“A couple of years ago thar was a Government expedition sent out here, and they engaged me as scout and hunter for ’em. They had a couple of india-rubber boats with ’em, that had a powerful stretchiness in ’em. They used to roll ’em up when they was in camp, and play football with ’em, and then stretch ’em out for tents at night. So you see they war mighty handy any way you fixed it.” “I’ve heard of them,” said Harry, “and I think if I had had one of them when I went over the falls, I might have bounded out again. I’m sure I’m bound to try it if I ever get the chance.” “Wal, they tied ’em up one night, on the shore of a purty good-sized stream, intending to cross over at daylight; but while all war asleep, a Nez Perce Injin stole up and crawled into one. I s’pose he meant to steal what he could lay his hands on, and the first thing he grabbed was a whisky bottle. One snuff of that settled his hash, and he never stopped guzzling till he had swallered the last drop, by which time he was so drunk he couldn’t set up, so he tumbled over into the bottom of the boat and went to sleep. I happened to be on the watch on the other side the camp, and the feller that was guardin’ here didn’t hear nothin’ of what was goin’ on. “Something or other was the matter with the boat. I s’pose like as not it wasn’t fastened as it orter been, fur the current worked it loose, and about a couple of hours afore daylight it went off down-stream. “Of course in the mornin’ we found out what had happened, and I see’d, too, how it had come to git loose, and a couple of us started on a hunt arter it. We found it about three miles down the river, where it had cotched fast ag’in’ the limb of a tree, and we got in and tried to paddle it back. The Nez Perce was still sound asleep, and we took him along. “But that was the greatest job I ever undertook,” added Old Ruff, with a sigh. “At the first off I sot down in the bow, and begun to paddle. I thought I was gittin’ along powerful well, but when I turned my head I found the starn hadn’t budged a bit. It had jist staid whar it was when we started, and the blamed thing was jist stretching out--stretching out.” “And you want me to tell why it did so?” said Harry; “the rear of the boat must have remained fast in the limbs of the tree.”