ly one of the boats started forth, containing Bluff and
Reddy. When they got fully into the swirl the second craft appeared in
sight.

Jerry sat in the bow of this, and Frank in the stern, the more
responsible position. Immediately the two adventurous cruisers were in
the rapids, and shooting down with incredible swiftness.

The leading boat managed to pull through all right, for Reddy knew the
route; but disaster awaited that containing the two chums. Whether they
struck a half-submerged rock, and were capsized, or made a
miscalculation, and found themselves seized by the cross-current, no one
ever knew.

"Look out!" shouted Jerry, and the next instant both he and Frank were
overboard, and trying to keep away from the threatening snags while they
went whirling down the rapids.

CHAPTER XVI

THE NEW CAMP

"Well, how did you like it, Jerry?"

"Talk to me about your shooting the whirlpool at Niagara in a barrel!
That was bad enough for me! I swallowed enough water to float a ship!
And here we are yet, each perched on a measly old slippery rock, in the
middle of the rapids. Say! tell me about that, will you, Frank? How are
we going to get ashore?"

The situation was comical as well as tragical. Just as Jerry said, each
of the late inmates of the overturned bullboat, after being buffeted
about furiously for several minutes, had succeeded in wildly scrambling
on to an exposed rock.

There in midstream they sat, dripping wet, and with the foaming water
surrounding them on all sides. In spite of his recent scare, Frank could
not help laughing.

"What ails you? Perhaps you think I look funny?" exclaimed Jerry, who
had received a few bruises, and was not feeling quite as cheerful as
usual.

"Well, if you could only see yourself just now, you couldn't help
laughing. Do you know you just put me in mind of that little god of good
luck, Billikin!" called Frank, and in spite of his soreness Jerry had to
grin in sympathy.

"Well, all right, then; there are two of us, and I guess you look as
silly as I do. But there's that fellow, Will, getting his work in, as
usual. A nice pair of geese we'll look like in his book of martyrs."

"Oh, that doesn't bother me one little bit just now. All I'm thinking
about is how under the sun we're going to get out of this pickle," said
Frank, sweeping his hand around, as if to call attention to the angry
water that leaped and boiled in a frenzy of eagerness to get at its
expec