CHAPTER XI.
BILLY BRACKETT'S SURPRISING SITUATION.
When Billy Brackett set forth on his search for a nephew and a runaway raft he did not anticipate any difficulty in finding them.

The appearance of the raft had been minutely described to him, and, according to this description, it was too distinctive in its character to be mistaken for anything else.

Three shanties, and they of unusual construction, on a raft of that size formed a peculiarity sufficient to arrest the immediate attention of all river men.

Thus the young engineer felt certain that by making an occasional inquiry and proceeding at a speed at least double that of the raft, he could easily trace and overtake it, even though it should not run aground, which he thought more than likely to happen early in its voyage.
So Billy Brackett rowed down the creek without a trace of anxiety to mar the pleasure of the adventure into which he had so unexpectedly tumbled.

One peculiarity of this light-hearted young man was that no proposition to leave a beaten track and strike into an unexplored trail, even though it led in exactly the opposite direction, could be too absurd or unexpected to meet with his ready approval, always providing it promised plenty of adventure.