“I’ll do anything the rest of you like; but I think we’d better give the St. Francis up.”
“Now, Charley, how do you vote?”
“For going down the St. Francis. I don’t believe these men know much about the river, or anything about canoes. Let’s stick to our original plan.”
“There are two votes against the St. Francis, and one for it,” said Harry. “I don’t want to make a tie, so I’ll vote with the majority. Boys, we won’t go down the St. Francis, but we’ll go to the hotel, stay there over Sunday, and decide where we will cruise next.”
“All right,” said Joe, going to his canoe, and taking a paddle blade in his hand.
“What in the world are you going to take that paddle to the hotel for?” asked Harry.
“I’m going to see the postmaster who said there were no rapids in the Magog or the St. Francis; that’s all,” replied Joe. “I’ve a painful duty to perform, and I’m going to perform it.”