of this day in
camp here, run the two canoes through, sleep here to-night, then
portage below the rapids to-morrow morning and make a straight run
from there down. We don't want to take too many chances."

"That's all right," said Rob, "and we'll help you pack the canoes."

The men did not put very heavy loads in the canoes, but they took the
sheep heads, and most of the heavier camp supplies, putting about half
of these each in the _Mary Ann_ and the _Jaybird_, themselves taking
the _Mary Ann_ for their first trip through the rapids.

While they were busy finishing their loading, the boys ran on down
around the bend and got ready to see the first canoe take the rapids.
When Jesse got fully within the sound and sight of the rolling, noisy
water which now lay before them, he was very pale.

"What would we do, Rob," asked he, "if the boat should be lost out
there--we couldn't ever get out of here alive."

"I don't think there is that much danger, Jess," answered Rob. "But if
there should be an accident, we have one boat left, and we'd not try
to run her through. We'd let her down the edge of the rapids on a rope
the best we could, a little at a time. That's what Alex would do now
if he thought there was any real danger."

"Here they come!" shouted John. All three boys scrambled up on a high,
jutting rock, where they could see the course of the boat.

The _Mary Ann_ swept around the curve gently and steadily, caught in
the rapid down-set of the current. Moise was in the bow, Alex at the
stern paddle, and both the men looked steadily ahead and not at either
side. They saw the boat seemed to tip down at a sharp angle, but still
go on steadily. Alex was following the long V which ran down in the
mid-channel stream, on either side of which were heavy rocks and
sharp, abrupt falls in the water. At the foot of this smooth strip
they saw the bow of the boat shoot up into the air, then drop down to
a more even keel. From that time on the _Mary Ann_ was swept down
swiftly, jumping up and down, part of the time almost hidden out of
sight, and, as they thought, swamped in the heavy seas. To their
delight, however, they saw the little craft emerge at the foot of the
white water after a while and, taking advantage of the back current,
swing gently alongside and up the shore toward where they stood at the
foot of the main cascade. Both the men were smiling at their
excitement.

"Well, what do you think about that?" asked John,