of the rapids, and stretches that they
had formerly toiled up with tumpline or tracking-line they now covered
with the speed of a bullet.

Toward noon Fred became intolerably hungry; but neither of the others
spoke of eating, and he did not mention his hunger. Mac, in the bow,
put the shotgun where he could easily reach it, and scanned the shores
for game as closely as he could; but no game showed itself. They
traveled all day without seeing anything except now and then a few
ducks, which always took wing while still far out of range.

At last they came to "Buck Rapids," where they had shot the deer. The
river there was one succession of rapids, most of which were too
dangerous to run through. It was the place where, on the way up, they
had made only four miles in a whole day; and they did not cover more
than ten miles this afternoon.

When they came to the long, narrow lake on the lower reaches of the
river, the sun was setting. They were all pretty much exhausted with
the toil and excitement of the day.

"I vote we stop here," said Mac. "There'll be a moon toward midnight,
and we can go on then. We ought to get some sleep."

"I'm too hungry to sleep," said Fred.

"Well, so am I," Mac admitted. "But we can rest, anyway."

So they drew up the canoe and lighted a fire, partly from force of
habit and partly to drive away the mosquitoes. They carefully lifted
the fox cage ashore.

"We've nothing for them to eat," Horace said anxiously, "but they ought
to have water, at any rate."

The difficulty was that they had nothing to put water into. Mac made a
sort of cup from an old envelope, and filled it with water, but the
animals shrank away and would not touch it. Feeling sure, however,
that they must be thirsty, the boys carried the cage to the river, and
set one end of it into the shallow water. For a few minutes the mother
fox was shy, but presently she drank eagerly; then the cubs dipped
their sharp noses into the water.

The boys spread their only blanket on a few hemlock boughs and lay
down. Although they were so thoroughly tired, none of them could
sleep. Fred's stomach was gnawed by hunger; he was still much excited,
and in the rush of the river he fancied every minute or two that he
heard the trappers approaching.

They lay there for some time, talking at intervals, and at last Mac got
up restlessly. He threw fresh wood on the fire, in order to make a
bright blaze; then from an old pine l