Accordingly the voyage was resumed. And just as some of the boys had
said, they speedily turned from the main river into the branch called
the Big Sunflower, which, as the scene of their late successful search
for pearls, was invested with memories of a rather pleasant character
for the five chums.

As they paddled along against the rather brisk current, first one, and
then another had something to call out regarding this place or that.

"It's just great to be coming up here again, after buying these boats
with some of the hard cash we earned that time," declared Steve, who was
keeping closer to the others now.

"How many fellers d'ye reckon started grubbin' up here, after we quit?"
demanded Bandy-legs, who was working the paddle fairly well, though at
times he made a bad stroke, and seemed to learn slowly that it could all
be done without the splash and noise he insisted on making.

"Dozens of 'em," replied Owen; "but they didn't find much, and it soon
petered out. Why, one boy told me he'd hunted two whole days, and found
just three mussels, which didn't turn up a single pearl. He said we'd
cleaned the whole river out, and sometimes I think that way myself."

"But that bunch back of Ted were as smart as anything, too," observed
Max. "Think of them finding that there was a whole lot of ginseng
growing wild in the woods around Carson, and gathering it in on the
sly."

"They sold it for a snug little sum, too," Owen admitted; "and then