other a tangled mass of underbrush, backed up by rocks and tall cedars.

"A fellow could never make his way through such a woods as that,"
said Whopper, nodding in the direction of the forest. "Why, you'd
tear your clothing all to pieces!"

"I can tell you one thing," put in Shep. "I think there must be
plenty of game up here---if only one can get to it."

They had taken turns at rowing and poling the craft along. For
the most part the poling was better than rowing, for the stream
was too full of rocks to admit the free use of oars. Twice they
had bumped on the projections under water, once with such violence
that Giant, who had been standing at the time, had almost gone
overboard. Once they had to carry craft and outfit around a sharp
bend. The boat had started to leak a little, but not enough to
cause anxiety.

Noon found them encamped on a point of land where the stream appeared
to divide into two parts, one running to the northeast and the other
to the northwest. Which branch to take to get to Lake Narsac they did
not know.

"This is a fine how-do-you-do!" was Whopper's comment. "I wish we
had questioned Jed Sanborn about it."

"From what I thought he said I imagined there was but one stream
leading to the lake," said the doctor's son.

"Perhaps there is, Shep; but which is the one?"