“We can try it,” said Whopper.

The collie was given his share of the dinner and appeared to enjoy it as much as the boys.  He acted as if he felt perfectly at home with the young hunters, and made no offer to leave them.

“If he wasn’t such a fine dog I’d put him down as an outcast,” said Shep.  “But nobody would abandon such a fine animal—–­he’s worth too much money.”

Once again the boy hunters proceeded on their way.  As they entered the watercourse connecting the two lakes they noticed that the current was flowing swiftly.

“The heavy rains are responsible for this,” said Snap.  “We want to be careful, or the boat will be smashed on some of the rocks.”

“We might get out and walk—–­that is, some of us—–­if the shore wasn’t so rough and rocky,” said Whopper.  “It looks wilder than ever now, doesn’t it, boys?”

It certainly did look wilder—–­or was it only the rushing of the water that made it appear so?  They rowed on with caution, two at the oars and two doing the steering with poles.  Wags sat in the bow as before, watching proceedings in silence.

About half the distance to Firefly Lake had been covered when they came to a sharp turn in the watercourse.  Here the water boiled and foamed around several sharp rocks.

“Beware of the rocks!” sang out the doctor’s Son.

“To the right!  To the right!” yelled Whopper.  “It’s too shallow on the other side!”

They tried to turn the craft to the right, but the current seemed too strong for them.  The boat swung around and hit one of the rocks a sharp blow.  There was a little splash as the collie went overboard.  Then came a big souse, that covered those who remained in the boat with spray.

“Giant is overboard!” cried Whopper.  “And so is the dog!”

“Let the dog take care of himself,” cried Snap.  “Grab Giant!”

Whopper turned to catch the lad who had gone overboard, but the current was too quick for him, and the small youth was sent whirling out of his reach.

For the moment it looked as if the rowboat would either go over or be stove in on the rocks, and those left on board had to turn their attention to the craft.  They saw Giant floundering in the boiling water, but could do nothing to aid him.

“Swing her around and pull for shore; it’s our only chance!” cried Snap.  “Quick, now—–­or we’ll all go to the bottom!”

Fighting desperately, the three lads swung the craft around slowly.  It scraped on more of the rocks, and one of the oars was caught and snapped off like a pipe-stem.  But then the boat struck water that was a little more calm, and soon they reached a cove and felt themselves safe for the time being.

“Where is Giant?” was Shep’s question as soon as they knew the outfit was secure.

“There he is, on one of the rocks,” answered Whopper.  “And here comes the dog,” he added as the collie came battling bravely toward them.