“I reckon I’ve seen as many as twenty danged fools try this stunt and I’ve never heard of any of them comin’ out the other end—that is, comin’ out breathin’. It’s a pity when the two of you air so young. I’ll be right glad to hear from you ef you do get through, seein’ as how it was my boat. Danged ef I figger I’ll hear, howsomever. Good-bye to you.”
With this he started back up the trail, shaking his head. Jerry suggested they make camp and wait until the boat was water-tight. This seemed a good suggestion, so they built a fire and made some coffee. In the afternoon Bob baled out the water that was in the boat and after watching carefully for half an hour found that no more water had come in.
“She’s all right,” he called to Jerry, who was building a lean-to for the night.
“All right,” answered the other, “pull her up on the bank and we’ll stow away everything that we don’t need for the night. We can leave just as soon as it is light to-morrow. We wouldn’t get far enough along to pay us for starting now.”
The boat easily carried all the things they had brought. Jerry took particular care in stowing away a box which he had hung onto jealously since they started. It was rather a mysterious looking case about which he had volunteered no information. Up to this time Bob had not questioned him, although he had wondered what was in it. However, as Jerry reserved the safest and dryest part of the boat for it Bob ventured to ask what it was.
“Light transit,” said Jerry. “We will need it to make sure that a road into the canyon is possible. What might seem quite possible to the eye, is often no use at all. I thought we’d better make sure.”
Bob was interested. He had read of and knew in a general way what use engineers made of transits and levels but up to this time he had not had an opportunity to see them in actual service.
“If we’ve got to use it, Jerry,” he suggested, “don’t you think you had better tell me something about it now while we’ve got a chance? Then I’ll be of more use when we get down to the canyon.”
“All right,” said Jerry rather ungraciously. “But you’ll soon catch on to it when we start work. You’ll have to.”
At the same time he took the case out of the boat and opened it. It was a beautiful little instrument, weighing hardly twenty-five pounds. It stood on telescopic legs of steel. Jerry showed Bob how to set it up and to manipulate the four screws by which it was made level. Then he showed him how to focus the telescope and all the other elementary things. After a little practice Bob felt competent to give Jerry what help he would need.