Harry Gordon

“ Presently a deeper roar than that about them reached the ears of the boys, and they almost held their breath as a high wall of rock loomed up directly in front. The current set hard against this bank and fell away in foam on a curving shore below.
“Now we are in for it!” shouted Case. “If we strike that rock we go to pieces. It seems all clear below.”
Clay turned the prow away from the obstruction, but as he did so the current caught the broadside and whirled her round and round, seemingly a motor boat doomed to destruction after a hard fight for life. ”

“ The three lads, Clay, Case, and Alex who had visited the wild places of Peru during the Amazon trip, were wild with joy at coming back to the heart of Nature, but Gran, who was evidently taking his first degree in the wonderful order of Mountain, Life, did not take so readily to the dark shadows and the swirling eddies which threatened to tear the Rambler into bits in punishment for her intrusion into the secret places. ”

“ There was a long silence, during which Clay watched the moon coming up over the Rocky mountains, plating the rippling river and the brown crags with silvery light. The air was still, only the murmur of the water and an occasional protest from a bird breaking the silence.
“It’s glorious!” Alex declared, presently. “We’ve got to the point where we can appreciate a little quiet. If Gran could come walking in on us now, things would be about right, don’t you think?” ”

“ While I’m gone, you lads get breakfast ready, and we’ll take our last meal in this elegant old private palace car!”
“I suppose we can go over to the store and get a few things to eat?” questioned Alex. “We’ll have time for that, won’t we?” he added.
“Surely,” was the reply. “And have some coffee ready for me when I come back. Perhaps you can get a mess of fish. There’s the greatest salmon stream in the world, running along at your feet and making faces at you! But you must hurry up and get the food out of the boxes, all ready to carry down to the boat as soon as she is in the river.” ”

“ Much to Case’s delight, the engine drew up in front of the sidetracked car, and the conductor came running down from the caboose, swinging a lantern in his hand. He threw a volley of ugly words at Alex and stepped up to where Case stood, leaning over the railing of the Rambler.
“Does that kid belong with you?” he demanded, flinging his lantern out in the direction of Alex. “He might have been killed, making a catch like that. Where is the boss of this outfit?”
“We are all bosses,” replied Case, not at all pleased with the abrupt manners of the conductor. ”

“ Youth was in their every movement and the spirit of adventure sung in their ears!
It was a long walk to the place where the mountain asserted itself above the hills, and, a little over half way there, the lads stopped, and sat down on a rock to eat the sandwiches of bread and bear meat which they had brought with them. Around them was a rugged country, several hundred feet above sea level. ”

“ The boys moved forward swiftly.
“He’s found the stranger!” Case exclaimed. “I know by the sound of his voice that he has treed something. Good old Captain Joe!”
Directly the dog came out of a thicket, leaped joyfully about the feet of the boys, gave utterance to low growls of satisfaction, and ran back into the undergrowth, as if inviting the lads to follow on and see what he had discovered. They were not slow in accepting the invitation.
Clay was in the lead, his searchlight on the ground. Presently he came to a little shelter made of fresh boughs and stopped to investigate. ”

“ On this night, then, “Clay,” “Case,” and “Alex,” as they were familiarly called, were gathered around the coal heater in the cabin of the Rambler, high up in a rocky pass on a mountain range, the range forming the backbone of the continent of North America. There was plenty of coal on the platform car, and so they had no fear of passing a chill as well as a desolate night on the great divide. Also, the boys had plenty of provisions, as there were numerous boxes on the car which were to be emptied of their eatables and carried on board the motor boat whenever the great river was reached. ”

“ The boys were not in the boat, which lay at a great angle, the prow being on the land and the stern in the water, but were standing half concealed in the undergrowth which here fringed the natural levee. As the shadows grew longer, the boat more indistinct, a rustling was heard in the brush away to the west, up the rivulet, and then a heavy figure shambled into view. Case caught Clay by the arm and whispered:
“That’s Alex coming back with some of his monkeyshines! We’ll just lie still and see what he’ll make of the rakish attitude of the Rambler. ”

