CHAPTER II

WRECKED IN THE RAPIDS

WHEN they made this sudden plunge, the two boys were careful to maintain their grip upon the sides of the boat, one being on the right and the other on the left. Relieved of their weight, the buoyant canoe would probably float, and might yet prove of considerable help to them in navigating the remainder of the boisterous rapids.

All pioneer boys early learned to swim like fishes. It was as much a part of their education as handling a gun, or acquiring a knowledge of woodcraft. The lad who was not proficient in all these things would have been hard to find, and had he been discovered, the chances were he would have been deemed a true mollycoddle, and fit only to wear the dresses of his sister, or, as the Indians would have described it, be a "squaw."

No sooner had Dick and Roger found themselves in the swift flowing waters than they struck out most manfully to keep themselves and the boat afloat. It was no new experience in their adventurous career, for before now they had more than once found themselves battling with a flood.

For a brief time it promised to be a most exciting experience, and one that would require their best endeavors if they hoped to come out alive at the foot of the rapids. To be hurled against some of the jutting spurs of rock with all the force of that speeding current would mean blows that would weaken their powers of resistance, and cause them to lose their grip on the side of the canoe.

There were times when they were almost overwhelmed by the dashing, foamy waters. In every instance, however, their pluck and good judgment served to carry them through the difficulty.

All the while they had the satisfaction of knowing that they must be drawing closer to the end of the rapids. Already Dick believed he could notice a little slackening of the fury with which they were beaten on all sides by the lashing waters. He managed to give a shout to encourage his cousin.

"Keep holding on, Roger; we are nearly at the bottom! Another minute will take us into smoother water! Tighten your grip, and we shall win out yet!"

"I'm game to the finish!" was all Roger could say in reply, for every time he opened his mouth it seemed as though some of the riotous water would swoop over his head and almost choke him by forcing itself down his throat.

Before another minute was half over they had come to the foot of the rapids, and, still holding to the waterlogged canoe, floated out upon comparatively smooth water. Here amidst the foam and eddies they managed to push the boat toward the shore.

Roger was already laughing, a little hysterically it is true, for he had been tremendously worked up over the exciting affair. It might have ended in a tragedy for them; but, now that the peril was past, Roger could afford to act as if he saw only the humorous side of the accident.

"That was a very close call, Dick!" he ventured, as they continued to swim as best they could, holding their guns in the hands that at the same time clutched the gunwales of the boat.

"We rather expected it," replied Dick, "and laid our plans to meet an upset; but it came with a rush, after all. Who'd ever believe such a little knock against a rock would have burst the tough skin of our hide boat?"

"Yes, and a perfectly _smooth_ rock at that," added Roger, as though he knew this to a certainty, and it added to the mystery in his eyes. "I believed these boats were tough enough to stand ten times that amount of pounding. I believe after all I prefer our old style of dugout."

"Yes, they may be clumsy, but you can depend on them all the time; and after this I think I'll be suspicious about a hide boat," Dick continued.

The shore was now close at hand, and they found little difficulty in making a landing. At the same time the half sunken Indian boat was dragged up on the bank, and tipped over to relieve it of the water, though that began to pour out through the rent in the bottom as soon as it left the river.

It was only natural that the two boys should first throw themselves down on the soft bank to regain some of their breath after such an exciting time. Then, having been brought up in the school of preparedness, their next act was to examine their guns, and to renew the priming of powder in the pan, so that the weapons, on which, they always depended to defend themselves against sudden perils, would be in condition for immediate use in case of necessity.

In those days old heads were to be found on young shoulders. Responsibility caused lads, hardly entering their teens, to become the defenders of their families, as well as hunters and trappers. And the Armstrong cousins had long filled a position of trust of this description in the home circles.

"Well, we shot the rapids, all right," remarked Roger, presently, with a whimsical smile; "but not exactly as we had planned. Now we can have the pleasure of walking back to camp. At least it saves us the bother of paddling all the way, after making a carry around the rapids. And we meant to give our boat to one of the Mandan boys, you remember, Dick."

"I'm puzzled about that boat," remarked the other, frowning.

"I suppose you mean you wonder what made it play such a treacherous trick on us, after standing the wear and tear of the winter," Roger observed.

"Yes, for you remember we examined it closely only yesterday, and made sure it was in perfect condition. Suppose we take a look at that break, and see how it happened to come."

"Oh! the chances are," said Roger, carelessly, "the old hide became worn or weak through age, and gave way. Still," he added, "that was only a little bump, Dick, and I'm as bothered as you are how to explain it."

