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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..b68c483 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #50123 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/50123) diff --git a/old/50123-0.txt b/old/50123-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 7be67bc..0000000 --- a/old/50123-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6534 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The River Motor Boat Boys on the Columbia, by -Harry Gordon - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: The River Motor Boat Boys on the Columbia - The Confession of a Photograph - -Author: Harry Gordon - -Release Date: October 3, 2015 [EBook #50123] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE RIVER MOTOR BOAT BOYS *** - - - - -Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.bookcove.net - - - - - - - - - -[Illustration: “Full speed ahead!” roared Clay. “Our only hope is to -keep her dead with the current and fight her through.”] - - - - - The River Motor Boat Boys on the Columbia - - OR - - The Confession of a Photograph - - By HARRY GORDON - - Author of - “The River Motor Boat Boys on the St. Lawrence,” - “The River Motor Boat Boys on the Colorado,” - “The River Motor Boat Boys on the Mississippi,” - “The River Motor Boat Boys on the Amazon,’ - “The River Motor Boat Boys on the Ohio.” - - A. L. Burt Company - New York - - - - - Copyright, 1913 - By A. L. Burt Company - - THE SIX RIVER MOTOR BOYS ON THE COLUMBIA - - - - - TABLE OF CONTENTS - - I. CROSSING THE MOUNTAINS IN A MOTOR BOAT - II. CAPTAIN JOE FOLLOWS A TRAIL - III. ALEX FINDS USE FOR HIS KODAK - IV. A NEW FACE ON THE RAMBLER - V. WHAT TOOK PLACE ON THE TRAIN - VI. MOURNING AN EMPTY KODAK - VII. PIE THAT LIVED IN A GLASS HOUSE - VIII. A WRECK AND A BABY BEAR - IX. THE MAKING OF A CEDAR CANOE - X. A RABBIT AND A SECRET MEETING - XI. ALEX BECOMES A DETECTIVE - XII. A BEAR, A FISH, AND A TREE - XIII. A MYSTERY AND A FISH SUPPER - XIV. A SWIFT AND PERILOUS RIDE - XV. THE RAMBLER TAKES TO WHEELS - XVI. TEDDY RECEIVES A CALLER - XVII. CAPTAIN JOE TO THE RESCUE - XVIII. CASE MAKES A HIT WITH DOUGH - XIX. WHY THERE WAS NO VENISON - XX. CAPTAIN JOE MAKES A DISCOVERY - XXI. A CAMPFIRE HIGH ON THE HILLS - XXII. THE SURGEON TURNS DETECTIVE - XXIII. THE POLICEMAN MAKES A MISTAKE - XXIV. MORE SURPRISES THAN ONE - - - - -CHAPTER I.—CROSSING THE MOUNTAINS IN A MOTOR BOAT. - - -The motor boat _Rambler_ lay at the very summit of the Rocky Mountains. -She was not in a lake, either, although there were lakes of ice not far -away. She was not in motion, and there was a great silence all around -her. - -She lay, propped upright, on a platform car, and the car, with two -broken wheels, stood on a make-shift spur of track on the right-of-way -of the Canadian Pacific railroad. An unusual place to find a motor boat. -But listen. - -The _Rambler_ was _en route_ from the South Branch, Chicago, to the -headwaters of the Columbia river. She had passed without serious -accident down Lake Michigan, through the Straits of Mackinaw, through -the Sault Ste. Marie river and canal, and over the crystal waters of old -Superior to Port Arthur, where she had been coaxed to the deck of the -platform car upon which she now stood. - -Almost exactly on the boundary line between Alberta and British -Columbia, the flat car had come to grief, and the trainmen had bunted it -to the spur and gone on about their business, promising to order a -wrecker at the nearest telegraph office. The disabled car tilted -frightfully to the rear as it stood on the shaky track, giving the -platform a twenty-five per cent. pitch, and causing the _Rambler_ to -take on a rakish air, like a swaggering person with his hat set on the -back of his head. - -A few miles to the east was Laggan, sometimes called Lake Louise, which -is 2,368 miles from Montreal and 5,032 feet above the level of the -Pacific ocean, 500 miles away. About the same distance to the west was -Field, sometimes called Emerald Lake, 2,387 miles from Montreal and over -4,000 feet above tidewater. The highest altitude on the boundary at that -point is 5,200 feet above the ocean, and the motor boat was just about -there. - -It was close to sunset of an April day, and the mountain pass was cold -and desolate. There was snow on the peaks, and a cold wind blew -whistling through the narrow cut in the gray rock. There was no living -figure in sight from the sidling platform of the car, or from the -foot-square windows of the _Rambler’s_ tiny cabin. The silence was -broken only by the uneasy wind. - -Decidedly it was anything but cheerful outside. Inside, there was a -glowing fire in a small coal stove, and a shaded electric light brought -out the cozy furnishings of the place. The electric generators were not -working, the motors being silent, but there was in the accumulators -sufficient current for the light and the little electric stove upon -which a supper was cooking. - -Those who have followed the fortunes of the _Rambler_ to the headwaters -of the Amazon will understand without further detail exactly what kind -of a craft she was. After returning from the South American expedition, -the lads had planned a trip to the Columbia river, and they were now on -their way to Donald, where the motor boat was to be launched into the -waters of that interesting stream. - -The boys had worked hard in Chicago all through the winter, and when -April came they were ready for the journey, although their supply of -money was not as large as they had hoped to make it. Of the five who had -visited Cloud island and secured the store of gold hidden in that -semi-volcanic heap of rocks, however, only three were in shape to set -out on the proposed voyage. - -Frank Porter, who owned the gold taken from Cloud island, had insisted -on financing the trip, but this the self-reliant boys would not listen -to, preferring to depend upon their own exertions. Julian Shafer, in the -interest of whose health the Amazon trip had originally been planned, -had acquired a little property through the exertions of Dr. Holcomb, the -physician who was treating him for tuberculosis, and had decided to -spend the winter and summer at Los Angeles. - -So, of the five, there remained only Clayton Emmett, Cornelius Witters, -and Alexander Smithwick to carry out the exploration of the Columbia the -following spring. It was hoped, however, that both Frank and Julian -would be able to join their friends at some point lower down. The story -of the boys’ adventures on the Amazon may be found in the first volume -of this series. - -On this night, then, “Clay,” “Case,” and “Alex,” as they were familiarly -called, were gathered around the coal heater in the cabin of the -_Rambler_, high up in a rocky pass on a mountain range, the range -forming the backbone of the continent of North America. There was plenty -of coal on the platform car, and so they had no fear of passing a chill -as well as a desolate night on the great divide. Also, the boys had -plenty of provisions, as there were numerous boxes on the car which were -to be emptied of their eatables and carried on board the motor boat -whenever the great river was reached. - -The leasing of the car had eaten into the finances of the boys quite -seriously, but they anticipated living mostly on game and fish during -the run down the Columbia to the Pacific ocean. They had made no -calculations for the return ride to Chicago, believing that they would -be able to find employment at Portland. - -Boy-like, they had figured on the future only so far as the end of the -river journey was concerned. A motor boat trip down the Columbia was too -fascinating, they declared, to be mixed up with any prosaic monetary -calculations! - -“If we go broke,” Case had said, when the closing details were under -discussion, “we can walk back! I’d rather swim around Cape Horn and walk -back to little old Chicago than miss the days and nights we are going to -have on the Columbia!” - -“You’re light headed!” Alex had responded. - -“That will be an aid in swimming!” Case had replied. “Anyway, it is the -Columbia first. The future may take care of itself!” - -This night in the mountain pass should have been spent on the Columbia -at or near Donald, but the boys were by no means discouraged. Case was -inclined to express annoyance and disgust at unfavorable conditions, but -really he was as courageous in the face of difficulties as either of his -companions. They had been left on the spur early that morning, and had -anticipated relief in the shape of a wrecking outfit before noon. - -While the supper of bacon, beans, pancakes and coffee sputtered and -steamed on the electric stove and the heater sent out generous waves of -warmth, Clay arose and opened the cabin door, which faced to the west. -The wind immediately chased itself into the room, played tag with -everything movable, and went whistling cheerily out again. - -At a shout of remonstrance from Alex, Clay drew the door shut and -stepped out on the deck of the _Rambler_. He stood for a second with the -wind from the Pacific keen on his face, the ruddy light of the setting -sun bright in his eyes, and then beckoned through the glass panel of the -door to the boys inside. Case was too busy over the pancakes to notice -the signal, but Alex increased Case’s anger by opening the door again -and forcing his body out against the wind. - -The sun dropping lower, the pencils of light which touched the crags -were slipping away, leaving them indistinct in the gathering night, as -if the sunlight had brought them into existence with a touch and -condemned them to obliteration by withdrawing itself from their angular -sides. The boys stood for a second in silence, Clay listening. - -“Huh!” Alex grinned, catching Clay by the arm and pointing to the wild -country to the west. “This makes me feel queer! Why, we might be the -sons of Noah, looking out of the Ark after it stranded on Mt. Ararat! -Here we are, in a boat up on the mountains, and there, below, is the -lifeless world! I wonder,” he continued, nudging Clay in the ribs to -give emphasis to his observation, “if we had a dove, and the dove should -be sent out, whether it would bring back an engine with a car fitted up -to drag this old hulk to the railroad hospital?” - -“No dove would mind bringing a wrecking train back in his bill!” replied -Clay. “Of course not!” - -“Well,” Alex insisted, “we’ve got to get help from some source. Two -trains have passed us to-day without a whisper of help. A steamer on the -ocean wouldn’t pass a wrecked boat like that!” - -Clay bent his head and shielded his ears with cupped palms. - -“There’s a train coming now,” he declared. - -“That’s the wind!” Alex answered. - -“Can’t you hear it pounding, pounding up the grade to the east?” -demanded Clay. “There!” he added, as a sharp whistle was borne faintly -to their ears against the rush of the wind, “didn’t you hear that?” - -“Sure!” Alex replied. “And it isn’t a passenger, either. A loaded -freight, all right. Here’s where we get out!” - -The roaring of the train wheels, the sharp hissing of the laboring -exhaust, the pounding of the straining drivers, came nearer and nearer, -then only the wind was heard. - -“Phantom train!” Alex laughed. “Nothing doing!” - -Case came out of the cabin and stood holding the edge of the door in his -hand, his eyes fixed on his chums. - -“Do we get away now?” he asked. “I hear a train coming.” - -“She is stalled on the grade, I guess,” Clay replied. “Anyway, she isn’t -coming any nearer.” - -“Oh, well,” Case grumbled, “I suppose we can stay out here until the -railroad gets a new wrecking crew and a new machine made! Old Rip Van -Winkle’s little mountain stunt was a summer night on a sleeping porch -compared with this. If anybody should come along in the next hundred -years, just wake me up, will you?” - -“Going to bed?” asked Clay, with a laugh. - -“You bet he isn’t!” shouted Alex. “He hasn’t had his supper yet. Catch -him going to bed without pancakes and bacon!” - -“And the pancakes are burning, too!” cried Case, entering the cabin and -slamming the door after him. - -“Come on, Case,” urged Alex. “Let’s go down the grade and see what’s the -matter, and what sort of a train it is.” - -“We’ll find out soon enough if we remain here,” Clay answered. “Besides, -we ought to be getting things propped up in the cabin, so there will be -a little furniture left when we get bumped out on the main track.” - -“Oh, they’ll just pry the truck up with a jack, put in new wheels, and -we’ll sail away like a ship on a summer sea!” Alex grinned. “If you -won’t go. I’ll go alone.” - -Before Clay could utter the remonstrance that was on his lips, the boy -was away down the grade to the east, his cap bobbing along the ties -ahead of his leaping feet, his hair flying in the gale. - -Before he was well out of sight around an angle in the pass the rumble -of a heavy train was heard again, and directly the round, red eye of a -headlight met the ruddy illumination of the sun in the narrow pass. Clay -could see the smutty face of the engineer peering out of the cab window -as the engine toiled, panting, upward, and then he saw the fireman -looking over his shoulder. - -Both were gazing, with no little wonder showing on their faces, at the -unusual sight of a motor boat perched on a platform car at the summit of -the Rocky Mountains. Clay stood hopeful for a moment, and then the train -roared toward the grade to the east, winding down like a snake in the -fading light. - - - - -CHAPTER II.—CAPTAIN JOE FOLLOWS A TRAIL. - - -Clay stood dejectedly for a moment, his hands in his pockets, his eyes -following the streamer of smoke which marked the progress of the -inhospitable train. Then the cabin door opened and a white bulldog with -friendly eyes and a monster of a jaw walked forth in a dignified manner -and sat down to look over the scenery. - -“What do you think of that, Captain Joe?” Clay asked, patting the dog on -the head. “Isn’t that just about the worst luck in the world? I wish you -could grip that train by the cowcatcher and bring it back here. It ought -to have helped us out.” - -Captain Joe, looking in the direction of the column of smoke, fast -disappearing, worked his lips into a snarl which showed a set of capable -teeth. He evidently agreed with Clay as to the moral character of the -person in charge of the train. - -Case opened the cabin door and looked out, waving a pancake turner in -one hand. He smiled when he noted Clay’s discouraged attitude. - -“Fine, eh?” he cried. “If I had in a book all the things the Canadian -Pacific people do not know about relieving a fellow in distress, I’d -have the biggest volume ever printed!” - -“Perhaps the people who left us here neglected to notify division -headquarters,” suggested Clay, never willing to pass censure until all -the facts were at hand. “Anyway, we’re probably here for the night, so -we may as well make the best of it. Supper ready?” - -“Hot on the table,” replied Case. “Where’s Alex?” - -“He went down the grade, east, and will doubtless be back in a moment. -Flag him with a pancake, and he’ll come running!” - -“Go bring him, Captain Joe,” ordered Case. “Go tell Alex that the last -call for supper is on in the dining car.” - -Captain Joe wiggled his stumpy ears, agitated his excuse for a tail, and -turned a wrinkled nose to the north. In a moment he started away in that -direction. - -“Here!” called Clay, “Alex didn’t go in that direction! Come here, you -foolish dog, that’s not the right way to go! Come on back here!” - -Captain Joe looked back condescendingly, as if he realized that he was -doing business with a very young person who really did not know what he -was talking about, and, crouching down, uttered a low threat of a growl. - -“There’s something in there,” Case decided, “some man or some wild -animal. Captain Joe doesn’t often make mistakes. I’ll get a searchlight -and take a look. He may have discovered something good to eat!” - -“Be careful,” advised Clay. “It isn’t more than a hundred feet back to -the wall of rock, and whatever is in there, man or beast, is pretty -close to us. Wait until I get my gun.” - -The searchlight revealed nothing save bare rock and stunted, starved -shrubs which grew protestingly in such shallow soil as had found its way -into the crevices of the rocks. - -“You’re a rattle-headed dog, Captain Joe,” Clay admonished, as the boys -turned back toward the platform car and its cargo of motor boat. - -But Captain Joe was not inclined to accept this reproof lightly. Instead -of going back with the boys, he bounded to a sloping shelf of rock and -uttered a succession of growls, menacing and deep-chested. - -“There _is_ something up there!” Case commented. “It may be a bear. -There are bears in British Columbia, you know.” - -“You are likely to know it, if you go up there,” Clay laughed. “I advise -you to keep away.” - -“Do the bears of British Columbia talk?” asked Case, who was closer to -the dog and the shelf of rock than his companion. - -“Yes; with their teeth,” answered Clay. - -“Well, this bear, the one up on the rocks, is trying to coax the dog up -to him,” answered Case. “I heard him tell Captain Joe that he was making -a great mistake in looking upon him as an enemy, or words to that -effect. Captain Joe doesn’t believe him, at that!” - -“You heard a voice up there?” interrogated Clay, hardly crediting the -statement. “I guess you are having a dream!” - -Captain Joe passed out of sight in the dusk and his hoarse protests died -away. Clay called to him to come back, but the dog did not make his -appearance. - -“I’m going after him,” Case declared. “He may get shot. There’s a man in -there, all right!” - -Clay held his chum back with both hands and called again and again to -the dog. Directly Captain Joe returned, looking very much like a boy who -had been invited to a delightful excursion and then detained at home by -parental command. He crouched down at Clay’s feet, but kept his eyes on -the rocks above. - -“I guess the dog knows,” Case argued. “You can’t fool Captain Joe. There -is some one hiding in the rocks.” - -“Look here,” argued Clay, “we’ve been lying here since early this -morning, haven’t we? Well, that is only a narrow place, between the spur -and the almost perpendicular wall of rock, and we would have seen -anybody sneaking about, wouldn’t we? Why, I’ve been up there where the -dog went half a dozen times to-day, and there was no sign of a person -there, no sort of a place for one to hide in. You heard a wild animal -growling, that’s what you heard.” - -“I guess I know what I heard!” Case contended. “Perhaps you’d better -tell me I’m stone deaf! I tell you I heard a human voice, speaking to -the dog!” - -“If there was any one in hiding it was Alex playing some of his foolish -pranks,” insisted Clay. - -“Oh, yes!” laughed Case. “The dog wouldn’t have gone to Alex if asked -to! Of course not! And Captain Joe would have made a bristle of his back -and growled at Alex like he did that fellow up there! Of course he -would! You can say what you like, but I’m going to see what it was -Captain Joe growled at. I need a little exercise, anyway!” - -“It is a wonder Alex wouldn’t come back,” Clay remarked, as Case, armed -with a searchlight and an automatic, started away. - -The boy turned back at mention of the absence of his chum. - -“He may be in trouble,” he said. “He may have come across the man who is -hiding up yonder. I’ll look him up, all right.” - -Night had fallen, a dull, windy night, with now and then a star showing -through driving masses of clouds. There would be a moon later, but now -the spaces below, the canyons and the lifting peaks, were as thoroughly -out of sight as if the sun had lugged them off with him across the wide -stretches of the Pacific ocean! - -“You stay here and watch the boat,” Clay urged, in a moment, “and I’ll -take Captain Joe and go down the track. The dog will follow the trail -Alex left, and we’ll soon know where the boy is.” - -Case grumbled not a little at this arrangement, for it was his nature to -be in the thick of any ruction within sound of his ears, but he finally -consented to remain with the motor boat and entered the cabin. - -“I’ll make a light lunch of a couple of dozen pancakes,” he called from -the doorway, as Clay and Captain Joe passed out of sight in the -darkness. - -Alone in the little room, the boy trimmed the fire, put on more coal, -removed a scorched pan of cakes from the electric stove, and then sat -down to listen and wait. He was by far too anxious and excited to -partake of the feast he had prepared for all three. - -The wind lifted directly and howled more dismally around the boat, -tearing at the window sash and rattling the door as if with human hands. -Then Case turned off the electric light, switched out the cooking fire, -drew a chair covered with a coat in front of the coal stove, so that the -live coals and the flames might not show through the crevices about the -openings, and sat silent and, if the exact truth must be told, not a -little afraid. - -The boy would have bravely faced almost any peril that came to him -openly and in the light of day, but this sitting alone, in the darkness, -with the wind storming like mad through the pass, more than five -thousand feet above tidewater, was a little too much. He wanted action. -He found himself unable to sit there alone and wait. Clay and Alex -seemed to be away a long time. - -Finally he armed himself again and went out, softly closing the door -behind him in order that any lurking person might not know that he was -abroad. He shivered a moment in the cold wind and then crouched down -under one of the windows. - -Once he thought he heard a call from the east, but the wind hissed in -his ears so insistently that he could not be sure that it was a human -voice he heard. He strained his eyes down the pass in the hope of seeing -Clay’s electric torch, but the darkness was not broken. - -“They might at least give me a signal!” he mused. - -But no signal came, and the lonely boy huddled closer to the side of the -motor boat and waited and listened. According to the schedule made out -in Chicago, he should now be on the deck of a floating boat, instead of -on the deck of a craft stuck up like a house on wheels on the planks of -a platform car. - -Instead of sitting there in the wind at the very summit of the Rocky -mountains, he should have been viewing the never-failing panorama of the -Columbia river, somewhere below Donald, fifty or more miles to the west. -Besides being lonely, there was in the heart of the boy a feeling of -apprehension which he could not shake off. - -There surely must be something wrong down the pass, he believed. Captain -Joe would follow the tracks left by Alex and Clay would follow the dog. -This should have brought the searcher to some disclosure long before. He -had decided to leave the boat and follow on down the trail when a sound -at the side of the car attracted his attention. - -It seemed to the listener that some one was climbing up on the platform, -moving stealthily, still clumsily enough to be heard above the rush of -the wind. The boy sat perfectly still, ready with his electric -flashlight and his automatic revolver. - -The intruder, whoever it was, came nearer, and Case knew that he had now -reached the floor of the car and was moving toward the motor boat. Even -if the lad’s position had enabled him to view the slow progress of the -intruder, which it did not, he could not have followed his movements -with his eyes because of the darkness. - -There was nothing to do but wait until the skulker came under the prow -lamp of the boat. Then, by the turning of a switch from the corner of -the cabin structure, the boy could throw a glaring light over the whole -car as well as the deck of the motor boat. Thus revealed, and dazed by -the sudden illumination, the prowling man might easily be seen and -brought to terms. - -Mixed with a sense of danger in the heart of the boy was a feeling of -anger at the impudence of the fellow, and with both emotions was merged -a curiosity to know what the chap’s motive could be, how he came to be -there, and what could be his object in hiding instead of approaching -openly. The footsteps moved forward over the planks of the car and a -trembling motion ran through the timbers of the boat as a weight tipped -it a trifle to one side in mounting to the deck. - -Off to the east Case thought he caught a glimmer of light——not a white -strong light, such as would come from an electric torch, but a dull, -reddish glow, such as would be likely to come from the hot coals of a -campfire. As he looked, the glow grew, as if the coals, stirred by the -wind had burst into a brisker flame. - -Then the boy heard the intruder approaching the door of the cabin, his -approach louder and more confident because of the darkness and silence -inside, and, reaching out, turned on the great electric light at the -prow. - - - - -CHAPTER III.—ALEX FINDS USE FOR HIS KODAK. - - -When the long freight train dashed by Alex without slowing down, he -stood for an instant frowning and shaking his clenched fist at the rear -brakeman, who swung his lantern in derision and passed into the caboose. - -“Nice thing!” muttered the boy. “Now we’ve got to stop here all night! -Whee! Case will have a fit, all right! If this hard luck keeps up, he’ll -get so he can have two fits at a time! That will be fine!” - -Alex was about to turn to the track again and walk back to the flat car -when the thought came to him that the conductor might have misunderstood -orders regarding the exact location of the sidetracked car and stopped -at the wrong place. Railroad men often did things like that, he -reasoned! - -“He stopped, all right,” the boy muttered, “for there wasn’t a hint of -the rumbling of wheels in the air for full five minutes. Now, if he -didn’t stop to pick us up, what did he stop for? I’ll go and find out!” - -It was a problem which, to the inquisitive mind of the lad, required an -immediate solution, so he faced east again and plodded along the track -in the gathering night. A short distance away he came to a spot where -tracks showed that the train had halted. - -It was in a narrow canyon between two towering peaks, and, just off the -south rail, lay a great rock. Around it were the footprints, and also -the deep indentations of a crowbar, which had evidently been used by the -trainmen in prying the boulder off the steel highway. - -“They came pretty near stopping here all night!” Alex mused, looking -over the ground. “That rock certainly would have stopped them _good_, -and, at that, some of the crew might have been taken away on a car -door!” - -There was no doubt that a terrible wreck would have taken place had the -train struck the obstruction while running at full speed. But, because -of the steep grade and the heavy train, the momentum had not been great, -and the watchful engineer had seen the rock in time to prevent trouble. - -“I wonder how that rock got on the track, in the first place?” the boy -muttered. “Doesn’t seem as if it could have fallen from that summit. If -it had, it would have been broken into bits.” - -“I just believe some one put it there,” was the conclusion, as he -examined the ground. “I reckon some rough neck wanted to tip the train -off the track!” - -This conclusion, hastily formed though it was, led to other insistent -questions. If the boulder had indeed been placed on the track by human -hands, where were the ruffians who had done it? Had they hidden in some -of the cars, or “on the rods,” and gone on with the train? Were they -still in that vicinity? - -“I think I’d better be getting back to the boat,” the boy muttered, a -vision of bandits and train robbers peering out at him from the rocks -presenting itself. “If there are any Jessie James persons about here, we -boys would better keep together.” - -Alex gave a parting poke at the great rock and turned around to look -over the country to north and south. There was little to see. On each -side of the tracks loomed a wall of rock. But, a short distance to the -east, the right-of-way curved off to the south, following a ledge of -rock which led downward. Straight ahead there was a dip, the earth -falling away from the tracks and exposing a vista of wild canyons and -rugged and forbidding crags. - -As the lad turned he saw a red gleam in the canyon straight ahead. It -was not the glow of the sunset. It was too late for that. Besides, the -canyon was considerably lower than the floor of the pass, so the latest -rays of the sun would not have reached it at all. The landscape darkened -as he looked, and directly he saw leaping flames and figures passing to -and fro in front of the blaze. - -“That accounts for the obstruction on the track, all right!” Alex -decided. “I guess we’ve gotten into a nest of thieves!” - -“Well, you needn’t tell them what you’re thinking about!” - -Alex turned quickly about, not at first recognizing the voice, then a -white body launched against his breast, nearly bringing him to the -earth. - -“Down, Captain Joe!” he exclaimed. “Do you want to tip a fellow off his -feet?” - -Then he looked up at Clay with a grin. - -“I thought you were a train robber!” he said. “Wonder you wouldn’t scare -a fellow to death!” - -“Why don’t you come up to supper?” asked Clay. - -“Huh!” replied the lad. “Never you mind supper! Just come along with me -and see what I have found!” - -“Gold?” asked Clay. - -“Train robbers.” - -“You’ll be finding red lions next!” laughed Clay. “Come on back to the -boat. I left Case alone, of course, to come after you, and there’s some -one prowling around.” - -Alex emitted a low whistle. - -“That’s one of my train robbers, then,” he said. “I’ve got a trained -band of ’em over in the next canyon.” - -The boy pointed to the smouldering glow straight to the east. - -“Hunters, probably,” Clay suggested. - -“Hunters, of course,” Alex replied, “but they’re hunting something -besides wild animals.” - -“If I had your imagination, I’d be writing fiction for the magazines,” -Clay answered. “Why do you call them train robbers?” - -“Because they tried to throw that freight from the track—the freight -that just passed. The trainmen had to roll a rock off the track. That’s -what the stop was for.” - -It was now Clay’s turn to express amazement by a low whistle. - -“But why should they want to throw a freight off the track?” he asked in -a moment. “There’s nothing nourishing in the looting of a freight. -Suppose we go over and see who they are?” - -“Well,” Alex replied, “I’ll go if you think best, but I’ll tell you this -first. That freight was running on the time of a passenger. See? Oh, -they’re train robbers, all right, and if there is any one prowling -around the boat it is one of the bunch. You may be sure of that!” - -Captain Joe now moved away from the boys and approached the lip of the -canyon, where he paused and expressed disapproval of the men outlined -against the fire by a series of savage growls. - -“Come away, Captain Joe!” ordered Clay. - -The dog growled again, but drew away from the canyon. - -“We can’t take him along with us,” Alex declared. “He would give us dead -away. We’ve got to slip up to the fire and find out what is doing -without making our presence known.” - -“That seems to be the proper way,” admitted Clay. - -“Go back home. Captain Joe!” ordered Alex in a whisper. - -The dog understood and replied by a wag of a sawed-off tail that he -would go if the boys thought it best that he should, but that he wished -it understood that he did so under protest. - -“Go back to Case!” ordered Clay. - -Captain Joe gave one reluctant growl with his face to the canyon and -started away. - -“He feels just like I used to feel when the big boys sent me out of a -ball game at Lincoln park,” Clay laughed. “He thinks there is something -going on here that he ought to be in with.” - -When the dog disappeared from view the boys turned to the canyon. - -“There’s a ridge we can follow,” Clay said, pointing, “and it will bring -us out some distance to the right of the fire, with a lift of rock -between us and our mysterious friends. Be careful, though, for it is -getting darker every minute.” - -“If it wasn’t dark,” Alex grunted, “we wouldn’t be going into the canyon -at all.” - -The boys made their way as silently as possible down the “hogsback,” -but, with all their caution, a dislodged stone now and then thundered -from under their feet to the bottom of the canyon. However, the wind was -still blowing a gale, and they hoped that this would drown the noise of -their advance. - -It took them a long time to get down to the level of the campfire, which -now supplied all the light they had to guide them. There were a few -stars visible, but a low-lying mass of clouds was scudding overhead, and -these shut out what little light came from above except at rare -intervals. - -“This doesn’t look much like a day on the Columbia!” Alex declared, -blowing warm breath on his half-frozen fingers. “Huh! It is cold enough -here to freeze the ears off a brass cat!” - -“If the _Rambler_ could talk,” Clay said, falling into the mood of his -chum, “she’d be saying things about being taken on a cruise to the top -of the Rocky Mountains. Look out, now! The ledge turns here, and -straight ahead is a drop of a thousand feet, I guess, from the time it -takes to bring the sound of a rolling stone back to us.” - -The adventurous lads turned with the ledge, crawling now on hands and -feet and keeping close to a ridge which formed the summit of the long -crag. Presently they came to a rock which blocked their way. - -The campfire was just beyond the rock, so they did not attempt to pass -around the obstruction. They nestled down in the shelter of the boulder -for a time and listened, but the wind was so strong that it carried any -words which might have been spoken at the fire off to the east. - -In moving about Clay bumped his face against a hard substance under -Alex’s coat. - -“Say,” he asked, rubbing his nose, “what kind of an infernal machine -have you got under there? Are you trying to carry away a piece of the -mountain? Or just blow it up? You nearly broke my face.” - -Alex clapped his hand to his side and Clay could feel him chuckling, his -body shaking with suppressed mirth. - -“I’ve got the big idea!” Alex said, then. “That’s my dandy kodak you -bunted into! Had it with me, taking pictures, to-day, and forgot to -leave it in our luxurious private car. Lucky, eh?” - -“I don’t see any luck in it for me,” grumbled Clay, still nursing his -nose. “Why don’t you keep out of the way when you go about armed like -that?” - -Alex chuckled again and moved around the angle of the rock, toward the -fire. Clay seized him by the foot and held him back, squirming. - -“You’ll find out if they are train robbers if you go fooling around -there,” he said. “What fool thing are you trying to do?” - -“Leave go of my foot!” exclaimed Alex kicking like a mule. “I’m going to -get a snapshot for my private collection.” - -“You may get a shot that won’t be much of a snap,” Clay replied, in -better humor. “Can you get by the angle of the rock far enough to do the -trick? I’d like a copy of that photograph myself.” - -“Of course I can,” was the reply. “I can see four men at the fire now, -and they are all set for a good picture. Wait a minute!” he added. “One -of them is going to throw a lot of brush on the blaze. I’ll show you a -peach of a flashlight effect before long.” - -The boy edged farther along, and Clay heard him snickering as he brought -out the kodak and waited for the right moment to come. Clay became -impatient, presently, and advanced toward him. - -“Get back!” Alex whispered, almost in his ear, as he pushed against him. -“I had eight films in and I’ve used ’em all. And there’s a giant of a -man coming out this way. Get back! Take a tumble in some hole in the -ground! I guess he saw me!” - - - - -CHAPTER IV.—A NEW FACE ON THE RAMBLER. - - -When the prow lamp of the _Rambler_, in response to the turning of the -switch by the excited boy, flared out, Case saw a slender figure -standing close to the cabin door, which was closed. The lad’s first -impulse was to fire at the intruder, but the figure looked so shrinking, -so lacking in aggressiveness, the face showing under a man’s slouch hat -was so white, so appealing, that he lowered his weapon and called out: - -“What are you doing here?” - -There was no verbal answer, but the boy, for such the intruder appeared -to be, began slowly backing away, toward the railing of the boat. - -“Stand where you are!” ordered Case, presenting his weapon again. “I -want to know something about this. Look up here!” - -The other’s eyes, shrinking and afraid, looked for a moment into those -above the threatening revolver and then dropped. - -“Where did you come from?” was the next question. “What are you doing on -board the _Rambler_? Why do you come sneaking up?” - -Case thought he saw a quick start at the mention of the name of the -boat, but still there was no reply. - -“Oh, come on!” Case advised, in a kinder tone, “you’d better talk. I -shall not hurt you. Did you get off that freight?” - -Case had lowered his arm while speaking, and the intruder took advantage -of the fact. He leaped backward, over the railing, to the floor of the -car and jumped to the ground. It was all done so quickly that Case had -no time to prevent the escape, and that would doubtless have been the -last of the boy, so far as he was concerned, if a strange and unexpected -element had not intruded into the case. - -When Case stepped forward to the railing of the deck and looked down, he -heard a cry of fright and saw a white figure and a brown one tumbling -about on the ground. - -“Let go—let go!” came a voice from out the entanglement. - -This was followed by a snarling growl in which Case recognized the -deep-chested voice of Captain Joe. - -“Here!” the boy called out to the dog. “Let up, Captain Joe! Watch him, -old fellow, but don’t eat him up!” - -The dog separated himself from the tangle and sat up, his wrinkled nose, -his twitching ears and jerking tail, apparently following every movement -of his late antagonist. - -“Did he bite you?” asked Case, hastening down to where the boy lay, not -daring to make a move. - -“I—I don’t know,” was the pitiful reply. “I think he tore my clothes, -though.” - -“Lucky he didn’t tear your throat,” Case commented. “Get up and come -into the cabin. I want to know who you are, and why you are here. Keep -away, Captain Joe!” - -The dog did not seem pleased with the idea of transferring his prisoner -to the custody of another, but he mounted slowly to the deck of the -motor boat and sat gloomily watching the two until the cabin door closed -against him. - -“Well, that’s a nice way to thank a fellow!” his eyes seemed to say, as -he turned an ear to the east in response to the beating of wheels on the -upward grade. - -There was another train coming, and Case opened the cabin door and -looked out Captain Joe greeted him with a dignity which was at once a -promise of forgiveness and a reminder of previous discourteous -treatment. - -Case listened an instant and turned his face back into the cabin. - -“I’m going out now,” he said to the captive inside, “but I’m leaving the -dog on guard. He’ll eat you up if you try to get away.” - -With this cheerful remark he turned from the cabin and listened to the -steady roar of the approaching train. - -“If you are hungry,” he called back, already moving away and leaving the -door open so that the watchful dog might be seen from the interior, -“there are cold pancakes and bacon on the table, and coffee on the -stove. We got supper a long time ago, but this has been our busy night, -so we haven’t eaten yet.” - -There was an instantaneous rattling of dishes and Case smiled as he -peered through the open door. The prisoner was eating as if he had not -seen food before in a long time. - -“Go to it!” laughed Case. “You’re welcome. And, say, if you know -anything about electric stoves, you might warm up that coffee. Or -perhaps you can do it quicker on top of the coal stove, if the fire -hasn’t gone out.” - -The headlight of the on-coming train was now in the pass, lighting the -rails until they glistened again, bringing the platform car and the boat -set rakishly upon it out in bold relief. And just in front of the -engine, running at full speed along the ends of the ties, was Clay. Alex -could be seen clinging to one of the cab steps with the fireman -threatening him with a shovel of coal. - -Much to Case’s delight, the engine drew up in front of the sidetracked -car, and the conductor came running down from the caboose, swinging a -lantern in his hand. He threw a volley of ugly words at Alex and stepped -up to where Case stood, leaning over the railing of the _Rambler_. - -“Does that kid belong with you?” he demanded, flinging his lantern out -in the direction of Alex. “He might have been killed, making a catch -like that. Where is the boss of this outfit?” - -“We are all bosses,” replied Case, not at all pleased with the abrupt -manners of the conductor. - -“Humph! A mess of boys! Well, get a move on, here, and let us hitch you -on. We’ve lost time enough now.” - -“You needn’t lose any more on our account,” Case replied, provokingly. -“Get busy just as soon as you like. In other words, ‘Fire, Gridley, as -soon as you are ready,’” he added, with a grin, repeating the words of -Dewey at Manila bay. - -“I’d like to have the firing of you!” exclaimed the exasperated -conductor. “Here, boys,” he added, addressing a group of men who came up -from the caboose, “get the jacks under the car and put in two new -wheels. We’ve got to haul her down to Donald.” - -There was then a great flashing of lanterns, a clashing of tongues, and -a groaning of steel screws as the jacks lifted the rear end of the car -high in the air. Clay and Alex dived into the cabin to straighten out -possible entanglements there and were amazed at coming upon a slender -stranger busy at the pancake griddle. They both stopped in the middle of -the room, which was not a very large one, and looked the questions they -were too breathless to ask. - -“I was told to warm up the coffee,” the boy said, “and I thought I’d -cook some more cakes. I’ve eaten all you cooked for supper, and all the -bacon, too. I was hungry.” - -“I should say so,” Alex responded. “There was enough cakes for six -harvest hands.” - -“I’m sorry,” the slender boy said, apologetically, “and I’ll make it -right.” - -“Forget it!” cried Alex. “It is right now.” - -Outside the trainmen were letting the axle, clothed with new wheels, -down on the track, which they did with a spiteful bump. For an instant -all three boys lost their footing and came together with a dash which -nearly threw them to the floor. The incident brought them closer -together, socially as well as physically, and they were making friends -fast when the car was hauled out on the main line. - -“You’re a new one on me,” Alex was saying when the conductor gave the -signal and the train went rattling off toward the Pacific ocean. - -When the car was well under way Clay and the others began asking -questions of each other and of the stranger, who seemed nervous and -anxious to get away—eager to leave the boat, yet longing to remain! - -“Where did you come from?” asked Clay, after the boys were gathered -about the table for the delayed supper. “Queer thing, your lighting down -on us here, at the summit of the Rocky mountains. Do you belong to the -gang over there by the campfire?” - -The lad gave a quick start of surprise and shook his head. - -“When did you get here?” asked Alex. “Was it you prowling around the car -just after sunset?” - -The boy nodded, but did not answer the first question by saying when he -had reached that locality. - -“How did you get here?” put in Case. “I don’t think you’ve walked to the -great divide.” - -“Why, I came on that train,” was the reply. - -The stranger did not say which train, but the boys took it for granted -that he referred to the freight train which had been held up by the -boulder blocking the way. - -“Why didn’t you go to the campfire instead of coming to the boat?” asked -Clay, suspiciously. “It was nearer to the fire, and you must have seen -it, for the train stopped near the ridge that leads to it.” - -“I was over there,” replied the boy, hesitatingly, “but I didn’t like -the appearance of things, so I came on and happened on your car.” - -“What is your notion of those men at the fire?” asked Clay. - -“I think they may be outlaws.” - -“Just what I think!” Alex shouted. “Clay thinks they are hunters, but -he’s weak-minded sometimes! What makes you think they are outlaws?” he -continued, determined to have his own impression of the men sustained by -an eye-witness. - -“Because I heard some talk about fleeing from justice.” - -“There!” cried Alex nudging Clay. “Now will you be good? I’m glad we got -out of that locality just as we did, for I believe some one saw me -taking a snapshot and followed us.” - -“I think you are dreaming,” Clay laughed, but the stranger gave a -startled glance about and crouched closer in the corner where he sat. - -The boys noted his shrinking attitude and looked at each other -significantly. Just why he should show terror at the mention of the men -in camp was a matter which they would, they thought, inquire into later. - -“When you get done talking to each other,” Case put in, sourly, “you -might tell me something about the campfire and the men you took a -snapshot at and got chased for your pains.” - -Then Clay told the story and Alex added amusing frills by telling how -Clay had tried to pull him back by the legs so he couldn’t take the -snapshots he wanted. - -“But I got the pictures,” the boy laughed, “just the same—eight of them. -One of the fellows was continually throwing mountain grass or some other -light stuff on the fire, and it was as good as a flashlight.” - -“Will you let me see the pictures?” asked the stranger, showing great -interest in the recital. - -“You’ll have to wait until I get them in shape,” Alex laughed. “I don’t -propose to take chances by having them out now. Would you know the men -at the fire if you saw them again?” - -“I’m not sure,” was the reply. - -“What were you doing on the freight train?” asked Case, abruptly. - -“Just stealing a ride,” was the slow, bashful reply. - -“You got off here when it stopped?” asked Clay. - -“It was still in motion when I got off.” - -“Where did you come from—where is your home?” - -This from Clay, who had been studying the boy’s face curiously for some -moments. “What city did you live in last?” - -“Chicago,” was the hesitating reply. - -“What’s your name?” asked Case, as Clay turned his face away with a -quiet smile. “Why don’t you open up and tell us all about yourself?” - -“There is nothing to tell,” was the grave reply. “I’m just a boy tramp, -I guess. But I’d like to have you answer a question,” he added, with a -flush on his pale face. “I’d like to know if it was one of the men from -the campfire who followed you, or—or some one else.” - -“Was there some one else in there?” asked Clay. “You said you went there -before you visited the _Rambler_. Do you think there were men there whom -we did not see at the fire?” - -“I thought there were men near the campfire who did not belong there,” -was the reply. “They looked so fierce that I was afraid and ran away. I -thought, perhaps, that you might have been followed by one of the men I -saw hanging about there—not by one of the campers.” - -“Another mystery!” laughed Alex. “On the trip to the Amazon we picked up -a mysterious boy, and here, presto! we have another. But this boy seems -to know what he’s talking about, and the other one didn’t. At least, he -wouldn’t let us know that he did for a long time. Whew! I’d have climbed -up a star beam if I’d ’a’ known there were two gangs in the rocks. One -was enough for me!” - -The conductor now came climbing back over the train to the platform car, -swinging his lantern spitefully. Clay opened the cabin door and stood -waiting for him to come up, waiting with a sense of impending trouble. - -The conductor leaped lightly to the deck of the boat from the platform -of the car and stood holding his lantern up on a level with his eyes in -order that he might see better. Clay switched on the prow light and -stood watching him alertly. - -Presently the conductor, now reinforced by a husky brakeman, stepped -squarely in front of Clay and flashed a pair of angry eyes at him. - -“Stand out of the way!” he commanded. “I want to look inside!” - -Clay stood stupidly staring for a moment and then stepped out of the -doorway. - - - - -CHAPTER V.—WHAT TOOK PLACE ON THE TRAIN. - - -There was no need for the conductor to hold his lantern aloft now, so he -set it down on the deck and glared into the cabin. The husky brakeman -crowded close to him, peering into the interior over his broad shoulder, -a cynical smile on his grimy face. - -The conductor seemed disappointed at the result of his inspection of the -cabin. He gave a grunt and a shrug of the shoulders and turned to Clay, -who stood watching him with apprehension in his eyes. - -“Where are the others?” he demanded, in an accusing tone of voice. - -“We are all here,” replied Clay, doing his best to keep control of his -temper, for the manner of the railroad official was insulting. - -“Only four?” the surly conductor asked, still looking suspiciously -around. “These four belong on the boat, do they?” - -The strange boy seemed to shiver with cold or fear. But the door of the -cabin was open, and the wind sweeping over the moving train was cold and -piercing. In a moment the boy turned his face away. - -“All belong here—now,” replied Clay, motioning for Case, who had an -angry answer on his lips, to remain silent. “We all belong.” - -“Where are the men who got on at the pass?” was the next question. - -“This boy got on there,” answered Clay. “He needed rest and food, and we -took him in. If any one else got on the train at the pass they are not -in the boat—have no right here.” - -“Humph!” growled the conductor. “This brakeman says he saw two -rough-looking men swing on the train as it got under way and move back -toward the platform car. Your bill calls for only three passengers to go -with the boat, and I’m not going to have a gang of toughs loaded onto -me. There’s been too many holdups in this section now.” - -“We are going to Donald,” Clay replied, still keeping control of his -rather unruly temper, “and we’ll pay the boy’s fare to that point, if -you think we ought to. We are not trying to sneak an extra passenger in -on you. The coming of the boy was accidental, as you have been told.” - -“I didn’t come here to collect fares,” shouted the conductor. “I came -back here to spot a couple of bruisers who headed for this car. If I -find them they’ll hit the grit mighty sudden. Understand that?” - -“Go as far as you like,” Clay smiled. “We have no interest in any men -who might have taken your train at the pass. Shall I pay for the boy’s -ride to Donald?” he added, putting his hand into a pocket. - -“I’ll take the money for his fare, but I’ll throw the others off, just -the same,” exclaimed the conductor. “I believe you know where the others -are, and my advice to you is to point them out to me.” - -“Why are you so particular about finding them in this car?” asked Clay, -smoothly, for he knew that the railroad official could make them no end -of trouble if he saw fit to do so. “Have you looked through the entire -train? Are there no other hiding-places to look over?” - -“There was an obstruction placed on the track at the pass,” the -conductor said, then, in a more conciliatory tone, “and the men who got -on my train and started back toward this car are the ones who did it. It -is ten to one that they are up to further mischief.” - -“But you were going to throw them off,” suggested Clay. - -“That was a bluff,” admitted the other. “I thought you might offer to -pay their fare, as you did the boy’s. They will go down in irons if I -find them.” - -“I see,” Clay rejoined. “Well, I think you are next to your job, and I’m -sorry I can’t help you. I don’t know why the men you speak of should -seek refuge in this car, but what you say about their starting back here -is probably true. If I see anything of them I’ll let you know. By the -way,” he added, “we have some fine coffee, piping hot. Wouldn’t you -gentlemen like a cup?” - -Case made a sly face at the word “gentlemen,” and Captain Joe arose from -his rug under one of the shelf-benches and snarled at the heavy shoes of -the trainmen. Alex covered his mouth with one hand to check an outburst -of laughter. The conductor stared at the boy and kicked at the dog, as -if sensing ridicule, but addressed his conversation to Clay. - -“Why, yes,” he said, taking in the fragrant odor of the coffee, “a cup -of something hot wouldn’t come amiss. We are having coffee in the -caboose right soon, but it is a cold night up here.” - -“You’ll be welcome,” Clay answered, “and there are pancakes, too, if you -like them. The boys can make some in a minute.” - -The trainmen drank two cups of coffee each and greedily devoured a dozen -pancakes, which Alex hastened to make. Alex was wishing that the coffee -would scorch their throats! - -The meal over, the conductor’s face took on a friendlier look. - -“At Calgary,” he said, “we were ordered to load on jacks and extra -wheels and pick you up here. News of the breakdown came there by wire -just before we started out. At Laggan there was a message waiting for us -saying that an attempt had been made to wreck a freight here. The crew -had telegraphed from Field, just west of here. - -“Well, I naturally got the idea into my head that the breakdown here—or -back at the pass, rather—was just a plant, so I was suspicious when I -came up. I was told in the message received at Laggan to keep my eyes -open for the wreckers, and that is why I was so short with you.” - -“You acted just as I should under the circumstances,” Clay hastened to -say, seeing that the conductor was inclined to be friendly and wishing -to remain in his good graces. “Now, what shall I pay you for the extra -fare to Donald? We don’t want to beat the road out of a cent.” - -“The coffee pays for that,” smiled the conductor. - -“Let us know if you find the men who jumped the train at the pass,” Clay -then said. “This boy thinks there are two groups of men back there, at -the pass, you know, and is inclined, from appearances, to be afraid of -one of them.” - -The stranger turned frightened eyes toward Clay for only an instant and -then faced away again. The conductor saw the look and asked: - -“What is this lad’s name, and where does he come from?” - -“Comes from Chicago,” answered Clay. “We haven’t learned his name as -yet. We have been together only a short time, you know.” - -“What is it, boy?” asked the trainman, not at all unkindly. “We are -sometimes asked to look out for kids who have run away from home to see -the world,” he added, turning to Clay, “and so I’ll just make a note of -this one’s name and address. Likely looking lad, eh?” he added. - -“My name is Granville,” the boy answered, “Chester W. Granville, and I -lived in Chicago, in Peck court.” - -“Humph,” the conductor remarked. “Not a very aristocratic place.” - -“No, sir,” responded the boy, turning away again. “Ever frequent the -South Branch?” asked Clay, with a quiet smile. - -“Yes, sir,” was the reply. “I often went over there, for I like to see -ships and tugs and launches moving about in the water.” - -“And motor boats?” asked Clay, with another quiet smile. - -“Of course,” was the reply. “Motor boats best of all.” - -The conductor wrote down the name and address in a notebook and got to -his feet. Alex punched Case in the ribs and whispered in his ear: - -“Funny name and address, I don’t think!” - -“Perhaps,” Case whispered back, “but I’ll bet the lad is all right. -Anyway, I’ve heard that a lie is only a misstatement of fact to a person -entitled to know the truth, and his name and address is no business of -the conductor’s. I think the con. is just butting in on us to see what -he can find out. I don’t believe there are any such men as he describes -on board—if there are, they never got on at the pass.” - -“Well, we’ve got another mystery with us!” grinned Alex as the trainmen -left, swinging lanterns to light the way. “A strange maverick of a boy -and two fierce-looking men! We’re getting all there is in this drama, -all right—red fire and all! If the Columbia river trip makes good with -the overland journey, we’re in for excitement—and then some. Say, Clay,” -he continued, “why did you ask Mr. Chester W. Granville if he ever -visited the South Branch in Chicago?” with a wink at the boy. - -“Why,” Clay answered, “it seemed to me that I had seen him somewhere -before, when I entered the cabin and found him making pancakes. I had an -idea, when he said that he lived in Chicago, that I might have seen him -there, but the impression is an indistinct one. It seems to be connected -with some other matter which I cannot now bring to mind.” - -“He ought to remember if he ever saw you before,” suggested Alex. - -The boy said nothing, and Case and Clay prepared their bunks for a short -sleep. They would reach Donald before daylight, and so would have only a -short period of rest. The train was running fast over a roadbed none too -smooth, but that did not for a second keep them awake. - -Alex and Gran, as the new member of the party was known from that night, -sat in the cabin and compared notes regarding life in Chicago for a -short time, and then Gran fell asleep on his bench and Alex went to the -prow of the _Rambler_, now bobbing about under the motion of the train -as if it had come back to its own in some wild river, and looked out on -the swaying coaches ahead. The moon had arisen, and there was plenty of -light at intervals, although the sky was still flecked with clouds. - -Field was soon passed, and then the milder grade down to the valley of -the Columbia river began. The scene was such as the boy had long hoped -some day to see. The snow-capped peaks, the silver of the moonlight on -the lower crags, the heavy shadows of the canyons, the long lines of -steel binding together the Atlantic and the Pacific! He had heard many -tales of daring robberies and bloody feud encounters in that vicinity, -and looked upon every crag and canyon as the possible scene of an outlaw -gathering. - -Presently he saw a figure running toward him along the tops of the box -cars. Now it stooped low, as if fearful of being seen, now it lifted to -full height and leaped from roof to roof. When it came nearer the boy -saw that it was not the conductor or the brakeman who had visited the -cabin some time before. - -This was a larger man than either of the trainmen he had seen. The -shoulders were broad, denoting great physical strength, and the height -was not less than six foot three. Another peculiarity the boy noticed. -The arms were unusually long, even for so tall a man. As they swayed -away from the body with the motion of the train he saw that the fingers -dropped almost to the knees. - -The face the boy could not see distinctly. It was covered with a great -beard and shaded by the brim of a cowboy hat. Directly another figure, -carrying a lantern, appeared on the top of the train. Alex heard a -shout, and then a pistol shot. The tall man in advance halted, limped -over to the side of the car, swung down a ladder and disappeared from -sight. - -The second figure came running up to the car attached to the one on -which the _Rambler_ lay and shouted across to the boy: - -“Where did he go?” - -There was much noise and the wind was blowing against his voice, so Alex -could not make the other understand that the fugitive had gone down the -side ladder except by pointing. The whole scene had seemed so unreal to -the boy that he half expected to see the tall man bob up in the -moonlight from some dark canyon and continue his frantic flight over the -swaying coaches. - -“Guess I got him!” shouted the other, lowering his lantern. “Here’s -blood on the roof. There were two of them, and both got away.” - -Alex remembered the conductor’s story of the men who had swung on at the -pass, and was not altogether displeased at the thought that they had -been chased off the train. In the tall figure which had swayed toward -him for a time and then almost dropped, bleeding, from the car top, he -thought he had recognized the figure which had pursued him around the -angle of rock where the pictures had been taken. Feeling safer, he went -to sleep, and when he awoke the car was being detached from the train at -Donald. - - - - -CHAPTER VI.—MOURNING AN EMPTY KODAK. - - -The “private palace car,” as the boys called the platform car which had -carried the _Rambler_ out of Port Arthur, was being shunted from the -train to a siding near the river bank, and some one was pulling like mad -at Alex’s arm. He sat up, rubbing his eyes, and struck out at the hand -which was annoying him. A chuckle came from the side of his bunk, and he -saw Case standing there with a most exasperating grin on his face. - -“Get up!” the latter cried. “We’ll be afloat on the Columbia in less -than no time. Say, kiddo, but you’ve been sleeping some! Get up!” - -“Where is the Columbia?” asked Alex hardly awake yet. - -“Why,” laughed Case, “I forgot to take it in last night and so it froze -stiff on the roof. The boys are thawing it out with a flat iron. Where -did you think it was, silly?” - -“You’re all right,” Alex grunted, dressing as fast as his hands could -move, “but you have foolish spells. Which way is the Columbia from here? -I’m in a hurry to get a look at it. My, but there’s a heap of fun coming -to us now. Good old river, eh, Case?” - -“You know it,” replied the other. “Now, wait a minute,” he added, as -Alex made a move toward the door. “I came in here to talk with you.” - -“You near broke my arm,” complained Alex. “What is it about? Can’t you -wait until I get a peek at the river? What’s the hurry, anyway?” - -Case drew the boy down on the edge of the bunk and held him there a -minute until he quit struggling. Outside the boys were standing at the -prow of the _Rambler_, watching the car carrying them closer to the -dock, if such a primitive contrivance might be called a dock, where the -motor boat was to be launched. Glancing out through the glass panel of -the door, Alex saw that Gran, the stranger who had come to them so -strangely the night before, was standing in a dejected attitude before -Clay, who appeared to be talking earnestly. - -“What’s Clay scolding Gran about?” he asked, then. “Looks like he was -giving him a good one. Let me go out and see about it.” - -“That’s what I want to talk with you about,” replied Case. “We want your -advice, don’t you see. It is about the strange boy.” - -“You’ve come to the right shop for sound advice!” laughed Alex. “What is -it about the boy that you want to know? I guess you have seen as much of -him as I have. I rather like the fellow, but he seems to have something -on his mind—something worrying him.” - -“There is,” Case went on. “He insists on leaving us here, and won’t give -any reason for doing so. He says he has a good reason, and that is all -he will say about it.” - -“But how is he ever going to get out of this desolate land?” asked the -other. “He can’t very well ride on the rods clear to the ocean, and -he’ll just about wear his feet out up to his knees if he tries to walk -out of the wilderness. I don’t suppose he’s got a cent of money. Say, -but do you believe the story he tells about coming to the pass on the -train that came near bunting into the boulder?” - -“If he did,” Case replied, “he found some reason, pretty quickly, to get -on a scare about the men in the camp, or the men back of the camp.” - -“He did seem to be scared of his life whenever the fellows were -mentioned,” admitted Alex. “Do you mind what he asked me? Wanted to know -if it was one of the men from the campfire who chased me when I took the -snapshots, or whether it was someone else?” - -“I remember that,” Case answered. “Queer, eh?” - -“Now, how did he know about there being someone else around there?” -continued Alex. “He must have made a pretty thorough inspection of the -place, for we saw no one except the men by the fire. But, say—” - -The lad ceased speaking and sat looking at Case in a puzzled way, as if -trying to solve a knotty problem which had just come into his head. Case -noted the change of attitude and waited for him to go on. - -“S-a-a-y,” the boy continued, in a minute, “I saw every man at the fire -quite distinctly, and there wasn’t one there as tall as the man who came -after me when I had the camera, or the man who went off the car last -night with a bullet in his back, or his side, or somewhere.” - -Case looked at his chum with questions in his eyes. Then he laughed. - -“You’ve been dreaming again!” he said. “Don’t sleep on your back, kid, -and you won’t have such terrible experiences.” - -“Have I?” demanded Alex indignantly. “You just ask the brakeman what he -shot at last night, and then go and look at the top of the car. Perhaps -you can squeeze blood out of dreams, but I don’t believe it.” - -“Well, why didn’t you tell us about it last night?” demanded Case. - -“Because I was sleepy. I’m telling you about it now.” - -It took only a few words to inform Case as to the events of the night -before. The boy looked perplexed as he asked: - -“Are you sure that was the man who chased you when you were out with -your kodak? Say,” he went on, without waiting for an answer, “the con. -was right about two men swinging on at the pass, wasn’t he?” - -“Sure he was. Yes, and I’m pretty certain that one was the man who -chased me around the rock. I don’t know why he should have done it. I -didn’t see him until he broke out of the darkness behind the ledge. -Queer thing!” - -“Did he see you taking a picture, with the snoot of the kodak pointing -in his direction?” asked Case, with a smile that provoked Alex. - -“Come, now, Mr. Sherlock Holmes,” the boy exclaimed, “I suppose you can -tell me exactly why he chased me, and what his thoughts were as he shot -his long legs through the gloom! How do I know what he saw? I wasn’t -taking any picture of him.” - -“How do you know that?” asked the other. “How do you know that he wasn’t -in view of the kodak? Sometimes you get a picture that you don’t know -anything about. Where are the pictures you took last night?” - -“Haven’t taken ’em out yet,” Alex replied. “I’ll have to wait until I -can get a chance to develop them. There’s no hurry, is there?” - -“I would just like to see what the pictures include, that’s all,” -answered Case. “There must be some reason for these men chasing us up as -they appear to be doing. Don’t you think so?” - -Alex opened his eyes in wonder, evidently regarding Case as the -originator of a puzzle to which he only could supply a solution. - -“Why,” he asked, presently, “you don’t think the two men got on the -train just because we were on it, do you? To my mind, they got on -because they didn’t like the looks of the ties as a means of -transportation. I guess you’ll find that that’s all there is to it.” - -“Well,” Case replied, “I don’t know as I’m right, but it appears to me -that there others in the pass besides the campers, and that they had -some reason for getting hold of you. I’ll just bet you took one of their -pictures, perhaps as he was peering out from some shelter, when you -snapped the others. And I’ll wager you the washing of a mess of dishes -that they think you did, whether you did or not.” - -Alex laughed silently for a moment and then asked: - -“Where did you get it? You’re building a mystery about a tramp chasing a -boy who came too near his lair! Come, let’s go out on the bank and take -a look at the Columbia, our future home for many a bright day! We’ve -been guessing over nothing long enough.” - -“Will you let me see the films?” asked Case, still in dead earnest. - -“Sure! Just fish my kodak out of that mess on the floor and I’ll get ’em -out. You can see them well enough to learn if there really is any face -peering out from some nook behind the fire.” - -Case found the kodak presently and brought it to Alex who took it into -his hand and opened it. Case saw him looking into the opening where the -films ought to be, and then heard a low laugh. He turned quickly to see -Alex tossing the kodak to the bunk. - -“Where are the films?” he asked, as Alex sat down and chuckled. - -“Oh, what’s the use?” the other asked. “What did you go and take ’em out -for? The chances are that you have ruined the whole lot.” - -It was now Case’s turn to express incredulity. - -“I don’t know what you mean?” he said, picking up the kodak. - -“Oh, I reckon you know, all right,” grinned Alex. - -“But what—” - -“Give ’em up!” cried Alex. “You’ve gone and taken the films out of the -kodak! Then you come in here and ask me to let you see ’em! Give ’em up, -I say, or I’ll be doing something rash!” - -The boy was laughing, but still he seemed in earnest. Case sat down on -the edge of the bunk and looked through the kodak. - -“Where are they?” asked Alex nudging the other in the ribs. “The joke is -getting stale.” - -“I haven’t seen them,” was the reply. “I hope you haven’t lost them, for -a whole lot might depend on having them.” - -“Honest?” demanded Alex. “Cross your heart?” he added, with another -provoking grin. “You don’t for a minute think I believe you, do you?” - -“You’ll have to, for I am telling the truth,” was the unexpected answer. -“I haven’t seen them.” - -“Will you call Clay in here?” asked Alex in a moment. “I want to ask him -two questions. Don’t let Gran come with him.” - -Case, understanding what the boy intended doing, went out to the prow -and sent Clay in, remaining there with the stranger. When Clay entered -the cabin and closed the door he was not a little surprised at the grave -manner in which Alex looked at him. - -“Two questions,” Alex said. - -“Go on, schoolmaster,” laughed Clay. “I’m sure I have my lesson.” - -“One: Did you take the films from the kodak?” - -“I did not,” replied Clay, with a shake of the head, a frown gathering -about his eyes. “I did not. What about it? Are they gone?” - -“Two: Do you think this Chester W. Granville took them?” - -“I do not think him capable of taking anything by stealth,” was the -quick reply. “But what is this about? Why don’t you answer my question? -Have the films you took at the campfire last evening been stolen?” - -“They’re gone,” was the answer. “It may be a joke, but they’re gone, all -right. You say you didn’t take ’em, and Case says he didn’t, so what is -there to think except—” - -“I don’t believe Gran took them,” Clay hastened to say. “I don’t think -he is that kind of a boy. Besides, he has had no opportunity, that I can -see. He couldn’t have taken them in the night without waking some of us. -I’m not a heavy sleeper, you know.” - -“Did you hear the pistol shot in the night?” asked Alex with a suspicion -that Clay had slept sounder than he knew. “Come, now, did you?” - -“I did not,” was the quick reply. “What time was it?” - -“And you say that you would have heard the boy if he had opened the -kodak and taken out the films! Well, they are gone! Either he took them, -or some one took them while walking in his sleep, or some one sneaked in -during the night and stole them.” - -“If any outsider had entered the cabin to get them,” Clay considered, -“he wouldn’t have opened the kodak in there and left it. He would have -made off the minute he got his hands on it, and opened it somewhere -else? Don’t you think that is right?” - -“Sure I do,” replied Alex the frown on his face growing steadily. “Sure -I do. Then, that puts it up to this Chester person, doesn’t it?” - -“But why should he steal them? Tell me that! And tell me another thing, -while your are at it. What was the shooting in the night?” - -Alex again explained, in as few words as possible, just what had taken -place in the night. Clay saw more in the occurrence than Case had seen -and said so. He was plainly apprehensive of coming trouble. - -“I really believe those fellows were following us,” he said, presently. -“And I believe the photographs have something to do with it. Well, that -may supply us with a little excitement. Have you been out in the town -yet? Something doing all the morning, while you’ve been sleeping.” - -“Got up a short time ago,” replied Alex. “Now, look here,” he went on, -soberly, “if Gran didn’t take the films, who did? And, say, if he did, -he’ll be likely to duck away from us at the first chance.” - -“He has been trying to leave us now,” said Clay. “He was about to jump -off the car when I stopped him. He says he has no intention of imposing -on us longer! It does look bad! Still, we don’t know why he should have -taken them. Let’s suspend judgment for a time. What?” - -“Oh, I haven’t convicted him yet,” smiled Alex. “Only I want to get a -line of the films. That’s all. I want ’em. No, Gran would have no object -in taking them unless he was sent here to do that very thing. S-a-a-y, -Clay, suppose he was sent to us for that very purpose?” - -Clay laughed and moved toward the door, Alex at his heels. - -“He couldn’t have been sent for that purpose, for he was at the boat -before the pictures were taken,” he said. - -“Yes, but, since then, he might have received orders from the men, I -believe there is something up here. Those men back there may be train -robbers, who don’t want any pictures taken. Understand? Gran might have -come west with them. He might have been sent over to us to get a line on -our intentions. Later, he might have been told to steal the films! It is -up to him to explain, anyway, but don’t be too hard on him. Suppose it -should turn out that the men in camp, or the men back of the camp, were -really train robbers? That would be awkward for Gran, wouldn’t it?” - -“It would be awkward for the robbers if a kodak located them on the -scene of the robbery last night,” Clay replied. - -“Last night?” repeated Alex. “What about a robbery last night?” - -“The Pacific express was held up just the other side of the pass very -early this morning,” answered Clay. “The express and mail cars were -looted and the passengers robbed. The two men who boarded the train -didn’t do it, of course, but there were others there in the canyons!” - - - - -CHAPTER VII.