EACH FOR HIMSELFFor two weeks Ken and Bill prospected the bends for half a dozen miles up and down the river. Most of the bends were wide and flat enough to fit Matthew Blunt’s description, but they discovered no remains of an ancient cabin, nor could they find any ashes or bits of charcoal that would indicate the spot where such a cabin had been burned. A visit to the Indian village convinced them that, beyond a few “cuss words,” the natives neither spoke nor understood English. Inquiry regarding any recollection they may have had of Matthew Blunt and Jake Valentine or the location of their cabin was out of the question.
Long evenings were spent with the Meadows—evenings in which each of the two cousins sought to outmaneuver the other for the girl’s favor. The fact that she seemed to pre
