they
reached the shore none too soon, their craft half full of water, for
not only had the keel to the lower ribs of the boat been shattered by
the weight thus suspended amidships, but the sheathing had been
ripped and torn across, so that when they dragged the poor _Mary Ann_
up the beach she was little more than the remnant of herself.

The others, coming down the head of the rapid a couple of hundred
yards to the rear, saw this accident, and now paddled swiftly over to
join the shipwrecked mariners, who luckily had made the shore.

"It's bad, boys," said Rob, hurrying down to catch the prow of the
_Jaybird_ as she came alongside. "Just look at that!"

They all got out now and discharged the cargo of the _Mary Ann_,
including the heavy grizzly hide, which very likely was the main cause
of the accident, its weight having served to fracture the stout fabric
of the plucky little boat. When they turned her over the case looked
rather hopeless.

"She's smashed almost to her rail," said Rob, "and we've broken that
already. It's that old grizzly hide that did it, I'm sure. We lit fair
on top of that 'sweeper,' and our whole weight was almost out of the
water when it came up below us. Talk about the power of water, I
should say you could see it there, all right--it's ripped our whole
ship almost in two! I don't see how we can fix it up this time."

Moise by this time had lighted his pipe, yet he did not laugh, as he
usually did, but, on the contrary, shook his head at Alex.

"Maybe so we'll could fix heem," was all he would venture.

"Well, one thing certain," said Rob, "we'll have to go into camp right
here, even if it isn't late."

"Did you have any fun in the other rapids above here?" asked John of
Rob.

"No," said Rob; "it was all easy. We've run a dozen or twenty a lot
worse than this one. Not even the Parle Pas hurt us. Then I come in
here, head paddler, and I run my boat on a 'sweeper' in a little bit
of an easy drop like this. It makes me feel pretty bad, I'll tell you
that!"

They walked about the boat with hands in pockets, looking gloomy, for
they were a little bit doubtful, since Moise did not know, whether
they could repair the _Mary Ann_ into anything like working shape
again.

Alex, as usual, made little comment and took things quietly. They
noticed him standing and looking intently down the river across the
near-by bend.

"I see it too," said Rob. "Smoke!"

The old hunter nodded, and presentl