—PIE THAT LIVED IN A GLASS HOUSE. - - -“Then,” Alex suggested, “we’d better be getting the _Rambler_ into the -water and sailing away. If the officers should decide to hold us as -witnesses, we’ll have a fine time on the Columbia, I don’t think.” - -“That is just what I have been telling Gran,” replied Clay, “but he -seems to think that he ought to part from us here. He says he has no -money to share the expense of the trip with us, and that he will not be -what they call a star boarder on South Halstead street, Chicago—one who -never misses a meal or pays a cent. I like his independence, but I’d -like better to have him with us. Suppose you go and talk it over with -the lad. He’s pretty blue over something this morning.” - -“Perhaps he wants to get away from us because he thinks we will be -suspected of knowing something about this robbery and followed,” -suggested Alex, all his suspicions coming to the front once more. - -“And perhaps he wants to get away because he knows that we’ll suspect -him of taking the films. We’ve just got to keep him with us, for a time, -anyway,” the boy added. “We’ll tie him down if necessary!” - -“Well, the very best thing I can suggest at this time,” Clay decided, -“is to forget the films, and the train robbery, and the way the boy came -to us, and go on about having fun with the Columbia river. Doesn’t it -seem that way to you? To get away is surely the easiest way to escape -any trouble connected with the robbery. I’ll go and tell Case about it, -and we’ll just cut everything out but the fun we’re going to have on the -river.” - -“All right!” Alex agreed. “There never was any photographs taken in the -pass, and there never was a train robbery at the summit of the Rocky -mountains, and no boy ever came to us out of a dark canyon at night! Say -but we’ll have a lot of forgetting to do!” - -“And Gran is not to know a word of what we have been talking?” - -“Not a single, solitary word! Didn’t we agree that there never was any -films, and that there never was a robbery, and that Gran came to us out -of the clouds, dressed in red and purple, with his pockets stuffed with -treasury notes? Trust me to forget it all when I’m talking with him.” - -Clay went forward and drew Case aside, leaving Gran alone on the prow, -and Alex promptly engaged him in conversation. The stranger was still -insisting on leaving the party there, when Captain Joe, who had been -running about the car for some moments, uttered a growl and started off -on a run toward the cluster of houses nearest the river. - -Alex called him back, but the dog seemed to have discovered a scent by -the side of the car that he wanted to follow. While the boys stood -talking the car bunted against the upright beam which terminated the -siding, and the Columbia river lay glistening not far distant. - -“Glorious, eh?” shouted Alex. “Say, but we’re bound to have some great -old times on that little rivulet!” - -Gran turned away his face and remained silent. Alex grinned at this -proof that the boy really wanted to go with them. If his inclination lay -that way, a little argument would do the rest, he thought. - -“I’ve got to leave you here,” Gran said, with a sigh. - -“No,” insisted Alex, “we’ve been talking it over, and have made up our -minds that we can’t spare you. There are lots of places, we are told, -where it takes four to run the boat. There are rapids and falls which -necessitate taking the boat out of the water and making a carry. I don’t -think you ought to quit us now.” - -The stranger’s face brightened in an instant. Alex smiled again. - -“Oh, if I can be of any use,” the boy began, “I’ll be glad to go, only I -have no money, and I thought—” - -“Never mind that,” Alex replied. “You’re going with us, all right. Is it -a bargain? Sure you won’t leave us when we aren’t looking?” he added. -“We’ll need your help, you know, in lots of places.” - -“Come on, now, and get ready to send the _Rambler_ into the water!” -cried Clay, springing to the floor of the car and then to the ground. “I -wish we could run this car into the river and float the boat off, but -that can’t be done, so I’ll have to go and get skids and rollers and men -to help. While I’m gone, you lads get breakfast ready, and we’ll take -our last meal in this elegant old private palace car!” - -“I suppose we can go over to the store and get a few things to eat?” -questioned Alex. “We’ll have time for that, won’t we?” he added. - -“Surely,” was the reply. “And have some coffee ready for me when I come -back. Perhaps you can get a mess of fish. There’s the greatest salmon -stream in the world, running along at your feet and making faces at you! -But you must hurry up and get the food out of the boxes, all ready to -carry down to the boat as soon as she is in the river.” - -“I’ll get the breakfast,” Gran volunteered. “I used to know how to get -up a swell dinner out of a cold potato and a sausage. If I’ve got to go -down the river with you. I’ll work my passage as cook.” - -Clay and Case looked up at Alex who stood grinning. - -“It is all right,” the boy said. “I showed Gran that we would need his -help, and he is too much of a gentleman to quit us. Get a square meal, -now, Gran,” he continued, “and we’ll cut out the store and be getting -the provisions out of the boxes. I guess we’ve got enough bacon and -condensed milk here to feed an army for a month,” he added, ripping off -the cover of a box and poking at the contents. - -So Gran hastened into the cabin, from which the agreeable odor of frying -bacon, bubbling coffee, and browning cakes soon came, making Case and -Alex, still working at the boxes, hungrier than ever. - -Before Clay returned, the strange boy appeared in the cabin door waving -a pancake turner in his hand, a pleasant smile on his face. - -The knowledge that he was really welcome to go with the boys and the -prospect of making himself useful, had acted like a tonic, and from that -moment he was, apparently, as full of life and as ready for any -adventure that might come his way as were the others. - -At times, however, he seemed sad and depressed, seeking solitude and, -while always willing to do his share of the work, refusing to join in -the by-play which his friends often indulged in. At such times the boys -respected his mood and acted as if they did not notice it at all. From -these moods of dejection, however, he soon emerged as bright and, -apparently, as merry as the best of them. - -“Dinner ready in the private diner!” he cried, swinging his turner at -the boys. “The cakes are hot, the coffee is strong enough to lift the -boat, and the bacon is crispy as a winter morning in little old -Chicago.” - -“It takes a cook to praise his own work!” laughed Case. - -Clay came in directly, while they were eating, and all agreed that -Gran’s description of his breakfast had been realistic. The men came -before long with their skids and rollers, and before noon the _Rambler_ -was rocking in the waters of the lordly Columbia river. - -“Our dream has come true!” Alex whispered to Clay, as the last load of -provisions was deposited on board and the men paid off. “We are at last -on the Columbia, hundreds and hundreds of miles from the ocean, with a -long ride before us. Isn’t it just glorious, old pal?” - -“Glorious!” repeated the other. “It is more than glorious, and there -never was any pictures taken in the pass, there never was any train -robbery there, and Gran came to us without a suspicion clinging to him.” - -“Right you are!” Alex approved, “still, for the last time, mind, I -really would like to know what became of those films, and if there were -any faces in the photographs that I did not see in the glow of the -fire.” - -“That is your last guess,” laughed Clay. “We are not going to have -mysteries tagging after us on this trip, as we had on the voyage up the -Amazon. We’re going to hunt deer, and bear, and jaguars, and have the -time of our lives! And fish! Just wait until we begin to take those big -yellow salmon from the river! Just you wait!” - -“There’s one thing we forgot,” Clay observed, as the boys put away the -provisions in the odd nooks provided for them and saw that the gasoline -tanks were full, the electric generator in good working order. “We never -went up to wish that gruff conductor good luck.” - -“He is a gruff one, all right,” Alex cut in. “He did put on a lot of -authority when he first came up to us, didn’t he, now?” he continued. - -“But he calmed down when we filled him up with cakes and coffee,” Case -observed. “He didn’t turn out so badly, after all. There’s many a gruff -person in the world who can be quelled by a little courtesy.” - -“But you wanted to fight with him,” laughed Clay. “I saw that by the way -you looked at him. That would have spoiled everything.” - -“Good luck to him, anyway,” Case commented. “He must have squared us in -connection with the robbery, for no one here has asked us a word about -it. He probably told the natives that we left with him long before the -robbery took place at the pass. Don’t you think so?” - -“What robbery?” asked Alex with a giggle. “It has been discovered that -there wasn’t any robbery at the pass, and that there never was any—. -Well, what’s the use of talking about a thing that never took place. I -wonder if Clay brought any pie along in the boxes?” - -“Pie in a box—all the way from Chicago!” snorted Case. “You must think -they _can_ pie up there. But, say, how would a pie go just now?” - -“That’s all you know about the haunts and habits of pie!” exclaimed -Clay. “In Chicago they have a species of pie that lives in glass. When -you want a bite you make a blanket of flaky dough and take it out of the -glass can, and then exposure to heat brings it to life in the shape of -pie! What do you know about that? Pie that lives in a glass can!” - -“Did you catch some of them?” asked Alex, “because if you did I want to -see one perform. Which box is he in? Hurry up, and I’ll make the flaky -dough blanket in time for supper. PIE!” he added, lifting his eyes -upward in a devotional attitude. “I adore pie!” - -“You’ll find berry pie, and pumpkin pie, and mince pie, and apple pie -sleeping peacefully in one of the boxes,” Clay replied, much to the joy -of the others, who executed a fancy dance on the deck and then came back -to ask more questions about the haunts and habits of pie. Whether it -came out in broad daylight, or whether one had to set traps for it and -catch it during the dark hours of the night. Clay only laughed and -fished out a two-quart can of pumpkin, which he placed tenderly on the -table. - -“Be careful with him,” he smiled. “He will bite if you don’t make the -dough blanket light and flaky. I have known children to need the care of -a physician after being bitten by a bad pie!” - -“That will do for you!” Alex responded. “When we need any one to tell us -about the haunts and habits and preferences of pie we’ll let you know.” - -At this latest mention of the word “pie” Captain Joe, who had been -sitting gravely on the prow of the motor boat, gave a sharp yelp and -came trotting into the cabin, his ears lifted—what there was of -them—expectantly, his tail trying to make a great circle in the air with -only a couple of inches of stub in sight. The boys laughed heartily. - -“Do you recognize the word, Captain Joe?” asked Alex patting the white -bulldog on the head. “I believe you do, you old scamp. Now, what kind of -pie would you like for supper, old chap?” he added, talking to the dog -as if he understood every word that was said to him—which was a habit -the boys all had. - -“I don’t think they grow pie where you came from,” Alex observed, in a -moment. “Where do you think this beastie came from, Gran?” he went on. - -“Chicago?” was the brief answer. “He looks like Halstead street.” - -“Alex stole him, or bought him, or abducted him, or shanghaied him, at -Para, down near the mouth of the Amazon,” Case put in, “and came near -getting his head knocked off. Let her go, Clay!” - -This last was called out to the boy busy at the motors, and the next -moment the voyage had begun. The _Rambler’s_ nose was turned down the -Columbia! - - - - -CHAPTER VIII.—A WRECK AND A BABY BEAR. - - -Donald, British Columbia, where the _Rambler_ was introduced to the -waters of the Columbia river, is pretty well up toward the Arctic -circle, about in the same degree of latitude, in fact, as the Great -Glacier of the Cascade range, still it is not so cold there in April as -one would naturally suppose. There is splendid summer grazing land -between the Fraser river, in that latitude, and the Pacific ocean. - -Being so far to the North, one would expect the river, like a -well-behaved body of water, to run south at Donald, especially as the -mouth of the great stream is hundreds of miles in that direction, near -the thriving city of Portland, in the state of Oregon. But rivers in -mountainous countries have notions of their own, like wayward boys, as -to the proper course to pursue, and so the Columbia pours its waters -toward the North Pole for more than a hundred miles beyond Donald. - -At Beaver the Canadian Pacific leaves the valley of the Columbia and -winds south to cross Dog Tooth mountains, a parallel ridge of the long -Rocky mountain system at Glacier House pass, while the Columbia pursues -its turbulent way to the northwest for a hundred miles or more, as the -river runs, until it rounds a great mountain peak and receives the -waters of the Wood and Canoe rivers at Boat Encampment. This is the -farthest point north for the Columbia, as the stream turns abruptly to -the south there and makes for Arrow lakes. - -Between Beaver and Boat Encampment the river valley is narrow, and there -are no settlements to speak of. In many places the two ridges of the -Rocky mountains press down to the waters of the river. The country is -wild, and in April the summits to the east and west show snowy caps, -like stalwart nurses out in the city parks, guarding perambulators and -leading toddling youngsters. - -The _Rambler_ passed Beaver long before sunset and entered the wild -region between the crowding mountain ridges. It was dim and uncanny -there long before it was time for the sun to withdraw his face from that -part of the world for the day, as the western summits shut out much of -the light that fell. The three lads, Clay, Case, and Alex who had -visited the wild places of Peru during the Amazon trip, were wild with -joy at coming back to the heart of Nature, but Gran, who was evidently -taking his first degree in the wonderful order of Mountain, Life, did -not take so readily to the dark shadows and the swirling eddies which -threatened to tear the _Rambler_ into bits in punishment for her -intrusion into the secret places. - -When it became too dark to see the river for any distance ahead, the -boys anchored in a little cove cut out of the foot of a mountain by the -beating of waters, covering hundreds of years, and built a roaring fire -in the coal stove. As it might be some days before they would be able to -secure more gasoline, the motors were shut off, together with the -electric generators, and supper was started on the top of the coal -stove. - -There was plenty of electricity in the accumulators, but the lads -thought best to use only the electric lights. Clay gave his attention to -the work of cleaning the motors, while Gran led in the preparations for -supper. The boys were hungry and tired, and were promising themselves a -sound night’s sleep as the supper cooked on top of the little coal -heater. - -“Bacon and pancakes!” scorned Alex after a time. “I’m getting sick of -bacon and pancakes! What’s the matter with having one of the pies out of -the cage? I’m hungry for pie! Pumpkin pie! Ouch!” - -“I suppose you know how to bake a pie on top of a stove!” commented -Case. “Why don’t you go out and catch a fish, if you are so keen for -something new for supper. There ought to be plenty of fish in this -roaring old river. Get the rowboat out and I’ll go with you.” - -“All right,” agreed Alex, “we haven’t used the rowboat yet on this trip, -and we’ll see how she behaves in the Columbia. Untie her, and I’ll get -in and take the oars. Be careful now, and don’t jump in like a barrel of -bones. This current is treacherous! If we get a dip here it may be a -long time before we see sunlight again. Careful, now!” - -“I don’t think you boys ought to go out in the rowboat,” Clay warned. -“Why don’t you fish from the _Rambler_, or wait until to-morrow for your -feast? It is too risky, just at night, and in unknown waters.” - -But Alex was already in the rowboat, which was pulling hard at the line -in Case’s hands. The boy backed with the oars, and Clay helped Case on -the line, but when the latter was ready to jump for the boat the line -parted and Alex went swirling down the river at the rate of a score of -miles an hour. The boys stood aghast for an instant, and then Case -sprang for the motors. - -“Wait!” Clay ordered. “You can’t turn on power until I put some of the -pieces back! I had it unfastened. Don’t touch it! I’ll see what can be -done! Get out your flashlights and guns. We’ll let the boy know where we -are, at any rate. I’ll have this motor ready in a minute.” - -“Cut the anchor line, then,” cried Case. “We can’t let Alex go off in -that way. We’ve just got to follow him! Cast off the anchor!” - -The excited lad would have sent the boat adrift in the current, in which -case she would have been dashed to pieces on the rocks in a very short -time, if Clay had not interfered. - -“You must be crazy!” the latter cried. “Alex may be all right. We will -have power on in a minute, and then we can catch him, if we don’t bump -into a foothill or tumble over a sudden drop. Listen! I thought I heard -the boy calling. Answer him, you fog horn! You can beat me when it comes -to making a roar.” - -For an instant there was only the sweep of the dark water against the -_Rambler_ and the call of birds high up in the sky—so high up that the -latest pencils of light from the setting sun touched their wings and -turned them into burnished gold. Then a long “Ha-l-o-o” came from down -the dark river. In a moment the sound was repeated, louder than before. - -“That’s Alex!” cried Case. “He’s all right somewhere, it seems.” - -“Yes,” Clay agreed, “he must have caught on something, for the current -would have carried him beyond hearing long before this. He may have -found a rock in the middle of the stream, or a small island. Hope so.” - -“Hello, hello!” came the voice again. “Can’t you send down a light or a -gun? I’ve got into a mess here. Hurry up!” - -“Suppose we send Captain Joe down with a string, and a rope tied to the -end of the string,” suggested Gran. “The dog would swim straight to him, -wouldn’t he? Then we could pull the boat back and Alex in it.” - -“Fine idea!” cried Clay, “especially as the boy doesn’t appear to be -very far off. Call the dog and I’ll get a long rope and a string. If the -rope and string aren’t long enough to reach Alex we can pull the dog -back. Good chance to make Captain Joe earn his food. What?” - -Case rushed into the cabin and looked about for Captain Joe. He was not -under foot in the middle of the cabin floor, as he frequently was. He -was not on his rug under one of the shelf-benches. He was not in the -cabin at all, and Case went out to the deck again, calling softly to the -dog. - -“He isn’t out here,” Clay said. “I’ve found the rope, so hurry up with -the dog. He must be around here somewhere. Couldn’t have left the boat -without our knowing it, could he? Couldn’t have deserted us?” - -“Well,” Case insisted, returning from a search of the boat, “the dog is -not here. What do you think of that? Where is he?” - -“He was on board not an hour ago,” Gran declared. “I saw him back there -by the boat, the rowboat, I mean. Could he have started out after Alex -do you think? He certainly has gone somewhere.” - -Clay whistled and called to the dog, but for a long time there was no -response. The mystery was, for a moment, baffling, and then it was -cleared in a breath. - -Captain Joe’s voice came from down the river in a succession of deep -growls, followed by a different sort of snarling. - -“That’s Captain Joe, all right,” cried Case. “He must have leaped into -the river and struck out after Alex. That’s it, I guess.” - -“Never did in the world,” Clay insisted. “If he is with Alex he sprang -into the rowboat when no one saw him. That is one of his old tricks, as -he wants to be in the limelight most of the time.” - -“Is that Joe?” called Clay, making a trumpet of his hands and calling at -the top of his voice. “Is Joe there with you, Alex?” - -“Sure,” came back from below. “He is here, all right, and he’s got a -baby bear! Can’t you let the _Rambler_ down a little? I’m shipwrecked on -a ledge of rock. River turns here and I bunted into it and caught hold. -If you don’t take all night to get here, we’ll capture the bear. Captain -Joe has him by the leg, I guess.” - -“Do you think he has a bear?” asked Gran, in a tone of disbelief. - -“Just like him,” Case laughed. “You can’t get Alex into any scrape he -can’t get out of. If he should fall into a volcano he’d find an ice box -there. Oh, you needn’t laugh, Gran! That is just the kind of a boy he -is. We thought we had lost him at Para, Brazil, and he came back lugging -Captain Joe, and with a mob at his heels. Now he is cast adrift on the -Columbia river and finds a baby bear. But the question now is, how is he -going to get back to the _Rambler_? I’ll bet the rowboat is busted all -to flinders!” - -“Few of your prophecies of evil have come true lately, Case,” laughed -Clay, busy with the motors, “so you may as well quit doing the prophet -stunt! Now, if you will come here and hold a searchlight under this -frame, I’ll put this burr on and start the machine.” - -Case did as requested, and Gran hastened into the cabin to put the last -touches on the bacon which was frying in a skillet at the top of the -heater. He even grumbled a little because the supper was being delayed -by the accident which had broken the rowboat line. - -“Alex!” called Clay, in a minute, “is it safe for the _Rambler_ to come -down there? What kind of a ledge is it you and the dog and the bear are -on? You might look around, while you are there,” he added, with a laugh, -“and see if you can find a fish for supper!” - -“Oh, come on with the boat!” roared Alex. “I’m getting tired of holding -the rowboat, and Captain Joe is worrying the bear to death.” - -“Have you honestly got a bear?” asked Gran “What are you going to do -with him? He might bite us,” he added, thoughtfully. - -The boys heard Alex laughing and so understood that he was in no serious -predicament. Captain Joe seemed to be talking confidentially to the -bear. - -At last the motors were ready, and the _Rambler_ dropped cautiously down -stream, under full control of the power and the helm. She passed the -ledge where Alex and the dog and the bear were, picking them up with her -flashlight as she went by, then pushed slowly up stream again, coming to -the ledge with the current against her. At last her prow struck on a -rocky bottom, and then she was held against the force of the stream by -half power. - -What the flashlight revealed was a boy, white bulldog, and a bear cub, -all in a huddle on a level surface of rock about six feet in length and -about half that width. Alex had evidently been tipped out of the boat -when the ledge was struck, but had managed to hang on to the short line, -so the boat was safe. Captain Joe was down at the water’s edge with his -great paws on the back of the baby bear, which was trying its best to -get its teeth into action on the dog’s leg. - -The broken boatline was very short, and so Alex was pretty close to the -water too. When the flashlight illumined the scene the bear cub gave a -savage spring and almost passed from under the paws of the dog. - -Alex was heard to laugh and seen to grab at the bear, and then the whole -three rolled off into the river and the boat, thus released, swept past -the _Rambler_ and went bobbing out of sight. No effort was made to stop -it, for Alex and the dog were drifting too, both clinging to the bear! - - - - -CHAPTER IX.—THE MAKING OF A CEDAR CANOE. - - -“Drop down! Drop down stream!” Case yelled, excitedly, as Alex, Captain -Joe, and the baby bear swept by on the current. “If they get out of -sight they’ll drown!” - -“What’s keeping them in view got to do with it?” shouted Gran “They will -drown anyway if we don’t hurry and get them out. Let me go in after -them. I’m a good swimmer, really I am. Let me go in and get Alex and -Captain Joe can save himself. See there! Alex is going under. Let go of -me!” - -The loyal youngster would indeed have leaped into the river if Clay had -not caught him. Case was equally unreasonable, and wanted to send the -_Rambler_ straight over the struggling figures. Clay caught up the long -rope which he had prepared to attach to Captain Joe and tied it about -his waist. Then he took another rope and wound it about his neck and -shoulders. Case and Gran looked on in wonder and impatience. - -“Now,” Clay explained, “I’m going to swing the boat in a wide circle and -meet that precious trio as we pass up the stream. When we get almost to -them, you, Case, take the helm, and you, Gran, catch on the ends of -these lines. Do you both understand, now—are you ready?” - -The boat had swung around while the boy was explaining, and Alex the -bear cub, and Captain Joe were clearly revealed, just ahead, in the -glare of the strong searchlight. The cub, forgetting all fear of the -canine in the greater danger it was in, had climbed half way up on the -dog’s back, and the dog was swimming for dear life. Alex had caught an -oar as the boat swept away, and was calmly floating, well sustained by -the wood. - -“S-a-a-y,” cried Case, almost choking with laughter when he saw that -Alex was in no immediate danger. “Can you people down there keep that -pose while I take a picture of you? That’s great! G-r-e-a-t!” - -Clay now saw that there was no pressing necessity for him to take a cold -bath just then, as Alex would be able to catch the line if it could be -trailed near enough to him. Later, he thought, some one might have to go -in in order to rescue Captain Joe, who was paddling along like a major, -with no expressed objections to the load of bear cub he was carrying on -his back. Case explained to the others that the only reason the dog did -not protest was because he was afraid he would get his mouth full of -water if he engaged in any conversation regarding the riparian rights of -the bear. Gran alone looked grave in the emergency. - -Presently the line was thrown and Alex seized it deftly and proceeded -hand-over-hand to the side of the boat. Captain Joe made greater -efforts, trying to keep to his side, but the current was too strong. -Clay dropped the _Rambler_ down as the dog fell away, and Alex instead -of mounting to the deck of the boat, caught the dog by the collar and -held on to him. - -The cub bear did not take so kindly to this, for he snapped at the boy’s -hand, and Alex gave him a slight tap on the nose in return. - -Case dropped his extra line to Alex with instructions to tie it to -Captain Joe’s collar. This was done, not without difficulty, for the dog -did not understand what was going on, and the bear cub made it his -business to attack the boy, so all three went under water more than once -before the feat was accomplished. Then Clay drew on the line and Captain -Joe went up serenely with the bear still on his back. The lads on the -deck were shouting with laughter, for the dog was now complaining at -carrying the cub. - -In a moment Alex grabbed the cub, tucked it, in spite of protests, under -one arm, and was assisted, spluttering and dripping, to the deck of the -bear and all. Captain Joe, on his arrival on deck, at once shook water -over Clay and then gave his attention to the cub, but the boys drove him -off and hustled the baby bear into a warm corner by the heater. - -Alex shivering with cold, soon followed, and the dog, making peace with -the bear for the sake of warmth, sat down in front of the stove and -regarded the preparations for supper with anxious eyes. - -Then Gran made more hot coffee, and put on more cakes, and opened a can -of baked beans, and boiled potatoes, and soon a wonderful supper was on -the little table. The bear cub sniffed at the food, but curled up on his -rug again. He had probably been lost from his mother a long time, and -had been in the water before Alex came to him, and was worn out, still -he kept a keen eye on the dog. - -“How did you come to get him, Alex?” asked Clay. “Nice bear, eh?” - -“He was on the ledge, soaking wet, when the boat struck it,” was the -reply, “and the impact threw me plumb on top of him. Then Captain Joe -took a hand, or paw, rather, in the mess and he became a prisoner of -war. You just bet he’s a nice bear!” - -“If you keep him, and we remain around here long, we’ll be apt to -receive a call from his mother,” Clay predicted. “What are you thinking -of doing with him? He’d make quite a nice meal! Bear meat’s fine!” - -“Eat him!” cried Alex now clad in dry clothing, “I’d as soon eat Captain -Joe! What am I going to do with him? I’m going to keep him, and train -him up in the way good bears should go. He’s a pipin!” - -“That’s pretty near slang,” Case remarked, “and the boy that uses slang -washes dishes. That was the rule during the Amazon trip, and we have -adopted it for this excursion,” he explained to Gran. - -“Don’t talk to me about washing anything!” Alex cried, with a shiver. “I -never want to see water again. My, but it was cold in there.” - -He paused and looked at the bear reflectively a moment and then arose -and felt him over, his advances being received with great discourtesy by -the bear, who had received the impression, it appeared, that he was to -be manhandled but not invited to supper. - -“Let him alone, kid,” advised Clay. “You’ll get a bite that will make -you sit up and take notice that he has something more than white milk -teeth if you don’t. Where are you going to store this menagerie?” - -“Why, he can just run around here like Captain Joe does,” was the reply. -“I was looking him over to see if the dog wounded him, but he appears to -be all right. Good dog, that! He knew that I wanted to add this teddy -bear to my collection. I’m going to give him to Captain Joe, the sailor -man, not the dog, when I get back to Chicago. He’ll like him for his own -sweet sake. Now, what do bears eat? Who knows?” - -“Honey!” chuckled Case. “They rob beehives, I had a picture of one -tipping over a hive in my school reader. Why don’t you call him honey?” - -“No, sir; Teddy is his name,” replied Alex. “Come, now, you fellows, -tell me what to feed him. Will he eat fish, do you think?” - -“The Lincoln park bears eat fish,” Gran answered. “I’ve seen ’em.” - -“They are polar bears,” Case explained. “The other bears eat bread and -nuts and acorns. I’ve seen the black bears dip their bread in the pool -and eat it in that way. Feed him pancakes, just for fun.” - -So Alex seized a pancake from the table and held it under the nose of -the bear. The cub seemed to take more pleasure in the “just for fun” -experiment than the boy did, for he seized the cake and a good share of -the hand that held it out to him. - -Alex yelled for him to let go and gave him a cuff on the nose. The skin -was not broken on his fingers, but the bear’s teeth had made -indentations which were a trifle sore. Teddy devoured the pancake -greedily and looked about for more. The boys threw him pieces, and he -soon became so tame that he would put his paw on their laps and ask for -food. - -For a few days Captain Joe seemed to resent the intrusion of this new -pet, but Alex so Case declared, explained to the dog that he, himself, -had saved the cub’s life by riding him on his back, and after that there -was peace between the two. - -Teddy did indeed like honey, and everything sweet, for more than once he -emptied the sugar bowl, and the very next forenoon he consumed half a -pumpkin pie which Gran was saving for dinner. The cook rebuked him for -this with a club, and Teddy was more careful after that. - -Contrary to expectations, the mother did not make her appearance, and -Teddy sailed away the next morning without a formal farewell—and seemed -pleased with his new quarters and his new friends. Before many days he -became a great pet with all the boys, though he always made unusual -protestations of firm friendship to whoever was doing the cooking! - -The next morning Alex none the worse for his wetting, was astir long -before the other boys were awake. He had determined, during the night, -to make restitution for the rowboat he had lost. - -“There’s plenty of cedar trees up here,” he thought, “and if I can find -a fallen one just the right size, I can make a canoe that will take the -place of the rowboat. Of course,” he mused, “it wasn’t exactly my fault -that the boat was lost. The rope broke when Captain Joe made a jump and -landed in the prow. Still, if I hadn’t been foolish with Teddy, the boat -never would have broken away from me.” - -Where the great canyons came down to the water’s edge, cutting the -precipitous side of the mountains into ridges, there were plenty of -cedar trees, and the boy, after softly lifting the anchor and turning -the _Rambler_ down stream, watched long for a fallen tree of the size he -wanted. - -It was doubtful if he could bring the boat close up to the shore, for -sometimes the land sloped gradually down, and sometimes there were -hidden rocks which had tumbled from the mountain side, but he decided to -try to do so as soon as he came to a suitable place, a place where there -were great trees growing close to the water’s edge. - -A dozen miles down stream from the spot where the night had been passed, -the boy saw that the current, setting against the shore, had cut a cove -into a bluff. Certain that the water would be deep at the edge of the -drop, he worked the _Rambler_ in and was soon overjoyed to see that he -could stretch a plank from the railing to a ledge which, being followed -to the north, would lead to a canyon of some size, the bottom and -sloping sides of which were lined with magnificent cedar trees. - -He cast anchor and laid out the plank. Then he turned about to see if -any of his chums were awake, but all were sleeping except Captain Joe, -who lay with his chin on his paws regarding Teddy, still asleep. Captain -Joe seemed to Alex to be asking the bear why he had presumed to use him -for a ferry boat on the previous evening, and the boy laughed heartily -at thought of the scene under the flashlight. - -He beckoned to the dog, threw a rope around Teddy’s neck and fastened it -to the railing, thus making sure that he would not escape, and, followed -by the dog, stepped over the plank to the ledge, from which he passed to -the bottom of the canyon. The morning was sharp with frost, but the -atmosphere was clear as crystal. It was like looking into a calm sea of -blue, transparent glass to look up at the sky bending over the valley of -the Columbia. The breath of the cedars was sweet to the nostrils of the -boy, and the songs of the birds were pleasant things to hear. - -“This beats Clark street!” Alex thought, moving about in the canyon in -quest of a fallen cedar tree of a size suitable for canoe-making. - -A green tree would take too long to fashion into a boat, and one too -long on the ground would rot too soon, so he hunted for a long time -before he came upon just what he sought. - -An hour later, when Clay, missing the boy and the dog, followed the -plank to the ledge and then a column of smoke to the interior of the -canyon, he found Alex sitting on a log watching a serpent of flame -running along the upper surface of a fallen cedar tree. The boy had made -a trench along the top of the log and poured kerosene into it. Then he -had set fire to the oil, and the tree trunk was gradually burning out in -the middle. A pail of water sat on the ground near the boy, and as Clay -watched he saw him arise and wet the edges of the trench, so that only -the center of the log would burn. The flames, reinforced now by dry -limbs gathered from the thicket, were already deep down into the heart -of the long log. Clay’s approach was announced by the dog, and Alex -looked up with a curious look of perplexity on his freckled face. - -“What are you doing, kid?” Clay asked, looking about. - -“Can’t you see,” replied the boy, shrugging his shoulders, “that I’m -putting the roof on this new ten-story building? What do you think I’m -doing? Even Captain Joe knows that, don’t you, doggie?” - -The dog said he did, in his own way, and Clay sat down by the side of -the log. - -“Somehow,” he said, “it is perfectly natural for people to ask foolish -questions. I knew that you were making a canoe, Indian fashion, yet I -asked that question. Why didn’t you let me help you? You’ll have a long -job if you wait for that whole log to bum out, and you’ll have a long -canoe, too.” - -“When it burns out about twenty feet,” Alex replied, “we’ll saw it off -at both ends, sharpen it up, dig out the charred wood, and have a canoe -that will serve the purpose of the boat I lost. Don’t you think so?” - -“Of course,” replied Clay, “but you needn’t think you’re going to have -all the credit of making this canoe. I’m going to stay right here and -keep the fires going while you go to breakfast. The boys are wondering -where you are, and Teddy looks as if he had lost his best friend.” - -“All right,” Alex replied. “I think a little breakfast would come in -handy just now. I’ll leave Captain Joe to protect you.” - -“That will be nice!” laughed Clay. “Captain Joe can do it, you may be -sure. When you return, bring the big saw and some knives with you. I -guess the chopping knife will be about right to dig the charred wood out -with. You needn’t hurry, for this fire must burn a long time.” - -Alex started away, but turned back with a thoughtful look on his face. -Clay smiled, for he thought he knew what was in the mind of the boy. - -“Say,” Alex said, almost in a whisper, “you haven’t come across the -films yet, have you? I’d just like to know where they went to.” - -“There never were any films,” grinned Clay. “You know the bargain. Now, -run along to the boat and get your breakfast. No films, remember!” - -Alex hastened away and Clay sat for a long time watching the flames -eating into the log, then the dog sprang up with a bristling back and -gave warning of some one or something creeping through the trees. - - - - -CHAPTER X.—A RABBIT AND A SECRET MEETING. - - -“What is it, Captain Joe?” Clay asked, as if Captain Joe could turn -around and tell him what he saw in the thicket under the cedar trees. -“Go slow, old fellow, for it may be a beast you can’t handle as easily -as you handled the cub. Better keep back until I get out my gun!” - -Captain Joe continued to snarl at the thicket, and Clay advanced a few -paces and peered under the underbrush which was clinging for fragile -support to the floor of the canyon. - -He saw a human figure moving about, a tall figure bending low and -parting the bushes to look out upon the burning log. The description -Alex had given of the man who had pursued him around the angle of rock -at the campfire near the pass at once came to the mind of the boy. - -Clay moved away, so that one looking into the space where the log lay -would not be able to see him, whistled softly to the dog, and waited. -Captain Joe retreated with a growl of defiance and crouched down at the -boy’s feet, still keeping his eyes on the thicket straight ahead. - -The intruder had evidently not seen nor heard the dog, and had no idea -that he was watched, for he pushed the bushes aside and stepped into the -opening. There he stood, a figure massive and muscular, looking -curiously at the burning log for some moments. - -Clay observed that he limped slightly as he walked, and noted, too, that -his hands hung almost to his knees when dropped to his sides. The face -was masterful and intelligent. The fellow was evidently the same who had -been shot by the brakeman on the Canadian Pacific train. - -“Now,” thought the boy, “how the Old Harry did he get here? And why is -he here? It certainly looks as if we had been followed from the pass by -this chap.” - -The more Clay thought of the matter, the firmer became his conviction -that the man he saw had twice before appeared in their journey from the -Rocky mountains to that point. He might have been one of the campers, or -he might have been hidden in the canyon back of the fire. - -Gran had suggested the presence of a party not in view from where Alex -had taken the snapshots. He had given no reason for this supposition, -but Clay had come to the conclusion that it was a correct one. - -Clay regretted then that he had not secured more definite information -about the train robbery at Donald. He had not even learned whether any -one had been arrested charged with the crime. - -If the campers had been questioned and released as innocent, then it was -certain that others had been in the pass at the time they were enjoying -themselves before their fire. The men who had held up the train must -have been already on the ground! - -But, even then, this man and the companion who had swung onto the train -which had towed the _Rambler’s_ car away might have had no connection -with this second party. They might have been merely loungers, waiting -for an opportunity of getting out of the mountains without contributing -to the treasury of the railroad company. - -But why had they followed the _Rambler_? How had they managed to get -into the valley of the Columbia ahead of her? Clay took it for granted -that the conductor had told the truth, and that there were two on the -train. He also accepted as true his impression that the second man was -not far away. - -There were many questions connected with the appearance of the fellow at -that place which Clay could not answer, and so he gave them all up and -devoted his whole attention to the intruder and his movements. The man -stared about the little clearing for a minute as if expecting to meet -some one there, and then limped out in the direction of the ridge near -which the _Rambler_ lay. - -Captain Joe seemed anxious to interview the fellow and ask him a few -questions, but Clay kept close hold of his collar and held him back when -he would have bounded forward. The dog resented this, but kept quiet. - -The long-armed man followed the canyon to the river front, glanced -cautiously up to the spot where the _Rambler_ lay, and crouched down in -the shelter of a rock, as Clay thought, to wait for definite information -regarding the situation on the boat. - -Clay, following and watching, saw Case, Alex and Gran standing on the -deck examining automatic pistols. He could not hear what they were -saying, but their gestures indicated that they were thinking of going up -on the mountainside to look for game. - -The tall watcher seemed to interpret the situation just as Clay did, for -he turned away with a shrug of his shoulders and disappeared in the -canyon, which parted just below the place where Clay stood, one dip -running to the northeast and one to the southeast. He took the one -pointing to the southeast, passing near the boat, and was soon lost to -view. - -Clay made no attempt to follow him. Indeed, the sudden appearance of the -fellow there seemed so unaccountable, so impossible, in fact, that the -boy almost doubted the correctness of his eyesight. Still, there was the -testimony of Captain Joe, who was more than anxious to follow the -fellow, and this was not to be disputed. - -The boy resolved not to mention the matter to his chums. It could do no -good, and, besides, such a course would prevent a great deal of anxiety -on the part of the strange boy, who still shuddered at mention of the -pass and the happenings there. Directly Alex came running up. - -“How’s the boat-builder by this time?” he asked. “Going along all right, -eh?” he added, as he noted the progress made by the fire in the heart of -the log. “I’ve brought the saw and the knives, as you see,” he -continued, throwing the tools down on the ground, “and we’ll have a -cedar canoe in about two minutes and a half.” - -He brushed away a mass of coals and cut sharply into the bottom of the -burn with a hatchet. The result of his examination seemed to be entirely -satisfactory, for he rolled the log over, tipping out the fire and -crushing it out by rolling the log over it. - -“The burn is deep enough,” he said. “If it had burned a few minutes more -it would have weakened the bottom. Now, I’ll bring some water from the -river, put out the fire inside and begin chopping. We’ll have a canoe -we’ll be proud of before long. Great idea, what? Do you think you can -ride in it after we get it launched?” he added, with a wrinkling nose. - -“Of course I can,” replied Clay, indignantly. “All you’ve got to do in -order to ride a cedar canoe is to keep your head and your balance.” - -“There’s one more thing you’ve got to do,” Alex laughed. - -“What is it?” asked the other. “Tell me about it, so I’ll know!” - -“You’ve got to get used to riding under water about half the time,” -announced Alex gravely. “When it tips over you’ve got to hang to it and -wait for the top to come around to the sky again. Do you think you can -get used to journeys under water? I think they’ll be rather pleasant.” - -“Where are Case and Gran?” asked Clay, after they had chopped for an -hour at the blackened wood. “I hope they aren’t thinking of leaving the -boat alone. That will hardly be safe, in this wild place.” - -“Why,” replied the other, “they were talking of going up on the mountain -after game for dinner when I left. They think they can shoot.” - -“One, at least, ought to remain in the boat,” Clay suggested. “When we -return they may go hunting together if they want to, only I wouldn’t -advise a long stop in this valley. We’d better be on our way, I think.” - -“I reckon that’s right,” Alex agreed, “for, come to think about it, Gran -was going alone, but I’ll go and tell them both to stay on the boat. -Have you noticed Captain Joe?” the boy continued, pointing to the dog, -now snarling at a thicket farther up the canyon. “He seems to have found -something. I’ll go and see what it is.” - -Before Clay could offer objections, the boy was away, chasing along -through the brush on the heels of the dog. Presently Clay heard a roar -of laughter. - -“He’s got a rabbit!” Alex shouted, “and he’s making as much fuss as if -he had another bear. I guess we’ll have some fresh game for dinner now,” -the boy continued, making his appearance with an animal which looked -something like a rabbit, but was larger and evidently more ferocious, -for the dog had torn it not a little in making the capture. - -“I wonder if it is good to eat?” Clay asked, thankful that it was -nothing more than a rabbit, or something akin to the rabbit which -Captain Joe had scented out. - -He had, as will be understood, feared that the intruder with the long -arms had returned to that vicinity. Besides, the capture of the rabbit -if such it was, would make a hunting trip, such as Case and Gran had -planned, unnecessary at that time. The boy was overjoyed at the outcome -of the incident, and asked Alex to carry the capture to the boat and -talk with the others about eating it, also to warn them against leaving -the boat alone, even for a minute. - -“I’ve got a book on natural history,” the boy exclaimed, “and I’ll look -up the pedigree of this beastie. When I get back to the South Branch, -I’m going to write a book entitled: ‘Wild Animals I Have Never Met -Because I Could Run Faster Than They Could.’ Don’t you think a volume of -that character would make a hit in the literary world?” - -“Bound in calf, or sheep?” asked Clay, with a broad grin. - -“Bound in bear!” explained Alex. “And bound to win!” - -“Go on to the boat!” commanded Clay, “and see about having that rabbit -cooked for dinner. Then come back here and help me get this canoe into -the river. We can finish hewing it out any old time. Just now, I am -anxious to be on our way. I don’t like this dark valley.” - -“It certainly is a wild one,” Alex answered as he darted away. - -Clay drew a long sigh of relief as the boy disappeared in the direction -of the boat. He did not quite like the idea of running away from the man -who had three times shown a disposition to pursue them, still, he -believed that the wisest course was to avoid trouble if possible. - -He would have given a good deal for information regarding the purpose of -the fellow. He would have endeavored, then and there, to have forced a -meeting only for the fact that an unsatisfactory conclusion of a -struggle might have spoiled their long-planned trip down the Columbia. - -Alex returned, presently, with the information that it was really a -large rabbit Captain Joe had caught, and that it was to appear on the -dinner table in the shape of a stew. By this time the canoe was taking -form, and the boys rolled and pushed it to the river. - -Once there, they tied it to a strong line and fastened the line to the -_Rambler_. The further work of cutting out the wood could, they planned, -be done at any time. Clay was not quite certain that the cedar was in -good condition, for the fire had done quick work. He had read that -Indians, when they resorted to making this kind of canoes, usually -required three or four days in which to hollow out a large log. - -When Clay got back on the _Rambler_, he went straight to the cabin and -began another hunt for the films. He had always believed that the -disappearance of the pictures had been accidental, but now he wanted to -make sure that they were not in the cabin. - -Somehow, the lost photographs were associated in his mind with the men -who, he imagined, had seen the pictures taken. The man he had seen in -the canyon was one of these. - -While he hunted in every conceivable and inconceivable place, Alex came -in and closed the door behind him. The rabbit stew was simmering on the -heater and coffee was bubbling on the electric stove. Alex busied -himself about the latter, as if to account for his being there with the -door closed, and looked at Clay with wise eyes. - -“I know why you want to get away from here right quick,” he said. “I -know about the man you saw in the canyon. He was there when I went in -after the rabbit, and there was some one with him. Now, who do think it -was? Give you three guesses. - -“Give it up?” he went on. “Well, it was Mr. Chester W. Granville!” - - - - -CHAPTER XI.—ALEX BECOMES A DETECTIVE. - - -“It doesn’t seem possible!” Clay exclaimed. “What could have Gran been -doing there? Could you hear what they were saying?” - -“Not a word,” was the reply; “they talked in low tones.” - -“But I thought Gran was on the boat.” - -“Well, he left the boat, alone, just after I did. I saw him go across -the plank and pass into the canyon. Then he turned in another -direction.” - -“He was back in the boat when you returned with the rabbit?” asked Clay. -“Of course, he must have been. Well, then, he had very little time to -visit with that fellow. It is a queer proposition.” - -“I should say so!” Alex agreed. “Are you going to say anything to him -about it—let him know that we are wise to his doings?” - -“I think not,” was the slow reply. “If there is something between the -boy and these men, the way to find out what it is, is to keep still and -sleep with our eyes open. Strange that we should have a mysterious -passenger on this voyage as well as on the one up the Amazon!” - -“I hope this one turns out as rich as the other,” Alex grinned. - -The breakfast, when finally prepared, was a light one, so the boys had -dinner early and then got under way. It was much more convenient cooking -when the boat was not trying to turn handsprings in the river. Now and -then they came to rapids which any ordinary caution would have warned -them to hesitate before entering, but Clay was anxious to get as far -away from his pursuer as possible in the shortest time allowable, and so -took chances. - -In the middle of the afternoon they came to a quiet piece of river some -distance above a stretch of rapids, around which the boat would have to -be carried. They decided to remain here for the night, making ready -during the afternoon and evening to convey the _Rambler_ around the -falls early in the morning. - -Clay was careful to anchor the boat on the west side of the river. They -had come a long distance, and if the unwelcome visitor of the morning -had indeed succeeded in keeping up with them by taking to the stream in -a light boat, he would have to show himself if he passed, or even if he -came within a hundreds yards of the _Rambler_ during the afternoon. - -“Now,” said Case, as the boat lay rocking in a small cove, “I’ll go and -catch a fish and show you how to cook it. Here we’ve been on the river -two days and haven’t had a bite of fish yet. That is what I call a -burning shame. Do you think I can ride that log of a canoe to the shore? -I’ve got to do my expert cooking under the leafy trees, you see, and so -I’ve got to use the canoe.” - -“You might try it,” Clay laughed. “Alex went after fish last evening and -caught a bear, so there is no knowing what you may get.” - -“Perhaps an elephant!” laughed Gran. - -“Or a bold train robber!” Alex put in, just to see what Gran would say -at the mention of the incidents at the pass. - -Gran looked up quickly, but there was no surprise in his face. Instead -he smiled and pointed to a grove of tall cedars on the shore not far -from the edge of the stream. - -“That looks like a fine place to fish for train robbers,” he said. “I -have a great mind to go ashore with you to see you get the fish, and -help cook it. I know something about cooking fish!” - -“Wait until he gets his fish,” Alex said. “When he comes up with a -corker, big enough for all of us, I’ll help him cook it. I used to cook -in the South Branch until the policeman on the beat came to the cabin -and asked for my pies and things. You know I did, eh, Clay?” - -“Yes,” replied Clay, gravely, “you used to cook so well that the -policeman got the habit of asking who cooked the coffee before he tasted -it. If you made it, he had business outside right away.” - -“You’re having another dream!” shouted Alex. “If you think I can’t cook, -just watch me serve the cold beans to-night.” - -“That is where you shine,” laughed Alex, “serving cold beans!” - -During this conversation Case had been getting out his fishing tackle -and leading the canoe around to the side of the _Rambler_ nearest the -shore. - -“Are you going with him?” asked Clay, of Gran, hoping to receive an -affirmative reply, for he had decided to follow the lad if he went into -the forest alone. - -He was not taking to this role of a spy kindly, for it was with many -twinges of conscience that he had made up his mind to keep a close watch -on the boy. - -“I think I’ll go,” Gran, in a moment, answered. “I want to see the big -woods. While Case is cooking his fish on the bank, I can do some -hunting. Another rabbit stew would be about right. I always liked rabbit -stew! We’ll need it, too, if Case doesn’t catch any fish.” - -“Don’t you worry about that,” Case broke in. “I’m the one that put the -salmon in the Columbia river.” - -“How are you both going to get ashore in that canoe—only half finished -as it is?” asked Clay, presently, as Gran brought his gun and one of the -searchlights from the cabin. “You can’t swim there, very well, for the -water is too cold for pleasure, as Alex discovered not long ago. I don’t -think two can ride in that contraption at the same time,” he added. - -Alex scratched his head. It was plain to Clay that the boy was on the -same line of thought as himself. He, too, wanted Gran to go ashore so -that he might be followed. - -How was it to be arranged so that the canoe could be brought back to the -_Rambler_ after each boy had landed? Then the boy laughed softly to -himself, wondering that he had ever given the matter a second thought. - -“I’ll tell you!” he cried. “I’ll tie a long rope to the canoe, and when -Case gets ashore I’ll pull it back. Then, when Gran gets ashore, I’ll -pull it back again, so there will be no chance for any one to steal it.” - -“Great head, Alex!” grinned Case, dropping off into the canoe and tying -a longer and stronger line to the prow, in order that it might be drawn -back to take Gran to the shore. “You’ll be president of some small -country town yet. Now, don’t pull on that line, young man,” he -continued, as the rope slipped through Clay’s fingers. “Just let her -play out easily, and I’ll have no trouble with the old scow!” - -He paddled to the shore easily enough, landing on a little sandy spot -where hundreds of years of wash of water from the hills had ground soft -rock to bits. Back of him ran the forest of cedar, and back of that the -western ridges of the Rocky mountains. - -“Pull her back, now!” he cried, taking his fishing tackle out of the -canoe, “and have Gran bring some matches. I forgot it.” - -“Where are you going to get your fish?” mocked Alex. “There are no -fishes along that shallow shore.” - -“Never you mind about that!” answered Clay. “See that pool just below -the rock? Well, there is a big one in there that I’m going to have for -supper. When I get him caught, you can come and help get his feathers -off, Alex.” - -“All right,” Alex answered, pulling the rude canoe back, very glad of -the suggestion that he go ashore with the boys, “I’ll be there watching -you when you haul him out.” - -Gran now entered the canoe and paddled ashore. The new canoe was not -much of a craft. It was just a cedar log on the outside and a black -trough on the inside. Still, the boys figured that it would save them -many a wetting, for there were places shrewd smile on his face, and Alex -knew just what that smile meant. - -“Do you think he’ll meet our Robin Hood friend again?” Clay asked. - -“I think he wants to meet some one,” was the reply. “He never went -ashore just to hunt. Who’s to go after him?” - -“Perhaps you would better go,” Clay answered, reluctantly, for he was -aching for a turn in the woods. “He’ll not suspect you of anything more -than a trick if he sees you following him.” - -“What did he take that searchlight for?” asked Alex. - -“I can’t answer any questions about the boy,” Clay replied, with an -expressive shrug of the shoulders. “He appears innocent, loyal, and -honest, but he is mixed up in some game which I believe him to be -playing under compulsion. You see if it doesn’t come out that way.” - -“While I’m away,” Alex went on, “you might take another look for the -films. It is quite important that we get them.” - -“And when we do,” Clay interrupted, “what do you think we will find -there? Just give a guess about it!” - -“Unless I’m mistaken,” the other replied, “we’ll find a picture of a -tall man with long arms peering out of a canyon back of a campfire.” - -“Just my notion! But who is this tall man with long arms, and why does -Gran meet him in the forest, and say nothing to us about it? If he is in -trouble, why doesn’t he put it up to us to help him?” - -“Well, well, well,” chuckled Alex, “here we stand talking about films -that never existed, about a campfire that never was, about a pass never -on any map, about a pursuer who never lived! And over there on the shore -Case is building a big fire. Now, Clay, just remember that there never -were any films! We’re not going to have this trip spoiled with any -mystery! What is Case building his fire for before he catches a fish?” - -“He’ll probably dig a hole in the ground, fill it full of hot rocks, and -make a regular oven of it, before he gets the fish. Then, when he has -the bird, fresh from the river, he’ll heat up the rocks again, wrap the -fish in leaves and put it into the oven, with hot rocks on top of it and -under it, and cover the whole outfit up with leaves and earth.” - -“Is that the way to bake fish in the woods?” - -“That surely is the way,” answered Clay. “Now, you see. Gran has gone -into the forest. Perhaps you’d better be getting ashore.” - -“I just don’t like this sleuthing business a little bit!” the boy -grumbled, as they drew the canoe back to the _Rambler_. - -“It seems to be necessary,” Clay replied. “If we are ever to acquit -Gran, in our minds, of all crookedness, we’ve got to know the truth, and -the only way to learn the truth, it seems to me, is to find it out for -ourselves.” - -“That’s just it!” Alex agreed. “If this was to be done to get the kid -into trouble I wouldn’t be mixed up in it, but as it is to get him out -of trouble. I’ll go to the limit.” - -Alex paddled off to the shore, which was not very far away, and Clay saw -him stop for a moment and talk with Case then dive into the forest. By -this time the sunshine had left the valley of the Columbia. Away over to -the west, beyond the ridges, it would shine on the broken country—on a -new world in the making—for an hour or more, but here its rays were -stopped by the peaks which shone, white and still, above the cedars. - -Clay sat for a long time, watching Case angling for the “big one,” he -had mentioned, and listening to the call of birds high up in the air. -Like all feathered things they were abandoning the lower levels and -sweeping in swinging circles up into the sky to catch the latest rays of -the sinking sun. Their wings glistened golden in the light and their -musical voices came down soothingly. - -Case caught his fish, after a time, and proceeded to heat more pieces of -broken rock for his primitive oven. Clay sat watching him piling embers -on the mound after he had filled it with leaves and earth. It was -growing dark there now, and no hint of the return of Gran or Alex had -come. Finally Case called from the shore: - -“I’m going to bring this fish over to the _Rambler_ directly. Have you -got the coffee and potatoes ready?” - -No, Clay had not once thought of the coffee and potatoes, he had been so -busy watching Case and thinking of what might be taking place in the -forest. - -He hastened to the cabin, built up a great fire in the heater, set a -kettle of potatoes over, switched on the electric stove, put the -coffee-pot on, and then turned to the little table. - -Captain Joe, who had been asleep when Alex left, which accounted for his -being there at all, lay on the floor playing with Teddy. The two had -already become firm friends. - -The sight of the dog brought a notion to Clay’s mind. Why not send -Captain Joe into the forest to look the boys up? He would do it, if told -to, and would be sure to come back if he failed to find them. - -“Here, Captain Joe,” the boy said, “don’t you want to go and find Alex? -Put on your hunting shoes and go find Alex.” - -Captain Joe sprang to his feet instantly, tumbling Teddy over in a heap -as he did so and, advancing the deck railing, looked over to the woods. -Clay took one of Alex’s shoes and one of Gran’s handkerchiefs into his -hands and let Captain Joe sniff at them. - -“Now you know whom to look after,” he grinned at the intelligent dog, -“and won’t go loafing around Case, even if he is cooking supper.” - -Clay got the dog into the canoe, though it was a wonder, more than once -during the operation, that it didn’t tip over, and, taking up the -paddle, started for the shore. - -Case saw him coming and ran toward the shore to meet him. Captain Joe -arose to get foothold for a spring, and the canoe went over, landing -both the boy and the dog in twenty feet of water. It did not take them -long to get to the shore, where Captain Joe cleared himself of water by -a few vigorous shakes and Clay threw off his outer clothing to dry them -by the fire. - -“You’re a fine dog!” grumbled Clay, as he stood before the blaze of dry -cedar branches. “I give you a chance to have a run on shore, and you go -and give me a ducking in the river!” - - - - -CHAPTER XII.—A BEAR, A FISH, AND A TREE. - - -Captain Joe, in his best manner, offered the most abject apologies for -his conduct, and ended by rubbing his wet muzzle against the boy’s hand -and receiving a forgiving pat on the head. - -“If you’ll look after the boat, a little while,” Clay said, shivering, -“I’ll go out with the dog and look for the boys. There may be something -wrong with them. They should have returned an hour ago.” - -“If they don’t get back right soon,” Case remarked, “they won’t get any -fish. The oven was hot when I put that big one in, and it won’t be long -before supper will be ready.” - -“I’m uneasy about them,” Clay admitted. - -“Then you go back to the boat,” Case advised, “and let me look after the -kids. You’re shivering with cold! I’ll take Captain Joe with me, and -we’ll dig ’em out in no time. Then we’ll bring the fish on board and -have a feast. I suppose you have the other things nearly ready?” - -“Why, yes,” Day remembered, “I put the coffee and potatoes over, and -they’ll be spoiled if I don’t hurry back. You’ll have to hunt up the -boys after all. I’ll get right back to the boat and get dried out.” - -“But look here,” Case cried out, as Clay started toward the primitive -canoe, “how are we to get on board if you take the boat back?” - -“I’ll tie a cord to the line and throw it back,” Clay solved the puzzle, -picking up a stone. “I suppose I can throw a rock sixty feet?” - -“All right,” laughed Case. “I didn’t think of that. Now you get back and -dry yourself. And get supper ready, and don’t throw the line to the -shore until you hear us calling.” - -Clay paddled back to the _Rambler_, and Case, led on by the dog, started -off into the cedar thicket. At first Captain Joe trotted along calmly in -the white circle thrown by the electric candle in the boy’s hand, but as -he penetrated deeper into the forest, following a wide canyon running -between two precipitous ranges, he became excited and dashed on so -rapidly that it was with difficulty that Case kept pace with him. - -It was dark as a pocket in the forest, and the underbrush made progress -difficult, but the boy and the dog kept resolutely on for nearly half an -hour before coming to a halt. Then Captain Joe bristled his back, showed -his teeth, and emitted a succession of threatening growls. - -“What is it, old boy?” asked Case, hoping that the boys were not far -off, as he was becoming weary as well as fearful for their safety. - -Captain Joe advanced through a thicket for a few paces and then backed -out, showing that, whatever it was that he was investigating, it was not -very far away. Case did not urge him on, for he did not know what peril -lurked in the darkness of the undergrowth. The dog continued to growl, -but did not again advance into the tangle from which he had just -emerged. - -There was no wind whatever in that sheltered place, and there was only -the roar of the rapids below the _Rambler_ to break the silence, except -that now and then a night bird flew protestingly from a perch in a -nearby tree and winged to a more secluded position. Case stood with his -light on the thicket for a moment, listening. - -Then he heard a giggle from a great cedar in the middle of the tangle of -bushes. It was not a laugh, but a positive giggle. The tree, only forty -or fifty feet away, was thick of bough, and Case could not see into its -top, but the giggle was repeated, and he walked forward. - -There was no mistaking that giggle! Alex was hiding in the tree! Clay -supposed that the boy had seen the light coming and had climbed the -cedar for the purpose of playing a joke on his chum, so he walked on -into the tangle at its foot and called out: - -“Alex! Come out of that, you crazy loon! What are you doing up there, -anyway? Come down or I’ll send a couple of bullets up there.” - -The giggle came louder than ever, and Alex’s voice came down from the -lower boughs of the tree. - -“You might keep your light going,” the lad up the tree said, in a casual -manner, “for if you let it switch off you’ll probably receive a visit -from the grizzly bear that has been keeping me up in this tree for a -couple of hours. And keep Captain Joe away. His Grizzlyship could kill -him with one poke.” - -“A grizzly bear down here!” cried Case, and the next minute he was some -distance away, whirling the light swiftly around his head. - -“The grizzly will like that, I know,” Alex said, calmly, from the tree. -“He’s a sociable kind of a bear, and has been inviting me to come down -and accept of a furnished room inside of him. Suppose you take a shot at -him, old man? I don’t think he intends going away until he sees my -finish. And, if I were you. I’d climb a tree before I shot. He tells me -that it annoys him to be shot at.” - -“You everlasting, concentrated essence of cheek!” cried Case. “Why don’t -you shoot him yourself? He’s your bear! What?” - -“I clipped one of his ears,” replied Alex, “and then my gun dropped to -the ground and he ate it. At least I heard a crunching that sounded like -eating a piece of steel. I haven’t got my searchlight, because I had to -throw it at him when I climbed the tree.” - -Case took the hint about getting up in a tree, while Captain Joe looked -on in red-eyed wonder. He could not understand why the boys did not help -him capture or kill the big beast sitting at the foot of the tree. - -The grizzly had set up a protest at the interruption of his silent wait -under the tree for the supper he had ordered, and was now sniffing -toward the bushes where Captain Joe stood. He kept out of the circle -thrown by the searchlight as much as possible, but was evidently -determined to make a stand right there for his stomach’s sake. - -The light wavered and traveled about considerably while Case was worming -his way up to the branches of a tree, and so, in the uncertain light, -the bear kept going bravely nearer to the dog. Captain Joe did not -retreat. So far as Case could see from his place of safety, the dog was -getting ready to do battle. - -“Here, Captain Joe!” Alex called, “you’ll get your dome of thought -dented if you go fooling with that grizzly. He’s been raised a pet, and -doesn’t like to have dogs seek his society.” - -“‘Dome of thought dented’ is slang,” Case put in, from his tree, “and -you’ll wash dishes to pay for it.” - -“All right,” Alex replied, submissively, “you just dent the grizzly a -few and I’ll wash the dishes. I’m hungry, and I’ve a notion that Gran -has deserted, and I want to get back to the cabin. If I should appear on -South Clark street in my present apparel, the police would pinch me for -neglecting to patronize the clothing stores. See?” - -“The bear got you, did he?” asked Case, anxiously. “Did he hurt you? -Guess you got up the tree just ahead of him! What?” - -“A thousandth part of an inch ahead of him,” Alex answered. “He got part -of my jacket and the most of my trousers. Hurry up and shoot.” - -Case knew that the situation was serious, for, unless he could succeed -in killing the grizzly, the beast might remain on guard all through the -long night Clay might hear the shots and come to the rescue and he might -not. Alex’s shots had not been heard at the river. Still, in spite of -all, he could not resist the inclination to laugh at the boy’s -description of his attire. - -“I can’t shoot him unless I can see him,” he replied. “He’s in the -thicket now, trying to look Captain Joe out of countenance. Whistle to -the dog, and when he gets under your tree the bear will follow. Then -I’ll turn on the flashlight and shoot.“ - -“Great wisdom, considering your lack of early training!” cried Alex. -“Here, Captain Joe!” he called, “Come away from that bear and look up -into this beautiful tree! Come on, old snooks!” - -The dog sprang away from the grizzly and backed, snarling, to the very -trunk of the tree. Looking up, he saw his master among the branches, and -straightway tried to climb up to him, an undertaking which was as loyal -as it was impossible. - -The grizzly sprang forward and lifted a huge paw to strike the dog, and -that would have been the finish of Captain Joe if Case had not acted -promptly. The circle of white light fluttered over the bushes for an -instant, struck the bole of the tree just above the bear’s head, and -then dropped to his neck, where it rested. - -The bullet struck the bear where the spotlight rested, at the base of -the brain, and he dropped to the ground, dead to all intents and -purposes, though his huge body contorted on the underbrush for a moment, -and once or twice he endeavored to rise to his feet. The bullet had -broken the spinal column and entered the brain. As the motions were all -automatic, they soon ceased, and then Case and Alex after other shots -had been fired, came sliding down out of their trees, each grinning but -white of face. - -“That was a good shot, kid!” Alex said. “You ought to have the hide for -a rug!” - -“I’ll have it in the morning, all right,” Case answered. “Just now we’d -better get some steak and hustle back to the _Rambler_.” - -“But you said you’d have fish for supper!” suggested the boy. - -“How long do you think a fish will remain fit to eat if kept in an oven -after being cooked through?” demanded Case. “My fish was ready to take -up when I came out after you, and that’s more than half an hour ago. By -the time we get back it will be burned to cinders.” - -Case threw the light over the boy and broke into a laugh, serious as the -danger had been. The clothing was almost torn from Alex’s back, and -drops of blood were trinkling down. - -“He almost got you!” Case exclaimed. - -Captain Joe approached his fallen enemy and then looked up at the lads -with a gleam of admiration in his red eyes. - -“The dog knows,” was all Alex said on the subject. “But, come,” he went -on, “let’s get back. Gran’s eloped, and we needn’t wait for him.” - -“Eloped!” repeated Case, turning the light on his friend’s face to see -if this was not a new joke. “Eloped with whom?” - -“Oh, I don’t know,” replied the boy, determined not to tell anything -about the meeting of the morning; “I saw him in here, just up there at -the angle of the canyon, talking with a man, and then the bear came -along—and I entered into conversation with the bear!” - -“Did Gran see you?” asked Case, wondering if the strange lad had -observed Alex’s peril and failed to protect him. - -Alex shook his head and plunged forward through the trees. Captain Joe -barked at his heels a moment, and then ran back to the bear, where it -lay on the ground under the tree. - -“Wait!” Case called. “You needn’t run away from me! Captain Joe is -asking you to come back and take the grizzly with you. He wants some of -that meat for his supper.” - -Alex returned and the two boys skinned a shoulder and secured quite a -quantity of bear meat, after which they resumed their tramp to the -river. During this time Case had said nothing more to Alex about the -disappearance of Gran He did not like the abrupt manner in which his -questions had been answered, and resolved to let the boy tell what he -knew in his own way and at his own convenience. - -It took them a long time to get back to the river, and even then they -found themselves some distance below the point where the _Rambler_ lay, -and where the fish had been cooking. The long, foaming rapids lay in -front of them, indistinct in the dim light of the stars. - -It would be impossible for the _Rambler_ to drop down to them, for the -rapids would have drawn her in, even with her full power opposing, and, -besides, there was the fish, which might be worth uncovering. So the -tired boys trudged slowly along the rocky bank, sometimes turning into -the interior to avoid coves, and saw, in the darkness, danger rockets -ascending to the sky from the deck of the _Rambler_! - - - - -CHAPTER XIII.