In another minute they were bending over the upturned canoe. Immediately both boys uttered exclamations of astonishment, as though they had made a discovery that gave them an unexpected thrill.

"Why, it looks as if a sharp knife blade had been drawn straight down along here, and cut nearly through the skin, so that even a little blow would finish it!" exclaimed Roger, turning his troubled eyes upon his cousin as if to ascertain whether the other agreed with him.

"That is exactly what has been done," added Dick, soberly. "See, you can even notice where the slit extends further than the break. This was not as much an accident as we thought, Roger. Some rascal, who knew what we expected to do, tried to bring about our destruction in the rapids!"

"But it must have been done since yesterday," declared the other angrily, "for we looked over every inch of the skin of the boat then, and surely would have noticed the deep scoring of a knife blade."

"There can be no doubt about that," agreed Dick. "And the work was skillfully done in the bargain. Whoever made that cut expected that the boat would strike against rocks many times during the run of the rapids, and took chances that one of the blows would tear open the weak place. And that is what happened."

"It would have gone much harder with us if we had not been most of the way down the descent," said Roger, with a frown on his face. "But, Dick, who could the treacherous rascal be? As far as we know, we have not made a single enemy among the members of the party. Would one of our Indian friends have played such a mean trick on us, do you think?"

"No one but an enemy could have done it, Roger, because there was nothing to gain; for while some Indians might envy us our rifles these would surely be lost with us in the rapids and never recovered."

"That makes the mystery worse than ever, then," fretted the other lad, who was so constituted that among his boy friends down along the Missouri he had often gone under the name of "Headstrong Roger."

"I have a suspicion, although there is really nothing to back it up, that I can see," remarked Dick, reflectively, as though at some time in the past winter he had allowed himself to speculate concerning certain things which were now again taking possession of his mind.

"Dick, tell me what it is about, please," urged his cousin, "because I'm groping in the dark, myself."

"There is only one man that I know of who hates us bitterly," commenced Dick, and instantly a flash of intelligence overspread the face of the other.

"Do you mean that French trader, François Lascelles?" he demanded.

"I was thinking of him, and his equally unscrupulous son, Alexis," Dick admitted.

"But, when we captured them last fall, they were held prisoners in the camp until Mayhew, the scout, was well on his way down the river and could not possibly be overtaken. Then the party of Frenchmen was let go, with the solemn warning from Captain Lewis that if any of them loitered around this region they would be shot on sight. And Dick, all winter long you remember we have seen nothing of Lascelles, or indeed for that matter any other white man."

"Still," urged the other, "he may have come back here again when he found he could not overtake Mayhew and secure that paper. A man like François Lascelles hates bitterly, and never forgives. To be beaten in his game by a couple of mere boys would make him gnash his teeth every time he remembered it. Yes, something seems to tell me, Roger, that our old enemy has returned, and is even now in communication with some treacherous member of the expedition."

"You mean his money has hired some one to play this terrible trick that might have cost us our lives; is that it, Dick?"

"It is only a guess with me," replied the other, soberly; "but I can see no other explanation of this mystery."

"But who could be the guilty man in the camp?" asked Roger. "We believed every one was our friend, from the two captains down to the lowest in line. It is terrible to suspect any one of a crime like this. How will we ever be able to find out about it, do you think?"

"We must begin to keep our eyes about us and watch," advised Dick. "One by one we can cross the names off our list until it narrows down to two or three. Sooner or later we shall find out the truth."

"Do you mean to tell Captain Lewis about the knife-slit along the bottom of our boat?" demanded Roger.

"It is our duty to tell him," Dick declared. "The man who could stoop to such a trick as that, just for love of money, is not fit to stay in the ranks of honest explorers. Once we can show him the proof, I am sure Captain Lewis will kick the rascal out of camp. But I can see that you are beginning to shiver, Roger; so the first thing we ought to do now is to make a fire, and dry our clothes as best we may."

"I was just going to say that myself, Dick, because this spring air is sharp, with little heat in the sun. To tell you the honest truth my teeth are beginning to rattle like those bones the Mandan medicine man shakes, when he dances to frighten off the evil spirit that has entered the body of a sick man. So let's gather some wood and make a blaze."

With that, both boys began to bestir themselves, first of all slapping their arms back and forth to induce circulation; after which they started to collect dry wood in a heap. At no time, however, did they let their precious guns leave their possession, for they knew that when fire-arms were needed it was usually in a hurry, and to save life.