fit soon. Whatever would we do if she let down all of a sudden, while we
were right in the worst kind of a swift current? My! we'd be carried
miles downstream before we could do anything."

"Oh, no we wouldn't!" remarked the other, smiling.

"Then you've been thinking it all over and made ready to offset a balk,
I bet anything," declared Andy, with vehemence.

"Do you see that anchor forward?" asked Frank, pointing from where they
stood on the raised deck aft. "Well, that's got a good long stout chain
attached and is placed where a kick will send it over. Notice old Quita
squatting close by? Think he's taking a snooze, he seems so quiet? But
all the time the old chap's on the alert, and he has his orders, too."

"To upset the anchor over the bow, you mean?" asked Andy.

"Just that," came Frank's reply. "If anything happens to the machinery
you'll hear a series of quick whistles from Felipe. The boat won't even
have a chance to lose headway before over plumps the big mudhook, and
we'll just take a rest out in the river until repairs can be made again
by Engineer McClintock and his assistants."

Andy looked at his chum admiringly.

"Blessed if you don't just think of everything!" he said; "and get
ready long before it happens. However do you do it, Frank?"

"Oh, it's easy, once you make up your mind," laughed the other. "I took
to it long before this new Boy Scout movement started. You know they've