others to stop their wrangling, and pay attention; "as Bandy-legs says,
he didn't run foul of any snag on the river since we left home. That
hole was made by an auger, or a bit held in a brace. Some mean fellow
had the nerve to lay this trap for our chum, in order to give us all the
trouble he could."

"Shack Beggs!" shouted Steve, always quick to make up his mind.

"That was why he kept grinning like he did, when he watched us go off,"
observed Owen, in a disgusted way. "When do you suppose he could have
found a chance to do such a dirty trick, Max?"

"Well, we don't know for a certainty whether it was Shack or one of his
crowd," replied the other, shaking his head; "but whoever did it must
have found some way to get into the boathouse after we left last night.
You remember, boys, we've got a ratchet brace there, and several bits.
One of them would just about fit this hole. But he must have been mighty
careful to take away every little splinter, so as not to make us suspect
there'd been any funny carryings-on."

"How d'ye suppose he fixed it, so as to keep the water out till just
now?" asked the bewildered owner of the canoe.

For answer Max made a crawl underneath, and almost immediately came out
again holding something in his hand, which he showed them. It was
apparently a plug of wood, and must have come from the hole that had
caused the sudden flooding of the cedar canoe.

"There, you can see what a neat little game he played!" Max exclaimed.
After he bored that round hole he made this plug and drove it in from