Part 28 (1/2)
”Thanksgiving has come!” cried Jim. ”Where did you put salt on his tail?”
”He was roosting in a tree back there,” I replied, ”and I just naturally called him down.”
”Glad you did,” came from Tom. ”We will soon have him ready for supper.”
”That wasn't all I saw,” I announced with an air of mystery.
”Dew tell,” remarked Jim. ”I hope it was cranberries.”
”No, an Indian,” I replied.
”Where is he?” inquired Jim.
”I didn't bring him in,” I said. ”I guess he's over there in the brush, looking at us now.”
”Haw, haw!” exclaimed Jim, turning in the direction indicated. ”Come in Lo, and have some turkey,” he called.
But the Indian showed no inclination to come forward.
”Why didn't you shoot him?” asked Tom.
”I only had the shot gun,” I replied, ”and then he may belong to a friendly tribe.”
”That's so,” a.s.sented Jim. ”We don't want to make enemies if we don't have to.”
We slept that night without being disturbed, and the next morning we were ready to start while dusk was still in the canyon, though it had been morning for several hours upon the upper and outer earth.
”How do you feel, Jim?” I asked.
”All right,” he replied. ”I was a bit lame when I got up. You boys were still sleeping, so I took the gun and went back hunting for turkeys.”
”What luck?” I asked.
”Look in the cabin,” he replied.
”Three!” I exclaimed, ”that's fine. They will last us four or five days.”
”I found all three of them roosting on a limb,” Jim said, ”two the first barrel, and the other one the second.”
We now made preparations to reembark. It did not take us long to weigh anchor and with a hearty shove we were headed down stream.
Jim was at the sweep and I had my position in the bow.
”It seems kind of home-like to be aboard again,” announced Jim.
”It does that,” I replied. ”We understand our craft now, and feel sure she will take us through if we do our share.”
This was true. Perhaps we did not have the enthusiasm with which we started, but we had a confidence in ourselves and in our boat that had come through dangers and difficulties, encountered and overcome.