CHAPTER NINE
A THRILLING CANOE TRIP
With one pack mule less, Jolt had more to carry but he seemed not tomind it. He was made up of that temperament like few humans, that aslong as he had plenty to eat and a place to sleep, it mattered not howhard he had to work at other times.
The day following Mr. Lewis's departure with Omney and the cubs, thescouts broke camp and moved along the trail to pitch a camp nearerBattle Mountain. From this spot Mr. Gilroy and Mr. Vernon could dailyrove about, hunting for the precious bits of rock and debris thatmeant so much to the geologist. Here the party planned to await thereturn of Omney and the mule, Frolic.
The new camp near Battle Mountain was much like the old one, with theexception of its being nearer the trail instead of way back in thewoods. Thus it happened that the second day of camping, a party oftourists stopped to ask which trail would lead them to a certainstream where they were to meet a party of canoeists.
Tally explained how they could reach the place, and after they hadgone, Joan sighed, "I wish we could canoe for a change!"
"It wouldn't be much like the infant trips we took last summer," saidRuth.
"I should say not! In the Rockies there'd be rapids, then a whirlpool,and then over a waterfall--to extinction!" laughed Julie.
"All the same, others take these trips safely,--why shouldn'texperienced scouts?" added Anne.
"Just because we never thought of it, with all our other excitement,"answered Ruth.
"Now that we have thought of it, let's ask Verny why there are noplaces where one can hire a canoe," suggested Julie.
The girls laughed at such an idea, but the thought of what a wonderfulexperience it would be to canoe on these streams, clung to theirminds, and so the Captain heard about it.
"Even if you had canoes, there are no navigable streams," said she.
"Those folks who stopped to ask Tally the way to Flat Top base were tomeet friends who canoed all the way from somewhere," said Joan.
"Yes, they told us they were to meet the party there and all weregoing to cross the Divide on horses, then come back and canoe home,"added Judith.
"It seems too bad that all those fine canoes must remain idle whilethose folks are riding over the Divide," sighed Julie.
Mrs. Vernon purposely ignored the sigh and the insinuation, then didher best to change the subject to one more practical. But the Fateswere against her this time.
The following morning, two of the men who had previously stopped toinquire the right trail to take, returned to ask Tally if he knew ofany one who would sell them, or hire out, a number ofmountain-climbing horses. Now that the canoeing party had arrived,there were no extra horses for them to ride.
"How many horses will you need?" asked Julie, quickly scheming.
"There are eight people in the party, and they will want one or twoextra horses for the luggage," replied the man.
"There are nine horses and one mule in _our_ outfit," hinted Julie,her eyes gleaming as she glanced at the Captain.
"But your mounts will do us no good," laughed the man.
"Oh, they might, if you could persuade us to swap for a time," saidJulie, daringly.
"Julie, what _do you_ mean?" demanded Mrs. Vernon, angrily.
"Why, one likes to be brotherly, you know, Verny, and in the wilds,far from other people, we ought to do a good turn to strangers. Hereis a party with a number of canoes but no horses, and here are we withhorses but no canoes--see my point?" she said.
"Even though you are the Scout Leader, Julie, I do not see how you caneven suggest such a step. The Captain refuses to listen to anyargument along those lines," said Mrs. Vernon sternly.
"We scouts like to canoe, and we will be here at camp for severalweeks, so a little side trip like the one offered now would be mostdelightful," responded Julie, who understood that the Captain'sobjections arose mostly from dread of the scouts taking the trip onunknown streams.
"Several weeks! Why, we are only camping here for a few days,"retorted Mrs. Vernon. "Besides I have no idea of exchanging safemethods of travel, for what is known to be a great risk."
"Verny, Gilly told Uncle last night that he had enough material onhand in these moraines to keep him busy for a year, if he wanted to dothe thing properly. But even as it was, he proposed spending severalweeks between here and Tyndall Glacier," said Joan, to corroborateJulie's statement.
"Well, what of that? Would you advise me to loan the horses Gilly gavesecurity for, to a party of strangers we never saw in our lives?"
Before any one could answer, Mr. Gilroy hurried back to camp. "I'veforgotten my magnifying glasses, girls. Don't stop me for anything,now," said he.
He ran into his tent and was out again in a moment, but one of the menwho came to ask about horses, recognized him in that moment.
