There was plenty of electricity in the accumulators, but the lads thought best to use only the electric lights. Clay gave his attention to the work of cleaning the motors, while Gran led in the preparations for supper. The boys were hungry and tired, and were promising themselves a sound night’s sleep as the supper cooked on top of the little coal heater.
“Bacon and pancakes!” scorned Alex after a time. “I’m getting sick of bacon and pancakes! What’s the matter with having one of the pies out of the cage? I’m hungry for pie! Pumpkin pie! Ouch!”
“I suppose you know how to bake a pie on top of a stove!” commented Case. “Why don’t you go out and catch a fish, if you are so keen for something new for supper. There ought to be plenty of fish in this roaring old river. Get the rowboat out and I’ll go with you.”
“All right,” agreed Alex, “we haven’t used the rowboat yet on this trip, and we’ll see how she behaves in the Columbia. Untie her, and I’ll get in and take the oars. Be careful now, and don’t jump in like a barrel of bones. This current is treacherous! If we get a dip here it may be a long time before we see sunlight again. Careful, now!”
“I don’t think you boys ought to go out in the rowboat,” Clay warned. “Why don’t you fish from the Rambler, or wait until to-morrow for your feast? It is too risky, just at night, and in unknown waters.”
But Alex was already in the rowboat, which was pulling hard at the line in Case’s hands. The boy backed with the oars, and Clay helped Case on the line, but when the latter was ready to jump for the boat the line parted and Alex went swirling down the river at the rate of a score of miles an hour. The boys stood aghast for an instant, and then Case sprang for the motors.
“Wait!” Clay ordered. “You can’t turn on power until I put some of the pieces back! I had it unfastened. Don’t touch it! I’ll see what can be done! Get out your flashlights and guns. We’ll let the boy know where we are, at any rate. I’ll have this motor ready in a minute.”
“Cut the anchor line, then,” cried Case. “We can’t let Alex go off in that way. We’ve just got to follow him! Cast off the anchor!”
The excited lad would have sent the boat adrift in the current, in which case she would have been dashed to pieces on the rocks in a very short time, if Clay had not interfered.
“You must be crazy!” the latter cried. “Alex may be all right. We will have power on in a minute, and then we can catch him, if we don’t bump into a foothill or tumble over a sudden drop. Listen! I thought I heard the boy calling. Answer him, you fog horn! You can beat me when it comes to making a roar.”