THE AMERICAN GRAYLING. 357 



full o'rapids, 'n I do' know haow yeou'll git along." 



We informed him that we had a boat. 



"Ya-as — so I see. The most o' them 'at's ben daown in 

 a boat gin'ly ties a piece o' railroad iron to the hind eend o' 

 ther skift, so's ter gi'daown ther rapids kind o' stiddy like." 



John and I looked at each other and grinned. Fixing the 

 moss-back with my eagle eye, to him then thus in substance 

 I replied: 



"My cautious friend, to us it skills not that every boatman 

 hereabout should tardily tow a railroad in his rear, what 

 time he runneth rapids. Life is all too short for that sort 

 of foolery. For two-score years and more, as opportunity 

 occurred, have I cruised the rushing rivers of our fatherland, 

 yet have I never tied to the tail of my craft any such contrap- 

 tion as this you advocate; and further I may add, the Nine 

 gods helping me, I never will." 



"Wa-al, mabbe yeou know best, yeou're the doctor, 's the 

 sayin' is, but it's most darnation aowly on them there rapids, 

 naow I tell ye, 'n I'll be gosh darned ef I'd put intew that 

 there river 'ithaout suthin' ter stiddy ther bwut daown apast 

 them there rocks. It's a kinder temptin' o' Providence." 



"We can tell better after we get through." 



"W'y. yeou don't 'xpect ter go clean threw, dew ye.'*" 



"That's the plan. There'll be no cordeliering on this trip." 



"Wa'al, yeou'll hev ter dew it, I s'pose, 'f yeou say so, 'n 

 'ta'nt no bisness o' mine. But yer baound ter git 'n trouble. 

 Ther rapids isn't all, by a darned sight. The's rocks, 'n 

 logs, 'n daown timber, 'n jam-piles, 'n telerguf poles, 'n 

 cedar ties, 'n every other dum thing yeou c'n think on. 

 Yeou do'no what yer a comin' tew, no time." 



"That is just what brought us here, my friend," said John. 

 "We want to see what sort of a river it is, and what's in it; 

 and if we knew just what we were going to find there, we 

 would change our plans and choose another." 



The sun was sinkine: toward the western horizon when we 