—A MYSTERY AND A FISH SUPPER. - - -“Clay is getting anxious!” Alex observed, as a red rocket went hissing -toward the stars. “He’s taken the right course to hurry us, at any -rate,” he added. “It is a good thing we brought those rockets along with -us. We may need them sometime worse than we do now.” - -“How do you know how badly he needs them?” demanded Case. “You have been -away for hours, and it is more than an hour since I went into the forest -to search for you. A great deal may have happened in that time.” - -“But Clay is safe enough,” Alex insisted. “If he wasn’t, he wouldn’t be -capable of sending up rockets. If any one had attacked him, or he had -met with a serious accident, he wouldn’t be doing that, would he?” - -“I hope you are right,” Case replied. - -“He’s just sending a notice, in red fire, to us that supper is ready and -waiting,” Alex laughed. - -Captain Joe began to scurry on ahead, doubtless smelling the odor of -supper from the cabin, but Case hastened to order him back. At the same -time the boy shut off his searchlight and reloaded his automatic. - -“It may be just as well to come up to the _Rambler_ quietly,” he -advised. “After all, we don’t know what is going on there. And I’m going -to see about that fish, too, unless there are loud cries for help from -the _Rambler_! I had a hard time catching that bird, and I’m not going -to lose a fish supper if I can help it. It may be done just right at -this minute. Who knows?” - -“If we break our necks falling over these rocks, and drown in some of -these pools, and brain ourselves on a fallen log, and kill ourselves in -several other ways,” Alex grunted, “we won’t want any fish for supper. -This traveling in a desolate land in the night without a light is just -about the fiercest proposition I ever came across.” - -Indeed it was slow work, and hard work, following the rugged, broken -river line, but the lads pressed sturdily forward, notwithstanding the -complaints of Alex and they soon came to a point from which the lights -of the _Rambler_ cabin struck out on their uneven pathway. The deck of -the motor boat was deserted, and there was no one in view in the cabin, -so far as the lads could see, through the two small windows on the shore -side. - -Directly, however, they made out a figure moving about in the cabin, -evidently stooping low in search of something. Then the great prow lamp -was turned on and the deck, the bulk of the cabin, and the swift-running -river for many yards about were illuminated. - -“There!” whispered Alex. “Didn’t I tell you he was safe and sound? -You’ve got to go some to get Clay into a mess he can’t get out of.” - -As the boy spoke Clay appeared on deck with another rocket in his hand. -Case was about to call out to him not to waste it, but Alex motioned for -him to wait. - -“Let’s see about the fish first,” he proposed, “and go on board with a -meal that will make him lick his chops like a hungry cat. Cooked fish -and bear steak will make him take notice, eh?” - -“If you keep on talking slang,” Case reproved, “you’ll have to wash -dishes all the rest of the trip. I’m not going to warn you again!” - -“I’d wash a bushel of dishes if only I might empty them first!” -exclaimed the boy, pressing one hand to the waistband of his torn -trousers. “There never was a boy so empty as I am right now!” - -By this time the rocket was showering a brilliant red light in the sky, -and the boys were arrived at the place where the fish had been consigned -to Case’s rude oven. As the latter bent over to uncover the contents of -the pit Clay saw them from the deck and called out: - -“The fish is here, piping hot on the stove. I was just telegraphing to -you about it Wait, now. I’ll throw the line across, and you can draw the -boat over. You don’t deserve any supper, but I’ll forgive you just this -once. I’ve got a lot to tell you.” - -“Is that the cause of this Fourth-of-July celebration?” asked Alex. “If -I sent up rockets every time I had something to tell, there would be -something doing in the heavens every minute of the time.” - -“That is no fairy tale!” Case agreed. “Only you know so many things to -tell that ain’t true!” - -A slender line came whizzing through the air, secured to a small rock, -and Case caught it deftly and proceeded to draw in the heavy rope which -would bring the impromptu canoe to the shore. Captain Joe was first in -when the boat, if such it may be called, came to the water’s edge, and -Case signaled to Clay to pull him across. - -“Why not let me in?” asked Alex. - -“All right,” grinned Case, “you may go if you want a ducking. The dog -gave Clay a soaking this afternoon.” - -So the canoe started off with Captain Joe as the only passenger. As if -to prove good character and make amends for the mishap of the afternoon, -he sat with dignity in the middle of the burned trough, and never -stirred until Clay assisted him to the deck of the _Rambler_. - -Case and Alex were soon aboard. They halted at the door of the cabin, -anticipating a flood of questions, but none came. Clay said not a word -about the delay for an instant. - -Then Alex turned his back, and the boy saw the ravages the grizzly had -made in the wardrobe of his friend. He said nothing, even then, but sat -back on the railing and held his sides. Indeed, Alex was pretty well -stripped. Captain Joe looked up into Alex’s face as if asking why he had -introduced a new style of dress into the wilderness. - -“The grizzly did that, eh?” Clay asked, presently. “It is a wonder he -didn’t climb the tree after you?” - -“Tried to,” replied the boy, looking Clay over as one looks over the -face of a fortune teller who has described an actual event in the past, -“tried to, but I dropped matches down on him. They burned his snoot, and -he quit. But how is it that you know about that? Did you follow Alex -into the wilderness? Who told you about the tree and the bear?” - -“When you got the fish out of the oven,” asked Case, as soon as the -other had asked his questions, “didn’t you take a turn in the woods?” - -“No,” replied Clay, with a quizzical smile, “I haven’t been into the -woods at all. Never went farther than the shore.” - -“Then you must be Sherlock Holmes, Jr.,” insisted Alex. “The bear came -on the stage more than a mile from here, and you couldn’t have seen him -from this spot. What is there about me that tells you that I was treed -by a bear? Come, now, smarty, tell me!” - -“Your clothes!” laughed Clay. “You have no idea that I would lay it to a -fish coming up out of the river and biting you, have you?” - -“Smarty!” repeated Alex. “If you know so much about what took place in -the woods, tell me what has become of Gran. Come on, now.” - -“Gran has gone over the rapids!” was Clay’s astonishing reply. - -Case and Alex looked their amazement, but did not reply. - -“He went past here in a boat, a boat that looked to me like the one we -lost, and—” - -“Yes, he did!” Alex cut in. “I saw him out there in the woods. He was -standing under a tree, and there was a—” - -“He must have had to hustle to get to the river before we did,” was all -Case said. The mystery was too deep to talk about. - -“You remember the waterproof paper and envelopes we brought with us,” -Clay went on, glad that Alex had stopped short in his explanation, “well -it seems that he had some of both with him. How long he’s been carrying -them in anticipation of an emergency like this one, I don’t know, but it -seems that he had waterproof envelopes and paper with him when he left -the _Rambler_. - -“Well, what’s the answer?” asked Alex fidgeting about. - -“Slang!” cried Case. “I know who’ll wash dishes to-night!” - -“Not very long ago,” Clay went on, taking a sheet of paper from his -pocket, “I saw a boat drifting down upon the _Rambler_. There were two -figures in it. One was rowing, evidently just to keep steerway, and the -other was laying on the bottom in the prow. - -“When the boat came in the circle of the prow lamp, I saw that it was -the one that got away from us where we found Teddy, and also that the -figure in the prow was resting in a position which indicated an attempt -at hiding away from whoever might see the boat from the _Rambler_. - -“Robin Hood, and Treasure Island, and Robinson Crusoe are dull history -compared to this voyage!” exclaimed Alex drawing closer. “A man hiding -in the prow of a stolen boat! Go on with the dream! You’ll wake up -directly and find the fish cold!” - -“In a second,” Clay resumed, with a tolerant smile, “I saw that the -person in the prow was Gran, and that he was trying to signal to me. The -boat came along pretty fast, and I didn’t catch on to what he wanted -until it was close at hand. Then he lifted one hand up over the edge of -the boat and threw something up stream. The boat moved on down before -what had been tossed into the water came to the prow of the _Rambler_. I -reached down with our dipping net and got it. Here it is: - -“‘Alex treed by a bear. Case approaching. You’ll hear from me later. -Keep your eyes open. Don’t lose the f——’ - -“That’s the end of it,” Clay went on. “Now, who’s ready to give the -answer? Who rowed Gran away? Why? What word had he started to write when -he stopped?” - -“You’ve got me going!” Alex exclaimed. “I’m no mind reader!” - -“What about it. Case?” asked Clay. “What’s your answer?” - -“I’m just out of answers,” Case laughed, though there was a worried look -on his face. “Look here!” he went on, “we’ve been trying to escape the -mystery stunt ever since we returned from the Amazon. Now, suppose we -quit guessing and wait for the answer? No one knows a thing about that -boy, and that’s the answer, so far as I know what it is!” - -Clay and Alex exchanged significant glances when Case was not looking in -their direction. They both had a suspicion as to what the word beginning -with “f” would have been had it been completed! - -Their supposition that the word would have been “films” increased their -wonder and added to the mystery. To tell the truth, they had both -believed that, for some purpose of his own which he would be able to -explain satisfactorily later on, Gran, had removed the films from the -kodak, and now, if their suspicions were well founded, he was asking, -under strange circumstances, that they be well taken care of! - -Case went into the cabin and found the fish safe under a tin, secured by -a heavy weight, on the table. Teddy was sniffing about, and Captain Joe -was reproving him for his inquisitiveness by biting at his inch or so of -tail. - -“Now,” Alex said to Clay, “what about it? The message from Gran, the -message sent adrift in the river and caught by you, seems to indicate -that the boy never took the films—that he thinks we still have them in -our possession—that he considers them very important! If he didn’t take -them, who did? Say,” he went on, with a look into the cabin, where Case -was getting out dishes and fighting the bear cub to keep him off the -table, “isn’t it about time we annexed the wisdom of Case? The only -reason we had for keeping all this from him was that there would be no -talk about it which Gran might overhear.” - -“Of course we’ll tell Case,” Clay replied, “but I thought that there -never were any films, never any robbery at the pass, never any -long-armed man talking with Gran in the cedar canyon!” - -“All right!” grinned Alex, “I’ll tell Case, and then we’ll cut it all -out of the menu. We’ve got to do it in order to have any fun on the -Columbia river. But where will Gran end up if this thing keeps on?” - -“That must go with all the rest,” Clay replied. “But Case is beckoning -us into the cabin and we’ll see about that fish. Of course I’m eager to -hear about the bear and the tree, but you can tell me about that after -we see what Case’s fish is like.” - -The fish was excellent, and even Captain Joe and Teddy were given all -they wanted of it. Now and then, during the meal, the boys looked -gravely over to the place usually occupied by Gran, but nothing was said -of the boy’s strange departure until the fish had disappeared. Then Clay -told of the meeting in the cedar canyon, and of other strange actions on -the part of the absent boy with which the reader is already acquainted. - -Case was loyal to the absent one, and all three boys decided to go down -the river slowly, in the hope that Gran would in some way escape from -his mysterious companion and return to his friends. - -“But how did he get back to the river so quick?” asked Alex. “He was -away back there by the bear tree when I last saw him.” - -“There is a bend in the river to the south,” Clay answered, “and the man -who took him out evidently had the boat hidden there. By going to the -shoreline at the bend he would save half the distance. I figured that -out before you boys came back. - -“And then,” Clay went on, “you came out at the rapids, and so lost -considerable time. The question which puzzles me most is not how he got -out, but why he went away.” - -“And in our boat!” exclaimed Case. “The thief must have been just below -us when the boat broke away. Well, we’ll get it back when we get hold of -the scamp. It may be days before we see Gran again, so there is no use -in asking each other questions. We’ve got to get the _Rambler_ around -the rapids in the morning, and I’m going to bed.” - -“I move,” Alex added, rising, “that we anchor out in the river. We are -too close to shore. I don’t want any ruffian sneaking in on us in the -night.” - -This was agreed to, and the anchor was lowered over a bar near the -middle of the stream. This precaution taken, the boys crept into their -bunks, but not for long. The mysteries of the night were not yet over. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV.—A SWIFT AND PERILOUS RIDE. - - -It was midnight by Clay’s watch when the boy heard Captain Joe making a -great argument out on the deck of the motor boat. He hastily drew on his -trousers and a thick coat and stepped out of the cabin. - -As he did so the boat rocked frightfully, nearly throwing him from his -feet. Seizing hold of the railing, he switched on the prow lamp and -sprang to the motors. - -There was no doubt in his mind as to what had taken place. The anchor -chain had either broken or been cut, and the _Rambler_ was swinging down -into the rapids. He called excitedly to the sleepers and set the craft -in motion. - -The motors responded nobly, but the full power of the machines was not -sufficient to change the direction. Stern first, the _Rambler_ was -drifting with the swift current He could see the waters on either side -foaming over rocks, feel the grating of the sides and bottom of the boat -on obstructions beneath the boiling surface. - -Case and Alex came bounding out, their eyes half-closed from sleep, -their automatics in their hands. For an instant, in a quieter stretch of -river, Clay felt the boat spring up stream in answer to the powerful -motors, but directly the motion shifted again. - -“Put up your guns,” the boy shouted to the others. “You, Case, come here -and keep the motors in full action. You, Alex get a pole and stand at -the prow. Do the best you can to keep the boat off rocks. She is bound -to go down, and we’ve got a fight on our hands. Steady, now.” - -“What is it all about?” asked Case, his voice only dimly heard above the -rush of waters. “The chain must have been cut!” - -Clay did not answer, but took the helm and managed to swing the boat -into a smoother bit of water near the east shore. The current swept -against the upper side, nearly tipping her over, as she swung, but in an -instant the prow turned down stream and the boat righted a little. - -“Keep her to the shore!” shouted Case, frantically. “We can never ride -those rocks. Keep her toward the east bank, Clay, for heaven’s sake, or -it will be all over with us. What are you doing?” - -“Full speed ahead!” roared Clay. “If we should strike a rock while -headed for either bank we’d go over in a flash! Our only hope is to keep -her dead with the current and fight her through!” - -That was a wild ride. Time and again the boat grazed great rocks, and -more than once Alex’s pole prevented a head-on collision with -half-exposed boulders against which the mad waters swirled with terrible -force, sending spray high up in the air. Wherever there was a setting of -the current Clay led the boat. - -Believing that the water would be deeper, the course freer of -obstructions, where the current swung, the boy followed the drift for a -mile or more without serious mishap. The prow light showed a rush of -current the like of which the boys had never seen before. - -Now the sweep wound off to the right, now to the left, now it dove -straight at a boulder only to turn aside at the last moment because of -the water already banked against it. The _Rambler_ was light, and the -swift motors gave her steerage way over the current, so in many cases -she went over hidden rocks where a boat only drifting would have struck. - -Presently a deeper roar than that about them reached the ears of the -boys, and they almost held their breath as a high wall of rock loomed up -directly in front. The current set hard against this bank and fell away -in foam on a curving shore below. - -“Now we are in for it!” shouted Case. “If we strike that rock we go to -pieces. It seems all clear below.” - -Clay turned the prow away from the obstruction, but as he did so the -current caught the broadside and whirled her round and round, seemingly -a motor boat doomed to destruction after a hard fight for life. - -But, when all seemed lost, a kindly fate sent the _Rambler_ against a -round rock and held her there, tipping frightfully, until the prow -swayed away from the precipice against which the current was pounding -with a noise like thunder. Clay saw the opportunity and headed the boat -out a trifle and put the whole force of the motors against a rushing -eddy which swirled just ahead. - -The counter current caught the boat and swung her farther away from the -rock, but not far enough away to prevent her coming within a yard of it. -A minute later the _Rambler_ dropped into clearer water, and Clay swung -her away from the banks of foam which clung to the curving shore below. -The rapids were behind! - -Clay wiped the perspiration from his face and called to Case to shut the -motors down to half power. This done, the boat traveled easily in the -direction of an island of rock not far away. - -“Shall we land there?” asked Case, speaking at the top of his voice, for -the tumbling water still sent up its clamor. “I think I see a ledge -where we can get out if we want to.” - -“What for?” screamed Alex. “Let’s get away from here.” - -Clay motioned to approach the ledge, and in three minutes the boat lay -still, with her nose against a low shelf which ran a part of the way -round the rocky island and then ascended to the very top. - -“The anchor is gone,” Clay said, regretfully, “so we’ll have to hang on -here with our hands. That is, unless we can find something to tie to. -Look about, Alex and see if there isn’t a peak we can throw a rope -about. I’d like to see what there is on the top of this boulder.” - -Alex sprang to the ledge and walked a few paces. Then he called back, -pointing as he did so. There was a steeple of rock just in front where a -rope might be made secure. In a minute the boys were out of the -_Rambler_, and she was tied safe and sound. - -“That was a wonder!” were Alex’s first words. “A wonder!” - -“Seems good to get my feet on something solid once more!” Case said. “I -thought, at one time, that we were out a motor boat, cheated of a ride -down the Columbia river. I wonder if there are many places like that?” - -“Lots of ’em!” Alex answered, with a wink at Clay. “Most of them have to -be passed in balloons! Isn’t that right. Clay?” - -But Clay was climbing the winding ledge to the top of the rock which -formed the little island and made no reply. While Alex and Case were -discussing the peril they had just passed and expressing opinions as to -how the _Rambler_ came to be adrift, the boy was mounting to the summit -for the purpose of examining the river below, so far as it was possible -to do so in the night time, with only the stars in the sky. - -Directly he called to the boys, and they went bounding up the ledge, -half anticipating something in the line of trouble. They found Clay -standing in the middle of an almost round and level space about twenty -paces across. On every side, save that where the ledge wound up, there -was a sheer fall to the water. It was a very Gibraltar of a rock. - -“Look at this, boys,” Clay began, “there’s been some one here within -less than half an hour. And there’s been a fire here, too, a fire built -of dry sticks brought from the shore. Here are the embers, still alive.” - -Alex nosed about the summit for a minute and came back to the others -with a paper from which emanated a peculiar odor in his hand. - -“They didn’t cook here,” the boy said. “There are no signs of the fire -having been used for that purpose, no scraps of food about, so I looked -around to see what the fire was built for. I think I have found out. -Look at this.” - -“This,” was the paper he had found. Clay took it into his hand. - -“Do you know what it is?” asked Case. “I think I do.” - -“Well, unless I’m very much mistaken,” Clay answered, “this is a bit of -paper which once wrapped what we call ‘red fire,’ used for lighting up -parades, and also for signaling. The people who made this fire used it -to signal from. There is no doubt about that.” - -“Then there are two parties about here, perhaps three!” exclaimed Alex. -“I think we’d better get into the _Rambler_ and scud for the Pacific -ocean. This is getting too thick for me.” - -“I wonder if the men who built this fire, and who signaled from this -rock, waited here for the _Rambler_ to come down to them a wreck, with -her crew drowned and pounded into unrecognizable masses by the rocks? It -looks that way to me.” - -“They wasn’t waiting here to give us any Christmas presents!” laughed -Alex. “Come on, let’s be on our way! I don’t like the looks of things -hereabouts, and Captain Joe is calling to us from the boat. Hurry up!” - -Clay examined the dragging end of the anchor chain when they returned to -the _Rambler_ and discovered that it had been broken by prying one link -open. It must have taken a strong tool and a powerful hand to make the -break in the massive chain. - -“What’s it all about?” demanded Case, as the motors were started once -more, and the boat cut away through the water. “What are they after us -for, I’d like to know? What are they after Gran for?” - -“Answer in our next issue!” grinned Alex, wrinkling his nose at Teddy, -who was trying to crawl up the table leg. - -“I’m going back to bed,” Case announced, sleepily. “There’s nothing -likely to happen, and the conversation carried on by you fellows is -irrelevant and immaterial. It will be three hours before daylight shows -out on the plains, and four or five before this wrinkle in the world’s -surface gets any of it.” - -So he crawled off to his bunk and Captain Joe took possession of the -sleeping place usually occupied by Alex while Teddy climbed into Clay’s -bunk and curled up with his sensitive little nose on his paws. - -“I’ll sit up with you to-night,” Alex said to Clay, “for I want to talk -with you. First, when are we going to get out of this?” - -“I’m tired of mystery,” Clay replied. “Right now we’re headed for the -ocean!” - - - - -CHAPTER XV.—THE RAMBLER TAKES TO WHEELS. - - -“Straight through?” asked Alex who did not like the idea of overlooking -the hunting and fishing along the river. “I’d like to get a shot at a -bear and a deer before we strike tidewater.” - -“You have already had a shot at a bear!” laughed Clay. - -“Oh, yes, but that didn’t count. I was too high up in the air to take -good aim, and I lost my gun, too. No, that doesn’t count.” - -There was a long silence, during which Clay watched the moon coming up -over the Rocky mountains, plating the rippling river and the brown crags -with silvery light. The air was still, only the murmur of the water and -an occasional protest from a bird breaking the silence. - -“It’s glorious!” Alex declared, presently. “We’ve got to the point where -we can appreciate a little quiet. If Gran could come walking in on us -now, things would be about right, don’t you think?” - -“Just about right—provided Case could catch another fish like the last -one,” was the reply. “I don’t know what to think about Gran.” - -“I don’t think about him at all,” Alex hastened to say. “I’ve got rid of -it all! I’m waiting for the puzzle to solve itself.” - -“Where did the boy come from, and where is he going, and why did he come -to us at the pass, and who is he, and why is he meeting strangers in the -woods without our knowledge, and has he been carried off by force? And -many other wheres and whys,” Clay laughed. - -“I give it up!” was Alex’s reply. “As I said before, I’m waiting for the -puzzle to solve itself. When it does, we’ll know where my films went to, -and that will help some. That’s the key to the whole thing—the film -robbery heads the list.” - -There was nothing more to talk about, for no amount of guesswork could -unravel the mystery, and no combination of words seemed capable of -throwing a single ray of light on the matter. The _Rambler_ ran on -through the night, carrying prow lights and side lights, and covered -many miles before the morning sun lifted over the mountains and looked -down on the river. - -“What about loitering around for a time in the hope of finding Gran?” -asked Case, as he came from the cabin, rubbing his eyes, and noted that -the _Rambler_ was under full speed. “We ought to look for him, anyway.” - -“We’ve given that up,” Alex answered. “We’re going right on about our -business, fishing and hunting, and having all the fun we can, regardless -of all mystery. We might look for Gran a thousand years, in this -wilderness, and never find him. Also we might hunt for our lost rowboat -until sheep grow wings, and never set eyes on it. Some one stole the -boat, and some one abducted Gran. That’s all there is to it.” - -“Yes,” Clay said, comings to the assistance of the boy, “that is all -there is to it By to-morrow morning, if we keep on at this rate, we’ll -strike the place where the Columbia skirts a mountain and turns squarely -to the south. At that place there is a human habitation or two, and we -may hear something of the boy there. In the meantime, it is you to catch -another fish.” - -“For breakfast, too,” chimed in Alex who seldom was out of healthy -appetite. “I’m tired of pancakes and bacon, and fried mush, and boiled -potatoes, and canned beans. Oh, oh,” he shouted, jumping to his feet, -“there’s the bear meat!” - -“I don’t know whether the grizzly will make good eating?” Clay said, -“but we can soon find out If you’ll get Captain Joe and Teddy out of the -way, I’ll fry a few slices.” - -“I bar that!” Alex exclaimed. “I don’t like fried bear meat. Say, what’s -the matter of parboiling the meat and making a bear stew? That will be -all right. We’ve got potatoes, onions, turnips, rice, and lots of things -to put into it.” - -“I wish we had a cabbage!” Case observed. “There never was a good stew -that wasn’t part cabbage. Don’t they can cabbage?” - -“Never heard of canned cabbage, but when we come to the salmon canneries -down the river we can find out about it. You go and get the fish for -breakfast, and we’ll have the bear stew for dinner. Just take the canoe -and paddle ashore and fish in some quiet pool.” - -Case clapped his hands to his sides in quick remembrance. - -“The canoe?” he repeated. “Who’s seen the old trough since the run we -made through the rapids? Of course it was all banged to bits. Now, what -are we going to do?” - -“Make another,” Clay responded. “We can make another in a day, or we can -wait until we get to Boat Encampment and buy one.” - -“Then we’ll buy one,” Alex put in. “It is too much of a job to burn one -out. We can buy one for a few cents, of an Indian.” - -“And another thing,” Case observed, “where is that bearskin rug you were -going to have?” - -“Back there in the woods,” was the slow reply. - -“Fish off the back end of the boat,” suggested Clay. “There are fish in -the middle of the river as well as in the quiet pools.” - -The loss of the primitive canoe was seriously felt, for there were not -many places where the _Rambler_ could get close to the shore. Also Alex -mourned the loss of his bearskin. Finally Case caught a five-pound fish, -and the choice parts of it were soon frying on the stove. - -After breakfast Alex proceeded to make his bear stew, and Clay tinkered -at the motors to make sure that they were in good order. - -“If they had gone back on us when we were in the rapids,” he explained, -“we should have been drowned, every one of us. It was the headway of the -boat that kept us going right. I’m strong for these motors.” - -It was a beautiful morning in one of the most picturesque districts in -the world. There were white caps on many of the peaks, and the dark -green of the cedar foliage and the brown of the rocks contrasted well -with the sun-kissed waters of the river. There were bird-songs in -plenty, and here and there a great fish leaped above the surface, as if -to inspect this strange thing which rode upon the waves instead of, like -a gentleman, diving under them! - -After a time the valley of the river broadened out on the west until a -great stretch of forest lay between the shoreline and the distant -elevations. Perhaps the word valley has been used wrongfully. The -country in that part of British Columbia is really an upland plateau, -with mountain ridges lifting still higher. - -From its source near the Kootenay lakes the Columbia falls hundreds of -feet in rapids and foaming cascades before it reaches the Pacific. It is -a vagrant stream, winding this way and that, washing mountains and -sweeping past high levels of tableland. There are salmon in the river -and all kinds of wild game in the canyons and forests it skirts, so it -is an ideal water course for such a trip as the boys had started out on. - -About noon, when the sun shone hot above the dancing waters, the -_Rambler_ came to another drop in the valley. The boys could hear the -water tumbling over rocks, and the growing current told them that the -falls, or rapids, whichever they were, were not far away. - -“I think we’d better get to shore here,” Clay observed, “and take a look -ahead. I don’t want another experience like that of last night. It is -only by the greatest of good luck that we are alive this morning.” - -“That’s the truth,” Case exclaimed. “And somebody is mourning over a -plan that didn’t work. I wonder if they think we are dead?” - -“We’ve cut out all that!” Alex broke in. “We can’t have any fun if we -keep our minds bent up into exclamation points all the time. Look!” he -continued, changing the subject, “there’s a place where we ought to be -able to bring the _Rambler_ right up to the shore.” - -The place at which the boy pointed did look inviting, and so Clay headed -the boat in that direction. There was a break in the high bank of the -stream, and it looked as if there might be a pool inside which would -make a desirable harbor. - -When they came to the broken bank they saw that a small rivulet entered -the Columbia there, and that its waters, in some period of flood, -undoubtedly, had carried a quantity of soil away, leaving a pond west of -the river line—a pond which seemed to be deep enough for the _Rambler_ -to float in. Also this pond was almost shut in from the river, the -scrubby trees growing there filling in between the two bodies of water -except where the channel cut the natural levee. - -“This is a beauty!” Alex cried, as the _Rambler_ felt her way through -the opening. “We might hide away from a fleet of police boats here!” - -Captain Joe seemed to agree perfectly with this expressed opinion of the -locality, for no sooner was the _Rambler_ within reach of the shore than -he sprang out and began investigating the situation. Teddy climbed to -the railing of the deck and would have followed the dog only for the -fact that he was tied to the prow by a long rope. - -Alex was off the deck almost as soon as the dog, and the two engaged in -a wrestling match on the grass, a contest in which the boy came off an -easy victor on account of the dog not being posted on tricks of knocking -an opponent’s feet out from under him. This over, the dog started off -into the forest, looking back as if to inquire why Alex was not coming -along with him for a romp in the jungles. - -“I believe I will take a turn in the forest while you look over the -rapids,” Alex said, his eyes following the dog longingly. “We can have a -run for half an hour, and then get back in time for the start. Anyway, -why not remain here all night? That would be fine.” - -Before Clay or Case could offer objections, the boy and the dog were out -of sight in the thicket. Their brush-tramping footsteps were heard for a -time, and then there were no indications that they had ever entered the -woods at all. Clay smiled as he looked at Case, following the course the -two had taken with his eyes. - -“After we have a look at the rapids,” Clay promised, “we’ll go hunting -in there. Unless I am much mistaken, we’ll find deer not far away from -this valley. Venison would make a hit with me just now.” - -“That sounds good to me,” Case answered. “We ought to get fresh meat -before long, for our bacon is giving out. Now for the rapids!” - -The rapids were more formidable than the boys had expected to find them. -The bed of the river seemed to drop away several feet to the north, and -the narrowing channel was spotted with boulders which fretted the -current into foaming eddies. There seemed to be no main channel, such as -Clay had followed through the peril above. - -“I’m afraid we’ll have to put on the wheels,” Clay observed as he stood -looking over the swirling surface of the broken river. “We can never -sail the _Rambler_ through there. Anyway, suppose we look for a place -level enough to run the boat through. This bank looks good and level, -and it seems to remain so for some distance, skirting the rapids like a -highway. Do you know where the wheels are?” - -“Certainly,” replied Case. “They are under the floor in the prow.” - -The boys returned to the _Rambler_ and lifted a hatch in the deck close -to the forward stem. From the cavity underneath Case drew four wheels of -about two feet in diameter. They were of iron, light as possible, with -broad tires. Next came two long iron rods, with fittings at each end for -the wheels. These were the axles. Then came great staples, shaped like a -horseshoe, washers, and screws. - -“How we ever going to get them on?” asked Case. “We neglected to hold -dress rehearsals with these things!” - -“I’ve studied that all out,” Clay said, proudly. “We’ll have to take to -the water to screw these horseshoe staples onto the sides of the boat. -There are four iron plates with screwholes where they go on. Oh, come -on! I’ll show you as we go along.” - -The boys worked steadily, understanding, and fortune favored them, so, -in a couple of hours the wheels were in place, and the prow of the -_Rambler_ was out of water. - -“Now, when Alex comes,” Clay said, “we’ll pull her out.” - - - - -CHAPTER XVI.—TEDDY RECEIVES A CALLER. - - -The sun dropped out of the sky above the valley, glinting the rough -elevations to the east with golden light, but throwing long shadows -where the _Rambler_ lay, half in the water and half out. Still, Alex and -the dog remained away, and there were no indications of their approach. - -“The next time Alex leaves the boat,” Case grumbled, “we’ll tie a rope -to him, so we can haul him back. He holds the blue ribbon for getting -lost and meeting with foolish adventures.” - -Teddy, the cub bear, by this time a chosen chum of the white bulldog, -sat up on the prow of the _Rambler_, listening for the return of his -playmate, his small ears bent forward expectantly. Occasionally he -turned his nose to the west, sniffing at the light breeze now blowing -from that direction. Clay called Case’s attention to the movements of -the cub. - -“I believe he scents Captain Joe!” the boy said. “He appears to be -uneasy and expectant. The little chap has us beaten when it comes to -discovering an approach not yet in sight. Anyway, he scents something.” - -The boys were not in the boat, which lay at a great angle, the prow -being on the land and the stern in the water, but were standing half -concealed in the undergrowth which here fringed the natural levee. As -the shadows grew longer, the boat more indistinct, a rustling was heard -in the brush away to the west, up the rivulet, and then a heavy figure -shambled into view. Case caught Clay by the arm and whispered: - -“That’s Alex coming back with some of his monkeyshines! We’ll just lie -still and see what he’ll make of the rakish attitude of the _Rambler_. -Captain Joe is not with him, so he must have told the dog to lay low -while he plays a trick on us. We’ll show him.” - -The figure which had left the undergrowth was merely a dark bulk, moving -cautiously toward the boat, on the same side of the pool as that on -which the boys stood. It was without outline, and would not have been -observed if it had remained stationary. It drew nearer to the _Rambler_ -noiselessly, like a person resolved to surprise an unsuspecting foe. - -Teddy now began uttering low, coaxing whines, almost like those of a -puppy at sight of its mother, and the boys hastily drew out their -automatics and their searchlights, without which they never left the -boat. The moving figure sprang forward, and then the growl that came out -of the darkness left no doubt in the minds of the boys as to what it was -that was paying a visit to their boat. Case pulled Clay by the arm -again. - -“That is a grizzly!” he cried. “A grizzly weighing about a ton and a -half, come to see if Teddy is perfectly contented in his new home. - -“Don’t shoot!” warned Clay. “We may not be as lucky as you were in the -bush back yonder, and a wounded grizzly is a wicked thing to fight. Wait -and see what she will do. Sure as you live, she’s going to board the -_Rambler_! What do you think Teddy will do?” - -“The question with me,” Case replied, “is not what Teddy will do, but -what the bear will do. She can make a mess of that cabin in about a -minute and a half! If I thought I wouldn’t hit Teddy, I’d shoot and -frighten her off. Wish we could reach the switch that throws on the prow -light! That would give her a shock, all right.” - -“Oh, let them have their visit!” Clay replied, with a silent but -pronounced chuckle. “We ought to feel grateful to the bear for going to -the trouble of calling on us. I hope Captain Joe will keep away for a -while yet. He would make trouble, I’m afraid. Hear the two talking -together! I’d like to know what kind of a tale Teddy is telling.” - -Teddy was whining like a puppy and the newcomer was uttering low and -threatening growls. It was evident that she knew that hostile creatures -were not far away. The boys could see only the dim figures moving about, -but it seemed that the bear was trying to coax Teddy away, and that -Teddy was trying to obey but was held back by the rope. - -“She’ll bite through the rope!” Case whispered, “and Teddy will get away -if we don’t do something before long. Alex wouldn’t like to lose the -little scamp. Suppose we throw a bit of electricity at her,” he went on. -“She might run at the sight of the light.” - -Presently they heard a crash in the cabin, as if the grizzly had taken -full possession there and was rearranging the furniture to suit her -personal tastes. It sounded as if she had climbed up on the table and -broken it down with her great weight. Clay’s whispered estimate was that -she must weigh nearly a ton. - -“I know what she’s doing,” Clay chuckled. “There is a box of sugar on a -shelf near the door, and she is trying to get that. She’s got her nerve, -to invite herself to supper and then break the furniture!” - -A shot and a loud call now came from the dark forest, and Captain Joe’s -deep voice came booming out of the shadows. The boy and the dog were -returning, and the situation was becoming more complicated. - -“If Captain Joe comes up,” Clay whispered, “he’ll attack the bear, and -she’ll give him one swipe and then there won’t be any Captain Joe. We’ll -have to turn on our lights and shoot. Only be careful!” - -The dog’s voice came nearer and nearer. It was evident that Alex was -bringing in some kind of game, and that Captain Joe was making a kind of -triumphal progress for him! - -The grizzly was now making a great noise in the cabin, and Teddy was -expressing his anger at the lack of attention. The boys crept toward the -boat and waited for the bear to emerge from the cabin, so they could get -a shot at her, but she seemed satisfied with the trouble she was making -on the inside and remained there. Clay moved along toward the prow, his -automatic ready for use. - -“What now?” demanded Case, keeping at his side. - -“I’m going to turn on the prow light,” Clay replied. “We can’t do any -shooting by the light of the electrics. If she moves at all, as she -will, of course, she’ll be in the dark. Don’t come with me, but get -where you can shoot without hitting me. I’ll be at the back of the boat, -understand? Alex and the dog are not far away now, and so we’ve got to -do whatever is done right quick. Don’t miss when you shoot!” - -“I won’t miss if I can help it,” replied the boy. “You don’t think I -want to be devoured by the bear, do you. Shoot straight yourself!” - -Clay moved slowly back, entered the water, clinging to the side of the -boat, now rocking violently because of the tumbling going on inside the -cabin, and finally reached out for the electric switch. - -When Alex and Captain Joe emerged from the thicket, a second later, they -saw a sight which stopped their breath as well as their legs for an -instant. The deck of the _Rambler_ lay at an angle of about thirty -degrees, cocked up on wheels in front and resting in the water at the -rear. On the prow sat Teddy, all wound up in his rope because of his -twistings to get away, and from out the door of the cabin looked the -stolid face of a huge grizzly bear, her little eyes flaming with rage, -her teeth showing where the snarling lips were drawn back. Neither Clay -nor Case was in sight. - -Captain Joe bounded forward at first, but stopped at a call from the -boy. Teddy sat up straighter and welcomed the dog with a whine, thus -transferring his loyalty from the bear to the canine. - -“Hey, there!” Alex called out. “Where are you? I didn’t know we kept -furnished rooms to rent on the _Rambler_! Who’s your new tenant?” - -Then shots came from the prow of the boat and bruin rushed for the deck, -but the incline was considerable and one of the shots had taken effect -in her shoulder, so she fell and rolled, snarling, back to the door of -the cabin. More shots came from the prow, and she arose and struck at -the air with her great paws, as if trying to meet the bullets with all -her brute force. - -Presently she fell, wounded to the death, and then Alex saw Case and -Clay enter the lighted space and fire shot after shot at the bear. - -“Save the lead!” the boy called. “Come back, Captain Joe!” - -But Captain Joe had no intention of missing the final act in the tragedy -in progress on the deck of the _Rambler_. He sprang to the side of the -boat, looked up at the elevated prow, expressed his disapproval of the -arrangement by a low growl, and, walking back, entered the rivulet and -so climbed over the lower end of the vessel, where it lay down in the -water. Teddy watched him with twinkling eyes as he approached the body -of the bear. Satisfied that the grizzly was harmless, the dog slipped up -to the cub and looked him over. The boys broke into laughter. - -“Captain Joe knows that there’s been trouble here,” Clay said. “He is -sizing up the damage. Wise old scout, that.” - -“Suppose we size up the damage in the cabin?” Case exclaimed, darting -through the doorway and switching on the lights. - -The cabin was in a mess, to express it mildly. Bruin had broken down the -table while trying to reach the sugar, and the bear stew left over from -dinner was standing in puddles on the floor. The coal heater was -standing at an alarming angle—one of the legs having been knocked out -from under it. The bunks looked as if the bear had tried to sleep in -each one of them and found them all inconvenient on account of size. - -“Never mind,” Alex cried, “I’ve got plenty of game out on the bank. -We’ll have a partridge supper, and give Teddy an extra share for -bringing this big fellow here. Say, but he’s a monster, isn’t he?” - -“That is a she bear,” replied Case. “A she bear, like the one that came -out of the wilderness and devoured forty children because they called a -prophet names. I hated to shoot her, because she came here as a guest, -but I thought I’d rather eat her than have her eat me.” - -“Teddy seemed to make friends with her until Captain Joe arrived,” Clay -declared, “but when the dog showed up the cub’s allegiance turned to -him. Which is the way of the world, after all!” - -The boys set to work straightening up the cabin and, this accomplished, -they dragged the great carcase of the grizzly to the shore and proceeded -to skin it. Some of the meat was laid away for the next day, Alex’s -catch providing for the supper that night. - -“We’ll have to draw lots for the rug the hide will make,” Clay said, as, -hunter fashion, they worked salt into the green skin and hung it up. - -“I ought to have it,” Alex insisted. “I shot the first bear.” - -“Case ought to have it,” Clay advised, “because he shot this one.” - -“Oh, well,” Alex considered, “we’ll all have this one in the club room -we’re going to fit up in Chicago this winter.” - -“Now, about supper,” Case began, as they all assembled on the deck -again. “How are we going to cook supper on this tipsy old boat?” - -“We can build a big fire on shore,” suggested Clay. - -This was finally agreed to, and a roaring fire soon shot up in the -tangle on the north bank of the creek. There supper was cooked and -eaten, and then thoughts of sleep came to the tired boys. - -“I think we’ve done wrong in building this fire,” Clay said. “We might -just as well have sent up rockets telling our enemies where we are.” - -“I don’t believe there’s any one within forty miles of us,” Alex put in, -optimistically. - -“What about the signals burned on the rock up stream?” asked Clay. - -“Oh, that was a long way off. We’d better be thinking of how we’re going -to pull this boat around the rapids than worrying over people hidden in -the bushes, watching Case eat more than is good for him. He’s a -wonderful hand at table,” he added, as Case threw a potato at his head. -“But, then,” he added, in a conciliatory tone, “I’m something of an -eater myself.” - -“Who’s going to watch to-night?” asked Case, presently. “Some one ought -to. I don’t think we ought to take chances, here on the shore. There may -be more bears in the woods.” - -It was finally arranged that Case should watch until midnight, and that -Alex should relieve him then. Somehow, there was an uneasy feeling in -the air. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII.—CAPTAIN JOE TO THE RESCUE. - - -Clay went to his bunk early, but could not sleep. The events of the day -had been exciting, and the danger was not yet past. Besides, his bed -sloped with the body of the boat, and he had a sense of trying to sleep -standing up. He could hear Alex tumbling about in his bunk, censuring -Captain Joe, who seemed to be going through some kind of a performance -for the exclusive benefit of Teddy, the bear cub. - -Case was moving about on deck, and Clay smiled as he imagined him -clinging to the railing to keep his footing on the tilting planks. The -prow lamp was out, and there were no lights in the cabin. There were -stars early in the evening, but clouds came up after a time, and it was -dark as a chamber in the Mammoth Cave before ten o’clock. - -Presently it began to rain. The water fell in great sheets, and the -wind, rising steadily, drove it into every crevice in the light -sheathing of the cabin. The drops drummed on the deck like hailstones. - -Clay heard Case enter the cabin to prevent getting soaked, and heard him -talking to Teddy, whom he seemed to have taken into his arms. Then the -tired boy dropped off into sleep. - -When he awoke Case was shaking him by the shoulder, and the boat was -rocking and bobbing up and down, as if in the water the whole length, -and not half in, as it had been when he went to sleep. He sat up on the -side of his bunk and saw that every light on the boat was burning. - -“Why don’t you switch off the lights and let me sleep?” he asked. - -“Hear it rain!” Case advised. “And feel the _Rambler_ nodding to the -rising water! Do you know where we can find that extra anchor?” - -“It ought to be in there where the wheels were,” Clay replied, getting -out on the floor and stumbling over Teddy, who at once retaliated by -biting and clawing at his bare legs. Case drew the cub away by the tail. - -“You’ll get put on the dunce block, Mr. Teddy,” he said, “if you don’t -cultivate better manners You’re always under foot, like a pet pig on a -ranch. No,” he went on, addressing Clay, “I’ve looked in the prow hold, -and everywhere else I could think of, and the extra anchor is not in -view. I wish I had by the neck the rascal who cut away the one we were -using.” - -“Why do you want the anchor?” demanded Clay. “Do you think the boat will -float straight up in the rain? We can find the mud hook in the morning.” - -“Use one of your own jokes to weigh the _Rambler_ down,” advised Alex -tucked up in his bunk. “They’re heavy enough to weigh an ocean steamer -down.” - -Case removed Alex from his bunk, all bundled up in blankets, and rolled -him about on the floor, not as a punishment for a too personal -suggestion, he explained, but for the good of his digestion. Teddy -assisted in the manipulation of the lad, and Captain Joe actually -laughed. - -“When you’ve finished with that monkeyshining,” Clay said, “perhaps -you’ll tell me why you want the anchor.” - -“Just you go out and look,” was all the answer Case made. - -Clay did not go out and look, for it was raining steadily, and he would -have been wet to the skin in a minute, but he went to the door and -looked out. The little valley of the rivulet was a brimming ocean of -angry water, and the natural levee which separated it from the Columbia -was out of sight. In fact, there was a current running over it! - -The _Rambler_, weighed down to some extent by the iron wheels which had -been put on the afternoon before for the purpose of running her over the -shore to the smooth water below the rapids, was still in what had been -the sheltered pool, but the boat had floated, and the wheels were fast -against the levee. - -Whenever the water should lift the boat so that the wheels would clear -the levee, then the _Rambler_ would drift out into the raging stream, -and the experience of the previous night would be re-enacted, with a -different result in prospect. It was another trying situation. - -“How in the dickens did this valley get so full of water, all at once?” -he asked, turning back to the cabin. “This is serious!” - -“There must have been a cloudburst on the mountain,” Alex suggested, -arising and looking out at the yellow sweep of water, now far above the -spot on the bank where the cooking fire had been built “Looks like -another flood.” - -“There is no soil here to catch and hold the downpour,” Case explained, -“and this valley drains a lot of country, which seems to be mostly -standing on end. The result is that a heavy rain here will send a lot of -water into this depression, and there you are!” - -“And it will send the _Rambler_ over the rapids!” Alex exclaimed, “if we -sit around here and wait for it to raise a few feet more.” - -“I don’t know what we can do, I’m sure,” Case said, dejectedly. - -“Perhaps the river will rise so we can shoot the rapids,” Alex -suggested. “That would be easier than rolling the boat around. I don’t -feel no nourishment in treating a boat like a wheelbarrow.” - -“Do you think we might do that?” asked Case, turning to Clay. - -“We can tell by looking,” was the reply. “This whole valley is a larger -repetition of the little one the rivulet fills to the brim every time it -rains. For a hundred miles, here, the valley of the Columbia is narrow, -with mountains on either side. The rain, comes off the slopes in sheets, -and there is no reason why the Columbia should not rise six or eight -feet during a storm like this.” - -“If it does, shall we risk it?” asked Case. - -“I vote for risking it!” Alex shouted. “What’s the use of going for a -boat ride and then trundling the old thing along on wheels?” - -“Well,” Clay said, to change the subject, “all we can do now is to get -out a long, strong rope and tie up to one of the cedar trees. Who’ll -swim out with it? It will be like taking a morning bath!” - -“I will!” Alex replied. “I want a good swim, anyway. I’ll put on an old -suit, so I won’t get scratched if I go to the bottom over a nest of -briars, and carry the rope to that big tree near where we built the -cooking fire. The rope will hold the _Rambler_ all right, will it?” - -“It certainly will,” Clay responded. “There is nothing to fear from the -rope, but you must be careful and not get into the current that is -sweeping out into the river. No one could swim against that.” - -“I’ll be careful, all right!” grinned the boy. “I don’t want to do any -long-diving stunts here. If I should go under out there I might not come -up until I reached the ocean, which would be too long without food.” - -The boy put on an old suit which water and mud would not injure and, -taking a light cord, fastened it about his neck and leaped into the -swift-running water. He had little difficulty in swimming straight to -the tree and, drawing the rope to him by means of the cord, secured the -boat to the great cedar by the heavy cable. Then he turned back. - -The lights from the boat lighted up the pool, or what had been the pool, -and Case and Clay could see the boy sporting about in the water, now -trying to mount a log which the current was carrying down, now dodging -out of the way of a mass of boughs which obstructed his passage. - -“There’s something floating down that looks like a paper!” he finally -cried, “and I’m going to get it. Just watch me, will you?” - -He struck out into the swift drive of the rivulet and swam boldly for a -few strokes, missing the paper at first, but finally overtaking it. When -he turned back the boys could see that he was in distress. He was -swimming with all his strength, but he was being carried out. The sweep -of the tide was too strong for him. - -“That’s a fine thing!” Case shouted. “Turn in, kid! Turn in to the bank! -Don’t try to swim against the current. Turn in!” - -Alex did turn toward the bank, but the water swept him on, and he passed -the _Rambler_ with a white face showing under the lights. - -“What can we do?” asked Clay, half crazy at the situation. “We can’t do -a thing! The ropes are all attached to the tree. Alex,” he called, “try -to turn toward the shore! You can’t swim against the whole river! Face -the other way, down stream, and point for the shore!” - -There was now a roaring in the boy’s ears, and the water seemed a -desirable place to rest! After he had lain inactive a moment he would -have the strength to swim out! Many a tired swimmer has been deceived by -the same ideas that came to Alex—and never came out again except by the -aid of human hands! - -The despairing boy saw the cascade just ahead and knew that, once over -the falls made by the natural levee, he would be in the open river and -beyond assistance. Still he swam, desperately, putting out his last -ounce of strength. The lights from the boat did not shine brightly where -he now was, and the turbulent river beyond looked dark and cold. - -Then a white body struck against his back, there was a pull at his neck, -and he knew that, slowly, surely, he was winning against the current. He -realized that Captain Joe was holding him by the shoulder and, while -half supporting him, swimming for dear life! - -The boys on the _Rambler_ watched the struggle helplessly. Captain Joe -was doing more than either of them could have done. Now the swimmers -gained a trifle, now they were swept nearer to where the flood tumbled -over the levee. Captain Joe naturally drew toward the shore, and this at -last brought them to safety. - -After a long pull they came to a portion of the levee where heavy shrubs -still resisted the rush of the water, and Alex grasped them and, after -breathing for a minute, worked his way to the shore, Captain Joe still -clinging to him, for the dog was well-nigh exhausted. Clay and Case set -up great shouts when the two started up the bank of the swollen pool. - -They would still have to swim to gain the _Rambler_, but this was not at -all risky, as there was little current between the bank and the boat. -Indeed, if Alex had kept to this part of the expanse of water instead of -swimming out into the current after the paper, he would have had no -trouble in returning, and Captain Joe would have had no opportunity to -show both his loyalty and his intelligence. - -When the two clambered up on the deck of the _Rambler_ they met with a -reception which disclosed the affection that existed between the boys. -They shook Alex by the hands, and the shoulders, and called him “a great -dunce” for swimming out into the current, and then shook hands all over -with him again! And Captain Joe was petted and fondled to his heart’s -content. Even Teddy, the bear, threw his short arms about the neck of -the big white bulldog and gave him a hug! - -“Don’t you ever think he doesn’t know all about it!” Clay explained. -“Teddy was just as anxious as any of us, and I thought I heard him -scolding when you struck out into the middle of the flood. Captain Joe -was positively disgusted then!” - -“Was it hard to get him into the water?” asked Alex. - -“Hard to get him into the water!” cried Case. “Why, he was in before we -knew anything about his intentions. That is some dog!” - -Rain was still falling, and the boys decided to build a great fire in -the coal heater and sit by it until morning. Should the river continue -to rise, they thought, they would make the attempt to ran the rapids. - -“The high point won’t come until this water has had time to get into the -river and swell it opposite this point,” Clay explained, “but we may as -well sit up as to go to bed and lie awake thinking what a confounded -numskull Alex is. Still,” he added, “we should have missed the little -rascal. I’m strong for a medal for Captain Joe!” - -It rained steadily all night, and when daylight came it was only a blur, -for the clouds were heavy and low, and the rain seemed to fill all -space. The river was up to the top of the levee, and the _Rambler_ was -pulling at the cable fastened to the cedar. The valley, so far as they -could see, was a moving flood of yellowish water. - -“If this keeps up until noon,” Clay said, “I’ll be inclined to take a -jump at the rapids. What do you say, lads? Of course we’d have to take -the wheels. - -“I’m for it!” cried Alex and Case, in a breath. “Lead us to it!” - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII.—CASE MAKES A HIT WITH DOUGH. - - -“The river is running like a mill-race,” Case declared, at noon, as he -looked over the surging mass to the east of the spot where the _Rambler_ -lay, “and the rain is stopping, so I don’t think it will get any higher. -Shall we set the motors going and try to run down? I’m getting weary of -staying here.” - -“You may wish yourself back a good many times before we pass the -rapids,” Alex said. “If you think it’s any fun to breast a strong -current, just jump in there and try it. Then you’ll see!” - -“I’m not curious about high currents,” grinned Case, taking a glass and -looking down the river. The _Rambler_ lay above the fringe of stunted -bushes which had hidden the pool on their approach, and so the boy could -look a long way down the stream. - -“I can’t see a single rock sticking up,” he said, presently. “The -current sets toward the other shore, and looks safe, but it is making an -awful noise! It must be ten feet above yesterday’s mark. Let us get -ready.” - -“I’m for getting dinner first,” Alex interrupted “I don’t want to fill -up on river water! We can fry some of the bear meat, and get up quite a -meal in a short time. I like bear better in a stew, but we’ll have to be -content with fried meat this time.” - -“Both the bears we have met were in a stew!” joked Case. - -“And they had us in the stew with them, too,” Alex replied. - -So the boys cooked bear meat, made biscuits out of flour and baking -powder, and ate dinner. Then they washed and put away the dishes and got -ready for the exciting run ahead of them. - -“We don’t know what is below the rapids,” Clay suggested, as the boat -under full power, shot out of the pool and took the center of the -stream, “but we’re likely to find out right soon. Keep by the motors. -Case, to see that nothing goes wrong with them, and you, Alex stand by -the prow with your pole, and we’ll break the speed record for motor -boats of our class. It doesn’t make any difference how fast we go here -if we don’t strike obstructions. We’ll be through all the quicker.” - -The boys were agreeably surprised at the ease with which the journey -through the rapids was made. The _Rambler_ rocked frightfully, at times, -but the high speed at which she was going kept her in fairly good water, -under the influence of the helm. - -In a very few minutes she lay in a basin below the cataract. The water -ran swiftly in the basin, of course, for the great mass above was -forcing it on, but there were no obstructions and no dangerous eddies. - -The whole valley to left and right appeared to be under water clear up -to the foot of the hills. The boat was kept under motion until the light -began to die out, and then tied up to a tree in a dell which had been -dry only the day before. - -“Now,” Case said, switching on the lights in the cabin, “I’m going to -celebrate the escape of Hairbrained Alex by making a batch of bread. -Real bread, I mean, of hops and white flour. If I eat any more pancakes -I’ll be as flat, mentally, as they are physically.” - -“I don’t believe even the bear or the dog will eat bread you make,” said -Alex, “but you might make some. We may be able to use it for an anchor. -Go ahead, Case, and I’ll catch a fish for supper.” - -“Where’s your oven?” asked Clay. “We can bake biscuit under a pan on top -of the coal stove, but there are no pans on board the right size to fit -over a couple of loaves of bread. They are too large or too small. We -neglected to buy an oven.” - -“There’s a granite iron pail here,” Case laughed, “that will fit down -tight over the bread on top of the heater. I’ll mix up the dough, and -we’ll have it all ready to bake before we go to bed. I’ve seen bread -made lots of times, so I guess I can do the trick.” - -He took four packages of compressed yeast and put them in a cup to -dissolve, first heating the water to blood temperature. Alex watched him -with a grin on his face. - -“Why don’t you put in some yeast?” he finally asked. - -“That’s just what I’m doing,” Case replied, “and I’ll get along just as -well if you go and get that fish. We’ll want him for supper.” - -Alex snorted and went away, pulling the bear cub along with him. Captain -Joe still stood watching the making of the bread. - -When the yeast was dissolved, Case emptied a large quantity of flour -into a great dishpan and stirred the yeasty water into it Clay, who -entered the cabin at that stage of the proceedings, hastened to ask: - -“How much bread are you thinking of making, little cook?” - -“Never you mind me!” retorted Case. “I’m making this bread. You don’t -have to eat any of it. Go on, now, and leave me alone. Ships’ cooks are -never questioned by the officers or the passengers.” - -Clay went out to help Alex catch his fish, and Case mixed the dough up -lightly, making almost a panful. This done, he switched on the electric -stove, placed a square pan, inverted, over the cherry-red coils, laid a -board over that, and set the pan of dough on to “rise.” - -“That ought to be up so we can bake it to-night,” he thought. “I’d have -made bread before if I had known how easy it was.” - -“What do you do next?” asked Clay, standing in the door of the cabin. - -“After it rises,” Case answered, not a little proudly, “you mix it up -good and hard and put it to bake. We ought to have bread enough out of -that batch to last us a week. I can bake only two loaves at a time under -the pail, but time doesn’t count for anything with us, and the dough -will keep.” - -The rain had stopped, and the boy went out on deck to see how Alex was -succeeding in his quest for a fish supper. Conditions seemed to be -wrong, for the boy had not had a single bite. - -After a time the lads decided to open beans and make a supper of them, -with pieces of fried meat which had been left from dinner. Case brought -the beans and meat out on deck, under the prow light, and they soon -satisfied their hunger. - -The boys sat out on deck for a long time, and then Case went in and -switched off the electric stove. Teddy sat there watching the dough -lifting in the pan, and the boy left him there, thinking that he would -soon crawl into one of the bunks and go to sleep. Then Case went out -where the other boys sat looking over the rushing water. - -“That dough is coming along fine,” he exclaimed, proud of his -achievement, “and will be ready to mix with more flour before long. I -don’t see why women make such a fuss over baking. It is just as easy as -mixing pancakes. We’ll have plenty of bread now. I’ll make it often.” - -The clouds slipped away and the stars looked down. The strong electric -light on the prow showed wreckage of all kinds drifting past There were -trunks and limbs of trees, some green, as if the water had undermined -the roots of live cedars. - -While they sat there, laying plans for the future, something which -looked like a battered rowboat came sailing down. It surely was a -rowboat, they discovered, as it came nearer, and Clay took up the glass -and waited for it to come into the circle of light. - -“Boys!” he cried, as the wreck flashed into view and then disappeared -down the river, “I believe that was what is left of our boat. It looked -like it, anyway! Now, how could that come here?” - -“Caught in the flood,” Alex said, grimly. “I don’t wonder that it is a -wreck in that case. I’m a good deal of a wreck myself to-night.” - -“The last time we saw the boat,” Case remembered, “it passed us, and -Gran was riding in it, and a long-armed man was rowing like mad. It -ought to be below us. I wonder if they were tipped into the river when -the boat was crushed.” - -“Sure it was our boat?” he asked. “It doesn’t seem possible.” - -“It was the wreck of our boat,” Clay insisted. “Well, it is only one -more mystery for us to forget. I wish Gran was here to-night.” - -“So do I,” cried Case. “He’d be tickled half to death to get some of my -bread!” - -“I hope the poor boy isn’t lying at the bottom of the river, somewhere, -or drifting in this yellow flood,” Clay said. “I would give a great deal -to know why he left us.” - -“He tried to tell us something in that paper,” Alex cut in. “I wish he -had had more time to write. I guess that long-armed chap just grabbed -him and started away. We’ll catch up with him yet, if he isn’t dead.” - -The boys talked for a long time, Captain Joe snoring at their feet and -Teddy somewhere in the cabin. They would have been on their way that -night, only they were entirely ignorant of the character of the river -below them. There might be more dangerous rapids close at hand. - -“Case,” Clay said, at length, “why don’t you go in and look at your -bread? You turned off the heat, and it will be getting cold. Then we -won’t have any bread—which would be a shame.” - -“I clear forgot about it,” Case answered. “HI go right in and look after -it. It won’t get cold, for the pan under it and the board and the stove -are warm, or were when I switched off the electricity. Guess I’ll mix it -now. It must be about time. Who’ll stay up and help me bake it?” - -“I will!” answered Alex. “I’m just hungry for bread.” - -Case went into the cabin and turned on the lights. The first thing he -saw was a great heap of what seemed to be snow banked high against the -table where the electric stove stood. But it was not banked up so -securely that it was not pushing out over the floor. - -Then he saw that the pan of dough had “risen,” and that it was dripping -down over the stove, over the table, and over the floor. It seemed to -the amazed and disgusted boy that there was a barrel of it on the table -and another barrel on the floor. It looked as if a spring of dough had -bubbled up out of the pan and started to make a dough pond of the cabin. - -Clay and Alex heard him trying to gather the dough off the table, and -stepped into the cabin. They took one look and fell down on the floor, -screaming with laughter. Case turned angrily away. - -“You seem to think it funny!” he said. - -“Funniest thing I ever saw!” roared Alex. “What are you going to do with -all that stuff? You’ve got enough there to feed a bread line. Oh, my! -Oh, my!” and he rocked back and forth and shouted. - -“I’m going to get this pile on the floor out into the river,” Case -answered, beginning to see the humor of the situation. “That in the pan -is clean and all right, and will make splendid bread.” - -He took a broom and began pushing the mess on the floor toward the door, -but it was too sticky. After the second muscular exertion in that -direction he stopped and leaned heavily on the broom. - -The white heap was lifting straight up in the air. - -“Glory be!” shouted Alex. “If it isn’t rising yet. Lookout, or it will -push the roof off the cabin! Look at it! Look at it rise!” - -The dough continued to move. It shunted this way and that, then actually -sprang toward the boy, who leaped back in amazement. - -“It is chasing him!” chuckled Alex. “The white ghost of the bread that -never was is chasing Case! Oh, hold me, some one! He’d have made bread -before if he had known how easy it was! Oh! Oh! Oh!” - -The next moment it _was_ chasing Case! Teddy, struggling under the -sticky stuff, got to his feet and moved toward the door, trailing dough -after himself in great stringy masses. - -Case sat down on the edge of the table and roared. Clay hastened outside -to have his laugh out, and Alex just rolled on the floor, connecting -with the dough in more places than one and looking, when he arose, like -a baker who had slept in his mixing trough. - -“I told you to put a little yeast in!” cried Alex. “I guess you did it, -all right. Now, you’ll have a time giving Teddy a bath I Why not put him -in the oven and bake him? We’ll have lots of bread now! Wow! Wow!” - -Case chased Alex out of the cabin and set to work cleaning the bear. It -was a thankless task, for Teddy resented his efforts, and seemed to be -complaining that a cub couldn’t even go to sleep under the electric -stove without having his fine bearskin coat all mussed up! - -After the boy had done his best Alex turned in and assisted in the -further work of preparing what dough was left for the oven. He chuckled -to himself all the evening, and talked knowingly to Teddy when that -abused little bear came to him for sympathy. - -“When you see a printer making bread,” he instructed the bear, as he -washed flour and yeast out of his eyes, “you want to climb a tree. Case -means well, but he knows about as much of the manufacture of bread as -you do of the Federal constitution! Next time you see him melting up -yeast, you take to the woods. It will be safer there!” - -But, in spite of this sarcasm, Case stuck to his job until the bread was -baking under the granite iron pail on the heater. As luck would have it, -his efforts proved successful, and the lads had hot bread and butter -before they went to bed. - -There was little need, they thought, of keeping watch that night, for -the _Rambler_ was tied up quite a distance from the river, in four feet -of water, which was flowing over a piece of ground which had been dry -not long before. They were out of sight from the center of the stream, -and no one would be likely to wade or swim through the inundated country -to get to them. - -In the morning when they awoke the sun was shining above the valley of -the Columbia and it was late. They paid little attention to the hour, -however, for they were in no hurry now, and, besides, there was -something more important for them to consider. - -This was how to get the _Rambler_ back into the river! During the night -the water had run out and left them stranded! - -“Tell you what we’ll do,” suggested Alex. “We’ll have Case make some -more dough, and that will raise the boat up so we can slide her in!” - -“All right,” Case declared, “have all the fun you can, but you won’t get -any more of that bread. Teddy and Joe ate it up after we went to sleep.” - - - - -CHAPTER XIX.—WHY THERE WAS NO VENISON. - - -A golden morning followed the day of storm. A golden morning on the -Columbia river! Still, the lads were in no mood to enjoy the beauties of -Nature as shown in her wilder moods. The _Rambler_, as has been said, -was stuck fast in the mud, some distance from the ever-receding water. - -“The rocks are showing again,” Alex observed, looking down the river -with the glasses, “and it looks as if there were falls ahead.” - -“The Columbia river,” Case grumbled, “seems to me to be pretty sudden. -She climbs up a couple of rods one day and drops down the next. I wish -she’d kept up until we got through this valley.” - -“That’s all the fun of it!” Alex insisted. “If you want to live a life -of idle pleasure, just you go and get into a scow on a country -mill-pond. We came out here for adventures, didn’t we?” - -“From the looks of things,” Case continued, “we ought to have brought a -house-moving machine with us. How are we ever going to get this boat -back into the river. We might hunt and fish here until another flood -comes along,” he added with sarcasm in his tone. - -“That would suit me, all right,” Alex returned. “I don’t care how long -we remain here. There’s plenty of game in the woods, and, now that you -have learned to make bread, we are not likely to starve to death.” - -Clay who had been roaming around in the sticky soil which the river had -deposited on the inundated lands, now came rushing up to the boat. - -“Get out the rifle!” he said, speaking softly to Case. “There’s a fine -deer back there in the thicket. We’ll have venison for dinner.” - -All was excitement in a moment. Case brought out the magazine rifle, and -all three started for the thicket where Clay had seen the deer. Captain -Joe was left in the cabin, with instructions to devour any stranger who -should try to scrape his acquaintance. - -The boys walked cautiously for a short distance, then Clay stopped and -pointed to a dense growth of bushes and brambles just ahead. Out of the -tangle lifted the head of a deer. - -“Why doesn’t she run?” asked Alex in a whisper. - -“That’s what I’d like to know,” Clay replied. “She stood just like that -when I went away to get the rifle. She must have heard me working my way -through the undergrowth. Maybe she’s dead—killed standing!” - -“Dead!” Alex grinned. “Don’t you see her move her head? There, she’s -pulled it down now, so there’s nothing to be seen of her. Did you ever -see handsomer eyes in a creature’s head?” he added. - -“Looked like she was asking us to come and help her,” Case declared. - -“I noticed that,” Clay mentioned. “I wonder what is the matter with her. -I’m going in there to see. Keep still, you fellows.” - -Clay crawled through the thicket on his hands and knees, parting the -bushes right and left, and making as little noise as possible. Directly -he lifted a hand out of the undergrowth and motioned for Case and Alex -to follow him. The deer had again raised her head above the tangle and -stood looking at the boys with pleading eyes. - -“Never saw anything like that!” Alex muttered as he made his way through -the bushes. “I never knew a deer could look a fellow in the face that -way. I though they’d run away. Maybe she’s hurt.” - -When they came up to where Clay lay in the thicket they found the deer -only a few feet away, standing over something lying on the ground. - -“Why doesn’t she run?” asked Case. “What kind of a deer is that? She -must be foolish in the head most of the time.” - -“Slang! You’ll wash dishes!” declared Alex. - -“No slang about it,” reiterated Case. “That’s just plain talk.” - -“Can’t you see what the trouble is?” asked Clay. “There is a young fawn -there, caught in the briars, and the mother won’t leave it.” - -“I can see it now!” Alex cried. “Pretty little thing!” - -“That will make good eating, too,” Clay observed, turning his face away -as he spoke. “Come, now, who’s going to shoot first? Better shoot to -kill, for the deer may run away when she hears the report.” - -Case and Alex looked at each other an instant and then sat down on the -ground and watched Clay, who was still looking the other way. - -“I don’t believe I want any venison,” Alex exclaimed. - -“I never did like venison!” was Case’s comment on the situation. - -Clay turned and looked his chums over in mock anger. - -“Just when I find a deer for you!” he cried. “Just when you’ve got a -chance you may never have again, you go and back out. What’s the matter -with you boys? Think the deer is not fit for food?” - -“I’ve lost my appetite for venison, that’s all,” Case explained. “You -can shoot if you want to. Shoo! Shoo! Shoo, deer!” - -He arose and waved his hands at the animal, shouting at the top of his -voice. The deer stepped away a few paces but came back at the bleat of -the fawn. Clay regarded the boy with an amused smile. - -“You tell me I can shoot, and then you go and scare her away,” he -complained. “What is getting into you boys?” - -“Did you see her eyes?” asked Alex. “If you shoot her we’ll leave you -here in the wilderness. I’m going to see what’s the matter with the -little fawn. Is this the time of year for fawns?” - -The other boys answered that they did not know, and Alex said that he -didn’t think it was. But there was the fawn, with the mother watching -over it, whether it was the baby deer season or not. The deer bounded -away as Alex approached, but stood watching as he lifted the fawn. - -“Just got wound up in vines!” the boy cried. “Come and see what a clever -little chap it is! Wish I could keep it.” - -“Nix! Not on our boat! Not with the mother looking at us like that!” -declared Case, who had stepped up to the fawn. - -The little creature was soon untangled, and set down in a clear space as -near to the mother as the boys could get. The deer did not seem to fear -the boys, for she stood nosing over the baby for a long time. Then she -led him away into the forest. Clay insists to this day that she bowed -her thanks as the bushes closed behind her! - -“There!” Clay shouted, in pretended anger. “You’ve gone and let many a -supper get away from us. What do you mean by letting that deer run away -in that manner? You’re nice fellows to go hunting with!” - -“Run after her and murder her if you want to,” Alex remarked. “The woods -are open to you, and you have the rifle. Go on and do it!” - -Clay laughed in a bashful manner. Someway boys never do like to let -others know that they are possessed of sentiment! - -“I wouldn’t shoot that deer, not if I was starving!” he said. “I would -always see her eyes looking out of the shade at me!” - -“Don’t you ever think I didn’t know that!” Alex answered. “I guess we -are a lot of babies, after all. Now we’ll have to eat bear meat for -dinner, I can eat bear, for the bear would have eaten us if he had had -half a chance. But the next thing is to get the _Rambler_ into the -river. That won’t be no merry picnic, I can tell you. Wish we had left -her in.” - -The boys made the boat as light as possible and then worked her along -with handspikes cut from the woods. It was slow work, and many a time -they stopped to breathe and joke over the job. Alex finally suggested -that they put the wheels under and so make easier work of it. - -“In this muck!” laughed Clay. “Why, those wheels would sink into this -mess up to the hubs, and we should never be able to move them. No, we’ve -just got to nudge her along in this way until we get to the slope that -leads down to the river, and then she’ll go easier.” - -It was noon before the prow dropped into the water. The boys were tired -and disgusted, but they had been taught a lesson which they did not soon -forget. They were lifted to banks by floods after that, but they did not -permit the _Rambler_ to lie there until the current ran out from under -her! After dinner they started the motors again and speeded down stream. - -The country was still wild on both sides of the Columbia, and the boys -took plenty of time passing through it. There were many things to see -and, besides, they still had half-hearted hopes that Gran would come -back to them before they left that valley. - -But Gran never showed up. The last thing they had seen that reminded -them of him—aside from the half-conscious remembrance of the boy that -was always in their minds—was the wreck of the rowboat which had drifted -down the river during that day of the flood. - -It was a week before they came to the great bend of the Columbia. Here -they found stores and traders’ houses. They camped out on the batik of -Canoe river and remained there two days, laying in provisions and -getting acquainted with the people. During their stay there many came to -look over the _Rambler_, and every one lifted brows in disbelief when -told that the beat had found her way through the two long and dangerous -rapids which lay above. - -The boys made no attempt to remove the disbelief from their minds. It -really did look like a pretty stiff yarn, so they let it go, loaded in -their purchases, and turned the boat south on the great river, about two -hundred miles above Upper Arrow lake. - -At Boat Encampment the boys had asked, quietly, of course, if any man -answering the description of the long-armed fellow who had appeared and -disappeared so suddenly had been seen thereabouts, but no one seemed to -have seen him, or to have seen a boy answering Gran’s description. It -was said that any one passing the place would be certain to be observed, -so the boys sailed away with the notion that the two were still up the -river. - -There followed a number of restful days on a smooth river. There were -rapids and falls, of course, but nothing to bring the lads into peril of -their lives. They loitered along with the current, stopping at night and -often not starting on again until the middle of the day. - -The boys will never forget those golden days. They fished and hunted, -sat around roaring campfires at night, slept in the warm sunshine when -inclined, and read stories of that wonderful land. There was only one -trouble over which they brooded. - -Gran had disappeared. During the time he had shared the cabin with the -boys, since he had come to them so mysteriously at the summit pass, he -had endeared himself to them all. Beside the loneliness they felt at his -sudden departure, there was always the undefinable feeling that he might -be in serious trouble and expecting them to come to him. - -“If we knew that he had left us voluntarily,” Clay said, one day, “we -might be able to drop him out of our minds, but we don’t know that. In -fact, it seems to me that he was forced away.” - -“But he wasn’t tied in the boat,” Alex argued. “I guess he might have -jumped out when he came to the _Rambler_. We would have shot that -long-armed humbug to pieces if he had tried to stop him.” - -“There are ways of forcing a fellow along besides tying him up and -carrying him off,” Clay replied. “The man we saw him with may have some -grip on him which we do not understand. We’ll have to wait.” - -“That old train robber!” cried Alex. “What kind of a hold could he have -on Gran? I just believe the boy was afraid to stir when he passed the -_Rambler_ that day. Wish I’d shot that big stiff!” - -“Besides,” Clay went on. “Gran passed us that note. It was hastily -ended, as if he had been interrupted in writing it. And when he threw it -out into the river he made sure that the man who was rowing did not see -the movement.” - -“The sneaking hold-up man!” Case broke in, angrily. - -“We don’t know anything about him,” Clay concluded. “We have no proof -that he assisted in robbing the train. In fact, we know that he did not, -for he was on the train that carried us into Donald.” - -“But he might have put up the job,” insisted Alex. - - - - -CHAPTER XX.