It was on that evening that Alex made his famous attempt to cook a river fish a la Indian. There was something the matter with the fish, or with the hot stones, or with the soil! At any rate, the white bulldog and the bear cub got the supper the boy had sweated over for an hour or more.
Shortly after noon on the following day, the _Rambler_ came to the head of the Lachine rapids, six miles above Montreal.
Although the boys had every confidence in Captain Joe as a pilot, some of them were inclined to think that his memory of the rapids might not be as good as his skill. Many a time during that passage the grand and lofty tumbling of the waters as they broke upon projecting rocks seemed about to engulf the frail craft.
Many a time the nose of the _Rambler_ seemed pointing directly at a hidden rock which sent the river spouting into the air like the "blow" of a great whale. Many a time the wayward current caught the prow and twisted it about until it seemed as if the boat would never respond to her rudder again.
But the eyes of the captain were true, the arms of the old sailing man were strong, and so the boat always came back to the course he had mapped out for her. When at last the rapids were passed, the boys were greatly relieved.
During the excitement of the trip, little fear had been felt after the first plunge, but now that it was over, they realized that they had been in absolute peril. Almost with the momentum which had carried the _Rambler_ down the Lachine, the boat came to a pier on the river front at Montreal. Looking about, the boys saw that they were almost in the location where they had tied up before.
Clay sprang ashore, hastened to a telephone, talked eagerly for a few moments and then returned to the _Rambler_. Captain Joe sat out on the prow and the boy took a deck stool beside him.
"Captain Joe," the boy asked, "what would have taken place if we had run out of gasoline while navigating the rapids?"
The captain eyed the boy with surprise showing on his weather-beaten face. He poked Clay in the ribs before answering.
"Why do you ask an old captain a foolish question like that?" he said.
"I'm asking for information," was the reply. "Tell me what would have happened. I really want to know."