—{ TO CARIBOO AND BACK }&--

Fraser, broad and still swift, carried them on
and on, till one day, unexpectedly, for it began
to seem as if they were to go on forever between
wooded banks and stretches of snowy waste,
some log huts were seen on the bank. They
were built near the water, scattered up and
down in irregular fashion. Hoarse cheers were
raised by the travellers when they came in
sight of this outpost settlement.

Most cheering sight of all to the men on the
raft were the miners they could see working on
the river banks, real miners washing the sand
for gold. At last they were in sight of what
they had come so many weary hundreds of
miles to see. They had reached the gold mines
and the Cariboo.

“Sure, it’s a poor looking place,” said Mary,
quite disgusted at the small rough shanties of
Quesnel, with no signs of riches or even prom-
itive comfort about them.

“Well, at least I hope there’ll be something
to eat here besides fish—and fish! Besides,
Mully, won’t it be nice to live in a house again,
even a log one!” Betty was dancing with
excitement.

They disembarked at a rough log landing

[178]