which had become particularly
distasteful to him.

After this the journey went on without incident. They passed the
cataracts in safety and on to Belgrade, at which point they
encountered a series of rapids. The river here was shut in by lofty
hills on either side, and was strewn with rocky shoals of limestone,
crystalline, and granite, so that the greatest care had to be
observed in navigating them. After many anxious hours, the last of
these was passed and they began to near their journey's end.

Altogether they had been a month in their little craft, and the
monotony of it all, in spite of the beautiful scenery and
picturesque country through which they passed, was beginning to tell
on the voyagers. They were becoming irritable and pettish. Mark
Arden had on several occasions made himself particularly
disagreeable--airing his views as to the wanton waste of time which
their journey had been, in no very measured terms.

"What did you expect?" asked George, on one of these occasions. "Did
you think we were going for a picnic? Or did you think some one
would pull us along? It's no use complaining now. Look at it in a
philosophical light. See what a splendid experience it is for us! It
will harden us for what may be in front of us."

"But it's such a dreary journey, no change, no variety, no
amusement," grumbled Mark.

"I'll admit it's a bit of a grind," chimed in Charlie. "But what
change and variety is got out of it falls to you. You have your own
way about provisions, and what is more, you always have the
pleasant journey into the villages to obtain them. Besides which,
you frequently have the distinction of entertaining the company," he
went on, in a jocular way. "For instance, I think it was as good as
a play to see you yesterday with your rod, trying to catch our
breakfast. If I hadn't been on the look-out, you'd have had George
by the eye instead of the fish by the gills."

"You shall try your hand at it to-morrow, and we'll see what a
figure you'll cut," he said almost irritably.

George got a little annoyed at this, and did not hesitate to show
it.

"I'm sure," he said, "we've given you all the best of it. The whole
fact of the matter is, you are discontented already and ought to be
back at the University, where you can get everything done for you.
I'll tell you what it is, if you are going to make any more fuss,
you'd better leave us and go back. I'm sick of it."

"You needn't get in a huff," Mark