"Why, it is Mr. Gilroy, who has a place in the Adirondacks!" exclaimedhe, coming forward.
"Well of all people! You're the last I looked for in the Rockies,Kenmore!" laughed Mr. Gilroy, shaking hands with his friend from theEast.
"Funny how we should happen to meet like this," said Mr. Kenmore, thenhe introduced his companion. Mr. Gilroy, in turn, introduced the twomen to Mrs. Vernon and the girls.
When Mr. Kenmore told his story, and why he had stopped at the camp,Julie hastily interpolated and repeated what she had said about a fairexchange of horses and canoes. But no one spoke of the Captain'sfears.
"Say, Ken, that plan might work out all right," declared Mr. Gilroy."How long shall you folks want to use the horses?"
"Why, as to that--we can go as far as your time permits, and returnwhen you say."
"Well, I'll tell you! I've got to be about these diggings for anotherten days or two weeks at least, and if the scouts want to take alittle canoe trip during that time, I think it will be fine! What doyou say, Captain?" and Mr. Gilroy turned to Mrs. Vernon.
"You seem to have settled everything before you asked my opinion. Yetthere would be no scouts in the Rockies if I were not responsible foreach one of them on this trip!"
"Why, Captain! I imagined you were as eager for this trip as the girlsseem to be!" exclaimed Mr. Gilroy, aghast.
"Eager--what for? Losing half the scouts in a whirlpool because of asilly notion of Juliet's?" The very mention of Julie's full namesobered every one considerably, for they realized that the Captain wasvery serious in her objecting to this new risk.
Mr. Gilroy suggested, "Can you two men spend the day with Mrs. Vernonand the scouts? I've simply _got_ to rush away and meet Mr. Vernon.Then we will plan to-night after dinner, and see what we can do. I doknow that there's no use your trailing back unless you go all the wayto Loveland or Boulder for your mounts--and you won't want to lose allthat time, I'm sure."
So Mr. Kenmore and his friend, Mr. Neil, spent a pleasant day with thescouts, and at night the subject of canoeing was again debated.
Finally, Joan said, "It's foolish of Verny to say we will drown, whenwe won badges for our canoeing last year, and carried off the prizesfor our county this spring."
"These girls are better swimmers and more expert canoeists than most,"added Mr. Gilroy.
"Besides, my dear," said Mr. Vernon to his wife, "it is not as if theyhad to paddle. With expert Indians to guide the crafts, why do youfeel so timid about the trip?"
"We only have Tally, and he can paddle but one canoe at a time. Ifonly Omney were here, he could take charge of one, and I could managethe other one," sighed Mrs. Vernon, feeling overcome by the combinedarguments of the others.
"How many canoes have you?" asked Mr. Gilroy.
"Three large ones, built for parties," replied Mr. Kenmore. "My wifeis a poor swimmer and knows nothing about a canoe, yet she had no fearin trusting herself to the expert Indian who managed the canoe she wasin."
"Why not let that Indian take charge of one canoe? Then the Captainwill feel safer, and her responsibility will be less?" suggested Mr.Gilroy.
"We'd be glad to, as that will take care of him until we
come backfrom our ride."
Finally, Mrs. Vernon said, "If you agree to wait until Omney returns,so we can let him manage one of the canoes, I'll withdraw most of myobjections, but still I am not in favor of this trip!"
Having gained that much, the scouts knew better than to urge more atthat time. Mr. Kenmore was relieved to find he could go back to hisparty with such good news--that horses and pack-mules were found as ifby a fairy. He thought to himself, "By a clever little scout of afairy, called Julie!"
Before the two men left camp in the morning, it was all settled. Assoon as Omney returned, the scouts would break camp and ride on untilthey reached the camp pitched by Mr. Kenmore's party. Mr. Gilroy andMr. Vernon would move leisurely along, searching in the morainesduring the day, and pitching camp wherever they were when night fell.There would be no outfits to look after, and no cares about scouts, sothey would reach Flat Top about the time the canoe party returned fromits trip.
As soon as Omney came back to camp, therefore, every one was ready toproceed along the trail to Kenmore's Camp. When the scout party rodeinto that camp, every one there was glad to see them, for they hadheard about the scout outing and the plan to exchange horses forcanoes, for a short time, at least.