—CAPTAIN JOE MAKES A DISCOVERY. - - -And in this way all their discussions concerning Gran and the mysterious -man ended. There were no signs to go by. They hadn’t a thing to point to -as an established fact in connection with the boy except that he had -come to them in trouble, had been assisted, and had been grateful. - -And there were no clues to connect the long-armed man with any crime -whatever. The boys knew that he had not been present at the robbery of -the train, and that is all they did know about him, except that he had -followed on after them and either coaxed or forced Gran to desert them. - -The larceny of the films was still a mystery. No one save a member of -the party could have taken them, they thought. No one except a member of -the party would have been likely to have opened the kodak and taken the -films out right there in the cabin. An outsider, it was certain, would -have taken the kodak with him and opened it at some less perilous time. - -So far as the robbery was concerned, the boys had believed that Gran had -taken them. They had held that opinion until the note had been fished -out of the river. The note had started in to say something about the -films. If he had stolen them he would not be apt to talk or write about -them to the boys. - -But the great point in connection with the films was this: - -“Why had they been taken?” This question was more important to their -minds than the one which all had asked at first: “How had they been -taken?” - -There was an indistinct notion in Alex’s mind that he had seen dark -faces behind those sitting in front of the fire at the pass. He believed -that he had secured some fine pictures of the campers, as he called -them, and was of the opinion that if other faces had peered out from the -shelter of the rocks just at the right moment they, too, would have -entered the photograph in distinguishable positions. - -Who were the men loitering back there in the shadows? Were they the men -who had held up the train? And was this the reason why they could not -afford to have even one of their faces show in a photograph taken at -that spot, at that time? - -They all believed that Gran could clear up a good share of the mystery -if he saw fit to do so. They had believed all along that he would tell -all he knew about that night just as soon as he became more intimate -with them. But he had left, voluntarily or by coercion, without -referring to the matter except at the end, when he had written the word -“films” in the note he had cast out on the river. - -The boys talked little of the mystery which surrounded the appearance -and disappearance of Granville, but they thought about it a lot. - -It is not far from thirty miles, as the river runs, from Boat Encampment -to Gold creek, which flows into the Columbia river about west of Glacier -lake, far up on the eastern ridge of the Rocky mountains. Here the lads -found themselves, one night, sitting around a great fire on the northern -bank of the creek. - -Gold creek has its source in the western heights of the mountains -running along on the west side of the Columbia river during its course -to the north. At that point the two branches of the river are only about -thirty miles apart, but there is a high range of mountains between the -two currents. Gold creek penetrates so far into the hills where it has -its source that a few miles farther to the east would send its waters -into the eastern branch of the Columbia. - -The boys were enjoying themselves that night. Captain Joe and Teddy were -out on the bank, sporting about, chasing each other into the low bushes -which fringed the creek. The bear had become so tame that it was not -necessary to keep him tied. - -In fact, Alex declared that he would follow them to the end of the earth -if they tried to get rid of him. Captain Joe made much of the cub, and -the boys called it a happy family. - -As they sat there by the campfire a long, faltering call came from -darkness to the east. The mountains come close to the valley there, and -Gold creek runs fast. The voice they heard seemed to come from the creek -itself. - -Captain Joe gave over playing with the bear and darted away. The boys -called to him to come back, but he paid no attention to them. His -conduct was so unusual that all started up to ascertain the cause of his -disobedience. But before they were fairly on their feet he was hidden in -the darkness. The astonished boys looked at each other in silence. - -Then Clay hastened back to the fire and threw on more lightwood, sending -the flames high up above the bushes. He also hastened to switch on the -electrics on board the _Rambler_. - -“There is some one in distress up there,” he concluded, “and we’ll give -them all the light possible. Strange thing about Captain Joe.” - -“He never did a thing like that before,” Case commented. - -“I’m afraid he’ll get into a mix-up with a bear,” Alex observed. - -“But that wasn’t a bear that called!” laughed Clay. “That was a human -voice, and it sounded as if the one who called was about all in.” - -“That’s the way it sounded to me,” Case agreed. - -“It may be the man who stole the boat and took Gran off in it,” Alex -suggested. “He may have started across the mountains and become lost.” - -“He wouldn’t be calling to us,” Case said, with a superior smile. “He -will be apt to stay away from us! At least, I should think he would.” - -“Huh!” commented Alex. “He wouldn’t know whose fire it was, would he? He -might think it some hunter’s camp. Besides, I have a notion that he -thinks we were drowned when he cut the chain of the anchor. No, he -hasn’t any idea that we are here. I hope it is him. Then we’ll get some -news of Gran Listen! There it comes again, and it is not very far away, -either. That weak voice never traveled far.” - -The call was repeated again and again, and all the boys left the fire -and started off up the creek, not forgetting to take their electrics and -automatics with them. There were stars in the sky, but it was dark under -the trees along the bed of the creek. - -When they were a few paces from the fire the voice called again, -faintly. - -“Pretty close by!” Clay observed. “I wonder where Captain Joe is? He -ought to be showing up somewhere. Hope the fellow, whoever he is, won’t -mistake him for a grizzly and shoot him. There’s his voice now.” - -Captain Joe was indeed close by, sending a long, heavy call into the -darkness. He seemed to be no farther away than the one who had called -for assistance. The boys moved forward swiftly. - -“He’s found the stranger!” Case exclaimed. “I know by the sound of his -voice that he has treed something. Good old Captain Joe!” - -Directly the dog came out of a thicket, leaped joyfully about the feet -of the boys, gave utterance to low growls of satisfaction, and ran back -into the undergrowth, as if inviting the lads to follow on and see what -he had discovered. They were not slow in accepting the invitation. - -Clay was in the lead, his searchlight on the ground. Presently he came -to a little shelter made of fresh boughs and stopped to investigate. - -“That’s been built within a short time,” he declared, as Case and Alex -came up. “But where did Captain Joe go so quickly?” - -“He’s probably inside that hut,” Case replied. “He ran that way.” - -The next moment the dog peered out from under the stacked up boughs, -seeming to say to his friends that he had found some one there. - -“I guess he has, all right,” Clay said, when Alex expressed this idea. -“He has found a human being, for there are empty tins about, as if some -one had eaten here. Come out, Captain Joe!” - -But Captain Joe did not obey. Instead, he retreated under the boughs and -growled a further invitation for them to come into his parlor! - -Clay pushed his light farther and opened the overhanging mass of -foliage. What he saw inside was a slender figure lying on a rough bed of -leaves and grass. At the side of the figure were several tins of food -which had not been opened. Captain Joe was bending over the face, which -lay in the shadow, caressing it with his soft tongue. - -Clay pushed the dog away and lowered his light. Then the cry he uttered -caused Case and Alex to rush through the sheltering boughs and stand by -his side. In a moment all were on their knees at the side of the figure, -now lying with closed eyes. - -“It is Gran!” Clay shouted. “It is Gran come back to us!” - -“He’s dead, I guess!” was Alex’s sad comment. Clay bent forward and took -the boy’s hand into his own. - -“No,” he said, “he is still alive. Now, how the Old Harry did he ever -get here? And what is the matter with him?” - -Case pointed silently to one leg, lying off the rough bed. There were -rude splints tied to it with strips of cloth torn from the boy’s -trousers. The garment had been cut from the leg, and it could be seen -what the splints meant. - -“He’s fallen and broken his leg!” Case exclaimed. “Poor chap!” - -“And he built this shelter to die in!” faltered Alex. “I wonder if he -will ever come back to consciousness?” - -The shelter had evidently been constructed by the injured boy with the -intention of resting for a time after his bungling attempt at -leg-setting. The food he had brought there had been set out in orderly -array within reach of his arm as he lay on his couch of foliage, and a -dish of water—a two-quart basin which forest travelers sometimes use to -cook in—sat not far away. An attempt had been made to build a fire near -the hut, but this had not proved a success. Burned matches lay around, -but none of the dry sticks had caught fire. - -“He was making a fight for life, all right, poor little chap!” Clay -said, wiping a suspicious moisture from his eyes. - -“I reckon he called to us with his last strength,” Case muttered. - -“I’m afraid so!” Clay answered. “Well, how are we going to get him to -the boat without causing him great suffering? He ought to be moved right -away, before he comes back to his senses.” - -“I’ll run back to the _Rambler_ and bring a long board there is under -one of the bunks,” Case suggested. “Then we’ll carry him on that, just -as if it was a stretcher. We’ll give him his old bed in the cabin, and -when he comes to he’ll be so glad to get back that he won’t know he’s -got a broken leg!” - -The boy was away like a shot, and presently returned with the board. - -Gran was lifted gently on the improvised stretcher and carried, as -gently as the uneven nature of the ground would permit, to the boat. He -did not open his eyes during the removal, and the boys became -frightened, fearing that he was indeed dead. Alex hustled around and had -water on the stove heating in short order. - -“He’s got to have hot water on that leg,” he said. “I guess I can take -that swelling down a little. Now, do you think you can tell, either of -you, how bad the injury is, and whether the bone is splintered or just -broken short off?” - -Clay cautiously applied a hand to the injured limb, feeling on both -sides of the splints. In a second he looked up with a smile on his white -face and added more fuel to the fire so as to hasten the heating of the -water. Case and Alex looked at him questioningly. - -“The little hero set his leg himself,” Clay said. “I don’t know how he -ever did it! The bones are back in place, and the flesh is not at all -bruised. The brave little chap! How did he ever do it?” - -“He probably killed himself doing it,” wailed Alex. “He fell down some -precipice and crawled miles to a spot where he could get wood for the -splints. Crawled miles with that broken leg and carried his food with -him! He’s a little hero, that’s just what he is!” - -There was no sleep for the boys that night. Gran, worn out by suffering -and over-exertion, lay until daylight with his eyes closed. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI.—A CAMPFIRE HIGH ON THE HILLS. - - -There was quite a celebration in the cabin when, at last, just as the -sun came into view over the mountains, Gran opened his heavy eyes and -looked about. All three boys were at his side instantly, and Captain -Joe, who seemed to claim precedence by right of discovery, put his great -paws up on the bunk and addressed soft phrases in dog talk to the -patient. - -“For my sake don’t tell him that he mustn’t talk, now!” Alex broke out. -“Of all the chestnuts of fiction that is the worst! Let him get his -troubles off his chest! Hello, Gran, old top! How are you?” he added, -wrinkling his freckled nose at the boy on the bunk. “Brace up!” - -“And don’t you dare to look wildly around and say, ‘Where am I?’” Case -threatened, taking up the mood of the first speaker. “That is another of -the terms kept standing in all printing offices. You’re looking fine -this morning, old man!” he continued, determined to cheer the boy up to -the point of a smile if that were possible. - -“What kind of a foolish house do you think we keep here, Gran?” asked -Clay. “These lads are doing a lot of talking, but neither one has made a -move to get you something to eat. What will you have? Fish, partridge, -bear or baked beans? Apple pie, dried apple pie, red apple pie, or -pie-pie! Give a name to it, and you’ll be feeding like a king in no time -at all!” - -Gran laughed at the waiter-like tone and manner, and tried to sit up, -but was glad to lie down again. - -“I know where I am,” he said, “but I don’t know how I came here. I guess -the _Rambler_ is going somewhere, but I don’t know where.” - -“You don’t know where you’re going, but you’re on your way!” chanted -Alex. “Well,” he continued, “you’re going down the Columbia river, -according to schedule, and that is enough to know. That’s all any of us -know. We came around by Canoe river, and you came across the mountains, -and we beat you to it.” - -“Yes, I came across the mountains,” Gran said, weakly, “and got a -tumble, and had a fright of a time getting down to the river valley. I -saw your lights and that’s about all.” - -Not a word about why he had left the _Rambler_, or where he had put in -his time since then, or how the rowboat had been obtained and, later, -wrecked! Not a word about the man in whose company he had last been -seen! Not a word about the missing films! Not a word calculated to clear -up any part of the mystery! - -“You did a good job setting that leg,” Clay said, to break the awkward -silence. “You must have had a bad time doing it, too.” - -“I did,” Gran confessed. “I had a wretched time. I tied my foot to a -tree, after I had the splints bound lightly on, and dropped down a bank. -I heard the bones snap back into place, and knew that the splints were -holding them there, and went to sleep! - -“It was a long time before I sensed any pain again. Then I got back to a -level spot and tightened the splints. Are they still on?” - -“Still on, and right as a book!” exclaimed Alex. “You’re a brick!” - -“That was after you got to the valley?” asked Clay. “How far had you -walked with that broken leg before you found splints and mended it?” - -“Oh, I don’t know!” was the reply. “It seemed that I was out days and -days, and a bear came and sat by me, and Captain Joe drove him off, and -then I woke up in the cabin of the good old _Rambler_!” - -The boys exchanged significant glances. Was it true that the dog had -driven off a grizzly, or was the boy telling what he saw after his brain -had become affected by suffering? They asked no questions, for the boy’s -eyes were closing, and they knew that he needed rest more than they -needed information. In a minute the lad was resting easily. - -“What do you make of it?” asked Alex as the three boys stood out on the -bank, Captain Joe capering clumsily about them. - -“What do I make of what?” demanded Case. “Talk United States.” - -“I guess you are sparring for time!” laughed Alex. “So you don’t know -what to make of it? You haven’t a thought in your head?” - -“That is the truth of it,” Case returned. “I don’t know why Gran doesn’t -say something about his desertion of us. I have given up trying to think -that out, so we’ll build up more fire, get a bed of coals, and broil -bear steak for breakfast. I’m getting hungry, and I guess Gran will need -a little sustenance when he wakes up. Say, wasn’t it a blessing that we -came along just as we did? Otherwise, he would have died. Never could -have made his way out with that broken leg!” - -While Clay and Case broiled bear steak and made coffee Alex whistled to -Captain Joe and started away. Taking the course pursued the previous -evening, he soon came to the rough shelter which the injured boy had -prepared. There he sat down and held a threatening finger up to the nose -of the white bulldog. - -“Tell me, Captain Joe,” he said, gravely, “did you find a bear here last -night, and did you drive him away? Tell me, quick, old fellow.” - -The dog turned away with a sniff and circled around the hut. Alex -followed, soon coming upon claw tracks in the earth. He turned to Joe. - -“I believe you did!” he cried. “Now, if you please, will you go show me -where that bear is? I want a short conversation with him. What?” Captain -Joe started off in the direction of the high ridges to the east, and -finally paused at the opening to a deep cavern in a towering cliff. Alex -looked in and sniffed inquiringly, after which he backed out and turned -toward the campfire, Joe marching along at his side. - -“You’re a wonder, dog!” the boy exclaimed. “You’re a wonder, and no -mistake about it! I’ll have you put in a book when we get back to Chi.” -Captain did not seem to take kindly to this proposition, for he hastened -back to the fire and lay down with his nose cuddled between two rather -dirty paws. Alex came in in a moment and told what he had seen. - -“I guess the dog did see a grizzly,” Clay decided, “and drove him off. -It is a wonder he didn’t get his ears boxed!” - -“Our lights probably had something to do with the retreat of the big -brute,” Case suggested. “I wish we had found him there!” - -Gran ate bear steak and drank coffee when he awoke, and the boys loafed -about the _Rambler_ and made merry. During the day the injured boy -talked of almost everything except the things in which his chums were -interested. - -He told of some of his experiences in crossing the mountains to the -headwaters of Gold creek, but did not say how he came to be in that wild -region all alone, nor why he had written the note saved from the river. -Naturally the boys were consumed with curiosity, but they asked no -questions, leaving the solution of the problems to time and to future -moods of their patient. Gran’s leg mended fast, and he was soon as full -of fun as the others. Still no hint of the reason for his disappearance! - -All the boys enjoyed the leisurely progress down the river which -followed. They were often obliged to work their way around falls and -long, foaming rapids, but they did the work cheerfully, and took all the -more comfort in smooth stretches of water when they came to them. Below -Gold creek the valley widens to the west, and a high plateau presents a -vast area of growing timber. Only a short range of mountains divides -this fertile stretch of country from the high plains drained by the -Fraser river. - -The boys tied up one night at Seymour creek which flows into the -Columbia from the west, about thirty miles below Gold creek, and made a -camp on shore. - -“This,” Clay, said in the morning, “is one of the finest timber sections -in the world, and I’m not going to run through it. Some day there will -be great farms here, with wheat growing luxuriantly during the short -season. Now there is plenty of game, and I’m going to get some of it.” - -“I think I’ll take a trip to Sir Donald mountain,” Alex said, pointing -across the big river, where the white cap of the peak shone in the -sunlight. “I want to see how the country looks from the roof.” - -“You should have been with me on my excursion over the mountains!” Gran -remarked. “You’ll find it cold up there, and you’ll find slippery rocks -and precipices which reach down into the bowels of the earth!” - -“I want to see things!” Alex exclaimed. “If I had been looking for a -peaceful life, I would have rented a boat in Chicago and sat out in the -South Branch with it! Me for the high spots!” - -“I think I’ll go along with him,” Case observed. “I want to see the high -spots, too, and, besides, I may be able to keep this rash youth from -getting treed by a grizzly again! He’s always getting into trouble!” - -Clay finally agreed to remain with Gran during the day, and the two -adventurous boys were landed on the east side of the Columbia, not far -from the mouth of Six Mile creek, close to the foothills which rise to -the greater elevation of Sir Donald mountain. It was early on a splendid -morning in early spring, and the boys felt the influence of the time -moving the blood swiftly in their veins. Youth was in their every -movement and the spirit of adventure sung in their ears! - -It was a long walk to the place where the mountain asserted itself above -the hills, and, a little over half way there, the lads stopped, and sat -down on a rock to eat the sandwiches of bread and bear meat which they -had brought with them. Around them was a rugged country, several hundred -feet above sea level. - -Although the bulk of the mountain was still some distance to the east, -there were canyons and lifting crags all about them. Just below, the -thin thread of Six Mile creek glistened in the light of the morning. The -springs which give rise to this stream are far up in the mountains, and -melting snow has much to do with the quantity of its waters. - -“Straight east of where we are,” Case said, as they ate their dinners, -“are the rapids we had such a time passing.” - -“No,” Alex answered, looking at a map, “the rapids are some miles to the -north. Straight east of this point is Beaver, where the Canadian Pacific -turns south toward Rogers pass and Glacier House.” - -“Guess you are right,” Case admitted, looking over Alex’s shoulder. “And -just a little way to the south is Donald, where we took to the river. -Just think of what a country this is! We have traveled something like -two or three hundred miles, as the river runs, and yet we are not more -than fifty miles from where we launched the _Rambler_! What a country -this would be for outlaws to hide in! Train robbers, for instance!” - -“For all we know,” Alex replied, “the men who held up the Canadian -Pacific train, the men who have been following us, so far as we can -judge, may be hiding in here! To tell you the truth, old chap, that is -one reason why I wanted to come here. Last night, while looking over -this way, I saw the smoke of a campfire right about here. It was a big -fire, for it lighted up quite a space, and I could see people moving -about.” - -“Shadows!” Case answered, scornfully. “You never could see people in the -night at this distance from our camp.” - -“Remember,” Alex insisted, “that they were high above us, and that the -fire shone on a face of rock back of them. Remember, also, that the -smoke went straight up and gave me a good view of a blazing fire.” - -“Oh, well,” Case decided, critically, “you might have seen figures -moving about. You had your glass, of course?” - -“Certainly. Well, there were people camping over here, and I thought I’d -like to see what kind of people they were. I said nothing to Clay about -my motive in coming here, because he thinks I’ll be getting into trouble -enough with peaks and canyons, without hunting up mysterious camping -parties in the Rocky mountain district.” - -“I’m glad you didn’t mention it to him,” Case mused. “He would have been -anxious about us. Just as if we aren’t big enough to take care of -ourselves. Have you seen the place where the fire was yet?” - -“Yes,” replied the boy, “it is across this little valley, up against the -face of that rock. See, the rock is smudged!” - -“Yes,” Case exclaimed, swiftly moving under cover, “and there are smudgy -looking men coming after us with guns in their hands! Duck, partner!” - - - - -CHAPTER XXII.—THE SURGEON TURNS DETECTIVE. - - -Case dodged deeper into a rocky depression as he spoke, and Alex was not -slow in following him. Three men, all carrying guns, were approaching -from the south, now in full view as they mounted an elevation, now lost -to sight as they dipped into a canyon. The boys watched them furtively. - -“I wonder if they saw us?” queried Alex shifting about so as to look -over a stunted shrub growing on the edge of their hiding-place. - -“I think not,” Case reasoned, “for they are headed farther to the east. -Looks like they were going up the slope in search of game.” - -“I just believe they are the train robbers!” Alex exclaimed, in a -moment. “You know, we were talking, a short time ago, about what a cute -little place this would be for a fugitive to hide in.” - -“And they may be hunters, or officers in quest of the robbers,” Case -amended. “Anyway, there’s their camp, to the left of that crag, and -we’ll work over that way as they get farther off. If they did see us, -and are hoping to capture us, the safest thing for us to do is to double -back, like rabbits. Come along!” - -Keeping under cover of ridges, sneaking through depressions in the -broken surface, the boys moved toward the spot indicated by Case. In a -few moments they saw that the three men were bearing farther away to the -north and east. This fact relieved their minds of the suspense which the -sight of the advancing men had occasioned, and they made more open -progress. - -Directly they came to the camp itself, and were delighted to see that it -was shut out of view from the direction taken by the men by a rocky -ledge. - -It was a primitive camp, with boughs dragged up from below serving as -beds. The number of empty food tins scattered about indicated that it -had been in use number of days. - -A great coat, ragged and soiled, yet still valuable in that exposed -position because of its thickness and evident warmth, lay on a rock near -the embers of a dying fire. After glancing carefully around to see that -they were still out of sight of the men, Alex picked the garment up and -began a search through the pockets, still whole and mostly empty. - -“Have you any idea they left their cards in there?” grinned Case. - -“Never can tell,” replied the other. “Sometimes people leave things in -pockets. Anyway there may be a tailor’s label on the coat which will -tell us where it came from.” - -He drew out a paper as he spoke and tossed it to one side with the -remark that they were saving up fire-lighters. - -“Now, don’t throw that newspaper away,” Case protested. “Hand it here! -It may show the town they visited last. Calgary, date, eh?” - -“How old is it?” asked Alex at once interested. “When was it printed, I -mean. That may tell us something.” - -“A week ago,” was the reply. “They must have secured it at Donald or -Beaver, for that matter. It will be new to us, anyhow, whatever date it -is. Not much of a newspaper, after all, though.” - -“Just don’t be in a hurry!” Alex suggested, as Case laid the newspaper -down on the ground. “There is a marked item in it.” - -“Oh, just a few pencil marks,” Case admitted. “Nothing to them.” - -“It tells about the train robbers hiding in the mountains,” Alex -explained, reading over the headlines. “And here’s another item under -it. Listen to this, will you?” - -“‘Chicago, April 1,’” the boy read aloud. “‘An unprovoked murder was -committed on Wells street late last night. Charles Stiven, employed as -barkeeper at a South Side saloon, was attacked by Richard Miller, of the -importing firm of Durand Miller, and shot to death. The injured man did -not die on the street where the shooting took place, but later expired -at St. Joseph’s hospital, after making a statement which is likely to -hang Richard Miller if he is caught. Miller escaped after the shooting -and had not been captured at the hour of going to press. No reason is -given for the brutal attack.’” - -“Rather old news, that,” Case remarked. “Why, we were in Chicago when -that affair took place. Anything more about it?” - -“Just a short description of Miller,” was the reply. “It says he is -unusually tall, with—” - -The boy stopped and looked up at Case with a question mark in each -excited eye. Then he arose and held the paper out so Case could read the -paragraph where his finger was placed. The boy did so wonderingly. - -“Unusually tall, with long arms,’” the boy read, following Alex’s slowly -moving finger. “Now, what do you think of that, young fellow?” - -“That’s the man that was on the train,” Alex declared. “That’s the man -Gran talked with in the cedars! That’s the man who took Gran off in our -rowboat! No wonder the lad doesn’t want to say a word about his -adventures on the mountains. What can it all mean?” - -“I’m going right back and show this to him!” Case cried. “I’m going to -know all about this. Gran’s got to come through on this, as the police -officers say. Don’t you think that’s what we ought to do?” he asked as -the other looked grave and doubtful. - -“We’ve trusted him so far,” Alex replied, “and I see no reason why we -should not continue to do so. Besides, the boy is ill, and must not be -excited. But, look here, that man is undoubtedly still around here -somewhere. Why he sent the boy over the mountains alone is more than I -can say, but a man who will commit an unprovoked murder is equal to -almost anything! We’d better get back to the _Rambler_. He may try to -get the boy away again. We’ll look after this Mr. Richard Miller, all -right!” - -“You just bet we will!” was the answer, and the boys, forgetting, for -the moment, the men whose camp they had invaded, crept out of the -tumbled rocks and, once out of range of the three men on the hills, -hastened toward the _Rambler_. Half way to the river, Alex paused. - -“I wonder if the men we saw aren’t officers, looking after this Miller -person?” he asked. “They’ve got the description of him, you know.” - -“No they haven’t!” chuckled Case. “I brought it away with me.” - -“That was a foolish thing to do,” Alex protested. “Now they will know -that their camp has, been visited. I reckon we’d better get the -_Rambler_ under way just as soon as we get to it. If we don’t they’ll -find us and make trouble.” - -Case agreed with this view of the matter, and, as they stood on the east -bank of the Columbia, waiting for Clay to run across and get them, they -decided to tell him all about it and to advise an immediate departure -for Upper Arrow lake, where Gran would, they thought, be safe. - -Clay was not a little excited at the recital. He agreed with the boys -that they ought to leave at once, and preparations for departure were -accordingly begun. Gran looked on indolently at first, but finally -called Clay to his side and asked: - -“Are you going to leave this section of country now?” - -“Of course,” was the guarded reply. “We want to get to the Pacific -before snow flies, and we have a long way to go. Besides, we do not want -to remain too long in one place.” - -“But you wanted to hunt over on the plateau, this morning,” Gran urged. -“And why did the boys come back from the mountain so soon? Is there -anything wrong?” - -“Why, of course not,” Clay answered. “Only we have the moving-on spirit -to-day. We’ll drop down to Revelstoke and get a sight of the Canadian -Pacific right-of-way before night, or, at least, before morning. That -will connect us with civilization, at least,” he added, with a grin. - -“I’m afraid the motion of the boat will hurt my leg,” Gran urged, not -looking Clay in the eyes. “I want to get well as rapidly as possible, -you know. Can’t you wait a few days—wait here?” - -“I’ll talk with the boys,” Clay promised and went out. When he told them -of the request Gran had made, their eyes stuck out “good and plenty,” as -he afterwards expressed it. It was a puzzle to all of them. - -“But why should he want to stay here?” Case asked, in amazement. “Why -shouldn’t he want to get away from a valley which must have unpleasant -recollections for him? He would have died in that hut if we hadn’t -happened along! And the man we’ve been talking about brought him to it -all by taking him away from us. It is the strangest thing I ever heard.” - -“He went away with the man willingly,” Clay explained, “at least we saw -him make no attempt to get away when we were close at hand, and might -have helped him. Now, how do we know that he is not waiting in this -valley to meet this man again? This Richard Miller, who is wanted in -Chicago for the crime of murder. I suppose,” he added, thoughtfully, -“that there can be no doubt about the description? The man described in -the newspaper article is the man we saw on the train, the man who talked -to Gran in the cedar canyon, the man who was rowing when Gran passed -down stream and flung the note in the water?” - -“Not a doubt of it,” Case asserted. “That is the man—Richard Miller, the -man wanted in Chicago to answer to the crime of murder.” - -“But, look here,” said Alex always ready to defend Gran, “stop and think -a minute! If Gran went with this man willingly, why didn’t he stop long -enough to tell us he was going? Why didn’t he tell the man to row up to -the _Rambler_ and let him explain? Why was it necessary for him to put -what he had to say to us on paper, and then stop his writing in the -middle of a sentence. I don’t believe he left us willingly.” - -“One reason why the man—this Richard Miller—did not let him come up to -the _Rambler_ was that he had our rowboat—the boat which had been cut -loose from her chain the night before. Say,” he continued, with a blush -and a laugh, “I’m getting this mixed. It was the anchor that he cut -away, and not the boat! At least, I think he did! He wouldn’t want to -come to close quarters with us after doing that, would he? - -“Well, he might as well have cut the boat loose,” Clay said, “for he -stole it after it had drifted away. We saw him in it. That’s proof!” - -“Well, what are we going to do about it?” asked Case, turning to Clay. - -“Let’s stay here and see it out!” Alex interposed. - -“That suits me!” Clay answered. “I haven’t lost confidence in Gran yet, -and, besides, there’ll be excitement in it, if what you boys say about -the men on the other side of the river is true—if they are really train -robbers. I think it will be fun to see it out!” - -And so it was agreed that they should follow the wishes of the boy and -remain where they were for a time, although they all understood that the -reason given by the lad—that the motion of the boat might affect his -broken leg unfavorably—was not the true one. But another surprise -awaited Clay when he went into the cabin to acquaint Gran of the -decision which had been reached. The boy was half sitting up in his bunk -with a flush on his cheeks which had not been there before. - -“I’ll tell you what,” he said, as Clay entered. “I am beginning to think -that my leg ought to have the care of a surgeon. You boys are all -anxious to be on your way, and so why not drop down to Revelstoke? I can -endure the short journey, all right, and we can remain there a few days -until the surgeon has had time to straighten me out.” - -“We have all agreed to remain here,” Clay said, with a smile, “but we -can go on just as well as not. We need a glimpse at a town.” - -“I don’t want to keep you here,” Gran went on. “When I spoke about -staying here I didn’t think I would need the attention of a surgeon, but -I begin to feel that one ought to be consulted.” - -When Clay went out to the others with this new proposition they were -more puzzled than ever. - -“Why did he change his mind so suddenly?” was the question Alex asked. -“There’s something back of all this. Do you think he heard us talking -about the train robbers?” - -“He might,” answered Clay, and there the subject was dropped. - -That night, without mishap on the way, they tied up at Revelstoke, which -is a small town where the Canadian Pacific takes to the valley of the -Columbia river again. They did not succeed in finding a surgeon that -night, the one located there being away, neither did they spend any time -about town, for they thought it best to remain on the boat with the -injured boy. - -The next morning Clay found the surgeon at his office and sent him down -to the _Rambler_, himself remaining in a general store to purchase a few -luxuries for the lad. While there he heard considerable talk about the -chase after the train robbers, who were thought to be in that section. - -“I’d like to be the one to catch them,” he heard a rough-looking man -saying. “It would be worth $10,000 to me. I need the money!” - -“If I could only point them out,” another cut in, “I would be satisfied. -There’s a reward of $5,000 for just locating them.” - -Clay left the store with the reward bee buzzing in his cap. They were -not plentifully supplied with money, and a portion of that reward would -be very acceptable. And the three men in the mountains! Perhaps they -were the very men wanted by the officers. - -While he walked about, thinking the matter over, the surgeon came into -the one street of the place and stopped him, rather bruskly, he thought. -Clay had an idea that it was his fee he wanted. - -“Where did you pick up that boy?” the surgeon asked. - -“He came into the country with us,” Clay answered, not very pleasantly, -for he believed that the surgeon was interfering with something that was -none of his business. He turned away, but the other followed. - -“You mean that he came from Laggan with you,” he said. - -“How do you know that?” demanded Clay, getting angry. - -“Well,” sneered the surgeon, “this boy’s description is among those of -the hold-up men. He, or some one looking remarkably like him, was seen -on the pass, in the company of the men who are believed to have held up -the Canadian Pacific train. I’m going now to notify an officer.” - -Clay, for a moment, did not answer. What was there he could say? - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII.—THE POLICEMAN MAKES A MISTAKE. - - -“The boy was with us, in the _Rambler_, on a platform car on a Canadian -Pacific train, going towards Donald, when the robbery took place,” Clay -explained, directly, trying hard to keep his temper in the face of the -impudence and greed shown by the surgeon. - -“You’ll have to prove that!” said the surgeon. “Why are you boys hiding -in that motor boat, anyway? Have you been carrying supplies to the men -who did the actual work in the robbery? And there was some one shot on a -train leaving the pass, on the night of the robbery. Was it a bullet -that broke the lad’s leg? You’d better be frank with me.” - -“You ought to know whether the injury was caused by a bullet or not,” -replied Clay, beginning the story of the trip down the Columbia and -ending with the finding of the boy in the shelter he had hastily -constructed. - -During the recital, however, he said not a word about the man who had so -often presented himself to their notice. - -“That’s all very well,” the surgeon said, “but it only shows that the -boy is mixed up in some secret matter, even if you boys are not in the -game with him. Here comes DeYoung, the policeman, now, and I’ll turn the -matter over to him, but I want you for a witness to prove that I found -the boy and pointed him out to the officer. I want that reward.” “I -thought so!” Clay replied, scornfully. “That’s what you are working for! -Well, you won’t get it. I’ll attend to that!” - -DeYoung, the policeman, now came up and held a short conversation with -the surgeon. Clay was not permitted to hear what was being said, but at -the termination of the conference the policeman, a member of the mounted -force, approached him with a scowl on his face. - -“So you’ve been harboring a train robber, have you?” he demanded. “I -think I’ll take you all in and hold you for identification. I’ll go to -the boat now and get the boy. Come along, doctor, and assist.” - -“But the boy mustn’t be moved! cried Clay, in alarm. - -“Oh, mustn’t he?” snarled the officer. “We’ll see about that!” - -“It will be all right to move him,” the surgeon said. - -“Of course! And I’ll see that the boys are kept away from him, too.” - -“It may be just as well to put them in separate cells,” suggested the -surgeon. “One of them may confess, after going hungry a short time.” - -Clay was angry enough to fight, but he knew that such a course would be -worse than useless. These men had the power to do as they pleased until -higher officers were reached. - -It will be understood, however, that he felt pretty ugly at the idea of -being parted from the injured boy. That would be a great deal worse than -having the river trip interrupted and being locked up in a Canadian -prison, he thought. - -He argued with the policeman and the surgeon to no purpose. Their eyes -were fixed on the reward. The thought, the prospect, of receiving so -great a sum completely blinded their eyes to all sense of justice and -humanity. Clay resolved, then, that they should both suffer for their -brutality if they removed the boy and locked them all up. - -He thought of telling the policeman of the men who had been hiding in -the mountains. To his mind these were the robbers. He believed that the -officer might gain the $10,000 reward by following his instructions, and -that he, himself, might secure the $5,000 reward by pointing out the -whereabouts of the men. - -But he instantly banished the thought of helping the brutal officer get -a cent of the money. He would rather take the chance of letting the men -get away and losing his own share of the money offered for their arrest -and conviction. - -Things looked pretty dark for the boys just then. If arrested and locked -up, the _Rambler_ would be at the mercy of the lawless men who -frequented the river there. Without doubt, all the stores would be -stolen. Even the boat itself might be taken. It looked like the end of -their long-planned journey down the Columbia river. - -As the boy walked briskly toward the boat, accompanied by the two men, -he saw a man in uniform beckoning to the officer, who pretended not to -see him. However, he said to the surgeon, in a tone of great vexation -which Clay did not fail to note: “There’s Sergeant Wilcox! If he gets -his eyes on the boy before I do, he will claim the reward. He is too -soft to carry this thing through, anyway. He’ll let the boys talk him -out of the money. We’d better make haste to the boat. If Wilcox wasn’t -my superior officer, I’d take a crack at his head with a billy. He’s -always butting in!” - -Clay had heard enough to convince him that Sergeant Wilcox was the man -he wanted to talk with! Should he prove considerate and reasonable, he -should receive the information which would be worth $10,000 to him—the -information which a little decency on the part of DeYoung might have won -for him! - -When the policeman and the surgeon started toward the boat at a pace -calculated to get them there before Sergeant Wilcox could overtake them, -Clay hung back and DeYoung seized him by the arm to hurry him along. The -boy drew away and ran toward the Sergeant, who advanced to meet him. - -“What’s the matter here?” the Sergeant asked, not unkindly. - -“This officer has arrested me, and threatens to arrest my chums,” Clay -explained, “and I want you to hear my story.” - -“Certainly, my boy,” replied the Sergeant “You don’t look like a very -hardened criminal,” he added, as DeYoung approached with a pair of -handcuffs dangling in his hands, “so I guess we won’t have you ironed.” - -“This boy and his chums,” stormed DeYoung, “are connected with the train -robbers, and I have arrested them all as such. I’m now going to the boat -you see down there to take them all to jail.” - -“One of the boys has a broken leg,” pleaded Clay, “and ought not to be -moved. And everything we have will be stolen if we are taken away from -our boat and locked up.” - -“It won’t injure the boy to be moved.” the surgeon cut in, “and I’ll see -that their property is not molested. We, DeYoung and I, think we have -that reward cinched!” - -“Oh, you do!” cried Clay, with flashing eyes. “You’d ruin us boys in the -hope of getting it, too!” - -“The injured lad shall not be moved, nor shall he lock you up until we -have plenty of proof,” said the Sergeant. - -“You’re a gentleman!” Clay burst out, tears of gratitude showing in his -eyes “You’re a gentleman, and I’m going to tell you where to find the -robbers! I should have told this other officer if he had acted half-way -decent. I think I know where the men you want are, at least, and you can -get them in a short time, too.” - -“Why didn’t you tell me?” almost shrieked DeYoung. “You ought to have -told me. I was the first officer you met. It was your duty to have told -the first officer you met!” - -“Because you’re a brute,” answered Clay, secure in the protection of the -Sergeant. “If you’ll send him away, Sergeant,” the boy added, “I’ll take -you to the boat and tell you the whole story. But perhaps you’d better -get your men together, all ready to go after the robbers.” - -“It is a plant!” cried DeYoung. “He wants to send us away so the robbers -can raid the town. Don’t you believe a word he says!” - -“Go back to the station, DeYoung,” the Sergeant ordered. “When I want -any advice from you I’ll ask for it. And we can get along without your -company, too, doctor,” he added. - -“But we claim the reward!” said the surgeon, angrily. “You can’t come -here with your high and mighty ways and insult me. I’m not under your -authority! We claim the reward!” - -“Get out!” replied the Sergeant. “Come, young man, we’ll go to this boat -you are all talking about, and you can tell me the story or not, just as -you please. I’m working to do my duty, not expressly to win rewards. -DeYoung sees nothing but the reward, though he is a fairly efficient -policeman. I’ll have to transfer him into the woods farther!” On the way -to the boat Clay told the whole story, omitting nothing. He even told of -their suspicions of Gran and his strange disappearance, and of the three -men seen on the mountain, and where they might be found, provided they -had not moved on, which the boy considered doubtful. - -“I understand the boy’s part in the game,” the officer said, “and think -you have the robbers located, all right. And now about this other -man—the fellow with the long arms. I think I have a line on him,” with a -queer smile. “I’ll show you some dispatches presently which concern -him.” - -Clay opened his eyes in amazement. - -“Is he one of the robbers?” he asked. - -The Sergeant laughed heartily. - -“I think I have a surprise for you,” he said. “You just wait a few -hours. You don’t know that I came here to meet this boat, do you?” - -“Why, how did you know? What is the mystery? We’ve been clouded in -mystery ever since we left the mountain pass.” - -“You’ll soon be out of it,” replied the Sergeant. “You’ll have a clear -field to start another puzzle column in,” he laughed. - -“No more puzzle columns for me!” declared Clay. “But how did you know -about the boat coming here?” - -“Why,” laughed the officer, “I even know the names of your chums! Second -sight, eh! I know where you started from, and all about it. I’ve been -waiting for you two days!” - -“I give it up!” said Clay, and not another word would he say until the -boat was reached and a general consultation was held. Gran smiled when -the Sergeant was introduced to him and said: - -“We have been waiting a long time for you, Sergeant Wilcox!” - -“Now, what do you think of that?” asked Case. “I don’t think any more!” -laughed Clay. “I’m beyond being astonished at anything.” - -“Is Gran under arrest?” asked Alex. - -The Sergeant shook his head and held up a hand for silence. - -“It is only a train from the east,” Clay volunteered. - -“Is that our train?” asked Gran, looking up into the Sergeant’s face -with a confiding smile. “Is that OUR train?” - -“I hope so,” replied the officer. “And now, Mr. Clay,” he added, “you -come with me to the station, and you may learn of something to your -advantage, as the newspaper advertisements say. The others will remain -here for the present.” - -“We’re too paralyzed to make a movement,” suggested Alex. - -Captain Joe arose to follow Clay and Teddy shambled up to the officer -and tried to climb up the official stripe on the seam of his trousers. -The Sergeant laughed and patted the bear on the head. - -“You’re a happy family!” he said. “Come on, Clay.” - -Gran waved a thin hand at the two departing ones and turned to Alex. - -“You’re going to hear the end of the story directly,” he said. “I’m not -going to tell it, though.” - -“Who is?” demanded Case. “We’ve been trying to tell it to each other -ever since you came on the _Rambler_ that night at the pass, and have -made up our minds that we don’t know it!” - -“Of course not,” Gran said, and closed his eyes, leaving Alex and Case -half crazy with curiosity! - -When the train drew up, the first man to leave the parlor coach made a -rush for the Sergeant and shook him warmly by the hand. This done he -looked Clay over with a curious smile on a face recently shaved clean. - -The man was at least six foot three, and had very long arms. Also a -slight limp! Clay sat down on a trunk and waited. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV.—MORE SURPRISES THAN ONE. - - -“This,” the boy heard Sergeant Wilcox saying, directly, “is Mr. Richard -Miller, of Chicago. And this, Mr. Miller, is Mr. Clayton Emmett, also -known as ‘Clay,’ recently from Chicago!” - -Clay heard the words dimly. The world seemed turning around upside down. -Here was the man he had been accusing of all sorts of crime, from simple -larceny to murder, on good terms with the chief, in that district, of -the mounted police! It was enough to turn the lad’s head. - -“I thought—” - -Then Clay decided not to say what he had been thinking, and the three -set out for the boat, passing DeYoung and the surgeon on the way. They -both regarded the officer with scowls and threatening gestures. - -At the boat the boy lifted on his bunk when Mr. Miller approached and -extended his arms. The man dropped down at his side. - -“Daddy! Daddy!” they hear Gran saying. - -“I’m going out somewhere and have another dream!” Alex said. “I’m afraid -I’ll never wake up out of this one. That is the man who stole our boat -and the man who cut our anchor chain!” - -“Not exactly!” said Miller. “I’m going to tell you about that, after I -return something I have of yours.” - -He reached into a pocket and brought forth a packet of films and -developed pictures. The pictures showed campfire scenes, and back of the -faces before the blaze was the face of a tall man, looking out in -wonder. - -“Where did you get them developed?” asked Alex. “Where did you get them, -anyway? We always thought Gran took them.” - -“I did,” admitted the boy, with a smile, “and gave them to Daddy, and he -had them developed at Donald and sent copies to the police at Chicago. -See that face back of the others? That’s Daddy.” - -“Then he’s one of the train robbers!” declared Case. - -“But he was with them, and the officers have his description, as well as -that of Gran,” Alex insisted when the officer shook his head. - -“Yes, he was with them,” the Sergeant said, “and so was Gran, up to that -night. They did not know what the three men were there for, and when -they discovered that they were there to rob a train they left them, the -boy making friends with you boys and going on the _Rambler_, and the -father getting on the train and being chased off.” - -“But why didn’t they both come to us and tell us?” asked Clay. “We would -have taken them both in.” - -“But there was a charge of murder against Mr. Miller,” replied the -officer, “and he did not know, you boys so well then as he has learned -to know you since that night. He couldn’t make up his mind to trust -you.” - -“We know what the charge is,” Alex said. “We found the newspaper which -the robbers left in their camp.” - -“Richard Miller was in Wells street the night Stiven was shot,” the -Sergeant went on, “but he did not do the shooting. That was done by -Blinn, Carr, and Snow, the three men you saw in the hills, the three men -who held up the train. - -“When the shots which killed Stiven were fired, Mr. Miller got out of -the way, naturally. He saw the faces of the three men, and started to -the Chicago avenue police station to inform the officers as to their -identity. On the way there he heard a conversation between officers -which informed him that he was suspected, and that the three men were to -testify against him. - -“All he could do, under the circumstances, was to hide, unless he wanted -to be held without bail pending trial. He made it his business that -night, with the aid of a Pinkerton man, to locate the three murderers, -and from that day on he followed them, hoping that in some way they -would finally betray the truth. - -“He followed them to many cities, and finally, when they came to the -Rocky mountains he sent for his son, Gran, to join him. Together they -joined the robbers and sought information which would clear the father -of the crime. - -“The chance to prove his innocence never came to the father until the -night these pictures were taken. They located the robbers on the ground -where the robbery took place. When he left them that night, after Gran -had gone to the _Rambler_, he knew that the train was to be held up, as -a previous attempt had been made on the freight. - -“He knew, too, that the pictures taken by Alex would prove sufficient to -convict them, as their portraits are in the rogue’s gallery at Chicago. -He tried to warn the conductor of the train that took the boat away that -a hold-up was in the air, but the conductor wouldn’t listen, and caused -him to be chased from the train—as he thought. - -“However, Mr. Miller rode on the train, wounded by the bullet, to -Donald, saw Gran there for a minute, and arranged to have the films -taken so that he might have them developed. It was also arranged that he -was to purchase a rowboat and follow the _Rambler_ until the films were -delivered to him. Then he was to go away and have them developed. - -“Father and son had many meetings which you never knew about, and when, -at last, the films were delivered to the father, he was afraid to go out -with them, as the officers were looking for him on advices from Chicago. -So he took Gran away with him, and, after the pictures had been made and -Chicago communicated with, the boy returned over the mountains, though -his father tried to get him to wait and meet you here. - -“Then I came into the game. Mr. Miller came to me here with the story -and the pictures. He also told me where the boat was and how soon it -would be here. Then he went up to Calgary to shave and dress up like a -gentleman. - -“But he did not know that the robbers had followed you boys into the -mountains in the hope of getting the boat, of capturing Gran, and -closing his lips forever, for they had suspicions that he had gone out -to betray them. They cut the anchor chain, hoping that you would all be -drowned in the rapids. But it was Mr. Miller who caught the rowboat and -used it until he left for this point. It was wrecked after he left it. -Anything else?” asked the Sergeant, as he concluded. - -“Why didn’t they tell us all about it?” asked Case. “What was the use of -being so sly about it?” - -“If they had understood you all then as well as they do now,” the -officer replied, “they would doubtless have done so.” - -“Why did he chase me when I was getting away with the pictures?” asked -Alex pointing to Mr. Miller. - -“Because I wanted the films,” laughed the other, “and I got them, in -time, as you all know!” - -“I wonder why the robbers didn’t kill us while we slept, if they wanted -us out of the way, instead of cutting the anchor chain,” Case puzzled. -“I should think they would have made a sure thing of it.” - -“I wondered at that,” the Sergeant said, “but I think now that they were -afraid that the murder would be discovered and that they would be -suspected. Anyway such a crime as that, when the river gave up the -bodies, would have filled this district with police officers, and they -would have made it very uncomfortable for the robbers. They doubtless -thought, too, that the rapids would do the work satisfactorily.” - -“And the robbers built the signal fire?” asked Clay. - -“Yes,” answered the officer. “At least that is what Mr. Miller thinks. -They must have separated, and wanted to get together again.” - -“When are you going out after them?” asked Clay. - -“I have a company of men forming now,” was the reply. “You boys remain -here a few days and you’ll see them brought in. Of course the boys who -saw them in the mountains and reported it will get the $5,000 reward -offered for locating the robbers. That will help some, eh?” he added, -with a smile. - -“We can get along without it,” Gran broke in. “I guess Daddy has enough -money for us all. He’s spent $10,000 on this man-hunt, but he had to do -it, or forever live under the suspicion that he killed the man Stiven -and bought himself clear. The only thing for him to do was to follow the -murderers and keep with them until he knew that he could convict them. -They will never confess. We can introduce in the trial THE CONFESSION OF -A PHOTOGRAPH!” - -There were many little details which the boys had wondered over set to -rights that day, and father and son told many amusing stories of their -trip out with the films. Until they had confided the whole story to the -Sergeant, they were in danger of arrest. - -The Sergeant went out with a dozen men that night, and in two days was -back with the prisoners, who confessed to the robbery as soon as they -saw their pictures in the group by the campfire. Their “mugs” were -already well known to the police, and they knew that the pictures -showing them on the scene of the robbery just before it took place would -be sufficient to convict them. - -“You will have no trouble in getting the $5,000 reward,” the Sergeant -said to the boys, as they were getting ready to move on down the -Columbia river. “By the time you reach Portland it will be waiting for -you.” - -It may be as well to state that the money was awaiting them at Portland, -and that they at once planned another trip, this one to the Colorado -river. - -Mr. Miller went back to Chicago with the robbers, and Gran, although his -leg was still useless, decided to go on with the boys. The father was to -meet them in Portland later. He was a very rich man. Gran always -declared that only for that he would have been hanged for the murder of -Stiven! - -There was sincere regret at parting with Sergeant Wilcox, for he had -greatly assisted in straightening Out the tangle. He promised to meet -the boys later on, but under what strange circumstances they were to -meet again they had no premonition at that time! - -And so, once more, the boys were afloat on the Columbia! With minds free -from mystery and financial worry, they spent the long summer, up to the -first of September, making their way to the Pacific. - -There were hard days and night, for the river is rough and wild in many -places, but there were also sunny days when the _Rambler_ glided over -the water like a duck in a fountain pond! - -And Captain Joe and Teddy, the bear, enjoyed the trip as much as the -boys did. When there were campfires on the shore at night the two had -many a run in the forest. And Teddy always returned, to sleep with his -soft little nose against the dog’s hairy shoulder! - -Alex caught fish. Case made bread, and Clay hunted up the history of the -country they were passing through and read it to them in the cabin after -the amusement-filled days were over. It was in every way an ideal trip—a -summer trip over one of the grandest rivers in the world. - -“I hope,” Clay said, one night in Portland, after it was all over, “that -we shall have as much fun on the Colorado.” - -“It was pretty serious sometimes on the Columbia,” Gran said. - -“Oh, yes, but we enjoyed it, except the time a bear wanted me to come -out of my tree!” laughed Alex. “The Colorado offers chances for just as -much excitement. Don’t you ever think we are going to a pink tea party -when we sail down the Colorado, through the canyons and over the -rapids.” - -Whether or not the trip down the Colorado was a “pink tea party” will be -told in the next volume of this series: “The Motor Boat Boys on the -Colorado; or, the Clue in the Rocks.” - -And Captain Joe and Teddy? They were as happy at the finish of the -Columbia river trip as the others, and as ready to go over to the -Colorado and do it all over again! - - THE END. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The River Motor Boat Boys on the -Columbia, by Harry Gordon - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE RIVER MOTOR BOAT BOYS *** - -***** This file should be named 50123-0.txt or 50123-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/1/2/50123/ - -Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.bookcove.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - http://www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. diff --git a/old/50123-0.zip b/old/50123-0.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 1e11175..0000000 --- a/old/50123-0.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/50123-h.zip b/old/50123-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 191874c..0000000 --- a/old/50123-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/50123-h/50123-h.htm b/old/50123-h/50123-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 342467b..0000000 --- a/old/50123-h/50123-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8405 +0,0 @@ - <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> - <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=utf-8" /> - <title>The River Motor Boat Boys on the Columbia</title> - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - <style type="text/css"> - body { margin-left:8%; margin-right:10%; } - h1 { text-align:center;font-weight:normal;font-size:1.4em; } - h2 { text-align:center;font-weight:normal;font-size:1.2em; } - p { text-indent: 1.2em; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0; text-align: justify; } - p.first { text-indent: 0; } - div.pbb { page-break-before: always; } - hr.pb { border:none; border-bottom:1px solid silver; width:100%; margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:2em; } - @media handheld { hr.pb { display: none; }} - .figcenter { clear:both; max-width:100%; margin:2em auto; text-align:center; } - .figcenter img { max-width:100%; height:auto; } - div.figcenter p { text-align: center; text-indent: 0; } - .chapter { clear:both; page-break-before: always;} - .cb-container { text-align:center; margin: 0 auto; } - .cb { display:inline-block; text-align:left; } - .lgc { text-align:center; } - .line { padding-top:2px; } - @media screen { hr.clearpage { margin-top: 2em; margin-bottom:2em; border: none; border-top: 1px solid gray; }} - @media handheld { hr.clearpage { page-break-before: always; padding-top: 10%; border: none; }} - .id01 { width:371px; } - @media handheld { .id01 { margin-left:20%; width:60%; }} - </style> - </head> - <body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The River Motor Boat Boys on the Columbia, by -Harry Gordon - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: The River Motor Boat Boys on the Columbia - The Confession of a Photograph - -Author: Harry Gordon - -Release Date: October 3, 2015 [EBook #50123] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE RIVER MOTOR BOAT BOYS *** - - - - -Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.bookcove.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - - - - <div class='figcenter id01'> - <img src='images/illus-fpc.jpg' style='width:100%' alt=''/> - <div style='width:100%'> - “Full speed ahead!” roared Clay. “Our only hope is to keep her dead with the current and fight her through.” - </div> - </div> - - - <hr class='clearpage'/> - <div class='lgc'> - <div class='line' style='font-size: 1.6em; margin: 20px auto 10px auto;'>The River Motor Boat Boys on the Columbia</div> - <br/> - <div class='line'>OR</div> - <br/> - <div class='line' style='font-size: 1.2em; margin: 10px auto 20px auto;'>The Confession of a Photograph</div> - <br/> - <div class='line' style='margin-bottom: 20px;'>By HARRY GORDON</div> - <br/> - <div class='line'>Author of</div> - <div class='cb-container'><div class='cb'> - <div class='line'>“The River Motor Boat Boys on the St. Lawrence,”</div> - <div class='line'>“The River Motor Boat Boys on the Colorado,”</div> - <div class='line'>“The River Motor Boat Boys on the Mississippi,”</div> - <div class='line'>“The River Motor Boat Boys on the Amazon,’</div> - <div class='line'>“The River Motor Boat Boys on the Ohio.”</div> - </div></div> - <br/> - <div class='line' style='margin-top: 20px;'>A. L. Burt Company</div> - <div class='line'>New York</div> - </div> - - - <hr class='clearpage'/> - <div class='lgc'> - <div class='line'>Copyright, 1913</div> - <div class='line'>By A. L. Burt Company</div> - <br/> - <div class='line' style='font-size: smaller;'>THE SIX RIVER MOTOR BOYS ON THE COLUMBIA</div> - </div> - - - <hr class='clearpage'/> - <div class='lgc'> - <div class='line' style='margin-bottom: 10px;'>TABLE OF CONTENTS</div> - <br/> - </div> - <div class='cb-container'><div class='cb'> - <div class='line'><a href='#chI'>I. CROSSING THE MOUNTAINS IN A MOTOR BOAT</a></div> - <div class='line'><a href='#chII'>II. CAPTAIN JOE FOLLOWS A TRAIL</a></div> - <div class='line'><a href='#chIII'>III. ALEX FINDS USE FOR HIS KODAK</a></div> - <div class='line'><a href='#chIV'>IV. A NEW FACE ON THE RAMBLER</a></div> - <div class='line'><a href='#chV'>V. WHAT TOOK PLACE ON THE TRAIN</a></div> - <div class='line'><a href='#chVI'>VI. MOURNING AN EMPTY KODAK</a></div> - <div class='line'><a href='#chVII'>VII. PIE THAT LIVED IN A GLASS HOUSE</a></div> - <div class='line'><a href='#chVIII'>VIII. A WRECK AND A BABY BEAR</a></div> - <div class='line'><a href='#chIX'>IX. THE MAKING OF A CEDAR CANOE</a></div> - <div class='line'><a href='#chX'>X. A RABBIT AND A SECRET MEETING</a></div> - <div class='line'><a href='#chXI'>XI. ALEX BECOMES A DETECTIVE</a></div> - <div class='line'><a href='#chXII'>XII. A BEAR, A FISH, AND A TREE</a></div> - <div class='line'><a href='#chXIII'>XIII. A MYSTERY AND A FISH SUPPER</a></div> - <div class='line'><a href='#chXIV'>XIV. A SWIFT AND PERILOUS RIDE</a></div> - <div class='line'><a href='#chXV'>XV. THE RAMBLER TAKES TO WHEELS</a></div> - <div class='line'><a href='#chXVI'>XVI. TEDDY RECEIVES A CALLER</a></div> - <div class='line'><a href='#chXVII'>XVII. CAPTAIN JOE TO THE RESCUE</a></div> - <div class='line'><a href='#chXVIII'>XVIII. CASE MAKES A HIT WITH DOUGH</a></div> - <div class='line'><a href='#chXIX'>XIX. WHY THERE WAS NO VENISON</a></div> - <div class='line'><a href='#chXX'>XX. CAPTAIN JOE MAKES A DISCOVERY</a></div> - <div class='line'><a href='#chXXI'>XXI. A CAMPFIRE HIGH ON THE HILLS</a></div> - <div class='line'><a href='#chXXII'>XXII. THE SURGEON TURNS DETECTIVE</a></div> - <div class='line'><a href='#chXXIII'>XXIII. THE POLICEMAN MAKES A MISTAKE</a></div> - <div class='line'><a href='#chXXIV'>XXIV. MORE SURPRISES THAN ONE</a></div> - </div></div> - <hr class='clearpage'/> - - <div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='chI'>CHAPTER I.—CROSSING THE MOUNTAINS IN A MOTOR BOAT.</h2> - -<p class='first'>The motor boat <i>Rambler</i> lay at the very summit -of the Rocky Mountains. She was not in a lake, -either, although there were lakes of ice not far away. -She was not in motion, and there was a great silence -all around her.</p> - -<p>She lay, propped upright, on a platform car, and -the car, with two broken wheels, stood on a make-shift -spur of track on the right-of-way of the Canadian -Pacific railroad. An unusual place to find a -motor boat. But listen.</p> - -<p>The <i>Rambler</i> was <i>en route</i> from the South -Branch, Chicago, to the headwaters of the Columbia -river. She had passed without serious accident -down Lake Michigan, through the Straits of Mackinaw, -through the Sault Ste. Marie river and canal, -and over the crystal waters of old Superior to Port -Arthur, where she had been coaxed to the deck of -the platform car upon which she now stood.</p> - -<p>Almost exactly on the boundary line between Alberta -and British Columbia, the flat car had come to -grief, and the trainmen had bunted it to the spur and -gone on about their business, promising to order a -wrecker at the nearest telegraph office. The disabled -car tilted frightfully to the rear as it stood on the -shaky track, giving the platform a twenty-five per -cent. pitch, and causing the <i>Rambler</i> to take on a -rakish air, like a swaggering person with his hat set -on the back of his head.</p> - -<p>A few miles to the east was Laggan, sometimes -called Lake Louise, which is 2,368 miles from -Montreal and 5,032 feet above the level of the Pacific -ocean, 500 miles away. About the same distance to -the west was Field, sometimes called Emerald Lake, -2,387 miles from Montreal and over 4,000 feet -above tidewater. The highest altitude on the boundary -at that point is 5,200 feet above the ocean, and -the motor boat was just about there.</p> - -<p>It was close to sunset of an April day, and the -mountain pass was cold and desolate. There was -snow on the peaks, and a cold wind blew whistling -through the narrow cut in the gray rock. There -was no living figure in sight from the sidling -platform of the car, or from the foot-square windows -of the <i>Rambler’s</i> tiny cabin. The silence was broken -only by the uneasy wind.</p> - -<p>Decidedly it was anything but cheerful outside. -Inside, there was a glowing fire in a small coal -stove, and a shaded electric light brought out the -cozy furnishings of the place. The electric generators -were not working, the motors being silent, but -there was in the accumulators sufficient current for -the light and the little electric stove upon which a -supper was cooking.</p> - -<p>Those who have followed the fortunes of the -<i>Rambler</i> to the headwaters of the Amazon will -understand without further detail exactly what kind -of a craft she was. After returning from the -South American expedition, the lads had planned a -trip to the Columbia river, and they were now on -their way to Donald, where the motor boat was to -be launched into the waters of that interesting -stream.</p> - -<p>The boys had worked hard in Chicago all through -the winter, and when April came they were ready -for the journey, although their supply of money was -not as large as they had hoped to make it. Of the -five who had visited Cloud island and secured the -store of gold hidden in that semi-volcanic heap of -rocks, however, only three were in shape to set -out on the proposed voyage.