"THE MISSISSIPPI AT LAST!" UTTERED BOB.
It was Bob who uttered the cry, late one afternoon, some time after the events recorded in the last chapter. He was standing in the front of the scow, shading his eyes with his hand.
"It's a pretty big stream of water," answered Mark, gazing forward curiously. He drew a long breath. "Bob, about one-third of our journey to California is finished!"
"Right you are, Mark. But I'm afraid we have the toughest part of the trip still before us."
"Do you regret starting?"
"Not in the least, and you couldn't hire me to turn back," was the quick response.
"Are you going to stop at Cairo?"
"Don't you think we had better cross the river instead?"
"No, for we can't sail the scow against such a strong current. We had better stick to our original intention and sell the craft, and then take a steamboat from Cairo to some place up the Missouri."