"That was quite an adventure," he said when he had recovered his breath.
"You went overboard in a great hurry," remarked Whopper. "And so did Wags."
"The shock to the boat did it. It made me lose my balance before
I was aware."
"Let us be thankful Giant is safe, and Wags," said the doctor's son. "And thankful, too, that the boat didn't go over. If it had our outing would have been spoiled."
"We've got to be mighty careful how we travel through the rest of this river," remarked Snap. "The heavy rains have made a fierce torrent of it."
It must be confessed that the boys did not know exactly what to do. Should they venture on the river again, or carry the outfit to the beginning of Firefly Lake?
"I've got an idea," said Shep at last. "You can follow it or not, as you think best. My idea is to have two of the crowd take the boat down and the two others walk to Firefly Lake, carrying the most precious of the outfit."
"That suits me," said Snap.
"Who will walk and who take the boat?" questioned Whopper.
"I might as well go in the boat—-I'm wet already," said Giant, smiling grimly.