</p> - -<p>Frank Porter, who owned the gold taken from -Cloud island, had insisted on financing the trip, but -this the self-reliant boys would not listen to, -preferring to depend upon their own exertions. Julian -Shafer, in the interest of whose health the Amazon -trip had originally been planned, had acquired a -little property through the exertions of Dr. Holcomb, -the physician who was treating him for tuberculosis, -and had decided to spend the winter and summer at -Los Angeles.</p> - -<p>So, of the five, there remained only Clayton -Emmett, Cornelius Witters, and Alexander Smithwick -to carry out the exploration of the Columbia the -following spring. It was hoped, however, that both -Frank and Julian would be able to join their friends -at some point lower down. The story of the boys’ -adventures on the Amazon may be found in the -first volume of this series.</p> - -<p>On this night, then, “Clay,” “Case,” and -“Alex,” as they were familiarly called, were -gathered around the coal heater in the cabin of the -<i>Rambler</i>, high up in a rocky pass on a mountain -range, the range forming the backbone of the -continent of North America. There was plenty of coal -on the platform car, and so they had no fear of -passing a chill as well as a desolate night on the great -divide. Also, the boys had plenty of provisions, as -there were numerous boxes on the car which were -to be emptied of their eatables and carried on board -the motor boat whenever the great river was -reached.</p> - -<p>The leasing of the car had eaten into the finances -of the boys quite seriously, but they anticipated -living mostly on game and fish during the run down -the Columbia to the Pacific ocean. They had made -no calculations for the return ride to Chicago, -believing that they would be able to find employment at -Portland.</p> - -<p>Boy-like, they had figured on the future only -so far as the end of the river journey was concerned. -A motor boat trip down the Columbia was too -fascinating, they declared, to be mixed up with any -prosaic monetary calculations!</p> - -<p>“If we go broke,” Case had said, when the closing -details were under discussion, “we can walk back! -I’d rather swim around Cape Horn and walk back -to little old Chicago than miss the days and nights -we are going to have on the Columbia!”</p> - -<p>“You’re light headed!” Alex had responded.</p> - -<p>“That will be an aid in swimming!” Case had replied. -“Anyway, it is the Columbia first. The future may -take care of itself!”</p> - -<p>This night in the mountain pass should have been -spent on the Columbia at or near Donald, but the -boys were by no means discouraged. Case was -inclined to express annoyance and disgust at unfavorable -conditions, but really he was as courageous in -the face of difficulties as either of his companions. -They had been left on the spur early that morning, -and had anticipated relief in the shape of a wrecking -outfit before noon.</p> - -<p>While the supper of bacon, beans, pancakes and -coffee sputtered and steamed on the electric stove -and the heater sent out generous waves of warmth, -Clay arose and opened the cabin door, which faced -to the west. The wind immediately chased itself into -the room, played tag with everything movable, and -went whistling cheerily out again.</p> - -<p>At a shout of remonstrance from Alex, Clay drew -the door shut and stepped out on the deck of the -<i>Rambler</i>. He stood for a second with the wind -from the Pacific keen on his face, the ruddy light of -the setting sun bright in his eyes, and then beckoned -through the glass panel of the door to the boys inside. -Case was too busy over the pancakes to notice -the signal, but Alex increased Case’s anger by opening -the door again and forcing his body out against -the wind.</p> - -<p>The sun dropping lower, the pencils of light which -touched the crags were slipping away, leaving them -indistinct in the gathering night, as if the sunlight -had brought them into existence with a touch and -condemned them to obliteration by withdrawing -itself from their angular sides. The boys stood for a -second in silence, Clay listening.</p> - -<p>“Huh!” Alex grinned, catching Clay by the arm -and pointing to the wild country to the west. “This -makes me feel queer! Why, we might be the sons -of Noah, looking out of the Ark after it stranded -on Mt. Ararat! Here we are, in a boat up on the -mountains, and there, below, is the lifeless world! I -wonder,” he continued, nudging Clay in the ribs to -give emphasis to his observation, “if we had a dove, -and the dove should be sent out, whether it would -bring back an engine with a car fitted up to drag -this old hulk to the railroad hospital?”</p> - -<p>“No dove would mind bringing a wrecking train back -in his bill!” replied Clay. “Of course not!”</p> - -<p>“Well,” Alex insisted, “we’ve got to get help from -some source. Two trains have passed us to-day -without a whisper of help. A steamer on the ocean -wouldn’t pass a wrecked boat like that!”</p> - -<p>Clay bent his head and shielded his ears with cupped -palms.</p> - -<p>“There’s a train coming now,” he declared.</p> - -<p>“That’s the wind!” Alex answered.</p> - -<p>“Can’t you hear it pounding, pounding up the grade -to the east?” demanded Clay. “There!” he added, as a -sharp whistle was borne faintly to their ears -against the rush of the wind, “didn’t you hear -that?”</p> - -<p>“Sure!” Alex replied. “And it isn’t a passenger, -either. A loaded freight, all right. Here’s where we -get out!”</p> - -<p>The roaring of the train wheels, the sharp hissing -of the laboring exhaust, the pounding of the -straining drivers, came nearer and nearer, then only -the wind was heard.</p> - -<p>“Phantom train!” Alex laughed. “Nothing doing!”</p> - -<p>Case came out of the cabin and stood holding the -edge of the door in his hand, his eyes fixed on his -chums.</p> - -<p>“Do we get away now?” he asked. “I hear a train -coming.”</p> - -<p>“She is stalled on the grade, I guess,” Clay -replied. “Anyway, she isn’t coming any nearer.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, well,” Case grumbled, “I suppose we can stay -out here until the railroad gets a new wrecking crew -and a new machine made! Old Rip Van Winkle’s little -mountain stunt was a summer night on a sleeping -porch compared with this. If anybody should come -along in the next hundred years, just wake me up, -will you?”</p> - -<p>“Going to bed?” asked Clay, with a laugh.</p> - -<p>“You bet he isn’t!” shouted Alex. “He hasn’t had his -supper yet. Catch him going to bed without pancakes -and bacon!”</p> - -<p>“And the pancakes are burning, too!” cried Case, -entering the cabin and slamming the door after him.</p> - -<p>“Come on, Case,” urged Alex. “Let’s go down the -grade and see what’s the matter, and what sort of a -train it is.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll find out soon enough if we remain here,” Clay -answered. “Besides, we ought to be getting things -propped up in the cabin, so there will be a little -furniture left when we get bumped out on the main -track.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, they’ll just pry the truck up with a jack, put -in new wheels, and we’ll sail away like a ship on a -summer sea!” Alex grinned. “If you won’t go. I’ll go -alone.”</p> - -<p>Before Clay could utter the remonstrance that was on -his lips, the boy was away down the grade to the -east, his cap bobbing along the ties ahead of his -leaping feet, his hair flying in the gale.</p> - -<p>Before he was well out of sight around an angle in -the pass the rumble of a heavy train was heard -again, and directly the round, red eye of a -headlight met the ruddy illumination of the sun in -the narrow pass. Clay could see the smutty face of -the engineer peering out of the cab window as the -engine toiled, panting, upward, and then he saw the -fireman looking over his shoulder.</p> - -<p>Both were gazing, with no little wonder showing -on their faces, at the unusual sight of a motor boat -perched on a platform car at the summit of the Rocky -Mountains. Clay stood hopeful for a moment, and then -the train roared toward the grade to the east, -winding down like a snake in the fading light.</p> - </div> - - <div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='chII'>CHAPTER II.—CAPTAIN JOE FOLLOWS A TRAIL.</h2> - -<p class='first'>Clay stood dejectedly for a moment, his hands in his -pockets, his eyes following the streamer of smoke -which marked the progress of the inhospitable train. -Then the cabin door opened and a white bulldog with -friendly eyes and a monster of a jaw walked forth in -a dignified manner and sat down to look over the -scenery.</p> - -<p>“What do you think of that, Captain Joe?” Clay -asked, patting the dog on the head. “Isn’t that just -about the worst luck in the world? I wish you could -grip that train by the cowcatcher and bring it back -here. It ought to have helped us out.”</p> - -<p>Captain Joe, looking in the direction of the column -of smoke, fast disappearing, worked his lips into a -snarl which showed a set of capable teeth. He -evidently agreed with Clay as to the moral character -of the person in charge of the train.</p> - -<p>Case opened the cabin door and looked out, waving a -pancake turner in one hand. He smiled when he noted -Clay’s discouraged attitude.</p> - -<p>“Fine, eh?” he cried. “If I had in a book all the -things the Canadian Pacific people do not know about -relieving a fellow in distress, I’d have the biggest -volume ever printed!”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps the people who left us here neglected to -notify division headquarters,” suggested Clay, never -willing to pass censure until all the facts were at -hand. “Anyway, we’re probably here for the night, so -we may as well make the best of it. Supper ready?”</p> - -<p>“Hot on the table,” replied Case. “Where’s Alex?”</p> - -<p>“He went down the grade, east, and will doubtless be -back in a moment. Flag him with a pancake, and he’ll -come running!”</p> - -<p>“Go bring him, Captain Joe,” ordered Case. “Go tell -Alex that the last call for supper is on in the -dining car.”</p> - -<p>Captain Joe wiggled his stumpy ears, agitated his -excuse for a tail, and turned a wrinkled nose to -the north. In a moment he started away in that -direction.</p> - -<p>“Here!” called Clay, “Alex didn’t go in that -direction! Come here, you foolish dog, that’s not -the right way to go! Come on back here!”</p> - -<p>Captain Joe looked back condescendingly, as if he -realized that he was doing business with a very -young person who really did not know what he was -talking about, and, crouching down, uttered a low -threat of a growl.</p> - -<p>“There’s something in there,” Case decided, “some -man or some wild animal. Captain Joe doesn’t often -make mistakes. I’ll get a searchlight and take a -look. He may have discovered something good to eat!”</p> - -<p>“Be careful,” advised Clay. “It isn’t more than a -hundred feet back to the wall of rock, and whatever -is in there, man or beast, is pretty close to us. -Wait until I get my gun.”</p> - -<p>The searchlight revealed nothing save bare rock and -stunted, starved shrubs which grew protestingly in -such shallow soil as had found its way into the -crevices of the rocks.</p> - -<p>“You’re a rattle-headed dog, Captain Joe,” Clay -admonished, as the boys turned back toward the -platform car and its cargo of motor boat.</p> - -<p>But Captain Joe was not inclined to accept this -reproof lightly. Instead of going back with the -boys, he bounded to a sloping shelf of rock and -uttered a succession of growls, menacing and -deep-chested.</p> - -<p>“There <i>is</i> something up there!” Case commented. “It -may be a bear. There are bears in British Columbia, -you know.”</p> - -<p>“You are likely to know it, if you go up there,” -Clay laughed. “I advise you to keep away.”</p> - -<p>“Do the bears of British Columbia talk?” asked Case, -who was closer to the dog and the shelf of rock than -his companion.</p> - -<p>“Yes; with their teeth,” answered Clay.</p> - -<p>“Well, this bear, the one up on the rocks, is trying -to coax the dog up to him,” answered Case. “I heard -him tell Captain Joe that he was making a great -mistake in looking upon him as an enemy, or words to -that effect. Captain Joe doesn’t believe him, at -that!”</p> - -<p>“You heard a voice up there?” interrogated Clay, -hardly crediting the statement. “I guess you are -having a dream!”</p> - -<p>Captain Joe passed out of sight in the dusk and his -hoarse protests died away. Clay called to him to -come back, but the dog did not make his appearance.</p> - -<p>“I’m going after him,” Case declared. “He may get -shot. There’s a man in there, all right!”</p> - -<p>Clay held his chum back with both hands and called -again and again to the dog. Directly Captain Joe -returned, looking very much like a boy who had been -invited to a delightful excursion and then detained -at home by parental command. He crouched down at -Clay’s feet, but kept his eyes on the rocks above.</p> - -<p>“I guess the dog knows,” Case argued. “You can’t -fool Captain Joe. There is some one hiding in the -rocks.”</p> - -<p>“Look here,” argued Clay, “we’ve been lying here -since early this morning, haven’t we? Well, that is -only a narrow place, between the spur and the almost -perpendicular wall of rock, and we would have seen -anybody sneaking about, wouldn’t we? Why, I’ve been -up there where the dog went half a dozen times -to-day, and there was no sign of a person there, no -sort of a place for one to hide in. You heard a wild -animal growling, that’s what you heard.”</p> - -<p>“I guess I know what I heard!” Case contended. -“Perhaps you’d better tell me I’m stone deaf! I tell -you I heard a human voice, speaking to the dog!”</p> - -<p>“If there was any one in hiding it was Alex playing -some of his foolish pranks,” insisted Clay.</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes!” laughed Case. “The dog wouldn’t have gone -to Alex if asked to! Of course not! And Captain Joe -would have made a bristle of his back and growled at -Alex like he did that fellow up there! Of course he -would! You can say what you like, but I’m going to -see what it was Captain Joe growled at. I need a -little exercise, anyway!”</p> - -<p>“It is a wonder Alex wouldn’t come back,” Clay -remarked, as Case, armed with a searchlight and an -automatic, started away.</p> - -<p>The boy turned back at mention of the absence of his -chum.</p> - -<p>“He may be in trouble,” he said. “He may have come -across the man who is hiding up yonder. I’ll look -him up, all right.”</p> - -<p>Night had fallen, a dull, windy night, with now and -then a star showing through driving masses of -clouds. There would be a moon later, but now the -spaces below, the canyons and the lifting peaks, -were as thoroughly out of sight as if the sun had lugged -them off with him across the wide stretches -of the Pacific ocean!</p> - -<p>“You stay here and watch the boat,” Clay urged, in a -moment, “and I’ll take Captain Joe and go down the -track. The dog will follow the trail Alex left, and -we’ll soon know where the boy is.”</p> - -<p>Case grumbled not a little at this arrangement, for -it was his nature to be in the thick of any ruction -within sound of his ears, but he finally consented -to remain with the motor boat and entered the cabin.</p> - -<p>“I’ll make a light lunch of a couple of dozen -pancakes,” he called from the doorway, as Clay and -Captain Joe passed out of sight in the darkness.</p> - -<p>Alone in the little room, the boy trimmed the fire, -put on more coal, removed a scorched pan of cakes -from the electric stove, and then sat down to listen -and wait. He was by far too anxious and excited to -partake of the feast he had prepared for all three.</p> - -<p>The wind lifted directly and howled more dismally -around the boat, tearing at the window sash and -rattling the door as if with human hands. Then Case -turned off the electric light, switched out the -cooking fire, drew a chair covered with a coat in -front of the coal stove, so that the live coals and -the flames might not show through the crevices about -the openings, and sat silent and, if the exact truth -must be told, not a little afraid.</p> - -<p>The boy would have bravely faced almost any peril -that came to him openly and in the light of day, but -this sitting alone, in the darkness, with the wind -storming like mad through the pass, more than five -thousand feet above tidewater, was a little too -much. He wanted action. He found himself unable to -sit there alone and wait. Clay and Alex seemed to be -away a long time.</p> - -<p>Finally he armed himself again and went out, softly -closing the door behind him in order that any -lurking person might not know that he was abroad. He -shivered a moment in the cold wind and then crouched -down under one of the windows.</p> - -<p>Once he thought he heard a call from the east, but -the wind hissed in his ears so insistently that he -could not be sure that it was a human voice he -heard. He strained his eyes down the pass in the -hope of seeing Clay’s electric torch, but the -darkness was not broken.</p> - -<p>“They might at least give me a signal!” he mused.</p> - -<p>But no signal came, and the lonely boy huddled -closer to the side of the motor boat and waited and -listened. According to the schedule made out in -Chicago, he should now be on the deck of a floating -boat, instead of on the deck of a craft stuck up -like a house on wheels on the planks of a platform -car.</p> - -<p>Instead of sitting there in the wind at the very -summit of the Rocky mountains, he should have been -viewing the never-failing panorama of the Columbia -river, somewhere below Donald, fifty or more miles -to the west. Besides being lonely, there was in the -heart of the boy a feeling of apprehension which he -could not shake off.</p> - -<p>There surely must be something wrong down the pass, -he believed. Captain Joe would follow the tracks -left by Alex and Clay would follow the dog. This -should have brought the searcher to some disclosure -long before. He had decided to leave the boat and -follow on down the trail when a sound at the side of -the car attracted his attention.</p> - -<p>It seemed to the listener that some one was climbing -up on the platform, moving stealthily, still -clumsily enough to be heard above the rush of the -wind. The boy sat perfectly still, ready with his -electric flashlight and his automatic revolver.</p> - -<p>The intruder, whoever it was, came nearer, and Case -knew that he had now reached the floor of the -car and was moving toward the motor boat. Even if the -lad’s position had enabled him to view the slow -progress of the intruder, which it did not, he could -not have followed his movements with his eyes -because of the darkness.</p> - -<p>There was nothing to do but wait until the skulker -came under the prow lamp of the boat. Then, by the -turning of a switch from the corner of the cabin -structure, the boy could throw a glaring light over -the whole car as well as the deck of the motor boat. -Thus revealed, and dazed by the sudden illumination, -the prowling man might easily be seen and brought to -terms.</p> - -<p>Mixed with a sense of danger in the heart of the boy -was a feeling of anger at the impudence of the -fellow, and with both emotions was merged a -curiosity to know what the chap’s motive could be, -how he came to be there, and what could be his -object in hiding instead of approaching openly. The -footsteps moved forward over the planks of the car -and a trembling motion ran through the timbers of -the boat as a weight tipped it a trifle to one side -in mounting to the deck.</p> - -<p>Off to the east Case thought he caught a glimmer of -light——not a white strong light, such as would -come from an electric torch, but a dull, reddish glow, -such as would be likely to come from the hot coals -of a campfire. As he looked, the glow grew, as if -the coals, stirred by the wind had burst into a -brisker flame.</p> - -<p>Then the boy heard the intruder approaching the door -of the cabin, his approach louder and more confident -because of the darkness and silence inside, and, -reaching out, turned on the great electric light at -the prow.</p> - </div> - - <div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='chIII'>CHAPTER III.—ALEX FINDS USE FOR HIS KODAK.</h2> - -<p class='first'>When the long freight train dashed by Alex without -slowing down, he stood for an instant frowning and -shaking his clenched fist at the rear brakeman, who -swung his lantern in derision and passed into the -caboose.</p> - -<p>“Nice thing!” muttered the boy. “Now we’ve got to -stop here all night! Whee! Case will have a fit, all -right! If this hard luck keeps up, he’ll get so he -can have two fits at a time! That will be fine!”</p> - -<p>Alex was about to turn to the track again and walk -back to the flat car when the thought came to him -that the conductor might have misunderstood orders -regarding the exact location of the sidetracked car -and stopped at the wrong place. Railroad men often -did things like that, he reasoned!</p> - -<p>“He stopped, all right,” the boy muttered, “for -there wasn’t a hint of the rumbling of wheels in the -air for full five minutes. Now, if he didn’t stop to -pick us up, what did he stop for? I’ll go and find -out!”</p> - -<p>It was a problem which, to the inquisitive mind of -the lad, required an immediate solution, so he faced -east again and plodded along the track in the -gathering night. A short distance away he came to a -spot where tracks showed that the train had halted.</p> - -<p>It was in a narrow canyon between two towering -peaks, and, just off the south rail, lay a great -rock. Around it were the footprints, and also the -deep indentations of a crowbar, which had evidently -been used by the trainmen in prying the boulder off -the steel highway.</p> - -<p>“They came pretty near stopping here all night!” -Alex mused, looking over the ground. “That rock -certainly would have stopped them <i>good</i>, and, -at that, some of the crew might have been taken -away on a car door!”</p> - -<p>There was no doubt that a terrible wreck would have -taken place had the train struck the obstruction -while running at full speed. But, because of the -steep grade and the heavy train, the momentum had -not been great, and the watchful engineer had seen -the rock in time to prevent trouble.</p> - -<p>“I wonder how that rock got on the track, in the -first place?” the boy muttered. “Doesn’t seem as if -it could have fallen from that summit. If it had, it -would have been broken into bits.”</p> - -<p>“I just believe some one put it there,” was the -conclusion, as he examined the ground. “I reckon -some rough neck wanted to tip the train off the -track!”</p> - -<p>This conclusion, hastily formed though it was, led -to other insistent questions. If the boulder had -indeed been placed on the track by human hands, -where were the ruffians who had done it? Had they -hidden in some of the cars, or “on the rods,” and -gone on with the train? Were they still in that -vicinity?</p> - -<p>“I think I’d better be getting back to the boat,” -the boy muttered, a vision of bandits and train -robbers peering out at him from the rocks presenting -itself. “If there are any Jessie James persons about -here, we boys would better keep together.”</p> - -<p>Alex gave a parting poke at the great rock and -turned around to look over the country to north and -south. There was little to see. On each side of the -tracks loomed a wall of rock. But, a short distance -to the east, the right-of-way curved off to the -south, following a ledge of rock which led downward. -Straight ahead there was a dip, the earth falling -away from the tracks and exposing a vista of wild -canyons and rugged and forbidding crags.</p> - -<p>As the lad turned he saw a red gleam in the canyon -straight ahead. It was not the glow of the sunset. -It was too late for that. Besides, the canyon was -considerably lower than the floor of the pass, so -the latest rays of the sun would not have reached it -at all. The landscape darkened as he looked, and -directly he saw leaping flames and figures passing -to and fro in front of the blaze.</p> - -<p>“That accounts for the obstruction on the track, all -right!” Alex decided. “I guess we’ve gotten into a -nest of thieves!”</p> - -<p>“Well, you needn’t tell them what you’re thinking -about!”</p> - -<p>Alex turned quickly about, not at first recognizing -the voice, then a white body launched against his -breast, nearly bringing him to the earth.</p> - -<p>“Down, Captain Joe!” he exclaimed. “Do you want to -tip a fellow off his feet?”</p> - -<p>Then he looked up at Clay with a grin.</p> - -<p>“I thought you were a train robber!” he said. -“Wonder you wouldn’t scare a fellow to death!”</p> - -<p>“Why don’t you come up to supper?” asked Clay.</p> - -<p>“Huh!” replied the lad. “Never you mind supper! Just -come along with me and see what I have found!”</p> - -<p>“Gold?” asked Clay.</p> - -<p>“Train robbers.”</p> - -<p>“You’ll be finding red lions next!” laughed Clay. -“Come on back to the boat. I left Case alone, of -course, to come after you, and there’s some one -prowling around.”</p> - -<p>Alex emitted a low whistle.</p> - -<p>“That’s one of my train robbers, then,” he said. -“I’ve got a trained band of ’em over in the next -canyon.”</p> - -<p>The boy pointed to the smouldering glow straight to -the east.</p> - -<p>“Hunters, probably,” Clay suggested.</p> - -<p>“Hunters, of course,” Alex replied, “but they’re -hunting something besides wild animals.”</p> - -<p>“If I had your imagination, I’d be writing fiction -for the magazines,” Clay answered. “Why do you call -them train robbers?”</p> - -<p>“Because they tried to throw that freight from the -track—the freight that just passed. The trainmen had -to roll a rock off the track. That’s what the stop -was for.”</p> - -<p>It was now Clay’s turn to express amazement by a low -whistle.</p> - -<p>“But why should they want to throw a freight off the -track?” he asked in a moment. “There’s nothing -nourishing in the looting of a freight. Suppose we -go over and see who they are?”</p> - -<p>“Well,” Alex replied, “I’ll go if you think best, -but I’ll tell you this first. That freight was -running on the time of a passenger. See? Oh, they’re -train robbers, all right, and if there is any one -prowling around the boat it is one of the bunch. You -may be sure of that!”</p> - -<p>Captain Joe now moved away from the boys and -approached the lip of the canyon, where he paused -and expressed disapproval of the men outlined -against the fire by a series of savage growls.</p> - -<p>“Come away, Captain Joe!” ordered Clay.</p> - -<p>The dog growled again, but drew away from the -canyon.</p> - -<p>“We can’t take him along with us,” Alex declared. -“He would give us dead away. We’ve got to slip up to -the fire and find out what is doing without making -our presence known.”</p> - -<p>“That seems to be the proper way,” admitted Clay.</p> - -<p>“Go back home. Captain Joe!” ordered Alex in a -whisper.</p> - -<p>The dog understood and replied by a wag of a -sawed-off tail that he would go if the boys thought -it best that he should, but that he wished it -understood that he did so under protest.</p> - -<p>“Go back to Case!” ordered Clay.</p> - -<p>Captain Joe gave one reluctant growl with his face -to the canyon and started away.</p> - -<p>“He feels just like I used to feel when the big boys -sent me out of a ball game at Lincoln park,” Clay -laughed. “He thinks there is something going on here -that he ought to be in with.”</p> - -<p>When the dog disappeared from view the boys turned -to the canyon.</p> - -<p>“There’s a ridge we can follow,” Clay said, -pointing, “and it will bring us out some distance to -the right of the fire, with a lift of rock between -us and our mysterious friends. Be careful, though, -for it is getting darker every minute.”</p> - -<p>“If it wasn’t dark,” Alex grunted, “we wouldn’t be -going into the canyon at all.”</p> - -<p>The boys made their way as silently as possible down -the “hogsback,” but, with all their caution, a -dislodged stone now and then thundered from under -their feet to the bottom of the canyon. However, the -wind was still blowing a gale, and they hoped that -this would drown the noise of their advance.</p> - -<p>It took them a long time to get down to the level of -the campfire, which now supplied all the light they -had to guide them. There were a few stars visible, -but a low-lying mass of clouds was scudding -overhead, and these shut out what little light came -from above except at rare intervals.</p> - -<p>“This doesn’t look much like a day on the Columbia!” -Alex declared, blowing warm breath on his -half-frozen fingers. “Huh! It is cold enough here to -freeze the ears off a brass cat!”</p> - -<p>“If the <i>Rambler</i> could talk,” Clay said, falling -into the mood of his chum, “she’d be saying things -about being taken on a cruise to the top of the -Rocky Mountains. Look out, now! The ledge turns -here, and straight ahead is a drop of a thousand -feet, I guess, from the time it takes to bring the -sound of a rolling stone back to us.”</p> - -<p>The adventurous lads turned with the ledge, crawling -now on hands and feet and keeping close to a ridge -which formed the summit of the long crag. Presently -they came to a rock which blocked their way.</p> - -<p>The campfire was just beyond the rock, so they did -not attempt to pass around the obstruction. They -nestled down in the shelter of the boulder for a -time and listened, but the wind was so strong that -it carried any words which might have been spoken at -the fire off to the east.</p> - -<p>In moving about Clay bumped his face against a hard -substance under Alex’s coat.</p> - -<p>“Say,” he asked, rubbing his nose, “what kind of an -infernal machine have you got under there? Are you -trying to carry away a piece of the mountain? Or -just blow it up? You nearly broke my face.”</p> - -<p>Alex clapped his hand to his side and Clay could -feel him chuckling, his body shaking with suppressed -mirth.</p> - -<p>“I’ve got the big idea!” Alex said, then. “That’s my -dandy kodak you bunted into! Had it with me, taking -pictures, to-day, and forgot to leave it in our -luxurious private car. Lucky, eh?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t see any luck in it for me,” grumbled Clay, -still nursing his nose. “Why don’t you keep out of -the way when you go about armed like that?”</p> - -<p>Alex chuckled again and moved around the angle of -the rock, toward the fire. Clay seized him by the -foot and held him back, squirming.</p> - -<p>“You’ll find out if they are train robbers if you go -fooling around there,” he said. “What fool thing are -you trying to do?”</p> - -<p>“Leave go of my foot!” exclaimed Alex kicking like a -mule. “I’m going to get a snapshot for my private -collection.”</p> - -<p>“You may get a shot that won’t be much of a snap,” -Clay replied, in better humor. “Can you get by the -angle of the rock far enough to do the trick? I’d -like a copy of that photograph myself.”</p> - -<p>“Of course I can,” was the reply. “I can see four -men at the fire now, and they are all set for a good -picture. Wait a minute!” he added. “One of them is -going to throw a lot of brush on the blaze. I’ll -show you a peach of a flashlight effect before -long.”</p> - -<p>The boy edged farther along, and Clay heard him -snickering as he brought out the kodak and waited -for the right moment to come. Clay became impatient, -presently, and advanced toward him.</p> - -<p>“Get back!” Alex whispered, almost in his ear, as he -pushed against him. “I had eight films in and I’ve -used ’em all. And there’s a giant of a man coming -out this way. Get back! Take a tumble in some hole -in the ground! I guess he saw me!”</p> - </div> - - <div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='chIV'>CHAPTER IV.—A NEW FACE ON THE RAMBLER.</h2> - -<p class='first'>When the prow lamp of the <i>Rambler</i>, in response to -the turning of the switch by the excited boy, flared -out, Case saw a slender figure standing close to the -cabin door, which was closed. The lad’s first -impulse was to fire at the intruder, but the figure -looked so shrinking, so lacking in aggressiveness, -the face showing under a man’s slouch hat was so -white, so appealing, that he lowered his weapon and -called out:</p> - -<p>“What are you doing here?”</p> - -<p>There was no verbal answer, but the boy, for such -the intruder appeared to be, began slowly backing -away, toward the railing of the boat.</p> - -<p>“Stand where you are!” ordered Case, presenting his -weapon again. “I want to know something about this. -Look up here!”</p> - -<p>The other’s eyes, shrinking and afraid, looked for a -moment into those above the threatening revolver and -then dropped.</p> - -<p>“Where did you come from?” was the next question. -“What are you doing on board the <i>Rambler</i>? Why do -you come sneaking up?”</p> - -<p>Case thought he saw a quick start at the mention of -the name of the boat, but still there was no reply.</p> - -<p>“Oh, come on!” Case advised, in a kinder tone, -“you’d better talk. I shall not hurt you. Did you -get off that freight?”</p> - -<p>Case had lowered his arm while speaking, and the -intruder took advantage of the fact. He leaped -backward, over the railing, to the floor of the car -and jumped to the ground. It was all done so quickly -that Case had no time to prevent the escape, and -that would doubtless have been the last of the boy, -so far as he was concerned, if a strange and -unexpected element had not intruded into the case.</p> - -<p>When Case stepped forward to the railing of the deck -and looked down, he heard a cry of fright and saw a -white figure and a brown one tumbling about on the -ground.</p> - -<p>“Let go—let go!” came a voice from out the -entanglement.</p> - -<p>This was followed by a snarling growl in which Case -recognized the deep-chested voice of Captain Joe.</p> - -<p>“Here!” the boy called out to the dog. “Let up, -Captain Joe! Watch him, old fellow, but don’t eat -him up!”</p> - -<p>The dog separated himself from the tangle and sat -up, his wrinkled nose, his twitching ears and -jerking tail, apparently following every movement of -his late antagonist.</p> - -<p>“Did he bite you?” asked Case, hastening down to -where the boy lay, not daring to make a move.</p> - -<p>“I—I don’t know,” was the pitiful reply. “I think he -tore my clothes, though.”</p> - -<p>“Lucky he didn’t tear your throat,” Case commented. -“Get up and come into the cabin. I want to know who -you are, and why you are here. Keep away, Captain -Joe!”</p> - -<p>The dog did not seem pleased with the idea of -transferring his prisoner to the custody of another, -but he mounted slowly to the deck of the motor boat -and sat gloomily watching the two until the cabin -door closed against him.</p> - -<p>“Well, that’s a nice way to thank a fellow!” his -eyes seemed to say, as he turned an ear to the east -in response to the beating of wheels on the upward -grade.</p> - -<p>There was another train coming, and Case opened the -cabin door and looked out Captain Joe greeted him -with a dignity which was at once a promise of -forgiveness and a reminder of previous discourteous -treatment.</p> - -<p>Case listened an instant and turned his face back -into the cabin.</p> - -<p>“I’m going out now,” he said to the captive inside, -“but I’m leaving the dog on guard. He’ll eat you up -if you try to get away.”</p> - -<p>With this cheerful remark he turned from the cabin -and listened to the steady roar of the approaching -train.</p> - -<p>“If you are hungry,” he called back, already moving -away and leaving the door open so that the watchful -dog might be seen from the interior, “there are cold -pancakes and bacon on the table, and coffee on the -stove. We got supper a long time ago, but this has -been our busy night, so we haven’t eaten yet.”</p> - -<p>There was an instantaneous rattling of dishes and -Case smiled as he peered through the open door. -The prisoner was eating as if he had not seen food -before in a long time.</p> - -<p>“Go to it!” laughed Case. “You’re welcome. And, say, -if you know anything about electric stoves, you -might warm up that coffee. Or perhaps you can do it -quicker on top of the coal stove, if the fire hasn’t -gone out.”</p> - -<p>The headlight of the on-coming train was now in the -pass, lighting the rails until they glistened again, -bringing the platform car and the boat set rakishly -upon it out in bold relief. And just in front of the -engine, running at full speed along the ends of the -ties, was Clay. Alex could be seen clinging to one -of the cab steps with the fireman threatening him -with a shovel of coal.</p> - -<p>Much to Case’s delight, the engine drew up in front -of the sidetracked car, and the conductor came -running down from the caboose, swinging a lantern in -his hand. He threw a volley of ugly words at Alex -and stepped up to where Case stood, leaning over the -railing of the <i>Rambler</i>.</p> - -<p>“Does that kid belong with you?” he demanded, -flinging his lantern out in the direction of Alex. -“He might have been killed, making a catch like -that. Where is the boss of this outfit?”</p> - -<p>“We are all bosses,” replied Case, not at all -pleased with the abrupt manners of the conductor.</p> - -<p>“Humph! A mess of boys! Well, get a move on, here, -and let us hitch you on. We’ve lost time enough -now.”</p> - -<p>“You needn’t lose any more on our account,” Case -replied, provokingly. “Get busy just as soon as you -like. In other words, ‘Fire, Gridley, as soon as you -are ready,’” he added, with a grin, repeating the -words of Dewey at Manila bay.</p> - -<p>“I’d like to have the firing of you!” exclaimed the -exasperated conductor. “Here, boys,” he added, -addressing a group of men who came up from the -caboose, “get the jacks under the car and put in two -new wheels. We’ve got to haul her down to Donald.”</p> - -<p>There was then a great flashing of lanterns, a -clashing of tongues, and a groaning of steel screws -as the jacks lifted the rear end of the car high in -the air. Clay and Alex dived into the cabin to -straighten out possible entanglements there and were -amazed at coming upon a slender stranger busy at the -pancake griddle. They both stopped in the middle of -the room, which was not a very large one, and looked -the questions they were too breathless to ask.</p> - -<p>“I was told to warm up the coffee,” the boy said, -“and I thought I’d cook some more cakes. I’ve eaten -all you cooked for supper, and all the bacon, too. I -was hungry.”</p> - -<p>“I should say so,” Alex responded. “There was enough -cakes for six harvest hands.”</p> - -<p>“I’m sorry,” the slender boy said, apologetically, -“and I’ll make it right.”</p> - -<p>“Forget it!” cried Alex. “It is right now.”</p> - -<p>Outside the trainmen were letting the axle, clothed -with new wheels, down on the track, which they did -with a spiteful bump. For an instant all three boys -lost their footing and came together with a dash -which nearly threw them to the floor. The incident -brought them closer together, socially as well as -physically, and they were making friends fast when -the car was hauled out on the main line.</p> - -<p>“You’re a new one on me,” Alex was saying when the -conductor gave the signal and the train went -rattling off toward the Pacific ocean.</p> - -<p>When the car was well under way Clay and the others -began asking questions of each other and of the -stranger, who seemed nervous and anxious to get -away—eager to leave the boat, yet longing to remain!</p> - -<p>“Where did you come from?” asked Clay, after the -boys were gathered about the table for the delayed -supper. “Queer thing, your lighting down on us here, -at the summit of the Rocky mountains. Do you belong -to the gang over there by the campfire?”</p> - -<p>The lad gave a quick start of surprise and shook his -head.</p> - -<p>“When did you get here?” asked Alex. “Was it you -prowling around the car just after sunset?”</p> - -<p>The boy nodded, but did not answer the first -question by saying when he had reached that -locality.</p> - -<p>“How did you get here?” put in Case. “I don’t think -you’ve walked to the great divide.”</p> - -<p>“Why, I came on that train,” was the reply.</p> - -<p>The stranger did not say which train, but the boys -took it for granted that he referred to the freight -train which had been held up by the boulder blocking -the way.</p> - -<p>“Why didn’t you go to the campfire instead of coming -to the boat?” asked Clay, suspiciously. “It was -nearer to the fire, and you must have seen it, for -the train stopped near the ridge that leads to it.”</p> - -<p>“I was over there,” replied the boy, hesitatingly, -“but I didn’t like the appearance of things, so I -came on and happened on your car.”</p> - -<p>“What is your notion of those men at the fire?” -asked Clay.</p> - -<p>“I think they may be outlaws.”</p> - -<p>“Just what I think!” Alex shouted. “Clay thinks they -are hunters, but he’s weak-minded sometimes! What -makes you think they are outlaws?” he continued, -determined to have his own impression of the men -sustained by an eye-witness.</p> - -<p>“Because I heard some talk about fleeing from -justice.”</p> - -<p>“There!” cried Alex nudging Clay. “Now will you be -good? I’m glad we got out of that locality just as -we did, for I believe some one saw me taking a -snapshot and followed us.”</p> - -<p>“I think you are dreaming,” Clay laughed, but the -stranger gave a startled glance about and crouched -closer in the corner where he sat.</p> - -<p>The boys noted his shrinking attitude and looked at -each other significantly. Just why he should show -terror at the mention of the men in camp was a -matter which they would, they thought, inquire into -later.</p> - -<p>“When you get done talking to each other,” Case put -in, sourly, “you might tell me something about the -campfire and the men you took a snapshot at and got -chased for your pains.”</p> - -<p>Then Clay told the story and Alex added amusing -frills by telling how Clay had tried to pull him -back by the legs so he couldn’t take the snapshots -he wanted.</p> - -<p>“But I got the pictures,” the boy laughed, “just the -same—eight of them. One of the fellows was -continually throwing mountain grass or some other -light stuff on the fire, and it was as good as a -flashlight.”</p> - -<p>“Will you let me see the pictures?” asked the -stranger, showing great interest in the recital.</p> - -<p>“You’ll have to wait until I get them in shape,” -Alex laughed. “I don’t propose to take chances by -having them out now. Would you know the men at the -fire if you saw them again?”</p> - -<p>“I’m not sure,” was the reply.</p> - -<p>“What were you doing on the freight train?” asked -Case, abruptly.</p> - -<p>“Just stealing a ride,” was the slow, bashful reply.</p> - -<p>“You got off here when it stopped?” asked Clay.</p> - -<p>“It was still in motion when I got off.”</p> - -<p>“Where did you come from—where is your home?”</p> - -<p>This from Clay, who had been studying the boy’s face -curiously for some moments. “What city did you live -in last?”</p> - -<p>“Chicago,” was the hesitating reply.</p> - -<p>“What’s your name?” asked Case, as Clay turned his -face away with a quiet smile. “Why don’t you open up -and tell us all about yourself?”</p> - -<p>“There is nothing to tell,” was the grave reply. -“I’m just a boy tramp, I guess. But I’d like to have -you answer a question,” he added, with a flush on -his pale face. “I’d like to know if it was one of -the men from the campfire who followed you, or—or -some one else.”</p> - -<p>“Was there some one else in there?” asked Clay. “You -said you went there before you visited the -<i>Rambler</i>. Do you think there were men there whom we -did not see at the fire?”</p> - -<p>“I thought there were men near the campfire who did -not belong there,” was the reply. “They looked so -fierce that I was afraid and ran away. I thought, -perhaps, that you might have been followed by one of -the men I saw hanging about there—not by one of the -campers.”</p> - -<p>“Another mystery!” laughed Alex. “On the trip to -the Amazon we picked up a mysterious boy, and here, -presto! we have another. But this boy seems to know -what he’s talking about, and the other one didn’t. -At least, he wouldn’t let us know that he did -for a long time. Whew! I’d have climbed up a star beam if -I’d ’a’ known there were two gangs in the rocks. -One was enough for me!”</p> - -<p>The conductor now came climbing back over the train -to the platform car, swinging his lantern -spitefully. Clay opened the cabin door and stood -waiting for him to come up, waiting with a sense of -impending trouble.</p> - -<p>The conductor leaped lightly to the deck of the boat -from the platform of the car and stood holding his -lantern up on a level with his eyes in order that he -might see better. Clay switched on the prow light -and stood watching him alertly.</p> - -<p>Presently the conductor, now reinforced by a husky -brakeman, stepped squarely in front of Clay and -flashed a pair of angry eyes at him.</p> - -<p>“Stand out of the way!” he commanded. “I want to -look inside!”</p> - -<p>Clay stood stupidly staring for a moment and then -stepped out of the doorway.</p> - </div> - - <div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='chV'>CHAPTER V.—WHAT TOOK PLACE ON THE TRAIN.</h2> - -<p class='first'>There was no need for the conductor to hold his -lantern aloft now, so he set it down on the deck and -glared into the cabin. The husky brakeman crowded -close to him, peering into the interior over his -broad shoulder, a cynical smile on his grimy face.</p> - -<p>The conductor seemed disappointed at the result of -his inspection of the cabin. He gave a grunt and a -shrug of the shoulders and turned to Clay, who stood -watching him with apprehension in his eyes.</p> - -<p>“Where are the others?” he demanded, in an accusing -tone of voice.</p> - -<p>“We are all here,” replied Clay, doing his best to -keep control of his temper, for the manner of the -railroad official was insulting.</p> - -<p>“Only four?” the surly conductor asked, still -looking suspiciously around. “These four belong on -the boat, do they?”</p> - -<p>The strange boy seemed to shiver with cold or fear. -But the door of the cabin was open, and the wind -sweeping over the moving train was cold and -piercing. In a moment the boy turned his face away.</p> - -<p>“All belong here—now,” replied Clay, motioning for -Case, who had an angry answer on his lips, to remain -silent. “We all belong.”</p> - -<p>“Where are the men who got on at the pass?” was the -next question.</p> - -<p>“This boy got on there,” answered Clay. “He needed -rest and food, and we took him in. If any one else -got on the train at the pass they are not in the -boat—have no right here.”</p> - -<p>“Humph!” growled the conductor. “This brakeman says -he saw two rough-looking men swing on the train as -it got under way and move back toward the platform -car. Your bill calls for only three passengers to go -with the boat, and I’m not going to have a gang of -toughs loaded onto me. There’s been too many holdups -in this section now.”</p> - -<p>“We are going to Donald,” Clay replied, still -keeping control of his rather unruly temper, “and -we’ll pay the boy’s fare to that point, if you think -we ought to. We are not trying to sneak an extra -passenger in on you. The coming of the boy was -accidental, as you have been told.”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t come here to collect fares,” shouted the -conductor. “I came back here to spot a couple of -bruisers who headed for this car. If I find them -they’ll hit the grit mighty sudden. Understand -that?”</p> - -<p>“Go as far as you like,” Clay smiled. “We have no -interest in any men who might have taken your train -at the pass. Shall I pay for the boy’s ride to -Donald?” he added, putting his hand into a pocket.</p> - -<p>“I’ll take the money for his fare, but I’ll throw -the others off, just the same,” exclaimed the -conductor. “I believe you know where the others are, -and my advice to you is to point them out to me.”</p> - -<p>“Why are you so particular about finding them in -this car?” asked Clay, smoothly, for he knew that -the railroad official could make them no end of -trouble if he saw fit to do so. “Have you looked -through the entire train? Are there no other -hiding-places to look over?”</p> - -<p>“There was an obstruction placed on the track at the -pass,” the conductor said, then, in a more -conciliatory tone, “and the men who got on my train -and started back toward this car are the ones -who did it. It is ten to one that they are up to further -mischief.”</p> - -<p>“But you were going to throw them off,” suggested -Clay.</p> - -<p>“That was a bluff,” admitted the other. “I thought -you might offer to pay their fare, as you did the -boy’s. They will go down in irons if I find them.”</p> - -<p>“I see,” Clay rejoined. “Well, I think you are next -to your job, and I’m sorry I can’t help you. I don’t -know why the men you speak of should seek refuge in -this car, but what you say about their starting back -here is probably true. If I see anything of them -I’ll let you know. By the way,” he added, “we have -some fine coffee, piping hot. Wouldn’t you gentlemen -like a cup?”</p> - -<p>Case made a sly face at the word “gentlemen,” and -Captain Joe arose from his rug under one of the -shelf-benches and snarled at the heavy shoes of the -trainmen. Alex covered his mouth with one hand to -check an outburst of laughter. The conductor stared -at the boy and kicked at the dog, as if sensing -ridicule, but addressed his conversation to Clay.</p> - -<p>“Why, yes,” he said, taking in the fragrant odor -of the coffee, “a cup of something hot wouldn’t come -amiss. We are having coffee in the caboose right -soon, but it is a cold night up here.”</p> - -<p>“You’ll be welcome,” Clay answered, “and there are -pancakes, too, if you like them. The boys can make -some in a minute.”</p> - -<p>The trainmen drank two cups of coffee each and -greedily devoured a dozen pancakes, which Alex -hastened to make. Alex was wishing that the coffee -would scorch their throats!</p> - -<p>The meal over, the conductor’s face took on a -friendlier look.</p> - -<p>“At Calgary,” he said, “we were ordered to load on -jacks and extra wheels and pick you up here. News of -the breakdown came there by wire just before we -started out. At Laggan there was a message waiting -for us saying that an attempt had been made to wreck -a freight here. The crew had telegraphed from Field, -just west of here.</p> - -<p>“Well, I naturally got the idea into my head that -the breakdown here—or back at the pass, rather—was -just a plant, so I was suspicious when I came up. I -was told in the message received at Laggan to keep -my eyes open for the wreckers, and that is why I was -so short with you.”</p> - -<p>“You acted just as I should under the -circumstances,” Clay hastened to say, seeing that -the conductor was inclined to be friendly and -wishing to remain in his good graces. “Now, what -shall I pay you for the extra fare to Donald? We -don’t want to beat the road out of a cent.”</p> - -<p>“The coffee pays for that,” smiled the conductor.</p> - -<p>“Let us know if you find the men who jumped the -train at the pass,” Clay then said. “This boy thinks -there are two groups of men back there, at the pass, -you know, and is inclined, from appearances, to be -afraid of one of them.”</p> - -<p>The stranger turned frightened eyes toward Clay for -only an instant and then faced away again. The -conductor saw the look and asked:</p> - -<p>“What is this lad’s name, and where does he come -from?”</p> - -<p>“Comes from Chicago,” answered Clay. “We haven’t -learned his name as yet. We have been together only -a short time, you know.”</p> - -<p>“What is it, boy?” asked the trainman, not at all -unkindly. “We are sometimes asked to look out for -kids who have run away from home to see the world,” -he added, turning to Clay, “and so I’ll -just make a note of this one’s name and address. Likely -looking lad, eh?” he added.</p> - -<p>“My name is Granville,” the boy answered, “Chester -W. Granville, and I lived in Chicago, in Peck -court.”</p> - -<p>“Humph,” the conductor remarked. “Not a very -aristocratic place.”</p> - -<p>“No, sir,” responded the boy, turning away again. -“Ever frequent the South Branch?” asked Clay, with a -quiet smile.</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir,” was the reply. “I often went over there, -for I like to see ships and tugs and launches moving -about in the water.”</p> - -<p>“And motor boats?” asked Clay, with another quiet -smile.</p> - -<p>“Of course,” was the reply. “Motor boats best of -all.”</p> - -<p>The conductor wrote down the name and address in a -notebook and got to his feet. Alex punched Case in -the ribs and whispered in his ear:</p> - -<p>“Funny name and address, I don’t think!”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps,” Case whispered back, “but I’ll bet the -lad is all right. Anyway, I’ve heard that a lie is -only a misstatement of fact to a person entitled to -know the truth, and his name and address is no -business of the conductor’s. I think the con. is -just butting in on us to see what he can find out. I -don’t believe there are any such men as he describes -on board—if there are, they never got on at the -pass.”</p> - -<p>“Well, we’ve got another mystery with us!” grinned -Alex as the trainmen left, swinging lanterns to -light the way. “A strange maverick of a boy and two -fierce-looking men! We’re getting all there is in -this drama, all right—red fire and all! If the -Columbia river trip makes good with the overland -journey, we’re in for excitement—and then some. Say, -Clay,” he continued, “why did you ask Mr. Chester W. -Granville if he ever visited the South Branch in -Chicago?” with a wink at the boy.</p> - -<p>“Why,” Clay answered, “it seemed to me that I had -seen him somewhere before, when I entered the cabin -and found him making pancakes. I had an idea, when -he said that he lived in Chicago, that I might have -seen him there, but the impression is an indistinct -one. It seems to be connected with some other matter -which I cannot now bring to mind.”</p> - -<p>“He ought to remember if he ever saw you before,” -suggested Alex.</p> - -<p>The boy said nothing, and Case and Clay prepared -their bunks for a short sleep. They would reach -Donald before daylight, and so would have only a -short period of rest. The train was running fast -over a roadbed none too smooth, but that did not for -a second keep them awake.</p> - -<p>Alex and Gran, as the new member of the party was -known from that night, sat in the cabin and compared -notes regarding life in Chicago for a short time, -and then Gran fell asleep on his bench and Alex went -to the prow of the <i>Rambler</i>, now bobbing about -under the motion of the train as if it had come back -to its own in some wild river, and looked out on the -swaying coaches ahead. The moon had arisen, and -there was plenty of light at intervals, although the -sky was still flecked with clouds.</p> - -<p>Field was soon passed, and then the milder grade -down to the valley of the Columbia river began. The -scene was such as the boy had long hoped some day to -see. The snow-capped peaks, the silver of the -moonlight on the lower crags, the heavy shadows of -the canyons, the long lines of steel binding -together the Atlantic and the Pacific! He had heard -many tales of daring robberies and bloody feud -encounters in that vicinity, and looked upon -every crag and canyon as the possible scene of an outlaw -gathering.</p> - -<p>Presently he saw a figure running toward him along -the tops of the box cars. Now it stooped low, as if -fearful of being seen, now it lifted to full height -and leaped from roof to roof. When it came nearer -the boy saw that it was not the conductor or the -brakeman who had visited the cabin some time before.</p> - -<p>This was a larger man than either of the trainmen he -had seen. The shoulders were broad, denoting great -physical strength, and the height was not less than -six foot three. Another peculiarity the boy noticed. -The arms were unusually long, even for so tall a -man. As they swayed away from the body with the -motion of the train he saw that the fingers dropped -almost to the knees.</p> - -<p>The face the boy could not see distinctly. It was -covered with a great beard and shaded by the brim of -a cowboy hat. Directly another figure, carrying a -lantern, appeared on the top of the train. Alex -heard a shout, and then a pistol shot. The tall man -in advance halted, limped over to the side of the -car, swung down a ladder and disappeared from sight.</p> - -<p>The second figure came running up to the car -attached to the one on which the <i>Rambler</i> lay and -shouted across to the boy:</p> - -<p>“Where did he go?”</p> - -<p>There was much noise and the wind was blowing -against his voice, so Alex could not make the other -understand that the fugitive had gone down the side -ladder except by pointing. The whole scene had -seemed so unreal to the boy that he half expected to -see the tall man bob up in the moonlight from some -dark canyon and continue his frantic flight over the -swaying coaches.</p> - -<p>“Guess I got him!” shouted the other, lowering his -lantern. “Here’s blood on the roof. There were two -of them, and both got away.”</p> - -<p>Alex remembered the conductor’s story of the men who -had swung on at the pass, and was not altogether -displeased at the thought that they had been chased -off the train. In the tall figure which had swayed -toward him for a time and then almost dropped, -bleeding, from the car top, he thought he had -recognized the figure which had pursued him around -the angle of rock where the pictures had been taken. -Feeling safer, he went to sleep, and when he awoke -the car was being detached from the train at Donald.</p> - </div> - - <div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='chVI'>CHAPTER VI.—MOURNING AN EMPTY KODAK.</h2> - -<p class='first'>The “private palace car,” as the boys called the -platform car which had carried the <i>Rambler</i> out of -Port Arthur, was being shunted from the train to a -siding near the river bank, and some one was pulling -like mad at Alex’s arm. He sat up, rubbing his eyes, -and struck out at the hand which was annoying him. A -chuckle came from the side of his bunk, and he saw -Case standing there with a most exasperating grin on -his face.</p> - -<p>“Get up!” the latter cried. “We’ll be afloat on the -Columbia in less than no time. Say, kiddo, but -you’ve been sleeping some! Get up!”</p> - -<p>“Where is the Columbia?” asked Alex hardly awake -yet.</p> - -<p>“Why,” laughed Case, “I forgot to take it in last -night and so it froze stiff on the roof. The -boys are thawing it out with a flat iron. Where did you -think it was, silly?”</p> - -<p>“You’re all right,” Alex grunted, dressing as fast -as his hands could move, “but you have foolish -spells. Which way is the Columbia from here? I’m in -a hurry to get a look at it. My, but there’s a heap -of fun coming to us now. Good old river, eh, Case?”</p> - -<p>“You know it,” replied the other. “Now, wait a -minute,” he added, as Alex made a move toward the -door. “I came in here to talk with you.”</p> - -<p>“You near broke my arm,” complained Alex. “What is -it about? Can’t you wait until I get a peek at the -river? What’s the hurry, anyway?”</p> - -<p>Case drew the boy down on the edge of the bunk and -held him there a minute until he quit struggling. -Outside the boys were standing at the prow of the -<i>Rambler</i>, watching the car carrying them closer to -the dock, if such a primitive contrivance might be -called a dock, where the motor boat was to be -launched. Glancing out through the glass panel of -the door, Alex saw that Gran, the stranger who had -come to them so strangely the night before, was -standing in a dejected attitude before Clay, who -appeared to be talking earnestly.</p> - -<p>“What’s Clay scolding Gran about?” he asked, then. -“Looks like he was giving him a good one. Let me go -out and see about it.”</p> - -<p>“That’s what I want to talk with you about,” replied -Case. “We want your advice, don’t you see. It is -about the strange boy.”</p> - -<p>“You’ve come to the right shop for sound advice!” -laughed Alex. “What is it about the boy that you -want to know? I guess you have seen as much of him -as I have. I rather like the fellow, but he seems to -have something on his mind—something worrying him.”</p> - -<p>“There is,” Case went on. “He insists on leaving us -here, and won’t give any reason for doing so. He -says he has a good reason, and that is all he will -say about it.”</p> - -<p>“But how is he ever going to get out of this -desolate land?” asked the other. “He can’t very well -ride on the rods clear to the ocean, and he’ll just -about wear his feet out up to his knees if he tries -to walk out of the wilderness. I don’t suppose he’s -got a cent of money. Say, but do you believe the -story he tells about coming to the pass on the train -that came near bunting into the boulder?”</p> - -<p>“If he did,” Case replied, “he found some reason, -pretty quickly, to get on a scare about the men in -the camp, or the men back of the camp.”</p> - -<p>“He did seem to be scared of his life whenever the -fellows were mentioned,” admitted Alex. “Do you mind -what he asked me? Wanted to know if it was one of -the men from the campfire who chased me when I took -the snapshots, or whether it was someone else?”</p> - -<p>“I remember that,” Case answered. “Queer, eh?”</p> - -<p>“Now, how did he know about there being someone else -around there?” continued Alex. “He must have made a -pretty thorough inspection of the place, for we saw -no one except the men by the fire. But, say—”</p> - -<p>The lad ceased speaking and sat looking at Case in a -puzzled way, as if trying to solve a knotty problem -which had just come into his head. Case noted the -change of attitude and waited for him to go on.</p> - -<p>“S-a-a-y,” the boy continued, in a minute, “I saw -every man at the fire quite distinctly, and there -wasn’t one there as tall as the man who came after -me when I had the camera, or the man who went off -the car last night with a bullet in his back, or his -side, or somewhere.”</p> - -<p>Case looked at his chum with questions in his eyes. -Then he laughed.</p> - -<p>“You’ve been dreaming again!” he said. “Don’t sleep -on your back, kid, and you won’t have such terrible -experiences.”</p> - -<p>“Have I?” demanded Alex indignantly. “You just ask -the brakeman what he shot at last night, and then go -and look at the top of the car. Perhaps you can -squeeze blood out of dreams, but I don’t believe -it.”</p> - -<p>“Well, why didn’t you tell us about it last night?” -demanded Case.</p> - -<p>“Because I was sleepy. I’m telling you about it -now.”</p> - -<p>It took only a few words to inform Case as to the -events of the night before. The boy looked perplexed -as he asked:</p> - -<p>“Are you sure that was the man who chased you when -you were out with your kodak? Say,” he went on, -without waiting for an answer, “the con. was right -about two men swinging on at the pass, wasn’t he?”</p> - -<p>“Sure he was. Yes, and I’m pretty certain that one -was the man who chased me around the rock. I don’t -know why he should have done it. I didn’t -see him until he broke out of the darkness behind -the ledge. Queer thing!”</p> - -<p>“Did he see you taking a picture, with the snoot of -the kodak pointing in his direction?” asked Case, -with a smile that provoked Alex.</p> - -<p>“Come, now, Mr. Sherlock Holmes,” the boy exclaimed, -“I suppose you can tell me exactly why he chased me, -and what his thoughts were as he shot his long legs -through the gloom! How do I know what he saw? I -wasn’t taking any picture of him.”</p> - -<p>“How do you know that?” asked the other. “How do you -know that he wasn’t in view of the kodak? Sometimes -you get a picture that you don’t know anything -about. Where are the pictures you took last night?”</p> - -<p>“Haven’t taken ’em out yet,” Alex replied. “I’ll -have to wait until I can get a chance to develop -them. There’s no hurry, is there?”</p> - -<p>“I would just like to see what the pictures include, -that’s all,” answered Case. “There must be some -reason for these men chasing us up as they appear to -be doing. Don’t you think so?”</p> - -<p>Alex opened his eyes in wonder, evidently regarding -Case as the originator of a puzzle to which he only -could supply a solution.</p> - -<p>“Why,” he asked, presently, “you don’t think the two -men got on the train just because we were on it, do -you? To my mind, they got on because they didn’t -like the looks of the ties as a means of -transportation. I guess you’ll find that that’s all -there is to it.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” Case replied, “I don’t know as I’m right, -but it appears to me that there others in the pass -besides the campers, and that they had some reason -for getting hold of you. I’ll just bet you took one -of their pictures, perhaps as he was peering out -from some shelter, when you snapped the others. And -I’ll wager you the washing of a mess of dishes that -they think you did, whether you did or not.”</p> - -<p>Alex laughed silently for a moment and then asked:</p> - -<p>“Where did you get it? You’re building a mystery -about a tramp chasing a boy who came too near his -lair! Come, let’s go out on the bank and take a look -at the Columbia, our future home for many a bright -day! We’ve been guessing over nothing long enough.”</p> - -<p>“Will you let me see the films?” asked Case, still -in dead earnest.</p> - -<p>“Sure! Just fish my kodak out of that mess on -the floor and I’ll get ’em out. You can see them well -enough to learn if there really is any face peering -out from some nook behind the fire.”</p> - -<p>Case found the kodak presently and brought it to -Alex who took it into his hand and opened it. Case -saw him looking into the opening where the films -ought to be, and then heard a low laugh. He turned -quickly to see Alex tossing the kodak to the bunk.</p> - -<p>“Where are the films?” he asked, as Alex sat down -and chuckled.</p> - -<p>“Oh, what’s the use?” the other asked. “What did you -go and take ’em out for? The chances are that you -have ruined the whole lot.”</p> - -<p>It was now Case’s turn to express incredulity.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know what you mean?” he said, picking up -the kodak.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I reckon you know, all right,” grinned Alex.</p> - -<p>“But what—”</p> - -<p>“Give ’em up!” cried Alex. “You’ve gone and taken -the films out of the kodak! Then you come in here -and ask me to let you see ’em! Give ’em up, I say, -or I’ll be doing something rash!”</p> - -<p>The boy was laughing, but still he seemed in -earnest. Case sat down on the edge of the bunk and -looked through the kodak.</p> - -<p>“Where are they?” asked Alex nudging the other in -the ribs. “The joke is getting stale.”</p> - -<p>“I haven’t seen them,” was the reply. “I hope you -haven’t lost them, for a whole lot might depend on -having them.”</p> - -<p>“Honest?” demanded Alex. “Cross your heart?” he -added, with another provoking grin. “You don’t for a -minute think I believe you, do you?”</p> - -<p>“You’ll have to, for I am telling the truth,” was -the unexpected answer. “I haven’t seen them.”</p> - -<p>“Will you call Clay in here?” asked Alex in a -moment. “I want to ask him two questions. Don’t let -Gran come with him.”</p> - -<p>Case, understanding what the boy intended doing, -went out to the prow and sent Clay in, remaining -there with the stranger. When Clay entered the cabin -and closed the door he was not a little surprised at -the grave manner in which Alex looked at him.</p> - -<p>“Two questions,” Alex said.</p> - -<p>“Go on, schoolmaster,” laughed Clay. “I’m sure I -have my lesson.”</p> - -<p>“One: Did you take the films from the kodak?”</p> - -<p>“I did not,” replied Clay, with a shake of the -head, a frown gathering about his eyes. “I did not. What -about it? Are they gone?”</p> - -<p>“Two: Do you think this Chester W. Granville took -them?”</p> - -<p>“I do not think him capable of taking anything by -stealth,” was the quick reply. “But what is this -about? Why don’t you answer my question? Have the -films you took at the campfire last evening been -stolen?”</p> - -<p>“They’re gone,” was the answer. “It may be a joke, -but they’re gone, all right. You say you didn’t take -’em, and Case says he didn’t, so what is there to -think except—”</p> - -<p>“I don’t believe Gran took them,” Clay hastened to -say. “I don’t think he is that kind of a boy. -Besides, he has had no opportunity, that I can see. -He couldn’t have taken them in the night without -waking some of us. I’m not a heavy sleeper, you -know.”</p> - -<p>“Did you hear the pistol shot in the night?” asked -Alex with a suspicion that Clay had slept sounder -than he knew. “Come, now, did you?”</p> - -<p>“I did not,” was the quick reply. “What time was -it?”</p> - -<p>“And you say that you would have heard the boy -if he had opened the kodak and taken out the films! Well, -they are gone! Either he took them, or some one took -them while walking in his sleep, or some one sneaked -in during the night and stole them.”</p> - -<p>“If any outsider had entered the cabin to get them,” -Clay considered, “he wouldn’t have opened the kodak -in there and left it. He would have made off the -minute he got his hands on it, and opened it -somewhere else? Don’t you think that is right?”</p> - -<p>“Sure I do,” replied Alex the frown on his face -growing steadily. “Sure I do. Then, that puts it up -to this Chester person, doesn’t it?”</p> - -<p>“But why should he steal them? Tell me that! And -tell me another thing, while your are at it. What -was the shooting in the night?”</p> - -<p>Alex again explained, in as few words as possible, -just what had taken place in the night. Clay saw -more in the occurrence than Case had seen and said -so. He was plainly apprehensive of coming trouble.</p> - -<p>“I really believe those fellows were following us,” -he said, presently. “And I believe the photographs -have something to do with it. Well, that may supply -us with a little excitement. Have you been out in -the town yet? Something doing all the morning, while -you’ve been sleeping.”</p> - -<p>“Got up a short time ago,” replied Alex. “Now, look -here,” he went on, soberly, “if Gran didn’t take the -films, who did? And, say, if he did, he’ll be likely -to duck away from us at the first chance.”</p> - -<p>“He has been trying to leave us now,” said Clay. “He -was about to jump off the car when I stopped him. He -says he has no intention of imposing on us longer! -It does look bad! Still, we don’t know why he should -have taken them. Let’s suspend judgment for a time. -What?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I haven’t convicted him yet,” smiled Alex. -“Only I want to get a line of the films. That’s all. -I want ’em. No, Gran would have no object in taking -them unless he was sent here to do that very thing. -S-a-a-y, Clay, suppose he was sent to us for that -very purpose?”</p> - -<p>Clay laughed and moved toward the door, Alex at his -heels.</p> - -<p>“He couldn’t have been sent for that purpose, for he -was at the boat before the pictures were taken,” he -said.</p> - -<p>“Yes, but, since then, he might have received orders -from the men, I believe there is something up here. -Those men back there may be train robbers, -who don’t want any pictures taken. Understand? -Gran might have come west with them. He might have -been sent over to us to get a line on our -intentions. Later, he might have been told to steal -the films! It is up to him to explain, anyway, but -don’t be too hard on him. Suppose it should turn -out that the men in camp, or the men back of the -camp, were really train robbers? That would be -awkward for Gran, wouldn’t it?”</p> - -<p>“It would be awkward for the robbers if a kodak -located them on the scene of the robbery last -night,” Clay replied.</p> - -<p>“Last night?” repeated Alex. “What about a robbery -last night?”</p> - -<p>“The Pacific express was held up just the other side -of the pass very early this morning,” answered Clay. -“The express and mail cars were looted and the -passengers robbed. The two men who boarded the train -didn’t do it, of course, but there were others there -in the canyons!”</p> - </div> - - <div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='chVII'>CHAPTER VII.—PIE THAT LIVED IN A GLASS HOUSE.</h2> - -<p class='first'>“Then,” Alex suggested, “we’d better be getting the -<i>Rambler</i> into the water and sailing away. If the -officers should decide to hold us as witnesses, -we’ll have a fine time on the Columbia, I don’t -think.”</p> - -<p>“That is just what I have been telling Gran,” -replied Clay, “but he seems to think that he ought -to part from us here. He says he has no money to -share the expense of the trip with us, and that he -will not be what they call a star boarder on South -Halstead street, Chicago—one who never misses a meal -or pays a cent. I like his independence, but I’d -like better to have him with us. Suppose you go and -talk it over with the lad. He’s pretty blue over -something this morning.”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps he wants to get away from us because -he thinks we will be suspected of knowing something -about this robbery and followed,” suggested Alex, -all his suspicions coming to the front once more.</p> - -<p>“And perhaps he wants to get away because he knows -that we’ll suspect him of taking the films. We’ve -just got to keep him with us, for a time, anyway,” -the boy added. “We’ll tie him down if necessary!”</p> - -<p>“Well, the very best thing I can suggest at this -time,” Clay decided, “is to forget the films, and -the train robbery, and the way the boy came to us, -and go on about having fun with the Columbia river. -Doesn’t it seem that way to you? To get away is -surely the easiest way to escape any trouble -connected with the robbery. I’ll go and tell Case -about it, and we’ll just cut everything out but the -fun we’re going to have on the river.”</p> - -<p>“All right!” Alex agreed. “There never was any -photographs taken in the pass, and there never was a -train robbery at the summit of the Rocky mountains, -and no boy ever came to us out of a dark canyon at -night! Say but we’ll have a lot of forgetting to -do!”</p> - -<p>“And Gran is not to know a word of what we have been -talking?”</p> - -<p>“Not a single, solitary word! Didn’t we agree that -there never was any films, and that there never was -a robbery, and that Gran came to us out of the -clouds, dressed in red and purple, with his pockets -stuffed with treasury notes? Trust me to forget it -all when I’m talking with him.”</p> - -<p>Clay went forward and drew Case aside, leaving Gran -alone on the prow, and Alex promptly engaged him in -conversation. The stranger was still insisting on -leaving the party there, when Captain Joe, who had -been running about the car for some moments, uttered -a growl and started off on a run toward the cluster -of houses nearest the river.</p> - -<p>Alex called him back, but the dog seemed to have -discovered a scent by the side of the car that he -wanted to follow. While the boys stood talking the -car bunted against the upright beam which terminated -the siding, and the Columbia river lay glistening -not far distant.</p> - -<p>“Glorious, eh?” shouted Alex. “Say, but we’re bound -to have some great old times on that little -rivulet!”</p> - -<p>Gran turned away his face and remained silent. Alex -grinned at this proof that the boy really wanted to -go with them. If his inclination lay that -way, a little argument would do the rest, he thought.</p> - -<p>“I’ve got to leave you here,” Gran said, with a -sigh.</p> - -<p>“No,” insisted Alex, “we’ve been talking it over, -and have made up our minds that we can’t spare you. -There are lots of places, we are told, where it -takes four to run the boat. There are rapids and -falls which necessitate taking the boat out of the -water and making a carry. I don’t think you ought to -quit us now.”</p> - -<p>The stranger’s face brightened in an instant. Alex -smiled again.