“Nice try!” Doug nodded approvingly. “But you got too tense toward the end. Head for shore and we’ll go through again.”

Sandy flashed the boy a grin and struck out for the near bank where Mike, looking mournful and disgusted with himself, was hauling himself out of the water. As Sandy reached shore, Mike leaned down and held out a hand.

“I won’t need a drink for a week,” Mike announced, pulling Sandy up beside him. “I just managed to swallow half the river. A couple more tries like that and there won’t be any rapids to go through.”

Sandy ran a hand through his dripping hair and looked back at the rapids. Half a dozen rafts were shooting through them with ease. He shook his head in admiration. “Look at them,” he said purposefully. “If they can do it, so can we.”

Mike nodded vehemently. “Now you’re talking. Let’s go!”

Two hours and over a dozen tries later, Doug was ready to graduate both of them from the Kindergarten Rapids. “See,” he said, spreading his hands in a gesture of finality, “all it takes is a little practice. You fellows could get through there now blindfolded.”

“Maybe,” Mike admitted. “But I’ll wait for a while before I try it.”

They were standing near the dock, toweling themselves vigorously after four successful runs in a row, pleased at having mastered a new skill. The crowd had grown since early morning and, along with the younger boys, there were a number of older teen-agers dressed in flashy cowboy boots and sombreros. The older boys eyed Sandy and Mike from under their hats.

“Who are the characters?” Mike demanded.

Doug squinted over at them and made a wry face. “Oh, those! Don’t pay any attention to them. I guess they heard you were around and came over to see the fun.”

“Well, the show’s over,” Sandy said as he picked up his raft. “We’ve got to get back to your father’s.”

“I’ll go along with you,” Doug said. Suddenly he stopped and ran forward. “Hey!” he cried. “That’s my paddle!”

One of the older boys was walking away with Doug’s ash-wood paddle. He stopped when he heard the challenge and turned insolently.

“Prove it,” he snapped.

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