Part 4 (2/2)

From the great city it was navigable by power craft as far as Bridgeboro and even above at full tide, but a mile or two above the boys' home town it narrowed to a mere creek, winding its erratic way through a beautiful country where intertwined and overarching boughs formed dim tunnels through which the canoeist pa.s.sed with no sound but the swis.h.i.+ng of his own paddle. The boys had never before canoed to the river's source, though it was one of the things they had always been meaning to do. It was a happy thought of Tom's to make it a part of their journey now and strike into the roads along the Hudson in that way.

”Oh, crink.u.ms, I'm crazy to see Jeb Rushmore, aren't you?” said Pee-wee.

”I never thought I'd have a chance to go like this, I sure didn't! I never thought you'd want me.”

”We couldn't do without you, kiddo,” said Roy, as he paddled. ”We wouldn't have any luck--you're our lucky penny.”

”Cracky, you could have knocked me down with a feather when I got that note. At first, I thought you must be jollying me--and even now it doesn't seem real.”

The boys laughed. ”Well, here you are, kiddo,” said Roy, ”so you see it's real enough.”

”Do you suppose we'll have any adventures?”

”Why, as the little boy said when he spilled the ink on the parlor carpet, 'that remains to be seen.' We won't side-step any, you can be sure of that.”

”There may be danger awaiting us,” said Pee-wee.

”Well, I only hope it'll wait till we get to it,” Roy laughed. ”What do you say, kiddo, shall we hit it up for Nyack to-night or camp along the river?”

They decided to paddle leisurely, ending their canoe trip next day.

About dusk they made their camp on a steep, wooded sh.o.r.e, and with the flame of their campfire reflected in the rippling water, Roy cooked supper.

Pee-wee was supremely happy. It is doubtful if he had ever before been so happy.

”There's one thing,” said Tom, as he held the bacon over the flame. ”I'm going to do my first-cla.s.s stunts before we get there.”

”And I'm going to do some tracking,” said Roy; ”here you go, Pee-wee, here's a bacon sandwich--look out for the juice. This is what Daniel Boone used to eat.” He handed Pee-wee a sizzling slice of bacon between two cakes of sweet chocolate!

”Mmmmmmm,” said Pee-wee, ”that's scrumptious! Gee, I never knew chocolate and bacon went so good together.”

”To-morrow for breakfast I'll give you a boiled egg stuffed with caraway seeds,” said Roy.

”Give him a Dan Beard omelet,” said Tom.

”What's that?” asked Pee-wee, his two hands and his mouth running with greasy chocolate.

”Salt codfish with whipped cream,” answered Roy. ”Think you'd like it?”

Pee-wee felt sure he would.

”And there's one thing _I'm_ going to do,” he said. ”Tom's going to finish his first-cla.s.s stunts and you're going to do tracking. I'm going to----”

”Have another sandwich?” interrupted Roy.

”Sure. And there's one thing I'm going to do. I'm going to test some good turns. Gee, there isn't room enough to test 'em indoors.”

”Good for you,” said Roy; ”but you'd better trot down to the river now and wash your face. You look like the end man in a minstrel show. Then come on back and we'll reel off some campfire yarns.”

They sat late into the night, until their fire burned low and Roy realized, as he had never before realized, what good company Pee-wee was. They slept as only those know how to sleep who go camping, and early in the morning continued their journey along the upper and tortuous reaches of the narrowing river.

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