"Well, you'll have a fine chance now, Bill," I said.

"Yes, sir, and it'll just be a treat; for I haven't had much of the fun
so far, have I?"

"Fun?" I said.

"Yes, sir; it's fun to a chap like me who when he goes to sleep of a
night it's with the feeling that there's a day's work done."

"So it is with all of us," I said. "I work very hard; so does my
uncle."

"Yes, sir; but don't you see that what's work to you as can go and do is
seems like play to me as is obliged to stay in camp--I mean with the
boat. But as I was going to say, after a night's rest when one wakes up
it's always to begin another day's work! But there, don't you think I'm
grumbling, sir, because I arn't; for I've never been so happy in my life
before as since I've been out here with you and the doctor. What time
do we start to-morrow?"

"Breakfast before daylight, and start as soon as we can see," I replied.

"Right, sir; I'll be ready."

There was so little novelty in a fresh trip to me then, that I dropped
asleep as soon as I lay down in the tent under a big tree ashore, and it
seemed like the next minute when the carpenter in his gruff voice called
to us that breakfast was nigh ready.

I looked up, to see his face by the lanthorn he had brought alight, as
he hung it from a hook on the tent-pole; and then after making sure that
my uncle was awake, I hurried out into the darkness, where Pete was busy
frizzling bacon over the glowing embers, ran down into the fresh, cool
water for my bath, and came out with my blood seeming to dance through
my veins.

Our breakfast was soon dispatched, and before the sun rose the tent had
been fastened up, our guns and satchels shouldered and swung, and in
addition Cross carried a coil of rope and the lanthorn, now out and
freshly trimmed.

"Be useful," he said, with a sage nod of the head. "S'pose we shall be
out all night."

The next minute he and Pete shouldered the extra guns and the packs they
were to carry in case our trip lasted over more than a couple of days;
and we set off in single file steadily up the side of the stream between
the walls of rock, and sometimes wading across it to find better ground.
Twice over we waded in the middle of the water, where it was sandy, and
found it nowhere over our knees.

In due time we reached the spot where the walls of the gorge had drawn
together and the end was closed by the perpendicular mountain at whose
foot was the little natural arch out