Ben did not refer to his discovery, and after he had explained the reasons why he had returned alone to the camp he joined Mrs. Cope, who was seated in a camp-chair on the high bluff, and delightedly watching the constantly shifting scene which the great river presented. The pleasure Jock's mother felt in the marked improvement in her son's appearance was certainly shared by his two friends, and Bob demurely remarked that he even had hopes that Ben and Bert would also "improve," a wish which Ben laughingly declared was destined to be blighted.