</p> - -<p>“Oh, if I can be of any use,” the boy began, “I’ll -be glad to go, only I have no money, and I thought—”</p> - -<p>“Never mind that,” Alex replied. “You’re going with -us, all right. Is it a bargain? Sure you won’t leave -us when we aren’t looking?” he added. “We’ll need -your help, you know, in lots of places.”</p> - -<p>“Come on, now, and get ready to send the <i>Rambler</i> -into the water!” cried Clay, springing to the floor -of the car and then to the ground. “I wish we could -run this car into the river and float the boat off, -but that can’t be done, so I’ll have to go and get -skids and rollers and men to help. While I’m gone, -you lads get breakfast ready, and we’ll take our -last meal in this elegant old private palace car!”</p> - -<p>“I suppose we can go over to the store and get a few -things to eat?” questioned Alex. “We’ll have time -for that, won’t we?” he added.</p> - -<p>“Surely,” was the reply. “And have some coffee ready -for me when I come back. Perhaps you can get a mess -of fish. There’s the greatest salmon stream in the -world, running along at your feet and making faces -at you! But you must hurry up and get the food out -of the boxes, all ready to carry down to the boat as -soon as she is in the river.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll get the breakfast,” Gran volunteered. “I used -to know how to get up a swell dinner out of a cold -potato and a sausage. If I’ve got to go down the -river with you. I’ll work my passage as cook.”</p> - -<p>Clay and Case looked up at Alex who stood grinning.</p> - -<p>“It is all right,” the boy said. “I showed Gran that -we would need his help, and he is too much of a -gentleman to quit us. Get a square meal, now, Gran,” -he continued, “and we’ll cut out the store and be -getting the provisions out of the boxes. I guess -we’ve got enough bacon and condensed milk -here to feed an army for a month,” he added, ripping off the -cover of a box and poking at the contents.</p> - -<p>So Gran hastened into the cabin, from which the -agreeable odor of frying bacon, bubbling coffee, and -browning cakes soon came, making Case and Alex, -still working at the boxes, hungrier than ever.</p> - -<p>Before Clay returned, the strange boy appeared in -the cabin door waving a pancake turner in his hand, -a pleasant smile on his face.</p> - -<p>The knowledge that he was really welcome to go with -the boys and the prospect of making himself useful, -had acted like a tonic, and from that moment he was, -apparently, as full of life and as ready for any -adventure that might come his way as were the -others.</p> - -<p>At times, however, he seemed sad and depressed, -seeking solitude and, while always willing to do his -share of the work, refusing to join in the by-play -which his friends often indulged in. At such times -the boys respected his mood and acted as if they did -not notice it at all. From these moods of dejection, -however, he soon emerged as bright and, apparently, -as merry as the best of them.</p> - -<p>“Dinner ready in the private diner!” he cried, -swinging his turner at the boys. “The cakes are -hot, the coffee is strong enough to lift the boat, and -the bacon is crispy as a winter morning in little -old Chicago.”</p> - -<p>“It takes a cook to praise his own work!” laughed -Case.</p> - -<p>Clay came in directly, while they were eating, and -all agreed that Gran’s description of his breakfast -had been realistic. The men came before long with -their skids and rollers, and before noon the -<i>Rambler</i> was rocking in the waters of the lordly -Columbia river.</p> - -<p>“Our dream has come true!” Alex whispered to Clay, -as the last load of provisions was deposited on -board and the men paid off. “We are at last on the -Columbia, hundreds and hundreds of miles from the -ocean, with a long ride before us. Isn’t it just -glorious, old pal?”</p> - -<p>“Glorious!” repeated the other. “It is more than -glorious, and there never was any pictures taken in -the pass, there never was any train robbery there, -and Gran came to us without a suspicion clinging to -him.”</p> - -<p>“Right you are!” Alex approved, “still, for the last -time, mind, I really would like to know what became -of those films, and if there were any faces in -the photographs that I did not see in the glow of the -fire.”</p> - -<p>“That is your last guess,” laughed Clay. “We are not -going to have mysteries tagging after us on this -trip, as we had on the voyage up the Amazon. We’re -going to hunt deer, and bear, and jaguars, and have -the time of our lives! And fish! Just wait until we -begin to take those big yellow salmon from the -river! Just you wait!”</p> - -<p>“There’s one thing we forgot,” Clay observed, as the -boys put away the provisions in the odd nooks -provided for them and saw that the gasoline tanks -were full, the electric generator in good working -order. “We never went up to wish that gruff -conductor good luck.”</p> - -<p>“He is a gruff one, all right,” Alex cut in. “He did -put on a lot of authority when he first came up to -us, didn’t he, now?” he continued.</p> - -<p>“But he calmed down when we filled him up with cakes -and coffee,” Case observed. “He didn’t turn out so -badly, after all. There’s many a gruff person in the -world who can be quelled by a little courtesy.”</p> - -<p>“But you wanted to fight with him,” laughed Clay. “I -saw that by the way you looked at him. That would -have spoiled everything.”</p> - -<p>“Good luck to him, anyway,” Case commented. “He must -have squared us in connection with the robbery, for -no one here has asked us a word about it. He -probably told the natives that we left with him long -before the robbery took place at the pass. Don’t you -think so?”</p> - -<p>“What robbery?” asked Alex with a giggle. “It has -been discovered that there wasn’t any robbery at the -pass, and that there never was any—. Well, what’s -the use of talking about a thing that never took -place. I wonder if Clay brought any pie along in the -boxes?”</p> - -<p>“Pie in a box—all the way from Chicago!” snorted -Case. “You must think they <i>can</i> pie up -there. But, say, how would a pie go just now?”</p> - -<p>“That’s all you know about the haunts and habits of -pie!” exclaimed Clay. “In Chicago they have a -species of pie that lives in glass. When you want a -bite you make a blanket of flaky dough and take it -out of the glass can, and then exposure to heat -brings it to life in the shape of pie! What do you -know about that? Pie that lives in a glass can!”</p> - -<p>“Did you catch some of them?” asked Alex, “because -if you did I want to see one perform. Which box is -he in? Hurry up, and I’ll make the -flaky dough blanket in time for supper. PIE!” -he added, lifting his eyes upward in a devotional -attitude. “I adore pie!”</p> - -<p>“You’ll find berry pie, and pumpkin pie, and mince -pie, and apple pie sleeping peacefully in one of the -boxes,” Clay replied, much to the joy of the others, -who executed a fancy dance on the deck and then came -back to ask more questions about the haunts and -habits of pie. Whether it came out in broad -daylight, or whether one had to set traps for it and -catch it during the dark hours of the night. Clay -only laughed and fished out a two-quart can of -pumpkin, which he placed tenderly on the table.</p> - -<p>“Be careful with him,” he smiled. “He will bite if -you don’t make the dough blanket light and flaky. I -have known children to need the care of a physician -after being bitten by a bad pie!”</p> - -<p>“That will do for you!” Alex responded. “When we -need any one to tell us about the haunts and habits -and preferences of pie we’ll let you know.”</p> - -<p>At this latest mention of the word “pie” Captain -Joe, who had been sitting gravely on the prow of the -motor boat, gave a sharp yelp and came trotting -into the cabin, his ears lifted—what there was of -them—expectantly, his tail trying to make a great -circle in the air with only a couple of inches of -stub in sight. The boys laughed heartily.</p> - -<p>“Do you recognize the word, Captain Joe?” asked Alex -patting the white bulldog on the head. “I believe -you do, you old scamp. Now, what kind of pie would -you like for supper, old chap?” he added, talking to -the dog as if he understood every word that was said -to him—which was a habit the boys all had.</p> - -<p>“I don’t think they grow pie where you came from,” -Alex observed, in a moment. “Where do you think this -beastie came from, Gran?” he went on.</p> - -<p>“Chicago?” was the brief answer. “He looks like -Halstead street.”</p> - -<p>“Alex stole him, or bought him, or abducted him, or -shanghaied him, at Para, down near the mouth of the -Amazon,” Case put in, “and came near getting his -head knocked off. Let her go, Clay!”</p> - -<p>This last was called out to the boy busy at the -motors, and the next moment the voyage had begun. -The <i>Rambler’s</i> nose was turned down the Columbia!</p> - </div> - - <div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='chVIII'>CHAPTER VIII.—A WRECK AND A BABY BEAR.</h2> - -<p class='first'>Donald, British Columbia, where the <i>Rambler</i> was -introduced to the waters of the Columbia river, is -pretty well up toward the Arctic circle, about in -the same degree of latitude, in fact, as the Great -Glacier of the Cascade range, still it is not so -cold there in April as one would naturally suppose. -There is splendid summer grazing land between the -Fraser river, in that latitude, and the Pacific -ocean.</p> - -<p>Being so far to the North, one would expect the -river, like a well-behaved body of water, to run -south at Donald, especially as the mouth of the -great stream is hundreds of miles in that direction, -near the thriving city of Portland, in the state of -Oregon. But rivers in mountainous countries have -notions of their own, like wayward boys, as to the proper -course to pursue, and so the Columbia pours -its waters toward the North Pole for more than a -hundred miles beyond Donald.</p> - -<p>At Beaver the Canadian Pacific leaves the valley of -the Columbia and winds south to cross Dog Tooth -mountains, a parallel ridge of the long Rocky -mountain system at Glacier House pass, while the -Columbia pursues its turbulent way to the northwest -for a hundred miles or more, as the river runs, -until it rounds a great mountain peak and receives -the waters of the Wood and Canoe rivers at Boat -Encampment. This is the farthest point north for the -Columbia, as the stream turns abruptly to the south -there and makes for Arrow lakes.</p> - -<p>Between Beaver and Boat Encampment the river valley -is narrow, and there are no settlements to speak of. -In many places the two ridges of the Rocky mountains -press down to the waters of the river. The country -is wild, and in April the summits to the east and -west show snowy caps, like stalwart nurses out in -the city parks, guarding perambulators and leading -toddling youngsters.</p> - -<p>The <i>Rambler</i> passed Beaver long before sunset and -entered the wild region between the crowding -mountain ridges. It was dim and uncanny there -long before it was time for the sun to withdraw his face -from that part of the world for the day, as the -western summits shut out much of the light that -fell. The three lads, Clay, Case, and Alex who had -visited the wild places of Peru during the Amazon -trip, were wild with joy at coming back to the heart -of Nature, but Gran, who was evidently taking his -first degree in the wonderful order of Mountain, -Life, did not take so readily to the dark shadows -and the swirling eddies which threatened to tear the -<i>Rambler</i> into bits in punishment for her intrusion -into the secret places.</p> - -<p>When it became too dark to see the river for any -distance ahead, the boys anchored in a little cove -cut out of the foot of a mountain by the beating of -waters, covering hundreds of years, and built a -roaring fire in the coal stove. As it might be some -days before they would be able to secure more -gasoline, the motors were shut off, together with -the electric generators, and supper was started on -the top of the coal stove.</p> - -<p>There was plenty of electricity in the accumulators, -but the lads thought best to use only the electric -lights. Clay gave his attention to the work of -cleaning the motors, while Gran led in the -preparations for supper. The boys were hungry and -tired, and were promising themselves a sound night’s -sleep as the supper cooked on top of the little coal -heater.</p> - -<p>“Bacon and pancakes!” scorned Alex after a time. -“I’m getting sick of bacon and pancakes! What’s the -matter with having one of the pies out of the cage? -I’m hungry for pie! Pumpkin pie! Ouch!”</p> - -<p>“I suppose you know how to bake a pie on top of a -stove!” commented Case. “Why don’t you go out and -catch a fish, if you are so keen for something new -for supper. There ought to be plenty of fish in this -roaring old river. Get the rowboat out and I’ll go -with you.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” agreed Alex, “we haven’t used the -rowboat yet on this trip, and we’ll see how she -behaves in the Columbia. Untie her, and I’ll get in -and take the oars. Be careful now, and don’t jump in -like a barrel of bones. This current is treacherous! -If we get a dip here it may be a long time before we -see sunlight again. Careful, now!”</p> - -<p>“I don’t think you boys ought to go out in the -rowboat,” Clay warned. “Why don’t you fish from the -<i>Rambler</i>, or wait until to-morrow for your feast? -It is too risky, just at night, and in unknown -waters.”</p> - -<p>But Alex was already in the rowboat, which was -pulling hard at the line in Case’s hands. The boy -backed with the oars, and Clay helped Case on the -line, but when the latter was ready to jump for the -boat the line parted and Alex went swirling down the -river at the rate of a score of miles an hour. The -boys stood aghast for an instant, and then Case -sprang for the motors.</p> - -<p>“Wait!” Clay ordered. “You can’t turn on power until -I put some of the pieces back! I had it unfastened. -Don’t touch it! I’ll see what can be done! Get out -your flashlights and guns. We’ll let the boy know -where we are, at any rate. I’ll have this motor -ready in a minute.”</p> - -<p>“Cut the anchor line, then,” cried Case. “We can’t -let Alex go off in that way. We’ve just got to -follow him! Cast off the anchor!”</p> - -<p>The excited lad would have sent the boat adrift in -the current, in which case she would have been -dashed to pieces on the rocks in a very short time, -if Clay had not interfered.</p> - -<p>“You must be crazy!” the latter cried. “Alex may be -all right. We will have power on in a minute, -and then we can catch him, if we don’t bump into a -foothill or tumble over a sudden drop. Listen! I -thought I heard the boy calling. Answer him, you fog -horn! You can beat me when it comes to making a -roar.”</p> - -<p>For an instant there was only the sweep of the dark -water against the <i>Rambler</i> and the call of birds -high up in the sky—so high up that the latest -pencils of light from the setting sun touched their -wings and turned them into burnished gold. Then a -long “Ha-l-o-o” came from down the dark river. In a -moment the sound was repeated, louder than before.</p> - -<p>“That’s Alex!” cried Case. “He’s all right -somewhere, it seems.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” Clay agreed, “he must have caught on -something, for the current would have carried him -beyond hearing long before this. He may have found a -rock in the middle of the stream, or a small island. -Hope so.”</p> - -<p>“Hello, hello!” came the voice again. “Can’t you -send down a light or a gun? I’ve got into a mess -here. Hurry up!”</p> - -<p>“Suppose we send Captain Joe down with a string, -and a rope tied to the end of the string,” -suggested Gran. “The dog would swim straight to him, -wouldn’t he? Then we could pull the boat back and Alex in -it.”</p> - -<p>“Fine idea!” cried Clay, “especially as the boy -doesn’t appear to be very far off. Call the dog and -I’ll get a long rope and a string. If the rope and -string aren’t long enough to reach Alex we can pull -the dog back. Good chance to make Captain Joe earn -his food. What?”</p> - -<p>Case rushed into the cabin and looked about for -Captain Joe. He was not under foot in the middle of -the cabin floor, as he frequently was. He was not on -his rug under one of the shelf-benches. He was not -in the cabin at all, and Case went out to the deck -again, calling softly to the dog.</p> - -<p>“He isn’t out here,” Clay said. “I’ve found the -rope, so hurry up with the dog. He must be around -here somewhere. Couldn’t have left the boat without -our knowing it, could he? Couldn’t have deserted -us?”</p> - -<p>“Well,” Case insisted, returning from a search of -the boat, “the dog is not here. What do you think of -that? Where is he?”</p> - -<p>“He was on board not an hour ago,” Gran declared. “I -saw him back there by the boat, the rowboat, -I mean. Could he have started out after Alex do you think? -He certainly has gone somewhere.”</p> - -<p>Clay whistled and called to the dog, but for a long -time there was no response. The mystery was, for a -moment, baffling, and then it was cleared in a -breath.</p> - -<p>Captain Joe’s voice came from down the river in a -succession of deep growls, followed by a different -sort of snarling.</p> - -<p>“That’s Captain Joe, all right,” cried Case. “He -must have leaped into the river and struck out after -Alex. That’s it, I guess.”</p> - -<p>“Never did in the world,” Clay insisted. “If he is -with Alex he sprang into the rowboat when no one saw -him. That is one of his old tricks, as he wants to -be in the limelight most of the time.”</p> - -<p>“Is that Joe?” called Clay, making a trumpet of his -hands and calling at the top of his voice. “Is Joe -there with you, Alex?”</p> - -<p>“Sure,” came back from below. “He is here, all -right, and he’s got a baby bear! Can’t you let the -<i>Rambler</i> down a little? I’m shipwrecked on a ledge -of rock. River turns here and I bunted into it and -caught hold. If you don’t take all night to get -here, we’ll capture the bear. Captain Joe has him by -the leg, I guess.”</p> - -<p>“Do you think he has a bear?” asked Gran, in a tone -of disbelief.</p> - -<p>“Just like him,” Case laughed. “You can’t get Alex -into any scrape he can’t get out of. If he should -fall into a volcano he’d find an ice box there. Oh, -you needn’t laugh, Gran! That is just the kind of a -boy he is. We thought we had lost him at Para, -Brazil, and he came back lugging Captain Joe, and -with a mob at his heels. Now he is cast adrift on -the Columbia river and finds a baby bear. But the -question now is, how is he going to get back to the -<i>Rambler</i>? I’ll bet the rowboat is busted all to -flinders!”</p> - -<p>“Few of your prophecies of evil have come true -lately, Case,” laughed Clay, busy with the motors, -“so you may as well quit doing the prophet stunt! -Now, if you will come here and hold a searchlight -under this frame, I’ll put this burr on and start -the machine.”</p> - -<p>Case did as requested, and Gran hastened into the -cabin to put the last touches on the bacon which was -frying in a skillet at the top of the heater. He -even grumbled a little because the supper was being -delayed by the accident which had broken the rowboat -line.</p> - -<p>“Alex!” called Clay, in a minute, “is it safe for -the <i>Rambler</i> to come down there? What kind of a -ledge is it you and the dog and the bear are on? You -might look around, while you are there,” he added, -with a laugh, “and see if you can find a fish for -supper!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, come on with the boat!” roared Alex. “I’m -getting tired of holding the rowboat, and Captain -Joe is worrying the bear to death.”</p> - -<p>“Have you honestly got a bear?” asked Gran “What are -you going to do with him? He might bite us,” he -added, thoughtfully.</p> - -<p>The boys heard Alex laughing and so understood that -he was in no serious predicament. Captain Joe seemed -to be talking confidentially to the bear.</p> - -<p>At last the motors were ready, and the <i>Rambler</i> -dropped cautiously down stream, under full control -of the power and the helm. She passed the ledge -where Alex and the dog and the bear were, picking -them up with her flashlight as she went by, then -pushed slowly up stream again, coming to the ledge -with the current against her. At last her prow -struck on a rocky bottom, and then she was held -against the force of the stream by half power.</p> - -<p>What the flashlight revealed was a boy, white -bulldog, and a bear cub, all in a huddle on a level -surface of rock about six feet in length and about -half that width. Alex had evidently been tipped out -of the boat when the ledge was struck, but had -managed to hang on to the short line, so the boat -was safe. Captain Joe was down at the water’s edge -with his great paws on the back of the baby bear, -which was trying its best to get its teeth into -action on the dog’s leg.</p> - -<p>The broken boatline was very short, and so Alex was -pretty close to the water too. When the flashlight -illumined the scene the bear cub gave a savage -spring and almost passed from under the paws of the -dog.</p> - -<p>Alex was heard to laugh and seen to grab at the -bear, and then the whole three rolled off into the -river and the boat, thus released, swept past the -<i>Rambler</i> and went bobbing out of sight. No effort -was made to stop it, for Alex and the dog were -drifting too, both clinging to the bear!</p> - </div> - - <div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='chIX'>CHAPTER IX.—THE MAKING OF A CEDAR CANOE.</h2> - -<p class='first'>“Drop down! Drop down stream!” Case yelled, -excitedly, as Alex, Captain Joe, and the baby bear -swept by on the current. “If they get out of sight -they’ll drown!”</p> - -<p>“What’s keeping them in view got to do with it?” -shouted Gran “They will drown anyway if we don’t -hurry and get them out. Let me go in after them. I’m -a good swimmer, really I am. Let me go in and get -Alex and Captain Joe can save himself. See there! -Alex is going under. Let go of me!”</p> - -<p>The loyal youngster would indeed have leaped into -the river if Clay had not caught him. Case was -equally unreasonable, and wanted to send the -<i>Rambler</i> straight over the struggling figures. Clay -caught up the long rope which he had prepared to -attach to Captain Joe and tied it about his waist. Then he -took another rope and wound it about his -neck and shoulders. Case and Gran looked on in -wonder and impatience.</p> - -<p>“Now,” Clay explained, “I’m going to swing the boat -in a wide circle and meet that precious trio as we -pass up the stream. When we get almost to them, you, -Case, take the helm, and you, Gran, catch on the -ends of these lines. Do you both understand, now—are -you ready?”</p> - -<p>The boat had swung around while the boy was -explaining, and Alex the bear cub, and Captain Joe -were clearly revealed, just ahead, in the glare of -the strong searchlight. The cub, forgetting all fear -of the canine in the greater danger it was in, had -climbed half way up on the dog’s back, and the dog -was swimming for dear life. Alex had caught an oar -as the boat swept away, and was calmly floating, -well sustained by the wood.</p> - -<p>“S-a-a-y,” cried Case, almost choking with laughter -when he saw that Alex was in no immediate danger. -“Can you people down there keep that pose while I -take a picture of you? That’s great! G-r-e-a-t!”</p> - -<p>Clay now saw that there was no pressing necessity -for him to take a cold bath just then, as Alex -would be able to catch the line if it could be trailed -near enough to him. Later, he thought, some one -might have to go in in order to rescue Captain Joe, -who was paddling along like a major, with no -expressed objections to the load of bear cub he was -carrying on his back. Case explained to the others -that the only reason the dog did not protest was -because he was afraid he would get his mouth full of -water if he engaged in any conversation regarding -the riparian rights of the bear. Gran alone looked -grave in the emergency.</p> - -<p>Presently the line was thrown and Alex seized it -deftly and proceeded hand-over-hand to the side of -the boat. Captain Joe made greater efforts, trying -to keep to his side, but the current was too strong. -Clay dropped the <i>Rambler</i> down as the dog fell -away, and Alex instead of mounting to the deck of -the boat, caught the dog by the collar and held on -to him.</p> - -<p>The cub bear did not take so kindly to this, for he -snapped at the boy’s hand, and Alex gave him a -slight tap on the nose in return.</p> - -<p>Case dropped his extra line to Alex with -instructions to tie it to Captain Joe’s collar. This -was done, not without difficulty, for the dog did -not understand what was going on, and the bear cub -made it his business to attack the boy, so all three -went under water more than once before the feat was -accomplished. Then Clay drew on the line and Captain -Joe went up serenely with the bear still on his -back. The lads on the deck were shouting with -laughter, for the dog was now complaining at -carrying the cub.</p> - -<p>In a moment Alex grabbed the cub, tucked it, in -spite of protests, under one arm, and was assisted, -spluttering and dripping, to the deck of the bear -and all. Captain Joe, on his arrival on deck, at -once shook water over Clay and then gave his -attention to the cub, but the boys drove him off and -hustled the baby bear into a warm corner by the -heater.</p> - -<p>Alex shivering with cold, soon followed, and the -dog, making peace with the bear for the sake of -warmth, sat down in front of the stove and regarded -the preparations for supper with anxious eyes.</p> - -<p>Then Gran made more hot coffee, and put on more -cakes, and opened a can of baked beans, and boiled -potatoes, and soon a wonderful supper was on the -little table. The bear cub sniffed at the food, but -curled up on his rug again. He had probably been -lost from his mother a long time, and had been in -the water before Alex came to him, and was worn out, -still he kept a keen eye on the dog.</p> - -<p>“How did you come to get him, Alex?” asked Clay. -“Nice bear, eh?”</p> - -<p>“He was on the ledge, soaking wet, when the boat -struck it,” was the reply, “and the impact threw me -plumb on top of him. Then Captain Joe took a hand, -or paw, rather, in the mess and he became a prisoner -of war. You just bet he’s a nice bear!”</p> - -<p>“If you keep him, and we remain around here long, -we’ll be apt to receive a call from his mother,” -Clay predicted. “What are you thinking of doing with -him? He’d make quite a nice meal! Bear meat’s fine!”</p> - -<p>“Eat him!” cried Alex now clad in dry clothing, “I’d -as soon eat Captain Joe! What am I going to do with -him? I’m going to keep him, and train him up in the -way good bears should go. He’s a pipin!”</p> - -<p>“That’s pretty near slang,” Case remarked, “and the -boy that uses slang washes dishes. That was the rule -during the Amazon trip, and we have adopted it for -this excursion,” he explained to Gran.</p> - -<p>“Don’t talk to me about washing anything!” -Alex cried, with a shiver. “I never want to see water -again. My, but it was cold in there.”</p> - -<p>He paused and looked at the bear reflectively a -moment and then arose and felt him over, his -advances being received with great discourtesy by -the bear, who had received the impression, it -appeared, that he was to be manhandled but not -invited to supper.</p> - -<p>“Let him alone, kid,” advised Clay. “You’ll get a -bite that will make you sit up and take notice that -he has something more than white milk teeth if you -don’t. Where are you going to store this menagerie?”</p> - -<p>“Why, he can just run around here like Captain Joe -does,” was the reply. “I was looking him over to see -if the dog wounded him, but he appears to be all -right. Good dog, that! He knew that I wanted to add -this teddy bear to my collection. I’m going to give -him to Captain Joe, the sailor man, not the dog, -when I get back to Chicago. He’ll like him for his -own sweet sake. Now, what do bears eat? Who knows?”</p> - -<p>“Honey!” chuckled Case. “They rob beehives, I had a -picture of one tipping over a hive in my school -reader. Why don’t you call him honey?”</p> - -<p>“No, sir; Teddy is his name,” replied Alex. “Come, -now, you fellows, tell me what to feed him. Will he -eat fish, do you think?”</p> - -<p>“The Lincoln park bears eat fish,” Gran answered. -“I’ve seen ’em.”</p> - -<p>“They are polar bears,” Case explained. “The other -bears eat bread and nuts and acorns. I’ve seen the -black bears dip their bread in the pool and eat it -in that way. Feed him pancakes, just for fun.”</p> - -<p>So Alex seized a pancake from the table and held it -under the nose of the bear. The cub seemed to take -more pleasure in the “just for fun” experiment than -the boy did, for he seized the cake and a good share -of the hand that held it out to him.</p> - -<p>Alex yelled for him to let go and gave him a cuff on -the nose. The skin was not broken on his fingers, -but the bear’s teeth had made indentations which -were a trifle sore. Teddy devoured the pancake -greedily and looked about for more. The boys threw -him pieces, and he soon became so tame that he would -put his paw on their laps and ask for food.</p> - -<p>For a few days Captain Joe seemed to resent the -intrusion of this new pet, but Alex so Case -declared, explained to the dog that he, himself, had -saved the cub’s life by riding him on his back, and -after that there was peace between the two.</p> - -<p>Teddy did indeed like honey, and everything sweet, -for more than once he emptied the sugar bowl, and -the very next forenoon he consumed half a pumpkin -pie which Gran was saving for dinner. The cook -rebuked him for this with a club, and Teddy was more -careful after that.</p> - -<p>Contrary to expectations, the mother did not make -her appearance, and Teddy sailed away the next -morning without a formal farewell—and seemed pleased -with his new quarters and his new friends. Before -many days he became a great pet with all the boys, -though he always made unusual protestations of firm -friendship to whoever was doing the cooking!</p> - -<p>The next morning Alex none the worse for his -wetting, was astir long before the other boys were -awake. He had determined, during the night, to make -restitution for the rowboat he had lost.</p> - -<p>“There’s plenty of cedar trees up here,” he thought, -“and if I can find a fallen one just the right size, -I can make a canoe that will take the place of the -rowboat. Of course,” he mused, “it wasn’t exactly my -fault that the boat was lost. The rope broke when -Captain Joe made a jump and landed in the prow. -Still, if I hadn’t been foolish with -Teddy, the boat never would have broken away from me.”</p> - -<p>Where the great canyons came down to the water’s -edge, cutting the precipitous side of the mountains -into ridges, there were plenty of cedar trees, and -the boy, after softly lifting the anchor and turning -the <i>Rambler</i> down stream, watched long for a fallen -tree of the size he wanted.</p> - -<p>It was doubtful if he could bring the boat close up -to the shore, for sometimes the land sloped -gradually down, and sometimes there were hidden -rocks which had tumbled from the mountain side, but -he decided to try to do so as soon as he came to a -suitable place, a place where there were great trees -growing close to the water’s edge.</p> - -<p>A dozen miles down stream from the spot where the -night had been passed, the boy saw that the current, -setting against the shore, had cut a cove into a -bluff. Certain that the water would be deep at the -edge of the drop, he worked the <i>Rambler</i> in and was -soon overjoyed to see that he could stretch a plank -from the railing to a ledge which, being followed to -the north, would lead to a canyon of some size, the -bottom and sloping sides of which were lined with -magnificent cedar trees.</p> - -<p>He cast anchor and laid out the plank. Then he -turned about to see if any of his chums were awake, -but all were sleeping except Captain Joe, who lay -with his chin on his paws regarding Teddy, still -asleep. Captain Joe seemed to Alex to be asking the -bear why he had presumed to use him for a ferry boat -on the previous evening, and the boy laughed -heartily at thought of the scene under the -flashlight.</p> - -<p>He beckoned to the dog, threw a rope around Teddy’s -neck and fastened it to the railing, thus making -sure that he would not escape, and, followed by the -dog, stepped over the plank to the ledge, from which -he passed to the bottom of the canyon. The morning -was sharp with frost, but the atmosphere was clear -as crystal. It was like looking into a calm sea of -blue, transparent glass to look up at the sky -bending over the valley of the Columbia. The breath -of the cedars was sweet to the nostrils of the boy, -and the songs of the birds were pleasant things to -hear.</p> - -<p>“This beats Clark street!” Alex thought, moving -about in the canyon in quest of a fallen cedar tree -of a size suitable for canoe-making.</p> - -<p>A green tree would take too long to fashion into a -boat, and one too long on the ground would rot too -soon, so he hunted for a long time before he came -upon just what he sought.</p> - -<p>An hour later, when Clay, missing the boy and the -dog, followed the plank to the ledge and then a -column of smoke to the interior of the canyon, he -found Alex sitting on a log watching a serpent of -flame running along the upper surface of a fallen -cedar tree. The boy had made a trench along the top -of the log and poured kerosene into it. Then he had -set fire to the oil, and the tree trunk was -gradually burning out in the middle. A pail of water -sat on the ground near the boy, and as Clay watched -he saw him arise and wet the edges of the trench, so -that only the center of the log would burn. The -flames, reinforced now by dry limbs gathered from -the thicket, were already deep down into the heart -of the long log. Clay’s approach was announced by -the dog, and Alex looked up with a curious look of -perplexity on his freckled face.</p> - -<p>“What are you doing, kid?” Clay asked, looking -about.</p> - -<p>“Can’t you see,” replied the boy, shrugging his -shoulders, “that I’m putting the roof on this new -ten-story building? What do you think I’m doing? -Even Captain Joe knows that, don’t you, doggie?”</p> - -<p>The dog said he did, in his own way, and Clay sat -down by the side of the log.</p> - -<p>“Somehow,” he said, “it is perfectly natural for -people to ask foolish questions. I knew that you -were making a canoe, Indian fashion, yet I asked -that question. Why didn’t you let me help you? -You’ll have a long job if you wait for that whole -log to bum out, and you’ll have a long canoe, too.”</p> - -<p>“When it burns out about twenty feet,” Alex replied, -“we’ll saw it off at both ends, sharpen it up, dig -out the charred wood, and have a canoe that will -serve the purpose of the boat I lost. Don’t you -think so?”</p> - -<p>“Of course,” replied Clay, “but you needn’t think -you’re going to have all the credit of making this -canoe. I’m going to stay right here and keep the -fires going while you go to breakfast. The boys are -wondering where you are, and Teddy looks as if he -had lost his best friend.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” Alex replied. “I think a little -breakfast would come in handy just now. I’ll leave -Captain Joe to protect you.”</p> - -<p>“That will be nice!” laughed Clay. “Captain Joe -can do it, you may be sure. When you return, -bring the big saw and some knives with you. I -guess the chopping knife will be about right to dig the -charred wood out with. You needn’t hurry, for this -fire must burn a long time.”</p> - -<p>Alex started away, but turned back with a thoughtful -look on his face. Clay smiled, for he thought he -knew what was in the mind of the boy.</p> - -<p>“Say,” Alex said, almost in a whisper, “you haven’t -come across the films yet, have you? I’d just like -to know where they went to.”</p> - -<p>“There never were any films,” grinned Clay. “You -know the bargain. Now, run along to the boat and get -your breakfast. No films, remember!”</p> - -<p>Alex hastened away and Clay sat for a long time -watching the flames eating into the log, then the -dog sprang up with a bristling back and gave warning -of some one or something creeping through the trees.</p> - </div> - - <div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='chX'>CHAPTER X.—A RABBIT AND A SECRET MEETING.</h2> - -<p class='first'>“What is it, Captain Joe?” Clay asked, as if Captain -Joe could turn around and tell him what he saw in -the thicket under the cedar trees. “Go slow, old -fellow, for it may be a beast you can’t handle as -easily as you handled the cub. Better keep back -until I get out my gun!”</p> - -<p>Captain Joe continued to snarl at the thicket, and -Clay advanced a few paces and peered under the -underbrush which was clinging for fragile support to -the floor of the canyon.</p> - -<p>He saw a human figure moving about, a tall figure -bending low and parting the bushes to look out upon -the burning log. The description Alex had given of -the man who had pursued him around the angle of rock -at the campfire near the pass at once came to the -mind of the boy.</p> - -<p>Clay moved away, so that one looking into the space -where the log lay would not be able to see him, -whistled softly to the dog, and waited. Captain Joe -retreated with a growl of defiance and crouched -down at the boy’s feet, still keeping his eyes on -the thicket straight ahead.</p> - -<p>The intruder had evidently not seen nor heard the -dog, and had no idea that he was watched, for he -pushed the bushes aside and stepped into the -opening. There he stood, a figure massive and -muscular, looking curiously at the burning log for -some moments.</p> - -<p>Clay observed that he limped slightly as he walked, -and noted, too, that his hands hung almost to his -knees when dropped to his sides. The face was -masterful and intelligent. The fellow was evidently -the same who had been shot by the brakeman on the -Canadian Pacific train.</p> - -<p>“Now,” thought the boy, “how the Old Harry did he -get here? And why is he here? It certainly looks as -if we had been followed from the pass by this -chap.”</p> - -<p>The more Clay thought of the matter, the firmer -became his conviction that the man he saw had twice -before appeared in their journey from the Rocky -mountains to that point. He might have been one of -the campers, or he might have been hidden in the -canyon back of the fire.</p> - -<p>Gran had suggested the presence of a party not in -view from where Alex had taken the snapshots. He -had given no reason for this supposition, but -Clay had come to the conclusion that it was a correct -one.</p> - -<p>Clay regretted then that he had not secured more -definite information about the train robbery at -Donald. He had not even learned whether any one had -been arrested charged with the crime.</p> - -<p>If the campers had been questioned and released as -innocent, then it was certain that others had been -in the pass at the time they were enjoying -themselves before their fire. The men who had held -up the train must have been already on the ground!</p> - -<p>But, even then, this man and the companion who had -swung onto the train which had towed the -<i>Rambler’s</i> car away might have had no connection -with this second party. They might have been merely -loungers, waiting for an opportunity of getting out -of the mountains without contributing to the -treasury of the railroad company.</p> - -<p>But why had they followed the <i>Rambler</i>? How had -they managed to get into the valley of the Columbia -ahead of her? Clay took it for granted that the -conductor had told the truth, and that there were -two on the train. He also accepted as true his -impression that the second man was not far away.</p> - -<p>There were many questions connected with the -appearance of the fellow at that place which Clay -could not answer, and so he gave them all up and -devoted his whole attention to the intruder and his -movements. The man stared about the little clearing -for a minute as if expecting to meet some one -there, and then limped out in the direction of the -ridge near which the <i>Rambler</i> lay.</p> - -<p>Captain Joe seemed anxious to interview the fellow -and ask him a few questions, but Clay kept close -hold of his collar and held him back when he would -have bounded forward. The dog resented this, but -kept quiet.</p> - -<p>The long-armed man followed the canyon to the river -front, glanced cautiously up to the spot where the -<i>Rambler</i> lay, and crouched down in the shelter of -a rock, as Clay thought, to wait for definite -information regarding the situation on the boat.</p> - -<p>Clay, following and watching, saw Case, Alex and -Gran standing on the deck examining automatic -pistols. He could not hear what they were saying, -but their gestures indicated that they were -thinking of going up on the mountainside to look -for game.</p> - -<p>The tall watcher seemed to interpret the situation -just as Clay did, for he turned away with a shrug -of his shoulders and disappeared in the canyon, -which parted just below the place where Clay stood, -one dip running to the northeast and one to the -southeast. He took the one pointing to the -southeast, passing near the boat, and was soon lost -to view.</p> - -<p>Clay made no attempt to follow him. Indeed, the -sudden appearance of the fellow there seemed so -unaccountable, so impossible, in fact, that the boy -almost doubted the correctness of his eyesight. -Still, there was the testimony of Captain Joe, who -was more than anxious to follow the fellow, and -this was not to be disputed.</p> - -<p>The boy resolved not to mention the matter to his -chums. It could do no good, and, besides, such a -course would prevent a great deal of anxiety on the -part of the strange boy, who still shuddered at -mention of the pass and the happenings there. -Directly Alex came running up.</p> - -<p>“How’s the boat-builder by this time?” he asked. -“Going along all right, eh?” he added, as he noted -the progress made by the fire in the heart of the -log. “I’ve brought the saw and the knives, as you -see,” he continued, throwing the tools down on the -ground, “and we’ll have a cedar canoe in about two -minutes and a half.”</p> - -<p>He brushed away a mass of coals and cut sharply -into the bottom of the burn with a hatchet. The -result of his examination seemed to be entirely -satisfactory, for he rolled the log over, tipping -out the fire and crushing it out by rolling the log -over it.</p> - -<p>“The burn is deep enough,” he said. “If it had -burned a few minutes more it would have weakened -the bottom. Now, I’ll bring some water from the -river, put out the fire inside and begin chopping. -We’ll have a canoe we’ll be proud of before long. -Great idea, what? Do you think you can ride in it -after we get it launched?” he added, with a -wrinkling nose.</p> - -<p>“Of course I can,” replied Clay, indignantly. “All -you’ve got to do in order to ride a cedar canoe is -to keep your head and your balance.”</p> - -<p>“There’s one more thing you’ve got to do,” Alex -laughed.</p> - -<p>“What is it?” asked the other. “Tell me about it, -so I’ll know!”</p> - -<p>“You’ve got to get used to riding under water about -half the time,” announced Alex gravely. “When it -tips over you’ve got to hang to it and wait for the -top to come around to the sky again. Do you think -you can get used to journeys under water? I think -they’ll be rather pleasant.”</p> - -<p>“Where are Case and Gran?” asked Clay, after they -had chopped for an hour at the blackened wood. “I -hope they aren’t thinking of leaving the boat -alone. That will hardly be safe, in this wild -place.”</p> - -<p>“Why,” replied the other, “they were talking of -going up on the mountain after game for dinner when -I left. They think they can shoot.”</p> - -<p>“One, at least, ought to remain in the boat,” Clay -suggested. “When we return they may go hunting -together if they want to, only I wouldn’t advise a -long stop in this valley. We’d better be on our -way, I think.”</p> - -<p>“I reckon that’s right,” Alex agreed, “for, come to -think about it, Gran was going alone, but I’ll go -and tell them both to stay on the boat. Have you -noticed Captain Joe?” the boy continued, pointing -to the dog, now snarling at a thicket farther up -the canyon. “He seems to have found something. I’ll -go and see what it is.”</p> - -<p>Before Clay could offer objections, the boy was -away, chasing along through the brush on the heels -of the dog. Presently Clay heard a roar of -laughter.</p> - -<p>“He’s got a rabbit!” Alex shouted, “and he’s making -as much fuss as if he had another bear. I guess -we’ll have some fresh game for dinner now,” the boy -continued, making his appearance with an animal -which looked something like a rabbit, but was -larger and evidently more ferocious, for the dog -had torn it not a little in making the capture.</p> - -<p>“I wonder if it is good to eat?” Clay asked, -thankful that it was nothing more than a rabbit, or -something akin to the rabbit which Captain Joe had -scented out.</p> - -<p>He had, as will be understood, feared that the -intruder with the long arms had returned to that -vicinity. Besides, the capture of the rabbit if -such it was, would make a hunting trip, such as -Case and Gran had planned, unnecessary at that -time. The boy was overjoyed at the outcome of the -incident, and asked Alex to carry the capture to -the boat and talk with the others about eating it, -also to warn them against leaving the boat alone, -even for a minute.</p> - -<p>“I’ve got a book on natural history,” the boy -exclaimed, “and I’ll look up the pedigree of this -beastie. When I get back to the South Branch, I’m -going to write a book entitled: ‘Wild Animals I -Have Never Met Because I Could Run Faster Than They -Could.’ Don’t you think a volume of that character -would make a hit in the literary world?”</p> - -<p>“Bound in calf, or sheep?” asked Clay, with a broad -grin.</p> - -<p>“Bound in bear!” explained Alex. “And bound to -win!”</p> - -<p>“Go on to the boat!” commanded Clay, “and see about -having that rabbit cooked for dinner. Then come -back here and help me get this canoe into the -river. We can finish hewing it out any old time. -Just now, I am anxious to be on our way. I don’t -like this dark valley.”</p> - -<p>“It certainly is a wild one,” Alex answered as he -darted away.</p> - -<p>Clay drew a long sigh of relief as the boy -disappeared in the direction of the boat. He did -not quite like the idea of running away from the -man who had three times shown a disposition to -pursue them, still, he believed that the wisest -course was to avoid trouble if possible.</p> - -<p>He would have given a good deal for information -regarding the purpose of the fellow. He would have -endeavored, then and there, to have forced a -meeting only for the fact that an unsatisfactory -conclusion of a struggle might have spoiled their -long-planned trip down the Columbia.</p> - -<p>Alex returned, presently, with the information that -it was really a large rabbit Captain Joe had -caught, and that it was to appear on the dinner -table in the shape of a stew. By this time the -canoe was taking form, and the boys rolled and -pushed it to the river.</p> - -<p>Once there, they tied it to a strong line and -fastened the line to the <i>Rambler</i>. The further -work of cutting out the wood could, they planned, -be done at any time. Clay was not quite certain -that the cedar was in good condition, for the fire -had done quick work. He had read that Indians, when -they resorted to making this kind of canoes, -usually required three or four days in which to -hollow out a large log.</p> - -<p>When Clay got back on the <i>Rambler</i>, he went -straight to the cabin and began another hunt for -the films. He had always believed that the -disappearance of the pictures had been accidental, -but now he wanted to make sure that they were not -in the cabin.</p> - -<p>Somehow, the lost photographs were associated in -his mind with the men who, he imagined, had seen -the pictures taken. The man he had seen in the -canyon was one of these.</p> - -<p>While he hunted in every conceivable and -inconceivable place, Alex came in and closed the -door behind him. The rabbit stew was simmering on -the heater and coffee was bubbling on the electric -stove. Alex busied himself about the latter, as if -to account for his being there with the door -closed, and looked at Clay with wise eyes.</p> - -<p>“I know why you want to get away from here right -quick,” he said. “I know about the man you saw in -the canyon. He was there when I went in after the -rabbit, and there was some one with him. Now, who -do think it was? Give you three guesses.</p> - -<p>“Give it up?” he went on. “Well, it was Mr. Chester -W. Granville!”</p> - </div> - - <div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='chXI'>CHAPTER XI.—ALEX BECOMES A DETECTIVE.</h2> - -<p class='first'>“It doesn’t seem possible!” Clay exclaimed. “What -could have Gran been doing there? Could you hear -what they were saying?”</p> - -<p>“Not a word,” was the reply; “they talked in low -tones.”</p> - -<p>“But I thought Gran was on the boat.”</p> - -<p>“Well, he left the boat, alone, just after I did. I -saw him go across the plank and pass into the -canyon. Then he turned in another direction.”</p> - -<p>“He was back in the boat when you returned with the -rabbit?” asked Clay. “Of course, he must have been. -Well, then, he had very little time to visit with -that fellow. It is a queer proposition.”</p> - -<p>“I should say so!” Alex agreed. “Are you going to -say anything to him about it—let him know that we -are wise to his doings?”</p> - -<p>“I think not,” was the slow reply. “If there is -something between the boy and these men, the way to -find out what it is, is to keep still and sleep -with our eyes open. Strange that we should have a -mysterious passenger on this voyage as well as on -the one up the Amazon!”</p> - -<p>“I hope this one turns out as rich as the other,” -Alex grinned.</p> - -<p>The breakfast, when finally prepared, was a light -one, so the boys had dinner early and then got -under way. It was much more convenient cooking when -the boat was not trying to turn handsprings in the -river. Now and then they came to rapids which any -ordinary caution would have warned them to hesitate -before entering, but Clay was anxious to get as far -away from his pursuer as possible in the shortest -time allowable, and so took chances.</p> - -<p>In the middle of the afternoon they came to a quiet -piece of river some distance above a stretch of -rapids, around which the boat would have to be -carried. They decided to remain here for the night, -making ready during the afternoon and evening to -convey the <i>Rambler</i> around the falls early in the -morning.</p> - -<p>Clay was careful to anchor the boat on the west -side of the river. They had come a long distance, -and if the unwelcome visitor of the morning had -indeed succeeded in keeping up with them by taking -to the stream in a light boat, he would have to -show himself if he passed, or even if he came -within a hundreds yards of the <i>Rambler</i> during the -afternoon.</p> - -<p>“Now,” said Case, as the boat lay rocking in a -small cove, “I’ll go and catch a fish and show you -how to cook it. Here we’ve been on the river two -days and haven’t had a bite of fish yet. That is -what I call a burning shame. Do you think I can -ride that log of a canoe to the shore? I’ve got to -do my expert cooking under the leafy trees, you -see, and so I’ve got to use the canoe.”</p> - -<p>“You might try it,” Clay laughed. “Alex went after -fish last evening and caught a bear, so there is no -knowing what you may get.”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps an elephant!” laughed Gran.</p> - -<p>“Or a bold train robber!” Alex put in, just to see -what Gran would say at the mention of the incidents -at the pass.</p> - -<p>Gran looked up quickly, but there was no surprise -in his face. Instead he smiled and pointed to a -grove of tall cedars on the shore not far from the -edge of the stream.</p> - -<p>“That looks like a fine place to fish for train -robbers,” he said. “I have a great mind to go -ashore with you to see you get the fish, and help -cook it. I know something about cooking fish!”</p> - -<p>“Wait until he gets his fish,” Alex said. “When he -comes up with a corker, big enough for all of us, -I’ll help him cook it. I used to cook in the South -Branch until the policeman on the beat came to the -cabin and asked for my pies and things. You know I -did, eh, Clay?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” replied Clay, gravely, “you used to cook so -well that the policeman got the habit of asking who -cooked the coffee before he tasted it. If you made -it, he had business outside right away.”</p> - -<p>“You’re having another dream!” shouted Alex. “If -you think I can’t cook, just watch me serve the -cold beans to-night.”</p> - -<p>“That is where you shine,” laughed Alex, “serving -cold beans!”</p> - -<p>During this conversation Case had been getting out -his fishing tackle and leading the canoe around to -the side of the <i>Rambler</i> nearest the shore.</p> - -<p>“Are you going with him?” asked Clay, of Gran, -hoping to receive an affirmative reply, for he had -decided to follow the lad if he went into the -forest alone.</p> - -<p>He was not taking to this role of a spy kindly, for -it was with many twinges of conscience that he had -made up his mind to keep a close watch on the boy.</p> - -<p>“I think I’ll go,” Gran, in a moment, answered. “I -want to see the big woods. While Case is cooking -his fish on the bank, I can do some hunting. -Another rabbit stew would be about right. I always -liked rabbit stew! We’ll need it, too, if Case -doesn’t catch any fish.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t you worry about that,” Case broke in. “I’m -the one that put the salmon in the Columbia river.”</p> - -<p>“How are you both going to get ashore in that -canoe—only half finished as it is?” asked Clay, -presently, as Gran brought his gun and one of the -searchlights from the cabin. “You can’t swim there, -very well, for the water is too cold for pleasure, -as Alex discovered not long ago. I don’t think two -can ride in that contraption at the same time,” he -added.</p> - -<p>Alex scratched his head. It was plain to Clay that -the boy was on the same line of thought as himself. -He, too, wanted Gran to go ashore so that he might -be followed.</p> - -<p>How was it to be arranged so that the canoe could -be brought back to the <i>Rambler</i> after each boy had -landed? Then the boy laughed softly to himself, -wondering that he had ever given the matter a -second thought.</p> - -<p>“I’ll tell you!” he cried. “I’ll tie a long rope to -the canoe, and when Case gets ashore I’ll pull it -back. Then, when Gran gets ashore, I’ll pull it -back again, so there will be no chance for any one -to steal it.”</p> - -<p>“Great head, Alex!” grinned Case, dropping off into -the canoe and tying a longer and stronger line to -the prow, in order that it might be drawn back to -take Gran to the shore. “You’ll be president of -some small country town yet. Now, don’t pull on -that line, young man,” he continued, as the rope -slipped through Clay’s fingers. “Just let her play -out easily, and I’ll have no trouble with the old -scow!”</p> - -<p>He paddled to the shore easily enough, landing on a -little sandy spot where hundreds of years of wash -of water from the hills had ground soft rock to -bits. Back of him ran the forest of cedar, and back -of that the western ridges of the Rocky mountains.</p> - -<p>“Pull her back, now!” he cried, taking his fishing -tackle out of the canoe, “and have Gran bring some -matches. I forgot it.”</p> - -<p>“Where are you going to get your fish?” mocked -Alex. “There are no fishes along that shallow -shore.”</p> - -<p>“Never you mind about that!” answered Clay. “See -that pool just below the rock? Well, there is a big -one in there that I’m going to have for supper. -When I get him caught, you can come and help get -his feathers off, Alex.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” Alex answered, pulling the rude canoe -back, very glad of the suggestion that he go ashore -with the boys, “I’ll be there watching you when you -haul him out.”</p> - -<p>Gran now entered the canoe and paddled ashore. The -new canoe was not much of a craft. It was just a -cedar log on the outside and a black trough on the -inside. Still, the boys figured that it would save -them many a wetting, for there were places -shrewd smile on his face, and Alex knew just what that -smile meant.</p> - -<p>“Do you think he’ll meet our Robin Hood friend -again?” Clay asked.</p> - -<p>“I think he wants to meet some one,” was the reply. -“He never went ashore just to hunt. Who’s to go -after him?”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps you would better go,” Clay answered, -reluctantly, for he was aching for a turn in the -woods. “He’ll not suspect you of anything more than -a trick if he sees you following him.”</p> - -<p>“What did he take that searchlight for?” asked -Alex.</p> - -<p>“I can’t answer any questions about the boy,” Clay -replied, with an expressive shrug of the shoulders. -“He appears innocent, loyal, and honest, but he is -mixed up in some game which I believe him to be -playing under compulsion. You see if it doesn’t -come out that way.”</p> - -<p>“While I’m away,” Alex went on, “you might take -another look for the films. It is quite important -that we get them.”</p> - -<p>“And when we do,” Clay interrupted, “what do you -think we will find there? Just give a guess about -it!”</p> - -<p>“Unless I’m mistaken,” the other replied, “we’ll -find a picture of a tall man with long arms peering -out of a canyon back of a campfire.”</p> - -<p>“Just my notion! But who is this tall man with long -arms, and why does Gran meet him in the forest, and -say nothing to us about it? If he is in trouble, -why doesn’t he put it up to us to help him?”</p> - -<p>“Well, well, well,” chuckled Alex, “here we stand -talking about films that never existed, about a -campfire that never was, about a pass never on any -map, about a pursuer who never lived! And over -there on the shore Case is building a big fire. -Now, Clay, just remember that there never were any -films! We’re not going to have this trip spoiled -with any mystery! What is Case building his fire -for before he catches a fish?”</p> - -<p>“He’ll probably dig a hole in the ground, fill it -full of hot rocks, and make a regular oven of it, -before he gets the fish. Then, when he has the -bird, fresh from the river, he’ll heat up the rocks -again, wrap the fish in leaves and put it into the -oven, with hot rocks on top of it and under it, and -cover the whole outfit up with leaves and earth.”</p> - -<p>“Is that the way to bake fish in the woods?”</p> - -<p>“That surely is the way,” answered Clay. “Now, you -see. Gran has gone into the forest. Perhaps you’d -better be getting ashore.”</p> - -<p>“I just don’t like this sleuthing business a little -bit!” the boy grumbled, as they drew the canoe back -to the <i>Rambler</i>.</p> - -<p>“It seems to be necessary,” Clay replied. “If we -are ever to acquit Gran, in our minds, of all -crookedness, we’ve got to know the truth, and the -only way to learn the truth, it seems to me, is to -find it out for ourselves.”</p> - -<p>“That’s just it!” Alex agreed. “If this was to be -done to get the kid into trouble I wouldn’t be -mixed up in it, but as it is to get him out of -trouble. I’ll go to the limit.”</p> - -<p>Alex paddled off to the shore, which was not very -far away, and Clay saw him stop for a moment and -talk with Case then dive into the forest. By this -time the sunshine had left the valley of the -Columbia. Away over to the west, beyond the ridges, -it would shine on the broken country—on a new world -in the making—for an hour or more, but here its -rays were stopped by the peaks which shone, white -and still, above the cedars.</p> - -<p>Clay sat for a long time, watching Case angling for -the “big one,” he had mentioned, and listening to -the call of birds high up in the air. Like all -feathered things they were abandoning the lower -levels and sweeping in swinging circles up into the -sky to catch the latest rays of the sinking sun. -Their wings glistened golden in the light and their -musical voices came down soothingly.</p> - -<p>Case caught his fish, after a time, and proceeded -to heat more pieces of broken rock for his -primitive oven. Clay sat watching him piling embers -on the mound after he had filled it with leaves and -earth. It was growing dark there now, and no hint -of the return of Gran or Alex had come. Finally -Case called from the shore:</p> - -<p>“I’m going to bring this fish over to the <i>Rambler</i> -directly. Have you got the coffee and potatoes -ready?”</p> - -<p>No, Clay had not once thought of the coffee and -potatoes, he had been so busy watching Case and -thinking of what might be taking place in the -forest.</p> - -<p>He hastened to the cabin, built up a great fire in -the heater, set a kettle of potatoes over, switched -on the electric stove, put the coffee-pot on, and -then turned to the little table.</p> - -<p>Captain Joe, who had been asleep when Alex left, -which accounted for his being there at all, lay on -the floor playing with Teddy. The two had already -become firm friends.</p> - -<p>The sight of the dog brought a notion to Clay’s -mind. Why not send Captain Joe into the forest to -look the boys up? He would do it, if told to, and -would be sure to come back if he failed to find -them.</p> - -<p>“Here, Captain Joe,” the boy said, “don’t you want -to go and find Alex? Put on your hunting shoes and -go find Alex.”</p> - -<p>Captain Joe sprang to his feet instantly, tumbling -Teddy over in a heap as he did so and, advancing -the deck railing, looked over to the woods. Clay -took one of Alex’s shoes and one of Gran’s -handkerchiefs into his hands and let Captain Joe -sniff at them.</p> - -<p>“Now you know whom to look after,” he grinned at -the intelligent dog, “and won’t go loafing around -Case, even if he is cooking supper.”</p> - -<p>Clay got the dog into the canoe, though it was a -wonder, more than once during the operation, that -it didn’t tip over, and, taking up the paddle, -started for the shore.</p> - -<p>Case saw him coming and ran toward the shore to -meet him. Captain Joe arose to get foothold for a -spring, and the canoe went over, landing both the -boy and the dog in twenty feet of water. It did not -take them long to get to the shore, where Captain -Joe cleared himself of water by a few vigorous -shakes and Clay threw off his outer clothing to dry -them by the fire.</p> - -<p>“You’re a fine dog!” grumbled Clay, as he stood -before the blaze of dry cedar branches. “I give you -a chance to have a run on shore, and you go and -give me a ducking in the river!”</p> - </div> - - <div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='chXII'>CHAPTER XII.—A BEAR, A FISH, AND A TREE.</h2> - -<p class='first'>Captain Joe, in his best manner, offered the most -abject apologies for his conduct, and ended by -rubbing his wet muzzle against the boy’s hand and -receiving a forgiving pat on the head.</p> - -<p>“If you’ll look after the boat, a little while,” -Clay said, shivering, “I’ll go out with the dog and -look for the boys. There may be something wrong -with them. They should have returned an hour ago.”</p> - -<p>“If they don’t get back right soon,” Case remarked, -“they won’t get any fish. The oven was hot when I -put that big one in, and it won’t be long before -supper will be ready.”</p> - -<p>“I’m uneasy about them,” Clay admitted.</p> - -<p>“Then you go back to the boat,” Case advised, “and -let me look after the kids. You’re shivering with -cold! I’ll take Captain Joe with me, and we’ll dig -’em out in no time. Then we’ll bring the fish on -board and have a feast. I suppose you have the -other things nearly ready?”</p> - -<p>“Why, yes,” Day remembered, “I put the coffee -and potatoes over, and they’ll be spoiled if I don’t -hurry back. You’ll have to hunt up the boys after -all. I’ll get right back to the boat and get dried -out.”</p> - -<p>“But look here,” Case cried out, as Clay started -toward the primitive canoe, “how are we to get on -board if you take the boat back?”</p> - -<p>“I’ll tie a cord to the line and throw it back,” -Clay solved the puzzle, picking up a stone. “I -suppose I can throw a rock sixty feet?”</p> - -<p>“All right,” laughed Case. “I didn’t think of that. -Now you get back and dry yourself. And get supper -ready, and don’t throw the line to the shore until -you hear us calling.”</p> - -<p>Clay paddled back to the <i>Rambler</i>, and Case, led -on by the dog, started off into the cedar thicket. -At first Captain Joe trotted along calmly in the -white circle thrown by the electric candle in the -boy’s hand, but as he penetrated deeper into the -forest, following a wide canyon running between two -precipitous ranges, he became excited and dashed on -so rapidly that it was with difficulty that Case -kept pace with him.</p> - -<p>It was dark as a pocket in the forest, and the -underbrush made progress difficult, but the boy and -the dog kept resolutely on for nearly half an hour -before coming to a halt. Then Captain Joe bristled -his back, showed his teeth, and emitted a -succession of threatening growls.</p> - -<p>“What is it, old boy?” asked Case, hoping that the -boys were not far off, as he was becoming weary as -well as fearful for their safety.</p> - -<p>Captain Joe advanced through a thicket for a few -paces and then backed out, showing that, whatever -it was that he was investigating, it was not very -far away. Case did not urge him on, for he did not -know what peril lurked in the darkness of the -undergrowth. The dog continued to growl, but did -not again advance into the tangle from which he had -just emerged.</p> - -<p>There was no wind whatever in that sheltered place, -and there was only the roar of the rapids below the -<i>Rambler</i> to break the silence, except that now and -then a night bird flew protestingly from a perch in -a nearby tree and winged to a more secluded -position. Case stood with his light on the thicket -for a moment, listening.</p> - -<p>Then he heard a giggle from a great cedar in the -middle of the tangle of bushes. It was not a laugh, -but a positive giggle. The tree, only forty or -fifty feet away, was thick of bough, and Case could -not see into its top, but the giggle was repeated, -and he walked forward.</p> - -<p>There was no mistaking that giggle! Alex was hiding -in the tree! Clay supposed that the boy had seen -the light coming and had climbed the cedar for the -purpose of playing a joke on his chum, so -he walked on into the tangle at its foot and called out:</p> - -<p>“Alex! Come out of that, you crazy loon! What are -you doing up there, anyway? Come down or I’ll send -a couple of bullets up there.”</p> - -<p>The giggle came louder than ever, and Alex’s voice -came down from the lower boughs of the tree.</p> - -<p>“You might keep your light going,” the lad up the -tree said, in a casual manner, “for if you let it -switch off you’ll probably receive a visit from the -grizzly bear that has been keeping me up in this -tree for a couple of hours. And keep Captain Joe -away. His Grizzlyship could kill him with one -poke.”</p> - -<p>“A grizzly bear down here!” cried Case, and the -next minute he was some distance away, whirling the -light swiftly around his head.</p> - -<p>“The grizzly will like that, I know,” Alex said, -calmly, from the tree. “He’s a sociable kind of a -bear, and has been inviting me to come down and -accept of a furnished room inside of him. Suppose -you take a shot at him, old man? I don’t think he -intends going away until he sees my finish. And, if -I were you. I’d climb a tree before I shot. He -tells me that it annoys him to be shot at.”</p> - -<p>“You everlasting, concentrated essence of cheek!” -cried Case. “Why don’t you shoot him yourself? He’s -your bear! What?”</p> - -<p>“I clipped one of his ears,” replied Alex, “and -then my gun dropped to the ground and he ate it. At -least I heard a crunching that sounded like eating -a piece of steel. I haven’t got my searchlight, -because I had to throw it at him when I climbed the -tree.”</p> - -<p>Case took the hint about getting up in a tree, -while Captain Joe looked on in red-eyed wonder. He -could not understand why the boys did not help him -capture or kill the big beast sitting at the foot -of the tree.</p> - -<p>The grizzly had set up a protest at the -interruption of his silent wait under the tree for -the supper he had ordered, and was now sniffing -toward the bushes where Captain Joe stood. He kept -out of the circle thrown by the searchlight as much -as possible, but was evidently determined to make a -stand right there for his stomach’s sake.</p> - -<p>The light wavered and traveled about considerably -while Case was worming his way up to the branches -of a tree, and so, in the uncertain light, the bear -kept going bravely nearer to the dog. Captain Joe -did not retreat. So far as Case could see from his -place of safety, the dog was getting ready to do -battle.</p> - -<p>“Here, Captain Joe!” Alex called, “you’ll get your -dome of thought dented if you go fooling with that -grizzly. He’s been raised a pet, and doesn’t like -to have dogs seek his society.”</p> - -<p>“‘Dome of thought dented’ is slang,” Case put in, -from his tree, “and you’ll wash dishes to pay for -it.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” Alex replied, submissively, “you just -dent the grizzly a few and I’ll wash the dishes. -I’m hungry, and I’ve a notion that Gran has -deserted, and I want to get back to the cabin. If I -should appear on South Clark street in my present -apparel, the police would pinch me for neglecting -to patronize the clothing stores. See?”</p> - -<p>“The bear got you, did he?” asked Case, anxiously. -“Did he hurt you? Guess you got up the tree just -ahead of him! What?”</p> - -<p>“A thousandth part of an inch ahead of him,” Alex -answered. “He got part of my jacket and the most of -my trousers. Hurry up and shoot.”</p> - -<p>Case knew that the situation was serious, for, -unless he could succeed in killing the grizzly, the -beast might remain on guard all through the long -night Clay might hear the shots and come to the -rescue and he might not. Alex’s shots had not been -heard at the river. Still, in spite of all, he -could not resist the inclination to laugh at the -boy’s description of his attire.</p> - -<p>“I can’t shoot him unless I can see him,” he -replied. “He’s in the thicket now, trying to look -Captain Joe out of countenance. Whistle to the dog, -and when he gets under your tree the bear will -follow. Then I’ll turn on the flashlight and -shoot.“</p> - -<p>“Great wisdom, considering your lack of early -training!” cried Alex. “Here, Captain Joe!” he -called, “Come away from that bear and look up into -this beautiful tree! Come on, old snooks!”</p> - -<p>The dog sprang away from the grizzly and backed, -snarling, to the very trunk of the tree. Looking -up, he saw his master among the branches, and -straightway tried to climb up to him, an -undertaking which was as loyal as it was -impossible.</p> - -<p>The grizzly sprang forward and lifted a huge paw to -strike the dog, and that would have been the finish -of Captain Joe if Case had not acted promptly. The -circle of white light fluttered over the bushes for -an instant, struck the bole of the tree just above -the bear’s head, and then dropped to his neck, -where it rested.</p> - -<p>The bullet struck the bear where the spotlight -rested, at the base of the brain, and he dropped to -the ground, dead to all intents and purposes, -though his huge body contorted on the underbrush -for a moment, and once or twice he endeavored to -rise to his feet. The bullet had broken the spinal -column and entered the brain. As the motions were -all automatic, they soon ceased, and then Case and -Alex after other shots had been fired, came sliding -down out of their trees, each grinning but white of -face.</p> - -<p>“That was a good shot, kid!” Alex said. “You ought -to have the hide for a rug!”</p> - -<p>“I’ll have it in the morning, all right,” Case -answered. “Just now we’d better get some steak and -hustle back to the <i>Rambler</i>.”</p> - -<p>“But you said you’d have fish for supper!” -suggested the boy.</p> - -<p>“How long do you think a fish will remain fit to -eat if kept in an oven after being cooked through?” -demanded Case. “My fish was ready to take up when I -came out after you, and that’s more than half an -hour ago. By the time we get back it will be burned -to cinders.”</p> - -<p>Case threw the light over the boy and broke into a -laugh, serious as the danger had been. The clothing -was almost torn from Alex’s back, and drops of -blood were trinkling down.</p> - -<p>“He almost got you!” Case exclaimed.</p> - -<p>Captain Joe approached his fallen enemy and then -looked up at the lads with a gleam of admiration in -his red eyes.</p> - -<p>“The dog knows,” was all Alex said on the subject. -“But, come,” he went on, “let’s get back. Gran’s -eloped, and we needn’t wait for him.”</p> - -<p>“Eloped!” repeated Case, turning the light on his -friend’s face to see if this was not a new joke. -“Eloped with whom?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I don’t know,” replied the boy, determined -not to tell anything about the meeting of the morning; -“I saw him in here, just up there at the angle of -the canyon, talking with a man, and then the bear -came along—and I entered into conversation with the -bear!”</p> - -<p>“Did Gran see you?” asked Case, wondering if the -strange lad had observed Alex’s peril and failed to -protect him.</p> - -<p>Alex shook his head and plunged forward through the -trees. Captain Joe barked at his heels a moment, -and then ran back to the bear, where it lay on the -ground under the tree.</p> - -<p>“Wait!” Case called. “You needn’t run away from me! -Captain Joe is asking you to come back and take the -grizzly with you. He wants some of that meat for -his supper.”</p> - -<p>Alex returned and the two boys skinned a shoulder -and secured quite a quantity of bear meat, after -which they resumed their tramp to the river. During -this time Case had said nothing more to Alex about -the disappearance of Gran He did not like the -abrupt manner in which his questions had been -answered, and resolved to let the boy tell what he -knew in his own way and at his own convenience.</p> - -<p>It took them a long time to get back to the river, -and even then they found themselves some distance -below the point where the <i>Rambler</i> lay, and where -the fish had been cooking. The long, foaming rapids -lay in front of them, indistinct in the dim light -of the stars.</p> - -<p>It would be impossible for the <i>Rambler</i> to drop -down to them, for the rapids would have drawn her -in, even with her full power opposing, and, -besides, there was the fish, which might be worth -uncovering. So the tired boys trudged slowly along -the rocky bank, sometimes turning into the interior -to avoid coves, and saw, in the darkness, danger -rockets ascending to the sky from the deck of the -<i>Rambler</i>!</p> - </div> - - <div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='chXIII'>CHAPTER XIII.—A MYSTERY AND A FISH SUPPER.</h2> - -<p class='first'>“Clay is getting anxious!” Alex observed, as a red -rocket went hissing toward the stars. “He’s taken -the right course to hurry us, at any rate,” he -added. “It is a good thing we brought those rockets -along with us. We may need them sometime worse than -we do now.”</p> - -<p>“How do you know how badly he needs them?” demanded -Case. “You have been away for hours, and it is more -than an hour since I went into the forest to search -for you. A great deal may have happened in that -time.”</p> - -<p>“But Clay is safe enough,” Alex insisted. “If he -wasn’t, he wouldn’t be capable of sending up -rockets. If any one had attacked him, or he had met -with a serious accident, he wouldn’t be doing that, -would he?”</p> - -<p>“I hope you are right,” Case replied.