“Left!” Pop yelled, and Bug Eye shifted his paddle swiftly. “Steady--steady--_Take it!_” The canoe plunged into the maelstrom. About them the waters tumbled and tossed in an agony of movement. The craft shot forward like an arrow from a bow. “Yay!” Teddy yelled, his eyes alight with a fierce joy. “Let’s go!” Roy was too fascinated to exclaim. He sat perfectly still, gripping the sides of the boat, his head thrown back, his lips smiling. _This_ was life! A deep whirlpool lay directly in their path. Teddy saw that it was spinning with incredible rapidity, and thought that if they hit it destruction was certain. He turned to Pop to sound a warning. But the veteran had seen it. Not an inch did he swerve from his course. For a moment the boat hung on the edge, poised for a dive. Then it leaped. Straight into the heart of that silver-lined, foaming vortex it shot. “Right” Pop yelled, and Bug Eye shifted again. There was a space of time, seemingly interminable, when the boat appeared to stand still while the waters whirled beneath it. Then a quick lurch--and the whirlpool was left behind. Stunned by the suddenness of it, Teddy jerked his head around. The whirlpool was far in the rear. They had been in and out in less than a second. “Pop!” the boy called above the roaring, “what happened?” “Nothin’ much,” Pop chuckled. “We just took it at the right time, that’s all. It tossed us out. Like it?” “Certainly did!” Teddy cried enthusiastically. “Hit ’em again, Pop!” They came now to a place where the stream undulated like a huge white snake. There were hills and valleys of water; smooth, shining water. It seemed that the rocks over which the river was flowing were just beneath the surface--that they must surely crush them to pieces. Teddy saw that Pop’s face lost none of its calmness, so he settled himself once more with an attempt at serenity which deceived no one. Just what in thunder _was_ keeping them from all going to the bottom? The craft was tossing like a ship on the ocean. First the bow would almost bury itself in a smother of foam, then it would lift until it seemed that it must turn over backward. Bug Eye wrapped his legs firmly about the seat. “Roller coaster!” he shouted, and went down again, nearly out of sight. “My Fishmobile--” he began when once more he rose straight in the air, but at that moment they came to an especially deep pool and the words froze on his lips. Teddy watched him with amusement and saw that when he was level again Bug Eye had a wild look about him. “I’ll stick to crazy steers after this!” the cowboy yelled. “They stay on the ground, anyway!” But the worst of it was over. The water resumed a more normal flow and the banks widened. They still shot downstream at an alarming rate, but the canoe kept on a fairly level keel. Bug Eye drew a breath of relief and rested his paddle across the gunwales.