It was also suggested that as
the May flies had begun to appear the party should take their fishing
tackle along and run a few miles further up the Gold and try casting off
for the handsome, brown, steelhead and brown trout that frequent the
interior waters of the British Columbia region, especially near their
mountainous sources.

"Hadn't we better take some larger tackle and try for salmon?" suggested
Dick. "I understand this country is famous for salmon."

"Well, hardly," replied Swiftwater. "If we were on waters that flowed into
the Pacific and Alaskan waters we should probably find them. But the
rivers hereabouts rise in the Coast range mountains which separate us from
the sea and flow northeast. The salmon is not a fresh water fish. He lives
in the most remote depths of the ocean, and only runs up the rivers during
the summer to spawn, and usually dies there. He can climb a pretty high
waterfall, but I don't think he could climb the Coast range to get into
Gold Creek."

As this was the first outing they had had it was decided to take
sufficient provisions and firewood with them to last until the next day
and stay over night if they found encouraging fishing up the stream, and
to return before dark on Sunday.

"While I like to make Sunday a pretty good day, when I can," said the
miner, "I think that our necessity for fresh fish and vegetables makes
this trip a work of necessity."

It was decided that two of the boys should stay and guard the camp, and
Rand and Jack expressed a willingness to do so when they saw that Pepper
and Dick were both anxious to get away from the monotony of the place they
had been tied up to for weeks. So with Swiftwater and Gerald poling on one
side and Don and Dick on the other, and Pepper at the long steering oar in
the rear the boat was pushed off into midstream with a bugle Scout salute
from the garrison left behind.

The day was beautiful, and nearly as warm as midsummer in New England. The
trip up to the meadows would have proven uneventful except for the
unparalleled energy of Pepper, who, as Dick said, was "always sticking his
oar in at unexpected times." As the boat steered easily he attempted to
aid the polesmen by pushing at times with his long stern sweep, until at
an unexpected moment the blade of the oar slipped between two rocks and
down into the soft bottom and stuck there straight upright, dragging the
bewildered Pepper, who clung to it, completely off the stern of