Again Professor Bigelow turned to the Indian and this time asked him to talk more slowly.
He did, and a long conversation followed. It was broken and awkward, but in the end the professor gained a large amount of information. There was a smile on his face as he turned to the others.
“He says he will tell me all I want to know about his people if I will go with him to his settlement. His people will treat us all right. I don’t think there is cause to worry about that. What do you think about going?”
“All right with me,” returned Mr. Holton. “That was one purpose for coming up here, you know. And the chances are that we’ll find an abundance of fauna in those remote forests. I’m all for it.”
“Fine,” burst out Professor Bigelow. “Then we’ll go at once. But first,” he hesitated, “we’ll have to decide who will go and who will stay with the boats.”
“Why not take the boats with us?” suggested Joe. “The stream that Bob and I followed to the river is deep, even if it isn’t wide. I think we can easily paddle through.”
The others gave their approval at once, and they moved on up to the boats.
They decided to get a lunch first, however, for all were tired after the day’s strain. The chief was in no special hurry to get back to the village, as he had often left on long hunting trips alone.
Soon after the meal the provisions that had been taken out were packed in the boats, and then all climbed in.
“Now let’s make time,” urged Mr. Lewis, and the crew paddled them upstream.