“ About noon, when the sun shone hot above the dancing waters, the Rambler came to another drop in the valley. The boys could hear the water tumbling over rocks, and the growing current told them that the falls, or rapids, whichever they were, were not far away.
“I think we’d better get to shore here,” Clay observed, “and take a look ahead. I don’t want another experience like that of last night. It is only by the greatest of good luck that we are alive this morning.”
“That’s the truth,” Case exclaimed. “And somebody is mourning over a plan that didn’t work. I wonder if they think we are dead?” ”

“ Alex exclaimed.
“I never did like venison!” was Case’s comment on the situation.
Clay turned and looked his chums over in mock anger.
“Just when I find a deer for you!” he cried. “Just when you’ve got a chance you may never have again, you go and back out. What’s the matter with you boys? Think the deer is not fit for food?”
“I’ve lost my appetite for venison, that’s all,” Case explained. “You can shoot if you want to. Shoo! Shoo! Shoo, deer!”
He arose and waved his hands at the animal, shouting at the top of his voice. The deer stepped away a few paces but came back at the bleat of the fawn. ”

“ Get the rowboat out and I’ll go with you.”
“All right,” agreed Alex, “we haven’t used the rowboat yet on this trip, and we’ll see how she behaves in the Columbia. Untie her, and I’ll get in and take the oars. Be careful now, and don’t jump in like a barrel of bones. This current is treacherous! If we get a dip here it may be a long time before we see sunlight again. Careful, now!”
“I don’t think you boys ought to go out in the rowboat,” Clay warned. “Why don’t you fish from the Rambler, or wait until to-morrow for your feast? It is too risky, just at night, and in unknown waters.” ”

“ Alex grinned, catching Clay by the arm and pointing to the wild country to the west. “This makes me feel queer! Why, we might be the sons of Noah, looking out of the Ark after it stranded on Mt. Ararat! Here we are, in a boat up on the mountains, and there, below, is the lifeless world! I wonder,” he continued, nudging Clay in the ribs to give emphasis to his observation, “if we had a dove, and the dove should be sent out, whether it would bring back an engine with a car fitted up to drag this old hulk to the railroad hospital?”
“No dove would mind bringing a wrecking train back in his bill!” ”

“ A motor boat trip down the Columbia was too fascinating, they declared, to be mixed up with any prosaic monetary calculations!
“If we go broke,” Case had said, when the closing details were under discussion, “we can walk back! I’d rather swim around Cape Horn and walk back to little old Chicago than miss the days and nights we are going to have on the Columbia!”
“You’re light headed!” Alex had responded.
“That will be an aid in swimming!” Case had replied. “Anyway, it is the Columbia first. The future may take care of itself!” ”

“ Clay explained, “I’m going to swing the boat in a wide circle and meet that precious trio as we pass up the stream. When we get almost to them, you, Case, take the helm, and you, Gran, catch on the ends of these lines. Do you both understand, now—are you ready?”
The boat had swung around while the boy was explaining, and Alex the bear cub, and Captain Joe were clearly revealed, just ahead, in the glare of the strong searchlight. The cub, forgetting all fear of the canine in the greater danger it was in, had climbed half way up on the dog’s back, and the dog was swimming for dear life. ”

“ Clay decided, “is to forget the films, and the train robbery, and the way the boy came to us, and go on about having fun with the Columbia river. Doesn’t it seem that way to you? To get away is surely the easiest way to escape any trouble connected with the robbery. I’ll go and tell Case about it, and we’ll just cut everything out but the fun we’re going to have on the river.”
“All right!” Alex agreed. “There never was any photographs taken in the pass, and there never was a train robbery at the summit of the Rocky mountains, and no boy ever came to us out of a dark canyon at night! ”

“ The Rambler ran on through the night, carrying prow lights and side lights, and covered many miles before the morning sun lifted over the mountains and looked down on the river.
“What about loitering around for a time in the hope of finding Gran?” asked Case, as he came from the cabin, rubbing his eyes, and noted that the Rambler was under full speed. “We ought to look for him, anyway.”
“We’ve given that up,” Alex answered. “We’re going right on about our business, fishing and hunting, and having all the fun we can, regardless of all mystery. ”

