CHAPTER XLVI 



BRIGHT AGAIN 



In an hour the other men came back. The rest of the 

 day we put in drying the things, especially our bedding. 

 We used the aluminum bottle, and an old meat tin 

 for kettle; some bacon, happily saved, was fried on 

 sticks, and when we turned in that night it was with 

 light and thankful hearts, in spite of our manifold 

 minor losses. 



Morning dawned bright and beautiful and keen. 

 How glorious that surging river looked in its noble 

 canyon; but we were learning thoroughly that noble 

 scenery means dangerous travel — and there was much 

 noble scenery ahead; and I, at least, felt much older 

 than before this upset. 



The boys put in a couple of hours repairing the canoe, 

 then they studied the river in hopes of recovering the 

 guns. How well the river-men seemed to know it! 

 Its every ripple and curl told them a story of the bot- 

 tom and the flood. 



"There must be a ledge there," said Billy, "just 

 where we upset. If the guns went down at once they 

 are there. If they were carried at all, the bottom is 

 smooth to the second ledge and they are there." He 

 pointed a hundred yards away. 



So they armed themselves with grappling-poles 

 that had nails for claws. Then we lowered Rob in 



296 



