though Le Grand often attempted to get it, but Verbaux would not give it up.
“Laissez faire,” he said, “Ah’m no fatigue’.” So Le Grand followed, sometimes pushing when a particularly steep place had to be got over. At last the top was reached, and they both were glad.