"It seemed mighty good to get to plenty of water," I said, "after coming through the desert."
"We'll be tired of water before we get through with this river," remarked Tom.
"It's the trip for me," said Jim cheerfully. "Do you know what it means, boys, to tackle a stream like this that hasn't been navigated except by two parties since the world began?"
CHAPTER XVII
BEGINNING THE BOAT
After we had got thoroughly rested, Jim from being rescued and Tom and I from doing the rescuing act, we went back to our camp.
"It's rather nice," remarked Jim, "to camp under cottonwoods after having nothing but pines over us, or the sky."
"It does seem sort of civilized," said Tom. "This is one of the nicest places we have struck. Just the kind for a picnic."
The broad-leaved trees were over our heads, and there was an open space amongst them for our camp. The trees were old, and some with bent trunks on which we could sit and swing our feet. After the wide and lonely extent of plains that we had been journeying over, our camp among the trees seemed a cosy shelter.