"Couldn't be better if Providence itself planned it all!" declaredMrs. Kenmore, enthusiastically. "Don't you think so, Mrs. Vernon?"
"I'll wait until we return before I commit myself. I always did thinkfolks blamed Providence too much for what really was their ownstubborn will," returned the Captain.
Her repartee caused a laugh, and Julie exclaimed, "Verny, I fear youare coming down with chills and fever,--you never were so pessimisticbefore!"
"Yes, you are awfully lugubrious, Verny. At home you are with us onany wildcat scheme," added Ruth.
"That's it! It took a trip to the Rockies to show me what I was athome--for your wildcat schemes. Now I'm learning sense!" declared theCaptain.
Mr. Kenmore had a brilliant idea, and he instantly followed it up. Hebrought the Indian guide who had paddled the canoe to camp, andintroduced him to Mrs. Vernon, as his future mistress for the canoetrip.
The Captain saw the tall slender form, the fine muscular developmentof the Indian, and the polite demeanor. Then she said, "Have you beenin the Rockies long?"
"Borned here. My fodder Chief of waterways in Colorado when she wasterritory and me lee'l boy." The Indian demonstrated how small he wasat that time.
"John tells me he has spent the last twenty years on these streamsflowing from the Rockies. So he can be depended upon," said Mr.Kenmore.
That noon, the party wishing to cross the Divide rode away with thehorses and two pack-mules, while the three Indian guides showed Mrs.Vernon the route they proposed taking for the canoe trip. They wouldfollow the creek that eventually emptied its crystal waters intoGlacier Creek. But the latter had many fine tributaries, so they wouldfollow one of these to a spot John knew of, where a short carry of amile would bring them to a splendid river along which they could canoefor miles and miles.
The blankets and other necessities were carefully packed in the bottomof the canoes, and the slat frameworks for the flooring were laid downover them. Then the scouts divided their party and got into the threelarge canoes, with an experienced guide for each.
When they were once under way, Mrs. Vernon began to enjoy the trip asmuch as any one of the scouts. She leaned back comfortably in thecanoe as she thought to herself, "What's so enjoyable as this peacefulriding over placid waters, and passing by Nature's wonder-spots!"
The Indians thoroughly enjoyed canoeing, and the two boys, Tally andOmney, were delighted at the change of plan that made this water trippossible for them. The paddles were in capable hands, and the canoesresponded instantly to every touch.
A stroke one way and the canoe would evade a snag thrusting its uglyhead from the stream. A stroke the other way, and the passengersquickly rounded a finger of land that jutted out into the water. Nowand then a quick stroke, and a rock was passed without scraping, andall was done so quietly that no undue fear was roused.
They rode under massive overhanging rocks, glided past flat banks ofland where gorgeous bloom offered sweetest nectar to bees andbutterflies. Then they would shoot by cliffs whose towering sides werebare and threatening, or were overrun with vines and topped with giantpines whose roots found a hold down on the other side of the rock.
Finally the current began to run swifter, and still swifter. TheCaptain sat, half-mesmerized by the swirling water as the canoe shotthrough it. She was in a delicious state of mind when a stifled screamfrom Julie, in the leading canoe, caused her to rouse instantly.
They were sweeping around a wooded curve in the stream, and justbefore them was a series of little rapids that foamed and frothed.Farther on a narrow gorge was seen, and here the water doubled onitself and curled backward in its attempt to escape from the frowningwalls of rock on either side.
Now the canoes were in the white churning waters! Now they werecutting through the foam, the wavelets striving to pile up and overthe top of the canoes. The rapids roared as they flung themselvesagainst the rocky wall just ahead, and the Captain murmured, "Oh, Ihope no one runs into that!"
Then the three canoes were flying through the gorge, riding over thelapping waters, and now they were out again on the other side, glidingsilently across a wide expanse of dark-green lake. And now the Captainheaved a sigh of relief and sent up a prayer of thanks for theprotection.
The lake was quickly crossed, and again the three canoes were goingdown what seemed to be a chute. The scouts gasped at the speed, andgrasped the edges of the crafts tightly. When the first canoe, managedby John, came to the spot, he called back a warning to the other twoguides. And all three bent their muscles to the work in hand.
