m, "we will prospect in this canyon
for gold and precious gems, the latter of which you can take home to the
dukes and other members of the Royal Family."

"You can joke all you please," retorted Tom, "the trouble with you guys
is that you haven't brains enough to appreciate my kind of books."

"The saints be praised for that," ejaculated Jim, "I may have my faults
of reputation and of character, but no one can accuse me without being
shot of reading silly novels about the Lady Arabella and her lover, Lord
Lumox."

Tom's face had grown red with repressed anger and suppressed speech.

"Look, boys!" I cried in alarm.

"What is it? What is it?" they both exclaimed.

"Don't you see behind those bushes? There's a whole bunch of Indians."

Tom made a plunge forward for his rifle.

"Hold on," cried Jim, "don't exert yourself, Tom. Jo didn't see any
Indians. It was just his diverting method of breaking up our little
discussion."

Tom was so disgusted that he turned his back on us and became absorbed
in the view down the river.

In a little while we heard Commodore Jim's voice.

"To the oars, my bonnie lads. We are coming to another dancing, prancing
rapid."

Tom regarded the commodore askance.

"What's the matter with Jim?" he soliloquized. "He must consider himself
a blooming poet. I guess it's because he hasn't had his hair cut for a
year."

But all further repartee was cut off by the necessity of attending to
business. In a short time we ran out of the rapids.

After passing a great wide canyon we came to a very remarkable place. At
this point the wall was set back well from the river.

"Make a landing, Jim," I cried, "there's a tremendous cave ahead there
in the wall."

"All right," replied Jim.

So we swung our boat over into a quiet cave that was sheltered by gently
bending branches of some flowering bushes.

Making our craft perfectly secure we took the trail to this new wonder
that was carved in the great cliff.

"Well, this is immense," exclaimed Jim.

That expressed it. It was.

"It looks just like the entrance to some great and ancient temple."

"Whatever made it?" asked Tom, in amazement.

"Water," said Jim, "by a process popularly known as erosion."

"You got that out of the physical geography," said Tom.

"I didn't say that I invented it," remarked Jim, blandly.

"How long did this job take?" I inquired.

"A few hundred thousands of years, I suppose," said Jim.

"How do you kn