Uncle Tod, now that the first excitement was over, sat down on a stump near the log cabin shack and looked seriously and quizzically at Rick and Chot. Ruddy had discovered a bone that he had buried a few days before, in case he might get hungry during the night, and the dog now dug up this tidbit and proceeded to enjoy himself. Evidently he was glad to get back home again.
“Look here, boys,” said Uncle Tod seriously, “this is all straight is it—I mean about you finding Lost River?”
“Of course it is,” declared Rick.
“Pretty hard for anything as crooked as Lost River to be straight I guess!” chuckled Sam. This was as near to a joke as he ever got.
“Well, I mean you aren’t playing tricks on your old uncle; are you, Rick,” went on Mr. Belmont. “I know you sometimes do joke, but you aren’t doing that now; are you?” He glanced sharply at the boy.
Uncle Tod was very much in earnest and there was a look on his face which would have caused Rick to feel badly had the lad been playing any tricks. But he was not.
“We really found Lost River,” he said. “And we know how to turn it back again; don’t we Chot?”
“We sure do! I wanted to turn it before we came away, but Rick said we’d better let you do it.”
“Tell us about it!” begged Uncle Tod, and even Sam seemed to glow with a more kindly and happier feeling since hearing the good news.
Thereupon the boys detailed all their experiences on their expedition of discovery, beginning at the time when Rick first suspected that possibly the river might be located somewhere to the south and west of the tunnel passage through which it had ceased to flow.