Suddenly, without other warning, Mrs. Vernon felt as if the canoe shesat in had dropped from under her--its flight was so swift that shescarcely realized the motion. Then--s-s-suash! down it came upon thetop of the water again--but far ahead of whence it sprang. She turnedto look at what could have caused this queer sensation and saw theyhad ridden a "rift."
The three Indians cheered and complimented the scouts for theircourage in this their first rift. So the scouts understood that suchthings were mere joys to an Indian and nothing to be frightened about.
During the afternoon the line of canoes reached one of the wildest andmost alluring spots in the mountains. The forest was not so densehere, the water was smoother, and the stream wider. The Indians werewarning each other "Watch out!" so their passengers were alert also.No one wanted to miss a single thrill of this marvelous trip.
Now a sound as of thunder in the distance reached their ears, and theCaptain wondered what it could be. As the canoes sped onward, thesound grew plainer and louder, and caused a clutch of fear at thethroats of the girls. But the Indians smiled eagerly and allayed unduetrepidation.
Then quite suddenly, coming out of a screen of overhanging verdure,the strange sounds broke into wild tearing, roaring, pulsating tones,and the canoes slid down upon the tawny yellow chute of a _real_cataract!
The bulky black things that flashed up before the canoes, only to beas swiftly passed by, were _rocks_! The queer, rocking, green-goldglass they were sliding upon was _water_! And then, as in the rift,after a sudden sinking as if through space, they all rode out safelyupon another deep quiet lake of dark-green water.
That night the Indians made camp on the moonlit shores of a marvelouslake. They had not bothered to stop for much dinner at noon, so everyone was hungry by evening. Freshly caught fish, and the food that onlyan Indian can find and cook to perfection, made the scouts feel "likemonarchs of all they surveyed."
Such thrilling experiences as John could tell, kept the scouts gaspinguntil Mrs. Vernon suggested they had best go to bed if they wished tocontinue in the morning. The beds of sweet bracken made up by Tallynever held more appreciative mortals than the scouts, after theentertainment furnished by John had ended.
For break
fast, there were wild ducks' eggs, found by Omney; stewedIndian potatoes, dug by Tally; Indian onions, discovered by John; anddelicious coffee, brought by Mrs. Vernon. Then they cleared away allsigns of the camp and proceeded along the way.
The second day of the canoeing there was no fear felt by any one, asthe Indians had proved to be adequate for any emergency, and thecanoes were splendidly constructed craft. In them the scouts shotrapids, rode down cataracts, bobbed about in whirlpools, and then--rodeout upon quiet lakes laughing merrily in their nervous tension.
Finally Julie felt tired of sitting still, and asked to paddle. Butthe guides shook their heads. No amount of coaxing could make themturn over the paddles to other hands. The Indians knew theirresponsibility, and were determined to avoid trouble.
The third morning, Julie said, "We can paddle so well, Tally, and someof these lakes are as tame as dish-water."
"Den wait to dinnertime at camp!" said Tally, unthinkingly.
The rest of the morning was passed in dodging great rocks, passingthrough arched aisles, where the water cut a way through the timber,or again rocking perilously in a seething bowl of froth, to be shotout at the other side, and then ride along on smooth water.
That noonday they landed on a blossoming meadow for camp. The canoeswere taken from the water and turned over on the beach, while theIndians hunted for food to cook for dinner. Two of them started for aninland pond where they saw flocks of wild duck, and John began tocatch fish for cooking.
Mrs. Vernon took charge of the fire, and the scouts made bread, setthe dishes out and did other chores. Julie and Joan had been sent tohunt for a fresh spring of water, and in passing the canoes where theyhad been left, Joan said, "The lake's like a millpond."
"I'd like to paddle across to the other side and climb that steepknoll. I bet there's a fine view from there," said Julie.
"Verny would have a fit!" declared Joan, looking back but not seeingthe camp, as the bank hid it from sight.
"It wouldn't take long, and I'm dying to try these canoes," suggestedJulie.
"Come on, then," responded Joan. "I suppose it's safe."
"Of course, and Tally said we might try at noon-time."
"We'll just shoot over and back again," said Joan, as the two girlsmanaged to carry the canoe to the water.
No one saw them glide away, and no one missed them at first, as theywere thought to be hunting for spring water. Then when dinner wasready there was no Julie or Joan to be found!