CHAPTER XXIV

CHAPTER XXIVDOWN THE SOO RAPIDSâ€”CONCLUSIONTeddyâ€™s prophecy came true.They did camp that night on the shore of White Fish Bay. A suitable place was found where above a sandy beach a high bank offered good inducements.But the boys were not taking chances. While the sun went down in a golden and rosy mass of color, who could say that they might not be visited by one of those sudden electrical storm which during the summer sweep over the great lake, making it dangerous for any small boat to be out.So the boys not only took extra precautions to fasten their tent down securely; but with considerable trouble they even brought both canoes up the high bank and fastened them, bottoms up, with ropes.Never did they feel better repaid for their labor.About half way between midnight and dawn a crash of thunder aroused them. Hurrying out, after dressing they found blackclouds sweeping down from the northwest. Already the little waves were breaking on the beach below. Had they simply drawn the canoes out of the water and left them there, doubtless this would have been a period of more or less anxiety concerning the welfare of the small craft.As it was, all they had to do now was to rope down the canvas a little more securely, and then await the coming of the squall.It was what Dolph called a â€œscreamer.â€The rain was carried on a howling wind that must have come across that big body of water from the Canada side at the rate of fifty miles an hour.Fortunately the tent had some protection from this fierce wind, since they had erected it just back of a large granite rock. And while the rain beat down in a flood not to speak of the spray that dashed twenty feet in the air, as the great waves slapped up against the rocks back of the now covered beachâ€”in spite of all this the Khaki colored tent did not leak a single drop.Whoever was responsible for the waterproofing, must have done a fine job; for if ever canvas was put to a severe test, that tent was.The thunder roared, the lightning flashed, and the wind and waves howled; but while the three canoe boys made no attempt to capture any sleep while the summer storm was at its height, they felt no uneasiness. With those firm rocks underneath, the billows of the biggest of all lakes could do them no damage.They supposed they might be marooned there for twenty-four hours because the lake would be too rough for their small craft.In this, however, they were pleasantly disappointed, when the storm went off muttering and growling toward the south, and the boys thought to try and get some sleep, the giant waves were still battering away at their old enemies the rocks, and sheets of spray fell upon the tent from time to time.When Teddy awoke he missed all this row; and making his way outside, for it was morning, with the sun shining brightly, he was surprised and gratified to discover that the sea had gone down as if by magic, owing to a change of wind.â€œThat looks as if we might get away this morning,â€ remarked Dolph, joining him.â€œIt certain does. But where is Amos?â€ demanded Teddy.â€œListen!â€The sound of chopping came from a point near by.â€œWhy, of course it wouldnâ€™t be Amos if he didnâ€™t think of a fire the first thing,â€ declared Teddy.â€œAnd it wonâ€™t feel at all bad this A. M.,â€ said Dolph. â€œThat storm sure did purify the air and sent the mercury tumbling down the tube. Whew! my fingers are actuallycold, and this a summer day, too.â€That day they paddled a good many miles along the shore. The wind being now in the south, favored them, for as a rule the water was very calm. It warmed up at noon, so that they were glad to strip down to a sleeveless jersey.And when it was finally decided to camp again for the night they had made such good progress that Teddy, after consulting his chart, declared another such day ought to land them at the Soo where they expected to spend several days ere going down the St. Maryâ€™s river to the head of Lake Huron, where they would put their boats on the steamer bound for Mackinac Island.The first part of the program was carried out on the following day, thanks to the favorable weather, which kept the waves from heading in on the southern shore.Late that afternoon they sighted the electrical building and tower that marks the wonderful locks of the great Soo Canal. Here they found a congestion of whaleback steamers and barges bound east with ore and grain, while others were going the other way laden with coal and other things needed around Duluth and the vast grain region beyond Superiorâ€™s farther boundary.There was almost constant whistling day and night.Making camp outside of town, the boys spent their first night at the Soo in their own reliable tent.On the following morning they hired a man to look after things, and started out to see the sights of the place.Of course, they spent most of their time for two days at the great lock, watching the vessels come and go. The grand rapids also fascinated them. And there was the government fish hatchery on a little island between the canal and the river, where the boys were interested in many things connected with the artificial raising of fish.In the pools belonging to the hatchery they saw scores of monster speckled trout of a size to make Dolphâ€™s mouth waterâ€”fully eightpounds. They would even rush at and seize upon a blade of grass when he tapped the water with it, as an insect might do.Of course, these fish were kept in order that eggs might be secured by millions, and placed in the jars to hatch out.The boys early made the acquaintance of some stalwart, dark-featured fellows who had long canoes over twenty feet in length in which for half a dollar each, two of them would take a party of four or six down the whirling rapids.And of course the boys quickly took that trip. The guides who piloted them claimed to be the grandsons of old John Boucher the Indian whom tens of thousands of tourists knew as the most daring and skilful guide of all the canoe men at the Soo. Old John some years ago took another pilot aboard, and started on the longest voyage he ever undertook. But from what he told the writer, just two years before he lay down in his last sleep, with the familiar roar of the Soo Rapids sounding in his ears, the way was fully charted and buoyed to him, and he had the utmost confidence in his pilot.In sweeping down the rapids where the outlet of Lake Superior drops nineteen feetin the mile, the boys noticed the terrible gaping whirlpool over to the left. They saw their guides avoided it sharply, and upon questioning later as to why this was done learned that only one man had dared to always pilot his canoe close to the edge of that seething vortex, to be sucked into which meant death.â€œSince Old John is gone, no guide cares to take chances,â€ was the reply.Of course, the boys also hunted up the grandmother of little Sallie. They found her living in comfort, with a son who had some office connected with the electrical department of the great locks.The old lady was shocked when she learned what kind of a man Crawley really was. She declared that if the girl came back again as usual after a summer with her father she should never go out into the pine woods again.And she never did.Some months later Teddy, who had left his address with the old lady, received a letter from her that really eased his mind greatly, as it did also those of Dolph and Amos, when they came to hear about it.Sallie was home again, sad, but fully satisfied that she had carried out the last injunctionof her mother to stick to her father to the end.Crawley was no more. He had been killed by a stroke of lightning, and the girl rendered unconscious at the same time. Recovering, little Sallie had made her way to the camp of a party of Chicago people, whom she knew were on the other side of the small lake.These people had buried Crawley, and seen to it that the wise little girl was put in charge of a conductor on a train who would deliver her to her folks.Sallie wanted to be remembered tooâ€”as if any of them would ever forget her.Taking their smaller canoes right into the big ones, the boys again shot the rapids and then leisurely made their way down the St. Maryâ€™s River, camping several times and taking their toll of the fierce bass for which certain stretches of this river are noted.At the mouth of the river they waited for the daily steamboat from the Soo, which took boys and canoes aboard, landing them at Mackinac Island. After a day at this loveliest of all islands, having a week more on their hands, the boys boarded the steamer Islander, which carried them, also their canoes, in among the Snow Islands.Here they passed the balance of their vacation, devoting some time to fishing, more to taking snap shots, and most of all to satisfying the clamorous demands of their healthy young appetites.Finally they got in touch with civilization, had their boats shipped out, and in the end landed at Teddyâ€™s home in Grand Rapids.Dolph declares that another summer will find him up in Michigan again, with his two staunch and true camp mates. And in return, by letter, Teddy has confided his belief that Amos, who is attending school with the prospect of studying medicine when he graduates, only hopes to go along with them so that he may run over to the Soo and pay his promised visit at the home of the old lady who is the grandmother of Sallie.THE END

