tting there like a squaw in the tepee, with little or
nothing to do. I like to carry out my share of the work; but you somehow
seem afraid to let me paddle, just as if a reformed joker like me would
be careless, or actually _try_ to upset the old canoe. So I put my vote
in as wanting to look for the mine over land."

Each of the other scouts quickly let it be known that they were in full
sympathy with Ned's suddenly sprung plan. Of course, this would make
some changes in their arrangements; but the more they looked it over,
the better they all liked the idea.

"I'm chuckling to think how that bunch will keep on waiting for us to
come down-stream," Frank observed, as they prepared to again enter the
boats, since Ned did not mean to abandon the river craft until they had
gone some distance further.

"There's only thing I hope won't happen," remarked Jack.

"And what might it be, if you don't mind telling?" Jimmy asked.

"We must be sure to hide our boats, so that there will be small chance
of their being discovered by anybody," Jack continued, seriously. "Think
what a dickens of a scrape we'd be in if we had to go back all the way
afoot. It would take us many weeks, and chances are we'd be overtaken by
winter before we got to civilization."

"Our ammunition wouldn't hold out that long," broke in Jimmy, visibly
disturbed at the thought "and glory be, whatever would we do for grub
to eat? It may be true that the rivers are full of fine trout, but me
stomach would go back on me if so be I had to eat them every solitary
day, week in and out."

"Oh! what would be the use of our being scouts if we didn't know how to
trap animals and birds," Ned told him, reprovingly. "In fact, while, of
course, I wouldn't say I'd like to have the experience, there's no doubt
in my mind but that it would be a great education to the lot of us. And
if we pulled through we'd feel as if we were fitted to go anywhere,
under any conditions."

"Huh! after all we've experienced on our little trips," said Frank,
"seems to me as if that would be only a walkover. For one, it doesn't
faze me a whit. If Ned gave the word I'd start out with him to walk
around the world, and with never a single cent in our pockets to begin
with. Chances are we'd land back in New York inside of two years
millionaires. That would be just like it. All the same I think we ought
to cover our canoes, and keep them from falling into the hands of
enemies. It is a pretty husky