"What does this mean?" the captain demanded. "What have you come here for, jumping from log to log like a frog? We cannot ford this stream."
"We don't need to," his guide replied. "We'll go down a bit," and as he spoke the lad bent over, searching with his hands until he found a rope. Pulling on this, he drew out from under the overhanging bushes, a small canoe.
"Get in," he said, holding it steady for his companion to embark.
"You have been here before," Captain Howells remarked as he sat down in the light craft.
"Certainly, or I should not have known the way."
As he stepped in, cast off the rope, and took up the paddle, the young scout added:
"Of course I wasn't sure of finding the boat here. Some one else might have used it, or a freshet carried it away. There was a risk in coming; but this course will take us to the nearest house where we can pass the night, so I concluded to run the chances."
He was already paddling down the stream, which soon turned sharply to the eastward, and a little farther on plunged into a narrow gorge with a low, hollow sound that could now be plainly heard.
"There are falls ahead," the engineer cried in some alarm.
"Yes; but we shall not go over them. Look on the right side, and you will see a log cabin at the foot of the south cliff. We shall stop there."
In another moment he dexterously swung the canoe into a little basin just below the hut, exclaiming:
Springing out, he steadied the craft while his comrade leaped ashore. Securing the boat he led the way into the building, saying:
"This was built a few years ago by a half-crazy old fellow who gained a livelihood by hunting and fishing. Since he died it has been public property for those who know of it. I have been here now and then with others on 'coon hunts. We'll gather some fir boughs for a bed, and it won't be a bad place in which to pass the night."
From their knapsacks they carried they first satisfied their hunger, and then collected the material for beds. In doing this it was necessary to approach near the place where the creek made its downward plunge, and Ira said carelessly:
"How easy it would be to dam the stream here."
"Yes; but if you did that it would flood the whole swamp."
"That would depend on your dam. As the water is now standing on the surface nearly everywhere, you would get nearly a foot of water for each twelve inches dam."