"Natural place for us to change, if we do at all," said Uncle Dick. "We ought to stick as close to the river as we can, and as a matter of fact we have covered the most monotonous part of it. But we had to do that, for there was no other way to get here and still hang anywhere near to the river. And until we got here we struck no westbound railroad that would advance us on our journey. "Here we could get up the Yellowstone by rail, but we are working on the Missouri. If we run on by motor car up to Buford, there we can get by rail over to the Great Falls, and still hang closer to the river; although, of course, we'll not be following it." "But what'll we do with our boat?" began Jesse, ruefully. "Hate to leave the little old _Adventurer_." "Well, now," answered his uncle. "We couldn't so well take her along, could we?" "I'd like mighty well to buy her," interrupted the editor. "That is, if you care to sell her." "I never knew my boys to sell any of their sporting equipment," said the other. "But I expect they'd give it to you, right enough. Eh, boys?" They looked from one to another. "If the gentleman wanted her," began Rob, at last, "and if we've done with her, I don't see why we couldn't. But I think we ought to take the motors along as far as we can, because we might need them." "Good idea," Uncle Dick nodded. "We can get a trailer here, can't we?" he asked of their friend. "Sure; and a good car; too. I'll drive you up to Buford, myself, for the fun of it--and the value of it to me. I'll get a car at Bismarck. We can pack your outfit in the trailer and the motors, too, easily. You can check and express stuff through to Great Falls from Buford--and there you are. How'll you go from there--boat?" "I don't believe so," replied Uncle Dick. "I believe we'd have more freedom if we took a pack train above Great Falls, and cut across lots now and then, checking up in our _Journal_ all the way." "That's the stuff!" exclaimed John. "Horses!" "Lewis and Clark used horses for some distance, at the crossing," said Uncle Dick, "so I think we may dare do so. We want all the variety we can get, and all the fun we can get, too. What do you say, young gentlemen?" "It sounds good to me," said Rob. "I'd like to see the mountains pretty well. You see, a great part of our lives has been spent in Alaska and the northern country, and we're just getting acquainted with our own country, you might say. The Rockies this far south must be fine in the early fall." "It suits me," assented John. "I'd like to take the _Adventurer_ along, but Lewis and Clark didn't take their boats through all the way, either." "And if we had time," added Jesse, "we could run some river late in the fall, say from Great Falls down to here." "All good," nodded Uncle Dick. Then turning to their new friend, "Suppose we cross our camp to Bismarck the morning of July 5th, tie up our boat there for you, and then go on in the way you suggest--motor and trailer?"