ed the same with an eye to rough
rapids ahead, and pushing out, trolling a Canadian boat song Francois
had taught them, started on the day's voyage.

CHAPTER IV.

DOWN THE SWIFT RAPIDS.

"Sounds pretty wild ahead there!" bawled Jimmy, a couple of hours later.

He happened to be in the leading canoe at the time, along with the Cree
Indian guide, Tamasjo, and also Frank Shaw. Ned and Jack paddled the
second boat, and did it splendidly, too, for they had had considerable
practice at this sort of thing, so that as Ned expressed it, both had
"caught the hang of it." In the rear were the other two, Francois, and
Teddy Green, the ambitious explorer of unknown lands.

All this time they had seen nothing in any quarter to indicate that
there was a living human being in all that far-off country. Now and then
they had glimpsed herds of caribou peacefully feeding where the grass
grew most luxuriantly, or else like the reindeer of Lapland browsing off
the Arctic moss that clung to the rocks in myriads of places, and
contained the nourishment required. Birds were scarce, though in some
places they had come upon countless numbers of ducks, geese and swan
that seek these distant regions in summer to breed.

The others had possibly noticed that increasing murmur in the near
distance, indicating the presence of a roaring cataract, even if they
had not called attention to the same.

The Indian, seeing that the scouts would very likely want to hold a
conference, dallied with his paddle, and Frank, who sat in the bow of
the boat, followed suit. He did not altogether like the sound of that as
yet unseen rough place in the river that flowed northward toward Hudson
Bay; and felt that before trusting themselves in its clutch they should
talk it over, getting what pointers they could from the two guides.

Accordingly the three canoes drifted along on the rather swift current,
while those in them talked. From time to time the paddlers would delay
their progress by well known means, so that they might not be carried on
at too fast a pace, and find themselves in the surge of the rapids
before their plans were fully matured.

"I bet you that one beats any we've struck yet, if sound goes for much!"
Jimmy gave as his opinion.

"No question about that," added Jack.

"It sure makes a heap of noise," Teddy declared.

"And I can imagine the whitecaps jumping like crazy things as the
current hits up against the sharp-pointed snags and