“ Case and Alex came bounding out, their eyes half-closed from sleep, their automatics in their hands. For an instant, in a quieter stretch of river, Clay felt the boat spring up stream in answer to the powerful motors, but directly the motion shifted again.
“Put up your guns,” the boy shouted to the others. “You, Case, come here and keep the motors in full action. You, Alex get a pole and stand at the prow. Do the best you can to keep the boat off rocks. She is bound to go down, and we’ve got a fight on our hands. ”

“ If he is in trouble, why doesn’t he put it up to us to help him?”
“Well, well, well,” chuckled Alex, “here we stand talking about films that never existed, about a campfire that never was, about a pass never on any map, about a pursuer who never lived! And over there on the shore Case is building a big fire. Now, Clay, just remember that there never were any films! We’re not going to have this trip spoiled with any mystery! What is Case building his fire for before he catches a fish?” ”

“ Teddy, the cub bear, by this time a chosen chum of the white bulldog, sat up on the prow of the Rambler, listening for the return of his playmate, his small ears bent forward expectantly. Occasionally he turned his nose to the west, sniffing at the light breeze now blowing from that direction. Clay called Case’s attention to the movements of the cub.
“I believe he scents Captain Joe!” the boy said. “He appears to be uneasy and expectant. The little chap has us beaten when it comes to discovering an approach not yet in sight. ”

“ Alex approved, “still, for the last time, mind, I really would like to know what became of those films, and if there were any faces in the photographs that I did not see in the glow of the fire.”
“That is your last guess,” laughed Clay. “We are not going to have mysteries tagging after us on this trip, as we had on the voyage up the Amazon. We’re going to hunt deer, and bear, and jaguars, and have the time of our lives! And fish! Just wait until we begin to take those big yellow salmon from the river! Just you wait!” ”

“ Between Beaver and Boat Encampment the river valley is narrow, and there are no settlements to speak of. In many places the two ridges of the Rocky mountains press down to the waters of the river. The country is wild, and in April the summits to the east and west show snowy caps, like stalwart nurses out in the city parks, guarding perambulators and leading toddling youngsters. ”

“ Clay did not answer, but took the helm and managed to swing the boat into a smoother bit of water near the east shore. The current swept against the upper side, nearly tipping her over, as she swung, but in an instant the prow turned down stream and the boat righted a little.
“Keep her to the shore!” shouted Case, frantically. “We can never ride those rocks. Keep her toward the east bank, Clay, for heaven’s sake, or it will be all over with us. What are you doing?”
“Full speed ahead!” roared Clay. “If we should strike a rock while headed for either bank we’d go over in a flash! ”

“ The boys were hungry and tired, and were promising themselves a sound night’s sleep as the supper cooked on top of the little coal heater.
“Bacon and pancakes!” scorned Alex after a time. “I’m getting sick of bacon and pancakes! What’s the matter with having one of the pies out of the cage? I’m hungry for pie! Pumpkin pie! Ouch!”
“I suppose you know how to bake a pie on top of a stove!” commented Case. “Why don’t you go out and catch a fish, if you are so keen for something new for supper. There ought to be plenty of fish in this roaring old river. ”

“ When it became too dark to see the river for any distance ahead, the boys anchored in a little cove cut out of the foot of a mountain by the beating of waters, covering hundreds of years, and built a roaring fire in the coal stove. ”

“ Why he sent the boy over the mountains alone is more than I can say, but a man who will commit an unprovoked murder is equal to almost anything! We’d better get back to the Rambler. He may try to get the boy away again. We’ll look after this Mr. Richard Miller, all right!”
“You just bet we will!” was the answer, and the boys, forgetting, for the moment, the men whose camp they had invaded, crept out of the tumbled rocks and, once out of range of the three men on the hills, hastened toward the Rambler. Half way to the river, Alex paused. ”