DOWN THE SOO RAPIDSâ€”CONCLUSION

Teddyâ€™s prophecy came true.

They did camp that night on the shore of White Fish Bay. A suitable place was found where above a sandy beach a high bank offered good inducements.

But the boys were not taking chances. While the sun went down in a golden and rosy mass of color, who could say that they might not be visited by one of those sudden electrical storm which during the summer sweep over the great lake, making it dangerous for any small boat to be out.

So the boys not only took extra precautions to fasten their tent down securely; but with considerable trouble they even brought both canoes up the high bank and fastened them, bottoms up, with ropes.

Never did they feel better repaid for their labor.

About half way between midnight and dawn a crash of thunder aroused them. Hurrying out, after dressing they found blackclouds sweeping down from the northwest. Already the little waves were breaking on the beach below. Had they simply drawn the canoes out of the water and left them there, doubtless this would have been a period of more or less anxiety concerning the welfare of the small craft.

As it was, all they had to do now was to rope down the canvas a little more securely, and then await the coming of the squall.

It was what Dolph called a â€œscreamer.â€

The rain was carried on a howling wind that must have come across that big body of water from the Canada side at the rate of fifty miles an hour.

Fortunately the tent had some protection from this fierce wind, since they had erected it just back of a large granite rock. And while the rain beat down in a flood not to speak of the spray that dashed twenty feet in the air, as the great waves slapped up against the rocks back of the now covered beachâ€”in spite of all this the Khaki colored tent did not leak a single drop.

Whoever was responsible for the waterproofing, must have done a fine job; for if ever canvas was put to a severe test, that tent was.

The thunder roared, the lightning flashed, and the wind and waves howled; but while the three canoe boys made no attempt to capture any sleep while the summer storm was at its height, they felt no uneasiness. With those firm rocks underneath, the billows of the biggest of all lakes could do them no damage.

They supposed they might be marooned there for twenty-four hours because the lake would be too rough for their small craft.

In this, however, they were pleasantly disappointed, when the storm went off muttering and growling toward the south, and the boys thought to try and get some sleep, the giant waves were still battering away at their old enemies the rocks, and sheets of spray fell upon the tent from time to time.

When Teddy awoke he missed all this row; and making his way outside, for it was morning, with the sun shining brightly, he was surprised and gratified to discover that the sea had gone down as if by magic, owing to a change of wind.

â€œThat looks as if we might get away this morning,â€ remarked Dolph, joining him.

â€œIt certain does. But where is Amos?â€ demanded Teddy.

â€œListen!â€

The sound of chopping came from a point near by.

