en while the two boats bumped and struggled
to turn their free ends into the current, the other Indians, with the
skill of long experience, swiftly transferred hawsers from the free ends
of the scows to other trees.

"Whew!" shouted Paul, after the first excitement was over. "Whatever
we're going to do, I hope'll be short and sweet," and he waved his arms
violently about his head.

The close vegetation of the shore was alive with mosquitoes.

"Don't worry about these," laughed Roy. "This is the breeding place of
the best mosquitoes in the world. Don't fight 'em--forget 'em."

Colonel Howell, near by, exclaimed:

"Don't worry, young men. Mosquito time is about over. You won't see many
of them after the end of July."

"By the way," interrupted Norman, "what day is this? Is it July yet?"

"That's another thing you don't need to worry about," went on Colonel
Howell with a chuckle. "When the mosquitoes have gone, you'll know that
July is gone, and then we won't have anything to trouble us till the ice
comes."

"Bum almanac," commented Roy. "Mostly gaps, I should say."

"Not so much," continued the colonel still laughing. "It isn't as much of
a gap between the mosquitoes and ice as you might think. But it's
breakfast time. We've got two cooks with us, one for the crew and one for
the cabin passengers. You'd better take your morning dip and then, if you
like, you can take the canoe and pull over to that gravel reef. You won't
find so many mosquitoes there and you can stretch your legs."

The boys put off their swimming until they had reached the island, where
they had the satisfaction of arousing a young buck from the poplar
underbrush, and the mortification of trying to catch it by chasing it
toward the mainland in a canoe. An Indian fired at the deer from one of
the scows, but it made the river bank in safety and disappeared in the
bush.

"There, you see," announced Roy at once. "The twenty-two would have been
all right, but you've got to have it with you."

The colonel's prediction was true and the three young men had a dip in
the shallow water off the island that was certainly bracing. When they
returned to the shore they found both cooks in full operation a few
hundred yards from the scows and on the open riverbanks.

The difference in the output of the cooks was considerable, but
satisfactory to each party served. The colonel's party was making the
best of fresh eggs, fresh butter and new bread and a beefs