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Eying the box, I feel my brows crinkling. "That doesn't look big enough to hold one person, much less three."
"It's an inflatable raft."
"Oh. Are you sure that's sturdy enough for river rafting?"
Munro narrows his eyes and clenches his jaw.
Before he can speak, though, Errol steps in. "It's very safe, Ashley. I wouldn't have agreed to using an inflatable raft if it weren't tough enough to handle whatever we run into down the river. Munro recommended this particular model, and he knows what he's doing."
"Right." I hunch my shoulders as I tell Munro, "Sorry. Didn't mean to insult your skills. You must've gone on a lot of rafting vacations, huh?"
I swear Munro's nostrils are flaring, just like an angry bull.
"Calm down," Errol tells his cousin. "I forgot to tell Ashley that you were the co-owner of a rafting company. I only mentioned that you used to be a river guide. We couldn't have a better leader for our expedition because Munro is an expert, not just on rafting but also on wilderness survival."
Since I hadn't understood what a river guide does, I hadn't realized what kind of skills Munro brought to the table. Now at least I know we're in good hands with an expert to guide us on our journey. Errol trusts his cousin, and that's all the endorsement I need.
Munro insists on inflating the raft himself, so Errol and I sit on the sand to watch the river flowing past us.
"Have you ever gone on a river expedition before?" I ask Errol.
"Aye, I've taken some river-rafting trips. Not in the Grand Canyon, though. Munro will get us where we need to be, so donnae worry about that. But if you get tired or nauseous, don't downplay how bad you feel, all right? If you're too jeeked to go on, speak up. We can find a spot to camp for the night."
"I'm not too 'jeeked' yet. But I know you're trying to watch out for me, and I appreciate it."
Munro saunters over to us and kneels between me and Errol. "We all need to watch out for each other. The Grand Canyon is beautiful, but it's also treacherous."
"I understand," I say. "And I'll be extra careful."
"Of course you will," Errol says. "You're a clever lass."
Munro lifts his brows, and his lips tick up a touch. He glances from Errol to me and back to Errol. Then he rises, stretches his entire body, and exhales a satisfied sigh. "Time to get moving. The raft is ready. Let's grab the paddles, toss our packs in, and go."
We had already gotten out our life jackets, which had been inside the box with the deflated raft. So now Errol tosses the paddles into the raft, and the three of us work together to drag the thing across the sand, partway into the water. Munro keeps hold of the raft as Errol and I climb aboard, then he gives it a final shove just as he leaps inside. The current picks us up, and our journey begins.
Munro and Errol sit in the front, side by side, while I take the seat in back. Our backpacks lie between me and the men, tied down securely, along with Errol's secret bag. We all have paddles, which means I can help keep our raft moving smoothly down the river. Maybe it's mostly the boys doing the work, and maybe I wish I could be in front instead of stuck in back, but Errol and Munro have experience with river rafting. I'm a newbie, and I have enough sense to listen to the expert seated in front of me.
As I paddle gently, my sense of awe grows. The emerald green river snakes out ahead of us, between the red cliffs that shift to a lighter shade nearer to the canyon floor, leading us toward a destination we haven't yet identified. The clear blue sky above us contrasts with the earthy landscape, and I can't wait to see the stars tonight.
Munro tells me to stop paddling and focus on searching the cliffs for any sign of Kincaid's cavern. I retrieve my binoculars from my pack so I can get a closer look at any features that catch my eye. Before we left Scotland, I had printed out a high-resolution copy of the Ellsworth map and laminated it to protect the document. Now, I hold that laminated sheet on my lap while I study the landscape, searching for anything that resembles what Kincaid described.
If my hunch is right concerning where the mysterious explorer began his trek, we should find some clue to the cavern's location along this stretch of the canyon, between the spot where we entered the river and Crystal Canyon. Every time I think about how close we might be to finding the lost treasure, a shiver of excitement rushes through me.
Kincaid described seeing a "stain" on the cliffs about two thousand feet above the canyon floor, so I keep that in mind as I scan the surroundings. The word stain could mean virtually anything. That clue doesn't add much to my knowledge of where the hoard might be hidden.
We hadn't shared with our pilot the exact nature of our expedition. The fewer people who know, the better. Munro trusts Peter, but we all realize most people will think we're nuts for doing this. Better to keep the details to ourselves until we prove the treasure exists. Of course, we're also engaging in a not-quite-sanctioned expedition inside a national park. I'm sure we'll be breaking at least a few laws. Maybe I should care about that, but all I can think about is vindicating my father. Yes, okay, I'm obsessed with doing that. But I know Errol sometimes skirts the line between legal and not quite aboveboard, so I doubt he thinks less of me for trying to do the same thing. What about Munro? I get the feeling he doesn't mind straying outside the lines either if it's for a good cause.
Since we're traveling down a relatively calm stretch of the river, I have the chance to ask a few questions. "Munro, are you sure you're okay with going on an unsanctioned, kind of illegal expedition?"
"I told ye already. Yes, I understand the stakes."
"Sorry to be annoying. I've never done anything like this before, so I'm a little nervous about it."
"Take a breath, Ashley, and try not to worry so much." Munro glances at Errol. "Though maybe what you really need to ease your anxiety is a good, hard kiss. I'm sure my cousin can handle that."
"I'm fine, really. No need for anybody to kiss me." I gaze at the river ahead of us. "How far do you think we've gone? According to Kincaid's comments and the stuff Errol and I figured out, we should see something anytime now."
"We should get out the GPS." Munro turns to his cousin. "Can you find the unit I brought? It's in my pack, in the lower pocket on the outside."
