“All right!” said Milton.  “A daylight start will about suit us all, I guess.  I don’t think I can give you much previous instruction, Judge, that will help you.  We’ll put Jonas in Harden’s boat and you in mine.  You must wear your life preserver all the time that we are on the water.  When we are in the boat, do as I tell you, instantly, and you’ll soon pick up what small technique we have.  It’s mostly horse sense and brute strength that we use.  No two rapids are alike and the portages are nearly all difficult beyond words.”

“My Gawd!” muttered Jonas.

“You go over to the Hopi country with us,” said Na-che, softly.

“I dassen’t do it!” groaned Jonas.  “You’ll have to serve that stew, Na-che.  My nerves is just too upset.  I gotta go off and sit down somewhere.”

“Don’t you worry,” whispered Na-che, “I’ll give you a Navajo charm.  You can’t drown if you wear it.”

Jonas’ black face grew less tense.  “Honest, Na-che?”

Na-che nodded emphatically.

“Well,” said Jonas, “I had a warming of my heart to you the minute I laid eyes on you, up there at the Grand Canyon.  Any woman as handsome as you is, Na-che, is bound to be a comfort to a man in his hours of trouble.”

Again Na-che nodded and began to dish the stew, which came quite up to Jonas’ estimate of it.  After supper, the big fire was replenished and Mack produced a deck of cards.

“Who said draw-poker?” he inquired.

“Most any of our crowd will shout,” said Agnew.

“Judge?” Mack looked at Enoch, who was sitting before the fire, arms clasped about his knees.

Enoch pulled his pipe out of his mouth to answer.  “No!” with a look of repugnance that caused Milton to exclaim, “Got conscientious scruples against cards, Judge?”

“Yes, but don’t stop your game for me,” replied Enoch, harshly.  Then his voice softened.  “Miss Allen, the moon is shining, up on the plateau.  While these chaps play, will you take a walk with me?”

“I’d like to very much!” Diana spoke quickly.

“Well, don’t be gone over an hour, children,” said Curly.  “Cards don’t draw me like a good gab round the fire.  And Diana’s our best gabber.”

“An hour’s the bargain then,” said Enoch.  “Come along, Miss Allen!”

It was, indeed, glorious moonlight on the plateau.  The two did not speak until they reached the upper level, then Enoch laughed.

“Jove!  This is the greatest luck a game of cards ever brought me!  Think, Diana, three days ago I was fighting my despair at the thought that I must never see you again and that you despised me.  And here I am, with moonlight and you and a whole hour.  Are you a little bit glad, Diana?”

“A little bit!  I’d be gladder if I weren’t so disturbed at the thought of the trip you are to begin to-morrow!”

“Nonsense, Diana!  I’m learning more about my own Department every day.  Aren’t they a fine lot of fellows?  Milton scares me to death.  I don’t doubt for a moment that if he tells me to dash to destruction in a whirlpool, I shall do so.  There’s a chap that could exact obedience from a mule.  I’ll look up his record when I get back to Washington.”