as
still early morning when we took our places in the big skin canoe with
all our personal belongings under our eyes now; and the Indians having
been well fed, pushed off rather sluggishly. But they kept time with
their paddles, and soon set up a low, sad, crooning kind of chorus as
they carefully avoided the powerful stream by keeping well inshore,
where I gazed up in wonder at the magnificent trees which appeared in
masses and clumps at every turn.

It was a wonderful experience that first ride on the fierce river, whose
snow-charged waters gave quite a sting to the fingers whenever they were
immersed. And there was always something fresh to see. Now it was a
vast shoal of salmon gliding up over the shallows, or collecting about
the edges of one of the many falls we passed, where some stream or
another came down from the high grounds to swell the already full bed of
the river. Then some bird flew up within tempting distance for one who
handled a gun, and then there would be a little bit of excitement as we
neared some fierce part of the river where the bed was dotted with
rocks, a touch upon any of which must mean a hole through the bottom of
our canoe, and her freight sent whirling helplessly down the stream.

It was at one of these rapids that Esau, who had been very quiet and
rather ashamed of himself, suddenly half rose in his place, exclaiming--

"Don't let them go there; it isn't safe."

"They know best how to manage the canoe," said Gunson quietly.

"But you won't let them go up that bit of water? It's like a
mill-race."

"Yes; only fiercer," said Gunson coolly. "Feel startled, Gordon?"

"I do feel a bit nervous," I said.

"And not ashamed to say so," he replied, laughing. "Well, you are a
strange lad. Of course you are not frightened, Dean?"

"Why it's enough to scare any one," cried Esau. "We shall all have to
swim for it directly, and nice chance we shall have. Get stunned with
stones before we know where we are. Here, look! what are they going to
do?"

"Sit still, and you'll see," said Gunson; and he joined me in looking
eagerly at the men, who ran the boat as far as they could go toward the
shallow rapids by energetic use of their paddles, and then, at a grunt
from the one who seemed to take the lead, they dropped their paddles in
the canoe, and, as if by one movement, swung themselves over into the
rapids, and began to wade and drag the vessel against the surging
stream.

"Look he