â€œWhy, of course it wouldnâ€™t be Amos if he didnâ€™t think of a fire the first thing,â€ declared Teddy.

â€œAnd it wonâ€™t feel at all bad this A. M.,â€ said Dolph. â€œThat storm sure did purify the air and sent the mercury tumbling down the tube. Whew! my fingers are actuallycold, and this a summer day, too.â€

That day they paddled a good many miles along the shore. The wind being now in the south, favored them, for as a rule the water was very calm. It warmed up at noon, so that they were glad to strip down to a sleeveless jersey.

And when it was finally decided to camp again for the night they had made such good progress that Teddy, after consulting his chart, declared another such day ought to land them at the Soo where they expected to spend several days ere going down the St. Maryâ€™s river to the head of Lake Huron, where they would put their boats on the steamer bound for Mackinac Island.

The first part of the program was carried out on the following day, thanks to the favorable weather, which kept the waves from heading in on the southern shore.

Late that afternoon they sighted the electrical building and tower that marks the wonderful locks of the great Soo Canal. Here they found a congestion of whaleback steamers and barges bound east with ore and grain, while others were going the other way laden with coal and other things needed around Duluth and the vast grain region beyond Superiorâ€™s farther boundary.

There was almost constant whistling day and night.

Making camp outside of town, the boys spent their first night at the Soo in their own reliable tent.

On the following morning they hired a man to look after things, and started out to see the sights of the place.

Of course, they spent most of their time for two days at the great lock, watching the vessels come and go. The grand rapids also fascinated them. And there was the government fish hatchery on a little island between the canal and the river, where the boys were interested in many things connected with the artificial raising of fish.

In the pools belonging to the hatchery they saw scores of monster speckled trout of a size to make Dolphâ€™s mouth waterâ€”fully eightpounds. They would even rush at and seize upon a blade of grass when he tapped the water with it, as an insect might do.

Of course, these fish were kept in order that eggs might be secured by millions, and placed in the jars to hatch out.

The boys early made the acquaintance of some stalwart, dark-featured fellows who had long canoes over twenty feet in length in which for half a dollar each, two of them would take a party of four or six down the whirling rapids.

And of course the boys quickly took that trip. The guides who piloted them claimed to be the grandsons of old John Boucher the Indian whom tens of thousands of tourists knew as the most daring and skilful guide of all the canoe men at the Soo. Old John some years ago took another pilot aboard, and started on the longest voyage he ever undertook. But from what he told the writer, just two years before he lay down in his last sleep, with the familiar roar of the Soo Rapids sounding in his ears, the way was fully charted and buoyed to him, and he had the utmost confidence in his pilot.

In sweeping down the rapids where the outlet of Lake Superior drops nineteen feetin the mile, the boys noticed the terrible gaping whirlpool over to the left. They saw their guides avoided it sharply, and upon questioning later as to why this was done learned that only one man had dared to always pilot his canoe close to the edge of that seething vortex, to be sucked into which meant death.

â€œSince Old John is gone, no guide cares to take chances,â€ was the reply.

Of course, the boys also hunted up the grandmother of little Sallie. They found her living in comfort, with a son who had some office connected with the electrical department of the great locks.

The old lady was shocked when she learned what kind of a man Crawley really was. She declared that if the girl came back again as usual after a summer with her father she should never go out into the pine woods again.

And she never did.

Some months later Teddy, who had left his address with the old lady, received a letter from her that really eased his mind greatly, as it did also those of Dolph and Amos, when they came to hear about it.

Sallie was home again, sad, but fully satisfied that she had carried out the last injunctionof her mother to stick to her father to the end.

Crawley was no more. He had been killed by a stroke of lightning, and the girl rendered unconscious at the same time. Recovering, little Sallie had made her way to the camp of a party of Chicago people, whom she knew were on the other side of the small lake.

These people had buried Crawley, and seen to it that the wise little girl was put in charge of a conductor on a train who would deliver her to her folks.

Sallie wanted to be remembered tooâ€”as if any of them would ever forget her.

Taking their smaller canoes right into the big ones, the boys again shot the rapids and then leisurely made their way down the St. Maryâ€™s River, camping several times and taking their toll of the fierce bass for which certain stretches of this river are noted.

At the mouth of the river they waited for the daily steamboat from the Soo, which took boys and canoes aboard, landing them at Mackinac Island. After a day at this loveliest of all islands, having a week more on their hands, the boys boarded the steamer Islander, which carried them, also their canoes, in among the Snow Islands.

Here they passed the balance of their vacation, devoting some time to fishing, more to taking snap shots, and most of all to satisfying the clamorous demands of their healthy young appetites.

Finally they got in touch with civilization, had their boats shipped out, and in the end landed at Teddyâ€™s home in Grand Rapids.

Dolph declares that another summer will find him up in Michigan again, with his two staunch and true camp mates. And in return, by letter, Teddy has confided his belief that Amos, who is attending school with the prospect of studying medicine when he graduates, only hopes to go along with them so that he may run over to the Soo and pay his promised visit at the home of the old lady who is the grandmother of Sallie.

THE END

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