"He knew where Strange went, and saw him when he returned.

It's possible that Strange confused his memory by his subsequent trips, but the agent heard his story when the matter was fresh." Thirlwell did not answer, and Scott cut some tobacco.

When he had finished he looked up the river.
"The _bateaux!_ Antoine has made good time." Two craft drew out of the shadow of the pines, slid down the swift current, and presently grounded on a gravel beach.

They were of the canoe type, but larger, and their bottoms were flat, since they were rather built for carrying goods than paddling fast.

There was a good water route to the rocky height of land, across which the cargo was brought on the freighters' backs from a river that joined the wagon trail to the settlements.