</p> - -<p>“He’s just sending a notice, in red fire, to us -that supper is ready and waiting,” Alex laughed.</p> - -<p>Captain Joe began to scurry on ahead, doubtless -smelling the odor of supper from the cabin, but -Case hastened to order him back. At the same time -the boy shut off his searchlight and reloaded his -automatic.</p> - -<p>“It may be just as well to come up to the <i>Rambler</i> -quietly,” he advised. “After all, we don’t know -what is going on there. And I’m going to see about -that fish, too, unless there are loud cries for -help from the <i>Rambler</i>! I had a hard time catching -that bird, and I’m not going to lose a fish supper -if I can help it. It may be done just right at this -minute. Who knows?”</p> - -<p>“If we break our necks falling over these rocks, -and drown in some of these pools, and brain -ourselves on a fallen log, and kill ourselves in -several other ways,” Alex grunted, “we won’t want -any fish for supper. This traveling in a desolate -land in the night without a light is just about the -fiercest proposition I ever came across.”</p> - -<p>Indeed it was slow work, and hard work, following -the rugged, broken river line, but the lads pressed -sturdily forward, notwithstanding the complaints of -Alex and they soon came to a point from which the -lights of the <i>Rambler</i> cabin struck out on their -uneven pathway. The deck of the motor boat was -deserted, and there was no one in view in the -cabin, so far as the lads could see, through the -two small windows on the shore side.</p> - -<p>Directly, however, they made out a figure moving -about in the cabin, evidently stooping low in -search of something. Then the great prow lamp was -turned on and the deck, the bulk of the cabin, and -the swift-running river for many yards about were -illuminated.</p> - -<p>“There!” whispered Alex. “Didn’t I tell you he was -safe and sound? You’ve got to go some to get Clay -into a mess he can’t get out of.”</p> - -<p>As the boy spoke Clay appeared on deck with another -rocket in his hand. Case was about to call out to -him not to waste it, but Alex motioned for him to -wait.</p> - -<p>“Let’s see about the fish first,” he proposed, “and -go on board with a meal that will make him lick his -chops like a hungry cat. Cooked fish and bear steak -will make him take notice, eh?”</p> - -<p>“If you keep on talking slang,” Case reproved, -“you’ll have to wash dishes all the rest of the -trip. I’m not going to warn you again!”</p> - -<p>“I’d wash a bushel of dishes if only I might empty -them first!” exclaimed the boy, pressing one hand -to the waistband of his torn trousers. “There never -was a boy so empty as I am right now!”</p> - -<p>By this time the rocket was showering a brilliant -red light in the sky, and the boys were arrived at -the place where the fish had been consigned to -Case’s rude oven. As the latter bent over to uncover the -contents of the pit Clay saw them from the deck -and called out:</p> - -<p>“The fish is here, piping hot on the stove. I was -just telegraphing to you about it Wait, now. I’ll -throw the line across, and you can draw the boat -over. You don’t deserve any supper, but I’ll -forgive you just this once. I’ve got a lot to tell -you.”</p> - -<p>“Is that the cause of this Fourth-of-July -celebration?” asked Alex. “If I sent up rockets -every time I had something to tell, there would be -something doing in the heavens every minute of the -time.”</p> - -<p>“That is no fairy tale!” Case agreed. “Only you -know so many things to tell that ain’t true!”</p> - -<p>A slender line came whizzing through the air, -secured to a small rock, and Case caught it deftly -and proceeded to draw in the heavy rope which would -bring the impromptu canoe to the shore. Captain Joe -was first in when the boat, if such it may be -called, came to the water’s edge, and Case signaled -to Clay to pull him across.</p> - -<p>“Why not let me in?” asked Alex.</p> - -<p>“All right,” grinned Case, “you may go if you want -a ducking. The dog gave Clay a soaking this -afternoon.”</p> - -<p>So the canoe started off with Captain Joe as the -only passenger. As if to prove good character -and make amends for the mishap of the afternoon, he sat -with dignity in the middle of the burned trough, -and never stirred until Clay assisted him to the -deck of the <i>Rambler</i>.</p> - -<p>Case and Alex were soon aboard. They halted at the -door of the cabin, anticipating a flood of -questions, but none came. Clay said not a word -about the delay for an instant.</p> - -<p>Then Alex turned his back, and the boy saw the -ravages the grizzly had made in the wardrobe of his -friend. He said nothing, even then, but sat back on -the railing and held his sides. Indeed, Alex was -pretty well stripped. Captain Joe looked up into -Alex’s face as if asking why he had introduced a -new style of dress into the wilderness.</p> - -<p>“The grizzly did that, eh?” Clay asked, presently. -“It is a wonder he didn’t climb the tree after -you?”</p> - -<p>“Tried to,” replied the boy, looking Clay over as -one looks over the face of a fortune teller who has -described an actual event in the past, “tried to, -but I dropped matches down on him. They burned his -snoot, and he quit. But how is it that you know -about that? Did you follow Alex into the -wilderness? Who told you about the tree and the -bear?”</p> - -<p>“When you got the fish out of the oven,” asked -Case, as soon as the other had asked his questions, -“didn’t you take a turn in the woods?”</p> - -<p>“No,” replied Clay, with a quizzical smile, “I -haven’t been into the woods at all. Never went -farther than the shore.”</p> - -<p>“Then you must be Sherlock Holmes, Jr.,” insisted -Alex. “The bear came on the stage more than a mile -from here, and you couldn’t have seen him from this -spot. What is there about me that tells you that I -was treed by a bear? Come, now, smarty, tell me!”</p> - -<p>“Your clothes!” laughed Clay. “You have no idea -that I would lay it to a fish coming up out of the -river and biting you, have you?”</p> - -<p>“Smarty!” repeated Alex. “If you know so much about -what took place in the woods, tell me what has -become of Gran. Come on, now.”</p> - -<p>“Gran has gone over the rapids!” was Clay’s -astonishing reply.</p> - -<p>Case and Alex looked their amazement, but did not -reply.</p> - -<p>“He went past here in a boat, a boat that looked to -me like the one we lost, and—”</p> - -<p>“Yes, he did!” Alex cut in. “I saw him out there in -the woods. He was standing under a tree, and there -was a—”</p> - -<p>“He must have had to hustle to get to the river -before we did,” was all Case said. The mystery was -too deep to talk about.</p> - -<p>“You remember the waterproof paper and envelopes we -brought with us,” Clay went on, glad that Alex had -stopped short in his explanation, “well it seems -that he had some of both with him. How long he’s -been carrying them in anticipation of an emergency -like this one, I don’t know, but it seems that he -had waterproof envelopes and paper with him when he -left the <i>Rambler</i>.</p> - -<p>“Well, what’s the answer?” asked Alex fidgeting -about.</p> - -<p>“Slang!” cried Case. “I know who’ll wash dishes -to-night!”</p> - -<p>“Not very long ago,” Clay went on, taking a sheet -of paper from his pocket, “I saw a boat drifting -down upon the <i>Rambler</i>. There were two figures in -it. One was rowing, evidently just to keep -steerway, and the other was laying on the bottom in -the prow.</p> - -<p>“When the boat came in the circle of the prow lamp, -I saw that it was the one that got away from us -where we found Teddy, and also that the figure in -the prow was resting in a position which indicated -an attempt at hiding away from whoever might see -the boat from the <i>Rambler</i>.</p> - -<p>“Robin Hood, and Treasure Island, and Robinson -Crusoe are dull history compared to this voyage!” -exclaimed Alex drawing closer. “A man hiding in the -prow of a stolen boat! Go on with the dream! You’ll -wake up directly and find the fish cold!”</p> - -<p>“In a second,” Clay resumed, with a tolerant smile, -“I saw that the person in the prow was Gran, and -that he was trying to signal to me. The boat came -along pretty fast, and I didn’t catch on to what he -wanted until it was close at hand. Then he lifted -one hand up over the edge of the boat and threw -something up stream. The boat moved on down before -what had been tossed into the water came to the -prow of the <i>Rambler</i>. I reached down with our -dipping net and got it. Here it is:</p> - -<p>“‘Alex treed by a bear. Case approaching. You’ll -hear from me later. Keep your eyes open. Don’t lose -the f——’</p> - -<p>“That’s the end of it,” Clay went on. “Now, who’s -ready to give the answer? Who rowed Gran away? Why? -What word had he started to write when he stopped?”</p> - -<p>“You’ve got me going!” Alex exclaimed. “I’m no mind -reader!”</p> - -<p>“What about it. Case?” asked Clay. “What’s your -answer?”</p> - -<p>“I’m just out of answers,” Case laughed, though -there was a worried look on his face. “Look here!” -he went on, “we’ve been trying to escape the -mystery stunt ever since we returned from the -Amazon. Now, suppose we quit guessing and wait for -the answer? No one knows a thing about that boy, -and that’s the answer, so far as I know what it -is!”</p> - -<p>Clay and Alex exchanged significant glances when -Case was not looking in their direction. They both -had a suspicion as to what the word beginning with -“f” would have been had it been completed!</p> - -<p>Their supposition that the word would have been -“films” increased their wonder and added to the -mystery. To tell the truth, they had both believed -that, for some purpose of his own which he would be -able to explain satisfactorily later on, Gran, had -removed the films from the kodak, and now, if their -suspicions were well founded, he was asking, under -strange circumstances, that they be well taken care -of!</p> - -<p>Case went into the cabin and found the fish safe -under a tin, secured by a heavy weight, on the -table. Teddy was sniffing about, and Captain Joe -was reproving him for his inquisitiveness by biting -at his inch or so of tail.</p> - -<p>“Now,” Alex said to Clay, “what about it? The -message from Gran, the message sent adrift in the -river and caught by you, seems to indicate that the -boy never took the films—that he thinks we still -have them in our possession—that he considers them -very important! If he didn’t take them, who did? -Say,” he went on, with a look into the cabin, where -Case was getting out dishes and fighting the bear -cub to keep him off the table, “isn’t it about time -we annexed the wisdom of Case? The only reason -we had for keeping all this from him was that there -would be no talk about it which Gran might -overhear.”</p> - -<p>“Of course we’ll tell Case,” Clay replied, “but I -thought that there never were any films, never any -robbery at the pass, never any long-armed man -talking with Gran in the cedar canyon!”</p> - -<p>“All right!” grinned Alex, “I’ll tell Case, and -then we’ll cut it all out of the menu. We’ve got to -do it in order to have any fun on the Columbia -river. But where will Gran end up if this thing -keeps on?”</p> - -<p>“That must go with all the rest,” Clay replied. -“But Case is beckoning us into the cabin and we’ll -see about that fish. Of course I’m eager to hear -about the bear and the tree, but you can tell me -about that after we see what Case’s fish is like.”</p> - -<p>The fish was excellent, and even Captain Joe and -Teddy were given all they wanted of it. Now and -then, during the meal, the boys looked gravely over -to the place usually occupied by Gran, but nothing -was said of the boy’s strange departure until the -fish had disappeared. Then Clay told of the meeting -in the cedar canyon, and of other strange actions -on the part of the absent boy with which the reader -is already acquainted.</p> - -<p>Case was loyal to the absent one, and all three -boys decided to go down the river slowly, in the -hope that Gran would in some way escape from his -mysterious companion and return to his friends.</p> - -<p>“But how did he get back to the river so quick?” -asked Alex. “He was away back there by the bear -tree when I last saw him.”</p> - -<p>“There is a bend in the river to the south,” Clay -answered, “and the man who took him out evidently -had the boat hidden there. By going to the -shoreline at the bend he would save half the -distance. I figured that out before you boys came -back.</p> - -<p>“And then,” Clay went on, “you came out at the -rapids, and so lost considerable time. The question -which puzzles me most is not how he got out, but -why he went away.”</p> - -<p>“And in our boat!” exclaimed Case. “The thief must -have been just below us when the boat broke away. -Well, we’ll get it back when we get hold of the -scamp. It may be days before we see Gran again, so -there is no use in asking each other questions. -We’ve got to get the <i>Rambler</i> around the rapids in -the morning, and I’m going to bed.”</p> - -<p>“I move,” Alex added, rising, “that we anchor out -in the river. We are too close to shore. I don’t -want any ruffian sneaking in on us in the night.”</p> - -<p>This was agreed to, and the anchor was lowered over -a bar near the middle of the stream. This -precaution taken, the boys crept into their bunks, -but not for long. The mysteries of the night were -not yet over.</p> - </div> - - <div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='chXIV'>CHAPTER XIV.—A SWIFT AND PERILOUS RIDE.</h2> - -<p class='first'>It was midnight by Clay’s watch when the boy heard -Captain Joe making a great argument out on the deck -of the motor boat. He hastily drew on his trousers -and a thick coat and stepped out of the cabin.</p> - -<p>As he did so the boat rocked frightfully, nearly -throwing him from his feet. Seizing hold of the -railing, he switched on the prow lamp and sprang to -the motors.</p> - -<p>There was no doubt in his mind as to what had taken -place. The anchor chain had either broken or been -cut, and the <i>Rambler</i> was swinging down into the -rapids. He called excitedly to the sleepers and set -the craft in motion.</p> - -<p>The motors responded nobly, but the full power of -the machines was not sufficient to change the -direction. Stern first, the <i>Rambler</i> was drifting -with the swift current He could see the waters on -either side foaming over rocks, feel the grating of -the sides and bottom of the boat on obstructions -beneath the boiling surface.</p> - -<p>Case and Alex came bounding out, their eyes -half-closed from sleep, their automatics in their -hands. For an instant, in a quieter stretch of -river, Clay felt the boat spring up stream in -answer to the powerful motors, but directly the -motion shifted again.</p> - -<p>“Put up your guns,” the boy shouted to the others. -“You, Case, come here and keep the motors in full -action. You, Alex get a pole and stand at the prow. -Do the best you can to keep the boat off rocks. She -is bound to go down, and we’ve got a fight on our -hands. Steady, now.”</p> - -<p>“What is it all about?” asked Case, his voice only -dimly heard above the rush of waters. “The chain -must have been cut!”</p> - -<p>Clay did not answer, but took the helm and managed -to swing the boat into a smoother bit of water near -the east shore. The current swept against the upper -side, nearly tipping her over, as she swung, but in -an instant the prow turned down stream and the boat -righted a little.</p> - -<p>“Keep her to the shore!” shouted Case, frantically. -“We can never ride those rocks. Keep her toward the -east bank, Clay, for heaven’s sake, or it will be -all over with us. What are you doing?”</p> - -<p>“Full speed ahead!” roared Clay. “If we should -strike a rock while headed for either bank we’d go -over in a flash! Our only hope is to keep her dead -with the current and fight her through!”</p> - -<p>That was a wild ride. Time and again the boat -grazed great rocks, and more than once Alex’s pole -prevented a head-on collision with half-exposed -boulders against which the mad waters swirled with -terrible force, sending spray high up in the air. -Wherever there was a setting of the current Clay -led the boat.</p> - -<p>Believing that the water would be deeper, the -course freer of obstructions, where the current -swung, the boy followed the drift for a mile or -more without serious mishap. The prow light showed -a rush of current the like of which the boys had -never seen before.</p> - -<p>Now the sweep wound off to the right, now to the -left, now it dove straight at a boulder only to -turn aside at the last moment because of the water -already banked against it. The <i>Rambler</i> was light, -and the swift motors gave her steerage way over the -current, so in many cases she went over hidden -rocks where a boat only drifting would have struck.</p> - -<p>Presently a deeper roar than that about them -reached the ears of the boys, and they almost held -their breath as a high wall of rock loomed up -directly in front. The current set hard against -this bank and fell away in foam on a curving shore -below.</p> - -<p>“Now we are in for it!” shouted Case. “If we strike -that rock we go to pieces. It seems all clear -below.”</p> - -<p>Clay turned the prow away from the obstruction, but -as he did so the current caught the broadside and -whirled her round and round, seemingly a motor boat -doomed to destruction after a hard fight for life.</p> - -<p>But, when all seemed lost, a kindly fate sent the -<i>Rambler</i> against a round rock and held her there, -tipping frightfully, until the prow swayed away -from the precipice against which the current was -pounding with a noise like thunder. Clay saw the -opportunity and headed the boat out a trifle and -put the whole force of the motors against a rushing -eddy which swirled just ahead.</p> - -<p>The counter current caught the boat and swung her -farther away from the rock, but not far enough away -to prevent her coming within a yard of it. A minute -later the <i>Rambler</i> dropped into clearer water, and -Clay swung her away from the banks of foam which -clung to the curving shore below. The rapids were -behind!</p> - -<p>Clay wiped the perspiration from his face and -called to Case to shut the motors down to half -power. This done, the boat traveled easily in the -direction of an island of rock not far away.</p> - -<p>“Shall we land there?” asked Case, speaking at the -top of his voice, for the tumbling water still sent -up its clamor. “I think I see a ledge where we can -get out if we want to.”</p> - -<p>“What for?” screamed Alex. “Let’s get away from -here.”</p> - -<p>Clay motioned to approach the ledge, and in three -minutes the boat lay still, with her nose against a -low shelf which ran a part of the way round the -rocky island and then ascended to the very top.</p> - -<p>“The anchor is gone,” Clay said, regretfully, “so -we’ll have to hang on here with our hands. That is, -unless we can find something to tie to. Look about, -Alex and see if there isn’t a peak we can throw a -rope about. I’d like to see what there is on the -top of this boulder.”</p> - -<p>Alex sprang to the ledge and walked a few paces. -Then he called back, pointing as he did so. There -was a steeple of rock just in front where a rope -might be made secure. In a minute the boys were out -of the <i>Rambler</i>, and she was tied safe and sound.</p> - -<p>“That was a wonder!” were Alex’s first words. “A -wonder!”</p> - -<p>“Seems good to get my feet on something solid once -more!” Case said. “I thought, at one time, that we -were out a motor boat, cheated of a ride down the -Columbia river. I wonder if there are many places -like that?”</p> - -<p>“Lots of ’em!” Alex answered, with a wink at Clay. -“Most of them have to be passed in balloons! Isn’t -that right. Clay?”</p> - -<p>But Clay was climbing the winding ledge to the top -of the rock which formed the little island and made -no reply. While Alex and Case were discussing the -peril they had just passed and expressing opinions -as to how the <i>Rambler</i> came to be adrift, the boy -was mounting to the summit for the purpose of -examining the river below, so far as it was -possible to do so in the night time, with only the -stars in the sky.</p> - -<p>Directly he called to the boys, and they went -bounding up the ledge, half anticipating something -in the line of trouble. They found Clay standing in -the middle of an almost round and level space about -twenty paces across. On every side, save that where -the ledge wound up, there was a sheer fall to the -water. It was a very Gibraltar of a rock.</p> - -<p>“Look at this, boys,” Clay began, “there’s been -some one here within less than half an hour. And -there’s been a fire here, too, a fire built of dry -sticks brought from the shore. Here are the embers, -still alive.”</p> - -<p>Alex nosed about the summit for a minute and came -back to the others with a paper from which emanated -a peculiar odor in his hand.</p> - -<p>“They didn’t cook here,” the boy said. “There are -no signs of the fire having been used for that -purpose, no scraps of food about, so I looked -around to see what the fire was built for. I think -I have found out. Look at this.”</p> - -<p>“This,” was the paper he had found. Clay took it -into his hand.</p> - -<p>“Do you know what it is?” asked Case. “I think I -do.”</p> - -<p>“Well, unless I’m very much mistaken,” Clay -answered, “this is a bit of paper which once -wrapped what we call ‘red fire,’ used for lighting -up parades, and also for signaling. The people who -made this fire used it to signal from. There is no -doubt about that.”</p> - -<p>“Then there are two parties about here, perhaps -three!” exclaimed Alex. “I think we’d better get -into the <i>Rambler</i> and scud for the Pacific ocean. -This is getting too thick for me.”</p> - -<p>“I wonder if the men who built this fire, and who -signaled from this rock, waited here for the -<i>Rambler</i> to come down to them a wreck, with her -crew drowned and pounded into unrecognizable masses -by the rocks? It looks that way to me.”</p> - -<p>“They wasn’t waiting here to give us any Christmas -presents!” laughed Alex. “Come on, let’s be on our -way! I don’t like the looks of things hereabouts, -and Captain Joe is calling to us from the boat. -Hurry up!”</p> - -<p>Clay examined the dragging end of the anchor chain -when they returned to the <i>Rambler</i> and discovered -that it had been broken by prying one link open. It -must have taken a strong tool and a powerful hand -to make the break in the massive chain.</p> - -<p>“What’s it all about?” demanded Case, as the motors -were started once more, and the boat cut away -through the water. “What are they after us for, I’d -like to know? What are they after Gran for?”</p> - -<p>“Answer in our next issue!” grinned Alex, wrinkling -his nose at Teddy, who was trying to crawl up the -table leg.</p> - -<p>“I’m going back to bed,” Case announced, sleepily. -“There’s nothing likely to happen, and the -conversation carried on by you fellows is -irrelevant and immaterial. It will be three hours -before daylight shows out on the plains, and four -or five before this wrinkle in the world’s surface -gets any of it.”</p> - -<p>So he crawled off to his bunk and Captain Joe took -possession of the sleeping place usually occupied -by Alex while Teddy climbed into Clay’s bunk and -curled up with his sensitive little nose on his -paws.</p> - -<p>“I’ll sit up with you to-night,” Alex said to Clay, -“for I want to talk with you. First, when are we -going to get out of this?”</p> - -<p>“I’m tired of mystery,” Clay replied. “Right now -we’re headed for the ocean!”</p> - </div> - - <div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='chXV'>CHAPTER XV.—THE RAMBLER TAKES TO WHEELS.</h2> - -<p class='first'>“Straight through?” asked Alex who did not like the -idea of overlooking the hunting and fishing along -the river. “I’d like to get a shot at a bear and a -deer before we strike tidewater.”</p> - -<p>“You have already had a shot at a bear!” laughed -Clay.</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes, but that didn’t count. I was too high up -in the air to take good aim, and I lost my gun, -too. No, that doesn’t count.”</p> - -<p>There was a long silence, during which Clay watched -the moon coming up over the Rocky mountains, -plating the rippling river and the brown crags with -silvery light. The air was still, only the murmur -of the water and an occasional protest from a bird -breaking the silence.</p> - -<p>“It’s glorious!” Alex declared, presently. “We’ve -got to the point where we can appreciate a little -quiet. If Gran could come walking in on us now, -things would be about right, don’t you think?”</p> - -<p>“Just about right—provided Case could catch another -fish like the last one,” was the reply. “I don’t -know what to think about Gran.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t think about him at all,” Alex hastened to -say. “I’ve got rid of it all! I’m waiting for the -puzzle to solve itself.”</p> - -<p>“Where did the boy come from, and where is he -going, and why did he come to us at the pass, and -who is he, and why is he meeting strangers in the -woods without our knowledge, and has he been -carried off by force? And many other wheres and -whys,” Clay laughed.</p> - -<p>“I give it up!” was Alex’s reply. “As I said -before, I’m waiting for the puzzle to solve itself. -When it does, we’ll know where my films went to, -and that will help some. That’s the key to the -whole thing—the film robbery heads the list.”</p> - -<p>There was nothing more to talk about, for no amount -of guesswork could unravel the mystery, and no -combination of words seemed capable of throwing a -single ray of light on the matter. The <i>Rambler</i> -ran on through the night, carrying prow lights and -side lights, and covered many miles before the -morning sun lifted over the mountains and looked -down on the river.</p> - -<p>“What about loitering around for a time in the hope -of finding Gran?” asked Case, as he came from the -cabin, rubbing his eyes, and noted that the -<i>Rambler</i> was under full speed. “We ought to look -for him, anyway.”</p> - -<p>“We’ve given that up,” Alex answered. “We’re going -right on about our business, fishing and hunting, -and having all the fun we can, regardless of all -mystery. We might look for Gran a thousand years, -in this wilderness, and never find him. Also we -might hunt for our lost rowboat until sheep grow -wings, and never set eyes on it. Some one stole the -boat, and some one abducted Gran. That’s all there -is to it.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” Clay said, comings to the assistance of the -boy, “that is all there is to it By to-morrow -morning, if we keep on at this rate, we’ll strike -the place where the Columbia skirts a mountain and -turns squarely to the south. At that place there is -a human habitation or two, and we may hear -something of the boy there. In the meantime, it is -you to catch another fish.”</p> - -<p>“For breakfast, too,” chimed in Alex who seldom was -out of healthy appetite. “I’m tired of pancakes and -bacon, and fried mush, and boiled potatoes, and -canned beans. Oh, oh,” he shouted, jumping to his -feet, “there’s the bear meat!”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know whether the grizzly will make good -eating?” Clay said, “but we can soon find out If -you’ll get Captain Joe and Teddy out of the way, -I’ll fry a few slices.”</p> - -<p>“I bar that!” Alex exclaimed. “I don’t like fried -bear meat. Say, what’s the matter of parboiling the -meat and making a bear stew? That will be all -right. We’ve got potatoes, onions, turnips, rice, -and lots of things to put into it.”</p> - -<p>“I wish we had a cabbage!” Case observed. “There -never was a good stew that wasn’t part cabbage. -Don’t they can cabbage?”</p> - -<p>“Never heard of canned cabbage, but when we come to -the salmon canneries down the river we can find out -about it. You go and get the fish for breakfast, -and we’ll have the bear stew for dinner. Just take -the canoe and paddle ashore and fish in some quiet -pool.”</p> - -<p>Case clapped his hands to his sides in quick -remembrance.</p> - -<p>“The canoe?” he repeated. “Who’s seen the old -trough since the run we made through the rapids? Of -course it was all banged to bits. Now, what are we -going to do?”</p> - -<p>“Make another,” Clay responded. “We can make -another in a day, or we can wait until we get to -Boat Encampment and buy one.”</p> - -<p>“Then we’ll buy one,” Alex put in. “It is too much -of a job to burn one out. We can buy one for a few -cents, of an Indian.”</p> - -<p>“And another thing,” Case observed, “where is that -bearskin rug you were going to have?”</p> - -<p>“Back there in the woods,” was the slow reply.</p> - -<p>“Fish off the back end of the boat,” suggested -Clay. “There are fish in the middle of the river as -well as in the quiet pools.”</p> - -<p>The loss of the primitive canoe was seriously felt, -for there were not many places where the <i>Rambler</i> -could get close to the shore. Also Alex mourned the -loss of his bearskin. Finally Case caught a -five-pound fish, and the choice parts of it were -soon frying on the stove.</p> - -<p>After breakfast Alex proceeded to make his bear -stew, and Clay tinkered at the motors to make sure -that they were in good order.</p> - -<p>“If they had gone back on us when we were in the -rapids,” he explained, “we should have been -drowned, every one of us. It was the headway of the -boat that kept us going right. I’m strong for these -motors.”</p> - -<p>It was a beautiful morning in one of the most -picturesque districts in the world. There were -white caps on many of the peaks, and the dark green -of the cedar foliage and the brown of the rocks -contrasted well with the sun-kissed waters of the -river. There were bird-songs in plenty, and here -and there a great fish leaped above the surface, as -if to inspect this strange thing which rode upon -the waves instead of, like a gentleman, diving -under them!</p> - -<p>After a time the valley of the river broadened -out on the west until a great stretch of forest lay -between the shoreline and the distant elevations. -Perhaps the word valley has been used wrongfully. -The country in that part of British Columbia is -really an upland plateau, with mountain ridges -lifting still higher.</p> - -<p>From its source near the Kootenay lakes the -Columbia falls hundreds of feet in rapids and -foaming cascades before it reaches the Pacific. It -is a vagrant stream, winding this way and that, -washing mountains and sweeping past high levels of -tableland. There are salmon in the river and all -kinds of wild game in the canyons and forests it -skirts, so it is an ideal water course for such a -trip as the boys had started out on.</p> - -<p>About noon, when the sun shone hot above the -dancing waters, the <i>Rambler</i> came to another drop -in the valley. The boys could hear the water -tumbling over rocks, and the growing current told -them that the falls, or rapids, whichever they -were, were not far away.</p> - -<p>“I think we’d better get to shore here,” Clay -observed, “and take a look ahead. I don’t want -another experience like that of last night. It is -only by the greatest of good luck that we are alive -this morning.”</p> - -<p>“That’s the truth,” Case exclaimed. “And somebody -is mourning over a plan that didn’t work. I wonder -if they think we are dead?”</p> - -<p>“We’ve cut out all that!” Alex broke in. “We can’t -have any fun if we keep our minds bent up into -exclamation points all the time. Look!” he -continued, changing the subject, “there’s a place -where we ought to be able to bring the <i>Rambler</i> -right up to the shore.”</p> - -<p>The place at which the boy pointed did look -inviting, and so Clay headed the boat in that -direction. There was a break in the high bank of -the stream, and it looked as if there might be a -pool inside which would make a desirable harbor.</p> - -<p>When they came to the broken bank they saw that a -small rivulet entered the Columbia there, and that -its waters, in some period of flood, undoubtedly, -had carried a quantity of soil away, leaving a pond -west of the river line—a pond which seemed to be -deep enough for the <i>Rambler</i> to float in. Also -this pond was almost shut in from the river, the -scrubby trees growing there filling in between the -two bodies of water except where the channel cut -the natural levee.</p> - -<p>“This is a beauty!” Alex cried, as the <i>Rambler</i> -felt her way through the opening. “We might hide -away from a fleet of police boats here!”</p> - -<p>Captain Joe seemed to agree perfectly with this -expressed opinion of the locality, for no sooner -was the <i>Rambler</i> within reach of the shore than he -sprang out and began investigating the situation. -Teddy climbed to the railing of the deck and would -have followed the dog only for the fact that he was -tied to the prow by a long rope.</p> - -<p>Alex was off the deck almost as soon as the dog, -and the two engaged in a wrestling match on the -grass, a contest in which the boy came off an easy -victor on account of the dog not being posted on -tricks of knocking an opponent’s feet out from -under him. This over, the dog started off into the -forest, looking back as if to inquire why Alex was -not coming along with him for a romp in the -jungles.</p> - -<p>“I believe I will take a turn in the forest while -you look over the rapids,” Alex said, his eyes -following the dog longingly. “We can have a run for -half an hour, and then get back in time for the -start. Anyway, why not remain here all night? That -would be fine.”</p> - -<p>Before Clay or Case could offer objections, the boy -and the dog were out of sight in the thicket. Their -brush-tramping footsteps were heard for a time, and -then there were no indications that they had ever -entered the woods at all. Clay smiled as he looked -at Case, following the course the two had taken -with his eyes.</p> - -<p>“After we have a look at the rapids,” Clay -promised, “we’ll go hunting in there. Unless I am -much mistaken, we’ll find deer not far away from -this valley. Venison would make a hit with me just -now.”</p> - -<p>“That sounds good to me,” Case answered. “We ought -to get fresh meat before long, for our bacon is -giving out. Now for the rapids!”</p> - -<p>The rapids were more formidable than the boys had -expected to find them. The bed of the river seemed -to drop away several feet to the north, and the -narrowing channel was spotted with boulders which -fretted the current into foaming eddies. There -seemed to be no main channel, such as Clay had -followed through the peril above.</p> - -<p>“I’m afraid we’ll have to put on the wheels,” Clay -observed as he stood looking over the swirling -surface of the broken river. “We can never sail the -<i>Rambler</i> through there. Anyway, suppose we look -for a place level enough to run the boat through. -This bank looks good and level, and it seems to -remain so for some distance, skirting the rapids -like a highway. Do you know where the wheels are?”</p> - -<p>“Certainly,” replied Case. “They are under the -floor in the prow.”</p> - -<p>The boys returned to the <i>Rambler</i> and lifted a -hatch in the deck close to the forward stem. From -the cavity underneath Case drew four wheels of -about two feet in diameter. They were of iron, -light as possible, with broad tires. Next came two -long iron rods, with fittings at each end for the -wheels. These were the axles. Then came great -staples, shaped like a horseshoe, washers, and -screws.</p> - -<p>“How we ever going to get them on?” asked Case. “We -neglected to hold dress rehearsals with these -things!”</p> - -<p>“I’ve studied that all out,” Clay said, proudly. -“We’ll have to take to the water to screw these -horseshoe staples onto the sides of the boat. There -are four iron plates with screwholes where they go -on. Oh, come on! I’ll show you as we go along.”</p> - -<p>The boys worked steadily, understanding, and fortune -favored them, so, in a couple of hours the wheels -were in place, and the prow of the <i>Rambler</i> was -out of water.</p> - -<p>“Now, when Alex comes,” Clay said, “we’ll pull her -out.”</p> - </div> - - <div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='chXVI'>CHAPTER XVI.—TEDDY RECEIVES A CALLER.</h2> - -<p class='first'>The sun dropped out of the sky above the valley, -glinting the rough elevations to the east with -golden light, but throwing long shadows where the -<i>Rambler</i> lay, half in the water and half out. -Still, Alex and the dog remained away, and there -were no indications of their approach.</p> - -<p>“The next time Alex leaves the boat,” Case -grumbled, “we’ll tie a rope to him, so we can haul -him back. He holds the blue ribbon for getting lost -and meeting with foolish adventures.”</p> - -<p>Teddy, the cub bear, by this time a chosen chum of -the white bulldog, sat up on the prow of the -<i>Rambler</i>, listening for the return of his -playmate, his small ears bent forward expectantly. -Occasionally he turned his nose to the west, -sniffing at the light breeze now blowing from that -direction. Clay called Case’s attention to the -movements of the cub.</p> - -<p>“I believe he scents Captain Joe!” the boy said. -“He appears to be uneasy and expectant. The little -chap has us beaten when it comes to discovering an -approach not yet in sight. Anyway, he scents -something.”</p> - -<p>The boys were not in the boat, which lay at a great -angle, the prow being on the land and the stern in -the water, but were standing half concealed in the -undergrowth which here fringed the natural levee. -As the shadows grew longer, the boat more -indistinct, a rustling was heard in the brush away -to the west, up the rivulet, and then a heavy -figure shambled into view. Case caught Clay by the -arm and whispered:</p> - -<p>“That’s Alex coming back with some of his -monkeyshines! We’ll just lie still and see what -he’ll make of the rakish attitude of the <i>Rambler</i>. -Captain Joe is not with him, so he must have told -the dog to lay low while he plays a trick on us. -We’ll show him.”</p> - -<p>The figure which had left the undergrowth was -merely a dark bulk, moving cautiously toward the -boat, on the same side of the pool as that on which -the boys stood. It was without outline, and would -not have been observed if it had remained -stationary. It drew nearer to the <i>Rambler</i> -noiselessly, like a person resolved to surprise an -unsuspecting foe.</p> - -<p>Teddy now began uttering low, coaxing whines, -almost like those of a puppy at sight of its mother, -and the boys hastily drew out their automatics and -their searchlights, without which they never left -the boat. The moving figure sprang forward, and -then the growl that came out of the darkness left -no doubt in the minds of the boys as to what it was -that was paying a visit to their boat. Case pulled -Clay by the arm again.</p> - -<p>“That is a grizzly!” he cried. “A grizzly weighing -about a ton and a half, come to see if Teddy is -perfectly contented in his new home.</p> - -<p>“Don’t shoot!” warned Clay. “We may not be as lucky -as you were in the bush back yonder, and a wounded -grizzly is a wicked thing to fight. Wait and see -what she will do. Sure as you live, she’s going to -board the <i>Rambler</i>! What do you think Teddy will -do?”</p> - -<p>“The question with me,” Case replied, “is not what -Teddy will do, but what the bear will do. She can -make a mess of that cabin in about a minute and a -half! If I thought I wouldn’t hit Teddy, I’d shoot -and frighten her off. Wish we could reach the -switch that throws on the prow light! That would -give her a shock, all right.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, let them have their visit!” Clay replied, with -a silent but pronounced chuckle. “We ought to feel -grateful to the bear for going to the trouble of -calling on us. I hope Captain Joe will keep away -for a while yet. He would make trouble, I’m afraid. -Hear the two talking together! I’d like to know -what kind of a tale Teddy is telling.”</p> - -<p>Teddy was whining like a puppy and the newcomer was -uttering low and threatening growls. It was evident -that she knew that hostile creatures were not far -away. The boys could see only the dim figures -moving about, but it seemed that the bear was -trying to coax Teddy away, and that Teddy was -trying to obey but was held back by the rope.</p> - -<p>“She’ll bite through the rope!” Case whispered, -“and Teddy will get away if we don’t do something -before long. Alex wouldn’t like to lose the little -scamp. Suppose we throw a bit of electricity at -her,” he went on. “She might run at the sight of -the light.”</p> - -<p>Presently they heard a crash in the cabin, as if -the grizzly had taken full possession there and was -rearranging the furniture to suit her personal -tastes. It sounded as if she had climbed up on the -table and broken it down with her great weight. -Clay’s whispered estimate was that she must weigh -nearly a ton.</p> - -<p>“I know what she’s doing,” Clay chuckled. “There is -a box of sugar on a shelf near the door, and she is -trying to get that. She’s got her nerve, to invite -herself to supper and then break the furniture!”</p> - -<p>A shot and a loud call now came from the dark -forest, and Captain Joe’s deep voice came booming -out of the shadows. The boy and the dog were -returning, and the situation was becoming more -complicated.</p> - -<p>“If Captain Joe comes up,” Clay whispered, “he’ll -attack the bear, and she’ll give him one swipe and -then there won’t be any Captain Joe. We’ll have to -turn on our lights and shoot. Only be careful!”</p> - -<p>The dog’s voice came nearer and nearer. It was -evident that Alex was bringing in some kind of -game, and that Captain Joe was making a kind of -triumphal progress for him!</p> - -<p>The grizzly was now making a great noise in the -cabin, and Teddy was expressing his anger at the -lack of attention. The boys crept toward the boat -and waited for the bear to emerge from the cabin, -so they could get a shot at her, but she seemed -satisfied with the trouble she was making on the -inside and remained there. Clay moved along toward -the prow, his automatic ready for use.</p> - -<p>“What now?” demanded Case, keeping at his side.</p> - -<p>“I’m going to turn on the prow light,” Clay -replied. “We can’t do any shooting by the light of -the electrics. If she moves at all, as she will, of -course, she’ll be in the dark. Don’t come with me, -but get where you can shoot without hitting me. -I’ll be at the back of the boat, understand? Alex -and the dog are not far away now, and so we’ve got to do -whatever is done right quick. Don’t miss when -you shoot!”</p> - -<p>“I won’t miss if I can help it,” replied the boy. -“You don’t think I want to be devoured by the bear, -do you. Shoot straight yourself!”</p> - -<p>Clay moved slowly back, entered the water, clinging -to the side of the boat, now rocking violently -because of the tumbling going on inside the cabin, -and finally reached out for the electric switch.</p> - -<p>When Alex and Captain Joe emerged from the thicket, -a second later, they saw a sight which stopped -their breath as well as their legs for an instant. -The deck of the <i>Rambler</i> lay at an angle of about -thirty degrees, cocked up on wheels in front and -resting in the water at the rear. On the prow sat -Teddy, all wound up in his rope because of his -twistings to get away, and from out the door of the -cabin looked the stolid face of a huge grizzly -bear, her little eyes flaming with rage, her teeth -showing where the snarling lips were drawn back. -Neither Clay nor Case was in sight.</p> - -<p>Captain Joe bounded forward at first, but stopped -at a call from the boy. Teddy sat up straighter and -welcomed the dog with a whine, thus transferring -his loyalty from the bear to the canine.</p> - -<p>“Hey, there!” Alex called out. “Where are you? I -didn’t know we kept furnished rooms to rent on the -<i>Rambler</i>! Who’s your new tenant?”</p> - -<p>Then shots came from the prow of the boat and bruin -rushed for the deck, but the incline was -considerable and one of the shots had taken effect -in her shoulder, so she fell and rolled, snarling, -back to the door of the cabin. More shots came from -the prow, and she arose and struck at the air with -her great paws, as if trying to meet the bullets -with all her brute force.</p> - -<p>Presently she fell, wounded to the death, and then -Alex saw Case and Clay enter the lighted space and -fire shot after shot at the bear.</p> - -<p>“Save the lead!” the boy called. “Come back, -Captain Joe!”</p> - -<p>But Captain Joe had no intention of missing the -final act in the tragedy in progress on the deck of -the <i>Rambler</i>. He sprang to the side of the boat, -looked up at the elevated prow, expressed his -disapproval of the arrangement by a low growl, and, -walking back, entered the rivulet and so climbed -over the lower end of the vessel, where it lay down -in the water. Teddy watched him with twinkling eyes -as he approached the body of the bear. Satisfied -that the grizzly was harmless, the dog slipped up -to the cub and looked him over. The boys broke into -laughter.</p> - -<p>“Captain Joe knows that there’s been trouble here,” -Clay said. “He is sizing up the damage. Wise old -scout, that.”</p> - -<p>“Suppose we size up the damage in the cabin?” Case -exclaimed, darting through the doorway and -switching on the lights.</p> - -<p>The cabin was in a mess, to express it mildly. -Bruin had broken down the table while trying to -reach the sugar, and the bear stew left over from -dinner was standing in puddles on the floor. The -coal heater was standing at an alarming angle—one -of the legs having been knocked out from under it. -The bunks looked as if the bear had tried to sleep -in each one of them and found them all inconvenient -on account of size.</p> - -<p>“Never mind,” Alex cried, “I’ve got plenty of game -out on the bank. We’ll have a partridge supper, and -give Teddy an extra share for bringing this big -fellow here. Say, but he’s a monster, isn’t he?”</p> - -<p>“That is a she bear,” replied Case. “A she bear, -like the one that came out of the wilderness and -devoured forty children because they called a -prophet names. I hated to shoot her, because she -came here as a guest, but I thought I’d rather eat -her than have her eat me.”</p> - -<p>“Teddy seemed to make friends with her until -Captain Joe arrived,” Clay declared, “but when the -dog showed up the cub’s allegiance turned to him. -Which is the way of the world, after all!”</p> - -<p>The boys set to work straightening up the cabin -and, this accomplished, they dragged the great -carcase of the grizzly to the shore and proceeded -to skin it. Some of the meat was laid away for the -next day, Alex’s catch providing for the supper -that night.</p> - -<p>“We’ll have to draw lots for the rug the hide will -make,” Clay said, as, hunter fashion, they worked -salt into the green skin and hung it up.</p> - -<p>“I ought to have it,” Alex insisted. “I shot the -first bear.”</p> - -<p>“Case ought to have it,” Clay advised, “because he -shot this one.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, well,” Alex considered, “we’ll all have this -one in the club room we’re going to fit up in -Chicago this winter.”</p> - -<p>“Now, about supper,” Case began, as they all -assembled on the deck again. “How are we going to -cook supper on this tipsy old boat?”</p> - -<p>“We can build a big fire on shore,” suggested Clay.</p> - -<p>This was finally agreed to, and a roaring fire soon -shot up in the tangle on the north bank of the -creek. There supper was cooked and eaten, and then -thoughts of sleep came to the tired boys.</p> - -<p>“I think we’ve done wrong in building this fire,” -Clay said. “We might just as well have sent up -rockets telling our enemies where we are.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t believe there’s any one within forty miles -of us,” Alex put in, optimistically.</p> - -<p>“What about the signals burned on the rock up -stream?” asked Clay.</p> - -<p>“Oh, that was a long way off. We’d better be -thinking of how we’re going to pull this boat -around the rapids than worrying over people hidden -in the bushes, watching Case eat more than is good -for him. He’s a wonderful hand at table,” he added, -as Case threw a potato at his head. “But, then,” he -added, in a conciliatory tone, “I’m something of an -eater myself.”</p> - -<p>“Who’s going to watch to-night?” asked Case, -presently. “Some one ought to. I don’t think we -ought to take chances, here on the shore. There may -be more bears in the woods.”</p> - -<p>It was finally arranged that Case should watch -until midnight, and that Alex should relieve him -then. Somehow, there was an uneasy feeling in the -air.</p> - </div> - - <div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='chXVII'>CHAPTER XVII.—CAPTAIN JOE TO THE RESCUE.</h2> - -<p class='first'>Clay went to his bunk early, but could not sleep. -The events of the day had been exciting, and the -danger was not yet past. Besides, his bed sloped -with the body of the boat, and he had a sense of -trying to sleep standing up. He could hear Alex -tumbling about in his bunk, censuring Captain Joe, -who seemed to be going through some kind of a -performance for the exclusive benefit of Teddy, the -bear cub.</p> - -<p>Case was moving about on deck, and Clay smiled as -he imagined him clinging to the railing to keep his -footing on the tilting planks. The prow lamp was -out, and there were no lights in the cabin. There -were stars early in the evening, but clouds came up -after a time, and it was dark as a chamber in the -Mammoth Cave before ten o’clock.</p> - -<p>Presently it began to rain. The water fell in great -sheets, and the wind, rising steadily, drove it -into every crevice in the light sheathing of the -cabin. The drops drummed on the deck like -hailstones.</p> - -<p>Clay heard Case enter the cabin to prevent getting -soaked, and heard him talking to Teddy, whom he -seemed to have taken into his arms. Then the tired -boy dropped off into sleep.</p> - -<p>When he awoke Case was shaking him by the shoulder, -and the boat was rocking and bobbing up and down, -as if in the water the whole length, and not half -in, as it had been when he went to sleep. He sat up -on the side of his bunk and saw that every light on -the boat was burning.</p> - -<p>“Why don’t you switch off the lights and let me -sleep?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Hear it rain!” Case advised. “And feel the -<i>Rambler</i> nodding to the rising water! Do you know -where we can find that extra anchor?”</p> - -<p>“It ought to be in there where the wheels were,” -Clay replied, getting out on the floor and -stumbling over Teddy, who at once retaliated by -biting and clawing at his bare legs. Case drew the -cub away by the tail.</p> - -<p>“You’ll get put on the dunce block, Mr. Teddy,” he -said, “if you don’t cultivate better manners You’re -always under foot, like a pet pig on a ranch. No,” -he went on, addressing Clay, “I’ve looked in the -prow hold, and everywhere else I could think of, -and the extra anchor is not in view. I wish I had -by the neck the rascal who cut away the one we were -using.”</p> - -<p>“Why do you want the anchor?” demanded Clay. “Do -you think the boat will float straight up in the -rain? We can find the mud hook in the morning.”</p> - -<p>“Use one of your own jokes to weigh the <i>Rambler</i> -down,” advised Alex tucked up in his bunk. “They’re -heavy enough to weigh an ocean steamer down.”</p> - -<p>Case removed Alex from his bunk, all bundled up in -blankets, and rolled him about on the floor, not as -a punishment for a too personal suggestion, he -explained, but for the good of his digestion. Teddy -assisted in the manipulation of the lad, and -Captain Joe actually laughed.</p> - -<p>“When you’ve finished with that monkeyshining,” -Clay said, “perhaps you’ll tell me why you want the -anchor.”</p> - -<p>“Just you go out and look,” was all the answer Case -made.</p> - -<p>Clay did not go out and look, for it was raining -steadily, and he would have been wet to the skin in -a minute, but he went to the door and looked out. -The little valley of the rivulet was a brimming -ocean of angry water, and the natural levee which -separated it from the Columbia was out of sight. In -fact, there was a current running over it!</p> - -<p>The <i>Rambler</i>, weighed down to some extent by the -iron wheels which had been put on the afternoon -before for the purpose of running her over the -shore to the smooth water below the rapids, was -still in what had been the sheltered pool, but the -boat had floated, and the wheels were fast against -the levee.</p> - -<p>Whenever the water should lift the boat so that the -wheels would clear the levee, then the <i>Rambler</i> -would drift out into the raging stream, and the -experience of the previous night would be -re-enacted, with a different result in prospect. It -was another trying situation.</p> - -<p>“How in the dickens did this valley get so full of -water, all at once?” he asked, turning back to the -cabin. “This is serious!”</p> - -<p>“There must have been a cloudburst on the -mountain,” Alex suggested, arising and looking out -at the yellow sweep of water, now far above the -spot on the bank where the cooking fire had been -built “Looks like another flood.”</p> - -<p>“There is no soil here to catch and hold the -downpour,” Case explained, “and this valley drains -a lot of country, which seems to be mostly standing -on end. The result is that a heavy rain here will -send a lot of water into this depression, and there -you are!”</p> - -<p>“And it will send the <i>Rambler</i> over the rapids!” -Alex exclaimed, “if we sit around here and wait for -it to raise a few feet more.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know what we can do, I’m sure,” Case said, -dejectedly.</p> - -<p>“Perhaps the river will rise so we can shoot the -rapids,” Alex suggested. “That would be easier than -rolling the boat around. I don’t feel no -nourishment in treating a boat like a wheelbarrow.”</p> - -<p>“Do you think we might do that?” asked Case, -turning to Clay.</p> - -<p>“We can tell by looking,” was the reply. “This -whole valley is a larger repetition of the little -one the rivulet fills to the brim every time it -rains. For a hundred miles, here, the valley of the -Columbia is narrow, with mountains on either side. -The rain, comes off the slopes in sheets, and there -is no reason why the Columbia should not rise six -or eight feet during a storm like this.”</p> - -<p>“If it does, shall we risk it?” asked Case.</p> - -<p>“I vote for risking it!” Alex shouted. “What’s the -use of going for a boat ride and then trundling the -old thing along on wheels?”</p> - -<p>“Well,” Clay said, to change the subject, “all we -can do now is to get out a long, strong rope and -tie up to one of the cedar trees. Who’ll swim out -with it? It will be like taking a morning bath!”</p> - -<p>“I will!” Alex replied. “I want a good swim, -anyway. I’ll put on an old suit, so I won’t get -scratched if I go to the bottom over a nest of -briars, and carry the rope to that big tree near -where we built the cooking fire. The rope will hold -the <i>Rambler</i> all right, will it?”</p> - -<p>“It certainly will,” Clay responded. “There is -nothing to fear from the rope, but you must be -careful and not get into the current that is -sweeping out into the river. No one could swim -against that.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll be careful, all right!” grinned the boy. “I -don’t want to do any long-diving stunts here. If I -should go under out there I might not come up until -I reached the ocean, which would be too long -without food.”</p> - -<p>The boy put on an old suit which water and mud -would not injure and, taking a light cord, fastened -it about his neck and leaped into the swift-running -water. He had little difficulty in swimming -straight to the tree and, drawing the rope to him -by means of the cord, secured the boat to the great -cedar by the heavy cable. Then he turned back.</p> - -<p>The lights from the boat lighted up the pool, or -what had been the pool, and Case and Clay could see -the boy sporting about in the water, now trying to -mount a log which the current was carrying down, -now dodging out of the way of a mass of boughs -which obstructed his passage.</p> - -<p>“There’s something floating down that looks like a -paper!” he finally cried, “and I’m going to get it. -Just watch me, will you?”</p> - -<p>He struck out into the swift drive of the rivulet -and swam boldly for a few strokes, missing the -paper at first, but finally overtaking it. When he -turned back the boys could see that he was in -distress. He was swimming with all his strength, -but he was being carried out. The sweep of the tide -was too strong for him.</p> - -<p>“That’s a fine thing!” Case shouted. “Turn in, kid! -Turn in to the bank! Don’t try to swim against the -current. Turn in!”</p> - -<p>Alex did turn toward the bank, but the water swept -him on, and he passed the <i>Rambler</i> with a white -face showing under the lights.</p> - -<p>“What can we do?” asked Clay, half crazy at the -situation. “We can’t do a thing! The ropes are all -attached to the tree. Alex,” he called, “try to -turn toward the shore! You can’t swim against the -whole river! Face the other way, down stream, and -point for the shore!”</p> - -<p>There was now a roaring in the boy’s ears, and the -water seemed a desirable place to rest! After he -had lain inactive a moment he would have the -strength to swim out! Many a tired swimmer has been -deceived by the same ideas that came to Alex—and -never came out again except by the aid of human -hands!</p> - -<p>The despairing boy saw the cascade just ahead and -knew that, once over the falls made by the -natural levee, he would be in the open river and beyond -assistance. Still he swam, desperately, putting out -his last ounce of strength. The lights from the -boat did not shine brightly where he now was, and -the turbulent river beyond looked dark and cold.</p> - -<p>Then a white body struck against his back, there -was a pull at his neck, and he knew that, slowly, -surely, he was winning against the current. He -realized that Captain Joe was holding him by the -shoulder and, while half supporting him, swimming -for dear life!</p> - -<p>The boys on the <i>Rambler</i> watched the struggle -helplessly. Captain Joe was doing more than either -of them could have done. Now the swimmers gained a -trifle, now they were swept nearer to where the -flood tumbled over the levee. Captain Joe naturally -drew toward the shore, and this at last brought -them to safety.</p> - -<p>After a long pull they came to a portion of the -levee where heavy shrubs still resisted the rush of -the water, and Alex grasped them and, after -breathing for a minute, worked his way to the -shore, Captain Joe still clinging to him, for the -dog was well-nigh exhausted. Clay and Case set up -great shouts when the two started up the bank of -the swollen pool.</p> - -<p>They would still have to swim to gain the <i>Rambler</i>, -but this was not at all risky, as there was little -current between the bank and the boat. -Indeed, if Alex had kept to this part of the -expanse of water instead of swimming out into the -current after the paper, he would have had no -trouble in returning, and Captain Joe would have -had no opportunity to show both his loyalty and his -intelligence.</p> - -<p>When the two clambered up on the deck of the -<i>Rambler</i> they met with a reception which disclosed -the affection that existed between the boys. They -shook Alex by the hands, and the shoulders, and -called him “a great dunce” for swimming out into -the current, and then shook hands all over with him -again! And Captain Joe was petted and fondled to -his heart’s content. Even Teddy, the bear, threw -his short arms about the neck of the big white -bulldog and gave him a hug!</p> - -<p>“Don’t you ever think he doesn’t know all about -it!” Clay explained. “Teddy was just as anxious as -any of us, and I thought I heard him scolding when -you struck out into the middle of the flood. -Captain Joe was positively disgusted then!”</p> - -<p>“Was it hard to get him into the water?” asked -Alex.</p> - -<p>“Hard to get him into the water!” cried Case. “Why, -he was in before we knew anything about his -intentions. That is some dog!”</p> - -<p>Rain was still falling, and the boys decided to -build a great fire in the coal heater and sit by it -until morning. Should the river continue to rise, -they thought, they would make the attempt to ran -the rapids.</p> - -<p>“The high point won’t come until this water has had -time to get into the river and swell it opposite -this point,” Clay explained, “but we may as well -sit up as to go to bed and lie awake thinking what -a confounded numskull Alex is. Still,” he added, -“we should have missed the little rascal. I’m -strong for a medal for Captain Joe!”</p> - -<p>It rained steadily all night, and when daylight -came it was only a blur, for the clouds were heavy -and low, and the rain seemed to fill all space. The -river was up to the top of the levee, and the -<i>Rambler</i> was pulling at the cable fastened to the -cedar. The valley, so far as they could see, was a -moving flood of yellowish water.</p> - -<p>“If this keeps up until noon,” Clay said, “I’ll be -inclined to take a jump at the rapids. What do you -say, lads? Of course we’d have to take the wheels.</p> - -<p>“I’m for it!” cried Alex and Case, in a breath. -“Lead us to it!”</p> - </div> - - <div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='chXVIII'>CHAPTER XVIII.—CASE MAKES A HIT WITH DOUGH.</h2> - -<p class='first'>“The river is running like a mill-race,” Case -declared, at noon, as he looked over the surging -mass to the east of the spot where the <i>Rambler</i> -lay, “and the rain is stopping, so I don’t think it -will get any higher. Shall we set the motors going -and try to run down? I’m getting weary of staying -here.”</p> - -<p>“You may wish yourself back a good many times -before we pass the rapids,” Alex said. “If you -think it’s any fun to breast a strong current, just -jump in there and try it. Then you’ll see!”</p> - -<p>“I’m not curious about high currents,” grinned -Case, taking a glass and looking down the river. -The <i>Rambler</i> lay above the fringe of stunted -bushes which had hidden the pool on their approach, -and so the boy could look a long way down the -stream.</p> - -<p>“I can’t see a single rock sticking up,” he said, -presently. “The current sets toward the other -shore, and looks safe, but it is making an awful -noise! It must be ten feet above yesterday’s mark. -Let us get ready.”</p> - -<p>“I’m for getting dinner first,” Alex interrupted “I -don’t want to fill up on river water! We can fry -some of the bear meat, and get up quite a meal in a -short time. I like bear better in a stew, but we’ll -have to be content with fried meat this time.”</p> - -<p>“Both the bears we have met were in a stew!” joked -Case.</p> - -<p>“And they had us in the stew with them, too,” Alex -replied.</p> - -<p>So the boys cooked bear meat, made biscuits out of -flour and baking powder, and ate dinner. Then they -washed and put away the dishes and got ready for -the exciting run ahead of them.</p> - -<p>“We don’t know what is below the rapids,” Clay -suggested, as the boat under full power, shot out -of the pool and took the center of the stream, “but -we’re likely to find out right soon. Keep by the -motors. Case, to see that nothing goes wrong with -them, and you, Alex stand by the prow with your -pole, and we’ll break the speed record for motor -boats of our class. It doesn’t make any difference -how fast we go here if we don’t strike -obstructions. We’ll be through all the quicker.”</p> - -<p>The boys were agreeably surprised at the ease with -which the journey through the rapids was made. The -<i>Rambler</i> rocked frightfully, at times, but the -high speed at which she was going kept her in -fairly good water, under the influence of the helm.</p> - -<p>In a very few minutes she lay in a basin below the -cataract. The water ran swiftly in the basin, of -course, for the great mass above was forcing it on, -but there were no obstructions and no dangerous -eddies.</p> - -<p>The whole valley to left and right appeared to be -under water clear up to the foot of the hills. The -boat was kept under motion until the light began to -die out, and then tied up to a tree in a dell which -had been dry only the day before.</p> - -<p>“Now,” Case said, switching on the lights in the -cabin, “I’m going to celebrate the escape of -Hairbrained Alex by making a batch of bread. Real -bread, I mean, of hops and white flour. If I eat -any more pancakes I’ll be as flat, mentally, as -they are physically.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t believe even the bear or the dog will eat -bread you make,” said Alex, “but you might make -some. We may be able to use it for an anchor. Go -ahead, Case, and I’ll catch a fish for supper.”</p> - -<p>“Where’s your oven?” asked Clay. “We can bake -biscuit under a pan on top of the coal stove, but -there are no pans on board the right size to fit -over a couple of loaves of bread. They are too -large or too small. We neglected to buy an oven.”</p> - -<p>“There’s a granite iron pail here,” Case laughed, -“that will fit down tight over the bread on top of -the heater. I’ll mix up the dough, and we’ll have -it all ready to bake before we go to bed. I’ve seen -bread made lots of times, so I guess I can do the -trick.”</p> - -<p>He took four packages of compressed yeast and put -them in a cup to dissolve, first heating the water -to blood temperature. Alex watched him with a grin -on his face.</p> - -<p>“Why don’t you put in some yeast?” he finally -asked.</p> - -<p>“That’s just what I’m doing,” Case replied, “and -I’ll get along just as well if you go and get that -fish. We’ll want him for supper.”</p> - -<p>Alex snorted and went away, pulling the bear cub -along with him. Captain Joe still stood watching -the making of the bread.</p> - -<p>When the yeast was dissolved, Case emptied a large -quantity of flour into a great dishpan and stirred -the yeasty water into it Clay, who entered the -cabin at that stage of the proceedings, hastened to -ask:</p> - -<p>“How much bread are you thinking of making, little -cook?”</p> - -<p>“Never you mind me!” retorted Case. “I’m making -this bread. You don’t have to eat any of it. Go on, -now, and leave me alone. Ships’ cooks are never -questioned by the officers or the passengers.”</p> - -<p>Clay went out to help Alex catch his fish, and Case -mixed the dough up lightly, making almost a -panful. This done, he switched on the electric stove, -placed a square pan, inverted, over the cherry-red -coils, laid a board over that, and set the pan of -dough on to “rise.”</p> - -<p>“That ought to be up so we can bake it to-night,” -he thought. “I’d have made bread before if I had -known how easy it was.”</p> - -<p>“What do you do next?” asked Clay, standing in the -door of the cabin.</p> - -<p>“After it rises,” Case answered, not a little -proudly, “you mix it up good and hard and put it to -bake. We ought to have bread enough out of that -batch to last us a week. I can bake only two loaves -at a time under the pail, but time doesn’t count -for anything with us, and the dough will keep.”</p> - -<p>The rain had stopped, and the boy went out on deck -to see how Alex was succeeding in his quest for a -fish supper. Conditions seemed to be wrong, for the -boy had not had a single bite.</p> - -<p>After a time the lads decided to open beans and -make a supper of them, with pieces of fried meat -which had been left from dinner. Case brought the -beans and meat out on deck, under the prow light, -and they soon satisfied their hunger.</p> - -<p>The boys sat out on deck for a long time, and then -Case went in and switched off the electric stove. -Teddy sat there watching the dough lifting in the -pan, and the boy left him there, thinking that he -would soon crawl into one of the bunks and go to -sleep. Then Case went out where the other boys sat -looking over the rushing water.</p> - -<p>“That dough is coming along fine,” he exclaimed, -proud of his achievement, “and will be ready to mix -with more flour before long. I don’t see why women -make such a fuss over baking. It is just as easy as -mixing pancakes. We’ll have plenty of bread now. -I’ll make it often.”</p> - -<p>The clouds slipped away and the stars looked down. -The strong electric light on the prow showed -wreckage of all kinds drifting past There were -trunks and limbs of trees, some green, as if the -water had undermined the roots of live cedars.</p> - -<p>While they sat there, laying plans for the future, -something which looked like a battered rowboat came -sailing down. It surely was a rowboat, they -discovered, as it came nearer, and Clay took up the -glass and waited for it to come into the circle of -light.</p> - -<p>“Boys!” he cried, as the wreck flashed into view -and then disappeared down the river, “I believe -that was what is left of our boat. It looked like -it, anyway! Now, how could that come here?”</p> - -<p>“Caught in the flood,” Alex said, grimly. “I don’t -wonder that it is a wreck in that case. I’m a good -deal of a wreck myself to-night.”</p> - -<p>“The last time we saw the boat,” Case remembered, -“it passed us, and Gran was riding in it, and a -long-armed man was rowing like mad. It ought to be -below us. I wonder if they were tipped into the -river when the boat was crushed.”</p> - -<p>“Sure it was our boat?” he asked. “It doesn’t seem -possible.”</p> - -<p>“It was the wreck of our boat,” Clay insisted. -“Well, it is only one more mystery for us to -forget. I wish Gran was here to-night.”</p> - -<p>“So do I,” cried Case. “He’d be tickled half to -death to get some of my bread!”</p> - -<p>“I hope the poor boy isn’t lying at the bottom of -the river, somewhere, or drifting in this yellow -flood,” Clay said. “I would give a great deal to -know why he left us.”</p> - -<p>“He tried to tell us something in that paper,” Alex -cut in. “I wish he had had more time to write. I -guess that long-armed chap just grabbed him and -started away. We’ll catch up with him yet, if he -isn’t dead.”</p> - -<p>The boys talked for a long time, Captain Joe -snoring at their feet and Teddy somewhere in the -cabin. They would have been on their way that -night, only they were entirely ignorant of the -character of the river below them. There might be -more dangerous rapids close at hand.</p> - -<p>“Case,” Clay said, at length, “why don’t you go in -and look at your bread? You turned off the heat, -and it will be getting cold. Then we won’t have any -bread—which would be a shame.”</p> - -<p>“I clear forgot about it,” Case answered. “HI go -right in and look after it. It won’t get cold, for -the pan under it and the board and the stove are -warm, or were when I switched off the electricity. -Guess I’ll mix it now. It must be about time. -Who’ll stay up and help me bake it?”</p> - -<p>“I will!” answered Alex. “I’m just hungry for -bread.”</p> - -<p>Case went into the cabin and turned on the lights. -The first thing he saw was a great heap of what -seemed to be snow banked high against the table -where the electric stove stood. But it was not -banked up so securely that it was not pushing out -over the floor.</p> - -<p>Then he saw that the pan of dough had “risen,” and -that it was dripping down over the stove, over the -table, and over the floor. It seemed to the amazed -and disgusted boy that there was a barrel of it on -the table and another barrel on the floor. It -looked as if a spring of dough had bubbled up out -of the pan and started to make a dough pond of the -cabin.</p> - -<p>Clay and Alex heard him trying to gather the dough -off the table, and stepped into the cabin. They -took one look and fell down on the floor, screaming -with laughter. Case turned angrily away.</p> - -<p>“You seem to think it funny!” he said.</p> - -<p>“Funniest thing I ever saw!” roared Alex. “What -are you going to do with all that stuff? -You’ve got enough there to feed a bread line. Oh, my! -Oh, my!” and he rocked back and forth and shouted.</p> - -<p>“I’m going to get this pile on the floor out into -the river,” Case answered, beginning to see the -humor of the situation. “That in the pan is clean -and all right, and will make splendid bread.”</p> - -<p>He took a broom and began pushing the mess on the -floor toward the door, but it was too sticky. After -the second muscular exertion in that direction he -stopped and leaned heavily on the broom.</p> - -<p>The white heap was lifting straight up in the air.</p> - -<p>“Glory be!” shouted Alex. “If it isn’t rising yet. -Lookout, or it will push the roof off the cabin! -Look at it! Look at it rise!”</p> - -<p>The dough continued to move. It shunted this way -and that, then actually sprang toward the boy, who -leaped back in amazement.</p> - -<p>“It is chasing him!” chuckled Alex. “The white -ghost of the bread that never was is chasing Case! -Oh, hold me, some one! He’d have made bread before -if he had known how easy it was! Oh! Oh! Oh!”</p> - -<p>The next moment it <i>was</i> chasing Case! -Teddy, struggling under the sticky stuff, got to -his feet and moved toward the door, trailing dough -after himself in great stringy masses.</p> - -<p>Case sat down on the edge of the table and roared. -Clay hastened outside to have his laugh out, and -Alex just rolled on the floor, connecting with the -dough in more places than one and looking, when he -arose, like a baker who had slept in his mixing -trough.</p> - -<p>“I told you to put a little yeast in!” cried Alex. -“I guess you did it, all right. Now, you’ll have a -time giving Teddy a bath I Why not put him in the -oven and bake him? We’ll have lots of bread now! -Wow! Wow!”</p> - -<p>Case chased Alex out of the cabin and set to work -cleaning the bear. It was a thankless task, for -Teddy resented his efforts, and seemed to be -complaining that a cub couldn’t even go to sleep -under the electric stove without having his fine -bearskin coat all mussed up!</p> - -<p>After the boy had done his best Alex turned in and -assisted in the further work of preparing what -dough was left for the oven. He chuckled to himself -all the evening, and talked knowingly to Teddy when -that abused little bear came to him for sympathy.</p> - -<p>“When you see a printer making bread,” he -instructed the bear, as he washed flour and yeast -out of his eyes, “you want to climb a tree. Case -means well, but he knows about as much of the -manufacture of bread as you do of the Federal -constitution! Next time you see him melting up -yeast, you take to the woods. It will be safer -there!”</p> - -<p>But, in spite of this sarcasm, Case stuck to his job -until the bread was baking under the granite -iron pail on the heater. As luck would have it, his -efforts proved successful, and the lads had hot -bread and butter before they went to bed.</p> - -<p>There was little need, they thought, of keeping -watch that night, for the <i>Rambler</i> was tied up -quite a distance from the river, in four feet of -water, which was flowing over a piece of ground -which had been dry not long before. They were out -of sight from the center of the stream, and no one -would be likely to wade or swim through the -inundated country to get to them.</p> - -<p>In the morning when they awoke the sun was shining -above the valley of the Columbia and it was late. -They paid little attention to the hour, however, -for they were in no hurry now, and, besides, there -was something more important for them to consider.</p> - -<p>This was how to get the <i>Rambler</i> back into the -river! During the night the water had run out and -left them stranded!</p> - -<p>“Tell you what we’ll do,” suggested Alex. “We’ll -have Case make some more dough, and that will raise -the boat up so we can slide her in!”</p> - -<p>“All right,” Case declared, “have all the fun you -can, but you won’t get any more of that bread. -Teddy and Joe ate it up after we went to sleep.”</p> - </div> - - <div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='chXIX'>CHAPTER XIX.—WHY THERE WAS NO VENISON.