There was a good camping-ground, with spring water, six or seven miles above, and this they reached about nightfall.
The next day they started off early, and as they sailed along with a good wind, they passed a large and comfortable-looking house on the west bank, and saw, now and then, dwellings and clearings, which proved that they would find the country better settled as they sailed northward.
They also met a very neatly-appointed yacht, with a good-sized cabin, and among the persons on board were some ladies and children.
“I didn’t suppose we’d meet any ladies down in this part of the world,” said Phil.
“Oh, yes,” said Adam. “When I was in these parts before, ladies who were travelling in the State, and had pluck enough to get to this river, used to come down this fur, but they never went much further South. From here up to Titusville you can gin’rally find houses, about a day’s sail apart, where people can stay all night. But some of the boats you can hire up to Titusville are good big ones, with comfortable cabins, and little stoves to cook meals on board, and everything convenient. But I wouldn’t want to navigate one of ’em heavy boats,’cept where the river was deep and wide; and ladies and children haven’t no call, anyway, to go much below this. The country’s too wild for ’em.”
About noon, Adam said,—
“If we had time to fish, we might have good sport just now. This part of the river is a first-rate place to catch channel-bass.”
“Let’s stop, anyway,” cried Chap. “We might fish an hour without hurting anybody. What difference will it make if we get to Boontown an hour earlier or later? And it may be that we’ll never get another chance to fish for channel-bass; that is, if this river is the only place where they can be caught.”
Phil was entirely of Chap’s opinion, and Adam had no objections to fish for a time, if the boys cared for the sport. But Phœnix was not altogether satisfied with the proposed stoppage.
“If we’re trying to get home as fast as we can,” he said, “I think we oughtn’t to stop if we can help it, especially as we’ve lost so much time anyway.”