f
the creek. The Jolly Rovers were off at last.

When they were twenty or thirty yards down stream they turned and waved
their paddles to the farmer, who was still standing in open-mouthed
wonder beside the empty packing cases. Then a cross current, setting
toward the right shore, whisked them out of sight of the spot.

Randy struck up the chorus of a popular boating song, and the others
joined in with eager voices. Their jubilant spirits had to find a vent
somewhere.

What a glorious thing it was to be drifting haphazard with the rippling
current, free as the very air, and the birds that were singing sweetly
in the bushes! The narrow vista of the creek brought vividly to mind
the pleasures that lay in wait along the twisted miles of its
channel--the gamy bass lurking in the deep, shady holes, the snipe and
woodcock feeding among the reeds, the tent and campfire with the savory
odor of coffee and crisp bacon.

That less pleasant things than these were destined to fall to the lot of
the Jolly Rovers ere they should paddle from the mouth of the creek into
the broad Susquehanna, occurred to none, else a shadow had marred their
bright anticipations at the start.

Side by side the four canoes darted under the middle arch of the old
stone bridge, and then Ned took the lead, for it was not seemly that the
pennant should be anywhere but in front while the club was on a cruise.

The current soon became sluggish, and the channel wound between thick
woods, where the trees almost met overhead. The boys drifted along
leisurely, stopping now and then to explore some tempting nook.

At one place, where the water was deep and a great rock jutted from the
shore, they put their fishing rods together, and procured worms by
pulling up great clods of grass. In half an hour they caught a beautiful
string of sunfish and chubs.

About the middle of the afternoon Ned went up to a farmhouse that was
visible among the hills and came back with a pail of butter, a loaf of
bread and two apple pies. The boys had already lunched on crackers. So
they concluded to keep these supplies for supper.

They paddled slowly on, crossing from shore to shore as something new
took their attention. A sudden shadow, caused by the sun dipping beneath
the hill top, reminded them that evening was at hand. The banks were
closely scanned for a camping place, and an admirable one was soon
found--a grove of big trees, through which filtered a tiny stream.

The