</h2> - -<p class='first'>A golden morning followed the day of storm. A -golden morning on the Columbia river! Still, the -lads were in no mood to enjoy the beauties of -Nature as shown in her wilder moods. The <i>Rambler</i>, -as has been said, was stuck fast in the mud, some -distance from the ever-receding water.</p> - -<p>“The rocks are showing again,” Alex observed, -looking down the river with the glasses, “and it -looks as if there were falls ahead.”</p> - -<p>“The Columbia river,” Case grumbled, “seems to me -to be pretty sudden. She climbs up a couple of rods -one day and drops down the next. I wish she’d kept -up until we got through this valley.”</p> - -<p>“That’s all the fun of it!” Alex insisted. “If you -want to live a life of idle pleasure, just you go -and get into a scow on a country mill-pond. We came -out here for adventures, didn’t we?”</p> - -<p>“From the looks of things,” Case continued, “we -ought to have brought a house-moving machine -with us. How are we ever going to get this -boat back into the river. We might hunt and fish -here until another flood comes along,” he added -with sarcasm in his tone.</p> - -<p>“That would suit me, all right,” Alex returned. “I -don’t care how long we remain here. There’s plenty -of game in the woods, and, now that you have -learned to make bread, we are not likely to starve -to death.”</p> - -<p>Clay who had been roaming around in the sticky soil -which the river had deposited on the inundated -lands, now came rushing up to the boat.</p> - -<p>“Get out the rifle!” he said, speaking softly to -Case. “There’s a fine deer back there in the -thicket. We’ll have venison for dinner.”</p> - -<p>All was excitement in a moment. Case brought out -the magazine rifle, and all three started for the -thicket where Clay had seen the deer. Captain Joe -was left in the cabin, with instructions to devour -any stranger who should try to scrape his -acquaintance.</p> - -<p>The boys walked cautiously for a short distance, -then Clay stopped and pointed to a dense growth of -bushes and brambles just ahead. Out of the tangle -lifted the head of a deer.</p> - -<p>“Why doesn’t she run?” asked Alex in a whisper.</p> - -<p>“That’s what I’d like to know,” Clay replied. “She -stood just like that when I went away to get the -rifle. She must have heard me working my way -through the undergrowth. Maybe she’s dead—killed -standing!”</p> - -<p>“Dead!” Alex grinned. “Don’t you see her move her -head? There, she’s pulled it down now, so there’s -nothing to be seen of her. Did you ever see -handsomer eyes in a creature’s head?” he added.</p> - -<p>“Looked like she was asking us to come and help -her,” Case declared.</p> - -<p>“I noticed that,” Clay mentioned. “I wonder what is -the matter with her. I’m going in there to see. -Keep still, you fellows.”</p> - -<p>Clay crawled through the thicket on his hands and -knees, parting the bushes right and left, and -making as little noise as possible. Directly he -lifted a hand out of the undergrowth and motioned -for Case and Alex to follow him. The deer had again -raised her head above the tangle and stood looking -at the boys with pleading eyes.</p> - -<p>“Never saw anything like that!” Alex muttered as he -made his way through the bushes. “I never knew a -deer could look a fellow in the face that way. I -though they’d run away. Maybe she’s hurt.”</p> - -<p>When they came up to where Clay lay in the thicket -they found the deer only a few feet away, standing -over something lying on the ground.</p> - -<p>“Why doesn’t she run?” asked Case. “What kind of a -deer is that? She must be foolish in the head most -of the time.”</p> - -<p>“Slang! You’ll wash dishes!” declared Alex.</p> - -<p>“No slang about it,” reiterated Case. “That’s just -plain talk.”</p> - -<p>“Can’t you see what the trouble is?” asked Clay. -“There is a young fawn there, caught in the briars, -and the mother won’t leave it.”</p> - -<p>“I can see it now!” Alex cried. “Pretty little -thing!”</p> - -<p>“That will make good eating, too,” Clay observed, -turning his face away as he spoke. “Come, now, -who’s going to shoot first? Better shoot to kill, -for the deer may run away when she hears the -report.”</p> - -<p>Case and Alex looked at each other an instant and -then sat down on the ground and watched Clay, who -was still looking the other way.</p> - -<p>“I don’t believe I want any venison,” Alex -exclaimed.</p> - -<p>“I never did like venison!” was Case’s comment on -the situation.</p> - -<p>Clay turned and looked his chums over in mock -anger.</p> - -<p>“Just when I find a deer for you!” he cried. “Just -when you’ve got a chance you may never have again, -you go and back out. What’s the matter with you -boys? Think the deer is not fit for food?”</p> - -<p>“I’ve lost my appetite for venison, that’s all,” -Case explained. “You can shoot if you want to. -Shoo! Shoo! Shoo, deer!”</p> - -<p>He arose and waved his hands at the animal, -shouting at the top of his voice. The deer stepped -away a few paces but came back at the bleat of the -fawn. Clay regarded the boy with an amused smile.</p> - -<p>“You tell me I can shoot, and then you go and scare -her away,” he complained. “What is getting into you -boys?”</p> - -<p>“Did you see her eyes?” asked Alex. “If you shoot -her we’ll leave you here in the wilderness. I’m -going to see what’s the matter with the little -fawn. Is this the time of year for fawns?”</p> - -<p>The other boys answered that they did not know, and -Alex said that he didn’t think it was. But there -was the fawn, with the mother watching over it, -whether it was the baby deer season or not. The -deer bounded away as Alex approached, but stood -watching as he lifted the fawn.</p> - -<p>“Just got wound up in vines!” the boy cried. “Come -and see what a clever little chap it is! Wish I -could keep it.”</p> - -<p>“Nix! Not on our boat! Not with the mother looking -at us like that!” declared Case, who had stepped up -to the fawn.</p> - -<p>The little creature was soon untangled, and set -down in a clear space as near to the mother as the -boys could get. The deer did not seem to fear the -boys, for she stood nosing over the baby for a long -time. Then she led him away into the forest. Clay -insists to this day that she bowed her thanks as -the bushes closed behind her!</p> - -<p>“There!” Clay shouted, in pretended anger. “You’ve -gone and let many a supper get away from us. What -do you mean by letting that deer run away in that -manner? You’re nice fellows to go hunting with!”</p> - -<p>“Run after her and murder her if you want to,” Alex -remarked. “The woods are open to you, and you have -the rifle. Go on and do it!”</p> - -<p>Clay laughed in a bashful manner. Someway boys -never do like to let others know that they are -possessed of sentiment!</p> - -<p>“I wouldn’t shoot that deer, not if I was -starving!” he said. “I would always see her eyes -looking out of the shade at me!”</p> - -<p>“Don’t you ever think I didn’t know that!” Alex -answered. “I guess we are a lot of babies, after -all. Now we’ll have to eat bear meat for dinner, I -can eat bear, for the bear would have eaten us if -he had had half a chance. But the next thing is to -get the <i>Rambler</i> into the river. That won’t be no -merry picnic, I can tell you. Wish we had left her in.”</p> - -<p>The boys made the boat as light as possible -and then worked her along with handspikes cut from -the woods. It was slow work, and many a time they -stopped to breathe and joke over the job. Alex -finally suggested that they put the wheels under -and so make easier work of it.</p> - -<p>“In this muck!” laughed Clay. “Why, those wheels -would sink into this mess up to the hubs, and we -should never be able to move them. No, we’ve just -got to nudge her along in this way until we get to -the slope that leads down to the river, and then -she’ll go easier.”</p> - -<p>It was noon before the prow dropped into the water. -The boys were tired and disgusted, but they had -been taught a lesson which they did not soon -forget. They were lifted to banks by floods after -that, but they did not permit the <i>Rambler</i> to lie -there until the current ran out from under her! -After dinner they started the motors again and -speeded down stream.</p> - -<p>The country was still wild on both sides of the -Columbia, and the boys took plenty of time passing -through it. There were many things to see and, -besides, they still had half-hearted hopes that -Gran would come back to them before they left that -valley.</p> - -<p>But Gran never showed up. The last thing they had -seen that reminded them of him—aside from the -half-conscious remembrance of the boy that was -always in their minds—was the wreck of the rowboat -which had drifted down the river during that day of -the flood.</p> - -<p>It was a week before they came to the great bend of -the Columbia. Here they found stores and traders’ -houses. They camped out on the batik of Canoe river -and remained there two days, laying in provisions -and getting acquainted with the people. During -their stay there many came to look over the -<i>Rambler</i>, and every one lifted brows in disbelief -when told that the beat had found her way through -the two long and dangerous rapids which lay above.</p> - -<p>The boys made no attempt to remove the disbelief -from their minds. It really did look like a pretty -stiff yarn, so they let it go, loaded in their -purchases, and turned the boat south on the great -river, about two hundred miles above Upper Arrow -lake.</p> - -<p>At Boat Encampment the boys had asked, quietly, of -course, if any man answering the description of the -long-armed fellow who had appeared and disappeared -so suddenly had been seen thereabouts, but no one -seemed to have seen him, or to have seen a boy -answering Gran’s description. It was said that any -one passing the place would be certain to be -observed, so the boys sailed away with the notion -that the two were still up the river.</p> - -<p>There followed a number of restful days on a smooth -river. There were rapids and falls, of course, but -nothing to bring the lads into peril of their -lives. They loitered along with the current, -stopping at night and often not starting on again -until the middle of the day.</p> - -<p>The boys will never forget those golden days. -They fished and hunted, sat around roaring campfires at -night, slept in the warm sunshine when inclined, -and read stories of that wonderful land. There was -only one trouble over which they brooded.</p> - -<p>Gran had disappeared. During the time he had shared -the cabin with the boys, since he had come to them -so mysteriously at the summit pass, he had endeared -himself to them all. Beside the loneliness they -felt at his sudden departure, there was always the -undefinable feeling that he might be in serious -trouble and expecting them to come to him.</p> - -<p>“If we knew that he had left us voluntarily,” Clay -said, one day, “we might be able to drop him out of -our minds, but we don’t know that. In fact, it -seems to me that he was forced away.”</p> - -<p>“But he wasn’t tied in the boat,” Alex argued. “I -guess he might have jumped out when he came to the -<i>Rambler</i>. We would have shot that long-armed -humbug to pieces if he had tried to stop him.”</p> - -<p>“There are ways of forcing a fellow along besides -tying him up and carrying him off,” Clay replied. -“The man we saw him with may have some grip on him -which we do not understand. We’ll have to wait.”</p> - -<p>“That old train robber!” cried Alex. “What kind of -a hold could he have on Gran? I just believe the -boy was afraid to stir when he passed the <i>Rambler</i> -that day. Wish I’d shot that big stiff!”</p> - -<p>“Besides,” Clay went on. “Gran passed us that note. -It was hastily ended, as if he had been interrupted -in writing it. And when he threw it out into the -river he made sure that the man who was rowing did -not see the movement.”</p> - -<p>“The sneaking hold-up man!” Case broke in, angrily.</p> - -<p>“We don’t know anything about him,” Clay concluded. -“We have no proof that he assisted in robbing the -train. In fact, we know that he did not, for he was -on the train that carried us into Donald.”</p> - -<p>“But he might have put up the job,” insisted Alex.</p> - </div> - - <div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='chXX'>CHAPTER XX.—CAPTAIN JOE MAKES A DISCOVERY.</h2> - -<p class='first'>And in this way all their discussions concerning -Gran and the mysterious man ended. There were no -signs to go by. They hadn’t a thing to point to as -an established fact in connection with the boy -except that he had come to them in trouble, had -been assisted, and had been grateful.</p> - -<p>And there were no clues to connect the long-armed -man with any crime whatever. The boys knew that he -had not been present at the robbery of the train, -and that is all they did know about him, except -that he had followed on after them and either -coaxed or forced Gran to desert them.</p> - -<p>The larceny of the films was still a mystery. No -one save a member of the party could have taken -them, they thought. No one except a member of the -party would have been likely to have opened the -kodak and taken the films out right there in the -cabin. An outsider, it was certain, would have -taken the kodak with him and opened it at some less -perilous time.</p> - -<p>So far as the robbery was concerned, the boys had -believed that Gran had taken them. They had -held that opinion until the note had been fished out of -the river. The note had started in to say something -about the films. If he had stolen them he would not -be apt to talk or write about them to the boys.</p> - -<p>But the great point in connection with the films -was this:</p> - -<p>“Why had they been taken?” This question was more -important to their minds than the one which all had -asked at first: “How had they been taken?”</p> - -<p>There was an indistinct notion in Alex’s mind that -he had seen dark faces behind those sitting in -front of the fire at the pass. He believed that he -had secured some fine pictures of the campers, as -he called them, and was of the opinion that if -other faces had peered out from the shelter of the -rocks just at the right moment they, too, would -have entered the photograph in distinguishable -positions.</p> - -<p>Who were the men loitering back there in the -shadows? Were they the men who had held up the -train? And was this the reason why they could not -afford to have even one of their faces show in a -photograph taken at that spot, at that time?</p> - -<p>They all believed that Gran could clear up a good -share of the mystery if he saw fit to do so. They -had believed all along that he would tell all he -knew about that night just as soon as he became -more intimate with them. But he had left, voluntarily -or by coercion, without referring to the matter except at -the end, when he had written the word “films” in -the note he had cast out on the river.</p> - -<p>The boys talked little of the mystery which -surrounded the appearance and disappearance of -Granville, but they thought about it a lot.</p> - -<p>It is not far from thirty miles, as the river runs, -from Boat Encampment to Gold creek, which flows -into the Columbia river about west of Glacier lake, -far up on the eastern ridge of the Rocky mountains. -Here the lads found themselves, one night, sitting -around a great fire on the northern bank of the -creek.</p> - -<p>Gold creek has its source in the western heights of -the mountains running along on the west side of the -Columbia river during its course to the north. At -that point the two branches of the river are only -about thirty miles apart, but there is a high range -of mountains between the two currents. Gold creek -penetrates so far into the hills where it has its -source that a few miles farther to the east would -send its waters into the eastern branch of the -Columbia.</p> - -<p>The boys were enjoying themselves that night. -Captain Joe and Teddy were out on the bank, -sporting about, chasing each other into the low -bushes which fringed the creek. The bear had become -so tame that it was not necessary to keep him tied.</p> - -<p>In fact, Alex declared that he would follow them to -the end of the earth if they tried to get rid of him. -Captain Joe made much of the cub, and the boys -called it a happy family.</p> - -<p>As they sat there by the campfire a long, faltering -call came from darkness to the east. The mountains -come close to the valley there, and Gold creek runs -fast. The voice they heard seemed to come from the -creek itself.</p> - -<p>Captain Joe gave over playing with the bear and -darted away. The boys called to him to come back, -but he paid no attention to them. His conduct was -so unusual that all started up to ascertain the -cause of his disobedience. But before they were -fairly on their feet he was hidden in the darkness. -The astonished boys looked at each other in -silence.</p> - -<p>Then Clay hastened back to the fire and threw on -more lightwood, sending the flames high up above -the bushes. He also hastened to switch on the -electrics on board the <i>Rambler</i>.</p> - -<p>“There is some one in distress up there,” he -concluded, “and we’ll give them all the light -possible. Strange thing about Captain Joe.”</p> - -<p>“He never did a thing like that before,” Case -commented.</p> - -<p>“I’m afraid he’ll get into a mix-up with a bear,” -Alex observed.</p> - -<p>“But that wasn’t a bear that called!” laughed Clay. -“That was a human voice, and it sounded as if the -one who called was about all in.”</p> - -<p>“That’s the way it sounded to me,” Case agreed.</p> - -<p>“It may be the man who stole the boat and took Gran -off in it,” Alex suggested. “He may have started -across the mountains and become lost.”</p> - -<p>“He wouldn’t be calling to us,” Case said, with a -superior smile. “He will be apt to stay away from -us! At least, I should think he would.”</p> - -<p>“Huh!” commented Alex. “He wouldn’t know whose fire -it was, would he? He might think it some hunter’s -camp. Besides, I have a notion that he thinks we -were drowned when he cut the chain of the anchor. -No, he hasn’t any idea that we are here. I hope it -is him. Then we’ll get some news of Gran Listen! -There it comes again, and it is not very far away, -either. That weak voice never traveled far.”</p> - -<p>The call was repeated again and again, and all the -boys left the fire and started off up the creek, -not forgetting to take their electrics and -automatics with them. There were stars in the sky, -but it was dark under the trees along the bed of -the creek.</p> - -<p>When they were a few paces from the fire the voice -called again, faintly.</p> - -<p>“Pretty close by!” Clay observed. “I wonder where -Captain Joe is? He ought to be showing up -somewhere. Hope the fellow, whoever he is, won’t -mistake him for a grizzly and shoot him. There’s -his voice now.”</p> - -<p>Captain Joe was indeed close by, sending a long, -heavy call into the darkness. He seemed to be no -farther away than the one who had called for -assistance. The boys moved forward swiftly.</p> - -<p>“He’s found the stranger!” Case exclaimed. “I know -by the sound of his voice that he has treed -something. Good old Captain Joe!”</p> - -<p>Directly the dog came out of a thicket, leaped -joyfully about the feet of the boys, gave utterance -to low growls of satisfaction, and ran back into -the undergrowth, as if inviting the lads to follow -on and see what he had discovered. They were not -slow in accepting the invitation.</p> - -<p>Clay was in the lead, his searchlight on the -ground. Presently he came to a little shelter made -of fresh boughs and stopped to investigate.</p> - -<p>“That’s been built within a short time,” he -declared, as Case and Alex came up. “But where did -Captain Joe go so quickly?”</p> - -<p>“He’s probably inside that hut,” Case replied. “He -ran that way.”</p> - -<p>The next moment the dog peered out from under the -stacked up boughs, seeming to say to his friends -that he had found some one there.</p> - -<p>“I guess he has, all right,” Clay said, when Alex -expressed this idea. “He has found a human being, -for there are empty tins about, as if some one had -eaten here. Come out, Captain Joe!”</p> - -<p>But Captain Joe did not obey. Instead, he retreated -under the boughs and growled a further invitation -for them to come into his parlor!</p> - -<p>Clay pushed his light farther and opened the -overhanging mass of foliage. What he saw inside was -a slender figure lying on a rough bed of leaves and -grass. At the side of the figure were several tins -of food which had not been opened. Captain Joe was -bending over the face, which lay in the shadow, -caressing it with his soft tongue.</p> - -<p>Clay pushed the dog away and lowered his light. -Then the cry he uttered caused Case and Alex to -rush through the sheltering boughs and stand by his -side. In a moment all were on their knees at the -side of the figure, now lying with closed eyes.</p> - -<p>“It is Gran!” Clay shouted. “It is Gran come back -to us!”</p> - -<p>“He’s dead, I guess!” was Alex’s sad comment. Clay -bent forward and took the boy’s hand into his own.</p> - -<p>“No,” he said, “he is still alive. Now, how the Old -Harry did he ever get here? And what is the matter -with him?”</p> - -<p>Case pointed silently to one leg, lying off the -rough bed. There were rude splints tied to it with -strips of cloth torn from the boy’s trousers. The -garment had been cut from the leg, and it could be -seen what the splints meant.</p> - -<p>“He’s fallen and broken his leg!” Case exclaimed. -“Poor chap!”</p> - -<p>“And he built this shelter to die in!” faltered -Alex. “I wonder if he will ever come back to -consciousness?”</p> - -<p>The shelter had evidently been constructed by the -injured boy with the intention of resting for a -time after his bungling attempt at leg-setting. The -food he had brought there had been set out in -orderly array within reach of his arm as he lay on -his couch of foliage, and a dish of water—a -two-quart basin which forest travelers sometimes -use to cook in—sat not far away. An attempt had -been made to build a fire near the hut, but this -had not proved a success. Burned matches lay -around, but none of the dry sticks had caught fire.</p> - -<p>“He was making a fight for life, all right, poor -little chap!” Clay said, wiping a suspicious -moisture from his eyes.</p> - -<p>“I reckon he called to us with his last strength,” -Case muttered.</p> - -<p>“I’m afraid so!” Clay answered. “Well, how are we -going to get him to the boat without causing him -great suffering? He ought to be moved right away, -before he comes back to his senses.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll run back to the <i>Rambler</i> and bring a long -board there is under one of the bunks,” Case -suggested. “Then we’ll carry him on that, just as -if it was a stretcher. We’ll give him his old bed -in the cabin, and when he comes to he’ll be so glad -to get back that he won’t know he’s got a broken -leg!”</p> - -<p>The boy was away like a shot, and presently -returned with the board.</p> - -<p>Gran was lifted gently on the improvised stretcher -and carried, as gently as the uneven nature of the -ground would permit, to the boat. He did not open -his eyes during the removal, and the boys became -frightened, fearing that he was indeed dead. Alex -hustled around and had water on the stove heating -in short order.</p> - -<p>“He’s got to have hot water on that leg,” he said. -“I guess I can take that swelling down a little. -Now, do you think you can tell, either of you, how -bad the injury is, and whether the bone is -splintered or just broken short off?”</p> - -<p>Clay cautiously applied a hand to the injured limb, -feeling on both sides of the splints. In a second -he looked up with a smile on his white face and -added more fuel to the fire so as to hasten the -heating of the water. Case and Alex looked at him -questioningly.</p> - -<p>“The little hero set his leg himself,” Clay said. -“I don’t know how he ever did it! The bones are -back in place, and the flesh is not at all bruised. -The brave little chap! How did he ever do it?”</p> - -<p>“He probably killed himself doing it,” wailed Alex. -“He fell down some precipice and crawled miles to a -spot where he could get wood for the splints. -Crawled miles with that broken leg and carried his -food with him! He’s a little hero, that’s just what -he is!”</p> - -<p>There was no sleep for the boys that night. Gran, -worn out by suffering and over-exertion, lay until -daylight with his eyes closed.</p> - </div> - - <div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='chXXI'>CHAPTER XXI.—A CAMPFIRE HIGH ON THE HILLS.</h2> - -<p class='first'>There was quite a celebration in the cabin when, at -last, just as the sun came into view over the -mountains, Gran opened his heavy eyes and looked -about. All three boys were at his side instantly, -and Captain Joe, who seemed to claim precedence by -right of discovery, put his great paws up on the -bunk and addressed soft phrases in dog talk to the -patient.</p> - -<p>“For my sake don’t tell him that he mustn’t talk, -now!” Alex broke out. “Of all the chestnuts of -fiction that is the worst! Let him get his troubles -off his chest! Hello, Gran, old top! How are you?” -he added, wrinkling his freckled nose at the boy on -the bunk. “Brace up!”</p> - -<p>“And don’t you dare to look wildly around and say, -‘Where am I?’” Case threatened, taking up the mood -of the first speaker. “That is another of the terms -kept standing in all printing offices. You’re -looking fine this morning, old man!” he continued, -determined to cheer the boy up to the point of a -smile if that were possible.</p> - -<p>“What kind of a foolish house do you think we keep -here, Gran?” asked Clay. “These lads are doing a -lot of talking, but neither one has made a move to -get you something to eat. What will you have? Fish, -partridge, bear or baked beans? Apple pie, dried -apple pie, red apple pie, or pie-pie! Give a name -to it, and you’ll be feeding like a king in no time -at all!”</p> - -<p>Gran laughed at the waiter-like tone and manner, -and tried to sit up, but was glad to lie down -again.</p> - -<p>“I know where I am,” he said, “but I don’t know how -I came here. I guess the <i>Rambler</i> is going -somewhere, but I don’t know where.”</p> - -<p>“You don’t know where you’re going, but you’re on -your way!” chanted Alex. “Well,” he continued, -“you’re going down the Columbia river, according to -schedule, and that is enough to know. That’s all -any of us know. We came around by Canoe river, and -you came across the mountains, and we beat you to -it.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I came across the mountains,” Gran said, -weakly, “and got a tumble, and had a fright of a -time getting down to the river valley. I saw your -lights and that’s about all.”</p> - -<p>Not a word about why he had left the <i>Rambler</i>, or -where he had put in his time since then, or how the -rowboat had been obtained and, later, wrecked! Not -a word about the man in whose company he had last -been seen! Not a word about the missing films! Not -a word calculated to clear up any part of the -mystery!</p> - -<p>“You did a good job setting that leg,” Clay said, -to break the awkward silence. “You must have had a -bad time doing it, too.”</p> - -<p>“I did,” Gran confessed. “I had a wretched time. I -tied my foot to a tree, after I had the splints -bound lightly on, and dropped down a bank. I heard -the bones snap back into place, and knew that the -splints were holding them there, and went to sleep!</p> - -<p>“It was a long time before I sensed any pain again. -Then I got back to a level spot and tightened the -splints. Are they still on?”</p> - -<p>“Still on, and right as a book!” exclaimed Alex. -“You’re a brick!”</p> - -<p>“That was after you got to the valley?” asked Clay. -“How far had you walked with that broken leg before -you found splints and mended it?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I don’t know!” was the reply. “It seemed that -I was out days and days, and a bear came and sat by -me, and Captain Joe drove him off, and then I woke -up in the cabin of the good old <i>Rambler</i>!”</p> - -<p>The boys exchanged significant glances. Was it true -that the dog had driven off a grizzly, or was the -boy telling what he saw after his brain had become -affected by suffering? They asked no questions, for -the boy’s eyes were closing, and they knew -that he needed rest more than they needed information. In a -minute the lad was resting easily.</p> - -<p>“What do you make of it?” asked Alex as the three -boys stood out on the bank, Captain Joe capering -clumsily about them.</p> - -<p>“What do I make of what?” demanded Case. “Talk -United States.”</p> - -<p>“I guess you are sparring for time!” laughed Alex. -“So you don’t know what to make of it? You haven’t -a thought in your head?”</p> - -<p>“That is the truth of it,” Case returned. “I don’t -know why Gran doesn’t say something about his -desertion of us. I have given up trying to think -that out, so we’ll build up more fire, get a bed of -coals, and broil bear steak for breakfast. I’m -getting hungry, and I guess Gran will need a little -sustenance when he wakes up. Say, wasn’t it a -blessing that we came along just as we did? -Otherwise, he would have died. Never could have -made his way out with that broken leg!”</p> - -<p>While Clay and Case broiled bear steak and made -coffee Alex whistled to Captain Joe and started -away. Taking the course pursued the previous -evening, he soon came to the rough shelter which -the injured boy had prepared. There he sat down and -held a threatening finger up to the nose of the -white bulldog.</p> - -<p>“Tell me, Captain Joe,” he said, gravely, “did -you find a bear here last night, and did you drive him -away? Tell me, quick, old fellow.”</p> - -<p>The dog turned away with a sniff and circled around -the hut. Alex followed, soon coming upon claw -tracks in the earth. He turned to Joe.</p> - -<p>“I believe you did!” he cried. “Now, if you please, -will you go show me where that bear is? I want a -short conversation with him. What?” Captain Joe -started off in the direction of the high ridges to -the east, and finally paused at the opening to a -deep cavern in a towering cliff. Alex looked in and -sniffed inquiringly, after which he backed out and -turned toward the campfire, Joe marching along at -his side.</p> - -<p>“You’re a wonder, dog!” the boy exclaimed. “You’re -a wonder, and no mistake about it! I’ll have you -put in a book when we get back to Chi.” Captain did -not seem to take kindly to this proposition, for he -hastened back to the fire and lay down with his -nose cuddled between two rather dirty paws. Alex -came in in a moment and told what he had seen.</p> - -<p>“I guess the dog did see a grizzly,” Clay decided, -“and drove him off. It is a wonder he didn’t get -his ears boxed!”</p> - -<p>“Our lights probably had something to do with the -retreat of the big brute,” Case suggested. “I wish -we had found him there!”</p> - -<p>Gran ate bear steak and drank coffee when he -awoke, and the boys loafed about the <i>Rambler</i> and made -merry. During the day the injured boy talked of -almost everything except the things in which his -chums were interested.</p> - -<p>He told of some of his experiences in crossing the -mountains to the headwaters of Gold creek, but did -not say how he came to be in that wild region all -alone, nor why he had written the note saved from -the river. Naturally the boys were consumed with -curiosity, but they asked no questions, leaving the -solution of the problems to time and to future -moods of their patient. Gran’s leg mended fast, and -he was soon as full of fun as the others. Still no -hint of the reason for his disappearance!</p> - -<p>All the boys enjoyed the leisurely progress down -the river which followed. They were often obliged -to work their way around falls and long, foaming -rapids, but they did the work cheerfully, and took -all the more comfort in smooth stretches of water -when they came to them. Below Gold creek the valley -widens to the west, and a high plateau presents a -vast area of growing timber. Only a short range of -mountains divides this fertile stretch of country -from the high plains drained by the Fraser river.</p> - -<p>The boys tied up one night at Seymour creek which -flows into the Columbia from the west, about thirty -miles below Gold creek, and made a camp on shore.</p> - -<p>“This,” Clay, said in the morning, “is one of the -finest timber sections in the world, and I’m not -going to run through it. Some day there will be -great farms here, with wheat growing luxuriantly -during the short season. Now there is plenty of -game, and I’m going to get some of it.”</p> - -<p>“I think I’ll take a trip to Sir Donald mountain,” -Alex said, pointing across the big river, where the -white cap of the peak shone in the sunlight. “I -want to see how the country looks from the roof.”</p> - -<p>“You should have been with me on my excursion over -the mountains!” Gran remarked. “You’ll find it cold -up there, and you’ll find slippery rocks and -precipices which reach down into the bowels of the -earth!”</p> - -<p>“I want to see things!” Alex exclaimed. “If I had -been looking for a peaceful life, I would have -rented a boat in Chicago and sat out in the South -Branch with it! Me for the high spots!”</p> - -<p>“I think I’ll go along with him,” Case observed. “I -want to see the high spots, too, and, besides, I -may be able to keep this rash youth from getting -treed by a grizzly again! He’s always getting into -trouble!”</p> - -<p>Clay finally agreed to remain with Gran during the -day, and the two adventurous boys were landed on -the east side of the Columbia, not far from the -mouth of Six Mile creek, close to the foothills -which rise to the greater elevation of Sir Donald -mountain. It was early on a splendid morning in -early spring, and the boys felt the influence of -the time moving the blood swiftly in their veins. -Youth was in their every movement and the spirit of -adventure sung in their ears!</p> - -<p>It was a long walk to the place where the mountain -asserted itself above the hills, and, a little over -half way there, the lads stopped, and sat down on a -rock to eat the sandwiches of bread and bear meat -which they had brought with them. Around them was a -rugged country, several hundred feet above sea -level.</p> - -<p>Although the bulk of the mountain was still some -distance to the east, there were canyons and -lifting crags all about them. Just below, the thin -thread of Six Mile creek glistened in the light of -the morning. The springs which give rise to this -stream are far up in the mountains, and melting -snow has much to do with the quantity of its -waters.</p> - -<p>“Straight east of where we are,” Case said, as they -ate their dinners, “are the rapids we had such a -time passing.”</p> - -<p>“No,” Alex answered, looking at a map, “the rapids -are some miles to the north. Straight east of this -point is Beaver, where the Canadian Pacific turns -south toward Rogers pass and Glacier House.”</p> - -<p>“Guess you are right,” Case admitted, looking over -Alex’s shoulder. “And just a little way to the -south is Donald, where we took to the river. Just -think of what a country this is! We have -traveled something like two or three hundred miles, as the -river runs, and yet we are not more than fifty -miles from where we launched the <i>Rambler</i>! What a -country this would be for outlaws to hide in! Train -robbers, for instance!”</p> - -<p>“For all we know,” Alex replied, “the men who held -up the Canadian Pacific train, the men who have -been following us, so far as we can judge, may be -hiding in here! To tell you the truth, old chap, -that is one reason why I wanted to come here. Last -night, while looking over this way, I saw the smoke -of a campfire right about here. It was a big fire, -for it lighted up quite a space, and I could see -people moving about.”</p> - -<p>“Shadows!” Case answered, scornfully. “You never -could see people in the night at this distance from -our camp.”</p> - -<p>“Remember,” Alex insisted, “that they were high -above us, and that the fire shone on a face of rock -back of them. Remember, also, that the smoke went -straight up and gave me a good view of a blazing -fire.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, well,” Case decided, critically, “you might -have seen figures moving about. You had your glass, -of course?”</p> - -<p>“Certainly. Well, there were people camping over -here, and I thought I’d like to see what kind of -people they were. I said nothing to Clay about my -motive in coming here, because he thinks I’ll -be getting into trouble enough with peaks and canyons, -without hunting up mysterious camping parties in -the Rocky mountain district.”</p> - -<p>“I’m glad you didn’t mention it to him,” Case -mused. “He would have been anxious about us. Just -as if we aren’t big enough to take care of -ourselves. Have you seen the place where the fire -was yet?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” replied the boy, “it is across this little -valley, up against the face of that rock. See, the -rock is smudged!”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” Case exclaimed, swiftly moving under cover, -“and there are smudgy looking men coming after us -with guns in their hands! Duck, partner!”</p> - </div> - - <div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='chXXII'>CHAPTER XXII.—THE SURGEON TURNS DETECTIVE.</h2> - -<p class='first'>Case dodged deeper into a rocky depression as he -spoke, and Alex was not slow in following him. -Three men, all carrying guns, were approaching from -the south, now in full view as they mounted an -elevation, now lost to sight as they dipped into a -canyon. The boys watched them furtively.</p> - -<p>“I wonder if they saw us?” queried Alex shifting -about so as to look over a stunted shrub growing on -the edge of their hiding-place.</p> - -<p>“I think not,” Case reasoned, “for they are headed -farther to the east. Looks like they were going up -the slope in search of game.”</p> - -<p>“I just believe they are the train robbers!” Alex -exclaimed, in a moment. “You know, we were talking, -a short time ago, about what a cute little place -this would be for a fugitive to hide in.”</p> - -<p>“And they may be hunters, or officers in quest of -the robbers,” Case amended. “Anyway, there’s their -camp, to the left of that crag, and we’ll work over -that way as they get farther off. If they did see -us, and are hoping to capture us, the safest thing -for us to do is to double back, like rabbits. Come -along!”</p> - -<p>Keeping under cover of ridges, sneaking through -depressions in the broken surface, the boys moved -toward the spot indicated by Case. In a few moments -they saw that the three men were bearing farther -away to the north and east. This fact relieved -their minds of the suspense which the sight of the -advancing men had occasioned, and they made more -open progress.</p> - -<p>Directly they came to the camp itself, and were -delighted to see that it was shut out of view from -the direction taken by the men by a rocky ledge.</p> - -<p>It was a primitive camp, with boughs dragged up -from below serving as beds. The number of empty -food tins scattered about indicated that it had -been in use number of days.</p> - -<p>A great coat, ragged and soiled, yet still valuable -in that exposed position because of its thickness -and evident warmth, lay on a rock near the embers -of a dying fire. After glancing carefully around to -see that they were still out of sight of the men, -Alex picked the garment up and began a search -through the pockets, still whole and mostly empty.</p> - -<p>“Have you any idea they left their cards in there?” -grinned Case.</p> - -<p>“Never can tell,” replied the other. “Sometimes -people leave things in pockets. Anyway there may be -a tailor’s label on the coat which will tell us -where it came from.”</p> - -<p>He drew out a paper as he spoke and tossed it to -one side with the remark that they were saving up -fire-lighters.</p> - -<p>“Now, don’t throw that newspaper away,” Case -protested. “Hand it here! It may show the town they -visited last. Calgary, date, eh?”</p> - -<p>“How old is it?” asked Alex at once interested. -“When was it printed, I mean. That may tell us -something.”</p> - -<p>“A week ago,” was the reply. “They must have -secured it at Donald or Beaver, for that matter. It -will be new to us, anyhow, whatever date it is. Not -much of a newspaper, after all, though.”</p> - -<p>“Just don’t be in a hurry!” Alex suggested, as Case -laid the newspaper down on the ground. “There is a -marked item in it.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, just a few pencil marks,” Case admitted. -“Nothing to them.”</p> - -<p>“It tells about the train robbers hiding in the -mountains,” Alex explained, reading over the -headlines. “And here’s another item under it. -Listen to this, will you?”</p> - -<p>“‘Chicago, April 1,’” the boy read aloud. “‘An -unprovoked murder was committed on Wells street -late last night. Charles Stiven, employed as -barkeeper at a South Side saloon, was attacked by -Richard Miller, of the importing firm of Durand -Miller, and shot to death. The injured man did not -die on the street where the shooting took place, -but later expired at St. Joseph’s hospital, after -making a statement which is likely to hang Richard -Miller if he is caught. Miller escaped after the -shooting and had not been captured at the hour of -going to press. No reason is given for the brutal -attack.’”</p> - -<p>“Rather old news, that,” Case remarked. “Why, we -were in Chicago when that affair took place. -Anything more about it?”</p> - -<p>“Just a short description of Miller,” was the -reply. “It says he is unusually tall, with—”</p> - -<p>The boy stopped and looked up at Case with a -question mark in each excited eye. Then he arose -and held the paper out so Case could read the -paragraph where his finger was placed. The boy did -so wonderingly.</p> - -<p>“Unusually tall, with long arms,’” the boy read, -following Alex’s slowly moving finger. “Now, what -do you think of that, young fellow?”</p> - -<p>“That’s the man that was on the train,” Alex declared. -“That’s the man Gran talked with in the cedars! That’s the -man who took Gran off in our rowboat! No wonder the -lad doesn’t want to say a word about his adventures -on the mountains. What can it all mean?”</p> - -<p>“I’m going right back and show this to him!” Case -cried. “I’m going to know all about this. Gran’s -got to come through on this, as the police officers -say. Don’t you think that’s what we ought to do?” -he asked as the other looked grave and doubtful.</p> - -<p>“We’ve trusted him so far,” Alex replied, “and I -see no reason why we should not continue to do so. -Besides, the boy is ill, and must not be excited. -But, look here, that man is undoubtedly still -around here somewhere. Why he sent the boy over the -mountains alone is more than I can say, but a man -who will commit an unprovoked murder is equal to -almost anything! We’d better get back to the -<i>Rambler</i>. He may try to get the boy away again. -We’ll look after this Mr. Richard Miller, all -right!”</p> - -<p>“You just bet we will!” was the answer, and the -boys, forgetting, for the moment, the men whose -camp they had invaded, crept out of the tumbled -rocks and, once out of range of the three men on the -hills, hastened toward the <i>Rambler</i>. Half way -to the river, Alex paused.</p> - -<p>“I wonder if the men we saw aren’t officers, -looking after this Miller person?” he asked. -“They’ve got the description of him, you know.”</p> - -<p>“No they haven’t!” chuckled Case. “I brought it -away with me.”</p> - -<p>“That was a foolish thing to do,” Alex protested. -“Now they will know that their camp has, been -visited. I reckon we’d better get the <i>Rambler</i> -under way just as soon as we get to it. If we don’t -they’ll find us and make trouble.”</p> - -<p>Case agreed with this view of the matter, and, as -they stood on the east bank of the Columbia, -waiting for Clay to run across and get them, they -decided to tell him all about it and to advise an -immediate departure for Upper Arrow lake, where -Gran would, they thought, be safe.</p> - -<p>Clay was not a little excited at the recital. He -agreed with the boys that they ought to leave at -once, and preparations for departure were -accordingly begun. Gran looked on indolently at -first, but finally called Clay to his side and -asked:</p> - -<p>“Are you going to leave this section of country -now?”</p> - -<p>“Of course,” was the guarded reply. “We want to get -to the Pacific before snow flies, and we have a -long way to go. Besides, we do not want to remain -too long in one place.”</p> - -<p>“But you wanted to hunt over on the plateau, this -morning,” Gran urged. “And why did the boys come -back from the mountain so soon? Is there anything -wrong?”</p> - -<p>“Why, of course not,” Clay answered. “Only we have -the moving-on spirit to-day. We’ll drop down to -Revelstoke and get a sight of the Canadian Pacific -right-of-way before night, or, at least, before -morning. That will connect us with civilization, at -least,” he added, with a grin.</p> - -<p>“I’m afraid the motion of the boat will hurt my -leg,” Gran urged, not looking Clay in the eyes. “I -want to get well as rapidly as possible, you know. -Can’t you wait a few days—wait here?”</p> - -<p>“I’ll talk with the boys,” Clay promised and went -out. When he told them of the request Gran had -made, their eyes stuck out “good and plenty,” as he -afterwards expressed it. It was a puzzle to all of -them.</p> - -<p>“But why should he want to stay here?” Case asked, -in amazement. “Why shouldn’t he want to get away -from a valley which must have unpleasant -recollections for him? He would have died in that -hut if we hadn’t happened along! And the man we’ve -been talking about brought him to it all by taking -him away from us. It is the strangest thing I ever -heard.”</p> - -<p>“He went away with the man willingly,” Clay -explained, “at least we saw him make no attempt -to get away when we were close at hand, and might have -helped him. Now, how do we know that he is not -waiting in this valley to meet this man again? This -Richard Miller, who is wanted in Chicago for the -crime of murder. I suppose,” he added, -thoughtfully, “that there can be no doubt about the -description? The man described in the newspaper -article is the man we saw on the train, the man who -talked to Gran in the cedar canyon, the man who was -rowing when Gran passed down stream and flung the -note in the water?”</p> - -<p>“Not a doubt of it,” Case asserted. “That is the -man—Richard Miller, the man wanted in Chicago to -answer to the crime of murder.”</p> - -<p>“But, look here,” said Alex always ready to defend -Gran, “stop and think a minute! If Gran went with -this man willingly, why didn’t he stop long enough -to tell us he was going? Why didn’t he tell the man -to row up to the <i>Rambler</i> and let him explain? Why -was it necessary for him to put what he had to say -to us on paper, and then stop his writing in the -middle of a sentence. I don’t believe he left us -willingly.”</p> - -<p>“One reason why the man—this Richard Miller—did not -let him come up to the <i>Rambler</i> was that he had -our rowboat—the boat which had been cut loose from -her chain the night before. Say,” he continued, -with a blush and a laugh, “I’m getting this mixed. -It was the anchor that he cut away, -and not the boat! At least, I think he did! He wouldn’t -want to come to close quarters with us after doing that, -would he?</p> - -<p>“Well, he might as well have cut the boat loose,” -Clay said, “for he stole it after it had drifted -away. We saw him in it. That’s proof!”</p> - -<p>“Well, what are we going to do about it?” asked -Case, turning to Clay.</p> - -<p>“Let’s stay here and see it out!” Alex interposed.</p> - -<p>“That suits me!” Clay answered. “I haven’t lost -confidence in Gran yet, and, besides, there’ll be -excitement in it, if what you boys say about the -men on the other side of the river is true—if they -are really train robbers. I think it will be fun to -see it out!”</p> - -<p>And so it was agreed that they should follow the -wishes of the boy and remain where they were for a -time, although they all understood that the reason -given by the lad—that the motion of the boat might -affect his broken leg unfavorably—was not the true -one. But another surprise awaited Clay when he went -into the cabin to acquaint Gran of the decision -which had been reached. The boy was half sitting up -in his bunk with a flush on his cheeks which had -not been there before.</p> - -<p>“I’ll tell you what,” he said, as Clay entered. “I -am beginning to think that my leg ought to have the -care of a surgeon. You boys are all anxious to be -on your way, and so why not drop down to -Revelstoke? I can endure the short journey, all -right, and we can remain there a few days until the -surgeon has had time to straighten me out.”</p> - -<p>“We have all agreed to remain here,” Clay said, -with a smile, “but we can go on just as well as -not. We need a glimpse at a town.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t want to keep you here,” Gran went on. -“When I spoke about staying here I didn’t think I -would need the attention of a surgeon, but I begin -to feel that one ought to be consulted.”</p> - -<p>When Clay went out to the others with this new -proposition they were more puzzled than ever.</p> - -<p>“Why did he change his mind so suddenly?” was the -question Alex asked. “There’s something back of all -this. Do you think he heard us talking about the -train robbers?”</p> - -<p>“He might,” answered Clay, and there the subject -was dropped.</p> - -<p>That night, without mishap on the way, they tied up -at Revelstoke, which is a small town where the -Canadian Pacific takes to the valley of the -Columbia river again. They did not succeed in -finding a surgeon that night, the one located there -being away, neither did they spend any time about -town, for they thought it best to remain on the -boat with the injured boy.</p> - -<p>The next morning Clay found the surgeon at his -office and sent him down to the <i>Rambler</i>, himself -remaining in a general store to purchase a few -luxuries for the lad. While there he heard -considerable talk about the chase after the train -robbers, who were thought to be in that section.</p> - -<p>“I’d like to be the one to catch them,” he heard a -rough-looking man saying. “It would be worth -$10,000 to me. I need the money!”</p> - -<p>“If I could only point them out,” another cut in, -“I would be satisfied. There’s a reward of $5,000 -for just locating them.”</p> - -<p>Clay left the store with the reward bee buzzing in -his cap. They were not plentifully supplied with -money, and a portion of that reward would be very -acceptable. And the three men in the mountains! -Perhaps they were the very men wanted by the -officers.</p> - -<p>While he walked about, thinking the matter over, -the surgeon came into the one street of the place -and stopped him, rather bruskly, he thought. Clay -had an idea that it was his fee he wanted.</p> - -<p>“Where did you pick up that boy?” the surgeon -asked.</p> - -<p>“He came into the country with us,” Clay answered, -not very pleasantly, for he believed that the -surgeon was interfering with something that was -none of his business. He turned away, but the other -followed.</p> - -<p>“You mean that he came from Laggan with you,” he -said.</p> - -<p>“How do you know that?” demanded Clay, getting -angry.</p> - -<p>“Well,” sneered the surgeon, “this boy’s -description is among those of the hold-up men. He, -or some one looking remarkably like him, was seen -on the pass, in the company of the men who are -believed to have held up the Canadian Pacific -train. I’m going now to notify an officer.”</p> - -<p>Clay, for a moment, did not answer. What was there -he could say?</p> - </div> - - <div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='chXXIII'>CHAPTER XXIII.—THE POLICEMAN MAKES A MISTAKE.</h2> - -<p class='first'>“The boy was with us, in the <i>Rambler</i>, on a -platform car on a Canadian Pacific train, going -towards Donald, when the robbery took place,” Clay -explained, directly, trying hard to keep his temper -in the face of the impudence and greed shown by the -surgeon.</p> - -<p>“You’ll have to prove that!” said the surgeon. “Why -are you boys hiding in that motor boat, anyway? -Have you been carrying supplies to the men who did -the actual work in the robbery? And there was some -one shot on a train leaving the pass, on the night -of the robbery. Was it a bullet that broke the -lad’s leg? You’d better be frank with me.”</p> - -<p>“You ought to know whether the injury was caused by -a bullet or not,” replied Clay, beginning the story -of the trip down the Columbia and ending with the -finding of the boy in the shelter he had hastily -constructed.</p> - -<p>During the recital, however, he said not a word -about the man who had so often presented himself to -their notice.</p> - -<p>“That’s all very well,” the surgeon said, “but it -only shows that the boy is mixed up in some secret -matter, even if you boys are not in the game with -him. Here comes DeYoung, the policeman, now, and -I’ll turn the matter over to him, but I want you -for a witness to prove that I found the boy and -pointed him out to the officer. I want that -reward.” “I thought so!” Clay replied, scornfully. -“That’s what you are working for! Well, you won’t -get it. I’ll attend to that!”</p> - -<p>DeYoung, the policeman, now came up and held a -short conversation with the surgeon. Clay was not -permitted to hear what was being said, but at the -termination of the conference the policeman, a -member of the mounted force, approached him with a -scowl on his face.</p> - -<p>“So you’ve been harboring a train robber, have -you?” he demanded. “I think I’ll take you all in -and hold you for identification. I’ll go to the -boat now and get the boy. Come along, doctor, and -assist.”</p> - -<p>“But the boy mustn’t be moved! cried Clay, in -alarm.</p> - -<p>“Oh, mustn’t he?” snarled the officer. “We’ll see -about that!”</p> - -<p>“It will be all right to move him,” the surgeon -said.</p> - -<p>“Of course! And I’ll see that the boys are kept -away from him, too.”</p> - -<p>“It may be just as well to put them in separate -cells,” suggested the surgeon. “One of them may -confess, after going hungry a short time.”</p> - -<p>Clay was angry enough to fight, but he knew that -such a course would be worse than useless. These -men had the power to do as they pleased until -higher officers were reached.</p> - -<p>It will be understood, however, that he felt pretty -ugly at the idea of being parted from the injured -boy. That would be a great deal worse than having -the river trip interrupted and being locked up in a -Canadian prison, he thought.</p> - -<p>He argued with the policeman and the surgeon to no -purpose. Their eyes were fixed on the reward. The -thought, the prospect, of receiving so great a sum -completely blinded their eyes to all sense of -justice and humanity. Clay resolved, then, that -they should both suffer for their brutality if they -removed the boy and locked them all up.</p> - -<p>He thought of telling the policeman of the men who -had been hiding in the mountains. To his mind these -were the robbers. He believed that the officer -might gain the $10,000 reward by following his -instructions, and that he, himself, might secure -the $5,000 reward by pointing out the whereabouts -of the men.</p> - -<p>But he instantly banished the thought of helping -the brutal officer get a cent of the money. He -would rather take the chance of letting the men get -away and losing his own share of the money offered -for their arrest and conviction.</p> - -<p>Things looked pretty dark for the boys just then. -If arrested and locked up, the <i>Rambler</i> would be -at the mercy of the lawless men who frequented the -river there. Without doubt, all the stores would be -stolen. Even the boat itself might be taken. It -looked like the end of their long-planned journey -down the Columbia river.</p> - -<p>As the boy walked briskly toward the boat, -accompanied by the two men, he saw a man in uniform -beckoning to the officer, who pretended not to see -him. However, he said to the surgeon, in a tone of -great vexation which Clay did not fail to note: -“There’s Sergeant Wilcox! If he gets his eyes on -the boy before I do, he will claim the reward. He -is too soft to carry this thing through, anyway. -He’ll let the boys talk him out of the money. We’d -better make haste to the boat. If Wilcox wasn’t my -superior officer, I’d take a crack at his head with -a billy. He’s always butting in!”</p> - -<p>Clay had heard enough to convince him that Sergeant -Wilcox was the man he wanted to talk with! Should -he prove considerate and reasonable, he should -receive the information which would be worth -$10,000 to him—the information which a little -decency on the part of DeYoung might have won for -him!</p> - -<p>When the policeman and the surgeon started -toward the boat at a pace calculated to get them there -before Sergeant Wilcox could overtake them, Clay -hung back and DeYoung seized him by the arm to -hurry him along. The boy drew away and ran toward -the Sergeant, who advanced to meet him.</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter here?” the Sergeant asked, not -unkindly.</p> - -<p>“This officer has arrested me, and threatens to -arrest my chums,” Clay explained, “and I want you -to hear my story.”</p> - -<p>“Certainly, my boy,” replied the Sergeant “You -don’t look like a very hardened criminal,” he -added, as DeYoung approached with a pair of -handcuffs dangling in his hands, “so I guess we -won’t have you ironed.”</p> - -<p>“This boy and his chums,” stormed DeYoung, “are -connected with the train robbers, and I have -arrested them all as such. I’m now going to the -boat you see down there to take them all to jail.”</p> - -<p>“One of the boys has a broken leg,” pleaded Clay, -“and ought not to be moved. And everything we have -will be stolen if we are taken away from our boat -and locked up.”</p> - -<p>“It won’t injure the boy to be moved.” the surgeon -cut in, “and I’ll see that their property is not -molested. We, DeYoung and I, think we have that -reward cinched!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, you do!” cried Clay, with flashing eyes. -“You’d ruin us boys in the hope of getting it, -too!”</p> - -<p>“The injured lad shall not be moved, nor shall he -lock you up until we have plenty of proof,” said -the Sergeant.</p> - -<p>“You’re a gentleman!” Clay burst out, tears of -gratitude showing in his eyes “You’re a gentleman, -and I’m going to tell you where to find the -robbers! I should have told this other officer if -he had acted half-way decent. I think I know where -the men you want are, at least, and you can get -them in a short time, too.”</p> - -<p>“Why didn’t you tell me?” almost shrieked DeYoung. -“You ought to have told me. I was the first officer -you met. It was your duty to have told the first -officer you met!”</p> - -<p>“Because you’re a brute,” answered Clay, secure in -the protection of the Sergeant. “If you’ll send him -away, Sergeant,” the boy added, “I’ll take you to -the boat and tell you the whole story. But perhaps -you’d better get your men together, all ready to go -after the robbers.”</p> - -<p>“It is a plant!” cried DeYoung. “He wants to send -us away so the robbers can raid the town. Don’t you -believe a word he says!”</p> - -<p>“Go back to the station, DeYoung,” the Sergeant -ordered. “When I want any advice from you I’ll ask -for it. And we can get along without your company, -too, doctor,” he added.</p> - -<p>“But we claim the reward!” said the surgeon, -angrily. “You can’t come here with your high and -mighty ways and insult me. I’m not under your -authority! We claim the reward!”</p> - -<p>“Get out!” replied the Sergeant. “Come, young man, -we’ll go to this boat you are all talking about, -and you can tell me the story or not, just as you -please. I’m working to do my duty, not expressly to -win rewards. DeYoung sees nothing but the reward, -though he is a fairly efficient policeman. I’ll -have to transfer him into the woods farther!” On -the way to the boat Clay told the whole story, -omitting nothing. He even told of their suspicions -of Gran and his strange disappearance, and of the -three men seen on the mountain, and where they -might be found, provided they had not moved on, -which the boy considered doubtful.</p> - -<p>“I understand the boy’s part in the game,” the -officer said, “and think you have the robbers -located, all right. And now about this other -man—the fellow with the long arms. I think I have a -line on him,” with a queer smile. “I’ll show you -some dispatches presently which concern him.”</p> - -<p>Clay opened his eyes in amazement.</p> - -<p>“Is he one of the robbers?” he asked.</p> - -<p>The Sergeant laughed heartily.</p> - -<p>“I think I have a surprise for you,” he said. “You -just wait a few hours. You don’t know that I came -here to meet this boat, do you?”</p> - -<p>“Why, how did you know? What is the mystery? We’ve -been clouded in mystery ever since we left the -mountain pass.”</p> - -<p>“You’ll soon be out of it,” replied the Sergeant. -“You’ll have a clear field to start another puzzle -column in,” he laughed.</p> - -<p>“No more puzzle columns for me!” declared Clay. -“But how did you know about the boat coming here?”</p> - -<p>“Why,” laughed the officer, “I even know the names -of your chums! Second sight, eh! I know where you -started from, and all about it. I’ve been waiting -for you two days!”</p> - -<p>“I give it up!” said Clay, and not another word -would he say until the boat was reached and a -general consultation was held. Gran smiled when the -Sergeant was introduced to him and said:</p> - -<p>“We have been waiting a long time for you, Sergeant -Wilcox!”</p> - -<p>“Now, what do you think of that?” asked Case. “I -don’t think any more!” laughed Clay. “I’m beyond -being astonished at anything.”</p> - -<p>“Is Gran under arrest?” asked Alex.</p> - -<p>The Sergeant shook his head and held up a hand for -silence.</p> - -<p>“It is only a train from the east,” Clay -volunteered.</p> - -<p>“Is that our train?” asked Gran, looking up into -the Sergeant’s face with a confiding smile. “Is -that OUR train?”</p> - -<p>“I hope so,” replied the officer. “And now, Mr. -Clay,” he added, “you come with me to the station, -and you may learn of something to your advantage, -as the newspaper advertisements say. The others -will remain here for the present.”</p> - -<p>“We’re too paralyzed to make a movement,” suggested -Alex.</p> - -<p>Captain Joe arose to follow Clay and Teddy shambled -up to the officer and tried to climb up the -official stripe on the seam of his trousers. The -Sergeant laughed and patted the bear on the head.</p> - -<p>“You’re a happy family!” he said. “Come on, Clay.”</p> - -<p>Gran waved a thin hand at the two departing ones -and turned to Alex.</p> - -<p>“You’re going to hear the end of the story -directly,” he said. “I’m not going to tell it, -though.”</p> - -<p>“Who is?” demanded Case. “We’ve been trying to tell -it to each other ever since you came on the -<i>Rambler</i> that night at the pass, and have made up -our minds that we don’t know it!”</p> - -<p>“Of course not,” Gran said, and closed his eyes, -leaving Alex and Case half crazy with curiosity!</p> - -<p>When the train drew up, the first man to leave the -parlor coach made a rush for the Sergeant and shook -him warmly by the hand. This done he looked Clay -over with a curious smile on a face recently shaved -clean.</p> - -<p>The man was at least six foot three, and had very -long arms. Also a slight limp! Clay sat down on a -trunk and waited.</p> - </div> - - <div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='chXXIV'>CHAPTER XXIV.—MORE SURPRISES THAN ONE.</h2> - -<p>“This,” the boy heard Sergeant Wilcox saying, -directly, “is Mr. Richard Miller, of Chicago. And -this, Mr. Miller, is Mr. Clayton Emmett, also known -as ‘Clay,’ recently from Chicago!”</p> - -<p>Clay heard the words dimly. The world seemed -turning around upside down. Here was the man he had -been accusing of all sorts of crime, from simple -larceny to murder, on good terms with the chief, in -that district, of the mounted police! It was enough -to turn the lad’s head.</p> - -<p>“I thought—”</p> - -<p>Then Clay decided not to say what he had been -thinking, and the three set out for the boat, -passing DeYoung and the surgeon on the way. They -both regarded the officer with scowls and -threatening gestures.</p> - -<p>At the boat the boy lifted on his bunk when Mr. -Miller approached and extended his arms. The man -dropped down at his side.</p> - -<p>“Daddy! Daddy!” they hear Gran saying.</p> - -<p>“I’m going out somewhere and have another dream!” -Alex said. “I’m afraid I’ll never wake up out of -this one. That is the man who stole our boat and -the man who cut our anchor chain!”</p> - -<p>“Not exactly!” said Miller. “I’m going to tell you -about that, after I return something I have of -yours.”</p> - -<p>He reached into a pocket and brought forth a packet -of films and developed pictures. The pictures -showed campfire scenes, and back of the faces -before the blaze was the face of a tall man, -looking out in wonder.</p> - -<p>“Where did you get them developed?” asked Alex. -“Where did you get them, anyway? We always thought -Gran took them.”</p> - -<p>“I did,” admitted the boy, with a smile, “and gave -them to Daddy, and he had them developed at Donald -and sent copies to the police at Chicago. See that -face back of the others? That’s Daddy.”</p> - -<p>“Then he’s one of the train robbers!” declared -Case.</p> - -<p>“But he was with them, and the officers have his -description, as well as that of Gran,” Alex -insisted when the officer shook his head.</p> - -<p>“Yes, he was with them,” the Sergeant said, “and so -was Gran, up to that night. They did not know what -the three men were there for, and when they -discovered that they were there to rob a train they -left them, the boy making friends with you -boys and going on the <i>Rambler</i>, and the father getting on -the train and being chased off.”</p> - -<p>“But why didn’t they both come to us and tell us?” -asked Clay. “We would have taken them both in.”</p> - -<p>“But there was a charge of murder against Mr. -Miller,” replied the officer, “and he did not know, -you boys so well then as he has learned to know you -since that night. He couldn’t make up his mind to -trust you.”</p> - -<p>“We know what the charge is,” Alex said. “We found -the newspaper which the robbers left in their -camp.”</p> - -<p>“Richard Miller was in Wells street the night -Stiven was shot,” the Sergeant went on, “but he did -not do the shooting. That was done by Blinn, Carr, -and Snow, the three men you saw in the hills, the -three men who held up the train.</p> - -<p>“When the shots which killed Stiven were fired, Mr. -Miller got out of the way, naturally. He saw the -faces of the three men, and started to the Chicago -avenue police station to inform the officers as to -their identity. On the way there he heard a -conversation between officers which informed him -that he was suspected, and that the three men were -to testify against him.</p> - -<p>“All he could do, under the circumstances, was to -hide, unless he wanted to be held without bail -pending trial. He made it his business that night, -with the aid of a Pinkerton man, to locate the -three murderers, and from that day on he followed -them, hoping that in some way they would finally -betray the truth.</p> - -<p>“He followed them to many cities, and finally, when -they came to the Rocky mountains he sent for his -son, Gran, to join him. Together they joined the -robbers and sought information which would clear -the father of the crime.</p> - -<p>“The chance to prove his innocence never came to -the father until the night these pictures were -taken. They located the robbers on the ground where -the robbery took place. When he left them that -night, after Gran had gone to the <i>Rambler</i>, he -knew that the train was to be held up, as a -previous attempt had been made on the freight.</p> - -<p>“He knew, too, that the pictures taken by Alex -would prove sufficient to convict them, as their -portraits are in the rogue’s gallery at Chicago. He -tried to warn the conductor of the train that took -the boat away that a hold-up was in the air, but -the conductor wouldn’t listen, and caused him to be -chased from the train—as he thought.</p> - -<p>“However, Mr. Miller rode on the train, wounded by -the bullet, to Donald, saw Gran there for a minute, -and arranged to have the films taken so that he -might have them developed. It was also arranged -that he was to purchase a rowboat and follow the -<i>Rambler</i> until the films were delivered to him. -Then he was to go away and have them developed.</p> - -<p>“Father and son had many meetings which you never -knew about, and when, at last, the films were -delivered to the father, he was afraid to go out -with them, as the officers were looking for him on -advices from Chicago. So he took Gran away with -him, and, after the pictures had been made and -Chicago communicated with, the boy returned over -the mountains, though his father tried to get him -to wait and meet you here.</p> - -<p>“Then I came into the game. Mr. Miller came to me -here with the story and the pictures. He also told -me where the boat was and how soon it would be -here. Then he went up to Calgary to shave and dress -up like a gentleman.</p> - -<p>“But he did not know that the robbers had followed -you boys into the mountains in the hope of getting -the boat, of capturing Gran, and closing his lips -forever, for they had suspicions that he had gone -out to betray them. They cut the anchor chain, -hoping that you would all be drowned in the rapids. -But it was Mr. Miller who caught the rowboat and -used it until he left for this point. It was -wrecked after he left it. Anything else?” asked the -Sergeant, as he concluded.</p> - -<p>“Why didn’t they tell us all about it?” asked Case. -“What was the use of being so sly about it?”</p> - -<p>“If they had understood you all then as well as -they do now,” the officer replied, “they would -doubtless have done so.”</p> - -<p>“Why did he chase me when I was getting away with -the pictures?” asked Alex pointing to Mr. Miller.</p> - -<p>“Because I wanted the films,” laughed the other, -“and I got them, in time, as you all know!”</p> - -<p>“I wonder why the robbers didn’t kill us while we -slept, if they wanted us out of the way, instead of -cutting the anchor chain,” Case puzzled. “I should -think they would have made a sure thing of it.”</p> - -<p>“I wondered at that,” the Sergeant said, “but I -think now that they were afraid that the murder -would be discovered and that they would be -suspected. Anyway such a crime as that, when the -river gave up the bodies, would have filled this -district with police officers, and they would have -made it very uncomfortable for the robbers. They -doubtless thought, too, that the rapids would do -the work satisfactorily.”</p> - -<p>“And the robbers built the signal fire?” asked -Clay.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” answered the officer. “At least that is what -Mr. Miller thinks. They must have separated, and -wanted to get together again.”</p> - -<p>“When are you going out after them?” asked Clay.</p> - -<p>“I have a company of men forming now,” was the -reply. “You boys remain here a few days and you’ll -see them brought in. Of course the boys who saw -them in the mountains and reported it will get the -$5,000 reward offered for locating the robbers. -That will help some, eh?” he added, with a smile.</p> - -<p>“We can get along without it,” Gran broke in. “I -guess Daddy has enough money for us all. He’s spent -$10,000 on this man-hunt, but he had to do it, or -forever live under the suspicion that he killed the -man Stiven and bought himself clear. The only thing -for him to do was to follow the murderers and keep -with them until he knew that he could convict them. -They will never confess. We can introduce in the -trial THE CONFESSION OF A PHOTOGRAPH!”</p> - -<p>There were many little details which the boys had -wondered over set to rights that day, and father -and son told many amusing stories of their trip out -with the films. Until they had confided the whole -story to the Sergeant, they were in danger of -arrest.</p> - -<p>The Sergeant went out with a dozen men that night, -and in two days was back with the prisoners, who -confessed to the robbery as soon as they saw their -pictures in the group by the campfire. Their “mugs” -were already well known to the police, and they -knew that the pictures showing them on the -scene of the robbery just before it took place would be -sufficient to convict them.</p> - -<p>“You will have no trouble in getting the $5,000 -reward,” the Sergeant said to the boys, as they -were getting ready to move on down the Columbia -river. “By the time you reach Portland it will be -waiting for you.”</p> - -<p>It may be as well to state that the money was -awaiting them at Portland, and that they at once -planned another trip, this one to the Colorado -river.</p> - -<p>Mr. Miller went back to Chicago with the robbers, -and Gran, although his leg was still useless, -decided to go on with the boys. The father was to -meet them in Portland later. He was a very rich -man. Gran always declared that only for that he -would have been hanged for the murder of Stiven!</p> - -<p>There was sincere regret at parting with Sergeant -Wilcox, for he had greatly assisted in -straightening Out the tangle. He promised to meet -the boys later on, but under what strange -circumstances they were to meet again they had no -premonition at that time!</p> - -<p>And so, once more, the boys were afloat on the -Columbia! With minds free from mystery and -financial worry, they spent the long summer, up to -the first of September, making their way to the -Pacific.</p> - -<p>There were hard days and night, for the river is -rough and wild in many places, but there were also -sunny days when the <i>Rambler</i> glided over the water -like a duck in a fountain pond!</p> - -<p>And Captain Joe and Teddy, the bear, enjoyed the -trip as much as the boys did. When there were -campfires on the shore at night the two had many a -run in the forest. And Teddy always returned, to -sleep with his soft little nose against the dog’s -hairy shoulder!</p> - -<p>Alex caught fish. Case made bread, and Clay hunted -up the history of the country they were passing -through and read it to them in the cabin after the -amusement-filled days were over. It was in every -way an ideal trip—a summer trip over one of the -grandest rivers in the world.</p> - -<p>“I hope,” Clay said, one night in Portland, after -it was all over, “that we shall have as much fun on -the Colorado.”</p> - -<p>“It was pretty serious sometimes on the Columbia,” -Gran said.</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes, but we enjoyed it, except the time a bear -wanted me to come out of my tree!” laughed Alex. -“The Colorado offers chances for just as much -excitement. Don’t you ever think we are going to a -pink tea party when we sail down the Colorado, -through the canyons and over the rapids.”</p> - -<p>Whether or not the trip down the Colorado was a “pink tea -party” will be told in the next volume of this -series: “The Motor Boat Boys on the Colorado; or, -the Clue in the Rocks.”</p> - -<p>And Captain Joe and Teddy? They were as happy at -the finish of the Columbia river trip as the -others, and as ready to go over to the Colorado and -do it all over again!</p> - - <div class='lgc'> - <div class='line' style='margin: 10px auto 20px auto;'>THE END.</div> - </div> - </div> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The River Motor Boat Boys on the -Columbia, by Harry Gordon - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE RIVER MOTOR BOAT BOYS *** - -***** This file should be named 50123-h.htm or 50123-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/1/2/50123/ - -Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.bookcove.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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