od-bye then, if you
start as early as I think you'll start. I'll leave word for you to be
called at four o'clock."

So saying, the bluff captain shook hands all around, declined to listen
to further thanks, and ducked back down the ladder.

"There's a good turn repaying another in short order," remarked Mr.
Grigsby. "If we help somebody else off a snag we're likely to have a
whole ship put at our disposal!"

"Well, don't look for _that_," laughed Mr. Adams. "I'd help the next
man anyway."

"Certainly," agreed the Fremonter. "So would I."

And Charley sleepily determined that he would, also. But anyway, the
future looked bright again.

"We ought to reach Cruces to-morrow, and Panama the day after,"
remarked Mr. Adams; which were the last words that Charley heard until
he was shaken by the shoulder and his father's voice was saying: "All
right, Charley. Time to start."

The interior of the room was not yet pink with very early morning.
Charley stiffly scrambled to his feet, and followed his father down the
ladder, and through the room below--treading carefully so as not to
disturb the sleepers there. Mr. Grigsby already was out; and if
Captain Crosby was awake he pretended to be asleep so as to avoid more
thanks!

A little fire blazed on the river bank, near the boat. The boatmen had
made coffee and boiled some rice in cocoa-milk for the breakfast, so
that within fifteen minutes the boat was headed up-stream, on the spurt
for Cruces.

Now urged by four paddlers instead of two, it fairly flew, cleaving the
current while the dim shores and water grew lighter. The mountain
divide ahead was gradually drawing closer, and all the country along
the stream seemed steeper. One by one ranches were passed which in the
midst of cleared forest and jungle looked more prosperous than the
ranches of the lower river.

Well it was that the boat was equipped with four boatmen, for the
current ran very swift off the high hills, and contained several rapids
where two of the men--yes, and once all four of them--had to shove with
poles. They constantly chewed sections of sugar-cane cut from an
armful that had been tossed in at Pena Blanca. Charley tried the same
stunt, and found that the sugar-cane juice was good for a lunch.

Shortly after noon the course made a long turn about the foot of a
mighty, rounded hill, standing alone. Great trees clustered thickly to
its top; and here, high above all, up rose a single str