rsation was abruptly terminated at this point by a flock of
wild ducks, which, ignorant of the presence of the two youths, swept
close past their heads with a startling _whirr_. The artist leaped
backwards, and March, partly in the exuberant glee of his heart and
partly to relieve his own startled feelings, gave utterance to a hideous
yell.

"Hi! hallo!" roared Big Waller, starting up and replying to the yell
with compound interest. "Wot's to do? Bars or savages--which? Oh!
_savages_ I see," he added, rubbing his eyes, as he observed March
laughing at him. "Ha! lad, d'ye know there's a sort o' critter in other
diggins o' this here world as they calls a hi-eeno, or somethin' o' that
sort, as can _laugh_, it can; so you're not the only beast as can do it,
d'ye see!"

The camp was now thoroughly roused, and the trappers set about making
preparations for a start; but little was said. It is generally the case
at early morning--at least among healthy men who have work to do before
breakfast in the wilderness--that tongues are disinclined to move.
After the first somewhat outrageous and rather unusual burst, no one
spoke again, while they carried their goods down to the water's edge,
except in a short grumpy way when an order or a remark was needful. In
about ten minutes after the utterance of Big Waller's roar, they were in
their places in the little red canoe, paddling blithely up the river.

Bertram's place in the canoe was the centre. He was placed there as a
passenger, but, not being by any means of a lazy disposition, he
relieved all the men by turns, and thus did a good share of the work
during the day.

Towards evening the travellers came to a cataract, which effectually
barred their further progress, and rendered a portage necessary. Just
above the cataract there was a short stretch of comparatively smooth
water, in which, however, the current was very strong. Immediately
above that there was a rapid of considerable length and strength, which
boiled furiously among the rocks, and seemed to be impassable to a
canoe. After close inspection of it, however, Redhand and Bounce, who
were tacitly recognised as joint leaders of the party, agreed that the
canoe could easily enough be hauled up by means of a line. To make a
long portage, and so avoid the whole obstruction, was desirable; but the
precipitous nature of the banks at that place rendered the carrying of
the canoe and goods a work not only of severe l