* * *
When the first faint rays of red streaked over the eastern
hill-tops, and the river mist arose from the water in a vapory
cloud, Jeff Lynn rolled out of his blanket, stretched his long
limbs, and gave a hearty call to the morning. His cheerful welcome
awakened all the voyagers except Joe, who had spent the night in
watching and the early morning in fishing.
"Wal, I'll be darned," ejaculated Jeff as he saw Joe. "Up afore me,
an' ketched a string of fish."
"What are they?" asked Joe, holding up several bronze-backed fish.
"Bass--black bass, an' thet big feller is a lammin' hefty 'un. How'd
ye ketch 'em?"
"I fished for them."
"Wal, so it 'pears," growled Jeff, once more reluctantly yielding to
his admiration for the lad. "How'd ye wake up so early?"
"I stayed up all night. I saw three deer swim from the mainland, but
nothing else came around."
"Try yer hand at cleanin' 'em fer breakfast," continued Jeff,
beginning to busy himself with preparations for that meal. "Wal,
wal, if he ain't surprisin'! He'll do somethin' out here on the
frontier, sure as I'm a born sinner," he muttered to himself,
wagging his head in his quaint manner.
Breakfast over, Jeff transferred the horses to the smaller raft,
which he had cut loose from his own, and, giving a few directions to
Bill, started down-stream with Mr.
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